《Cursed Immortality》


 Chapter 1 Wish Of Immortality

    ?Somewhere on earth, inside a spacious room full of High-Tech medical equipment.


    Right in the center of this room was a high-tech hospital cot with all kinds of pharmaceutical machines attached to it, and on thisfortable coty a bony old man, full of wrinkles; he was faintly breathing with the help of a venttor.


    With extreme difficulty, the old man opened his trembling eyelids, revealing a pair of murky pupils.


    The old man aimlessly stares at the white ceiling in a daze like he is deep in thought, or he is just exhausted¡­


    ''Sigh¡­ I can''t even remember how long I''ve been in this white room¡­ a day?


    ''A year?


    ''A decade?


    ''I just remembered my fear of death and then¡­ and then¡­ then¡­ sigh¡­ I only had a vague memory of using my colossal wealth and influence to create this room so that I could live as long as possible.


    ''But living like this is not living at all¡­ I can only breathe and sleep. I can''t enjoy food or even water anymore¡­ no woman, drinks, walk, talk¡­ nothing.


    ''Friends?... yes, my friends¡­ are they still alive? I can''t even remember their faces or names, only Liam rings a bell, but I can''t remember anything.


    ''Family¡­ yes, I remember my wife died a year before I decided to create this room. After that, everything is foggy. I remember having sons, but why didn''t theye to see me anymore?


    ''Well, I hope they''re happy. I left enough for them to live like emperors¡­ it would be good if I could see their faces before I met my end, though¡­


    ''Why do we have to die, eventually? Can''t we just live forever with our loved ones? Why are our lives so fragile and cheap? Why were we born if we had to die in the first ce?


    ''No matter how much we achieve, how much wealth we umte, power, status, love, betrayal, wordly pleasures¡­ everything will eventually end with old age, and finally, we enter the embrace of death¡­


    ''Nothing mattered in the end. Our brief journey called life will eventually end without reaching anywhere. We can either pave the way for others whoe after us or do theplete opposite by doing nothing.


    ''People will rece people; fresh memories will be made while old ones will be turned into histories. Nothing canst forever, so live to the fullest while itsts¡­


    ''But if you ask a dying person''sst wish, I don''t know about others, but I want to live another day and don''t want to die, period.


    ''Just like all those fantasies, I want to be¡­ Immortal, and after experiencing the harsh reality of old age and being left alone to rot in this room while constantly living in fear of dying in the next second¡­ I''ll give up anything for it¡­ anything!''


    The silent plunge, but suddenly the old man noticed something strange.


    ''Wait, a moment? Why is my brain not hurting anymore? Why don''t I feel sleepy anymore because of all those medicines?


    ''Before, I couldn''t even awake for probably five minutes, and whenever I thought, my brain started to hurt, but it didn''t happen this time. But, oh, my memories are bing more evident all of a sudden¡­ my¡­ my name is Jacob Steve!


    ''But how is it even possible?! Did those scientists discover some miracle drug and my son bought it for me?


    ''So, those bastards didn''t forget about their old man after all, heh. Blood is indeed thicker than water. But why is everything dark? Did this drug only work on my brain but not my eyes?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Sigh¡­ it''s still far better than my previous state, though. But I still have to die in the end. If not today, then tomorrow.''


    At this moment, Jacob heard a foreign husky voice for the first time in quite a while.


    "Hmm¡­ very interesting. The experiment wasn''t a total failure after all. This test subject''s new heart started beating after ten seconds of transnt."


    Jacob was astonished when he heard this husky mumbling because thisnguage waspletely new and foreign, but he could understand it like it was his mother tongue.


    As far as he could remember, he had never learned this type ofnguage before. He was even more puzzled about what he had just heard, though.


    ''So, they are now experimenting on me?! Which bastard permitted them to treat this old man''s body as ab rat? Was it William or Ryan? Little Zain would never do this to me.'' Jacob fumed as he cursed his sons, ''These bastards even dare to change my heart without even my consideration, damn it, just which quack is it?! If I regain my consciousness, you''re dead, quack!''


    However, the following words of this same husky voicepletely gobsmacked Jacob,


    "I got this human ve at a low price, but he seemed quite resilient for being a human, and he even survived that kind of transnt. Truly a rare specimen for being a human."


    Jacob suddenly felt¡­ no¡­ he knew something was freaking wrong with this quack, ''Is he a mad quack?! He''s talking about enved people and humans like he''s living in some fantasy. Just what kind of nut-job those bastards hand me over to!''


    Soon, Jacob felt his body again and tried to open his eyes with all this power because he wanted this nut job out of his room as quickly as possible before he really killed him.


    Although he thought that being dead was better than living and all, he still didn''t want to die when it came to it. He wasn''t ready and probably never would be. He just wanted to take every breath before his body gave up on its own and no more machines or medicine worked on him.


    Yet, when Jacob''s eyelids were finally opened, he was astonished and in disbelief because he could see clearly, unlike before when everything was cloudy. He could see as clearly as when he was in his prime, or even more clearly.


    ''Maybe this wasn''t a quack after¡­.''


    However, his joy didn''tst long as his eyes went wide in horror because he saw his entire torso was opened like doors, and one could see every organ and blood vein clearly.


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhh¡­"


    Jacob shrieked at the top of his lungs before his eyes rolled upward, and he lost consciousness.


    ---


    So, this was Jacob Steve, an old man who died at age 116.


    After living on machines and medicines for 20 years, his heart finally couldn''t take it and fail. Jacob didn''t feel a thing because of the potent anesthetics in his system and was unknowingly reincarnated!


    As for his first experience in this mysterious ce, he only woke up for five seconds before witnessing his own ''postmortem'' and losing consciousness because of utter pain, shock, and horror.


    Even if Jacob had the mentality of a century-old man and had seen pretty much everything in his past life, this was still hard to swallow.


    Jacob still doesn''t know; it was just the start of his suffering and his undesirable, brutal journey toward the ''Immortality'' he wanted so badly!

 Chapter 2 Reality Check

    ?After an unknown time,


    Jacob opened his eyes again in confusion before memories of recent events came back in mass.


    At first, he thought it was just a horrible dream, but when he felt his body and saw with his new clear vision again, his heartbeat instantly shot up like a rocket.


    He subconsciously looked toward this torso again, but his head won''t move for some reason, so he used his eyes and felt relieved when he saw it wasn''t open like a book anymore.


    But his relief was momentary when he noticed the strangeness surrounding him.


    First, he waspletely naked and couldn''t speak or move for some reason. Second, he felt pretty new, not like he remembered the old feeling. Third, he can''t move his hands or feet, not even his pinky.


    Last but not least, and most scary, he was floating inside a ss cell filled with light-blue liquid. He could only vaguely see his reflection, but not so clearly.


    ''Just what the hell is going on?!'' Perplexed, Jacob tried to look through the transparent ss.


    The outside was lit with soft green light. Jacob could vaguely see a table in the center of the room.


    When Jacob''s eyesnded on the wall right in front of his ss cell, he was shocked, and his eyes trembled in horror.


    There was some ss cell on the wall in front, but inside it was a creature with the head of a wild pig and the torso of a human male!


    ''I must be hallucinating. There is no damn way that thing is real!'' Jacob denied it wholeheartedly, without even thinking twice.


    He quickly shifted his focus elsewhere since he didn''t want to look there again, afraid he might hallucinate.


    Jacob spotted small stairs going upward at the corner of the room, which was clearly a way out of his view. But he couldn''t get free from whatever was holding him, no matter how much he tried, nor could he feel any kind of restraint, chains, or lock.


    Jacob finally gave up thinking he was indefinitely ''hallucinating'' or dreaming, as matter-of-factly. Because it was impossible to be young and magically appear in this horrible ce.


    He was never a believer in any cult or religion. He never believed in reincarnation despite his desire for immortality. He just thought of it as a fantasy and unachievable wish which probably every living being had, nothing less, nothing more.


    ''Sigh¡­ I''m probably about to die or already dead, and this might be one of those shbacks before death. But why is mine like a horror movie?'' Jacob was perplexed.


    ''Well, it''ll soon be over, and I''ll cease to exist after that¡­.'' Jacobmented with a hint of unwillingness and deep sadness.


    Right then, Jacob heard the creaking sound of a door being opened. With squinting eyes, he looked toward those vague stairs.


    A trim, vague silhouette d in a ck cape entered the room.


    Jacob could tell this person''s height was close to four feet. That was clearly umon unless this person was a child.


    The little silhouette took off the cape and threw it toward a little table near the stairs. Jacob still couldn''t clearly see the person''s face. But he didn''t care since he was going to ''die'' very soon.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hmm?" The little silhouette suddenly noticed Jacob''s ss cell and moved toward it.


    Jacob coolly watched this personing closer and closer.


    "Oh, you''re awake."


    This person somehow noticed Jacob''s opened eyes. Furthermore, his voice was exactly the same one Jacob had heard before he startled awakest time.


    ''Sigh¡­ why is this quack in my shback? I never seemed to offend any doctor-psychopath in my life,'' Jacob sighed bitterly.


    The little person suddenly extended his finger toward something beside Jacob''s ss cell, and all the blue liquid sank toward the bottom while the ss cell holding Jacob slowly became empty.


    Jacob could finally see somewhat clearly when the blue, slimy liquid was gone. He could tell he was standing on the metallic surface, but he still couldn''t move his face or anything, as a matter of fact.


    Suddenly, the ss tube also started to slide downward; it was clearly opening.


    Now Jacob''s eyes finallynded on the tiny figure, and the moment it happened, his entire body shuddered as his eyes contracted with horror.


    The little person''s face was utterly brown, with a 5-cm long knife-like nose, a pair of green eyeballs and ck pupils, long pointy ears, and sharp, sinister greenish fangs showing through its mouth. It waspletely bald, with only a strand of ck hair right in the center of its head.


    "Mmmmmm¡­" Jacob wanted to swear, but his damn mouth just refused to open. His ''death shback'' was bing more and more urate and ghastly.


    "I don''t like the way how you look at me, ve!" The little monster snorted coldly as his greenish eyes shimmered mysteriously, "KNEEL!"


    Jacob, who was still thinking this was just a ''horror show'' before his death, finally felt something that one could not have felt if they were dead or dreaming. Pain!


    When the word ''KNEEL'' came out of the little monster''s mouth, Jacob felt intense pain in his brain before his whole body trembled and his knees bent without his control or will.


    ''Bang!''


    A loud sound of bones hitting the hard steel resounded in the room.


    Jacob''s feelings changed between bewilderment, horror, disbelief, and intense pain in his knees. His kneecaps were nearly shattered when his body kneeled without his ''concern.''


    "Hmph! Now, that''s better. A ve should always act like this!" The little monster sneered when he saw Jacob''s body shaking, and his face turned pale, which was still expressionless.


    Jacob somehow snapped out of his stupor, and all those moments shed past his eyes; foreignnguage, his sudden ''bloody'' awakening, then being in that ss cell in that slimy blue liquid, and finally mysteriously forced to kneel by this strange talking monster.


    Everything pointed out in one direction that he had never believed in his life before, but all this thing was forcing him to think about it, and it was probably the only answer to his billions of questions.


    ''R-re-r¡­REINCARNATION?!''

 Chapter 3 Bloodstorming Bug!

    ?''I-I¡­ I, re-reincarnated?!'' Right now, Jacob''s mind was struck by lightning and turned into a mess.


    Everything was happening too fast for him to process, and his recent experiences after his transmigration made things moreplicated!


    Jacob read transmigration-genre novels and shows in his old days, but he always sneered since this was nothing but fantasy in his eyes. Besides, he never had much time for all these side activities, and only after retiring did he enjoy some movies and books.


    But now, these fantasies have be absolute reality, and it doesn''t seem pretty either.


    ording to this little monster, he was enved, and this little ugly thing was his master. Furthermore, this little monster can somehow control his every action. Just his disability of not being able to move was solid proof of it. Hell, he can''t even speak!


    ''Calm down, calm down, Jacob¡­ you are someone who conquered the world''s entire weaponry industry, so conquering his little monster should be a piece of cake for you. Furthermore, look at the bright side. You gain another life!'' Jacob somehow calmed himself, but he was only collected on the surface while his heart was on the verge of exploding.


    Even though he was ted when he thought about his second life, his peculiar situation didn''t seem quite optimal for his little second life.


    ''I need more information, but how?! I can''t even speak, and this little brown bastard didn''t seem friendly at all!'' Jacob fearfully looked at the little monster, who was coldly staring at him with greenish eyes.


    "Now that you''re disciplined let''s see the result of the first transnt." The little monster''s ugly face suddenly turned excited when he mentioned the ''first transnt''.


    "Goy down on the table straight."


    He ordered Jacob while he went toward all those strange tools resting on arge rusty steel tray connected to the old steel table. Those tools also seemed quite worn out.


    Jacob stood up like an obedient dog and did as he was told. Hey down on the steel table, which was only a little longer than his height, with an expressionless face.


    ''Damn it, the feeling of being controlled is not good in the slightest, especially when you are controlled by an ugly monster, not by a pretty woman! Just how is he controlling me?''


    Jacob had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He finally understood just how much control that little monster had over him. He even suspected if that thing wanted him tomit suicide, his body wouldn''t even hesitate to slit his own throat!


    The little monster pick-up a scalpel-like tool, but it was more like a portable knife. After that, he made a deep two-centimeter cut right below the center of Jacob''s chest. Blood started to gush out, but the little monster didn''t seem to care.


    Then, he took a long metallic tube with both sides open like a metal pipe and stabbed it in the cut, and Jason''s body trembled slightly.


    ''Fuck you, bastard! At least use some anesthesia, and are those things even sterilized?!'' Jason was swearing in pain and concern as he felt the metal tube going deeper inside the cut.


    After the little monster was satisfied with the metal tube cement, he opened the cover of the small red bag hanging around his neck. From inside, he took out a small green vial.


    Jacob was gawking at the little green vial with pain, and he suddenly had a terrible feeling about this, and just as he suspected, the little monster opened the lid and picked up a tweezer from the tray. The tweezer slowly entered the vial and started to rise.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob was seeing this scene in slow-motion. He knew whatever was going to reveal. He won''t like it in the least bit.


    Suddenly, Jacob''s pupils dted in horror as his body started to shiver subconsciously.


    The tweezer was holding a strange Gray Bug when it exited from the green vial, which was half a centimeter in size!


    The little monster seemed to like Jacob''s reaction, as he wore a sinister smile. He waved the tweezer holding the gray bug at Jacob and said,


    "This is a Bloodstorming Bug. Don''t worry. It won''t create a storm inside your body, but¡­ the moment it enters someone''s bloodstream, it goes straight toward the heart and forces its host''s blood to circte quickly.


    "The fascinating thing about this Bloodstorming Bug is it can circte blood at the speed of lightning, but it was just a theory since no one survives that long, even to this day. Furthermore, you know what its fuel or its food is?"


    The little monster wore an extremely sinister smile as he answered his own question, "It feeds on its host''s¡­ heart!"


    Jacob''s body quivered even more as blood trickled all over his chest from the cut.


    ''What the fuck is he trying to do with that sinister bug?!''


    After hearing the '' exnation, '' Jacob wanted to fight this ''Brown Fuck'' to death. However, he has no doubt this little bastard was not saying all this to intimidate him. That ugly sadistic smile was enough to tell he was speaking the absolute truth.


    "Now, I''m going to send this bug toward one of your major heart veins with this tube, and if myst transnt was a sess, then you don''t need to worry. This bug would instantly crawl back, and if it wasn''t a sess, then¡­ sigh¡­ I have to find a new test subject, number¡­ 226, or was it 229? What a hassle!"


    The little monster sighed helplessly when discussing the hassle of finding a new ve. He clearly didn''t care about Jacob at all.


    ''2-2-2¡­ 226??! Just how many people has he killed before?! It''s over for me!''


    Two steam tears flowed from Jacob''s eyes as they became immediately listless just thinking about the death toll. He never thought he would somehow reincarnate and meet with this brown devil.


    Now, he was about to die again, and he wondered if he would get another chance again at life like this.


    At this moment, the little monster finally dropped the Bloodstorming Bug inside the metal tube with deep anticipation in his cold green eyes.


    Jacob''s listless eyes suddenly opened wide as his entire eyeballs became visible, and blood covered his white eyeballs.


    He felt something drilling into his bones, as the sensation alone made him wish he were dead!

 Chapter 4 Survived!

    ?Jacob''s entire body was shaking as cracking sounds came from his hands and feet because they were in the same position. After all, some mysterious power was holding them in one ce, which goes against the nature of the human body.


    Blood started to trickle from Jacob''s orifice after ten seconds, especially from his eye sockets.


    The little monster coldly looked at the metal tube,pletely ignoring Jacob''s condition, as his only concern was the reaction of Bloodstorming Bug.


    This little monster''s name was Decker, and he was an Imp-Goblin!


    He has killed many people in the same type of experiments, and none of them was human before.


    Most of his experiment subjects died in the first phase of transnts, which was to change the heart of a living being with another one!


    Only 12 experiment subjects were made in the testing phase, and Jacob was one of them. Unfortunately, no one survived this phase because Bloodstorming Bugs always ate their new hearts and caused them a painful and gruesome death.


    Truth be told, Decker only bought Jacob out of curiosity and desperation. Furthermore, he was cheap and had never experimented on a human before.


    Decker wanted this experiment to be sessful because there was too much at stake for him, even his insignificant life!


    As he watches Jacob reacting in the same way as the other subjects and almost on the verge of exploding, he shakes his head in disappointment. He knew this one was also a lost cause.


    Because if the first transnt was sessful, then the Bloodstorming Bug was supposed to leave Jacob''s body in twenty seconds, and fifteen seconds were already passed.


    The longest someone survived from Bloodstorming Bug was thirty seconds, and if the person hosted by a Bloodstorming Bug didn''t take the cure to kill the bug between this time, they''re doomed!


    ''Please, just kill me!'' Jacob only had this thought in mind at this moment as he felt his heart stabbed with small knives every second.


    He never would''ve dreamed he would be transmigrated as a ve of some sadistic psycho and die in this torturous manner.


    With deep resentment and pain, he felt his previous life was too good. Even though he lived for ''short hundred'' years, he still lived like an emperor after sess in the business world.


    At least that world had rules andws, most importantly, only humans were the dominating species, and they controlled everything.


    But here, everything was too strange. This monster could control him with thoughts, and these peculiar bug creatures also seemed too normal here.


    Jacob felt his consciousness fading away slowly as the pain started to lessen bit by bit. He felt immense relief at finally being free from this pain and this strange world, which he didn''t even get the chance to see.


    ''No more¡­'' Jacob''s consciousness descent into darkness¡­


    Decker saw Jacob''s body stop moving, his breathing almost nonexistent, and his discontent grew.


    "Did I do all that for nothing?! Is this journal even real?!" Decker mumbled in depression.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Sigh¡­ I think it''s all happening because all those test subjects were from mere low races, and I need to find a new powerful ve from a superior race to bepletely insured. But those races are too protective of their kin, and those ve traders don''t dare to extend their hands toward them¡­.''


    Decker mused as his face shone with desperation. He just refused to believe this ''journal'' was just a hoax.


    After a while, Decker snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward Jacob, and his depressed expression suddenly turned into a shocked one.


    With disbelief written all over his ugly face, he shed his little brown finger under Jacob''s bloody nose.


    "What?!" Decker couldn''t help but shout out loud when he felt Jacob''s warm faint breath, "H-he survived? But where is Bloodstorming Bug, then? Hmm? My connection with it also cut off without me being noticed. So what the hell is going on?"


    Decker''s eyes shone with ecstasy as he hastened toward the metal tube, pulled it out from Jason, and threw it in a water tray.


    He quickly opened a small pocket of his bag hanging around his neck, took out a small dark yellow round pill, and opened Jacob''s mouth before throwing it inside. The tiny tablet instantly dissolved in his throat.


    Decker didn''t stop there and hastily picked up a knife-like scalpel and started to cut out his left chest without caring that Jacob might die from blood loss; hell, it was already a miracle he was breathing right now.


    However, Jacob''s breath became steady after Decker fed him the mysterious pill.


    Decker paid little attention, as if he expected this to happen, and opened his left breast until he reached the sternum, where he could see his slowly beating heart.


    If Jacob saw his heart, he would be shocked silly because it wasn''t Red butpletely Blue!


    Decker was stunned when he saw a perfect, beating heart. But, then, excitement shone on his face. "It seemed the Bloodstorming Bug died and did not survive like it was supposed to!"


    He reached an astonishing conclusion; it was entirely out of his expectation. Because the Bloodstorming Bug can''t be killed without a particr poison, and it was the first time he even witnessed it!


    Decker inhaled sharply as he mumbled with ecstasy, "So, that journal is even more potent than I thought. Hahaha, truly worth the risk! But I had to do two more major transnts with other substitute organs before trying it on myself.


    "However, finding the organs described in the journal is almost impossible, but I can always find the second or third best for myself. I won''t be using Hound Rat''s heart like this human."


    Decker excitedly looked toward the unconscious Jacob, who was covered in his blood with sparkling eyes as if he was gawking at the priceless treasure.


    "Since you''re still valuable to me, I''ll allow you to heal in green healing liquid this time."


    Decker shouted, "Pig-head,e and ce this human in the healing cell again and use the green liquid this time!"


    The monster with a wild boar head and human torso, inside another giant ss cell very close to Jacob''s, suddenly trembled as its eyes snapped open and beastly pupils revealed!

 Chapter 5 Resolve To Live!

    ?"Mmm¡­" Jacob groaned in pain as his tightly shut eyelids trembled slightly and slowly opened.


    ''I''m alive?''


    He thought with incredulity as his eyeballs moved. The sheen in his eyes dimmed slightly when he noticed the same bleak surrounding, and the only difference was that he was floating in a yellowish slimy liquid, this time not blue.


    The only relief was the hellish pain he felt before losing consciousness was gone.


    ''How am I even breathing in this liquid¡­ no, wait, I''m not breathing at all, but I''m still alive?''


    He finally noticed this strangeness because there wasn''t any kind of oxygen mask or anything that could help him breathe, but he was still alive. He could tell by his steady heartbeat.


    ''What a strange, cruel ce,'' Jacob thought bitterly while vividly remembering his previous experience.


    Decker was no longer seen in the room, which meant he was out, which gave him somefort, but he knew this wouldn''tst long because once that brown devil came back and saw him awake, he would indefinitely start some other hellish experiment on him.


    Just thinking about the pain caused by Bloodstorming Bug gave Jacob chills.


    ''I have to think of a way to escape this ce somehow, but it''s impossible unless I can move my body,'' Jacob mused gravely.


    He wasn''t sure if he would remain sane if he experienced that kind of torturous pain again or how much longer he could take it.


    ''That evil bastard was talking about some transnts, and he changes my heart first. Furthermore, I survived the bug test, and ording to the bastard, the transnt was sessful.


    ''He also mentioned killing over two hundred subjects, which means I''m probably the only one who survived to this point, making me even more precious.


    ''After all, if someone is this persistent in one experiment and doesn''t give up even after over two hundred tries, either this experiment holds too great of importance, or the person is a sick bastard who gets kicked out of others'' misery.


    ''That evil bastard is definitely thetter, but the desperation was deeply hidden in his words, and my recovery made me the first one. So now I have to observe and find what this bastard wanted so badly from these experiments.


    ''Since he likes obedience and is probably a control freak, I might as well act as he wants, and he might let his guard down. But, unfortunately, he wanted to break my spirit, so I just had to act like a listless ve whopletely submitted to his tragic fate from now on.''


    Jacob''s dimmed eyes suddenly turned cold as a hint of sharpness shed past them. He wasn''t some youngster who didn''t have the experience of life. He lived a whole life and dealt with all kinds of people, primarily ruthless ones who hide behind a polite smile because of his weaponry business empire.


    Although he never killed anyone despite being a weapon dealer, the people who died from the weapons hispany manufactured were countless, and he never ran from this responsibility.


    But his previous world was based on money, and without it, you''re nothing, so he just decided to enjoy his life and rot in the afterlife, if there were any.


    However, now that he finally died and even reincarnated in this situation, hemented if this was the retribution for his sins, which he had nevermitted by himself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But he won''t just be going to stay helpless when he could change his fate, and he just needed to grab the opportunity the moment it came.


    Jacob closed his eyes after strengthening his resolve to leave this ce alive!


    After an unknown time, the sound of an opening door rang in the silent room. Jacob''s shut eyelids suddenly trembled, but he didn''t open them and remained static.


    Decker was back with a big metal container in his hands and an excited smile on his ugly face.


    "Hmm? Still didn''t wake up after five days?"


    Decker''s displeased voice entered Jacob''s ear, and he remained static. However, his heartbeat wasn''t as calm as his body.


    "Your heartbeat is not with you in this act, I suppose." Decker sneered mockingly, "If you keep pretending, I''ll use two Bloodstorming Bugs this time."


    ''Is this evil bastard''s ears that good?!'' Jacob''s heart turned cold, and he realized one of the significant ws in his n: he wasn''t dealing with humans!


    Jacob didn''t dare to antagonize this little devil anymore and quickly opened his eyes, but he still acted listless and fearful, which he actually was.


    "Good, don''t y any more games. You are destined to lose. But, if you act obediently, I''ll give you something for your pain from now on." Decker''s voice sounded sincere.


    But Jacob wasn''t the one to believe him. ''He really needed me for whatever experiment he''s doing!'' So he quickly hides his joy and only acts statically.


    "Oh?" Decker was a little astonished when he saw Jacob''s eyes remain listless even after his ''generous offer'' and thought, ''Is he broke already? Well, what could you expect from a human?


    ''Just inflict a little pain, and they would sing their entire life story in front of you. But the pain inflicted by Bloodstorming Bug, rumored to be worse than ten deaths, he survived and only lost his mind was a miracle on its own.


    ''So, why did he pretend to be unconscious before? Instinct or fear toward me? Whatever, as long as he lived through the third imntation!''


    Decker again pressed something, and after the yellowish liquid was sunk somewhere below, the old ss cell slid open, revealing naked Jacob.


    He had a bony body and face. He was the prime example of only skin and bones. It was as if he hadn''t eaten for months, and his yellowish skin made him look highly sickly. He had shaved head, and his amber eyes were listless.


    His age was probably around 21 to 24, and his height was an average 1.6-meter.


    Even Jacob was shocked by his current condition when he vaguely saw his reflection in the transparent ss. Even when he was 96, he looked much healthier than this!

 Chapter 6 Blood From…

    ?Jacob does his best not to move his eyeballs and keep staring into the void like an idiot.


    Decker didn''t even try to see if Jacob was turned into a vegetable or if he was acting. He didn''t care because, in his mind, Jacob was just a test subject and ve who he could kill with just thought whenever he felt like it.


    However, he won''t do it now because he still needs his body for further experiments and his bright future.


    "Go,y down in your usual position." Decker coolly uttered while he began to arrange strange equipment and other things on a table and put therge metal container in the center of the table.


    Jacob''s eyes spasmed when he saw all those small tubes and long needles neatly arranged beside thatrge metal container. He very much wanted to run, but he knew this little devil wouldn''t let him, nor he can move with his free will because of some mysterious power holding him in check.


    All he could do was remain calm and brace himself for whatever Decker had stored for him in that metal container.


    "Since the first transnt was aplete sess, it''s time to move on to the second. Although it was written to wait three months before starting the second transnt, I think you''repletely ready, don''t you?" Decker showed his sharp yellow teeth with his wintry smile.


    Jacob flinched a little while, doing his best to stare into the void as if he didn''t hear anything. But his heart was on the verge of explosion because of what just Decker revealed.


    "Hehe, although you can control your eyes quite well, you still have a long way to go if you want to control your nerves. Well, I don''t mind since it doesn''t matter because you can''t do anything to me!" Decker coldly sneered.


    Jacob could only sigh silently because he knew this guy wasn''t a human, and he had far higher senses than humans, so it was meaningless to fool him with his chaotic emotions and withoutplete control over his heartbeat.


    However, he remained vacant and didn''t do anything. He justy there and waited for the pain.


    "Heh, as long as you understand, I guess." Decker didn''t mind Jacob''sck of reaction, and he picked eight inches needle, which was hollow from the inside.


    He prated that long needle into Jacob''s left arm; it was connected to a small ss tube, and thereby, red blood flowed from the other side of the tube and started streaming into a bucket right below.


    Jacob''s body was frail, to begin with, and the moment his blood started to flow out of his body, he began to be dazed.


    Decker quickly took a small blue pill he had arranged beforehand on the table and ced it in Jacob''s mouth without concern.


    Jacob suddenly felt the dazedness start to reduce, but the feeling of remaining empty was still there as his heart rate started to increase so that it could regenerate the lost blood. However, it was useless since the blood flow was faster than the meager regeneration.


    Decker scrutinized Jacob''s condition, and when he saw hisplexion was bing paler and the blood flow from the needle also slowed down, his eyes shed with excitement for some reason.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hehe, let''s begin the second transnt written in that journal, the ''Blood Change.'' Although I don''t know just which beast this blood belongs to since I collected this blood from a newly formed puddle, it''s still vigorous and far more potent than human blood.


    "I guess this was my luck since I don''t have to spend any money on buying blood now. You have no idea. Just finding the auxiliary materials almost cost me one-tenth of my fortune. If you die now, I''ll be very disappointed!"


    Deckerined while bemoaning this wealth.


    Jacob nearly had a seizure when he thought this little devil was about to change his blood with something he had collected from a freaking puddle!


    ''This bastard definitely wanted me dead!'' Jacob really thought he was dead this time around.


    He wasn''t ignorant when it came to medication; he had studied many old and modern medicines to prolong his life in thetter years of his life. Although with his deep contacts, he managed to acquire all those machines and drugs that could keep him alive, he still ended up dead.


    The only good thing about all this was he didn''t feel any pain!


    Anyhow, he knew changing one''s blood wasn''t some child''s y, and it always left with many hidden side effects, nor it can be done on a fucking whim. Furthermore, this fucker didn''t even care about his blood type or origin. He just wanted to pump that puddle shit into his body without caring for viruses and bacteria.


    Decker was utterly clueless about Jacob''s thoughts; even if he knew what Jacob was thinking, he wouldn''t pay attention since he knew what he was doing, and the only thing that mattered to him was the results.


    Jacob''s life and death had nothing to do with him.


    Decker opened the square container, and a potent, nasty smell suddenly wrapped the entire room.


    Jacob wanted to puke at this moment. Because of his wealth and status in his previous life, he lived the life of an emperor. Just when was thest time he contacted this kind of nasty smell; he doesn''t remember, honestly.


    Nevertheless, his little bit of hope for survival instantly shattered with this nasty smell. He knew there wasn''t any way he could survive if this smelly thing entered his body.


    On the other hand, Decker seemed utterly unfazed by this smell, as if he was used to it. He picked up a small sealed sk and opened and turned it upside down right above the opened container. Blue-powered-like sand entered the container.


    Afterpletely emptying this sk, he opened the second one and emptied it one by one; he emptied twelve sks into that container.


    Decker started to stir it with a long needle, and after he stirred it for ten or so seconds, red smoke began to rise from the container as if the blood inside was boiling!

 Chapter 7 Sudden Mutation!

    ?Although Jacob was still conscious after Decker fed that unknown pill, he started feeling extremely drowsy because of tremendous blood loss. Even his heartbeat was bing slower and slower.


    After mixing whatever he just threw inside that container, Decker picked a strange metallic ball with two holes on its opposite sides. He then picked a narrow tube and connected one end to one of this metallic ball''s holes, which was a perfect match for this slender metal tube.


    Decker then mysteriously moved his thumb on his metal ball, and suddenly it started to vibrate. He nodded in satisfaction and then threw the metallic ball inside the container as well.


    Without dying even a moment, Decker picked up the other side of that slender tube, connected with a long needle just like the one in Jacob''s other arm.


    Suddenly, red liquid started to flow in drops at anguid pace, clearly the blood from that container. Decker quickly pricked this needle deeply into Jacob''s right arm''s deep vein!


    Decker''s eyes shed when he saw everything go ording to his n, and he nodded in satisfaction. He couldn''t wait to see the result of this experiment because he knew if he seeded, then there was only a third transnt left.


    After he seeded with the third transnt as well, he''ll be able to gather all the data he needed to ensure that these methods weren''t hoaxed, and he could use them on himself without caring about any bacsh or side effects!


    While Decker was daydreaming, Jacob, on the verge of losing consciousness, suddenly jolted from his lethargic state.


    He felt like boiling water was pumping right into his right arm and coursing through his veins!


    Jacob didn''t even have the strength to think, as all his focus was on intense pain, threatening to melt his organs and vine channels. Yet, amid this scorching feeling, he felt somewhat excited from the bottom of his heart!


    ''I''m not masochistic, but why the hell I''m experiencing this weird feeling? No, something is not right. It has to be something with this shit this brown fucker is pumping into my body!'' Jacob was filled with dread and rage.


    But his old consciousness kept him sane despite all this scorching pain running wild all over his body, and that strange feeling was also helping him keep that pain in check.


    However, Decker didn''t notice because all his focus was on Jacob''s body. His pale skin was now bright red because of the heat of that unknown blood, while all his vein channels were darkly visible under his skin as if he was painted with ck paint.


    "Hmm? He''s still conscious despite this blood-changing process. It seemed he had built some immunity after Bloodstorming Bug''s experiment. Good, the more you resist, the more brilliant result I''ll be able to gather!" Decker was quite happy with all this development.


    Suddenly, the blood flowing out of Jacob''s right hand stopped as the giant buck was almost full of crimson blood.


    ''Oh, his original blood runs out, but he''s still conscious even that ''Painless Pill'' I gave him can''t archive such a result, so it had to be something to do with the first transnt!'' Decker mused as he swiftly pulled out that long needle from Jacob''s left hand since it served his purpose.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Now, all I have to do is wait until half of the refine blood enters his body and then mix his own blood into the reaming half-blood. What a strange way of changing blood, whatever, as long as it prepared him for the third transnt.


    ''But I''m still worried if this human''s body can contain this much blood, just this container contains one gallon while this bucket can also contain one gallon, and it''s almost full. So if he exploded, then this hideout would be a mess.''


    Decker mused deeply as he kept observing Jacob.


    Jacob had no idea about Decker''s thoughts because that strange feeling was bing more and more apparent as the scorching pain was bing less, which was a good thing.


    Yet, for some strange reason, Jacob felt this wasn''t that simple, as he could vaguely sense something was weird going on within his heart.


    Jacob was highly right about this because deep inside his heart was a carcass of a bug that was none other than a Bloodstorming bug that had drilled into the center of his heart.


    However, for some unknown reason, this Bloodstorming bug died right here, and it was also utterly impossible for Jacob to remain alive with this bug carcass in his heart, yet he was still alive and didn''t feel a thing.


    At this moment, the new blood was seeping through his heart or a hound rat''s heart, imnted into Jacob as his first imntation.


    This new blood was slowly melting the Bloodstorming bug''s carcass; strangely, the melted corpse was getting absorbed by the hound rat''s heart and the new blood.


    His heart was like a sponge that was crazily absorbing the Bloodstorming bug carcass and that scorching blood which was entirely impossible in a sense. However, it was happening.


    Furthermore, as the hound rat''s heart was absorbing this blood, it was slowly reshaping. This hound rat''s heart was in no way structured like a human heart, and it was just the closest match Decker could find in cheap.


    Now, however, this heart, which was somewhat significant and broader than a human heart, was shrinking, and its structure was reforming as if it was molding into a heart of a human!


    Furthermore, that Bloodstorming bug was utterly an unexpected ''gift'' that was now merging with this newly reshaping heart. Moreover, something strange appeared right inside his heart''s wall. It was too vague, but it was ck.


    Decker did not know about this sudden mutation going on with Jacob''s heart, or he''ll be shocked and might''ve killed him instantly out of fear because this type of mutation was supposed to happen after the fourth transntation!

 Chapter 8 Pig-Head

    ?Jacob also didn''t know about the changes happening inside his body as he was waiting for trouble toe because he thought it would not be this easy. But it never came at all. The pain slowly faded away, as he could feel fiery blood flowing through his veins.


    Half an hour passed, and Decker finally noticed Jacob waspletely fine now. Besides his bright red skin, he didn''t show any sign of pain or struggle as he kept staring at the void like he was oblivious to anything happening around him.


    Decker frowned a little because he thought this process would probably be quite painful. After all, the powders he mixed in that unknown blood were quite potent, and two of them were even highly toxin.


    That was one of the main reasons he was experimenting on others. Decker had doubts about these transnts after he acquired that ''journal,'' but as he watched Jacob was fine, his doubts suddenly started to clear, and they were reced with ecstasy.


    Because if that ''journal'' was authentic, he didn''t need to fear bacsh or side effects.


    ''Just one more transnt!'' Decker''s eyes sh with resolution and deep madness.


    He quickly took the bucket filled with Jacob''s original blood and poured it all into that blood container, which was now half.


    Jacob naturally noticed this but kept his calm. He knew something like this would happen since the entire process was remarkably¡­ painless, and in his view, Decker was a sadist who would not let this slide by, and he will torture him.


    After a moment, the blended blood entered his arm, and Jacob suddenly felt extremely lethargic before he lost consciousness. This time not because of pain but because of thisbined blood, which was absorbed by his reforming heart.


    "It seemed the actual pain started when the blended blood entered the system, and it also seemed quite intent that he be unconscious so quickly despite the Painless Pill, or is there some other reason?" Decker mused deeply.


    He ced his skinny brown hand on Jacob''s chest and observed something. After a while, he retraced his hand and mumbled, "Nothing out of the ordinary besides his abnormal heartbeat. So just what is going on?"


    Abruptly, Decker opened the bag around his neck, and from deep within, he took out a gray wrapped cloth and unwrapped it delicately, and from within appeared a white book!


    Decker instinctively looked around, and when he saw no one was watching, he opened it and attentively started to read it, page by page, again and again...


    The blood transnt continued for over three hours, and Jacob''s eyes remained shut during this entire process.


    Decker didn''t leave his ce and, every now, checked Jacob''s condition and carefully wrote it inside a green cover book. The white book was nowhere to be seen.


    After Decker checked the blood container waspletely empty, he pulled out the long needle from Jacob''s right hand.


    Jacob lookedpletely normal, just like before. His bony constitution hasn''t changed at all. Only his skin remained rosy, nothing else.


    This made Decker even more puzzle because Jacob''s body absorbed more than twice the amount of blood Jacob''s body had previously, and it didn''t overflow or make him explode.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I think I need that thing if I want the urate result of this transnt. Blood change is dangerous, and I can''tpletely believe my eyes or my own method. Besides, that thing will benefit the third transnt, the Bone Marrow Fusion.'' Decker''s beastly green eyes sh.


    "Since the second transnt was seemingly a sess, then I needed to wait for a year, and I needed to go myself if I wanted that thing, which would take me less than six months. Well, I still needed materials for the third transnt, so I''ll be back in nine months, which is more than enough for this human to be ready for thest transnt!" Decker murmured to himself.


    He turned around and uttered coldly while looking at the second ss cell, "Pig-head, put him into green healing liquid."


    The Pig Head''s beastly eyes snapped open, and the light blue liquid surrounding it sank to the bottom before the ss cell slid open, revealing the Pig Head.


    Its pig eyes were utterly listless, and its ck pig head was covered in ck fur, whichpletely covered its neck and chest, while his torso was of a burly human male.


    Pig Head moved toward Jacob, and with one of his burly, solid hands, he picked him right from his head as hisrge hand was wrapped entirely around Jacob''s bonny face.


    Just like a rag doll, Pig Head put Jacob into his ss cell before pressing a green color button, and the ss cell started to close, and after that, light green liquid started to fill the ss cell from bottom to top.


    After Pig Head was done, it stood there listlessly like a puppet, as if it was waiting for its followingmand.


    Decker quickly put his green book into a hiddenpartment below the staircase without being concerned about Pig Head''s listless eyes.


    After he was done with it, he checked the bag around his neck and closed it after confirming something.


    He looked at Pig Head and uttered sternly, "Until Ie back, you''ll stand guard here. Anyone besides mees from that door. You will kill it instantly. After, every three days, drink one bucket of blue liquid. If that human ve showed any sign of strange movement, change his liquid to a ck one!"


    Decker repeated the exact instructions twice to Pig Head, who just listlessly stayed still on its spot. No one could tell if it was alive or dead.


    However, Decker knew this Pig Head was very much alive, and it could hear him loud and clear. So, after ensuring he had missed nothing onest time, Decker climbed the wooden stairs and left for his long trip.


    After the door was closed, the room descended into deadly silence.


    Pig Head was now facing Jacob''s ss cell, which was filled with a green liquid, with its deadpan pig eyes without blinking.


    At this moment, Jacob, who seemed unconscious, opened his eyelids, revealing his amber-color eyes filled with extremeposure.


    ''I''m finally feeling like myself¡­.''

 Chapter 9 An Energy

    ?Jacob had regained consciousness half an hour ago when the blood-changing process was almost done. But he never opened his eyes and remained stoic because he didn''t want to give Decker what he wanted.


    Although Jacob didn''t know how, after he woke up this time from his slumber, he could easily control his heartbeat and remain calm while his mind, which was a mess before, had be apparent.


    Jacob felt he had returned to his old, calm self. Perhaps it was this youthful body, the sudden shock of reincarnation to turn him into this mess, or both, but he couldn''t control his emotions and was always on edge.


    Jacob has never been like this. He had a century of life experience while he was a wily old fox who had ruled over an entire weaponry empire of the whole world for fifty years after his ground-breaking discovery and had an ingenious mind.


    After regaining his consciousness again, he suddenly felt mentally and physically cold. This was also the most significant reason he remained so calm despite being manhandled by Pig head and even fooling Decker.


    This also gave him many pieces of new information, which Decker revealed himself when he thought Jacob was out cold. He never imagined that Jacob could fool him so easily.


    Moreover, Jacob discovered his ears and nose had be even more potent than before, and now that he had finally opened his eyes, he could clearly see despite surrounding by this green liquid!


    ''Is it because of that mysterious blood that little shit found from a pit?'' Jacob''s attention was automatically drawn to that mysterious blood that the little devil found in a pit and pump it into his body.


    This also made Jacob instantly think about cold-blooded species. He was very knowledgeable about cold-blooded species because he had researched and designed an anti-infrared technology that can see through both warm-blooded species and cold-blooded species even in icy water!


    ''Well, it doesn''t matter anymore since this helps me, and I must reevaluate my views about this mysterious world. I can''t use mymon sense from my previous world here. This ce probably had magic as well, which is like a myth in my previous world,'' Jacob passively mused.


    Then his eyesnded on the tall, burly figure, which was listlessly standing two meters away from his ss cell. He was still shocked and amazed by the sight of it and wondered, ''Just how did that little devil make him, or was it also a ve from a special species?''


    Nheless, Jacob clearly remembered what Decker hadmanded Pig Head, what to do in case he showed any movement, and wondered what that ck liquid would do to him. But he was sure about one thing: Decker would not harm him before collecting whatever result he wanted.


    ''Maybe that ck liquid can put me to sleep like sedatives?'' So Jacob concluded, but he soon remembered he couldn''t move because of mysterious reasons.


    Yet, at this moment, Jacob suddenly felt something strange inside him out of the blue. It was right inside his heart, and when he focused on that spot, he suddenly felt something had moved a little.


    However, it wasn''t tangible like an object; it was more ethereal. Jacob was naturally astonished and focused more on his heart, and he felt something reposed with the slightest movement as if it wanted him to control it.


    ''Just what is it?''


    Jacob wholeheartedly focused on moving whatever this thing was. It was not like he had something else to do at this moment.


    ---


    Three Days pass,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob was still entirely focused on moving whatever was inside his heart, without caring about any time or fatigue.


    He also discovered this green liquid was marvelous because he didn''t need to breathe. Secondly, he didn''t feel fatigued or need to sleep and could easily concentrate. Most importantly, he didn''t feel hungry!


    This dramatically rms Jacob when he thinks his conjecture about this world is far more advanced than his previous world was likely true. He still doubted whether his theory of magic was fundamental or not, though.


    Besides, it wasn''t his focus right now, as he was utterly trying to move whatever was inside his heart like he was possessed.


    ---


    Day Seven,


    Jacob could finally move whatever was stuck in his heart, but he could only move it one centimeter upward. So it didn''t even leave his heart area, but Jacob was still quite happy with his progress.


    ---


    Day Thirty-Five,


    Jacob could finally move this ethereal freely around his left chest area. He also found out this thing wasn''t inside his blood, but it was like something transparent because with all those veins and muscles, he moved it in any direction, and he had a proposition that he could even summon this thing outside his body.


    However, its origin was still a mystery to him. But Jacob also discovered that after this thing left his heart, he could clearly feel the area wherever it goes, like his blood cirction, veins, bones, and muscle fiber¡­ like he was seeing them.


    This was his most significant discovery, which left him in both shock and excitement. He suddenly felt this thing was not normal, and it might help him in his current predicament.


    But he knew this was merely his feeling, which he desperately wanted. However, he still didn''t lose hope and controlled that thing again.


    ---


    Day Fifty,


    Jacob''s eyes were tightly shut, just like always, as he was deeply engrossed in himself. He had made a new discovery today that after his long practice, he could finally move that strange energy to his left forearm!


    Jacob started calling whatever this thing inside him was ''Energy'' because it could freely move inside his body with no barrier whatsoever, and this energy also had strange properties.


    However, he still wasn''t sure if this energy was really moving without a path after his recent discoveries!

 Chapter 10 A Sliver Of Hope

    ?Only this energy can give him an urate feeling of his inner body, but I could also move freely in the same section of his body that this energy crossed after Jacob''s weeks of practice.


    It was like he was opening block paths or just forging alternative pathways inside his body for this energy that was born in his heart.


    Right now, the energy was slowly moving toward Jacob''s hand from his left forearm. If he wanted to retract it, he could easily do it while taking the same path it came from.


    However, he won''t do it because he wants to see what will happen when this strange energy enters his palm or fingers.


    Will ite out, or was it something else, not just an energy?


    Jacob had many questions like this, and one of his biggest fear was this energy was actually the Bloodstorming bug that once entered his heart. But he was uncertain about it because he didn''t know what had happened after passing out that day.


    He didn''t see the Bloodstorming Buging out of his body that day, but he felt that it wasn''ting out, but deep inside, he didn''t want that at all.


    Because if it was the Bloodstorming Bug, he might not be able to control it after it came out of his body or even harm him. He wanted this thing to be energy like magic or something like that, just as he read in all those novels.


    Nheless, he was willing to take this risk because this might be his only way out of there, or Decker might kill him after getting satisfactory results.


    ---


    Day fifty-three days.


    The energy finally entered Jacob''s palm this day, and when he moved it toward his thumb.


    However, at this moment, he could finally measure its urate length. It was only three inches long, while its width he had found out two days ago that it was as thin as a hair strand or probably thinner.


    As for how he found out, he had seen it with his own eyes. Then, two days ago, he caught a glimpse of it in the reflection of his ss cell, but only for a moment. But it was enough for Jacob to see a very thin line moving toward his hand, just like one of his veins.


    This also relieved Jacob that it wasn''t that bug, and he thought Decker didn''t leave it inside his body.


    Which also raised the same question again. Just what was it? Could it really be energy like magic or mana?


    Although Jacob was a little afraid, he was also excited. His old heart was filled with anticipation. He wanted it to be something like magical energy.


    At this moment, the energy has ultimately reached the tip of his thumbnail. However, it didn''t go further. No matter how much Jacob focuses, it just won''t budge from that spot.


    Which made Jacob''s heart sink, and all his hopes were shattered. However, at this moment, something happened that caught Jacob entirely off guard!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His thumb suddenly¡­ twitched!


    Jacob''s pupils dted and shimmered with sudden realization.


    He again tried to move his hand, but it was still stuck like always. Finally, when he focused on his thumb, he could quickly move it around free, but it wasn''tpletely free, and only the part which was covered with that strand of energy waspletely free!


    But this much was enough to make Jacob almost mad with ecstasy because, from the moment he came into this world, he was never able to control his body except his eyelids and eyeballs.


    Some mysterious power constantly restricted him, and his absolute control was in Decker''s hand.


    However, now suddenly, he managed to move his thumb without restriction. This naturally left him with great delight.


    Yet, his excitement didn''tst long as he returned to his calm self. He quickly retracted that energy in the center of his palm and sent it toward his index finger.


    He wanted to ensure that this energy could free him from this mysterious restriction. But, unfortunately, after the energy left his thumb, it returned to the same restricted self, and Jacob was again helpless as before.


    However, he only paid attention momentarily to this and again turned his focus toward his index finger.


    After a while, the energy finally reached his index fingertip and was again blocked froming out. But Jacob''s focus wasn''t on it. After he tried to move his index finger, he was ted when his index finger curved slightly under his control!


    ''So, this sliver of energy can really render these restrictions useless, but it''s only a sliver, and I can''t seem to be able to increase it, and I can only move it around my body.'' Jacob was perplexed.


    He felt just like someone who had just seen a ray of light but found out there was a bottomless abyss between him and that light.


    Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Jacob''s old mind, ''This restriction is not physical, then it had to be abstract, right? Since I can examine the inside of my body with this energy, can I find that mysterious restriction ce of me with it and even fight it with this energy?!''


    Jacob''s eyes brightened at this moment, and even his heartbeat increased significantly. He just couldn''t get this thought off his head after it came. Without hesitation, the sliver of energy returned to the heart at a lightning-fast speed.


    This was one of the reasons Jacob felt this wasn''t some bug or anything: he could retract it with just a thought, and its speed was almost unimaginable inside his body. That''s why he thought of it as mysterious energy and magic.


    Nheless, it wasn''t his main concern right now. So he tried to send this energy toward his head where the restriction was, and he was a hundred percent sure about it.


    However, the moment the energy tried to go upward from his neck, it suddenly stuck there as if a mysterious barrier was stopping it.


    Jacob had never had this kind of feeling before, and he knew something was not right!

 Chapter 11 Finding A Path

    ?Jacob focused all his willpower on the sliver of that mysterious energy and tried to move it upward toward his neck, but no matter how much he tried, he met with some invisible barrier.


    Suddenly, Jacob opened his eyes and saw a little bit of red flowing in the green liquid right in front of him.


    ''Blood?''


    Jacob quickly found out where this bloode from. It was from his nose. He won''t have known if he didn''t feel warm on his nose so suddenly.


    ''Is it because I was forceful with that energy just now?'' Jacob could only think of this usible exnation.


    Although he wasn''t entirely sure, he didn''t dare to take any more chances. He still didn''t know what this energy was or even if it was energy to begin with. He didn''t want to cause too much self-harm, which he couldn''tprehend.


    ''But why is it resisting in this area while I can easily move it to the other part of my body?'' Jacob fell deep in thought.


    ''Could it be? It''s not moved freely around as I thought and follows some kind of vine channel, and it follows some kind of pattern, like¡­ like what was it called again?... I clearly remember reading it in the old Buddhist medicine when searching for a way to extend my lifespan¡­ Cha-Chakra Points¡­ right?''


    Jacob remembered something like Chakra Points that exist in legends at this moment because he was obsessed with extending his lifespan, and there wasn''t anything he hadn''t read that could help him prolong his life.


    It was another story, though, since nothing worked in the end, and all those legends have very minimum effect on over ny years old Jacob. He was left with only one choice: to use all his influence, favors, and a massive chunk of his wealth to buy advanced machinery just to live like a living corpse.


    However, even advanced medication wasn''t able to save him from death.


    ''But there were only seven main chakra points, and they''re all located in the torso and head, which means it possibly can''t be legendary chakra points? Then there were also Meridians Points which were also rted to inner energy as well.'' Jacob mulled over the information he had collected and read in his past life.


    But he didn''t remember anything clearly, since it was tens of years ago. He only remembered superficial information.


    ''Sigh¡­ well, it''s not like I need some proof or anything, nor did I have the luxury of time to think over all these legends. Let''s see. Even if this energy is following chakra points or meridian points, then I think first I needed to circte this energy all over my body just like my arm and then try to go for my neck and head?''


    Jacob simply went for it since he won''t lose anything by doing this, and he might be able to seed in the end. It''s not like he had somewhere to go right now. He was just floating inside a ss cell.


    Thereby, Jacob again sent the energy toward his left hand and paved the way for the energy into his other fingers¡­


    ---


    It was Day sixty-five since Decker was gone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Pig-Head would move toward a small metal door on the floor every three days, right in the center corner between two ss cells. He would open it, fill a rope bucket of blue liquid from inside, and then drink it before returning it to his old position and staring at Jacob''s naked figure floating in green liquid with his listless pig eyes.


    One very noticeable thing about Jacob''s ss cell was that the light green liquid inside had be lighter as if it was losing its potency slowly.


    Jacob also started to feel sleepy because of it, and he would sleep after doing his daily routine of carving a path for the sliver of energy inside his body.


    Jacob naturally noticed the change in green liquid and started to feel dread when he thought about the possibilities after this green liquidpletely lost its effects. He couldn''t help but thought that he would die of hunger or drowning.


    Although he didn''t feel hungry or need to breathe inside this green liquid, it would still lose its effect, just like medicine, and it needed to be refilled.


    He even wonders if Decker will be back before he dies tragically. However, he didn''t put his hope on Pig Head because, after observing him for over two months, he knew this guy was aplete idiot with no will of his own, just like a puppet who followed orders blindly!


    However, he strongly didn''t want Decker toe back, not before he rified his theory about this energy.


    Jacob noticed that after he was done with his left hand, his progress of carving a path in his right hand was much faster, and today he finallypleted it.


    Now he was going to start working on his torso and legs without any dy¡­


    ---


    Day 134, it was over four months since Jacob and Pig Head were left alone in his darkroom¡­


    It wasn''t dark before, though. But, just a few days ago, the source of light, which looked like a bulb, suddenly dimmed down and stopped working altogether, making the entire ce descend into darkness.


    But for Jacob or Pig Head, this didn''t make any difference.


    Jacob started to sleep for over ten hours because the effect of that green liquid was bing vaguer and vaguer.


    However, Jacob still didn''t feel any hunger or feeling of drowning, which made him reach an astonishing conclusion that after this green liquidpletely turned transparent, he might fall intoplete hibernation.


    Because Jacob always fell into a long sleep without even him noticing, which left him started for some time, but he soon saw that it was probably because of this liquid he was floating in, and it might have different effects from his assumption!

 Chapter 12 Restriction & Freedom!

    ?This extirpated Jacob''s fear of dying out of hunger or drowning, but this also put an unknown fear in his heart.


    If he fell into hibernation, then he won''t probably be able to wake up on his own, which also meant only Decker would be able to wake him up once he came back.


    Jacob didn''t want that at all because he was so close topletely circting the sliver of energy into his body, only half of his right leg remained, and he knew it would mostly take him a week toplete it as well.


    He could not rest if he didn''t see the result of his theory, which was also the only hope of leaving this ce alive. Even if this hope was based on his delusion, it was still hoped that kept him going.


    ''Although I can''t do anything in this darkness, I think I slept for thirteen hours this time or probably less or might be more. This gives me probably thirty or forty more days before I might fall into hibernation. Fuck if that pig idiot just refiled this green liquid¡­.''


    Jacob cursed Pig Head in his mind before again turning his focus on doing hisbor again!


    ---


    Day 148,


    Two more weeks passed, and Jacob''s right hallux was moving up and down as Jacob was quite excited about this moment.


    It was clear that he had finally been able to move the sliver of that mysterious energy all over his body, and only his neck and head were left.


    ''The moment of truth!'' Jacob''s heart was galloping at this moment.


    With a thought, the energy moved back to his heart from his big toe. He didn''t immediately send it toward his neck. He decided to circte the sliver of energy in his entire body before going toward his neck, forming a pentagram just for a silly reason, which was that he read in a novel once.


    Jacob slowly controlled the energy and started with his left arm before going to his right and right arm and left leg¡­ he didn''t feel a damn thing, making him silently blush¡­


    ''I should''ve never believed in those damn stories¡­.''


    Jacob didn''t dwell on his embarrassment for too long, quickly controlled the energy, and slowly moved it toward his neckline.


    Jacob''s eyes instantly contrasted when the energy¡­ didn''t meet any barrier likest time!


    ''Hahaha¡­ so, I was right about my approach!'' Jacob was ted and wanted tough out loud, which was out of his character. But who could me him since this little sess meant there was still hope for him!


    Jacob quickly settled himself down and crawled the energy toward his head. He thought it would also cost him some time, but to his astonishment, the energy moved toward his head with no restriction or need for an alternative path, making him even more excited.


    When the energy reached his skull area, Jacob thought it mighte out of his mouth, but it didn''t, and as it was moving to the back of his skull.


    Jacob quickly restrained his ecstasy and observed his head very thoroughly. He knew the restriction ced on him was probably here.


    ''Nothing in the back of my head¡­'' Jacob found nothing behind his skull area, which was the most expected area where the restriction might be, but it wasn''t.


    However, Jacob wasn''t disheartened and moved the energy toward the top of his skull, and he met with the same disappointment. Jacob was a bit panicked, but he still didn''t lose hope andmanded that energy to move toward his forehead.


    At this moment, when the energy was right above his be, it suddenly met with a barrier that wasn''t a natural one Jacob felt from his body.


    Jacob''s eyes instantly shed with a sharp light, ''Found you!''


    He was a hundred percent sure that he had finally found the thing restraining him because he had been controlling this energy for months now, and he knew how it felt like when he met with a natural barrier or blocked pathways.


    This thing wasn''t a barrier nor a pathway. There was something solid, and he even felt the energy jolt it a little when it touched it!


    That was why he was entirely sure he had found the thing he was looking for!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    First, Jacob looked right toward Pig Head, who was invisible in this darkness, but he knew he was there, and every three days, he could hear him moving and drinking his ''tonic.''


    ''I don''t know if this pig can see me or not¡­ if he can, then he''ll do as Deckermand him and release that ck liquid, and if he doesn''t, then¡­ well, I don''t know what he will do without Decker''s control, but I won''t shun this chance of freedom¡­ well, it was still unclear if I will gain freedom or not, so there is no need to burn my brain cells on this¡­.''


    Without hesitancy, Jacob again made the energy to move in the same path, and this time he felt clear that something was in his be, and for some reason, the energy could tremble.


    However, Jacob suddenly felt a piercing pain in his brain that he wanted to scream, yet he couldn''t, but sudden lunacy overcame Jacob''s eyes as he used more force and rattled that thing which was in his be!


    Suddenly, Jacob felt his lip moving as the liquid entered his mouth. He quickly closed it since he was still inside the liquid. He had instinctively opened his mouth because of the pain.


    But he quickly reacted and controlled it. The good news was this thing was losing its control over his body!


    However, this excited Jacob as he helter-skelter tried to push that thing from its ce even more fiercely whilepletely ignoring the pain. This pain wasn''t half as painful as the pain he experienced when he first was awake with his entire torso open, nor was it even close to the pain Bloodstorming Bug caused!


    Jacob knew this pain was the price of his freedom and he''ll pay it no matter the amount!


    Jacob continued to sh the energy with whatever was on his forehead without even stopping for a moment while continuing to endure maddening pain.


    He could feel this thing had taken root in his skull just like a parasite nt, and he had had to uproot it!


    As he was shaking the thing inside his head, he slowly gained control over his limbs.


    Jacob used his full force and tried to move his hand. He knew this energy wasn''t enough to uproot that thing in his head. Now that thing wasn''t inplete control of his entire body. He wanted to take this chance to use his hand.


    With extreme difficulty, his right hand finally moved. It was as if Jacob was possessed by lunacy and didn''t care about anything or any consequences. All he wanted was freedom from this hellhole, and he will do anything to gain it!


    Finally, his head reached his forehead while continuing to tremble.


    ''Just give up!'' Jacob''s eyes were utterly blood shoot as he stabbed the nails of his thumb and index finger into his be with no mercy!


    Blood got blended into an almost transparent liquid at this moment.


    Jacob suddenly felt his index finger''s nail touch something solid, and he ruthlessly wed it!


    This time, Jacob felt his entire brain jolt as that thing finally uprooted from its ce!


    However, Jacob was in a frenzy and didn''t let this chance go. With both fingers, he wed whatever hade off from his skull and pulled it back with a small chunk of his forehead skin!


    Jacob suddenly felt he had just regainedplete control over his body, but he was too tired and fell into slumber without even looking at the thing he was tightly clinching in his fist.


    The opening on his forehead suddenly healed because of the green liquid. As for the mysterious energy which made all this possible returned to Jacob''s heart without hismand, it didn''te out of that opening.


    However, Jacob didn''t know about it at all as he fell into a deep slumber in the crimson liquid with a clenched hand and a faint smirk on his lips.


    As for Pig Head, just as he expected, he didn''t notice his movements at all in this darkness and remained standing still.


    However, after the wound on Jacob''s forehead waspletely healed, the green liquidpletely turned transparent or crimson since Jacob''s blood was blended within now.


    The main point was that Jacob was now in a state of hibernation after finally being free¡­ what a tragedy!

 Chapter 13 Awakening

    ?Four monthster, after Jacob fell into hibernation,


    The voice of tiny footsteps could be heard inside a dark silent room. Thereupon, the door that had closed for over eight months made a creaking sound of opening.


    A surprised yet husky voice sounded at this moment. "What happened to the light pearl? Did it run out of energy?"


    If Jacob were awake, he would''ve instantly recognized that husky voice. This was indeed Decker, who hade back after his long trip.


    A white light suddenly illuminated the small room from the staircase at this moment.


    Pig Head could be seen standing listlessly right before Jacob''s ss cell. He didn''t attack Decker because of their connection of master and ve or the moment the door opened. The intruder would''ve been dead by now if it wasn''t Decker himself!


    Decker slowly descended the stairs. He wore a ck cape that was drenched with water, clearly implying that he had just traveled in heavy rainfall.


    However, Decker''s green beastly eyes suddenly went wide when he saw the ss cell filled with crimson color, and Jacob was vaguely visible.


    His heart sank as he yelled in an infuriated manner, "What the hell happened to him?! Didn''t I clearly say if you see any strangeness with him, you just have to release the ck liquid quickly?! Are you dead, you pig ear chode?!"


    Decker viciously kicked Pig Head''s leg, which was twice his size, and Pig Head reaming, standing like a tower without any expression of pain or distress.


    Decker knew he was just egging a stone wall, and he wasn''t a Pig Head match at all, which made him even more infuriated.


    "It must be because of that fucking light pearl, fuck, what bad luck!" Decker regained his rationality quickly.


    He knew Pig Head was just an empty husk, and he couldn''t expect him to do something rational of his own free will.


    Suddenly, Decker''s long ears twitched as his expression turned into astonishment and ecstasy.


    "His heart is beating. He''s alive!" Decker strode toward Jacob''s cell and pushed a bronze button.


    Thereby, the red liquid started to sink into the bottom.


    Decker felt immense relief when he saw Jacob''s face, which waspletely fine, and he started to breathe normally.


    ''Was it some side effect of blood change? It was indeed the right decision to get a Bloodline Scanning Scale. I won''t be able to find urate results without it¡­.'' Decker felt quite pleased with himself as he looked at therge bag under his cloak.


    Before, he was startled by Jacob and forgot about the weight on him. Now that he knew Jacob was fine, he finally rxed.


    He saw the red liquid was still only half sank, so he pressed the blue button beside the bronze and moved toward the table to put down therge bag.


    He barely missed Jacob''s clenched left hand, or he would''ve been overreacting right now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, Jacob still didn''t know he had just dodged a bullet because of Decker''s overconfidence. He finally opened his eyelids after four months!


    After a momentary confusion, he suddenly remembered what had happened and just happened to see Decker''s back. He flinched for a moment before instantly understanding what had happened.


    ''I fell into hibernation!'' Jacob quickly saw the sinking red liquid, and he knew he was right.


    Then he suddenly remembered about the thing he pulled from his forehead before falling into hibernation. He felt inside his left fist a small stone-like object, not some parasite bug he was guessing before.


    But he moved quickly as he opened his mount, put whatever was in his fist between his teeth, closed his mouth, stood straight like status, and closed his eyes.


    Jacob knew he only had time while Decker''s back was still facing him, so he quickly reacted.


    He didn''t want to sh with this brown devil right now, not while he was still behind ss with unknown sturdiness and that pig freak was still gawking at him.


    However, his movement was clearly noticed by Pig Head, and since Decker didn''t give him a newmand, he moved toward the button panel, so he could press the ck button since Jacob had just made a strange movement.


    Luckily for Jacob, Decker clearly caught the movement of Pig Head, and he yelled in perplexity, "YOU! You, empty brain chode, what the hell is wrong with you!? First, you nearly let my precious subject die, and now you''re going to waste my precious Rare-Grade healing liquid?! Go back to your fucking cell and activate the blue liquid, useless crap!"


    Decker cursed Pig Head many times and even kicked him with his little legs to release some of his frustration.


    Jacob calmly listened to Decker''s curses and sneered inside, ''Yes, just caged those Pig Mussels. Without him, I don''t believe you can put on with my surprise attack!''


    Jacob''s heartbeat didn''t increase this time as he remained static while he felt a new liquid start to fill the ss cell.


    ''I will only get one chance at this, and if I fail, I might as wellmit suicide and then fall back into this brown fucker''s hands!'' Jacob was ready for a do-or-die situation.


    Since Decker would wait for him to wake up, he knew he had time to make a solid strategy.


    First, Jacob''s attention was drawn to the object in his mouth. He dared to bluntly put it in his mouth because even after months of remaining in his hand, this thing didn''t do anything, and it was a solid object, like stone.


    All he felt was two needles on this object''s surface, and he could guess that this thing was probably nted by hands, and it wasn''t alive like a parasite, and it probably only worked on the brain or the same spot it was nted in his head, that why it was harmless right now.


    Jacob soon discovered that this thing was only half a centimeter in size and was very solid and diamond-shaped. Even with his teeth, he couldn''t seem to damage it!


    ''This thing can do wonders if I''ll use it right!'' Jacob''s mind was working at lightning speed at this moment.


    He wasn''t just some random old man; he was the freaking tycoon and Emperor of the weapon industry, Jacob Steve, who shocked the world with his wits and discovery or couldn''t have reacted so quickly, only within seconds after just waking up!

 Chapter 14 Positions Changed

    ?Decker quickly changed into a new green outfit that looked like a grown, and after sorting out all the things he had collected and bought from his eight-month journey, he sat on a wooden chairfortably.


    He looked at Jacob''s ss cell, which was now filled with light blue liquid just like Pig Head''s cell, and a light glint shed past his eyes.


    ''Should I wait for him to awake, or should I just test him as is it?'' Decker mulled over this choice.


    He picked up the blue wooden cubic box from the table. It was one foot in diameter. He slowly opened it, and inside was a ck rectangr device, which was eight inches in size. It had a five inches ck disy, and round, shining red buttons were on the other three inches of the ck area.


    Right below these four buttons was a tiny needle, which was hollowed from the inside.


    Decker caressed this device delicately, like it was his woman''s bosom, and mused.


    ''Although this Bloodline Scanning Scale is of a Rare-Grade, it still cost me half of my fortune, and I can''t even find it easily in this barren ce. Whatever, as long as thisst experiment seeds, I will need all the data I want, and then I can leave this damn ce. Once I be powerful enough, I will make those arrogant bastards tremble beneath my foot!''


    Decker''s eyes were filled with hysteria as he remembered something unpleasant and repulsive. He couldn''t remain calm after that and stood up.


    "Why the hell would I need to wait for my ve?" Decker mumbled as he pressed the bronze button again, and the blue liquid started to sink again.


    Jacob was utterly awake as he remained static while he felt the blue liquid keep sinking, and he could breathe again. He knew this was his only chance, or Decker might notice something amiss as time passed.


    Decker was entirely oblivious to Jacob''s ambush n. He blindly believed in his strong hearing ability. He could''ve easily detected Jacob''s fast heart rate, but Jacob hadpletely controlled his nerves, especially his heart rate, after controlling the mysterious energy for months. Likewise, he deeply benefited from it, unbeknownst to him!


    After three minutes, the liquid finally sankpletely, and Decker pressed something again right beside the ss cell and then finally started to slide down, revealing Jacob''s naked, skeletal figure.


    Decker still didn''t notice anything amiss with Jacob. He coolly extended his hand toward Jacob''s right hand to grab it.


    But something entirely out of Decker''s wildest imagination happened at this moment when Jacob''s eyelids snapped open, revealing his icy amber eyes, and he quickly grabbed Decker''s brown hand with a powerful grip!


    Decker was startled at that moment with this sudden turn of events, and this moment was all Jacob needed to react.


    Jacob''s right hand, which was formed into a scissor-shaped, moved at full speed, and without any dy, his index and middle finger were stabbed into Decker''s wild opened eyes!


    "Ahhhhhhhh¡­.!"


    Decker shrilled and screamed like a pig when he felt Jacob''s bony, sharp fingers in his eyes.


    Jacob still wasn''t done. He released his grip from Decker''s wrist, forming a punch, and let loose a sharp husky sound before throwing a punch filled with hatred and resentment toward Decker''s pointy chin!


    Decker felt like he was struck by a sledgehammer and instantly fell to the ground, bleeding from his eye sockets and mouth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob haspletely caught him with his pants down, and with the boxing and defensive skills he learned in his past life, he quickly manhandled Decker, who was small and weak without his tricks!


    However, Jacob still wasn''t calm, despite seeing listless Decker on the floor. He knew he wasn''t dead and didn''t want him dead either.


    Jacob opened his mouth and spat something in his hand. He could finally see the cause of his suffering. It was a red diamond shape object with two needles on one side and a very tiny ck symbol on the other side.


    Jacob didn''t know what it was, nor did he care at this moment. He looked at Decker with a vicious smile on his bony, pale face. He sat on him and, with bare nails, he dug right in the middle of his forehead.


    Crimson blood gushed out, but Jacob was utterly unfazed. He would never show mercy toward his enemies, and Decker was someone he hated the most. Even in his previous life, he never thought of killing someone this much as he thought of killing Decker!


    Jacob ced the diamond shape object right where he dug Decker''s skin and pressed it with full force and when he felt he was properly stuck on the right spot, he vaguely saw a very tiny ck light.


    ''Oh, it''s active like this, huh!'' Jacob was finally assured.


    But he still wasn''t done!


    He started to take off Decker''s clothes. Decker was plump, as his brown torso was also filled with some battle scars.


    Jacob''s eyesnded on two bracelets in Decker''s hand. One had a ck ribbon, and a red ruby was embedded in it, which reminded him of that diamond he had just nted into Decker''s forehead.


    ''This should be the remote control of that stone!'' Jacob quickly took it off and saw a tiny ck mark right in the middle of this ruby, the same as the red diamond!


    Decker wore it on his own wrist, and then his eyesnded on the second bracelet, which had a ck band and a dark blue gemstone embedded on this one. But this one looked more exquisite, and there was a small string of tiny symbols in its center.


    ''This should be the controller of that pig muscles!'' Jacob took off this bracelet as well and put it on!


    Lastly, his eyesnded on a ck chain and ck pendant, which Decker was wearing. The pendant was a pitch-ck circle, four-centimeter in diameter. However, when looking at it closely, it was delicately carved in an extremely vivid snake that was eating its own tail forming this circle, and it looked very vivid, as if it was alive.


    Furthermore, there were marks left inside the interior of this snake circle, which clearly implied that there was a piece missing from this pendant.


    Jacob instantly felt he had seen this kind of symbol before, but he didn''t seem to remember where. Nheless, he also pocketed that chain and pendant, and after making sure Decker had nothing left on him, he put him into his own ss cell and released the blue liquid.


    Jacob never wanted to kill Decker in the first ce, not after he got his hands on the ve stone.


    Jacob wore a stiff smile as he looked at the unconscious Decker in the ss cell. Their positions had changed now.


    ''I''m going to enjoy this!''

 Chapter 15 Blood Analysis

    ?After Jacob was finally done handling Decker, he felt immense relief as all the adrenaline rushing through his vines finally started to calm down, and he felt tired.


    He still couldn''t believe that he had managed to thwart a monster andpletely turn the tables on him. He slowly walked toward the same chair where Decker was just sitting a couple of moments ago.


    ''Sigh¡­ this feeling for walking again...''


    Jacob let loose a heavy sigh like an old man as hepletely rxed on Decker''s chair and closed his eyes, and for the first time after he reincarnated, he felt alive and free!


    "Freedom¡­" Jacob''s hoarse voice rang at this moment. This was probably the first word he ever spoke. His voice was powerful for his bony self, as Jacob''s old man-like demeanor made it even more imposing.


    A happy smile suddenly emerged on his pale face. It was a sincere smile of happiness, "I can finally say I got another shot at life, and I''m going to live it to the fullest, just like my old life, and who knows I might be able to live much longer in this mysterious yet magical world!"


    Jacob''s smile widened. He didn''t seem like someone who just ''popped'' an Imp-Goblin''s eyes and beat the crap out of him. He just looked like an ordinary young man filled with grand ambitions.


    After enjoying the moment for a while, Jacob smiled wryly at his naked self. In his happiness, he almost forgot he was still in his birthday suit.


    He looked around and clearly saw what was in this small room beside that ''torture table'' and his ''old home''.


    There was a small closet at one of the corners right below the stairway and a shelf on the other corner of the table.


    Besides these two extra things, there wasn''t anything except the newrge bag Decker had bought or Decker''s old bag. Both of them were lying on the ''torture table'' at this moment.


    Jacobpletely ignored everything else and went straight toward the closet and opened it. He would not feelfortable without any clothing on his body.


    This closet has only three shelves, and only Decker''s size clothes are in it, which won''t fit Jacob, who is two heads taller than Decker.


    In the end, he picked up two ck cloaks; he rolled one around his waist and draped one on his shoulder.


    ''Much better.'' Jacob feltfortable after hiding his ''assets'' and finally paid attention to those two bracelets he pocketed from Decker.


    He first looked at the dark blue gem bracelet. He didn''t know how to use it or how to make himself its owner, but he never saw Decker using them openly since he alwaysmanded him literally.


    Jacob tried to imitate Decker and speak closer to the dark blue gem bracelet, "Pig Head,e out!"


    He looked toward Pig Head''s cell with anticipation, but nothing happened.


    Jacob''s brows frowned a little and mused, ''Could it be I need my blood to form some kind of connection with these gems?''


    He picked up a knife-like tool from the steel tray and perked his finger, and his blood dropped on the dark blue gem, and it instantly absorbed it!


    Jacob''s eyes sh as he quickly drops his blood on the red one, and it also quickly absorbs it.


    Although he didn''t feel anything, by those two gemstone reactions, he knew his theory was sessful!


    "Pig Head, move your head!" This time, there was boundless confidence in Jacob''s heavy voice.


    Pig Head really moved his head after receiving Jacob''smand!


    ''Heh, at least those books have some use.'' Jacob was quite satisfied with this development. ''Let''s see how you escape my grasp now, little fucker!''


    A cold glint shed in Jacob''s eyes as he gazed at Decker''s cell before he averted his gaze.


    His eyesnded on the device Decker was carrying when he opened his cell and picked it up from the floor.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''It just looked like a smartphone. Could this world be as advanced as mine or even more?'' Jacob''s thoughts wandered for a moment, but he shook his head and smirked, ''I''m not even outside, and I''m already thinking like this, heh, you''re just as greedy as always, eh, Jacob.''


    A light chuckle escaped Jacob''s mouth before he pressed the buttons on the device and tried to activate it. He mused that since Decker had bought it, and it was in such fancy packing, it must be pretty expensive and essential to him.


    However, nothing happened, no matter which button he pressed or how long he pressed.


    "Is it broken?" Jacob murmured to himself, and his eyes finallynded on the small needle at the bottom of those buttons.


    Jacob remembered Deckering for his hand at that time. ''Did it need my blood to activate?''


    Jacob was fascinated and pressed his thumb on the small needle, which instantly pierced through his skin, making it even more evident that it was made for this purpose.


    Just as Jacob''s blood entered the needle, the ck screen lit up in white, and an unfamiliar yet familiar ck character appeared.


    ''Numbers? Oh, I can read thisnguage? Is it because of this body''s previous owner I can read and understand this world''snguage?'' Jacob was quite sure about this.


    The countdown on the ck screen finally ended after nine seconds. New words appeared, which made Jacob intrigued.


    "The blood analysis has beenpleted. Please press the button to check the result!


    "Oh, is this thing like some measuring device?"


    Jacob quickly pressed the first button, and the screen changed again.


    "Specie: Human,


    "Sex: Male,


    "Age: 23,


    "Strength: Too Weak,


    He pressed the second button without dy, as he expected this much after from his bony body.


    "Bloodline: Not Pure (Fusion)


    "Human Bloodline (Umon-Tier): 70%


    "Rat Hound (Rare-Tier): 5%


    "Unknown Bloodline: 20%


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher grade device to discover about this bloodline and more information!)


    "Unknown Bloodline: 5%


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher grade device to discover about this bloodline and more information!)


    "I have two unknown bloodlines in my body, and this device is too low grade to identify them, which means this ''Rare-Tier'' bloodline is this device''s limit. But what the fuck is this Rat Hound? Just what kind of shit this little shit was doing with this body all this time!"


    Jacob couldn''t help but curse Decker before pressing the third button!

 Chapter 16 Blood Lifespan

    ?Jacob knew he had to now live with all those experiments Decker had done on him, and they can''t be undone just like that, so he had no choice but to ept the reality.


    He pressed the third button to see just what kind of information this would reveal,


    "Blood Analysis Report:


    "Because of four different tier bloodline fusions within human species ''Umon-Physique and Umon Bloodline,'' this fusion is exceptionally harmful and deadly for the user.


    "Please extract other bloodlines as soon as possible.


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher grade devise for more urate blood analysis results and more information!)


    "The heck?! Is thispany selling products or advertising them by selling them?" Jacob cursed and berated thepany behind this device harshly.


    But he couldn''t help but feel worried when he saw the Bloodline Analysis Report. Even without this device, he knew this kind of blood change couldn''t be done as Decker did, and his being alive was a miracle on its own.


    Jacob knew he was fucked and hated Decker even more, when he nced at the ss cell filled with a blue liquid with a hint of Decker''s blood.


    "Sigh¡­ let''s see what thest button can tell me." Jacob helplessly shook his head like an old man.


    A new disy emerged,


    "Blood Lifespan:


    "User has approximately less than 2000 Days of life because of user blood fusion.


    "(Warning: This result is not entirely urate and only depends on the blood analysis.)


    "(Note: Please purchase a higher grade device for more urate blood lifespan results and more urate information!)


    "What, less than 2000 days!?" Jacob''s eyes dted when he saw this line and panicked.


    There wasn''t anything scarier than death for him out there, and definitely not after he was reincarnated and finally became free!


    "No, this shity device is clearly wed since they put such advertisements in every fucking report!" Jacob muttered to himself. He just didn''t want to believe it, even though deep down he knew Decker''s experiments were enough to gain such results.


    Jacob threw the Blood Analysis Device on the table and just remained motionless on his chair while his eyes closed.


    ''What a stroke of damn bald luck, heh. I got this new life in this new mysterious world. But I already knew I''d die in less than seven years just because of a freaking little monster. Hah, trulymentable,'' Jacob thought while bemoaning his bad luck.


    After he calmed down, he quickly epted the fact about his lifespan because he wasn''t someone who lived in delusions.


    ''Well, since this device had said to extract the types of the blood of other species can undo all this, then it might be possible to salivate my situation. Or I can always find another human and change his blood with my own. It''s not like I didn''t experience it already!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s amber eyes snapped open as a vicious glint shed past them before he regained his calm demeanor.


    ''thum¡­ thum¡­''


    Suddenly, a light sound of something knocking against a hard surface drew Jacob''s attention, and when he looked at the source, he pulled an extremely frosty smile, ''He''s awake. These strange liquids really do wonders!''


    Decker was currently wiggling his limbs inside the ss cell while his mouth was opening and closing. He clearly was still shocked by what had happened to him.


    Although Decker waspletely fine, his two eyes were now just ck sockets. Before, Jacob didn''t hold back with his surprise attack and ruthlessly destroyed Decker''s eyes.


    Eyes were the weakest spot of any living being, and Jacob didn''t know Decker was just bark and no bite. That''s why he went for his eyes and was so ruthless with his attacks. Nheless, he didn''t regret even a little what he did!


    Jacob finally stood up and coolly moved toward Decker''s cell with a wintry smile on his face. "Look what we have here, a blind little shit, huh? Say still and close your mouth!"


    Decker suddenly trembled when he heard this deep voice filled with mockery and viciousness. All his movement suddenly stopped after this heavy voice faded.


    ''The Parasite Gem!'' Decker instantly knew he had been enved, and his heartbeat shot up tremendously!


    He finally remembered how he ended up like this, and an extremely weak figure shed past his mind, ''How did that human manage to extract the Parasite Gem without dying?!''


    His head was filled with these questions, but s, he couldn''t speak right now since he was now on Jacob''s mercy, just like when Jacob was. Their positions have been swapped and changed!


    Jacob was quite pleased with Decker''s reaction, as he also pushed the bronze button on the button panel on the wall, just like Decker.


    "Pig Head,e out!" Jacob alsomanded Pig Head.


    He won''t be taking any risk with Decker since he knows nothing about what Decker is or what kind of things he is capable of, and Pig Head is his strongest trump card.


    Because he didn''t have free will, like Jacob and Decker, he was sure of it because Pig Head''s eyes were always listless, with no luster of life whatsoever, which means he was dead or something like a death state. Or someone like Decker can never control such a monster!


    Pig Head''s eyes snapped open as he pressed something inside his ss cell, and the liquid started to sink.


    ''So, his ss cell had an inner control panel, which means Decker wasn''t afraid he would turn against him. Moreover, he can easily awake from his sleeping te. Was it the liquid or something else?'' Jacob mused.


    Jacob didn''t dwell on this topic for now since Decker''s cell was finally emptied, and he was eager to give Decker a taste of his own medicine!


    He opened Decker''s cell and calmly sat on the chair again while looking at expressionless blind Decker, who was standing there like a little puppet.


    Pig Head also came out of his cell at this moment.


    Jacob''s lips curled as he said coldly, "I don''t like the way you''re standing, ve, so¡­ KNEEL!"

 Chapter 17 A Confession (1)

    ?"KNEEL!"


    Decker fell to his knees with no hesitation after hearing Jacob''s powerfulmand.


    "See, it wasn''t so hard to kneel, right?" Jacob said in his heavy voice with a hint of mockery.


    ''Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold!'' Jacob''s eyes shed.


    Decker had an expressionless face, and he didn''t even have eyes to see Jacob''s gloating expression at this moment. All he could do was just hear Jacob''s mocking voice, which pierced his heart in millions of ways.


    ''I could escape pursued by an army of experts, but in the end, I fell into the hands of my own ve, heh, truly retribution¡­'' Decker silentlymented at this moment.


    He was a very careful person because you had to be very careful if you wanted to survive out there with no existing strength, and Decker was such a case. He didn''t have anything except his knowledge and the life-saving tricks he had learned from deadly experiences.


    But in the end, he was yed by his own ve, and the ve was a weak human, nevertheless. Although he didn''t know how Jacob got free from the Parasite Gem, he knew after what he had done with Jacob. His death won''t be pretty!


    Furthermore, his eyes were now gone, and he knew they couldn''t be regenerated, not here at least, and without his eyes, he was nothing but a blind old goblin who anyone could squish like a bug. That''s why he stopped resisting and waited for his death.


    Jacob said again at this moment, "You can speak freely."


    Although he wanted nothing more than to kill Decker in the cruelest way possible, he wanted the most information about this world from Decker!


    Foremost, he knew nothing about where he was or what kind of ce this was. He had already seen Decker''s drenched cloak, but he had never heard a rain sound in this ce before, which meant they were deep underground, and Decker must''ve left many traps outside for intruders. That''s why he didn''t dare to leave this ce on his own.


    Secondly, Decker was clearly hiding from someone here. He could tell just by how rigorously Decker behaved when he leftst time.


    Third, Decker seemed quite resourceful since it could acquire this kind of equipment and set it up in this hellhole. Those two ss cells and liquids were high-tech enough to leave Jacob speechless and to wonder.


    Lastly, Decker was a wily fox who had extraordinary life experiences, and he might know all kinds of ces and secrets, and Jacob was very interested in them.


    As a wily old fox, he knew the information would be his biggest weapon if he wanted to survive in his world filled with monsters like Decker.


    Decker''s lips finally opened as he spoke at this moment, "If you want information from me, then boy, let me tell you this: I would rather die than give my knowledge to a human ve! This parasite gem might be able to control me physically, but it can''t control my free will!"


    ''So that diamond was called Parasite Gem, a fitting name indeed.'' Jacob nodded his head in understanding.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob coolly spoke at this moment as he expected it, "Hoho, wolves may lose their teeth but not their nature. It''s quite fitting on you."


    Decker was suddenly intrigued by this strange phrase that he had never heard before.


    Jacob''s bitter voice rang again. "You''re indeed correct. I need information. But you''re incorrect about something, and that is: I''m not requesting."


    Decker sneered at this moment, "Do, your worse human ve. I''m not like you humans who can be broken by pain!"


    Jacob merely smiled and said, "Then let me ask you, even if Parasite Gem can''t control your free will, it can still control your bodypletely, right?"


    "So, what if it can control my body? What can you do worse, inflict some pain, or cut my limbs bit by bit? Or put some bug in my body? Or maybe even rape me? You have no idea how much suffering I had to endure to get to this point. You''re just one of those lucky bastards, nothing special!" Decker chucked coldly, showing no fear whatsoever.


    Jacob''s eyes finally narrowed. He could tell Decker was aplete madman who feared nothing and was always ready for death. This kind of person was something he hated the most because they were too hard to deal with.


    Furthermore, this little devil was not even human, and Jacob knew nothing about his kind or weakness, which put him in a disadvantageous position.


    "Fine, since you don''t fear pain, what about a quick death?" Jacob tried another approach.


    "Quick Death, huh? Thanks, but no thanks, I will not reveal anything to you even if you promise this entire world!" Decker remained stubborn.


    Jacob''s expression turned frosty this time. He blurted, "You know, all my life, I never killed anyone, nor did I torture anyone. You know why?"


    Decker sneered mockingly. "Because you''re a pussy, and in the end, you be my ve. Hahaha¡­ such is the fate of the weak and ignorant!" his voice was filled with self-mockery and bitterness toward the end.


    Jacob didn''t mind Decker''s ridicule since he had no idea how this body ended up in this kind of situation, and said, "Now shut up and listen,


    "I never kill because it''s not like I can''t or didn''t want to¡­ but I was afraid¡­ afraid that if I start, I won''t be able to stop. That I will enjoy it and be addicted to it.


    "It all started when I saw my mother getting shot right into her left eye by a stray bullet from a gang fight when I was right in her embrace. I was only ten at that time, but I will never forget that scene and the feeling when I was covered in her warm blood, and I was confused and didn''t know what had happened. I just keep calling out for her while desperately crying¡­


    "Afterward, I know I was never the same. I was so angry that I wanted to burn the entire world and let all the living beings feel my pain, which I can''t describe¡­

 Chapter 18 A Confession (2)

    ?"I was always so angry that I just wanted to kill everyone, and the people I hated the most were not those gangs who were fighting, but my father, whom I nevere into contact with untilter and med my mother''s death on him.


    "Because if he were there, my mother wouldn''t have to work sote, and she would never have alwayse and get me from my grandparents'' house.


    "Despite that, I never get myself to see through my desire because I knew deep down if I ever started, I could never hold myself back, and I always have my grandparents watching over me.


    "Yet, I always had this demon deeply hidden within me, so, to keep it in check, I put my attention elsewhere, and ironically, I chose the same business which caused my mother''s death: Weaponry!


    "I didn''t know why, but I got a strange satisfaction whenever I researched those weapons of mass destruction. It put me at ease, or I could say it keeps that demon in check.


    "The people who died because of me were many, and despite knowing this, I still didn''t stop because I couldn''t stop.


    "Even though I never killed them myself, I designed and created the tools that can kill anyone and anywhere. I created them so meticulously that when they use for the kill, the target will never have a chance to escape alive.


    "I even developed a new weapon and released it to the world, and I even became a tycoon because of it. Because of it, people called me a genius researcher, not a killer.


    "However, that wasn''t the only technology I developed. There were ten, even more, terrifying weapons I designed, but I never made them public or even told anyone about them because I knew if any one of those weapon blueprints saw the light of the day, then it might really burn the entire world down, and I don''t want it since I would turn into ashes as well.


    "However, I could never stop myself from continuing to walk on this path because this will give me the most incredible pleasure. This is how I could live like an average person. I even had a happy family.


    "But you know what, I was never able to throw that thought of how it would have felt to kill myself out of my mind. Not until I was close to my death.


    "In thest years of my life, I found I crave my life far more than that bloodlust or anything else, as a matter of fact, and finally ovee that demon which was with me for my entire life and my bloodlust.


    "However, what I could never conquer was death. Even if I slow it down, it stilles and gets me. This finally made me understand that life was far more precious than I thought, and I even felt remorse about what I had done in my entire life. I feel genuine despair, a terror which only a dying person would understand.


    "Regardless, somehow, after I awake here, and you put me through all those suffering that I never imagined before, I found out that the demon within me was still there. It never left or was eliminated. I unknowingly hold control of it, and you help me understand it!"


    Jacob''s face was exempt from any emotion as he confessed he had been carrying for all his life. He never thought he would tell anyone about it and he''ll carry it to his grave, and he did.


    But after encountering Decker, he felt like telling him all this because Decker was someone he got to talk with after a very long time. In all those years living with the help of those machines, he could never speak or think straight.


    Someone seldom visited him, and even if someone were talking to him, he would hardly understand the words because of the condition which he put himself into.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But after taking over this body, he felt alive again, but Decker still taught him that this world was full of ruthless people and monsters like him, and it was far more dangerous than his previous world, and he had to be ruthless if he wanted to survive here.


    Nevertheless, he still hated Decker since he put him through all that pain and despair, and now he was even refusing to talk.


    "Do you know why I was telling you all this?" Jacob impassively said, "You may speak freely." He didn''t want Decker to interrupt him, so he made him shut up before.


    Decker suddenly startedughing crazily, "Hahaha¡­ It seemed like your brain was thoroughly damaged because of all those experiments. Your delusions really know no bounds. Hahaha¡­"


    How could he notugh?


    Jacob was talking about his previous life and reincarnation. Decker didn''t understand any of it since it all seemed like a fantasy story to him and a lunatic''s imagination, so he would naturally not believe it, even if you beat him to death.


    The concept of reincarnation just does not fit well with someone like Decker.


    Jacob remained expressionless and said, "Maybe you''re right or maybe not¡­ but don''t you understand the hidden meaning behind my story? Or are you just an intelligent idiot?"


    "Heh, you''re just a maniacal human, so stop talking about intelligence with me!" Decker sneered.


    Jacob didn''t mind and continued, "It''s simple. Actually, it''s like this when you''re in a desperate situation or desperate for something your mind will never stop thinking about its solution and even find started to create different ways to solve it or get the thing you wanted.


    "You''ll even imagine robbing that thing you want or magically solving your situation with almost impossible facts in y.


    "However, when you ept that the situation is hopeless or you can''t get what you want, your mind will never think about these solutions.


    "But this will also put a hold on your thinking, and you''ll just limit yourself as you keep doing the same again and again until you simply stop thinking creatively and cage yourself in a mental cage you create for yourself.


    "You see, your situation is like thetter scenario. Since you ept your death, you''ll never budge or at least think this way.


    "However, I''m the former kind because I desperately want that information, and I will keep trying and thinking all the possible ways to obtain it, and this helps me think out of the box, which is what we call imagination¡­."

 Chapter 19 Clues About New World

    ?"However, I''m the former kind because I desperately want that information, and I will keep trying and thinking of all the potential ways to obtain it, and this helps me think out of the box, which is what we call imagination.


    "And this is also the reason you lose to me. I never lost hope, even when I felt like death was the right and easy end to my suffering. I just never stop thinking and grab any straw that can help me float in that despair, and now I''m sitting here without a parasite gem while you''re kneeling just like me at the same spot with a parasite gem."


    Jacob''s words were like invisible des that cut deeper into Decker''s heart and mind. Even though he didn''t want to admit it, Jacob was telling the truth. He had already given up resisting and epted his unprecedented death.


    But he still didn''t admit it because he still looked down on Jacob, partly because he was a human and partly because he was his former ve. He would still rather die than admit anything to Jacob.


    He just didn''t want to give him the satisfaction he wanted!


    "Human ve, your words are nothing but empty, and you are a lunatic, so you still will get nothing from me! You said you were afraid of killing others just because you''ll get addicted to it? Don''t let meugh. Nobody can resist such a temptation their entire life, much less someone like you who is still wet behind his ears!


    "You''re saying you create weapons that will never miss their targets, huh? Well, your imagination is admirable but let me break it to you, do you hear of Giant Race? Not even weapons created by the dwarf race can prate through their skin, much less this nonsense you''re spouting!"


    Decker finally retorted with an angry tone.


    But Jacob''s expression couldn''t help but change into astonishment when he heard ''Giant Race and Dwarf Race''. He still didn''t know what kind of race Decker belonged to, but he never thought there were mythical races like giants and dwarfs that would exist in this world.


    ''This world probably had magic as well!''


    Jacob''s heart couldn''t help but race slightly when he thought about magic because he still could feel that strand of energy inside him and after hearing Decker''s words, he was more assured that magic existed in this world.


    However, Decker took Jacob''s fast heartbeat in the wrong way and disdainfully scoffed, "What afraid, now? You humans merely live in the Umon Races Region with all those umon rank races, so you naturally didn''t have any idea about the terror of races from the Rare Races Region.


    "So, shut your fucking bullshit and snap out of your horny delusions where you can fuck whoever you want and stop your Fuck-Shit about imagination. There''s nothing but the strength that can give you the right even to fantasize!"


    Jacob finally returns to his calm self as he listens to Decker''s disdainful words, which reveal even more about this world and the status of a human here.


    ''So, humans are considered an umon race, huh¡­'' Jacob couldn''t help but felt pity for humanity since he was also a human in both his previous and new life!


    Jacob asked again, "So, why don''t you just tell me everything I want to know, and I might let you go? What do you think?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After Decker''s brief outburst, he now wanted to acquire more information about this world.


    Decker also calmed down after he castigated Jacob and said stubbornly, "Go fuck yourself!"


    Jacob merely shook his head in disappointment and said, "Since I can''t control your free will, so be it. But don''t forget, I can control your body."


    "Heh, do your worse, ve." Decker merely sneered as he revealed a mocking smile, shocking his beastly teeth.


    Jacob suddenly chucked before saying, "You say you need power even to imagine, right? But let me make it absolutely clear you''re nothing but someone who has been suppressed all his life by others, and now you only see this world in two colors, ck and White, Right or Wrong, Life and Death¡­


    "Your mind has be ustomed to being suppressed after your entire miserable shity little life. I can easily see through you, just by the depression you showed while experimenting on me, and the way you''re living out of nowhere with no friends or family is proof of your pathetic life history and narrow viewpoint."


    Decker''s expression twisted in shock and then hatred after Jacob''s taunt.


    Jacob merely sneered coldly and said, "What? Did I hit a nerve? Did the little guy finally remember being trampled under others'' feet so often that you can still feel the pressure of their foot and taste the dirt under their foot? Tell me, O magnificent little shit?!"


    Decker almost spat fire from his mouth because what Jacob said was very close to the actual truth, and he hated nothing but this period of his life and finally couldn''t take it anymore of Jacob''s insults.


    "You fucking chode¡­."


    "Shut up!" Jacob snorted before Decker could utter another word. "I have enough of your shits. Let me show you there''s always a third way."


    Decker had again bepletely expressionless after Jacob made him shut his mouth.


    "Since your eyes are gone, I have you use the power of imagination to get what I want, and this will also prove that you can also imagine, despite being my little ve." Said Jacob coldly, with a calm expression.


    Although he knew this was going to be troublesome, he really had a way to get what he wanted, and if even it didn''t work, then he''ll just have to put Decker''s words about not being afraid of torture or pain through a savage test.


    Jacob knew very well that if you do not experience it yourself, you''ll never know the fear of approaching death. In his youth, he wasn''t afraid of dying, just like any other hot-blooded youth, and only when the time really came did he find out just how much he feared not being able to live!

 Chapter 20 This Is Bad!

    ?"Let''s test a ve''s imagination, shall we?" Jacob''s cold voice sounded in Decker''s ears, which were utterly expressionless right now.


    Jacob said, "I already told you, you''re kneeling in the same position as once I was, so you could immediately picture it intuitively since you once had eyes, and you''re more familiar with this ce than anyone inside this room."


    Jacob''s eyes shed as he said, "Point your right-hand index finger toward the Pig-Head ss cell!"


    Decker''s right hand suddenly raised straight, and his index finger started to point toward Pig Head''s ss cell, and when it stopped, it was only two centimeters off the mark.


    "Adjust it two centimeters left, and you''ll be pointing at the right in the center of the ss cell." Jacob coollymanded, and Decker did just that.


    "See, now you know exactly where you''re kneeling without even having your eyes. Not bad for a salve imagination, I might say." Jacob coldly sneered.


    Decker, on the other hand, had very different thoughts right now. ''This bastard human is more cunning than I imagine. He even found the trick to use the Rare-Grade Parasite Gem!''


    Decker felt a chill run down his spine because he clearly knew the Parasite Gem could only control the physique, not the brain, but it was still not to be underestimated because even without a brain, the body was still capable enough to talk.


    As long as the other party knew what to ask and how to ask, they could easily control the celebration, and Jacob was doing just that right now.


    Jacob quickly saw thought this advantage to Parasite Gem, although the victim still had their free will and celebration. It was still not that simple because the body could quickly reveal what you''re thinking as long as your brain thinks about it.


    You can''t just turn off your brain, nor can you get control over it because it is just too impossible.


    Decker was trying his best not to think about what Jacob wanted, but no matter what, for a microsecond, his brain would instantly think of what Jacob will ask, and this window was enough for Jacob as long as he asked the right question.


    Even if Decker controlled his brain and instantly removed the information, Jacob wanted to know he couldn''t beat his brain to it!


    Jacob again asked, "Are we underground right now? If yes, then move your hand right. If no, then move it to the left."


    Decker''s hand quickly moved to the right!


    "I thought so. Are there any traps? Move your hand in the same pattern for yes and no." Jacob asked. He wanted to make sure about this point as well.


    Decker''s hand again moved to the right, which meant there were traps outside.


    Jacob only sighed and asked, "See, this wasn''t too hard, right? Now let''s see, I clearly remembered thest time I heard an extremely familiar sound, a sound of a book being closed, followed by a strange sound when you thought I was still unconscious after the blood-changing process, but I wasn''t. Can I get the information I want from that book?"


    Decker''s heart couldn''t help but tremble when he heard Jacob''s words, and he desperately tried to think about something else, but s, he had already thought about that book, and his hand moved to the right in affirmation!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''This is bad!'' Decker couldn''t help but think grimly!


    Jacob instantly followed with another question without giving Decker any chance to ruin this opportunity. "Is this book inside this room? If it is, point your finger in that direction, and lower your hand if it''s in your bag!"


    Decker''s finger trembled slightly as if he was fighting for control of his body as blood started to trickle from his nose, but Jacob didn''t try to stop Decker. He already got his answer from Decker''s desperate action and the slightest movement of his finger toward the right side!


    Before he wasn''t sure if his guess about this book was correct or not, but now he was absolutely sure that book was inside this room and hidden somewhere, he just had to find it now!


    But Jacob was shocked when he saw Decker''s finger jammed in one ce while trembling as blood was trickling down from his nose and eyes. He couldn''t help but marvel at Decker''s willpower.


    He had experienced just how powerful this Parasite Gem control was. Even he could only do something like Decker with the help of that mysterious strand of energy, but Decker was doing it without it!


    "Stop!"


    Jacob knew if he didn''t stop Decker''s struggle, he might die, and Jacob didn''t want that for now. But it also made it more apparent that Decker was really ready to die and wasn''t afraid of pain or torture!


    However, Jacob still underestimated Decker''s lunacy. He continued to try to move his body without any sign of stopping. He clearly intended to kill himself!


    Jacob quickly said, "Pig-Head, knock him cold!"


    Pig Head, who was listlessly standing behind Jacob, finally moved and quickly pped Decker unconscious while shattering his teeth!


    Jacob was speechless with the Pig-Head method, but he knew he couldn''t expect anything from this muscle head Pig, so he could only sigh helplessly and said, "Just throw him inside the ss cell and release that blue liquid."


    Pig Head instantlyplied.


    Jacob stood up from his chair with a heavy expression on his bony face. He never thought his first interaction with Decker would cause such a result. He again reevaluated his view of this world and Decker.


    Nevertheless, he still got what he wanted though. Even though it was only written information, not Decker''s entire knowledge, it was still enough for Jacob to start somewhere.


    He started knocking around the room walls to find any hiddenpartment, as he was familiar with this kind ofpartment. He had many of them all over the world in his past life.


    After knocking around for some time, he breathed heavily since his health wasn''t his strong aspect right now, but he still didn''t stop looking.


    He finally knocked on the staircase, and when he was knocking below the staircase, the sound of something hollow rang in the room!

 Chapter 21 Decker’s Journal (1)

    ?When Jacob heard this hollow sound, his eye lit up. He knew very well this kind of sound could only be made when you hit something empty inside!


    He quickly started to press the area, and his finger suddenly pressed something before a small trapdoor opened, revealing one cubic meterpartment.


    Jacob''s eyes fell on two things: one was a green book while the other item also looked like a thin book shape, but it was carefully wrapped around a tatter gray cloth.


    Jacob first picked up the thick book with a nk green cover and ignored the old gray cloth folding.


    Jacob finally opened it and read the first page.


    "Decker Shaw Journal,


    "A proud Alchemist of Shaw Family of Imp Goblin Race."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, seeing the words Goblin and Alchemist, and thought, ''So, I fell in the hand of a goblin, huh? No wonder this guy looks so hideous, and he''s even an alchemist, which also exins his experiments.''


    Jacob turned the page and saw an introduction that read,


    "My name is Decker Shaw, and this is my journal about my research on special physiques of different races living on the Zodiac ins.


    "Zodiac ins are rumored to be endlessly vast, and there lived many species in this vast in.


    "There are five known regions of Zodiac ins,


    "The first, Common Races Region, where live ordinary animals and that vast forest, but no one seemed to care about this region since there''s nothing extraordinary about it.


    "The second is the Umon Races Region, where intelligent life forms live without special physiques, bloodline, or talent. This region is alsopletely ignored and left alone to rot.


    "The third region where I''m from is the Rare Races Region. This region is very popr because of the special races that live here, with many special physiques and bloodlines.


    "The fourth region, Rarer Races Region, is the home of rarer grade races with supernatural strength and many special bloodline abilities, which made the races of this region extraordinarily proud and arrogant. They look down at us. True bastards, indeed!


    "The fifth region is very mysterious and called the Epic Races Region. We simply didn''t have the qualification to know about this region because those bastards from the rarer races regionpletely blocked any kind of information about Epic Grade Races. They''re their faithful dogs!


    "But the widely known factor about the Epic Grade Race is they possessed something called ''Magic,'' which I have no idea what it is, but those bastards of Rarer Races Region were extremely fearful of it!"


    Jacob''s heart couldn''t help but beat wildly when he read to this point. This literally confirmed his guess about Magic. Although Decker''s introduction was too vague about Magic, Jacob had read fantasies about Magic. He knew what this word represented¡­ absolute power!


    He could also understand why those arrogant people of the Rarer Races Region were so afraid of people from the Epic Races Region.


    He quickly continued to read as he flipped to the next page. Just this first page revealed many things to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The Races of Zodiac ins are divided into ranks or grades ording to the regions they''re born in, Common, Umon, Rare, Rarer, and Epic. There are different professions as well, and they''re also divided into the same grades.


    "I''m an Apothecary Alchemist, a unique profession in our Imp Goblin Race, and I love to experiment with living things of different races¡­."


    Jacob couldn''t help but sneer at this point and mumble, "Sick bastard!"


    After that, he sat down and continued to read,pletely forgetting about the other thing. He also discovered that this book was written by Decker from a very young age, as he could imagine his enthusiasm and vigorous words. It didn''t sound like the cruel Decker of the present.


    Jacob found there were many experiments noted and some forms of medians Decker created after a long string of experimentation.


    This also revealed a lot of information, but Jacob wasn''t interested in Decker''s alchemy research, nor could he understand it entirely because he had no clue about the alchemy of this world. Decker seemed to be an extremely high-level alchemist as well.


    This book could be said to be an encyclopedia for the Apothecary Alchemists, and no alchemist would reveal their research to another quickly, not to even their apprentices.


    This was simply Decker''s life work.


    Jacob quickly turned page after page about alchemy. He knew this book would be beneficial if he decided to be an alchemist, but now he was interested in the information.


    As Jacob turned page after page, the writing became more refined and mature and exempt from Young Decker''s bullshit, while his experiments also became longer and longer.


    Jacob finally decided to just see to the end since this book was eight inches thick and almostplete!


    He wanted to know what kind of experiment Decker was doing on him before he took over this body.


    He finally found thest entry, which was about his blood change result. Decker left it empty, which meant he was going to write it after checking Jacob''s blood analysis report, but it never happened!


    Jacob turned back many pages, and after turning back over hundred pages, he saw a note which wasn''t about an experiment and read it.


    "Today, a rarer race, the Mountain Giants, approached our Imp Goblin Race. They wanted to hire some Apothecary Alchemists for an expedition inside the Rarer Races Region.


    "This was clearly a death mission since everyone knew we''ll be killed right after this expedition just so those bastards could keep this a secret. But we have no choice and can''t reject their request, just like always.


    "I was chosen with others by my arch-rival for this death mission, who had be an Elder of the Elder Council because of his top talent, and he finally decided to get rid of old me. His name is Loop, and he''s a hypocrite, scheming bastard!


    "He had taken advantage of my research many times and gained that position that rightfully belonged to me, but s, I was just too trusty and blindly trusted him since I was already busy with my research, and now he wanted to get rid of me once and for all, so I could not get in his way anymore.


    "But I will not leave this book, I will take all my research to the grave, and if you''re reading it, then this means I''m dead, so this is your luck you found this book, and I have no hard feelings toward you¡­."

 Chapter 22 Decker’s Journal (2)

    ?"But I will not leave this book, I will take all my research to the grave, and if you''re reading it, then this means I''m dead, so this is your luck you found this book, and I have no hard feelings toward you¡­."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he read Decker''s note, which was more like a letter before death.


    ''Since he continues to write, then this means he managed to escape alive from that expedition. Also, it was clear that he was hiding here from someone, which means he either ran away from his n or those Mountain Giants. Or he somehow survives that expedition, and the other died, which also meant he can''t show his face ever.''


    Jacob considered many other such scenarios where Decker had no choice but to hide like a rat. He turned to the next page and read. He was astonished when he was arge string of ''Hahaha¡­'' and half the page was filled with this ''haha.''


    Furthermore, he became more curious, and reading the words after that madeughing,


    "I managed to escape alive from those scheming bastards, and not only did I manage to run, I even stole that small treasure box they unearthed from the Misty Abyss!


    "But I know I can''t go back anymore, and they might even massacre my entire race because of me¡­ but I don''t care about those tribesmen in name who suppressed everyone they deemed a threat to their position. It''s even better if they killed all of them¡­ hahaha¡­


    "But I have to say I really pulled the wool over those big idiots and tricked them with this treasure. This will also teach them a big lesson to never look down upon a goblin!"


    Jacob nodded slightly when he seemed his guess was correct and read to the next page,


    "Ie to one of my hideouts in Rainy Mountain Ranges right between the boundary of umon and rare races regions. It is the only ce where I had set up a facility for my experiment; no one knows about it.


    "After cleaning my tracks, I finally felt relief and turned my attention to the small treasure chest. This treasure chest is ancient and only sealed with a wooden lock and a strange piece of cloth filled with a strange symbol.


    "Nevertheless, I broke it opened and found three things. An ancient beast skin letter, A Pendant that looked like a snake eating its own tail, and A thin book that was carefully wrapped in a tatter gray cloth.


    "The words on this letter were from a very ancientnguage, which we called ''runenguage.'' I only had a little understanding since our goblin race is keen on collecting all kinds of knowledge.


    "There were only two red words on this palm size beast skin letter, and I don''t know if I tranted it correctly, but it means, ''Cursed Immortality.'' I didn''t know what the other person was trying to imply by these words, but I didn''t see any profound meaning behind them.


    "As for the pendant, it looked highly new without a scratch and vivid, so I know it was extraordinary and kept it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Thest thing was that thin book wrapped in the gray cloth. When I unwrapped it, its cover was utterly white without any scratch or decay. If I didn''t open the old chest myself, I would never even believe this newly-looking book was unearthed.


    "And there were three words inscribed with dark ink on its cover, which were also in the runenguage, and I was shocked when I tranted them. It said, ''Immortal Making Journal''!


    "I thought it was bullshit until I opened it. I don''t know if this was my imagination, but the moment I looked at those rune letters, I could instantly understand them, as if I were reading my mothernguage.


    "The more I read, the more astonished I be. If this journal was real, then one could really archive immortality by following those instructions.


    "But I won''t believe it entirely because the instructions in this journal were just too unreal. First, you have to change your heart with a modified heart, and there is only a one percent chance of survival!


    "I will first ensure the authority of those words before I try them on myself. This is just too crazy, but if it is true, I will be a powerful immortal and take revenge on those bastards!"


    Jacob''s eyes twinkled like stars when he saw words like immortality and a journal that can make someone immortal. Even though he didn''t dare to believe it, his heart couldn''t help but beat fast as he closed Decker''s journal.


    He finally got his answer to why Decker was doing these experiments on him and why he was so desperate to seed.


    It was all because of this Immortal Making Journal!


    Who didn''t want immortality? Who didn''t want to live an evesting life? Who can resist such temptation? Only self-righteous idiots!


    Jacob''s biggest wish was immortality, and he didn''t want to die this time around.


    Even in his past life, he tried every single method to prolong his life, even if that was utter bullshit. He didn''t believe it before he tried himself.


    Now a journal was offering direct immortality to him? How could he resist? It''s not like he lost anything since he only had five or so years to live because of Decker''s experiments.


    In a sense, he was already following the path inscribed on that journal, so he wanted to see if it was really worth it!

 Chapter 23 Immortal Making Journal

    ?Jacob slowly moved towards the hiddenpartment while holding his breath. His eyes were fixed on the gray wrapping.


    Although he knew this might really be just a sham, he still didn''t want to believe itpletely and hoped there might be some truth hidden in that journal.


    Jacob extant his hand, which was slightly trembling from anxiety and fear at the same time.


    He unwrapped the gray cloth, and a thin white book appeared in front of Jacob''s shimmering eyes.


    This book was two inches thin and looked highly ordinary. If he didn''t read Decker''s journal, he might have thought this was a newly purchased book by him.


    Moreover, there was a ck-inked title on the white book cover, which was a collection of strange symbols that he obviously didn''t understand.


    Without any further dy, Jacob extended his hand toward the book. He wanted to see if he could read its contents with no prior understanding of it, just like Decker.


    If it worked, he had no choice but to believe this book, which he also wanted. But if it didn''t, then he could only curse his luck.


    Because he can''t understand any of those symbols on the cover, Decker would never teach him even if he begged.


    However, the moment Jacob''s hand touched the book. His heart jolts thunderously¡­


    More urately, it was not his heart but that mysterious strand of energy that always seemed dormant andpletely under Jacob''s control.


    It wasn''t just the strand of energy but the dark pendant which he got from Decker, and right now, it was hanging on Jacob''s neck, also starting to heat up!


    Jacob was shocked by this strange turn of events, but he knew it all started when he touched the white book.


    Any sane person would instantly retrieve their hand, but Jacob didn''t. On the contrary, not only did he not retract his hand, he even gripped the book!


    Jacob''s thoughts differedpletely from others.


    Firstly, Jacob deemed this was an opportunity, a life-changing opportunity!


    Because after controlling that strand of energy for months and circting it in every part of his body, he knew it wasn''t harmful to him at all.


    Secondly, when he touched the book, that pendant also reacted, and from Decker''s journal, he knew this pendant was found with this book, so it gave him even more courage to take this gamble!


    Thirdly, Jacob now knew this strand of energy was the product of Decker''s experiments, ording to this book, and since it reacted to his touch, then this meant there was a big reason behind it!


    Lastly and most importantly, Jacob was a reincarnated person and someone insane for immortality, and as long as he saw hope, he''ll do anything to get it, and he saw a big hope in this book!


    As Jacob gripped the book, he felt the eager sensation from the energy bing stronger and stronger, as if it wanted to jump out of his chest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for the pendant, it suddenly started to shift toward Jacob''s heart like a pendulum on its own!


    It was evident for Jacob to guess that it was moving towards the energy or the energy was making it move towards it!


    When the pendant finally fixed on the position where his heart was and also right above the energy strand, Jacob suddenly shrieked in pain.


    He clearly felt the energying out while drilling through his heart


    He wanted to clench his chest, but he didn''t and endured. He was afraid to interrupt whatever was happening, nor did he let go of the book.


    Not only that, but he just looked like a lunatic while screaming to avert his pain while continuing to stand still.


    After ten seconds, which were like ten years for Jacob, he finally felt something drilling out of his skin, and he watched as a very thin crimson needle came out of his chest as blood flowed from the small hole.


    Like a bolt of lightning, that red needle instantly passed through from the hollow pendant and directly entered the white book in Jacob''s hand!


    However, this wasn''t the end. The next moment, the white book in Jacob''s hand turned into a white streak and entered the ck pendant handing on his neck!


    Jacob was breathing and coughing heavily as blood trickled down from both corners of his lips, and his chest was also dyed red. A hole in the heart wasn''t a joke. Even a small one was enough to kill.


    However, Jacob''s eyes were shining like the sun when he saw what happened, but he also knew he couldn''t remain like this, or he might really die.


    He said in a hoarse voice, "P-Pig Head, take me to your ss cell and activate that ck liquid and protect me."


    Pig Head listlessly followed Jacob''smand and arranged him inside his own ss cell, which was much faster than Decker''s ss cell.


    Jacob also decided to use Decker''s ck liquid just in case. He heard Decker saying that this liquid was the highest-grade healing liquid he had stored here.


    After arranging Jacob''s body in the ss cell, Pig Head pressed a ck button which was right inside the ss cell, and afterward, it closed, and light ck liquid filled from the bottom.


    Jacob was almost unconscious because of blood loss, and he only felt a freezing sensation from that ck liquid and warmth from the pendant on his neck before he fell unconscious.


    Pig head remained still outside, protecting Jacob as hemanded.


    Inside the ss cell filled with ck liquid, if Jacob were conscious, he would shock to see the pendant on his chest currently glowing in a white hue as the eyes of the snake were glowing brightly.


    Suddenly, something emerged from the interior of the snake ring.


    Two white lines slowly form from the interior and connect to the opposite side while twisting in a ''~'' shape and forming a white ''¡Þ'' symbol in the empty interior!

 Chapter 24 The Truth

    ?In endless darkness,


    An old man with a tall and bony body was floating aimlessly without any clothes. His wrinkled face was peaceful, while his murky eyes were staring into the dark void without blinking.


    This old man was none other than Jacob in his actual old frame before his sudden death.


    ''So, it was just a dream, after all.'' He thought bitterly, ''I have really outdone myself in creating such a reality like a dream¡­ sigh¡­ death¡­ death¡­ death¡­ I wasn''t able to escape you in the end, even in my dreams, heh.


    ''I always wonder; was life so weak that it can''t even win against death? Now I got my answer¡­ life and death. They said they both have two sides of a coin¡­ but it''s wrong, it''s indeed a coin, but you didn''t have the luxury to flip this coin because it''s constantly flipping endlessly until it eventually fell and stopped.


    ''In the end, the side of death always wins¡­ the period it took while flipping is the life which wille to an end, but it still gave false, painful hope that it will fall on the side of life, but the truth is there isn''t a life on any side of this coin only death and misery¡­.''


    ''Hahahaha¡­''


    At this moment, Jacob''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an eerilyughter, which frightened him.


    ''What? I''m hallucinating again?'' Jacob thought.


    That eerily voice spoke this time, "Well said, old brat, well said! Equal life and death cycle are just bullshit. There''s only endless death and fleeting life. There''s just noparison!"


    Jacob''s mind jolted this time. He finally understood he wasn''t hallucinating because he could clearly hear this voice inside his head, and he didn''t seem to move his body at all. It was the same feeling he felt when affected by the parasite gem, but it was far more horrible!


    He shouted in his mind, "Who are you?!"


    The eerily voice yfully replied, "What, you already forget that you''re the one who awakened me!"


    Jacob''s mind trembled when he heard this, suddenly remembered the mysterious white book, and promptly asked, "You''re the Immortal Making Journal?"


    "Hahaha¡­" The eerilyugh rang again before it said yfully, "That name was just to trick everyone. That''s not my true form!"


    Jacob felt a chill all over his body when he heard this and questioned with an unfriendly voice, "So, it wasn''t a dream, but why did you want to trick others? Are you a ghost that wants to possess me?"


    Jacob wasn''t an idiot, and he knew if this thing wanted to trick others, then this meant it wasn''t something good, so he quickly raised his guard.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The eerily voice replied with a hint of disdain, "Of course, to find a worthy sessor that can inherit me. But s, those fools can never condense the Immortal Mark and always end up dying by walking on the wrong path."


    Jacob was shocked by this sudden realization and asked, "So, you''re saying that Immortal Making Journal was just a big test that no one could pass?"


    "Yes, the first two parts, ''Heart Changing'' and ''Blood Changing,'' were a kind of test to see if the other could condense an Immortal Mark which would awake me, but s, those inferior beings were just too talentless and never able to awake me.


    "Some of them thought these words were empty, and they were afraid to change their heart because it sounded too unrealistic and dangerous. Very few believed my incarnation words and tried it, but almost 99% died because they had a very weak soul.


    "You see, in my endless years of existence, only ten beings could condense the Immortal Mark, but those idiots didn''t have the courage or patience until I woke up, and they always either threw my incarnation away or didn''t wear the Infinity Pendant.


    "All because they thought I was too suspicious or when they felt the pain of immortal mark drilling through their hearts, they be even more determined that I''m harming them. One of them even threw away the Infinity Pendant once after calling it ugly, and that ugly swine died cluelessly after following my incarnation''s third modification.


    "She didn''t know the pendant will always return to me, no matter what and where it was. That arrogant swine deserved to die, nevertheless.


    "Thest one was even more excessive, and that little lizard even dared to seal me with a ghost-eradicating talisman and then buried me deep underground. That fool was just too damn hateful. It even tried to burn me and then dposed me. But he has no idea that the great me can''t be destroyed even if he awakened his ancestors, humph!"


    Jacob waspletely speechless after hearing such truth and couldn''t help but feel this book was just too arrogant and unrealistic. But he has no way to retort it since he knew this book was unearthed by Decker''s party and heard itsst phase. It was clear it was telling the truth.


    He also knew this ''Infinity Pendant'' was the same pendant hanging around his neck, and he finally remembered a snake eating its tail was also the ancient symbol of infinity!


    He couldn''t help but ask, "Then that strand of energy that drilled through my heart was an Immortal Mark?"


    The eerily voice said with a hint of excitement, "Yes! The Immortal Mark only forms after the modified heartpletely resonates with the body and new blood. But your heart not only resonated but also mutated, which was almost unbelievable.


    "That''s why your immortal mark was unique, and you could control it at will, and you even managed to open all the meridian channels and acupuncture points of your body with it as well.


    "I must say, you''re really something. Not only did you manage to condense the special immortal mark, but you even used to turn the table on that little idiot who would''ve died just by the first modification. He was just foolishly experimenting on everyone whilepletely ignoring the fact his body structure differed greatly from others, nor did he know about the soul strength."


    Jacob finally understood everything and couldn''t help but feel chills when he thought just how this book created such cruel tests to find a sessor, and no wonder no one could seed.


    Because only crazy people will dare even to consider changing their heart and blood and then even wait until something is drilled out of their heart!

 Chapter 25 Cursed Immortality! (1)

    ?"So, you were watching me?" Jacob asked. He was now serene again.


    "Hahaha¡­ My incarnation and the infinity pendant are my eyes and ears. I can observe my surrounding with both of them, but I can''t interfere with or express my thoughts to anyone without finding a real sessor.


    "I was also watching your every action, and must I say you''re a lunatic. Not only did you manage to break free from that little ve stone, you even dared to endure the pain of an immortal mark drilling through your heart while gripping my incarnation. I have never seen someone ying with their life like this before!"


    Jacob wryly replied, "You don''t understand. If you''re watching me, you have already seen that device result, and I only have little time to live, so I just wanted to see if I can gain the secret of immortality.


    "Even though there was only a one percent chance that it was true, I''ll still take it without any hesitation because now I''ll rather die for that one present chance of life rather than live with a ny-nine percent chance of death with a hoax life."


    Jacob truthfully answered, hiding nothing.


    "Hahaha¡­ only someone who experienced true death can know what I mean to live. I''m I right, Jacob Steve from Earth?" The eerily voice yfully called Jacob as such.


    Jacob merely sneered, "Heh, yes, you''re right."


    He never even thought for a second that this thing couldn''t read his mind or see his memories because this book was just too mysterious and was talking inside his mind. And it was talking about the soul like drinking water. Then it was nothing but simple.


    "Let me ask you, then, do you want immortality?"


    It was a simple question, but this time this voice sounded solemn!


    Jacob suddenly felt this question was as heavy as a mountain, but this was his biggest wish. He will give anything for it, so he answered without any hesitation, "Yes!"


    "Think carefully, immortality will grant you an endless life, but all those you love or will love will perish one by one, leaving you alone every single time. Think, if one day everyone and everything turned into nothingness, and only you remained, you can''t even kill yourself. You just had to live with nothing but darkness¡­ do you still want immortality?" It asked again with a solemn tone.


    Jacob felt a shiver in his spine this time. It''s not like he never thought like this before, but immortality was just a legend before as well. But now that he was given a chance, he was forced to think this way and even hesitate.


    Suddenly, a beautiful face surfaced in his mind, and he remembered a very painful memory that he had buried deep in his mind for decades,


    "JS, I don''t want to leave you and my children¡­ but it seems life won''t allow it. Just promise you won''t forget me, ever¡­."


    "Hope¡­"


    Jacob quickly recovered and menacingly replied, "I don''t care about anything as long as I live endlessly, so yes, even if everything turned to dust, I still want immortality!"


    "Even if you have to sacrifice everything, kill everyone, destroy everything whiches between you and Immortality, will you still want it, even if the price is to be a vicious devil?" This voice was icy, like an abyss!


    Jacob was again momentarily stunned before decisively answering, "I don''t care, so yes! I''ll pay any price!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hahahaha¡­ good, very good, you have resolved to do anything for immortality, and only someone with this kind of resolved can walk the path of an immortal who''s willing to sacrifice anything and keep walking forward¡­." The maniacal eerilyughter rang again with a hint of hysteria.


    "Congrattions, you have passed the third test of absolute resolved, and with this, you have passed all three tests and be my first inheritor from time immemorial.


    "Let me officially introduce myself. I''m one of the Nine Universal Godly Scriptures ''Cursed Immortality,'' and I''m also the only scripture that can grant true immortality!"


    Jacob was shocked. He never thought this thing was still testing him, but he was gobsmacked when he heard the other words. However, he felt remarkably calm.


    Jacob asked ambiguously, "You''re saying, beside me, no one can inherit your prowess or be immortal?"


    Cursed Immortality replied with a hint of pride, "Yes, the Nine Godly Universal Scriptures can only be inherited by a single person. It was impossible to learn until that inheritor died, and I''m the only scripture that grants true immortality!"


    Jacob asked again, "Then, I''m an immortal now?"


    "No, you''re still a mortal and extremely weak one. You have a little over five years to live, and you have to change your body ording to the real me. Or I don''t want to be inheritor-less again." Cursed Immortality, said, with no hint of anxiety.


    Jacob only sighed andmented, "Why I''m not surprised all that talk, and you''re still useless. In the end, I have to rely on myself."


    Cursed Immortality sneered, "Yes, you''re correct, you have to rely on yourself if you want to achieve immortality, and I know you have resolved it, so I''m looking forward to your performance!


    "Now listen carefully. I don''t have much time left since the inheritance test isplete.


    "Firstly, in the future, I won''t be able tomunicate with you freely like this before youplete phase one.


    "Second, I cannot help you even if you were to die, remembered I''m just a scripture, not a weapon.


    "Third, now that you''re my inheritor, I''m in my true form, which is living inside the Infinity Pendant, and that pendant is now bound to you. No one can take it from you, nor will it drop. So you don''t have to worry about losing it.


    "Fourth, you can only summon me once a day for half an hour by thinking or calling my name.


    "Fifth, you will only gain ess to the knowledge of ''Body Transformation Phase One. Beforepleting it, you won''t be able to see the Second Phase.


    "Sixth, now that Infinity Pendant has been activated, you''ll get one cubic meter of storage space. You can store anything living or none living being inside the Infinity Pendant as long as it can fit inside.


    "That''s all for now. In the future, you''ll be able to do far more with Infinity Pendant as long as you cultivate me to higher phases.


    "Lastly, free advice. Don''t throw that beast skin with red letters. It is very useful for you in the future¡­."

 Chapter 26 Cursed Immortality! (2)

    ?Jacob suddenly opened his eyes in bewilderment as he looked around and saw himself in ck liquid, and Pig Face, broad, ripped back, could vaguely be seen.


    ''Was it a dream?'' Jacob thought, but he soon shook his head since it was too vivid for a simple dream and confirmed it since it was straightforward.


    He looked at the button panel, which was inside the ss cell''s top corner, and pressed the button, making the ck liquid sink.


    ''This cell is probably more advanced than the other one, or it''s just that the other cell is for prisoners or something,'' Jacob mused as he saw his vision bing clearer.


    He saw his body and smiled bitterly. There wasn''t any chance, except the small hole in his chest was gone entirely, and he didn''t feel any pain in his heart.


    ''I should be that ck liquid, I guess.'' Jacob nodded in satisfaction before his eyesnded on the pendant, and he was astonished when he saw the white infinity symbol right in the center of the snake circle.


    ''Infinity Pendant, huh.'' Jacob touched the white infinity symbol, which was as smooth as jade and spinnable. There was nothing extraordinary about it except its new appearance. No one would believe it if Jacob said it was a treasure.


    The ss cell slid open at this moment, and Jacob came out with a hint of excitement on his bony face.


    "You can go back and use the blue liquid now." He first excused Pig Head before he got closer to the table.


    Jacob looked at Decker''s journal and ced his hand on it before he thought of storing the book inside the infinity pendant, and the book instantly vanished!


    Jacob nearlyughed out loud when he saw this was really a storage treasure that he had read about in all those fantasies, which also confirmed that it wasn''t a dream.


    He quickly calmed himself down and again thought of taking the journal out before it emerged in Jacob''s hand again!


    After trying a few more times and getting the hang of it, Jacob stopped ying with the infinity pendant.


    ''This storage space is too little, only one cubic meter, but I guess I have to do with it now.'' Jacob thought before he stored Decker''s journal inside the infinity pendant again and moved toward the hiddenpartment.


    He removed the gray cloth in which cursed immortality''s incarnation was wrapped and saw palm size beast skin. He didn''t forget Cursed Immortality''sst advice. Furthermore, he saw some red letters which, ording to Decker''s journal, spell ''Cursed Immortality'' as well.


    ''Didn''t that book say no one knows its name, but then why did its name engrave on this beast''s skin, and how is it useful to me?'' Jacob couldn''t help but think of this point as he found nothing special about this beast''s skin or red letters.


    ''ording to that book''s exnation, it was buried by thest immortal mark bearer, which was a ''lizard'' this means this book can be inherited by any kind of life form as long as they passed those vicious tests, not just humans, and I''m currently in a world filled with monsters.


    ''But is it really as simple as it told me it is? I can''tpletely take that book''s words for truth. It can read my mind, but I can''t, but since it still told the truth about the infinity pendant, I guess I have no choice but to believe it. Let''s try summoning it now.''


    Jacob also thought before he stored that beast''s skin in the infinity pendant. He also stored that Bloodline Scanning Scale inside the pendant since it was essential to him for measuring his lifespan.


    Jacob sat down on the only chair in the room before he took a deep breath and thought, ''Cursed Immortality!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Suddenly, a white book appeared in front of Jacob, floating in the air.


    It was slightly glowing in a ck hue; its cover size was 9 X 12 and an inch thick. There wasn''t any clue about its spine or pages. It was just like a te. In the center of it were beautiful crimson words that Jacob could clearly understand despite never having seen them before. Those crimson words spell ''Cursed Immortality.'' Nothing else was on the cover.


    Jacob was astonished at seeing the floating te in front of his chest. He couldn''t help but try to touch it, and he could and felt this book''s jade smooth cold cover.


    Jacob tried to flip the te to see the other side, but it turned like a book cover before revealing a white page in thin air. There were crimson words written on it as well. As for the cover, it vanished into the other side in the air.


    ''So, that''s what it means when it said it was in its true form now. Does this mean this book is extremely thick that I can''t fit in this room?'' Jacob wondered in astonishment. ''Truly magical, really. I don''t see and feel all this with my eyes and hands. I wouldn''t believe it''s real. But it still made me worry about just how thick this book is. Won''t I die before Iplete it and archive immortality!?''


    Jacob wasn''t swayed by just befits. His eyes were still on the facts.


    He sighed before reading the very first page, which was the same size as its cover.


    "Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)


    "Current Phase: First Phase


    "First Phase: Body Transformation


    "Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    "First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence


    "Second Stage: Compete First Stage


    "Third Stage: Compete Second Stage


    "Inheritor (Jacob Steve) Current Stage: 10% of First Stage"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he saw the very first page, which revealed little information with much mystery.


    ''Why is there cursed everywhere?" Jacob finally paid attention to the word cursed, even though this book''s name was Cursed Immortality.


    Before in his excitement, he paid little attention to it, but now that he did, he felt this book was defiantly now simple, and it didn''t reveal everything clearly about itself!

 Chapter 27 Immortal Mark Into Cursed Mark

    ?In the end, Jacob could only sigh because first, he was the one who decided to walk on this unknown path, and second, he couldn''t question cursed immortality because it couldn''tmunicate with him before hepleted the first phase andstly, even if he got another chance to choose, he''ll still choose to walk on this path without any regrets!


    Jacob flipped the first page, and it vanished to the other side of the air before revealing a new page with new information.


    It was information about the cursed heart emergence,


    "First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Heart Emergence (First Stage)


    "This stage is divided into three levels


    "First Level: Formation of Immortal Mark Inside the Modify Heart (Complete)


    "Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark (01% Completion)


    "Description: Please insert different Tier-1 or higher species'' heart essence directly into your heart until the cursed mark ispletely forged.


    "Note: A species'' heart essence can only be inserted once, not again.


    "Third Level: Complete Second Level


    "Completion of this stage affected in; 100 Years Youthful Lifespan "


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he saw the description about the second level of Cursed heart emergence and when he saw the reward ofpleting it, his heart galloped.


    ''Youthful Lifespan? Did this mean I won''t turn into an old man?'' Jacob couldn''t help but feel moved, just this first stage effect alone.


    This made him even more determined to walk on this path even if he had to go through hell!


    Jacob tried to turn the page, but no matter how much force he mustered, it won''t just budge, and when he tried to go backward, just with a thought, the previous page emerged, and with another thought and page turned again.


    This also rified that no matter what, he won''t be able to see the other knowledge withoutpleting the previous one.


    So, Jacob gave up and said, "So, I have to find the heart essence of other species now and then inject it into my heart directly. No need to circte anything or mutter any chants or mantras or anything?


    "This is rather convent and simple, but this also means I have to kill them to get that heart essence. But how the hell am I supposed to know this is heart essence, and how would I know if the species is tier-one or not?"


    Jacob became extremely perplexed when he thought this book had only given him half-ass information. However, the wording on the second page suddenly changed, and he was astonished when he read it.


    "Tier-1 species are known as the Umon Species in this world. As for heart essence, let me make it precise in yournguage. After collecting the steam, you can gain heart essence after boiling the heart into the species'' own blood inside a furnace at 1000 Celsius temperature. The steam is the Heart-Essence, and you only need 100-milliliter to inject into your heart."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob felt goosebumps all over his body when he read it. This meant he had to kill no matter what!


    He frowned, "So, you can answer my questions?"


    The wording changed again, and it read:


    "Only questions rted to the scripture."


    "Then tell me, does one species per heart mean an entire race or just a subspecies of that species? If I kill that imp-goblin, then does it mean the entire Goblin race will be useless to me, or just the imp-goblin race?" Jacob''s eyes turned cold when he asked this question.


    The words changed again. "Only the subspecies, not the entire species. Simply put, as long as you get the heart blood of the imp goblin race, then you can''t get anything out of another imp goblin, but if you get the heart of a vile goblin, then it will work but only once. This also meant you must kill one member of a single tribe until youplete level two of cursed heart emergence, hahaha¡­."


    Jacob felt annoyed when he saw the ''haha'' he could imagine that eerilyughter and pursed his lips and asked again, "Then what about Youthful Lifespan?"


    The words changed again, "No old age and grantee a hundred years, as long as others won''t kill you¡­ hahaha¡­"


    "Fuck off." Jacob annoyingly replied. He just felt annoyed every time this book spoke.


    "Make the ssification of these species clearer, like the requirement for me, is to get at least one species heart essence, but it also said ''higher'' as well. The imp goblin is a rare species, so will I get any benefits for ingesting higher species blood than a requirement or not?" Jacob asked another core question.


    The words changed. "So, you''re not so dumb after all. Those idiots only ssified the species into Common, Umon, Rare, Rarer, Epic, and so on, but the truth is, it''s not that simple. Because some species can be more powerful than rare species despite being umon because they have the potential to evolve, the rank of species is never evaluated like this.


    "They are divided into tiers. From one to three tires can be considered umon species with low, intermediate, and advanced levels; from four to six, they can be regarded as a rare specie with the same three levels. From tier seven to nine, those tiers suit the rarer species, while the Epic species are not ssified into tiers. They had a ssification of their own, which you don''t need to know for now.


    "That imp goblin is from a tier-five species, but his bloodline is too thin. That''s why he''s akin to a tire-three: if you really ingest his heart essence, then your progress will naturally be faster, though."


    Jacob''s eyes shone with understanding. "All in all, as long as I can a higher species heart essence, my progress will be skyrocketed, but how the hell did I know their exact tier?"


    "I don''t know. It''s your problem. But you can ask me by wasting your one chance of summoning me a day, hahaha..."


    Jacob frowned. He knew this book could only give him limited help and sighed. With a thought, the book vanished again. He had no more questions and wasn''t in the mood to listen to that annoying book''sughter.


    He threw his head back to the chair, stared at the rotten ceiling, and sighed continually.


    Likewise, he muttered, "A path forged with killing leads to immortality, huh? If it was in my youth, I might probably feel excited about it, but now¡­ I feel nothing but calm. I finally got a way that led to immortality, yet there''s nothing but darkness. But deep down, I can never detach myself from this path, no matter what¡­."


    Jacob closed his eyes, and at an unknown time, he fell asleep on the chair. It was his first time sleeping without fear or anxiety about his life. He finally got what he wanted, but there was still a vast yet cruel price he had to pay for it!

 Chapter 28 Deadly Hunger (1)

    ?After a long sleep, Jacob finally opened his eyes.


    "I fell asleep?" Jacob mumbled drowsily.


    Because of his sitting posture and wooden chair, he felt soreness all over his body when he tried to move.


    "I never thought I miss my wingback chair of all the things." Jacob smiled wryly.


    Suddenly, he felt extreme hunger as his expression changed because his body started to shudder slightly while his breath became rough.


    Jacob had no idea that after living on those liquids for so long, his body had be ustomed to them, and this was very dangerous. That was why if anyone used those liquids, they always intake food first so that they won''t get addicted to those liquids.


    But how could Decker care about a ve like Jacob? Decker never considered Jacob would remain alive after his experiments, nor did Jacob anyone important to him. Hence, he left Jacob as it was, and now Jacob was facing a dangerous situation.


    If he intakes arge quantity of food so suddenly, his condition will be even more serious. At the same time, if he goes back to the ss cell and uses the liquid to stabilize his situation, his body addiction will be even more serious.


    In the end, Jacob searched for food without even thinking about going back and soaking in those liquids. From the start, he always wondered why he never felt hunger and if this was good or bad, and now, he finally got his answer.


    Jacob took things from Decker''s bags, both old and new. He saw a six-by-six container, which was icy cold, and he quickly put it down since he knew this must be something Decker had bought for the third transnt, and it won''t be anything he could eat.


    The next thing he took out were many ss bottles filled with different color powders and some strange dry nts, which were obviously auxiliary materials that were supposed to mix together with whatever was in that container.


    Jacob didn''t dare to eat those strange ns, so he also put them aside. In the end, the new bag becamepletely empty, and it seemed Decker only put all the things he needed for the experiment in this bag.


    "I don''t believe this guy didn''t need to eat!"


    Jacob''s condition was bing increasingly dangerous as he quivered more violently.


    He quickly picked up the old bag, which was Decker''s own bag. He promptly opened its cover and took things out after another. There were two old books and two small ss sks which reminded him of the sk of Bloodstorming Bug!


    He carefully ced them on the table with lingering fear. Next, he took out a palm size metallic box, and after opening it, he saw four blue capsule shape pills and three green pills.


    He clearly remembered Decker''s feeding him a blue pill for pain, so he quickly deemed those blue pills as painkillers and didn''t know what those green pills were, and he didn''t have the luxury to think about it either. He put those pills aside as well.


    Jacob suddenly saw a hand size transparent packet and quickly took it out, and his eyes lit up when he saw dry jerky sticks inside. His hunger was getting increasingly out of control, so he didn''t even think about examining it and quickly opened the pack, which was already opened. When a strange smell entered his nostrils, he wanted to vomit his stomach out.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Fuck it!'' Jacob took out a dry jerky stick and tried to chew it, but it was just too damn hard, like a rotten tree trunk.


    He felt like he was drinking those herbal shakes he used to drink to increase his life, but more terrible!


    ''That fucker can''t even spend on himself.'' Jacob cursed Decker while continuing to swallow that jerky like rotten wood.


    However, Jacob didn''t know this jerky was made with very special meat, and it can sustain hunger for two or three days, and someone like Decker, who remained on foot for most time, this was the best choice for food.


    Beings like Decker weren''t too picky with what they ate as long as they kept living and continued to do their research.


    Jacob was also like this once, but after he handed over his business to his sons, hepletely changed his lifestyle, especially after his wife''s death.


    With his full willpower, he swallowed two jerky sticks and stopped. He knew if he tried to swallow anymore, he''d throw up. Besides, his hunger was reduced after he ate those jerkies, so there wasn''t any need to torture himself any further, for now at least.


    However, if Jacob knows he just dodged a very lethal bullet by eating those special jerkies, he might even thank Decker as well as strangle him for putting him in such a condition.


    He saw a bottle of water in Decker''s bag and gulped it, and it just tasted like¡­ water. Nothing special about it.


    "Finally, alive." Jacob sighed.


    However, did it was really over?


    After he felt alive again, he finally looked at the other things in Decker''s bag.


    He found another sealed packet of jerkies, and then he took out a white card. After reading it, he found out it was an identity card that was from Decker''s nation.


    This turned his expression somewhat grave. ''If this world has identity cards, doesn''t this mean their technology is also like my word? But this identity card has no photo or any chip. It looks more like something from the eighteenth or seventeenth century. I hope it was the case, or my life would be moreplicated if this world had the same advanced civilization as my world.''


    Although Jacob still hasn''te in contact with this world civilization, after he saw those ss cells, colored liquids, that device that can measure someone''s lifespan and read Decker''s journal, he could guess this world was much more advanced when it came to the medicinal field.


    He had no idea about the weapons, but the parasite gem was enough proof of this world''s strength on its own.


    As formunication and security measures, he still can''t be so sure!

 Chapter 29 Deadly Hunger (2)

    ?Jacob put Decker''s ID card to the side carefully. He knew this could be quite useful, but he also knew it could be quite disastrous since Decker had stolen a treasure chest from a rarer race, so he would not use it if not absolutely necessary.


    Thest thing Jacob found was a small ck pouch. Upon grabbing it, he felt it was quite heavy and heard a light, sharp ringing sound as if ss or metal were shing together.


    "Coins?"


    Jacob opened the small pouch with some anticipation. This was his first time seeing the currency of this world.


    He upside-down the pouch on the table, and small coinsnded on the table, making sharp sounds.


    He saw there were round coins three inches in size. There wasn''t any engraving or any imprint or brand on these coins. They were all spotless. There were twenty golden, fifty-eight silver, and twenty-one bronze-colored coins.


    Jacob did not know the distribution of currency in this world, but seeing the three colors, he could already guess the gist of it.


    ''I don''t know if this guy was rich or poor, but since he was an alchemist, he won''t be poor, at least.''


    Jacob mused before he ced the coins into the small pouch again and stored them inside his infinity pendant and the other things, and only left those two books and the contents of the extra bag on the table.


    He was interested in those two books since they were worn out. It was clear Decker read them quite often, and this was the reason enough for Jacob to read them as well.


    Jacob easily read their titles. One was called the ''Advance Herbology of Rare and Rarer nts & nt Lore.'' The second was the ''Rare and Rarer Beast Encyclopedia.''


    Jacob''s eyes shone. It was quite clear what these books were about, and Jacob needed this kind of information since he wanted toplete the first stage of the cursed heart emergence.


    However, just as Jacob was about to read those books, his expression changed because that extreme hunger was back!


    ''Just what is going on? Not even two minutes passed, and I was hungry again. Did those two shit jerkies won''t enough? But I clearly felt full after eating them.'' Jacob became very confused.


    But he had no choice since this hunger was like it could kill him if he didn''t ease it. He again took out the jerky packet he had just stored inside his infinity pendant and ate three jerky sticks, despite wanting to puke.


    He again felt quite full again, but this time he didn''t let his guard down and observed if that hunger hade back again or if it was just his imagination.


    This time five minutes passed, and when Jacob thought it was just him being paranoid, the hunger returned stronger than ever!


    "There is something wrong!"


    Even an idiot would find this situation strange and amiss.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob tried to summon the book to learn about his situation, but it never appeared.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Shit, I can only summon it after a day, mean twenty-four hours, and I don''t know how long I''ve been asleep, but it wasn''t twenty-four hours. So I have to wait!'' Jacob cursed inwardly before he started swallowing the jerky again.


    This time he swallowed five of them before the hunger went away.


    ''Every time this hunger came, I needed to intake more food. Could it be some kind of effect after I live inside that liquid?


    ''Or it''s rted to my extremely strong heart? It''s not rocket science. Everyone knows if you put a train engine inside a car, it will explode, and my heart is mutated, ording to that damn book. My body is too weak, and if my heart is really like a train engine right now, then I''m really screwed!''


    Jacob''s mind reached an astonishing conclusion that he didn''t want to acknowledge.


    If he knew those jerkies he was eating like normal snacks right were enough to keep Decker alive for an entire month, he would be even more assured about histter theory, while the former hypothesis was quite close to the truth.


    Jacob wasn''t in the mood to read anymore. He clearly knew just how much danger he was in if his guesses were correct.


    However, he can''t just finish his limited ratio until he has a clear view of the situation, and only cursed immortality can shine some light on it.


    "Pig Head,e out."


    In the end, Jacob decided to soak inside the liquid until he could summon cursed immortality again, it was far better than aimlessly wasting his rations!


    ---


    Inside a thick forest with towering lush trees with high humidity,


    The sky was dark with rain clouds as if the rain would fall at any time.


    Three figures were currently moving in this thick forest at this moment.


    Two of them were abnormally tall, while one of them was only 1.4 meters in height, and it barely reached the two tall person''s kneecaps.


    All three of them wore dark cloaks.


    One of them spoke at this moment in a husky voice, "Are you sure you saw that thievish goblin in Cloud City?"


    The voice came from the short person, "Yes, how could I dare to lie to esteemed lords? Although he was in a cloak. But his sharp pointy nose still somewhat revealed his identity, and after I followed him around for a while, I confirmed it was an Imp-Goblin, and he came in this way! If I wasn''t afraid to follow him in this forest and contact my lords first, I might''ve found his hideout!"


    "You did well not to follow him, or you''ve died. That thievish goblin is too cunning, and if he even got wind of you following him, he''ll definitely escape! But now that we are here let''s see where he runs too!" Again, the same voice sounded with a hint of hatred and killing intent!

 Chapter 30 Deadly Hunger (3)

    ?"You Heartless Demon!" A sobbing voice sounded of a young man filled with bitterness and grief, "You didn''t evene to her funeral and didn''t show any sadness while she was on her deathbed and calling for your name every day. You don''t deserve her love. You never loved her. You just left her alone even on her deathbed because of your selfishness¡­."


    "NO!"


    Jacob''s eyes snapped open, filled with deep sorrow and mncholy.


    However, when a slimy liquid entered his mouth, he quickly snapped out of his stupor state and calmed himself down.


    ''I was¡­ dreaming¡­'' Jacob thought with deep sadness and yearning in his eyes, ''Ryan, I let you down and her¡­.''


    Jacob stared into the empty air for a long time without blinking.


    At this moment, the blue liquid was almost transparent, which had never happened before, while Pig Head stayed inside. This implied the liquid was losing its effect, and Jacob was feeling hungry despite the liquid.


    But he doesn''t care or not even bother to notice it because of his bad dream.


    In the end, the hunger reached the same level as before and made Jacob snap out of his daze.


    He came out of the cell. He didn''t know just long he''s been sleeping or how this liquid worked urately and for how long.


    But his killer hunger was not normal, and he knew this had something to do with his change after he inherited cursed immortality.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob said in a hoarse voice.


    This time, the white book appeared in a sh.


    With a thought, Jacob reached the page he could open and said coldly, "Tell me what this hunger is about. Does it rte to you?"


    The wording changed, and unfamiliar words appeared.


    "Why are you asking me if you already guessed? You''re right about your heart being too powerful for your weak body. But don''t worry, your heart was modified ording to great me and even mutated. So, all you have to do is to provide nutrition, and your heart will change your body until it reaches a sufficient standard."


    Jacob sighed softly. "I was right. Tell me just how much nutrition I need before this hunger goes away and my body reaches a sufficient standard."


    The writing changed,


    "Just drink that bone marrow that little goblin bought for your third imnt, and don''t forget about mixing all those herbs and powders. It should be sufficient to convert your body to twenty percent."


    Jacob frowned. "Drink the bone marrow of some unknown animal or monster? But it will only convert up to twenty percent?!"


    "Hahaha¡­ don''t underestimate a mutated heart. Besides that, twenty percent is enough for your hunger to alleviate at least half, but only for a few weeks before ites back more potent, so be prepared!


    "Heed my advice. In the meanwhile, just ughter that goblin or that pig and inject their blood, and then eat them whole. It should be enough for your body to reach fifty percent."


    Jacob wore a weary expression and coldly snorted, "Do you really expect me to eat those nocuous fellows?"


    "Hahahahah¡­ don''t pretend to be noble. The moment the second wave of hunger hits, you''ll even ughter a human to quench your hunger, or you''ll die, which I know you will never let happen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, and remember, every time you inject a specie''s heart blood, your body will also change, which simply means you need to eat or provide high-quality nutrition. And if you are thinking about using those colored waters, then don''t bother. They will start to lose effect on you the longer you soak in them since they''re not high-quality enough."


    Jacob frowned his brown as cursed immortality seen through his thoughts. He was really nning to drink that ck liquid, but it seemed this wouldn''t work.


    ''This book simply wanted me to kill and then eat whoever I kill¡­ but I want to survive, I have to¡­'' Jacob''s heart turned cold.


    "I started to understand why you called Cursed Immortality¡­." Jacobmented coldly before he closed the book with a thought.


    He didn''t want to see that maniacughing.


    "The things I have to do for a living from now on¡­."


    Jacob sighed softly as he walked beside the table where everything was ready.


    He strengthened his resolve, pulled the cold container toward himself, and opened the y-like seal before removing the cubic meter container''s top.


    The moment the top was removed, a potent smell filled the room, making Jacob almost faint.


    He saw a thick dark purple liquid like jelly.


    "I have to drink this?!" Jacob fell into despair, but his hunger was getting stronger and stronger, and he knew he didn''t have time.


    "Damn it all!"


    He randomly picked those dry nts and threw them inside the container. Since the book didn''t instruct him about the order, then it clearly means he can just throw them randomly.


    One by one, he emptied those powder bottles as well.


    After everything was floating in the container, he picked up a long metal spoon-like piece of equipment and stirred the entire mixer.


    It caused a massive reaction as those ns melted, and the jelly-like bone marrow started to boil mysteriously, and an even more potent smell rose with pinkish smoke.


    However, Jacob''s eyes were turned bloodshot as he endured the smell. His hunger had finally reached its peak and was far more substantial than the first or second time.


    He finally realized that the book was really speaking the truth, and at this moment, he really would kill anyone just to quench this hunger!


    ''I can''t take it anymore!''


    Jacob threw the spoon to the table, picked up the container, and drank without even caring about the smell or taste or if it was hot or cold.


    He just wanted that deadly hunger to go away.


    The mixture was strikingly cold despite the smoke and its taste¡­ he just can''t describe in contrarily that jerky was far more scrumptious than this!


    Within a minute, he drank the whole container without dropping or leaving any single drop!

 Chapter 31 I’m Already Cursed

    ?Jacob controlled his urge to vomit everything out. He knew if he did, he might have to butcher someone in this room.


    Drinking a mixture of bone marrow was far better than eating some humanoid monster. He wasn''t ready for this.


    Jacob somehow reached the wooden chair and sat down. He was feeling a freezing sensation in his stomach, and it was slowly reaching every part of his body. He could even hear his extremely fast heartbeat.


    Furthermore, the deadly hunger was finally decreasing, and, for some reason, he was enjoying the cold sensation as his eyes started to turn drowsy. He just wanted to sleep all of a sudden despite just waking up, and in the end, he fell into a deep sleep on the chair in that,fortable feeling.


    At this moment, abruptly, hair grew on Jacob''s bald head at an astronomical pace, while his bony body, which looked like a dry skeleton, started to slowly bulk.


    The transformation has begun!


    ---


    After some unknown time,


    Jacob''s eyelids trembled slightly before he slowly opened his eyes, filled with confusion as he quickly remembered he fell into sudden sleep out of the blue.


    "My hunger has really reduced to a bearable degree, but it''s still there. I can feel it, and ording to that cursed book, it will onlyst a few weeks before it wille back even stronger¡­" Jacob mumbled helplessly.


    Suddenly, Jacob''s eyesnded on his hands, and he was astonished because his bonny hands were long gone, and mass had already appeared.


    Although it was only a minimum, the change was obvious. His skin has also turned pale from yellowish.


    Jacob quickly stood up with a hint of excitement, and suddenly he felt silk-like threads feel on his shoulder.


    He couldn''t help but touch the silky threads. "My hair has grown so big?"


    Jacob was astonished, and when he saw his long hair, which had reached his shoulder, it waspletely silver-white.


    "An unusual color," Jacob mumbled.


    He quickly stood in front of the ss cell and saw his vague reflection. He was shocked because before, he was bony, and now he was skinny. Although it was a small change, however, for Jacob, it was quite obvious.


    Furthermore, his previous 1.6-meter height had also changed. He was now 1.7 meters tall and could feel much stronger than his previous weak self.


    "This is only the result of a twenty percent transformation, and as I inject heart blood, the transformation will continue. Doesn''t this mean I can be strong just by eating and sleeping?"


    Jacob''s heartbeat raised suddenly just thinking about it, and he felt it was all worth it!


    Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly as he heard a heartbeat from behind.


    ''My hearing has also grown!'' Jacob was thrilled because he knew human hearing couldn''t be this strong. ''This is truly magical!''


    Jacob quickly calmed down and mused,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Although my change is quite great and unnatural, I have to keep eating high-grade nutrition, or that hunger wille back stronger. I have to leave this ce as soon as possible. Since this base is in some forest, there might be animals I can hunt with Pig-Head''s strength. But this guy is strange. He didn''t have any heartbeat like he was dead. This world is just too damn strange.


    ''Well, I don''t care as long as I can use him. It''s far better than eating him. This guy is like a strong killing machine; using him properly will bode significant results. But I have to deal with those traps set by that blind shit, and only he knew the safe passage.''


    Jacob''s eyes turned cold as he turned around and looked toward Decker''s cell, filled with light blue liquid, which almost turned transparent.


    He knew Decker was the key if he wanted to go outside, and he couldn''t let Pig Head waste his strength just to cross some traps. It would affect his ns.


    "I know you''re awake. Let''s have another chat." Jacob said impassively.


    He could now feel the slightest change in Decker''s heartbeat, just like Decker before.


    Jacob released Decker, who remained stoic.


    "You can speak freely." Jacob again sat in his chair.


    Decker said in his husky voice, "Just give up, human. I will never tell you anything!"


    "How stubborn." Jacob chuckled coldly, "But I already know about you, ''Decker Shaw!"


    Decker''s expression finally changed when he heard his full name. He quickly guessed Jacob had already got his hands on his hidden journal, which also meant he got the treasure book he stole right under the giants!


    "Bastard¡­ Bastard¡­ cursed you!" He started to utter in a mad frenzy.


    How could he endure when the fruit of hisbor was eaten by the other?


    He was now the enemy of a rarer race just because of that book, but now it would benefit someone else while he took all the me and hate!


    Jacob was quite pleased with Decker''s expressions and said coldly, "Just give up and tell me everything I want to know, and I might leave you alone. What do you think?"


    Although he got some information from Decker''s journal, it wasn''t enough and was too vague.


    Decker was a veteran who had managed to pull the wool on the giants'' eyes and escaped alive, and he could still get his hands on all those materials and advanced equipment, despite the giants on his tail.


    This alone proved his survival abilities and contacts, and Jacob wanted that all!


    However, Decker madly replied, his voice full of hatred,


    "You can go fuck yourself, your thievish bastard¡­ you took everything from me. I was so close¡­ so close¡­ b-but you human ruined it all. I''ll curse; you''ll die in the same way as me, full of despair and bitterness!"


    Jacob sighed heavenly, and his expression turned extremely icy as he said, with no hint of emotions,


    "I''m afraid I''m already cursed¡­"

 Chapter 32 Opening The Door! (1)

    ?"Die¡­ Die¡­ Die¡­"


    Decker had lost his mind after he found out Jacob had got his everything, even his precious life work.


    "Shut up."


    Jacob was irritated by Decker''s maniacal behavior, and he knew Decker was a hopeless case and he was on his own. But he still had Decker''s journal and only read a fraction. He might find something useful, and he also had two new books, which were even more helpful than Decker''s journal.


    Decker''s stoic face appeared again after Jacob made him shut up, but his thoughts were in a mess and despair.


    Jacob looked at Pig Head, who seemed somewhat drained. He finally remembered he had forgotten to put him in that blue liquid, or he didn''t let him drink it.


    "Pig Head, go drink two buckets of blue liquid." He also understood why Decker gave such amand to Pig Head.


    ''It seems Pig Head''s body is somehow special. Although he didn''t have a heartbeat or breathing, he could understand and observe fine. I have to look into it after I get a chance,'' Jacob mused.


    However, his expression changed when he saw Pig Head draw a bucket of extremely light blue liquid, almost transparent!


    He knew something was amiss and quickly strode there. When he looked into the well, his heart turned cold because he could see the bottom, and from his estimate, only five gallons worth of liquid was left, but it was almost transparent.


    The well was fifteen cubic meters in diameter and twenty-meter-deep. It was divided into three portions of five meters with a metallic wall.


    He quickly opened the next lid, saw the green liquid, and sighed in relief because it was more than half filled, and he couldn''t see the bottom of it, and it still didn''t lose its color.


    As for thest portion, it was only four to five meters filled with dark liquid.


    "The Blue liquid is about to end, while the green one is still more than half full, and the ck one is the most potent one of all of them. I can''t use them recklessly anymore, and Pig Head needed them to sustain himself. Fuck, one problem after another!" Jacob cursed under his breath.


    He had almost forgotten Decker was using these liquids for god knows when, and they were something exhaustible.


    Blue was the weakest of these three liquids, followed by green and then ck.


    He could see arge hole at the bottom in the blue liquid portion, and he knew the liquid entered the cells from there and again exited back.


    He even felt nauseated when he thought about how this liquid was used again and again while everyone was soaking in it.


    "Let''s just hope I won''t need to enter that cell anymore." Jacob sighed bitterly.


    Pig Head was also done with his ''meal'' and finally started recovering.


    "This blue liquid could onlyst a week, and then I have to let him drink the green one, which might take a year or two to finish. Which means I have to leave this ce within two or three years!" Jacob quickly calcted, "But first, I have to reach the outside and then think further after seeing just how deep we''re in the forest."


    Jacob nodded andmanded, "Pig Head, carry him and follow me."


    Pig Head grabbed Decker''s head from his palm, picked him up like some rage doll, and followed Jacob, who was making his way toward the staircase.


    ''I''m finally going out¡­''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob felt a little bit of excitement and reminiscence when he thought about how he was reincarnated and opened his eye in this room and experienced hell before finally turning things around and even getting a cursed book that promise him immortality¡­


    ''It all just like a bad yet pleasing dream.'' He sighed as he ascended the stairs barefoot.


    He was still wearing a cape and wrapping another cape around his waist.


    Decker''s boots were too short for him, and he also didn''t have any clothes of his size, so he could only do with this for now.


    Jacob finally reached the steel door, put his hand on the handle, and breathed deeply before he twisted it open!


    A creaking sound rang in the deadly silence when the door was opened inwardly.


    A pitch-ck corridor appeared, which looked bottomless abyss.


    Jacob had already carried a smallmp that Decker had bought. It was lit in white light.


    The pathway was almost illuminated, but Jacob still didn''t see the end of it.


    "Just which shithole did you dig this room in?" Jacob couldn''t help but exim, "Put him here."


    Pig Head does as he said and puts stoic Decker right on the doorstep''s center.


    "Oh, stubborn little shit, just like before, listen carefully; you''re standing in the center of the hidden room''s door, and we''re standing right at the pathway''s edge, which leads to the outside. Start walking on the safe route!"


    Jacob knows Decker can''t control his thoughts, not right now, since he had suffered a huge mental blow.


    Decker took a step and slowly walked.


    "Follow his every footstep, and if he stopped, then stop." He ordered Pig Head as he handed themp to him as well.


    Pig Head followed suit, and Jacob followed right behind Pig Head''s footsteps.


    Decker walked straight without changing directions, and Jacob carefully observed the surroundings.


    ''This was an underground cave naturally formed, and Decker chose this as his hidden base. I have to admit. This is an ideal ce if someone wants to hide,'' Jacob felt glorified.


    In the end, no trap came their way as Decker finally reached the end. There was a stone wall.


    Jacob frowned. ''Could it be there aren''t any traps? But how could it be this guy would notpromise his safety?


    He saw Decker move toward the right side of the wall and crouch down.


    Jacob''s eyes finallynded on a small stone lever at the right corner of the stone wall!

 Chapter 33 Opening The Door! (2)

    ?However, Jacob''s expression changed when he saw Decker''s hand tremble when he touched the stone lever.


    He barked, "Stop him!"


    With his big hand, Pig Head instantly reacted and pulled Decker back from his head and nearly crashed it.


    Jacob sighed in relief and uttered coldly, "I knew something was not right since you didn''t try to put any resistance, just likest time. So, that lever is the trap, or it''s a trap, as well as the key to opening this door. Since you''re able to reach it so easily, this also confirmed my theory, and when you wanted to trigger the trap, the parasite gem stopped you. Heh, you''re a schemer, little Deck. Just speak and let it out."


    Decker''s stoic expression turned into a maniac, and he roared, "Human, no matter what, you can never leave this ce and die, die, die¡­ when all those Nutrition Liquids run out, you will die here¡­ hahaha¡­ die."


    Jacob sighed. He knew very well how it felt if someone stole your hard work right under your nose and then profited from that work big time.


    Furthermore, Decker had not only lost his life works to Jacob, but he also lost a journal that guaranteed immortality. This kind of hatred was nothingpared to anything. It was far deeper than killing one father or mother.


    That''s why Decker will do anything to kill Jacob, even if it costs him his life. It will all be worth it if he can take Jacob down with him!


    "You''re an idiot. Since you give me clues, this is enough for me to figure it out. Let me see." Jacob''s eyes were glued to Decker''s twisted face.


    He said, "Since it''s a lever, it can move up or down or even can be turned around, and you try to move it, which means it would be a disaster if I try to move it, right?"


    Decker''s right eye twitched slightly at this moment, and Jacob''s smile widened.


    "So, I only have two options now, either put it out or push it inside like a button, and I know someone like you makes it even trickier, so let''s go with the first option!"


    Decker''s expression finally changed, and he barked madly, "You bastard! How did you find out!? Just why can''t you die?!"


    It was just as Jacob described. Decker had set this lever up as a gigantic trap, and he knew anyone would try to move it, and it would be their doom at that time.


    He even calcted that anyone who can reach this ce will be someone from the inside and want to escape, so their mind would be in a mess and all they could think about would be freedom, and this would greatly raise their chances of triggering the trap!


    But Jacob saw through it, and how could he not? He was someone in the weapon business, and traps were also a part of the weapon industry for a long time.


    How could this measly mind trap fool Jacob, who can make a trap far deadlier than this!


    "I said you''re an idiot, so act like one. There''s no need for you to y smart. You can never escape my grasp!" said Jacob coldly.


    He spun around and walked back to the staircase and put the metal door in front of him, and after making sure he waspletely covered, he shouted, "Pig Head, pull that stone lever out!"


    Bam¡­


    Thereupon, he mmed the door shut. Although he was confident in this theory, he won''t be so brave as to confirm it himself when he had two meat shields.


    However, nothing happened after waiting for a while, and the cave remained silent. Jacob smiled in victory, opened the door, and reached Pig Head and Decker''s position again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He saw a crack had appeared right in the center of that stone wall, and he said with a hint of anticipation, "Little Deck, if it''s safe to open the wall, then move, and if it isn''t, then remain still!"


    Decker''s expression filled with despair and unwillingness, but he was helpless, and his leg moved as he cursed Jacob, "Bastard human, you''ll die when just you wait!"


    "We have to see about it." Jacob chuckled coldly andpletely ignored Decker''s curses and said to Pig Head, "Open it."


    Pig Head pushed the stone wall, and with the slightest effort, it waspletely opened outward like two stone doors.


    Jacob finally saw just ten meters away, a stonedder was going upward, and his heart was filled with ecstasy, but he didn''t make any rash move.


    He again looked at Decker and said with a smile, "Little Deck, there''s a stonedder. If it''s safe, move, and if there are traps, remain standing."


    Decker''s entire body trembled as if he wanted to move, but he wasn''t strong enough to overpower the parasite gem.


    "Heh, stop, it just started, and I''m looking forward to more information." Jacob chucked in a mocking tone, which made Decker even madder.


    "Tell me if the stonedder is the trap. If yes, move, and if no, remain standing¡­


    "Is the floor have any trap door, if¡­


    "Does a weight-trap¡­


    "Is step number three safe¡­


    "Is step number nine¡­


    "Is there a stone door or anything hiding the exit¡­


    "Any sense type trap¡­"


    Decker felt like his mind was spinning. Jacob had asked so many questions about traps. Actually, he had never heard about some of them, and he suddenly remembered what Jacob had told him when they spoke the first time.


    ''Could he be a¡­ reincarnated person¡­''


    An icy chill ran down Decker''s spine with just the thought of it. But he quickly threw that thought away from his head because it was just too unrealistic.


    But he couldn''t suppress itpletely because Jacob was just too sharp for a weak human, and he could easily see through a veteran like him despite his young age.


    Only someone who had gone through all these experiences could know this much and know how to deal with it, and Jacob was just too much of an anomaly!

 Chapter 34 Opening The Door! (3)

    ?Deep inside lush woods,


    The Mossy Forest Floor suddenly trembled before a square crack appeared, and it lifted in the air before it the air and then thrown to the side, and a three-square meter deep dark hole appeared in the mossy floor.


    Thereupon, a Pig Head suddenly popped up from the dark hole, followed by its humanoid burly body, and after him appeared a skinny youth with a face full of ecstasy.


    The youth looked around with great curiosity and took deep breaths.


    He sighed and said, "I''m finally out, hahaha!"


    His voice was filled with thriller and relief. This youth was obviously Jacob.


    After his long interrogation process, he could finally find the actual and safe passage outside.


    Jacob looked down and felt the soft yet wet mossy floor. A delightful cold sensation was running all over his feet. He looked around and saw the hidden passage waspletely surrounded by towering trees, and it was extremely hard to tell there was a hidden cave there.


    He mumbled, "That bastard really knows how to choose a hiding spot. No one could tell this part of the ground was a hoax, and underneath it was a whole cave. Even if they find it, they would be quite lucky if they were able to escape those traps."


    Jacob really admired Decker''s work and his meticulous way of doing things.


    He looked up and saw therge crowns of trees hadpletely covered the sunlight, and only some beams of yellow light were visible.


    "The air here is quite chilly, and ording to Decker''s journal, this ce is called Rainy Mountain Ranges, which means I''m in the middle of nowhere, and I don''t have a map nor that bastard left any clues about this ce.


    "If rain ismon here, then I can''t wander around aimlessly, or I might lose my way. Since I now know how to exit the hidden base, I should first read those two books, and there isn''t any hurry as well. As for my hunger problem¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with coldness and resolved when he thought at this point. He knew he had to get his hand dirty if he wanted to survive and archive immortality.


    ''I won''t have to suppress my demon anymore¡­'' A ferocious glint shed past Jacob''s eyes as he looked at the dark hole.


    "Let''s go back." He said to Pig Head and entered the hole again.


    After they both enter the hidden base again, Jacob carefully closes the passage again and goes back to his room with listless Decker.


    After Jacob gained all the information with his words game, Decker knew it was meaningless to struggle, and he was just waiting for his death.


    He hadpletely given up on resistance, but if Jacob asked him about his experience or information, he would still stubbornly refuse because it would make things less difficult for Jacob!


    Albeit, he''ll die. He would make sure Jacob''s journey throughout the Rainy Mountain Ranges cannot be easy because he knew just how dangerous this mountain range was if someone didn''t know the safe routes or if they were someone as weak as a human.


    Jacob locked Decker in a ss cell again, used the depleted blue nutrition liquid, and left Pig Head to rest in his own cell while using a green nutrition liquid.


    After this short trip, he clearly understood just how important Pig Head was to him, and without him, he might''ve be Decker''s suicidal attempt victim.


    That''s why he decided to use the higher-grade liquid this time, and he knew this liquid was special since it also transformed into a hibernation liquid after its healing effect from exhaustion.


    "Now, I should start memorizing the contents of those two books as soon as possible, and I should start with Advance Herbology of Rare and Rarer nts & nt Lore since I''m in a forest and nts can be more dangerous than animals if you don''t know it''s poisonous or not.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "These mountain ranges are between the boundary of umon and rare races regions, which means there won''t be any rarer type nts here, and even if there are, the chances are extremely low."


    Jacob mused before he took the Advance Herbology of Rare and Rarer nts & nt Lore, which wasn''t six inches thick, and engrossed himself in it.


    Before long, Jacob waspletely immersed in that book with a fascinated look on his face. Although he wasn''t a botanist, he had researched many herbs because of his obsession.


    This book was filled with inoffensive and toxic nts. The more Jacob read, the more he felt these nts were really terrified.


    "Iron Pike Vine: rare rank.


    "Danger Level: High


    "Ability: Able to prate iron with its pike-like iron vines.


    "Weakness: Water


    "Smoky Flower: umon rank.


    "Danger Level: intermediate


    "Ability: produce a white smoke-like flora in the air which is highly hallucinating. Its range is one meter.


    "Weakness: Water and Fire


    "Blue Pine Tree¡­.


    Jacob read one after one nt''s information, and he was somewhat shocked because his memory was quite good, and he only needed to read the information three or four times before hepletely memorized it word by word.


    "Is it also the effect of my new heart?" Jacob was quite happy and continued to read.


    Just like that, an unknown time passed, and Jacob remained engrossed in his reading.


    Jacob also noticed the special traits of his new body.


    Foremost, he can awake for a very long time. Although he didn''t know the exact duration, he knew it would be around three or four days.


    Second, he only needed one hour of sleep to recover his exhausted mental strength.


    Third, one jerkysted for three days before he felt his hunger reaching his bearable limit. However, he could feel the duration was getting lower and lower, and he would soon meet the deadline of the second deadly hunger attack.


    So, to ensure it won''t happen, he began preparing himself¡­


    Prepared to unleash the¡­ demon!

 Chapter 35 You’re A Devil!

    ?On this day,


    Outside the hidden cave room, just below the stonedder leading to the outside forest, Jacob could be seen assembling a metal structure made with different scrap parts.


    There was arge container with a lid with a slim long-twisted metal tube attached to it, and another container connected to the other end of this metal tube.


    Furthermore, there was arge collection of different dry woods on the other side.


    Jacob was naturally prepared to collect his first heart essence with a distition process described by cursed immortality.


    Although his crude self-created equipment for the distition process can''t bepared with the modern technology of his world, they were enough to serve their purpose.


    As for who was going to be his first target for heart and blood, it will Decker.


    Firstly, Jacob had a deep grudge against Decker for what he did. Second, Decker was from a rare race, which makes his heart essence more potent than any umon specie.


    Third, he didn''t know just what animals resided in this vast mountain range, and he didn''t feel secure going out hunting while constantly being afraid of his hunger and the unknown when he had a source beside him.


    Fourth, he knows as long as his body can be strong enough to sustain his heart, he''ll get superhuman strength, and by taking this first step, he''ll get stronger.


    Lastly, the resources in Decker''s hideout were limited, and Decker was no longer useful besides his information value, and he was only burning those precious color liquids, so it was best to get rid of him.


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t want to torture Decker anymore. He was afraid Decker might lose his nutritional value.


    As for his intricacy with killing, Jacob had long prepared himself for this since he couldn''t live without killing in this world which was just too damn cruel, and if he still didn''t use his ''inner talent,'' he could just forget about living here and obtain immortality!


    After Jacob made crude distition equipment with the change of a furnace-type reboiler since he needed at least 1000 Celsius.


    Decker''s secret hideout was ab, and he found some equipment he could use to make this crude setup easily there, which saved him from a lot of trouble.


    After making sure that it was airtight and testing it once, he nodded in satisfaction before making his way back toward where Decker was held.


    "My hunger is bing worse and worse, and I only have two or three days before it reaches its peak. I need to start today." Jacob mumbled as he opened the door of the secret room.


    There wasn''t any change in the room. Only the table had been modified.


    There were two holes on each side of the table''s center edges, they were connected with another two metal tubes, and two containers were below them.


    Furthermore, deep carvings on the table edges formed a pathway leading to the two holds.


    Jacob had carefully crafted this table to collect flowing blood without wasting it. His forging skills and advanced knowledge wereing in handy.


    Besides the table, there wasn''t any change here. Decker had been floating in green liquid for a week now, and Pig Head as well after collecting all those woods.


    Jacob stood in front of Decker''s ss cell and calmly looked at him for a long time as if he was readying himself for what he was about to do.


    ''Sigh¡­''


    Jacob sighed softly before he emptied the ss cell, and dripping Decker appeared.


    "Do you know what I''m about to do?" Jacob coolly asked as he had unrestrained Decker''s mouth.


    "Heh, does it matter?" Decker sneered coldly.


    Although he didn''t know what Jacob was about to do with him this time, he was ready for anything.


    "You''re an annoying bastard, do you know that?" Jacob scoffed. "Follow me andy down to your favorite table where you killed lord knows how many."


    Decker coldly chucked as he followed Jacob''s lead and slowlyy down at the center of the new table with lots of deep cravings.


    "What, are you finally going to torture me? Just don''t disappoint me." Decker coolly said as he showed his beastly teeth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob chuckled coldly, "As much as I want to, it might damage my premium quality rare meat, so you''re going off easily."


    Decker''s expression finally changed as he said with disbelief, "You want to¡­ eat me?!"


    Jacob coolly replied, "Well, it''s not like I have any other choice, besides I had read in Rare and Rarer Beast Encyclopedia that rare Goblin Wolf is quite a delicacy on the maind, and it''s directly rted to your goblin race, so it made me quite curious about what an Imp Goblin taste like?"


    Decker felt a chill run down his spine as Jacob''s voice sounded like the devil, "You bastard dare topare me with livestock?! Are you not afraid of retribution after thinking about eating an intelligent life form?! Even I won''t stoop to such a level!"


    Jacob merely chucked and said, "I already said I have no choice now. Either I eat you or risk my life out there and even die from hunger. Besides, as long as it''s not a fellow human. In my eyes, you are an intelligent camel that can be ughtered in need of water or its meat."


    Decker felt Jacob''s voice was exempt from any emotions and suddenly felt a cold sensation gripping his wrist as Jacob''s devil-like voice sounded again,


    "Although I never killed any human in my life before, it doesn''t mean I never ughter animals to suppress my urge to kill. Don''t worry. You''ll die of blood loss without any pain or suffering."


    Jacob slightly rubbed Decker''s wrists with a strange, twisted smile on his face.


    "I know every signal nerve in the human body, and your body isn''t much different from a human as well. It''s just that I don''t know if I would be addicted to it¡­ oh well, I don''t care anymore¡­"


    Just as Jacob''s icy voice faded, he picked up the scalpel-like knife he had ready beforehand.


    "You''ll die like me¡­ you''ll be eaten alive in these mountains¡­ not even your bones will be left¡­" Decker started to curse manically, as he couldn''t resist or move his body.


    Although Decker wasn''t afraid of death, he was afraid of being eaten by his enemy. Just the thought of it gave him endless nauseous and hate. He never thought Jacob would be so cruel.


    Jacob said with a hint of mockery, "This is the exact reason I''m doing it, and you can only me yourself for this. As for being eaten alive by others, I don''t know about that, but you, on the hand, will be going to turn into a nice stew tonight."


    Jacob carefully made a deep cut on Decker''s wrist as red blood gushed out and ced it right above the hole.


    As Jacob made the cut, knowing that he was about to kill Decker, he felt a delightful chill over his body, making his fine hair stand and tremble in excitement as he breathed heavily.


    "Don''t move!"


    Jacob said as he saw Decker was again trying to struggle, but he didn''t care since, at any rate, he''ll die today in this way or another.


    He moved toward Decker''s other wrist and again made another deep cut on his wrist and ced it carefully on the hole. He looked exactly like a serial killer who had done this before many times with an exact, twisted, satisfied smile on his face.


    "Bastard, you''ll never escape the retribution. One day, someone else will do even worse to you¡­"


    Decker continued to curse as he felt his body and mind going numb. He knew today was the day he''ll die and be someone''s dinner, which made him resentful. But s, there wasn''t anything he could do.


    Jacobpletely ignored Decker''s curses and calmly sat on the chair as he looked at Decker''s flowing blood in the container with a hint of tion.


    Little by little, the containers started to fill with Decker''s blood, and Decker''s voice was bing vaguer and vaguer.


    After ten minutes, Decker was on the verge of losing consciousness as he kept mumbling.


    "Y¡­ Y-you''re¡­ a¡­ devil¡­"


    A minute passed, and Decker''s voicepletely faded at this moment as his blood flow was also slowing down a lot.


    Jacob finally closed his eyes as he remembered thosest words of Decker and felt deep satisfaction after knowing he had killed his most hated enemy with his hand.


    Jacob''s eyes finally opened, and the darkness in them hadpletely faded away, and he exhaled. "Just as I thought, I felt nothing but excitement while killing him, and I already want to experience it again. If I continue, I can never stop myself¡­"


    Jacob smiled coldly the very next moment, "Anything to achieve my goal¡­ now it''s time to put you out of your misery."


    Jacob stood up again, and this time, he slit Decker''s throat without hesitation, and more blood flowed on the table, making its way towards those two openings.


    With this, Decker, the first person Jacob saw after reincarnating, was finally dead at Jacob''s hands!

 Chapter 36 Extracting Heart Essence

    ?It was nighttime outside, and the sky seemed clean from any clouds.


    The ground door leading toward Decker''s hideout was currently opened, and smoke rose from it like a chimney.


    On the underground floor,


    Crude equipment was set up, and the fire was lit underneath the metal container, which had been made into a crude furnace. The red smoke rose from it as the crimson liquid was boiling.


    Jacob stood there calmly observing as cursed immortality hovered in front of him.


    He said, "So, Immortika, should I throw the heart inside now and close it?"


    Jacob was very careful with this task of collecting heart essence. That was why he summoned the cursed immortality to seek its opinion on every single detail. He was also calling it ''Immortika'' now since he didn''t like always calling it cursed immortality.


    He wasn''t a chemist in his past life, but he had some very rich experience working with chemicals and active elements because of his profession and research, which was why he was able to build this crude distition equipment from scratch.


    Immortika replied in ted words, "Hehe, I never thought you would choose the little imp for your first target and abandon your morals so quickly. I''m impressed, and don''t call me by that name. I''m Cursed Immortality!"


    Jacob replied in vexation, "IMMORTIKA¡­ can''t you just answer my question? Don''t you say you can''t answer anything besides questions rted to the book?"


    Immortika replied, "Hehehe¡­ I can''t answer your question, but I didn''t say I can''t freely give my opinion on other unimportant things.


    "As for the answer to your question, although that thing looked like it would explode at any time since it reached the sufficient temperature, I don''t think there''s a need to hesitate anymore.


    "Just throw the heart into it and start the distition after thirty seconds. You only need 100-milliliter of heart essence, so it won''t take long even if that thing ends up exploding¡­ hehe."


    Jacob rolled his eyes, even though he knew the equipment was very unstable, and if he closed the lid, then it would be a bomb if it wasn''t able to handle the pressure.


    In the end, he inhaled a warm breath, and the moment a warm bloody heart appeared in his from his infinity pendant.


    His infinity pendant can not only keep living things alive in it, but I can also keep things fresh, just like the moment they were stored in it, and it was perfect for storing food supplies. It''s just that its space was too small for now.


    Jacob nced at Decker''s heart he extracted this afternoon, and sighed. "You change my heart once, and now I''m holding your heart¡­ and we''re both doing it for immortality. Howmentable."


    He threw the heart in the boiling blood and sealed the lid as smoke rose from the twisted metal tube and another tube.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob waited over thirty seconds before he closed the twisted tube into the second container he prepared for distition and let the other tube open to release some build-up pressure.


    Jacob didn''t stay close to it because if this thing exploded, he didn''t want to be anywhere near it and enter the passage while closing the door.


    Immortika wrote at this moment, "Five hours should be sufficient if that thing can hold this long, that is."


    Jacob replied, "I know, but I also have confidence in something I built. It won''t explode easily. Besides, the containers I used were all made of special materials from this world, and they were quite tough, so I won''t think this much pressure could crack them up."


    "Heh, pity, I won''t be here to see the result. But you must remember to inject that heart essence within six hours after its extraction or store it inside the infinity pendant, or it will lose its effect, and you will get fewer benefits."


    Jacob sighed and asked with some concern, "You sure with fifteen KG rare meat I got after ughtering Decker and his heart essence, I''ll be able to convert my body up to fifty percent? What about the hunger, or if that fellow was poisonous?"


    The writing changed,


    "Why are you fretting over it so much? Since you''re unwilling to eat that guy''s head, then it should help you about 45% to rebuild your body, and this tire-three heart essence will also convert your Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark up to 3%pletion from 01%pletion.


    "As for your poisonint, do you think you can be poisoned by a tier three species'' meat after condensing a mutated immortal mark? Stop being a worrywart.


    "Look at the bright side; your hunger problem will not be rued for at least two years after this, and in the meantime, just hunt some other races outside there. It''s time for you to leave this turtle shell. Let me see the liveliness of the outside world."


    Jacob scoffed, "You just wanted to see me kill others, right?"


    "So, what if I am? Don''t forget without sacrifices, there won''t be any gains, and it''s not like you don''t enjoy it yourself. I''m a perfect fit for you, so stop rejecting and suppressing your impulses. It will only get you killed by others."


    "Heh, I''ll do what I want. You''re just a book, so act like one and vanish." Jacob sneered coldly before he closed the cursed immortality.


    He didn''t want to read more of this book''s sarcastic remarks and preaching about killing.


    Although it said nothing wrong, Jacob didn''t want to bepletely controlled and indulged in his inner impulses, or he would be a mindless killer.


    Even if he enjoyed that feeling, this doesn''t change the fact that he had rich life experience and knew what kind of result these nefarious urges would bring.


    "I could suppress it in my whole past life, so controlling it in this life should not be a problem for me, either¡­"

 Chapter 37 Position Revealed!

    ?A couple of miles away from Decker''s hideout in Rainy Mountain Ranges.


    It was already dawn, and the sky was turning bright, but dark clouds were also gathering over the mountain range.


    Inside arge cave,


    Two colossal figures were sitting around a bonfire while arge, unknown animal was currently skewered on top of the fire.


    These figures were at least 2.7 meters tall, even while sitting. One could only imagine their heights when they were standing.


    "Brother Aaron, we''ve been searching for weeks in this vast mountain range, but we still didn''t find any trace of that thievish goblin. Do you think that Bronze-Goblin is tricking us and wasting our time for the reward?" the person with a husky voice spoke with uncertainty.


    In reply, Aaron said in his heavy voice, "I don''t think so, goblins race knows what happened to the Imp-Goblin tribe after their tribesman dared to double-cross us, so I don''t think they would dare to try anything funny anymore despite their greedy and shrewd nature.


    "As for this bronze goblin, I have already investigated him before following him here. He held some deep grudge against the Imp-Goblin tribe, so he didn''t have any reason to court death, and he had some ability in tracking, so he''s our best choice right now. At least it''s far better than searching in the dark. Just keep your patient, Brother Montel."


    Montel sighed and said with a hint of hate in his husky voice, "It''s not like I''m impatient, but I can''t forget how that little thief made a fool of our race and stole something we work so hard to find, and our brethren sacrifice their lives to get. He even poisoned fifteen men to death, including my little brother. I would never rest until I skin that bastard alive!"


    "I know how you feel, but you can''t let your judgment be clouded by hate, or that bastard might escape¡­"


    Before Aaron couldplete his sentence, he came to an abrupt stop as he coldly turned toward the entrance of the cave.


    These were not worried about any ambush since there weren''t any creatures in this mountain range that could pose any threat to them.


    Montel also sensed something as he also narrowed his green eyes toward the entrance.


    At this moment, a cloaked figure of 1.4 meters in height could be seen running toward those two giants.


    Aaron sternly said at this moment, "You better have a good reason to disturb our meal, little ant!


    The cloaked personpletely ignored those pairs of icy eyes and hastily said, "Milords, I think I found the hideout of that thievish imp!"


    Montel''srge green eyes suddenly shimmered in a sharp glint as he blurted, "Where?!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Last morning, when I was scouting two miles in the east, I saw smoke rising from the far northeast, but it only remained for ten minutes, and before I could pinpoint the exact position, the smoke vanished because of the humidity here. All traces were gone." The cloaked person replied truthfully.


    Aaron cussed. "Are you certain this was the little bastard? It could be a hunter, and I don''t think that astute little shit will make this kind of rookie mistake."


    "I also thought about it, but then there were a few hunters who wanted toe into these deep parts of the rainy mountain ranges where toxic beasts reside. Furthermore, justst night, when I was investigating the suspicious area, a strange smell suddenly appeared.


    "After following that scent, I found its source, and it wasing from an underground hole! But I didn''t dare to investigate the area around that hole. I was worried about traps or being found out, so I left a mark over there and came straight here to report.


    "I think it''s that imp bastard, and he might be doing some sort of experiment, but he never would''ve thought we were already here on his tail and overlooked this small detail, making a huge mistake on his own!" the cloaked person''s voice was filled with coldness and ecstasy.


    A burst of booming, sharpughter rang inside the cave at this moment. Montelughed like a fiend as if Decker''s neck was already in his hand.


    He blurted, "Led the way. Let me see where that bastard can run this time!"


    However, Aaron shook his big head and said calmly, "We should wait for the rain before moving toward that hideout. It still isn''t confirmed if this hideout is that little bastard or not. We don''t want to startle some old monster who''s living here and doing his research."


    The cloaked person nodded in agreement, "Yes, we can hide our footsteps in the rain, and if there''s some senior living there, we can pretend we lost our way and identally stumbled upon that area. Besides, I don''t think anyone would dare to offend two lords, but it is still better to be assured."


    Montel''s excited expression was also sour, hearing this, and fell silent. He can''t retort to those two since they were talking about reasons.


    He said, "Fine. I''ll let that bastard keep his insignificant life for some time more!" He finally settled down.


    Aaron nodded in satisfaction and looked toward the cloaked person. "You go there and keep a watch from afar. If there''s any movement, don''t engage. Observe. The moment the rain starts,e and get us as well. There''s not any gap for failure this time, or you can also forget about your life."


    The cloaked person trembled slightly hearing that cold voice and quickly said before leaving, "I-I understand. Please rest assured I''ll do this task carefully!"


    Aaron watched the cloaked person leave the cave and said to Montel, "I told you to be patient and see. We have already received the good news. I hope it was that bastard, not some old entric."


    Montel scoffed coldly and said, "Heh, don''t worry. Even if it were an old entric, he would not dare to offend our Mountain Giant Race!"

 Chapter 38 Improvements (1)

    ?Four hours before, Decker''s hideout was reported.


    "Heh, it didn''t blow up, after all. Let''s reap the rewards!" Jacob mumbled in ecstasy as the wait was finally over.


    He closed the book in his hand, calmly opened the pathway''s door, and saw that his crude equipment was intact.


    Without further dy, he quickly extinguished the fire, moved toward the collecting container, and opened the lid.


    A cloud of light red smoke escaped the moment the lid was removed, and a potent smell attacked Jacob''s nostrils, making him cough.


    "Fuck, it better not be as bad as it smells¡­" Jacob mumbled with a noxious expression.


    After the smoke cleared, Jacob finally saw the crystal red liquid on the bottom.


    ''It should be slightly more than 150ml,'' Jacob mused as he looked toward the slightly lit outer door space.


    "Probably no animal was attacked by the smell and smoke¡­"


    Jacob closed the outer door; however, he had no idea a pair of brown beastly eyes scrutinized this entire scene. The onlyforting thing was Jacob didn''t go outside or pop up his head, so his identity as a human was still safe.


    After closing the doors outside, he returned to the small room where only Pig Head could be seen in the green liquid cell while the other was empty now.


    Jacob had already prepared for the injection process beforehand. He had already found a metal syringe which was exactly 100ml. Jacob couldn''t ask for more.


    However, piercing that eight-inch needle directly into his heart and then injecting the heart essence was apletely different matter.


    If it was any other time or if he had a choice, Jacob would never y his life like this, but since he had alreadye to this point, there wasn''t any need for hesitation anymore.


    Jacob filled the warm heart essence in the metal syringe.


    "Sigh¡­ in front of this rising hunger, this little bit of suffering should not be a problem¡­"


    Jacob took a deep breath as hey down on the floor t and took deep breaths as he held the metal syringe in his hand.


    Thereupon, mad resolve filled Jacob''s eyes as he clenched the metal syringe and instantly stabbed it meticulously between his ribs, directly into his heart!


    Jacob''s eyes opened wide as he grumbled with clenched teeth and endured!


    However, somethingpletely unexpected happened before Jacob could pump the Heart Essence. His heart rate suddenly increased to an abnormal level, and thereafter, the heart essence slowly simmered into his heart from the metal syringe on its own.


    Jacob was bbergasted momentarily, but the warm sensation simmering in his heart with pain quickly snapped out of his stupor.


    "That cursed book didn''t warn me about this at all¡­" vexed Jacob muttered through clenched teeth.


    At this moment, Jacob felt the warm heart essence spreading through his whole body as his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot before a sudden electric shock ran down his whole body!


    His body was too weak for such endeavors.


    Jacob let loose a shrill scream before his eyes went upward, and he lost consciousness!


    Two hours passed,


    Jacob finally opened his eyes at this moment with a hint of pain on his face.


    He sluggishly looked at his chest, saw the metal syringe was still on it, and instantly removed it with a painful groan.


    "What happened? Did I fail? No, I won''t be alive if it was the case¡­ my hunger ispletely¡­ gone!"


    Jacob noticed the astonishing change within himself and got up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The first thing he noticed was his vision point had again gone more elevated, which meant his height had increased again, and this change was much more apparent.


    He stood in front of the ss cell and saw his vague reflection, which rmed him.


    Before, Jacob''s constitution was skinny. However, his body was now toned with ripped muscles as they were carved.


    Furthermore, he was now 6.2 feet tall, and his skin was pale white with a slightly rosy sheen. His silver-white hair had also reached his hips and be more shining and silkier. His face was also covered with a long silver-white beard and mustache.


    Jacob waspletely gobsmacked by this tremendous change, and he felt it was all worth it. He had done anything and got an athletic body just by enduring pain.


    Moreover, he could also feel a strong power within him and a thought surface in his head and the Bloodline Scanning Scale Device.


    He quickly pressed his thumb on the needle, and a countdown appeared on the ck screen.


    Just like before, a message appeared on the screen.


    "The blood analysis has beenpleted. Please press the button to check the result!"


    Jacob pressed the first button without any hesitation.


    "Specie: Human,


    "Sex: Male,


    "Age: 23,


    "Strength: Rare Species,


    "Bloodline: Unknown,


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher-grade device to discover about this bloodline and more information!)"


    "My specie is still human, but my blood had turned unknown from fused? Furthermore, my strength is equivalent to the rare species now! I don''t know how much that is, but it is far better than ''Too Weak'' from before. I should test it out soon." Jacob mumbled with ecstasy and pressed the next button.


    "Blood Analysis Report:


    "Unknown Bloodline can''t be masseur with the current device!


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher-grade device for more urate blood analysis results and more information!)"


    "Hmph¡­" Jacob scoffed and pressed thest button.


    "Blood Lifespan:


    "Unknown


    "(Note: Please purchase a higher-grade device for more urate blood lifespan results and more urate information!)"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in astonishment. "My lifespan became unknown as well? It seemed that the cursed book didn''t lie to me. As long as I follow its instructions, I will get a hundred years of youthful life!"


    All the small doubts about cursed immortalitypletely vanished from Jacob''s mind at this moment. He turned off the device and stored it again since it was still useful.


    "I should probably go outside and measure my strength. But first, I have to get rid of this long hair¡­"


    Jacob was now brimming with confidence and wanted to see how much improvement and benefits this first injection brought him, and it was also the time to look for an exit from these mountain ranges!

 Chapter 39 Improvements (2)

    ?At this time, while the Mountain Giants were getting the report about Decker''s hideout,


    Jacob appeared outside the hideout, followed by Pig Head, as he contemted the cloudy sky.


    He had already cleaned himself and cut his hair to shoulder-length while shaving his beard and mustache.


    This made Jacob''s appearance more apparent from his past skinny self. He had a handsome diamond shape face with amber eyes, arched eyebrows, a sharp thin nose, and thin lips. He looked like a handsome youth in his prime.


    "I should slowly scout the area and see if there were any of those rare animals living near here, and then widen my range before leaving on the journey to leave this ce. This ce is extremely humid, and my water source is about to end, so finding water is my top priority."


    Jacob mused before he led Pig Head in a random direction, leaving hidden marks on trees, so they could not forget their way back.


    The hideout was currently on a high mountain that was filled with greenery, and it wasn''t far from the mountain peak, just a few miles away.


    Furthermore, the temperature here can drop quite a lot at nighttime, and many poisonous animals, bugs, and other dangerous creatures roam in this part of the rainy mountain ranges.


    It was extremelyrge since it was between two extensive regions of zodiac ins, and if one didn''t know about the safe passages, one could roam there aimlessly for years and might die from dehydration, cold, or being eaten by some vicious animal.


    Jacob only wore crude clothes, and he was barefoot because he didn''t Decker didn''t have any clothes or shoes of his size. He looked just like a wild barbarian at this moment.


    While Pig Head only had his waist covered and was even more exposed than Jacob, that listless pig brain seemed to feel nothing.


    Nheless, Jacob also felt he had be quite resilient after the recent changes in his body. Not only did he not feel difort walking barefoot or any pain, he felt like he was walking on a soft surface.


    His body felt extremely light, and he also didn''t feel any heat or cold right now. Everything was normal for him, but he knew this was all because of the first injection since he knew how it felt walking like this here before the injection.


    "Follow me closely."


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with expectation. ''Let''s see how fast I can run!''


    Thereupon, Jacob sprang into action, and he ran at full speed. He was shocked when he felt just how fast he was going right now, and he had this feeling he could go faster.


    ''My speed should be between 60 km/h to 70 km/h, and if I gave it my all, it could probably climb up to 80 km/h, which is almost impossible for a human. Moreover, my body is still notpletelypatible with my heart.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Since I still didn''t eat the rare meat, I might be at 30% or 35%patible, and with each injection, my heart will be strong, and my body will follow suit. ording to Immortika, with each 10% progress with my cursed heart, my body will transform again¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shone with expectation and tion.


    He never thought he would get this power with a mere injection, and he was already beaming with confidence and more eager toplete the process.


    Jacob turned around to see Pig Head and was astonished when he saw the guy was only one meter away from him, and he was keeping up with his speed, breaking no sweat.


    ''Just who is this guy, and how did Decker get his hand on him and enve him? I should probably start examining Decker''s journal as well,'' Jacob mused as he stopped wasting his energy.


    Although he can run fast, he could feel superficial fatigue from a 30-second full-speed run.


    ''Speed was not a problem, but how should I measure my strength?'' Jacob mused as he looked around. And his eyesnded on a mossy boulder, and his eyes lit up.


    He galloped to the boulder and tried to lift it; this boulder was three meters in diameter and was probably 250 KG to 300 KG in weight.


    "Hmph!" Jacob grunted coldly before blood vines stirred all over his body as the boulder trembled.


    Thereupon, Jacob slowly lifted it over his head and then threw it back to the ground, making the ground shake slightly.


    Jacob breathed for a moment and smiled in satisfaction. "Hehe, with my speed and this strength, I can probably throw quick, powerful punches and shatter rocks. So, this is the strength of a rare species. I should start practicing my Kick Boxing with this body and get the hang of it before moving to those other disciplines I learn that im to prolong life but do nothing, but they are deadly fighting styles."


    Jacob made his n and used his knowledge from his past life to be stronger.


    Especially the fighting styles he learned in his youth when he earned money by fighting in underground rings, which also helped him to suppress his urges. And this was his biggest source of ie, which he used to study and pay his tuition with.


    Some fighting styles he learned in his old age but not for fighting but for the sake of prolonging his life, and he didn''t know how to use them in fighting, and most of them were iplete.


    But he had ample experience with Army Boxing, Muay Thai, Aikido, and Street Fighting, all in all, he knew how to use his arms and legs like deadly weapons, so it wasn''t a problem for him to get back to his former self in a short period.


    "Let''s see if we could find one of those ''Beasts'' described in that book before the rain, and if we''re lucky, I might be able to inject the second heart essence soon¡­" Jacob''s confidence soared after crudely measuring his strength.


    However, he didn''t know that someone had just reached his hideout and was monitoring it right now!

 Chapter 40 Fighting The Arrow Tail Jaguar

    ?Over ten miles away from the hideout,


    Jacob and Pig Head were hiding behind the shade of arge tree, and Jacob was peering from the side with his cold eyes without making any extensive movement.


    Fifty meters from the enormous tree, a 2.2-meter animal was resting under it without fear of anything attacking it.


    Its color was a tan with an orange hue, and its underbelly was white. There were dark spots consisting of solid ck markings on its undersides and hollow ck circles on its back. It hasrge teeth,rge eyes, four muscr legs, and a long unusual arrow-shaped tail.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment, ''That''s an Arrow Tail Jaguar! One of the strongest umon species. But its strength is virtually closer to a rare species, and it can fight toe to toe with those rare animals known as beasts! I don''t know if I''m lucky or unlucky to encounter such a vicious animal. Even in my old world, Jaguars were one of the strongest apex predators.''


    Jacob naturally got all this information about Arrow Tail Jaguar from the Rare and Rarer Beast Encyclopedia.


    Although this wasn''t a beast, it wasn''t far off.


    In the Rare and Rarer Beast Encyclopedia, any animal that fell in the category of a rare species was known as a beast, and these beasts were as strong as any rare species.


    ''Although it''s only an umon species, as long as it fell under the tier ssification of Immortika, it''s useful to me. Since that ''cat'' didn''t bother to hide its presence, that means there aren''t any other animals stronger than it in this vicinity, or it could be just that it''s dumb! If I just had a rifle, that cat would be regretting in the afterlife right now!'' Jacob bitterlymented.


    Even if he had superhuman strength, he still thought weapons that could shoot projectiles were far more effective in this situation.


    Nevertheless, since he had already spotted the prey, he won''t let it get away, and the sky was already getting darker with dark clouds. It won''t be long before the rain starts, and Jacob wants to go back before the rain.


    "Pig Head, go and kill that cat for me." Jacob gave a simplemand to listless Pig Head, standing like a log beside him.


    Pig Head instantly sprang into action after receiving Jacob''smand, and without caring about themotion, he directlyunched toward the Arrow Tail Jaguar.


    ''Fuck, this guy is too simple-minded. What if that cat runs away after seeing your ferocious appearance?!'' Jacob was bbergasted and cussed.


    However, nothing like this happened. On the contrary, when the Arrow Tail Jaguar sensed the eruption, it was startled for a moment before its beastly eyes locked on the iing Pig Head.


    It viciously growled in Pig Head''s direction, showing its big, sharp teeth. It was taking Pig Head as an intruder and prey.


    Thereupon, the Arrow Tail Jaguar pranced toward Pig Head head-on and leaped at him with two sharp ws in its front.


    Pig Head expressionlessly threw a punch toward Arrow Tail Jaguar''s head. However, at this moment, the arrow tail suddenly moved, and the Arrow Tail Jaguar maneuvered in the air,pletely dodging Pig Head''s massive punch and wing at his chest!


    Jacob''s eyes contracted to see this unnatural movement from the Arrow Tail Jaguar. However, he had information about these umon animals. But the book didn''t describe umon animals much, like how they hunt or what kind of special trails they have.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just like how this Arrow Tail Jaguar''s arrow tail can help it maneuver in the air, this insignificant detail can be extremely deadly for someone who didn''t know about it beforehand.


    ''I should''ve known better. How could an umon species be so easy to deal with? I have been blinded by victory over that brown bastard, and he was just wise, not powerful, while this Arrow Tail Jaguar is powerful. It can kill ten Deckers easily.''


    Jacob had an ugly expression on his face as he looked at the w mark on Pig Head''s chest, and blood was gushing out nonstop. Although the wounds weren''t too deep, it was still deadly if he lost too much blood.


    He can''t afford to lose Pig Head right now, not until he exited the forest or if it was absolutely necessary, and definitely not to this umon cat!


    On the other hand, Pig Head didn''t even notice the w wound on his chest and again sprang into action.


    The Arrow Tail Jaguar coldly roared and againunched another w attack, and this time it also wanted to take a bit on Pig Head''s hairy neck!


    However, at this moment, before Arrow Tail Jaguar could dodge Pig Head''s punch, its hair stood from its back as if it had sensed something deadly from the side.


    Now it had to either dodge Pig Head''s massive punch or the danger for the side since it can''t dodge both.


    However, just this momentary indecision was enough to spell its doom!


    Pig Head''s punch connected with its left side jaw, and another punchnded on its right ribs!


    The Arrow Tail Jaguar was sent flying by these two-sided attacks.


    The second attack was naturally Jacob, who had used his speed and perception to sneak attack the Arrow Tail Jaguar just in the nick of time.


    "Kill it!" Jacob coldly uttered, without giving the Arrow Tail Jaguar any chance of running or recovering from the aftershock.


    Pig Head obliged without expression as it raised its foot and viciously stomped on Arrow Tail Jaguar''s head, which was still in a daze because of the previous attack¡­


    ''Crack¡­''


    The crushing sound of someone''s skull being crushed rang in the silent vicinity.


    Jacob coldly looked at the mingle head of the vicious animal, and he said before Pig Head could stomp on it again, "Enough, it is already dead. I don''t want you to trample on my specimen."


    Pig Head instantly stopped and returned to his listless self!

 Chapter 41 Vague Encounter

    ?Jacob quickly sprang into action as a container appeared in his hand and he quickly collect the Arrow Tail Jaguar''s blood before it was absorbed into the ground.


    His Infinity Pendant''s space was limited and that big jaguar''s carcass can''t fit in, that was why he was caring two containers inside to collect blood and heart, so they won''t go to waste.


    Furthermore, the infinity pendant was the perfect ce to store these things because it could keep them in the same condition they were stored. This was the biggest advantage he had of this storage space, and he wanted to increase it, so he could also store Pig Head inside if needed.


    Notwithstanding, he quickly collected the sufficient amount of blood he needed for the extraction process and also cut open the jaguar''s chest and acquired its heart, and throw it into the blood-filled container as well before storing it away.


    "Sigh, finally now I don''t have to worry about anything¡­" Jacob breathed in relief before a cold drop fell on his head and he looked at the dark sky.


    Within a few moments, heavy rain poured down and wash away all the blood on the group andpletely soaked both of them.


    Jacob couldn''t help but closed his eyes and enjoy this rain shower after a very, very long time, and a distant memory surfaced in his mind,


    ---


    It was a dark, rainy night when a middle-aged man was dragged into the rain by a beautiful woman as sheughs lovingly with tion while pulling this middle-aged man around despite his burly build.


    The middle-aged man helplessly said, "Hope, let''s go inside. What if you catch a cold!"


    Hope giggles in excitement and retorted, "JS, you''re always cooped up in that shittyb of yours, or tanning fields. You have to enjoy nature something and make happy memories!"


    JS replied with a faint smile and pull Hope into her embrace, "Really, I guess you''re right. But what if I forget? Don''t you need to do something to make it an evesting memory?"


    Hope wrapped her slender arms around JS''s muscr neck and looked lovingly into his eyes and seductively said, "We have never done ''it'' in rain¡­"


    ---


    Rumble¡­


    Jacob''s eyes snapped open with a hint of mncholy as the thunderp rang.


    He looked at Pig Head, who was standing beside him like a log, as his blood was gushing out from that deep wound on his chest and washing away with the rain.


    A bottle filled with ck liquid appeared in his hand and he gave it to Pig Head, "Drink it, at this rate you''ll bleed to death."


    He had stored some ck liquid just for emergencies like these before moving out.


    After drinking it, the blood from the injury suddenly stopped, and the wound was mending, but very slowly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Let''s go back and pick up the carcass. This rain won''t stop anytime soon, and there might be some predators appearing in this rain soon." Jacob''smand coolly and they walk toward the hideout.


    Although most animals will hide when rained, this ce was not ordinary, so he didn''t want to put his life at risk, and he already got what he wanted, so there wasn''t any need to be greedy.


    To make sure Pig Head''s wound won''t get worse, they move at a slow pace, and they took triple the time to reach the hideout position from the time they travel before.


    However, Jacob''s footstep came to an abrupt halt at this moment while his eyes narrowed into slits.


    ''Thum¡­ Thumm¡­''


    ''Footsteps?'' His hearing has be extremely sensitive after his first injection and even in this rain he could hear small sounds from a few tens of meters away and these sounds were extremely startling.


    Jacob knit his eyebrows together because theserge footsteps were also approaching his hideout and at a quick pace, and if he tried to enter the hideout now, he''ll meet the owners of those footsteps before he could close the door.


    "Let''s hide." Jacob quicklymanded Pig Head, and they slowly creep behind therge tree only a few meters away from the hideout.


    Jacob wanted to wait and let whoever it was passed before going back since they won''t be able to find the hidden door.


    However, he soon saw something which left him in horror and gobsmacked. Even from his ce, he saw tworge cocked heads appearing from the trees, and they were extremely tall!


    Even from his ce, he could see those two towering figures and his heart trembled when a word came to his mind, ''Giants!''


    Instantly, more information flooded what he read from Decker''s journal, and he felt goosebumps.


    ''Could they be mountain giants, a rarer race, and also the ones who Decker stole the Immortika from? But how did they appear here, so far from their home and so close to this hideout? Did that bastard make some kind of mistake and reveal himself?!'' Jacob suddenly felt like killing Decker again in the curliest way possible.


    Because if what he guessed was true, then he was in massive trouble right now, and if he didn''t leave, there won''t be any chance for him in the future. He didn''t dare to face those massive mountain giants, no¡­ he didn''t even think about it because he wasn''t even the size of their waistline, and they could easily crush them like an ant.


    Now all he could pray was those giants won''t know about the hideout yet and only stumbled upon this area and just passed by. So, he could quickly get some more ck liquid and other important stuff and leave this ce.


    However, a furtive voice that sounded from their feet made Jacob''s heart palpitate. "Milords, this is the ce, and the hidden door is only a few meters away. Follow me!"


    ''Fuck!''


    Jacob cursed, and he knew he has been discovered by someone else, and even though he can''t see the person because of all those long bushes, he knew that might be the culprit who led those giants here!

 Chapter 42 Storming The Hideout

    ?''Just how in the world that fucker (Decker) made this kind of grave mistake? But it didn''t seem theye prepared or sure about the hideout. Because if they knew Decker was hiding there, then there won''t be just two giantsing here after what he did.


    ''Then this means this is just a scouting party led by someone who might be the one who found Decker''s traces without him knowing, and from that tone, it''s clear he didn''t know who the owner of that hideout was or my identity. They also seemed to discover it recently, or they could''vee sooner.


    ''Furthermore, they''re moving with caution in the rain, hiding their footsteps despite their powerful physiques. I didn''t know if I''m lucky or unlucky, although I''m not present in the hideout and I have all the important things in my pendant, but those liquids and equipment will be lost. Shit!''


    Jacob cursed in silence and bemoaned at this bad but good luck because he had avoided a cmity. But he didn''t feel happy about it because he wasn''t prepared for this at all and this will also be the end of his haven.


    He no longer can extract heart essence and remain hidden while increasing his strength before embarking on his journey to find the exit of this mountain range.


    All his ns suddenly went to the gutter just because of an unknown mistake.


    In the end, Jacob clenched his teeth and slowly creep away from those three dangerous fellows, he knew he can''t go back, and he had to flee as far as he can while he still has the chance and the other party didn''t know he wasn''t inside the hideout.


    Pig Head naturally followed him, with the carcass of the arrow tail jaguar on his shoulder.


    Jacob left in the opposite direction from where those three came from and in this heavy rainfall, his tracks were easily washed away.


    "Just great, first ve, and now a lost vagabond¡­" Jacob muttered while clicking his tongue in exasperation.


    After they were a mile away from the hideout, Jacob increased his speed and ran at full speed without stopping. He wanted to create a vast distance between himself and them and then found some area to spend the night before continuing his aimless journey.


    ---


    At Decker''s hideout,


    The cloaked Bronze Goblin followed by Aaron, and Montel finally reached the ce where the door was hidden.


    "There''s no trap outside, which means the maker didn''t want to startle anyone and wanted to give the disguise that this is an ordinary moss floor, and it would''ve worked if I didn''t see the smoke myself." The bronze goblin said with a hint of satire in his voice.


    Before he didn''t dare toe close to this ce, but now that he had two mountain giants beside him, he became shamelessly fearless!


    "Chad, stop your nonsense and made that person living heree out!" Aaron vexedly said. If not because of their precaution, they would''ve stormed the ce already.


    Chad didn''t dare to dy and bashed on the moss floor, which was also the door to the underground facility, and he bellowed, "Anyone is there? I see this door in this stormy rain and I humbly request to take shelter inside. I didn''t have any malicious intent, and I''ll pay one gold coin for a night''s stay?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Their aim was clear, as long as there wasn''t any powerful hermit living here, they would storm the entire ce. The week didn''t have the right to put resistance in this world!


    However, after Chad''s torrent of heavy strikes, the door remains calm, with no noise except rain.


    "Fuck off now, it''s clear; the one inside is an ant or even that thievish goblin, and who knows he might escape from the underground passage while we''re wasting our time being careful. Let me see who dared to offend us mountain giants!" Montel lose his patience because he was eager to get this hand-on Decker the most, and he didn''t want to let him escape if really inside.


    Aaron also didn''t stop Montel this time, and he knew if Deck was really inside with his astute personality, he might really slip away from their hands¡­ again.


    Chad quickly move aside and the moment he saw furious Montel move.


    Montel swung his gigantic fist right at the door with full force.


    ''Bang¡­''


    The ground trembled slightly as water sshed everywhere and at the ce where that hammer-like fistnded, a dark hole appeared. The metallic door was lying on the bottom with a giant fist imprinted on it.


    "Hmph, tiny hole, let me make it big!" Montel sneered before he sent a volley of powerful punches and widen the hole enough for him and Aaron to fit.


    "Let''s go." Montel took the stone staircase without waiting for Aaron or Chad.


    However, just as he took the third step before they suddenly hear a crackling sound under Montel''s feet, and the very next moment thereafter, Montel suddenly grunted.


    "Bastard, a lighting trap, I''ll skin that guy alive!" Montel cursed and continue to move while he received a lighting blot on some steps, but they only seemed to slightly tingle him, nothing else.


    Gulping sounds could be heard from Chad. He knew those lighting traps were packed with almost a million volts, but that guy was taking them with a pinch of salt. He couldn''t help but wonder just how strong these giants'' skins were!


    Aaron smirked at this moment while following inside. "This boorish idiot."


    Before long, Montel has triggered almost all the traps in the underground base. Spikes, poison arrows, poison fog¡­ but Montel didn''t even receive a scratch from them as he reached the end of the passage where the hidden room was located!


    However, the ce was too short for him and Aaron to enter and if they try to funnel their way in, the entire underground cave might crumble.


    Aaron sternly ordered at this moment, "Chad, get your ass down there and go inside and see if there''s anyone there or not. All the traps have been dealt with. Us the X-Scanner. If there''s an escape tunnel, let us know, post hastily!"

 Chapter 43 Rainy Night

    ?Somewhere on a rainy mountain, after resting and running for a full day, Jacob was fully exhausted and, with the heavy rain, he was even more worried about catching some unknown disease.


    He was literally wearing two pieces of clothes right now, and even they weren''t fully covering his skin.


    The only relief was that carcass of arrow tail jaguar which can provide him with a good nutritious meal, and he was also thinking of turning the thick hide into a warm coat.


    But first, he had to find a ce to hide from this rain and the surrounding has already turned dark.


    ''Now I understand why sometimes a small roof is far better than a vast sky¡­'' Jacob thought bitterly as he continued to move slowly while looking for shelter.


    However, he knew it was a pipe dream to continue searching for something in this darkness where he can''t even see Pig Head clearly.


    So, he built one himself with tree leaves and branches, which took him two hours topete with Pig Head''s help. Although it was extremely crude, the water was still flowing through the leafy roof, but it was far better than walking into darkness aimlessly.


    "Although I''m not feeling any cold because of my special body condition, I still have to remain caution¡­" Jacob mumbled as he took out a knife and skinned therge jaguar.


    He meticulously separated the jaguar hide, which was more like fleece, and let it wash into the rain.


    Then there was only meat and the animal''s viscera which he threw away and only meat left.


    "Shit, I can''t even light the fire¡­" Jacobmented about how there wasn''t anything dry to burn when suddenly his eyes opened wide, and he mumbled.


    "Fire¡­ those guys found the hideout right after my injection, and the rain also didn''t fall for the day I did the extraction process. Then didn''t this mean they were drawn here by the smoke rising from the door?


    "Although I took the precaution of doing the process at the night, it seemed I still underestimate those high-level species. Now I understand how they found the hideout. It was my own damn fault!"


    Jacob quickly believed his hypotheses, and he was ny percent sure this was the real reason he got exposed.


    In the end, he could only sigh helplessly because he can''t cry over spilled milk anymore and ate the meat raw since it would go bad if he left it in the rain anymore.


    He stored as much as could in the infinity pendant and eat the rest, leaving nothing. Even he was shocked at his appetite and strange instinct to devour anything once he started to eat without caring about taste.


    Jacob knew he wasn''t like this, but after the first hunger pang and drinking the bone marrow, he stopped caring about taste or what he was eating anymore.


    As long as it can provide him with the nutrition, he can devour anything and this urge has be even more definite after the first injection, and he only noticed it now.


    ''This meat isn''t as nutritious as the goblin, but it still sends steam of warmth in my body, and now I didn''t feel the urge to sleep anymore. I can feel the warm flow of energy flowing through my whole body. Is this how the heart converts my body?''


    Ace wondered with tion as he closed his eyes and felt that strange warm spreading in his body. He could feel his fatigue was going away, and he was recovering at an extremely fast pace.


    He remained in that half-conscious and half-asleep state for three hours before that warmthpletely faded away, and he was now full of energy.


    His eyes opened and glowed as he said, "Cursed Immortality!"


    The white floating book appeared in front of him and with a thought, the cover flipped and the first page appeared.


    ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]


    [Current Phase: First Phase]


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Current Stage)


    -Second Stage: Compete First Stage<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    -Third Stage: Compete Second Stage


    ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: First (Body Transformation)


    -First Stage Progress: 13%


    ______


    ''Oh, extra three percent progress from ten in one go?'' Jacob was astonished and flipped to the second page.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Heart Emergence (First Stage)]


    -Cursed Heart Emergence: Three Levels


    --


    -First Level: Formation of Immortal Mark Inside the Modify Heart (Complete)


    --


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 5%


    [Description: Please insert different Tier-1 or higher species'' heart essence directly into your heart until the cursed mark ispletely forged.]


    [Note: A species'' heart essence can only be inserted once, not again.]


    --


    -Third Level: Complete Second Level


    --


    -Completion of this stage affected in 100 Years of Youthful Lifespan


    ______


    Jacob''s lips curled upward when he saw the first injection give him four percent in one, and he wondered how much he''ll get with the arrow tail jaguar''s heart essence.


    But his expression fell when he thought he can''t extract the heart essence anymore because everything was in the hideout.


    Jacob asked with a hint of perplexion, "Immortika, tell me how much my body changed?"


    As much as he didn''t want to talk with this annoying book right now, he knew only Immortika know his condition the best. That was why he reluctantly asked the question.


    However, just like always, Immortika wrote erratically, "Hehehehe¡­ I, much, say I quite like the scenery¡­ hehehehe!"


    Dark lines formed on Jacob''s forehead and snapped, "Can''t you just answer the question without your shitty sarcasm?"


    Immortika wrote, "Hehehehehe¡­ it isn''t sarcasm, I''m enjoying the show. I wonder if those two big logs will find you or not. Ahhh¡­ so much excitement!


    "As for your question, don''t worry. After consuming that big cat, your body is at 59%patible with your current heart strength. You just required to continue to kill and consume high-level meat, and you''ll be just fine!"

 Chapter 44 A Familiar Sound

    ?Jacob was pleased with Immortika''s answer. He suddenly thought of something and asked with uncertainty, "Can you tell me more about those two giants and the third person with them? Consider it me asking about what tier they belong to."


    The writing change,


    "Hehe, if you asked me directly, I won''t be able to answer, but since you put the question in the right way, I can naturally tell you about them.


    "The big logs were from the Giant race branch called Mountain Giant Race, and they''re supposed to be the 9th tier, but just as that goblin, their bloodline has declined, and they''re currently at 7th tier.


    "They had physical bodies as strong as rocks. As for how strong, only a 5 mm bullet can prate their skin, you can get the idea from this.


    "As for the third one, hehehe, you''re going to like this one, I''m sure of it, that was another goblin. And pretty sure he was the one who found that shithole, Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s face clouded the moment he read the word ''goblin'' and gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn''t know if he had some kind of ominous affinity with goblins or grudge, but these bastards keep making his life difficult. He even felt like destroying the entire race when he had power.


    Immortika continued yfully.


    "That goblin was a Bronze Goblin, and a tier-4 one at that. If he was at tier-6, I''m afraid he would''ve heard your footsteps in that rain and your escape will be impossible.


    "A bronze goblin had a very high hearing and their vision is very close to an infrared vision of a snake but not as good as one. However, they had a very keen sense, and they are very good at scouting and finding people. Now you understand how you were found? Hahaha¡­"


    "Fuck, it was really that smoke!" Jacob cussed with a perplexed expression.


    Although his guess was right. But was still infuriated about how another goblin fucked him up, and this one seemed to be even more dangerous than Decker.


    "Wait a moment, did you know I was already being watched but still didn''t warn me?!" Jacob finally notice this point and coldly questioned.


    "I told you I can''t save you even if you''re about to die, and you''re on your own. Furthermore, I''m not an rm clock nor can babysit you all the time, so deal with your problems. Besides, don''t forget, I can only answer your questions rted to scripture!"


    Jacob naturally didn''t believe thest words and rebutted coldly, "You just enjoy watching me suffer, don''t you? And stop that bullshit about not speaking without my questions. We both know it''s a white fucking lie!"


    "Hehehe, so what?"


    A vein popped up on Jacob''s forehead, and he couldn''t help but berated, "Fucking bastard, if I died, I''ll make sure to take you down with me." And close the annoying book.


    He sighed helplessly afterward. "Even though this book is hateful and unreliable, I still need it to achieve immortality, and it''s a fact that I''ll just die without it. But every time it speaks I want to burn it, how infuriated. Well, at least now I know who''s after me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob peeked outside, and the rain has slowed down substantially. He mused it won''t be long before it stopped, but the sky was still dark, so he waited until dawn before continuing his journey.


    Now, he knew his enemy can see heat signatures, so he had to be careful and hide his tracks, or he won''t know when those two giants will ambush him.


    ---


    Just like that, a week pass since Jacob had fled from his hideout and he didn''t know where he was or where he was heading.


    But he was careful in his way and he was 90% sure he didn''t leave any traces and now if those giants or goblins find him they can''t connect him with Decker''s hideout, and he could simply y a helpless human lost in this vast mountain range.


    However, he still preferred not to confront them because they can easily kill him on a whim, and he won''t be able to escape those giants pursued either. He wasn''t worried about the goblin at all if he was alone.


    One thing worth mentioning was that he encountered some animals and even hunt two umon animals on his fifth and seventh days.


    But because he only had onest container to collect their heart and blood, he felt extremely regretful. Now, he was only focusing on building his body, and with every hunt and meal, he grew stronger, and he still wasn''t done.


    Jacob also notice as he moved in this particr direction that the animals were bing weaker and weaker, that he even encounteredmon specie. He mused he might be close to the exit.


    As for Pig Head, he had greatly wilted from his burly self and Jacob waspletely helpless because he didn''t know how to nurture him without those liquids he simply didn''t eat or drink normally even after he tried to feed him meat, even blood.


    But it just continued to wither with each passing day, and Jacob was afraid that Pig Head might perish before he could find an exit. Although he still had onest bottle of ck liquid, he was saving it for himself, all this time in an emergency.


    Pig Head waspletely disposable while his life wasn''t and if he felt into some trouble, he could run alone and faster now.


    Time continued to pass and Jacob has been wandering in these mountain ranges for over three months now.


    On this particr day,


    "Boom¡­"


    Jacob, who was sitting on arge tree branch, suddenly heard an extremely familiar sound that he would not forget, even if he had forgotten everything. He had heard this sound countless times and for the better half of his life.


    His amber eyes flickered in serendipity and there was also a hint of tion as he mumbled, "A gunshot!"

 Chapter 45 Humans!

    ?Jacob looked entirely different from three months ago. His body was brawny as he wore a crude coat made from arrow tail jaguar''s hide and a pant made with another umon animal''s hide.


    His face was covered with a thickyer of mud and a long, messy beard, while his hair was crudely cut to his shoulder length. His eyes were filled with sharp, murderous intent. He gave the feeling of a vile barbarian who has gone through many cruel battles.


    It was in fact the case as well because after his first month of wandering; he stopped using Pig Head to fight those animals and started to brawl with them himself.


    One reason for doing this was Pig Head was wilting with each fight, and the other reason was to get ustomed to his rising strength.


    After hunting and consuming nine umon and 25mon animals, his body has already be 100%patible with his current heart. He didn''t dare to believe he had such a strength, which was nothing but superhuman, and it was only the beginning.


    On the other hand, Pig Head was now half of his former burly self. He even appeared slightly weaker than Jacob now, and if Jacob let him continue to fight, he might''ve already been witheredpletely.


    However, this matter was the least important at this moment because of that gunshot Jacob heard a few moments ago. Before he wasn''t sure if this world has guns or not before, but after hearing this sound he was now sure of it.


    Furthermore, he was searching for the exit all this time and this gunshot also mean there was someone who came here for either to hunt or they were also escapees like him. The chances of thetter scenario were minimum, but they were still there.


    ''Since they''re using a gun, this means they''re weak and from the muzzle st; it''s probably shot from a rifle with a 66 cm in, barrel, and 15-round magazine, or a carbine with a 51 cm in the barrel and 12-round magazine, give or takes¡­ Hoho, I never thought their technology is only at a Colt Lightning Carbine level or this person simply can''t afford another one. Well, I''ll find out soon¡­''


    Jacob''s heart raced just thinking about guns, which were his bread and butter in his past life, and he dominated the entire world''s advanced weaponry industry with them.


    Although he worked with modern firearms, their foundation was built on their predecessors, and he even had the biggest collection of antique guns.


    All in all, he knows these weapons by heart, and just by the sound he could tell which kind of gun was bullet has been shot, just like now. This was the true face of Jacob Steve, who devoted his life to sharpening the art of murdering!


    With quiet steps, he quickly reached the area where the gunshot sound came, and he heard some voices, which make his heart fill with excitement.


    "Great shot, sir, Gus. That wild tusk boar died instantly!" A female voice eximed in praise.


    Another male voice rang with a hint of pride. "Lady Kiana, it was nothing. I once hunted a Three-Horn Lizard."


    Jacob slowly crept toward the trees, when he finally saw the owners of these voices. He was astonished when he saw four horse-riders wearing English hunter outfits.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Two were young girls with beautiful features, while two were young men, tall and handsome.


    One of the young men with blond hair was holding a ck rifle which look exactly like Colt Lightning Carbine in his hand, just as Jacob guess, and the other three were also armed with the same rifles.


    ''Humans! It seemed I wandered into the umon region. ording to Decker''s journal, humans lived in umon regions, and this ce is the weakest of the four known regions. Well, this is also good since it would be difficult if I identally enter the rare region.


    ''I first have to get the knowledge of this world and then move toward the upper regions, and mingling with my kind is the easiest way. But those four looked like scions of some rich family.


    ''If I appeared before them, they might turn hostile from the way I look right now. Then I can just follow them back, and I''ll eventually reach human territory.''


    Jacob quickly decided to remain hidden and follow these four around until they led him to some human city. Well, he was also interested in their conversation and those Colt Lightning Rifle.


    "Sir Arian, where should we go next?" Gus looked at the ck-haired young man on a brown horse.


    Arian thought for a moment before he said, "We''re currently on the peripheries of the Rainy Mountain Ranges and if you want to hunt umon animals we have to ride for five days or even longer if we''re unlucky.


    "But we can''t be out for this long, right? So, let''s go toward the dark wolf-ridge which is the closet, and hunt the Dark Wolves. Onlymon animals and some can evolve into umon, they''re vicious and hunt in a pack. They can even hunt umon animals in numbers. We can easily retreat if we encounter any danger. What do you think?"


    The two girls looked at Gus with anticipation. He was clearly the leader of this small party.


    Gus nodded without even thinking and pridefully said, "Then dark wolf ridge it is them. I just happen to need some wolf fur, heh."


    The two girls giggles hearing Gus joke with admiration in their eyes while Arian smile wryly at his employer.


    With Arian guidance, they galloped the horses and ride toward the direction of dark wolf ridge.


    Jacob, who watched and listening all this, couldn''t help but click his tongue, ''So, that ce was called dark wolf ridge and those dogs were sneaky. They even manage to almost faze my coat. I''m afraid those four scions will be dead before they could lead me to human settlement. What to do now¡­''

 Chapter 46 Dark Wolf Ridge

    ?The four horse riders carefully move toward the dark wolf ridge, which was a few miles away from the point they stop before.


    But they werepletely oblivious to the fact that someone was following them despite their horses, and this person was on foot!


    Furthermore, this person was doing this with extreme agility and without breaking any sweat at that.


    After half an hour of journey, they finally reached the footstep of a mountain valley.


    The blond hair youth name Gus questioned the ck hair Arian, "Is this the entrance of the dark wolf ridge?"


    The two beautiful girls were also admiring the beautiful view,pletely oblivious to how dangerous this ce was.


    Arian nodded and replied solemnly, "Yes, sir Gus, if another wanted to enter the deeper parts of the rainy mountains, one way is to cross this dark wolf ridge. We should only hunt within ten kilometers, or we might attractrge wolf packs, and we have to leave before dark. Those dark wolves are extremely active in the dark, and we''ll be in trouble if they ambush us."


    Gus said, "Then why are we waiting for? We only have three hours before it got dark. What do you think,dies?"


    Kiana, the young petite and vivaciousdy with a round face and smooth white skin, replied with a hint of excitement, "Yes, we''ll need to hurry. I don''t want to miss the chance to experience hunting, right, Jennifer?"


    Jennifer, who had a captivating oval face with pale white skin and bright long blonde hair, wanted to say something but, in the end, was hesitant while looking at her best friend''s expected expression and her brother, Gus, confident smile.


    She took a deep breath and nodded with a smile that was somewhat forceful, "Alright, but we have to leave before it gets dark."


    "Hehe, just trust your big brother in this." Gus confidently dered and signal Arian to lead the way.


    They all slowly move while holding their rifles in the active position, so they could react at any given moment of danger.


    But to their misfortune, they didn''t encounter any wolf or any kind of animal, even after entering five miles deep in the dark wolf ridge.


    Arian couldn''t help but knit his eyebrows. "We didn''t encounter a single wolf all this time. What''s going on?"


    Gus coolly said, "Don''t worry, maybe we need to go deeper before those dogs show themselves. With thesetest ''cannons'', we didn''t need to worry about some lowly dogs at all."


    Arian didn''t retort, nor did he reply. He was feeling uneasy because he wasn''t like these three aristocrats who hunt once in a while for fun, but he was a professional hunter who make living with hunting.


    The rainy mountain ranges were extremely vast and dangerous, so he seldom came here, especially after bing someone''s guide. If Gus hasn''t offered him thistest ''cannon'' he wasn''t willing to enter the rainy mountain range with these three house flowers.


    Nevertheless, he knew he can''t leave them here because of their backgrounds unless he wanted to live his life in these mountains, which was akin to not living at all.


    That was why he had to do his duty of guide and kept them safe while letting them hunt some animals in the outer parts of the rainy mountains and this dark wolf ridge was quite safe as long as they didn''t enter too deep within and these three will also get their kick out of hunting the wolves.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But now that no wolf was pouncing on them even after entering this deep in the dark wolf ridge, he started to feel uneasy.


    Just like that, had entered over ten miles deep into the dark wolf ridge and if they continue to move, they''ll enter the breeding ce of the dark wolves, which will spell their death at any day.


    Arian signal them to stop before he said, with a grim look in his eyes, "Sir Gus, we should leave. There''s something wrong with this ce."


    Gus looked at Arian with an unkind gaze and sternly said, "Sir Arian, I don''t see any wolf in here, but you keep being overly dramatic. I think I''ll have to talk with your Agency Leader after I got back."


    Arian frowned, but he didn''t back down, "You canin all you want, but I don''t think the Leader will punish me, because I think there''s a rare Wolf King in the dark wolf ridge now. That''s why all the wondering wolves have retreated to the core of this ridge, and only a wolf king can make this happen.


    "Trust me, you''ll thank meter, but we have to leave before the thousands of wolves will be upon us. Or we don''t even have a chance!"


    Gus was startled, hearing ''Wolf King''. It was a rare species that can control its kind as long as there wasn''t another wolf king in the pack.


    Furthermore, the birth of the wolf king was a very grave matter for the people who lived close to this area of rainy mountain ranges.


    A wolf king can easily cause a wolf stampede, which will not be good news for humans at all.


    Jennifer also spoke with an imploring tone, "Brother, listen to him. We''ll go to some other ce."


    Kiana also seemed terrified and looked at Gus.


    Gus clenched his teeth and finally agreed, "Fine, let''s go then!"


    Arian have massive sighed with relief, and he quickly turned around his horse and led them toward the exit of this ridge.


    However, the dusk was already starting and when there were only three miles between the exit and them; they heard a ghastly cry from afar which made them shiver,


    "Awooooooo!"


    Arian couldn''t help but shout, "That''s definitely a wolf king''s cry. We have to leave quickly. It was a clear signal for the hunt, we''ve been discovered!"


    In shades of trees, Jacob, who has been following and listening to this group all day long, couldn''t help but wonder with gleaming eyes, ''A rare species? I have never encountered it during my entire travel. If I can collect its blood and heart¡­''


    At this moment, Jacob looked at the galloping group of horses with extremely cold eyes like they were high-quality baits!

 Chapter 47 Fishing

    ?Jacob followed the galloping group with steady yet silent footsteps while calmly observing the situation at the back.


    ''That little girl (Kiana) is wearing an aromatic scent. Even I can smell it from here, not to talk about those annoying dogs. They''re going to get killed no matter how much they run because of their own stupidity.


    ''Since that''s the case, they better be baits for me and let me see if I can sneak attack the wolf king. As long as I killed that beast, the leadership will crumble, and I can easily get the heart and blood.''


    The animals above umon rank was known as beasts, and they were far more powerful than any umon animals. Those rare species with high intelligence and low physical strength can''t hold a candle to those beasts if they don''t have the means to deal with them.


    Jacob hasn''t encountered any beast from all the way here, and it was only natural because he was heading in the direction of the umon region. Luckily, or else he might''ve been chased around by the beasts in the rare region if he had taken the opposite route.


    Nevertheless, he didn''t want to miss the chance to acquire a rare species'' heart and blood. As for going to a human settlement, he had already spotted a map in Arian''s possessions, so he cared less about those strangers'' lives anymore, since they were more important as his baits than guides.


    Besides, just as he said, even if he wasn''t here, those four reckless fools were destined to die, but now they''ll die because of a cause.


    Just as Jacob''s prediction, thereupon, multiple footsteps sounded within the valley and those four also notice this and started to panic.


    Gus couldn''t help but shouted in horror, "What is happening? How can they track us so quickly?!"


    Arian has also had a pale expression, clearly appalled by this same question. He suddenly thought of something and proimed, "It''s the smell! Dark Wolves have a terrifying sense of smell. We should''ve prepared for this¡­ damn it, it''s toote now!"


    They were riding as fast as they could, but the trees were making it difficult for horses to gain distance, and those wolves were catching up.


    Kiana''s expression was ashen as she shouted in frenzy, "Do something, I don''t want to die!"


    Arian retorted grimly, "There''s nothing you can do now. Those wolves behind us are just the vanguard. As long as they surround us, more wille. We can only run for our lives!"


    Gus felt great despair at this moment when he saw dark wolves, the size of an adult lion, chasing while viciously looking at them with their beastly eyes. He suddenly thought of something.


    His eyesnded on Arian, who was also looking back, and a ruthless glint shed past his eyes. He pointed his rifle at Arian''s horse''s head and pull the trigger.


    ''Boom¡­''


    Arian didn''t even know what happened and after this explosive sound, his horse suddenly somersault, and he was sent flying into a tree. He mmed right face first and his face banged open like a watermelon as blood gushed out.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jennifer couldn''t believe what Gus had just done and looked at him with frightened eyes as she looked back and saw those wolves pouncing on the dismembered horse and still hanging by a threat, Arian.


    Gus eximed coldly before Kiana or Jennifer could utter a single word, "If I haven''t done this, we all would be torn into pieces by those animals right now. It was either us or him, so just focus on running!"


    They couldn''t retort to his statement because now those wolves weren''t chasing them like before, and they could only keep their head low.


    Jacob, who was moving in the shades of trees, naturally observed everything and pull an amusing yet cold smile. ''Hehe, backstab when needed, just like me in the old days. Let''s see who will be sacrificed next. I want to see if he could kill his kin for survival. I''ll collect that rifle and other stuffter since those dogs won''t eat them¡­ probably.''


    Although he wanted that map, he didn''t want to put a target on his head right now, so he gave up and decided to look for it after this was all over¡­ if there was something left of it.


    ''Awooooo''


    The same powerful howl rang again, and those wolves trembled slightly before they stopped eating the corpses and again chased the reaming three.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered when he saw those wolves leaving and looked at the bagying in a bloody pool of dead horse and the rifle not far away from Arian''s mutted corpse.


    ''If I want to sneak attack the wolf king, my already jagged knife won''t be enough anymore¡­'' Jacob looked left and right before quickly leaping toward the leather bag and rifle at full speed.


    He sessfully grabbed the bag before he picked up the rifle and retreated hastily before any wolf could notice him!


    His speed was 90 Km/h after his body fully becamepatible with his heart, and not only that, he can achieve this speed within a second.


    That was what made this snatching asion so easy just now, or he might''ve got noticed by those vicious animals by now.


    Jacob threw the back into the infinity pendant without checking the interior and examined the Colt Lightning Rifle with searing eyes. He couldn''t help but creased its smooth magazine gate.


    ''Although this is the crude imitation of Colt Lighting, it still has its power, but its muzzle is of inferior quality and the trigger pin seemed to be of silver. I wonder which idiot made it. This will blow up in 50 or 55 shots and from the look of it''s still new and fully loaded, so I should be able to use it for some time¡­''


    Jacob saw thought the rifle''s ws at a nce, but he was satisfied as long as it can shoot some bullets in session since he didn''t have the time to modify it right now!

 Chapter 48 Killing Dark Wolf King

    ?Jacob continued to follow the galloping horses and the dark wolves.


    He was waiting for the wolf king to show itself and then a chance to ambush it. He didn''t care about those three lives anymore since they bought it upon themselves.


    Furthermore, he already got what he wanted, and he didn''t want someone like Gus traveling with him at all, even though he was the same.


    "Scatter quickly or we won''t survive!"


    Gus''s expressions were ashen when he saw those wolves didn''t give up on them, and the wolf king was controlling the wolf pack to hunt them. He knew killing another won''t work this time, so he chose another option which was to escape alone by using the other two, even his sister!


    Kiana madly shouted hysterically at this moment, "No, I don''t want to die, and I don''t know the way, I''ll die if I go alone!"


    Jennifer, on the other hand, didn''t lose control of her emotions and quickly agreed with Gus''s suggestion with a subtle look in her eyes, "Fine, let Kiana go with you, I''ll go on the other side, this way wolves will be divided!"


    Gus didn''t have time to think about anything else and shouted, "Go!"


    Jennifer didn''t dy, either, and she meticulously controlled the horse''s reins and turned in the other direction.


    The pack of dark wolves also separated into two groups and chase after both of them.


    Jacob''s eyes shone with a cold light, watching this sudden turn of events. ''That woman seemed to guess why they''re being tracked so easily¡­ hah!''


    Jacobpletely ignored Jennifer and continue to follow Gus and Kiana because most wolves were after them.


    Gus also noticed the wolves seemed to double than before, and his expression turned extremely grim. He looked at crying Kiana with killing intent.


    However, before he could use her like Arian, he heard powerful footsteps in front, and thereafter; he saw a four-meter silhouette lunging toward him from the front with a huge maw filled with sharp teeth.


    Before he could react, the mawpletely engulfed his face, and it closed instantly, and he didn''t get the chance to utter a single word before his head was severed from his torso.


    The enormous silhouette also tackled the horse and sent it flying with Gus''s headless body, and Kiana lose her consciousness seeing this horrible scene and fell between the bloodthirsty wolf pack.


    The enormous silhouette was a four-meter dark wolf, but it also has silver fur on its neck. It was the newly evolved dark wolf king.


    The Dark Wolf King spat Gus''s marred head and looked up in the sky and let loose a powerfully imposing roar,


    ''Awooooo!''


    The other dark wolves trembled before they lower their heads in fear like dogs.


    However, Dark Wolf King seemed to sense something as it stopped roaring and turned its head toward a tree, and it instantly noticed a humanoid silhouette!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Boom, boom, boom¡­''


    But before it could react, three consecutive gunshots rang in the vicinity, catching the wolf king off guard, nor did it have any time to dodge the insanely fast bullets!


    They directlynded on its skull, and one of them was between its eyes!


    The wolf king didn''t have the chance to react before it was shot down by Jacob!


    Those other wolves didn''t know what happened, but when the wolf king''s massive body fell to the ground, they all roar in panic and ran in all directions in perturbation.


    ''Well, this goes quite well. I should quickly collect its heart and blood before those dogs came back to their senses.'' Jacob quickly jumped off the tree.


    A metallic container appeared in his hand and he quickly emptied it, there were blood and the heart of another umon animal.


    Since he had already hunted a rare beast, he naturally didn''t need an umon animal''s heart and blood.


    He quickly sprang into action and acquired the wolf king''s big heart, which was 1 foot in size, and filled the container with its blood before storing it away.


    ''It just a pity I can''t eat it¡­'' Jacob felt great regret for leaving this rare quality meat for those wolves, but he knew he can''t carry thisrge carcass, or he''ll be hunted down by those wolves as well soon.


    His eyes suddenlynded on Kiana. She was still alive and only bleeding from the wound on her head, and then looked at those bags and rifles carried by Gus and her.


    He nonchntly picked up everything, the leather bags and rifles were now hanging around his neck, he said to the unconscious Kiana, "You should never wear perfume while hunting. I hope you can survive to remember this."


    With that, he left toward the dark wolf ridge exit.


    He was going toward where he left Pig Head to wait for him since that guy has be his burden, but he still was unwilling to let him go because he could tell as long as he found those liquids, Pig Head could be revived back to its peak.


    Because Pig Head was still stronger than Jacob in its prime, and this was the reason Jacob didn''t want to dispose of him this soon.


    But Jacob also knew it was a long shot if he wanted to find those liquids, after observing Gus''s group and the crude rifles in their possession. He was doubtful that humans could produce such liquids.


    In the end, he was awakened in the presence of a rare species and that guy was nothing but ordinary, so he had little hope aftering to the umon region.


    Nevertheless, this ce was still perfect for him to hide until hepleted the second stage of Cursed Heart Emergence and absorbed the information from human society. It won''t be toote to move toward the rare region at that time.


    After finding Pig Head, Jacob found a ce to rest and also to see what was in those three bags that he got from this small encounter!

 Chapter 49 Rain Town

    ?Jacob opened the first bag, which was the cleanest of the three leather bags he got, and it was from Kiana who wasn''t dead and ''intact'' when he took it.


    However, when he saw the content, he frowned; there were two sets of women''s clothes, makeup, and even a bottle of scent. Other than that, he found fifteen colt bullets and a small pouch with ten silver coins and 48 bronze coins. These coins were the same as he got from Decker.


    "She deserved what happened to her," Jacob mumbled, annoyingly. He stored away the bullets and coins and throw everything else aside.


    Then he opened Gus''s bag which holds, a pair of new hunter cloths, a machete knife, 35 colt bullets, and a money pouch that holds, 64 silver coins and 12 bronze coins. There was a silver insignia.


    Lastly, he opened Arian''s bag, and this guy was caring two machete knives, a leather map, 42 colt bullets, another money bag with 23 silver and 75 bronze, and thest thing which make Jacob delighted, a revolver with 12 extra bullets for it!


    Jacob quickly examines the revolver. "It''s another crude imitation of Enfield Revolver, but its length is 13 cm in and cartridge .576 which also increased its caliber to .576 as well, and effective firing range has increased up to 35 yds.


    "All these firearms were used between the 19th and 20th centuries in my world, and they''re not at their peak yet. Could it be this world technology is only at this level? But how is this possible, well, I have to see for myself!"


    Jacob stored away the revolver and other small things, except for the map.


    The map wasn''t as detailed as he was hoping for, but it was marked by Arion neatly, which Jacob appreciate.


    ''If I keep moving north, I''ll reach Gloria Country border, and these people were also from there and this map only denoted a small part of the rainy mountain range and Gloria Country. Well, it''s enough for me...'' Jacob smiled in satisfaction before he stored the map away as well.


    Now his eyesnded on the three rifles as they shone with ingenuity, ''I hope I didn''t lose my touch¡­''


    With that, Jacob started to dismantle the three rifles and modified them with his peak skills.


    ---


    The Gloria Country was a small part of the human kingdom, and it was under the jurisdiction of a baron.


    There were four big cities in Gloria''s country and many small towns.


    The closest town to the Rainy Mountain Ranges was a mid-size town named ''Rain Town'' and many hunters who make their living with hunting or others who enjoy hunting as a hobby firste here for supplies.


    That was why this town was always lively and filled with armed people all year long.


    However, this was also the reason for this town''s high crime rate, and no one wanted to offend anyone without no good reason.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Because here just a normal-looking person can be from a noble household and in Gloria Country, if you offend a noble you won''t meet a good ending.


    Nevertheless, all this has nothing to do with this newly arrived handsome man, with long silver hair, he was wearing a hunter outfit while a revolver hung on his belt.


    He was none other than Jacob, who has cleaned himself up and wore the hunter outfit he found in Gus''s bag. After scrutinizing the small town for an hour, he noticed many were wearing the same outfits and caring firearms openly, without any restrictions.


    So, he does the same, but he only showed his revolver because he didn''t see anyone caring a rifle, and he mused those guys were from some rich family, and it would be troublesome if someone suspected anything.


    Now he looked just like the others, besides his unusual hair color, but no one seemed to be interested in him as he passed the unguarded town gates.


    ''They''re quitex.'' Jacob smiled as he curiously observed the town, which looked like the town from the middle 18s, and his guess about humans being so inferior in technology became even more substantial.


    But this also means he can''t get what he wanted here, not the liquid or any equipment in Decker''sb. He suddenly felt that shithole might be the biggest boon he received from Decker, but it was gone in smoke because of his own mistake.


    However, he didn''t have the time to remanence about his past mistakes. He found a middle-aged man who wasn''t wearing a hunter outfit and was normally dressed.


    He politely asked, "Sir, can you please tell me where I can find a bookstore or healing medicine?"


    Jacob didn''t find any kind of medicine in Gus and others'' bags, so he was quite curious about this, and he also wanted to find the liquids as soon as possible for Pig Head, who he hid in the forest far away from the town.


    The man was startled when he heard Jacob calling him and asking such a question, he became scared for some reason and replied with a trembling voice, "I¡­ please forgive me, Sir, I-I''m just an ordinary mason, and we don''t have such a luxury to afford any medicine. So, I c-can''t help you."


    Jacob frowned slightly, and he could tell from this man''s facial expression that he was extremely afraid of him and also telling the truth. His heartbeat also increased rapidly when he saw Jacob''s frown.


    "Thank you." Jacob let the man go. He was afraid this guy might start to cry if he held him longer, and he didn''t want to cause amotion.


    ''Strange, he knew about the medicine, but he can''t afford it? It seemed I still have to investigate more, and I should talk with a hunter since these natives seemed to be afraid of hunters. I won''t get anything out of them.''


    Jacob moved on and this time his eyended on an old building, which was a pub, and suddenly remembered drinks.


    With a hint of anticipation, he entered the pub inrge strides!

 Chapter 50 The Pub

    ?Jacob entered the pub and a strong, intoxicating alcoholic smell filled his nostrils. His lips curled. ''Finally, a familiar smell¡­''


    Jacob looked at the pub interior, and it was like the old pubs in the 1800s. There was a huge counter covering a corner with stools around it and round tables and chairs. He felt he has entered some kind of old movie set.


    Many burly men were drinking and chatting happily, while some of them were flirting with waitresses in revealing gowns.


    Some customers notice Jacob''s eye-catching appearance, and he had this cold aura around him which made him look like a cold killer.


    Jacob didn''t mind those stares, he was already used to them in his past life, and nonchntly walked over to the counter and sat on an empty stool.


    He curiously looked at the pub''s alcohol disy and felt reminisced.


    The bartender, who was a tall, muscr man, with a short goatee and bronze skin, approached Jacob with a smile and asked, "You''re new here, friend? What can I make for you?"


    Jacob, easily seen through those exploiting eyes and coolly said, "Yeah, justnded here today, give me something strong."


    "Just a sec¡­" The bartender smiled and made Jacob drink.


    Another man with a slightly chubby figure sitting on Jacob''s left was sneakily ncing at him, especially his revolver.


    He said with a smile showing his green teeth, "You sure know your guns, brother. It''s the D4 Revolver, extremely slick."


    Jacob looked at him and merely said while ncing at the silver revolver on the man''s gun belt, "You''re not bad yourself, that long barrel revolvers are far more powerful than mine."


    "Hehe, this old thing isn''t as fast as yours. I''ll be dead if an agile animal attacked me." He scoffed as he gulped his beer.


    "Well, you seemed pretty alive to me," Jacobmented with a smirk.


    "Here''s your hell''s tour, a specialty of hour rain town." The bartender put a square ss half filled with bubbly blue translucent liquid.


    Jacob didn''t stand on ceremony and took a sip, and his eyes widen slightly, ''Now this is what I survive for!''


    He drank the whole thing in one gulp and smashed the ss on the counter and said, "Good, another one!"


    The bartender''s eyes brighten, and he chuckled, "Right away!"


    "Man, you can really drink, huh?" the man beside him clicked his tongue.


    "Nothing to brag about. My name is Jack, tell me, are you a native of rain town?" Jacob asked as he picked up the newly refilled ss.


    "Miller." Miller introduced, "No, I''m from Lionheart City and only here to hunt some petitioned animals. What about you?"


    "Gloria City, and for the same reason. But I''m looking for some medicine for my journey. Do you know where I can look for them?" Jacob asked in a roundabout way this time.


    However, to this surprise, both bartender and Miller suddenly looked at him with disbelief as if they heard something ridiculous.


    Miller sneered, "You''re not from Gloria City, are you?"


    ''What''s wrong with them?'' Jacob thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s expression didn''t change at all and merely said, "Does it matter?"


    "Hmph, another bumpkin who wanted to be mysterious." Miller snorted with a hint of disdain.


    Jacob''s expression fell slightly as he put his hand in his pocket and took out a silver coin and put it on the counter and looked at the bartender. "Answer my questions and it''s yours."


    The bartender was startled for a moment, but his eyes shone with greed as he looked at the silver coin. It was equivalent to his month''s sry.


    "What do you want to know?" He asked while his eyes fixed on the silver coin.


    Miller''s expression was also somewhat ugly now when he saw Jacobpletely ignore him and p his face with that silver.


    "Medicine, where can I find them?" Jacob sternly asked while his finger remain on the silver coin.


    The bartender truthfully said, "I don''t know where you''re from, but in Gloria Contrary, you can only buy medicine from apothecary guilds, and they''re extremely expensive."


    "Where can I find these apothecary guilds?" Jacob questioned with a hint of realization.


    "Only in the four major cities. Those apothecaries disdain small towns like us and didn''t bother to open any branches, nor did they let any merchants sell them. Furthermore, it''s a crime to sell medicine without the apothecary guild''s permission, and only in the ck market you can find them, and that''s if you''re extremely lucky." The bartender sighed helplessly.


    Miller disdainfullymented at this moment, "You have no idea about the status of the apothecary guild. Its roots are spread all over the four regions, and they didn''t give even the Humane King face. That''s why no one dared to cross them and eye the massive medicine business."


    ''A monopoly on medicine? It''s like controlling the life of the masses. These guys are ying in gold. I need more information¡­'' Jacob felt extremely ignorant.


    "Last question, where can I buy books?" Jacob didn''t even nce at Miller and only looked at the bartender.


    "There''s an old book store two stresses away. You can buymon books there." The bartender replied.


    Jacob finished his drink and put away his finger from the silver coin. He stood up and was about to leave when the bartender''s unhappy voice sounded, "You didn''t pay for drinks!"


    Jacob didn''t turn around, and only his stony voice sounded, "A silver is enough for the drinks, and you can keep the change. If you''re not satisfied, follow me."


    With that, Jacob walked without even looking around.


    Miller felt Jacob was too imperious, and he moved his hand toward the revolver''s handle.


    The bartender also didn''t stop Miller, as his eyes were filled with ridicule at Jacob''s blind confidence. It was thewless Rain Town, how daring of him to show his back?!


    "Bang!"


    A gunshot sounded, drawing everyone''s attention in the pub before a body fell on the group.


    Surprisingly, it was Miller with a bullet hole in his forehead and his brain scattered on the floor while his hand was still on the gun handle!


    Jacob finally turned around and looked at the gobsmacked bartender with the revolver in his hand. "You can collect the payment from my ''bumpkin'' friend there and keep the change¡­ again!"

 Chapter 51 Common Knowledge

    ?Jacob exited the pub with an impassive expression, ''I just kill a human for the first time and didn''t feel a thing? Is it because of the book, or it''s just my true nature thriving after I stop resisting it?''


    Jacob thought a little about it and headed toward the bookstore. He won''t provoke anyone and kill wantonly as long as the other party won''t show any kind of hostility or killing intent.


    Furthermore, this town waspletelywless. That was why Jacob directly go for the kill because he could easily discriminate Miller was eyeing his possessions from the start.


    That was the reason he first started a conversation to probe about his backing and seeing him ignorant about themon customs, he directlybeled him as a target and provoke him.


    But since Jacob didn''t react in any manner or start a fight, he wanted to kill Jacob when he got the chance and reason, but he would''ve never thought Jacob''s danger sense was not something a chubby like Miller could have.


    Even if his back was facing someone, Jacob''s ears were like radar, and he could easily discriminate sounds like heartbeats and so on. That was what spelled Miller''s doom.


    This will also warn the others who were looking at him like he was a fat pig. It was just like that saying, kill the chicken to scare the monkey.


    Now, no one would dare tobel him as an easy target.


    After a while, he finally found an old, rundown shop that looked like it wasn''t maintained for decades.


    When he opened the door, a small bell chimed, and he entered the shop. He saw an old grandma napping in her chair. Even the bell didn''t wake her up.


    Jacob''s lips curled upward, and he didn''t disturb the olddy and started to skim through old books on the old shelves.


    ''Umon Species Region History?'' He was drawn by this thin book''s title and took it out, reading it.


    The more he read, the more his expression sank.


    First, he found out that the umon region wasn''t just dominated by humans, and there were two more intelligent, umon races with their kingdoms, like humans.


    These three kingdoms rule the umon region together, and the human kingdom was establishedst and was the weakest of them as well.


    The human kingdom, name Humane Kingdom, was established over five hundred years ago by an ambitious human, Philip Grover, who unite the humans who lived in tribes before, and they were always hunted down by the other two kingdoms like livestock.


    The other two kingdoms were the Aureate Kingdom established by the Green Goblin race and the Earthen Kingdom established by Hob-Trolls.


    Both races had excellent rtionships with each other, but not with humans because they were supposed to be their food. How could they ept them as an equal?


    Furthermore, the Goblins were famous for their engineering technology, and all the guns and other firearms blueprints were plundered from them. While the Hob-Trolls were known for their craftsmanship, they also help quite a lot in human development to this stage.


    However, to grow, humans have to fight endlessly with these two races and evolved. But those two races have very strong foundations, and it wasn''t enough for current humans to shake them.


    That was why to not cause huge wars with them and stop them from teaming up. The Humane Kingdom will pay annual tributes to those two kingdoms.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although Jacob''s expressions remain impassive, his eyes were deadly cold when he read humans pay tributes to others and live like dogs, especially when he saw goblins were involved as well.


    His grudge against the goblin race was quite deep, so he was naturally unhappy about this.


    But he also noticed that this tribute rule was established after the first king, Philip''s death, or as long as he was alive, humans never lower their heads and even pushed two races back.


    ''This has happened when some spineless bastard took the leadership, and now they need to pay some monsters to not attack? I''m mortified!''


    Jacob was from a world where humans were at the top and there was nothing they can''t conquer, but here he felt these world''s humans were even qualified to call themselves humans.


    In the end, he simply put the book back. He wasn''t here to liberate humanity, nor he was interested in the power struggle. He already had his fun in his previous life.


    Furthermore, he was going to use anyone to reach his own goal, Immortality!


    Afterward, he browsed through more books and broaden his horizons.


    He also found the distribution of currency in his world.


    The lowest currency was bronze coins. Then a silver coin, which was equivalent to 100 bronze coins. Then there were gold coins. One gold coin was equivalent to 100 silver coins.


    All this currency was managed by the Zodiac Taurus Bank, which was like the Apothecary Guild, everywhere!


    Its origin was also unknown, while no one dare to mess with them and all the currency was controlled by them.


    Another hegemony and they monopolized the money!


    Moreover, only nobles were eligible to open a bank ount in this bank, and they won''t eptmoners.


    He also found some more information about the Apothecary Guild. They not only controlled the medicines but also apothecaries in the kingdoms and without their license if an apothecary tended to someone or sell his medicine they will be imprisoned by the guild!


    Jacob suddenly felt this world was ruled by powerful people, not on the base of equality like his previous one. He also noticed the ''Taurus'' word with Zodiac and couldn''t help but thought of the twelve zodiac signs.


    But regretfully, there wasn''t any knowledge about continents or zodiac ins here. There was the same as Decker''s journal. They only know the name Zodiac ins and the five regions that were it!


    Jacob spends the entire afternoon in this shop while the olddy was still sound asleep, and familiarized himself with themon knowledge of the Humane Kingdom.


    After he was done, he left a silver on the counter and left the shop. His next destination was a smithery!

 Chapter 52 Jacob’s Plan

    ?Jacob didn''t have to wander around for long before he came in front of a small store with a femerell which was quite unusual in this town.


    There was a small name board on the wooden door, ''Isaac Smithery''.


    Jacob entered the smithery and felt the high temperature inside, unfazed by it, his eyesnded on the weapon disy, where all kinds of cold weapons were shown.


    "Wee to my humble establishment, dear customer." A polite, firm voice sounded from the side.


    Jacob looked over and saw a burly man with a long beard. He was Isaac, the cksmith, and owner of this smithery.


    Jacob nodded in greeting and directly stated his request, "I want to make something. I wonder if you''re up to the task?"


    Isaac smile confidently and said, "As long as you have a design, I can forge anything!"


    "Is that so? Give me something to draw." Jacob curled his lip.


    Isaac was startled by Jacob''s request. He carefully looked at Jacob. "Are you serious?"


    "What, you think I''m messing with you?" Jacob smirked.


    "Well, you don''t seem like such a person. Here, you can draw on this." Isaac was an honest man, so he thought a little of it and handed Jacob a notepad and pencil.


    Jacob didn''t dy and started to draw the distition equipment. Since he can''t find the equipment, he might make them, and they weren''t difficult to make as well.


    Isaac was also astonished when he saw Jacob''s elegant drawing and couldn''t help but praise him inwardly.


    "Here." Jacob handed the design to Isaac. "How long will it take to make them?"


    Isaac solemnly looked at the design and said, "Three days!"


    Jacob nodded in agreement. "You want payment now or when I recover the goods?"


    "You need to pay half right now and the other half the day of delivery." Isaac stated, "It''ll be five silver coins and five on the day of delivery."


    "Here." Jacob didn''t care about money as long as he was spending it on himself. "If I like your work, I might order even more."


    After saying that, Jacob left the smithery.


    ''Although I can make far better firearms myself, I need gunpowder for bullets and bullets only sell in the mercenary agency. But I have to acquire an identity first, and I still didn''t know if I''m a native of the Humane Kingdom, it will be troublesome.


    ''I still didn''t know who this body belonged to and why this guy was sold as a ve to that bastard. I didn''t have memories of his life, but I somehow understand and read thenguage of this world, which means he wasn''t some lowlife and probably schemed against.


    ''Now that I think about it, the Humane Kingdom didn''t have ve trading since they didn''t have the right to make other races their ves, and it was probably them who was captured by ve traders to be ves.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''This means this body was probably captured and then somehow entered the rare region or somewhere close to it. Decker was being chased at that time, and he won''t dare to show his face in the rare region. Just who was he¡­''


    Jacob was always curious about the real identity of this body. It wasn''t because he wanted to seek revenge or care about him, but was afraid of trouble!


    It was already clear that someone wanted to get rid of this body''s previous owner, and they even wanted him to suffer before he died, and it happened as well.


    But who would''ve thought Jacob would be reborn in this body after the person died by Decker''s experiment?


    Nevertheless, Jacob was careful, and he was nning to remain in the rain town for the time being. Because the rainy mountain ranges were close to it, he could easily hunt and then absorb the heart''s essence.


    It won''t be toote to move to the cities when he needed, but there were still many things for him to understand about this ce.


    ''I should register with the Star Mercenary Agency, which is also sponsored by the Zodiac Taurus Bank. It''s the only ce that sells and buys animals and beasts, while they also sell firearms and the things I require. They had branches all over the Humane Kingdom as well. ording to the book, anyone can be registered with them as long as they had skills.''


    After making up his mind, Jacob started to find a ce to stay.


    Thereupon, with one silver coin, he rented an old house for seven months, where he could easily extract the heart essence and live. But more importantly, this house was on the edge of rain town, and he could easily sneak in Pig Head for the time being.


    He never thought of getting rid of him unless he died himself. Pig Head became even more important after he understood the umon region''s structure and human strength.


    As long as he could find those liquids in the apothecary guild, there was still hope for Pig Head.


    At night, Jacob sneaked out of the rain town since the security was as shitty as it could get and sneaked in Pig Head into the old house basement and felt relief.


    ---


    While Jacob was settling in the Rain Town, inside the lord''s mansion of the rain town,


    A middle age man with a noble bearing had a hideous face right now as he looked at the city guard.


    "Are you sure Lord Gus''s group hasn''te back yet?" He sternly asked with a flustered look on his face.


    The guard nodded, "Yes, my lord, just as you instructed, I was paying attention to Lord Gus''s group returned, but they weren''t back yet."


    "Do you know what this means? If they went missing or anything happened to Lord Gus or his sister, our entire town will be executed!" the town lord roared as he trembled in anger.


    The guard didn''t dare to raise his head anymore; he knew what will happen if the children of a Baron household went missing from rain town.


    At this moment, another guard entered, and he was panting for breath as he said, "M-Miss¡­ Jennifer has returned with injuries, but¡­ she''s alone!"

 Chapter 53 Star Mercenary Agency (1)

    ?The next morning,


    Jacob felt refreshed after sleeping in an actual room, without being careful about any animal attacks or running rainwater from the roof.


    After dressing in casual clothes of the natives, which he bought from the rain town the other day.


    "I should get the identity of a star mercenary first today. That ce should be close to the Town Lord''s Mansion¡­" Jacob locked the door and headed toward the most prominent area of Rain Town.


    The Star Mercenary Agency was established and sponsored by the Zodiac Taurus Bank when the Humane Kingdom was founded. This agency was not only exclusive to the Humane Kingdom but, just like the bank, its roots were widely spread.


    The Star Mercenary Agency was quitex with the members and its purpose was quite simple: they would ept missions from anyone formission, and as long as you have sufficient mercenary rank, you can take the mission and earn corresponding rewards.


    Furthermore, besides the mission, they also deal with the animals and beasts as well as anything that can interest them. They have an ample amount of resources to buy anything.


    That was what make the Star Mercenary Agency sopelling tomon folks. But this job was also very dangerous, and few survived the life of a mercenary.


    The rain town za was the most bustling ce in the entire town. It was not because of the lord''s mansion, but because the building of Star Mercenary Agency was located here, and it was even morevish than the lord''s mansion.


    Many mercenaries were going in and out. Some heldrge bags dripping with blood, while some were going in to ept the mission.


    At this moment, a silver hair man appeared outside the building, drawing some attention, but not much.


    Everyone was minding their own business because in the Star Mercenary Agency there wasn''t any rule about any infight and if you provoke someone with a deep background, you might die on your next mission mysteriously.


    Especially a ce like the Rain Town, which was closest to the rainy mountain ranges, and many adventurous soulse here and some of them vanished without any traces.


    It was a verymon case, so no one dare to provoke anyone, not without knowing their background first.


    Jacob entered thevish building and saw a spacious hall with some tables and chairs. Many mercenary teams were discussing their mission while some were waiting.


    ''Now, this ce has the vibes of a fantasy ce.'' Jacob curled his lips slightly.


    His eyes scan the ce when theynded on a huge ckboard with many posters and there was a huge crowd swarming around it.


    Then he noticed arge counter in the west, and five beautiful receptionists were dealing with queues of mercenaries.


    He directly headed their way. He noticed the bronze signs in front of those five receptionists.


    ''Mission Registration & Information, Mission Completion & Rewards, Material Sales, Material Trade, and Registration.''


    Jacob looked at the queue in front of the Registration Counter, which was the shortest, and join them as he waited for his turn.


    Jacob observed the person at the very front, and he was answering the questions of the receptionist as she noted them down on a paper.


    After the questioning was done, she handed him the paper and direct him toward the stairs not far away from the counter, and he headed toward the second floor.


    After waiting for fifteen minutes, it was finally Jacob''s turn.


    The receptionist was a pale skin beauty with long ck hair and sharp eyes, any man couldn''t resist her invisible charm.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "First and Last Name." She said impassively, as she didn''t nce at Jacob and kept her eye on the registration form.


    It was her daily job, so she cared little about who took the test since there wasn''t anything worth seeing in this countryside town.


    Jacob also impassively answered, "Jacob Steve." He didn''t hide his name since it, he wasn''t a wanted criminal or any refuge, so it wasn''t worth hiding.


    She jotted it down before she called again, "Age and gender."


    "Male, 24."


    "Citizenship?"


    "Gloria Country, Rain Town."


    "Please show me your identity proof."


    Jacob had already seen the person before him giving an identity proof, which looked like the identity card he found in Decker''s possessions.


    He coolly said, "I lost it."


    The receptionist finally tilted her head and looked at Jacob, her eyes dted slightly at seeing such a handsome man in this town.


    She said with a hint of gentleness, "Sir, if you didn''t have any identity proof, you have to pay ten times the registration fee."


    Jacob''s eyes sh for a moment. "One gold coin?"


    She nodded. "Yes, the registration fee is 10 silver coins, but without any identity proof, you have to pay the penalty."


    "Come on, man, if you didn''t have money, get out of the way." A burly with average height sneered impatiently.


    Jacob didn''t retort and took out a gold coin from his pocket and put it on the counter. "Thank you for your trouble." He had twenty gold coins from Decker, and now neen were left.


    The receptionist smiled and received the gold coin. Before she filled the identity section.


    The man behind Jacob also showed an embarrassed smile, but he didn''t dare to speak anymore. He was silently afraid that Jacob would take revenge.


    Anyone who could take out a gold coin wasn''t someone ordinary in the rain town.


    The receptionist handed Jacob a paper with his information and said with a smile, "Please go to the second floor, where an examiner will test your strength and allocate you a corresponding mercenary rank."


    "Thanks." Jacob received the form and headed toward the second floor, minding his own business.


    When it was finally the burly man''s turn, the receptionist''s expression turned stony again as she said, "Fifty silver coins first."


    The burly man''s face fell, and he knew he will have to pay the price for his foul mouth since he can''t cause trouble for the managing staff, or he could just forget about the mercenary license!

 Chapter 54 Star Mercenary Agency (2)

    ?The floor was also the same size as the first floor, but there weren''t any desks or tables, but typical training equipment, a fighting ring, and an eye-catching ck pir with a dark screen on the top.


    Jacob notice all the people before him, were gathering around that dark pir, and there was a tall, muscr man standing beside the ck pir.


    As he headed the same way, he saw the tall man take the form of a dark skin person, and he said coolly, "Punch with your full strength. Anything lower than 100 KG force is failed. You''ll get two chances, and your fee will not be refunded if you failed."


    The dark skin person nodded since he already knows the rules of Star Mercenary Agency''s entry test.


    Everyone watched with great interest. Some veteran mercenaries were also present to rope in promising neers.


    Many mercenary teams scout and recruited their members this way.


    The dark skin man punched with full power, and his vibrant punchnded on the dark pir.


    Everyone looked at the top screen, and a string of numbers appeared.


    "98"


    The examiner nonchntly uttered. "Last Chance."


    The dark skin man''s face heated when he felt those gazes filled with ridicule.


    He took a deep breath before he punched again with everything he had.


    A new number appeared on the dark screen, "95"


    "Next!"


    The examiner didn''t even look at the dark skin man who seemed to have lost his soul.


    The next person entered and moved toward the ck pir with an anxious face.


    In the end, he only managed to score 84 and 87, which meant he also failed.


    Jacob remained uninterested in other participants and wait for his turn silently.


    At this moment, a tall woman with 5.11 height, an oval face, slender waist, and long legs wearing tight garments moved forward.


    The examiner''s eyes lit up, seeing this woman''s long legs and big bosom. He smiled lewdly as he said, "Sugar, don''t break your hand here. If you failed, you can always look for me, I''ll support you."


    "Hmph, asshole." The woman snorted coldly with contempt.


    The examiner didn''t mind, and his smile widen as he looked at her form, ''Rosalia, huh? A thorny rose indeed.''


    Rosaliapletely ignored everyone''s coarse expressions and let loose a punch with an angry shout.


    ''Bang¡­''


    Everyone looked at the dark screen without any high expectation, but what appeared made many scalps tingle with dread.


    "132"


    ''What?'' the examiner''s eyes widen as his view of this woman changed in an instant and many others.


    If they see her as an easy and delicate prey before, now they didn''t dare to underestimate her anymore.


    This much strength can''t achieve just by ying hunter but only with years of practice.


    However, the show still wasn''t over. She suddenly moved her voluptuous hips and struck the ck pir with her long leg, which created a booming sound.


    Another number appeared, which shocked everyone.


    "201"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The examiner finally spoke with a hint of enthusiasm, "Rosalia Lion, Rank D Mercenary! Wee to the Star Mercenary Agency!"


    Rosalia give him a dead stare and asked, "Where can I get my license?"


    The examiner didn''t seem flustered at all, but he also didn''t show any strange expressions anymore. He smiled as he started to write down on her form and then stamped it with a star stamp.


    He handed her the form and said, "Go to the third floor. You can get your Star Mercenary License after handing this form."


    Rosalia took the form and head toward the third floor without giving anyone a second nce. She even ignored those mercenaries who came to invite her to their teams.


    "Next." The examiner continued the test.


    After Rosalia, no one pass the test, and then it was Jacob''s turn.


    The examiner nonchntly repeated himself and signal him to start.


    ''Another pretty boy wanted to show off, but the poor thing chose the wrong ce.'' He sneered inwardly as he looked at Jacob''s appearance.


    Although he was tall and muscr, he didn''t look anything special from other experts'' perceptive.


    Jacob suddenly asked impassively, "I heard the higher one''s ranked, the more benefits they''ll get from the Star Mercenary Agency, right?"


    The examiner inly replied, "Yes."


    Jacob merely nodded and took a boxer''s stance before he performed a hammer strike with fifty percent of his power.


    The examiner naturally knows about ''Knight Boxing'', which wasmonly used among the knights.


    ''Is he from a knight family?'' His eyes narrowed slightly.


    This time, he seemed extremely interested in Jacob''s strength as he looked at the screen.


    "464"


    Everyone was bbergasted by that number and looked at the silver hair, Jacob as if they were looking at a monster.


    Even the examiner felt his heart palpitate seeing that number since it was almost equivalent to his own!


    "I don''t want to use the second chance, is that, ok?" Jacob calmly looked at the examiner.


    ''If I used my full power, I''m afraid it will draw unwanted attention,'' Jacob mused. He also got the general idea of just how strong he was.


    Examiner took a deep breath and solemnly nodded. "Jacob Steve, Rank C Mercenary! Wee to the Star Mercenary Agency!"


    He wrote his evaluation and handed him his form, but he whispered something in his ear that only Jacob heard.


    "I''m the Vice Leader of this branch, ''Ralf ''. A word of advice: don''t join any mercenary team in rain town. Visit in eight days. I''ll introduce you to the Agency Leader."


    Jacob received the form showing no expression.


    Ralf wink meaningfully at Jacob before he continued the test.


    ''Agency Leader, huh? If I have time, I might,'' Jacob sneered inwardly,pletely talking Ralf''s words as wind.


    He simply didn''t care about anything except the identity of a star mercenary and their items.


    Nothing interests him, especially working for someone else while they reap the benefits of his hardbor.


    He had yed this game many times in his past life!

 Chapter 55 Mercenary Ranks

    ?On the third floor, there were another counter, tables, and seats.


    Jacob spotted Rosalia on a table in one corner, and she was the only one present on this floor. She was waiting for that mercenary license.


    She also noticed Jacob and her eyes shed, but she didn''t react in any way and remained aloof.


    Jacob also minded his own business and headed toward the counter, where another beautiful receptionist was sitting and reading a book.


    She heard Jacob''s footsteps and look over. She smiled and greeted, "Good Day Sir, congrattions on passing the entry test. May I have your registration form?"


    Jacob nodded in greeting and handed her the paper in his hand.


    However, the receptionist''s expression suddenly changed when she was ''C Rank'' on the form and eximed, "C Rank from the start?!"


    Her voice was quite loud, which was clearly heard by Rosalia, and her eyes were also wide with astonishment as she looked at the silver hair man impassively standing in front of the counter.


    She was quite arrogant with the D Rank, but even she knew the threshold for receiving C Rank directly was 450KG+ force, and it wasn''t something easy to achieve.


    In the star mercenary agency, there were 6 ranks, F, E, D, C, B, and A respectively.


    The lowest rank F was for those who had only 100 KG of force, while the E was for those with force above 150, while D was for those with above 200.


    Even D Rank mercenaries were respected everywhere they go because they could be considered at the peak of the umon rank fighters.


    While from C rank to A rank, these ranks were for those fighters who can fight with Rare Rank Species!


    The threshold for a C rank was 450+ and these mercenaries were treated like nobles in the Humane Kingdom, and they all have prominent positions. Just like, the Leader and Vice Leader of this Rain Town branch were C-rank mercenaries.


    As for B Rank, the threshold was 1000KG+ force and there weren''t even 10 presents in the Humane Kingdom and every one of them were monsters in human skin because they can fight with top rare rank beasts.


    Lastly, in the A rank, the threshold was 10,000KG+ force and these rank mercenaries were something only those top of the list Rare Races which rules the rare region could have!


    That was why the C Rank was respected in the entire humane kingdom, and they have many privileges of nobles and no one dared to provoke them!


    Jacob also know this, and that was why he wanted this rank, so he didn''t have to worry about moving around or acquiring anything from the mercenary agency.


    If he wanted, he could pass the B Rank mercenary trial, but it would be too high profile, and he would have appeared on some people''s kill list thereupon.


    So, C Rank was perfect for him, and no one would mess with him easily. This will also spare him the trouble to deal with those annoying flies who wille after him for his wealth.


    Just like a few moments ago, when he was heading up, no one dare to approach him for recruitment because they didn''t have the strength to talk equally with him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    One had to know there was only one mercenary team with a C Rank leader who was active in the Rain Town.


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t use his second chance, which gave him another veil of mystery, and those people have trend careful with him now just like Ralf, who didn''t act arrogantly in front of Jacob and politely invite him.


    The receptionist finally snapped out of her stupor and her tone became extremely respectful, "Please wait. I''ll arrange your star mercenary license in fifteen minutes."


    Jacob smile faintly and nodded, "I''ll be great, thank you."


    With that, he also sat at another table and watch the receptionist hastily entering the door behind her counter.


    ''Finally, I can move freely now without having to worry about my identity. As for that B Rank, I have to wait to exit the Humane Kingdom and took the test in the rare region.


    ''A Rank is still far from me, and it also made it clear there are far more powerful existences out there, and being invincible among humans means nothing. My goal should be those hegemonies at Epic Region!'' Jacob mused as he made ns for his future.


    His eyes suddenly shed as he looked toward the person who has suddenly joined him at his table. This person was none other than Rosalia!


    Jacob impassively looked at the fierce beauty in front of him, and he had to admit, that if she was in his previous world, she would be a top model. But those models were nothing to him back then. As long as he wanted, they would jump into his bed!


    He said impassively, "You want something?"


    Rosalia was stunned for a moment. She suddenly felt this man''s gaze differedpletely from others, and it felt like in his eyes she was nothing but skin and bones.


    She bit her lips and said, "Are you really a C Rank mercenary?"


    "That''s why they said." He answered with a shrugged shoulder.


    She took a deep breath, and she said with deep resolve, "Team up with me!"


    Jacob felt quite amusing when he saw her forced expression. It was like someone had beaten her to say this. But he didn''t reject her instantly and question back, "Why would I?"


    Rosalia suddenly felt vexed by Jacob''s attitude. She pursed her lips and said, "I want to gain a foothold in this ce, and to do so, I want someone like you by my side. Besides, teaming up with me won''t be a bad thing since you know I just pass the test with you, and you won''t have to worry about me approaching you with ulterior motives."


    Jacob curled his lips. "That''s what you said."


    She suddenly lost her temper and stood up from her seat. "Hmph, I''ll make you regret your decision. Don''t think you''re invincible just because you''re a C Rank Mercenary!"


    Before it was she who showed temper and attitude everywhere she goes, but it was the first time something showed her attitude and look down on her. How could she take it?


    "I believed you." Jacob merely scoffed, watching her stomping away!

 Chapter 56 C-Rank Mercenary (1)

    ?Jacob didn''t want to entangle with Rosalia even if she offered herself to him because that woman had a peculiar attitude that can''t be established by a humble background and only those who have lived their life in luxury and prosperity have this kind of attitude.


    She was also quite a short temper and wasn''t good at requesting, which made it clearer that she was used to getting whatever she wanted with a single order this make her background even more obvious.


    Most importantly, the Star Mercenary Agency didn''t have absolute records on who registered with them and how many times they can be registered with different names.


    This was the biggest loophole in this system. As long as you can pay the price, you can take the test and get another identity.


    Although Jacob wasn''t sure if this was deliberately left or the agency didn''t care about it. But after mulling over it for some time, he concluded that a hegemony like the Zodiac Taurus Bank won''t leave this kind of loophole without any reason. There had to be some kind of deeper meaning behind it.


    That was why he didn''t even believe Rosalia''s word for a second that she has taken the test here and was here to get a foothold in rain town. She had some ulterior motive, and if he decided to team up with her, he might get involved in something he didn''t want.


    Besides, he wasn''t nning on teaming up with anyone, as a matter of fact. Even if Rosalia was good at acting, he would''ve still rejected her no matter what she offered him.


    At this point, nothing interested him except anything that was rted to the cursed immortality.


    While he was deep in thought and waiting for that license, another man appeared on the third floor, which also mean he had passed the test.


    Surprisingly, it was the burly man who picked on Jacob at the registration counter on the first floor.


    When saw Jacob, he was startled for a moment before his eyesnded on Rosalia, who was scowling at Jacob, and his eyes shed with rapture.


    He first goes to the counter; the receptionist was already back to her position as she nced at Jacob now and then before she noticed that maning in her way with a big smile.


    She greeted him like before, but she was somewhat cold and when she looked at the man''s form, there was ''F Rank'' which means he just barely pass.


    She told him to wait like everyone else and headed toward the door behind again.


    The burly man''s name was, ''Luka'' and he first went to Jacob and smiled apologetically, "Brother, I''m sorry about the way I spoke with you in the line. I hope you don''t take it to heart. Congrattion on passing the test. What''s your rank?"


    Jacob give him a death re and said, "Don''t disturb me."


    Luka''s expression fell slightly, but he wasn''t interested in Jacob at all. He was just making sure he won''t find trouble with him for what happened.


    Ignoring Jacob, he quickly moved toward Rosalia, and she was what he was truly interested in.


    He smiled brightly as he was about to strike a conversion with her when she stared at him with killing intent as she uttered viciously, "Scram, or I''ll break your teeth in five seconds!"


    Luka felt a sudden chill on his spine and he suddenly felt this woman was extremely dangerous, so he quickly fled and sat down on the corner without making any noise. He suddenly felt he was in the presence of wolves.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At this moment, the receptionist appeared again, but she didn''t appear behind her counter but in the hall, from another door, which drew everyone''s attention.


    She approached Jacob with a smile as she said, "Sir, please follow me."


    Jacob looked meaningfully at her before he nodded and followed her toward the room in Rosalia and Luck''s peculiar gazes.


    The room was only medium size and there was a table and chairs where a middle-aged man was sitting on the other side.


    When he saw Jacob enter, he stood up and said attentively, "It''s my pleasure to meet with Mr. Jacob. Please take a seat. Thanks for the trouble N, please give us the room."


    N nodded and enter another door, which lead to her counter.


    Jacob calmly sat in front of this middle-aged man with a short beard.


    The middle-aged man said with a smile, "My name is Tudor, and I''m the registration manager of this branch. Your star mercenary license is ready, but since you''ve passed the C-Rank test, there''s something we need to discuss before I handed you your license. I hope you understand it''s a protocol."


    "Go on." Jacob nodded.


    Tudor exined, "You might''ve heard of the ranks of mercenaries, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Then it would be easy to exin. You see, the D, E, and F ranks are verymon, and you can have as many licenses of such ranks as you want. I''m sure you have noticed this loophole already?" Tudor smiled meaningfully.


    Jacob''s eyes shed and nodded, "Indeed."


    Tudor continued, "But from C Rank to A Rank, it wasn''t the case, and we won''t issue the same rank license more than once, and it''ll be permanently registered within our database."


    "Are you implying that you guys can tell if I took another test somewhere else, and I won''t be able to forge another identity of C Rank Mercenary? Is this also the test to see if I''m first time registering with the agency as well?" Jacob quickly got the point.


    Tudor was extremely happy to deal with such a person and nodded, "Yes, it''s indeed the case because a C Rank Mercenary has special privileges, and we can''t have others exploit the identity loophole on this rank.


    "Although, the agency didn''t care about C Rank as well. But because of humans'' limited ability, they have agreed to arrange this process which was supposed to take ce at B Rank.


    "However, the benefits are still nothingpared to the B Rank, but they''re still better than nothing, and they were only ced for the good of humanity and to strengthen it and the royal family had a big part in it!"

 Chapter 57 C-Rank Mercenary (2)

    ?Jacob could feel the pride behind Tudor''s words for humanity.


    "What kind of benefits?" Jacob asked. He was only interested in benefits and didn''t care who manage to put them there.


    Tudor suddenly took out a dark screen device from his drawer.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted, seeing the dark screen device. It was exactly like the blood analysis device he had, but there weren''t buttons on it, only a small pin. He felt extremely rmed because he thought this device would reveal his real strength!


    He looked at Tudor and asked, "What is this?"


    Tudor didn''t know Jacob had alreadye in contact with a high-tech device like this, so he exined,


    "This is the registration device for C Rank Mercenaries. You just have to press your finger on the pin, and it''ll record something called Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in your blood and record it within the agency database.


    "Afterward, you''ll be a C Rank mercenary and enjoy the benefits without worrying about anything. Just don''t try to register with another branch at C Rank, or you''ll get caught by this DNA Recorder."


    ''Fuck, I knew the technology of humans in the umon region didn''t match with Decker. But I never thought those from the higher regions will have such devices that can record DNA as well. This agency really has prominent roots!'' Jacob cursed inwardly as he looked at the DNA Recorder.


    He suddenly regretted his decision to get C Rank from the start. If he had known they even know the DNA, he would never risk it.


    Because he wasn''t sure after he started to follow the cursed immortality, his DNA might get changed, and if someone checked they might find something and expose his identity and secret.


    However, it was just his hypothesis. He had to be absolutely sure, he suddenly thought, "Cursed Immortality."


    The white book appeared right between him and Tudor, who didn''t detect it at all.


    Jacob quickly asked, "I knew you heard everything. Tell me, can they find you out by my DNA or anything that can draw unwanted attention?"


    Immortika wrote, "Hehehe, I can''t answer that."


    Jacob cussed before he changed his question, "Can heart essence change my DNA with injections?"


    "No, for the time being. Besides, they can''t find anything from your DNA. Are you an idiot? Just how many species are far more abnormal than you exist in this world? How could they suspect anything?"


    Jacob sighed in relief and looked at Tudor, he was waiting for t for Jacob''s answer.


    Tudor knew no one wanted to give away something that can track them down, especially those who wanted to be mysterious and didn''t want their identity exposed.


    If Jacob decided to back down, he would allocate him a D Rank license without any demands.


    However, Jacob suddenly moved his finger and press it on the pin.


    The screen suddenly lit up, and two words appeared: "Registration Sessful!"


    Tudor smiled and put the DNA Recorder away and said, "Congrattion, you''re officially a C Rank Mercenary."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He then took out an envelope and put it in front of Jacob. He said, "In this envelope is your C Rank License, as well as the detail about your bank ount in Zodiac Taurus Bank."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, "Bank ount in Zodiac Taurus Bank?"


    Tudor nodded with a smile, "Yes, this is one of the privileges of C Rank Mercenaries. They''ll all get an ount of their name after registration. You can use your mercenary card and special ount code to get ess to your ount.


    "Not only that, after you passed the C Rank test, you''re rewarded with 100 Gold Coins, which had already been transferred to your ount. Every month you''ll receive 1 Gold Coin sry in your ount.


    "You can also use your bank ount to pay for your purchases in any agency branch or received the money in the ount directly. You don''t need to go to the bank directly. Quite convenient, right?"


    This process was too familiar to Jacob, and he suddenly felt this was a good thing to have an ount with the Zodiac Taurus Bank since it was the only bank here.


    He nodded, "Convenient indeed. Anything else?"


    Tudor noticed Jacob''s uninterested expression and find it quite strange, since this process was only known to nobles, and it was also clear that Jacob has just registered with them. The DNA test just made it apparent.


    Nheless, he answered, "The other thing is you''ll get a 5% discount on your purchases in any agency branch. And you don''t have to get in line to receive or submit any missions, directlye to the third floor and your business will be dealt with instantly.


    "Lastly, if you want a C Rank mission, look for N. We don''t post them on the mission board. And if you have anyints, approach the Vice Leader or Leader, they''ll prioritize you. That''s all."


    Jacob nodded. The C Rank Mercenary was indeed a lucrative position, that was for sure, and he got many annoying things out of the way just by bing one.


    "Thank you for your trouble." Jacob picked up the envelope and stand up to take his leave.


    Tudor also stood up and said when Jacob was about to leave, "I just have thest thing to say. It''s more of a personal request."


    Jacob halted his step and looked at Tudor while his hand was on the door handle.


    Tudor took a deep breath and said, "Please look out for your own kind." He bowed thereafter.


    Jacob felt this guy was really a patriot. He coolly said before he left, "It''s not a promise."


    Tudor smiled wryly, "Sigh¡­ At least he didn''t reject me directly."


    Jacob put the envelope into his shirt pocket, while he actually put it inside the infinity pendant.


    Outside, he noticed another man has appeared, and he was happily chatting with Luka.


    Rosalia was the first to notice Jacob and frowned.


    Jacob ignored everyone and again appeared in front of N. He said calmly, "I want to look at C Rank missions!"

 Chapter 58 Town Lord

    ?Inside the lord''s mansion,


    The town lord, Ciaran, was standing in front of a seated beauty with an agitated expression on his somewhat wrinkled face.


    Ciaran spoke politely, despite being the town lord, "Lady Jennifer, how''re your injuries?"


    This beauty was indeed Gus''s sister, Jennifer, who escaped from the wolf king chase and found her way back to rain town with some minor injuries.


    Jennifer replied impassively, "I''m fine. Thank you for asking Lord Ciaran. But I need to know if you found anything about my brother''s whereabouts or Lady Kiana?"


    Ciaran''s expression clouded at hearing this and thought resentfully, ''Bitch, you clearly knew what would''ve happened to them since you said there was a wolf king. But you insist on putting this fa?ade and turning the trouble on my way¡­''


    He was extremely resentful and horrified after he heard there was a wolf king on the dark wolf ridge. But he was more afraid of the baron of Gloria''s country because it was 95% possible that Gus was dead, and he had to suffer the bacsh from the Baron for this.


    However, he had to deal with the wolf king first before giving an exnation to Baron. He knew, that as long as he could present the wolf king''s head to the baron, he might escape the disaster with minimum losses.


    But he also knew to kill the wolf king, he needed to hire C Rank mercenaries and not just one but three or five, which will also cost him a fortune, since hiring those C Rank mercenaries wasn''t cheap.


    But what can he do? If he didn''t do something, even if the Baron didn''t demolish his rain town, those wolves might!


    However, Jennifer was giving him more headaches with her princess attitude and making things difficult for him. She just insisted on searching for Gus, despite knowing their possible ending.


    Ciaran said with a forced smile, "I''m afraid we''ll be only sending our men to their death if there''s really a wolf king."


    Jennifer narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying I''m lying? Or thosemoners'' lives are more important than my brother and friend?"


    Ciaran felt unhappy inwardly, but he remained polite, "Mdy, I know you''re worried about your loved ones, but we have to send some powerful people. What if we found the young lord, but they drag him down? We can''t have that, right?"


    Jennifer nodded. "Yes, you are right. Issue a mission in the mercenary agency to arrange a search party. Also, please send a letter to my father about what happened here. He''ll help you find my brother."


    Ciaran nodded, "I have already taken care of the mission mdy and sent a messenger pigeon to Lord Baron as well. We''ll get Lord''s response in a week."


    Jennifer showed a joyful expression. "Thank you. I''ll remember your favor."


    "Please don''t jest, it''s something I should do. I''ll take my leave now, please rest easy, mydy. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask." Ciaran bow slightly before he left the room.


    The moment Ciaran left the room, Jennifer''s pitiful expression suddenly turned cold, and her lips curled upward.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''It seemed those people aren''t simple to even arrange a wolf king to get rid of my brother. The title of Baron will be mine as long as I do what they say!''


    Ciaran appeared in the hall with an exhausted face, without knowing about Jennifer''s hidden motives.


    At this moment, an old man with gray hair and wearing butler clothes appeared. He bowed slightly and said, "My lord, I have something interesting to report."


    Ciaran smiled seeing the old man and said, "Uncle Hand, how many times do I have told you that you didn''t need to act courteously when we''re alone?"


    Hand smiled and merely said, "Please don''t. I''m merely a servant of the house, Taran. I don''t deserve such a privilege."


    Ciaran smiled wryly, "You''re as stubborn as my father when ites to manners, aren''t you? Please tell me the important report?"


    Hand said, "My lord, I just received the news that a new C Rank Mercenary has appeared in our town!"


    Ciaran''s expression suddenly changed and quickly asked, "Are you sure? Is he from our town?"


    Ciaran knew if this C Rank mercenary was a resident of rain town, he didn''t need to worry about bacsh from Baron because no one would be foolish enough to move against a hometown of C Rank mercenary.


    At least not a baron-ranked noble!


    Hand replied, "We don''t know yet, but ording to our sources his appearance is new, and he just recently appeared in our town and rent a house at the town''s edge. Not only that, he seemed to be extremely mysterious because he only used one move to achieve the C Rank.


    "I''m afraid some people might make a move, especially the Golden w Team Leader. That fellow is quite cunning and won''t let such a person roam free on his turf."


    Ciaran''s expression turn somewhat ugly when he heard thest sentence and couldn''t help but gnashed his teeth, "That ungrateful scum has forgotten the benefits he received from us, and now he didn''t even give me face after bing famous.


    "I want you to approach this new C Rank Mercenary personally before that scum had the chance and offer our congrattion gift and invite him to our house, Taran. As long as he agreed to give us his protection, anything is open for negotiation.


    "If he didn''t agree, don''t push the topic, just form a good rtionship with him. We had already tried controlling a C Rank mercenary and look, we only bought up a snake in our backyard."


    Hand sighed as he remembered the past and nodded, "I''ll deal with it personally. Don''t worry, my lord. But that mercenary is quite something. It appeared he took a C Rank mission right after receiving his license and left the town. Now no one could approach him until he gets back."


    Ciaran frowned, "Then keep an eye on his return and make a move instantly. I don''t think that arrogant prick would resist the allure of hunting a wolf king and wait for him!"

 Chapter 59 Visiting The Blacksmith

    ?While the news of a new C Rank Mercenary continued to spread in the Rain Town and some closer powers to it.


    The person in question who cause this big ripple was cooking leisurely.


    Jacob had indeed taken a hunting mission and left the town, but it was only because he wanted others to believe this and won''t bother him.


    Although C Rank wasn''t much, they were still respected figures by humans, and he knew if he wanted to avoid those annoying figures; he had to leave this ce in their eyes.


    It was extremely easy to sneak back with his speed, and no one would bother him anymore.


    He wasn''t nning to show himself until he was done absorbing the two heart essences he had prepared. It won''t be toote to go on hunting to collect more heart essence at that time.


    Furthermore, Jacob had seen the wolf king hunting request in the C Rank Missions, and he could guess Jennifer had returned alive since only she managed to escape that day.


    Only she could report this back, and he wasn''t worried at all because only bones would be left of the wolf king right now.


    He had already got the most of it and wasn''t interested in that reward that would put him in the spotlight, just the C Rank fame was enough for him.


    Time passed, and in a sh, it was the night of the third day since Jacob has be a C rank mercenary.


    Right at this moment, the door of Isaac Smithery was pushed open and Jacob entered the familiar interior.


    Isaac was hammering an iron te with a sweated face when he heard the doorbell and saw Jacob.


    Isaac smiled as he put the hammer down and said, "You''re finally here. I almost thought you have forgotten our meeting."


    Jacob was training and eating for these past two days in his house and only leave secretly at this hour since it would reveal his whereabouts to others. He had already noticed some people loitering around his house in these two days, so he was even more vignt to show himself.


    "Heh, some flies dy me. Are my things ready?" Jacob chuckled.


    Isaac didn''t take Jacob''s word seriously and headed toward the backdoor and shortly after returned with a big box in his hand.


    He put the box in front of Jacob and said, "You can check them."


    Jacob didn''t stand on ceremony and opened the box. He saw the shining steel parts of the distition equipment. After examining them, he found nothing out of the ce and nodded in satisfaction.


    He handed the reaming five silver coins to Isaac and said, "Good work."


    Isaac smile contently and received the silver before he asked, "Do you want to forge anything else?"


    He clearly remembered Jacob had said he would give more orders if he liked his work, and he looked forward to Jacob''s designs. They were unique and exquisite.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob looked meaningfully at Isaac, ''Although he could forge this with ordinary steel, for the parts of a gun it won''t be enough, and I don''t know if this town had ordnance steel or something like it.


    ''That colt rifle was made from something like carbon steel, which causes its fragility. I still knew nothing about the natural minerals of this world, nor did they have any books.''


    Jacob asked Isaac, "If you want to forge for me, I have to know; what is the strongest metal you have and what is its melting point?"


    Isaac was surprised by Jacob''s question and answered, "I have around ten KG of Graphite Steel. As for its melting point, it''s around 4,000 to 4,500 Degree Celsius. But it''s quite expensive if you want to use it to forge."


    Jacob''s eyes lit up, ''This will do!''


    "How expensive?" He asked.


    Isaac replied, "1 Gram of Graphite Steel for 2 Silver Coins, and I''ll charge 1 Gold Coin for my service."


    ''It''s indeed expensive, but I have coins to spare. If I can change some parts of the revolver and new bullets to make it deadlier and change the skeleton of the colt rifle and its bullets, it should be enough for a while. As for creating model guns, I need myb, which I can''t have at this moment.''


    Jacob picked up the notebook and drew parts he needed to further increased his two firearms.


    Isaac was also absorbed in those small exquisite parts, Jacob was drawing with significant details.


    After drawing, Jacob gave it to Isaac and exin, "Forge everything with Graphite Steel except these shells and heads, use bronze and carbon for casing and head."


    Isaac looked at the bullet designs and eximed, "Isn''t that ammo? You know how to create firearms?"


    Jacob smiled, "I just know how to create ammunition, as for other parts they''re for something else. So, how is it can you create these small bullets?"


    Isaac was shocked this time because he knew those gunsmiths that can create ammunition weren''t something a small cksmith like him couldpare with, and Jacob''s identity became even more mysterious in his eyes at this moment.


    He said in embarrassment, "Sir, these bullet parts are really quite difficult to create, but as long as I can create a mold, it wouldn''t be difficult. But I''m afraid it would take me more time to create them."


    Jacob coolly replied, "I''ll draw you these two mold designs as well, but you have to give the first two molds to me for free, and you have to give me a 40% discount on bullet parts and those mold designs would be yours to use how however you wish."


    Isaac was shocked because he understood those bullet molds were even more precious and with them, he could have an endless bullet stream, which he could sell to the mercenary guild and increase his business to an unimaginable height.


    "We have a deal!"


    He agreed without any hesitation because Jacob''s bullets looked far more precious than normal bullets, so paying this small price was nothing!

 Chapter 60 At 9.9%

    ?After finalizing his deal with Isaac, Jacob sneakily returned to his house with the box full of distition equipment


    Now the question was where he was going to assemble them, and he still didn''t forget about how he got spotted because of that smoke.


    Although he was in a human settlement now and there wasn''t any problem with the smoke, he wasn''t supposed to be in his house right at this moment and if anyone found out, he was there it would be cumbersome.


    Nevertheless, Jacob still decided to just assemble it in his backyard which wasn''t in other''s view and there was only the town wall a few tens of meters away from it and as long as no one sneaked in that ce they won''t be able to see the smoke in the night.


    It took him half an hour to assemble the distition equipment, and it wasn''t too big or small; it was just right for his need.


    Thereupon, he put the dry woods he collected the other day in the furnace and then took out the metal box with arrow tail jaguar heart and blood in it.


    He chose to first absorbed the umon animal heart essence because he was afraid if he first absorbed the wolf king''s heart essence, which was a rare beast, he would get fewer benefits.


    He still didn''t know if it would affect his progress to absorb strong species heart essence or not, and how much he needed to reach 100%. But ording to Immortika, he didn''t need to worry about not getting the effect of any new species'' heart essence.


    As long as he absorbed the heart essence of new species, he''ll indefinitely progress and the only difference was in the tires of species. The higher the tire of a species was, the faster he''ll progress.


    After closing the lid and making sure that everything was in order, enter the house again and waited like before, and he was also keeping an eye on any intruder or some curious prick.


    However, in eight hours, nothing out of ordinary happened and the distition process went smoothly without a hitch.


    Sun was also rising, so he covered the equipment with an old cloth and returned inside with an iron beaker filled with crystalline heart essence.


    He took out the same metal syringe he used for his first injection. He was lucky to keep it inside his pendant, or it would be another problem to find another one like this in this ce.


    Jacob was in the basement right now where Pig Head was hiding, and he also chose this ce because if anyone intruded, Pig Head could handle them as long as they weren''t above B Rank Mercenary.


    After giving the order to Pig Head, he sat bare chest and took a deep breath before he pierced that syringe in his heart.


    Not only he didn''t feel any excessive pain like before but as the arrow tail jaguar''s heart essence quickly get absorbed in his heart and a cold sensation ran all over his veins.


    He didn''t lose his consciousness and remain static while he felt that cold sensation all over his body and his wildly beating heart.


    On the inner wall of Jacob''s mutated heart, the dark mark stirred, which had appeared after the carcass of Bloodstorming Bug merged with his heart.


    The dark mark was bing more and more apparent and talking a shape, but it was still too vague.


    This was the Immortal Mark, which was now bing the Cursed Mark, ording to the second level of the cursed heart emergence.


    This process continued for two hours before Jacob felt that sensation vanish, and he knew the entire heart essence was absorbed. But he could tell the change brought by this heart essence wasn''t as apparent as thest time.


    "Is this the difference between rare and umon species'' heart essence? Although my strength has increased, it''s subtle." Jacob mumbled.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nevertheless, Jacob stood up from his spot and headed toward his small kitchen, since he felt hungry after this injection. He had already bought supplies, which wouldst him a few days.


    But they weren''t nutritious since the meat was frommon animals, but they taste alright.


    Afterward, Jacob again started to sharpen his fighting styles and get used to his increased strength until the night was upon him.


    He bathed before starting the distition process again.


    Just like yesterday, he waited all night for the heart essence and then injected it into the basement.


    However, this time, Jacob felt slightly pained when the dark wolf king''s heart essence entered his body. But it wasn''t unbearable that he couldn''t handle.


    Furthermore, he suddenly felt arge amount of sweat releasing from his pores and his hair grew at a fast pace like before.


    This time it took him ten hours for this absorption before his eyes amber eyes opened with a ghastly glint present deep within them.


    ''This wolf king was stronger than Decker and I could feel my body reached some kind of wall,'' Jacob mused, and the very next moment he thought, "Cursed Immortality!"


    He quickly looked at the progress of the second level, and he was astonished.


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 9.99%


    ¡­


    _______


    "Only 0.1% away from the 10%. Afterward, I would have to again eat like a lunatic to match my body with my heart. Well, it''s not like I''mining." Jacob''s lips curled upward.


    Although it was only his guess, but he presumed if he hit that pir with his full strength, it would show 1500 KG punching force. But he was still far away from matching an A Rank Mercenary.


    Nevertheless, he knew as long as he continued to absorb the heart essence, A rank wasn''t far, and he looked forward to it.


    At this moment, the scripture''s writing changed and Jacob knew who it was, and he frowned.


    "Your luck is not bad. It seemed you might awake an ability at the 100% of the second level!"

 Chapter 61 Golden Claw Mercenary Team

    ?Jacob''s eyes contracted after reading this and couldn''t help but question, "Exin!"


    The writing changed, "Hehehehe, impenitent, aren''t we? I already said, you ''might'' not ''will'' so it still isn''t clear. But I can tell that your mutated heart might bring you some benefits like a supernatural ability on this level, but as I said, it all depends on your luck."


    Jacob''s eyes instantly shone with tion, since it was nothing but good news. However, it wasn''t clear and Immortika also didn''t exin clearly, and he knew asking it was meaningless.


    He yearned for a supernatural ability like in the fantasies.


    Although he knew he might get such an ability eventually as long as he cultivated this book on a high enough level, hearing it still made him ted and filled his heart with anticipation.


    But he quickly calmed down since he knew riling up won''t do anything and sneered disdainfully, "You only told me this because you felt bored again and wanted to motivate me into leaving again for your entertainment, I''m I right?"


    "Hahaha¡­ I can''t answer your question¡­ hahaha¡­"


    Jacob shook his head helplessly since he could tell by thatugh he was right and closed that pesky book. Nheless, he was still optimistic and headed toward the bath to clean himself first.


    Jacob appeared again with long hair and a clean face. His body had be even more devilish after two more injections, and he felt enormous strength in his muscles.


    After wearing a ck shirt and pants, he ate five pounds of meat before he headed to his bedroom.


    There was a paper on a small table he took and saw the detail.


    "C Rank Mercenary Mission,


    "Danger Level: C


    "Collect (Umon) Flora Spider''s venom nds.


    "Reward: 5 Gold Coins for each Flora Spider Venom nd."


    On the other half of the paper was a picture of a leaf-like spider and its information.


    It looked just like a wither leaf, and that was why it was extremely difficult to find. Its poison was also deadly, and it could kill any normal human within five minutes after its bite.


    That was why this mission was for Rank C mercenaries, and the reward was also lucrative. And this mission has no limit on how many venom nds you could hunt, and the agency will buy as many as you had.


    This was the exact mission Jacob wanted, and this spider existed in the deep southern parts of rainy mountain ranges, where he could hunt for heart essence as well.


    But this time he was going to carry over two metal boxes for heart and blood, and he was fully prepared.


    He waited for the night before he left the house without being spotted, and he was heading straight toward the southern rainy mountain ranges for hunting!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ---


    In the central area of Rain Town,


    There was a two-story house with a beautiful exterior.


    Inside the house, five men and two women were sitting around a square table, looking at the burly man with a mole above his left eyebrow.


    This man''s name was Jonty, and he was the famous C rank mercenary of rain town and quite active. The other seven were his teammates and the members of the famous Golden w Mercenary Team, and all of them were D Rank mercenaries.


    Jonty had a mild smile on his square face as he said, "Did you find the new C Rank yet?"


    In reply, a man with a long ck beard spoke, he was the vice leader of the golden w team, Corbin, "No, he''s still not returned to the town after he left for the mission and the agency won''t reveal the information about what kind of mission he took."


    Jonty''s eyes shed with a cold light as he said, "Is that so? Then forget it. I just want to invite this new guy for the wolf king hunt to see his strength. But he''s too inconspicuous, and if we wait anymore, those two annoying fellows might join the fray of the wolf king."


    Corbin nodded. "Yes, the Agency Leader is still absent and Ralf won''t move without him, so we''re clear for now to hunt."


    Another tall man spoke with a frown. His name was Ton. "But aren''t we going too lightly? We''re talking about a wolf king of rare rank; which strength is only below B Rank. I''m concerned!"


    No one refuted Ton, since he was telling the truth, and they all looked at Jonty for his reply. Even the shrewd and obedient vice leader, Corbin, was expecting an answer.


    Jonty smiled confidently at this moment as he said, "I know your concern is valid, and it looks like I''m underestimating this wolf king.


    "But I have already talked with the leaders of Sharp Sword Mercenary Team, and Purple Mercenary Team and they agree to lend us their assistance in this mission by giving them 20% of the materials we''ll get from the wolf king''s carcass."


    Corbin frowned. "I don''t think they''re enough. ording to the information, there are many dark wolves around the dark wolf ridge, so the more people we have, the better."


    Jonty pull a wintry smile, "Hehe, I have already taken care of it, I have announced that anyone who wanted to join our wolf king hunting party they are wee and there''ll be more than enough cannon folds to distract those minions."


    Tan couldn''t help but smile coldly and praise, "As expected of Leader, now we don''t have to worry about meat shields, and we can also use them to weaken the wolf king before killing it. We''ll be famous!"


    Jonty smiled in satisfaction and looked at the petite woman with ck hair and asked, "N, do you test the new recruit? I heard she''s a thorny rose. Is she clean?"


    N answered with a hint of unhappiness, "She''s quite something. Not only she''s extremely overbearing, she even beat me and arrogantly said she''ll change team leader next time. But she didn''t have any hidden identity, and she''ll be an excellent addition to our team. I''m only waiting for your confirmation."


    Jonty smiled, hearing this, but there was a hint of desire in his eyes. "Let her join this mission, and I''ll see what she''s made of. What''s her name, though?"


    N replied, "Rosalia Lion!"

 Chapter 62 A Strange Encounter

    ?Jacob was hiding within a tree branch as he impassively looked at an adult moose drinking water from a small pond.


    However, he had no intention of attacking, as he calmly looked at the ck moose like a predator waiting for his chance.


    Right at this moment, the moose seemed to sense something as it rushed toward the thick woods. But before it could, five small silhouettes lunged from the tall grass from different directions and stabbed their ws at therge body of moose, which ran wild while shrilling.


    These neers were crimson strip hyenas, an umon specie while the ck moose was amon species, and Jacob was waiting for them to make a move before he does.


    And just as those hyenas were struggling with the mosses, Jacob pointed his revolver at the biggest one in the group and then pull the trigger.


    ''Bang!''


    The gunshot startled the animals, but it was toote for the targeted hyena as the bullet pierce into his brain, and it died within an instant.


    The other three hyenas were shaken as they abandon the bleeding moose and ran for their lives, while the moose also ran wildly, but with all those wounds it won''t be able to stay alive for much.


    Nevertheless, it has nothing to do with Jacob, who was only interested in umon species, and he already got the heart and blood as well as his dinner.


    After making sure no one was nearby, he jumped off the tree and quickly headed toward that bleeding carcass.


    It has been ten days since he left the rain town for this spider hunting mission, and he was quite efficient in his newly found strength.


    Not only his stamina has increased, but his speed and senses as well. That was why he could collect three umon hearts and blood, including this crimson strip hyena.


    However, he was losing interest in hunting these umon animals and wanted to find a rare species to test his strength, and they were also more potent and can give a high percentage of the heart essence.


    He even had the thought of heading toward the rare region for a moment before he brushed it off since it was still too dangerous, and it won''t be toote to head there after he had A Rank strength.


    He still hadn''t forgotten about those mountain giants, and he wasn''t sure if he could take a hit from them, even after bing an A-rank mercenary.


    Nevertheless, things were going extremely smoothly, and he was very close to the ce where the nest of flora spiders was located.


    "I wonder if spiders have a heart¡­" Jacob couldn''t help but smirk at himself.


    Another night pass,


    The next day, Jacob was moved between trees as it has be his habit, and it was rtively safe to remain in these tree crowns as long as he didn''t encounter any snakes or insects.


    At this moment, his step came to an abrupt halt as he hid his presence and looked between those trees a few tens of meters away with narrowed eyes.


    Thereupon voices of hoofs rang before a carriage covered in a ck cloth pulled by three horses as a hooded man was controlling it and two more riders in dark hoods were following this covered carriage appeared.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They were slowly moving with the carriage.


    ''Three hooded persons and cover carriage in this remote location. Not suspicious at all.'' Jacob thought as he deeply looked at the carriage.


    His eyes were fixed on that metal part that wasn''t covered with the cloth, and he couldn''t help but think, ''Is this a cage carriage? But what is caged inside? Since they''re moving this sneakily without any insignia or revealing their faces, they didn''t want anyone to find out. I shouldn''t get involved with these kinds of strangers.''


    Jacob remain calm and let the carriage pass until he heard a reverberating voice which made him shudder slightly.


    ''Moooo¡­''


    Those horses staggered as well.


    The hooded coachman shouted in panic, "Quickly, it''s awake again, use the tranquilizer!"


    One of the riders quickly sprang into action and dismount the trembling horse. He then pulled a tranquilizer gun from the bag pack hanging around the horse and lift the ck cloth from the side.


    There was indeed a cage and something was inside.


    He shot the tranquilizer shot without any dy and that voice quickly calm down before vanishing.


    The rider couldn''t help but sighed in relief, "The effect of this rare grade tranquilizer is started to diminish on it. We need to hurry, or we might get spotted by someone. You know what will happen if someone were to find what we are doing?"


    The coachman sighed and shake his head, "Do you think we have any other choice? Besides, you don''t need to worry too much. This is the human kingdom. They didn''t have many powerful beings in their ranks. As long as we remain careful, we can easily pull this off. Or we can just kill them if they get in our way." he sneered disdainfully in the end.


    The second rider''s voice also sounded in agreement, "Heh, as long as there isn''t a B-rank mercenary blocking our way, we''ll easily let this beast lose close to the lionheart city and enjoy the show!"


    They were about to continue their journey again when a nonchnt yet icy voice rang through the silent woods.


    "So, this means there''s a beast in this cage?"


    Those three were startled by this sudden voice and be alert as they started to look around and pull their weapons, which were quite advanced inparison to what Jacob saw so far.


    One of them was holding a shotgun, while the other two took out two pistols.


    "Who are you? Show yourself!" the coachman shouted as he held the shotgun with both hands, ready to fire at any moment.


    The voice rang again with a hint of ecstasy. "Oh, you delivered a beast and some excellent specimens for me. How should I thank you?"

 Chapter 63 Tiger Bull

    ?The voice rang again with a hint of ecstasy. "Oh, you delivered a beast and some excellent specimens to me. How should I thank you?"


    The coachman holding the pump-action shotgun roared, "Bastard,e out if you dare!"


    They were all having an extremely hard time finding the location of this voice in those woods, but they hold their ground to wait for the person to make a mistake because they had a huge advantage with their guns.


    Jacob''s voice sounded again with a hint of ridicule, "Although this imitation of Ithaca-37 is good, its tubr under-barrel magazine can probably hold two 12-gauge cartridge rounds at most.


    "While the two of you were holding pistols which can only shoot water at most, so how about you leave all this and scram? It''ll be a win-win for both sides or, trust me, you are all dead."


    "There!"


    The coachman quickly shouted and pull the trigger, while the other two follow suit.


    They emptied their magazines in that direction and quickly started to reload.


    "Don''t say I didn''t give you a chance."


    Just as Jacob''s voice trailed off, a sharp gunshot reverberated in the vicinity. The coachman who was busing loading the gauge was instantly sent flying backward as his head explode!


    "He also had¡­" before the rider couldpletely his word, another thunderous sound rang and send him flying with a hole in his stomach.


    Thest one wanted to run, but how could he escape Jacob''s rifle? He was also killed with a headshot.


    The forest regained its calm as three mingle corpsesy on the dirt ground, and two horses were already fled and only the cage carriage remained. If it wasn''t heavy, those horses would''ve already fled at full speed.


    Thereupon, Jacob emerged as he held the silver rifle with smoke rising from its muzzle. Although it was still the same, there were some changes with its trigger, chamber, and handle.


    Nevertheless, it was still far from an optimal rifle in Jacob''s view, but beggars can''t be choosers.


    Jacob looked at the corpse and his eyes contracted when he saw the face under that hood, it was a brown-skinned person with a long face and sharp teeth visible from its mouth, and he looked at the others, but their faces weren''t intact anymore, yet their skin color was the same.


    "Hob-Trolls from the Earthen Kingdom!" Jacob quickly identify them because he had seen the Hob Trolls pictures in the history books.


    "So, they were sent here to cause trouble with this beast in Gloria Country. It seemed something was going on in the shadows between the three kingdoms. Well, it has nothing to do with me, since I reap a huge harvest. One umon heart from Hob Troll and, of course, this beast!" Jacob sneered as he collected the loot first.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He first collected the heart and blood of one hob troll, before he picked twother bagsying on the ground and their firearms.


    "My storage space ispletely full, and I can only store one more heart box in the pendant. I have to carry these bags and firearms. It seemed by tripe to an end withoutpleting the agency mission." Jacob smiled without any regret at all.


    The hunting and collection missions have a fixed time, One Year, and if you took the mission and didn''tplete it in one year, it''ll automatically dere failed, and the mercenary only needed to pay five percent plenty the next time he collected another mission.


    So, Jacob wasn''t worried. Even if this mission failed, he had gained far more than he was expecting, especially this caged beast, which was even more powerful than the wolf king, he could tell by that roar.


    That was why he took the risk of exposing himself because he knew if he missed this chance, he won''t get another beast on a silver tter.


    As for killing these hob trolls, he cared little since idents always happened in these vast mountain ranges, and he also got more guns to work with and those tranquilizers that can put this beast to sleep were also quite interesting.


    Jacob put the bags and guns on the front of the carriage where the coachman''s things were, and everything was Jacob''s now.


    After putting everything on the carriage, he finally lifted the ck cloth and saw the beast inside. And he was astonished when he saw the creature.


    It was a crimson bull with tiger-like white straps around its body and huge bullhorns.


    "Tiger Bull?!" Jacob quickly remembered seeing this beast in the book he got from Decker.


    Tiger Bull were extremely vicious creatures, and they were at the very apex of the rare beast list because they were carnivores and had extremely strong bodies almost like iron, and it was written that if their skin were a little bit tougher, they would fall into the Rarer Beast Category!


    Nevertheless, this was a tremendous surprise because these hob trolls somehow managed to capture this tiger bull from the rare region, and they were extremely hard to find as well.


    "It seemed this plot was far moreplex than it meets the eyes." Jacob guessed someone was scheming something, and these three were just pawns.


    If they seeded in releasing this Tiger Bull into the lionheart city, then there would be huge casualties, as it wreaked havoc and only B Rank Mercenaries can hold their own against this Tiger Bull.


    "I''m also going to cross the 10% hurdle, and I just happened to need meat like this Tiger Bull. So, I can''t kill it here, nor can I leave it as it is. They clearly said the tranquilizers are losing effects, and it can break free from this cage as well.


    "However, the lionheart city is still quite far, so they had to have enough tranquilizers for the trip." Jacob quickly moved toward the front and checked those bags.


    There was a total of eight bags, including the ones on the carriage, and he open them one by one!

 Chapter 64 Gossip Of The Town

    ?Just as Jacob thought, three of the bags were filled with tranquilizer shots, and they were a total of 120 shots, and he mused one shot wouldst for 8 or 10 hours because only with this ration one could reach the lionheart city with this much supply.


    Two of them were filled with dry meat and water.


    While thest three were probably the personal belonging of those three hob trolls.


    He found, a total of 143 bullets for all the firearms, three mercenary IDs which were affiliated with the Earthen Kingdom, nothing to surprise about. Three long knives, 433 bronze coins, 303 silver coins, and 105 gold coins.


    Lastly, he found an unopened envelope with a sword stabbed into a human skull insignia imprinted on the back.


    ''Interesting.'' Jacob opened the envelope.


    But he frowned when he saw the letter inside was filled with symbols, and nothing make sense.


    ''An encrypted letter? There''s a conspiracy behind this, and they are superb at hiding their tracks. This letter was probably meant for someone important, and only they could decipher this letter. Or even if something happened just like now, this letter will be useless even if someone read it.'' Jacob smiled and store the letter and envelope away.


    Although he wasn''t interested in the politics of this world, he was interested in information because nothing was set in stone, and he might need this information someday for his own use.


    Afterward, he controlled the carriage and changed its route, and headed toward the Rain Town.


    He was nning to hide this tiger bull in a remote region before he would quickly make a trip to his house and make an injection of heart essence and then absorbed it close to the carriage.


    After he reached the ten percent mark, he would then ughter this tiger bull and collect his heart and blood before devouring it for nutrition beforeing back and continuing to create reaming injections.


    Although his n seemed wless, nothing was wless when nature was involved.


    On the first night, the rain started to pour like mad and the carriage nearly turned upside down on a hill slope. If not for Jacob using his strength to keep it steady, he didn''t dare to imagine what would''ve happened if that beast broke out of that cage.


    Jacob had already examined that cage, and he even shot it with his rifle, but it didn''t leave a scratch on it. This made him excited since he could use this cage to forge high-quality gun parts.


    But he knew it was a pipe dream for now since it would take some time to set up a forgery and make the equipment he needed to work with. Furthermore, he didn''t want to abandon this kind ofb in the future.


    So, he was still hesitant to decide and leave that thought for the future, when he would be powerful enough to protect his things.


    Anyhow, Jacob be more careful after that incident and his pace plummeted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The travel that took him over ten days to reach that point, it took him a whole month just to reach the outskirts of the rainy mountain ranges, and he was still half a journey away from the rain town, only if he traveled alone at full speed.


    Despite that, he wasn''t nning to go there with this cage carriage, so he headed toward a remote area where he could hide this carriage.


    He quickly found an old cave that was abandoned by some wild animals, and it was size-wise perfect, as well.


    After taking care of the carriage, he first released those horses since he won''t be needed them anymore and then break the wheels.


    Now, even if someone found this cage, they won''t be able to take it away, and they definitely won''t be crazy enough to provoke that Tiger Bull unless they had a death wish.


    After giving the Tiger Bull arge dosage of the tranquilizer, which was enough for two days, he hid the cave with a huge bolder and left toward the rain town, carrying those bags and guns on his shoulder.


    Dawn was already breaking, so he entered the town without any hitch.


    But he suddenly noticed themotion on the streets and heard some bystanders talking about something interesting.


    "I heard the Golden w Mercenary Team came back yesterday after they left for the wolf king''s hunt with an enormous wolf king hunting party. But the thing is, they came back empty-handed, and it turned out someone else has already killed the wolf king, and they only found its bones and the agency refused to pay them without evidence of killing the wolf king!" A person gossiping in front of a butcher''s shop.


    "Heh, it''s ancient history now. Just this morning, the Leader of Golden w Mercenary Team, Jonty, with the leaders of Sharp Sword Mercenary Team, and Purple Mercenary Team storm the gates of town lord mansion and demand the rewards.


    "They used the town lord of publishing a hoax mission and wasting their time. But the truth is the wolf hunting party they gathered is demandingpensation for wasting their time as well.


    "So, they had no choice but to look for the town lord for payment, or they might go bankrupt this time. But seriously, just who killed the wolf king and left it to rote? That person might be a B Rank character and killed it when he was passing by.


    "Now the whole town is talking about this." The butcher presumed.


    Jacob smirked at hearing this and silently moved toward his house.


    He wasn''t worried that someone would find out about him since nothing could connect that corpse to him.


    On the contrary, they might have found the bullet wounds on its skull, and the only one who was carrying this kind of bullet was none other than Gus''s party.


    So, this thing mighte back to bite that sole witness and survival of this entire hunt, Jennifer!

 Chapter 65 The Knight Order!

    ?While Jacob was peacefully making the heart essence in his home.


    The lord''s mansion was extremely lively at this time.


    In the dining hall,


    Jonty sat around on the left side of this big rectangr table with an ugly expression on his face, while there were two other men with the same kind of expression sitting right next to him.


    One was a fat beard man, he was the leader of Sharp Sword Mercenary Team, Hadi.


    While the other was a short man with purple long hair, he was the leader of the Purple Mercenary Team, Jett.


    On the right side of this table were sitting the Town Lord Ciaran and his two younger brothers, as they looked at the three on the other side, specifically at Jonty, with hostile and outraged expressions.


    But no one dare to speak as their focus was on the mean seats of this table,


    There was an old man in ck robes with schrly air around him, while a young man was sitting on another chair with a haughty expression.


    Right in the middle of these two was none other than Jennifer, who has recovered and regained her aloof charm. But there was a hint of fear deep within her eyes, which she was trying to hide.


    The old man spoke impassively while he looked at Jonty and the two others, "So, you are the famous C Rank Mercenary of Rain Town? I heard you were once nurtured by the house, Taran, but then went rogue after having your way?"


    Jonty''s expression changed slightly as he felt a sudden chill in his spine despite being a C Rank mercenary. He couldn''t help but felt dread from this old man and didn''t dare to antagonize him with his arrogant attitude.


    "Sir, Knight, don''t believe in baseless rumors. I left because our beliefs were different, but I''m always grateful for the town lord''s kindness and will repay it anytime house Taran faces any danger."


    A young man who had some resemnce to Ciaran retorted, "You dare to spout lies? Don''t you betray us because you had a new master and were offered more coins¡­"


    ''p!''


    A sharp pping voice rang in the entire hall.


    The p came from none other than Ciaran. His face was livid as he rebuked. "Eoin, enough. Don''t be disrespectful when, Sir, Knight is speaking!"


    He then quickly looked at the old man and apologized, "Please forgive him, Sir. Knight, he''s still young and yet to learn his manners properly."


    In the humane kingdom, the knight order was above all and only below the royal family.


    Even the nobles were afraid of offending them because these knights were the protecting force of the kingdom, and they were extremely terrifying to fight with as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In every noble household, knights were appointed as their protectors, but everyone knows they were more of watchdogs than protectors, and they directly report everything to the higher-ups.


    Even mercenaries were afraid of them, not because of the royalty, but because of the terrifying existences within their ranks. The strongest person of the humane kingdom was not a B Rank Mercenary, but the Marshal of the Knight Order!


    That was why those mercenaries don''t poke their nose too much in the noble affairs, especially if that matter involved knights of any rank!


    Although this old man was only an eighth-rank junior knight, he was still a scary existence, and he can execute anyone as long as he had valid reason without giving any exnation to anyone and his strength could rank in middle levels of C Rank mercenaries.


    That was why everyone in this hall was so tense since this knight showed up for the investigation of Gus''s death, not the Baron. Which was out of their characters since they won''t normally poke their nose in the noble household''s personal matters as long as it didn''t affect them.


    When Jonty, Hadi, and Jett stormed into the manor, they didn''t know about the presence of this old knight, or they wouldn''t dare to barge in so arrogantly, and now it was toote to escape.


    The old knight didn''t say anything, as his eyes were fixed on the three mercenaries with clear contempt.


    The knight order had a very hostile rtionship with the human mercenaries, not with the agency itself. Because many promising youths decided to join the agency, which wasx and not like the discipline knight order.


    But they also died in the agency much sooner because of other schemes and benefits.


    In their view, they should be serving their kingdom, not wasting their life in the wild while working for others.


    But they can''t act against the agency because of the hegemony behind it, so they could only vent their anger on these humans who offer themselves to them.


    Jonty and the other two sweated in the old knight''s sharp gazes and felt as if they were sitting on thin ice.


    Jonty couldn''t help but say, "Sir. Knight, we know we were disrespectful today, and we are willing topensate and swore to never do any disgraceful act in the future."


    He then looked at Ciaran and lower his head, "I know, my departure was sudden and without any prior notice, but I have my own reasons. But I''m telling the truth when I say I''ll help the house Taran if it ever needs me. Please forgive me."


    Hadi and Jett nodded after Jonty, but the unwillingness in their eyes told otherwise.


    They were like two innocent bystanders who got dragged by that sly bastard Jonty into this, who told them they didn''t have to pay those cannon folds with their own pockets as long as they force the town lord.


    But now they were forced to pay without doing anything with him, and it was he who decided this for them as well!


    They silently decided to never collide with this sly bastard in the future, ever!


    The old knight suddenly smiled, but there was a hint of chillness as he spoke¡­!

 Chapter 66 A Knight On The Case

    ?The old knight suddenly smiled. "Since you seemed an upright person, I won''t pursue the matter about you barging into a noble household under the Gloria Country authority."


    Jonty and others have a massive sigh of relief, but the old knight wasn''t done yet.


    This time, there was a hint of chillness as he spoke. "But each of you three has topensate with 1,000 Gold Coins annually to Gloria City for five years. If you missed even a year, heh, I''ll report this incident to the higher-ups."


    "What?!" they were all shocked and panicked.


    1000 Gold wasn''t a small amount even for them, especially for Hadi and Jett, who were only D Rank mercenaries. They might die in collecting this kind of wealth.


    "What, are you unhappy? Then how about joining the knight order?" The old man''s lips curled.


    Jonty felt his misfortune was on a roll because first, he found the wolf king was already dead and didn''t get the payment. Now, he was here to extort the town lord, but it was he who was getting extorted.


    He couldn''t help but clinched his fist, but he didn''t retort. He knew if knight order acted, no one would save him, not even his backer.


    Knight Order was infamous to be unreasonable when it came to mercenaries, so he didn''t want to try his luck, nor did he want to join them since it was far more dangerous to be a mercenary.


    At least he had freedom.


    He gnashed his teeth and nodded, "Alright, we''ll pay on time. You don''t need to worry."


    Hadi and Jett again cursed Jonty to decide for them, but they had no choice, so they agreed in silence.


    The old knight nodded in satisfaction. "You may go, now. I''ll be waiting for your report. I hate those who go back on their words." He chased them away with a stern warning.


    Ciaran, Eoin, and the third Tarn brother couldn''t help but admire the influence of this knight order.


    They also felt quite refreshed when the arrogant Jonty, who was dancing on their heads for years, get taken care of with few sentences.


    Now there were only the three Taran brothers, the old knight, the young man, and Jennifer left.


    The atmosphere was again tense when the old man looked at Jennifer with a smile. "Little Miss, you don''t seem happy to see me?"


    Jennifer''s expression changed ever so slightly, she knew this old knight was a watchdog of the knight order, and he monitored her father''s every move.


    As for the young man on the other side, he was this old knight''s disciple, and he was also her suitor.


    She would also feel ufortable in these two presences, but she knew she can''t appear afraid, or they would notice something.


    She was long ready if such a thing would ever happen, but she still thought it was too soon and those people might have lied to her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nheless, she won''t be going down so easily. She smiled and said, "Grandpa Austin, please don''t jest. I''m the happiest to see you and Kai."


    Kai, who remain silent this whole time, spoke with a content smile, "Jennifer, when I heard you were almost got killed by that beast, I beg the teacher toe here and take you back safely."


    ''So, it was this brat who moved this old thing!'' She couldn''t help but get perplexed.


    She knew Austin dotted on Kai the most and treated him like a son since he had no family.


    Kai also had a crush on her from childhood, and Austin made sure he would get her in the future as well.


    But she never liked Kai because he was too strange, and she felt ufortable around him when he saw her as if she was naked.


    That was why she wanted to inherit the Baron''s position to have a say in her marriage, or she would be a tool for her father to curry favor with Austin.


    Austin chuckled, "Heh, this brat treated you well. He nearly cried with joy when he heard you were safe and sound."


    Kai''s face shed as he lowered his head and mumbled, "I was just worried about you."


    However, Jennifer didn''t buy Kai''s act and only pretend to be happy as well, "Really? Thank you, Kia. You are so good to me."


    Austin looked at Ciaran impassively at this moment and said, "Do you find the whereabouts of the young Lord and who killed the wolf king?"


    Ciaran quickly replied while sweating, "My Lord, ording to the agency, there were some fresh human bones found on the dark wolf ridge, as well as the wolf king. We presumed they¡­"


    He hesitated to speak as he looked at Jennifer. Her eyes started to get misty.


    Austin got what he wanted to say and nodded, "What about the person who killed it and how it was killed? Did they find their belonging? They were carrying thetest firearms with them."


    Ciaran''s heart palpitated when he felt Austin''s piercing gaze. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he said carefully, "The killer''s identity is still unknown. As for how the wolf died, they said there were holes in its skull, made with bullets, but they didn''t have the means to find out from which kind of gun they were shot.


    "As for the belonging, I''m afraid nobody reported it. I think those mercenaries took them for themselves. They would never hand over anyone they found during the mission, nor would agency demand it."


    Austin felt into deep thought before he said while ncing at Jennifer subtly, "I understand. But this wolf king''s appearance is strange. I would meet with the agency leader here tomorrow. You did well on your part. I''ll handle this case myself now."


    Ciaran felt as if he was pardoned from a death sentence. He was afraid that his family would get ughtered under the pretext of Gus''s death, but it seemed he had dodged the bullet.


    On the other hand, Jennifer''s heart sank when she heard this, ''This is bad!''

 Chapter 67 Titan Iron

    ?At night,


    Jacob again sneaked out of the Rain Town and headed toward the cave, where he hid the cage carriage with Tiger Bull.


    He had already made a heart essence injection from Hob Troll''s heart and blood, and it was in his pendant right now.


    However, when Jacob reached the hidden cave, his expression turned ashen because the boulder he used to close the entrance was nowpletely shattered apart as a huge bulldozer hit it.


    He ran toward the cave and when he saw that one side of the cage was broke opened, he cursed out loud, "That damn bull escaped!"


    Jacob couldn''t help but doubt the tranquilizers because he clearly gave it an overdose, and it was enough to let it sleep for two or three days. But it didn''t evenst twenty hours.


    He suddenly had a dangerous proposition about this as he thought with a grim expression, ''Could it be that bull fake its sleeping hours and when I finally drop my guard, it took advantage? I still underestimate a rare species like Tiger Bull in the end. Fuck!''


    However, Jacob knew there wasn''t any reason to cry over spilled milk anymore. He had already done his best and just miscalcted the intelligence of a rare species.


    They adapt just too fast, and this was his first time experiencing this kind of defeat by an animal. Truth be told, it kind of hurt his pride.


    Nevertheless, he wasn''t overly worried because he knew that bull would wreak havoc soon, and it won''t be toote when it got spotted. Or it won''t be toote to hunt it down himself once he broke the 10% threshold.


    He didn''t mind hunting it down at that time, but now he was hesitating to inject this heart essence since he didn''t know how much longer he had until he experienced that hunger attack.


    To find that answer, he summoned Immortika and asked, "Can you tell me how long I canst without eating after crossing the 10%pletion?"


    However, as always, it didn''t answer the question without its sarcasm. "Hahaha¡­ that little bull really pull a fast one on you, didn''t it? Well, don''t worry, you won''t experience a hunger attack for 3 months after every 10%pletion, and that''s only if you don''t eat anything. So, go for it."


    "Can''t you just answer the damn question for once?" He rebuked and closed the book before it could say anything.


    ''I should head back and inject it when Pig Head is head around. It''s not safe here anymore with that livestock on loss.'' Jacob left the cave, but he didn''t forget to take the broken cage with him.


    Even the Tiger bull wasn''t able to break this iron and only managed to break the bindings.


    Furthermore, despite this cage size, its weight was extremely light, only 150 KG and, as for drawing attention, Jacob was confident in his speed. Even if someone spotted him, he could just say he was bringing it to raise livestock, which wasn''t strange at all.


    This time he wasn''t stealthy because of the enormous cage, but the guard didn''t stop him from bringing it in since it was empty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But Jacob failed to notice just after he left that one guard quickly headed toward Lord Manor.


    Jacob''s appearance was quite eye-catching because of his bright silver hair, and everyone knows in the rain town that the new C-rank mercenary had silver hair and a handsome appearance.


    Jacob reached Isaac Smithery and when Isaac noticed the iron used in that cage he nearly jumped in shock.


    "Where did you find it?!" He eximed as if he was in a dream.


    Jacob coolly answered, "Don''t ask a meaningless question. Can you work with it or not?"


    Isaac didn''t ask again and thought for a moment as he shook his head with great regret, "I''m ashamed I can''t craft it into those parts you ordered. If I''m not wrong, this is the famous Umon Grade Titan Iron of the Earthen Kingdom. It''s not only extremely sturdy but lightweight.


    "I don''t know how you get your hands on it but just a gram of it worth, 10 Gold Coin, and here we have almost 200KG of pure Titan Iron. Which means almost 2 million gold coins!


    "Only the Gun Smith Guild has this much Titan Iron in their possession, and only they can help you with it."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed with a hint of disappointment, but he knew Isaac won''t y tricks with him. As for those two million gold coins, he wasn''t fazed by it at all. Money was the least bit of his worries right now.


    Because he knew if he sold it to the agency, some people might take an unwanted interest in him or from where he got it from.


    Jacob asked, "Then can you make two short swords and turn the rest into iron bricks of one KG each? You can have five bricks, and we''ll consider our ount close?"


    Isaac''s eyes brighten hearing this, he knew even if someone had money this Titan Iron wasn''t easy to get and five kg of it was generous enough for someone like him who probably could never get into contact with this Titan Iron in his entire life.


    He couldn''t help but felt grateful to Jacob because, from the moment he met him, his skills improved tremendously. He was an honest man and an upright person. Furthermore, he wasn''t greedy for momentary gains.


    Additionally, he knew someone like him won''t be able to survive with this much wealth, so it was enough to just have a good rtionship with Jacob.


    He replied, "I can do that. Your previous order would take three more weeks and included this order. Give me one more week."


    Jacob shook his head. "I need those swords in two days. You can take your time with the rest. But don''t show this to anyone, hide it. I don''t want unnecessary attention, and it would also put your life in danger. I hope you understand."


    Isaac thought for a moment and nodded solemnly. "Don''t worry, I understand. You can collect your swords in two days!"

 Chapter 68 Visitors

    ?Jacob returned to his house and directly entered the basement to start the injection procedure.


    This time, when he took the injection, his expression suddenly changed when that heart essence started to course through his veins.


    This time he felt a sharp pain in his blood vessels and his heart seemed to be expanding in his chest and then reducing.


    Suddenly, he heard a cracking sound that wasing out of his rib cage, and he caught up blood and groan in pain.


    ''Just what is happening!'' He was in extreme pain, but he could still bear it.


    But he could also feel those bones were mending slowly, as the pain was also decreasing. He wasn''t in impending danger.


    The dark mark in his heart was also bing more and more visible with every heartbeat.


    Thereupon, Jacob noticed dark blooding out of his chest pours before it spread all over his body, even his eyes were bleeding in dark blood. But this time he didn''t feel any pain, but as that blood was gushing out, he felt lighter and lighter.


    This process onlysted for five minutes and so was the essence absorption process, since it was only from an umon species.


    Furthermore, Jacob could feel the change in his heart rhythm, and it was almost soundless, and his body had be weightless. He felt it was someone else''s body.


    As he tried to stand up, his palms left a deep crack on the stony floor, but he could also feel the pain in his hand, he eximed, "It seemed I got more power than my body could handle and if I used it carelessly, I might get hurt. I have to start eating soon. I could feel that light hunger again¡­"


    Jacob noticed the process onlyst for over fifteen minutes, and he mused it was because the more heart essence he absorbed, the faster the process would get.


    He straight headed toward the bath before he cleaned himself, and he noticed he had be slightly burly from his ripped self and slightly taller.


    After cleaning himself up, he took the advantage of the nighttime and started to turn more heart and blood into heart essence.


    He wasn''t nning on leaving until he absorbed all the heart essence, and he still had two days until his swords got ready.


    Afterward, he was nning to look for that Tiger Bull on the run.


    He was extremely confident in subduing it now with his current strength, and it was also the only piece of nutrition that can help him convert his body in one fell swoop, not to forget about its heart essence.


    This time after making an injection, Jacob didn''t wait or go into the basement and directly absorbed it, and just as he suspected, the heart essence of this umon crimson strip hyena got absorbed in five minutes, and he didn''t feel any change at all.


    ''Although, I''m raising the percentage. But at this rate, I might need hundreds of umon species toplete this process¡­'' Jacob mused as he put another heart and blood into the boiler.


    ''Nah, I''m too impatient, like the old days. I should calm myself down and think with a tranquil mind.'' Jacob smile and returned to this resting position.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, after he just absorbed the third umon heart essence and was about to put thest one on the boiler, he heard a sharp knock on his door for the first time he came to live in this house.


    ''It seemed news of my return spread quite quickly. Only those bigwigs around here will try to approach me, though. It might be cumbersome to offend them for no reason. Let''s see who you are.''


    Jacob hid the distition equipment and headed toward the door. He wasn''t afraid of anyone in this town or in this kingdom as a matter-of-factly, right now. So, he didn''t have to hide his face here anymore.


    ''This heartbeat rhythm is quite peculiar, calm, and sturdy. At least a C Rank. The other is slightly fast while the third one is seemed to be in high gear, probably, agitate.'' Jacob''s hearing has be extremely precise after this small breakthrough, and he started to notice unique heart rhythms.


    This could be a terrifying ability if he could refine it to a top level. But he wasn''t even close yet.


    Just as the door opened,


    An old man and a youth appeared in his view.


    Surprisingly, they were Austin and Kai!


    Behind them was the butler of Taran''s house, Hand, with a somewhat pale expression on his face as he looked at Jacob with somewhat apologetic, yet uneasy, eyes.


    ''What''s the deal with him?'' Jacob looked at the refine old man in butler clothes and wondered.


    But he merely nced at him as he looked at the old man in a blue suit.


    He impassively said, "What do you want?"


    Hand wanted to warn Jacob about Austin, but he knew better, so he remained silent since he knew Austin and Kai had followed him for some other reason. If he messed it up, it might inflict the house, Taran, so he could only watch helplessly.


    Who would''ve thought this old knight would be interested in meeting with Jacob, the new C rank mercenary of rain town, and followed Hand here when he was about toe with a meeting gift from the Town Lord?


    Hand knew if Jacob had a poor impression of the house Taran, they could just forget about his friendship. In the end, it all depended on Austin now.


    Austin looked at the silver-haired young man, and he suddenly felt he wasn''t just merely a random C-rank mercenary like Jonty.


    He was full of openings, but Austin has this strange feeling that if he made a move, he might regret it.


    Austin smiled amiably and said, "I''m Austin Port, an Eight Rank Junior Knight. I''m here out of curiosity. Please forgive my blunt visit."


    Kai couldn''t help but looked at his teacher with a hint of a surprise because this wasn''t his usual style to talk with these mercenaries!

 Chapter 69 The Three Hegemonies

    ?Jacob''s cocked an eye when heard the word. Knight.


    He naturally knows about the backbone of the Humane Kingdom, the Knight Order!


    It was not because he was curious; it was because these knights had too many story books about them. It was quite clear that it was done deliberately to encourage the Knighthood withinmon folks and inspired them to join the Knight Order.


    However, Jacob has nothing to do with those folktales, and he wasn''t interested in bing a Knight, no matter how many benefits they would offer him because the humans were too weak and can''t sustain his needs.


    If the humans were like the mountain giant race, he might''ve considered setting here for a decade or two, but he knows it was just a pipe dream.


    After encountering those hob trolls, he was even more sure that humans were in constant danger and very easy to push around, so he had an even worse image of them right now.


    Nevertheless, this didn''t give him the reason to antagonize the Knights from Knight Order, since they might bring unnecessary troubles to his door.


    He still needed to stay for some time in here, so he didn''t n to fall with the strongest force of this kingdom. Unless they''re courting death themselves.


    He looked at Austin and nodded slightly. "No need to be polite. Come in."


    Jacob brought the guests into the small living room, where a table and two chairs were.


    He took one chair and pointed toward the other. "I don''t have any more chairs, since I wasn''t expecting other guests."


    Hand''s expression changed and Kai''s eyes turned stony as he was about to rebuke him when Austin took the chair and sat down with a smile.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t take your precious time. You two wait outside."


    Austin''s words made Kai stand down with resentful eyes, and gave Hand a tremendous surprise since he knew Jacob was just being extremely rude. But Austin didn''t react at all, and he started to get suspicious that they both know each other.


    But when he saw Kai clenching his fist slightly, he thought otherwise. They both left the two alone.


    Jacob didn''t even nce at Kia or Hand all this time, so their departure wasn''t anything for him.


    He asked impassively, "So, what brings Sir Knight to my door? If you were just an hourter, I was going to leave for another trip."


    Austin smiled amiably and reply, "I was here out of curiosity to see what kind of C rank mercenary has appeared here. As you know, people use the identity loophole all the time, and it''s seldom that a C rank mercenary appeared, especially in such a small town."


    Jacob coolly replied, "This ce suits me for the time being, so I decided to register from here."


    Austin nodded in understanding and didn''t discuss further into it, since everyone has their reasons.


    His eyes suddenly turned sharp as he said, "I can tell you are extremely strong, far stronger than me. You also look like someone with hidden motives. So, I won''t beat around the bush with someone like you. I want to invite you to join the ck Knight Order!"


    Jacob didn''t react, but his lip curled slightly. "ck Knight Order? Let me guess, it''s some personal army under the crown, and they are free to do whatever they want, but they had to protect the royal family whenever they are in danger.


    "Or, they are some kind of assassination squad or like this. Let me tell you straight, I will not join anything if it''s affected my freedom."


    Austin pursed his lips. "You didn''t even hear me out and directly rejected me? Don''t you want to know what the ck Knight Order is?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob shrugged. "My answer is the same. I will not join anything if it affects my freedom."


    Austin sighed, "I will still tell you. You can then decide to join or not."


    Jacob remained silent and let Austin continue.


    "You see, the ck Knight Order is different from the Knight Order because it wasn''t made public and only nobles know about it.


    "The ck Knight Order isn''t under anyone''smand, not even the crown, but it''s under the Nightmare Knight Legion."


    "Nightmare Knight Legion?" Jacob''s interest was suddenly piqued when he heard this unfamiliar name.


    Austin nodded, "Yes, the Nightmare Knight Legion is like the Start Mercenary Agency, Apothecary Guild, and Gunsmith Guild. You''re probably wondering why such an organization isn''t famous as the other three, right?"


    Jacob nodded. He had already known about three famous forces that represent and target unique aspects of professions.


    Austin smiled, "Just like the Star Mercenary Agency had the Zodiac Taurus Bank, and the Apothecary Guild and Gunsmith Guild had the Alchemy Guild behind them, the Nightmare Knight Legion also has the Zodiac Warriors Alliance behind them."


    ''So, there were some important parts they missed in those books, huh? It seemed this Alchemy Guild and Zodiac Warriors Alliance are on the same level as the Zodiac Taurus Bank.


    ''But the Zodiac Taurus Bank seemed more famous and open than the other two or they simply aren''t worried about influence?'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with uncertainty.


    "Please, continue." Jacob nodded in understanding.


    Austin smile meaningfully as he had already guessed Jacob didn''t have this kind of information, and he knew he had to convince Jacob with facts if he wanted to persuade him.


    He said, "These three are the three hegemonies in four regions and their roots are so deep no one knows where they end, so no race goes against them.


    "As for why I tell you about the other two? It was because it would be simple to understand this way.


    "First, the Alchemy Guild, their strongest strength is their control over life knowledge, the forerunner of life, and unimaginable technology. They had all kinds of knowledge of different professions which greatly affects our life and others, even wars.


    "That''s why they were dreaded by everyone, and on one dare to fall out with them. The Apothecary Guild and Gunsmith Guild were just fragments of their knowledge. We humans just weren''t interested enough to arouse their further interest.


    "Second, the Zodiac Taurus Bank, I don''t have to introduce them since you might''ve already known. Their strongest strength is wealth and their way to keep increasing it and keeping it safe.


    "The biggest reason for Zodiac Taurus Bank is one of the three hegemony, is their way to protect the wealth they controlled, and they had many mysterious ways to hunt you down if you ever try to rob them.


    "That''s why everyone trusted them, even those arrogant Apothecaries and Gunsmiths, have ounts and safes in the Zodiac Taurus Bank.


    "Lastly, the Zodiac Warriors Alliance. They didn''t have the knowledge or technology like the Alchemy Guild, nor did they have the wealth of Zodiac Taurus Bank.


    "But it ranked first between three hegemonies, do you know why?" Austin smiled mysteriously, which made Jacob''s eyes narrow with prudence!

 Chapter 70 Black Knight Order

    ?Jacob impassively replied, "Enlightened me." But the wariness in his eyes increased.


    He suddenly felt like a frog in the well who only see the world with that narrow viewpoint.


    Austrian said, "Zodiac Warriors Alliance is the strongest because they only had fighters or true warriors in their ranks and they didn''t let just any tom dick and harry into their ranks, even if it''s the Nightmare Knight Legion


    "They only give ess to the Nightmare Knight Legion through a kingdom''s army while creating a ck Knight Order within the army, and then to join the Nightmare Knight Legion through the ck Knight Order you have to be someone below the age of thirty and strength equivalent to a C Rank Mercenary."


    Jacob''s eyes shine with understanding, he finally understood why Austin was going to such a great length to tell him all this. It was because of his young appearance.


    Austin''s next words just confirmed his guess, "The moment I saw you I can guess you''re extremely young, and I don''t want you to waste your youth and potential like those fools in the wild and then die.


    "I''m training my foster son to enter the ck Knight Order and he might be able to make it in the uing test. But on the other hand, you arepletely another story, you are like those youths trained under first-ss knights.


    "That''s why you''ll get into the ck knight order and then might have a chance to enter the Nightmare Knight Legion.


    "I won''t lie to you about the Nightmare Knight Legion, only someone with B Rank Mercenary Strength and age below forty can join their ranks. In the history of our human race, only three humans managed to join them.


    "The current Marshal of the Knight Order is also a Nightmare Knight and he is the strongest person in humanity. That''s why everyone is afraid of offending the knights."


    Austin''s voice was filled with longing and worshiped in the end. But there was also bitterness since he knew he had little potential, he wasn''t even qualified to enter the ck Knight Order and that was why he trained Kai to fulfill the biggest regret of his life.


    However, Jacob wasn''t moved by Austin''s speech in the least bit, and all his focus was on the information about the Zodiac Warriors Alliance.


    ''I have to be careful of this alliance. Since they are so strict with their selection process, then they are really not to trifle with. Who knows what kind of existences are within their ranks to have them be the strongest force.''


    He looked at Austin who was stillmenting about his past, he said, "You say they didn''t have anything the other two powers have, then what do they have to offer?"


    Austin was surprised by Jacob''s uninterested expression and thought it was his fault for getting off rails, he didn''t tell Jacob about the true strength of the alliance and directly told him about the joining process.


    He said, "I''m sorry I got slightly emotional. So, as I said, they had fighters, but what drew those fighters and made them strive to join the alliance is not wealth or any technology, but the Fighter Manuals in their possessions.


    "Don''t look down on these Fighter Manuals, although there isn''t much information about them in Knight Order. But ording to some senior knights, those Fighter Manuals have the ability to increase your fighting potential and prowess!"


    ''Just that?'' Jacob felt his expectations got burned all of a sudden.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But when he thought from the perspective of someone like Austin, he thought it made sense that all those fighting maniacs would choose to join the alliance since money and knowledge cane with power as well!


    Furthermore, he knew there might be some important information being held back and someone like Austin or the ordinary Knight from Knight Order won''t know theplete mystery of these Fighter Manuals.


    Nevertheless, he was still halfhearted because he had a manual of his own that can increase his strength to an unknown height, so the allure of this alliance was almost like dry meat to him.


    As long as he wasn''t desperate, he won''t eat it no matter what!


    But he can''t tell this Austin, since he told him this information which gave him more prospects about this world, he won''t be ruthless to the old knight.


    He said as he nodded, "So, how can I join this ck Knight Order?"


    Austin smiled broadly as if he had already expected it, "You just have to head toward the royal city and pass the examination of ck Knight Academy in six months."


    Jacob nodded, but he suddenly sensed something and asked, "I think you''re missing something? I heard you guys hate the mercenary agency, but why did you promote the ck Knight Order?"


    Austin''s expression changed ever so slightly, but Jacob noticed it and he knew he had hit a bull''s eye!


    Austin sighed, "You''re just too sharp for your own good. But since you have noticed it, I''ll tell you which you''re supposed to know after the test. This is also good since you won''t think I trick you.


    "The thing is, the ck Knight Academy ept anyone under the age of thirty as long as they passed the strength andprehension test. But they only train them until they reached the age of 39. No matter at what age you joined, you''ll be kicked out at the age of 39.


    "As to the reason for this rule, it''s because, during your stay in the academy, you have to be a True ck Knight, which is equivalent to a B rank mercenary.


    "If you seed, you''ll get a chance to join the Nightmare Knight Legion Academy in Rare Province as long as you pass the entrance test.


    "But if you failed¡­" He deeply looked at Jacob''s cold eyes and sighed, "If you failed, you have to join the ck Knight Order Academy as a teacher and serve your kingdom for your entire life. It''s the rule of every kingdom with ck Knight Academy!


    "This is the steep price to pay for who wants to join the Nightmare Knight Legion. Since they had already spent resources on you and let you practice in the Fighter Manuals, they won''t leave you free.


    "But don''t worry¡­"


    Jacob cut Austin short with his icy voice, "I understand. I''ll consider it. You may leave now!"

 Chapter 71 Visitors Again?!

    ?Austin left Jacob''s house with a slightly regretful expression.


    He looked at Jacob''s stoic face and sincerely said, "Please consider it carefully. I''ll be staying here for some days, if you have any questions, you can find me in the lord''s manor anytime."


    Jacob merely nodded before he closed the door.


    Kai couldn''t help but utter in an unhappy tone, "How rude! Teacher, why did you give him so much face while he doesn''t put you in his eye?"


    Austin walked toward the exit and said faintly, "He''s worthy of this respect. If he can give up his pride this time, I think you two might meet soon in the examination."


    Kai''s expression changed as he questioned, "Don''t tell me¡­"


    "Yes, I invited him. But he''s too sharp for his own good. Let''s see what happened. I tried my best in the end." Austin sighed and didn''t continue the topic anymore.


    Kai also remained silent but deep within his eyes, a killing intent shed!


    Hand had no idea what they were talking about, but he knew he won''t be able to present the gifts after he saw Jacob closing the door at Austin.


    ---


    Jacob returned after making sure those three left the vicinity of his house.


    He couldn''t help but sneered, "That old goat wanted to trick me into taking this ck knight academy''s test, and then I would be forever tied by the Humane Kingdom if I can''t achieve a B rank or pass the test in the rare region.


    "I bet that Marshal fellow is at the bottom of this organization and probably exhausted his talent and send back to promote the organization. Who wouldn''t want to be like him if they were normal?


    "But that Marshal is just a pretty disy here in the umon region, while he didn''t mean shit in the rare region. Heh, trying to y with this old man? You''re a life early, humph!"


    Jacob was extremely displeased in the end, the slightly good feeling he had toward Austinpletely vanished.


    He wasn''t a fool, and he knew these things very well. An organization that allowed others to take from it, will always take back and much more than the others took from it.


    This was like a ve contract. Once you sign, no matter what you do in your life, you can never escape from it. The others will find a way to exploit it and you will fall deeper and deeper into that endless hole until you died.


    Jacob was just too familiar with this process.


    This Zodiac Worrier Alliance was doing just that. Although they gave the methods to be strong, they took away your freedom.


    Furthermore, their way of doing it was quite meticulous because they won''t directly enve anyone to them but instead they let them serve in their homes, which no one felt ufortable with or thought of rebelling.


    The nations would also be pleased with this setting because they were getting the trained soldiers by the Zodiac Worrier Alliance and they would even promote it with everything they had.


    However, Jacob knew if this alliance ever felt threatened by a big enemy, these prideful discarded fools would be the first ones to summon back and be the cannon folds.


    At that time, those nations won''t have the guts to reject them nor those fools will dare to raise any objection since in their mind they were being rewarded by summoning back.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Heh, they''re using the way of creating longing and then giving back with more longing.'' Jacob smiled disdainfully.


    Even if he was desperate enough to join such an organization in the future, he would make sure to leave a way out.


    Because he didn''t want to have such a big enemy on his tail unless he didn''t have reason to, and besides, he knew eventually he won''t be afraid of these hegemonies.


    But as long as he can remain neutral, he doesn''t take the path of war and avoid it, if he could.


    That was why he asked Austin to leave rudely, since it won''t create much hope in the old man''s mind, nor would he feel resentful toward Jacob because he knew the pros and cons himself.


    Throwing the matter with Austin''s back of his head, he started thest distition process again.


    It was alreadyte at night when Jacob was done with brewing and injecting.


    He didn''t fatigue at all, but he felt the hunger that was increasing with each injection and he was nning to head to the wildness again as soon as he got the titan iron swords.


    But the peace didn''tst long, as he wee another visitor the next morning.


    This time, there were two, and Jacob was even slightly familiar with one of them.


    It was none other than the vice leader of the rain town mercenary agency, Ralf.


    With Ralf was another middle-aged man with short pepper salt hair, average height, and tone build.


    The man introduces himself with a polite smile, "I''m the Leader of Star Mercenary Agency in Rain Town, Warren!"


    However, to both men''s surprise, Jacob didn''t even invite them in and asked in a vexed tone, "What do you both want? I''m telling you, I won''t join anyone, no matter what you offer me."


    Warren nced at Ralf with a questionable gaze, and Ralf shrugged. He meant he had no idea why this fellow was like this.


    Although Ralf had a brief encounter with Jacob, he still didn''t know his personality. He had already invited Jacob to meet with Warren, but he never appeared and instead vanished for over a month.


    It was yesterday they received news of his return and thought he would visit them since they consider it beneath them to visit Jacob with their status.


    But when they heard, Austin had paid Jacob''s a visit with the man''s own mouth beforeing to them.


    They suddenly felt something was amiss and came here first thing in the morning.


    But Jacob was just cold and without any manner, he didn''t give them any face at all, despite their introduction.


    This made them slightly unhappy, especially Warren, who had a bad temper!

 Chapter 72 Scaring Away Visitors!

    ?Despite his displeasure, Warren didn''t rebuke and pull a smile and said, "I learn you joined when I was out of town, which was quite unfortunate. However, Vice Leader Ralf invited you for a visit but you never came. So, I came personally to satisfy my curiosity."


    Jacob impassively replied, "Are you satisfied now?"


    Ralf''s expression turned unkind at this moment as he sternly said, "Kid, don''t push your luck anymore. We are here with good inten¡­"


    Before he could finish his word, a blur shed before Ralf''s eyes, and the next moment he suddenly felt the powerful w on his mouth which was clenching his entire jaw, almost to the point of breaking it.


    Ralf tried to struggle but no matter what he couldn''t get free from Jacob''s w on his mouth, fear creeped out in his eyes.


    ''Moooo¡­''


    Warren''s heart palpitated as he looked at Jacob, who had a cold smirk on his face while he held Ralf like he was a helpless rabbit. He didn''t even see when Jacob moved and he finally understood they were barking up the wrong tree this time.


    Truth be told, these two were like gangsters of this town, they collect monthly free from every mercenary who stayed in the rain town and the lord''s mansion.


    They both used their positions to take advantage of the powerless since they knew as long as they won''t offend anyone with a higher status, they won''t get in trouble.


    The agency would protect them from minor charters like the Town Lord as long as won''t go too far.


    Even Jonty had to pay them if he wanted to stay here!


    They have been doing this for years now, and never suffer any bacsh¡­ well, until today.


    When they found out Austin has met with Jacob, they thought he was moving away from here and wanted to test the water.


    If it was true, they won''t interfere or show their true colors, but if it was just their spection, then they would demand the monthly fee from him.


    However, they never thought Jacob was strong to the point that he could make Ralf immobilized like a chicken.


    Now, Warren perspired as he looked at Ralf, who was struggling while ncing at him with his bloodshot eyes, asking for help.


    Jacob coolly looked at Warren and coldly uttered, "Listen carefully. I''m saying it onest time if you two eyesores appeared anywhere near my sight. I''ll skin you alive right in the middle of the town. Is that clear?"


    Warren couldn''t help but took a step back as his back was filled with cold sweat and eyes with fear.


    He replied in a hoarse voice, "I-I¡­ We understand!"


    Jacob nodded in satisfaction, as he waved his other hand and toss Ralf like a rag doll.


    Warren''s eyes nearly popped up from their ce when he saw Raft was literally flying out of the fence!


    Warren suddenly felt like pping Ralf silly since he didn''t even recognize this monster in human skin and nearly bring them to the death door!


    Jacob looked at Warren, which made him ttered, "Fuck off and announce this as well. If anyone had some business with me, they can send written letters. If they dare to knock on my door and disturb me anymore¡­" He smiled viciously, "Heh, I''ll find you."


    Warren hurriedly nodded before he fled without caring about Ralf, whoy in the middle of the road, listlessly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob closed the door again and shake his head in frustration. ''This should put an end to those scheming idiots'' visits.''


    Afterward, no more visitors appeared, which made Jacob content mentally, yet he was restless physically because of that creeping hunger. He had already eaten everything in the house, but he just couldn''t get satisfied.


    This made him even more eager to start this hunting season because he could get umon animals'' meat in the wild, which was far more nutritious than thesemon animals.


    Even if he failed in finding the tiger bull, he can still slowly quench that hunger with umon animals out there.


    When the first ray of light shone on the rain town, Jacob exited his house and directly head toward the smithery.


    Isaac was waiting for Jacob when he appeared and handed him two sheathed, curved, short swords.


    Jacob grab those dark hilts and draw those fourteen inches swords, and thin dark des appeared giving of cold dark sheen.


    He looked at Isaac and nodded. "Thanks, they should be enough for now."


    Isaac smiled in satisfaction. "Those short swords should be able to cut rocks like butter, without leaving a scratch on the des. I should be the one thanking you for giving me the chance to work with titian iron."


    Jacob replied as he attached those scabbards to his belt. "I might be gone for a while now if I didn''t find what I''m looking for, so keep my things safe."


    Isaac nodded and assured, "Don''t worry, I had a safe ce."


    Jacob merely nod and left.


    He headed straight toward the town gate and left toward the direction where the tiger bull left some trails when it ran away.


    Jacob was pretty sure that bull wasn''t something that will remain low-key, especially not in this ce where it was the strongest.


    Most importantly, Jacob didn''t want someone else to spot it and alert some annoying people, or worst, that hidden force might''ve already been looking for it after they found out about the incident with the tiger bull delivery.


    It was pretty easy to guess since the tiger bull was supposed to be appeared in the lionheart city by now, but it doesn''t so someone might investigate the reason behind it.


    Nevertheless, if they came in his way to get that bull, they will be courting death!


    ---


    On the eastern part of Rainy Mountain Ranges,


    A man with deep wounds on his face and chest was running madly toward the exit of the valley with an aghast face.


    His mind was filled with deep dismay, and fear as he ran.


    ''How could such a creature have appeared in this region? My entire crew was wiped out and if I hadn''t escaped in time, I would''ve been like them as well. Only B-rank mercenaries might deal with it. But that might be toote since it''s heading toward the humane kingdom. I have to hurry!''

 Chapter 73 Finding The Bull

    ?Jacob has been on the bull hunt for over two weeks now, but he had no luck.


    However, it doesn''t mean he hasn''t hunted any prey in these fourteen days. He had already collected two umon hearts and eaten many umon animals of the same species.


    But he could feel the progress was quite slow, and he probably reached 15%patibility with his heart yet.


    Nevertheless, his hunger wasn''t increasing, so this was a plus and he mused this way he might reach a 100%patible rate with his heart in three or four months.


    Three more days pass and Jacob was going deeper within the rainy mountains where umon animals were abundant. But he still has found no trace of that bull or they were all washed away because of the rain.


    But it matters not to him as he continues forward.


    However, on this particr day, Jacob''s ears perked when he noticed footsteps that didn''t belong to animals, and he could tell they wereing from someone on two feet.


    He quickly jumped on a tree and hide.


    Thereupon, a man appeared in an extremely sorry state.


    Jacob noticed the wood on his left shoulder, which was like he was stabled by a thick drill!


    ''The bullhorns!'' He quickly thought of those massive bullhorns and he felt excited.


    However, before he could act, his expression changed slightly and he remained static in his position.


    Thereupon, three clocked figures appeared before that wounded man. They were extremely quick. Even Jacob only noticed them when they were ten meters away from this ce.


    That wounded man was started, but when that man saw they were not wild animals, he nearly cried in joy and relief.


    The next moment, his eyes roll upward as he lost consciousness.


    One of the cloaked figures spoke. "It seemed he''s extremely exhausted, so the moment he saw us that exhaustion washed over him, and now we can''t question him."


    Another voice feminine voice rang, "Heh, we don''t need him anyway, right Captain?"


    The cloaked figure, who was two-meter-tall, spoke in a deep voice, "No, we need to know how that bull escaped, or this person was with the group who interfere with the cargo and then failed to keep it. Most importantly, we need to know if someone has the letter! Awake him."


    The female nodded, "I was waiting for you to say it." there was a hint of wicked tion in her voice.


    Suddenly, a handgun appeared in her hand. She pointed it toward the unconscious man''s crotch and pull the trigger!


    ''Bang!''


    Just as the gunshot voice rang, the unconscious man''s eyes sprang open, filled with extreme agony as his screams filled the area!


    The captain crouched in front of that man''s agonized face and coldly said, "If you want the pain to go away, tell me where do you get that wound?"


    The man seemed to not hear him at all.


    The other man said at this moment, "He''s in hyperbolic shock. I don''t think he can talk."


    The captain waited for a moment before his hand suddenly blurred and he stood up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But the man has stopped screaming, and there was a finger hole in the man''s forehead right now. A drop of blood fell on the ground from that cloaked figure.


    "How fast." The woman seemed to click her tongue in wonder as she admired that clean kill.


    The captain said, "It seemed we won''t be able to know for now what happened. At least our dinner is arranged."


    "Hehe, it''s been a long time since I eat the human flesh." The female spoke with ecstasy and she took out a knife.


    Jacob saw all that inhuman scene from the tree not far away. But he remained stoic without feeling anything and all this focus was on those three.


    ''That captain fellow is probably a B-rank or somewhere close to it. Their skin color is also like those hob trolls I killed, which means they are from the same organization and also searching for the tiger bull. And they had some means to track it down. I should follow them,'' Jacob mused.


    Those three cloaked figures fed on that dead human, and then they moved.


    But they had no idea Jacob was following them from a distance.


    Jacob also saw a device like a mobile phone and a red blinking dot could be seen on it and an arrow.


    ''So, they put a tracker inside that bull''s body? It seemed I have to treat this world like my own. They had everything. It''s just that humans don''t, so I can''t keep seeing everything from their perspective anymore.


    ''Well, it''s also a good thing that I ran away or they might''ve caught me off guard when I was in my vulnerable state. But now¡­ heh.'' Jacob coldly smiled.


    Jacob followed that group for three days. He found out they won''t talk with each other much and only used signals sometime or smallmands. They were extremely careful to not reveal anything about their background.


    ''Mooooo¡­''


    They all heard this ghastly roar at this moment and everything thought of the same thing.


    ''Tiger Bull!''


    It was only fifty meters away from their current location.


    The captain signaled them with a hand and those two quickly go in a different direction and moved in.


    Jacob was already hiding within the trees, with no intention of joining them. He wanted to see their strength, even though he had some idea where they stand.


    But he was still going to enjoy the show.


    Those three slowly moved in with silent steps and halted.


    Just ten meters away from their positiony a crimson bull with tiger-like white straps around its body and a pair of crimson bullhorns.


    That tiger bull was munching on a big leopard, which he probably just ughtered.


    The captain again signal and the other two took out their firearms. He held a silver axe in his one hand and an action pump in the other.


    He suddenly charged at full speed as he roared,


    "Attack!"

 Chapter 74 Killer Skull Society (1)

    ?"Attack!"


    The Tiger Bull instantly notices the attackers and stands straight while lower his head. It was taking a charging stance to ck the attacker with an axe and shotgun.


    However, before the bull could charge, gunshots rang from a distance and one of them pierce into its left eye!


    ''Moooww!''


    It roared in frenzy and went berserk as itpletely forgot about any pain and madly charged toward the attacker in sight!


    The attack with an axe was ready for this and he first took a shot at the bull''s right eye, ''Boom!''


    The gauge was packed with special types of sharp nails and the moment it burst, the bull''s head was filled with small holes as blood gushed out.


    However, it didn''t slow it down in the least bit and it roar more violently as it charged.


    The cloaked man seemed to expect this and when the bull was only a meter away from him, he suddenlyunched himself in the air!


    The bull then naturally lost its target, but the man was now in the air right above the bullhorns.


    Within an instant, that man through let go of his shotgun and grabbed one of the bullhorns, and somersaulted on the bull''s back!


    The bull naturally wasn''t happy about it and started to jump around to throw its attacker off!


    However, that man''s grip was solid, and he didn''t lose his bnce. The very next moment thereafter, he lifted his axe and swing it with full force, and itnded right in the middle of the bull''s head!


    Yet, it only managed to cut through the skin and little muscles, its skull was still undamaged!


    ''That''s why it''s so hard to deal with!'' the man thought with some frustration.


    But he didn''t stop swinging and kept hitting the skull until it was finally broken!


    The bull let loose onest eerily cry before it fell on the ground with a big thump, raising a dust cloud!


    The other two appeared from the woods at this time.


    "It was really intense, far better than anal!" The woman spoke hysterically.


    "Tsk, nasty woman." The second one clicked his tough as he kept his distance and look at the man with a bloody axe in his hand.


    "So, that''s how you kill a tiger bull, huh?" His voice was filled with admiration.


    "Heh, it''s the only weak ce it had. If you go for its body or neck even, then you''re only wasting your energy and¡­"


    ''Swish¡­''


    However, before he could finish his sentence, a dark blur shed past his neck, like a gust of cold yet sharp wind.


    The other two only noticed when the body and head separated and start falling.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But in this small window, another gust of sharp wind blew past that woman!


    Now, only thest person remains, and he only reacts when he heard hisrades'' heads falling to the ground.


    "Ahhhhh¡­." He screams historically and starts pulling the trigger of his gun madly, as he shot in all directions without aiming!


    Even after emptying it, he was still clicking the trigger while spinning like a lunatic. In the end, he exhausted himself and fell on his butt, groaning and panting.


    "Heh, already done?"


    This icy voice was like a lightning bolt that jolted that fellow.


    "P-please, I¡­. I don''t want to die! I''ll give you everything, just please let me go. I-I won''t tell anyone!" He starts prostrating himself while crying.


    The cloak on his face also fell at this moment. It was an ugly, skinny Hob Troll.


    Jacob appeared in front of the crying fellow with a cold smirk on his face. He had long decided to spear this fellow because he wanted information.


    He had noticed while following these three that this hob troll never acts unless it was necessary, and avoided a dangerous situation while shielding himself with the other two. They were both fearless, and that woman was straight-crazy.


    Moreover, this fellow seemed to know about medicine. So, Jacob concluded that this fellow was afraid of death, and he was perfect to extract information from.


    He wanted to know just what kind of organization was behind them and why they were looking for this bull. It wasn''t just a simple reason to recover that letter or kill it.


    It was more to their advantage if they simply let it roam freely in human towns. There was more than to meet the eye, and he wanted to know because he had this strange feeling that it wasn''t over yet.


    All in all, Jacob wanted to know if they had a way to link all this back to him or not!


    "Alright, I''ll let you run. But you have to answer my question first." Jacob coolly stated.


    The hob troll finally looked up with his snort-filled face. His eyes widened with disbelief when he saw this was a human!


    But he quickly nodded his head. His life was more important than some pity enmity between their predecessors.


    "Who are you, and why are you here?" asked Jacob.


    "I''m Skull No. D-198938833 from Killer Skull Society. As for why we were here, only he knows." Skull No. D-198938833 pointed toward the beheaded man.


    However, a dark blur brushed past Skull No. D-198938833''s arm, and the next moment it dropped separately from his elbow!


    "Ahhhhhh¡­" He reacts a momentter and shrieks like a dying pig the next moment.


    Jacob coldly looked at him. "Did I forget to tell you? My bad then, listen, you fuck face, every time you lie I''ll cut a part of our body, and after you left with no part, I''ll skin you alive, and trust me, I won''t let you die!"


    Skull No. D-198938833 finally spills the beans, "W-we were only told¡­ to¡­ to kill the tiger bull and investigate the whereabouts of a missing letter. I¡­ I swear, he only tells us this much. Our ranks were lower than his, and he knew more details than us. Please, just let me go!"


    "Intriguing." Jacob pulls a spooky smile at this moment, "Something tells me you have some idea why he was here. So, are you going to tell me nicely or not?"

 Chapter 75 Killer Skull Society (2)

    ?Skull No. D-198938833 felt like he was stared at by a demon and horridly speak, "I-I¡­ I think he was here for the tracker in that bull''s body because it can tell us locations where it has been for the past three months.


    "N-no, I''m sure of it because if they wanted to track the letter, they would retract the footsteps of the tiger bull to see where all it happened and find clues about it. Furthermore, I think that guy was after the titan iron cage as well because it is worth a small fortune! Please, I know nothing else!"


    Jacob deeply looked at the crying Skull No. D-198938833 with squinted eyes.


    ''The tracking device can be traced back to the bull''s location? If that''s the case, they might really be here for that letter. But I still can''t reach any conclusion right now.''


    He said, "Tell me about this Killer Skull Society."


    Skull No. D-198938833 finally felt some relief when Jacob stop questioning about the mission.


    He said, "It''s a Dark Organization without any ties with any race or region, even if they had, with our ranking I simply didn''t have the right to know. But one thing is for certain, they had ample resources.


    "They approached me on their own ord with an invitation and if I want to join them, then I have toplete the assignment in that invitation to prove my loyalty and resolve.


    "Then, if they are satisfied with my response¡­ they¡­ they sent another invitation with my special ID Number. Any future contacts were done with the same method to insure their secrecy.


    "The current mission was the same, but this was my first time attending a team mission and meeting with others members of the society as well."


    Jacob couldn''t help but though with a hint of astonishment in his eyes, ''They''re like the sleeper cells of a terrorist organization, huh?''


    "What''s the purpose of this Killer Skull Society and why do they approach you?" He questioned.


    "Their dictum is they are changing the world for the better and seeking a justifiable position for us powerless. I was just a random cowardly nobody who was always bullied by the rich and that''s why I agree with their viewpoint and joined their ranks.


    "They not only give me a purpose but also wealth and help me see the hope. Nevertheless, I''m not frantic enough to die for this cause as well. I''ll leave to themon region and you won''t see me ever again." Skull No. D-198938833 plead.


    Jacob''s lips curled upward. "Man, a terrorist society, really? What about the ranks? Your name is your ID, right?"


    "They had the same rank as mercenary agency A, B, C, D, E, F, but each rank had a skull word attached to it. But we can''t move up ranks like the mercenaries. We have toplete missions to move on thedder.


    "As for my name, from the moment we join the society, our names be our ID numbers. They encourage us to state our ID numbers instead of our names to show just how many skulls we have after us.


    "Furthermore, the lesser the number the older and stronger the Skull is, I only know this much about it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hmm, interesting. So, you have no loyalty toward your kind anymore? If they asked you to cause a massacre in your kingdom, will you do it?" Jacob looked at him nonchntly.


    "As long as it won''t endanger my life, I will. In fact, any member could do the same. They probably selected us because we have no belonging to themunity. However, they never gave me such assignments to harm my kind." He answered.


    "Last question, can you read the content of this letter?" Jacob put his hand in his side pocket and took out the same encrypted letter he looted from the three hob trolls.


    Skull No. D-198938833 eyes widen when he saw the letter in Jacob''s hand and he looked at him in shock, "So, you were the one who intercepted the cargo?!"


    Jacob shrug his shoulders and coolly reply, "I was just in the area and I even asked those three to hand over that tiger bull nicely. But they disagree and now you can imagine after what happened then since I''m standing here while they''re not."


    Skull No. D-198938833 expression turned even more grim as he looked at the nonchnt human, ''So, the bull escaped from him and he was also searching for it and we happened to bump into him?!''


    He took a deep breath and said, "This is my first time seeing those symbols. I never received that kind of letter. But whoever this letter was meant for, they''re at the very high ranking of the society and they might''ve required this letter since they send us here to search for it."


    Jacob sneered, "Can''t they just send another one? Why this bravado?"


    "This I don''t know, but if this letter was from the higher region, then I''m afraid the upper echelon in the umon region won''t dare to report this blunder unless they''re certain they can''t handle the situation themselves. They might''ve been afraid of the punishment." Skull No. D-198938833 truthfully told.


    Jacob thought a moment and nodded. He also thought the same.


    Especially after concluding that this Killer Skull Society was like a terrorist organization, and a blunder in such an organization was uneptable.


    ''This mean, they''ll try every means to get their hands on this letter and continue to investigate unless they hit a stone wall. Well, as long as they didn''t have any A rank here, they would only deliver me more ''gifts'' and make my life easier.'' He suddenly smiled deviously.


    "Thank you for your information. You can scram now." Jacob nced at Skull No. D-198938833 and gave him the go signal.


    Skull No. D-198938833 had already stopped the bleeding from his severed arm and he was waiting for these exact words. He spun around the ran at full speed.


    "Boom!"


    A gunshot ran and the next moment, Skull No. D-198938833''s skull was blown open!


    Jacob scoffed disdainfully as stored his revolver away, "I only say I let you run, not let you go free!"

 Chapter 76 A Feast!

    ?Far away from the Rainy Mountain Range, inside a bright room,


    A burly hob troll was reading some documents with a serious expression on his face.


    ''Took, took¡­''


    Suddenly, he heard noises from the window in on his rare.


    He turned around and saw a small blue bird knowing on the ss window with its small beak.


    He stood up from his chair and move toward the closed window and he opened it without any hesitation.


    The little bird flew inside and sat on his shoulder.


    A small smile appeared on this hob troll''s ugly face as brushed his finger on the little bird''s head.


    However, the next moment, his eyes turned icy, and he suddenly formed a pincer with his thumb and finger and instantly broke the bird''s neck, killing it in an instant!


    "Forgive me, little one." A trace of tear appeared in his eyes as he cradled the dead bird in his hand as if he was in extreme pain.


    The next moment, he took out a knife from a drawer of his table and cut open the bird''s belly, and startling, a small tub appeared!


    The hob troll took out the small tube before it picked up the bloody bird again and mumbled, "You''ll live forever within me!" and then gobbled it whole!


    He then opened the tube, and a small chit appeared. There was writing on it,


    "Skull No. C-871989650 has been crushed!"


    "Skull No. B-349032323 move out."


    "Assignment details and materials have been delivered into the Bank Locker!"


    The hob troll frowned, seeing the content before he swallowed the chit as well.


    "No one is allowed to hinder our noble cause!"


    With that, he opened the door and left.


    ---


    After killing the three hob-troll, Jacob finally turn his attention toward the big prize, which was naturally the tiger bull.


    However, he tried to pierce open its stomach. He soon found out why this bull skin waspatible with iron. He had to use his full strength to cut it open and without the titan iron de; he was afraid no normal de could pierce through this bull''s skin.


    Nevertheless, he just had to work extra hard to guts this bull and he considered it an exercise for himself. After his heart''s new evolution, he had yet to feel fatigued. Only hunger was his biggest enemy.


    But it still took three hours topletely removed the skin and inners. He had already collected the loot from his newly killed hob trolls.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He got six handguns, two shotguns, and one axe, which was clearly made of special material as well. But Jacob tried to swing it on his titian des and it didn''t manage to leave a scratch, which means it was far inferior.


    A total of 2,674 bullets for all the firearms and mercenary IDs from the Earthen Kingdom. Three long knives and twelve small daggers from that crazy hob troll woman, 520 bronze coins, 3,904 silver coins, and 1,726 gold coins.


    Lastly, the tracking device that was still working and showing the dead tiger bull.


    Jacob had found no tracker inside the bull''s body, even after looking for it. Which could only mean it was inside its head, which was still untouched by him.


    ''This shoulde in handy.'' He moved toward the bull''s head, which was already half opened. He then put his inside its gory skull and started to search around.


    ''Here it is!'' He finally found a small gemstone that was nted right on its forehead by someone. This also exins why they needed to kill it. But it also made it clear that whoever put this inside this bull''s head wasn''t someone normal.


    After putting the tracker and tracking device away inside his storage. He looked around, and it was a huge mess. Blood and gore were all over the area and the potent smell.


    "I can''t cook it here."


    Jacob shook his head and picked the huge iron bull, which was now a meat b. He also took his skin and he was nning to make clothes out of it because of its defense.


    As for the others, he left them for the animals to clean them. He had already taken what needed.


    After moving a few miles away from the kill zone, he started to make his camp and the first thing he did was light a huge fire and skewered the entire bull!


    Afterward, he set a nice camp before starting to tend the meat with all kinds of spices he had stored beforeing here, but regretfully, they weren''t enough for such a huge bull.


    The bull was three meters in size and one could imagine just how difficult it was to cook it whole, but Jacob still take it upon himself.


    He knew he can consume it whole, and he was nning to do just that before returning.


    After twelve hours of waiting, the tiger bull was ready to eat and Jacob didn''t stand on ceremony and turned an entire leg piece and start to eat like a barbarian.


    The sky was already filled with rain clouds, and Jacob didn''t want the meat to go bad, especially not this quality.


    As he ate the delicious meat, he felt the hot wave of energy spreading all over his body as his heart beat like crazing. He could literally feel meat being digested within seconds as it reached his stomach.


    Which made him eat even faster than he could feel his body started to get strong!


    It took him three hours to consume the entire bull and bone marrow even.


    Now he felt full of energy and his hunger was no longer apparent. But the greatest change was Jacob was now bulky, like MR. Olympia, which made him frown to no end.


    He didn''t like this kind of physique because it restrained his movement, despite giving him a wide area of motion and strength.


    Then he decided with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I''m going topress my muscles and the best way is to practice that suicidal martial art that lunatic gave me. I never thought anyone is capable of learning it, but now I''m required such a martial art!"

 Chapter 77 An Old Deal

    ?"So, Mr. Jacob, we have finalized our deal with yourpany!" A tall, handsome man held a campaign ss as he purposed a toast to Old Jacob, who seemed to be in histe fifties.


    Old Jacob looked outside the ss wall, as he can see the entire city from this floor, which was a thousand meters from the ground. His eyes were calm and uninterested in anything as he looked at the city from the very top. It was like he had lost his interest in the entire world itself.


    "Mr. Jacob?" The tall man called again.


    Jacob finally looked at the man with a faint smile and nodded. "Yeah, whatever. But I still don''t understand why you purpose a personal meeting while my sons can do the same. You should know I''m about to retire, and my sons will inherit my entire legacy."


    A wily glint sh past the man''s blue eyes as he said, "I know and I''m very grateful that you agree to this meeting. I''m an admirer of yours, Mr. Jacob. You have changed the entire weapon industry in twenty years."


    Jacob didn''t even feel anything as he said, "I heard this thing for a long time. So¡­" His eyes suddenly turned sharp as knives, "Why did you want to meet me? You even gave my Son a billion just to arrange this meeting.


    "If not for your rtionship with that greedy brat, trust me. I''ll blow this entire city from the face of the earth and no one will even ask why I did it. So,st chance, why do you want to meet me before I''m out of here?"


    The man''s eyes were filled with shock now, as he looked at the old man who was still as sturdy as a tower and his muscr build clearly wasn''t from just exercise.


    "Alright, since you already know about my Deal with Ryan, I''lle straight to the point. Everyone with my status knows you only show just a fraction of your research to the world and you have far more to offer, but for some reason, you held back on us¡­"


    Jacob suddenly shook his head and cut the man''s speech, he said, "I''ve seen countless people like you who sound like they wanted to change the world for the better, but in the end, we all know you''re just a power-hungry businessman who wanted to control the world. I''m not wasting my time with you anymore." Finished, he starts walking toward the door.


    The man suddenly panicked and blurted, "Please wait, I heard your wife has terminal cancer and you''ve been searching for a cure or anything that can prolong her life. I can help you with that!"


    Jacob''s footstepse to an abrupt halt and he finally turns around. There were ripples in his eyes, which were as cold as stone just a few moments before.


    "What kind of help?" He asked.


    The man sighed in relief. "My rtionship with Ryan is quite good. He told me about how you are searching for anything that can prolong life or get rid of that terminal cancer.


    "I''m not threatening you or using this as leverage to demand things from you. I just want to trade with you. Anything that is not released to the public will be enough, and I even give Ryan half of the profits from this technology. We can sign a contract if you like." He quickly guaranteed Jacob. He knew threatening this old man was like ying with an atomic bomb naked!


    Jacob deeply looked at the youthful man and said, "So, that little bastard is with you in this, huh?"


    The man wanted to say something, but Jacob wasn''t done.


    "Fine, you win, but I''m warning you, the moment this thinges out in this world, no one will be safe anymore. No bulletproof ss or bomb-proof technology will be able to stop this thing.


    "So, I''m asking you again, do you really want this? People will be able to kill even you while you''re drinking here from a city away. Think about it carefully or I can offer you billions for your information and 2% shares of mypany. What do you think?" Jacob offered.


    However, greed shone in that man''s eyes and he answered without even thinking as if he didn''t listen to Jacob''s warning at all.


    "I want it. Wealth means nothing when you can leave your name in history!" He said with full of confidence.


    "Heh, you''re a lunatic. But since you wanted to go down in history, I''ll give you the Quantum Rifle Technology." Jacob merely chuckled with a dark glint in his eyes.


    ''You dare to use your mother to trap me? I''ll make sure you''ll regret it!'' Jacob''s eyes turned freezing.


    "Quantum Rifle Technology?" The man mumbled with ecstasy and disbelief. He knew what quantum theory was, and it seemed Jacob has some kind of phenomenal breakthrough which was never revealed to the world.


    Now, he can take credit for it and be the richest man on this, even surpassing the current richest man who was standing right in front of him!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Swaying that greedy prick was worth it!'' He thought with ecstasy.


    He didn''t waste more time in case Jacob change his mind and quickly opened a secret safe and took out some papers and a tattered cloth which looked extremely ancient.


    Furthermore, he ced the papers on the table, which was the contract that stated Jacob would give this aforementioned technology to hispany and won''t reveal it to anotherpany, nor can he disclose it was invented by him.


    Half of the profits would be given to Jacob''s second son, Ryan, as well, which was the deal between them.


    But if Jacob yed them after the deal was finalized, he will lose half of his fortune!


    Jacob didn''t read nor did he sign it and looked at the man. "Tell me the information. If it is worth the Quantum Rifle Technology, I''ll sign it."


    The man didn''t dy andy the tatter ancient map on the table. "This is the ancient map passed down to in our family. This led to an old shrine. I have already extracted the contents of this ce and found an ancient book.


    "After deciphering it, we found this was an ancient exercise, a martial art that can not only give fifty years of extra life if practiced sessfully, its practitioner would never fall ill." He told.


    Jacob looked at him like he was looking at a clown. "And I''m supposed to believe that fantasy shit? Even if that''s true, do you think my woman had time to practice this shit at this age? Are you fucking we me?!" He abruptly stood up in fury.


    The man seemed to predict it and said, "I know it sounds absurd, but do you know my age?"


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly widen slightly as he looked at the youthful appearance of this man. "Did you practice it?"


    The man smiled mysteriously. He took out a folder and ce it in front of Jacob.


    Jacob opened it and saw pictures with dates and they were clearly quite old and these kinds of cameras weren''t used in this modern age.


    Jacob saw every photo was from this man in front of him!


    "If you think they are forged, you can have someone check them. I''m currently 59 years old, the same age as you or might be older. As you can see, I''ve found this technique in my youth and practice it ever since and I maintained my youthful appearance.


    "It''s just a pity I can''t cultivate it on the second level because that is just impossible. But if you or your wife can practice this technique for five years, I''m sure you buy her more time and yourself included." The man assured with confidence.


    Jacob''s heart was now beating quickly as he looked at those pictures. Even he could tell they weren''t forged, and the man in front of him was the same person in the pictures. But he still has his doubts.


    "If you can give me the real ancient book to examine, I''ll sign this contract. As you know, I''m a man of my word or you cane to my research facility if you don''t trust me." Jacob said, he was already half convinced, and this was the first time he saw hope in this so he didn''t want to let this chance go.


    The man smiled. "You can have the original book. My family had a copy. I know you''ll make the right choice, Mr. Jacob, and if you want, we can¡­"


    Jacob stood up. "No, this is the first andst deal between you and me. Unless you can offer me immortality itself, don''t try to y any tricks."


    The man sighed regretfully, "Can you tell me why you didn''t want your research to change the world?"


    Jacob smiled skeptically. "Why didn''t you want to share this technique with the world, then?"


    The man chuckled, "We are both the same in the end."


    Jacob shook his head, "You are a blind lunatic, while I''m long past this stage!"

 Chapter 78 Art Of Nature: Water Meditation

    ?Jacob couldn''t help but felt nostalgic when he remembered that meeting decades ago and smiled lightly.


    ''In the end, it still took them thirty years to create one Quantum Rifle, while I waspletely obsessed with finding how to increase my life and grasping every straw I can.


    ''The Art of Nature I got from that lunatic was really authentic and might be the biggest reason I lived that long. That ancient book helped Hope live another twenty years as well. But it was just too difficult to progress any higher because we start practicing it toote in our life. If we have got it in our youthful years¡­''


    Jacob couldn''t help but sigh sadly, but soon he locked those sad memories deep in his mind again. Only the memories of the ancient book were left in his mind, and hepletely concentrated on it.


    ''The Art of Nature, the ancient exercise that can help humans to tap into their secret potential. It can increase the lifespan, but it was also deadly if someone makes mistakes. It can have an opposite effect as well.


    ''That''s why even that lunatic didn''t dare to practice too deep into this technique. Even I, at that time, it seemed impossible to practice and thought it was probably just a legend. But now¡­''


    Jacob pulled a sharp smile on his face as he left the ce to find a water source.


    The Art of Nature was the name of that ancient book he once trade for one of his secret technology, as well as to teach those greedy businessmen a lesson that sometimes they should leave some things to remain hidden for the greater good.


    Especially his second son, Ryan, who was the greediest one, and was after Jacob''s hidden research all his life.


    In the end, he was content with the Quantum Sniper Technology because he thought it was the only technology Jacob had hidden since there didn''t even dare to imagine that he could''ve hidden more superior technology.


    But no one knows just how much hid in Jacob''s mind except Jacob himself.


    He had destroyed all this research so it would never see the light of the day after he became obsessed with increasing his lifespan. And it all started after his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer.


    It was at that time; that he realized that he cared about more things than his research on weapons.


    Anyhow, the Art of Nature was a book that was discovered from an ancient shrine deeply hidden in the ground and the book wasn''t erosion even after thousands of years.


    Jacob found every detail before he dared to practice this method in this book. He even had someone else first practice it, just to be sure. In the end, the book was authentic and really work.


    But the thing was, a human can only practice the small part of the first exercise and it had five levels in total!


    Furthermore, there weren''t any details about what these levels will do to the human body once they exercise in them. In the end, Jacob only knows the first level can slow down the aging process of cells in the human body if someone practiced it daily.


    The First Exercise was called Water Meditation, which included someone meditating underwater and exhaling in a unique rhythm until they werepletely out of breath and felt suffocating.


    Then they can take only a single breath of air before doing the entire process again and they had to repeat this process for three hours, minimum.


    If they took even two breaths or they weren''t suffocating in the water, this won''t work and they had to start the entire process again.


    From Jacob''s research, it was found that if this exercise was done correctly, the O2 in water will decrease, which was impossible for a human to achieve since they can''t breathe underwater!


    That''s why he believed what was written in the book was true.


    But the things went into the realm of fantasy once someone read thetter part of the Water Meditation.


    This includes them meditating underwater for three days and night without taking any breath of air and continuing to exhale the air in their lungs extremely slowly, and only then they''ll be able to qualify to practice the second level, which was even more absurd.


    Anyhow, Jacob was now in a world, which was nothing but a fantasy in his previous world, so he couldn''t help but think about this Art of Nature suddenly.


    He wanted to see if he could practice this art to a higher level or not.


    As forpressing his muscles with this art, it was a strange phenomenon that urred after he held his breath underwater and exhale it at thirty minutes intervals, his muscles felt pressure with gravity.


    This was also the biggest reason he was never able to increase his limit from 35 minutes. His old bones weren''t strong enough, and he even concluded that any adult male can only do this process for one hour before their bones will crush if they keep doing this practice.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, now his body was like the Tiger Bull and he knew just how much a freak he was with this physique. He even tried to punch a one-meter-thick tree with his full strength and almost sted it in half!


    That''s why he now wanted to see if he couldpress his muscles while practicing the Water Meditation. Most of all, he was curious about what happened if he really canplete the first exercise.


    Soon, Jacob reached a small pound while only fifty meters in size. He tossed his ragged clothes and jump straight into theke, creating a massive ssh.


    As for any animal in it, he wasn''t afraid anymore, but to his luck, there wasn''t anything dangerous inside, except for some toads and tadpoles.


    The pond was ten meters deep, which was enough for him.


    He first took a deep breath before diving toward the pond bed and sat cross-legged while he put his hands on his knees and close his eyes.


    He was just too familiar with this process.


    In his previous life, he only stopped doing it after he found out there weren''t any benefits left from just thirty-five-minute meditation and his old bones won''t allow him to practice this exercise any longer.


    Anyway, as time passed, Jacob released a tiny air into the water every three minutes and continue to maintain his position.


    Strangely, the small tadpoles swarmed around Jacob as if he was their food but they didn''t touch him and only swim around him from a small distance.


    Half an hour passed like this, but Jacob was still peaceful like a statue as he released his small air every three minutes.


    Suddenly, he felt that strange pressure again, which started to weigh down on his body from every corner. But this time, he didn''t feel the urge to stop and take a breath.


    Furthermore, he was now feeling a strange sensation in the water as this strange misty image started to appear in his mind. For some reason, he felt the more he breathes in the three-minute rhythm, the clear that image got.


    One hour passed.


    Jacob finally started to feel the tension in his entire body, but it wasn''t enough to make him give up, furthermore, he was started by the time he was underwater while continuing to release his breath.


    However, as soon as the one-hour limit was reached, the gravity suddenly increased visibly, as his body dug slightly under the pond bed because of its weight.


    ''Five-time G Force, not its 10 times?!''


    Jacob instantly guessed, but he still felt he can hold one. But he was aghast when he thought no normal human can survive this much gravitational pull.


    ''If this G Force increases by 10 every hour, won''t someone have to bear 720-G before they wouldplete this level?! And is it still the minimal threshold to practice the second level?! Just what kind of person wrote that Art of Nature and how can it appear on Earth?!''


    Many questions rose in his mind, but he knew the answer to such questions was not just any random person could answer.


    Nevertheless, the misty image in his head also bes clear while he continues to endure.


    His bulky muscles also broke in that pressure, and his heart beat fast to recover them. His recovery speed was abnormal with his abnormal heart.


    In the end, Jacob exhales hisst bit of air when one and half hours passed until he started to feel suffocating in five minutes since the pressure again started to increase after this point.


    After one hour and forty minutes, Jacob finally couldn''t endure it and stood up so he could take a breath.


    But his eyes almost popped up when he stood because that 10-G force still remained affix even after he open his eyes and break the mediation stance!


    Jacob''s heart lurched. ''What the fuck is going on?!''

 Chapter 79 A Raid Offer

    ?Jacob''s mind elerated when he felt the 10-G force on his entire body and he was ten-meter-deep in the pond.


    ''Could it be I need to breathe to break free from this gravity? In the past, I was never able to increase the meditation time, so I still don''t know about this particr effect. It was stupid to just practice it like this. I should''ve known better!'' Jacob had a grave expression, as he was now suffocating under this massive weight.


    But he wasn''t willing to die by his own stupidity, so with extreme difficulty, he started to paddle his limbs. As a result, blood oozed out of his orifices.


    However, he had more grave things to worry about than some blood, so after paddling for three minutes, he was only three meters away from the surface.


    His eyes were now bloodshot and hazy. It was his will to live that kept pushing him toward the surface.


    ''Ssh¡­''


    ''Coughhhhh¡­''


    The moment Jacob appeared outside the water, the pressure on him instantly vanished as he coughed uncontrobly with a pale expression.


    ''I can''t believe I nearly died the moment I let my guard down.'' Furious, he swims toward the surface.


    "Sigh¡­" He has a massive sigh of relief the moment he touched the ground and, with depleted energy, hey on the muddy surface for a long time as he catches his breath.


    "I should do this meditation on a lower water level surface in the future." He stammered and finally stood up.


    He couldn''t help but notice his muscles were slightlypressed after this life-threatening experience.


    Several dayster,


    Jacob appeared back in the Rain Town and directly headed toward Isaac Smithery to pick up his things. He was now silently nning to leave Rain Town for Lionheart City.


    He wanted to go there and check this apothecary guild and gunsmith guild out. Furthermore, he wanted to make weapons far more advanced than he had already seen all this time.


    Only then he will leave toward the Rare Region when he hadplete confidence in protecting himself if he fell into some dangerous situation.


    As for staying here until hepleted the cursed mark, he now knows better that it was just a pipe dream with only consuming umon animals'' heart essence. He required rare beasts like Tiger Bull.


    Furthermore, as a result of his body growth this time, he guessed it shouldn''t be wise to hasten the process too much or he might turn into a b of muscles after 20%petition.


    That was why it was now inevitable for him to use the Water Mediation until he reached his previous toned physique. But he didn''t dare to practice it in a deep pond orke anymore after his previous lesson.


    When he reached the smithery, he felt another presence in the shop for the first time.


    As he entered the shop, he saw a familiar curvaceous figure standing arrogantly. It was none other than Rosalia, who had a furious expression on her face as she looked at Isaac.


    He entered just in time to hear Isaac''s gloomy reply.


    "Miss, your sword is beyond repair. Please don''t be unreasonable, you can buy a new one or I can reforge it for you. But I can''t restore it."


    Rosalia and Isaac''s argument came to an abrupt halt when they noticed Jacob entering the shop.


    Rosalia''s eyes widen when she saw the burly man with silver hair, and couldn''t help but remembered a certain someone who rejected her team-up offer when she registered with Rain Town''s mercenary agency.


    Isaac was also startled because the change in Jacob''s physique was too great to be not noticed.


    However, Jacob wasn''t fazed by their gazes and said nonchntly, "Is everything ready?"


    Rosalia''s face fell when she heard the familiar arrogant voice, and she knew it was indeed the same person.


    Isaac, on the other hand, smiled meaningfully. "Yes, sir. I was waiting for you all this time. Everything is ready and in the storage room. Please wait while I handle the customer, then I''ll show you the goods."


    Jacob coolly nodded. It was indeed not wise to reveal the things he was about to pick up.


    "So, what do you decide, Miss?" Isaac looked at Rosalia with an aggrieved expression, because she was being unreasonable and arguing with him over her broken sword.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rosalia coldly said, "I want my sword to restore, but you didn''t have enough skills so, you''re finding excuses. Hmph, just trash in the small trash town!"


    Fuming, she picked up her ck de sword and stomped out of the shop before giving Jacob a death re, which hepletely took as a wind.


    Isaac''s expression was also livid, but he knew that the woman was dangerous and if Jacob wasn''t present, she might''ve not left with just humiliating him. He''s been there before.


    "Please follow me." Isaac beaconed Jacob toward the underground storeroom.


    Inside the storage room, there were three crates separate from the other materials, and Isaac opened the lid to show Jacob the goods.


    The size of three crates was two cubic meters, and two of them were filled with titian iron bricks, neatly arranged. Thest one was filled with gun barrels, bullets, and small pieces, which were also for firearms.


    Isaac said with a hint of pride, "I hope you''re not disappointed. There are 166 Titian Iron Bricks and, as per our agreement, I took five of them."


    Jacob nodded slightly. "Seal them."


    Isaac sealed the crates as he was told, and Jacob picked them with little difficulty.


    "It was a pleasure dealing with you," Isaac said while Jacob was leaving.


    Jacob chuckled and nodded slightly before he left the shop with three crates in his hands.


    However, as Jacob was heading toward his house, his eyes squinted ever so slightly before his lips curled into a wintry smile.


    Suddenly, Jacob picked up speed, and soon, he was jumping on people''s rooftops while holding the crates like they were feathers.


    Not far away from him, a shadow suddenly shed past some buildings as it heeled him, but Jacob''s speed was still superior and he remained ahead no matter how much that shadow try to catch up to him.


    Soon, Jacob reached his house andnded in the small backyard, and put the crates down without breaking any sweat.


    He finally looked at the wall and said coolly, "So, what do you want?"


    "You''re quite impressive for a C Rank." Just as this crisp, icy voice trailed off, a figure jumped inside Jacob''s courtyard and it was none other than Rosalia.


    Jacob chuckled, "And you''re not just a D Rank." His eyes suddenly turned murderous. "Last chance. Why did you follow me?"


    ''What is this feeling?'' Rosalia''s eyes shimmered with a trace of fear. She felt like just been gawked by a rare beast. But she had her own pride and thought it was just her imagination and brushed it off.


    She said, "Since you''ve figured it out, I won''t beat around the bush this time. I''m indeed a C Rank, but I can''t tell you my background. As for why I follow you, I wanted to see if you''re qualified to join this expedition. Which is the real reason I''m in this town."


    Jacob''s expression remained apathetic. "I''m not interested. Leave before I change my mind."


    He had long guessed this woman was nothing but trouble from their first meeting, and now he appeared right as well. She wasn''t just any random girl, and she was here for something which might bring nothing but trouble.


    Besides, there wasn''t anything she can offer that can arouse his interest except if she offered a few rare beast hearts and blood, which he knew was impossible for these people.


    Rosalia''s expression clouded when she heard his arrogant reply. She couldn''t help but gritted her teeth as she said, "Not even a hidden Green Goblin research facility?!"


    Jacob''s expression twisted when he heard ''Goblin''. If he hated any race in this world the most, then it would be the Goblin race, without any doubt. These little monsters were just too hateful.


    "Why the fuck do I want to raid their facility? Do you think I''m a fool? You''re just here to take all those benefits for yourself, or I don''t believe you won''t have the means to hire some other C Rank mercenaries.


    "Either this facility is too dangerous or you got this information from someone else and do not want to share it with other powers so you can take whatever in this research facility to yourself!


    "Now don''t waste my time and get out before I throw you out myself, and trust me, you don''t want that to happen."


    Despite his hatred for the goblin race, he wasn''t foolish enough to mess with them just because someone else said so.


    The Goblin Race was spread in the rare region where humans were extremely rare and probably sold like ves, just like this body''s previous owner!

 Chapter 80 Brain Hunter

    ?With Jacob''s slighting attitude, Rosalia couldn''t help but grit her teeth, but she had this dangerous feeling about this man, so she had no choice but to give up any idea of attacking. She didn''t want to reveal her strength here and startle some wrong people.


    Disgruntled, she replied, "Fine, you can remain stubborn. But now that you know about this information, I don''t want any rumors floating around, or trust me, you''ll regret it!"


    Just as she arrived, she jumped the wall and left without caring about Jacob''s reaction.


    Jacob sneered, "She''s overestimating herself."


    He picked up the crates and take them to the basement. He was nning on hiring a horse carriage in the morning and leaving this ce.


    But there was onest thing he needed to take care of.


    As he entered the basement, and ce the crates in a corner and moved toward the back wall. He suddenly starts plucking the old bricks from a point and kept going until a bonny figure appeared with a pig head.


    It was indeed Jacob''s first panion'' who escaped Decker''s clutches and fell into his.


    If Jacob felt any kind of emotions for anyone in this world, it would be none other than Pig Head since he also lived in the same environment and they travel together and Pig Head has protected him many times.


    But regretfully, without those special liquid tanks, Pig Head was as skinny as Jacob when he first appeared in this world. Now, their rolespletely changed, as Jacob now had the same physique as the Old Pig Head.


    He had hidden Pig Head here in the hope of finding those liquids, but he didn''t encounter anyone who knows about them. Not even the Star Mercenary Agency warehouse has them. He had seen the list of goods in their shop.


    Now, not only Jacob was as strong as the Old Pig Head, stronger even. He found it more convenient to move alone. He didn''t need a bodyguard anymore, especially a bodyguard who had apletely unknown mechanism.


    Pig Head didn''t have a beating heart nor did it breathe, but it can move and follow every kind ofmand and Jacob mused, that it was probably some kind of bioproduct of Decker''s research.


    He still had Decker''s journal, which he didn''t get the time toplete yet.


    Jacob looked at Pig Head''spletely dried-up body as some kind of ck pigment was leaking from its orifice and it was only standing because Jacob hadn''t removed the bricks from its entire torso.


    "Sigh¡­ it seemed you''re already dead." Jacob sighed with a hint of regret as he looked at the gem bracket in his hand. "I should take his parasite gem as well. It was probably a higher level than mine. Don''t worry, I''ll keep this parasite gem as a remembrance of yours."


    He draws his short sword and cradled its dark de horizontally, just slightly below its pig ear and eye socket.


    "Goodbye."


    Finished saying, his hand instantly moved in a blur-like motion and shed past its entire face like it was a piece of butter.


    The very next moment thereafter, a clean ck line appeared, which was ck blood.


    Jacob pushed its head slightly with the de and the head slide down like a cap and opened half of its face!


    Jacob didn''t want to damage the gem so he simply cut half of Pig Head''s skull, separating the brain with it at the top as well.


    Now it was very simple to retrieve the parasite gem.


    However, when Jacob was about to crouch down to search for the parasite gem, his eyes opened wide slightly when he noticed the movement in that dark brain matter on the floor, which looked extremely rotten.


    Thereupon, he saw tiny tentacles before a seven inches worm-like thing crawled out of that dark matter!


    ''A centipede?!'' Jacob instantly recognized.


    This centipede was pitch ck, seven inches long centipede with thirteen body segments. It was eyeless and instead; it has two pairs of red antennas, on each side of its head and 24 pairs of ck legs.


    Strangely, this centipede stopped a few inches away from Jacob while keeping its red antennas swaying.


    This strange action also stopped Jacob from stomping on it.


    "This?" His eyes suddenly widened before a strange idea appeared in his head. He couldn''t help but look at the gem bracelet, which he thought was some high-level parasite gem control.


    "Move back." He said as he looked at the centipede with a hint of uncertainty.


    The very next moment, that dark centipede instantly followed what Jacob said and move back in a straight line.


    "Stop!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It stopped!


    "Form a circle."


    It turned into a centipede ring!


    Jacob''s eye shimmered with astonishment and tion, "Just what kind of insect is this? It can understand and follow mymand and it can probably control a dead body as well. That''s why I never felt Pig Head''s heartbeat or breathing, nor did I discover its existence. I wonder how that bastard (Decker) got it and from where?"


    He had no information about the insects, and a tiny group of extremely dangerous insects was noted in the book he had on beasts.


    ''I should ask the expert. I need to know more. Cursed Immortality!''


    He knew if anyone in the world had unparalleled knowledge about the living; it was probably this book.


    The moment Immortika appeared, strings of words appeared.


    "Hahahaha¡­ you finally found it and here I presumed you''ll leave this little toy somewhere or will kill it identally. But I have to give you credit for precisely extracting it."


    Jacob''s face turned dark when he read it and couldn''t help but cussed, "I have urged to shoot a bullet in your wily-ass. Now, cut the nonsense and tell its specie in detail."


    "Hahaha¡­ try it!" It wrote impetuously first, which made Jacob even more exasperated.


    But he didn''t rebuke anymore, since he knew this sadist book will just keep going on and on with its sadistugh.


    Then it finally answered the real question:


    "Tsk, tsk, you''re no fun. Anyway, that centipede is called Eclipse Alipes Imhoff. You can simply call it a Brain-Hunter as well. It''s a Tier-9 species.


    "As for why they called the Brain Hunter, it''s because they lived inside brains for the most part of their life and can''t live more than a month without a healthy brain. They not only slowly consumed the rich brain matter, but they can control their host bodies'' every action and they are extremely intelligent!


    "Apletely mature Brain Hunter has already changed over twenty hosts in its life. As for this one, it''s only half mature and can only take control up to tier-6 species, any higher and it''ll die.


    "A mature Brain Hunter had over thirty body segments and they''re extremely deadly as they control up to tier 12 species and lived for almost two hundred years if they keep changing their hosts. They can even speak thenguage of their host and mimic their heartbeat and breathing habits.


    "That''s why it''s extremely hard to identify mature ones. You might be living with one and having passionate intercourse with it daily, you would never know. Hahahahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s expression turned dark from astonishment when he read thestment.


    But he was more aghast as he nced at the obedient Brain Hunter a few inches away from him.


    ''ording to Immortika, Rarer species fell into tier 6 to 9 group, which means this Brain Hunter is a peak tier Rarer species. Although this looks just like a harmless centipede, no one would ever know this thing is highly intelligent and can even mimic other behaviors.


    ''So, this is what a Rarer species can do! But how the hell does that fucker (Decker) get his hands on it and have it under control?'' He felt a faint chill in his spine just thinking about it.


    "Then how is it under control of this gem?" He couldn''t help but ask.


    "That''s for you to find, remember I can''t answer questions other than those rted to the scripture. Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob sneered, "You just want to keep yourself entertained. Nheless, just tell me if it''ll die in the pendant space after a month or if it''ll remain in this state as long as I keep it there?"


    "Oh, what a cunning question. You want to research how it was controlled and wanted to see if it''ll escape out of your clutches if you let it consume more brains. You are quite predictable.


    "Hehehe¡­ nevertheless, the answer to your question; yes, you are right about the pendant space. As long as you keep it there, it''ll appear outside in the same condition you put it in. You should be thanking¡­"


    "Scram!"


    Jacob instantly closed the book after getting his answer. He simply can''t endure its antics for long.


    He finally looked at the Brain Hunter and crouched down with cold light in his eyes. "Come here."


    He put his hand on the floor and the Brain Hunter instantly zigzagged and crawl on his hand and the very next moment it vanished into the space of Infinity Pendant!

 Chapter 81 A Dangerous Journey

    ?Inside an inn of Rain Town,


    "So, you just came back without getting rid of the guy?!" a crisp voice filled with irritation sounded.


    Rosalia had a livid expression while she clenched a green device in her hand. "I already told you I don''t want to draw any attention. Besides, that guy isn''t easy to deal with!"


    The voice berated, "I never thought you of all the people will be afraid of some backwater town''s mercenary. You disappoint me, Lion!"


    Rosalia clenched her teeth but didn''t rebuke, as if she was more afraid of this person on the other side.


    "Nevertheless, I can understand your effort and concern for the uing mission. But this is too important for us to just let anyone walk away with the information. You know what will happen if this news reached some people''s ears?" The voice sounded gentle this time.


    Rosalia take a deep breath and said, "I understand. I''ll get rid of him."


    "No." replied the feminine voice. "That man made you feel fear, which means he''s as strong as you or even stronger. So, I''ll send someone to deal with him. Just focus on your mission."


    Rosalia''s expression twisted, but she could only agree, "A-alright."


    "Send me his address. He won''t live past tomorrow!"


    ---


    At dawn,


    Jacob had already packed his things after he got rid of Pig Head''s corpse.


    He headed toward the town station where one can hire horse carriages.


    Since it was just the start of the morning, there were only two avable. For three silver coins, he hired a small size carriage, which look in and was enough for his needs.


    The carriage owner was a young man with a bubbly personality, and he was quite energetic.


    But after he got an icy stare from Jacob, he kept his mouth shut and mind his business.


    After Jacob was done loading, they embarked on their journey toward the Lionheart City, which was 219 miles away from the rain town and it will take them three days to reach there, ording to the young man.


    Jacob sat inside the carriage as he looked at the small town which was now far away and they were now heading on a dirt road that lead to the main road of Lionheart City.


    "Tell me about the Lionheart City." Jacob finally spoke as he looked at the young man controlling the reins.


    The young man''s name was Pete. He was startled when he heard Jacob''s question and quickly replied, "Sir, you asked the right person! Let me tell you that Lionheart City is one of the biggest cities in Gloria Country, and it''s under the jurisdiction of the Lionheart Family. The Lionheart Family is the inws with the Barron so they enjoy a lofty status¡­"


    However, before he could continue, Jacob cut him short, "I know all this. Tell me something that isn''t written in books."


    Peter staggered for a moment. "I can''t read¡­" he mumbled as if he was in great distress.


    He was just amoner and the education system wasn''t well established in small towns like the rain town and only people with high enough status and money can learn to read or write.


    Jacob said, "What about the Gunsmith Guild?"


    "Oh, I know about the Gunsmith Guild!" Peter''s expression suddenly brightened, "The Gunsmith Guild is the dream of every cksmith because they earn a huge amount of money since they supply every firearm in the Kingdom. They even coborate with the Star Mercenary Agency!


    "Look, look, I bought this F-09 Barrel Gun from the Gunsmith Guild in the Lionheart City. It can shoot four bullets continuously. I was lucky it was on sale that day or I might''ve never bought it." Peter took out a five-inch revolver from his side pocket and started to sh it before Jacob with a smug smile.


    Jacob couldn''t help but felt this young man was na?ve, and it was a waste of time to ask him anything. He wanted to know if they rented their equipment or if he had to join them first.


    Now, it seemed he had to find the answer once he got there himself.


    After shing around the small revolver, Peter put it back in his pocket with great satisfaction and said, "I also heard the Gunsmith Guild issued a monthly recruitment test like the Apothecary Guild and many people take it like crazy. An old man who once hired me told me this, and could you believe it? He said he had taken the test almost sixty times already, but still failed. Yet, he was still unwilling to give up!"


    Jacob finally got something interesting and asked, "Oh, did he tell you why he keeps taking that test?"


    Peter shook his head with uncertainty, "No, although I asked, he only said, this was his dream to join and learn from the best creators of the kingdom. He even said there are far more people like him who have taken the test over a hundred times and stille back to try their luck."


    "Intriguing." Jacob chuckled lightly. ''I hope they won''t disappoint me with their equipment.''


    After that, like a broken record, Peter keep going and going like he didn''t need to breathe and only stopped when Jacob made him stop.


    But one thing that both Jacob and Peter failed to notice was that a few hundred meters away from their carriage, another carriage was moving on the same tracks.


    "We got here in time or our target would''ve been escaped!" A person wearing a mask said as he looked in the distance with cold eyes.


    "Heh, mistress told us to be careful, but he''s just a coward who''s escaping out of fear!" another masked person sneered disdainfully.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Old Third, keep the distance and when they stop to rest for the night, we''ll make a move and be on our way. He just made it easier for us to get rid of him and no one will ever know what happened to him." the third masked person ordered, thest masked person who was handling the carriage.


    Old Third chuckled coldly, "No problem. I heard he''s a C-rank mercenary. I wonder how many gold coins we''ll get from his dead body."


    "I''m more interested in those crates. I wonder if he''s making an important delivery, if that is, we struck it rich!" Old Second eyes shone with greed.


    "Heh, happy huntingrades!"


    "Haha, happy hunting¡­"


    "Happy Hunting¡­"


    "We live for hunting!"


    The four bellowed in full of confidence.


    Peter stopped the carriage at noon, close to a water source.


    "Sir, horses need to drink water. It''ll only take fifteen minutes. Sorry for the trouble." Told Peter as he apologized.


    "Don''t worry." Jacob waved his hand. He didn''t mind, since he wasn''t in a hurry.


    While Peter took horses toward the water source, Jacob couldn''t help but look at the deserted road and the emptynd around.


    However, his eyes suddenly narrowed when he spotted a small dot a few hundred meters away. It was quite easy to spot such an abnormality since there wasn''t a forest around here.


    ''Another group of travelers?'' Jacob thought, and stop paying attention.


    "Let''s go." Peter appeared again and connected the carriage again.


    Jacob nodded, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes as he looked in the distance.


    "This is the only water source around here, right?" He asked Peter.


    "Yes. After this, we only encounter a water source on the main road." Peter nodded in puzzlement since he didn''t know why Jacob would ask such a question.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered, "Alright, let''s go."


    Peter shrugged his shoulder and embarked on the carriage, and they continue.


    Jacob, however, was now sitting in the back and he kept looking back from the small gap in the curtain.


    After moving for two hours, Jacob suddenly said, "Stop the carriage!"


    Peter did as he was told and looked back in confusion. "Sir, what happened?"


    Jacob didn''t answer and opened a small box. It was filled with meat. "Go start a fire. It''s time to eat."


    Peter''s eyes widen as he looked at the high-quality meat and he nearly drooled. He said, "Yes, right away!"


    However, Jacob looked in the distance, and just as he guessed, the small dot stopped again!


    ''They''re following us!'' Jacob''s expression turned frosty at this moment. ''Who could that be?''


    But he acted as if he noticed nothing and make a meal.


    In the distance,


    "What are they doing now?" Old First asked with an unhappy tone.


    Old Fourth looked in distance with a foot-long bronze telescope and said, "Don''t worry, they''re eating. Do you think they can notice us from this distance?"


    "Hmph. Let them enjoy theirst meat. The moment night descends, we''ll move." Old Second snorted.


    Old Four''s mouth watered as he noticed smoke rising. He said, "We should eat as well. What do you guys have?"


    "Umm¡­ dry jerky?" Old First reply.


    Old Four rebuked, "Fuck? You didn''t bring any meat for us to barbecue?!"


    Old First was dumbfounded. "Why would we? Do you think we''re on a pic?!"

 Chapter 82 Four Musketeers

    ?After eating the sulent BBQ meat made by Jacob, Peter couldn''t help but cry and told Jacob he had eaten nothing like this before and kept singing praise for his cooking.


    Jacob merely chuckled and ignored the young man who seemed to have gone insane after eating BBQ.


    Although they seemed eating, Jacob''s entire focus was on that small dot in the distance.


    Even with his improved vision, he can only see a small dot, so he was sure the other party have some kind of visual gadget which made him warier of their background and strength.


    Jacob looked at the sky, and only three hours remain before dusk started to break down.


    He looked at Peter, who had a blissful expression on his face. He said, "Is there any patch of trees in our way before stopping for the night?"


    Peter was startled by this strange question, but he quickly answered truthfully, since Jacob treated him with the beast meat of his life. "There is a small grove in our way between the main road and this one."


    "How fast can we reach there?" Jacob asked with squinted eyes.


    "Um¡­ two and half hours if we speed up. But there isn''t any need to since the sky is clear." Peter told.


    However, Jacob stood up with an impassive look on his face, "I want you to enter that ce in two hours and I''ll reward you with another meal!"


    Peter''s eyes suddenly glow like a raging fire when he heard this and quickly stood up in high spirits. He might even kill someone for that meal, much less drive somewhere in which he was proficient.


    "Sir, let''s go!" He hurried toward the carriage. He was afraid Jacob would go back on his words.


    Jacob smiled with a hint of coldness as he nced toward the east before he coolly entered the carriage.


    In the distance,


    Old Four nearly choked on his saliva as he watched Peter enjoy the BBQ like a hungry wolf.


    He couldn''t help but cuss while chewing on those dry jerkies like rubber. "I''ll eat all that meat once I kill that hateful prick!"


    He suddenly shouted, "Let''s go, they''re moving! We have to secure that high-quality meat!"


    Old First chopped on Old Four''s head and rebuked, "Then move the carriage, idiot. You are the driver, remember?"


    "Oh, quickly, they seemed to move fast." He said as they quickly embarked on the carriage and move behind them while keeping their distance.


    Two hourster,


    "Look, they''re almost in around the Lionheart Road. I think they''re trying to reach Lye Town before night. That''s why they''re moving so fast." Old Four kept the bronze telescope on his left eye, he said while controlling the carriage carefully.


    "Impossible, the Lye Town is still eight hours away. They will be stopped for the night since there are still groups of bandits in the night. We''ll get our chance." Old Third retorted as he held a map and pointed to a small-town area.


    "He''s right, and even if they got to the town, we can easily kill them while they''re asleep. It''s our specialty." Old Secondughed like a maniac.


    However, after then minutes, Old Four paused the carriage.


    "What now?" Old One sounded vexed.


    "They''re stopping in that grove. and that brat is taking out the camps? It seemed they were nning to spend the night there! Fuck, that bastard is again taking out more meat. I''m afraid there won''t be anything left for us at this rate!" Old Fourined in resentment.


    "Shut up! You always focus on wrong things." Old First retorted in a gloomy tone, "Since they''re staying in the open, let''s turn it into their grave."


    "Hide the carriage. We''ll slowly move in, and the moment they let their guard down, heh¡­" Old Secondughs cruelly.


    Jacob and Peter again enjoyed another delicious meal, and it was already started to darken, so they decided to rest and continue their travels at the first ray of light.


    It was how typical long-distance traveling work here since they didn''t have any lights on the roads, and it wasn''t safe if you didn''t have any guards.


    Banditry was quite an ordinary thing on these roads at night, and those rats ran extremely fast if they encountered anything dangerous.


    Nevertheless, as long as you hand your belonging to them, they will not bother you and let you go.


    Anyhow, the full moon illuminates thends with the soft moonlight,


    Four silhouettes suddenly shed past tree after tree as they were extremely careful to not make any sound and continues to move toward two pyramid tents close to a carriage and horses.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    One silhouette suddenly made a hand signal before the other three formed a fist in response and, with cat-feet, they moved in. Each one of them held a long barrel gun close to their shoulder in a shooting position.


    This gun''s barrel was two feet long and four inches wide. It was a musket!


    They all surrounded the first tent from four different sides as if they know who was in there, they have done this countless times.


    "Attack!" Old First shoulder before he pulled the trigger.


    ''Bammm¡­''


    ''Bammm¡­''


    ''Bammm¡­''


    ''Bammm¡­''


    Four raging sounds reverberated in the vicinity like thunderbolts.


    "Hehe, the Four Musketeers struck again!" Old Four or the Fourth Musketeerughed out loud in pleasure as he held his Musket on his shoulder.


    "Let''s butcher the Kid." The Second Musketeerughed like a manic as they moved toward thest tent.


    They weren''t afraid anymore since the threat was already gone, so there wasn''t any need to hide their presence anymore.


    "Old Third, do you want to enjoy the Kid first, like you always do?" Fourth Musketeer chuckled nastily, "Old Third?"


    However, no reply came, and he looked back confusingly and what he saw made his skin crawl with needles.


    His three brothers'' heads were cut in half like some extremely sharp de had passed through them like a wind.


    "NOO¡­ how?!"


    They were just talking happily a moment ago and the next moment they were dead?


    "This must be a dream¡­ this must be!" He didn''t dare to believe, that after all these years of escaping death together, they would have died without even putting any resistance.


    "Yeah, it''s a dream. How about I butcher you so you can enjoy this dream?" A devilish voice sounded at this moment.


    Fourth Musketeer suddenly jumped in fright and wet his pant out of pure terror.


    "Don''t kill me! I surrender. Just make me your ve, but don''t kill me. I know many secrets. Spare me, please. I was forced to do all this!" He didn''t care about his lofty image anymore and kowtowed like crazy.


    Jacob appeared as he clean the de of his sword from blood and coolly said, "How about telling me who you are and why youe after me?"


    He spared this idiot because he wanted to know who was bold and bore enough to go after a nobody like him.


    Furthermore, these four were all C ranks, and if not for their moronic stunts, they might''ve resisted for a second or two in front of him.


    But they were extremely confident in handling others if things went wrong with their strength, and that also render their downfall. They underestimate their prey after getting easy blood for so long that they forget something. Sometimes, prey can be a hunter in disguise!


    Fourth Musketeer quickly told, "W-we are Four Musketeers, a C rank mercenary team of Lionheart City, and hired to kill youst night as quickly as possible. As for the person who hired us, it was through the Vice Agency Leader!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed. "It seemed it wasn''t your first time getting this kind of job?"


    "Yes, that Vice Agency Leader is a ck-hearted bastard. He always deals in such jobs as long as they paid well and no one is strong enough to go against him while the Agency Leader is always out of City." Fourth Musketeer had tears in his eyes as he cursed the Vice Agency Leader who send them after this monster.


    Jacob frowned. He had four people before who could pull this kind of stunt, Austin who he rejected, then Ralf and Warren, who Jacob scared shitless. Lastly, Rosalia left resentful the other night after he refused her raid invitation.


    ''That old guy won''t being after me with this group of morons, and he hates mercenaries. As for those two idiots, they didn''t have that kind of connection, or they won''t be just small hooligans of a small town. Then it was probably that arrogant tramp!'' His eyes turned deadly cold.


    "Do you know anyone named Rosalia Lion?" Jacob asked coldly.


    Fourth Musketeer seemed to get started when he heard that name and couldn''t help but told with suspicion, "I don''t know anyone famous with this name, but I can''t help but remembered the Lioness of Lionheart Family, Rose Lionheart. She also vanished for months now. Maybe it is her who is using this alias!"

 Chapter 83 Lionheart City

    ?"Lionheart Family?"


    Realization dawn upon Jacob. He didn''t even think for a second it wasn''t possible, since the Lionheart Family was a Noble household and it would be possible for them to have contacts with that Vise Leader.


    "Since that is the case, you can be on your way." Jacob nodded toward Fourth Musketeer.


    He felt he was pardoned and secretly swore to take revenge on Jacob for the deaths of his brothers.


    However, the sword in Jacob''s hand suddenly blurred and the next moment it was right inside the fourth musketeer''s skull, as his eyes were filled with disbelief before he died.


    "Heh, did he think I mean something else? Truly an idiot." Jacob smirked coldly and took the de out.


    With this, the infamous mercenary team who antagonized the lionheart citymoners and low-rank mercenaries were wiped out by Jacob!


    Afterward, he picked up the four muskets and also revolvers around their waists and some bullets and the bronze telescope from the fourth musketeer and knives.


    Expect that they weren''t carrying anything else, Jacob mused they might leave other things behind on their carriage, but he didn''t know where they parked it, nor he was interested in searching for it since it would only waste time.


    Anything valuable was on their body and they won''te without their weapons, which was the only thing Jacob was interested in.


    Afterward, Jacob goes toward the carriage and connects it with the horse, and leads it away. He didn''t bother clearing up the scene, nor he was afraid that others would find out; he wanted them to find it out and back off while there was still time or he didn''t mind collecting more loot sent in his way.


    After walking for ten minutes, a figure appeared from behind arge tree with a pale face. It was Peter!


    "Thank you, sir, for saving me. I never thought there would be bandits following us. If you haven''t warned me and helped me here, I would''ve died." He was sweating profusely since he heard those gunshots a few moments ago.


    If not for Jacob secretly telling him to hide here while he took care of the ''bandits'', he might have died today.


    He was really grateful to Jacob, who was even kinder than his real father has ever been to him.


    "Just drive. Don''t cry like a baby. I''m going to rest." Jacob handed the leash back and enter the carriage as if nothing happened.


    Peter quickly wiped his tears and start driving, he was really touched.


    Afterward, they didn''t encounter any more bandits or have any incidents on their way, and their journey was quite smooth.


    At this moment, Jacob looked at the fifty meters tall walls in the distance and two ten-meter bronze gates and their huge red words carved above those gates, ''Lionheart City''


    One of these gates was open, and there was a queue of carriages


    While a small door was opened on the other side and there was another queue of walkers on the other side.


    He saw those people and carriages paying tolls to enter the city.


    Peter spoke unhappily at this moment in a hushed voice, "Sir, you should be careful in the future about walking in and out of the city because they would collect toll everything you enter and only people who don''t need to pay toll are nobles and anyone who is affiliated with those powers, like mercenary agency or gunsmith guild. It''s unfair!"


    "Don''t feel anger toward them. You can also be one of them if you strive for it. Cursing and getting envious of others is the easiest thing humans will do and feel better for themselves. But there are those with ambitions who keep working hard and reached a far greater point in life than any other. Everyone is born equal, just starting point is different." Jacob advised, with a hint of mncholia.


    Peter didn''t understand what Jacob means by those words, but he felt they were quite profound. He was just amoner with a low IQ. How could he believe someone can pass those great people with just hard work?


    ''Weren''t I work very hard, then what about me?'' He thought with confusion.


    Jacob remain silent afterward as the carriages pass one by one and finally it was their turn.


    A tall guard d in bronze armor nced at the young man, who had a bright smile on his face and impassively looked inside and he saw the bulky silver hair man.


    He was about to question when his eyes fell on the Gray Card between this man''s fingers and then he saw ''C-RANK'' in big bold letters and his heart skipped a beat.


    "We apologize for the dy, Sir." The guard quickly apologized with sweat on his forehead, "Wee to the Lionheart City. We hope you can enjoy your stay."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Peter was startled at this time, and the toll he was about to hand the guard remain in his hand. He knew Jacob wasn''t ordinary, but he never knew even those arrogant guards would fawn over Jacob.


    But he was confused since Jacob was such a big shot, why did he hire his run-down carriage, which wasn''tfortable at all?


    "Alright let''s go." Jacob impassively said he didn''t want to cause a scene here but he can''t let those guards check the goods in those crates.


    He had seen them skimming through carriages before, so he had no choice but to sh around his ID.


    The guard quickly bows respectfully and allowed the dumbfounded Peter to pass.


    ''I have never seen this C Rank mercenary before. Should I report it to the lord?'' The guard mused. He had known all the high-level mercenaries who lived in the city, and Jacob was new.


    But the mercenary always traveled around, so it wasn''t a new thing for a C Rank mercenary to enter a city like Lionheart City for resupply and then left in a day or two. So, he thought Jacob was just a passerby mercenary and didn''t bother with this matter anymore.


    Besides, even C-rank mercenaries wouldn''t dare to cause trouble since there were Knights Guards of the Knight Order in every city!


    The Lionheart was bristling with activities, as all kinds of people were moving on the roads and checking the different shops.


    The roads of Lionheart City were quite spacious and made of stones, not like the small dirt roads of Rain Town, where only two carriages can pass at a time.


    Furthermore, the people weren''t on edge while walking, like in Rain Town. Anyone could stab you and take your things.


    The safety of the citizens was the most important thing for a city like Lionheart or no one woulde to their city and the nobles will suffer a heavy bacsh from the title nobles.


    There are two kinds of nobles in the humane kingdom.


    Nobles with official titles such as Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. These titles were officially granted by the King.


    Then there were nobles with unofficial titles. The lowest was Tier-1 Noble, and the highest was Tier-5 Noble. Some high-level officers worked for these nobles and the Kingdom. They also have a very high standing, for example, the lord of Rain Town fell into this category.


    Nevertheless, Lords like Rain Towns were still not nobles, but they were still considered one and revered bymoners.


    Anyway, these titles were the title any noble with an official title can grant, and these titles have their benefits as well.


    But there was a limit to which rank title and how many they can grant with their rank. Like a Baron could only grand Tier-1 Noble Title to three people.


    While only a Duke has the right to grant a Tier-5 Noble title and rmend that person for an official Baron Title.


    These unofficial noble titles weren''t granted like cabbages, since this could inflict the Official Nobles if the person with an Unofficial Noble Title was caught doing crimes. And if the crimes were serious, even those Official Nobles have to pay a hefty price!


    That''s why those official nobles won''t grant these titles easily and, if they did, they would monitor them closely.


    The Lionheart Family was such a family with a Tier-1 Noble Title and they were extremely careful with their reputation.


    While drifting on the stone road,


    Peter was in an excellent mood since he didn''t have to pay the toll for the first time in his life. He asked, "Sir, where should I drop you?"


    "Where can I rent a house here?" Jacob asked.


    The hotels weren''t good for him because of the things he carried and it would be far more convenient to rent a small house as he did in the Rain Town. He cane and go as he pleases without having to worry about others watching him.


    Pete thought for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Oh, I know a ce."


    He quickly led Jacob toward the east of the city!

 Chapter 84 I’ll Take It!

    ?Soon, Peter stopped outside a building with three floors.


    Jacob looked out and saw the name, ''Silver Real Estate Dealers''.


    Jacob knew he was in the right ce, "Wait here." He nodded and leave the carriage and entered the building.


    The interior was quitevished, made with wood and simr furniture.


    A plump man wearing an expensive attire approached Jacob at this moment with a big smile on his face as two golden teeth sh in his mouth,


    "Sir, if you''re looking for good properties, youe to the right ce!"


    Jacob nodded, and they both sat in front of each other.


    The fate dealer smiled fawningly. "So, what kind of properties my lord is looking for? We have many properties in all the excellent areas of Lionheart City."


    Jacob coolly stated, "I''m not staying permanently here. I want to rent a small house with a pool and garden for three months and I''ll pay in advance. But I only have one condition. I don''t want anymotion around so it had to on a peaceful location. Do you have such a ce?"


    The fat dealer was startled by Jacob''s strange demands, but he deals with all kinds of customers, so Jacob''s demands were still reasonable and he also seemed quite rich since he was willing to pay upfront.


    Furthermore, with Jacob''s build, he could tell Jacob wasn''t normal at all.


    So, he quickly nodded with a big businessman smile, "Indeed, I have such a ce and it''s quite expensive since it''s in the safest ce in the entire city."


    "Oh, which area?" Jacob was slightly intrigued.


    "The Lion Street! This area is only two miles away from the Lionheart Estate, and only rich people live there, even high-rank mercenaries. That''s why no one causes trouble there, and it considers the safest area of the city." The fat dealer quickly told with a hint of excitement.


    Jacob had to admit this ce had the qualification to be the safest ce.


    "How much?" Jacob asked. He was as rich as those official nobles with all those titan iron bricks, so money wasn''t an issue right now for him.


    The fat dealer''s smile broadens instantly. He knew he would be going to get a hugemission. He quickly told, "The owner of this property wants 2 Gold Coins for a month. However, since sir will pay in advance for three months, I can negotiate the price with him."


    However, to his surprise, Jacob shook his head and said, "I don''t want to waste time, so I ept 2 Gold Coins a month. I want to move this instance. Can you do it or I can go somewhere else?" Jacob stated, with no ce for negotiation.


    The fat dealer was shocked since 2 Gold Coins were quite a sizeable sum for even an E-rank mercenary, but this guy was speaking as if it was nothing. But he was quickly thrilled since hismission would be high as well if Jacob pay high.


    He quickly stood up, afraid Jacob would go somewhere else, "I can arrange that Sir, give me ten minutes!"


    Jacob nodded and watch the Fate guy running on the upper floor.


    Soon, the fat dealer appeared with sweat all over his face and panting heavily as if he had run a marathon and fat on body jiggle.


    "Sir, l-let''s¡­ go!" He shows the key in his hand to Jacob.


    Jacob was speechless. ''He won''t die with this much running, right?'' he wondered as he followed him.


    Soon, the fat dealer hailed his own private carriage, and Peter followed that carriage, with Jacob now riding within the fat dealer''svish andfortable carriage.


    After traveling for twenty minutes, they enter a spotless area with beautiful houses around and tree on the roadsides.


    Finally, they all stopped in front of this two-story house, which was two hundred square meters in size. It has a small pool and a garden. This wasn''t small at all and made quite well. The furniture was also with the house, so Jacob won''t have to buy a new one, but if he damaged it he had to pay.


    Soon, a dainty woman in herte twenties appeared. She was the owner of this house.


    The fat dealer introduced, "This is Miss Miley, the owner of this house. Miss this the gentlemen who want to move immediately and he''s willing to pay three months rent in advance so¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Before he could finish, the dainty woman cut him and she spoke coldly, "I''m sorry I have already rented this house to someone else this morning and that person might be here at any moment. I won''t apologize for wasting your time since I wasn''t prior informed, so it''s not my fault you wasted this trip."


    The fat dealer''s expression changed when he heard this and couldn''t help but cursed Miley for being a sly bitch, since it was her fault, actually.


    Because if she had already rented the house, it was her duty to inform him within an hour so he could remove the house from the renting list, but she didn''t bother.


    Now it was he who was going to take the me since Miley''s background wasn''t simply as a small property dealer like him could headbutt her.


    Furthermore, he will be going to lose Jacob, a rich customer, as well, since he wasted the man''s time.


    However, Jacob smile faintly and said, "I understand. But I like this ce and I''m already here, so, how about I increased one gold coin in rent?"


    The fat dealer''s eyes widened in disbelief. His monthly sry was only one gold, yet this man was offering it like it was nothing. ''Just what is his background?''


    Miley''s eye shimmered in surprise when she heard Jacob was willing to pay an extra gold coin, which was quite alluring for her. Furthermore, she could tell Jacob wasn''t from the city or she would''ve known someone like Jacob, who seemed to be quite wealthy.


    ''Is he a merchant?'' She thought.


    She hesitated before she said as her tone finally soften, "Your offer is indeed quite captivating Sir, but the person I rented this house is an Apothecary Apprentice and I don''t think it would be a wise decision to antagonize him for both of us."


    "Apothecary Apprentice?!" The fat dealer''s round face loses all its color when he heard ''Apothecary Apprentice'' and nearly wet himself.


    In Lionheart City or any city, in fact, one could offend any but someone from the Apothecary Guild because they had an extremely high status in this kingdom because of their skills in medicine.


    Although strength was important for a nation''s development, what can they do with strength when they don''t have medicinal knowledge to protect that strength?


    As a matter of fact, in this ce, medicinal knowledge has a far greater value than strength because no matter how strong you are, if you get wounded or get ill with some unknown illness, then no matter how much power you have, you will fall.


    That''s why these apothecaries were so precious to this kingdom and enjoy a status equivalent to a C Rank mercenary even if they were just Apothecary Apprentices which were as weak as an ant in front of a C-rank mercenary.


    "Sir, how about I arrange another ce for you? Give me three hours and I can find a house which satisfies your needs. It better if leave before the esteem Apothecary Apprenticee." He suggested in an extremely respectful tone.


    Jacob sighed. He knew the status an Apothecary represents in this ce and it won''t be good to sh with one just because of the house. He still has to stay here for a while, so it won''t be good if some quack will ruin his ns.


    "Alright, we''ll leave." Jacob nodded, although he wasn''t afraid of trouble in this ce, but seeking trouble was another matter.


    Everyone sighed in relief as Miley in the white dress had a good impression of Jacob right now.


    She couldn''t help but said, "Sir, if you don''t mind the size or price of the ce, there is a mansion two blocks away. It''s five-time bigger than this ce. The owner is my friend''s father. Although they want the annual rent in advance, I can make them drop it to six months."


    Jacob stopped and questioned, "How much?"


    "10 Gold Coin for a month, which means you have to 60 Gold Coins. What do you think?" She asked. Even for someone like her, 60 Gold Coins were quite a massive number.


    One could buy arge house with 60 gold coins in another area of lionheart city, but this ce was the most expensive area.


    The fat dealer cursed Miley for trying to rob him of his job, but he remained silent and only wish Jacob would reject her since it was just too damn expensive.


    "Is there a pool?" Jacob inquired.


    The fat dealer had a bad feeling when he heard this.


    Miley smiled brightly. "Yes, much bigger than this one."


    Jacob chuckled, "I''ll take it!"

 Chapter 85 Trip To Gunsmith Guild!

    ?Afterward, with Miley''s help, everything goes smoothly without any more problems, and Jacob bes the tenant of a luxurious mansion on Lion Street.


    This mansion area was eight hundred squire meters with a backyard, horse stable, garden, pool, and a small workshop. The mansion itself was built on four hundred squire meters of space and had two floors and a huge basement.


    Jacob wasn''t shocked by the enormous ce, since he had lived in a castle half of his life, so this ce was tinny if you asked him.


    Nevertheless, it was quite a good ce to practice his martial arts and other activities, which he didn''t want anyone to see, and it was quite peaceful here. He quickly settles down after paying everyone their dues. He even paid some silvers to that fatty for his time, which made him happy.


    The mansion also has its own cleaning and security staff, so he doesn''t have to worry about anything. He decided to rest for a day before he started with his ns the other day.


    The sun rose as Jacob also woke up from his peaceful sleep. Although he could go five or six days without sleeping, he still preferred to sleep if he didn''t have anything important going on.


    After waking up, he first started to perform every fighting technique he knew three times before he would shift to another, and so on.


    It was his habit in his previous life before he stopped doing them altogether. Because he simply couldn''t keep up as he grew old.


    Now, he was back to his old routine, and he was far better than he ever was, even when he was in his prime. Some moves are quite dangerous and a burden on the body if performed regrly in some martial arts, and even masters won''t practice them recklessly.


    But he could do them without feeling any fatigue or any internal injury danger because his body was simply not normal. He could feel the more he performed these movements, the more control he had over his body. It was like his body was a weapon that could grow limitlessly.


    After spending four hours in physical training, Jacob was sweating profusely as every muscle in his body was pumped.


    ''It''s time to use the pool.'' Jacob left the backyard and headed toward the pool area.


    He naturally wanted a ce with a pool because of the water meditation technique.


    Although he nearly died perfuming itst time, this doesn''t mean he would give up on it altogether.


    Furthermore, he had this feeling the Art of Nature wasn''t so simple, and it might probably be a magical technique that can only be practiced by a powerful individual. It didn''t mean for normal humans!


    The pool was fifty square meetsrge and twenty meters deep. But there were levels like the first five meters were only two-meter-deep, which was perfect for Jacob to stand up without worrying about swimming.


    But to make it even safe, he put on a five-foot stone tform, and now with a push, he could breathe the air.


    Soon, Jacob starts the water meditation again.


    But this time, he only performed it for a house, and the moment he felt the 10-G force, he broke his meditation to see if everything was right. Nothing happened out of the ordinary. Just likest time, the force vanished the moment he breathed the air.


    Content, he began again, and this time he did the meditation properly, and this time he breathed four times, and it was already seven hours since he had started the water meditation.


    He could feel his limit was rising from 1:40 to 1:48, but he started to feel the toll on his body, so he stopped doing it at this hour.


    The workers wondered what the lord was doing in the pool area for over eight hours, but he prohibited anyone from going there, and they didn''t dare to go against his order.


    Jacob finally emerged in the dining area when it was already afternoon. He was a cm leaner before, though, which was a minor change in other eyes, but it was massive since he achieved it in over eight hours.


    After having lunch, Jacob left the mansion. He still didn''t have a carriage, and he didn''t want it either since he preferred walking, and if he ran, he was not slower than an adult horse.


    Furthermore, where he was going, that ce wasn''t far from Lion Street.


    Five miles from lion street was the city center, and this ce never closed for even a second. There were all kinds of shops in this ce, but the most famous were four imposing buildings that upied an entire square.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Furthermore, no one dares to cause trouble here, not even raise their voice, because these four buildings belong to the Apothecary Guild, Gunsmith Guild, Zodiac Taurus Bank, and Star Mercenary Agency!


    These four names represent a status far scarier than the royal family, and no one dared to cause trouble in these four ces.


    In anyrge city like lionheart city, these four buildings werepulsory, and they upied the center of the city without the need to pay for it. Furthermore, no other business or shop was allowed anywhere near this ce''s five-meter radius.


    The Zodiac Taurus Bank and Star Mercenary Agency were the same. They didn''t cause trouble for the other side, nor did they cause trouble for them. They exist like harmonized neighbors.


    Right at this moment, a man with an eye-catching appearance appeared in front of this ten-story iron color building. There was a huge golden signboard, ''Gunsmith Guild'' written in fiery words.


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at other imposing buildings a few hundred meters away, and each one of them was extremely eye-catching. Especially the bank, which had a Pantheon-like exterior.


    But his goal for the building was in front of him right now and following robust men going inside.


    The interior was extremely spacious, and the first thing that caught his eye was a huge queue in front of a counter. Many people were standing, but one thingmon about them was they were extremely masculine and gave off this intense feeling.


    ''Are they all cksmiths?'' Jacob wondered as he was familiar with the traits of a cksmith, and he knew the Gunsmith Guild was like the Star Mercenary Agency.


    They recruit daily, but their endorsement conditions were harsher than the agency.


    The Gunsmith Guild, as its name suggest, was the guild for Gunsmiths and only Gunsmiths. The firearm business was considered the top business in any region, and they had long transcended cold weapons.


    That''s why many cksmiths were forced to leave their traditional ways and learn the art of firearm forging if they wanted to survive.


    The gunsmith guild was solely made to research firearms and also to provide a tform for these old cksmiths to be part of this trend and earn immense wealth.


    Jacob saw the queue, and then there was another counter, which waspletely deserted, and couldn''t help but go there.


    The bearded man sitting behind the counter sensed Jacob''s presence and looked at him with uninterested eyes. He said, "If you want to take the gunsmith ss, wait in that queue until the previous ss end."


    "Gunsmith ss?" Jacob was astonished. ''So, they teach in this ce?'' He didn''t know about this.


    The man looked at Jacob with disdain. "You didn''t even know? Are you trying to cause trouble?"


    Jacob shook his head. "I''m new in this ce, so I don''t know about the rules. Can you tell me how to join the guild?"


    Jacob suddenly ced his hand on the table before he widened his finger, and a sinning silver coin was under it.


    The man''s eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the silver coin, and his opinion of Jacob instantly evaluate. He smiled amiably, "You know your way, huh? Alright, since you''re new, I''ll guide you.


    "If you want to join, then you have to be proficient in gunsmithing. If you''re not, then don''t worry. We teach anyone who wants to learn a beginner course for thirty days. Do you see that queue? You can register yourself for the ss there, it will cost you five silver for one lecture, and you can take it as much as you want as long as you pay the price.


    "Then, if you''re confident we take a single exam in every evening on the second floor, you can register for the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice exam here. There will be three exams in total, and passing the three ispulsory. That''s the way to join our guild." The man''s voice was filled with pride.


    Jacob nodded in understanding, "So, there are ranks of gunsmith?"


    The man nodded sternly, "Yes, Gunsmith Apprentice Rank is the entry-level rank, and it has three levels, Basic, Intermediate, and Advance.


    "Above this rank is Basic Gunsmith Rank, Intermediate Gunsmith Rank, and Advance Gunsmith Rank. Let me tell you, there aren''t any Intermediate Gunsmith in the entire Gloria Country!"

 Chapter 86 Scaring Everyone Into Submission!

    ?Jacob nodded in understanding and said, "So, as long as I have skills and knowledge about the Gunsmith Profession, I can take any level test?"


    The clerk nodded. "It''s seemed easy, right? But it isn''t! Anyhow, do you want to start the course today? Let me give some friendly advice. Come back in the morning. You won''t be able to participate in today''s sses. They''re already booked."


    Jacob suddenly asked another question. "Then can I rent a forging room to practice here?"


    The clerk seemed to be startled by Jacob''s question and answered with disdain. "Are you an idiot? Do you even know the forging room in the guild is the best of the best?


    "They won''t let a newbie like you anywhere near those rooms, much less rent it. Even I, a Basic Gunsmith Apprentice, can only share rooms with other apprentices, much less a private forging room of my own. Only an Intermediate Gunsmith Apprentice can rent a Private Forging Room." his expression was livid as if someone had just pped him on his face.


    However, Jacob''s next words made the clerk startled and nearly cough up blood.


    "If there is no limit to the exam level, I want to take the Basic Gunsmith exam. Where should I go?"


    Jacob finally understood one thing about this ce: there were limited seats and if he wanted the best, then he had to be the best and he needed the facilities here if he wanted to truly make modern weapons.


    The only way was to be the Basic Gunsmith, which was the highest rank in this country. Once he got this rank, no one would stop him from using any facilities of this ce.


    As for drawing attention to himself, Gunsmiths were different from Mercenaries and Apothecaries because their only job was to make the weapons from behind a closed door.


    No one would pay much attention to them as long as they didn''t invent anything new which can affect the market or nations.


    The clerk nearly spat out blood in anger this time as he stood up from his seat and pointed his finger at Jacob and roared, "So, you are causing trouble, huh? Do you think we gunsmiths are easy to bully? Guards,e here and break this bastard''s limbs!"


    He waspletely infuriated by what Jacob just demanded because Basic Gunsmith was the head of this branch and this guy who didn''t even know about the ranks of the gunsmith a few moments ago now wanted to take the exam.


    In his eyes, Jacob was simply ridiculing the guild and gunsmiths, so he decided to teach him a harsh lesson.


    This also draw everyone''s attention, and when they heard what that clerk just said, they couldn''t help but felt pity for the new guy who seemed to have offended this gunsmith.


    "Heh, it seemed he didn''t know that every clerk in this building is a gunsmith and he might have said something which offended him. Now he''s going to be crippled." Someone sneered, gloatingly, in the queue.


    "Look at this tall, burly built. Do you think he''s a muscle brain?"


    "Sigh¡­ the young ones are truly fearless. But sometimes it''s better to know one limit. No one dares to cause trouble in ''Power Square''. Even those knights won''t breathe loudly here."


    The others whisper to themselves.


    The power square was referred to as this square upied by the four powers, and everyone called it this in every city.


    Anyhow, Jacob looked at the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice as if he was looking at an idiot. He just wanted to take a test, and this guy was too narrow-minded to even think that no one can pass the test since he can''t.


    He sneered as he sensed some guards hurried toward him with cold smiles on their faces.


    "I don''t want to cause a scene. I just want to take the test. I didn''t see it as causing trouble." Jacob didn''t act and tried to smooth things out.


    "Bastard, still spouting nonsense?! Beat him to death. It seemed we have been too softtely. If we didn''t show our might, the other might think we are easily glib." The Basic Gunsmith Apprentice cursed viciously.


    Jacob''s eyes turned icy at this moment, which made the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice suddenly shut his mouth as he felt chilled and shrugged.


    Those guards who were about to attack Jacob also felt that strange chill and suddenly took steps back with horrifying looks on their faces. They were all fighters, and they weren''t like that Basic Gunsmith Apprentice who never fought in his life. They could sense danger.


    But this young man was giving them a feeling of death, not just danger, even that Basic Gunsmith Apprentice felt it.


    Jacob''s eyes were now exempt from emotions and killing intent rage in his eyes and he finally spoke again, "So, shall we continue?" He looked at the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice like he was an ant who he''ll squish.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Basic Gunsmith Apprentice suddenly death staring at him right on his face. He never felt so scared in his life, and suddenly his eyes rolled upward and he fell back with foaming from his mouth.


    This was the result of Jacob focusing his entire killing intent on someone with a weak heart and after his water mediation, he could feel his emotions were more in his control and he could focus his negative thoughts on someone. This was a strange sensation that he only found out about after he practiced the Water Mediation for over eight hours.


    Everyone suddenly gulped a mouthful of saliva when they saw this strange scene. Even those arrogant guards seemed to scare-witless of this young man.


    The floor was now deadly silent.


    Suddenly another clerk, who was also smirking just a few moments ago, said with extreme difficulty, "I-If¡­ if Sir wants to take the¡­ test, please register on the second f-floor."


    He didn''t dare to show any arrogance anymore. The invisible pressureing from the man with silver hair was just too scary for them.


    Although they were arrogant, they were not fools. Jacob seemed to be extremely powerful, but he didn''t attack yet and only show his imposing demeanor. Which made it clear he really wanted to take the test, so if they keep pushing it they might really make an enemy which no one can stop until it was toote!


    Jacob finally stop his killing intent and that strange chillness in the room suddenly vanished.


    He looked at the clerk and said, "Lead the way. I don''t want to cause any scene up there."


    The clerk quickly stood up like an obedient dog and in everyone''s gobsmacked eyes, he led Jacob toward the second floor with slightly trembling legs.


    Those guards also felt they were just given a life pardon and quickly left for their own posts. They felt like they just escape death.


    As for the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice, who lose conciseness, they thought he deserved it since he dared to offend that scary monster with no good reason and get them nearly killed.


    On the second floor, there were already some people who were waiting for the test to start and also preparing as their lives depends on it. Most of them were old.


    When they saw this Clerk was leading this young man toward the registration counter with an ashen face, they all be amused and wondered what kind of identity Jacob had to make this clerk this scared.


    When the woman on the registration counter saw this clerk leading this man with an ashen face, she was also bewildered.


    The clerk quickly said, as if his life was depending on it, "Sister Rena, register this gentleman for the exam of the Basic Gunsmith Apprentice."


    Rena was a middle-ageddy, and she was doing this job for almost a decade, but she never saw this man on edge so much.


    She could sense something was wrong, but she didn''t know what since no one would dare to cause trouble in the Gunsmith Guild and as a Gunsmith herself, she knew no one can force them to do anything.


    But today she sensed the fear in this arrogant colleague of hers.


    However, before she could inquire, the silver hair man spoke impassively.


    "I want to take the Basic Gunsmith exam, not Basic Gunsmith Apprentice!"


    The clerk nearly fell when he heard this and finally understood why that guy reacts that way. Jacob''s words were simply infuriated.


    However, when he imagined that strange coldness released by Jacob, he didn''t dare tosh out and blurted, "Since Sir wanted to take the Basic Gunsmith test, quickly inform Guild Leader only he can invigte the test."


    Everyone felt they just heard something absurd because Jacob didn''t seem to even be twenty-five, but he wanted to take a Basic Gunsmith test. It was simply absurd!


    Rena finally couldn''t take it and coldly looked at Jacob, "Sir, are you an Advance Gunsmith Apprentice?"


    Jacob said coolly, "No, it''s my first time taking this test. But I didn''t hear anyone ispliant to take the apprentice test if they had the skills of a higher caliber, right?"


    Jacob felt these guys were just too much since they were reacting as if they have never seen a genius!

 Chapter 87 Test For Basic Gunsmith!

    ?Everyone was speechless when they heard Jacob answer and looked at him as if he was crazy and deliberating provoking the gunsmith guild.


    Some cksmiths who were taking this exam for years also felt insulted since this guy dare to say all that nonsense, as if being a gunsmith wasn''t difficult at all. Jacob''s words were simply ridiculing them.


    However, to the clerk who brought Jacob up, he wasn''t like the others who felt Jacob was courting death, on the contrary, he felt Jacob was extremely dangerous and he might have some background.


    He quickly looked at Rena, who was already on the verge of an explosion. He blurted, "Please, sister Rena, just alert the Elder!"


    Rena couldn''t help but frown when she saw his almost teary eyes as if he was in grave danger.


    ''Could it be he wanted me to alert the elder because this guy was threatening him and wanted the elder''s help?'' She quickly reached this conclusion and nodded.


    "Please wait." She stood up and left at the back door.


    Jacob didn''t move, and his expression remain unchanged.


    While the spectators have another opinion about this situation because they could see that the gunsmith was afraid and this might not be going to end well for Jacob if he remained passive.


    Nevertheless, they were looking forward to his aghast expression when the Guild Leader appeared with his weapons!


    They all know too well this ce was the Gunsmith Guild, which supplies firearms all over the kingdom, and they had many hidden cards to deal with arrogant pricks like Jacob.


    It would be a huge mistake to underestimate these gunsmiths just because they didn''t practicebat.


    Even those C-rank mercenaries are wary of the Gunsmith Guild''s wrath!


    Soon, the back-door p opened, and a burly old man appeared with a dignified aura, followed by another old man with a slight hunchback and Rena, who had a stony expression on her face.


    The tall burly old man who appeared to be in his early sixties was the Guild Leader of this Gunsmith Branch, Drew, a Basic Gunsmith.


    While the hunchback old man was the Vise Guild Leader, f, an Advance Gunsmith Apprentice.


    They both hold long barrel shotguns in their hands as they looked at Jacob with extremely cold eyes. They had heard what happened from Rena and quicklye here to teach this arrogant brat a lesson.


    However, Drew was slightly surprised when he saw Jacob remain impassive despite seeing the shotguns in their hands as if they were toys.


    "Brat, I heard you''re causing trouble and threatening my guild members, is it true?" Drew inquired in a haughty tone.


    Those spectators had long fled to the corner of the hall and watched the show with cold smirks on their faces.


    Jacob calmly replied, "If stating my wish to take the Basic Gunsmith Test is causing trouble, then, yes."


    Drew''s eyes narrowed when he heard Jacob''s nonchnt reply.


    f suddenlyughed coldly, "Hahaha, a Basic Gunsmith? Are you even qualified?"


    He suddenly pointed the barrel toward Jacob.


    Jacob said, "Qualify, huh? The shotgun you''re holding in your hand had 23 inches double barrels with six millimeters of thickness. This makes the gun''s gauge 20. This size denominationes from one pound of lead divided into equal-sized balls that will fit the barrel. This will make the shell with 12 pieces equal to 12 bores, which is why a 20 bore.


    "Now let''s talk about Extractors, Bolt, Top lever, Safety thumb piece, Trigger guard, Trigger, Trigger te, and Hammer¡­"


    Jacob spoke without stopping, which made everyone dumbfounded as they had no idea what he was talking about since he was speaking thenguage which could only be understood by a beginner gunsmith in Jacob''s world.


    However, those two old men be pale as they heard Jacob describing the entire process of making a shotgun which shouldn''t be known to the public like it was invented by him.


    "¡­ all in all, the lockwork is extremely poor. I can tell just with the trigger poison that should be three millimeters back and after six consecutive shots, the magazine barrel will blow. I would be careful with that toy if I were you, old man. Likewise, I rmend try making watches, you''ll improve." He finally stopped without showing any sign of arrogance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At this moment, the entire floor was deadly silent.


    Drew finally snapped out of his stupor. Now he looked at the young man with fear and reverence in his eyes, although something that Jacob mentioned about the lockwork was out of his understanding. He could tell he had greatly benefitted from his pointers.


    ''C-could it be, he''s from a higher region?! But it''s impossible for a human to go there and then returned. Or did he find some kind of inheritance? No matter what, he''s a genius. I have to keep him here!''


    "Pleasee with me. I''ll arrange the test for you." He finally opened his mouth.


    Everyone''s eyes turned green with envy. They knew this young man wasn''t just boosting, but he was a genius and he was about to soar!


    Rena also felt her heart tremble when she heard the respect in Drew''s voice and she knew she had caused a blunder by belittling this young man, and if he really became Basic Gunsmith, he can easily get rid of her, regret filled her heart.


    As for the clerk who bought Jacob here, he felt he was in a dream!


    Jacob finally sighed inwardly when he felt this clown show was finally over. These guys were just too theatrical.


    f''s heart palpitated when he saw Jacobing in their way, and he also knew Jacob was far more knowledgeable than him. If Jacob really passed the test, then he would be in big trouble.


    ''Just how did he know so much? He might have stumbled upon some technology from the upper region if I can get my hands on it¡­'' A greedy glint sh past his eyes, but he hid it quickly.


    He knew he can''t deal with Jacob if he passed the test and earned Drew''s recognition. So, he yed it safe before he took the next step.


    Jacob nced at the hunchback old man and his lips curled ever so slightly but he pretends as if nothing happened and followed the two old men toward the upper floor.


    While walking, f couldn''t help but ask with ambiguity, "Are you, by any chance, a noble?"


    Jacob coolly replied, "No, I''m amoner. If you want to ask if I have a background, then no. I''m just a schr who wants to learn gunsmithing. Is there any problem?"


    Drew chuckled at this moment, "Of course not, the Vise Leader is very fond of talent and he nurtured many talented Gunsmiths and all of them were hand pick by him. Since you have no background, then this will make it easier. This will be your home. Even if you failed to pass the basic gunsmith test, I''ll give you Advance Gunsmith Apprentice''s title."


    f nodded in agreement, but his smile was very strange.


    "If seemed you still didn''t think I can pass the Basic Gunsmith Test, right?" Jacob chuckled. He could clearly see through the old man''s words.


    Drew didn''t hide anything. "Although your observation and knowledge are top-notch, and even I''m not your match when ites to perception. But there are still practical skills that are far more important than perception and knowledge.


    "Even if you know about thebat, that won''t make you a fighter, right? The Gunsmithing is the same. Even though you have knowledge and perception, you won''t be a gunsmith until you make a gun yourself."


    Jacob nodded, "Well said."


    Drew had a good impression of Jacob now since he wasn''t arrogant as he seemed, and that''s why he said he would give me the title of Advance Gunsmith Apprentice even if he failed.


    He knew as long as Jacob had experience and guidance, he could easily surpass him and this would also make his branch famous if they produce a young Basic Gunsmith or ever an Intermediate Gunsmith!


    With Jacob''s rise, their branch would get more resources. That''s why he was so thrilled when Jacob showcase his knowledge!


    They directly reached the ninth floor, where were the most advanced smithies they had in this branch.


    The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth floors were all smithies, and the higher the floor advancer the smithery equipment.


    On the ninth floor, there were only three smithies, and they were all for Advance Gunsmith Apprentices and Basic Apprentices.


    However, for Jacob, those ''advance equipment'' were nothing but ancient, but he knew beggars can''t be choosers.


    Drew spoke at this moment. "You didn''t need to take the first two tests since you have already proved yourself. As for the test fee, it''s on the house. Your test is simple, as long as you can produce a revolver from scratch, you will be a Basic Gunsmith of our Guild!"

 Chapter 88 Passing The Test

    ?Jacob could tell Drew still didn''t believe he could pull this off, but he didn''t mind, since he was almost done with his goal of getting a smithy here.


    He impassively said, "How much time do I have?"


    "Time?" Drew was lost for words and grumbled inwardly, ''Shouldn''t you be worried about other things than time?''


    But he still replied, "12 hours, and you will only get one chance. Although there aren''t many rules when taking the Gunsmith Apprentices Tests since it was just a beginner rank so we arex in this rank.


    "However, from Basic Gunsmith, things change, and you can only take this test once every 10 Days in the Humane Kingdom, and you can''t take the test of Advance Gunsmith without passing the Intermediate Gunsmith Test either.


    "Well, it''s not like you need to test for Intermediate Gunsmith anytime soon since there are only four in the entire Humane Kingdom, and it''s very hard to make them invigte your test¡­" Drew spoke as his expression darkened slightly, it was as if he had experienced this personally and didn''t want to remember.


    ''It seemed I can''t jump the ranks like I just did.''


    Jacob was dissatisfied with these rules since his qualification was much higher than even an Advance Gunsmith, but they simply didn''t have the means to measure them.


    However, even if they had, he won''t show his entire knowledge just because of some benefits. He still didn''t know how deep this gunsmith hold knowledge of firearms was and if they were on the level where he can show his knowledge without being worried about setting a target on himself.


    But this Basic Gunsmith was just too low for him, and their equipment was the main reason for his dissatisfaction. He knew he can''t create advanced guns here either.


    Especially the ones with delicateponents like automatic machine guns and silent sniper rifle


    However, this wasn''t the only thing hecks, like he can''t make cognitive radar, microchips, semiconductors, or add analytic engines andser technology.


    These things can make an enormous difference between life and death. He needed a properb and equipment to make these modern guns, but he didn''t have time to invent all this equipment, which would take his precious time.


    Nevertheless, it''s not like he was hoping to get all this here, but he was still somewhat disappointed with the equipment in this kingdom.


    "Fine, I''ll start first." Jacob sighed bitterly and moved toward the molding equipment.


    Although he never used these kinds of old equipment, this doesn''t mean he didn''t know how they work. Everything had a foundation, and without it, you can''t build anything.


    Drew and f closely observed the young man. It won''t be a lie to say they were looking forward to seeing Jacob''s capabilities, despite different thoughts.


    Especially f, who wished for Jacob to miserably fail, and then he can persuade Drew to drop Jacob''s rank further to Intermediate Gunsmith Apprentice so he could then easily control Jacob.


    In contrast, Drew wanted to teach Jacob and be a teacher of a future genius so he could clear some of his regrets and return the humiliation he once suffered.


    However, as time pass both old men''s expressions started to change, from surprise to serious, then horror!


    Because at first, Jacob looked clumsy, but as time passed, Jacob started to move like an expert, and before long he was moving so fast they didn''t even know what he was doing anymore.


    However, as a revolver started to shape, they both thought they were hallucinating because Jacob''s revolver wasn''t like their traditional short barrel revolver, but waspletely different.


    After familiarizing himself with the equipment, it didn''t take him long before he assembled a revolver, which was average in his view, however it was the best he can do with these tools.


    Over two hours passed, and a shining long barrel ck revolvery on the table with two golden bullets.


    "T-this is?" Drew took a deep breath before he spoke.


    He had never seen something like this before, although this was a revolver, it had eight clips instead of six. Which was nothing but an evaluation in their eyes.


    Jacob coolly said, "This is Taurus 44 Magnum, just call it Magnum. Just test it. I don''t want to waste any more time."


    Drew, however, didn''t proceed with the testing, and without exining, he picked up the Magnum and two bullets.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He sternly looked at dumbfounded f and said, "I don''t want anything about this out of this room. Tell everyone he failed, and I ept him as my apprentice."


    Drew quickly looked at the unruffled Jacob and said, "Come with me."


    Jacob could hear Drew''s widely beating heart, and he decided to see what this old man was up to so he followed him.


    As for f, he had no idea what just happened, but he knew it wasn''t as simple as Drew making it, not with that revolver Jacob just made. But he can''t offend Drew right now, so he does as he was told and only hopes for Drew to let him examine that revolver.


    Even he could tell that the revolver was a masterpiece, and he had gained some insight after watching Jacob''s lockwork.


    On the top floor,


    Drew led Jacob to his office and quickly closed the door as if he was afraid someone would disturb them.


    He quickly looked at Jacob, who had a frosty expression, and said while bowing his head, "Mister, I''m extremely sorry to do this, but it was necessary for your safety."


    "What do you mean?" Jacob''s eye narrowed.


    Drew smiled wryly and put the Magnum Revolver on the table, and sternly said, "Truth be told, you are more than qualified to be an Advance Gunsmith with this gun, but there is only one facility in the umon region that give the benefits you deserve, and it''s in Aureate Kingdom of Green Goblins.


    "However, both you and I know those little bastards would rather kill you and offend the Gunsmith Guild than let a human genius like you enter that facility and grow under their nose." His expression turned extremely gloomy,


    "Besides, even the goblins in that gunsmith guild won''t let a human grow, no matter what, unless they had lost their minds.


    "Although the Gunsmith Guild isn''t affiliated with any race or any organization in power square, as the matter of fact. But everyone knows each race is selfish, and if they felt threatened by an enemy race, they would try to get rid of that threat even if they seemed peaceful on the surface.


    "So, I''m asking you if you want the intermediate gunsmith rank, but that process will be lengthy, and you have to go to the royal capital. Or you can get the Basic Gunsmith Rank ID in seven days.


    "However, I personally think giving you the Basic Gunsmith Rank will be a waste of your talent. At least you should be in those higher-level workshops in the royal capital since it would be impossible for you to go to the rare region. At least it is better than having nothing. What are your thoughts?"


    Jacob suddenly pulled an amusing smile. "So, you want to protect me?"


    Drew thought Jacob was taking this situation too lightly and kindly advised, "I don''t know how you get your knowledge and experience. But I know better to ask. There are many old facilities abandoned by many experts after their research, which they don''t bother to destroy.


    "However, those useless facilities can be a treasure trove for a race like us. But having knowledge is nothing if you don''t have the talent to use it, and you are a talented person.


    "But sometimes it is better to remain hidden before you can grow. I can write a letter to the guild leader in the capital, and he''ll know what to do, all remain is your approval."


    Jacob knew what Drew wanted, he wanted him to go to the capital branch of the gunsmith guild and remain hidden there until he grew old, and the other kingdoms won''t feel threatened by his existence.


    It was like deteriorating his talent just because they can''t protect him. He even wanted tough in disdain.


    He inly rejected, "Look, I know you mean well, but you don''t have to worry about me. Just give me the identity of the Basic Gunsmith and a private room in this ce, and I''m content. Although it looked like I''m after fame but I know when to stop."


    Drew''s eyes contracted as he got what Jacob meant. He couldn''t help but thought, ''What a wily brat!''


    He couldn''t help but reevaluate this young man in front of him.


    Jacob suddenly looked at the Magnum Revolver as his lips curled. "This Magnum will be my goodwill and appreciation gift to you. We both know you should be able to be an Intermediate Gunsmith as long as you research that revolver. It will put anotheryer of protection on me, right?"


    Drew couldn''t help but get shocked when he heard this, "A-are you¡­ serious?!"

 Chapter 89 Accepting A Mission

    ?Jacob looked at the ID card in his hand, which he received just now.


    It was made purely from bronze and there was the Gunsmith Emblem carved on the back and in front was his name and rank of Basic Gunsmith. He had to admit, the Gunsmith Guild was really rich to make a mere ID card with bronze.


    It has been a week since he joined the Gunsmith Guild under the identity of Advance Gunsmith Apprentice. But the fact that he was going to be a Basic Gunsmith was only known to Drew.


    Drew had to admit that Jacob had really yed it well. Not only did he offer him the Magnum Revolver as a token of goodwill, he even let him im the credit for the design as long as he can make the revolver.


    In return, all Drew has to do is to keep his mouth shut and make sure no one found out about Jacob''s talent, and let him use the smithy of the top floor without any restraint or disturbance as long as he wanted.


    For Drew, this arrangement was a piece of cake for him and it was also what he wanted for Jacob as well, so he quickly agreed. But he still felt Jacob should be at least an Intermediate Gunsmith and remain hidden in the capital.


    However, since Jacob didn''t want that, he also epted this arrangement as well.


    From Drew''s point of view, Jacob didn''t trust anyone but him and once he bes an Intermediate Gunsmith, Jacob might use him to do the same thing and acquire the Intermediate Rank without anyone finding out.


    That''s why he now viewed Jacob as a wily fox, not just any young man.


    Getting the identity of a Basic Gunsmith was quite an easy process. As long as Drew''s rank didn''t outshine the test rank he was invigting, he had the authority to make the final decision.


    Furthermore, not only Jacob was now registered in the Gunsmith Guild''s database as he was registered in the Star Mercenary Agency, but he also received another bank ount at the Zodiac Taurus Bank and 500 Gold Coins to pass the Basic Gunsmith Test as well as he will receive 10 Gold Coins every month as a sry.


    The Basic Gunsmith benefits outmatched the benefits of C Rank Mercenary.


    There were also crafting missions in the Gunsmith Guild and as long as hepletes them he could get rich in no time, far quicker thanpleting the mission of the agency.


    Moreover, he enjoyed a 5% discount on any material as long as he purchased them from the guild as well.


    Nevertheless, Jacob wasn''t the least bit excited about all these benefits because he never joined these organizations for their generous benefits or money. They were all tools that he will throw away the moment they lost their value to him, without a second thought.


    In this week, Jacob had not only continued his routine with the Water Meditation and got leaner by two inches, with the parts he had Isaac make in Rain Town and with moreplex parts he created himself in the gunsmith guild.


    He created three guns andpletely modify the firearms he plundered to this day sessfully.


    Furthermore, he had also used the titan iron to create a whole gun made purely with the titan iron. If those gunsmiths in the rare region know this, they might curse Jacob to no end for wasting titan iron.


    Even Jacob was shocked when he tested that gun and he had to admit this gun was up to his standards, but the bullets were the main problem since only bullets made with Titan Iron or Iron with the same traits can draw out its true power, but he knew it would be hard to acquire such metal in future even in the rare region.


    Nheless, this didn''t stop him from using ten titan iron bricks to create a hundred bullet rounds.


    Today he was only here to get his guild identity card and after taking it, he left the guild and he wasn''t going toward his mansion, but on the other side of the power square.


    His destination was an imposing building with a star emblem engraved on the front: Star Mercenary Agency!


    The Star Mercenary Agency branch in Lionheart City greatly differs from the branch in a small town like Rain Town.


    The first floor was designed like a pub and there was a bar on the west wing of the first floor where many mercenaries were chatting and enjoying drinks while some mercenary teams were discussing the mission.


    On the east wing was the registration and mission area.


    Jacob headed toward the east wing without any hesitation. He had already gathered information about this ce.


    The reception counter wasn''t crowded, especially the mission counter. A dainty woman sat there and when she saw Jacob approaching, she closely looked at his unique appearance.


    Jacob wasn''t as burly as he was a week ago, but his build was still heavy and intimidating.


    "How may I help you, sir?" she smiled charmingly, as she found Jacob quite attractive.


    Jacob coolly spoke while he ced his Mercenary License, "Where I can get a mission?"


    The woman was startled when she heard since the mission board was on the other side, but when she saw the ''C-Rank'' on Jacob''s license, her eyes widen and she quickly understood what Jacob mean.


    Although C-rank mercenaries weren''t as rare in the Lionheart City as they were in the Rain Town, those mercenaries seldom ept missions in such a low-profile manner and with a humble attitude.


    That''s why she was surprised, even so, she quickly regained herposure. "Sir, please follow me."


    She promptly stood up and led Jacob to a private room without drawing much attention, and only the women working beside her noticed this and they guess Jacob''s identity.


    Only a mercenary above D Rank can make them treat him so respectfully and may discuss business in the private room.


    When they enter the private room, the receptionist respectfully said, "Sir, take a seat. I''ll be back with the mission log."


    Jacob nodded and sat down. He was here for two reasons.


    First, he was soon going to inject himself with the Tiger Bull''s heart essence, which mean he would be out of heart and blood, so he needed to hunt again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Second, he wanted to see if there was another hunting mission that could interest him.


    Especially if there was some kind of news on the rare beast, although the chances of it were close to zero. But when he thought about his encounter with the Killer Skull Society, he was hopeful.


    That bunch was a terrorist organization, and a terrorist organization''s job was to terrorize others by any means possible. He was hoping they would deliver some rare beasts to his doorsteps again, and the best way to find them was the Star Mercenary Agency.


    They had an enormouswork and if someone sighted such a beast antagonizing the cities, the first ce they coulde would be, without any doubt, the agency.


    Moreover, he had still an iplete mission he took from the rain town branch. If he found nothing interesting, he can take another mission andplete bother of them on this trip.


    Jacob wanted to cross the 20% threshold before he started his journey toward the rare region and he still needed some final preparation.


    The receptionist came back with a thin book and ce it in front of Jacob with a smile as she said, "Sir, these are C rank missions avable here."


    Jacob nodded and opened the book.


    --


    -C Rank Mercenary Mission,


    -Danger Level: C


    -Type: Collection Mission


    -Mission: Purple Crown Grass (Umon).


    -Reward: 1 Gold Coins Per Bundle (10 Purple Crown Grass = 1 Bundle).


    --


    -C Rank Mercenary Mission,


    -Danger Level: Between C & D


    -Type: Extermination


    -Mission: The Notorious group of Stone Ridge Bandit


    -Reward: 100 Gold Coins


    ---


    Jacob skimped through these missions. There were all kinds of missions, from collecting materials to the assassination of powerful, notorious figures throughout the humane kingdom.


    Although the rewards werevish bounty and assassination missions, he knew these missions remain uneptable for a reason and he didn''t want to ruffle some unknown feathers without no good reason.


    Suddenly he stopped on a mission that arouse his interest,


    --


    -C Rank Mercenary Mission,


    -Danger Level: C


    -Type: Investigation


    -Mission: Investigate the mysterious disappearance of people around the Lion Forest.


    -Reward: 150 Gold Coins


    --


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly shimmered with a peculiar glint. ''Lion Forest is fifty miles away from here and I have to cross it, anyway. Besides, this mission seemed to be quite interesting.''


    "I want this mission." Jacob looked at the woman impassively.


    She quickly looked at the mission Jacob was pointing at and frowned slightly. "Sir, are you sure? There''s something wrong with that ce.


    "To this day, over thirty people have gone missing in Lion Forest, including two E-rank mercenary teams and one D-rank mercenary who took this mission before. It was originally an E-rank mission, but now it climbed to the C-Rank."


    Jacob''s lips curled, "I want this mission!"

 Chapter 90 We Finally Met!

    ?Jacob left the agency after epting the investigation mission and headed to his mansion not far away.


    The past week, he only spent his morning in the pool area, since he spent most of his time in the Gunsmith Guild''s workshop, and after an entire week he was finally done with the preparation.


    It was far quicker than he thought it would take, and it was probably because he didn''t feel much fatigue despite lengthy and delicate work. If he hasn''t exhausted himself with the water meditation technique, he might''ve done it in three days.


    Nevertheless, he now had greater gasp over his strength and he mused he might reach the A rank strength after he hit the twenty percent or he might reach it before it.


    Well, it still remained to be seen since he can''t gauge his strength, nor he wanted to test it in the star mercenary agency. Those neighboring kingdoms might start a war just to eliminate a freak like him since he was human.


    One had to know that A rank was like a legend in an umon region.


    Anyway, today Jacob was also going to use the heart essence of the tiger bull which he had made in the Rain Town but didn''t inject since he was concerned about his body condition.


    Now that he had trimmed it down to a satisfactory level, he was ready for the next injection.


    He goes straight toward the underground chamber and sealed it.


    After making sure he was ready. He took out the injection filled with the red liquid from his pendant and pierce his heart without any hesitation.


    It was like a regr thing for him now.


    However, his expression changed when the liquid simmered in his heart. He felt like boiling mercury just entered his bloodstream!


    ''This heart essence is too potent. What was the tier of this bull!?'' Jacob was rmed.


    He never thought a rare species'' heart essence could make him feel pain like this anymore.


    Yet, it seemed he was still wrong. He remembered Immortika had once told him the higher species tier was the more pain he''ll suffer, while it would also bring him just as many benefits as well.


    However, even the wolf king, who was probably a tier five species, wasn''t able to inflict pain on Jacob as he felt now. This means this tiger bull was probably a tier six, or he was a tier seven, which made it a rarer species!


    But he knew it was impossible since that bull won''t be so helpless if it was already stepping into the rank of a tier seven species. Those hob trolls won''t be able to capture it, much less kill it.


    So, this means it was probably at the very edge of tier six!


    Nevertheless, Jacob would''ve done this again even if he knew since the more painful it was, the more percentage he''ll get and reached the twenty percent quickly.


    The pain onlyst for five minutes before thatfortable sensation returned and not only that, Jacob visibly felt getting lighter, both mentally and physically.


    The entire processsted for half an hour before the entire heart essence was exhausted and integrated with Jacob''s body.


    "Cursed Immortality!" He quickly summoned the book so he could see his progress. He knew this wasn''t a normal injection.


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 17.02%


    ¡­


    _______


    "If I have one more heart essence at that bull''s level, I might''ve broken into the twenty percent right now," Jacob mumbled with a hint of regret.


    He suddenly felt the urgency to move toward the rare region more, but he didn''t lose his reason. He would decide this after this trip.


    The night passed, and in the morning, Jacob performed the water meditation as per his habit. He was already at the 1:53 mark and after hisst injection; he increased his endurance by five minutes altogether.


    He was quickly approaching the second-hour mark.


    After twelve hours, Jacob donned clothes he made with the Tiger Bull''s hide and he had to admit just the weight of a shirt and pants was over thirty KG and the long jacket was thirty KG alone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nevertheless, Jacob feltfortable in these extremely flexible yet soft clothes and the weight was like non-exist for him.


    To hide the traits of Tiger Bull''s hide, he used ck metal pigment that was used to coat guns and now no one can tell his clothes were made with Tiger Bull''s hide and they look just like normal clothes unless someone tries to lift them.


    He also connected firearms within his long jacket and his short swords hidden behind his back. He was also now fully armed.


    "I''m going out for some time, if anyonees looking, tell them I''m out of the city," Jacob instructed the middle-aged man who was also the butler of this mansion and he was quite reliable.


    "I''ll see to it, my lord." The butler bowed in acknowledgment.


    Jacob nodded and left the mansion in a carriage.


    However, another carriage was following Jacob''s carriage from some distance.


    Two men sat in this carriage. They both wore expensive gear and had muscr builds.


    The man with long hair lifted the curtain slightly from the window and looked at Jacob''s carriage with his hawk-like eyes. "It seemed the boss has overestimated this guy. He''s as carefree as a cat." His voice was filled with disdain.


    The short hair man with a thick beard replied as he chuckled coldly, "I also didn''t understand why Boss is being so cautious. He''s just a gunsmith with some talent. I didn''t see any reason to follow him around with caution. We can just scare the poor guy and he''ll sign his life story."


    "I think that''s the problem. Since he''s talented, we can''t make a move without vignce or we might have to escape this ce. Even the boss won''t be able to cover for us like he always does." The long-haired man shook his head.


    "Whatever, but I had to admit he''s rich to live in that mansion with all those beautiful maids." He licked his lips with ascivious expression.


    "Heh, once we''re done, we''ll have our fun, don''t worry. But yesterday there was a change in his routine. Do you find out what he did in the mercenary agency?" He questioned while his eyes were affixed on Jacob''s carriage.


    "Don''t have any clue. He was there just for ten minutes and left. No one seemed to notice him." He said with uncertainty.


    "Strange. Could he be selling his crafted weapons to the agency instead of the guild? But he didn''t go back to the guild as well and returned. Now, he''s moving toward the outer city. Something is strange about this." The long hair man said with suspicion.


    They were following Jacob for a week now and they knew his routine. So, this was quite unusual since Jacob followed a strict routine every day.


    A cold glint shed past the beard man''s eyes, "Do you think it''s our chance?"


    "Not sure, but you should contact the boss. We can''t move carelessly. I''ll follow him for now. Meet me at point three in an hour after you get our next instruction." He dered.


    "Alright."


    The bearded man nodded, and he jumped from the moving carriage andnded on the ground like an agile cat before he swiftly moved and vanished into the trees.


    After half an hour, Jacob disembarked the carriage and left the Lionheart City on foot from the west gate, since it was closest to the Lion Forest.


    The long hair man observed it from an alleyway and frowned. ''He left the city? Should I follow him or wait for Brute? I can''t let him get out of my sight. I''ll leave a message for him.''


    When Jacob was over a mile away from the city when he suddenly vanished behind a tree.


    ''Where did he go?!''


    He couldn''t help but rub his eyes in confusion since the man was just walking a few tens of meters away from him and suddenly he vanished behind a tree like a ghost!


    ''Is he resting?'' He thought and remain hidden.


    However, an icy voice rang at this moment with a hint of mockery, "We finally met, huh?"


    The long hair man suddenly jumped in horror when this voice sounded from right behind him.


    However, before he could react, a powerful hand gripped his neck from behind and it was so strong he felt he was in the grip of a metal w!


    "Ah¡­ I¡­" He choked under that tightening grip as he put his arm around that stony hand to escape from that grip, but s, he was helpless.


    Jacob''s murderous voice rang again.


    "Now, you have two choices. I can chock the lights out of you or you can tell me why you were following me around. If you chose the first option, keep struggling and if you chose thetter, then stop!"

 Chapter 91 Discovery

    ?"Now, you have two choices, either I can chock the lights out of you or you can tell me why you were following me around. If you chose the first option, keep struggling and if you chose thetter, then stop!"


    Hearing Jacob''s icy voice, in the end, the long hair man chose thetter since he can''t even flinch from Jacob''s grip, much less escaped from it. He was utterly horrified at how strong Jacob was. Even a C-rank mercenary won''t be able to manhandle him if he put his everything. But in front of Jacob, he was like a two-year-old child.


    Jacob finally loosened the grip, but he didn''t let go.


    "Now start signing your life story or I can simply put a full stop to it." Jacob chuckled mockingly.


    ''He heard us?!'' This gave him another jolt.


    They were talking in the close carriage, and he himself observed Jacob''s carriage was twenty meters away from theirs all the time. It waspletely impossible for Jacob to hear them from that distance with all the noise pollution.


    He even started to consider Jacob some rare monster who was in human disguise.


    He knew they had wholly miscalcted Jacob''s strength and abilities. Likewise, he wasn''t just some helpless, talented youth. But he was a sleeping tiger, and they unknowingly they had ruffled the tiger''s whiskers.


    He quickly told without hiding anything, "I-it was Vice Guild Master f whomission the Vice Leader Kite to keep a close eye on you! We were simply following order, we have no other motives!"


    Jacob wasn''t surprised by f''s involvement. That old man always looked at him as if he was prey, but he restrained himself because of Drew and never mess with him.


    However, he didn''t expect f would seek help from the Vice Leader of the star mercenary agency, Kite.


    ''It seemed that old guy was waiting for a chance so he could beat the secret out of me while he could also keep his hands clean even if things go south.'' Jacob sneered coldly.


    Since he had already confirmed f''s scheme, which he only considered an ant''s dream, he didn''t need this guy anymore. Without giving any chance, he clutched his hand!


    ''Crush!''


    The man''s neck was crushedpletely, without any resistance. He died before he even reacted!


    Jacob coolly threw the limp body to the side and move on. He didn''t even bother with the man''s belongings, since he knew he won''t find anything that could interest him on this small fry.


    He only acted because these guys were following him like annoying flies for days now, but he didn''t act since he wasn''t done with his preparations.


    However, now, he wasn''t afraid of showing his prowess and drawing attention anymore.


    Before, he only showed the tip of the iceberg so he could use the workshop in the gunsmith guild as much as he wished and peacefully while Drew covered for him until he was done.


    Now that he was done, they cane as they wish!


    A few hourster,


    Jacob finally reached the Lion Forest, which was spread over fifty miles, and there were some umon species residing in this ce.


    However, what really drew him to this ce wasn''t the mission, but he felt a peculiar sensation within his heart when he passed this ce in Peter''s carriage.


    He simply thought it was his imagination, but after seeing the mission, he thought otherwise.


    Out of curiosity, he took the mission. Since he was going to pass this ce, he didn''t mind taking a detour.


    On the contrary, if he crossed the lion forest, he would get to the Rainy Mountain Range in half the time he is required to travel on the safe route.


    After crossing a few miles, he was carefully walked between towering trees.


    Suddenly, a silhouette lunged at him out of nowhere.


    ''Fast!''


    Jacob''s agility shifted his body and dodged the sharp fangs, and the silhouette missed the sneak attack. It directlynded on the ground and start escaping.


    It was a one-meter-long ck snake with small brown dots on its body.


    ''An umon Raptor Snake. It seemed I''m having snake soup for dinner.'' Jacob smirked before he swiftly moved his hand and a dark streak shot toward the Raptor Snake which was crawling away.


    ''Peng¡­''


    The short sword directly pierced through its head and pin it down in its ce.


    However, right at this moment, faint smoke started to rise from the group all of a sudden.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s expression changed drastically from this sudden turn of events and quickly picked up his sword.


    He didn''t care about the snake anymore, since he could feel his senses were starting to get disenable the moment this mysterious smoke appeared.


    ''Sedation Gas?!'' Jacob quickly stopped respiring.


    His heart palpitated because even with his mental fortitude, he felt slightly dizzy with a faint whiff of this smoke.


    He knew he had entered a trap and someone who could escape his sharp hearing had to be an expert or he had identally triggered this trap. Nheless, he would not wait here to find the exact reason, as he ran at full speed!


    Because of his water meditation, he could hold his breath like this for over an hour, but his skin started to burn as it came in contact with this strange gas, which make it somewhat difficult for him.


    After running for over five hundred meters, he finally emerged from the smoke and hisplexion was pale red as thick vines bulged on his forehead.


    He finally breathed fresh air, and hisplex started to recover. He was feeling extreme rage all of a sudden. A gas nearly did him.


    ''Who could have this kind of gas, and why did it set up in this ce? Even C rank mercenary might not escape,'' Jacob mused with a dark expression.


    He could tell this gas wasn''t just effective with breathing, but it can also affect someone with skin contact as well. If not for his powerful body, he might''ve already beenying somewhere on that smoke screen.


    "Hehe, it seemed I captured another one." A vague, uncanny voice rang from some distance.


    Jacob snapped out of his stupor and moved his body and hide behind a tree while he controlled his jittering breathing.


    Thereupon, a 1.2 feet tall cloaked figure walk appeared in his view.


    Although he can''t see the face, he saw a small cylinder belted around this person''s waist and a slender tube attached to it.


    ''An oxygen mask?'' Jacob''s expression turned frosty with a tingle of astonishment.


    He now knew who the culprit behind that smoke was.


    However, he didn''t act and observed. He now had a deep understanding of the humane kingdom''s strength and what they were capable of.


    Although an oxygen cylinder can be bought from the apothecary guild with some connections, but it was as expensive as 50 gold coins!


    Furthermore, that guy''s equipment was far more refined than Jacob had seen until now. They were almost at Decker''sb level!


    That cloaked figure unhurriedly entered the smoke screen like he was strolling in his backyard.


    Jacob suddenly took out a bottle filled with dark liquid. It was thest bottle he had from the dark liquid tank in Decker''sb.


    His recovery was extremely slow, and now this stranger appeared he needed to recover faster. So, he quickly took a mouthful and a cold sensation spread all over his body.


    He started to recover at a visible rate.


    ''It was worth saving it.'' Jacob was d and stored the bottle away quickly.


    He never thought he would be forced to use it in the umon region of all the ces.


    Now, he was even more curious yet vengeful toward the person who set up that trap.


    "Damn it, how could a snake waste a precious the Gas-Trap?!" a confused yet angry cussing sounded at this moment and the cloaked figure appeared again.


    "Now I have to go back empty-handed and even have to rece the trap. Damn that worm." He wasn''t happy about what he found inside the smokescreen.


    Jacob had a stiff expression when he heard this, ''What a loose mouth. It seemed he wasn''t afraid someone would hear him. Well, he made it easier for me now. But there should be more of such traps. I have to be careful. If I could just make x-ray sses!''


    He felt like cussing right now.


    Nevertheless, soon, an icy smirk emerged on his face, before he started to follow the cloaked figure every step without missing any. He wasn''t sure if there were more of those bomb traps or not, but he was sure that loose mouth won''t trigger one himself.


    It was already getting dark.


    After following that cloaked figure for two hours, they reached a water source, and just as Jacob was wondering where the hideout was.


    That cloaked figure suddenly put his hand on a tree trunk and his icy voice rang, "Now, are you going toe out or I''ll make you?!"

 Chapter 92 Glean Gnome

    ?With one hand on the small tree trunk, the cloaked figure suddenly turned right in Jacob''s direction, and an icy voice rang, "Now, are you going toe out or I''ll make you?!"


    Jacob''s heart churned at this moment, ''How?!''


    He waspletely clueless about how this guy was able to find him out despite his carefulness and he even managed to lead him into a trap instead of his base location.


    Not only this guy kept his heartbeat steady, but he didn''t lose his calm demeanor which also made Jacob believe he was in control while he was foolishly walking in a trap.


    "If you don''te out in ten seconds I''ll activate this mechanism which will trigger another smoke trap and trust me when I say the previous smoke was child y inparison to this one, and its range is ten miles.


    "Although I don''t know how you managed to escape the previous trap, I''m sure like hell you''ll not be going to escape this one¡­"


    ''Bang, bang¡­''


    Before he could finish, bullet shots rang in quick session and they were urately aimed at his hand on the tree bark.


    ''Heh, why talk so much? Since you need to press it I just need to make sure you don''t, what a moron.'' Jacob scoffed at the other party''s idiocy.


    However, Jacob was given a fright when a transparent red barrier suddenly appeared around the cloaked figure, and the bullets reflected like rubble balls the moment they contacted it!


    "Hahahaha¡­ and here I thought someone got the wind of our mission and came here to intercept us. But it''s just an ignorant piggy who got lucky." A hystericugh sound from that person and there was a hint of relief in his voice as if the water was under the bridge now.


    ''Is that a particle barrier?!'' Jacob finally felt he was in danger when he saw the red barrier and heard that person''s hysteric tone.


    He knew he had terribly underestimated his opponent this time, and he was extremely confident in dealing with him or he won''t be spouting nonsense.


    However, he knew there wasn''t any point in regretting it now. But he had to prevent him from triggering that trap because he could feel he didn''t want to activate it that was why he wanted to draw him out with threats.


    Before, Jacob felt a little threatened by this smoke trap, however, now that he sees the translucent barrier. He didn''t dare to take risks wantonly anymore.


    "You win!" He said and walk out with a magnum revolver in his hand.


    Just as Jacob thought that cloaked figure didn''t activate the trap and still wait for Jacob toe out of his own ord.


    "Hahaha¡­ little piggy now you understand no matter how an ant struggle or grow it can never shake the tree! Now obediently shot yourself in kneecaps, and save yourself a world of pain, or I can let you dissociate slowly your choice." He spoke with extreme confidence as if everything was under control.


    However, Jacob remained calm while his eyes were affixed to that barrier all this time, he blurted, "I''m curious, that barrier is probably made with Argon and Neon in the air, right? It''s not manmade, but an auxiliary device triggered this phenomenon. Quite fascinating that you guys have such technology. Are you from Rare Region?"


    "Argon and Neon? What are you talking about?" The cloaked figure seemed clueless about what Jacob just said and then he sneered coldly, "Don''t y games with me, piggy. You are not qualified to even speak the name of the rare region!"


    ''Cursed Immortality!'' Jacob quickly summoned.


    The moment the floating book appeared, hemanded, ''What tier is his specie, tell me in detail!''


    He knew if he wanted to turn this situation around; he needed to know what kind of monster he was dealing with. Mutual destruction was thest option.


    "That''s a Glean Gnome, a tier-6 specie. It had reached the limit of his bloodline and it might be a genius of its race.


    "A Glean Gnome is a top-notch intelligent species when it came to gathering information or tracking and it''s difficult to sneak up on them. They had far better hearing than the Bronze Goblin you encounter previously and they can hear even the slightest chance in airflow. Hahahaha¡­ he must''ve seen youing from a mile and you walk right into his trap. How interesting!"


    ''A tier-6, huh? Well, it seemed my luck is not bad.'' Jacob didn''t mind Immortika''s mocking. He was silently thrilled when he read this little guy had reached his full potential.


    Glean Gnome seemed to have lost his cool at this moment was about to take out something from his cloak and Jacob heard it loud and clear.


    "If your barrier can even reflect a bullet as fast as the speed of sound, then I surrender." Jacob suddenly utter before the magnum in his hand vanished and two ckponents one meter each in size appeared in his hand.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    One was a slender pitch-ck barrel while the other was the exquisite body.


    "W-what?!" Glean Gnome was startled when he saw those parts appearing out of thin air and he even forgot what was he doing.


    Without wasting a moment, Jacob quickly connected both parts, and a two-meter-long sniper rifle, entirely made of titan iron, emerged. He named it Titan Sniper.


    This rifle was his biggest trump card, but he never thought he would use this in the umon region.


    Nevertheless, he had kept it loaded so he could use it at a moment''s notice, like just now.


    He quickly pulled the trigger after aiming at the point-nk range, while his opponent was still shocked by his infinity pendant.


    ''Boom!''


    A booming sound rang in the vicinity.


    The red translucent barrier instantly shattered like ss, and the titan iron bullet blew the Glean Gnome''s hand on the tree bark into smithereens.


    "Ahhhh¡­"


    A ghastly howl soon followed suit.


    Jacob was quite satisfied with the titan sniper''s prowess, but he wasn''t done. He quickly closed in the p that shrilled Glean Gnome from that tree''s range.


    "You nearly got me there. I shouldmend you for that." Jacob finally felt relieved.


    "Y-you¡­ what are you?! You can''t kill me¡­ o-or the entire umon region will be destroyed!" the Glean Gnome threatened while suppressing the pain.


    He never thought his opponent would be a way to break past his defense. Furthermore, he knew just how powerful that barrier was. Even an ordinary A-rank mercenary was helpless against it, and the weapons that can break this barrier were even more costly than that barrier.


    Besides, only someone with a particr status can purchase them, not just any random tom, dick, and harry.


    The Glean Gnome could tell Jacob was just a human, and humans could never have this kind of authority in the rare region to get their hands on these weapons.


    That''s why he thought Jacob might''ve stumbled on this weapon by chance, but he was extremely confused about how it appeared out of thin air.


    He decided to escape with his life first and then alert his family, he wille back prepared next time and hunt Jacob down, even if he had to turn every stone in the umon region!


    How could a glorious genius of his race lose his arm to some inferior race? He was extremely arrogant and would not let this matter end until he tortured Jacob in the curliest way.


    But first, he had to pretend that he will not seek revenge and escape with his life.


    However, Jacob''s next words send him the chills. "Oh, you''ll be doing those worthless idiots a favor if you can really put them out of their misery. But I''m afraid you don''t have this kind of authority to do so, or you guys won''t be just snooping around like gutter rats.


    "Let me guess, there''s someone extremely powerful who is protecting the umon region, or you guys would never let it flourish or let it grow freely. Am I right?"


    Jacob coolly stated as a matter of fact as he walked closer to the cloaked Glean Gnome.


    ''Lunatic!'' Glean Gnome could only think of Jacob like this, but he had to admit Jacob had almost guessed the entire truth about the umon region.


    But he can''t show weakness right now, "Y-you, if you let me go. I can let you enter the rare region and give you riches you can''t even dream about!" He used the biggest temptation that any umon specie longed for.


    "I can go there by myself. After seeing you, I won''t stay here for long. I''ll be just narrowing my view and keep belittling other races like you. There are still many things to learn for me, you just make it clearer. If I stay in this environment any longer, I might die because of my own ignorance." Jacob sighed with deplored!

 Chapter 93 Finding The Hideout

    ?Just as Jacob''s voice trailed off.


    "Hahahaha¡­" the Glean Gnome suddenlyugh hysterically as if he heard the biggest joke of his life. Despite the weakness in his voice, it sounded extremely creepy.


    He menacingly uttered, "Dream on little piggy, if you think you can go to the rare region with that weapon of yours, then you really have a death wish!"


    Jacob merely chuckled, with a hint of killing intent. "It seemed you know quite a lot, huh? How about helping me out, then? As long as you give information about the rare region as well as tell me what were you doing here, I''ll give you a quick death."


    Glean Gnome suddenly move his hand and a small dagger appeared, and without any hesitation, he stabbed toward the small cylinder belted around his waist.


    He knew Jacob would never let him go; he was simply too indifferent and cold. So, he decided to end his life as well as destroy everything he was carrying in person.


    Although this cylinder was filled with oxygen, it was made particrly in a way that if someone poked a hole in it, it will blow like a bomb. It was also a safety measure to not fall into the enemy''s hands and destroy anything important.


    Albeit he was unwilling to die in this ce, Jacob had clearly stated he won''t let him off and the information Jacob was asking was the top secret of his n which he can''t tell anyone.


    So, he decided to use hisst resort and blow himself while gravely injuring Jacob in the process and he knew the moment he blew himself his nsman would be alerted and they might be able to avenge him by killing Jacob who would be wounded at that time.


    Most importantly, he didn''t want to experience torture or humiliation before his death.


    However, it was only possible if he could outmatch Jacob''s reaction speed!


    Jacob had long closed the distance, and he knew this guy won''t go down easily. So, the moment he saw him moving, the magnum revolver appeared in his hand again, and he pulled the trigger!


    ''Bang¡­''


    Glean Gnome''s hand was only a few centimeters away from the cylinder suddenly shed back when the bulletnded right on his wrist, and the dagger also fell!


    "Ahh¡­ Bastard, I''ll kill you. You can''t escape once they know you killed me¡­ haahaha!" He screamed and cursed while hystericallyughing.


    He lost all his reason when he looked at his half-blown wrist, and the bullet even pierced deep into his rib cage. Furthermore, he knew he can''t be saved anymore.


    However, Jacob would not let that happen. He took out his sword, and without any word, he directly stabbed into the bullet wound.


    "Ahhhhhh¡­" the Glean Gnome screamed madly when the de entered his body.


    Jacob''s eyes were exempt from any emotions as he finally uncloaked the Glean Gnome''s face.


    He had a long pointy nose and a small square face with pointy teeth and brown skin. His brown eyes werepletely bloodshot as he looked at Jacob with hatred and abhorrence.


    He never hated someone so much in his life. He never thought he was going to be killed by someone from an inferior race in the umon region, which was supposed to be their yground and chance for his rise.


    Jacob suddenly pulled an icy smile. "You look like an asshole, I know. Well now, tell me where is your facility, you don''t want yourst moments to be worse than death, right?" as he said those worse, he slightly twisted the hilt.


    "Uahhhhhh¡­ g-go to... hell¡­ ahahahhhhhh! " Hisugh turned shrill when Jacob twisted the de even more.


    "Come on, it''ll be over quickly. Why are you making it hard for yourself?" Jacob''s voice was filled with indifference as he said those words. He just couldn''t feel pity or any remorse for this guy as he watched him scream.


    Unknowingly, he started to see everyone else as livestock and as a butcher, he won''t feel anything for the livestock.


    "F-f¡­ fuck¡­ ahhhhhh¡­"


    Jacob pierce even deeper but he had to admit this guy was really tough, and he knew Jacob can''t anything as he will eventually die within a few minutes. He had already lost so much blood.


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly narrowed when he observed a faint glow under the cloak. It was already dark, so this faint glow won''t go unnoticed.


    He removed the cloak, and he saw a small device that was showing a red dot and pointed toward a specific location.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob instantly remembered the tracking device and the tracker he got from the tiger bull.


    "It seemed I don''t need you at all. Let me guess, you wanted to blow yourself because of the tracking marker in your body and also this device which shows you the location of your other associates.


    "I''ll get the information about the rare region out of them. Let''s hope they''re as tough as you, or it would be quite boring." Jacob chuckled darkly as he liked the Glean Gnome''s shocked expression, filled with despair.


    "Bast¡­"


    Before he could curse, Jacob''s hand suddenly moved vertically, and the Glean Gnome''s entire body was separated in half by the sharp de!


    "Hmph¡­" Jacob merely sneered and took his ''heart box'' and filled it with blood, and then took the Glean Gnome''s heart.


    But he didn''t leave the corpseying. He buried it close to the water source and clean the scene.


    Since there was a rare rank race here, and this guy might be one of their geniuses, he can''t leave his traces behind, which might be led to him. He has no idea what kind of strange abilities these races might possess.


    That''s why, until he got rid of thempletely, it was best to remain vignt. As for what they were doing in the humane kingdom so far away from the rare region, he was soon going to find out.


    From the Glean Gnome''s corpse, Jacob also got the cylinder and mask, as well as the tracking device. There wasn''t any currency or identity.


    However, what was most interesting was the ck belt around the Glean Gnome''s waist. He saw the in ck buckle was now cracked and after hepletely pealed the surface; he saw a charred interior with aplex structure.


    "That barrier was probably embedded in this buckle, and it was destroyed when I used the Titan Sniper. It''s a pity I won''t be able to study it. Well, I might get more of these in their hideout." Jacob''s lips curled.


    He arranged the oxygen cylinder around his wrist like the Glean Gnome, and it was still half full since he didn''t know where those smoke traps were. This cylinder will be his lifesaver.


    Who knows just how many traps those bastards are hiding around their hideout?


    He looked at the pointer in the device and start to move toward it very carefully.


    Furthermore, the Glean Gnome tracking device was now on him. He didn''t store it inside his pendant since it would connect its connection. He didn''t want to alert the enemy by doing it.


    If anyone was monitoring these trackers, they would only think that the Glean Gnome was still alive anding back to their hideout.


    Just as Jacob was a mile away from the trap, he saw a blue dot appearing in the device a few meters away.


    His eyes contracted. ''Can this device also tell where the traps are hidden?!''


    Jacob was ted, he carefully walked right where this blue dot was, and when he carefully removed the soil, something hard appeared, and he carefully clear the soil.


    ''Andmine?!'' Jacob was astonished when he saw the bluendmine.


    ''So, that''s the secret behind their so-called smoke traps is, huh? This mine should be connected with that tree somehow.'' Jacob dug around it and finally noticed a string heading in the same way where he came from.


    ''Since that guy was so confident about this trap and its range is sorge, it mighte in handy.'' Jacob quickly got to work.


    Deactivating andmine was a piece of cake for him since there weren''t any anti-touch sensors.


    After a few minutes, he finally deactivated it and stored it in his pendant without hesitation. He wanted to disassemble it and see what was the true source of that smoke. But now wasn''t the time.


    He again started to follow the direction and, on his way, he acquired five morendmines, but they were white, not like the previous blue one.


    By following the pointer, Jacob didn''t know in which part he was, but he was still in the lion forest, and he had to admit those guys really knew how to hide their tracks. Without this device, even those Glean Gnomes might not find the hideout.


    After walking for over an hour, the end of the line finally appeared. Jacob looked at where the point was and saw it was a small muddy puddle surrounded by trees!

 Chapter 94 A Surprise!

    ?Jacob looked at the tracking device in his hand and frowned slightly because he could see the trees surrounding the small muddy puddle were blinking in blue dots and they were eight for them.


    ''Sensors or bombs or monitoring devices?'' Jacob didn''t approach the location since it would be too risky if he got exposed.


    He still didn''t know just how many Glean Gnomes were there or if they had any help from the rare region. He also had no idea what kind of facility they had.


    Even Decker was hiding deadly traps in his small hideout, much less these guys who seemed to be here for some time, and they had all kinds of traps in this forest.


    ''Since this device is showing the locations and trap, I wonder if it had other functions.''


    Jacob looked at the tracking device which was 6X4 and there wasn''t any loge and it looked like apletely back smartphone. However, it only had one button to turn it off or on.


    Jacob had already disassembled the tracking device he got from the Hob Trolls and it had a very simple radio wave mechanism, and this didn''t seem any different. Besides, it can also show traps or something in those traps.


    As for their energy source, there were small sr panels installed on their back that can recharge them. As for the small gemstone which was also the tracker, it was still a mystery for him because there wasn''t any opening in it nor did he dare to, afraid of breaking it.


    He didn''t have the luxury to experiment with only one device in his possession.


    But he was fascinated when he found out that this gemstone tracker got activated once it felt the heat of the skin, just like the parasite gem and its controller.


    Although he didn''t know how these gems were made, he was sure they were quite high-tech and probably a very expensivemodity, even in the rare region.


    The devices, on the other hand, were quite easy to make as long as they had the frequency of a tracker gem. Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t want to dive deep into this because being curious about these things in the umon region was simply wasting his brain cells and time. So, he temporarily gave up on researching these gems after having a vague idea about their operative systems.


    However, this also proved he still had many things to learn, and just because he had some knowledge and breakthrough in his previous life, this doesn''t mean he was the number one genius in this world.


    Arrogance and ignorance will only get him so far, and he learned his lesson on the day when he epted Cursed Immortality.


    But today he also learned if he stayed in shallow waters for much longer, he got used to it and when he entered the sea, it will swallow him!


    He had to learn to survive in the sea and only then he''ll learn the way of the sea!


    But it also doesn''t mean he''ll be going to announce his arrival to those monsters hidden deep within.


    Jacob looked at the tracking device and then at those trees. Although he didn''t know for sure what traps were there, he wasn''t in a hurry to find out.


    It was already deep at night, and he was already at his destination. Once that Glean Gnome didn''t return to the base within a specific time, they mighte out to look for him.


    From his arrogant tone, he sounded extremely confident, and Jacob counted on it.


    He''ll slowly chip away their numbers before they made some mistakes.


    After deciding to this point, Jacob close the tracking device and put it in his pocket, since he didn''t want to cut off the connectionpletely.


    On the contrary, he was going to use it to his own advantage.


    ''Since they can track this device, I can control their movements and lead them into traps. I can''t use the titan sniper unless it was necessary.''


    Albeit the titan sniper was powerful, its voice was loud despite Jacob''s effort to suppress it as much as he could, but he needed some unique tools that the workshop in the gunsmith guild in the lionheart city didn''t have topletely suppress that thunderous voice.


    Lastly, the bullets were quite precious, and it still didn''t have a matching scope that can bring out the gun''s true potential.


    Jacob left the area to start working on his n to capture those Glean Gnomes alive, or anyone who lived in thatb.


    He dug a deep pit and then hide it before throwing the tracker he found in the Glean Gnome''s body. While he hid in the crown of a tree not far away from his trap.


    Time passed, and the entire night ended as the dawn started to break. Jacob still didn''t detect any movement.


    But he kept waiting patiently.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, when the entire day pass without any movement, he wondered if this device had led him to some hoax hideout and if he was just wasting his time.


    But he still didn''t move and decided to wait for another two days, and if he still didn''t detect any movement, he''ll leave and return to the lionheart city before he began his travels toward the rare region.


    Although, this hideout of Glean Gnomes might give him some information about the rare region. He wasn''t enough desperate to waste his time while he can extract another tier-6 heart essence.


    Besides, he won''t get any more heart essence even if he hunted more Glean Gnomes. It simply wasn''t worth so much time.


    Now, it depends on their luck if they didn''t appear!


    Today was the third night since Jacob was lying in wait when he suddenly felt a mild tremor on the ground.


    Jacob was instantly alerted because it was just too sudden, and followed by this tremor, a ghastly roar reverberated in the area,


    "Roarrrrr¡­"


    Jacob''s expression changed because this roar rang from the same direction as the hideout location.


    ''This voice is even more intimidating than that bull. Just what were they doing here, exactly?'' Jacob was curious, and he was about to go to take a look when¡­


    "I think they''re here. Let''s go before someone elsee here. We can''t miss this chance!"


    Jacob heard a familiar voice a couple of meters from his hiding position on the west side and he could also hear the rustling sound of many footsteps rushing toward the hideout direction.


    ''It seemed I won''t have to test the waters myself.'' Jacob''s lips suddenly curled into a wintry smile when he thought about who it was and crept behind that group.


    Soon, they reached the location of the small muddy puddle.


    However, Jacob was astonished when he saw the puddle wasn''t there anymore and a ten-meter-wide hole has appeared in its ce.


    Furthermore, when Jacob''s eyes shifted toward an over six-meter-tall silhouette, his expression turned stern.


    "Captain, it seemed you were right about the Goblin Facility being in the lion forest and if we managed to capture it, we''ll be famous not to talk about rich!" A man''s ted voice rang.


    Jacob finally nced at the group. They were ten people wearing many gears and mercenary armor, with a variety of firearms and cold weapons.


    "Don''t jump to conclusion, that thing that crawled out from that hole is probably a B-rank and it might''ve killed all the goblins in the facility when it managed to escape.


    "We don''t need to kill this thing, just drive it away toward the closest town, while we''ll collect the research records in that facility. That''s what holds the true value!"


    Jacob was very familiar with this voice. It was none other than Rosalia who he rejected the invitation from before leaving the Rain Town.


    He didn''t think she was inviting him to raid the Glean Gnomes Hideout, and it seemed she was under the false impression that this facility was established by the green goblins or she simply didn''t want to reveal the truth despite knowing how dangerous this raid mission could be.


    ''That''s why she was recruiting mercenaries in the towns, so they could be her cannon folds. But I probably clean the traps for them, that''s why they appeared here with no scratch.


    ''Now she wanted those cannon folds to lure that thing away from the facility toward a town, so even if those cannon folds died, those people will take their ces while she plunders the hideout. How ruthless.''


    Jacob couldn''t help but slightly admired Rosalia''s scheming and decision-making abilities.


    Suddenly, everyone heard a husky voice filled with indifference ring in the vicinity. "At least I don''t have to worry about the food for my pet. Go feed to your heart content!"


    Just as this voice trailed off, two red, glowing eyes snapped opened and turned toward Rosalia''s group.


    Even Jacob, who was still fifty meters away, felt his heart palpitated when he felt murderous air filling the surroundings when those red beastly eyes opened!


    ''Powerful!'' This was the only word that came to his mind!

 Chapter 95 A Mutant

    ?"Someone can control this thing. We need to get rid of this anomaly. Prepare your weapons, we''re using ne C!" Rosaliamanded with a hint of shock.


    She didn''t know someone can control that beast, which extinguished her hope of distracting it. Now she had to find the person who was controlling that beast and get rid of him before things get out of hand.


    "Roarrrrr¡­"


    This deafening roar made them look toward the beast again. Because of the night, they didn''t see the true appearance of the beast and thought it was just some captured beast.


    However, as that so-called beaste closer to the range of their torches, they finally had a clear look and their heart trembled when they saw the ''beast''.


    It was a humanoid brown monster with slimy liquid gushing out from its body, its mouth was filled with sharp fangs and its red eyes were filled with killing intent.


    "What the fuck is this thing?!" a burly man yelled in horror.


    Rosalia also found this unbelievable when she saw the appearance of that thing. This was their first time seeing such an abomination, and it looked nothing like some beast.


    Some of the mercenaries opened fire in fear, but to their horror, those bullets simply bounce off that thing!


    "Captain, this is not how we n. Even the rifle bullets have no effect on it!" A woman shouted with an aghast expression.


    ''She lied to me. This is not a goblin facility we can raid!'' Rosalia''s heart palpitated with fear and hatred in her eyes. She never thought she would get tricked intoing here, or it was also a possibility that her partner didn''t know about this either.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t time to mull over it, because the monster''s speed suddenly increased as it ran toward the burly man with its mouth wide open.


    She shouted, "Retreat, this mission is over, safe yourself!" She directly dashed toward the woods.


    Everyone looked at fleeing Rosalia with a hint of bewilderment and resentment. But they knew every mercenary was like this and once they sense real danger, they would also save their own skin first.


    So, Rosalia fleeing action wasn''t out of their expectation. There wasn''t any fighting chance against that monster, since they can''t even faze it with bullets.


    They all fled in different directions, while the burly man had the aggro of that monster!


    "Bunch of backstabbers!" His voice was filled with hatred as if he had done nothing like this before or he won''t do the same if he was in their shoes.


    Furthermore, the brown monster''s speed was increasing at an rming rate and despite being a C rank mercenary, he was losing ground quickly.


    "Heh, running won''t help¡­" The same husky voice rang in the vicinity, filled with disdain.


    Jacob also saw the monster and couldn''t summon cursed immortality instantly.


    "What is that thing?" He quickly asked while his eyes were affixed on the monster, as it seemed to grow stronger with every second.


    Furthermore, the hole was now unguarded since that monster was busy chasing those mercenaries.


    Immortika wrote teasingly, "It seemed your luck is not bad."


    Jacob frowned. "What do you mean? I don''t have time to y riddle with you!"


    "Hehehehe, that thing is actually a manmade mutant after theybine genes of two species so they could achieve evolution. However, do you think those bunch of pig brains can achieve something like this and break the limit on their bloodline so easily?


    "They''re simply ying god and they''re terrible at that as well. Nevertheless, since that mutant is a mixture of two species, it meant it''s a new species entirely.


    "Currently, its rank is Tier-7 and if he ate enough living beings, he can evolve into tier-8, but that''s its limit since it was born after mixing the tier two genes into tier five genes.


    "Hehehe¡­ that''s why I said it was your chance. If you can let it evolve into tier-8 and then kill it and acquire its heart, you''ll probably 10% increase in the cursed mark.


    "Most importantly, you failed to awake any ability on your 10%pletionst time, but with that mutant heart, your chance of awakening an ability will also be higher since your heart is also mutant."


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly lit up when he read thest details. He had already heard about the ability from Immortika, but he never managed to awaken it.


    Now, he was hearing it again, and it seemed his chances were quite high.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He suddenly looked at the monster, who had already gobbled up that burly mercenary whole despite his struggle, and quickly dashed toward the other direction where another mercenary had escaped.


    "That monster has already entered the rank of rarer specie, if I let it grow to tier-8, I''m afraid I would lose the ability to hunt it down altogether. What if I killed it now?" Jacob asked.


    "That mutant is still an infant. If you kill it now, you''ll only get the normal benefits of swallowing a tier-7 species. A mutant like this only benefits you if it maturedpletely.


    "Hehe, why don''t you let it eat all those humans who are at the peak of tier-3 and then fed it that fellow hiding in that hole, it''s a tier-5 Hob Troll who had broken the limit of its bloodline two times," Immortika suggested.


    Jacob''s interest was suddenly piqued. "Hob Troll? What do you mean, broke the limit two times?"


    He knew hob trolls were a tier three species like humans and this hob troll was a tier-5. Immortika also mentions how that mutant came into being. It was also because someone tried to break the limit.


    "Didn''t I already exin that there are some species that can evolve in tiers despite the lower tiers they were born with? This is called the limit break and the more limit a species breaks, the stronger it is from the other natural specie of the same rank.


    "Simply put, a B rank human is someone who had broken the limit of their bloodline, and A rank is the same case. The species with intelligence can break their limits and evolve into higher-tier species as long as they knew which is the right path for them.


    "This is a higher concept you''lle in contact with once you meet the species above tier-12. You''ll know just how insignificant you truly are. Hahahahaha¡­"


    Jacob felt slight fear, but there was a hint of expectation in his eyes when he thought just how deep this entire concept was and he wasn''t even qualified to be a frog in the well yet.


    However, just as Immortika said, this wasn''t the time to know about these things and he should be grateful that the usually annoying book revealed this much to him without wasting his time in talking circles.


    ''Well, let''s see how strong a hob troll who had broken this so call bloodline limit is.'' Jacob''s lips curled into a wintry smile. He had already killed hob trolls without using his strength before.


    Furthermore, this hob troll seemed to be in control of that mutant. If he could gain that control, he can easily kill that mutant after letting it evolve into tier-8.


    "Is there more species in that hole?" He asked.


    "Only one, it seemed that hob troll had already fed everyone inside to that mutant to help it acquire this much strength. Hehehe¡­ I wonder who will win between you two."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "Do you mean that hob troll is as strong as me?"


    He knew just how strong he was, and there was hardly anyone who could give him a fight in the umon region.


    "Hehehe¡­ I can''t answer this question!"


    "I have already gotten my answer with your creepyugh." Jacob sneered and close the book.


    ''If thingse to shove, I''ll just use the titan sniper,'' Jacob sneered.


    Before he take any further action, he take out something from his pendant, it was a faceless dark mask made with titan iron. He had saved it for such asions. He put on the mask, and it fit his face perfectly.


    Then he suddenly unfolded his cor and it turned into a long hood, he covered his head with the hood on his jacketpletely hiding his silver hair. Now only his amber eyes were visible.


    He slowly crept toward the dark hole.


    If that mutant didn''t have any allure to him, he would never take such a risk, and if he wanted to hunt that thing after it mature, he had to get rid of this hidden threat first.


    Jacob looked down the hole, and it was twenty meters deep and there was a dim light.


    "It seemed you managed to escape my pet''s detection. Interesting." Jacob suddenly turned around and finally notice the voice source. It wasing from a tree.


    He understood, those blue dots he saw in that device were monitoring devices, and that guy was still in the hideout, monitoring everyone like he was watching a show.


    Jacob suddenly pull a stiff smile under his mask as he sneered, "How about youe out of this small hole of yours and we have a chat."


    "It''s meaningless, you''re dead whether you meet me or not." The voice was filled with indifference and disdain as if Jacob wasn''t worth his attention.


    Jacob suddenly put a hand in his inner pocket and pull out a bluendmine. He waved thendmine on the tree and coolly said, "I wonder if I threw this in this hole, will you crawl out or not!"

 Chapter 96 Bluffing

    ?Jacob suddenly put a hand in his inner pocket and pull out a bluendmine, he waved thendmine on the tree and coolly said, "I wonder if throw this in this hole, will you crawl out or not!"


    "It seemed you have some skills to even acquired that intermediate smoke-mine without blowing yourself up. But are you sure you wanted to meet me?" The voice still sounded indifferent.


    Jacob, however, didn''t buy that calm act and sneered, "If you wanted to buy time for your pet toe here, I promise I''ll throw it inside before I leave. What do you think will happen then?"


    Truth be told, Jacob didn''t want to waste this smoke mine, since it was probably the Glean Gnomes'' trump card to get rid of a powerful opponent like him.


    That''s why he was threatening, and he also wanted to see just how much this mine can scare this hob troll who was as strong as him.


    "Since you wish for death, I''ll grant your wish." The husky voice was icy cold, but there was a hint of anger in his voice this time.


    Jacob''s lip curled. He didn''t want to go inside the hideout where this hob troll had an absolute advantage, since he knew where the traps were set and how to activate them.


    Fighting outside was the best option, and he now had some idea just how scary this mine was, so he quickly put it away and took out two white smoke mines, and without any hesitation, he threw them inside with a wintry smile.


    ''If you think I''ll let you walk out without any consequences, then you are a moron,'' Jacob sneered before he quickly dashed toward the tree.


    He never said he will fight fairly, besides if that mutant came back he might not handle two of them together, and then he had to kill the mutant as well that be a great waste.


    Furthermore, thedder seemed to be destroyed by the mutant when it crawled upward. He wanted to see how that hob troll will climb up with that annoying smoke.


    Jacob quickly pulled out his titan sniper, and after connecting it, he aimed it toward the hole. The moment that hob troll appeared, he will not hesitate to shoot him.


    However, smoke suddenly started rising, covering the entire hole.


    Jacob frowned, but he didn''t move from his position while staring at the smoke. He was also alert for any movement of that mutant.


    When a minute passed, Jacob suddenly noticed someone flying out the hole, and when he had a closer look, his expression changed, ''A Stick Grenade?!''


    Without any dy, he quickly took cover. He never thought this opponent was this resourceful, and this also take away his chance of killing that guy in one shot.


    With a booming sound, the smoke and dust cover the area.


    Jacob quickly attached the sniper to his back before he drew one short sword in one hand while a ck shotgun appeared in another hand. It was the shotgun he had made himself, and it was far more powerful than those low-quality shotguns he acquired.


    Jacob suddenly heard quick footstepsing his way.


    ''He knew I''m here!'' Without any hesitation, he shot in that direction!


    ''Boom¡­''


    "You''re not just talking, huh? But if you think these bullets can touch me, and this is where your confidence came from, then you''re already dead!" The hob troll sneered.


    Jacob heard something flying right toward him.


    ''This bastard.'' He knew this was another stick grenade and quickly dashed toward another tree.


    "Boom¡­"


    The tree was blown into debris.


    "Since you wanted to y. Let''s y!" Jacob''s voice was icy cold, and without any hesitation, he dashed toward the hob troll while putting the shotgun away, and he drew his second short sword.


    "You''re not afraid of death, aren''t you?" The hob troll clearly heard Jacobing, and he seemed to want just that.


    Jacob saw a tall figure wrapped in a dark cloak at this moment. But his focus turned on the long two-meter-long ck spear in this figure''s hand, especially the dark spear de. It was five feet long and extremely sharp.


    ''Titan Iron?'' Jacob instantly identified the de, since he had worked with the titan iron, and his de was the same.


    However, that spear was made with extremely high craftsmanship while his swords were made by Isaac, who was only a cksmith in a small town.


    The cloaked hob troll also seemed to spot the two-short sword in Jacob''s hands.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Who are you?" His voice was stern with a hint of shock. He knew the titan iron wasn''t something just anyone could gain.


    "Your death," Jacob smirked before he shed his left sword toward the hob troll''s hand.


    "Hmph, big words." The hob troll''s voice was mixed with rage. He swung his long spear vertically without giving Jacob''s short sword any chance of approaching him.


    However, when both des shed, sparks appeared, and when the hob troll thought Jacob would be sent flying, but on the contrary, he felt a tremendous force behind that strike.


    ''A-A¡­ A rank?! How is that possible?! He''s not human!'' The hob troll was shocked this time because he was a hidden A rank expert and didn''t achieve it by himself as well.


    That''s why he knew better than another just how powerful an A-rank expert was and how difficult to enter this rank was for races in the umon region.


    Before, he thought this masked man was from humans, but he knew humans didn''t have any A rank expert, nor had they had such support to help them reach this rank.


    That''s why he quickly assumed Jacob from the rare region and he was probably hired by the Glean Gnomes to protect their people in secret. His absolute confidence in winning this fight also crumbled when this realization struck him.


    Jacob was also slightly shocked when he felt his opponent wasn''t weaker than him at all.


    It was his first time shing with someone who could take his full force attack and remain standing.


    They both move back a few feet after their first sh.


    The hob troll coldly asked, "Who are you, and why are you getting in my way? Do you know the consequence of hindering the business of Killer Skull Society?"


    Before the hob troll wanted to kill Jacob, but now that he has a taste of Jacob''s strength, he knew winning against Jacob would exhaust his most trump cards, which he didn''t want.


    Furthermore, the mutant was still hunting those mercenaries, and Jacob didn''t give him any chance to summon it back when he threw those smoke mines inside.


    That''s why he stated the name of the organization behind him because in his mind Jacob was from the rare region and in the rare region very few powers provoke the Killer Skull Society because everyone knows the members of Killer Skull Society were all suicidal lunatics.


    Not even an A-rank mercenary would sh with Killer Skull Society alone or he had to look over his shoulder all the time.


    A sudden realization dawned on Jacob, he couldn''t help but sneer, "So, you are one of the clowns of that clown society. I was just wondering where I had seen this kind of dressing before."


    "You dare to spout nonsense about my society? Do you dare to reveal your background?!" The hob troll was furious when he heard Jacob''s belittling tone.


    But he was secretly more vignt about Jacob''s background now.


    Jacob sneered, "I''m the Protector of the Zodiac Taurus Bank in the umon region, and I don''t want your clown society hindering our business, so give me the control of that thing and scram."


    Jacob also didn''t want to get in the fight with this hob troll now. First, he wasn''t confident in stopping him, and second, he still didn''t know all of his hidden trump cards.


    So, it wasn''t worth fighting him as long as he can trick him into submission and make him give up the mutant.


    That was why he simply bluffed about being the Protector of the Zodiac Taurus Bank. Although he had no proof, his strength was enough proof and his opponent would also think this way.


    "Protector of Zodiac Taurus Bank?" The hob troll was shocked.


    The bigwigs of the three hegemonies weren''t something even the Killer Skull Society provoked.


    However, the hob troll waspletely unwilling because they had exhausted vast resources to make that mutant and even tricked a race of the rare region.


    That mutant was a crucial part of their n.


    How could he hand it over so easily?


    "If your excellency is willing to back down, I''llpensate you with 10 Million Gold Coins and won''t cause much trouble in the humane kingdom." The hob troll tone wasn''t arrogant anymore, as he didn''t want to fight Jacob to death.


    Jacob couldn''t help but smile coldly and shook his head, "I want that thing. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay away from my business. Or I can issue an order to every mercenary branch in the umon region to hunt every single member of your clown society!"

 Chapter 97 The Might Of Titan Sniper

    ?The hob troll''s voice turned extremely icy. "Are you really want to do this over a failed product?"


    He really couldn''t understand why Jacob was after that mutant since it had no value except it was a killing machine that didn''t feel pain or remorse while killing.


    If Jacob weren''t an A rank, he might risk killing Jacob andpleting the mission before vanishing from the umon region.


    Even if the Zodiac Taurus Bank sent someone to seek revenge, he and the members of the Killer Skull Society would be long gone in hiding.


    The Killer Skull Society was extremely secretive, and no one knows how it operates or where its hideouts were. That''s why no one could get rid of it, despite being hated by almost everyone.


    However, Jacob''s appearance had caught him off guard, since they didn''t know someone like him even exist in the umon region despite their informationwork.


    If Jacob really can move the mercenary of the entire umon region, even the ones in the Earthen Kingdom, which was their base of operation, it would hinder whatever they were doing in the umon region.


    Which was far more important than a mutant.


    Now, he had only two choices, do as Jacob said and report this to the higher-ups, or he can risk everything which would put his life in danger and if Jacob had some trump cards, he might even die or lose a limb or two.


    Jacob sneered, "Why don''t you try?" He could sense the opponent was almost in his hand.


    "Roarrr¡­"


    Suddenly, the mutant''s roar rang from a few hundred meters in the distance.


    ''That thing ising back!'' Jacob''s expression turned somewhat dark.


    The Hob Troll suddenly dashed toward Jacob while he thrust his spear toward his chest.


    "As long as I can keep you here, who will know what happened?" The Hob Troll''s voice was filled with killing intent.


    He finally made his choice; this mutant was just too important for their real purpose in the umon region. Now that it wasing back, if he could use its strength, Jacob would be dead and before anyone knows what happened to Jacob, he would be long gone!


    Jacob knew things were going south, and he only had a minute or two before that mutant will reach here. He had to kill this guy and get hold of the control of that mutant.


    He used the sword in his left hand like a shield and shed the other on the hob troll''s wrist.


    The hob troll''s reaction wasn''t slow, either. He slid his hand down and Jacob''s sword met with the spear shaft, creating sparks.


    Jacob, on the other hand, was forced back because of the spear''s impact on his chest.


    ''He''s dying!'' Jacob quickly saw through that hob troll''s scheme.


    With that spear length, he could easily keep Jacob away from himself as long as he didn''t make any mistakes.


    Their reflexes were equally matched, which also made it impossible for them to kill each other quickly. While the hob troll also had a psychological advantage in the form of the mutant.


    He knew Jacob would be desperate because of the mutant, and he just had to wait before he found an opening in Jacob''s defense. As long as he wound Jacob gravely, he would use his trump card to make sure Jacob won''t leave this ce alive.


    However, he underestimated Jacob when he thought Jacob would use just swords to y his game.


    Jacob unexpectedly threw his sword at him like an arrow, before he detached the sniper from his back and take aim.


    The hob troll didn''t expect Jacob would abandon his weapon for that long gun attached to his back. He wasn''t afraid of bullets because in his view guns were not effective against A rank expert and even if those bullets touched them, they would only leave small wounds.


    The skin of A-rank mercenary was as tough as rock, so there were very few guns that could actually hurt them, and they were almost impossible to acquire since those stingy Gunsmiths won''t sell them easily.


    So, he only focused on blocking the iing sword.


    Even if that bullet hit him, it would only leave a scratch since he was also wearing armor and that cloak was also made with a beast hide and he also had an extra hiddenyer of protection.


    Jacob''s lips curled upward, and he pulled the trigger.


    "Boommmmm¡­"


    The titan bullet, despite being shot after the sword, reached its target first.


    The hob troll''s heart palpitated when he heard that deafening gunshot. He was caught off guard, and he didn''t even see the shadow of that bullet as it directlynded just below his neck.


    That impact was far more powerful than the impact he received from Jacob''s strike and he was sent flying like a rag doll.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Furthermore, the bullet was so fast that the shield barrier activated after the bullet sessfully pierced through his cloak and armor and struck between his lungs.


    However, because of those two ''shield'' protections, he was still alive, or that bullet could''vepletely poked a huge hole in his chest. But this didn''t mean he was fine; his windpipe was also pressed by that bullet now, and his breath be ragged while the piercing pain assaulted him.


    He finally understood Jacob''s throwing his sword was just a decoy, and his real trump card was this bullet, and he was nowpletely horrified of that gun despite the surrounding barrier.


    This wound was not something he could ignore and continue to fight.


    Just as he was still in shock, ''Click¡­'' the sound of reloading rang in his ears.


    Despite the surrounding barrier, he didn''t feel safe anymore and wasn''t confident like before.


    ''I have to escape and report this to higher up!'' He quickly abandoned any thought of struggle, and with extreme difficulty, he suddenly pped his leg.


    Jacob was about to shoot another bullet when dark blue smoke suddenly rose from the ground at an rming rate.


    "Hmph, paltry tricks!" Jacobpletely ignored that smoke, since it still wasn''t fast enough to cover that wounded hob troll. He pulled the trigger!


    The hob troll was frightening now. He even pulled the spear between his head and neck. He knew as long as he can avoid damage to these parts, he can escape, and Jacob would probably aim at this area.


    His gamble paid off, Jacob wanted to end it and took a headshot.


    Although the bullet breaks the barrier, the titan iron spearhead only bends but does not pierce or broke by the bullet impact.


    But it was enough to make a deep wound on the hob troll''s head!


    ''Fuck¡­'' Jacob cursed when he saw that de safe that hob troll. He again reloaded, but this time the smoke already reached his face, and the hob troll had vanished.


    But he still took the shot. He was too close to killing that hob troll.


    "Boomm¡­"


    The bullet literally created a hole in the smoke with its speed, and when Jacob saw the bulletnd on the ground, there wasn''t any tract of that hob troll except his blood.


    He knew that bastard had escaped!


    "Shit!" Jacob was exasperated.


    This smoke was just too thick. and when noticed the burning sensation on his skin, his expression darkened even more.


    ''Is this the bluendmine?!'' He was rmed when he thought about it. and his skin suddenly started charred!


    He quickly pulled the hood over his eyes and dashed toward the hole not far away. Likewise, he knew this smoke was too deadly even for him, and that the underground hideout was his chance to escape it.


    Furthermore, he didn''t want to try and outrun this smoke since he had no idea just how much range it had. and that hob troll might be in that hideout as well.


    That guy was gravely wounded by him and it won''t be easily run in this blue acidic smoke.


    He wanted to finish that guy off since this might also kill the approaching mutant as well. It took away his chance to acquire a tier-8 mutant heart, and the benefits came with it.


    When he jumped inside the hole, the white smoke was still there but because of Tiger Bull''s hide, it didn''t affect Jacob much. and he also covered his hands and face. So, he was fine for now.


    Jacob tried to look around, he saw a pathway that led to the other side, which was lit in dim light.


    He slowly walked with silent feet, while his sniper was aimed in front and the sword in his other hand.


    At the end of the hallway, Jacob saw something very familiar, there was a ss cell like in the Decker''sb but it waspletely broken.


    ''Did they make that mutant here?'' Jacob guessed as he noticed the blue liquid on the floor, mixed with blood and gore, with some body parts of humans.


    It was a horrendous sight.


    There was some scattered medical equipment and a broken stretcher.


    But Jacob''s attention was drawn to the opening of the west corner of this ce, which was glowing in faint light!

 Chapter 98 Hunting The Mutant

    ?Jacob slowly moved toward that opening, when he was in front of that opening, he saw a huge monitor which was showing the entire lion forest with a glowing red dot.


    There was a map on the wall.


    ''A monitoring room, is that the mutant?'' Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he looked at the red dot, which was now moving away from this area at an incredible speed.


    After making sure that hob troll wasn''t hiding anywhere, he rxed a bit and started to search through the monitor room. He also pocketed that unfamiliar map.


    Jacob just looked behind the wide monitor screen when his expression changed because there was a timer that continued counting down, and there were only fifteen seconds left until it reached zero!


    "That hateful prick!" Jacob couldn''t help but cursed out loud, and without waiting to see what that timer was about, he took ast nce at the monitor and ran toward the exit at full speed.


    The dark blue smoke was already starting to enter the hideout, but Jacob didn''t care about that. He quickly jumped around the wall like a monkey and exited the hideout into the thick blue smoke.


    He quickly hid his skin and ran in the east direction without stopping.


    Thereupon, a booming sound rang in the vicinity, and a tremor passed through the ground.


    Jacob''s eyes were deadly cold. ''Don''t let me catch you!''


    He knew that hob troll was behind the activation of that timer so he could destroy everything in that hideout if things goes awry, and he seeded.


    Jacob knew there was something that hob troll didn''t want anyone to see, and the mutant control might be in that ce as well. Now everything was gone, while that mutant might die in this smoke.


    He also lost one of his short swords he threw at the hob troll and wasted titan bullets.


    However, Jacob suddenly noticed the resistance of that thick smoke was getting lighter. He couldn''t help but peek slightly, and the blue smoke was getting lighter and lighter with every second.


    But what was different about this was, he wasn''t getting out of the range of the smoke but it was now moving in a west direction at an extremely rming rate like some vacuum was sucking it.


    ''Now what?'' Jacob was astonished because that direction was the exact direction where the mutant fled in.


    Jacob frowned slightly. It was his chance to get out of here, but he was curious about why this smoke was going in that direction.


    ''Here goes nothing. If this was that hob troll, I''ll get rid of that prick for good, and acquire that mutant heart while at it,'' He thought and followed that smoke from a safe distance while his titan sniper was in his hand.


    After following the smoke for over eight hundred meters, Jacob finally saw the source, and he was shocked.


    He saw a gigantic shadow in the center of the blue smoke, and all the smoke was vanishing into this shadow. But the most shocking thing was that the shadow was growingrger as the blue smoke got absorbed by it.


    ''That mutant is absorbing this smoke?!'' Jacob had seen the mutant, and that shadow looked exactly like it, and it was already six meters tall now.


    ''Fuck, I can''t summon Immortika anymore. Is it evolving somehow with this smoke''s help?'' Jacob could only guess now since he had no idea how this evolution worked.


    But he could feel that the mutant was growing stronger at an rming rate.


    ''This might be my chance!'' Jacob''s heart raced when he thought about how this disaster turned into an opportunity for him.


    He quickly hid within the crown of a tree that was now filled with withered leaves and waited for that mutant to absorb the smokepletely.


    On the south of the lion forest, a figure surrounded by a red transparent barrier was running while drops of blood kept falling from his cloak.


    He halted when he felt the blue smoke was gone.


    Without dy, he skewered his fingers into the bloody hole in his chest and groaned as he gritted his teeth. Soon he slid his fingers out, and a 16 mm ck bullet head could be seen between his fingers.


    He growled in hatred while clenching the bullet head. "I''ll remember this!"


    He then takes out a small metal sk and gulped a green liquid downpletely.


    ''How did I exit the area of the intermediate smoke mine so quickly?''


    The hob troll was confused, but when he thought about Jacob and the gun that could even break past the shield barrier, he didn''t want to stay here to find out the reason behind it.


    He then nced around before he began to move again, his speed was much faster than before.


    ''I never thought the mission would fail in the humane kingdom without it even begun. I have to report it to the higher-ups. It seemed someone is paying attention to the umon region, and the letter disappearance might also have something to do with it.


    ''It''s good that I have already connected the self-destruction trigger with this intermediate mine. Now no one will get anything out of that ce.


    ''We had to lie low for the time being. As for that Protector, I look forward to our next meeting.'' His dark green eyes were filled with killing intent as he vanished into the dark forest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other side,


    Jacob had no idea the hob troll waspletely clueless about what was happening with the mutant right now.


    The smoke was already gone, and the seven-meter-tall mutant appeared tens of meters away from him.


    Its color was now purple while its humanoid body was more muscr and its long ugly face had characteristics of a Glean Gnome, except for its emotionless glowing red eyes, and the dreadful aura it was giving off.


    "Howlllllll¡­."


    It suddenly let loose a reverberating howl, which made even Jacob feel pressure.


    ''It has evolved!'' Jacob was sure of it as his face lit up.


    With a cold smile, he aimed directly toward its head and pulled the trigger!


    He didn''t want to fight this thing and save some bullets, it simply wasn''t worth it.


    ''Boom¡­''


    The titan bullet directlynded on its huge slimy head, and the impact made the huge mutant lose its bnce, and it fell between trees.


    However, it wasn''t dead. The bullet only prated its thick skin. With a deafening mad cry, it quickly ran on his limb between trees.


    Jacob''s expression turned serious when he saw this. ''It seemed it wasn''t just a mindless idiot anymore. It can tell the titan bullet can threaten its life so he''s running. But you''re not getting away that easily.''


    Jacob''s lips curled before he chased the fleeing mutant while he changed the empty magazine with his spare one while storing the empty one away.


    He aimed while running and pulled the trigger.


    Another sonic boom rang, and the bulletnded on the mutant''s shoulder, which made it cry in pain and rage.


    It twisted around and threw a punch toward the direction where that bullet hade from. But Jacob kept a fifty-meter distance from it, and the mutant did not know how far he was, so the punch only sted a tree.


    Although it was intelligent to tell the danger and fled for its life, it wasn''t that intelligent to know how a gun works.


    Jacob sneered and again pulled the trigger while aiming right where the bleeding hole in its head was, now it was in his view.


    ''Boom¡­''


    ''Bullseye!'' Jacob smirked when the bulletnded on its mark.


    The mutant let loose a ghastly howl, this time as it clutched his head with its ws. The bullet had pierced through the skull and his brain, and if it was someone else, they would''ve been dead by now.


    Jacob knew it was only a matter of time before that mutant will die. So, he didn''t waste more bullets and kept watching as the mutant shrill screams be powerless.


    After ten minutes of struggle, the mutant hands finally turned lump, and it started to fall on its head forward.


    ''Boom¡­''


    Another bullet pierced the same head wound again, which also send the mutant flying back!


    It was an insurance shot by Jacob just to make sure that thing diedpletely.


    After the mutant fell to the ground with a massive thud, Jacob still waited for ten minutes before he finally came out of his cover.


    He crept toward the huge body of the mutant, whichy lump between the destroyed trees.


    He had to admit that this mutant was really like a cockroach.


    Jacob kicked the mutant a few times and after he waspletely sure that it was dead, he attached his sniper on his back again and took out his sword.


    He walked toward its chest and cut open its slimy chest.


    When he saw the two feet,rge blue heart, he was astonished.


    Nevertheless, he took out the heart box, and the heart barely fit in it. He then had to use another box to fill it with blood. As for its meat, he would not eat it after watching it absorb that blue smoke.


    Without caring about what will happen next, he left toward the Lionheart City. It''s time for him to leave the umon region!

 Chapter 99 Leaving

    ?Ten hours after Jacob left the Lion Forest,


    A small regiment of soldiers appeared in the area where an enormous crater was located, and some soldiers werepletely blocking the vicinity, closing it for civilians.


    A tall middle-aged man in leather clothes with a sword scabbard on his back was standing in front of the mutant body with another middle-aged man in avish outfit with long hair.


    Two beauties were standing beside this long-haired man. One of them wore a tight hunter outfit while the other was wearing white loose robes and a veil to cover her face, but her intelligent eyes were looking at the mutant with great interest.


    The long hair middle-aged man suddenly spoke with indignation, "You discovered this facility and didn''t even bother to tell me about you? Are you rebelling, Rose!"


    The tall heroic beauty was none other than Rosalia, or Rose, who managed to escape with her lifest night because the mutant mysteriously decided to return. She didn''t dare to stay here and directly found her father, the overseer of the City Lord, Ville Lionheart, and told him everything.


    Ville was naturally shocked when he heard about that monster that couldn''t be hurt with bullets and can eat C-rank mercenaries like carrots.


    Although he was furious at Rose for keeping it a secret from him, he had no time to scold her because he knew his arrogant and proud daughter won''t seek him unless she can''t handle anything herself. And if she can''t handle something, this means it was really serious.


    So, he quickly contacted the Vice Leader Kite of the Star Mercenary Agency toe with him and investigate.


    Kite quickly agreed when he heard there was a facility in this ce, which means huge profit if they get anything valuable.


    However, when they reached this ce, not only the facility was destroyed by someone, but the monster was also in!


    Truth be told, when Kite saw the mutant, even he felt his heart jump and thanked the person who killed it, or this thing might really tter the entire fief of the lionheart family, his agency included.


    Rose pursed her lips, and she said, "I told you I was wrong. We have a more important matter to deal with. Can we talk about it after we found out who killed it and destroyed the facility?"


    Rose had first-handedly experienced the might of this mutant and she never felt so much despair in her life as she feltst night.


    Ville''s expression turned livid. "You dare to talk back?! You are grounded for a year!"


    He was really furious not because the facility was destroyed or Rose hide the truth, but because Rose nearly get herself killed because of some fame and wealth.


    He loved his daughter far more than anything, and Rose was the apple of his eyes as the eldest daughter and most talented of his children. But he had spoiled her so much, she now didn''t even listen to him.


    That''s why I was now regretting his way of raising her.


    Rose merely pouted but didn''t retort anymore. She knew her dad meant well and care about her and it was her fault, to begin with, so she remained silent this time.


    Ville finally looked at the veiled woman, who had a gorgeous figure even more seductive than Rose. He sighed and asked bitterly, "Guild Master, please forgive my manner. Did you discover what this thing is?"


    This vale woman was none other than the Guild Master of Apothecary Guild, Pa.


    Normally, Pa never bothered herself with anyone, as she was obsessed with her research. But today she approached Ville and requested to tag alone when she found out about the incidentst night from her sources.


    Ville was more than happy to have her on board since she was an expert when it came to biological things like this.


    Pa said with uncertainty, "First, it would be better if we don''t touch it with our hands. Do you see the conditions of the trees and group beneath this monster? It is probably some poisonous substance.


    "Second, whoever killed it. They killed it with an extremely powerful projectile weapon, like a gun, and then take its heart and left.


    "Lastly, I want your men to send this carcass to the guildb. I can only answer your other question after I examined it more thoroughly."


    Kite''s eyes narrowed when he heard the second point. ''A weapon that could kill this thing? Just who was it? I never heard gunsmith guild inventing such weapons or the agency will do anything to get their hands on it.


    ''I have to report it to the capital, if those gunsmiths were hiding such weapon we have to force them in handing it over. Even the King might get involved to get such a weapon, and those Gunsmiths won''t be able to hide it once that happened.''


    Despite he was shaken by this surreal event, his heart raced and a greedy glint sh past his eyes when he thought of getting such a weapon.


    Ville and Rose had the same thought as Kite.


    Suddenly, a soldier approached them.


    "My lord, we found this stab in a tree bark in the rubble."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They looked at the dark, short sword, which was extremely sharp.


    Kite couldn''t help but take it from the soldier and then shed it on a tree.


    Everyone was astonished when the tree was cut like it was jelly.


    "T-this, could it be the Titan Iron?!" Ville had seen titan iron once, and he heard just how deadly a weapon made with it can be.


    Furthermore, this sword was probably purely made with titan iron, which was even more shocking.


    "Just who were these people?" Kite couldn''t help but exim out loud.


    He turned around and said, "I want this sword. I hope the City Lord won''t have any problem with it. In return, I owe you three C-rank missions."


    He was also a sword user, and this sword was just too sharp, and he was nning to have it recast. He will be as strong as the Agency Leader with the new weapon.


    Ville saw through Kite''s intentions, while Rose frowned because even she wanted that sword of titan iron.


    "Alright, I have no issue. This sword will only shine in the vice leader''s hand, anyway." Ville agreed, in the end, three free C rank missions were quite a good deal for him.


    "But¡­" Rose wanted to fight for the sword.


    "You have no say in it." Ville red at her and shut her down.


    Rose resentfully looked at Ville before storming away.


    Kite was quite content and chuckled, "She''s just a child. Don''t worry, she''lle around."


    Ville sighed bitterly, "I hope so."


    ---


    While the upper echelon was busy in the lion forest and curious about who was the killer of the gigantic monster, the man himself was busy in a close smithy room in the gunsmith guild.


    Jacob didn''t sleep or rest after he returned and directlye to the gunsmith guild to make more titan bullets and also service his titan sniper.


    Lastly, he was making new titan swords. Since he lost one, they weren''t as sharp as the hob troll''s spear. He decided to recast the old one and make a new one with it.


    This time, he made one side of the short swords into a full chisel and forged the swords into crescent des. He used an ancient method to reforge these des, which he learned in his old world.


    He also put metal bearings in the center of two hits, so he could rotate them on his fingers to confuse his opponent.


    Now, whoever was stabbed by these des will know the true meaning of pain, and he was quite confident that Titan Spear will be chipped if it shed with these two des.


    After spending twenty hours in the guild, he left silently as he appeared before taking onest nce at the building.


    Then he returned to this house and the first thing he did was to start the distition process with the gnome heart and left to take a bath and pack his things.


    His only belonging was the titan iron bricks expect them, all the things he needed were in his pendant, which was already packed.


    He also had to store his blood boxes in the big ck bag with the bricks because he needed to store the bullets. The space was just too small, the whole titan sniper can''t fit if he didn''t separate it into two smallponents.


    After he was done packing, he collected the gnome heart essence in injection and store it away before he put the mutant heart for distition.


    He wasn''t nning to inject these heart essences here and do it in the wildness where he could hunt the rare beasts.


    Jacob also studied therge map he got from the hideout, and it was surprisingly the map of entire rainy mountain ranges in the umon region, which was just the thing he needed the most.


    When the mutant crystal red heart essence was ready. He put it in a sk, and stored it away, and packed the distition equipment in another bag.


    Under the shade of night, Jacob left the lionheart city without anyone noticing and started this trek toward the Rare Races Region!

 Chapter 100 Dark City (1)

    ?Jacob entered the Rainy Mountain Ranges in ten days since he chose the long route because the Lion Forest was lively when he passed the area.


    Although he knew why they were gathering there, he didn''t care what they found or what they think about this whole incident.


    Since he was leaving for good, he had nothing to do with whatever they found. Even if they knew it was him and somehow found out about his identity, can theye looking for him in the rare region?


    The answer was obviously no.


    Even that hob troll didn''t dare to cross the Rainy Mountain Ranges without a safe route and map. This ce was just toorge, and once you entered deep enough, there are tons of rare beasts roaming there freely in packs or colonies.


    That''s why no one dared to cross this ce recklessly, and those who tried never came back to tell the tale.


    Even rare species like Glean Gnome required a safe passage and assistance to cross this ce in one piece. No, all the rare races were physically strong, and they all had their unique aspects.


    Besides, very few rare species were willing to enter the umon region after risking their lives because there wasn''t any worthy of their attention.


    Jacob found the marked passage on the map from the hideout, and, to his surprise, he seldom encountered any animals. He reckoned it was a safe passage. If he didn''t have this map, it would take him far more effort to move.


    However, after crossing mountains and forests day after day, it took him seven months to reach the end of this passage marked on the map.


    Jacob still didn''t encounter any rare species, and he didn''t go to look for them either. He now looked slim, just like when he exited the Decker''sb, but his eyes were filled with vigorous spirit.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® He was even stronger than his bulky self seven months ago and move faster between these woods.


    Nevertheless, he still hasn''t used the heart essences in his pendant because he was waiting for the right time.


    Today, Jacob''s footsteps came to a halt because in front of him was a vast, active river that was two kilometers wide.


    Jacob looked at the lush forest and tall mountain on the other side of this river. ''So this is the border river which separates the two regions. As long as I cross this river, I''ll step into the rare region. But this water current is too strong for me to swim on the other side with these bags.''


    Jacob frowned slightly. Although this river was marked on the map, it didn''t tell where this river start or where it end. Neither did he know if there was another, safer way to cross this river.


    Those gnomes weren''t strong enough to cross this raging river on their own. So, Jacob didn''t dare to take such a risk and try to see if he could find some kind of bridge or abandon boats.


    However, even after walking for a few miles, he saw nothing, and the pressure of the river flow didn''t decrease either.


    ''Is there something I''m missing?'' Jacob again took out the map and look carefully again.


    ''What is this ck part? I think it was just a mountain, but I''m only a few miles away from this ce and there are no mountains.'' Jacob frowned as his eyes shimmered with uncertainty.


    But he just couldn''t help but take his eyes off this strange, ck part.


    Since he didn''t find any way to cross this river, he decided to check this area. It might be some kind of beast nest.


    As long as he can make his bodypatible with 20% of his cursed mark progress, he might cross this river without sacrificing anything.


    This also means he needs to hunt for at least a rare beast that could alleviate his hunger faster. If he tried to do it with the umon animals, it might take him years.


    Jacob also bury his bags a few meters away from the river and marked the area with a special mark that only he can identify. He also marked the terrain on the map.


    After he was done, he moved toward the ck mark at full speed.


    However, when he reached the ce, he was astonished because he saw a valley that was closed with gigantic doors.


    ''Is this some kind of secret hub?'' Jacob was curious.


    He remembered something at this moment from Decker''s journal. He had already finished and remembered who book in these seven months and then torched it since it take too much storage.


    Not only did he get Decker''s knowledge and research as an apothecary, but he also learned some useful information about the rare region.


    ''That fucker mentioned he bought the heart of a rat hound from some Dark City. Hisb was also on this side of the river, so how could he cross it on a daily basis with his weak ass? This might be the ce where he got all his equipment and ration. Those genomes were the same!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Realization dawned on him when he thought about it more carefully. Then it all started to make sense.


    ''Why didn''t humans know about this ce? Or they simply didn''t have the right?'' Jacob couldn''t help but wonder.


    Nevertheless, since he was already here, he won''t go back without finding out what this ce was and he might find something interesting if this ce was like a ck market.


    However, this ce was also dangerous, since criminals like Decker can roam in this ce freely, and then there were still those two giants who had him flee from Decker''s hideout.


    If they were still here, he had to be even more careful.


    After deciding, Jacob sprang into action. He wore his mask and hood before he walked toward the huge close doors.


    When he was ten meters away, an imposing voice rang.


    "Only Rare or above species are allowed in Dark City. If you have any identity, show it. The details will be ssified. But if you''re a lowly ant, scram!"


    Jacob''s eyes turned cold when he heard this voiceing from those doors.


    ''So, there was such a condition involved, huh? At least they didn''t tell me to reveal my face.''


    At least now, he knew those races from the umon region didn''t have the right to enter this ce. Which made him even more curious.


    Jacob put his hand inside his jacket and took out a white ID card, which was none other than Decker!


    He never thought it woulde in handy at such a time. He didn''t have any ID cards from the rare region. But he can''t show the mercenary agency or gunsmith guild cards because there were ''The Humane Kingdom'' written in the citizen section.


    It means those IDs were more like a disaster than help.


    Suddenly, a red ray shone directly on the ID card, and the ordinary white ID card suddenly shimmered in blue light, which made Jacob''s eye squint.


    Then the red light vanished, and the voice sounded again, "It''s not fake. You may enter the Dark City. Remember the rules: no fighting, no thefts, and no provoking others. If you break any rules, the Dark City will be your graveyard."


    Just as the voice trailed off, a small door slid upward into the giant door.


    Jacob put the ID card away and moved toward the opening.


    However, just when he crossed the gate, he was met with another barricade. Four burly armored guards were wearing masked standing straight on the other side, armed with guns and spears.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted when he saw the cold blue spears in their hands. He knew they were probably created with a metal like a titan iron or even stronger.


    As for their guns, he was even more astonished because they were all automatic AO-63 assault rifles.


    There was a small-masked woman in a tight dress sitting behind a ss counter. She said in her eerie voice without caring about Jacob''s reaction, "10 Golden Coin for Ten Day pass. 25 Gold Coin for a month pass. 200 Gold Coins for a year pass. Which one do you want?"


    Jacob finally turned his attention to this small woman who had dark green skin, and he knew she wasn''t a human. Even those guards have dark brown skin.


    But everyone''s faces were hidden under masks.


    "What kind of ce is this?" Jacob couldn''t help but ask.


    The woman answered nonchntly,


    "The Dark City belongs to a neutral organization that didn''t belong to any race or religion. We don''t care if you are a saint or a devil. As long as you don''t break our rules, we won''t take action against you.


    "We have dark cities all over the ins, and as long as you are qualified to enter, you can enjoy a safe environment and trade anything you wish ording to the Dark City level.


    "No one will ask for your identity as long as you didn''t want to show it, and no one will cause trouble here, even if they are from three hegemonies. If you want more information, we have a Dark City Guild Book. You can buy it for ten silver.


    "Now, don''t waste my time and tell me which pass you want, or I''ll kick you out in ten seconds!"

 Chapter 101 Dark City (2)

    ?Jacob was speechless when he heard this receptionist''s blunt way of handling guests, and then he remembered that coarse voice who inspected the ID card. He wondered if everyone here was arrogant and cranky.


    Nevertheless, since they could build such a city in the middle of nowhere and give shelter to anyone who entered without being worried about even three hegemonies, he won''t cause trouble without any good reason.


    As long as they yed by rules, he didn''t mind obeying them.


    He took out ten gold coins and ten silvers and ce them on the counter, "Ten Day Pass and that guild book."


    The masked receptionist coolly took the coins and asked, "Your name? Any name is fine."


    Jacob thought for a moment and then answered, "Jack."


    The masked receptionist started to move her hands under the counter, which Jacob failed to see. He didn''t know what she was doing, but he waited.


    After a minute, the masked receptionist put a bronze card with strange wording engraved on one side, and when Jacob saw the other side. His eyes dted because a timer 09D:23H: 59M:58S was running on it.


    He also noticed a dark-capped symbol on the top of this timer.


    "When this timer reached all the way to zero, you''ll have fifteen minutes to leave the Dark City or to recharge this timer again. Remember this, we will know when it reached zero and can find you anywhere as long as you are in the vicinity of Dark City, so don''t try anything funny.


    "If you neglected this, the City Guards will detain you and impersonate you in the dungeon for three days and torture you. Afterward, they''ll throw you out, and you''ll be banned from entering the Dark City for three months."


    The receptionist coolly exined before she put a pocket-size book on the counter, "Your Dark City Guide Book. Now you can get out of my face."


    Jacob picked up the bronze card and small book, but he didn''t leave and asked, "Last question: why is this city in the umon region?"


    The masked receptionist sounded annoyed by this question. "Because many depraved and illicit bastards like you ran into the umon region when you have no ce to go, and it''s good for business. Now go, or those four haven''t had a decent exercise in a while."


    ''What a bitch,'' Jacob scoffed before he left toward the barricade.


    One of the tall guards coldly nce at Jacob before he opened the way for him.


    Jacob didn''t mind them and continued moving, and he finally crossed the gate and entered the clean valley way which was made of solid stones.


    As he moved forward, he finally reached the end, where he saw many capped figures moving in masks.


    Jacob noticed this entire city was surrounded by steep mountains on each side, and only this valley led to the exit. Furthermore, he could spot small green balls embedded on these mountain walls.


    ''No wonder she sounded so confident about this ce. What a peculiar organization.''


    As he entered the city, he noticed many tall buildings made of stones and marble while there weren''t any carriages, and everyone was sauntering on the city streets.


    However, Jacob could feel the murderous sensations from many capped figures, and he knew they weren''t just ideal citizens, and he had to remain on guard.


    Although that voice told him no fighter or provoked others, some lunatics might not care about such penalties.


    As Jacob moved in the east direction, he noticed a butcher shop, and his eyes widen even so slightly when he saw the skewered umon animals.


    He entered the shop, and arge, burly man in a mask was sitting on a chair with a book in his hand.


    He didn''t stand to greet Jacob and coldly said, "How much meat do you want?"


    Jacob didn''t mind his attitude and said, "Do you have Rare Meat?"


    The masked man coldly said, "I only have five pounds in stock. The next supply wille in two days. How much do you want? One pound for 1000 Gold Coins, and the price is non-negotiable!"


    Jacob''s heart raced slightly when he heard this because he had yet to encounter a rare beast, but this guy had a source. This was simply a godsend to him.


    He promptly asked, "Can you arrange a rare heart and one-liter blood of the same species? I''m willing to pay handsomely. However, the blood and heart have to be from the same beast, and I can tell this, so don''t put on a facade. If you can''t arrange it, I''m good with just meat."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The masked man''s blue eyes suddenly shimmered with uncertainty. "It can be arranged. You can collect your delivery in two days. But I can only deliver one heart and blood after fifteen days intervals. The price will be 10,000 Gold Coins."


    Jacob couldn''t help but celebrate inwardly when he heard this guy agreeing to supply him with heart and blood. Fifteen Days were nothing for him.


    He swiftly agreed. "Fine, save ten pounds of meat for me as well. I''lle in two days. Where can I sell precious iron here?"


    Jacob didn''t have this many gold coins on him, so his only option was to sell titan iron bricks. He never thought he would do that, but the gold coins were nothingpared to rare heart and blood.


    Furthermore, he didn''t tell him about the most important condition, which was he wanted the heart and blood of the new species every time. He would wait for their first transaction before he would put this condition.


    If this guy had some kind of rare beast farm, then their deal would be over and he would buy the rare meat from him, nheless.


    The masked man seemed amused by this question. "Are you new in Dark City?"


    "Does it matter?" Jacob squinted his eyes.


    "Heh, if you didn''t know about Jerry''s Pawnshop, then you''re definitely new. However, since you and I have a business deal, I''ll point you in the right direction. Go to the central city district, and asked anyone about the Jerry''s Pawn Shop, and they''ll point you in the correct direction." He chuckled.


    "See you in two days." Jacob nodded before he left.


    The masked man''s eyes shimmered coldly. ''Another rich neer, huh? I wonder how long his wealthst in this bottomless hole like a city. In the Dark City, there are always things you wanted to buy, and no amount of wealth is not enough. This is how the Dark City sucked you dry before you be the ve to Dark City¡­''


    A sigh escaped his mouth before he stopped caring about a neer like Jacobs. He had seen too many scionsing into the dark city before they turned into beggars and were thrown out after torture.


    The only sessful person in the Dark City was; who knows how to make profits or you were just filling other pockets.


    Jacob had no idea about the butcher''s thoughts as he moved toward the center area. He also scouted three more butcher shops, and to his surprise, they all can sell him heart and blood like the first one in fifteen days intervals.


    But their prices were rather high, but Jacob used his merchant skills to get the price to ten thousand gold coins.


    When he left those shops, he grimaced. He never thought he would need to spend this many gold coins in the umon region.


    Furthermore, the more he observed the goods in the Dark City, the more he felt he was literally living in a vige all this time.


    There were weapon shops that sold innovative weaponry, and even smoke mines and stick grenades were avable in these shops. He was now starting to understand where that hob troll got all those weapons.


    As he entered the central district, his attention was attracted to a ten-story tower that looked like a clock tower.


    ''Potion Tower?'' Jacob was curious and headed toward the tower.


    But two burly guards giving off a scary aura stopped him. "5 Gold Coin Entrance Free."


    Jacob asked, "What kind of goods do you sell in this ce?"


    If this was before, he might''ve given 5 gold coins without batty an eye, but now he needed all the money he could get so he won''t waste it without any good reason.


    One of the guards coldly replied with a hint of disdain, "If you don''t know about Alchemy Potions, then you might as well not waste your time. I''m afraid this ce is too expensive for you."


    Jacob suddenly thought of something and asked coldly, "Are you implying to those color liquids that can heal or put someone to hibernation?"


    "So, you know about the HR (Hibernate-Rejuvenation) Potions. Yes, we sell those here as well." The guard nodded disdainfully.


    "Good for you." Jacob sneered and turned around, leaving the dumbfounded guards.


    However, Jacob''s expression was grave. ''It seemed I can''t go on without a sufficient ie source!''


    This time he didn''t take any detour, and after asking around, he finally reached avish ten-story building named ''Jerry Pawnshop'' and entered!

 Chapter 102 Meeting Jerry

    ?Jacob observed the spacious interior of the pawnshop.


    There were many ss disys, and the items behind them were fairly high-end. He even spotted a scope!


    "Dear Customer, what kind of services you required?" A petite woman in a silver mask approached Jacob at this moment.


    Jacob looked at her and coolly stated, "I want to sell a precious iron."


    The woman''s pinkish eyes remained static as she spoke, "Please follow me."


    She directly led Jacob toward the east wing of the shop and led him inside a bright room. Where a white hair masked figure with pointy ears was sitting behind a work table and examining a small piece of stone with a loupe.


    The woman approached the white hair person as he had no idea about their arrival. He was too absorbed in whatever he was doing.


    She said respectfully, "Mr. Observer, can you please apprise this gentleman''s item and give up its value?"


    Mr. Observer finally looked toward them with his green eyes.


    He coldly said, "You have a minute."


    She then looked at Jacob. "Please take out the item you want to sell."


    Jacob didn''t dy and pulled out a ck brick from his jacket. Which he actually took out from his pendant. He had stored four bricks in his pendant, just in case he had to abandon the bags.


    But he never thought they woulde in handy right now.


    Mr. Observer''s eyes shone with surprise when he saw the ck brick and snatched it from Jacob.


    Jacob didn''t mind and stood still while coldly staring at Mr. Observer, who was now examining the ck brick with a loupe.


    The woman seemed to be surprised by Mr. Observer''s reaction and looked at the ck brick with curiosity.


    Mr. Observer finally put down his loupe and spoke with a hint of tion, "An 89% pure umon titan iron. 25 Gold Coins per gram. What do you think?"


    Jacob remained stoic on the surface, but he was surprised inwardly, ''It seemed the umon region didn''t know the true value of this iron. It is two times higher than the price I''ve in the guild and the agency. But they had very little on sale.''


    Jacob answered, "30 Gold Coins per gram or no deal." He could tell this Mr. Observer was still holding back.


    Just as he thought, Mr. Observer didn''t reject him outright and started mulling over it.


    The woman remained silent this whole time. She knew Mr. Observer wasn''t someone who would suffer a loss when it came to bargaining.


    But the titan iron appearance still astounded her because this metal was precious even in the rare regions, and this man had a whole brick that probably weights over 1000 grams.


    She wondered who this person was and where he came from.


    Mr. Observer finally spoke, "If you have one more brick, we have a deal." He deeply looked at the amber eye man.


    Truth be told, he was mulling over what kind of being Jacob was, from his slim and tall visage and his pale white skin. But no such species came into his mind.


    However, one thing was clear: since Jacob was in the umon region and appeared in the Dark City, he wasn''t here for a pic. He was clearly hiding from someone.


    Nevertheless, they can''t act in Dark City because of its rules, and they are not joking because the Dark City is just too strange, and as long as break any of its rules, they are doomed.


    No matter what you do or where you hide, the enforcers will hunt you down!


    That''s why all thesewless were sowful in this city, despite their past deeds and background.


    Jacob nodded impassively. "I have two more. How about 35 gold coins, then?"


    Mr. Observer''s eyes contracted when he heard this, and gritted her teeth, "32 Gold Coins, this is the highest I can go!"


    Jacob didn''t push too hard since he could tell they had reached the limit and nodded. "Deal."


    "Good,e with me. You can go now." Mr. Observer nodded as he stood up from his seat.


    The woman nodded and left the room.


    Jacob saw Mr. Observer moving toward the door in the back, and when he opened it, stairs were revealed.


    Jacob unhurriedly followed. He wasn''t afraid that this old guy would y tricks. He had already noticed just how ethical and licit. This ce was when he wasing toward this ce.


    Any shop he visited, they talked business without any hint of deceitful intent, despite their hidden bloodlust. He saw this Dark City in a new light, and he was curious about why those people were so afraid.


    Besides, if he wanted to kill Jacob for his possession, then there wasn''t any need to negotiate so hard with him. Furthermore, this was just an umon item, after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He had long decided he would read the guidebook after dealing with his money problem. As for going toward the rare region, he wasn''t in a hurry anymore since this ce was far more alluring than the rare region to him right now.


    Jacob ascended the zigzag staircase with Mr. Observer, and there was only one room at the end of this staircase.


    Jacob mused they were already on the eighth floor, if not on the ninth.


    Mr. Observer calmly knocks on the wooden.


    A husky voice rang. "Enter."


    With a creek, the door opened, and they both entered.


    The room was of the same size as the first floor, but there weren''t any disys on the wall, but exotic paintings and aprehensive book shelve.


    At the center of this floor was a huge rectangr desk with 15 chairs on one side and only a single chair on the other.


    A person sat on this single chair at this moment without any mask.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted when he saw the appearance of this person.


    His skin color was purple, and he had long purple hair, light blue astute eyes with slit pupils, a long pointy nose, ears, and a long sharp chin. His mouth was wide, and his sharp canine teeth could be seen.


    He was probably 2 meters tall, and his body was burly as his muscles showed from his tight ck outfit.


    Jacob quickly summoned the cursed immortality and asked, "Tell me the tiers of these two!"


    Jacob took this action because he could feel extremely strong pressure from this guy, which he only felt from the mutant.


    Mr. Observer introduced with respect, "This is the owner of this wonderful establishment, Boss Jerry.


    "Boss Jerry, this gentleman here is selling over 3000-gram titan iron. So, I brought him here to finalize the deal."


    Jerry''s eyes shimmered with a hint of astonishment when he heard this and shed a smile, showing his beastly teeth as he said, "How delightful. Please take a seat."


    He pointed toward the seat in front.


    Jacob nodded as he walked toward the seat, while his focus was on the information on the nk page.


    "Hahaha¡­ that big log is a Purple Hobgoblin from Goblin Race. It''s currently at Tier-8, and it''s very close to breaking its limit. As for this old fossil, it''s a tier-6 white troll without anything special.


    "This ce is interesting. If you ughter just half of them, I promise you won''t regret it."


    Jacobpletely ignored the sentence; this book was simply asking him to jump from a cliff. He would be courting death even to try to kill just this rarer bread in the middle of Dark City. He was simply too weak.


    Likewise, he calmly sat down while Mr. Observer put the ck brick in front of Jerry very respectfully.


    "May I know your name? If you don''t mind." Jerry picked up the brick and asked politely.


    "Jack." Jacob calmly answered.


    "Jerry!" Jerry nodded before he took out a golden loupe from his drawer and examined the ck brick.


    After examining the ck brick for a minute, he finally put it down with an ted glint in his eyes. He asked Jacob, "Mr. Jack, can I check the remaining titan iron?"


    "Why not!" Jacob nodded and put his hand inside his jacket and brought out two more titan iron bricks, and ced it in front of Jerry.


    Jerry didn''t stand on ceremony and quickly examined them as well, and when he was done, he calmly asked, "What''s the final deal with Mr. Jack?"


    Mr. Observer promptly replied, "32 Gold Coins per gram."


    Jerry thought for a moment before he smiled. "I agree. Go and weigh these three bricks."


    Mr. Observer nodded, picked up the bricks, and headed toward the other side of the floor to measure their weight.


    Jerry deeply looked at Jacob and said, "Mr. Jack, if you have more titan iron of the same quality, I want it all. Price is negotiable."


    Jacob ambiguously answered, "I would love to sell more, but I only acquired these three pieces by chance."


    Jerry''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He sighed ruefully, "Is that so? It''s a shame, then."


    ''Why are they interested in umon titan iron so much?'' Jacob was now suspicious!

 Chapter 103 True Value

    ?Jacob wasn''t a fool. From the moment Mr. Observer reacted after seeing the titan iron and Jerry''s sudden excitement, there wasn''t gone unnoticed by him.


    Although he had no idea, why they were so eager to purchase this titan iron, but one thing was clear there was something he doesn''t know about titan iron which they did, obliviously.


    Now, he had to figure out what it was.


    Furthermore, Jerry clearly had no idea the Earthen Kingdom of Hob Trolls had a reserve of Titan Iron Ore, or with how eager they are, they might''ve already gone there to take control over that reserve by now.


    Jacob still has over 120KG Titan Iron of the same quality, and if he could find out why a powerful hobgoblin like Jerry was after, he might reap some unexpected benefits.


    Mr. Observer came back at this moment and told, "The total weight of the three bricks is 3090 grams. The total amount in gold, 98,880."


    Jerry merely nodded and shed a beastly smile at Jacob as he said, "We''ll roundabout it to 100,000 Gold Coins. It''s also a token of my goodwill, Mr. Jack. If you found more titan iron or any good items, please consider selling to us first."


    Jacob didn''t mind free gold coins right now. He nodded. "It''s a deal then, Mr. Jerry."


    Mr. Observer asked at this moment, "Mr. Jack, would like to transfer this payment to your bank ount, or do you want it right now?"


    Jacob only had two bank ounts, and they were from the umon region. They might give away their identity. Furthermore, he wasn''t familiar with Zodiac Taurus Bank''s rules and regtions since he never bothered to visit the ce.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® He didn''t know whether or not his information was safe.


    But now it seemed he had to take a trip to sort out this ount as well. He can''t carry so many gold coins in person. Since they had a wire transfer system, he might as well make his life easier.


    However, he required a personal ount that wasn''t affiliated with any organization. So, he''ll have to find a bank branch in Dark City and see if he was eligible to open such an ount.


    He coolly answered, "I need it right now."


    Jerry nodded and stood up before he left toward a closed door right behind his chair.


    When he returned, there was a bundle of thick golden bills in his hand.


    He put the thick bundle right in front of Jacob.


    Jacob looked at the golden 1,000 bill, marked with the Zodiac Taurus Bank''s name and there was a picture of their signature bank building, pantheon, on it.


    Now, he was in a dilemma because he had no idea if these bills are real or fake since he never encountered them until now.


    If he asked, Jerry might suspect something, but if he didn''t, he might get a swindler of 100,000 gold coins.


    But when he thought about the rules and regtions of Dark City, he inwardly cussed Jerry before he picked up the bill bundle, which was extremely smooth, as if it was made with sheets of pure gold.


    He felt more at ease since no one would put this much effort into making a fake paper.


    Jerry''s eyes shimmered a subtle glint when he saw Jacob putting the bundle of bills in his jacket''s inner pocket without counting them.


    This was really a small probe from Jerry because these bills were only avable in the bank branches of the rare regions. They were still legit in the Dark City, though.


    But if Jacob was unfamiliar with them, he really suspected Jacob at that time.


    Jacob stood up and bid Jerry fair well, and Mr. Observer also left with Jacob.


    Jerry polity walked to the door and after he confirmed that Jacob and Mr. Observer had left. He locked the door with a stony expression on his face.


    "What do you think?" He questioned while looking at the stone statue on the floor''s corner.


    The white status eyes were like ss, and suddenly, a famine voice transmitted from it, "I can''t tell what kind of race he belonged to, but from his skin color he could be a Wolf Halfling or Strange Genasi from Rarer Region."


    Jerry shook his head. "I beg to disagree. These two races are extremely strong, only second to Mountain Giants. I don''t think they would appear in the umon region''s Dark City. They can easily gain ess to the Rarer Region, Dark City. Even I can''t enter that ce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Even the Dark City in the rare region is extremely hard to enter for people like us, who are wanted by the entire rarer region. That''s why we have to run all the way in this shithole just to stay alive.


    "If he was from those two races, he would go to the rare region of Dark City, since that ce is a thousand times more resourceful than this, and might find somerades there from his race.


    "So, he''s definitely not from the rarer region, and he doesn''t have the qualification to enter that ce. I''ll be able to deal with him easily. So, forget about he was from the rarer region."


    The voice sounded again. "Well, you are far more notorious than me, so you know better and you also have a point. I never thought after a decade of staying in hiding we will see a hope to return from this shithole." The voice was filled with emotions.


    Jerry also chuckled, before his expression turned stern, "But it is still only a hope, not certainty. How much Titan Tears can we extract from 3000-gram of umon Titan Iron with 89% purity?"


    The voice didn''t reply for a while, which didn''t make Jerry impenitence because he knew that person was checking something.


    The voice rang again, "With 3000 grams of titan iron of 89% purity, we can only make two Tier-3 Titan Drops and it''s barely enough for me to reach A-rank strength.


    "However, if you want to break through again, I required 60 KG of the same quality umon titan iron. A minimum of 20 drops of Titan Tears will affect you again. We have already exhausted all the titan iron in the Dark City years ago.


    "While we can''t show our traces even in the rare region, they''re still on to us, and the rare titan iron is useless for us right now.


    "Besides, we can''t take risks. If they found out we are still alive, they will lie in wait outside the umon dark city like before. But they won''t give up this time likest time, though."


    Jerry was glum when he heard this. "I know, I know, you don''t have to nag me about it. But do you think he had more?"


    "Maybe or maybe not. How about I put a tail on him and see if we might get something?" The voice suggested coldly.


    Jerry nodded, "But be careful. If he sensed something, we might lose an excellent opportunity. However, if he had more titan iron, then he''s doomed!" His voice wasced with killing intent at the end.


    The voice chuckled, "Heh, I know. Only we know the true value of titan iron. If he showed any strange moments, hehe¡­"


    The voiceughed creepily before it stopped.


    ---


    Jacob had no idea about this conversation between Jerry and the mysterious voice as he was moving toward a pantheon in the central city district, which was the signature building of Zodiac Taurus Bank.


    Even in the dark city, only the Zodiac Taurus Bank exist while there were no traces of other the Star Mercenary Agency or the two guilds here, and only the bank was allowed.


    After entering the building, he saw a hugevish interior with eye-catching marble work, especially eight huge thick pirs of the building and bronze statues standing beside these pirs.


    Jacob was here to see if those bills were real or not and also to open another private ount.


    He quickly approached an empty counter where a masked woman was sitting and doing some paperwork.


    "Do you have any brochures about the bank in detail?" Jacob questioned impassively.


    She finally nced at Jacob and wasn''t surprised to see him wearing a cap and mask. She coolly replied, "10 silver Coins for the guideline manual."


    Jacob put the silver coin in front of her.


    She took the silver coins and ced a small booklet in front of Jacob. "You can browse through it in the guest area. After you''re done, you cane back and tell me what you decided."


    Jacob nodded and took the booklet before he found an empty seat and opened the booklet.


    There were many rules and regtions about the privacy and security of the bank, which Jacob had expected, and this put his mind to ease.


    It was just like any bank, and he didn''t have to worry about the bank disclosing his information to others without his concern!

 Chapter 104 Zodiac Taurus Bank

    ?After browsing through the entire booklet, Jacob got a good idea about the Zodiac Taurus Bank and just scary this bank was.


    Not only this was the only bank in existence, but they were the only organization that guaranteed the safety of their customers'' wealth, and they had never failed in it even once.


    The most fascinating thing about this bank was its strange banking system.


    They had only one type of ount avable, a Personal ount.


    However, this one ount had tiers, the lowest being the G-Tier while the highest being A-Tier.


    The umon region only G-Tier and F-Tier ounts that only C-Rank Mercenary and B-Rank Mercenary can open them.


    The G-Tier bank ount didn''t have any benefits.


    While the F-Tier and E-Tier had small benefits like if they put more than one million gold coins into their bank ounts, they get 0.5% interest from the bank over every million they deposit.


    These tiers were the lowest.


    As for the D-Tier and C-Tier, their interest rate was 1% over a million gold coins, and their transitions will also cost 5% less than the normal rate.


    As for Tier-B, this ount didn''t exist in the Rare Region, because anyone who can upgrade their ount to this level wasn''t someone to trifle with because they were extremely rich.


    To upgrade a personal bank ount, one required a deposit of 10,000 Gold Coins and they will get a G-Tier ount.


    To upgrade to F from G, it was quite simple; the bnce had to be over 1 million Gold Coins, and if the amount dropped from 1 million for a certain period of time, the bank ount will then be downgraded to G-Tier again.


    The E-Tier upgrade limit was 50 Million, while the D-Tier upgrade limit was 100 million, and the C-Tier upgrade limit was 500 million gold coins!


    As for the B-Tier, there were two conditions to upgrade the personal ount to this tier. First, the bnce had to be over 1 Billion Gold Coins, and second, and most important; the owner needed a special rmendation from the Rarer Region.


    As for what kind of rmendation and from where exactly, it wasn''t mentioned, but Jacob could tell it would not be just a random ce. He can only know about this rmendation information when he would be eligible for this tier, not before.


    He wasn''t even eligible for an F-Tier ount, much less a B-Tier.


    After knowing the strength of this bank, he wasn''t worried about anything anymore. Even the Dark City had no choice but to give the Zodiac Taurus Bank way in their city, this show just how strong its grip was over the currency and economy.


    Jacob approached the attendant again and said, "I want to open G-Tier ount."


    The masked attended didn''t show any emotion and nodded. "Do you have any ounts in your name with another organization?"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Does it matter?"


    "Yes, if you''re a C, B, or A rank mercenary or a high-level member of some guild, you are probably registered within our database through your name and DNA.


    "Supposed if you''re a C-rank mercenary and a Basic Apothecary, then you''ll have two ounts to your name provided by both organizations.


    "However, in our database, those two ounts don''t exist, but only a Personal ount with different Private Transfer Codes. You also don''t have to deposit 10,000 Gold Coin as well.


    "Simply put, you can only have one Personal ount but different Private Transfer Codes. They all lead to your Personal ount.


    "However, these Private Transfer Codes will only generate if you''re registered with a powerful organization, like our mercenary agency or guilds of the Alchemy Guild.


    "They all have their unique Transfer Codes, and every member will get one when they registered in their database for the first time."


    Jacob was astonished since he had no idea about this. He confusingly asked, "Then where is my Personal ount?"


    The masked attended chuckled at this moment, "It seemed you never visited the bank after receiving your bank ount information from the organization, right?"


    Jacob was lost for words, since it was true since she was talking about it without any shock this mean this wasn''t a new case. So, he told the truth, "Something like that."


    "Then that exins why you didn''t know about your personal ount details. So, do you want toplete the process now? Since you already have a personal ount, you just need toplete the process." The attendant questioned.


    Jacob thought for a moment before he said, "I don''t have my Guild or Mercenary IDs with me, but I knew my Private Transfer Code. Does it work?"


    He didn''t want to show his umon region IDs. and if she can''t see them, she would never know he was from the umon region.


    As for using Decker''s ID, he might''ve already had such an ount, but he wasn''t sure if he can gain ess to it without any knowledge about its ount number or identification.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The masked woman nodded. "I only need those to track your personal ount."


    Jacob was relieved and told her about his mercenary Private Transfer Code.


    Soon, she took out a tab-size device and inserted the Private Transfer Code, and when she entered it, details appeared.


    She looked at Jacob with astonishment, "So, you really were affiliated with two organizations, huh? Quite rare for someone like to be here."


    Jacob remained impassive since she only found out about his affiliation, not about from which region of affiliation.


    "We all have our reasons." He coolly replied now he waspletely at ease.


    She nodded before she pressed a button and a scanner interface appeared on the screen. "I need both of your hand prints toplete the process."


    Jacob didn''t mind and put his hand on the scanner one by one, and after she was satisfied, she quicklyplete thest process.


    She then again handed the device to Jacob and said, "Write down the passcode. Keep in mind, if you forget, you need to pay 10,000 Gold Coin to reset it again from our branches, and you need to be there personally."


    Jacob nodded and quickly jolted down aplex passcode that appeared *********** on the screen and handed it over again.


    Afterward, the process went smoothly, and she jolted down something on the paper and then handed it to Jacob.


    "This is your Personal ount Number and Personal Transfer Code. The difference between this Personal Transfer Code and the other Private Transfer Codes is you will receive your payment directly without having it processed from any organization''s database." She handed Jacob the paper with twoplex numbers.


    Jacob nced at it and remembered them instantly.


    "How much bnce do I have?" He asked while storing that paper away.


    She looked at the screen and said, "After deducting 100 Gold Coins processing fee, 2,090 Gold Coins."


    Jacob nodded since he had expected it. He then took out the bill bundle, which startled the attendant.


    Jacob noticed her eyes contracted when she saw the bills, so he knew they were real.


    He then gave her ten bills and said, "Deposit them into my ount." As he put away the remaining 90 thousand in his pocket again.


    She received them and carefully counted them before she used the device to update Jacob''s ount bnce.


    "It''s done. Anything else?" She asked with a slightly gentle tone this time.


    She knew anyone who possessed these bills in the umon region wasn''t some random tom, dick, or harry.


    Jacob thought for a moment before he took out Decker''s ID card and said, "I want to know if this ID had an ount register with it."


    "You can''t have that information as long as it''s not your ID," she stated matter-of-factly.


    "And how do I prove this is my ID card?" Jacob asked unhurriedly.


    "To make sure no one gains ess to the client''s personal information and their assets if anyone wants ount information on IDs, they had to scan their fingerprints first and pay a scanning fee.


    "If those fingerprints matched the ones within our database, only then we can give you the information on the aforementioned ID card." She pliantly exined.


    This kind of thing was quite normal when some enemy got their hands on some IDs of their targets, and they came straight to the bank to gain information on it.


    So, to prevent this from happening, the Bank had a very strict policy about it.


    No one can gain an ount owner''s personal information or bank ount information without proving they were the actual owner.


    Jacob wasn''t frustrated by this, on the contrary, he was happy. Because it would be a massive letdown if he had gained ess to Decker''s ount information just by his ID card.


    That would''ve also meant his information wasn''t safe either.


    Now that he was satisfied, he suddenly remembered something and questioned, "How can I send money or know when I received it through a bank transfer?"


    She suddenly opened a drawer and put a phone size device in front of Jacob and said, "You have to buy this Zodiac Money Transfer Device from the Bank. It cost 20,000 Gold Coins and then registered with your bank ount. Do you want it?"

 Chapter 105 Potion Tower

    ?Jacob left the bank building after he was done with his bank ount matter and his concerns.


    In the end, he even bought that Zodiac Money Transfer Device for twenty thousand gold coins, since it coulde in handy frequently.


    Furthermore, he now had a deeper understanding of Zodiac Taurus Bank and how advanced the Rare Region waspared to the Umon Region, despite still being in the umon region.


    Afterward, Jacob decided to visit that Potion Tower before calling it a day.


    When he reached the Potion Tower, those two burly guards'' eyes narrowed. They instantly recognized Jacob from his getup, who ''mocked'' them early.


    However, before they could berate him and chase him away, Jacob showed them five gold coins, "I want in."


    "Go." Unwillingly, they took the coins and let him pass.


    They didn''t want to cause a scene without any good reason. Since Jacob was paying the entrance fee, they can''t stop him or they will suffer terribly.


    Jacob merely smirked. He knew these people can''t break the Dark City rules. They simply weren''t willing to. So, as long as he doesn''t give them a reason, they can''t do anything to him.


    The interior of this Potion Tower was made with white wood, which was gleaming like marble. He saw medical equipment on disy, dry nts, herbs, and especially those colored liquids stored in all sizes of sks.


    Most of the equipment he had already seen in Dereck''sb, and he also remembered some unique equipment of this world from Decker''s journal and also memorized the Advance Herbology of Rare and Rarer nts & nt Lore.


    He was probably as knowledgeable as an Advance Apothecary even higher.


    But he had no idea about liquids in sks.


    "How may I help you today?" A high-pitched voice rang at this moment.


    Jacob turned around and then looked down. He saw a 2 feet tall person wearing a white mask with arge nose.


    ''What kind of creature is this?'' He was astonished when he saw those long ears, and almost a feet long nose, and small limbs.


    The little guy seemed to sense something as his emerald eyes narrowed. "Are you mocking me in your heart because of my height?"


    Jacob found it funny as he said, "And why do you think that?"


    "I can tell since you didn''t reply to me! Brat, if you call me short, I''ll throw you out!" He suddenly threatened Jacob without any good reason.


    Jacob coldly said, "Don''t put words in my mouth. It''s you being rude by calling me a brat. I''m here to buy some supplies. Why do I care about anyone''s height? Now tell me, do you have any introduction manual for those potions?"


    The little guy narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but since Jacob didn''t call him short and he answered, "We have five types of alchemy potions avable for sale,


    "The Green Potion or the Hibernate-Rejuvenation (HR) Potions. Each newly filled ss Cell can sustain hunger or slowly heal deep wounds both external and internal while it can put anyone under a deep hibernating state for a minimum of 2 years. It depends on who is using it and how strong or weak its body is. It cost 5,000 gold coins per liter.


    "The Blue Potion or the Fasting Potion. Each newly filled ss Cell can sustain huger for a minimum of 30 days. It cost 500 gold coins per liter.


    "Then Yellow Potion or the Healing Potion. Each sk can heal external and internal injuries within a few minutes. One sk will cost 10,000 gold coins. One drop is rmended for themon specie, a half sk is rmended for umon and an entire sk is rmended for a rare species.


    "The Purple Potion or the Detox Potion. It can cure 100 kinds of rare poisons and illnesses. One sk will cost 10,000 gold coins.


    "Lastly, the ck Potion or the Haste Recovery Potion. It had both Fasting Potion and Healing Potion''s qualities, but it''s twenty times more potent than both of thembine. It also can cure any kind of umon poison and illness. One sk will cost you 25,000 Gold coins.


    "We also have special painkiller pills, five-time recover gauze, healing cream¡­"


    Jacob frowned as the little guy kept going on and on as if he was possessed.


    "Alright stop."


    Only now the little guy stopped his passionate introduction and looked at Jacob. "Now, what do you want?"


    Jacob wonder just who hired this annoying idiot, and he was now feeling extremely perplexed because after he heard those potions'' prices, he instantly thought about those filled tanks in Decker''s hideout.


    Especially the tank with Haste Recovery Potion. He felt his heart bleeding. There were probably two or three barrels worth of that potion in there, and it was all lost!


    In the end, Jacob only bought five new metal syringes, some painkillers, healing cream, and some gauze, spending 2 thousand gold coins, and left the Potion Tower.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Those potions had little use, and he already had the four or five sks worth of ck potion, so he didn''t want to spend his gold coins on those other potions.


    He then checked in to an inn for two days, and after he was done, he skimmed through the small guidebook he bought at the entry gate.


    He was astonished as he read because the Dark City wasn''t like other cities.


    It wasn''t a part of any nation, country, kingdom, or empire, but it was a neutral city, which was even scarier than any aforementioned establishments.


    Because in every region there was only a single Dark City and it didn''t exist in any nation''s territories, but in the most dangerous zones of that region!


    Furthermore, every Dark City had its unique entrance qualifications and without possessing those qualifications, even a nation''s leader can''t enter a Dark City.


    Not only that, but the Organization behind the Dark City waspletely unknown, and no one knows who they were. Even the three hegemonies neverment on this mystery.


    That''s what made the Dark Cities truly unfathomable, and no one tried to break anyws of Dark Cities.


    For anyone who did, the result was within a signal night, the offenders with their families, ns, tribes, or even their nations vanished from the face of this world without anyone knowing how!


    This Dark City Jacob was in, was called the Umon Dark City, and only rare species can enter this ce.


    As for the Rare Dark City in the Rare Region, there wasn''t any map or any details about that ce.


    If someone wanted to enter that ce, they first have to find it before knowing what the entrance conditions were.


    What truly drew Jacob''s attention was the Independent Noble Systems of Dark Cities.


    There were Dark Noble Ranks, divided into Lower Dark Noble, Upper Dark Noble, Dark Baron, Dark Viscount, Dark Earl, Dark Marquise, and Dark Duke.


    These ranks can be earned by doing Dark Missions issued by the City Admin Manor.


    Every Dark Noble Rank gave special advantages and privileges in the Dark City. Such as an Upper Dark Noble didn''t require paying to stay in the Umon Dark City, the other privileges weren''t written.


    However, just bing a Lower Dark Noble was almost impossible to even in Umon Dark City because Dark Missions weren''t avable 24/7 like a mercenary guild.


    But every Dark City only issued a Single Dark Mission every year and anyone can ept them and whoeverpletes it first will earn the corresponding rewards.


    Furthermore, these dark missions had timelines for a single year until the next dark mission was issued. If someonepletes a Dark Mission even a day above thest day, it would be voided.


    That''s why earrings a Dark Noble Rank of Dark Cities were so much difficult and everyone fought tooth and nail for these missions.


    Most of the time, thesepetitors end up canceling each other frompleting these missions or getting in each other''s way, which results in mission failure.


    Jacob couldn''t help but scoffed in the end, when he finished reading the small booklet. He was naturally curious about the background of these Dark Cities and how they were controlling powerful people to dobor for them.


    But he was also interested in these dark noble ranks since it would save him a huge amount of money.


    However, he won''t be going to be distracted by these small benefits when he can earn a huge amount of gold by himself as long as he put his skills to use.


    But he didn''t have time for this because he was waiting for the heart and blood of the rare species, which woulde in two days.


    He would buy those hearts and blood and all the rare meat he could before he''ll leave the dark city to find a remote ce to start his injection process.


    Although the Dark City waspletely safe, it was monitored.


    Even if there was a remote possibility that someone might notice his special constitution. He wasn''t willing to take that risk.


    So, leaving the Dark City and thening back after he was done would be his best choice. Or if he thought the Umon Dark City wasn''t enough for him anymore, he might leave for the rare region withouting back.


    He required arge amount of rare meat to sustain his hunger, and if he tried to buy all that meat from the Dark City; he required millions of gold coins which he didn''t have, nor he was willing to pay.


    Because he can hunt them himself as long as he knew where they were, and this was much faster this way. Especially after breaking the 20% limit or 30% even.


    He hasn''t forgotten his realistic goal, which was immortality. Nothing else was more alluring than this to him!

 Chapter 106 Being Followed!

    ?Two dayster,


    Jacob had a pleasant lunch in his room before he left toward the butcher shops he had visited on the first day and ordered Rare Heart and Blood.


    When he was a few meters away from the first butcher shop, ''Cursed Immortality!''


    He summoned Immortika and told sternly, "I knew you know what is going on, but still, I''m going to tell you one more time. Soon when he showed me heart and blood, I want to know their tiers and if they are good for distition or not."


    Jacob was so confident in appraising those hearts and blood, was naturally because of Immortika, and he knew nothing can escape this book''s detection.


    Furthermore, he only has half an hour to finalize all the deals before his time of summoning Immortika runs out for the day.


    "Hehehe, why don''t you just kill all the surrounding livestock? This ce is probably a poultry farm for you!" Immortika rmended.


    Jacob retorted coldly, "I''d love to, but I don''t want to be ripped apart by the owner of this farm. So, keep your obscene suggestions to yourself. We have work to do."


    "Then just draw some chickens out of this farm. It''s so easy. Why are you being a coward?"


    Jacob ostensibly replied, "We''ll cross that bridge when the timees. First, I need to absorb all the heart essence I''m about to get, and if I find myself short on meat. I''ll do as you suggest."


    It wasn''t like he hadn''t thought of this, it was just that he didn''t require taking such actions right now.


    Jacob entered the butcher shop, and he saw the masked man skinning some umon animals while the burly butcher he was familiar with sat in his chair.


    When the masked butcher saw Jacob''s appearance, his eyes shed as he said, "So, youe."


    Jacob didn''t beat around the bush and said, "I''m in a hurry. Do you have it or not?"


    "Wait here." The butcher didn''t mind and put his book down as he stood up and entered the back door.


    "That''s a tier-6 Brown Troll. Don''t you want his heart and blood?" Immortika wrote words of temptation.


    Jacob merely scoffed and didn''t indulge it anymore.


    Soon the Brown Troll came back with a jar filled with blood and the heart was also floating within.


    "Now tell me that thing tier and if it''s good for distition?" Jacob questioned.


    "Tier-4 Gray Horn Hog. Although it was ughtered 4 hours ago, it''s still good for distition. But it''s nothing in front of that big log."


    Jacob pretended as if he didn''t even see thest words.


    "Your heart and blood." The Brown Troll put the jar in front of Jacob while observing his eyes.


    Although he didn''t know why Jacob wanted this heart and blood, he didn''t have the right to ask. But he was curious about how Jacob would tell if this was indeed the blood and heart of a rare species.


    To his surprise; Jacob didn''t even open the jar and put ten thousand gold bills on the counter and said, "It''s indeed what I asked for."


    The Brown Troll was baffled because he thought Jacob would take out some kind of device or taste the blood or at least open the jar to smell it, but he didn''t do any of this.


    Jacob put the jar in therge bag he had prepared beforehand.


    He looked at the Brown Troll and asked, "Can you arrange another heart and blood except for Gray Horn Hog next time?"


    "YOU?! How do you know?" The Brown Troll''s eyes went wide in shock.


    Jacob deliberately revealed it so he could intimidate the other party. and he also wanted to be sure the next delivery would be different from the Gray Horn Hog.


    Now that the butcher knew he can tell where this blood and hearte from just by a nce, he won''t dare to underestimate him.


    "Can you arrange it or not?" Jacobpletely ignored his question and impassively questioned again.


    The Brown Troll took a deep breath before he shook his head. "My supplier only raised Gray Horn Hogs."


    ''That''s what I think so.'' Jacob didn''t have his hopes up from the start. "Then you don''t need to arrange the heart and blood any more. Thanks."


    Done saying he left the bewildered Brown Troll and his shop.


    Jacob quickly approached the second butcher shop, which was five hundred meters away from the Brown Troll''s shop.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The butcher also prepared a jar for Jacob.


    "Hahaha¡­ this is also a heart and blood of tier-4 Gray Horn Hog. It seemed your dream of collecting heart and blood without getting your hands dirty might notst for even a day."


    Jacob''s expression fell when he saw that and thought grimly, ''Do they all have the same supplier?''


    "I don''t want this heart and blood!" He inly dered.


    The butcher, who was a gnome, turned hostile hearing this and rebuked. "Who do you mean you don''t want it? Are you messing with me? Do you know how difficult it was to arrange your bullshit blood and heart?"


    Jacob knew if it was anyone else, they would also fly in rage, but he had no use for this heart and blood any more.


    He said, "I know I''m the one at fault here. So, I buy 15 thousand gold coins worth of rare meat from you. How''s that sound?"


    "Then what about this heart and blood?" Although the gnome was still furious, he didn''t try to jump on Jacob anymore, since fifteen thousand gold coins weren''t a small amount.


    "You can think of a way yourself. Now, do we have a deal or not?" Jacob coldly questioned.


    Since it was his fault, he was willing to buy meat from here, but if this guy think he can push him around, then he was dead wrong. If he still threw his little tantrum, he would leave and see if this guy dared to attack him.


    Furthermore, he can tell these guys didn''t have to spend 10,000 gold coins on a measly heart and a liter of blood.


    In the end, the gnome had no choice but to agree because he could sense Jacob would leave if he tried to y the victim anymore.


    Jacob left the shop with fifteen pounds of rare meat.


    He then headed toward the third shop, which turned out to be a letdown as well with the same type of blood and heart again. He again settled this matter with fifteen pounds of rare meat.


    Without much expectation, he entered the fourth shop, which turned out to be the same as the previous two.


    Now, he had 45 pounds of meat, and he headed toward thest shop. His hopes werepletely extinguished now and he would buy 15 pounds of rare meat more before leaving the city.


    60 pounds of meat was enough to sustain his hunger until he found rare prey, and he was even thinking about going to the rare region withouting back to the dark city anymore.


    Although this ce was great and all, his needsy in the rare region where he can hunt as many rare species as he wanted.


    As for killing the people in Dark City, it was a very time-consuming process. Because most of them were criminals. They were just refugees in Umon Dark City, and there wasn''t anywhere worth going in the umon region as well.


    So, these people seldom leave the dark city and mostly worked there since there was almost everything avable there.


    Just as Jacob predicted, thest shop also turned out to have the same meat supplier. Now, Jacob wondered who this supplier was and where his farm was.


    If it was something in the umon region, he didn''t mind plundering it.


    However, even the shop owners didn''t know who it was since they only had business deals through his attendants. So, this was also another dead end.


    Jacob didn''t waste any more time on other butcher shops and visited some weapon shops on his way.


    Now, he had spent all the money he earned from selling the titan iron except the ten thousand in his bank ount.


    So, he left toward the exit.


    The gate guards didn''t block his way, but they were somewhat astonished since someone leaving the Dark City was a rare sight in Umon Dark City.


    The rude gate attendant only asked for Jacob''s pass back without saying a word about refunds for his remaining days.


    Jacob coldly nced at her before he left through the gate.


    However, just as Jacob left, another capped person left soon after, and Jacob didn''t even notice this person!


    His mysterious person stealthily followed Jacob''s tracks since it was in the middle of the day; he quickly spotted Jacob going toward the border river.


    ''Is he leaving?'' The capped person thought while continuing to follow Jacob, while Jacob had no idea about it.


    He was going toward the area where he buried his two bags!

 Chapter 107 Mutant Heart Essence!

    ?The strange thing about this person was while he was moving, there wasn''t any sound of breathing or his movement on the ground. His heartbeat was almost none exist!


    ''What a strange breed. First, he goes to the bank and then to Potion Town before he locked himself in the inn for two days. Now, he bought so much meat and exited the city. Just what the hell is he doing, and why did I even mission to follow this oddity?'' The stalker thought in vexation.


    However, when they were just a few hundred meters away from the river, he saw Jacob suddenly start to dig between trees, and thereupon he noticed Jacob taking out tworge bags from the ground!


    His gray eyes dted with a hint of astonishment, ''So, he has something to hide! Could it be that; he''s one of those thieves who robbed some prominent ns and then escaped here with treasures?


    ''It has to be the case, and the geezer just happened to notice it, and that''s why he told me to tail him and report if he has done anything suspicious.


    ''However, if he really has stolen wealth that can even incite that cynicism geezer, then I should consider my option more carefully. I''m not a wanted criminal like him. If I had wealth, I might be able to pay my way out of that mess. Which also means I can return from this shithole!'' His purple eyes shone with ambivalence.


    He knew double-crossing his current boss would be hazardous, but he didn''t want to stay here forever.


    ''First, I''ll kill that guy and take his things, and if there''s really something worth risking my position in this shithole, then I should take that risk. But if I got nothing worth buying my freedom, then I''ll take it back.


    ''Besides, that geezer can''t tell if he was killed by me or some random beast or I can simply say he was leaving and I had no choice but take action.'' His purple eyes suddenly shed with killing intent, ''That guy seemed weak. This should be easy. I just had to strike when he least expected it!''


    Jacob had no idea that he was being shadowed right now. and the other person had already decided to kill him for his treasures.


    While healing fourrge bags, he still moved swiftly deep into the mountains.


    ''How can he move so fast while carrying thoserge bags? He can''t be an agility type, right?'' The stalker wondered, as he was now more careful of Jacob and didn''t dare to underestimate him.


    As they moved deeper and deeper into the mountains, the stalker became warier before a hint of shock surfaced in his eyes. ''He had stamina and agility? He can''t be from the rarer region, right?''


    He suddenly has second thoughts about attacking Jacob now. Furthermore, he was extremely careful and sneaky, and he survived to this day because of his astute mind.


    Although Jacob looked weak, he had shown agility and stamina, which only a top-tier species of the rare region can have. Or someone from the rarer region.


    Although he was strong and can kill rare species with his sneaky abilities, even he dreads those peak races of the rare region and any species of the rarer region.


    Jacob moved for an entire day before he found an empty cave beside a small pond. After scouting the area, he decided to remain here until he was done absorbing the heart essences.


    Furthermore, he can also practice his water meditation. He was very close to two hours mark, and he hadn''t practiced it ever since he left the lionheart city.


    Just to make sure no one intruded or some strange animal or beast attacked him while he was absorbing the heart essence, he found arge boulder to cover the mouth of the cave.


    After he was done blocking the entrance, he calmly sat bare chest. He took out the heart essence of the mutant!


    He decided to absorb this essence first because ording to Immortika, the chance of awakening an ability was much higher with this mutant''s heart essence.


    Secondly, he didn''t want to cross the thirty percent limit without having his bodypletely limated to twenty percent. He didn''t know he would even survive that kind of hunger or simply blow himself up by eating.


    After taking a deep breath, he pierced his chest with a newly filled injection.


    The moment the mutant''s heart essence entered his heart, Jacob''s entire body quivered before he felt likeve has entered his bloodstream. ck vines started to appear on his entire body, and he felt like he would explode at any moment.


    This pain was far worse than he had felt before as his heart was beating like an engine, and his blood circted at a crazy speed.


    The vague dark mark inside his heart was now suddenly gleaming in red as it suddenly started to be apparent.


    Jacob could feel something rising within him like a raging tide, and he was very close to losing his conciseness because of the sheer pain and temperature he was feeling.


    "Don''t lose consciousness. You''re awakening an ability. If you lose consciousness, you''ll regret it. hahahaha¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    An eerie voice reverberated in his head, which was none other than Immortika''s!


    He can never forget that eerie, ovepping voice.


    Although he didn''t know how it could speak right now. He didn''t have time to mull over it because he now had to do everything to stay awake.


    He even bit his tongue to not fall unconscious while he had to endure the feeling of his heart being slowly ripped apart.


    Outside,


    The starker didn''t have any idea Jacob was in his most vulnerable state as he looked at the closed save withplicated emotions.


    He had long thrown the idea of attacking Jacob after he saw him lifting that over thousand KG boulder like it was nothing. He now felt extremely d that he didn''t attack Jacob or he might don''t have a life to regret it right now.


    Now, he understood why he was only given the mission to just tail him, but not act against him.


    ''Well, geezer, I''ll report about treasure and his location. But I won''t tell you about his strength. If you two battle, you''ll probably destroy each other, and then I can easily reap huge benefits.'' His scheming eyes shone with coldness, ''But I have to make sure that geezer leaves his cave, or if he didn''te, it would be for nothing, and he might sense something and turn hostile to me.''


    With that in mind, he took out a small divide. If Jacob were here, he would instantly recognize this because it was a pager.


    ''Fuck, there is no single in this shithole. I have to be close to the Dark City to use it. Well, since he put such a huge bolder around that cave. He won''t leave anytime soon, and it would be easier to draw the geezer out if I sound desperate and led him here!'' After taking another glimpse, he left quickly toward the dark city.


    He was over eighty miles away and it would take him two days toe back with help if things go smoothly.


    Inside the cave,


    Jacob was groaning and whimpering on the ground as he was on the verge of going insane with that extreme pain running amok in his entire being.


    His entire body was in the shade of deep red as his cutaneous veins could be seen clearly, while traces of ck blood were on his orifices.


    The dark mark inside his heart was now quite apparent, as it was covered in a dark sheen at this moment. It was the symbol of infinity (¡Þ) as his infinity pendant.


    Furthermore, the gap between this infinity symbol wasn''t empty, but they were still quite hazy to see for the moment.


    Suddenly, dark roots started to spread from this infinity symbol before they covered the entirety of Jacob''s heart, making it pitch ck.


    Outside, Jacob suddenly felt like something just exploded in his heart, and all of a sudden it stopped beating!


    No matter how strong will Jacob was, he can''t stay awake while his heart got stopped suddenly, while he was mentally and physically tortured and exhausted.


    His eyes rolled upward, and he fell to the ground without breathing.


    Half an hour passed since Jacob''s heart stopped, and he was virtually dead.


    Suddenly, the darkness covering his heart started to disappear before only the vague infinity mark was left.


    His heart suddenly trembled before it beat unexpectedly, and slowly it started to beat in a particr rhythm while a strange chill was released in Jacob''s body. He started breathing again, but he was still unconscious.


    At this time, a white book appeared from thin air as it hovered on top of Jacob.


    Immortika''s eerie voice sounded at this moment, filled with delight. "Hahahaha¡­ I don''t know if he''s lucky to awake this ability or unlucky. At least I won''t be bored anytime soon¡­ hahaha¡­"

 Chapter 108 A Dangerous Ability!

    ?"Child, you seemed lost." A benevolent voice said to a young man with tattered clothes and his face filled with bruises and scars sitting on a clean staircase, panting.


    The young man looked behind and saw a smiling old priest, and then he noticed the building behind him. It was a temple.


    "I''ll leave." Said the young man in his weak yet cold voice as he tried to stand, but failed. Because of his exhausted state, he grumbled because of the pain he felt from the wounds.


    "I didn''t mean to chase you away. You''re in the temple of god, and he would never chase away pitiful." The priest replied as he moved toward the young man to support him.


    But the young man didn''t let the old priest approach him, and with great difficulty, stood up. "I''m not pitiful, nor do I believe in any god."


    Finished saying, the young man tried to walk away, but just as he took a step he lost his bnce and fell to the ground, groaning in pain.


    Suddenly, he felt a skinny yet firm hand struggle to l him up.


    "Young man, we all are pitiful to be born in this world of trials." The priest softly said as he lifted the young man.


    "You didn''t need to be a believer until you find it in your heart, nor did I ask you to believe." The priest smiled as he strongly held the young man. "I just want to help you. There''s no other reason. Now, let''s go inside. It''s going to be a rainy night."


    The young man looked at the Priest with a hint of disbelief and shame, but he didn''t reject the help anymore as he slowly walked toward the temple entrance with a slight warmth in his stone-cold heart¡­


    ---


    ''Rumbled¡­''


    The sound of thunder rumbling rang in the rainy mountain ranges as the dark clouds covered the sky¡­


    At this moment,


    ''Aghhh¡­''


    Suddenly, a powerful groan reverberated in the silent cavern as Jacob''s fingers start twitching.


    With dizziness, Jacob pulled himself off the dirty floor.


    ''I¡­ I''m still¡­ alive?'' He was bewildered as see the same surrounding.


    Aplicated glint shed past his eyes. ''Why do I dream of that Senile Old Man? I even saw his annoying smiling face clearly, which I had almost forgotten in all these years.''


    A mncholic sigh escaped his mouth as he mumbled, "It''s been a long time, hasn''t it¡­ Pops?"


    However, before Jacob could indulge in the past, his stomach rumbled loudly.


    Jacob''s expression was horrified because he felt a sudden hunger of the same level as he felt the very first time, or even worse.


    Without having any time to think, he quickly dashed toward the bags, which were filled with bs of rare meats.


    Although he doesn''t know how long he has been unconscious, he heard the rare meat won''t go rotten for five or six days even if you didn''t preserve it.


    The meat was really fine, but even if it wasn''t, Jacob wouldn''t care about it since he was feeling goosebumps as his hunger kept rising without any sign of stopping. If he didn''t eat anything, he might really die!


    Without caring about if it was uncooked, he started eating it raw, and to his surprise, his teeth were biting this hard meat like it was tofu. He understood he had again because strong, far stronger than he was before.


    So, he ate even faster.


    As he consumed the meat, it instantly turned into warm yet cold energy as he visually felt this energy spreading in his whole body at an rming rate. His digestive system was working twenty times faster than before he ate the entire tiger bull.


    Furthermore, as he ate, he didn''t see any kind of change in his muscle mass like thest time. He wasn''t even masculine anymore, but skinny.


    In fifteen minutes, Jacob had consumed all the rare meat he had bought with him here, and to his horror, it was only enough to help him not go crazy. But he had this feeling that it won''tst long before it would return.


    But for now, he wasn''t hungry enough to not even think straight. As for how long itsted, he didn''t want to find out and was ready to hunt anything out there!


    However, first, he had some doubts which can be only answered by a certain book.


    "Cursed Immortality!" He menacingly uttered.


    Jacob first nced at his progress, and his eyes contracted when he saw the percentage.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 30.01%


    ¡­


    _______


    "How the fuck did this happen? Exin!" Jacob couldn''t help but gnashed his teeth.


    He didn''t take the gnome''s heart essence before the mutant''s for exactly this reason. He didn''t want to cross two limits at the same time, but somehow it happened.


    Furthermore, he was misguided about this as well. Immortika only told him a matured mutant would probably provide a 10% increase in hispletion rate. But it provided over 12%, and now he was suffering the consequences.


    If he had a vast reserve of rare meat, he didn''t mind. But he didn''t, and he was still in the umon region, which put him into a very perilous situation.


    And it was all because that damn book told him it would be fine and he would even awake an ability which he literally died awakening, and he knew he had failed!


    Immortika wrote, "What are you yelling about? I never told you the exact percentage the mutant heart will provide. Besides, you should''ve thought that you also had a mutant heart.


    "This means the final result of this injection was also random. But I had to say it went pretty well for you. Not only you got a huge percentage because of your mutant heart, but you also sessfully awakened an innate ability."


    Jacob, who was about to lose his temper because of Immortika''s nonchnt bullshit, was instantly startled when he read thest part.


    "I awake an innate ability?" Jacob quickly asked,pletely forgetting about his previous resentment, "But you said¡­ wait, why did you speak at that time but not now?"


    It was also what he was most mad about. Immortika had told him the strict rules of theirmunication, but those rules also seemed to be a fa?ade.


    "Hehehe¡­ I''m still bound by the rules, but do you know all the rules?" Immortika questioned.


    Jacob frowned. He really didn''t know all the rules because he only knew what Immortika revealed.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "Don''t be suspicious of me. I''m bound to you. Do you think I''ll harm you and then wait in some damn ce for hundreds or thousands of years again until some other inheritor appeared?


    "Let me tell you, I could speak at that time because just like you can summon me, I can also summon myself as well. However, unlike you, the time limit is only one minute and the cooldown period is one year.


    "I can freely speak in your mind if I summon myself, and you don''t need to about this since this was irrelevant to you. Now that you know, what can you do about it? ahahahah¡­"


    Jacob felt more at ease when he heard this, but his expression darkened when he saw that mockingugh. He knew this detail was irrelevant to him, and he had no use for such information besides knowing that this annoying book had such a capability.


    Not wanting to continue this topic after getting a satisfactory answer, he quickly returned to the main topic, "What about that innate ability you spoke of? What is it!"


    "Since this question is rted to your progress, I''ll answer it. Hehehe¡­ do you know how your heart mutated?" It didn''t answer but posse a question instead.


    Jacob rolled his eyes at the first line, but he didn''t really know about the answer to thetter. "Why are you ying riddles? Just tell me."


    "Remember that little gray bug which never left your heart that day?"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed with a hint of fear. How could he forget about the Bloodstorming Bug that bastard used to test his heart that day?


    "It was because of Bloodstorming Bug?" He questioned in astonishment.


    "Hehe, exactly. That bug died after taking a few bites off your heart because you were already on the verge of creating the immortal mark at that time, and its carcass was left there before it melted into your heart when the immortal mark was formed."


    Jacob suddenly had a terrible feeling about this. "Don''t tell me?"


    "Hahaha¡­ you awaken that bug''s Fluid eleration ability, which is extremely hard to control. You can say your heart is now an elerator that can elerate your blood at an extremely high speed.


    "Although this ability is quite useful for many reasons, as long as you can control it. But it''s much more difficult said than done. To control it, you have to learn how to control your heart rate, which can now increase infinitely as you grow stronger and stronger!


    "Because if you can''t, your heart will blow up your entire body before blowing itself!"

 Chapter 109 Prey Or Hunter? (1)

    ?Jacob''s expression was ashen when he read about this ability because it was more like a suicidal ability than helpful.


    "How would I know it has activated or not?" Jacob asked quickly because he suddenly felt like something was extremely wrong.


    "Hahahaha¡­ didn''t I tell you it''s your heartbeat? It''s the key to Fluid eleration. If you want to activate it, your heartbeat rate should be around 10 heartbeats per second (BPS).


    "Let''s call 1X eleration. However, it''s where your real problem lies because once you enter 1X eleration, you''ll have to learn how to keep it that way. Because it would only increase, not decrease.


    "Right now, your current heart can handle 3X eleration or 4X for a few seconds. As for your body, it would explode at 2X because it is still not bnced with your heart''s progress yet.


    "Not only do you have to learn how to maintain the exact eleration speed and control it, but you have to learn how to reduce it as well because once it started, it won''t reduce on its own.


    "You''re not like those bugs that can only use fluid eleration on others and didn''t care about stopping it afterward, nor they can. But your plight is you can start it on yourself and have to learn how to stop it!"


    Jacob smiled wryly when he read this. He had to admit this ability was as useful as it was dangerous.


    Because with this fluid eleration, he can make his blood cirction at an extremely high right, and blood cirction fueled the human body.


    If Jacob can elerate it at will. Not only will it increase his sensory reactions, and physical performance, it can help to heal his wounds faster, it can make his brain sharper and his senses extremely high, and it can help him digest nutrition at an rming rate.


    However, this was also a double-edged sword, just as Immortika disclosed. If he elerates his blood cirction over his heart and body limit, he would really explode.


    But this wasn''t the only danger. He would burn his body energy extremely fast, which means he is required to keep a high energy source ready all the time.


    But first, he had to learn how to decrease and increase his heart rate like breathing, but he was afraid to activate it and then not be able to handle it.


    While he can''t just let it as it is as well because if he didn''t learn how to control his heart rate, he might identally activate it when he experiences some perilous situation, and he knew he will.


    This world wasn''t peaceful, and he also required strength to achieve immortality, so it was only a pipe dream if he thought he can achieve it without experiencing any dangerous situations.


    "I guess you don''t have any excellent suggestions to master this fluid eleration, do you?" Jacob inquired with narrowed eyes.


    Although he still resents Immortika, he knew when ites to knowledge; it was the only thing he could count on.


    "Hehe, I can''t answer that." Immortika yfully rejected.


    Jacob pulled a long face, but he knew the information about the fluid eleration was the only thing he would get from Immortika. So, he didn''t waste his breath on persuading it, since it was meaningless.


    "But¡­ you''ll find it on your own. I have faith¡­ hahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered when he read this subtle line. But before he could mull over it, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the cave entrance.


    He only noticed that his hearing had be even stronger than before. Although those footsteps weren''t exactly outside the cave, they were closing in, and quickly at that.


    ''Are theying for me or simply passerby?'' Jacob mused.


    "What are the tiers of those people?" Jacob quickly asked Immortika with a hint of anticipation and killing intent.


    The Dark City was only a couple of miles away from this area. If they''re some rare species, he didn''t mind killing them. He direly needed nutrition right now, as his hunger was nowhere near sustainable.


    Since those guys delivered themselves, he didn''t mind eating them and collecting more hearts and blood in the process.


    "Oh¡­ hahahahaha¡­ you won''t believe it. There''s three of them you even know between these prey, and one of them is even your old acquainted¡­"


    When Jacob read the entire writing, he was astonished before a murderous glint shed past his rancor eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''So, that''s how it is, huh? I never thought they''ll send someone after me, and I even failed to notice it. But to think it that motherfucker again. Well, since they''re courting death, I don''t mind harvesting some high-quality meat and collecting some debt in the process as well.'' Jacob''s lips rose into an icy smile.


    If they came before the absorption of the mutant''s heart, he might''ve decided to run, but now he was confident in handling them. They simply prey for him right now, not enemies.


    Although Jacob looks skinny right now, he wasden with power, and as long as he didn''t go overboard, his body would not break, and his heart rate will remain under the 1X eleration limit.


    He quickly donned his clothes and mask before he sat down on the corner and wait for the prey''s arrival.


    Thereupon, Jacob heard the voice of the boulder moving as his lips curled. ''He''s probably stronger than the mutant. Well, this also means he can probably make my body 50% adaptable with my current heart if I ate him.'' He licked his lips like a hungry wolf.


    "Mr. Jack, how about you grace us with your presence?" A sarcastic voice rang in the cave without any hint of urgency.


    Jacob finally stood up and walked unhurriedly with both hands in his pocket.


    At the mouth of the cavern, Jacob saw three figures: one was two-meter-tall and burly, while the other two were half of its size. One of them was even wearing a cape.


    Jacob sounded surprised and fearful. "You''re quite far from home, Boss Jerry and Mr. Observer, and¡­ your friend, I guess."


    Yes, the two of them were indeed Jerry and Mr. Observer from Jerry Pawnshop.


    Jacob didn''t know they would put a tail on him just because of titan iron bricks, and they probably came here after learning he had more and to make sure he won''t escape.


    Jacob had to admit, Jerry was extremely strong, while the capped person also gave off a powerful feeling. He was probably an A grade while Mr. Observer was as strong as that Hob Troll of Killer Skull Society.


    This lineup was enough to destroy the entire umon region, and they''re here just for umon titan iron?


    Jacob was now even more interested in why they wanted this titan iron so badly to even leave the protection of Dark City and came all the way here to retrieve it.


    Jerry smiled coldly as he said, "Mr. Jack, you deserved this treatment. Since we''re done with the pleasantries, how about we talk business?"


    "What kind of business, if I may ask?" Jacob''s voice was filled with trepidation.


    "Nothing much, we just want to buy the titan iron you have and also want to know your source. In return, we''ll let you¡­  live." Jerry pulled a sinister smile at this moment while he excluded a powerful killing intent.


    Although they were told Jacob had buried some bags in the wildness, they weren''t sure if they were filled with titan iron. But just the chance was enough to make Jerry leave his turtle shell.


    He was extremely confident in taking care of Jacob before returning, and with his allies, there was nothing that could go wrong.


    Even if Jacob had an A rank strength, he can''t do anything but submit. As for letting him live, it was the question of whether they needed Jacob alive or not after they learned about his titan iron source.


    Jerry even prepared a high-level parasite gem to enve Jacob if they deemed him valuable.


    "In exchange for my life, I''ll naturally tell you everything. But can you at least tell me why you''re so interested in umon titan iron?" Jacob asked sheepishly.


    Jerry was even more at ease when he sensed Jacob''s fear and merely chuckled, "Heh, if I tell you, I have to kill you. But since just made it apparent that you do possess a titan iron source, I''ll tell you a little. You see, the titan iron can be turned into a special elixir that can help us grow stronger without any consequences. It is the extent of information I can give you."


    Jacob''s eyes dted when he heard this.


    "Alright, now that you know, I required you to ce this gem on your forehead. Who knows? I might even let you enjoy the elixir if you serve me well." Jerry suddenly tossed a small ck pouch toward Jacob and gave an absolute demand.


    Jacob caught the small pouch when he opened it.


    It was a parasite gem, but it was slightly different from the parasite gem Decker used on him!

 Chapter 110 Prey Or Hunter? (2)

    ?Jacob looked at the crimson diamond shape parasite gem with two long needles on one side and a very tiny ck symbol within. Although this parasite gem looked the same as the one in his possession, the symbol on this wasn''t the same.


    Nevertheless, it was the least of his worry. He looked at Jerry while his eyes suddenly turned icy, "You want to coerce me to be your ve?"


    Jerry coldly smirked, "So what if I am? You can choose to do it the hard way as well. But I don''t like to get my hands dirty, but I don''t mind it either."


    Mr. Observer also had aplicated look on his face as he looked at Jacob as if he was looking at his own reflection of the past.


    He knew the parasite gem in Jacob''s hand was an Intermediate-Rare Grade, one which waspletely different from any umon grade.


    The items like parasite gems, ves, firearms, potions, and so on were all divided into Common, Umon, Rare, Rarer, and Epic Grades, and each grade has three sub-grades: Low, Intermediate, and Advance.


    The parasite gem Decker used on Jacob was a low-umon grade, which can restrain and control even rare rank species like Decker.


    But the umon parasite gems were useless against powerhouses like B-Rank or even some extremely strong-willed C-Ranks.


    Only a low-rare grade parasite gem can enve the aforementioned species, while an Intermediate-Rare Grade Parasite Gem was extremely rare in the Rare Region because it can control someone with A-rank strength!


    But the most dreadful thing about the rare parasite gems was they weren''t like the umon parasite gems that can only restrain movement but can''t make them talk against their will.


    Not only the enved person lost the ability to move freely without orders, but their thoughts were also like an open book, and as long as they were asked a question, they will instantly answer!


    The only way to free oneself was to be stronger, which the owner would never allow unless he had a higher quality gem at his disposal.


    As for taking out those intermediate parasite gems by force, it was simply a pipe dream.


    Because these gems take root directly into the brain, not just the skull, and if someone tries to force them out, they will suffer serious brain damage.


    Even if they somehow managed to pull it off, they won''t be sane anymore to enjoy their freedom or die of brain damage or by their owners!


    Mr. Observer was such a case.


    He can''t even have thought of rebelling because Jerry would torture him to end if he found out. He had long resigned to his fate and waspletely loyal to Jerry now, and he let him do as he pleased as long as he didn''t cross his bottom line.


    But who wouldn''t like their freedom? A ve is still a ve!


    very is amon asion in the rare region where very wasmon, and even in the Dark City, you could find ves if you knew where to look.


    When Mr. Observer thought Jacob would also be a ve like him and ept his fate, which was far better than death, his next action shocked everyone.


    Jacob simply put the parasite gem in his ''pocket'', before he drew his two crescent short swords, which were giving off a cold, sharp sheen.


    His index fingers wore the metal bearings in the center of two hits like rings as he started to rotate them close-wise and coldly said, "Let''s see if you can back your own words. Let''s decided who is Prey and who is Hunter!"


    Jacob''s perfunctory reposed made Jerry''s killing intent sore. "Since you want to be valiant, I''ll beat you into submission!" He suddenly showed his ck gauntlets as he moved forward.


    The capped figure, which was silent all this time, suddenly took out a jet-ck revolving rifle and aimed at Jacob.


    "Don''t worry. He won''t shoot¡­"


    But before Jerry could express his intentions, his eyes contracted because Jacob suddenly moved, and his speed was extremely fast, so fast that he was already a meter away from him, and his sword wasing right toward his head!


    Shocked, his heart jumped as he never expected Jacob''s speed to be this fast, even faster than him!


    But he was also abat master, and his reflexes weren''t any lower than Jacob''s, and he used the thick metal te behind his gauntlet to block the strike while using his second hand to punch Jacob in the face!


    He thought Jacob was only proficient in speed, and he won''t be able to take his punch.


    However, what happened next made everyone startled!


    Jacob''s speed suddenly spiked before he twisted around the iing punch while he changed the trajectory of his sword with a rotation, and before Jerry could react, the sword was already stabbed in his forearm!


    When Jacob moved the chisel de, Jerry''s entire armed was torn!


    "Aghh¡­" Jerry felt blood-curdling pain.


    "Boomm¡­"


    The capped figure finally snapped out with Jerry''s shrill scream and pulled the trigger hastily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But to his terror, Jacob was ready for this, and he covered himself with Jerry''s massive body, and the shot was missed.


    Jerry wanted to punch Jacob away, but Jacob simply ducked it with his superhuman reflex, and Jerry wasn''t even focusing because of the pain of his torn forearm.


    The next moment, another shrill rang in the vicinity when Jacob tore Jerry''s knees!


    "Ahhh¡­ Bastar¡­ Cogh¡­"


    Before he could say another word, the sword was already pierced through hisrynx, and when Jacob retrieved the de back, a fountain of blood bloomed!


    In less than ten seconds, he had killed Jerry!


    "boom¡­ boom."


    The capped person naturally panicked with this unbelievable situation as he started shooting maniacally.


    But Jacob was ready, and he shielded himself with Jerry''s body.


    ''Click¡­ click¡­ click¡­''


    The sound of the trigger being pulled forcefully rang in the cave at this moment, which meant there were no bullets!


    Jacob finally appeared filled with blood like a bloody ghost and instantly closed in the distance between him and capped person.


    "Spare me!" A panicked feminine voice rang, filled with appalling.


    However, Jacob didn''t even blink as he routed his de, and without holding back he hammered the hilt directly on the capped head, and the next moment, the person dropped to the ground unconscious.


    Since even Jerry couldn''t put in a fight with Jacob, this guy wasn''t his match, either.


    As for Mr. Observer, he was petrified on his spot as if he had seen the most horrifying sight of his life. When Jacob knock him unconscious, he simply fell without making any groan as if he was already scared silly and lost consciousness!


    However, Jacob didn''t stop there. Hepletely ignored the three and darted toward the forest with a murderous look in his eyes.


    Right at this moment, something suddenly moved, bolted between trees when it saw Jacob closing in!


    ''How did they all lose!? NOOOO¡­ how did he know I was hiding right in this ce? Even that geezer can''t tell when I try to hide from him. This guy was probably pretending to be a pig all this time!''


    The shadow kept darting between trees in appall, trying to get rid of Jacob''s hot pursuit.


    ''Why, why, why? This guy can''t just give up!''


    ''Bang¡­''


    A gunshot sounded, itnded right on the shadow''s leg, and it lost its bnced.


    After shing in some branches, a small cloaked body fell to the ground.


    A bronze skin ugly face was groaning in pain, but when it saw Jacob sauntering toward him with menacing eyes.


    He quickly dissuaded as he moved back on his limbs, "D-don''t¡­ ahhh¡­ Don''t kill me. I can be your ve¡­ I-I know many things!"


    Jacob suddenly sneered, "Then tell me, do you remember over two years ago, you led two giants toward a hideout?"


    Jacob was so adamant about hunting this bastard down because this was the same Bronze Goblin, Chad, that screwed him over and made him flee Decker''s hideout, and this time he again led Jerry''s group to his hiding ce!


    Chad''s eyes contracted when he heard this, as disbelief surfaced in his eyes. How could he forget the event that led him to his current predicament?


    That day, they didn''t find anyone in that hideout except some tools and dry bones, even after ransacking the entire hideout. They even waited for two days, but no one appeared.


    However, those bones they found made the giants agitate, and they wanted to test their origin, and when they did, they nearly went berserk in Dark City, especially Montel, who raised an entire building to rubble.


    It was all because those bones belonged to an Imp Goblin, who was probably their target of interest!


    As for the killer, they had no idea, but this also put an end to their search, and those giants were cklisted for ten years in the umon city as well.


    Chad also suffered because of those giants'' actions, and he got the short side of the stick!

 Chapter 111 A Devil!

    ?Chad was the most miserable because he was with the giants. He also got cklisted for one year. Most importantly, he nearly died after taking a rageful punch from Montel.


    How he survived was a miracle, but afterward, he had to spend his entire saving to recover and survived in the wilderness for a year.


    It was also that time when this mysterious person approached him and offered him a job for protection because he was famous for his tracking skills.


    But he had to sign a loyalty contract which was as good as a ve contract, and as long as he remained in the umon dark city, he can''t hide or broke the contract.


    In the end, Chad had no choice since he was in dire need of help, and most of the residents of the Dark City weren''t willing to do business with him because of the Giants and his cklisted status.


    From that day on, he was working for this mysterious person while he hated the giants and Decker''s killer to the bone since they were the ones who were the main reason for his miserable life.


    However, not even in his dreams, he thought that the mysterious killer would appear again, and the killer even knew him!


    "Y¡­ Y-YOU¡­. Killed Decker???" He was gobsmacked and appalled as he looked at the masked figure stained in blood.


    This was simply ironic that he finally met the culprit for his sufferings and he waspletely helpless to resist!


    Although he dreamed of meeting the bastard who ruined everything, now that dream hase true, it turned out to be a nightmare instead!


    Jacob coldly replied, "I even ate him. It seemed you knew that bastard."


    A chill ran down Chad''s spine when he heard this, and his throat got dry. He hoarsely spoke, "I-It was because of his tribe that I was exiled from my tribe and had to run in this barren ce. B-but I¡­ I didn''t mean to ruin your peace. It was those giants!"


    He gritted his teeth in hatred. "They destroyed your ce forcefully and then took everything. I even got wounded without getting anything in return except suffering and regret! If you spare m¡­ coug¡­"


    Before he could finish his deceitful speech, Jacob''s de was already shed past his neck, and the next moment with widely open eyes his head was rolling on the ground.


    Jacob scoffed at dismembered Chad. "I''ll send those giants to apany you soon!"


    He never even thought of spearing Chad for a moment because this guy put his life in danger two times already, and it was unforgivable!


    ''Tap¡­tap¡­''


    Suddenly, raindrops started to fall, before it poured hard within a few moments.


    Jacob looked impassive as the blood washed away with rain. But actually, he was closely hearing his heartbeat at this moment.


    ''Even after all thisbat and running, my heartbeat is still stable, and only my hunger is rising. It seemed the fluid eleration is going to be hard to master. But I also don''t have to worry about identally activating it now as long as I didn''t encounter real danger.''


    He merely smirked at the end because he knew after raising his body equal to his heart progress of 30%, he might not need to worry about the rare region at all.


    Nevertheless, he wasn''t arrogant enough to believe this delusion. He picked up the headless body and head and hurried back toward the cave. He was going to have a goblin feast tonight!


    ---


    ''Aghh¡­''


    An anguish shrilled rang in the cavern before Mr. Observer opened his eyes, filled with pain, and with great difficulty, he lifted himself from the stone floor.


    However, he nearly fell down with a daunted expression when he saw a small humanoid body skewered on top of arge fire.


    But he waspletely scared out of his wits when he saw a pile of bones beside a long silver hair person who still had arge crispy and charred leg piece in his hand and gobbling it down like a wolf.


    Although he looked pleasing to the eyes, in Mr. Observer''s eyes, he looked like a devil at the moment!


    "So, you finally decided to wake up, huh?"


    When Jacob''s cold amber eyes fell on Mr. Observer, he felt an icy chill in his spine and instantly crawled backward.


    "YOU¡­ t-those b-bone¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Heh, that''s your boss. Although he was an ugly swine outside, he''s ''much better'' from the inside." Jacob''s lips curled up into a devilish smile as he confirmed Mr. Observer''s guess.


    Mr. Observer''s eyes were wild opened in horror as his back was now facing the wall, but he didn''t dare to speak anymore. He was afraid that the devil will eat him as well.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Although he heard of some vicious species that ate intelligent species without caring about anything but seeing them with his own eyes was another experience.


    "What? Feeling noxious just because I''m eating someone you know, heh?" Jacob sneered as he took a chunk of a mouthful of meat before he said, "In my eyes, you all are nothing but high-quality livestock¡­ like you would think of any livestock."


    Mr. Observer felt like fainting again, as he was terrified of Jacob now.


    "Y-You¡­ obscene devil!" An appalled shrill rang at this moment from the other side of the cavern.


    It was the capped person, but now his face was fully revealed. Although its voice sound famine, it was actually a green face wizened old monster with a face full of wrinkles, sharp teeth, and a pointy nose. But the most noticeable thing about this person was a small horn on its bald head.


    "You''re from the Orc race, right? A Pine Orc." Jacob questioned without caring about the dreadful expression of Pine Orc.


    "Just who are you? What are you doing in the umon region?!" The Pin Orc waspletely frightened of Jacob right now.


    He didn''t understand why someone like Jacob would appear in the umon region-level Dark City. With his horrifying strength, he should have no problem staying in the rare dark city, even with a wanted title.


    If they knew Jacob was a hidden monster, they would never even consider approaching him, much lessing after his wealth.


    But they weren''t to be med for this because Jerry failed to sense Jacob''s danger with his unique danger sense. or nothing like this would''ve happened.


    He also didn''t recognize Jacob''s kind, despite wrecking his brain, but one thing was clear now, Jacob''s strength was on top of the food chain. He also had some ''unique ability'' to hide his true strength even from a hobgoblin danger sense.


    "Livestock won''t ask questions." Jacob chuckled coldly before he threw thest bone on the pile.


    After eating the entire hobgoblin''s meat, he could feel his hunger was half subdued. and his body had returned to its masculine shape as well and he wasn''t feeling any crazing hunger like before, but pure strength.


    If he fought with Jerry again, he can now manhandle him like a rage doll!


    "Now answer some of my questions. What is this?"


    From the side, Jacob suddenly picked up a small ss vial, half filled with crystalline ck liquid.


    He found it on Pine Orc''s neck hanging with a chain as if it was extremely precious to him, so this aroused his interest the most of all things he looted from the three.


    The Pine Orc''s eyes contracted, and his expression contorted when he saw the small vial in Jacob''s hand as if his heart had torn apart. But he didn''t want to answer the question.


    However, his lips moved on their own at this moment. "It''s Advance Umon Grade Titan Tears. It''s an ancient elixir that can help any species below Epic Rank to break their limits with no hidden side effects. I was nning to take them after dealing with your matter."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he heard this unexpected answer. While Pine Orc''s eyes went wide in horror as he touched his forehead, which now had a deep wound.


    He suddenly thought of the parasite gem they bring to enve Jacob, he bellowed "Y-you enved me!"


    Jacob was quite satisfied with this parasite gem, which made them talk as long as he used them with the bracelet on his wrist. He now owns both Pine Orc and Mr. Observer!


    "So, this can help you break the limit, huh? Like a power upgrade?" Jacob looked at the small vial and Pine Orc''s torn expression.


    He suddenly had a bold thought and opened the vial before taking a tiny drop!


    The moment the drop melted in his mouth, he suddenly felt a warm energy bomb explode on his tongue before it spread throughout his entire body!


    Within a few seconds, Jacob felt his hunger decrease by five percent, and his eyes went wide as he looked at the small vial and the little liquid in it with disbelief!


    Without caring about Pine Orc''s appalled expression, he hurriedly asked with ecstasy, "This Titan Tears!? Exin how youe in contact with it and where is the recipe?!"

 Chapter 112 Titan Tears

    ?"This Titan Tears!? Exin how youe in contact with it and where is the recipe?!"


    Jacob''s reaction was only natural because this one small drop had made his hunger subdue by five percent, and it wasn''t temporary either. He could feel the strength of his body increase.


    He clearly remembered Immortika told him that he required an exorbitant amount of aliment, but it never said it would have to be from the flesh.


    Although he knew he might find some other sources like special fruits, nts, or herbs in the rare region. But he never expected to find this so-called elixir, and it would be even more potent than a rarer species'' meat.


    He only tested it because he was curious when he heard the Pine Orc''s description and effect of these Titan Tears. Furthermore, he could tell these titan tears were probably the same elixir Jerry was talking about.


    So, he wanted to see why these guys had taken such a risk just to make these titan tears, and now he understands.


    The Pine Orc didn''t want to tell his biggest secret to Jacob, but since he was enved, he had no choice in this matter.


    He told, "I belong to the Potion Alchemy Guild in the rare region and Jerry privately approached me 12 years ago. He had this map of a Ruin, and he required an Intermediate Potion Alchemist''s assistance, so I agree.


    "At that time, I didn''t know Jerry had stolen that old map from the Hobgoblin n and a secret organization. I don''t know their name, and Jerry always kept it to himself.


    "But when we reached that ruin and found a metal box. In that box was an old box called ''Titan Tears''. It was a set of Elixir Form from Umon Grade to Epic Grade.


    "As I said before, it was an ancient elixir that could help any species break something called ''Bloodline Limiter'', and breaking through the fable Epic Rank was also a possibility as long as we could concoct the Epic Grade Titan Tears.


    "However, just the ingredients required for the low-rare-grade Titan Tears were almost impossible to gather, much less the Epic Grade. Nevertheless, just the umon grade titan tears were enough to raise our strength at the peak of rarer species.


    "But before we could celebrate, we were ambushed by both the Hobgoblin n and that secret organization. They somehow tracked Jerry down and were waiting for him to find that box before taking it from him.


    "However, Jerry was also prepared, and he used an extremely rare ck Poison Bomb and killed everyone. If he hadn''t given me the antidote, I would''ve also been dead.


    "But he required an Intermediate Potion Alchemist to make this elixir for him, and it also ties us together from then on. Albeit, it was worth being a fugitive with Jerry for this elixir.


    "Yet, we still underestimated that secret organization. They somehow found out that we were buying the titan iron in secret, and tracked us down again. But because of the increase in Jerry''s strength after taking the elixir, we had a close shaved that time, and directly escaped to the umon dark city and lie low for five years.


    "Only after making sure there wasn''t anyone chasing us did we surface again, but didn''t dare to leave the dark city anymore¡­"


    Jacob stopped him at this moment. "Alright, I didn''t want your entire adventure story. Where is this form right now?"


    Gritting his teeth, the Pin Orc unwillingly spoke, "To not draw any unwanted attention, Jerry opened the pawn shop while I became a potion maker at the potion tower. We only contact each other when Titan Tears were involved, and the form is in my workshop."


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered sharply. ''This is simply a windfall for me. If I could make the Titan Tears inrge batches, I could make progress without being worried about any consequences!


    ''Maybe there are more such potions in the Potion Alchemy Guild. Decker also wrote there were many Alchemy Forms. They were top secrets of his Apothecary Alchemy Guild, and even he didn''t dare to write them in his journal!''


    Jacob never thought he would take such a keen interest in this alchemy all of a sudden. There were many branches of this Alchemy Guild, and it was hard to tell which one was the most prominent.


    However, it wasn''t the time or ce for him to learn.


    Jacob sharply looked at the listless Pine Orc and said, "We''ll be leaving for the dark city the moment the rain stops. You''ll fetch this Titan Tears form for me, and since you''re a potion alchemist, you would be quite rich. I want everything in your name into my ount and any gold you have in stash. Also, pack your staff and move to Jerry''s shop. You''re going to work for me like a good little ve there."


    "YOU DEVIL!" Pine Orc felt his heart going to explode when he heard this and almost lunged at Jacob.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Steele down." Jacob coldly ordered, and Pine Orc was glued to his ce with an expressionless face while his eyes were bloodshot.


    Then Jacob looked at Mr. Observer, who was silently listening with an ashen expression.


    He questioned sharply, "How many assets does Jerry have?"


    Mr. Observer was the same as the Pine Orc. He replied without hiding anything, "The Jerry Pawn Shop and all the things within. There is a secret safe on the top floor where he keeps his money, and the deed of the shop is also there.


    "As for his bank ount, I have no idea. But his information would be saved in the Zodiac Money Transfer Device in that safe as well. If you have his fingerprint and blood, you can transfer all the wealth to your ount."


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a hint of delight. It was the real reason he spared these two.


    He knew Jerry was extremely rich in the dark city, It would''ve been a waste to leave his wealth like this. He needed money, and Mr. Observer should know where Jerry kept all his wealth since he was his ve.


    As for the Pine Orc, he didn''t know what rtion he had with Jerry, but since his strength was also A rank; he didn''t want to kill him and wanted to see if he could reap more benefits as well as find the secret of the titan iron.


    Now, he was extremely d he spared these two, or he might never know about the Titan Tears Form and its miraculous effects.


    "We''ll do as you suggest. When we returned, start selling everything in the shop and clean the warehouse and logs. How much time will it take?" Jacob asked.


    He wasn''t interested in taking over Jerry''s business since it would be too cumbersome, and he had other ns for now after knowing about the titan tears.


    Mr. Observer pondered for a moment before he answered, "If we bought nothing and sold all the reserves, it would only take 5 or 6 months since we have many buyers. But we can also sell everything to other stores around us. It will take less time, but the profit won''t be much."


    Jacob thought for a moment, "I''m giving you seven months to clean the entire warehouse. Except for the staff remuneration, everything will go into my ount. Your saving included. Do you understand?"


    Mr. Observer felt his heart shattered when he heard thest part and listlessly nodded.


    Jacob again looked at the Pine Orc who seemed to have lost his soul, and smiled coldly, "How much umon titan iron do you need to make one drop of Titan Tears?"


    He replied listlessly, "As the main ingredient of the Titan Tears, the final quantity depends on the titan iron''s purity. Like the titan iron, you sold Jerry. I could make only two Tier-3 Titan Tears Drops with 3000 grams of titan iron with 89% purity."


    "What is this tier-3 about?" Jacob''s eyes narrowed.


    "There are three tiers of purity recorded in the book. Tier-1 Umon Titan Tears are made with 10% to 30% pure Titan Iron. Tier-2 with 31% to 70% purity and Tier-3 with 70% to 90%.


    "There is another tier called Perfect-Tier, but it was a mere theory since we required something called Titan Iron Essence, which had purity above 90%. I never even heard of such material."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he chuckled, "Since you never saw it, this doesn''t mean it didn''t exist. Nheless, I have over 120KG Titan Iron, and I need you to turn it into the titan tears while teaching me the entire process."


    "So much? Where do you get it from?" Pine Orc couldn''t help but questioned when he heard the titan iron amount.


    Jacob thought for a moment and replied with a subtle smile, "You don''t need to know this. Now, let''s shut up and let me eat."


    Without caring about the Pine Orc or Mr. Observer''s appalled expression, he tore the crispy leg of the bronze goblin, and starts eating it!

 Chapter 113 This Was Way Easy…

    ?The top floor of Jerry Pawnshop,


    Mr. Observer opened the locked door before he steps aside respectfully.


    Jacob unhurriedly steps inside the familiarvishing floor with two bags in his hand.


    It''s been 20 hours since he killed Jerry and Chad.


    After the rain stopped.


    As he nned, he took Mr. Observer and Tunny, that was the name of the Pine Orc, back to the Umon Dark City, which he didn''t n to return so soon.


    This time he bought a year-long city pass and first head toward the Potion Tower to take care of Tunny''s business.


    Since he was one of the best Potion Makers of the Potion Tower, the owner was extremely reluctant to let him go and tried almost everything, begging even, to stop him from leaving.


    But how could Tunny tell him his plight that he simply didn''t have the choice since Jacob was controlling him and he might get eaten by this devil at any moment?


    Jacob didn''t mind Tunny''s nauseous expression and took him straight to the pawnshop which was still operating fine by the manager. The staff had no idea their generous boss was dead and reced by the culprit.


    Even if they knew as long as they were paid for their work, they didn''t care who their Boss was or what he did in his pastime. This ce was the Dark City. Even a passerby could be a killer.


    Jacob seized Jerry''s seat, looked at the two ves, and said, "Sit."


    Mr. Observer sat down, he had already epted his fate, and besides, he was a ve, to begin with, so it didn''t matter much to him. He was even more respectful and obedient toward Jacob because Jacob was extremely powerful. He was also afraid Jacob might eat him if he ticked him off.


    Tunny was new to being a ve, even Jerry didn''t enve him because of his skills, and it was far better to have him as a partner than a ve.


    But Jacob simply didn''t care about his skills or his importance at all. He looked at him indifferently like he was livestock.


    However, he knew his fate was now sealed, unless someone can kill Jacob. That made him even more despaired.


    He sat down while cing arge bag aside.


    "Put it here." Jacob coldlymanded when he saw this guy still didn''t know how to read between the lines. He wondered if the Orc race was filled with idiots.


    Tunny reluctantly put the bag on the table and sighed. It was inevitable.


    Jacob pulled the bag toward himself and opened it. There were many tools for potion-making and books.


    He slowly put them on the table and arranged them.


    "Which one is the Titan Tears?" He asked as he looked at the small pile of books.


    Tunny pulled a dark gray book from the pile that appeared quite old and ced it before Jacob.


    Jacob curiously looked at the in cover without any writing. If he weren''t controlling Tunny, he would''ve thought he was messing with him.


    He opened it and saw the words of this book werepletely unfamiliar to him and frowned, "Whatnguage is this?"


    "This is the Ancient Philosopher''s Language. Every Intermediate Rank member of the Alchemy Guildes in contact with thisnguage since almost all the ancient alchemy texts are tranted from the Ancient Philosopher''s Language." Tunny replied with a hint of pride.


    "Intriguing." Jacob''s lips curled up, "Since you''re so proud about it, then you definitely know this Ancient Philosopher''s Language, and you''ll be going to teach me this with the potion alchemy."


    Tunny''s expression turned dark when he heard this, but he didn''t dare to retort.


    There were also five bundles of bills on the table with a small bag of coins which were Tunny''s liquid savings.


    Jacob pocketed them without even blinking and then picked up the Zodiac Money Transfer (ZMT) Device and put it in front of the vexed Tunny.


    Hemanded, "Transfer every penny in ount number 2245----------"


    Tunny''s fingers trembled as he activated the ZMT Device which was like a phone, and when it was activated, he pressed his thumb on the thumb imprint which had a small needle in its center.


    It was the activation method of the ZMT Device. Not only did a person require the fingerprint, but a blood test as well to log into the Zodiac Taurus Bank ount.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    When Tunny was logged in sessfully, the entire detail appeared with his bank bnce, which was, ''32,984,090 Gold Coins. It was his life-saving, but after a few presses, it turned into ''0''!


    Jacob had his own ZMT Device activated, and when he received the notification about the transfer, his eyes shed with delight.


    ''This was way easier than opening the business and starting from scratch.'' Jacob mused.


    At this moment, he received another notification that he can now upgrade his ount from a G-Tier ount to F-Tier, and this process can be done with ZMT Device as well.


    Jacob was content with this bank''s efficiency and quicklypleted the process that required him to just pressed his thumb on the scanner, and he can now enjoy F-Tier Bank ount benefits.


    ''I should be able to upgrade it up to E or D-Tier with Jerry''s ount.'' He thought.


    He looked at listless Tunny, who seemed to lose his reason for living, and coolly said, "Set up your workshop in this ce, and if you require any materials for titan tears or equipment, make a list. We''re going to start after you take a ten-hour rest. You''re dismissed."


    Tunny quietly packed his things and headed toward the other side of the spacious floor, which was more than enough to umte a hundred potion workshops.


    Jacob finally looked at Mr. Observer, who was silently observing them. He wondered if that was why he had this code name.


    He said in a meaningful tone, "Compared to that guy, I like your demeanor more if you y your part well and do everything I told you. I might set you free before I leave."


    Mr. Observer was startled when he heard this, and an ecstatic glint shed past his eyes as he quickly bowed, "I will not disappoint you, Boss! Before what happened between¡­"


    "Alright, stop here. I understand. It wasn''t your fault." Jacob coldly cut him short.


    Mr. Observer quickly kept his mouth shut and bowed thankfully.


    Jacob continues, "Now that this is out of the way, show Jerry''s secret safe."


    Motivated, Mr. Observer quickly led Jacob toward the back room.


    When they entered this room, it wasn''tvish as the exterior, but it was a simple room with some training equipment and a bed in the corner.


    Mr. Observer moves like he has been in this ce many times, and quickly the only bookshelf beside the bed. He suddenly pulled a thin book, and a click sound rang from the bookshelf before a creaking sound of something opening sounded.


    Jacob smiled when he saw the shelf was just a door, and behind it was a 7X6 feet metal door with abination lock.


    "So, what''s thebination?" He looked at Mr. Observer with uncertainty.


    From what he saw until now, Jerry seemed to be nothing but an idiot because Mr. Observer almost knew everything about him. He didn''t know if that guy wasx because of the parasite gem, but he knew if it were him, he would never let anyone learn so much about him.


    And Jacob''s doubt became even more apparent when Mr. Observer started spinning thebination lock with great familiarity.


    ''Yes, that guy was an absolute idiot. No wonder he even left the form of the titan tears with that fool. If I were him, I would''ve escaped long ago. These guys were the perfect pair of suckers. I''m surprised just how they managed to survive this long with a hot potato, like titan tears form in their hands.''


    While Jacob was mulling over this, Mr. Observer had already opened the safe.


    "You did great. Tell me thebination and go ask that Pine face clown about what he required and arrange everything. Also, start with the task I tell you about in the cave as well. If any problem arises that you can''t handle, report it to me."


    Jacob gave instructions before excusing Mr. Observer. He didn''t want him around when he was calcting ''his'' wealth.


    After Mr. Observer left, Jacob opened the safe''s door with anticipation.


    When the safe opened, there were ten brackets in total. Six of them were filled with golden bills. There were about 10 million worth of golden banknotes or even more.


    Jacob''s lips curled up, as he saw some papers and the ZMT Device with them. He activated it without any hesitation.


    When the familiar screen appeared, a dismembered thumb appeared in Jacob''s hand, which was the only part Jacob didn''t eat.


    It was still warm because it was inside the infinity pendant.


    Jacob pressed it on the scanner, and the next moment the bank ount was shed open!

 Chapter 114 Next Move

    ?''61,400,812''


    A delightful spark shed past Jacob''s eyes when he saw this number, and without hesitation, he transferred everything to his personal ount.


    This guy''s wealth was double that of the potion maker like Tunny because he had his own business in the dark city.


    The next moment, Jacob received the notification of a sessful transition, and the final amount in his ount was 94.3 Million. He was only over five million away from having a D-Tier ount.


    He promptly received another notification for an ount upgrade from F-Tier to E-Tier. Hepleted it instantly.


    As someone who once stood at the pinnacle of wealth, this small wealth wasn''t enough to shock him. This fleeting delight onlysted for a moment before he stowed his device away and crushed Jerry''s ZMT Device.


    Every person''s ZMT Device was registered with them, and if you want to change it, you have to visit the bank branch which Jacob didn''t require.


    After Jacob was done with the bank ount matter, he finally looked at the other things in the safe.


    Besides money, there were some papers, and after skimming through them. He found the deed of this shop and some logs rted to Jerry''s business.


    What caught Jacob''s eye were two folded parchments. One was an old map which Jacob mused must be of the ruin where they found titan tears form.


    The other was also a map, but the area recorded on it was extremely vast, and there were three words written on top of this map, ''Rarer Races Region''.


    Jacob''s eyes shed as he examined the map more carefully. He didn''t even have the map of the rare region, but now he got the map of the rarer region, he was naturally curious.


    However, he was fascinated when he saw a marked passage, and his eyes narrowed.


    ''Could it be a secret passage toward the rarer region?'' Jacob presumed and decided to interrogate Tunny about itter.


    After Jacob found out about the titan tears elixir, he knew now he could increase his strength at an extremely fast pace which also meant he required powerful species hearts at some point.


    Right now, his hunger was 70% eliminated, and with his current wealth, he can buy more rare species'' meat and eliminate his hungerpletely.


    Furthermore, he now had a rarer heart and three rare hearts. He might be able to cross the 40% progress with them soon. At that time, he could use the titan tears Tummy would create to subdue his hunger to a bearable level.


    ''I should be able toplete up to fifty percent of my heart progress with the titan tears made with my current titan iron stash. In the meantime, I would learn potion making and thatnguage.


    ''At that level, the rare region might not suit me anymore. But first, I have topletely take advantage of Jerry''s position. In seven months, I have to reach the fifty percent progress rate.'' An astute light shone in Jacob''s eyes.


    With his current power, he wasn''t afraid of anyone in the Dark City, and he prepared a wless n for his advancement in these seven months.


    Afterward, Jacob spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar device and picked it up.


    ''Bloodline Scanning Scale Device? This one seemed to be of a higher grade.'' Jacob quickly turned on the 12X14 inches device.


    It has been a long time since he measured his strength with this device. One reason being the device in his possession no longer showed any date on him, and except for his species, sex, and age, all things were unknown.


    Jacob saw the familiar menu and pressed his thumb on the needle, and a countdown appeared on the ck screen like the old device.


    A message appeared on the screen.


    "The blood analysis has beenpleted. Please press the button to check the result!"


    Jacob pressed the first button without any hesitation.


    "Specie: Human (Umon),


    "Sex: Male,


    "Age: 25,


    "Blood Force: 9,000+


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher-grade device to measure urate blood force!)"


    "Bloodline: Unknown,


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher-grade device to discover about this bloodline and more information!)"


    "What is this Blood Force? Is it some kind of strength meter of the rarer region?" Jacob mumbled with uncertainty and took a mental note to inquire about it from Tunny as well.


    He then pressed the next button.


    "Blood Analysis Report:<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Unknown Bloodline can''t be masseur with the current device!


    "(Note: Please Purchase a higher-grade device for more urate blood analysis results and more information!)"


    "Still unknown, huh?" Jacob barely chuckled as he expected this and pressed thest button without any expectation.


    "Blood Lifespan:


    "Unknown


    "(Note: Please purchase a higher-grade device for more urate blood lifespan results and more urate information!)"


    Shaking his head, he closed the device. He expected this much since his body has long been mutated and always changing. Just keeping his identity as a human was already a miracle, but he knew it might not be for long as well.


    After this device, he found a green ID Card that belong to Jerry and he stowed it away since it mighte in handy because it belonged to the rarer region. Other than these things there wasn''t anything interesting that caught Jerry''s eye, and he closed the safe, locking it.


    He finally has room to breathe.


    Jacob walked toward the king-size bed and justy there while staring at the ceiling. He was traveling for months, and it was the first time in a while that he didn''t feel any danger or on edge.


    A strange relief washed over him before he unknowingly fell asleep.


    ---


    When Jacob killed Jerry, he didn''t know a strange single was released, and right after twenty-four hours, a meeting was being held between capped figures at an unknown location.


    "Everyone, I summon you all here to announce two pieces of news." The capped person, who was the only one who was sitting in this room spoke in a horse voice.


    There were 12 standing figures in front of him and two standing on each side.


    All of them were attentively listening to him without making any noises.


    The person continued, "First, it seemed someone from the bank had interfered with our mission in the umon region."


    This time a manly voice sounded in disbelief, "Did they find out about the ''Cannibal n''?''


    "This we don''t know for sure yet. But the person who intercepted us was assumed to have 1-Star A-Rank strength and possess at least Type-0 Technology. So, it could also be a coincidence that he was simply just a passerby, but we can''t rule out the first possibility either." The sitting person impassively replied.


    "What about the second announcement?" Someone asked in a grave tone.


    "The second is the Rogue Skull NO. A-1389331''s brain chip has gone offline yesterday. Which means he is dead."


    "Rogue Skull NO. A-1389331? You mean that Renegade Hobgoblin we were deliberately keeping alive?" Some asked with astonishment.


    "Yes." The person nodded, "He didn''t know we deliberately let him escape with the Titan Tears Form and had our own ns for him in the Cannibal n. But it seemed someone had killed him as well."


    "Could it be someone had leaked the information about the Cannibal n, and now they''re hunting our pawns one by one?" Someone eximed in a grave tone.


    "Rogue Skull NO. A-1389331''s current strength was at 3-Star A-Rank, so it might not be the same person who killed him, and this could be a big unexpected coincidence." The person said impassively, "But if the information leak really happened then there is a traitor among us since only the people in this room know about the Cannibal n and its details."


    "But it''s impossible. We all have a Brain Chip imnted in our brains. The moment we say something about the organization or even think of betraying it, our head would explode!" Someone quickly refuted it, and everyone spotted this im.


    The sitting person''s voice turned icy at this moment, "That''s why I didn''t take any action. But just to be sure, everyone will go through a throughout scanning. If you guys weren''t guilty, there''s no need to be afraid."


    No one retorted or even dared to reject it and quickly agreed.


    "Alright, go to the scanning room first, and then we''ll talk."


    Everyone quickly left the hall except the two on this person''s side.


    "What is your n if they were all clean?" A melodious voice rang from his left side.


    "When the scanning wasplete, I hope we won''t find anything amiss. I''m nning on sending, Skull NO. A-10000 and Skull NO. A-9999 to the umon region for investigation.


    "If this is just a coincidence, they''re going to oversee the Cannibal n until it reaches the initial stage, and it''s time to retrieve the Titan Tears Form. We can''t let it fall into someone else hand." The leader impassively replied.


    "Are you really going to send five-digit and four-digit skulls to that barren ce?" An elderly voice questioned from his right.


    "I didn''t want to show our true strength until the Cannibal n was initiated. But in these past two years, this wasn''t the only time we were intercepted. I think there might be someone operating against us!"

 Chapter 115 Danger & Progress

    ?Six monthster,


    Two towering capped men entered the Umon Dark City, and without stopping, they headed directly toward the City Hall, which was right beside the City Admin Manor, which was at the heart of Dark City.


    The Dark City Hall was the true operation center of the Dark City.


    As those two capped men entered the city hall building, they were greeted by a masked receptionist, "How may I help you?"


    One of them pulled out a ck ID Card, which looked like an exquisite dark crystal.


    There were only two golden words written at the front, ''Dark Baron'', and a golden capped insignia was imprinted on top center. When the receptionist saw them, her eyes went wide.


    However, before she could say anything, a deep voice rang, "Don''t cause amotion. I want to activate my authority to find someone."


    The receptionist took a deep breath to calm down. Her excessive reaction was only natural because it was her first time seeing someone with a Dark Noble Identity in Umon Dark City.


    Having the identity of a Dark Noble didn''t just represent status, but also strength!


    One had to know, in the Umon Dark City, there was only one Lower Dark Noble but not a single Upper Dark Noble despite its hundreds of years of history.


    It showed just how difficult it was to achieve the Dark Baron Rank.


    "I understand." The receptionist respectfully replied, "Please follow me. I''ll guide you to the manager''s office."


    The Dark Baron stowed his identity card away before he followed the receptionist with hispanion, without arousing any unwanted attention.


    The manager''s office was on the second floor, and the receptionist reported the arrival of a Dark Baron, even the usually cold manager lost herposure for a moment before she quickly invited them in respectfully.


    When only the three of them were left in the room, the manager asked in an edgy tone, "I heard milord wanted to activate your authority to find someone?"


    The Dark Baron nodded behind his cap and spoke, "It''s indeed the reason for my visit."


    The manager took a deep breath before she solemnly nodded and said, "I understand.


    "Just to be clear, you do understand that once you activate your Dark Baron Search Authority, you won''t be able to use it before 30 Days Cooldown period ends.


    "You can only acquire information on one person, and that person''s dark city rank should not exceed the Lower-Dark-Noble Rank.


    "In case, the person isn''t present in the Dark City, we''ll give you the most recent information we have.


    "In case that person never signed in within our database, your Dark Baron Search Authority would not be counted."


    The Dark Baron nodded in acknowledgment.


    "Very well." She didn''t dwell on another topic anymore and quickly took out a tab-size device and activate it and capped symbol sh before a menu appeared.


    She started touching the screen as she opened a unique menu and put it in front of the Dark Baron, and described, "Please ce your Dark Noble Identity Card on this scanner and then your unique Dark Noble Pin."


    The Dark City was extremely careful with its dark nobles since they have certain privileges within the dark city. So, to make sure only the real person can use them, they had many security measures in ce.


    The Dark Baron was familiar with the process and quickly put the dark crystal card on the device before he typed a long string of *** on the bottom.


    The next moment, a new screen appeared.


    "Your handprint and blood sample, please." The manager instructed.


    The Dark Baron put away his ID card and then ced his hand on the can while pressing his thumb on the pin.


    When the scanning wasplete, the manager took the device again.


    After she was done with the process, she said, "Please deposit 10 million gold coins to Dark City ount or would you like to pay here?"


    At this moment, the Dark Baron suddenly revealed a wristband, which made the manger''s eyes flutter with shock.


    He tapped on it, and some glowing words appeared on it, and afterward, he tapped a few times before he nodded. "Done."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The manager looked at the tab and when she saw a notification, appeared; she nodded andpleted the process.


    "Please tell me the ID Name of the person you want to search." She inquired.


    The Dark Baron coldly replied, "Tunny Pines!"


    ---


    Jacob currently sat on the top floor of the pawnshop with both Tunny and Mr. Observer behind him, standing respectfully.


    In front of him sat a short, fat person in a golden mask, while beside him was a masked woman browsing through some papers in her hand.


    "Mr. Jerry, I had to admit when I heard you were selling your establishment, I didn''t believe it at first." The masked fatty chuckled at this moment.


    In these past six months, Mr. Observer had sold every valuable item in the pawnshop just as Jacob instructed him to and earned Jacob 23.9 million gold coins. That was added to Jacob''s ount and finally made a D-Tier ount.


    Now, he was selling this shop as well because Jacob had already done with his own business as well. Not only he learned potion making and all the knowledge of Tunny in these past six months shocking Tunny out of his wits.


    He raised his heart progress to 48%. He had already ten prepared rare heart essence injections for his advancement to the 50%.


    As for how he does it in these short six months¡­


    "But here you are, Mr. Gold. You appeared within half an hour after I put the shop on sale with your assistant. It didn''t seem you weren''t ready for this at all.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter, as you might''ve already known. I was emptying my warehouse in the past months as well as ''transferring my staff members'' back home. I''m simply done with this ce." Jacob coolly replied.


    When Mr. Observer heard ''Transferring'' a ghastly chill ran down his spine as he thought how Jacob''s home means literally his stomach!


    He knew all those staff members were lured out of the city every month in the sham of ''transferring to the rare region and a huge amount of gold coins. But the moment they left the dark city. Jacob would butcher them before eating everyst bite and then return with arge bag as if nothing happened.


    Mr. Observer knew all of this because he was the one who prepared those ''Livestock'' for Jacob. What made him appalled was just how big Jacob''s appetite was, and even devoured 32 staff members three months ago in two days!


    He clearly remembered to this day Jacob had devoured 218 staff members. Every time Jacob asked him to arrange the ''transfer'', he always thought he might get eaten this time like everyone else if Jacob''s hunger wasn''t quenched.


    That''s why he worked extra, extra hard to do everything Jacob told him and show his value.


    This was also part of the reason everything was done in six months, and now only this shop was left.


    Mr. Gold had naturally heard about this, just as Jacob said. He was after Jerry''s shop for a long time because of its position in the market area. But Jerry wasn''t someone to trifle with.


    That was why he was paying attention when he received the report that ''Jerry'' had stopped buying and even ''shifting his staff out of the city.


    When he heard the news that ''Jerry'' had put his shop on sale in the city hall, he literally flew here to strike first.


    "It''s all there, boss." The assistant nodded and put the shop''s deed down after making sure it was real.


    Mr. Gold quickly said, "Mr. Jerry, I think you''re a direct person. So, I won''t waste your time. I''m willing to pay you 50 million for this shop."


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he said, "Mr. Observer, escort our guest out. It seemed they''re not here with sincerity."


    Mr. Gold and his assistant were dumbfounded by ''Jerry''s'' response, and when they saw Mr. Observer moved and was really about to chase him out.


    Mr. Gold quickly said, "Mr. Jerry, there''s no need to burn all the bridges so quickly. That was just my price. If you''re not content with it, please state your offer. We can negotiate. I sincerely wanted to buy this shop."


    Jacob nodded and said, "Very well. As you know, my shop is in the most prominent area of the dark city.


    "Furthermore, I won''t take furniture in the shop, including this top floor. There''s also a secret room behind me, and there are many of high-level training equipment and a high-umon grade safe. That is all included within this shop."


    Mr. Gold''s eyes shimmered. "If that''s the case then what price do you have in mind?"


    Jacob stated hisst price, "I want 100 million, and this is no negotiable!"

 Chapter 116 Monsters Have No Remorse…

    ?"I want 100 million, and this is no negotiable!"


    Mr. Gold fell silent for a moment when he heard Jacob''s response. He knew this shop''s actual value was between 70 and 80 million gold coins, and his first price was just a probe.


    If Jacob hasn''t included all the furniture and this wholevish floor and all the things here, he wasn''t willing to pay this much to acquire this shop.


    Jacob didn''t hurry Mr. Gold. He knew this guy wasn''t a refuge or criminal like most of the people in the umon dark city. But he was one of those rare normal people. He was a pure businessman who had arge chain of firms in many cities.


    He supplied parts of different firearms and sold some finished products.


    Jacob knew just how extensive a firearm business could be, and he didn''t mind getting acquainted with Mr. Gold. It mighte in handy at some point.


    That was why he agreed to meet with him first, or he didn''t mind waiting for others and hearing their offers.


    Mr. Gold finally spoke with a nod. "Alright, Mr. Jerry, let''s sign the transfer papers."


    Jacob merely nodded and signed the papers with Jerry''s name, and Mr. Gold transferred a hundred million into Jacob''s ount.


    "Mr. Jerry, it''s a pleasure to deal with you. ording to the agreement, you have to vacant the shop in three days." Mr. Gold was in a good mood as he said, "If you require anything rted to firearms in the rare region, please contact me using this pager number."


    Jacob had already known about the existence of Pagers in the rare regions, and he already bought a new one for himself to make it convenient to contact Mr. Observer.


    Jacob received the pager number and nodded. "No problem. You can take over this ce right now since I have packed my stuff."


    Mr. Gold was startled for a moment before he nodded without raising any further questions. He even liked ''Jerry''s'' decisiveness.


    "Let''s go." Jacob stood up and signaled Mr. Observer to pick up the tworge bags on the corner.


    The three of them left the top floor, leaving Mr. Gold and his assistant.


    Mr. Gold couldn''t help but ask with a sharp look in his eyes, "What a strange fellow. Do you think it was the real Jerry?"


    The assistant shook her head. "No. Jerry was burly and taller than this Jerry, and he would''ve never sold his business he nurtured with his blood and sweat."


    "Heh, it seemed that stubborn idiot moved on this guy, and we can only imagine his fate." Fear surfaced in his eyes when he thought of Jacob''s icy eyes. "It was indeed right to not take any drastic measure against this person and establish a connection. If he can get rid of Jerry, only the City Admit can handle him."


    Mr. Gold was a businessman, and he had a deep informationwork. He had been eyeing this shop for many years but also knew just how scary Jerry was. He once probed him and paid a huge price for that.


    So, he naturally would notice when a new Jerry would appear and when he thought of investigating this impersonator. He was stopped when he noticed what Jacob was doing with Jerry''s shop, and he knew he might don''t need to do anything and just wait for the chance.


    The thing that can be handled with money, didn''t need force. It was Mr. Gold''s logic in doing business.


    Now, he acquired this shop without offending Jacob, and after meeting him in person; he felt dder he didn''t take that route, or he might not be alive to regret it!


    Jacob and his two ves left Jerry''s shop wearing capes.


    When they turned around, two capped figures passed them.


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly, but he continued to move as if he didn''t sense that fleeting danger from one of those capped figures.


    ''Just who could they be to make even me feel the sense of danger for a moment?'' Jacob knew his improvement better than anyone else.


    Someone who could make him feel a sense of danger just by walking past him can''t be just any random nobody.


    Nevertheless, that person wasn''t here to mess with him and he was leaving this ce. There might not even meet again, so he thought little about this and hailed a carriage.


    "Hmm?" An astonishing grunt sounded from a capped figure as it turned around to look at the empty corner.


    "What?" the other man inquired in confusion.


    "Nothing, I felt danger for a moment." She replied with uncertainty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Stop joking!" The man retorted. He clearly didn''t believe hispanion. "Not even the City Admit can make me feel danger, much less you. Now be serious. We still have another ce to go before we deal with this nuisance that made me spend ten million!"


    "Heh, you''re right. It must be my imagination. Let me eat this fellow after retrieving that book. I''m feeling quite hungry after this long trip." The female chuckled and starts moving again.


    "Hmph, don''t kill anyone in the dark city. Although we can raise this ce to rubble, we can''t handle the consequences. Besides, we were strictly ordered; not to cause any trouble." The man quickly refuted.


    "You think I don''t know? You''re nning to enve him before taking him out of the city to interrogate him. Just let me eat him afterward. Oh, and enved 10 more Common Tier-6 or higher tier species for me. How about we enve the City Admin as well? His Common Tier-9 meat will taste quite good, right?" She asked like a curious child.


    But herpanion felt a chill in his spine and remained silent. He knew if they weren''t together and from the same organization, she might''ve eaten him as well!


    Just like that, they entered the Jerry Pawnshop!


    ---


    Jacob and his two ves left the Umon Dark City and moved deep within the mountains before stopping.


    Mr. Observer and Tunny''s hearts tighten when they were stopped by Jacob.


    They knew since Jacob had already done with his business with the Dark City and sold everything; it was finally their turn.


    Truth be told, Mr. Observer was still a little hopeful that Jacob might really set him since Jacob had yet to take his money despite him offering it to him multiple times. But Jacob simply rejected him. It gives him some hope.


    As for Tunny, he had spent far more time with Jacob than Mr. Observer in these past six months, and Jacob never showed any emotions and merely used him as a library to learn knowledge.


    Furthermore, he never thought Jacob would really learn Potion Making in six months and reach his level. Even someone as talented as him took decades to achieve this level.


    If news got out about this, the Alchemy Guild might do anything to recruit Jacob in their main branch.


    He wasn''t just a monster who could eat anything and everything; he was also a monster who could learn anything and everything!


    This was the final conclusion Tunny reached, and he even felt somewhat gratified to teach such a person. Even if he died now, he really didn''t have any regret, and he had made peace with it.


    But some part of him still hoped Jacob would spare him out of remorse.


    However, when Jacob''s hand suddenly blurred and stabbed right into his chest, realization dawned upon him in hisst movement.


    ''Monsters have no remorse¡­''


    It was hisst thought before Jacob gouged his beating heart out!


    Jacob merely looked at the still-beating heart and then at Tunny''s corpse.


    He then shifted his eyes at Mr. Observe, who took a step back as he felt stared at by a devil!


    "Take out an empty box, collect his blood, and dug out that parasite gem while you''re at it," Jacobmanded.


    Mr. Observer controls the shudders and quickly does as he was told. He takes out a metal box, starts filling it with Tunny''s warm blood and digs the parasite gem out.


    After collecting them, he handed them to Jacob with trembling hands.


    Jacob took them, ced the heart in the box, and put both of them in his ''pocket''.


    Then he looked at Mr. Observer, making him shake controbly. He chuckles, "As I said before, you''re free from now on. But your parasite controller will remain with him.


    "You can try to dig it out in the future, or you could live it with that gem in your head. But as long as you live with that gem, you can''t tell a word about me to anyone or write them or hint anything.


    "If this much freedom is enough for you, you can leave, or I don''t mind collecting your heart as well for my ''collection'' as well. I''m already suffering a huge loss to let you walk away with a rare-grade parasite gem."


    Mr. Observer nearly cried when he heard those words. He felt like they were words of salvation and quickly blurted, "T-thank you. I won''t try to destroy this gem ever, even if I got the chance!"

 Chapter 117 50% Completion

    ?Jacob merely chuckled when he saw how grateful Mr. Observer was. "Don''t tter yourself. Even if you manage to get rid of that parasite gem, do you think you can get rid of me if I decide to hunt you down?"


    Mr. Observer felt a chill when he heard those words. Jacobs''s fear was deeply rooted in his heart now, and he won''t dare to cross Jacob even if he had ten lives.


    "Don''t worry, boss. This gem will be proof of my loyalty. I can''t ask for more." He quickly kneeled.


    "Alright now, leave before I change my mind." Jacob waved his hand in annoyance.


    "W-what about you? Aren''t youing with me?" Mr. Observer was confused.


    Jacob squinted his eyes coldly and said subtly, "Do you really want to know?"


    Mr. Observer cursed himself for being an idiot and not reading between the lines and whiffled his head. He quickly stood up. "Again, thank you, Boss. You''re the best."


    Done finishing, he ran away without stopping. He was clearly afraid Jacob would still lust after heart, literally!


    Jacob smirked when he saw Mr. Observer running away like a scaredy-cat despite having a peak b rank strength.


    He really meant what he said that day, and since Mr. Observer really did an excellent job in these past six months, he let him go.


    Truth be told, if not for Mr. Observer arranging those ''staff members'' every month, he won''t be able to convert his body at the same level as his 40%pleted heart or reach a 48% progress rate and close to fifty percent.


    Although Mr. Observer knows about Jacob''s strange hobby of collecting the heart after killing his prey. But he didn''t dare to question it and even helped him sometimes to collect them despite being disgusted about it.


    Jacob shook his head. He was destined to be alone on this path and there was no need for him to make rtions with others.


    He nced at Tunny''s corpse and mumbled, "I never thought my learning abilities will reach such a level with my strength. You were the only one who knew besides me. So, I can''t let you walk away with this secret. But I bury your remains as a token of my appreciation toward you."


    In thesest six months, Jacob had a far deeper understating of himself. Not only his physical strength was rising with his heart, but his mind was bing sharper, and his learning ability was already at the level where he learnedplex potion-making in six months.


    He knew this kind of ability could be a disaster and a blessing at the same time.


    From experience, he knew people in power tend to control those who can shake their position when they matured. If they can''t control them, they would simply destroy them to get rid of future trouble.


    Especially if your talent lies in the field of intellect and has ambition!


    He was still a stranger to this world and itsplex power structure. If he let his guard down and rxed, he might be the next Mr. Observer and Tunny for another Jacob.


    That''s why I waspletely ruthless with Tunny.


    After he buried Tunny beside a tree, which only took him five minutes.


    Jacob picked up his bags and left the area in thepletely opposite direction from the rare region at full speed, which was now over 300mph!


    Strangely, he was moving in the Humane Kingdom''s direction!


    After moving for three hours at his top speed, he finally started to exhaust himself. He didn''t take the long safe route back because he didn''t require it any longer. He was even hoping that some rare animal would jump on him.


    Furthermore, he found a small water stream and a small natural cave. He decided to rest here for the night and absorb the ten rare blood essences he had prepared beforehand.


    ''This should be enough to cross the fifty percent threshold, and I''m already prepared for this advancement,'' Jacob mused as he closed the cave entrance with a boulder.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Jacob summons the book and opens the progress page,


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 48.00%


    ¡­


    _______


    He then took out the injection and injected it without any hesitation.


    Furthermore, this syringe was custom-made with titan iron because those normal syringes weren''t able to prate his skin when he crossed the 40% mark four months ago.


    After the heart essence entered his heart, it turned into a stream of warm energy before it vanished within a minute. It waspletely absorbed!


    He nced at the progress page.


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 48.02%


    ¡­


    _______


    Jacob had expected this. Tier-4 to Tier-6 heart essence only provides a 0.2 or 0.3 percent increase maximum in his heart progress now, and he can absorb them within a minute.


    He knew after reaching fifty percent, the rare species will be akin to umon species to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was one of the reasons he no longer cared about the farm... ahem, Umon Dark City.


    He mused after reaching fifty percent, only if he consumed the entire dark city could he cross the 60% which was simply not worth making the organization behind the Dark City his enemy.


    Jacob didn''t stop injecting another heart essence and then another¡­


    After injecting and absorbing the ninth heart essence,


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 49.09%


    ¡­


    _______


    However, he didn''t take thest injection right away. Instead, he speaks, "There''s no hidden surprise at the fifty percent, right?"


    After what happened at twenty percent, he was very careful whenever he was about to cross these thresholds.


    "Why are you such a worrywart? If didn''t have any mutant heart essence, then there''s no need to worry about anything. Besides, now that you have that potion, is there any need to be cautious anymore?" Immortika annoyingly wrote.


    "Hmph. Do you think Titan Iron grows on trees? Now quit your whining and let me advance in peace." Jacob berated and injected thest injection without caring about Immortika''s reply.


    This time, the process didn''t just over in a minute.


    The infinity-cursed mark in Jacob''s heart suddenly shimmered darkly before it grew inker, and from 1 mm in size, it suddenly started to expand.


    Jacob felt like something had just sewn deep within his heart as he clenched his teeth from the pain.


    Although this pain was at Jacob''s bearable level, it was still not something Jacob enjoyed.


    If it was Jacob of the past, he might''ve gone insane already!


    The infinity cursed marked stopped when it expanded to 1 cm from 1 mm, and the blurry pattern within the infinity symbol also became somewhat apparent, but it was still not clear.


    Nevertheless, Jacob did not know about it, and he was now feeling relief since the pain had ended, and warmth reced it.


    He knew he had sessfully advanced and when a sudden hunger rose; he was a hundred percent sure.


    He nced at the progress.


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 51.01%


    ¡­


    _______


    ''Thest injection gave me a whole percent? Nice.'' Jacob was content with this progress.


    A small vial appeared in his hand, filled with ck liquid. It was the titan tears!


    From the titan iron in his possession, he acquired 85 drops of titan tears, and he used 20 drops when he reached the 40%pletion rate to quench his hunger by 60%.


    Now, he had 65 drops, and after he felt the hunger of the 50%pletion rate; he knew it was a wise decision to move in this direction.


    He quickly gulped down the entire vial, which contained 30 drops.


    The hunger was greatly subdued as warm energy seeped into his body.


    But soon itpletely vanished, and Jacob frowned, ''It seemed now one drop of titan tear can only quench my hunger 1%.''


    He quickly took out another vial, which have twenty drops of titan tears, and consumed all of them.


    Jacob felt half of his hunger was now gone, and he was far more powerful than he was fifteen minutes ago.


    ''I should keep thest 15 drops save for now and try sustaining myself with animals until I reach the Earthen Kingdom and find their lode of titan iron. It was indeed the right choice to ''visit'' the earthen kingdom before heading to the higher region.


    ''In here, no one will be able to stop me from taking that titan iron, and once I have a sufficient amount of titan tears, I''ll leave them alone.''


    Jacob''s lips curled into a devious smile.


    He wasn''t like Jerry and Tunny or anyone else in Dark City, they never bothered with the affairs of the barren, umon region.


    That''s why they missed out on the only titan iron lode in the umon region that exists in the Earthen Kingdom of Hob Troll.


    Now, it benefits Jacob, and with his current prowess, those hob trolls would be courting death if they dared to stop him!

 Chapter 118 The Cannibal Plan

    ?The Earthen Kingdom was right between the Humane Kingdom and the Aureate Kingdom, and it was the strongest kingdom among the three as well. Furthermore, the Earthen Kingdom had the most fertilends in the umon region.


    Even the Aureate Kingdom of Green Goblin, which had an allied rtionship with the Earthen Kingdom, didn''t dare to court the Earthen Kingdom''snds. The reason is extremely simple; strength!


    Not only the Hob Trolls were physically stronger than any intelligent race present in the umon region, but they also had 15 B-Rank mercenaries as well as their Army Marshal was titled the as the strongest warrior of the umon region.


    That''s why no one dares to mess with the Earthen Kingdom, especially the Humane Kingdom, which was the weakest of the three and had a poor history inparison to these two kingdoms.


    The Earthen City was the capital city of the Earthen Kingdom, surrounded by thick, towering walls.


    The Earthen Castle was the most eye-catching structure of the entire city, and it could be seen from the city gates.


    Inside an office in the royal castle,


    A burly hob troll invishing clothes was currently kneeling in front of two sitting-capped persons.


    "Tsk, so, you were living in thisvishing castle uncovered all these years?" A melodious voice clicked her tongue with envy.


    The hob troll quickly answered, "It was all because of the organization. Without them, I would still be a beggar." His voice was filled with gratitude.


    "Hmph. Yet, you still failed to protect our cause!" A deep voice coldly retorted.


    The hob troll kept his head low and replied, "I won''t deny it, and I''m ready to receive the death plenty." His voice didn''t waver when he said those words.


    "Hehe, look who''s talking about failing." The woman behind the cape cackled.


    The man couldn''t help but gnashed his teeth when he heard this and refuted, "We both know who is the expert in tracking here. So, don''t even think about going there!"


    "Tsk, tsk, if only I could eat you." The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    The hob troll was speechless by this strange exchange between these two terrifying existences. But he kept his mouth shut and pretend as if he was a statue.


    The man took to a deep breath to calm himself down and looked at the hob troll, and sternly said, "Although the organization didn''t hold you ountable for what happenedst time. But a failure is still a failure, and if this happened again, I let her eat you, and trust me, she didn''t even leave bones!"


    "Hey! Bones are rather tasty and crispy, don''t make them sound so bad!" the woman instantly rebutted.


    A chill run down the hob troll''s spine when he heard those words and quickly nodded in acknowledgment.


    "Stop interrupting me!" The man was vexed, "Tell me, how long will it take for Cannibal n to enter the initial phase?"


    The hob troll thought for a moment before he replied, "After ourst sess, it would only take about 3 to 4 fourth months to make another cannibal. But we required a huge supply of human blood, which is the most crucial ingredient of the Cannibal Form.


    "Without human blood, the Cannibal won''t have any growth potential, and from our research. The stronger a human, the more potential a Cannibal has. The previous one was killed by that hidden expert. It was made with C-rank humans'' blood, and its potential was of a rarer species while it was born as a rare species."


    "Interesting." The man sounded intrigued, "Is the Human you speak of the umon race which had the secret enzyme the organization has been searching for all these years?"


    "Yes. Although humans are considered umon without any special traits or abilities. But they''re like a clean te, and if they had means they can grow and adapt extremely fast. I had yet to see the extent of their bloodline. That''s why the organization even bothered to enter this kind of ce." The hob troll answered truthfully.


    "Heh, just some primitives who had some shit luck to catch the attention of our organization. If not for that enzyme, they might be already extinct by you guys." The man sneered coldly.


    The hob troll didn''t retort since it was the truth.


    "Just start the mass production. Since we''re here, there''s no need to hesitate any longer. The umon region is our sanctuary, and it''s time to utilize it." The man coldly ordered.


    The hob troll hesitated for a moment before he timidly said, "What about the three hegemonies? If we start a mass ughter, those humans in the three hegemonies won''t stay still.


    "Especially the ck Knight Order and their Marshal, who is a Reserve Nightmare Knight. Milords already know about the antics of the Zodiac Warriors Alliance. Those guys are always looking for a tform to show off their Fighter Manuals prestige."


    The capped man seemed to expect this and chuckled darkly, "That group of lunatics are really akin to a ho nest. But they would only involve themselves if they found a higher being''s traces. If it''s just an infight between locals, they won''t care even if we ughter some low levels seeds and a talentless reserve."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You mean?" The hob troll''s eyes shimmered in astonishment.


    "Heh, start an all-out war with the humans." The woman giggled with a hint of excitement.


    The hob troll''s lips curled slightly as a hint of ecstasy shed past his eyes. "I''ll arrange it right away. The Army Marshal is already our ve. It would only take a week to arrange the armies."


    "Good, we''ll be hiding in the dark, and if someone dares to interfere, we''ll deal with them, but don''t even think for a second that we are your personal bodyguards. If you were killed by some primitives, this will prove your ipetence and someone will rece you!" The capped man coldly warned.


    The hob troll wasn''t the least bit discouraged by this. He knew better than anyone that only an A rank can threaten him in the umon region.


    "I understand." The hob troll solemnly nodded.


    Suddenly, a panicked voice rang from the outside. "Prime Minister, someone had plundered one of our warehouses of the Titan Iron!"


    "What?" The hob troll was astonished by this sudden news.


    He knew those titan iron warehouses were the Earthen Kingdom''s lifeline, and they were heavily guarded. Furthermore, no one would be foolish enough to raid the Earthen Kingdom unless they lost their minds.


    But it seemed someone does lose their mind.


    The capped individuals couldn''t help but look at each other at this moment.


    "Call him inside." The man suddenlymanded.


    The hob troll was confused by this suddenmand, but he still does as he was told, "Come in."


    A hob troll in white robes entered the office with a face full of panic.


    He was about to say something when he saw the two capped persons sitting on the side. He shut his mouth. Furthermore, he can tell this kind of information in front of outsiders.


    "How much Titan Iron was stolen?" The capped man asked at this moment with a hint of uncertainty.


    "Answer him without hiding anything." The hob troll coldlymanded as he was now sitting in his usual position.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® After the hob troll got the confirmation, he quickly replied, "The whole warehouse was emptied. There was over 250 KG titan iron, and it was gone in a single night without any traces!"


    "It seemed those bandits are bing bolder and bolder since we ignored them for long." The Prime Minister coldly uttered.


    "Do you think it''s the same fish who got away?" The woman in the cape suddenly questioned herpanion.


    "There''s a fifty percent chance it''s the same bastard who stole the form and also killed that Rogue Skull. The key ingredient is titan iron as well. If it''s him, then he made it easier for us bying here.


    "We were told that the Cannibal n progress would be much smoother with Titan Tears and ordered to bring it here in the first ce since they had a titan iron ore lode." The man solemnly stated.


    The prime minister was baffled by this strange conversation as well as the other troll.


    "How many Titan Iron do you guys have in the warehouse, and where is the lode?" The man suddenly questioned sharply.


    The young hob troll was stumped by this question because it was a national secret, and no one would tell this. Only the royal family and some upper echelons of the earthen kingdom know about this information.


    Even the location of the warehouses was a secret, and this could be said to be a terrible coincidence.


    However, the young hob troll was gobsmacked when the Prime Minister spilled the beans.


    "There are 33 warehouses, now 32, I guess. The lode is a few miles away, deep within the forbidden forest. Why Milords are so interested in umon titan iron? Is there anything I should know?" He couldn''t help but question.


    This time the woman replied yfully, "It''s just a slippery fish who got away before. Collect every piece of titan iron in the mine. We''ll be living in that ce from now on!"

 Chapter 119 Potion Alchemy

    ?A few hundred miles away from the Earthen City is the Sunset Duchy under the Sunset Family.


    Behind the Sunset Mansion, inside an underground warehouse,


    Two men were standing in front of a capped man wearing a ck mask. Only his piercing amber eyes were visible.


    "My Lord, we just heard the news that the King ordered to move every piece of titan iron from the warehouses and shift them back to the forbidden forest. The lode is also in that ce. If not for Duke status, I won''t be able to get my hands on this news." A burly troll with a thick beard respectfully told.


    If other trolls saw him, they would''ve instantly recognized this troll because he was one of six dukes of the Earthen Kingdom, Sunset Duke. But now he was standing respectfully in front of his masked man like he was standing in front of his King.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® This masked man was naturally Jacob, who appeared in the Earthen Kingdom two weeks ago and directly enved the Sunset Duke and his eldest son.


    It was simply more convenient to have the locals working for him while he remained in the shadows. Furthermore, someone like the Sunset Duke would know the whereabouts of the titan iron.


    His guess was right and just three days ago, with Sunset Duke''s help, he raided a titan iron warehouse and gained over 250KG titan iron ores.


    He also didn''t have to worry about hiding since the sunset mansion was quite huge, and he could use it as his backyard. No one would think the loyal sunset duke was hiding a national criminal in his home.


    The Sunset Duke was also his eyes and ears in the earthen kingdom.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with uncertainty. ''Why are they collecting all the titan iron at the same ce? Aren''t they responding excessively? I just raided a low-level warehouse, and they''re already panicking.


    ''Well, since they''re going into all this trouble to collect all the titan iron in a ce, I can simply intercept them, and get a sufficient amount of titan iron. I can''t carry arge amount of titan tears with me even if I want to.


    ''So, there''s no point in showing myself. I never intended to take all the titan iron in the first ce. They can guard it as much as they want.'' Jacob''s lips curled up into a mocking smile.


    Although he wanted to empty the entire titan iron vein of the earthen kingdom and convert everything into the titan tears. But he knew it was impossible.


    First, there were three more auxiliary materials required to make the titan tears. The Golden Grass, the Vintage Leaf, and the Night Dew. Although these materials weren''t as rare as titan iron, they were still rare in the umon region. There might not be enough to make even 2000 drops of titan tears.


    Second, Jacob can always get more umon titan iron in higher regions. He wasn''t like Jerry or Tunny, who were hunted by the rarer region. No one knows he had the titan tears form.


    Lastly, Jacob knew the more he progressed, the lesser the umon-grade titan tears affects him, and he would require either arge supply of umon titan tears or a higher-grade potion.


    That''s why he only wanted to make enough titan tears that could let him safely pass through 60% and 70% level hunger.


    In the meantime, he would search for the materials to make the higher-level potion.


    Since Jerry and Tunny can''t find those materials in the rare region, it doesn''t mean Jacob won''t be able to find them in the rarer region as well.


    He waspletely confident in roaming unhindered in the rarer region after crossing the fifty percent mark. So, there wasn''t any need for him to bully those trolls so much.


    "Alright, find out the convoy routes and the amount of titan iron they were carrying. I need them before they reach the final destination. Now, go." Jacob coldly ordered before he closed the door.


    The underground warehouse was quiterge, and there was an enormous pile of titan iron ores.


    On the other side were three different piles of materials, which Jacob made the Sunset Duke purchase at any price.


    At the other corner of this warehouse was arge stone table with ss test tubes and other stuff required for potion making. It was like creating chemicals in a chemistryb.


    From Tunny, Jacob had learned that the Potion Alchemy was just a minor branch of Alchemy, like the Gunsmith Guild, Apothecary Guild, and the Apothecary Alchemy Guild. And these were just the branches that were in the rare and rarer regions.


    He also learned that if one wanted to learn true alchemy and entered the main Alchemy Guild, it waspulsory to be proficient in these branches. At least one had to be a Grandmaster in at least three branches.


    There were three levels of Apprentice Rank, followed by Basic, Intermediate, Advance.


    After these ranks were the Master Rank with the same three levels. Then there was the Grandmaster Rank, which was the pinnacle of any alchemy branch.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There wasn''t any single Grandmaster Rank present in any branch of the rare or rarer regions.


    So, to achieve a grandmaster rank in all these branches was night impossible, and many believed that it was just a hoax made by the alchemy guild to keep them in check.


    But what truly made Jacob fascinated and want to learn about alchemy was their knowledge. Although this knowledge wasn''t as advanced as quantum physics, The Physics of Time & Space, or algebraic number theories which he was familiar with.


    Yet, he found their traces in the Gunsmith Guild library, and those low-level books made his foundation more refined.


    That was why he believed he might be surprised when he proceeded to the higher regions.


    Jacob now considers this world like an onion. He was just at the firstyer of this world, and he had already experienced so much here.


    That''s why he didn''t dare to think of himself as superior anymore, just because he had more knowledge than the natives of the umon or rare region.


    His goal was immortality, and to reach that goal, he''ll do anything as long as it made hime closer to that goal.


    Jacob turns on the furnace before he tosses titan iron into it. It was the first step in making the Titan Tears. He was required to melt the titan iron in the furnace.


    After it was done, he was required to use the night dew, which was like dark mercury. The night dew would clear the impurity, turns the molten iron state into a pure liquid form, and make its melting point to room temperature.


    Then he was required to use a mixture of Golden Grass and Vintage Leaf.


    The moment he mixed those two, a huge reaction urred.


    Deep ck smoke rose from the bicker as if a cloud was being made. This ck smoke didn''t have any smell.


    However, Jacob didn''t dare to touch it because this ck smoke was acidic, and he had prepared a special vacuum to collect the smoke so he could release it in the air at night, or it might draw some attention.


    After the smoke stopped, only a tiny amount of ck liquid was left which was the titan tears!


    Jacob was already at a 65% conversion rate of his body, and he was nning to make it hundred percent so he could achieve and use the full strength of 50%.


    Furthermore, he still hasn''t activated his Fluid eleration. A part of being he was afraid, and a part was he didn''t have any chance or he didn''t know how to elerate his heart rate at 10 HBPS.


    It was quite risky if he tried a force method and then had no power left to concentrate to control the fluid eleration.


    He also hadn''t had the chance to continue his water meditation since it wasn''t required any longer after his body had no longer expanded.


    Nevertheless, he was nning to continue it when he was done with the titan tears matter.


    Jacob then spent all day making titian tears and used 100KG from that pile.


    After consuming all the titan tears he had made, his hunger waspletely gone. He wasden with unimaginable strength. He mused he was trice stronger than he was at 40%, and his speed also increased by at least 50 KMPH.


    At this moment, a knock rang on the door.


    Jacob''s lips curled as anticipation appeared in his eyes.


    He opened the door and saw it was Sunset Duke.


    Sunset Duke respectfully handed over some paper to Jacob and said, "My Lord, these are the convoys routes. Thergest of them is holding over 2 tons of titan iron while the smallest one is keeping 100 kg."


    Jacob didn''t even look at the reports and coldly asked, "Where is the 2 tons convoy at this moment?"

 Chapter 120 Start Of War

    ?The Forbidden Forest of the Earthen Kingdom was the most guarded location after the royal castle.


    Not only this forest was filled with poisonous animals and apex predators, but a powerful army squad patrolled the central area as well, and they were far more vicious than anything present in the entire forest.


    The reason being there was an extremely precious Titan Iron Lode in this area which was discovered a few hundred years ago when the Earthen Kingdom foundation was established.


    It was the lifeline of the Earthen Kingdom''s economy.


    But this lode was almost exhausted by the excessive mining. Nevertheless, the Hob Trolls still didn''t vacant this ce, and they were determined to undermine every piece of ore from this lode.


    There was a small stone building where the superintendent of this mine lived.


    At this moment, the superintendent was respectfully standing in front of a capped man with fear in his eyes.


    He said, "M-my lord,st night 2¡­ 2 tons of titan iron were stolen!" His legs turned into jelly when he felt a ghastly aura from the capped figure.


    "Useless thralls!"


    A deep icy voice sneered in anger and the next moment thereafter, the hob troll''s head suddenly blew into bits!


    "It seemed we underestimated this fish. It''s a cunning one." A melodious voice sounded with a hint of ecstasy before another capped woman entered the room.


    "Hmph!" the capped man grunted coldly, "He had already got two tons of titan iron, and we don''t know about other materials of the titan tears form. So, we might have to wait before he runs out of the stolen titan iron and approaches this ce."


    "Heh, do you think he''lle for more?" The woman suddenly asked yfully.


    "What do you mean?" The man questioned.


    The woman catwalk into the room as she said, "He''s noting back for more."


    "Oh, how can you be so sure?" He was uncertain.


    "You''re just a muscle brain, sigh¡­" the womanmented. "Tell me in these two raids, what wasmon?"


    "Titan Iron?" The man coldly replied.


    "No. Don''t you read the reports that there weren''t any traces of a carriage or any vehicle moving the titan iron in the first raid on the warehouse? This time, the convoy waspletely destroyed, and only the container was taken away.


    "This means whoever stole the titan iron had used no means to carry it. I can understand the 250KG even though I can carry it with one finger. But 2 tones will take me at least one hand while you have to use your full strength to travel with this much weight." The woman''s voice went serious in the end.


    "So, you''re saying this person might be as strong as me?" The man asked in disbelief.


    "Maybe, but he''s not far away. So, tell me how much something made with a Tier-3 Common Material can affect your strength?" The woman asked another question.


    The man was startled before he blurted, "It won''t affect me at all, but if I took in arge quantity, then it might make some difference. But only once!


    "Now I understand that motherfucker won''t need this level of titan iron anymore after consuming over two tons of it! Didn''t this mean we''ll let him escape again?" His voice was filled with indignation and helplessness.


    "Hehehe, you see, that''s why I called you a muscle brain." The woman suddenlyughs in a mocking tone, a dark red light suddenly glowed between the cap as two crimson eyes glow with bloodlust, "Now we just have to visit those people who know about the convoys routes as well as to check their purchases in these past few days. We might catch our little troublemaker fish. I can''t wait to eat this cunning fish¡­"


    A chill ran down the man''s spine when he heard this, and a scary proposition surfaced in his mind, ''Could it be all of this was just a trap set by this crazy bitch?!''


    ---


    It had been an entire week since Jacob had stolen the entire container of the titan iron, and he was locked in the underground facility while making the titan tears.


    He was almost done, and only a little over five hundred kg of titan iron left.


    If not for the other two materials shortage, he won''t take a break until he was done.


    Jacob exited the underground warehouse to get some fresh air.


    ''I have sessfully made over fifteen hundred drops of Titan Tears, and with the remaining titan iron, the grand total would be around seventeen to eighteen hundred drops.


    ''Well, this much is enough for me to cross two more limits, and till then, I''ll be able to acquire the materials for the higher-level elixir. I can finally leave this ce¡­'' Jacob looked at the cloudy sky with some expectation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob also absorbed the heart essence of Tunny, who was a tier-7 Pine Orc, and it only raised his heart percentage from 51.01% to 52.06%.


    Which made Jacob somewhat depressed because he was used to getting this much from a rare species, but now the rarer species were adding 1.5% to the heart''s progress.


    This means, by the time he reaches 60%, this number would further drop between 00.06 to 1.00.


    Jacob now had a deep understanding of how percentages would add to the progress rate as he grew stronger and stronger.


    ''It seemed I have to skip the rare region¡­'' Jacob thought deeply.


    At this moment, he heard hurried steps and looked in the direction he was the Sunset Duke''s son was rushing toward him with a pale face.


    "What is it?" Jacob coolly questioned.


    The young hob troll answered while panting, "W-war!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed. "What war?"


    "An all-out war between our kingdom and humane kingdom! It was just announced, and everyone was ordered to get ready for the invasion." The hob troll answered while catching his breath.


    "All-out war, invasion? Did they provoke you guys?" Jacob asked curiously.


    The hob troll shook his head. "I don''t know, but Father has to make a trip to the capital. The King summoned every noble to discuss the invasion n. I was here to report it to you and deliver the materials Lord ordered. They have arrived.


    "However, the supplier told me that this would be thest batch of these materials and we have to wait a couple of months for a new batch, and it might even take longer because of this abrupt war." The young hob troll seemed quite excited when he spoke about the war.


    Not just him but the entire Earthen Kingdom was in an uproar because of this sudden war deration. The hob troll species were innately warmonger and savage. They even support this decision and shower their King with praise.


    However, the Humane Kingdom waspletely baffled by this sudden deration. They never provoked the two kingdoms and even pay taxes and tributes to the two kingdoms as a peace offering and always remained low-key.


    The King of the Humane Kingdom even sent a diplomatic envoy to inquire about why the trolls suddenly turned hostile and do anything to stop this madness.


    But on the same evening, the envoy''s head was delivered back. It was a silent message, ''Fight or Die.''


    Many human cities went into a state of war and some noble and weak humans fled the kingdom toward themon region without any hesitation.


    The Earthen Kingdom was the strongest of the three kingdoms, and it would be akin to death by fighting this already lost war. So, fleeing seemed to be a better option.


    However, the trolls seemed to have gonepletely mad as they even sent 2/10th of their armies to themon region to hunt down everyst human.


    It appeared they simply didn''t want to let any humans live anymore.


    Jacob was astonished when he heard just how far trolls were going against humans.


    ''Something is not right with this war¡­'' Jacob thought with a frown, but he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    Nevertheless, he didn''t want to be involved in this mess, and he wasn''t a hero, either. The previous owner of this body was traded as a ve to Decker, so Jacob didn''t have any goodwill toward humans as well.


    ''It''s not like they''re only humans as an intelligent species in this world¡­'' Jacob shook his head. He ordered the young troll to shift all the materials into the warehouse.


    He was nning to refine the remaining titan iron if he could and then leave this ce for good.


    Just like that, two more days pass,


    As expected, the humans were getting ughtered by the trolls on the battlefield. Only those mercenaries and knights were putting up a fight, but the trolls seemed to be ying with them as any of their B-rank experts had yet to join the battle.


    Jacob waspletely oblivious to this.


    Right at this moment, two capped figures enter the Sunset Duke''s mansion as if they were on a stroll.


    "Hehe, see? We caught our fish!" The woman chuckled darkly!

 Chapter 121 Rare Tier?

    ?Jacob was refining thest batch of the titan tears.


    With this, he would have 1,754 titan tears drops in total.


    After the smock vanished, Jacob took out arge ss jar, which was almost filled with dark liquid and he put those few drops into the jar and stowed it away in his pendant again.


    He then looked at the reaming pile of the titan iron and shook his head in pity. ''All of this will be going to waste. Well, I''ll let that trolls have it. If he survived the extraction of the parasite gem.'' He thought.


    However, at this moment, his eyes narrowed when he heard faint steps and calm heartbeats. His hearing now was extremely sensitive. He could listen to a sound within a hundred meters radius, and the closer the sound was, the stronger his hearing.


    He could tell these heartbeats weren''t from his ves nor any of the members of the sunset family, but these heartbeats were extremely calm as they moved toward his location.


    ''Did I get exposed?'' Jacob''s eyes turned sharper. ''If there''s someone with a brain, it wasn''t hard to figure it out. They just have to investigate the people who know about convoy routes and then take out the suspects one by one.


    ''I don''t know if ve no.1 (Sunset Duke) is still alive or not since these parasite gem controllers will remain the same even if the ve died or the gem shattered. If that''s the case, then I would suffer an enormous loss if I lost that rare-grade parasite gem.''


    Jacob frowned before he looked at the staircase with cold eyes. He wanted to see if this was just a coincidence or if these two strangers were really here for him and know about this ce.


    He wasn''t afraid of anyone in the umon region or even rarer region, so he didn''t mind seeing how things were ying out. Furthermore, he was about to leave anyway, so he didn''t mind creating some trouble for trolls.


    Thereupon, when the steps were finally at the door of the underground warehouse.


    ''Boom¡­''


    The door was sted into bits!


    Jacob''s lips curled slightly, ''So, they knew. What a drag¡­.''


    Footsteps rang as the intruders were slowly descending the staircase as if they weren''t in the least bit worried about whoever was hiding in this ce.


    Jacob was the same. He remained static while looking at the staircase.


    The warehouse was illuminated withmps, so it wasn''t difficult to see each other.


    Two capped persons appeared in Jacob''s view at this moment, while the same could be said to be for the other two.


    Both sides looked at each other.


    Jacob suddenly frowned before his calm expression suddenly crumbled when he felt a strange sensation from one of the capped figures, which made his fine hair stand!


    ''I''m feeling danger?!'' Jacob was bbergasted as his expression turned grave.


    He knew better than anyone that if someone could make him feel danger right now, that person had to be at least an Epic or even stronger.


    Furthermore, there was a helper as well. He couldn''t help but cussed his bad luck.


    ''Just what the hell are these guys doing here?!''


    Jacob was no longer confident in killing them. Even his escape route was blocked by those two right now.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Jacob quickly summoned the book. He wanted to know what tier they were and if he could bluff his way out of this mess.


    While Jacob felt the hidden danger, he remained static without showing anything, while the other party was the same as well.


    ''Why is there someone like this doing in this ce?! Could it be the organization n has leaked between the upper echelons of one of the three hegemonies?


    ''It might be this person deliberately killed the Rogue Skull so he could lure us here and then get rid of all of us in a fell swoop?! Or this is just one terrible coincidence¡­ no¡­'' The woman''s mind was also working like lightning as my spection appeared.


    She never thought the ''fish'' she wanted to eat turned out to be just the tip of the tail of a shark!


    If she knew, she could''ve at least brought her weapon with her and her fighting gear. But she appeared unarmed since she also didn''t think there would be someone who could threaten her life in this kind of ce.


    While she sensed the danger from Jacob, her partner didn''t have their strength level and developed that danger instinct.


    He coldly sneered, "So, you were the one who killed Rogue Skull and stole something that belonged to the organization. You lowly thrall, you really have guts."


    The woman trembled when she heard this, ''This muscle brain would be the death of both of us! If I knew, I would''ve eaten him long ago!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob, on the other hand, had an extremely sharp hearing, ''Why is the other one''s heart rate increased so much while this guy is as calm as ever? Could it be the other guy can also sense that sensation as well and is now wary of me while this one can''t?''


    He quickly reached this conclusion since he was also surprised by the enemy''s strength, so this might have been the case for the enemy as well.


    But it still didn''t mean it was enough to make the enemy back off. There are still two of them while he was alone.


    ''Wait a minute¡­ if they also think like me, then they''re unprepared like me as well!'' Jacob''s eyes shone with a thoughtful light.


    The Immortika finally replied about the information he asked for as well.


    "Hahahahaha¡­ this is really a godsend. Would could''ve thought you would encounter a rare species so soon! Hahahaha¡­"


    "The fuck you''re talking about?! That guy is nowhere near a rare species! Now give me the information I need without messing around!" Jacob tutted the moment he saw those words.


    "Bastard, you dare to ignore¡­"


    "Shut Up!"


    Before the other guy couldplete his sentence, the woman bellowed at him furiously, which startled him greatly. He could feel the extremely icy feeling from her, and he shuddered. He didn''t dare to utter another word anymore.


    ''I was right!'' Jacob quickly caught the strangeness between their wording, and this was just enough to make him even more assured about this previous spection.


    While Immortika also finished writing,


    "You idiot, I said ''Rare Species'' not ''Tier'' which means literally what it means.


    "Didn''t I already tell you that ''Common, Rare, Rarer¡­'' bullshit was just these natives have created themselves so they could feel better and hide their inferiority from others?


    "Let me tell you, the Tier-1 to Tier-12 Ranks were actually called the Common-Tier Ranks. I can''t tell you that at the time because you hadn''t contacted a higher-tier being.


    "But now that you did, I can tell you that the Common-Tier Ranks are the bottom feeders of the evolution chain and are as irrelevant as ants.


    "Above 12 Common-Tier are the 9 Rare-Tiers, and any Rare-Tier-1 Creature can stomp a thousand Common-Tier-12s like ants.


    "From two creatures in front of you, one is a Common Tier-12 Lion-Head Orc, while the other is a Rare Tier-1 Dark Elf. You''re also at the Rare Tier-1.


    "Oh, and a Dark Elf can use initial-level element power as well. Which in your term means¡­ magic! Hahahahah¡­"


    When Jacob read all the information at a lightning speed, he nearly lost his footing when he saw the word ''Magic'' which was thest thing he was expecting toe in contact with in this ce.


    Magic was a fabled concept to him even now, and he had no idea just how deadly Magic was or how it worked. He was simply clueless about it.


    Although he felt much better when Immortika told him he was also a level of the rare-tier-1, that means he could put up a fight.


    But the word ''Magic'' made his heart waver a little andpletely toss the idea of even trying to kill the other party.


    ''You could''ve kept thest part to yourself, right? But you deliberately reveal it to me to make things worse!'' Jacob tutted coldly.


    He clearly knew just how sinister this book''s mentality was, and it wanted nothing but to watch Jacob burn the world down while enjoying itself from the sidelines.


    "May I know why are you in the Common ins?" The woman suddenly spoke politely, without any hint of emotion.


    Jacob had yet to utter even a word as he was just staring at them without any expressions.


    ''Common ins?'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with uncertainty.


    But now that he knew what kind of existence the other party was, he didn''t want to appear ignorant, or he might lose the element of mystery.


    He coldly said, "Oh, you want to know? Then how about you told me what a Lion-Head Orc and a Dark Elf are doing in this ce?"


    ''How did he know?!''


    They both thought at the same time. Since they were wearing masks that could easily hide their racial features beneath their capes, someone couldn''t know their exact race.


    But this mysterious man knew!

 Chapter 122 Birth Of Facelss Ancient

    ?The Orc was instantly on high alert and finally understood why hispanion shut him down.


    ''This is terrible! If he''s as strong as this crazy bitch, we''ll be at a disadvantage since we didn''t bring our battle gears and weapons. Fuck my luck!'' He cussed inwardly, ''Should I make an escape? I will only get in her way, but she might kill me if she takes it the wrong way, and the organization won''t hold her ountable as well!''


    The Dark Elf, on the other hand, was much moreposed than the panicking Orc.


    Although she was also apprehensive of this mysterious man now, she couldn''t escape as long as her life wasn''t threatened. Furthermore, with the start of the Cannibal n, she couldn''t retreat now.


    She even regretted starting the war so soon without investigating this variable thoroughly.


    She was at fault this time, and she might suffer a terrible bacsh from the organization for this. If she escaped without even trying, she would be dealt with no matter how good reason she had!


    "It''s indeed impolite to not introduce ourselves." She finally spoke, "I''m Skull NO. A-9999, this is my boorishpanion, Skull NO. A-10000. I apologize for his unsophisticated speech and for barging in like this. We''llpensate for this if you don''t mind."


    ''It''s these guys again!'' Jacob tutted inwardly when he heard the introduction.


    But he was as shocked as he was vexed by the Killer Skull Society''s prowess and their members. He finally understood why that guy told him that strength doesn''t matter in this organization and that the lower the number of members, the stronger they were.


    ''There are even 9998 below her, and she''s already at my level. It seemed I can''t mess with the Killer Skull Society openly.'' He grimaced.


    But he didn''t lose hisposure. He could feel their heart rates were hurried, especially the Orc.


    It also proved that they didn''t know about his strength and came unprepared, and they wanted to avoid a conflict that was aligned with his thoughts.


    But he had an upper hand when ites to the element of mystery, so he doesn''t want to appear too obvious.


    He coldly sneered, "The Clown Society really knows how to act arrogantly when the odds are in their favor while also knowing when to retreat when kicked in an iron te."


    Skull NO. A-10000 clenched his fists when he heard ridicule in Jacob''s tone and called their organization ''Clown Society'' without any fear.


    The Dark Elf was also displeased with this remark, but she knew they were at fault, and from Jacob''s confident tone, he wasn''t afraid of them as well. She didn''t want to fight when she wasn''t even had her weapon, so she endured the urge to curse back.


    "We didn''t know about Sir''s presence in this ce, or we woulde bearing gifts. It was just a terrible misunderstanding. But I think Sir just went a little excessive with your words.


    "You took something from our agent, but we don''t want any conflicts. So, we would like to buy it back, at the right price. What do you think? I hope you would consider the goodwill of the Killer Skull Society." Skull NO. A-9999 calmly offered.


    Since Jacob hadn''t attacked, this also put her mind at ease, and now she just has to negotiate with him. Once she acquired the titan tears. She will alert society about Jacob''s presence here and let them decide what to do next. She just wanted toplete this task and get out of there now.


    Jacob squinted his eyes. ''Are they talking about the mutant? No, that thing isn''t worth sending someone like Skull NO. A-9999 here.'' His eyes suddenly shimmered with surprise as he nced at titan iron, ''Could it be¡­?''


    "I pick many things from here and there, so be specific about what you want?" Jacob coolly stated.


    Skull NO. A-9999 replied without any hesitation, "You might havee in contact with a Rogue Skull of our society. He was a traitor and took a precious potion form and ran away with it many years ago.


    "It seemed he had offended you, and we''re d you took him out. But that form belongs to society, and we would very much like to buy it back from you. It is called the Titan Tears, and society knows you have it."


    She deliberately highlighted society''s name to make Jacob apprehensive, while society didn''t know at all!


    ''So, the secret organization after that idiot was the clown society? I might''ve thought.'' Jacob smiled wryly. ''I have two copies of titan tears. One is tranted and only has two forms, while the original one is still notpletely tranted.


    ''Even Tunny wasn''t able to decipher more than six pages despite knowing the Philosopher''snguage. He said that there were levels of Philosopher''snguage avable to different ranks.


    ''There should be six levels of Philosopher''s Language, and Tunny only mastered the first one, and he was required to be a Master Potion Alchemist to get the information for level 2.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob mused, in these six months he learned the Philosopher''snguage, but he found out that it wasn''tplete, and Tunny told him the truth about it.


    Furthermore, the titan tears form was quiteplex, so Tunny could only decipher the first six pages urately which recorded the form of umon titan tears and rare titan tears.


    But when Jacob tried to read it, he found that the first page was filled with unfamiliar words, and only some of them were familiar. Which made him specte that the introduction part wasn''t clearly tranted and Tunny might''ve made mistakes.


    Nevertheless, just the two forms were enough for Tunny and Jerry to reach the peak ofmon rank. So, they didn''t care. While Jacob was different, he was nning onpletely deciphering the book.


    The Titan Tears were very useful to him, and he didn''t want to search for a substitute. He was afraid he might not even find a substitute as good as titan tears. So, he was nning to research the Philosopher''snguage when the time came.


    However, he never thought the Killer Skull Society knew about this form as well and after it, and even tracked him down.


    ''Tunny told me Jerry found this book in ruin, and he never let anyone see it all these years. So, they might only know the name but not the contents of the book¡­'' Jacob thought sharply.


    He decided to test it, and said, "If that''s the case, I don''t mind giving it back since there are only two potions forms which would be quite useless to me after some time. Your society doesn''t mind me using it, right?"


    Skull NO. A-9999 had a silent sigh of relief when she heard this. If Jacob didn''t agree, then she might really have to test his strength. But now that he spoke like this, it means he was willing to give it back at the expense of continue using it for himself until he deemed it useless.


    It also means he was ''afraid'' of society.


    Completely at ease, she chuckled and said, "We''re not that mulish. Since you do us a favor by getting rid of a traitor, we won''t inflict any rules. But please keep this form to yourself for 20 years and afterward you can release it publicly if you want. You can do that, right?"


    Jacob pulled a snide smile and nodded, "Of course, since you guys cooperating, I can''t reject your goodwill, right?"


    Inwardly, Jacob sneered, ''Heh, I''m profiting big time!''


    Now that his mind was atplete ease, he said, "Let''s discuss the price. What is your offer?"


    Jacob knew the Killer Skull Society''s roots runs deep, and money might be just a number for them. So, he wanted something that only someone in their position could offer, but he had no idea what to ask for. He felt exasperated when he thought about his shallow knowledge.


    That''s why he let them decide first, and see what they''re willing to offer.


    Skull NO. A-9999 had no idea about Jacob''s ignorance, so she only thought it was Jacob''s way to see their goodwill.


    She pondered a bit before she said, "First, can you tell me what were you doing here and your name?"


    She asked this because of the Cannibal n, and if Jacob wasn''t here to mess with them and only here for the titan iron, then there was no need to turn hostile to him.


    But if he was investigating them, then it means the three hegemonies knew about their n, which changed their entire n.


    Jacob squinted his eyes and suddenly asked, "The war was startled by you guys, right?"


    Skull NO. A-9999 thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, are you intending to stop it?'' She probed.


    Jacob chuckled and shook his head, "I have nothing to do with anyone in the umon region. Don''t worry. I won''t get in your way as long as you stay out of mine.


    "I was only here for titan iron, as you had already guessed.


    "As for my name, call me¡­ Faceless Ancient!"

 Chapter 123 Star Watch

    ?When Jacob was about to give his alias, ''Jack''. His eyes suddenlynded on Immortika''s newly written words.


    "Call yourself Faceless Ancient. You''ll thank meter!"


    Although he didn''t know why he went with Immortika''s suggestion at that moment.


    "¡­ As for my name, call me¡­ Faceless Ancient!"


    "Why did you want me to use this name?" Jacob then asked with uncertainty.


    Although he didn''t mind using this alias. But it came from Immortika. He was curious about it, as well as slightly wary.


    "I can''t answer that¡­ hahahaha."


    Jacob''s expression darkened, and he directly closed the book in exasperation. He knew Immortika''s antics very well. Even though it liked to mess around, it never lied to Jacob, and its words always have some kind of mystery behind them.


    "What an arrogant way to call yourself!" Skull NO. A-10000 finally couldn''t help but sneer.


    He has been suppressing his emotions and was on high alert for quite a while now, and since Jacob turned out to be non-hostile, he finally opened his mouth.


    "Can you keep your mouth close for a moment? Or would you like your tongue to rip out?" Skull No. A-9999 coldly berated in a threatening tone.


    Although Jacob appeared to be unhostile at the moment, he might turn hostile if he felt offended because Skull No. A-9999 would!


    She would want to rip apart an idiot Orc if he dared to talk with her in this tone.


    Jacob coldly looked at the Lion-Headed Orc and spoke, "I want his life as a part of this deal now."


    Skull No. A-10000''s eyes contracted when he heard this, and he took a step back. He suddenly felt a murderous pressure on him when Jacob looked at him. He even felt Skull No. A-9999 would take this chance to get rid of him, and he was ready to flee.


    Skull No. A-9999, however, shook her head. "I know he''s annoying and disrespectful, but this isn''t called for a death sentence. Besides, we''ll deal with our own people. I''ll raise yourpensation for this offense."


    Jacob was startled. He didn''t expect this decisive woman would take this stance. He was simply testing the waters to see just how united they were, but he never thought she would risk turning adverse for that idiot.


    ''Either she''s extremely loyal to the society or she''s bonded by something like a parasite gem that won''t allow her to take certain actions.'' Jacob mused with a sharp light in his eyes, ''Killer Skull Society, huh? I''ll see more of them in the future.''


    "Alright, let''s hear it." Jacob nodded without forcing Skull No. A-9999.


    Skull No. A-10000 had a massive sigh of relief when he saw the situation was subdued, and he didn''t dare to open his mouth again. The opponent wasn''t someone who he could mess with or poke remarks at.


    Skull No. A-9999 also felt this person was quite sensitive like her and this kind of opponent she hated the most. Because they were too hard to deal with.


    She spoke in her charming voice, "500 Million Gold Coins for your inconvenience and a Rare Tier-1 Technology of Light Orb Shield for the titan tears as goodwill from our organization. Furthermore, if you''re willing to leave the Common ins, I''ll add a Common Tier-12 Haste Potion Form!"


    Although Skull No. A-9999 didn''t have the authority to make this offer.


    But she knew when the higher-ups of the society heard that someone like Jacob was lurking under their noses and this endangered their entire n, they will pay even more to make Jacob leave the three kingdoms!


    Jacob''s eyes dted when he heard this unusual offer. ''Could this be the normal means of trading between the rare kind? A Rare Tier Technology seems quite nice, and I''ve heard of this haste potion. It can raise someone''s speed by 5% percent in those books, and this potion is quite rare.


    ''But she''s willing to give me the entire form just to make me leave this ''Common ins''. It''s quite generous. Well, it''s a good deal for me.


    ''If she had told me to wait here so she could fetch those things, I would rather leave than wait for her to bring her weapons or some helpers. But how is she going to give me all this? She didn''t even carry a bag?''


    He suppressed his curiosity, nodded, and said subtly, "Alright, I won''t appear unjust. But I want theplete map. Mine was destroyed. That''s why I wandered here in this shithole. I also wanted to leave this ce as quickly as possible."


    Jacob ambiguously demands a map as to what kind of map he''ll let them decide for themselves. But he was sure that after observing the scale of his power, they would definitely give him a map suitable for someone like him.


    Furthermore, he never nned on staying here. He would put a target on himself since society would see him as a threat. He also didn''t know if they have more people like the dark elf, so he won''t give them time to call for reinforcement.


    So, he would leave the moment this deal was finalized!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was now truly scared for his life and was determined to remain low-key unless it was necessary.


    Jacob also knew as long as he held the titan tears form, they won''t make a move on him, but the moment the form left his hands, they will try to hunt him down.


    After all, in their eyes, Jacob now knew whatever they were doing, and they won''t let him spread the news for the secrecy''s sake.


    They were only friends and back down for a moment!


    Skull No.9999 eyes shone in understanding when she heard this, ''So, he appeared here by chance? Well, it does make sense since it would be far more dangerous to cross to this side without a clear route.''


    She mused. She even felt relief. It also gave her some hints about Jacob''s background.


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t seem to be aware of their Cannibal in, or he won''t make a deal like this by handing over the Titan Tears Form.


    Nevertheless, she knew the moment Jacob left this ce he will be hunted down before he could cross to the other side.


    Killer Skull Society won''t let a variable like Jacob leave this ce under any circumstances when ites to the Cannibal n.


    However, Skull No.9999 would bepletely out of this situation since it won''t be her problem anymore. She didn''t want to fight with Jacob under these circumstances either. Since this might alert that hidden ''Protector of the Zodiac Taurus Bank''.


    So, letting Jacob leave the three kingdoms'' territory first and then letting the society hunt him down would be a far better option.


    "Alright, give me your ount number. I''ll transfer the gold coins, technology, potion form, and map right away into your Star Watch. But I need ess to my Star Watch for this. Can I?" Skull No.9999 showed a silver wristband on her ebony wrist.


    Jacob squinted his eyes when he saw the wristband. ''Now, what is this Star Watch? Is this an advanced mobile technology?''


    Now, he was really in a dilemma. He didn''t know there was something like this and that these methods of exchange would be entirely virtual. This ce was just far behind in technology from the ce these two were.


    But he can''t tell them he only has a pager, which didn''t even have any signal here.


    So, he made an ambiguous excuse, "Do I look like I''m wearing one?" He coolly showed his wrists.


    Skull No.9999 eyes squinted behind the cape when she heard it, ''It seemed he was telling the truth.''


    Nheless, she then looked at Skull No.10000 and said, "Give him yours."


    Skull No.10000 was baffled by thismand, ''Fuck, I spent 50 million to buy this watch, and now she wanted to give it away?!''


    But he still reluctantly took off the ck wristband from his wrist. He said, "Unbound, Reset" after pressing a button on the side.


    The next moment, a screen lit up on the wristband before he tossed it toward Jacob with a resentful grunt.


    Jacob caught the four inches wide wristband. It was extremely smooth and slick; it was like a rubber band.


    If he hadn''t seen the screen with his eyes and a slim button on the side, he would think it was just an ordinary rubber band.


    "This is my ount number ***."


    To distract Skull No.9999, he gave his ount number.


    He didn''t think she would give him this Star Watch, and now he didn''t know how to activate it.


    But he still wore it as if he knew precisely what he was doing and pressed the button like the Skull No.10000.


    Skull No.9999 nodded and suspected nothing and thought Jacob was just activating the Star Watch, so she also started pressing on the silver wristband on her wrist, which differed greatly from the one on Jacob''s wrist.


    Jacob saw a screen appear on his Star Watch, which made his eyes contract.


    "Wee to Star Network!"

 Chapter 124 Star Network

    ?''Wee to Star Network!''


    Jacob''s cocked an eyebrow when he saw the color screen and familiar white color words. The words change into another after the introduction.


    ''Starting the Bidding process of Star Watch Model-A05 with the user!''


    ''Please speak ''Continue'' for voice recognition.''


    Jacob coldly does as it was written, "Continue."


    A blue scanner suddenly lit on the screen before new words appeared.


    ''Voice Recognition has been sessful.''


    ''Start the DNA Binding?''


    ''Yes/No''


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he touched the ''Yes''.


    He was monitoring Skull No.9999 as he saw her also tapping on the lit screen.


    The next moment thereafter, he felt a sharp perk on his wrist, right below the star watch screen.


    ''This thing can pierce through my skin? And where did that pin was hidden?''


    Jacob was astonished when he felt the pin perking on his skin and then vanishing just like that. He looked at the Star Watch profoundly.


    Another red scanner appeared at this moment.


    ''DNA has been collected to Star Network.''


    ''New user detected.''


    ''Please Select a Star Network Username.''


    A small keyboard appeared with an empty name box.


    Jacob thought for a moment and then looked at the other two, he typed,


    ''Faceless Ancient''


    If not that he had already given this name to them, he hadn''t chosen it. He didn''t know if they would be able to see his name or not. Just to be safe, he decided to change it after his deal was done with those two.


    However, he nearly cursed when he saw the next words,


    ''The Username is avable.''


    ''The username has been selected and unchangeable for 20 years.''


    ''Select Privacy:


    ''Public


    ''Private''


    Jacob chose private without even looking at the details below.


    ''Collecting data on user¡­


    ''Profile:


    ''Name: Jacob Steve


    ''Race: Human


    ''Sex: Male


    ''Affiliation(s):


    ''Zodiac Taurus Bank: Common C-Rank Mercenary''


    ''Alchemy Guild: Basic Gunsmith


    Jacob''s eyes went wide as saw his information appearing one after another. This information was all that was recorded in the umon branches of these two organizations.


    However, this wasn''t the end, the scanning was still active, and the screen changed again,


    ''A D-Tier Zodiac Personal ount has been detected!


    ''Do you want to connect the Bank ount with Star Watch Model-A05?''


    ''Just what the fuck is this Star Network, it got everything just by a DNA scan. It is probably even more advanced than the inte.'' Jacob was vignt as he tapped on ''Yes'' again.


    Although this Star Watch has ess to his data, it revealed nothing about his special circumstances. So, he wasn''t a concern anymore.


    ''The ount *** has been connected with the Star Watch Model-A05!''


    After that, the menu was finally open, and there were only five icons with their names.


    ''Profile''


    ''Bank''


    ''Files''


    ''Date Transfer''


    ''Start Network''


    However, before he could explore any further, a notification appeared as his ''Bank'' icon shed.


    ''Picky Eater transfer 500 Million Gold Coins into your ount¡­''


    Jacob looked at Skull No.9999 as she was now looking at him as well.


    "Do you receive it?" She asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Picky Eater, really?'' Jacob looked at her strangely, but he nodded his head, "Picky Eater, I presumed?"


    Jacob clicked on the bank icon, and he saw his bank bnce had increased by five hundred million.


    "Current Bnce: 723,890,130"


    Another notification appeared on the screen.


    ''Your D-Tier ount is eligible for C-Tier Upgrade.


    ''Upgrade/Later''


    Jacob upgrades it without any hesitation. ''This thing is far more convent than that ZMTD.''


    Skull No.9999 looked at Jacob''s profile sneakily as well,


    ''Faceless Ancient: Private ount''


    She coldly grunted when she saw this and closed it.


    "Alright. I need to look at the form of titan tears first before I''ll transfer the date." Skull No.9999 coldly told.


    In this short time, she had already alerted the higher-ups of Jacob''s presence, and when she told them he was willing to hand over the Titan Tears Form and willing to leave this ce. They instantly agreed with thepensation.


    Not only that, but they sent her a new map so she could give it to Jacob.


    She knew the society has already on the move and Jacob would be dealt with as long as he followed this exact map.


    Furthermore, she wasn''t worried that Jacob would not follow the map because as long as Jacob stayed in Common ins, he won''t be able to hide from society''s eye!


    She even used the ''picture function'', which was unique to her Star Watch, which was of a higher model. She took Jacob''s pictures without even him knowing and sent them back.


    ''You could only me yourself for being at the wrong ce at the wrong time.'' A cold glint shed past her eyes. She almost believed that Jacob was likely telling the ''truth'' about how he appeared here.


    But for the greater good of their cause, they can''t let Jacob leave themon ins!


    Even if he had that Star Watch, he could only make bank transitions, use Star Network''s search engine, or buy some virtual staff. He can''t contact anyone with that old model or send messages.


    She thought Jacob wasn''t aware of such a function after she saw he wasn''t demanding her star watch.


    Even A-99999 got that model after spending a fortune in the society member shop.


    Jacob thought it made sense, so he took out a book from his ''pocket''.


    Although Tunny only tranted two forms, they still filled this hundred-page book.


    Jacob opened the book in his hand and let Skull No.9999 have a look at the contents. He knew she can easily see every word from this distance.


    After the thirtieth page, he closed the book and coldly said, "You have already seen the first form. After the transaction isplete, this book is yours."


    Skull No.9999 nodded. She had some understanding of potions, so when she saw diagrams andplex algorithms of materials and theirponents, she knew it was indeed the real deal.


    She tapped the transfer files app on her watch and ced two files in the transfer tray.


    Jacob felt the vibration from his star watch. He saw the notification of the transfer and epted it.


    The next moment, within two seconds, three files appear.


    Two wereplex, while thest one was a virtual map that was extremelyrge, and his lips curled up when he saw the details.


    ''What a fucking big world¡­'' He thought with exasperation.


    This map covered the entire Common ins, which was divided into Epic, Rarer, Rare, Umon, and Common Regions by the natives.


    But actually, it was just the most insignificant region, and its area wasn''t even a tenth of the Rare ins, which was the ce from where the Dark Elf came!


    That''s why Jacob was shocked by the vastness of this world, and he was longer even thought about how huge this world was and finally understood why it was called the Zodiac ins, not Zodiac World.


    He closed the virtual map and decided to study it after no one was around.


    He then tossed the book toward Skull No.9999, and she caught it.


    She quickly opened the other half part, and after confirming it was all there, she put the book away.


    She was finally rxed, and now even if Jacob turned hostile she could easily escape.


    "It''s nice doing business with you." She asked in a friendly tone. Now, her entire tone was changed.


    "Likewise." Jacob nodded without any emotions.


    She then posed another question in a gentle tone, "So, when will you leave?"


    Jacob coldly replied, "In one day, I still have this titan iron to refine. I can''t waste it, right? So, please, if you will."


    "Tsk, tsk, alright, I was just being friendly. Let''s go, there is no ce for warmth in this world." Shemented, but her steps were swift.


    ''This two-face bitch, she''s leaving me behind!'' Skull No.10000 cursed as he fled at full speed. He didn''t dare to stay with Jacob alone!


    ''Dark Elf of Elf Race, huh? There are thousands of folktales about them in my old world. I never thought I would encounter one in such a situation. Well, she was a Dark Elf, so I still didn''t encounter a real elf yet.'' Jacob couldn''t help but think like this since now he wasn''t under pressure.


    When he was in peril, he didn''t care about anything except his life, even if he met a fabled dragon. He would not let his thought wander in such a situation.


    However, now that he was out of danger, he was curious.


    Nevertheless, this didn''t mean it waspletely out of danger since Skull No.9999 left.


    He knew she might''ve already contacted them through her Star Watch. It waspletely possible, so he wasn''t nning on staying here for a second longer.


    Jacob told them he was going to leave in a day to buy himself some time. In fact, he was going to leave right now.


    Jacob had nothing to carry. He even abandoned his precious distition equipment.


    In the deep shade of night, Jacob left like a phantom just like he appeared!

 Chapter 125 A Mind Game

    ?Inside arge hall, a few cloaked figures were sitting around a round table while facing a cloaked figure''s projection.


    "Do any of you find this Faceless Ancient background?" A grim voice sounded from the projection.


    One of the cloak figures replied sulkily, "No, there''s no record in Rare ins about such a figure. He must be a nobody who was probably being chased by someone and identally crossed to the Common ins, as A-9999 reported."


    Another cloaked spoke at this moment. "I found something interesting, though."


    "Oh, let''s hear it." The person in the projection coolly shifted his focus on this small figure, as well as everyone else.


    "From this Faceless Ancient fellow''s Star Network ount, I found that he had never made a purchase and wasn''t in any of the three hegemonies'' private star servers.


    "Although no one can bypass Star Network''s security, this doesn''t mean everyone is anonymous. However, this person is quite peculiar since it''s out of the ordinary to not buy or have any contact with the Star Network, despite being a Rare Rank expert."


    "So, ording to you, this person isn''t from the Rare Region, but the Common Region, and he somehow threatened and fooled A-9999 into handing over everything he required to cross to this side?" The person in the projection voice was filled with unspeakable danger.


    If this was true, then didn''t this mean they were just fooled by a native of amon region?


    It would turn their Killer Skull Society''s prestigious into the mud.


    "It''s just my spection. Although there''s hardly any case of someone breaking into Rare Rank from Common Rank in the Common ins, there''s still a possibility, and we can''t ignore it even if we didn''t want to." The person sighed and continued, "If we look at the bright side, if he really is a native ofmon ins and somehow achieved this level of power that could threaten A-9999, then there''s only one possibility."


    "What might that be?"


    "Titan Tears!" He said matter-of-factly.


    The entire room fell into silence after they heard it.


    After a few moments, the person in projection impassively said, "It seemed you found something which made you quite sure that this is the native ofmon ins, right?"


    "It''s indeed true." The person nodded. "After I analyzed the Titan Tear''s two forms acquired by A-9999, I found they were written in a first-level Philosopher''s Language.


    "We never paid much attention to this form unearthed in themon ins and let it rested in the hand of Rogue Skull for years as a keepsake.


    "However, after this Faceless Ancient crawl out of nowhere, it made me think, what if Titan Tears weren''t just a Common Rank Form, but a Rare Rank which would make it easier formon species to break into rare species?


    "I have already tested the Basic Common Grade form, and trust me, with only 1000 drops a normalb rat turned into Tier-3 Common Species, and there''s still an Intermediate version that required titan iron essence to make, and we''ll have the result soon!"


    "What?!"


    "Is that true?"


    Everyone eximed when they heard this.


    Even the person in the projection trembled ever so slightly.


    "Silence!" He coldly uttered, making everyone shut their mouth.


    He then deeply spoke, "Sent me the data."


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "I have already mailed you." The man chuckled as if he had already expected this.


    The person in the projection went silent, and no one speak anymore. They knew he was seeing the test results and they wait eagerly for his reply.


    After a few minutes, the figure in the projection finally spoke with a hint of tion. "This is indeed a magical potion. Your theory about that native might be true indeed. The Rogue Skull was simply ipetent. That''s why we never found the true value of titan tears.


    "Now, I understand, you''re suspecting that this native didn''t hand over the whole form because it might be written in a higher-level Philosopher''snguage and given us a copy, right?" He sharply questioned.


    "Only one way to find out." the person said darkly, "But if it''s true, then we can''t let him escape with such a potion in his possession. Even the three hegemonies would do anything to get their hand on Titan Tears if it can increase someone''s chances of crossing the rare rank!"


    "Indeed, he must think we won''t be able to find out about it just because he handed over a part of it. His thinking process is indeed like a typical ins native who didn''t know the vastness of this world.


    "But he would know soon since he had Star Watch now, and this would make him desperate to hide. Yet, it''s to our advantage."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The person in projection coldly dered, "Order A-9999 to chase after him and keep track of his whereabouts. She didn''t need to engage until the reinforcements arrived.


    "Even if this is all just a spection, we can''t ignore it and have to get rid of him. Sent one Three-Digit skull as well as two peak four-digit skulls. This Faceless Ancient has to die for his disparaged view of us!"


    ---


    A silhouette was moving between trees in the middle of the night at high speed.


    This person was none other than Jacob, who was already at the border of the Humane Kingdom after he left the Sunset Duke Estate an hour ago.


    He was in a hurry to enter the Humane. He stowed away his Star Watch since he didn''t know if it was traceable or not.


    If not for that virtual map on the watch, he might''ve destroyed it.


    So, he decided to only activate it when he wanted to leave the Common ins, right now, he didn''t have such a n because he would be at the bottom of the food chain in Rare ins, and he wasn''t confident in crossing the boundary with no harm.


    Furthermore, since he was now invincible inmon ins and only existences of the Dark Elf level could threaten him, he was going to hunt any species that could increase his prowess.


    One had to know, Jacob was only 50% done with his heart conversion, and he was already at the level of a Tier-1 Rare being like a Dark Elf.


    The Common ins were now like his hunting ground, where he could increase his prowess to an even higher level taking no risks.


    But he knew the Killer Skull Society will be going to hunt him, and this will make his life somewhat difficult.


    However, as long as he increased his heart percentage as well as learned how to control fluid eleration, even Skull-9999 would not be his match.


    That''s why he wanted to use his speed to increase the gap before changing his appearance and lying low in the humane kingdom.


    No one knew he was actually a human, and no one would have believed it either. So, he was going to mix with humans, and in the meantime, learn fluid eleration.


    The Killer Skull Society was doing something in the humane kingdom, and this would be the perfect time to act as a human and hide somewhere near a random town.


    If someone like Skull-10000 came scouting the area, he would dly wee them with his swords!


    Now, this was a mind game, and Jacob was quite good at ying them!


    Jacob easily passed through the army barricade and headed toward the Rainy Mountain Ranges. He was going to choose a spot that was close to the Rainy Mountain Ranges so he could flee anytime.


    The Lionheart City was naturally the ce that came to his mind, and that ce was quite far away from the war as well.


    Some people even know him as a C-Rank Mercenary so it would be a perfect mirage.


    ---


    Skull A-9999 naturally received the order to tail Jacob and didn''t let him out of her sight. They even offer her enticing rewards to keep her motivated.


    ''Hmph! They are just afraid they will lose him, and I''m better at tracking.'' A-9999''s eyes turn cold, ''But I really suffer a loss in that fellow''s hands this time. I can monitor him, and when the reinforcements arrive, I''ll see how he can remainposed and arrogant at that time!''


    She easily held a grudge, and if she wasn''tpletely confident in killing Jacob, she won''t make a move.


    Now that the orders were only to follow Jacob, she didn''t mind, since it was her specialty to track others.


    She left the Cannibal n to A-10000, who was now much reserved, and left toward the sunset mansion. This time she brings her gear and weapon.


    ''It''s only been an hour, so he was still making the titan tears. Hehe, let''s see where you can hide!''


    She chose a spot a hundred meters away from the underground facility where Jacob was brewing titan tears, and she hid within a tree crown.


    When half the day passed, she felt something amiss. ''Is he an idiot or just too confident? He still dared to make titan tears despite knowing that we are on to him!''

 Chapter 126 Returning To Lionheart City

    ?The Lionheart City was still the same as ever, lively.


    But the situation because of the raging war between the Humane Kingdom and the Earthen Kingdom had made it even livelier.


    The reason being it was far from the frontline and closest to the vast Rainy Mountain Ranges.


    Since trolls stopped the cowardly human route toward themon region, the only way left for them was the Rainy Mountain Ranges.


    The Humane Kingdom was like a wall between the Rainy Mountain Ranges and the two kingdoms.


    For decades, the Humane Kingdom had been blocking the stampedes of animals led by beasts for these two kingdoms like a sentry.


    Some humans even believed that these two kingdoms left them here for this exact reason, and it was nothing but a curse.


    However, now it had be a blessing because the trolls couldn''t block their retreat route toward the Rainy Mountain Ranges even if they wanted to.


    Even though the Rainy Mountain Ranges were extremely dangerous formon folks, it was still better than being ughtered by the Trolls.


    However, unlike themon region, humans weren''t hastily to retreat into the Rainy Mountain Ranges, especially those nobles.


    They were waiting for the news on the front line and hoping that the royals could negotiate with the trolls and stop this unjust war. So, they don''t have to leave their homes and wealth.


    That''s why the barren and weakest Gloria Country became almost congested.


    Those who couldn''t enter any city or town made camps around them, and most of these people were the actual residents of Gloria Country, who were forced out of their hoses by powerful mercenaries or noblemen.


    Even the ruling family of the Gloria Country, the Gloria Family was rumored to force out of their castle and live in a shed of their own territory because a Marquise Rank figure upied their castle with his family and other high-ranking nobles.


    In the middle of the night,


    A silhouetted wearing a hood appeared on the Lionheart City''s wall as his amber eyes were icy cold as he looked at the brightly lit town even in the middle of the night.


    This person was none other than Jacob, who just reached here.


    Because the main gates were closed, he had no choice but to climb the wall, which was a piece of cake for him.


    There were many camps outside, and some tatter camps with people living in famine. He could understand why they were in such shape. He had seen trolls in already conquered human cities, butchering humans, raping women, and abusing children.


    However, he didn''t lend a helping hand since it would only make him expose himself, nor he would even if the Killer Skull Society wasn''t on to him.


    War is part of every nation''s history and without the capability of war, a nation can never be called strong.


    Even those piece-loving nations are required to have the power to keep the peace, much less a war-mongrel nation like Hob Trolls.


    Even without the involvement of the Killer Skull Society, the troll would''ve started this war because the humans were getting stronger at a terrifying rate, and this wasn''t good for goblins as well.


    They would''ve done this kind of ughter to decrease the human poption and cut down their experts.


    But Jacob also noticed something strange on his way here. Those trolls were collecting the blood of every human they killed inrge containers and then sending them somewhere.


    Jacob mused it might be rted to the realistic goal of the killer skull society to start this human ughter.


    But he didn''t want to get involved and looked the way. He knew since they could send someone as powerful as a dark elf here to oversee this propaganda, they would naturally not let anyone like Jacob interfere.


    However, Jacob also saw an opportunity in all this, but to grasp that opportunity he required much stronger power than he currently had, and that''s why he came straight to this ce to mix with the humans and stay far away from the war as long as possible.


    ''I wonder if my old house is upied as well¡­'' Jacob looked in the direction of his luxurious mansion and squinted.


    He could hear many powerful heartbeats around the city, but instead of feeling flustered, his lips moved upward into a cold smirk.


    He jumped from the wall andnded on the ground. Without stopping, he headed toward lion street where his old mansion was!


    Soon, he reached the destination and saw the closed gate of many E-Rank and D-Rank mercenaries camping out the gates.


    ''It seemed someone powerful had taken over the ce after my renting time was over, and they even hired so many mercenary guards.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob easily leaped over the thirty-meter-tall wall and entered the familiar garden.


    He saw the lights of the mansion were still up, and without hesitation, he headed toward it.


    Jacob also revealed his face, hid his hood within the cor, and knocked on the door. He didn''t mind going from the window, but it would be meaningless since he couldn''t remain hidden all the time.


    Since the new owner was still up, he decided to get it over with taking over this ce.


    Soon, the doors opened, and a middle-aged man in butler clothes appeared.


    Jacob knew this man, he was the butler of this mansion, Harrison.


    Harrison was shocked when he saw Jacob''s appearance and instantly recognized him with his silver hair.


    "S-sir, you?" He was bewildered.


    Jacob has vanished for over a year now, and the new owner appeared recently after his renting contract was over.


    Even the head of the Gunsmith Guild oncees looking for Jacob, which shocked Harrison. But since he wasn''t here, he left without saying anything.


    They even assumed Jacob was dead in the wilderness.


    Jacob had a good impression of Harrison and nodded. "Who is living here right now?"


    Harrison was snapped out of his stupor and sheepishly replied, "Sir, since you hadn''te back over a year, thendlord rented this house to a C-Rank Mercenary Group, and now it''s their garrison ce."


    Jacob didn''t even frown and merely nodded. "Take me to their leader."


    Harrison was baffled by thisment, but Jacob had already entered the house and walked toward the hall.


    Harrison horridly followed and blurted, "Sir, it might not be a good idea. This Mercenary Group belongs to the Tiger''s Den. A B-Rank Mercenary Group under a B-Rank mercenarymand.


    "They won''t take it happily that you barged in like this and might take it as a provocation. Furthermore, I heard them talking that because of the war, the Tiger''s Den dominant team mighte here with their leader to lie low. You should leave while you can."


    Jacob chuckled when he heard Harrison''s concerning words. He knew this guy was kind and really wanted him no harm.


    "They''re already here," Jacob said as he looked at the hall filled with eight people in their night clothes while holding different weapons and firearms.


    They were clearly not expecting some guests and were wary about the sudden knock on their door despite many guards outside. Those fellows were ordered to not allow anyone in, so whoever can break past their detection will not be anybody!


    Six of them were women, all of them were city-toppling beauties, and two guys were also tall and handsome.


    Furthermore, they were all C-Rank Mercenaries!


    Seeing Jacob''s handsome appearance, those women''s eyes lit up while the two men frowned, watching this unknown fellow walking like he owned this ce and their butler following behind him with a worried expression.


    "Harrison, is this your friend?" The dainty woman in a white nightgown questioned with her blue eyes affixed on Jacob''s cold face.


    Harrison''s heart palpitated when he saw those powerful figures gathering together at the same time. He was about to nod when Jacob spoke.


    "I''m not anyone''s friend. I was living before you guys in this ce and was away for some time. But instead of waiting for my return, thendlord rented this ce out." Jacob coolly stated.


    The tall man with blond hair frowned and coldly rebuked, "Punk, don''t try this nonsense with us. You break into our house in the middle of the night, so you''re not here to tell us your punk-ass story, right?" He suddenly pointed his rifle at Jacob while his finger was on the trigger.


    "Yellow, don''t shoot in the house, or I''ll throw you out!" A tall, brown-haired woman with an hourss figure and a fierce look on her pale white face threatened the blond guy named Yellow.


    Yellow trembled slightly and lowered his gun with an aggravated look on his face as he looked at Jacob.


    She then looked at Jacob, and her expression became icy, "Leave, or I''ll kick your ass out of the lionheart city!"


    Everyone smiled wryly when they heard this as if they were ustomed to this woman''s temper.


    However, Jacob looked the same and merely said one wordced with a ghastly intent, "KNEEL!"

 Chapter 127 What Happened?

    ?"Kneel!"


    The moment this one worded sounded, the eight C-Rank mercenaries'' hearts palpitated as their expression went appalled. Because they felt death from the bottom of their hearts from the silver hair man standing before them.


    Every sliver of their being was screaming in their head to do what they were told, or they will die horribly!


    ''Thud¡­''


    The weapons in their trembling hands fell before their legs turned to jelly, and they fell on the floor, supporting themselves with their hands while their heads were down and their pale faces were filled with hazardousness.


    Harrison''s eyes were as wide as they could get as he looked at this scene as if he was seeing a living dream. He didn''t feel anything, but he could tell Jacob had used something to have made them kneel without putting any resistance.


    His entire view of Jacob upturned at this moment, and fear crept into his heart with reverence.


    Jacob coolly stated, "Now, I''m going to rest in my room. You guys can live here, just don''t disturb me. Harrison, prepare my meal and deliver it to my room."


    "Y-yes." Harrison quickly bowed with his back filled with perspiration. He didn''t dare to voice out any of his opinions anymore.


    Jacob nodded before he left toward the master bedroom without caring about those eight mercenaries, trembling as if they were in the middle of an icyke.


    He merely showed his killing intent and a part of his strength, and they were all scared shitless.


    Even a Common Tier-12 Orc was scared away by him, much less thesemon tier-3 humans.


    Jacob knew the fastest way to subdue them was to show his might, and it worked like a charm. As a human, he knew very well how a mind of a human in power worked, and they won''t simply back off unless they knew the opposite party was far superior to them. Unless they were simpletons seeking their death!


    After Jacob left, the eight of them felt like the looming death was left with him like a breeze.


    The woman with a fiery temper had an aghast expression. She looked at the space where Jacob just stood in befuddlement and mumbled hoarsely, "W-what just¡­ happened exactly?!"


    It was a very fresh experience for them. Even their boss can''t do what just Jacob does, and they can tell he didn''t use any kind of poison, either.


    What just they felt and still lingering in their hearts was nothing but pure fear!


    The other man with short hair and bronze skin panted heavily as if he was suffocating and stood up. His legs were still trembling slightly. He bellowed, "J-just run!"


    He headed straight toward the door without even looking back for hispanion.


    The others also looked at this back, and without thinking twice, they followed suit!


    Harrison, who was standing on the side, was shocked when he saw them fleeing without their luggage or weapons.


    He truly wondered what Jacob just did to make them like rats.


    A disgusting smell hit his nose all of a sudden as he looked at the spot where those eight were sitting, and he squinted when he saw eight wet spots on the carpet.


    Ashen, he hollered, "Someone quickly through this thing out before the lord smells this abhorrence!"


    ---


    On the south of the Humane Kingdom, a graceful silhouette was standing on top of a tall building with an indignant look in her crimson eyes.


    A-9999, who finally fingered it out that Jacob wasn''t in the underground facility after wasting a day, and a half, was now fuming with rage.


    She never thought that fellow would leave behind everything and run away the moment they left the area.


    Not only that, but he didn''t leave behind any traces. Even someone like her, who took pride in tracking others, waspletely clueless and failed to find Jacob''s traces, no matter how and where she looked.


    In the end, she decided to head in the Rainy Mountain Ranges'' direction, since if he wanted to leave, he had to cross that ce no matter what. But there was a possibility he was still hiding somewhere in the three kingdoms'' territory to lead them in circles.


    Perplexed, she had no choice but to scan through the entire humane kingdom just to make sure he wasn''t there. Only then she would go back and search the other two kingdoms.


    If he wasn''t here and left toward the rare region''s direction, then the iing members of the society will be able to intercept him. She just has to make sure he wasn''t hiding anywhere near the three kingdoms, themon region even.


    Only then did they initiate the Cannibal n. It was also the order from higher-ups.


    At this moment, the Star Watch on her wrist vibrates, drawing her attention.


    ''There''s no user in this area.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She squinted her eyes with exasperation. She was using her Star Watch to find Jacob''s star watch''s corresponding signal. Since he was the only one with a star watch in this region, it was quite an effective method.


    Furthermore, she was confident that Jacob would not abandon the star watch with the map in it and the knowledge she transferred.


    Even if he did, she had to find the star watch to make it absolutely sure.


    As for the possibility of destroying it, everyone knew even if you burn a star watch to ashes, you can still find thest ce it was activated before it got destroyed!


    That''s what makes the starwork scary and unfathomable!


    Nevertheless, she still took out another scanner, which was like a ck box. Although this thing burns money, it was the most effective way to differentiate between species without them realizing it.


    Unless humans have set anti-radar systems in this ce, no one will hide their species from this device.


    ''Even if you grow wings, you can''t hide from me!'' A ruthless glint shed past her eyes as she activated it!


    ---


    The next morning,


    Jacob opened his eyes when the first ray of sun hit the world. He wasn''t feeling any fatigue and was refreshed after he got to take a break from all that traveling and potion refining.


    He exited his room without wearing his shirt and headed directly toward the pool area.


    ''I should be able to do it this time.'' Expectation shone in Jacob''s eyes as he thought about the two hours limit of Water Meditation.


    Thest he practiced the Water Meditation was exactly in this ce, and never thought he would continue it in this ce again.


    If he hadn''t found the Dark City and crossed into the rare region, he might''ve never returned to this ce.


    But it seemed he still had some kind of fate with this ce, which just won''t allow him to leave.


    Without caring about the water temperature, he dived straight into it and started the water meditation.


    He crossed the one-hour threshold with little difficulty, and the 10-G pressure on him now felt like normal gravity with his current prowess.


    As he reached the two-hour point, he still had over half his breath remaining.


    The moment the two hours threshold was crossed, just as Jacob expected, the G-force increased the very moment, and he finally felt the pressure.


    Even the floor below him began to crack.


    ''So, this is 20-G force!'' Jacob could still handle it, and it wasn''t enough to make him rmed. But it was enough to make him finally feel suffocation.


    Nevertheless, Jacob knew he couldst 30 or 40 minutes more, even with this suffocation and pressure.


    However, when the five minutes pass, Jacob felt a strange tingling sensation around his body.


    But this sensation onlysted for 2 or 3 seconds before it vanished, and the next moment the pressure on Jacob also vanishedpletely!


    Jacob''s eyes snapped open with a hint of bewilderment, he stood up.


    ''What happened?''


    Yet at this moment, thereafter, the water in the pool suddenly started to turn into smoke and discharged into the air!


    Jacob instantly knew what caused this sudden change. ''The oxygen waspletely removed from the water, and now hydrogen had nothing to bond it together, so it turned into its natural state!


    ''As for what caused this change, it might be that sensation I felt, and the G-force also broke because of the oxygen''s exhaustion. I have already run some tests in my old life, and the oxygen indeed got exhausted every time we practiced Water Mediation. Or there''s something more to it.


    ''Did this mean if I want to continue this technique, I need a vaster water body with every increase in gravity?


    ''That sensation made my cells cheer for a moment, which meant it was good for even someone like me. Just what kind of technique is this Art of nature, and what is its end goal?''


    Jacob mused with a grave expression. He no longer dared to belittle this unknown technique from his old world.


    However, his thought process stagnated with a deafening roar, "Bastard,e out!"

 Chapter 128 Tiger’s Den

    ?Samuel was one of four B-Rank Mercenaries of the Humane Kingdom and enjoyed status as high as a Duke of the kingdom.


    Unlike most people, Samuel''s family was an Earl Rank Family, and with their support, he joined Star Mercenary Agency. He was extremely talented and ambitious.


    In three decades, he finally broke into the ranks of B-Rank Mercenaries.


    After he was granted his own fief close to the royal capital like other B-Rankers. He then made his mercenary group Tiger''s Den into a self-sufficientpany and started annexing talented mercenaries all around the kingdom into thepany.


    Unlike other B-Rank Mercenaries who wanted to live a carefree life, Samuel wanted to leave the umon region and head to the rare region to see the other side. But he didn''t want to join the ck knights despite the Marshal''s personal invitation.


    He likes freedom and the person being in control. So, he started to nurture his own team and wanted to make them all B-rankers, so their journey would be smoother.


    He was extremely cautious and didn''t dare to underestimate the path toward the rare region.


    Everything was going great before this unjust war happened with the Earthen Kingdom and after experiencing the troll kingdom''s prowess himself. He knew it was hopeless for the Humane Kingdom.


    So, like others, he retreated into the Gloria Contrary in the sham of a fake injury.


    Furthermore, from hispany informers, he found one of the four C-Rank Mercenary Team under him had a vast mansion in the Lionheart City, which was close to the Rainy Mountain Ranges.


    So, he instantly went there and summoned every C-Rank Team there as well.


    He was nning to bring everyone into the Rainy Mountain Rages to raise his own survival chances when he traveled toward the Rare Region.


    However, when he came this morning, he found out some punk used a strange trick to scare the mercenary team under hispany and ''captured'' the mansion.


    Which made him and other members of Tiger''s Den''s dominant team infuriated, and with over 100 members in tow, Samuel barged into the mansion with killing intent.


    He let loose a deafening roar, "Bastard,e out!"


    Every member behind him was holding cold weapons and firearms.


    Amid this group was a team of eight. Their expressions were filled with lingering fears as they looked at the mansion with uncertainty.


    These eight were naturally the ones who Jacob scared silly into peeing in their pants and made them flee despite didn''t want them to.


    They were called the Fiery Lake Mercenary Group, a famous C-Rank Mercenary group that joined the Tiger''s Den a few years ago and be more famous.


    Their leader was a brown-haired woman with a fiery temper. Everyone called her Fiery Lake because of her enthralling beauty and fiery temper.


    But that bold, fiery look couldn''t be seen in Fiery Lake''s beautiful eyes anymore. As she vividly remembered what happenedst night.


    However, she was still uncertain about what happened at that time, even though she believed that silver head man tricked them and made a fool of themselves.


    But she was still fearful for some reason, and if not for Samuel''s presence, she would never return here, even if she was uncertain about thest night''s events.


    At the very front, a 6''1 tall burly man donned skin-tight armor, and two battle axes attached to his back were coldly looking at the mansion with his ck eyes. His square bronze skin face, with short ck hair, gives him a handsome look. He was Samuel, a B-Rank Mercenary and Boss of Tiger''s Den Company!


    "Whose dog is barking in the wee hours?" A sulky voice rang at this moment before the mansion''s door opened. Jacob appeared wearing an unbuttoned white shirt and ck pants.


    When thedies in the group saw Jacob''s appearance and his tone-ripped pale body, their eyes lit up. He was hundreds of times more handsome than Samuel.


    A long ck hair woman was standing right behind Samuel. It was as if she was carved out of wless snow-white jade. Her slim and supple waist was exposed slightly under her tight, soft armor. Despite that armor, her towering chest and sexy exposed corbone were a sight to behold.


    With a height of 6 feet, she lookedpletely out of ce, as if she was ced in a group of swine. She was no doubt the most beautiful woman in this group and aloof.


    She was the vice president and vice-captain of Tiger''s Den; Alice. She was very close to entering the B-Rank.


    Alice was quite interested in the person who dared to chase out the members of Tiger''s Den and still didn''t run.


    However, when she heard Jacob''s arrogant words, she instantly thought this was some idiot who didn''t fear death or didn''t know who he was messing with.


    But now that she saw him, even she had to admit he was the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. She was a duke''s heir, and she met with princes; they weren''t Jacob''s match.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''He''s going to die¡­ it''s a pity he''s a fool,'' She thought coldly when she was Samuel trembled when he heard Jacob''s words.


    Samuel has a hideous expression after being called a dog by this pretty boy, and now he''s showing off his body while pretending he doesn''t exist. It intensified his killing intent.


    Especially when he felt Alice''s gaze. He already considered Alice his personal property and someone only he could court, so now it was personal.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "Since you dare to snatch my thing, I''ll send you on your way." Samuel coldly uttered while he moved his hand toward the axes on his back.


    Jacob''s expressions were impassive as he looked at Samuel and let him draw his axes.


    "How about this? I''ll take one of your arms because of the disturbance you just caused." Jacob uttered as if he was giving an absolute verdict.


    Harrison and the other servants watching this drama were gobsmacked by Jacob''s words, as did everyone else.


    A skinny guy with revolvers in his hand bellowed while pointing his gun at Jacob, "Boss, let me rip off his sharp tongue for you!"


    He was Shooter, another vice-captain of the Tiger''s Den mercenary group.


    "Heh, Vice-Captain, don''t you see the boss''s expression? He''s going to chop that guy into mincemeat. Just enjoy the show." Another member of the tiger''s den sneered darkly.


    Alice remained expressionless while she looked at Jacob with uncertainty in her watery emerald eyes.


    "DIE!" Samuel roared as he charged at Jacob with 80 MP/h speed and hacked his axe toward Jacob''s shoulder with an icy smile. He now wanted to make Jacob beg for death, not kill him directly.


    Jacob was also unarmed, which made him even bolder, and he didn''t feel any kind of danger from Jacob, or he won''t charge like this.


    Although it looked like Samuel was rash, the fact was, he had already probed Jacob''s prowess in his behavior. Well, in his mind, at least.


    However, what happened next made everyone''s jaw drop in the group.


    ''Thud¡­''


    Samuel''s axe suddenlynded right between Jacob''s index and middle finger and was stuck then and there!


    Samuel''s eyes went wide as his face started to turn pale when heprehended what had just happened. He tried to retrace his axe, but it didn''t even budge.


    He quickly used the second axe to chop down on Jacob''s forearm. Furthermore, he wanted to cut it off.


    However, to his surprise, Jacob didn''t even move his finger to ck it and let itnd on his forearm.


    But what happened next made Samuel and everyone watching gobsmacked with horror!


    They saw the axe powerfullynd on Jacob''s forearm, and it should be enough to chop his arm off, but not only his arm was as sturdy as ever, but the de only cut his shirt and barely grazed his skin.


    "Is that all?" Jacob''s snide voice sounded, sending chills down everyone''s spine while making Samuel scared silly.


    Samuel finally understand at this moment that Jacob wasn''t an idiot, but he was!


    From the start to finish, Jacob didn''t show any fear. It wasn''t because he didn''t know about him, or he had a screw loss on his head, but Jacob didn''t consider him a threat at all. He was probably like a child throwing a tantrum in Jacob''s eyes.


    Appalled, "Wh-who are¡­" before he could speak another word, Jacob''s other hand moved like a blur at this moment. and grabbed Samuel''s other shoulder.


    Jacob coldly uttered, "I''ll be taking this arm as I said."


    Before Samuel could struggle, he felt gripped by an iron w, and the next moment, "Ahhhhhhhhhh¡­"


    His blood-curdling, hysteric shrill rang and was heard by the entire lion street.


    The mercenaries of the tiger''s den witness a ghastly sight with pale faces at this moment.


    Their valorous leader''s hand was torn like a rag doll by this terrifying guy. and blood flowed like a small fountain from Samuel''s mangled shoulder while he was screaming in pain like a pig!

 Chapter 129 A-Rank?

    ?It was a gruesome scene, as they watched the silver-haired man impassively holding the severed arm with bloodstains all over his white shirt and body while his victim was screaming right before him. He looked nothing less than a devil.


    "Sh¡­ s-shot him down!" Samuel shrieked with bloodshot eyes as he suppressed the appalling pain.


    The Tiger''s Den Mercenaries snapped out of their stupor, and their faces were ghastly pale. They all hesitated because Jacob was more powerful than Samuel. No, he was too powerful!


    What if he decided to kill them all if they retaliates? Right now, Jacob only tore Samuel''s arm and didn''t kill him, which he easily could. No one doubted it anymore.


    But if they really went on this road, there will be no return for them anymore.


    Furthermore, when everyone saw the ''Devil'' was just standing there calmly and looked at them with his icy eyes without any hint of panic, they all felt palpitations in their hearts.


    But if they didn''t shoot, didn''t Samuel won''t let them off?


    Just as some of them collected their courage and starts raising their firearms, Alice''s crisp voice rang, "Stand down!"


    Her face was paler than anyone on the scene because she had this astonishing yet impossible proposition in her mind, ''He''s an A-Rank!''


    Because of her background, she was far more informative than anyone, and she heard lots of legends about an A-Rank expert, and this man in front of them was nothing but like those legends!


    The moment Jacob tore off Samuel''s hand like he was tearing a dry leaf, this realization hit her. She never thought there was someone with an A-rank mercenary strength hidden among humans.


    Since Samuel dared to offend him, he was courting death, but what about them who came with him?


    Her heart beat wildly just at the thought of it, and now Samuel had given a suicidemand. She knew just how shrewd Samuel was, and he might''ve already guessed what she does, and he wanted to use them as a distraction so he could escape.


    But when she noticed Jacob remain expressionless and remained in his position, she was even more sure these kinds of bullets would not work on him, and they would be seeking their own death once they start firing.


    So, she instantly stopped those fools.


    Jacob''s lips suddenly curled into an amusing smirk as he looked at the tall beauty. He had to admit she was probably the most beautiful woman he had seen from the day he was born in this world.


    But what aroused his interest was her decision-making in this chaotic situation, and she was thinking about her survival just like this fool who wanted to take everyone with him for a chance to escape.


    Although Samuel and Alice were the same kinds of people, Jacob could tell this woman was ten times savvier and calmer than Samuel.


    ''Well, since she''ll be more obedient, I don''t need this one.'' Jacob''s eyes turned cold as he looked at Samuel, who was seething in pain, or pretending to as his bloodshot eyes were darting around.


    Since Alice blocked his life path, he won''t let them live either. He roared hysterically, "Bitch, do you really think he''ll let you all go?! Don''t listen to her attack¡­ attack for me!"


    Alice had already noticed Jacob''s smirk, and her heart was beating like a drum.


    When she heard this and couldn''t help but cursed out loud, "This scoundrel dog wanted us to die with him! Don''t listen and drop your weapon. We''re not matched for this gentleman, he''s an A-Rank!"


    "A¡­ A rank?"


    Everyone''s minds jumbled when they heard A-Rank, and they finally understood why Samuel was beaten so miserably!


    Compared to a B-Rank Samuel, who had already offended an A-Rank expert, they would choose to surrender and earn this powerhouse''s forgiveness.


    Even the most loyal original Tiger''s Den members have the same thoughts, and the very next moment, they all dropped their weapons without any hint of hesitation.


    "W-we surrender!"


    "It was Samuel''s fault and¡­ and¡­ they were also the ones who took him here!"


    Everyone turned and pointed toward the Fiery Lake Team of Eight with indignant eyes.


    If it wasn''t for these eight, would theye here?


    The answer was yes!


    Because Samuel had already considered this mansion his hideout until the war with the trolls would decide and even bought it from the original owner. So, they would''vee here even without them.


    But to save their own skins, they put all the me on them and hoped Jacob would spare their life.


    They never thought there would be an even scarier existence than the entire Earthen Kingdom residing in this barren country, and they just had to offend him!


    It was all because of one fucking mansion!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Fiery Lake Team''s faces were ashen when they saw everyone pointing at them and distancing themselves from them.


    Despair filled Fiery Lake''s beautiful eyes at this moment. She regretted reporting this incident to Samuel and deciding to stay here.


    Now it was all over, theirrades had abandoned them!


    Samuel also found hope amid darkness when he heard this. He quickly blurted, "L-Lord, yes¡­ it was all them¡­"


    At this moment Jacob annoyingly spoke, "Enough!"


    The scene felt deadly silent.


    Jacob scanned through the crowd with his cold eyes before his eyes paused for a moment on the Fiery Lake Team and then he stopped at Alice, which made her shudder.


    He impassively asked, "You will be the leader of these clowns from now on, and if anyone dares to run¡­ your end will be¡­"


    Just as his icy voice trailed off.


    His hand blurred again, only this time when it appeared again, it was coated with blood, and it wasn''t empty, but there was a beating heart in his hand.


    Everyone felt terror when they looked at the heart, which, beat by beat, turned dormant.


    ''Thud.''


    When they heard this sound, a chill ran down their spine because Samuel wasying in his own blood without any hint of life, and there was a hole in his chest.


    ''Squish¡­''


    Jacob clenched Samuel''s heart and coldly said, "This could be any of your heart, so I''m suggesting to not try anything funny, or I''ll hear you."


    Alice, who was looking at Samuel''s corpse with an appalled expression, also felt terror and didn''t dare to look Jacob in the eyes anymore.


    "You''ll be Salve No.1 from now, and your first task is to make the pool in the backyard a hundred meters deep with a solid tform in the center and build a doom over it. Is that clear?" Jacob coldly uttered while ring at Alice.


    Without waiting for her reply, he turned around, about to leave before he left onest line, "Every woman will live in the mansion ''with me'' from now on, while men can make camps outside and be in charge of security. If anyone approached, tell them to fuck off."


    Harrison looked at the iing Jacob with daze and terror, as well as the other servants of the house. They all thought it was just a dream.


    They never thought they were serving someone so powerful all this time!


    Jacob looked at Harrison meaningfully, which made thetter shudder. "You''ll be in charge of those people and the materials they required, and if they resist your orders, tell me."


    Harrison felt like his knees were trembling and urged to release the pressure between his legs, but he didn''t dare, afraid he will be lost Jacob''s goodwill and had his heart crushed like Samuel''s.


    "As yourmand, my lord!" He quickly bent his head ny degrees.


    Jacob didn''t mind and left.


    The entire purpose of putting this show in everyone''s eyes was to put fear in everyone''s heart as well as announced his existence among humans.


    Furthermore, he really required somebor to make the pool deeper so he could continue practicing water meditation. These people happened to be just what he needed, and Samuel delivered them to him.


    ''Now, I just have to remain here and wait for their reactions. If I thought correctly, this might really work¡­'' An astute glint shed past Jacob''s eyes as he headed toward the basement.


    Alice looked at the empty space where Jacob was just standing a few moments ago. ''S-ve No.1?!''


    Those words rang in her mind like thunder. She, a proud daughter of a Duke, was proimed a ve, and she can''t even put up resistance or word out of her protest!


    It was simply a tremendous blow to her pride and confidence!


    Everyone hasplicated expressions on their faces. They never thought their entire understanding of power would be upturned bying to this ce.


    Although Jacob called their Vice-Captain in ve, what about them?


    He called them clowns; they weren''t even considered ves to him. and all the pride and achievement they had umted in these years turned into smoke.


    As for escaping, did they have the ability?

 Chapter 130 Silver Tyrant

    ?The incident with Tiger''s Den wasn''t something that could remain hidden.


    Some of the neighbors around Jacob''s mansion witness the entire incident yed out with aghast expressions.


    No one thought a B-Rank Mercenary, the symbol of power in the Humane Kingdom, would die so tragically.


    But the biggest news out of it was the possibility of an A-Rank expert present between humans!


    In this state of hopeless war, this news was like a windfall for the Humane Kingdom. Because if this was true and they really had an A-Rank expert amidst them, then trolls would be the first ones trembling in fear.


    One had to know between the three kingdoms, there wasn''t a single A-Rank expert present, and neither did they know about the existence of Dark City.


    Very soon, this news spread like wildfire from lion street to lionheart city, then within half a day, the entire Gloria Country was shocked.


    In one day, Jacob''s existence was known to every person with status!


    Since no one knows his name, everyone starts calling him Silver Tyrant because of his eye-catching hair color and for his tyrannical disy with Tiger''s Den.


    Rumors have it that the Silver Tyrant would crush anyone''s heart who opposed him with his bare hands, while he was also a debaucher, and every night he slept with hundreds of women.


    The proud daughter of Duke Riley and the most beautiful woman of the Humane Kingdom, Alice Riley, was captured by Silver Tyrant and now had be his personal ve.


    More and more exaggerated rumors spread between humans and Silver Tyrant became even more famous than the war between the two kingdoms!


    ---


    The throne hall of the Humane Kingdom Royal Pce was bristling with activities at this moment.


    Just a day ago, this ce was gloomy because of the impending danger of trolls.


    However, today the atmosphere was filled with hope, and many high-ranking officers who were secretly nning their desertion were also present. Even some already deserted nobles were back.


    On the golden throne, a handsome middle-aged with long, shining golden hair supporting a matching golden crown was sitting with an expressionless face while his light blue eyes have a hint of exhaustion.


    He was the third King of the Humane Kingdom, King Philip III!


    With a tform below Philip, sat three prices and a princess as well as their mother, the Queen Consort. The entire main royal bloodline was present today!


    There were also two tall men d in golden armor standing right behind the King''s Throne with expressionless faces, but the aura they were giving was extremely imposing.


    Philip slightly nodded his head while looking at the bristling throne room.


    The next moment, the royal guard behind him loudly stated, "In the name of his Majesty, Imand everyone to be reticent!"


    The next moment, the entire throne hall fell into silence, and they all looked toward their King with myriad emotions.


    They all knew today was going to go down in the concise history of the Humane Kingdom.


    Philip expressionlessly scanned through the entire throne room and looked at every person present today.


    Many nobles lower their head when they felt Philip''s cold eyes on them.


    Philip, however, didn''t bring up those skedaddle acts and looked at the burly man who has a fierce face and sat straight at the very front of the left row.


    He impassively asked, "Marshal Gnt, you have a report to make, I presumed?"


    Marshal Gnt was the strongest person in the Humane Kingdom and themander of the Royal Army. He was even more respected and famous than the Humane King!


    With Gnt''s prowess, he could''ve easily dethroned the Grover Family from their royal status, but he was always faithful to the crown.


    Not only that, but he was their biggest supporter, and that''s how the Grover Family was still in amanding position, or with rising powers of different factions, the Grover Family would''ve lost their hold on the Humane Kingdom long ago.


    Especially the Riley Family under Philip''s younger brother''s control.


    The Riley Duke not only roped in the B-Rank Samuel into his household with his charming daughter, but that daughter was extremely talented, and she was very close to entering the B-Rank herself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It could easily upturn the entire Humane Kingdom''s political structure. However, now¡­


    Gnt politely replied with aplicated glint in his eyes as he looked at his King, who seemed to have grown older after thest time he saw him.


    "Your Majesty, this subject indeed has an important report." He took a deep breath and continued, "The trolls suddenly stopped attacking our borders and even abandoned our already conquered cities and territoriesst night. Right now, their armies are on standby at their border. While we also noticed all the B-Rank trolls were summoned back to protect their King. They''re even willing to talk now¡­"


    Gnt was really marveling right now as he reported these astonishing reports. It was like he was repeating a dream. He never thought that the stubborn troll army who wanted to exterminate every human backed off because of a simple rumor¡­


    Philip didn''t have any emotions when he heard it as if has expected this.


    He said with acerbity, "All of this just because¡­ Silver Tyrant''s appearance, yes?"


    The entire throne room was deadly silent when they heard this name. They all knew about it beforeing here.


    The trolls retreat because of the possibility of an A-Rank expert appearing amidst humans, it might change the entire power structure of the umon region.


    Although it was still unclear why the Silver Tyrant showed his face only now, one thing is clear, just his presence was enough to make humans the strongest power between the three kingdoms!


    At least that is what everyone in this hall thought.


    That''s why some cowards dared to crawl back from their hideouts.


    Everyone knew things were going to change in a very prominent way for humans!


    Gnt sighed and lowered his head before he said, "Yes, your highness. Both goblins and trolls were now secretly inquiring about Silver Tyrant, and many spies were found."


    Gnt was also one of the few who know just how difficult it was to enter the A-rank and what kind of status these beings had in the rare region. He was a reserved member of Nightmare Knights Legion, and he wasn''t even qualified to be a full fledge member.


    Now, this A-Rank expert appeared out of nowhere, and he also was quite young. He was really baffled by this news and almost spat blood in frustration.


    He was used to revering by everyone here, but after the Silver Tyrant appeared, those who knows about his prowess no longer looked at him as an absolute being anymore.


    Even he''s also afraid of Silver Tyrant because he clearly knows how difficult it was to beat Samuel even for him, but this monster killed him like he was killing a chicken.


    Many people witnessed this scene while the entire Tiger''s Den powerful experts were working like constructors at Silver Tyrant''s ce obediently. There''s no room for doubting this information.


    At this moment, a middle-aged man with a great resemnce to Philip stood up with a grave expression on his face.


    He said while deeply looking at Philip who was already expecting this, "My King, we all wanted to hear, what is your stance on this matter?"


    Philip''s lips suddenly rose slightly into a mocking smile. "First, I want to hear Duke Riley''s stance. I heard Silver Tyrant kill your ''Son-in-Law'' as well as enved your cherished daughter, and many terrible rumors about her are all over the kingdom. Do you intend to march your army there and seek justice? If yes, I''ll lend you a hand, since she''s my niece as well."


    Everyone''s expression stiffened when they heard this and lowered their heads.


    If there were another hot topic besides the Silver Tyrant, then it would be Alice Riley.


    She was already crowned as the kingdom''s most beautiful woman, and now she was raised to be a mere ve of Silver Tyrant.


    It was an enormous blow to her and Riley Family''s reputation.


    Duke Riley''s expression went rigid when he heard this, and clenched his hands tightly.


    How could he not want to march his entire army there and save his daughter?


    But whenever he thought about how dangerous that fellow Silver Tyrant was that even Samuel was toyed to death by him. He felt chills on his spine and didn''t dare to think of revenge anymore.


    Although he had ulterior motives when he sent Alice to the Tiger''s Denpany to win over Samuel, Alice had proven to be as talented as Samuel in these years, so he no longer belittled his daughter.


    However, Samuel had gone and sought his own death, and now Alice fell victim, and he could do nothing, which made him indignant.


    He suppressed his urge to punch his brother in the face, and stiffly said, "I won''t dare to cause my King trouble. It''s Alice''s fortune to catch the interest of our Kingdom''s first A-rank expert."


    A ruthless glint shimmered in his eyes at this moment, "Now, I would like to know how my King will approach Silver Tyrant!"

 Chapter 131 Infamous In Uncommon Region

    ?The Earthen Kingdom,


    The prime minister was looking at the capped A-10000, who was holding some papers in his hands with uncertainty. He didn''t know why A-10000 had the already marching troops retreat just because of a measly A-rank mercenary appearance among humans.


    He was also confused about the disappearance of A-9999, but he didn''t dare to poke his nose into these scary existences matters.


    At this moment, A-10000 ced the reports on the table and said coldly, "Are you positive this person is a human, and not a high-ranking member of three hegemonies?"


    After he encountered Jacob, A-10000 was feeling extremely apprehensive since A-9999 left him alone here to watch over the cannibal n.


    When he acquired reports that an A-rank human had appeared out of the blue, without even a second thought, he had the earthen kingdom retrieve their armies and found everything and anything on this variable.


    He didn''t want to experience another incident like Jacob, and he even thought this human was that Faceless Ancient who was ying with them.


    But these reports were all telling another story.


    The Prime Minister replied, "From our spies, it''spletely confirmed that this person is a hidden ascetic, and he registered over the years ago as a C-rank mercenary in a small town, and he''s also an advance-apprentice gunsmith.


    "Although he looked young, my guess is, he might''ve stumbled upon some opportunity in the Rainy Mountain Ranges, and that''s how he managed to be A-rank. Probably some potion or other medicine.


    "Now that he''s an A-rank, he decided to show himself, and it''s quite clear that he doesn''t know about our existence, or he won''t dare to be so reckless. He might''ve already considered himself the king of the umon region now, and humans'' morals will soar because of it."


    He sneered in disdain when he thought about how this brat showed off his power and acted like a tyrant. Furthermore, he even wanted to personally go there to teach him a lesson. But s, A-10000 was acting with too much caution.


    A-10000 had already seen these details in the reports, but he was still feeling somewhat doubtful, "What if he''s that protector you encountered that day and pretending to be human to lure us out?"


    The Prime Minister replied with uncertainty, "There is a possibility that it''s him since the Lionheart City is close to the oldb''s location, but we can''t find out for sure without probing his strength."


    He had already thought of this possibility, but he felt this wasn''t the guy since that person was much calmer and didn''t strike him as a type who would reveal his whereabouts like this and act like a debaucher tyrant.


    The possibility was there nevertheless, and they couldn''t ignore it.


    "Nah, he''s pure human." A snickering voice rang at this moment, which startled both of them.


    "You''re finally back!" A-10000 called out with a thrill in his voice. He never thought he would be so d to see this crazy woman, A-9999.


    "Tsk, I don''t want to, but I had to." A-9999 annoyingly replied.


    A-10000 was still d as he quickly asked, "So, you check this Silver Tyrant fellow?"


    A-9999 seriously replied this time, "Indeed. The moment I heard the rumors, I went to that area and investigated thoroughly, and he''s a human. I could have crushed him, but I''m afraid he might have some connection with three hegemonies, so I''ll leave him to a native."


    The Prime Minister quickly bowed. "I''ll deal with him. Don''t worry, mydy."


    "No, let him enjoy his short live glory for a while." A-9999 chuckled darkly before she continued, "How many cannibals can you make with already umted human blood?"


    A-10000 blurted with anticipation, "So, he left?!"


    He didn''t dare to go out until that Faceless Ancient was still in the umon region; he was afraid that fellow would hold a grudge and hunt him down when A-9999 won''t be around to protect him.


    A-9999 sneered disdainfully, "Look at your cowardliness. He''s indeed not in the Humane Kingdom, but I''m going to scan the entire ce just in case he''s still hiding here. In five or six months, our reinforcement would be here, then we don''t need to worry about him. But this doesn''t mean we can show our faces as we please. Now let him answer my question."


    This conversation baffled the Prime Minister since he didn''t know what they were talking about.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nheless, he quickly answered A-9999''s question, "With the blood, we already collected, it''s enough to create over 100 cannibals same as the first one''s level and many low-level ones. My Lady, do you want me to start?"


    A-9999 thought for a moment, "Start it and then released those cannibals to grow and multiply between goblins and cut off every news about this. Let humans live in delusion for now.


    "We''ll secretly create a farm of cannibals. You, trolls will be a mist to cover this farm. I''m going to personally oversee the further research on cannibal."


    The Prime Minister''s eyes lit up and quickly agreed, "I understand. We''ll start working post hastily. But what if humans decided to attack us? Now that an A-rank appeared among them, they will be bolder and unafraid!"


    "Heh, they''ll be delivering the blood themselves, then. No, this is perfect!" A-9999 eyes shimmered with ghastly light, "I heard these humans can quickly adapt to changes, right? Since an A-rank appeared amidst them, more will follow in his footsteps. It means we''ll get more high-level blood!


    "I want those humans to start another war in confident, but we''ll be manipting behind them while letting them think they are the ones in control and getting an endless supply of human blood!"


    ---


    The Lionheart City, lion street, the Tyrant Mansion.


    Yes, the mansion where Jacob lives is now known as the Tyrant Mansion by everyone.


    The tyrant mansion had gone through some changes in the past three days.


    One could see many small bunkers in the vast garden of the tyrant mansion, while the backyard was nowpletely covered in a doom-like shade and blocked everyone''s vision.


    The only way in was either from the mansion or by creating a hole in the shade which no one would dare.


    Furthermore, in these past three days, many high-ranking officers of the Lionheart City came to pay a visit, but they were rejected at the main gate.


    Among these rejected officers, the city lord, the mercenary branch''s leader, the vice leader, the gunsmith guild leader, and even the beautiful apothecary guild leader rejected with many other nobles.


    However, no one dared to show any displeasure, and they politely left after leaving some greeting gifts. Even Samuel''s heart was crushed by Silver Tyrant, and Alice was turned into a ve. They didn''t want to antagonize such a person unless they wanted an ending like those two famous figures.


    The Gunsmith Guild Leader Drew was feeling the mostplicated among everyone because he had spent some time with Jacob, and he benefited the most from him when he let him take the credit for Magnum.


    Now that he thought about how he once wanted to protect Jacob, heughed in self-mockery and even felt fear when he thought about how Jacob had killed Samuel.


    As for the Vice Guild Leader, f, who schemed against Jacob, he had long vanished from the lionheart city the very night news about Jacob being an A-rank expert surfaced.


    Lastly, the Star Mercenary Agency''s leader had already found out about Jacob''s registration with them. He was thrilled and wanted to approach Jacob and form a connection, but was rejected mercilessly.


    Thest person who was effective by Jacob''s identity as an A rank was none other than Rose of the Lionheart family.


    When she thought about how she tried to be bold with Jacob and even wanted to use him as a meat shield, she nearly had a mental breakdown. Right now, she was hiding, while in constant fear Jacob woulde one day and make her his ve. Her father still didn''t know about me,t or he would have a heart attack.


    As for the man who was the eye of the storm, the Silver Tyrant, Jacob did not know about what was happening because of him in an entire umon region. Even if he''d known, he would''ve merely scoffed since he had already anticipated this.


    Right now, he was currently sitting on a stone tform in the middle of the newly built pool and just crossed the threshold of 20-G force, and the oxygen in the water again got absorbed in his body''s pores.


    He now felt it even more clearly than before, and all of a sudden Jacob felt a strange sensation that was still hard to describe, and not only that, but his heartbeat started to rise as more oxygen entered his body.


    ''So, it can indeed raise my heartbeat without me using some excessive method.'' Jacob solemnly thought, ''But I never expected it would be this effective. As if this Water Meditation was created to practice fluid eleration. Immortika also told me at that time that I would find a way very soon¡­''

 Chapter 132 Can You Prove It?

    ?''¡­ Immortika also told me I would find a way very soon¡­''


    Jacob connected the dots as he felt like Immortika probably knew about the Art of Nature''s true effects, but it didn''t bother to say anything, nor did itment on it when Jacob inquired about it.


    Nevertheless, this also strengthens his belief that he should keep practicing this technique and not ck off.


    As his heartbeat increased with more and more oxygen entering his body, Jacob was fully focused on his heart rate and didn''t dare to miss a single heartbeat.


    After over ten minutes, Jacob''s heartbeat was at four BPS when he felt the sensation suddenly staggered while the gravity also vanished.


    Jacob''s eyes snapped open and frowned, ''Even over million-gallon water can only sustain water mediation over 2HH:10MM? What about the 24-hour limit?! Didn''t I need to enter a vast river at that time?''


    His expression was grave as the liquid suddenly started to turn vapors again.


    ''Although, with my current capacity, I might hold on for over two and half hours, but I required over 300-meter-deep bore, and the aquifer is over a mile deep, ording to Harrison.


    ''A mile-deep bore should be enough to cross a three hours mark, but it would also put me in danger since the gravity would be 30-G at that time, and this stone pir might not be able to spot me and brake. Well, I let them reinforce this pir with metal, but I required morebor for it if I want it to be done quickly.''


    Jacob looked toward the round tform he was sitting on, which was only deep enough to cover his head with water. But actually, it was a pir connected to the bottom, which was formed by digging around it.


    Jacob had given themand, and those mercenaries didn''t dare to make any mistakes.


    But it turns out, even this hundred-meter pool wasn''t enough.


    Jacob suddenly thought about the raging border river between the umon and rare regions, and he knew that was the perfect ce for practicing water meditation.


    But he won''t have this pir in that river, and he might really drown within that river''s depth. So, until he was absolutely sure of his ability to swim under that pressure, he won''t try it no matter what.


    Instead, this method was far safer as long as he could reinforce this pir and have those mercenaries dig just half of the surface from now on, just enough for more water to fill it.


    While the other half can be easily reinforced with iron, he won''t have to worry about this pir''s breaking at that time.


    But he required someborers and forgers to start the reinforcing process, and if possible, he wanted to fill the half pool with iron to create a solid iron tform. At that time, he just let them dig as deep as he wanted.


    As for finding people who were up for the task, Jacob knows where to find them, and he was the most powerful person in the Humane Kingdom, so no one would dare to reject him.


    Jacob finally stood up and looked at the gorgeous woman in maid attire which revealed her voluptuous figure, holding a towel in her hand with a bewitching look on her face as saw the water dispersing at an rming rate in astonishment.


    Jacob paid little attention to her attractiveness and jumped toward her andnded on the poolside, snapping Alice from her stupor.


    She instantly looked down when she saw bare-chest Jacob walking over her with a tingle of red on her pale white face. She didn''t dare to look him in eyes anymore.


    Since Jacob had turned her into a ve as a war trophy, she thought Jacob was after her body like others and would rape her and torment her by any means possible because of the tyrannical image he disyed that day.


    She simply could not resist and didn''t want to die either after reaching this point. So, she thought it in another direction. If Jacob was attracted to her and if she could seduce him, who would dare to mess with her?


    Jacob differedpletely from Samuel, she acted normally around Samuel since he wanted to y a gentleman to win over her heart and he was also aware of her talent and required her help once she entered the B-rank so he didn''t dare to force himself on her.


    However, Jacob didn''t seem to care about her beauty status or talent, and by his looks, he was probably younger than her as well.


    That''s why she had to use another approach with him, so she decided to willingly be his ve and do anything he wanted her, even warm his bed and slowly earn his goodwill.


    Although this situation looked disadvantageous and disgusting, for her, it was a tremendous opportunity to exchange her body for the most powerful man in this kingdom.


    Not just her, but all thosedies were sure that Jacob was a debauched man like others because he has every woman living ''with him'' and wore maid clothes.


    But everyone was surprised because they didn''t even see Jacob''s shadow, much less summon them ore into their quarters.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even Alice, who hadplete confidence in her looks and was ready to spring into action that night, was never called, which made her uneasy.


    As for approaching his room on their own, they didn''t have the guts to even look at him, much less barge into his room without his order.


    Only today, Jacob emerged when Harrison reported the news of poolpletion, and he didn''t summon Alice here either.


    But she took the initiative toe here and wait for him obediently.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Yet, it surprised her when sheprehended what Jacob was doing when he didn''t pull his head out for breath for over an hour.


    At first, she thought he was dead, but then she shook her head since it would be too foolish. Nevertheless, if she hadn''t noticed small bubbles appearing asionally, she might''ve believed it.


    Then she thought of another possibility, could it be the secret method to enter the A-rank?


    Alice felt she stumbled upon an enormous secret when she thought of how Jacob was so serious about this pool and covering it.


    She even thought of slipping away, but then she thought about how Jacob had already killed eight mercenaries who tried to escape every time!


    He could really hear everything as he said, so now no one dared to escape!


    So, she also didn''t dare to move and stay there and pretend to be an idiot and hope Jacob would believe it because if it was Jacob''s secret of power, then he will kill her to make sure she won''t reveal it ever!


    However, when she saw the water turning into vapors, she waspletely stunned and felt this was really the secret of Jacob''s power!


    Now, he wasing this way, so she did her best to act shy and attractive so, he won''t notice anything.


    Jacob looked at the alluring Alice, and his lips curled up. "You know how to adapt. I don''t mind, but if you think for a moment that you could escape your fate of being a ve by this, then you''re dead wrong."


    Jacob''s eyes turned cold, which made Alice shudder and thought he was going to kill her. But to her surprise.


    "If you truly serve me well, I won''t mistreat you, either. Even making you an A-rank within one day is a possibility. But¡­" Jacob smiled meaningfully, "Can you prove it?"


    Alice finally looked up with shock and disbelief about what she just heard, and her lips parted. "Y-you can make me A-rank in on-one day?!" She didn''t dare to believe it.


    Jacob merely chuckled mysteriously, took the towel from her hands, and, without caring about her expression, moved on while saying, "Summon Harrison."


    Alice''s heart was almost in her throat as Jacob''s words rang in her head continually like a broken record.


    But she quickly calmed down, and her eyes shimmered with resolved, ''I just have to prove it then.''


    Although she didn''tpletely believe Jacob''s words. While he didn''t kill her despite herprehending his ''secret'', which meant Jacob didn''t care at all.


    Now, more doubts grow in her head, and when she thought about what Jacob just offered her, she now wanted to see if he could make her an A-rank mercenary.


    Besides, it wasn''t like she was losing anything, so she quickly followed Jacob''s order and headed to summon Harrison, who was the only one Jacob called by name.


    Thereupon, Jacob calmly sat on a table full of dishes. He looked at perturbed Harrison, and said, "I want you to call the Guild Leader of the Gunsmith Guild as soon as possible."


    "As yourmand, my lord." Harrison quickly left toplete this mission as if his life depended on it.


    At this time, Alice quickly picked up a dish and started serving Jacob without even him telling her.


    As she served, she suddenly looked into his cold amber eyes deeply and said in a dreamy tone, "I''m yours from now!"

 Chapter 133 Meetings Drew Again

    ?In the evening, the Tyrant Mansion wees its first visitor, who was granted an audience with the Silver Tyrant.


    Many people who were paying close attention to the tyrant''s mansion quickly reported this to their superiors.


    When they found the identity of this visitor, it was none other than the Guild Leader of the Gunsmith Guild of Lionheart City, Drew!


    Because of Jacob''s significance, his background was naturally checked by many. Although his real identity, or from where he hailed, was still a mystery. But his official record at the Start Mercenary Agency and Gunsmith Guild was now an open secret.


    Everyone knew he first appeared in Rain Town and then lived in Lionheart City. But this also made him more mysterious. Because except for these two locations, Jacob appeared nowhere else in the huge Umon Region.


    Most people believed that Jacob''s appearance was actually a disguise to hide his real background. But when the records of the two organizations mention no one sounds sure anymore.


    Those C-rank and above-rank people knew DNA couldn''t be changed, and this is what made them dread the mysterious Silver Tyrant even more.


    Since he had epted no visitors before, the information on him was even more precious. Now that he finally epted a visitor who happened to be someone connected with him, this would arouse much attention.


    However, Jacob didn''t care about it at all as he was sitting on afortable divan while facing him was a burly old man with a stiff expression. He was non-other than the Guild Leader of Lionheart City''s Gunsmith Branch, Drew.


    Alice appeared, holding a tray with an exquisite red whiskey bottle and sses.


    She gracefully put on the sses and poured the translucent red whiskey without expression.


    Drew was shocked when he was this cold yet alluring maid. He naturally knew who this person was and the reason behind her current appearance.


    Nevertheless, it still shocked him when he saw how obedient Alice was behaving. She had epted her identity as a mere ve, and no shame could be seen in her behavior. He looked at the handsome man with awe and trepidation.


    When he heard Jacob was looking for him, his first thought was why he was looking for him after he didn''t meet him when he visited.


    But he didn''t dare to reject, and he also wanted to meet Jacob for another reason as well, so he dropped everything and came here post hastily.


    Alice, at this moment, ced the whiskey ss in front of Drew with no expression. Before, she took the other one and handed it to Jacob with a captivating smile.


    However, Jacob merely took the ss with an unimpressive nce at Alice, which made her somewhat flustered inwardly. But she maintained her smile, and like an obedient maid stood behind Jacob''s divan.


    Since he didn''t tell her to leave, she would remain here and observe. She was also interested in Jacob''s past or what kind of person he was. It was crucial in winning Jacob''s trust.


    Jacob also didn''t mind Alice since he had already nned for her. He smiled faintly when saw Drew''s stiff expression and said, "I heard you visited before?"


    Drew felt his heart rate increase slightly, but when he saw Jacob still had that arrogant yet confident smirk on his face when they first met.


    He felt somewhat relieved and politely nodded. "Yes, but your excellency was busy, and I won''t dare to disturb you."


    Jacob took a sip of whiskey which had an intoxicating smoky and malty vor. He didn''t know where Harrison bought this, but it was at least two or three decades old. He was an adorer of good alcohol, and this whiskey was only subpart but still good enough for current human civilization.


    Furthermore, he chuckled, "There''s no need to be polite with an old friend. Just call me Jack. So, why do you want to visit before? I was upied with something at that time. You can speak freely."


    Drew was familiar with Jacob''s tone, ''Is this really the cold-blooded Silver Tyrant everyone is talking about?'' He thought with uncertainty now.


    Nevertheless, since Jacob still behaved like his old self, he was more at ease and spoke, "To tell you the truth, I didn''t want to disturb you, and I wasn''t even sure it was you, actually. But your portraits had been spreading all over the kingdom, so I know it was you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow. "I didn''t know I be so famous within a week." He sounded surprised, but he wasn''t, actually. On the contrary, he was unimpressed. ''This is the real disadvantage of medieval technology.''


    ''After you killed a B-rank mercenary and made a Duke''s daughter ve, you''re still acting in surprise?'' Drew smiled wryly and didn''t want toment on this and changed the topic, "Nevertheless, it didn''t take long before your information was dug out, especially within the agency and the guild.


    "It''s very easy once someone provides them with your registration name, and I think it was that old bastard f who revealed your registration name to the information broker." A hint of anger appeared in his eyes. "I knew what he did back then when you suddenly vanished, but I don''t have proof. But that bastard ran too fast the moment you appeared this time."


    Alice was shocked by this revtion, and she looked at Jacob, who was calmly sipping on his whiskey as if he was listening to trivial things.


    ''Did someone try to scheme against him when he was keeping a low profile, or he wasn''t as strong as now before?'' She thought.


    "I don''t care about this small matter, even if they know about my identity. Do you think they can do anything to me?" Jacob asked with a wintry smile, which made Drew shudder slightly.


    He knew Jacob merely stated the fact. No one would dare to mess with Jacob right now unless they have a death wish like Samuel. He was the strongest person in the entire Kingdom.


    Furthermore, he sighed, "Forgive me, I just made a fool out of myself. The important matter why I was here was because I received a message from the Guild Master of Royal Humane City."


    His expression turned serious as he said, "He''ll be visiting you personally, and I think you should hear him out since it might be beneficial to you. But of course, if you didn''t want, you could simply reject him."


    Drew sighed inwardly. The Gunsmith Guild Master of the capital city was an extremely prominent figure. But now he wasing here personally to meet with Jacob, and he even required someone like him to introduce him to Jacob.


    Drew knew Jacob was actually a Basic Gunsmith, and his attainment might be even higher than this and he was hiding it.


    So, the visit of this entric guild master was not a surprise to him since he would do the same after finding out about Jacob''s talent in gunsmithing. He was a freak in his eyes!


    As long as Jacob announced his rtion with the Gunsmith Guild, their status would sour, surpassing the Apothecary Guild!


    But the person in question was the Silver Tyrant. If he rejected them, would they dare to push their luck? The answer was a huge no!


    As long as there wasn''t someone stronger than Jacob backing them, they couldn''t force Jacob to do anything. The Alchemy Guild behind them won''t care for their lives as long as no external force intervenes or if they poke a ho nest themselves.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with a subtle glint as he nodded. "I''ll consider it. Now is the reason I call you here."


    Drew held his breath. He was even more nervous than the time he took his basic gunsmith exam.


    "I need your assistance in two matters." Jacob stated coolly, "First, I want a gunsmith workshop and a proper smithy in the basement of this mansion. Is it possible? Money is not an issue."


    Drew''s eyes widened slightly and fell into deep thought before he answered, "It can be arranged since you''re a basic gunsmith. I can even send a message to capital, and the Guild Master will provide the most advanced equipment we currently have."


    "Alright, this will work as well." Jacob agreed quickly, "As for the second thing, it''s about the pool in the backyard. I want to create an iron tform. Look at this. You''ll understand what I''m talking about."


    Jacob ''pulled out'' a paper from a pocket and tossed it toward Drew, who caught it and opened it with uncertainty.


    Alice was also quite curious about what Jacob was talking about, but she remained expressionless and only observed. She was astonished when she heard he was also a basic gunsmith.


    As a daughter of a duke, she knew those gunsmiths of basic level were all bunch of Old Men, and their strength was meager, but they were all respected by the Kingdom. Because of the firearms they developed and made their military power strong.


    Drew saw the design and was slightly shocked, but it was a simple matter for him. He fooled the paper, put it in his pocket, and solemnly nodded, "Consider it done!"

 Chapter 134 King’s Move

    ?The next morning,


    Jacob opened his eyes and then looked at the pale white delicate hand over his muscr chest. A naked beauty was sleeping right beside him, revealing herscivious assets. She was naturally Alice who tasted the forbidden fruitst night.


    There wasn''t any ripple in Jacob''s expression. He was like usual as if it wasn''t a big deal for him.


    But he can''t deny the fact that Alice was the first woman he slept with in this world, and she was a noble princess, regardless.


    Yet, he felt nothing besides the transient pleasure, and all that time, he was controlling his strength or he knew what would''ve happened if he let himself loose with his current physique.


    Alice was important to his n, and he couldn''t have her die right now, or it would be hard to find a recement.


    That''s why he let her get close to him in the first ce and give her hope amid despair. He was making it clear she could only rely on him here, and her resistance was meaningless.


    He could''ve easily made her a ve with a parasite gem. Furthermore, he still has six low-level parasite gems. It wasn''t hard. But he didn''t require a puppet this time like the sunset duke.


    After wearing his clothes, Jacob left the room and headed toward the pool, which has been filled again.


    He was still working on increasing his heart rate with water meditation, and he felt he might learn how to control it with it, but it was still just spection. He couldn''t even start it yet, nor he was in a hurry.


    This ability was a double-edged sword, and he didn''t was to be on the receiving end of this sword, so he''ll take advantage of this situation.


    Since the pool size wasn''t dangerous to him, he''ll practice it until Drew''s men arrived and started the pool''s renovation ording to his design.


    Once it was done, he won''t have to worry about it until the three hours mark was crossed.


    Although it seemed he was wasting time by staying here and not leaving toward the higher region. But Jacob didn''t think so, not after he left the sunset duke''s estate that day and considered it.


    If anything, he would lose an opportunity if he left now!


    After Jacob left, inside his room,


    Alice, who seemed to be in a deep sleep, suddenly opened her beautiful emerald eyes filled with difficult emotions.


    When she thought about how bold she wasst night, she blushed profusely.


    ''Is he still not convinced that I''m no longer resisting?'' She thought as she looked at the ce where Jacob was a few moments ago.


    ''Well, how could it be so easy? That man is not as simple as he seemed on the surface. Although he looked young, his eyes are as tranquil as an old-wise king. I don''t know if I''m lucky or pitiful.'' She thought for a long time absent-mindedly.


    No matter how cold or indifferent she had been in the past, she was still a youngdy with a sky-like ambition.


    ---


    In the afternoon,


    Many people entered the tyrant mansion with big horse-drawing carriages which again arouse the spies'' attention.


    After some investigation, it turned out that these people were from the gunsmith guild and some were cksmiths.


    The carriages were filled with iron and many cksmith equipments.


    As for what they were for, only the people inside that mansion knows, and no one dared to step in it because it was too dangerous.


    Jacob''s every move was monitored because of his current status, and he still hadn''t left the mansion yet, as if he had made that ce his base of operation.


    No one could tell what he was nning, but with all these materials and cksmiths, it was clear he was making something.


    It draws attention to Gunsmith Guild Leader Drew, who had visited the Tyrant just a day before thisrge movement started, but Drew also remained silent and indifferent.


    Just like this, three more days passed,


    This day, the tyrant mansion received a visit from another noble, but it wasn''t just any noble. It was the Marquis who had previously upied Gloria City and the Baron of Gloria Country also with him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Lionheart City Lord and many other bigwigs of the Gloria country also followed them.


    They all wanted to pay respect to the Silver Tyrant who was hailed presumably from the Gloria Country, and the Marquis even wanted to invite Jacob into his fief, even handing over the entire fief as the matter of fact.


    Yet, they were all rejected at the gates.


    In the end, they had no choice but to leave since this person wasn''t someone who they can push around.


    However, the Marquis was a shrewd fellow, he didn''t leave. Instead, he ordered vacant the entire lion street and bought it the very day.


    Since he can''t have an audience with the Tyrant, he will show his willingness to meet him by living on lion street and paying his respect every day.


    No one thought that this action was foolish because if he earned Silver Tyrant''s goodwill or just his attention, who would dare to mess with him openly again?


    The Silver Tyrant was even more famous than the King!


    This action made many nobles panic since they were a step behind.


    Now, the Marquis, the Gloria Baron, and the Lionheart City Lord all moved on the lion street andpletely closed off the area, which also root out the spies of different nobles.


    This act made many furious, but no one caused amotion since this Marquis wasn''t someone to trifle with, and only a Duke could overpower him.


    Just like that, an entire month passed without any big moments from the Silver Tyrant except for some carriages going in or out.


    This day, however, arge movement was reported, but not from the Tyrant, but from the Capital City which has been dormant from the start.


    Arge entourage left the Humane City with many powerful figures, even the Humane King and Knight-Marshal were included, and their destination was none other than Gloria Country, and this entourage was like a small army, nheless.


    Everyone thought that all this time the King was preparing, and now that he was done, the King was finally going to announce his dominance!


    Although the silver tyrant is portrayed as invincible. But can he fight with an army of knights?


    No one knew the answer, but one thing was clear: they were going to find out soon.


    This news also reached lionheart city and the people staying in it.


    Their first reaction was to vacate the entire city since it will be going to be a colossal mess if the knights fought with Silver Tyrant.


    Those nobles with Marquis also left the city to a safe area until the result was out.


    Although they all wanted to form goodwill with Tyrant, they didn''t want to burn the bright with the royals either, since it was still unclear who would win. The Tyrant was, after all, just a single person in the end.


    Besides the members of power square and the tyrant mansion, the entire city was deserted within two days.


    Jacob, who was looking at the almost done metal pool, naturally received the reports of this movement. Everyone seemed tense, including Alice, who was now even more charming and always stayed at Jacob''s side like a shadow.


    Although she didn''t know the limit of Jacob''s power, she didn''t know if Jacob could fend off an army of trained knights. Especially Knight-Marshal Gnt, who was also a Nightmare Knight.


    The Nightmare Knight Legion was a fable entity between the higher-ups of the humans, and they had too many astonishing legends surrounding them. The Zodiac Warriors Alliance was famous for its unmatched strength, so its members won''t be a pushover either.


    However, Jacob remained calm and aloof. He didn''t show any worry about their movement, which made many doubts Jacob''s mentality again.


    At night, Alicey naked in Jacob''s arms with perspiration all over her charming body while her breath was slightly stiff, and she looked at Jacob''s impassive face with worry.


    "Are you really not afraid of the King? I heard Philip III is a very astute and wily ruler, and he''s someone who enjoyed being in power. He won''t let you take away his control so easily." She spoke with worry.


    It was the only time she could speak and approach Jacob freely, without fear or restraint. She still didn''t know if she had won his trust or not, but she was doing her best to earn her spot.


    Jacob nced at the alluring beauty who now looked like a mature woman, not a youngdy anymore.


    However, his expression was still apathetic, even after spending a month with her. He suddenly said at this moment, "I heard your father might be in this group. Tell me, will you kill him if asked you to?"

 Chapter 135 Gathering At Tyrant Mansion

    ?On this day, arge regiment of armored knights surrounding many big carriages entered the Lionheart City, which waspletely deserted at the moment.


    At the very front was a golden chariot, and its coachman was none other than the Knight-Marshal of the Humane Kingdom, Gnt, d in his ck armor.


    "Garrison the city!" His loud, solemn voice reverberated in the vicinity.


    A small group of knights quickly sprang into action and took the abandoned posts of the lionheart city gates.


    Except for this small group, the main group continues to travel toward lion street.


    Many people were paying attention to this from a distance.


    They knew today the fate of Silver Tyrant or the Royal Family was going to be decided and whoeveres out on top will be the de facto ruler of the entire Humane Kingdom.


    The King was here with his personal royal knights and the Knight-Marshal, as well as many high-ranking nobles with their personal guards, were also following him.


    There were three more people who were of superior status in this lineup: the Star Mercenary Agency Master and the strongest B-Rank Mercenary, Loop, before Silver Tyrant appeared.


    The second was the Intermediate Gunsmith and the face of the Gunsmith Guild, Isham.


    Lastly, the Guild Leader of the Apothecary Guild of the capital city''s branch and also known as the Miracle Hands, ke.


    Just these three were enough to stir a tremendous storm in the Humane Kingdom, but they never appeared together.


    Now, not only the members of ck Knights, with a Nightmare Knight but all the represented of main guilds in Humane King have appeared together with the King himself.


    No one knew how Silver Tyrant will react or what these people were going to do today. But it''s going to be history for sure.


    Soon, the marching knights and carriages entered lion street and approached the Tyrant Mansion without stopping.


    In the Tyrant Mansion, the atmosphere was as tense as it could get.


    All those tiger''s den mercenaries were extremely anxious since they knew an army wasing, and they might be the very first ones to suffer if the Silver Tyrant didn''t yield.


    They were all living constantly in fear of the Silver Tyrant all this time because every time they tried to escape or sneak out of the mansion, the silver tyrant would mysteriously kill them and leave their corpses for everyone to see.


    So, they knew escaping was impossible under an A-rank expert.


    But now the entire kingdom''s experts wereing, and they were even more appalled because they all knew what kind of personality Silver Tyrant had, and there was over 80% chance that he will start fighting thanpromise.


    At this moment, sounds of powerful footsteps rang in the silent vicinity of lion street, and those mercenaries knew they had arrived!


    "What are you doing? Since the army is here, do you still think he has the time to care about us? That motherfucker is treating us like miners and killing us without batting an eye. Besides, I don''t think he can survive an army attack. He''s just one person!" A short man with bruises on his face whispered to the man beside him, who was all filled with bruises.


    They had all been digging constantly every day for the past month and only had been excused two days ago. If they weren''t C-rank, they might''ve died of the workload and suffocation.


    Nevertheless, this still affects their mental states greatly, and all the pride they once had long been shattered.


    But they still didn''t submitpletely and wanted to be free and required just a small opening.


    Now that the chance was here, if they didn''t use it, they would either be killed or be used as cannon folds in this uing event.


    After thinking for a moment, the man beside the short man decisively nodded. "The moment the army barge in, we''ll flee from the east side."


    Not only these two, but almost all the tiger''s den men have these thoughts.


    As for women, they were living fortably'' in the mansion, and they would see them now and then working as maids, which was far better than mining like ves.


    As for their vice-captain Alice, she hadpletely changed and submitted to Silver Tyrant or it could also be just a sham until she had a chance to escape or even backstabbed him.


    Whatever the case was, everyone was for themselves right now.


    At this moment, sounds of hooves suddenly stopped at the main gate, and everyone saw a golden chariot stopping in front of the mansion while the ck armor Gnt gazed at the mansion coldly.


    At this moment, he opened his mouth, and a powerful voice reverberated in the vicinity, "The King of Humane Kingdom demands an audience with Silver Tyrant!"


    However, he wasn''t the only one. Another voice rang from a carriage. "The Star Mercenary Agency seeks an audience with Senior Silver Tyrant!"


    Another followed thereupon, "The Gunsmith Guild seeks an audience with Senior Silver Tyrant!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lastly, "The Apothecary Guild seeks an audience with his excellency Silver Tyrant!"


    Everyone was dumbfounded because they all thought they would barge in and then demand Silver Tyrant toe out, but it didn''t happen.


    Besides the King demanding an audience which seemed quite appropriate for his status, the other three bigwigs were very polite. As if they would turn back if the Silver Tyrant rejected them.


    Now everyone was waiting for the Silver Tyrant''s reply, and if he acted unreasonably, he would lose his reputation and make it even worse than it already had been.


    They didn''t have to wait for long, though.


    At this moment, the closed door of the mansion parted, and a middle-aged man wearing butler attire with an expressionless face appeared. He was Harrison, and right now he was as famous as Silver Tyrant under the title of Silver Tyrant Butler.


    However, unlike in the past, Harrison didn''t seem as old or timid while facing such pressure, and his eyes were filled with boundless confidence and hidden might.


    He walked toward the gates followed by a group of beautiful maids who were former C-rank mercenaries of Tiger''s Den.


    Gnt''s eyes narrowed when he saw Harrison, and for some reason, he felt slightly threatened by this Butler which made him somewhat baffled. But his expression didn''t change at all and remained stoic.


    Harrison eyed the legendary figure and the former strongest expert of the Humane Kingdom, and a peculiar glint shed past his eyes.


    But he didn''t lose his bearing as the butler of the Tyrant and bowed lightly before he uttered in an impassive tone, "My Lord wee everyone, and he invites anyone with the status of Duke and higher inside. As for the three organizations, he would only wee B-Rank Mercenaries and Basic Apothecaries. Except the Gunsmith Guild is granted entry as a whole. As for everyone else¡­"


    Harrison suddenly straightened his back and coldly looked at the Marshal and said, "They didn''t have the qualification to meet my lord!"


    The atmosphere be icy all of a sudden when Harrison''s voice faded, and those mercenaries looked at the butler, baffled by his guts.


    Gnt squinted his eyes as he looked at Harrison coldly. He didn''t know why, but this butler was really making him uneasy. By the way; he was staring at him with no fear, it made him even more sure that this man wasn''t simple.


    "The Star Mercenary Agency agreed!"


    "The Gunsmith Guild gratefully agreed."


    "The Apothecary Guild agreed with his excellency''s arrangement."


    Soon the representatives of the three organizations quickly agreed with this arrangement, and only the King was left to agree on behalf of the Kingdom.


    "Granted!" An imposing voice sounded within the golden chariot filled with authority, but there was a hint of resignation mixed within.


    Harrison''s lip curled up slightly and bowed again before he ordered, "Open the gates!"


    Soon, fifteen carriages entered the tyrant mansion with the golden chariot.


    Nine out of fifteen carriages belonged to the gunsmith guild, while others were from different organizations and duke-rank figures.


    The other carriages waited outside with the knights.


    Gnt disembarked the chariot and opened the door respectfully.


    Soon, Philip III disembarked the carriage wearing silver king''s robes, and a handsome young man followed suit, who was the crown prince of the Humane Kingdom, Jude.


    From behind, Riley Duke appeared with a somewhat anxious expression.


    Another duke disembarked his carriage. He was the youngest brother of the King, and the second duke of the Humane Kingdom, Duke Nathan.


    Then three mercenaries appeared, two tall men and a mature, beautiful woman. They were all B-ranks!


    Two Basic Apothecary, and three Basic Gunsmiths with some other important members of the Gunsmith Guild.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, please follow me." Harrison signal.


    "That Butler isn''t simple. Heh, this trip might be more advantageous than we thought." A tall middle-aged mercenary softly uttered to hispanions before they followed behind Harrison like everyone else.


    Before long, they all entered the mansion under many eyes, and the gates were closed. No one knows what they''re going to discuss with Silver Tyrant.


    But everyone was now waiting for the end result!

 Chapter 136 King Philip III

    ?Harrison led everyone toward the main hall where sitting was arranged beforehand.


    However, no one cared about the decoration or any other thing, but everyone''s focus was on the tall, long silver hair man with a devilish appearance wearing ck. He was calmly sitting on a throne chair while looking at them impassively. He was none other than Silver Tyrant.


    They all had seen this man''s portraits and heard the stories about his prowess and tyranny, but in person, he looked nothing like the rumor.


    Alice also stood behind Jacob with no emotions on her gorgeous icy face, but if someone observed her closely, she was slightly taller, and her appearance was more mature and alluring. She also didn''t wear her maid outfit today, but a beautiful ck dress, outlining her mature captivating figure.


    Even the expressionless Philip couldn''t help but nce at Alice twice with some ripple in his eyes.


    The most astonishing was naturally Duke Riley, Alice''s father. From the spies'' reports, Alice was working as a maid, but now she didn''t look like a maid or ve at all.


    On the contrary, he could tell his daughter was even more beautiful and seemed more confident than her past self.


    As for those B-Rank mercenaries, including Gnt, they couldn''t tell if Jacob was dangerous or not because he didn''t have any kind of dangerous vibe around him. On the contrary, they felt danger from the charming woman standing behind Jacob!


    Jacob looked at everyone, and he didn''t have any intention of moving from his position. He impassively spoke, "Everyone, please have a seat." His deep voice was filled with authority.


    "Please." Harrison gestured for them to pick a seat there was a total of 50 seats facing Jacob''s.


    No one makes a fuss, even Philip, and they all sat down ording to their status.


    The more important ones were sitting in front while the ones with lower status were at the back.


    Jacob looked at everyone, and before anyone could speak, he again took the lead, "How about we start with introductions? I''m unfamiliar with everyone, but I know everyone here knows me. But as a host, I''ll introduce myself properly. I''m Jacob Steve or Silver Tyrant, whichever you guys prefer."


    No one hesitated afterward and introduced themselves well except Philip. He remained silent while looking at Jacob emotionlessly. His introduction was done by Gnt.


    Jacob merely nodded at everyone''s greeting. While he also felt some ill intent from three people, he was extremely sensitive to danger because of his heightened senses. But he said nothing.


    After the introduction was done, Jacob spoke. "Since the pleasantries are out of the way, let''se to the main topic. I don''t enjoy talking in circles, and I know everyone here is for something, including me."


    He then looked at Philip, who hadn''t spoken since the start, and calmly said, "How about we start with the king? What did His Majesty want?"


    The room was silent as everyone looked at Jacob, who seemedpletely fearless. He never showed any gesture or respect toward Philip from the start, and neither did Philip utter a single word.


    No one knows why Philip even agreed to meet with Jacob, who could kill him if wanted and not remain hidden within his army.


    Although there were four B-rankers present in this hall, three of them had no desire to fight with Jacob, and they will not act even if Philip''s life was threatened. Only Gnt was his shield.


    But when they looked at the butler and the charming woman standing by Jacob''s side, they knew Jacob wasn''t the only threat here. He was more mysterious and unfathomed than any of them have thought.


    They couldn''t even sense danger from Jacob, which means he wasn''t a danger, but death itself, which can''t be sensed or gauged!


    Even those two Dukes keep their mouths shut and just observe. Duke Riley also kept a lid on it, or he really wanted to question Jacob about making his daughter a ve.


    very wasn''t legal in the Humane Kingdom well, at least on the surface.


    But Duke Riley didn''t have the guts to say those exact words anymore, and he couldn''t even tell if his daughter was really a ve or if all this was just a sham. But he will let his brother take the lead this time and test the water.


    King Philip finally spoke under Jacob''s cold eyes, "Since Sir. Jacob is so straightforward, it would be rude for us to not do the same.


    "As Sir said, I was indeed here for something, and that was to see if you are strong enough to fight with an army or not. I want to see if you could be tame."


    Everyone looked at Philip as if he was a madman at this moment, and they wanted to get further away from him. He was simply crazy to say those words out loud before Jacob.


    Either he didn''t want to live anymore, or he was simply confident in walking here alive.


    Philip''s blunt provocation bbergasted even the two Dukes. He would never do this normally. They wondered if he lost his will to fight after meeting Jacob and now wanted to drag everyone down with him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Gnt was also tense when he heard this and subconsciously tightened his muscles. If Jacob attacked, he''ll have no choice but to act as well.


    Harrison''s expression also turned slightly dangerous at this moment, while a ruthless glint shed past Alice''s eyes.


    However, Jacob didn''t appear angry at all. On the contrary, he suddenly smiled amusingly and said, "So, what do you think now? Is it possible to achieve?"


    Philip shook his head and said, "No, you''re far more powerful than anyone in this room. I never thought the Human Kingdom will have an expert like you. So, I''m willing to submit the throne to you with no resistance."


    Another astonishing silence descended after Philip''s deration.


    "Your Majesty!"


    The crown prince, Jude, Gnt, and two dukes were abruptly shouted because this was too crazy!


    Philip never said anything about handing over the Kingdom''s throne to Silver Tyrant.


    However, Philippletely ignored them and smiled. "But even if I''m willing to give away the throne, you won''t take it since it isn''t what you want. So, can you tell me what you want now?"


    Jacob couldn''t help but looked Philip in a new light. ''So, this is the current King of Humane Kingdom, huh? A wise and ruthless ruler indeed. If the Killer Skull Society hadn''t been involved, he might lead the Kingdom in some unexpected direction.''


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® It was his view of Philip. He was really a politician and knew how to read situations well.


    Jacob replied, "Indeed, I don''t want your throne nor kingdom. But my goal is not something you guys should know."


    Everyone looked at Jacob and Philip with uncertainty. No one knew what was the other party thinking. They were evenly matched in this psychological game of words.


    But the difference was Philip was bound to lose in the end.


    Jacob continued, "I will give you advice before you leave. Don''t start a war with trolls unless you want aplete annihtion of your people. I won''t interfere no matter what, I''m just a passerby, and I''ll leave this ce any time I want, and no one will be able to stop me."


    Philip looked at Jacob deeply before he frowned. "You know something, don''t you, about that abrupt war?"


    They all looked seriously at Jacob now. It waspletely unexpected.


    Jacob merely chuckled and didn''t hide. "I know enough, and trust me, you''ll be doing the trolls a favor if you start the war. My discussion with the members of the three hegemonies was also rted to this topic.


    "But I don''t think anyone who isn''t a member of the three hegemonies should hear it. It''s for your good.


    "Now that you have got your answer, you should leave. I won''t interfere with your kingdom politics, and I don''t want any kingship, either. I would leave once I achieved my aim. This ce is nothing but countryside for me."


    The members of the royal family were all baffled by Jacob''s ambiguous answer and the way he was talking.


    While the members of the three hegemonies were startled, it appeared there wasn''t the only one with motives to approach Jacob, but he had his motives as well, and this motive might be even bigger than theirs.


    Philip really didn''t like this situation because he could guess something was amiss with the trolls from the start, and Jacob knew, but he didn''t want to leave when he was so close to the truth.


    But Jacob had already rified that it would be dangerous for them to know while giving a subtle warning.


    "Will the Knight-Marshal be part of this discussion since he''s a member of the Nightmare Knight Legion?" He asked.


    "Yes, that''s why I said three hegemonies." Jacob merely chuckled.


    "Very well. I''ll be waiting outside for the marshal." Philip gave a meaningful look at Gnt before he stood up.


    Duke Riley seemed to hesitate as he nced at Alice.


    Jacob coldly said at this moment, "You two leave as well!"

 Chapter 137 A Secret (1)

    ?After the meeting with the nobles of the Humane Kingdom, which only took about ten minutes of Jacob''s time, only the members of the three hegemonies remained.


    Jacob even sent Alice and Harrison out because it would make everyone more serious about what Jacob was about to tell them.


    He didn''t even let King Philip hear it, so it naturally drew others'' attention.


    Jacob looked at the top members of three organizations and coolly asked, "Before I start, can I ask why the three of you wanted to visit me together? I can understand the mercenary agency and gunsmith guild, but what about the Apothecary Guild? I had no ties with them."


    Jacob looked at ebony face man who looked ordinary and calm, but he was actually the Miracle Hands, ke, the top Apothecary of the Humane Kingdom, and beside him was a middle age man with noble bearing, he was the vice leader of the Apothecary Guild Dn.


    ke had observed Jacob''s conversation with Philip and knew how hard it was to deal with Philip, but even that man seemed helpless against him and could only give up.


    Nevertheless, Philip got what he wanted, and there was no need for him to push Jacob around. All he wanted was authority over the Humane Kingdom, and since Jacob wasn''t interested, he had no reason to make an enemy of Jacob.


    As Jacob said, this ce was like the countryside to him, and he would leave when the timees, and everyone believed him.


    ke smiled politely and said, "I''m ke. Your excellency is far more extraordinary than the rumors describe you to be. I also didn''t enjoy beating around the bush, nor do I know how. I''m just a public servant and here, for this exact matter, which will increase the variety of our servers.


    "My two fellow associates from the Gunsmith Guild and Star Mercenary Agency might have the same purpose as me."


    ke suddenly looked toward the tall, middle-aged man with a handsome appearance, wearing light ck armor. He was Loop, the mercenary agency leader, and then Isham, who was an old man with bronze skin and white hair.


    ke smiled meaningfully at them, which made both of them re at him.


    This revtion did not surprise Jacob, and neither was Gnt, who was silently watching.


    Since Loop and Isham didn''t retort to ke''s im, he continued, "Your excellency, the thing is since you''re the first A-Rank Mercenary among the humans, this signifies something extraordinary for the entire human society."


    "Oh? I''m listening." Jacob was slightly intrigued.


    ke nodded and spoke, "As you may know, Humans are known for being an umon species since we originate from an umon region. But this is not our actual rank, or more clearly, this rank is not perpetual."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when heprehended the hidden meaning behind ke''s words. "You mean the umon rank is like a price tag that can be changed by the quality of the goods at any time? But who put this price tag or put it simply, who decided the rank of the human species?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob clearly had no idea about how a species'' rank was decided and after he found out about the bloodline limit break, this also means a species'' rank wasn''t permanent. They can evolve with limit breaks, and the titan tears'' existence was proof of this.


    Meanwhile, the twelvemon tiers and nine rare tiers sound more like some level system than species ssification.


    It would be more urate to say that beings were divided into levels with countless possibilities to reach a higher level. As for the threshold of these levels, it might be the real scale to separate species.


    Nevertheless, it was still unclear, and Jacob wasn''t strong enough to know about these levels yet. As Immortika said, with his meager strength, it won''t make any difference, even if Jacob had all the knowledge of this world.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® But what ke just said also straightened his theory about the levels of individuals and that nothing was permanent besides one''s own limit.


    ke couldn''t help smiling profoundly when he heard Jacob putting aplicated thing in such a simple way. He nodded. "As his excellency just said, it''s a mere tag that can be changed by the quality at any time.


    "But it''s not so simple either. We were given an umon title when we joined the ranks of intelligent species. Although even those mindless animals also have the umon tag, as an intelligent species we have the right to change it as long as weplete some certain conditions."


    At this time, Loop spoke, "Guild Leader ke, as always, left some important details. Let me fill them up to make it easy to understand."


    ke merely nced at Loop but didn''t stop him.


    Loop also won''t let ke stool the limelight and quickly say, "The umon species rank was given to humans on the base we can only remain in umon ranks.


    "To gain this rank, we have to show our ability to adapt and prove that we were worthy of this rank. But even that wasn''t enough unless we could draw the attention of someone with the power to give us this rank.


    "More than a hundred years ago, when we were hunted down by the goblins and trolls like livestock and still live in rural tribes, we didn''t just acquire the kingdom title of our own. But with someone''s help, who happened to be the person who had the authority to grant us the umon rank!" Loop stated mysteriously.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly. ''It seemed I was right about humans having the protection of someone from the upper regions, or those trolls and goblins won''t let them establish their kingdom so easily and then let them grow.


    ''This might be the biggest secret of the Humane Kingdom, and even the killer skull society might didn''t know about it, and if they continue to push them around in that war¡­''


    Gnt coldly spoke at this moment while meaningfully looking at Jacob, "I think you have already guessed it!"

 Chapter 138 A Secret (2)

    ?Jacob calmly looked at Gnt and asked, "So, you guys have a backer, and if the trolls really wanted to exterminate humans, you guys will contact that backer. Am I right?"


    Gnt didn''t hide and nodded, "Yes."


    But Jacob suddenly smiled, "But you guys didn''t and let thousands of people die and almost lost your capital. Let me guess, you can only contact this person once, and it might not be for help either.


    "This call is for something else, and after listening to you guys, I reckon it has something to do with the rank change. Did I guess right?"


    Gnt and everyone else in the room''s eyes widened when they heard this because it was exactly the case!


    It was a core secret that people with the same status inside this room could only know.


    But Jacob had guessed it with little clues. The threat of this man in front of them reached another level higher.


    Isham spoke for the first time at this moment, "Your excellency really deserved to be the strongest in the entire umon region.


    "You have guessed almost all the truth and the biggest secret of humans, which didn''t know by many.


    "This method ofmunication was indeed for us to increase our rank once the timees. We also weren''t sure if that benefactor would help us solve this crisis, it has been over hundreds of years already, and that person might not be alive anymore.


    "That''s why we were hesitating for long, but then you appeared, and the war stopped, and we didn''t have to waste that chance at all.


    "But not only your appearance solved the crisis, but it alsopleted one of the conditions to raise our rank from umon to rare."


    Jacob was quite curious about these conditions now. "What are the other conditions?"


    Loop answered, "The most important one is someone with A-rank strength, which will prove our bloodline potentiating. Then we required an advanced-level figure in any profession. Either an Advance Gunsmith or an Advance Apothecary. Lastly, a Nightmare Knight.


    "Once these three conditions wereplete, we were told that we would be granted a safe passage and a piece ofnd in the rare region, and our species would then upgrade to the rare species as well.


    "The entire process wasn''t described, but the three hegemonies have a very important part in this. That''s why we were here to discuss these with you, and King Philip also knew about it.


    "But under the pretext of testing your strength, he led the army here, but it seemed we were underestimating his excellency."


    Gnt shed a sharp nce at Loop when he heard this timid fellow who always hid whenever he saw him in the past now had be brave enough to bad-mouth the king in front of him without having any fear.


    But he knew he couldn''t do anything to Loop with Jacob here, and Loop knew that too so he could only pretend he heard nothing.


    Isham ignored Loop''s content expression after getting back at Gnt and sincerely looked at Jacob, "From his excellency''s record, you''re also a Basic Gunsmith, but Drew said you might have the skills of an Advance Gunsmith. It means all the conditions can be met, and we can upgrade our rank and leave this ce for good.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Didn''t your excellency want to go in the rare region also? This way, you can take your entire race with you and don''t have to be afraid of being lonely.


    "Not only that, but I heard the resources in the rare region were also ample, and every species with an A-rank expert had many advantages over those without any.


    "Even if you don''t want to be a ruler, as long as you help us upgrade our rank, we''ll be eternally grateful and all the future generations for this immeasurable kindness."


    Everyone looked at Jacob with hope in their eyes.


    They were all here to persuade Jacob to agree to this, and he didn''t have any reason to say no because he wasn''t losing anything. On the contrary, once they enter the rare region, he would have millions of loyal followers under him.


    It was far better than being alone.


    Jacob''s expression didn''t change at all, and looked at all of them somewhat amused, and said, "If only it was so easy. Since you guys said your piece, let me say mine now. It was also the reason I sent the nobles out."


    Everyone looked at each other with uncertainty. They were forgotten for the moment that Jacob also had something to tell them that required the absence of the nobles.


    Gnt also looked at Jacob with some suspicion, because Jacob didn''t seem to be moved at all, as if this was a trivial matter.


    Jacob coolly said at this moment, "I''m warning everyone if any of this information leaks from this room, trust me, no one will remain alive. Not even me, and we all have to be extremely secretive about it. Is that clear?"


    Everyone nodded with grave expressions when they heard this. Even an A-rank expert like Jacob was afraid.


    "First, I would like to break your illusion. I''m not the only A-rank expert in umon. But the trolls also have one, and they had one far before my appearance!" Jacob said matter-of-factly.


    "How is that possible?!" Gnt rebutted without hesitation.


    He knew this was nothing but a joke because they won''t be alive if trolls had an A-rank expert, and they also won''t back down if they had one since they won''t fear Jacob at all.


    Everyone thought the same.


    Jacob expected it and calmly said, "See? You know nothing about anything. Let me ask you again, do you know about the killer skull society?"


    Again silence, and everyone looked at Jacob with doubt since they had never heard of this name before.


    Jacob sighed ruefully, "Yet, you still dare to think of entering the rare region? Howughable. I want everyone to contact higher region branches, and if you can''t then use that opportunity to contact that person and tell him that the Killer Skull Society¡­!"

 Chapter 139 Retreat?

    ?In the grand room, the nobles were waiting for the meeting between Jacob and the members of the three hegemonies to get over.


    It had already been over half an hour.


    Philip was deep in thought without showing any expression.


    While Duke Riley wanted to have a private chat with his daughter alone so they have also gone somewhere.


    Harrison stood on the side of the west corridor, which led toward the meeting hall with an expressionless face. He was guarding this ce so no one could disturb Jacob.


    At this moment, the sounds of footsteps from the corridor sounded, and everyone looked over. They knew the meeting was over, and Philip was very curious about what Jacob spoke about in private.


    Philip knew Gnt won''t hide it from him. That guy was loyal to a fault. That was why he wasn''t worried when he left the meeting hall.


    Thereupon, Gnt followed by the Loop, Isham, ke, and others appeared, but everyone felt something wasn''t right because their expressions were ashen, as if they had seen a ghost.


    Philip squinted his eyes with curiosity. He really wanted to know what made those high and aloof members of the three organizations lose theirposure, including Gnt who seldom shows such expression.


    However, before Philip could ask or say anything, Gnt said with a pale expression, "We should leave post hastily, your majesty!"


    Philip looked deeply at Gnt before he nodded. "Let''s go."


    He then looked at Harrison and said, "Please deliver my gratitude to Sir. Jacob for giving us his personal time, and he''s wee at the pce at any time he wants."


    Harrison bowed slightly in acknowledgment without saying anything.


    Loop with his other two vice leaders and ke with his vice leader also didn''t want to stay and followed behind.


    Isham was the same, but he didn''t just leave and looked at the burly middle age man and ordered, "You''ll stay here with four others and arrange the equipment to his excellency''s preference.


    "I have to leave. This matter is too serious and doesn''t even whisper about it or let the others. Because even if an iota of what we just hear is true, then we''re really in a huge predicament, and we can''t have our enemies alert."


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® The middle age man was the vice gunsmith guild leader, Kishon.


    Kishon was still incredulous and didn''t want to believe what Jacob said, but they couldn''t ignore it either because once they contact the upper regions, they will find out if it was true or not.


    If it was really true, then they won''t just need the rare or rarer region''s help, but they needed even stronger help to escape this crisis.


    Kishon nodded and quickly agreed with Isham''s arrangement.


    Although they were here to meet with Jacob and also delivered the best equipment they had for a gunsmith, this turn of events was unexpected, so Isham had to leave now or he was nning to set up the workshop himself to earn Jacob''s goodwill.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Duke Riley also appeared at this moment with a somewhat listless expression, while Alice didn''t appear.


    Duke Nathan looked at Duke Riley and sighed ruefully. He had guessed that his niece wasn''t like the past, and now he was sure of it. But it seemed Duke Riley''s problem was meagerpared to those bigwigs. He was also curious about what Jacob revealed to make them in such a hurry.


    At this moment, the crowd outside was waiting for the result of this meeting, and when the closed door of the mansion opened, everyone looked with anticipation while holding their breaths.


    Especially those enved mercenaries of Tiger''s Den. They wanted Silver Tyrant to fall off with the Humane Kingdom, which will make the army outside attack, and they will have their chance to escape.


    However, to everyone''s surprise, every bigwig quickly approached their respective carriage without showing any intention of attacking the tyrant''s mansion.


    King Philip also embarked on his chariot, and Knight-Marshal Gnt took the rein with a solemn expression and drove it toward the exit.


    Gnt opened his mouth at this moment, "Retreat march!" His voice was loud and clear.


    All those knights surrounding the mansion were somewhat bewildered by this order, but they quickly followed the order, and just as they appeared, they surrounded the carriages and retreated back.


    The other nobles in the carriages were also baffled by this retreat order since they all knew King Philip wasn''t someone who would retreat like this when his position was in danger.


    They were now curious about what had happened in the tyrant''s mansion.


    Only the carriages of the gunsmith guild have remained in the mansion now while everyone left.


    King Philip looked at Gnt and spoke, "What happened?"


    Crown Prince Jude wasn''t in the chariot at this moment, and this was deliberately done by Philip, to make sure this conversion won''t be heard.


    He wanted to know what Jacob discussed with them and if has agreed to be the face of humans for the upgradation process.


    Gnt didn''t turn around but his grave voice sounded which could only be heard by Philip, "Your Majesty, if what that man name Jacob said is true, then our lives might not be ours anymore, and we''re just livestock in a terrifying existence eye.


    "I need to contact the legion in the rare region and confirm this as soon as possible. If it turned out to be true, then we should just use that device to report this and hope they are strong enough to save us, or I don''t think humanity will ever be free anymore."


    Philip''s eyes contracted when he heard Gnt''s ambiguous answer, and his calm expression contorted for the first time. He knew Gnt would never say those words, which means this was really a serious problem and much greater than trolls or Jacob.


    "Just what that man revealed?" He asked sternly.


    Gnt suddenly gnashed his teeth before he uttered three words and no longer talk anymore, "Killer Skull Society!"

 Chapter 140 Everything Is Set!

    ?At this moment, Jacob still sat on his throne chair with a faint smile on his face, as if he was in an excellent mood.


    The closed-door suddenly opened at this moment, and a graceful woman entered, who was none other than Alice.


    Jacob looked at Alice and said impassively, "So, how did it go with your father?"


    He still remembered when he asked her if she could kill her father for him. Her answer was very decisive and out of Jacob''s expectations.


    She answered, ''I won''t kill him, but if he stood against you, I''ll do it!''


    Although Jacob''s question was to test Alice''s mindset and just how far she was willing to go for power or his favor. After getting this answer, Jacob was content with Alice and was qualified to be his pawn.


    Alice catwalks toward Jacob as her icy expression breaks into a charming smile, and she stated, "He''s as selfish as ever and wanted information on you. But I just made it clear I''m no longer his tool anymore, and he won''t say such a thing anymore."


    This answer did not surprise Jacob, as he had already expected this. "A trivial matter then. What about your new strength? How confident are you in defeating the kingdom''s marshal?"


    When Alice heard this couldn''t help but remembered that two ck drops Jacob made her consume after she gave him that answer. She first thought Jacob was poisoning her since she didn''t like her repose.


    But the moment she consumed those two ck drops, she felt a strange energy, and soon, she felt her power increase by arge margin. Then Jacob took out a strange device that could measure her strength.


    She was shocked when she heard she was already a B-rank, and after trying some exercises; she knew Jacob wasn''t joking and waspletely convinced that Jacob could help her achieve A rank strength in a day if he wanted with that mysterious ck liquid.


    She was even more shocked and sure when Jacob made Harrison achieve the same strength as her, who wasn''t even an F-rank the next day. Her doubts hadpletely vanished, and she knew Jacob had many secrets, and his prowess might not be just at A-rank.


    Now, she didn''t even think of double-crossing Jacob.


    She truthfully answered, "Marshal Gnt is still stronger because of his vast experience in the army, and I heard he had practiced the fabled Fighter Manual of the Nightmare Knight Legion. That''s why even those three B-rank mercenaries leaders can''t do anything to him."


    There was a hint of respect in her voice for Gnt.


    Jacob nodded because he also thought Gnt was almost an A-rank and he just needed some kind of push, and if he gave him just one drop of titan tears, he would break into the ranks of A-rank experts.


    Just like Alice, who was at the peak of C-rank, easily achieved B-rank after consuming just two titan tears drops while Harrison required 81 drops to achieve B-rank level strength.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for why Jacob chose Harrison and was willing to spend this many titan drops on him, only Jacob knew for now. But Harrison was also now quite loyal and wanted to learn the fighting skills from Alice so he could use his strength more urately.


    Jacob looked at Alice, who was already standing in front of him, and said, "I have a mission for you and if youplete it, you''ll receive 10 more drops of ck liquid."


    Alice''s eyes shimmered in ecstasy when she heard this and blurted, "Tell me, I''ll do anything!"


    Jacob''s lips curled, and told, "Make a trip to the Aureate Kingdom and keep an eye out for anything strange there. If I''m not wrong, trolls might be up to something, and since they withdraw from here, they might seek goblins for trouble next.


    "If a war started there, I want you to observe if they''re collecting the blood of goblins and if they did, there''s no need to get involved ande back without alerting any.


    "But I''m warning you, there might be an existence as strong as me present there if the war started, so don''t get caught, or you''ll be dead."


    Alice''s expression changed when she heard this, "Just what is going on with these wars, and why are such powerful people appearing here?"


    She was naturally curious about this, like anyone else, and Jacob seemed to know more. But what truly made her aghast there were more existences, like Jacob involved here.


    "I also wanted to find out what was going on, and this war might answer some questions. Now prepare. Leave whenever you''re ready and hide your tracks. You don''t need to serve me. Report back in a year if nothing happened." Jacob sternly ordered.


    Alice said nothing before she left with a stern expression. She knew this mission was going to be very difficult, but she was willing to take the risk since it was only about spying, and once shepleted it, she would be closer to bing an A-rank or even higher.


    Jacob watched Alice leave as an astute glint shed past his eyes, ''If I''m not wrong, this war and blood collection is rted to that mutant which I discovered in that forest and that undergroundb.


    ''There''s something in human blood that draw Killer Skull Society here, and it might not be replicable. But it remained to be seen if it was only humans or the umon region which interested the Killer Skull Society.


    ''But I''m eighty percent sure this is all rted to that mutant andb. To get an urate answer, I just needed to find that mutant body. I knew where it was, and they even had some research data on it.


    ''Once this bes clear, and the Humane Kingdom does as I said, everything will be set in ce¡­ I would reap enormous benefits without getting under anyone''s radar, and no one would ever know this.


    ''I need to act in three months just to be on the safe side and make sure to get rid of future trouble. Now that the pool project isplete, I need to learn and control at least 1X fluid eleration!''

 Chapter 141 Achieving 1X Acceleration!

    ?After the ''visit'' from the Kingdom''s army, the lionheart city returned to its normal state.


    Since no dispute between the King and the Silver Tyrant appeared, many thought they both reached some kind of conclusion in secret. Or Silver Tyrant simply yielded to the King, or it might be the other way around.


    Nevertheless, those nobles didn''t dare to make any kind of rumors since both parties were strong, especially the King who had influence over the entire kingdom.


    While Silver Tyrant was still garrison in lionheart city without showing any kind of movement.


    Those enved mercenaries also experienced peace after they were no longer required any minor work, and their duty was just to guard the mansion.


    The gunsmiths also returned after setting up Jacob''s personal workshop in three days.


    However, Jacob never appeared and all these things were handled by Harrison, his trusted butler.


    Harrison has also undergone a change in his personality which had turned from timid to overbearing. He was no longer polite with those mercenaries anymore and acted like a real Tyrant''s Butler.


    Jacob was sitting cross-legged in a meditative state on an iron tform while his head waspletely submerged in water. If one looks at the other half, one will find a dark, deep chasm that is probably over five hundred meters deep.


    At this moment, a faint mist was forming around Jacob and absorbed by Jacob''s body.


    He was already in water meditation status for over two and a half hours, and the water''s oxygen was seeping into Jacob''s body without any resistance. However, Jacob''s focus was on reaming breathing and his heartbeat.


    After Jacob started water meditation in his new pool, which was like a deep well now, he no longer experienced anyck of oxygen, and his heartbeat increased steadily.


    However, Jacob didn''t want to just increase his heartbeat with the help of water meditation. He wanted to control it at will so he could step into 1X eleration at will without requiring any medium.


    After practicing day and night for over three weeks now, he finally bore results, and he can now increase or decrease his heart rate up to 8 BPS without water meditation.


    However, to decrease it, Jacob needs to sit in a meditative state. He can''t decrease it while walking or doing some tasks. Nheless, this was still tremendous progress since it would decrease the chances of his heart rate going berserk in an eleration state.


    His biggest problem was how to exit from fluid eleration, so he wouldn''t die once it started.


    Today, Jacob can finally control his 9 BPS heart rate and was ready to enter the 1X fluid eleration for the first time.


    As more, and more oxygen seeped into his body, the more his heart rate increased and made his blood pump at high speed. If it was any normal human, their heart would''ve exploded, and only Jacob could remain expressionless with no hint of worry.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It also revealed a new aspect of water meditation to Jacob, which was one required an extremely strong body to reach the end of this technique, and an extensive life span was rted to the oxygen absorbed by the body.


    Although he didn''t know the exact changes, this oxygen bought to the body, it wasn''t harmful, and he even felt energized after exiting his meditative state and no longer needed to drink water at all.


    At this moment, Jacob''s closed eyes snapped open as the surrounding water suddenly rippled slightly. His heartbeat was finally 10 beats per second, and he could feel the strange effects on his body and was much more vigorous.


    Suddenly he could feel the blood in his veins circting at high speed and his heartbeat increasing!


    Without wasting even a second, Jacob stood up, breaking the water meditation effect and exited the pool, and quickly sat down in a meditative position again.


    His perspiration was dripping with water drops from his body, and his heart rate was already at 13 BPS within ten seconds. He finally understood why this ability was so dangerous if he didn''t know how to control it.


    He quickly calmed down, but the blood cirction was making it very difficult, but Jacob had ample experience of over three weeks, so he didn''t panic.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Furthermore, he could feel his heart rate no longer increase from 13BPS after he wasn''t under 20-G pressure, and after spending ten minutes the heart rate finally decreased, but Jacob was filled with sweat, and his body looked slightly skinny.


    After fifteen more minutes, the heart rate finally decreased from 10BPS and slowly returned to its normal state.


    Jacob''s expression was now pale as he opened his eyes filled with lingering fear, "Just to return from 13BPS to normal, I burn so much energy. If I were fighting, it would be a huge problem if I didn''t finish my opponent, or I''ll die under my own heart!"


    Jacob suddenly felt like being bulky wasn''t a bad thing, or he required titan tears or something like this potion to replenish his depleted energy.


    Nevertheless, he still has a huge jar filled with titan tears, and he can spare some to control the fluid eleration. Once he gotplete control over it, he could enter and exit 1X eleration at will without wasting any excessive energy.


    But one thing was obvious: the titan tears were going to y a huge part in learning the fluid eleration of higher levels, and this made the elixir even more precious in Jacob''s heart.


    After replenishing his energy with one titan tear''s drop, this time he tried to enter the 1X eleration without water meditation help¡­


    Just like that, 30 more days pass as Jacob never exited the pool area all this while without caring about what was happening in the mansion or in the umon region.


    On this day, Jacob finally left the pool area. He looked pale and skinnier, but his eyes were filled with calmness and vigor.


    This time, he headed toward his new workshop in the basement and started working on upgrading the titan sniper and new bullets!

 Chapter 142 Do You Want To Be Silver Tyrant?

    ?Somewhere in the zodiac ins,


    In a dimly lit room, a being with a ck horn was kneeling in front of a blurry projection.


    An aged voice sounded at this moment, "I contact you for an urgent matter, that could only be handled by you guys. For obvious reasons, we can''t get involved in matters of this ce."


    The kneeling being said nothing and remained silent, and continued to listen attentively.


    "Send some people to the outermon in. The Killer Skull Society is doing something there, and their target happened to be our branch, so make sure to make it clear. Also, migrate our branch into the centralmon ins with our other branch in that ce without notice of anyone.


    "This one seemed more promising than that one, and once they have starwork assistance, they might have the potential to cross themon ins.


    "Make sure no one found any connection with us, and as for the branch in the central ins, tell them to take care of this branch like their own people.


    "Just to be on the safe side, wipe the entire outermon ins, including the dark city there, and put the me on Killer Skull Society.


    "Since they dared to touch our people, they should suffer the consequences!"


    The being solemnly nodded. "I''ll personally arrange everything!"


    ---


    At the border river between the umon and rare regions,


    A small ck ship without sails was moving on the opposite of the water current without any resistance or air.


    The ck ship docked at the side of the umon regionnds, and three cloaked figures disembarked this ck ship.


    Two of them were over two meters tall, while one of them was only two feet tall and walking with a small white beanpole in his pale green hand, which only had three sharp fingers with long nails.


    "Alright maggots, since we didn''t find our target in the marked area, he should still be hiding in this ce somewhere. We''ll separate into north, west, and south and slowly circle toward the east, which is ourst destination.


    "That maggot won''t be able to remain hidden if he is still on this side of the river. If you found anyone suspicious, kill them. We also can''t rule out the dark city. Use your authorities to check who had entered or exited in these past six months and then kill them all.


    "Inform maggot A-9999 of our arrival and tell her the cannibal n is the priority. She can leave this little maggot to us. We''ll be there in eight or ten months to scan that area." The short person spoke in his cold, husky tone, filled with authority.


    He was clearly in charge among them.


    ---


    At this moment, Jacob sat with an expressionless face while Harrison was reporting the events that transpired while he was not present.


    It had been five months since King Philip and the others had visited him, and besides some trivial things, nothing changed much. The umon region returned to peace after the war ended.


    However, Jacob knew it wasn''t the case at all.


    Because half a month ago, Alice returned from the Aureate Kingdom and reported something unexpected. She told Jacob that some strange humanoid beasts had appeared in the Aureate Kingdom three months ago, and they were killing goblins and eating them in mass.


    Furthermore, these strange beasts were almost impossible to kill, and each time they kill and fed, theye back stronger and stronger.


    Right now, half of the goblin''s kingdom was killed by these vicious beasts, and they look quite helpless against them.


    But the strange thing was these beasts remained in the Aureate Kingdom and didn''t move in Earthen Kingdom''s direction as if they had some kind of grudge against goblins and wanted to kill them all.


    Not only that, but the trolls were silently watching and any kind of plea for help was ignored by the trolls despite their friendly rtionship for centuries.


    If Alice didn''t have B-rank strength, she might''ve not returned and instead discovered by those beasts or trolls when she was returning.


    When Jacob heard this, he was naturally shocked, and then he thought about the mutant again. He was sure that the blood collection had something to do with the mutant creation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, he wasn''t in the least bit angry by this. On the contrary, he was thrilled because if those mutants were like thest one, then he could collect their heart and blood and increase his strength again!


    Jacob felt his decision to stick around was really wise, although the mutants were unexpectedly surprised by it didn''t change anything. It made Jacob want to head there and start hunting those mutants.


    But he knew he couldn''t be hasty with this, and this was just a trivial benefit in the face of what he truly wanted.


    He then gave Alice ten drops of titan tears since she still had her uses and sent her on another secret mission.


    Although she was curious about how Jacob knew this would happen, she didn''t question him and left happily after taking the Titan Tears. As for if she could achieve an A-rank after consuming them, only she knows.


    Harrison didn''t know this, he only knew Alice was sent on some mission by Jacob, and that''s it. He also wanted to show his worth, so he also worked hard and learnedbat while Jacob was away and collected any information that could interest Jacob.


    Today Jacob finally came out, and he quickly appeared to make his report.


    However, Jacob seemed uninterested in these reports.


    "Alright, this is enough." Jacob stopped him and deeply looked at Harrison, "I heard some mercenaries whispering the other day that you killed three mercenaries while sparing?"


    Harrison''s eyes dted as his heart palpitated, and quickly kneeled and pleaded, "My lord, it wasn''t my fault. It was just an ident, and those guys were the ones who wanted to spar with me."


    Jacob''s lips curled up and mocked, "Lying, huh? Well, it doesn''t matter. They were expendable, to begin with. Even if you kill them all, it doesn''t matter to me. We can always get more. I just want to know how much are you confident in winning against other B-rank mercenaries?"


    Harrison felt cold sweat forming on his forehead when Jacob saw through his lies but didn''t seem to care, which give him somefort.


    He quickly replied with extreme confidence, "I can crush them now, my lord, just give your words!"


    Jacob nodded and coolly stated, "Good, send that second vice leader of tiger''s den in. I want to have words with him. You go prepared, we''re leaving tonight on a mission, and I required your assistance. If you did well, you''ll get more ck liquid as a reward."


    Harrison was startled for a moment before his eyes shimmered with ecstasy. He quickly thanked Jacob for giving him a chance to prove himself and left to fetch Shooter, the second inmand of the tiger''s den.


    Jacob didn''t have to wait long before a skinny middle-aged man with fear in his eyes entered the room, and Harrison left afterward to prepare for the mission.


    Jacob looked at the skinny man, who seemed to have suffered torturous beatings from his appearance. He said, "Do you want freedom?"


    Shooter''s listless eyes quickly showed a hint of light as he finally looked at Jacob, who had this faint smile on his face, but he whiffled his head and fell to his knees.


    "I-I... I''m very happy as I am. Thank you for your generous offer, my lord."


    He didn''t dare to say yes. He thought it was Jacob''s trick to see if he still had any thoughts of rebellion.


    Furthermore, he had been the target of Harrison''s beating for a few days, and he finally felt the mining was far easier than sparing with Harrison, who was sadistic and liked to torture them.


    They all thought it was Jacob whomanded Harrison to teach them a lesson in his ce.


    Jacob looked at the trembling Shooter with no expression and coolly stated, "I''m going to leave this mansion tonight, and I won''t being back, so you guys will naturally be freed. However, I want you to pretend to be me for two years. You can do anything under the name of Silver Tyrant, but for two years, you can''t abandon this identity. What do you think?"


    Shooter was again staggered when he heard this and couldn''t help but asked in a quavering voice, "W-why?"


    Jacob chuckled, "My goal was never to live here forever, and when the time was right, I would''ve left, just like now. But my sudden disappearance might not be a good thing. So, I want someone to take over my identity as the Silver Tyrant.


    "Since Harrison is leaving with me, you are the only person with enough power and ability to handle those mercenaries, and they won''t reject you either.


    "As long as you y well, you can forever be the Silver Tyrant, livingfortably here with all those beauties and even collecting inducement from nobles who wanted to have a close rtionship with Silver Tyrant."


    Jacob looked at the dazed Shooter and temptingly asked again, "So, do you want to be Silver Tyrant?"

 Chapter 143 Jacob’s Scheme

    ?A few dayster,


    In the Earthen Kingdom, deep within the forbidden forest, ck smoke could be seen rising from a newly built stone building.


    Within this building was sitting Skull No. A-10000 inside a room watching a couple of Hob Trolls operating different equipment.


    He shifted his eyes and looked at the stone table. There was a ten-liter ss jar more than half filled with pitch-ck liquid.


    His eyes shimmered with a hint of uncertainty. ''This Titan Tears elixir really had a miraculous effect on those mutants, and with half a litter, it could help them reach Common Tier-8. ording to A-9999''s observation, if the quantity of this would double, they could even reach Common Tier-9.


    ''This is the effect of just the Basic Common Grade Titan Tears. There is still the Intermediate Common Grade Titan Tears Form, which required Intermediate Grade Titan Iron and other auxiliary materials.


    ''That elixir might be enough to make amon tier-9 species a peakmon tier-12 species. If that bastard Faceless Ancient really had an Advance version of this elixir, it might be enough to help someone break into rare rank!''


    Greed surfaced in his eyes just thinking about it. The effect of Titan Tears was no longer a secret among the upper echelon of the Killer Skull Society.


    While Skull No. A-10000 and A-9999 also found the miraculous effect of titan tears when used on those mutants.


    That''s why the society informed them to keep a tight lid on the matter, especially until they found that Faceless Ancient and confirmed if he really had higher-level Titan Tears form in his possession or not.


    Nevertheless, the cannibal n was far more important, and to make sure nothing goes wrong within this period the society first ''clean'' the umon region from any more variables like the Faceless Ancient.


    Only then they would widen their search toward othernds ofmon ins.


    If even after then, they couldn''t find the faceless ancient, then it meant that guy was far more capable than they thought and probably fled their detection.


    However, at that time, even if Faceless Ancient alerted someone about their movement in this ce, they would''ve already achieved their goal before anyone would take it seriously.


    After all, this ce was a barren area, and no one cared much about it as long as it didn''t affect them directly.


    A-10000 watch a small pile of titan iron being processed into titan tears and smile, ''This is thest pile of titan iron present in this ce, and this much titan tear is enough for the remaining first-generation cannibal to reach their peak and capability of reproduction.


    ''Afterwards, I just have to pay a visit to the rare region and make intermediatemon grade Titan Tears. It would make the progress faster, and we''ll leave this ce before anyone found out what we were doing¡­''


    "Boomm¡­."


    Right at this moment, the closed door of the building sted apart by a powerful force, startling everyone present.


    "Who?!" A-10000''s expression fell, and growled in rage, "Who dares to barge in, and what are those thralls doing outside, fucking each other?!"


    At this moment, a figure appeared extremely fast wearing a long ck jacket with a hood, and started killing the trolls with a single punch by sting their heads into bits!


    The moment A-10000 saw this figure and the outfit, his expression changed. When the hooded figure looked toward his direction, A-10000''s eyes dted, and his heart trembled when he saw that faceless ck mask that had left a ghastly impression on him recently.


    ''Faceless Ancient. He''s here for revenge!''


    This abrupt thought surfaced in his mind, and without hesitation, he picked up the ss jar and ran toward the rear exit, and sted the door with his body.


    He waspletely appalled by Faceless Ancient appearing here suddenly, and from his appearance, it didn''t seem he was here for a friendly visit.


    Moreover, A-9999 wasn''t here to protect him either, so he had no choice but to run in the direction of the mines and hope those trolls could keep that guy upied until he was deep within the mine''s maze.


    Those troll guards were already charging toward the building with bloodshot eyes to deal with this unexpected intruder, and A-10000 knew it was the only chance of survival.


    Afterward, he just has to wait for A-9999 arrival and then call for those senior members sent by the society.


    "Just wait, once those three arrive, I''ll skin you alive!" He mumbled maliciously.


    "Is that so?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, a nonchnt voice filled with ridicule made A-10000''s heart palpitate because it was a very familiar voice.


    Right at this moment, before A-10000 could react, a powerful fist struck behind his head, and which was akin to a sledgehammer, he felt a piercing pain before everything turned into darkness.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® The jar of titan tears also fell from his hand, but before it couldnd on the ground, a hand grabbed it.


    "I''ll take this gift." The jar suddenly vanished from this person''s hand.


    This attacker was naturally Jacob in his usual ck outfit and his faceless ck mask.


    After he left the tyrant mansion a few days ago with Harrison. He headed directly into the earthen kingdom to find the traces of A-10000 and A-9999 and it wasn''t hard to find them either.


    Because it was quite clear that the Earthen Kingdom was controlled by the Killer Skull Society, which also means the royal family was under their control. So, all Jacob did was observe the royal castle, and it didn''t take long before he noticed the unusual behavior of the royal family.


    In the end, those trolls led him right to the prime minister, who also happened to be the same troll he encountered in the lion forest''s undergroundb. He easily identified him with his voice.


    Afterward, Jacob just had to torture that fellow, and he told him about the whereabouts of A-10000 and A-9999 as well as what they were doing with those mutants.


    However, he only knew those mutants were called cannibals by the Killer Skull Society and that they were part of the Cannibal n. As for the very goal of the cannibal n, that troll didn''t know, but he knows those mutants were extremely important to the cannibal n.


    But Jacob was little interested in this cannibal n. He was here to collect some special hearts and blood.


    So, he dealt with the prime minister and destroyed those parasite gem controllers, which would either kill those victims or make them vegetables. It would throw the entire Earthen Kingdom into chaos, which was just what he wanted.


    Afterward, he directly came here to abduct A-10000 and gained some more information about A-9999 and the other members sent here by the society to deal with him.


    More importantly, he wanted A-10000''s heart and blood, which was a peakmon tier-12, and it would give Jacob an enormous boost in his strength.


    Jacob''s entire n was very simple from the moment he met with A-10000 and A-9999. He wanted to kill them both for their hearts and blood, especially A-9999, who was a Rare Tier-1.


    Because once he absorbed these two, he would get a huge percentage in his heart''s progress, which would normally take him many years and many more hearts and blood.


    So, he decided to remain in the umon region as a human and see if he could really kill them and those sent after him by society.


    Not only that, but he was nning on killing more species who were sent here by the three hegemonies after the humans alerted them with the information he provided that day.


    He was going to keep killing while the me would fall on the Killer Skull Society, and the society might suspect him first, but then they would have no choice but to turn their focus on the others since his prowess couldn''t advance so much within this short period of time.


    Even if they suspected him, they would have those enrage organizations to deal with first.


    Although his n was crazy, reckless even. But as long as he didn''t leave behind any proof, who could me it on him?


    He was going to devour everything, much less leave anything behind as proof. He was going to turn this umon region into his hunting group until he was satisfied!


    As for the natives, he cared less even if they were all exterminated in the crossfire between all these organizations.


    At this moment, a figure approached Jacob at a fast speed before he halted his step just a meter away from him. He was dressed just like Jacob and wore the same mask; it was none other than Harrison!


    Jacob was using Harrison as bait to see if A-9999 was here or not. In the end, she wasn''t, so he acted before A-10000 could escape.


    Poor Harrison did not know about it, nor Jacob was nning on telling him.


    In Harrison''s eyes, they were cleaning trolls, and Jacob was nurturing his fighting skills by letting him take the lead.


    Jacob told Harrison, who looked at the unconscious cloaked A-10000 curiously,


    "Pick him up. We''re going back!"

 Chapter 144 Common Tier-12 Heart Essence

    ?Inside a cavern a few miles away in the forbidden forest,


    Jacob had Harrison put the still unconscious A-10000 on the floor and then tell him, "Go and wipe out every troll in this forest and then patrol this area. If anyone approached, kill them without asking. Here''s your reward. You did well. Now go."


    He tossed a small vial filled with ck liquid toward Harrison, who quickly caught it with shining eyes and bowed, "Thank you, My Lord, I won''t disappoint you!" He then quickly left toplete this mission given by Jacob.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a peculiar glint as he watched excited Harrison leave to hunt trolls and maybe absorb the ck liquid as well to increase his strength.


    But all Jacob actually wanted was to send him away since he didn''t want to let anyone see what he was about to do with A-10000, and sending Harrison in the open was also another part of his n.


    Jacob started a fire. Everything was prepared, even his newly built distition equipment, which was smaller than the old one but more advanced. In his time in his privately built gunsmith workshop, Jacob prepared everything beforeing here.


    He knew he didn''t have time to waste if he wanted to hunt down powerful members sent here by the Killer Skull Society and the three hegemonies. He needed to raise his strength with every hunt!


    Jacob chose this spot because this was well hidden and it was closer to the earthen kingdom''s capital.


    After Jacob was done with the fire, he moved toward the A-10000 with his sharp short sword in his hand.


    "Let''s walk you up."


    The next moment, Jacob shed his sword at A-10000''s legs¡­


    "Ahhhhhhh¡­" A-10000 abruptly opened his eyes wide and shrill screamed at top of his lungs. He looked at his cleaved legs with an aghast look in his bloodshot eyes.


    "If you don''t stop screaming, I''ll cut your hand next." Jacob''s nonchnt, yet perplexed, a voice rang.


    But how could A-10000 stop screaming with that horrifying pain in his legs which nearly drives him insane? But with his strong willpower, he still managed to suppress it and felt sluggish with all that blood overflowing.


    Jacob spoke again, "I just want to know where is the Dark Elf and when she wille back. As well as who are the other three people you were mumbling about, as well as where are they right now, and what is their strength? If your answer satisfied me, I''ll kill you without any pain, or I''ll throw you in that fire and cook you alive."


    A-10000 looked at Jacob with an appalled look in his eyes, but he knew death was inevitable, so he conveyed with some difficulty, "S-she''s in a secretb behind a waterfall in the west of Silver Wood Forest of Aureate Kingdom¡­ conducting experiments¡­ on cannibals. She woulde to¡­ collect¡­ titan tears in two days¡­


    "The information about three seniors is only known by A-9999, and I only know one of them is a three digits skull which could only mean a Rare-Tier-6¡­ species!


    "N-Now, kill me, and I''ll wait for you on the other side!" A-10000 looked at Jacob with madness and hatred as if he won''t be able to live this time.


    Jacob, however, remained expressionless and nodded. "You might have to wait forever on that side since I won''t being there¡­ ever¡­"


    The next moment, Jacob''s sword turned in a dark streak and shed through A-10000''s neck, cleaving it clean. He gave him a painless death.


    When A-10000''s head rolled on the ground, the mask on his face fell, and a lion-like face with slightly human features appeared.


    ''Lion Head Orc indeed.'' Jacob remembered the appearance of this specie since he won''t get anything out of them in the future.


    Without dy, he cut open A-10000''s chest, and pull out his heart, and then started the distition process. He knew his time was short and needed to raise his power before hunting A-9999 down.


    Because it would still take some time before she noticed the situation in the Earthen Kingdom and came looking for what happened. He won''tpletely believe the time frame of two days A-10000 given him.


    He then skinned A-10000''s body, and he decided to keep his skin to make a vest since it was sturdier than his tiger''s bull hide. Soon, gutted A-10000 was skewered on top of the fire, and it would be ready for eating with the heart essence.


    Jacob smiled contentedly when he saw both high-tier meat and heart essence getting ready, and he felt his decision of staying was indeed right.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Thest time he summoned Immortika was when he inquired about A-10000 and A-9999''s species and ranks.


    The moment it appeared, he saw a string of ''Haha'' and instantly felt perplexed.


    Jacob ignored its deliriousugh and asked, "How much percentage will this Common Tier-12 will give me and then Rare Tier-1?"


    Jacob wanted to be ready in case the percentage was much greater than his titan tears'' supply.


    Right now, with his own jar and the jar he got from A-10000, he had over eight thought drops of titan tears, which were enough to sustain all the way up to 100%.


    Becausest time, at the fifty percentpletion rate, one drop of titan tear quenched his hunger by 1%. If at 60% it took two drops at one percent or even three drops at 1% percent, and if he added the meat of corresponding quality then achieving a 100% heart process without any hitch should be possible.


    Immortika replied, "Hahaha¡­ and here I thought you would run away from this golden opportunity, but you didn''t disappoint me at all. So, as a reward, I''ll tell you, this Lion Head Orc will add approximately 16% or 19% to your current progress rate.


    "This will take you 68% or directly to 70%. Then, if you hunt that dark elf, she should be able to give you over 20% progress rate. But as a fair warning, if you inject a Rare Specie Heart Essence, the heart essence of Common Tier Species will no longer have any effect on you.


    "This means, you will have toplete the reaming percentage with another rare tier species. But I guess it didn''t matter anymore since more prey had arrived¡­ hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with glee when he read this, and can''t help but state, "What if I absorbed the mutants'' heart essence first and then the Dark Elf''s will it affect the percentage of her heart essence?"


    "The effect of her heart essence will decrease by 5% every time you cross a ten percent limit.


    "Furthermore, if those mutants were created with the same method and genes, simply put, if those mutants were created with lets supposed humans and hob trolls, then after you absorbed one of their heart essences, the other mutants with the same gene structure won''t work on you anymore.


    "But if these clowns created mutants with uniquebinations, then they might work. Besides, after you absorb this lion head orc''s heart essence, the effect of Common Tier-9 or below will only give you three or four percent maximum.


    "So, I suggest not wasting more time and stop being a worrywart. After you reach a 90%pletion rate, your strength should be around Rare-Tier-4 or 5, and if you add 9X fluid eleration in the mix, you can crush a Rare-Tier 9 like crushing an ant!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he read this, and won''t help but think about what Immortika just suggested seriously. But the problem was he wasn''t confident in controlling even 3X eleration, much less 9X. His limit was 2X.


    ''Well, I''ll think of it after I reached 90%. I would get enough information from the Dark Elf, and if I can really hunt someone from that group, I won''t hesitate. This way, I could leave much sooner without risking my life,'' Jacob mused.


    This new revtion opened more paths in front of Jacob, and he discovered he didn''t even need to sow discord anymore.


    Nevertheless, he still didn''t know what kind of step arrived after hepleted the second level of cursed heart emergence, so it was better to be on guard.


    After a few hours, the heart essence wasplete, and the meat was cooked.


    Without further dy, Jacob injected the warm heart essence of a Common-Tier-12 species.


    The moment the heart essence simmered in his heart, the heart rate suddenly started to increase, and he felt his blood turn scorching hot.


    Within seconds, Jacob was already on the verge of entering 1X eleration. He quickly tried to meditate to calm his nerves, which was extremely painful and difficult.


    But he knew better than anyone that if he didn''t take control, it would be extremely dangerous if his heart rate kept rising without any restraint.


    However, he had underestimated amon tier-12 specie''s heart essence, and he entered the 1X eleration in five minutes and his heart rate was still climbing!

 Chapter 145 Enemy Alert

    ?Although entering the 1X eleration brought Jacob danger, it also unexpectedly hastened the process of the heart essence''s absorption.


    It brought Jacob pain, but he could feel the power coursing through his body with every passing second.


    The 1-cm infinity Curse Marked within Jacob''s heart suddenly stirred and start expanding little by little.


    This process hastened, even more, when Jacob entered the 2X eleration after ten minutes of endurance.


    However, Jacob could feel the process was almost over and waspletely focused on calming his heart rate.


    The cursed mark also finally stopped when it expanded 1-inch from 1 cm, and the blurry pattern within the infinity symbol also became apparent despite their blurry state, they were two symbols, ''o'' and ''x''!


    Jacob also felt a strange energy released within his bloodstream from his heart, and without any effort, his heart rate suddenly dropped until it returned to its normal state and harmonious.


    "What just happened?" Jacob opened his eyes in bewilderment as he looked at the cursed immortality which was still hovering in front of him. There were still over ten minutes until his daily limit of summoning reached its end.


    He opened the progress page.


    _______


    ¡­


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark


    -Completion: 70.01%.


    ¡­


    _______


    ''So, I do cross two limits at once, again.'' Jacob was delighted as that strange energy was still coursing through his body, making him feel like he was in a hot spring.


    At this moment, the writing in the book changed, which was clearly Immortika''s doing.


    "You should wolf that potion while you still had the chance¡­ heheheh¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes dted and didn''t hesitate. He took out the jar he got from A-10000 and drink two mouthfuls of titan tears.


    Although he didn''t know why Immortika had written those words, he didn''t dare to ignore it. Because he knew this delirious book would never lie.


    Just as the titan tears entered his body, Jacob felt his skin stiffening before he looked at his hands. He was shocked when he saw them visibly getting skinnier until his skin was tightly wrapped around his bonds and nerves.


    It was like there weren''t any meats in his body.


    He finally understood what Immortika meant by that warning.


    It was a side effect of fluid eleration and hunger of 70%.


    Jacob just burned a huge amount of energy, so it was only normal for his body to burn his muscles for that energy, and if he didn''t react in time, he might''ve fallen unconscious because of exhaustion.


    Simply put, he could''ve died if he didn''t consume the titian tears to appease the burden on his body.


    "Sometimes, I wonder if you''re supposed to lead me to immortality or sudden death." Jacob''s hoarse voice sound filled with indignant.


    "Hahahaha¡­ I told you the way to immortality isn''t easy as you think it is. You can die when you think you''re the safest. It''s just a matter of simple omission."


    Jacob didn''t refute and closed the annoying book, but deep down, he was still feeling grateful since Immortika just saved him. But he won''t say it unless he wanted to make it more annoying.


    Because of the titan tears, his energy was 10% replenished while hunger was also gone by 5%. But he started feeling dizzy and quickly gulped down two more mouths full of titan tears before he moved toward the cooked A-10000.


    Although Jacob now looked like skin and bones, if he unleashed his prowess, he was ten times stronger than half an hour ago.


    Jacob starts eating without any restraint. He was so immersed in it that he unknowingly started crunching amon tier-12 species'' bones like it was a cracker.


    The strangest thing was Jacob found it quite vorful, and no longer cared about bones or meat and ate everything without spitting out anything like a savage.


    As he eats, his body quickly absorbs the nutrition, and he finally regains some meat over his bones.


    In the end, his hunger was 65% decreased while he was still skinny and needed moremon tier-12 meat to regain his masculine physique.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Nevertheless, Jacob was now out of danger and more powerful than ever. He drinks one liter more titan tears to quench his reaming hunger and finally felt the full power of his 70% synchronization body with his heart.


    ''The titan tears of this quality are only enough up to 90%, or it might exhaust at 80% since the hunger will increase.'' Jacob frowned as he again had a deeper understanding of his own condition.


    Before, he thought this many titan tears were enough until he reached 100%, but now that he experienced hunger and energy consumption after entering 70%, he was no longer delusional.


    He required that second titan tears elixir, and to make it he required to go into the rare or even rarer region.


    ''Well, if I killed the dark elf and those three other members sent here by killer skull society, I might enter 100% without any problem.'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with dark light.


    He then closed his eyes to rest for a while because his next target was A-9999!


    ---


    However, Jacob did not know that the moment he killed A-10000 a signal was emitted from his brain, and within 24 hours, the Killer Skull Society was alerted, and another emergency meeting was called out.


    As a result,


    Inside a spacious stone room, many pieces ofb equipment were ced neatly while there were three ss cells filled with green liquid, and inside those cells were three gray humanoid monsters, slumbering.


    On a side, a curvaceous figure with long ck hair was standing while holding a book and pen in front of another gray monster on a metal stretcher. But the difference was this humanoid monster''s entire torso skin was removed, and its organs were visible in front of this figure.


    At this moment, the silver wristband on her wrist suddenly vibrates, breaking her focus. Her beautiful crimson eyes narrowed before she pressed on that silver wristband.


    The calm expression on her breathtaking, beautiful, ebony face suddenly crumbled as her eyes dted when she read the message on her star watch.


    "Skull No. A-10000 had been killed, and the culprit might be the mysterious Faceless Ancient. Stop doing everything and rendezvous with Skull NO. A-995''s team and get rid of the variable as soon as possible. Failure won''t be eptable!"


    This was the entire content of the message.


    A-9999''s eyes shimmered with killing intent as her red lips curled into a strange smile. "So, you still didn''t leave, huh? Although I don''t know what your end goal is bying back and daring to hinder our n, you won''t survive this time, though¡­"


    ---


    Somewhere in the rainy mountain ranges,


    A-995 was walking with his small beanpole in his hand while holding an active scanner in his other hand.


    Yet, at this moment, his ck Star Watch suddenly vibrates.


    "Hmm?" He was startled for a moment before he opened the message. It was the same message as A-9999.


    He coldly sneered, "That maggot is courting death."


    He tapped the white beanpole in his hand in anger at the group, and the next moment a slight earthquake jolted the area around A-995 and sted some trees close to him into smithereens!


    ---


    Jacob did not know that he had been discovered by the Killer Skull Society, and currently, all four members present in the umon region wereing toward the earthen kingdom to find him!


    Today, he left the cavern and found Harrison, who was a few hundred meters away from his location.


    Harrison had already gotten rid of every troll in the forbidden forest, and as per Jacob''s order, he was keeping an eye out for intruders, so no one would disturb Jacob.


    After getting more ck liquid, Harrison was even more confident and wanted to earn more ck liquid, so he was doing his duty sincerely.


    When Jacob appeared while holding a three-meter-long bag, he felt Jacob was somewhat slimmer than thest time he saw him, but doesn''t question him, neither he asks what Jacob did with that ''troll''.


    Jacob looked at Harrison, whose build was just like the past him, and said, "Let''s go back to the mines. I acquired the information from that ''troll'' that the secret agent who wanted to harm humanity wille in a day or two.


    "So, I want you to confront that agent. But I''m warning you, his strength might be A-rank. Are you ready to go into thest phase of your training? If youst five minutes against that agent, it''ll prove your abilities, and I''ll give you enough ck liquid to enter A-rank.


    "As for danger, you don''t have to worry about it since I''ll be watching your back." Jacob confidently dered like a teacher to his student.


    Harrison''s eyes glowed with resolution when he listened to this. He was moved by Jacob''s care. He finally ''understands'' Jacob was nurturing him as his personal student and teaching him the way of a hero.


    Harrison thumped his chest with extreme confidence, "I''ll do as my lordmand and get rid of the vile viin!"

 Chapter 146 Who Trapped Who? (1)

    ?On the periphery of the Earthen Kingdom,


    Inside a small cave, four capped figures were gathering here, three tall and one short, spotting himself with a beanpole.


    "So, ording to your scout, that Maggot is still in this forbidden forest''s facility close to the titan iron mines?" A-995 sharply questioned.


    "Yes, I have made a parasite ve and have him scout the capital city of the earthen kingdom and the forbidden forest to see the conditions there. I didn''t dare to go myself, since it might alert the enemy if he was still there.


    "Anyhow, the scout brought back grave news. Not only the killer of A-10000 rendered the entire royal family cripple and left the kingdom in chaos. It''s clear he isn''t aware that we already knew about his presence.


    "So, he was probably nning to draw me in with this chaos. I think A-10000 might''ve revealed that I''lle back in a few days to pick up Titan Tears so he could escape torture.


    "My scout had spotted him close to the mine setting up some traps, so I''m sure of it, he wanted to kill me as well." A-9999 respectfully replied, her arrogance was nothing in front of this small person, and she even feared him!


    A-995 sneered coldly, "What an arrogant maggot. It seemed he might''ve contacted his superiors, and they wanted him to hinder our n until they sent someone else as a backup.


    "Or he''s just a greedy native and here for more titan tears so he could increase his strength to a higher level, or there''s also a possibility he wanted to capture you to gain our attention and then negotiate with us his freedom.


    "There are other possibilities, but whichever his motive is, we''ll just have to capture him to found about it.


    "Since he wanted to reel you in his trap, let used this trap to reel him into our trap instead. He probably won''t have the technology of our caliber, and we''re already prepared, so there''s no need to be afraid of this bumpkin maggot!


    "Let''s start at dawn and capture ourselves a maggot!" A-995 dered!


    "Yes!" the three of them replied in unison.


    ---


    At dawn,


    Harrison, dressing as Jacob, was sitting calmly a few meters away from the bloody building where he massacred trolls three days ago.


    Jacob had told him to wait here like this without any fear of any bullets or ambush until the ''agent'' arrived and he had a match with him.


    However, he had also set up many traps around to weaken his opponent by Jacob''s order yesterday.


    He was extremely confident in dealing with the ''agent'' now and then winning himself a ticket to A rank.


    After tasting the power, his previous belief crumbled, recing new beliefs which were simple; power is equal to rule. He started longing for more power, and that''s why he was willing to do anything to gain it.


    Right now, he knew he could only gain power by following Jacob, and after following him to the Earthen Kingdom, he discovered Jacob was quite ''noble'' despite his tyrannical image.


    He had crushed the noble family of trolls, which was the biggest threat to humanity, and then thisb, which was also a threat to humanity, and now he was going to kill the mastermind behind the war.


    Although Harrison admires Jacob''s ''nobility'', he doesn''t agree with Jacob''s method because he does it for ''free'' and without anyone knowing it.


    He didn''t know why Jacob didn''t want to tell everyone that he has gotten rid of such a huge threat alone, but he doesn''t dare to ask because he didn''t want to give Jacob the impression that he had changed from the past and now harbor ambition.


    He was afraid Jacob would stop ''nurturing'' him and won''t pass on his secret to that dark liquid to him.


    Jacob was extremely strong so, overpowering him for that ck liquid was akin to court death. So, he decided to act just as Jacob wanted and win him over.


    The more Harrison bes obedient, the more thing Jacob gave him. Just like that green liquid that can quench his hunger and thirst, it was miraculous. So, he acted more submissively.


    He also believed that Jacob wouldn''t let him die after nurturing him to this stage!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At this moment, Harrison snapped out of his thoughts when his ears picked up faint footsteps quickly approaching him. His hearing also increased after he entered the B-rank, so he instantly became alert.


    Five hundred meters away from Harrison''s position, on arge three, a figure sat wearing a hood. In front of him was a three meters long heavy sniper rifle,pletely ck, resting on its stands on a thick tree branch.


    Just the barrel of this rifle was alone two meters long, and a long scope was on top of it. The person was calmly looking through the scope toward Harrison and all the clear mining areas.


    This person was naturally Jacob, who was prepared to kill A-9999 with his newly built titan sniper!


    After Jacob used his knowledge to modify the titan sniper and created special bullets, he called it the Friction Killer. He brings some materials from the dark city that made it possible toplete this new titan sniper and bullets.


    Jacob was quite confident in this new sniper rifle because it could now shoot bullets at Mach-10 speed!


    However, with such speed, the rifle will be sted apart after six shots, so to be safe, Jacob kept the limit to three or four rounds. As long as A-9999 didn''t have an energy shield that could activate before the bullet blew her head, she was dead the moment Jacob pulled the trigger!


    However, Jacob waspletely vignt because yesterday he found a troll loitering around the vicinity of mines. Harrison didn''t notice him since it was quite proficient in hiding its footsteps sound, but how could Jacob miss him with his current hearing?


    But he didn''t kill that person and let him go after he scouted Harrison. He wanted to draw A-9999 in open, and if that scout was hers; he didn''t mind revealing that he was there.


    Because in Jacob''s thought A-9999 still didn''t know A-10000 was dead, and she might think he was holding him, hostage, so she wille out to test his motives.


    That was why he didn''t leave the earthen kingdom after thinking about the other three skulls in the umon region as well.


    If A-9999 alerted the other threes and have theme here to overpower Jacob, they will still have toe in the open, and this was a chance he won''t be going to miss!


    Even if she came alone after overestimating Jacob and misunderstanding his motives, Jacob would still kill her and then hunt those three skulls down after raising his prowess.


    In any case, Jacob mused, he didn''t have to do much if he yed his cards well and used Harrison as a perfect bait.


    That guy had no idea what he was getting into, and he waspletely blinded by benefits, and took Jacob for a kind, noble person, while the reality waspletely different.


    Jacob had long known about Harrison''s change in nature at the tyrant mansion. He also sensed Harrison''s ambition increasing, but Jacob doesn''t stop him at all, and even encourages it and then maniptes the old guy with his own ambition.


    From the start, Jacob was growing Harrison into a perfect bait that would be hard to not get noticed by a big fish.


    ''If that scout was sent by the dark elf. He had notified her that Harrison was setting up traps when he saw him, so she would be even more confident in approaching him while thinking she waspletely prepared.'' Jacob''s lips curled into an astute smile as he heard faint footsteps from his position. ''She''s deliberately making her footsteps loud enough to be noticed by me. She came prepared!''


    How could someone like A-9999 make the rookie mistake of not hiding her footsteps?


    Jacob knew if he wanted; Harrison won''t even notice him before he slit his throat, so he guessed A-9999 really wanted to have a negotiation with him, or she was bait sent by the other three.


    Whatever the case was, Jacob wanted A-9999 heart and blood!


    At this moment, a capped figure appeared within the woods as it moved slowly toward Harrison, who had already stood up as his eyes shone with confidence.


    This capped figure stopped fifty meters away from Harrison since the trap field was ahead.


    A-9999''s jeering yet coquettish voice sounded, "So, my dear Faceless Ancient, care to exin why you came back? Could it be you missed me?


    "If you hadn''t killed A-10000 I would''ve let you spend a night or two with me, but now that you did, you will still spend nights with me, albeit not in the pleasure chamber, but in the torture chamber!"


    Harrison was baffled by these words and looked at the capped figure in confusion. ''Is she pretending to be an idiot to lure me out of the trap field?''


    However, Jacob, who had heard everything, clearly felt his heart turn cold, ''They knew I killed that lion-head orc? But how!?''

 Chapter 147 Who Trapped Who? (2)

    ?Jacob instantly felt something was wrong.


    Because only he and Harrison knew that he killed A-10000, but for some reason, A-9999 also knew!


    Which could only mean one thing: ''Could it be some device in their body that could alert others at the moment of their death? I was just wondering how they could tell Jerry was dead, but I thought it was just because they were monitoring him.


    ''But it turned out I was looking at it in the wrong way all along, their technology is far more advanced and unpredictable.'' Jacob''s expressions were grave, ''Then this could also mean the other three members are here as well and they knew about my n to draw them here.''


    Jacob looked at A-9999 with an icy re and he felt there was something wrong with her and then it rued to him, ''Fuck, she can feel the danger from me, but it shouldn''t be possible with 50 meters distance.


    ''Should I kill her or wait and see why she was stalling? But that idiot might jump the gun too soon and give me away. I have a chance to kill her now. But what if the other three are nning something and they had more advanced trackers to track me down?


    ''The moment I kill her, I won''t get the chance to retrieve her body before the other threes will charge in this direction, one of them might already be somewhere here already.'' Jacob felt like he shouldn''t take the shoot and wait to see what these four were nning.


    He was hiddenpletely, and his breathing and heartbeat were almost none existed.


    ''I should wait before the strongest between them appeared and kill that person to get rid of that danger,'' Jacob decided and waited.


    Because right now, exposing him was not a good thing since they already knew he killed A-10000 they won''t be here just to talk with him but to eliminate or capture him for information.


    So, he would see what they were truly nning, and if the others showed themselves, only then he would risk exposing himself.


    Harrison looked at A-9999 fifty meters away and couldn''t help but sneered coldly, "Are you going to use your mouth to defeat me?"


    A-9999 suddenly felt that this voice was somewhat different. She can only feel danger from Jacob when she were only twenty meters away from him. Right now, she can''t tell if this is the real person or not.


    However, when she looked at the mask and stature, she thought it was indeed Jacob. She would never forget his physical appearance, and that person also seemed to be quite confident and gave an air of arrogance, which means he couldn''t be an impersonator. He was extremely confident in his prowess.


    ''Why am I even worried? I just have to capture him to see if he is real, or not and if he is indeed an imposter, then the real one will be here somewhere, lying in ambush. If he thinks he can trick me with these traps, then he''s already dead.'' She thought and finally took out something from within her cape.


    It was a palm-size red chrome ball, and she suddenly pressed her thumb on its smooth surface before it glowed and then, "Here''s a meeting gift." She sneered before throwing it toward Harrison.


    Harrison was shocked, and before he could react, the red ball was already only an inch away from him. The next moment, it suddenly exploded in red liquid and engulfed him before he could react.


    The red liquidpletely wrapped around Harrison like rubber, and then before he knew it, he had turned into a red manikin, and he struggled toe out of this rubber substance.


    A-9999 eyes narrowed as she mumbled, "It was too easy." She knew if it was, she could''ve dodged it, but this guy didn''t even react in time. It was just a probe, but it was already over.


    She knew it was a fake!


    She suddenly shouted, "It''s a fake! Stop focusing your scanners in this area and¡­"


    "Wisss¡­ ssh¡­" A-9999''s head suddenly blew into bits like a watermelon before she could even react, or anyone else, as a matter of fact. She died without even feeling anything, and the trees behind her also sted in a long line with this bullet!


    "Bang¡­"


    A sonic boom sounded in the vicinity at this moment when A-9999''s headless corpse touched the ground, and a dark brown energy barrier appeared this time on her body.


    The bullet was so fast that it hit the mark before making any sound or giving the enemy a chance to activate their shield!


    "W-what just happened?" A cloaked figure two hundred meters away from A-9999''s corpse holding a scanner mumbled in bewilderment, without even realizing it.


    However, making a sound was the biggest mistake he does, which was enough to be heard by Jacob, who had already entered 1X eleration, and his hearing was double that of before.


    The next moment, ''Bang.'' The head of this cloaked figure was also sted into bits, and he died just like A-9999, clueless and without even realizing it.


    ''Boom''


    Another sonic boom rang in the vicinity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob loaded another bullet, which was 1 foot in size. Its bullet head was ck and only three inches long, while the shell was white and 9 inches in size.


    He waspletely focused while holding his breath, and his eleration was still at 1X.


    The moment he saw Harrison getting trapped in that strange red liquid, he knew it was impossible to draw others, and they will know Harrison was a fake. He never thought even a bait would have to be on the same level as the prey.


    Nevertheless, he decided to act and took the shot at A-9999 without hesitating anymore because dealing with three was much better than four.


    He also activated his 1X eleration, increasing his hearing sense. He knew the other three will make some kind of mistake after A-9999''s uncanny death.


    And he was right. Her death was so shocking that one of them even uttered words that were enough to give Jacob his location, and he took the shot.


    To not get affected by the sound, Jacob had prepared special noise-canceling earbuds, and before the sound was made, he would put them in his ears or he would harm himself with this ear-piercing sound wave.


    ''Two more!'' Jacob''s heart was beating wildly, and he entered 2x stage at this moment, and his hearing raised again.


    At this moment, the barrel of this sniper was red with heat, and a faint crack could be seen on the tip.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t care, and at this moment.


    ''Ss¡­''


    A tiny sound entered Jacob''s ears of some dry leaves getting crushed in the three-hundred-meter southwest direction. The other party was clearly much calmer and trying to escape the vicinity while moving within the shades of trees so he won''t get hit by a bullet.


    However, Jacob was prepared for this and pointed his rifle in the escapee''s direction. After making sure about the direction, he pulled the trigger before two dark earbuds appeared in his ears.


    The bullet sted some trees in its way and thennded on a shadow that just stepped in the bullet''s direction and shattered the dark brown barrier like ss before piercing through his spine and sting apart his stomach!


    ''Boom¡­''


    Jacob saw the cracks in the barrier and the sniper''s body appearing, but he loaded another bullet without caring about it. Only a single person left. He was close to killing all four high-ranking skulls and acquiring enough hearts to enter 100%!


    Right at this moment, an enraged voice sounded filled with malice, "Sneaky Maggot, die! Earth Shatter!"


    Jacob was shocked when he heard this voice. It came from over fifty meters behind him. It meant this person had snuck up on him despite his hearing, and he still couldn''t detect his presence, as if he didn''t have a heartbeat or breathing.


    Yet, he didn''t have time to think about it because the ground beneath the tree where he was hiding suddenly started to crack as if an extremely strong earthquake had just appeared.


    Jacob didn''t hesitate, picked up the rifle, and quickly jumped toward the other tree, but the area of this sudden earthquake was fifty meters, and the ground was shattering apart.


    So, Jacob didn''t have time to think as he was bussing running this area.


    However, that malicious voice rang again. "Do you think you can escape after killing my people? Earth Spikes!"


    Before Jacob could find the location of this voice, magically sharp spikes rose from the shattering group and quickly approached Jacob''s potion.


    Jacob''s heart palpitated as he understood something. ''Magic, this is fucking magic!''


    He never thought he would get the chance to experience fabled magic firsthand. It was unexpected, and he didn''t have time to admire it because he was in an extremely dangerous situation now.


    "Cursed immortality!


    "Tell me, what is this species and where is his position?"


    He knew this person was hiding his traces extremely well, and even with his hearing; it was impossible to locate him.


    So Immortika was his only hope!

 Chapter 148 Magic Core?!

    ?"Cursed immortality!


    "Tell me, what is this species and where is his position?"


    Jacob quickly questioned while dodging the iing spikes with difficulty. But he was spooked because he didn''t know what kind of trick the other party had since now magic was involved.


    "It''s a Rare-Tier-5 Earth Goblin with 1-Star Initial-level Earth Element Affinity and Power! He''s at your 7 o''clock hiding underground, ten meters deep. You have hit a jackpot if you could acquire its heart! Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob ignored thest line and pointed his rifle when Immortika pointed and pulled the trigger!


    "How¡­" A panicked voice sounded when Jacob pointed his gun in the same direction, and before he could react, the bullet was already fired.


    Jacob felt the entire titan sniper boiling, and without even thinking, he threw it away¡­


    "Booommmm¡­."


    With the gunshot sound, the sniper rifle also sted apart, and Jacob was naturally within the sting range as well, but he threw it before it was sted so he only suffered with shockwave and some metal debris piercing his skin which wasn''t a big deal.


    But he also lost his bnce and was sent flying andnded between trees.


    However, Jacob didn''t have time to lie down since his heart was already at the 3x stage of eleration, and he still didn''t know if that goblin was dead. But when he saw the ground stop shaking, and no more spikes came out, he sighed in relief but made sure he looked toward Immortika.


    But he was shocked when he saw¡­


    "Idiot, what are you looking for? Go and dig that goblin out. He had the material you needed for thest level of Cursed Heart Emergence. If you leave him underground for half an hour, you''ll lose that material!"


    Jacob was startled and didn''t dare to hesitate, and quickly sprang into action before drinking a mouthful of titan tears. He quickly discovered the bullet hole in the ground and quickly dug along the bullet line.


    Digging wasn''t hard for him with his current prowess, so it didn''t take long before he was ten-meter-deep into the group and suddenly dug into a small opening in the ground.


    He saw a small figureying there in its own blood and gore as the bullet sted apart its entire right chest as well as he spotted a small beanpole in its mutted right hand.


    Jacob didn''t have time before he took a heart box and started filling it with its blood, and he thanked his luck that the heart was intact, so he quickly ced the heart in the box as well.


    Only then, "Now, what is this material you spoke of?" he questioned impatiently.


    There were three more bodies he required to collect hearts and blood from,ying outside, and if he waste, the blood might run out or go bad, so he was in a hurry.


    "Rx, just this heart is enough to let youplete the 100% cursed mark, so you need no more hearts. Just eat them all to quench your hunger. As for the material I''m talking about, just open its stomach, and you''ll know what I''m talking about."


    Jacob was ecstatic when he heard he didn''t need to collect those damn hearts anymore, so he was more rxed, but he was still under 3X eleration, so he needed to calm himself down.


    Afterward, Jacob cut open the earth goblin, who looks just like a typical gibing with a sharp long nose, long ears, and long teeth. The difference was there was a green mark between his eyebrows.


    The moment he opened the goblin''s stomach, Jacob was shocked because something was glowing in the greenish light, and he instantly understood what he was looking for.


    Without caring about the mess, he took out the glowing thing from Earth Goblin''s stomach. It was connected with a strange green membrane, but the moment Jacob touched it the membrane burst like a bubble, and a two-inches shining green stone appeared in Jacob''s bloody hand.


    "What is this?" Jacob was astonished as he looked at the shining stone, which was smooth and warm to the touch.


    "Hehehe, it''s a 1-Star Initial Earth Element Core, or you can call it a magic core. Once youplete the cursed mark, I''ll give a proper exnation of Magic and what this core is used for. Just store it in the infinity pendant for now, or it''ll evaporate in the air in a few minutes, and you have no ce to cry."


    ''A magic core?'' Jacob was shocked and didn''t dare to be careless with this thing and store it away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Afterward, Jacob collected the small staff, which was probably a magic wand in his eyes, and stored it away as well. He was going to check itter. He then picked up the goblin''s body, which was his nutrition, and headed toward the other three to pick up their bodies and equipment as well.


    When he reached where A-9999 had died, he looked at Harrison, who was probably choked to death in that red liquid and didn''t care about him, and picked up A-9999''s headless body as well.


    He quickly collected the other two bodies and stored small pieces of equipment in his pendant.


    From Immortika, he found that the other two deceased were a ''Rare-Tier-2 Orc and a Rare-Tier-4 Troll.''


    Jacob then left the area, leaving behind the mess for others. He was going back to his man cave to start the distition and grilling process as soon as possible.


    After encountering a magic user, he knew just how dangerous they were, and even with his powerful body, it wasn''t certain that he could win against them. If not for the newly built titan iron, he would have never been able to kill all four of them.


    Especially the Earth Goblin who only died because of Immortika''s help, and without it, Jacob would be forced to flee.


    Since it''s going to be hisst injection, Jacob put all three bodies of ''nutrition'' on three skewers and finally has the time to deal with the 3X eleration.


    He had already lost the little bit of meat he had put on the other day and returned to being skinny again. He drank another mouthful of titian tears before he closed his eyes and starts meditating to calm his heart rate.


    After half an hour, Jacob finally managed to make his heart rate calm and break the meditation. He looked at bonny limbs and smiled wryly. ''I still have a long way to go before I will be able to exit 3X eleration without going into a mediation state. The energy consumption is just too great.''


    Aftermenting about his ability, Jacob finally looked at the small pile of equipment he collected from those four and moved toward them.


    There was only two intact full-body armor, one was from the troll while one was a female armor from A-9999. These armors were made with special materials and were much stronger than anything Jacob had seen in this ce.


    But his friction-killer bullet still pierced these armors, the armors worn by Earth Goblin and Orc were proof of it.


    Nevertheless, these armors were still better than what Jacob currently had, and he could wear the troll''s armor under his long jacket.


    Then there were two more of the red liquid explosives he got from A-9999, and there was also a device that was some kind of scanner and radar.


    She was also caring a pair of silver guns, which were clearly far more advanced thanmon ins guns.


    Then there was a dark green energy shield belt which was much stronger than Jacob''s.


    The troll and orc were carrying cold weapons, a long sword, two battle axes, and two automatic guns. Everything was high quality.


    Jacob also found some explosives and sh grenades. He also got two more scanners that had the same functions as the one A-9999 was carrying.


    But when he fiddles with those two scanners, he found a virtual map of the umon region, there were two marked ces on them.


    ''Could it be their hideouts? Where they stored their other equipment as well as the research data from mutants? It''s quite possible since they weren''t carrying anyrge firearms, and they were only here to capture me.


    ''If they hade prepared and wanted to just kill me, I don''t think they didn''t have sniper rifles in their ce. Or these could be just theirbs. Nevertheless, I should check them. I might find something useful,'' Jacob mused as he stowed away the scanners.


    Even without this map, just their other functions made them priceless in Jacob''s eyes.


    Strangely, there were four palm size white cubes which Jacob discovered within everyone''s pocket, and by the looks of it, they were a set.


    But he didn''t dare to fiddle with them since he didn''t know what these cubes were for and stored them away until he found out.


    Lastly, there were four Star Watches he got from each person, and all of them seemed quite high quality. At leastpared to the one he has!

 Chapter 149 Surfing The Star Network

    ?Jacob tried activating the star watch of A-995 but was shocked because there was a red-letter message with a timer and an option in start watch at this moment.


    "User ''Earth yer'' life signal has vanished!"


    "Please wear the Star Watch and ''Sign In'' within 24 hours, or the Star Watch will be reset and any unsaved data will be gone."


    [Time before the reset: 23:11:39]


    "New Sign In"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed and looked at the other three watches, and there was the same kind of message which made Jacob astonished.


    ''This watch might not be as simple as I thought it would, and I think it might not be traceable as I thought it was. These watches are even more advanced than the one I had and need information about killer skull society.


    ''They could tell I killed that orc, and this starwork is the only thing that might help me!''


    Jacob thought before he put on Earth Goblin''s ck Start Watch!


    The next moment, a new message appeared on the star watch:


    "New Life Signal Detected!"


    "Sign In?"


    "(Note: This device is already bonded with ''Earth yer'' and it will be reset upon New Sign In)"


    Jacob did not know what a life signal was, but he could tell it wasn''t something that a dead person could emit, so he pressed the sign-in. He was more interested in this star watch and starwork now.


    The moment he pressed that option, a ten-second timer appeared which indicated the time it would take to reset it.


    After the times ended, Jacob saw a colorful screen with a familiar notification.


    ''Wee to Star Network!''


    ''Starting the Bidding process of Star Watch Model-A-11 with the user!''


    ''Select the Binding Process


    ''Old User''


    ''New User''


    Jacob didn''t see these options in his Model A-05, so he tried selecting the new user since he wanted to create a new ount. Then the process was the same as thest one he had to speak for voice recognition.


    However, the moment he did, another option popped up which made Jacob frown.


    ''Start the DNA Binding?''


    ''Yes/Back''


    Just like thest time, he felt a sharp perk on his wrist, right below the star watch screen.


    A red scanner appeared at this moment.


    ''DNA has already been registered with the Star Network.''


    ''Please Select Old User to continue!''


    Jacob''s frown deepened when he saw the menu return to the first screen again. He reluctantly pressed on Old User then.


    This time, the Voice Scanner and DNA Scanner were skipped since the data was already collected, and a new option appeared.


    ''Analyzed User Life Signal?''


    ''Skip''


    ''(Note: With Life Signal, the user ount will be 100% secure and without the life signal, the device cannot be used!)''


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he read the note. Although he didn''t know what this life signal was. But from the looks of it, it had something to do with security, and it was really secure.


    This security function didn''t exist in the old model of A-10000.


    In the end, Jacob didn''t skip it and chose to activate it. He was even more sure now that this thing wasn''t hackable, but not 100% sure though.


    Nevertheless, he no longer dreads this technology anymore because there was no more threat to Jacob''s life in the umon region.


    A green scanner appeared, and it remained activated for an entire minute before it vanished.


    This time, another unfamiliar option appeared:


    ''Transfer Date from Star Watch?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Skip''


    Jacob thought for a moment before he didn''t skip this part as well. He still had a map in that star watch, so he didn''t want to discard it just like that.


    ''Please ce the star watch banded to you close to Model A-11.''


    The star watch appeared in Jacob''s hand, and the moment it suddenly lit up on its own when it came in the range of model A-11 detection, Jacob saw a transfer screen appearing on both watches before the date transfer was finished within ten seconds.


    There wasn''t much data to transfer, to begin with, so it went quickly.


    ''Profile has been activated!''


    ''Bank ount has been activated!''


    ''The Star Network is in sync!"


    ''User ''Faceless Ancient'' wee back to Star Network!''


    After this series of notifications, the menu finally appeared, which had far more options than Jacob''s old watch. He even discovered message and camera functions, which made him grimace. Because these two were not present in his old star watch.


    At that time, he thought they were applications he would get in some app store, but now that he looks carefully, it wasn''t the case at all.


    ''That bitch tricked me!'' Jacob instantly guessed as he threw an icy nce at A-9999''s stewarded body and sneered before looking at the star watch again.


    This time, Jacob explored every function of the star watch so he won''t get tricked by others in the future. It was just like a degraded mobile phone, but Jacob guessed that there might be more advanced star watches that have call functions as well.


    Nevertheless, just this message function was enough for now, and he could even send an MMS and receive one.


    However, when Jacob saw the price of just sending a single message without any attachments through the starwork, he was astonished. Because it was a whopping 500 gold coins. As for an MMS, it was even more absurd: 10,000 gold coins!


    ''Is this some kind of joke?'' Jacob couldn''t help but cussed whoever set up this ridiculous price.


    One had to know that with 10,000 gold coins, someone could buy the entire lion street of lionheart city!


    In the end, Jacob didn''t have anyone to who he wanted to send any message, so he finally opened thest application, which was none other than the starwork, which was the main purpose of this thing.


    A typical browser screen opened in front of Jacob. There was a search option, and other built-in options like, ''Star Information Sea'', ''Star Market'', ''Private Star Servers'', and ''Star Bookmarks''.


    It intrigued Jacob, as it was just like the inte with slightly distinct features.


    Curios, he clicked on the star market, and a notification popped up. ''Your Star Watch model can only ess the Rare ins Star Market!''


    Then a new window appeared in front of him. There were many options like search, materials, weapons, potions, firearms, and so on.


    Jacob was started when he saw that message and then all those options. He couldn''t help but open the firearms.


    The next moment, a menu appeared, and on the very top of it was a long-barrel automatic rifle with its picture and price of 1 million gold coins and contact info of the seller.


    There were sniper rifles, bullets, spare parts, and even RPGs.


    When Jacob''s eyes fell on a missile, he couldn''t help but eximed, "Which lunatic put this Cluster Bomb on sale?!"


    He couldn''t help but look at the price and took a deep breath. It was 100 million gold coins, and the seller was even selling 10 of them!


    Jacob couldn''t help but wonder if these rare nes were like a war zone or with nows.


    Despite that, he was still quite ted when he saw all those familiar weapons on sale, which means the rare region was like the modern world and looking forward to going there.


    He then closed the market since it was useless to look since he couldn''t get anything on themon ins even if he bought anything.


    However, he didn''t find any of these scanners or these liquid-type bombs on the market, which means they were notmon and might be more precious than he thought.


    Neither did he find any information regarding magic or any wand like the beanpole of A-995.


    Then Jacob opened this ''Star Information Sea'', which gave him the same notification that the information he could gain was only at the level of the rare in here, not higher.


    A panel appeared with only the search engine ''Star Information Sea'', nothing else.


    Jacob then tried typing ''Killer Skull Society. He was most curious about them since he came into contact with it the most, and was his enemy at the moment.


    When the result came, many files appeared regarding the Killer Skull Society, and these files had different price tags, ranging from 1 gold coin to millions!


    Jacob frowned when he saw so many files and wasn''t sure if this organization was really secretive or not, since so many people have information about them. But most of it might be just random bullshit.


    There was even an option to create his own information file and then release it in the Star Information Sea like a blog. He even has the option to release it for free or for money as much as he wanted.


    Jacob instantly felt this site was a scam, but he still kept looking for something which might be useful in this pile of shit.


    Then Jacob noticed a particr file that was free and posted by a person called, ''The Society Killer''!

 Chapter 150 Important Grace34

    ?This file''s name was ''Kill Skulls without Consequences'', which was quite interesting in Jacob''s eyes.


    He clicked on this file, and since it was free, it got downloaded right away.


    After he opened it, there were only two pages. On the first page was a strange introduction. It wrote,


    ''If you''re interested in killing Skulls for the greater good of the world, please kill with caution and as many as you can!


    ''I''m the biggest hunter of the Killer Skull Society. If you have anything on them, please share. I''ll buy it at a very high price as long as you have proof. Contact me at any time as long as it is rted to Killer Skull Motherfucking Society!


    ''PS: The Society Killer''


    As for on the second page, it wrote,


    ''Although I know killing the Skulls is doing good and getting rid of evil, this will also put a target on your head if you killed a high-level skull with a ''Brain Chip'' inside his head.


    ''Remembered the motherfucking society always nts a special Brain Chip into the head of their important pawns and any member with C Rank Skull or higher rank officers.


    ''These brain chips are specially designed to remain activated by brain waves and the moment these brain waves vanished, these brain chips will automatically be melted into the brain without leaving a trace.


    ''These brain chips also have another function. They all serve as restraints that will keep the members of society in check, and monitor their brain waves all the time and stop them from revealing any core information to outsiders.


    ''The moment they speak something that is considered forbidden in the brain chip''s data module which can alter or update at any time from the main data frame, the brain chip will explode within the brain and kill the traitor in the process.


    ''This process can be done remotely as well.


    ''Nevertheless, it will also send a signal toward their main data frame which will alert the society in 24hr about the member''s death. They can even tell if the death was caused by a brain chip''s self-destruct or by melting after the brain waves were gone.


    ''Even if someone digs out the brain chip, it would still self-destruct, and they know!''


    Jacob had a deep frown when he read to this point, ''So, this is the reason why they always know about the death of their members. But who is this person who has such a deep understanding of killer skull society?''


    Even though he wasn''t sure about how much information was true but he was quite convinced that this brain chip might be true.


    He read the reaming part,


    ''After going through so much trouble and experiment, I could finally find a solution to stop these brain chips'' death signals.


    ''Yes! I finally got it, you motherfuckers. If anyone is reading this and a motherfucker skull, then wash your neck because that motherfucking society won''t be able to avenge you anymore!


    ''More ironic that you can do nothing about it at all, despite wanting to chop me into a million pieces. If you have guts, then I dare you to remove this file from the starwork ande find me, you motherfuckers!''


    Jacob couldn''t help but smile wryly and continue to read.


    ''Ahem, sorry I got emotional just now, and that previous words were not meant for you, my fellow society hunter.


    ''So, note it carefully, the method to stop the brain chip death is to use aluminum foil to seal the head of a skull within half an hour of his death and then buried it at least ten-meter underground, and I can guarantee that the skull society would never know the skull was dead unless they look for him purposely.


    ''If you have a better method please share, the price is negotiable.''


    ''PS: The Society Killer''


    Jacob closed the file and shook his head. ''This is the most primitive method to block an electromaic wave.


    ''If this brain chip only emits an electromaic wave after someone''s death, then I can make an anti-electromaic field jammer and destroy the electromaic wave entirely,'' Jacob thought.


    Nevertheless, this information was still helpful since it revealed the nature of the brain chips to him.


    Furthermore, since he no longer has any need to hunt for hearts, he wasn''t nning on antagonizing the Killer Skull Society anymore.


    After injecting this heart essence, he''ll leave this ce for good and what happened next had nothing to do with him.


    Afterward, Jacob searched for maps, and he found many detailed maps of Rare ins, even some specific maps that have safe passages betweenmon and rare ins.


    In the end, Jacob bought two maps, spending fifty thousand gold coins.


    He also searched for some more detailed information about rare ins and spent another fifty thousand on many different books, which include beasts of rare ins, terranes, flora and fauna, power hierarchy, and some more important knowledge.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob understood that this starwork would be more useful than he thought.


    But he was shocked when he tried searching for ''Zodiac ins'' or ''Zodiac ins Map'' because nothing appeared and he won''t be going to believe that no one had ever tried to search for it before.


    Star Network was like the inte, and it was probably essential to advance civilization like the rare ins, so this information might be far more ssified and above the level of the rare ins altogether.


    In the end, Jacob didn''t dwell on this matter since it was out of his scope and check other options of the starworks, but suddenly, a notification popped up, which startled Jacob.


    ''Important Grace34 wanted to add you as a friend!''


    ''ept/Cancel''


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed. He had already learned about how the friend function works on the star watch.


    The profiles serve as a contract and you could search for anyone''s profile as long as you have their username on the friend search function. This function wasn''t present in the A-10000''s watch, so Jacob''s profile didn''t have an ''Add Friend'' option either.


    However, after he upgraded the star watch this function and the ''Sent Message'' function, appeared on Jacob''s profile, so now anyone could add him as their contact or send him a message.


    Furthermore, the friends could send messages and MMS at a 50% discount, which was an unusual aspect.


    Nevertheless, Jacob knew his contact ''Faceless Ancient'' was quite unique, and few people were free enough to search for it as well. So, the only people who would be interested in him and know about this name were the Killer Skull Society!


    ''It''s only been less than 2 hours since I killed those four. Could it be their brain chips are high level, and the society already received the reports of their uncanny death and then suspect me?'' Jacob mused.


    Suddenly, another notification popped up before he could decide what to do with this sudden friend request.


    ''Important Grace34 has sent you a message!''


    Jacob opened it without hesitation, since it was just a message he could see the contents without alerting the other party. As for replying afterward, it solely depended on him.


    The message was brief;


    "Important Grace34: If you don''t want to be forever hunted by society, then hand over the research data, and we''ll consider letting your insolence slide this time."


    Jacob''s lips curled into a wintry smile. ''It seemed they knew, and now whatever this research data is, it is quite important to them.


    ''Their high-level members probably won''t make it here in time, and the lower-level members inmon ins were only be sending themselves to death if they came after me.


    ''So, they chose a soft approach. But if they think I''m gullible, then they''re still underestimating me.''


    Another message appeared:


    "Important Grace34: We''ll evenpensate you with 100 million gold coins and the price is negotiable."


    Jacob sneered as he typed a message.


    "Faceless Ancient: I don''t know what you''re talking about and who the fuck are you?"


    Somewhere far away frommon ins,


    "Bastard, bastard, he''s still pretending to be not to know me?! Do you think I''m a fool?!" An enraged holler filled with hatred and frustration rang in the room.


    The sound of teeth grinding together could be heard as a masked person stood with a hologram disy above his covered wrist. There was a message box that had a chat open with ''Faceless Ancient''.


    This mysterious person was Important Grace34.


    A few minutes ago, Important Grace34 received the grave news that all the A-rank skulls sent to oversee the cannibal n were dead, and he nearly vomited blood in anger.


    Because it was too sudden, this had thrown their entire n into shamble, and whoever killed those members was clearly much stronger than them. So, sending lower-level skulls after him would be a waste.


    As for who killed them all, he naturally thought of the only person who could have done so, but it was nearly impossible.


    Nevertheless, he tried to search for the person on the starwork, since it was the only clue they had.


    But when he saw a message option appearing on Faceless Ancient''s profile, which clearly wasn''t there before, Important Grace34 instantly knew it was definitely this bastard who did it!

 Chapter 151 I’m Done Playing With Your Rules!

    ?Jacob looked at the swamp of iing messages from Important Grace34 as if that guy had gone bonkers in anger by losing those skulls. There were all kinds of offers to make him give up the research data.


    They were even willing to let him join their ranks, which Jacob would never agree to because he didn''t want any kind of chip inside his brain, and neither he would trust his enemy.


    So, in the end, Jacob muted the annoying prick since the block option wasn''t present and then try to store the star watch inside his pendant to see if that reset message will appear or not.


    Because anything stored in the infinity pendant will remain as it is when the time it was stowed like time stops, whether it was living or nonliving.


    And just as suspected, no reset message appeared, neither he got any more messages from Important Grace34.


    He mused that it was probably because the starwork couldn''t detect the star watch and connection with it, nor the star watch. So, as long as it was stowed in the infinity pendant, no one will be able to trace him even if this watch was traceable.


    Furthermore, he could summon it on his wrist directly, and it appeared as it was when it was stowed away.


    After doing some more tests, he stowed away the other star watches because they were freaking expensive. When he tried to see their prices, he discovered that this model A-11 wasn''t even on sale.


    He could only find a model A-09 which considers thetest model in rare ins with a price tag of 500 million gold coins and it did not have a camera function!


    So, Jacob knew if he put these star watches on sale, then he could instantly be a billionaire.


    After he was done with the matter of star watch and the loot, it was time to start the final injection!


    Jacob looked at the warm injection in his hand which was filled with the heart essence of an earth goblin.


    "What irony. I started the injection process with a fucking goblin, and now I''m ending it with another goblin. I wonder if the goblin race is my lucky charm or if I''m just their nemesis of sorts." Jacob ridiculed himself with a bitter smile before his expression turned stern.


    "This is definitely going to hurt and I might enter over 5X eleration while crossing the 30% altogether. I know I should''ve done it in steps, but any rare heart will give me at least twenty percent, so adding another ten won''t make much difference.


    "Let''s cross thisst hurdle, and get a hundred years of youthful life and move on."


    After giving himself a pep talk, Jacob ced titan tears jars in front of him just in case he needed energy, and then took a deep break before his hand moved with the metal syringe.


    The next moment, the metal syringe waspletely pierced into his heart, and warm heart essence started to submerge within his heart.


    Thereupon, Jacob waited for the pain toe, but to his surprise, he felt only a warm strange energy coursing through his body. He knew this energy appeared right at the end of hisst injection.


    Although he was d that the pain didn''te, he didn''t let his guard down since it might be just the calm before the storm.


    As time passed, more and more of this energy started to simmer in Jacob''s body little by little before itpletely filled every part with him, and the whole processsted for two hours.


    Yet, Jacob did not know about it as he was calm and didn''t lose himself in this wonderful feeling.


    But the moment his body waspletely brimming with this strange energy, his heart rate suddenly sped up, and that energy started to gather into his heart, or more urately, it was getting absorbed by it!


    If someone cut open Jacob''s chest, they would be shocked because at this moment a pitch-ck haze was surrounding Jacob''s heart as it beat wildly.


    Furthermore, the infinity-cursed mark within Jacob''s heart was glowing darkly, as all that dark haze was getting absorbed by it. Not only that but as the haze was getting absorbed, the infinity-cursed mark''s exterior was expanding while the symbol remained of the same size.


    For the first time, Jacob felt the condition of his heart, as he could feel something gently gripping and engulfing it.


    As a result, Jacob didn''t feel any pain but emptiness, as if something was stripping away from him slowly. Although he didn''t know what it was, he could tell it was something essential, something that was part of his very being.


    However, within this feeling of emptiness and loss, there was also something that was slowly being born.


    At this moment, Jacob lost the concept of time and his surrounding, he waspletely submerged in that strange emptiness.


    Right at this moment,


    "why... do you seek¡­. Immortality¡­"


    "You''ll be alone¡­ empty¡­ despite¡­ hated¡­ viin"


    "Give up¡­ give up¡­ stop¡­ stop¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Turn¡­ around¡­ stop¡­ now¡­ stop¡­"


    A faint voice started to ring into Jacob''s mind like an rming bell.


    "Come join¡­ me¡­e¡­."


    "You¡­ promise¡­ promise¡­"


    All of a sudden, Jacob''s body started to flutter before dark blood gushed out from his orifices. Despite this ghastly scene, Jacob waspletely expressionless as his eyes werepletely closed like he was unconscious.


    At this moment, the dark infinity pendant on his neck suddenly glowed in the dark sheen before the white infinity symbol in the ck ring started rotating while emitting a faint white glow.


    Immortika''s perplexed voice rang at this moment, "Old dog ??? don''t even think about it!"


    The next moment, the snake''s eyes of the infinity pendant lit up before the white sheen from the spinning infinity symbol suddenly engulfed Jacob. As a result, the dark blood and his oscition stopped, and he seemed stable again.


    Immortika''s eerily guffawed rang in the cave, but it was filled with rage and hatred.


    "Damn ??? this time I''m not going to sleep ever, I''m done ying with your rules¡­ hahahahaha¡­"


    "Rumbled¡­" A deafening thunderp suddenly rang outside the cave at this moment.


    However, Immortika eerilyughs and never stopped. In contrast, it became even more exasperating!


    ---


    A day and night passed by before Jacob''s eyelids trembled slightly as he opened, his amber eyes gleaming in a golden hue. He suddenly frowned when he saw a faint white mist in the cave and a distinctive refreshing scent in the air.


    "What happened? Did I fall asleep just now?" Jacob''s eyes shone in confusion since he clearly remembered being in the middle of absorbing heart essence, and everything else was a blur before he just opened his eyes.


    He clearly did not know what had transpired when his mind was in an unconscious state


    Nevertheless, Jacob paid little attention to it since there were more pressing matters at hand.


    "Did I seed?" Jacob looked at his body, and his eyes went wide suddenly because he was butt-naked. Not only that but his bonny body was now filled with carved muscles, and his pale white skin was glossy.


    "What the hell happened?"


    Jacob waspletely bewildered because he was wearing his ck clothes made with tiger bull''s hide, but now they werepletely gone, and he looked like he took a beauty bath.


    However, he was even more baffled when he saw the jars will titan tears werepletely empty, as well as the four meat skewers!


    Only the equipment and the cold stone stove with wood ashes remained in the cave.


    Jacob waspletely spooked for a moment before finally noticing, "I''m not feeling any hunger?"


    He then again looked at his muscr tone body and then at the empty stove and jars, and a strange possibility surfaced in his mind, ''Could it be all those things got absorbed into my body somehow when I was asleep? Is this some kind of special effect of reaching 100%? Heck, did I even reach 100%? How much time has passed?''


    Jacob then stood up and found his eye level had increased by three or four inches and the surrounding colors seemed brighter and more precise. He could also feel just how powerful he had gotten as he clenched his fists, making cracking sounds.


    But he did not know just how much power he had gotten.


    Jacob then donned the full-body ck armor he looted. This armor was quitefortable and was made with a flexible material thatpletely fit him.


    After getting dressed, Jacob finally opened the cavern''s mouth, and the bright sun greeted him, which made his eyes narrow. ''I clearly remembered when I started the process and closed the cave mouth. It was evening? Don''t tell me I slept for over twelve hours or even more. Only one way to find out!


    ''If it appears, then it means I was in that state for over one day, and if it did not, then this means it''s only been less than a full day.''


    Jacob''s eyes turn sharp. "Cursed Immortality!"

 Chapter 152 Cursed Mark Into Cursed Heart!

    ?"Cursed Immortality!"


    The next moment, cursed immortality appeared, hovering in the air like usual.


    Jacob''s eyes squinted. ''So, it''s really been over a day. I should be more careful in the future. If I fell into that state again and someone tried to sneak up on me, I would bepletely at other''s mercy.''


    The next moment, anticipation shone in Jacob''s eyes, and he moved to the main page. He wanted to see for himself if he really crossed the 100% despite having the answer.


    ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]


    [Current Phase: First Phase]


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Current Stage)


    -Second Stage: Compete First Stage


    -Third Stage: Compete Second Stage


    ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: First (Body Transformation)


    -First Stage Progress: 75%


    ---


    -Lifespan: 183 Years (100 youthful years)


    ______


    Jacob''s eyes contracted when he saw the newly emerged lifespan section on the page, which could only mean one thing. Hepleted the second level of cursed heart emergence and gained a hundred years.


    But the other 83 years surprised him, ''I might be my actual lifespan.''


    It was the only exnation that came to Jacob''s mind at the moment. He was ecstatic nevertheless and felt like all that killing and trouble was worth it.


    He then turned the page to see the details about thest level.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Heart Emergence (First Stage)]


    -Cursed Heart Emergence: Three Levels


    --


    -First Level: Formation of Immortal Mark Inside the Modify Heart (Complete)


    --


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark (Complete)


    --


    -Third Level: Cursed Mark into Cursed Heart


    [Description (1): Collect four Primary Elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind) Element Cores (Magic Core) from 1-Star to 9-Star.]


    -Fire: 0/9


    -Water: 0/9


    -Earth: 1/9


    -Wind: 0/9


    [Description (2): After collecting all 36 Element Core, create the following Ritual Array Formation.]


    [Description (3): Sat in the middle of this Ritual Array Formation.]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will cause ''Agelessness of Heart''


    ______


    Jacob''s eyes went wide when he saw thest level details, especially about the collection of 34 different element cores, which by no means was going to be easy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He experienced just how tricky someone with a 1-Star Earth Element Core was, and he needed to collect up to 9-stars, which simply meant even scarier opponents.


    As for the second description, there was a diagram given below, which was quite detailed, and he just needed to arrange those 34-element cores ording to this diagram, and thest was even simpler.


    Nevertheless, Jacob still felt it would be even harder than collecting the heart''s essence.


    As for the strange reward, he could only guess what an Agelessness of Heart could mean.


    For more answers, he finally turned thest page and asked the book itself, "First, tell me what happened to those bodies and titan tears."


    Jacob still hasn''t forgotten about the mysterious absorption of those bodies and titian tears, so he could only ask someone who might know.


    However, he was destined to be disappointed.


    "Hehehehe¡­ that''s all your doing, and it''s not rted to the scripture, so I can''t answer anything about it. And here I thought you would be happy after gaining a hundred years in your life cycle, but you''re grumpy as ever."


    Jacob frown not because of the antics of Immortika but because of its ambiguous reply. Even though it said it couldn''t tell him, it still mentioned that it was his doing, which meant no mysterious power or Immortika interfered.


    It gave Jacob some insight into the matter, and he decided to scrutinize it.


    Right now, he had a more pressing matter at hand.


    However, before he could ask rted to the third level, Immortika revealed something startling.


    "Before you start and then I forgot, let''s be done with this matter first, shall we? I have two announcements that could be only done by me.


    "First, my summoning time has been increased from half an hour to a full hour.


    "Second, the infinity pendant''s one cubic meter space has been increased to 10 cubic meters!"


    Jacob was astonished when he read it, and without stopping, he tried to look into the infinity pendant, and just as Immortika said, the small space had really been increased!


    "Nice, right? I told you as long as you keeppleting the levels, you''ll never be disappointed. Now worship me! Hahahaha."


    Jacob''s excitement was only fleeting, as he could quickly calm down for some reason.


    He then sneered coldly when he read thest phase. "Don''t tter yourself. So now give me a detailed exnation on this third level, especially these star-level element cores and what kind of beings I''m going up against."


    "Tsk, tsk, still grouchy as before. Alright, I''ll tell you, it''s not like I had any other choice.


    "First, you need to know what an element is and how it is formed. It''s not soplicated, actually. Anything abstract could be called an element, and this is all you need to know for now.


    "There are four primary elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, and most of the rare level species could awake one of these four elements.


    "Then there are Rare Elements, like Wood, Ice, Lava, Sand, and so on.


    "There are also scarce elements like lightning, light, dark and legendary space, time elements, and so on.


    "An Element Affinity could be awakened by any being on the Rare level, and some species at the peakmon level have such potential as well, but they''re extremely rare.


    "When these beings awakened their element affinity, they could faintly sense their respective elements in the atmosphere they had an affinity with, and the rarer the element, the harder it was to sense it.


    "And when a being could sense their respective element, this level is the very first step toward the realm of magic!


    "Any element has three primary stages, ''Sensing, Using, and Storing'', and whoever masters these primary stages can be called an initial level element user. An initial level element user can only use a tiny amount of their respective element within the atmosphere and store a tiny amount inside their body pours.


    "However, to use that element power, they need quite a time to prepare, so they are basically cannon folds, but they''re still geniuses and godly being in the eye of those who couldn''t even awake an element, much less master three primary stages.


    "That dark elf was such a being, but her bloodline was too thin to even called her a true dark elf or you won''t even have the chance tond that bullet on a true dark elf with dark element affinity!"


    Jacob felt his heart turn cold when he read to this point because it was simply unbelievable that even a Mack-10 speed bullet couldn''t hit a real dark elf, ording to Immortika.


    "Anyhow, after the primary stages are the Star Stage, which has nine-star levels, and each level is divided into Initial, Intermediate, and Advance levels.


    "To be called a Star level expert, one needs to nurture their ability to store the pure element power into their body, and once they reached a certain level of mastery, an element core formed within the body!


    "This element core will then help one to connect with the surrounding element more easily and store arge amount of pure elemental energy, which then could be used with instant spells like [Earth Spikes] through different element mediums like that beanpole wand.


    "You have to research Spells and Element Mediums yourself. If I start to exin it, the hour is not enough.


    "On to the main topic, as you have already experienced the power of a mere 1-Star Initial-level, you should know that a 1-star advance level in the same element could''ve easily sensed that goblin''s position at that range and crushed him right there and then.


    "As for 9-Star level beings, you can imagine by this that they could sense that goblin underground from a mile away and bury him within. The spell [Earth Spikes] would also have an area of one mile, and you might not be able to react before you''re dead!


    "To make a star rank simpler, you could put it in this way: the higher the reserve of elemental energy one has, the higher their star levels. It all depends on Elemental Energy, or the being here called elemental energy, Mana.


    "In 9 Rare-Tiers, you could only find up to Advance 3-Star level race. There''s never been a rare race that had an Element Core above 3-Star. It''s virtually impossible!"


    Jacob''s eyes were filled with astonishment, and a hint of fear as this otherworldly information was revealed to him.


    He took a deep breath and grimly asked, "You mean to say I need to hunt species above rare rank, right?"


    "Hahahah¡­ isn''t it obvious, or how would you find the reaming cores while being this ignorant? You needed one core of each Primary Element''s Star Ranks. It didn''t matter if it was initial or advance but you require all nine stars'' elemental cores.


    "The rank above Rare Rank is¡­!"

 Chapter 153 Toward The Hideout

    ?"The rank above Rare Rank is known as Extraordinary. Like 12-Common-Tiers and 9-Rare-Tiers, the Extraordinary Rank also has different tiers.


    "There are 6-Extraordinary-Tiers of Extraordinary Rank just like the remaining Rank of 4 to 9 Stars. Any being that could form a 4-Star Core was known as an Extraordinary, and these kinds of existence could crush any Rare-Rank like bugs.


    "This also ends the exnation on the Element Cores and their ranks."


    Jacob''s brows were knit together after reading the information about the Extraordinary Rank.


    He then asked sternly, "Then can I fight against an Extraordinary Tier-1 species right now?"


    "Hehehe, right now your body is as strong as a peak Tier-8 Rare expert, and not every rare tier has powerful bodies. Every species has its perks and weaknesses.


    "Some might not even awake an element in their life but still have the prowess of rare tier nine while some reach 3-star element core despite being a rare tier-1 species.


    "However, to be called an extraordinary species, not only does one need a body as strong as a peak rare tier-9 but an element core of 4-star rank as well. Withoutpleting these conditions, no one could call an extraordinary.


    "As for how strong a Rare-Tier-9 body is, that friction killer bullet made with the Basic Grade titan iron couldn''t even cut a Rare-Tire-9''s skin despite its speed. It might only leave a scratch.


    "Those four fellows you killed didn''t even have a rare tier-2 body among them, so you could sly them like chickens. They were all at the very bottom of the rare rank.


    "There is a more urate way to measure physical strength, but you have to look for them yourself. I''m not a strength measuring machine after all, heh."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, but he still epted this vague assessment, and he got some useful clues as well.


    Like he was physically as strong as a rare-tier-8 species whilemon-grade titan iron wasn''t enough to kill someone with a rare tier-9 physique, but the speed was still fast enough.


    Then Jacob asked another important question which was about himself, and deep anticipation shone in Jacob''s eyes. "You said any being in rare rank can sense elements and create an element core, then this means I have that too?"


    "Of course you do. But I also mention that the rarer the element, the harder it was to sense it and cultivate it into an element core. Sensing the element is also the hardest part. As for your element, you''re on your own.


    "I''m just a book that could lead you to immortality, not toward the path of magic, so don''t expect anything from me." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob merely grunted in exasperation at this, "This much is enough. As long as I have the ability, I''ll find a way. Then what about this agelessness of heart? What is this?"


    "It''s exactly what it means by those words. Your heart will no longer age ever, and time has no longer effect on it. But don''t even think for a second that the other part of your body will not age, or you''ll be immortal with just an unaged heart. It''s not evesting!


    "The moment the hundred years of youthful lifespan end, you''ll start aging normally again except your heart, and it could have different consequences on your body." Immortika mockingly replied.


    "Heh, I''m not that delusional. Since I have got everything I want to know, for now, I''ll be going if you had nothing to add." Jacob sneered.


    If it was another time, he would''ve closed the book after getting his answers before this book could annoy him, but today he has given it a chance to say its piece this time.


    It was Jacob''s way of showing appreciation for the information.


    "Hehehehe, you''re not ungrateful after all. So, I''ll give a piece of information as a gift forpleting the second level and keeping me entertained.


    "Nurture that thrall of yours into a star-level being!"


    Jacob squinted his eyes and inquired sternly, "You mean Alice? But why?"


    Although Immortika didn''t name the person, he could easily guess who it was directed toward because right now the only thrall he had was Alice since Harrison was dead and he didn''t have more, nor he required.


    This came as a surprise as well, because he was nning on leaving Alice without any prior notice. He no longer required her help anymore and was useless to him.


    But now he was thinking otherwise since Immortika''s words couldn''t be taken lightly.


    "Hahahaha¡­ who knows what I said? I''ve already forgotten. Did you forget I''m bound by¡­"


    "Fuck off." Jacob instantly closed the book in exasperation before it could repeat the rules bullshit, which clearly wasn''t applied to it at all, but it just won''t admit.


    Nevertheless, Jacob no longer ns on leaving Alice behind anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He then picked up the things in the cave and stored them all in his newly upgraded infinity pendant. Before, the space was quite limited, so he always had to store small and important things but now it was more than enough to store everything.


    He could even store a living person inside the pendant. The only things left in the cave were the equipment Jacob no longer needed.


    Suddenly, arge scanner appeared in Jacob''s hand. He still hadn''t forgotten about the marked location in this scanner. One location was in the Aureate Kingdom while the other was somewhere on the border river.


    So, Jacob was first nning on raiding this location before going to find Alice and then leaving this ce. The second location would be in his way.


    Jacob also wore his mask and one of the capes of four skulls, which was made with a special material as well.


    He was now 6.5 feet tall, and when he tried running at full speed, he blurred, and then he was shocked because he covered 1 mile per second and nearly destroyed everything in his path!


    ''This speed!'' Jacob was shocked as he barely managed to stop himself.


    Furthermore, he noticed that his heart rate was still calm despite his absurd speed.


    ''It seemed there are more details that Immortika didn''t mention a rare-tier-8 physique. Like my hearing is now spread into a mile radius, as well as my vision radius. I need to test and then should learn how to control my strength. It''ll be easier to trick someone.'' Jacob thought with a devious smile on his lips.


    ---


    Three dayster,


    With a blur, Jacob appeared at the foot of a mountain in the Aureate Kingdom.


    If not for Jacob learning about his newly advanced body, he would''ve reached this ce within half an hour at his full speed, but he was dyed by three days.


    But Jacob has learned many things about his new physique, as well as the huge energy consumption that came with it. Even though it was as bad as the hunger of his second level but it was still not something Jacob could ignore.


    Furthermore, Jacob also discovered that he could control up to 2X eleration at will. He can enter and exit at will without going through any trouble of meditating.


    Most of the time Jacob spent was on hunting for meat, and he started to miss titan tears because they were more convenient when it came to energy restoration easily and quickly.


    But it was a pity the titan iron vein was emptied by the skulls, and his reserve was used.


    Jacob looked at the scanner in his hand as a red dot was blinking a few meters away from his current position.


    As he followed the virtual map in the scanner, he finally reached the location, but there was nothing but rocks and a in rocky surface, nothing else.


    At this moment, a beep rang on the scanner. "Open the Door of Base NO.2?"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow and pressed the open on the screen.


    The next moment, the rocky surface below Jacob suddenly trembled before a small crack appeared, and it slowly opened inside, revealing an underground passage. A small map also appeared on the scanner at this moment.


    Jacob''s lips curled upward seeing the change. ''Now, this looks more like a dark organization''s secret base. This scanner has more function than I think.''


    With this thought, Jacob entered the passage, which was a stairway toward an underground facility, and as he suspected, with the scanner in his hand, the facility started to lit in lights, and he could see everything clearly.


    It was a long corridor that led toward a metal door, which was also opened by the scanner, and when Jacob saw what was behind that door, his eyes dted.


    There were ss cells filled with hibernation liquid, and inside those ss cells were hideous humanoid monsters sleeping.


    "Mutants!" Jacob instantly recognized them since they weren''t much different from the ones he encountered in the lion forest except for their skin color and horns. They look quite simr.


    Besides those ss cells, there was a working desk, and many files and books were neatly ced on it as well as a small instrument.


    Jacob smiled coldly, ''So, this is the date that the prick was talking about!''

 Chapter 154 Don’t Tell Me…!

    ?After half an hour, Jacob''s figure appeared outside the secret underground stairs while holding the scanner in his hand.


    After exiting the passage, he pressed the scanner''s screen a few times before he activated the self-destruction protocol without hesitation.


    He took whatever he deemed important from this facility, which included the data on cannibals and a jar of titan tears which were clearly saved for the cannibals.


    Although the effect of Basic Grade Titan Tears almost none exists on Jacob in his current state, it was still better than nothing.


    As for other things like firearms, Jacob didn''t need them anymore, not ofmon region quality at least.


    To make things difficult for the killer skull society, he decided to destroy this facility.


    But he wasn''t going to kill those mutants roaming freely in the umon region since it would be quite cumbersome, and the more time he wastes here the more danger he''ll put himself in.


    After knowing about the star ranks and extraordinary ranks, he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he could fight on equal ground with a dark organization like Killer Skull Society. Who knows just how deep their roots are?


    After he activated the self-destruction protocol, a five minutes timer appeared, and Jacob stowed away the scanner and left the ce without looking back.


    His next destination was the capital city of Humane Kingdom, where he sent Alice to monitor the movement of royals.


    As for his reason, it was simply because he didn''t want Alice toe with him and Harrison on this venture. She would''ve only gotten in his way, and Harrison would be suspicious.


    Jacob''s actual n was to use Harrison to bait A-9999 before absorbing her heart essence and then fetch Alice to use both her and Harrison if he had survived this venture as bait to hunt down those other three skulls in Rainy Mountain Ranges.


    But the presence of that brain chip made all his schemes in disarray, and all the skulls appeared together.


    Nevertheless, not only he was able to hunt all of them down, but he even acquired a 1-star core in the process.


    If not for Immortika''s subtle suggestion, he would''ve left Alice alone since she served no more purpose and only got in his way in the ce where he was going.


    This time, it took Jacob only half a day to reach his destination, which was the territory of Duke Riley!


    Alice had told Jacob that if he wanted to find her before their impending meeting, she would be in the secret hideout she had created many years ago as a backup if she ever had a falls out with Samuel.


    Jacob entered a town named Bright Town in the west of Riley Duchy''s fief.


    Since it was already night and Jacob was too fast for anyone to notice him, he easily reached the town lord''s mansion, which was the ce where Alice should be.


    The town lord of Bright Town, Yisrael, was an old man and a baron rank noble. He was a trusted aide of Alice, even her father didn''t know about it.


    Yisrael was in his study when an icy voice sounded, nearly giving him a heart attack!


    "Where is Alice?"


    Yisrael yelped and nearly fell from his sitting position, and when he saw the cloaked man standing behind him, his old face went pale with fright.


    How could he not be spooked when this mysterious man appeared in his study without even alerting anyone?


    However, finding Yisrael was quite easy with Jacob''s current hearing, and there weren''t many people in there, to begin with, the door wasn''t locked either, so Jacob easily found Yisrael with his described appearance.


    Yisrael''s voice trembled as he shouted, "W-who are you? Do¡­ you k-know who¡­ who I am?"


    Jacob coolly said, "Do you think I care? Where is Alice? I''m here to pick her up, don''t waste my time."


    A hint of astonishment shone in Yisrael''s old eyes before he couldn''t hear Jacob''s words clearly in his shock. Now that he heard Alice''s name clearly, he was somewhat at ease.


    Because if this man was Alice''s associate and know about him, then he couldn''t be here to assassinate him.


    Yisrael replied after inhaling deeply, "Sir, if you''re looking for young miss, I''m afraid she''s not here. I haven''t seen her in years. But you should look for her in the tyrant mansion. She worked for Lord Silver Tyrant now."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed because Yisrael was probably telling the truth. He could easily tell the difference with his heartbeat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Don''t tell me she fled after getting titan tears? Could it be she broke into A-rank with just ten drops and decided she didn''t need titan tears anymore and fled this ce? Or she was nning this from the start?''


    A dangerous glint shed past Jacob''s eyes as again asked, "Are you sure she didn''te here?"


    "Y-yes. You can check the secret base in the willow garden. I''m not lying." Yisrael felt his heart palpitate and break into a cold sweat.


    He didn''t know why, but this person was giving him a feeling of death which he never felt from even a B-rank mercenary he met one time.


    Jacob still doesn''t find any lying in Yisrael''s voice, even under his faint killing intent, so his conjecture about Alice was probably true.


    Alice most likely had fled after she deemed there wasn''t a need for her to have titan tears.


    ''She might be nning this from the start, but she hid it too well, not like that idiot Harrison. I should''ve given her the ck potion instead of the titan tears like Harrison''s as well.


    ''I miscalcted her intentions and let her grow out of hand just to make her powerful cannon fold. But this cannon fold seemed to be a cannon instead. If not for Immortika''s suggestion, I won''t even bothering here and then found out about this.


    ''Well, this is what I get for trusting and not enving someone with an astute mind. Even if she''s hiding in the umon region, it would be akin to searching for a needle in the haystack.''


    ''Sigh¡­ I would take it as another lesson to not trust a woman again.'' Jacob sighed ruefully but a faint smile appeared on his lips the next moment.


    "Alright, I believe you."


    Before Yisrael could react, Jacob had already vanished from his spot like a phantom, making Yisrael fall on the floor with an appalled look in his eyes, as if he just escaped death.


    ---


    Somewhere in the Rainy Mountain Ranges,


    A woman with fairy-like beauty sat in front of a bonfire with an expressionless face as she watched the burning mes in deep thought.


    It was none other than Alice, who was heading toward the border river to cross into the rare region after she fled the umon region. She didn''t have an urate map, so she was still far away from the border river, but not lost, either.


    She had long nned to flee the umon region after she got titan tears from Jacob''s hand.


    Her reasons were simple, first, after she saw those humanoid monsters wreaking havoc in the Aureate Kingdom she knew something was amiss with the umon region.


    Furthermore, the presence of Jacob and other people like him was enough proof that people like her were mere cannon folds and ants in their eyes.


    Second, she would never ept subjugation and wanted to be one who subjugates others.


    She knew Jacob was using her, and once she served her purpose, he might discard her despite showing consideration toward her.


    She never believed for a second that just because of their physical intimacy, Jacob would consider her anything but equal. As long as she didn''t have power equivalent to Jacob, he would never think of her as an equal, and she would always be a tramp in his eyes.


    So, she decided to make an escape while she had the chance. She knew the people behind those monsters and Jacob might be scheming against each other, and she would be the first one to die at that time.


    Alice had already made preparation before she reported the situation of the Aureate Kingdom to Jacob. If he sent her on another such mission or somewhere else, she would''ve escaped no matter what.


    Her entire n would''ve been destroyed if Jacob hadn''t sent her on another mission, but the temptation of titan tears was too great for her to take such a risk. In the end, her gamble paid off.


    Although, she was still some distance away from being an A-rank despite consuming those ten drops of titan tears, but she was not far away.


    She was confident in crossing the umon region and border river, which was a dream of hers.


    However, even after she escaped Jacob''s clutches and a new adventure awaits here in the rare region, she felt empty for some reason while being all alone in this vast wilderness.


    She always thought about her time with Jacob and how he appeared in her life like a storm.


    Suddenly Alice''s cherry lips curled upward into a mesmerizing smile as she mumbled coldly, "Next time, I''ll subjugate you, Jacob Steve, just you wait!"

 Chapter 155 Black Ship

    ?After getting disappointed in the Humane Kingdom, Jacob didn''t stay for long and left toward the border river. He was going to check the second hideout in the scanner before he ventured on his journey toward the Rare ins.


    The path led toward the Rare ins was quite far from the Common ins.


    These two ces were separated by an ocean called the Star Ocean and the border river was the only source that connected with the Star Ocean in the Common ins.


    However, the border river is also known as the Common River. It was also quite huge as it runs all over themon ins, and finding a correct pathway that directly led toward the Star Ocean was easier said than done.


    The Common River not only connect with the Star Ocean but also led to the Rarer Region and even Epic Region if someone was daring enough to start that voyage.


    However, without a map, one would only be wasting time and might even end up back where they started.


    But just the boats needed to travel in themon river and enter the higher region were quite hard to make much less a boat that could travel in the star ocean which was filled with beasts.


    Not only does one needed resources, but also subsequent strength to travel toward higher regions much less crossing the star ocean.


    That''s why Jacob was hoping to find these skulls'' means of transport which was probably quite fast since they could cover years of distance in months.


    After he saw the map and some details on the starwork about the star ocean, he knew just how difficult and dangerous it was to travel in the star ocean especially crossing two ins.


    Because there was a strange gray fog between the border of two ins which the natives called the ''Despair Fog''.


    This fog wasn''t poisonous but it affects others'' six senses, and the strange thing about it was the stronger a person is the greater this fog will affect their senses.


    Navigating in the despair fog was almost impossible without special equipment. It spreads over miles, and there was no way around it if someone wanted to cross the boundary between ins.


    That was also the reason very seldom someone tried to enter themon ins, it simply wasn''t worth it.


    As for themon ins, they were even more miserable since it was most difficult for them to cross into the rare ins.


    When Jacob got all this information and the map, he was quite worried about how he would be going to cross to the other side. It was then that he thought about how these skulls were to keeping here without any problem.


    So, all he had to do was to find their means of transport which should be in the umon region because they should''vee straight here without making any stop.


    But if he didn''t find any means to transport in this hideout as well, then he would have no choice but to go toward the epic region first and build a ship himself.


    Or he could just wait around themon rive until the reinforcement of the killer skull society arrives and then snatch their means of transport.


    It would naturally make the Killer Skull Society''s leader hate him to the core, but he knew this time there might not be just a 1-star being present, they might even send an extraordinary so wasn''t willing to take this risk.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was quite confident in this second hideout which was close to themon river.


    Following the safe and short route, it took Jacob a mere week to cross the rainy mountain ranges this time, and if he didn''t need to stop asionally, the time would''ve been much shorter.


    Afterward, Jacob just needed to follow the scanner''s direction which was a few miles away from the dark city and deep within the forest.


    Jacob finally stopped in the middle of nowhere, this ce was surrounded by trees like any other part of the forest, no one would even think that there was a hidden hideout underneath.


    Just likest time, the scanner was the key to open this ce and the same function activate the moment Jacob came inside its range.


    Although he didn''t know how they made these hideouts or they were here, to begin with, he didn''t think much about it since they were no use to him after he left this ce.


    After he unlocked the door which also led to an underground passage but unlike thest hideout, it wasn''t a spaciousb but a warehouse!


    When the light was up, Jacob was astonished when he saw high-tech firearms, gears, scopes, and cold weapons, there were even those red liquid explosives as well as a blue color one.


    Half of the warehouse was filled with weapons, and on the other side was something that made Jacob''s smile widen.


    There was a small ck ship without sails!


    Jacob couldn''t help but eximed, "Jackpot!"


    He quickly approached the ck ship which didn''t have any sails, it lookedpletely ordinary.


    The interior of this ship was also quite in, there was arge ship cabin separated into two floors.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob headed toward the upper floor which was clearly the control room of this ship, and when he saw arge screen and a ck screen panel below the screen he knew this wasn''t a typical ship.


    Curious, he tried to turn the ck screen panel below therge screen, and the moment he touched it, the panel lit up before a string of words appeared.


    "Star Watch serious above A-10 model required to activate ck Ship AEER-9322"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, ''So, even if someone found this hideout and this ship they won''t be able to use it without a high-tech Star Watch. It also means this ship is not ordinary.''


    The next moment, a ck star watch appeared on Jacob''s wrist, and the promotion changed on the panel.


    "Star Watch Model A-11 has been detected!"


    "Connecting with Star Watch¡­"


    Jacob''s Star Watch also lit up as a promotion appeared that this ship was trying to connect with it, and after he gave the confirmation the panel suddenly changed, and many functions appeared.


    A new ck color ship icon also appeared on his watch.


    Jacob first saw there was a power meter on the side which was still 75% filled. Then there was the control panel, but what drew Jacob''s attention was the Map of Routes.


    When he activated it, the big screen above was also activated, and an already installed map with a route appeared.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he saw the route of this map, and quickly opened the map he was given by A-9999.


    After studying it carefully, ''They''re the same!''


    Jacob''s eyes went cold, from the start, he suspected that these map routes were probably wrong, but he never thought they were not wrong but trap!


    If he had followed this mapped route, he would''ve bumped into A-995''s party, and it would be game over for him.


    Jacob then sneered, and after searching in the map menu of the ck ship, he found the option to reinstall a new map and route. He could even navigate remotely, but he wasn''t an idiot.


    All he had to do was to open that ck ship app on his watch and then install a new map in his watch which he already had bought from the starwork.


    Then Jacob ustoms himself to the controls of the ck ship, he wasn''t nning on leaving unless he knew this boat waspletely safe.


    What worried Jacob the most was which power this ship ran, and he was astonished when he found it ran on batteries and they could be charged on their own while moving on water.


    It made Jacob again reevaluate the foundation of Killer Skull Society, and his urge to leave became even more hurried.


    It took him half an hour to master everything on the ck ship, and now he just needed to take it into the water, and he would be ready to sail!


    Jacob also doesn''t forget about all those weapons and equipment in the warehouse.


    He changed into a new ck gear and changed every weapon he deemed useless with the new ones and stored them into his pendant while the ones with less use to him, were loaded all in the ship which had more than enough space.


    They were probably shipped here in the same way as well.


    When Jacob was done emptying the warehouse. He tried picking up the ck ship which was probably over two hundred tonnes, and he seeded!


    Jacob again has a deeper understanding of his strength and just how scary a rare-tier-8 physical strength was.


    Thereupon, Jacob put the ck ship inside the ragingmon river, but the water current didn''t affect it at all since it had already been activated.


    Jacob was content with this ship, and without any hesitation, he embarked on it.


    He looked at the umon region with a reminisced look and mumbled with a faint smile, "Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret!"


    _________


    End of First Volume: A Delightful Curse!

 Chapter 156 Arrival Of…

    ?Months after Jacob''s departure,


    Dark clouds covered the bright sky, and rain was pouring down in the Rainy Mountain Ranges, a typical day in the rainy mountain ranges.


    ''Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­''


    At this moment, a slim figure wearing a tight ck outfit and cape stepped out of the deep forest and looked at the sizeable raging river a few hundred meters away with its emerald eyes filled with ecstasy and glee.


    "I finally made it to the famous border river between umon and rare regions, and alone at that." A melodious voice rang behind the cape, filled with tion.


    This person was none other than Alice who had finally crossed the rainy mountain ranges and reached the border river!


    ''How should I cross this river, though? The water flow is too strong for me. Should I wait for the rain to stop, and this water flow might slow down, or there''s another way?'' Alice mused as she looked at the raging river.


    However, before she could investigate further, "Oh, a native. Our luck is not bad." a jeering voice sounded, making Alice''s heart palpitate.


    But before she could even react, a cloaked person appeared in front of her like a phantom, and she felt an appalling strange pressure on her and couldn''t move from her ce at all.


    Furthermore, when she saw the size of this person, she felt despair. This person was over five-meter-tall, giving the feeling of a mountain.


    The pressureing from this giant was so massive that she couldn''t even breathe properly.


    Thereafter, more cloaked figures started to appear around her, which made the air suffocate to the extreme as all of them were emitting horrendous pressures.


    As a result, Alice fell on her knees while panting heavily for air, as if she was choking.


    "Alright No.42 and others, stopped throwing your Mana pressure on him, or we won''t even have the chance to ask anything before you killed him." A powerful voice rang, filled with authority.


    "Tsk, tsk, and here I thought we caught that troublemaker escaping. It''s just an ant." A disdainful voice chuckled.


    Alice suddenly felt like all that mountainous pressure vanished, and she could finally breathe while coughing.


    ''Who are these people?! They''re even stronger than him! Am I going to die? Why¡­ why¡­ I have to die before I get the chance to prove myself¡­ to¡­ to take my revenge on¡­ him¡­'' Myriad thoughts started to rage in Alice''s head.


    "Heh, he''s going into a post-traumatic shock. What a week shit." One of them sneered disdainfully before he kicked Alice right into the stomach and sent her flying like a rag doll.


    "Now, now, don''t break him before we got our answer. No.23, go do your stuff." The same powerful voicemanded again with a hint of contempt.


    At this moment, a 5 feet tall cloaked figure moved toward Alice who wasying in mud while blood was dripping from her cape as the rain continued to fall.


    The mysterious figure, No.23, didn''t tarry and suddenly pointed his gray sharp finger toward Alice''s head.


    The very next moment, thereafter, the finger shimmered in gray sheen before the nail on the finger expand, turning into a sharp pin, piercing into Alice''s head!


    The sharp nail shone in gray sheen as a childish voice sounded from No.23, "He''s under my hypnosispletely, captain, you can ask anything."


    "Good girl." A tall, burly figure walked over as he patted No.23''s head.


    Then he turned his head toward Alice and coolly asked, "What are your name and species?"


    Whileying in the mud, Alice''s eyes werepletely listless as she opened her mouth and reply like a puppet without caring about blood or anything.


    "My name is Alice Riley, and I''m a human."


    "Human? Aren''t they the livestock we are rising?" The captain sounded astonished. He asked, "What were you doing here?"


    "Going into Rare Region." She replied.


    "Why?"


    "Because I want to be strong."


    "Why?"


    "To prove myself."


    "Oh? To whom?"


    "Jacob Steve."


    "Who is Jacob Steve? Is he also a human and stronger than you?"


    "He is Silver Tyrant. Yes, he is human and much stronger than me."


    "Hehe, interesting. Her power is at the top tier in this region so this person is stronger than her, then this means he''s probably a hidden expert, and by her answer, she didn''t know his background at all." The captain stated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do you know who is Faceless Ancient?" He questioned.


    "No."


    "Then do you know about the Killer Skull Society?"


    "No."


    At this moment, the giant, No.42, spoke in his deafening voice, "Captain, this native is useless. Can I eat him?"


    "Well, it seemed like it. We should found start with this Jacob Steve next. We needed to clear all the variables this time before searching for this faceless ancient.


    "But I don''t think he''s here anymore since the warehouse is empty, so he most probably fled long before our arrival.


    "There shouldn''t be any problem, even if the problem arrives or this Faceless Ancient is scheming again." The capital''s voice turned icy cold as the falling rain above his head turned into steam. "Everything is meaningless against absolute power!"


    Just as his voice trailed off, "Hehe, you got that right. Everything is meaningless against absolute power!" A powerful voice reverberated in the vicinity, startling the skulls!


    "Who?!" The Captain''s voice rang in the vicinity as his aura spiked, and the others went on high alert as well.


    "Hehehe, I never thought the Killer Skull Society will send an Extraordinary in this barren ce. You must be ranked within the top Ten in A-ranking skulls, right?" The voice mockingly asked.


    "Coward, show yourself, and I''ll tell you!" The captain roared as a fire burned on his body!


    "Hahahaha¡­ I know you¡­ you are Skull No.07 the Fire Fiend, who massacred eight cities and had a 10 billion bounty on your head. Not bad, not bad. You guys are really up to no good here.


    "But it''s pity I couldn''t im your bounty or any of you as a matter of fact, since I can''t leave any proof behind. Don''t blink or you won''t even know how you died." The voice warned as if it was going to act.


    "Hahaha, what an arrogant coward. Let''s see how you kill us!" The giantughed manically, making the surroundings tremble.


    However, none of these skulls noticed that Alice''s body had already vanished from her spot!


    Every skull entered its battle stance while shimmering in a strange light.


    "Hahaha, good, very good. Ignorance sure is bliss." The voice guffawed as if he was watching a clown show.


    "Let me broaden your horizon before you all died." The voice turned icy at this moment. "??? Spell, Ice Domain!"


    Fire Fiend''s crimson eyes suddenly widened when he heard the name, and he hollered at the top of his lungs, "Run, you idiots, this person is a¡­!"


    "Toote¡­" the voice taunted.


    Thereafter, strange cold energy flowed in the air before the raindrops suddenly turned into ice drops before everything froze turning into ice at an rming rate. All those skulls didn''t even get the chance to know what happened as they all crystallized into ice sculptures.


    Even the fire around Fire Fiend couldn''t stop this strange freezing, and he became an ice sculpture like the others.


    This strange freezing process not only affect them but the surroundings as well before it spread all the way into themon river, freezing it as well!


    Over two miles of the area turned into an ice field before it stopped expanding, and it took only ten seconds!


    The rain also started pouring normally at this moment.


    At this point, footsteps sounded on the other side of the ice field, and a few figures in long robes and masks appeared as they walked on the frozen surface of themon river.


    A person in the front was holding a white sword that looked like it was carved with crystal. This crystal sword was shimmering in a blue sheen at this moment.


    They all crossed the border river and approached those ice sculptures of the skulls.


    At this time, another figure wearing the same robes as these mysterious neers appeared. Still, this person was holding a body over its shoulder, which was none other than the unconscious Alice!


    The person holding the crystal sword''s voice sounded. "How''s the girl?"


    The other person replied, "Fine, my lord."


    "Good job. Heal her. She''s a special one. I never thought we would find someone like her in this barren ce. Our trip wasn''t aplete waste." He chuckled happily.


    "What about those skulls? It seemed they were really up to something here, or a person like Fire Fiend would never show up in this ce." The person holding Alice questioned. It was a woman''s voice.


    The person holding the sword coldly chuckled as he looked at those ice sculptures, "Heh, they would be wonderful evidence to put all the me on the Killer Skull Society. They could only me themselves for targeting someone they shouldn''t have."


    His voice turned stern at this moment. "Heed my orders, start the migration, and be ready for the extermination. I want everything done in a month!"

 Chapter 157 The Eastern Star Ocean Of Rare Plains

    ?Far away from the Umon Region, a ck ship was floating on the calm surface of the water under the bright light of the sun.


    Surrounding this ck ship was a vast body of blue ocean, and as far as eyes could see, there was nothing but water.


    Suddenly, ripples started to appear on the calm water''s surface, as if something wasing out.


    ''Ssh¡­''


    A silhouette shoots out from the water before itnded on the ck ship deck.


    This person was wearing a tight ck diving suit and was 6.5 feet tall. His face was exposed as he was extremely handsome with pale white skin, sharp amber eyes, and a chiseled jawline.


    He had a masculine build like an athlete, and the most eye-catching thing about him was his long silver hair and sword-like silver eyebrows. Who could it be but Jacob?


    Jacob threw three feet long fish with a long ck horn on its head, onto the deck as it was already killed by him.


    "I might go sick eating this Horn Fish regrly. Just where the fuck is that despair mist? I should''ve reached there a month ago but here I am still wandering in this ce. I wonder if this map is even urate or not." Jacob mumbled with a sharp look on his face.


    It had been over 10 months since he started his voyage toward the Rare ins, but after he entered the star ocean and left themon ins, he just kept moving forward without knowing where he was.


    He just had a virtual map to navigate, and he had more than one, so it was impossible for all of them to be wrong, but for some reason, the famous despair mist didn''t appear ording to the map.


    So, Jacob became restless after an entire month passed, but he didn''t dare to change the route on the ck ship because this would reset the coordinates, afraid he might lost in this ocean.


    Not only he didn''t encounter any vicious aquatic beasts on his journey, but he even had to hunt for food.


    However, ording to the map and route he was on, he had already entered the Eastern Star Ocean of the rare ins, and in a week, he would reach the shore of the rare ins.


    Even after searching the starwork, he got the same result, and the map waspletely urate so, he guessed that the famous mist was just a hoax or all those maps were.


    Either way, he knew going back wasn''t an option, and he decided to wait for two weeks to see if he reached the shore or not.


    While on themon ins, he had already experienced and tested the uracy of the ck ship''s autopilot and the map again and again, so he knew they were not with any issues.


    It had something to do with the star ocean, probably.


    If he really reached the rare ins without encountering the famous despair mist, then he would consider himself lucky and move on.


    But if he was lost or there was something wrong with the navigation function, then all he could do was get ready for the worse.


    Anyhow, in these past months, Jacob wasn''t just idle. He continued to increase his knowledge about the rare ins and anything that could interest him in the starwork.


    Furthermore, he had more refined control over his strength as well.


    He could even hunt this Horn Fish, which was a Common-Tier-12 species now, and inside the water at that.


    Jacob discovered that for some reason, he could move in the water like an agile fish and as he stayed in the water, his speed would increase.


    He mused that it might have something to do with water meditation, which he hadn''t practiced since he left the tyrant mansion, and he won''t even think of trying it in this deep ocean unless he wanted tomit suicide.


    When Jacob was about to gut the Horn Fish, he suddenly turned around, and his eyes widen slightly because he saw a silhouette, a few miles away from the ck ship, moving in his direction.


    ''There shouldn''t be any ship in this barren part of star ocean which leads toward themon ins, or they''re going in themon ins. Well, they could be from themon ins for all I know.


    ''I have no confirmation except that map that I''m on the rare ins. Let''s see if they''reing my way and friendly.'' Jacob thought before he headed back to gear up.


    He won''t take chances within the star sea; this ck ship was even more precious, so the moment he senses hostility from them and they were not as strong as him, he''ll act with no hesitation.


    Soon, the silhouette be clearer as it wasing in the ck ship''s direction


    Jacob stood on top of the cabin''s roof, dressed in ck armor and a long jacket covering his equipment. He also wore his ck mask and cover his silver hair with a hood.


    He squinted his eyes when he saw the ship headed his way; it was a medium size battle sail ship colored navy blue, and the sails were painted gray.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    When his eyes fell on the top where a ck g was swaying with two crossed golden swords'' emblem, a glint of astonishment shone in his eyes.


    Because he had seen that emblem in the books rted to the rare ins.


    Unlike the Common ins, which were separated by regions and many powers ruled different territories, the Rare ins werepletely different.


    The Rare ins weren''tpletely conquered and explored.


    The explored area was known as Rare Freedom ins. Just this explored area alone was ten times bigger than the entiremon insbined!


    The Rare Freedom ins were upied and divided between four powers.


    The Golden Sword Country, the Light Nation, the Iron Sierras, and the Ice Nation.


    Also, unlike themon ins, the racial factor in Rare Freedom ins was almost non-exist, and the only factor that mattered was power and potential!


    The information on the evolution system of species was deep, and as long as one showed a considerable amount of potential, they could join the ranks of these four powers and gain ess to unimaginable resources to which the public had no ess.


    The three hegemonies'' influence was also not to be underestimated in rare freedom ins because they all still stand above these four local powers but stay out of any local conflicts.


    As long as no one provoked them, they won''t interfere in other business.


    On the contrary, the role of the three hegemonies was even more essential for the four powers of Rare Freedom ins because they all rely on them to nurture experts and gain knowledge, and conquered morends.


    One could say the three hegemonies were like experts making factories for these four powers.


    The Golden Sword Contrary was closest to the Eastern Star Ocean of the Rare Freedom ins.


    So, seeing the g of Golden Sword Country naturally startled Jacob as well, giving him the confirmation he needed that he was indeed in the eastern star ocean.


    But this also raises the same question: why doesn''t he encounter the famous despair mist? Where did it go?


    He would never believe that he was lucky or someone cleared it for him just so he could pass safely.


    Nevertheless, since he was already on the rare ins, he no longer cared and focused on the matter at hand.


    He has to remain cautious about how he deals with Golden Sword Contrary. He didn''t want to fall out with local power before he could even reach the destination.


    This ce was far more advanced than themon ins, almost at the level of modern civilization, and experts of peak rare rank ruled this ce.


    Even with Jacob''s current strength, he was far from invincible in the rare ins like themon ins, so he didn''t want any trouble for himself.


    Then there was still the Killer Skull Society, which might be searching for him like mad dogs.


    When the ship of Golden Sword Country was only tens of meters away from Jacob''s ck ship, a deep voice rang.


    "Stranger, show your Identity Poof, permit of this Ship, and Sailing License. If you have none, then surrender peacefully and ept the detention ording to thews of Golden Sword Country!"


    Thereafter, the ship cannons were instantly locked on Jacob''s ck ship. If Jacob resisted they would really shoot him down.


    Just with these words and movements, Jacob knew this wouldn''t end peacefully. He didn''t have any of those things they demanded.


    He wondered if he had taken a route that was under surveince by following the other map instead of the society''s map. It was very possible!


    Jacob also saw a man in a navy blue uniform walking at the edge of the deck and looked at Jacob coldly.


    This man was three-meter tall with a burly build and long blond hair. There were strange ck symbols tattooed carved on his entire bronze skin face.


    ''A Bigot Barbarian!''

 Chapter 158 Exposure And Invitation

    ?''A Bigot Barbarian!''


    Jacob wasn''t ignorant about the species of the Rare Freedom ins like he once was about the Common ins.


    He had remembered every intelligent and local species of Rare Freedom ins. They were ample information on the starwork.


    He instantly recognized those unique racial features of the Barbarian Race, which were just below the Giants inparison to their physical strength!


    The Barbarian Race was born with monstrous strength like Giants but every barbarian was born with strange markings on their bodies that look like tattoos.


    The Bigot Barbarians were a branch of the Barbarian Race and one of the few intelligent species present in the Rare Freedom ins. Anyone could recognize them with bronze skin and blond hair, as well as their unusual heights and massive builds.


    The Bigot Barbarian was a Rare-Tier-6 Species and fell in the category of Fighter type species with over 600-Ton physical strength.


    From Rare Tiers, there were two different categories of species because not every rare tier species has such physical strength.


    These two categories, the first one was Fighters who represent pure physical strengths


    The physical strength measuring system for the Rare Fighter Tier Category was in tons.


    Any species with at least a hundred tons of pure physical strength could be called a Rare-Tier-1 Fighter type species. With every 100+ tons, the tier increased all the way up to the Rare-Tier-9 with over 900 tons of strength.


    The other categories were known as Wiser, and the strangest thing was there was no information on the Rare Wiser Tier Category at all, but just a name.


    Jacob instantly guessed that it might have something to do with the elements or magic, Immortika told him about. Because for some reason there wasn''t any information on element power, mana, or magic cores on the starwork.


    The only clue he had was this mysterious Wiser species.


    Anyhow, Jacob can be considered a Rare-Tier-8 Fighter with over 800 tons of strength, and this Bigot Barbarian might not even take a punch from him.


    A Rare-Tier-8 Fighter was so rare that Jacob had yet to find even one clue on them, or his starwork was just too limited.


    Still, this battleship was not going to be enough to stop him, but he didn''t want to turn hostile, or if those over fifty cannons were fired at once, his precious ck ship will be sted into bits.


    Although this ship also had an energy defensive barrier installed within, Jacob wasn''t sure if it was enough to block so many cannons.


    So, he thought for a moment, before he said while looking at the Bigot Barbarian, who was still waiting for his reply.


    "I''m afraid I have none of those things you want because I''m a Star Oceanographer and Adventurer who likes to study and explore the mysteries of the Star Ocean. I think I wandered into the Golden Swords Country''s territory unknowingly.


    "I don''t want any trouble, so I''m willing to pay any type of fine for breaking thisw, and I''ll leave immediately," Jacob stated.


    There were many star oceanographers out there who like to explore, so his reason wasn''t aplete lie.


    However, the Bigot Barbarian wasn''t a fool as he coldly uttered, "I don''t care who you are or what your reason is for wandering in Golden Swords Country''s territory. Either you ept the detention peacefully, or I''ll happily send you permanently inside the ocean and let you explore the ocean forever."


    Jacob deeply looked at the Bigot Barbarian, who was also staring back at him with cold eyes.


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly be emotionless before he vanished from his spot with a blur under Bigot Barbarian''s bbergasted expression.


    "Where did he go?" He was shocked because he couldn''t even see the man''s movement at all.


    "I''m here." An icy voice sounded from behind, making Bigot Barbarian startlingly turn around.


    There were other people in the same navy-blue uniform on the deck as well, and all of them were gobsmacked by how this man appeared on the deck like a ghost.


    "Still want to do this? I don''t want any trouble, and we can all be on our way." This time Jacob''s words were more like a threat than a persuasion.


    Since he was already on the other party''s ship, he had already decided to kill them all if they still did not back down, even after seeing his capability and continued being ignorant.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But killing them might set some kind of rm, or if they were not returned within a set period of time, more ships mighte searching for them. Jacob was still far from the shore so he didn''t want to fight with fleets and be an enemy of Golden Swords Country.


    Since even a scouting or patrolling ship had a Bigot Barbarian instated, then they clearly weren''t a pushover.


    "Interesting. A Skull hesitated to kill while he had the chance? You''re not from the Killer Skull Society, are you?" At this moment, a mellow aged voice rang from behind Jacob.


    Jacob''s expression turned serious when he heard this voice and looked back.


    He saw another Bigot Barbarian, but he was 3.4 meters tall and had a wizened face. His blue eyes were without any fear or agitation as he faced Jacob. On the contrary, he seemed to ¡­ d.


    Jacob instantly felt amiss when he heard the work skull and the old Bigot Barbarian''s smile. He didn''t know why he said those words or why he wasn''t afraid of him, but he sensed no hostility from him.


    So, he decided to reply, "No, I''m not a Skull if that''s what you think."


    The old Bigot Barbarian''s smilingly replied, "Care to exin how that stolen ck Ship by the Killer Skull Society''s Earth yer came into your possession?"


    Jacob''s heart turned cold when he heard A-995''s Star Network''s ID, ''They knew, but how?!''


    The old Bigot Barbarian''s smile widened when he noticed some ripples in Jacob''s cold eyes. He coolly said, "You''re an ascetic expert, right?"


    "Why do you think that?"


    Jacob had many questions now, and he was feeling on edge because they all knew about the ck ship background, and from his old man''s tone, he could tell they might be specifically here because of the ck ship.


    Then this also means they came prepared!


    "Hehe, it''s because you''re traveling with a stolen good without even knowing it was stolen, which could only mean you''re not registered with any Private Star Servers of four powers.


    "Neither you have a permit for that ck ship, or you seem to know just how expensive and hard to get that ship from ck Sea Company. Furthermore, you do not know that the ck Sea Company can easily track down that ck ship without the help of a stealth guard.


    "A Skull would never make such a rookie mistake. So, that guy met with the misfortune to encounter you." The old Bigot Barbarian exined without hiding anything, and the smile on his face never faded.


    "Lastly, you have prowess above tier-6 fighter and still have no idea what kind of naval force Golden Swords Country had and still dared to resist the detention in the middle of star ocean.


    "Unless you''re overly confident that you could swim all the way back, or you''re an ascetic or an aboriginal who lived on some ind and came all the way here after encountering an idiot skull.


    "And I''m willing to wager that you''re the second case because you don''t even know that the ID we were asking for was your Star Watch''s ID. And I don''t believe you didn''t have a star watch since that ck ship won''t work without it.


    "So, tell me Stranger, who are you?" The old Bigot Barbarian questioned again with a smile.


    Jacob again fell silent because he did not know that there was such a thing, and it also appeared that he was still ignorant about the customs of Rare Freedom ins.


    He also got to know the Star Network''s importance and why his Private Star Servers were empty. It might be where the true function of the starwork lies.


    But right now, he had to find a way out of this mess because the other party seemed to be quite confident in handling him.


    The old Bigot Barbarian spoke again as his smile vanished. "Let me suggest something?"


    "What might that be?" Jacob questioned, but was quite interested in this old Bigot Barbarian since he was so calm about the situation and almost told him every w he had.


    "As long as you show me your Star Network ID and your Private Star Servers, if it is empty and you''re really what I just said you are, I''ll let you join the ranks of our Golden Swords Country.


    "We always wee new experts like you and will not mistreat you. On the contrary, you''ll get a huge reward for ''finding'' that missing ck ship from the ck Sea Company as long as we told them that ''our personal'' found it and was just on his way to submit it.


    "From then on, you''ll be a member of Golden Swords Country. What do you think?" The Old Bigot Barbarian solemnly expressed!

 Chapter 159 Acceptance

    ?Jacob was really astounded by the offer of Old Bigot Barbarian, which was by no way just as trifled as it sounded.


    "May I ask why would you do that? I still have an unknown background, and who knows, I''m really the guy you were looking for and just fooling you. Aren''t you afraid of epting a skull within your ranks?" Jacob questioned.


    The Old Bigot Barbarian coolly replied, "That''s why I want to see your star watch, because if you are a skull, then your Star Network ID would have the infamous Killer Skull Society''s skull symbol badge within your personal profile.


    "Which could only be gained after you registered with their private server and you have the strength to enter their private server unless they''re blind.


    "Simrly, if you join any servers of three hegemonies, you''ll have their symbol badges as well. These badges are like identity proof and could never be removed unless you could hack into the Star Network or get kicked out by the server owner.


    "As for a skull leaving their private star server, it means a certain death. Now you understand why I want to see your star watch and why it is considered identity-proof.


    "Once you registered with our country database, you''ll naturally get invited to our private star server, which will grant you the Level-2 Symbol Badge of our country citizen as well."


    The Old Bigot Barbarian exined patiently, "As for your other identity, as long as you''re not an enemy of our country, then we don''t care. Since you have strength over tier-6 fighter, we''ll wee you with open arms, and all we ask for in return will be your help whenever needed."


    ''The Star Network Profile as an identity and the badges. It''s really just as he said. It is nearly impossible to fool someone if they''re not primitive and never came in contact with the starwork.


    ''To survive on rare ins, the starwork is essential, and no one seemed to doubt that thiswork could be hacked. Which alone is enough to make thiswork like an omniscient in everyone''s eyes.'' Jacob thought without replying to Old Bigot Barbarian.


    He had to admit that he really required an identity and more information about these private star servers. Joining the ranks of Golden Swords Country was the easiest way, at least until he was ready to be independent again.


    Or he could just simply trick them and escape after he reached thends. No one could stop him at that time.


    But if he wanted to do that, he still needed to show his personal profile, or he had to kill all of them to leave this ce with an intact ck ship.


    However, it was the most foolish n because just as the Old Bigot Barbarian said; he had underestimated the naval forces of the locals and now he could either abandon the ship and swim toward thends or try picking a fight with him.


    Both choices led to him being hunted down by the Golden Swords County, at least until he was in the water.


    Jacob gave a deep look to the Old Bigot Barbarian, who still had that calm, amiable smile. ''What a wily punk,'' He sneered inwardly before he nodded. "Alright, I''ll agree to join your ranks."


    Old Bigot Barbarian''s smile widened. "Alright, follow me. We''ll talk about official business in my cabin. Let those men take care of your belongings and ship."


    He then shoots a meaningful nce at the Bigot Barbarian behind Jacob, which made the former shudder, and he quickly sprang into action.


    Jacob didn''t mind since there wasn''t anything worthy in that ship because anything precious was already in his pendant, so he calmly followed the Old Bigot Barbarian inside.


    "Oh, I forget to introduce myself. I''m Deputy Admiral of Golden Swords Country, Mn Wo Bigot." Mn introduced himself with his rank.


    Jacob inly replied, "Just call me Jack, and I have no title."


    Mn didn''t mind as he asked curiously, "So, where did you find that bastard Earth yer and where are you from?"


    "First, can you tell me how you know that this ship was on Earth yer exactly?" Jacob was confused about this because if the Killer Skull Society stole the ck Ship, then how did they know currently it was in Earth yer''s hand?


    ''Could it be they had some kind of surveince function on the ship as well?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Jacob vanquished that notion since they were surprised by finding him instead of Earth yer, and they were probably hoping to capture him alive since they try to speak first, not shoot on sight.


    Mn chuckled, "Heh, you might not know, but the Killer Skull Society is made with a bunch of misfits and twisted bastards. They all believed in equality and loath the current civil system.


    "Yet their actions arepletely different. They plunder, kill, rape, and destroyed cities for the sake of their foolish cause. Not only that, but they liked to show it off and rub it on everyone who tries to oppose them."


    His voice turned icy. "They would make video files or take pictures of their glorious deeds and then post them in Star Network News. Your watch didn''t have that Star Network News feature in your starwork, right?"


    Jacob grimaced and nodded, "Indeed."


    "Don''t worry, as long as youplete the final verification with the Destiny Star Corporation, it will appear on its own, and then you''ll get all the news rted to the Rare Freedom ins.


    "Anyhow, I was briefing you about how we know this ship was with Earth yer of Killer Skull Society.


    "Over two years ago, a shipment of twelve ck ships was heading toward the Ice Nation, but it was intercepted by a bunch of skulls. Then, like before, they posted this news with great pride on the Star Network News and the names of skulls who were involved in this."


    Jacob was speechless by this and couldn''t help but asked, "Aren''t they afraid they would get caught by doing this kind of foolish action? I mean, aren''t a dark organization like killer skull society would be more secretive about their member''s details and what they do?"


    "That''s the thing, Jack. They do this to promote their organization and draw more hot-blooded youths or some poor souls who were once mistreated by the system or simply didn''t want to follow it or the rules.


    "While it is almost impossible to track them down because the Star Network is very strict with its freedom policies and privacy of their users, and it ispletely wless.


    "So, organizations like the Killer Skull Society could use it openly to recruit more skulls and multiply their numbers. Even though the starwork is helpful for our civilization and bought revolutionary changes, but nothing is without consequences.


    "Nevertheless, we could only me ourselves for being so weak that we couldn''t influence the likes of Destiny Star Corporation. Ah, I''m being sentimental again and drifted from the main topic." Mn smiled wryly with a hint ofmentation.


    "The ck Ship AEER-9322 you were using appeared over a year ago when the Earth yer posted a picture of him driving it in the star ocean and taunting the authorities to not be able to capture them.


    "Earth yer was quite infamous for assassinating many influential figures, so his ID was a ck ID in our database. Every news regarding him was a top priority.


    "When the ck Sea Company alerted us about the ship signal being found in this area in the morning, they naturally sent me to make sure of capturing that prick alive or at least bring back his corpse," Mn revealed.


    At this time, they finally reached a cabin and entered. It was far more spacious than Jacob''s and morevish.


    After they sat down, Mn continued, "But instead of that bastard Earth yer, I met you, and it was a good call to not bombard the ship when I saw you standing on top of the ship. Or I''m afraid we all have been dead already, right?"


    Jacob merely responded, "I would indeed kill anyone who would try to kill me, and that Earth yer was the same case.


    "I was living in an isle for many years far away from this ce, and that fellow happened to be testing his firearms on that isle, and that''s how I came in the possession of that ship and this Star Watch.


    "But I won''t lie to you by saying that I was unaware of the rare ins'' existence. It''s just that I have no means to travel here with all those dangers in the star ocean. However, I took the chance presented, and this is all I have to say about my background." Jacob made some hoax story that sounded somewhat absurd but still in the realm of reality.


    As for how he got there or what he was doing there, it''s on them to figure it out, and he could tell they might really not care as long as his te was clean!

 Chapter 160 Golden Swords Country (1)

    ?Mn merely gave Jacob a meaningful nce before he nodded smilingly, "As I said before, as long as your star watch profile is clear, your background doesn''t matter. Now, if you please show me your star watch so I could report this to higher-ups."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he slid his sleeve and revealed the ck star watch in front of Mn and opened his personal profile.


    Mn watched without blinking. He knew more than Jacob about star watches, and with just a nce, he could guess that Jacob might not be a newbie to star watches as he thought.


    Furthermore, he wanted to see Jacob''s profile from his star watch because those identity badges would only show if someone showed them on their profile, and one could even decide on a specific badge to scan through their identity check as long as it''s valid they didn''t need to show more identity proof.


    That''s also how the skulls breach passed the identity check, and there wasn''t any policy to make them show their star watches as long as there wasn''t any felony on their username.


    Because the identity scanners were from the Destiny Star Corporation, which was part of the Star Network as well, and as long as a user wasn''t a criminal in their database, the starwork scanner would never reveal their personal information, even usernames.


    It would only give an ''Approved'' sign after a scan and that was enough to bypass any city gates.


    As for stopping using the starwork for identity scanning, it was night impossible because there was an even bigger threat than the skulls in the rare ins, and the starwork was the only thing that could make sure that threat won''t be a killing de.


    Moreover, anyone who had tried to make their own personal security system had failed miserably and always got hacked by misfits like the Killer Skull Society or the threat.


    So, these four powers had no other choice but to ept the starwork profiles as their identities.


    As for making someone a criminal under the starwork''s UI was even more difficult than searching for them because the starwork would only make those criminals who break the Star Networkws, not thews of some natives.


    So, those four powers had no way to know who was who without them showing their profile willingly, and even then, it was quite hard to find the criminals because many applications could show a fake profile, and the others would have no way to verify it without starwork revealing it.


    However, getting one''s hands on such applications was also difficult because anything rted to the Star Network was handled by the Destiny Star Corporations and their employees would seldom help developed such applications in the dark or if caught, it would be over for them.


    Nevertheless, these kinds of applications were still existing and could be bought as long as people know where to look for them and have the right amount of money.


    However, Jacob still had little knowledge about the starwork and the loopholes in thework.


    Even if he searched the Star Information Sea, he won''t be able to find any information if he tried writing ''Star Network Hacks'', ''Star Network Loopholes, or any word that was rted to starwork privacy and threatened it would never appear in Star Information Sea because thework would never approve it.


    However, Jacob would not care even if he knew about the loopholes, not for now because he really had nothing to hide except he was from themon ins.


    But when he saw how calmly Mn reacted when he nced at his profile, this confirmed his guess that they might really not care about his background but his prowess only.


    When Mn saw there wasn''t any kind of badge below Jacob''s username or profile name, he had already seen all the basic applications on Jacob''s star watch, so he knew it was a real profile.


    So, he didn''t have him scroll down to see his species or age and merely nodded with a friendly smile, "Alright, you can close it. Since you do not belong to any power, there''s no need to suspect you anymore.


    "This is also proof of what I said earlier. We wee experts like you with open arms and only required your assistance if needed. As long as you have the identity of the country''s citizen, we won''t care about your race or background.


    "The Golden Swords Country is muchxer in this department of species, and many races live together in harmony. Because even if your race is titled as Rare-Tier-9, it doesn''t mean every member of that race will reach tier-9 or remain at tier-9.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The ranks and grades are just set for those who wanted to look superior because of their ancestors'' achievements. Just like us Bigot Barbarians, who are considered a Rare-Tier-6 fighter type species, but it''s been over a hundred years since we have an actual Rare-Tier-6 nsman.


    "So, don''t worry about anything. As long as you are strong, everyone will revere you whether you''re from the goblin race or those arrogant elves or giants. Everyone knew better not to mess with a Rare-Tier-7 or above rank fighter." Mn candidly revealed with no shame when he talks about his own species'' shorings.


    Jacob felt that this old man was too open-minded, but he also agreed with his view because he had seen himself that the limits were something people set on themselves.


    He nodded before his voice turned stern. "Alright, as long as the Golden Swords Country won''t show hostility, I won''t either. So, care to exin what I need to do to join your ranks and what will be my position and where?


    "You and I both know that I won''t be appointed to some general rank or some important rank from the get-go. So just tell me the truth now. I don''t want any misunderstandingter."


    Mn merely smiled, "You''re a sharp one indeed, but you should know I''m not in the position where I could appoint you as I wish, and even if could I won''t because everyone has to earn their spot or those who work hard for it won''t be able to ept it.


    "I''ll vouch for your identity, and afterward the country assembly will be decided where to appoint you and in which position. But don''t worry, because of your prowess, they won''t dare to try something funny and make you unhappy.


    "You just have to work for a year or two before you might reach my rank or even higher if you know your way around. By doing this, everyone would be satisfied, and you''ll earn far more than you could imagine."


    ''So, I still have to work for them until they let me have a high-ranking position? This will also make me a target of some people who don''t want to let a cannon loose and like to keep it under control.


    ''However, they didn''t know my actual capacity. I could use them instated to fill my knowledge gap and acquire information on Wiser species and element cores. The rare freedom ins are just part of the rare ins, and I could leave anytime.'' Jacob thought deeply before he nodded in agreement to Mn''s words.


    Even if he hadn''t encountered Mn, he was already nning to join one of the three hegemonies after testing the waters of the Rare Freedom ins.


    But this unexpected turn of events wasn''t as bad as he thinks, and he wasn''t someone who would be swayed by power, fame, or riches. As long as it was necessary to reach his goal, he was willing to do anything.


    He had already decided to get the information on some alternative names he heard from Mn, like the Destiny Star Corporation, which was rted to the star watches and starwork. There was also some kind of verification hecked.


    Lastly, his goal was to find information on Star Ranks and Extraordinary Species'' existence.


    But foremost, he needed to get off this damn ocean with no hitch!


    "Alright, I hope what you said was not just your words." Jacob coldly uttered.


    Mn nodded solemnly. "Don''t worry, we Bigot Barbarians are not despicable and always keep our word. Let me arrange a room for you. We''ll reach the shore in half a day by following the navy route, and this ship is far faster than that ck ship."


    Jacob agreed with Mn''s arrangement and he never asked him to reveal his face all this time, which was also quite unusual, but good for Jacob. So, he left Mn''s room with a soldier who escorted him to his room.


    Mn''s amiable smile vanished when Jacob left the cabin as his old face turned emotionless. He then unexpectedly spoke, "So, what do you think... Admiral?"


    A mild voice with a hint of indifference rang from the shadowy corner of the cabin. "Just some arrogant clod who didn''t know the immensity of Rare Freedom ins!"

 Chapter 161 Golden Swords Country (2)

    ?The Golden Swords Country had a foundation over thousand years old and was divided into five provinces named East Golden Sword Province, West Golden Sword Province, North Golden Sword Province, South Golden Sword Province, and the Center Golden Sword Province.


    The Golden Swords Country was under the control of Golden Swords Military Dictatorship and each province was governed by a Governor-General, and different districts of these provinces have many ranking army officers overseeing them.


    In fact, calling the Golden Swords Country, a military country, won''t be an understatement.


    The Golden Swords Country was mostly famous for its naval forces in the Star Ocean, and no one dared to mess with them in the waters.


    The White Ocean Navy Base was one of the three biggest naval bases of East Golden Sword Province and closest to the Star Ocean. It was the entrance toward the Golden Swords Country from the Star Ocean.


    If someone wanted to go further into the ins, then there was the Great Star River, which was twenty-timerger than themon river of themon ins, and it spread all over the ins.


    But unlike the Common River, the Great Star River was still mysterious and wasn''t fully explored.


    Anyhow, a medium size battleship entered one of the bays of White Ocean Base while dragging a small ck ship behind it.


    Many Seaman Recruits were standing straight on an empty dock to receive this battleship.


    There were also two figures standing at the end of the dock wearingpletely different uniforms than those Seaman Recruits and looking at the iing battleship.


    "Here theye, Senior Chief Officer." A being with a gray, malevolent wolf''s head snarled. His height was 1.9-meter-tall and furry humanoid body. He was a Wolf-Head Orc.


    "Do you think I''m blind, Chief Officer?" The Senior Chief Officer sneered coldly. He was a middle-aged Bigot Barbarian.


    There were many intelligent and unique species on the Rare Freedom ins, but the species with the most poptions were Orcs, Barbarians, Trolls, Goblins, Gnomes, and such.


    These races produced the fastest, while they weren''t the most powerful ones because their bloodlines were mixed and thin, so their offspring seldom reached the potential of their parents.


    While there were those races who seldom mate with those outside their races and kept their bloodline pure like Giants, Elves, Dwarfs, Kobolds, and such. But they have the smallest poption since it was hard to produce offspring for them because of their strong bloodlines.


    Nevertheless, these races were still terrifying despite their short numbers, and no one dared to mess with them since they were also overprotective of their own.


    "But seriously, did they really find a stray Rare-Tiere-7 Fighter out there?" The orc asked curiously.


    "At least that''s what the report says, and he''s going to join our ranks as well." The barbarian coolly answered.


    "Do you think he''ll be appointed in our department since we found him?" The orc questioned again.


    "Do you take me for an answering machine? Ask the Deputy Admiral yourself." The barbarian answered with exasperation.


    Thereupon the ship finally docked, but no one noticed a dark blur jumping on the other side and vanishing in the shade of night.


    Soon, Mn, followed by Jacob, disembarked the ship before the others.


    Mn had an amiable smile on his face as he was saying something to Jacob.


    "So, this is the White Ocean Base I told you about. What do you think?"


    Jacob looked around and saw many battleships, evenrger size battleships, were docked there, so he had to admit Mn wasn''t joking when he said it would be foolish to pick a fight with them in the water.


    Although those ships were much more advanced, he was more apprehensive about the people driving them.


    "No bad, but I don''t want to work in here. I had enough of ocean adventure for a while." Jacob inly uttered without hiding his true intention.


    Mn chuckled, "Heh, and here I thought we''ll be seeing each other more. It''s a pity then."


    Jacob merely nced at the old man, saying nothing. He could feel this old guy wasn''t simple and amiable as he seemed, and he didn''t dare to let his guard down around him.


    In a sense, Jacob felt they were the same kind of people because they knew how to hide their intentions pretty well.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t feel any hostility from Mn so he wasn''t too much worried and just wanted to be done with this registration and get out of this base as soon as possible.


    He also saw the huge metal gate in the moonlight which was closed, and he could guess it was probably the way to the Great Star River.


    When they stepped on the stone dock, the orc and barbarian approached them which made Jacob somewhat startled when he saw the wolf head orc. He still wasn''t used to seeing people with animal heads walking around.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They both respectfully perform an army salute, "Deputy Admiral!"


    "At ease, at ease." Mn amiably replied, "Chief Officer, this is our guest, Sir. Jack prepared the best food and a room for him."


    He then looked at Jacob and said, "You were on a long journey, my friend. I''m sure you''re sick of eating seafood, especially those horn fishes which taste terrible. Rest for a night here and enjoy our hospitality. We''ll talk about the official business tomorrow. If I haven''t had to report this, I would''ve loved to join you."


    Jacob also didn''t want Mn around him, so he nodded. "I understand."


    "Please follow me, Sir. Jack." The orc politely uttered as he was looking curiously at Jacob''s mask which he was still wearing.


    Soon, he led Jacob away, and Mn headed toward another military jeep with the barbarian Senior Chief Officer.


    Jacob wasn''t too shocked seeing those vehicles since he had already read about them, and he knew rare freedom ins were already advanced into the engine age. He was even d to see a familiar means of transport since he wasn''t used to those horse carriages.


    "Where to, Sir?" Senior Chief Officer asked while taking the wheel.


    Mn coolly replied, "To the main office. I''m sure there''s a meeting waiting for me there."


    Senior Chief Officer solemnly nodded and drive toward the Main Office of the base.


    ---


    The main office was in the center of the white ocean base, and it was a tall twenty-story building. Even though it was night but the building was brightly lit with military lights like the day.


    Inside the top floor''s meeting room, three people sat around a table in military uniforms as well as giving off a suffocating aura.


    At this moment, the closed door suddenly pushed open, and a 6.4 feet tall figure entered wearing a navy uniform. His face was extremely handsome, with glossy white skin and long golden hair.


    His eyes were also golden but icy, and only his pointy ears were out of ce, or he lookedpletely like a human. This was one of the strongest species present in the rare freedom ins, the Golden Elf!


    Those three figures quickly stood up seeing this elf and performed a military salute. "Admiral Xavier!"


    Xavier merely nodded and took the chief seat. "Sit down, gentlemen."


    The three figures slowly took their seats.


    Xavier spoke again before they could. "Let me give you a summary of today''s events before you ask meaningless questions.


    "First, the Earth yer is most likely dead, and this person Faceless Ancient killed him and took the ck ship for himself. So, we didn''t get the chance to capture a high-ranking skull this time.


    "Second, this Faceless Ancient is clean. I saw him operate his star watch, and he didn''t have any badges of three hegemonies so we can make use of him with no worry.


    "Third, his species is probably new in Rare Freedom ins, and I haven''t found any traces of Magic on him, or he would''ve sensed me. So, he might be a pure fighter type as well, but it is still yet to be seen until we put him through some tests to make sure he had magic potential as well.


    "Now, expect this information. You can ask any question." Xavier coolly stated.


    "Since the identity isn''t a problem, then all that is left is to appoint him into a department." One of the three stated in a rough voice.


    "I want to hear the admiral''s thoughts on how we should use this new asset?" A sweet voice rang in question.


    Xavier inly replied, "Let him go through the Nightmare Knight Legion entrance test. They will do everything for us and measure his true potential. As long as he is appointed as a 1-Star Nightmare Fighter Knight, we''ll send him to the military base on the border of the wild nation to kill those pests.


    "But if he had the magic potential and assign as a Rank-1 Nightmare Magic Knight by the Nightmare Knight Legion, we''ll send him to the Central Province to nurture him properly."


    "Indeed, an excellent suggestion. We need magic users, not meat shields. West Golden Sword Province agrees with this proposal!"


    "North Golden Sword Province also agrees."


    "South Golden Sword Province agrees as well."


    Xavier nodded. "This meeting is settled, then!"

 Chapter 162 Golden Swords Country (3)

    ?The night passed peacefully, and the next morning, Jacob''s eyes opened in a spacious bedroom.


    Although he looked asleep, he was on high alert, and the moment he sensed something, he could instantly react. He had formed a habit of sleeping like his in the ocean. He could even sleep in a meditative state now.


    He still wore his mask and hood since no one asked him to take them off, but he knew he had to show his face eventually, and his appearance was quite catchy.


    So, he decided to make it less catchy. He went into the bathroom and then took off his mask, clothes, and armor, revealing his face, long shining silver hair, and body.


    The next moment, a sharp knife appeared in his hand, and the next moment, he started shaving his head until he waspletely bald.


    But he wasn''t done. He then started making scars over his head and face like battle scars. Although they looks fresh, he knew with his current recovery ability of his body, they would soon start to fill and look like old wounds.


    Until they''repletely filled, he would be long gone from here, and everyone would think he was just a scar-filled warrior, just like the picture he painted in front of Mn.


    After he was done with the makeover, his entire body was dyed red in his own blood, but he remained expressionless. He then took a bath, washing all the bloodstains, and just as he thought the bleeding was already stopped.


    Now, he looked in the mirror and saw his own hideous scarred face and head. He looked nothing like before. But he was still not done as a small vial appeared in his hand which was filled with a dark inky substance.


    He opened it and painted his eyebrows ck with it, and now no one would suspect that he had silver hair. He was nning this for a while, and this was the easiest way to fool any authorities.


    Even if he fled this ce, he could easily restore his appearance, and no one would guess who he was as long as they didn''t check his star watch profile.


    ''Knock¡­''


    A knock rang on the door at this moment.


    Jacob donned his armor and clothes, as well as his mask and hood. He looked just like yesterday without revealing his face.


    Then he opened the door and saw the wolf-head orc standing outside in his uniform. He politely said, "Sir Jack, Deputy Admiral, invites you for breakfast."


    "Alright, led the way." Jacob nodded and followed the orc toward the exit of the building.


    They soon embarked on the military jeep and drive toward anotherrge group of buildings.


    The White Ocean Base was quiterge, and there were many buildings and barricades around to stop intruders from invading and no army personnel from wandering.


    Soon they entered a militarypound where many army guards were patrolling.


    The Orc Chief Officer led Jacob to arge building that was filled with Golden Swords Navy Officers.


    Jacob looked around the building, and it was just like a typical army building with many corridors and rooms.


    When they reached a closed door, the Orc Chief Officer knocked before Mn''s voice sounded, "Come In."


    When they entered the room, it looked like a dining room, and a table full of different dishes with stemming oozing from them was there. Around this table sat Mn and another creature.


    He had dark gray skin and a brawny build with a menacing face with a deep old scar on his bald head. Jacob instantly identified this creature as the Mountain Troll which was quite famous in the rare freedom ins.


    Furthermore, this Mountain Troll was probably more powerful than Mn as Jacob could feel slightly threatened by him, which he never felt from Mn.


    "Chief Officer, thank you for bringing our guest. You may leave now." Mn amiably smiled toward Jacob, "Come, my friend, I put together this feast for you since I wasn''t able to join youst night."


    Jacob nodded in acknowledgment and took a seat around the table. But he wasn''t in the mood to eat because he could feel a faint hostility from that troll who was ring at him for some reason.


    Mn also sensed the tense atmosphere and quickly introduced the troll, "My friend Jack, this gentleman is from West Golden Sword Province, District Secretary Dous. He''ll be your handler for your appointment in Golden Swords Country.


    "Secretary Dous, this is Friend Jack I told you about. He''s an Ascetic Expert far from here and will be joining our big family. Please go easy on him, for my sake."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob nodded in in greeting. "Secretary."


    Dous also nodded in acknowledgment. "Mr. Jack, pleased to meet you."


    Mn smiled in satisfaction when he saw the introduction go well, "Alright, let''s have breakfast before we talk about official business."


    Dous merely grunted in agreement.


    While Jacob''s lips curled slightly under his mask, ''So, they wanted to see my face while putting up this fa?ade of friendly breakfast? If I don''t show my face, they might think I''m hiding something and be suspicious about my intentions.''


    No one knows if that was what they truly were aiming for, but Jacob came prepared for this. Evenst night, he didn''t dine with others to not reveal his face.


    If Mn had asked to see his face when they met, Jacob would''ve had no choice but to reveal it since he was caught off guard at that time.


    Furthermore, he was already in the other party''s home ground now, and even if they asked directly to show his face, he wouldn''t be able to reject it unless he wanted to turn hostile.


    Only uponing here did Jacob understand he might only just scratch the surface of the rare freedom ins'' four powers, and tier-8 fighters like him might not be as rare as he thought them.


    Nevertheless, as long as they didn''t have an extraordinary act, he didn''t mind ying along with them for now.


    Jacob took off his ck mask just as though Mn and Dous''s eyes shed with light as they nced at him simultaneously.


    But when they saw Jacob''s scare-filled face, they were astonished and wondered just what kind of experience he had gone through.


    "What? Never seen a warrior''s face before?" Jacob sneered coldly before he started eating without caring about the other two.


    "Heh, you''re more like us barbarians with those glorious markings on your flesh." Mnughed happily as he also cared little about appearances.


    Dous also nodded, as he also cared little about appearances.


    Since they both confirmed that Jacob wasn''t some wanted man and didn''t belong to any known species, they were more at ease since this could make Jacob''s vagabond background even more solid.


    Dous suddenly spoke, "Mr. Jack, if you don''t mind me asking, what are your species? If you don''t want to reveal it, please pretend I didn''t ask. I''m just curious since your skin color and trails were like elves, but your hair and ears are different from theirs."


    Jacob expected this kind of question so he was prepared in advance and said, "I also didn''t know what my kind is since I was born and grown in a small vige far away from here in the wilderness. But we all called ourselves Faceless Ancient, so it''s all there is to it."


    Jacob knew there weren''t any humans present in rare ins, so he just pretended to be ignorant about his race and used that annoying name as a sham to trick them.


    His name had already been revealed, and he knew it wouldn''t be long before society would know he was here. But when he thought about how the Golden Swords Country hated them, he didn''t mind letting them take care of those skulls for him.


    They won''t let them attack one of their personnel within their territory, or they would turn into aughingstock of the rare freedom ins if the news got out.


    "I see." Dous nodded in understanding, but it wasn''t clear if he believed Jacob''s story or not.


    Afterward, no one asked questions and they all have a peaceful breakfast before Mn led everyone to his office, which was right beside the dining room.


    After they all sat down, Dous finally spoke business. "Mr. Jack, since you don''t want to be in the navy, we won''t force you, and that''s why they sent me here as well. But first, I want to make one thing clear to save us the future misunderstanding."


    "Please speak freely." Jacob nodded.


    Dous said, "Since you were not born in Golden Sword Country and didn''t have any family, or species living or registered in our country we have to register you as a new species and will give you Level-2 Citizenship which we only give to a family member who had lived in our country for at least fifty years.


    "But ording to the new species citizenshipw, you have to serve the Golden Swords Country for Fifty Years as well!"

 Chapter 163 Agreeing To Demands

    ?"But ording to the new species citizenshipw, you have to serve the Golden Swords Country for Fifty Years as well!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Can you exin this ''Serve'' in detail?"


    Jacob had long expected thising because he knew they wouldn''t just give him freeway in their ranks without restraining him. Jacob would be more suspicious about their true intentions if they could let him join and then leave as he pleased.


    Although Mn had also told him about this level-2 citizenship But that old fox didn''t reveal the details and let Jacob enter their base first, where he had no choice but to agree to their conditions.


    Furthermore, things were moving quite fast, as if they had already decided how to handle him, and this also revealed another cunning aspect of Golden Swords Country''s upper echelon.


    Dous inly replied, "When I say ''Serve,'' it meant your service in the army before you could retire or continue with your rank. But fifty years'' service is a must for you.


    "If it was an entirely new tribe of new species who wanted to join the ranks of our country and benefit from us, then they had to serve in the army for a hundred years before they would allocate a territory in our country.


    "Furthermore, this service is not very if you have this concern, and we won''t work you to death. You just have toplete army assignments sporadically. You will be given corresponding rewards and many more benefits that the army provides its excellent members."


    Jacob went silent for a moment before he asked, "You have another option for me, right?"


    Dous''s eyes widened ever so slightly when Jacob quickly saw through him. He was indeed right since this was just a hard choice before Jacob would give an easy option.


    This would raise his chances of choosing that easy choice tremendously that the country had already selected for Jacob and wanted to manipte him into it!


    Mn smiled wryly on the side. He had already experienced Jacob''s sharp intuition, and he warned Dous not to y with words so much, or he might get seen through.


    Jacob wasn''t a wild stray as they made him just because he never came to the rare region. Just his strength alone was enough proof of his survival capabilities.


    Dous nodded, "Indeed, Mr. Jack had guessed right there is another chose which won''t require you to serve for fifty years in the army or face any danger, and you''ll earn full backing of the country and resources."


    "What do I have to do?" Jacob asked curiously.


    "You just need to go through the Nightmare Knight Legion entrance test, and if your result is satisfactory, we''ll dly offer you this choice and even more," Dous stated impassively.


    "So, you''re saying this second choice depends on this test result? But what if I didn''t get the results you expect me to get?" Jacob questioned. He knew what kind of ce the Nightmare Knight Legion was, and this was the only power between three hegemonies which whom he had yet toe in contact.


    So, he could guess this test might reveal something about this true potential or something rted to his species, which he didn''t want at all, not without knowing what they were nning or what this test actually did.


    Dous had expected this question as he said, "In that case, you have to serve for fifty years before you''re allowed to retire with a level-2 citizenship.


    "Let me exin about our citizenship first before you decide.


    "When level-2 citizens have offspring in our country, they are considered level-1 citizens, and they are required to serve in the army for ten years to raise their citizen level the same as their parents.


    "However, to rise from level-2 to level-3 citizen required excellent merit and a level-3 citizen offspring born as a level-2 citizen, which means they didn''t need to do any services in the army and live a life free from worry.


    "As for level-4 citizenship, it''s the most difficult to acquire, and only a few people have it, and they''re all leaders of our country.


    "If you managed to get those expected results, then you''ll be given a level-2 citizenship directly and even have a chance to acquire level-3 citizenship," Dous exined patiently.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob wasn''t moved in the least bit by this level bullshit since he wasn''t nning to spend his life here. So, getting this citizenship or not matters little to him.


    "What about if I don''t want citizenship in your country at all? I mean, let''s be clear, I didn''tmit any crime against you, neither I have any grudge against you, and I''m a free man.


    "So, you can''t force me to join your ranks, and that''s why you gave me these excellent choices, and I''m ttered. But I''m more adventurous, and fifty years of my life is far too long for me.


    "Since you guys give me a passage and show your hospitality, I''m in your debt, but it won''t be called for fifty years of my life now, are they?" Jacob sharply questioned.


    Although he was willing to lower his head, it might get cleaved if he lowered it too much. Furthermore, since they''re talking aboutw, he wanted to see how much regtion they could bend when it came to their benefits.


    Dous''s eyes narrowed when he heard Jacob''s unexpected response because in rare freedom ins, anywhere someone goes, they had to abide by these rules unless they didn''t want to live in safety of rare freedom ins.


    "Mr. Jack, I agree with what you just said, and we won''t own you just because we give you a lift. However, I would like you to reconsider this choice because they would have the same conditions even if you join some other power.


    "Unless you want to live in the Rare Wilderness ins, which are filled with unknown dangers and those vile evil creatures who were enemies of all living beings like us."


    This unexpectedment left Jacob baffled because he did not know what they were talking about.


    Dous sensed Jacob''s confusion as he inly said, "It''s only natural that you didn''t know about those evil creatures since they exist on the rare ins, and we''ve all been fighting them for centuries.


    "However, I can''t reveal this top-secret information before you join our ranks, and if you still want to leave, then you''re free to go, but you can''t enter our cities without our citizenship."


    Jacob fell into silence when he heard this because he could feel Dous wasn''t lying about this danger or whatever he was talking about. But he was definitely lying about his inability to enter their cities.


    After all, there were still three hegemonies, and he didn''t believe that those high-ranking members were their citizens as well, but the question was, would they let hime in contact with them?


    Furthermore, he was now absolutely sure that they didn''t want to let hime in contact with three hegemonies, and he wasn''t sure if he could leave here in one piece if he really tried to escape.


    So, Jacob chose the most straightforward option and saw what happened. "It seemed I was being ignorant and too arrogant. So, alright, I''ll choose the fifty years'' service."


    Dous was again baffled by Jacob''s choice since going through the second choice won''t put Jacob at a disadvantage, but if he seeded, then he would gain an advantage.


    Mn, who was silent for all this time, finally spoke. "Jack, don''t choose too soon because if you really choose this option, then you''re not allowed to join any branch of three hegemonies until your fifty years'' service is over."


    "Why is that?" Jacob''s voice turned somewhat cold, as if he was angry. This was utterly cutting him off from their knowledge.


    "It''s also in the contract that no citizen below level 2 could join three hegemonies. So you can see thesews in the other three nations as well, not just us. But if you agree to the second option, we''ll let you join the nightmare knight legion, and you can also gain ess to their resources." Dous revealed.


    ''What the fuck is with these twistedws?'' Jacob was exasperated by all these strangews and why those three hegemonies were putting up with all this in the first ce since they were all high and mighty.


    They were simply letting these four nations control them as they pleased while taking advantage of them. This made Jacob even more curious about what was going on here.


    ''I don''t know how they will hold these contracts, and if they''re valid in other nations as well, then I can''t just desert them. I need a clear graph of the situation, and the Nightmare Knight Legion might give me some leeway.''


    Jacob sighed and agreed in resignation. "Alright, you have convinced me. I''ll take this test!"

 Chapter 164 On The Road To…

    ?After Jacob agreed to take this entrance test, the meeting ended.


    Afterward, Jacob and Dous bid Mn farewell since Dous was about to lead Jacob toward thergest city of east golden sword province, where he would be taking the entrance test of Nightmare Knight Legion in two days.


    But this was just a temporary stop for Jacob because whether he passed or failed, he''ll be instated in another province far away from the navy.


    However, Jacob didn''t know that the East Golden Sword Navy was the safest army unit of the Golden Sword Country, and only a few even got the chance to enter the navy, which he rejected without knowing.


    While in a moving military jeep, Jacob questioned Dous sitting beside him, "Since I agree to join your ranks, can you tell me what those evil creatures you were talking about?"


    When Dous revealed this strange secret, Jacob was curious and wanted to know what could make the four nations fight for centuries.


    Dous nced at the soldier driving the jeep and coolly said, "Let''s wait until you finish your test Mr. Jack; there''s no hurry. I don''t want you to lose your focus."


    Jacob''s eyebrow spasmed slightly, but he didn''t raise this topic anymore.


    So, he changed the subject to anything he was curious about, "Then can you tell me about the Nightmare Knight Legion test and what ranks they had and what kind of rank I needed to pass this test of yours?"


    Although Jacob knew the Nightmare Knight Legion existed in themon ins, he still hadn''t had the chance toe in contact with them and what kind of ranks they had.


    Furthermore, those mercenary ranks ofmon ins also didn''t apply in rare ins, so he was curious about how they measure power level here and if they have different grades for those with Magic.


    Although Jacob hadn''t met anyone with magic power yet in rare ins, he knew they weren''t strange to this concept but hiding this information from those who didn''t need to learn about it.


    This time Dous didn''t dodge the question and asked curiously, "I seemed the ce, Sir. Jack came from didn''t have nightmare knight legion?"


    "You could say that, but I do hear about their fame and name." Jacob nodded.


    There wasn''t any information about the three hegemonies on the starwork as well, so admitting it would only make it more transparent that he was just a bumpkin and let others underestimate him even more.


    Dous''s eyes shimmered in realization as he said, "That also exins why Mr. Jack didn''t have any identity badges of the three hegemonies.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter, Mr. Jack. There''s no need to worry about anything. Although Nightmare Knight Legion is the most difficult to join, it shouldn''t be a problem with your current power.


    "As for their ranks, there is the lowest rank, the Reserve Nightmare Knight, and after it is Rank-1 Nightmare Knight to Rank-9 Nightmare Knight. But all these ranks are formon-tier species.


    "For Rare Tier Fighter Species like us, the ranks changed into Star ranks. To achieve 1-Star Nightmare Fighter Knight, one needs at least a physical strength of 500 tons, and the age should be below 100 years.


    "The threshold to cross the 1-Star Nightmare Fighter Knight is having a strength level in Kiloton (1 KT= 1000 Tons). But it''s too hard to achieve. We only know that there are up to 9-Star Nightmare Fighter Knight Ranks.


    "The most powerful Nightmare Fighter Knight record in our Rare Freedom ins is 4-Star, and that person is the current spokesperson of the entire Nightmare Knight Legion in all four nations, and he''s belonged to the Iron Giant Tribe of Iron Sierras." Dous''s voice showed a hint of reverence as he revealed the open secret to Jacob.


    Jacob was astounded when he heard this because he didn''t dare to imagine just what kind of physical strength this 4-Star Nightmare Knight would have, and all his confidence of having the physical strength of over 800 tons vanished into smoke.


    He felt his decision to remain submissive was an absolutely right one.


    He also discovered something from Dous''s speech as he questioned while pretending to be ignorant, "You said these ranks are for Fighter Species like us? I have read an article on the Star Information Sea that said there are two specific categories, Fighter and Wiser, and there''s no information about Wiser Species. So what is this all about?"


    Dous wasn''t surprised by this question since he knew this kind of information was really on the Star Information Sea, and anyone could find them as long as they were curious about the ranks.


    Furthermore, the Nightmare Knights Legion entrance test will expose this exact element about Jacob to them, so he had to exin this no matter what. Besides, when Jacob joined their private star server, he was bound toe in contact with that information.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Since Mr. Jack will soon join our ranks, I don''t mind revealing this ssified information.


    "The Wiser Species has something to do with supernatural powers which we called Magic!


    "To be called a Wiser Species, it required sensing the presence of Magic which is, in fact, elements like fire, water, soil, wind, and such around us. Therefore, the higher tier a wiser species is, the more proficient they are in controlling Magic.


    "We measure this magic power with something called Magic Measuring Device, but that device could only measure the presence of Magic that has already been awakened. It could not tell if someone had the potential to be wiser or not.


    "However, the Nightmare Knight Legion had such a device, and now you might understand why we want to take the entrance test." Dous meaningfully stated with an impassive expression.


    ''I knew it!'' Jacob''s eyes shed intensely, but he pretended to be surprised, "I never thought such powers existed in this world. I was too ignorant and arrogant."


    He took a deep breath before he said with a hint of anticipation, "So, as long as I have this magic potential, I''ll get Level-2 citizenship directly?"


    Dous wasn''t surprised seeing Jacob''s expression since anyone would be excited after learning about Magic. However, he also knew the more disappointed one would be when one found out they had no destiny with this fable concept.


    Nevertheless, it was still yet to be seen if Jacob''s species had such potential, so some essential figures of the country were secretly paying attention to Jacob.


    Dous replied impassively, "Indeed, a Wiser species is quite rare in rare freedom ins, and they''re considered strategic resources, so they were also given the mostvish treatment as well. I hope now Mr. Jacob won''t hold back on us. We all are doing this for everyone''s sake.


    "If Mr. Jacob also has the potential of Magic, then you''ll be appointed as a Rank-1 Nightmare Magic Knight Instantly. Even the Nightmare Knight Legion treated a Magic Knight quite generously and trained them with everything they had.


    "As for higher ranks and deeper knowledge of wiser species, you''ll know if you be a magic knight, or this information would only be meaningless to you." He stated inly.


    "I understand." Jacob pretended to be pumped while, in reality, he was feeling confused.


    ''Immortika said every rare species could awake an element or something like that, but this guy saying this device could reveal one magic potential, yet they''re still rare.


    ''Immortika won''t lie about something like this. So, this device is clearly wed. I wondered if it could detect my yet-to-be-awaken element?'' Jacob mused gravely.


    Now that he had confirmed his doubts, he knew there was ample information he wanted out there, and all he had to do was to acquire it.


    It also made Jacob quite hopeful about collecting those magic cores.


    Now all was left to take this test, acquire those identity badges, and join those private star servers. As for what the end result will be, Jacob wasn''t too worried about it.


    Even if the final result ends up with him not getting the Nightmare Magic Knight Rank, he would be d since this would make all those unwanted attentions disappear, and no one will pay much attention to him anymore.


    Afterward, Jacob asked somemon questions about the provinces and cities they were going to for this test, and Dous answered as long as Jacob didn''t stir up some sensitive topic.


    After twelve hours of driving and passing many in fields and some small forest roads, they finally reached a ce where Jacob saw more gas vehicles moving on a vast road that looked just like the modern civilization he remembered.


    Soon, they reached a check post where many troll soldiers were holding firearms.


    But seeing the military jeep, no one stopped in their tracks and let them pass when Dous''s shed a badge on his star watch.


    After passing this check post, Jacob buildings, and some skyscrapers on the horizon, they reached the biggest city of East Golden Sword Province, Easter City!

 Chapter 165 A Test?

    ?It was already starting to get dark when Jacob reached Easter City, which reminded him of a German City in thete 1900s.


    But the only difference was that it was already developed in technology as there were electric streetmps and road cars.


    It''s just that Jacob wasn''t used to seeing all those creatures and not humans driving and walking on these streets. He even felt somewhat sad for his own kind, but it was just a fleeting feeling.


    Suddenly Dous remembered something as he revealed, "Oh, I almost forgot, Mr. Jack. Please give me your ount number so I can send you your reward for bringing back the ck ship and the bounty on Earth yer.


    "As for the weapons in the ck ship, we had already turned them into gold coins as well since you won''t be needing those inferior goods."


    Jacob''s eyes gleamed when he heard this. He also forgot about the promised reward Mn had told him about.


    ''At least they knew how to keep others satisfied.'' So Jacob thought before he told him his bank ount number.


    Dous then pressed on his star watch before transferring the amount to Jacob''s ount.


    When Jacob''s star watch vibrated, he knew the transfer had been sessful.


    He opened the star watch, and when he saw the message from the bank, his eyes widened ever so slightly.


    ''Troll-Of-Just has transferred 1.5 billion gold coins into your personal bank ount, no *****!''


    Another message soon followed,


    ''Congrattion, your ount bnce had been crossed 1 Billion!


    ''Your ount no ****** is eligible for an upgrade to the B-Tier please visit our nearest branch toplete the process as soon as possible¡­.''


    Jacob never expected the reward would be this huge for returning the ck ship and killing a skull.


    However, if he knew the price of the ck ship was 50 billion and it couldn''t even be bought with the money, he won''t think it was unreasonable at all.


    As for the Earth yer he killed, that guy had a bounty of 450 million, and the other hundred or so millions were for those weapons in the ck ship.


    This was also a way to shock Jacob with just how generous the Golden Sword Country was, and it would only benefit him more if he stayed loyal.


    It might''ve worked on someone else, but it did not affect Jacob!


    "Thanks." Jacob still thanked the man and closed the star watch.


    Because of his purchase of the star information sea, he was running low on credit, so this amount just came in time.


    Dous found Jacob''s calm and unexcited reaction strange because anyone who bes a billionaire out of the blue would have a much more intense reaction, especially if a person were like Jacob, a rustic.


    Yet, he reacted like a billion wasn''t even a thing in Jacob''s eyes, so Dous thought that Jacob might not even know what a billion was, or he simply didn''t care about money since he was from the wilderness and their money didn''t matter.


    Afterward, they soon stopped in front of a grand building which named ''The Grand Holiday Inn.''


    "I guess Mr. Jack would be quite tired after our long journey. So we''ll stay in this Inn, the best hotel in Easter City. I hope it will be up to your taste." Dous chuckled as he exited the jeep.


    Jacob''s eyes shed mockingly before he exited the military jeep. He looked at the grand entrance where a goblin was standing as a bellboy and led them inside respectfully since Dous was a Mountain Troll.


    Dous booked tworge rooms for themselves and handed a key to Jacob before saying, "Please head first, Mr. Jack. I''m going to meet a friend before I would join you for dinner."


    Jacob didn''t care much and merely nodded before he was led by the goblin bellboy on the second floor where his room was stated.


    After Jacob reached the room, he asked the purple-skin goblin, "If the person with me came looking for me, tell him I''m retired for the night and don''t want to be disturbed until morning."


    "Yes, my lord." The goblin quickly agreed respectfully.


    Jacob nodded and then tossed a gold coin toward the goblin. It was good that the currency was the same in themon and rare regions because of the Zodiac Taurus Bank, or it might pose a problem for Jacob to collect money from scratch again.


    His room was luxurious if hepared it to anything he had ever seen aftering into this world.


    But Jacob wasn''t too concerned about the room. Instead, his eyes shed in a peculiar glint as he thought, "Cursed Immortality!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The book appeared, hovering in front of him the next instant.


    Jacob coolly asked, "What is the strongest species around me right now?"


    "What do you take me for? I''m your danger detector or something?" Immortika wrote in a perplexed tone as if it was annoyed for some reason.


    "Just tell me if that Extraordinary Golden Elf is still around or not." Jacob was also annoyed.


    How could he not know about the Golden Elf haunting him like a pest?


    On that day, when Mn confronted him calmly and collectively, he instantly summoned Immortika and asked it to tell him what was the strongest species around him.


    When he discovered a hidden extraordinary-tier golden elf on the ship, he knew if he showed hostility, he would be dead!


    So, he pretended to y all along and as act if he didn''t know anything.


    Althoughst night and in the morning when the meeting was held, the cooldown period of summoning was still not over, so he didn''t know if there were someone there monitoring him.


    But he didn''t dare to risk angering an extraordinary. He behaved as it was expected of him.


    When the cooldown period was finally over in the jeep, Jacob decided to save it until he reached the Easter City and then see if that golden elf was still following him or not.


    "Only that Rare-Tier-8 Mountain Troll is hiding at the end of the corridor. What are you going to escape?" Immortika questioned with great interest.


    As long as Jacob''s question was right, it would answer it, and gauging the tier of a species was something it had never rejected before, and this time wasn''t any different.


    ''Thatying fucker.'' Jacob''s lips curled in a cold smile as he answered, "No, I''m not going to escape, and why should I?


    "They''re still testing me, although I don''t know what kind of range you had. I''m sure there would be an ambush waiting if I tried anything funny.


    "I can even bet that this room is also being monitored right now, and it was all just a setup to see where''s my loyaltyy and if I could be controlled or not.


    "On the contrary, I''m going to be a loyal ve they all wanted me to be, and the moment I''m done with them, they look away¡­ heh."


    Jacob sneered coldly before he moved toward his bedroom and did as he said he would and didn''t try anything.


    "Heheheh¡­ interesting, interesting, this mind game of yours is to my liking. But what if they decided to send you on a suicide mission after not getting the result they want from that so-called magic test." Immortika questioned in excitement.


    "I''ll decide when the timees. I just want to get into their informationwork for now, and the Nightmare Knight Legion will significantly help me.


    "They clearly couldn''t control the three hegemonies'' actions, but for some reason, they could ce those restrictions on their citizens to stop them from joining the three hegemonies without initiating their wrath.


    "Something is going on here, and I need to find out what before I decide my next move. Unless¡­" Jacob''s eyes turned sharp as he looked at the book meaningfully, "Unless you could help me spy on them or infiltrate their database so I could be on my way to collect those element cores."


    "Hahahah¡­ it''s still too soon for you to trick me into doing something like this, but nice try, though." Immortika instantly saw through Jacob''s true intentions.


    "Tsk, I was worth trying." Jacob snorted without being much shocked since he had expected this much and didn''t pay much attention to the book anymore andy down on thefortable bed.


    Since those guys didn''t intend to get rid of him as long as he behaved, he didn''t have to worry about getting attacked for now.


    ---


    Dous, who had put an excuse to make Jacob show his true intentions, was still hiding inside the ceiling while coldly looking at the star watch in his hand.


    There was a live scene ying of Jacob lying on the bed!


    Suddenly a message popped up on the live feed,


    ''Mightily_Sword: It seemed we were wrong about this little bumpkin''s ambition. He''s as obedient as a dog. Hehehe.''


    Dous''s eyes narrowed in uncertainty because he also thought that Jacob would escape the first chance he got, and this was just the chance he needed. He even gave him over a billion gold coins to make him reveal his fangs.


    Yet, here he was, sleeping, without even caring about being attacked, much less escaping!

 Chapter 166 Nightmare Knight Legion (1)

    ?On his remaining day of stay, Jacob didn''t tour the city, he only came out just for his meals, and even that was because Dous invited him.


    Although this behavior raised some suspicion in Dous''s mind, but he couldn''t just condemn the guy for hisck of interest. Nevertheless, Dous never stopped monitoring, and people behind him were also on high alert.


    If Jacob had tried to escape or left a certain perimeter, it would''ve not ended well for him.


    The Easter City was highly guarded, and escaping it was night impossible with the City Magistrate present and on high alert.


    However, since Jacob didn''t show any strange movement, nothing happened. Finally, the day arrived when he was again led in another ck army jeet with a neer joining Jacob and Dous.


    This person was another mountain troll named Nathanael, but he was slim, unlike Dous. Yet, he gave Jacob a feeling of apprehension with that nasty smile on his face and the way he talked like he was a servant of people.


    However, Jacob could tell this person was dark from the inside, as if he was suppressing his true self, and Jacob knew too well about it.


    "So, Mr. Jack, are you prepared?" Nathanael asked with a smile as he nced at masked Jacob from the front seat mirror.


    ording to Dous, Nathanael was his friend in Easter City and also a Ranked Captain in the Golden Sword Army. He was here because he also had something to do in the Nightmare Knight Legion.


    Jacob impassively replied, "I''m always prepared."


    "Haha, that''s the spirit, my foreign friend. We should always be prepared for the worse. That''s the way of a warrior." Nathanael warmly stated.


    "Indeed." Jacob inly replied.


    Although he didn''t know why this guy was with them, he didn''t like him from the moment, he saw him and even wanted to kill him.


    Afterward, Nathanael didn''t ask more questions since he could feel Jacob wasn''t a chatterbox, and neither could he get something out of him. He was just too indifferent.


    Dous was also having some misgivings about Jacob''s actual personality now.


    They were headed toward one of the city''s tallest skyscrapers in the center of Easter City.


    When they reached closer, it was a hundred-story ck color building. It was structured like a broad sword, and arge golden emblem was in the center of this ck building. It was a golden shield pierced by all sorts of cold weapons in ck colors.


    It was the emblem of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, a shield that could remain intact after piercing by various weapons.


    But what astonished Jacob was therge ck arena beside this building because it had huge crimson letters on top of it, ''Warrior Nightmare Arena'' with the alliance emblem.


    When he saw Jacob looking at the ck arena, Nathanael said, "It is one of the specialties of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, the Warrior Nightmare Arena, where anyone could fight and win unimaginable wealth.


    "There is one arena in each province of our country located in the most prominent locations like the Easter City.


    "Furthermore, the biggest attraction of the Warrior Nightmare Arena is the Death Match, where anyone can kill without being worried about the consequences!" He shed a meaningful smile at Jacob at the end.


    Jacob merely nced at Nathanael before he nodded without giving any reply.


    Everyone knew the Zodiac Warrior Alliance was a battle organization, and all their members were trained fighters. So, seeing the Warrior Nightmare Arena didn''t give Jacob much shock.


    From ancient times, warriors liked topete with each other to see who was the strongest and this arena just gave them a chance to find out while also winning wealth.


    Furthermore, conflicts between warriors were also quite normal, and sometimes death was the only solution.


    The Warrior Nightmare Arena was an excellent way to make it all legal so the others won''t scheme against each other and drag others down.


    There was arge wall which was surrounding the whole Nightmare Knight Legion''s territory, which one could only see when they were a few miles away.


    There were alsorge ck gates with the shield emblem, made with a strange metal that could glow in the dark and glittered in the day.


    Right now, the gates were opened, and all kinds of people were going inside because today was the monthly entrance test of the Nightmare Knight Legion, and many wanted to be nightmare knights because they had too many perks!


    Unlike the Common ins, there weren''t any ck knight academies in Rare ins because there wasn''t any need for them.


    Even though the poption ofmon tier species was more significant than the rare tier species, they were far more powerful than those at the Common ins because of the environmental difference.


    Although Jacob hadn''t noticed it because of his powerful physique, but just the gravity in Rare ins was five times heavier than the Common ins!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Furthermore, these four powers of the rare freedom ins were like the three kingdoms of the Umon Region.


    Anyhow, any means of transport wasn''t allowed to enter inside, even the military. So, they had to park the jeep half a mile away in the underground parking lot.


    Afterward, they just walked like other people. Nathanael and Dous weren''t wearing any military uniform, so no one paid much attention to them.


    Jacob also observes the people around him; they all give off powerful feelings, and some are as strong as Dous.


    ording to Dous, most of them were retaking the entrance test, making him wonder what could make a rare-tier-8 fighter fail a mere entrance test.


    However, what Dous didn''t reveal to Jacob was that the entrance test of the Nightmare Knight Legion wasn''t just about physical strength; there were some other aspects involved.


    They just wanted to see if Jacob had magic potential or not and afterward pass the test on not all depends on Jacob.


    However, if he failed to pass the entrance test, he won''t get another chance unless he became a level-2 citizen like these people around him.


    In fact, they hid more than half of the information from Jacob, which wasn''t on the star information sea. So, Jacob had even less chance toe in contact with this information.


    But Jacob never believed in everything they said as well, he had asked Dous if he was also a 1-Star Nightmare Knight, and his answer was simple, no.


    So, he had assumed that either Dous wasn''t interested or he didn''t have the skills to pass the test both things had fifty/fifty chances.


    But now that he saw some fighters on the same level as Dous, he knew it might be thetter case.


    As they entered the gate, they were blocked by a burly barbarian with a fierce face, an emblem of the alliance with one golden star attached to his chest armor. He also holds a ck device in his hand.


    It was clear he was a 1-Star Nightmare Knight.


    He moved the ck device in front of them and coldly said, "Registered your Star Network ID."


    Nathanael suddenly took out the same kind of emblem the Barbarian was wearing from his pocket and said with an amiable smile, "You look new,rade, but only my little friend is here for the entrance test."


    The Barbarian was startled for a moment before he nodded, "You may go inside with one visitor."


    "All the best, we''ll be rooting for you," said Nathanael encouragingly before he and Dous left Jacob alone and walked toward the main building.


    "Your Star Network ID." The Barbarian demanded coldly again.


    Jacob felt much better when he was alone, and just like others, he pressed his star watch on the device before that device scanned his star watch and his ID appeared on the device.


    "Your exam type, Common or Rare?" He asked Jacob coldly.


    Since many people were here for just the Rank-1 to Rank-9 Nightmare Knight Exam, which was formon species, not for 1-Star Nightmare Knight Rank, which was specific for Rare Tier Species.


    However, others could still choose to either take a lower-rank test or jump to a higher rank. There wasn''t any restriction by the alliance.


    But there was a significant difference; the Rare Entrance Test involved a Magic Talent Test!


    Jacob was astonished since no one told him about this choice, and he was only informed about taking the 1-Star Nightmare Knight Rank exam by Dous.


    Despite his discontent, he still replied, "Rare."


    The Barbarian nodded and pressed on the rare type.


    The next moment, a ck paper ticket with golden words was generated from the device, and the barbarian handed it to Jacob, "Alright, your participant number is 97. Head toward the Warrior Nightmare Arena. Your exam location is on Floor-2, Area, E-30. Just show them your participant ticket, and they''ll guide you."


    Done saying he ignored Jacob and started registering other participants. There were tens of such people registering those who were here for entrance exams.


    It was done to make the registration process quicker and make the ce less crowded.


    Furthermore, some of these people were here just to try their luck, so this first test was the fastest way to separate them from those with true potential!

 Chapter 167 Nightmare Knight Legion (2)

    ?Jacob followed the other participants toward the Warrior Nightmare Arena.


    A fierce mountain troll was standing at the big entrance of the arena, holding a long blue spear, giving off an imposing aura.


    "Those who were in the Common Type move left on the first floor, and those who are in the Rare Type move right toward the second floor!" He coldly stated.


    Jacob didn''t react much and moved as he was told, and therge crowd turned into a small group when he moved toward the second floor. Because a Rare Type of exam wasn''t a joke, and very few would take it every month, the passing rate was even more miserable!


    When everyone reached the second floor, it was pretty spacious, and there were nametags like the ce where Jacob entered the second floor was Area, C-10, while his destination was Area, E-30.


    "Keep moving until you find your allocated area. If someone were in the wrong area at the start, they would be deemed failed!" A cold voice resounded in the spacious hall, which wasing from a speaker!


    "Those with Arena below C move to the right pathway, and those above area C move to the left pathway." Another voice sounded at this moment.


    Afterward, Jacob didn''t have to wander long and quickly found Area, E-30 after crossing Area D-20, which was actually just a spacious corridor, and some participants were gathering there.


    As Jacob approached that small group.


    An Orc who was standing in the Area, E-30, suddenly drew Jacob''s attention. He was startled when he saw the appearance because it looked exactly like Pig Face except for its dark gray fur, and he was taller!


    Realization dawned upon him at this moment, and he finally understood Pig Face''s background!


    ''I still have that centipede in my pendant. Now that I''m in Rare ins, I should find a way to use it and keep it under control.'' Jacob suddenly thought of Eclipse Alipes Imhoff, aka Brain-Hunter.


    That Brain Hunter was clearly not something that could leave alone, so Jacob never tried to use it since he wasn''t sure to control it, nor he knew how it was being controlled.


    So, he left it in the infinity pendant before finding a way to control itpletely.


    Now that he saw that Pig Head Orc, he remembered again and started thinking about how to control it properly without being worried about it escaping his control.


    Nevertheless, Jacob decided to mull over it after he was done here.


    He found an empty corner and silently waited like others. No one was interested in talking with each other since they might turn into enemies in this test.


    ---


    On the fifth floor of Nightmare Knight Legion''s hundred-story building,


    At this moment, there were peopleing entering this spacious room with a giant screen and rows of chairs in front of it.


    Dous and Nathanael also appeared at this moment and picked a seat before sitting down without making a sound.


    Dous spoke in a whispering voice, "What do you think about him (Jacob)?"


    Nathanael looked at the nk screen with an ambiguous smile, "He''s indifferent but not a fool. This is all I can say for now.


    "Let''s watch his performance first. If he didn''t have magic potential but became a 1-Star Nightmare Knight or not, then he''ll be under me. It had already been decided. But I''ll be out of here in disappointment if he had magic potential." He revealed smilingly.


    Dous''s reaction was calm as if he had already known, "But isn''t it too early to send him into your unit? He still has to go past basic training before sending toward the wild nation, or we''ll be just losing an asset because of our own vacuity!"


    Nathanael didn''t retort and subtly replied, "If he became a 1-Star Nightmare Knight, then there''s no need for the basic training. Trust me, this kind of person learns from the experience much more quickly. He''s a wild breed. He had no ce in the here but the battlefield."


    Dous sneered at this moment, "You just want a new toy for yourself, and I''m quite surprised that they let you even have that guy despite knowing your previous conduct!"


    Nathanael didn''t seem angry. Instead, his smile widened, which was no longer amiable but appalling!


    Dous sensed a cold chill in his spine and shut his mouth, no longer speaking anymore.


    At this moment, the screen suddenly lit up as a cold voice sounded in the room.


    "Dear observers, the Nightmare Knight Legion Entrance Test is about to begin, and to make it fair; we''ll live broadcast it to our legion''s members and their guests present!"


    ---


    In the Area, E-30,


    The same voice sounded,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Including Jacob, there were a total of 53 participants present in the Area, E-30.


    "Dear participants, the test is about to start, and whoever will be appeared after this will be deemed failed even with a participant ticket without any exception!


    "The present participants, please enter the Arena-E where the Test of Potential will be conducted by the Test Inspector!"


    After this announcement, a door that led inside the arena-E suddenly opened, drawing everyone''s attention.


    Without any fuss, they all entered one by one.


    When Jacob crossed the door, he appeared under arge doom, and there was a 100 square-meter transparent ss square in the center, which was clearly a fighting ring. Then there were empty spectator stands twenty meters away from this ring.


    "Alright, everyone gathers around in two queues, on the right those who had taken this test before and the left neers!" A strong voice drew everyone''s attention.


    A three-meter-tall Barbarian in silver armor and a broad sword sheathed on his back was standing on the left side on a small tform. He was also a 1-Star Nightmare Knight.


    Those participants followed his instruction and formed two queues while keeping a meter distance from each other.


    To Jacob''s surprise, he was the only one in the left queue, which meant everyone was retaking this exam except him!


    Everyone stared at him like an anomaly at this moment.


    Even the Barbarian was looking at him with great interest.


    He spoke again, "My name is Jayceon, and I''ll be your Inspector in this entrance exam. Since we have a neer, which is quite a rare sight around here, I''ll have to exin the first test rules." Jayceon chuckled as he nced at the masked Jacob, who looked emotionless.


    Some participants also grin as they look down on Jacob because he is a neer with no idea what he is getting into.


    Jayceon didn''t dy and spoke, "The Test of Potential is as simple as it could get, as everyone could see this crystal ball behind me..."


    "You''re in the way. We can''t see it!" Someone snickered in the crowd.


    "Oh." Jayceon quickly reacted and instantly sidestepped, revealing a one-meter-long pir. On this pir was a white crystal ball that was four feet in diameter.


    Jayceon continued with his exnation, "Ahem, so as everyone can see, this is a Magic Detection Crystal, and if anyone had magic potential, it would glow, and that person may directly pass this exam and be a Nightmare Magic Knight.


    "Since the lot of you are repeating this test, then this means you have no magic potential, so we should''ve moved to the second test. However," His eyesnded on Jacob and smiled, "However, since we have a neer, the test of potential had to proceed.


    "Alright, newbie, give me your participant ticket, ce your hands on this crystal, and then pray that it lit up."


    However, no oneughed because they all knew how it felt when that damn crystaly dormant and crushed their dreams ofing in contact with fabled Magic.


    They all thought this newbie would suffer the same thing because magic knights were just too rare, and those races with such potential were all in the central provinces.


    Jacob''s eyes also shimmered with anticipation because Magic was something he wanted the most after Immortality. After all, it simply meant unimaginable power and possibilities.


    So, he moved toward the tform, handed his ticket to Jayceon, and then moved toward the white crystal.


    Even those in spectator rooms were closely watching since Jacob''s figure was showing on the screens right now.


    Under everyone''s sharp eyes, Jacob took a deep breath before cing his hands on the crystal.


    Everyone intensely stared at the white crystal, withplete silence. Even Jayceon''s yful expression had changed into a solemn one.


    However, when a full minute passed, and there was still no light, everyone sighed because this meant this newbie also didn''t have any affinity with Magic, and he was now probably so depressed that he won''t be able to move for a long time.


    Yet, Jacob simply removed his hands and chuckled, "As expected."


    He then looked at Jayceon and asked, "What now?"


    Jayceon felt like something was wrong with this guy''s head, or he simply didn''t know what kind of opportunity he had missed, and he would be mediocre his whole life.


    However, right at this moment, everyone''s eyes suddenly went wide as they looked behind Jacob!

 Chapter 168 Nightmare Knight Legion (3)

    ?Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he saw everyone''d startled expression, including Jayceon, and he twisted around toward the magic detection crystal. What he saw made even him shocked!


    Surprisingly, the white crystal was begun to crack, and they were spreading on the crystal-like spider web.


    Thereby, the crystal suddenly burst like ss thrown to the wall, falling on the floor in pieces.


    Jayceon eyes were narrowed into slides because he had no idea what happened himself since the magic detection crystal was never broken in the history of the potential test.


    The spectators were also bewildered because the crystal didn''t glow but broke and they were as confused as anyone watching right now.


    Jayceon finally looked at Jacob and sternly said, "What is your kind? Lose that mask right now!"


    Jacob felt a bad feeling from Jayceon at this moment,pletely different from his jolly -self earlier.


    But he also wanted to know what this phenomenon meant, so he summoned Cursed Immortally instantly.


    As well as he replied to Jayceon since he didn''t want any misunderstanding in the middle of the legion''s headquarters!


    "I''m only here to take the test because I was told. I''m new in thesends and have no idea what all this means." Jacob stated while he took off his mask, revealing his still scared face, which looked hideous.


    While he asked Immortika in his mind coldly, "What just happened?"


    Although Jacob wanted to find Magic within, he wasn''t optimistic about it since this crystal might not work on him, like so many other species.


    However, this situation where this anomaly appeared was thest thing he wanted when he was right in the middle of the wolf''s den!


    Now he could only cooperate as much as he could and hope that whatever it was not put him into some dangerous situation.


    Jayceon eyes narrowed when he heard Jacob''s exnation, and on his face, he could clearly tell Jacob wasn''t lying and even cooperating without raising any fuss.


    Immortika also replied to Jacob''s question, which was actually wasn''t much of a reply and more of a sarcasm.


    "Hahahah¡­ it''s not my fault that wed ss shattered, right?"


    Jacob cursed inwardly when he saw this note, and he knew this was really going to be a pain in the rear.


    "How many strong species than me or on my level are around me?" He changed the question.


    "Enough to keep youpany unless you died of exhaustion, hahahaha¡­."


    Jacob grimaced when he read that, so he gave up on the n of escaping if things went awry.


    At this moment, the same cold voice rang from the speaker again, "Participant Number 97, please head toward the meeting area!"


    Jayceon''s lips curled when he heard this, and he handed Jacob his participant ticket and pointed toward the metal door on the left side.


    "Go. I think you might get the opportunity of life." He told meaningfully.


    However, Jacob would never believe it. Yet, he still moved since he didn''t have a choice, but in his heart, he had already decided to vanish at the first chance he got.


    Even if this incident doesn''t raise any red gs, it was enough reason for Jacob not to be able to rxpletely.


    Under everyone''s eyes, he entered the bright passage behind the door.


    He also wore his mask and kept Immortika open.


    Soon, he reached a cross pathway.


    At this moment, he heard light steps from one of the pathways, and soon he saw a tall, slim figure approaching. She was another barbarian, wearing sink-tight white body armor, raveling her curves and big chest. She was like a wild beauty with sharp blue eyes filled with a fiery glint.


    She coldly looked at Jacob and said, "Follow me." She then turned around and walked away without caring about Jacob.


    Jacob also wasn''t in the mood for a chat and followed silently.


    To Jacob''s surprise, they cross another corridor before they exit the arena from a door, and in front of them is a bridge connected with the main building.


    "Where are we going?" He finally asked as they walked on the bright, which was connected with the second floor.


    "To meet the Nightmare Knight Commander!" She coldly replied without hiding it.


    ''This is really not a simple matter.'' Jacob was gloomy because he knew the Knight Commander was actually like the Guild Master or Branch Manager of the Nightmare Knight Legion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Nightmare Knight Commanders were only appointed in branches like Easter City, which had a Nightmare Warrior Arena with it, and other branches were controlled by Nightmare Knight Vice-Commanders.


    It was because any Nightmare Knight Commander had at least a 2-Star Strength!


    So being called by the Nightmare Knight Commander of the Easter City was really a big deal, and Jacob didn''t even know how this meeting would bode for him.


    Soon, they entered the main building, and Jacob was greeted by the sight of a closed door and a birdcage elevator.


    She moved toward the elevator without any hesitation and looked at Jacob before saying in disdain, "This is an Elevator, don''t freak out. Just stand your ground, and it''ll be fine."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he heard it, ''She''s thinking I don''t know what an elevator is? This piece of old junk is not something that could make me shocked.''


    He sneered inwardly but didn''t reveal his thoughts and obediently stood beside her.


    Jacob could guess even these elevators were luxury in rare ins, so anyone who had seen them first would be shocked and marvel at them.


    The barbarian woman locked the gate and then put a metal key into the keyhole in the button panel, and after twisting it around, she pressed the bronze button with the number 100 on it, and it brightened up as the lift started to rose.


    However, when he looked at Jacob to see his marvelous expression, she was disappointed as he remained static without showing any hint of surprise.


    ''Hmph, pretending to be cool.'' She thought disdainfully before stopping paying attention.


    "It seemed things were moving quite ''smoothly,'' huh? Hahaha¡­"


    Jacob read that line in the book with exasperation. He knew this damn book was just enjoying his misery while knowing precisely what was happening.


    "You''re sure you don''t want to give me any hint, or I might die today, or even worse, they might turn me into a test subject. At that time, you might not be able to enjoy yourself anymore." Jacob tried to trick the book for some hint about this situation.


    However, he was destined to be disappointed.


    "Whatever, I couldn''t help you no matter what, even without any restriction. I''m just a book, not a weapon. Violence is not my forte. So you''re on your own."


    "Don''t make meugh by saying, ''Violence is not your forte.'' You''re probably made for violence!" Jacob coldly refuted in his mind.


    "OH? You found out, but how? Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob ignored the hateful book. If not for because he needed it to detect strong species around, he would''ve already made it disappear.


    The elevator was rtively slow, and it took over five minutes to reach the 100th floor.


    When they both stepped outside, there was a spacious, long hall with ten doors on each side, while only a single pair of doors was currently opened at the end of this hall.


    There were also two more birdcage elevators in the center of this hall.


    The barbarian woman led Jacob toward those open doors, and he followed.


    When they entered the room, Jacob''s eyes narrowed because he saw two familiar faces sitting on chairs around a rectangr table. They were Dous and Nathanael!


    Finally, a muscr person was sitting in front of these two, his skin was filled with small diamond shape blue scales, and there were two small purple mounds below his snake-like cold eyes.


    Immortika revealed the detail about this person at this moment, "He is an Extraordinary-Tier-1 Purple Poison Snake Man, one of the demi-humans. Quite a rare breed between a Snake Men Race. He also had Intermediate level 4-Star Poison Element Core! Tsk, tsk, useless to you, I guess, still deadly, though!"


    Jacob''s heart turned cold as he didn''t dare to mess around with such a person, so he remained quiet and decided to see why he was summoned here.


    The barbarian woman respectfully speaks to the Snake Man at this moment, "This is the person you requested for Commander!"


    This Snake Man was none other than the Nightmare Knight Commander, Nixon!


    Nixon coldly looked at Jacob with his snake eyes, and suddenly his pale lips curled upward, "Thank you, Ally, please give us the room. Mr. Jack, please have a seat."


    Ally didn''t question and left before closing the doors.


    Jacob suddenly noticed Dous and Nathanael''s expressions at this moment, and they were somewhat cold and¡­ ugly!


    Nixon spoke in a friendly tone, "Let me officially introduce myself, my name is Nixon, and I''m the current Knight Commander of Easter City''s branch. Mr. Jack, I already know about you from Secretary Dous.


    "As for why you were called here after that strange incident in the arena, I''ll exin everything but first¡­." He looked at Jacob meaningfully and questioned smilingly, "Do you want to join Nightmare Knight Legion¡­ permanently!"

 Chapter 169 A Blanker?

    ?"¡­Do you want to join Nightmare Knight Legion¡­ permanently!"


    Jacob was startled by this sudden unexpected question from Nixon.


    Dous suddenly mmed his hand on the table at this moment as he coldly uttered, "Commander Nixon, you''re going too far!"


    Nathanael also had an ugly expression since Nixon was poaching their men right in front of them. He clearly was talking them for wind and didn''t give the Golden Swords Country face!


    Nixon was a Demi-human, and Demi-Human didn''t live in Golden Swords Country, but in the Ice Nation, so he wasn''t the person of Golden Swords Country.


    The top positions of the three hegemonies were all upied by the personnel of the different nations so that they won''t be biased toward their homnd and make decisions in favor of the three hegemonies.


    It was done deliberately, and it worked like a charm!


    That was why these four powers couldn''t control or force those high-level members of the three hegemonies to do anything which implicated the three hegemonies.


    This was the same case for Nixon. The Nightmare Knight Legion appointed him in the Golden Swords Country from the Ice Nation, and he did not belong to them, nor was he afraid of offending them.


    Because offending him would mean offending the entire Nightmare Knight Legion of Rare Freedom ins and Golden Swords Country would never take this suicidal path or any other power, as a matter of fact.


    Although the three hegemonies allowed the four powers of Rare Freedom ins to make all thosews and let them control their members, it didn''t mean they were their thralls!


    This was the same case when it came to poaching members from the four powers into their own ranks as long as they were talented enough.


    But it seldom happened, and they never forced those people to join them. It was entirely the other party''s choice.


    Those who were loyal to their nations would never ept these kinds of offers to break free from their roots, and only those ungrateful ones jumped the ships.


    But so, what? Those four powers could only watch helplessly and kept their resentment to themselves and hated that person. They couldn''t afford to fight with them or harm that person openly.


    However, whoever got these offers were all highly talented individuals. And if they decided to choose this path of separating themselves, they were all sore to the sky, and those powers behind them couldn''t do anything about it.


    Nixon was such a person and had no loyalty toward his own nation or any power. He was loyal to the Nightmare Knight Legion only and always made decisions for their benefit.


    That''s also what is happening right now!


    Nathanael and Dous knew about it when they saw Jacob breaking the crystal, so they rushed here to see whether or not Nixon was trying to poach Jacob from them.


    But they never expected he had already summoned Jacob before they even reached here, and they were just trying to make him understand that Jacob was an important asset of their country and hope he could give their country a face this time.


    However, when they heard footsteps, they knew this guy wasn''t going to sway by their bribes, and it became even more apparent when he invited Jacob right in front of them.


    So, Douss naturally couldn''t take it sitting, and he also wanted to show Jacob that they weren''t weaker and timed in front of three hegemonies.


    Nixon coldly smiled as he looked at Dous with a frosty expression, "Do you want to interfere when I''m inviting someone? Do you forget where you are and who the fuck your true owner is?! I dare you to utter another word right here and right now and prove that you are not our servants!"


    Jacob was astounded by this guy''s overbearing attitude and the ghastly pressure he had just released, which made even him flinch. He suddenly felt like he was in the presence of a cold predator without any chance of escaping!


    One could only imagine those two who this strange pressure was locked on to would be feeling right now.


    Dous and Nathanael couldn''t even breathe as their expression turned pale, sweat beaded on their foreheads as he looked at those snake eyes staring at them like they were prey.


    Nathanael quickly spoke in a hoarse voice, "Cmander, please¡­ forgive us. We went too far."


    Dous couldn''t even breathe, much less speak, but anyone could tell from his pale face that he was suffocating and wanted to make it stop.


    "Hmph, good dog! Now fuck off and wait outside. You don''t deserve to be in the presence of your master!" Nixon menacingly sneered without hiding his contempt anymore while retracting that pressure.


    Those two felt like they had just escaped death and quickly stood up and left, but both gave Jacob a sharp, meaningful look before they exited the room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob acted as if he didn''t see them, as he was mulling over what he had just heard and saw, ''This might not be a bad thing after all.'' He thought.


    Nixon finally looked at Jacob, which made thetter flinch and smile amiably, "Please forgive my conduct just now, but they don''t know their ces, and sometimes it became important to teach others their ces. Please sit."


    Jacob looked meaningfully at Nixon before nodding and walking toward the empty sits, he didn''t feel any hostility from him, and it was pretty clear this guy favored him for some reason.


    "Let''s continue where we were interrupted," Nixon stated with a meaningful smile.


    "First, can you tell me what joining you permanently means and why I was selected?" Jacob questioned with uncertainty.


    Nixon inly shook his head, "I can''t tell you unless you join. It''s a core secret only permanent members should know. Albeit we won''t force you, and it''s your choice entirely.


    "All I can tell you is that if you didn''t choose, you would still be given a 1-Star Nightmare Knight Rank its perks. But you will also be taken into the core of the Golden Swords Country after this.


    "Although they will pour resources on you like mad, but they will also make sure to own you fully before letting you out, which they will hide behind their honey-courted words.


    "While here, you will still be free but no longer the member of any four powers or the other two hegemonies. You could join the other two hegemonies'' ranks but can''t be their permanent member.


    "You could see it like a permanent nationality of sorts."


    Jacob was intrigued by this sublet reply, and he got some idea about what this ''Permanent Member'' was about.


    "Will I be restricted by some other rules like those countries?" He asked.


    "No, those fools just make those rules for their own benefits, you would be restriction-free but just bond by ourws which are quitex as long as you won''t betray us," Nixon replied.


    He had already gotten the information on Jacob from those two, and he knew this guy had about a 90% chance of agreeing to their offer since he had no belonging to any power.


    Jacob still didn''t agree too quickly, "At least tell me why that crystal was broken, and I''ll give my exact answer."


    Nixon suddenly smiled as he looked at Jacob in light, ''He''s too cautious. We need someone like him in freedom ins!''


    So, he decided to reveal it as he had a good impression of Jacob since he didn''t blind by the benefits in front of him.


    "It was broken because you didn''t have magic, but you''re on the verge of awakening it. This kind of phenomenon appeared one in a million, and we called these people nkers.


    "A nker is someone who had a 99% chance of awakening magic potential, and the most fantastic thing about a nker is that they are like a nk paper that could be colored in any color.


    "Simply put, exposure to rare elements could make a nker awake that element!"


    Realization dawned upon Jacob at this moment. This was simply too ridiculous.


    "Is this true?" He quickly questioned Immortika, who was still hovering in front of him.


    "Hahaha, they''re simply taking you for something entirely different. The concept he just mentioned is rtively easy to create as long as you have the proper knowledge, and this way, you could change someone''s yet to awake element into a different element, but there''s a limit to it.


    "It can also develop naturally, and those guys indeed have a chance to awake some rare element, but it''s not a big deal as this guy is making it. All they are just lucky little ants, nothing worth mentioning.


    "But I guess it is normal for these inferior beings to have no idea about it, and they took it as a miracle. Anyway, all you need to know is you are not this nker thing!"


    Although he got an answer this time, it left a bad taste in his mouth for some reason.


    Since it wasn''t the case for him, then didn''t this mean he was even more worthless than ants?


    Nevertheless, he had a more pressing matter to deal with. He looked at Nixon, since this guy was taking him for a nker, it was a good thing for Jacob!

 Chapter 170 Permanent Member!

    ?Jacob nodded, "Alright, I''ll join as a permanent member."


    This decision was quite obvious, especially after he saw the difference in status between the four power of freedman ins and the three hegemonies.


    Furthermore, he had already seen through the controlling nature of Golden Swords Contrary.


    He knew what Nixon said about if he went with them, he might not get out, and he believed they might even use something like a parasite gem to control a ''nker'' like him.


    On the contrary, the Nightmare Knight Legion had the strongest Zodiac Warrior Alliance behind them and didn''t need to beg or control a mere nker.


    It was just an opportunity presented by them, and if someone didn''t want to, they could simply reject it.


    Lastly, Jacob didn''t have time to y around with Golden Swords Country. He wanted to start his hunt for those magic cores, and he knew the informationwork of the Nightmare Knight Legion would be a massive help to him.


    As for Nightmare Knight Legion''sws, they won''t be as petty as the four powers.


    Nixon smiled winded when he heard Jacob''s reply and said, "You won''t regret this choice! Let me get rid of those fleas now, and they won''t pester you anymore."


    Nixon smiled coldly before sending Ally a message through his Star Watch to get rid of those two outside for good.


    Since Jacob had decided to be a permanent member, he was no longer in the jurisdiction of four powers anymore.


    Although it will make the Golden Swords Country indignant, so what? Could theye here and demand an exnation? Absolutely not!


    Since the three hegemonies let them put all thosews, they also expected them to back down when they broke thosews every now and then. It was much better than ending thosews for good.


    After sending the message, Nixon opened apartment of his desk, took out a one-square-meter scanner, and put it on the table in front of Jacob.


    "Alright, you just have to register as a permanent member before I exin it to you," Nixon stated before he ced his hand on the ck screen.


    Thereby, a red scanning line started to scan his hand, which only had four knives-like sharp fingers filled with scales.


    Words appeared on the screen after the scanning was sessful.


    ''Registration for Membership in Zodiac Warrior Alliance.''


    Nixon pressed it without any hesitation, and another scanning screen appeared.


    He looked at Jacob and ordered, "ce both your hands on it."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he ced his hands on the device before scanning started, and a static voice suddenly began to ring.


    "Life Signal test pass!


    "Species ssified as ''Unknown'' in the Rare ins database.


    "Species Rank is ''Unknown''


    "DNA scanning start¡­


    "DNA is not registered in the database. A new member has been detected!


    "Searching for Star Network ID and other information¡­


    "ID detected, ''Faceless Ancient¡­


    "Bank ount Detected¡­


    ¡­


    Jacob was astonished when he heard information on his species, and when he saw Nixon''s eyes narrow, he knew this guy was as surprised as him.


    ''How did my species turn into ''Unknown,'' or did they simply didn''t have any information on humans?'' Jacob frowned slightly because having an unknown species meant he was unique, and this might draw some unwanted attention if news got out.


    "So, you really are from the star ocean," Nixonmented meaningfully.


    Before, he didn''t believe that Jacob hade from some random ind but now that even their database didn''t have Jacob''s species, it meant he might really be from a faraway ce.


    This was a rare case since no new species like Jacob had appeared in the rare ins for hundreds of years. It was even bigger news than a nker appearing in rare freedom in.


    Furthermore, Jacob also had magic potential, which might cause some inconvenience for Jacob if those races with magic potential found him an eyesore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, it would only happen if Nixon leaked this information.


    "I already told you guys, but no one seemed to believe me." Jacob merely shrugged his shoulder as if he had no idea what it meant to be a new species.


    "Scanning has beenpleted!


    "Faceless Ancient, you have been registered as a Member of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    "You have been appointed as Reserve Zodiac Warrior.


    "Your Rare in Rank is 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight.


    "Confidential Information about Membership has been sent to your star watch ount. Please don''t share it with anyone!"


    "Reserve Zodiac Warrior and Nightmare Warrior Knight?" Jacob was startled when he heard these unfamiliar terms.


    His Star Watch also lit up at this moment as message after message started to appear from the ''Zodiac Warrior Alliance,'' and there were five messages.


    Nixon spoke as he put the device away at this moment, "Congrattions, you''re now a true member of Zodiac Warrior Alliance, not a branch member!"


    Jacob looked at Nixon with uncertainty. He wanted an exnation.


    As he revealed, Nixon didn''t hide it anymore, "Although you already got the information about the membership in your Star Watch, I''ll still exin some basic information.


    "As you know, the three hegemonies had branches all over the ins. Those members who joined those branches are actually branch members.


    "The Permanent Members are those who truly joined the main power behind those branches. We also called ourselves Permanent Members to not reveal the true meaning behind Permanent Members to the public or those four powers. They only thought that permanent members had joined our branches permanently, but it''s not the case!


    "The ranks applied to the Permanent Members are also different from the branch members as they were given the proper ranks of the leading power.


    "Our Zodiac Warrior Alliance Ranks started from the Reserve Ranks like the Legion and then Rank-1 to Rank-9 before the Star Ranks. However, the threshold for those ranks is not something we could imagine.


    "You can say they are investing in us because we had the potential to evolve into those ranks!"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with understanding, "So, you''re saying if we could cross a certain threshold, they can help us leave the rare ins?"


    He wasn''t a fool and instantly caught the true meaning behind Nixon''s exnation.


    Nixon smiled with a hint of excitement, "Exactly! Although the Rare ins are enormous and still unexplored, it doesn''t mean there is nothing above them. It is just that we are too weak to explore that ce.


    "You could say the three hegemonies are omnipotent-like existences, and they were here to help those who were worthy of their help. But those four powers didn''t know about this truth because they simply didn''t need to know.


    "As for the 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Rank, it was rank for us Rare ins Natives and wasn''t any different from a fighter or magic knight.


    "As long as we cross all Nine Nightmare Warrior Star Ranks, we can be a Rank-1 Zodiac Warrior, and that is the threshold to leave the Rare ins!" Nixon''s voice was full of yearning as he said it.


    Realization dawned on Jacob at this moment, ''So the three hegemonies are here to found those people who could cross extraordinary rank? Just what is the rank above it!''


    He was quite curious about it since this rank could make those three hegemonies go through all this trouble just for the possibility that such a person might appear.


    Nixon then looked meaningfully at Jacob, "And don''t even think for a second that anyone could obtain a permanent member slot. Even magic knights might not be able to catch our Commanders'' eyes.


    "We, the Knight Commanders, only got ten slots every twenty years, so you could imagine just how precious these slots are.


    "I invited you because you are a nker, which means you have the potential to evolve. In the history of rare freedom ins, only a single person had ever managed to cross the rare ins from our alliance, and he happened to be a nker!"


    "You''re expecting too much from me." Jacob calmly stated, but he was still not convinced that it was only why Nixon gave him a spot.


    Nevertheless, he won''t make it look like he was ungrateful and let Nixon think he was in debt.


    "I know. I''m willing to take this chance." Nixon smiled amiably, "Don''t worry about anything while you''re here. You were given a personal training room on the hundred floors, as you may have seen those ten doors.


    "Eight of them had already been upied by excellent members of our branch. More importantly, you couldn''t reveal that you are a permeant member to anyone. It''s in your contract sent to you by headquarters. You can read itter.


    "There are also perks to being a permanent member, you''ll know once you open those messages, and if you have any questions or want to leave for a mission, you could find me first." Nixon seriously expressed thest part.


    Jacob nodded in agreement, and then Nixon told him some more critical things to Jacob before he was given a key to his training room!

 Chapter 171 Motives & Assumption

    ?Inside the military jeep, Dous and Nathanael had hideous expressions on their faces, as if someone had killed their parents.


    "What now?" Nathanael spoke coldly. He was infuriated by Nixon''s sharp words, but s, he wasn''t his match, nor could he afford to provoke the Nightmare Knight Legion.


    Dous''s eyes shed with killing intent, "Let''s visit the Magistrate. This matter was out of our hands the moment that guy''s talent as a nker became apparent. And that Nixon is going too far just because he''s a Knight Commander. He thinks he owns this ce!"


    Nathanael sighed ruefully, "Who would''ve thought another nker would appear in a century, and we let it slip because of our own foolishness!"


    Dous sneered, "Hmph, it''s toote to regret. But since that guy dared to jump ship, we must make sure he regretted it. He couldn''t live in the safety of Nightmare Knight Legion''s building.


    "Let''s spread the news about him being a nker to all over the freedom ins. I''m pretty sure those arrogant ns won''t take it sitting and try to rope him in or try to eliminate him if he was a threat to their position!"


    Nathanael frowned, "Won''t we provoke Nixon?"


    "So, what? We''ll be in the safety of our country, and the legion will not side with him since he had no proof that it was us who did it." A ruthless glint shed past Dous''s eyes, "Don''t forget the legion is not as united as it looked, and they might take that guy as an eyesore and try to eliminate him before he could even mature."


    Nathanael''s lips suddenly curled up, "You''re even more vicious than me, secretary!"


    "No one can provoke the dignity of our country and then get away with it!" Dous coldly scoffed!


    ---


    Nixon, who was standing in a small white space, was facing a blurry projection at this moment. He came here right after Jacob left.


    Nixon''s arrogant and cold expression was nowhere to be found as he stood respectfully while facing this projection.


    "A nker, you say? What is his kind?" A husky voice sounded from the projection.


    He replied respectfully, "He''s unknown in Rare ins Database."


    "Unknow?" A hint of surprise appeared in this husky voice, "Alright, send him here. I''ll find a way to help him awake a rare element."


    Nixon frowned as he said, "I don''t think it would be a good idea to give him everything so easily. This way, he won''t be grateful and won''t know our kindness."


    "Hmm? So, he''s like that deviant prick from the Alchemy Guild?" The husky voice sneered coldly.


    "It''s still unclear, but we couldn''t be too careful after what happened with the Alchemy Guild. I also think he''s worth nurturing, but we have to be absolutely sure we make the final decision. He''s too careful."


    A wily glint shed past Nixon''s eyes as he continued. "That''s why I let those two dogs of the country go so they could spread this news about a nker appearing in our legion, and he''s a permanent member. Although others might not know what a permanent member is but the permanent members know what it means!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hahahaha¡­ you wanted him to experience the harshness of the four powers as well as the suppression of those permeant members before giving him a helping hand like a savior." The husky voiceughed in satisfaction.


    "Excellent, Nixon. You''re indeed good at manipting people. Alright, do as you see fit and contact me as soon as the time is ripe. But don''t let him die, or someone else snatched him from us, or I''ll me you."


    "Please rest assured, he''s too important for me to let him die or get poached by someone else. I''m sure he might not even dare to leave once he learned about the terror of Wild Nation, much less join other knights!" Nixon smiled slyly as he reinsured the other party.


    It was as if everything was under his control!


    ---


    Jacob entered the training room at this moment, the fifth room on the left wall.


    The moment he entered, a spacious hall appeared in his view, and many advanced training pieces of equipment were arranged, some of which he had never seen before. There was also a training ring in the center.


    But Jacob wasn''t in the mood to admire this ce because he was more concerned about the message he received from the zodiac warrior alliance.


    Although Nixon had given him some idea about the whole situation, he still wanted to bepletely sure.


    Furthermore, he had displeased the Golden Swords Country, which would not end well for him.


    Although Nixon told him not to tell anyone about him being a permanent member, yet, he invited him in front of those two, so it wasn''t hard to guess that he had done it purposely.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t reveal it and pretended he was oblivious to it.


    He then found the bedroom, sat down, and quickly opened the first message, which was about the rules and regtions of the alliance as well as the ranking system, which was the same as Nixon described it.


    Furthermore, he also noticed that in the alliance ranking system, there wasn''t any information on Fighter Knight or Magic Knight at all.


    The only information he got was for the Nine Nightmare Warrior Star Ranks, which were specific for the Rare ins and were the same as the star ranks of the nightmare legion, and there were only names of the rank above, not detailed information.


    Lastly, he discovered that the Nine Nightmare Warrior Star Ranks weren''t divided into fighter and magic. Hence, it became apparent to Jacob at this moment that he was suspecting after he met with Nixon.


    ''So, that guy is hiding his magic potential from the public. I was curious why he was only known for being a fighter knight while he had a 4-star magic core. They might not even know he''s an Extraordinary!


    ''So, a permanent member can also hide this fact about their magic power and true strength. I''m pretty sure they couldn''t be a permanent member without magic power!''

 Chapter 172 The Benefits

    ?Jacob smiled coldly as he opened the second message, which made his hypothesispletely urate.


    He was given four identity badges, one for Reserve Zodiac Warrior, which was his real identity. The second one is for the Nightmare Warrior Knight which will be used in the rare ins.


    The third and fourth were identity badges of both Fighter and Magic Nightmare Knight, and he could even increase their stars to three stars. They were mainly given to him so he could hide the fact of being a permanent member from the public.


    ''Those four powers are pawns in three hegemonies'' hands.'' Jacob sneered coldly as he installed the badges into his watch, which will be forever installed in his Star Network ID, and he could equip any badge he wanted from his profile.


    So, he equipped the 1-Star Fighter Knight''s Badge, which solved his identity problem for good.


    In the third message, he received something called the ''Zodiac Credit,'' which shocked him again because this Zodiac Credit was the true currency of the Zodiac ins!


    Furthermore, his personal bank ount had automatically changed into another ount called the Type-0 Zodiac ount because he registered with the Zodiac Warrior Alliance directly!


    Right now, he has 10 Zodiac Credits which he received from the alliance, and he will receive a corresponding reward in ZC as long as he enters a new rank.


    His golden coins were still there, and he could convert them at any time into ZC, but the conversion rate truly baffled Jacob, which was 1 billion gold coins for 1 ZC. And same goes for ZC to Gold Coins.


    This also means he was dirt poor in the great zodiac ins and could only smile wryly!


    As for the true benefits of having a Zodiac ount, he needed to open his bank ount application. Which he decided to doter and open the fourth message.


    In this message was a starwork web link, and the moment he opened it, a scanning panel appeared on his watch before a voice started to ring.


    ''Confirmed Life Signal!


    ''Congrattions, the Destiny Star Corporation has approved your Star Network ount!


    ''You have sessfully Joined the Private Star Server (Rare Zodiac Warriors)


    ''You have sessfully Joined the Private Star Server (Freedom Nightmare Knight Legion)


    ''The Rare in Star Network News has been unlocked!''


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he saw that notification after notification.


    He never expected just by joining the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, he would gain so much, and he didn''t even need to do anything or go anywhere.


    He decided to check themter as well and opened the fifth message.


    He saw another starwork link and opened it without hesitation.


    This time an application started to get installed in his star watch, and soon, he saw the emblem of the zodiac warrior alliance appearing in his star watch, and he opened it.


    ''Wee to Zodiac Warrior Alliance Mission Application!


    ''Now corresponding missions ording to your rank can be chosen from the star watch application, and a warrior rank can be improved directly through the star watch!''


    The next moment, Jacob''s profile appeared on the application screen.


    ''Zodiac Warrior Alliance ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight (Reserve Zodiac Warrior)


    ''Next Rank: 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''Mission''


    Jacob curiously clicked on the mission section.


    ''Mission


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 3


    ''(NOTE: Complete any one of these missions to promote!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) Defeating a 2-Star Nightmare Knight (Fighter or Magic) in Nightmare Warrior Arena.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 10 ZC, A 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing a Rare-Tier-9 Beast.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 5 ZC, A 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing a Rare-Tier-9 Dark Being


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 15 ZC, Two 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''Reward Missions (Rare ins): Difficulty 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Rare-Tier-9 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 1 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-1 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 25 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-2 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 100 ZC Per Being, 1-Star Rare Fighter Manual (One Time Achievement Reward for 1 Star Nightmare Warrior Knight Only)


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recording taken with this application will be epted!).''


    Jacob squinted his eyes when he saw ''Dark Beings'' because the ordinary missions were about killing these Dark Beings.


    Furthermore, those Fighter Skill and Manual also drew his attention since he had no idea the difference between them.


    Since the messages were all opened, Jacob decided to see what those private star servers were about. There was also a new option within his starwork right now, ''Star Network News (Rare ins).


    But first, he directly opened the Rare Zodiac Warriors Private Star Server, which was exclusive for permanent members in Rare Region.


    Four further options appeared, Alliance Information Sea (Rare ins), Alliance Market (Rare ins), Exchange Market (Rare ins), and Party Search.


    It was just like the mainwork, but the only difference was it was private, and everything here belonged to Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    ''So, that''s what these private servers are about!'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered in understanding as he finally understood how the urate information and items were being controlled.


    He opened the Alliance Information Sea and tried to search for ''Dark Beings,'' which was possibly some hated enemy of the alliance and all the living beings, just as Douss hinted.


    Unlike Star Information Sea, he only got three results which were all authentic and posted by the alliance, not some random nobody.


    ''Basic Info About Dark Being: 500 Gold Coins


    ''Type of Dark Beings in Rare ins: 1 UC


    ''Dark Beings Weakness (Rare in Vol): 3 UC''


    Jacob frowned when he saw those exorbitant prices!

 Chapter 173 Dark Beings

    ?Jacob never thought the basic info on the Dark Beings was so expensive, and he only had over a billion gold coins and 10 ZC (Zodiac Credit).


    In the end, Jacob decided to buy Type of Dark Beings in Rare ins for 1 ZC.


    Since there was a method to earn ZC by killing Dark Beings, he thought of it as an investment.


    Thereby, the information file was downloaded onto his star watch, and he opened it to see what made these Dark Beings earn this price and hatred of Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    As Jacob read the introduction, he started to frown, and soon after, shock surfaced in his eyes as he read more and more.


    It turned out that the Dark Beings are the natural enemy of any being with Life Signal because they wanted to devour them!


    As for what Life Signal was, it was described as an aura of life or the proof that someone is alive and every being had a unique life signal, and a dead creature didn''t have a Life Signal.


    The Dark Beings didn''t have a Life Signal either because they weren''t alive in the first ce; they were like Undead!


    Although it wasn''t described how a Dark Being was born or from where they came, it was made clear that every Dark Being had a natural tendency to devour living beings.


    Because the more lifeforms they devour, the stronger they be, unlike any normal being, and the stronger species they consume, the stronger they grow.


    Not only that, but they were intelligent and had their own nation on top of that, and it was called the Wild Nation. It was asrge as the four powersbined since no one had ever managed to go deeper into their territory ande back alive.


    The Wild Nation was also the exact reason the four powers couldn''t annex or explore any more territories of the Rare ins.


    The Rare Freedom ins were special because those Dark Beings couldn''t step foot into the territory of the Rare Freedom ins for some strange reason. That''s why the level-1 natives didn''t know about the Wild Nation, and it was kept a secret not to cause panic.


    Only by joining the army those natives came in contact with the Dark Beings and know the true terror of Rare ins.


    That''s also where the three hegemonies came into the picture because, without them, the Rare Freedom ins would not be able to develop so much and fight with the Wild Nation. That''s why they were indispensable.


    Although the Dark Beings threatened all living beings of the Rare Freedom ins, they were also good for nurturing warriors, and their bodies had rare resources which fetched a high price in the market.


    ''Wild Nation, the nation of Dark Beings, and there were still Rare Wilderness ins. This ce is simply too big, and freedom ins didn''t have the power to explore it.'' Jacob frowned as he presumed.


    This ce was simply too dangerous even for someone like him, and these Dark Beings were not something he wanted to trifle with for no good reason.


    But they were dered themon enemy of every living being, and killing them gavevish rewards.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    When the introduction was finished, a picture appeared with information that widened Jacob''s eyes slightly.


    It was a skeleton holding a rusty sword with information on the side.


    ''Skeleton Soldier, Rare-Tier-1, Fighter Category.


    ''One of the mostmon Dark Beings of Wild Nation. Their intelligence is low; they listen to any order and have simple attack patterns. But killing is most cumbersome because only by crushing their skulls could they truly be killed or will continue to attack even if they had to crawl.''


    ''They''re really undead!'' Jacob eximed in his heart. He never thought he woulde into contact with the Undead Creatures of all things.


    He then continued to look, and more skeleton soldiers appeared with different tiers holding weapons and armor.


    At this moment, Jacob finally sees a new creature. It had withered pale skin withpletely white eyeballs and a strange slimy substanceing from its nasty mouth.


    ''Toxic Zombie, Rare-Tier-6 Fighter Category.


    ''One of the deadliest Dark Beings with a body filled with all kinds of toxicponents. Just a scratch from a Toxic Zombie is more lethal than any mortal wound, and without an Advance Rare Grade Antidot, the victim will die!


    ''The weakness of a Toxic Zombie is its head; without crushing, it will keeping back!''


    Jacob inhaled sharply when he read it, ''Aren''t Zombies supposed to turn others into Zombies? But here, they even have an antidote for it? Weill, I guess either they didn''t have full information on it, or it''s simply because of the species difference, or it might be because of the Advance Rare Grade Antidote.''


    The items were graded much differently in this ce. There was the Common Grade with Basic, Intermediate, and Advance levels and then the Rare Grade with the same three levels.


    There was also the Extraordinary Grade with the same three levels, but the items of this grade were too precious and expensive.


    After an hour, Jacob finished reading the Types of Dark Beings in Rare ins. His expression was solemn as this new information forced him to reevaluate the rare ins again.


    Truth be told, he never thought there would be undead creatures like Dark Beings in the Rare ins, and they were too mysterious. What made Jacob frown was why the three hegemonies didn''t get rid of them if they were so powerful since they clearly connected with higher ins than the Rare ins.


    Either they simply didn''t care, or they left those Dark Beings alone to give the rare species pressure and amon enemy to fight against and evolve faster.


    Because he knew he would do the same if he was far above the rare ins and wanted to nurture powerful fighters.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was ted because these dark beings also have magic cores of all elements, and he didn''t need to offend anyone but the dark beings to collect the magic cores!

 Chapter 174 A Familiar ID

    ?Afterward, Jacob searched for the info on those famous fighter manuals of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    Only a single file appeared, and it was free, so he downloaded it without hesitation and started reading it.


    Soon realization dawn on Jacob.


    It turned out that the Fighter Manuals were actually like Martial Arts Manuals, which followed the same principles as inner strength.


    The Fighter Manuals were divided into Skills, a single set of movements, and then there wereplete manuals, which had more than one set of movements.


    Jacob almost lost interest in Fighter Manuals until he saw that draw his attention.


    There was another unfamiliar name mentioned after the introduction of Fighter Manuals. It was Combat Techniques.


    Combat Techniques were unique because they could only be used with Mana, and Mana was something that could only appear after someone learned how to store magic power in one body!


    Simply put, the Combat Techniques were only for magic users; without magic, they were worthless!


    Jacob was ecstatic when he saw this, and at the end of this file, he found that Fighter Manuals and Combat Techniques could be bought on Alliance Market with ZC!


    With great anticipation, Jacob then checked the Alliance Market (Rare ins) and saw three sections.


    ''Fighter Manuals


    ''Combat Techniques


    ''Combat Weapons


    ''Alchemy


    ''Technology


    He opened thebat techniques without hesitation, and he frowned when,


    "Your Star Watch didn''t have Mana Detection Function. Because of it, we can''t confirm you have Mana. Please buy thetest Star Watch of Magic Series!"


    ''Are you kidding me?'' Jacob''s face fell the moment he read this message, ''So, if I don''t have Mana, then I can''t open this shop at all, even if I have this new star watch or not.''


    Nevertheless, he still opened the technology and saw all kinds of devices like area scanners, mapping devices, trap detectors, and even blueprints sold, which rmed Jacob because of their terrifying prices.


    The cheapest of them cost 20 ZC!


    Jacob finally discovered the Star Watch, which was like an armguard.


    ''Item: Star Watch Magic Serious Model-MM2


    ''Price: 100ZC


    ''Avable: (OUT OF STOCK)''


    His expression darkened because the price was simply too ridiculous, but it was still out of stock, and this was the most advanced model of Star Watch in Rare ins.


    He even found the model he was wearing, which was also priced at 15 ZC and was also out of stock.


    Jacob finally understands just how precious these advanced models of Star Watches are.


    If he had known that the alliance application could only run on his star watch model or higher, he would know why these watches were out of stock.


    Doing missions with star watches and submitting them on the spot was a luxury only those with such star watches could afford, while the poor fellow with old models had to do it in the traditional way.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s eyes instantly shimmered when he thought about something and opened the exchange market.


    ''So that''s how it is!'' He coldly sneered when he saw those members had put all kinds of stuff on sale, including the Star Watches.


    There was even a magic series, Star Watch.


    ''Item: Star Watch Magic Serious Model-MM0


    ''Price: 500 ZC


    ''Seller: Mighty-Long


    ''Description: Contact me if interested. The price is negotiable.''


    ''What a profiter!'' Jacob instantly cursed since this model''s price was originally at 85 ZC in the Alliance Market, but here this guy was selling it at 500 ZC!


    He saw more exchange items, and something drew his attention.


    ''Item: 1-Star Initial Water Element Magic Core


    ''Total Items: 21


    ''Price: 1 ZC for Each


    ''Seller: Brawler94434


    ''Description: Contact if interested. The price is not negotiable.''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in ecstasy when he saw this, and as he scrolled more, he saw even 3-Star and 4-Star Magic Cores for sale, but their prices were ridiculous, and most of these magic cores were of either Water or Earth elements.


    There were still some Fire Element and Wind Element Magic Cores, but their prices were doubted than the Water or Earth Element Magic Cores.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was d that he joined the alliance since he could now buy almost anything avable in the Rare Freedom ins.


    Party Search was for those who wanted to form a team for a collective mission or hire some helpers toplete the mission, which wasn''t Jacob''s cup of tea.


    Lastly, he saw the other functions, which were quite what they were, just like their names; weapons sections had all kinds of cold and projectile weapons, and most of them were out of stock.


    But he won''t be going to buy them because those weapons were not worth spending his ZC on. The Alchemy Section was filled with potions, pills, and alchemy herbs.


    But their prices were also quite high, so he closed it after a look.


    He then opened the Freedom Nightmare Knight Legion Private Star Server, which had the same sections. Still, it was more liver than the Rare Zodiac Warriors Star Server because every person here was a branch member and belonged to four powers.


    Furthermore, the things in this server were not as eye-catching as in the Rare Zodiac Warriors Server, but the Exchange Market was booming, and all kinds of things were on sale.


    But the currency used in this server was also themon currency of the rare ins. There was no ZC anywhere, which also made it clear that only the permeant members coulde in contact with ZC after their Bank ounts changed into Zodiac ounts.


    Last but not least, the Star Network News of Rare ins was more like a social media tform where all kinds of posts and people couldment on them and like them to make them trending.


    The top post on the tform was by some ID named Cloud-of-Public.


    ''Cloud-of-Public: The Light Nation''s Decade Tournament of Glory is about to start in 6 six months. Here are the top ten ces rewards! ...''


    However, Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he saw the second trending news by the ID named Important Grace34!

 Chapter 175 Famous In Rare Freedom Plains

    ?When he saw the familiar name, Jacob''s eyes turned cold because if the Star Network ID could not be repeated, then this was the same Important Grace34 he got messages from when he was in the umon region after he killed the Earth yers and his team.


    He looked at the news,


    ''Important Grace34: The Golden Swords Country is ughtering innocent people by calling them the ''Spam of Killer Skull Society!'' It is simply unprecedented and unforgivable. They are trying to suppress the masses just because they''re voicing out their plights.


    ''The Golden Swords Country had done this all the time, yet they''re still ming Killer Skull Society just because we''re trying to change the world for a better ce?!


    ''My fellow visionaries, please join our cause and tell those power-hungry wolves that we are not a b of meat they could cook and eat anytime they want. We are not ves. We have our own rights.


    ''Contact ''Justice-Skull23229'' to join our noble cause and make this world a better ce where will be only true freedom, not a dictatorship!''


    Jacob nearlyughed out loud in mockery when he read the post. He finally understood why Mn was so frustrated about the Killer Skull Society. They could really use the Star Network without being worried about the consequences.


    Furthermore, they were quite famous and well-received as well since this post was just posted this morning and already received millions of likes andments.


    ''They''re more active in the Rare ins than the Common ins because of the Star Network. I wonder how they react once they know I''m in the rare ins. Only the killer skull society knows that I''m from themon ins.


    ''If they spread the news in the Rare ins, I don''t know how these people will take it. So, I have to be prepared. Although I''m not a permanent member, I didn''t mean I''m totally safe, and the golden swords country is also not pleased with me.'' Jacob mulled with a stern look.


    ''I can do almost everything with the star watch and earn and buy anything even if I didn''t report it in the main branch. Which meant I didn''t need to stay here under the surveince of that poisonous snake guy. But I couldn''t make it too obvious.'' A dark glint shed past Jacob''s eyes as his lips curled up.


    Since he already got what he needed, he didn''t need to act much longer, and he also wanted to start collecting the magic cores, so staying in the Golden Swords Country was meaningless.


    As for magic potential, he knew he wasn''t a nker, ording to Immortika, but everyone thought otherwise. He believed Immortika more, so he had to get away before Nixon came to him and talked about helping him with a rare element awakening.


    He had guessed this much that Nixon wanted to help him awaken some rare element, and although he didn''t say it, he would make a move when the time was right.


    As for practicing in their fighter manuals, he didn''t need them for now since he was already proficient in many fighting styles. What he needed was to grow stronger and find a way to awaken his magic talent.


    But to his dismay, there wasn''t any information on the first three stages of magic awakening, neither was there any information on how the element core was formed even on the alliance database.


    All he got was some basic information that he already knew. But he got something like the Magic Spell Introduction, but its price was 100 ZC, so he could only wait to acquire itter and bookmark it.


    Jacob took a deep breath and finally closed the star watch after he sorted out everything he needed and bookmarked many things he was nning to buy.


    So, he started meditating and concentrating on his fluid eleration again, this was his biggest trump card, and he wanted to control it fully.


    As for the training facility, he wasn''t going to use it, afraid to be monitored by Nixon, and he also didn''t have anything to practice except the Fluid eleration!


    ---<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just like that, a week passed, and the news started to spread that a permanent member had appeared in Easter City''s Nightmare Knight Legion''s branch and was also a foreigner.


    Furthermore, this foreigner was a banker who was poached from the Golden Swords Country!


    Some random fellow even posted this news and somehow reached the top ten, drawing everyone''s attention.


    Many ns were interested in this nker because it was the second nker that appeared in the rare freedom ins.


    Somewhere in the Light Nation,


    Inside, a spaciousb filled with equipment, ss cells, and even a small herb field was present, making the air quite refreshing.


    A person in ab coat with 5.2 height was looking at the silver armguard, which had a hologram disy above it. It was thetest magic series star watch!


    This person had a deep frown on his beastly face as he looked at the news about Jacob.


    "Faceless Ancient, heh?" He sneered with disdain when he saw the name of this mysterious nker before closely the star watch as if he had lost interest.


    He moved toward a ss cell where a naked figure was floating within a golden liquid and pressed a button before the liquid started to sink. The figure inside suddenly opened its ck eyes, which were exempt from any emotions!


    The person in theb coat coldly uttered in amanding tone, "I want you to bring me my new test subject!"


    ---


    Unknown ce,


    Inside a dim room,


    A masked person looked at the news about Jacob on a hologram disy above his covered wrist. When he read the name ''Faceless Ancient, his beastly eyes shimmered with killing intent.''


    "So, you''vee to your death, huh? Let me see where you can hide in my domain and if you dare to run rampant!" His voice was filled with killing intent!


    However, at this moment, the hologram disy changed, making the masked person''s eyes narrow.


    "Receive Call."


    He uttered before an extremely panicked voice filled with trepidation rang from the star watch,


    "S-Sir, Lord F-Fire Fiend''s group has been¡­ annihted a-and the Dark Cities has issued¡­ Dark Extermination Order on Killer Skull Society Member just now!"

 Chapter 176 Leaving The Building

    ?A month passed after Jacob joined the Nightmare Knight Legion as a Reserve Zodiac Warrior.


    This past month, Jacob never left his training room except for food, and anyone who tried to approach him would go back disappointed because of his cold attitude.


    News about him being a nker was already known by almost every member of the present in the building.


    But Jacob remained unaffected, as if he didn''t care about his fame.


    Even toward the other members on the 100th floor, Jacob is indifferent, and when two of them try to visit him, they return without getting any response from Jacob, which makes them dissatisfied with this rookie.


    After all, any member on the 100th floor would have their own pride. However, they wanted him to join their team since Jacob had a bright future if he awakened some rare element, but he was simply too arrogant in their eyes.


    Even Nixon, who was secretly keeping an eye on Jacob, didn''t expect Jacob to remain in his training room without even showing any kind of reaction.


    He was pretty confident that after Jacob saw the missions on his star watch, he would research Dark Being ande running to him for help, but nothing happened.


    Nixon started to doubt Jacob''s mindset or even suspect he didn''t know how to use Star Watch properly, but he didn''t show it and waited patiently.


    Because sooner orter, Jacob will start to feel the need for money once he spends all his credit and will join some hunting party.


    As for going after Dark Beings straight, Nixon didn''t even consider it because it was simply too suicide to hunt dark beings in the wild nation.


    Even those extraordinary veterans didn''t dare to venture into Wild Nation without a good reason, much less Jacob, who was new to Rare ins.


    However, today, Jacob left his room dressed in ck clothes with a mask on his face. Only his emotionless eyes were visible. But he didn''t go toward the dining hall but knocked on the door of Nixon''s office.


    Nixon, who was busy performing a set of strange movements, suddenly stopped hearing this unusual knock.


    He pressed on his star watch, and Jacob appeared standing outside. His snake eyes glowed when he saw this, and he quickly headed toward the main office.


    "Enter."


    After standing for a while, Jacob heard Nixon''s voice and entered the office.


    He saw Nixon, dressed in a tracksuit sitting on his chair with a warm smile.


    Jacob impassively said, without giving Nixon a chance to speak, "I''m leaving for Deep Swamp outside the Easter City."


    Nixon didn''t look shocked since he had expected this much. No one can live idle once they know the benefits of the alliance, and they will eventually start hunting for ZC or Gold Coins.


    The rewards were simply toovish for anyone to ignore, and he thought Jacob was the same.


    "Do you want me to arrange a party for you?" asked Nixon coolly.


    "No need, I''m going alone, and I also wanted to see the bustling of the Easter City and want to buy some equipment for myself. I''ll be back in two or three months." Jacob stated.


    Nixon didn''t reject him and nodded, "It''s a good idea. I was just wondering if you''re entric. Go, and if you want weapons and gear check, our personal warehouse, you won''t be disappointed, and the weapons here are far better than anywhere in the Easter City. Of course, it will still depend on your wealth.''


    He chuckled jokingly before he continued, "Just be aware of the City Magistrate. He''s a petty fellow and might be looking for a way to get back at me after I teach those two idiots a lesson.


    "And also, if you want to raise your rank, just tell me I''ll arrange a knight suitable for you but don''t expect any cheating or easy way out of it.


    "Although the recording will go back for an inspection, they won''t be fooled if they find any tempering, and trust me; it''s impossible to fool those inspectors. Many tried but were caught and then paid a painful price." He reminded Jacob with a hint of fear as if he had experienced it himself.


    Jacob epted Nixon''s kind intention and nodded, "I''ll be careful. I''m just going to earn some money. I know my limit."


    Nixon''s smile widened, "Alright, but just in case, remember my ID, Poison-Jail. If you get into trouble, contact me anytime."


    Jacob impassively said, "I''ll keep it in mind."


    After some small talk, Jacob left Nixon''s office and headed toward the elevator.


    Nixon''s smile vanished when Jacob left, and he sent a message from his star watch.


    ''Poison-Jail: Faceless Ancient has left for Deep Swamp. Keep an eye on him.''


    He instantly received a reply.


    ''Barb0Stone: What kind of eye?''


    ''Poison-Jail: Usual.''


    ''Barb0Stone: Got it!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nixon chuckled before he stood up and went back to his practice as if everything was under control.


    ---


    Jacob left the elevator on the first floor. It was in the middle of the main lobby, and without drawing any attention, he left the building and soon crossed the entrance gates, leaving the headquarter.


    The Easter City was quiterge, and since they already had the concept of gas vehicles, there were, naturally, cabs and trolleybusses formon folks who couldn''t afford those vehicles.


    Even a in car with 90km/h speed cost over 1 million gold coins, and few could afford them, so the trolleybusses were the best second choice.


    Jacob reached the bus stop and star waiting for the trolley bus. The others waiting around him looked at him strangely since his get-up was a little out of ce.


    But Jacob pretended as if he didn''t see anything, and soon, with everyone, he embarked on the trolley bus and sat down.


    His destination was west district-22 which was actually the red district of Easter City. He had already remembered the map and all the ces of Easter City, so he wasn''t ignorant about the city or even the Golden Sword Country anymore!


    As for why he was going in the red-light district, only he knew¡­


    It was morning, so there wasn''t any crowd on the trolley bus, and everyone was going toward work, mostly at this time of the day.


    There was a short goblin sitting a few seats behind Jacob, but unlike others, he nced at Jacob every now and then, and because Jacob''s face was forward, he couldn''t notice him.


    The goblin also had his star watch active as he was in a chat with someone. He nced at Jacob sneakily again before he quickly started typing a message.


    ''Goblin-King90895432: The target is sitting in the trolley bus, which is going toward the western districts. The final location is still unclear.''


    He instantly got a reply.


    ''Sneaky2452234: Roger, just don''t let him out of sight. We''re preparing for Dinner!''


    ''Goblin-King90895432: Roger!''


    Half an hourter, the trolley bus stopped a few meters away from the entrance to west district-22, and Jacob exited.


    Without paying attention, he entered the alleys of West District-22, which were filled with all kinds of prostitutes wearing almost nothing standing in front of hotels, and there were even price tag badges around their necks.


    The moment Jacob entered, those prostitutes instantly surrounded him like hungry wolves so he could select them.


    In the end, Jacob chose three tall barbarian prostitutes, which made those rejects start cursing Jacob for being racist, fiend, tasteless, and so on, but they didn''t dare to go too far since district-22 also has unspoken rules.


    Those barbarian girls were beaming and acting seductively while they led him toward their pleasure house.


    Jacob paid with his star watch to an ugly orc and booked the room for an entire day, which cost him 1000 gold coins, including those three girls'' services charges.


    The sneaky goblin naturally followed Jacob, but he didn''t enter the alley, remained hidden in a corner, and quickly reported it.


    ''Goblin-King90895432: He''s in West District-22, red alley-07, Pleasure House-98!''


    ''Sneaky2452234: Tsk, tsk, which one did he choose?''


    The goblin frowned when he saw this message but still replied.


    ''Goblin-King90895432: 3 Barbarians.''


    ''Sneaky2452234: Oh? What a monster!''


    ''Goblin-King90895432: Stop joking around and quicklye here!''


    ''Sneaky2452234: Heh, why are you in a hurry? It''s not liked those girls will choose you. Even your nose is bigger than your dick!''


    The goblin''s eyes widened when he read this message as veins started to pop up on his bald head, and he ground his teeth in anger and humiliation.


    While grounding his teeth in hatred, he wrote, ''Goblin-King90895432: YOU''RE DEAD!!!!!!''


    However, the goblin didn''t notice the person with a binocr standing not far away on a building''s roof and also looking toward the building where Jacob entered.


    "What a monster!" He mumbled with a hint of respect.


    Half an hourter, nothing from the ordinary happened as that goblin and the person on the roof continued to observe the pleasure house building.


    Night descended before three persons, d in ck clothes from head to toe, appeared as they snuck inside the alley-07!

 Chapter 177 So Long…

    ?The man on the rooftop noticed those three ck figures sneaking into the pleasure house and sneered, "Heh, Magistrate Dogs!" The next instant, he vanished into the darkness.


    The three figures crept toward the ugly orc, the owner of this pleasure house, andzily sat behind the counter as business was rtively slow today.


    At this moment, an icy voice whispered in his ear, "If you don''t want to die, then cooperate!"


    The ugly orc was instantly spooked when this voice rang beside his ear, but before he could even yelp, a firm hand wrapped around his mouth, and the voice sounded again, "You gutter rat, do you want to meet your whore mother so much?!"


    The ugly orc''s heart palpitated. He knew the other party was ridiculously strong because he was a Rare Tier-5 fighter, but the other party quickly suppressed him. He didn''t dare to y any trick and stop struggling.


    "Heh, good whore son!" the cold voice sneered again before it loosened his grip and questioned, "Now, tell me, where is the guy who picked up three barbarians'' whores this noon?"


    The ugly orc didn''t dare to hide and quickly answered while sweating profusely, "T-Third Floor, Room-3-43!"


    "Good, now be a good chode and pretend as if nothing happened. Don''t make mee back to strangle you with your guts. Do we have an understanding?" The person questioned with a hint of killing intent.


    The ugly orc nearly cried and nodded like crazy. He didn''t lose his mind to offend this foul-mouth bastard!


    Furthermore, the ugly orc was in the pleasure business for almost his whole life, and he knew just not anyone could y a gangster in Easter City. As a result, the crime rate was practically nonexistent unless someone wanted the wrath of the city magistrate and had the army on their tail.


    So, this mysterious attacker wasn''t simple, and he was doing it because he was confident in getting away or had some backer.


    Whichever the case was, he didn''t want anything having to do with it.


    The next moment, the ugly orc felt the presence behind him vanish, and when he turned around, no one was there, and his heart turned cold, ''Just who is that shithole to draw this kind of person?'' He grimaced but didn''t dare to say anything and sat down as if nothing had happened.


    The three ck persons moved to the third floor without making any noise.


    "No.2, and No.3, the target has Tier-7 or Tier-8 fighter level strength, so we can''t give him a chance to resist. We''ll be using Sleeping Beauty andplete this mission of immobilizing the target and getting us out of here without much fuss!" The person in the front sternly spoke in a whispering voice that only the two behind him could be heard.


    The corridor was dimly lit in red light. Creepy silence enshrouded the ce as if no one was there.


    However, as they get close o Room 3-43, No.3 suddenly speaks, "No.1, I smell blood!"


    "Where?" No.1 questioned with a hint of trepidation.


    "I think it''sing from the target''s room!" No.3 spoke with uncertainty.


    But hispanions were not so uncertain because they knew No.3''s ability to smell was top-notch in Easter City, and that''s why he was joining them in this mission.


    "n D, we''re going in for dinner!" No.1 spoke in a grave voice as he drew a purple dagger, and a ck light barrier enveloped him.


    The other two also activated their shield barriers and drew their weapons.


    No.1 reached Room 3-43 and his brown eyes narrowed when he saw a small slit on the door, "It is open!" His revealed with trepidation.


    After inhaling a deep breath, "Ready!" He pushed the door!


    A disgusting scene entered their eyes when the door opened, and a vile smell attacked their nose.


    There was only a bed inside the room, which was currently dyed in blood and gore of two naked prostitutes withrge holes in the center of their chests as if a cannonball had passed through them.


    But the bloody writing on the wall drew those three ck figures'' attention.


    "nker belonged to Killer Skull Society, So Long Retards!"


    "Bastard, it''s them again!" No.1 couldn''t help but curse out loud. He wasn''t in the least bit affected by the scene in front of him.


    "It seemed the third prostitute was their agent, which would exin her missing corpse. They died approximately six hours ago. But the question is, how did they escape since there is no window in the building?" No.2''s crisp voice rang in confusion.


    "How could there be such a coincidence in this world? That guy chose three barbarians, and one of them happened to be a Skull who was after the Banker, and he just fell into herp? Are you kidding me?" No.3 retorted the whole situation was too fishy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It''s the fucking skull society anything is possible. It seemed those skulls also had their eye on the nker, like us. But they got the jump on us!" No.1 ruefully sighted.


    "You got that right, and now they can also take the me for your deaths!" An extremely sinister voice rang at this moment from behind them and before they could react.


    ''Pop, pop, pop¡­.''


    Their heads sted into bits with the protective barriers in the mix!


    A tall person in the cloak was standing there with his hammer-like hand clenched in a fist and dripping in red blood as he looked at the scene with rage-filled eyes.


    "Bastard society!" He cursed before he started searching the other rooms and just three rooms in the samene. He finally found out how they escaped without alerting anything.


    There was arge hole in the wall opened right behind the building, which was a blind spot for any watcher like him.


    "Fuck, Nixon would go bonkers and me me for this!" He cursed in indignation as he also took the hole and left. He was going to search the area before reporting this incident to Nixon.


    But he didn''t have much hope because whoever did this was extremely meticulous, and they knew people were watching Jacob.


    As for Jacob nning this whole thing himself, it still didn''t cross their mind because the Killer Skull Society had done this in the past.


    Jacob also had no reason to escape or orchestrate this whole situation since they were on his side.


    At least, that''s what everyone will think first¡­


    ---


    A few miles away from west of the Easter City was the Cold Wilderness which led toward the North Golden Sword Province of the Golden Swords Country.


    A bonfire illuminated the area, and a man with silver hair and a handsome appearance sat beside the bonfire while chucking down meat from a long leg bone.


    Other bones were lying beside him, and it was thest piece of whatever he was eating.


    This person was naturally none other than Jacob!


    Jacob nned this vanishing act for a whole month after he got his hands on all kinds of information in the private server of Nightmare Knight Legion.


    He knew if he wanted to let everyone in circles, he needed a scapegoat and who could be a better scapegoat than his favorite enemy, the Killer Skull Society?


    Those guys'' notorious deeds were all over the rare ins news, and Jacob just had to orchestrate one of their notorious deeds.


    So, he chose the red-light district, which was the perfect ce for him to buy enough time for his escape while putting the me on the killer skull society.


    Even if someone had a suspicion toward him, so what?


    They can specte all they want, but as long as they don''t find Jacob or believe Killer Skull Society''s words, it will never be clear what happened that day.


    He already knew being a nker was a pretty big deal here. After some research, he found beside him there was only one nker alive in the Light Nation.


    Furthermore, after digging, he found some cases of nker appearing in the past, but all of them vanished mysteriously, which rubbed Jacob the wrong way.


    So, he decided to vanish from the eye of the public, which was his true goal, but he had to make it look like it was done by someone else, not him.


    By doing this, even if he remained active on the starwork and did something heinous, others would only suspect Killer Skull Society had nted those brain chips in his head, and now he was their pawn.


    Being kidnapped by the skulls had its advantages, so Jacob did it without hesitation, and this way, he will be free to do anything as long as he won''t get caught by Nixon or Golden Swords Country.


    This was going to be even more impossible because he was going toward the Wild Nation to start hunting for those Magic Cores and won''t return to the territories of the four powers until he had to!

 Chapter 178 A Golden Elf

    ?To the far north of the Rare Freedom ins was the Dark Woond.


    This ce was called Dark Woond because it marked the border between Rare Freedom ins and the Wild Nation, as well as the Rare Wilderness ins.


    Because the moment someone crosses the Dark Woond, they will step out of the safety of Rare Freedom ins, where Dark Being from the Wild Nation couldn''t infiltrate.


    The four powers had collectively built a thick wall called the Dark Pass, and their army bases were also behind this Dark Pass Wall. Anyone who wanted to leave the Dark Pass could as long as the four powers didn''t want them.


    But returning to the safety of the Dark Pass was another matter entirely.


    Nevertheless, those brave, adventurous souls still dared to venture into those unknown territories, and some of them were also the people who either didn''t want to be restrained by the four power or simply didn''t fear death.


    After all, the ins outside the Rare Freedom ins were much more extensive and unexplored.


    At this time, it was already night, but the Golden Swords Dark Pass was lit like the day in arena lights soldiers were patrolling the area, and many huge spotlights were ced on top of army base buildings constructed in the ample space.


    It was simply a colossal armypound under the jurisdiction of Golden Swords Army and the most heavenly guarded ce after the star ocean.


    Amidst thispound was a vast road that led toward the huge metal gates in the dark pass where many barricades were established.


    At this moment, a capped figure walked into the spotlight of thepound gate, which was directly linked with the road that led to the rare freedom ins exit.


    "Half! Show your face, or we''ll open fire!" A loud voice warned before more spotlights locked on this capped figure.


    There were two barricades beside these gates, and the soldiers within them pointed their adult rifles at this capped figure.


    "Don''t shoot you, idiots!" The capped figure sneered loudly before he removed the cape from his head and revealed his peerless handsome face, especially the long golden hair.


    Those guard soldiers instantly lowered their weapons, "So, it is, Sir. Elf, please forgive us. We were following the protocol!"


    Golden Elves had an extremely high status in Golden Swords Country. They were akin to rulers, if put more bluntly.


    Because the Golden Elves were one of the strongest races proficient in magic and were born with magic talent, even their untalented members had magic talent.


    So, the Golden Elves had high-ranking military members all over the Golden Swords Country, and only two ns couldpare, but they were stillcking in the splendor of this race.


    Not only that, but the Elves had extinguished appearances, and they easily stood out in the crowd, so impersonating them was almost impossible. The Golden Elves had golden hair, so they were even more easily recognized.


    Lastly, the Elves were innately arrogant because of their talent and appearance and looked down on every other race, so this Elf''s vain words didn''t make those soldiers offend.


    They all knew offending a Golden Elf in the Golden Swords Country was akin to putting on a misery ma because they were also quite protective of their race!


    The Golden Elf sneered with disdain before covering his head again and moving toward the guard past.


    A troll soldier quickly pressed a button, and the steel gates started to open. Two more trolls were standing there to receive this Elf.


    "Sir, please follow us. We''ll arrange lodging and dinner for you." One of them said with respect since they knew pleasing an elf was the easiest way to climb the ranks.


    The Elf, however, had other ns as he coldlymanded, "I want to leave the Dark Pass for training. Arrange it quickly, don''t waste my time!"


    Those soldiers were shocked, "T-This? Please wait. I''ll arrange a guard unit for you."


    They knew just how dangerous thends outside the dark past were, and an elf leaving alone there was quite a rare sight. They didn''t evene here, much less go for training.


    They all live in the safety of the central province and solemnlye here, but theye with a huge bandwagon and high-ranking members. This Elf was clearly an anomaly, but they still arranged a guard until it was not difficult for an elf.


    "No need. Do you think I''ll need you idiots out there to slow me down or drag me to die with you?" The Elf mocked as he suddenly showed his Star Watch, and there was an emblem lit within.


    When those two guards saw that emblem, their eyes went wide, "T-two-star Nightmare Magic Knight?!"


    A Two-Star Nightmare Magic Knight was even rarer than a Two-Star Nightmare Fighter Knight, and even the elf race only had a little over a hundred of them.


    So this guy was clearly of high status within the golden elf n, so they quickly sprang into action and didn''t dare to risk angering him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Soon. an army jeep was arranged, and the Elf sat in the back seat while the troll soldier drove him toward the other side.


    "Tell me, what do you know about the dark city on the other side?" The Elf suddenly questioned.


    This question caught the troll off guard, but he quickly regained his calm and replied with uncertainty, "I don''t know much, Sir. But ording to rumors, the Dark City exists somewhere in the Rare Wilderness ins, but no one has ever confirmed it since the way toward it is simply too dangerous.


    "But the news spread a few years ago that whoever goes to the dark city of the rare ins will never return. Ultimately, this news was dered a prank by some degenerate skull.


    "However, like the Dark City in Rare Freedom ins, it also existed in the rare ins out there, but those guys are simply too mysterious and never gave in to anyone, not even three hegemonies."


    The troll sneered with discontent. He was clearly unhappy with the arrogance of the dark city, which didn''t give anyone a face.


    The Elf grunted and didn''t speak again, and the troll didn''t dare to speak without permission.


    Thereupon, they reached the end of the road, and when those inspectors saw it was an elf, they didn''t even ask for his id scan and let them pass with some words of caution.


    The troll stopped the jeep in front of a small gate within the massive metal gate.


    The Elf disembarked the jeep and walked toward the gate, where he heard a deep voice, "Are you sure you want to go alone?"


    "Just open the fucking thing. Why are you all questioning this lord''s capabilities?" The Elf coldly stated.


    "Very well, please ce your star watch identity badge in front of the scanner." The voice rang again.


    The Elf put his wrist on the dark screen attached to the wall, and after the scanning wasplete, the metal gate suddenly started to make loud nging sounds before it slid open.


    "We''ll await your return." The voice rang again.


    "Hmph." The Elf snorted before he shed past the open gate and vanished into the darkness.


    ---


    In the dark pass armypound, a burly orc was frowning as he looked at the Elf leaving the dark pass.


    He pressed on his star watch, and suddenly an annoying voice rang, "What is it, Deputy General? It''s the middle of the night, don''t tell me those pricks are attacking the wall again?"


    "I was just contacting you to inform you about a Golden Elf, probably an Elf Elder, leaving the dark pass just moments ago, alone." The orc inly stated.


    "What? Did he tell you the reason?" The annoying voice suddenly turned stern.


    "Do you think an Elf Elder will tell me anything?" The orc questioned meaningfully.


    "Ah, that arrogant of those guys. Sigh¡­ since he left on his own ord, it had nothing to do with us. Just keep the recording of it if those elvese to haunt us. That recording will work like a charm." The voice chuckled coldly.


    "My thought exactly. Good night General." The orc cut the connection.


    But he frowned while mumbling, "Why do I have this feeling that this matter is far from simple?"


    ---


    On the other side of the Dark Pass, the golden Elf was moving between the trees agilely as the distance between him and the dark pass was increasing.


    After moving a few miles away from the dark pass, the Elf stopped in front of a small water source hidden between the wild vegetation.


    The cloak on him magically vanished, revealing his handsome appearance. Suddenly he held his pointy ears, and with a push, those pointy ears detached from his natural human ears.


    Not only that, but he started to wash his hair, the golden color started to dissipate in water, and the golden hair turned silver; after washing his face, all the makeup on it also came out.


    His lips curled into a derisive smile as he looked at his reflection on the water''s surface.


    It was none other than Jacob!

 Chapter 179 Encountering Dark Beings (1)

    ?Jacob couldn''t help but smile derisively because he fooled those soldiers too easily with a Golden Elf disguise.


    Although he knew the Golden Elf n was the dominating n of the Golden Swords Country, he never thought it had such prestige.


    He chose to impersonate a golden elf because they look alive humans and most, and he was quite confident in pulling this off after he got those identity badges. But he was still ready if they asked questions, but nothing happened.


    Jacob''s trail of thoughts suddenly halted as his heart palpitated; the fine hair on his back stood in trepidation.


    Just as he was done with his clearing, the water suddenly rippled before a sharp de pierced through the water''s surface and headed toward Jacob''s face!


    It was too sudden, but Jacob''s danger sense wasn''t a joke, and the moment he sensed this immense danger, his heart rate suddenly jumped from 1-HBPS to 10-HBPS and entered 1X eleration!


    Time seemed to slow down as before the sharp de pierced through his eyeball, a ck ingot appeared right between the edge and his eye!


    ''ng¡­''


    The sound of metal shing rang in the silent vicinity, and the metal ingot also hit Jacob right in the face, but it was far better than getting pierced by that sword and dying because of his idiocy.


    Within that moment, Jacob''s head hit the ground, but he quickly rolled to the side, ignoring the pain on his face and head. After rolling over a meter away from the attack area, he finally stabilized himself and rose on his feet.


    A dark red mark could be seen on Jacob''s eyes, but he waspletely calm as the killing intent surfaced in his eyes, ''I nearly died after leaving that shit hole?!''


    He was bing arrogant after pulling the wool over the freedom ins powers, which was a wake-up call for him.


    But it was still unexpected that someone was hiding under that water source all this time, and Jacob wasn''t careless at all, which could only whoever this attacker was he was hiding under that water before Jacob approached the vicinity.


    Lastly, he didn''t hear any heartbeat at all. Even after he entered 1X eleration, he still couldn''t hear anything.


    Jacob coldly looked at the long de piercing half into the Basic-Rare Grade Titan Iron ingot he bought, which cost him a small fortune just beforeing to the Dark Woonds, and if that Titan Iron was ofmon grade, he might really be pierced through that de!


    So, the identity of his attacker was probably below Rare-Tier-6. He could tell by the still lingering impact on his face.


    Or he won''t be standing calmly without running.


    "Why don''t youe out? It might be suffocating." Jacob icily sneered as two short swords appeared in his hand.


    But unlike his old des, these des'' hilts were long, and two extra ck bearings were attached to the hilt''s ends.


    However, these swords weren''t his old ones, but they were newly forged with basic grade rare titan iron. The old ones were traded so he could borrow a rare-grade smithy to forge these new des!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He can''t juste here without any preparation, can he?


    As if Jacob''s taunt worked, the de suddenly started to rose, and a V-shaped sword guard rose before Jacob finally had a clear look at the hand holding the hilt and his eyes dted!


    Because holding the sword hilt was a bone hand, and as it rose, its entire skeleton hand surfaced before a skull appeared with a menacing smile ster on its skull face. Not only that, but a cold, dim blue light was shimmering within the skull-likemp, making it look ghostlier.


    ''That exins theck of breathing and why it could remain hidden under that water. It''s a Tier-5 Skeleton Solider.'' Jacob instantly recognized the undead in front of him.


    Although he had already does a throughout research on those dark beings and was ready to take them on, seeing one in person still gave him the chills.


    These creatures were straight out of someone''s nightmares and the pure manifestation of legendry undead. Jacob had never thought he would meet the undead of all creatures in this world.


    Nevertheless, these undeads were far easy targets than those high-level civilizations because they didn''t have the concept of modern weapons or equipment, but they were still not to be trifled with.


    Because even if these dark beings used cold weapons, they were still dreaded by the four powers because they had unimaginable numbers!


    Furthermore, these undeads could be strong far more quickly than any living as long as they devour strong life force. Without that special, mysterious protection of the rare freedom ins, there might not be any intelligent species or any living on the rare ins at all!


    Jacob''s sole reason for leaving the safety of Rare Freedom ins was these Dark Beings had unimaginable numbers of magic users within their ranks, and only they could provide him with all the magic cores he needed.


    More importantly, these Dark Beings were all in the open, unlike the four powers who like to hide their true strength, and no one would also care about these Dark Beings'' death.


    Besides, just killing them will give Jacob ZC, which was the only way to buy items he needed on the market to hunt Extraordinary Begins!


    So, it wasn''t hard for Jacob to make a choice!


    The skeleton soldier didn''t seem to understand the power gap between it and Jacob. Since its ambush failed, it chose the most direct approach toward¡­ its death!


    It lunged at Jacob while shing its long sword down to Jacob''s head.


    Jacob merely sneered before he moved his sword, blocking the long sword. Although the skeleton soldier had over 500 tons of force behind that strike, so what?


    The next moment, Jacob''s second sword turned into a streak of dark lightning before it brushed past the skeleton''s skull, and the next moment, it sliced in half.


    A slight blue re surfaced when the skull was cut open; it flickers before it diminishes without leaving any trace, and the next moment, the skeleton falls into pieces!

 Chapter 180 Encountering Dark Beings (2)

    ?The blue re within the skull of the Skeleton Solider was known as Dead me.


    Dead me was like a life source for any dark being, and to kill any dark being, diminish this Dead me was the key.


    The Dead me was quite frail, and as long as it was touched by any weapon or exposed to the air, it would diminish. But it was only the earliest form of Dead me because Dead me is only found in Dark Being without any magic power.


    If a Dark Being had awakened magic power, the Dead me would be encased on the Magic Core. Unless someone could remove that Magic Core or destroy it, the dark being won''t die easily unless they gotpletely obliterated!


    As for those Extraordinary Tier Dark Beings, their Dead mes were even more difficult to sniff out because the higher tier a magic core, the more difficult it was to destroy it. Even if Dark Beings lost their limbs, they could continue to fight as long as the Dead me wasn''t touched.


    Some Dark Beings of the Extraordinary Tier couldn''t be killed without destroying the magic cores because their Dead mes could keep them alive and even revive them!


    That''s what truly made the Dark Beings truly terrifying!


    Jacob coldly looked at the pile of bones and picked up the titan iron ingot.


    However, his eyes widened slightly before he twisted his body and used rotated his sword, cing it in front of his ribcage.


    The next moment, something shed with his sword, and it just saved him a mortal wound, but the impact was so great it sent Jacob flying a few meters away.


    Jacob quickly used his other sword to maneuver his body in the air and stood on his feet.


    Jacob looked horrid at his attacker; a long spear de was hovering over his previous standing position, which was held by another skeleton, but this one was wearing rotten armor.


    ''A Rare Tier-8 Skelton Warrior!'' Jacob recognized this armor skeleton since only skeletons with Rare Tier-8 or above could wear armor.


    Without wasting time, he sprang into action; he twisted his body and¡­ ran!


    Jacob wasn''t a hot-blooded fool who would underestimate his enemy just because he could, especially when the enemy was a skeleton warrior-level Dark Being.


    Because any skeleton warrior couldmand hundreds of skeleton soldiers, sometimes a pair or an entire cohort of skeleton warriors working together to hunt their prey could make the number of skeleton soldiers in thousands!


    That''s why it was rmended to flee the moment you saw a skeleton warrior because these guys were simply too dangerous and hard to deal with.


    ''First, that skeleton soldier, and the next one is the skeleton warrior, and I won''t be surprised if there is a Skeleton Grand Warrior in his cohort who couldmand these skeleton warriors. It''s an ambush for anyone who exits that wall, and I fell for it!''


    Jacob''s expression went grave as his eleration entered 3X, and he jumped into the trees. He wanted to leave this area as soon as possible.


    Because a Skeleton Grand Warrior was a bonafide Extraordinary Dark Begins, and he couldn''t fight them head-on, the gap in strength was just too great. He won''t even be able to scratch a Skeleton Grade Warrior''s bones, much less extract its core from his seemingly indestructible head!


    Furthermore, a Skeleton Grand Warrior or any rare skeleton warrior normally had a metal elemental magic core or golden in rare cases, which had no use to Jacob, so risking his life won''t bode any benefits.


    ''Creekekee¡­''


    A strange bone-nging sound rang in the area, which made Jacob''s heart palpate because this was clearly a single from whoever was in charge of those skeletons, and Skeleton Grand Warrior could only make this kind of sound!


    ''What a damn bad luck to encounter an Extraordinary Dark Being right off the bat!'' Jacob cursed under his breath and raised his eleration to another level.


    He could hear soundsing from all directions, and this number was more than he could handle.


    So, he entered 4X eleration, which was the limit he could control right now, and his speed suddenly exploded as his single leap was a few meters long, and before the ambush could seed, he was almost out of the danger zone.


    His speed was a little bit faster than an Extraordinary Tier-1, and those Skeleton Grand Warriors were not proficient in speed butbat.


    So, Jacob easily leave the ambush vicinity behind!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After leaping for five minutes, Jacob controlled his heart rate, and it slowly started to slow down despite Jacob continuing to move. His speed also started to decrease as he sweated profusely.


    A dry piece of meat appeared in his hand as he ate it, but he didn''t stop because he had this feeling that those skeletons might not be the only ambush around the Dark Pass.


    He wanted to leave the Dark Woonds, which were quite vast, truth be told.


    But as long as he left the Dark Woonds, there won''t be many ambushes waiting for him, not as much as in the Dark Woonds.


    Because the Dark Woonds was the region where the dark pass was located, and if anyone from the four powers wanted to venture on this side, they had to cross the Dark Woonds before they stepped into the territory of Rare Wilderness ins.


    The Rare Wilderness ins were actually just Rare ins, and Wild Nation or Freedom ins were just part of the Wilderness.


    Even those dark begins couldn''t conquer the wilderness ins because there were terrifying beasts residing in Rare Wilderness ins and their numbers weren''t any lower than Dark Begins.


    That''s why the Dark Beings mostly paid more attention to those beasts than wasting their time waiting for someone toe out from the Dark Pass, and they can''ty siege there either, like the Wilderness.


    But still, they couldn''t just ignore the easy prey from the freedom ins, so a small portion of their armyy wait in dark woonds and antagonized anyone who came from the other side of the wall.


    Jacob had read about the ambushes, but he never thought they were so deadly, and he almost got himself killed within a few minutes after he passed the dark pass.


    After moving for half an hour, leaving the dark pass miles behind, he decided to take shelter in arge tree crown since the ground was simply too dangerous.


    Jacob was also a great advantage because those dark beings didn''t have a heartbeat or breathing, rendering his powerful hearing useless. It was only helpful when the enemy was on the move.


    Two hours passed as Jacob was sitting in a meditative position while holding his swords.


    A few meters away from the tree where Jacob was resetting, the ground was filled with rotten leaves and mud. Anyone would think it was just normal ground.


    But right at this moment, two white eyeballs suddenly snapped open. If someone saw them, they would think the ground had grown eyes!


    However, it hasn''t seemed the case when the creepy eyeballs suddenly started moving, creeping toward the tree where Jacob was resting.


    No sound was made as those icy eyeballs moved close to the tree trunk, and shockingly those eyeballs suddenly shifted from the ground to the tree and started creeping toward Jacob!


    Those eyes were slowly closing the distance between them and Jacob as they shifted from trunk to branches and were only a few feet away from where Jacob was sitting.


    Suddenly those spooky eyes'' speed turned from crawling to speedy, and within a second, they were upon Jacob, and it was at this time a maw filled with rows of vicious razor-sharp teeth heading for Jacob''s neck.


    Jacob''s eyes snapped open when the maw was only over feet away from him, but there was no hint of surprise but killing intent instead, mockery even.


    His hands moved in a cross-motion right where the eyes were, and the next moment, a deep azure slit appeared within the air, and an azure crocodile face emerged, and soon this horrid creature''s whole azure snake-like body, which was three-meter-long and two feet thick twisted around the tree branch.


    It was like the illusion had been broken.


    The next moment, the azure slit split open as azure blood gushed out as the menacing creature with an open jaw dropped dead in its ce, handing like a loose rope.


    Jacob looked at the dead creature with white eyeballs, ''If I hadn''t felt the vibration of the tree branches, this Crock-Snake would''ve bitten my face off.


    ''Its water mirror illusion was simply too perfect. So, this is a Rare Tier-5 magic beast with 1-Star Water Magic Core!''


    Jacob couldn''t help but reevaluate his opinion of this ce again because the danger wasn''t just contained to Dark Beings, but the deadly Beasts were also as fatal.


    Especially the beasts with magic cores, known as Magic Beasts like this one, who had innate magical abilities!

 Chapter 181 Meeting In Dark Woodlands

    ?Jacob looked at the Crock Snake with a hint of fear. If he hadn''t felt the vibration of the branches, he might''ve been in a world of pain.


    This crock snake was a very nasty Magic Beast proficient in camouge with its innate ability Water Mirror Illusion of its Water Magic Core.


    Although it was just a rare tier-5 magic beast, it was akin to a rare tier-8 beast without any magic core.


    ''At least I don''t have to worry about food shortage, and this also solved my problem of finding a 1-Star Water Magic Core. A good first day starts indeed.'' Jacob''s lips curled up, and he cut open the crock snake''s skull.


    An azure membrane encased a small round object hidden within its brain matter, and when Jacob touched it, it burst like a bubble, and a gentle blue light fell on Jacob''s eyes.


    It was an azure color Water Magic Core just like the earth core he had found back in the goblin''s stomach.


    He stowed it away to save it from diffusion, then cut off the head and threw it down before he started gutting the snake''s body. Blood flow all over the tree as the smell of the potent blood linger in the air.


    Jacob then stowed away the fresh meat and left the snake''s innards on the bloody trees for scavengers.


    He knew this was just the start, food was the biggest problem for living like him, and magic beasts like crock snakes were all over the dark woonds.


    Furthermore, only sneaky beasts like crock snakes who know how to hide in in sight could survive this ce full of dark begins, and Jacob didn''t want to be their food.


    Although there was a ''Life Scanner Device'' in the alliance market to detect such creatures, it was too expensive for Jacob, so he could only do without it.


    If he had stayed in the freedom ins to umte wealth, it would take him decades, and it was too dangerous because any ce rich with magic beasts and rare resources was under the control of four powers.


    If someone wanted to hunt, they needed to give away 60% of their umtion and be part of four powers.


    Jacob could easily undermine the former rule, but he didn''t want to appear in the freedom ins because he knew Nixon was searching for him.


    Because soon after he got ''kidnapped,'' the entire Easter City''s Nightmare Knight Legion stirred and madly started to search for him as well as they destroyed any known or suspicious hideouts of the Killer Skull Society.


    Not only that, but he even found himself trending on the local news again, which was the second time he appeared in trending.


    Lastly, the Killer Skull Society didn''t reply or make pass any statement in refutation of Nightmare Knight Legion slender, which was equal to admitting they really kidnapped the nker.


    But Jacob found it fishy since he had seen the history and the Killer Skull Society cared about their public image as the face of justice, so their silence was quite unusual.


    That was why Jacob didn''t want to stay in the freedom ins since they were monitoring devices of all of the four powers, and he didn''t want to fall into someone else trap after making an escape.


    So,ing here was his best choice, where four power or three hegemonies had no control.


    Although unknown dangers haunt this ce, Jacob knew as long as he treads carefully, he would be fine.


    Lastly, Jacob wasn''t without a n. He knew a ce out here which could shelter him and wasn''t as petty as the four powers or three hegemonies, the Dark City of Rare ins!


    There was a dark city in freedom ins, but after some research, he discovered that the Dark City in the freedom ins was known as Freedom ins Dark City, not the Rare ins Dark City.


    So, it was pretty evident that there was another Dark City somewhere in the vast rare ins, and the rumors about it were also all over the starwork.


    Like themon ins, Dark Cities were the most dangerous ces in a region, and one just needed to search for them.


    The Dark City of Freedom ins was also in the most dangerous zone of the Rare Freedom ins, but it was quite famous, and its location has long been publicized, so it lost its mystery.


    But the Dark City outside the Rare Freedom ins was still as mysterious as the zodiac ins, and Jacob wanted to search for it because he had been in a dark city and knew just how advanced that ce was from the region they were located.


    Although his goal was somewhat ethereal and suicidal, Jacob was quite confident in searching for it with all the clues he had.


    After his rest, he didn''t stop anymore and continued to head toward the north, where the rare wilderness ins were, but he was still far from reaching there.


    Only 5% of Dark Woonds fell in the territory of Rare Freedom ins; one could only imagine thends they covered on this side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Jacob was soon stopped in his track when he heard amotion a couple of meters ahead. His steps became almost silent as he slowly crept toward the fighting area.


    He soon reached the gully''s entrance and remained hidden within a tree crown.


    A cloaked figure was holding a long double-edged sword shing with a skeleton warrior with a spear. There were couples of bones scattered around the two.


    Furthermore, the cloaked figure was clearly powerful, as it had already taken care of all those skeleton soldiers. The skeleton warrior had already lost half of its left skeleton, and only his right side remained.


    But it was still fighting fiercely with its right side and didn''t let the cloaked figure deliver the killing blow and protect its skull.


    s, the cloaked figure seemed to be toying with it, and as if it had sensed something, its sword suddenly came alive, and the de whistled through the air, and before the skeleton warrior spear could block its skull was sted the very next moment.


    The dead me appeared and then diminished, marking the death of that fearsome skeleton warrior.


    Jacob was naturally astonished by this person''s swordsmanship, and he was very dangerous.


    But Jacob''s heart jumped when that cloak person suddenly performed a strange movement and vanished from his vision before he felt goosebumps from the side. Without hesitation, swords appeared in his hand, and he shed them at a horizontal angle.


    ''ng¡­''


    Eerily sound of metal shing together rang in the vicinity.


    Jacob looked at the cloaked figure who had somehow appeared right where he was observing the battle and was over twenty feet above the ground.


    Their des were locked together, trembling as both sides tried to push them to each other.


    Jacob''s eyes turned cold before he entered 2X eleration, and he could now hold this sword with one hand, and his second sword was free.


    With a light push, Jacob suddenly thrust his right-hand sword toward the cloaked head.


    "Oh?" A man''s voice rang with a hint of fear when he felt Jacob''s power increase and the deing for his head.


    The next moment, his strength also exploded, and using his sword, he twisted its de and could barely block Jacob''s deadly sword thrust a few inches away from its cloak.


    He didn''t underestimate Jacob anymore and again twisted his feet in strange angles before he vanished from Jacob''s sight again!


    "Forgive me. I take you for a sneaky animal." The man''s jeering voice rang from the ground again.


    Jacob still felt lingering sourness from his hands. This man was clearly as strong as him and did not forget about his skills, especially that strange movement. He would''ve thought the man was using teleportation if he hadn''t had good reflexes.


    Jacob didn''t want to fight to the death with such a person, and it was indeed his fault that he was sneaking around the man when he was in a deadly battle against a dark being.


    If it were him, he would do the same or even worse.


    "It was indeed unbing of me. Farwell." Jacob didn''t want to linger anymore, in case this guy hadpanions like him.


    "Wait!" The man quickly uttered as if he wanted to say something.


    But Jacob didn''t want to stay even more now, so he took the opposite direction of the gully and, without paying more attention, started leaping from tree to tree.


    "What are you running for, I said wait!" The man suddenly started to follow Jacob as he yelled at him.


    Jacob coldly said, "Don''t follow me, or I''ll make sure you never walk again." Thereby, his speed suddenly exploded.


    The cloaked figure was astonished as it really stopped following Jacob when he saw the increase in his speed.


    He mumbled with a hint of intrigue, "A strong neer has appeared in the woonds. I''ll have to report it to the leader!"

 Chapter 182 Gray Land Trees

    ?Somewhere in the Dark Woond,


    Inside a concealed manmade underground cave, a ground of nine wearing fighting gears was sitting around a round stone table.


    Eight of them were demi-humans belonging to different species.


    The Demi-Humans were famous for their elvish and animal features. Nevertheless, they were still not a match for the elves in looks. They were not like Orcs with humanoid torsos and beast heads, albeit they were still rted.


    Lastly, there was a tall, burly, green scale long lizard face creature with a pair of small horns on his forehead and a pointed horn over his nose. It was a Kobold.


    Kobolds were also small in numbers and were one of the few races that could rival the top species of rare freedom ins and one of the overlords of Iron Sierras.


    The Kobold coldly looked toward the demi-human with cheetah skin and asked in his raspy voice, "Are you sure this person you encountered didn''t belong to any hunting teams or four powers hunting bases?"


    The cheetah skin man coolly replied, "Yes, he wasn''t wearing any emblem, nor he seemed to know about where he was going. If my guess is right, then like all the neers, he was clueless about the Dark Ruins and wants to leave the Dark Woonds."


    The Kobold thought for a moment before speaking, "Even if your institution is right and this person was indeed a neer on this side, he''s already gone, so it''s meaningless now.


    "Besides, if he can Overspeed you in reflexes, I don''t think he''ll easily join us misfits. He might even be some hidden talent sent here for training from one of four powers or, even worse, someone from the three hegemonies."


    "Leader has a point. There are only three kinds of people who tread alone in these parts of dark woonds, Misfits like us who don''t want to get controlled by those manipted organizations.


    "Then those army men who were forcibly sent here to collect resources and buy back their citizenship.


    "Then there are those whoe here on their own ord for either adventure or training, and both types of persons are simply arrogant madmen who had too much confidence in themselves and were spoiled by their backing." A woman with delicate features and cat ears snorted disdainfully.


    Everyone couldn''t help but nod their heads.


    The cheetah skin man sighed ruefully, "I know this, but that man didn''t rub me as someone who could be controlled or arrogant in the least. I still couldn''t understand how he drew his swords. It was like they appeared out of thin air.


    "Lastly, he didn''t want to fight me and quickly left despite getting the upper hand. Since he was loitering in area-232 without any crewmate, I thought he was a neer and wanted to report to the leader.


    "Inviting him in the crew was another matter, but if he''s a neer, he''ll soon stumble on the dark ruins and meet his death. What a pity."


    "Heh, if he''s really a neer and a misfit at that, then if he managed to survive, he''ll surely make a name for himself in the dark woonds. We''ll think about inviting him to the crew then.


    "It''s not easy to leave the dark woonds, my friend, and everyone learned it the hard way. We can''t break the tradition, right?" An old man with a pointy nose chuckled.


    The Kobold''s eyes shimmered darkly before he nodded, "Let''s not distract ourselves anymore. We have a foray into worrying about. I received a message from the Killer Skull Society''s Base!"


    Everyone''s face turned somewhat pale when he heard this, but a tingle of madness shed past their beastly eyes!


    ---


    Jacob had no idea that a famous crew of misfits in the Dark Woond had a small discussion about him. Even if he knew he wouldn''t care about it except for whatever these Dark Ruins were.


    He was moving further and further away from the Dark Pass.


    Especially after his vague encounter with the cheetah skin man, he wanted to leave the Dark Woonds as soon as possible before he met a group from one of the four powers or some vagabonds.


    But how could it be so easy to leave the Dark Woonds?


    A weekter, Jacob entered an area filled with creepy gray bark trees that looked wilted entirely, but the ground beneath them was covered with gray weeds.


    First, Jacob was vignt as he tried cutting the ground and those weeds, even trees, but they werepletely normal except for their crimson phloem.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Furthermore, there wasn''t any information about this area, and the map he had was the cheapest one he could find and only revealed the general directions because the fully detailed map of Dark Woonds cost 10 ZC, which was simply too ridiculous for a price tag.


    Moreover, there weren''t any maps of wild nations or the rare ins, the freedom in was simple at the edge of the vast rare ins, and no one had ever managed to gauge the area of the wild nation, let alone the entire rare ins.


    So, Jacob was on his own, and spending 10 ZC on a single area map was simply not worth it.


    Since this area was on its way toward the exit of the dark woonds, Jacob knew he had to swallow this bittersweet pill. But for some reason, he felt strange from the woods ahead, like he would regret it if he entered.


    Gritting his teeth, he summoned Immortika, wasting his chance to summon the book for 24 hours.


    After his encounter with the golden elf, he knew just how precious Immortika''s ability to detect high-level species around it was, and he started to cherish this chance more and more.


    "What are the strongest species around me?" Jacob asked darkly.


    "Hahahaha¡­ I don''t know if you''re in stupid or simply too daring. Nevertheless, I like it out here!" Immortika manically wrote while ignoring the actual question.


    Jacob''s squinted his eyes, "It seems you have something to say to me."


    "Being too smart can be a cursed sometimes; that''s why ignorance is bliss." Immortika wrote, "All I have to say is you''re thetter in this situation but not far away from being former."


    "I don''t have time to y riddles with you nor the forbearing. So just say what you have to say or answer the damn question!" Jacob coldly uttered in exasperation.


    Sometimes, he wonders if being selected by this book was the real curse or talking with Immortika.


    "Hahaha¡­ did I say something just now? Too bad, I already forget. As to answer your question, there is nothing besides some Anthropophagy Trees. The Gray Land Trees rank between Tier-1 Rare to all the way up to Tier-2 Extraordinary.


    "These trees grew upside down. Simply put, the wilted branches you''re seeing are actually their routes, while the tree core is hidden deep underground. Without destroying that tree core, getting rid of this Gray Land Tree is impossible.


    "As for those long gray weeds on the ground, they''re their sensory receptors. All you need to know is as long as you didn''t bleed on that grass or didn''t try to dig to a certain depth, you''ll be fine. Those trees didn''t have intelligence and only reacted on instincts.


    "Or trust me, if a Gray Land Tree had intelligence, you''d be long dead after you try cutting those trees and grass, even their soil, hahahaha¡­."


    Jacob''s heart skipped a beat when he read this as he looked at the gray forest with fear.


    ''Ignorance is really bliss.'' He smiled bitterly and finally understood why Immortika wrote that strange phrase.


    He also took a mental note not to try to cut anything if he had no idea about what it was, even harmless-looking trees.


    "So, if the blood didn''t spill on that grass, I can cross this forest?" He questioned, just to be sure.


    "That''s pretty much it. But even if someone else bleeds while you''re deep within the graynd tree forest, it will be the end of you because once the graynd tree forest awakens, it will kill anything which is not a graynd tree within! Hahahaha, that would be incredible to watch."


    Jacob couldn''t help but reevaluate the danger of that seemingly harmless dry forest.


    Still, if he wanted to move forward, he needed to cross this ce, and he had no idea if taking a detour would be the right choice since he didn''t know just how far these trees were spread.


    Nevertheless, he still decided to check. He preferred wasting some days searching for a new route than risking his life to cross that dreadful forest. He wouldn''t try to cross it unless he had no choice.


    Moreover, that ce might teem with skeletons since they don''t bleed, and battling with them will only worsen things.


    Done deciding, Jacob headed in the east direction, hoping to find the end of this graynd tree forest.


    Ten-day passed, and Jacob''s expressions were as grim as they could get because that damn gray forest was simply endless no matter how far he traveled!

 Chapter 183 Impatient Or Not…

    ?Ten days passed since Jacob started searching for another route around the Gray Land Tree Forest, but this damn gray forest was endless no matter how far he traveled!


    With a grim look on his face, he looked at the grayness in front of him. He had wasted ten whole days and much less founding the end of this forest. He didn''t even encounter an undead, much less a living being.


    ''Here goes nothing!'' Jacob took a deep break and directly jumped on the roots of the Gray Land Tree.


    In these ten days, he had already noticed that there wasn''t a single life form out here, as if everyone was avoiding this ce, which was nothing but good news.


    Because as long as blood won''t touch that gray weeds, he didn''t have to worry about being burry in that forest.


    So, he started his journey in the graynd forest while being fully alert, and Jacob didn''t want to even a twitch escape his ears.


    The moment he sensed something, he would summon Immortika!


    As he moved deeper and carefully moved from tree to tree, he couldn''t help but notice the roots were growingrger andrger, and so did the weeds in the ground. He assumed it was the sign of higher tier Gray Land Trees.


    The forest was filled with gloomy silence, and the weeds made it harder to see anything on the ground. It was simply a heaven for sneaky predators!


    Jacob''s breathing was also controlled while his steps were silent. This was the benefit of practicing meditation and learning the control of his fluid eleration.


    A whole week passed without any incident, and right now, Jacob was resting amid 50-meter graynd tree roots, and the weed below was 3 meters long. The darkness of night gave this ce even spooky vibes.


    Jacob didn''t sleep and only rested with his eyes closed while his senses were focused entirely.


    The next day, Jacob continued his journey and wanted to leave this forest as soon as possible. However, he didn''t like the feeling of having his life at the mercy of someone else.


    But the silence of the Gray Land Tree Forest was proof that other beings knew the risks of messing in this ce, so it was a kind of relief.


    However, after two weeks, while carefully treading on the web of long gray roots, Jacob found the roots were still growing, and the weeds were not any different, which made him even more restless, and not to talk, he was mentally exhausted.


    He wasn''t a machine, and every living being needed sleep to function normally and restore mental fatigue.


    Jacob understood that if someone knew about the terror of this forest, just being in this forest was torture. Anyone with a sane mind wanted to leave this forest as soon as possible, but that was where true despairy as well.


    One would start to doubt their direction senses after constantly seeing the same kind of surroundings, and those routes were almost connected, making a web of a maze.


    It was harder to tell north from south in this kind of setup, especially when you''re focusing on being vignt all the time.


    If Jacob wasn''t keeping track of the sunset and sunrise, he might really have been lost long ago.


    On his twentieth day, Jacob finally couldn''t take it anymore and decided to sleep since nothing was around besides this gloomy grayness. But he still didn''t let his guard down.


    However, he was too tired, and the moment he tried to sleep, he fell into deep darkness andpletely lost track of his surroundings.


    ---


    "Little Jack, son, you''re too impatient." A benevolent voice chided the Young Jacob, who was walking hurriedly toward a colossal building wearing clean white clothes.


    "Old Man, it''s you who''s slow!" Young Jacob retorted, but he still slowed down to match the step of an old man in priest robes walking with the spot of a cane with a benevolent smile on his wrinkled lips.


    "That''s not what I mean, though you''re right nevertheless." The Old Priest chuckled while looking at the tall, handsome youth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then what do you mean?" Young Jacob questioned in perplexity.


    "My boy, you''re excellent in every aspect, even I didn''t imagine you would get a chance like this. But you have a terrible w, impatience! You like acting first and then worrying about the consequencester.


    "This is a terrible habit, my boy. People could easily exploit this w of yours without even you realizing it. Where you''re going having this w is fatal. Especially with your fiery nature, I''m worried you might break someone''s teeth before you even think about how it will affect you." The old Priest thoughtfully stated his worries.


    Young Jacob chuckled coldly, "I don''t care about those damn scions. If I didn''t ce him in their ce, they would only think I''m easy to suppress!"


    "See? You like violence too much. But if you really want to realize your dream of bing the richest in this world, impatience will be your biggest enemy. Are you willing to sumb to it just because you didn''t want to control it?" The old Priest sternly questioned.


    Young Jacob finally fell into silence as if he was mulling over something before he said thoughtfully, "I understand. I''ll try to be more tolerant and only mind my own business. I still wanted to reply to you for showing me the right way. I won''t let this chance slip through my hand."


    The old Priest smiled again while shaking his head, "I don''t need you to repay me anything. We are all pitiful children of the Lord, and I did what the Lord demanded from me. I''m already gratified by the blessing he sent us in your shoes."


    Young Jacob''s face fell as he retorted, "Why are you always giving credit for your hard work to something that didn''t even exist?! Those other children and I are only grateful to you since you are the one who feeds us and shelters us, not that stone idol!"


    The Old Priest sighed ruefully as his eyes were filled with the vicissitude of life, "My Boy, when you conquer your impatience and realize your dream, you''ll understand why I serve the Lord.


    "When you understand, I want you to build a temple. That would be my salvation if I didn''t exist that day." The Old Priest smiled leniently as he looked at young Jacob''s frowning face.


    ---


    Jacob''s eyelids snapped open, revealing his amber eyes filled with mncholy before rity returned to them. He found himself lying over a thick root and the familiar grayness around him.


    ''It''s been a while since I had a dream of the past and that Old Senile appeared again, still haunting me with his strange religious beliefs.'' Jacobmented, but his lips curled up, revealing a rare respectful smile.


    But it was only for a fleeting moment as he returned to his usual cold self, but that memory was still clear as day in his head.


    ''Impatience, huh? But it was exactly this impatience that made me what I was. Too bad you weren''t around at that time to see that, or I would have a goodugh for finally getting one over you, Pops.'' Jacob sneered inwardly before a hint of grief appeared deep within in eyes.


    ''I still built that magnificent temple of yours, though, and instead of your Lord, I ce your statue, and you were even more famous than your Lord who gave you nothing but hardship. Instead, by praying to you, no one goes home empty-handed, and I make damn sure of it!


    ''Even those arrogant pricks have to bow their head to you if they want something from me, and I bring down the whole world down into your knees. Is that what you mean by faith, that can be created by strong and so easily manipted?


    ''I still don''t understand even when I tried so hard at the end of my life, I really tried to, but there was nothing for salvation, only despair. Hope died, and I followed her footsteps, but I was alive and given a chance to achieve something I longed for.


    ''Impatient or not, I''ll achieve Immortality, and I''m pretty impatience to get it!''


    Jacob scoffed and stood up as he waspletely restored. He ate two slices of raw but fresh meat and started his journey again.


    It was already noon, but today there were dark clouds covering the sky, and the rain might start at any minute.


    To not get lost, Jacob trivial slow since the sun was his onlypass in this damn forsaken forest.


    Thereupon, with a booming rumble, the rain started to fall over the spooky forest, and the onlyfort was everything was normal except for the sound of rain and Jacob''s unhindered footsteps.


    But after moving a few miles, Jacob''s heart skipped a beat, and he was stopped in his tracks because even in that rain, sounds of metal crashing together were reverberating over a hundred meters away!

 Chapter 184 The Mysterious Dark Ruins

    ?If it were any other time, Jacob would''ve taken a detour while minding his own business. However, in this deadly forest where just a drop of blood could decide his life and death, any fight in this ce was his business.


    Soon, Jacob was looking at the four-meter-tall weeds sea, which was getting hacked like water sshes and stomped by hundreds of skeleton soldiers!


    Right in the middle of this siege was a 6-meter-tall giant who was stomping those skeletons like bugs under his menacing war hammer!


    Jacob''s eyes widened ever so slightly since it was his first time seeing a living member of the giant race, and he had to admit that just watching this giant swinging his giant war hammer and creating small tremors gave him the frights.


    The Iron Giant Tribe had no match when it came to brute strength, and to make others resentful even more, some giants even had magic resistance, and they were also one of those races with connate magic talent.


    They were dreaded by any intelligent race on the freedom ins, and even elves think twice before provoking these dark stars.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was still worried about this giant getting wounded and bringing everyone''s doom.


    But he was somewhat rxed when he saw just how helpless those skeletons were. However, he knew this many skeleton soldiers wouldn''ty siege on a Giant. There had to be a mastermind.


    And just as he thought, amidst those hundreds of skeleton soldiers, skeleton warriors suddenly appeared holding spears and halberds and shot toward the giant like arrows!


    However, when Jacob was about to warn, the giant suddenly pulled an icy smile on his giant iron color face, and the next moment his war hammer suddenly started to shimmer in dark sheen.


    Jacob''s heart palpitated, and without wanting to find out, he ran in the opposite direction.


    The next moment, the giant roared while swinging his glowing war hammer, "Iron Hammer Smash!"


    "Boom¡­"


    The entire area around the giant rumbled as a terrifying shockwave sted those skeletons into smithereens, even the graynd trees and weeds weren''t speared, and the over twenty meters area around the giant had be a no man''snd.


    Jacob, who barely managed to avoid the worse of that ghastly shockwave with the shelter of a thick gray root, looked in the giant direction again with a lingering fear.


    That was simply too powerful, and he was even more sure there was magic involved in that strike.


    "Humph, a bunch of bones wanted to kill the Great Elbio. Go born as a giant first!"


    The Iron Giant named Elbio coldly sneered as he retracted his war hammer, which left a small five-meter-deep crater behind, and in this crater were strange de shape gray leaves!


    Jacob knew he wasn''t the other party''s match and found his notion of protecting the fellow ridiculous since no one without skill dared to enter this ce.


    "And you little fellow,e out!" Elbio coldly looked at the exact tree root where Jacob was hiding.


    Jacob knew he might not be able to get rid of this fellow as he did with the cheetah skin man since those giants were also freighting fast as well. Moreover, he didn''t want to test his strength with this fellow in the middle of Gray Man Tree forest.


    Therefore, calming himself, he came out.


    Elbio looked at Jacob''s hooded figure and coolly said, "I saw you wanted to help him, so I won''t persuade you to sneak up on me. But what are you doing in this gray shithole?"


    Jacob looked at Elbio nonchnt expression and then at the destruction he had just caused. He answered, "I''m naturally headed toward the exit of the Dark Woonds."


    Elbio''s eyes shimmered as he suddenly pulled a mocking smile, "You''re new in Dark Woonds, aren''t you?"


    Jacob was caught off by this strange question but still answered, "I''m indeed new. May I inquire why you think so?"


    Elbio coolly stated, "Only neers would say they wanted to leave these god-forsaken woonds."


    Jacob frowned, "Is it not possible?"


    Elbio shook his head, "It''s not impossible but not far from it either. Forget it since you tried to help me. I''ll tell you, if you cherish your life turn around and leave. Unless you''re a Tier-6 Extraordinary, don''t even think about passing this forest, or Dark Ruins will be the grave of you just like any other."


    Done saying his piece, Elbio turned around his giant body.


    Jacob was now even more perplexed by Elbio''s sublet warning and had many questions. He could tell this terrifying giant wasn''t lying. He simply didn''t need to with his prowess.


    "Wait, tell me about these Dark Ruins, and I''ll pay any price." Jacob tried another method.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Elbio''s lips curled into a mocking smile while his back was still facing Jacob, "Little fellow, if you want to know about Dark Ruins, then cross this forest, and you''ll naturally know. If you manage to return alive, find me in area-892, the name is Elbio."


    The next moment, his figure suddenly turned blurry, and Elbio''s giant figure faded like a ghost.


    Even for Jacob''s eyes, that giant was terrifyingly fast, making his heart skip a beat. If that Elbio wanted to kill him, he was afraid he wouldn''t even have the chance of retaliation!


    ''What are the Dark Ruins?'' Jacob squinted his eyes and wasn''t in the mood to stay in this area. He left before more skeletons were drawn by themotion. He still didn''t change his direction, though.


    Elbio''s figure appeared a few meters away from where Jacob was standing.


    A huge cold grin was spread on his giant face when he saw Jacob still continuing on the same path.


    He mumbled while he faded into the rain.


    "I never thought while hunting that skeleton. I''ll meet a neer. If you survive, you''ll be one of us, a caged ve. A pity that the chance of that happening is almost null¡­."


    ---


    However, Jacob didn''t continue to head in that direction blindly anymore. He could tell something was wrong with all of this after hearing Elbio''s ambiguous warning.


    First, he had no idea what area-892 was; he didn''t even know if there were dividends in this ce.


    Then he thought about the map and the scope of information about the Rare ins. Except for Dark Woonds and general directions, there wasn''t any information about this forest or these Dark Ruins.


    Lastly, the four nations weren''t too worried about the Dark Beings swamping this ce, which was rtively peaceful, unlike what was mentioned in the information he gathered.


    There was even terrifying existence like that giant residing in this ce, and they seemed to be not from the four powers'' military.


    Why didn''t these people leave the Dark Woonds and remain in these god-forsaken woods?


    Something was strange about all this; the answer lies in the Dark Ruins.


    So, Jacob tried to search the Star Network for information on Dark Ruins, but to his dismay, nothing appeared, even in the Alliance Server.


    Afterward, he could only give up and decided to sleep over it.


    The next day, besides some clouds, the sky was clear, and Jacob decided to move on with his journey. He at least wanted to see what these Dark Ruins were. Even if he had to go back afterward, he would know about what he was dealing with.


    After making his decision, he didn''t stop and continued to move while being vignt of skeletons. He didn''t have the destructive power of Elbio, so he wanted to avoid fighting in this forest.


    Unknowingly, Jacob had been traveling in the Gray Land Tree Forest for over two months, and besides the growing roots of graynd trees, Jacob didn''t encounter anything.


    However, on this day, as the night descended, Jacob suddenly felt a strange sensation when he stopped to rest for the day, and his eyes were closed. It was like he was¡­ moving, or, more urately, the roots beneath him were moving.


    Jacob''s eyes sprang open. Quickly, he jumped to his feet, but when he looked around, he was bbergasted because the entire forest around him had¡­ vanished!


    Yes, there was nothing around, below or above. He was just sliding forward in the darkness.


    Horrified, Jacob tried to run back, but something even more ghastly was waiting for him. No matter how much he ran, he didn''t feel like he had moved forward.


    ''Not good!'' Jacob was simply spooked as he continued to slide forward.


    "Cursed Immortality, what the fuck is going on?!" He quickly summoned Immortika while looking around for an escape route.


    He knew something had happened while he was resting, and whatever happened was out of hisprehension. Only Immortika might be able to shed some light on this situation.


    Immortika appeared in front of Jacob and wrote, which sent a shiver to Jacob''s entire being when he read it. Somehow, he knew he was screwed!


    "Wee to the Rare Trail in, hahahaha!"

 Chapter 185 Plain Trials & Terrifying Revelations

    ?"Wee to the Rare Trial in, hahahaha!"


    "What Rare Trial in?! Exin, am I in danger?" Jacob quickly asked while continuing to find a way out of this darkness.


    Although his vision was good, this darkness waspletely different, and he could only see Immortika because of their special connection.


    "Not for now, I guess."


    This reply from Immortika gave Jacob a massive relief, but he was still not out of the woods since this darkness was simply too eerie as all his senses were blocked, and all he could feel was moving forward.


    "What is happening then?" Jacob properly asked while his swords appeared in his hands.


    "Well, since you''ve already entered a Trial in, I can tell you now." Immortika wrote.


    "But let me ask you something first since you were a researcher yourself and a sessful one at that. What do you think about World Evolution? Which could change a World?"


    Jacob''s face fell. He didn''t have time to y the riddle, but he still answered since it was a simple question, "Knowledge! Now just tell me where I am and where did that forest go?"


    "No, it is ''Truth Behind Everything.'' Knowledge can only be acquired after one finds a Truth behind something; sometimes, the Truth can be the opposite of what Knowledge deems it to be.


    "Why, even after acquiring Knowledge, do we still dig deep into the same Knowledge and sometimes find something incredible? A Truth is what changes everything, and nothing can topple Truth.


    "There is always Truth behind a Truth, like infiniteyers. The more Truth you find, the more you want to confirm if it is the Truth or if someone else will doubt your Truth and then start searching for their own Truth.


    "But if someone acquired an Absolute Truth, it could have unimaginable consequences. Like the Zodiac ins, which is virtually immeasurable!"


    Jacob''s eyes widened in disbelief, "But how is that possible!?"


    Although he understood what Immortika was trying to imply, he would never believe something so ridiculous.


    Furthermore, he still didn''t understand what this had to do with the current situation.


    "Hahahaha¡­ nothing is impossible, I had told you; you are so insignificant that even a grain of sand might have a higher status than you in the Zodiac ins.


    "But you will understand if you could cultivate the scripture to higher phases.


    "All you need to know is the Zodiac ins is immeasurable, and you could consider it a Universe. But it didn''t work like the universe you know of. There are stars, sr systems, and gxies, but for a particr reason, everything has beenbined, forming the Zodiac ins!


    "As for why the sky, sun, and moon are just like you remembered, it is also rted to the reason for Zodiac ins being a Universe.


    "The Common ins are known as Type-0 in, and Rare ins are known as Type-1 in. There are higher ins, and on those ins lies the unimaginable Truth.


    "As for the ce you are currently stumbled upon is called a Trial in. Every in above Zero has these Trial ins."


    Jacob calmed down to a great degree after he read all that unimaginable information. This mysterious world broadened his horizons again.


    "What kind of Trials do these ces have, and what is their purpose? Since they''re Trials, who set them up and monitor them." Jacob asked sternly.


    "These Trials are created by the Zodiac ins itself, and it is also Zodiac ins who monitored them. You can call it Zodiac Will. Like people say, Gods are always watching over the world, and the Zodiac Will is even more terrifying. Hahahaha."


    ''Zodiac Will? I''ll remember it.'' Jacob quickly engraved this name in his mind.


    Immortika continued, "As for the purpose of these Trials, it has only one; to open the way toward a Higher in!"


    Now Jacob was even more confused as well as startled, "Are you telling me without passing this Trial, no one can move to a higher n? But it''s impossible since the Alliance could take someone out of here if theyplete a certain condition."


    "You don''t understand at all. By means to open the way toward a higher in means stripping off the protection from that in and removing the barrier that hinders other races from moving freely toward a higher in.


    "Aren''t you curious why that undead couldn''t attack or step foot into the freedom ins? It is because that area is called Life in, where Dark Beings couldn''t enter, while the ce known as Wild Nation is established on an area called Dead in, where Living Beings couldn''t enter.


    "Lastly, the area where any being could move freely is known as Neutral in, like the Dark Woonds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "It''s just that the living beings in this ce are simply too weak. They had yet to find the exit from the Trial in like the Dark Beings and entered this neutral in while avoiding the actual Trial in.


    "Simrly, a being born on other ins or if they had a certain level of bloodline and prowess, couldn''t enter those two protected areas or on the in, as a matter of fact. Neither could they clear the Trial of that in. Only a native born on that in could enter and remove the Trial of their birth in.


    "The only exception to this rule is the Star Ocean or when the protection of that in is lifted when someone clears that Trial. However, in thetter case, there is still power level restriction of the in.


    "Or do you think both factions, Living and Dead, would let each other prosper on the same ground? There are more twisted rules on higher ins, but you don''t need to know them now.


    "Anyhow, the person who clears this Trial, either from the living or dead, will have a specific right on that in, and every reward acquired from these Trials arevish to extreme.


    "Lastly, if a Trial were cleared, it would reset after 1000 Years, and every time a Trial is different from thest.


    "My guess is the Dark Beings on Type-1 ins had cleared thest Trial, and that''s why they had the upper hand on the living and probably trying to clear it again. That''s why they were swamping this ce with their pawns to make things even more difficult for those freedom-ins fools!"


    Jacob felt like a mist had been lifted from his eyes as he finally started to understand what was happening in the Rare ins.


    "Wait, you said only natives can enter these protection zones and Trials. Why am I able to bypass these two restrictions?" Jacob instantly caught the crux of the matter.


    Just as he thought, Immortika''s madughter filled the whole page.


    "¡­hehe, how about you try to guess?"


    Jacob instantly thought of something and replied uncertainly, "It''s either you or it has something to be with my rebirth."


    "Don''t give yourself too much credit. Only the inheritor of one of the Nine Universal Godly Scriptures can bypass these rules. Let me tell you something else. Hehehe."


    Jacob had a bad proposition all of a sudden.


    "The Nine Universal Godly Scriptures could also see through the trial''s hidden conditions," Immortika revealed.


    "What it had to do with me? I''m not interested in clearing those Trials. On the contrary, as long as they won''tpleted, I can simply move between ces and do my things. Even if I offend someone, I can hide in the other side''s territory, and they won''t even be able to touch me." Jacob was nowpletely calm as he thought of the benefits of having such an advantage over everyone.


    "Hahahah¡­ are you sure? Let me tell you, the person who clears these Trials will be rewardedvishly by the Zodiac Will with ZC, and a special shop will be opened to the Trial''s Champion. You can buy anything that exists on that ne from that shop, even 9-Star Element Cores!" Immortika words wereced with temptation.


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly when he read it, "Are you serious?"


    "Absolutely! Even the delivery would be instant. But think about it, if you lifted the barrier, the freedom ins would be swallowed by the dark beings at this juncture. Or even worse, those fellows in the living faction like your Alliance might hate you to tip the bnce so soon." Immortika pretended to give a warning.


    Jacob''s lips curled into a disdainful, icy smile, "Do you think I care?"


    Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly looked ahead as he saw the light at the end of the darkness. He was on his destination, wherever it was.


    "Hahaha¡­ I knew you wouldn''t disappoint me. Alright, read carefully. I don''t have time. You can''t summon me in the Trial in for a reason I can''t tell you right now. The moment you exit this space, I''ll vanish.


    "These are hidden conditions toplete this trial name Dark Ruins."


    Jacob was baffled when he read he couldn''t summon Immortika in the dark ruin, but soon his attention was drawn by the sudden shimmer spark on Immortika before an entirely new page appeared.


    "Type-1 (Rare) in Trial NO.128094302


    "Code Name: Dark Rune


    "Time of Beginning: 392 Years Ago


    "Time of End: Ongoing


    "Conditions Imnted for Trial Code Name Dark Rune:


    "1. ¡­!

 Chapter 186 Underground Catacomb!

    ?At this moment, space shuddered before it was torn apart by an invisible force, revealing a ck hole.


    Thereby, a figure was suddenly thrown out from this ck hole before it vanished just as fast as it appeared.


    The figurended on an old stone floor. He wore a long ck jacket with a long hood on his head; a faceless ck was hidden underneath. It was none other than Jacob who had mysteriously been sent into this ce which was Rare in Trial!


    If not for Immortika''s previous exnation, he might be clueless, even spooked by this entire ordeal, just like any ambitious neer in the dark woonds. But he was calm since he knew what kind of ce it was and what it represented.


    Jacob looked around, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw he was standing on a passage dimly lit with me torches on the walls.


    However, the walls made him apprehensive because they were made of skulls!


    ''A catb?'' He mused darkly as he looked behind, and there was also a long passage going way back, just like in the front.


    He has no idea on which part of the dark ruins he is in, but he is clearly underground within these catbs.


    Suddenly, Jacob felt a vibration on his wrist, which was his star watch.


    He then slid his sleeve and was astonished when he saw a notification on his star watch.


    ''Faceless Ancient Wee in Dark Runes of Rare ins. Please explore the Dark Ruins for glory.''


    It was an ambiguous message, but it did reveal the name of the ce he was in.


    ''Could it be the Star Network is also controlled by the Zodiac Will? This might exin this Network''s mysterious background.'' Jacob assumed but didn''t dare to speak out loud.


    He was even apprehensive of this Zodiac Will now since even Immortika seemed afraid of it. If Immortika hadn''t told him to keep wearing his star watch, he might have already stowed it away in his infinity pendant.


    Jacob then tried to use the Star Watch, but to his dismay, the connection waspletely off with the outside, confirming his hypothesis even more.


    Nevertheless, he kept his star watch on his person, and after that ambiguous message, no more messages appeared.


    Jacob then decided to move in the left direction while holding a pump action shotgun in his left hand and his sword in his right hand.


    He didn''t dare to underestimate this ce. Even that giant was warry. Even if he knew how to clear it, it didn''t mean he could do it.


    If Immortika was correct, then Dark Beings of higher level might be teeming this ce to clear it as well, and with his current power cap, he would be courting death.


    He couldn''t summon Immortika either, and he was pretty sure it had something to do with the Zodiac Will, or there might be some other reason. In any case, he has to be careful.


    Jacob''s first objective was to leave these underground catbs.


    As Jacob moved slowly toward the dimly lit passage, he noticed the dust on the walls and his footprints on the stone floor. Evidently, this passage hadn''t been used for quite a long time.


    But when he thought about those burning skull torches, he thought otherwise.


    After walking for half an hour, he frowned because a skull wall blocked his way forward, a dead end.


    Fluster, he turned back since he didn''t want to touch those skulls unless absolutely necessary.


    After walking for over an hour, Jacob''s face turned dark when he saw a wall blocking his way again. It meant both sides werepletely blocked off!


    ''Something is strange. This passage is too long. Moreover, these torches kept burning without showing any sign of turning off, and the air here also didn''t seem to suffocate. There has to be some kind of venttion system.'' Jacob frowned as he finally decided to get his hands dirty.


    He first moved toward the skull wall blocking his way and shed his sword, sting those old skulls into bits and raising a small dust cloud.


    When Jacob saw there was really a stone wall behind those skills, he then moved toward the other suspicious thing, which was those torches.


    The passage was only 3 meters in diameter, so Jacob''s hand easily reached the torches position. When he tried to remove a torch, strangely, it didn''t move an inch as if it was fixed on the wall.


    With his sword hilt, he tried to break the torch, and the skull shape torch easily sted, but Jacob was stunned the next moment because a palm size yellow-red me appeared in the air when the torch broke.


    It suddenly started flickering after losing the torch''s protection and then diminished, leaving behind a dumbfounded Jacob.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Magic!'' Only this could exin the phenomena now.


    Before, Jacob thought there might be some gas line supporting those torches, but it seemed he was dead wrong. He needed to think out of the box since he was in a magical world where anything was possible.


    Giving up on torches, Jacob decided to focus on those skulls, and after cleaning those skulls for half an hour, he had cleared over ten meters on both sides as skull debris filled the floor.


    Yet, Jacob saw nothing but stone walls on both sides, perplexing him.


    This passage was simply too long, and if he started to clean those two walls, it might take an entire day, and he still might not find any clues about where he was or how he could leave.


    "Let''s st our way out of this strange ce." Jacob sneered.


    The next moment, a pale yellow rectangr appeared in his hand. It was only six inches long and two inches thick.


    It was trinitrotoluene (TNT)!


    He literally meant those words when he said he would st his way out of this ce.


    This TNT was hand-made by him. When he was nning to leave the freedom ins, he knew the ce out there was not something he could handle with his current prowess, so he prepared some things if he ever experienced such situations.


    The TNT happened to be one of those things.


    With cold eyes, he ced the TNT on the stone wall blocking the passage and sets it up with a radio wave controller.


    Only after looking at those sturdy stone walls did he dare to take his mad action, or if it were a shallow cave, he would rather continue searching than risk using TNT and bury himself.


    Jacob put hundreds of meters of distance between TNT and himself before he pressed the red trigger!


    "Bommm¡­."


    A massive explosion rang quaver the entire passage, and those skills started to fall from their positions, and a huge dust cloud enveloped the whole passage like a tornado.


    Jacob waspletely unfazed as he waited a few moments before going toward the explosion area. Crushing the skull debris under his unhindered footstep, he reached the dust-filled explosion area and approached the wall.


    He couldn''t help but notice a light in the center of that. Even with all the dust, it was quite apparent.


    ''So, there was a passage.'' Jacob''s lips curled up as he finally saw the half-broken wall and another passage behind it.


    Without hesitation, he crossed the opening and stepped foot another dimly lit catb passage, but it was slightly more spacious than the one he had just sted his way out from.


    This time, Jacob went toward the left again, and after walking for ten minutes, he didn''t encounter another wall but a cross path.


    ''Is this some kind of grave maze?'' Jacob''s face fell, but all of a sudden, his ears perked because faint footsteps were approaching from the left cross pathway toward his position!


    ''The explosion must''ve drawn whoever this is.'' Jacob was vignt and didn''t dare to underestimate the approaching party.


    Whoever coulde to this ce was not simple, and he was far more worried about those Dark Beings.


    Jacob quickly took the right passage before that person reached this ce, and with silent steps, he escaped the vicinity.


    A minute after Jacob left, a petite woman with wolf ears, wearing a short ck armor that only covered her vitals, appeared, holding a sword and an assault rifle in both her furry hands.


    She looked at the still dusty passage where Jacob had appeared and frowned, "Someone just used explosive force to st their way out of a dead passage? Is it magic or technology? Whoever it was, they were strong. If it is not a Dark Being, and if I can team up with this person, I might be finally able to leave this shityard!"


    A ray of hope appeared in her wolf eyes as her small fair nose started to twitch, and she instantly looked toward the right passage where Jacob had gone.


    Her lips curled up into a beautiful smile, "Smell of chemical, definitely not a magic user!"


    With great anticipation, she also chased after whoever it was without caring about the consequences. It was far better than suffering alone in this maze of skulls!

 Chapter 187 The Dreadful Maze

    ?Even though Jacob wanted to, he couldn''t move carelessly in this catb maze.


    But he was more worried about the footsteps behind him, which would catch up to him no matter which direction he took or how fast and silent his steps were.


    In the end, he decided to confront whoever it was, or he won''t have peace of mind.


    A sniper rifle appeared in his hand, but it wasn''t the Titan rifle but CT.408 Sniper Rifle with a normal 32X standard infrared scope created by him.


    Jacob coldly ced the sniper rifle at the end of the cross path, hid it with those skulls, and then ced his eye behind the scope.


    He won''t care if it is undead or living. He was going to get rid of them since this person kept chasing after him.


    Without his hearing, he might not be able to hear the other person, so he knew just how stealthy the other party was. This ce was teeming with an unknown danger, and Jacob couldn''t have a threat that was proficient in tracking.


    Jacob''s finger was the trigger as he heard those footsteps slowly approaching.


    Thereupon, something entered Jacob''s view, and he pulled the trigger!


    ''Boom¡­''


    The bullet sound reverberated in the silent vicinity of the catb pathways.


    But Jacob''s eyes narrowed because the thing that was sted apart was a random dry skull on a de tip. But what made Jacob astonished was the bullet didn''t pierce through the silver tip of the sword but bounced off without leaving a scratch!


    Not only that but the holder of that sword didn''t seem affected by the bullet impact either, as the de was still held at the same spot without dropping.


    The other party is extremely strong!


    "So, you can hear my footsteps and go for a decisive kill, huh? Nice, you have some skills and grit to survive." A crisp voice filled with disdain rang at this moment.


    It was clearly the owner of the sword.


    Jacob frowned, ''Not a Dark Being. Since everyone is fighting for survival in this ce, each faction might be more untied than the outside. Furthermore, from this person''s tone, she let me hear her footsteps so she could test me?''


    "Who are you?" He decided to question since having an experienced person around would only do better than harm.


    Well, as long as they had no malicious intentions, that is.


    "I''m also just like you, who was mysteriously thrown into this shityard two years ago. You are the first person I have encountered in two years. How about we team up? I have no ill intention and only wanted to leave this godforsaken shityard!" revealed the woman in an aggravated tone.


    Jacob was startled when he heard she had been trapped here for two years!


    ''Just what kind of ce is it? Or she might be just lying to win my trust. But if what she said is true, then I need to know why she couldn''t leave even after two years.'' Jacob was sullen.


    "Look, I know it is difficult to trust someone you just met. But I''m sincere in working with you to get out of here. I''m going toe out to show my sincerity!" The women dered.


    Jacob remained stoic as he coldly watched as white furry hands slowly appeared, and seeing the infrared view, he confirmed it was a living person.


    A petite woman with wolf ears, wearing short ck armor, only covering her vitals, appeared while holding her hands above in surrender. A sword and an assault rifle were attached to her slim waist.


    ''A wolf demi human!'' He instantly guessed when he saw those features.


    Since the other party was showing their hands, it was clear she was sincere about her words or simply too confident in her act.


    But Jacob decided to believe her since she might hold vital information about this maze.


    However, he didn''t lower his rifle and walked in front of her, "What is this ce?" He asked.


    The wolf woman''s eyes lit up when she saw Jacob and smiled while she said, "Can I lower my hands?"


    "You may, but if you so much as twitch your finger, I''ll shoot!" Jacob coldly stated.


    "So scary!" She giggled, "As I said before, this ce is called Dark Ruin."


    Jacob frowned, "I know. I''m talking about, where are we?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He didn''t know if this woman was being deliberately cute or not, but it wasn''t working.


    "Oh, you must also receive that message in your star watch, right? Sigh¡­ is this some kind of game yed by the Star Network?" She wondered out loud.


    ''Close enough.'' Jacob thought.


    "Then you didn''t find the way out of this ce in two years?" He asked another question.


    "How long have you been in this ce?" She questioned instead with a hint of anticipation.


    Jacob frowned but still answered, "Couple of hours."


    The Wolf Woman''s eyes shone brilliantly, "I knew it! Who is the current ruler of the Ice Nation? And did we win the Nightmare Championship?


    Jacob wanted to shoot her down as she started asking meaningless questions like a curious baby.


    Suppressing his dark urges, he coldly uttered, "I have no idea, nor do I care. If this is all you have to say, then I better wonder alone. Don''t follow me anymore!"


    The Wolf Woman quickly changed the topic as her curious expression turned severe and aggravated, "Alright, you won''t have to be so mean to a fellow tribesman, you know."


    Jacob remained silent even after being called a fellow tribesman. She was clearly his species with those sublet words, which was proof enough of this woman''s cunning nature, just like a real wolf.


    The Wolf Woman suddenly smiled charmingly when she saw Jacob didn''t fall for her trap, "I''ll tell you straight this time, it''s not like I don''t find a way out, but it''s just that there is something terrifying blocking the way out. If you wander in this shityard long enough, you''ll naturally bump into that fellow.


    "But that thing is probably Extraordinary-Tier-1 or even 2, so unless you are one as well, there is no other way out of this ce. No matter how much you dig or st, this strange maze is endless.


    "Because this maze changes every 72 hours, any damage done to it will also reset with it. You won''t even know it has, and you''ll keep moving in circles while thinking you have made progress.


    "But you''ll die of hunger and thirst soon, if not madness. Trust me. I''ll learn the hard way!"


    Jacob suddenly felt something was not adding up with her exnation, "How do you survive in two years?"


    The wolf woman''s lips suddenly move into a crescent smile, "Of course, it''s because I found a special room in this ce which had a clear water pond with some fish. It also recovered every three days, no matter how much you drank or ate from it. It''s just that finding it is a hassle, but now I''m a pro at it."


    Jacob felt silent when he heard this. No matter how much it sounds ridiculous, it might be possible in this ce.


    "Now, you should understand teaming up with is your only way to survive and leave this ce!" Her smile was somewhat foreboding.


    After thinking for a moment, he lowered his rifle and nodded, "Alright, I''ll help you, but only if I am confident. I won''t throw my life away."


    She smiled broadly when she heard this and nodded, "Don''t worry, I won''t ask you tomit suicide. I also wanted to leave this ce more than you could ever."


    Jacob could only take her words for it.


    "My name is Livia, and I''m from Blue Wolf Human Tribe of Ice Nation." Livia introduced herself.


    "Jack." Jacob coldly uttered.


    "Just Jack? Hmm, well, it is easy to remember, I guess. Let''s go. I''ll show you around this shityard." Livia giggled as she didn''t mind Jacob still hiding his origin.


    She would do the same if she were in his shoe or even worse.


    Jacob then followed Livia as she led him through different pathways. He had to admit this maze was big, and all the passages looked almost identical.


    "Look carefully, the skulls on each pathway had different patterns, and as long as you can remember them, you can easily navigate this ce. This is also how I discovered the reset time of this maze. I must say I almost go berserk when I do, though!" Livia sighed as she told about her nasty experience in this ce.


    Jacob also frowned. He might do the same if it was him. It could be said that Jacob was quite lucky to encounter Livia or hunger was something he dreaded most after death.


    He also noticed the walls'' skulls were arranged in different patterns. It was hard to notice if someone really hadn''t been paying attention to them.


    Soon, they reached their destination!

 Chapter 188 You Seemed… Lonely

    ?Livia stood in front of a skull-filled wall, but there was something different about this wall that was quite hard to notice.


    There was a ck skull with folded ck horns hidden within other skulls, and in this dim light, it was almost invisible if someone wasn''t looking for it.


    Livia then shed a strange smile toward Jacob before she twisted the left horn of that ck skull, and the next moment, the deep sound of a mechanism being stirred rang.


    Thereby, the entire wall suddenly trembled before a slit appeared. It was a door!


    Jacob was baffled by just how much lucky Livia would''ve been to find something like this. He started to look at the wolf woman in a new light.


    As the small skull door opened, a ten cubic meter space appeared, lit with the same fire torches.


    "Come in, don''t be shy." Livia chuckled as she entered.


    Jacob followed suit, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the interior.


    Unlike the rest of the maze, there weren''t any skulls on the walls, but a 1.5-meter stone statue of a skeleton in priest robes holding a red follower in its bone hands which lookedpletely wrong in many ways.


    On the room''s left and right walls were strange ruins.


    Lastly, there was a 2-meter wide clear water pond right in front of this skeleton statue, and somemon tier fishes were swimming inside.


    Besides, there were some weapons lying on a corner which were clearly Livia''s, and there was nothing else.


    Livia said smilingly, "No bad, right? Besides that creepy flower skeleton, this ce is quite goodpared to the rest of the shityard. Now you believed me, no?"


    Jacob had no choice but to believe Livia since she was the only ce where anyone could survive in this maze if she were telling the truth.


    If it were Jacob, he would never bring some stranger into this ce, much less someone he had just met not even an hour ago.


    "What are those symbols?" He couldn''t help but ask since it was his first time seeing suchnguage, and those symbols somewhat resembled the Philosopher''s Language.


    Livia coolly answered, "It''s Rune Language. Just like the Philosopher''s Language, many old ruins and scriptures are tranted from it. However, the Rune Language field is wider than the Philosopher''s Language. Since the former can be used in magic while thetter is used in alchemy."


    ''Rune Language? Doesn''t Decker mention it in his journal?'' Jacob''s memory was quite sharp as he remembered, ''Thisnguage also used in magic?''


    "So, you can read it?" He looked at Livia. She was bing more useful by the minute.


    Livia was quite talkative since it''s been two years since she had talked with someone, and she needed Jacob to get out of there, so she answered his question to win hisplete trust.


    "You sure like to ask questions for someone who didn''t even reveal his full name. But I''m not a petty person. On the left is written, ''Death shall bring Salvation,'' and on the right side is written, ''Salvation shall bring Death.'' It was clearly written by some sadistic." She sneered disdainfully.


    However, a peculiar glint shed past Jacob''s eyes before vanishingpetently.


    "Thank you for telling me." He nodded.


    "No problem. Do you want to try some fish?" Livia questioned.


    "No, thank you. How about you share your n on how to get out of here? I''m sure you didn''t want to waste more time." Jacob probed coolly.


    Livia''s eyes shimmered with coldness, and she nodded, "Yes, I had been monitoring that fellow for over a year now, and as long as we attack in pair, we can easily get out of here. So, you should rest for the day, the maze will reset in a day, and that would be the time to start."


    Jacob didn''t object and nodded, "Alright, but if I found that ''fellow'' dangerous, I won''t participate in that suicide charge."


    Livia''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the smile on her face stiff, "It won''t be difficult, I''ve been headbutting with him for over a year, and I could always escape without getting injured, so that it won''t be much difficult for you. Oh, do you have more explosive?"


    Jacob thought for a moment before he nodded, "I have around 100 grams of TNT left. I didn''t know I was going to trap here. I just wanted to leave the dark woonds but was thrown into this space instead." He sighed ruefully.


    Livia''s eyes also sh with resentment, "I could rte. Don''t worry. We might be able to leave after we escape this maze."


    ''So, she didn''t know just what kind of ce the dark ruins is?'' Jacob though.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    H knew this woman was going to feel despair after leaving this ce or who knows if that ce she wanted to go was even the real exit or was just another part of the maze.


    However, this wasn''t something he had in his mind right now as he was struggling to decide something.


    Afterward, Livia started to ask all kinds of questions about the outside world, which Jacob had no idea how to answer since he only stayed on the freedom ins for a short while.


    So, he could only make an excuse that he was the low-ranking officer of the golden sword army and had offended someone and been sent out here, but instead, he escaped.


    Although Livia might not believe it, she can''t do anything.


    Jacob also didn''t ask any more questions except the guardian of the way out, and the small space soon fell into silence.


    Time passed quickly. Jacob was resting with his eyes closed, but he waspletely awake, and at this moment, he heard Livia''s heartbeat moving and instantly opened his eyes.


    Livia was currently going through her weapons while her round bottom waspletely disyed. As she sensed Jacob''s gaze, she looked at him with a strange smile and slightly shook her ass.


    "It''s nice, right?" She asked ambiguously.


    Jacob merely said, whiteout retracing his gaze, "It is, so?"


    Livia''s eyes widened slightly, and she stood straight while looking at Jacob. She smiled seductively, "If you show me your face, I might let you touch it."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he stood up and he, pulled his hood off, and then took off his mask, revealing his long silver hair and handsome face. He had a¡­ smile on his face.


    Livia''s eyes widened, and she eximed, "You''re an elf!"


    She didn''t notice Jacob''s ears since they were covered under his hair, and she clearly had never seen a human, so an elf was the only thing that came to her mind after seeing his handsome appearance.


    Even Demi-Humans respect elves and only some of their tribes can rival them.


    Jacob smiled and nodded, "You look shocked."


    "But your hair is silver?" She asked curiously since elves in the freedom ins have golden hair.


    "I''m a Silver Elf, a hybrid of sorts." Jacob lied through his teeth without even flinching, and the warm smile on his face never vanished.


    "Why do you suddenly show your face?" Livia couldn''t help but feel something was wrong, but she never put her finger on it.


    Because Jacob struck her as someone aloof and cold, but now he was acting friendly. If Jacob''s weapon weren''t lying on the floor, she would think he was going to ambush her.


    But no matter how she thought of it, Jacob didn''t have a reason to kill her since he needed her help to find the guardian and fight with him.


    ''Is he after my body? Or did he want to see just how badly I want to get out of here and see how I react?'' She could only think of this since she was quite confident in her looks and figure.


    Although she wasn''t as beautiful as an elf, she was clearly more beautiful than the average women of the freedom in, especially better than those ugly races such as goblins, orcs, trolls, and so on.


    Jacob took a step toward her with his warm smile and suddenly took off his jacket showing his tight ck gear vest and masculine muscles underneath.


    Livia couldn''t help but look closely at Jacob''s body. She was not admiring his body but looking for a hidden weapon, but there was nothing, and his sword, rifle, and a block of TNT were left lying in his sitting position.


    This made her even more assured that he was after her body or just testing her, but she still didn''t let her guard down.


    Jacob stopped when he was only a foot away from Livia, and the smile on his face hadn''t vanished at all.


    He said gently, "After I thought it over, I found you quite sincere and lovely that''s why I show you my appearance. This will break any wall we have, and our corporation will be wless, right? Besides, I couldn''t help but notice that you seemed¡­ lonely."


    Livia''s eyes trembled slightly as she looked deeply into Jacob''s amber eyes.


    Jacob suddenly approached closer as they could almost feel each other''s warm breath, and Livia somehow feltpelled and couldn''t stop his advance despite wanting to¡­

 Chapter 189 Broken Shackle

    ?Jacob suddenly approached closer. They could almost feel each other''s warm breath, and Livia somehow feltpelled and couldn''t stop his advance despite wanting to. She just felt like the despair she was hiding under her cheerful self was breaking out.


    She felt smooth cold skin over her face, and their lips were about to meet when Jacob suddenly whispered something while his hand touched her alluring face.


    "You shouldn''t have told me what was written on that wall¡­."


    Jacob''s voice was no longer warm like before as it was extremely icy, and when Livia finally noticed, it was toote¡­


    Blood suddenly sshed over Jacob''s expressionless face as he looked at Livia''s widened eyes filled with disbelief and despair.


    The light in her eyes slowly faded away as she kept looking at those ruthless amber eyes, which hid some remorse, but it slowly faded away.


    Jacob was holding the hilt of his second sword, and the de was piercing through Livia''s head while her blood dripped from the sharp edge.


    Jacob didn''t give her a chance to retaliate and killed her instantly.


    The de from his hand vanished again, leaving behind an open slit in Livia''s head as blood and brain matter started to flow from the opening.


    Jacob swiftly moved his hand and captured her falling dead body. He stored her star watch and sword in his infinity pendant and then threw her body into the clear pond under the skeleton statue''s feet.


    The clear pound quickly started to turn crimson with Livia''s blood.


    Jacob felt something inside him was finally gone as that tingle of remorse was gone with it.


    "I don''t know if you were pure with your intentions or you also understood what the phases mean on that wall. Whatever the matter was, I didn''t care since this was inevitable. A survivor like you would''ve done the same thing if you knew this was the only way out of here." Jacob coldly said while looking at the bloody pond.


    He then looked at the skeleton priest holding the flower, ''One of the three conditions to clear this trial is, Salvage the Priest with Blood Flower by staining his tears with blood.


    ''I never thought I would find the Priest with Blood Flower so easily. I thought it was some kind of terrifying existence, but when tears fell into the mix, it didn''t make sense anymore until I saw this statue with a pond and then those phases on the wall.


    ''Death shall bring Salvation, and Salvation shall bring Death. But this phase is wrong. The proper phase should be, Salvation shall bring Death, and Death shall bring Salvation.


    ''The one who seeks salvation shall bring death, meaning a sacrifice, and that sacrifice will salvage the one who seeks salvation or the person who performs the sacrifice.


    ''If I hadn''t known about the condition to clear the Dark Runes, then I would''ve never thought like this. This woman might feel the same, but she didn''t know where to perform the sacrifice. She might''ve thought that the sacrifice should be made to the guardian.


    ''Or I''m simply overthinking, and all of this was just my wild imagination, and this was not the right ce after all.'' Jacob thought as he looked at the still, unmovable statue.


    Although he was 90% sure that he had done the right thing, he had no way of finding out if it was true. Even if he knew the conditions to clear the trial, they were still notpletely clear.


    If this wasn''t the Priest with Blood Flower, then he still has to find a way out of this ce which also means fighting that guardian alone, which Livia was afraid of.


    Nevertheless, Jacob won''t regret it since he had done what he thought was right, or he might''ve never gotten another chance again.


    At least if it failed, he would know this was the Priest with Blood Flower and rule out a possible target and get rid of Livia, who might''ve turned into a foe at some point or not. Who knows¡­


    However, when the pond''s bloody water started to tremble as bubbles began to rise like it was boiling, Jacob knew he wasn''t wrong after all!


    Jacob quickly picked up his jacket and weapons lying around, including Livia''s.


    At this moment, crimson smoke started to rose from the pond and what Jacob saw next made him astonished the next moment.


    The pond of bloody water suddenly started to crawl toward the skeleton statue and slowly started to cover it in crimson liquid.


    The entire pond was dry-cleaned as the priest''s skeleton was now dyed red, and surprisingly, Livia''s body had vanished from the pond. Not even a bone was left!


    "Rumble¡­"


    Rumbling sounds suddenly started to ring all over the catb, and the ground began to quiver as if hell was about to break loose.


    Jacob was baffled by this, and his heart palpitated because if this ce copsed, he''d be buried with it.


    ''This doesn''t make sense. Did the one who cleared a condition supposed to die?'' Jacob felt something was amiss.


    ''LLjjjkll¡­''


    At this moment, strange eerie cries started reverberating in the vicinity, making anyone''s blood run cold.


    Before Jacob couldprehend what was going on, the blood-soaked priest''s skeleton started to shake violently, and the next moment, it suddenly copsed into crimson sand!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But Jacob''s eyes widened because a small passage appeared right where the skeleton stood before, and it had the same size as the skeleton.


    Jacob didn''t believe Livia hadn''t tried to destroy this skeleton before to find the passage, so it clearly appeared after that condition waspleted.


    Without hesitation, Jacob moved. He wanted to get out of this creepy ce. But these steps suddenly came to a halt when he noticed something within the crimson sand left behind by the priest''s skeleton.


    It was a crimson flower that the priest''s skeleton was holding. It waspletely intact!


    Jacob didn''t know why but he felt this mighte in handy or might have some other use, so he quickly picked up the crimson flower, stowed it in the pendant, and entered the small passage.


    However, what Jacob didn''t know was that his action just made the entire Dark Ruins shake violently!


    ---


    Somewhere in the dark ruins was a ruined ck castle and a tremor suddenly ran past it, almost making it crumblepletely.


    Deep underground in this pce, under the pitch-ck darkness, two ghostly blue mes were zing within the earthquake.


    An eerie voice suddenlyughed loudly, "Hihihihi¡­ someone just broke a shackle. Could it be the King finally can''t control his hunger? Hihihihhi¡­ time hase, huh?"


    The eerieughter boomed hysterically in this darkness while those two mes grew brighter and brighter.


    ---


    Someone else in the Dark Runes,


    An icy voice suddenly rang within the tremor, "Who dared to break the 500 years treaty?! The freedom in is still not strong, so it had to be those damn corpse eaters! I have to report it and stop them before they bring our ruin!"


    A blinding white light suddenly illuminated the dark sky of the dark ruins before it vanished altogether.


    ---


    At another ce of the Dark Runes, filled with a sea of skeletons and zombies, the center of this incredible force was a high tform.


    A dark cape figure holding a pitch-ck staff with crimson crystal on top was sitting on a bone throne over this tform.


    When the tremor started, a deep, eerie voice rang from the throne as if the metal were scratching together, "Hmm? Broken Shackle? How bold!"


    He suddenly hit his staff down in anger, and a powerful shockwave emerged, sting a vast number of skeletons and zombies.


    He roared, "Since our prey wanted to y tricks, let them show the grit of hunters. Start the conquest!"


    Menacing cries of bones and wails rang as the sea of Dark Beings started to move!


    ---


    While the powerful existences overseeing the Dark Ruins started to get restless.


    The man who caused it waspletely oblivious to this fact.


    Jacob didn''t know that such phenomena would appear after every trial condition wasplete. He merely thought it was just happening in the catbs.


    As he moved in the dark tunnel, Jacob''s star watch suddenly vibrated, startling him.


    When he saw another message from an unknown source, he frowned and opened it.


    "You have received the Blessing of Priest."


    ''What does that mean? Is it some kind of proof that I clear one of the three conditions? What will happen if someone else clears the other two? Who would be the winner and loser?


    ''That damn book left too many loopholes. All I can do is keep moving and hope such a situation won''t arise.


    ''No one has any idea about what conditions are in ce, so I shouldn''t have anypetitors unless I have terrible luck.''


    Jacob thought gravely as he moved forward, and as he moved, he felt he was going upward after walking for half an hour.


    Jacob finally saw a ray of lighting from a tiny hole!

 Chapter 190 The Three Conditions

    ?Jacob finally saw a ray of lighting from a tiny hole, and with shimmering eyes, he quickly approached it. The earthquake was already gone, and the catb maze with it, probably.


    As he approached the tiny light hole, Jacob''s senses were on an all-time high. He tried to look on the other side, and his eyes widened when he saw the other side of the hole.


    Although he could only see a small portion of the other side, Jacob was astonished because there was an old dusty stone bookshelf under a dim light. Other than that, he couldn''t see clearly, but he didn''t hear any movement.


    ''A bookshelf? What is this ce?'' Jacob didn''t make a move posthaste as he decided to observe for a while.


    The space on the other side was blocked by a wall, and if he broke it, this would cause a hugemotion, so he wanted to make sure no one was there to ambush him when he did break the wall.


    Jacob didn''t see or hear anything even after a while, so he decided to move. His short sword appeared in his hand, and he impaled it into the hole. He wanted to make it bigger to see more clearly.


    The wall was made of soft stone, the de easily pierced through it, and Jacob could finally see what was on the other side.


    It was a five cubic meter stone room. Besides the small stone bookshelf, there was a stone bed, a magic torch like the underground catb, and a stone door to the left, nothing else.


    Since no one was there, Jacob didn''t wait any longer and punched with full force and sted open a holerge enough for himself to leave the secret passage.


    However, Jacob wasn''t in a hurry to check the stone door as he moved toward the bookshelf first.


    A thickyer of dust was collected over the bookshelf. There were five books ced in it.


    Jacob tried picking up a book, but the moment he did, it turned into dust.


    ''Just how long have these books been here to decay into dust?'' Jacob frowned as he tried to touch the other book, but it also crumbled under his touch.


    However, the third book didn''t crumble, making Jacob''s eye shine with anticipation since this will make this book unique from the decaying ones.


    He picked up the old book, and after clearing up the dust, it had a gray tatter cover and was two-centimeter-thick, and the writing on it was still readable.


    But Jacob frowned when he saw the writing was the same kind of runes in the underground catbs, it was runenguage.


    ''I have to buy runenguage after I leave this ce.'' Jacob thought as he stowed away the book and decided to decipher it after leaving the dark runes.


    He then tried thest two books, the fourth one also turned to dust, but thest book survived, which made him happy since there could be some unimaginable knowledge stored in these books.


    Especially the book with the runenguage, which ording to Livia, was thenguage used in Magic.


    When Jacob cleared the dust, he discovered the second intact book was actually a folded parchment made with some beast skin.


    When Jacob opened it, his eyes widened because there was aplex design with symbols drawn.


    ''Ritual Array Formation! Although the symbols used in this design are from Rune Language, it looked too much like the Ritual Array Formation within Immortika.'' Jacob made an educative guess with ecstasy and stowed away the parchment.


    He never thought he would discover something like and Ritual Array Formation in this ce or it was a reward for clearing the first condition.


    Whatever the case was, Jacob was d that he came here and more resolute than ever to clear the entire trial.


    After making sure there was nothing else hidden in that stone room, he finally moved toward the stone door, and after using some force, it finally moved while making eerie sounds.


    What appeared made Jacob baffled because the door opened behind a 2-meter-tall half-broken statue on an altar. As Jacob vigntly left the room, he discovered a broken hall with weeds and debris.


    He then has a clear look at the broken statue. From its design and skeleton feet, he instantly saw the resemnce between this statue and the Priest Skeleton Statue underground.


    ''Is this a temple of Priest Skeleton?'' Jacob guessed as he frowned grimly.


    Because if he hadn''t appeared underground, he would never have been able to find that this was the ce he was looking for with just those debris and his half-broken statue.


    Nevertheless, he wasn''t too worried since It''s only been a day in dark ruins, and he had already cleared one of the three conditions, which hadn''t been clear for almost 400 years!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Afterward, Jacob closed the secret room since it was a perfect-hidden ce if he ever needed it, hid it with dust, and then sted the remaining statue in front of it, blocking the roompletely and making it look like it was like this from the start.


    Jacob then left the doorless temple while covering his tracks.


    When he appeared outside, he was baffled because in front of him were all sorts of ruined buildings, the sky waspletely dark without any stars or moon, and the broken stone streets were lit with Magic torches.


    ''So, Dark Ruins are a City?'' Jacob wondered as he looked behind the small temple, which was the only intact ce within these buildings.


    Holding his swords, he took the street toward the south, the ce was filled with darkness, and he couldn''t see clearly far ahead, and the only light was the dim light of those torches.


    However, Jacob had only crossed three streets when he heard hundreds of footsteps approaching. Startled, he quickly hid in a broken stone house and tried to hide his presence as much as possible.


    Soon, those footsteps got closer, and they clearly didn''t notice him as they continued to move toward wherever they were going.


    Jacob peeped through the broken wall, and his heart jumped when he saw hundreds of skeleton soldiers marching forward.


    ''I almost forget about the undead.'' Jacob grimaced as he waited for those skeletons to pass through.


    It didn''t take long before leaving, and silence descended on the area again.


    However, Jacob didn''t move carelessly anymore as he started to think about thest two conditions and where they might be.


    ''The first condition was, ''Destroy the Dignity of King.''


    ''The second condition was, ''Give the Maiden Hope.''


    ''The third condition was, ''Salvage the Priest with Blood Flower by staining his tears with blood.''


    ''Since thest hurdle is precise, I should look for the easiest one that made any sense. Destroy the Dignity of King is the easiest to make sense of. A King''s dignity is either his Kingdom or Position, so I should look for a castle or pce where''s a King live.


    ''As for the Give the Maiden Hope, I have no idea what it means, just the third condition.''


    Jacob sighed ruefully. Although he knew the conditions to clear the trial, these conditions were as good as riddles. He wondered just how difficult trials would be in the higher ins since the rare ins trial was this difficult.


    However, his thought process was broken when he heard footsteps again!


    Furthermore, this time, there were even more than before.


    ''Just how many Dark Beings are in this ce?'' Jacob''s heart churned as he silently spied on the approaching beings.


    This time, there were no skeletons but rotten skin zombies with ghastly features as green toxic saliva trickling from their lipless mouths. Their movements weren''t sluggish as they walked even faster than the skeletons.


    The Toxic Zombies type Dark Beings were dreaded even more than the Skeletons type Dark Being because of their venomous properties. All the high-level zombies were virtually cureless since the Rare ins didn''t have the resources to make the cure for their toxic.


    Furthermore, high-level zombies can turn anyone into low-level zombies, making them their thralls who follow them mindlessly.


    They were one of the biggest trump cards of Dark Beings.


    However, Jacob''s eyes zed with killing intent because there was one more fact about zombies 80% of them possess magic cores!


    If he could ambush one zombie at a time, he might collect some well-needed magic cores. His entire purpose for leaving the freedom ins was to collect the magic core, which hadn''t changed even with the location.


    Even if he could buy high-level magic cores, he still had to collect the low-level ones, and he didn''t mind saving his ZC for something else if he could collect those cores on his own.


    Lastly, only the Extraordinary Skeletons have magic cores, and they were not easy to hunt for Jacob right now, but these Zombies were different, and as long as he didn''t alert the entire horde, he could hunt them easily!

 Chapter 191 The Conquest Of Doom

    ?After deciding to hunt those zombies, Jacob didn''t hesitate and looked for a target.


    When the entire horde passed Jacob''s hiding spot, and there were no more zombies behind, holding his swords, Jacob crept toward the zombie at the very end of the horde.


    Those zombies were clearly going somewhere without any alertness to their surroundings.


    Jacob''s sword shed right behind the zombie''s rotten neck, making it mute, and before the zombie could even make some random sound and alert the zombie in front, who was only a few feet ahead, the pierced zombie''s body vanished into Jacob''s pendant.


    Jacob didn''t linger and instantly hid in the closest building before those zombies could notice anything.


    He then took out the zombie, who was still alive butpletely helpless as its mouth waspletely blocked by Jacob''s de. It tried to struggle, but Jacob was too quick, and with his second de, he sliced its head in half.


    A zombie magic core was always in their head enshrouded within the dead me, and Jacob precisely cut while keeping this in mind not to damage the magic core if there was one.


    Although he didn''t know if the magic core could handle his de strike, he didn''t take a chance, and that''s why he captured the zombie alive to make sure it won''t happen.


    The moment the zombie''s head was split into two, the zombie was dead. Jacob didn''t pay any attention to it. He looked at the cleaved skull and the ck brain within. A blue dead me was flickering in the center before it was depleted.


    Jacob frowned since there was nothing else besides the empty hole left by the dead me, which meant this zombie was coreless.


    So, he took his swords and moved on to the next zombie at the end of the horde.


    With all those buildings making it an excellent spot for Jacob to hide and pulverize the zombies, he started to hunt them one by one.


    Those zombies have no strong will like an intelligent species, so they were all easily pulled by Jacob in the infinity pendant after he gave them a shock by piercing them with his sword.


    After hunting four zombies like this, he still didn''t acquire any magic core.


    Now it was his fifth zombie, and just like before, he sliced apart its head in two. This time unlike before, the dead me was slightly bright, and when it was exhausted, a shining emerald magic core.


    ''An Earth Core!'' Jacob''s eyes gleamed for a moment before he simply stowed it away because he already had a 1-star earth element magic core.


    But still, this gave him hope since there were over 300 zombies outside, and they were moving west of the dark ruins without paying any attention to their surroundings.


    This gave Jacob more confidence as he started to capture two zombies from then onward.


    After pulverizing seven more zombies, he finally acquired another red color magic core, a 1-star fire element core. Now he only needed the wind-type magic core, which should be gray.


    So, he started to kill those clueless zombies even more passionately, and after killing for half a day his 68th zombie, which was burly from the other zombies and had a strange marking over his rotten skin, he finally acquired a Wind Core.


    But to his surprise, there were two bright white spots within this crystal-like core, and Jacob instantly knew it was a 2-star wind core, not a 1-star!


    The bright white spots in them could easily distinguish the magic core ranks. An initial 1-star magic core would not have any bright white spot, while a fully developed 1-star magic core that was on the verge of entering the 2-star rank would have a bright white spot.


    When a magic core reaches the 2-star initial rank, another bright white spot will be emerged within it, all the way up to 9 such white spots at the 9-star magic core.


    These bright white spots were called the Stars, and that''s why they were ranked in Star Ranks from 1 to 9.


    Jacob looked at the zombie again. It had a faint marking around its neck, and he mused, ''Is this a high-level zombie? Its strength should be around tier 7 or tier 8. The ssification of the Dark Beings is quite vague, and only those skeletons were fully recorded. The zombies were not described in-depth.''


    Jacob mused as he looked at the zombie deeply. He had to admit, besides those vague lines around its neck; it looked exactly the same as those other zombies he had killed.


    But he didn''t go out hunting anymore since he was quite exhausted after ambushing so many zombies. Since this ce was filled with undead, he would get his chance again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s goal was to collect every element magic core up to 3-stars since the 4-star magic cores fall into the categories of the Extraordinary Tiers.


    While at it, he would also look for clues about the second and third conditions. He was no longer in a hurry as this ce was quite extensive, and he wasn''t here for even three days, so he didn''t rush things.


    After calling it a day, Jacob found a destroyed building with an attack basement and started eating the raw meat he had stored in his pendant.


    ---


    While Jacob was resting, the reaming zombie horde, after walking for 3 hours, reached a za where even more zombies, skeleton soldiers, and warriors were gathering.


    Ten Dark Beings stood in the center of this za over a broken high pir.


    Five of them were fully armed skeletons holding shields and swords or halberds. They were Skeleton Grand Warriors, and all of them were extraordinary tiers!


    While the other five were pale skin zombies with white eyeballs, but their skin was notpletely rotten as they had a ck tattoo like marking around their necks.


    These zombies were called Sane Zombies and were also extraordinary tiers of Dark Beings and highly intelligent like the Skeleton Grand Warriors.


    The Sane Zombies could control zombie hordes and also create more zombies from their special toxic if the cure wasn''t taken within an hour.


    That''s why the Sane Zombies were even more dreaded existence than the Skeleton Grand Warriors since they turned their victims into zombie ves, which was far worse than death.


    At this moment, all ten extraordinary rank dark beings open their mouths, creating eerier sounds, and the sea of Dark Begins in front of them turned stoic.


    Those ten then do something strange, they fall onto their knees, and all those low-level dark beings also follow in their tracks.


    At this moment, the sound of powerful steps and something sharp hitting the ground rang within the silent za.


    Soon a cloaked figure holding a pitch-ck staff with a crimson orb imbued on top of it walked on the top of the broken pir.


    A spooky voice in a strangenguage rang from the cloaked figure holding the staff, "My Children! I summon everything because it is time to start the Conquest of Doom!


    "We have given those preys too much leverage, but they don''t know good for bad and dare to break a shackle sneakily. So be it. Since they want to take advantage of our forbearance and want to get eaten, we''ll dly ept their wish!


    "The King will arrive with his army in three days, and we''ll break the reaming shackles before hunting every onest prey!"


    Those Dark Beings started to make mor as they became restless.


    However, at this moment, a deep voice filled with rage rang within the vicinity, speaking in the samenguage, "Lich Minister, do you really want to break the other shackles as well and call the wrath of High Beings by breaking the Grace Treaty?!"


    The Lich Ministerugh out loud in an eerily manner while smacking his staff on the pir, creating shock waves. He replied angrily with killing intent, "2nd Freedom Lord, it''s you guys who broke the Grace Treaty, and now you''re ming us for it?! Do you think we are fools to wait any longer before you im the High Position by destroying another shackle!?"


    The 2nd Freedom Lord''s angry voice also boomed in rebuke, "Lich Minister, you know there is no one from the Freedom ins present since you barely let anyone out or stay in this ce. You''re literally garrisoning this ce!


    "Do you think just because you guys won the old High Position, you can bully us?! I dare you to try to break another shackle, and I''ll make damn sure this whole in got annihted!"


    The voice was filled with boundless rage as it rang within the vicinity and the aura behind it was even more ghastly, not inferior to Lich Minister.


    However, Lich Minister didn''t back down and roared coldly, "Then I want to see how you can annihte the whole in. My King will be here in three days. Let me see if you guys can still y dirty tricks!


    "After getting rid of the remaining shackles, My King will make everyone our ves... again. Hahahahah¡­"

 Chapter 192 Rare Freedom Plains Abandoned!

    ?Freedom ins, the Light Nation, was the strongest among the four powers and also covered the most significant area of the Freedom ins. Thends were filled with life and peace.


    However, today, the usual peaceful Light Nation was bristling with activities as toons of soldiers gathered everywhere as if a war wasing.


    The Valley of Light was the most mysterious ce in the entire freedom ins, and it was the heart of Light Nation because this ce never fell into darkness. Even at night, some mysterious power kept it as bright as day.


    Inside a towering building right in the Valley of Light,


    In a spacious room, a golden-capped figure with a 1.9-meter height stood in front ofrge monitor screens. One after another, the screens started to light showing projections of figures who all have something inmon.


    Their expression was as gloomy as they could get.


    Expect the three screens in front, which had only blurred instead of a clear picture.


    The person in the golden cap bowed in front of three blurry screens and hoarsely said, "Mighty Lords, please help us!"


    The other visible figures also do the same as this golden cap, and they all bowed and called in pleading voices, "Might Lords, please help us!"


    "First, tell us who broke the shackle of Dark Ruins?" A melodious voice exempt from any emotion rang from a blurry blue projection.


    One by one, they started to answer and wholeheartedly declined anything to do with the Dark Ruins.


    The golden cap person wasst to speak, "No one from the Light Nation has gone into the dark woonds. At least not one powerful enough who could find and break shackle alone!


    "Especially when the Lich Minister has been guarding that ce for hundreds of years, and anything remotely possible to have some connection with the shackle is heavenly guarded by the Dark Beings.


    "If someone of that caliber entered that ce who could discover the shackle and the method to break it, then the Second Freedom Lord will be the first one to take action!


    "It is clear that those malicious corpses wanted to destroy our freedom ins and rule the rare ins alone!"


    Everyone agreed with the golden cap person.


    This time a deep voice filled with authority sounded from the blurry red screen, "The shackle was not broken from their side, and we have already confirmed it. The shackle was broken by someone with Life Signal. Which automatically broke the treaty by the Life Faction side.


    "Now the Dead Faction of Rare ins can attack justifiably, and we can''t interfere this time, or this will affect our side. All we can do is stop someone from here from interfering in Rare ins. You guys are on your own!"


    The voice was cold and cruel at the end, making everyone listening pale.


    "But we''re not a match for the Lich King!" The golden cap figure hoarsely stated with a pleading tone, "Please, you can''t abandon us!"


    "Hmph, you guys only have yourself to me. Always suppressing talents with your selfish rules and killing them if they show ambitions.


    "Since your four freedom lords didn''t like to be under anyone''s control and instead like to keep others under their control, you can only me yourself for this blunder.


    "Don''t expect us to give you any more help this time. I had enough of your ipetence. If you guys don''t solve this problem, the Nightmare Knight Legions will no longer have any ties with Rare ins!


    "From now till the day you resolve this problem, all contact with the Rare ins Nightmare Knight Legion will bepletely cut off!" A booming voice rang, filled with rage in the gray screen, making others ashen.


    But before anyone could react, the person on the other side cut off the connection, and the screen got nk!


    Despair filled the heart of everyone on the clear screens, and the person in the golden cap fell on the floor as his ragged breathing could be heard.


    The deep voice also rang again, "You guys had thising for a long time. As Chairman stated, your four freedom lords didn''t hand theplete shares to us, and this plummeted the rare ins'' technology progress.


    "And as a result of your selfishness, now someone has already done the damage. If you had taken our full support, it would''ve never happened.


    "The Alchemy Guild will also cease all contacts until this problem is resolved with all the branches of Rare ins!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With this, his screen also turned ck.


    Another one of the three hegemony abandoned them!


    No one speaks. They didn''t have the power to since it was too shocking for them. They were all aloof leaders of the freedom ins, but now they were feeling helplessness that they had never felt before.


    Likewise, they were all arrogant in the past and didn''t bow their heads to three hegemonies and believed that they would not be conquered by another, but now they finally understand just howughable their decision had been.


    The women''s emotionless voice rang again, "I won''t me you as two chairmen did, but I''ll put the Bank''s interest first so the Zodiac Taurus Bank will do the same.


    "But I''ll also leave you guys with some advice since one of the shackles has already been broken by the Life Faction. Try to find and break the other as well. The Rare ins will only have either 3 or 5 shackles.


    "If it''s three, then you just need to break one more, and you can rebuy 1,000 years of peace with your authority as a winner. If it''s five, then snatch the reaming two from the Dead Faction''s hands.


    "It is the only way. Fight them in dark ruins. It is far better than fighting them in the open when they gain ess to all the rare ins. Since the shackle was broken so soon by an unknown factor, this also means the trial this time is easy. So, you only have 10 to 20 years!"


    With that, the women''s screen also vanished.


    An eerie silence descended on the ce.


    At this moment, a fox head orc suddenly said, "The Killer Skull Society is agreed to help the Rare ins!"


    Everyone''s eyes turned toward the person as they all looked at him with disbelief.


    The golden cape person suddenly trembled as he looked toward the screen and hoarsely asked, "You join them?!"


    The fox face orc sighed and shook his head, "No, but I contacted Important Grace34 prior to this conference since I was prepared if something like this might happen. If you want, I can take him into the conference channel."


    "How bold of you, Vice Minister of Ice Nation, to dare to contact the enemy of entire freedom ins just on a hunch!" A furious elf yelled.


    "Hmph, we all know who is the enemy of the entire freedom ins right now. Although those guys oppose us all the time, if the Dark Beings manage to seed, and there is an 80% chance that they will, I would prefer to work with those degenerates than turn into a fucking sheep!" The fox face orc retorted coldly.


    Silence descent into the room since everyone knew the consequences of letting Dark Beings run wild. They had not forgotten what it was like when the rare in trial waspleted for the first time.


    The time could only be described as filled with darkness by their predecessors. But s, now an even worse time was approaching. No matter what, they never wanted to experience those things described in the secret history books.


    The person in the golden cape finally spoke, "Alright, let him in."


    His voice was filled with helplessness, and others could only keep their mouths shut since they also wanted to survive.


    If they wanted to have any chance against fighting with the dark beings in the dark ruins, they needed first to clear their internal conflict and gather all the help they could.


    Thereupon, a screen lit up, and a person wearing a golden mask appeared, sitting on a chair while the background waspletely dark. Only his ck eyes shone with mockery behind his mask could be seen.


    It was Important Grace34!


    "Ah, so many big faces. I have to say. I''m truly awed."


    Important Grace34''s mocking voice sounded as he looked at those high and mighty figures who always wanted to capture him, but now they were forced to seek his help. He was thrilled, to say the least!


    "Don''t make me regret it. Just state your conditions and don''t go overboard, or I rather fight those dark beings!" The person in the golden cap coldly stated as his entire bearing changed from a minute ago when he fell on his knee like a fragile old man.


    Important Grace34 sneered, "Elder Light, I must say I always wanted to meet you, but you are not easy to get in touch with, and I know you would''ve never agreed to talk with a degenerate like me, but here we are. Which could only mean those high and mighty hegemonies have abandoned you. Hahaha!"

 Chapter 193 The Killer Skull Society Demand

    ?"Just throw him out. We don''t need someone like him!" Nixon, who was also observing all this from a screen, coldly spoke at this moment.


    Every Easter City level head of three hegemonies was a part of this meeting today, including the permanent member like Nixon.


    This problem naturally involved the permanent members like them since they couldn''t flee the freedom ins without crossing the dark wilnds and the Star Ocean. Now even the three hegemonies had temporarily cut ties with them which naturally included these permanent members.


    Furthermore, Nixon was still upset about Jacob''s ''kidnapping''; the biggest culprit was naturally Important Grace34!


    Important Grace34 coldly looked at Nixon on the screen and sneered coldly, "If it isn''t the biggest fool of our freedom ins!"


    How could Important Grace34 not know about the disappearance of Jacob?


    But even after they were slender and got hunted by the Nightmare Knight Legion of Easter City, he didn''t bother to clear their misunderstanding. Since the killer skull society was still dealing with even more annoying fellows than the freedom ins.


    Whenever he thought about Jacob, he could not help but ground his teeth in hatred.


    However, now that he got the chance, he didn''t mind releasing some frustration on Nixon. He knew better than anyone just where Faceless Ancient came from, and that guy was far more than what meets the eye. He had learned the hard way.


    Their current predicament was probably because of him as well, and he hated Jacob''s guts, but he won''t reveal it since he wanted the freedom ins to suffer at Jacob''s hands as well.


    Furthermore, after theirst blunder, the entire human race vanished from the umon region and somehow appeared in the epic region''s most prominent power''s territory, which waspletely out of Important Grace34''s imagination.


    But he didn''t dare to target them anymore since he had guessed that it was doing of Faceless Ancient and he had some powerful background, so he was still observing like a venomous snake.


    While in secret, he was still keeping an eye out for the prick because Jacob also had their data on the cannibal research they had been doing in themon ins for decades.


    He was sure of it since all the hideouts were burned to the ground, and he knew only Jacob could''ve done it.


    But the Faceless Ancient was simply too mysterious, and his actions were even stranger because if he was really some big shot, why the hell was he still wandering in Freedom ins and why he even joined the alliance, and how could he if he was from a higher in?


    Or it was just a sham, and Faceless Ancient had nothing to do with the incident with Fire Fiend. Important Grace34 just couldn''t figure it out but won''t give up until he did.


    Important Grace34 only cares about that data right now since that data was far more precious than anyone could understand!


    Hearing Important Grace34''s belittling voice Nixon emitted killing intent, he was furious about Jacob''s disappearance, and they still hadn''t even found a clue about the man.


    But Elder Light spoke first. There were more pressing matters than some grudge, "If you dare to poke your finger at this conference member. I''ll make sure everyst member in the skull observation list got executed, and 3rd Freedom Lord will be going to start hunting for you guys personally!"


    Important Grace34 eyes shimmered darkly. He knew it was the only chance he could earn some solid ground for Killer Skull Society. So, he had to control his temper.


    He coldly said, "Alright, I won''t beat around the bush. First, I would like to tell you that we have a base in the Rare Wilderness ins, very close to the Wild Nation and well hidden.


    "Only after we noticed arge army marching toward the dark wilnds did I notice what was going on, and after digging around, here we are."


    The others were astonished by this revtion.


    "So, you''re saying you have a safe way out of dark ruins?" Elder Light voice was filled with hidden shock.


    They knew just how deeply the dark beings were guarding the dark ruins and the other side entrance of it. They were waiting for the grace period to end so they could storm the dark ruins without any challenge at all.


    But they were also preparing for it. However, that darn shackle was broken by someone, and now they were cough off guard.


    Even after all these years, they only had a single base on the other side, and it was nowhere near the wild nation because they were afraid of getting discovered by dark beings.


    Yet, the Killer Skull Society also seemed to have members on the other side, which was quite shocking. They had always belittled the Killer Skull Society, but it seemed they were far more formidable.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, it was also their fault since they only paid attention to the three hegemonies and belittled the killer skull society, who hid behind the blinding splendor of the three hegemonies.


    Important Grace34 chuckled, "Of course, so this is my first piece of the negotiation. We will provide information about the armies of dark beings.


    "Second, I''m willing to send skull number A-501 to A-1000 in the dark ruins with your army and with all of them being at least Basic Mages and 1000 skulls above A-5000 ranks!


    "Third, the Killer Skull Society will also share an ancient potion form that can make anyone at Common-Tier-12 break into Rare-Tier-1 without any side effects!"


    Another deadly silence descended in the hall as everyone looked at Important Grace34 with ck jaws.


    A goblin woman coldly uttered at this moment, "Important Grace34, do you think no one in this room knows Potion Alchemy? There is no such a potion without side effects, especially the one that can make amon being rare!"


    Everyone agreed with this goblin woman.


    Important Grace34 coolly replied, "I know it''s hard to believe, but it is true. I''ll send a sample to you, Senior Grandmaster Chaya. You can examine the effect yourself."


    Elder Light replied, "Very well, if you have such a potion and it has no side effect after Senior Grandmaster Chaya test it, we won''t mistreat you. But what do you want?"


    Important Grace34 eyes turned sharp as he demanded, "Nothing much, make me the 5th Freedom Lord of the Skull Kingdom, which will be the new fifth power of the freedom ins!"


    Elder Light instantly rejected it sternly, "Impossible, ask for something else!"


    Important Grace34 shook his head, "Nothing else interests me. You guys can discuss it with Four Freedom Lords, and I want an official announcement and shares registered with the Star Network so you guys won''t y any trickster. I''ll also reveal the form of this potion after getting the promised rewards. I''ll send the sample to Light Nation today.


    "Lastly, I would like to warn you guys that make your decision quickly. The Lich King is bringing 50,000 Dark Beings into the Dark Ruins, and fighting is the only shot freedom ins have to remain free, or I can always go to hiding, but can you? Hahahah¡­ Contact me with your answer. I''ll give you a week before the offer is off the table!"


    Important Grace34 instantly cut off the connection.


    The room descent into gloomy silence as no one wanted to speak. They werepletely caught off guard by Important Grace34 this time, and this would never have happened if the three hegemonies hadn''t abandoned them.


    At this moment, an aged voice rang into the room filled with helplessness,


    "Test the potion and try to reverse-engineer the form. Don''t disappoint us. This is a matter of survival for every living being in the freedom ins. We''ll give our verdict after getting the result. You have six days!"


    ---


    Meanwhile, in the Dark Ruins.


    It''s been the third day since Jacob had cleared one of the three conditions of the Dark Ruins'' trial.


    At this moment, The Dark Beings were literally swarming the ce like an ant colony as every alley was patrolled by at least ten or even fifty dark beings together.


    The buildings were being searched by skeleton warriors and zombies with faint marks around their necks.


    It was quite clear they wanted to clear the entire ce out of any living.


    Jacob, who had been hunting zombies for thest two days, also noticed this strange change, and they gave him a foreboding feeling.


    Furthermore, he noticed that around this ruined city''s central area, high-level dark beings were teeming that ce, and it was almost impossible to enter it.


    Moreover, there was some kind of barrier at the very edge of the city, which made it quite apparent that leaving this ce was impossible unless someone had a passage like the dark beings.


    Not only that, but he was also closely observing the dark ruins for any clues about anything rted to royalty or a king. He noticed that the closer he was to the central area, therger and more intact buildings appeared!

 Chapter 194 Dark Beings Everywhere!

    ?After investigating some broken houses and the debris left by whoever used to live there, he could only guess that this city should be some kingdom''s capital and if it was, there had to be a pce or castle.


    And after seeing all those dark beings teeming the central area, he was 80% sure that what he was looking for was in the central area. But the question was, how should he fool those corpses and sneak there?


    So, Jacob came up with a terrible but only idea that could get him into the central area.


    At this moment, he was looking at the rotten skin of a zombie. He just peeled off with a slightly hesitant look on his face.


    ''Fuck it all!'' Jacob cussed before his clothes vanished, revealing his ripped body, and he started to ''dress'' as a zombie.


    Although it was a novel experience, given a choice, Jacob didn''t want to do it again. Just wearing rotten skin over his own made his skin crawl. Especially when he wore the ''skin mask.''


    To make it look even more realistic, he even had zombie lenses which were made with real eyes, and after making sure he ''smelled'' like a zombie, he wore the tattered rag of pants.


    Now he looked like a zombie with the marking around the neck, and as long as he won''t open his mouth or bleed, no one would tell it was living under the zombie''s skin.


    He''ll be fine as long as Jacob''s luck won''t turn for worse and some dark being has X-ray eyes.


    After making sure there was no w, he didn''t go toward the central area but started looking for a zombie horde to see if those zombies could tell if he was a fake zombie or not.


    As usual, he didn''t have to move for long before he found 21 zombies moving in a daze. There wasn''t any zombie with marking within them. He slowly started to move toward them as he pretended to be in a trance.


    Three zombies suddenly jolted as they turned their heads toward Jacob, but after giving him a momentary nce, they didn''t pay any attention and continued walking.


    Jacob''s eyes behind the white lenses shimmered in relief, ''Now, I should be fine.''


    Done with his test, he ditched the group and headed toward the central area of the ruined city. It didn''t take long before he was only a street away from the central area.


    There was a vast road ahead which was blocked by a huge number of skeletons and zombies as they just stood there in a trance. Furthermore, the building around this road was also filled with dark beings.


    That''s why Jacob didn''t dare to try to infiltrate the area without preparation. If an extraordinary being was overseeing this ce as well, he might get discovered, and he won''t be able to escape at that time.


    Controlling his heart rate and making it as slow as he could, Jacob slowly moved toward the crowd of dark beings standing there like statues.


    Instantly, all those dead white eyeballs and those empty eye sockets turned toward Jacob, who was walking toward them under the dim light.


    Jacob felt cold sweat as all those dark beings were staring at him, but he maintained his calm. Since they didn''t attack him upright, then this meant his disguise was working.


    When Jacob was only a meter away from that crowd, his sense was at an all-time high. The moment he senses something, he''ll withdraw at full speed.


    As he entered the crowds, he avoided touching those static dark beings and slowly crawled as he crossed one after another.


    In that silence only, Jacob''s footsteps could be heard even though he was barefoot.


    Jacob felt like he was walking on a thin sheet of ice, and the moment he slipped, he''ll be thrown into hell!


    The only relief was those dark beings didn''t seem to have any hostility toward each other and were just standing there under someone''s order.


    It might be because they were only ordered to attack anyone other than a dark being who tried to cross this passage, or they simply didn''t think their own kind could betray them. Or something entirely different.


    Whichever the reason was, as long as Jacob wasn''t attacked, he was content.


    However, when Jacob walked for almost an hour and the dark beings were not ending at all, he started to wonder just how many of them they were in that ce. They literally seemed endless, and they were on every corner.


    Furthermore, Jacob was currently walking between skeleton warriors and zombies with markings, which made his scalp tingle with trepidation.


    ''Just what is going on? Howe they''re swarming this ce, and why are there so many of them here?'' The more he thought about it, the more vignt Jacob felt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The number of dark beings was growing these past days, and he didn''t know why but he had this grim feeling that it might have something to do with the condition he cleared.


    Furthermore, there wasn''t any sign of life in this ce, making Jacob even warier of Dark Beings'' strange movement.


    At this moment, he suddenly spotted something which made his eyes dte.


    He saw a broken high pir a few hundred meters from his position. On that pir was a bone throne, and someone was sitting on it with a pitch-ck staff with a shimmering red crystal on top of it.


    Lastly, there were ten figures standing behind the bone throne like statues.


    Even in this dark, that ce was hard to miss because behind that pir was a broken wall that was lit with bright magic torches and behind that wall was a silhouette of a castle!


    However, Jacob didn''t dare to move forward because those eleven figures on the pir gave him the most dangerous feeling he ever felt after returning to life, especially that person sitting on the bone throne. Even that Iron Giant, Elbio, pales inparison.


    Furthermore, those skeletons in armor were not hard to guess who they were, and since they were standing behind this person, it was proof enough of that dark being''s prowess and authority.


    ''Just what kind of messed up trial is this where you could just swamp the ce with numbers and stop anyone else from clearing the trial?'' Jacob felt indignant since he finally found what he was looking for, but he couldn''t go there.


    He knew that as long as he entered that castle, he would be one step closer to clearing the other condition or finding some clues about it.


    But s, there were over five thousand dark beings, and those eleven terrifying dark beings garrison this ce. The moment he alerts them, he will be as good as dead.


    However, he didn''t understand one thing, ''What are they waiting for, and why are they just static like statues?''


    No matter how he looked at it, the situation was too strange.


    As if something heard his questions, the figure sitting over the bone throne suddenly raised and smacked his staff over the pir, creating a crimson shockwave.


    "%#$@@@$$@!" (Make way for the Magnificent Dark King!)


    Jacob was baffled since he didn''t understand what he said, but that voice was extremely eerie. But he noticed something. The moment that voice trailed off, the dark beings came alive as they started stirring.


    Jacob''s heart palpitated as those thousands of dark beings around him started to move. But he didn''t lose his nerves and closely followed those zombies'' movements, and he quickly got mixed within their crowd.


    Within moments, the entire blocked road was cleared all the way toward the pir.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted when he felt tremors under his feet, and he knew something big wasing this way as he quickly stopped breathing entirely.


    He knew he had chosen a terrible time to infiltrate the dark beings, and now he was riding a tiger''s back.


    Thereby, galloping voices became apparent, and soon, a carriage made with bones and drawn by four zombie horses appeared in Jacob''s view.


    Jacob didn''t know who was inside that carriage, but the dark oppression aura emitting from that carriage was no joke. If not for his strong mind, he might even fell unconscious.


    Two cloaked riders were closely following behind that carriage, and behind them were Skeleton Grand Warriors and Sane Zombies. Probably five hundred each.


    Following behind them were a huge number of skeleton warriors and mark zombies.


    Jacob''s blood ran cold as he watched that army marching behind that carriage and filling the vast empty road again. It was so crowded that he was an inch away from bing a sandwich between two zombies.


    ''I need to leave!''


    Jacob felt it was simply suicided to infiltrate that ce right now or ever. This force was probably enough to raise one of the four nations to the ground, and he wanted to pull a wool over them; simplyughable.


    However, leaving now was easier said than done because the entire dark ruins were teeming with dark beings, and there was no ce to hide!

 Chapter 195 The Lich King’s Order

    ?Jacob watched as the bone carriage stopped in front of the pir, and the riders behind disembarked the zombie horses.


    At this moment, the Lich Minister again spoke, "%#$...!" (Your Majesty, your eternal servants, wee your arrival!)


    Jacob still didn''t understand what the Lich Minister just said, but when he saw the Lich Minister and the other ten extraordinary beings prostrating themselves before the carriage.


    All the dark beings suddenly fell on their knees after the Lich Minister, and Jacob naturally followed suit.


    He knew things had turned bad from worse. An extremely high-level dark being had joined the fray!


    ''Just who could force all the Dark Beings to kneel, even that guy with the staff who was aloofly sitting on that throne a minute ago? Don''t tell me some king or leader of the dark beings is in that carriage?'' Jacob nced at the carriage whilepletely hidden in the dark beings'' crowd.


    One of the riders moved and opened the door of the bone carriage.


    Thereby, a 3-meter tall dark being stepped outside the bone carriage. He has d in dark armor. Even the face was hidden behind a menacingly shaped dark helmet. The sheathed ck sword on the waist of the armor gave off a feeling of despair.


    The Lich King suddenly lifted his armored foot, and under Jacob''s horrid eyes, he vanished from his spot, and those two riders followed suit!


    Jacob didn''t have to search for long when his eyes fell on top of the pir, and they dted when he saw the Lich King was now sitting on the bone throne, and those two riders were respectfully standing on each of his sides.


    They were simply too fast for even Jacob to follow.


    ''Too strong!'' Jacob thought grimly as he started to think of a way out of this ce.


    ''The only safe ce should be is the skeleton priest temple right now. But I can''t stay there forever. The moment my supplies run out, I''ll die of hunger and thirst.


    ''I needed to find the exit, but that ce might be even more guarded than this one, and with so many high-level dark beings present, it would be suicide to reveal myself. Besides, I don''t even know where the exit is.


    ''I don''t know why this is happening, but I''m still alive, and they can''t see through my disguise, so it is a plus. I should wait and see before contemting my next course of action.


    ''I don''t believe the freedom ins won''t have any knowledge about the dark ruins, and they will not notice such a huge movement of dark begins.''


    Jacob thoroughly calmed down at this moment and focused on being a zombie. This might not be a bad thing since he could observe the enemy''s movement while remaining hidden amidst them.


    This ce was dangerous, but as well as safe, as long as he won''t provoke or go near those extraordinary, he''ll be one of these thousands of zombies.


    The only problem was he didn''t understand what they were saying!


    At this moment, the Lich King''s imposing voice rang, "Rise, my faithful Minister!"


    Only the Lich Minister rose while everyone remained in this position.


    Lich Minister respectfully stated as his voice was exempt from arrogance, "My King, your servant was ipetent. I let those preys fool me and stain your glory. Please punish me!"


    The hierarchy of the Dark Beings was quite simple, they followed the strongest, and as long as someone more powerful appeared to im that title, no one will stop them.


    Moreover, the stronger the dark being, the higher their status will be among the dark beings.


    The Lich King was the strongest Dark Being present in the Rare ins and ruled the Wild Nation for thousands of years.


    Many Dark Beings had challenged his position, but they ended up being his subordinates, just like the Lich Minister before him.


    Rumor has it that it was a sacred rule among the dark beings that if you were defeated by the ruler, you''d be forever his servant.


    The Lich King emotionlessly said, "You''ll be sent to the Ice Grinder for a Hundred Years after this expedition!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Lich Minister trembled slightly as he respectfully epted, "I will redeem myself!"


    The Lich King emotionlessly said, "Tell me, do you found any lead on where the other shackle is and who broke the first shackle or where?"


    "Although it is not confirmed yet. But at that time, only the 2nd Freedom Lord was instated in the Dark Ruins, and we were keeping a tight leash over every entry point we had discovered in these 400 years.


    "So, it was most likely the 2nd Freedom Lord, only he is cunning enough to pull someone like this off among the Four Freedom Lords, or it was simply a fluke. But we are still skimming through the dark ruins for the site of the broken shackle.


    "As for the reaming shackle, one is definitely inside the castle behind my King. It is the only ce we manage to discover a secret underground secret room that ispletely intact, and there is also a riddle in this secret room!" The Lich Minister revealed.


    "I know about it already. It is the same riddle that should not be spoken, or it will cause the resitter''s death, and Wight Minister is guarding that ce. I want to know whether you guys decipher the riddle or not." The Lich King coolly questioned.


    The Lich Minister trembled before he replied, "It was Wight Minister''s duty while I was in charge of finding the other ces with shackles. As my King already knows, we have to be extremely careful not identally destroy the clues, so there is still no progress in finding the second site."


    "But someone else still beat you to it, right?" The Lich King''s voice was filled with darkness as he uttered.


    "It was indeed your servant who is at culpability!" Lich Minister quickly kneeled down.


    "I don''t care about finding clues anymore. Just destroy the whole ce. The other side had already broken one shackle, and if they again do it, we''ll be angering the higher beings if those preys manage to win despite our strength.


    "The other side will have the same thing in mind as well. Don''t underestimate a cornered opponent. If they somehow managed to win the authority, they could easily increase the power restriction cap on their faction. And I don''t need to tell you what will happen when such a scenario urs, right?" The Lich King coldly stated.


    The Lich Minister horridly replied, "I''ll immediately start the search!"


    "Good, we don''t just need to clear the entire dark ruins. We also need to stop the other side frompleting it for 200 years. As long as the second shackle won''t break within 200 years, the old shackle will reset, so the dark ruins with it. It would be easier to clear this ce where those prey won''t have any advantage." The Lich King coldly sneered.


    "My King is indeed wise!" The Lich Minister quickly agreed with Lich King.


    "Alright, move everyone above the Tier-7 into the vicinity of the castle, and those with tier-9 should guard the outer castle with their life. Lastly, half the Extraordinaries will patrol the inner castle and area around the secret room.


    "I''ll be visiting the Wight Minister to see if he deciphered the riddle or not. No one should step inside the castle as long as they''re alive!


    "The Dark Knights will be garrisoning this entrance. The freedom ins won''t sit still, and they will start a war of attraction to find the other shackle. This ce will be their prime target. Kill them all, and if those fool lords appear, alert me.


    "Meanwhile, keep searching for the other shackles. I won''t ept any more blunders on your side. I''ll be right here watching everything, and don''t make me take action before it is time to break the reaming shackles!" The Lich King gave his final verdict.


    The Lich Minister and the two Dark Knights standing on Lich King''s side epted, and the next moment the Lich King was gone from the bone throne just as he appeared.


    Jacob, who was hearing those two''s faint mumbling, was perplexed, but he had no choice but to stay still like all those zombies.


    At this moment, the Lich Minister again looked toward the crowd and shrank loudly, and then all the dark beings stood up.


    Jacob, who was only fifty meters away from the newly arrived army of extraordinary dark beings, suddenly felt something amiss.


    At this moment, all those zombies with markings stood straight like solider and every other Dark being present in the area, as a matter of fact.


    Everyone was facing the castle, including Jacob.


    Suddenly half of the extraordinary dark beings started to walk toward the castle and behind them walked half of the marking zombie and skeleton warrior army.


    Jacob was among thousands of zombies who started moving toward the castle!

 Chapter 196 The Secret Room

    ?Jacob was astonished as he walked toward the castle.


    He didn''t know why these many dark beings were told to move toward the castle. He felt this had something to do with the dark-armored being who had vanished from the throne.


    Nevertheless, he could only march forward because those extraordinary dark beings on the pir were looking at the marching dark being. Especially those two cloaked dark knights, Jacob didn''t dare to show any w.


    But if he looked at the bright side, he didn''t have to sneak inside the castle anymore, and he might not get another chance like this if he missed this one.


    Thousands of dark beings enter the ruined castle territory.


    The extraordinary dark beings led the mark zombies and skeleton warriors toward the castle gates, and they entered the ruined castle.


    Jacob noticed as they moved forward the number of dark beings behind them had be smaller because they were stopped at a certain point in a group of at least a hundred.


    ''So, they''re garrisoning the castle just like the central area.'' Jacob frowned slightly as he continued to follow.


    At this moment, they were moving inside a spacious hallway when the dark beings in front of him suddenly stopped.


    Jacob instantly knew it was the point where this group would garrison.


    However, there were still over three hundred dark beings left, excluding the extraordinary dark beings. So, he knew they were going to stop in a deeper area.


    Since he was already at this point, he didn''t want to stop not in this ce without any doors or anything at least.


    He was paying attention to the interior as they were moving, and he knew they were probably at the inner castle right now or close to it.


    If he wanted to have any chance to clear this ce, he needed to investigate the deeper area where a royal family should live or the King!


    So, gritting his teeth, Jacob moved as he crossed all those dark beings who were now standing still like statues. They didn''t attack him and let him pass.


    He finally escaped the group and followed the group moving ahead, but he slowed down. Since no one was paying attention, it was an excellent opportunity to ditch them while he still had the chance.


    Jacob didn''t know that the Sane Zombies and Skeleton Grand Warriors could use a special signal tomand them that only a rare-level dark being could hear.


    They were using those signals to stop a group of dark beings at specific points, but Jacob wasn''t a dark being, so he couldn''t feel those signals, nor did those extraordinary dark beings think that someone like Jacob was in their army.


    Jacob''s heartbeat and breathing were so low that even those extraordinary dark beings couldn''t sense him as long as he won''t appear too close to them.


    As for those rare dark beings, their senses were not developed enough, and they only thought of Jacob as a zombie with different orders than them. That''s how Jacob could still remain unnoticed.


    Jacob slowly walked until he waspletely separate from both groups in the rear and front. His eyes shed with tion since he never thought he would get such an opportunity to enter this deep into the castle without much effort.


    Just half an hour ago, he was feeling despair, but now he was feeling that he still had the chance to clear this entire thing now that he was in the castle.


    At this moment, a closed door covered in ayer of dust appeared in his view at the end of the hallway.


    Jacob slowly approached the door and stopped in front of it. He then took a deep breath and grabbed the old door handle, and tried to open it. To his relief, it was not locked.


    In the silent hallway, the creaking sound of an old door being opened rang, which made Jacob''s heart tighten, but he continued to open it.


    When the door was open enough for him to enter, he quickly slipped inside and closed it.


    Sighed in relief, Jacob looked around and saw it was a spacious room with a broken study desk and some broken bookshelves, and many tatter books were lying on the floor.


    It was a huge mess, as if someone had thoroughly checked the ce already.


    Jacob smiled bitterly, ''How could those dark beings leave this ce unchecked? By the looks of it, those dark beings were sure that this castle was a ce where a trial conditiony, and they might''ve already found it.


    ''Maybe those extraordinary dark beings and that dark armored being been heading toward that ce. If that''s the case, should I follow them? No, I can fool those rare ones, but those extraordinary dark beings will instantly see through my disguise.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob fell into deep thought as he looked around the room, ''I''m so close, yet still too far. Then there is thisnguage problem!''


    Jacob now was feeling even more vexed that his biggest shoring was not his strength but hisck ofnguage. He never thought he would resent such a thing in his life.


    He tried to see if those books on the floor were in themonnguage of freedom ins. Furthermore, he picked up a blue cover book that looked intact and opened it, but s, the pages werepletely rotten, and the words on it werepletely gone.


    But he didn''t give up and picked up another book since these tatter books still remained intact without turning into dust like the ones in the temple. This means that they were made with special materials as well.


    Although that material was not as good as the two writings, he found in the temple. They were still good enough to keep those books intact!


    ---


    While Jacob was searching for clues, a few hundred meters below him was a spacious underground room that looked exactly like the one where Livia led him where the skeleton priest was.


    However, this ce was ten timesrger than the one where the skeleton priest was, and in the center of this room was arge stone throne and a stone statue sat on this throne.


    In front of this Stone Throne was another statue that was kneeling, but the head was missing, so it was hard to tell the appearance.


    Words in runenguage were inscribed on the walls right behind the stone throne. While on the left, right, and ceiling were murals. Furthermore, the floor was filled with all kinds of books and scrolls.


    Right in front of this throne was an opening and a staircase which led upward.


    At this moment, heavy footsteps like metal shing with stone rang in the silent room.


    A cloaked figure who was standing in front of a mural holding a book in his hand jolted out of his daze when he heard those footsteps. He moved his cloaked head toward the entrance as two ghastly blue mes lit under the cloak.


    The tall armored Lich King stepped inside the room at this moment.


    The cloaked figure trembled slightly before he vanished from his position and appeared kneeling in front of the Lich King.


    He respectfully greeted, "Your eternal servant Wight Minister is at His Majesty''s service!"


    "Rise!" The Lich King stated before he moved toward the stone throne while he observed the murals.


    The Wight Minister kept his head low as he followed behind the Lich King. He didn''t dare to distract the King''s thinking process.


    Wight Minister''s bone finger suddenly shimmered in blue light before the scatter books magically started to fly out of the Lich King''s way and bundled into a corner.


    The Lich King didn''t seem to bother as he continued to move. After giving a deep nce at the throne and the headless kneeling figure. He moved behind the throne and looked at the wall with the runenguage.


    The Lich King was already quite familiar with dark ruins condition since this ce was very important to his conquest to rule the entire rare ins.


    While the other time, he waged war on the magic beasts in the rare wilderness ins and increased the dark being''s prowess.


    There was only one phase written on that wall, and the Lich King could easily read it since Dark Beings were not unfamiliar with rune and philosopher''snguages. They had their own means to acquire knowledge from higher ins like the living.


    The phrase read, ''My Salvation lies under King''s Dignity and Lord''s Blessing.''


    However, he didn''t speak this phase out loud because whoever did in the past was turned into dust, and the Dark Beings had lost a valuable Dark Knight to learn this fact!


    The Lich King finally spoke while his face still facing the phase, "Any progress on how to break the shackle here?"


    The Wight Minister quickly replied respectfully, "I have already been informed of our current situation by Lich Minister. I''m very close to deciphering this riddle. The answer lies in the murals. Please take a look at my research, Your majesty!"


    A ck book suddenly flew toward the Wight Minister!

 Chapter 197 The Dark Annihilation Army

    ?After skimming through every tatter book, Jacob found nothing he could understand because these books weren''t even in runenguage or philosopher''snguage. They were in some entirely differentnguage.


    Helpless, he could only give up and decided to go with another simple approach: to enter deep within the castle where those dark beings were going. Especially the Extraordinary Dark Beings.


    However, he didn''t dare to do it right now because that ''Armor Leader'' was still vivid in his mind, and those dark knights and lich minister outside.


    If he wanted to do this, he needed some distraction to keep at least those on the outside upied and, most importantly, make sure the Lich King wasn''t in the castle!


    So, for now, he was nning to remain hidden in this room and let those dark beings settle for now and then start his scouting.


    He still had enough food and water to sustain himself for half a year or even longer if he stayed static and only ate a small amount once a day.


    Meanwhile, he was going to prepare something just in case his life fell into jeopardy and also control the fluid eleration to a higher level because he knew he would need it.


    Although this ce was still in the open, the Dark Beings were guarding the area against every side, and unless they ordered, no one woulde here. Even if they did, Jacob could handle it as long as they were alone!


    ---


    A month passed since the Lich King had garrisoned the central area of the Dark Ruins with over 60,000 dark begins.


    Furthermore, the dark beings were constantly skimming through the dark ruins while also madly destroying any intact building as if they were searching for something.


    At this moment, in the Dark Woonds area-1, which was the military base of Light Nation.


    Influential figures gathered in a spacious hall, and everyone had solemn expressions on their faces. There were elves, giants, dwarfs, kobolds, demi-humans, orcs, and all the intelligent species'' upper echelons were gathered in this pce.


    If it were any time else, they would''ve never left the Freedom ins'' safety, but now it was toote since they could fight or wait to get annihted once the dark beings got rid of the protection over freedom ins.


    This news had long been spread to the ignorantmon public of the freedom ins. They all knew about the dark beings and the danger they posed to them.


    It caused a massivemotion as all those people living their lives peacefully came to the realization that there was a terrifying force of the undead who wanted to eradicate them.


    The matter about the Dark Ruins was also no longer kept a secret since it was meaningless.


    The four power once deliberately tried to keep this information under tight wraps since they thought that it wouldn''t do any good to let those people know about the presence of Dark Beings, especially those civilians, despite the three hegemonies wanting the opposite.


    But the Four Freedom Lords went against it, and now, those people were toofortable with their lives, especially those in high positions. This revtion hit them the hardest, and now everything was a mess.


    However, the four powers were ready as they quickly controlled the situation and gave them hope by telling them that they had already broken a shackle and that as long as they broke another one, they would be able to live even more magnificently.


    But the entire truth about shackles being more than three wasn''t revealed.


    This naturally gave everyone a glimpse of hope and even motivated them that they had a chance against those undead creatures.


    So, now a widespread army recruitment called the Dark Annihtion Army was going on the Freedom ins.


    This army was going to be fighting in the dark ruins and searching for thest shackle, and every race present on the freedom ins will have to send 50% of their entire forces, or they will be banished into the dark wilnds.


    Even those retired veterans weren''t spared, and those aristocrats of prominent families who had never been on the battlefield and enjoyed the glory of their predecessors had to participate as well.


    This decree was absolute because it was signed by the Five Freedom Lords!


    Yes, this was probably the most shocking thing after the revtion of the dark beings and dark ruins.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was disclosed that there were Four Freedom Lords who were the true rulers of the four powers of freedom ins, and now there was a Fifth Freedom Lord as well as the fifth power.


    The Skull Kingdom of Killer Skull Society and the Fifth Lord was the Grace Freedom Lord.


    This action of the four powers was seen as just how desperate they were and how grave this situation was.


    If not for the revtion of the Dark Beings and Dark Ruins, most people would rather revolt than let the Killer Skull Society establish their own fifth power so easily.


    But no one seemed to care because they needed everyst bit of help they could get.


    The Killer Skull Society did note empty-handed. They had revealed a powerful potion that could be made a peakmon tier expert a rare tier without any side effects, and this fact was verified by four nations!


    This helped the killer skull society earn praise from many no one tried to oppose them for now, and so the fifth power came into prominence.


    But this event quickly died as today was when the Dark Annihtion Army would be moved out toward the Dark Ruins while they would also start cleaning up all those hidden dark beings on this side of the Dark Woonds.


    Lastly, this army''s leader was the 2nd Freedom Lord, the Golden Swords Freedom Lord, and he was personally going to lead this massive army of 100,000 into the dark ruins to fight with dark beings!


    "Silence, the Army Lord has arrived!" A handsome golden elf wearing beautiful emerald armor announced.


    The entire ce fell into silence as they looked toward the high stage with curiosity and even reverence.


    Until a month ago, some of them didn''t even know what Freedom Lords were, but now that they knew, they were naturally curious about these mysterious Lords of the Freedom ins.


    Distant steps were heard before a tall man d in exquisite white armor walked onto the tform, his face was covered under a white mask, but his blue eyes and long golden hairs were evidence of him being an Elf!


    Many were shocked, but those old members of each race were calm since they already knew the four freedom lords were a Golden Elf, two Iron Giants, and a Demi-Human.


    However, their identities were always mysterious, and only their race was known.


    However, the Golden Swords Freedom Lord wasn''t alone as closely following behind him were many figures of different races as they wore battle gears and had this wild aura and cold eyes of predators!


    Jacob would''ve recognized one giant figure amidst them if he were here. It was Elbio!


    Many people''s faces fell when they saw all those wild figures following behind the Golden Swords Freedom Lord.


    But they all kept their mouth shut as the Golden Swords Freedom Lord stopped in the middle of this tform while all those people stood behind him while coldly ring at the crowd below.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord spoke in his calm voice, "Everyone, I''m pleased to see everyone standing united against this terrifying force who wanted to destroy our home.


    "We are going to start a war which we had only a 20% chance of winning. I won''t hide this from you. The Dark Beings are terrifying existences, especially the extraordinary ones, not to take above those Dark Beings with the status of Ministers and Knights.


    "These Dark Beings couldn''t be killed without destroying their Dead me Cores. They can recover as long as they have other dark beings around them by absorbing their dead mes, or they can outright absorb the life force from life crystals that they create by refining the life force of a living being like us.


    "There are even more astonishing and deadly facts about them, like a Mark Zombie, could cast ten times more Basic Spells than a Basic Mage in our ranks. Although those zombies only know one magic spell, I don''t need to tell anyone just what kind of damage a basic spell could cause, right?


    "Then there is still their toxicity which they used in the sham of their spell, especially if those mark zombies were controlled by a sane zombie who is as deadly as akin to 5 Basic Master Mages and could turn any living into a zombie and continue to increase his numbers rapidly.


    "Lastly, the Skeleton Grand Warrior is even scarier than an Extraordinary Giant when ites to battle magic. They are the true vanguards of Dark Beings."


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord coldly scanned the shocked faces of those below the tform and coldly uttered, "That''s why we need veterans who were fighting them for a long time in Dark Woonds, and some of them even managed toe back alive from Dark Ruins!"

 Chapter 198 Humans Vanished!

    ?Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s words rang like morning bells in everyone''s ears.


    They all knew that most of those standing behind the Golden Swords Freedom Lord were misfits, fugitives, and deserted members of four powers who didn''t want to be controlled and like independence.


    Some of them were here to have a chance at living because they offended someone who wanted to leave the dark woonds.


    But when these fugitives found the true horror of dark woonds, they would either be forced to go back or join another fugitive crew to survive.


    These crews then plundered the four powers bases in dark woond to make a living, and they were not easy to get rid of either. They all knew how to handle themselves in this ce crawling with dark beings because without it. They won''t be able to survive.


    Most of them were doing it because they were angry that they were caged in this ce like wild animals, and the four powers won''t let them return to freedom ins either, not as a free native, at least.


    But this came as a shock to everyone that these famous misfit crew leaders hade here with Golden Swords Freedom Lord, and from his words, they were going to join them!


    No one knows how Golden Swords Freedom Lord did it, or he even found their secret hideouts.


    But no one knows that these crew leaders all once fell into Dark Ruins, and they were all saved by Golden Swords Freedom Lord and sent back from the only passage out, which was guarded by the Golden Swords Freedom Lord himself.


    They were all in his debt, and Golden Swords Freedom Lord also knew what they were doing here, but he didn''t stop them and even let them prosper.


    Because Golden Swords Freedom Lord wanted them to grow into this environment, and when the Grace Treaty ends, they will be excellent generals and trump cards to y against Dark Beings when they officially fought against them for Dark Ruins.


    However, Jacob threw Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s ns into disarray 100 years prior, and now everything was a mess.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord secretly hated whoever broke the first shackle, not because he had done it early but because the benefits would now be given to that person even if Dark Beings broke the rest of them.


    Although it won''t be anywhere near asvish as the winner''s rewards, it would still be something that even a Freedom Lord like Golden Swords envied Jacob.


    Now that person was still hidden or had already been captured by the dark being while they were left to clean up this mess.


    Lastly, if the Grace Treaty had ended without any ident, both sides could only send 10,000 troops every five years to fight over Dark Ruins, and Lich King or Free Lords couldn''t participate before a side broke the first shackle.


    Both sides could''ve easily made strongholds if everything had yed ording to the treaty.


    But now, the Lich King took full advantage of this situation and led 50,000 ready troops into the Dark Ruins before the Freedom ins could even assemble their forces.


    That''s why everyone hated whoever cleared the first shackle since now they would suffer tremendous casualties just to develop a stronghold, and ording to Golden Swords Freedom Lord, the Dark Beings were very close to breaking a shackle themselves.


    So, the pressure was tremendous.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord continued, "These veterans behind me will lead an army unit, and they will be no longer fugitives but Level-2 Citizens and Army Captains. If someone has a problem, they could speak now before we discuss our strategy."


    Although everyone''s expression turned nasty, they knew who was in front of them, so they kept their mouth shut.


    "I would like to ask something!" At this moment, a cold voice sounded, drawing everyone''s attention.


    When they saw a group of masked people, their expressions turned ugly.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord looked at them and nodded, "Please speak freely, Skull of Skull Kingdom."


    If it were in the past, the Killer Skull Society wouldn''t even dare to appear anywhere near this base, much less dare to raise their opinion on the matter of freedom ins.


    But now they were equally qualified as the other four powers.


    The masked skull didn''t mind being called a ''skull'' since he already was. He was the leader representing the Skull Kingdom''s force, Skull No. A-501!


    Skull No. A-501 said, "My question is not about the people standing behind you, but about the Dark Ruins. Sir. Freedom Lord, is it true that Dark Beings already knew the position of a shackle?"


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord coolly replied, "Yes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I would like to suggest infiltrating that ce with our best stealth experts and snatching that shackle from Dark Beings!" Skull No. A-501 boldly dered.


    "Heh, everyone, there is a god among us who know to clear the shackle, which even the dark beings hadn''t been able to do for hundreds of years!" A troll sneered disdainfully.


    Everyone sneered coldly because they had the same thoughts.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s eyes also shed with a hint of derision as he asked, "It seemed Fifth Freedom Lord had another scheme."


    Skull No. A-501 remainedpletely calm despite those disdainful eyes and nodded. He revealed, "As long as we managed to enter the shackle''s exact location, we have a way to make itpletely unassessable for any dark being for ten years!"


    Now Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s eyes winded as he thought of something and looked at Skull No. A-501, "Don''t tell me you guys have¡­."


    Skull No. A-501 nodded, and his tone was filled with mockery, "2nd Freedom Lord is indeed knowledgeable. But we want the rewards if we manage to win. Except for protective barriers, we won''t give away anything; this is a fair exchange. Or pretend as if I said nothing, and we can always try finding the other shackles."


    Everyone in the room was looking at Skull No. A-501 with ck jaws because by Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s words, they could tell the Killer Skull Society had, indeed, something else up in their sleeves.


    First, the mysterious potion, and now this mysterious thing that can stop the dark begins from entering the shackle''s area.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s deeply looked at Skull No. A-501 before he said, "I''ll have to discuss it with other Lords, and I''ll contact the Fifth Lord with my answer. Now we''ll discuss the strategy if you guys have no more things to add."


    "Please!"


    Skull No. A-501 didn''t speak anymore since he knew the message was delivered, and now they just had to wait for the fish to take the bait!


    ---


    Inside the secret headquarters of the Killer Skull Society in Rare ins,


    Important Grace34 was standing in front of a blurry, dark hologram at this moment.


    A melodious voice rang, "I have never thought you''ll earn such a ce for us in Rare ins, No. A-0. But it still won''t make up for your blunder with our cannibal data."


    Important Grace34 or Skull No. A-0 respectfully spoke, "I know it is not enough to redeem myself, but I''m doing everything I can to recover the lost data. But that hateful rat is just too hard to track down."


    "Hmph! Since he can enter the Type-1 in''s life in without getting blocked by the barrier, then, this means he''s a native of Rare ins and under the strength restriction level of Type-1 in.


    "Don''t forget this is not Type-0 in where strength restriction is almost null for Type-1 in Natives. So, stop making excuses like some hidden force behind him." The woman soundedpletely displeased.


    Skull No. A-0 eyes were filled with helplessness, "I know that''s why I didn''t stop looking for him. But he had almost vanished after pulling a fast one on the legion."


    "Keep searching. Now that you have the official share of the Life in, no one will restrict our movement. As for Dark Ruins, the package will be delivered in 2 years." The woman coldly stated.


    Skull No. A-0 respectfully nodded, "I understand. Those fool lords will definitely fall for this and help us lead to the shackle guarded by the Lich King. Once we clear the trial, there will be no hegemonies or dark cities in the rare ins!"


    "Heh, those high and mighty idiots won''t care about Type-1 in." The woman sneered coldly.


    "Yes, mydy, once I get rid of all obstacles, we no longer need the data. I can always grab those humans¡­."


    Before Skull No. A-0 could finish his words, but the woman cut him short.


    "The Humans vanished from the Common in a month ago!"


    Skull No. A-0''s eyes widened as he blurted, "How is that possible?!"


    The woman gravely divulged, "We also wanted to know the exact thing. But we are still out of luck since the Forest Elves who were sheltering them have been gone with them, and their empty territory is currently being fought over!"

 Chapter 199 A Courtyard!

    ?Six months passed since Jacob broke the first shackle, and he had started waiting for a distraction, but there we simply no movement in the vicinity of the castle.


    He was also running out of ration, and he could only go on like this for two more months.


    So, today, Jacob decided to move out and hunt for Extraordinary Dark Beings!


    Because the time spent in his room wasn''t gone in vain, as he had already made progress with fluid eleration and had even more profound control over his heart rate and breathing.


    Jacob knew the sh with extraordinary dark beings was inevitable, even if someone distracted the Lich King and his ministers. So, he was preparing for his next move. Even if no distractionse, he knows he doesn''t have the luxury of time to wait until it does.


    Since no one wasing, he had to move out himself.


    But he wasn''t desperate enough to storm his way toward the inner castle. He was still going to use his zombie disguise, which was stowed in the infinity pendant, not to get spoiled.


    After Jacob became a zombie, he opened the door that hadn''t been open since he entered here. He had to admit the dark beings were really obedient like machines as in these few months he hadn''t even heard a movement from outside.


    They were still standing listlessly in their spots without caring about eating or drinking; heck, they didn''t even need to breathe.


    A dark being''s lifespan was as long as their Dead me existed, and a Dark Being, like a tier-1 Skeleton Soldier or Toxic Zombie, could stay alive for 100 years without absorbing any life force.


    Life Force was fuel to their dark me, and as long as they absorbed enough, they would evolve into higher tiers. But there was one restriction on rank evolution, the Life Force level!


    If a Dark Being wanted to evolve from a Rare-Tier-9 to an Extraodianry-Tier-1, they needed the life force of an Extraodinry-Tier-1 living being and not just a single but multiple.


    Or if they could just grow by absorbing low-level life forces, then there would be an incredible number of Extraordinary Dark Begins, and Lich King would''ve long crossed the power cap of Rare ins.


    That''s why dark beings always wanted to devour every living; the stronger they are, the more they will grow.


    Still, the lifespan of an Extraordinary Dark Being was ten times greater than a living, and they could continue to live as long as they had life crystal filled with extraordinary tier life force. In contrast, a living being would eventually die!


    In a sense, they were immortal if they had an endless amount of life force, but it also made them depend on living beings since, without them, there would be no life force or life crystals.


    They will perish just like any other life out there.


    If Jacob didn''t have cursed immortality, he might''ve wanted to join the undead once he found out about this fact. But now, he won''t even if someone offers him to.


    Because the dark beings werepletely restricted by those with higher evolution than them and can''t seem to go against them if they don''t evolve.


    An extraordinary sane zombie could easily stop any zombie below him from absorbing higher level life force and prevent them from evolving any further or simply forbid them from absorbing any life force and letting them rot. They won''t be able to go against that order.


    A Lich which is a higher evolution above the Sane Zombie could do the same to Sane Zombie, and they were as intelligent as any living. At the same time, the Wight was a higher evolution of a Skeleton Grand Warrior.


    This is also the highest evolution that any Dark Being could achieve while staying in the Type-1 in!


    The onlyfort was as long as they needed a massive amount of such live force to evolve into a Lich or Wight, which could only be acquired from living beings as strong as them in rank.


    So, it wasn''t easy for a Lich or Wight appeared among the Dark Beings for centuries.


    The Dark Knights were all those who had started to evolve into either a Lich or Wight but were still a distance away from reaching it.


    Jacob had no idea what kind of creatures were guarding the secret room as he moved deeper into the castle.


    After moving for two hundred meters in the left hallway, he saw a cross path that was blocked by a group of dark beings, which meant he was on the right path.


    Those dark beings only nce at him before they return to being dead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob chose to go left again while crossing the dark beings. He was almost used to it now and didn''t even flinch while moving within them.


    However, the passage he chose turned out to lead into a gloomy courtyard that was filled with debris and weeds. There weren''t any traces of dark beings here, which means he should''ve gone to the right corridor.


    But he didn''t choose to leave immediately and decided to investigate this ce. Although he wasn''t hopeful but still if he could avoid those dark beings, he would prefer to do it.


    A castle where a royal family lived should have many hidden passages for their escape. If he could find one that led to the innermost area, he wouldn''t have to risk trying to assassinate the extraordinary dark beings.


    Only the ground floor was intact in this courtyard, and Jacob found nothing but dust and stones in this pce. He couldn''t guess who this ce belonged to, but it should be someone from the royal family.


    After searching for fifteen minutes, he approached thest room. There was no door, and he didn''t have much hope for this ce either.


    However, when he entered the room, his eyes winded because he saw a broken status just like the one in the ruined temple, but it was half of its size, but it was definitely the status of the Priest Skeleton!


    There was also a broken altar in front of this statue which should be there for offerings which made this room a payer room or a small worship temple for whoever used to live there.


    There were broken pieces of statue and debris in this room and nothing else. Jacob would''ve thought the same if he hadn''t seen the secret room in the temple!


    With great anticipation, he approached the wall behind the statue and started to scrutinize it.


    After scratching around the wall for a while, Jacob finally found a faint outline.


    ''Jackpot!'' Jacob knew he had stumbled upon a huge opportunity.


    Jacob then took out his short sword and tried cutting a holder so he could pull the door. He knew there was no mechanism to open this door. It was only opened with a push from inside.


    It was probably made this way to fool others into thinking that there wasn''t any trap door unless they had enough time to try destroying these thick walls. The temple''s trap door was made the same way.


    Only if someone knew about that door would they think this way.


    Jacob then carved a small handle into the wall and pushed it. With a loud sound, the wall suddenly split, and a thick brick door opened.


    Jacob frowned because of the sound, but he knew it was already toote. But the distance between the extraordinary beings and this ce was quiterge, so they might not have heard it at all.


    Nevertheless, Jacob only opened it enough for himself to slip in. But he didn''t enter instantly. He wanted to make sure this ce would remain hidden.


    So, he quickly started to block the entire section of the hallway with debris so everyone would think there was no door in the hallways, and it ended right there.


    It would almost look like a wall crumbled in this ce. But he wasn''t satisfied with it since anyone would be able to know if they tried to see past the debris that there was a hidden door behind it.


    So, he set up TNT with a trip wire, and the moment someone tried to clear the debris, it would go off, and the entire hallways with the room will crumble!


    This way, he would also know someone had discovered this ce or if he came back after discovering nothing, this would also be proof that no one hade here since he left.


    Then he hid the handle he carved by filling it again, then quickly entered the room and closed it just like it was before!


    ---


    Two days after Jacob discovered the trap door.


    In the east wing of the ruined castle, there was another courtyard like the one he discovered, and there was a worship room with a broken statue of a priest''s skeleton.


    The wall behind the statue suddenly trembled before it opened, revealing ck-d figures!

 Chapter 200 Phantom Spider

    ?Behind the hidden door, Jacob discovered another room that was actually the same as the one in the temple.


    However, there wasn''t anything inside besides a stone bed. This made Jacob somewhat disappointed. But still, he was more interested in the walls of this room because if it was the same as the temple, then one of the walls should be a hoax.


    If not, he would be very disappointed, and all his preparation to hide this ce would go in vain.


    Jacob shed the left wall without wasting time since the temple''s secret room''s left wall was hollow.


    However, even after destroying a huge chunk of it, there was nothing but solid stones, which made Jacob frown. So, he tried the other walls.


    But after half an hour, the empty, clean room was now filled with stone rubble, and he discovered nothing. Those walls were all like normal walls, and his expression was dark.


    Yet, he still didn''t give up, and his eyesnded on the stone bed.


    Jacob grabbed the stone bed and tried to remove it from its position when his lips curled up because the bed waspletely stuck in its ce.


    ''The bed in the temple waspletely mobile, yet this one is fixed.'' He thought as his eyes turned sharp.


    He made a fist, punched in the center of the bed like a hammer, andpletely destroyed it like it was made of soft y.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed at this moment because the stone bed was actually hollow from the inside, and the moment it broke, a gray metallic cylinder appeared. This cylinder was a foot long and six inches wide.


    Jacob picked it up and instantly felt something moving within the cylinder, ''A cover to seal something?''


    Intrigued, he shakes it, and just as he thinks there is something inside it, there is no sign of sealing on the cylinder or lid. It was smooth, like an ingot.


    Furthermore, when all the things here were decaying, this cylinder waspletely fine without any tract of dposition.


    Jacob hesitated for a moment before he decided to cut it open.


    However, he was astonished when his Basic-Rare Grade Titan Iron Sword didn''t even leave a scratch on the cylinder. This de could cut into stones like butter, but this cylinder wasn''t even scratched.


    So, he used his strength this time as he shed on top of the cylinder with the full power he could muster without fluid eleration, which was 800 tons!


    However, when both metals collided, they only made some sparks before his de bounced back, which shocked him.


    The cylinder was still fine without any scratch whatsoever, while the titan sword was now slightly chipped.


    ''Just what kind of metal is used to make this thing, and what is stored inside? I probably need aser or ever stronger metal than titan iron to cut it open.'' Jacob mused with a grim expression.


    Nevertheless, since it was hidden inside this bed and this cylinder was even tougher than titan iron, this meant whatever was inside was a treasure. So, he stowed it away and decided to deal with it after leaving this ce.


    Then his focus turned to the floor beneath the bed, there was a ck lever, and Jacob twisted it without hesitation. It was clearly stuck, which meant it hadn''t been used for a long time, but Jacob managed to twist it without breaking it.


    ''Click¡­''


    A sound of something behind opening rang in the room, and the next moment, the entire room suddenly trembled before, with a snap, a trap door broke free from the floor right where the lever was.


    Jacob then pulled open the trap door, which was actually made of thick metal like a treasury door, and under it was an irondder that was quite rusty. He couldn''t see the bottom at all as there was no light whatsoever, not even those magic torches.


    So, Jacob took out a shlight and shed it into the dark passage, there were walls around, and it was made like an underground tunnel, and the bottom was still unclear.


    Still, there was nothing out of the ordinary, so Jacob decided to take the rustydder and slowly started to descend.


    The tunnel was over a hundred meters deep, and Jacob finally saw the solid ground.


    Thedder and tunnel ended ten meters above the ground, and Jacob had to jump down. When hended at the end of the tunnel, he shed the shlight and saw he was in an underground dusty cobweb corridor.


    ''This should be some kind of escape route or hidden passage that led toward some hidden chamber.'' Jacob presumed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A few meters behind him was a wall, and the only open way was ahead of him. So, he walked toward it while he was vignt of his surroundings.


    Although this corridor looked normal, there might be traps hidden for intruders if they hadn''t gone rotten with time, so he had to be careful.


    After walking for a few tens of meters, a cross path appeared, which made him frown.


    ''Don''t tell me it is another fucking maze!'' Vexed, he chose to go right.


    However, he only moved a few meters into the pathway when he heard movement in front of him, which startled him. A shotgun appeared in his hand and shed his shlight ahead, but then the movement suddenly stopped.


    But there was no one ahead either. It waspletely empty passage. Yet, Jacob knew he had heard some movement, so he turned around and went toward the left passage to see if he could draw this person out.


    Jacob pretended that he didn''t notice anything and just changed his mind


    He suddenly thought of Livia, who had been transported into the catb maze, so this might turn out to be the case. But if the person turned out to be like Livia was a whole other case.


    In the deep darkness of the right corridor, on the ceiling, which lookedpletely fine, crimson eyes suddenly appeared on it, and those eyes that could see as clear as day were coldly looking at Jacob''s retreating figure.


    Even in the light, those eyes remain invisible, and Jacob doesn''t notice anything despite looking right into it. At this moment, those eyes started to creep toward Jacob!


    Jacob again heard vague movement, which made it quite clear that something was really there and now following him. But the movement was so vague that he couldn''t pinpoint the exact location.


    Furthermore, the other party had no heartbeat whatsoever, and he could only hear it moving, which meant it was most likely a dark being.


    But he knew the party was still oblivious to the fact that he had already discovered its tracks, and now Jacob was at an advantage.


    Jacob suddenly entered 1X eleration as his hearing increased, and he was finally able to pinpoint the exact location of his stalker.


    ''On the ceiling and multiple legs?'' Something came into Jacob''s mind.


    The next moment thereafter, CT.408 sniper rifle appeared in his hand, and in that instant, he took an urate shot where that thing was crawling!


    ''Shhhh¡­''


    A strange, eerily cry suddenly rang in the silent vicinity as eight crimson eyes filled with bloodlust surfaced on the ceiling. Also, a two-meter-wide ck body with twelve long legs in red strips also came to light.


    Jacob''s lips curled into a cold smile when he saw this creature, "Only a Rare-Tier-9 Phantom Spider and here I thought it was some undead!"


    The Phantom Spiders were predators who were stealthy with their camouge ability in darkness, as well as their deadly poison and web. These creatures were rtively rare in the rare ins because they lived in cold areas where the sun couldn''t reach.


    Jacob never expected to encounter one in this ce. But he wasn''t worried anymore since it was just a magic beast.


    There was a hole in that Phantom Spider''s cephalothorax as the green matter wasing out, which was clearly the bullet hole.


    The Phantom Spider''s eyes were filled with viciousness as it lunged toward Jacob with its menacing mouth opened and suddenly sprayed a gray liquid!


    Jacob waspletely rxed as he dodged instantly, stowed away his sniper rifle, and took out Livia''s long sword. He didn''t want to waste ammo on this thing when he could cut it down easily.


    The Phantom Spider was shocked when Jacob suddenly vanished from his spot, and it was busy twisting his massive body when it felt weight over itsrge stomach.


    But before it could react, a sharp de shed past its ugly head and cleaved it!


    Jacob then looked at the massive listless body of the Phantom Spider and frowned, ''It''s not eatable¡­ No more importantly, how did it survive in this ce? Don''t tell me¡­.''


    Jacob''s eyes winded as he felt his skin crawling when he looked deep into the corridor, and he was dumbfounded because multiple glowing crimson eyes were madly heading toward him!

 Chapter 201 The End Of The Corridor

    ?Jacob grimly watched over ten phantom spiders crawling toward him as he remembered a piece of important information about the Phantom Spiders.


    They were predators who lived in colonies and also used cannibalism to sustain themselves when there was no prey. The weak Phantom Spiders would be nutrition for strong Phantom Spiders, and the vicious cycle would continue.


    The Queen Phantom Spider was the same as she ate her children to make even more of them like an endless food supply.


    Jacob never thought there would be a colony of Phantom Spiders in this underground passage, and they were probably here for a long time.


    Now that a fresh prey like him had appeared, it would naturally draw these spiders toward him like a beckon in darkness.


    Lastly, Jacob knew the Phantom Spider Queen had to be an extraordinary being, and she was probably hiding while controlling these Phantom Spiders to exhaust him before striking.


    However, Jacob wasn''t going to fight them head-on either since he knew those spiders might be a part of arge army, so fleeing this ce was probably for the best.


    Besides, a Phantom Spider had a Poison Magic Core, which had no use to him, so fighting them was even more meaningless.


    So, Jacob swiftly turned around and fled toward this passage''s exit. Those Phantom Spiders were quite fast but not as fast as Jacob, who was in his 2X eleration already.


    Now, he could only hope that the other passage wasn''t a spider nest, or he would have no choice but to either retreat back to the hiddendder or fight his way out of these passages.


    Jacob quickly reached the split corridor, and those spiders were still quite far, so he quickly took the other passage and vanished into it without making any noises.


    Although those spiders have excellent night vision and their hearing sense might be best among in rare tier. But as long as Jacob could draw some distance and then keep his tracks hidden, those spiders won''t be able to tail him.


    However, Jacob had only covered over a hundred meters distance when his heart churned because ahead of him were pairs of crimson eyes that were viciously staring at him.


    ''Just great, those damn spiders colonize both passages!'' Jacob cursed in his heart, but this time he didn''t stop.


    With the long sword in his hand, he entered 3X eleration. He wanted to charge his way out of this ce now.


    Although it would consume his energy much faster, it was far better than waiting for those spiders to overwhelm him.


    He wanted to take advantage of his speed and escape this spider nest. As for why he was risking going deeper into the spider nest to escape them, it was pretty simple¡­


    Seeing Jacobing in their way, those spiders shot poison spry and web balls at him.


    But Jacob nimbly dodges everything and swiftly passes those spiders throwing them in disarray.


    However, Jacob had just entered a few meters deep into the passage when spider webs blocked his way, and many phantom spiders were eyeing him with bloodlust.


    Now he was surrounded from front and back.


    But Jacob suddenly smiled coldly, "A spider nest won''t be a spider nest without webs. And all the webs are extremelybustible!"


    The next moment, a grenade appeared in his hand, and he quickly took out the pin and threw it deep into the passage, and then instantly turned around!


    Although this would cause amotion, he knew this was the only way he could advance!


    Furthermore, he was deep underground and could only hope those dark beings won''t get alert by this grenade''s explosion. Even if they did, they won''t be able to find the location unless they could dig hundreds of meters!


    As for these spiders, they would be too busy dealing with fire, and he could easily take advantage of this situation and escape their nest!


    Those spiders naturally had no idea what just Jacob threw as they all chased after him to stop him from escaping.


    After ten seconds¡­


    ''Boomm¡­''


    An explosion rang in the corridor, raising dust clouding before blood-curdling shrieks started to ring in the corridor.


    Jacob instantly turned around, and when he saw the passage was now lit in bright light, he knew the entire nest was probably ignited!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He ran toward it without hesitation while skillfully dodging the Spider and even cutting them if they got in his way.


    Now the ce was crawling with those mad phantom spiders as they rushed toward him as if they hadpletely lost their sanity.


    Jacob had to amid these spiders were simply too many and probably here for a long time.


    So, he took out another grenade and threw it backward while he entered the sea of me as all those spiders also started to catch fire because of the hairy respecters on their legs.


    Everyone was thrown into disarray as the second grenade also sted amid those spiders chasing after him.


    The spider web of phantom spiders was as thick as a rope and would be burning for a long time. The temperature of the ce instantly rose, turning it into a furnace.


    At this moment, a cloak suddenly appeared on Jacob, made out of steel threads and highly me resistant.


    Jacob quickly saw the end of the ame passage, which was another cross path, but the right corridor was not ignited in a fire.


    Furthermore, he noticed that those spiders, despite burning in mes, were not approaching that dark corridor.


    Which made him somewhat vignt. Still, he took that path as he wanted to get out of this burning spider nest, and he almost went deaf because of those shrills.


    Jacob didn''t know if he had managed to get the spider queen, but he didn''t want to stay to find out.


    But he was astonished when those spiders didn''t follow him in this passage, so he quickly stopped the fluid eleration and slowed down his speed.


    Those spiders were avoiding something here and would rather burn than head this way. This was enough of a reason for Jacob to be even more careful.


    He quickly took out a piece of meat and ate it while, with silent feet, he slowly walked deep into the corridor. The shrills of spiders were getting vague, and the burning corridor was also not turned into a small light spot.


    ''Just what kind of ce is this?'' Jacob was more curious as he walked while replenishing his energy.


    Soon, he reached another turn, and now it wasplete silence and dark, just like before.


    Jacob decided to rest for a bit since there was no one, and he wasn''t sure what would be waiting for him at the end of this passage.


    After three hours, Jacob starts walking again with his torch. He could see vaguely in the dark if he heightened his senses, but it was far from night vision.


    However, Jacob''s eyes contracted when he saw the same gloomy light at another turn ahead, and he knew it was the light from the magic torch since it was all over the ce.


    ''Could it be those spiders had gotten rid of all the torches in that area? Then what about this corridor?'' Jacob stowed his shlight away and equipped his sniper rifle and sword as he slowly approached the turn.


    Jacob slowly peered while taking cover in the dimly lit corridor. His eyes narrowed when he saw an open space at the end of this dim corridor.


    Without making any sounds, he approached the end of the corridor and stopped at the entrance while carefully examining the spacious room in front of him.


    It was a 20x20 room painted in dark yellow, and in the center of this room was something that made Jacob''s heart race.


    A golden crown embedded in gems was mysteriously hovering in the center of a ck altar. Furthermore, a stone head with soft facial features was ced right in the middle of the altar and below the Crown.


    ''Don''t tell me¡­'' Jacob instantly looked around, and finally, his eyesnded on the ck symbols engraved on the wall straight ahead while the other walls were filled with murals, including the ceiling.


    ''I reached the ce of another condition!'' Jacob''s eyes shone in ecstasy.


    But his heart suddenly palpitated when his eyesnded on a figure who was almost invisible under the dim light and lying on the west corner.


    It was a six-meter creature with dark-yellow scales all over its body, and its head was like a T-Rex with a pair of red horns while two red bat wings were folded over his spine and a long crocodile tail filled with sharp red spikes.


    Its sharp ws were resting under its head. The eyes of this creature were closed as if it was dead, but when a powerful breath escaped its nostrils, almost turning into a low roar, it was quite evident that it was alive and only asleep.


    Jacob almost forgot to breathe as a fabled creature came into his mind, ''A Wyvern?!''

 Chapter 202 New Titan Sniper!

    ?''A Wyvern?!''


    Jacob felt his scalp tingle in trepidation as he slowly backed away and only stopped after he waspletely out of the entrance''s view.


    Jacob finally understood why those spiders didn''t dare to wander on this path. It was because of that sleeping Wyvern!


    His expression was as grim as it could get while he mused, ''What a Wyvern doing in this ce? Weren''t they in just folklore, or shouldn''t exist in rare ins, right? Could it be this thing is the guardian of this ce? It''s most likely the case.''


    A wry smile appeared on his cold face, ''How could it be so easy toplete a trial? Moreover, from the Wyvern color, it should be a Fire Wyvern. From folklore, Wyvern belonged to the branch of the mythical Dragon Race, and their scale color represents their element.


    ''Even in my world, Wyvern is as famous as Dragons, and they consider it a lower evolution of a fully-grown dragon. I wonder if this is true in this ce as well. Damn, I never thought I would miss that damn book so much. Only it could confirm if this thing is even Wyvern or not!''


    Jacob calmed himself after a while as his eyes shimmered with uncertainty, ''Let''s forget about the Wyvern or whatever that thing is. Since it is sleeping, then it means it is oblivious to my presence yet.


    ''I have to figure out what condition this is. Since I can''t understand the runes written there, I have to guess before taking any action.


    ''A crown hovering above a statue head, probably of a female. A crown can easily synonym with a King''s dignity since, without a crown, there is no true king. But that female head could also be seen as a Maiden.


    ''The remaining conditions are, Destroy the Dignity of the King and Give the Maiden Hope. If I destroyed that crown, would it result in thepletion of the first or second condition? Or what if that crown is supposed to go over that statue''s head?''


    The more Jacob mulled over it, the more he felt he was missing something, and he knew that the riddle on the wall was what he was missing.


    Then there was still that sleeping disaster which would definitely not remain sleeping if someone tried to approach the crown or clear the condition.


    ''What to do? Try assassinating that sleeping thing?''


    Killing intent shed past Jacob''s eyes as he knew it was a rare chance to sneak attack that Wyvern, and once it was gone, he could try to study those murals since they were also there for a reason.


    ''But what if my bullet didn''t pierce through that Wyvern''s skull? It would only antagonize it, and it might go on a rampage, and I would be like a trapped rat in these corridors unless I can outrun it¡­.'' Jacob''s mind raced as he contemted his options.


    ''Or I can draw those dark beings into this passage by explosions and let them fight with this Wyvern. But if this weren''t a Wyvern and only some weak creature, then I would have to deal with those high-level dark beings, which would be even more difficult.


    ''They might''ve already discovered the position of another condition, and if they find a way to clear both of them, then all my effort will go down the drain¡­'' Jacob inhaled sharply before resolution shimmered in his icy cold eyes, ''Well, without risk there is no reward, let see if I can y a Wyvern or not with this new Titan Sniper!''


    The next moment, Jacob approached the corridor again, and when he was only a meter away from the space, he stopped.


    He flipped his hand, and a three-meter-long, three-legged sniper stand appeared in his hands. The legs of this sniper stand were 1.1 meters thick each!


    Without making a sound, he set it right where the entrance was, and the Wyvern was in clear view. But its footing was still shallow, and Jacob didn''t want to take the risk of digging because of the sleeping Wyvern, so he had to do with it.


    The next moment, a two-meter-long sniper body appeared, which was pitch ck with a dark gray trigger and sniper grip. The sniper''s body was evenrger than him and as wide as him.


    It literally looked like a freaking cannon!


    He then carefully set the rifle body on top of the stand and then locked it with those locks, and only when it waspletely affixed did he take out the barrel!


    The barrel was five meters in size and as thick as the barrel of a tank but far more refined. He then carefully assembled the barrel before taking out the final part, a multi-hole muzzle two meters long.


    This new sniper rifle had cost Jacob his entire fortune; he even had to sell the star watches to create this beast. This rifle was far deadlier than the old titan sniper rifle he created in themon ins.


    Furthermore, he can''t shoot a bullet from it while holding it because of the terrifying recoil. That''s why he needed that stand which was also made with titan iron.


    He had made it to hunt Extraordinary-Tier-6 beings from a far distance, but he never thought he would stumble into dark ruins.


    Now, this Wyvern was blocking his way, so he had no choice but to take out this Titan Rifle, and since it was sleeping, Jacob was even more confident in killing it with a single shot from this close!


    Jacob didn''t need to set the scoop as he stood behind therge sniper rifle, held the grip, and took the shooting stance while he eyed the sleeping prey without breathing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After adjusting it a little and when the muzzle perfectly aligned with the Wyvern''s closed eyes, arge ck magazine filled with ten bullets appeared in Jacob''s other hand.


    The bullet waspletely ck because it was made with titan iron and a special gunpowder crafted by Jacob. The bullet size was 40 mm Caliber, which was literally a cannon bullet!


    He only had five more such bullets except those in the magazine, and each bullet cost him 500 million in gold coins!


    Jacob then slowly attacked the magazine and loaded the bullet with a cold click.


    At this moment, Jacob''s heartbeat started to climb at an insane rate¡­ 1X¡­ 3X¡­ 6X eleration!


    At this moment, his skin was bead red, and veins bulged all over his body. Even his eyes went bloodshot. But his breath was as calm as ake.


    The next moment, Jacob''s finger on the trigger moved!


    The Wyvern, who seemed to be in a deep slumber, suddenly opened its reptile eyes and instantly locked on the muzzle. It felt its life was threatened all of a sudden!


    It had opened its eyes just at the right time because Jacob had pulled the trigger, and despite entering 6x eleration, he felt his shoulder bone break and the stand just barely able to do its job.


    However, his eyes didn''t leave the target!


    The Wyvern couldn''t even react, and the bullet was already upon him!


    ''Ssh¡­''


    With wide open eyes filled with confusion and daze, it felt a thunderous pain in its head before that pain faded as well as the light in its sights.


    There was a huge hole in its skull, and crimson blood was gushing out of it with its brain matter.


    ''Boommm¡­''


    A sonic boom suddenly rang at this moment. Despite the suppression, it nearly sted half of the corridor!


    Jacob was barely able to hold his ground because of the 6x eleration.


    Despite the trickling blood from the corner of his lips, a hint of a smile was apparent on his face as he looked at the dead Wyvern, which he slew in one headshot.


    But when he looked at the hole in the skull and that instantly fast bullet failed to st its head off or pierce through its skull, he felt chills.


    Because this means the scales on this guy''s body were far more resistible and harder than he had imagined, and that bullet was able to kill it because of its speed and rare titan iron.


    Or if he had used amon titan bullet, he might only put a scratch on its head!


    Nevertheless, since the creature was dead, it no longer mattered.


    Jacob then focused on calming down his heart rate, but that broken shoulder was making it hard for him to focus as he was on the verge of entering 7x eleration.


    Then he had no choice but to take out the only 100-milliliter vial of rare titan tears he had managed to create with the reaming titan iron. He then consumed 10 ml as he finally felt warm energy start to fill his body, and the pain started to subdue.


    After an hour, he finally calmed down, and his shoulder was more than half-mended. He then ate the reaming meat he had of crock snake and was able to move.


    He first disassembled the titan rifle and stowed it away. The entire rifle covered too much area of his pendant.


    Then he finally moved toward the Wyvern with burning eyes as if he was looking at a feast!

 Chapter 203 Clues And Final Decision!

    ?Approaching the corpse of Wyvern, Jacob couldn''t help but feel a lingering oppressive aura from the carcass.


    Despite knowing, it was dead, Jacob still felt his fine hair standing because of that oppressive aura.


    ''This thing had to be an Extraordinary-Tier-6 at least!'' Jacob presumed as he looked at the shining scales as his eyes shimmered with ecstasy, ''Whatever its rank might be, just its skin is priceless in rare ins. No, the entire body of a Wyvern should be a treasure, even blood!''


    Without wasting any time, Jacob sprang into action and turned around the body upside down, revealing the red stomach of the Wyvern. He knew if he wanted to cut it open, the only way was from the softest part of the body.


    He wasn''t confident in cutting it with any of his des, especially from its scaly skin, which was thought enough not to blow up by a bullet fired from titan iron!


    Jacob then made a cut with full strength around its neck cavity as he took out an empty water gallon and filled it with the creature''s fiery blood. He was shocked when he felt the blood temperature which was almost at a boiling point.


    Jacob had read about the magic beast''s blood used in alchemy, and if the magic beast were an extraordinary tier, then the blood would be more precious. Many Alchemists would pay a high price for such a creature''s blood.


    Not to mention if this was a Fire Wyvern, then that makes its blood even more precious and rare.


    Jacob filled three such gallons, which were previously filled with water!


    After storing the gallons, he gutted the creature and carefully removed the skin, which was probably the most precious and perfect material to make armor.


    It took him twelve hours to fully dismembered the Wyvern, and he stored marble-like meat, lungs, heart, and anything eatable to his pendant. Even its giant head wasn''t spared since those teeth and skull were also precious materials to make des.


    The space was filled with the potent smell of blood, but Jacob waspletely unfazed.


    With ecstasy, Jacob was holding a crystal red orb that was as big as his fist, and it was glowing in nine bright white spots like a crystal ball with real stars in it.


    It was a Nine-Star Fire Element Core and was at the peak of nine stars at that!


    Jacob could feel terrifying fiery energy concentrated in this orb, and even while holding it, he could feel this vibrant energy wanting to burn his skin. Thosemon-tier species won''t be able to touch this magic core!


    Now, there was no doubt that he had managed to kill an Extraordinary-Tier-6 with a single headshot.


    After admiring the magic core, he stowed it away. Although it won''t dissipate like a one- or two-star magic core in minutes, it would still lose all its element energy if it is left alone in the open for a long.


    Now, he was done with the dismembering, and the floor was filled with blood and gore and arteries of Wyvern. He finally turned his focus on the real prize!


    Jacob approached the hovering crown and statue head in the center. He paid much attention to the stone head, which was skillfully carved, and it was no doubt the face of a beautiful woman.


    However, now that he looked closely at the head, he saw there was a deep cut over her lips, or it might be because the head was attacked by a sharp object like a knife at some time.


    But seeing the perfectly fine condition of the rest of the head, he doubted that someone with the intent to destroy it would only leave after leaving a small cut over the lips.


    He stopped a meter away from the altar, didn''t dare to touch anything, and only observed it from each side.


    Jacob knew hecked the crucial clue written on that wall, and if he triggered something without an understanding of this ce, he might not get another chance at this.


    So, after examining the crown and the status head, he moved toward the murals, which were the only thing that could shed some light on which condition it was.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® On the left wall, there are three scenes recorded.


    The first one was a chariot drawn by horses, and a person pointing his spear toward an army of men could be seen. The most noteworthy thing was that the person pointing its spear was actually wearing the same crown hovering in the room.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This would make him the owner of that crown, the King!


    The next scene has recorded as a banquet, and the King is standing over a high tform while holding a wine ss, this time instead of a spear. In thest scene, the King sits over his throne while a radiating sun and dark moon are inscribed on the left and right.


    Jacob frowned and thought, ''Although I''m not an expert at this, it is quite clear that the King has won some battle, and the banquet is probably a celebration banquet. Lastly, he was shown ruling over everything. Sun and moon mostly symbolized the Life and Death cycle in most ancient cultures. But I can''t be sure about this world.''


    Jacob was quite familiar with anything that symbolized life and death because of his mad search to prolong his life. He had seen many ancient records which were remotely rted to immortality.


    He then walked toward the other wall, which also had three scenes.


    In the first scene, someone was kneeling before the King on his throne. In the second, there was still the same scene, but eight spear-holding persons were added to it, as well as King was showing, pointing his finger at the kneeling figure.


    In thest scene, which was the most interesting of all, in here, a ck-dressed woman appeared beside the King''s throne, and her hand was precisely attached to the King''s Crown!


    If the other wall shows the glorying of the King, then this wall shows some kind of memorial of the throne room.


    Jacob frowned because there was no record of what happened afterward.


    ''Now there are three key figures, the King, the kneeling figure, and that woman grabbing the crown.


    ''If I assumed the kneeling figure is the maiden, then that stone head should be her since there are weaponized guards and the King is pointing his finger at her.


    ''But the woman grabbing the crown is also more than qualified enough to behead because of her bold action of grabbing the crown as that head could be her as well.


    ''Yet, I can''t imagine her being the maiden since a maiden represents someone who is pure and without any malice. So how could she grab the King''s crown?''


    Jacob then looked toward the ceiling to find some more clues about what happened after she grabbed the crown. He knew he was quite close to getting the clear picture.


    However, he was disappointed because there was another battle scene on the ceiling.


    But this time, Jacob was shocked that the King was fighting in the same chariot. There were skeletons figures recorded on the enemy side while a ck sun was behind the enemy side, and a white moon was on the King''s army side.


    ''Don''t tell me those skeletons represent Dark Beings?'' Jacob couldn''t help but feel it was highly possible.


    Because Dark Being existed as long as the living, and they are enemies of any living beings. So, it shouldn''t be a surprise to find dark beings hundreds of thousands of years in the past.


    But the end result of this battle was also not shown, which made Jacob grimace to no end. The only thing left was the riddle on the wall, which Jacob had no clue how to solve.


    ''Should I try to put the crown on the statue''s head?'' Jacob gravely looked at the crown again, ''But what if the whole ce crushes down the moment I do it or even touch it? Or I got some ancient curse by touching it? Even poisoning is not out of option¡­ should I try destroying it? There is only a 1% chance that nothing will happen.''


    No matter what he thought about, he couldn''t decide what to do since every path led to a dangerous oue. In contrast, getting rid of a living Wyvern was way easier.


    Jacob then again looked at the wall with the kneeling figure and woman touching the crown. He knew the answer was in this mural, and he just needed to figure it out.


    After looking for a while, Jacob suddenly jolted as his eyes grew shaper and shaper while his eyes were affixed to the hand touching the crown.


    ''She touched the crown; then she got beheaded? Then it is more likely that I need to destroy the crown without touching it or removing it from its ce. I''m 60% sure that this is about destroying dignity, not giving anyone hope.


    ''The woman''s action could also be seen as destroying the King''s dignity, but she got destroyed in the end¡­!''

 Chapter 204 The Start Of Mayhem (1)

    ?In the east wing of the ruined castle, there was another courtyard like the one Jacob discovered.


    At this moment, inside the worship room with a broken statue of a priest''s skeleton.


    Five ck-d figures were looking at a hologram map projected of the star watch of a 1.9-meter-tall person.


    "Team Leader, are you sure this ce is abandoned and no dark beings are patrolling this area?" Skull No. A-501''s whispered in a grave tone.


    After he revealed the Killer Skull Society''s ability to hold those dark beings back for ten years in the secret trial space in the castle, the other freedom lords had no choice but toply with their demands since it was a matter of countless lives and their entire heritage.


    So, with Skull No. A-501, a team of five, was formed to infiltrate the castle through a secret passage the Golden Swords Freedom Lord had discovered by ident which led straight inside the outer castle.


    This team''s job was to reach the secret room and then figure out how to clear the condition there in ten years, or they will naturally die horribly from the enraged dark beings.


    However, this task was much easier said than done because they needed to reach that ce in one piece before they could use the secret trump card of killer skull society.


    But more importantly, they needed to draw the attention of the Lich King and the Wight Minister. At least they needed to draw away the Lich King from the secret room, or these five won''t be enough, and they would die before they could even step inside that room.


    That''s why the Dark Annihtion Army willunch an all-out attack. Even Freedom Lords will participate in it, so Lich King had no choice but to leave the castle since Lich Minister and two Dark Knights weren''t enough to hold back more than one freedom lord.


    Meanwhile, these five had to figure out how to reach their destination before the Dark Beings could determine their true motives.


    These five were highly proficient in stealth arts, and the Team Leader was a mysterious existence from the Ice Nation called the Maroon Assassin, selected by the Golden Sword Freedom Lord himself.


    Maroon Assassin''s face was hidden behind a metal mask, and his eyes were also hidden behind an obscure lens in his mask. He coldly replied, hearing No.501''s question in his harsh voice, "Are you questioning Lord Golden Swords'' words and my ability?"


    No.501 felt a chill run down his spine as if a hunter stared at him and quickly replied briskly, "Team Leader, I''m just concerned that''s all because if we fail, we won''t get another chance. Please forgive me if I offended you."


    Maroon Assassin coldly stated, "If you''re afraid of death, then hand over the item and the usage method and then scram. We''ll do it on our own. You are only here because of the person behind you, and if you slow us down, I''ll be the first one to get rid of you!"


    The other three remain stoic without saying anything since they are all terrifying figures, while No.501 is only an Extraordinary-Tier-2 among them. He was only here because the ''item'' and its usage matter were only known to him.


    So, they can''t get rid of them either for now.


    But this didn''t mean they would let this guy push them around. This mission was critical, and they were under strict orders to eliminate any threat.


    They were even allowed to kill 501 if he appeared to be a nuisance and then bring back that item without exposing this passage.


    However, if he cooperated, they were not allowed to touch him, and they knew better than their fates were also dependent on this, or they didn''t mind killing him and then confiscating the item.


    "Please do your thing Team Leader. I''ll keep my mouth shut." No.501 didn''t speak anymore, but a hint of viciousness shed past his eyes, ''Hmph, once I get into that room, I''ll let you know what real arrogance is!''


    Maroon Assassin then didn''t pay any attention to him either and kept looking at the scanning hologram map.


    After ten minutes, a miniature map appeared with lots of blue dots.


    Maroon Assassin coldly looked at the four and said, "All these blue dots are undead, and as you can see, there are over hundreds of them in five hundred meters around us.


    "Our mission is to distract them all while causing a massivemotion before the army attack starts and draw Lich King out.


    "I want you four to set up explosives in these areas where there is no undead. Remember this map well. I''ll be going deeper to set explosive where the sane zombies are.


    "We only had one chance, so I don''t want any of you to mess up, or I''ll be the first one toe after you. Is that clear?"


    The four gravely nodded under Maroon Assassin''s piercing gaze!


    ---<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Back to the secret underground room,


    After deciding to try destroying the crown, Jacob didn''t take immediate action and first sat down to replenish his energy.


    He didn''t was any misshape to happen if something went wrong.


    He also ate the Wyvern meat, which was as hard as rubber, but he felt like an energy st had gone aze in his body when he consumed it.


    Just eating half a pound gave Jacob as much energy as the entire vial of rare titan tears he currently had, or even more.


    Furthermore, there was a strange heat energy in that meat which would''ve burned his organs without his powerful digesting ability.


    ''So, this is the meat of a peak extraordinary specie.'' Jacob wiped a slight blood from the corner of his lips as they curled up.


    Despite feeling like his body was on fire, he was feeling full of vitality and strength. He knew he didn''t have to worry about consuming his energy and then won''t be able to replenish it for a while now. Which simply means he could go wild if he wanted to!


    Jacob then started to use that excess energy to practice the next level of fluid eleration. He wasn''t in a hurry anymore.


    This ce was still safe, and even if someone discovered it, those spiders would be the first ones to notice if any of them still hadn''t burned yet.


    After meditating for an entire day, Jacob finally opened his eyes which were filled with fiery vitality and coldness as he looked at the hovering crown.


    He stood up, and a long silver sword appeared in his hand as he made his way toward the crown.


    He stopped a meter away from the crown, and his heartbeat started to rise while he tightly gripped the sword''s hilt.


    Jacob wanted to finish it with a single blow because he was afraid that something might happen if he couldn''t destroy the crown in a single blow.


    Furthermore, he was going to destroy the head underneath as well, just to be saved. Because there was another possibility that this head should be the Queen, and a Queen could also be considered a King''s Dignity.


    So, he just wanted to make sure he won''t leave any room for error.


    Lastly, if he was wrong, he could only run and find thest condition.


    He didn''t know what would happen if someone destroyed a conditioned ce without knowing what to do, but he was certain that it might never be restored or those dark beings won''t be waiting for 400 years to clear the already found condition.


    With 6X eleration, Jacob held the sword with both hands and held it high in a shing position before he hacked the de down as it vibrated through the air and turned into a silver streak.


    ''Boommmm¡­''


    A piercing sound suddenly reverberated in the entire corridor before the eerie sound of ss shattering by a sharp object rang.


    The moment Jacob''s swordnded on the crown, he was shocked because the hovering crown remained infective for a moment as cracks started to appear on it, and like ss, it shattered, and his swordnded on the statue head below.


    However, the moment the sword touched the stone statue, it bound back, sending Jacob flying toward the mural wall!


    Jacob was barely able to avoid the powerful impact andnded on his feet. He looked at the statue''s head with astonishment while his hands felt numb.


    But his eyes dted when he saw the broken pieces of crown suddenly trembling on the ground, and the next moment thereafter, they turned into gold dust.


    The gold dust seemed attracted by a mysterious force and started gathering around the statue''s head.


    Under Jacob''s baffled eyes, the gold dust started to take shape around the head of this statue.


    When the shape was finished, he was even more amazed because the gold dust was shaped into the same crown he had just destroyed, and now it started to congeal!

 Chapter 205 The Start Of Mayhem (2)

    ?Jacob looked at the statue''s head with uncertainty in his eyes because of the newly congealed golden crown resting over its head.


    But he didn''t have the time to mull over it because of the sudden tremor, and the entire underground foundation started to shake, just like what happened when he cleared the first condition.


    Suddenly, Jacob''s attention was drawn by the cracking sound toward the right, which was the wall with the riddle.


    Under his astonished eyes, a passage cracked open, and he could see old stone stairs going downward.


    ''How convenient¡­'' His lips curled up.


    But before taking the passage, he quickly tried to grab the crown over the statue''s head. Since the condition was clear, then it won''t be dangerous anymore.


    Since this crown was reformed, then this means it probably had some other uses, just like the flower he got after he cleared the first condition.


    However, to Jacob''s surprise, the moment he tried picking up the crown, the statue''s head got lifted with it as if both of them were now attacked together.


    ''Well, what the hell.'' Jacob didn''t mind as he stowed away the crowned statue head.


    The tremor was getting violent as the cracks started to appear around the room. Jacob knew he didn''t have time, so he shed toward the newly open passage. He was still in 6x eleration, so his speed was akin to an extraordinary-tier-3.


    ---


    The entire Dark Ruins was experiencing violent tremors at this moment.


    Inside the secret underground room where the throne and the headless kneeling figure were.


    The Wight Minister was trembling while prostrating on the floor in front of the Lich King, who was emitting an ice-chilling ghostly aura as a dark blue me was ignited over his menacing helmet.


    "Tell me, Wight Minister, this tremor is not what I think it is?" The dark blue me suddenly rose as Lich King questioned with a hint of madness in his voice.


    Wight Minister trembled violently despite the tremor fading away. He was afraid of dying right now because he knew the Lich King waspletely enraged right now, and immeasurable bloodlust was leaking from his very being.


    Before Wight Minister could answer, right at this moment,


    "Boomm¡­. Boommm... Boom¡­"


    Explosions started to ring above the castle, and they were so high pitch the voice could be heard deep down there.


    "Those livestocks don''t know their ce!" The Lich King furiously roared, which was more like an eerie shrill filled with mad wrath.


    The Lich King vanished from his position giving Wight Minister a new lease on life.


    "I need to figure out this damn riddle, or I won''t be able to live if another shackle was broken by those hateful ants!" Wight Minister mumbled as blue mes within his eyes flickered madly.


    ---


    At this moment, somewhere in the outer castle.


    The team of five was hiding in an empty room.


    With a hoarse voice, one of them asked, "What was that tremor just now?"


    "A shackle had been broken!" Maroon Assassin stated in a foreboding voice.


    "What?! Could it be we are already toote?" Skull No. A-501 palely questioned.


    "I don''t know, but there is a 90% chance of its being the same shackle within the pce. Furthermore, our time bombs were also gone off at a very terrible time, and if I''m not wrong, the lords might abandon the attack n after finding out the shackle was broken. There is no meaning in sacrificing our manpower anymore." The Maroon Assassin stated grimly.


    "Then what about us?" A female voice sounded with a hint of nervousness.


    "Since the shackle is broken, there is no need to stay here any longer, and we are on our own to retreat now!" Maroon Assassin coldly stated.


    "But we are already this deep into the castle, and the areas we blow up too close to the hidden passage, and if the lords are noting to distract the Lich King, then we will be sitting ducks for him to ughter!" Skull No. A-501 ruefully stated.


    However, at this moment, the Maroon Assassin suddenly said something which sent everyone into the abyss of despair.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Heh, this is indeed the case; if all five of us go back, that''s why you guys should just stay here forever!"


    The next moment, before the other four could react, Maroon Assassin''s hand suddenly surrounded by the wind before turning into a windy de and shing past those four throats!


    ---


    In the outermost area of the Dark Runes.


    The Dark Annihtion Army was garrisoning this ce while the potent smell of blood and blood scattered around.


    Large piles of dark beings'' corpses were in the west of these camps.


    There were also natives of freedom ins corpses which were also piled in the rear of the army camps as some soldiers were burning them on highmand''s order.


    It was evident that there was a huge fight not long ago in this ce. The Dark Annihtion Army had earned itself this foothold in Dark Ruins after scarifying over 10,000 troops.


    However, they also killed over 10,000 dark beings under Lich Minister''smand, so the exchange was equal.


    At this moment, in a huge camp, ten people d in armor were sitting around a table with grim expressions.


    The Golden Swords Freedom Lord, as well as another Giant figure who wore crimson armor with spiky shoulder guards and long ck dreadlock hair, and a menacing mask, was also present in this ce. It was the Crimson War Freedom Lord!


    The Golden Swords Freedom Lord gravely spoke, "As everyone might already have guessed, I''m afraid another shackle had been broken a few minutes ago. Since it was broken before we could start the operation, then it would be safe to assume that the Dark Beings had broken the shackle in the castle.


    "This means the stealth team is now on their own, and we''ll need to turn our focus to finding the other shackle. The advantage we had before is now gone, so I don''t need to tell everyone what is at stake here, right?"


    A masked person with blue fur on his hands suddenly spoke with a hint of panic, "Then what about the item in 501''s possession? If he abandons them, then doesn''t it mean that item will also be lost if they won''t able toe out?"


    This person was another Skull, themander of Skull Kingdom''s Army Unit, No. A-502.


    He never expected their n would go into smoke even before it started, which was a massive blow to their future ns.


    Furthermore, the item that Skull No. A-501 was carrying was even more precious and one of the killer skull society''s trump cards in rare ins, and losing it would definitely make No. A-0 went berserk.


    "Is your measly item more important than our current predicament where all of our lives are at stake?!" A golden elf berated coldly.


    "Measly item? How about you throw your Life Points into the gutter and then try saying the same!" No. A-502 retorted without holding back.


    "Bastard, you dare to profane Holy Water! Supreme Lord, please let me kill this profaner!" The golden elf instantly stood up while his hand was tightly on the sword hilt around his belt.


    The Holy Water was the most sacred object of Golden Elves, and just one drop of it could cure any illness or curse and increase someone''s lifespan by ten years!


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® That''s why it was known as Life Potion by everyone. But elves won''t give to anyone no matter what the price, as they consider it a blessing granted to them by the World Tree of myths!


    Even Golden Swords Freedom Lords went icy, but he knew this wasn''t the time to dispute, and that item was really equivalent to ten drops of Holy Water, so No. A-502 anger and panic were justifiable.


    "Enough with your retard talks!" At this moment, the Crimson War Freedom Lord''s icy voice boomed into everyone''s ears, almost deafening them!


    Everyone looked toward the giant with a hint of fear.


    Many feared Giants, and they were killing machines if they went on a rampage, so no one wanted to offend them. And this person was probably the strongest giant because he was called the First Freedom Lord for this exact reason, strength!


    "You have something to add, First Lord?" Golden Swords Freedom Lord''s eyes shifted to the giant as he didn''t dare to mess with this guy.


    "It''s simple, I''m going to kill that Lich Bastard (Lich King), and I need you to hold back those underlings. Can you do that?" The Crimson War Freedom Lord coolly stated as if it was a trifling matter while looking at the Golden Swords Freedom Lord.


    However, before Golden Swords Freedom Lord could reply, a terrifying aura suddenly descent before they heard eerie roars and powerful footsteps marching; the ground was rumbling.


    Lich King''s wrathful voice rang in the entire Dark Ruins at this moment,


    "Cunning livestock, forfeit your lives!"

 Chapter 206 The Last Hurdle

    ?After Jacob entered the underground staircase, the passage behind started to crumble, and it only stopped when there was nothing left.


    However, the for some reason, the staircase passage waspletely fine, and when he was a few meters deep, he received another message in his star watch from an unknown source.


    "You have received the Irony of the King."


    Jacob scoffed inwardly, ''First, the blessing of the priest and now the irony of the king. What a peculiar way to tell you have seeded!''


    Jacob then stopped paying attention to the star watch and headed deep within the passage. After walking fifty meters down the stairs, he finally saw a touch ahead.


    The passage was three meters high, two meters wide, and made withrge stone bricks.


    As Jacob moved down, he finally saw the end after heading two hundred meters deep underground.


    It was another wall, and he assumed that this wall should be just like the hoax wall in the secret rooms.


    So, he took out his sword and tried to open a small hole to see what was on the other side instead of just barging.


    However, when he tried piercing his sword, he found that it was probably a real wall, not a hoax. Still, he used his strength to dig a small hole, and after piercing one meter deep into the wall, his sword finally managed to reach the other side.


    Jacob then looked through the hole, and he only saw a wall like the passage he was already in, nothing else.


    So, he decided to make the hole bigger, and when he was finally able to see the other side, he was astonished because there was another staircase going downward.


    ''Now, where am I?'' Jacob thoughtfully looked at the staircase, which led downward as well as going upward. He was probably in the middle of a hidden passage built behind this stairway.


    Since there was no one or any movement, he made a hole big enough for himself to crawl out of it. But he avoids making any noises because this ce might as well be some cer in the innermost castle, and outside might be extraordinary dark beings.


    Jacob silentlynded on the stairway, and after thinking for a moment, he decided to head down to see if there was some kind of hidden storage room. He might get some unexpected loot, like in the temple''s secret room.


    The passage was just like the one he had appeared from; there were torches around to make it visible.


    Without making any noise, he headed down, and when he was on his 100th step, he finally saw an opening. But that opening reminded him of the corridor opening which led toward the secret room with the crown.


    ''Don''t tell me this passage opened right toward another condition?!'' Jacob didn''t dare to believe it, but still, he felt anticipation.


    But he also remembered the Wyvern sleeping in that ce, so he didn''t dare to make noises even more and slowly crept toward the opening.


    When Jacob was only ten meters away from the opening, he stopped because he could hear slow footsteps ahead, and his expression turned grave.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''There is someone else there?'' Jacob didn''t dare to move forward, afraid that the other party would see him.


    But after the footsteps moved for five or six seconds, they were stopped and no longer moved. Jacob also increased his hearing, but he couldn''t hear any heartbeat or breathing, which made him even more vignt.


    Since there was no more movement and no shadow ahead, he descended two more steps to see what was inside and the person.


    Jacob then squatted and lowered his head like a sneaking thief to see a barely visible room. However, it was enough to make Jacob almost swear with joy.


    Because the space ahead looked exactly like two spaces he couldn''t be more familiar with.


    This ce was slightly bigger than the crown room, and in the center of this room was arge stone throne and a stone statue sat on this throne.


    In front of this Stone Throne was another headless statue kneeling.


    Jacob''s eyes instantlynded on the runes inscribed on the walls right ahead and some of the visible murals.


    Jacob knew he had really appeared right where thest condition was but what made him apprehensive was the ragged cloak tall figure standing right behind the throne and looking at the runes without moving.


    ''A Dark Being!'' Jacob didn''t need to think about the identity because this ce was likely to be the ce that was under Dark Beings'' monitoring.


    So, that cloaked figure should be as strong as the Lich Minister he saw that day. The only good news was the Lich King wasn''t anywhere to be seen.


    But Jacob''s expression fell when he thought about the huge hole in the middle of the stairway, and if Lich King or any dark being came back, it would be over for him!


    There would be no ce for him to hide at that time since he would be under the siege of hundreds of dark beings. He shuddered just thinking about it.


    ''I need to get rid of that guy before dealing with this ce as soon as possible!'' Jacob''s eyes were filled with decisiveness, ''Since he is standing there like a statue, I won''t get another chance to sneak up on him!''


    Jacob knew he had to react quickly since he could get exposed at any moment. He crept toward the room, and without arousing Wight Minister''s attention, Jacob entered the room as his heart rate, and breathing were extremely low.


    The Wight Minister was only 15 meters away from him, but Jacob felt like it was fifteen miles as he took tiny steps toward the Wight Minister, who seemed to be deep in thought while looking at the riddle.


    After the two conditions were broken, Wight Minister wanted to solve this riddle quickly, or he knew it would be his turn when the Lich King returned after venting on the freedom ins army.


    So, Jacob''s presence goespletely unnoticed by Wight Minister, whose mind was solely focused on figuring out how to live until¡­!

 Chapter 207 Fighting Wight Minister (1)

    ?Wight Minister suddenly sensed something amiss as the mes within his empty sockets flickered fiercely before a dark translucent barrier appeared right above his clocked head.


    ''Swish¡­''


    The very next moment, a powerful gust of sharp wind hail as a long silver de stuck on the dark barrier, but it didn''t manage to break through it.


    "Indigenous ant!" Wight Minister hollered as his skeleton finger shimmered in a dark glow before he waved his hand right toward the attack creating a dark arc!


    Jacob was shocked by his sneak attack being blocked by this dark energy and waspletely caught off guard as he was still in midair. Because he had jump-attacked the Wight Minister since he was standing right behind the throne, going from any side would''ve easily exposed him.


    If he had taken his time by setting up the titan rifle, he would''ve been exposed by the slightest sound, and his decision to sneak up on the Wight Minister waspletely right. He also had no other gun that could kill an extraordinary dark being.


    But he never thought Wight Minister would react so quickly, and before his sword could hack into his skull, he blocked it. He was in 6X eleration right now, which means his previous attack had probably 3-kiloton, but this energy barrier was able to block it!


    Jacob didn''t have time to mull over it as the dark energy de was already upon him, and he quickly used the silver sword to block it. But the power behind it was tremendous, probably close to 5-Kiloton, and Jacob was sent flying toward the mural as the silver blood also lost a chuck of it.


    Wight Minister finally turned toward Jacob, who quickly stabilized himself while leaving a small crater on the mural wall.


    Wight Minister looked at Jacob''s cold amber eyes behind his mask as the mes in his eyes flickered sinisterly.


    Jacob felt his skin crawling as he looked at those blue me eyes and couldn''t help but utter, "What nasty thing are you?"


    Wight Minister scoffed in thenguage of the living, "With this meager power, you dare to sneak attack me?! Know you ce ant and turn into life crystal!"


    Jacob felt his heart palpitate when a crimson de sword with a bone hilt magically appeared in the Wight Minister''s hand.


    The very next moment, the crimson de started to shimmer in dark sheen, and Wight Minister took a step forward, turning into a dark blur!


    Jacob knew he was in danger as the fine hair on his neck stood, and without hesitation, he entered 7X eleration!


    Thereafter, he moved his sword to the left side just in time before the crimson sword was about to slice off his head. But he still took a heavy blow and, like a rag doll, was sent flying toward the entrance wall.


    "Oh? Did you block it? Your power seemed to spike all of a sudden." Wight Minister was standing right where Jacob was while holding his crimson sword as he looked at Jacob with a hint of dark interest as if he was looking at an interesting ant.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, Jacob coughs blood as he pulls himself out of the wall rubble. He looked at Wight Minister with killing intent and a hint of fear. That attack had jumbled his organs, and his right arm was fractured.


    It was his first time getting injured like this and falling into such a disadvantageous situation.


    As he stood up, he felt the sense of death suddenly envelop him, and without even thinking, his heart rate jumped into 8X retion, and he used the short sword to block the crimson de glowing in a dark sheen, which was inches away from piercing his heart.


    Thereby, he barely managed to block another fatal blow, but the force behind this attack was even stronger than before. It almost created arge hole in the wall, and his ribs were also crushed.


    Furthermore, the short titan sword was now filled with cracks because of thest blow. But it was the least of Jacob''s worries as the mask on his face fell, and he vomited a huge amount of blood with pieces of his bones mixed within.


    Lastly, his heart rate waspletely going out of his control as it was on the verge of cross 9X eleration.


    Wight Minister''s ming eyes burn brightly within the dusk cloud like a sinter ghost as if he could see Jacob clearly.


    "You again blocked it, and your power spiked again almost at the Extraordinary-Tier-5. I had never seen or heard of such an ability holder among you living ants, nor did you match any of the threats in our database." Wight Minister uttered with a hint of interest and had no intention of killing him instantly anymore as if he was a specimen.


    Wight Minister coldly uttered, "Tell me, little ant, what kind of ability you have? If it intrigued me, I should let you be reborn as a Dark Being!"


    With an ashen face, Jacob coldly looked at Wight Minister with indignation, ''I guess I be arrogant after achieving continuous sessions and finally bite more than I can clew. But did this ass-bones really think he had won?''


    As his heart rate entered 9X eleration, Jacob felt a warm current in his body as he felt his entire body was burning. Despite his condition, there was no pain, only the feeling of burning.


    He suddenly said with his lips curled upward, "Ass-bones, I shall thank you for giving me a wake-up call. As a token of my appreciation, you can have this gift!"


    Wight Minister''s eyes flicked with disdain as he saw Jacob moving his only hand, which wasn''t broken, toward his face and couldn''t help but mock, "Heh, it seemed I had inflicted some damage on your brain. But, no worries, after I¡­."


    However, his speech came to an abrupt halt as the mes in his empty sockets erged when a pitch-ck weapon in Jacob''s hand and a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.


    But before Wight Minister could react, Jacob had pulled the trigger with this mocking sneer on his ashen face as he was saying, ''You are dead!''

 Chapter 208 Fighting Wight Minister (2)

    ?The moment Jacob pulled the trigger, without the holder or barrel, he endured the full force behind the titan sniper in his current state.


    The moment the bullet left the prime barrel, Jacob''s entire arm shattered, but just in the nick of time, he managed to stow the gun away into the infinity pendant before his entire arm tore off and the shock wave killed him.


    As for what happened to the gun after storing it in the infinity pendant like this, he had two theories about it.


    The first, it would remain the same as it was stored like everything else, and the next time he brought it out, it would appear the same, and he had to deal with the reaming recoil like a time stop.


    Second, the infinity pendant could not stop time, and the recoil will still happen in the pendant space, which would destroy all the things stored in his storage space, which waspletely fine with him, or the infinity pendant would fully suppress the recoil as if nothing happened.


    Whichever happens, it won''t affect the mad thrill in Jacob''s eyes as he looked at the Wight Minister, who had his dark barrier in front of him, which was yet to fade.


    But in this barrier was a huge hole on the top, showing only the jaw bones of Wight Minister as the rest of the head was missing, and only three mes were hovering in its ce!


    Two of the mes were light blue, the eyes of the Wight Minister, while thest one between these two mes was a purple me, wrapping a ck crystal. However, 1/5th of this dark crystal was missing!


    Soon, the purple dead me burned brightly before emerald crystals suddenly appeared around the broken core!


    Jacob''s ecstatic expression turned dark and pale as he saw those emerald crystals start to turn into emerald mist which waspelling toward the broken core!


    "Don''t even think about it!" Jacob cursed as he moved his other hand, which still did notpletely mingle as an automatic assault rifle appeared in his hand.


    This also means the recoiled didn''t happen!


    But Jacob had far more pressing matters to deal with; he had to stop this terrifying bastard who clearly wanted to repair his core and revive with those emerald crystals.


    He had heard about the ability of dark beings to revive as long as their dead mes weren''t extinguished, but he had never heard of a dark being who could still be revived after someone damaged the cores so severely!


    The only relief was Wight Minister seemed to bepletely vulnerable in this state as he didn''t seem to move despite those two mes flickering in aghast!


    Wight Minister had never thought that Jacob would have storage space, and on top of that, he had a weapon that could damage his 9-star dark core, much less blow his face off.


    If he had known, he would never have stopped for chitchat and killed Jacob right there and then when he had the chance, but now, it was toote.


    Jacob was already in 10X eleration as he felt like his entire body was melting, and he looked just like a skeleton warrior with skin and veins attached to him right now.


    But this eleration also healed half of his right arm, and without even caring about it, Jacob pulled the trigger of the automatic assault rifle as a torrent of bulletsnded on the dark core one after another.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He knew that as long as he disrupted the process, the Wight Minister would surely die because if not, he was dead!


    After twenty or so bullets, the core couldn''t take it anymore, and dead me suddenly burned brightly before the cracks started to appear all over the dark core.


    Jacob felt a terrifying force all of a sudden, ''This suborned motherfucker!''


    He quickly switched the rifle with the titan tears vial, and without even opening the lid, he tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it!


    ''Booommm¡­''


    Jacob was barely able to take out a protective shield when the dark core finally exploded and enveloped Jacobpletely!


    The entire secret room shook because of it, and the voice was even louder.


    Despite being in the eyes of the explosion, Jacob was still conscious as he felt a warm current in his stomach and even sharp pain. His eleration was infinitely close to 11X; because of it, the titan tears quickly changed into vitality and gave him some power to collect himself.


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t want to fall unconscious right in this ce, or he would be as good as dead, and the beings on the upper floor might already hear that explosion. He was terrified of the Lich Kinging down and ending him.


    Jacob knew after he barely managed to kill the Wight Minister that he was no match for frontal confrontation with an Extraordinary-Tier-6 being. The Wyvern was just a lucky break, nothing else.


    With extreme difficulty, he cleared the rubble on himself, and the only relief was that the underground room hadn''te down yet.


    He could finally crawl out of the rubble, as the entire entrance was blocked because of the explosion.


    Jacob looked at the center of the secret room and was relieved when he saw the statues survived even after that explosion. He then took out meat blocks he had prepared of Wyvern and swallowed them one after another.


    Color started to return to his bony face as his wounds were mending rapidly. Even his shattered arm started to mend slowly.


    But instead of being happy, Jacob was in a hurry. Even his fluid eleration was ignored by him, and he was barely keeping it at 10X while carefully looking at the kneeling headless statue.


    At this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps with his enhanced hearing, and he knew the dark beings had heard the explosion, and they wereing in mass and madly!


    ''Please work, damn it!''


    Grounding his teeth, he took out the crowned statue''s head and tried cing it on the headless statue with trepidation. He knew if this didn''t work, then he would have to deal with hundreds of extraordinary dark beings!

 Chapter 209 End Of Dark Ruins

    ?In the south of the dark ruins, there was a huge crater like a deep pit as it continued to shake, and sonic booms and glowing shock waves appeared deep within.


    Inside this crater, Lich King was brandishing his ghostly sword in crimson energy as he menacingly shed at the giant, leaving afterimages.


    The Giant was none other than Crimson War Freedom Lord, but right now, he looked ragged rather than majestic as half of his armor was cracked, deep wounds of swords could be seen over his body, and blood was gushing out.


    He was on the receiving end of Lich King''s fatal attacks, which seemed to have no end, and he was barely able to block them with his towering red spear.


    Lich King, on the other hand, was without any injury. There wasn''t a scratch of his armor as dark blue mes were raging over his helmet.


    It''s only been ten minutes since the Dark Beings hadunched an all-out attack on the dark annihtion army, and Crimson War Freedom Lord arrogantly faced off with the Lich King and lured him into this ce where the armies won''t be affected because of their sh.


    However, Crimson War Freedom Lord bitterly found that he had overestimated himself, and now he was thinking about how to save his life.


    As for defeating the Lich King, it was a dream that he had awakened from, and he knew only if all the freedom lords worked together would they have any chance of getting rid of this appalling enemy.


    "Here I thought the proud Giant Lord would at least pose some challenge, but you are just like those ants¡­ I guess a thrall will be forever a thrall!" Lich King coldly scoffed as the crimson energy around this sword suddenly gushed out, forming a ten-meter-long crimson de!


    Crimson War Freedom Lord''s bloodshot eyes were filled with madness as he heard those belittled and disdainful words. Metallic energy suddenly gushed out from his body as he entirely turned into iron. His spear also started to released humming sounds, and he roared while he thrust it toward the crimson de with fury, "Don''t look down on giants. Die!"


    A huge explosion reverberated within the vicinity as the ground shook like an earthquake, raising dust clouds and debris.


    Within the crater, Lich King was pushed back a few meters before he stabilized himself, while the crimson energy de was only half gone.


    On the other hand, Crimson War Freedom Lord was sent flying like a broken kit and smashed into the wall behind, creating a huge pit.


    "Hmph, this dance is over!" Lich King coldly dered a ghastly aura like a raging tilde wave soared from his body, and the energy de suddenly made an eerie sound before it increased and widened.


    But before Lich King could finish preparing for hisst attack and finish Crimson War Freedom Lord off, the me over his helmet suddenly fickler madly.


    ''What?! My connection with Wight Minister is broken, which could not mean he is dead! NO! The shackle!'' Without even thinking twice, the energy de suddenly vanished, and he promptly jumped toward the sky.


    He suddenly roared and let loose a high-pitched voice; he wasmanding the dark beings in the castle to hurry over to the underground room and do anything to get rid of the intruder while he was on his way.


    But he was only halfway toward the castle when the ground startled to shake, rocking the entire dark ruins.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At this moment, a static voice rang all over the dark ruins, "Trial Dark Ruins has been cleared by the Life Faction. All the participants will be sent out effective immediately!"


    "NOOOOOOO¡­." Lich King shrilled madly, creating a crimson shock wave as everything around him turned to dust.


    ---


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord, who was in a stalemate with Lich Minister, was gobsmacked by this announcement, "What?! Life Factionpleted the trial!?"


    "How is that possible?!" Lich Minister felt his body tremble, and the protective barrier around him suddenly got affected by his emotions and was destabilized for a moment.


    Golden Swords Freedom Lord snapped out of his stupor as his eyes shimmered in ecstasy and the dual golden swords in his hand shimmered in golden hue before heunched a torrent of attack on Lich Minister, taking full advantage of the other party''s distraction. He was simply too thrilled and wanted to get rid of this guy before they were sent out.


    The morals of the Dark Annihtion Army also skyrocketed as they all cheered and madlyunched powerful attacks on those dark beings.


    ---


    Underground room, Jacob looked at the statue of a crowned woman with twinkling eyes.


    The moment he put the crowned head on top of the headless statue, like a ma, it instantly connected with the headless status.


    Not only that, but the next moment, a golden light suddenly enveloped the throne statue and the entire altar. When the light vanished, the kneeling statue was nowhere to be seen because she had somehow reced the statue of the king on the throne, and now she was majestically sitting on it like a queen.


    Jacob didn''t know what to do next as the dark beings were getting closer and closer. But at this moment, he heard a voice,


    "Trial Dark Ruins has been cleared by the Life Faction. All the participants will be sent out effective immediately!"


    The next moment, a dark hole suddenly condensed behind the throne. Jacob looked at it with relief. He knew it was the passage out of this damn ce since he had appeared here the same way.


    He was about to take it when his eyes suddenlynded on a shining object lying a few meters away from the passage. If his vision hadn''t been enhanced, he would''ve easily missed it.


    It was a ck ring with red patterns on it, and now that he thinks about it, he had seen this ring on Wight Minister''s finger, so without hesitation, he quickly picked it up.


    Without waiting any longer, he jumped into the dark hole, and after Jacob entered the dark hole, it shrunk before vanishing!

 Chapter 210 Rewards Of Rare Plains Trial (1)

    ?Jacob found himself in the same ck passage as he moved forward, and there was nothing around.


    But he didn''t have time to mull over anything because his heart rate was about to break the 10X limit, and he knew his body wouldn''t be able to take it.


    Just with the 10X eleration, he was beet red, and he could feel his veins would explode if the blood cirction increased any future, and he will die.


    If not for the five pounds of meat he consumed, he would''ve been long dead, and his injuries were almost mended because of it.


    But he knew he wasn''t out of the woods yet. So, he quickly sat down and at a pound more before he started topletely focus on calming his heart down.


    But it was far easier said than done since 10X eleration was his current body limit, and he had yet to master even 7X eleration fully, so it was too hard.


    Still, because of the excessive energy and his wound being healed, he was able topletely focus on calming his heart down as smoke was rising from his body.


    Time passed slowly as he calmed his heart rate little by little, and after an unknown time, he was able to exit the 10X eleration and then 9X¡­ 8X¡­ 7X¡­


    When Jacob finally reached the 6X, it was starting to go even faster, and from 5X, it only took him half a minute to exit the fluid elerationpletely.


    At this moment, Jacob opened his eyes, and he was startled because he found himself sitting in a 10X10 white space, and he wasn''t moving forward at all.


    ''Where am I, and when did I get here?'' Jacob was vignt. He hadpletely lost the concept of time because he waspletely focused on exiting the fluid eleration.


    Furthermore, he hadpletely recovered, his physical condition was optimal, and his physical appearance had returned.


    At this moment, the static voice rang, "Faceless Ancient, congrattions, you havepleted all the Trial Conditions of Rare ins trial [Dark Ruins]!"


    The next moment, Jacob''s star watch suddenly vibrated, and he received another message from an unknown source.


    "You have received the Gratitude of the Maiden."


    ''Could it be this voice belonged to Zodiac Will?'' Jacob felt his heart turn cold, but he didn''t let it show since it might not be a good thing.


    Because even Immortika was afraid of Zodiac Will, and there had to be a reason for it, so he didn''t dare to be careless in front of this terrifying existence akin to gods.


    The static voice rang again, "Faceless Ancient belonged to the Life Faction!


    "The Life Being of other ins will now be freely given ess to the Rare ins as long as they aren''t above the power cap until the next trial establishment.


    "The Dark Being of other ins will have their previous ess voided and returned to 10,000 being per decade!


    "The Protection Barrier will now be lifted from Life in, and Dead in be removed until the next trial establishment.


    "Faceless Ancient, as the Champion of Rare ins Trial, your Star Privilege has been increased from Type-0 to Type-1. You have Level-1 Authority over the Rare ins until the next trial establishment!


    "Faceless Ancient, as the Champion of Rare ins Trials, you have One Time right to activate the Life Zone for 500 Years by forfeiting half of your umted reward!


    "Please choose whether you want to activate the Life Zone."


    ''Like hell, I will.'' Jacob scoffed since he would be insane to give away half of his reward for those he didn''t even know, especially after having a close shave with death at the end.


    He answered without even thinking, "I will not use this One Time Right."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Faceless Ancient, you have voided your one time right!"


    "Your Rewards are as follows:


    "''Forpleting the condition: Destroy the Dignity of King


    "You are rewarded with 10,000 Zodiac Credit


    "''Forpleting the condition: Give the Maiden Hope


    "You are rewarded with 10,000 Zodiac Credit.


    ''''Forpleting the condition: Salvage the Priest with Blood Flower by staining his tears with blood


    "You are rewarded with 10,000 Zodiac Credit


    "Total Reward: 30,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing two conditions, the total reward has been doubled.


    "Total Reward: 60,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing three conditions, the total reward has been doubled.


    "Total Reward: 120,000 Zodiac Credit


    "Sole Champion Reward: 30,000 Zodiac Credit and One free Type-1 Advance Weapon from the Rare ins Shop!


    "Final Reward: 150,000 Zodiac Credit and One free Type-1 Advance Weapon


    "The rewards have been transferred to your Type-1 Zodiac ount!"


    Jacob''s eyes glow like the sun as he hears the collective information on his reward, which is reallyvish. Just the 150,000 ZC were enough to make him the richest in the entire Rare ins.


    Not to mention his Type-1 Zodiac ount had been automatically upgraded to Type-1 with this Star Privilege.


    He guessed this Star Privilege had to be connected with the Star Network, and anything rted to starwork was no joke.


    As for the Type-1 Zodiac ount, it simply meant he would be given a 2% discount on any purchases from the Star Network or anywhere, as a matter of fact, as long as he used ZC. His previous privilege type-0 could give him a 1% discount.


    Lastly, the Level-1 authority over Rare ins, he didn''t care at all since Rare ins were just like a stop in his journey, and once he was prepared, he''ll leave.


    He was interested in this Rare in Shop; Immortika also mentioned that a champion could buy anything avable on a in through this shop, and the delivery would be instant.


    So, he quickly asked, "What is this Rare in Shop?"


    He feigned ignorant since it would be suspicious if he knew about this shop''s functions. He knew it could also be seen as he had contact with higher ins, or this voice did not belong to the actual Zodiac Will and was only an AI.


    Because this was just a mere rare ins trial, it would be absurd if the mighty Zodiac-Will was personally present!

 Chapter 211 Rewards Of Rare Plains Trial (2)

    ?In reply, the static voice stated, "The Rare in Shop is only avable for one-time use only for the Champion/s of a trial. In Rare in Shop, everything will be avable as long as it exists in the Rare ins!"


    The next moment thereafter, a virtual projection appeared in front of Jacob.


    In the top-left corner were his Star ID name and his current bnce, which was 150,003 ZCbined with the 3 ZC he previously had.


    Below was a list, and Jacob''s eyes constricted because the very first thing on the list was under the category of Level-1 Rare Authority, and there were only three items.


    ''1. Rare Storage Ring


    ''Size: 10 Cubic Meters


    ''Description: A special ring with 10 Cubic Meters of Space embedded within and stored any non-living object in the embedded space.


    ''Price: 10,000 ZC


    ''2. Life Zone Scroll (Rare ins)


    ''Description: Create a 20X20 Life Zone anywhere in the Rare ins, and no Dark Being will be able to enter.


    ''Limitation: Only Useable in Rare ins.


    ''Duration: 10 Years


    ''Price: 50,000 ZC


    ''3. Life Limit Breaker (1-level)


    ''Description: Break the Power level limit on the Rare in by One level for every Life Being. While active, any living being with the same level can enter the rare ins.


    ''Duration: 500 Years


    ''Price: 150,000 ZC''


    (AN: The 2nd and 3rd items will have reverse descriptions for the Champion of Dark Beings.)


    Seeing the storage ring description, lighting struck in his head, ''Don''t tell me the ring I picked up was also this Rare Storage Ring?!''


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was the case because Wight Minister had taken his sword out of thin air. Before, he thought it was just a type of magic, but now that he discovered the Storage Ring''s existence, he no longer thought that way.


    When hebined the sudden emergence of the emerald crystals at the end, he knew the ring he got was most likely the storage ring.


    A tingle of regret shed past his eyes when he thought about the bone-hilt sword of Wight Minister, which he forgot to pick up in a hurry. But that sword was likely buried under that rubble, so even if he had remembered, he wouldn''t take a chance with a mere sword.


    Jacob then took out the ck ring with red patterns from his pendant. He was no longer afraid of hiding this storage ability since his pendant could also be taken as a storage pendant.


    He was about to ask whether this ring was a storage ring. When he remembered something crucial, he didn''t even ask who he was speaking with all this time!


    Wouldn''t the other party think he knew who it was beforehand?


    He quickly corrected his mistake with an embarrassing smile, "Umm, forgive my rudeness, but how should I address you?"


    The static voice replied without any emotions, "You may call me Star Administrator Artificial Intelligence of Rare ins, SAAI in short!"


    ''So, it is an AI.'' Jacob was relieved since this also meant this wasn''t the Zodiac Will.


    He then pointed toward the ck ring and asked, "SAAI, what is this object?"


    SAAI replied emotionlessly, "1 ZC for Appraisal.''


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow since he didn''t expect it to work, but the price of 1 billion gold coins was not a small sum either.


    Still, 1 ZC was not a big deal, so he nodded, "Alright, appraise it."


    The 1 ZC from his current bnce vanished before a white ray suddenly shone over the ck ring in Jacob''s hand, startling him for a moment. It started to scan the ring before it vanished after a quick scan.


    SAAI''s emotionless voice rang again, "A Rare Storage Ring."


    Jacob''s lips curled up when he heard the answer, and he was ecstatic, "How should I open it?" He asked quickly since this ring had to have a wealth of that terrifying Dark Being!


    "Magic Energy is needed to open a Rare Storage Ring," SAAI revealed.


    Jacob''s face instantly fell the moment he heard that since he had no Magic Energy to speak of, all the happiness of gaining the Wight Minister''s wealth vanished in smoke.


    He then suddenly thought of something as he asked with cold eyes, "What if I destroy it? Will the items inside also be destroyed?"


    "Yes. Any item below Type-1 will be destroyed if a Rare Storage Ring explodes."


    It was a simple answer which made Jacob grimace. Nevertheless, he would have Magic Power eventually, so he stowed it away.


    Then he thought of something and took out three items, a gray tatter cover book, a parchment made of beast skin, and a gray metallic cylinder.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    These were things he had found in the dark ruins, and he was nning to examine them when he learned the runenguage. But now that he could get the answer without wasting time, he was more than happy to use that option. Especially the gray metallic cylinder.


    "I want to appraise these three items." Jacob dered his intention while cing them on the white floor.


    SAAI didn''t immediately reply this time but first scanned the objects in front of Jacob, which made him frown slightly, but he didn''t speak.


    After the white scanning light was gone, SAAI''s emotionless voice rang again, "The book and parchment will cost you 500 ZC each, and the cylinder will cost 10,000 ZC. Do you want to continue with the appraisal?"


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly when he heard the ridiculous price, especially the cylinder.


    ''Just what the hell is this Cylinder which will cost me 10,000 ZC just to appraise? These two things are also quite expensive since a storage ring only costs me 1 ZC. It seemed the appraisal price depended on the rarity. Well, I''ll ask that damn book once I leave here. It will surely know what this Cylinder is.''


    However, before he could say anything, SAAI spoke again, "You also have the option to sell items for ZC."


    Jacob''s expression changed ever so slightly, and he asked, "How much will I get for these three items?"


    "20,000 ZC for the book and parchment and 1 Million ZC for the Cylinder." SAAI emotionlessly replied.


    ''1 Million for this Cylinder?!'' Now Jacob was sure that this thing was really precious, and those two items were as precious as a storage ring.


    He would be a fool to let go of such items without knowing if they were helpful for him or not, so he quickly stowed them away.


    Jacob thought for a moment before he questioned, "How much does the Rune Language cost?"


    ''It is a far better option to buy the runenguage instead of wasting 1,000 ZC on appraisal. I''m nning to learn these damnnguages anyway.''


    He sighed in aggravation when he thought about how hisck ofnguage haunted him in Dark Ruins, so he wasn''t nning on experiencing it anymore.


    As for the other two items, he didn''t even think of buying them since they had no use for him. The Life Zone Scroll could only protect him from dark beings, not both, and it only works in rare ins, so it was a waste of ZC.


    Lastly, the Life Limit Breaker was even more worthless in his eyes since it had no use for him at all.


    Instead of SAAI, the list in front of Jacob suddenly changed, which made Jacob astonished because anguage section appeared, and there were sevennguages on the list.


    "1. Rune Language: Type-0


    "Price: 10 ZC


    "2. Rune Language: Type-1 (Type-0 Included)


    "Price: 1,000 ZC


    "3. Magic Rune Encyclopedia: Type-0


    "Price: 25,000 ZC


    "4. Magic Rune Encyclopedia: Type-1 (Type-0 Included)


    "Price: 50,000 ZC


    "5. Philosopher''s Language: Type-0


    "Price: 100 ZC


    "6. Philosopher Language: Type-1 (Type-0 Included)


    "Prince: 10,000 ZC


    "7. Language of Dead


    "Description: Language spoken by Dark Beings


    "Price: 100 ZC"


    Jacob was bbergasted when he saw the prices of Rune and Philosopher''s Languages which were simply off the charts for someone like him who had only 150,000 ZC.


    The feeling of being rich also vanished at this moment, and he understood just how poor he was.


    He didn''t buy anything, nor dared to look for anything anymore because he knew he needed almost everything in that shop, so he decided to look for what he required the most.


    Only then will he think about buying another else if he left with ZC, that is.


    Jacob took a deep breath and said, "I want to buy Magic Cores."


    This was the real purpose of himing here and clearing the dark ruins, the reaming magic cores for thest level of Cursed Heart Emergence!


    Jacob had already collected 3-star magic cores of all four elements from zombie hunting, and he also had a 9-star fire core which was simply a fluke. He was only missing three 9-star cores and all the 4-star magic cores.


    At this moment, the virtual projection changed, and the list of magic cores appeared in front of Jacob!

 Chapter 212 Magic Cores Acquired!

    ?At this moment, the virtual projection changed, and the list of magic cores appeared in front of Jacob.


    There were all kinds of element cores ranging from 1-star to 9-star, and the rarer the element, the more they cost.


    At the top of the list were Light and Dark Magic Cores, which started from 500 ZC for a 1-star magic core and went all the way to the 9-star magic core, costing 50,000 ZC!


    Seeing all those prices, his eyes shimmered before he took out multiple magic cores he had collected while hunting, some of which were of the basic elements; they were extras.


    "I want to sell all these magic cores," Jacob stated.


    Thereafter, SAAI started to scan the magic cores one after another.


    After a minute, SAAI''s emotionless voice rang, "23,500 ZC for all the magic cores. Will you ept the trade?"


    Jacob found this price fair since there were 22 magic cores, all of which were between 1-star and 3-star, and only six were of rare elements like poison. So, he didn''t hesitate and sold them, increasing his bnce from 150,002 ZC to 173,502 ZC.


    Afterward, a ck hole appeared below the magic cores and gobbled them before vanishing in front of Jacob''s astonished eyes.


    Jacob inhaled sharply as he thought, ''Just what kind of technology this ce had?''


    Keeping his thought, he started to buy the magic cores without hesitation.


    Thereupon, SAAI''s voice rang after Jacob was done with his selection,


    "Three 9-Star Magic Cores of Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost; 30,000 ZC.


    "Four 8-Star Magic Cores of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost: 36,000 ZC.


    "Four 7-Star Magic Cores of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost: 32,000 ZC.


    "Four 6-Star Magic Cores of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost: 28,000 ZC.


    "Four 5-Star Magic Cores of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost: 24,000 ZC.


    "Four 4-Star Magic Cores of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Elements, total cost: 20,000 ZC.


    "After deducting the 2% discount, the Final Cost is; 166,600 ZC


    "Will you continue?"


    Jacob''s expression was somewhat dark as he heard the final price because he was still nning to buy thenguages and needed a new star watch.


    ''Should I exclude four and 5-star magic cores and collect them myself? No, it would take unknown time to track all four element magic cores myself, and after the protection was lifted, it would be mayhem out there.


    ''My strength is not enough. It would be over if I encountered someone like that dark being and more than one. Surprise attacks won''t work every single time, especially if there are multiple enemies¡­.'' Jacob thought grimly before he inhaled deeply and nodded while saying, "I will continue."


    166,600 ZC instantly vanished from his bnce states, leaving him with only 6,902 ZC.


    Thereafter, another ck hole appeared in front of Jacob before colorful and glimmering cores started to pour out one after another.


    With shimmering eyes, Jacob collects all the 23 magic cores with a hint of excitement in his eyes. A feeling of relief washed over him when he saw all the magic cores in his pendant. He had taken another step closer to Immortality.


    Jacob also felt extremely calm as all his greed for those things in the store also quelled, and peace returned to his mind.


    ''Nothing ispared to Immortality. I can get as many of these toys as long as I have evesting life and even more¡­'' Jacob thought with a peaceful expression.


    The next moment, he took off his star watch and Livia''s, his almost destroyed titan swords, and the silver sword. He even took off ragged armor as well as the extra ones in his storage, and he wore his usual dark attire.


    He wasn''t done; he took out half of Fire Wyvern''s scaly hide, two gallons of Fire Wiener blood, andstly, the Titan Rifle, which waspletely tranquil, and there was no recoil to speak off despite Jacob being ready to receive it.


    This made Jacob somewhat happy. He almost emptied all the pendant space as he only kept what he deemed important and took out anything extra or something he could make again, like the titan rifle and swords.


    "Tell me which of these things can be sold and how much will I get?" He emotionlessly said while looking at the pile of things in front.


    He knew this was his only chance to get whatever he needed from this ce, or he had toplete another trial to get such a chance again. So, he stopped hesitating and decided to sell these things which were expendable.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Especially the titan rifle, which he had high hope that he would get a high price for it. He had spent over 600 ZC previously, including bullets, to make it, and he could do it again.


    Furthermore, he didn''t forget about his free weapon, so he didn''t need those swords for now, and they were not enough for him anyway.


    SAAI scan every item one by one before stating, "Intermediate-Type-0 Star Watches price: 200 ZC


    "Broken Swords made with Basic-Type-1 materials, price: 25


    "Broken set of armor, twoplete sets of male and female armor set, price: 43 ZC


    "Infant Fire Wyvern Hide (Iplete), price: 21,000 ZC


    "Two gallons of Infant Fire Wiener blood, price: 100,200 ZC


    "Basic-Type-2 projectile weapon andponents, price: 1 Million


    "Basic-Type-2 bullets, prices: 5,000 per bullet, total bullets 13, total price: 65 000 ZC.


    "Finale Price: 1,186,468 ZC


    "Will you ept this trade?"


    ''Now we''re talking!'' Jacob''s lips curled up.


    He expected nothing less from his creation. In contrast, the revtion about the Wyvern being only an infant made him astonished and bitter.


    "I ept." He said without hesitation.


    He now knows that the gun business was as profitable as he remembered it to be, and he knew what he needed to do after getting out of there as well.


    All the things vanished before Jacob, but his eyes were fixed on the new bnce, which was 1,193,370 ZC!


    Without hesitation, he firstmanded to change the list into star watches, and he bought the first one on the list, which was an Advance-Type-1 Star Watch with a price tag of 100,000!


    He knew these watches had many valuable functions, and in zodiac ins, if one didn''t have a star watch, then they were as good as beasts.


    Furthermore, he needed a high-level star watch to gain ess to the alliance shop''s magic-rted features, so he knew it was worth the price.


    A ck Star Watch with like a wristband appeared as it looked extremely ordinary, like a typical rubble wristband. But when Jacob wore it an active it, it suddenly covered his arm like a liquid substance, and it was as thin as paper and looked just like ck skin.


    Jacob was astonished when try moving his arm. He was even more surprised as he felt no resistance at all. It was like he was really wearing a thinyer of skin over his arm.


    Afterward, it got active; all the backup data in his ount and his old star watch were downloaded within a few seconds as it shone over his arm.


    Jacob found many functions. He could even activate it while wearing clothes over it through the ''projection screen function'' just like the projection list in front of him.


    Jacob decided to get familiar with it after he left here since there were some extremely unbelievable functions on it.


    He then opened thenguage list again and bought the Type-1 Rune Language, Type-1 Magic Rune Encyclopedia, Type-1 Philosopher Language and even the Language of Dead since it woulde in handy if he ever decided to infiltrate the undead army again.


    This purchase cost him 61,100 ZC, and he received virtual copies of thesenguages in his star watch, which were bonded to his star ID. He can''t sell them or send them to anyone else, or it would be akin to a felony.


    As for physically spreading it, there was no warning about it. Even if there was any, Jacob wasn''t nning to share it with anyone.


    Then Jacob opened the weapon list, which was divided into Mech Weapons, and Magic Weapons which made his eyes shine. He didn''t even look in the mech weapon section as he was only interested in magic weapons in the type-1 category now.


    Since his titan rifle was a basic-type-2 weapon, it should fall into the mech weapon category. However, he knew there should be intermediate and advanced ranks above it.


    This means type-2 weapons had firepower like titan sniper and were even more terrifying; this will also make those weapons unusable for Jacob.


    He didn''t know how they measure a weapon''s rank here, but he was pretty sure that the weapons he had never dared to publicize in his old world weremon, like vegetables here.


    So, he wasn''t afraid of standing out because of his creations anymore. He even wanted to learn more about this world''s weapon technology, especially this magic weapon technology!

 Chapter 213 News Spread

    ?When the magic weapon list appeared, Jacob was astonished as he saw all kinds of cold weapons with magic states.


    ''Magic Weapon: Gray King Sword (Advance-Type-1)


    ''Magic Qualities: 9-Star Mana Channeling of All Basic and Rare Elements.


    ''Cost: 500,000 ZC


    ''Magic Weapon: Spider Edge Knife (Advance-Type-1)


    ''Magic Qualities: 9-Star Mana Channeling of All Basic and Rare Elements.


    ''Cost: 300,000 ZC


    ''Magic Weapon: All Element Staff (Advance-Type-1)


    ''Magic Qualities: 9-Star Mana Channeling of All Basic and Rare Elements.


    ''Cost: 700,000 ZC


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® ''Projectile Magic Weapon: Fire Spitting Gun (Advance-Type-1)


    ''Magic Qualities: Condense Fire Element Magic Bullets up to 9-Star.


    ''Cost: 900,000 ZC


    ''Artificial Fire Magic Bullets for Fire Spitting Gun: 1-Star to 9-Star Quality


    ''1-Star Fire Magic Bullet Cost: 100 ZC per bullet


    ''2-Star Fire Magic Bullet Cost: 500 ZC per bullet


    ''¡­


    ''¡­


    ''9-Star Fire Magic Bullet Cost: 10,000 ZC per bullet''


    Jacob was bbergasted when he saw a gun among the magic weapons, and when he saw the details, he was even more astonished.


    ''I have no clue that there was this type of gun out there which could condense magic bullets. Furthermore, this advance-type-1 gun had only a specific element that it could channel, unlike those cold weapons, which can channel every rare element.


    ''So, to speak, magic weapons are also made with specific elements as well as they are all rounded. But for projectile weapons like guns, it seemed all-rounded element magic quality couldn''t be achieved in type-1 rank.


    ''I need to learn more about these things, especially magic, and get familiar with the technology. This shop is my best shot at achieving this without getting myself affiliated with anyone¡­.''


    Jacob''s eyes shone as he started looking for a suitable weapon for himself. He didn''t have the magic power to condense magic bullets nor the capital to buy artificial bullets, so he didn''t go for any projectile weapon.


    The cold weapons were his best shot since they could also be used without magic power, and when he had the magic power, he could fully bring out their potential. He had already seen and experienced just how deadly a magic weapon being used with magic power is in his fight with Wight Minister.


    There were even magic resistance armors in this shop which also drew his attention, but he was confident in making something like that with the Wyvern hide he kept for himself.


    In the end, Jacob stopped at a point as his eyes shimmered while looking at the item on the list.


    ''Magic Weapon: Doom Assassin Short Swords (Pair) (Advance-Type-1)


    ''Magic Qualities: 9-Star Mana Channeling of All Basic and Rare Elements. Mild Stealth Effect if used with Dark Element.


    ''Cost: 1,500,000 ZC


    ''Sheaths Cost: 20,000 ZC''


    Jacob looked at the pair of short swords with dark gray des and ck hilts with a crystal skull at their bottoms.


    Without hesitation, he said, "I want to use my free weapon chance on Doom Assassin Short Swords!"


    "You have active One Free Type-1 Advance Weapon privilege!" SAAI''s emotionlessly dered.


    Thereafter, a pair of exquisite short swords were delivered.


    Jacob took the sword, and he was astonished because they were not light but heavy, probably over 1-ton. The dark gray des were one meter long, and two inches wide as a strange pattern was engraved on the des giving the feeling of icy sharpness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Once I''m done modifying the hilt, they''ll be perfect for using my Deceptive Swords Style. No wonder that guy could send me flying, and his strikes were so heavy. His sword should also be quite heavy and on the same rank as this pair.''


    A hint of regret shed past Jacob''s eyes when he understood just how precious that sword would''ve been. He could''ve sold it for a steep price if he had just picked it up!


    Nevertheless, this feeling was only fleeting as he stowed away the pair of new swords.


    Jacob then closed the weapon list without hesitation since he didn''t need to spend his money on the magic weapons which he couldn''t use, and he could make mech weapons. He would like to spend his money on the things he was in grave need of.


    The first thing he bought was a Type-1 Universal Magic Manual which had every basic and rare element detail about magic and magic spells, costing him 250,000 ZC!


    But Jacob didn''t feel the pinch since he knew such a manual might not be avable outside or even cost more.


    Then Jacob also bought a manual rted to Magic Weapon Crafting for 100,000 ZC and two encyclopedias called Universal Magical Materials (Type-1) and Universal Beings [Living & Dead] (Type-1), so he won''t be ignorant about what he was dealing with, and unknowingly charges right into his death like in the dark ruins!


    All these things were virtual, so his pendant space was still empty.


    So, after he was done with the knowledge, he started to search for materials for his next big project and new titan sniper. The titan iron in this shop was of the highest quality. One couldn''t be found in the rare ins, and it was much cheaper than from the outside, not to mention an immense amount.


    There were other materials he wasn''t familiar with, but they were even more expensive than advance-type-1 titan iron, like ice crystal steal, which cost 100 ZC for 1 gram, or bloodstone ore which cost 500 ZC for 1 gram. Inparison, the titan iron was 20 ZC for 1 gram only!


    Jacob thought for a moment before he bought 20 KG of titan iron and a small quantity of ice crystal steal.


    Lastly, he bought something he knew he wouldn''t find anywhere, or others might not even sell it to him if they knew what kind of things they were¡­


    In the end, Jacob was only left with 590 ZC, but he had this satisfied look in his eyes as he said, "I''m done!"


    SAAI''s emotionless voice rang, "Faceless Ancient has decided to leave the champion space on the date XXX and time XXX!"


    The next moment a dark hole appeared, which was the size of a door, and Jacob knew it was his cue, so he didn''t dwindle and entered the passage as he couldn''t be more familiar with it already.


    After he left, the dark hole closed.


    SAAI''s static voice rang again, "Information of the Type-1 in Sole Champion has been released to the Life Faction Mainframe!"


    ---


    Far away from the Rare in,


    Two giant ck mes suddenly ignited inside a mysterious space filled with crimson mist. They gave feelings of maliciousness and terror, and a dark projection appeared suddenly thereafter.


    A ghostly being been kneeling as it said in its spooky voice, "The Rare ins trial had been clear, my Liege, and somehow the Life Faction had imed the victory by clearing the trial in less than a year!"


    The ck fire flickered brightly as the crimson mist around started to churn.


    A corporeal voice with a mixture of male and female sounded, "Appoint a new overseer and get rid of the old one. Sent 7,000 Extraordinary Zombies, 1,000 Half-Lich, 1,000 Half-Wight, 500 Lich, and 500 Wight!"


    The ghostly being was shocked as it hesitantly said, "My Liege, won''t it be meaningless now that those ants can freely enter there in mass? The next trial is about to descend, and we could use those 10,000 soldiers to create an advantage. Therefore, we should just abandon those useless fools!"


    As the ck fire slowly started to die with the crimson mist, the voice said, "It would only make those pests stronger if we weren''t there to keep them in check, and the same goes the other way around. This force will be enough to upy them, and those pests won''t dare to shift their focus because the trial is about to descend."


    The ghostly being remained silent for a moment before respectfully saying, "I shall do as you bid, My Liege!"


    ---


    In another pce, inside arge bright room filled with gentle light, an otherworldly beauty was sitting around a table as she looked at the three-small projection in front of her with a peaceful expression.


    "I assumed you three had received the news already?" The woman impassively said in her melodious voice.


    "Yes, I was just contacted by the overseer, and it is out of everyone''s expectation." A man in blue robes in one of the projections sighed.


    "Indeed, who would''ve thought those idiots would be able to clear a trial in the span of over seven short months? If I didn''t know them better, I would''ve thought they were ying us for fools." A burly man in red armor chuckled.


    "Heh, it is quite clear whoever was behind it; those four idiots have no idea about it since the champion didn''t use the life zone protection nor the limit breaker. So, we can assume he had no belonging to the rare ins." A gentle-looking male sneered coldly.


    The woman impassively said, "From my resources, it appeared that person had killed an Extraordinary-Tier-6 Wight to im the final shackle. That person might be of some help to our trial here if it could clear the rare ins trial in less than a year.


    "That''s why I want to use our three-organization authority to buy its information from the SAAI!"

 Chapter 214 Preparation Of Ritual

    ?In the middle of a tropical forest, a ck hole suddenly manifested before it started to grow bigger and only stabilized when it was the size of a person.


    Thereby, a ck-d person wearing a hood walked out before the ck hole vanished.


    Jacob couldn''t help but take a deep breath as he somewhat enjoyed the fresh scent of nature. He didn''t know where he was, but it sure wasn''t the gloomy Dark Woonds.


    He then tapped two times over his wrist before a projection materialized. It was his new star watch with a projection feature. But it was only one of its minor functions.


    Jacob had already made himself familiar with this star watch while he was still in the dark space.


    It can not only send messages but also receive calls and video calls; there was even something like a projection call in this thing. Not only that, but this watch also had a radar and mapping function, and a powerful one at that.


    This star watch''s most astonishing function was its magic detection ability. As long as Jacob activated it, then it didn''t matter if someone was living or dead. As long as they were in a 10-mile radius and had magic, they will appear as color dots within a virtual map.


    The limit of this feature was 9-star!


    Jacob had never thought the Star Watch could do this, and just this feature alone makes it indispensable for Jacob.


    Jacob activated the magic detection feature, and a virtual square map projection appeared, but it was empty, and a loaded icon appeared with a one-minute timer.


    ''It scanning the surrounding area?'' Jacob was astonished as he patiently waited.


    A minute passed before a green 3D map appeared, and Jacob could easily see terranes and zoom anywhere he wanted.


    There was nothing with magic in a 10-mile radius around him, so after fiddling with the map, he closed it since this feature was more useful in ces like dark ruins.


    Then Jacob activated another map, which was actually the entire map of the Rare ins which he had bought for 10 ZC from SAAI. Furthermore, this map was not an ordinary map, but a GPS Map connected to the starwork.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® This means as long as he had a star watch on, he could easily determine his position and use it for navigation or set up routes on this map.


    Strangely, the GPS was not avable in the star watch. Even Jacob''s advance-type-1 Star Watch didn''t have one.


    Upon asking, SAAI revealed the GPS Map was only avable to someone like Jacob with Type-1 Star Privilege, and it was none shareable!


    Jacob quickly determined where he was on the map, and he frowned because somehow, he had appeared on the outskirts of the Magic Beast Forest, which was in Rare Wilderness and was also the central region of the rare ins.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    From here, the Freedom ins and Wild Nation were one year of travel away!


    ''Well, it''s not like I need something from that ce anyway. It might be a good thing since I was nning to travel far away from that ce. Since the barrier is lifted, those two factions are bound to fight tooth and nail with each other.


    ''Especially the dark beings who seemed to have an advantage over the rare ins before. However, now that the living being from the other ins can enter infinity and dark beings'' number has be limited, things might turn worse for Dark Beings.


    ''They will definitely be curious about who cleared the trial, and those bigwigs would also know about the benefits that came with clearing the trial. So, I need to keep a low profile until there is no threat remaining for me in rare ins¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered coldly.


    Without wasting any more time, Jacob headed north to find some secluded ce. The magic beast forest was insanelyrge, asrge as both freedom ins and wild nationbined or evenrger.


    Jacob didn''t want to pick a fight with magic beasts in this ce since he was in their territory, not until he needed to.


    After hours of carefully searching, Jacob finally found a location that was actually a small waterfall. However, with his current strength, the water pressure was nothing to him, and he cut open a cave right behind the waterfall with his new swords.


    He knew what he was about to do; he needed absolute secrecy and couldn''t be careless. So, he made arge enough cave to create the ritual array formation and blocked the entrance again with stones.


    After he was done, Jacob didn''t spring into action immediately but rested as he ate more wyvern meat. He wanted to be in optimal condition before he started the ritual.


    He slept for an unknown time before he woke up as he felt refreshed and energetic and all his fatigue from the dark ruins was behind him.


    Jacob''s eyes turned sharp as he said, "Cursed Immortality!"


    It had been months since he summoned Cursed Immortality, and he never thought he would be able to survive without its guidance. But he did, and now he knew too much rying will only do him more harm than good. Still, this didn''t mean he won''t use his assets just because of his ego.


    Cursed Immortality manifested, and a string of familiarughter appeared, "¡­hahaha¡­ you sure take your sweet time to summon me. I started to feel rather lonely!"


    Jacob pursed his lips, "Cut the nonsense and tell me why can''t I summon you in the dark ruins? Are you afraid to be detected, or ces like dark ruins canpletely block you off?"


    Jacob was quite interested in this topic since it was rted to Zodiac Will.


    "Aren''t you had enough fun while in dark ruins? Why don''t you ask that AI? She might be able to answer you!"


    Jacob''s lips curled up, "So you weren''t blocked, but afraid. Got it. Now on to main business, tell me how much space I need to set up the ritual array formation!"

 Chapter 215 Cursed Heart Emergence (1)

    ?Jacob''s lips curled up, "So you weren''t blocked, but afraid. Got it. Now on to main business, tell me how much space I need to set up the ritual array formation!"


    Immortika clearly didn''t mind Jacob''s jeering words, nor did it refute them, as it replied like usual, "Heh, afraid or not, you''ll know in the future, and trust me, I''ll be there when you figure it out!


    "Anyhow, as you said, on the main business. Since you have already collected all 36 element cores, all you need to do is to correctly arrange those cores exactly as the diagram in the scripture. This room should be enough.


    "You can also draw an outline before setting them up, and then all you need to do is to sit in the core of the array formation. It will automatically trigger the moment your cursed mark is detected.


    "The cursed mark is actually the key to activating this ritual formation. Without it, it''s nothing but a drawing.


    "A fair warning, though, there are four phases of the final level, Activation, Spread, Incorporate, and finally, Cursed Heart Condensing. You won''t feel pain in the first and second phases. But when the incorporate phase starts, you will feel an unimaginable pain far worse than you felt when youplete the second level.


    "You have to endure the pain while remaining conscious because the moment you lose your consciousness, the ritual will stop, and all the element cores will turn into dust after creating a terrifying explosion.


    "Afterward, you have to collect the cores all over again if you managed to survive that it. As for thest phase, it will all depend on yourself whether you can cross it¡­hahahah!"


    Jacob felt a chill run down his spine when reading the part about the pain and explosion and the subtle fourth phase. He had this feeling before that he won''t be getting out of it without pain and could only sigh and sumb to his fate.


    "Thanks for the heads-up." Jacob sneered coldly before he turned the page.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Heart Emergence (First Stage)]


    -Cursed Heart Emergence: Three Levels


    --


    -First Level: Formation of Immortal Mark Inside the Modify Heart (Complete)


    --


    -Second Level: Turn Immortal Mark into Cursed Mark (Complete)


    --


    -Third Level: Cursed Mark into Cursed Heart


    [Description (1): Collect four Primary Elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind) Element Cores (Magic Core) from 1-Star to 9-Star.]


    -Fire: 9/9


    -Water: 9/9


    -Earth: 9/9


    -Wind: 9/9


    [Description (2): After collecting all 36 Element Core, create the following Ritual Array Formation.]


    [Decryption (3): Sat in the middle of this Ritual Array Formation.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    --


    -Completion of this stage will cause ''Agelessness of Heart''


    ______


    Jacob opened the Ritual Array Formation diagram, which was in the shape of arge pentagram, and within this pentagram were triangr points. All he had to do was to arrange the cores as described ording to the diagram.


    There were even magic core elements and levels described on each point, so there wasn''t any room for error.


    Jacob quickly sprang into action as he first drew the outline of the diagram on the cave floor and then carefully started to ce the element orbs, one after another.


    The dark cave was lit in colorful lights at this moment as a thick element aura filled the air.


    With shimmering eyes, Jacob looked at the empty center within the colorful cores, and he knew the moment he sat there, the ritual would start.


    "This is it, right?" Jacob questioned sternly.


    "Yes, there is no error. Now hurry up before those low-level element cores run out of element power, and oh¡­ don''t die. I don''t want to be in this cave!" Immortika wrote.


    "Hmph!" Jacob sneered coldly before his clothes started to vanish from his body. He was nowpletely naked, and only the infinity pendant remained around his neck.


    Jacob then approached the center of the ritual array formation and sat down.


    The very next moment thereafter, Jacob felt a throb in his heart, and the magic cores suddenly started to glow brightly.


    Colorful lines started to condense from the magic cores, and one by one, those magic cores connected with the magic cores one after another. When the formation waspleted, the entire cave was glowing.


    However, Jacob''s expression was rigid because the moment the formation was active, he felt like he was stuck in his spot as he couldn''t move despite trying.


    The circle where Jacob was sitting started to light in all kinds of light at this moment before those multiple lights started to eclipse each other until nothing but the ck color was left!


    Jacob felt palpitation in his heart as he clearly felt a dark, coldness start to seep into his body and slowly cover every inch of his immobilized body. His calm heart suddenly started to race, and he had no control over it whatsoever!


    Thereafter, Jacob clearly feels the coldness in his body start to gather within his heart as the formation shines brightly. Soon, Jacob''s entire body felt icy. He even imagined himself being frozen slowly.


    But he didn''t lose focus since he knew this was just the beginning.


    Within Jacob''s body, a dark infinity symbol was shining in a dark sheen as it was slowly getting inkier. Most importantly, it was spreading, covering Jacob''s crimson heart in its inky ck color from the inside out.


    The more the cured mark spread, the colder Jacob felt.


    He had never thought when Immortika said the first and second phases were not painful, it meant they were even worse than pain. Because if this coldness kept increasing, he might lose his mind before he could endure any pain.


    But the strange thing was there was no sign of freezing, and Jacob could also see this, so he told himself that it was merely an illusion and endured.


    However, when an hour passed, Jacob felt like he was sitting at the bottom of an icyke, and he couldn''t even move. His breathing was heavy, and he couldn''t feel his body or heart at this moment.


    But everything changed when the third phase started!

 Chapter 216 Cursed Heart Emergence (2)

    ?Jacob''s skin was as pale as a corpse, he had lost all the feeling in his body as he was barely conscious, and his vision was blurry.


    He never thought he would sumb to the freaking cold of all things, and he had this feeling that this wasn''t even really cold. It was the strange energy seeping from the ritual array formation.


    Right at this moment, when Jacob was almost on his limit, a warm current suddenly spread from his heart.


    If he could look at his heart right now, he would be shocked because his heart had turned inky ck. A strange crimson sheen started to emerge over his heart, and with every beat, this crimson sheen was covering his blood vessels.


    Jacob waspletely indulged in the warmth spreading in his body, and his pale skin regained a rosy luster.


    However, Jacob abruptly opened his eyes when he felt the temperature rising. His eyes dted when he saw himself engulfed in a crimson sheen.


    Before he could figure out what was happening, his eyes suddenly went wide, so wide they were almost on the verge of breaking out of their sockets.


    At this moment, Jacob''s ck heart slowly started to twist, and Jacob could feel every moment of it as he wanted to scream, but his body was utterly immobilized except for his eyes.


    The ritual array formation suddenly started to turn crimson from colorful and strange glyphs surfaced within the formation. It was the start of the third phase!


    But Jacob didn''t even notice the huge change in the formation because his eyes werepletely bloodshot. He could feel his heart kept twisting.


    The strangest thing was there was no blood or anything, but just pain, a pure unimaginable pain.


    ''I can''t take it¡­ I can''t take it¡­ NO¡­. No, I need to remain conscious, or it will be over¡­ I will not be going to die again¡­ NEVER¡­!''


    Jacob started a mental war with himself, a part of him wanted to give up because of the pain, and a part of him wanted to fight.


    Jacob didn''t know how much time had passed, but for him, it was forever, but the pain was only increasing, not lessening. In reality, only ten seconds had passed since his heart started to twist.


    At this moment, his heart didn''t look heart at all as it waspletely twisted and still wasn''t done. Furthermore, the pretzel of the heart didn''t affect any other function of his body as everything was working like nothing was happening.


    Even his blood flow wasn''t disrupted.


    As his heart continued to twist, Jacob was on the verge of instantly, but he didn''t lose consciousness as he had already decided to remain conscious at the expense of his sanity.


    If it was what he had to pay for Immortality, he will pay it!


    As more and more crimson energy poured into his heart, it continued to twist further and faster without breaking or damaging.


    The heart continued to twist andpress until nothing was left of it but a twisted one-meter-long thread,pletely detached from his blood vessels. The only thing keeping Jacob alive was the crimson energy that was keeping his nervous system running.


    Jacob didn''t even feel anything anymore as his eyes werepletely nk despite being wide open as he was staring at the void.


    The ck thread, which was also Jacob''s former heart, suddenly started to bend and took the shape of ''8,'' which was the shape of the infinity symbol.


    The moment the infinity symbol wasplete, a dark mist was released from it before it started to mend the symbol, before nothing but a smooth infinity symbol was left without any ws.


    The infinity symbol was asrge and wide as his heart, and it remained in his heart''s ce just like any normal heart.


    The very next moment, all those detached blood vessels started to magically connect to the ck infinity symbol under crimson energy''s guidance, only after another.


    The final phase had started!


    But Jacob was still staring at the void with a nk look on his face, despite the pain already being over.


    Suddenly, the crimson formation started to change color again and slowly turned ck, and the glyphs also began to change.


    This time, those glyphs didn''t provide any energy, but they slowly started to move toward Jacob like ants and crept over his body.


    There were 36 ck glyphs that were moving over Jacob''s body and slowly making their way toward his chest, toward his heart.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As the glyphs were leaving their ce, the formation also started to dim down from point to point, leaving nothing but the dust of magic cores behind.


    At this moment, rity returned to Jacob''s eyes; he was in a daze because he wasn''t sitting in a dark cave, but he found himself sitting around arge table filled with all kinds of delicious foods.


    Three boys were sitting on his left side while a gorgeous woman was on his right side.


    "Why are you not eating? Is there something wrong?" The beautiful woman asked in a gentle tone filled with love and concern.


    Jacob snapped out of his daze as he turned his cold eyes toward the woman and shock surfaced as he blurted, "Who are you?"


    "What are you talking about? I''m your wife!" The woman replied with concern, "Do you need me to call the Doctor? You''re not behaving like yourself?"


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at the woman with uncertainty and called with doubt, "Hope?"


    "Did your brain finally give up after you used it for all that research? You even forget about your dear wife!" Hope pursed her lips.


    "Hehe, Dad is acting silly." A little boy around the age of three or fourughed frivolously.


    Hope couldn''t help but giggle before he lovingly chided the boy, "Little Zainy, don''t be disrespectful, or your grumpy Dad will ignore you again!"


    Jacob also nced at the little boy as he remembered it was his youngest son, Zain. But he was no longer the mature man as he hadst seen him.


    Beside Zain was a teenager with a firm look in his eyes, just like Jacob. He was William, the oddest son. Beside him was another boy from the age of 13 to 14; he had the cold mature looks of Jacob. He was Ryan, his second son.


    However, despite seeing all of them, Jacob didn''t want to believe there were here for some reason. He even remembered all of his memories of the zodiac ins and what he was doing before he woke up here.


    That was the major cause of his doubt, and the more he looked at his old family, a strange anger welled up in his heart.


    "You are not Hope, and you three are not my sons. Just who are you, and what kind of game are you ying?!" Jacob instantly stood up as he was feeling uneasy. This feeling wasing from his heart.


    Hope suddenly lost her smile as shock surfaced on his charming face before she quickly approached Jacob with deep anxiety, "Why are you behaving this way?! I''m going to call the Doctor. There is something wrong with you. Let me take you to the bedroom so you can rest until the Doctor arrives."


    However, Jacob felt even more uneasiness when Hope approached him and quickly dodged her hands; it was like he was facing his natural enemy.


    "Immortika, what kind of trick are you nning?!" He roared in indignation as he looked at Hope''s teary eyes and his kids'' concerned and appalled expressions.


    But he didn''t feel any sympathy but loathing. He thought he was losing his mind since he knew even if he turned into a monster, he would never feel loathing for Hope, no matter what.


    Yet, here he was, trying to avoid her like she was some kind of disease, and it was all because of the scary feeling in his chest.


    "Dad, why are you making Mom cry?" Zain innocently uttered with teary eyes.


    "Why are you acting such a jerk!" William also chimed in with an angry look as he held his mother''s hand.


    "I''m going to call Doctor Greyjoy, Mom; please don''t cry." Ryan gently said before he shot a cold nce at Jacob.


    "Hahahah¡­" Jacob suddenlyughed out loud at this moment. His eyes were filled with coldness as he regained his indifferent demeanor.


    "I don''t know what kind of trick you are nning, but you have done a lousy job while making those four copies. Now I''m sure this is some kind of illusion.


    "That prick book said the fourth phase depended on me, I thought it was talking about pain, but now that I''m seeing this illusion, it seemed what it meant was this shity test!" Jacob grimly stated as he looked at his family, which only gave him a feeling of hostility.


    "Since this is an illusion, all I have to do is to wake up!" Jacob''s eyes went ruthless before he shed toward the ss window.


    "NOOOOO¡­ stop!"

 Chapter 217 First Phase: Second Stage

    ?Within the dark cave,


    At this moment, 36 tiny dark glyphs covered in crimson sheen were gathered on Jacob''s left breast, and surprisingly those glyphs were arranged in the exact pattern as the ritual array formation.


    All of a sudden, those glyphs started to be absorbed within his chest, and one after another, they started to brand the infinity symbol, vanishing thereafter.


    When thest 36th glyph got branded, the crimson sheen on Jacob also vanished, and thereby, the new infinity heart started to beat, and with every beat, it discharged a red glow.


    Thereupon, rity started to return in Jacob''s nk eyes.


    Assorted emotions shimmed within those amber eyes before anger took over. However, he was startled when he found he could move his body, and the cave waspletely dark.


    Before he could investigate the situation, he felt his entire body sour; a sudden feeling of emptiness and exhaustion washed over him, and his eyes turned extremely heavy. He wobbled a bit before he fell backward, and without realizing it, he was sound asleep.


    Immortika''s impetuous eerie voice suddenly rang, "Heh, this ought to do it¡­"


    ---


    After an unknown time, Jacob''s eyelids trembled before they were opened, revealing his confused eyes. But the confusion was only fleeting before they regained rity.


    ''Rubmleee¡­''


    He was caught off guard by powerful rumbling in his stomach before he felt extreme hunger wash over him, which was as terrifying as he remembered it to be.


    He quickly picked himself up but was shocked when his hand literally pushed into the stone floor like it was made out of wet y.


    ''My strength has increased!'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered as he was using exact same force he was used to before.


    He then controlled his strength again before he was able to pick himself up, and without wasting time, he started eating the Wyvern meat.


    But he was soon astonished when he found the meat no longer gave the feeling of burning his internal organs, nor could he feel the fiery energy within anymore.


    There was nothing but gentle energy flowing throughout his body within his body at this moment, and the speed of digestion was far faster than before. It was as fast as when he consumed a rare tier of meat.


    ''Don''t tell me I need a terrifying amount of energy again to make my bodypatible with my heart again, just like in the injection process.'' Jacob grimaced as he thought about it while eating.


    The more he ate, the more he knew it was likely to be the case. Because the hunger was slowly getting subdued, but it wasn''t anywhere near quenched despite him eating over five pounds of Wyvern meat which was enough to keep him functioning for weeks before.


    Still, Jacob didn''t stop, as he could visibly feel it getting stronger with every passing second. He also noticed that his eyesight was getting better and better as he could now vaguely see in the dark cave, and his hearing and other senses were also increasing.


    The strangest thing he noticed was his heart because, for some reason, his heartbeat had changed, and it was simply too vague, and his control over his heart rate somehow reached a terrifying level.


    Because after he tried, he couldpletely stop his heartbeat with a thought, but for some strange reason, his blood flow wasn''t disrupted, and he didn''t feel any danger despite his heart getting stopped.


    He could even breathe normally, which waspletely abnormal. It was like his heart was apletely different organ of his body which was nowpletely under his control.


    The scariest thing that had changed was the fluid eleration because Jacob could now enter in 7X eleration and exit it within a second.


    ''Just what of change had happened to my heart? My entire body seemed to work perfectly despite me stopping it for a whole minute!'' Jacob had an appalled yet excited expression.


    However, he didn''t dare to test the limit of this heart-stopping ability since he might really die without being able to start his heart again.


    Afterward, he continued to eat until there was nothing left of Wyvern. But Jacob still felt slightly dissatisfied. But the feeling was now very faint, and he reckoned that 95% of his body was now perfectly matched his newly strengthened heart.


    Yet it was still shocking that even after eating a tier-6 extraordinary Wyvern, his body was still not perfected.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was feeling boundless strength coursing through his veins.


    ''I''m clearly in the rank of extraordinary physiques now. But why the hell I still can''t feel magic? Won''t Immortika say no one can enter extraordinary rank without a 3-star magic core?'' Jacob thought with uncertainty.


    "Cursed Immortality!" He tried summoning the book since he didn''t know how much time had passed since he fell unconscious.


    But he was hoping for the book to appear since he wanted to confront it about that strange ''dream'' since he knew it was too real to be a dream.


    Furthermore, he had tomit suicide before he was awakened from that dream which was evident that it was some kind of illusion, not a dream.


    Not only that, but he had the feeling that nothing would happen to him even if he jumped from a fifty-story building, or he would never dare to trymitting suicide.


    But for some reason, he trusted that feeling even to put his life on the line, and in the end, it yed well in his favor.


    Still, he wanted to know what was that and why it happened right in the middle of the ritual.


    Lastly, the first stage of the first phase had beenpleted, so he wanted to see the requirement for the next stage.


    At this moment, Cursed Immortality appeared afloat in front of Jacob, and his eyes shone with anticipation as he opened the first page.


    ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Current Phase: First Phase]


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Compete)


    -Second Stage: Cursed Blood Condensing (Current)


    -Third Stage: Compete Second Stage


    ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: First (Body Transformation)


    -First Stage Progress: Complete


    -Second Stage Progress: 0%


    ---


    -Lifespan: 250 Years (All Youthful)


    ______


    Jacob''s squinted his eyes when he saw the new stage, ''First heart and now blood? Well, it won''t be too painful as the heart, at least I hope so.''


    But when his eyes fell on his lifespan, happiness filled his heart, ''250 and all youthful? Is this the effect ofpleting the first stage?''


    Whichever the case was, Jacob was thrilled to see his lifespan increasing, which was all he wanted. He felt all his suffering was worth it.


    Jacob then quickly flipped the page to see the Cursed Blood Condensing Stage''s requirements.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Blood Condensing (Second Stage)]


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 00.00%


    [Description: Convert your blood into Cursed Blood until it reaches 100%pletion by Absorbing the Heart Blood of Legendary Beings or their decedents.]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 500 Years of Lifespan


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® ______


    ''Legendary Beings'' heart blood or their decedents? I should''ve seen thising¡­'' Jacob pulled a bitter smile when he saw the requirement.


    Although this stage didn''t have any levels since something called a legendary being was involved, Jacob knew this stage was going to be even harder than the first one.


    He then flipped the page before his expression turned frosty as he said, "Before the exnation at this stage, I want to know what that dream was, and don''t even try to pretend you have no idea about it!"


    "Oh, is there something wrong? I clearly have no idea what you are talking about." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob frowned, "I fell into an illusion where I see my old family, but somehow ''my heart'' told him they were not real and I should just die to escape that ce before it was toote.


    "I know you knew something since you said the fourth phase will depend on me. So, stop pretending and out with it!"


    Jacob won''t believe for a second Immortika didn''t know what it was. He knew this book was like an omniscient existence, hiding terrifying secrets.


    However, Immortika still denied it, "That might be some sort of dreaming effect you experience because of the pain. Still, I''m shocked you have the guts tomit suicide¡­hahaha¡­"


    Jacob gnashed his teeth since he knew it was impossible to make this book talk, so he could only drop the subject. But a seed of doubt had been nted within his heart, which won''t go away no matter what.


    He then inhaled deeply before he asked, "Then what''s the deal with my heart, and why can it be stopped while my body works just fine, and what''s the limit? Lastly, how strong am I?"


    "Before that, I have good news for you. Just like before, after youplete the first stage, my summoning time has been increased from 1 hour to 3 hours.


    "Lastly, the infinity pendant''s ten cubic meter space has been increased to 25 cubic meters!"

 Chapter 218 Legendary Rank

    ?Jacob wasn''t surprised at all since he had already noticed the change in the infinity pendant when he essed it for the meat.


    As for the increased time in Immortika, it was also quite good since it could easily track down hidden enemies around him urately. He didn''t trust the Star Watch scannerpletely.


    "Heh, I started to miss your expression a little." Immortika wrote about seeing Jacob remain indifferent.


    Jacob merely sneered, "If you have time for this nonsense, why don''t you answer my questions? Then, I might actually be surprised."


    "Oh, you will be going to surprise. Let''s start with the Cursed Heart. Your current heart is no longer the heart you''re familiar with. Its shape, structure, functions, and purpose had beenpletely changed after youpleted the first stage.


    "Firstly, your heart cannot age any longer, which means it would never weaken no matter what, and as a result, you will naturally experience some changes in your body.


    "Your heart, in particr, is no longer just for pumping blood or keeping you alive. It is a new organ that has all the functions of your heart, as well as some that transcend it.


    "Like you just experienced that you can stop your heartbeat but still can breathe as well as your blood flow also won''t get affected by it. This is also one of the perks of a cursed heart.


    "Most importantly, a Cursed Heart is the foundation of the Cursed Immortal Physique, and without it, you won''t be able to move forward in the scripture. You could say it was one of the biggest hurdles on your way to immortality!" Immortika wrote.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a hint of ecstasy when he read to this point.


    Immortika continued, "As for its limit, it is had virtually none, but this didn''t mean your other body part would be able to handle it. That''s why your lifespan is only 250 years right now. It is the actual limit of your body. So aging is no longer your concern.


    "As for your strength, when your hunger ispletely gone, you should be as strong a peak of Extraordinary-Tier-6 life form, and your body will be able to handle 15X eleration.


    "Speaking of which, your fluid eleration should no longer be a threat to you as long as you won''t exceed your body limit because your heart rate is nowpletely under your control. You just need some practice to get familiar with it."


    Jacob''s lips curled before he asked, "Then why didn''t I have any magic right now? You said yourself that no one can enter the extraordinary tier without a 3-star magic core."


    "Heh, do you really believe you''re like others?" Immortika didn''t reply but questioned instead.


    Jacob pursed his lips, "Fine, you win." He knew asking was useless since he already had guessed this much. He wasn''t like others because of Cursed Immortality.


    "I told you, I''m not a magic book. You''re on your own in that field!" Immortika wrote.


    "Fine, now about the second stage?" Jacob questioned with a solemn look.


    "Cursed Blood Condensing is a rtively straightforward stage from the first stage. All you need to do is either squeeze the blood out of a heart or just eat it raw. Both things result in the same conclusion.


    "Your new heart will do the rest as it will automatically be activated once you consume the heart blood of some legendary being or anything closely rted to one until all the blood in your body is converted!"


    Jacob frowned, "What are legendary beings?"


    Although he was happy about the simplicity of this stage, he knew the true terror lies within the legendary beings he required the heart blood of!


    "Hahaha, you might''ve already guessed it. Legendary is the Sixth Rank of the Power System in Zodiac ins. Common, Rare, Extraordinary, Epic, Unique, and then Legendary.


    "Above Extraordinary is Epic Rank with 9 Tiers, then above Epic is Unique, with 9 Tiers. Lastly, Legendary Rank, it didn''t just have Tiers but different states as well.


    "First State, Fable Legendary State, which had twelve tiers.


    "Second State, Legendary Noble State with nine tiers.


    "Third State, Legendary Lord, with six tiers.


    "Fourth andst State, Legendary King State, with three tiers.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I will only warn you here, you better not even dare to think about going after a Legendary Rank expert, even a Fable Legendary of First Tier, because even if you used the strongest weapon in your mind, you will only get obviated!


    "Even a First-Tier Unique Rank can easily kill you without lifting a finger. Such an example will be the Infant Fire Wyvern you managed to kill.


    "A Fire Wyvern had four growth stages, Infant, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It was born extraordinary, became epic in childhood, reached unique in adolescence, and Fable Legendary in adulthood!"


    Jacob felt palpation just when he read about the Wyvern and felt like he had a closed shave with death, and if that Wyvern was in its childhood stage, then he was most likely dead already!


    "Ignorance is bliss¡­." He mumbled hoarsely.


    "Hehehe, exactly. If that Wyvern were awake, you would die without even getting a chance to y any trick despite it still being in the infant stage.


    "Still, you managed to hunt a creature with a Legendary bloodline and potential, which also exined the decedent part. All you need is to search for creatures with a legendary potential and bloodline like that Infant Fire Wyvern!"


    Jacob''s eyes suddenly went wide when he thought of something. He quickly asked, "Then does this also mean¡­."


    "Yes, the Wyvern heart in your pendant will be sufficient to convert your blood significantly. Since it had over 90% chance of bing a Fable Legendary, you might annex one of Fire Wyvern''s innate abilities like its fire magic talent!"


    "What?! Are you serious?" Jacob was baffled as he lost his calm demeanor. This was simply too unbelievable for him.


    He never thought the Wyvern heart he was storing for another purpose would have a use for him.


    "Hehe, why would I joke with you about this thing? A Legendary creature like Wyverns had aplete Fable Legendary Bloodline, which gave them over 90% chances of reaching the Legendary Rank and granted them terrifying innate abilities.


    "This will also grant them natural superiority over those who are born from a unique species and had no destiny with the Legendary Rank whatsoever. Even those with a diluted bloodline of legendary rank species couldn''tpare to aplete Legendary Bloodline.


    "In your case, as long as you consumed the hearts of someone with aplete legendary bloodline while being in the second stage of the body transformation, you will have a small chance to annex an ability through their heart blood.


    "But then again, such creatures will be protected by their kin like treasures, not just lying around in some graveyard for you to assassinate. So, I suggest you don''t have your hopes up or try going after them in your greed.


    "Besides, you can''t continuously consume the same type of heart blood. The effect will be a 90% decrease with each consumption until you don''t receive anything."


    Jacob felt a bucket of bold water pour on his head as all his excitement died down, and he regained his cold demeanor again.


    Nevertheless, he was still thrilled since he already had a chance to acquire something that only someone with aplete Fable Legendary bloodline would have. Not to mention he can instantly convert some of his blood into cursed blood.


    However, he didn''t dare to act recklessly since he was still feeling lingering hunger, and if his hunger increased after he consumed the Wyvern''s heart, then he might fall into danger.


    So, he was nning on hunting some magic beasts first toplete his bodypatibility with his current heart, and only then can he consume the Wyvern heart.


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at the cursed immortality and question, "Then this also means that such a bloodline will only exist in those Unique Species, right?"


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "Why, of course, not just any specie can be a Unique Species. A good bloodline yed a very important part in it. An epic race will need luck to be a Unique Rank, while for a Unique to Legendary Race, even luck can''t help them. You have to do your research. I can only help you with this much!"


    "What about their magic capacity?" Jacob squinted his eyes. This was the biggest threat in Jacob''s eyes.


    "Hehe, since this stage didn''t involve magic, then I can''t tell you anything about it. You''re on your own. I have already answered your questions rted to the second stage as well as revealed benefits. So, don''t be greedy!" Immortika mockingly wrote.


    Jacob frowned, but he didn''t dwell on the matter since he knew this was where the book had drawn its line. Now he was on his own again.


    Jacob then closed the book and stood up from his position. He had bought many things from the dark ruins, and it was time to study them.


    But first, he needed to quench his hunger fully!

 Chapter 219 Still Not Avail…

    ?A st suddenly urred, but its sound waspletely masked by the waterfall ahead.


    A cave passage appeared, and a ck-d person with a mask and hood walked out and stopped at the edge. Jacob looked at the falling water ahead, which was dark; that could only mean there was no light outside, nighttime.


    However, Jacob wasn''t bothered by it since his vision was almost at the level of night vision, and he assumed that once his hunger was gone, he would not have to worry about darkness either.


    ''This ce was really excellent for hiding. A pity I need to abandon it so soon.'' Jacob sighed ruefully before he jumped ahead with full force, leaving a cracked cave entrance behind.


    Thereby, Jacob''s figure directly shot past the small waterfall, and he appeared right above a river stream, and because of the force, he was still moving forward. It was like he was flying.


    ''I''m definitely stronger¡­'' Jacob''s lips curled up behind the mask as he enjoyed the feeling of floating.


    But it didn''tst long as after fifty meters, he started to fall and directly entered the river below. This river was actually one of the river branches of the Great Star River.


    If he continued to travel beside this river, he would end up in the Great Star River. But Jacob is not nning on leaving the Rare ins yet. At least not until he figured out about the Magic.


    Since he already knew about the Epic, Unique, and terrifying Legendary Ranks, he didn''t want to overestimate himself and get killed by moving forward without having any knowledge about Magic.


    It was pretty easy to guess that Magic was an essential part of the higher species and was also needed if someone wanted to evolve further.


    So, Jacob was nning to live in the central region of the Rare ins, far away from the Freedom ins and Wild Nation, since those two regions would be at each other''s throats right now.


    As for living in the wilderness, he didn''t need to because, with the GPS map of the rare ins, Jacob also got all the location information in the Rare ins, which was hriouslyrge.


    But the most crucial location he got on the map was the location Dark City in the central region!


    Jacob was quite surprised when he saw the Dark City in this ce. He never thought it was located so far away from the Freedom ins. If he had searched for it on his own, he might''ve never been able to locate it.


    Nevertheless, he was nning on going to the Dark City since that ce was much more reliable than other organizations, and he could also freely trade materials there.


    While he was heading there, Jacob was nning to hunt as well as evaluate his rank in the Zodiac Warrior Alliance. Of course, he didn''t forget about his permanent membership.


    Especially after his encounter with SAAI, he knew these three hegemonies were the best ''markets'' for him after a champion shop. Furthermore, he needed to make ZC and a huge amount of it so that he won''t fall into a pensive state like in the champion shop.


    Jacob then left the river and entered the forest ahead. He opened his Star Watch virtual projection and determined his location and then his destination, which was the Dark City.


    It was four months away from his current position, and it was deep into the magic beast forest, probably in the core area.


    ''What a bunch of lunatics to build this city right in the middle of magic beasts'' nests.'' He thought wryly.


    Afterward, he opened the Zodiac Warrior Alliance Mission Application to see if the missions were still the same or had changed.


    ''Wee to Zodiac Warrior Alliance Mission Application!


    ''Now corresponding missions ording to your rank can be chosen from the star watch application, and a warrior rank can be improved directly through the star watch!''


    ''Zodiac Warrior Alliance ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight (Reserve Zodiac Warrior)


    ''Next Rank: 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''Mission''


    Jacob clicked on the mission section without hesitation.


    ''Mission


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 3


    ''(NOTE: Complete any one of these missions to promote!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) Defeating a 2-Star Nightmare Knight (Fighter or Magic) in Nightmare Warrior Arena.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 10 ZC, A 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing a Rare-Tier-9 Beast.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 5 ZC, A 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing a Rare-Tier-9 Dark Being


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 15 ZC, Two 1-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''Reward Missions (Rare ins): Difficulty 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Rare-Tier-9 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 1 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-1 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 25 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-2 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 100 ZC Per Being, 1-Star Rare Fighter Manual (One Time Achievement Reward for 1-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight Only)


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recording taken with this application will be epted!).''


    Jacob was content when he saw the missions were the same. But he felt pity that he couldn''t hunt down Dark Beings here, or he could amass a high number of ZC.


    Nevertheless, he knew better than to be greedy. Dark Beings were nothing but trouble, and he was content with magic beasts and raising his ranks.


    Furthermore, he wanted to see if he would be picked by the alliance to take into a higher in if he cleared all the Nightmare Warrior Knight Ranks, ording to Nixon.


    Then Jacob remembered something, opened the Alliance Market, and tried opening the Combat Techniques again.


    Last time he was shunned because his star watch didn''t have a mana detection function, but this star watch was far above any star watch present in the Rare ins.


    Now the question was if he had mana or not. Still, he was quite anticipatory.


    However, he frowned darkly when,


    "You have no Mana. Therefore, this section cannot be opened!"

 Chapter 220 First Promotion

    ?Jacob didn''t know how to feel as he looked at the notification with a rather dark expression.


    ''What the point of me using so many ZC on this watch if I can''t even use its true functions properly!'' He frowned with a regretful look.


    He then closed the alliance market and opened the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual. This thing was even more expensive than his Star Watch, as it cost him 250,000 ZC!


    ording to its introduction, this manual had every basic and rare element detail about magic and magic spells. Lastly and most importantly, the reason why he bought this expensive manual was it had full guidance on Primary Stages, Sensing, Using, and Storing!


    However, Jacob was almost cured when he opened the manual and saw the words; they were all in runenguage, and he couldn''t understand a thing.


    "I should''ve known!" He sneered with an angry look in his eyes as he closed the manual and opened thenguages he had bought from the champion shop.


    This time, he was determined to learn every freakingnguage before he opened those other books to save himself troubleter.


    As for his surrounding, despite his focus on his star watch, he waspletely alert, and his senses were at a terrifying level. Especially his hearing, he could even hear tiny insects crawling from hundreds of meters away, much less if someone wanted to ambush him.


    On the contrary, he wanted some beast to ambush him by showing his carelessness and opening. This way, he could save himself the trouble of finding them as well as he would quickly absorb his gains.


    That''s how he started to learn the Rune Language first, which was quiteplex, but he was shocked when he discovered his learning capabilities had increased to a terrifying degree.


    He almost had a photographic memory as he could easily remember everything, even if he just nced momentarily at the text.


    Jacob was ted since he knew it should be one of the benefits of his cursed heart, so he learned with even more enthusiasm and a terrifying speed.


    There was a total of 33 alphabetic in type-0 runenguage and over 300,000 wordsbination. But Jacob remembered them and their meanings quite fast as he walked slowly within the thick forest.


    However, after walking for 10 hours, he didn''t get ambushed by anything, and it was already morning. Still, Jacob was full of energy and was still learning the type-0 runenguage, which was almost done.


    Jacob was quite astonished after he was done with the type-0 runenguage. He also discovered that the once foreign words he had seen in the dark ruins were nowprehensible.


    Especially the riddle in the second secret room.


    ''Dignity is nothing before Love! So, that''s what it meant by those words, huh? What a strange way to put it. Still, I don''t know what to do without knowing the answer to those riddles beforehand.'' He smiled wryly.


    Still, he was astonished since he could easily understand those words after learning just the type-0 runenguage.


    Previously, he thought that he would only understand thenguage in the dark ruins after he learned the type-1 part, but he seemed to have misgiving about the Type-0 and Type-1 ranks.


    ''Could it be the type-0 rank represent anything under the ranks of Common and Rare while the Type-1 is Extraordinary or even Epic¡­'' Jacob mused with shimmering eyes.


    Without wasting more time on mulling, he opened the type-1 part of the runenguage. He knew the answer to his questiony within the materials he already had.


    Because if this was true, then those type-1 materials were not rare but extraordinary!


    Jacob was under the impression that type-1 rank was for rare and only type-2 rank should be for extraordinary, which should be normal since there was a type-0 that easily could be synonym with themon rank.


    But if his new conjecture was true, then Type-0 could be equivalent to Common, Rare Ranks, or even Extraordinary. But the chance of Extraordinary being included in the Type-0 Rank was almost null because it would be too unbelievable since then Type-1 be the Epic rank.


    This was the Rare ins, so just the Extraordinary Rank existence was abnormal here, much less the Epic Rank.


    In type-1 runenguage, there are 66 new words and over 3 million wordsbination, which is a lot for anyone who wants to learn a newnguage and does not have a good memory orprehensive ability.


    But for Jacob, it was only slightly challenging but not difficult as he annexed the information like a bottomless abyss.


    Unknowingly, Jacob had been walking for four days, and he was already deep in the outer region of the magic beast forest.


    At this moment, Jacob was still walking whilepletely focused on the projection over his wrist, and he was still avoiding any trees in his way without looking.


    There was a small map projection at the corner of this projection which had an outline of a selected route, and Jacob had been following this route while continuing his study of type-1 runenguage.


    However, his focus was broken for a moment before he continued, but his lips moved up slightly under his mask.


    He suddenly closed the file in front and opened the alliance app and directly selected the second rank-promotion mission, and selected ''Star Recording!''


    The projection on his wrist instantly vanished, and he knew the recording had been started.


    This star watch had this 3D recording function, and he knew he didn''t need to point it at anything, and it could record anything within a 10-meter radius around him.


    The videography technology of this Star Watch was quite advanced, and the photograph technology was the same.


    Jacob even mussed that if he had tried to record with his other star watch, that function might not work as well in this application since that watch didn''t have the 3D recording function, which could show the entire fight without any loophole.


    ''What delightful timing, I was just feeling hunger!'' Jacob smiled as one of his newly acquired Doom Assassin Short Swords appeared in his right hand.


    The moment the dark gray sword appeared in Jacob''s hand, a silhouette appeared over Jacob''s head, and it was over three meters wide!


    Without even looking, Jacob shed his sword vertically as its terrifying wind whistle sounded and the wind was raised in the vicinity.


    The next moment, the huge silhouette split into two andnded into two pieces right in front of Jacob.


    His attack was so fast and powerful that even Jacob was surprised when he saw the evenly cleaved beast lying in its blood ahead. Even its bones were cut clean!


    It was a purple color Ape with a yellow patch of fur over its chest and head!


    "A Rare-Tier-9 Purple Ape?" Jacob identified the beast but then frowned because a purple app didn''t have anything remotely yellow on its skin.


    Still, he decided to stop the recording and try sending it back and see what happened. Because he was sure that this ape was at least tier-9 rare rank since it was able to sneak on him within a few seconds after he detected its movement five hundred meters away!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob was going to start gutting the beast since he thought it would take a while before he received some kind of reply from the alliance. But he was baffled when his star watch vibrated after ten seconds he sent the video.


    "Your Promotion Video Recording has been verified!


    "You have killed an Extraordinary-Tier-2 Purple Vile Ape!


    "Reward:


    "1. Rank Promotion to 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    "2. 100 ZC,


    "3. One 2-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    "Avable Missions has updated!"


    ''How efficient.'' He clicked his tongue and had to admit that the alliance was really worthy of its title as the strongest hegemony among the three.


    Jacob then checked his new missions, which were changed ording to his rank.


    ''Zodiac Warrior Alliance ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight (Reserve Zodiac Warrior)


    ''Next Rank: 3-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''Mission''


    Jacob clicked on the mission section without hesitation.


    ''Mission


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 3


    ''(NOTE: Complete any one of these missions to promote!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) Defeating a 3-Star Nightmare Knight (Fighter or Magic) in Nightmare Warrior Arena.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 100 ZC, A 2-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing an Extraodnary-Tier-1 Beast.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 50 ZC, A 2-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing an Extraordinary-Tier-1 Dark Being


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 150 ZC, Two 2-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''Reward Missions (Rare ins): Difficulty 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraodnary-Tier-1 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 1 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-2 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 50 ZC Per Being


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing Extraordinary-Tier-3 Dark Beings


    -Reward: 100 ZC Per Being, 2-Star Rare Fighter Manual (One Time Achievement Reward for 2-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight Only)


    [Star Recording?]

 Chapter 221 Rune Artificer

    ?Jacob sat around arge bonfire as he skewered the entire Purple Vile Ape while he continued to study thest part of the type-1 runenguage.


    By the time the meat cooked, Jacob had closed the virtual file and sighed with a hint of astonishment as he mumbled, "What a profoundnguage. I can''t imagine there might be a type-2 rank of thisnguage."


    Jacob had now mastered the entire type-1 runenguage, and he mused he wouldn''t fall into trouble with the runenguage anytime soon. Not while he was in the Rare ins, at least.


    He wanted to start the Magic Rune Encyclopedia right away, but his stomach was in his way, so he decided first to eat and hopefully end the hunger with this meal. After all, this was still an extraordinary tier-2 magic beast.


    Within half an hour, there was only a pile of bones left, and Jacob had this satisfied look on his face while he felt unimaginable power running through his body.


    Jacob was no longer feeling any lingering hunger as it was nowpletely gone, and he was at least ten percent stronger than he was half an hour ago. He also felt a strange calm feeling in his chest, like nothing could go wrong no matter what.


    He then suddenly remembered something as he opened another special feature of this star watch. It was called the ''Life Force Scale.''


    From its introduction, Jacob found that this Life Force Scale was actually an advanced version of the Bloodline Scanning Scale Device and far more urate than it.


    But he wasn''t able to activate it since it needed a connection with the Star Network to function.


    Now that he was probably at the panicle of the Rare ins, he wanted to measure his prowess as well as test this Life Force Scale uracy.


    From his own understanding, an Extraordinary-Tier-6 should have 6 Kiloton of pure physical force. But he had no way to measure it.


    At this moment, the function got activated.


    "Establishing a connection with Star ID¡­


    "Star ID detected!"


    "Type-1 ID Detected: Faceless Ancient


    "Faceless Ancient has been granted free ess to this function in Type-1 Category. Anything exceeding Type-1 will be charged with ZC, and a simr device will be needed!


    "Current Device Limit: Type-1


    "Do you want to Continue with Scan (Limit: Type-1)?"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, ''This thing charges ZC for each use? More importantly, it seemed my Star Privilege had other uses that I''m unaware of.''


    Jacob then pressed to continue. Since this thing charges ZC, then he was sure it wouldn''t be as disappointing as those devices.


    Thereafter, the disy suddenly turned light green, as well as his entire star watch, before he suddenly felt a gentle current generated on his arm, and the next moment it spread over his whole body.


    Jacob was astonished, but the current vanished as soon as it appeared, and the star watch stopped glowing greenly.


    Soon, a list showed on disy.


    "The Life Force analysis has beenpleted!


    "[Life Form]


    "Life Species: Unknown (In Type-1 Category),


    "Life Form Bloodline: Unknown (In Type-1 Category)


    "Life Form Sex: Male


    "Used Life Force (Age): 29 Years (Not urate)


    "Reaming Life Force (Lifespan): Over 200 Years (Not urate)


    "[Life Force Strength]


    "Life Force Rating: Extraordinary-Tier-6


    "Magic Force: NONE


    "Physical Force: 9.99 Kiloton


    "Blood Force: 999,999 (Extraordinary)"


    Jacob didn''t pay attention to his species or bloodline since he was already numb to seeing ''Unknown'' there. But he was quite astonished when he saw the Star Watch could easily estimate his lifespan. Even though it wasn''t urate, it was very close.


    His strength, however, came as a surprise because if this was true, then he was far stronger than any extraordinary-tier-6.


    As for the Blood Force, he was clueless about it like thest time. The Blood Force represents an individual''s Bloodline Potential.


    Typically, an individual blood force never changes as everyone is born with it, and the higher the blood force, the more likely the bloodline potential.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, this didn''t mean the blood force was static and couldn''t be changed. For example, the Limit Break, when someone breaks into a higher level, it''s supposed to be one of the ways to increase the blood force.


    Anyone with under 10,000 blood force had amon rank bloodline. Inparison, a species with a rare talent level will have a blood force between 10,000 and 99,999.


    As for a species with extraordinary potential, they will have 100,000 to 999,999 blood force!


    Thest time Jacob had checked, he had merely 9,000+ blood force. However, now it has skyrocketed to 999,999, which simply represents the very peak of the extraordinary rank bloodline!


    ''If I eat the Wyvern Heart, my blood force might break into a million! I wonder what the criteria of Epic, Unique, and Legendary blood force it. Their blood force will be off the charts.'' Jacob thought while inhaling a sharp cold breath.


    Still, he was quite content with his progress and was more confident in protecting himself in the Rare ins.


    He then closed the Life Force Scale and opened the Magic Rune Encyclopedia. As for absorbing the Wyvern heart, he was still not in a hurry. At least not without having ample nutrition in his pendant.


    The Magic Rune Encyclopedia was about the use of runes in Magic. Although it followed the samenguage principles, it was apletely different concept.


    While the Rune Language was for understanding the rune''s phics and semantics, the Magic Rune Encyclopedia was about how to use those runes for Magic!


    Jacob found that the Magic Rune Encyclopedia was actually for a profession called ''Rune Artificer!''


    A Rune Artificer can inscribe or encrypt Runes and decrypt them.


    There was knowledge of the Apprentice Rune Artificer Rank, Basic Rune Artificer Rank, Intermediate Rune Artificer Rank, Advance Rune Artificer Rank, Master Rune Artificer Rank, Grandmaster Rune Artificer Rank, Senior Grandmaster Rune Artificer Rank, Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer Rank!


    These eight ranks have sub-ranks, Basic, Intermediate, and Advance.


    Jacob felt like he had just opened a treasure chest by mistake!


    Without wasting time, he quickly started from the basics, which were the part of the rune symbolbination and how to turn runes into a different type of elemental energy.


    The more he read, the more fascinated he became as he found those without Magic could also practice as a Rune Artificer and use Magic materials instead of mana.


    Furthermore, even if someone had Magic, they would only be proficient in one type of element, and they had to use materials as well to make different element runes.


    Especially if someone is making Rune Talismans, these things were the simplest to make and required low-grade materials.


    However, Jacob soon found that he was getting the wrong idea when he discovered that there was only one entry-level talisman for Apprentice Rank to Advance Rank.


    Then there was one entry-level array design for Master Rank to Grandmaster Rank.


    Lastly, there was one entry-level formation blueprint for Senior Grandmaster Rank and Elder Grandmaster Rank.


    This meant there were four talismans, two arrays, and two formations for each rank he could practice with, and all of them were future divided into three stages just like those ranks.


    As long as hepletes the Talisman of Apprentice Rank, he will be a full fledge Apprentice Rune Artificer and so on!


    As for more designs, he had to rely on himself. He finally understood that he had juste out of the champion shop without even exploring the true merchandise there, which was quite regretful.


    Still, he was more than content with this much, and he wasn''t worried about not having anything else to practice with since there was still an unknown array of parchment sitting in his pendant.


    So, he started to remember everything and then practiceter. It will be easier this way.


    Jacob then starts his journey like before as he walks toward the Dark City while learning the way of a Rune Artificer with solemnity.


    However, on the second day, Jacob was disturbed. Not because of some beast attack but because his star watch vibrated abruptly, and a notification appeared at the screen corner, which made him frown.


    "Might-Of-Destruction wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    ''Who the hell is he, and what did he want? Since he could send me a Projection Call then, this means he had a high-tech Star Watch like me. I better ignore it.'' Jacob simply turned off the Notification and continued.


    However, he was stunned when his Star Watch started to vibrate again after 10 seconds.


    This time the same Notification rang but with an extra note which made Jacob''s eyes winded.


    "Might-Of-Destruction wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    "(NOTE: Might-Of-Destruction has used Star Privilege to send an unignorable Call Request. Might-Of-Destruction Star Privilege is higher than You (Faceless Ancient), Notification can''t be ignored, Star ID can''t be blocked!)"


    Jacob was frozen on his spot, ''Someone with at least Type-2 Star Privilege is contacting me?!''

 Chapter 222 Might-Of-Destruction

    ?Jacob was vignt when he guessed the possible background of this Might-Of-Destruction.


    ''Why would someone with such an identity contact me? Now how did he get my ID name, and from where?'' The more he mulled over it, the more confused and apprehensive Jacob felt.


    In the end, Jacob decided to ept the call before he made his watch''s projection setting ''Blurry ck.'' He didn''t even want to show his masked face to whoever this person was.


    The next moment, a blurry red figure''s projection suddenly formed over his wrist, and a deep voice filled with natural arrogance sounded, "Little guy, you''re quite daring to ignore my call, and now you''re even hiding your face!"


    Jacob frowned as he looked at the blurry hologram and calmly said in a cold tone, "I could say the same to you. Besides, I don''t think you would be free enough just to answer any random call either, right?


    "Now, tell me what you want and how you get my Star ID. I''m sure you''re not bored enough to search just random names and then use your Star Privilege even to force some random nobody to have a chat!"


    Jacob didn''t mince his words. Although he knew the other party might have a terrifying background, so what?


    He was in the middle of the wilderness, and he was pretty sure no one will be able to threaten him in rare ins. So he didn''t have to listen to the other party''s bullshit.


    "Hahahaha¡­ interesting. You''re indeed interesting!" The other party guffawed instead of getting angry as if he was amused by Jacob''s fearlessness.


    Jacob frowned as he nearly cut themunication but still was patient enough to wait. He wanted to know why this guy was contacting him and for what reason.


    Furthermore, the Star Network was probably not entirely confidential because of the Star Privilege existence. He was quite familiar with such a system. It was probably like a database formed by a corporation, and the higher your position, the more secrets you could ess.


    Still, he knew such Star Privilege wouldn''t be just given to any random person. He only got the type-1 Star Privilege because he was the sole champion of the rare ins trial.


    Although he didn''t know what other method someone had to use to acquire the same Star Privilege, it might not be so simple, not to mention someone with type-2 or higher star authority.


    Might-Of-Destruction stoppedughing as he meaningfully said, "Faceless Ancient, you alone cleared the Rare ins Trial in less than a year''s time right under the nose of those corpses. I must say you are quite something!"


    Jacob''s eyes widened when his secret was revealed like it was nothing, and he knew his guess about the Star Privilege was quite on point.


    "Who are you, and how do you know this?!" He still pretended to panic to acquire more information.


    Now he was even more sure this person was not a native of rare ins!


    Might-Of-Destruction chuckled, "Now that''s more like it. Since you have kicked those corpses in the balls, I''ll tell you who I am!


    "I''m the Chairman of Zodiac Warrior Alliance of Epic ins, Gunnar!"


    Jacob was stunned when the other party revealed his identity like it was nothing but a trifle thing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Chairman of Zodiac Warrior Alliance of Epic ins, then this person might be as strong as an Epic-Tier-9!'' Jacob presumed since he knew the Chairman of the strongest hegemony wouldn''t be a weakling.


    Gunnar chuckled at this moment, "Stunned, right? You might be confused about what is the ''Epic ins'' and if I''m ying a joke on you. Rejoice, I''m not!


    "The Epic ins are in higher than Rare ins, and Epic Rank is above the rank of Extraordinary. Consider this information a greeting gift!"


    Jacob was momentarily speechless by this man''s loose mouth. Still, he didn''t want to antagonize the other party anymore since he was destined toe in contact with Gunnar because of his affiliation with the alliance.


    There was no need to make such an enemy as long as there was no need to, especially when he was the weak one.


    "I apologized for my previous rudeness since I never thought I would be personally contacted by Chairman Gunnar of all people." Jacob mildly spoke.


    "No worries, even your ins four freedom lords don''t have the right to speak to me like this, so it''s only natural you will feel this way." Gunnar chuckled as he really didn''t mind.


    ''What freedom lords?'' Jacob was baffled by it since it was the first time he had heard such a term.


    Still, he didn''t show his ignorance and replied, "Indeed, but why do I have this honor? How may I help you?"


    "I don''t like talking with blurs!" Gunnar''s tone suddenly turned sharp as he stated.


    Jacob frowned as a hint of killing intent shed past his eyes before he turned to normal as he calmly said, "I''m afraid I can''t remove the blur right now. Or you will see something unpleasant unbing of your status, chairman. Please forgive me."


    Gunnar remained silent for a moment before he sneered, "Hah, you''re really something. Still refuse to show your face despite knowing who I am. Very well, I will get straight to the point, I have seen your data, and you are already affiliated with Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    "As long as you manage to be Rank-1 Zodiac Warrior in 5 years, I''ll send someone to pick you up. This is only a one-time offer, and if you fail, I''d personally revoke your Alliance membership.


    "Trust me; I have the authority to remove any reserve member and even ban them from entering the original alliance forever. The alliance has no ce for weaklings!"


    Gunnar''s voice was icy cold at the end before his projection vanished. He had cut the call without even waiting for Jacob''s reply.


    Jacob remained standing on his spot for a moment in a daze before he chuckled as his expression went dark with forbidding, "You have the authority to remove the reserve members? Then you have no control over ranked members, I guess."


    Jacob wasn''t nning on leaving the Rare ins until he thought he was ready to leave. Especially not with someone stronger than him and then being controlled by them.


    As for reaching the Rank-1 Zodiac Warrior, it was a piece of cake for him. Five years were too long, and Gunnar will be going to regret ever revealing such a crucial piece of information to Jacob because of his arrogance!

 Chapter 223 Physical Aspect

    ?After his small ''chat'' with Gunnar, Jacob tries searching for his ID on the starwork, but he soon finds out he can''t, despite having his ID name.


    Jacob assumed that the Star Privilege might also have a privacy function, which means only someone with equal or higher Star Privilege could search IDs with Star Privilege while those with lower Star Privilege couldn''t!


    This also means no one would be able to search Jacob''s ID unless they had a Star Privilege equivalent to him or higher, like Gunnar!


    Although this made Jacob ufortable, he could ept it since this gave me an advantage over many.


    Still, he was now even vignt of the Star Network because if someone with high Star Privilege could find out about him being the champion of the Dark Ruins, then they could also discover his location through the star watch.


    This wasn''t entirely impossible since he had done such things in the past as well. In his previous world, with his authority and status, he could easily make the government reveal someone''s whereabouts or even make them search for the target.


    So, Jacob decided to put the star watch into the pendant whenever he wasn''t using it because only then would he feelpletely safe.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Still, he wasn''t overly worried that Gunnar woulde after him in the rare ins. That guy might not even consider him worthy of paying attention. He might only be interested in him because he cleared the dark ruins in such a short time.


    That''s why Jacob merely scoffed that guy off and stopped worrying about him and would only think after he entered the Epic ins.


    So, he continued his study of the Rune Artificer while he started walking toward the Dark City.


    This time, Jacob experienced another ambush from the sky. It was a five-meter in size silver beak eagle, another tier-2 extraordinary magic beast that had a terrifying wind speed magic.


    But Jacob easily dodged its areal charge and killed it by using his sword as a throwing knife before it could fly away.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to record it with the alliance application and sent it back. His rank instantly raised to 3-star nightmare warrior knight, and he continued his journey.


    As he entered deep into the magic beast forest, the attacks became more frequent. He even unknowingly entered an extraordinary-tier-4 Longtail Wolf den when he entered the inner region of the forest.


    They could easily use water des like magic and were not taken lightly. So, getting rid of those persistent wolves took him a while.


    But this also helped him amass arge amount of high-quality wolf meat, and his pendant was almost filled with nothing but meat at this moment.


    So, Jacob felt he was and decided to consume the Wyvern heart tonight!


    He was already a 4-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight already, and the promotion mission for the 5-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight startled him.


    ''Zodiac Warrior Alliance ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 4-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight (Reserve Zodiac Warrior)


    ''Next Rank: 5-Star Nightmare Warrior Knight


    ''Mission''


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 3


    ''(NOTE: Complete any one of these missions to promote!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) Defeating ten 4-Star Nightmare Knights at the same time (Fighter or Magic) in Nightmare Warrior Arena.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 1,000 ZC, A 5-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing ten Extraodnary-Tier-5 Beasts at the same time.


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 500 ZC, A 5-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) killing ten Extraordinary-Tier-1 Dark Beings


    -Reward: Rank Promotion, 1,500 ZC, Two 5-Star Rare Fighter Skill


    [Star Recording?]


    (Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)''


    Jacob frowned since searching a group of ten or more extraordinary-tier-4 beings would be difficult. Even the Longtail Wolf Pack only had three Extraordinary-Tier-4 Wolves.


    Still, Jacob was quite sure he might find arge colony of beasts if he entered deep into the forest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So, Jacob decided to use the wolf den, which was arge cave, as his personal resting until he absorbed the Wyvern heart.


    Like, always, Jacob locked the cave mouth withrge boulders before he sat down and meditated to reach his optimal condition. He was going to start the second stage, so he didn''t want to mess up, especially when he had a chance to acquire Wyvern''s ability.


    After an hour, Jacob was finally ready, and a metal box appeared in his hand. Before he opened it, a 13-inches crimson heart was giving off a terrifying heat that surfaced before Jacob''s shimmering eyes.


    ''I''m d I didn''t sell it to SAAI and saved it just in case I would need it in Dark City.'' Jacob sneered in his heart.


    Jacob wanted to use this heart in case he found something useful in the Dark City, but it was now priceless to Jacob to sell it.


    It was, after all, a heart of a creature with an entire bloodline of a legendary being!


    Without hesitation, Jacob started eating the heart, which was literally burning, but Jacob endured and ate it all while feeling the sensation of burning his internal organs without wasting anything.


    He had to admit even with his tier-6 extraordinary physique, the heart could still make him feel like he was swallowing burning coals.


    But Jacob didn''t have to feel that burning sensation for long because, within moments, his heart suddenly picked up speed, and before he knew it, he was already in 10X eleration!


    However, Jacob didn''t panic since he hadplete control over his heart rate now, and even 15X eleration won''t faze him much.


    At this moment, he felt something melting in his stomach, which started spreading in his veins and bloodstream.


    Without any exnation, Jacob knew the process had been started, and he was feeling moltenva running through his blood vessels right.


    As time passed, Jacob started to feel a strange cold sensation within his veins while the fiery sensation settled down.


    The cold sensation also didn''tst long before it was gone as well, and Jacob''s heart rate returned to normal.


    ''That''s it?'' Jacob was confused and somewhat disappointed since he hadn''t awakened any of the Wyvern''s abilities.


    He could only sigh in bitterness and opened Cursed Immortality to see how much progress he had made with the Wyvern''s heart.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Blood Condensing (Second Stage)]


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 04.99%


    [Description: Convert your blood into Cursed Blood until it reaches 100%pletion by Absorbing the Heart Blood of Legendary Beings or their decedents.]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 500 Years of Lifespan


    ______


    Jacob frowned and mumbled, "Not even 5% percent?"


    The page turned on its own as Immortika''s scornful words appeared, "Do you even know with just 4.99%, as long as you quench your hunger, you are already as strong as a Tier-1 Epic Rank Being?"


    Jacob was startled and stated his confusion, "But I don''t feel any hunger, like before?"


    Immortika wrote something which made Jacob widen his eyes in shock, "It''s because you have awakened one of the Wyvern''s strongest physical aspects, its Endurance!


    "Simply put, a Wyvern can sleep for hundreds of years in a hibernation-like state without eating or using any type of energy because of its terrifying Endurance!


    "Although it''s not much of an ability, a Wyvern''s Endurance is far more powerful than any being without a legendary bloodline. Especially for someone like you!"


    Realization dawned upon Jacob as he quickly understood what Immortika meant by those words and asked, "So, I can even annex someone''s physical aspects besides its abilities? Why didn''t you say it so before?"


    "Hehehehe, isn''t it the same thing?" Immortika questioned.


    Jacob''s face fell and refuted, "Fuck, no!"


    Immortikaughed, "Well, I guess you''re right. Since the physical aspects involved someone''s eyes, horns, skin color, wings, or even tail, well, now you know, can you ept the change in your appearance? What if you acquired a beast''s tail, four arms, or spider-like legs?"


    The question dumbfounded Jacob, and his heart turned cold since he had never thought there was such a possibility of a change in physique.


    Can he live with another form but human if it means acquiring immortality? This was really the question worth mulling over, but Jacob knew what he would choose every single time.


    So, he took a deep breath and said emotionlessly, "In the end, the body is only skin and flesh. Appearance meant nothing in the grand scale of the universe. Especially if evesting life was on the life, I''m sure anyone would choose even to give up anything for such a chance, much less physical appearance. So, you should stop doubting my resolve!"


    Immortikaughed and filled the entire page after hearing Jacob''s answer before it wrote just two words at the end, "¡­ Don''t worry!"

 Chapter 224 Continue Into The Magic Beast Forest

    ?Jacob frowned when he saw ''Don''t worry'' and sternly questioned, "What do you mean by ''don''t worry''?"


    "Hoh, did I say something?" These words appeared the next moment.


    Jacob''s expression fell the moment he read those words, and he knew this book was again messing with him. However, he suddenly felt like sleeping, and he instantly knew the hunger was acting up.


    Although he had acquired the fire wyvern''s endurance, but he couldn''t just sleep for hundreds of years to sustain himself.


    "Stop messing around and tell me how this endurance works exactly!" Jacob sternly questioned.


    "Tsk, tsk, what a simple question, sigh¡­ I have to tell you everything in the end. The Endurance of this Wyvern will raise your Endurance to the level of a Unique Rank Wyvern.


    "Your human body will no longer waste any extra energy as it did before, and all required energy to move your body or do tasks or fighting has been decreased by 90% with your current level.


    "But you will feel the urge to sleep all the time if you''re about to run out of energy in your body. It''s a sign of hibernation, but unlike Wyvern, which can absorb the energy from the environment to recover while in hibernation, you will sleep to death because you didn''t have such an ability.


    "So, I suggest you won''t fall asleep without an empty stomach, hahaha¡­ Lastly, the endurance will be decreased as your power rises until you surpass the unique rank.


    "This is the only w of Physical Aspects like endurance, agility, strength, magic talent, and so on. They are not yours, so they will be useless in time as you continue to increase your prowess.


    "So, I strongly suggest you won''t get used to them because they will not increase like abilities and will lose their effect with time. If you have killed a peak epic rank wyvern, then your endurance will be of legendary rank Wyvern, what a pity, right¡­hehehe."


    Jacob felt somewhat regretful after this revtion, "So to say, the physical aspect will be like temporary boosts while the abilities can increase with my own power?"


    "Exactly. But not all the physical aspect is like this like if you awake a legendary creature''s eyes which can grow with magic or evolve with some other materials, you will naturally inherit that aspect as well.


    "Lastly, if you awake the same kind of physical aspect again that you already had, it will either override the old one or not activate at all.


    "Like if you awake the endurance aspect of some other species again, if it''s stronger than the Fire Wyvern Unique Rank Endurance, it will instantly override it. While if that aspect is weaker, then it won''t be active at all!"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in understanding after reading this, ''So, I don''t have to worry about recing the useless aspect at all!''


    Although the physical aspect was somewhat weak inparison to the ability, if he got an overpowered physical aspect, then it was even more valuable than an ability that would only increase with his own power.


    After asking some more questions, he closed the book, and without hesitation, he started to eat like crazy. He ate until he no longer felt sleepy anymore, and he could now even feel his body getting stronger with every beast he consumed at a terrifying pace.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Another week passed like this, and almost all the meat in Jacob''s pendant that he had umted had gone. But Jacob still had this lingering feeling of sleepiness, but not like before when he felt he wouldn''t be able to wake if he feels into asleep.


    It was more like a sleep where he would stop using his energy and fall into a standby-like state. After some experiments, Jacob can easily feel into this state and awake within a moment''s notice.


    ''It seemed I had to eat tier-6 extraordinary meat if I wanted toplete my Epic-Tier-1 body. But I still haven''t any clue about magic. What a waste¡­'' He thought bitterly.


    Jacob was already strong enough to kill anyone in the rare ins, but he still hadn''t had a trace of magic which was his only regret now. Still, he knew this thing couldn''t be hurried or forced.


    So, without wasting more time, Jacob continues his journey toward the dark city as well as continues his study of Rune Artificer. He was already at the Senior Grandmaster Rune Artificer Rank part and only the Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer Rank away from remembering the entire Magic Rune Encyclopedia.


    Although he won''t be a true Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer, but he would be as knowledgeable as one. When he had the time, he would practice as well.


    He was now in the magic beast forest''s inner region, and anyone with a sane mind would try their best to hide their presence since this ce was filled with vicious beasts.


    But Jacob walks like he owns the ce whilepletely focusing on his star watch. After he awakens the Wyvern Unique Rank endurance, his mental endurance is enhanced, as well as his physical endurance.


    The magic beast attacks be more frequent as they all think of Jacob as easy prey.


    But no matter what kind of ambush they performed, whether it was a physical attack from close quarters or a magic attack from shadows, Jacob always managed to block it in the nick of time and kill them before they even had the chance to react.


    This way, Jacob also continued to eat while he visibly felt he was getting closer and closer to acquiring an Epic-Tier-1 physique, and the effort he had to put into killing those magic beasts was also bing lower.


    Two dayster, after Jacob continued his journey, he finally remembered the entire Magic Rune Encyclopedia!


    But he didn''t even waste a moment before he opened the Philosopher''s Language, which was thenguage of Alchemy.


    Afterprehending the Rune Language, Jacob found that the Philosopher Language''s difficulty decreased exceptionally, or it was the case because he had some understanding of thisnguage before.


    Whichever the case was, it only took him half a day topletelyprehend the type-0 Philosopher''s Language.


    Jacob also realized that thenguage he learned in themon ins was nothing but a fragment of type-0 Philosopher''s Language!

 Chapter 225 Rare Dark City (1)

    ?The core region of the Magic Beast Forest was filled with territorial magic beasts, and there wasn''t even a single magic beast below the rank of extraordinary because they couldn''t survive there.


    The deep one goes toward the central area, and the chance of stepping into some dreadful magic beast''s territory would increase exceptionally.


    But if someone reached this area, they found themselves staring at an extensive canyon around a massive waterfall.


    However, an even more absurd thing was on the right steep wall of this canyon, over 300-meter high, there was a fifty-cubic meter, glistering ck block, and it was extremely eye-catching in this kind of scenery.


    Not only that, but there was a road-like tform in front of this ck block, and its size was exactly the same as it was made for others to stand on it. But there was no road that led to this tform, and underneath was nothing but steep cliff and raging Great Star River!


    But at this moment, a tall hooded figure d in ck was standing on this tform as he looked at the glittering ck block with great interest in his amber eyes.


    This person was naturally Jacob, who had just reached here a few moments ago.


    He couldn''t help but look at the virtual map on his star watch and the red mark continuously blinking right where he was standing.


    Jacob couldn''t help but mumble, "Just who built a city in the middle of a fucking cliff? And where the heck is the city anyway?"


    If he hadn''t seen this ck block and tform, he won''t have even bothered to climb up here and would have thought that this was some kind of error in the map.


    However, there was no trace of any city here at all, and he couldn''t help but start to wonder if the Dark City was ying some kind of joke with those who sought it in this extremely dangerous ce.


    Still, since he was here, he won''t be going back without even trying. So, he touched the ck block, trying to see if there was some kind of mechanism hidden within.


    The moment Jacob''s hand touched the ck block''s smooth surface, the ck block suddenly lit up in white, and an electric voice sounded all of a sudden.


    "Wee to the Rare Dark City, Esteem Wanderer!


    "Please Identify yourself!


    "Seeking permission to scan the Star Watch


    "Will you ept?"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he heard the voice and the same words on the ck block, ''It''s a screen?''


    He had only been in the umon region''s dark city, and that ce was not so advanced, so he was now curious about what the biggest dark city of the rare ins would be like.


    So, he didn''t hesitate and gave permission to scan his identity before he activated an 8-Star Nightmare Knight Badge.


    Thereby, a red ray shone directly on the star watch before it vanished.


    The electric voice rang again, "Identity Scan Complete!


    "Faceless Ancient (8-Star Nightmare Knight)


    "Dark City Status: Guest


    "Dark City Criminal Record: None


    "Dark City Noble Title: None


    "Guest (Faceless Ancient), you are qualified to enter the Rare Dark City.


    "Please Answer Three Entry Questions:


    "1. Are you aware of Rare Dark City Rules?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes/NO


    "NOTE: If NO, please buy the Rule and Guild Book (100 Gold Coins)


    "2. Are you a Wanted Criminal in Rare ins?


    "Yes/NO


    "NOTE 1: The Dark City reserve all rights to investigate the ''Answer'' at any time, and it might have consequences if the answer does not match the investigation result, so please be honest.


    "NOTE 2: Your answer will not be disclosed to anyone under any circumstance, and only in case you broke the Dark City Rule will this information can be disclosed to Dark City''s Administrator!


    "3. Are you willing to abide by all the rules of Dark City, and in case you break it, you are aware of the consequences?


    "Yes/NO"


    Jacob''s eyes went cold when he looked at those three questions. These questions were clearly to make it clear that the rules of Dark City''s rules shouldn''t be broken, and they were absolute.


    Furthermore, they even put a Rule and Guild Book, so no one was able to feign ignorance if they broke any rules.


    This puts his mind at ease since he can stay here without getting worried about anyone attacking him or ying any tricks while remaining in the city.


    So, he decided to buy the Rule and Guild book since 100 gold coins were nothing but chump change for him at this point. After the amount was deducted from his ount, he received a virtual file of Rule and Guild Book. He''ll read it once he enters the city.


    Jacob then tapped into the answers without hesitation, except for the second question. He answered everything as yes. He wasn''t a wanted criminal of Rare ins, and neither he had any enmity with Freedom ins.


    Thereby, the electric voice rang again,


    "Thank you for your cooperation.


    "Now Please Choose Your ''Rare Dark Pass'' and ''Name''


    "Your Name Here?


    "5 Days Pass: 100,000 Gold Coins


    "15 Days Pass: 125,000 Gold Coins


    "30 Days Pass: 150,000 Gold Coins


    "60 Days Pass: 200,000 Gold Coins


    "120 Days Pass: 350,000 Gold Coins


    "NOTE 1: You can choose any random name, and this name will mirror your name in all transactions made within Dark City!


    "NOTE 2: When the selected ''Rare Dark Pass Timer'' reaches ZERO, you''ll have 60 minutes to leave the Dark City or Recharge the timer again.


    "WARNING: If you neglect this, the Dark City Guards will detain you and impersonate you in the dungeon for six days and receive 1st Degree Torture. After your detention, you''ll be banned from entering the Dark City for 5-months."


    "So, this ce also has the same entry pass and even harsher punishment. But it''s far more expensive than themon ins." Jacob mumbled.


    Nevertheless, he was quite happy about the ''NOTE:1'' because this would mean no one would know his real Star ID as long as he won''t disclose it himself. He never thought the Dark City had such a function.


    As long as his safety and privacy were guaranteed, Jacob won''t mind paying this small price, so he selected the 120-Day Pass without hesitation!

 Chapter 226 Rare Dark City (2)

    ?The moment Jacob made his selection, his star watch vibrated, and a UI (User Interface) appeared, which was actually a request from the Dark City AI for the payment.


    After he epted, the payment was transferred, and the next moment, he received a virtual badge like the identity badge.


    It was a badge with a Dark-Capped symbol on a white triangle shield, but unlike any other identity badge in his possession, there was a timer below this badge, and it was running like any timer clock.


    120-D: 23-H: 59-M: 57-S¡­


    Jacob was quite familiar with both this symbol and this timer. It was the symbol of the Dark City, the entry pass''s timer. The only difference was it was now virtual instead of physical.


    The eclectic voice rang again, "You have sessfully gained entry to the Dark City. You can always increase your staying limit by tapping on the badge of our Dark City from your Star Watch directly.


    "I wee Mr. Jack in the Dark City (Rare)!"


    ''Jack'' was naturally the fake name he had given himself.


    The moment the voice trailed off, a sudden beep rang before Jacob felt slight vibration beneath him.


    Before he could figure out what was happening, the ck cube trembled before a two-meter opening slide opened in front of Jacob like a door.


    "Please Enter!"


    Jacob was only surprised for a moment seeing the door within therge cube before he moved forward and entered the passage.


    The very next moment, the opening slid shut without leaving any trace of any opening behind.


    Jacob naturally saw the door closing off the moment he entered but didn''t pay attention since he was now standing in a very long, light tunnel.


    Jacob''s attention was instantly drawn by a round cable life over a tform, and there were stairs leading toward it just a few meters away from him.


    "Please embark on the cable lift, Mr. Jack!"


    ''They really build the city within a mountain, huh?'' Jacob was intrigued as he followed the instruction and entered the cable lift.


    The cable lift was quite spacious for a single passenger, not to mention quitefortable. The moment he entered the lift instantly started moving deep within the bright tunnel.


    Jacob was somewhat surprised since he didn''t see any guards in this ce, and he could vaguely see the end of the tunnel, but it was probably over three miles away, which was quite a huge difference.


    So, Jacob didn''t waste his time and opened the guild and rule book he bought from the entrance. However, he was familiar with the rules of the Dark City from themon ins. But he was cross-matching them with this one and seeing if there were some new rules he wasn''t aware of.


    The guild and rule book had a virtual city map on their very first page, and Jacob was quite astonished when he saw the city was over 350 square km in diameter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Rare Dark City was divided into three Dark City Circles, the Dark Common Circle, the Dark Inner Circle, and the Dark Noble Circle.


    ording to this book, themon circle was for those with ''Commoners'' or ''Gusts'' like himself. It was also where he was going.


    As for the inner circle, it was 100 Km deep within the Dark City. But to enter the Inner Circle of the City, one needed at least the status of Lower Dark Noble.


    As for the Noble Circle, only those with Dark Baron and above Dark Noble Ranks can enter that ce.


    The Dark Noble Ranks were divided into Lower Dark Noble, Upper Dark Noble, Dark Baron, Dark Viscount, Dark Earl, Dark Marquise, and Dark Duke. Just like the dark city in themon ins.


    However, unlike themon ins, the Dark Noble Rank of Lower Dark Noble and Upper Dark Noble was not as hard to earn as in themon dark cities.


    In this ce, there was no limit to the Dark Missions for the Lower and Upper Dark Noble Ranks. Nevertheless, it was still quite challenging even for someone with Extraordinary Tier Strength.


    But the benefits were enticing enough for many to go mad to acquire these dark noble titles.


    Because ording to this guide, the higher the city circle one entered, the more rare and precious resources were avable for them.


    Especially in the Dark Noble City Circle because in that ce, every shop belonged to the Dark City and all the items.


    Even the three hegemonies were not allowed to open any kind of shop or build their symbolic buildings there. They were only limited to the Common and Inner-City Circles.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in astonishment, ''If what is written in here is true, then the Noble City Circle all have resources far surpass what the three hegemonies offer, and all of them were hoarded by the Dark Nobles.


    ''Or this might be because the Dark City is doing it on purpose, by suppressing the three hegemonies'' this willpel more people to join their ranks just like what the freedom ins were doing.


    ''If I have an opinion on the base of my personal experience up until now, one thing is clear; the three hegemonies seemed to don''t care about authority in the rare ins. As long as no one provokes them, they are happy with what they have.


    ''This could only mean the Rare ins are not enticing enough for them to put effort. As for the dark city, they are quite a secretive andwful bunch. As for their true goal, if I''m not wrong, it is also aligning with the three hegemonies in one way or another to draw more members!''


    Jacob mused while he was skimming through the guild and rule book. Within seconds, he remembered everything.


    This was just a small book. It was worth nothing for something like Jacob, who had already mastered more than enough knowledge to make anyone''s head spin in his journey to this ce, and all of that knowledge was rted to incrediblyplexnguages, including the Language of Dead.


    But this was just an appetizer since Jacob still had much moreplex knowledge toprehend, and he needed a peaceful ce to study them.


    That''s why he was in the Dark City in the first ce and won''t leave before he was satisfied with himself!

 Chapter 227 Rare Dark City (3)

    ?In the Dark Noble City Circle of the Dark City,


    Within a workshop filled with all kinds of alchemy equipment, a 4''2 feet person with a burly build was standing in front of a silver pill furnace with a solemn expression on his long beard face.


    All of a sudden, an electric voice sounded within theb, "Lord Hallberg, there is a level-1 alert!"


    Hallberg''s thick brows knit when he heard this and spoke in his husky voice without turning around as his green eyes were still affixed on the pill furnace, "Out with it."


    The electric voice rang, "A personal with Type-1 Star Privilege had entered the Dark City just a few moments ago!"


    Hallberg finally lost some focus as he mumbled with great interest, "Someone with Type-1 Star Privilege in the Rare ins? Now that''s interesting.


    "ording to our informationwork, there shouldn''t be anyone with Type-1 Star Privilege in Rare ins since there''s no chance to increase the Star Privilege in Rare ins unless someone can annihte the entire Dark Faction from the Rare ins.


    "The only other way to raise Star Privilege is the Trial in!"


    Hallberg''s eyes shimmered in understanding as his lips curled up in a wily smile, "So, the mysterious champion whopleted the entire trial in less than six months has appeared in my Dark City, huh? Who would''ve thought? Really, who would''ve thought?"


    His voice turned sharp as he questioned, "Tell me his name, and did he have contact with our dark city before?"


    The electric voice replied, "This person''s star ID is Faceless Ancient, and it''s the first time he has entered any Dark City."


    "Any high-level affiliations with Three Hegemonies?" Hallberg questioned again.


    "He''s an 8-Star Nightmare Knight."


    Hallberg frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "Then he might''ve already been contacted by that arrogant prick, Gunnar, and may have already joined the Zodiac Warrior Alliance as a reserve member. I can''t approach him as the Dark City Lord, or this might cause trouble."


    After muttering to this point, he suddenly looked up and spoke, "Dark Rose, I want you to inform me if he reaches the Lower Dark Noble Rank. For now, ignore him and just treat him like other ''Commoners.'' We''ll see if he''s interested in our Dark City or not before taking any action."


    "Understood, Lord Hallberg!" The electric voice or Dark Rose sounded in affirmation before turn silence.


    Hallberg couldn''t help but sneer, "Let''s see if you can escape from the mirage or not¡­"


    However, at this moment, the pill furnace started to tremble violently, and Hallberg''s expression instantly went pale.


    "Oh, fuck, not again!" He quickly turned around to flee toward the door, but before he could reach the door¡­


    "Booommm¡­!"


    ---


    At the entrance of the Dark City.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A cable lift carrying a single passenger appeared out of the deep tunnel.


    Jacob, who was closely looking outside, was astonished because at the end of the tunnel was a metropolis. He even thought he hade back to his own world.


    The only difference was this metropolis was built right in the belly of a mountain, and he had no idea how these people even thought of building this city here. Were they not afraid of burying alive if this mountain came crashing down?


    Still, seeing all those buildings and roads, as well as people walking around without any care about their surrounding, give Jacob some assurance. Furthermore, over 90% of these people were wearing masks, while the reaming was wearing ck mantles.


    ''Just like the Dark City in the Common ins, most of the people hide their identities.'' Jacob mused.


    But this setting was quite to his liking since he also didn''t want to draw any unwanted attention.


    The cable lift finally stopped at another station shortly after, and Jacob exited the cable lift and walked toward the exit of the station. This station was usually empty since it was only used to take the ''guests'' inside the city. The exit of the Dark City was on the southern side of the city.


    As for any workers, ording to the guidebook, this ce was mostly under the management of artificial intelligence named Dark Rose.


    Jacob exited the building and nced at two guards in silver and white masks standing around the door. They merely nced at him and didn''t utter any words.


    A glint of astonishment shed past Jacob''s eyes, ''What a powerful and sturdy heart rate. They should be at least Tier-1 Extraordinaire, if not tier-2, and they are just door guards of this entrance station.''


    Jacob continues to walk toward the paved road when he suddenly feels a pair of eyes on him. He had developed this habit of being always on high alert while walking out in the wilderness, and his senses were now terrifyingly high.


    It was half because of his new heart and half because of his Unique Endurance. Without them, Jacob would be exhausted within an hour if he was constantly on high alert, especially without unique endurance.


    Furthermore, he was no longer in the rank of extraordinary and now has Epic-Tier-1 level physical strength, which should be over 50 Kiloton!


    Although Jacob didn''t have the measuring scale to measure the strength of the Epic Rank, he had a pretty good guess.


    Behind his mask, his eyes were moving around the busy streets, and he was instantly locked on a small figure within the walking mob. But the moment he looked, the person had already averted its gaze and continued to walk.


    ''Just my imagination, I guess. That person should be someone who has killed quite a lot. Maybe that''s why I felt uneasy when he looked at me.'' Jacob mused as he felt it was most likely the case, and he was overreacting since no one would be mad enough to pick a fight in the dark city.


    Even if some lunatic tried anything funny, Jacob was not a helplessmb.


    Jacob hailed a taxi at this moment. The taxi driver was a fat goblin; despite wearing a mask, Jacob instantly knew it was a goblin because of that long nose cavity in the mask and its w-like hand.


    After Jacob sat on the back seat, the goblin politely asked while looking at him from the front mirror with his astute eyes, "Where to, sir?"


    Jacob coolly responded, "Alchemy Guild!"

 Chapter 228 Magic Smith

    ?Jacob exited the taxi after transferring 44 gold coins to the goblin driver.


    He walked into a crowded square, and in front of him was a huge skyscraper, probably with over three hundred floors.


    There were massive letters on this building, ''Alchemy Guild,'' and there was the famous sigil of Alchemy Guild, the zing red me rising from an eight-legged golden cauldron.


    In the Dark City, the branches of the Alchemy Guild, like Gunsmith, Apothecary, and Potion Alchemy, were not separated, and they were allbined into a single Alchemy Guild Building.


    However, this didn''t mean it was the true Alchemy Guild, and just like the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, they only had branches in rare ins, not their actual guild.


    Nevertheless, they were top of Life Professions and reverted by many.


    Although there was also guidance about these professions in the Zodiac Warrior Alliance Market, they didn''t have facilities to practice them like the Alchemy Guild.


    Furthermore, almost all the rare and precious knowledge, like potion forms, weapon designs, and many more, were in the hands of the Alchemy Guild.


    Lastly, the knowledge about the professions like Rune Artificers was also exclusive to the Alchemy Guild, and they didn''t even exist in the Rare ins.


    What Jacob was here for was actually the Magic Smith profession, rted to the Magic Weapon Crafting, which was another exclusive profession of the Alchemy Guild. He had already bought theplete manual from the champion space for 100,000 ZC.


    What hecked was the ce to practice it and the materials, and unlike the Rune Artificers, the Magic Smith was actually taught in the Rare ins, but it was not for anyone, and only people with the most talent could be Magic Smith.


    Jacob had already grasped the basic of Magic Weapon Crafting, and he knew, like the Rune Artificers, it could also be practiced without magic as long as he had appropriate materials.


    And he was extremely eager to practice it because the Magic Weapon Crafting was quite a delicate process, just like gunsmithing, and he had already got many ideas he wanted to experiment with.


    That''s why he didn''t just remember the contents of the manual, but he wanted to practice them as well and assimte this knowledge with his own. He knew he could go extremely far in this path, just like gunsmithing.


    He had already seen magic-type guns in the champion shop, so he knew they could be made, and there might be blueprints of them in this ce because the alliance market didn''t.


    That''s why he came here, first thing.


    Once he has achieved his goals and is prepared, he will leave the rare ins without wasting more time. As for other things, they won''t interest him as long as they won''t align with his goals.


    The Dark City was the only ce that could give him all this without having to worry about others'' schemes or getting dragged into some war.


    The gates of the building were opened, and many people were going in and out in an orderly fashion.


    Besides the normal membership, the Alchemy Guild here also sells their products and amasses a massive amount of wealth daily.


    Jacob entered the building like everything and found himself in arge lobby with eighteen different elevators and queues of people in front of every single one of them.


    Some queues wererger than others, while some were small, and no one dared to make a fuss about waiting.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob then spotted a long ss counter in the center of this lobby, where beautiful talldies of the demi-human race were guiding the people who had questions.


    He also joined the queue in front of the cat-ears woman, and it was quickly his turn.


    The woman with cat ears smiled at Jacob and politely asked, "How may I help you today, Sir?"


    "I want to learn Magic Weapon Crafting," Jacob stated his intentions.


    ''Another one who didn''t know his limit.''


    The cat-ears woman didn''t seem to be surprised since she daily dealt with such people who were here to try their luck with the rarest profession in Rare ins.


    She smilingly replied, "You need to be Senior Grandmaster cksmith, Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith, Senior Grandmaster Mason, Senior Grandmaster Magic Watchsmith, and Senior Grandmaster Weapon Analyst. Do you have your identity proof with you, Sir?"


    Jacob raised a brow when he heard the requirement just to learn the Magic Weapon Crafting.


    There was no such knowledge about these requirements in the manual he possessed, and he could easily understand it as well as even craft an intermediate-rank magic weapon as long as he had designed without learning those professions. He was that confident.


    ''What now, if I can''t join a Magic Smith ranks, I can''t enter the Magic Crafting Workshop¡­'' Jacob mused.


    But he didn''t give any reaction as he merely nodded toward the cat-ears woman and said, "Thank you for your information. Then, where I can take the test to increase my Gunsmith Rank?"


    ''Hmm, he gave up easily. At least he knew his ce and epted it.'' She had a somewhat good impression of Jacob now.


    "Please go to Floor-51. The Gunsmith Tests conduct there." She replied.


    "Thank you." Jacob nodded and turned around to leave toward the elevator.


    He suddenly heard the person standing behind passing a jeering remark.


    "Hah, little shit wanted to be a Magic Smith without even having magic. What a bumpkin." The male voice wasn''t loud, but many here were Extraordinaires, so they could easily hear him.


    Many started snickering under their breath.


    Jacob pretended as if he didn''t hear anything and continued on his way toward the elevator. He really didn''t mind since he had once gone through such boisterous remakes when he started his journey from nothing.


    Thereupon, Jacob entered one of the eighteen elevators and headed toward floor-51.


    While heading up, Jacob mused, ''I should first reevaluate my Gunsmith Rank and gain a gunsmith workshop before studying thest two encyclopedias, the Universal Magical Materials (Type-1) and Universal Beings [Living & Dead] (Type-1) in my possession.''


    His lips rose in a cold smile, ''So, what if they won''t give me ess to the Magic Smith Workshop, there''s always someone who is short on money. I just need to find them. There''s no time to waste on rules when I can break them!''

 Chapter 229 Senior Grandmasters Meeting

    ?On the top floor of the Alchemy Guild''s building,


    Within avish meeting room, many dignified figures were sitting around arge rectangr table.


    They were all wearing sky-blue robes with Alchemy Guild''s sigil on their back, and the only difference was they had different badges on their chest. But these badges were also Golden in color.


    The golden color badge represented only one status in the Alchemy Guild, the Status of a Senior Grandmaster!


    These badges were of white, gray, yellow, iron, bronze, silver, and golden color. These seven color badges represent seven ranks present in the branches of the Alchemy Guild.


    Starting from Apprentice Rank and all the way to the Senior Grandmaster Rank.


    Furthermore, only in the dark city''s Alchemy Guild did there exist this many Senior Grandmasters, and they were all the ones who hadplete control over their respective departments and floors.


    The only person absent was the most influential person of them all, the Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith, as he handles all the matters in the Inner Circle of Dark City and seldomly appeared in this ce.


    As for why these influential figures were gathered here at this moment¡­


    An old elf with a golden pill badge sitting at the very front of the table solemnly spoke, "Gentlemen, as you might have received the news already, I''ll still announce it to make it official.


    "Just half an hour ago, a person with Star ID, Faceless Ancient, passed the test of Grandmaster Gunsmith. Not only that, but he wanted to take the test of a Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith right away!


    "Please take a look at the information we collected on him. I have sent it to your star watches."


    Many Senior Grandmasters'' faces turned stern when they heard it because there wasn''t many Senior Grandmaster present in the entire Rare ins, and if one did emerge, they will draw the attention of the main Alchemy Guild right away.


    Because the rank of a Senior Grandmaster represented the very pinnacle of a profession in Rare ins, and anyone with such a capability could produce unimaginable treasures. Especially a Senior Grandmaster of the Gunsmith Profession.


    They can produce weapons of mass destruction on a cartographic level scale, and that''s why they were highly sought after, even more than a Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith. Because in Gunsmithing, there was onlyplex technology involved, notplex magic.


    Lastly, the Alchemy Guild controlled the knowledge of every Senior Grandmaster level profession, and only the most talented personnel in the branch guild could learn them, but only after paying a steep price or earning merit.


    Yet, now, this unknown person had appeared out of nowhere and dered he had the skills of a Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith. How could these Senior Grandmasters not be rmed?


    However, when they looked at the profile made after a background check, they were bbergasted and their eyes winded in surprise because this person was registered in a Common ins branch and he was so young they even suspected that he had hacked the starwork to put all this information.


    If they hadn''t known it was impossible, they will definitely arrest him.


    "Is it even possible for someone from themon ins toe here all the way despite being so young? Not to mention we are talking about the Dark City here. How did this person appear here, and just who is he?" A Senior Grandmaster with a golden potion vile badge eximed.


    "Heh, look at his identity badge, ''Eight-Star Nightmare Knight,'' do you still think he can''t reach this ce?" A Senior Grandmaster with a golden scroll badge snickered.


    The old elf with a golden pill badge stated solemnly again, "I have personally talked with him, and ording to him, he got an inheritance on an abandoned ind in the Star Ocean, and that''s where his knowledge came from.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Even if that''s just a cover-up, ording to our policy, we can''t question anyone as long as they don''t break any rules of the guild. Nor can we pry into others'' secrets if the person is a fellow guild member.


    "Not to mention he had already acquired the Grandmaster Gunsmith Status in our rank, and he had already used his right to take the test of Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith every decade right now.


    "We have to prepare the test within six hours after he used his chance, and if we dy, you all know the consequences. Lastly, you guys should all forget about scheming against him because he had a blood force of 899,999, and this is the limit of the very best device we had. It could be even higher!"


    "What?!"


    Some of the Senior Grandmasters'' faces turned pale as they quickly threw all the strange thoughts in their mind after they heard about the ''inheritance'' part.


    They were not spooked about him being an Eight-Star Nightmare Knight. Then they were spooked after hearing about his blood force.


    Because blood force represents another thing among the alchemists, it represents the potential of next-level evolution!


    The easiest way to increase one strength or rank was to raise the blood force, and the alchemy guild naturally had more than enough ways to make an extraordinary bloodline epic by raising the blood force.


    However, they were all precious to the extreme, and why would they waste such precious resources on old men like them who had already exhausted their potential and long past their primes?


    On the other hand, this Faceless Ancient was still too young, and it was quite clear that he was extremely talented in the technology department. If his blood force is over 900,000, then the main guild won''t mind paying a small price to raise his potential even further and take him to the Epic ins!


    This means if they offended him, they might be too pitiful to regret itter, and if they form a good rtionship with him, then they will naturally reap the benefits.


    Even if they won''t get any physical benefits, just having the friendship of someone in the epic ins was more than enough.


    So, their attitude instantly changed.


    The old elf with a golden pill badge merely snickered as he knew more than enough was going through those old schemer''s brains.


    He then looked toward another female three seats away from him. She was extremely alluring and emitted a mature charm. She also wore the golden badge with the gunsmith sigil on her big meaty chest.


    Likewise, she was the only Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith present in the Dark City, Golden Elf Rita.


    He smiled amiably and said, "Miss Rita, ording to the rule, you have to be the invigtor of the test, and you may choose any theme you see fit. What do you think?"


    Rita had this cold and aloof air around her, but even she was shaken by the neer''s potential as he looked at the profile with great interest.


    Her cherry lips parted, and a melodious voice heard in the meeting room, "Then, I won''t be holding back!"


    A peculiar light shone in Rita''s beautiful eyes as she zoomed at those icy cold amber eyes revealed behind the mask in the picture attached with the file!

 Chapter 230 Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith Test (1)

    ?On the 55th floor,


    Jacob was waiting in a luxurious room.


    It''s been five hours since he had passed the Grandmaster Gunsmith test without breaking a sweat.


    Actually, he wanted to apply for the Elder Grandmaster Gunsmith Rank test directly, but when he discovered from a loss mouth participant that there wasn''t even a single Elder Grandmaster present of any profession in the entire rare ins, he decided against it.


    So, he applied for the Senior Grandmaster Rank test, but to his disappointment, it also can''t be done without being a Grandmaster Rank first.


    But this didn''t stop him from applying, and after paying the test fee of 100,000 gold coins, he sessfully passed the test on his very first try, making the invigtor dumbstruck.


    After that, an old elf approached him, who was a Senior Grandmaster Pill Alchemist, started to poke around his past.


    Jacob knew the fact that he being from themon ins, couldn''t be hidden forever, and he didn''t n on hiding it either. He simply made up a story and to quench the old elf''s curiosity.


    He had already known about the rules of the Alchemy Guild, so he wasn''t in any kind of danger, neither they could pose any danger to him even if they wanted to.


    So, after the discussion with the old elf, he directly used his chance to apply for the Senior Grandmaster Rank. But if he failed, he won''t get any chance at it again for another ten years. This was a rule which everyone had to follow.


    But Jacob knew he was more than capable of passing the test beyond the rank of Elder Grandmaster.


    Still, the Senior Grandmaster title was enough to earn him a respectable status in the whole Alchemy Guild in the Dark City or anywhere in the rare ins, as a matter of fact.


    So, he settled with it. He had already drawn some attention to himself after revealing he was from themon ins as well as his blood force was also measured when he took the Grandmaster Rank test to see his talent and actual age.


    He even suspected they might have already known about themotion he caused in the Freedom Rare ins when he escaped by pinning the me on the Killer Skull Society.


    But ording to Star News, the Freedom Rare ins arepletely upied with the all-out war with the Wild Nation at the moment, so they might not be free enough to notice him in the dark city right in the middle of Magic Beast Forest.


    Nevertheless, as long as he was in the Rare ins, Jacob wasn''t afraid of getting scheme against, especially in the Dark City.


    Furthermore, the status of a Senior Grandmaster means he would have ess to the organization''s storage facilities and can buy anything as long as he can pay for it.


    He had already joined their private server as a Grandmaster and earned another identity badge with 100 ZC for passing the test.


    As for any mission application like the alliance, he didn''t get any. He mused it might only be avable for permanent members.


    Whichever the case was, he was satisfied with where things were going right now.


    At this moment, Jacob''s eyes sprang open when he heard footsteps approaching the door. Thereupon a light knock rang on the door.


    He coldly said, "It''s open."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A Gnome appeared wearing a bronze gunsmith sigil on his chest, and he respectfully bowed before Jacob before he stated, "Sir Grandmaster, the Branch Master has summoned you."


    Jacob naturally knew just who this Gnome was referring to as ''Branch Master.''


    Any Senior Grandmaster will have the title of Branch Master, and they also oversee their respective floors. Floor 51st to 55th belonged to the Gunsmith Branch.


    There was only a single Senior Grandmaster of this Branch as well, and she controlled the entire five floors alone.


    So, Jacob was quite vignt of her since she might be some petty person who was too absorbed in used to authority that she might feel threatened by a neer like Jacob.


    Still, he had to go since this exam would be personally conducted by her, and it was also in her hand to decide the theme of this test.


    "Lead the way." Jacob coolly stated as he stood up.


    The Gnome didn''t dy and quickly started to lead the way, he had already got wind of this person''s status and what he was going to do, so he was extremely careful not to offend him.


    Soon, they reached a big hallway, and at the end of this hallway was arge metal door.


    The Gnome stopped right at the entrance of this hallway as he respectfully said, "Sir Grandmaster, I can''t go any further. This is the private workshop of Senior Grandmaster Lady Rita. Please go ahead."


    Jacob dismissively nodded and walked toward the doors.


    However, when he was only a meter away, the metal door started to open automatically, revealing arge workshop filled with all kinds of gunsmithing equipment and high-tech machines.


    Jacob''s eyes instantly glowed when he saw all those familiar machines. A hint of reminiscing shed in his eyes, ''Although this ce is not at the level of myb at my very peak, it''s already better than the one when I first joined that prick''spany.''


    While indulging in his bitter yet precious memories, Jacob didn''t pay much attention to those five figures standing on the tform at the end of this workshop.


    Rita was closely watching Jacob with her scrutinous eyes and couldn''t help but narrow them slightly. He simply didn''t even look at her graceful face or mesmerized by her elvish charm.


    On the contrary, he was admiring those soulless machines around him,pletely ignoring the five Senior Grandmasters as if they were just extras.


    Lastly, he was still wearing his ck mask, which was a blunt disrespect toward them.


    The old elf also noticed Jacob''s disrespectful conduct and his masked face. He couldn''t help but smile wryly as he remembered the exact words when he asked Jacob to take off his mask, which left him speechless and without any refute.


    Jacob cold stated at that time, ''ording to the Dark City Rule Number 29: As long as the ''Guest'' or ''Noble'' does not willingly reveal their facial features, no one can force them to reveal it.


    ''Not even the three hegemonies!''

 Chapter 231 Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith Test (2)

    ?Those Senior Grandmasters'' faces were a sight to behold as they watched the neer taking his sweet timeing toward them.


    Just when was thest time when someone disregarded them like this? Only someone like the Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith could act like this in front of them.


    But who was Jacob? He was a nobody from the Common ins who had used his lifetime of luck on getting that ''inheritance.'' At least, that is what most of them thought.


    "Cough¡­" The Old Elf, name, Bart cough lightly to announce their presence.


    Jacob dismissively averted his eyes from the equipment and finally looked at those five Senior Grandmasters.


    Rita squinted her eyes when she saw Jacob''s eyes were as tranquil as ake. There wasn''t even a ripple when he saw her.


    Bart smiled amiably as he spoke, "Young Friend, Jack, let me introduce you to these Seniors. We will be judges of your test. I have already introduced myself. I''m a Senior Grandmaster Pill Alchemist, Bart."


    He then pointed at a pale-yellow goblin and introduced, "This gentleman is Senior Grandmaster Apothecary Boone."


    Boone had this strange interest in his eyes as he was looking at an experiment subject.


    But when met with Jacob''s icy re, Boone felt like he had met with a predator. He quickly hid his real thoughts and nodded with a forced smile, "Good Luck. I''ll be one of the judges of your test. I look forward to your performance."


    Jacob nodded back and coldly uttered a single word, "Certainty."


    With his sharp instinct, he had already detected the malicious intent of that goblin, and he didn''t have a good impression of the goblin race, to begin with. So, he instantly put this guy on his ''food list.''


    If he tried something, not even his bones would be found!


    Bart then pointed to a dwarf with a golden potion vile badge and introduced, "This is Sir Otto, a Senior Grandmaster Potion Alchemist."


    Otto had a short gray beard on his old face, and the moment he was introduced, heughed heartedly and loudly said, "Although you little follow are somewhat arrogant, I like your eyes. Even if you fail, you cane to my ce, and I''ll treat you to one of my best wines, personally concocted by me."


    "It seemed you''re in luck. You should know even those Dark Nobles didn''t have such a courtesy to taste wine Sir, Otto''s personal collection." Bart couldn''t help but look somewhat envious.


    Otto snickered disdainfully, "You, elves, didn''t have a high tolerance for alcohol. You can just get drunk by sniffing some random third-grade ale."


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at the 3''9 feet dwarf with some interest. It was his first time meeting a dwarf, and he had to admit he was just as rumor described them to be, straightforward and alcoholic.


    Even in stories, Dwarfs were described as such.


    But was this really the case? Because, for some reason, Jacob felt somewhat uneasy about Otto. Not even that Goblin could give him such a feeling, so Jacob didn''t let his guard down even a bit.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, he couldn''t p a smiling face, so he politely greeted him back, "I will definitely consider it, Mr. Otto."


    Bart then red at Otto for his previousment, but this wasn''t the ce to start bickering with his old friend, so he quickly introduced the fourth judge, who was a Kobold with light blue scales and a fierce face. There was a golden scroll badge on his chest.


    "This is Senior Grandmaster Spell Crafter, Lawrence. You may never hear of a Spell Crafter before because this profession is rather peculiar.


    "In general terms, a Spell Crafter can seal a Magic Spell into a scroll, and then that magic spell stored in that scroll can be used by anyone at any time. Even those without magic can easily use it.


    "The magic spells stored in a scroll are called Magic Scrolls, and we normally don''t sell them to themon public since they are too hard to make and are very dangerous if fall into the wrong hands."


    Jacob''s eyes shed with surprise because it was also his first time hearing about this profession, and it was as interesting as the Magic Smith and Rune Artificer. But unlike these two professions, Magic waspulsory for this Profession.


    Furthermore, by Bart''s description, he mused that those magic scrolls'' prowess would also be driven by the person who made them.


    Still, these magic scrolls were like bombs, and if someone didn''t know about them beforehand, they could easily fall into a dangerous situation, especially if there was a far higher-level spell stored in a magic scroll.


    Just like Jacob, who had no idea such a thing even existed, it was probably his good luck that he hadn''te in contact with someone who had this magic scroll, or he might''ve had to learn it the hard way.


    So, Jacob secretly decided to learn more about these magic scrolls for safety purposes.


    Lawrence, on the other hand, coldly grunted at Jacob with a somewhat hostile gaze. It was clear that he didn''t have a good impression of Jacob.


    But Jacob didn''t even care about his feeling and didn''t even bother to reply to that granting sound and pretended he didn''t hear anything.


    Lawrence''s anger nearly burst because of Jacob''s behavior, and was about to berate him when Rita, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke in her mellow voice.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith, Rita. Unlike these four judges, I''ll be your Invigtor and the test setter, while the four Judges will make sure I''ll be fair with my test.


    "Now, if you didn''t have any questions, shall we begin?" Rita smiled gracefully as she walked toward Jacob, unting her perfect hourss figure.


    Jacob looked at the graceful elf, who could easily take someone''s breath away with a dismissive gaze, and nodded, "Please, the sooner we start, the quicker we can finish."


    Rita''s lips curled into a cold smile when she heard it. She stopped a meter away from Jacob and looked right into his eyes as she wanted to see through them but, s, failed.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® But she didn''t tter and spoke, "I like your confidence. Let''s see if you have the skills to back it up.


    "My test for you is bullet crafting!"

 Chapter 232 Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith Test (3)

    ?"Bullet crafting?" Jacob cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the ravishing elf''s cold smile.


    Rita nodded with a charming yet cold smile, "Easy, right?"


    Jacob shook his head mildly, "Nothing is easy when ites to gunsmithing. Everyponent is essential, and even a small mistake can easily turn your craft into your own death kneel. Especially when ites to bullets."


    Rita narrowed her eyes when she heard this unexpected response from Jacob and couldn''t help but reevaluate this masked man in front of her.


    As for the four old men behind, they were just silently observing as judges, and they won''t interfere unless they suspected foul y.


    Rita then nodded, "Indeed, gunsmithing is far more dangerous than some people think it should be. Bullet crafting is the most dangerous part of Gunsmithing, and in the old ages, when we never had appropriate equipment, many Gunsmiths died while in process of creating a perfect bullet for a gun.


    "Every new gun required a new type of bullet that could perfectly match it and bring out its deadly potential. That''s why today, for your Senior Grandmaster Rank test, I want you to craft me a bullet perfectly suitable for this gun!"


    Rita then flipped her slender hand, and a white gold ring on his middle finger suddenly shimmered in a golden glow before a beautiful silver handgun with a long golden muzzle appeared in Rita''s hand.


    However, Jacob''s attention was drawn by the golden ring on Rita''s hand, and he instantly guessed what that ring was, ''A storage ring!''


    It was his first time seeing this ring being used despite possessing the Wight Minister''s Storage Ring. He simply couldn''t open it without magic, and this was not something he was proud of.


    Now, seeing Rita using the Storage Ring, he felt flustered.


    Rita naturally noticed Jacob''s burning gaze at her ring and took it wrongly.


    She pulled an enthralling smile filled with pride as she said, "Oh, I forgot you never had seen these little things before, right? This is a Common Storage Ring which have a 1-cubic-meter of storage space.


    "Only a single person in the entire Rare ins can make it, and that is Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith. However, they are expensive and even rarer than extraordinary treasures.


    "But as long as you are a Senior Grandmaster, you may buy one from Senior Braylon. He has always prioritized his peers." Rita''s voice was filled with respect and some adoration when she mentioned this Braylon character.


    However, the Judges behind her had this unusually pained expression when she mentioned the purchase of the Storage Ring.


    Because these rings were simply too expensive to make, not to mention buy them, even someone like them had to pay over half of their fortune to buy these Common Storage Rings from Braylon.


    While Rita got it as a gift from Braylon when she earned herself the rank of a Senior Grandmaster, that''s why she didn''t know those men''s pain.


    Being a beautiful woman naturally had its own perks!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob, on the other hand, instantly lost interest when he heard about ''1-cubic meter space'' because this was just too small for him, and he already had the Infinity Pendant, not to mention a Rare Storage Ring, so he didn''t need amon one.


    He was only frustrated because he couldn''t open that damn ring because he didn''t have magic.


    As long as he started learning the Magic Smiting and got the blueprint of a Storage Ring, he could make as many as he wanted. He was pretty sure the epic ins would have an ample amount of these rings.


    Rita then finally returned to the matter at hand as she showed Jacob the Silver Gun and stated, "This is a Basic-Type-1 Gun, created by me, and I call it Silver Death.


    "But I have yet to craft an appropriate bullet for Silver Death. Since it''s a Basic-Type-1 level Gun, the bullets should also be Basic-Type-1, or it won''t do this Gun any justice. So¡­"


    But before she could continue, Jacob spoke first as he looked at Silver Death with scrutinized gaze, "So, you want me to craft a Basic-Type-1 bullet for this gun?


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but ording to my understanding, the ''Type Rank'' represent anything rted to mech andplex technology.


    "Type-0 (Basic, Intermediate, and Advance) Rank cover Common (Basic, Intermediate, and Advance Rank) Rank. At the same time, Type-1 should cover the Rare Rank.


    "Since this Gun is a Basic-Type-1 Weapon and because of its size, its appropriate bullet size should be around 10-caliber or 12-caliber maximum. But this size of Type-1 bullets is impossible to make without a Type-1 Gun powder. That is where your problem lies, isn''t it?"


    Rita''s eyes finally went wide when she heard Jacob''s appraisal because he instantly pointed out the crux of the matter without even her exining it to him. This naturally gave her a big surprise as she finally took Jacob seriously.


    ''He might be able to solve this problem!'' Her eyes shimmered with hope since this was the biggest hurdle she had been facing for decades.


    Just as Jacob said, the type-1 gunpowder was too precious, and even with her current wealth, she couldn''t buy its form from the main branch, so she could only research herself.


    But the experiment with gunpowder is not a joke, and she once nearly blew an entire floor during her research. Although she escaped without any serious injuries, she still had to pay for the damage she did.


    Afterward, she always goes outside the dark city in the wilderness to conduct such experiments. But she always ended up blowing the facility whenever she was about to seed.


    This had be a sore spot in her heart.


    She only bought that up because she wanted to teach Jacob a lesson and take him down a peg.


    But to her surprise, Jacob easily saw through the problem which had gued her to the point she started to lose interest in gunsmithing which she once loved even more than her life.


    A hint of rare gentleness surfaced in her eyes as she looked at Silver Death and softly said, "As long as you can make this Gun whole, you pass my test as well as you will have my sincere gratitude!"

 Chapter 233 Discussion Of Seniors

    ?Jacob, as a fellow Professionalist, could easily feel Rita''s frustration and hidden resentment toward her own incapability of not to be able to make her creation reach its full potential.


    But he also looked down on her because of that exact reason, because it was also quite clear she had given up on it and had lost her vision as a true Gunsmith.


    As someone who had devoted his life to perfecting the Killing Weapons and never stopped moving forward no matter what kind of problem he encountered, he abhorred those who just gave up too easily.


    At least, he had this kind of mentality when it came to Gunsmithing. It was his obsession that never left him, even after he was reborn. He still wanted to improve it further and try numerous ideas, which he couldn''t because of the technological difference between his world and this one.


    Furthermore, now he was doing it for himself, not for others or for wealth, but just for himself, which gave him even more motivation. The Titan Sniper Rifle was a small proof of it.


    Rita''s matter was not even worth contemting over for him, and this test was nothing but walk in part.


    He coolly asked, "Where will I find Type-1 materials?"


    Rita didn''t hesitate and said, "Just list out what you need, and we will provide it for you. As long as you can pass the test, I will bear all the costs of those materials."


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he said something in an extremely low voice that could only be heard by Rita, and those old men won''t notice a thing.


    Rita''s eyes suddenly winded in disbelief when she heard those words and looked at him with squinted eyes as her glossy lips moved, but there was no voice.


    Jacob easily read what she was saying and replied in the same low pitch.


    Rita''s eyes were filled with disbelief and somewhat doubtful, but she still decided to gamble it as she merely nodded before she spoke, "Write down what you need."


    Jacob didn''t dy, and a projection formed over his wrist, and he wrote what he needed on that projection screen of the star watch.


    Rita instantly remembered everything before she told him to close the projection.


    Those old men were all clueless as they only watched silently with great interest since they could tell Rita was being unnaturally cooperative toward this new guy after he voiced out the problem with the Silver Killer.


    Boone spoke in a low voice, "Do you think he will blow up this ce like Lady Rita?"


    Lawrence snorted disdainfully, "You''re thinking of him too highly. I think it was just a fluke, nothing else. He''ll fail and humiliate himself. Do you think the standard of Type-1 is so easy to reach?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Otto also nodded with this peculiar smile on his beard face, "This youngster is promising, no doubt there. But his knowledge seemed to be wed.


    "He was taking Type-1 (Basic, Intermediate, and Advance) akin to Rare Rank (Basic, Intermediate, and Advance). However, he didn''t know only the Basic Type-1 Rank is equivalent to Rare Rank (Basic, Intermediate, and Advance).


    "While the Intermediate Type-1 fell into the category of Extraordinary Rank (Basic and Intermediate) and the Advance Type-1 Rank is for Advance Extraordinary Rank.


    "That''s why we used Type Ranks rather than these typical strength ranks in the guild, and only to raise prices, we rank the items with these Strength Ranks."


    Bart nodded in agreement, "Only the Type Ranks are the correct measurements for knowledge, materials, treasures, and such. At the same time, the ranks for Strength are totally different things.


    "The three hegemonies deliberately do not let thismon knowledge spread to themon public because this is bad for business, and the Rare ins are not under their entire control as well because of those so-called freedom lords.


    "As for this brat, he still has a lot to learn. Let it be a learning experience for him. The Dark City is the biggest opportunity he could have. He might draw Lord Braylon''s attention and earn Permanent Member just like that cunning brat in the Light Nation."


    Otto couldn''t help but smile mysteriously at Brat when he heard it and chuckled, "You guys have no idea what is going on in the Freedom ins, do you?"


    "Why would we have to pay attention to that barren ce? We didn''t pay such a steep price toe in this just to keep an eye on it." Lawrence snorted with a hint of hatred.


    "But we do know about themotion and war going on there right now, and it seems the livings are in huge trouble this time. But that had nothing to do with us since we live in this ce, and the dark city in the freedom ins has already withdrawn as well. So, what''s your point in bringing freedom ins up?" Bart narrowed his eyes as he looked at Otto.


    Otto coolly said, "Nothing much. I was just wondering if those permanent members of each branch wille to the dark city as well. Despite our long years of service, we were never able to be permanent members. I was just envious of the little guy who will rise above us all soon."


    No one refuted this since they knew the criteria for bing a permanent member of the Alchemy Guild was even harsher than the Zodiac Warrior Alliance. Because I Alchemy Guild, the only thing that mattered wasplex skills while in the Alliance; strength.


    That''s why even these Senior Grandmasters didn''t have the luxury to enter the main guild despite their lofty statuses in Rare ins.


    Only Braylon has a Permanent Member status among all the Senior Grandmasters, and he was very close to leaving the Rare ins as well. Seeing Jacob was like seeing another Braylon, and Jacob was even more brilliant than Braylon when he was Jacob''s age.


    While these old men were discussing in extremely low voices, which couldn''t be heard by anyone, not even Rita, they had no idea everyst bit of word was clearly heard by someone else, like he was a part of their conversation.


    Jacob dismissively nced at those old men, especially Otto, and his lips curled into a cold smile, ''Interesting!''

 Chapter 234 Inferior Friction Killer

    ?After the materials listed by Jacob arrived, he didn''t waste more time and got to work.


    Making a bullet was easy as well as difficult.


    Easy because there are only five parts involved in a typicalplete bullet, the cartage casing, the Primer, the projectile, the wad, and the gunpowder.


    Difficult because selecting the suitable materials and amount for the aforementionedponents and even a tiny mistake can result in either the bullet turning dud or turning it into a small bomb which will blow up your hand or, in some rare cases, the face!


    In Silver Death''s case, the Gun waspletely capable of firing a Basic Type-1 bullet, even an Intermediate Type-1 bullet. In the former case, the Gun will have a long life period, while in thetter, it will onlyst for four or five rounds, just like the very first titan sniper rifle Jacob had ever made.


    That''s why it was so important to have perfect ammunition for a firearm, and it was the gunsmith''s responsibility to make it happen.


    After getting Rita''s permission, Jacob started to use the equipment avable in the workshop while Rita followed him like a ghost as she observed his every movement.


    Those judges were also paying close attention to him without speaking.


    Jacob first made the projectile with a basic type-1 material called the Lava Gem Stone and then the case with another type-1 material called the Cold Hack Metal.


    However, the Primer and wad were made with intermediate-type-1 materials which somewhat made Rita frown because thebination was simply not going to work because the bullet might blow up before it could fire.


    Furthermore, she also noticed the Primer created by Jacob was somewhat special since it didn''t look like a typical primer she was familiar with. Still, she didn''t disturb him and only watched.


    In half an hour, Jacob had already made the fourponents, and what was only left was the gunpowder which was going to be the real factor.


    For safety''s sake as well as to not divulge his own form, he asked those judges to leave the room and let Rita observe him.


    Lawrence only snorted in disdain but left, as well as the other three, without raising any fuss.


    They all knew just how dangerous making type-1 gunpowder was, and since Rita herself wasn''t able to, they were quite assured that there wasn''t any chance of cheating as well.


    However, when only Rita and Jacob were left in the workshop, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Rita.


    He asked, "What do you think about my previous proposal?"


    Rita narrowed her eyes as she looked at this mysterious fellow. She couldn''t help but remember their early secret discussion.


    Jacob had asked, "I can give you the Basic-Type-1 Gunpowder Form, and I only need a small favor."


    Rita was in disbelief at that moment, but from his tone, Jacob didn''t seem to be joking, and she knew just how expensive that form was, so she still decided to take her chances since it would be apparent in this test.


    She replied by only moving her lips, "What kind of favor?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob simply replied, "I need ess to the Magic Smith facility in this building for one month. Think about it. You can reply to me when I was going to formte the gunpowder!"


    Afterward, everything went normal until it reached this point.


    If Rita was doubtful before, now she wasn''t after she saw Jacob''s efficiency in making all fourponents in half an hour.


    Those four judges were only here to judge while they had no idea about Gunsmithing. That''s why Rita was the invigtor, and she knew even she might not be able to handle those Basic-Type-1 materials as well as Jacob did.


    So, now she was curious about why Jacob needed ess to the Magic Smith facility. But one thing was quite clear. This man wasn''t simple at all, so it was better to be friends with him than obstruct his way.


    Besides, he was already offering her something irresistible.


    "Can you tell me why you need to use Magic Smith Facility? Although there are floors with Magic Smith Facility. But they are still under the control of Senior Braylon.


    "Despite the fact that he didn''t live here anymore, he still has full control over those floors through his old apprentices. I have a good rtionship with Senior Braylon''s apprentices, so I can get you ess, but I need to know if you''re doing anything that put my own reputation at risk." Rita candidly exined.


    Jacob coolly said, "You don''t have to worry about it. I know my limit. I just need the equipment in that facility, nothing else. Likewise, I''m not experimenting with Magic Smiting."


    Rita looked deeply at Jacob, but no matter what, she couldn''t see through his intentions.


    In the end, she gave up and bitterly said, "As long as you uphold your deal, I will uphold mine."


    ''It was far easier than I thought. This woman naturally knows how to unt her charm, so making a deal with her was the better option than those old men. Besides, in one month, even if someone finds out about me using the magic smith facility, even this Braylon guy¡­'' Jacob''s lips curled up into a devious smile.


    Without wasting more time, Jacob got to work. He started to handle the chemicals while he also exined to Rita how to mix them and how much she needed to mix for one bullet.


    Rita solemnly listened as she was also recording the entire process. Of course, she got Jacob''s permission to record it.


    Over an hour passed, and it was only because Jacob exined to Rita he would''ve done it much faster. There was now inky ck sand like gunpowder was resting within a small vial.


    Rita mumbled in disbelief, "Is this really a Basic Type-1 gunpowder? It was too¡­too easy!"


    Jacob scoffed, "You were simply looking at it in the wrong direction. You were probably focusing on increasing its might and ignoring the fact about how to subdue that might."


    He didn''t bother to exin any further and started to assemble the bullet, which was glittering golden when it was done, a perfect match for Silver Killer.


    Jacob ced the bullet on the table and coolly said, "This bullet is called Friction Killer. Now you can call those Judges and test it yourself!"


    Rita''s eyes were affixed on the golden bullet as if she couldn''t wait to test it!

 Chapter 235 Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith!

    ?At the west of the 55th floor of Alchemy Guild was the Shooting Range to test the firearms.


    At this moment, Rita, followed by four judges and Jacob, entered a private area within the shooting range to test his final product.


    While Rita''s eyes were shimmering with anticipation, those four Judges were not so optimistic as they only thought it was finallying to an end and thought all kinds of words they would use as ''advice'' for this arrogant youngster.


    Rita, without waiting for a second, pressed a button on the control panel of the shooting range before a white mannequin emerged from the slide opening in the floor of the shooting range.


    Those Senior Grandmasters'' eyes lit up when they saw the white mannequin while Jacob was dismissively looking at it without any interest. He just wanted to get it over with since he had already achieved what he wanted.


    Rita looked at everything and exined, "Gentlemen, as you all might''ve already guessed, that dummy is Tier-2-Extraordinary Rank, physically. If Grandmaster Jack''s bullet is really basic type-1, then it can easily prate that Tier-2 Exaradian dummy.


    "Now, I want your permission as four judges to start the final evaluation process. Do I have your permission? Or do you want to check the bullet crafted by Grandmaster first?"


    Rita coolly showed the golden bullet in her hand, which was the inferior version of the Friction Killer Jacob once created for his first titan sniper rifle, but no one knows that.


    Those old men closely scanned the bullet, and after making sure it was the same one they saw Jacob creating, they all nodded.


    "You may proceed with the recording!" Bart stated with a dignified look.


    They all had to record every final evaluation process when it came to a Senior Grandmaster test.


    Because even if the person in question passed their discreet eyes, they still had to send the recording to highermand for the final assessment, and only then the Senior Grandmaster Rank will be issued.


    Rita also didn''t dy after getting their approval and opened the recording function of her star watch before she loaded the golden bullet into her Silver Killer Gun.


    After taking a deep breath with great expectation, she pointed her beloved gun toward the dummy, and all the others looked with knowing expressions.


    They were all guessing that this bullet wouldpletely bounce off the dummy... until the trigger was pulled.


    ''Boommm¡­''


    A small sonic boom suddenly rang, which could be heard on the 55th floor, and one could only imagine the reaction of those judges as they nearly went deaf by that deafening sound.


    However, Rita didn''t care about the sound as her eyes were wide open when she looked at the dummy as if she had seen a ghost.


    Noticing Rita''s expression, those judges who were about toin suddenly looked toward the dummy as well, and their eyes went wide as well.


    Because right now, the dummy''s head waspletely gone, shattered into fragments all over the private shooting range, and not only that, but they could see a bullet hole in the metal wall behind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although the bullet didn''t manage to prate the thick metal wall all the way to the other side, the fact remains that the bullet hadn''t aimed at that wall at all. It had prated the dummy first before it went into the wall, which means the bullet velocity was already more than half exhausted when it hit the metal wall!


    This means that bullet could even headshot a Tier-3 or even Tier-4 extraordinary, and it was just a Basic-Type-1 bullet.


    They all felt chills in their spine, and they stiffly turned their head toward the creator of this bullet, who was still nonchnt about the deadly weapon he had just created.


    This also made another fact clear to them as well as Rita.


    The reason why a Type-1 bullet form was so expensive was not that the guild was being petty but because it is truly worth that much!


    Just imagining someone holding a gun filled with type-1 bullets, even those mighty tier-6 extraordinary experts had to dread that person, much less if an entire army was equipped with these types of guns and bullets.


    Do they still need magic anymore when the technology could do far better thanplex magic, which was limited to one''s potential?


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® This question was really worth mulling over.


    But right now, they all had this dreadful yet respectful expression as they looked at the masked man who had created this terrifying bullet and made them think in this direction.


    Rita finally snapped out of her daze and couldn''t help but tremble when she thought of how Jacob had already traded this bullet''s form with her, and she had already watched how he created it.


    She had profited from this big time!


    "So, do I pass?" Jacob coolly questioned as he looked at those Senior Grandmaster''s pale faces.


    He was now wondering if he should''ve toned down the bullet a bit more after seeing their astonished and fearful expression.


    But he didn''t care much since the guild was selling these forms. Then this means there''s no harm in showing it to them or even trading it for his own growth. He no longer cared about this simple knowledge anymore.


    Bart stiffly smiled and nodded, "O-of course, Mr. Jack, you really are worthy of Senior Grandmaster Rank, and we have underestimated you before. Please don''t take it personally. We were simply too ignorant."


    As an old wily fox, Bart would be a fool to offend Jacob since he had just achieved something that even Braylon couldn''t when he was Jacob''s age.


    Jacob was now officially the youngest Senior Grandmaster in the history of Rare ins, and he could create deadly weapons that could be used by anyone and might change the hierarchy of power if they were made in mass.


    So, it was far better to befriend such a person than offend him, especially when he will get the position of a permanent member as well, whether Braylon likes it or not.


    Everyone had the same thought, but they had no idea that Jacob was already had joined the Zodiac Alliance and was only a step away from getting rid of his reserve member status!

 Chapter 236 The Alchemy Guild’s President

    ?A garden filled with the thick smell of herbs was currently tended by a middle-aged man with purple skin in white robes as he was watering a golden color flower with red gem-like branches with a peaceful smile.


    Suddenly, he felt something as he said, "What is it?"


    An electric voice rang from his wrist, "President Nelsen, a call from Lady Vice President Ellie!"


    Nelsen''s blue eyebrow raised when he heard the name of the caller and muttered under his breath, "How rare. The little girl would never distract me after I gave her all the authority of the Guild."


    He said gently, "Receive the call."


    A melodious voice reced the electric voice, "I have a situation to report, President!"


    Nelsen pursed his lips as he retorted, "Do you forget how to call your old man after you achieve some status, or do you think it''s embarrassing for your status?"


    Ellie''s respectful voice instantly turned into an annoying one as it sounded, "Dad, I''m being serious here, and since this a matter of Guild, we need to be formal!"


    Nelsen sneered and refuted, "I don''t care one bit about being formal or informal when I''m talking to my precious daughter. Will someone dare to voice out their opinion?!"


    "You''re such a pain, Dad!" Ellie retorted without caring about Nelsen''s status as her Dad or as one of the three most terrifying and influenced being on the ins!


    However, Nelsen instantly smiled gently, "See, that''s my fearless daughter who I loved."


    "Alright, stop your rambling. You can ramble all you want when you decide to leave your preciousb. I''m here to tell you about something important." Ellie stated.


    "What is it? Do you finally found a man you want to introduce to me? Oh, yourte mother would be so happy that her precious tomboy¡­"


    "Geezer!"


    Nelsen was instantly shut up by Ellie''s shrillness, filled with embarrassment and rage. He could even hear her teeth grinding together.


    However, Nelsen''s smile widened as if he was enjoying teasing his daughter and making her angry. But knew when to stop unless he wanted her to go on a rampage within hisb.


    "Alright, enough ying around. Tell me, what is it?" He said with a chuckle.


    "You''re the one ying around!" She instantly retorted in exasperation.


    But she knew her dad too well to start arguing with him. She knew it would only make him tease her more.


    So, she quickly got to the point before Nelsen had a chance to say something unscrupulous again.


    "A new Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith has appeared in the Rare ins Dark City''s Branch, and he''s less than 30 years old as well. Lastly, he first registered in Common ins as a Basic Gunsmith less than four years ago."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A hint of surprise shed past Nelsen''s sky-blue eyes as he said, "Interesting. It seemed a rare breed had appeared in those backwater ins, or he simply lucked out. Tell me his race and blood force?"


    "Race is still unknown as for blood force, it is 900,000, and it might be more since this is the limit of any blood force measuring device at that ce." Ellie seriously revealed.


    Now, even Nelsen''s expression turned serious when he heard the blood force, "He''s probably a rare breed with extreme intelligence. So, you should just send him the invitation to the guild and get it done with. Do you need to ask me even that?"


    "That''s where the problem lies!" Ellie sighed as she said in a gloomy tone, "The thing is, he''s already registered with the Brainless Alliance, and I can''t send him an invitation!"


    "Oh? What an intriguing guy. Since he can join the Alliance of muscle brains, then he might be not just intelligent but strong as well, which could earn him the invitation from them." Nelsen uttered.


    In reply, Ellie''s serious voice rang, "That''s what I''m worried about because his blood force potential is extremely close to turning him into a true Alchemist. Someone like him is rare in even Epic ins. He will only be wasting his potential when he can earn us huge profits and rise up to the ranks of our main guild as long as we invest in him."


    "Heh, that''s my money-loving daughter there. Always think about how to be rich. Sometimes, I wonder if you''re mine or that vixen''s daughter¡­"


    "Geezer, I will really cut ties with you if you called me that Old Vixen''s daughter!" Ellie yelled, full of resentment and hatred as if someone hadpared her to her mortal enemy.


    Nelsen teasingly asked, "Haha, alright, I know what to do. I''ll contact Grumpy Gunner. Wait for my good news. Tell me this person''s name who attracts my little money grabber''s interest."


    Ellie''s gnashed her teeth on the other side but endured and hissed, "His Star ID name is Faceless Ancient. Make it happen in an hour, or you can forget about your Ale collection!"


    Done threatening, she instantly cut the call with a huff, clearly not wanting to entertain the shenanigans of her Dad anymore.


    However, she would be shocked if she was here to watch Nelsen''s expression after he heard ''Faceless Ancient.''


    Because Nelsen''s easygoing smile had vanished, reced with a dumbfounded expression as if he heard the name of some ghost.


    But he quickly regained his calmness, but the atonement in his eyes couldn''t be more apparent.


    "Faceless Ancient? Isn''t it the name of the Rare ins champion?" He muttered before a realization dawned upon him.


    "Now, it makes perfect sense. That time, we discovered he was a reserve member of that gummy guy''s alliance, so we simply let him handle the process of bringing him here.


    "He was also affiliated with the mercenary and the guild branches, but we didn''t pay much attention. But it seemed we had all underestimated him, and he might not be as simple as we thought of him.


    "If he''s a Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith or even an Elder Grandmaster Rank, then it made perfect sense he got rid of all those corpses and cleared the trial in less than a year.


    "He can''t be left in that muscle brain, arrogant idiot''s care. I need to do something to make him kick that little guy out of the alliance without letting him find out that the target of our interest is probably an Elder Grandmaster Rank Gunsmith."


    Nelsen''s eyes shone in wiliness, "My little money grabber really hit the jackpot!"

 Chapter 237 Double Agent?

    ?Dark City, Alchemy Guild 132nd Floor,


    Otto was sitting in a closed room, and this room waspletely soundproof and unassessable to anyone beside him because it was a private room of Senior Grandmaster Rank.


    Otto didn''t have his previous friendly demeanor as he waspletely emotionless with a cold look in his eyes. At this moment, he opened his Star Watch UI and found a peculiar contact before he sent a call request.


    A tuneful, emotionless voice sounded, "You have 10 seconds!"


    Otto didn''t waste any time and uttered after putting on his best respectful face, "I want to report the appearance of a Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith below the age of 30, and he''s also from themon ins to boot!"


    "Star ID?" The woman''s voice remainedpletely emotionless, without any hint of interest or dissatisfaction.


    But Otto''s eyes glow instantly because the other party is asking for the ID, which means they are hooked.


    So, he didn''t beat around the bush and revealed, "Faceless Ancient!"


    "1,500 ZC will be transferred to your ount shortly."


    Without uttering any further word, the woman disconnected the call as if Otto was nothing but a worthless swine and didn''t worth any extra second of her time.


    However, Otto wasn''t fazed by such treatment since he knew just talking to him for over ten seconds was already that woman''s generosity. On the contrary, his eyes were shimmering in tion when he heard ''1,500 ZC.''


    He had no doubt that the payment will dy or that woman won''t deliver.


    So, while waiting for his payment, he opened his Star ID and made a caller request without hesitation.


    But his respectful demeanor had instantly changed into an arrogant one. He was changing his demeanor like drinking water, and this kind of skill clearly can''t be learned just from some books.


    This call was also connected, and an annoying voice rang, "Skull No. A-2, you better not be disturbing me for more resourcing again. As I said before, I already have my hands full with those dead bastards and these hateful ants!"


    Otto snorted and said with a somewhat teasing voice, "Boss 0, what do you take me for? I know Society is going through some tough times, and it all happened when you finally managed to pull the impossible. What a shame, sigh¡­"


    "Skull No. A-2, if you call me to spit on my face, then I don''t mind requesting the higher-ups for your ''help'' here, and then we can try this conversation again face to face." No. A-0''s voice was filled with killing intent as he ''suggested.''


    Otto snickered silently but didn''t dare to taunt him anymore and said with a friendly tone, "Boss 0, you and I are old friends. Is there a need to be so distant from your old friend? Since I call you, I naturally call you to give you good news, and you might be able to quench the higher-ups'' anger after the trial incident. Who knows, you might even redeem yourselfpletely from the cannibal n incident as well."


    No. A-0 fell silent for three seconds before he said, "I know you, Skull No. A-2, better than anyone. Bark, what do you want? As long as you really have what you imed to have, I won''t mind throwing you a golden bone!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Otto didn''t mind being called dog indirectly as his wily smile covered more than half of his face, "Oh, you will give me more than a golden bone, Boss 0 when you hear the name of my good news."


    "Now, I''m really interested. Bark away." No. A-0 sneered without any hint of interest at all, as if he didn''t have any high expectations at all.


    Otto slyly chuckled, "I''m d. The good news name is ''Faceless Ancient!''"


    "What did you say?!" No. A-0 yelled in disbelief.


    Otto snickered, "See? You''re truly interested. So, heard my price first, and it is not negotiable. I want to be promoted to No. A-1 and 1000 ZC!"


    "Motherfucker! Why not go and rob the fucking zodiac bank! Do you think I''m so desperate to find that prick? Besides, since you suddenly brought him up, then I''m sure he''s in the dark city. How''s that for being an idiotic dog?" No. A-0 finally dropped the act and started to curse.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® However, there wasn''t a sliver of anger on Otto''s calm face, as if he was listening to calm winds.


    After No. A-0 was done cursing. He spoke again with the same calm yet arrogant tone, "Of course, I expect nothing less from Boss 0. But if you search for him in Dark City, it''s like searching in a haystack for a needle.


    "However, if youplete my little requests, I will not only give you urate information about him, I can even assassinate him in a heartbeat. I''m ''that'' close to him. But I would naturally charge extra for an assassination fee since I''m putting my neck on the line here."


    Otto smiled slyly, "So, what do you think, Boss 0? Although you know my location, you don''t know my urate position, and I know I''m not obliged to tell you at all.


    "Of course, with your ''intelligence,'' you can easily use the authorities to force me to reveal my position, but then I will alsoe in contact with ''them'' and have to tell them about my valuable information. If that happened, you and I both know they will¡­"


    A-0''s voice, with the mixture of grounding his teeth, rang, obstructing Otto''s praises, "Alright, bastard, I get it. Just tell me where that prick is, and we have a deal!"


    Otto''s smile widened, "Boss 0, you know I have utter respect for you and your straight character, but I''m a little insecure by nature, so¡­"


    "Skull No. A-2, do you think I''m a pushover?" No. A-0''s voice was now icy cold, filled with killing intent.


    "How dare I? You''re our valiant leader, and I have nothing but deep respect and absolute loyalty toward the society." Otto innocently uttered, "That''s why I''m giving you credit for detaining one of the most wanted targets of Rare ins in returned for your sincerity!"


    No. A-0 gnashed his teeth so hard their eerier voice could be heard as if he was on the verge of losing it.


    In resignation, he cursed, "Alright, you motherfucker!"

 Chapter 238 Settling Down

    ?While the name Faceless Ancient was getting all kinds of attention in the first two hours after passing the Senior Grandmaster Rank test, the person in question was now strolling in a Gunsmith Workshop on the 54th floor with the graceful elf Rita.


    "So, what do you think? This workshop is as good as mine, and from now on, the 54th floor will be under your care. Your identity badge with perks will arrive in six hours, and then we will announce your instating." Rita stated with a beautiful smile as she nced at Jacob''s still-masked face and hooded head.


    After the test, those judges excused themselves after congratting Jacob, and they also had a report to submit while Rita took Jacob to the 54th floor for a tour since it would be his very soon.


    Furthermore, Rita no longer looked at Jacob as a junior but as a fellow peer and even respected him.


    Jacob nodded and coolly said, "I appreciate it. But this workshop will be sufficient, and I don''t want any authority. You can do what you have been doing in the past, don''t mind me."


    Jacob was telling the truth since he wasn''t here to take over some measly floor and get cozy, but he was here to increase his craftsmanship and create weapons before bouncing off for good.


    Although the Senior Grandmaster has many duties, he knew Rita was more than capable of covering them for him, and he would only be needed if an incident happened again, like his appearance. Which he was pretty sure would not be going to happen anytime soon.


    Rita grimaced when she heard Jacob''s cold reply without even looking at her, and she started to wonder if she wasn''t pretty enough to draw his attention.


    ''He''s not one of those who are obsessed with their work, right?'' She wondered and almost reached a conclusion.


    She pursed her lips and said, "Alright. If you change your mind, you can tell your assistant to look for me on the 55th floor or..."


    "I don''t need an assistant as well." Jacob instantly cut her before she could finish. He would be a fool to allow someone who he didn''t even know to observe what he was doing.


    Rita curled her lips, "Don''t worry, I''m not talking about work assistant. I''m talking about the floor assistant who normally manages the floors, and hisb is fifty meters south of yours. He won''t disturb you, but you can look for him any time you want."


    Jacob thought for a bit and nodded, "Sounds simple." He then finally looked at Rita and emotionlessly asked, "When will I expect you to deliver your part of the deal?"


    "Tsk, tsk. You didn''t even get appointed yet, and you''re already in a hurry to get into the magic smith workshop." Rita pursed her lips as she looked at Jacob''s deadpan eyes, and she finally gave up, "Fine, give me three days. Add me on the starwork so I can contact you. I was about to suggest that before when you cut me in the midst. This is a more convenient method to keep in contact."


    Jacob finally averted his gaze and pretended he didn''t notice the faint blush on Rita''s cheeks when she bluntly asked for his contact info.


    Still, he wasn''t going to reject it since if Rita searched for his ID, she would not be going to find it as long as her privilege wasn''t at his level, which might raise some questions.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So, it was far better to add her since he would be going to need it. As for others, they can think as they want, but he was not going to add anyone else.


    "Tell me your ID, and I''ll send you a friend request." Jacob coolly stated.


    Rita''s eyes lit up and quickly said with a tingle of redness, "Gun Beauty328. This is also my private server ID in the guild. If you need anything, you can contact me. If I''m free, I''ll help you."


    She quickly stole a quick nce at the end, but to her dismay, Jacob looked the same without any kind of emotions, which made her somewhat resentful.


    Jacob didn''t mind the name or Rita''s free pass to contact her anytime. He just wanted to get it over with, so he could get some alone time.


    "Is there anything else? If not, I would like to retire for today." Jacob uttered.


    Rita puckered her lips again in anger, "Your living quarters are connected with this workshop. Look, that''s the door, and you can go yourself. I''m not free to as to think I am. Hmph!"


    Without waiting for his reply, she huffed and turned around, and stomped toward the exit while still having some expectation that Jacob would stop her because of her sudden outburst. But s, she was thoroughly wrong because Jacob couldn''t be dder!


    Before leaving, Rita turned around and was bbergasted when she saw Jacob was already opening the door to his private room without even caring about if she had left or not.


    She gnashed her pristine teeth and cussed under her breath before leaving with a bang, "Asshole!"


    For some reason, Jacob''s indifference was getting under her skin, and this was a new feeling she had never experienced.


    On the other hand, Jacob closed the door, and he even heard Rita''s curse, and his lips curled up slightly, "The more beautiful you are, the more you are used to attention and admiration. Heh, I don''t mind blowing off some steam before leaving, but right now¡­"


    His expression went sharp as he looked at arge apartment, which was like a modern 3-room apartment with two bedrooms and a personnelb, an open lounge, and a kitchen.


    After Jacob made sure there weren''t any surveince devices hidden in this ce, he finally rxed and bit and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. He finally reached his destination and acquired a ce to settle down in the Dark City.


    Now, it was time to study his gains from Dark Ruins since thenguage was no longer a barrier!

 Chapter 239 Fantastic Insects

    ?Jacob looked at two items on the table. They were none other than the gray tatter cover book and the parchment made of beast skin he got from the dark ruins when his very first condition.


    He was too busy learning thenguages, so he put the appraisal forter when he entered the dark city.


    Now that he was finally free, he was going to see what these two things were and their uses. As for the gray metallic cylinder, he still has no idea what it is, and he might be able to find out once he studies the Universal Magical Materials encyclopedia.


    Jacob first opens the tatter cover book, and he can finally understand the title of the very first page, which instantly draws his attention.


    "Legends and Basic Information of Top 100 Fantastic Insects!"


    Jacob''s expression darkened when he read the title because this was by far what he was expecting. He expects this book to be some sort of secret magic manual, but it turns out to be some insect storybook.


    Still, since this book could survive so long, he was interested in the information, and he could always sell it to SAAI. He already knew its price.


    As he turned the page, there was an introduction.


    "Fantastic Insects are the rarest breed of insects that ever to exist in the universe, especially the top 100 hundred.


    "The Fantastic Insects in the top 100 are born in extremely harsh environments and at the very first stage of their evolution (Common Rank) because they could bring ruins to worlds if they were born in their true form and almost impossible to kill if they reached their final form.


    "The universe is fair, and that''s why despite giving these insects unbelievable abilities, they needed to grow to use them, and they are just like any other insects at their first three stages of evolution.


    "Only after they cross into their fourth stage of evolution will they start to awaken their true abilities. Because of this exact reason, just finding a single one is nigh impossible, not to mention controlling them.


    "The only way to control them is when they are at the very first stage of their evaluation (Common Rank). There is no other way around it.


    "In this book, there is very basic information and some legends that I''ve collected in my entire life on the top 100 fantastic insects and the only method that canpletely enve a Fantastic Insect at its first stage of evolution.


    "The method is written in the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array."


    Jacob''s eyes contorted when he read at this point, and something instantly came into his mind as his eyes darted toward the beast skin parchment, ''Don''t tell me?''


    Without hesitation, he opened the beast skin parchment, and hepletely ignored the runic array design as his eyes were affixed to the information on top.


    "Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array Design and Materials Requirement!"


    It was written in crimson wording which made his expression ugly.


    "What the fuck am I supposed to do with these two things?" Jacob was really perplexed as he fought his urge to burn these two useless things.


    Still, he put the array design down and decided to read the information on those fantastic insects even though it was clearly written just how rare and dangerous these insects were.


    But if somehow he got his hands on one of these insects, he would be able topletely enve them because he had both their information and the only method to control them as far as this book described it.


    It was a long shot but still, who knows, he might get his hands on one of them someday, and this information could also be used in multiple ways.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for who wrote this book or designed this array, there was no name, and Jacob wasn''t one to care either.


    So, after reading the two-page introduction on these fantastic insects, he flipped the page, and a rough sketch of a strange flea appeared with a tentacle-like cavity between its wings.


    There was a small information section below it.


    ''Fantastic Insect: Rank 100


    ''Name: Light Speed Flea


    ''Introduction: Able to Fly at the speed of sound on birth. Legend has it; in its final form, it can move through space even faster than the speed of light, and nothing can catch it as it can pass through anything.''


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he read the legend, ''If even a fragment of this is true and this flea is only ranked 100, then what about the number 1?''


    Intrigued, Jacob looked at the picture below; it was an ant with triangr wings and a long needle stinger.


    ''Fantastic Insect: Rank 99


    ''Name: Venomous Trooper Ant King


    ''Introduction: ording to some legends, once an Infant Dragon was killed by a Venomous Trooper Ant King. There is not much information about it.''


    ''Heh.'' Jacob sneered, clearly not believing it.


    He didn''t dare to imagine the power of an actual Infant Dragon since just that infant wyvern''s strength was enough to send terror into anyone''s heart.


    Afterward, Jacob flipped the pages one by one as he remembered the appearances in those sketches as well the very limited information and some unreliable legends.


    Nevertheless, Jacob knew if any one of those legends were real, then these top 100 fantastic insects were enough to wreak havoc in Zodiac ins. This might also be the reason for the limitation implicated on them by the universe.


    However, when Jacob was only top 10 insects away from ending the book, his eyesnded on a particr sketch when he turned the page, and shock surfaced in his eyes before it turned into absolute disbelief.


    There was a sketch of a centipede coloredpletely ck, with six body segments. It was eyeless, and instead; it had two pairs of antennas on each side of its head and 12 pairs of ck legs.


    Jacob couldn''t be more familiar with that body segment''s shape and saw-like antennas. With tightened nerves, he looked at the information¡­


    ''Fantastic Insect: Rank 9


    ''Name: Brain Hunter


    ''Introduction: There''s no information on its actual name as it''s simply known by the name Brain Hunter, and there is a very infamous yet terrifying legend about it. Once an entire civilization''s brains were consumed by it, and they were all nothing but Brain Hunter''s mindless puppets!''

 Chapter 240 The ‘Thrall’

    ?The informationpletely gobsmacked Jacob, as he knew it was simply too ridiculous for his luck to be this crazy. But the fact was right in front of his eyes, and he truly wanted it to be true.


    ''If this Brain Hunter really is Eclipse Alipes Imhoff, then I can have a rank-9 fantastic insect at myplete disposal if this array works.'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered in ecstasy.


    The Eclipse Alipes Imhoff was something he acquired identally from Decker, who had used it to control Pig Head''s corpse.


    After he got the information about it from Immortika, he didn''t dare to use it since the method to control it was simply too shallow, and it mighte back to bite him if he was careless.


    So, to this day, the Eclipse Alipes Imhoff was always in his infinity pendant, and he almost forgot about it because he was busy raising his prowess.


    However, now that he has seen this sketch and its familiar name, he can''t ignore it because a fantastic insect was simply too terrifying, and if he could tame one, it would be a frightening trump card.


    But he needed to rify it first, and he knew only one thing could help him.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob coldly uttered, and the next moment the book appeared.


    Without waiting, he said, "You already know what I want to ask you? Just give me a straight answer. Is what I''m guessing true or not?"


    Jacob knew Immortika''s antics, and if it didn''t want to reveal information, he was simply helpless.


    Even if he got nothing, he was still going to try his luck by performing this ritual; it was simply not worth passing over.


    "Hahahaha¡­ what a turn. I never thought you would get your hands on something like this. Of course, since you already discovered the true background of Eclipse Alipes Imhoff, then I can''t deny it."


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Jacob''s eyes shimmered with ecstasy when Immortika confirmed it.


    He inhaled sharply before he said, "So, this is really a rank-9 fantastic insect, and what about the legend? Is any of these legends true?"


    "Now, now, aren''t we getting ahead of ourselves? But I will still answer this question. The information in this book is 10% correct and 90% assumption. No one had ever seen the top 100 rank fantastic insects.


    "Especially the ones in the top 10, those ten are simply myths, and there are various debates about whether they are even real.


    "But they do exist. It''s just that their traces had been nigh impossible to find, and they mostly died the moment they were born since it was too difficult for them to survive. They are born even more fragile than insects in the top 11 to 100.


    "However, if by some heaven-defying chances even one of them survived, hehehe, trust me, you don''t want to know what kind of despair they will bring on a cosmic level.


    "But these existences are very, very far from you, and knowing about them will do you nothing but give you nightmares. As for the Eclipse Alipes Imhoff''s actual rank in Fantastic Insects is 18th. And this is all the information you will get from me."


    Jacob inhaled coldly as he was really astonished reading all this unimaginable information.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He didn''t ask more since he knew he wouldn''t be entertained anymore. Just this much information was quite generous of Immortika to divulge when it could simply remain shut.


    ''It seemed as long as I know about the basic of some information, Immortika can answer me about it.'' He thought since it was quite apparent now.


    But it still remained to see if his conjecture was true or not.


    He asked something else, "Then, can this ritual array really tame Brain Hunter indefinitely?"


    Truth be told, he was no longer confident anymore after reading Immortika''s reply. Since this book wasn''tpletely urate, then there is no way in hell he would believe that the ritual array was urate as well.


    So, what if he had the Brain Hunter? He didn''t dare to try to nurture it unless he was absolutely sure if it was under his absolute control.


    If there were even the tiniest bit of chance that it would turn on him, he would rather kill it than let it be its enemy who knows about him and probably Immortika as well.


    Because Pig Head had seen everything that had happened in Decker''sb, and there was no way in hell, he would let anyone knows about it. Cursed Immortality''s existence outmatched anything in Jacob''s eyes.


    Even the 1st Rank Fantastic Insect!


    "Hehehe¡­ at least you''re not greedy, I must say. Despite getting your hands on such a rare opportunity, you are still ration enough to fight the urge to gain control of a Fantastic Insect.


    "Tell me, do you remember the piece of information that I gifted you forpleting the second level of Cursed Heart Emergence?"


    Jacob squinted his eyes because of this sudden question, but he still replied as he could tell Immortika was implying something, "You told me to ''Nurture Alice into a star-level being,'' what about it?"


    "Hahahaha¡­ my exact words were, ''Nurture that thrall of yours into a star-level being!'' I never said ''Alice!''"


    Jacob''s eyes instantly dted as he would be imbecilic if he still didn''t understand.


    He blurted, "You were telling me to nurture Brain Hunter, not Alice! Fuck!"


    Immortika''sugh filled the entire page as if it was extremely pleased with Jacob''s blunder.


    Jacob''s expression was also quite ugly since he knew he was right, ''How could I not think of this? Alice wasn''t even in myplete control at that time, and the only ''thrall'' I have been actually Brain Hunter. But I simply didn''t think too deeply about this and believed what was in front of me. I should''ve known better to think that this book could put a weak human in its eye.''


    "Stopughing, you could''ve simply told me straight, and I wouldn''t have wasted so much time. Well, knowing you, if I hadn''t gotten my hands on this book, you might''ve still not going to make it clear, right? So, tell me, what changed it?"


    Jacob''s eyes went sharp as he looked at Cursed Immortality without blinking, waiting for its answer!

 Chapter 241 Immortika’s Reason (1)

    ?"What changed, you ask? Well, for starters, you have four things that enabled me able to give you this information. The first is that ritual array. The second is that gray cylinder. Third, you have an Epic Body now. Andst, the Titan Tears!"


    Jacob''s eyes widened, "You know what''s inside that Cylinder as well?"


    "Hehehe¡­ what do you think?" Immortika questioned in relish.


    Jacob''s expression darkened, "I should''ve guessed sooner. Still, what were you nning when you told me to nurture Brain Hunter without warning about its background? If I''m not wrong, you know the Titan Tears can easily help the Brain Hunter to enter a 1-Star Rank. Don''t make me doubt your intentions." His voice was icy cold as he looked at the hovering book with knife-like eyes.


    He was not a fool who would be happy just because he got some unexpected opportunity out of the blue.


    The Brain Hunter''s background was simply too terrifying, and if he had nurtured it ording to Immortika without knowing anything about it. Once it breaks free from his control, it would be akin to nurturing a venomous snake that can kill him thousands of times the moment he lets his guard down.


    This could be considered a scheme of Immortika to harm him, and just this possibility was enough to make Jacob never trust Cursed Immortality again.


    Although he knew he needed Cursed Immortality to reach his goal, then he would also be looking for ways to defend himself in case things went south. But it was even more impossible since Immortika could monitor his every single move.


    That''s why Jacob didn''t want any misunderstanding between them, and as long as Immortika had a proper exnation, he was willing to listen.


    Just like the part about he had clear certain conditions for it to speak, and it was convincing. But he still doesn''t understand why it wanted him to nurture the Brain Hunter without any proper warning.


    This stands out like a sore thumb in Jacob''s mind, and he won''t be at ease unless he gets a satisfactory answer.


    "Hehe, this attitude of yours will really help you go far, and that''s why I like you even more. You can always keep me entertained one way or another, and I don''t want my source of entertainment getting all vignt of every single thing.


    "So, I''ll rify your childish doubts. First, I want to bring the Brain Hunter at 1-Star because it will awaken its racial ability once it develops its 1-Star Core, which is actually the rarest type of magic core in existence, a Growth Type Magic Core!


    "As for what a growth type magic core is, for starters, a growth type magic core''s magic element can evolve into a stronger element each time the user crosses a major magic rank. Like if someone had a Water-type growth magic core, then it could evolve further into Mist, Ice, or even cloud.


    "The Brain Hunter also has a unique magic element because it belonged to the Fantastic Insect Race. It''s called Puppet Poison Magic Core which can turn anyone into its puppet, and there''s no escape once the poison takes effect.


    "But it still depends on whom the puppet poison is getting used against, and it can also be broken under certain conditions, or this guy would be in the top ten ranking of Fantastic Insects!"


    Jacob felt his scalp tingle in trepidation when he read about this new information and instantly blurted, "And you still wanted me to nurture it without even telling me all this? Or are you nning to tell me when I turn into its puppet?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He was really indignant about this revtion, and now he was considering if he should continue to listen to Immortika''s every suggestion blinding.


    In reply, "Tsk, tsk, you still have no idea about your body, do you? The Puppet Poison of Star Magic Rank Brain Hunter would never have worked on you at all. As I said, it depends on who it is using that poison on, and there is a certain condition that can break the effect.


    "You have not only poison immunity of the same rank as your physical strength, but after your cursed heart was formed, you also can''t be enved by some poison or item anymore unless it''s three whole ranks stronger than your physique. Even if you''re enved, once you out-strength the envement object, you''ll be free again!


    "Besides, you and I both know you would''ve never nurtured that little fellow without making sure it''spletely under your control."


    Jacob was bbergasted by this new information, especially about this immunity.


    "What the hell am I only hearing it now?" Jacob questioned while gritting his teeth.


    This immunity, especially from envement objects, was not a joke because he could escape many deadly situations if he used his wits correctly.


    "Hehehe, told you before, you have achieved four things that enabled me to tell you all this, so I thought this little information about your cursed heart in the mix since it''s rted to our topic.


    "Just remember your heart is not ordinary anymore, and never put limits on yourself by doubting everything around you. Vignce is good, but paranoia is sometimes deadly."


    Jacob inhaled deeply to calm his emotions, and he knew Immortika was right this time. Ofte, he really started to doubt everything around him, especially when he knew he was dealing with strong people.


    He always ends up thinking they were scheming against him just because they are strong. In most cases, he was right, but sometime, he couldn''t just believe anything he felt unless he had evidence.


    Still, it wasn''t a w he was worried about, and he knew he was far from being paranoid, especially when he knew this world was notwful and only strong makesw here.


    "So, what was your n?" He asked with a calm tone.


    Although half of the doubt rted to Immortika has been vanquished, he was not clear about why it wanted him to nurture Brain Hunter without telling him about its background.


    "Hehehe, actually...!"

 Chapter 242 Immortika’s Reason (2)

    ?"Hehehe, actually, the Brain Hunter would never have used the puppet poison on you, no matter how many guts it has!" Immortika revealed.


    Jacob''s squinted his eyes in astonishment, "Why is that?"


    "You should already have a general idea of why the Fantastic Insects are so terrifying, but the limitation emced are equally terrifying. Despite their fabled status, they have many weaknesses, or this ce had already been ruled by the Fantastic Insect Race long ago.


    "The Eclipse Alipes Imhoff is no different. Amon rank Brain Hunter has no intelligence as it only follows its instincts. But the chances of it entering the rare rank and then even awakening its unique magic core is almost zero.


    "Because to achieve this rank, it needed to absorb an Epic Rank Being''s brain as well as its magic core. But the chance that it was to happen is even less than zero because an Epic Rank Being will sense iting from miles away. Now, you can easily imagine what kind of limitation I''m talking about."


    Jacob was really shocked when he heard this ridiculous limitation emced on it just to enter rare rank.


    It was just as Immortika said, even though he had no magic, he could easily sense danger iing, and his epic-rank senses were ten times higher than those of an extraordinary-rank being.


    Now, he finally understood why these insects were mostly only myths. The universe was really fair.


    Immortika continued, "But the Titan Tears can ignore this limitation as to why. I''ll leave it to you to find it out. I can''t spoil my fun too much."


    Jacob''s expression darkened when he read at this moment.


    Immortika naturally didn''t care about his feeling and continued, "Anyhow, the Eclipse Alipes Imhoff has another limitation when it reaches the Rare Rank and achieves a 1-Star Rank, it will awaken its basic intelligence and some of its inheritance memories. This topic is also for you to research.


    "As for what that limitation is, it is actually rted to its first use of Puppet Poison. It''s like this, a 1-Star Brain Hunter with never use its puppet poison on any being higher than its rank.


    "If there is even the tiniest bit of chance that the puppet poison will not take effect, it will never use it, even if this means death!


    "Because if by some chance the puppet poison does not take effect, it will have to be the eternal ve to that person who hasn''t gotten affected by the first puppet poison. Inyman''s terms, the very first puppet poison used by it can turn the Brain Hunter into an eternal puppet of the same person it used it on!"


    Jacob felt like he was reading something ridiculous and eximed, "What kind of fucked up limitation is that? Is that even possible?"


    "Hehehe¡­ what do you think?" Immortika wrote a question jeeringly.


    Realization dawned upon Jacob at this moment. He finally got what Immortika wanted him to do after Brain Hunter was nurtured to 1-Star Rank.


    "So, if it had used that puppet poison on me, then it would turn into my ve indefinitely, right? When were you going to reveal it? It might''ve run away right away or, as you said, chose to die instead." Jacob questioned with uncertainty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Of course, I can''t tell even if it ran away because you needed toplete two conditions at that time. First, you have to find a method topletely enved the Brain Hunter so it would use its First Puppet Poison on you.


    "Because its natural instincts are too dominating that the moment it senses the existence of any ve item, it will instantly kill itself or any fantastic insect, as a matter of fact.


    "Because no fantastic insects can endure being someone''s eternal ve, and the universe will also never allow someone to control them so easily.


    "The second condition was, of course, the fully condensed cursed heart. I was only giving you a chance because you have acquired the Brain Hunter, and if you failed to grasp it, then it was your loss.


    "Besides, I know you would''ve got over it easily since you let already one escape, and you have no idea about the Brain Hunter''s true background. Its death would have little impact on you."


    Jacob didn''t know how to react after understanding the true reason behind Immortika''s suggestion at that time.


    Simply put, Immortika was leaving everything a chance, and no matter how it had yed out, he would never get harmed, and the entire matter would''ve ended with Brain Hunter''s mysterious death.


    Until, of course, when Jacob found out about Fantastic Insects and Brain Hunter being part of them, andstly, they can be controlled.


    He would never have had this strong reaction at that time, he might regret its uncanny death, but he will never be able to guess that it was destined to happen.


    There were simply too many variables and different scenarios, but each of these scenarios led to one final conclusion, Immortika''s n never involved harming him at all.


    It was all depending on luck.


    Everything was clear as day. Now, if Jacob still did not believe and thought it was just an excuse, then he was really approaching the level of paranoia.


    "So, this ritual array can really make Brain Hunter go against its natural instincts?" Jacob was now calm, and no longer had any hint of anger in his eyes. He was still reflecting.


    "Well, duh, why do you think I''m wasting time exining all this?"


    Jacob inhaled deeply before he nodded and seriously questioned, "What about the cylinder? How did it fit in all this?"


    "Hehehe, I genuinely have no idea just where that Dark Ruins originated from, but it has a terrifying background. First, the information about so many fantastic insects. Then this ritual array can tame them for a very long time and even make them ignore their natural instincts.


    "Lastly, the biggest surprise is that cylinder. You have Devil''s luck. Do you know that cylinder is a sealed capsule, which holds the corpse of a Rank 6th Fantastic Insect!"

 Chapter 243 Stop Testing Me…

    ?Jacob was gobsmacked by this revtion and had no idea how to react. He never thought that cylinder he wanted to open held a carcass of a fantastic insect. And not just any fantastic insect, but ranked 6th on the top ten list!


    He couldn''t help but ask with a rigged tone, "Y-you just said those top ten insects were just myths. Yet, now?"


    "Hehehe, they are myths but not friction. That''s a difference." Immortika wrote amusingly as it liked Jacob''s reaction.


    Jacob inhaled deeply, as it was probably the biggest shock he got after discovering the Brain Hunter''s true value and background.


    "What kind of insect is it, and why is it important?" He got right to the main point. He was now too eager to try this ritual array on Brain Hunter and make itpletely submit to him.


    But he knew that carcass should be very important since even Immortika praised it, and this might also be why SAAI was giving him 1 million ZC without any appraisal at all.


    He couldn''t help but scoff silently when he thought about how he nearly got cheated by an AI and his ownck of knowledge. If he had even sold one of these three things in the champion space, then he would really regret it for the rest of his life.


    "It''s called the Illusory Dream Empyrean Dragonfly, and as its name suggests, its abilities are rted to Illusion and Dream. I don''t know how someone was able to capture it or even find its carcass and then preserve it in that specially-made capsule.


    "As for whether it is important or not, you can decide for yourself. There was a famous theory going around a very, very long time ago, and it sent the whole universe into turmoil.


    "No one knows who spread this theory, but for some reason, it instantly caught the interest of terrifying beings. This theory was rted to Fantastic Insects naturally. The theory was quite simple,


    "Someone presumed that; If a Fantastic Insect within the ranking of 11th to 99th can eat a Fantastic Insect within the ranking of 1st to 10th, it can evolve into an entirely new species of Fantastic Insect! Not only this mutated Fantastic Insect will the ability of both Insects, but also some mutated abilities.


    "As for why this theory draws the attention of mighty figures, it was because of this exact final sentence, ''The new mutated fantastic insect will also break free from the Universal Limitation!''"


    Jacob''s eyes widened and blurted, "Didn''t this mean they can grow without any ridiculous restriction on them if they break free from restrictions?"


    "You catch up quickly. But you only guess the half part, the true advantage of this limit break is those insects won''t be able to break free from envement items ormit suicide.


    "This is exactly the reason why those guys start searching for fantastic insects like mad dogs to confirm this theory. But how could they find the insects in the top ten just because they''re looking for them?


    "In the end, some of them managed to find the insects in 11th to 99th ranking, but the top ten were like ghosts as no one was able to get their hands on one. So, this became a mere idea and was slowly buried within history.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "However, you unknowingly found both pieces essential to confirm this theory. If those guys found out about it, they would make you their ve just to rub some luck off you. Hahahah¡­"


    Jacob''s expression sank as he didn''t find this joke funny at all. He coldly scoffed, "But this is just a theory, and even if it''s true, I won''t try it because there are too many uncertainties. The first one is even if mutation went as theorized, the result would be random since there''s no proof of someone being sessful at it.


    "Let''s assume this theory is true, and everything goes as nned, but do you think I would be able to control that newly mutated insect?"


    His eyes went colder, "Let''s be real here, what if that newly mutated insect can break free from Brain Hunter''s weakness of first poison? Won''t I be the first one ites after to take revenge?


    "I know from personal experience that being an experiment subject, a mere ve of someone is not a feeling anyone would enjoy unless they had brain-damaged."


    Although all this information is truly fascinating and broadened Jacob''s horizons. But despite having the capital, he wasn''t willing to take that gamble, especially when his life was involved in this gamble.


    It might be another case; if he was much stronger than his current self, he might be willing to take that gamble since he could''ve at least preserved his life if things went awry.


    But he won''t gamble with Brain Hunter at all because its abilities to control others are simply too terrifying, and who knows if he can find another Brain Hunter if something happens to this one.


    He might not even find one in his whole life, so he was willing to wait until he was strong and found another fantastic insect to try this theory. Since he already had the essential ingredient in his hand, he could find thest one if he started looking.


    Even Decker was able to get its hands-on Brain Hunter, which means these insects exist in low-ranking areas, and he can visit these ces anytime.


    "Are you sure? What if that newly mutated insect keeps that limitation since it was already in effect? It''s very possible, you know." Immortika tried to tempt him.


    However, Jacob was firm and sneered, "Stop testing me. I won''t do it without absolute proof that it will keep that limitation. Besides, I have this feeling that capsule might be the only thing that keeps that corpse intact for so long, and if I break the seal carelessly, I won''t even leave with a single part of that carcass!"


    Hearing this answer, Immortika suddenly filled the entire page with its wanton ''Haha¡­'' before it wrote.


    "¡­hahaha¡­ I expect nothing less from my inheritor!"

 Chapter 244 An Unexpected Mail

    ?Reading thest line, Jacob snickered in exasperation, "I wonder if you''ll choke one day whileughing like this. I''ll do anything to watch it happening."


    "Tsk, tsk, you''re so malicious." Immortika wrote.


    "I learn from the best." Jacob retorted while shrugging his shoulder before he said, "So, if you didn''t have anything to add, then I would like to start looking for the materials required for this ritual array."


    "Selfish! Nothing to add, I guess. Oh, except one thing."


    Jacob squinted his eyes, "What is it?"


    "Well, I forget¡­ ahahahah¡­"


    Jacob''s expression fell as he closed the annoying book without a second thought. He was too familiar with these little word games of Immortika. He won''t be getting anything out of it anymore.


    After he closed cursed immortality, he looked at the book and the array design again with shining eyes. He stowed away the book after reading the final pages.


    Although this book was not urate, the information was still valuable, especially the sketches of those fantastic insects. He won''t be able to guess it was the same Brain Hunter if he hadn''t seen the sketch, so this book was still quite urate.


    He then looked at the array design and read the material requirements attentively.


    ''Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array Design and Materials Requirement!


    ''Materials Required for Ink Recipe:


    ''1. Blood Flower (1000 Years Old Minimum/ Advance Type-1)


    ''Quantity: 1


    ''2. White Assassin Parasite Bug''s Blood (Extraordinary-Tier-6 Rank)


    ''Quantity: 100 Milliliter


    ''3. Rainbow Star Dust (Advance Type-1)


    ''Quantity: 10 Grams


    ''4. Night Salve''s Poison Magic Core (9-Star)


    ''Quantity: 3 Magic Cores


    ''5. Nightmare Lilly (1000 Years Old / Advance Type-1)


    ''Quantity: 1


    ''Recipe Form: ¡­''


    Jacob''s expression darkened when he saw all those unfamiliar names of the materials that were required to make the ink to draw the ritual array.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Blood Flower? Why is sounds familiar?'' Jacob''s focus drew on the very first material on the list.


    Suddenly, he remembered why this name sounded so familiar as his eyes shimmered with disbelief, ''Salvage the Priest with Blood Flower? Don''t tell me that blood flower I picked up after clearing that condition and this blood flower is the same?''


    Jacob flipped his hand, and a crimson flower appeared in his hand as he looked at it with scrutiny. Previously, he had thought that this flower mighte in handy somewhere in the dark ruins, but it doesn''t.


    So, it was left within his pendant, and he even wanted to sell it, but then decided against it when he acquired enough ZC, and he first wanted to see what other uses this flower had.


    Now, the name Blood Flower appeared again, he remembered this flower again, but he was not sure if it was the same Blood Flower mentioned in the recipe. But the chances of them being the same are very high since he acquired them all from the same ce.


    ''I should prioritize studying the Universal Magical Materials (Type-1) and Universal Beings [Living & Dead] (Type-1) first so I can figure out where to find these materials. At the same time, I should also try searching for them in the guild''s private server market. There is no better ce to look for these materials than the Organization, which is an expert in this field.'' Jacob decided and put the Blood Flower and the array design away.


    As for Brain Hunter in his pendant, he had no intention of nurturing it before he collected all the materials for this array and enved it fully. He knew he only had one shot at this and so he had to be fully prepared.


    Lastly, he was still not sure if that poison thing was real or not and if he was really willing to get bitten by a terrifying insect just for a chance to control it while he could do the same with this ritual array.


    Although he trusted Immortika''s words, he was still not willing to follow them blindly. Paranoid or not, when ites to his life, he will prefer being paranoid then getting careless and putting his life at risk.


    So, he was going to test that poison immunity by buying poisons from rare rank to extraordinary rank peak as well as some ve items, and only then would he be sure and worry-free.


    After making his ns, he opened the Universal Magical Materials Encyclopedia and started to study all kinds of materials in it. There were even pictures to boot, so he was quite satisfied with his spending on it, and soon, he waspletely immersed.


    However, two hourster, his focus was broken when his Star Watch suddenly vibrated. He thought it was a message rted to his promotion to the Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith Rank, so he didn''t pay attention to it and continued to read.


    However, a minuteter, his star watch vibrated again, and this time, an interface popped up right above his virtual book, which startled him. But when he saw the interface was actually the message interface and read the sender''s name, his eyes narrowed, and a bad feeling wiled in his heart.


    "Might-Of-Destruction send you a Mail!"


    "Read!"


    "(NOTE: Might-Of-Destruction has used Star Privilege to send an unignorable Mail Request. Might-Of-Destruction Star Privilege is higher than You (Faceless Ancient), Mail can''t be ignored or minimized, Star ID can''t be blocked!)"


    ''Why now of all the time? Is this prick nning something?'' The more Jacob thought, the more he felt it was highly likely.


    Because he didn''t have a good impression of Gunnar since this guy was emitting arrogance with his every single word, and he knew this kind of person was akin to crackheads who could get offended by simple words and thought themselves superior to others.


    Furthermore, he was still under the impression that Gunnar won''t contact him until the time he gave Jacob to reach the official member status was over, and with his pride, Jacob was sure he would do exactly this.


    But this message smells like trouble.


    With a grim expression, he read it, and when he saw the single string of words, naked killing intent emitted from his eyes,


    "Might-Of-Destruction: You are not qualified to be in Zodiac Warrior Alliance!"

 Chapter 245 Rich Winter Lady (1)

    ?"Might-Of-Destruction: You are not qualified to be in Zodiac Warrior Alliance!"


    A thick vein popped up on Jacob''s temple as naked killing intent, which could make even an Epic Rank Begin shudder, enveloped the entire apartment. It was a while since Jacob felt a genuine urge to kill someone before torturing them.


    But for some reason, the anger gradually started to lessen like a breeze before Jacob was tranquil, which was even more terrifying than his angry self.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® He didn''t know if this was the effect of his new heart, but now, feeling such as shock, fear, anger, excitement, and such no longer remained for long before he returned to his tranquil state.


    Whatever the case was, Jacob was quite satisfied with this kind of effect since this lessened the chances of him making rash decisions and keeping his calm all the time.


    Still, this didn''t mean he was not bloody for Gunner anymore. On the contrary, he was going to remember this for as long as he could live.


    Eventually, he was going to the epic ins, and he would also reach the peak of that in if everything went smoothly, and when that happened, he''ll make sure to personally ask Gunnar if he was qualified or not.


    Jacob closed the mail and then looked at the previous notification, and just as he expected, this notification was an alert of his being kicked out of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, and his membership and all the benefits with it were revoked, except for his already earned ZC and bank ount.


    His identity badges, the alliance mission application, private servers, everything was now unavable to him. This only intensified his urge to torture Gunnar even more.


    In the end, he sighed ruefully and closed the alert notification, and equipped a new identity badge which was the Grandmaster Rank Badge he earned from the guild a few hours ago.


    ''Something is not right with this sudden act of foolishness. If he was holding a grudge, why not kick me out the same day? Or he was just toying with me by giving me false hope before shattering it when I was close to bing an official member? But he didn''t strike me as someone with patience who could hold their anger in.  Well, whatever the case, I just hope he won''t die before I seek the answer to this question.''


    Although getting kicked out of the Alliance was quite a letdown and cutting off his path toward the alliance resources. But he quickly got over it when he thought about how he wasn''t even able to get ess to magic knowledge in the alliance because he didn''t have mana.


    On the contrary, if he thinks about it more carefully, he can now join the Alchemy Guild since he is no longer a permanent member of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    Because the guild was filled with all kinds of knowledge about magic and technology, and even the alliance wasn''t matched for the guild when it came to knowledge.


    Although Jacob had killer instincts, he was also a researcher by heart, and this world was filled with wonders and unknowns, which made him equally curious about gaining immortality.


    Fighting skills and gaining strength was important, but having knowledge was equally important, just like what happened with the Fantastic Insects. If he had known before, he won''t be in the dark about Immortika''s true intentions.


    Jacob knew he had the chance to join the Guild since he was the youngest Senior Grandmaster ever to appear in the Rare ins. Since Nixon could invite him from the freedom ins, he was sure someone in the Dark City would definitely invite him unless they were blind.


    After concluding that the Alchemy Guild suits him even more than the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, he quickly got over this sudden bad news, and with a hint of anticipation, he again immersed himself in his reading even more seriously.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, he was again disturbed by another unexpected popped-up interface which made him narrow his eyes in scrutiny.


    "Rich Winter Lady wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    "(NOTE: Rich Winter Lady has used Star Privilege to send an unignorable Call Request. Rich Winter Lady Star Privilege is higher than You (Faceless Ancient), Notification can''t be ignored, Star ID can''t be blocked!)"


    ''Someone with at least 2-Star Privilege contacting me again and right after I got kicked out of the alliance? Interesting.'' Jacob''s lips curled up in a cold smile as he epted the call with a blurry ck protection setting.


    He was quite fond of this feature since it could keep his identity secret and also annoy the other party, and reveal prick-like personalities such as Gunnar.


    The moment he epted the projection call, a golden blur materialized over his wrist. A melodious voice rang soon after, "Faceless Ancient, on behalf of Universal Zodiac Bank, I, as the Bank Manager, personally invite you to be a Permanent Member!"


    Jacob was astonished by this woman''s direct and straightforward approach as well as the unexpected invitation from the Universal Zodiac Bank, which should be the name of the existence behind the Zodiac Taurus Bank.


    Furthermore, this woman had the same status as Gunnar, and her timing could be said impable because she directly invited him without beating around the bush, which also means she knew he had been kicked out of the alliance and was a permanent member before.


    As long as Gunnar wasn''t bragging about kicking a nobody like Jacob on the star news, then the only possibility was this was some kind of ploy by this woman, or Gunnar was also involved in this.


    He coldly asked without caring about the other party''s identity, "Are you the one behind my membership revocation?"


    Rich Winter Lady unexpectedly answered without hiding anything, "The Zodiac Warrior Alliance won''t deserve a talent like you, nor President Gunnar appreciate your true worth.


    "He sold your revocation for 1 Million ZC. The Alliance is only a ce for brutes who only know how to fight or increase their strength at all cost, even if they had to sell their kin for it."


    Jacob couldn''t help but sneer, "You make it sound so dirty. Quite a hypocrite for the one who paid for someone''s future like it were a measly item."


    His voice turned icy cold, "Do you really think just because you paid him to kick me out, I will jump on yourp like some fucking dog? Or do you think of me as a ve which you purchase from some bollocks?"


    Rich Winter Lady didn''t seem to be angry at all. She replied in the same impassive tone, "Mr. Jacob Steve, I think you have some misunderstanding in this matter. I wasn''t the one who paid for your membership revocation!"

 Chapter 246 Rich Winter Lady (2)

    ?Jacob was stumped momentarily, but it didn''t mean he would apologize. Since this woman knows this much, then she was here with motives as well.


    As for her knowing his actual name, he wasn''t surprised in the least bit since he was already registered with his name in Alchemy Guild and the Zodiac Bank in themon ins. So, I didn''te as surprised that they knew his actual name.


    It mattered a little as long as they didn''t know his appearance, and he was pretty sure the Star ID mattered far more than actual names in Zodiac ins.


    Then, he replied coolly, "Does it matter? Why would I join the Bank just because Miss Manager contacted me personally? Besides, what''s the point of joining three hegemonies when they are unfair to their members, and anyone can use their authority without any consequences."


    Rich Winter Lady paused for a moment before she spoke impassively, "I understand your point and your stance in this, Mr. Jacob. But you have a false impression of the three hegemonies'' power structure.


    "Only the Guild President, Alliance Chairman, or Bank Manager of a in can kick branch members or reserve official members. We can''t do anything about official members and only punish them if they make mistakes. This kind of authority is in possession of very high-ranking members.


    "Anyhow, I''m sincere in the invitation, and I''m not like Chairman Gunnar, who only knows how to use his fists. You hailed from the Common ins, and then somehow, you be the Champion of Rare ins Trial.


    "I have no idea how a native of Rare ins ends up in the Common ins, especially someone with your abilities. You''re in the Dark City''s Alchemy Guild and about to be Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith. This alone makes you highly valuable.


    "As long as you join the Universal Zodiac Bank, you can immediately leave the Rare ins ande to the Epic ins, where you truly belong. The Epic in Trial will start in a few years, and at that time, we can use someone with your expertise."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he heard thest part. ''She''s probably thinking of me as a native of Rare ins since I can enter the Rare ins Trial. But why did she think I could enter the Epic ins Trial?


    ''Furthermore, how did she know about my current location and that I was about to be a Senior Grandmasters Gunsmith? I must admit this woman''s means are far more impressive than that dickhead.'' Jacob grimaced as he didn''t feel good about this at all.


    "Miss Manager, I can''t enter the Epic ins Trial since I''m the native of Rare ins. Don''t try to trick me." Jacob probed her true intention.


    "Oh, I forgot Mr. Jacob didn''t know about the loophole of a in Trial. Consider this my piece of goodwill. As you know, once a in trial isplete, the life zone and death zone be like neutral in.


    "And I''m sure you already know that a champion can maintain their sides of the zone and other authorities. Without a life zone or death zone, anyone can go anywhere as long as they are within the strength limit of that ins.


    "Then what do you think will happen to those who were settled in that in after the trial waspleted in those hundreds of years? Because the two sides are always at each other throats and many reinforcementse when a trial isplete from both sides so each side won''t have an entire in for themselves.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Only the Common ins are an expectation. Anyhow, will those neers be kicked out of the ins when the cycle ends and another trial in is formed?" Rich Winter Lady questioned impassively.


    Jacob squinted his eyes as he didn''t think this deeply into this since these restrictions were meaningless to him. However, now that Rich Winter Lady asked this question, he considered it carefully.


    Suddenly, his eye winded slightly as he said with uncertainty, "Could it be anyone who was staying on the ins during the trial formation will be considered that in''s native and can join the trail as well? Is this the loophole?"


    "As expected of someone whopleted a trial in less than six months. As you stated, Mr. Jacob, anyone present in that in during a new trial forming will be considered a native of that in." Rich Winter Lady praised, but it was as empty as her voice. She had given all the clues, and if Jacob couldn''t even guess after all those clues, she might''ve already lost interest in him.


    "How many years before the trial starts again?" Jacob dismissively questioned.


    "6 Years and 5 Months. So, what do you think? If you join the Universal Zodiac Bank, I''ll arrange a ship for you, and you''ll be here in 2 years. Afterward, I can help you increase your blood force to Epic Rank Blood Force. All you need to do is say the word." Rich Winter Lady offered with full of temptation and confidence.


    If it were anyone else, they would''ve instantly agreed to her offer. The promise of increasing the blood force to Epic Rank was enough to move them.


    s, it was Jacob who was only interested in things that were useful to him, and the blood force was not a barrier at all. As long as he followed the Cursed Immortality, his blood force will charge up.


    But he was still somewhat shocked hearing it would take him two years to travel to reach the Epic ins, and this was time considering he had the help of someone like Rich Winter Lady.


    "Miss Manager, since you''re sincere, I won''t be unreasonable. Truth be told, I''m not interested in fighting, and I''m more of a researcher. Stumbling into the Dark Ruins was not intentional, nor did joining the Alliance as a permanent member.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "I was quite ignorant then and took some unwanted steps and somehow survived the entire ordeal. Do you know joining the Alchemy Guild was my goal from the start, and Chairman Gunnar gave me a time limit before he would''ve kicked me out?


    "So, I was never going to make up to the time limit, and I had no intention of staying in the alliance in the first ce. I only told you this because you gave me an important piece of information, and I''m also apologizing for my previous behavior." Jacob ''sincerely'' exin.


    Although it was truth mixed with lies, but did the other party know this?

 Chapter 247 Secret Commission!

    ?A white marble hall was filled with all kinds of sculptures, and they were all vividly sculpted to the veryst details. It was clear the sculptor was the master of its art.


    Amidst these sculptures, a tall curvaceous figure stood before an unfinished sculpture, but its shape was quite apparent as it looked like a bird spreading its wings.


    The woman was holding a chisel in her slender hand as she stroked the sculpture gently and gracefully as she carved its feathers. Strangely, there wasn''t any sound of her carving at all.


    On the other hand, a blurry ck projection could be seen on his other wrist, and a deep cold voice sounded in this silent hall.


    "¡­ I''m also apologizing for my previous behavior. But I will still join the Alchemy Guild since it suits me more, and I have no intention of entering another trial n anytime soon."


    The woman paused for a moment, hearing this unexpected answer, and a hint of dissatisfaction shed past her enthralling oceanic-blue eyes. But it was only fleeting as tranquility returned, and she moved her hand gracefully.


    She spoke as her melodious voice rang in the hall, "If Mr. Jacob is interested in research, the Bank can meet your demands as well. The Bankcks anything but money and trusts me; everything has a price."


    "I couldn''t agree more. But I''m still going to stick with my choice." Jacob''s voice rang again, and his answer also remained the same.


    The Rich Winter Lady finally stopped, and a tiny frown appeared on her peerless face. She looked toward the blurry ck projection for the first time after their conversation was started.


    She looked deeply at the ck blur as if she wanted to see the person behind it. She finally spoke, "How about you state your demands, Mr. Jacob?"


    It was her first seeing someone rejecting her offer, especially when she was offering everything a native of the Rare ins could dream of. But for some reason, this guy remained dismissive as if nothing could sway him.


    Not only he dared to scold her at the start, but he also didn''t seem to care about her status at all and wasn''t polite from start to end.


    ''Did he think since I don''t know his face, he can be fearless and talk to me like some third-grade character?'' A hint of coldness surfaced in her tranquil eyes as she waited for the answer.


    Although she wanted to rope in this genius of Rare ins because of his potential in Gunsmithing, this didn''t mean she was desperate. He was, after all, a genius of Rare ins, not Epic ins.


    She just doesn''t understand why he was throwing away a golden opportunity. Now she was getting impatient, so she gave her final offer. If he still didn''t cherish it, then she won''t be bothering with this arrogant bumpkin anymore.


    Even though she would lose some ZC that she used to buy his information from a broker, she would rather let the alchemy guild have this loss cannon who didn''t know good from bad. But it wasn''t that simple either.


    "I have no demand Miss Manger. Again, I fully¡­."


    Before Jacob could finish, blue light shimmered over her wrist before the projection vanished. She cut the call!


    She coldly scoffed as blue light shimmered over her wrist again, and another interface appeared with another Star ID, and a message panel was opened. Writing started to appear on the message box on its own.


    ''Issue a Secret Commission to all Reserve Universal Mercenaries in the Rare ins Dark City to assassinate the new Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith, Faceless Ancient, in the Dark City''s Alchemy Branch.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Contact the Informative and tell him to cooperate with Universal Mercenaries fully. Price is not a problem.''


    After reading the message and finding no mistake, she sent it before the blue light on her wrist stopped shimmering, and she didn''t pay any more attention to it either.


    "Little Ellie, don''t even think I would let you profit from this so easily." The Rich Winter Lady muttered mockingly before she returned to sculpturing as if nothing had happened.


    From start to finish, this wasn''t about Jacob at all!


    ---


    Jacob looked at the star watch projection, which no longer had any blurry figure, and sneered, "Well, I save me the trouble of exining it to her. If this woman thinks I''m an idiot, she was not better than that dickhead."


    The reason for Jacob''s disdain was he noticed some loopholes in Rich Winter Lady''s invitation. First, she never mentioned anything about his Bank ount despite her being the Bank Manager.


    This lets him conclude that she was inviting him to be a mercenary like the Star Mercenary Agency of the Bank, not the actual member who is connected with the Bank.


    The Mercenary Agency was like the Armed Forces of the Bank, and Jacob wasn''t sure what kind of personnel were truly in charge of the bank''s management, like the Personal Zodiac Bank ounts.


    As to why he thought this way, it was pretty simple, if the Bank ount were considered a universally recognized money wallet, there would be strict rules attached to it for having such a status.


    If anyone offends a bank member of high authority and then, like Gunnar, that person revoked their bank ount on a whim, will anyone dare to use the ZC as currency?


    Jacob was even sure that even if someone was a heinous criminal, the Bank still needed to go through many troubles to block that person''s bank ount because of its universal status.


    The biggest proof of his theory being true was the SAAI making his Bank ount level raised while he was still a member of the Alliance, and it was still the same even after Gunnar kicked him out.


    So, Jacob was confident that this woman couldn''t do anything to his bank ount no matter what.


    Second, she only promised him money, nothing else, and Jacob didn''t need money at all right now, and he also couldn''t trust someone as cunning as this Rich Winter Lady.


    She was full of schemes and not readable like Gunnar, so Jacob still liked to stay away from her as long as he wasn''tpletely confident in handling her schemes.


    Lastly, he wanted to join the Alchemy Guild because this pce was a huge cover-up to hide his actual strength now that he thinks it through.


    A high-ranking alliance member will instantly bebeled as a powerful fighter, while the member of the Alchemy Guild will always consider a schr or researcher first.


    However, Jacob''s thought process was again disturbed by another call!

 Chapter 248 Accepting The Offer

    ?"Amiable Monk Fish wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    However, Jacob''s frown lessened when he saw this call wasn''t sent by using star privilege. But it was still the fact that this Amiable Monk Fish might be someone with equivalent star privilege as him since she was able to send him a call request.


    ''Don''t tell me that woman is trying to y another trick to get me to join the bank?'' He thought gloomily.


    Still, he decided to ept the call since it would be far easier to predict the other party''s motives and figure out what her ploy was with this call. He didn''t change his blur setting, though.


    As he epted the call, he expected another blurry figure, but to his surprise, a veiled woman appeared, sitting behind a desk gracefully.


    But what drew his attention was her purple smooth skin. Her blue eyebrows were like those of a fox, and those sky-blue cat eyes were filled with fiery vigor and a hint of cunningness. Although she looked like a human, she clearly wasn''t.


    Amiable Monk Fish spoke in her crisp voice, "How about you turn off this annoying blur before I give you the biggest opportunity of your life?"


    Jacob almost disconnected the call when he heard this and questioned with a frown, "Who are you?"


    It was the second opportunity he was receiving today, and truth be told, he was exasperated and wanted to stow away his star watch for good.


    "Oh, my mistake." The Amiable Monk Fish seemed to understand her mistake before gracefully introducing herself, "I''m the Vice President of Epic ins Alchemy Guild, Ellie, and you should be able to guess now why I contacted you, right?"


    Jacob''s eyes widened ever so slightly as he thought about something, "I presumed it was Miss Ellie who was behind my membership revocation from the Alliance?"


    Now that Jacob thought about it, since this woman contacted him right after the Rich Winter Lady, then this means she also knew about him getting kicked out of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance. She might as well be the actual perpetrator.


    But the Rich Winter Lady was still more terrifying than her since she could reach him before Ellie could, which shows the difference between the two.


    Still, he was more restrained toward Ellie after knowing her identity as the Alchemy Guild Vice President. After all, he wanted to join this ce, and he didn''t want to fall out with the Vice President right off the bat.


    Ellie didn''t flinch as she instantly admitted it and coolly stated, "Of course. I lost 1 million ZC to free you from those brutes. Why aren''t you thanking me? And you''re still a blur!"


    Speechless by her answer, he didn''t know what to say.


    ''So, she''s a self-centered bitch.'' He frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he removed the blur, but he was still wearing his hood and mask.


    "I never remember asking Vice President Ellie to pay for my revocation, nor did I say I was unconformable in the alliance. You were taking action on your behest." Jacob coldly replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ellie''s foxy eyes narrowed when she saw the ck-d masked figure, "Just like I watched in the video recording. You like to hide your face, huh?"


    "I''m too unpleasing to eyes." Jacob impassively replied.


    "Heh, I believe my eyes more. Anyhow, I know I took matters into my hands, which was unprofessional. But I saw your potential, and you are not made for fighting.


    "Even though you would appear unstoppable in Extraordinary Rank. But the Epic Rank ispletely different. Because in Epic Rank, you can either choose the Magic path or you can choose the Combatant path. Furthermore, what matters even more is the Bloodline and the type of bloodline."


    Jacob''s interest was finally piqued when he heard this, especially since magic and bloodlinee into the picture.


    "Can you borate on thest part?" He asked.


    Ellie''s eyes slid up as if she was smiling behind her veil. She said, "I can, as long as you join the Alchemy Guild as a Reserve Alchemist."


    Jacob didn''t answer immediately as he said, "I want to know the perks of Reserve Alchemist?"


    "Everything is the same as the alliance. The only difference is your mission will be more inclined toward alchemy rather than fighting. Instead of Fighter Manual and Combat Techniques, you will have ess to ''Alchemy Knowledge,'' ''Alchemy Skills,'' and ''Alchemy Techniques.''


    "We pursued only the truth behind everything, and no one dared toe in our way. Even those brutes must be polite to us if they don''t want poison instead of medicines. Hmph!" Ellie stated with full of pride and disdain.


    Even Jacob felt Ellie had a point because the Alchemists were the crafters of weapons and medicines, and they controlled the biggest raw materials chains in any ins.


    Although the alliance or the bank might be able to provide those things, the knowledge in Alchemy Guild''s possession was a top-secret, just like the Fighter and Combat Manuals of the Alliance.


    They can''t be exchanged, and no one will dare to divulge their information to anyone, nor will someone dare to receive this information because if found there was only death awaits for any party involved.


    Jacob then didn''t ask any further as he had already decided to join the Alchemy Guild, and now he was thinking that getting out of the alliance was not bad at all.


    "Alright, I''ll ept your invitation and join the Alchemy Guild. This ce suits me more anyway." He nodded in affirmation.


    A glint of happiness shed past Ellie''s eyes as she happily said, "Very good. At least you know good from wrong. You will know soon that this was a life-changing decision.


    "Don''t worry, I will personally arrange for someone to send you toward the Epic ins and then help you to increase your blood force, and if you perform well, a Wiser Type Epic Bloodline is not out of options either."


    Jacob''s squinted his eyes when he heard this!

 Chapter 249 Faery Human

    ?Jacob asked with squinted eyes, "I would like to hear about this Wiser Type Bloodline. By any chance, are you suggesting that bloodline can be transfused with higher ones?"


    Ellie snickered yfully, "Epic ins are at least a thousand years ahead of Rare ins in technology alone. So, you can guess if it''s possible or not. The Rare ins progress had been slowed down because of those selfish freedom lords."


    ''Again, Freedom Lords? I should check them outter. It''s my second time hearing this title. As for the technology being a thousand years ahead of rare ins, then the Epic ins should be around the same level as my previous world or even more advanced.


    ''This means hiding there would be even more bothersome than Rare ins since they will have a web of surveince everywhere. And is me not taking magic technology into consideration yet.'' Jacob thought, as he knew too well how difficult it was to hide from an Advanced Civilization.


    Ellie took Jacob''s silence for somethingpletely different as she thought he was stunned by the sheer news that an Epic Bloodline could be transfused. At the same time, this wasn''t even a thing of consideration in Jacob''s mind right now.


    Still, Ellie didn''t know as she continued with a hint of disdain, "I''m going to send an official member invitation on your ID. Since your Star Watch is Type-1 Grade, it would be quite easy, just tap on ept, and the process will start. We''ll talk about the bloodline after you be an official member."


    Jacob snapped out of his thoughts as he nced at Ellie impassively, and he nodded, "Fair enough."


    The very next moment, another interface suddenly pooped up.


    "Amiable Monk Fish Sent you ''Bronze Invitation of Alchemy Guild.''


    "ept / Reject


    "(NOTE: Upon selecting ''ept,'' you will be giving the ''Alchemy Guild'' ess to use your Star Watch''s scanning features one time.)"


    "Bronze Invitation? What is this?" Jacob didn''t ept instantly and questioned while looking at Ellie.


    A glint of unhappiness shed past Ellie''s eyes when she saw Jacob didn''t ept the invitation; instead, he was questioning him like she was harming him or something.


    Still, she answered the question with a tingle of dissatisfaction in her voice, "It''s a special invitation, only avable to the Vice President or President of the Alchemy Guild, and we can instantly use it to make anyone a reserve member without going through the trouble of taking a test or waiting for any approval."


    Jacob frowned behind his mask, "Is that all?"


    Ellie''s eyes narrowed, "What else? Are you by any chance doubting me?" Her vibe instantly became dangerous.


    Jacob looked deeply at Ellie''s veiled face, ''If she dared to y any trick. I''ll just kill her for her heartter.''


    With such a dangerous thought, he averted his eyes and tapped on ept.


    The very next moment,


    "You (Faceless Ancient) have epted the Bronze Invitation of Alchemy Guild sent by Amiable Monk Fish.


    "Alchemy Guild has given ess to your Star Watch scanning features (One Time).


    "Scanning features have been activated by the Alchemy Guild."


    "Life Signal test pass!


    "Species ssified as ''Unknown'' in the Common ins Database.


    "Species ssified as ''Unknown'' in the Rare ins Database.


    "Species ssified as ''Faery Human'' in the Epic ins Database.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Species Rank is ''Above Epic''


    "DNA scanning start¡­


    "DNA is not registered in the database. A new member has been detected!


    "Searching for Star Network ID and other information¡­


    "ID detected, ''Faceless Ancient¡­


    "Bank ount Detected¡­


    "Scanning has beenpleted!


    "Faceless Ancient, you have been registered as a Member of the Alchemy Guild.


    "You have been appointed as Reserve Alchemist.


    "Your Current Rank 1-Star Reserve Alchemist.


    "Confidential Information about the Membership has been sent to your star watch ount. Please don''t share it with anyone!"


    Jacob''s eyes were affixed on the ''Faery Human,'' which was the first time he ever saw his species being ssified as such. Furthermore, he waspletely baffled by the Species'' Rank.


    ''What is going on? Faery Human a species Above Epic Rank? Could it be it was the true species of this body''s previous owner before I got reincarnated as him?'' The more Jacob thought, the more he felt it was likely true.


    But he was still somewhat at a loss since this waspletely unexpected because he always thought he was from themon ins like other humans. He didn''t have any interest in this body''s background, so he never paid much attention or did any research.


    However, this new revtion about his species changed everything because if he belonged to such a powerful race, then how the hell did he end up in the hands of Decker and why?


    "Good. From now on, you are an official member of Alchemy Guild, and I''m looking forward to meeting you here." Ellie snickered as she also received the confirmation that Jacob epted her invitation with a hint of astuteness hidden in her cat eyes.


    ''So, she wasn''t able to see any of these?'' Jacob felt relief when he saw Ellie waspletely oblivious to the information he had just seen.


    Because he didn''t want anyone to know about this at all since he had no idea what kind of species Faery Human was and where did he stand within their ranks, it might bring some unwanted trouble, and he was quite sure they were not weak bunch either.


    They were at least a Unique Rank Species, and he was no match for such begins, so he wanted to remain as far from them as possible and possibly never meet them in his life.


    But he was still confused, "Miss Ellie, can this watch scan someone''s blood higher than extraordinary species?"


    Jacob clearly knows that his star watch can only scan an extraordinary, not epic rank, because he had tried before.


    However, somehow it was able to scan that he was a Faery Human and even tell his bloodline was Above Epic Rank, which waspletely out of ce.


    Ellie coolly replied, "Of course not. But the Alchemy Guild is a treasure trove of knowledge, so our guild''s AI, White Sage, is special. It can search a higher in database from the in it was being used, unlike the other two hegemonies'' Artificial Intelligences. Why are you asking? Don''t tell me White Sage just used its authority on you and searched the Epic ins database?" She asked curiously.


    Jacob didn''t show any reaction as he merely said, "How can that be? I was just curious, that''s all. Now can you tell me more about these bloodlines?" He quickly changed the topic.


    As a peculiar glint shed past his eyes, ''I need to be even more careful in Epic ins!''

 Chapter 250 Two Paths

    ?Ellie didn''t find Jacob''s words suspicious, or she was too proud to bother with small details.


    Anyhow, she answered his previous question, "Alright, since you joined the Guild, I will naturally tell you this information is limited to Epic ins'' three hegemonies members.


    "As I said before, in Epic Rank, you need to decide a path of Magic or Combatant. You should know about the two categories of species, Fighter and Wiser. These two categories are the deciding factor of someone''s path in Epic Rank.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "In Epic Rank, a species undergoes an evolution ording to their bloodlinepatibility to either Combatant Path or Magic Path. The Fighter Species are 99% end up evolving in the path of Combatant. While the Wiser Species, 99%, end up in the path of Magic.


    "These two paths are essentially different from each other and have their own pros and cons. The Combatant Path is the path of Battle in which a species evolved in the way toward fighting, like stronger physiques, melee innate abilities, Combat Magic, battle sense, and such.


    "We called them Combatants and the Bank''s mercenaries, and the Alliance is mostly filled with them.


    "However, the path of Wiser Species is the pure path of Magic. Although they didn''t have strong physiques or battle sense and couldn''t practice Combat Magic which is only made for strong physiques, even Extraordinary Physiques aren''t enough to practice Combat Magic.


    "But the magic destructive power, superior analyzing abilities, natural talent in alchemy,rger mana reserves, and such are far more than enough to put a Wiser above those Combatants. They are known as Sorcerers, and I''m also a Sorceress." Ellie proudly stated.


    Jacob was in deep thought after getting this new information on the two categories. He always thought there was a huge difference between the two, and now it was quite clear.


    ''So, the Epic Rank, in a sense, is a divided factor between two categories, and the difference between them bes clear as day, unlike the Extraordinary Rank. Both sides had their own pros and cons, like a Combatant will be able to kill a Sorcerer as long as it closed the distance.


    ''The same goes for Sorcerer if it spotted the Combatant before it could reach it. Furthermore, this Combat Magic seemed quite unique, and in a sense, my strength is purely in the physical department with no trace of magic whatsoever.


    ''However, I appeared as a nker back then, and even Immortika dropped some subtle hints at something then. I''m missing an important piece of the puzzle, and it might be the key to awake magic¡­.''


    Jacob couldn''t help but think in this direction, as magic power was always a sore thumb in his heart. But he couldn''t find the answer and always reached a dead end.


    "Vice President, is there more information on Combatants and Sorcerers in the market?" Jacob asked. He didn''t want to show hisck of magic knowledge in front of Ellie since she seemed well-versed in magic.


    Because he was an anomaly because he had an Epic Rank Physique but not a corresponding magic core, he was pretty sure he would appear as a valuable test subject in many people''s eyes if this fact were made public.


    Besides, he wasn''t sure if Ellie would even spare the time to give him more information than she had already promised. He had already sensed the change in her attitude after he epted her invitation.


    So, he didn''t want to fall off with her, not before he consolidated his position in the Alchemy Guild, or he might repeat the same incident with Gunnar.


    Furthermore, the Alchemy Guild President didn''t approach him personally, so that guy was still a mystery, and his attitude toward him. So, he was quite careful now.


    Just as he thought, Ellie seemed slightly impatient as she replied, "There is naturally all kinds of information in our private server. But it is bounded by the rank of a in. So, you need to enter Epic ins to see the information about Epic ins. It is that simple.


    "Now that you are already a reserve member, I want you to be an official member in three years. Because in these three years, including you, there will be 11 more alchemists joining you in the voyage toward Epic ins. Someone will approach you in the alchemy guild in the dark city when the time arrives.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The Rare ins'' situation is getting worse as those Dark Beings are totally going for the annihtion of the Freedom ins before the reinforcement from our side reaches the Rare ins.


    "But you don''t have to worry. As long as you stay in the dark city, you''ll be safe. I want you to focus on getting rid of the reserve member status in these three years. I''ll give you 10,000 ZC. It should be more than enough for your studies and meet the requirement to be an official member.


    "Don''t disappoint me or ck off, or you''ll regret it. My eyes are always on you!"


    With this mysterious statement, Ellie ended the projection call, leaving Jacob frowning.


    ''Why is her end goal? Whatever it is, it can''t be achieved unless I reach the Epic ins, it seems.'' Jacob thought as he felt Ellie was hiding her motives rted to him.


    Although she didn''t have malicious intent, he could tell she was more like a control freak who wanted everything under her thumb and enjoyed suppressing people.


    ''What a strange day.'' Jacob sighed as he felt too much had happened in one day, and it all started after he passed the Senior Grandmaster test.


    If he knew so much trouble would follow, he might not even take the test. But he knew he needed the Alchemy Guild''s Magic Smith Workshop, so this would''ve happened sooner orter.


    Since things were over, he now had some more information about the Epic ins power structure. That ce seemedpletely under the control of three hegemonies, and their means were quite imposing.


    Afterward, he opened the messages he received after joining the alchemy guild.


    Like the Alliance, the first message was about the rules and regtions of the Alchemy Guild and their ranking system. There were Nine Stars Ranks for Reserve Alchemists.


    He was again given two types of identity badges, one for Reserve Alchemist, which was his real identity. The second one is for the rare ins, and they were plenty of them. Even Magic Smith''s badge was among them, and all of them could be shown up to Senior Grandmaster Ranks, so he was quite content with it.


    In the third message, he received 100 Zodiac credits after entering the Alchemy Guild.


    As for the fourth message, the moment he opened them, he received two promotions, and they were quite familiar.


    ''You have sessfully Joined the Private Star Server (Rare Alchemists)


    ''You have sessfully Joined the Private Star Server (Freedom ins Alchemists)


    Jacob scoffed and opened thest message, knowing what it could be. He saw a starwork link and opened it without hesitation.


    An application started to get installed in his star watch, and soon, he saw the emblem of the Alchemist Guild appearing in his star watch.


    His lips curled up as he opened the Alchemist Guild''s Application!

 Chapter 251 Alchemy Guild Member Benefits

    ?''Wee to Alchemy Mission Application!


    ''Alchemy Guild ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 1-Star Alchemist (Reserve Alchemist)


    ''Next Rank: 2-Star Alchemist (Reserve Alchemist)


    ''Mission''


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 1


    ''(NOTE: Complete this mission to get promotion!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating a Basic Type-0 Alchemy Potion/Elixir.


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating a Basic Type-0 Alchemy Pill.


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating a Basic Type-0 Magic Weapon.


    ''4. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating a Basic Type-0 Mech Weapon.


    ''-Reward: Rank Promotion, 100 ZC, 1 Basic Type-0 Medicinal Alchemy Rted Knowledge, 1 Basic Type-0 Medicinal Alchemy Rted Skill, 1 Basic Type-0 Weaponry Alchemy Rted Knowledge, 1 Basic Type-0 Weaponry Alchemy Rted Skill


    ''[Star Recording?]


    ''(Note: Only Recordings taken with this application will be epted!)


    ''Reward Missions (Rare ins): Difficulty 1-Star Alchemist


    ''NOT Avable at the moment!''


    Looking at the mission application, Jacob was in deep thought, ''There''s only one mission, and it''s divided into four different tasks. Two of these tasks are rted to Medicinal Alchemy, and thest two are rted to Weaponry Alchemy.


    ''Didn''t this mean that just to be a reserved alchemist, one needed to be well versed in these two disciplines and their branches? The alliance really looked too simple inparison. I can even earn money by selling my finished product to the guild. Maybe that''s why there''s no reward mission at all.'' He mused as he closed the application.


    Jacob knew he wascking in Pill Alchemy and Magic Weapon department at this moment, but he was sure he could easily make up for these ws. Especially the Magic Weapon, which was the whole reason he was here in the first ce.


    As for Medicinal Alchemy, he can learn as long as he has the knowledge. He already had the basics down for potion alchemy, so pill alchemy shouldn''t beplicated.


    Jacob then directly opened the starwork. Just as he thought, the Zodiac Warrior Alliance''s private servers were gone, and reced them were the Alchemy Guild''s two private servers.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Without hesitation, he opened the ''Alchemy Market (Rare ins),'' and options appeared thereafter.


    ''Alchemy Knowledge


    ''Alchemy Skills


    ''Alchemy Techniques


    ''Battle Knowledge


    ''So, like the Alliance''s ''Alchemy and Technology,'' the Guild also has ''Battle Knowledge,'' but the difference between the two is quite clear. Both sides have superficial knowledge about each other department.'' Jacob snickered as he had already explored the alchemy-rted knowledge the alliance had, and he was pretty disappointed.


    So, he wasn''t too optimistic about the Guild''s battle knowledge. Still, since this ce was called the treasure trove of knowledge, he couldn''t judge them by other''s standards.


    However, Jacob was interested in the alchemy knowledge, the actual core of the Alchemy Guild, so he opened it.


    ''Weaponry Alchemy (Rare ins)''


    ''Medicinal Alchemy (Rare ins)''


    ''Languages for Alchemy (Rare ins)''


    Jacob thought for a moment before he curiously opened the Languages section just to see what kind ofnguage was avable in the alchemy guild, especially their prices.


    Thereby, a list appeared, which made him astonished.


    ''-Rune Language: Basic Type-0


    ''Price: 50 ZC


    ''-Rune Language: Intermediate Type-0


    ''Price: 150 ZC


    ''-Rune Language: Advance Type-0


    ''Price: 300 ZC


    ''-Rune Language: Basic Type-1


    ''Price: 1000 ZC


    ''-Philosopher''s Language: Basic Type-0


    ''-Price: 10 ZC


    ''-Philosopher''s Language: Intermediate Type-0<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''-Price: 50 ZC


    ''-Philosopher''s Language: Advance Type-0


    ''-Price: 150 ZC


    ''-Philosopher''s Language: Basic Type-1


    ''-Price: 500 ZC''


    ''Are they for real?'' Jacob was really shocked when he saw those prices, and he felt like he had stuck gold in the champion space.


    Not only the alchemy guild''snguages were divided into different ranks, but the type-1 rank only had its basic information. There was nothing about intermediate or advance knowledge at all.


    ''Then the champion shop is even more precious than I thought previously.'' Jacob thought as he opened the weaponry alchemy section.


    ''Forging Guide: No Rank


    ''Price: 10 ZC


    ''-Magic Weapon Crafting Guide: Basic Type-0


    ''Price: 100 ZC


    ''-Magic Weapon Crafting Guide: Intermediate Type-0


    ''Price: 1000 ZC


    ''-Magic Weapon Crafting Guide: Advance Type-0


    ''Price: 2000 ZC


    ''-Magic Weapon Crafting Guide: Basic Type-1


    ''Price: 5000 ZC


    ''-Mech Weaponry (Gunsmithing) Guide: Basic Type-0


    ''Price: 50 ZC


    ''-Mech Weaponry (Gunsmithing): Intermediate Type-0


    ''Price: 250 ZC


    ''-Mech Weaponry (Gunsmithing) Guide: Advance Type-0


    ''Price: 500 ZC


    ''-Mech Weaponry (Gunsmithing) Guide: Basic Type-1


    ''Price: 1500 ZC


    ''Mech Weaponry (Explosives) Guide: Basic Type-0


    ''Price: 50 ZC''


    The list goes on as many discipline guides were on the list, but Jacob was frowning because first, their prices were just off the charts, and second, all the avable knowledge was limited to just basic type-1.


    ''I''ve heard those old men conversation, and they say the types ranks were for technology and materials while the other ranking likemon, rare, and such were for strength.


    ''Don''t tell me even they got it wrong and just the type-1 basic is enough for the rare ins, and type-1 intermediate and type-1 advance is the ranks equivalent to Epic rank?


    ''No, something is not right. A Senior Grandmaster''s knowledge should be at least intermediate or advance type-1 level. Could it be I''m restricted by my guild rank? It''s quite possible since my organization does this to keep the members motivated to work¡­''


    Jacob thought it was highly likely the case, but he still had to see for himself when he reached the higher rank.


    He suddenly received a notification at this moment.


    "Amiable Monk Fish sent you 10,000 ZC in your Bank ount!


    "New Bnce: 12,670 ZC"


    It was the exact amount Ellie promised to give Jacob so he could practice diligently.


    Jacob scoffed, seeing the new bnce before closing it, ''Na?ve.''


    He then tried the alchemy skills section, it was filled with all kinds of blueprints, forms, and designs rted to all the alchemy branches avable in the rare ins.


    Jacob lost interest since he didn''t need those low-level alchemy skills, especially anything rted to gunsmithing. They were just too low for his standards.


    As for the alchemy techniques, they were techniques driven by mana and used in alchemy. Although, these techniques drew Jacob''s interest. But he met with a familiar blockade when he tried to open this section.


    "You have no Mana. Therefore, this section cannot be opened!"


    "Shit!" Jacob instantly cursed with a clouded, indignation expression!

 Chapter 252 A Visitor

    ?Exasperated, he closed the alliance market since there was no physical material on sale there. So, he opened the exchange market and finally saw many alchemy ingredients and finished products on sale posted by other alchemists.


    Although most of the alchemists sell their goods to the market, they keep precious products to themselves and then sell them to the exchange tform for ZC.


    Because they couldn''t get ZC from themon market, and not all the customers were rich enough to cough up one billion gold coins. So, this ce was the best because any alchemist was a walking tycoon especially reserved members of the alchemy guild.


    Moreover, only an alchemist knows the actual value of rare materials, and all of them need high-level materials to continue their research and increase their skills.


    So, whenever a precious material appeared, many tried to buy it, and that''s why the Guild had installed a particr function called ''Item Auction.''


    It was pretty simple to use, the interested buyers could ce their bids within the time limit of the auction item on the post, and when the time ends, the highest bidder would be eligible to buy that item.


    Whether it''s the seller or buyer, after a sessful auction, they can''t back down, or they will be punished ording to the alchemy guild''s rules. That''s why no one dared to mess around because the Star IDs were like their identities, and without one, you would never be given ess to any high-end ce.


    Jacob was quite pleased with this function since he didn''t need to negotiate with the seller and could buy the item directly as long as he won the bid. Furthermore, there was an ''anonymous function'' for both buyer and seller.


    ''This Alchemy Guild is quite considerate. Even I started to think the alliance is really a ce for brutes.'' Jacob snickered as he suddenly thought of materials required for the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array.


    One by one, he tried searching the materials to see if anyone was selling them. However, he didn''t know what these materials looked like yet since he was still far away frompleting the encyclopedia.


    But it didn''t mean someone else won''t know, either.


    However, he could only sigh ruefully when he didn''t find anything and after thinking about it. He wrote a post with the five materials'' names under anonymity and posted it in the exchange market.


    He willter check if someone responded to it and then close the starwork since he wasn''t interested in anything else for the time being, especially in rare ins!


    This time, there was no more disturbance, and he was again absorbed in reading.


    Three days passed since Jacob was just sitting at his table without moving an inch. He didn''t feel hunger or fatigue, just a little bit of mental exhaustion.


    But it was far better than paying attention to his surrounding and reading at once. Furthermore, he was already half done with Universal Magical Materials (Type-1), and he had already spotted the Rainbow Star Dust and its picture.


    However, his focus was broken when he heard footsteps approaching, and his eyes narrowed!


    Thereupon, ''Knock, knock¡­'' light knocks rang on the apartment door.


    Jacob could hear the heartbeat of this person. It was pretty fast, and he was somewhat familiar with its unique rhythm.


    He closed the virtual book and headed toward the door before opening it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rita appeared in a pink dress, unting her elvish charm, looking absolutely stunning. Her lips curled slightly when she saw Jacob''s masked face and said, "Senior Grandmaster, how have you been?"


    Jacob didn''t want to indulge this woman as he was pretty busy in his own study, so he annoyingly asked, "I''m fine. What do you want?"


    A hint of resentment shed past Rita''s beautiful eyes when she heard Jacob''s dismissive tone. She pursed her lips and said, "Can''t I be here to visit a fellow gunsmith?"


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "You didn''t inform me. So, you''re disturbing me." Jacob said matter-of-factly.


    Rita was even more annoyed, "How can I inform you when you blocked my ID?" She spat resentfully.


    Realization dawned upon Jacob, ''So, she tried to find my ID, but she couldn''t because of my privilege, and she assumed that I had blocked her.''


    He knew Rita had already given him her star ID, so the fault reallyy on him this time, so he didn''t argue with her anymore.


    "I might''ve pressed the wrong button then." He shamelessly stated as he had no n of telling anyone about the privilege system of the starwork.


    ''Like hell, I believed you.'' Rita thought as she red at Jacob but didn''t reveal her thought.


    Her lips twitched slightly as she said, "It can''t be helped, then. As for a reason for my visit, the first thing is I want to inform you that the magic smith workshop has been arranged, and you might be able to use it as much as you like." A hint of pride appeared in her beautiful eyes.


    ''Oh, I almost forgot about that matter. But do I really need to ask for a favor anymore with my current identity?'' Jacob thought as this really wholly left his mind since his identity was now vastly different from three days ago.


    He can easily gain ess to any facility in this building as long as he shows the corresponding rank''s grandmaster level badge.


    Still, it might be too cumbersome since these guys would definitely make a fuss if he told them his identity as a permanent member. So, he wanted to hide it as long as possible and even leave without telling anyone.


    "Alright. Since this is the case, then I''ll contact you in a week." Jacob nodded and was about to turn around, "Wait!" when Rita quickly stopped him.


    "Is there anything else?" Jacob looked back and frowned.


    Rita was speechless and had the urge to kick this dismissive guy in the guts. She pursed her lips and said, "Don''t you want to know why you could be given a free pass to the facility?"


    "Why?" asked Jacob.


    Rita curled her lips, "It seemed Senior Braylon had taken a keen interest in you. He ising here tomorrow from the Dark Inner Circle of the Dark City to meet you!"

 Chapter 253 Don’t You Feel Remorse

    ?"It seemed Senior Braylon has taken a keen interest in you. He ising here tomorrow from the Dark Inner Circle of the Dark City to meet you!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "You mean the only Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith in Dark City?"


    Rita nodded with a prideful expression as if she was talking about herself, "Not in the dark city but in the entire rare ins. If I''m not wrong, he might invite you to join as a permanent member of our guild."


    Rita revealed with a mysterious smile as she thought Jacob would be shocked hearing the term ''permanent member,'' but he remained as stoic as ever, which made her lost for words.


    ''I should''ve guessed.'' Jacob thought, but his interest in Braylon only amounted to this much.


    If it was before he got Ellie''s invitation, he might give the guy some face, but now, in Jacob''s eyes, Braylon was like any other person in the rare ins, someone he could crush at will!


    But he can''t be too obvious, so he ended up asking about a permanent member as well, and Rita was instantly enthusiastic.


    She even infiltrated his apartment without his concern and started to tell him about a permanent member. But like any other person on the rare ins, she didn''t know what was a permanent member''s statue actually meant.


    She just knows that a permanent member was a genuine upper echelon of the three hegemonies, like Braylon, who was an overseer of the Dark Inner Circle''s alchemy branch''s business.


    In her eyes, Jacob really deserved this ce since he was the youngest of them all.


    "I ever heard Senior Braylon''s disciple in freedom ins is alsoing to the dark city tomorrow, and he will be here as well." The moment she spoke about this disciple, a hint of coldness shed past her eyes as she continued, "That guy''s character is like a real piece of trash. Although he''s very talented, he''s too ruthless and arrogant."


    She was like a gossiper as she talked about Braylon and his disciple.


    However, Jacob had no interest, and he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you know about Freedom Lords?"


    He was hearing this term from big characters, so he decided to ask Rita since she seemed to know a lot.


    Rita nced at him as if she was looking at an alien, "You didn''t know about Freedom Lords despite living in Rare ins?"


    "No," Jacob answered dismissively.


    Rita''s lips curled up, "You''re really like a hermit old man despite your age. Let me enlighten you then. The Freedom Lords only appeared in recent years when the secret about ''in Trial'' surfaced.


    "It was then that people got to know that the four nations of the freedom ins were under themand of four mysterious existences who called themselves Freedom Lords. They all have unique titles ording to the nation behind them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "However, currently, we have five freedom lords. You know the fifth freedom lord is actually the infamous leader of Killer Skull Society, which is now recognized as the fifth power of the freedom ins, Skull Kingdom!"


    In the end, Jacob was astonished because he never thought the Killer Skull Society would reach such an agreement with these four freedom lords.


    ''I really missed out on quite a lot.'' Jacob thought with a hint of amusement and decided to check on the star news asionally.


    "Well, good for them, I guess." He coollymented.


    The killer skull society could be considered his enemy, and he knew those guys mighte looking for him if they knew he was there or they might already have.


    After all, he still has their data on the cannibal n, and from his short interaction with Important Grace, Jacob knew that data was quite crucial to society. So, they might never give up on him until he hands over the data.


    But he was pretty sure they had to move even more carefully if they wanted to attempt to capture him in Dark City, and with his current strength, he was not overly worried about them as well.


    "Heh, you got that right." Rita giggled as she took his words for an entirely different meaning, "They really chose the worst time to strike such a deal with the Freedom ins. Everyone knew that they had taken advantage of the Dark Being''s looming threat on the Freedom ins to negotiate the terms of bing the fifth power of the freedom ins.


    "However, the in trial was cleared by some mysterious person before anyone could react, leaving both Dark Being and the Freedom ins in shock. The barrier which prevents the two sides from approaching each other is also lifted because of it.


    "The Dark Beings'' Ruler, the Lich King, was furious as he mounted a full-scale invasion on the freedom ins and almost killed three freedom lords. If the newly appointed Grace Freedom Lord hadn''t used a mysterious trump card and forced the Lich King to retreat, I''m afraid the freedom ins won''t even survive to this day."


    Jacob was quite rmed when he heard this, ''I was lucky I didn''t encounter this Lich King at that time. Even three of the five most powerful beings were almost killed by him. It quite evident that he was really pissed by the trial rewards snatched right under his nose.''


    Jacob couldn''t help but felt somewhat giddy when he thought about how he pulled a fast one on such a powerful guy, and the price had to be paid by someone else, including the killer skull society.


    He couldn''t help but look at Rita, who seemed to be quite happy gossiping with him like a friend, and it was indeed a long time since he had talked with someone like this.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® "Don''t you feel remorse for those innocent lives in the freedom ins who were going to be implicated by someone''s selfish decision?" Jacob asked Rita, or he was probably asking himself again without any emotions backing his voice.


    Rita was started by this question as she looked at Jacob''s profound eyes, and her lips curled up as she replied, "It''s not like I don''t care. But what can I do with my meager power? I may as well let them live in my memories. Besides, I wasn''t the one who was responsible for their current state."


    Jacob was in a daze for a moment before his lips curled up, and he looked at Rita before he said something unexpected, "Want to go in my bedroom?"

 Chapter 254 Grandmaster Magic Smith, Orville

    ?Today, five over 6 feet tall figures followed by a figure with 5''2 height entered the Dark City, and all of them were wearing ck mantles like any average person in the dark city.


    Those six didn''t seem too interested in strolling as they hailed three taxis and soon arrived at the alchemy guild and entered it without giving another extra nce.


    However, at the edge of the alchemy guild building square, a pair of blue eyes were following their vanishing silhouettes like a hawk.


    He suddenly whispered, which could only be heard by him, "Those six seemed to be not ordinary."


    Just as his voice was suppressed under the bustling crowd, a clear, crisp voice rang in his ear, "Who? Everyone looks the same to me."


    "Hehe, Boss was again staring at some chick''s ass." Another perverted voice chimed in.


    "Shut up! You still have the mood to joke around?" The blue eyes boss chided in the same whispering voice.


    "Fuck, the Boss is really serious this time. It seemed the bounty of 5,000 ZC finally made our easy-go-lucky Boss serious." Another male voice rang in astonishment.


    A hint of helplessness shed past the Boss''s blue eyes, "It''s not so easy. I''m pretty sure I''m not the only one here to scout the target. I can even smell that Tiger Killer''s nasty stench from here. This bounty won''t be easy to get our hands on."


    "You are right about that, Boss. We''ve been here daily, but the ''informative'' still didn''t contact us despite taking our money. Do you think he scammed us?" The crisp voice rang in theint.


    The Boss''s eyes narrowed dangerously, "His contact info came with themission, so it can''t be fake. We just need to be patient. Do you think themission reward of the rare in''s history is so easy to im?"


    "How about I try to infiltrate the higher floors and search for the target?" A deep husky voice suggested at this moment.


    The Boss rejected it without hesitation, "No, we can''t reveal ourselves. ording to the mission, the moment we were discovered, we will be abandoned by the bank. The alchemy guild is not to be trifled with. Almost all of our technology came from them, so their home base security will be top-notch.


    "Don''t you remember what happened to the infamous thief of the rare ins when he tried to rob the treasury of the alchemy guild? He wasn''t even passed first-floor security before he was caught snooping!"


    "Then what should we do?" A woman asked in worry.


    "We''ll wait!" The Boss said matter-of-factly as a cold glint shed past his eyes as he continued to observe like a venomous snake waiting for his prey.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® While many mercenaries were secretly camping in the Alchemy Guild''s main entrance.


    The six neers quickly passed the security clearance and reached the highest floor, where they were blocked by Senior Grandmaster Bart and Senior Grandmaster Otto.


    Both old men had this strange stiff smile on their faces as they bowed slightly in front of the 5''2 feet tall person in front of the group.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They greeted in unison, "Grandmaster Magic Smith, Orville, wee back."


    Although this seemed strange that two Senior Grandmasters were bowing their heads in greeting in front of Grandmaster Rank. But anyone who knows the identity of this Grandmaster would have no choice but to bow their head.


    Because Orville was not only a Permanent Member of the Alchemy Guild but also one of Braylon''s personal disciples and a very talented one at that.


    Orville''s journey in the Alchemy Guild could be said to be legendary because before he was found by Braylon in the Freedom ins, he was just a servant of a small family in Light Nation.


    But he was extremely ambitious, and when he got his hands on some unknown inheritance, it was the turning point of this journey. He ran away from the family he served and then joined the alchemy guild after passing the test.


    The Light Nation also noticed his talent in alchemy, and like any other talent, they roped him in when he was still in his budding phase.


    Orville alsopletely submitted to the Light Nation and appeared absolutely loyal. They invested vast amounts of resources in his growth and even made him famous all over the Freedom ins.


    Orville became the most popr Magic Smith in the entire Freedom ins and was revered by many.


    It was also the start of Light Nation''s nightmare because after Orville showed his talent, he caught the eye of Braylon, and he naturally invited Orville as a permanent member.


    If it were any other alchemist, they would''ve thought twice before they broke the contract with the Light Nation. It was a straight-up betrayal, but Orville did it in a heartbeat without even carrying about he was in the middle of their core area.


    When the upper echelon of the Light Nation found out about his betrayal, they were naturally furious. Rumor has it that they wanted to enve Orville in secret.


    But to this day, Orville is still living in the Light Nation like a King, and the Light Nation never does anything to him, which is the strangest part, and it is shrouded in mystery about how Orville did it.


    As for Orville''s poprity, it skyrocketed even more, and there are many biographies on Orville''s life, but no one knows how much truth was in them.


    However, one thing which wasmon in those stories was Orville''s cruelty. He was portrayed as an inhuman monster who experimented on all kinds of living things, including innocent people of different races. Some even imed he tortured his victims and enjoyed the whole process.


    There were thousands of deaths under his belt.


    But there was still no proof to this day that it was true or not, and Orville had nevere out to exin himself as he seemed to care less about what was going on around him, and he was always in hisb, doing who knows what.


    However, the people closer to Orville knew all those rumors weren''t even half the things this guy had done to reach this point!

 Chapter 255 A Spy Of Society!

    ?Orville removed the hood from his face, revealing his ash-gray goblin face. A golden monocle was resting in front of his left beastly eye. Although he looked like a schr, there was a strange vile vibe around him that made anyone think twice before approaching him.


    Especially his sharp eyes, which seemed to be cut right through any fabric and see every part of their body.


    Orville''s lips curled up, revealing his beastly white teeth as he looked at Bart and Otto''s stiff, smiling faces. He said in his hoarse voice, "Seniors, you''re giving me too much face. Please ept my bow."


    "There''s no need. You''re too polite!" Bart horridly waved his hands as his smile stiffened even more.


    "Yes. You, young fellow, visit after a very long time, so we are very happy to see you." Otto also quickly denied it as he was much more natural at showing his fake expression than Bart. Still, a hint of apprehension was deeply hidden in his eyes.


    Orville''s smile widened even more as he nodded, "You both truly treated me quite well. It seemed the others were still busy with their own matter that they evene to greet me." Orville sighed ruefully.


    However, a chill ran down Bart''s spine as he suddenly sensed a chilling aura leaked from Orville for a moment, and Otto was the same.


    ''Just many people did he kill to develop such a baleful aura?'' Otto thought gravely.


    Still, he didn''t dare to voice it out and pretended not to notice anything and said amiably, "Hahaha, Yong Fellow, you sure miss everyone, and I would like to inform you that everyone missed you a lot as well. It''s not like they were reluctant to meet you, but they are gone to the inner circle city gate to receive your Master."


    A peculiar light shed past Orville''s eyes when he heard ''Master'' and said smilingly, "If that''s the case, then Ie at perfect timing. I should greet Mentor personally. It''s been quite a while since ourst face-to-face chat."


    He then looked back, and his voice turned emotionless as he said, "You five will wait on my old floor meanwhile. Number 1, lead them there."


    The cloaked figure, who was 7 feet tall and standing in the middle of the five, bowed in acknowledgment. And after Orville left the lift, he operated it and headed to the floors with the magic smith facility.


    Those two old men didn''t say anything as they knew that Number 1 was Orville''s most precious test subject and also his bodyguard, and every time Orville''s appeared here, he would bring a new guard with him.


    Orville turned around as his smile returned to his face. He suddenly through an unexpected question at those two, which caught them off guard.


    "If I''m not wrong, Mentor ising here for the newly appointed Senior Grandmaster, right?"


    Otto replied without hiding it, "Yes. Senior Grandmaster Jack is really a rare genius in the mech department. It''s not a surprise Senior Braylon wanted to meet him."


    Orville''s lips curled up in a strange smile as he asked, "If I''m not wrong, his Star ID is called ''Faceless Ancient,'' right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Otto''s eyes shimmered in a peculiar light as he nodded, "Indeed. It appeared You, young fellow, also interested in Young Friend Jack, huh?"


    "Of course, how could I not be interested in the youngest senior grandmaster of our Rare ins history? Senior Faceless Ancient is worth my respect. It''s just a pity that he can''t join our true ranks. What a pity." Orville sighed ruefully as he shook his head as if he was feeling really regretful.


    Bart was startled by this suddenment by Orville, "Why would Young Friend Jack won''t join our ranks? He''s a true alchemist, and I''m sure he would be thrilled to join the guild as a permanent member."


    Otto, on the other hand, remains silent as a mocking sheen shines in his eyes while looking at Bart. He clearly knew what Orville was implying here.


    ''This old idiot has nothing but pills in his head.'' He thought jeeringly.


    Just as Otto suspected, Orville dropped a bombshell on Bart.


    "That''s the actual case, Senior Bart." He sighed ruefully, "If I''m not wrong, Senior Faceless Ancient is already a permanent member of Zodiac Warrior Alliance. Unless there''s no second ID with the same name, he can''t join our side as a permanent member at all. What a waste of talent."


    Bart was bbergasted when he heard this unexpected piece of news and blurted, "How can that be? Have you mistaken him for someone else?"


    Bart has a very good impression of Jacob, and he pays attention to him, and he is quite pleased with Jacob''s hermit demeanor as he didn''t leave hisb to socialize with other grandmasters at all.


    In a sense, Bart sees his younger self in Jacob, who is full of potential and has nothing but alchemy in his heart. The person who rmended Jacob to Braylon was also Bart as well.


    However, now he heard that Jacob was already a member of the alliance, he felt that fate was ying tricks on him.


    With a regretful expression, Orville revealed, "I hope this was the case. Because a few years ago, another person with the same name as Faceless Ancient became the center of attention in the Star News. Someone leaked the information that he joined the Alliance as a permanent member because he was a nker.


    "However, strangely, he got kidnapped by the Killer Skull Society after a concise period of time after he joined the alliance. Thereafter, he never made a public appearance again, nor did the Nightmare Knight Legionment on it.


    "But this incident case quite a strife among Night Commander Nixon and the Killer Skull Society. However, now another Faceless Ancient has appeared in our branch. I couldn''t help but wonder if they were the same person." He said with a sly sheen in his eyes.


    Otto, who was pretending to be shocked, finally blurted, and the words he spoke were out of Bart''s and even Orville''s expectations.


    "Could it be he''s a spy sent by the Killer Skull Society to sow discord among Dark City? Don''t forget Dark Extermination Order on Killer Skull Society Members is still valid!"

 Chapter 256 Tell Him…

    ?Both Bart and Orville looked at Otto in unison when they heard his absurd reason. Orville, in particr, has this strange glint in his eyes as if he were mulling over something.


    While Bart was more direct and retorted with a frown, "Don''t spout nonsense. Even if Jack has some connection with the Killer Skull Society, if he''s really a permanent member of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, then do you think the Dark City will dare to kill him?"


    The Dark Extermination Order of the Dark City was no secret to anyone. It was the highest rank kill order issued by the Dark City, a kind of wanted order the city would release against their enemies.


    Normally, this order is only issued against individuals, but a few years ago, the Dark City released this order against the entire Killer Skull Society!


    This leaves many curious about what society had done to make the Dark City so furious, but the reason remains a mystery to this day.


    Anyhow, this makes the life of the skulls extremely difficult in Dark City, and they all have to hide their real identities and tread extremely carefully whenever they are inside the Dark City.


    Not only that, but many people who were interested in bing Dark Noble were hunting skulls like mad dogs because it would give them Dark Merit Points, which generally could only be earned by clearing Dark Missions.


    That''s why those skulls didn''t dare to reveal their identities because once discovered, anyone could kill them in Dark City; there was no punishment.


    Now Otto''s calling Jacob a spy from the society was putting a huge target above his head, and if this kind of rumor was spread, even the Alchemy Guild won''t be able to middle if Dark City decided to act.


    However, Jacob''s identity as a Permanent Member would still give him at least a chance toe clean.


    Because every skull will have a brain chip inside its head, and there were many ways to detect them in the Dark City. So, this usation could be easily resolved. Still, it would be a stain on the person''s reputation.


    Otto also knew this, and he was nning to use this method to cause some strife between Dark City and Jacob. At the very least, it would make him leave the Alchemy Guild building.


    But this n was supposed to activate after Braylon''s visit. However, now that Otto saw Orville''s unusual interest in Jacob, he knew Orville was up to something here, and he couldn''t be good.


    So, he just lit the fire and decided to see if the winds woulde or not.


    "Oh, my mistake. It was just a slip of the tongue. How could young fellow Jack have belonged to that society of misfits? It could be that he was able to escape from their grasp. We should ask him some time on a drink." Ottoughed in embarrassment as if he really blurted it out without thinking.


    Everyone knew the Dwarf race was quite straightforward, so Bart nodded in understanding while Orville merely chuckled without saying anything.


    Afterward, Bart and Otto led Orville toward the meeting room, where the meeting would start after Braylon''s arrival.


    As for Jacob, they no longer mention him again since they knew things would be apparent in this meeting. Jacob was already invited by Rita, so he should be here. At least, that''s what they thought.


    ---


    Jacob, at this moment, was still reading the book and had been since Rita ran away after his abrupt ''invitation.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Still, she didn''t forget to p him, though, which dodged by Jacob without much effort. This only made the blushing elf even more embarrassed and furious, and she could only run away while calling him ''scoundrel beast.''


    However, Jacob has little impact since he was used to the term ''one-night stand'' and wasn''t embarrassed at all after being rejected. It was just a fleeting emotion that was suddenly aroused after he heard Rita''s answer.


    Now, he haspletely forgotten about it as he was immense in his studies. At least Rita won''t look to disturb him anymore, and he will look for her himself when he wants to enter the magic smith workshop.


    As for Braylon, he was even less important.


    However, when another knock on his door rang, Jacob knew he should create a sign of ''Do not disturb'' and hang it outside his door.


    But he knew it wasn''t needed because only a few people could approach his door because his apartment was inside a Senior Grandmaster Rank level workshop, and not anyone could enter.


    Furthermore, if Jacob had bothered to look around the facility, he could have easily discovered a function of this facility that wouldpletely block it for even the Senior Grandmasters.


    Frowning, Jacob stood up and moved toward the door as he knew it wasn''t Rita because this heartbeat was quite different from hers.


    Just as he opened the door, he looked down and saw a gnome standing there with a pale expression. He was the same gnome who led him to the test facility when he was taking the Senior Grandmaster test.


    "What is it?" He coldly asked.


    The gnome named, Cidery felt he was standing in front of a terrifying existence and quickly blurted, "S-senior, I''m your floor assistant. Please forgive the intrusion, but I just received a message from the top floor that Senior Braylon has arrived, and now everyone is waiting for you."


    Jacob remained expressionless, "Why are they waiting for me?"


    Cidery was speechless by this response and didn''t know how to answer, so he uttered while stuttering, "I-I-I do¡­ don''t k-know!"


    "Then go find out." Finished saying, he closed the door before Cidery could react.


    Having no choice, Cidery could only run away to get the answer with an ashen expression.


    This was his first time experiencing such a situation. Usually, a senior grandmaster would just go as long as they were summoned to the top floor without asking for any reason. However, Jacob not only didn''t go, but he was asking for a reason.


    Thereupon, Cidery again came back with a pale expression and knocked on the door again. When Jacob appeared with the same dismissive look in his eyes, he quickly reported, "They say Senior Braylon wanted to meet you!"


    Jacob then nodded his head before he closed the door leaving one sentence behind when he almost made Cidery faint with trepidation.


    "Tell him to get his ass here if he wants to meet me!"

 Chapter 257 Are You Qualified?

    ?On the top floor of the Alchemy Guild''s building, the meeting hall was fully upied with top figures of the Alchemy Guild in the Dark City.


    Everyone was looking at a handsome elf sitting on the chair of honor. He was wearing a schrly gray robe, and he had this amiable schrly aura around him that made everything feel closer to him. He was none other than the Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith, Braylon.


    However, the atmosphere of this meeting room was not joyous as a few moments ago, as everyone had different expressions on their faces. Most of them were shocked silly.


    As for why they were shocked, it was all because of Jacob''s response to their summoning. Not only did he not appear despite being given an invitation, but upon summoning, he even asked why he was being summoned.


    This wasn''t even as offensive as what he said after he was given the reason. ording to the floor assistant, Jacob bluntly said if Braylon wanted to meet him, he coulde to his workshop.


    This was a blunt provocation and pped on Braylon''s face, who was probably the most respected figure in the alchemist circle of the Rare ins. Everyone gave him a face, but Jacob just didn''t y by the rule at all.


    Bart, who was sitting two chairs behind Braylon, quickly said with a stiff smile which was quite ugly even for him, "Senior Braylon, please don''t take offense by theck of manners by Senior Jack. You see, he''s a kind of entric and always behaves like this."


    Although Bart was angry as well, he still decided to defend him because Jacob didn''t break any rule here, and he was in theplete right. They were the ones who were disturbing him, and he was not like these old guys who were losing interest in alchemy after their progress stagnated for decades.


    They were all like Rita as they were happy with what they had already achieved, and their ambitions were now exhausted. That''s why they no longer do long research.


    Only official alchemists like Braylon and Orville, who still have huge alchemy potential, were always busy with their research and seldom made appearances.


    Braylon also appeared only because he got spare time, or he would never have made an appearance if Jacob had gone there and requested an audience with him.


    Everyone in this room knows in their heart that Jacob had done nothing wrong, but they were all forgotten about the true essence of alchemy which was to find the truth about everything!


    "Why are you still defending him? This is a blunt disrespect toward all of us, not just Senior Braylon!" Senior Grandmaster Spell Crafter, Lawrence pped his hand on the table angrily.


    Everyone nodded in agreement with Lawrence''s words since Jacob was going too far by not showing them any face.


    "Heh, don''t be so angry, Old Lawrence. He''s still young and inexperienced, and who didn''t have a temper when they were young? Furthermore, don''t forget Senior Jacob is arrogant by nature because of his potential." Otto sneered as he also took a stand for Jacob.


    But hisst words were quite vicious since he was directly calling everyone talentless by bringing out Jacob''s potential. He had indirectly created scorn in everyone''s heart for Jacob.


    "So, what if he''s full of potential? This didn''t mean he could be disrespectful toward his elders!" Senior Grandmaster Apothecary Boone refuted with a cold glint in his eyes.


    "Elder? He has the same rank as us. If you want to talk about the age factor, then I''m afraid you''re just a toddler in front of Senior Bart." Rita retorted with narrowed eyes. But she had this strange pinkish hue when she spoke about Jacob, and a hint of resentment shed past her beautiful eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Although he''s a beast, he''s still a beast of my Gunsmith apartment. I''ll deal with him personally!'' She thought as she silently glinted her teeth, and her blush intensified.


    It was her first time seeing someone so direct as Jacob, who said it bluntly that he was after her body while he didn''t even bother to show his face at all. The more Rita thought about it, the angrier she became.


    She even wanted to use the Silver Killer to teach Jacob a lesson, but when she thought about the form of friction killer, her heart always wavered, and aplicated emotion gathered in her heart.


    At this moment, Braylon, who was didn''t speak a word since hearing Jacob''s reply, finally spoke, "That Young man is really interesting."


    Everyone looked at him and was speechless when they saw Braylon smiling instead of fuming.


    Orville, who remained silent all this time without saying anything, finally spoke coldly, "Mentor, he''s just over his head by his small sess." He was the only Grandmaster present in the meeting of the Senior Grandmaster, and only he dared to raise his opinion without fear of anyone.


    Braylon''s smile suddenly vanished as he gave Orville a side nce which was somewhat cold as he said, "Do you think you, a Grandmaster, are qualified toment on a Senior Grandmaster half of your age?"


    It was a simple question but sent chills down everyone''s spine as they knew Braylon was taking Jacob''s side and even chided Orville.


    Many felt better after looking at Orville''s ugly expression because if they talked about seniority in front of them when he was still a grandmaster.


    Orville didn''t dare to retort in front of Braylon anymore. He was only afraid of Braylon in this entire building.


    He respectfully bowed his head toward Braylon, "I was wrong. Please forgive me, Mentor. Everyone, please forgive me. I shouldn''t have spoken."


    However, when his head was lower, a ruthless glint shed past his eyes and quickly vanished.


    Braylon expression softened, and he nodded his head, "Your temperament is still the same. As long as you let go of your ego, you''ll be able to be a Senior Magic Smith."


    Everyone nodded in agreement since the path of Magic technology was entirely different from mech technology.


    "I''ll remember it." Orville nodded before he returned to his seat and became silent as if he wasn''t there anymore.


    Braylon stopped paying attention to Orville and looked at everyone as he smiled amiably and said while standing up, "Let''s go meet Senior Jack!"

 Chapter 258 Jacob’s Act (1)

    ?After giving his impolite reply, Jacob returned inside, but this time he didn''t start reading right away and instead headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.


    As for the repercussions of his blunt disrespect toward Braylon, he was worried in the least bit. It could be said Jacob was looking forward to Braylon''s reaction.


    Because he wanted to see if Braylon was another hotheaded, power-hungry idiot or if he was someone with patience and looked at the bigger picture, Jacob knew he had done nothing wrong by rejecting the request for this abrupt meeting.


    After taking a long rxing shower, Jacob headed toward the kitchen for the first time in a while, as he was now used to eating raw meat because of his particr situation. But it didn''t mean he enjoyed that; he was just flexible.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á`no¦Í?1`§ão§® Jacob nodded in satisfaction when he saw the entire kitchen was filled with all kinds of ingredients, herbs, and even spices. But before he could even light the stove, his eyes narrowed as his moments came to a halt.


    ''19 people?'' He was really speechless when he heard so many footsteps approaching, ''Don''t tell me those guys really wanted to cause trouble.''


    His eyes turned cold as his masked appeared over his face before his silver head was covered under his hood.


    Without waiting for them to approach the apartment door, Jacob had already opened the door and walked outside, and all those footsteps came to an abrupt halt.


    Those Senior Grandmasters were startled when Jacob appeared when they were only a few meters away from knocking on his door.


    At the very front, in the lead, Braylon was also quite surprised before he started to look at Jacob''s tall and muscr figure from top to bottom.


    While Rita''s eyes shed with anger the moment she spotted Jacob''s masked face and bit her lips.


    "Aren''t you busy, Senior Jack? Don''t tell me you were ying nk on us and were justing to the meeting room?" Otto couldn''t help but jollityment.


    But thisment made many narrow their eyes, especially Orville, who was looking at Jacob in scrutiny.


    Jacob nced at the Dwarf, who looked quite silly, but he always had this strange feeling of foreboding whenever he saw him. Still, he wasn''t interested in indulging the dwarf right now as he looked at the handsome schrly elf who was smiling amiably at him.


    "Senior Grandmaster Braylon, I presumed?" He uttered emotionlessly.


    Braylon nodded in acknowledgment with a friendly smile and replied, "In the flesh. And you, sir, must be Senior Grandmaster Jack. You''re indeed extraordinary."


    Jacob narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as he didn''t feel any kind of malice from Braylon at all, and he was speaking earnestly. This slightly evaluates Braylon''s image in Jacob''s eyes.


    "I''m nothing worth mentioning." Jacob coolly stated, "I know youe from a long way to meet me. But I only heard about it from someone else, and it doesn''t seem to be a request either. So, tell me, do you think what I just did was wrong?"


    Everyone was shocked by Jacob''s blunt disrespectful question, which was quite piercing to the ears.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But before Braylon could reply, Lawrence beat him to it and berated, "Presumptuous! Is the way you treat¡­ekk¡­"


    However, before Lawrence could finish, his words came to an abrupt halt because his throat was grabbed by a menacing w, and his words were jammed within his throat.


    But what gobsmacked everyone was who w it was. It was none other than Jacob who had somehow appeared from right in front of Lawrence in a blink of an eye and from over five meters away.


    Furthermore, the most shocking fact was Lawrence, who was an Extraordinary-Tier-5 Kobold, got manhandled by Jacob without even being able to put up any resistance at all.


    Jacob''s cold voice rang at this moment, awakening everyone from their stupor, "ording to Alchemy Guild''s rule #31, if someone entered a personal workshop of alchemy without his permission, this action can be taken as an offense toward the owner of that workshop. Thereby, the owner can take drastic measures such as he can kill a non-guild member and, in the case of a guild member, breaking one limb as a first andst warning. Then he should be thrown out of the owner''s workshop and forbidden entry for the rest of his life. Am I right, White Sage?"


    The entire workshop was deadly silent, and only Lawrence''s whimpers could and choking sounds could be heard.


    A mechanical voice suddenly buzzed from Jacob''s wrist at this moment, "Alchemist Faceless Ancient state no false!"


    Everyone''s expression changed because they all were familiar with this AI voice. It was the Alchemy Guild''s AI, the White Sage, who could monitor their every move while they were on the alchemy guild''s property.


    But they almost forget about it since they only interacted with White Sage when they were exchanging resources and received its notification from the alchemy guild.


    However, no one had ever used White Sage like Jacob just did, and their expression started to pale when they heard Jacob''s following words.


    "Then I want to confirm another thing, ording to Alchemy Guild''s rule #513, if an alchemist is using the alchemy guild''s property for their own personal use, like holding an event which involves more than 10 Grandmaster Rank Alchemists without informing the guild, what is their punishment?" Jacob''s coolly asked without any ripple in his voice while he was still choking Lawrence.


    White Sage''s voice rang again, "The punishment is those alchemists involved in such an event will strip off one rank from their current rank!"


    "Then what if they have been doing it for a long time?" Jacob asked again, but this time no one was in the mood to listen.


    Braylon quickly spoke as his smile had now vanished, and a stern look reced his amiable one, "Senior Jack, you stated your point. There''s no need to do this anymore. Senior Lawrence, not all of us were gone too far by barging into your workshop without any prior arrangement. We''ll allpensate you for your trouble."


    Everyone nodded in agreement as they were now entirely spooked by Jacob''s current attitude, especially his ruthless personality was now apparent.


    "Senior Jack, it won''t happen again. Just give us all some face." Bart was sweating buckets now as he looked at the young man who was holding a kobold like a baby.


    "Stop it now. No one will disturb you anymore." Rita also chimed in with aplicated look in her eyes as she never thought Jacob was so strong, not to mention ruthless.


    The White Sage''s static voice sounded again, which sent shivers to almost everyone in this room, "If they do it more than three times, they will expel from the Alchemy Guild!"

 Chapter 259 Jacob’s Act (2)

    ?"If they do it more than three times, they will expel from the Alchemy Guild!"


    Jacob ignored the ghastly expression on everyone''s faces and looked at Braylon, who was looking at him with narrow eyes. His lips curled up before he said, "If I''m not wrong, White Sage informed about these infractions to the Guild Leader of the Dark City. But for some reason, the Guild Leader never took any action, so these guys always go as they pleased. So, let me ask you, Senior Braylon, are you the Guild Leader of Dark City''s Alchemy Guild?"


    Jacob had spent some time looking through all rules and regtions of the alchemy guild after he became a permanent member. He found many interesting things there, but he never expected he would be using them so soon and like this.


    He now got thoroughly annoyed by this group of nuisances, especially those old members who were acting like a bunch of bootlickers as if they could ride on Braylon''s coattail while the other guy clearly didn''t give a damn about them.


    Especially when he felt extremely malicious intent from the goblin standing right beside Braylon, it was like he was meeting Decker once again, and this brought back some very bad memories.


    So, Jacob just decided to teach them a very painful lesson as well as harvest some benefits. If these guys didn''t show up, he won''t have done it, but now that they were here, he would not let this chance pass by.


    Braylon narrowed his eyes as he replied, "I am indeed the acting Guild Leader of Dark City. Why don''t you let Senior Lawrence go before he dies? This didn''t need to get any uglier."


    Braylon was no longer polite and amiable as before. But now he was quite apprehensive of Jacob and vignt.


    Because from start to finish, Jacob has never shown any difort or a sliver of fear as if he was utterly in control which was not a veryfortable feeling and a first for Braylon.


    The truth was he came here with another motive besides meeting him, or he won''t even be bothered by the appearance of another Senior Grandmaster Alchemist if it was any other person than Jacob.


    But things suddenly started to go south the moment he met Jacob, which was simply too abrupt, no matter how much Braylon thought about it.


    Not only he but the other alchemists were nowpletely silent because they were afraid that they would rece Lawrence if they annoyed Jacob, so they let Braylon talk.


    This all damn thing started because Lawrence interfered in their conversation, so they no longer dared to utter anything, as Jacob was even more dangerous than Braylon since he didn''t care about their faces.


    Even Bart and Rita, who have some goodwill toward Jacob, were nowplete silence because from start to finish, Jacob didn''t even look at them, which was a clear enough indicator that Jacob didn''t care about them at all.


    Bart was still fine, but Rita felt knives stabbing in her heart as she saw just how indifferent Jacob was toward her as he didn''t even bother to reply or react.


    Jacob really didn''t care about any of them as he never even considered them his equal from start to finish. They were just like passersby in his eyes, who would be left behind once he left the rare ins, so what was the point of creating connections?


    Jacob replied to Braylon as his voice turned appalling, "Even if I kill him. I won''t suffer any punishment at all. Do you agree with me, Guild Leader?"


    Lawrence started to struggle even more intensely after he heard what Jacob had just said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Braylon was now really rmed as he could tell Jacob wasn''t joking at all. After a very long time, a feeling of fear started to surface in his heart.


    But he quickly hid his fear and said in a cold tone this time, "Look, we all make mistakes bying here, and I''ll personally take full responsibility for this andpensate you.


    "I know you are a permanent member of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, and no matter what kind of mistake, it''s not a ce of the Alliance to interfere with the guild''s affairs. I can easily revoke your temporary guild membership, which won''t benefit you at all. Just let him go, and we can have a nice chat."


    Everyone was shocked at this revtion, even Otto and Orville, who were quite sure that Braylon was here to recruit Jacob. But it turned out Braylon was hiding the fact that he also knew about Jacob''s background and feigned ignorance all this time.


    This made them even more curious about his true purpose foring here, and he pretended not to know about him.


    Jacob''s lips curled up behind his mask as he looked at Braylon, who was now coldly looking at him,pletely different from his amiable self a few minutes ago.


    ''Crack¡­''


    At this moment, an eerie sound of bones getting crushed rang in the entire workshop, and a chill ran down everyone''s spine because they knew where that voice came from. They all looked at Lawrence, was now stopped struggling, and Jacob''s hand was nowpletely clenched around his neck before he released him.


    ''Thud¡­''


    When Lawrence''s lumpy body fell on the ground, everyone''s heart skipped a beat.


    "Y-you killed him¡­" Braylon spoke hoarsely while feeling he was dreaming. A Senior Grandmaster Rank figure was killed right under his eyes, and he was watching like a fool.


    However, before anyone could react, Jacob vanished from his spot again, and this time, he appeared only a few inches away from Braylon.


    Braylon''s heart almost jumped out of his chest as he wanted to retreat by using his magic, but he was simply too slow, and before he knew it, Jacob''s hand was ced over his shoulder, and he froze as he could feel the aura of death enveloping him.


    Jacob''s icy voice rang as he looked Braylon straight into his horrid eyes and said coolly, "As an acting guild leader of Dark City, not only do you collude in breaking the rules with other members.


    "You take a direct part in infiltrating my personal workshop without any prior notice by using your rank. Even if I kill you hundreds of times, not even God can find fault with me.


    "Yet, not only did you dare to threaten me by using your measly authority, you even have the gal to lie to my face? Who the fuck do you think you are?"


    Jacob''s voice was now like a death knell to everyone''s ears, especially Braylon, who seemed to have lost his soul!

 Chapter 260 Now Chose!

    ?Braylon''s breath was caught between his throat and mouth as he looked at Jacob''s icy amber eyes while Jacob''s hand was ced over his shoulder. Despite wanting to retaliate, he can''t.


    Although Jacob wasn''t holding him like Lawrence, but with how easily Jacob had appeared right in front of him and ced his hand over his shoulder and suppressed Braylon, an extraordinary-tier-6 elf, it was quite apparent that he was the strongest in this room.


    No one expected things to escte to such a point. They only gathered today because of Braylon and came here because of him as well. However, now they were regretting it so much that they wanted to curse Braylon for provoking that death star.


    s, it was toote now, and even if they wanted to run, after seeing Jacob''s speed, they gave up on the idea and werepletely silent as they didn''t want to get noticed by Jacob at all.


    Even the usually arrogant Orville was like a timid mouse and didn''t dare to look at Jacob anymore and was doing his best to hide his presence. He finally understood why he was able to join the alliance and why it was the most powerful organization of three hegemonies.


    ''Is everyone in the alliance a monster?'' He thought and felt extreme fear when he thought about how he was scheming against Jacob.


    Otto also had the same thought trails as Orville.


    At this moment, a crisp voice rang in the silence, and the source of this voice was Jacob''s wrist.


    "Sir Jack, you have killed a person in the Dark City, which is a vition of the city''s three irond rules!"


    It was the voice of Dark City''s AI, Dark Rose, which has the right to monitor anyone with a Dark City Pass. Everyone knows this since it was written in the guidebook.


    Everyone''s eyes shimmered as they almost forgot where they were standing, the Dark City!


    The rules of Dark City were not a joke, as the three hegemonies also had to pay the price if they dared to run rampant in the dark city.


    Although Jacob killed Lawrence, who was an alchemy guild member, he killed him inside the dark city. Even if he had done it ording to the alchemy guild''sws, he had broken the dark cityw while doing so.


    Braylon''s felt a ray of hope, but he didn''t dare to say anything unless Jacob decided to kill him out of annoyance. After all, Jacob''s hand was inches away from his throat.


    But this didn''t mean the others would let this chance go, especially a sly goblin like Orville. His eyes shimmered maliciously as he quickly blurted, "He''s also going to kill my mentor! Quickly do something. Send the inner-city guards!"


    Braylon''s expression wrapped, and his face turned pale like a ghost. He roared, "You beast!" He wanted to kill Orville since his cry for help was nothing but a death sentence if Jacob really decided to kill him now.


    "I know, but this matter has nothing to do with Dark City, he deserved to be executed, and I have the authority to execute him. I have done it ording to the Alchemy Guild''s rules. You can confirm it with White Sage, and if you find any fault, I''m willing to take full responsibility." Jacob coolly stated without any hint of fear.


    Now that he was an official member of the guild, he knew he had some authority over branch guild members. Moreover, the guild has to protect him, and since he didn''t do anything wrong, even the dark city will not find fault with him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But if he had done the same thing to any other hegemonies'' members without behind their permanent member, no matter how right he was, Dark Rose won''t have even bothered to inform him and directly send guards to detain him.


    Everyone was dumbfounded by Jacob''s nonchnt attitude as he really didn''t seem to be bothered by breaking Dark City''s rule at all.


    But before they could process the entire thing, Dark Rose''s voice rang again.


    "I have confirmed the credibility of Sir Jack''s im. But you still have to pay 100 ZC as a fine for the vition of the rule of Dark City, and you can''t kill anyone anymore for three months, or you will no longer be wee in the dark city!"


    Jacob nced at his wrist before he said, "Alright."


    "Thank you for your understanding. Please enjoy your stay, Sir, Jack!"


    With that, the problem was solved under everyone''s dumbfounded eyes, but they soon regained their sense and finally breathed in relief after hearing thest words of Dark Rose.


    Jacob can''t kill anymore, even if he is in the right. Of course, it was the condition that he cared about staying in the dark city.


    But they failed to catch the fact that from start to finish, Dark Rose called Jacob with honorific and didn''t even mention anything about killing him or detaining him and just said he would not be wee in the city anymore.


    They didn''t have time to think about it as well since Jacob again looked at Braylon, who was now looking at him with fear and hope. If he managed to escape with his life today, he would nevere back and hide in the inner city as long as this lunatic was here.


    With his current state of mind, he also didn''t notice the fact that White Sage really stood up for Jacob.


    "Heh, do you think I can''t drag you out of the dark city? Or do you really think you could save in the inner circle protection after three months? As for leaving the dark city, you guys are a bunch of spineless dogs who were hiding in this ce for years without going out, and this might not change anytime soon with all those dark beings wreaking havoc out there.


    "Even if you cowards collect some courage, trust me, I''ll be there. Waiting for you outside where no one can stop me or find any proof that I did it. I can assure you of that in the least." Jacob''s voice became colder and colder until his killing intent enveloped the entire room.


    Those alchemists started to tremble while sweating profusely while Braylon, who was experiencing that ghastly killing intent up close, was on the verge of kneeling.


    Jacob uttered with a cold smile on his face, "Now, Senior Braylon, you will hand over your authority as the Guild Leader as well as empty your ount as well as your storage ring, and I will consider this matter over between us."


    He then turned his eyes toward the others and coolly said, "As for you lot, I''ll be satisfied with your empty ounts as ramification. Or I can always make your life worse than death. Now, choose!"

 Chapter 261 Alchemy Guild Leader Of Dark City

    ?In the Dark Noble City Circle of the Dark City was a ck castle in the very center of the noble city circle. It was the Dark Castle where the mysterious highest-ranking noble of the Rare ins Dark City lived, the Dark Earl!


    Only a Dark Baron rank noble was eligible to meet with the Dark Earl; for others, the Dark Earl was only a ghost.


    However, if others knew this mysterious, enigmatic Dark Earl wasughing crazily while holding a silver pill with a red threads-like marking and his appearance was not any better than coal mine worker, the dark city would lose all face.


    "¡­ahaha¡­ I finally made this damn Basic Type-2 Berserker Pill! I can finally be a Dark Alchemist and leave this forsaken ce!" Hallberg guffawed as he was on the verge of shedding tears from pure bliss.


    However, Dark Rose''s electric voice rang, almost making him drop the Berserker Pill, "Lord Hallberg, there is a level-3 alert!"


    A sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu hit Hallberg as he remembered thest time Dark Rose contacted him over a week ago, was also telling him about the level-1 alert and nearly blowing hisb in the process.


    Now, there was a level-3 alert, and he became vignt as he asked with a frown, "What is it this time?"


    "Faceless Ancient had killed a Senior Grandmaster Rank Alchemist a few moments ago!" Dark Rose reported emotionlessly.


    Hallberg''s eyes went wide as he eximed, "What? Are you joking? And no one stops him?"


    He was really astonished since he had never expected to hear such news because it had been a long time since someone had killed someone in the dark city, and the person in question was a Senior Grandmaster nevertheless.


    "I can''t joke. And no one was able to stop him." Dark Rose emotionlessly replied.


    Hallberg frowned, "No one was able to stop him? Is that guy really that powerful? But why did he kill a Senior Grandmaster, and how did you handle it?"


    Hallberg knew Dark Rose had full authority to act and then report it to him. She wasn''t like those AIs of the three hegemonies who couldn''t act unless they were given order and bonded by authority restrictions.


    Dark Rose was even more special than the Alchemy Guild''s proud creation, the White Sage. She was given full authority over the Dark City and could make independent decisions ording to the situation.


    Even a Dark Earl like Hallberg could not interfere if his decision were harmful to the Dark City, and he would be punished if he overstepped his boundary. That''s what truly makes the Dark City impartial.


    Dark Rose replied, "He acted ording to the Alchemy Guild''sw and regtion, and the Guild''s AI: White Sage confirmed it, and he also has Star-1 privilege. So, ording to use #884, I charged him with a fine of 100ZC and gave him a warning. As for his prowess, I have no authority to break into his personal data or spy on him, or Star Network will erase me."


    Hallberg''s expression went strange, "White Sage confirmed it? Do you mean he''s an official alchemy guild member? Wasn''t he a member of the association?"


    "Over a week ago, Faceless Ancient identity badge had been changed from the alliance to the guild''s Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith." Dark Rose emotionlessly replied.


    Hallberg''s expression turned even more strange, "A Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith, and he''s as strong as an eight-star knight. Is he an official member of the alliance or the guild? Nevertheless, he would be a genius if he could reach these ranks in both hegemonies.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That sneaky fellow Braylon might make things difficult for him since he will not sit still while his authority gets challenged by someone else. Well, it''s good, I guess; it will be far better to make a move and have a good impression by getting him out of this trouble."


    Hallberg''s eyes lit up as he felt it was a great n to y the good guy to win over talent.


    However, Dark Rose''s next words instantly burst his bubble, and the pill in his cracked by the sheer force he put in his finger because of the surprise.


    "Lord Hallberg, the Rare ins Dark City Alchemy Guild''s Leader authority has just been transferred from Senior Grandmaster Braylon to Sir Faceless Ancient. ording to our contract with the Alchemy Guild, he can now enter the Dark Inner Circle City''s, Alchemy Guild!"


    ---


    At this moment, a masked figure walked out from the exit of the alchemy guild''s building.


    This person was none other than Jacob, who was in quite a good mood after getting unexpected benefits after robbing Braylon of his items, money, and authority.


    Jacob never believed that Braylon would resist unless he didn''t cherish his life, which he did very much. Jacob knew such a person who cherished his life above anything when he saw one and would do anything to have a chance at living. He was such a person as well.


    However, unlike Braylon, he never goes out scheming and causes trouble unless he is absolutely sure of his victory.


    Anyhow, talk about benefits, the first one he got was naturally an extra 58,139 ZC bnce, of which 20,594 ZC came from Braylon, and most surprisingly, 31,193 came from none other than Otto. At the same time, the rest belonged to those other Senior Grandmasters, including Rita.


    Otto''s bnce instantly drew Jacob''s attention, and he gave the dwarf a meaningful look which made the other party shudder with bloodshot eyes. Still, he didn''t expose him and didn''t care much where that money came from since it was now his.


    If he wants it back, he can look for him anytime.


    In the end, out of the kindness of his heart, Jacob still left them with 1 ZC each so they could still pay for their dwelling expenses in the Dark City.


    The second benefit he received came from snatching Braylon''s authority as Guild Leader. It turned out the Guild Leader of the Alchemy Guild in Dark City has a status equal to an Upper-Rank Dark Noble.


    This means now he could enter the Inner Circle of the Dark City and didn''t have to pay to prolong his stay in the rare ins Dark City!


    That''s also the reason for him leaving the guild building right away. He wanted to go to the inner circle post hastily. Just Braylon''s workshop in the inner circle was enough for Jacob to head there immediately, not to mansion other things unique to the inner circle.


    There was nothing left here for him anyway.


    Lastly, the third benefit also came from Braylon, which was none other than material for Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array, the Rainbow Star Dust!

 Chapter 262 A Mysterious Place

    ?Jacob exits the taxi after paying fifty gold coins. A thousand meters away from him was a colossal wall that went all the way to the ceiling of the Dark City. There were no gates in this wall, but instead, there were skyways built for cable lifts. At this moment, Jacob was standing right outside the station of these cable lifts.


    ''So, behind that wall is the Dark Inner Circle of the Dark City? Quite a brilliant idea to make skyways instead of gates. They took full advantage of the underground terrain and made their core areas almost impossible to sneak into.'' Jacob thought with a faint cold smile, ''Let''s see if I can find more interesting things in there.''


    Without hesitation, he walked inside the station, which was quite empty since those nobles of the inner circle seldom appeared in themon circle, just like Braylon.


    Jacob was stopped in front of a closed door that led toward the upper level of the station.


    Just he was wondering if he would push it or not, Dark Rose''s voice rang from a metal speaker beside the door, "Sir, Jack, would you like to book a ticket for your journey to Dark Inner Circle?"


    Jacob nced at the speaker and nodded, "Sure."


    "It would be 10,000 Gold Coins. Would you like to continue?"


    "Continue," Jacob said without hesitation. He just got over fifty thousand free ZC, so he was quite rich. A few thousand gold coins were nothing but chump change for him.


    The very next moment, a payment was deducted from his ount, and with a mechanic''s beep, the metal door was chick opened, revealing an esctor that started moving right after the door was opened.


    Jacob walked forward without much surprise, and the thick metal door behind him closed automatically.


    ---


    Unbeknownst to Jacob, a few pairs of eyes were staring at the entrance of the inner circle dark city''s station where he had vanished a few moments ago.


    "What now? The target is already left for the inner circle. We don''t have the lower dark noble title to enter that ce." A cloaked man helplessly stated.


    "Who would''ve thought our target is also a Dark Noble? This made thingsplicated. Because even if we had killed him in the dark city, we won''t be able to escape alive since killing a dark noble within the dark city is directly punished by death by torture!" Another male voice eximed with a hint of terror.


    A small two feet figure looked at the entrance and sighed ruefully, "Our information is still dormant, and it doesn''t matter anymore. We are no longer qualified to im this target. Only those members in the inner circle are. Let''s just report it to our leaders¡­."


    ---


    In a secluded alley of themon circle, a small cloaked figure entered with hurried steps like someone was after it.


    After walking to the end of the alley, which waspletely blocked by a brick wall, the figure suddenly moved its hand and pressed it on a particr brick, and like a button, the brick was squeezed inside.


    Thereby, a faint, crisp voice rang, "Your unique password and Badge Number?"


    The small figure replied faintly, "I am the Lord of Gutter and ve of Darkness! Badge Number: Iron Constant-978,359!"


    Just as his voice trailed off, a faint click was made a small brown door magically materialized in the brick wall.


    The small figure pushed the brown door, and a dark passage appeared. Without hesitation, he walked into this dark passage, submerging into the darkness.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The next moment, the brown door was closed, and just like it appeared, it vanished, turning back into the old brick wall like it wasn''t there at all.


    Walking in the dark passage, the small figure wearing a ck mantle saw the light a few meters ahead, and without hesitation, he removed the hood from it and then the white wooden mask, revealing an old gray beard face.


    If those Senior Grandmaster alchemists were here, they would''ve instantly recognized this face because it was none other than Senior Grandmaster Potion Alchemist Otto!


    It would appear after getting robbed by Jacob, Otto also didn''t stay in the alchemy guild and appeared in this shoddy ce for some reason.


    Otto walked out of the dark passage and appeared in a spacious hall that was filled with tall bookshelves filled with books. It seemed like a library.


    Furthermore, there was a huge hourss filled with ck sand hovering in the top center of this library, and the ck sand was going upward instead of downward. Strangely, the sand in the lower half of this hourss wasn''t getting lesser, and neither the upper half seemed to get filled. The sand just vanished after it touched the top of the upper half.


    Otto seemed to be unbothered by this strange phenomenon and directly walked toward the wooden counter of this library, where a green Goblette with a strange pattern under her right eye was looking at Otto impassively.


    Otto stopped in front of the counter and said impassively, "I would like to change my Star ID as well as my current appearance."


    The Goblette didn''t even flinch at Otto''s absurd demand and emotionlessly asked, "How many organizations are you part of, and what are your rankings in them?"


    "I have two organizations'' identities, the Killer Skull Society, ranking A-Skull, and the Alchemy Guild''s Alchemy Potion Branch, ranking Senior Grandmaster," Otto replied without hesitation.


    The Goblette was still emotionless as she asked again, "Do you want to get rid of your Brain Chip as well?"


    "Yes."


    "I would like to rmend the Bronze ss Erase. It will cost 1 million ZC." The Goblette impassively stated.


    Otto didn''t seem surprised by this absurd price since he knew this ce was not a ce where he could negotiate or raise his opinion on the price. Once the price was given, it was final and unchangeable.


    So, he flipped his hand. A milky white diamond which was shining like a white star, appeared in his hand, and he ced it on the counter and asked, "Will this be sufficient?"


    The Goblette didn''t agree or deny, as she suddenly pressed her w-like hand on the white diamond before it shimmered with dark haze, and then it returned to normal.


    She then looked at Otto and said, "A Growth Type Light Magic Core 1-Star, price, 1.2 million ZC. It is sufficient, and the reaming 200,000 ZC will be transferred to your new Star ID bank ount."


    Otto shook his head as a hint of hatred shed past his eyes as he said, "I want to use 100,000 ZC to buy a ticket to Epic ins. And reaming 100,000 to issue an Iron ss Kill Order on someone!"


    The Goblette nodded and impassively asked, "Star ID?"


    Otto gritted his teeth as he said with naked killing intent in his eyes, "Faceless Ancient!"

 Chapter 263 An Auction Post

    ?While sitting in the cable lift, Jacob decided to check the post about the ritual array materials he posted a week ago in the alchemy exchange market.


    Since he already got the rainbow dust from Braylon, he could cross this material from his list, and if the blood flower was really the crimson flower he already had, then he only needed three more materials.


    But it still remained to be seen if the blood flower needed for the array and the one he had were the same or not since he still didn''t spot it in the encyclopedia.


    Now that he was going to the inner circle city, he was hoping to get some peace and could research without getting interrupted again.


    As he opened the alchemy exchange market interface, he saw his post about the five materials had two replies on it which was quite still better than he was expecting, and he opened them to see if he had any luck.


    ''Search Post by Faceless Ancient: I''m looking for these five (¡­) materials. Price is negotiable!


    ''Reply 1 (ck Robe Alchemist): I have Nightmare Lilly, but it is 500 years old (Intermediate Type-1). Please contact me if you''re interested.


    ''Reply 2 (Flowery King98934): I don''t have Night Salve''s Poison Magic Core of 9-Star, but I have Silver Rattle Viper''s poison magic core of 9-Star. You know where to find me if you''re interested.''


    Jacob frowned as he looked at the ck Robe Alchemist''s reply, ''There were no substitute materials written in the ink recipe, which means I can''t exchange them at will. I only have one chance at this, so I better prepare all the materials ording to the requirements.


    ''Although this nightmare lily is only at intermediate type-1 grade. But if it''s still alive, I might be able to cultivate it into advanced rank. It''s far better than nothing, I guess. As for this second guy, he might know the information on Night ve.''


    With these thoughts in mind, Jacob proceeded as he sent both of them private messages.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (ck Robe Alchemist): If your Nightmare Lilly is still alive, state your price. I''m also interested in its cultivation method.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Flowery King98934): I want full information on Night Salve. State your price.''


    Done writing his responses, he started to browse through the market, especially those auction posts. He was not very hopeful of getting something that could draw his interest.


    However, Jacob''s finger stopped on a particr post with a picture of a palm size silvery rock with a smooth, edgy surface.


    ''Auction Post by Great Earth Minor: I have discovered this unknown mineral. If anyone is interested, please feel free to bid, and if you have information on it, I''ll give you a 25% discount on your final bid. Thank you.


    ''Item Type: Mineral (Ore)


    ''Magic Property/ Rank: Unknown


    ''Quantity: 500 Grams


    ''Starting Price: 1 ZC


    ''Reaming Time before the auction end: 1 Hour


    ''Current highest Bidder: Dark Moon of Beast Forest


    ''Bid from (Dark Moon of Beast Forest): 21 ZC''


    Jacob''s eyes were affixed on the picture as he was confirming if his guess was right or wrong.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''If I''m not wrong, then this is raw Plutonium and so pure!'' Jacob was too familiar with the radioisotopes which were used in making radioactive weapons.


    Even for someone like him, he didn''t dare to y with these radioisotopes despite having worked on them for quite some time because they were simply too dangerous.


    However, in this world, having these kinds of weapons was like having a trump card. In the champion space, in the end, Jacob tried to buy radioactive minerals like uranium, radium, or even plutonium, but SAAI said they were not avable in the rare ins.


    However, he bought other things that could cause as much damage as a radioactive bomb, which resulted from his lifelong research and obsessions with weaponry.


    He wanted to make a weapon that he didn''t dare to make in his old world before going to the epic ins with those materials. The titan sniper was no longer enough.


    And now that he saw someone was selling raw plutonium, how could he miss this chance? It would save him a lot of time if he had plutonium.


    So, without hesitation, he ced a bid of 30 ZC and then contacted this Great Earth Minor.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Great Earth Minor): If you have more of this mineral, I''m interested in buying them all at the same price as my bid.''


    Jacob was decisive as he knew finding raw plutonium could be said a stroke of luck, and he was very interested in the location where this guy found it. He might be able to discover even more than plutonium.


    But he didn''t want to push his luck when he didn''t even know the guy, so he first decided to see if he had more of it or if he only had that one piece.


    However, Jacob received a notification when he was done sending a message of Great Earth Minor.


    ''Dark Moon of Beast Forest outbid you. New Bid on Auction Post Number (¡­) is 31 ZC.''


    Jacob squinted his eyes, ''Does he know what it is?'' His eyes turn cold as he goes back and ces a new bid of 50 ZC. He wanted to see if his guess was right or wrong, and he also wanted that piece of plutonium.


    The very next moment, the same notification rang again, ''Dark Moon of Beast Forest outbid you. New Bid on Auction Post Number (¡­) is 51 ZC.''


    Jacob didn''t react much this time as he went back and ced a new bid with cold eyes.


    ---


    Somewhere in the beast forest was an underground workshop that was filled with high-tech equipment.


    A tall figure in a ckb coat was sitting around a ss table that was filled with all kinds of explosive blueprints like grenades,nd mines, and even RPGs.


    However, the person in a ckb coat was coldly looking at his wrist with its astute foxy eyes.


    At this moment, a notification rang,


    ''Faceless Ancient outbid you. New Bid on Auction Post Number (¡­) is 100 ZC.''


    It instantly spat a curse, "Spineless Bastard, unblock me if you have guts!"

 Chapter 264 Go Ahead!

    ?After a small bidding war with Dark Moon of Beast Forest, Jacob ended up cing 350 ZC, and only then did Dark Moon of Best Forest back off. He was adamant about winning this plutonium, so he was keeping an eye on this prick if he yed any trick and ced ast-minute bid.


    Since he still had time, Jacob then decided to look at the starwork news since he was just entering the skyway, and it was a fifty-meter-long tunnel which could exin just how thick the wall of the inner circle was.


    He was interested in seeing how the Freedom ins were fending off the Dark Beings.


    There were top ten news on the tform, and the first news instantly drew his attention because of the Star ID,


    ''1. Freedom Lord Golden Sword: We are going through difficult times. The dark armies are upon us; they have already conquered 10% of our territories. Please join the ''United Freedom Army Front'' to protect your homes. Merits will be rewarded to heroes and their families!


    ''2. Water Fairy4434: The Dark Begins are wreaking havoc in Ice nation. Where is the United Freedom Army Front?!


    ''3. Goblin Senior943032: Don''t go in the United Freedom Army Front. They are using people like cannon folds while those F**k Lords are hiding behind their bunkers and their family members!


    ''4. Cloud of Public: The Dark Beings are getting out of hand, they already conquer 40% of the freedom ins, and millions of people are dead. Where is the United Freedom Army Front? Where is the Freedom Lords? The borders are blocked by the Dark Beings. Will the Freedom ins be annihted?


    ''5. ¡­.''


    The entire startwork news was filled with gloom and pleading posts. People were desperately crying for help from the United Freedom Army Front, but they got no response.


    Even their so-called Freedom Lords were dormant and had vanished after getting beaten ck and blue by the Lich King.


    Not only them but the entire upper echelon of the five nations of the freedom ins had gone missing leaving those helpless natives to fend for themselves, and they were getting killed by the dark beings daily.


    Jacob emotionlessly looked at all that news and closed the tform since he had seen enough.


    ''Those lords, as well as their loved ones, probably escaped leaving behind these cannon folds to slow down the dark beings. If I''m not wrong, the only way out is the star ocean since the dark beings are blocking their escape routes fromnd.


    ''They can easily take refuge in themon ins since there is no restriction there or dark beings. Or they can use the Great Star River to head toward higher ins ore here¡­'' Jacob thought impassively.


    However, deep down, he was feeling a tingle of pain as all those posts shed through his eyes. His heart grew colder and colder when he thought all those people were dying because he had cleared the trial.


    ''Little Jack, remember, expressing vile thing is easier, and then aplishing it is difficult, but the true pain rose from the consequences¡­.''


    Jacob remembered the words he heard from the Old Priest before his lips rose into an icy smile, as all those thoughts turned into nothingness, ''I''ll get used to consequences then.''


    At this moment, his star watch vibrates, snapping him out of his strange state of mind. When he saw it was a message from one of the people he had contacted, he opened it.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Flowery King98934): I want full information on Night Salve. State your price.


    ''Flowery King98934 (Reply): Are you sure you only want information on Night ve but not the Silver Rattle Viper''s poison magic core?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob coldly wrote a reply, "No."


    ''Flowery King98934 (Reply): Alright, since you only want information, I can give you for free it''s not like it''s a secret or anything. We alchemists should stick together and help each other whenever we can.''


    Jacob frowned, and before he could reply, he received another message.


    ''Flowery King98934 (Reply): (Attached File), this thing is too hard to catch. Just be careful.''


    ''He really sent it.'' Jacob opened it and saw the picture of a pitch-ck round ball filled with meter-long spikes at every nook of its surface. It was like a Sea Urchin.


    ''Night ve (Marine Magic Beast): Found in 2 miles depth of the Western Star Ocean and only activate at night.''


    Jacob''s face sank when he saw it was a marine magic beast, and it was found in the western star ocean, which was in the direction of the wild nation!


    Still, this information was quite valuable for him, so he still sent Flower King98934 1 ZC as he didn''t want someone''s charity and no longer bothered replying to him.


    ''I''ll wait until I''m done here before making a trip to the Wild Nation.'' Jacob thought.


    At this moment, his lift reached the end of the tunnel, andrge metal gates started to slide upward, revealing arge metropolis behind. But it was not as busy as themon circle of the city.


    However, Jacob felt refreshed when he breathed the air and was astounded by it, ''There is something different about this ce.'' He thought while looking at the paved and spotlessly clean streets of the inner circle while people walking here were mostly not wearing any cloaks like themon circle.


    However, Jacob''s attention was drawn by his star watch again when he received another reply from the reaming two.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Great Earth Minor): If you have more of this mineral, I''m interested in buying them all at the same price as my bid.


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Do you know what it is and where it is used? I can give you a 25% discount as promised.''


    Jacob frowned after reading this reply, ''He didn''t mention anything about having more. It seemed he had more, but he didn''t want to sell it.''


    So, Jacob used another approach as he replied, "Sell me 10 KG of it, and I''ll tell you."


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): You''re too greedy! I should make a deal with the Dark Moon of Beast Forest instead!''


    Jacob coldly sneered, ''So, you want to y this game?''


    He replied decisively, "Go ahead!"

 Chapter 265 Black Robe Alchemist Reply

    ?Jacob didn''t receive any more messages from the Great Earth Minor after he sent ''Go ahead.'' However, a few secondster, that prick retracted his auction post, which could only mean he had made some kind of deal with the Dark Moon of Beast Forest.


    Jacob coldly chuckled when he received 175 ZC from Great Earth Minor as a ramification because he retracted the auction post with bidding.


    Canceling an active auction post naturally has a ramification: the seller has to pay half the amount of the current highest bid to the bidder.


    Although Jacob really wanted that plutonium, it doesn''t mean he can''t do without it. He already had materials for his needs to create a new weapon; the plutonium could''ve made the process faster.


    Furthermore, Jacob knew no one in the rare ins could handle plutonium better than him, and those guys would soon regret it if they started experimenting with it without prior knowledge.


    With this thought in mind, Jacob sent a message to Great Earth Minor before he closed the interface without caring about the reply. The lift also stopped at this moment, and the door slid open.


    "Wee to Dark Inner Circle of Dark City!" Dark Rose''s mechanical voice rang.


    Jacob stood up and walked into the new station, which was the same as themon circle, and soon, he exited the station.


    However, when Jacob was about to hail of taxi, his eyes suddenly moved toward a particr direction, and he just happened to see a few cloaked figures looking in his direction.


    As if they were startled by Jacob''s sudden gaze, they instantly started to move as if it was coincident.


    ''Who is monitoring my movement?'' Jacob knew when he was being monitored, and he was feeling this from the moment he left the alchemy guild building.


    But he ignored it since those were small fries, but now the moment he exited, someone was there waiting for him.


    ''Well, whoever it was, they won''t pester me in the alchemy guild.'' Jacob stopped caring about them, hailed a taxi, and headed into the alchemy guild in the inner circle.


    The Alchemy guild in the inner circle was quite different from themon circle, the biggest difference being they didn''t conduct entrance tests there but only did business like selling their products.


    The alchemists here were all lower-rank dark nobles, but their guild ranks were below senior grandmasters. For some strange reason, Braylon was the only Senior Grandmaster present in this ce.


    Furthermore, most of these alchemists were quite loyal to Braylon, but the thing was going changed as Jacob walked into the building and directly headed toward the workshop area.


    "Who are you? Stop right there!" A cold voice sounded when Jacob was about to take the elevator toward the upper floors.


    Jacob coldly looked at a handsome elf approaching him with an unkind expression.


    The elf coldly said with squinted eyes, "Who are you? This area is restricted to just alchemists! Get out of here before I call the guards!"


    Jacob didn''t move and merely tapped his finger on his wrist before a projection materialized. It was the projection of the Alchemy Guild Badge, and below this badge were written golden words, ''Guild Leader (Dark City).''


    The elf was shocked when he saw the guild leader badge, which was supposed to be with Braylon, had appeared on this mysterious guy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His eyes turned ruthless as magic power suddenly started to gather around his palm, "Do you think I''m a child and followed by this fake badge? You have dug your own grave by using this fake badge!"


    However, before he could use his magic power, he was rooted in his ce because Jacob somehow appeared right behind him, and his finger was right where the elf''s heart was.


    Jacob''s impassive voice rang at this moment, "I will repeat this only once. Braylon has given me his position and will no longere here. I will not interfere with the guild matter and let them run as they were running before.


    "Unless the guild building is about to get destroyed, no one is allowed to approach Braylon''s old workshop, which is mine, from now on. Because if anyone did, I''ll chop off their limbs before throwing them out. Do I make myself clear?"


    The elf felt icy, although his entire body was sweating profusely, and as just as Jacob''s voice trailed off, he again appeared right where he was standing.


    The elf felt deadly chills as he saw the masked man standing in front of him as if nothing had happened.


    "Do you want to leave behind your limb before you decide to scram?" Jacob coolly questioned.


    The elf then quickly snapped out of his stupor, "I-I¡­ I''ll scram!"


    Without wasting even a second, he ran away. He had never felt so close to death before and didn''t want to stay to see if Jacob was just kidding.


    After getting rid of the imbecile, Jacob directly headed toward the top floor where the best workshop in this building was located, Braylon''s magic smith workshop!


    Since Braylon didn''t think that he would be forfeiting his position this morning when he went to meet Jacob, everyone in his workshop was the same.


    There were many equipments and materials. Even some blueprints were lying on the study table. Those blueprints should be Braylon''s current projects.


    There was also arge bookshelf with over a hundred books about magic smiting.


    Now everything belonged to Jacob as he also had acquired everything in Braylon''s space ring as well.


    Jacob was quite satisfied with this magic smith workshop, and without wasting more time, he continued his study. He wasn''t nning on leaving before he would be a full fledge Senior Grandmaster Magic Smith as well as get rid of his reserve alchemist status!


    After what happened with Gunnar, he didn''t want the tragedy to repeat itself with Alchemy Guild.


    But before he could start, he received a reply from ck Robe Alchemist.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (ck Robe Alchemist): If your Nightmare Lilly is still alive, state your price. I''m also interested in its cultivation method.


    ''ck Robe Alchemist (Reply): I only have one Nightmare Lilly, and it just happened to be nted in my herb garden. However, I''m hiding in the Freedom ins, and the situation is not optimal for any kind of travel for obvious reasons. So, if you want the Nightmare Lilly, you have toe to my ce!''

 Chapter 266 Official Guild Member!

    ?The bare-chest man stood in front of a zing forge, as he was filled with sweat which showed the carved muscles on his pale skin even more apparent. He was holding long smith tongs and impassively looking at the piece of some metal within the forge.


    The strange thing was, not only was this piece of metal wasn''t turned crimson with heat, but it was glowing in dark blue color.


    This man was naturally non-other than Jacob.


    Jacob suddenly the tongs and pulled the dark blue metal from the zing forge, and he quenched it into a metal barrel filled with a glossy blue liquid prepared beforehand.


    However, upon pacing the heated metal into that blue liquid, there was no smoke at all. On the contrary, the entire blue liquid suddenly stirred before its quantity started to drop, as the full barrel of this blue liquid was now getting lower and lower until nothing was left.


    The only thing that was left was the dark blue metal which was now not only glowing but there were faint sky-blue markings on it.


    Jacob didn''t seem surprised as he moved the tongs and then ced the dark blue metal on the big anvil. He then picked up a ck hammer which was actually filled with strange white markings, and right in the center of this hammer was embedded a small white gem.


    Without hesitation, he started to smith the dark blue metal, and every time he hit dark blue metal, the white gem shed, and so the white marking on the hammer and a small shockwave was created.


    However, Jacob''s strikes were somewhat special as they did not contain just blunt force but precise control and focus. A different kind of shock wave was created every time his hammer hit the metal. Even the sound was somewhat different from the other strike.


    After smiting the dark blue metal for fifteen minutes, Jacob finally stopped and looked at the long dark blue de with sky blue patterns, which seemed like the marking on the ck hammer.


    The next moment, a ''T'' shape hilt appeared, and the handle was embedded with another small white gem. This was prepared prior before he made the de.


    Without hesitation, hebined the sword hilt with the sword de, and something amazing happened.


    ''Click¡­''


    The white gemstone suddenly shimmered with a clicking sound, and the sky-blue pattern on the de began to glow brightly. The dark blue marking on the de started to spread on the hilt at this moment like roots and covered it entirely.


    Jacob looked with great anticipation at those markings spreading on the hilt, and the white gemstone was the only ce they seemed to be avoiding.


    At this moment, the white gem suddenly turned cracked, and within a few moments, it turned into white power.


    However, the sky-blue marking was nowpletely engraved on the de and hilt, creating a strange pattern.


    Jacob didn''t seem surprised by the white gem''s current state, and he flipped his hand before another white gem appeared. He enclosed the gem in the position of the previous white gem, and like a ma, it instantly clicked on the empty spot.


    "End the recording and send it back for final verification." Jacob impassivelymanded as the faint white glow on his arm shed brightly before a projection appeared of an interface.


    '' Alchemy Mission Application!


    ''Alchemy Guild ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 9-Star Alchemist (Reserve Alchemist)


    ''Next Rank: 1-Star Epic Alchemist (Official Alchemist)


    ''Mission''


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: 1


    ''(NOTE: Complete this mission to get promotion!)


    ''1. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating an Advance Type-1 Alchemy Potion/Elixir.


    ''Status: Complete (3 Months Ago)


    ''2. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating an Advance Type-1 Alchemy Pill.


    ''Status: Complete (2 Months Ago)


    ''3. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating an Advance Type-1 Magic Weapon.


    ''Status: Complete (Just Now)


    ''4. Sent a Recording of You (Faceless Ancient) creating an Advance Type-1 Mech Weapon.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Status: Complete (16 Months Ago)


    ''[All the recordings have been verified!]


    ''[Rewards has been issued!


    ''-Reward:


    ''Rank Promotion,


    ''New Identity Badge


    ''1,000 ZC,


    ''1 Advance Type-1 Medicinal Alchemy Rted Knowledge,


    ''1 Advance Type-1 Medicinal Alchemy Rted Skill,


    ''1 Advance Type-1 Weaponry Alchemy Rted Knowledge,


    ''1 Advance Type-1 Weaponry Alchemy Rted Skill


    ''Extra Rewards for bing a 1-Star Epic Alchemist


    ''[NOTE: Please head to Epic ins to Receive these rewards!]


    Jacob frowned when he looked at thest part; at this moment, his interface refreshed automatically.


    ''Alchemy Mission Application!


    ''Alchemy Guild ID: Faceless Ancient


    ''Current Rank: 1-Star Epic Alchemist


    ''Next Rank: 2-Star Epic Alchemist


    ''Mission''


    ''Promotion Mission Avable: NONE


    ''[NOTE: Please head to Epic ins to Receive Star Epic Alchemist Missions!]


    ''Reward Missions (Rare ins): Difficulty 1-Star Epic Alchemist


    ''[NOTE: Please head to Epic ins to Epic ins Star Epic Alchemist Missions!]''


    Jacob thought grimly while looking at his new status in the alchemy guild, ''So after 1-Star Epic Rank, I can''t gain ess to higher level missions because I''m in rare ins? Didn''t this mean all the information on Type-2 also can''t be essed?''


    Jacob checked the shops, and just as he thought, no type-2 knowledge was released, which could only mean his guess was likely right.


    Because whenever he achieved a certain threshold, new information would always be released by the White Sage, but now he got nothing but a NOTE telling him to head to the Epic ins.


    At this moment, he also received a new identity badge which was branded with the alchemy guild''s sigil, the zing red me rising from an eight-legged golden cauldron written under a silver ribbon with golden letters ''1-Star Epic Alchemist (Faceless Ancient).''


    ''At least this badge could be useful within the Epic ins.'' Jacob''s expression returned to his usual cold self, ''I finally absorbed everything except Type-1 universal magic manual.


    ''Now I can finally start preparing for my departure from the Rare ins. In contrast, there are still eighteen remaining months left before that woman''s deadline approaches.


    ''I can either go with the alchemy guild entourage or AOWL them. I''ll decide after acquiring information about the journey toward the Epic ins. I need to start my manufacturing and end it in one month, and then I''ll make a round trip to the freedom ins in six or seven months. Time is quite short, I guess.''


    Jacob thought as eighteen months had passed since he had taken over as the Dark City''s Alchemy Guild Leader, and now he was finally an official member of the Guild.


    But he was still far from being done with the rare ins, so without wasting more time, he started to take out all kinds of gun parts filled with those strange patterns like on the hammer and newly forged Advance Type-1 magic sword!

 Chapter 267 Bronze Invitation

    Unknown location, above the sky, was flying a two-meter gray eagle with a wing span of over five meters, flying at a terrifying speed.


    On top of this eagle were standing two figures, without any fear of blowing away with the wind current. On the contrary, the wind seemed to be not even touched their bodies as if they were corporeal.


    One was a tall, middle-aged man with purple skin and giving off a peaceful aura.


    However, the purple skin beautiful woman with a fierce expression beside him, who had a great resemnce to him, was giving off apletely different vibe than him.


    At this moment, the woman frowned slightly as she looked at her wrist, and a small projection with one notification appeared.


    ''Your Bronze Invitation (Faceless Ancient) has be a 1-Star Epic Alchemist!


    ''The Bronze Initiation Benefits (BIB) has been activated!


    ''Bronze Invitation Benefits: You (Amiable Monk Fish) will now receive 40% of Faceless Ancient earnings made through the Alchemy Guild channels. You have the right to issue 3 Guild Missions every year to Faceless Ancient. You have the right to revoke the Faceless Ancient bronze invitation anytime by paying a 10 Million ZC process fee.


    ''(NOTE: The Bronze Invitation Benefits are only valid from 1-Star Epic Alchemist to 9-Star Epic Alchemist Rank!)''


    A hint of surprise shed past Ellie''s blue eyes, reading the invitation, ''So fast? It seemed I had underestimated this guy. Not only was he capable of robbing and snatching #1''s guild leader position eighteen months ago, but his alchemy talent is also top-notch.


    ''He''s far superior to #1 to #11. But he''s also quite rebellious and might hold it against me if he knew what the bronze invitation actually was. Although I didn''t waste my bronze invitation on him, he''s not like those obedient dogs.


    ''I have to put a tight leash on him once hees here and show him the true difference between rare ins and epic ins. Once he''spletely under my control, he''ll earn me big profits.''


    Calmness returned to her eyes as the small projection vanished.


    However, she was startled when Nelsen was looking at her with this amusing grin on his face.


    He said teasingly, "Hehe, my little girl, who are you scheming against this time? Tell your daddy quickly."


    Ellie threw a fierce punch right at his face with pursed lips, "Get out of my face, old geezer!"


    However, Nelsen kept grinning and wasn''t panicked by that punch at all. He merely moved his finger between his face and the punch, and the powerful punch was instantly stopped in its track.


    Nelsen sighed ruefully, "You''re so willful and brutal. You even punched your old daddy and tried to kill him? Sometimes I even wonder if I have birthed a wolf¡­"


    "Shut up! And get out of my face before I kill this little rid of yours!" Ellie instantly snapped as a powerful aura started to release from her.


    The eagle suddenly trembled in fear as if he understood what Ellie just said.


    Nelsen knew when to stop with his little shenanigans, so he stood straight again and clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Tsk, tsk, can you stop with threats of destroying my things? You were so cute when you were little."


    Ellie pursed her lips and spat, "If I don''t threat you with your things, you don''t know when to stop with your childish behavior!"


    "Heh, but you know I love my baby girl the most," Nelsen said matter-of-factly.


    "Hmph, this won''t work anymore!" Ellie snorted, but the coldness in her eyes visibly lessened.


    Nelsen merely chuckled as he knew Ellie the best, "Alright, tell me, is that really BIB there? And you used it on that Faceless Ancient you were telling me about?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ellie didn''t hide it since she knew there was no point in hiding it since Nelsen wasn''t a fool as he always pretended to be, and he could easily see through her.


    "Yes. It is the same person."


    "Did he ask you what a bronze invitation was or just ept it without asking any questions?" He asked again.


    "He asked me, and I didn''t tell him what it was. What it had to do with anything?" She questioned with somewhat narrowed eyes. She knew Nelsen wouldn''t ask so many questions unless he wasn''t interested in the topic.


    Especially if a stranger from Rare ins was involved.


    "You did well by not telling him. Or he would never have epted your invitation." Nelsen chuckled as hemented.


    "Do you know something?" Ellie''s interest was now piqued.


    "How about you tell me how much you love your daddy, and I''ll tell you ten." Nelsen instantly pulled his mischievous grin again.


    Ellie''s serious expression was reced by exasperation, and she threw a vicious kick at Nelsen''s rear, but it was again blocked by Nelsen''s finger.


    "Hahaha¡­ I got you again!" Nelsen guffawed again.


    However, he quickly said when he saw Ellie was really going to cast a spell on the eagle, "Alright! Stop! I''ll tell you!"


    Ellie then gave him a death re but still stopped, but she was circting the magic on the tip of her fingers, clearly ready to use a spell the moment Nelsen pulled his nasty smile.


    Nelsen sighed ruefully, "I truly spoil you rotten! OK, stop, I''m telling you! It''s about Lucy!"


    Ellie, who was about to throw a spell without caring about the height, instantly stopped when she heard that name.


    "What about that tramp?" She asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    Nelsen sighed in relief when he saw she finally stopped and revealed without getting derailed this time.


    "From my sources, I heard the official members of the bank in the rare ins are getting restless and guess the ce of their activities?"


    Ellie asked with squinted eyes, "Dark city?"


    "Not just dark city but the inner circle of the dark city, and all the activities are happening right around our alchemy guild in there!" Nelsen coolly revealed.


    Ellie was surprised since she merely shot a blind arrow, but she never thought it would hit the bullseye!


    "Don''t tell that old tramp is after Faceless Ancient? But why? And how did she know about him anyway? Are you tricking me?" She was extremely intelligent, and she easily guessed that it was about Jacob since the topic started with him.


    Nelsen chuckled, "I don''t have any reason to sow discord between you two when I know you guys are like fire and water. She most likely after him. I think it''s time I tell you another thing about this Faceless Ancient character!"


    Ellie was stumped by this!

 Chapter 268 Three Things

    Dark Inner Circle, Alchemy Guild, top floor,


    Almost all the important figures of the alchemy guild of the dark inner circle were gathered here. The atmosphere was extremely gloomy and apprehensive as all of them were looking at each other with fear and agitation.


    "Old Sixth, do you know why we are being summoned by Guild Leader?" A gnome asked in a whispering voice while looking at the brown goblin.


    "How the hell do I know? That tyrant had never bothered with us aftering here, but now all of a sudden, he''s summing us. No matter how you look at it, it''s extremely unsettling!" The goblin snapped.


    Almost all of them were talking in this manner, and the top was the same.


    There were three people in particr who had ghastly pale expressions and were isted by the other alchemists for some reason. There was another thingmon about them, which was each of them was missing an arm.


    One of them was kobold as he asked the elf beside him grimly, "What do you think?"


    The elf with a missing arm gritted his teeth in hatred while replying, "How the hell did it matter what I think? Just don''t provoke that monster, and we''ll be fine. I don''t want to lose another arm!"


    The kobold with a missing arm, as well as a rat face demi-human who was also missing an arm, also gnashed their teeth in hatred and pain.


    These three still remembered that day like it was yesterday when they found out that Braylon was reced by a new guy and went there to confirm it despite the elf''s warning, who met Jacob at the entrance of the lift.


    They just wanted to know why Braylon was being reced and what kind of attitude the new guild leader had. In truth, these three were Braylon''s most loyal dogs and were also involved in a good deal of calumniation and denigration of many fellow members of the guild.


    Braylon was always busy with research, so these three had gained quite a power behind his back, and Braylon didn''t seem to care about it either.


    That''s why they had gone to Jacob to inquire about why Braylon, who had no n on leaving just in the morning, was now abruptly reced by him.


    However, not to mention questioning Jacob, the moment they came a meter close to his workshop, Jacob''s figure appeared like a shadow, and without giving them any chance, he directly chopped off their limbs and threw them out.


    Many who were paying attention to this new guild leader were gobsmacked by this turn of events, and they finally understood that the elf early wasn''t joking at all about the new guild leader''s brutal warning.


    From that day on, no one dared to approach Jacob''s workshop, even if they had a thousand guts. As for these three guys, they became the beaten dogs and were instantly isted by all of them because of their past conduct.


    Since their limbs were cut off, they knew their life as an alchemist was as good as over, and they couldn''t leave the ce either since they were too used to thefortable life of the inner circle''s alchemy guild.


    Now, 20 months had passed since Jacob closed himself in the workshop, but today they all received summon from him, which made almost everyone scared. Still, they didn''t dare to ignore his summoning.


    If Braylon was someone who liked to manipte others by putting up an amiable front, then Jacob was like a tyrant who didn''t care about his image or their feelings at all. He was terrifyingly powerful for them all, not be mention extremely ruthless. This was enough to keep them all in check.


    "Click¡­"


    The door was clicked open before a tall figure d in ck entered the hall, and everyone quickly stood up with sweat beaded on their foreheads because this person was none other than their mysterious Guild Leader.


    Jacob was wearing his usual ck outfit. However, if someone looked closely, there were jet-ck markings all over his long ck windbreaker. Only someone with extremely good sight could tell the difference between the faint shade of the color.


    Furthermore, Jacob was wearing a faceless ck mask, and not even his amber eyes weren''t visible to anyone, as if he waspletely blind. Not even his skin was visible, as his hands were now covered with the same kind of gloves as his windbreaker. Lastly, his head was covered by a long hood, and he looked just like a mysterious killer.


    Everyone felt chills just seeing him walking toward the high chair at the very front of the table. They were all used to not wearing any mask in this ce, but Jacob was simply too mysterious.


    Jacob walked onto his chair and sat down before his impassive voice rang, "Sit."


    Everyone bowed their head first before they sat down on their chairs, but their heart rate was wild, and no one knew who Jacob was looking at right now since his eyes were no longer visible. Even his face mask was barely visible under that long hood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Today, I summon everyone to discuss three things!" Jacob spoke again and didn''t mind theirck of response; he actually liked this silent environment.


    "First, I will be leaving the Dark City soon, which means the Guild Leader position will be vacant. So, I will give you guys one week to be a Senior Grandmaster. I will invigte the test personally. Or I''ll choose someone else from themon circle branch if none of you manage to pass. Is that clear?"


    Everyone was dumbfounded by this revtion and looked at Jacob with disbelief.


    "W-why?... NO! I mean, why did you want to leave?" A wolf face orc stuttered and asked with great difficulty.


    "Do I need to answer you about my matter?" Jacob coolly asked without any intent behind his words.


    But to the orc, he nearly kneeled down to beg for forgiveness, "I-I¡­ for¡­forgive me, Guild Leader!" He lowered his head and didn''t dare to raise it anymore.


    The others also kept their curiosity to themselves now and didn''t ask for the reason.


    A goblin spoke at this moment, "C-can I ask if there are any particr requirements for the position like our professions?"


    This question did not pry into any of Jacob''s matters, so everyone was hoping to get an answer for this and also looked at the goblin in admiration to be able to speak in front of this scary guy.


    Jacob wasn''t unreasonable, and he answered, "There are none. I don''t know why there hadn''t been any Vice Guild Leader in this ce or any senior grandmaster, but I''m pretty sure it has something to do with that prick Braylon.


    "I''m not like him, and I think it''s time for Guild to return to its track. I have 100 permanent member slots. You guys are 59 Grandmasters, and the first one to achieve Senior Grandmaster Rank will be the Guild and get one slot. The second one will be the vice guild leader and also receive one slot.


    "As for the remaining 98 slots, if all of you guys are able to be senior grandmasters in a week, I''ll give you one each. You guys can think of it as apetition."


    Everyone''s eyes brightened, and their heart raced when they heard what Jacob was nning to do. Jacob''s image instantly raised in their heart. Although he was tyrannical, he wasn''t petty like Braylon.


    Just as he said, Braylon never allowed them to enter Senior Grandmaster ranks because they were all lower rank dark nobles and fairy young, nor he ever gave them any permanent member slot.


    Inparison, themon circle guild was filled with old guys who had no potential at all.


    He even threatened them ambiguously that they were not ready to be senior grandmasters and might lose their membership if they tried to take that step.


    It was probably the reason that there were so few permanent members in rare ins. Braylon probably has an influence on the other guilds in the freedom ins as well.


    However, Jacob was now telling them to be one, and he was even giving them the positions they deserved. So, they were quite grateful and thrilled to go prepared for the test.


    Even if they were not confident, they would still try it since it was a very precious opportunity.


    Only those three armless idiots were filled with regret.


    Jacob then speaks again, not caring about their enthusiastic expressions, "Second, I want you guys to use your connection and search for three types of materials for me. Anyone who found any one of these materials will get three permanent member slots which means you can use them on yourself or your friends. I won''t care."


    The hall regained deadly silence again as they looked at Jacob as if he was a god of fortune.


    Jacob continued as he expected this much, "Third, I want information about Star Ocean, especially beyond the southern star ocean, which is the uncharted territory.


    "If I deem your information useful, I''ll give you one slot as a reward. But you only have one week to do these three things before I leave the dark city. You all dismiss!"

 Chapter 269 Vice President Call

    After Jacob''s announcement, the Alchemy Guild started to buzz with activities as all those Grandmasters madly started to prepare for the uing test as well as they used every contact to search for the materials and information Jacob wanted.


    The three types of materials Jacob made them search were naturally the White, Assassin Parasite Bug''s Blood, Night Salve''s Poison Magic Core, and Nightmare Lilly.


    The blood flower turned out to be the same blood flower required for the envement ritual array. So, Jacob now already has two materials, and as long as he gets his hand on the remaining three, he will start the process of taming the Brain Hunter.


    Jacob knew these dark nobles were not without connections, so he decided to use them by giving them enough motivation. The permanent member slots cost him nothing, and they were useless once he exited the rare ins.


    So, he wasn''t losing anything by giving those useless slots as rewards to them, and he didn''t care about controlling those useless guys like Braylon.


    Even if they didn''t manage to get their hands on any of the materials, he already knows where to find two of them, while the Assassin Parasite Bug could pose some problems.


    But he was confident in finding it since he knew what environment they resided in.


    He would at least get information on the star ocean from all of this, which was as important as those materials. He still wanted to avoid traveling with the alchemy guild entourage if he could.


    At this moment, Jacob was sitting in his workshop, which was now clean and spotless, as if it were not in use for twenty months.


    He was looking at his star watch interface, and a message box was opened, and he was reading some unread messages which he didn''t bother when he was busy. He even put his star watch away so he won''t be disturbed.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Great Earth Minor): Go Ahead! (20 months ago)


    ''Faceless Ancient to (Great Earth Minor): If you encounter any problem you''re your breathing, don''te begging me to save you! (20 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): What do you mean?? (20 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): ??? (20 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Fucking Idiot! (20 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Hello! If you''re still interested in our deal, I can forget about our past transition. (17 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Hey buddy, I was thinking about your offertely, and I would be happy to work with you! Please reply for further discussion! (16 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Man, please reply if you want the silver ore. I can even give you a discount, and I have 13 KG! (16 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Alright, I was wrong back then and shouldn''t have believed that prick Dark Moon. I''m suffering from a strange breathing problem, and my lungs are always on fire, and with time past, it is getting worse! So, please help me. I''ll fully cooperate with you! (15 months ago)


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Why aren''t you replying?? (15 months ago)


    ...


    Jacob looked at hundreds if not thousands of unread messages from Great Earth Minor, except for the first ten or twenty messages; the reaming was filled with pleading and begging as he was suffering from a strange illness that was getting intensified by the day.


    His lips curled up in an icy smile, ''If you work with plutonium without even knowing what it is, especially if you have arge amount, then the alpha particles will kill your lungs at terrifying speed, which will cause scarring of the lungs, leading to further lung disease and at the end terminal lung cancer.


    ''I wasn''t sure if cancer could ur in this world since the species here had very powerful immune systems. So, I was merely firing in the darkness, but it seemed diseases would find their way.


    ''But still, to get rare being effective by plutonium''s radiation, it should be at least over 5 points while it would take 10-point radiation to effect an extraordinary. In any case, he had to be exposed to more than twenty kg of plutonium to reach any aforementioned results.'' Jacob thought as he was calcting as if Great Earth Minor was his experiment subject.


    His eyes shimmered darkly, ''Well, I don''t need it anymore, but having it with me will not hurt, I guess. Besides, I''m really immune to radiation of over 10 points, so my immunity to harmful objects is legit. Now I just need to test ve objects. Anyhow, l should contact this guy now before he dies with all that plutonium buried somewhere.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob types a message, ''Give me your location.'' And then sent it before he opened another message which he was from the ck Robe Alchemist.


    ''Faceless Ancient to (ck Robe Alchemist): I''ll reach out when I''m done. Keep the Nightmare Lilly safe for me. The price is not an issue. (20 months ago)


    ''ck Robe Alchemist (Reply): Sure, it''s not like I can go anywhere with those damn corpses running amok outside. (20 months ago)


    ''ck Robe Alchemist (Reply): I''m texting you to inform you that I''m going to flee from my base because the situation is not looking good for the freedom ins. But I''m leaving the Nightmare Lilly in my herb garden as well as its cultivation method buried right underneath it. So, if you''re still interested, you can pay me, and I''ll give you the location of my abandoned base, and you can retrieve it from there. (12 months ago)''


    Jacob narrowed his eyes when he saw this message, ''It could be a scam, but I guess if I didn''t get any luck in the dark city or the beast forest, then it''s still better than nothing.


    Jacob then replied to him, ''How much?'' and then closed the interface.


    He then looked at the brightly lit city outside and thought, ''I should take a stroll in the market, especially the shippany. I need a fast ship to travel in the star ocean, and its size should be enough to put in my pendant.''


    However, he pulled out of his thoughts when his star watch started to vibrate and when he looked at the caller''s Star ID. He frowned deeply.


    "Amiable Monk Fish wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    ''What did she want?'' Jacob was still on guard against this woman, and her timing of the call was simply too impable as he had just exited his seclusion, so he was not going to believe that it was a coincidence.


    He thought of ghosting her since he was no longer a reserve member, but then he thought about that ride to the epic ins in sixteen months. He still needed to be in her good books until he made the final decision about his traveling problem.


    So, he epted the call, and Ellie wearing a white veil, and silvery robes, appeared. She was sitting behind a desk, just like thest time she called him.


    "Vice president, what do I owe the honor?" Jacob coolly stated.


    Ellie looked at Jacob''s same outfit as thest time, and her eyes shimmered strangely. But she wasn''t in the mood to have a chit-chat after talking to her father. So, she got straight to business.


    "Foremost, congrattion on bing an Epic Alchemist in such a short amount of time. Consider the ten thousand ZC before you reward, and you can spend them freely now."


    Jacob scoffed in his heart, hearing this with coldness creeping in his eyes, ''So, she was keeping an eye on me, huh? As for that ZC, if I hadn''t robbed Braylon, I''m afraid those ten thousand was only enough to practice either potion, pill, or magic smiting to Senior Grandmaster rank. Yet she had the nerve to said I can use it as I pleased?''


    Still, he impassively replied, "Thank you for your generosity, Vice President."


    Ellie nodded before her eyes turned sharp, "Second, when were you going to tell me that you were the champion of the rare ins?"


    Jacob wasn''t the least shocked by this as he already knew this woman could learn this from the Guild President as well since a Gunnar can. But it was also quite clear that the President only decided to reveal it to her now, which means the President had some motive to hide it from her before.


    "What would you do if you knew? Last time I recon, I''m not obliged to report to you about anything other than guild matter, and that is also under the condition that I''m under the suspicion of some crime against the guild." Jacob emotionlessly uttered.


    Ellie was lost for words when she heard Jacob''s valid refute and narrowed her eyes coldly while looking at the hooded figure. She never thought he would dare to refute, but it wasn''t out of her expectation either.


    Still, she didn''t push the matter since it was not what she had contacted him for; she asked coldly, "Fair enough. Then tell me, were you contacted by someone named Rich Winter Lady?"


    Surprised shed past Jacob''s eyes for the first time!

 Chapter 270 A Mission

    Jacob could feel the great hostility from Ellie''s voice for the Rich Winter Lady.


    ''Something is going on here.'' Jacob thought before he replied, "I was indeed contacted by Bank Manager Rich Winter Lady before your call, and I was given the same offer the Vice Guild Leader gave me."


    Jacob decided to reveal this information as there wasn''t anything worth hiding about it. Besides, the Rich Winter Lady gave him a bad feeling when he rejected her offer again and again.


    So now Ellie was bringing her all of a sudden could shed some light on this matter. He never believed that he was out of the woods after he rejected her offer, and he was most likely right.


    Furthermore, Ellie''s naked hostility toward her draws Jacob''s interest even more.


    ''So, that bitch somehow found out about me giving that brainless idiot one million ZC to revoke Faceless Ancient''s membership and contacted him even before me. I won''t be surprised if that greedy bastard told her himself and earned himself more money.'' Ellie''s eyes went icy cold when he heard Jacob confirming it, and she asked, "Why did you reject her offer?"


    Jacob nonchntly replied, "Because I found itcking."


    Ellie narrowed her eyes as she clearly didn''t believe what Jacob had just said. Still, she felt better. Because if he had epted Lucy''s offer, she would have wasted one million ZC on her arch-enemy, and she most likely has flown into madness.


    "Since you decided to join the alchemy guild, I can assure you that it was the best decision of your life. However, you have offended Lucy in the process, and I can assure you that she is the prettiest person in existence.


    "From my sources, I have discovered the Universal Mercenaries were snooping around the Alchemy Guild in the inner circle. From what I know about Lucy, it''s most likely her who wanted you dead!" Ellie revealed.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed behind his mask as he suddenly remembered those watchful eyes he felt when he wasing to the inner circle.


    ''So, those guys were the reserve members of the bankmission by that woman. She must''ve put avish reward on my head topel so many people to take risks in the dark city.'' He thought, but he wasn''t worried about it as well.


    Right now, he was afraid of no one in the rare ins, and only Epic tier beings could pose a threat to him or the Star Ocean. If he wanted to massacre in the dark city and then leave, he knew no one was capable of stopping him.


    But he won''t be going to tell Ellie about it because he could tell she had something else in mind, as she won''t be contacting him just to warn him out of the kindness of her heart.


    He said, "What should I do then? I''m sure Vice Leader has some good suggestions for me."


    Ellie was somewhat surprised when she heard Jacob''s voice contain no anxiety despite knowing he was being targeted by the Bank Manager of the Epic ins.


    ''Dad was right, someone who can pass a in trial alone can indeed not be so simple, and I need to be more careful when dealing with him.'' She thought gravely.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Ellie then finally spoke, "If it were someone else, I would''ve suggested they remain in the guild building. But you are someone who canplete a in trial, so I have a different suggestion for you.


    "No, this is not a suggestion, but consider it a personal mission from me. If you choose to ept it, you will get half of your reward first. But if you reject it, I won''t hold it against you."


    ''Here ites.'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered in derision, but his voice was impassive when he asked, "I would like to hear about the mission and the rewards before making my decision."


    Ellie nodded in understanding before she stated, "It''s quite simple. I want you to kill as many reserve or official universal members as possible. With each head, I will reward you with 1000 ZC. You just need to send me the video to im the reward.


    "As for the other half of the reward, which I will give you if you decide to ept the mission, it is a Basic Type-2 Magic Rifle Blueprint! The choice is yours now."


    Ellie was full of confidence when she offered the blueprint of a Basic Type-2 magic rifle because she thought Jacob wouldn''t be able to resist it since he was an Alchemist.


    However, Jacob''s words made her confident expression clouded as he coldly said, "I can''t use Basic Type-2 Magic Rifle Blueprint since the rare insck materials, so it would be useless to me. I''m a very practical person Vice Leader, so how about you send me the map of Star Ocean which has the routes to rare ins and epic ins, as well as the map of the Epic ins, and I''ll ept this mission."


    Ellie squinted her eyes as she instantly understood what Jacob was after, "Do you want to travel in toward the epic ins alone?"


    "No, I just want to have such an option. Because if I start killing mercenaries, especially the permanent members, Bank Manager Lucy might not take it kindly if she found out it was me.


    "Besides, I need to leave the protection of Dark City if I want to kill those mercenaries, and I can''t leave rare ins instantly, either. In contrast, your voyage is still sixteen months far.


    "I just want to have another way out, and I don''t think these maps would cost you anything at all," Jacob said matter-of-factly.


    Now that he got the chance to exploit the vendetta between Ellie and Lucy, he won''t hesitate to ask for what he really needs. If he could get the map of star ocean routes that lead to the epic ins as he got in themon ins, he doesn''t have to wait for anyone or rush things or even collect any information at all. He can leave whenever he wants to leave.


    Now the question was if Ellie''s vendetta was deep enough with Lucy that she could allow this to happen or not.


    Ellie was quite astute, so she also guessed Jacob''s motives, but she knew she was still in control as long as she had a bronze invitation in ce so Jacob couldn''t escape her grasp as long as he didn''t want to get kicked out of the guild.


    But she won''t tell him that yet and hold this trump card hidden for as long as she can.


    Right now, she wanted to make Lucy indignant, and Jacob could really achieve it. So, she nodded in agreement, "Alright, I''ll give you both maps!"

 Chapter 271 Black Sea Company

    Jacob looked at the map in front of him with shining eyes and a faint smile, "Who would''ve thought I would get this map so easily? Now, I don''t have to worry about my traveling problem. But now I have to kill those guys since that woman still has some use." He muttered with derision.


    Although this mission seemed quite deadly, killing a mercenary who could be a permanent member of the bank won''t be someone easy to kill. But for Jacob, he just needed to lure them outside the dark city before turning them into ZC.


    Not only he profited from this, but he also got two important maps from a reliable source.


    ''Now the question is when should I get rid of those guys?'' Killing intent shed past his eyes. Since Lucy wanted to kill him, he won''t show mercy as well.


    The next day, Jacob left the alchemy guild after twenty months and headed toward the market of the inner circle for a stroll.


    The moment he started walking on the street, Jacob instantly felt multiple eyes on him, but he didn''t react and pretended to be ignorant.


    Jacob was heading toward a special building which a ck sailboat logo on its front, and written under the logo was ''ck Sea Company.''


    The reason he came to this ce was naturally to buy a ship, and another reason being he was quite familiar with their product as well. Because he used the ck Ship of theirpany to travel in the rare ins as well, but it was stolen goods, so he had to return it back.


    Furthermore, since thispany can open in the inner circle of the dark city, then it couldn''t be normal at all.


    That''s why after asking around, he found this ce, and he must say it was only inferior to three hegemonies buildings.


    Without hesitation, he walked within the building and entered arge expansion,vishly decorated with different ship statues.


    An elvish woman approached Jacob with a smile as she greeted him, "Wee, gentleman. How may I help you today?"


    "I want a treasure ship." Jacob impassibly answered.


    "Do you have any rank preferences?" asked the elf without hiding her tion.


    She knew the Treasure Ship Jacob was refereeing to were ranked ships that were made of treasure materials. Anyone who could buy a treasure ship in this ce had to be a big shot so she could get argemission if she managed to sell a high-quality, expensive product.


    "I want at least an Advance Type-1 treasure ship, but I want it small, around the range of 10 meters. Money is not a problem." Jacob stated as he had already thought about what kind of ship he wanted.


    The biggest requirement was that the ship should be able to fit in his pendant.


    The elf woman''s eyes lit up as she instantly knew it was going to be her lucky day, "Please follow me. I''ll inform the manager!"


    Jacob nodded and followed her into a private room. He didn''t have to wait before a demi-human with foxy features entered the room wearing a white suit, followed by the same elf woman who brought him here.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "My name is Reuben, and I''m the manager of this branch. How may I address esteem, sir?" Reuben politely introduced himself to Jacob.


    "Jack." Jacob inly answered.


    Reuben wasn''t bothered by Jacob''sck of response since everyone in this ce was mostly entrics.


    "My associate here told me you want a treasure ship with at least Advance-Type-1 rank?" He asked with a big smile.


    And when Jacob nodded in affirmation, he quickly said, "In that case, I would like to confirm one thing, which type of payment are you going to use? I must inform you, sir Advance Type-1 ships only sell using a special type of currency, and without it, I''m afraid I can''t sell you Intermediate or Advance Type-1 ships. It''s starwork''s policy. I hope you won''t take offense."


    Ruben was telling the truth. In fact, any treasure above basic type-1 could not be bought by using only gold coins, no matter how much someone had.


    This rule was imnted because these treasures were too powerful, not to mention very difficult to make, so the Star Network created this policy so only someone with ZC could buy them, not just any random tom, dick, or harry.


    Jacob also knew what this guy was asking by not speaking the name out loud, so he coolly replied, "Zodiac Credit."


    Reuben''s smile widened, "In that case, I have three ships that suit your demand, Sir. Please have a look." He quickly activated his star watch before three ships'' projections materialized in the air.


    He pointed at the white ship and said, "This white ship, size 9.6 meters is an Advance Type-1 treasure ship, and its speed is 500Mph, with an Advance Type-1 magic barrier function, autopilot, Star Watch controller, navigation, and advance type-1 sea scanner. Its price is 900 ZC."


    Then he pointed at the golden ship, which had silver markings on it, "This Golden Ship, size 10.2 meters, not only has all the white ship functions, but it also has Advance Type-1 magic scanner as well and a magic cannon which could be controlled manually by star watch controller. Its price is 1500 ZC."


    Lastly, he pointed at the dark blue ship with ck markings, but this ship looked like a t triangle, not a ship.


    "This Stealth Triangle, size 5.9 meters, is two passengers Ship, and it has every function of the aforementioned ships except the magic canon. But it was done because this ship''s true specialty lies within its stealth function and speed.


    "The stealth function can make it hide under the detection of extraordinary creatures and any Advance Type-1 scanners. At the same time, its speed is Mach 1. The price of the Stealth triangle is 3000 ZC!" Reuben stated as he looked at Jacob, who was silently listening to his introduction.


    Jacob looked at all three ships before his eyes stopped at the stealth triangle eventually. Not only was this ship small, but its size was also quite to his liking. Furthermore, he didn''t need any cannons as long as he could remain hidden.


    The star ocean was too dangerous, so having stealth was more important than having firepower.


    So, he impassively stated, "I will take this stealth triangle and make it ck if you could!"

 Chapter 272 Earth Great Minor & Dark Moon Of Beast Forest

    Jacob left the ck Sea Company with a content look in his eyes, and Reuben even walked him to the gates with a very respectful expression.


    Afterward, Jacob started to stroll the market while looking at materials avable from different vendors. He was just trying his luck to see if he found any materials for the array.


    In the end, Jacob didn''t find anything, and he wasn''t surprised since even the alchemy guild, which was the biggest dealership of materials, didn''t have them. The chances of others having them were even less.


    However, Jacob also had another purpose for doing this. He was making his presence known to his watchers and wanted to draw as many as possible.


    In the evening, Jacob returned to the alchemy guild and opened his inbox to see the messages he received when he was out in the market but didn''t bother to reply. He even received a few calls, which he also ignored, and he had some idea who they were from.


    Just as he suspected, the calls were from Great Earth Minor.


    With a cold smile, he opened the reply of Great Earth Minor.


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): So, you finally decided to show your face?!


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): You give me your location I''lle to you!


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Why aren''t you replying?


    ''Great Earth Minor (Reply): Alright, let''s meet in the Dark City''s alchemy guild in two weeks!''


    Jacob sneered when he saw those messages, ''He''s replying to his own questions. Well, I expected no less from a desperate dying idiot. But does he really think he still has the initiative anymore?''


    Jacob started to write his reply.


    Somewhere in the beast forest,


    Two figures were hovering in two ss cells filled with ck liquid. One of them was a fox face orc, while the other was a brown hobgoblin. Both of them were extremely skinny as if someone had drained all blood from their bodies.


    At this moment, the star watch on the hobgoblin''s wrist vibrates before he opens his beastly green eyes and looks at the message he just received.


    ''Faceless Ancient (Reply): I can''te to the dark city. Select another ce, and it has to be closer to the best forest, and I''lle when I have time. If you don''t want to wait, then forget about it. If you agree, then reply, and if you spout any nonsense or rush me, I''ll block you, and you will never be heard from me again. Don''t even think of a second that I need you. You need me, so get your mind straight before you reply to me. This is yourst chance!''


    Killing intent started to rage in the hobgoblin''s eyes, but he suppressed his urge to write a curse back and press a button within the ss cell before the ck liquid started to sink.


    The fox face orc also sensed something and opened its foxy eyes, and when he saw the hobgoblin was about toe out, he also pressed the button to exit the ss cell.


    After getting a clear look at the hobgoblin''s ugly yet pale expression, the orc seemed to guess the reason behind it as he asked, "Mason, did that prick reply?"


    Mason, who was none other than Earth Great Minor, didn''t reply and only pressed his star watch a few times before a projection of Jacob''s message materialized in front of the orc.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    When the orc saw this, his expression also turned nasty like Mason, and he spat in an extremely eerie voice, "What an arrogant bastard! What should we do?"


    Mason hoarsely refuted, "Lucas, you motherfucker, you still dare to call others arrogant and ask me what to do? When I''m in this damnable state because of you!"


    Lucas, who was none other than Dark Moon of Beast Forest, couldn''t help but smile bitterly because he knew Mason was right.


    When, twenty months ago, Jacob didn''t tell Mason about the plutonium. He turned to Lucas, who quickly agreed to Mason''s demand and even invited him to hisb to research the material together.


    In truth, even Lucas didn''t know the true properties of Plutonium, and he was so eager to get his hands on it because he had an old picture of plutonium with only one description, ''Intermediate Type-2 Material.''


    This picture was something he found in an abandonedb in the south of rare ins, and not only this picture but the entire research data of an explosive expert, and with that exact data Lucas became what he was today.


    That''s why when Lucas saw the plutonium in the market, he wanted to get his hands on it to see if it was really the same material in the picture. Because it was, he could be rich.


    Furthermore, by Mason''s interest in it, Lucas guessed that he had more than what he was showing. So, he became greedy and decided to lure Mason here by the lure of researching together. But he didn''t tell him about that silver being intermediate type-2 material.


    Mason was also greedy, so he decided to agree with Lucas''s invitation since he wasn''t losing anything, and once he got a keen grasp over what kind of material it was, then he could sell it and gain huge profits from it.


    However, none of them had thought that things would go south the moment they started experimenting with that piece of plutonium, and within a few months, they started to experience grave symptoms.


    First, they thought nothing of them and ate some random healing pills to alleviate those symptoms. However, they soon found how wrong they were when they started coughing blood, and their conditions turned worse.


    It was at that time Mason started to understand the meaning behind Jacob''s subtle words and tried contacting him, but he never received any reply.


    Now, their condition was so worse that if they couldn''t contain their bodies within type-1 healing liquid for eight hours, they would feel pain worse than death, and their life would start slipping away. They can''t even breathe properly anymore.


    They were at the end of their ropes and were about to head to the dark city alchemy guild to seek help from the alchemy guild when Jacob finally responded.


    However, they had lost all the initiative over him, and now they could do nothing but y on the palm of his hand.


    "I know, I was being greedy, but don''t forget you were already experiencing light symptoms when you came here, which means the exposure to this metal was also as deadly as experimenting on it. The process just became faster.


    "So, we should stop ming each other and do something about our condition before we turn into living corpses. We can still stick to our n and go seek the seniors'' help, or we can take the risk by inviting this guy here. Although it''s risky, I''m confident he won''t be able to do anything to us as long as he enters my base¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­" Lucas suddenly started coughing violently as drops of blood were mixed within his saliva spared over his hand.


    Mason''s expression became extremely dark as he also stopped the urge to cough and weakly nodded, "Alright. I think this guy, cough¡­, is more reliable since he knew the symptoms. So, I''ll give him the location of this base. But we should also be ready just in case the negotiation fails."


    Lucas smiled coldly, "Don''t worry. Although we get this mysterious illness, we still manage to create a weapon out of that deadly material. If he knew how dangerous this material is, I''m sure he won''t try anything funny!"


    Mason nodded with a grim expression as he started typing¡­!

 Chapter 273 A Wanted Man

    In the noble circle of the dark city,


    A masked man sitting behind a long chair was looking at the ck-cloaked figure in the hologram in front.


    "So, that rat finally left his hole, huh?" He coldly asked with a hint of ecstasy in his voice.


    The person in the hologram replied in a raspy tone, "Indeed. After months of waiting three days ago, that guy finally decided to leave the alchemy guild building. But he goes back after wasting half a day in the market."


    "At least, it''s confirmed he''s still in the dark city and hiding in the alchemy guild. Tell me, what did he do in the market?" The masked man asked coldly.


    The cloaked figure in hologram respectfully replied, "The only ce he remained for more than five minutes is in the ck Sea Company. He stayed there for almost an hour. After bribing the assistant there, I found he bought an advance type-1 treasure ship for 3000 ZC."


    "3000 ZC, huh? It seemed the information about him robbing the senior grandmaster alchemists was not wrong." The masked man muttered with a hint of shock before he said, "Speaking of information, do you find how Skull No. A-2 was killed? Did that dog get exposed and put down by this prick?"


    "The thing is, Lord A-0, we didn''t have connections in the Senior Grandmaster circle of the alchemy guild after A-2 was killed twenty months ago before sending us the details about Faceless Ancient''s actions.


    "But I have some connections in the Grandmaster circle. ording to my source, Senior Grandmaster Otto only vanished after Faceless Ancient left the guild for the inner circle.


    "Furthermore, that guy had already killed a Senior Grandmaster before he left, and since he is still living in the dark city, then it means it shouldn''t be him who killed A-2.


    "Other than that, I have no new intel about his uncanny death. Even his brain chip didn''t contain any information, which was quite strange. Even a Star Hacker isn''t capable of doing such a thing to our brain chip." The cloaked figure replied with uncertainty.


    The masked man or Skull No. A-0 sighed ruefully at this moment, "After our hasty retreat from the freedom ins while leaving our investment behind, the death of a single-digit A-rank skull has made the higher-ups in the epic ins furious.


    "We are not allowed to enter the epic ins without getting our hands on the research data from that hateful rat. So, I don''t need to tell you just how important this mission is for both of our futures, right A-1?" asked A-0 meaningfully.


    A-1 nodded his cloaked head and gravely said, "Don''t worry, Lord A-0, I have put all the two-digit agents in the dark city in this mission. The moment we get the chance, I, as well as the other nine, will personally take action and get the data back."


    No. A-0 nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Very well, I will wait for your good news. Just don''t underestimate that rat. He''s too strange and always manages to surprise us. I don''t want any mishap this time, or you and I both won''t be able to handle the consequences."


    "Understood!" A-1 solemnly uttered before his figure vanished from the projection.


    A-0 then connected another call, and a dark projection materialized, and a melodious yet icy voice rang, "You better be calling me to tell me that you have recovered the data?"


    "Madam, please rest assured, everything is under control now. As long as that Faceless Ancient leaves the dark city, he will not be able to escape." A-0 no longer appeared arrogant as he spoke with this ''Madam.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I''ve been hearing this excuse for what, about two years now?" The woman tonelessly remarked.


    "But madam, this time, I think he''s going to leave the dark city. We just discovered that target had bought a treasure ship from the ck Seapany. So, this could only mean he was going to the great star river or star ocean. As long as he leaves the dark city, it doesn''t matter where he goes. He won''t escape our grasp!" He quickly assured.


    The woman remained silent for a moment before she coldly spoke, "For what you''ve done in the Freedom ins, I will give you two more years to retrieve the date. If you fail, then you have to return with all the acquired assets. But you won''t be rewarded as handsomely as it was originally nned, and someone else might not let off this chance to take your position as ''0''."


    Done stating her piece, she disconnected the call without waiting for A-0''s reply!


    A-0 was momentarily stunned. An extremely sinister aura shed over his person before it vanished. His hands were clenched so tightly that his bloodlessness was on the verge of exploding.


    ''Sigh...'' Taking a deep sharp breath, he calmed himself and unclenched his hands, leaving bloody imprints of his sharp nails on his palms.


    "This damn bitch wanted to im all my achievements for herself while using me as a scapegoat. If she really thinks I will let that happen without fighting back, then she got another thinging for her.


    "As long as I get my hands on that slippery rat, I''ll let her know I''m no longer just a pawn." His eyes turned extremely malicious and glowed with a tint of crimson, "I need to oversee this entire operation myself. There''s no room for messing up!"


    ---


    A dayter, in avishly designed hall, a few figures were sitting around a round table. All of them have terrifying murderous auras like beasts.


    Right in the center of the round table was a hologram of a man wearing a long ck windbreaker with a hood, and his face was covered with a faceless mask. It was none other than Jacob.


    "Did you hear in three days there is going to be apetition in the alchemy guild which is held by non-other than our target? Not only that, but there is a rumor going in the alchemy guild that the new guild leader will leave right after thispetition." A bull face orc uttered.


    "I heard about the former news. It is confirmed. But how reliable is this rumor?" A demi-human woman with lion-like features questioned with a growl.


    "No one knows the reliability since this rumor just started spreading among the guild members. The source is unknown. But if there is even a vague possibility that it''s true, then we can''t miss this chance.


    "This guy has been a pain in all of our asses. The secretmission is no longer amission but has be an order from the higher in. Now, if we don''t kill him, we can''t leave this ce with the iing reinforcement from the higher in." An elf with a deep scar over his right eye coldly uttered in a rageful voice.


    There were five giants sitting behind the table like small hills, one of these giants, spoke sinisterly in his mountainous voice, "Alright, inform all of our men. If this guy is really going to leave, we can react at a moment''s notice. From our new orders, we need to go in full force!"


    The others nodded their head in agreement as they all looked at the hologram with killing intent in their eyes!

 Chapter 274 A Possibility In Dark Noble Circle

    Today, the atmosphere of the Alchemy Guild in the inner circle has been quite subtle. All the Grandmaster Rank Alchemists have been missing from their posts and weren''t in their researchbs either.


    However, no one seemed to surprise because they had some idea about where they had gone.


    ording to the announcement made three days ago, today was going to be a big event for all the Grandmaster Rank Alchemists, and this event was held by none other than their new tyrannical guild leader.


    There were also rumors that this was going to be the guild leader''sst day, and a new guild leader and vice guild leader will take his ce. But it still remained to be seen if this mysterious rumor was true or not.


    But one thing was sure many people were paying attention to the alchemist guild today.


    As for the people in question, they were all gathered on the 99th floor of the building where 59 Grandmaster Alchemists were standing in front of their own workstations while facing Jacob standing on the tform right ahead.


    Jacob was looking at those 59 Grandmaster Alchemists standing in rows, looking at him with excitement, anxiety, perplexion, and such emotions.


    "Alright, today, as promised, I will invigte all of your ranking tests. You guys might be wondering why I''m taking tests not in your profession-rted workshops but in this ce.


    "The reason being extremely simple, if I were to invigte all of your tests one by one, then it would take too much time, and I don''t even have knowledge about some of your unique professions."


    The other alchemists'' expressions turned grim as many of them were wondering about this exact same thing after they had time to mull over it.


    Normally, a Senior Grandmaster level test was conducted by a Senior Grandmaster of the same profession and judged by four others judges. But in their case, the only Senior Grandmaster avable was Jacob, and they didn''t even know his profession. Still, they were sure that he was the only grandmaster of a single profession since they had no idea about how a reserve alchemist has to be proficient in four different professions.


    Some of them even thought that Jacob would take them to themon circle branch and have their tests taken by those old alchemists all at once, so they were not worried.


    However, when they were summoned here and saw the set-up of those workstations which were used to teach novices and then Jacob had them choose one each, they were no longer sure about this anymore.


    They even think Jacob was messing with them, but no one had the guts to raise their indignation.


    Jacob didn''t care about their reaction as he knew what he was doing, "Alright, before I continue, I want to inquire about the two other tasks I have handed to you guys. First, if any of you found the materials I have requested, then raise your hands.


    "Even information about those materials will be helpful, and I will give ZC for it. But if you know the exact location, just tell me about it, and I will reward you with a permanent member slot. But if you lie, then just know that you can''t hide from me."


    Some of the alchemists'' eyes brightened, and some were dimmed while some of them appeared helpless.


    Jacob saw eight people raise their hands which was quite a good result, in his opinion.


    "You, wolf face, speak first." Jacob dered while looking at the wolf face orc standing in the first row.


    The orc quickly spoke, "Guild Leader, I didn''t manage to get any of the materials, but I do know the information about the Night Salve''s location."


    Jacob coldly said, "Let me guess, it resides in the Western Star Ocean, at two miles depth?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The orc''s happy expression wrapped as he dryly nodded, "Y-yes."


    Jacob snorted coldly, "By the exact location, I mean if a person had them. As for the locations of their inhabited areas, I know as much. I want information about if someone had them already and where to find them. If you guys have information like this idiot, then don''t waste my time and lower your hands."


    The reaming seven people looking excited were started by this new development, and six of their expressions turned hideous as they reluctantly lowered their hands.


    In the end, the only one whose hand was still in the air was a tone skin gnome.


    "Speak," Jacob asked dismissively.


    This was quite a letdown when he saw those six were like the orc, and he was no longer as hopeful as before.


    "Replying to Guild Leader, when I was searching for these materials, I got a very interesting piece of news from my friend in the noble circle of the dark city.


    "ording to him, there is only a single person in the entire dark city who might have all three materials." His tone to extremely respectful as he spoke.


    "Who might that be?" Jacob''s interest was finally piqued.


    The gnome quickly replied, "It''s the Dark City Administrator, the Dark Earl! ording to him, the Dark Earl is also a Pill Alchemist, and his rank far surpasses Senior Grandmaster Rank.


    "He owns a pill shop in the noble circle, which only opened once a month. But that shop only sold ten pills refined by the Dark Earl himself, and all those pills were auctioned, not sold like normal.


    "Furthermore, every dark noble fought for those pills in that auction with everything they had. The auction items can be bought by either ZC or alchemy materials above type-0.


    "Just three months ago, someone had bought a pill with materials, and one of those materials happened to be the five carcasses of Extraordinary-Tier-6 Assassin Parasite Bugs. And this is just a drop in the wealth of Dark Earl''s ocean-like wealth, which he had been umting for who knows when!"


    Everyone in the room was looking at the gnome as if he was a monster because none of them had any connection to the noble circle of the dark city since those dark nobles of barren ranks were simply too arrogant.


    In their eyes, the rank of Lower and Upper Dark Nobles were likemoners, and only those barons or higher rank dark nobles were true nobles.


    Furthermore, everyone knew just how mysterious the enigmatic Dark Earl was. After hearing this piece of information about him, these lower and upper-rank dark nobles were even more awed by Dark Earl.


    Even Jacob''s eyes contained a hint of astonishment after he heard about this Dark Earl. If this gnome was telling the truth about this shop of Dark Earl, then he might really get everything without searching for those materials himself.


    Especially the Assassin Parasite Bug, which was the most difficult to find because they only exist in poisonous swamps and not just any poisonous swamps but poisonous swamps with at least an extraordinary tier poison effect.


    In the entire rare ins, only one poisonous swamp met this requirement, and it was right in the heart of the Wild Nation!

 Chapter 275 Magic Gem

    Jacob looked at the gnome, who was looking at him anxiously, "Tell me your name and your alchemy professing."


    "It''s Dilly, and I''m a Grandmaster Potion Alchemist," Dilly replied apprehensively.


    Jacob didn''t reply as he suddenly tapped over his wrist, and a projection appeared soon. He opened the guild leader interface, which he received with the badge.


    "I want to send Grandmaster Potion Alchemist Dilly an official member invitation." Jacob coldly spoke, and his words shocked everyone.


    White Sage''s electric voice rang at this moment, "The invitation has been sent, and as long as Grandmaster Potion Alchemist Dillypletes a prerequisite, he will be able to be an official member sessfully!"


    The alchemy guild official member slot was not easy to earn as the alliance or the bank. Without skills, Jacob''s invitation would be wasted the moment Dilly failed the prerequisite imposed by the Alchemy Guild.


    This was also the reason why the alchemist guild had quite a few permanent members in the rare ins. Only invitations like bronze invitations were exempt from any prerequisites.


    "Alright, Dilly, your information is really what I needed it to be. You have earned yourself one permanent member spot, and now it''s up to you if you were able to pass the test by the guild or not." Jacob''s impassive voice woke everyone from their stupor as they looked at Dilly in unison.


    Dilly was also standing in a daze as if he was in a dream, and when the Star Watch on his wrist vibrated, he was snapped out of his stupor and quickly opened the mail in front of everyone.


    They all saw Dilly really received a chance to be a permanent member as long as hepleted the prerequisite and he could take this test within one year before this invitation expired.


    "Thank you, Guild Leader!" Dilly quickly bowed in gratitude. He never thought Jacob would really give away a precious slot for a small piece of information.


    This was also proof that Jacob wasn''t lying, and he was a man of his word and really wasn''t a selfish prick like Braylon.


    "No, need. You''ve earned it." Jacob coolly stated, "Now, I''m giving you another chance to earn yourself another invitation which means even if you failed your test once, you could try again.


    "Tell me if your contact can arrange a meeting with Dark Earl or his star ID or at least contact him to deliver my message. Naturally, I won''t ask him to do it for free, 5,000 ZC if he can arrange a meeting or give me his star ID and 500 ZC if he can really deliver my message." Jacob dered tonelessly.


    Jacob knew he needed to get hold of that enigmatic Dark Earl first if he wanted to inquire about the materials. He knew he couldn''t enter the noble circle without being a dark baron, which would take too much time. He startspletely the Dark missions.


    So, using Dilly''s contact was the easy way, but it would be quite difficult even if the other party really epted it. He might outright take his money in the sham of delivering his message and then just pretend to deliver his message.


    He won''t even know if he was telling the truth since afterward, it would be upon the Dark Earl to contact him, not the other way around. Jacob won''t be able to me the other party at all.


    Still, he was just fishing, and if there wasn''t anyway, Jacob didn''t mind trying some other method.


    Everyone looked at Dilly enviously. When Jacob offered him another slot, Dilly was so happy he almost jumped.


    Still, he suppressed the urge in front of Jacob and quickly replied, "I will make contact with him today and report to you as soon as I get the answer!"


    Jacob nodded and said, "Alright, it seems I need to stay for more days now."


    Many alchemists'' expressions changed when they heard his words, and it finally dawned upon them.


    If Jacob wanted to contact Dark Earl, he needed to be in the dark city, so why the hell would he leave and hand over his position before he gets what he wants?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Many nced at Dilly with unkind hidden gazes, but they knew it was now inevitable. If they were in his shoes, they would''ve done the same.


    "Alright, you guys didn''t need to be so disappointed. I''m staying didn''t mean I''m going to stay indefinitely. I''ll select a guild leader and vice guild leader in this test as promised, and they will hold themand after I''m done with the dark city." Jacob coolly dered as he could easily sense some guys'' apprehensive heartbeats.


    But he couldn''t care less about those hidden snakes.


    "Now, on the second task." Jacob changed the topic, which bought joy to many eyes as they were motivated to try their luck. Since Dilly can get a slot, they can as well.


    Furthermore, the matters of the star ocean couldn''t'' be confirmed, so Jacob won''t have to know about the authority of their information.


    However, Jacob''s next words through those guys from the sky to the shit pool, "Let''s forget about the information on Star Ocean, I''ve acquired what I need, and I''m pretty sure you guys'' information won''t outmatch mine.


    "So, let''s start the test, shall we?" Jacob dismissively dered.


    Despite wanting to question Jacob''s integrity, they knew they would only make him unhappy or even offend him, and they didn''t want to do it, especially since this test was more important.


    Jacob then suddenly took something out of his pocket. It was a small diamond shape white gemstone.


    "You guys should be familiar with this gemstone, am I right?" He questioned.


    Everyone nodded without hesitation.


    "Still, for the records, I''ll exin briefly. This gem in my hand is a 1-Star Magic Gem which contains unrefined Mana equivalent to a 1-Star Mage (Basic Mage).


    "But to refine one 1-Star Magic Gem, ten 1-Star Magic Cores are required, and most importantly, an alchemist needed to have very keen mastery over their refinement skills.


    "Only Master Rank or above alchemists could refine a Magic Gem of 1-Star Rank, and the method to refine a magic gem is not a secret either since they could be used in numerous weapons or some mages can even absorb the magic powers contained in them to recover their magic power.


    "But as an alchemist, we all know that there is a certain purity level of these magic gems, which showed by their transparency, and we also have a device to measure it. This pure white magic gem in my hand is refined by me, and its purity is 94% percent.


    "However, I can only achieve this much purity on a 1-Star Magic Gem, and as I try to refine a higher rank magic gem, the purity would plummet greatly. And we should all know that an over 90% pure 1-Star magic gem contains more potent mana than a 1% pure 9-star magic gem.


    "So, my test is simple. It is the test of your refinement skills since we all need them at our current levels. Especially at the Senior Grandmaster Rank. If you can refine a 1-Star Magic Gem with over 90% purity, you are qualified to be a Senior Grandmaster."


    Jacob dered while scanning the dumbfounded crowd. This task was easy but as well as difficult if it wasn''t properly done, and it alles down to their focus and refinement skills.


    Jacob then stated coldly, "Since it''s a ranking test of a Grandmaster Rank Alchemist, you guys will only get one try, and you have 3 hours toplete it. The materials are under our workstations.


    "Don''t try anything funny since this test is being recorded by me, and the moment I spot something, I will be free to impose any punishment on you as your invigtor, even torture."


    His icy cold words sent chills down everyone''s spines.


    "Now start!"

 Chapter 276 End Of The Test

    Three hours passed in a sh, and all those grandmasters were sweating profusely. They could refine a 1-star magic gem within fifteen minutes if it were any other time.


    However, today, they all took three entire hours to carefullybine the magic cores and then purify them while refining the final product.


    To refine a high-quality magic gem, it was an essential step to eliminate all the impurities within magic cores, which were mostly collected from magic beasts or some wild races living in the wilderness.


    Those impurities include the element of a magic core because if the element were left alone, the magic gem would remain the same as a magic core, non-absorbable.


    Meaning the element mana within a magic core couldn''t be absorbed by someone else with another element. Even if someone had the same magic element, the mana they could absorb from a raw magic core is 10% before the magic core would turn into dust, and reaming 90% will go to waste.


    Furthermore, the mana contained within a raw magic core usually is tyrannical, and it would do more harm than good to recover one mana with it. That''s why the Magic Gem was invented.


    Not only the magic gem''s mana was gentle and could absorb by anyone, but it could also be used on a magic weapon as a mana battery, so even those without magic could also use a magic weapon.


    The biggest benefits were the higher the purity rate, the faster the mana absorption and potency.


    However, just a 1-star magic gem was sold for 50 million gold coins, and their purity rate is also between 40% to 49% percent (Low Quality). A magic gem with 50% to 70% purity (Mid-Quality) was worth 100 million, while a magic gem over 70% purity rate (High Quality) never sold in themon market, much less a magic gem over 90% purity rate (wless Quality) because it was simply too time-consuming.


    But these wless quality magic gems were only used as a precious recovery mana source in very grave situations. No one uses a wless quality mana gem as a power source on their weapon.


    However, if they all knew that Jacob had been using wless quality mana gems on magic weapon crafting to create finished products, everyone would go insane from his wastefulness.


    Because a magic crafter would normally use their own mana to craft a weapon, and those without magic didn''t dare to choose this profession because they needed magic gems toplement theirck of mana.


    Jacob was also doing the same, and he knew he was being too wasteful. But did he care? The answer was no.


    Because Jacob didn''t care about money when he could make more, he only cared about the result he would obtain from spending that money. Furthermore, he has developed a habit of using the finest materials for his research or experiments, especially when he can afford them.


    Although this habit of his has cost much, even in his past life, he always ends up obtaining far more than he lost. It was the same here. He had be an Elder Grandmaster rank magic smith in 18 months and even developed his own unique insight on the path of a magic smith.


    It could also be the result of the unique traits he got with cursed immortality, but his own personality yed the biggest part in it as well.


    Right now, Jacob was testing, looking at those alchemists holding magic gems, and with a nce, he could tell just what kind of quality they had. Because he, himself, had spent three whole months to achieve over 95% purity rate in 1-Star magic gems.


    Although it was only a 1-star magic gem, he knew this gem was far better than any trash quality (less than 40% purity) 9-star magic gem. Even if the mana within them was limited, he could always use more to fulfill the demand for mana.


    "Alright, let''s start with the first row, you guys cane one by one, and I''ll examine the quality rate of your magic gem. As for who will be the guild leader and vice-guild leader, it''s simple, the person with the highest quality rate will be the Guild Leader, and the second person will be the Vice Guild Leader.


    "This way, everyone has a fair chance, and only the best among you will prevail. Now without wasting more time, you, cripple,e." Jacob pointed at the Elf with a missing arm.


    The Elf was none other than the one who had been brave enough to confront Jacob and then lost his arm.


    The Elf''s face instantly went white and then ck when he heard Jacob calling him ''cripple.'' If he had more power than Jacob, he might''ve started fighting him, but now he can only ground his teeth in hatred and move his ass obediently.


    Jacob didn''t even remember the guy''s face as, in his eyes, the elves were all the same, good-looking, with pointy ears, long heights, long hair, and arrogant personalities. They mostly resembled humans, like giants and dwarfs.


    Jacob then took something out from under the table where he was sitting. It was a 10 square inches white t te. At its one end, there was a small ck rectangle. Everyone knew it was the ''magic purity scale,'' used to measure a magic gem''s purity rate.


    Furthermore, the one in Jacob''s hand was an advance-type-1 grade, and it was something he got from Braylon''s workshop, and now it was Jacob''s!


    Jacob then pressed his finger over the ck rectangle, and a mechanical beep rang before a white ''00.00%'' appeared with that rectangle.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Now ce it on it. If you have any doubts about the scale, you can use your own. I don''t mind." Jacob coolly stated before he leaned back on his long chair, giving the cripple Elf full ess to the magic purity scale.


    "I know Guild Leader won''t stoop to such a level to scheme against a nobody like me." The Elf stiffly smiled in ttery.


    With a nce, he knew that the scale was an advance-type-1 grade, and all this thing was getting recorded, so Jacob won''t try anything funny on a nobody like him.


    So, he took a deep breath and ced the diamond shape white gemstone on the scale''s smooth surface.


    ''Beep¡­''


    Everyone was scrutinizing him while the Elf was holding his breath, and when he saw the number change and a new number appeared, he almost fainted.


    ''82.97%''


    "How is that possible?!" He eximed in disbelief.


    "Alright, you failed. Next." Jacob''s dismissive voice sent the Elf into an abyss.


    The Elf found his courage as he knew this kind of chance would only appear once in a blue moon and said with a pale face, "C-can I try it on my scale?"


    Everyone looked at the Elf disdainfully, and some even gloated at his audacity. He was asking to lose another arm.


    "Go ahead. You have one minute." However, Jacob didn''t care about this as he knew these kinds of doubts would appear, so he just let them be.


    The Elf didn''t dare to waste even a second as he quickly took out a 4 inches small red magic purity scale which was only a basic-type-1 grade.


    Furthermore, when he activated it, only ''00%'' appeared, unlike ''00.00%'' on Jacob''s scale. He quickly ced his gem on it, and it took ten whole seconds to give the final result, which only made his expression paler.


    ''81%''


    When he saw the number, he felt like crying, but he knew he might lose another arm if he dared to say anything anymore. So, he listlessly picked up his gem and scale and left the hall.


    No one felt pity for him since they were too busy worrying about themselves. They never thought grandmasters like them would fail over this simple task. It was simply too humiliating.


    "Alright, next," Jacob speak again.


    This time, it was a demi-human with fox-like features, and he was covered in sweat, and his hands were trembling when he ced the gem over the scale.


    ''Beep¡­''


    His heart skipped a beat with that beep and when he saw the number¡­


    ''86.08%''


    "You failed." Jacob coolly stated.


    Despair filled his heart, but unlike the cripple Elf, he knew how to ept reality, so he bowed toward Jacob and left the hall.


    "Next!"

 Chapter 277 The Walking Disaster (1)

    It took less than an hour to filter through all the 59 Grandmasters and test their magic gems'' purity rate.


    Now, only 13 alchemists were present in the hall, which makes them the Pass contestants, and they were all ecstatic about their future prospects.


    Especially the violent scale Kobold named yton and a tigress face orc female named Audrey. They were smiling ear to ear as if they had won some huge lottery.


    Jacob spoke dismissively at this moment, "Alright, I''ve sent your recordings with your names to the higher-ups. You''ll receive your Senior Grandmaster badges within a week, and I''ve also sent you guys invitations as promised. Now being a permanent member depends on your own skills.


    "Lastly, the next Guild Leader will be yton, he had refined a magic gem with a purity rate of 92.69%, and the Vice Guild Leader will be Audrey as her magic gem was 91.93%.


    "I might not be avable in the guild for a few days, but I''m not leaving yet. Now you guys are dismissive, and Dilly, you have only a week to give me an answer. I have already added you, so you can contact me any time."


    Dilly, who was also involved in the group and managed to pass Jacob''s test and manage to receive another invitation, quickly nodded, "I won''t disappoint Guild Leader."


    "Alight, go." Jacob nodded.


    "Thank you, guild leader,"


    Everyone bowed their head before they left the hall in full of excitement while Jacob remained there sitting on his chair.


    His lips suddenly curled up, ''I wonder if those rumors of me leaving the dark city today managed to draw all those people out who wanted to kill me, especially those mercenaries.


    ''I was nning to leave right after this test to kill those idiots and then head toward the location of that great earth minor it''s in the inner beast forest, which is quite close to my location. Afterward, I would''ve started searching for the materials and then left the rare ins for good.


    ''But I need to change my n now. The Dark Earl can save me tremendous time if I somehow manage to contact him. But I''m not going to be a dark baron to meet him since the time required to achieve that title is even more lengthy than finding those materials on my own.


    ''Let''s see how it''s yed out. I can only decide after Dilly gives me his final answer. But it didn''t change the fact that I need to get rid of those pests today, and then I should head to the location in the inner beast forest before that guy died.''


    With that thought in mind, Jacob stood up and walked toward the exit and went all way toward the lift, and headed to the first floor.


    Jacob then started moving toward the exit of the building and made sure he got noticed by as many people as possible.


    The moment he exited the building, Jacob instantly felt multiple pairs of eyesnd on him.


    ''Well, it was even easier than I was expecting it. Spreading those rumors was the right thing to do after all.'' Jacob was satisfied with this development.


    Jacob then hails a taxi and directly heads toward the exit station, which would lead him to themon circle, and from there, he would leave the dark city from the same gate he had entered.


    That was the only known entry and exit of the dark city to themon public.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ---


    The moment Jacob entered the taxi and started heading toward the exit station, those pairs of eyes hidden all around the alchemy guild building quickly started sending messages to report about Jacob''s movement.


    Within the Star Mercenary Agency in the Inner Circle of the Dark City.


    A hobgoblin looked at his wrist, and his lips curled up in a cruel smile, "He''s really leaving the dark city. What an idiot. The higher-ups clearly overestimated this guy to tell us to use full force against him. Heh, what a joke."


    ---


    Within the noble circle of the dark city,


    Skull No. A-0 was looking at a projection of Skull No. A-1 with somewhat disbelief, "Did that really leave?"


    "Yes, it''spletely confirmed; it''s 99% our target. He''s now already entering the exit station of the inner circle. Those rumors spreading in the inner circle of the alchemy guild might not be baseless after all. As for who spread them, it doesn''t matter anymore.


    "I''ve already contacted the other nines, and they are moving ording to the n as we speak. I''ll give you good news in three days." A-1 confidently assured.


    A peculiar glint shed past A-0''s eyes before he said, "There is something wrong with all this. I want you to send a probe to the alchemy guild building; send two or three if you have to. I want this confirmed Faceless Ancient really left the building, or if this is just a decoy?


    "If that''s really him, then inform me before you take any action. We might not get another chance if we let him escape this time. If he really made a mistake, then let''s make it hisst."


    "Understood!" A-1 quickly agreed before the call was disconnected.


    "Why did he leave like those rumors stated he would? There is something fishy about all this situation." A-0 muttered gravely, "If it''s a decoy, I have to find the real one, but if it is not, then I need to be extremely careful. This guy is too mysterious and astute unless he''s not confident. He won''t make a move like this."


    With a grim look in his eyes, A-0 stood up and walked toward the door.


    ---


    With Jacob''s single move, the entire dark city seemed toe alive as the normally barren exit station of the inner circle started to greet many visitors who wanted to leave the Inner Circle of the Dark City.


    Not only that, but even the outer dark city experienced the same thing as hundreds of cloaked figures embarked on the exit lifts, which led to the only exit of the dark city.


    Only if those guys had known they were walking straight toward their funerals, and this would also starts a terrifying storm... s no one can escape fate!

 Chapter 278 The Walking Disaster (2)

    (A week before everything went down...)


    After Ellie disconnected the call with Jacob, her lips curled up as she muttered in disdain, "Although he''s ambitious and vignt, but it also made him predictable. Dad already predicted that he might want something like a route map toward the epic ins or an Epic Rank Magic Evolution Manual, or even knowledge about the rank Epic Alchemist Tiers.


    "In the end, he was just content with maps. I guess a lowborn will remain a lowborn no matter how high they can climb thedder. Since he wanted to be a dog without a leash, he could be one. I just need him to direct him in a certain direction then."


    Coldness crept into her eyes as her Star Watch''s interface started to before a contact appeared, and then a voice call request was sent, and soon it got connected.


    A melodious voice with a hint of surprise eximed, "Oh? Tell me if it''s really my little darling, Ell, or did some Star Hacker manage to hack my Star Watch!"


    Ellie instantly snapped with a hint of killing intent in her eyes, "Lucy, you bitch, cut the nonsense and tell me if you''re interested in making a bet with me or not!"


    Lucy''s yful voice rang again, "Long time no see, Ell. I was just making sure you are the real deal since the Star Hackers are getting out of handtely as the trial is upon us. As for the bet, if you need money, then just ask. You know I won''t reject you even if I have to sell my body for you!"


    Ellie gritted her teeth in indignation, "Bitch, if you don''t want to talk properly, I''ll cut the call!"


    "Hehe, how cute. You''re just making me more excited. Alright, I''ll bite." Lucy giggled without any hint of seriousness.


    This made Ellie even more rageful, but she didn''t lose her calm as she said icily, "I recently discovered that you tried to undermine me regarding the matter of Faceless Ancient.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t hold it against you, but this matter also involved Faceless Ancient, so it was necessary to mention him. I know you put some kind ofmission on him. So, I want to bet on this exact thing since the stage is already set. Do you dare?"


    "Oh? It seemed that Old Pervert finally had his way with you, huh?" Lucy chortled wickedly.


    "Do you believe I''ll raise your bank branches in Alchemy Region into the ground if you dare to spout any more nonsense?" Ellie nefariously questioned.


    "Alright, you know we are best friends, and best friends joke all the time. Tell me what you suggest." Lucy coolly changed the subject.


    Ellie controlled the urge to cut the call and revealed, "I want to bet whether Faceless Ancient coulde to Epic ins alive or not."


    Lucy remained silent for a moment before her intrigued voice rang again, "Are you betting on; he can?"


    "Yes," Ellie answered without hesitation.


    "I know it won''t be so simple with you. So, what will be the conditions?" Lucy questioned.


    "I only have one condition, and that if he is stopped or dies at the hand of any epic level being, or anything epic as a matter of fact or type-2 or above treasures, poisons, mech, this bet will be voided," Ellie answered coldly.


    Lucy again fell into contemted silence before she replied with a hint of interest, "You want to void the bet but not ce a condition like if I vited this, I will have to give you the item I bet? Don''t tell me, if you found yourself losing, you will just go out your way and use this loophole yourself so you could save your own ass?"


    ''This bitch is as sharp as ever.'' Ellie narrowed her eyes. She didn''t deny it nor admit it and coldly spoke, "I''m cing this condition only because if I didn''t ce, you would never bet the item I want."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Then you should''ve tried to ask me. I might''ve fell for your trap, you know." Lucy mockingly replied.


    "Are you betting or not?" Ellie snapped.


    "I want to add another condition, then. If you ept, then let''s talk about what we''re betting." Said, Lucy.


    ''Here it''se.'' Ellie took a deep breath, "Tell me."


    "I want to confirm two things first. The first one, this journey will be made by Faceless Ancient alone, right? Second, if he dies in the Star Ocean by some epic-level beast or gets poisoned by a type-2 rank poison or some pirate ship, even some epic stray dog, before stepping on the soil of the epic ins, this bet would be voided, right?" She questioned.


    "To answer your first question, I have already sold him the map of the epic ins'' sea routes, but he will not get any help from my side, and I have nothing to do with his actions except that map he bought from me for his services.


    "As for your second question, yes, as long as he won''t die by anything but epic or type-2 and with their involvement and can''t reach the epic ins, you won. But if you did, you lose." Ellie replied.


    "Heh, giving him a map is akin to giving him a shortcut. But it would make it more interesting. Thest question, we are using Zodiac Oath Contract, right?" She asked again.


    "Of course, it goes without saying. Or do you think I would make a bet with a willy bitch like you?" Ellie scoffed.


    "You know that''s kind of hurt." Lucy sighed sadly, which was clearly just to tease Ellie more before she said, "Alright, then, then my condition is simple, before this bet, if anyone, this included all the beings in existence, including you and me, so if ''anyone'' had made any prior arrangements expect that map part, the bet shall be won by the person who didn''t win the bet the moment he Zodiac Oath was established. If you agree to this, then let''s talk about the items."


    Ellie wasn''t got flustered by this condition at all. On the contrary, her lips curled slightly, ''The old man was again right!''


    "Alright, I agree to this condition as well." Ellie agreed without hesitation.


    "Oh? It seemed you didn''t sleep with him after all." Lucy''s voice contained a rare surprise.


    Ellie''s expression instantly went dark, but before she could curse, Lucy continued, "Then tell me, what are we betting?"


    Ellie suppressed her murderous urge as she knew it was now a critical point, and she couldn''t miss this chance, or she won''t get another.


    "You know damn well what I want." Ellie coldly dered.


    "The Scripture of nk? Alright. But you should know how precious it is, so unless you bring out that Old pervert''s Null Space Mirror, I won''t bet it." Lucy stated her own condition as if she had expected this much.


    Ellie, on the other hand, was also expecting this type of demand from Lucy, ''Old man, you better be right about this, or it''s not my fault.''


    After taking a deep, cold breath, she solemnly dered, "Let''s seal the deal then!"

 Chapter 279 The Walking Disaster (3)

    (Present)


    Nighttime, under the starry sky, between the canyon, around a massive waterfall.


    The fifty-cubic meter, glistering ck block, which was the entrance of the Dark City, revealed an opening on its one side, and a tall hooded figure d in ck walked out.


    Jacob saw the night sky filled with stars, and down below was the raging water stream from the massive waterfall.


    "Goodbye, Sir Faceless Ancient. The Dark City hopes your stay here was pleasant, and Dark City will always wee you anytime!" Dark Rose''s electric voice rang at this moment.


    "d to hear that." Jacob impassivelymented with a chuck before he nced back at the closing door, and an icy smile appeared on his face.


    Without wasting more time, he walked to the edge of the tform, and without hesitation, he dived into the water stream.


    Just five minutes passed after Jacob exited the dark city. The small opening appeared again, and this time, there were many figures appearing one after another.


    Some of them used their star watches before they also dived, and this kind of scene was being yed for almost an hour as today many people were leaving the dark city, which hadn''t happened for a long time.


    At this moment, Jacob was calmly running into the dense magic beast forest, slowly making his way toward the inner region. But his speed was only average as he ran between trees.


    ''Just how many people are after my life? Don''t tell me the entire mercenary agency was put on the task to kill me? Or are there more hidden enemies that I was unaware of? Well, let theme then. I''ll get rid of them in one fell swoop.'' Jacob thought maliciously.


    Although it looked like he wasn''t paying attention and was going on his merry way, in truth, Jacob was on full-time high alert. From the moment he exited the canyon, he knew he was being watched.


    After he entered the forest, those guys who were lying waiting in the forest started following him, and slowly but surely, their numbers started to climb as time went by.


    Jacob guessed that those guys who were present in the beast forest before he left the dark city were only scouts, and the true force was the guys joining them, and they most likely came from the dark city.


    But Jacob was still quite astounded when he found that the numbers of his pursuers kept increasing, and not only that, but it was more than one group.


    He didn''t know if those guys were together or knew about each other existence, but he was pretty sure that they all had onemon goal, him!


    If he wanted, he could start acting right away, but he didn''t do so because he wanted to see just how many guys were after him and get rid of them all at once.


    Although this action of his was dangerous and filled with uncertainties, Jacob was quite confident in preserving his life unless there were epic beings present among those guys or they had type-2 treasures, which was nigh impossible in his knowledge!


    Even if, by some bad luck, any of those possible scenarios came true, Jacob wasn''t like twenty months ago. He was as ready as he could get to start the voyage to the epic ins.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Rare ins were now just like a backyard to him, which he could leave on a whim nobody could stop him.


    Jacob then thought of something as he thought, ''Cursed Immortality!''


    Cursed Immortality instantly appeared, hovering in front of him as the pages started to turn and he read words written by Immortika.


    "You finally decided to summon me after two years. I was getting bored out of my mind!" Those words were filled with resentment.


    But Jacob wasn''t the one to fall for them, "If you''re doing wailing, then help me find if there is anyone here with a heart worth of Cursed Blood Condensing."


    Jacob knew it was almost impossible to find another wyvern-like existence in this ce again, but this didn''t mean he won''t find someone with a faint trace of some legendary bloodline.


    ording to Immortika, as long as he eats the heart of someone with legendary potential, his Cursed Blood Condensing would increase. And the bloodline ys the biggest part in having a potential of legendary rank.


    But it wasn''t important to have a true legendary bloodline. That''s where descendants came into the picture. Even if someone had a faint trace of their legendary bloodline, they would be considered a descendant of a legendary being.


    Even if there was a 000.1% bloodline present in that person, Jacob was willing to take their hearts since it was better than nothing. The chances of that blood density getting higher would be increased when he starts his hunt in the epic ins.


    Right now, he had hundreds of chicks following him, and he could ughter them as he wished, so he didn''t want to waste any potential heart. That''s why he summoned Cursed Immortality to identify those hearts.


    Even if the result turned out to be disappointing, he was also hoping to use it for scouting. But of course, he won''t admit that out loud.


    "Hehehe¡­ do you think legendary rank''s descendants would y house in a ce like¡­" Immortika suddenly stopped writing, which was quite a surprise to Jacob as it never had happened before.


    Which made his heart palpitate, "Do you found something?" He asked in disbelief as he instantly became vignt of his surroundings. He can ignore anything but cursed immortality.


    "Hahahaha¡­" The very next moment, Immortika''s maniacalughter filled the page, which only made Jacob more uneasy.


    "Just out with it!" He sternly dered.


    "You really have Devil''s Luck! There are two hidden existences within your pursuers who matched the requirement for Cursed Blood Condensing. Although they are not direct descendants, but they are only far from six generations!"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered intensely as he felt more at ease since it wasn''t some danger, "It''s quite rare that I''m d that I summoned you. So, where are they!?"

 Chapter 280 The Walking Disaster (4)

    "¡­where are they?"


    "Hehehe¡­ confident, aren''t we? But I guess you are qualified to be confident in the rare ins now. Do you want to take action now or before you end this game of yours?" Immortika didn''t answer but questioned instead.


    Jacob answered without hesitation, "No, I''ll take them out as soon as possible. They might run away if they witness my prowess. So, just tell me, I''ll deal with them first before getting rid of these jokers. Completing the Cursed Blood Condensing is more important than anything!"


    "Alright, you better put on a good show for me. I''ll guide you to their locations as they are too well hidden. Only if you elerate your heart at 15X will you be able to find them." Immortika revealed a terrifying fact that made Jacob feel rmed.


    ''How could a descent of a legendary being would be so easy to hunt?'' Jacob thought as he no longer dared to take the Cursed Blood Condensing lightly. He was basically dealing with high-caliber monsters like the infant wyvern.


    At this moment, Jacob''s figure, which was under every watchful eye''s vision, suddenly vanished!


    "Where did he go?" A ck-d figure jumping between trees without making any sounds eximed.


    "Target is out of sight!"


    These kinds of exims started to flow around the forest as all the people started to search madly for Jacob, creating a chaotic situation.


    While Jacob was now moving like lightning in the west direction without making any sounds, he was so fast even those tier-6 Extraordinary couldn''t see his shadow anymore.


    Jacob took full advantage of the darkness and his superior physique to charge in the direction that Immortika was leading him. He didn''t want to make his targets run and finished them off in one fell swoop.


    Two hundred meters away from Jacob, two figures were standing on top of some kind of small round discs as they hovered ten meters apart from each other above the forest. But for some reason, they were invisible in hindsight.


    Furthermore, they were both holding two cubes in their hands, and they were both showing the exact ce where Jacob had vanished a few moments ago on the cubes'' ck surface, like a live video feed.


    Moreover, these figures were wearing tight white robes, and there was ck hourss embroidered over their chests while their entire heads were tightly wrapped under ck gauze. Even their eyes were not visible.


    Under the dim moonlight, they looked like creepy mummified ghosts.


    Suddenly, they turned their heads toward each other as eerie silence remained between them while they kept their head in each other direction.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob appeared only twenty meters away from them behind a tree and looked at Immortika with uncertainty, "Why did you tell me to stop?"


    "Because those two are standing ten meters above the sky wearing white robes like clowns. Can''t you see them from here?" Immortika wrote.


    Jacob was bewildered as he looked at the sky and even made a turnaround, but he didn''t see a thing and frowned, "What are you talking about? There''s nothing there."


    "Oh? Hahahaha¡­ it seemed they were using some kind of magic or a magic item to hide from the naked eye!"


    "No, even if they are hiding, I should''ve heard their heart rate or breathing at least, but there is nothing, especially if they are between the range of hundred meters. Unless they are dark beings, I''m confident that no living being in the rare ins could hide in my hindsight." Jacob retorted.


    "That''s where you''re wrong. There are myriad ways to hide one''s breathing and heart rate, like the Dark Beings. Furthermore, you have yet toe in contact with true magic.


    "The magic in type-1 ins is simply too crude. They don''t even have proper magic scriptures to cultivate it. So, you naturally underestimate the use of magic. Anyhow, you will be able to detect them as long as you use your fluid eleration at 15X."


    Jacob wasn''t flustered by Immortika''s words as he knew it was right about the people of rare ins being crude when it came to using magic. Although he had yet to read the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual fully, he had already read the introduction, and he knew it was a basic magic scripture of basic elements.


    He was putting it on hold because he didn''t have time to waste because of Ellie''s deadline. But now, he didn''t have to worry about time, so he might as well be done with it after making this trip.


    "So, in roundabout ways, you mean to tell me that those two probably have ess to magic scriptures. I won''t be surprised if they are some high-ranking members of the killer skull society or some high-ranking member of the bank." Jacob coldly stated as his heart rate suddenly started to increase at a terrifying speed.


    When his heart rate crossed the 10X threshold, faint smoke started to rise from Jacob''s person as his senses started to enhance. Even his vision became so clear in the night as he was looking at everything in in daylight.


    His hearing also increased as it rang, instantly breaking the 1-mile radius barrier, and now he could hear all those people who were now searching for him high and low even their heartbeats and bloodstream were clear as day. Not even those tiny crawling insects were hidden from his hearing.


    However, to his surprise, he still didn''t find those two-standing right above the sky, ording to Immortika. Jacob''s fluid eleration with his epic body was not like what it used to be when he merely had a rare rank physique.


    He knew his strength too well. If he wasn''t wrong, then with every 5X eleration, he could fight a higher tier being than him without breaking a sweat, not to mention his senses were even stronger than some epic being who didn''t have connate high physique senses.


    So, Immortika probably wasn''t joking when it said he could not find them without using 15X eleration because once he enters that state, he can hear and see the invisible electromaic waves in the human eye!

 Chapter 281 The Walking Disaster (5)

    The two ghostly figures standing on top of the discs were still looking at each other while the cubes in their hands were blinking as they showed images of different areas in the beast forest at terrifying speed.


    However, it was at this moment they suddenly jolted as they both twisted their head in one peculiar direction.


    The discs under their feet suddenly shimmered before they started to move. But right at this moment, something terrifying happened when out of the blue¡­


    "Ssh¡­"


    One of the figure''s heads suddenly blew like watermelon before the disc under his feet could even pick up speed to evade.


    "Boommmm¡­"


    It was at this moment; a sonic boom rang in the silent vicinity of the beast forest, and the reaming white robes'' person waspletely caught off guard by hispanion''s uncanny death.


    Before he knew it, the disc and the headless corpse were already falling down the sky while his disc was still picking up speed. He was only snapped out of his stupor when he heard the thunderous sonic boom.


    The disc under his feet suddenly shimmered in purple light as it started to descend. He clearly wanted to use the trees to disrupt the attacker''s vision.


    But he was too slow as by the time he managed to process what happened, ''Bang¡­'' his head also sted apart like a balloon.


    "Booommm¡­"


    Another sonic boom rang at this moment in the vicinity, and two bodies started to fall from the sky. This entire scene only took about five seconds before the two ghostly figures were dead without even knowing how.


    Jacob stood holding a two-meter ck sniper rifle which was filled with gray stripes, and smoke was rising from its muzzle. Furthermore, those gray strips were shimmering in garish light, and the magic gem embedded in its grip was shining brightly.


    But the very next moment, the magic gem suddenly cracked before it turned into dust.


    Jacob wasn''t fazed by it as his eyes at this moment were shining in rainbow color before they slowly returned to being amber again, and the smock rising from his figure also cooled down.


    Jacob looked at the ck sniper rifle with a content look. As he turned his hand, a magic gem appeared, and he clicked it in the empty chamber where the old gem was embedded a moment ago.


    ''These enhanced shock absorber magic patterns are really what I needed to control the recoil of my new Iron Titan Sniper. But the magic gem is only enough to sustain two bullets recoils. Sigh¡­ it''s too costly. If only I could use magic.


    ''If I want to recreate the Quantum Sniper and then use it without losing a limb, then I need at least top-tier epic magic patterns and epic-tier magic gems.'' Jacobmented as he didn''t care about the fact that he had managed to kill two terrifying existence like it wasn''t news to him.


    Jacob knew the moment he took out the Iron Titan Sniper, which was the name he had given it after turning it into a magic weapon. Those guys won''t stand a chance against him.


    Now, he can use Iron Titan Sniper without worrying about suffering a recoil from it. He didn''t dare to use it even with his epic physique because he knew his arm would be shattered, just like he ended up in that almost dead state when he used it against the Wight Minister.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although he won''t be left in that dead state, it was a wound he wanted to avoid at all costs. That''s why he was so hell-bent on learning the Magic Smithing to find a way to avoid such a situation, and he did.


    The Magic Patterns were something only a magic smith could create with unique magic smiting techniques. Different magic smiting techniques result in different magic patterns.


    Like the enhanced shock absorber, magic patterns were Jacob''s favorite, and he got the technique for them in the manual bought from the champion''s space. Even the alchemy guild''s shop didn''t have them.


    In Jacob''s understanding, this technique was probably for Elder Grandmaster Rank Magic Smiths since it was the technique written in the Elder Grandmaster Section of the manual.


    So, it was only natural that the alchemy guild shop of rare ins didn''t have them.


    Anyhow, Jacob''s new guns were all-powerful, and they were magic with this technique.


    Although they were not truly magic guns since they couldn''t be used with magic bullets, he didn''t need magic bullets when he could create even more powerful bullets than magic bullets as long as he put his mind to it.


    One could say that Jacob now can put many of the ideas which seemed impossible in his old life into theories, and he would only grow as long as he continued to acquire more knowledge of this world''s technology, especially magic technology.


    Jacob then put his new gun back and quickly headed in the direction where the bodies fell. He was also quite interested in those two discs, which seemed to be like some hoverboard.


    Furthermore, with those two explosive sounds from his guns, he knew those guys searching for him were alling in this way, so he had to collect their bodies and belonging first before he started dealing with the others.


    With his excellent vision and sense of smell, he quickly found the two bodies and the discs. He didn''t have time to check them as he stored them in his pendant and decided to enjoy a feastter after he got rid of all those pests.


    ---


    What Jacob didn''t know was the moment he killed those two guys on the discs, within the hidden library in the dark city.


    The Goblette, impassively reading an old cover book, suddenly heard an electric voice.


    "Iron Puppet Assassins has been killed by the target!


    "Iron ss Kill Order has entered the second stage!


    "5 Iron Puppet Assassins have been dispatched!"


    The Goblette merely nced at the reverse ck hourss, which was still working in reverse, before she returned to reading as if nothing had happened!

 Chapter 282 The Walking Disaster (6)

    After collecting the two bodies and discs, Jacob was in a good mood.


    He looked in the direction of themotion, and his lips rose in an icy smile as he told Immortika, "Let''s start the operation. Just tell me if I missed someone."


    The next moment, Doom Assassin Short Swords appeared in his hand. The dark gray des were the same, but the skulls from the sword hilts were now reced with two palm-size ck bearings.


    Jacob felt the Doom Assassin Short Swords weight which was one ton each and then started to spin them agilely like they were nothing but feathers, and the next moment, he vanished, leaving behind a blur.


    "Captain, we are only a hundred meters away from the explosion area!" A ck-d figure spoke in his star watch while he nimbly moved between trees, and he was heading straight in Jacob''s direction.


    "Good, keep your guard up. There is more than one group in this ce, and they are probably after our target. As long as they are here to kill him, don''t get in their way. Let them take the lead even to probe and wear out the target. We''ll get the rewards as long as he dies. It matters not if someone else kills him. What matter is he''s dead tonight!" A raspy voice rang in reply.


    Almost all the mercenaries received the same kind ofmand from their captains.


    If it were two years ago, they would''ve all been fighting for the kill, but now it waspletely different. Theirmission has been changed from a bounty to must kill order, and rewards will be given to everyone who participates in this hunt and manages to get rid of the target.


    At a mile in the northeast direction, Skull No. A-1 stood with a party of nine, and they were also listening to a report from his scout, "There are over three hundred unknown personnel, and they are all after our target. What is yourmand?"


    A-1''s eyes narrowed, "It doesn''t matter. We need to bring him in alive. Let the other side attack first. Just don''t lose sight of him anymore. As long as the other side draw out all his trump card, we''ll interfere."


    "Unders¡­.kikkk¡­." The voice suddenly cut abruptly with a strange cry.


    "What happens?" A-1 was bewildered as he asked, but no reply came as the connection waspletely lost.


    "I think he''s been killed." A heavy voice rang from one of the 4-meter-tall giant figures.


    "The question is by whom." Another giant figure coldly chuckled.


    A-1''s grim voice rang, "It seemed we needed to step in sooner, gentlemen. We can''t let the target getaway today, or we''ll never get a chance to go into higher ins. So, I need everyone to use your full power today¡­"


    "Boomm¡­."


    His voice was disrupted by a huge explosion over six hundred meters away from their position, and a huge fire could be raised.


    "Oh, someone already used an explosive magic spell of nine-star rank." A woman''s voice filled with interest rang.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Let go before he gets killed!" A long sword appeared in A-1''s hand before he moved in the direction of themotions.


    However, as they got closer, they could hear screams ringing all around them, and those screams were absolutely bone-chilling as they rang all over the forest while all kinds of explosions rang.


    For a moment, they rang from the east, and the next moment they rang from the south. It was like a war zone. But this made the top ten A-rank skulls of the killer skull society even more confused. Since there should be only one target, how could everyone start fighting each other?


    Not only the ten skulls, but there was another group of 32 universal mercenaries. They were all official members, not reserve members, and three of them among them were dark baron-level dark nobles of the dark city.


    This group was the true upper echelon of the mercenary agency in the rare ins, and they were all going to leave the rare ins in over a year when the reinforcement from the epic ins arrived to suppress the dark beings.


    They all came here with their underlings, beaming with confidence. But now they were all panicking as their numbers suddenly started to feel down like a waterfall.


    "What the fuck is happening? Who is attacking our men?!" A booming voice rang in the forest.


    It was a giant wearing menacing-looking ck armor while holding a 6-meter-long halberd while he was trembling with rage and trepidation.


    "Lord, Fire Cannon, we lost contact with three more scouts, and three more leader-level figures have left the hunting chat!" Another giant grimly informed Fire Cannon, who was the second most powerful official mercenary present in the dark city and a baron-ranked dark noble.


    "What, those fools cut the contact as well? What the fuck are they doing?" Fire Cannon didn''t hide his booming voice as he was nowpletely enraged.


    "Maybe they''re just killed by me?" At this moment, an icy voice replied.


    "Who¡­?!" Fire Cannon was startled as he twisted his body in the voice direction, and he was instantly horrified when he saw his right-hand man, who was just alive a moment ago, was now falling to the group as his giant head was rolling over.


    Not only that, but a dark figure was right in front of his face and only a meter away. Time seemed to slow down as Fire Cannon saw two sharp streaks headed toward his neck in a scissors-like motion.


    At this moment, Fire Cannon, a mountain giant, who wasn''t afraid of even death, felt the fear of impending death as that dark figure appeared akin to a grim-ripper who couldn''t resist as his body froze in ce.


    ''Swish¡­''


    Fire Cannon felt his vision start to twist as all the feelings he had a moment ago started to slip away. He only heard atrocious muttering before everything faded away,


    "I wonder if I should take these giants'' hearts, but it would take too much space. Forget it. They''re just trash. I should take their rings, weapons, and star watch¡­"

 Chapter 283 The Walking Disaster (7)

    In the dark night, the magic beast forest today was filled with horrified screams, and blood dyed the soil.


    Dead bodies dropped like rain as all of their head were cleaved, and not only that, but their chest was all cut open, and their hearts were missing with their star watches and rings.


    This caused those people who came here with the intent to killpletely shudder, even those high and mighty experts with status.


    "Lord Fire Cannon connection has also been lost." A hobgoblin standing beside another hobgoblin said with trepidation.


    "I''m leaving." The hobgoblin said in his star watch before disconnecting it, and then he looked at the other hobgoblin beside him, "Order our men to retreat something is terribly wrong with this ce!" The hobgoblin ordered, and he turned around without hesitation.


    "Going somewhere?" A ghost-like voice suddenly rang, and before the hobgoblins could even react, their head was rolling as their bodies took a few steps before they fell down.


    Jacob scoffed, looking at the dead Hobgoblins as he went ahead and harvested their hearts before he took their star watches and one space ring which the hobgoblin was wearing.


    It only took him five seconds before he moved toward another target.


    "It seemed these guys are now nning to run, hehe." Immortika wrote.


    "But can they?" Jacob sneered as he entered 2X eleration, increasing his sense range even more, not to mention his speed.


    The renaming members of the other hunting parties now realized that they were not the ones who were hunting, but they were the prey here, and the hunter turned out to be none other than their prey.


    They knew the target was a wolf in sheep''s clothing.


    However, their retreating efforts were all turned into nothing but meaningless struggle as more blood-curdling screams reverberated in the vicinity, and those screams only belonged to those who were scared out of their minds.


    But as soon as those screams rang, they died down the next moment.


    "Gathered together, everyone! He''s hunting us down one by one, gathered together if you want to survive!" A booming voice rang in the vicinity, and it was filled with rage and panic.


    "We, the Universal Mercenaries, invite everyone to work together to fight against this fiend!" Another loud roar sounded like thunder.


    "Killer Skull Society gathered with the mercenary friends!" A heavy voice replied as those guys who were running like headless chicks started to snap out of their stupors, and they ran in those voices'' direction like crazy.


    They all now understand that they will be dead eventually if they continue to run like this, and the other party seems to know exactly where they are running.


    Even those top ten A-rank skulls realized that the Faceless Ancient wasn''t a target at all, but he was a predator who they had underestimated terribly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So, they forget about their actual motive and decide to retreat from this death trap before reporting it to A-0. They had thoroughly underestimated Faceless Ancient, and they needed more than numbers to take down that guy.


    They couldn''t even trap him because they couldn''t even see him as if he was a ghost!


    Jacob stopped in this track as he looked in the direction of the voice and listened around, and smiled deviously, "Well, they''re making it even easier for me to get rid of them. All those guys are now gathering in one ce."


    "Now, this is what you called a true way to live. Just kill them all and take whatever you need once you have the strength. I suggest you kill everyone in the rare ins. Who knows, you might find more surprises like those two guys. No one can stop you. ahahha..." Immortika revealed its nefarious n.


    Jacob looked at the bloodthirsty suggestion and scoffed, "I''m only doing it because those guys provoke me first. Besides, the moment I start massacring every living being I see, I''m pretty sure I''ll be even more hated than the dark begins.


    "You yourself said that there''s a godly existence like Zodiac Will, so I want to avoid it as much as I can, and I''m pretty sure you wanted to do the same. So, stop with your moronic suggestions."


    "How do you know I want to avoid it? Hehehe..." Immortika questioned.


    "That''s something I want to know as well." Jacob candidly replied.


    "Curiosity killed the cat." It wrote ambiguously.


    "There''s not an option when curiosity is part of the cat. So, as long as you are on my side, I hope you will eventually reveal the problems, especially those that could get me killed." Jacob honestly stated, and he got no reply which he was not surprised about.


    Five minutester, "Did all of them gather?" He then asked as he didn''t sense any more scattered mob, and all of them were gathered in one ce.


    "128 extraordinary-tier-6 and 219 ranks not worth mentioning have been gathered together in arge group. What are you going to do? It better be entertaining! Hehehe."


    "I have collected enough hearts and some high-tier meat for a meal, so I don''t think I need their hearts anymore. The only thing they have valuable is their star watches, and some high-ranking members wore space rings. So, I can kill them without being worried about damaging their bodies anymore." Jacob ambiguously replied before the swords in his hands vanished.


    He then started moving in a particr direction and stopped when he was only two hundred meters away from the gathered mob.


    The next moment, he took out a two-meter weapon he ced it on the ground. This weapon consisted of four mainponents: a barrel, a base te, a bipod, and a sight.


    That was a freaking Mortar with magic markings all over it!


    Jacob then took out a 120 mm blue mortar round with propent rings, and it was a spin-stabilized bomb. He then loaded it in its muzzle and then set the barrel at a general angle between 45 and 85 degrees.


    Jacob then ced his hands on the trigger and pulled a murderous smile, "Let''s hope they won''t be sted apart by this basic type-1 mortar round!"

 Chapter 284 The Walking Disaster (8)

    The remnant of the Killer Skull Society and the Universal Mercenaries were all gathered together, forming a huge group.


    The top ten A-rank skulls also managed to keep themselves alive because the moment they sensed the situation turning worse, they also decided to retreat.


    But s, leaving was easier said than done as their numbers continued to decrease even faster. Hence, they had no choice but to team up with the universal mercenaries who were not in any better position than them, if not worse.


    "Bastard,e out if you dare!" A Universal Mercenary Giant who was also the number one ranked among the agency roared out loud furiously. Fire Cannon was like a brother to him, and now he was probably dead, so he was quite eager to have a go at Jacob.


    But he was rational enough not to go out alone since even he, as a giant, could tell the other party was not any less strong than a giant like him.


    "Visss..."


    A strange voice suddenly rang in the vicinity drawing everyone''s attention, and in unison, they all looked in the direction of this voice.


    They only saw an object like a shooting star, and the next moment, that shooting star suddenly started to descend right in their direction with terrifying speed.


    "What is..."


    "Run!"


    Someone roared, but s, the shooting star was simply too fast, and no one was able to react fast enough as itnded right in the middle of their gathering point, and the next moment,


    "Boommm..."


    A terrifying explosion urred, making the ground shake as if a terrifying earthquake just came out of nowhere. A mushroom cloud rose within the vicinity.


    Everyone in the vicinity of a hundred meters rises to the ground, and a terrifying shock wave blows away all the trees.


    Jacob, who had already collected the mortar, stood while leaning with a thick tree without having any intention to move despite the iing shockwave with a dust cloud.


    ''Swish...''


    A terrifying wind blew past his position, mixed with dust and heat from the explosion, but it wasn''t able to move the thick tree or Jacob, who just stood there.


    He looked at the book and asked dismissively, "How many managed to survive?"


    "Those 128 extraordinary-tier-6 are still breathing, but barely I guess. While those 219 small fries are raised down to 18, and they are all giants, as expected from those big logs."


    Jacob nodded, "I suspected as much. I never intended to kill 128 extraordinary-tier-6s since they are the richest of the bunch. Let''s collect..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, before Jacob could speak, he saw the writing on the book suddenly change.


    "Oh? Someone ising in this way, and that person''s heart matches what you need. I never thought so many guys would be wasting their potential in this shitty ce. Well, you can make their life worth it... hahaha!" Immortika suddenly wrote.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with brilliance, and he only asked one word before the Iron Titan Sniper appeared in his hand, "Where?"


    "What the hell is going on in this ce?" A-0, d in ck body armor while his face was hidden under a mantle, looked in the direction of the dust cloud with a grim expression.


    He exited the dark city and wanted to oversee the entire operation himself, but for some reason, he lost contact with A-1 a couple of minutes ago. Not only he but even everyone involved in the mission couldn''t be contacted.


    However, he got the general location from A-1 before the contact was lost, so he was rushing in this direction when he heard that terrifying explosion and started to feel something was amiss.


    "Don''t tell me they can''t even apprehend one fucking rat?!" He muttered in indignation.


    However, when A-0 was only over a mile away from the explosion focal point, he suddenly felt his heart palpitate, and the fine hair on his body stood with goosebumps. His unique racial danger sense roared in rm.


    This ability was something that he depended on most, and he knew it couldn''t be wrong as it had safe him thousands of times from life-threatening dangers.


    Without hesitation, he gave in to his instincts and twisted his body and lunged with a sidestep, and smacked into a three.


    But the moment he just sidestepped, an object at a terrifying speed suddenly brushed past his mantle and barely missed his head andnded on the trees behind and blew it away like it was a water balloon and only just one tree anything that came in that object way blew like that for hundreds of meters.


    A-0 finally stabilized himself and looked at the damage behind him with a horrified expression, and his heart sank to rock bottom.


    However, his heart skipped a beat again, and his legs moved on their own. But, this time, he wasn''t as lucky as before. Even though he managed to dodge the bullet from blowing his head, it still managed to graze his left cheekbone and even blow away his ear left ear.


    At this moment, the mantle and mask on his face crumbled, revealing A-0''s ghastly face. He had a lion-like face, but his skin was pale yellow, but the most eye-catching feature was his chameleon-like eyes.


    He looked extremely pale as half of his face was almost blown just now as blood was gushing from the wound, dying his face and neck crimson giving him a ghostly appearance.


    In his entire life, A-0 probably had nevere this close to dying, nor did he dream that someone was capable of pushing him to this kind of state, especially in this ce, not by a long shot. He never thought the small chore would turn out to be a deadly mistake.


    But the impossible had happened, and now he was facing the threat of dying, and he was stunned because his head was ringing from thest brush of the deadly bullet.


    However, his survival instincts kicked in, and he ran on pure grit to live while trying to regain his senses and calm his nerves. Nothing made sense anymore to him as he just wanted to live!

 Chapter 285 The Walking Disaster (9)

    Lunging on trees, Jacob, holding the ck sniper rifle, was looking at A-0, who was wobbling around the trees while running, and there was a hint of shock in his eyes.


    "He managed to dodge two bullets from my iron titan sniper. Just what kind of species he belonged to?" Jacob asked.


    "Hehe, he''s a mix between a High Orc and a Stealth Chameleon. You can say he''s a Demi High Orc, and High Orc is a proactive war Legendary Race. So, it''s only natural he had their survival instincts. He had the potential to be Unique." Immortika revealed.


    Jacob was astonished as he looked at A-0, who was slowly regaining his senses and wasn''t giving Jacob''s chance to take a shot at him anymore as he moved in a zigzag pattern.


    His speed was not any slower than his when he wasn''t using fluid eleration.


    But Jacob was already using 5X eleration, and he was quickly closing in. He no longer nned to waste more bullets since he could get rid of that wounded prick himself now.


    However, when Jacob was only less than fifty meters away from catching up, he noticed A-0 take out something from his space ring, and it was a white scroll.


    ''It seemed he regained enough focus to remember he had a space ring. And that white scroll is a magic scroll!'' Jacob''s guard was instantly raised as he knew those magic scrolls were like bombs, and he didn''t want to be at the receiving end.


    So, Jacob threw the notion of saving some bullets as that guy was probably more dangerous if he didn''t kill him as quickly as possible.


    But A-0 had already crushed the white scroll and beat Jacob by a hair before he could take aim.


    A brilliant light suddenly shone from the point where the white scroll was crushed, hindering Jacob''s sight greatly, almost blinding it.


    Now, it was Jacob''s turn to feel impending dangering his way, and for someone with his current level to feel danger, it was not a joke. So, without hesitation, his eleration increased to 10X, and he ran in the opposite direction to the iing whiteness before it could envelop him.


    When Jacob was fifty meters away from that whiteness, it didn''t expand anymore, and when he turned around to see what kind of magic scroll it was, he was shocked because a white doom covered fifty meters radius.


    "A magic barrier?" Jacob instantly guessed.


    Furthermore, he was feeling danger from that barrier, so he knew it would not bode well for him toe in physical contact with it.


    "Is he hiding there?" He asked Immortika.


    Because if it turned out to be the case, then he didn''t know just how long that barrier wouldst, so he needed to take some drastic measures to break that barrier without touching it.


    "Hahahahah¡­ what a cunning fellow, that barrier is just a decoy which can fool your senses, and he''s already two hundred meters away from using. If you can''t feel him, then it might be the result of him using another ck scroll." Immortika amusingly wrote.


    "No, that barrier wasn''t a decoy. It was most likely meant to trap me within!" Jacob''s expression changed as he stopped wasting his time standing there and quickly gave chase. He nearly got fooled by that wounded fellow by thinking that he was hidden in that barrier.


    ''Just who is this guy.'' Jacob thought while he followed the direction where Immortika was leading him. He was hell-bent on killing this guy, and the reason was nothing but his precious heart!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A-0, who was chucking down vial after vial of crystal green liquid as his wounds were starting to mend, couldn''t get rid of that dangerous sensation even after using that precious 9-star blind barrier magic scroll and another 9-star shadow magic scroll.


    ''Why is he so strong¡­ who is he¡­ could it be he''s an epic?! No, impossible nobody can go against the restriction of a in. Just who is he¡­''


    However, the feeling of dead enveloping him rose again, and he jumped down.


    "Kboomm..''


    "Ahhhhh¡­."


    He screamed when he saw his leg had been blown off despite his managing to save his head.


    ''He can see me¡­ no, no, I''m going to die. I don''t want to die!'' A-0 felt his mind on the verge of a breakdown, and with the pain, it started getting worse.


    He never thought he would die like this, and he didn''t even have a chance to retaliate as the other party was simply too terrifying to track him down. But he knew the true reason for his demise was that weapon which was even faster than his danger sense.


    His reaction speed which should be around Epic-tier-1 was nothing in front of the bullet speed, and this type of weapon shouldn''t exist on the rare ins.


    "Ahhh¡­haa¡­ s-stop! Please stop! I-I¡­ why are you attacking me?!" He roared with an appalled expression while surpassing his pain.


    At this time, Jacob finallynded a few meters in front of A-0, who looked like a mess with his leg blown and his face still filled with blood.


    "Because I like your heart." Jacob dismissively replied before he left an afterimage and appeared right in front of A-0, and his short sword had already appeared in his hand.


    Appalled, A-0 never thought this guy would be so decisive as he didn''t even wait for him to react.


    "Wait¡­ I''m D¡­.kikk."


    The sword de passed through his throat before he could evenplete his words, and the light in his eyes dimmed down as his head rolled on the group within his own blood.


    "I don''t care who you are." Jacob scoffed as he stowed away A-0''s entire body leaving behind his mingled head.


    Jacob had already felt A-0''s movement of hand when he tried to talk with him, and he knew he was up to no good. He had seen and heard too many scenarios when giving a chance to your enemy to talk could be fatal.


    Jacob hadn''t killed A-0 because he was his enemy. He didn''t even know if he was an enemy or just a passerby or someone who was drawn in by that explosion. The guy didn''t even attack him first.


    Jacob killed A-0 because he had something he needed, and he couldn''t stop him from taking it. It was that simple!

 Chapter 286 How Sad…

    Ellie sat in front of a jade table, and there was a palm-size rectangr white sheet ced on it. She held a long thin brush which was shimmering in a purplish hue as she elegantly made strokes on the white paper.


    With every stroke, a purplish line would appear on the paper despite there wasn''t any sort of ink, and thereby it turned into a rune symbol. With every sessfully carved rune symbol, the white paper seemed to be pulsing.


    When the fifth rune symbol was done, her hand stopped moving before the white paper suddenly encased in a purple brilliance. Thereupon, the brightness fades away, and what is left is the white paper with a purple line pattern all over it. The runes have vanished somehow.


    Ellie doesn''t seem to be surprised by it as she ces the white brush, which now looks like a normal paintbrush, on the jade table and then picks up a small crystal stamp beside it.


    It also shimmered in a purple hue before she turned the white paper around and stamped its empty size with her stamp, and when she removed it, a beautiful symbol of a purple eagle which looked extremely vivid, appeared on it.


    She muttered with a hint of satisfaction, "I can finally create an Intermediate-Type-2 Talisman on my first try. I am getting closer to reaching the intermediate stage of the Rune Artificer Elder Grandmaster Rank."


    At this moment, she suddenly frowned as she looked at her wrist before a projection appeared, and the next moment a hint of shock shed past her eyes when she was a message, and there was a video file attached to it.


    "Faceless Ancient Sent Mail: I have killed 682 people today, and I don''t know who was who since they all came after me. But I''m pretty sure over half of them were universal mercenaries.


    "I have no way to confirm their identities, but I do record their appearances, and there is also the exact moment of me killing these guys, so this video is legit. There were also some other guys, but their appearances weren''t ''presentable'' or ''intact.''


    "Anyway, I don''t know how you''re going to confirm their identities since it would be a hassle, so Vice President, you can just send me 150,000 ZC for this service, and we''ll consider the trade between us a sess."


    "682?! Does he think I''m an idiot?" Ellie muttered in disbelief, but still, she opened the video file.


    The video file was an hour long, and as she yed it, she was instantly captivated by it when she saw the starting scene was of some ck-d guy who was seemed to hiding in a tree, but almost instantly, that guy''s head started rolling down, it was simply too fast, and then the scene changed.


    "What?" Ellie was bewildered as her disbelief expression turned solemn. She then activates the 360-degree video mode as any video recorded by a type-1 Star Watch was a 360-degree video by default.


    Furthermore, the video quality was like a movie, and everything was clear as day. There was even a 50X slow motion option in the videos recorded in advance type-1 Star Watches.


    But Ellie''s start watch can go to 1000X slow motion, and she used it without hesitation to watch the first scene frame by frame, and she watched Jacob, not the dead guy.


    In the end, her eyes were filled with disbelief and a hint of appalling, "Just what kind of monster is he?"


    She then watched the next scene, and there was the same result. Toward the end, there were just recording of dead bodies. There were only 40 scenes where Jacob was seen beading people like he was cutting chickens, and those scenes were all recorded at the exact moment he was going to deliver the killing blow, not the entire process.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Still, just this much was enough to reveal his capabilities in the assassination, and not only that, but Ellie also noticed some dead bodies at the end werepletely charred and missing limbs, as if they were at the center of a terrifying explosion.


    Ellie took a deep breath before her lips curled up in an icy smile, "We only wanted to test his capabilities by giving him this mission, but he''s out of our expectations. Even Dad might''ve never thought that he was capable of this kind of feat.


    "When he suggested that he would be capable ofing in here without us interfering. He only said there were over 30% chances of us winning, and even if Lucy ended up breaking the bet or we did, we won''t lose a thing.


    "On the other hand, Lucy would''ve suffered losses to take the champion of the rare ins down. But just this much loss to the bank is enough to get Lucy to bleed like the old bitch she is.


    "It seemed our 30% chances have increased to 55%, and if we can interfere with Lucy''s interference and stop her from killing him to void the bet, those chances will rise to 80%!


    "I need to tell Dad. Soon Lucy would start to take it even more seriously!" Ellie''s eyes shimmered in excitement, but she stopped all of a sudden and then opened another application which was the bank application.


    "I should reward my dog first to keep him happy. He wanted 150K ZC. I''ll give him 200K to make him even more obedient!" With a dark smile, she transferred 200k ZC to Jacob''s ount.


    Then she instantly contacted the Guild President, Nelsen!


    ---


    While Ellie was gloating at her good luck, someone else was going to suffer from bad luck.


    Lucy was looking at the projection of an elegant elf male as her usually aloof eye were filled with disbelief as she asked, "So, you''re saying you lost all contact with our hunting group over an hour ago? What about the team members?"


    "I''ve already tried multiple times, but none of them is responding. I''ve already sent another small team to investigate the situation!" The elf respectfully replied with a hint of trepidation in his voice.


    "Inform me as soon you receive any news!" Lucy cut the call with a frown.


    "What is going on?" She muttered.


    However, at this moment, she received a message from Ellie, and when she read it, she knew something was extremely wrong,


    ''Amiable Monk Fish (Reply): Sending your men to die, how sad. I wonder how the Bank will react!''

 Chapter 287 Skull No. S-0

    At an unknown ce, dark miasma covered the horizon as if nothing was visible in this strange, mysterious ce.


    However, a couple of a hundred meters deep underground was a humongous space, and in this space was built a metropolis.


    In a towering building, a masked woman in ab coat was standing in front of a ss cell and recording something in a hologram in her hand.


    At this moment, an electric voice rang in theb, "Lord S-0, you have an utmost important call."


    S-0 focus was broken with that abrupt notification, and she knew only a single person was capable of triggering this kind of notification.


    So, she quickly changed the projection on her wrist and opened the call interface, and when she saw the name, she knew she was right about the identity of the caller. So, she quickly epted the audio call.


    "My Lord¡­"


    "A-0 is dead, and so does the top 100 of A ranks with him!" A ghastly voice rang, cutting S-0 between her sentence.


    S-0 eyes instantly widened when she heard the news, and her body trembled as she blurted, "How is that possible?!"


    She knew better than anyone just how powerful A-0 was, and he should be able to preserve his life even if he encountered an epic. But his death with the top 100 A ranks was a massive shock to her, and if it was true, then it was an unforgivable blunder!


    "You tell me." The ghastly voice coolly replied. The voice may sound indifferent, but there was a clear, frigid intentced within.


    S-0 was lost for words as she herself couldn''t wrap her head around this abrupt turn of events.


    "M-my Lord, give me some time to investigate. He might''ve been siege by some hidden enemy, and in the process, his brain chip might''ve been damaged. So, there''s still a chance he''s not dead!" S-0 refused to believe that A-0 could die in the rare ins.


    "Hehe, do you think I would''ve called you if I hadn''t confirmed it? You know quite well a Skull with the number 0 has a special brain chip imnted in their brains that can send us video feedback for 1 minute before a number 0 dies. So, are you getting retard, or are you suggesting I''m a retard?" The ghastly voice asked in derision.


    S-0 instantly kneeled down as her entire body was feeling goosebumps despite the fact that she was only talking with a voice. It was a kind of fear that simmered into her very being.


    "I-I didn''t dare! It was me who lost my rationality! Please forgive my lord; please forgive me!" She started to plead.


    "Enough with this nonsense. Tell me, how are you going to retrieve our ''assets'' on A-0 and the data from the cannibal n?" The ghastly voice sternly questioned.


    S-0 quickly replied, "I''ll go myself toplete this mission!"


    "Humph! I''m giving you one more chance to make everything right. I want the assets and data before the epic trial begins. Or you will be demoted to S-1 rank, and you will have toplete a Dark Skull Mission to make amends!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Done saying its piece, the voice ended the call without waiting for any reply.


    S-0''s eyes were filled with despair when she heard the punishment. A few momentster, she finally managed to collect herself.


    An eerie voice of teeth grounding rang at this moment in the silenceb before S-0 furiously roared, "Who did this?! Show me A-0st vision!"


    Her eyes were bloodshot as she saw a video appear on her star watch interface and started to y. When she saw how almost all the video was A-0, running for his life, and then he was maimed by some extremely fast projectile towards the end, she was dumbfounded.


    But this video was like a normal video as it didn''t have a 360-degree feature, and it could only show what A-0 saw before his impending death for up to 1 minute. So, she didn''t have any clue what kind of thing hit him that tore apart his leg or how he was wounded before.


    "Ahhh¡­haa¡­ s-stop! Please stop! I-I¡­ why are you attacking me?!"


    At this time, Jacob finallynded a few meters in front of A-0, and S-0''s eyes instantly widened as she knew who this guy might be.


    "Faceless Ancient, but how!?" She blurted in disbelief as she watched with hatred in her eyes.


    "Because I like your heart." Jacob dismissively replied before he left an afterimage and appeared right in front of A-0, and his short sword moved, "Wait¡­ I''m D¡­.kikk." this was the end of the video.


    "Just how can he be so powerful? Didn''t that bastard say the target was only from themon ins, and he was only a rare rank species when he appeared in the rare ins? Then how could he have the strength to corner and kill A-0?!


    "Then there is that weapon which maimed A-0 while running. It has to be a gun, but that wasn''t a type-2 magic bullet, or his entire torso would''ve been blown by that shot, not just his leg.


    "So, it was not a magic bullet but a mech bullet. The real question is, how in the world did he manage to get his hands on a type-2 gun and its bullets?" S-0 muttered like crazy.


    She was still finding it hard to believe that A-0 was killed by a single person, not an entire army, and that person happened to be the one she had sent A-0 to apprehend herself.


    In a sense, A-0 was also under S-0''s pressure, so he had no choice but to move out himself, but he never thought he could get killed so easily by Jacob.


    Now, S-0 was in an even worse situation, and she knew if she didn''t do something, she might never be able to enjoy the life of luxury anymore, and her high status would be stripped.


    But what she was most afraid of was the Dark Skull Mission, which is a kind of suicide mission that the Killer Skull Society only gives those skulls who were ipetent and had messed up big time.


    Now it was a life or death situation for S-0!

 Chapter 288 Big Accumulation!

    After dealing with the massive mob of enemies, Jacob was feeling somewhat lethargic. He knew he had exhausted a massive amount of energy in a couple of hours of running around while using fluid eleration and pinpoint focus.


    If he didn''t have the Unique Endurance of a Wyvern, he might''ve never kept up with this many enemies, and energy consumption was already hungry beyond salvation, not just lethargic.


    However, he wasn''t worried about it in the least bit since he had already ''collected'' his dinner. Right now, he was in some cavern of magic beast forest that he snatched from an extraordinary tier-6 spike bear after killing it.


    There was arge bonfire, and three skewered bodies were roasting over the fire while Jacob was busy gutting the reaming bodies he collected from the mob. As for the three bodies already on the skewered, they were the three bodies of the legendary decadents.


    He knew once he consumed their hearts raw, he needed to consume high-grade nutrition to make his bodypatible. That''s why he''s been collecting all the bodies he deemed satisfactory to his need.


    However, deep down, he knew these extraordinary beings were no longer enough for his epic body. If his Cursed Blood Condensing percentage increased by arge amount, all this meat, including those three legendary descendants, won''t be enough to quench his hunger.


    Still, he knew it was likely to be impossible for his Cursed Blood Condensing percentage to increase by arge margin. Even a direct legendary bloodline, the Fire Wyvern, only provides him with 4.9%.


    So, these three, who were not even the second or third generation, would likely only provide him with 1% or even less. That''s why he wasn''t worried about not being able to quench his hunger.


    In any blue moon chance, even if that happened, it wasn''t like he wasn''t ready!


    Jacob then skewered ten more bodies around the bonfire before he sat down on the corner, leaning against the wall.


    "Well, Immortika''s time for today has ended, so I won''t be able to keep track of my Cursed Blood Condensing percentage. Anyhow, I have collected three optimal hearts for Cursed Blood Condensing, while I have 389 hearts of extraordinary tier-6s.


    "Although they are not optimal for Cursed Blood Condensing, if I eat them all, they might leave me 0.1, or if not, they will be my nutrition." Jacob chuckled before he flipped his hand, and a warm heart appeared, which was actually ck.


    This heart belongs to one of the two guys he killed at the start, and strangely their hearts were ck. Furthermore, when Jacob unwrapped those ck clothes from their bodies, he was shocked when he saw they didn''t have faces nor eye sockets, or mouths!


    Meaning their face werepletely made with skin, and there were only two holes for nostrils in the middle of their face and two small ear holes. They didn''t even have hair on their head or their entire body, as a matter of fact.


    The strangest thing was their bodies were spotless, as if they were born this way.


    They also didn''t wear any star watches or have any space rings. They didn''t even carry small bags. All he got was two cubes and two discs, and that''s it.


    Their appearances made even Jacob ufortable, and if Immortika hadn''t assured him they were both eatable, he might not even wanted to eat their meat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Last but not least, A-0, that guy''s heart was normal and only slightly a bit bigger than a human heart by three inches. Not only that, but he collected 10 Space Rings from A-0''s hands, and from the look, he could tell they were all at least advance type-1 space rings!


    This discovery made Jacob shocked, and he guess this guy''s identity had to be quite startling. He still didn''t have any clue that he was the Important Grace34 he had few unpleasant interactions with, or he might''ve already been grinning.


    Except for those rings, he also managed to collect 52 space rings and 603 Star Watches, and they were the ones he could find. He knew there were some star watches missing under that explosion, but he wasn''t bothered by them.


    If he sold all those star watches, he would make a huge profit, and that''s why he''s been collecting them.


    As for the space rings, they were still useless to him since he couldn''t open them, which was quite frustrating, but Jacob had a n for solving this problem of his. But the solution can''t be used right now, and it was a long shot, so he still has to bear with it.


    Without hesitation, he removed his mask, revealing his peerless face, and started to eat those hearts one after another.


    As he ate the three hearts, he felt his veins start to heat up, but not as much when he ate the fire wyvern heart. This feeling was quite vague and vanished by the time he finished eating his 32nd heart.


    That feeling of heat was then reced with the feeling of warmth as he ate more hearts. Not only was he recovering, but he was also slowly bing stronger. He was too familiar with this feeling and couldn''t have enough of it.


    Just like that, two hours passed, and Jacob was still feeling lethargic but not as much as when he started eating those hearts.


    "Sigh... this is bing more and more absurd." He sighed in exasperation and was about to turn his focus on the skewered bodies, which should have been cooked by now, when his star watch vibrated.


    He frowned as he opened the interface and saw it was a notification.


    "Amiable Monk Fish sent 200,000 ZC to your Bank ount!


    "New Bnce: 277,738 ZC"


    "Didn''t I ask for 150k? Why did she send me 200k?" Jacob muttered with a hint of wariness. He wasn''t a fool who would believe that Ellie sent him 50k ZC out of the kindness of her heart.


    However, his focus was broken when the star watch vibrated again, and the interface changed on its own.


    Jacob knew his interface could only be changed on its own when someone sent him an unignorable Call Request, and he was right!

 Chapter 289 I’ll Wait For You!

    "Apocalyptic-S wanted to send you a Voice Call!"


    "ept"


    "(NOTE: Apocalyptic-S has used Star Privilege to send an unignorable Call Request. Apocalyptic-S Star Privilege is higher than You (Faceless Ancient), Notification can''t be ignored, Star ID can''t be blocked!)"


    Frowning, Jacob thought it was quite strange to receive a call from a new big boss-level character at a time like this, so he was quite sure it had something to do with what he did. For some reason, he thought about thest guy he killed.


    Nevertheless, he would find out once he epted the call, and this was just a voice call, so it was clear that the other part also didn''t want to show its pace nor wanted to see his. So, he epted the call without hesitation.


    Apocalyptic-S''s crisp voice sounded at this moment, and it was icy cold, "Mr. Faceless Ancient, do you know what you have done?"


    Jacob was speechless hearing this woman''s ambiguous words and retorted coldly,


    "I have no idea who you are and what I have done to you. So, you better get to the point before I cut this call, and don''t even think for a second I will pick it up again even if you call me 24/7."


    "Hmph! You do have a temper, don''t you? Alright, I''ll get straight to the point. I want you to return everything you took from Killer Skull Society, and I consider this matter over between you and my Killer Skull Society!" Apocalyptic-S revealed her true intentions, and her tone was extremely overbearing.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with a hint of surprise when he understood the other party was from killer skull society, and a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over him.


    It was clear that this woman was clearly quite a high ranking in the killer skull society and probably at the same level as Gunner and Lucy. So, she won''t contact him just to demand the return of their items.


    Furthermore, he knew Important Grace should be in charge of this ce, so if anyone, he should be the one contacting him, and unless that guy didn''t want to make his superiors unhappy, he wouldn''t tell them that he was helpless against him.


    Even if he killed hundreds of Killer Skull Society members, it should be A-0 to contact him and then threaten him, not this high-ranking woman from the society.


    So, unless there was something special involved inst night''s massacre which could rm this Apocalyptic-S that was even out of the reach of A-0, she shouldn''t have contacted him.


    Lastly, she was speaking quite ambiguously. She wasn''t demanding that data he took from themon ins directly but ''items'' which made his conjecture even more solid.


    Then again, thest kill appeared in his mind, and the ten space rings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His eyes shed as he subtly replied, "I have some unpleasant encounter with your organization, and it was you guys who provoked me first, and I always acted in self-defense.


    "As for the things I took, they are mypensations for all the traumas I have been through. This means I don''t give two shit about my enmity with your clown society just send more of your little clowns, or better, juste here yourself. I promise I''ll skin you alive as I did with your little pet, Important Grace."


    Jacob''s tone was even more overbearing as he uttered. He was not afraid of killer skull society as long as he was in the rare ins, and he knew for a fact that these guys were nothing but cowards who were afraid of three hegemonies.


    As long as they didn''t know when he left the rare ins, they would never be able to harm him, and with his growth rate, he would be invincible in the epic ins eventually.


    "You ant ve! You dare to speak to me like this?!" Apocalyptic-S instantly fly in rage on the other side as she never expected Jacob to be so overbearing despite knowing just what kind of authority she had.


    "Yep, just a little slut who only knows how to wiggle her big cunt and throw out your bastard toys since your ass is too big for you to move." Jacob cursed coldly without holding back, while in actuality, he waspletely calm and wanted to confirm if the person he killed in thest was really Important Grace.


    As for why he thought that he was important grace, it was simple, after he confirmed that the killer skull society was involved inst night''s raid and Apocalyptic-S''s abrupt call and her overbearing yet anxious attitude to get something back from him.


    So, he instantly thought about the guy who came at the end, and he had astonishing trump cards, so he could only think of one person in the killer skull society who could trigger the rm in the epic ins, Important Grace himself!


    What was left was to confirm, and the only way was to anger Apocalyptic-S to the extreme so she could admit it herself, and she already half admitted by not retorting about the important grace death by his hand.


    "You lowly foul, mouth swine, I''ll make you eat those words even if you hide under the earth or high in the sky. I''ll find you and let you know your ce, which is right under my foot!" Apocalyptic-S uttered while chewing on each word in hatred. She had never suffered such humiliation in her entire life, not to mention humiliation at the hand of someone who she considered nothing but an ant.


    Jacob chuckled coldly, "I''ll wait for you. In the meanwhile, I''ll sell all that loot and make sure you will never get what you want."


    "Selling it, huh? I dare you to try it. Let''s see who dares to buy it!" Apocalyptic-S threatened before she cut the call. She was clearly not good with words and was already on the verge of going on a rampage.


    She knew it was impossible to talk with Jacob, and she didn''t even offer him the things she prepared in exchange for what he took from A-0 and the data. Now she wanted him dead more than anything, and she knew what she had to do to make that happen!


    Jacob''s arrogant expression turned colder as he mused grimly, ''So, that prick was indeed that important grace, and I took something important to the society again. Is this some kind of sick joke?''

 Chapter 290 Reaching The Meeting Point

    Chapter 290 Reaching The Meeting Point


    ?


    In the middle of the day, Jacob finally left the cave and headed in the east direction of the inner magic beast forest.


    After his ''chat'' with Apocalyptic-S, Jacob was not feeling as apprehensive as he should have. On the contrary, he wasn''t feeling anything, as if it was just a normal day of his day-to-day life.


    What he was concerned about were those ten space rings he got from A-0, and he wanted to see just what kind of treasures they held that even someone like Apocalyptic-S contacted him personally. Especially when she belonged to an organization like Killer Skull Society, her Star ID should be top secret.


    ''As long as I''m in rare ins, I should be fine. I just need to be careful about my departure from the rare ins. I can''t let anyone know I''m leaving rare ins, or the killer skull society might not be the only one seeking revenge.


    ''I''m pretty sure that Lucy''s character would suffer some repercussion after I killed probably all the official mercenaries in the dark city. I haven''t even left this ce yet, and here I already have terrifying enemies in the epic ins.


    ''So, I need more precautions than I already have. And I just happened to head such a ce which is helpful¡­'' Jacob''s lips rose in a faint, icy smile as he picked up speed.


    After two hours of traveling at his top speed without fluid eleration, he stopped in the middle of the forest while he looked at the hologram map on his wrist.


    "The location he sent me should be around somewhere here," Jacob uttered under his breath before he sent a call request to Earth Great Minor!


    After five seconds, the call was finally picked up, and a hoarse voice, almost as if dry leaves were rattling together, rang, "Y-you better be calling me to give me good news!" It was clear that Mason was quite desperate.


    "I''m standing at the location you gave me." Jacob coolly replied as he was smiling when he heard Mason''s voice. He knew this guy was at the end of his tether.


    "Excellent!" Mason almost cried in mirth when he heard Jacob''s words and quickly cut the call.


    Jacob knew he probably cut the call because he wasing to get him, and he focused on his hearing to hear his footsteps.


    But to his surprise, he suddenly felt a faint tremor under his feet before he saw that just ten meters left from his standing position, the trees suddenly started to shift left and right as if they were sliding.


    Under Jacob''s astonished eyes, the trees slide over five meters, revealing an underground pathway.


    ''Impressive.'' He thought as he could clearly tell this hideout was much more high-tech than the hideouts he had seen in themon ins.


    Jacob understands one thing about the people with secrecy in these ins. They could hide anywhere and build structures like these underground hideouts in the middle of nowhere. They didn''t need a huge army of workers to build them. Just their own power was enough to achieve it


    Jacob himself was now fully capable of creating such a hideout in half a month, but he knew it was just a waste of his energy since he needed to move around all the time. He can''t stay in one ce unless he gives up on immortality.


    Maybe in the future, when he needs to research for an extensive amount of time and needs absolute secrecy, he might make such a base. Or in case he had enemiesing for him from all directions.


    After the pathway was opened, Jacob then walked towards it. But he wasn''t just going to walk right into it. This ce should be a tiger''s cave, for all he knows.


    Although he was considered almost invincible among the living in the rare ins right now, he wasn''t invincible if someone had a weapon like his Iron Titan Sniper or even stronger.


    He had already seen what kind of consequence one could suffer if he gave his enemies chances to retaliate like A-0. If he hadn''t stopped to hesitate while using his sniper rifle when he did, who knows what kind of trump cards he would unleash on him?


    Right now, he was going to meet a desperate man who was on the verge of dying, and that guy might lose his mind and want to drag him down with him. A dying person who had nothing to lose was fully capable of doing that. He knew too well about this fact.


    Furthermore, he was sure this guy had experimented with the plutonium, and no matter how brave Jacob was, even he was afraid of radioactive bombs.


    Even if he knew that it was, likely, not possible for them to create such a thing without any prior knowledge of what plutonium was, as long as the possibility existed, he had to be extremely wary.


    For a moment, Jacob''s entered 20X eleration which was the current limit of his ability after getting his body to epic rank. Then he returned to being normal as if nothing had happened.


    But for Jacob, in that very moment, he sensed too many things, and after processing all that information, he started descending the stairway.


    The straw was thirty feet deep, and Jacob found himself in a small corridor, and at the end of this corridor was a metal door that was just opening.


    Jacob walked with an impassive look in his eyes, and he entered a 40 cubic meter space that was actually filled with all kinds of equipment. The temperature of this ce was quite low, probably around two or four degrees Celsius.


    The instant Jacob''s eyesnded on that equipment, he quickly identified many of them, ''So, this guy is an explosive expert.''


    Although he didn''t see any finished product to back his conjuncture, he knew better than anyone what an explosive expert''sb looked like because he was one himself.


    At this moment, the door behind him started to get closed, and so did the pathway at the end to the stairway, and footsteps rang in the silentb!

 Chapter 291 I Will Relieve You

    Under Jacob''s eyes, two dry corpses like men walked toward him and looked extremely sick, like they were on the verge of copsing.


    Jacob looked at the hobgoblin and fox-face orc without much surprise since he already knew there were two men present in this ce, and they were both dying.


    "Who is Great Earth Minor between you two?" Jacob questioned.


    Mason opened his mouth, but no words came out, and he started coughing violently.


    Lucas spoke in his dry, raspy voice, "Cut the crap and tell us how to treat this disease *cough*¡­" He also started coughing the next moment.


    Jacob found the pair quite amusing as they were clearly on the verge of dying, yet they were still moving around and acting all high and mighty.


    Still, he was not here to get amused, so he stated his condition, "I want all that silver metal you had as well as the location where you found it. Only after then will I relieve you from your current situation."


    Mason was finally able to control his coughing as there was clear blood on his lips, and his condition was turning worse the more he remained outside the healing liquid cell. So, he also didn''t have the energy to negotiate with Jacob.


    He hoarsely replied, "G-give¡­ give us the cure, and I''ll give you all the mineral on me. As for the location where I found it, I have to disappoint you, *cough*, because I¡­ I took it all!"


    Jacob looked deeply at the hobgoblin, who seemed to be sincere beyond belief, and scoffed, "It seemed you still cherish wealth over your life. So, you can take it to your grave then."


    Jacob turned around, which shocked the two men, and before they could speak, something unimaginable happened.


    Jacob, through a casual punch and the reinforced door, which was made even to block E-tier-6 physical attacks, sted back like it was made out of a thin sheet of wood.


    Lucas almost had a heart attack and nearly choked on his own blood when he saw his pride and joy. Theb he was absolutely confident in being imprable in the entire rare ins was nothing but a toy house in front of this mysterious man.


    Mason was also stunned silly as he looked at Jacob, who was walking toward the staircase without even looking at them anymore.


    He never thought that the person he wanted to threaten was strong beyond his expectation. The notion came into his mind that Lucas had been tricked with all those guarantees and wanted to drag him down to hell with himself.


    But Lucas''s reaction told him otherwise.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t time to mull over their mistakes, as Mason was now really afraid of dying. No, he was going to die if he remained stubborn.


    So, he quickly called out, "W-wait!"


    Jacob halted his footsteps and looked behind before he said, "I''ll give you onest chance. Give me all that mineral on you as well as tell me the exact location where you found it. If there''s even a little bit of falsehood in your words, I''ll know, and this time I won''t stop.


    "And don''t even think that all those explosives hidden in this base, especially the one you two are hiding right behind the south wall, which is made with the same material, can threaten him.


    "That product is only half-baked, and it won''t even blow up a chicken. If you don''t believe me, you can try, and let''s see what happens."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s casual words made the two guys'' expressions warp, and with an appalled looked, they looked at each other. There were clear shock, disbelief, and terror in their eyes.


    Especially Lucas. He almost thought that Jacob had an x-ray vision or had some high-grade scanner or Jacob somehow deactivated the anti-barrier of this hideout.


    Nevertheless, whatever the case was, the cats were now out of the bag, and the man seemed to be not afraid despite knowing what was hidden in this ce.


    They might''ve tried calling Jacob''s bluff, but after seeing him punching the reinforced door like he was breaking a twig, none of them were confident anymore.


    Mason was instantly broken since he no longer found Lucas reliable, and he still thinks that he was in this mess because of Lucas and his experiments. He was in constant pain as even breathing made him feel worse than living, and he was already on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was too afraid of dying, and when despaired filled his heart.


    "I-I agree!" Mason blurted before he showed the ring on his pinky and to Jacob, "I have over fifty kg of that mineral right in this space ring. The location coordinates where I found it is also recorded in my map scanner. You can take them all. Just give me the cure!"


    "Y-you fool! Didn''t you say you hid the map scanner with coordinates beforeing here?! What if he took it and killed us?!" Lucas wanted to roar, but he could only not.


    However, the terror in his eyes was clear. Because he knew they couldn''t threaten Jacob anymore with the explosives hidden in the base. So, those coordinates were the only bargaining chip they had over Jacob.


    If it were him, he would''ve offered Jacob the mineral first and only after Jacob handed him over the cure. Maybe then he might''ve given him the real location or even a fake one to lead him in circles.


    But s, the muscle-brain greedy hobgoblin was not as treacherous nor tenacious as the fox orc and broke under the pain and despair of death.


    "Shut up! We are in this state because of you greedy *cough¡­" g-greedy ass!" Mason berated with a twisted expression.


    Jacob''s lips curled up under his mask, "Alright, empty your space ring right here, and as long as the goods are here, I will relieve you of your suffering."


    "S-see? He didn''t *cough* didn''t make a move, or he could''ve simply killed us and taken my ring. And this time, I wasn''t lying!" Mason disdainfully retorted.


    Lucas also felt it made sense, but he still felt they had lost all leverage.


    Mason no longer cared about Lucas''s feelings or what he thought. He just wanted to be relieved from this pain. So, without hesitation, Mason moved his hand and started to take out everything in his space ring.


    When Jacob saw all those minerals, especially therge boulder of plutonium, his eyes lit up, and he also noticed other things, as well as the ck map scanner. He knew Mason was not ying tricks anymore.


    "It''s empty! Now give me the cure!" Mason madly dered.


    "I believe you." Jacob nodded, giving Mason hope.


    But the next moment, Mason''s hope for getting all of this turned into sudden despair when Jacob''s finger vanished from his sight and appeared right in front of his face while his hand was moved like a knife and directly prated into his heart.


    Jacob''s devilish voice rang, "Let me relieve you of your suffering!"

 Chapter 292 Maybe It’s Time…

    Lucas fell on his butt when he saw Mason''s lumpy body hanging over Jacob''s bloody hand, which wasing slightly out of his chest. Mason''s heart was clutched within Jacob''s hand, and it was pulsing weakly.


    ''Squish¡­''


    Jacob crushed the heart like a bug before his hand retracted, and Mason''s corpse fell to the floor with arge bloody hole in his chest.


    Lucas was filled with despair as he looked at Jacob, who was now probably looking at him since he couldn''t tell anything because of Jacob''s concealed face and eyes. But he does know it is now his turn.


    "W-¡­." His words were caught in his throat as he started to cough violently, and this time he was literally vomiting blood with every cough.


    "As I said, I''ll relieve you guys, and I didn''t lie. The thing is, your condition is terminal, and in my knowledge, there''s no cure, no in this in at least. There might be one in higher ins where the medical field is at a much higher level than this ce.


    "My deceased wife also suffered from such condition in the distant past, and she was in too much pain both physically and mentally¡­" Jacob''s voice suddenly contains a hint of mncholy.


    "Oh, forgive me, I derailed from the topic all of a sudden. Anyhow, death is the only solution, and it wille eventually. At least I can put you out of your misery painlessly since you provide me with this wonderfulb that will serve my needs for a while." Jacob chuckled coldly before he moved.


    Lucas was still coughing like crazy, his vision was already cloudy, and his mind was filled with despair and misery.


    Thest thing he remembered was feeling a sharp pain in his chest before all that pain and misery faded away¡­ he was really revealed!


    Jacob looked at corpses with two holes in their chests without any hint of remorse and then averted his eyes, and they fell on the things Mason left.


    He walked over and picked up the map scanner and stored it away since it wasn''t of any use to him yet. Except for that map scanner, he found two other things which drew his attention. They were two jars of glowing liquid, one was green, and it was over half filled, and one was sky blue, and it hadn''t been used before.


    ''Advance Type-1 Healing and Magic Recovery Potions? He even had over 1 liter of healing liquid and 3 liters of magic recovery potion. Just one drop of these liquids dted in 1-liter spring water could heal any outer wounds and 20% mana below extraordinary rank.


    ''Don''t tell me one of them was a potion alchemist. Well, that exins how these guys were alive all this time.'' Jacob thought while putting those potions in his pendant.


    Now, he was also a potion alchemist of Senior Grandmaster Rank, so he knew just how precious these potions were, not to mention their creation process was tedious.


    Except for those potions, Jacob didn''t find anything work talking as all of those remaining materials were junk to him. Mason probably used all the precious materials to create those two potions.


    Nevertheless, Jacob''s true prize on this trip was that big boulder of plutonium.


    His eyes shimmered as he mused, ''Let''s see how I canpress this huge lump. I should be done in a week or two before I get the reply from the dark city. Only then can I decide my next course of action¡­''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Without wasting more time, he got to work.


    ---


    Three dayster, in the dark city, noble circle,


    Hallberg was looking at the hologram report with wide-opened eyes as if he was reading something horrifying.


    "H-how is this even possible? Can one person really do all this?" He muttered with disbelief and a hint of terror.


    "How urate is this report?" He asked Dark Rose.


    "80%. Dark Viscount Water Wave examined the battlefield herself, and she found over 500 corpses, and almost all of them were killed by beheading with a single sword sh.


    "Through her connections in the star mercenary agency, she found that all those official mercenaries were on a secretmission to hunt Faceless Ancient. Even her friend Dark Baron Fire Cannon and two other Dark nobles were involved in this, and their Dark Badges are now voided, which likely means they are dead.


    "Not only them, but there was another group involved in that attack since those extra over two hundred bodies didn''t belong to any official mercenary. Still, this incident has caused huge losses to the agency, and right now, Bank manager Leroy has summoned a meeting between three hegemonies'' upper echelons in the dark city." Dark Rose statically reported.


    Hallberg found it amusing as he asked, "Did he know the Alchemy Guild Leader of the Dark City is probably the one who is behind this massacre, and they were the ones who were targeting him first? Is that idiot finally gone off his rails?"


    "I don''t know. But Leroy didn''t invite Guild Leader Faceless Ancient; instead, he invited the former Guild Leader Braylon. He might''ve done this after knowing that the Guild Leader Faceless Ancient is currently unavable in the Dark City." Dark Rose replied.


    Hallberg chuckled coldly, "Dark Rose, you''re still just an AI, so you don''t know the matter of men. That Leroy is an old schemer and Braylon, and he is very tight.


    "Since Braylon was forced to give away his position, he naturally considered Faceless Ancient his enemy. Now that the bank has suffered huge losses, Leroy would be the one who got med for this blunder, not the one behind that secretmission.


    "If I''m not wrong, this secretmission hase from epic ins and from a very high-ranking member of the bank at that. Now, that person behind is using Leroy as a scapegoat, and that poor fellow had no choice but to be one.


    "But what I don''t understand is what that guy is now trying to do by summoning this meeting between three hegemonies. I never thought myst days in the dark city would be so entertaining, and all this revolves around one person."


    Hallberg''s eyes shimmered with great interest, "Maybe it''s time for me to have a chat with this Faceless Ancient¡­"

 Chapter 293 Contact!

    Jacob was busy looking at the numbers on a screen disy connected with a molding machine with scrutiny when he felt his star watch vibrates.


    He knew only a few people could contact him in rare ins, so whoever it was, it had to be someone with at least 1-star privilege or someone he sent a message or call to or added as a friend.


    After giving thoseplex numbers ast nce and finding nothing wrong, he opened his star watch interface and saw it was an audio call from Dilly, which he was expecting in the first ce.


    So, he epted it without any dy as he was hoping to hear good news.


    "Greeting Guild Leader." Dilly''s somewhat apprehensive voice rang.


    "Get to the point." Jacob coldlymanded as he didn''t have much time to waste.


    "Right away." Dilly quickly stated, "I contacted my connection in the noble circle, and ording to him, it''s impossible to send a message or even approach the Dark Earl''s manor. Only if Dark Earl invited someone himself, only then can someone approach that ce." His voice sounded depressed and fearful.


    Jacob frowned as he didn''t me Dilly since he knew just how high-status dark nobles held in the dark city, so how could the lord of the city be approached so easily?


    At least that guy didn''t try to cheat him out of his ZC by providing false information. So, he knew he had to search for those reaming materials himself. The only problem was that ck Robe Alchemist still hadn''t replied to his message, and he didn''t know any ces which matched the inhabitant environment for Nightmare Lilly in the rare ins.


    So, it might pose some problems.


    Anyhow, he would worry about that bridge when it was time to cross it, he was still busy dealing with the plutonium, and he had to be very careful not to blow himself up.


    "Alright, you did well." Said Jacob, and he was about to end the call when Dilly promptly said, "Wait, there''s something else, Guild Leader!"


    Jacob frowned, "What is it?"


    "Bank Manager Leroy called three hegemonies collective meeting today and invited the upper echelon of the three powers in the dark city. He even invited Dark Earl." Dilly quickly reviled.


    Jacob''s dismissive look at the end turned sharp, "Something like that happened? I don''t care about this meeting. Just tell me, how did Dark Earl respond?"


    "How could that be? The Dark Earl had never bothered himself with matters of three hegemonies as long as they were not rted to the dark city itself. So, this time wasn''t any different.


    "What I want to talk about is that Bank manager Leroy didn''t send an invitation to you, the active Guild Leader but Senior Braylon in themon circle. He even changed the meeting ce to themon circle so he could easily attend it.


    "He didn''t even bother to invite anyone from the inner circle. This is blunt disrespect towards you, Guild Leader, and everyone is unhappy." Dilly angrily stated.


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow since this matter was really fishy, and he guessed it was likely rted to the massacre three days ago.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Because this Bank Manager was the one who called this meeting, and the star mercenary agency was affiliation organizing of the bank.


    Whichever the case was, Jacob didn''t care about those small characters'' schemes anymore. As long as he is in the rare ins, he''ll just kill anyone who wants to die early.


    He dismissively asked, "Is that it?"


    Dilly was speechless on the other side as he didn''t expect this kind of response from the tyrant Guild Leader.


    "That''s what I think so. I''ll be back in a week, so don''t disturb me unless you have a way to contact Dark Earl or he appeared outside the noble circle." Jacob scoffed before he cut the call without waiting for a reply.


    This matter wasn''t even worth remembering for him. He was just about to go back to whatever he was doing when his star watch vibrated again, making him scowl. When he looked at the interface, astonishment shed past his eyes because it was an unfamiliar caller ID.


    "Great Hallberg wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    "ept / Reject / Projection Setting!"


    ''Hallberg? Someone from the Killer Skull Society or from the Bank?'' Jacob''s frown deepened as he clearly had no idea just who this fellow was, and his ID was at least 1-star, so he guessed it was another character from the epic ins. And he only offended two sides in that ce, so those two names came to mind.


    Nevertheless, he still picked up the call with a blurry projection setting since this guy could be from the guild for all he knew.


    The moment he epted the call, Hallberg''s dark yellow blurry figure materialized. He also didn''t want to show his true appearance to Jacob not yet.


    "Who are you?" Jacob asked coldly, looking at the blurry figure.


    He never got the point of a projection call. If you still want to hide your face, you can directly send an audio call. But these bigwigs like to put the fa?ade of mystery.


    "Heh, aren''t you been looking for me? I''m the Dark Earl of Rare ins Dark City!" Hallberg revealed imposingly in a deep tone. He had no intention of hiding his identity.


    Jacob''s eyes widened as he felt like it was some kind of trick, he was looking for this guy and to no avail, but now he was contacting him on his own. So, no one could me him for thinking that it was some kind of joke.


    Still, only a few alchemists knew he was looking for Dark Earl, and this guy seemed to know he''s been looking for the Dark Earl. Not only that, but his Star ID was also at least 1-star, and if he was really the real Dark Earl, then this meant he wasn''t the only one present in the rare ins who had a 1-star privilege Star ID.


    The enigmatic Dark Earl was also a 1-star privilege Star ID holder, and the reason was enough for Jacob to take this guy seriously if it turned out to be the real deal!

 Chapter 294 I’m Glad That…

    Jacob regained his calm as he spoke impassively, "How do you know I was looking for you? Besides, even if I were looking for the enigmatic Dark Earl, I don''t think you would be so kind as to approach me just because of this reason. Everything aside, I don''t believe you are the Dark Earl."


    Although Jacob was really looking for Dark Earl and it would''ve been alright if he had approached the other party. But the thing was, the Dark Earl approached him, which changed everything.


    First, he needed to confirm if this was the real deal or not, and second, he needed to know why he even bothered to contact him.


    Hallberg guffawed all of a sudden on the other side, which made Jacob''s eyes narrow.


    He finally spoke in an amusing tone, "You''re really careful and mistrustful, huh? Well, a person of your caliber should be like this. Since you don''t believe I''m the real deal, how about you pay me a visit to the noble circle?"


    Jacob''s eyes glimmered sharply before he replied, "I''m not a dark noble."


    "Heh, do you think I don''t know? But I can arrange that for you. It''s the perks of being the Lord of a Dark City. So, are you down?" Hallberg inquired jollily as if he was talking with a long-lost friend, not some stranger.


    But this action only made Jacob warier of Hallberg''s intentions because if he was apprehensive of something in the rare ins, it was without a doubt the Dark City where even three hegemonies have to behave.


    Furthermore, if Hallberg was really the Dark Earl, then this means this guy was another person present in the Rare ins with 1-star privilege, and he knew for a fact getting that status was not as easy as it sounds. He only got it after he became the champion of the Rare ins.


    If it was someone from the Epic ins, he might not bother since they can''t do a thing to him. But now, it''s not the same thing.


    Still, Jacob knew this was a chance to meet the Dark Earl in person, and he may be able to strike a deal with him about the materials he required, and it would be more convenient to make a deal face to face.


    Even if things turn awry, Jacob is confident in escaping, especially since he now has plutonium in hand.


    So, he replied, "Alright, I agree to this meeting. It''s better this way."


    "Excellent! I haven''t entertained a guest in decades. Expect it to be a feast." Hallberg''s ted voice rang from the other side, "So when are youing?"


    Jacob felt this guy was too optimistic about this entire thing. But his doubt about Hallberg''s identity was now almost clear, so he knew he had to meet him.


    Anyway, he was nning on paying onest visit to the dark city and settling everything before he left for good, so meeting Hallberg was a bonus.


    "I''m still in the magic beast forest taking care of some unfinished business. I''ll return in 10 days." Jacob replied.


    "Just send me a message at the city entrance, and I''ll have Dark Rose arrange for your escort to the noble circle," Hallberg replied.


    "Will do."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Afterward, the call ended, and Jacob received a friend request from Hallberg almost instantly. After some consideration, he epted it since this guy was quite resourceful.


    But he still has to see if he is trustworthy or not. He would only know after this meeting. It would be a lie to say that Jacob wasn''t looking forward to it as well. He wanted to see just what kind of person the Dark Earl was and why he took an interest in him!


    ---


    Three dayster, in themon circle of Dark City, three figures sat around a round table.


    One of them was an elf wearing schrly white robes. He was none other than the former alchemy guild leader, Braylon. However, from his past amiable aura, he was giving off a cold, distant feeling.


    Then there was a three-meter-tall giant with a burly build and bronze skin. He was the current Nightmare Knight Commander of the Nightmare Knight Legion of the Dark City, Tomas, also known as Bronze Giant.


    Lastly, an average size man wearing a ck suit and his face concealed by a purple mask was sitting straight between the two. Only his astute snake eyes were visible behind that purple mask. He was the Bank manager of Dark City''s Zodiac Taurus Bank, Leroy, and also the person who called this meeting.


    "So, why do you bring us here from the actual meeting room?" Tomas coldly questioned in his heavy mountain-like voice.


    Leroy''s husky voice rang, "Tomas, don''t pretend you didn''t know about any of this. On the contrary, I''m pretty sure you know too well and are part of this now."


    Braylon clearly had no idea what the meaning of those ambiguous words was, so he decided to seek it coldly, "What are you two talking about? You do know that I have no power in the alchemy guild now. If you''re scheming something against the current guild leader, then you better leave me out of this."


    Braylon wasn''t a fool as he could easily guess Leroy''s intent by not inviting Jacob here, which was an act of blunt provocation.


    Furthermore, he didn''t want to cross that madman after his short encounter with him. He lost everything without even doing anything, and so he didn''t want to find out what would happen if he did something.


    He was only here because of the good rtionship with Leroy, and he even nned to tell Jacob all about this meeting to enter his good books.


    However, aftering here, he found that things were not as simple as they seemed.


    "Heh, that guild leader of yours is really something, I must say." Tomas suddenly dered, and there was a hint of deep respect in his voice.


    He then looked at Leroy and coldly replied, "I know what you''re thinking, but sorry to say, the Chairman told us not to interfere with your side this time. And for once, I''m d that we are not fighting that monster. But I''m still quite curious. Why the hell do you keep provoking him?"


    Leroy''s snake pupils narrowed into slits when he heard Tomas''s unexpected words, while Braylon waspletely out of the loop now.


    "But I was informed the alliance would be our allies in this venture?" Leroy coldly uttered!

 Chapter 295 Rather Be A Deserter Than Deceased

    "But I was informed the alliance would be our allies in this venture?" Leroy coldly uttered!


    In response, "Hah, don''t make meugh. Do you think of us as mercenaries like yourself who would sway by money? I admit we do like fighting and killing, but we do not like throwing our lives away.


    "That monster killed over 500 hundred people within six hours, and I know those guys didn''t even put up a fight from their clean deaths. He''s likely in the wind now. So, why the fuck do we want to go after him to waste our resources on a ghost chase. Even if we found him, you and I both know without an army, we''ll die." Tomas snarled disdainfully.


    Braylon''s instantly got the idea of what they were talking about and almost fell from his position!


    Sweat started to bead over his forehead, and his heart raced as he thought, ''Kill 500?!''


    He never thought of that terrifying guy but this terrifying, not by a long shot. He even starts to feel as if he is sitting on thorns now because he epted this invitation despite knowing it was disrespectful towards Jacob.


    Although he had no intention of going against him and even wanted to act as a double agent, would Jacob believe him?


    "Just what the hell is going on here?" He blurted with a pale face as he stood up from his seat.


    Tomas gave Braylon a snickering nce before he said, "It seemed you really didn''t know anything about the incident a week ago. Don''t worry; your friend will tell you all about it. I''m sure he summoned you here to discuss exactly that."


    Leroy''s expression was ugly at this moment as he clearly wasn''t expecting this turn of events. This entire incident had nothing to do with him. He only found out like everyone else.


    But just his bad luck, he was contacted by someone who he couldn''t disobey and had to take full responsibility for this entire incident. In return, he was promised something he couldn''t refuse, wealth and a ticket to higher ins.


    Not only that, but he was also given another mission, which was to unite the masses against Jacob and then ruin his public image as well as his guild image.


    Furthermore, he was told there would be another attempted assassination, and this time they would have the ZWA (Zodiac Warrior Alliance) full support as well.


    However, now Tomas was straight out refusing him, and he even brought the ZWA Chairman into it, which means he was likely telling the truth.


    This could only mean two things, the negotiation between ZWA and UZB (Universal Zodiac Bank) has failed!


    Leroy was now feeling extremely gloomy as this would also make things nastier for him. He clearly won''t lead the charge to hunt Jacob himself. He cares about his life more than some empty promises.


    Likewise, he would rather be a deserter than deceased!


    However, he still didn''t understand one thing. He asked with a raspy voice, "Just why did you kick him out of ZWA if he''s such a powerful figure and let him join the guild?"


    Braylon also looked at Tomas because he always wondered about it. It was quite clear that Jacob was now an official member of the guild, but he knew that he was a former ZWA member.


    He had made the mistake of thinking that he could kick Jacob out since he didn''t belong to the guild, but he learned the hard way that he was extremely wrong.


    Jacob was an official member even before he met Braylon, which meant he was contacted by someone with the same status as him, and Braylon had no idea who that person was, to tell the truth.


    But this just made him more fearful because there was a chance he had supporters from the higher ins, and that''s why he didn''t want to cross him ever.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Tomas''s grin stiffened when he heard that question as if someone had stabbed him right in the gut. He naturally knew Jacob was an official member of ZWA because he was appointed to this position by one of his pawns in the freedom ins, Nixon!


    At that time, Jacob was still considered to be a nker, and he wanted to earn his loyalty by providing him with resources and leaving it to Nixon to handle it.


    However, before their ns were even put into motion, Jacob''s ''kidnapping'' happened, and everything goes down to the hills.


    But Tomas had never even thought that a nobody would turn out to be a monster within a few years who even he had to look up to.


    He even took the man for someone else when he found that he was a permanent member of the guild.


    However, when he got recently contacted by the ZWA Chairman, the person he worships, he found out a terrifying truth.


    The Faceless Ancient of the Alchemy Guild was the same Faceless Ancient he once wanted to take as his subordinate.


    Not only that, Gunnar even admitted that he made a mistake by kicking that guy out because of his own misgivings about Jacob. If he had known that guy was really capable of such a feat, he wouldn''t have made that deal.


    s, there was no medicine for regret in this world, and now that terrifying fellow was almost untouchable in the rare ins. The ZWA could''ve been the strongest by his side, but now they weren''t even dared to face the guy.


    Anyhow, Gunnar didn''t take the offer Lucy wanted to give him as he didn''t want to send his men on this suicidal mission. As a fighter himself, he knew way better just how much manpower it would take to take Jacob down.


    So, now the agency was helpless without the legion''s help!


    As for the answer to Leroy''s question, Tomas only said four ambiguous yet ugly words, "I have no idea."


    Leroy almost flew in rage upon hearing this but controlled himself, "Why are you chickening out?! He might be gravely wounded right now, for all we know. Just help me out, and I''ll make it worth your while!"


    "I have some very good deals with you in the past, Leroy, but this time, I''m not going to take this one." Tomas coldly rejected.


    At this moment, a knock rang on the door.


    "What is it?" Leroy angrily asked, as he was in a very bad mood right now.


    "Sorry to intrude, but we received an important report right now!" A panicked voice rang.


    Leroy frowned, hearing this unfamiliar voice, and before he could reply, Tomas said, "It''s one of my men. Come in."


    A burly troll entered the room, and with panic-stricken eyes, he blurted without even greeting the three. It also reflected just how panicked he was by this report.


    "T-the Wild Nation! It''s the Wild Nation, the mad Lich King has dered his intention of whipping every living being on the Rare ins after his full victory over the Freedom ins.


    "The Dark Armies are marching toward the magic beast forest as we speak, and not only that, but the Lich King specifically called out the Dark City!"

 Chapter 296 When It Rains, It Pours (1)

    Today, the sky was covered in ck rainy clouds as thunder rumbled, making the beasts in the magic beast forest restless.


    At this moment, in a particr area of the inner magic beast forest, the ground suddenly started to shake. The booming sounds reverberated in the vicinity as if someone was trying to tear apart the earth.


    "Bommm¡­"


    A piece of ground sted in the air with some trees, revealing an underground passage. Jacob walked out of this passage looking the same as usual.


    "This door took three punches for me to break it. Not bad," Jacob muttered, looking at the broken, hidden doors of Lucas''s hidden base.


    In the end, he shook his head. He can''t remain here any longer, and this ce will likely be someone else''s property or some magic beast will upy it.


    Anyway, he took anything worth taking, so he didn''t care much about this ce anymore, and he had already achieved what he wanted to bying here.


    ''I managed to process all the plutonium two days prior to my estimate. Well, I hope the Dark Earl won''t mind if Ie to visit two days earlier.'' Jacob thought before he moved, turning into a blur in the direction of the dark city.


    This time, Jacob''s journey was quite smooth as no one was there to obstruct his way, and he guessed those corpses probably spooked those annoying guys away.


    ''Tip¡­ tip¡­''


    Raindrops suddenly started to fall at this moment, and within a few seconds, they started to pour.


    Although Jacob wasn''t bothered by the rain, it still obstructed his hearing sense. But for him, this was just like a casual rain, so he continued making his way toward the dark city, which was now over ten miles away.


    However, when Jacob was only two miles away from reaching the waterfall canyon, Jacob suddenly felt a strange unease for no reason.


    With a deep frown, Jacob slowed down and focused on his surroundings, but except for that rain, everything was perfectly normal.


    However, that strange, uneasy feeling got intensified the closer he got to the canyon and just won''t go away.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob decided to summon Cursed Immortality instated of taking more risks.


    He was saving this summons when he entered the Dark City''s Noble Circle. However, he had never felt like this before, so he just wanted to confirm if this feeling was just a false rm or if there was some sort of danger hidden near the dark city.


    It was better to be careful than sorry.


    However, just when he summoned Cursed Immortality, all the surrounding rain stopped, which made Jacob bewildered since it was simply too sudden, and when he looked up, his heart sank.


    Because he saw the rain wasn''t stopped, instated it was obstructed by invisible doom, and this doom was fifty-meter-high and probably five hundred meters wide. Not only that, but Jacob felt he was deaf as all sounds were cut off.


    Almost instantly, Jacob''s entire body trembled as he felt goosebumps rising, and the fine hair on his body stood in rm.


    However, without sound, Jacob''s bnce systems were greatly effective, which was clearly the scheme here, and the other party wanted to take full advantage of it as well.


    But Jacob wasn''t so easy to subdue either. Within that instant, his two swords appeared in his hand while he twisted his body to the right.


    Just when Jacob started to twist his body, a red streak appeared right where his chest was a moment ago. However, Jacob was far from out of danger. He only managed to avoid the blow to his chest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Because at that same time, Jacob felt something sharp with a force of at least over ten kilotonsnd over his shoulder, which should be supposed to be for his neck.


    The windbreaker he was wearing had at least a basic-type-2 defensive capability, and he was wearing a shirt made with the same type of material, so that de didn''t manage to wound him.


    However, after the second attack in session, another came, which was headed toward his head!


    But now he also got enough time to move his sword, and he used it as a shield to protect his head without hesitation.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom ''Bang¡­''


    Although he managed to block that dark blue streak, Jacob instantly received a terrible impact on his head, which wasn''t any lower than ten kilotons.


    All happened in one second in slow motion, and the moment that second passed, ''Swish¡­''


    Jacob''s body sted in the right direction crushing many trees in its path.


    Jacob felt his head ringing, but he knew if he sumbed to this pain and didn''t recover fast, he would be dead since this three-way attack was perfectly coordinated.


    This time, his enemy was extremely sneaky that even he didn''t see theming, nor they gave him any chance to even look at Cursed Immortality which was hovering in front of him.


    He simply summoned it toote!


    His heart entered 10X eleration at this moment, and Jacob regained his sense and maneuvered in the air to stabilize himself on the ground.


    However, his enemy seemed to be even faster than him as he could now sense another deadly attacking right behind his neck and another one from the air!


    Without hesitation, the sword in his hand rotated backward, and he stabbed it to the back without even looking while his second sword rotated upward and he thrust it toward the air.


    "Cling¡­"


    Eerie sounds of metal clinging together rank almost instantly, and Jacob felt pressure behind those two attacks. Although they weren''t equivalent to Epic rank, they were not far either.


    But this action also exposed all of Jacob''s body, and when Jacob sensed two more attacks wereing from right up ahead, he knew there were more than three attackers, and his eyes went deadly grim!


    Using his superior physical strength, he shed the sword, which was blocking the attacker in the air, down with the attacker itself.


    Those two attackers'' attacks were instantly disrupted by this action.


    At this moment, Jacob finally got a glimpse of Immortika, who had written something, and his heart sank when he saw the very first line.


    "There are five legendary descendants!"


    Right at this moment, Jacob saw a sharp edge appear out of nowhere, and it was only an inch away from his left eye!

 Chapter 297 When It Rains It Pours (2)

    The de appeared literally out of nowhere, and the moment Jacob realized that it was there, it was already touching his mask''s eye, which was made with a basic-type-1 ss known as Sky ss.


    Sky ss has a clear reflection on one side while the other side looks like a solid surface, and it is quite sturdy and stainless. Not even an Advance Type-0 weapon could scratch its surface.


    However, the assassins were clearly quite professional, and they probably knew what kind of target they were going to assassinate, so they clearly won''te with some type-0 weapons.


    So, Jacob knew that even if he managed to evade, his eye was as good as gone. What he should be worried about was that de managed to prate deep into his skull.


    That''s why Jacob started to retract his head backward while the de edge was already breaking past the sky ss and now only a hair away from touching the cornea, and almost at the same time, it turned fiery crimson!


    Thereby, Jacob felt a sharp, fiery pain in his eye as if someone was piercing his eye with a scorching skewer.


    When the bade finally started to enter it, his entire eye went blind, leaving only the fiery pain.


    But he knew it was unavoidable. As the de entered three to four-millimeter-deep into his eye socket, it started to go upward toward his eyebrow because of Jacob''s timely retracing his head backward.


    However, this didn''t mean he was out of the wood, not by a long, showing that fiery de directly cut through his eye and skin. It even managed to scorch his skull before its left''s Jacob head.


    Not only did the de manage to take out his eye and nearly kill him, but his mask and hood were also blown apart by the sharp, fiery intent behind that de.


    Jacob''s face was revealed, with a deeply charred gush over his left eye, while his right bloodshot eye was deadly cold and filled with disbelief. He never thought he woulde closer to death despite his current prowess in the rare ins.


    He thinks of himself as someone who could easily avoid danger in the rare ins. But now he knows he was too na?ve. No amount of preparation couldpare to the unknown dangers, and this lesson could only learn through deadly experiences.


    Jacob looked at the crimson de going over his head, and at this moment, his heart rate jumped to 20X eleration.


    The gush on his eye started to mend visibly the moment he entered that state, while his other amber eye turned bright golden before multiple colors shimmered in his retina.


    The moment seemed to slow down for Jacob, and he could overwatch his surrounding in one meter like that was now part of his vision. There wasn''t any blind spot nor any hidden enemies in this range anymore.


    Jacob''s hand moved from the back, which was blocking the attack from behind, and directly shed toward the de''s owner, who was in a straight position which his sword moving over Jacob''s head.


    His sword cut passed the hand holding the de before it moved directly toward the neck.


    Before the other party realized it, he was cleaved into three pieces, and Jacob''s body moved so fast those other four attacks were still probably thinking that he was pinned down, while he was now almost freed from that deadly lock.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The 20X eleration was something that could make his speed increase by 20 times, as well as his reaction speed. His mind works at terrifying speed while his vision sees many things which he can''t normally see.


    The most terrifying about achieving a 20X boost on his current level was that one-meter zone where Jacob felt he was a god and nothing could escape him. So, he called it God''s Zone.


    However, this didn''t mean there wasn''t any price to pay. In 20X eleration, his body energy also rapidly depleted to fuel that massive eleration.


    Jacob''s conjecture was he could only maintain this eleration for around 1 minute, even with the Unique Endurance of a Wyvern, or his body would start burning his muscles.


    That''s why he didn''t use it carelessly since he would need a massive amount of nutrition to regain his peak condition.


    However, now, after almost dying, he couldn''t care less about that price. He wanted these guys dead!


    The remaining four finally realized that theirpanion was dead when his sword-wielding hand, head, and body started to split into three pieces, and somehow Jacob''s speed greatly surpassed their own reaction speed.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom When any of them realized that Jacob was gone and now attacking them, it was already toote as his sword was hacking down toward the three guys in front, like unstoppable wind, and slipped past them like a butter knife before they could even react.


    Jacob then finally turned around toward thest guy who attacked from behind while the blood wasn''t even falling to the ground of his newly cleaved victims.


    His eye was exempt from any emotion, and only bloodlust was emitting from his very being.


    Without hesitation, he threw his sword toward thest person who was trying to retreat but appeared extremely slow in Jacob''s vision, and the sword directly stabbed into his head!


    Only after confirming that there weren''t any more attackers did Jacob start to calm down, and his heart exited the eleration state. His entire skin was scorching while steam was rising. He looked like a crimson devil with his one scorched eye.


    At this moment, the barrier above suddenly burst like a bubble before the rain started to pour down again. This clearly has something to do with those five attackers'' death.


    Jacob felt somewhat better under that cold rain and finally took a careful look at the appearance of those five death assassins. Before, he only cared about killing them and didn''t have time to waste looking at their appearance.


    The moment he saw those corpses, his eye turned deadly cold, but there was a hint of dread present in it.


    Those five were dressed in white robes with ck hourss symbols on their chests while their bodies were wrapped in ck gauze. They were just like those two mysterious figures hovering on the discs he killed on the day of the massacre!

 Chapter 298 You’re Sick!

    "Iron Puppet Assassins has been killed by the target!


    "Iron ss Kill Order has entered the third and final stage!


    "10 Iron Puppet Assassins and 1 Bronze Puppet Assassin have been dispatched!"


    An electric voice rang in the secret library.


    The Goblette was putting back some old books when she heard it, and a hint of surprise shed past her ruthlessly cold eyes.


    She muttered with interest and a hint of astonishment, "How can someone be capable of killing two waves of Iron Puppets in this ce?


    "Now that the Iron ss Kill Order has entered its final stage, if it fails again, the Iron Constant has to pay 100 times the initial Iron Kill Order price before he can put a new kill order on any target again.


    "I wonder if this target will survive and break the three-hundred-year Iron Kill Streak and¡­."


    Her muttering was like eerie noises within the silence of the library.


    ---


    In heavy rain, Jacob looked at the cleaved corpses with his icy gaze.


    He walked toward them as he started to feel lethargic again, and this time, this feeling was quite intense, as if he would fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes and let his vignce go.


    However, his left eye was still burning while his vision was dark, so it was enough to keep him awake, and now he was going to eat them all to recover his depleted energy, not to mention their hearts were even more nutritional and precious.


    But this didn''t mean he was happy about getting almost killed by this bunch. He was lucky he only lost an eye, and if he had been wearing his old dressing, he would''ve been stabbed multiple times before that guy would''ve imed his head.


    "Just who the fuck are they? They clearly belonged to the same organization. What kind of species are they from?" Jacob asked Immortika sternly, who was hovering there all this time.


    Today he also learned just how important Immortika''s ability to see through any species is, and he shouldn''t hesitate to use it if he ever started to feel uneasy. He only has one life, and there''s no point in holding back on it.


    "Hahahaha¡­ they almost had you, huh? I must say, the attack was almost impable. They first put a magic barrier with a soundless effect to throw you off your bnce for a few moments, and they took full advantage of those moments.


    "Since you put up a good show for me, I''ll reveal something interesting about these guys, which I ignoredst time."


    Jacob''s expression instantly darkened when he saw the ''ignored'' part, he knew it was nothing but bull crap, and his rage was almost boiling.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, hey, hey, why do you look so mad? I didn''t lie to you about them being legendary descendants or anything. I just forgot to mention that they were not naturally born and were some sort of mutants who seemed to didn''t have a will of their own." Immortika revealed.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "Mutants? Like the Cannibals of the Killer Skull Society? So, they are the ones behind it?"


    Jacob felt it was most likely the case as he instantly remembered the Apocalyptic-S''s threat, and his heart went cold. He didn''t think she was still hiding those mutants somewhere, and they were so terrifying.


    But this also raised another question in his mind, ''If they can produce such mutants, then why did they want the data frommon ins, cannibal n? Is there something I''m missing? I should check that data thoroughly!''


    "How did I know who''s behind it? All I can say is these mutants are millions of times superior to the ones you encountered in the type-0 ins.


    "Not only are they made with legendary descendants as a core, but they even surpassed the limits of what they can do without turning into those mutants.


    "Like the one who almost blew off your face was a true Dark Elf who was born a rare and might''ve be unique. But you could''ve seen himing a few feet away despite his assassin-like characteristics, but you sensed him when he was a few inches away from you.


    "And you know the fascinating part? This guy can use fire magic with his shadow magic simultaneously, which should be only possible with the Epic Star Magic Core. Now, this is what we called a mutant, and somehow you seemed to be their target, ahhahaha!"


    Jacob''s expression turned darker the more he read as his heart became heavier toward the end, even though he didn''t mind the endless supply of mutant hearts, which were a good thing for his Cursed Blood Condensing stage.


    But these guys'' strange abilities to keep themselves hidden until the veryst moment were very dangerous for him as he only sensed them when he was in the 15X eleration state.


    Now, he discovered that they could even use something that only an epic rank can.


    "I shouldn''t have put the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual to hold. I need to find a way to use magic as well or at least know more about it to counterattack. Knowledge about alchemy is not enough when ites to fighting.


    "And I can get rid of their invisibility with special sses since they emit thermomaic waves. They can forget about sneaking up on me like this unless they turn really invincible. So, do you have any suggestion for me on this?" He looked at Immortika while he unwrapped the faces of those corpses, and they were the same as thest ones, faceless!


    "You have your own solution to this problem, and this is the true way to be stronger. As for your eye, it will recover as long as you eat high-quality meals or herbs because of your cursed heart. So you already got all the help from my side. I''m just a book, after all. Hehehe."


    "Yep, a book that withheld important information and nearly got its owner killed." Jacob sneered coldly as he cut open the corpse''s chest and took out its heart, and started eating it as he was feeling tired.


    "It''s part of your training, and it will be too boring for me if you already know everything. This way, it would be more interesting." Immortika replied matter-of-factly.


    It clearly didn''t care if Jacob doubted it or not, as it only wanted a kick out of everything.


    Jacob coldlymented before he ignored it, "You''re sick, and I''m even more who is following you!"

 Chapter 299 The Incoming Danger

    An hourter, after the attempted assassination of Jacob, he was now standing outside the Dark City entrance. He looks the same as he did an hour ago. Despite his masked breaking, he got a spare, so it didn''t affect him much.


    The only difference was he was blinded on his left side, although Immortika told him the eye would be recovered as long he consumed high-quality materials.


    But even after eating those five guys whole and their hearts, only a deep scar over his left eye was recovered while his charred socket and the eye were still the same.


    After his inquiring with Immortika, he found that his eye was destroyed by the magic, and he had to regrow it, which meant he needed far more nutrition than just five extraordinary rank beings with legendary descendants states.


    If he needed to regrow his eye, he needed Advance Type-2 herbs or high-tier epic-rank beings, which was clearly impossible to achieve in rare ins!


    So, he thought of another solution, the Type-2 Titan Tears!


    After he managed to learn the runenguage and philosophernguage, he naturally examined this miraculous form that can help anyone advance to a higher rank.


    He discovered the titan tears book not only contained type-0, and type-1, forms of the potion, but there were still four unidentified forms that he couldn''t read because they were probably in type-2 philosopher''snguage.


    But with his current attainment in alchemy and the philosopher''snguage, he could still decipher the basic type-2 titan tears form.


    As for the remaining forms in the book, he knew they were probably above type-2 or even type-3 rank. He never thought this book discovered in themon ins would be so terrifying, and he almost traded it for a map.


    Anyhow, he knew as long as he created type-2 titan tears, his eye would be recovered.


    As for the advanced type-1 titan tears, which he already had in his pendant, he knew it was not enough, and he would only waste it, and he has other use for it, so he didn''t want to use it as all the titan iron he bought from the champion''s space was already used up.


    The advance type-1 rank titan iron was quite rare. Even in the guild, he only found around eight hundred grams, and he took it all.


    To make the basic type-2 titan tears, he naturally needs basic type-2 titan iron, and in the rare ins, he could only think of one person who might have it or at least knew where to find it, and he was currently headed to meet him right now.


    Lastly, he also got to see the final percentage of his Cursed Blood Condensing, which was 5.1%, and it was after eating eight legendary descendants'' hearts!


    This naturally left Jacob depressed because he only got 0.2% added into his previous 4.9% Cursed Blood Condensing Stage. It was too low in his mind, and it wasn''t seemed like worth trading his eye for and almost dying.


    "Wee to the Rare Dark City, Esteem Wanderer!


    "Please Identify yourself!


    "Seeking permission to scan the Star Watch


    "Will you ept?"


    Jacob heard Dark Rose''s voice and the same notifications he heard when he entered the dark city for the first time. So, he allowed the scanning.


    "Identity Scan Complete!


    "Faceless Ancient (Senior Grandmaster Gunsmith Alchemist)


    "Dark City Status: Alchemy Guild Leader


    "Dark City Criminal Record: None<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Dark City Noble Title: Upper Dark Noble (Temporary)


    "Wee Back, Sir Faceless Ancient!


    "You have an appointment with the Dark Earl.


    "You have been allocated a 7-day pass in the Dark Noble City Circle by the Dark City Administrator (Dark Earl). Do you wish to start your visit right now or on ater day?"


    ''At least he was the real deal.'' Jacob felt somewhat good after confirming that the Dark Earl was really the real thing, and he arranged for his visit as he had promised.


    His evaluation of the guy raised a bit, but this didn''t mean he would forget about the fact that the Dark Earl also has a 1-star privilege like him in the rare ins.


    "I''ll take it today," Jacob replied without hesitation, as he didn''t have time to waste after the assassination an hour ago.


    "Very well, please embark on the lift Sir Faceless Ancient. It will take about 2 hours to reach the noble circle. I''ll inform the Dark Earl right away!"


    With Dark Rose''s fading voice, the entrance slide opened for Jacob, and he entered without hesitation.


    If Jacob had known he had dodged a lethal bullet by deciding to enter the Noble Circle of the Dark City without wasting more time, he would appreciate Hallberg even more.


    ---


    Within the Dark Castle of the Dark Earl,


    Hallberg, wearing a dark mask, sat on a dark throne like a king while there were nine figures sitting on the chairs two steps below his throne. It looked like a royal court of a king.


    Hallberg also didn''t have that happy-go-lucky air around him anymore as he sat there with dignity, and those nine figures didn''t dare to even breathe heavier in his presence.


    "Did someone find out why the Lich King specifically said he would tter the Dark City with the Magic Beast Forest? Who offend him from the Dark City?" His voice was extremely gloomy.


    A giant with a masculine build and deep scars over his face answered with a heavy tone, "My men approached him and tried asking the same thing, but he killed them. It''s clear he had gone mad after his defeat in the dark ruins. He knew his days are number, as we all know with the iing reinforcement, the Dark Beings will probably send his recement."


    "We let him take the Freedom ins exactly because he won''t take this kind of foolish decision. But not only did he not appreciate our kindness, but he even dared to march his troops toward our city. Did he really think, since we don''t interfere with day-to-day matters, the Dark City is afraid of some corpses?!" A tall orc woman with a white lion head roared furiously.


    "Whichever the case is, I''m pretty sure many people in the dark city will try to run away as they are all here since they are cowards in the first ce. I have already noticed people exiting the dark city silently, and those are probably the guys who know what ising.


    "Even some of our lower and upper dark nobles have shown signs of uneasiness, and some leave outright. Even some Dark Nobles in the Noble Circle are suggesting to evacuate the city post hastily as this fight is a lost cause." An elf worriedly stated.


    "Heh, you''re just expressing your own intentions in the sham of others. It''s so like you, Dark Viscount Cloven." A 2.9-meter-tall giant woman wearing ck battle armor scoffed disdainfully.


    "Dark Viscount Water Wave, don''t slender others without proof!" Cloven retorted with a dark expression while there was a hint of panic deep hidden in his eyes.


    "Enough with this nonsense!" Hallberg pped his hand over the handle of his throne and said in exasperation, "If the Dark Being Armies wanted to annihte the Dark City, they needed to sweep through the magic beast forest first, and unlike Freedom ins, we won''t let them do that anymore.


    "Let''s chip away their numbers as much as we can before we deliver the killing blow once they enter the Dark Zone. Dark City has been silent for too long; it''s time to show why even three hegemonies have to show respect in Dark City!"


    Hallberg coldly dered before his Star Watch vibrated¡­

 Chapter 300 Meeting With Dark Earl (1)

    A luxurious carriage drawn by four Horn Horses, which were actually domestic rare rank magic beasts, was slowly making its way into the massive gates of the Dark Castle.


    The Dark Castle was designed like a medieval castle with pristine ck stones, and there were dark guards of the Dark City patrolling on the walls while some were standing straight on their posts with all kinds of cannons and war machines.


    Watching all this setting closely was Jacob, who sat inside the carriage with his scrutinous gaze. After he entered the noble circle, this carriage was waiting for him right outside the station, which was naturally arranged by the Dark Earl.


    Jacob as a guest, can''t reject this gesture if he doesn''t want to appear rude toward the Dark Earl. If he didn''t have a personal motive for meeting with Hallberg, he might''ve considered it.


    Furthermore, Jacob found the noble circle like the capital of some kingdom as it waspletely different from themon and inner circles of the Dark City.


    There weren''t many people on the streets, and those who were present were wearing the armor of the dark city.


    The buildings here were made with high-quality materials, and the architectural designs were marvelous. Anyone who had never experienced the circle of nobles would feel apprehensive pressure from this ce.


    However, Jacob has many deals with nobles in his old life. Even some countries'' kings were his business partners, so he wasn''t pressured at all. On the contrary, he felt somewhat nostalgic while entering the dark castle.


    A very deep memory surfaced in his mind when he had just started making waves in the weaponry industry¡­


    ---


    A middle-aged man with schrly air stood in front of Jacob, who was in histe twenties, saying meaningfully, "Mr. Steve, I heard you have a promising proposal for our noble household, and I''m grateful that you chose us first over all other organizations."


    Jacob replied with a hint of apprehension while looking at his middle-aged man, "Your Highness, I''m also grateful for this meeting. About the project, I would like to change my mind on this. I''m not willing to hand over the full rights of my invention. But I want to enter a cooperating partnership with yourpany." He sounds even respectful as well as unsettled.


    The middle-aged man''s eyes turned somewhat cold as he said, "Is our offer not to your liking Mr. Steve?"


    "No, it''s not like this. I''m extremely ttered by Your Highness''s offer." Jacob sheepishly said, "B-but I don''t want to stop here. I think I can do more, and yourpany is one of the paramountpanies in the weaponry industry. If you give me this chance, I can assure you that I can make it the only paramount in the world!"


    The middle-aged man was startled by Jacob''s words, and a chuckle escaped his mouth, "Mr. Steve, I like your ambition, but trust me, I like where mypany is right now. As for you entering a partnership with mypany, although your Friction Killer is a ground-breaking invention, it''s not at the level where you enter a partnership with ourpany. I''m pretty sure anyone in my position would tell you the same.


    "You see, Mr. Steve, in the weapon business, what matter is who has more firepower. Unless you discovered a way to make atomic bullets or a gun that can rapidly fire your friction-killer bullets, no one would take a risk at our level.


    "Of course, if you want a job, I can offer you one as one of our chief science executives. We''ll talk about partnership when you have someone more¡­ practical to offer, not a dream. Dreams do not make money, Mr. Steve."


    Jacob''s hopeful eyes visibly dimmed before they turned cold. He looked at the middle-aged man, who now had clear disdain in his eyes. He nodded, "It was indeed a mistake on my part to propose such an absurd notion. I beg your pardon, Your Highness Victor. I''ll take my leave now."


    Victor took at Jacob, who stood up, and he had no intention of stopping him. He said at this moment, "About your Fiction Killer Bullets, although they are astonishing, they can be reverse-engineered. This is the main reason you can''t make an impact on the weapon industry."


    Jacob''s figure trembled ever so slightly, but he didn''t turn around and merely nodded and walked away before saying, "I''ll keep that in mind, Your Highness¡­"


    ---


    "Heh¡­" Jacob snapped out of that memory with a scoff as the carriage was stopped.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A Dark Guard opened the door before he solemnly stated, "Esteemed Guest, we are here."


    Jacob nodded before he disembarked the carriage and found himself standing in front of a grand entrance.


    His eyesnded on a 4''2 feet masked person with a burly build; however, his long thick bear was still quite visible, which made it quite clear he was a man. He was wearing blue attire while standing on both sides were two giants.


    One was 3.7 meters tall with a masculine build and deep scars over his face, and big fiery eyes exempt from any emotion. He wore a fully gray battle armor.


    While the other was a 2.9-meter-tall giant woman wearing ck battle armor, she had an oval face, long ck hair, and blue eyes, which were filled with scrutiny as she looked at Jacob''s hooded figure.


    Jacob''s eyes fell over the giant male, and he thought, ''He must be the Dark Earl.''


    However, he was astonished when the little man started walking toward him, and those giants followed behind. Hepletely ignored him because he didn''t give him any sense of danger despite his noble demeanor.


    "Hahaha¡­ I didn''t think you woulde earlier than you told me to." Hallbergughed heartedly as he greeted Jacob.


    ''So, he is the Dark Earl, a Dwarf?'' Jacob recognized Hallberg''s voice and found it quite strange that a Dwarf was the most powerful person in the Dark City.


    It was quite an eye-opener for him. Still, his eyes were hidden, so those three didn''t notice any of his expressions.


    Jacob then nodded in acknowledgment, "I hope I didn''t intrude on His Excellency''s peace."


    "Are you kidding? I''m d you''ve decided toe early." Hallberg''s candidly said, "Let me introduce you to these two nobles and also my good friends. This buff guy is Dark Viscount Stone Hammer, and this lovelydy here is Dark Viscount Water Wave. These two would be the strongest duo of our Dark City, of course, if I didn''t include Sir Faceless Ancient. I hope you don''t mind if they join us for a meal today."


    Jacob nodded in acknowledgment toward the two giants but only met with their cold gazes, especially Water Wave, as if she was holding some kind of grudge against him.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel But Jacob didn''t give a damn about their feelings and was only giving Hallberg a face. He had killed many giants, and their physical appearance now had little effect on him.


    "If Your Excellency''s territory, anything goes as long as you''re okay with it." Jacob coolly stated.


    Hallberg also noticed the giants''ck of response; a hint of unhappiness shed past his eyes, but he couldn''t embarrass the dark nobles in front of outsiders, so he pretended not to see it.


    He kept him here for a reason, and as long as they won''t cross a certain line, he''ll let them be.


    So, he replied to Jacob in an amicable manner, "Just call me Hallberg, and I hope to call you Jack as well. I don''t like pleasantries, as long as it''s fine with you, that is."


    "I don''t mind." Jacob nodded as he found Hallberg''s attitude genuine, not like Otto, who gave him a strange rming feeling as if he was watched by a snake.


    Hallberg then beckoned Jacob inside while saying enthusiastically, "Let''s go. I have arranged a feast!"

 Chapter 301 Meeting With Dark Earl (2)

    Within avish dining hall, a huge table filled with all kinds of dishes and beverages was meticulously arranged.


    Hallberg, followed by Jacob, and the two giants entered the hall, followed by some masked maidservants.


    Every servant working within the castle wasn''t allowed to reveal his/her face, nor were they allowed to talk with anyone outside the dark castle without the Dark Earl''s permission.


    This was done to make sure no one had any inside information on the City Administrator, and the Dark Rose made sure of it.


    The Dark City puts the safety of its own nobles first, as well as guards the secrets known by these nobles. Especially a City Administrator, who has the most knowledge about the Dark City and some secrets that Dark Nobles won''t know unless they have City Administrator Authority.


    Jacob looked at the table full of all kinds of meat, and the aromas emitting from them were quite appetizing. He could also tell all that meat belonged to Extraodianry-Tier-6 magic beasts and was made with at least intermediate type-1 ingredients.


    As for those beverages, their intoxicating scent was evidence of their being intermediate-type-1 quality at least.


    He had to admit, Hallberg really meant it when he said he was going to hold a feast, and this feast was the best beast anyone could get in the Rare ins or even in the Dark City.


    With Hallberg''s amiable attitude up till now, Jacob felt this guy might be sincere about meeting him.


    But he knew things could turn ugly within a moment, especially when he still had no idea why Hallberg had contacted him and even invited him into the noble circle, and those two giants could be seen as his bodyguards. So, it was quite clear Hallberg was also quite careful of him, especially with his current reputation.


    "Trust me, Jack, this meat is the best I could arrange in haste. If you had told me a day before your arrival, I could''ve done more." Hallberg sighed ruefully.


    But his made the Giants'' eyes spasmed while Jacob gave him a side eye and said, "Then I''m d I didn''t."


    "Hahaha, so you do have humor, huh?" Hallberg chuckled as he pointed Jacob to his seat right beside his main seat, "Please."


    "Thank you." Jacob nodded before he sat down, and Hallberg sat right beside him.


    The two giants sat on the right and left; Stone Hammer sat close to Jacob, while Water Wave was close to Hallberg.


    Jacob didn''t mind those two vignt gazes, and he thought of something and said to Hallberg, "I prepared a gift for you. Do you mind if I take it out?"


    Since Hallberg was being so considerate and showing him respect despite his superior status and background, he didn''t want to be seen as someone with ack of respect. He liked to treat people as they treated him.


    Of course, things would have been different if he had ulterior motives. Especially in Hallberg''s case, he wanted to buy something from him. But he was treating him like a guest and even holding this luxurious feast, so he would be pping the guy in the face by bringing up his purpose.


    Lastly, Jacob wanted to see something in the sham of this gift.


    The two giants'' eyes shed in wariness as they looked at Hallberg with meaningful looks.


    When they heard the same Faceless Ancient who was the person behind the massacre over eight days ago wereing here to meet with Hallberg, their first reaction was this was an insane idea. Hallberg was taking a huge risk by inviting a tiger into his house.


    Even they weren''t sure if they could survive the siege of over five hundred trained warriors. But Jacob did, and he even killed them all. In the end, Hallberg was adamant about meeting with Jacob since he had his own reasons, so he asked them to stay as well.


    In the end, they agreed, but they wanted to confiscate Jacob''s items, especially if he had a space ring, since it would be too dangerous to allow him to keep it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, Hallberg rejected this idea as he knew this would be rude to Jacob, and he might not even agree to it and made Jacob even more vignt, which he didn''t want.


    Although it was dangerous to let Jacob keeps his stuff, Hallberg knew if Jacob wanted to act, he might not even need anything.


    Those over five hundred deaths and Jacobing here without seeming to be mortally wounded was quite clear that among the living, he was probably the most powerful person in the rare ins at this moment.


    So, it didn''t matter if they took his space ring or not.


    It would be a lie to say that Hallberg wasn''t fearful of Jacob. But he has thoroughly studied this mysterious man called Faceless Ancient, and he found that he never acted against anyone unless they provoked him first.


    Or he wasn''t foolish enough to invite him here if he thought that Jacob was a bloodthirsty killer who killed as he pleased.


    Like everyone else, he also thought when he called him that Jacob would be wounded and might not even agree to meet him until his wounds healed.


    But to his astonishment, Jacob agreed to his meeting in ten days, which could only mean he was most likely recovered from that battle.


    So, it didn''t matter if he was wounded or not since he was fine after that kind of massacre. This means he had the means to recover fast and preserve his life.


    After meeting with Jacob, Hallberg was even more sure that Jacob wasn''t as his image had been portrayed by those events around him.


    Although he was arrogant, he showed appropriate manners when he needed to, and his arrogance came with his strength.


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel If those two giants did not feel threatened and apprehensive by Jacob''s achievement, they would''ve never behaved like well manner nobles.


    The giants were arrogant by nature, and they only respected strength. Jacob has strength, so they were not taking any inappropriate action that could offend him despite the fact that they have their reasons not to trust or even hold a grudge against him.


    Now that he brings up this gift, they feel rmed but don''t jump the guns and look at Hallberg since it was his call.


    "Let''s see it." Hallberg smiled and nodded as he allowed it.


    In his eyes, Jacob didn''t need to seek his permission to bring something out, but he did, which mean Jacob knew what they all felt about him and took those feeling into consideration.


    It was enough to prove that he wasn''t just a killer. As an alchemist himself, Hallberg knew how a mind of an alchemist works, and they only do things logically, not driven by killing intent.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with a peculiar glint before he nodded and flipped his hand with a ''space ring'' on his middle finger.


    The next moment, a two feet gray disc appeared in his hand covered in a silver sheen, and it was half an inch thick like it was an ordinary disc.


    But it actually wasn''t because this was one of the two discs Jacob found from the first two legendary descendant mutants he killed.


    Although Jacob was sure those guys were from the killer skull society. He just wanted to make sure that someone else wasn''t involved, especially after today''s assassination attempt right outside the Dark City.


    Because only Hallberg knew he was going toe back to Dark City, and he hoped it was all just a big coincidence because if it wasn''t¡­

 Chapter 302 Meeting With Dark Earl (3)

    Looking at the gray disc in Jacob''s hand, the two giants frowned with unkind expressions since they found that disc extremely ordinary.


    But they didn''tment because, with Jacob''s current status, they didn''t think he would bring out such an insulting gift for the Dark Earl.


    Furthermore, a magic treasure''s true worth could only be found when it was channeled with magic energy. Some magic treasures could appear extremely ordinary, and only a true alchemist could tell them apart with their discreet eyes.


    As for Stone Hammer and Water Wave, they were not alchemists like Jacob and Hallberg, so they thought it was some kind of extraordinary treasure with special functions, and Hallberg might know what it was.


    However, what they heard next made them astonished.


    Hallberg looked at the disc curiously before he looked at Jacob and asked amusingly, "What kind of treasure is this?"


    Jacob was looking at Hallberg''s eyes like a hawk all time as well as the giants'' reactions, and as long as these guys were at the terrifying level of hiding their true expression and controlling their eyes on a whim, he knew these three had no idea what this disc was.


    ''So, it was just the killer skull society then. Or they might be involved and had never even seen this disc before. Or I''m simply thinking too much, and the society may beying in wait outside the Dark City just in case Ie back, and it has nothing to do with the dark city or the dark earl¡­'' Jacob thought as over half of his doubts rted to his assassination about the Dark Earl vanished.


    Still, it was a lost cause; unless he could read their minds or tell them about the assassins, he would not find anything this way.


    Nevertheless, he decided to let it go for now as he should be focused on the main purpose he was for. Once he got what he needed, he would be long gone from the rare ins, leaving everything behind.


    Furthermore, taking this disc out has another purpose. Jacob was curious about this thing himself, and he tried activating it, but there wasn''t any switch or activation sequence. So, he knew this disc was fueled by magic energy, which was quite frustrating.


    Still, since he had two of them and he couldn''t seem to use them yet, he decided to show one to Hallberg as he heard he was also an alchemist and a very good one at that.


    But he also seemed not to have seen it before he took it out.


    "This is a special treasure that can help you take flight in the sky as long as you pour your magic power into it. As for its other functions, I''ll let you explore them on your own. Sometimes mysteries made things more attractive." Jacob impassively stated as he put the disc in front of Hallberg.


    "What? Such treasure exists in rare ins?" Hallberg''s eyes visibly twinkled when he heard about this fascinating treasure.


    It was quite clear he really didn''t know about this disc, not to mention it was capable of taking flight. The Rare ins didn''t have aircraft despite having cars which were quite strange in Jacob''s mind.


    But he didn''t put much thought into it as it wasn''t his problem since he could move between the ces just fine.


    But these discs were quite novel since they could make people fly with magic power, and they could be very handy. s, Jacob couldn''t enjoy this luxury right now since he had the machine but no fuel to run it, which was quite frustrating sometimes.


    Even those giants look quite intrigued by the description of this ordinary-looking disc.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Just its function of flight is enough to make it a unique treasure in the Rare ins, so Jack, I won''t reject this gift. But it''s too precious, so don''t hold back if you need anything from me." Hallberg happily stated as he picked up the disc, and he was astounded when he found just how lightweight it was.


    "Alright, let''s eat first before I try it out. I can''t wait." Hallberg stowed it away, and Jacob didn''t reject his arrangement, and he felt it was worth trading that one disc if he could get materials from Hallberg.


    The mask maidservants were waiting for Hallberg''s exact words and started to serve.


    All of a sudden, everyone looked at Jacob, who was concealing his appearance even more meticulously than Hallberg.


    Jacob sensed the atmosphere as it was quite clear if he wanted to eat, he had to reveal his face, but he didn''t do so just because he was under the spot.


    He turned his face toward Hallberg and said meaningfully, "Shall we?"


    Hallberg wasn''t a fool, as he knew what Jacob was implying. He was clearly asking him to remove his mask as well, which was quite audacious of him.


    Still, Jacob wasn''t someone who was going to hesitate when his words held some authority.


    "Heh, of course, or do you think I''m going to watch you guys enjoy those precious ales?" Hallberg sneered jollily before he removed his mask, revealing his beard face, which was as Jacob imagined it to be.


    Jacob then didn''t chuckle slightly before the mask under his hood vanished, and he took off his hood as well, revealing his maimed face. Furthermore, his hair was blond, and his ears were pointy.


    Jacob had thought that he might have to show his face in this ce, and the asion might be one where he could not reject it unless he wanted to make things grim between the Dark Earl and himself.


    So, he prepared his Golden Elf disguise just in case. The only unexpected touch was his charred left eye socket which made his handsome face less attractive and scarier, something he appreciates at any time.


    Just as he thought, those three were quite startled seeing the mysterious Faceless Ancient was an elf which shouldn''t be possible since a golden elf could never be this powerful.


    So, they all thought he had a terrifying secret. As for his maimed eye, they thought less of it, as scars among warriors were considered akin to honorable symbols.


    "Your eyes, it''s not permanent, right?" Hallberg couldn''t help but ask at this moment.


    "Yes, it was an unfortunate encountered." Jacob coolly replied.


    A peculiar glint shed past Hallberg''s eyes before he didn''t stir that topic anymore and said, "Alright, let''s eat!"

 Chapter 303 Meeting With Dark Earl (4)

    After the short conversation with Hallberg, the meal went without any important topics discussed, and everyone seemed to be enjoying that table of sumptuous delicacies.


    Jacob, in particr, didn''t have such a meal for a while now, and the ale especially made mement on its unique, intoxicating vor that he never had tasted before.


    epting his praise, Hallberg revealed that he had brewed this ale himself, and it was kind of his favorite hobby, which was definitely a dwarf thing.


    However, as time passed, the three hosts were surprised by Jacob''s appetite, which seemed endless. Even the Giants couldn''t eat so much high-nutrition meat since it would be difficult to digest even with their powerful digested system.


    Still, the giants were known for their big appetite and most powerful digested system and physiques, yet here they were, looking at Jacob dumbfoundedly.


    In the end, everyone was speechless as over half of that twenty-meter table filled with all kinds of dishes was cleaned up by Jacob, and they wondered how this guy wasn''t exploding.


    "You can really eat," Hallbergmented without holding back his amazement.


    "I must admit, I didn''t have such a meal in a very long time, so I hope you don''t think little of me." Jacob impassively said as he cleaned his mouth with a napkin despite the fact that he could probably eat far more than just that one table.


    But Jacob knew they might freak out if they knew he could eat more, so he was satisfied with this much. At least it was far better than eating everything and anything raw.


    "Hahaha¡­ this is the bestment a host could get from his guest, and I''m really d I can satisfy your taste buds. Besides, I know we alchemists rarely have enough to time to tend to ourselves, much less enjoy these kinds of meals, so I can rte to your feelings." Hallberg chuckled candidly.


    The two giants hadn''t spoken a word since the start of their meeting with Jacob, as they were silently observing as if they weren''t here at all. But they were now starting to feel different about the ''elf'' called Faceless Ancient.


    Jacob merely nodded as he understood thest part about not being able to enjoy a meal with others if someone was obsessed with research.


    ''Once you realized all the work you give away your entire life for was going to vanish with your life, you''re starting to realize just what you missed¡­'' Jacob suddenlymented.


    "Alright, I''m full. Let''s go for a walk. I''ll show you the Dark Castle as well, for we can try this gift of yours. I can''t stop thinking about it. What do you think?" Hallberg excitedly asked.


    Jacob naturally had no objection as things were going fine with Hallberg, so he decided to let them progress as they were. So he nodded, and they all left the dining hall under Hallberg''s lead.


    Hallberg was walking beside Jacob in the big hallways of the Dark Castle while he showed off the same precious antiques and told history rted to those items to Jacob while those two giants followed quietly from behind.


    Jacob only listened attentively as he didn''t know much about the history of this world. Still, he soon lost interest since the so-called history rted to those items was all about the Dark City of the Rare ins, not actually about the world.


    For some reason, there wasn''t any history of this ce anywhere which was quite unusual. The only information avable was from the beginning of the Freedom ins, and before that, everything was almost nk.


    While talking, Hallberg led the group into an open field that had an open battle ring as well as many weapon shelves ced around it.


    "This is my private training ground where I can let loose once in a while whenever I am fed up with my research." Hallberg jokingly introduced.


    Jacob nodded, "No bad."


    Hallberg then quickly took out the gray disc as he looked eager to try it. The giants also looked quite interested in that disc which seemed to be capable of flight.


    Jacob himself wanted to see its functions up close and made some countermeasures if those guys decided to show up again from the air next time. This disc was the only useful thing he had on that group of assassins, and it seemed unique to them since not even the Dark Earl knew about it.


    "So, I just need to pour my magic energy into it?" Hallberg asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob clearly had no idea if it worked or not. However, he still nodded as it was most likely the case since there wasn''t any kind of mechanism on it to start, and his crafter''s intuition shouldn''t be wrong, especially after he learned magic smiting and had knowledge of Rune Artificer.


    Hallberg didn''t find any falsehood in Jacob''s words, and he didn''t have any reason to doubt Jacob providing him with false information on the item he had just gifted him away.


    He was going to use his magic power when Water Wave suddenly stopped him. As she appeared right in front of him and said impassively, "Your Excellency, let me try it first. It should be dangerous to fly, and we still don''t know if this thing has a protective function for its user to keep him from falling or its max speed.


    "I don''t think Mr. Ancient has any other intention of keeping this information on himself except to give His Excellency some thrill of novel experience. But as your adviser today, I can''t allow you to try something this dangerous.


    "So, please just let me test it first, and this way, you will also know how it works and won''t face any threat or an ident. What do you think, Mr. Ancient? I mean, not offensive, but I hope you understand Dark Earl is too important for the Dark City, and we can''t let some unfortunate ident happen to him?" Water Wave''s tone was exempt from any emotion as she looked at Jacob.


    Jacob looked deeply at the giant woman, and he could feel her vignce and a faint hostility toward him, and he had this feeling from the start that she held some kind of grudge against him.


    Still, what she just said makes a lot of sense, and she pointed out really major threats to Hallberg if this disc didn''t have those functions.


    Jacob didn''t think about it much since he thought they could easily avoid falling or could bnce themselves by using some sort of magic, but it seemed it wasn''t the case at all.


    Jacob was still quite oblivious about how magic energy worked since he didn''t have any, and his point of view was different from those who had it. So, it could be understandable if he overlooked these important points.


    As for Hallberg, he didn''t think Jacob would try to harm him, and he also had his own way of protecting himself from falling. More importantly, he won''t try to take flight on this disc right away before testing it. He wasn''t a fool.


    But Water Wave still brought it up, which was akin to looking down on his own intellect while also doubting Jacob''s kind intention behind this gift.


    Even Stone Hammer thought this was quite excessive since he also didn''t think Jacob would try to do anything to Hallberg after that meal they had as he''s been showing proper restraint.


    Still, Water Wave''s points were valid, and he also thinks that Hallberg shouldn''t be this trusting to someone who they met just over an hour ago.


    "I don''t mind," Jacob replied without many expressions on his face.


    But deep down, he now started to feel uneasy about giving away this untested treasure to the Dark Earl just to quench his own curiosity and test the other party''s intentions.


    Still, he would do it again if he had to since it was important to know the involvement of the Dark Earl in that assassination despite the result were not what he expected.


    But Jacob still believed that there wasn''t anything wrong with this treasure as they were being used just fine when he picked them up after killing their owners, and he didn''t believe they had any chance to do anything to these discs since he killed them instantly.


    Hallberg, on the other hand, frowned slightly while giving Water Wave an unhappy look as he found this insult toward his guest.


    Still, he didn''t want to berate Water Wave as she was one of his Dark Nobles, but he decided to give her a piece of his mind when they were alone.


    As for now, he gave her the disc with a stiff expression and said, "You better not break it."


    "Of course." Water Wave nodded without any emotion in her eyes before she took the disc from Hallberg''s hand, "Please step back."


    After the three got a few feet away, she finally activated it and poured blue magic energy into the disc, and it suddenly shimmered in a blue hue and¡­!

 Chapter 304 Meeting With Dark Earl (5)

    After the three got a few feet away, she finally activated it and poured blue magic energy into the disc. It suddenly shimmered in a blue hue, and almost instantly, it started to float in front of Water Wave!


    The gray disc now shimmered in a blue hue under Water Wave''s water element magic energy.


    Hallberg muttered while looking at the disc with shining eyes, "How fascinating."


    Water Wave then tried to control it, and she was shocked when she found that just as he willed to move it below with her magic, the disc seemed to react to her thought and shimmered faintly before it slowly descended toward her feet and only stopped when it was only an inch away from her touching the ground.


    She then couldn''t help but nce at Jacob with a strange glint in her eyes, and when she saw he was as dismissive as before, coldness surfaced in her heart.


    "You shouldn''t keep Lord Dark Earl waiting." It was Stone Hammer who said coldly at this moment. His words contained a strange type of warning in them while he looked at her meaningfully.


    ''Don''t do anything stupid¡­''


    This is what he wanted to convey, but it was unknown if Water Wave got it or not.


    She inhaled sharply before she stepped on the disc, and she was even more astonished when she found that the disc remainedpletely stable as it didn''t even flinch under her weight.


    Then something fascinating happened, the blue hue on the disc suddenly started to rise and covered Water Wave''s feet, and she instantly felt that her feet seemed to have embedded in the disc as she couldn''t even flinch them.


    But it didn''t end there as she felt more magic power suddenly start to enter the disc as if it was out of her control, and that blue hue kept rising over her body until itpletely encased her within.


    Under everyone''s scrutinous eyes, the moment the blue hue encased her entirely, she suddenly vanished!


    Jacob, who was watching this, thought grimly, ''So, these things also have stealth function, and even I can''t sense her anymore. Moreover, this thing seemed to be extremely precious, and I just gave it away as a gift.


    ''But I can''t use it anyway, and it was worth the reconnaissance provided by these guys as well as now Hallberg would think I have a terrifying backing since I can bring out this kind of thing as a mere gift. Things are still in my favor.


    ''The only problem is I just got to know the Killer Skull Society has these kinds of terrifying weapons at their disposal, and I just happened to piss them off enough that they are now unleashing them on me!''


    The more he thought about how he almost got killed, the more he felt he was still not out of the wood.


    At this moment, Hallberg couldn''t contain his curiosity and yelled, "Alright, I''ve seen enough, and it''s clearly safe. Now hand it over. It''s my turn."


    He was really rmed by the stealth effect of that disc, and as an alchemist himself, he knew that treasure could probably be rivaled by type-2 treasures. When he thought about how Jacob gave away such a precious gift, he felt even more rmed by Jacob''s unknown means.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Just who is he, and how the hell can he have this kind of weapon at his disposal? Is he got this from the rumored champion shop, or he found some ancient ruin? He might have a mysterious background that no one is aware of.


    ''Whichever the case is, he''s worth having as a friend than an enemy. If he had another this kind of disc, then I''m afraid he''s invincible in the rare ins, and maybe this is the secret behind the massacre over a week ago¡­''


    The more Hallberg thought this way, the more he felt he was right and felt even more respectful and apprehensive of the man standing beside him.


    He was now sure that if Jacob wanted him dead, there was nothing that could stop him from doing not even his city''s bestbatants. So it was meaningless to keep testing him since it might just ruin everything if they got on Jacob''s nerves.


    "Why aren''t you deactivating the disc?" He frowned when he saw Water Wave still didn''t appear despite hismand.


    Stone Hammer felt something amiss when Water Wave still didn''t appear, and he looked at Jacob and coldly asked, "Can that thing really be turned off?"


    Jacob gave him an impassive answer, "Since it can turn on, it can naturally turn off. It''s alle down to the person who is riding over it."


    However, he wasn''t sure about this either, but he won''t admit it and continued to observe without showing his true intentions.


    This answer, however, made both Stone Hammer and Hallberg thought of other possibilities, and their expression started to cloud.


    "She dared to bugger off with it?" Hallberg couldn''t help but say it out loud with disbelief.


    "No, it''s not possible. We both know her. She''s a rational person, and besides, if she dared to rob you in broad daylight, the Dark City would not let her off. She will lose everything she umted in her entire life for a mere treasure. It''s not worth it." Stone Hammer tried to defend Water Wave as he had known her for decades.


    But when he thought about something, he nced at Jacob and couldn''t help but feel his blood run cold, ''No, no, she won''t do it¡­''


    Just as he was giving himself a false sense of security, he suddenly felt death looming from his racial battle instinct, but this feeling onlysted for a mere moment before it vanished.


    Still, his entire body was frozen on the spot despite knowing that terrifying feeling was gone, and this was also evident that he didn''t feel wrong at all. He just felt death was imminent, but then it disappeared.


    But he clearly felt the source of it, and when he shakily turned his head towards it, he was horrified when he saw Jacob was now clenching air with one hand.


    Jacob''s deadly cold voice sounded at this moment as he looked in the air, "Are you seeking death?"

 Chapter 305 Meeting With Dark Earl (6)

    "Are you seeking death?"


    Just as Jacob''s chilly voice trailed off, he yanked his hand, which was clenching the air, and the next moment, a suffocating shrill rang before Water Wave''s figure materialized in everyone''s view.


    The shimmering blue disc under her feet also lost its luster and fell on the ground as well as a short purple sword fell with it.


    If he hadn''t used his 15X eleration for a moment and reacted fast, she would''ve stabbed him in the head, which was not something Jacob would take kindly after the event a few hours ago!


    However, Hallberg nor Stone Hammer paid any attention to the disc as they looked at the Water Wave''s pale face as she struggled under Jacob''s grip and was on the verge of suffocating to death. She was like a mannequin under Jacob''s grip, which was about to lose its head.


    But Jacob didn''t kill her since it would make the matter end. He wanted to know why the hell this woman, who he had never seen before, wanted to take a shot at his life. Not to mention she did it right in front of Hallberg and in the Dark City.


    It was a huge risk that only a lunatic would take who either had no other choice or held a deep grudge against Jacob.


    Before she could suffocate and lose consciousness, he waved his hand and threw her in front of Hallberg and Stone Hammer before he coldly said, "You owe me an exnation, Your Excellency."


    His tone was exempt from any emotion, which sent chills to both Hallberg and Stone Hammer''s spines and the scene of Jacob easily taking care of Water Wave and holding her like a little girl under his grip yed in their mind again and again.


    The next moment, Jacob picked up the disc, and without any exnation, he stowed it away. Now he had perfect justification for taking it back since it was used against him, and Hallberg won''t be able to object.


    ''This disc''s exact rank might not be a type-1. I need to research it more and make more countermeasures. Especially to get rid of that cloaking effect. But this cloaking effect was different from those guys as I was able to sense her killing intent when she was a few feet away from me, and her heartbeat became clearer.


    ''But those guys are too strange as they appeared out of thin air without making any sound or releasing any kind of intent. This might be something to have to do with them being mutants¡­'' Jacob thought grimly as he analyzed the two attacks.


    Inparison to the assassination attempt earlier today, Water Wave''s attempt was too predictable and easy to counter.


    ''Cough *pant* cough¡­''


    Water Wave''s violent coughing drew Jacob''s attention again since it was more important right now to find what drove this woman to try this stunt.


    "Y-you¡­ you¡­ why!?" Hallberg was literally trembling with rage and agitation as if he would explode. He never thought this entire pleasing meeting would be turned nasty because of his side''s idiocy.


    Furthermore, he had some idea about why Water Wave or Stone Hammer held a grudge against Jacob, but he didn''t know the specifics of why Water Wave took this kind of drastic action.


    As Stone Hammer said earlier, Water Wave was a ration person and one of the oldest nobles in the Dark City, and she should know better than anyone that once she crossed a certain line, it was over for her, but she still ended up crossing it anyway.


    He was usually busy with his research and alchemy, so he paid little attention to these dark nobles'' personal affairs. He only knew these two in the Dark Viscount circle personally, while the others never had seen his face.


    The Rare ins was never his focus of concern anyway, so he had very little interest or connections with it. Meeting with Jacob was also a matter which was unrted to the Rare ins, and he felt he was the only person who was worth it.


    However, he never expected things would turn this ugly this quickly, and now he lost face as well as credibility in the other party''s eyes, and he was furious as well as somewhat relieved.


    Furious naturally because things turned out like this as he felt betrayed by someone he trusted while relieved because Jacob didn''t outright start killing people.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob gave him face and a chance by sparing Water Wave, and this also made him even more humiliated as the Dark Earl of the Dark City.


    Water Wave slowly gained some color on her face, but the fear of almost kissing death was evident in her eyes, "I-I¡­ I don''t remember¡­" A hint of bewilderment shed past her eyes at this moment as if she was inplete disbelief.


    "You fool!" Hallberg was livid and almost kicked her.


    "I know why she did it." It was Stone Hammer who spoke with a rueful expression, "You should use giants are very protective of our brethren. Especially our family or spouse. A Giant can hold a grudge upon his tribe men''s death, and a blood feud is forged when a family member or a spouse is killed.


    "Over a week ago, when over five hundred people died by Faceless Ancient, there was also a Universal Mercenary giant named Fire Cannon, who was killed as well. He was Water Wave suppose, so she did what she did for revenge driven by her natural instincts."


    Hallberg almost had a stroke when he heard the truth, "And you''re only telling me about this important matter right now?!"


    Stone Hammer bitterly lowered his head, "She assured me she wouldn''t do anything out of the line as long as that man was Lord Hallberg''s guest, and she also wanted to see herself if revenge was possible or not. Even I didn''t expect her to take action right when she got the chance."


    "You both! Get out of my face!" Hallberg was too furious even to stand still as his entire face was red with anger, "Dark Rose, punish Dark Viscount Water Wave for her current treasonous action ording to Dark Cityw. You have full authority!"


    "NO! I didn''t do it because I want! I was controlled by that evil treasure!" Water Wave was ashen as she finally snapped out of her stupor while she tried to defend herself with a horrified expression.


    She then looked at Jacob, who was just listening from the side as a bystander, and madness filled with hatred shone in her eyes as she pointed her finger at Jacob and menacingly roared, "H-him! It''s his scheme to get rid of me and put you in a difficult position so he could easily manipte you! You have to believe me, Stone Hammer. I would never do such a foolish thing!"


    A hint of hesitation shed past Stone Hammer''s eyes as he looked deep into Water Wave''s eyes, and he didn''t find them the eyes of someone who was lying. As a Giant, he knew despite their hot temper and arrogance, they were not idiots.


    It was given that some of them were driven by pure emotions and didn''t back down from a challenge, but Water Wave wasn''t one of them as she was ration, and he was also not someone who would seek death just for the small grudge of Jacob killing giants.


    He knew Jacob was stronger than him, and seeking trouble with him was akin to throwing his life. It was even more clear after he took out such a treasure like that disc.


    But Water Wave''s actions werepletely different from her usually calm and collective character.


    "Bang¡­"


    Before Stone Hammer could even pacify his inner struggle, he was shocked by Hallberg when he threw a vicious kick right on Water Wave''s face, and it wasn''t just a normal kick but a kick from someone at the extraordinary tier-6 being.


    She was already drained out of her mana as well as in a weakened state because of Jacob''s manhandling her, so she couldn''t even react as she was sent flying and smacked into a wall, raising a cloud of dust.


    Hallberg''s eyes were colder than ice as he uttered while looking at the dusty area where Water Wave had justnded, "Do you think I''m some sort of pushover just because I never interfere with you guys'' businesses?


    "Today, you humiliate me and try to harm my guest, and not only you''re not admitting it. You even try to twist reasons?" He then looked at Stone Hammer, stunned by this sudden outburst of Hallberg, and said in an equally cold tone, "Take her away to the castle jail. She will be judged by Dark Rose there. If you do anything silly, you''ll see more of me. Now get the hell out of my face."


    Stone Hammer, a giant at this moment, felt fear from a Dwarf and didn''t dare even to speak a word as he walked toward Water Wave, who had a bloody face and her nose was broken, and she had lost consciousness.


    Hallberg ignored the pair and looked at Jacob, who hadn''t interfered with him from the start. He sighed ruefully before he bowed his head, "I apologize!"

 Chapter 306 A Dark Mission Offer

    Jacob looked at Hallberg, who was bowing his head in apology. He knew with Hallberg''s current status; it was quite a big deal for him to lower his head in front of him.


    "Since no harm was done, and His Excellency has already taken care of the matter, let''s consider it over." He stated impassively.


    Although he got to know why Water Wave tried to take a shot at his life, the entire thing was filled with ambiguity. Especially the part when she said it was the disc that intensified her emotions and made her do it.


    If Jacob had known the disc''s entire functions, he would''ve scoffed at her usation. But the thing is, he had no idea what kind of functions this disc had, and he really doubted that it might have some kind of effect on Water Wave''s brain. Or the Killer Skull Society might have some way to control it remotely.


    Whatever the case was, Jacob needed to test this thing thoroughly, and he was even d that Water Wave was the one who tried it first, not Hallberg.


    Because if the disc really can mess up with the brain, then he won''t be able to exin himself if Hallberg was the one who lost his mind. Still, he will not be talking that disc out anymore, not until he knows its full deal or if it was absolutely necessary.


    Hallberg looked at Jacob and sighed again with a hint ofplication, "You are not what you appeared to be. Let''s go. We should have a serious conversation now."


    Jacob nodded in agreement, and he knew it was time to talk business after what had happened. He wasn''t in the mood to have a tour around, nor was Hallberg.


    Hallberg, in a sullen mood, led Jacob to another luxurious hall where another table was filled with beverages waiting for them. It was clearly prepared beforehand.


    Hallberg sat on the seat and instantly poured himself a ss of purple color ale and gulped it down without even a second dy.


    "Sigh¡­" He exhaled sharply before he looked at Jacob, who was sitting in front of him without moving.


    "That really ruins the mood, huh?" Hallberg bitterlymented before he said, "So, why were you looking for me? If there''s anything I can do to make amends, I won''t hold back."


    Jacob didn''t get to the point; instead, he replied ambiguously, "As I said before, no harm was done. I shouldn''t have brought that thing out despite knowing the people of Rare ins weren''t ready for it.


    "Anyway, I can see Your Excellency is more interested in me than I am in you. I hope you can satisfy my curiosity about why did you give me this chance despite knowing what I''m capable of.


    "Like right now, you appeared to want my forgiveness more than anything. I would like to know what you seek from me so we can move on with our conversation without being wary of each other intentions."


    Jacob inlyid it down as he didn''t think there was any need to beat around the bush anymore. He had an advantage over Hallberg, which he clearly wasn''t expecting, but it didn''t mean he won''t use it just because he might be at fault.


    Jacob had learned the hard way about the art of negotiation, and kindness or remorse has no ce in it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hallberg chuckled wryly as he said, "I guess there''s no point in hiding it anyway. I was interested in you first because of your 1-star privilege, which led me to believe that you were the mysterious champion of Rare ins Trial.


    "But it was only a fleeting interest until you abruptly became the Alchemy Guild Leader, which was quite unexpected given the old man Braylon''s astute personality.


    "However, you then abruptly vanished for almost two years, and when you appeared again, you caused another huge event over a week ago. Trust me what you did; I don''t think anyone in my position didn''t want to befriend you or at least know if you are an enemy or friend."


    Jacob nodded in understanding as he would''ve done the same if he was in Hallberg''s position, but it was not this simple, not by a long shot, because Hallberg was not just anyone. He was the Dark Earl of the Dark City!


    "Then what do you think? Am I an enemy or friend?" Jacob asked in a subtle tone.


    Hallberg looked deeply into Jacob''s impassive eyes before shaking his head, "I don''t know if you''re a friend or not, but I do know you won''t be an enemy if I don''t give you a good reason for it."


    Jacob nodded without denying Hallberg''s im and said sharply, "That''s right. So, tell me the real reason you want me here?"


    Hallberg was startled before he wryly asked, "It''s not enough?"


    Jacob shook his head, "It''s a good judgement of character, not a reason. If you know I don''t have a reason to be your enemy, you could''ve just stayed as far away from me, and there''s no reason to invite me into your house, which is a risk, not inquisitiveness."


    Hallberg''s eyes shimmered with a sharp glint as he drank another ss of ale andughed suddenly, "You know, now that I think about it after meeting you, it was a right decision to invite you here. Alright, I''ll give it to you straight; I want to issue a Dark Mission to you."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow as it was somewhat unexpected, "What kind of Dark Mission? Since you know my capabilities, you won''t give me something trivial."


    Hallberg nodded, and without hiding it further, he revealed, "It''s actually an escort mission, and the reward will be the Dark Baron Title and 1 Million ZC."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as the rewards were quite enticing that even he feltpelled. Just the title of the Dark Baron was enough to make almost all the people in the dark city crazy.


    However, this will also make this escort mission just as dangerous as well.


    "Continue," Jacob stated impassively, as he still wanted to know the details before he would reject or ept it.


    Hallberg revealed with a hint of a smile, "The Escort Mission is actually escorting me to the Epic ins!"

 Chapter 307 A Trial By Fire

    Jacob remained silent for a moment after he heard the content of this Dark Mission while he looked at Hallberg with a peculiar glint in his eyes.


    "You want me to escort you to the Epic ins? Is Dark City running out of manpower?" Jacob asked impassively.


    But his tone was pretty much disdainful because, in his opinion, Hallberg was demanding something absurd from him. Not to mention escorting Hallberg out of the Rare ins, he didn''t dare to leave without being absolutely careful himself.


    Unlike the Rare ins, where the power level was bonded by a bottleneck, the Star Ocean wasn''t like that at all. He had seen the map to the epic ins, and he knew it would take him about three to five years to reach it if he didn''t encounter any danger or somehow lost his way.


    Hallberg clearly knew what Jacob meant by those words, and he didn''t seem flustered at all and said, "I know you probably think this is some kind of a joke since a Dark Earl like didn''t need an outsider to be my escort. But hear me out first, and then you can reject me all the same. If a request is not amand, you have full right to ept it or reject it."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he nodded, "I understand."


    Hallberg then didn''t dy and speak, "The thing is, like the three hegemonies, the Dark City has its own customs, and trust me when I say these customs are absolute and far stricter than the three hegemonies.


    "One of these customs is the process of ascending a in. You could take it as a trial by fire. If an official Dark City member wanted to leave a Dark City in a lower in and enter a higher-level in''s Dark City, they had to do it ording to the Dark City customs unless they wanted to get expelled from the Dark City."


    Jacob finally showed a hint of interest as the Dark City was quite mysterious, and it was the first time hearing about its customs. Besides, by Hallberg''s solemn expression, Jacob knew he wasn''t joking.


    "How did Dark City select its official members?" He couldn''t help but inquire.


    Previously, Jacob thought that the Dark Nobles were the official members of the Dark City, but it clearly wasn''t the case, as the Dark City gave those titles to anyone who cleared Dark Missions. There was no restriction on the person''s affiliations.


    Unlike the three hegemonies who didn''t allow their official members to join the ranks of the other hegemonies'' official members, the Dark City seemed to have its own unique system.


    That''s why he asked Hallberg, who seemed to be an official member, since it was a rare chance. But Hallberg''s reply was not what he was expecting.


    "Please forgive me. I can''t reveal this information to you. All I canment on this topic is the Dark Cities demand absolute loyalty from its members." Hallberg ambiguously stated.


    Jacob frowned ever so slightly, but he didn''t push the matter further since it seemed to be some kind of core secret of the Dark City.


    Hallberg also didn''t want to dwell on its topic and continued about that trial of his, "Anyway, as I was saying to leave a lower in Dark City, an official member needed to clear certain conditions which I also can''t reveal to you.


    "After those conditions wereplete, we can proceed with our journey toward the higher ins, which is the actual trial by fire. In which we can only select one escort from the same in we want to leave.


    "If you think that this system can easily be cheated since no one can monitor us, then you couldn''t be too wrong. We are required to wear our star watches all the time, and Dark Rose will monitor the entire thing once we call it the start of the mission.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "The chosen escort will also have to sign a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and be part of the same kind of monitoring. If anyone is caught cheating, then the escort will be banned from entering any Dark City while the trial taker will suffer a fate worse than death."


    Jacob finally showed a clear frown on his face as this entire thing was too absurd for him, especially the conditions inflicted on both parties involved in this absurd trial of fire thing.


    "Is it worth taking all this risk just to be part of an organization?" He couldn''t help but question with a cold tone.


    Jacob''s impression of the Dark City greatly plummeted after he heard about this trial and just how harsh they were toward their own members, who probably served them faithfully for decades.


    Especially someone like Hallberg, who would leave all this luxury behind to go to the Epic ins. Yet not only he has to take the risk of going there by himself, but he also had to be under constant monitoring.


    Hallberg suddenly smiled in a decisive manner as he nodded without hesitation, "If you''re a member of the Dark City, then you will know this small trial is nothing in front of what you can gain. It''s absolutely worth it!"


    Jacob''s frown deepened as there wasn''t any hint of falsehood in Hallberg''s words or his expression.


    Hallberg still wasn''t done as he continued, "Look, the reward I promised you are the one I will give you personally, not the rewards you will get from the Dark City."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow when he heard this and said, "So you can make anyone Dark Baron, and what kind of rewards are we talking about?"


    "I can naturally bestow Dark Baron title once I reach the Epic ins, and the 1 million ZC will be your advance payment. As for the reward you will get from the Dark City, I can only say they will be asvish as the rewards you got from the Champion Shop!" Hallberg said matter-of-factly.


    Jacob finally fell into silence at this moment when the champion shop was brought up. He knew better than anyone just what kind of status the Champion Shop represented. That shop has anything that could exist in a in which makes it alluring to anyone.


    ''If he''s telling the truth, then I can get many things right off the bat after I entered the Epic ins. I had to go into the epic ins either with him or without him, and I would be at the bottom of the epic ins once I got there.


    ''So, if I take this risk, I can change my situation around¡­'' Jacob thought as he couldn''t ignore rewards akin to the champion shop, especially if this shop''s content were from the epic ins.


    "So, are you in or out? Because trust me, you would want to leave this ce after you know what''sing." Hallberg smilingly asked as he knew he almost convinced Jacob by his subtle silence, so he decided to reveal his final trump card.


    Jacob squinted his eyes as he asked, "What''sing?"


    Hallberg''s expression went dark as he gloomily said three words, "The Dark Being!"

 Chapter 308 A Hired Gun

    Jacob was confused about this ambiguous reply, "I don''t understand what you''re hinting at."


    The Dark Beings could be said to be on the other side from where the Dark City was, and he knew about their sessful conquest of the Freedom ins. So, Hallberg bringing them up clearly didn''t make sense in Jacob''s mind.


    Furthermore, Hallberg seemed to be appeared somewhat scared, which was quite strange since Dark City shouldn''t be afraid of Dark Beings because they have a huge geographical advantage and they normally aren''t afraid of anyone.


    Hallberg then exined, "What I want to say is the Dark Being''s King, the Lich King, has pointed his sword toward the Magic Beast Forest after his conquest of the Freedom ins.


    "Not only that, but he deliberately called out that he would eradicate all the living beings on the Rare ins, including the ones hiding in the Dark City, which is not normal at all.


    "The Lich King seemed to have gone mad after you imed the win for the life faction from right under his nose. As for a reason for his losing it, ording to the hierarchy of the dark begins, this kind of failure would normally result in the ipetent ruler''s death.


    "So, he could''ve already foreseen his impending doom when the reinforcement from both sides wille in over a year from now. He will be reced by another dark being.


    "However, he seemed to be not wanted to ept it, so he probably decided to try onest time to regain his position and his life." Hallberg''s expression was grave as he revealed.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "Don''t tell me if he eradicates all the life and conquers the entire Rare ins, he''ll escape from his punishment and will keep his position? Is that what this is all about?"


    Hallberg shook his head, "Normally, he should''ve able to preserve his life after he imed the entire freedom ins for the Dark Faction, and it was also seemed to be the case until a few days ago when he suddenly decided to move his armies in this direction despite knowing this entire march would cost him too much yet he did it anyway which is akin to throwing away his life again which he fought so hard to earn back.


    "So, you''re suspecting that there''s some other purpose in him doing all this? And his specifically calling for the Dark City is also not normal, right?" Jacob quickly grasped at the situation.


    Hallberg nodded in affirmative, "Yes, which is why it made the mad Lich King even more terrifying. Many of the people in the Dark City have already started to leave the Dark City since they''re thinking the target of the Lich King this time is specifically the Dark City because he called out for it."


    Jacob frowned slightly, "Can Dark City not do anything about the Dark Beings? You guys are clearly an advantage here. Furthermore, won''t you suffer in repercussions for abandoning the Dark City as its current ruler?"


    Jacob quickly understood that Hallberg was clearly trying to desert the Rare ins because of the Dark Beings, and he wasn''t shocked by it or had any opinion since he would do the same if he encountered something he couldn''t handle.


    Nevertheless, he was curious about the Dark City''s viewpoint on this. Hallberg''s previous words also made it clear that they might''ve given up on the freedom ins to quench the Lich King''s wrath.


    This means they let that ughter happen so that they could avoid confrontation with the dark beings. This also made Jacob remove the slight bit of remorse he had for those people. He has done nothing wrong by lifting the barrier over them. They can only me the cruel world they were born in.


    Hallberg suddenly smiled, which seemed somewhat cold, "Let me worry about the matters of Dark City. So, I''ll ask you again, are you willing to escort me out the rare ins?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob looked at Hallberg''s current expression. He could tell he was really someone who only cared about himself, so he didn''t question the matter rted to the dark city or how he was going to handle it since it really wasn''t any of his concern.


    Instead, now he has a choice of his own to make.


    In truth, Jacob didn''t care about the Dark Being since he knew they couldn''t do anything to him as long as he wanted to run. Even in the direct confrontation, he was confident in killing the lich king.


    But the thing was, the Dark Beings'' real strength lies in their numbers and their undead bodies. He now had all the information on the Dark Beings which he bought from the champion shop.


    They were too difficult to deal with as they seemed only to have one weakness while they had terrifying advantages. He was even spectacle about it and finally understood just why those guys seemed to be in a dominating position despite losing their advantage of number.


    Because the Dark Being didn''t seem to bother by the number at all; heck, they didn''t even know the concept of low in number. Because dark beings can turn living in the dark begins like zombies.


    While a Lich or Wight can straight up turn dead into their own undead puppets, that''s why the Dark Beings were never afraid of warfare; they were simply born for it!


    Jacob then finally speaks, "I can be your hired gun. But I can''t leave the Rare ins until Iplete some of my own matters."


    Hallberg''s eyes glow in ecstasy as he says, "What matters? Just tell me, and I''ll help you out. We still have two or three months before those guys will be upon us."


    Jacob nodded as he wanted to hear exactly this thing, "Actually, my purpose of looking for you was also the same exact thing. I''m looking for some materials, and if you have them, then I don''t mind leaving after one month from now."


    Hallberg appeared even more excited as he agreed without hesitation, "Tell me, what do you need?"


    Jacob also didn''t shy away as he stated the three remaining materials he needed for the ritual.


    Hallberg appeared surprised before he said, "Quite rare materials you''re looking for, not to mention peculiar. If you want just White Assassin Parasite Bug''s Blood, then you can take it as much as you want.


    "I also have 1000-year-old Nightmare Lilly. However, I only have one nine-star Night Salve''s Poison Magic Core and should have three eight-star magic cores. Night Salve''s poison magic core is quite a good ingredient to make advanced type-1 antidote and detoxifying pills.


    "So, it''s instantly bought whenever it appears and even more quickly used in an alchemist''s hand. But I can look for them. Give me a day, and I''ll tell you about it." Hallberg truthfully replied.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in tion since almost all the materials were avable right this instant which was more than what he was hoping for. So, he agreed without hesitation, "Alright, I''ll wait for one day!"

 Chapter 309 Type-1 Universal Magic Manual (1)

    After their short briefing, Jacob was given a courtyard to stay in the Dark Castle while Hallberg returned to hisb, which was in the basement of the Dark Castle.


    Hallberg inhaled a sharp, long breath for a moment as if he waspletely exhausted before taking out a wine bottle and starting to drink directly from it.


    Only after calming his nerves did he stop and mutter, "Those two big offs almost ruined everything today. They even robbed me of that astonishing treasure, and I can''t even ask for it since I would lose too much face, and he might not even agree to give it away anymore. Since I couldn''t after my own gift was used against me¡­"


    Hallberg still couldn''t forget about the disc despite not showing it on his face. He really wanted it after seeing its abilities. However, he wasn''t that shameless to ask Jacob about it since it was not his to ask for. It still made him indignation, nevertheless.


    In the end, he was still d that despite Water Wave''s foolishness, the thing went extremely well, and he secured Jacob''s help which was his true purpose anyway.


    He asked coldly at this moment, "How did you deal with Water Wave?"


    Dark Rose''s voice sounded, "ording to the Dark Cityws, Viscount Water Wave has attempted assassination on the City Administrator''s guest. The Guest''s identity was 1-Star privilege holder, Current Alchemy Guild Leader of the Dark City: Faceless Ancient.


    "Her crime magnitude is graded: D!


    "Thereby, she has been demoted to Upper Dark Noble, all her assets have been confiscated, and she will be imprisoned for 100 years!"


    Hallberg pursed his lips as he said, "Only D? Not C?" He was clearly unsatisfied with this punishment as that bitch almost ruined everything, yet she was getting out of it too easily.


    Dark Rose emotionlessly replied, "Crime above D Grade can only be denoted against at least Baron Rank Dark Nobles or if she had killed the guest. The punishment is all in ordance with the Dark City rules and regtions."


    Hallberg then only cussed in his mind as he knew even he couldn''t interfere with the punishment process of the Dark Nobles above the Upper Dark Noble Rank. He can only call for a trial, but the judge will always be Dark Rose, who monitors every Dark Noble in the Dark City.


    "Alright, in a hundred years, who knows where I''ll be? That guy might''ve already forgotten about her as well, so it''s fine, I guess." He muttered ruefully before his expression turned solemn, "How is the evacuation n being handled?"


    "It''s ready. I just need your final confirmation to initiate it, and all the Dark City will be shifted to our Secret Bunker No: 3 and merged with the Dark City of the Freedom ins. City Administrator Dark Viscount has already been informed, and he''s preparing as we speak."


    Hallberg''s expression great eased up when he heard it, and his lips curled into a cold smile as he said, "No need to make haste anymore. I need you to wait until the Dark Being enters the Dark Zone, and only then can you start the evacuation process.


    "In the meantime, anyone who abandoned the Dark City in need of crisis bans them if they weremoners and revoked their noble titles if they were dark nobles. You have full authority to do that ording to your Time of Crisis protocol.


    "Dark City didn''t need ingrates. As for those who stayed to protect the Dark City, evacuate them and start the convergence process as we did in the freedom ins. Those people will be dead in the view of the outside world and reborn as members of the Dark City!" He dered imposingly.


    Dark Rose''s emotionless voice rang at this moment, "Understood!"


    ---


    In hisrge courtyard, Jacob closed himself in his room. Not because he was tired or anything, it was just that he was nning on reading the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual, which he had put on hold because he had too many things to worry about.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, now that all his preparation was over and hopefully he would find the materials from Hallberg, he has time now.


    Furthermore, after today''s assassination attempts, he felt an urgent crisis to have another trump card like magic.


    Before, he still thought that having magic or not with his current self didn''t really matter in the Rare ins, and he''ll research it on his way toward the epic ins since he would have too much time on his hand.


    But his thinking changed as he knew no amount of preparation could counter the unknown, and he needed to be absolutely prepared the best he could when he could.


    Now, Jacob''s n was to make some special sses that could help him see the electromaic waves so he could at least see through cloaking treasures or, hopefully, abilities.


    He was quite positive that it would work since he could do the same in the 15X or higher-level eleration.


    Afterward, he would go to the marked location in Mason''s map scanner to see if he could get his hands on more plutonium. That''s why he gives Hallberg a 1-month time period since he knows he will be done with this small chore if he puts his top speed to use.


    Anyhow, the magic became his priority again as he was traveling with Hallberg, which he clearly didn''t trust fully, so every extra advantage could decide a matter of life and death for him.


    Jacob opened the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual and skipped the introduction part since he already had it down just for the sole reason of not being ignorant about it anymore.


    In the introduction, the power structure was the same as Immortika described it about the Common, Rare, and Extraordinary Ranks and their tires and then the nine-star magic cores.


    The only extra information it had was about the Magic Spells and Magic Scriptures.


    A Magic Spell was like amand that could manipte Mana in the Magic Orbits.


    The manual described the Magic Orbits as the channels of invisible pathways that are spread in every being''s body, and they were what caused the mana to circte in the entire body.


    Before forming a magic core, all the Magic Orbits could be said in disarray as they didn''t have amand center to manipte them. The very first steps, called the primary stages, were the process of arranging these disarrayed magic orbits.


    Only once these magic orbits were fully arranged could they be connected with one energy source, which was the Magic Core. The magic core actually formed once all the magic orbits could focus on one focal point.


    Mostly, magic cores can form in three spots, the head, the middle of the chest, or below the navel. These spots could be different depending on a race''s talent in magic as some formed magic cores in their head like the magic beast while some in their bellies like elves and some between their chests like orcs or trolls.


    Lastly, every Magic Orbits set has its own unique elements, which will decide the element of the magic core once it is formed. ording to the manual, it can''t be changed or manipted as it was inherited.


    The Magic Spells were ranked based on the mana they used upon casting. A 1-Star Magic Spell would take the lowest amount of mana, while a 9-Star Magic Spell would take the highest.


    Then there was casting time as well. The higher-level spell one was casting, the more time it would take. But this w can be solved by learning silent casting, which was actually a magic scripture that usually didn''t exist in the Rare ins!

 Chapter 310 Type-1 Universal Magic Manual (2)

    A Magic Scripture, unlike Magic Spell, doesn''t have anything to do with using magic; instead, it can do two things.


    First, Magic Scripture can refine the Mana and make it more potent or cultivate, thereby making the magic core achieve higher ranks. These Magic Scriptures were known as Magic Evolution Scriptures.


    The second and rare type of Magic Scripture can alter or modify the Magic Orbits, thereby granting someone a special ability rted to magic like the Silent Casting Ability. These magic scriptures were known as the Magic Ability Scriptures.


    Lastly, there were some extremely rarest types of Magic Scriptures that can not only make magic core evolve but can also grant certain abilities by evolving a magic core in a special direction, making it morepatible with those abilities.


    These Magic Scriptures were then called the Universal Scriptures!


    When Jacob learned about the Universal Scriptures, he instantly thought about the time when Immortika introduced itself as One of the Nine Universal Godly Scriptures.


    Upon his inquiry with Immortika, he was only met with frustration, as always. Still, one thing was quite clear, Universal Scripture and Universal Godly Scripture werepletely different, and the difference was like heaven and earth.


    Jacob mused the Universal Godly Scriptures were a higher and perfect form of a Universal Scripture or even more advanced than his imagination since he was the owner of one himself.


    But this also made him even more perplexed since he still can''t use magic despite owing a Universal Godly Scripture!


    Anyway, Jacob didn''t get any further information except this vague introduction to the realm of magic, while he was hoping to have more information on the Growth Type Magic Cores as well.


    But knowing their rarity, he knew their information wouldn''t be lying around in just one simple book.


    Lastly, the Type-1 Universal Magic Manual has basic and rare element spells, each from 1-Star to 9-Star, and most importantly, a Rare Rank Magic Evolution Scripture in it, which only has guidance on Primary Stages, Sensing, Using, and Storing on basic and rare elements.


    It could be said the most basic and lowest rank Magic Evolution Scripture in existence, but knowing the rarity of a Magic Scripture, and there might not be two in the entire rare ins, Jacob knew he should be happy that he even had one.


    Jacob directly opened the scripture written in the manual as he can only use those spells once he awakes mana first and know his element.


    However, at the start, what he read made him narrow his eyes in scrutiny.


    ''Please test your magic aptitude with Magic Aptitude Orb and confirm if you''re a nker or not.


    ''In case of None nker: You can skip through the information below and start magic training with the Magic Evolution Scripture if you have Basic or Rare Elements.


    ''(Note: If you do not have Basic or Rare Elements, this Scripture is useless for you!)<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''In the case of nker: You need to either awake a Basic or Rare Element first to train in this scripture, or you need a Magic Evolution Scripture for nkers.


    ''Rmendation (1): You should search for Magic Evolution Scripture for nkers that can truly bring out your true potential because it would allow you to train in multiple elements at once. It is the advantage of being a nker.


    ''Rmendation (2): If you can''t find the Magic Evolution Scripture for nkers or are satisfied with only basic or rare rank elements, then please perform an Element Aptitude Test by downloading this starwork application through this link. It would tell you which element you have the most affinity with and how you could increase the affinity further. You just need 100% affinity with basic or rare elements to get rid of your nker state and start training with this scripture.


    ''(Warning: Chose your element wisely as once you get rid of your nker state it''s not reversible!)''


    Jacob was astonished after reading the entire thing as he didn''t think there was such a thing about nkers, and they seemed far more extraordinary than the rare ins know about them.


    ''So, a nker has a special type of scripture for them which can help them train in multiple elements? It has to be quite rare¡­'' Jacob couldn''t help but frown when he thought about thest point and shook his head bitterly, ''I have no idea where I can find even normal magic scriptures except the champion shop, much less a specific scripture for nkers which seemed nothing but ordinary¡­''


    The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was only a pipe dream to get his hands on something like the scripture for nker in a short amount of time. At least there was over a 99% chance that they might not even exist in the rare ins.


    ''I can''t be greedy or can dy learning magic anymore, especially if the killer skull society has more of those mutants waiting for me out there somewhere. If I have no life, then there''s no point in having talent or a natural gift that I can''t even use.


    ''Preserving my life came first, and it''s not like I don''t have a Godly Scripture already, so being greedy will only lessen my life, not increase it. My goal is immortality, not supremacy.'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with undying resolve as he recited his true goal.


    Without hesitation, he then tapped on that special link given in the scripture, which took him directly to a unique interface.


    The applications on the Star Network could only be essed by links or invitations. There was no application store for them, just like private servers.


    Furthermore, higher-level star watches also had their own unique applications. Like the Life Force Scale only exist in Advance Type-1 Star Watches, the lower-rank star watches need links to download it, and they are absolutely not free.


    Jacob read the white color interface with blue words


    ''Wee to Element Aptitude Scale Application Portal


    ''Your Star Watch is fullypatible with the Element Aptitude Scale Application!


    ''[Install Application (50,000 ZC)]


    ''(Note: This payment is only one time and the application will be automatically registered with your Star ID and will automatically be installed upon new sign in!)''

 Chapter 311 Element Aptitude Scale

    ''50,000 ZC?'' Jacob showed a fleeting frown before he tapped on the ''Install button'' while thinking coldly, ''It''s better worth the cost.''


    Although he had earned quite a lot in these past two years, and Ellie''sst payment was also quite generous, his total wealth was still below 300k ZC. So, spending 50k ZC out of the blue was quite a pinch for him.


    Nevertheless, Jacob knew the path toward magic would not be going to be easy or free, and there was no room for acting stingy with numerical wealth. As long as wealth was spent on his purpose and clearing his way ahead, he won''t hesitate to pay any price, even if he had to sell everything.


    The next moment, the payment was deducted from his Bank ount, and an application started to install on his Star Watch.


    After ten seconds, a rainbow color icon appeared on his star watch interface with the name ''EAC,'' and he opened it with very high expectations.


    "Wee to Element Aptitude Scale Application!


    "Description: Now you can check your element affinity right on your Star Watch without any need to go through cumbersome, expensive rituals.


    "[NOTE: Please note that a star watch of a particr grade can only measure a particr rarity of elements.]


    [You are logging in from an Advance Type-1 Star Watch, which can only measure Primary (Basic) and Rare Elements. If your Element Aptitude Scale result is ''Unknown,'' then it means you have Element Belong in Scare or high element category. Thereby you need a type-2 or higher-grade Star Watch.]


    "[Do you want to proceed with the Element Aptitude Scale Test from this device?]


    "Yes/NO"


    Jacob narrowed his eyes, ''So there is still a variable of element rarity, huh? Well, I shouldn''t be worried about it since I''m supposed to be a nker, which means I should have an affinity with multiple elements, and I just need to increase the highest one to 100%. So even if I have scarce elements like lightning, light, dark, and so on¡­ it won''t matter much...''


    With those thoughts in his mind, Jacob pressed ''Yes,'' and the interface changed as a scanner scream appeared before words started to sh past his star watch screen.


    "Establishing a connection with Star ID¡­


    "Star ID detected!"


    "Type-1 ID Detected: Faceless Ancient [NOTE: This Scan will be Free of Charge and all the rmendations can be bought at 90% discount.]"


    "[Scanning has beenmenced!]"


    Jacob suddenly felt his wrist heating up before a very light current suddenly started to pass through his skin. This scanning was even more intense than the Life Force Scale.


    ''Just what kind of technology has been used to create these watches? The moment I tried to open one of them, they will instantly self-destruct like a small bomb. While in the type-1 Star Watches case, I can''t even find a way to open them as if they are made with fabric¡­''


    Jacob couldn''t help but think about some of his crazy experiences when he tried to peek into a Type-0 star watch and ended up blowing it. He was naturally curious about these watches and wanted to see just what kind of technology was used, but he was met with a terrible failure.


    The moment he tries even to separate the rubber band-like material of type-0 Star Watches, they would instantly explode.


    But the most astonishing thing Jacob discovered was they would only explode if he tried to deliberately separate them, not if they got stabbed by some sharp object or cut identally.


    Not only that, if a star watch were stabbed or cut, it would get fully destroyed, meaning the internal structure would somehow automatically obliterate itself, turning into fine ck powder but not with a st that urred if someone tried to open it deliberately.


    The former was clearly done to protect the technology from someone like Jacob''s ideas, while thetter was done not to harm the wearer who identally broke it.


    Nevertheless, Jacob waspletely awed by the mind of whoever invented this thing and would very much like to learn from this person if he ever got the chance.


    Anyhow, from that point on, hepletely dropped the idea of dismantling a Star Watch. At least his current knowledge, skills, or equipment avable for him were not capable enough to do it.


    As for if this thing could still be spied upon, Jacob knew it waspletely possible, but he also knew he wasn''t at that level yet where he could draw the attention of someone like the creator of the Star Watch.


    Since he was very sure the Star Watch security couldn''t be breached by anyone, not even those highly intelligent AIs seemed to be capable of it.


    At this moment, the result was finally out.


    "Element Aptitude Scale scan has been fullypleted!


    "Element Affinity Detected: 1


    "Affinitive Element: Water


    "Affinity Rate: 3%


    "Rmendation to increase Water Affinity best for the Teas Taker (Faceless Ancient: 2


    "Rmendation: 1


    "Rated: Average (Below 20% chance of session)


    "Price: 10 ZC (After 90% Discount Deduction)


    "Rmendation: 2


    "Rated: Good (Below 40% chance of session)


    "Price: 100 ZC (After 90% Discount Deduction)"


    Jacob frowned, looking at the result, ''Only one element of affinity? ording to my research, a nker has multiple element affinities at less than 100% rate and can even add more as long as it doesn''t have 100% affinity. That''s the sole reason this kind of individual is called nker.


    ''So, I''m also supposed to have more than one element affinities since I''m a nker. Or is this work another way around? Is this thing even working right?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Not only is it showing only one element, but it''s giving me a pitiful rating of 3 percent. But this application was rmended on the manual I bought from the champion shop, so I don''t think it''s a fake or scam. Then why is my result like this? Am I even nker or not¡­''


    Confused, Jacob had various questions about this result but pity no one was avable to answer them, not even Immortika. Furthermore, his talent in magic seemed quite poor with that kind of single affinity.


    One could even say he didn''t have talent at all.


    Frowning, Jacob decided to give it another try, but this time he changed his star watch with another Advance Type-1 star watch. He now had many of those lying around in his storage after he killed so many people over a week ago.


    Furthermore, he was going to ask Hallberg to sell them for him since they took up quite a lot of space, and his purpose in collecting them was to sell them in the first ce since they were in high demand on the market, especially the high-level star watches.


    Jacob easily logged in on a new Star watch without needing to log off from his original one. No one can log into his Star ID without his special life signal.


    Speaking of which, his original star watch from the champion shop was of higher quality than the one he was now wearing. But he still wanted to confirm if this result was urate or if there was a problem with his star watch.


    When he conducted the same scan on the new star watch, the result appeared identical, and he changed it into his original star watch with a gloomy expression.


    ''I should check those suggestions now. Since I have an affinity with water, it doesn''t matter if I have an affinity with another element or not. I just needed to increase it to 100% and then learn water-type magic¡­''


    Jacob quickly let go of his confusion about the nker thing since it clearly didn''t matter much if he didn''t care about having some rare element. Although it might be possible to form another affinity, he had no method for it.


    So, he was happy with what he had right now, which were the two suggestions that could help him increase his affinity with water, and he bought both of them without hesitation!


    After buying the two rmendations from the Element Aptitude Scale, Jacob opened one of them without hesitation.


    "Rmendation (Average): Affinities of an element are graded in Faint (Lower than 10%), Low (Lower than 20%), Half (Lower than 50%), Iplete (Lower than 80%), Complete (100%).


    "Your Water Affinity is Faint (3%). The mostmon, effective, and safe way to increase the affinity of a basic element like Water, from Faint grade to Low grade, is by absorbing the Element Particles.


    "Element Particles are the primitive state of any basic element, and only with a uniquebination of these elementary particles can a basic elemente into existence.


    "Water element is made with two unique element particles known as Oxygen and Hydrogen. To increase the water affinity from faint grade to low grade, it is rmended to absorb Oxygen into the Magic Orbits until it crosses the 10% threshold.


    "Then it is rmended to start the abortion of Hydrogen into the magic orbits until the half grade. Atst, once the magic orbits will mold with oxygen and hydrogen together, they will be ready to absorb the Water element force directly from the treasure rich with water element energy.


    "Method to absorb the element particles is very simple, just expose your body to element dense with the specific element particles, and once the body fully gets used to the element particles, they will automatically start to enter the magic orbits.


    "Disimer: This method is very slow, and there is even a slight possibility that it will not work entirely. There is also over fifty percent possibility that you might suffer from extreme pain because of directly exposing your entire body to the element particles. Once the element particles start breaching the magic orbits, the initial pain will be tripled.


    "Rmendation (Good): Make a magic element serum of basic elements and directly inject it into the bone marrow. This method is fast and highly effective despite being extremely painful.


    "A Magic Element Serum is a special serum made with a special recipe that only a Potion Alchemy Elder Grandmaster can create.


    "Rmended Dosage: 1000ml of Water Element Magic Serum."


    Forget about the second rmendation, Jacob''s eyes were affixed on the first one, and he was reading the entire thing again and again. In contrast, his eyes shimmered in astonishment and disbelief.


    Because right now, only one thing was circting around Jacob''s head, ''Isn''t this abortion of the oxygen the same effect I experienced whenever I practiced the Art of Nature?!''


    Jacob felt his mind blown away as realization dawned upon him, ''Don''t tell me the water affinity I have is also because of the Art of Nature?''


    Jacob felt a huge veil had been lifted from his head, and also, he suddenly felt like he was a fool. Because he had been neglecting the Art of Nature for a long time as he thought he no longer needed it after awakening the fluid eleration.


    But Jacob also wasn''t to me for this because who could think that some life-prolonged exercise from a magicless world could grant the affinity to perform magic?


    Not only that, but this Art of Nature has five different levels or exercises, and Jacob hasn''t even managed toplete the first one, Water Meditation.


    But now, Jacob felt like he was searching for gold outside while he had a treasure chest filled with diamonds right in his home.


    Suddenly, Jacob couldn''t help but ground his teeth, ''That goddamn book probably knew about the secret of the Art of Nature, and it even dropped a subtle hint about when I inquired about nker. If it had told me straight, I wouldn''t have wasted so much time in a goose chase and might''ve already awakened magic¡­''


    The more Jacob thought about it, the more frustrated he became with Immortika''s habit of hiding things and ying riddles without caring about the consequences or severity of the situation.


    Jacob knew better than anyone just how much he wanted to use magic, yet he was helpless in this matter for a long time. He might not even felt all this anger if he hadn''t discovered the Art of Nature''s hidden effect.


    But now that he did, he was naturally furious about wasting so much time and money to find out about it when he could''ve learned it without doing all this if Immortika had told him or dropped a more solid hint, at least.


    Now, after walking in circles, here he was back to square one, and he could literally hear Immortika''s wantonughter filled with amusement after finally watching him figure it out.


    Jacob didn''t know what was making him more flustered, the fact about Immortika not telling him or him being stupid enough not to fully dig deep enough into the Art of Nature''s true capability.


    He started the Water Meditation because his body size would increase after he ate so much, but after he got the fluid eleration, the problem was solved. He also didn''t get much chance or time to pay attention to the Art of Nature, which had no further use for him anymore.


    In the end, he could only me himself for being an idiot whopletely discarded a method that wasn''t even fully explored just because he got another convenient and powerful one.


    Aftermenting at his own idiocy, he finally calmed down and regained his calmness, but the coldness in his eyes couldn''t be colder as he closed the star watch entirely.


    ''In the end, it''s my fault, and I should still consider it an achievement to find out about it before it''s toote. The only thing worth learning from all this is, ''I can''t discard things that I still have yet to understand fully and that Cursed Book''s riddles can''t be overlooked even for a second¡­''


    Afterward, Jacob made up his mind, and he was no longer in the mood to do anything anymore. No, after knowing he might be able to use magic or discover something new as long as hepletes the Water Meditation.


    With his current strength, Jacob knew he should be able to do it quickly, and all he had to do now was to find a ce with a huge water reserve, and he just knew where to find one!

 Chapter 312 Tying Up Loose Ends (1)

    The very next day, Jacob has a meeting with Hallberg at breakfast, which he has been waiting for since thest day after he discovered the secret about the Art of Nature.


    If he hadn''t needed those materials of the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array, then he would''ve evens stayed for a second longer in the Dark City.


    The Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array could be said to be equally important as his awakening magic or carved his way towards it.


    "Here, I guess, I got lucky and managed to find the missing materials from one of my suppliers." Said Hallberg smilingly.


    He was clearly in a very good mood as he waved his sleeve over the table, and four white wooden boxes and one ss bottle filled with crimson liquid appeared in front of Jacob.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with tion as he looked at those packed materials, ''I finally collected everything!''


    "Thank you. This is very helpful for me." Jacob really appreciated Hallberg''s gesture as he stowed away those materials without even checking them.


    If he started to examine them, it would be akin to pping the other party''s face who was giving him those rare and hard-to-find materials for free. Although he knew Hallberg was probably doing it to win over his trust, he still appreciated it nevertheless.


    Hallberg waved his hand and chuckled, "There is no need. It''s the least I can do if what happened the other day, and despite that, you still agree to lend me your aid. If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me, thanking you."


    Jacob merely nodded, "It''s only natural for me not to turn down good business. Anyway, now that this is a done deal, tell me, how are you nning to leave? I mean the routes and our ride."


    Despite already having the route map of the star ocean as well as his new ship, and all the preparation he had prepared for his departure, he won''t reveal them to Hallberg.


    Because as the Dark Earl of the Dark City, he had clearly prepared even more meticulously than Jacob, and he clearly got more time than Jacob as well.


    So, Jacob was clearly inclined to go with Hallberg''s preparation


    Furthermore, he wanted to keep the fact about his initial n of already leaving the Rare ins a secret and as a backup n just in case he needed one. The Star Ocean was filled with unknown, and one couldn''t be more prepared. Especially when the journey was years long.


    Hallberg also found this quite reasonable, but he only ambiguously smiled and replied, "You leave both things to me. One month from now, meet me above the canyon''s waterfall right outside Dark City."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly before he shook his head and said, "Alright, I''ll leave the preparation to you then. However, one month is no longer enough. I need two months now to take care of my matters. I know it''s uncouth, but I want you to trust me and let me do my job to keep us alive."


    Hallberg frowned slightly as he clearly wasn''t expecting this sudden change, but when he looked at Jacob''s solemn expression, he knew Jacob wasn''t joking and was serious.


    In the end, he didn''t inquire about why he needed one more month. Just as Jacob said, he hired him to protect him, so he let the man do his job and gave him more time.


    "Alright, one month more is the same for me as one month. It''ll pass, even if you need more time, I don''t mind. But I want us to leave before the Dark Beings enter the core region of the magic beast forest." Hallberg impassively stated.


    Jacob nodded without hesitation, "Don''t worry, two months mean two months this time."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Then he suddenly said, "Before I go, I have over 500 Star Watches, and I want to sell them. Can you help me with them? For your inconvenience, you can keep 5% of all the profit."


    Hallberg widened his eyes ever so slightly as he instantly guessed just how he got all those star watches and then chuckled, "Just leave them here, they''ll sell just like that, barely an inconvenience, and I don''t need anything. I''ll transfer all the money to your Star ID."


    Jacob looked at Hallberg''s sincerer smile and nodded, "Then I''ll leave this matter to you. Now, I''ll better get going and take care of my matters before Ie back again in two months. I''ll be in contact."


    Jacob then took out all the Star Watches he had collected from the dead that day on the table, creating a small pile while he kept five Advance Type-1 Star Watches as recements for himself, just in case he ended up destroying his own.


    Afterward, he stood up, intending to get going, he was even more eager to leave this ce, and the one extra month was obviously to practice the Water Meditation.


    Hallberg also didn''t stop Jacob, as he knew the sooner he went, the sooner he''ll return. As for Jacob running away from their deal, Hallberg didn''t think Jacob was such a person. Even if on a blue moon chance that happened, Hallberg knew Jacob owed him nothing, and it''s not like he didn''t have another n ready, just in case.


    Still, he likes to believe things would go smoothly with Jacob, and in two months, they''ll leave this barren ce for good, or at least he will¡­


    ---


    After leaving the Dark Castle, Jacob headed directly toward the station and embarked on a cable lift going into the inner circle of the Dark City. His first stop was naturally the Alchemy Guild.


    There were three things he needed to do at the alchemy guild right now.


    First, to sessfully perform the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array and make Brain Hunter fall into full submission.


    Second, to forfeit his Guild Leader position as he had promised.


    Third, he had many potions, pills, and magic weapons he had created during these two years while practicing and raising his ranks stashed in his privateb, and he also collected some high-quality weapons from that massacred as well. He wanted to sell them all through the guild channels as well.


    He could''ve done the same thing with Star Watches, but he handed that matter to Hallberg because he could help him earn more profit. Those Star Watches all have different price tags, and some can even sell for extremely high prices.


    So, he left them to Hallberg, who had all the Dark City Market under his thumb.


    As for that stash in the guild, those things have fixed prices, and the guild was the perfect ce for selling them.


    Now that he was leaving, he wanted to earn as much money from those things he didn''t need since the more ZC he had, the more option he had in the Epic ins.


    Furthermore, he still has those close space rings. He was going to initiate his n for them as well.


    Afterward, he''ll leave the Dark City for good and start his journey toward the Plutonium, and only then will he start the Water Meditation practice without worrying about anything!

 Chapter 313 Tying Up Loose Ends (2)

    The Alchemy Guild of the Inner Circle was the same as Jacob left it, but there was a slightly different, which Jacob noticed almost instantly the moment he entered the building with his signature outfit.


    Everyone was looking at him with terror as if he was some monster walking among a flock of sheep.


    ''It seemed the news about the massacre by my hands had reached far and wide¡­'' Jacob easily guessed why they were giving him those wary and appalled gazes.


    However, for Jacob, it doesn''t matter how people look at him as long as they won''t get in his way.


    The moment Jacob entered the top floor where his workshopy, he found three guys standing in front of the lift with anxious looks on their faces. They were Dilly, the gnome he had tasked to find a way to contact Hallberg, yton, the soon-to-be Guild Leader, and Audrey, the soon-to-be Vice Guild Leader.


    These three could be said to have some ties with Jacob, and the moment they heard Jacob had returned, they didn''t even waste a moment and quickly appeared here to greet him like loyal subjects.


    They naturally knew about the ghastly deed done by Jacob the very day he left the guild, and truthfully, they were scared out of their damn minds when they thought about how they were living with a monster for almost two years, and he will be returned very soon.


    As for those who, in any way, offend Jacob, like those three guys who lost limbs, they had long fled the inner circle and hid somewhere.


    Right now, Jacob could be said to be the most terrifying existence in the entire Dark City. Even the Dark Nobles feared him, and the mercenary guild didn''t dare to seek justice for all those lives lost by Jacob''s hand.


    Jacob coldly looked at the three, which made them sweat more profusely as he said, "I was about to look for you three. You save me some time, at least. Come walk with me."


    Jacob left the lift and started to walk toward his workshop while those three looked at each other with great surprise in his eyes before they gulped and then followed him behind with trepidation.


    "First, tell me why you were here?" Jacob coolly asked while walking without looking behind.


    "W-we were here to greet you and seek your opinion on some very important matters." It was the kobold, yton, who spoke respectfully while choosing his words carefully as if his life depended on it.


    "I don''t care about guild''s matters. You two can do as you please. I didn''t appoint you two as the Leader and Vice Leader to seek my opinion on every matter. Now, if there''s anything else, then out with it." Jacob dismissively stated.


    yton and Audrey nced at each other with wry looks in their eyes before they could only smile in self-mockery to even think Jacob would be interested in the measly guild power when he could probably win over the entire city.


    "Then it''s about the matter of Dark Being. I heard they are heading our way!" Dilly finally spoke with a grim expression.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s eye finally shimmered with a hint of interest as he asked, "I heard about it as well. Since you also know, then it means the other two hegemonies'' higher-ups also knew. Tell me what your thoughts are about it and the sides."


    Dilly wasn''t surprised as Jacob didn''t know about the Dark Being''s invasion. He quickly reported, "They are naturally nning to evacuate their people from the Dark City as the Lich King''s target is most likely the Dark City. So, we naturally thought the same thing. We need your words to start the process as well."


    "Where would everyone go once they leave the Dark City? Aren''t the entire rare ins will be under the Dark Beings'' control once the Magic Beast Forest is also conquered?" Jacob impassively asked without many reactions from the revtion.


    "We will go to the Star Ocean and then wait for the iing reinforcement heading our way, and then we''ll regroup with them. This is the only chance of survival at this moment." It was Audrey who replied.


    ''I thought so as well¡­'' Jacob thought before he said, "What if the Lich King were to be killed instead, as well as all the top-ranking dark beings?"


    The three were shocked by Jacob''s unexpected question and then looked at each other with widened eyes before they looked back at Jacob with shining eyes.


    "T-then I don''t think we need to run away at all. Instead, people will fight back because they were only afraid of the Lich King and high-ranking Dark Beings, not those low-ranking Dark Beings!" yton quickly replied before he hesitantly asked with some courage, "Leader, a-are you nning¡­"


    Before he could finish his words, Jacob cut him short with his cold words, "I was just curious. I''m not a hero, nor do I have any enmity or personal grudge with the Dark Beings."


    "But aren''t Dark Beings the enemy of all living being?" Audrey couldn''t help but softly refute.


    The two men couldn''t help but give Audrey a hard look as well as secretly admire her courage to refute Jacob''s words like this. Even Audrey felt her blood run cold when she realized she had instinctively spoken and forgotten just who she was talking with and wanted to apologize quickly, but Jacob spoke first in a dismissive tone.


    "Enemies are those who we actively oppose or hold deep hostility towards them. But when you start feeling fear of your enemy, it''s no longer your enemy but your menace.


    "Right now, the way everyone is running away from the Dark Beings, instead of opposing them, it''s quite clear they feared them. Even if someone is foolish enough to stand on their feet and oppose them, why it had to be me?


    "Do I owe those cowards anything, or do I have something to prove by putting my life in jeopardy? Heroes and Saviors are those who leave behind a legend, but the one who wrote those legends will always be a Bard who observes those heroes from up close. And I''m none of these two types of person."


    Jacob then suddenly stopped in front of his workshop and then turned his hooded head toward the three with bewildered looks and said coldly.


    "I want to be a cowardly King who always hides in the face of danger until the danger is gone and thenes out and pays or gets rid of that Bard to rece the Hero''s name in the Legend!"

 Chapter 314 Tying Up Loose Ends (3)

    Afterward, Jacob handed the three all those weapons, pills, and potions to sell and sent all the money into his ount. At the same time, he offered them 2% profits for their efforts which those three naturally rejected, and he didn''t insist either and closed himself off in his workshop.


    At this moment, Jacob stood in front of a work table.


    On the table was ced a crimson flower, which was none other than the Advance Type-1 Blood Flower.


    A small ss bottle filled with ruby-like blood of Extraordinary-Tier-6 White Assassin Parasite Bug''s Blood.


    Another ss bottle filled with twinkling sand, it was the Advance Type-1 Rainbow Star Dust.


    Three gem-like purple orbs shining with nine white dots like stars; three 9-Star Night Salve''s Poison Magic Cores.


    Finally, a ck color Lilly with ghostly blue spikes spread at the edges of its tentacles like flower petals. It was the Nightmare Lilly of Advance Type-1 Rank.


    They were all the five ingredients noted in the Ink Recipe Form of Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array, and Jacob finally collected them.


    Without hesitation, Jacob picked up a small silver Cauldron and started to etch nine magic gems into nine engraving between its dark brown magic patterns. The cauldron instantly started to heat up the moment those nine gems were ced in their positions.


    This Advance Type-1 Silver Cauldron was a Magic Treasure that used magic energy as a medium to create magic potions or magic pills.


    This Silver Cauldron was one of Braylon''s prized possessions, which Jacob inherited with his workshop, and it had helped him a lot during these two years of his solitude alchemy training.


    Now, this cauldron was also required to make the Ink for Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array before he could move forward with the ritual.


    Jacob then took out the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array Design and read the recipe form, and then, with a solemn expression, he started the process.


    First, he opened the ss bottle with the Bug''s blood and then picked up a measuring beaker and then poured exactly 100 milliliters in it, and then emptied it into the cauldron.


    Jacob then quickly picked up the Rainbow Star Dust bottle and opened it. There were exactly 10 grams in it.


    ''Pour the Rainbow Star Dust when the ck smock starts to rise¡­'' Jacob stared at the cauldron mouth like a hawk while the faint red smock was rising.


    He didn''t have to wait for long as only ten secondster, the faint red smock turned ck, and Jacob instantly turned it upside down.


    The instant the glittering sand fell into the cauldron, sizzling sounds were generated before the ck smock suddenly turned like a normal white smock.


    Jacob didn''t dare to dy the next step, which was to throw a 9-star magic core right after the ck smock turned white.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Now, I need to wait for full 90 seconds before throwing the Blood Flower and another magic core and finally wait another 120 seconds to include the Nightmare Lilly and the final magic core and then seal the Cauldron for 500 seconds!''


    Jacob patiently waited before hepleted the final two steps right on the clock. The time measurement was the least of his problem with the Star Watch.


    Then he sealed the cauldron by simply cing the lid on it and then engraved another magic gem within the lid, and with magic energy, the cauldron was now air sealed, and now he had to wait for another 500 seconds.


    The time pass slow as Jacob kept his eye on the shining silver cauldron as it trembled faintly. He won''t get nervous about just anything, but this time, he was as nervous as it could get.


    Jacob was afraid this cauldron would be sted apart, which happens in the case of failure. However, this could be avoided by using a higher rank Cauldron like the one he was using right now.


    But despite that, Jacob was still nervous because if a blue moon chance anything goes south, he might really go on a rampage. All those materials were too precious to collect in a short time. Especially the Blood Flower, which was the most precious of them all.


    However, after the final second ended, and the cauldron stopped trembling, Jacob''s tight nerves finally loosened as he quickly detached those magic gems, which was akin to cutting the power supply of the Cauldron.


    With great anticipation, Jacob then opened the lid, and a nasty smell suddenly filled with air, but there was no smoke which was usually the sign of sess.


    When Jacob peered inside, he saw a transparent liquid like clear water inside, and his lips curled up in ecstasy, ''Water-like liquid is the sign of the session of the Ink creation, and now all is left is the final part!''


    Jacob''s eye went sharp before he removed the ck gloves from his hand, and his short sword appeared in his other hand. The next moment, he made a deep cut in his palm, and then his blood gushed out, and he let it stream into the measuring beaker.


    He only retracted his hand when the breaker was 200ml filled and stowed away the sword and took out a white color pill, and cursed it before sprinkling it on his palm wound.


    The very next moment, the bleeding was stopped, and the wound was also started to mend.


    But Jacob didn''t care about it as he knew with that basic type-1 healing pill, the flesh wound would soon mend, and he had far more important things to tend to.


    He picked up the beaker, filled his own blood, and poured it all into the transparent liquid.


    ''The final step is to mix the blood of the person who wants to perform the ritual in the freshly made ink¡­''


    When all the blood fell into the transparent liquid, it started to change color. First, it turned into a ruby color like Jacob''s blood, but the next moment, its shade turned deeper and deeper before it was inky ck.


    This was theplete Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array Ink and ready to be used anytime by the person whose blood was mixed in it!

 Chapter 315 Tying Up Loose Ends (4)

    Jacob looked at the ck ink in the cauldron with tion, ''The hardest part is done. Now came the moment of truth¡­''


    Jacob knew the ink creation was the difficult part because of the materials, and there was a chance of failure. However, the next part was difficult on its right because it was finally the time to perform the Blood Insect Envement Ritual with the Fantastic Insect.


    But before that, Jacob thought coldly, "Cursed Immortality!"


    Cursed Immortality appeared, and pages turned before the familiar writing started to appear, "Hehehe¡­ don''t tell me, you are getting cold feet at final moments?"


    Jacob sneered, "It''s called cautions not getting cold feet. I want you to alert me the instant anything goes wrong so I can kill the Brain Hunter!"


    "Hehehe, what makes you think I''ll do that?" Immortika asked.


    "Because it''ll ruin your so-called entertainment, and you might''ve already guessed if I go down, I''ll make sure you''ll rot for hundreds of years, and right now, I''m fully capable of doing just that. By the way, I''m still pissed about you hiding the truth about Art of Nature." Jacob replied matter-of-factly.


    "Tsk, tsk, you''re as petty and paranoid as ever. But this is what makes you more interesting. However, I''m not your danger rm clock, so no promises. And I have no idea what you''re talking about; my memories are all jumbled up¡­ hehe."


    "We''ll see about that." Jacob scoffed before he ignored the entric book. He couldn''t be bothered by it as he knew it wouldn''t answer about the Art of Nature even if he begged as long as it didn''t want to, so it was meaningless to say more.


    Then a band appeared in his wrist with a gem before he flipped his hand, and a palm size pitch ck centipede appeared, which was none other than the Eclipse Alipes Imhoff, aka Brain Hunter!


    The Brain Hunter was just the same as Jacob had stowed it a few years ago and almost forgotten about it if he hadn''t acquired the information about the Fantastic Insects.


    Furthermore, the Brain Hunter could be said to be Jacob''spanion from the moment he reincarnated in this mysterious world. They were both Decker''s ves, but Jacob ended up turning the tables on him, and Brian Hunter, in Pig Head''s body at that time, became his ve instead.


    ''How ironic, both of Decker''s ves had mysterious backgrounds which that dick has no idea about. He even managed to steal Cursed Immortality from under the Giant race''s nose. He was truly lucky, but in the end, all those things be mine¡­''


    Jacob couldn''t help but snicker in mockery when he thought about that shit of a goblin who he hated as well as slightly admired.


    "It is stillmon tier-5, or was it 6?" Jacob asked while he looked at the cold centipede in his hand, which seemed dead, but he knew it was very much alive.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was the ranked 18th Fantastic Insect, and he was holding it alive right in his palm, and probably soon, it would be turned into his eternal ve. It was a strange feeling of aplishment Jacob was having right now.


    "Does it matter? It''s still just amon rank, mindless insect that has no idea about its true background. Only after reaching the Rare Rank will it start to awaken its intelligence, and once it awakes its Growth Type Magic Core, trust me, it''ll be as intelligent as you when you were 12 years old, Hehehe¡­"


    "I guess you''re right." Jacob agreed before he ced the Brain Hunter on the table, and then a paintbrush appeared with a magic gem attached to it.


    The very next moment, every cloth on Jacob''s torso vanished as he appeared bare chest. "I''m still somewhat unsettled about painting this ritual array design over my torso with magic nheless."


    "Ritual arrays have different meanings behind them, and they all have their own unique method to perform them like different cultures have different rituals for their Gods, this is the same things, that''s why it called ''Ritual Array.'' But not all of them are gentle like mine, hahahaha¡­"


    "Gentle my ass¡­" Jacob refuted it as he remembered when he performed the ritual after collecting all the magic cores, and it was nothing but gentle. He was feeling unsettled because of his previous experience in the first ce.


    Still, he knew there was no point in backing down now aftering this far, so he dipped the brush into the ck ink and then carefully started to draw over his torso ording to the ritual array design scroll.


    As he drew the ritual array, the magic gem on the brush shimmered, and Jacob felt a cold, eerie feeling as the ritual array was slowly materializing over his torso. By the time it wasplete, Jacob was filled with cold noxious feeling as if he wanted to vomit out his entire stomach.


    But he didn''t dare to mess up as Immortika had not written anything, which could mean nothing was wrong or it simply didn''t care about anything. Whichever the case was, Jacob was now too far away from the turning point.


    When the finally small pentagram in the middle of his chest was drawn, Jacob''s entire torso was now filled with strange symbols, and the very next moment, the cold noxious feeling started to vanish as it was now reced by a feeling of warm rising from that array on his body.


    ''ording to the instruction, I need to put the fantastic insect in the pentagram as quickly as the array isplete¡­'' Jacob quicklyid down while picking the Brian Hunter as his torso was now really starting to heat up. All that wet ink had now turned into tattoo-like markings.


    Without hesitation, he ced the Brian Hunter in the middle of his chest where the pentagram was and ordered it to stay there.


    The very moment Brain Hunter was ced over inside the pentagram, something astonishing happened. The ck ink on Jacob''s torso suddenly started to shimmer in the ck glow!

 Chapter 316 Tying Up Loose Ends (5)

    When the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array started to glow over Jacob''s torso, Jacob felt like someone had started a bonfire over his chest.


    But he had gone through far worse pain than this during the Cursed Heart Emergence stage, so he could endure this fiery pain.


    Jacob''s eye was on Immortika instead of his own body because he had no way of knowing if everything was going as it was supposed to since there wasn''t any more description about what would happen after the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array would get active.


    However, Jacob knew Immortika would be able to tell because it knew his body condition better than him and had almost omniscient-level knowledge.


    "What a fascinating array, whoever created it has to be¡­ hahahaha. In the end, it''s going to be used by my inheritor. What a fate¡­"


    Jacob could only frown after reading those ambiguous lines and was preupied at this moment to even inquire about them.


    Right at this moment, something astonishing happened. The symbols on Jacob''s torso drawn in a square suddenly came alive as they started to crawl toward the center of his chest where the Brain Hunter was lying motionlessly.


    As those symbols moved over Brain Hunter like ants, they would vanish into his pitch-ck body. Jacob could clearly feel when those symbols were absorbed in the center of his torso; the fiery pain was also shrinking toward the center.


    The entire array drawn over Jacob''s torso took 100 seconds to be fully consumed by Brain Hunter''s tiny body, and right at the end, Brian Hunter''s body was glowing. At the same time, Jacob felt something like molten ironying over his chest, and it wanted to tear apart his skin and enter his body.


    At this moment thereafter, Brain Hunter''s body suddenly started to sink into the center of Jacob''s chest magically. While there was no trace of cuts or blood gushing out before it fully sunk into the chest, it vanished without a trace.


    On the other hand, Jacob waspletely rmed by this because all that feeling suddenly vanished. He looked at his masculine torso, which was now without any trace of the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array.


    But before he could inquire about it from Immortika, his eye winded when he felt something digging out right at the ce where Brain Hunter had sunk into his chest.


    Not only that but the gem band he was wearing on his wrist, which was the ve controller of the Brain Hunter, the gem on it suddenly cracked before it shattered, which rmed Jacob even more.


    If the Brain Hunter broke free from the envement while it was right inside his body, then he was as good as gone if the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array had failed.


    But attention was drawn to his chest again when he spotted a ck marking suddenly starting to emerge at the center of his chest.


    Soon, he discovered that the ck marking was not just a random marking, but it looked exactly like Brain Hunter, like a vivid tattoo of brain hunter right in the middle of his chest, and Brain Hunter''s body was twisted like a spiral.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The moment the tattoo wasplete, a foreign memory suddenly appeared in Jacob''s mind out of nowhere.


    After processing the memory, Jacob''s eyes shimmered in astonishment and disbelief. Still, his panicked expression soon vanished, and calmness with a hint of ecstasy returned to his face as he stood up on his feet.


    "You get it, right?" Immortika wrote.


    Jacob sneered, "You knew this would''ve happened, so I don''t think I need to tell you about it."


    "Hehehe¡­ now, now, I only discovered when the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array was activated entirely. Who could''ve thought that not only this Envement Array can fully enve a fantastic insect, but it could even make it reside in your sr plexus?


    "This kind of method that can make any being reside in your sr plexus is legendary. This method has many benefits. Like now, you can summon the Brain Hunter at will as well as retract it back into your sr plexus as long as it is in a certain range and even sense its general direction no matter how far it is from you.


    "In a sense, even if Brain Hunter ran away from you, it would never be able to escape your grasp anymore since it had entered your sr plexus. It now held your Mystic Signature. I''m pretty sure this is all the information you already got after the session of the ritual array, right?"


    Jacob didn''t deny it as he nodded, "Except for the part about this Mystic Signature thing, the rest is as you said. I can feel Brain Hunter''s presence somewhere in my chest, but it''s not within my body like an organ or blood, but something ethereal."


    Jacob then flipped his hand as his eyes shimmered mysteriously, and the next moment, the tattoo over his chest suddenly shimmered darkly, and Brain Hunter appeared in his hand, looking the same as before.


    But not for Jacob becasue he could now feel its thoughts, and he had this strange feeling that he could end its tiny life with a single thought and order it as long as he thought in his mind.


    ''Go forth¡­'' Jacob thought, and the next moment Brain Hunter instantly reacted and started to crawl toward Jacob''s forearm before Jacob told it to stop, and it did instantly.


    "Hehe, you''ll know what Mystic Signature is eventually, so consider it as a heads-up. But this time, you have really profited big time, and if this Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array now can make this Brain Hunter into your eternal ve as well, then the future possibilities are limitless." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob fully agreed with Immortika, as only after sessfully performing the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array did he understand just how powerful this ritual array was and the benefits of having a fantastic insect in his sr plexus.


    But the final step still remains, which was to let the Brain Hunter use its first poison on him!

 Chapter 317 Tying Up Loose Ends (6)

    After performing the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array in session, Jacob didn''t dy the next step, which was to let Brain Hunter evolve into a Star rank being.


    Simply put, he had to help it evolve until it formed its growth-type magic core. For this exact reason, Jacob has already prepared as many titan tears as he could.


    Right now, another two feet cauldron filled with glossy ck liquid, which was, of course, the Advance type-1 titan tears, was ced on the table.


    As for the small Silver Cauldron, it was still half filled with Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array Ink, which could be used one more time. So, Jacob stowed it away carefully as he might need it again someday if he managed to find another Fanatics Insect.


    At Jacob''s behest, the Brain Hunter crawled at its fastest speed and entered the gray cauldron filled with titan tears and started to absorb it greedily.


    "It will be enough to let it evolve into an Extraordinary Tier-1 or 2, right?" Jacob asked Immortika while patiently waiting as he watched the Titan Tears were slowly decreasing.


    "Extraordinary? Hehehe¡­ what are you nurturing, a chicken? This is a fantastic insect of 18th rank. Its evolution conditions are already too hard on their own, although the Titan Tears are special, but not that special to have such an effect on a fantastic insect like the Brain Hunter.


    "This many Advance type-1 titian tears are barely enough to let it evolve into Rare Tier-3 or even the Rare Rank itself. So, I''m afraid you have to cough out your full stash just to let it awake its growth-type magic core, much less let it cross into Extraordinary Rank.


    "If you want to use just Advance type-1 titan tears to let it evolve into extraordinary rank, then you need at least 10 gallons of it!


    "And if it really bes your eternal ve, then you have to spend bottomless resources to nurture it with titan tears. I guess this is the price of having a fantastic insect as a pet, huh? Heheheh!"


    Jacob frowned deeply when he read those words, and he didn''t doubt Immortika was lying, as there was no reason to lie about such a thing.


    Furthermore, he also knew just how precious and terrifying a fantastic insect was, so nurturing them would naturally be not a walk in a park. Just to control them was an atrocious task on its own.


    "Then tell me about how I can evolve it without needing the titan tears. You have already told me there are natural limitations on the fantastic insect, but there is also a way to break them as long as theyplete the conditions ced on them.


    "I would eventually run out of higher-level titan tears forms, so I need to take this route eventually if he needs to evolve it at higher levels. You already told me it needs an epic being brain and magic core to evolve into a rare rank.


    "What about extraordinary, epic, unique, or even legendary rank?" Jacob quickly asked while Immortika was still replying to his questions.


    Jacob knew if anyone knew how to evolve and nurture a fantastic insect, it was this cursed book.


    "Hahahaha¡­ Legendary Rank? Your ambition is reallymendable. Do you know since the start of the Universe, no one has ever seen or even heard about a Legendary Rank Fantastic Insect? Yet here you are; you want to achieve the impossible, huh?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Besides, do you think I would give you such information just because you asked nicely, huh? Regretfully, you couldn''t be more wrong. Just the information about the first poison is already enough to buy this entire type-2 ins.


    "And even if I want to tell you, I''m afraid I''m restricted¡­ all I can say is just let the Brain Hunter follow its instincts¡­ hahahah!"


    Jacob frowned grimly, but he didn''t waste his words to persuade Immortika since he knew he had reached his limit to what he could learn from it.


    At this moment, his attention was drawn to the cauldron, and he was astonished because the slowly disappearing titan tears suddenly started to decrease at an rming rate.


    Within five seconds, all the titan tears from the cauldron had vanished, and right at this moment, the tattoo on Jacob''s chest started to heat up, which rmed him greatly.


    A foreign thought started to appear in Jacob''s head which clearly wasn''t his it was trying to express something¡­ confusion, joy, fear, thrill¡­ strange emotions starting to appear.


    "Oh, it has awakened its intelligence which means it has evolved into Rare Rank. What are you waiting for? Pour all the Titan tears if you want the process to be quick. When a being is evolving, they can gain many things by their bloodline as long as they have a suitable environment and resources!"


    Jacob didn''t dare to ignore Immortika''s words, so without any dy, he took out a five-litter jar which was more than half filled. This was all the titan tears he was able to prepare with every resource he had.


    But he wasn''t expecting to use it all on the Brain Hunter, and he was even hoping to save some for himself so his eye could recover, but now it seemed his eye had to wait a bit longer.


    Without hesitation, he turned the jar upside down in the cauldron, and the next moment, those foreign thoughts exhibited pure joy, and the liquid started to get absorbed with an even more terrifying speed.


    It was so fast that the moment it dropped into the cauldron, it vanished as if there was a bottomless pit inside!


    Although Jacob felt the pinch as he saw the jar getting emptied by second, he knew if everything went as nned, he would earn a fantastic insect enteral loyalty. This investment was nothing in the face of unlimited profit.


    Furthermore, the tattoo on his chest was heating up as the titan tears got absorbed, and its diameter even increased as more rings started to appear within, like a true spiral. At the same time, those centipede legs, like tentacles, also seemed like they were moving.


    When the entire jar was emptied, Jacob''s chest was boiling.


    At this moment, Immortika wrote,


    "It''s starting to form its Puppet Poison Magic Core. Get ready!"

 Chapter 318 Tying Up Loose Ends (7)

    Jacob looked solemnly within the gray cauldron, which waspletely empty right now, while ignoring the burning heat over his chest.


    Inside, he saw the Brain Hunter, which was no longer like its appearance before it started to absorb the Titian Tears.


    First, its size actually decreased instead of increased, from 7 inches, it had decreased to only 2 inches, and it was as thin as a needle.


    However, with Jacob''s current eyesight, he could clearly see despite its current size, its thirteen body segments had increased to 150, and there were now strange crimson markings over those shining ck triangr body segments which looked like tiny scales.


    Not only that, but its eyeless head now had grown two sharp sword des like tiny red fangs, and its crimson antennas were not as fine as a hair. Last but not least, its 300 pairs of legs now contained sharp red ws, which were so tiny that they were barely visible.


    Right, now, a crimson and ck glow was surrounding the Brain Hunter, especially those crimson markings that were shimmering menacingly.


    No one would believe that this tiny thing that anyone could squish with their fingers was a terrifying being.


    But Jacob was different as he could now clearly feel those foreign thoughts started to be clearer and clearer.


    He could now understand the intent behind them and was astonished, ''It still wants more titan tears?''


    Jacob wanted to sneer at the tiny, greedy bastard. Still, he was preupied with that burning feeling getting intensified with every second as the Brain Hunter developed its growth-type magic core. He even wonders just how tiny would that magic core be since it was forming in such a tiny body.


    Nevertheless, he was ready to give it amand to bite him the instant itpleted the core formation. But if it tried to resist or break free from the envement, he would kill it without hesitation.


    As for worrying about turning into its ve, he had already tested multiple poisons and parasite gems, even some special magic envement contracts. As Immortika told him, they won''t work on him at all.


    So, he was prone to believe that things go ording to how Immortika had described them to be. However, he hadn''t tried anything over type-1 or extraordinary rank since they were not avable in the rare ins.


    Still, he was 90% sure that Immortika wasn''t screwing him over by turning him into the Brain Hunter''s puppet.


    At this moment, the marking on the Brain Hunter stopped shimmering as the glow on its body also faded away.


    "This is the moment of truth, huh? Hahahaha, I haven''t felt this much excitement in a long time!" Immortika wrote in mad relish.


    Jacob couldn''t help but feel nervous as he looked at the static Brain Hunter at the bottom of the Cauldron. He inhaled sharply, "This was such a bad idea¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He gritted his teeth before he took out something from his pendant. It was a palm-size transparent cylinder which has glowing dark green liquid. On top of it was a ck switch and a red button right beside that switch.


    Jacob looked at Immortika coldly before he turned the switch upward and said while putting his thumb on the red button, "This is a radioactive plutonium grenade, aka Atomic Grenade, and probably above type-1 rank as well.


    "Although it''s made crudely since Ick the proper equipment, it''s still enough to blow the entire Dark City and bury it for a very, very long time.


    "Not to mention the area a hundred kilometers around the dark city will turn inhabited with the radiation, and no living being would approach it.


    "So, I don''t need to tell you what would happen the moment I felt like I''m started to lose control of my body, my mind. Even if I feel my toenail is not under my control, I''ll make sure everyone will bury it with me, including you.


    "Although I want to live, I don''t want to live as someone''s eternal ve or even less for someone who schemes against me. Since I''m being greedy, I''ll bear the consequence, but from where that greed originated, I naturally root it out as well.


    "So, tell me, is there anything you still want to share?" Jacob''s words were impassive as he looked at the empty page of the hovering book.


    Jacob knew what he was doing was as rewarding as it was risky. But he was willing to take the risk because Brain Hunter''s capabilities were something he needed in the long run.


    Furthermore, Immortika''s words were more assuring than anything else, but this didn''t mean he would blindly follow its instruction after he discovered Immortika''s knack for hiding things and even hinted him toward certain dangers.


    Although he didn''t know if it was intentional or some restriction, or even for entertainment, for him, it was nothing but a one-time thing, and there were no do-overs.


    So, he could only prepare himself for the worse just in case things really turned out to be not what they seemed to be.


    This was the measure he prepared just in case things went south with the Brain Hunter. He would not let himself be or end up like Decker.


    "Hahaha¡­ your paranoia is increasing day by day. Well, I guess it''s only natural the more you learn about the kind of world you are in and still have no idea about its true depth. Anyway, I never lie to you about anything, and I''m the only one you can trust in this ce¡­ so all I would say is¡­ why the hell are you still wasting time?"


    Jacob stared at those words for a while before a chuckle escaped his mouth, "What the hell then."


    The next moment, Jacob''s hand moved and entered the cauldron, but his other thumb didn''t leave the red button. Not only that, his heart rate climbed like a rocket, and he entered 20X eleration!


    With a terrifying calm look, he coldlymands the static Brain Hunter, "Use your Puppet Poison on me!"

 Chapter 319 Tying Up Loose Ends (8)

    "Use your Puppet Poison on me!"


    The moment thismand left Jacob''s mouth, the static Brain Hunter suddenly started to churn, which made Jacob''s eyes narrow in astonishment, ''Is it resisting?''


    The tattoo over Jacob''s chest was burning even more fiercely like magma, and those foreign thoughts were now bing chaotic again.


    "Humph, stop resisting, and do as you were told!" Jacob coldly uttered as he felt now more confident about Immortika''s information that the Brain Hunter would rather die than use its first poison on someone like him.


    This only made him want to make it use it even more, but in the end, it was still a matter of whether the envement array was powerful enough to make the Brain Hunter goes against its free will.


    The moment Jacob tried to inflict more force with his order, the Brain Hunter, who was trembling, finally moved toward his finger only an inch away from its position.


    However, when its fangs were about to touch Jacob''s skin, it shook violently as Jacob suddenly felt the urge to clutch his chest, which was now bead red. That tattoo was now suddenly started to emit a ck sheen, and ck veins started to spread over Jacob''s body.


    It was like something wanted to dig that tattoo out of his chest, and not only that but kill Jacob in that process as well. Furthermore, a strange force suddenly attacks his mind, wanting to crush him entirely. This sent him into a state of mental shock, and he almost pressed the red button!


    But right at this moment, "Hehehe, how could a universal limitation be broken so easily? But you are very close; all that is left is to preserve and use more willpower to force it to use the puppet poison¡­"


    Jacob suddenly heard Immortika''s eerie voice in his head, which he hadn''t heard for a long time, and that damn spooky voice seemed to do the trick as Jacob was instantly awake from that painful state.


    With bloodshot eyes, he roared in his head, "Use the Puppet Poison, damn it!"


    The next moment, the trembling Bran Hunter again moved its retracted fangs toward Jacob''s finger, and under Jacob''s bloodshot look, it finally pierced into it!


    Despite Jacob''s current physical strength, the Brain Hunters'' tiny fangs were easily passed through it like a tiny needle.


    The next moment, Jacob, who was feeling like his mind would break at any moment or his chest would blow off, suddenly felt a strange chill over his finger before it vanished without a trace.


    Thereby, the pain in his head and the heat over his chest started to fade away.


    But it was far from over as just that pain faded; Jacob suddenly experienced nkness creeping into his eye, and he lost his vision.


    He heard an emotionless and majestic voice at this moment, "Heretic¡­"


    However, he was only able to hear that single word which almost made his mind shattered before his vision returned as if nothing had happened, and Immortika''s voice rang instead,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hahhahaha¡­ you were finally able to do it. I must congratte you on your session with my own voice for acquiring an Eternal ve like the Eclipse Alipes Imhoff, ranked 18th in Fantastic Insects!


    "Right now, it is Rare Tier-6 and has 1-Star Puppet Poison Magic Core, which should be enough even to affect 9-star beings. It will awaken its bloodline memories as it grows stronger. But never forget that its true strength lies in Brain Hunting!


    "Oh, since I speak with you, my time is up for today, see you next time, and I look forward to what you will do with this new pet of yours. Entertain me well¡­ hahahahh¡­!"


    Before Jacob could even recover from his stupor Immortika''s eerie voice fades with its spookyughter as well as the book also vanishes.


    ''What was that voice? Did Immortika not notice it, or was it deliberately avoiding this question¡­ what just happened. I only remembered ''Heretic,'' and that word almost crushed me¡­'' Jacob was bewildered as well as he felt a strange terroring from his heart, and it was all because he heard that word from that strange voice.


    It took him a while to calm down and finally focus on the matter at hand, which was what Immortika told him before vanishing.


    Furthermore, he just discovered that the Atomic Grenade was lying on the floor as it should''ve fallen from his hand at some moment, and his 20X eleration was also canceled somehow, which made him smile in self-mockery.


    ''So much for blowing up everyone with me if something were to happen. How foolish of me to think I could even stand a chance against a book that could make someone Immortal if it wants to harm me¡­'' He could only feel bitter about it.


    Still, that feeling was only fleeting as he had really profited big time as Immortika said he now had a fantastic insect as his eternal ve. It might never have happened before since I experienced firsthand just how resilient Brian Hunter was despite the envement array in the ce.


    If not for Immortika speaking in a timely manner, he could''ve lost his mind without even realizing it. It won''t be an understatement that Immortika practically helped him big time, and he also had this feeling that he escaped that voice because of Immortika as well.


    However, Jacob had no time to inquire about it, nor did Immortika want toment on it, so this matter was as good as buried since he might not ever know what that was not anytime soon.


    Anyway, Jacob looked toward the cauldron before he noticed something astonishing, his single vision had turned normal, which made him shocked, and when he touched his chard eyes, he discovered it had somehow recoveredpletely!


    "But how?" Jacob was bewildered as he looked down and finally noticed the tattoo over his chest had also vanished.


    But this didn''t make him panicked at all because right now, he could literally tell where Brian Hunter was and what kind of intention or thought it had, and their connection was even clearer than before, and not only that, but he could still summon or unsummon it.


    It''s just that he didn''t need the Blood Insect Envement Ritual Array anymore as he was now fully in control of the Brain Hunter ever move. He could even change its entire thought process and manipte it like a puppet.


    This was what it means to have an Eternal Salve which cannot betray you, no matter what!

 Chapter 320 Tying Up Loose Ends (9)

    When Jacob achieved the unachievable by making Brain Hunter use its first poison on him and making it forever loyal¡­


    Within an endless ocean of infinite stars, a vortex suddenly formed, and its size was immeasurable as the entire ocean of infinite stars stirred.


    The very next moment, something in zing white color shot out from the vortex eye like a white meteorite, but it was so tiny in front of all those stars that it looked like a speck of dust.


    If looked closely, it was a humanoid shape white object surrounded by zing white mes.


    An emotionless voice suddenly rang from the ocean of stars, and this voice contained absolute authority in it as if no one would be able to resist it.


    "A Heretic has been born within the Lesser ins. Your task is to track it down and bring it back, Alive. I have already installed apass in your conciseness which will allow you to sense its general position.


    "But be warned as something is protecting it, and you won''t be able to pinpoint its exact location because of that thing''s interference. But it can only do this much like me.


    "Anythinges in the way. Get rid of it!"


    As the majestic voice trailed off, the white meteorite wrapped around space and vanished from the ocean of stars. The next moment the vortex also slowly fades away as everything returns to normal like nothing ever happened.


    The same voice rang from the ocean of stars at this moment, but this time it contained a hint of impishness.


    "Who was it¡­ I haven''t been this enthusiastic for an insurmountable time¡­"


    ---


    Jacob, at this moment, was looking at the tiny Brain Hunter in his palm with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Although the Brain Hunter hadn''t changed much, but for Jacob, it waspletely different from before as now he felt very close to it like kin but also close like a King to his loyal subject or royal guard.


    Furthermore, he was still quite shocked that his maimed eye was able to recover just like that, and he was sure it had something to do with this tiny guy in his palm.


    The Brain Hunter''s crimson antennas were twiddling at this moment as if it was conveying something which Jacob, despite not hearing it, clearly understood.


    "You want to eat? What do you want to eat, a brain?" Jacob asked with his thoughts as he talked with Immortika.


    The Brain Hunter was asking Jacob to feed it so Jacob could only think about one thing that it could eat or might like to eat.


    Just as he said the name ''brain,'' Brian Hunter''s antennas swayed left and right vigorously.


    "Heh, figures. Since that book said your true strength lies in Brain Hunting, then we''ll focus on that from now on. I also want to know more about what kind of abilities and those memories you''ll get from your bloodline would be.


    "So, I was nning to find you a host anyway since it''s also rted to my n. It would also be better if you could speak clearly. You''ve thought process is still like a little kid who was learning to speak." Jacob told Brain Hunter like he was talking with a puppy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The closeness he felt toward Brain Hunter made him less vignce toward it, unlike when he enved it using Blood Insect Envement Ritual. This was quite a unique feeling which wasn''t bad since he had yet to trust someone in this ce fully.


    Now he could feel like he could trust Brain Hunter with his life. Even Immortika had yet to give him such a feeling.


    The Brain Hunter antennas swayed again as it was the only body part that seemed to express its emotions.


    "Alright, I''ll give you a tasty brain¡­" Jacob''s lips curled up before his eyes went cold as clothes started to appear on his body again.


    The next moment, Brain Hunter also vanished from his hand and appeared within his sr plexus, which was a strange ck space that seemed like an abyss that existed within Jacob himself.


    Afterpletely subduing the Brain Hunter, Jacob seemed to gain the ability to peer into this strange space as he could in the Infinity Pendant.


    Brain Hunter could live here indefinitely without needing to eat anything since here. It would be kept alive as long as Jacob lived.


    But this ce wasn''t like the Infinity Pendant as well since he could only seem to let Brain Hunter in or out. Nothing else nor the time seemed to stop here as Brain Hunter could still move its body or convey its thoughts to Jacob.


    Not only that, but this ce might have a far more mysterious effect than just this much, which Jacob was clearly oblivious to.


    Nevertheless, since he can now gain ess to this ce, he would naturally research it and find a way to fully understand what sr plexus actually is and its true effects.


    He also needed to figure out just how far can he summon Brain Hunter or reverse summon it and when he lost such ability. All in all, Jacob was nning to understand this ability before he left the rare ins fully.


    But first, Jacob spent another eight hours in his workshop before he collected everything from the workshop, which he needed since he was noting back and left the room.


    Jacob was done with the entire process of enving the Brain Hunter in less than an hour, which was quite fast than he initially thought it would take. In contrast, the other eight hours were spent on his other preparations.


    Nevertheless, the faster he was done with the Brain Hunter matter, the better, and he will have more time to finish his things. This matter was one of the top priorities he had, and now it wasplete, which was like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulder.


    So, he summoned yton and Audrey to the meeting room post hastily.


    Those two didn''t dare to dy the moment they received Jacob''s message, they were also quite fearful when they came in since it hadn''t been even ten hours since Jacob had dismissed them, but now he summoned them on moment''s notice.


    So, they were naturally feeling trepidation and thought they had done something wrong. But what Jacob said next made them bewildered.


    "I''m surrendering my Guild Leader position and leaving the Dark City for good. But before that, I need you to select three crook Grandmaster Alchemists for me. Tell them they will be my assistants in my journey, and it will be very rewarding for them!"

 Chapter 321 The Terrifying Fantastic Insect (1)

    In the evening, at the exit of the Dark City, Jacob walked out of the Dark City exit, but this time, he wasn''t alone as seven capped figures of different sizes followed him.


    Three of them were naturally the selected Grandmaster Alchemists by yton and Audrey to follow Jacob on his demand. At the same time, the other four were Alchemy Grandmasters from the Alchemy Guild within the Common Circle of the Dark City.


    These seven were both excited and apprehensive when they found that the infamous Alchemy Guild Leader was looking for Alchemy Assistants. The three from the Inner Circle branch didn''t dare to reject when they found they were selected by ''Jacob'' specifically for their ''skills.''


    These three were first shocked and then felt something was not right as their performance was below average during Jacob''s exam, so why was he looking for them?


    However, yton or Audrey didn''t give them too many details and only told them they had to go if they didn''t want to enter the Guild Leader''s bad side, and it was not like they would not gain anything from following Jacob.


    Right now, Jacob was like a high noon sun in the Dark City, and there was probably no influential figure left who hadn''t heard about his deeds.


    So, despite their reluctance, they had to agree, so they quickly handed some matters to their men and left with Jacob, and they thought they would return soon after this journey.


    As for the Senior Grandmaster from themon circle branch, they were even quicker to agree than the inner circle as they had all experienced the true terror of Jacob first handed.


    Not to mention, Braylon was literally trembling when he heard Jacob hade back, and he was even dder that Jacob didn''t select him to follow him. As a matter of fact, Jacob won''t touch him at all since he is an official member, even if he wants to take him.


    So, he was content with some old senior grandmasters.


    As for the main purpose of selecting alchemists like Grandmaster and Senior Grandmasters to follow him and take them out of the Dark City, it was extremely obvious¡­ an Alchemist has probably the most practical and talented brain!


    "You all can swim, right?" Jacob asked the seven alchemists behind him.


    "Yes, Guild Leader!" They all answered in unison.


    "I''m not Guild Leader anymore. Let''s go." Jacob coolly stated before he jumped down the canyon''s river stream, and those seven followed suits.


    After they reached thend again, Jacob instructed, "Alright, set up close to the river bank. We''ll leave tomorrow. Tonight, I''ll check your aptitude and even increase it so you lot can be more useful to me. Is that clear?"


    The seven were shocked, and they quickly agreed, with their heart beating in disbelief and ecstasy as they didn''t suspect anything.


    Under Jacob''s newly created mask, his lips curled up in a cold smile seeing those guys enthusiastically setting up camps without even daring to question or doubt his words, like mindless idiots.


    These guys all had one thing inmon, Greed, especially the three from the inner circle, and they will do anything for money or opportunities with no questions asked. Jacob was akin to a golden goose in their eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While the Senior Grandmasters were already too old, so they would also do anything to improve if the chance was given, and Jacob was that chance.


    After the camps were set, Jacob summoned the Gnome Grandmaster from the inner circle branch first while letting the other six wait.


    "Thank you for selecting me, My Lord!" The Gnome had this fawning smile on his brown face as he sat in front of Jacob.


    "It''s only natural for me to do it since you''re following me by leaving the Dark City''s protection." Jacob impassively said before hemanded, "Now close your eyes, and I''ll cast a spell to see your aptitude. This might hurt a little, but you need to endure for your own sake."


    The Gnome was shocked as he asked with uncertainty, "There is such a spell?"


    He was an 8-Star magic expert himself, so it was only natural he hadn''t heard about this type of spell.


    "Are you doubting my capability? Or are youparing your knowledge with mine?" Jacob coolly questioned instead of answering it.


    The Gnome''s heart palpitated, and he didn''t dare to ask any more questions since he couldn''t forget who he was talking to, so he quickly did as he was told.


    "I''ll be troubling My Lord then!" He said with a determined look.


    Jacob saw the Gnome had closed his eyes and wasn''t peaking, and his eyes suddenly shimmered while he focused on the Gnome''s pointy ear.


    The very next moment, Brain Hunter appeared right at the ear hole, and like a lightning bolt, it bolted into the Gnome''s ear within a single second.


    "Ah¡­" The Gnome suddenly shrilled softly as he felt a very faint pinch like an ant had bitten his ear, but then he returned to normal as he thought it was just Jacob casting his spell.


    Jacob, on the other hand, was thinking with a sharp look in his eyes, ''I can summon the Brain Hunter directly on the position where my eye can see. Furthermore, this idiot didn''t even notice that the brain hunter might''ve already been on its way toward its brain, or it might be one of its abilities not to get noticed by anyone until it''s toote, or the puppet poison could also into y here. If it''s true, then it''s pretty scary¡­''


    However, he was in for another shock as, within five seconds, the Gnome opened its eyes, but they were deadpan.


    It opened its mouth before broken words sounded, "I¡­a-am¡­ g- Gnome¡­n-no¡­ I am¡­ alc-alchemis¡­t¡­"


    It was like the goblin had lost its ability to speak and now trying to learn it again.


    Jacob felt his scalp tingle because he knew the Gnome was as good as gone, and Brain Hunter had reced him, and it did it within less than ten seconds, and now it was even capable of speaking, which the old Pig Head wasn''t!

 Chapter 322 The Terrifying Fantastic Insect (2)

    Jacob patiently observed the Brain Hunter''s actions.


    For three or five minutes, the Gnome was bbering iprehensible words and broken speech. However, after five minutes, its speech started to be moreprehensible, and after only fifteen minutes, it was peaking like a native speaker.


    Jacob was really shocked at its ability toprehend the speech, and when the Gnome suddenly stopped bbering and stair dead at his face, Jacob''s eyes narrowed.


    The Gnome, or more precisely the Brian Hunter, uttered emotionlessly, "Brain analyzation has beenplete. I have all the life memories of this goblin name, Fredial.


    "ording to this memory set, the feeling I have toward you is known as loyalty and undying trust. Yet my memory set told me I should not have such feelings for anyone except the Demiurge.


    "Can you please clear this conflicted feeling of mine? Again, I feel like I should ask you and follow your instructions."


    Jacob''s eyes winded behind his masked in trepidation and astonishment when he heard all that robot-like talking from the Brain Hunter. He almost reverser summoned it when he heard about part of this Demiurge.


    "So, you can annex all the life memories of someone? How does that''s work?" Jacob was more concerned about this peculiar revtion than answering thest question, as this ability was simply too terrifying to be true.


    "I can feel I can trust you with this secret information in my memory personal set. Affirmative! I have an ability called Brain Analysis which can help me gain all the life memories of anyone''s brain.


    "Then this ability is branched into two more effects, Memory Bank, which allows me to stow infinite numbers of Memory Sets.


    "And Memory Mimic, which allows me to mimic the memory set ording to how the original owner should to the very perfection in anybody I control. Including its profession, abilities in case my controlled body is capable of performing those abilities as well, fighting experience, and such.


    "The only drawback is the Brain Analysis will directly kill the host once it was used, and second, the brain has to be a living brain if the body''s owner died even a second ago. This ability is useless." Brain Hunter exined stoically.


    Jacob was now feeling really d he didn''t nurture this monster into Rare Rank, or he might not even know how he died once this guy got his hand on some extremely powerful body and its memories.


    Just this Brain Analysis ability is enough to make Brain Hunter absolutely horrified as it could gain ess to any secret and infiltrate anywhere with this ability alone despite its drawback.


    Even Jacob might take any risk to have this type of ability.


    Still, although Jacob couldn''t have such an ability, the owner of this unique ability was his enteral ve, so it was akin to having this ability himself. Just a thought about what he could do with it made his blood boil, and he felt it was worth every risk he took to make brain hunter fully submit to him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Hiding his ecstasy, he nodded and questioned again, "What other memories do you have?"


    "I have memories from the point when I was awake in your hand a few hours ago and our small interaction." Brian Hunter replied.


    ''So, he didn''t remember anything before he turned into my Eternal Salve, and he also didn''t seem to know his true connection with me?'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered in understanding, and this development was in his favor.


    So, he quickly asked something else, "So, what other abilities do you have?"


    Brain Hunter again replied like an answering machine, "Including Brain Analysis, I have Puppet Possession Ability which can help me control bodies to perfection as long as they are killed through my Brain Analysis.


    "My third bloodline ability is called Brain Devourer, which is a pensive ability I cannot stop or have any control over because Brain Devourer is directly connected with my growth and evolution path. This ability will automatically be active once I use the Brain Analysis and Puppet Possession.


    "Once the Brain Devourer is active, it will channel all the magic force, life force, and biological essence present in my possessed Puppet into my body, which will increase my own power and help me grow further.


    "However, as a side effect, that body would start to rot like a corpse from the inside out. The more powerful the body I control, the longer time my Brain Devourer would take to digest it fully.


    "Except for these three bloodline abilities, I have my Puppet Poison Magic which can not only help me in multiple ways while I infiltrate someone''s body. But it can also turn anyone below Epic Rank into my puppets which I can remotely control within my five-hundred-meter range.


    "But to activate the Puppet Poison Magic, the puppet needed to be directly bitten by me, and I have to inject poison in them the same way. I can''t do it remotely, nor my Puppet Poison can be harvested, or it would instantly lose effect within one second.


    "The sessfully created Magic Puppet can''t leave 500 meters radius perimeter, or it will be free from my puppet poison magic in sixty minutes or once it bes a full rank more powerful than me. Lastly, in Star Rank, I can only have 3 Magic Puppets of Star Rank.


    "This is all the abilities I currently have." Brain Hunter statically said with a deadpan expression.


    Jacob was deep in thought at this moment with clear astonishment in his eyes, ''All the Brain Hunter''s bloodline abilities are interlinked with Brain Analysis, and they all had strange limitations despite their ridiculous effects. The same goes for its Puppet Poison Magic. It''s as powerful and dangerous as it is easy to break free from. Is this the reason why a Fantastic Insect had never been able to reach the Legendary Rank?''


    Although there were limitations which he was expecting anyway after Immortika told him about the Universal Limitations of the Fantastic Insects.


    But even with these limitations, it was still too dangerous!

 Chapter 323 Autarch (1)

    Jacob looked at the stoic Gnome, looking at him with deadpan eyes without blinking, which was creepy. But he wasn''t bothered by it all.


    He said, "I like your honesty with me, and I hope you will be this honest with me in the future as well. I will always reward your loyalty and never treat you badly.


    "All your abilities are pretty much useless if you hunt alone, especially while dealing with powerful beings. So, you need someone strong to help you with those problems.


    "So, I will rify your doubts as you requested as a reward for your honesty and rify our rtionship while we are at it.


    "The answer to your question is actually quite simple. You said your memories tell you differently, but your feelings tell you the exact opposite.


    "All you have to do is follow your instincts, which came from your feelings, not memories, and only instincts can keep us alive.


    "Furthermore, if you thought it more carefully and followed your memories which told you that you can only have such feelings for Demiurge, then can''t I be the Demiurge since I give you the same feelings?" Jacob impassively stated.


    Although he had no idea if something like Demiurge even existed since it was just a fabled concept, nor did he care if it exists or not.


    But Jacob cared about only one thing; he wasn''t going to let someone else hold the same position as his in his pet''s mind. So, he''ll just be the same thing in Brain Hunter''s mind to save himself future trouble.


    Even if such a being really exists, since the possibility was there, he was pretty sure he won''t care about an ant-like Brain Hunter or him. They weren''t even a speck of dust in such a being''s eyes.


    Hearing Jacob''s ambiguous yet revolting words, the Brain Hunter remained silent for a while, and Jacob didn''t say anything as he knew the Brain Hunter was thinking it through. Jacob''s biggest advantage was the Brain Hunter had no memory of what happened before it became Jacob''s ve for eternity.


    So, in the end, the Brain Hunter nodded, "You are right, no one had ever seen the Demiurge, and since I have such feelings toward you, it means you are the Demiurge for me. So, I have another small request for Demiurge. Do I have your permission to state it?"


    Jacob was quite pleased that it turned out so well and nodded, "Call me Sir from now on, not Demiurge. As for your request, speak freely."


    "Understood. In this Gnome''s memory set, I learned the concept of name, which gives everyone their unique identity and meaning, like this Gnome name was Fredial. So, I want to give myself a name that represents my unique identity, not the name that represents my species as a whole. But only if it''s okay with you, Sir. I can''t seem to take this action without your permission."


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow, ''This is a strange turn of events. Well, it''s just a name, and I also can''t keep calling it Brain Hunter.''


    He then nodded, "Go ahead. You can choose any name you want. I won''t have any problem with that. You should indeed have a name which would belong to you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Thank you, Sir. The name I chose for myself is Autarch! Which means a ruler who has absolute power, and this is the only name that suits me."


    "Autarch?" Jacob looked at the deadpan gnome with astonishment, as this name was really quite oppressive. Still, he nodded in the end, as it mattered little to him, "Alright, you will be Autarch from now on."


    "Autarch will forever be loyal to you, Sir!" Brain Hunter or Autarch bowed its head.


    "There is no need to do that around me. I have also prepared six more brains for you. Just how many do you need before you can increase your tier further, especially if you want to enter the Extraordinary Rank?" Jacob asked as he hoped to get the answer to this question since Immortika didn''t tell him.


    Furthermore, Autarch said that the Brain Devourer is the only way for it to evolve further, so Jacob would naturally go with it.


    Autarch replied, "Thank you, Sir. Once I devour Fredial, I''ll enter a new host, and with my current rank, it would take me about one day to fully digest a Tier-5 Extraordinary being. Then I shall move on to a new target.


    "As to increasing my tier, I can only focus on increasing one tier at a time. Meaning I can''t raise both physical and magic tiers at the same time as the other begins.


    "I can only focus on one at a time. Like if I want to increase my physique tier, then I can''t increase my Magic Core Star Tier unless I finish my physique first, and the same goes for the magic core.


    "Simply put, if Extraordinary Rank has six tiers, they will convert into 12 tiers for me because I can''t evolve both the physical tier and magic core tier at the same time.


    "As for entering another higher rank, I need to be at the peak of both physique and magic tiers of that rank like anyone else, as well as I need toplete a special prerequisite which will be revealed once I reach the peak of a rank.


    "Right, now, I''m at Rare Tier-6 and have 1-Star Magic Core. The limit of the Rare Rank is nine tiers, and the magic core could grow into 3-Stars. So, I need to cross six more tiers to enter the extraordinary rank, but only after I clear a requirement that I would get to the peak of the rare rank.


    "As to evolve up to each tier of the rare rank, physically, I need to devour ten beings of at least one full rank higher than mine, and the count will increase by 10 with each higher tier.


    "To evolve my magic core tier, I need to devour 100 beings with the same magic core rank as mine or higher, and the count will be increased by 100 as well with a higher tier.


    "The limit of 10 or 100 and their increase will not change even if I devour three or ten ranks higher beings from my current rank, and so was the case for the final requirement, which has to clear before I can enter a new rank!"

 Chapter 324 Autarch (2)

    Jacob looked at Autarch as if he was looking at a bottomless pit. Truth be told, he was expecting there to be limitations and absurd demands to nurture it, but he was never expecting those demands to be this absurd.


    It was literally like having to cultivate two Cursed Immortality at the same time, and all that joy of acquiring a Fantastic Insect turned into smoke.


    ''If what it said is true, then when it reached the epic rank, it needed to consume the unique rank beings to increase its physical rank while at the unique rank¡­''


    At this point, Jacob''s mind went numb just thinking about the terrifying condition to let it evolve into the Legendary Rank. It finally urred to him why there was never a legendary rank fantastic insect ever seen.


    Inparison, he was more at ease in the magic core conditions. But he was still quite bitter about those conditions remaining unchanged even if Autarch ended up devouring a higher level being than it needed.


    ''Then why can titan tears able to bypass these absurd limitations? What is their background?'' Jacob thought as the fog ahead was only bing thicker.


    Nevertheless, he knew he was not at that point where he should even think about unrevealing these mysteries, and he should focus on the present.


    ''I''ll stick with the titan tears as long as I can while in the meanwhile, it shouldn''t be a problem to let Autarch reach the peak of the rare rank¡­''


    With such thought in mind, he said, "Very well, then I''ll leave those six to you. But don''t let them find out about what you are. Just destroy the body when you don''t need it before moving on to the next target.


    "In the future, we will have more ground rules when we go to the higher ins. With all the knowledge you have, I don''t need to teach you just how dangerous this ce is, and for survival''s sake, we can''t let our guard down even for a second.


    "I won''t interfere with your free actions as long as they won''t bring trouble to both of us. All I want in return is for you to be extremely careful and master your abilities to perfection. I will be relying on your abilities to carve the path toward our bright future.


    "Right now, your only task is to learn as much as you can, and if you discover something unusual, report it to me like if some memory rted to Epic Rank.


    "Oh, one more thing, can you use this guy''s Star Watch and magic abilities despite devouring them at the same time?"


    Autarch answered, "I will keep your instructions in mind. I should be able to use the Star Watch as long as the brain is active because, ording to my memory, the life signal originated from the brain as well.


    "As for using magic, I won''t be a problem as long as I won''t fully consume his magic core. It will work like the original owner. Although I can start or stop the brain devourer ability, I can make it slow a bit."


    Jacob was quite astonished when he heard about the life signal''s true secret, and he suddenly had another question, "Are Life Force and Life Signal not the same?"


    "I don''t know. I did not have any recollection of memory about the Life Force and only know about the Life Signal, which the Brain Emits when it is connected with the flesh body.


    "It only stopped when the brain started to dpose, and I can easily stop it from happening with healing or rejuvenation potions or herbs. This is how I should be able to perverse the body from dposing as well."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob suddenly remembered how Pig Head''s body only started to dpose after he stopped giving it the healing potions.


    "It seemed you have already thought it through about how you will proceed with your future endeavors." Jacob praised.


    "This is all thanks to Sir for giving this alchemist brain to me. With his rich memories and experiences, it was a piece of cake to prepare countermeasures for such weakness."  Autarch emotionlessly stated.


    Jacob didn''t find this exnation wrong, as he also chose those alchemists for their powerful brains, but the result ended up far more than he could ever ask for.


    "Alright, since you can control their star watches, remember my bank ount number. From now on, you will transfer your target money into my ount before you dispose of your target with a Star Watch.


    "Moreover, if they have a space ring, then stash it away after taking anything important we can use for ourselves. Afterward, we can look for themter." Jacob shamelessly instructed.


    He didn''t care about what Autarch would think since this guy was a bottomless pit, and he needed as much money as he could get to nurture Autarch, so it should help as well.


    Not to mention his n for all those umted space rings in his pendant was also Autarch itself!


    "I will follow your instructions." Autarch agreed without hesitation.


    Pleased, Jacob then told Autarch his bank ount number, which Autarch remembered instantly, and then with a thought, a small pile of space rings appeared between them.


    "Take these space rings, and I want you to sort out materials in them within separate rings, like knowledge-rted books in a separate ring, herbs in another, and finished products like potions, pills, and weapons, in different rings and don''t use another ring unless the first one is full. This is your task which you have till the morning to finish before you hand them over to me.


    "Another task for you to is the six outside. I''ll let you deal with them as a test to see how much you can handle being someone else and deceiving them. Now you are dismissed if you don''t have anything else you are curious about." Jacob stated coldly.


    He had learned what he needed to know about the Brain Hunter and also achieved his goal now. He wanted to move on to his other important task.


    Autarch collected all those space rings into the space ring Fredial was already wearing and stood up, "I''m not for the moment, and I will not disappoint you, Sir!"


    Autarch then left the tent without saying an extra word.


    Jacob''s lips curled up, seeing Autarch leaving the tent, forming an icy smile, ''You won''t, I know because I didn''t go through all those troubles and took a huge risk just to suffer disappointment!''

 Chapter 325 Starting The Practice

    After sending Autarch away, Jacob kept observing with his hearing, and he was quite astonished when he saw Autarch appear the same as the dead Fredial.


    The way he walks, talks, and even his breathing pattern seemed to be the same. No one would doubt for a moment that it was the Brain Hunter controlling Fredial''s body, even his own mother.


    Furthermore, Jacob also noticed that his connection with Autarch was still strong despite Autarch moving a few meters away. He can still send himmands through his thoughts or even hold a conversation, andstly, he can summon Autarch back into his sr plexus directly from Fredial brain.


    Now all was left was to know the exact range in which he could perform all these things, as he was pretty sure there was some limit to these abilities.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was content with Autarch and all the things that came with it.


    After dealing with the Brain Hunter matter and concluding his small experiment, which went extremely well, Jacob was at ease, and now he knew he could move on to the next important matter, the Water Meditation!


    Although he was nning on putting it on hold until he was also done with the search for the Plutonium, then he changed his mind and put the Water Meditation at first.


    The biggest reason was after hearing about Autarch''s abilities. He felt a strange urgency to be more powerful, as his current power was not enough in front of unknown threats like Autarch.


    Jacob was 99% sure that if another Brain Hunter like Autarch selected him as its target, he wouldn''t even see iting unless he was in his 20X eleration, and this was a Rare Rank insect we were talking about. At the same time, he was now considered an Epic Rank.


    The illusion of invincibility in the Rare ins seemed like nothing but a sham put on his mind by none other than himself, and external objects like Plutonium was useless unless he had the ability to use them because death won''t wait for him to draw his trump card!


    Jacob then snuck out of his tent silently as no one noticed him since those alchemists were busy asking Autarch about how Jacob ''increased'' his potential and what could they should expect.


    Only Autarch would be able to tell since it could sense Jacob''s direction just as Jacob could, but it won''t say anything since Jacob had already sent an advance notice about what he was going to do.


    Jacob appeared a few hundred meters away from the canyon, in front of the iing river stream from the same canyon. The reason for Jacob selecting this ce so close to the canyon was exactly this river stream.


    Jacob clearly remembered just how much water he needed to perform Water Meditation up to just two hours mark and how many preparations he had to do so that he couldn''t end up drowning.


    At that time, he had no idea why all that oxygen was being sucked dry from the water, and he experienced that strange feeling in his body, but now he does.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The only problem was, even with his current physique, he might not be able to hold under 720-G force for much, and this wasn''t the only problem, as he had to do it while holding his breath underwater for 72 hours straight.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was going to try first and see how well it went while performing Water Mediation in this River Stream for a few hours, and only then could he decide how to proceed further.


    The river stream was 17 meters wide while the water current was around 11 to 12 knots and 8-meter-deep, which was something Jacob could handle.


    ''I have to do it sooner orter in this kind of environment since I can''t perform Water Mediation in a small pool orke anymore, especially if I want toplete the three days and nights cycle.


    ''I''ll perform Water Mediation for 4 hours and then check the water affinity. If it really increases, I''ll continue without holding back. I hope it will work, and I will be able to awake Water type magic and even explore the other four exercises.


    ''The Art of Nature clearly has no limit emced. There were just certain thresholds that needed to be done before one could move toward the second exercise. It might be a rare magic scripture for all I know, but the question still remains, how in the world it ended up in my old world? Is the Zodiac ins connected with that world in some way¡­''


    Jacob wondered, but then he stopped caring as it would only waste his time to mull over this entire thing as it was simply out of the realm of his thinking capability. He might be able to solve these mysteries once he bes more powerful.


    Jacob then started to take deep breaths and then exhale deeply. He was going to go for four hours straight the moment he jumped into the river stream even higher if he felt like it.


    Right now, he should be capable of holding his breath underwater for 10 to 12 hours straight, but matched with continuously increasing G-force, this limit could greatly plummet.


    Jacob didn''t know just what kind of G-force his current body could handle and if he couldst for 72 hours. But he was determined to find out.


    After following the same breathing patterns for five minutes, Jacob took a final deep breath before he jumped into the river stream without hesitation. But he kept wearing his clothes as he was afraid of an attack by some water magic beast in that river. This was the core area of the Magic Beast Forest, after all.


    With his powerful body, Jacob easily reached the river bed. Then he sat in the lotus position and instantly started to perform the Water Mediation as his breathing started to turn rhythmic.


    The hour passed like a breeze, and Jacob was already in 10-G force, which was nothing, and his position became firm.


    However, Jacob had no idea just over fifty meters above his head. A figure stood on top of a floating disc while a white projection light was in front of it, and on that projection, ten red dots were moving toward a ck dot with terrifying speed!

 Chapter 326 Starting The Attack

    At nighttime, Jacob had been at Water Mediation for three hours, and he was quickly approaching the fourth hour.


    Not only was hepletely fine under 30-G force he wasn''t feeling any urge to breathe. On the contrary, when the oxygen starts to enter his body and pours on its own like it usually does, the suffocation of holding his breath no longer irritates him.


    Especially when the third hour started, the oxygen''s absorption was getting stronger. With his Epic body, Jacob could feel it as clear as day that something was stirring inside him as he performed the Water Mediation.


    Furthermore, the water stream no longer even budged him as he waspletely attached to the river bed now.


    Just like that, 4th-hour passed, and then the 5th, and finally it was the 6th hour, and now Jacob was under 60-G force, and the water was now started to swirl around him as the oxygen absorption was now as clear as day, and even faint cold steam was starting to rose from the river stream.


    Now Jacob was finally starting to feel a bit under pressure, but it wasn''t at that point where he felt like crushing. As for breathing, while the oxygen absorption increased, he felt like he didn''t need to breathe at all, and it was a strange yet wonderful feeling.


    At some point, Jacob even forgot about where he was sitting as he gotpletely engrossed in the Water Meditation like a Monk.


    However, in the sky where he was sitting, ten figures were standing over discs, and all of them wore white robes with ck hourss symbols on their chests while their bodies were wrapped in ck gauze. They were naturally the 10 Iron Puppet Assassins!


    Right at this moment, the ten Iron Puppet Assassins turned their head in the same direction, and the very next moment thereafter, another disc rider stopped a meter away from them.


    It wore bronze color robes with the same ck hourss symbol on its chest while its body was also wrapped in ck gauze. It was the Bronze Puppet Assassin!


    They all seemed to be waiting upon it.


    Then a strange scene urred. The ten Iron Puppet Assassins keep staring at the Bronze Puppet Assassin while thetter is the same. This strange staring conteststed for about three minutes before they looked down in unison.


    Right now, in the middle of the river stream was revolving a small swirl while cold steam was rising from the moving river surface.


    The Bronze Puppet Assassin then moved its head and looked at certain Iron Puppet Assassins. That Iron Puppet Assassin then suddenly moved his hand, and suddenly he tore off a small fabric of his sleeve. It was extremely tiny, almost none noticeable.


    But the moment that small piece of fabric got torn off by its sleeve, it suddenly trembled before its size and shape started to contort, and the next moment, instead of a tiny piece of fabric, it was holding a dark blue scroll.


    Without hesitation, it instantly opened the dark blue scroll, and it started shimmering in dark light before all of a sudden turning into ashes. Thereby, a dark blue streak suddenly emerged right where the scroll had been incinerated, and it directly headed toward the swirl down like a lightning bolt.


    All the Puppet Assassins looked down, following the streak direction.


    However, something strange happened the very moment that streak came in touch with the water swirl. It turned into dark blue particles and then vanished without a trace while the swirl remained the same.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Bronze Puppet Assassin''s head remained in the same position for a while before it looked up and focused on another Iron Puppet Assassin.


    The Iron Puppet Assassin, like thest one, moved, and he also tore off a small fabric from its sleeve, and it turned into a scroll, but this time its color was gray, and it looked worn off a bit.


    It opened the gray scroll, and the next moment, the scroll turned into fine gray ashes before a glowing object surfaced in its ce.


    It was a glowing gray sniper rifle that was three meters in size, and it looked like it was made with lines of gray neon light.


    Without wasting a second, the Iron Puppet Assassin moved to grab the light sniper rifle and instantly pointed it in the swirl direction and pressed the light trigger. It happened in one second.


    The next moment, a gray light released from the light muzzle and headed toward the swirl. But no sound was generated, and the light sniper started to vanish from the Iron Puppet Assassin''s hands.


    But no one was paying attention to it as they all looked in the swirl direction where the bullet was heading.


    However, like the previous dark blue streak, the moment that gray light bullet touched the swirl, it also turned into light partials and vanished!


    Not one knows what kind of reactions those eleven Puppet Assassins were having right now, but they all kept their head in the swirl direction for a long while, and that swirl suddenly became more vigorous.


    The Bronze Puppet Assassin then looked up again, and this time, he nced at three Iron Puppet Assassins.


    Those three didn''t dy as they tore off two fabrics from their sleeves, and they all turned into a scroll and a weapon.


    The next moment, the gray discs under their feet shimmered in ghastly gray light as they all dived toward the swirl while they activated their magic scrolls, and a thick barrier formed around them while they also achieved the stealth function of their discs.


    While one of the standing Iron Puppet Assassins also took out another magic scroll, but this was filled with magic runes.


    The moment the scroll was opened, it instantly headed into the sky, and an invisible doom-like barrier started to fall off in a hundred-meter radius like an invisible curtain. While they all quickly took out their weapons and more scrolls.


    However, the Bronze Puppet Assassin remained the same from start to finish, and now that the attack had finally begun, the bronze color disc under his feet shimmered in ck color before the Assassin vanished without a trace!


    [AN: Join my Discord Server: https://discord.gg/w8GQdCD7sM]

 Chapter 327 The Bronze Puppet Assassin

    It was Jacob''s 7th hour since he had started the Water Meditation, and he gotpletely immersed in it like he was drunk.


    However, at some point, Jacob felt a strange disturbance around, but it was so vague Jacob didn''t break from that state.


    But right at this moment, the entire water swirling around him trembled, and he abruptly opened his eyes in befuddlement before clearly returning to what he saw made his heart sink.


    The water around him now continued faint color was red. He then saw a mutted hand holding a sword smacked on the river bed when it entered the 70-G gravity around him, and it was just the tip of the iceberg as more flesh pieces started to sink.


    When Jacob''s eyesnded on the torn white robes worn by the mutted body''s owner, and a gray disc entered his vision, Jacob''s blood ran cold as he instantly knew he was under attack!


    Jacob didn''t even have the time to think about when the attack started or how those guys reached their current state. Without hesitation, Jacob''s heart rate climbed, and the next moment, he directly entered the 20X eleration state as he was afraid that it might be already toote to run.


    The 70-G gravity instantly became non-exist when he entered 20X eleration and directly jumped out of the water like an arrow cutting through the water.


    The moment he left the water, the water meditation broke and the gravity on him as well, and so did the water swirl as the river quickly regained its normal state, but for some reason, it wasn''t flowing anymore.


    However, Jacob didn''t have time to pay attention since all his focus was on the three iing des from the front, and this time he could clearly see those guys as the eye sockets of his mask were now made with Electromaic Spectrum ss.


    This electromaic spectrum ss can help him see high and low electromaic waves or light, and this ss could not be created without plutonium.


    In his 20X eleration state, Jacob could only see some electromaic waves, mostly high, but with this ss, he could see almost invisible waves except for the gamma rays.


    Simply put, now those guys, despite their stealth and all the magic skills, were as good as naked in front of Jacob. Unless they exist in some other dimension, they can''t hide.


    Furthermore, Jacob noticed that their attack formation seemed disrupted, and this gave him a chance to use the weapon he had drawn while the time he had jumped out of the water.


    They were de handguns with long muzzles, and they were filled with magic patterns.


    ''I never thought you guys would find me so soon and even dare to sneak up on me¡­ but Ie prepared this time.'' Jacob''s eyes were deadly cold as well as fury shone in them as he almost got assassinated again despite his countermeasure against these guys.


    It hadn''t even been a day, and he was already under siege, which waspletely unexpected as well as frustrating since he was extremely careful this time, but he still missed these guys'' tails.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was ready for them, and he started to pull the trigger as those guys were only a meter away from him.


    The three guys in front were encased in blue barriers, but the moment ck bullets from Jacob''s gun hit those barriers, they sted apart, and the follow-up bullets directlynded on their shoulders and the next one on their heads.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In 20X eleration, Jacob was too fast, and for some strange reason, Jacob felt he had even more control over his senses.


    However, the danger was far from being over, as he clearly sensed four more people entering his God''s zone. The guns in his hand twisted at an impossible angle before Jacob pulled the triggers in sessions.


    When the second passed,


    ''Boom (X42)''


    Forty-two consecutive sonic booms rang in the vicinity while the bullet shells were falling into the river, and with those shells, lump bodies of those seven Iron Puppet Assassins with bullet holes in their heads and the discs.


    Jacob was still continuing to rise because of his previous jump, but the fight was already over.


    However, when Jacob thought exactly that, his heart palpitated as, without hesitation, he raised both guns in his head overhead like shields.


    The very next instant, a lighting-fast ck streak appeared out of nowhere andnded over his right gun muzzle.


    The sheer impact of that ck streak was so high, not to mention sharp that the Advance type-1 Titian handgun sted into pieces, and Jacob was sent flying like a broker kite.


    Furthermore, his mask also suffered a crack on its forehead. If he hadn''t had those two things between his face, it would''ve been his skull that was either sted apart or cracked; in both cases, he would''ve been dead.


    Still, it didn''t mean he was out of danger as his eyes quickly started to scan the vicinity where the ck streak originated from while he tried to maneuver his body. He wasn''t too injured since he didn''t suffer direct damage. Only his hand was numb, and his wrist nearly got snapped.


    But he knew finding the attacker was more important, and this guy was not like those seven who attacked him from close range. It was a long-range attacker.


    However, Jacob was in for another shock when his body was directly smacked into some invisible barrier. He knew these guys had again put up some magic barrier to keep him away from running. This also exined that part of the river was static, not flowing as it should be.


    Jacob finally noticed a lighting-like infrared streak, and he knew he had found the attack, but he was too fast and kept moving like a fly.


    But it didn''t mean he was going to let it have its way. Jacob quickly stabilized his falling body. The reaming gun in hand vanished, and as well he let go of the broken grip of the destroyed handgun.


    Another ck gun appeared. It was a ck shotgun, and holding it in between his hand, Jacob instantly emptied it on the moving, lighting-fast Bronze Puppet Assassin.


    Jacob had no intention to hit or kill it, as a matter of fact. Instead, he wanted just to slow it down because the moment he fired shots from the shotgun, it had already vanished the moment the bullets were fired, and the Titan Sniper had already reced it!

 Chapter 328 The Streak Breaker

    While falling, Jacob holding the Iron Titan Sniper Rifle, looked at the Bronze Puppet Assassin, who was agilely moving, leaving behind a red infrared streak.


    The shotgun round was filled with hundreds of tiny pins made with an intermediate type-1 mineral called ck razor rock, and not only that, but they were coated with Jacob''s explosive cocktail, which made them blow like tiny bombs the moment they came in contact with any hard surface.


    These rounds were invented by Jacob specifically for the agile enemies who were too hard to snipe, but he never released them to the public since it would draw too much unwanted attention to him.


    Now, however, these things were his biggest trump cards. They were also what he needed to buy only a fraction, and it will be over because of his sharpened reflexes and the rifle''s insane speed. It was abination of sorts.


    Jacob also knew this guy seemed to be a long-range attacker who needed to be stopped if he wanted to mount another attack, but he wanted to make him pause at his behest.


    Besides, the moment he reaches the ground, he will fall between trees, so he will again be a target of another attack, and that''s what the Bronze Puppet Assassin seemed to want as well. So, Jacob only had this three or four-second window to end it!


    The Bronze Puppet Assassin also never expected a lighting fast response from Jacob as it clearly felt the iing tiny pins that were fired exactly in the trajectory where he was about to fly into.


    Furthermore, those pins were giving it the feeling of strange danger as if it was hit by it would not be pretty.


    So, the glowing ck disc under his feet finally stopped for a fraction as it wanted to change its trajectory.


    But that fraction was all it took when the moment the disc was about to fly right, the Bronze Puppet Assassin''s head only moved in that position for a moment and was about to leave that position when it felt something sharp and hard touch its bronze hood¡­


    That was thest thing it could even think of because the next moment, its head blew like a water balloon¡­


    "Boooommmm!"


    The sonic boom, which sounded like the gong of victory, came right after!


    ---


    "Iron Puppet Assassins and Bronze Puppet Assassin have been killed by the target!


    "Iron ss Kill Order has been terminated!


    "347 Years Iron Kill Streak has also been ended!


    "Streak Breaker: Faceless Ancient has been marked and will be granted 20 Years Iron Immunity Period from all ss kill orders!


    "The Streak has been broken from the Iron ss Kill Order put up by the Iron Constant-978,359 has to pay 100 times the initial Iron Kill Order price before he can put a new kill order again!


    "Bronze ss Streak Breaker Bounty will start on the Faceless Ancient after the Immunity Period end!"


    The electric voice buzzed in the entire secret library when Jacob killed the Bronze Puppet Assassin.


    However, the secret library was right nowpletely empty as there were no traces of the Goblette or any bookshelves, as a matter of fact.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Only the reverse hourss was there, but for some reason, the continuous sand was now slowly filling the upper section of the hourss, and it was only a hair away from filling the entire section.


    But the moment that announcement was made, that tiny section was instantly filled before the hourss suddenly started to contort, and the next moment, it was wrapped in space and vanished!


    No trace of the secret library or the hourss was left, only an empty space¡­


    ---


    Ten minutester, the restricted barrier around the river finally lifted, and the river started to flow again as if nothing changed.


    However, on the river bank, Jacob was looking at the eight headless bodies while a few mutted body parts were lying beside them. There were also weapons and eight discs on the side.


    These were all the things he had scooped out of the river while the barrier was still intact.


    After killing the Bronze Puppet Assassin, Jacob made sure that no more assassins were hiding, and only then did he stop using his fluid eleration and stow away his weapon, and start to collect the loot.


    Although he was perplexed about this massive assassin operation, this didn''t mean he would let those precious meat and discs left so they could flow away. He needed to replenish his energy, after all.


    Besides, as annoying and dangerous as these guys are, they were proven to be rather nutritious for his current needs.


    Especially the Bronze Puppet Assassin, who drew Jacob''s attention in all this as not only was he dressed differently, but he was also on a different color disc which was clearly superior to the gray discs. He also found a two-meter purple sniper rifle which was actually not a mech rifle like his but a magic rifle!


    ''But what are these mutted body parts? How did they reach their current state?'' Jacob was most confused about those mutted body parts.


    He could at least tell they belonged to these mutants and were part of their group, but someone they ended up in such a state mysteriously.


    So, he had two kinds of theories about those body parts. The first one was quite far-fetched in which someone helped him, while in the second, they fought among themselves, which is an even more far-fetched situation since these guys didn''t seem to have a mind of their own.


    Jacob has another notion that it might have something to do with the Water Mediation, but it is so absurd that he doesn''t want to believe it, but still, he won''t ignore it.


    Because if it was true, then the Art of Nature might even be far more powerful than he could even imagine.


    The moment the barrier was lifted, footsteps rang in the middle of the night as they approached Jacob.


    Jacob didn''t even react as he knew who it belonged to. It was the gnome who was naturally Autarch who Jacob had summoned here.


    Jacob coldly spoke at this moment, "Finish off the remaining alchemists by absorbing their memories and take the strongest one of them as a host.


    "I was hoping to give you some time to adjust, but it seems we can''t wait any longer and has to leave. After you''re done, I want you to look into ten storage rings¡­"

 Chapter 329 Skull NO. A-0 Space Rings

    Somewhere in the inner region of the Magic Beast Forest, a bone fire lit a spacious cave.


    Jacob sat in front of the bonfire and chewed on a roasted leg while a small pile of clean bones was sitting beside him.


    Sitting on the opposite side of the bonfire was an 8''1-foot-tall purple scale kobold wearing ck armor, but his eyes were deadpan as he stared straight at Jacob without blinking.


    It was naturally Autarch who had changed its body from a gnome to a kobold who was the strongest in the alchemist group bought out by Jacob despite being a Grandmaster Rank Potion Alchemist.


    "It''s rude to stare at someone while they are eating." Jacob impassively said at this moment as he finished off the meal which was quite fulfilling as he was feeling quite powerful, especially after eating that Bronze Puppet Assassin.


    Jacob had a feeling that his heart was more powerful than those Iron Puppet Assassins, and he probably gained far more with its heart than he did with all seven of thembined.


    Still, it didn''t mean he was happy about it. On the contrary, he was feeling quite apprehensive because if more than ten of those bronze robe guys came after him, he might not escape without paying a steep price.


    He never thought the Killer Skull Society was hiding such a terrifying trump card under their sleeve. But he was also confused about why they were sending them in small groups, not all of them together, since it would be easier to kill him.


    This was the only thing he couldn''tprehend.


    "I''m not staring, I''m just observing how Sir could eat so much since it''s impossible ording to my memories, and only a giant can eat this much, but Sir is clearly not giant." Autarch emotionlessly stated.


    Although he can act like a normal being but in front of Jacob, he seems to prefer talking with his true self, which seems to have no emotion, and Jacob also prefers the real Autarch.


    "Like you, I also have special abilities which I can''t tell you for your own good." Jacob coldly stated.


    Despite knowing Autarch can''t betray him, he still chooses to keep his abilities to himself since no one has seen the future.


    "Understood." Autarch nodded expressionlessly before he asked something again, "Can I know why you were attacked and by whom or were you hunting?"


    Jacob scoffed, "I was attacked by an organization called the Killer Skull Society, and it might not be theirst attempt."


    Autarch nodded, "I indeed have a set of memories about the notorious Killer Skull Society."


    "Then I don''t need to exin it any further. All you need to know is they are my enemies and now yours as well. If in the future, if you find any news rted to them, report it to me." Jacob ordered.


    "Understood."


    "Now, I need you to look into these space rings for me and tell me what is inside them. They are rted to the Killer Skull Society as well." Jacob then flipped his hand ten space rings appeared.


    Those space rings belonged to none other than Skull No. A-0, who died by Jacob''s hand, and in his mind, the Killer Skull Society was sending those mutants after him because of these space rings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Before, he didn''t have any means to open them, nor did he trust anyone enough to ask them to open these rings for him.


    He could''ve even made someone open them and then kill them, but he decided to wait until he subdued Brain Hunter or awakened magic power of his own.


    "What about the space rings you gave me to sort out before?" Autarch expressionlessly questioned.


    Jacob questioned in return, "Are you done with them?"


    Autarch nodded, "Yes. I was done in an hour. Do you want them right now?"


    Jacob nodded without hesitation, "Yes. If you don''t need anything, I will be keeping them on me since you will be changing your body often and might even need to abandon it if this kind of attack happens again.


    "So, these items will be safe with me. I want you to make an inventory list on the Star Watch about the items in those rings and then send them to me. But you may keep one Advance Type-1 Space Ring and anything useful to you for your personal use."


    "Thank you, Sir. But there is nothing useful in those rings for me. I''ll keep a ring for convenience." Autarch stated before he took off the ring from his ring finger before he, took out another ring from it, and handed it to Jacob.


    Jacob epted it without hesitation and stowed it away in his pendant as he knew now he didn''t need to worry about running out of space as he could let Autarch store anything in those rings.


    Then he handed Autarch those rings he discovered on A-0.


    Autarch didn''t waste any time and wore one of the ten rings and tried to open it. The ring shimmered azure light before it returned to normal.


    Autarch then looked at Jacob with a deadpan expression while Jacob was looking at him with anticipation since he wanted to know what was inside those rings, which made the Killer Skull Society so hyperactive.


    Autarch impassively said, "I cannot open it. It is inessible. I''m sorry." From start to finish, his expression didn''t change.


    Jacob was startled, and then he frowned as he knew Autarch wasn''t lying. He didn''t have the ability to lie to him, but this revtion was still hard to swallow, "Why?"


    "My magic power was blocked by some barrier that is stopping me from probing into the independent space of this space ring. It''s like some encryption has been ced on it." Autarch replied.


    "Try others," Jacob said with a clouded expression as he was feeling indignation and perplexed to the extreme.


    Autarch, oblivious to Jacob''s inner turmoil, did as he was told and started to wear those remaining nine rings one after another, and each time like a robot, it would say ''Inessible'' and move on to the other.


    Jacob''s fury was at the boiling point until Autarch''s words were finally changed on its eighth try, "This one is essible!"

 Chapter 330 The Sense Of Crisis

    "This one is essible!"


    Those emotionless words of Autarch''s were music to Jacob''s ears as he was really starting to feel like vomiting when he thought about his close shaves with death and all for what, for a bunch of locked rings, which he didn''t even know were locked a few moments ago.


    "What is inside?" Hiding his tion, Jacob asked calmly.


    "First, this space ring''s inner space is 100 Cubic Meters, not like the Advance Type-1 Rings, which only had ten cubic meters of space, which clearly made it a space ring above the type-1 rank.


    "As for the items inside, there are 82 magic scrolls, three spears, four magic guns, a ship, many different potions, and pills, and all of them are advance-type-1, and some of them are even I don''t recognize.


    "There are also 19 books, a strange ck cube, 23 more space rings, andstly, there is a hexagram-shaped crimson token engraved with an unknownnguage which I didn''t have any memory of. Most of the space of this ring is upied by the 53-meterrge blue ship, and only 14 cubic meters of free space remained." Autarch revealed.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with surprise when he heard just this ring alone was most likely to be a type-2 space ring, and all those materials inside made him even more ecstatic.


    Because Autarch''s memories could rival a Senior Grandmaster, and even he seemed not to recognize some of those potions and pills, which could only mean two things, they were either extremely rare or above type-1 rank as well.


    As for those magic scrolls, Jacob had seen A-0 using some of them during his escape, and he knew the remaining ones would not be any less precious, and those extra 23 rings will be most likely hold even more wealth that A-0 couldn''t store in this one ring alone!


    Just that ship alone was worth Jacob''s absolute attention, and it would not be some cheap ship either, considering A-0''s status!


    All in all, Jacob was content with just this ring''s treasures, and when he thought about those other locked rings, his heart raced slightly as he didn''t dare to imagine what could those closed rings hold inparison to this open one.


    ''The Society is most likely after those locked rings as well, and that open ring should be that guy I killed. This made those locked rings even more precious than this one.'' Jacob thought with scrutiny.


    "Can you open the reaming two rings?" Jacob asked as he didn''t tell Autarch to take out anything from that space ring yet, and instead, he wanted to confirm if the reaming two rings were open or also locked.


    Autarch tried on Jacob''s behest, but in the end, he shook his head, "They are also locked like the reaming seven. Only this one is open. Do you want me to look into the other 23 space rings in this one as well?"


    "Give me the lock rings. We''ll find a way to unlock them eventually and go ahead with the reaming 23 space rings." Jacob nodded without hesitation.


    He stowed away the nine locked space rings in his pendant again as he had no intention of giving them away and seeking reconciliation with the Society. Because Jacob knew he was past the point of seeking forgiveness from them, and even if he returned all that he took, they would not be going to let him off.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At least he won''t after suffering so much loss.


    After ten minutes, Autarch was finally done with the 23rd space ring, as Jacob didn''t disturb him in the entire process and silently waited.


    Autarch finally spoke, "All of these space rings have 100 cubic meters of space. Neen of them are entirely filled with raw materials, and all of them are advance-type-1 rank. Most of them are extremely rare, and some of them even I don''t recognize.


    "One of the reaming four is filled with all types of nine-star magic cores, the second one is filled with weapons, and all of them seemed to be advance-type-1. The third space ring is filled with all sorts of potions and pills. While thest one is 10% filled with magic scrolls, and the rest is empty."


    ''So much? Just how rich is the Society, and did I really unknowingly cut off the snake''s head? That person was that Important Grace after all, and that''s why the one contacting me was not him but that woman because he was dead!''


    Jacob was astonished as now it was almost confirmed that the person dying by his hands was really Important, Grace.


    Furthermore, he could imagine just what it means to have an entire filled space of 100 cubic meters with just raw materials, and there are 19 of them, and only someone with top-level authority could hold this much wealth in an organization!


    If Jacob was correct, then this entire wealth was akin to the entire treasury of the Society in the Rare ins, and it ended up in his hand.


    Then there were still those nine locked rings. Jacob now started to get why the Apocalyptic-S would make the mistake of contacting him, even going as far as to threaten him outright instead of taking silent actions.


    There was something in those locked rings which was important enough to make her panicked, not the things in A-0''s ring. The more Jacob thought in this direction, the more he felt he was almost close to the truth.


    "It seemed this entire thing was far more dangerous than I had expected it to be. I have another task for you¡­" Jacob looked at Autarch and solemnly started to give me different instructions.


    With a sense of crisis, Jacob meticulously made more adjustments to his n of leaving the Rare ins and was now even considering rejecting Hallberg since things were too dangerous for him alone. He can''t babysit someone else.


    However, this was still only a mere thought as it wasn''t an option yet. There was still time to make the final decision.


    "I''ll follow your will." Autarch nodded in agreement after he heard Jacob''s instructions.


    Jacob coldly said as he stood up, "Good, then let''s waste no time. We need to find a bigger ce to sort out everything in one night. We''ll leave for the Wild Nation after you''re done mastering this item. Furthermore, we can''t move on the ground anymore or travel slowly!"

 Chapter 331 The Wild Nation (1)

    Under the cold morning breeze, Jacob stood in a small clearing of the trees. However, he seemed odd as he kept staring in front of him despite there being nothing but trees.


    At this moment, Autarch''s voice rang from the same spot where Jacob was looking, "It''s as you predicted."


    The next moment he appeared out of nowhere, and surprisingly, he was hovering above the ground as he stood on top of the same bronze disc that the Bronze Puppet Assassin was riding the other night.


    "Although this disc is a very powerful stealth treasure, even more, powerful than the gray color ones.


    "But the person who used it has to be very strong willpower because the more you channel magic into it, a strange mental power would try to attack your mind, making it less calm and more violent, and the effect is five times greater than the gray one.


    "Especially if someone already has a weak mind or some deep resentment or anger issues, they will instantly lose control of their mind the moment they try to use these discs.


    "Unless someone has my ability to control the brain to perfection and is almost immune to these petty tricks, it''s very dangerous to use these discs. I wonder if it''s possible to remove this mental power somehow, and then it would bepletely safe to use for Sir." Autarch gave his assessment with an emotionless expression.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in understanding as well as coldness when he thought about what had happened in the Dark Castle, and he was even d that it was Water Wave who tried this disc, not Hallberg, or it would be a huge problem.


    ''Since they dare to put up such a vicious trap on these discs so no one can use them against them, then this means those mutants might not have any effect on their brains at all.


    ''Nevertheless, it would be a problem to use these things unless I have the Brain Hunter''s natural talent in mentality. Well, it might be a good trump card to escape in grave situations when I have no choice. But before any of that, I need to awaken the magic to use it.


    ''But awakening magic is bing more and more cumbersome as every time I put my mind to it, somethinges up and destroys my efforts. The Rare ins, which seemed like safe haven, have turned out to be a wolf den¡­.''


    Jacob was really perplexed at his current predicament. He didn''t dare to enter the water meditation state after hisst assassination attempt. He didn''t believe he would always be so lucky to avoid that kind of attack, especially if multiple bronze robe guys showed up.


    So, he deiced to sort out all those things in A-0''s space ring in one night with Autarch''s help, and he separated them all ording to their use and those items they couldn''t seem to identify, like the magic scrolls. Jacob put them into a separate space ring.


    It took both of them four hours to sort out those 23 space rings, and Jacob really felt like a rich businessman at this moment since those ZCs made with the items sold he left in the dark city also kepting.


    Afterward, he took out the bronze disc and let Autarch master it as well as test if this thing had some hidden effect on the user since thest time, he almost made a blunder. Now things were clear.


    Jacob then asked, "What about magic consumption?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I can use it for 2 hours with nine-star magic core capacity without using the stealth feature, and if I use the stealth feature, then only for 30 to 40 minutes. Furthermore, this body is continuing to regress as my Brain Devourer keeps absorbing the three primaryponents of this body.


    "I need to keep absorbing nine-star magic core every hour to keep this body''s magic core from the start dropping in its rank as well as I also need rejuvenation pills or potions with the same effect to keep this body from starting to dpose in a few hours," Autarch stated.


    Jacob nodded as he calmly uttered, "I guess we got all those supplies at the right time then. We have more than enough tost for a long while, and we can make just as much, even far more. But this will slow down your growth rate since you won''t be able to change hosts more often.


    "But the situation demands it, so you have to wait before I''m done with the rare ins, and afterward, you can have all the prey you want since there will be a long journey ahead of us."


    "No problem. I''ll follow Sir''s arrangement. My advancement matters little in front of your improvement. I might not be able to survive without Sir''s backing, so you are also my top priority." Autarch said with a deadpan expression.


    "I''m d you can understand that. So, let''s not waste more time. How much weight do you think this disc can carry?" Jacob asked.


    "I try picking up a boulder about four hundred pounds and fly with it, and you will be d to know that its speed or agility was not effective at all," Autarch replied.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a content smile, "Then it would be a breeze to attach another small nk on its back, and it can carry us both toward the wild nation. This will also save us the pain of crossing paths with the Dark Being Army as well as huge time."


    Since this disc was as capable as Jacob predicted it to be, he wasn''t going to shy away from using it. Furthermore, this disc only affected those who were using it, not the passenger sitting over far away from it.


    From the start, Jacob was nning on using this disc to travel and save tremendous time, and with Autarch, it was going to be quite easy as well.


    So, Jacob quickly got to work, and with a tree nk, he carved out a thick rectangr nk, and from one side, it was hollow, and there were many clips within that hollow.


    The bronze disk, like a wheel, easily fits in those clips, and then he binds them with a special material.


    Now, the bronze disk has been etched into a rectangr nk which looked like a straight board as Jacob sat at the back while Autarch was standing on the disk.


    Jacob care less about appearances as hemanded coldly, "Let us go toward the Wild Nation of the Dark Beings!"

 Chapter 332 The Wild Nation (2)

    The journey from the Magic Beast Forest to the Freedom ins was quite long, especially if someone didn''t have a virtual map of the entire Rare ins like Jacob.


    With Autarch''s special trait of never being tired as long as it has a fresh host body and Jacob''s own unique endurance, they both didn''t need to rest as they could continue to move.


    Furthermore, Autarch could continue to replenish its mana with a magic core like a battery and maintain both the speed and altitude of the Bronze Disc. Right now, they were traveling over 1000 miles per hour speed, and despite that air current, none of them seemed bothered by it because Autarch was also using a mana barrier.


    Meanwhile, Jacob, who had nothing better to do since he left the navigation part to Autarch, as he handed him the map scanner where the plutonium site''s coordinates were recorded. He decided to go through all those books he found in A-0''s ring as well as all the knowledge he got from all the storage rings he ever acquired in the Rare ins.


    Most of the books in A-0 space ring were about Nine-Star Magic Spells, or as a matter of fact, almost every book he acquired was about magic spells or some recipe that he wasn''t interested in.


    First, those magic spells were of random elements, and those recipes or knowledge were too ordinary in his eyes. However, he does remember anything rted to the water element since he knew he would most likely awake it.


    Because after his small section of the Water Meditation in the river, Jacob again performed the Element Aptitude Scale Test to see if his conjecture about the Art of Nature''s hidden effect was right or wrong.


    In the end, his Water Affinity surprisingly increased from 3% to 4.1% after only spending seven hours of water meditation. This burned away all of Jacob''s doubt, and he knew he was on the right path.


    But this only made him more frustrated since he couldn''t see to find a calm and safe ce to practice.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t dwell on it since he knew now that the method was in his hand; he would not be going to walk in circles.


    While browsing through those books, Jacob''s discovered something surprising. He found two Magic Evolution Scriptures!


    To his surprise, one of them was written in thenguage of the Dark Being, and it belonged to none other than the Wight Minister he killed in the Dark Ruins. His Space Ring was the first-ever space ring he acquired in the rare ins.


    Furthermore, there were tons of knowledge in his space ring as well as life crystals which Jacob had no idea how he should use since they were true treasures for the Dark Being but not for the living, so he kept them to the side for now.


    Anyhow, the magic scripture called Bloodlust Scripture of the Wight Minister was for the Dark Beings who have awakened the Dark Blood Magic Core.


    Furthermore, to start practicing the Bloodlust Scripture, a Dark Being needed the fresh blood of the living beings. The blood quantity and quality will continue to increase as one reaches the higher level of the Dark Blood Magic Core until it reaches 9-Star.


    Jacob then stowed this scripture away as he expects nothing less from the Dark Beings, and this method was virtually useless to him or for any living being, as a matter of fact, because these types of magic cores could only be awakened by the Dark Being, not the Livings.


    This was a strange rule as the Dark Being also can''t seem to awaken the element of light or healing and other special elements to the living as well. At least that''s what the type-1 Universal Beings [Living & Dead] Book he bought from the champion space described it to be.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for the Magic Evolution Scripture, he got from A-0. It was fascinating because it was Magic Evolution Scripture for a peculiar element, Illusion, and this was certainly an extremely rare element. Its limit was all the way up to the 1-Star Epic Magic Core!


    This means with this Magic Evolution Scripture helps, anyone with an Illusion magic core would be able to evolve its magic core into epic rank, bing a real epic being.


    ''It''s a pity I can''t take advantage of this rare Magic Evolution Scripture. Well, at least it will fetch quite a high price in the epic ins. I''m pretty sure those guys won''t be as ignorant as the Rare ins¡­'' Jacob thought with curled lips before he stowed it away after remembering it as well.


    Just like that, time passed, and one dayter at night, Autarch and Jacob were flying in the starry sky under the dim crescent moon, and only the faint light from the stars were barely illuminating the surroundings.


    "Sir might want to see this."


    Autarch suddenly spoke at this moment, and he spoke for the first time since they started their travels.


    Jacob, who was reading a very interesting 3-star water spell and continuing to expand his magical knowledge, suddenly looked up toward Autarch, drawn by his voice.


    Then he finally looked down. First, everything appeared the same on dark night. The forest down below seemed like a dark trench.


    However, with what Jacob was wearing, he could see quite clearly, even with his own natural sight was like a night vision.


    What he saw made his eyes widen; the entire forest seemed to havee alive as it was crawling forward.


    However, upon closer inspection, it was not the forest that was moving but thousands of skeletons and zombies!


    This was the iing Dark Being Army which was marching toward the Dark City while they were sweeping anything alive in their way, leaving nothing but wastnds.


    Just watching them march through those lively trees and almost instantly making them dry and rotten in their way made Jacob''s skin crawl.


    Jacob''s eyes then fall over the rider at the very front, who was riding a massive undead horse that has blue ghastly fire for its eyes. The rider was wearing pitch-ck armor from head to toe and giving of appalled aura of death itself. It was the Lich King!


    Right at this moment, the Lich King, who was riding at the very front of the Dark Being Army, suddenly moved its armored head upward!

 Chapter 333 The Wild Nation (2)

    Jacob instantly noticed the Lich King''s hidden gaze on him the moment the Lich King looked up.


    But instead of getting rmed, he merely scoffed, "This guy''s awareness is quite sharp. But he''s nothingpared to all those mutants."


    "Did Sir want to end the Lich King''s cort¨¨ge?" Autarch asked.


    "Why do you think I would want that?" Jacob questioned back.


    "Because Dark Beings are the enemy of the living?"


    "Then let me ask you something, will you risk your life for some stranger?" Jacob questioned again.


    "No," Autarch replied.


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he asked another question, "Then what if someone proimed that the stranger is the enemy of everyone? Will you do it despite knowing that there is nothing in it for you and there is even a slight bit of a chance that you might die?"


    Autarch thought for a moment before it replied, "It seemed I was asking the wrong question ording to all the memories and perspectives I have collected."


    "It is not your fault to be curious. This is the only way an intelligent being can progress further. You were just asking me the same question that any living being would''ve asked me.


    "I indeed have the power to end all this right here and now, but I won''t because I will gain nothing out of it, and there is still a chance that the Lich King is hiding something.


    "Or do you think he would''ve marched straight toward the Dark City after conquering almost half of the Rare ins? This is no longer madness, but there is a hidden motive here that has nothing to do with me or you." Jacob impassively stated as he coldly gazed at the Lich King, who was still looking up as Jacob and Autarch were flying over the Dark Being Army.


    The Lich King then finally lowered its head as it continued to ride forward, no longer paying attention to the small flying object hundreds of meters high in the sky. Even if he wanted to do something about it, he simply couldn''t, and it was going to be a waste of energy.


    After this small encounter, Autarch and Jacob didn''t encounter anything unusual except for flocks of flying magic beasts as they were migrating toward the deeper region of the forest or fleeing.


    The Dark Being Army has left behind nothing but wastnds, and all those beasts on thends werepletely annihted while only these aerial magic beasts were able to flee.


    Some vicious ones even tried to attack Autarch and Jacob, but they were all met with the same fate as Jacob easily shot them down before they could even enter ten meters close to them.


    As Jacob and Autarch were getting closer to the marked location on the map scanner, thends below were turning ck and dry, and no living being could be seen there. Not even a dry tree could be seen.


    Another day passed, and they finally entered the Wild Nation borders, and what Jacob saw made him quite astonished.


    There were strange crimson tresses on the ground without any leaves but with multiple sharp branches which were filled with long hairy dark vines. Those vines were spread on the ground as far as those trees were going, and those trees were virtually everywhere.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Furthermore, from the moment they crossed the Wild Nation borders, a strange stench and gloomy air were around, and the bright sky was now clouded as if the sun''s rays were not allowed in this ce.


    Everything was bleak and spooky as he could see some dark being walking aimlessly among those strange trees and veins like some mindless puppets.


    ''Just how did that guy (Mason) end uping here and even finding the plutonium, and he did it without getting chewed by those things first as well.'' Jacob wondered.


    "How much further are we from the location?" Jacob asked Autarch, who was navigating with the map scanner.


    "ording to this map scanner, we are still over hundred miles away. It would take around twenty more minutes to reach our destination." Autarch statically replied.


    Twenty minutester, Autarch and Jacob entered a mountain range surrounded by light green mist.


    Jacob frowned as a very potent stench entered his nose, and it even left behind a burning sensation.


    Autarch instantly uttered, "The air is poisonous, probably because of that mist. The lungs of this body are already started to start experienced dposition as it is long past its limit because I kept using its magic orbits. I''m afraid now it won''tst long."


    Jacob nodded with narrowed eyes as he looked at that green mist surrounding the mountain range, "It seemed I underestimated the environment of the Wild Nation. Land us as close to the mountain range as you can. I''ll take it from there. You yed your part well by sending me here this fast.


    "If I was traveling on foot, I won''t be able to reach this fast here without getting exhausted a few coupes of times or meeting those annoying corpses on the way. You were very helpful. Now all left is taking all that plutonium and then leaving this goddamn ce for good. You should rest."


    "It is what I should do." Autarch impassively replied before he started to descend.


    Jacob didn''t say anything as he knew this insect had no emotions of its own or it was not evolved enough to have them, so showing appreciation was simply a waste of time. Still, he wants Autarch to know his efforts were being greatly recognized by its master.


    Afternding, Jacob stowed away the bronze disc with the board as a whole and directly summoned Autarch back from the kobold''s brain into his sr plexus.


    The moment, Autarch vanished from the kobold''s body, the deadpan eyes lost the faint sheen from its eyes before its scales started to fall off as dark blood gushed out from all over its body as it fell on the ground.


    ''So, this is the fate of those who were being fully suckled dry by the Brain Hunter¡­.'' Jacob thought as he looked at the mutted body, which seemedpletely fine a moment ago.


    Stowing away the storage ring Autarch was wearing, he moved toward the mountain range while holding the map scanner as the poison mist had no effect on him except the burning sensation in his nose or that terrible stench.


    The marked location was only four miles deep into this mountain range!

 Chapter 334 The Hidden Mine (1)

    On the mysterious mountain range, Jacob cautiously walked toward the marked location in the poisonous mist. The deeper he goes, the deeper shade of green the mist bes.


    In his estimate, this poisonous mist was even potent for extraordinary rank living, and probably the dark beings could walk freely in it. This made him even more curious as to how Manson was able to dive this deep into the Wild Nation, not to mention he was crazy enough to enter this poisonous mist.


    But one thing that Jacob was really content about was there were no dark beings around. On his way here, there were seldom one or two dark beings walking around aimlessly.


    He knew the Lich King had most likely taken the majority of his forces toward the Dark City and left this ce without much security since there was no one left to attack it anymore.


    Furthermore, after experiencing the environment of thesends, Jacob was sure only idiots would want to live in this ce as long as they didn''t want to gue with stench and unknown illnesses.


    He even wondered why in the world, the life faction was fighting for suchnds in the first ce. Couldn''t they really just build solid defense instead of try fighting the Dark Beings? Or were they so prideful that they couldn''t just simply hide and chip away their forces instead of headbutting them on the battlefield?


    The Dark Beings would never stop attacking the living because they had a valid reason for it. But what about the living? What would they get by killing them except for some rare magic cores or their rotten corpses and bones?


    Furthermore, with how the Dark Beings from the other ins could send reinforcement from the other ins, like the Life Faction, it was pretty clear they were as intelligent and advanced as the living beings.


    Jacob was confused and curious at the same time about the Dark Beings, and he knew the secret was most likely to do with the Zodiac ins being so strange.


    Nevertheless, he was more inclined toward focusing on his present instead of worrying about the mysterious future.


    Jacob''s footsteps suddenlye to a halt when a cliff wall appears in front of him within the mist, and if not for his mask and sharp senses, he would''ve smashed right into it.


    When he looked at the brightly lit scanner in his hand, it was showing a red marker in the center of it and kept on blinking.


    "This is the ce?" Jacob frowned as he looked around, and everything was the same except for the cliff in front, ''If I were him and found a lode of unknown materials, then I would do anything to hide it until I came back. Or if I knew where it was beforehand¡­ In both cases, there is some hidden passage somewhere near here.''


    Jacob stowed away the scanner since it was now useless, and from here, he was on his own. He didn''t get the chance to fully interrogates Mason since he thought he had only discovered the lode by chance. So, it might be in a quite obvious location.


    However, now that he hade here himself, he knew Mason was led here by something since this location was clearly not adventure-friendly, or that guy just had a knack for courting death.


    Furthermore, the Wild Nation hadn''t been opened for all this time, and it''s only been a few years since Jacob had cleared the trial of the Rare ins, lifting the barrier on both sides.


    So, Mason couldn''t be just wandering in this ce by chance or again, and the Dark Beings were quite proactive right after the trials were over with their defeat.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was hard to believe some adventurer woulde adventuring in a war zone teeming with dark beings. But the thing was, there was nothing within Mason''s belongings that could confirm this theory, and only this map scanner was the only proof that leads here.


    Instead of searching aimlessly for clues, Jacob decided to take a rather direct approach which would save him quite a time.


    His short sword appeared in his hand, and he shed the cliff in front of him as this was the most obvious location where a doorway could be, and the map scanner stopped right at this point.


    If it turns out to be a normal rock, then his sword would cut through it like a hot de through butter, and if it wasn''t, then he''ll know right away by the difference in sound.


    Luckily, the moment Jacob shed the sword, it cut like a sheet of paper, and instead of a solid surface behind it, it was actually hollowed!


    Jacob''s lips curled up when he saw the darkness behind the fine slit, which was three inches deep in the cliff wall, and he knew it was the right decision to use this method.


    Then Jacob didn''t need to hold back as he directly shed his sword two more times, opening a dark pathway and entering without needing any torch.


    He found himself walking in a two-meter tunnel passage that was surprisingly sliding upward. But this tunnel was clearly dug recently as he could still find markings of some digging device used to create it.


    This made Jacob''s belief about Masoning here with a clear purpose in mind even more reliable.


    If not for plutonium, he won''t waste even a second of his time toe here, but now it was getting somewhat interesting.


    The tunnel was around quite deep as after climbing about a hundred meters, the tunnel became straight again, and after walking another twenty meters, a sharp left turn appeared, which was over a hundred meters long.


    Jacob finally reached the end of this long tunnel and stood in front of something he didn''t expect. It was an old mine elevator that was going down to who knows where.


    Furthermore, this elevator was of extremely old design as it connected with an old pully with two rusty metal chains, and there was a hand wheel attached in the center.


    Jacob knew this elevator was a type of hand elevator, and it looked in terrible shape.


    But he knew he was now almost at the end of his destination. So, after he checked it thoroughly, he finally embarked on it and started to turn the old metal wheel which made ear-piercing sounds. The elevator trembled slightly before it finally started to descend while making eerie noises.


    ''Why is this ce hidden inside a mountain?'' Jacob''s eyes shone with anticipation as he didn''t mind the sounds at all and slowly made his way down!

 Chapter 335 The Hidden Mine (2)

    Turning the old wheel carefully, Jacob descended over a mile deep into the ground, and even he was shocked at just how deep this elevator was going.


    Not only that but as he dived deeper and deeper, he noticed the air was getting heated up. Jacob''s mask was also showing multiple color waves, and it was getting harder to see as everything started to turn brighter.


    ''I''m entering a high radiation zone. Which means I''m at the right ce.'' Jacob thought as he was very familiar with this kind of heat as well as all those color patterns appearing through the ss of his mask.


    So, he decided to change the mask since now it was obstructing his vision instead of helping with it, and it was pretty sure there won''t be more surprise attacks in this ce.


    After the elevator was over 1500 meters deep underground, it finallynded on its destination. The temperature of the ce was also ten times higher than the atmosphere outside, which made even Jacob feel the heat like he was standing in the middle of a desert.


    ''It''s probably level four radiation, which can''t hurt me¡­'' Jacob stepped out of the elevator and found himself in arge, dark cavern. There were some decayed rail tracks and rail carts lying there collecting dust, ''So it was a mine site in the distant past but somehow ended up in this state.''


    Jacob thought as he walked into the cavern while he followed the rail tracks going all the way into a mine tunnel on the other side of the cavern. As he entered that tunnel, he noticed a trace of light deep within, which was clearly unusual since has yet to find any trace of light whatsoever.


    ''This light source might be left behind by that guy (Mason).'' Jacob thought as he continued to follow the rail tracks.


    As Jacob went deeper into the mine, he found the heat was getting even more intense, although slowly but surely. There were also light stones recently installed on the old mine walls, which were clearly the work of Mason.


    After following the rail tracks for about four hundred meters, Jacob finally stopped because in front of him were now two passages where those rail tracks were dividing.


    He noticed that one of the passages was lightened up with the light stones while the other was dark, which clearly indicates where Mason has gone during his visit.


    But Jacob''s mind works in a strange way as he looks into the dark passage and thinks, ''If he was an explorer, I don''t think he would leave this ce without searching everywhere, so why is this passage dark and seems unexplored while the other one ispletely opposite. That guy was greedy but no fool. So, he might have prepared something in advance just in case someone like me entered this ce.''


    Jacob knew he could be wrong for all he knew, but he still liked to see himself, and a mistake in this ce could be extremely deadly as he might get buried in there if Mason had installed some kind of explosives.


    So, instead of following what seemed right, he decided to do the opposite and went with his instincts and entered the second passage, which was dark. If it appeared as a dead end, he could alwayse back and goes to the other side.


    Furthermore, he was now even more vignt of traps around, so he kept an eye out for any anomaly.


    After walking a couple of meters in the dark mine, Jacob noticed somethingpletely unexpected and out of ce. He spotted magic runes on the tunnel walls, and it waspletely filled with them. As he moved forward, those magic runes were literally on every inch of the mine.


    ''Even I can''t understand those runes despite my current attainment in the magic runes?'' Jacob was forced to stop as he no longer dared to move forward since all those runes werepletely out of ce, and he couldn''t understand even one of them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, the heat has increased three folds since Jacob entered the mine, which was also an indication that he was on the right path. But those runes were irking him in the wrong way.


    So, without hesitation, he deiced to use his trump card, which he wasn''t expecting to use in this ce at all.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Jacob knew if some kind of terrifying thing was hidden in this ce, then Immortika was the perfect warning siren.


    The moment Immortika appeared, it wrote, "Out of the pan into the fire. You really like to explore, huh?"


    Jacob didn''t like those ambiguous words in the least bit because he could clearly see they meant nothing but trouble for him.


    "It seemed the other side was the right passage after all, and that guy probably left this one alone for a grave reason." Jacob transmitted as he admitted his mistake and turned around without even an ounce of hesitation.


    He was only here for the mineral, not seeking death, and now he was even thinking of abandoning it altogether and leaving this suspicious ce.


    "Hahahahah¡­ how decisive. I didn''t even say anything, and you are already starting to walk away!"


    Jacob sneered after seeing that line, "The context behind your ''greeting'' was enough for me to walk away. I have learned not to ignore your ambiguous ''greetings'' the hard way, so even if there is nothing on the other side, I''m not going there without you giving me a proper exnation."


    "Hehehehe¡­ how amusing, you''re finally starting to pay attention to little old me, huh? To show how happy I am about it, I''ll reveal a very interesting fact about what those runes are engraved on those walls. They are the ancient magic runes used for sealing the treasures which are rted to Dark Beings."


    Jacob''s steps came to an abrupt halt when he read thatst passage. Momentarily greed shed past his eyes before he started to walk away.


    "What that treasure belongs to the Dark beings have to do with me? Besides, if that treasure is rted to Dark Being and its seal in this ce for these years, then I''m pretty sure it should be better to leave it alone." Jacob coldly uttered.


    Despite his interest, he wasn''t a fool that he would go back there into who knows what. The business of the Dark Beings has nothing to do with the living like him. Even a greedy person like Mason seemed to understand this much, and he left this ce alone for a very serious reason, to begin with.


    Immortika then suddenly wrote something which made Jacob rooted in his ce the moment he read it.


    "Tsk, tsk, you''re being quitepassionlesstely, and there is no fun in that. Very well, then what if I told you that treasure back there can help you awake a peculiar magic core? Hahahahaha¡­"

 Chapter 336 Anything For Immortality…

    "¡­. that treasure back there can help you awake a peculiar magic core? ..."


    Jacob''s eyes were affixed on those words as he ignored Immortika''s usual impishugh, which could go on and on and never end.


    Then he suddenly closed his eyes and took a massive deep breath before exhaling it out, and when his eyes opened again, they were deadpan as he had already taken a step forward again. He was again starting to walk away in the opposite direction of the runes.


    "Even if that treasure can help me awake a magic core, I''m afraid I already have such a method, and it''s notced with unknown dangers either. So, I''m content with what I have and won''t fall for this unless you tell me every detail about this treasure back there and all the dangers attached to it." Jacob expressionlessly uttered.


    It would be a lie to say he wasn''t tempted by the allure of a treasure that can help him awake a magic core which is a confirmed deal since even Immortika has spoken. It has never spoken such words about the Art of Nature, ever.


    But it didn''t mean he would dive right into it like a greedy idiot who was blinded by his greed andpletely overlooked the circumstances surrounding that treasure.


    It was quite clear that whatever was sealed back there was sealed for a reason, and it was rted to the Dark Beings on top of that. So, it was quite strange on its own that it could be used by a living like him.


    Although he trusts Immortika''s words, but following them blindly is another thing. Those days were now long past him, and he was no longer ignorant about the immensity of this ce called the Zodiac ins.


    Even the seemingly harmless Rare ins to him was nothing but a sham. The mutants and this hidden mine were evidence of this. So, he won''t take unnecessary risks unless he had to, and this risk was simply too massive.


    On the other hand, Immortikaughs even more manically before finally writing, "Impressive, impressive. For someone who longed for magic talent, you have proven yourself to be resilient. This is thest piece of information I will reveal, and after this, I will be forced into a sealing state for twelve months because I''m going against my own rules this time, so you better make your choice here and now because there won''t be another chance like this, period.


    "This ce is called the Vortex Dark Graveyard, which could appear in a in when the Dark Beings suffer a defeat in a in Trial in their territory. But the chances of it happening is less than 1%, and you, of all people, finding it is even less than zero because you are my inheritor.


    "Yet not only the Vortex Dark Graveyard somehow connected this abandoned mine in the rare ins, but you even discovered it. There is really something wrong with your ridiculous luck.


    "The treasure back there has no traps, and you can grab it easily. As for the nature of that treasure, it is a Dark Universal Scripture that can help you get the true Growth Type Magic Core rted to me¡­"


    Cursed Immortally suddenly vanished at this point, leaving Jacob bbergasted as he stared at the empty space in a daze.


    ''Growth Type Magic Core rted to Cursed Immortality?'' For the first time in a while, Jacob''s heartbeat races on its own.


    This was no longer a matter of him taking risks and going toward the unknown. Now it was a matter of whether he could part with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob knew what kind of entity the Cursed Immortality was, and anything rted to it was not something he could ignore because it reflected directly on him. Who knows just how long his journey was and when he will get a chance to acquire a growth-type magic core rted to a Universal Godly Scripture? Probably never.


    ''Then why in the world it keeps saying it wasn''t a magic book all the time, and why now of all the time revealing this fact about this growth-type magic core and take this risk? Is this Universal Scripture really that important?''


    Jacob thought about all kinds of scenarios as he was now in a massive dilemma about how to proceed with this situation. This opportunity was really a windfall for him, and he might never have this chance again.


    "Sigh¡­ anything for immortality, I guess¡­" Jacob sighed as hemented at his own helplessness in front of the Immortality.


    He didn''t know how long this journey would take or where he needed to go as only the path and light on this path was the Cursed Immortality. So, he needed to get all the tools he could get to walk on this dark path that had unknown obstacles.


    Jacob turned around with deadly resolve in his eyes and started to walk toward the rune passage again. Since Immortika took the risk of getting sealed for twelve months by revealing that information, he should be fine.


    As Jacob walked into the runic path, the heat started to intensify even more, and when he walked a hundred meters into that rune-filled tunnel, Jacob was now sweating profusely, and he was even forced to take off his mask and windbreaker.


    Furthermore, a strange pain was now starting to develop over his head. But all of a sudden, when he walked fifty meters more, the heat suddenly started to turn down, reced with a cold sensation.


    Jacob was startled by this sudden change, and when he looked around, he discovered something extremely ghastly. Unknowingly, he was now starting over broken bones, and the tunnel had now turned into a dark space with no walls of runes or anything.


    All he could see now was only one foot around himself, and his night vision was gone without a trace.


    This kind of spooky darkness sent several chills down Jacob''s spine as he now had no idea where in the world he was or which direction he should go.


    But all of a sudden, a ghostly blue me suddenly ignited in the eerie darkness, and like something was triggered, another blue me lightened up, and then another and another.


    Like this, these blue mes suddenly formed a dark road between them, and they stopped right in front of Jacob like this road was made for him.


    But Jacob''s eyes were affixed on the end of this pathway, where a book with a ghostly face etched on its cover was hovering!

 Chapter 337 The Chained Altar

    Looking at the ghostly book, Jacob knew his target was in sight, and there were really no traps. Even a pathway has been made for him.


    But he didn''t dare to let his guard down because under his feet were bone segments, and they were clearly not fake. Furthermore, the mine tunnel behind him has also vanished, and so does his way out of here.


    So, now he had no choice but to take Immortika''s words for it and hoped this waspletely safe. He then finally took a step into the path between the blue mes.


    The moment his step fell, eerie sounds of bones being crushed under his foot rang in the pin-drop silence, but nothing except that happened.


    So, Jacob calmed down and moved forward, and the surrounding cold started to increase as he walked the path that led toward the book, hovering at the end of it.


    However, when Jacob walked hundreds of steps, he noticed something strange, the distance between him and the book didn''t decrease at all, and it remained the same. Instead, the surrounding cold was already freezing, and there was something very wrong about it as well.


    Because that cold seemed to be directly affecting his bones, and wanted to freeze his blood, but it wasn''t able to be because of his special heart, which seemedpletely unaffected by that strange effect.


    This was the only reason Jacob was stillpletely fine and only feeling cold and some faint pain in his head. That pain was present since the moment he started walking into the runic tunnel, so now he was getting used to it.


    With a frown, Jacob continued to walk, but except for the increase in the cold, the distance seemed to have no decrease at all, and then when he turned back, he found that there were no mes behind him.


    ''Am I even walking straight?'' Jacob wondered and no longer tried to move forward; there was definitely something wrong with this ce.


    He then tried to exit the me path, but to his shock, the moment he tried to take a step outside the blue me perimeter, all those mes around him suddenly churned violently before they started to burn brightly, and their mes increased in size.


    Jacob was forced to take his step back when he felt the horrified danger from those mes, and now he stood between the walls of mes, and the only path was the path forward that led toward the book. Even the path backward, which was empty a moment ago, now has been blocked by another blue mes wall.


    Now Jacob was really starting to doubt Immortika''s words, and he was clearly falling into some sort of trap here.


    Moreover, the surrounding cold started to increase even more with those mes raging around him.


    ''I guess there is the only way forward now.'' Jacob had no choice in this matter anymore, and if he didn''t move forward, he might freeze to death.


    Although that cold was at his bearable level, it was increasing, and he knew it wouldn''t be long before it started to affect him, so he had no choice but to move forward.


    This time, he used another approach and tried using his fluid eleration to see any clues.


    But to his surprise, despite entering the 20X eleration, nothing changed as everything was the same around him, which was a horrible shock.


    So, he then tried running toward the book. But the result was the same as before the distance won''t decrease at all. The cold was now finally starting to affect him.


    Even his eyes seemed to be freezing despite wearing the mask, which would''ve easily blocked cold. His speed also slowed down quite a bit as he continued to walk forward.


    Jacob then decided to put in ast-ditch effort, which was to escape the me wall despite the danger he was sensing.


    In his fluid eleration, he took out his sword and shed on the me wall to cut it open, but the moment those des touched the me wall, they turned incinerated without even fazing the mes!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob''s finally felt despair as he looked at those walls around him, and he knew he had fallen into a terrifying trap.


    Soon, Jacob was now fully numb as he was now freezing from the inside out, and there was nothing he could do about it. As ast resort, he tried to take out an Atomic Grenade to heat up the environment. He didn''t care about getting affected by it all and just wanted some warmth.


    But the moment that the atomic grenade appeared, it started to turn into ice, and Jacob tried to press the button, but nothing happened. The atomic grenade he was so proud of was turned dud under this deadly cold.


    ''I guess I was fooled into a trap by that damn book in the end...'' Jacob thought as he lost all hope, but he didn''t stop walking since there was still he might get out of it alive.


    But it was nothing but a false hope.


    At some point, Jacob was almost frozen entirely as he couldn''t even feel his feet, much less move them. His eyelids were no longer open as they were turned into ice shells while his mind was freezing, and he slowly lost all the sensation over his body. The only thing which was still active in his body was his cursed heart.


    Never in his wild dream that he imagines that he could die out of greed despite having cautions.


    But he might''ve done the same because that greed originated from the Immortality he wanted more than anything else. This was his goal for living this life and doing anything to achieve it.


    As Jacob consciousness slowly started to slip away into the darkness, his body stood in a walking position like a statue, no longer moving or breathing.


    Right at this moment, the blue me road and the book at the end of it starting to fade away like an illusion, and even Jacob''s current position starts to change.


    When everything fades away, Jacob appears in a standing position, still in the runic tunnel. But in front of him was a pitch-ck altar filled with unknown runes, and it was wrapped around with multiple thick crimson chains engraved with ck symbols.


    A ghastly scene was taking ce from the chained altar, a ck devil face with crimson mes in its empty eyes were looking right into Jacob''s nk eyes as they were now turnedpletely pitch ck.


    "Hihihihihihihihi¡­"


    A hystericughter suddenly rang from the devil''s face''s empty mouth, and it was extremely eldritch and sounded like hundreds of voices were etched in this voice.


    The next moment, the devil face suddenly started to rise from the ck chained altar, and an ethereal ck figure without any limbs emerged, and its devilish face was only an inch away from Jacob''s face.


    "A living speck of dust dare to court the forbidden treasure of the dead? Now I shall punish you by devouring your soul and flesh¡­"


    The devil''s mouth started to expand, turning into a dark abyss.


    But before it could devour Jacob whole, something suddenly moved under Jacob''s neck and prated the devil''s ethereal figure; it was the Infinity Pendant!


    "Hahahahahaha¡­ got you!"


    Immortika''s wanton, eerie voice sounded in the empty tunnel, which was even ghastlier than the devil!

 Chapter 338 Cursed Path Glory Gem

    The ethereal ck devil''s face suddenly churned the moment, Immortika''s eerie voice rang, and the infinity pendant was now hooked into its ethereal figure from Jacob''s neck.


    "W-wait¡­ what is happening!? Who are you? How could you resist the Lord''s Despair Spirit Trap?!" Again, the eldritch voice rang from the devil''s face empty mouth, and this time, it was filled with terror as it tried to escape away from Jacob, but it failed.


    Immortika''s impish voice sounded, "Hehehe¡­ I admit this is a rather cumbersome trap, and only a few people could escape it. Even then, retrieving what is sealed inside the altar would be tough.


    "But you idiots have no idea who this treasure originated from, nor did the person who asked your ''Lord'' to seal it after not being able to control it itself seem to tell you that one day I mighte looking for it.


    "Ha¡­no worries, no worries, everyone seemed to be underestimating me and forgot who I am just because I was ying by their rules. But, unfortunately, those rules are too dull, and now I''m bored out of my mind.


    "This way, it is more fun and interesting. But it''s a pity you won''t be able to remain alive to watch any of it, and no one will know the so-called unbreakable seal of the Dark Beings has been broken, and the only thing that could bring doom to their existence has returned to its rightful owner¡­." Immortika''s voice was extremely chilly at the end, almost sounding like death itself.


    "Just who in the world are you? And how can you know this forbidden treasure belonged to you?! No one can use it without getting killed!" The devil''s face shrilled in disbelief and unwillingness, "No, this must be an illusion. No one is stronger than the Lord! No one can harm the Dark Begins. I will never die, never!"


    "Hehehehe¡­ what a loyal dog, and you also believe that a Dark Being like yourself can''t be killed no matter what. As for controlling that treasure, you fools don''t even know it''s just aponent of mine, and without me, it is nothing but a catastrophe.


    "It is also the only thing in existence that can bring the downfall of the dark beings. I don''t go through all those troubles to connect this ce here, and now you will serve your true purpose, which is to be an auxiliary material to repair thisponent.


    "And don''t you worry, my little material, you will be the first of many to be turned into auxiliary materials to repair thisponent to its peak, which the Dark Beings broke in the first ce. This is what they called it; you reap what you sow. Ahahahahah!"


    Under Immortika''s hystericughter, the chained altar under the ghostly figure suddenly started shaking violently before cracks appeared on the chains. Unfortunately, even the altar wasn''t any better, and those cracks were increasing.


    The devil-face finally panicked as it yelled in horror, "Y-you! You Lunatic, what are you doing!? Stop this instinct, and I''ll you and your pet go o-or everything will die!"


    However, his voice was utterly suppressed under Immortika''s horrifying wantonughter, and both the chains and the altar were at breaking point as if something wanted toe out of it.


    "Stop! Please stop, I beg you, just stop! My Lord, I was blind, but please stop! If you released this seal, I''m speaking the truth. No one will be able to escape alive! I-I''ll give you an entry to the Median ins. Just stop! Damn, you!"


    No reply was given as if Immortika wasn''t hearing any of it, and right at this moment,


    "Boom!"


    A terrifying explosion happened as the chain and altar were finally sted apart, but no debris or tremor was raised except for the sound.


    Instead, after the explosion, the ethereal figure started to scream hysterically before it suddenly started topress, and its antagonizing voice started to get fainter and fainter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The entire process was so fast that it didn''t even get the chance to escape its agony and figure out what was happening as it was entirelypressed into the darkly gleaming Infinity Pendant.


    The entire ck chain around Jacob''s neck was glowing darkly, and if looked carefully, tiny glyphs were starting to get engraved on the chainponents.


    But surprisingly, only half of the chain was filled with glyphs while the other half waspletely empty like before.


    However, the true change was noticeable on the pitch-ck, four-centimeter vivid snake ring that was eating its own tail as its eyes were glowing in crimson. It seemed as if it hade alive.


    An even more eye-catching thing right now was within the snake ring. The white infinity symbol, which waspletely empty before, was no longer empty.


    Because mysteriously, a Crimson Gem, which perfectly fits in one of the empty infinity symbol sockets, has appeared on the left empty socket. The crimson gem gave off an evil aura as it glimmered in a ck hue.


    But it wasn''t the end of it because right at this moment, the clothes over Jacob''s torso ripped into shreds, and the infinity pendant suddenly moved toward Jacob''s left breast and stuck over right above his heart.


    After that, the crimson gem lit up even more brightly, and 36 tiny dark glyphs covered in crimson sheen appeared over Jacob''s left breast. They were the same glyphs he had formed when hepleted the Cursed Heart Emergence stage.


    Now, the infinity pendant was ced right in the middle of those 36 glyphs as the crimson gem seemed to emit some mysterious energy when half of those glyphs suddenly started releasing the same energy as the crimson gem.


    Right at this moment, within Jacob''s cursed heart, like the infinity pendant, one of the empty sockets of his heart started to be active, and gleaming crimson energy began topress in its center.


    Jacob would be over the moon if he were awake because this is the process of magic core condensing!


    Immortika''s ethereal voice rang again as the process of magic core forming started: "He''s probably going to presume that the dream was some test or be even more paranoid, but this was the only way to protect him froming in contact with that guardian.


    "But he will be happy when he reads all those memories about the magic core he has awakened, so he might not suspect anything¡­ well, not pleased about all of them, at least, especially when he learns that now he has to go against the Dark Beings as well.


    "He will also know that the infinity pendant is iplete and another essential part is still missing!


    "But that part will not be retrievable as easily as this one. It is not as nefarious as the Cursed Path Glory Gem and is in use by someone. But now I can detect its general location, which is not in the Lesser ins.


    "This will make it even more entertaining for me, hehehe¡­."


    Immortika''s impish voice trailed off with itsughter beforepletely vanishing without a trace!

 Chapter 339 The Hex Magic Core!

    After an unknown time, Jacob''s eyelids trembled before they sprang open, and his amber eyes were filled with bewilderment.


    When he saw the familiar runic ceiling, rity started to return in them, and he finally remembered how he fell into slumber.


    Shocked reced his eyes, and he quickly tried to get on his feet. But then he instantly groaned in pain all over his body as if he had exercised like crazy and all his muscles were sore.


    "What happened? Was it a dream or illusion?" Jacob thought aloud in his hoarse voice, and he instantly felt thirsty as his mouth felt as dry as a desert.


    He then took a water jar and started to drink in arge mouth, and he chunked down the entire five litter of it, and only then he felt somewhat alive.


    "Well, I''m still in the mine? Then was that really just an illusion? It was simply too real." When Jacob thought about how real that feeling of getting frozen to death andpletely helpless under that pathway was, gloom filled his heart.


    No matter how much he considered himself stronger, he was still not powerful enough to do anything in front of the unknown.


    "Wait, what about the book?" Jacob then quickly remembered the book in that illusion and looked around, and he was astonished.


    Because he was standing only a meter away from the end of the runic passage, and right beside the wall, therey a pile of ck ashes, and a crimson edge of something was sticking out from that pile of ck ashes.


    However, Jacob didn''t grab it as he was still feeling quite apprehensive when he thought about how he fell into that illusion, and not only was he fine somehow, but he appeared at the end of this passage.


    No matter how he looked at this, it waspletely suspicious, and that pile of ashes also spelled trouble.


    But right at this moment, a sudden pain stabbed in his brain, and he groaned softly and instantly thought that he was indeed in a trap.


    However, Jacob was astonished because that pain originated not because of some mental attack but because Jacob received many foreign memories out of nowhere.


    It took him a while to reorganize those chaotic pieces of foreign memories, but when he did, his eyes were zing like the sun, and he quickly looked over his chest.


    When he finally noticed his naked torso and saw the Infinity Pendant, which now has a crimson gem etched into one of the empty sockets of the Infinity symbol, he knew those memories were not fake.


    Furthermore, inside that crimson gem was a single ck rune, and Jacob could fully understand it because that rune was actually written in the samenguage as the Cursed Immortality.


    That word was actually spelling a single word, ''Common.''


    In those foreign memories, there were detailed descriptions about this crimson gem called the Cursed Path Glory Gem and how it is connected with the new growth-type magic core in his chest called the Hex Magic Core.


    The Hex Magic Core was actually the manifestation of the Cursed Path Glory Gem, and the ''Common'' written within the gem was the current rank of the Hex Magic Core.


    Inyperson''s terms, without the Cursed Path Glory Gem, this growth-type Hex Magic Core can''t exist, and to further increase the Hex Magic Core''s Rank, it can only be done by feeding the Cursed Path Glory Gem.


    By ''feeding'' means what it literally means, Jacob can''t evolve the Hex Magic Core by some scripture or other method, but by only feeding it, the Dark Being''s Dead mes!


    As for how he could collect the dead mes which can extinguish the moment the Dark Begins was killed, it was very simple, as long as Jacob was the one who killed a Dark Being, the Cursed Path Glory Gem would automatically absorb the dark mes.


    This was a straightforward method, but when Jacob saw the requirement to evolve the Hex Magic Core to the Rare Rank, he didn''t believe it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He needed to kill 100,000 Rare Rank (Any Tier) Dark Beings or 10,000 Extraordinary Tier Dark Beings or 1,000 Epic Tier Dark Beings, or 100 Unique Tier Dark Beings, or just 1 Legendary Dark Being.


    As for the magic rted to the Hex Magic Core, it was not a fighting magic that can be used in direct confrontation, like the Brain Hunter, Jacob''s Hex Magic Core was not made for fighting; instead, to use a nefarious type of ck magic, the Hex Magic.


    Although Jacob got the method to circte the Hex Mana from his Hex Magic Core from his body, he has no idea how to use it expect its nefarious properties.


    Not only this Hex Mana was useless when used without a proper spell, but its nefarious nature was also harmless to others in direct confrontation with other Mana.


    Right now, Jacob only got one memory of a hex magic innate ability, the Slumber Hex, which can put anyone to sleep under the Extraordinary Rank, which seemedpletely useless.


    But what made this ability fascinating as it could be used as long as the target was under Jacob''s sight and the distance seemed as far as he could see!


    This was evidence of how vile this Hex Magic was if Jacob knew its proper spells.


    As for the price of killing the Dark Beings to evolve it, Jacob felt it waspletely worth it for his terrifying magic core.


    Lastly, the mana capacity of this magic core will depend on his infinity pendant space. Right now, the entire 25-meter space of the infinity pendant was filled with ethereal crimson fog. This was the Hex Mana, and as he used it, the Mana within the pendant would decrease like a tank.


    By the way, this Hex Mana won''t harm anything stored inside his pendant, as it ispletely harmless.


    But the main tricky part was replenishing the exhausted Hex Mana because it can only be replenished by the Dark Beings Magic Core of the same rank as the Hex Magic Core.


    For example, right now, since the Hex Magic Core is amon rank magic core, the Hex Mana could be recovered by Common Magic Cores of the Dark Being or higher rank magic cores.


    But when it enters the rare rank, themon rank magic cores will no longer provide any mana recovery.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was very excited about finally getting the ability to use magic, and it was the magic that also originated from Cursed Immortality.


    But this didn''t mean he was going to overlook the entire thing about how he got this magic core and what was inside that pile of ash.


    ''This is the magic core Immortika was talking about, but it said it was a book¡­ no, it was cut off in the middle ofpleting its sentence. So, I got this gem automatically after dying in that ce?


    ''Furthermore, if the infinity pendant''s infinity symbol''s two sockets are iplete, then what about the other empty socket? Could it be there is one more magic core missing somewhere? Only Immortika can answer this question.'' Jacob thought with uncertainty as well as anticipation when he thought about the other magic core.


    It still appeared like a dream to him, another illusion, but very real at the same time. Especially when he tried to draw the Hex Mana from his pendant, he felt a foreign substance suddenly coursing through his body, and something close to his heart seemed to be moving.


    The very next moment, his palm started to glow red before me-like ethereal crimson mana began to emit from his hand.


    This feeling was extremely novel for Jacob, and he felt he could get addicted to it. But he quickly stopped using it as he was wasting the Hex Mana from his pendant.


    Then his focus was again turned toward the pile of ash!

 Chapter 340 The Mysterious Book

    As fascinated and tion he was about getting the Hex Magic Core, Jacob didn''t lose his vignce. For all he knows, this could all be an illusion.


    Because, like before, he can''t tell the difference at all. But deep down, he still wished that it wasn''t, and up to now, he didn''t think it was an illusion either.


    So, bending his waist, Jacob moves his hand toward the crimson edge sticking out from the pile of ash. This was the only anomaly left in this ce that might be able to shed some light on what happened.


    When Jacob touched the pointy edge, it was icy, like he was touching liquid ice, but except that nothing out of the ordinary happened, and Jacob finally grabbed the edge and pushed it outside.


    To his surprise, he found that object extremely heavy when he wanted to pull it out from the ash. However, calling it heavy was still an understatement because that thing was like a mountain, unmovable!


    Jacob frowned at this moment and used more force, but it won''t budge even a bit.


    So, he let go of being cautious and starting to remove the ash from the top of the crimson object. He wanted to see if this thing was restricted in some way or if it was even moveable.


    However, when the ashes were clear from the top of the object, Jacob was astonished because it was one meter in diameter pristine rectangr crimson surface filled with ck symbols which were outlining a horrendous devilish face.


    Jacob found this face quite familiar, and upon remembering, he was shocked to find that this face looked exactly like the face he saw on the book cover in his illusion. Only it was far more vivid back then, as if it was alive, yet now it was dull and appeared like a painting.


    Furthermore, Jacob spotted an empty socket over the forehead of this devilish face, and all those symbols seemed to connect with that socket as well.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in astonishment when he quickly nced over his neck and saw the Cursed Glory Path Gem had the same shape as the empty socket on the devilish face''s forehead.


    Realization dawned upon him at this moment, ''No wonder, this is where the Cursed Glory Path Gem came from, and this is most likely the book Immortika was hinting at. So somehow, this gem was dug out from this cover when I was in that illusion, and that''s why I was able to escape alive from it?


    ''Does the Infinity Pendant act independently? If it did, then just how powerful is this pendant, and what are its true functions? Furthermore, it''s still missing aponent which means I might need to find it in the future. But since this gem was engraved in this thing before, then what of treasure could this be?''


    Jacob''s mind raced as he quickly cleaned the pile of ash around the devil face crimson surface. When the ashes were clear, just as Jacob suspected, it was a one-foot-thick book!


    While the folding of this book was pristine crimson, its pages were pitch ck.


    But when Jacob tried to open it, he failed, just like how he failed to lift it before, no matter how much force he used.


    "Don''t tell me I don''t even have the strength to open a single book?" Jacob muttered under his breath with a dark expression.


    Even with his eleration and multiplying his strength several folds, he wasn''t able to budge the book or its cover even a bit, and this was now getting on his nerve.


    Then he suddenly thought of something when he was looking at the devil-face and the empty gem socket.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Since the Cursed Path Glory Gem was engraved on this book, could it be that it might be some sort of key or an importantponent to open this book?'' Jacob couldn''t help but think like this.


    All these clues were pretty much forcing him into thinking like this, and he wanted this book that had been holding the Cursed Path Glory Gem and probably built around it, no matter what.


    At least, not until he exhausted all his options.


    He just needed to lift it just a little bit from the ground, and he would be able to store it into his pendant, and then it will be his, and he knew someday he might be able to open it. He just needs to take it away.


    So, he decided to test his theory by grabbing the infinity pendant and trying to ce the Cursed Path Glory Gem into the empty socket on the book. The gem was now immovable from the pendant, so he had to do it with the infinity pendant as a whole.


    As for losing the pendant or something happening to it, Jacob would rather believe this unmovable book might get destroyed instead of that Cursed Book''s living residence.


    But nothing happened, and no reaction was made by the book nor the gem in the pendant, so he could only wear it again.


    ''Is this really a matter of strength? Then just how powerful force do I need to move this thing, and it might be here when I got back if this ce is like some sort of spaceship which could travel anywhere and appear in any in¡­ it would take a miracle¡­''


    Jacob was getting frustrated when he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten a very important thing.


    ''I have magic now! And this magic also originated from the Cursed Path Glory Gem!'' Jacob''s eyes shone in full of anticipation as he grabbed the unmovable book again.


    The very next moment, his hands started to emit crimson light which was the Hex Mana, and it was also at this moment that Jacob felt the ice-cold book suddenly turn warmer the moment he touched it with the Hex Mana.


    The symbols that made the devil face on the book cover also suddenly started to emit a dark sheen, and these many clues were enough to let Jacob know that the Hex Mana was the true key.


    Jacob then tried to move it again, and this time it finally budged, so without hesitation, he poured out more Hex Mana and started to envelop the thick book.


    As the crimson mana covered the book, it finally started to tremble under Jacob''s hand, and when it waspletely covered, half of the Hex Mana in his pendant waspletely gone.


    However, Jacob didn''t care about it as he tried to lift the book again. This time it got lifted without any resistance, and its weight was like a feather under his Hex Mana.


    However, Jacob''s Hex Mana seemed to be running out at a terrifying speed when he lifted the book, and he didn''t have enough to open this book, so reluctantly, he stowed it away in his pendant.


    Over 80% of his Hex Mana was used just by doing this much. But Jacob was extremely thrilled to get his hands on that mysterious book, and as long as that book was in his possession, he could research it any time and at any ce.


    Now, he had another goal as his eyes emitted killing intent and his lips lifted in a cruel smile, ''I guess I have no choice but to make the Dark Beings my number one enemy, and I just happened to know where I can find an ample amount of them¡­!''

 Chapter 341 Antagonizing The Dark Beings (1)

    Four dayster, after awakening from his slumber in the mysterious mine, Jacob stepped out from the tunnel hidden within the poison mist.


    As for why it took him four more days to exit the ce, it was, of course, because he was extracting the plutonium from the other side of the mine. He naturally won''t leave without that plutonium since he was here for it in the first ce.


    Although the amount of plutonium wasn''t as much as he was expecting it to be, but it wasn''t small either. He got around over 3 tons of it, and Jacob knew it was enough tost him for a long time, and he would be able to create many of his deadly inventions.


    The biggest gain in this entire trip was naturally the Cursed Path Glory Gem as well as the Mysterious Book, and plutonium seemed nothing but dust in front of those two things.


    Furthermore, Jacob discovered another thing after he checked his Star Watch, he had seemed unconscious for 20 days straight, and after all the time he took to get here and extract the plutonium, he only got around 25 more days before he had to meet with Hallberg.


    Now that he acquired the ability to use magic, he wasn''t in a hurry to analyze the Art of Nature, but this didn''t mean he had given up on practicing that mysterious exercise.


    Because after acquiring the Hex Magic Core, he checked his element affinity with the element aptitude scale application and found that an unknown element with an unknown percentage had been added to that report, but his water affinity was still there.


    So, he has no reason to give up on the Art of Nature, and he will continue with it. But right at this moment, he wasn''t that desperate and wanted to get familiar with his Hex Magic Core and how it would operate. Most importantly, he wanted to raise its rank.


    The Common Rank was nothing but an ant in his eyes, and he might not get another chance like this to increase its rank quickly like the Rare ins.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with ecstasy at this moment as a gray disc appeared in his hand, ''Now that I have mana, I should be able to ride this thing. But I have to be careful of this mental attack. Let me see if the mental attack of this disc is bearable, I might be able to ride it. It would make it very easy to do what I''m about to do. If it really affects my mind, then I can only give up. But I have to try this once!''


    Jacob then tries to pour Hex Mana into the gray disc despite only having about 19% avable. He wanted to try this no matter what.


    The moment his man came in contact with the disc, it reacted instantly, and Jacob felt a strange connection forming with this disc as his mana was getting sucked into it.


    It was a strange feeling as he could control it with his mind, and just as he thought, the disc floated from his hand and then slowly floated down toward his feet. His eyes shimmered in excitement as he was controlling that disc with his thought while his mana was continuing to be used.


    Furthermore, Jacob noticed that no mental attack or any kind of pain affected his mind at all, and he waspletely sane, at least for now.


    Uncertain but ted, he stepped over the disc as he had watched Autarch fly on it for a while and wanted to try it himself. His feet instantly locked on the disc-smooth surface with his mana.


    With gleaming eyes, Jacobmanded the disc to float upward, and it followed his lead and started to rise up in the sky.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So, this is how it feels to use magic! How wonderful!" Jacob muttered as he was really enjoying it and seemed to be instantly addicted to this feeling.


    But he had little Mana right now, but he knew how to replenish it, so without wasting more time, Jacob moved at full speed ahead while he vanished without a trace.


    He now moved toward the Magic Beast Forest, and his target was none other than the marching undead army!


    ---


    Three dayster, the massive Dark Being Army, probably in millions, suddenly met with a very strange problem at their rare.


    Normally the Common and Rare Rank Dark Beings marched in orderly factions behind their Extraordinarily Dark Being superiors in units of 25,000 (15,000 Common-Rank and 10,000 Rare-Rank in one Unit) per Extraordinary Dark Being Commander.


    Then those Extraordinary Commanders followed the 1,000 Dark Knights, who were at the peak of Extraordinary Rank and were very close to evolving into either Lich or Weight. Each Dark Knightmands 1,000 Extraordinary Commanders.


    Those Dark Knights were the most deadly trump cards of the Dark Being Army and only followed or listened to the Lich King''s orders.


    Beside the Lich King were his most trusted advisors, 9 Weigh Minsters, and 9 Lich Ministers. The number of the ministers used to be 20, but after Jacob killed the Weight Minster and Lich King killed the other Lich Minister himself in his fury, only 18 remained.


    This was the entire force of the Wild Nation which means the Lich King left no one behind to guard his nation at all, which was truly strange.


    As for the problem at the rare, someone was killing the Rare Rank Dark Beings in mass, and that person, or whatever it was, it couldn''t be seen or detectable!


    In these three days, over 30,000 Rare Rank Dark Beings were killed, and most of the time, the killer only took their magic cores.


    The Dark Beings might''ve taken it as an enemy attack on a full scale, but the problem was the killer was only killing the Dark Being of Rare Ranks, not even touching the Common Rank or the Extraordinary Rank Dark Beings.


    This entire situation created chaos, and the march had to be stopped until they sorted out this strange situation. All themanders of the Dark Beings were on high alert and started searching for the assant even the Lich King was vignt!


    However, even on the fifth day, the assant was still in the wind, but the attacks have be more frequent, not to mention terrifying!

 Chapter 342 Antagonizing The Dark Beings (2)

    A few miles away from the Dark Being Army, which was now in disarray and currently going through a deep search, Jacob sat on a wilted, dry tree while he looked at the Infinity Pendant.


    The Cursed Path Glory Gem was the same. However, the word ''Common'' within was changed into another word, ''Rare,'' three days ago.


    This was the result of the effort of ten days he had been putting in killing the Rare Rank Dark Beings like crazy.


    Although the Magic Capacity of the pendant hasn''t been increased after the gem was ranked up, however, Jacob Hex Mana was now much more potent than before, which seemed to have increased the Hex Spell effects.


    Furthermore, the moment the Cursed Path Glory Gem achieved Rare Rank, another set of memories entered his mind. It was another innate spell like the Slumber Hex, which by the way, can now be used on Extraordinary Rank as well.


    Jacob was experimenting with this Hex Spell of his, and to his surprise, it even worked on Dark Beings!


    This was nothing but good news for him, and this only made the Cursed Path Glory Gem even more precious in Jacob''s eyes and a top priority to upgrade it further.


    The name of the new hex spell was ''No Agility Hex.'' As the same suggests, this Hex Spell can slow down any target below Epic Rank by 50%, and this was a truly powerful spell under someone as fast as Jacob''s hand!


    After experimenting with the Rare Rank Hex Magic Core for two days, Jacob found an unexpected limit.


    It was rted to the Hex Mana used during the casting of these Hexes. It was like this, whether he cast the hexes on Common, Rare, or even Extraordinary Rank, it won''t increase or decrease.


    Meaning the amount of mana he would use will remain the same, as it doesn''t matter if he cast it on someone stronger or weaker. Although, it was a good thing considering he won''t have to waste extra mana on the higher-tier beings. But the same amount of mana used on the lower-level beings seemed a bit wasteful.


    Because right now, Jacob can cast either Slumber Hex or No Agility Hex with 25 cubic meter worth of Hex Mana on 100 Common Rank Dark Beings, 50 Rare Dark Beings, and 10 Extraordinary Rank Dark Beings (Any Tier).


    The amount of 100 Common Rank Dark Beings and 50 Rare Rank Dark Beings was the same amount he could cast the Slumber Hex on when the Hex Magic Core was still a Common Rank Magic Core.


    Moreover, while still being amon rank magic core, if he tried casting the Slumber Hex on the Extraordinary Dark Being, it would always end up doing nothing but waiting for the Hex Mana worth of a Rare Rank Dark Being.


    But in front of what he could do with those two hexes, this limitation seemed quite ordinary and not obstructive at all, especially when he thought about what he could do when he reached higher ranks.


    Slumber Hex onlysted for an hour when his magic core was still amon rank. But when its rank increases, so does the potency of the Hex Mana, and the slumber hex also gained another hour in its duration.


    Right now, he can put his target into Slumber or decrease their Agility for 2 hours straight, and there is no escaping or oveing these two hexes'' effects.


    The Slumber Hex, unless there is a way to break the hex, even if the hexed target was killed or their limbs chopped off while under the effect of the hex, they won''t awake from the slumber.


    While during the No Agility Hex, even if they ate, or drank some medicine, or even used some sort of spell or ability, the increased agility will again be halved by the hex.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As of right now, only Jacob seemed to have the power to break the Hexes. As long as he thought of breaking it while imagining the target''s profile, it will be broken instantly.


    Furthermore, he can use the hexes on multiple targets as long as they are in his vision and he considers the other party his target. If he has enough mana and can see the entire Dark Being Army, he can put them all into deadly slumber or make them slow like turtles, which was truly terrifying.


    That''s why this sort of limitation was not until Jacob was still weak because once he became more powerful, his enemies would dread to even appear in front of him, much less face him.


    The other limit, which was the most annoying one, was naturally the requirement to upgrade the rank of the Hex Magic Core. At first, he didn''t think much about it, but after starting to kill the Dark Beings, he discovered just how cumbersome this task was.


    Now he needed to kill 100,000 Extraordinary Tier Dark Beings or 10,000 Epic Tier Dark Beings, and so on.


    Not only he needs to kill those dark being personally, but he needed to be within their 1-meter distance while killing them so the Dead mes could be absorbed by the pendant.


    Just this requirement rendered his long-range weapons useless and turned this into a huge headache for Jacob. If not for the gray disc stealth ability, he might neverplete the killing of 100,000 Rare Rank Dark Beings so quickly.


    Speaking of the gray disc, after using it for ten days straight, Jacob still has yet to experience any mental attack. He even tried the bronze disc and still has not experienced any mental attack.


    He didn''t think Autarch was lying to him, so he mused this might have something to do with his special magic, or his mind was simply that terrifying.


    Whichever the case was, Jacob was quite content with this development.


    But he didn''t keep using the Bronze Disc because he could only ride it while using its stealth function for 10 minutes and 30 minutes if not use it. At the same time, the timing got doubled when he used the gray disc.


    Yet this was just the during when he was using it with Common Rank Hex Magic Core. Right now, he can continue to use the gray disc for 3 hours straight while in stealth only for 1 hour.


    However, with two 100 cubic meters worth of storage rings filled with dark beings'' magic cores and his pendant''s almost instant mana recovery speed, as long as he fed the gem the magic core, he went on for days without carrying about running out of mana.


    This was probably the biggest advantage of the Hex Magic Core.


    ''I wonder if that Lich King would personally start to patrol the army after I started to kill his topmanders, the Extraordinary Dark Beings, or he will just run away. Well, I don''t think he''ll just ditch them and run away. After all, he''s someone with the title Mad Lich King¡­''


    Jacob chuckled coldly as a devious smile rose on his lips before he hid the pendant inside his shirt.


    He stood up and was about to head toward the Dark Being Army to start the killing spree again when he was stopped by an unexpected call.


    Upon seeing the caller''s identity, his eyes shimmered with uncertainty because it was none other than the Hallberg!

 Chapter 343 Antagonizing The Dark Beings (3)

    Jacob wasn''t expecting Hallberg''s call at this time when there were still about two weeks left before their arrangement.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t a projection call but a voice call that seemed quite off, knowing Hallberg''s character.


    Jacob then epted the call, and Hallberg''s jolly voice rang, "I hope I didn''t disrupt your sleep or anything?"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he replied, "No worries. Is there something you need to tell me?"


    Hallberg didn''t waste time as he revealed, "The thing is, there''s been a change in my n of leaving the Rare ins. As you already know that the Dark Beings are marching toward the Dark City, and somehow the higher-ups in the Epic ins got wind of it.


    "So, they contacted me and told me to secure the Dark City at any cost and defend it. They also made it pretty clear if I leave my post in a state of crisis, I won''t be wee in the Epic ins.


    "That''s why there is no point in going there if I''m not wee. So, I guess I owe you an apology for backing down at thest minute." In the end, Hallberg''s voice sounded extremely bitter and helpless.


    Jacob''s eyes were as cold as ice after hearing about the canction of that epic ins trip from Hallberg.


    In truth, he was still contemting about backing down on this deal by making some excuse since it might take more time to upgrade his magic core to extraordinary rank, but Hallberg had done it himself. This was a surprise but not a particrly bad one either.


    So, he replied, "No problem, I can understand your plight as well. You have already done me a great favor by giving me all those materials and selling those watches. So, if you need me, I''ll consider it if it''s not an absurd one."


    Although Jacob weed this development, it didn''t mean he would forget about what Hallberg did for him. So, if he asked for Jacob to help me with the Dark Beings, he would agree to kill the Lich King or get rid of the entire Extraordinary rank line of the dark beings since it was now possible.


    Jacob offered this help after considering the current situation in the first ce, and Hallberg won''t ask anything else from him since Jacob has nothing else but his strength to offer.


    Sometimes, having someone with Hallberg''s status owing you a big favor is a good thing, and this guy seemed to have deep pockets and contacts in the Epic ins as well.


    However, what Hallberg said next made Jacob astonished.


    "Are you kidding me? That was hardly an inconvenience. Don''t look down on this Earl, or I''ll be offended. On the contrary, I was wondering if you''re still interested in going out to the Rare ins.


    "You see, all those preparations I made would go to waste now that I''m not leaving, and it might take a decade for me to n this journey again. I''m pretty sure a man of your stature will not stay in a small ce like Rare ins for much longer.


    "So, if you want to leave, you can go to the same meeting spot, and everything will be ready. But you only have time until the Dark Beings reaches the Dark City. So, are you down?" Hallberg asked nonchntly.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as this offer was simply too good to be true, "Are you serious? Don''t you want anything in return? Like killing the Dark Beings or defending the Dark City?"


    "Nah, that would be asking too much from you. That army is simply too massive, and I''m not someone who would shamelessly ask a friend to put his life on the line for me. Just consider it you owe me a big one, and when Ie to Epic ins, you''ll have to receive me. So, how about it?" Hallberg jollily questioned.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Is he really that much of a saint?'' Jacob thought because he was simply in disbelief over Hallberg''s generosity which was irking him in the wrong way for some reason.


    However, when he thinks about how Hallberg has treated him to this day, and he has no reason to scheme against him or harm him, Jacob thinks he is being overly paranoid, just as Immortika always taunts him about.


    In the end, this offer was simply quite hard to reject because Hallberg''s preparation would be wless, and letting it go seemed to be a huge waste. So, he ended up agreeing.


    "Alright, I''ll take you on your offer."


    "Excellent choice! Just text me a day before youe, and I''ll arrange everything for you."


    After sealing the deal, the call ended, but Jacob was still mulling over this strange turn of events.


    ''I wonder how he''ll react when he finds the main forces of the Dark Beings have been annihted mysteriously, and he stays here for nothing but to clear those small fires. But this offer is still too good to be true. I''ll have to see first myself¡­''


    ---


    In the Northern Star Ocean of the Rare ins, a small ship that seemed almost invisible on the water was moving at high speed, and for some strange reason, there were no ripples over the ocean surface at all despite the ship''s high speed.


    On this ship deck, Hallberg stood as he gazed at the starry sky with an impassive look in his eyes before he said, "Call the Rich Winter Lady."


    The Star Watch on his wrist shimmered before the cold voice of Lucy rang, "So how was it?"


    "He took the bait. The ship will sail on the default route no matter what kind of new setting were reinstalled while showing a fake route of whatever the other person wanted to see." Hallberg coldly stated.


    "I guess I owe you big time, Sir. Dark Earl." Lucy''s impassive voice sounded.


    Hallberg coldly sneered, "I don''t know what he did to make you pay such a high price to set up this massive death trap. But it sure hell not the killing he did that time.


    "I supposed it doesn''t matter. Since I helped you as much as I can, now, whether he took that ship or not, you will pay me what you promised. Or I''ll make your life a living hell if you try to y any tricks with me. You should be well aware of my background!" His tone was deadly cold as he threatened Lucy without caring about her status.


    "Of course, a deal is a deal. I won''t dare to trick you, Sir Dark Earl. Now if you''ll excuse me, I have a bug to crush!" Lucy coldly uttered before she cut the call.


    Hallberg looked at the sky before a sigh escaped his mouth, "No matter how much power one has, in the end, all ites down to benefits¡­"

 Chapter 344 Antagonizing The Dark Beings (4)

    Three weeks passed since Jacob and Hallberg''s conversation.


    Many things have changed in these past three weeks, and the changes urred in the Dark Being Army!


    The biggest change was the once fully organized army of millions was now no longer organized as they were all scattered throughout the magic beast forest. The second change was the army was no longer marching forward. Instead, they seemed to be too upied by something else.


    The final change was all the high-rankingmanders of extraordinary ranks, once numbered over 100,000, were not shaved down to a measly little over 5,000, and right now, all of them were reinstated from their previous posts ofmanding low-ranking dark beings.


    This was the sole reason for the army to be scattered, as they were without a propermander.


    As for the Lich King, who once seemed valiant and without any fear moving toward the Dark City, he was the one who summoned all the Extraordinary Dark Beings for his own protection.


    However, even when their numbers were over 60,000, they still suffered terrifying losses every day, and the assant seemed to enjoy tormenting the Lich King by not making any move on the high-rank officers at all.


    The assant seemed to be ying a terrifying game of despair by slowly killing the low-ranking extraordinary beings and then moving toward the higher rank ones.


    It was a slow torture when you knew your enemy was terrifying toe and go as it pleases and you couldn''t do anything about it, and then you also knew eventually it would be your turn when no one would be left.


    This kind of despair can make even the usually emotionless dark beings enter a state of restlessness, and the Lich King was going almost insane about this whole situation.


    However, as the Dark Being''s Ruler, he can''t back down or run away because it simply wasn''t the Dark Being''s nature, and if he showed any weakness, he''d never be able to rise again, especially when reinforcement from the higher in wasing.


    So, it was either do or die for the Dark Beings and dying on the battle filed was what they truly live for.


    At this moment, the Lich King with his eighteen ministers were riding on top of his ghostly stead, and behind him was the reaming extraordinary being, and it was the time of night when the full moon was on its peak. It was also around the time when the attack would begin.


    The dark and ghastly aura surrounding those dark beings would make any living being suffocated just by standing in their presence.


    At this moment, the Lich King stopped in a big clearing, and everyone was behind him as well.


    The moonlight shone over the Lich King''s ghastly helmet, and suddenly an extremely ghostly voice rang under that mask, "I don''t know who you are or what you are." He was speaking in themon tongue of living.


    "But I must say you are the only thing that has managed to make me and my children stop our conquest of doom. So, I''ll presume you are a living being who wants to stop the eradication of life in the rare ins.


    "However, even if today you killed my children and me, more, no, much more wille after me and keep oning until there is no life left and death reign supreme.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "But I''m not here to threaten you or prove anything. I have ruled the Rare ins for over 2000 years, and I only had one dream, which was to conquer the Rare ins oncepletely, and in a sense, I''ve done it.


    "So, now I think it''s time for me to settle down and rest in the embrace of death. I was born as a King, and I want to die as a King while fighting for the Death.


    "Now, my Nemesis, if you have any honor, I want to have a fair death duel with you, and if you can defeat me, my children will not retaliate and leave back to the Wild Nation. Grant me this honor, and I shall grant the living of this in peace!"


    The Lich King''s emotionless yet grand voice rang in the vicinity like thunder as he spoke with majesty before silence returned.


    But the Dark Beings remained there without any movement and waited.


    At this moment, an icy voice rang from the sky, and thenguage was thenguage of the Dark Being.


    "What moronic notion gave you the idea that I''m doing it for the Living? No matters, you will die the same as the others¡­"


    The Lich King suddenly looked up toward the bright moon as there wasn''t anything there, but when he saw a very small object heading his way.


    "Booommm!"


    That was the only thing he saw because right after that, his helmet with his head inside blown away like a firecracker before a sonic boom rang from the sky.


    But this wasn''t the end of three more gunshots that sounded as they allnded on the vital spots of the Lich King''s body andpletely blew him apart like some statue made of sand.


    It all happened so fast that those ministers or death knights only reacted when all that was lefts of the Lich King had broken shards of his armor, bones, and magic core.


    Jacob holding the titan sniper while he stood in stealth over the bronze disc, sneered at the Lich King, who was in pieces, "What made him think any living being would care about the honor of some walking corpse? Now, I only need around 2000 more of them before I can be on my way and finally rest¡­"


    The next moment, the rifle vanished from his hands, and his swords appeared, and the bronze disc under his feet moved like lightning as he headed toward the final unit of the Dark Beings, which would evolve his Hex Magic Core to the Extraordinary Rank.


    The quick death of Lich King was nothing but an assurance for Jacob, so nothing could go wrong at this final juncture.


    This night will be the final night of carnage for him and the dark beings¡­

 Chapter 345 Ray Of Hope

    A weekter, Jacob, under the bright sky, was flying toward the waterfall canyon where the Dark City was located.


    His vigorous eyes no longer looked exhausted from theck of sleep because after constantly dealing with the Dark Beings for over a month, he slept for an entire week which was quite a long time for Jacob, even though he hadn''t expected it.


    Still, now he was at his full strength and even appeared somewhat stronger as well as that dark aura around him aftering in contact with so many dark beings was also gone. Now, the satisfaction of finally achieving his goal was present in his eyes.


    After killing the Lich King, everything went smoothly as those high-ranking dark beings fell into chaos, and this gave Jacob a chance toplete his final tally of the extraordinary dark beings and rank up the Hex Magic Core to the Extraordinary Rank.


    Even though now he needed to kill 100,000 Epic Rank Dark Beings to upgrade it to the Epic Rank, or 10,000 Unique Rank Dark Beings, which wasn''t achievable any time soon.


    But after getting another new hex spell when the Hex Magic Core achieved the Extraordinary Rank felt all those cumbersome killings were all worth it.


    Because not only now his Hex Spells will work on the Epic Rank, but their effects will also be far greater. He just needed to test them to be sure.


    As for the new hex, it was called Powerless Hex, which can decrease anyone''s power rank by three whole tiers.


    Meaning if someone were an Extraordinary Tier-6 after getting hit by the Powerless Hex, whether it was their magic core rank or their physical rank, they would instantly be decreased by three tiers.


    Not only that, but if someone, for example, was an E-Tier-2, after getting affected by the Powerless Hex, they would be dropped down to the Rare Tier-8 Rank and will lose all the ability they had awakened on the extraordinary rank!


    This Hex was truly powerful, and Jacob was very content with it. As for how long it willst, Jacob still has yet to figure it out. But he was pretty sure the timing would be the same as his other two hexes because all his hexes seemed to be aligned when it came to their timings.


    Last but not least, since the potency of his Hex Mana has also been ranked up to the Extraordinary rank, now he can ride the bronze disc for two hours straight while using the stealth function with his current mana capacity!


    Today, Jacob was going toward the meeting ce where Hallberg and his meeting point were supposed to be.


    Even though he has gotten rid of the extraordinary beings and the Lich King, there are still millions of low-ranking dark beings roaming in the Magic Beast Forest. People would not notice the absence of the missing Lich King so easily. Or they won''t directly assume that someone has killed over 100,000 Extraordinary Dark Beings and the Lich King in a month.


    So, Jacob was sure no one would connect this incident with him as he would be gone by the time people started to realize or they won''t, and this would remain a mystery to the living beings forever.


    Because the reinforcement from the Dark Beings wasing, and once theynded here, no one would be able to tell if the Lich King had gone missing since it won''t matter. He was pretty sure in that reinforcement, there won''t be just 20 or 30 evolve dark begins.


    Only the dark beings would notice the disappearance of their powerful army, but they won''t be kind enough to warn anyone as long as they weren''t idiots.


    Jacob also wasn''t nning on revealing this as he has already drawn too much attention to himself from the Epic ins despite not even stepping foot there. Now if those guys knew he could get rid of the Dark Beings in mass alone, then he knew those enemies of his won''t underestimate him anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lastly, even if, by some fluke, someone did discover the high-ranking dark beings'' annihtion, all the focus would turn toward the Dark City. It was more believable, and Jacob didn''t mind giving the Dark City and Hallberg credit for his hard work and letting him enjoy the spotlight.


    When Jacob was a few miles away from the canyon, he finally decided to take out his star watch to send a message to Hallberg of his arrival.


    His Star Watch has been stowed away because he didn''t want to get disturbed during his sleep. Albeit, the one-week time was still something unexpected.


    Right when the Star Watch appeared on the wrist, an interface opened on its own, and Jacob was surprised when he saw it was a notification. But when he saw who this notification was from, his eyes winded slightly.


    "Star Administrator Artificial Intelligence (SAAI): Congrattions Faceless Ancient forpleting a hidden achievement of the Rare ins by killing over 100,000 Extraordinary Dark Beings and the Ruler of the Dark Beings in record-breaking time!


    "Achievement Reward (1): Ray of Hope (Honorary Identity Badge)


    "[Ray of Hope: An Honorary Title granted by the Life Faction to those who devoted their lives to protecting their roots and prevailed!]


    "[Honorary Identity Badge (Effect): On equipping this badge, you will be exempt from any entry fees in the cities of Life Faction. You can enjoy a 2% discount on any item purchased with ZC by showing this badge from any city of Life Faction.]


    "Achievement Reward (2): Your (Faceless Ancient) Type-1 Star Privilege has been upgraded to Type-2 Star Privilege. (Please Open this section for more information about your Type-2 Star Privilege)


    "Achievement Reward (3): 1 Million ZC & 1 All-Life Zone Scroll (Type-2)


    "All-Life Zone Scroll Description: Create a 10X10 Life Zone anywhere, and no Dark Being under Unique Rank will be able to enter the All-Life Zone for 1 Year!"


    Jacob had to stop in midair to read this unbelievable notification, and when he confirmed it was really from SAAI and his bank bnce had been credited with 1,000,000 ZC, he knew it wasn''t some pranked.


    But someone even more absurd happened the very next moment; something out of thin air popped up in front of Jacob.


    It was a beautiful emerald scroll, which was sealed with magic runes, and there was a title written in golden magic runes over it, ''All-Life Zone.''


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at the bright sky with an appalled look because he didn''t even sense this scroll''s arrival, and from this notification, it was pretty clear he was being monitored, not to mention SAAI seemed to send items directly to him on a whim.


    This sent cold chills down Jacob''s spine as he finally understood just how unfathomable the Zodiac ins were, and his imagination was not enough to even measure its depth!

 Chapter 346 Start Of Epic Voyage (1)

    After being abruptly surprised and spooked by SAAI''s notification, it took Jacob some time toe to terms with this grave situation.


    First, if he was being monitored by the SAAI, despite his unique actions and traits, nothing ever happened to him. Second, when he thought about it more thoroughly, he reached a very believable conclusion: that this monitoring seemed to be done through the Star Watch.


    Because if the SAAI could monitor his every action and send that magic scroll to him from anywhere and anytime, then why did it wait a week to send his rewards? He had finished with the dark beings a week earlier, and he had also stowed away his Star Watch so no one would disturb his peaceful sleep.


    However, he slept for a week, and his Star Watch clearly could not receive any sort of notification or call while it was being held in the infinity pendant.


    So, SAAI could only send him this achievement reward when his star ount became active again and knew his position to send him that scroll somehow.


    Even though this conclusion was riddled with loopholes, right now, Jacob could only think of it like this. Because if it wasn''t true, then whether he hid or not, it didn''t matter anymore.


    This was a sort of feeling like being watched by a god all the time, and it was extremely terrible when so much was at stake.


    Nevertheless, Immortika never seemed toment on this or warn him with its entric riddles. So, this was one of the reasons that Jacob was able to ept this fact with a grain of salt.


    On the bright side, now he had an ultimate protection charm against the Dark Beings, and his Star Privilege was also now Type 2. This meant that he would no longer receive unavoidable calls as long as the caller did not have Type 3-Star Privilege.


    Not to mention that identity badge, which was even more important than the three hegemonies'' official member badges.


    This also opened Jacob''s eyes to another perspective of the Star Network, which was that they all hated the Dark Beings and that if someone really put an effort to annihte them, they would be rewarded for their excellent services, like in the military.


    Another biggest perk Jacob received after he became a Type 2-Star Privilege holder was that the Star Information Sea had converted into the ''Star Information Ocean'', and now he could buy more important information on the Star Network database.


    However, he still needed a type-2 Star Watch to tap into this Star Information Ocean potential fully.


    That''s why leaving the Rare ins is still a top priority right now.


    Jacob then sent Hallberg a message when the waterfall canyon was right in his view. If not for this bronze disc, he won''t be able to make this journey so quickly.


    Surprisingly, Jacob instantly received Hallberg''s reply.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Faceless Ancient to (Great Hallberg): I''m approaching the upper level of the waterfall.


    "Great Hallberg (Reply): Hahaha, it seems you are even more eager to leave than me. It''s a pity we won''t be able to travel together because of those darn corpses. But I can''t hold you back, my friend. I have marked the location of a basic type-2 ship on this virtual map. It is a hidden underground bunker. Just find the hidden passage and enter the code (XXXXXX) to gain ess to everything there. The type-2 ship is also code-protected, and you need the same passcode to activate it under your ownership fully. If you do not enter the correct passcode within 10 seconds after connecting it to your Star watch, it will self-destruct. So Godspeed, my friend. I bid you luck with your voyage and see you in the Epic ins. Don''t forget to send me some pictures! (Attached File)"


    A hint of surprise shed across Jacob''s eyes when he read Hallberg''s reply. He was pleased to see that the ship Hallberg had prepared for him was a Type-2 grade treasure ship.


    ''I expect nothing less from the Dark Earl of the Dark City. But why is he giving this precious treasure to me? Is he really one of those rare people who put rtionships over everything?''


    ''If it were another time, I would have believed him. But he is clearly in a predicament with the Dark Beings, and yet he has said nothing about them. Now he is giving away a Type-2 treasure as if it were disposable, and he even gave me a time period when he stowed that ship in some bunker that is not exposed to the Dark Beings at all.''


    Jacob felt conflicted whenever he thought about this point, and now he was even more dubious.


    But he had no reason to doubt Hallberg. It felt even more ridiculous to doubt the man who had just given away a priceless Type-2 treasure ship in the Rare ins.


    Nevertheless, Jacob liked to be meticulous, especially after the recent events with the Cursed Path Glory Gem. He also trusted Immortika''s words, and there seemed to be nothing wrong at that time, yet his experience was worse than terrible.


    Furthermore, this journey was not like going to some neighborhood but traveling in the Star Ocean for years. That ce has no restrictions on power levels like ins, and it is filled with mysteries.


    That''s why Jacob won''t trust someone''s face and goodwill when ites to traveling the Star Ocean.


    Jacob then sent a "thank you" message to Hallberg anyway and opened the virtual map. He saw a marked location just a few miles away from the waterfall canyon.


    However, instead of changing his route and going in the marked direction on the map, Jacob kept flying in the same direction and quickly reached the waterfall canyon. He stopped right in front of the entrance of Dark City.


    Now that he already had the bronze disc under control, he could move freely in the dark city.


    Not only did he want to confirm that Hallberg did not bear any ill intent, but he also needed to pick up some "food" for Autarch, who had not seen the light of day since he entered that mine, before starting the Epic Voyage!

 Chapter 347 Start Of Epic Voyage (2)

    Descending from the bronze disc and stowing it away, Jacob stood in front of the ck, smooth surface of the Dark City entrance and waited for Dark Rose to speak, as usual.


    However, a few moments passed, and there was no trace of the AI. Everything was silent, which made Jacob frown with uncertainty. Then he touched the ck surface. Still, nothing happened. There was no trace of Dark Rose.


    "I want to enter," Jacob said coldly. Still, there was no response.


    Now, he was getting suspicious and impatient. He was suspicious because if Dark Rose wasn''t responding to his entry, it could only mean he was either cklisted or Dark Rose wasn''t present at the moment.


    Jacob was more inclined to believe that it was the former case. There was probably only one person who could cklist him from Dark City without any reason; the Dark City Administrator, the Dark Earl!


    He was impatient because he didn''t want to waste any more time here. He wanted to confirm if this was all a fa?ade and if the bunker was some sort of trap designed to deal with him.


    Hallberg seemed quite friendly, but Jacob had only known the man for a very short time. That''s why he didn''t blindly take his kindness at face value and came here to see for himself if Hallberg was really a saint as he appeared to be.


    Theck of response from Dark Rose was giving Jacob all sorts of bad ideas. But it didn''t make any sense for Hallberg to directly restrict his entry if he wanted to deal with him since it would only make Jacob more suspicious.


    Or maybe Hallberg never thought Jacob woulde back, instead of greedily following the map to earn ownership of a type-2 treasure ship.


    It might have been the case because any Rare ins native would have quickly made their way toward the type-2 ship first instead ofing back to spy on the person who gifted it to them.


    Even Jacob might have done the same if he hadn''t had the bronze disc and encountered the strange situation with the Cursed Path Glory Gem.


    ''Trap or not, forget it. I''ve got my own arrangement. I don''t think it''s a good idea to be greedy and save some time only to risk waking into a potential trap set up by the most mysterious person in the Rare ins.


    ''Canceling the trip, then giving me his means of transport and a certain time to reach it, and now I can''t even enter the dark city. I should have known better¡­''


    Jacob''s heart was colder than ice. For a moment, he really thought that Hallberg might be a good guy worth having a connection with. But now, he fully epts the fact that there are no benefits without any price, and people''s hearts are fickle.


    After all, he was ying Hallberg by not telling him about getting rid of the high-ranking dark beings and their ruler, so he wouldn''t have to babysit him.


    But in the end, it turned out he wasn''t the only one with a goal and hidden agenda.


    Without further dy, the bronze disc appeared under Jacob''s feet, and he vanished without a trace. His eyes werepletely emotionless as he looked at the dormant entrance.


    As the disc started to lift off the ground, Jacob''s lips curled up in an extremely devilish smile. A thought surfaced in his mind, ''It is double the pleasure to deceive the deceiver!''


    Thereafter, Jacob shot toward the top of the waterfall without looking back!


    Above the waterfall was a wide river, which was also a branch of the Great Star River.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Jacob started flying in the opposite direction of the water current. He also changed the map Hallberg gave him since he had no intention of going to the bunker and getting his hands on that ship. But this didn''t mean he was going to leave just like this.


    After flying for half an hour, he changed direction and slowly flew above the rainforest as if he was searching for something.


    Three dayster, Jacob reappeared on the bank of the river. This time, a beautiful golden snake with white patterns coiled around his neck. It was an Extraordinary Tier-6 Gold Poison Viper.


    The viper was Autarch''s new host, which Jacob had found for him. He had also taken care of some important business, which was quite cumbersome, but he had to do it.


    "Finally, we can leave this ce!" Jacob muttered with a hint of excitement.


    The next moment, a jet-ck triangle appeared over the river current, unaffected by it. It was the Stealth Triangle he had bought from the ck Sea Company.


    Although he also has another ship that he found in the A-0''s storage ring, he prefers this smaller one.


    Jacob sat in thefortable seat and quickly installed the route map given to him by Ellie in the ship''s interface. He was not nning to take the exact route marked on the map, as he had studied it for a while and decided to take a slightly different path.


    The cockpit canopy of the Stealth Triangle slid over and sealed Jacob inside. The triangle then suddenly turned transparent and vanished without a trace.


    With this, Jacob''s voyage toward the Epic ins finally began!


    ---


    If Jacob had decided to force his way into the Dark City entrance, he would have been shocked.


    Because right now, behind that entrance was nothing but a dark, empty tunnel. There was no trace of previous stations, cable lifts, or even the door at the end of the tunnel.


    The most shocking thing was that the once-bustling metropolis of Dark City had somehow vanished without a trace. Not even a brick was left. There were only empty, rocky fields.


    The entire Dark City has vanished from within the mountain!


    ---


    End of Second Volume: A Cursed Heart!


    [AN: I just want to thank everyone for their support. The second volume of CI is finished! Please feel free to tell me what you think in thements or reviews. If you have any ideas for the story or anything you think I missed, please share them with me. I''ll take them all into consideration!]

 Chapter 348 The Structure Of Epic Plains

    [AN: I''m making a significant but important change in ranks because many people still don''t understand the ranks fully, and it only causes more confusion. I considered changing it for some time but decided to wait until thest volume was over because it would be quite confusing if I changed it in the middle of it. And I can''t change it from the start either since it would be problematic for old readers. So, I would like everyone to take this inconvenience with a pinch of salt.]


    [Change: I will no longer use the [Type Rank]. It will be changed with the normal ranks of Common, Rare, Extraordinary, etc. But the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels will remain the same but for only materials, technology, knowledge, treasures, and such. The Tiers will be exclusive for power rankings, nothing else.]


    [To make it even easier for others to understand where the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced stand with the Power Tiers. Just divide the total tiers by 3, and you''ll have corresponding tiers with the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. For example, the Common Ranks has 12 tiers, so the first four will be equivalent to the Basic level of Common Treasure, the 4th to 8th will be Intermediate, while thest four will be Advanced.]


    [So now Power, Physical, Magic or Evaluation Ranks are Common (12 Tiers), Rare (9 Tiers), Extraordinary (6 Tiers), Epic (9-Tiers), Unique (9-Tiers), and Legendary with 4 States and a total of 30 tiers.]


    [As for their corresponding Ranks, which have nothing to do with the aforementioned power ranks, they will be the same rank names but just have three (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) levels.]


    [The Type Star Authority and Star Privilege will now be simply 1-Star Authority or 2-Star Privilege. Likewise, the ins will be the same. I n to use This straightforward ranking map up the Legendary Rank. I hope this will solve all the confusion about ranks!]


    [Thank you all, now on to the story!]


    ___________________


    The Epic ins were massive, andpared with the Rare ins, thetter was but a fragment of these vastnds.


    Furthermore, unlike the ignorant masses of the Rare Freedom ins, the aborigines were fully aware of the concept of the ins Trial, Life in, and Dead in.


    As for why, it was because the Epic ins had no concept of Nations, Countries, or Kingdoms. There was only one concept; either they belonged to the Life Faction or the Dead Faction.


    All the Living Beings belonged to the Life Faction, and all the Dark Beings belonged to the Dead Faction. It was that simple.


    The territories of the Life Faction were known as the Alive ins. Furthermore, the Three Hegemonies fully controlled the Alive ins without any leeway, and that''s why the Alive ins were divided into three massive regions.


    The first and most powerful region, the Zodiac Warrior Alliance Region, is where most of the people or the Fighter Races who have talent in the path of a Combatant live.


    The second and most magical region, the Alchemy Region, was controlled by the Alchemy Guild, which was the home for the Wiser Races with talent in the path of Magic.


    The third and richest region, the Universal Zodiac Taurus Bank Region, is the home of the Universal Mercenary Agency!


    These three regions represent three hegemonies and have their own unique specialties. There were no restrictions on the members from entering another hegemony''s region. People were free from any restrictions. As long as they won''t cause trouble, they can enter any ce in the Alive ins.


    Because the three hegemonies represent the Life Faction, and so long as someone was alive, they could enter the Alive ins and any region and even choose to live wherever they wanted. Of course, only if they can afford the living costs because it was not that simple.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Anyhow, the three hegemonies were in ce to nurture those people so they could fight against the Dead Faction in the Epic ins.


    That''s why the hundreds of cities present in the three regions were simply known as Alive Alliance Cities, Alive Alchemy Cities, or Alive Bank Cities ording to the region they belonged to, and they all have unique numbers.


    Any Alive City under three-digit numbers (1 to 99) was known as Large City. The Medium Size Cities were those within the range of three-digit numbers but lower than four digits (100 to 999). At the same time, the Small size cities all have numbers above three digits.


    "What a strange way to distribute these cities, and these numbers seemed to have more than what the information I was given¡­."


    In the middle of the deep blue ocean, a ck triangle was floating over clear water, and a long silver hair, devilishly handsome man was muttering to himself. At the same time, he looked at the virtual map shining over his wrist with scrutiny.


    His emotionless but focused emotionless eyes shimmered as he wondered, "I guess when so many different races are involved in this Alive ins, there is bound to be discrimination and racism. I don''t believe, despite having amon enemy, those guys from the Life Faction would be so united. The Killer Skull Society is proof of it¡­."


    This man muttering to himself was none other than Jacob, who was studying the map of the Alive ins given to him by Ellie for the fifth time!


    It''s been ten months since Jacob embarked on the voyage toward the Epic ins!


    The journey in these ten months was rtively peaceful and without any hitch as Jacob followed the map Ellie gave him.


    However, today, he has to stop in the middle of nowhere because he was Autarch run out of hosts for his abortion.


    Before leaving the Rare ins, Jacob had filled with pendant with all sorts of small Magic Extraordinary Magic Beasts. It took ten whole months for Autarch to devour them and increase his physical rank to the peak of Rare Rank, and now he can finally go on with his magic core ranks.


    But Jacob''s pendant was the only thing that could stow living things into it, so he had no choice but to stop here to find new hosts for Autarch to raise his own magic core rank.


    Furthermore, Jacob also needs some fresh air and movement after traveling for so long.


    "Sigh¡­" Jacob sighed as he closed the star watch interface and looked into the deep ocean.


    Despite the sun shining at its peak, the Star Ocean seemed infinitely deep, and Jacob only stopped in this ce because, on the map, this area was not marked dangerous.


    Furthermore, in a week, he would enter the Epic Boundary, which means from that point on, the weakest threat he would encounter would be an Epic, and that was where the actual danger lies.


    Jacob was still over 3 to 4 years away from the Epic ins, so he had to be extremely careful from unknown dangers lies ahead!

 Chapter 349 No-Return Zone?

    The No.1 Alive Bank City of the Universal Zodiac Taurus Bank Region was the headquarters of the Universal Mercenary Agency, and only the bigwigs of the agency were allowed to enter the No.1 Alive Bank City.


    In fact, this was the case for all the No.1 Alive Cities of the three regions under the three hegemonies, and these cities were located in the very heart of each region.


    Anyhow, the person in charge of this city or the entire region was a well-known character among all the people living in the Epic ins.


    Bank Manager Lucy was one of the three top figures of Alive ins. She was also quoted as the most perfect and beautiful woman of the Epic ins despite only a handful of people actually seeing her true appearance, and she was known as an art lover.


    Whether any of it was true or not, one thing was true and undeniable; she was number one when it came to wealth!


    Right now, Lucy, in a white veil, was looking at a projection of a long hair, burly man with bronze skin and strange tattoo markings on his face.


    "Where are we with the task I gave you?" Lucy emotionlessly uttered.


    The burly man replied respectfully, "I have already set up perimeters in all possible entrance in the Star Ocean that leads toward the Epic Alive ins except the ones on the Northern Side of the Epic Dead ins and those that lead to the No Return Zones.


    "No one will be able to enter the Alive ins without an identity check by us. However, there is something strange going on. I have seen at least one scouting party of the Alchemy Region in the same areas."


    Lucy coolly replied, but her voice was filled with malice, "Ignore them, you just focus on your mission, and if you fail, you better be prepared for the annihtion of your Bronze Barbarian Tribe from the Bank Region!"


    Done dering, the projection of the Bronze Barbarian vanished just a moment after he showed a warped expression.


    Another projection appeared in front of Lucy''s emotionless eyes, and this time this was a projection of a map, and there was a small ck arrow pointer moving toward a map zone colored in red.


    Lucy muttered with a hint of disdain, "In the end, greed is still the bane of everyone. After all that performance you put up, I was worried about a moment but you only amount for this much.


    "Mr. Jacob Steve, let me see if you can survive this Unknown No Return Zone of the Star Ocean and live to see the extra preparation I put up for your arrival¡­''


    Lucy''s oceanic-blue eyes shimmered with ridicule and contempt as she watched the ck arrow moving in the direction of the red zone!


    ---


    On the other hand, in the No.1 Alive Alchemy City,


    The Alchemy Guild President, Nelsen, was tending to his herb field while humming a mysterious tone when his star watch suddenly vibrated.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Without even looking at the star watch, he uttered, "Receive."


    "Old man, what the hell are you up to? It''s been two years since our guy vanished from the Rare ins, or should I rephrase it for you? Someone had uprooted the entire Alchemy Guild Branches, and we only knew about this when our people arrived!


    "Yet, you not only let me not contact Faceless Ancient, you even forbid me from investigating the disappearance of our branches in the Rare ins oring in contact with anyone from the Rare ins. Are you going senile?!


    "If you don''t give me an exnation today, I''ll find out myself even if you demote me!" Ellie''s spiteful voice rang, filled with indignation.


    However, Nelsen lips curled up in a gentle smile as he teasingly said, "My lovely little girl, for a change, don''t you want to know if your daddy here is living happily or feeling lonely and eating well?"


    "Your life is even more tenacious than the King of Dead! Cut the act and tell me why in the world you made me ce that bet, then you didn''t even let me monitor the ''dog'' we''re betting on!" Ellie coldly questioned.


    Nelsen''s smile didn''t vanish at all despite his daughter''s tone, and he seemed like a masochist who enjoyed these sorts of insults.


    "My Darling Daughter, I''ve taught you to remain patient even if you''re stabbed by someone. Remember, as long as the person didn''t kill you on the given a chance, then there is a possibility that the person wants something from you, and this means you have a chance to escape death by taking advantage of the other party''s desperation. But you have to remain calm and patient to notice this, or you''ll die!" Nelsen smilingly stated.


    "You may be the only father who teaches his 1-year-old daughter by giving this sort of example. Now if you don''t tell me what I want, then I''m going to take action!" Ellie threatened in exasperation.


    Nelsen sighed ruefully, "I really miss my innocent little girl who loved to make drawings of us holding our hands together¡­"


    "GOODBYE!" Ellie''s furiously roared.


    "Alright, alright, I can''t even feel a little nostalgic despite my old age." Nelsen clicked his tongue and nced at his watch, and when he saw Ellie hadn''t really cut the call, he smiled slyly.


    He said, "I stopped you from making contact because there wasn''t any need to waste your time in this matter at all, and I was already on it, so I didn''t want to trouble my little girl.


    "As for why I didn''t let you contact the Faceless Ancient after you made that bet, it was because too much contact will make a rose goes bad, and the same goes with our friend the Faceless Ancient. His personality is something I want you to have, but you can''t have everyone, can you?


    "If you keep contacting him, he would''ve sensed something amiss from it or even spooked away froming here at all. Now, we both didn''t want that, could we?


    "I''ve been on him since the first day you bring him up, but only a spectator from afar, and this is the only way you can keep an eye on this sort of person. After what I''d ''saw,'' I have this feeling that we have over 90% chance of winning this bet!"

 Chapter 350 Captain Free Sword

    The Star Ocean was the home of mysterious existences, which were born in the Star Ocean. Just encountering only one such existence was akin to a death sentence for those who were not equipped to deal with them.


    Then the Star Ocean was also a ce for those exiles, vagabonds, criminals, ouws, and such. There were no rules orws in the Star Ocean, and it was infinitelyrge, and finding someone was like finding a yellow speck of dust in a vast golden desert.


    These types of people were known as Star Pirates, and encountering them was something nothing but bad luck.


    Because these Star Pirates were fully equipped with resources that were made to fight in the Star Ocean, and they were all notorious groups who didn''t bat an eye before killing and plundering anyone they fancied.


    But if they encounter a problem, they will not hesitate to run away without even thinking twice, and they are very good at it.


    Another fact about the Star Pirates as they were always fighting among themselves when they were no one else to fight.


    Today, the sky was covered in inky clouds as they rumbled with powerful thunder and poured rain like mad. The ocean was raging under the heavy rain, and powerful waves were rising and crumbling down in the ocean, creating even more chaos.


    All of a sudden, like a blink, a massive gray ship with a figurehead of a hideous monster on its prow appeared out of nowhere ten meters above the raging ocean and then sshed, creating a massive water spatter.


    "Hahahaha¡­ we escaped those bastards'' trap!" A spiteful boomingughter rang from the top of the ship. The voice was so powerful that the entire water body around the ship churned.


    "Hail Captain Free Sword!"


    "Hail Captain Free Sword!"


    "Hail Captain Free Sword!"


    Loud cheers soon followed after the booming voice filled with ecstasy and respect for this Captain Free Sword.


    On top of this massive ship dock, a giant brawny figure around 5''3-meter-tall stoodughing like a maniac. His skin was emerald color, his eyes werepletely ck without any irises or pupils, while long sharp fangs like a snake were escaping from his mouth filled with saw-like teeth, there were also a few scars over his face, and he only had two tiny holes for ears, and has a bald head covered with ck scales. With a ck spike over his forehead, it made him look monstrous and terrifying.


    Surprisingly his appearance matches the figurehead on the prow. He wore a tight ck leather outfit with a massive bronze broad sword sheathed around his waist belt. He was the Captain Free Sword!


    In front of Captain Free Sword, there were 24 more giants hailing his name with mirth, and all of them had the same racial features as Captain Free Sword, but there were also nine more people with different racial features than the giants. But they were still cheering for Captain Free Sword like others.


    Captain Free Sword''s maniacalughter abruptly halted as his eyes went deadly cold, and he raised his hand. Noticing the signal, everyone stoppedughing and looked at Captain Free Sword with solemn expressions as they knew the time of celebration was over.


    "Today, we nearly got trapped by the Zodiac Warrior Alliance ambush. They were clearly waiting for us on that spot as if they had prior knowledge of our impending arrival. If I haven''t used the precious Amity Escape Scroll in a timely manner, we''ll be robbed of our lifelong umtions and many brothers.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Nevertheless, this magic scroll was too costly and one of its kind, which means we don''t have another means to pull this sort of escape anymore, and I have no idea just where in the world we''ve been teleported to.


    "So, without further ado, I''ll ask the traitor to step forward, and I''ll promise a painless death, and we''ll be on our way to figuring out where in the hell we are!"


    Captain Free Sword''s icy cold eyes scan his crew which was now paled as ghosts, and their hearts were in their throats when they felt those des like dark eyes falling over them.


    A mountainous pressure also started to ooze from Captain Free Sword and enveloped everyone. Despite those giants being from the same race, they were all trembling under that pressure, and one after another, they fell onto their knees and panted heavily.


    They all knew today''s event waspletely happening out of the blue, and Captain Free Sword''s doubts were called for as even they also felt that there was a traitor among themselves.


    If Captain Free Sword hadn''t used that precious magic scroll, they would''ve lost their ship and all the treasures stored in it, which they had plundered for years, and some of their lives would be also been forfeited.


    After waiting for a while, no one spoke or stepped forward as they were all just kneeling and enduring that terrifying crushing pressure of Captain Free Sword.


    They have all known each other for a very long time and are close as a family, so they have no idea who could betray them.


    "No winner, huh?" Captain Free Sword coldly uttered with squinted eyes, "Very well, I''ll use another precious magic scroll, and once I find who the traitor is, I''ll make sure you will regret even being born in this world!"


    A crimson scroll filled with inky veins like nerves appeared in Captain Free Sword''s hand, which that scroll gave an extremely dark and nefarious sensation.


    Captain Free Sword was about to crush it when one of the crew members suddenly blurted in a horrified tone, "I-it''s me!"


    Captain Free Sword and everyone''s eyes fell over the voice''s owner, it was a 2.3-meter-tall handsome elf, but his skin was dark, and he had long inky hair with purple eyes. It was a Dark Elf!


    Almost instantly, when everyone was surprised by his confession, the Dark Elf vanished from everyone''s view. He had made a run for it!


    However, Captain Free Sword''s lips suddenly curled up in a cruel smile as his sharp fangs were fully on disy, and bloodlust was leaking from his eyes as he uttered, "Old Veilly, you shouldn''t have done that!"


    The very next moment, Captain Free Sword also vanished from his spot, and five secondster, he reappeared again on the same spot.


    But this time, there was a Dark Elf struggling with its might to escape from his giant grip!

 Chapter 351 Deceiving The Deceiver!

    Jacob was sitting inside his ship while a 2 feet red crab was sitting on the other seat, and he was reading something on his Star Watch in afortable position.


    Surprisingly the red crab also had a star watch interface in front of it, and it was surfing the Star Net, which was quite a strange scene.


    "Rumble¡­"


    Jacob looked up at the transparent shade and saw the inky sky and rain pouring down. He muttered, "It''s been raining like this for four straight days."


    Then he gazed at the stealth triangle''s control interface, and after confirming that they were still on the route and weren''t effective by the storm at all so, he went back to his reading.


    Half an hourter, Jacob suddenly received a call from someone named ''Barbarian King32452.''


    Right now, only someone with either 2-Star Privilege or someone in his friend list can send him a call, and this Barbarian King32452 was thetter. The crab on the other seat also looked toward Jacob.


    Jacob grunted when his reading on the spell structures was disrupted, but he still epted the call, and an extremely urgent voice rang, "My Lord, I-I''m trapped!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he asked, "What do you mean you''re trapped? Did you not follow the map I''ve given you?"


    "I did! I can swear upon the Barbarian God''s honor and name that I strictly followed my Lord''s instruction to the veryst detail, but somehow, I suddenly entered a hazy zone. I thought it was still part of the map, so I didn''t think much of it and let the ship goes in the same direction.


    "However, it was nine months ago, and I still haven''t escaped this mist, and there is no concept of day or night in here. That''s why I dare to disturb my Lord. Please shed some light on this!"


    Jacob''s lips suddenly cured up in a very cold smile, "Are you sure you installed that map in that ship ''I left'' for you in that bunker and didn''t change the route?"


    Barbarian King32452 replied horridly, "Yes, yes, I do as my Lordmands me to and only stop to restock some food when necessary. But now I ran out of food and water. The ring you left is also empty. Please help this servant out." He was pleading like crazy.


    "I''ll contact you in a moment." Jacob uttered, and without waiting for a reply, he cut the call and then opened the interface with Barbarian King32452''s ID and tapped on ''Block.''


    Now that guy won''t be able to contact him ever!


    Jacob then looked at the crab, which was Autarch still going on with its absorption of magic cores, which was going to beplete after this crab, and his final requirement will also be revealed.


    "As I suspected, that ship was a trap, and it was the right thing not to take it despite the initial surprised when that Yahoo found the ship in that bunker and didn''t manage to blow himself up." Jacob coldly snickered.


    When he was leaving the Rare ins, Jacob decided not to take the ship arranged by Hallberg after the strangeness surrounding it.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    But it didn''t mean he wasn''t curious about if that was really a trap or just his paranoia. There was only one way to confirm it that was for someone else to go to that ce and check it out.


    So, Jacob first found a wild barbarian tribe living in the wildness above the waterfall while he was actually searching for an intelligent magic beast or some orc tribe.


    But the Barbarian Tribe was also fine, and then he subdued their chief, who was a middle-aged Barbarian and very ambitious. When Jacob offered him a way out of the Rare ins, he instantly epted it.


    Jacob then gave him a Star Watch, a Common Rank Space Ring, even making him dress like himself and instructing him to follow hismands very carefully, and that barbarian quickly learned.


    Then he just sent him the same map and codes that Hallberg sent him about the bunker, and Jacob himself left the Rare ins while instructing the Barbarian to report him the moment he got the ship, and only then will he give him the map toward the epic ins.


    First, Jacob thought that the bunker was some sort of death trap and that the Barbarian who had unknowingly taken Jacob''s ce would be most likely dead.


    But to his surprise, that guy really found a ship there, and it was a Basic Epic Treasure Ship as well!


    However, Jacob was still not convinced and thought it was some sort of trap, which was not rted to the rare ins but the Star Ocean instead.


    When he thought about it more, Jacob was even more sure that it would make perfect sense that Hallberg won''t risk attacking him after knowing his prowess, so the easiest way was to drag him into the Star Ocean and then act.


    So, he thought that the ship was bugged and trackable, but he didn''t tell the Barbarian and even give me the same map that Ellie had given him and have him report to him if any trouble came his way.


    Now, after three years and eight months, something finally happened, and Jacob''s conjecture turned out to be spot on. There was something wrong with that ship, and it had to be something to do with this strange area the Barbarian had entered.


    Furthermore, now he was sure that that ship was findable, and whoever was keeping an eye on it will be now under the impression that Jacob was a goner. This will deceive the deceiver!


    "If I ever saw that dwarf again, he''ll be your meal. I''m pretty sure he has some very healthy memories for you!" Jacob dered with killing intent in his eyes and then returned to his study.


    However, three hourster, Jacob and Autarch suddenly jolted in their positions, and the next thing they knew, the Stealth Triangle suddenly tore apart, and they both fell on a rock-hard surface.


    This happened so fast that even someone with Epic Rank rxed wasn''t able to react at all, and when he did react, he found himself in front of an emerald skin giant with a long ck spike over his forehead sitting on his massive throne as he had a hideous smile over his giant face.


    The Giant spoke at this moment, "Wee, fellow Wanderer, to my beloved ship. I''m the Captain of this ship. You may call me Captain Free Sword!"

 Chapter 352 The Horned Ogre

    Jacob was inplete bafflement about all this. Everything happened so fast and abruptly that before he knew something was even happening, he was looking at Captain Free Sword''s malicious smiling face while the stealth triangle was lying there in two pieces.


    Jacob''s first reaction was naturally to retaliate in full force, but the moment this thought came into his mind, and he tried to move his body, he left with nothing but horror because his entire body went stiff as a ghastly pressure suddenly descended on him.


    The pressure was heavy, Jacob felt a mountain crushed down on him, and he tried to use his fluid eleration to escape from it. Still, the gap in power was simply too much, and he was only able to resist for another moment before he fell over to his knees.


    Now, Jacob was finally spooked as he panted heavily under that pressure, and the first thing that came to his mind was to run away in any way possible, but he couldn''t even breathe properly, much less move at full speed.


    "Hoho, he was able tost 1 second under Captain''s pressure despite being only an Epic. What a powerful ant!" A sneering yet heavy voice chuckled in derision.


    Only now, Jacob got to know that there was more than just one person present around, and he didn''t even notice them until he spoke!


    "Now, now, Harold, this is not how we speak with guests." Captain Free Sword smilingly chided the other giant standing a few meters away from kneeling Jacob''s side.


    Right at this moment, the pressure on Jacob suddenly vanished, and he could finally breathe properly, but his entire body was filled with cold sweat. He was now feeling true fear which he hadn''t felt since the time he was reincarnated into Decker''sb.


    The most bbergasting thing was Jacob didn''t even know who in the world he appeared here, and his stealth triangle''s radar system didn''t pick anything at all.


    Then this could only mean these people were terrifying, and the technology they had was far superior to anything he had ever seen.


    "I hope now you will understand that any and all of your efforts will be meaningless, and they will only make your life far harder. Right now, you are my esteemed guest, and you really want to keep it that way because if you be my prisoner, I can assure you I have no pity for my prisoners like I respect my guests!" Captain Free Sword coolly spoke, "So here is what we are going to do. I''ll give you respect, and you will show me equal courtesy as your host. If you understand, then tell start by revealing your face and introducing yourself."


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob instantly summoned Cursed Immortally while closely listening to Captain Free Sword. He knew he was in very big trouble right now, and he needed to know just who he was dealing with before he could react appropriately.


    Furthermore, he finally thought about Autarch and instantly summoned him back, and no one seemed to notice or care about the crab lying there, so his retrieval went quite well.


    The moment cursed immortality appeared, without even Jacob asking, it wrote without any of its usual jokes.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "It seemed all that luck of yours finally ran out. The huge log in front of you is a Unique-Tier-8 Combatant, Horned Ogre, and he is a direct descendant of a Legendary Rank, Demonic Ogre!


    "There are 24 more Horned Ogre present in this ce, and all of them are Unique Rank Combatants. Then there are also nine more Unique Rank Sorcerers. All in all, you are in a huge mess, so you better think twice before you open your mouth, or else it''s been nice knowing you¡­Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob''s heart sank to rock bottom because he was really in huge trouble right now, and he didn''t even know how in the world he encountered so many Unique Rank Experts while being so close to the Epic ins.


    Now, he finally understood why he and his stealth triangle ended up in this state because he simply didn''t stand a chance against someone of Unique Rank with Unique Technology under theirmand.


    As for why Immortika was calling them Combatants or Sorcerers, it was rted to a species evolution that they took after they entered the Epic Rank.


    The Species who were good in close-quartersbats and powerful physiques embarked on the path of a Combatant and had a very high affinity with Combat Magic, which required mostly weapons and close-quarters battles.


    While the Wiser Spices would walk the path of Sorcerers, which is the path of pure magic, with powerful long rang spells, more mana, high-levelprehension abilities, and special innate ability.


    However, Unique Species were even more terrifying because their magic cores were no longer called the Star or Epic Star Magic Cores but either Combatant Unique Magic Cores or Sorcerer Unique Magic Cores.


    There was a reason for this which was a Unique Magic Core holder could etch one corresponding rank Magic Spell on their magic core with each sessful new tier. Which then allows them to use those magic spells with a simple thought.


    It was the same ability as someone with innate magic spells like Jacob or Autarch, and that''s why Unique Rank Beings were so terrifying, not to mention their superior physical traits. Even an Epic Tier-9 Being can''tst much longer against a newly advanced Uniuqe-Tier-1 Being.


    Furthermore, if it was a Combatant species, then you are dead because their bodies can match Unique Rank Treasures!


    Right now, Jacob''s physical power is equivalent to an Epic-Tier-2, and with his fluid eleration, he can match those with an Epic-Tier-5 Combatant or maybe Tier-6 if he gives it his all and the other party doesn''t have to practice a Scripture. At the same time, his biggest advantage was his unrestrained Hex Magic on the Epic Ranks.


    However, when it came to a Unique Rank, he was as helpless as an ant!

 Chapter 353 Slave Rune

    After understanding the grave situation, he was in, Jacob decided not to try anything that he would regret. Preserving his life was more important than anything else right now.


    Thereby, he took off his mask while his long silver hair wasn''t hidden because he wasn''t wearing his windbreaker while sitting on the ship. The mask was on his face so he could see any iing danger, yet it seemed to be not worked out in front of Unique Rank at all.


    However, when Jacob''s mask was removed, he noticed something instantly. Captain Free Sword''s eyes went wide in astonishment while Harold, the right-hand man of Captain Free Sword, blurted in bewilderment.


    "Faery Human?!"


    Now it was Jacob''s turn to be shocked because it was the second time he had heard this name, and someone even recognized him, and it was a Unique expert on top of that who recognized him instantly.


    ''Could it be this body really belonged to the Unique ins? Then how did it end up all the way in the Common ins?'' Jacob thought, but he had better control over his emotions, and he knew this might be a chance but also a disaster.


    Thereby, he calmed his nerve and greeted Captain Free Sword, "I am Jacob Steve. It''s nice to meet you, Captain Free Sword!"


    Captain Free Sword looked surprised at this moment while Harold pulled a strange expression.


    "He can''t be one of those conceited bastards who took pride in their name, and he''s too weak to be called a Faery Human. But we can''t be too sure, now, can''t we?" Captain Free Sword stated before he turned his focus on Jacob again as he smiled, which now contained deviant intent.


    Then something magical happened; Captain Free Sword''s wrist suddenly shimmered in crimson light, and under Jacob''s astonished eyes, a 2-meter white virtual cube suddenly formed around him, which seemedpletely harmless.


    At this moment, Jacob felt his Star Watch suddenly heat up, and when he nced at it, he was shocked because it became active on its own.


    Thereby, a familiar voice rang from the virtual cube, which made Jacob''s blood run cold,


    "Star ID: Faceless Ancient


    "Star Privilege: 2 Star


    "Warning; Faceless Ancient is an Honorary Member of Life Faction. This scan cannot be continued!"


    It was SAAI''s voice!


    The next moment, the virtual cube instantly shattered in front of Captain Free Sword''s shining eyes as if he had found a treasure.


    On the other hand, Jacob had nothing but a bad feeling about it.


    "Go, and call Masha. We might need her." Captain Free Sword ordered, and Harold quickly vanished to fetch this Masha.


    Then Captain Free Sword''s focus appeared on Jacob''s cold face, and he pulled a big nasty smile, "Mr. Steve, you see, I like honesty, and something tells me you are not being honest here at all. Then I''ll ask one more time, what is your name, and what are you doing in this ce? Now your answer will decide how I''ll treat you further, so please, for both of our sake, reply with honesty."


    "Hahahaha¡­ trouble ising, this is so much more entertaining than I thought¡­" Immortika wrote in mirth, which only made Jacob rageful, yet there was nothing he could do.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I told you my true name, I don''t know why you do not believe it, but it is the truth," Jacob uttered with as much sincerity as he could muster.


    It has been a very long time since he wanted to sound so convincing to someone.


    However, Captain Free Sword merely chuckled in disdain and said, "It seemed you don''t like my sincerity at all."


    Just as his voice trailed off, Harold reappeared in the hall again, and this time, there was a 3.2-meter-tall woman in a ck dress that was quite revealing.


    She has pale gray skin, small ears, and strange rune symbols carved over his forehead and jawline, while her blue eyes were glowing in gentle blue light. She was ridiculously beautiful and had a unique charm that could charm almost anyone.


    "Oh, an Uniuqe-Tier-4 Sorceress from Charm Siren Race who is proficient in Charm Magic and has a terrifying talent for Magic Runes. Another race with second generation legendary bloodline of Siren Race."


    Jacob didn''t find it helpful. Instead, it only made him more apprehensive, while the Cursed Book seemed to enjoy the show thoroughly.


    Furthermore, that woman was simply too beautiful, and even he felt a strange desire arousing within him.


    "It''s a Faery Human?" Masha''s charming blue eyes twinkled when she saw Jacob as if she had just found a rare testament which gave Jacob chills to his spine, and keeping his calm was getting harder.


    Captain Free Sword coldly smiled as he said, "Dear Masha, would you be so kind as to engrave him with a ve Rune?"


    Masha''s eyes shimmered with ecstasy as she looked at Captain Free Sword, "Can I really?"


    "When do I ever lie to you?" Captain Free Sword chuckled.


    Jacob''s expression was now as dark as inky clouds, and he knew things were going south now and that ve Rune was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.


    He was pretty sure that ve Rune wouldn''t be as simple as those Parasite Gems, and he had too many secrets to protect, while the biggest secret being the Cursed Immortality.


    If these guys even get wind of the Godly Scripture in his possession, he can forget about living.


    Just when he was about to use every means necessary to stop this, Immortika wrote something.


    "Just let them have their fun. Nothing in your possession is strong enough to escape from them, so you will only be making things worse for yourself. On the other hand, if you use your acting skill, you will be able to escape one day.


    "The ve Rune they are talking about is a very powerful Magic Rune only a Rune Artificer at a certain level can learn and then etched on a living being with a tier weaker rank than itself.


    "Which then allowed the Rune Artificer to take full control over the victim''s mind and body and follow its everymand without any restrain.


    "However, in your situation, they can only control your physique for the time being, but not your mind or magic or free will because of your Hex Magic Core. This means if your acting skills are good¡­ hahahaha this game will be quite fun to watch. I can''t wait!"

 Chapter 354 Enslaved Again (1)

    Jacob stared at Immortika''s suggestion, and he had no choice but to stop his action.


    Over two years ago, when Immortika''s so call slumbering period was finished, Jacob summoned it and questioned it about what happened that day when he acquired the Cursed Path Glory Gem.


    However, Immortika brushed everything off by simply telling him its signature line, ''What are you talking about?'' and then startedughing wantonly.


    Exasperated yet helpless, Jacob had no choice but to drop the topic. Immortika did make something clear, though.


    The Infinity Pendant was indeed iplete and still missing anotherponent, and Jacob might need to find its whereabouts in the future.


    That was how Jacob''s inquiry came to an end, and after that day, he summoned Immortika today because it was the first time in his entire voyage that he fell into trouble.


    Furthermore, this trouble was something he couldn''t even hope to ovee with brute strength. He could easily tell that Captain Free Sword''s change in behavior was because of his racial identity, and he probably wanted to confirm or want something from him.


    But bing a ve was something he never wanted to experience again ever. Yet just as Immortika stated, he really can''t overpower so many Unique Rank Experts who could easily kill him in a blink of an eye. Not to mention Captain Free Sword was someone close to the peak of Unique Rank, so panicking won''t do him any good.


    Now that Immortika assured him only his physique would be enved and his mind would remain the same, this was his only chance of getting out of this alive.


    So, what if he bes someone''s ve again? As long as he has a way to ovee this situation, he''ll be free one day. Besides, it wasn''t like he hadn''t done something like this before.


    At this moment, Masha, after receiving Captain Free Sword''s confirmation, finally turned toward Jacob and smiled evilly, showing her sharp teeth.


    "I never thought I would get a chance to work on a Faery Human in my life. Just your perfect face made me want to mess it up more and more. I guess we both are lucky. Don''t worry, I''ll be very gentle, but only if you want it to be gentle!" She maliciously stated while unting her deep cleavage.


    "I''m not what you''re thinking me to be, and I don''t want to die either. That''s why as long as you guys won''t kill me, I''ll be your ve or dog, whatever you want me to be." Jacob submissively stated.


    "Are you sure he''s one of those self-centered Faeries?" Masha strangely asked Captain Free Sword, just like Harold does.


    Captain Free Sword merely chuckled, "Won''t we find out after you work your magic?" Although he said that, a hint of uncertainty was present in Captain Free Sword''s voice.


    "I guess you are right." Masha quickly agreed with Captain Free Sword and then turned to Jacob, who was now standing there without moving, and evilly said, "What a pity, I personally prefer to be rough. Heh, I guess gentle it is, then. Expose your torso, and turn around."


    Jacob took a deep breath and removed his shirt, exposing his sharply ripped, masculine pale white torso, which made Masha lick her pale gray lips. Ignoring her reaction, he turned around and exposed his demon face back.


    "I hope you''re right about this!" Jacob coldly transmitted his voice to Immortika.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Hahahaha¡­ when have I ever lied to you? Look on the bright side; you''re going to be enved by a charming woman this time, not an ugly goblin. Enjoy yourself while you can¡­hahahahaha!"


    Jacob rolled his eyes and remained still as he no longer spoke with the entric book, which would only make him pop some nerve if he continued to talk.


    Masha didn''t dy either as an exquisite silver brush suddenly appeared in her hand with a ck head. The next moment, six materials suddenly appeared, levitating in front of her under a blue sheen.


    One was a three-centimeter Ladybug like creature which had a ck shell with crimson runes, while instead of a head, it had a sharp ck w. Out of the remaining materials, three appeared to be herbs with ugly appearances, while thest two were marbles that glowed in an emerald hue. They were actually magic cores.


    However, these magic cores were vastly different from the Star Magic Cores because a Star Magic Core only had a crystal-like appearance with white glowing dots in it. Yet these two magic cores were perfectly shaped marbles, and if one looked closely, there seemed to be unlimited stars in these small marbles, like the starry sky.


    They were actually Unique Rank Magic Cores of a Sorcerer!


    The brush in Masha''s hand lit up in blue light as golden runes started to surface on the brush. Almost instantly, she started to mutter gibberish as she stroked the brush with a strange move between the materials, and magically they started to melt in the air under Masha''s graceful brush movement.


    "Ah, it''s always a feast for the eyes whenever I look at a Rune Artificer''s techniques. Truly fascinating¡­" Captain Free Sword praised, and Harold nodded in agreement.


    On the other hand, Jacob, who was feeling nothing but chills behind his back, had no idea what was going on since he was told to look on the other side.


    But from Captain Free Sword''s words, he could guess Masha was preparing to carve that Salve Rune, and she seemed to be quite proficient in Rune Artificer Techniques, which he also had learned but never practiced.


    Within a minute, all those materials vanished without a trace, and what was left in their ce was a small glob of crimson liquid in the air, and Masha dipped the brush head in that liquid glob at this moment.


    Like a sponge, the brush started to suck that liquid, and its silver surface also started to turn into the same color as the crimson liquid until it was shining in crimson color, and the liquid was finally gone.


    Masha smiled impishly while holding the fully crimson brush as she looked at Jacob''s wide back like she was looking at a canvas.


    "Alright, this going to sting a little¡­"


    Masha gently warned before she moved her hand and stroked strongly on Jacob''s back, leaving a crimson brush stroke.


    However, the moment that brush touched Jacob''s back, he felt like a burning de, and the worse part came after the brush stroke was fully manifested. It was like someone had poured moltenva right above that same wound made by that burning de!

 Chapter 355 Enslaved Again (2)

    Jacob, despite experiencing the excruciating pain from the Cursed Immortality, this pain was still not something that he could take with a grain of salt.


    Furthermore, Masha wasn''t just done after making only one stroke, but she was just getting started, and she even had this crazy sadistic look in her eyes as she stroked Jacob''s back, and watching him tremble and groan in pain gave her pleasure. She was not different from an Evil Witch at this moment.


    However, as painful as it was, Jacob endured with everything he had and focused all those pain on his hatred for being so powerless despite everything he had done to reach to this point.


    Despite enduring so much pain and being so much meticulous, he still ended up captured by a bunch of ouws, and now to survive, he needed to be a ve. He never wanted to experience this sort of feeling after Decker''sb, but here he was, forced to walk on the same road again. He wasn''t angry at anyone but himself for still being so powerless.


    Yet, at the same time, Jacob learned a valuable lesson. In this ce, emotions or feelings were nothing but a hindrance. If you are powerful but have remorse and feelings, you will only end up dead, while the person who was ruthless to others and himself will survive in any scenario.


    In this ce, if you are not flexible, then you are dead!


    That pain and suffering was something that Jacob would never forget, and this will always remind him what will happen to those who can''t fight back, and this was the fate of the weak.


    Maybe there were some good people, but Jacob has yet to encounter one. Even if he did encounter them, he would never be the same after what he''s been through or what he''ll go through in the future.


    After a total of 48 strokes, Masha finally stopped as she looked at the crimson diagram filled with rune symbols on Jacob''s back which now was totally red. At an unknown moment, if he hadn''t been held by the blue mana around his shoulder, he would''ve been kneeing since all that pain was too much for him to stand still.


    Masha nodded in satisfaction as she admired her work, while Captain Free Sword and Harold had cold smiles on their faces without any hint of pity in their eyes.


    "Do you want to do the honor, Captain?" Masha spoke while she looked at Captain Free Sword smilingly as she was indicting toward the final step of this Salve Runepetition.


    Captain Free Sword shook his head and replied, "I''m not into pretty boys. You can keep him. Besides, if he turns out to be a Faery, he will be very precious, and you are the best person to keep an eye on him. Albeit, I''m pretty sure you want to have some fun with a Faery, so you can keep him and fulfill your desire until we find our way back home."


    "Thank you, Captain, you are so good to me!" Masha, like a little girl, ecstatically eximed,pletely different from her sadistic self.


    She didn''t waste more time, afraid Captain Free Sword might change his mind, and quickly cut open her finger, and purple blood gushed out. Without hesitation, she sshed the blood over Jacob''s back on the crimson diagram.


    The moment that blood fell over the diagram, a strange reaction happened. The crimson diagram suddenly started to emit smoke and started twisting on Jacob''s back which sent another volley of even more intense pain.


    The purple blood was fully absorbed by the crimson diagram, and itpletely changed its shape. What was left of that diagram were dark runes shaped like chains.


    Magically those chains suddenly started immersing into Jacob''s skin before fully vanishing, leaving nothing but Jacob''s red back.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Jacob, at this movement, suddenly feels all those feelings getting distant as he slowly loses the feeling from his limbs, and this phenomenon spared all the way up to his neck before stopping.


    Except for his face, he couldn''t feel any of his body, yet it was still there, but he couldn''t control it anymore, as if he needed some sort of power to control his own limbs. It was a very strange feeling.


    He might be only feeling this way because he was now far stronger than when he was under Decker''s envement.


    However, this time, his face waspletely under his control, and his cursed heart was also the same, not to mention he could easily circte his mana as usual.


    It was just as Immortika said; only his body was enved, not his mind and free will, and his magic were also not restricted nor his ability.


    "Now it''s game whether you can hold off your blinking or not because the moment you blink or even twitch a muscle without hermand, hehehehehe¡­" Immortika wrote impishly at this moment.


    Jacob knew it had reallye to his acting skill and how masterfully he could control his facial expression now.


    "Turn around, my little ve," Mashamanded at this moment with a voice full of ecstasy.


    The moment Jacob heard Masha''s voice, he suddenly felt he got all the control over his body back, but to his astonishment, he could only move back, not anywhere else.


    Still, he pulled an emotionless face and turned around as Masha had already retracted her magic power, which was holding Jacob up. Hence, his movement was still clumsy because of that lingering, hellish sensation on his back.


    Now, he faced the three giant figures without any emotions on his face.


    "Now, you have to answer Captain Free Sword''s question with nothing but the truth!" Mashamanded coolly before she turned toward Captain Free Sword and said, "He''s all yours."


    Captain Free Sword was very satisfied with Masha''s performance and asked Jacob, without beating around the bush, "Now tell me your name?"


    Jacob knew if he wanted to trick them, he needed to speak some truth first, so he replied emotionlessly and finally revealed his full name after a very, very long time because he abhorred thest name of his father and always used his middle name as a surname.


    "Jacob S. King!"

 Chapter 356 A Misunderstanding?

    What was the truth?


    This was a question which has a simple answer, but at the same time, it was asplex as a paradox.


    The truth should be when someone believes something to be the truth. However, they could also be wrong at the same time because what they believed was the truth could be false as well, and they were beveling a lie their whole life.


    When someone corrects that believable truth with solid evidence, that truth will turn into a lie in the same person''s mind who believed it to be the truth the very instant it was corrected.


    Then even if that person doesn''t admit it despite knowing that it was a lie all along, which he believed to be truth, it won''t change the fact that the person now knows in his mind that it was a lie.


    Yet at the same time, both persons might not know the truth at all, and everything was false, yet they believed it to be truth. So, would this false still be the truth as long as someone wholeheartedly believed it''s the truth?


    This was the Paradox of Truth and False!


    The human body was something that could react differently in different situations despite the fact that the consciousness didn''t want it to be, especially when a human was lying or telling the truth.


    Even a master of lies can''t control his body to such an extent that whatever lies he spat would turn out to be the truth. It was impossible to make a lie into truth as long as humans could have control over every cell in their bodies.


    Jacob right now has lost all control of his body, and only his brain and heart are under his control, and he had no idea if Masha would be able to tell if he was telling the truth or lying by how his body reacts to it.


    That''s why he wanted to tell the whole truth first to make sure that if Masha could sense his body''s reaction to such a degree. Because if she does, then the moment he spoke a lie, his cover would be blown, and that would spell death for him.


    So, keeping this in mind, he had no choice but to reveal his full name, which was not something he was proud of or liked, and that name was buried with his mother when she died in that gang fight.


    However, the name was something that was the hardest to lie about because it represents someone''s entire existence and makes them unique.


    The surname King was the only proof he had of his father, the man he never knew all his life, nor did he care to search for him even after he came into power. He buried it in the depth of his mind.


    Because he abhorred it and never spoke about it to anyone, but as long as he can''t fully forget about it, the fact won''t change that this was also a part of his identity.


    Now that it was questioned of his survival, he let go of his past stubbornness and finally spoke his full name. He knew in front of survival and living forever, thisst name was something meager to reveal.


    But when Captain Free Sword heard the name, he frowned because he clearly wasn''t expecting it, and he looked at Masha with scrutiny.


    Masha nodded with also somewhat pale expression, and she looked at Jacob and coldly uttered, "Tell him your true and full name!"


    Jacob uttered again emotionlessly, "Jacob Steve King!"


    "He''s not telling any lies, Captain. His body didn''t react at all." Masha told Captain Free Sword with a solemn expression.


    Captain Free Sword frowned deepen, "What is your race?"


    "Human." Jacob again replied without even blinking.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Jacob was blurting whatever came in first in his mind because only truth woulde into his mind first, the truth he believed.


    Being a Faery Human didn''t change the fact that he was a Human first and never considered himself part of this race or even from this world, to begin with.


    Jacob always believed that he was still Jacob Steve, who died of old age and then reincarnated in this ghastly ce. He was alone and had no family or any ties with anything here. That is what he always believed.


    Captain Free Sword narrowed his eyes, "Humans or Faery Human?"


    "Human."


    Masha spoke at this moment with a hint of uncertainty, "Could it be he''s a mixed blood, a Hybrid? This could also exin his spineless behavior, unlike the true Faery Humans."


    Captain Free Sword also thought like this now, "Do you know any Faery Human? Who is your father and mother, and what is your background?"


    "I don''t know my father and only know hisst name. My mother was a human, and she died when I was still young. My background was very humble, and I have no idea what or who Faery Humans are." Jacob emotionlessly uttered.


    Now he was telling the truth but not in detail which made the others think that he was talking about the Zodiac ins.


    "Where you hailed from?" Captain Free Sword frowningly asked as he was looking quite dissatisfied.


    "Earth."


    "p¡­"


    A powerful pnded on Jacob''s face, which came from Masha, who had this ugly expression on her face, and a dark red palm imprint appeared on Jacob''s face. But his expression didn''t change at all.


    "He means which in, you fool!" Masha maliciously uttered.


    "Hahahahah¡­ what fools, he was waiting for you to say that! You should''ve said, ''Which world'' hahahah¡­" Immortika wrote in relish.


    Jacob replied, "Common ins!"


    "Is that ve rune even working?" Harold couldn''t help but ask with uncertainty.


    "It''s working! Why don''t you try to make an Advance Unique ve Rune if you have doubt about my capability!" Masha coldly retorted, and she looked at Captain Free Sword and seriously said with a hint of panic, "Caption, there is nothing wrong with the Salve Rune. If you don''t believe me, I can draw another one, and this time, you can imprint him with your blood."


    Captain Free Sword nced at Jacob''s emotionless face, which now had a deep palm imprint, and then looked at Masha, who seemed to be quite afraid that Captain Free Sword would not believe her.


    He then smiled, "I believe you, Masha. I don''t think you are like Veilly. It seemed we have a huge misunderstanding regarding Mr. King here!"


    "Hahahah¡­ this misunderstanding is going to cost them dearly!"

 Chapter 357 Price For Freedom (1)

    Jacob, after hearing Captain Free Sword''s words, knew he was out of the wood about his true background. However, this didn''t mean the water was under the bridge, not by a long shot.


    Now that it was quite clear that he was not a Faery Human, which aroused Captain Free Sword''s interest in the first ce. This again brings them back to the fact why Captain Free Sword captured Jacob and what he wanted from him.


    Captain Free Sword then asked another question, "How do you acquire your Honorary Badge then?"


    "I had killed the Ruler of Dark Beings in the Rare ins and stopped their invasion," Jacob stated the ambiguous truth again.


    Another reason for Captain Free Sword''s interest in him was his Honorary status as well, and by his reaction, Jacob could guess that this status was quite a big deal among the living beings.


    "How noble of you. It seemed I owe you an apology for taking you for something else entirely despite your honesty. You see, I''ve been having some trust issues with people recently." Captain Free Sword sighed ruefully, "Anyway, that ve Rune was quite expensive, and even your life isn''t enough to repay for that, so I won''t be taking it back. But I''ll give you a chance to buy your freedom."


    Then he looked at Masha andmanded, "Give him full control."


    Masha also appeared quite dissatisfied since she was so motivated because she thought Jacob was a Faery Human, but he turned out to be just an ant of Common ins who got lucky.


    Still, she does as she was told, "You can move and speak freely now."


    Jacob was finally able to feel his body and looked at Captain Free Sword and lowered his head while saying respectfully, "Thank you."


    Captain Free Sword chuckled, "As I said, I''m not an unreasonable person, and since it was my fault this time, I''ll give you a full shot at buying back your freedom."


    "I''ll do anything." Jacob nodded.


    "Very good. I don''t know how someone from the Common ins can achieve power like yours. But I''m pretty sure it might have something to do with the way you look and your connection to a terrifying race.


    "But since you''re not one of them, I''m not interested in it in the least bit. So, this brings us to the reason why I even bother to use a teleportation beam to take your puny ship to this ce.


    "I''ll be straightforward with you, we are from the Unique ins and want to return. However, unlike the ocean routes between Common, Rare, and Epic ins, the ocean routes leading toward the Unique ins are very special.


    "All you need to know right now is we can''t travel to the Unique ins as you can do with the three ins with some marked maps. We need something called a Unique Star Ocean Medallion, and only then can we set sails toward the Unique ins, or we won''t even know how we all die.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "That''s why you are here, Mr. King. All I wanted was for you to be our spokesperson in the Epic ins in exchange for very lucrative rewards for you and whoever helps us in the Epic ins.


    "We can''t contact or even enter the in Boundary, nor can we connect with the Epic Rank Star Network here because we are not supposed to be here, so that''s why we needed a spokesperson.


    "But as you know, we met with some misunderstanding, and now all I can offer you is freedom as long as you help us in this venture. Now that you know the situation, what do you think?"


    Captain Free Sword calmly asked despite knowing what Jacob''s response should be. He had already noticed that Jacob didn''t want to die, so this made him a perfect puppet to control as long as he held Jacob''s lifeline in his hand.


    Even if they haven''t had that misunderstanding, Captain Free Sword won''t be just sending Jacob away without any assurance like the ve Rune. However, it won''t be that excessive, at least.


    Because they had many other ways to control an epic and were less expensive, the ve Rune was something made for a Unique, and its materials were really not cheap as all of them were Unique Grade.


    Despite Captain Free Sword''s massive wealth, which he had plundered all his life as a Star Pirate, he was a very stingy and ruthless person and did not suffer losses so easily.


    On the other hand, Jacob was astonished when he heard that unexpected information and realization dawn upon him. He finally understood how and why these Uniques were wandering so close to the Epic ins.


    Encountering Jacob was nothing but a terrible coincidence, and they seemed to have no other choice but to grab someone from the epic ins and make them do their bidding, and Jacob was the one who drew the short straw.


    Nevertheless, this was Jacob''s chance to get away from them and then figure out how to get rid of that ve Rune. It might be impossible for others, but for him, it was just a matter of time and resources.


    He wasn''t fully under ve Rune''s control, to begin with, and also knew how to make it go away. But Captain Free Sword didn''t know that, or he won''t be taking this all so lightly.


    Jacob pretended to be surprised before he asked, "As I mentioned before, I don''t want to die, and I don''t me anyone for what happened. I''m willing to do this for my freedom. Where can I find this Unique Star Ocean Medallion?"


    Captain Free Sword grinned maliciously as he said, "I''m afraid you alone won''t be enough because the Unique Star Ocean Medallion can only be acquired from one ce in the entire Epic ins, and that is the Epic Champion Ship!"


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly as he wasn''t expected this at all, but Captain Free Sword clearly wasn''t pulling his leg because he didn''t need to lie to an ant-like him!

 Chapter 358 Price For Freedom (2)

    Jacob pondered grimly, as this revtion was also very important to him as well.


    ''If this is true, then didn''t this mean if someone wanted to go into the Unique ins, they also needed this Medallion at all cost? Event these Uniques didn''t dare to venture toward the Unique ins without it!''


    Nevertheless, right now, all that matters is escaping this terrifying group and then finding a way to break free from their clutches, and then he can be relieved and think about anything else.


    Jacob asked with scrutiny, "Then Captain want me to seek help from the three hegemonies?"


    He knew only those three powers who ruled the entire Alive ins of the Life Faction could pull this off, if not a single individual. But this was also a good thing for him since Captain Free Sword didn''t ask if he was capable of such feet.


    Captain Free Sword would never have thought that the person in front of him was a sole champion of a in Trial because it was already miracle enough for someone from the Rare ins to have an Honorary Badge.


    The moment Captain Free Sword confirmed Jacob wasn''t the person he was thinking him to be, all that interest vanished and was reced with his own motives.


    Captain Free Sword nodded with a cunning smile in response, "Of course, only those guys can stand a chance in Epic ins Trial. In the norm, it should''ve been a problem, and you had to do some more groundwork.


    "However, you had an Honorary Badge of the Life Faction, which made you a sort of celebrity among the three hegemonies of the Epic ins. I can bet there aren''t even ten persons who might have Honorary Badges in the entire Epic ins.


    "Because every in generates only 1 Honorary Badge after each reset, and almost every prominent individual will do anything to acquire it. But it''s far easier said than done. That''s why you are extremely lucky to have acquired that badge in the Rare ins.


    "Or I should say we also got lucky to find the only person who had acquired an Honorary Badge in the Rare ins and even managed to travel all the way to the epic ins. You might have some well-wishers in the Epic ins already, which made you even more perfect for infiltrating their ranks on our behalf before stabbing them in the back!"


    Captain Free Sword burst into delightful yet evilughter while both Harold and Masha snickered with malicious looks on their faces.


    However, Jacob also wanted tough at them in disdain because, contrary to having well-wishers, he had enemies instead. After what happened with Hallberg, he might not trust even his own kin anymore.


    In a sense, Jacob was like these pirates who could betray anyone when it came to wealth or their own benefits, and the only difference between them was his goal was not wealth but immortality, which also made him even deadlier than them.


    "I understand. I''ll follow your orders and do as you tell me to." Jacob agreed with a reluctant look on his face as if he was unwilling to take that risk, yet he had no choice.


    This only made Captain Free Sword even more assured that sending Jacob on this mission was the right choice. Because only those people who cherish their lives are most motivated when their lives are on the line. Captain Free Sword was such a person himself.


    Now that Jacob''s freedom was in his hand, he didn''t doubt for a second that Jacob would even think of doing anything which jeopardized it.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Very good, Mr. King, you''re indeed a very admirable person, and if you perform well, you''ll not only get your freedom, I might even take you with us to the Unique ins to broaden your horizon!" Captain Free Sword promised.


    Jacob pretended to be ted and quickly thanked Captain Free Sword, "I won''t disappoint you, Captain Free Sword!"


    "Masha, I''ll be handing over Mr. King to you so you can implement certain conditions on him. I shouldn''t need to tell you the specifics, right? Just the usual staff." Captain Free Sword coolly asked Masha.


    Masha nodded in understanding, "I know what I need to do, don''t worry. I know what you want, Captain."


    Nodding in satisfaction, Captain Free Sword then looked at Harold, "Prepared for Mr. King''s departure tomorrow ording to the Retaliation n-3, just degrade it to the Epic ins. Oh, and prepared an Advance Epic Rank full body Combatant Set for Mr. King. This will assure his survival in the Epic ins even further and keep our confidant safe."


    Then he turned toward Jacob again and said, "See? I''m going to prepare everything for you, Mr. King. You just need to follow my n, and you''ll be free in no time. Now, you can enjoy your stay with Masha. Try to charm her, if I might suggest, she''s a very lovely girl, and you might earn your freedom much sooner."


    "Ahh, Captain, can''t you do the same yourself?" Masha didn''t mind Captain Free Sword''s joke and yed along coquettishly.


    "Dear Masha, you are a lovely woman, but the fact remained the same, I''m not a masochist." Captain Free Sword candidly chuckled.


    "Tsk, tsk, no fun for me, I guess." Masha clicked her tongue, pretending to be heartbroken.


    "Alright, follow me." Masha then didn''t waste any more time andmanded Jacob.


    Jacob, who wasn''t taking that conversation as a joke, felt his body starting to move its own the moment Masha''s words fell into his ears, and he started to walk behind her.


    Then Jacob suddenly thought of something, "Tell me, Immortika, if I can''t hear her voice. Will my body be free?"


    Jacob knew how those parasite gems worked. The parasite gem had twoponents to make it work, the Parasite Gem, which was like a responder that responds to anything that will bemanded through its receiver. It was another gem normally embedded in jewelry.


    But to give the receiver themand, two things were essential, the life signal and the voice of the life signal owner. If any of these two things were missing, the parasite gem wouldn''t react.


    So, if the same rules apply to these ve Runes, then if he could stop his hearing sense, then anymand Masha would give would be nullified!

 Chapter 359 A Chance!

    Although Jacob''s logic was reasonable, it should''ve worked with the Parasite Gem.


    "Do you really believe this method would have such a w? Hehehe¡­ so what if you can''t hear her words? As long as she has intent, the ve Rune will fullyprehend it and directly implicate it on you. So, it didn''t matter if you were blind, deaf, or mentally disabled; puppets don''t need these things in the first ce!" Immortika pours cold water on Jacob''s hope.


    "Can you be at least a little helpful!" Jacob fought his strong urge to unsummoned the Cursed Book in his spleen.


    Nevertheless, if not for Immortika''s assurance, he knew he might''ve suffered even more, and in times of crisis, the entric book always helped him despite its nasty attitude. So keeping it around was still better than nothing.


    Jacob finally noticed where he was when he exited the hall and appeared in a hallway with many rooms, which Masha was leading the way without any intention of speaking.


    Masha led him to the fifth room in the hall, and when he entered it, his heart sank because it was ab with all sort of equipment and ss cells filled with strange creatures.


    Of those creatures, some of them were missing their limbs and attached withpletely different ones, while some of them were missing their eyes, half of their faces, skins, and such. It was the sight of a horrible nightmare.


    Furthermore, there was arge shelf with collections of body parts in ss jars filled with the same transparent liquid.


    But what truly made Jacob feel chills was a man crucified on arge stone table, and his entire torso was opened like a book, while his face was handsome, but his eyelids werepletely cut off, showcasing his entire bloodshot eyeball with purple irises.


    Suddenly, those eyeballs moved in Jacob''s direction, ''He''s alive?!'' Jacob felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Masha with even more apprehension.


    He suddenly felt d that Captain Free Sword needed him and didn''t just hand him over to this sadistic witch. But he also felt a sense of urgency to get away from these monsters as soon as he could.


    Masha suddenly turned around toward Jacob with a sadistic smile on her alluring face, "This is my home, and if you don''t behave, you''ll be permanently got to stay here with me just like little Veilly over there! He dared to betray the Captain, so Captain gave him to me so I could make him regret ever being born in this world, which is my specialty, actually.


    "It''s a pity you''re not a Faery Human, or you and I have a very good time and will be good friends. Ah, whatever, you are still someone rted to them which makes you a rare specimen nheless.


    "Once you are done with your mission, you and I will have a very good time, and only then will I grant you your freedom. Tell me, do you agree to spend one year with me before you''ll get your freedom? If not, then I''ll have to do many things just in one day''s time and trust me, Captain won''t mind either.


    "However, in doing so, you''ll lose a limb or two, and even your mind won''t function properly if I''m in a rush. So, tell me, do you like it now and be all rough with me or y it safe?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''This sadistic bitch!'' Jacob never felt so disgusted and afraid of a woman in his life, but now Masha was top of that list.


    "I''ll dly dance with Mistress once I''m done with Captain''s task. But I need my mind attached if I want toplete this mission, so this has to wait." Jacob emotionlessly replied.


    "Tsk, tsk, no one likes it rouge nowadays. I guess little Veilly has to do then." Masha clicked her tongue in annoyance, "Alright, you can stay at the corner beside Veilly while I''ll draw a list which you have to follow if you don''t want to be next to Veilly." Masha dismissively ordered before she headed toward her workbench, with was filled with all sorts of notebooks and devices.


    Jacob did as he was told and stood beside the corner of Veilly''s table since he had no choice in this matter and had to endure that potent stench in this ce. Masha picked up a paper and started to jolt down who know what.


    Jacob was quite curious about the identity of this pitiful guy, so he asked Immortika.


    "That''s a Unique Dark Elf of Tier-7 Rank, and he''spletely immobilized. What a fate, I must say. If you could just take his heart, you''ll probably enter 12% from 5.2%... what a pity indeed. Hehehe!" Immortika teasingly wrote.


    Jacob also felt it was a pity because this boost would be massive to his strength, but the problem was that the witch would not sit still if he tried anything funny, much less killing her ything and eating his heart.


    As long as he didn''t want to be that Dark Elf, he didn''t dare to mess around with that woman.


    Then he suddenly thought of something as he looked at Mashapletely guard-less, and his eyes started to shimmer darkly as his eyes were locked on her ears.


    "Immortika, can she fight against Autarch if he directly infiltrates into her brain? Can she counter it?" Jacob quickly asked as he knew this was the only chance he would get to use Brian Hunter on Masha while they were alone and she wasn''t paying attention to him.


    Furthermore, if he could subdue this witch, then he could easily get rid of that ve rune because she controlled it, not to mention all her knowledge would be Autarch''s and then his!


    "Hahahahaha¡­ who knows? I''m not your personal advisor, and I can''t speak out of my boundaries!" Immortika subtly stated before it started tough maniacally.


    Jacob''s heart race at this moment because Immortika doesn''t directly reject him as it does before. But it was very risky, and if his gamble didn''t pay off, he would lose both Autarch and his life!

 Chapter 360 Taking Risk!

    The more Jacob looked at carefree Masha, the more that urge to release Autarch right into her ear grew.


    But when he thought about the power gap between their levels, he hesitated and fell into a dilemma, and he knew this was the only chance he had!


    "Autarch, as long as he infiltrates a Unique Rank brain, will you be able to control it?" He then transmitted his voice to ask Autarch''s opinion since Immortika wasn''t helping, but that was the exact reason he wanted to try it.


    Whenever Immortika refused its help, it was always when the situations were something he could handle on his own, so that''s why he thought that this situation was also one of those.


    Autarch replied emotionlessly, "I also have a pressing matter rted to this exact matter, Sir. I had just unlocked the special prerequisite that I needed to enter the Extraordinary Rank, and it just happened to be ''to devour a Unique Being!''"


    Jacob''s eyes dted in surprise, "I thought that process was disrupted when I unsummoned you back there?"


    "It was already beenpleted for a few moments, and Sir was busy reading, so I don''t want to disturb you. But then everything happened, and this matter was put on hold." Autarch emotionlessly exined.


    "You''re too polite, Autarch. You should''ve told me about this important matter. Nevertheless, it seems we both are in luck then. I''m staring at a Unique Rank right in front of me, and she''spletely off guard.


    "But the thing is, if she noticed you, we were both going to die. But if you pull this off, then there will be countless opportunities for both of us. So, I want you to tell me what your instincts told you. If you have even a sliver of doubt, I want you to tell me right now!" Jacob solemnly transmitted as he noticed Masha was already starting to write on a new paper.


    "I can do it. But the process will be very slow as I have to slowly corrode her senses before I start to devour her brain, and once I''ve started, there will be no stopping me, and once she realizes what happened, it will be toote." Autarch replied.


    Jacob knew Autarch didn''t know how to joke or lie to him, and after reaming with him for over three years, he knew how terrifying Autarch was once he entered someone''s brain.


    Besides, that special prerequisite was something he could only ovee by eitherpleting it or by many titan tears.


    If it were any other time, he would''ve naturally gone with thetter option, but now, this opportunity was something that was connected with his own freedom. Despite having a way to ovee his status already, having a backup wasn''t a bad thing.


    "How long will it take?" Jacob asked coldly.


    "Around 5 to 10 years. But I won''t be able to any of help to Sir in these years!" Autarch stated.


    Jacob''s expression remained the same, but inwardly he was extremely content.


    "Alright, I''ll send you right into her ear in three seconds!" Jacob made up his mind as his eyes fully locked on Masha''s exposed ear hole.


    The three seconds passed in a sh, and Jacob''s eye spasmed slightly, and the next moment, a tiny Autarch appeared right into Masha''s ear hole, and light a sh of lightning jolted inside!


    "Hmm?" Masha almost noticed instantly and darted her head behind and looked for Jacob, but when she saw he was just standing there like a puppet, she frowned.


    Thereafter, a blue hue suddenly enveloped her body as she closed her eyes, and Jacob''s heart was almost in his mouth despite his every effect to keep it under control. It was simply too nerve-racking, and he almost summoned Autarch back while he still had the chance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    However, that light on Masha faintly lost it lustered before vanishingpletely, but a faint frown still remained on her face.


    "What did you do?" Masha asked with scrutiny and killing intent.


    "I''m just standing here as Mistress ordered me to," Jacob replied expressionlessly.


    "Did he do anything?"


    "I didn''t see anything."


    Masha''s frown deepened when she thought that Jacob didn''t have the power or means to resist her at all, so he was thest person in this room who she would suspect.


    However, for some strange reason, she was now feeling extremely uneasy and couldn''t put her finger on it why.


    Then suddenly thought of something and nced at Jacob, "Give me your storage ring and any other treasure you have on you."


    After knowing Jacob was from the rare ins, no one was interested in anything on him, so they overlooked the storage ring he was wearing.


    But now Masha knew she felt something, and that strange feeling was also a sign that she didn''t want to ignore, so she had to bepletely sure now.


    Jacob''s hands move on their own and start to take off everything he is wearing because he is d in treasures for obvious reasons.


    When Jacob''s hand started to move toward his neck, his heart sank because he was going to grab the infinity pendant, which despite his naked self, goespletely unnoticed by everyone.


    The reason for it was very simple after he collected the Cursed Path Glory Gem and mended it into the Infinity Pendant, it became like Cursed Immortality. Now it was only visible to Jacob, who was the inheritor of the Cursed Immortality.


    Even he found out about this new trait of the pendant after Immortika revealed it to him, and it was nothing but good. However, now his hand was moving toward his seemingly empty neck to take off the Infinity Pendant because it was a treasure, and he couldn''t stop it.


    Masha also noticed Jacob''s strange movement around his empty neck, as if he had taken off something, but she clearly couldn''t see anything. At the same time, Jacob has already put the infinity pendant on the top of his clothes and presented them to Masha.


    "These are everything." Jacob tried to be as ambiguous as possible, as things were not looking good.


    "What did you take off at the end?" Masha questioned with squinted eyes.


    Jacob replied impassively, "It was an invisible pendant which I always believed to be there like a lucky charm, and it is the most important treasure I have!"

 Chapter 361 It’s Time!

    Jacob replied impassively, "It was an invisible pendant which I always believed to be there like a lucky charm, and it is the most important treasure I have!"


    Jacob''s reply was extremely strange to Masha, "What do you mean invisible good luck charm, like a ritual or something?" She asked coldly as she took the treasure from his hand.


    However, she didn''t feel any sort of pendant on the pile at all because the pendant instantly vanished from the pile when it left Jacob''s hands and reappeared back on Jacob''s neck, which was not even expected by Jacob himself.


    "Hahahahaha¡­ why so surprised? From day one, I told you this pendant can''t leave you even if you want to leave it, not to mention after the Cursed Path Glory Gem was returned, it will never be going to leave your side even for a split second!"


    Immortika''s words made Jacob astonished as well as ted because this meant he didn''t have to worry about anything at all!


    "Yes, something like that," Jacob replied Masha withplete ease and no longer worried about her finding anything.


    That storage ring was already changed with superficial rare treasures, and all the important stuff was in his pendant. Furthermore, this storage ring was specially prepared for this sort of situation by him.


    "I''m inside her!" Autarch''s voice rang in his mind at this moment while Masha disdainfully sneered at Jacob''s childish mentality and started inspecting those treasures.


    "Very good! Take your time. I want you to impersonate this woman even if I wasn''t here, and then¡­" Jacob started to give keen instructions to Autarch while Masha was still skimming through his things.


    Now that Autarch was in y, he no longer worried about anything else, and he could already see his freedom. Furthermore, this was a chance that will be going to cost Captain Free Sword dearly, and Jacob would have his revenge if everything went as nned!


    Masha knit her brows tightly as she didn''t find anything but trash inside Jacob''s storage ring, and she looked at butt-naked Jacob standing there expressionlessly. But that uneasiness only intensified.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was nowpletely clear, and his status as an ''ant'' gave him massive leeway, so she threw those things back at him and coldly stared at Veilly, who''s been looking at her this whole time.


    "Get dressed and then remember these conditions. They should be enough for someone like you. They arews that can''t break no matter what, and the moment you break them, you have to alert us with no expectations!


    "Now, get out of my way. It seemed little Veilly still had some tricks up his sleeve!" Masha coldly uttered with killing intent in her eyes and stood up from her chair, making her way toward Veilly.


    She didn''t even spare a second nce at Jacob because she was now fully convinced that Veilly was trying to do something to her so he could escape, and she won''t allow it unless she wanted to end up like him herself!


    Jacob felt a massive boulder lifted from his shoulders when Masha finally shifted her attention, and he was snickering in his heart maliciously as he picked up his things.


    ''Never underestimate even an ant, as it can be extremely deadly if it manages to find some tiny cracked in a massive building!'' Jacob thought with killing intent.


    Then he picked up that list which was filled with all sorts of rules, such as he had to report every week to them about his progress, or he couldn''t even think of asking for someone''s help or telling anyone that he was a ve.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    This was like an air-sealed contract without any loophole, which also showed Masha''s experience in doing this sort of thing.


    Although Jacob was mentally immune to these so-calledws, his bodies weren''t, and he had to be careful what he did, or even he won''t know when his body betrayed him.


    The most cumbersome condition was the moment he stepped on the Epic ins, he had to continue to work toward getting his hands on that Unique Star Ocean Medallion, and his every move and action should be rted to it.


    This was going to be the biggest obstacle in free movements, but it wasn''t that hard to ovee either because as long as he believed he was working on getting that Unique Star Ocean Medallion, it would be fine.


    "HHHHAA!"


    He suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream from behind, and he knew from the sadistic snickering that Masha was having a go on the Dark Elf because she should be feeling quite uneasy after an incident with Autarch.


    This was proof of how superior a Unique Rank expert''s reflexes were, and if Autarch was a tad bit slower, both of them would''ve been in that dark elf ce.


    Jacob pretended to be unbothered by whatever was happening and continued to read those conditions.


    Fourteen hours passed, and Jacob was now really marveling at Masha''s sadistic nature as she continued to torture that dark elf without any break, and she was even more excited than ever!


    The strangest thing was that dark elf''s stamina, as he didn''t give in and fell unconscious after suffering so much torture. Or should it be one of Masha''s tricks to keep him sane so he could feel pain and couldn''t die!


    At this moment, a knock was heard on the locked door of theb before Harold''s voice rang, "It''s time!"


    Masha finally snapped out of her mirth as that strange and uneasy feeling had now vanished, and she finally felt at ease again.


    But the poor elf was now looking like a vegetable while his organs were filled with cuts, and blood was oozing, yet he was still alive!


    Masha then quickly straightened her disheveled appearance and yelled, "Coming!"


    "If you remember every word, let''s go!" She coolly uttered as she moved toward the closed door, and Jacob''s body moved again.


    Jacob now only had one thought after spending those dark hours with Misha, ''I can''t screw up a single thing until this woman is not out of the picture!''

 Chapter 362 Star Hackers

    Captain Free Sword appeared the same as half a day ago when Jacob saw him. The only difference was there was two more Horned Ogre present in the hall, and no matter how he looked at them, they all looked the same, and only by their scars could one tell the difference.


    Captain Free Sword smiled, seeing Jacob, and said in greetings, "Mr. King, I hope you have a lovely evening with Masha. But all good things had to end, and we must move on. It''s a pity, really."


    "Don''t worry, Captain, this gentleman won''t be gone long." Masha snickered yfully while Jacob remained the same.


    "I have no doubt, Masha, I have no doubt!" Captain Free Swordughed in a pleasing manner before his candid smile vanished as he looked at Jacob, "Mr. King, I have arranged many things for your mission this time, so make sure you keep all of them safe and only use them when the time is ripe. Harold, give Mr. King his goodies!"


    Harold nodded in response, and before he handed a white space ring to Jacob with a cold smirk.


    "The first thing I need you to understand is you can''t contact us through your Star Watch because we are no longer connected with Star Network because this is Epic ins, and we all have Unique Rank life signals.


    "So, I have Harold prepare a special device called the Universal Communication Radio Transmitter, also known as Vermin Transponder. As for why it is called such, it is because it will allowmunication in ces where it isn''t allowed as long as you have a unique frequency code of the Vermin Transponder, like the trial ins, for example. Moreover, it is illegal to use it since it is made by Star Hackers!" Captain Free Sword grinned evilly.


    It was Jacob''s first time hearing about such a device, and he was also astonished when he heard there was something that was illegal. Furthermore, the name Star Hacker also sounds like trouble, and various thoughtse into his mind about what a Star Hacker would be.


    Captain Free Sword wasn''t done exining as he continued, "Mr. King, if you don''t know about Star Hackers, then it''s about time you know about them since you might encounter them in the Epic ins.


    "Like us Star Pirates, who are a bunch of ouws and don''t like restrictions, the Star Hackers are even more excessive as they believe that the Star Network is the biggest threat to everyone''s privacy and a dictator of sorts.


    "That''s why they directly dered all-out war with the Star Network itself! Can you imagine the guts of those guys? But the most interesting thing is they are making terrifying progress in this seemingly hopeless war and making noises that have started to irk the three hegemonies and the mighty Star Network itself!


    "As to how much it irks them, you can imagine that the Star Network has never cared about anything happening in the ins, yet it had exclusively putvish bounties on any and every Star Hacker''s whereabouts, identifies, even their heads as long as someone can prove it, they can bask in unimaginable riches.


    "However, to this day, not even a single actual Star Hacker has been found, and only those small fries. Why they are hunted like this because of their groundbreaking inventions and ideas, and they can even hack into the Star Watches of anyone below 1-Star Privilege.


    "This is what truly made them earn the irony of the Star Network as well as the respect of people like us. This Vermin Transponder is the evidence of their advanced knowledge, and there are rumors that they are making more such discoveries even as we speak.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "As for the reason I''m telling you all is that you have to be very careful when you take out that Vermin Transponder while you are in the Epic ins. SAAI can watch everything under the boundary of a in, and that Vermin Transponder will raise many red gs.


    "Even if you''re a holder of an Honorary Badge, once you''re found out using the ck technology of the Star Hackers, you''ll be a fugitive, and the entire Star Network will do anything to hunt you down.


    "But don''t worry, I got your back, Mr. King. You''ll just need to envelop it with your Mana within a second after you take it out from your space ring, and you''ll be fine as gold. Oh, and inside a trial, you don''t need to be careful at all."


    Captain Free Sword revealed with an ugly grin on his face.


    Jacob was really speechless after he heard about these Star Hackers and their war with the Star Network. As someone who knows about the Zodiac Will, which might be behind the Star Network, he felt those guys were nothing but clowns trying to anger God!


    He wanted to have nothing to do with those guys who were nothing but trouble, especially if just using their technology could make the entire Star Network his enemy.


    That would be a huge disaster since almost everything was controlled by the Star Network; even the three hegemonies can''t operate without the Star Network.


    Nevertheless, this information was something he should have sooner thanter because he might unknowingly shoot himself in the foot.


    Afterward, Captain Free Sword exins his so-called general n, which Jacob should use to infiltrate the three hegemonies'' forces when the trial in emerges.


    Truth be told, after listening to that entire n, Jacob was feeling quite apprehensive because he knew if he went through with this n, whether Star Network hunted him or not, the three hegemonies would, and there would be no ce for him in their ranks. He will be no different from these ouws.


    But no other choice was given to him, and he was just a puppet that Captain Free Sword could manipte as he pleased, and he clearly didn''t care about what sort of damage it would do to Jacob''s own reputation.


    At that time, even if he had his freedom, he would have to live as a rat!

 Chapter 363 Another Traitor?

    After Captain Free Swordid down the entire general n, he looked at Jacob with a sly grin as he said, "So, Mr. King, what do you think of my n? You are free to make changes, but you have to follow the foundation since it is the only way forward."


    ''This entire n is nothing but social suicide, and if I had a choice, I would rather not follow it at all. But I have to admit this guy really nned it well, and the sess rate is quite high¡­'' Jacob thought before he spoke emotionlessly in ambiguous words, "I think it''s very practical, and no one would see iting."


    Captain Free Sword''s lips rose in a content smile, "I''m d we see eye to eye, Mr. King. You and I could be great like-minded friends. So, what will be your approach? I personally suggest you should choose the Zodiac Warrior Alliance since it would help you remain closer to the action."


    Jacob knew Captain Free Sword wanted to know which of the three hegemonies will he chose to backstab, and the Alliance was really the best choice in this scenario, but it was almost impossible for him at the same time.


    But he can''t tell Captain Free Sword about his small feud with the Alliance Chairman Gunner, now, can he? It would instantly put him in a very sensitive position if Captain Free Sword thought that Jacob had too many enemies in the Epic ins and it was not worth investing in him.


    Jacob couldn''t let that happen, as he needed to get away from this damn ship and its crew.


    "A wise suggestion, Captain, but for me, I''m afraid it''s impossible." Jacob stated impassively, and he instantly spotted a faint wrinkle on Captain Free Sword''s shinning forehead, so he exined, "I''m actually a 1-Star Epic Alchemist of the Alchemy Guild, and it''s toote for me to join in the ranks of the Alliance!"


    Masha looked at him with a hint of surprise, and so did everyone else.


    "Fascinating, you don''t strike me to be someone who had a brain for Alchemy. What is your forte, and which rank are you at?" Masha questioned, and Captain Free Sword remained silent as he approved of it.


    "Magic Smiting and Gunsmithing, Senior Grandmaster." Jacob impassively replied, but he only told the rank of the Magic Smiting, not his unmeasured Gunsmith Rank.


    Besides, he knew to move in the ranks of the Epic Alchemists of the Alchemy Guild. He needed to be proficient in at least three Elder Grandmaster Rank professions.


    The Elder Grandmaster Rank was divided into Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, and the Basic Elder Grandmastersted until 3-Star Epic Alchemist Rank.


    A 4-Star Alchemist was an Intermediate Elder Grandmaster, while from 7-Star, an Alchemist would be known as Advanced Elder Grandmaster. This was also the peak rank of the Alchemists and their profession-rted knowledge in the Epic ins.


    If Jacob says anything about him having the skills probably at the level of an advanced elder grandmaster in gunsmithing, he''ll be considered an Alchemist Genius, which would not be good in his current situation.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Not bad. Forgive my previous ignorance and look down on you, Mr. King, since I pressured you to be abatant like your predecessors. But it seemed not only your species different, your evolution path is also different. I''ve made a fool of myself." Captain Free Sword sighed ruefully, "Nevertheless, you got potential; Mr. King and Alchemy Guild are not bad either since all the medicinal supplies and weapons, as well as strategies and informationwork always under the control of the Alchemy Guild. You can say the Alliance and the Bank are the swords, while the Alchemy Guild is the brain of those swords. This position is not bad at all. I''ll leave it in your capable hand then since what matter is our end goal."


    With this meetinging to an end and Harold was told to escort Jacob toward his new traveling ship, and only Captain Free Sword, Masha, and two Ogres were left in the meeting hall.


    Captain Free Sword finally spoke after making sure Jacob was gone, "Masha, what do you think? Is he capable of pulling this off?"


    Masha smiled charmingly, but it was extremely evil as she replied, "I have shown him what would happen if messed up even for an instant, so I have no doubt about his motivation. Furthermore, with all those rules restricting his actions, I don''t think there is a chance to fail with your ingenious n."


    Captain Free Sword smiled darkly as he nodded, "Your words are quite assuring. But there is something strange about him that I can''t put my finger on. I think he epted the fact of him being a ve of ours too easily, and despite you giving him the freedom to speak, he seemed too calm."


    Masha knew what Captain Free Sword was implying and replied matter-of-factly, "You''re worried too much, Captain. That hateful Veilly''s betrayal had left you with a deep mental scar. After all, he was one of the founding members of our Carefree Sword Star Pirates, and no one has thought he would be the one who betrayed us."


    Killing intent shed past Captain Free Sword''s eyes as he nodded, "You are right. That''s why I handed him to you. I want you to keep him alive until we go back and torment him every day until I find his entire family and then torture them together. Only then will I be able to quench the burning anger in my heart!"


    Masha nodded with a sadistic, cold smile, "Of course, I''m giving him my best treatment Captain."


    "Excellent, you are excused and don''t forget to check on our little pet every once in a while. Use that expensive ve Rune to the fullest and report to me post hastily if something unusuales up. Although I hardly believed it would, we have invested too much in him!" Captain Free Swordmanded sternly.


    Masha didn''t dare to reject Captain Free Sword''smand and quickly agreed before leaving the hall as well.


    Captain Free Sword then suddenly spoke to those two Horned Ogres standing there all this time without speaking a word and merely observing everything like statues.


    "There is one more traitor among us, which even Veilly isn''t aware of, and I want you two to find it. That traitor might try to use some means to contact the Epic ins as well, and that''s when we''ll catch that bastard red-handed, and that ve is going to be our trump card while doing this!"

 Chapter 364 In Dire Straits! (1)

    Jacob sat in a small gray ship that looked more like a spearhead, and there was only one passenger seat in the cockpit. Furthermore, after connecting it with his star watch, he found that it was an Advanced Epic Rank Ship with stealth features and insane speed.


    But Jacob didn''t seem happy about it at all because this ship was arranged by Captain Free Sword, and when he was thrown into the ocean with this ship, he found that he couldn''t even see the main ship of Captain Free Sword at all.


    It was as if it never existed, and if he hadn''t been able to sense Autarch''s general location, he would think it was a ghost ship.


    This made Jacob gloomy about the prowess of Captain Free Sword and his crew, not to mention the technology under their control. He still vividly remembered how easily he was captured by them.


    But his biggest headache and the thing he was most depressed about was that his hands were moving on their own as they controlled the ship and headed in the direction of the Epic ins. This was the very first task he was entrusted with; entering the Epic ins.


    ''It took me around four years to reach the Epic ins, and there should still be around two years left before the Trial in is formed. This means I have two years of freedom to do the groundwork before my own body drags me into those ins, even if I don''t want to...


    ''I just hope Autarch can quickly take control of that bitch. It''s going to be a long, long wait!'' Jacob thought ruefully as he looked at the route on the ship''s interface screen, and with his current speed, he would enter the boundary of the Epic ins in half a day and be able to see thends again.


    Half a dayter, Jacob''s star watch suddenly vibrated as he received a notification.


    "You (Faceless Ancient) have entered the Epic ins!


    "Congrattions on sessfully making it to the Epic ins. The Life Faction wees you with open arms and hopes you will be victorious against the forces of the dead!


    "Your Star Network has sessfully connected to the Epic ins, and it will be avable again in 30 minutes for you to use!"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow as this was his first time receiving this sort of notification, and now he was starting to feel that the Epic ins should be quite a big deal to the Life Faction since they clearly didn''t care about both Common or Rare ins.


    ---


    Meanwhile, the moment Jacob received that notification, Ellie''s star watch also vibrated when she was going through some guild paperwork.


    "Your (Amiable Monk Fish) Bronze Invitation Holder (Faceless Ancient) has entered the Epic ins from the Rare ins!


    "ording to the Bronze Invitation Benefits (BIB), 100,000 ZC will be rewarded to you by the Alchemy Guild for nurturing an excellent Alchemist!


    "Keep up the good work, Alchemy Guild!"


    Ellie kept staring at that notification for a while before she snapped out of her daze, and a sharp glint shed past her eyes.


    ''He reached here far earlier than the Old Man''s prediction. But this also means it is time to make our move and let that old bitch bleed till she dies!''<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Without hesitation, she quickly contacted her father, Nelsen, as this matter was of utmost importance.


    ---


    After over thirty minutes were over and his starwork was sessfully upgraded, Jacob was going to check the star news of the Epic ins when he abruptly received a call, as if the other party was just waiting for hiswork to be avable again.


    "Amiable Monk Fish wanted to send you a Projection Call!"


    Jacob frowned as this timing was simply too imcable because this woman hadn''t contacted him all this time, yet the moment he appeared in the Epic ins, she did. No matter how he looked at it, this seemed fishy.


    Yet his damn hand moved on its own to ept the call because he had to build a good rtionship with the higher-ups of the Three Hegemonies, and Ellie perfectly matched that description.


    "Hmph!" Jacob scoffed annoyingly as his windbreaker and mask appeared on his face.


    Although his body was now not reliable, his magic and mind were perfectly under his control, and he was going to keep his appearance a secret like he always does, especially now.


    Ellie''s projection appeared again, but this time she seemed to be standing in the open, and behind her were herb fields with herbs that Jacob had never seen before.


    "What do I owe the honor today, Miss Vice President?" Jacob impassively greeted.


    "Cut the nonsense! Where are you in the Epic ins Star Ocean? Give me your coordinates, and I''ll send my people to escort you into the Alchemy Region!" Ellie coldly demanded, and her tone clearly indicated that she wouldn''t take no for an answer.


    But Jacob was not just anyone, and he was rmed by Ellie''s words, ''How did she know I''m in the Epic ins Star Ocean? Can she track me?''


    Jacob was quite grim about this new development, and from Ellie''s tone, she seemed to be quite hasty, as if she couldn''t wait to get her hands on him.


    "How do you know I''m in the Epic ins?" Jacob coldly asked as this question was more important.


    Ellie squinted her eyes and coldly said, "You are not in a position to ask me this question. I''ll repeat it again, and more clearly this time; If you don''t give me your position, you''ll be under siege by the entire mercenary army of the Bank, and they will do anything to make sure you die before you can take a single step on the soil of the Epic ins!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as his heart went cold because he didn''t think Ellie would reveal this sort of thing, and she clearly didn''t have a reason to lie to him either.


    He also knew about Lucy and the damage he inflicted on the bank in the Rare ins, so he was prepared for their retaliation. But he never thought it coulde as soon as he just entered the Epic ins!

 Chapter 365 In Dire Straits! (2)

    Jacob suddenly thought that his situation was simply too fishy, and Ellie appeared dubious no matter how he scrutinized this.


    First, the moment he appeared closer to the Epic ins, Ellie somehow knew and contacted him post hastily. Second, she somehow seems to know beforehand that Bank is after his life, yet she only decides to reveal it after hees to epic ins, not in a four-year time when he was still traveling.


    "You say I''m not in a position to ask you this question, but I say I am because it appeared to me that you are afraid of me dying, which is quite a surprise since we don''t know each other that well, nor I''m someone worth caring about.


    "So, here''s what I''m going to do. I''m going to call Miss Bank Manager and see if I can make her give up on killing me. If not, then I''ll take my chance since it appears I can''t trust anybody in this ce!" Jacob coldly replied while he was looking at Ellie like a hawk.


    Although he sounds arrogant, and it even appears he is not going to listen to Ellie at all. In fact, he was just fishing for clues about this entire situation.


    After meeting with Captain Free Sword and his crew, Ellie and the Epic ins seems quite insignificant in front of the true terror of Uniques. Furthermore, he now has an Advanced Epic Ship, which was more than enough to preserve his life.


    If he had that rare ship, then he might''ve agreed to Ellie''s help and won''t dare to offend her, but right now, his only goal was to enter the Epic ins and then take full advantage of those two years to prepare for worse.


    While his body might not react in the same manner as his mind does, but it can only screw him in some special cases, and as long as the mind was not under anyone''s control, everything was salvageable!


    Ellie''s eyes narrowed as they were icy. She uttered, "You''ll regret it!"


    With that, she cut off the call without even bothering to hear his reply.


    Just when she cut the call, she looked ahead of herself, and Nelsen was right there smiling slyly as if he just won some sort of prize after cheating.


    "Hmph! How do you know he''ll react in this way and won''t take my help?" Ellie asked with pursed lips as she looked at her father, who always gave her the creeps with his ability to predict almost everything.


    Nelsen''s smile widened, "Little girl, I told you, if you want to be like your old man, then you have to be patient and study hard, oh and also spend ample time with your Old man. But you refused, and now you have lost the bet and have to spend five days with me doing father-daughter bonding!"


    Ellie''s eyes went sharp like des, "If you dare to do anything silly, I''ll leave! But he didn''t do one thing you say he would. He''s going to contact that old Bitch!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Nelsen chuckled as he shook his head, "He won''t. He was just testing the waters. He wanted to know if you have some way to know his position or anyone else, as a matter of fact.


    "He won''t take the risk to alert his enemy as long as he wasn''t sure if Lucy also had the ability to know his position, and if you hadn''t cut the connected call when you did and continued to talk, he would''ve sensed that you might have something to do with this entire situation he''s in.


    "Now, he''ll just presume whatever he wants to without any hard evidence and might hold some grudge and vignce toward you, but so what? In the end, all we need him to do ise to the Epic ins, and we''ll be strangers.


    "If he dies, then we won''t lose anything, and if he seeded, then we''ll get everything. Now that you have alerted him, he''ll make sure to keep an eye out for those scouts sent by dear old Lucy.


    "All we have to do is make sure she won''t find out about his entering the Epic ins Star Ocean already, or she''ll do anything to make sure he won''t stop foot on thends.


    "Just give our scouts a signal to interfere the moment they sense something out of the ordinary going on, and if nothing goes wrong, you''ll have the Scripture of nk by the end of this week!" Nelsen confidently dered without any hint of doubt.


    Ellie''s eyes shimmered with a hint of ecstasy, "Let''s hope you''re right! But what do you want to do with him when hees to the Epic ins? You know, if he found out that we have yed him like a fiddle, he''ll hold a pretty solid grudge against me!"


    Nelsen''s smile suddenly turned cold as he uttered, "He''s just a luckymoner who has no idea just how deep the waters of Epic ins run. Besides, with how careful he has been, I''m sure he''ll know his ce.


    "In Epic ins, without the spot or three hegemonies, no one can evolve and reach the apex, he''s already banned from the Alliance, and once Lucy suffered that terrible loss because of him, she would rather kill him personally than let him join the mercenary agency.


    "So now you tell me if you just happened to kick him out from the Guild as well. Do you think he has any way to flourish in the Epic ins?" Nelsen questioned with a dark smile.


    Ellie''s eyes went wide slightly as she suddenlyughed, "Hahaha, old man, now I understand why even that old bitch Lucy didn''t dare to show her arrogance around you and appeared all vignce. You are simply too evil!"


    "Now, now, this is not a way to call your Daddy. I''m nothing but a humble old dad who''s looking after his little girl. One day, you''ll understand once you have your own children and my grandchildren!" Nelsen grinned teasingly, which made Ellie instantly fly into a rage!

 Chapter 366 In Dire Straits! (3)

    "You''ll regret it!"


    When Ellie abruptly cut off the call, Jacob''s expression warped because this didn''t go as he expected it to.


    "That bloody tramp!" He cursed furiously before a bitter expression appeared on his face. His luck was getting worse ever since he hade to the Epic ins, and he started to doubt that it was all the result of that good luck in the Rare ins.


    Nevertheless, he quickly calmed down and started to think about how he should proceed now with the bombshell Ellie just dropped on him.


    The first thing he did was stowed away his Star Watch in the pendant since he wasn''t sure anymore about not being monitored, especially when he thought about those Star Hackers he learned from Captain Free Sword.


    As for calling Lucy to reconcile, he was not going to do it since it might expose his whereabouts. He was just bluffing to get some sort of reaction out of Ellie, and he even thought it was her who was going after his life under the pretext of Lucy.


    But it doesn''t go as he nned, and now he can only presume and prepare for the worse.


    "Come on damn it, what are you so afraid about? Remember, Epics won''t stand a chance against your hexes anymore?" Jacob chided himself in a loud voice as he didn''t know why he was feeling so afraid of those Epics.


    But he knew it was all because of the phycological effects those damn Uniques had left on him, and he was now afraid of everything.


    Jacob''s biggest trump card against the epics was his Extraordinary Rank Hex Magic Core and the three innate Hex Spells he has acquired from it in the Rare ins.


    Slumber Hex, No Agility Hex, and Powerless Hex!


    After traveling for over three years, Jacob was fully familiar with his magic abilities.


    With the 25 cubic meter worth of Hex Mana in the Infinity Pedant, he can use any hex on 100 Common Rank Dark Beings, 50 Rare Dark Beings, 10 Extraordinary Rank Dark Beings, and 1 Epic Rank Being (Any Tier). As for the time limit, it was now 3 hours for any rank being.


    Right now, what limits Jacob the most is the mana limitation because the book he took from the graveyard also required a tremendous amount of Hex mana to open it.


    Jacob has once tried to open the book, but even with every ounce of mana, he had, he couldn''t only lift the cover by a few centimeters before all the mane ran out. So, he had no choice but to give up on studying the book for ater date when he had more mana.


    The only way to increase his mana was to increase the space of the infinity pendant, which he could only do by making progress. That was what he was nning to when everything starting to derail after he bumped into the star pirates.


    Now he was hearing the news that one of the three bosses of the Epic ins wanted him dead at all costs, so it was only natural that he would act like this.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Jacob then quickly calmed his mind and put those star pirates back in his head since they were no longer his concern, and he was far away from them now. His sole focus became the Epic ins and how to reach it in one piece.


    Furthermore, the moment Jacob''s thoughts be clear, and a clear goal appears in his mind, he regains control of his body again.


    With a tranquil expression, he looked at the surrounding calm waters. A sh of killing intent surfaced in Jacob''s eyes, ''Since everyone here wanted to push me around, I''ll make damn sure to let them know I''m not a pushover!''


    Jacob activated all the stealth features of the ship and approached thends of Epic ins.


    Three hourster, Jacob finally saw something else besides the water. A massive fleet was lined up in a formation, blocking off the passage toward the Epic ins, which were now vaguely visible under Jacob''s eyes, but they were still far away.


    It was just that their size was simply too massive, so it was quite hard to miss them even from this distance.


    But those fleets were clearly not there just for show, and he spotted a golden symbol imprint on those fleets. It was a golden bull head with a white zing sun shining between the bull''s horns. It was the well-known symbol of the Universal Zodiac Taurus Bank!


    This also proved that Ellie was speaking the truth about Lucy being bloody for him, and those fleets were all Epic Treasure Ships. He could even tell that themanding ship of this fleet was in no way inferior to the ship he was controlling right now.


    If Captain Free Sword knew that there was such a wee waiting for Jacob just at the entrance of the Epic ins, he might''ve never selected Jacob for this job at all.


    Jacob stopped the ship a few miles from that perimeter as he didn''t think for a second that those guys won''t have powerful scanners to pick up on his ship. If Lucy was investing so much to get rid of him, then he needed to think like she wasing at him with everything she had in her arsenal!


    Then Jacob took out something from the Advance Epic Grade Space Ring he was given by Captain Free Sword, which contained all the things prepared for him just for this endeavor, and its space was 250 cubic meters which wererger than the Basic Epic Grade Space Rings he got from A-0.


    What he took from it was a ck Zenati suit which looked extremely normal and nothing but a in thin fabric. If Jacob wasn''t told that it was an Advance Epic Grade Skin Body Armor, he might''ve thought that the Captain was duping him.


    When Jacob undressed and tried to wear it, he was astonished because the moment the body armor draped over his body, a cold sensation suddenly rose from the cotton-like fabric, and it started to shift over his body, making itself fully attached to his skin.


    Before he knew it, the armor waspletely wrapped around his body like his skin, and the next moment, it started to change color, and under Jacob''s astonished eyes, it turned just like the color of his skin!


    Now no one would be able to tell if he was buck naked or wearing advanced epic-grade armor, no one but Jacob himself!

 Chapter 367 In Dire Straits! (4)

    Donning the epic armor, Jacob wore his mask, and the next moment, he stowed away the epic ship and directly sshed into the cold ocean.


    Jacob''s n was quite simple. Since those guys were blocking the surface, he should just go past them from underwater!


    Furthermore, it would also increase the chances of him being detected by their radars, and he can already hold his breath underwater for hours, so it was his best option to escape their trap safely.


    However, Jacob soon found just how wrong he was when he had been. When he was swimming like an agile fish in the six-hundred-meter depth of the stat ocean, he was stopped because he found there were small submarines patrolling the underwater.


    ''Since I can think of this, then why not them?'' Jacob bitterly thought as he was forced to enter even more deep water.


    The Star Ocean was simply too deep, and during his voyage, Jacob once tried to use the Art of Nature, but he was shocked to discover that he couldn''t find the ocean bed even after diving three to four miles into it.


    This instantly made him drop that notion, and he returned since the deeper he went, the darker the star ocean became like an abyss, not to mention chilly and a feeling of unknown hidden danger.


    However, right now, Jacob''s situation is quite special. He didn''t want to alert Lucy of his arrival and silently entered the epic ins and kept a low profile.


    As Jacob dived deeper, the colder and darker the water became while pressure was also rising, which was not a concern of Jacob right now.


    After diving for over 1500 feet, Jacob moved forward again, but after he moved for about fifty meters, he suddenly spotted a faint glow, and he knew the enemy was also patrolling this depth as well.


    However, this time, he didn''t spot more than five lights which also meant he was getting further away from their patrolling area and decided to go even deeper.


    However, when Jacob was over 2200 feet deep into the ocean, he was surprised when he suddenly bumped into a hard surface, and upon focusing, he saw he was at the ocean bed!


    ''Don''t tell me the ocean around the ins has a definite depth while the star ocean out of the star ocean boundary is either depthless or simply too deep for others to explore. No wonder they called these oceans around the ins with the in name¡­'' The more Jacob thought, the more he thought it made sense.


    Still, this didn''t mean he was out of the woods. Although he hadn''t spotted any patrols around this ce, he couldn''t be sure. Furthermore, he has to be mindful of getting attacked by some ocean creature, and the chances of it happening on the ocean bed are even greater.


    Jacob then swims a few meters above the ocean bed and moves forward again.


    On the ocean surface, within the main ship of the bank fleet, the Bronze Barbarian named Wilder, who was the captain of this ship as well as the overseer of the task handed to him by the Bank Manager Lucy, was practicing a special fighting technique in a training room.


    At this moment, the metal door of the training facility slid open, and another Bronze Barbarian appeared with a solemn expression.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Wilder stopped his punch and looked toward the entrance, and smiled, seeing the other barbarian, "Mayson, do you have something for me?"


    Mayson nodded with a solemn expression on his tattooed face as he spoke respectfully in his raspy voice, "Captain Wilder, our senses scattered in the ocean bed just sent an unusual signal back. There seems to be a movement!"


    Wilder''s eyes shed with coldness, "Do you think it''s our target or some ocean beast?"


    "It''s hard to say, but our men have cleared every such creature in our perimeter, and if ites from the epic ins side, the sensors would also trigger from that side, but the sensor has triggered from the other side, which is the red zone.


    "So, we have to take it seriously, even if it''s just a stray. We have to kill it to make sure no one goes past us without our knowledge. The Bank Manager''s instructions were quite clear about this exact point." Mayson solemnly replied.


    Wilder nodded in approval, "I can always count on you, Mayson. You never lost sight of our goal, and that''s why I trust your judgment the most. This time we can''t mess up even for a moment, or we''ll suffer a terrible fate. Send our killer subs to investigate, and whatever is crawling in that ce, I want it killed and its body delivered to me by the end of the day!"


    Mayson solemnly nodded, "I shall see to it myself!"


    He then quickly left toward themand center to follow up on the captain''s order post hastily.


    Wilder couldn''t help but sigh ruefully after Mayson left and the door was closed again. He muttered with a depressed expression, "Just what in the world is the Bank Manager guarding against? She put so many resources into it, and with the trial looming overhead at that. Isn''t she afraid that the Bank would question her if they found out all those resources were being used on her personal ventures?"


    In the end, he smiled bitterly, "Who I''m kidding? That old fox always has ten countermeasures in ce for such asions. I should feel pity for whoever has offended her¡­"


    Jacob swam for about fifteen minutes without finding any patrols. But instead of getting confidence and relief, he was getting impatience and feeling a strange unease.


    Because when he thought about how those guys were patrolling the depth of the oceans, why would they leave the ocean bed alone?


    Jacob then thought about something, and the bronze disc appeared right under his feet. He activated its stealth, and his speed also increased quite a lot.


    As for why he didn''t use it on the surface, it was because, ording to his estimate, this disc was only a Basic Epic Grade, and those guys would clearly have measures for such objects as well.


    So, going under the ocean gave him a fair chance, and with this darkness, the stealth of this disc was even more wless.


    Just as he took out the bronze disc and activated it for about two minutes, he suddenly spotted many faint lightsing right in his direction!

 Chapter 368 In Dire Straits! (5)

    368 In Dire Straits! (5)


    ''I hate it when my intuition is right!'' Jacob grimaced as he saw those faint lights drawing nearer.


    Although those lights weren''ting exactly his way, they weren''t far from his position that much. This at least made one thing clearer to Jacob, those guys on the surface seemed to have the means to monitor even these depths of the star ocean, and that''s why they didn''t bother to ce any patrols!


    Since they were noting in his direction for now, Jacob wanted to keep it that way and moved very slowly so he won''t createmotion in the water.


    The team sent to the bottom of the ocean contained eight submarines that were shaped like a shark and even designed that way, but their color was ck and blue. These submarines were advanced epic-ranked Killer Submarines, and they were the Bank''s biggest trump card, and each of them could cost an arm and leg.


    Only the top powers within the three hegemonies have limited numbers of them, and they were built specifically to battle and travel within the star ocean.


    This time, Lucy has sent these eight Killer Subs to make sure nothing got passed by the boundary she had made Wilder set.


    The eight submariners of these killer subs were all at least Epic Tier-7 or Tier-8 rank Universal Mercenaries, which made them at least A ss Epic Rank Universal Mercenaries.


    The mercenaries'' ranking system was quite straightforward, as they strictly followed the strength and skill of an individual.


    There were five total ranks, D ss Epic (Tier-1 and Tier-2), C ss Epic (Tier-3 and Tier-4), B ss Epic (Tier-5 and Tier-6), A ss Epic (Tier-7 and Tier-8), and S ss Epic (Tier-9).


    The S ss Epic was the most powerful force of the Bank, and even Lucy can''t dispatch them on a whim as they stand at the very top of the Epic ins food chain.


    Only Wilder among this fleet was an S ss, and he was only following Lucy''s everymand because he was a bronze invitation!


    Furthermore, this entire fleet was filled with loyal men under Wilder''smand. Any S ss Universal Mercenary would have this sort of force under them, and they were not to be taken lightly as well.


    But these guys were all guns for hire, and as long as it paid nice, they were willing to put their lives at risk. This at least gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted.


    Albeit, only after stepping into the waters will one actually understand just how deep they are, and it was the same case for any hegemony.


    Just like right now, Wilder and his crew, built solely on Bronze Barbarians, were virtually doing all this work for nothing but Lucy''s grace and to keep their tribe safe.


    Although it appeared, there was no racial factor included in the epic ins. In truth, no one can change one''s love for their own kind, and only those absolutely cold-blooded individuals can let it go, and the Barbarians race rarely had such individuals.


    "Tell me, Killer 4, do you find our rat?" A Barbarian with a bald head questioned while he surveyed the pitch-ck depth of the ocean.


    "Negative, Alpha Killer. But this sure is the ce where the sensors picked up thest movement of our rat. Awaiting your furthermand." A deep voice rang from the killer sub''s interface controller.


    The bald barbarian frowned before he instantly made a decision, "We are using the Net-4 formation in an eight-kilometer radius. Keep an eye out for changes in water current. If this rat is still alive, I want it found, and if he''s dead, I want his corpse."


    "Roger!"


    Seven voices rang in unison after hearing the Alpha Leader''smand, and those eight killer subs started to head in a straight line.


    When the eight of them were a mile apart from each other, a virtual map was built in each of the sub''s interfaces.


    "Alright, let''s find this son of a bitch and go back and have drinks! This ce is damn suffocating." The Alpha Killer chuckled with a cold expression.


    "Heh, it seems Alpha Killer has finally decided to be generous for once." A woman''s voice rang in a joking manner.


    Everyoneughed while the Alpha killer merely snickered and started to control the sub and move forward, and the seven others moved in sync with him. As they all moved forward, the virtual map kept blinking.


    Jacob was now over a mile away from those killer subs and suddenly noticed they were alling his way, but they were no longer together. So, he didn''t think much of it since the closest killer sub to him was over a hundred meters away from his current position, so he thought it would only brush past him.


    But he still underestimated the Advanced Epic Technology under the three hegemonies'' control.


    The moment that killer submarine aligned with Jacob''s slowly moving figure, the virtual map within all the subs suddenly showed a red dot.


    The Alpha Killer''s eye shed with derision as he sneered, "We have eyes on the prize, everyone!"


    "What a sneaky little rat. Let''s suffocate him to death!" Another one chortled in disdain.


    "Let''s not alert the cunning fellow. I have locked the Life Radar on his life signal. Let''s cage him following formation four and then end it with kill maneuver two. I don''t want any problems, or it will be me and your ass!" The Alpha Killer scoffed with a joking tone.


    They were all close as family, so they always joked around with each other, and now that they had found their target, they werepletely at ease, as if it was already under their control.


    However, they have no idea what or who they''re dealing with. Their carefree attitude was also because they all, or everyone, in fact, knew that within the epic star ocean, nothing but epic could enter.


    Since this unknown being could enter the epic star ocean, then this means it was epic, and they didn''t need to worry about him at all, for they were eight, and they had terrifying firepower under their thumbs!

 Chapter 369 In Dire Straits! (6)

    After a few minutes, Jacob suddenly noticed something. The light of the submarine suddenly went off, and all of a sudden, he felt a faint change in the water current around him.


    ''What are they up to?'' Jacob was fully alert as he knew this was simply too strange, and a strange fear suddenly gripped his heart.


    Without hesitation, he quickly summoned Immortika since this was exactly the situation he was saving it for and quickly asked about who was around him. The answer he got was something he clearly didn''t want to see.


    "Hehehe, isn''t this the same situation where you escape from the frying pan only to found yourself in the middle of a fire?


    "There are five Epic Tier-7 and three Epic Tier-8 Bronze Barbarianspletely surrounding you, and they are closing in fast, and I must say they mean business! Ahahah¡­!"


    ''I''ve been discovered?!''


    With a nasty expression, he used fluid eleration to intensify his reflexes even more. He was finally able to see a vague light in this darkness and not only just one but three more, and they were all slowly moving in none other than his direction, just as Immortika stated!


    rmed, Jacob had no idea just how they were able to spot him too swiftly, and he felt even more fearful of those subs.


    Nevertheless, he knew it wasn''t the time to mull over this, and he had to find a way to escape this situation and quickly.


    ''Since they can detect me despite the bronze disk stealth and this darkness, then I need more than speed to throw them off my tail. In the end, I was still not prepared enough, or should I say I made a terrible enemy¡­'' Jacob thought bitterly, but he was quickly able to calm down.


    He has no regret for what he did in the rare ins, and as long as he can, he will do it all over again if his life is threatened by someone.


    Now Jacob thought of his other option.


    ''Now that I''m running out of options, I should make a move first before those guys.'' Jacob coldly thought before he selected the closest submarine to him and moved towards it at full speed.


    The Killer Submarine''s crew naturally saw Jacob''s sudden movement, and the Alpha Killer sneered coldly, "Killer 5, the rat is spooked and nowing to bite you. You have permission to use the rat killer!"


    "It seems this rat is not our normal gutter rat but a more cunning house rat! But I also don''t care about destroying the entire house to kill it!" Killer 5 coldly snickered, and everyone else alsoughed.


    They were now thinking that it was already over and soon they would be able to head back.


    However, the Alpha Killer''s eyes suddenly narrowed, and he quicklymanded, "His speed is still increasing, don''t let our guard down!"


    "Don''t worry, Alpha Killer, even if a small meteorite hit the Killer Sub. It can still handle that impact." Someone confidently dered, and others also agreed.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Jacob was finally able to see the shark-like killer submarine, and he instantly spotted two heavy machine guns and eight small missiles on two of its fins.


    Furthermore, they were all locked in Jacob''s direction, and without any warning, the machine gun suddenly started to spit fire, catching Jacobpletely off guard!


    ''Water magic bullets?!'' Jacob wasn''t a fool as he was instantly able to spot the purple sheen on those iing bullets.


    He was very familiar with the magic bullets, and he knew these bullets were extremely deadly in special environments. Like right now, in water, a water element magic bullet can hit a target without losing its velocity because of the water mass. Simply put, they will work inside the water like they worked out in the open!


    Furthermore, those bullets were at least intermediate epic grade, and Jacob couldn''t dodge all of them, especially when he was in the water. Not to mention, each of those machine guns was firing two hundred bullets per second!


    Even with Jacob''s reaction speed, it was already toote to use some countermeasure, and those bullets hit him, and he was only able to save his head by blocking them with his hands.


    However, somethingpletely unexpected happened. Even though those bullets managed to prate his advanced rare-grade windbreaker and clothes easily, they weren''t able to pierce through his skin!


    ''The advanced epic-grade armor!'' Jacob instantly rejoiced when he remembered the skin armor he wore before diving.


    However, the force behind those bullets was no joke. They instantly pushed him back, not to mention, despite not getting prated by those bullets, they still hurt like a dog bite whenever they hit on his skin.


    Jacob almost suffered this sort of pain for 2000 rounds, and he felt his internal organs were allpletely jumbled up, and even blood started to trickle from his orifice.


    However, he was still alive, and that''s what mattered to him the most, or if he hadn''t worn that armor, there would be thousands of holes in his body.


    All he wanted to do was toe close enough to the sub so he could see the pilot because it was necessary to cast a hex.


    But he never expected this kind of firepower awaits him the moment he got closer, and now he was barely conscious, and every single part of his body hurt like hell. Furthermore, he was out of breath as well, and with all those injuries, his situation was quite critical!


    At this moment, he saw the submarineing closer toward him, probablying to check if he was dead or alive.


    ''No, I can''t just die or be captured again!'' Jacob gritted his teeth as he endured and tried to keep himself stable as possible and let the submarinee closer!


    "I think the rat is exterminated. Just heading there to confirm. Oh, I wanna ask, will the Leader mind if we delivered a corpse filled with holes?" A young barbarian with short hair questioned jokingly as head toward Jacob''s floating body.


    However, his confident expression suddenly crumbled when he shed a light over his body, and his eyes dted in shock!

 Chapter 370 In Dire Straits! (7)

    However, his confident expression suddenly crumbled when he shed a light over his body, and his eyes dted in shock!


    Because the moment, the ''corpse'' was holding a sniper rifle with a long barrier, which looked more like a slender cannon barrel, and it was pointing at the submarine, and he was just done loading the magazine filled with glowing bullets.


    Before Killer 5 could react after snapping out of his initial shock, Jacob had already pulled the trigger and shot the first atomic bullet from the Iron Titan Sniper Rifle!


    The distance between the sub and the rifle barrel was around three to four meters, and the atomic bulletnded directly at the pointy head of the shark-like Killer Submarine.


    "Booomm!"


    A massive explosion happens underwater, and it creates powerful water waves which send Jacob flying like a broken kite. He was barely able to stow away the rifle and take as less damage as possible, and it was all because he was still in the depth of the ocean.


    Nevertheless, that atomic bullet was something at the level of an Advanced Epic Magic Bullet or even more powerful. After firing it from that distance, Jacob felt all the organs in his body jumbled up even more badly.


    After vomiting a huge mouth full of blood, Jacob was nowpletely out of breath, and he couldn''t hold it anymore, so without carrying about anything, he used the bronze disc. He started to pierce toward the surface while barely holding on to his stubborn will to live!


    On the other hand, the crew also heard the massive explosion as they could clearly feel the shock waves pushing their subs behind.


    The formation also seemed to be broken of this, and they all lost sight of Jacob.


    However, they were more concerned about theirrade, Killer-5, because when the explosion happened, they lost the signal of his sub.


    "Killer 5, what is your current status? What happened just now? Answer me, damn it!" Alpha Killer had a very ugly expression as he never expected this sort of situation to arise.


    Furthermore, by that explosion''s aftermath, he could tell it was not just any random explosion but a terrifying one created with technology on par with Killer Submarines.


    Now he no longer dared to underestimate the enemy they were hunting, and it was even more clear that it was not just any random sea beast either but an intelligent being like them.


    "I-I''m fine. Just slightly dizzy, and my body aches all over¡­" Killer-5''s grunted in a hoarse voice at this moment, and the connection was reestablished again, which made Alpha Killer sigh in relief.


    "What just happened?" He coldly questioned with a hint of killing intent.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I was shot at by a powerful bullet, and it has to be an Advanced Epic Grade, and so was the gun. Because it left a crack in my sub, and if I was shot again in the same spot, I''m afraid I''ll be nothing but a roasted lump of meat!" Killer-5 stated with a hint of fear.


    "Not only that rat managed to escape alive after taking the full volley of my machine guns, but he even yed dead and waited for me toe closer before using that trump card.


    "However, I don''t think he''s in that good shape either, especially after taking that sort of explosion without any cover from that closer, not to mention he should be at least wounded by my previous attack, or he would''ve stayed to finish me off.


    "I think he had taken advantage of the explosion and fled. We need to finish him off. Moreover, I think this is the target we''ve been searching for all this time!"


    Alpha Killer''s eyes were deadly cold as he nodded faintly before he stated in a grave voice, "Sent the Red Goal Signal back to the main ship. Let''s show this prick it''s not easy to run away after wounding a barbarian!"


    Jacob had no idea what wasing as right now, what he wanted was a breath of air, and he was still over a mile away from reaching the surface.


    Nevertheless, his bloodshot eyes werepletely opened as he was moving upward while leaving a faint crimson in the clear water.


    Jacob knew he needed to treat himself and to do it, he needed to remain conscious when he reached the surface, or it will all be over for him. He was also sure that those guys would being after him with their full force now.


    If he had known that Killer-5 escaped alive after he used the atomic bullet, he would''ve been even more agitated to escape the ocean quickly.


    On the surface, Wilder, followed by Mayson, entered the main ship control room after he received the news about the potential target''s appearance in the depth of the ocean, and he even managed to escape the killer subs while almost destroying one in the process.


    The operators all looked at Wilder with cold eyes like hungry wolves who were ready to go on a hunt. They were all aimlessly wandering in this ce for almost two years now.


    Now that their potential target has appeared, this means as long as they can put him down, they can return to thefort of their families and also earn a huge lump sum in the process.


    Wilder solemnly looks at his people, who have been following him for years now, and they are all loyal to him. He coldly dered, "I know you all have already heard what happened down there, so I don''t need to tell you just what kind of person we''re dealing with.


    "But I also know no one here is afraid of the danger, but you all are all worried about our woundedrade''s safety and wellbeing and want to make his assant pay the bloody price.


    "No one had ever managed to escape after assaulting a Bronze Barbarian League Member, and I''m nning to keep it that way. Because now it''s not just a mission, but it''s personal! Let''s start this manhunt without ado and st this son of bitch into a million pieces!"

 Chapter 371 In Dire Straits! (8)

    At this moment, with arge ssh, something shot out from the ocean, but strangely no physical object could be seen.


    It was naturally Jacob in stealth, but his condition was extremely terrible as he panted crazily while, with every breath, blood mixed with water gushed out from his mouth.


    Without hesitation, he entered 20X eleration and started to eat anything with high nutrition value in his pendant¡ªmostly healing pills and potions they had prepared for this sort of situation.


    Combined with his eleration, his body heals at a very high speed with high digestion, and he starts to feel rejuvenated.


    While healing, he also takes out the nine-star rare magic core of the dark beings he had limated in the rare ins and started to replenish his mana.


    Jacob was doing all this because he was being surrounded byrge ships, and he knew his invisibility was nothing but a joke against those high-level anti-stealth apparatuses. But he didn''t stop using it anyway because no can see how fast he was recovering both physically and magically.


    It wasmon knowledge that no one could recover mana directly from a magic core without processing it into a magic gem first. This ability seemed to be onlymon within the holders of growth-type magic cores, like Autarch and Jacob.


    Or it might have some more depth to it, and Jacob can''t be sure until he has more data on it.


    Within a few moments, Jacob had consumed over half of his precious medicine reserve, and he was finally able to breathe normally, and his body stopped itching. However, the pain from the inner organs was still there but not as bad as before.


    "How many?" Jacob looked at Immortika and coldly asked while he looked at the surrounding ships. There were around 40 in total, and all of their cannons were locked right on him.


    "Hehehe, do you really want to know? Well, let''s go with ''too many'' for you right now!" Immortika wrote.


    Jacob didn''t ask again as that ''too many'' was already enough to tell him just what kind of situation he was dealing with.


    Wilder''s cold voice suddenly rang from the biggest ship at this moment, "Show yourself. We know you''re using some stealth spell or treasure. But I''m afraid it''s not enough to hide from our detectors.


    "I''ll give you a chance to state your name before I kill you with everything I got here. You have five seconds to decide whether you want to die like a nameless dog or like a warrior!"


    In truth, Wilder wanted to confirm Jacob''s identity and matched it with the target''s description because there was still a possibility that this was not the target but some other unlucky fellow who was spooked by their perimeter and wanted to pass through them stealthily.


    But he can''t be sure unless Jacob stops using the stealth since all they can see is Jacob''s red silhouette in their advanced epic-grade anti-stealth scanners, not his true appearance.


    Nevertheless, even if Jacob wasn''t the target, those bronze barbarians won''t spare him because Jacob almost killed one of their own, and their kind was very protective of each other.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Now, now, aren''t you being too unreasonable with an innocent passer-by, Leader Wilder?" A snickering voice as imposing as Wilder rang in the vicinity, and the next moment, multiple submarines started to appear around the bank''s ships.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he spotted the familiar symbol of the Alchemy Guild on those submarines, ''Why is she helping me? What I''m missing!''


    Jacob was even more perplexed about this whole situation. First, Lucy wasing for his life too strongly, as if she wanted him dead at all costs despite the fact he didn''t offend her that badly.


    Unless he had killed her close, kind unknowingly in the rare ins, this whole situation didn''t make sense, and he knew the chance of it happening was very low, but it was still there nheless.


    But what truly made Jacob perplexed was Ellie''s involvement in this, as she clearly had ulterior motives of her own, and she seemed to be equally motivated to make sure he won''t die at Lucy''s hands.


    Now those reinforcements from the Guild were evidence of it, and Jacob was sure there was something extremely wrong going on with these two powers shing with each other like this, and for some unknown reason, he seemed to be the cause of it.


    Nevertheless, Jacob''s top priority was to escape this damn ce, and he didn''t trust the guild at all with it. Furthermore, after what happened down the ocean, Jacob had a pretty good idea of how he could pull this off.


    Although this n was extremely dangerous, he was willing to take the risk because this was the only way, and he got confidence from the advanced epic-grade armor he was wearing.


    On the other hand, Wilder and crew suddenly wore nasty expressions when they heard the jeering voice, which was simply too familiar to them.


    "Ephraim, what is a bibliomaniac like you doing in the middle of the star ocean? Shouldn''t you be closed in yourb and crafting magic scrolls for your guild?" Wilder coldly uttered with a hint of killing intent in his voice.


    Within the submarine, a graceful elf with pale white skin and blond hair was holding a wine ss in his hand while he sat in the captain''s seat in the main control room. He was Ephraim, one of the few Advanced Elder Grandmasters present in the Alchemy Guild!


    Hearing Wilder''s grim voice, he couldn''t but smile disdainfully and responded, "My, my, Wilder, are you still angry about Yours Truly banning your Bronze Barbarian Race from acquiring any magic scroll crafted by Yours Truly? But you can''t me me since you guys are simply too unreasonable, not to mention hical and old-fashioned."


    A thick vein popped out on Wilder''s forehead when he heard Ephraim''s disdainful voice, and the other bronze barbarians were also fuming with hatred at this moment.


    However, before he could reply, a barbarian suddenly shouted, "Leader, the target has started moving. But before that, he had dropped four small objections in the ocean!"


    Just his voice trailed off; the entire ship suddenly rocked forth and back before the calm surface of the ocean suddenly started to climb!

 Chapter 372 In Dire Straits! (9)

    When the two groups were busy shouting insults at each other, Jacob took full advantage of this situation. He knew these people no longer considered him a threat and only a caged animal who they could kill or release on a whim.


    However, he was more like a ticking time bomb, and unless they had a crew like Captain Free Sword orpletely suppressed his movements, they couldn''t fully subdue him, and he would not remain sitting and do nothing either.


    Jacob throws some more pills into this mouth, and the magic core has already been turned into a pile of sand in his hand after replenishing his mana for 10% capacity.


    The next moment, four glowing atomic grenades appeared in his hand, and with deadly intent in his eyes, he activated them all and then threw them down.


    Without hesitation, Jacob used full power to fuel the bronze disc and started to fly upward. He knew better than anyone that just one of those atomic grenades was enough to blow up a city around a hundred miles radius into oblivion, and he had used four of them at once. Furthermore, each of those grenades was highly radioactive.


    Jacob had created ten of them for just this sort of situation, but he never expected to use four of them all, not even in the epic ins.


    Nevertheless, this was his only chance to escape these people because he noticed that when the atomic bullet hit the sub, the explosion had thrown their tracking off, and he was sure it was because of the radioactive waves generated from the plutonium.


    Now he wanted to achieve the same thing, but on a massive scale and for as long as possible, and if he had to take the risk of being the center of this madness, he was willing to do it!


    On Jacob''s body, another full-body ck outfit appeared. It was covering his face as well, and not even a strand of his hair was out in the open. This outfit was made with lead (Pb-82) just to protect himself from this sort of situation where he can''t handle the radiation.


    After just five seconds of Jacob dropping the four atomic grenades into the ocean, a massive brightness suddenly went off in the blue ocean, followed by an instantly strong sonic wave, and then it was like an apocalypse had arrived!


    The water level instantly rose, but it was being incinerated at the same time because the temperature instantly rose like a volcano.


    All the ships present in the vicinity werepletely overturned by this unexpected situation, and it was just a split-second detail of what happened.


    Because with a second, the brightness had already started to cover the water at a terrifying speed while the thick smoke was still rising higher and higher.


    Even Jacob, who has a head start, was almost instantly enveloped by the insanely high-temperature green smoke cloud, which has nowhere near its peak state yet.


    Jacob had naturally never been in the middle of an atomic explosion of four atomic bombs before, and he only presumed everything by his knowledge. But only after when he caught up in the explosion did he understand just how terrible this idea had been!<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Because even with all his preparation, he was thrown off his course by the sheer shockwave, and the lead outfit he was wearing started to melt! Now Jacob was just like a hair in the middle of ave storm!


    Meanwhile, the explosion was so massive that it could be heard from even thousands of miles, and the rising mushroom cloud was so enormous that it could be seen by the natives of the epic ins who live closer to the coastal areas.


    Even faint tremors started to run through thends before massive tilde waves started to rise, and the situation was just starting to escte.


    Captain Free Sword and his crew also experienced the aftermath more than anyone since they were not that far away from the epic star ocean.


    They even thought they were under attack, but when they all saw the glowing mushroom cloud on the horizon and massive tilde wavesing in their way while the temperature was rising with every second, they were rmed!


    Captain Free Sword''s expression was extremely solemn as he said to Harold, "Someone has just used a Unique Grade Radioactive Explosive. Find out if our spokesperson is still alive or not. He better be wearing that armor, or without it, it would be a huge waste of resources. If he''s alive, have him investigate who has this sort of explosive might under their control and why they used it in this ce!


    "It seemed we have underestimated the Epic ins, and it won''t be easy to achieve our goal." His lips suddenly rose in a ghastly smile as he saw the massive tilde wave fully enveloping his ship without any hint of panic, "This ce might be worth plundering as well¡­"


    Just as his voice trailed off, the tilde wave fully swallowed the ship, but just a moment before that, a dark blue barrier appeared around the ship.


    The authorities of the Epic ins were also alerted by this massive explosion and its repercussion, and they quicklyunched an investigation.


    But two parties have some idea what this explosion might be and where it has happened.


    Lucy wore a grave expression as she was looking at her star watch, and a recording of the coastal areas being ravaged by the tidal waves and a massive mushroom cloud covering the entire sky was being posted on the star news.


    "Did that old pervert take action personally?" She muttered with a hint of trepidation.


    But Lucy didn''t know even Ellie and Nelsen''s expressions were not much different than hers right now while they were also watching the videos on the news.


    Ellie muttered in bewilderment at this moment while she looked at her equally startled father and asked, "D-did you sell one of your bombs to that bitch behind my back?!"

 Chapter 373 A Strange Mystery (1)

    A week after the mysterious explosion has gone off in the boundary of epic star ocean.


    Thereby, both the ocean and surrounding areas were filled with poisonous smog, and the climate was also changed, and it was still escting towards the other areas.


    This change also started to affect the people living closer to the star ocean, especially anyone below the rare rank.


    A meeting was being called between the three hegemonies'' upper echelon to discuss this matter, and everyone wanted to know just what caused this explosion and the reason behind it.


    In the end, the statement published by the three hegemonies was that it was the work of the terrorist organization, the Killer Skull Society, which has been quite proactivetely, and they will do everything to uproot them for their heinous crimes against the people.


    However, on the same day, the Killer Skull Society condemned this statement and called this a sham of the three hegemonies to mislead themon public and put the me on them for hiding their own dirty business.


    The people could feel the tension suddenly starting to rise in the Alive ins, especially when the in trials were going to descend on them soon.


    Within a spacious room, Lucy, in a ck dress and veil, was sitting on the edge of a triangr table while on the other edge was Nelsen.


    Lastly, on thest edge, there was a massive giant sitting in a massive chair with iron-colored skin, and a terrifying aura was emitting from him. He was Gunnar, the Epic ins'' Zodiac Warrior Alliance Chairman!


    Gunnar wore a grim expression on his giant square shape face, which had battle scars that gave him an even fiercer look, and his long bronze hair was draped over his armed shoulder.


    His dark gray eyes were filled with exasperation and fury as he looked at the other two, who seemed to be in some sort of staring contest.


    "Now, I want to know why I helped you cover that incident up!" His heavy voice rang at this moment, and there was powerful oppression behind it.


    Nelsen wore his usual jolly smile as he looked at Gunnar and said coolly, "Dear Chairman, it''s not like I want to hide it from you. It''s just that I don''t even know myself."


    "Hmph!" Gunnar snorted, creating a small sock wave in the air before he coldly said, "Do you take me for a fool? Do you both think I don''t know about all the people you two have been putting in the boundary of epic star oceantely? And now the explosion seemed to be also originated from there as well.


    "Although I don''t care about a little skirmish between us or even a small asional battle. But this time, you two have gone too far by using a radioactive explosive, and this has affected almost all of our operations near the star ocean!"


    Lucy finally spoke in her melodious yet impassive voice, "I can assure you, Chairman, that explosive wasn''t used by us at all. Instead of doubting me, you should question President Nelsen here, who is proficient and in control of all the radioactive weaponry."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Nelsen didn''t even flinch after Lucy''s acquisition and smilingly replied, "Don''t twist the words, Miss Manager. It''s Nuclear Power, not Radioactive Weaponry. And I can prove that I''m not the only one who has been researching nuclear power alone.


    "Miss Manger here has a fully operative nuclear research center, and she also seemed to be the one developing this so-called radiative weaponry there. If you want, I can show you, Chairman. It''s been quite a while since we had a stroll in the Forsaken Swamp."


    Lucy''s expressionless eyes suddenly shimmered with shock before killing intent shed past them as she looked at Nelsen''s smiling face, who appeared to be more like a devil now.


    Gunnar couldn''t help but say in exasperation, "I''m not asking about the development of the weapon, but I''m asking why it was being used and in such a massive quantity on top of that!


    "If the news reached the authorities'' ears, we all know we''ll be under massive heat from our affiliated powers. I''m not interrogating you both but inquiring as an old friend and associate.


    "But if you don''t make it clear right now, I''ll treat it as discretion and a threat to my own power. And I don''t need to tell you, for both of you know how I handle threats." He squinted his eyes before a mountain-like aura suddenly emitted from him and bloodlust filled with air as he icily uttered, "Now tell me, are you both threat to me?"


    Despite Nelsen and Lucy''s arrogance and their wits, they didn''t dare to underestimate the giant sitting with them as he was not a pushover, not by a long shot.


    Gunnar was in his position as the Alliance Chairman not because of his wits but his brute strength, and his title as the Strongest Living Epic wasn''t for show either.


    The Alliance only respected strength. Gunnar was respected and revered by his peers in the alliance, and even the Guild and the Bank didn''t dare to get on his bad side.


    "Hahaha, you haven''t changed, old Gunner. But as I said before, I don''t know what happened there at all. The only thing I managed to know from my people present there at that time is Miss Manger''s people seemed to be blocking someone''s way and pushing that person too far, and he ended up taking drastic measures.


    "If you don''t believe me, you can interrogate Ephraim yourself. He should be here by the next evening. I guess Miss Manger''s people would also be back, and she''s the one who can tell us about the entire picture." Nelsen sighed helplessly as he turned the gun barrel toward Lucy again.


    Gunner looked deeply at Nelsen and then at Lucy with a stern expression. Since Nelsen has given him the authority to interrogate someone like Ephraim, one of Nelsen''s students, then he was most likely telling the truth this time around.


    Lucy really wanted to strangle Nelsen to death at this moment as this wily old bastard could always talk his way out of such situations and even appear like a victim.


    She finally spoke in an icy tone, "I''m bound by Zodiac Oath Contract and can''t reveal much. But I didn''t use any radioactive weapon. You can also check with Wilder for more details. I only know as much as President here!"

 Chapter 374 A Strange Mystery (2)

    After the meeting between the three peak individuals was done, Gunner left, and Nelsen was about when he was confronted by Lucy.


    "Miss Manager, you are blocking my way so sneakily, people might have some misunderstanding if they saw us, and at my age, I don''t want any rumors about us going around¡­" Nelsen righteously stated.


    However, Lucy wasn''t having the wily old fox''s fake yapping and cut him short in a cold manner, "Cut the crap and tell me, was that Faceless Ancient?"


    Lucy was really going mad about thinking how Jacob was able to escape her trap so quickly, but she couldn''t be so sure since no one had managed to see that person''s face because he was using some stealth spell or technology.


    But if it was indeed him, and she was about 70% sure that it was him because of the Alchemy Guild''s interference, then not only he appeared so close to the epic ins, he even had atomic explosives on him.


    If she had known earlier that Jacob was this capable, she wouldn''t take that bet even if someone threatened her life.


    Nevertheless, the danger now seemed to be over since no one who had taken that kind of st without any solid protection like the advanced-grade ships and multiple magic barriers would''ve survived it, even if it was a peak-rank epic.


    Of course, even if there were a chance of survival for a peak-rank epic, the beasts within the ocean or mere suffocation would finish them off.


    That''s why the atomic weapons were treated so carefully by the epic ins, and the Guild was not very keen on giving away this technology to the epic ins right now.


    The knowledge they had was all bought by the champion shop in the past, and Nelsen was the biggest winner since he was the only qualified person to use that knowledge. Just for this sole reason, Nelsen was dreaded existence by the likes of Lucy.


    Yet, now someone other than Nelsen appeared to be in possession of the same technology, which could literally cause massive destruction and disrupt the entire alive ins'' peace.


    That was also why Gunner was on edge, and Lucy was no different. But she was even more worried about this mysterious person being the Faceless Ancient since if by any god-forbid change he''d survived, she won''t be able to sleep with such an enemy walking around freely.


    She was also sure Nelsen wouldn''t give away that sort of weapon to Jacob so that he could win that bet because it was in the contract that Nelsen couldn''t interfere in this entire bet, nor he can use anyone or anything.


    So, this could only mean Jacob''s rise from themon ins was not normal, and he might have stumbled upon some sort of legacy that also seemed to have the knowledge of atomic weapons.


    Last but not least, if this person was really Jacob, then he was not only her problem but also Nelsen and Ellie''s because he would hold as much grudge against them as he does with Nelsen and Ellie.


    Although it looks like Nelsen doesn''t care about anyone else but himself, Lucy knows it is not true at all, and the only weak spot he has is Ellie, his daughter, and he will do anything to make sure no harm will ever reach her even if there was only a remote chance of it.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Nelsen naturally knew better than anyone that the person was indeed Jacob, and despite not showing it on the surface, he was already fully alert by this Nobody''s capability.


    Even he had underestimated him, and if he knew Jacob held such knowledge or weapons, he would''ve made friends with him instead of treating him like a puppet. But s, it was toote, and the chance was gone, and now it was time to be serious.


    But Lucy was not included in the list of the people he cared about, so he won''t reveal anything to her.


    He smiled before he said meaningfully, "What Faceless Ancient? I''m not familiar with any person named Faceless Ancient. I''m just a retired old man who you people refuse to let go of. Sigh¡­ my life is really full of misery, and I''ll die one day for the greater good of all being¡­ sigh¡­"


    He sighed ruefully before he walked away without caring about Lucy''s reaction, which was as dark a pit.


    But she didn''t stop him or say anything as she already got her answer. He was not going to reveal anything to her.


    Nevertheless, this didn''t mean she had run out of options, and it was still unclear if that guy was even alive or not. Although it looks like she had summoned back her people, it was just a half-truth!


    ---


    On an unknown location of the Epic ins.


    S-0, behind her mask, was looking at the projection of a masked man who was wearing a dark cloak and hood.


    "Why is the result of your investigation?" She asked impassively.


    "Truth be told, my Lady, this entire event is too strange. The three hegemonies had never acknowledged us before and didn''t bother even to call out our name. But now they have put all the mes for that explosion on us.


    "I''m sure something is going on with the explosion, and it might be just the thing we need to have some influence on the Epic ins. But the problem is even our top spies have no idea what is going on, and this seemed to be between the three leaders of the hegemonies!" The masked man replied respectfully.


    S-0 squinted her eyes before she coldly asked, "Then what about the other matter I have assigned you?"


    This time the masked man lowered his head and said meekly, "After ourst attempt had been disrupted by someone, we haven''t been able to find any traces of him. I''m afraid the gap caused by the unknown disruption was too big, and our target might have already left the Rare ins!"

 Chapter 375 Death Will Never Stop Following Me…

    The Epic Star Ocean was now filled with faint green mist, which was not natural but toxic, and the closer someone went toward the boundary of the Star Ocean, the thicker this mist would be.


    Even the marine beasts were avoiding these areas and migrating toward the clear and radiation-free waters of the epic star ocean.


    At this moment, something invisible seemed to be flying within the radioactive mist, leaving behind strong after waves. They were heading toward the western coasts of the Alive ins and only a hundred miles away from it.


    This person was naturally Jacob in stealth over the gray disc. However, if someone sees him right now, they would definitely take him as a toxic zombie.


    Because his skin was greenish, crumbly, and charred, not even a trace of hair was present on his face, which now has no skin as if it was peeled off by removing something, and he looked extremely spooky without any eyelids, lips, nose, or ears, even worse than a zombie. Even his amber eyes were now filled with green and red veins.


    But the strangest thing was his body looked still fine as he still wore his windbreaker and pants.


    However, Jacob knew better than anyone that the skin of his hands showing right now was not his actual skin but the armor''syer. His actual skin was just like his bald head right now, but not as bad.


    Although he managed to escape alive from that explosion, the price he had to pay for it was something he wasn''t expected. Not only every other clothing, included his mask has been melted within a few minutes of that explosion, but it almost took his life as well.


    If not for his fluid eleration to continue to function his body system at high speed and turn those medicines into nutrition, he won''t havee out of that explosion alive after only being poisoned and losing his face skin.


    Nevertheless, his will to live was as tenacious as ever, and he didn''t lose consciousness that day and continued to try to escape because if he did, he''d never wake.


    The only thing he lost that day was the bronze disc, but he didn''t care and started to chunk down everything and anything he had in his space rings or pendant. He had prepared and always replenished his supplies, and now it hase in extremely handy and be the main factor in keeping himself alive.


    But the problem was, with fluid eleration and his cursed heart, he could only hold back the poison from killing him for some time. The only good news was that he had been able to hold off this long because his cursed heart seemed to bepletely fine from the radiation poisoning.


    Yet the rest of his body wasn''t at that point yet, and his skin and eyes, as well as his internal organs, were at the breaking point, and if he didn''t find something to get rid of the poison fully, he''d die sooner thanter.


    This poison was also the main reason his body wasn''t healing properly. If it were under the capacity of his healing capability, he would''ve been already healed with how much he had consumed already.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Now, he was already on his final stash of food and medicine, even herbs, and he was sure he wouldn''t get any help the moment he arrived at the epic ins.


    Instead, he didn''t dare to contact anyone or use his star watch anymore because he was afraid of getting found out again, and he was in no condition to face or use the same method to run away again.


    So, the only method that came to Jacob''s mind was another suicidal method which might or might not work at all, but this was the only shot and at least worth trying.


    Looking at thends grow closer and closer, Jacob''s greenish eyes were filled with coldness and ruthlessness, ''I''ve be someone''s ve, and then almostmitted suicide just to live¡­ all this for what, just to reach those damnnds? Heh, no amount of preparations can beat the unknown, and no amount of happiness can get rid of the mental scar of the past¡­''


    Jacob felt extremely calm despite the pain and suffering he had been experiencing for days now. In fact, he sensed bing indifferent to that pain, and his mind was getting colder and calmer the more he felt it.


    Now that he was dancing on the edge of life and death, he experienced that running away from death would only make ite faster. But that was his goal; that''s why he needed a new approach, and a strange feeling started to rise in his heart and mind.


    Although he has no idea what sort of feeling this was but at least he could tell his humanity was slipping away, and he didn''t want to stop it. Instead, he wanted to embrace it and turn it into an empty vessel that could be filled with anything at his own behest.


    ''Death will never stop following me, and I will not stop running until I have the power to confront it. But before that, I need death to be somewhere I can see it but at a safe distance so it won''t sneak up abruptly¡­''


    Because of Jacob''s skinless face, it was hard to tell if he was sad or happy or justmenting at his own thoughts. But he knew if he managed to survive this, he''ll never be the same, and once he returned, he''ll be the death of those who made him this way!


    When Jacob was over ten miles away from thend, he stopped and looked down at the ocean again, which was still raging with strong waves.


    ''This much depth should be enough. I hope the water can help me push the poison out or at least provide me with pure oxygen to fight it. I always end up being distracted frompleting the Water Meditation for some strange reason.


    ''But this time, it''s my only hope for survival and prolonging my life, just like it once was in the past¡­''


    With a hint of nostalgia, the gray disc under his feet vanished, and he directly dived into the water before vanishing in its depth!

 Chapter 376 The Kingdom Of Doom

    Opposite to the Alive ins were the Dead ins, and unlike the Alive ins, which were ruled by three hegemonies together, the Dead ins were ruled by only one power or one Dark Being, to be exact, the King of Dead!


    The distribution of the Alive and Dead ins solely depended on the strength of both factions. But any intelligent being isparative by nature, especially if theparison is with the arch-enemy!


    That''s why both sides maintained a delicate equilibrium and controlled half of the Epic ins each and didn''t let each other further increase their territories.


    However, for Dark Beings, who basically live and grow by feeding on the living, peace was the least of the thing they wanted. That''s why they always try to invade the Alive ins no matter what and ughter everything that has life.


    It was the biggest reason the three hegemonies always needed manpower and strong forces to protect their borders.


    The Dark Beings were especially proactive during the time when the Life and Dead Zones were still deactivated, and they could easily invade the other side. It was a sort of period where they umted as many resources as they could before the in trial descended on the ins, and they were no longer able to enter the life zone.


    It was especially the case right now when there were only little over two years left before the trial ins were formed, and all the dark beings were restlessly attacking the borders of the Alive ins and killing anyone who came out of it by either force or their overwhelming numbers.


    The three hegemonies were no pushovers, and they were called the ''Hegemonies'' for a reason. The Epic ins were quite important to the Life Faction, and they put ample resources so they could win the trial ins.


    Nevertheless, the dead have no fear as they fight them day and night, and that''s why they are so terrifying.


    The Dead ins were filled with gloomy and cold atmospheres all year long, and they were more like wastnds and filled with strange but deadlyndscapes, and no one dared to venture into this ce without being absolutely prepared.


    The Dead ins were also known by another name by the natives; the Kingdom of Doom. In the center of the Kingdom of Doom was the Doom Capital, and in the very center of this capital was a magnificent dark pce enshrouded by faint mist, and here resides the King of Dead, Onyx!


    The King of the Dead, Onyx, was dreaded by everyone. Even a person like Gunnar didn''t dare to face him head-on, especially in the Doom Capital.


    Right at this moment, within the dark pce, there was a space filled with crimson mist, and two giant ck mes were flickering brightly, giving off a horrified feeling.


    The terrifying mes seemed to be focusing on the dark projection of a dark-cloaked being that had a ghost-like face with empty eye sockets, and there was no nose or mouth, and its skin was ghostly pale.


    "¡­ this concludes my report of recent strange events of the Alive ins, My Liege!" An eerie voice filled with reverence sounded from the ghost''s face before it bowed its head in front of the dark mes.


    Because those dark mes belonged to none other than the King of Dead, Onyx, and this ghost face was Onyx''s close aid, the Prime Minister of Dead, Draven!<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    After what happened in the epic star ocean on the side of the Alive ins, even the Dead ins were being effective, and unlike the Alive ins, those poisonous substances in the air and water were quite a weing thing for the dead, especially for the zombie race.


    But this didn''t mean they won''t investigate what the reason for this sudden change was, and it was quite easy for them to find out as well, as long as they grabbed a living and they also had another source of information.


    Draven could be said to be the mind of the Kingdom of Doom, and his reputation was no lower than Nelsen''s!


    But unlike Nelsen, who was only loyal to himself, Draven waspletely loyal to Onyx and also had the King''s full support. Furthermore, the King of Dead was not a pushover either but an extremely vile and willy fellow himself.


    The giant dark mes continued to flicker for some moment as if Onyx was mulling over something while Draven remained silent like a statue and waited patiently.


    Finally, Onyx''s corporeal voice, which sounded like a mixture of male and female, sounded "Curious. It seemed those live stocks had been fighting among themselves. But I''m also somewhat concerned about this weapon that has caused this mass destruction and changed nature itself.


    "I will remember to inquire about it from the High Beings. In the meantime, send out Dark Legion Number Eight and have themunch a full-scale attack on the western border. Let''s give them even more headaches.


    "What is the situation in the Rare ins? Did we find who annihted the previous overseer?" Onyx questioned.


    Draven thought for a bit before shaking his head, "We still don''t know about that strange event. It should''ve been easier after he conquered the living of that ce, and then all that was left him to do was to perform our mission. Yet he and his entire upper-level forces ended up dead.


    "Even the living has no idea about this, and the Dark City was long gone when the reinforcement arrived at that ce. Right now, the three hegemonies have taken more than half of the rare ins, and our armies are suffering. But it''s only a matter of time before everything falls into ce."


    "Then what about the target?" Onyx questioned again as the ck mes flickered madly.


    Draven trembled slightly before he kneeled down and prostrated in front of Onyx and dreadfully said, "I''m ashamed, my Liege, but we have lost the target, and he might not be on the rare ins at all!"


    The crimson mist around the space churned violently before the ck mes burned brightly.


    Onyx''s cold and furious voice sounded, "It''s not your fault, but that ipetent thrall who had lost our assets!"

 Chapter 377 A Distant Memory

    Closer to the western shorelines of the Epic Alive ins, because of the radioactive mist, no one dares or wants to wander around the ocean anymore.


    But if anyone were present, they would''ve been shocked because a massive whirlpool within the raging ocean had suddenly emerged a few hours ago, and for some reason, it kept growing!


    Right now, it was around five hundred meters wide, and the green mist above it was also turning into a whirlwind.


    However, the most shocking thing was at a depth of over 200 meters, a naked person was sitting cross-legged, and he was at the epicenter of the whirlpool. But not only was he not being effective in the least bit, his body and his skin seemed to be covered with ocean blue sheen.


    It was Jacob who had been under the water meditation for over 24 hours and under 240-G force!


    When Jacob starts the water meditation, he only does it for the sole purpose of either squashing the poison out of his body with water pressure and oxygen continuing to pump into his body or at least lessening the effect to buy him more time.


    But to Jacob''s surprise, as the hours passed, more pressure started to build, more and more oxygen started to gush into his body, and he felt the poison in his body slowly starting to lose effect.


    However, when he hit the 12th hour, a strange phenomenon urred. All of a sudden, he felt suffocated, and the reason for it was the clothes and armor he was wearing!


    Jacob quickly reacted and stowed away all the clothes, even his armor, into the pendant, and only then he felt that suffocating feeling goes away. But what happened next was what truly shocked him.


    Because this time, including oxygen, another thing started to seep into his body which was icy, and he knew it was hydrogen. When both element energies entered his body, he visibly felt the poison elimination be even faster.


    As time passed, Jacob''s pain, exhaustion, and anxiety started to fade away, and his mind was immersed in a strange state where he felt extremelyfortable. Moreover, the more he meditates, the pressure or urge to breathe bes distant from him.


    Now 24 hours had passed, and Jacob was nowpletely immersed in meditation, fully unaware of the ocean blue sheen or the massive whirlpool around him. Furthermore, right now, two types of energies have changed into only onefortable energy, which was strongly coursing through his body.


    Lastly, almost all his injuries, scars, skin, and hair has been mended, and Jacob waspletely unaware of it.


    At this moment, when he crossed the 24-hour threshold, a distant memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Within an office, a stern old man wearing a ck suit was looking at young Jacob in his early twenties wearing a casual outfit, and another handsome blond hair young man wearing a white attire.


    The old man looked at the young man in white, who had this peculiar smile on his handsome face, and spoke, "Sir, Leon, are you sure you want your friend to join the Underground Fighting Arena? Since he''s your friend, I don''t need to tell you the risks involved in this. Even his life will be in danger."


    The young man named Leon chuckled as he replied casually, "Don''t worry, Mr. V, my friend here knows the risks, and you might not believe it, but he''s a very talented fighter. It''s just that he''s a little bit rough. You could say he''s a diamond in the rough despite his age.


    "Furthermore, he''s a stubborn fellow, and despite me offering my help, he won''t take it. So, I have no other choice but to take him here. With your establishment, not only can he raise some cash, but I''m also hoping that you can take him as your Martial Student and teach him proper techniques and see how much he can learn."


    Mr. V''s old eyes narrowed slightly as a strange glint shed past his eyes, and he nced at Jacob, who was silent this whole time and wore a solemn expression, and he looked at Leon again.


    "It seems you have finally found a worthy friend Sir Leon. But despite my respect for your family and your grandfather, I can''t just take anyone as a student. How about this, if your friend can win ten straight fights in the arena, not only will I teach him martial arts but also my Deceptive Swords Style if he''s as talented as you imed him to be." Mr. V dered.


    Leon''s smile didn''t vanish but instead widened as if he was expecting it and then looked at Jacob, who had this determined look in his eyes, "What do you think, bro Jack? Mr. V here is a hidden master who is one of the top five fighters in our country, and if you can learn from him, you''ll be able to be a force to be reckoned with.


    "But I''m warning you, this will greatly disturb your studies in the University, and you might not even be alive to repay your debt. So, I''m asking you again to take my help and repay me when you can. You should know money is merely a number for me."


    Jacob looked at Leon, and he was really moved, but still, the determined look in his eyes didn''t vanish, and he said, "I''m very grateful for your help Leon, but you know me, I won''t take it unless I exhaust all my options. You have already done me a huge favor to introduce me to this, Sir, and I won''t lose face for you."


    Then he looked at Mr. V, who was calmly looking at him with a peculiar glint in his eyes, and Jacob said, "Thank you for giving me this chance. From my childhood, I always wanted to learn the art of martial arts, but my circumstances were not optimal for it.


    "Nevertheless, I have learned by watching some documentaries, and I have never failed in doing what I wanted, so please arrange the fights. I want toplete them all in 30 days!"


    Leon was smiling on the side while Mr. V couldn''t help but look at Jacob deeply before his lips rose a little, and he said, "Then let''s see what you got, little punk!"

 Chapter 378 The Water Meditations At Completion!

    ?


    Oblivious to the passage of time, Jacob was fully immersed in water meditation and crossed the 48-hour threshold!


    Now the whirlpool around has been expanding up to a one-mile radius, and the ocean blue sheen around his body suddenly starting to expand away from his body like a translucent bubble.


    When that translucent ocean blue bubble was around one meter in diameter around Jacob''s body, the water within the bubble suddenly started to turn into a sublime blue haze and instantly simmered into Jacob''s body!


    As the blue haze was entering Jacob''s body, the water around the bubble instantly gushed into the bubble and relished the haze at a terrifying speed.


    Within Jacob''s body, the infinity symbol-shaped, cursed heart was pulsing in a red glow, and within its one socket was resting the Hex Magic Core like a tiny crimson sun.


    However, at this moment, the glowing red pulse of his heart suddenly contained a hint of blue, and just like a starry sky, the moment this blue glow appeared, ethereal starry nerve channels suddenly started to light up in Jacob''s entire body!


    If anyone from the epic ns saw this phenomenon, they would instantly recognize it because these ethereal starry nerve channels were Magic Orbits!


    Normally these magic orbits remain invisible, and only by special means can they be revealed or even peered into. Typically, these magic orbits would only appear when a being of Star Rank Core was about to form an Epic Star Core.


    Because to further increased the rank of magic, one needed to activate the magic orbits in special sequences and even create special pathways within the magic orbits to reach higher ranks.


    Magic Orbits were also known for theirplexity, and they were said to be asplex as reality itself. The deeper one understands them; the more one would gain power and tap into unknowntent treasures. That''s where the magic scripturees into the picture.


    However, if anyone right now saw Jacob''s magic orbits, they would be dumbfounded because his Magic Orbits were crimson, and right where his heart was located, a glowing crimson star seemed to be connected with all the orbits. Not only that, but a tiny ck hole was on his sr plexus, and those magic orbits seemed to be avoiding it.


    But the shocking thing was, at this moment, those crimson orbits starting to turn into ocean blue, and expect the crimson star, they all turned blue!


    Normally, if someone already had a peculiar color of magic orbits, it was almost impossible to change unless they were a nker or used some extremely precious elixir or scripture.


    But one thing was the fact that there could never be more than one type of magic core present in one being. Even if someone wanted to form a new type of magic core, they needed to destroy the old one, which was akin to suicide if not done properly, yet there was still a chance to be a magic cripple for life.


    However, what happened afterward within Jacob''s magic orbits was unheard of because a few inches below his sr plexus where the ck hole was located, just under the spot of his belly button, an ocean-blue vortex started to form and started to shimmer brightly!


    Although it was still tiny, it just seemed like the crimson star on his heart spot, and it was bing brighter and denser by the second, albeit slowly, but it was happening.


    This was actually the process of the formation of a Magic Core!


    But it should be impossible because the crimson star was none other than Jacob''s Hex Magic Core, yet despite its presence, a new magic core was being formed, and the Hex Magic Core wasn''t bothered by it or the new core by it!


    As the ocean blue magic core was being formed, the water around Jacob started to swirl even more, and a strange aura started to emit from Jacob.


    After the 48-hour mark, with every extra hour, Jacob continues to meditate, the translucent bubble around him grows by an inch, and the blue haze bes denser.


    By the time Jacob was only a few minutes away from reaching the 72-hour mark, the bubble had already been expanding by 23 inches from its initial size, and the whirlpool was now 10 miles in size!


    Not only that, but if anyone stepped anyone near the area around the whirlpool, they would feel a massive change in gravity, and the closer they got, the more crushing pressure they would fall under.


    At this moment, Jacob''s entire body seemed to be covered in sublime blue crystal as he looked like a meticulously carved crystal statue, and only the infinity pendant on his body waspletely unaffected.


    When the final minute of the 72-hour started, the bright sky above the ocean suddenly experienced massive change as dark thunderclouds appeared, and almost instantly, it seemed stormy night had arrived!


    The whirlpool suddenly started to shake, and thend around as if something was going toe out by tearing the ocean.


    When the final second was over, the blue bubble suddenly churned, and almost instantly, it burst apart.


    But the moment it burst apart, a strange, terrifying phenomenon urred at the very same time, and like the bubble, the entire ocean around the radius of the whirlpool suddenly sted into the sky, unveiling the ocean''s surface.


    Jacob''s figure, who now appeared like a pristine crystal statue, has beenpletely unbothered by any of these changes happening around him was also revealed.


    The moment his statue-like figure came in contact with air, a terrifying aura rose, which was calm as water and deep like the ocean, and the membrane of crystal around him crumbled like a thinyer of ss and revealed his figure!


    Jacob''s look even more sublime than he ever had been, and his demeanor seemed to have also been undergone a strange change. His bright silver hair was now as long as his body, and the same goes for his beard.


    His eyelids suddenly trembled before they sprang open, revealing cold amber eyes which now contained a tint of fleeting blue color.


    Jacob looked at the massive crater within the ocean and the iing water wall, which wanted to cover the abrupt void in the ocean body.


    Suddenly, his lips curled up in a cruel smile before his tiny figure was crushed by the water wall!

 Chapter 379 The Zodiac Oath Contract

    ?


    At this moment, standing in front of multiple projection screens, Lucy''s cold eyes were filled with uncertainty.


    "So, none of you found anything except for some broken bronze pieces?" She coldly questioned while looking at the five people on the screens, and she did not sound satisfied at all.


    Those five had a helpless expression on their face, and then one of them with a reptile face and dark gray scales replied with a helpless tone, "Please forgive my insolence Lady Manager, but if you want to search for someone''s body after that sort of explosion and in the middle of Star Ocean at that, I think we are wasting our time."


    "I think that person who caused this explosion is long dead, and even if he had survived, unless he''s a marine beast, he would''ve suffocated in the ocean, and there are very high chances that some passerby ocean beast has already eaten him." A woman as beautiful as an elf with ebony skin also spoke in agreement with the statement made by the reptile face man.


    Not only her, but the reaming three also fully agreed because they all think this entire investigation was a fool''s errand and what they should be doing instead is preparation for the uing trial.


    But Lucy didn''t even seem to hear what they just said and questioned coldly, "Tell me, did the alchemy guild still there?"


    Wilder, who was also present in one of the projections, replied, "Yes, they are also searching like us."


    Wilder wanted the answers more than anyone else because his crew would have almost got annihted that day if that mysterious person had used two more of those explosives.


    But not only did he not get an exnation from Lucy, he even got berated and called ipetent by Lucy. In the end, he had to swallow his anger since Lucy didn''t do anything to his tribe or crew. Even she knew it wasn''t their fault at all.


    Nevertheless, they were all still curious about why in the world both the bank and the guild insisted on finding any clues about this guy. It was like they wanted to fully confirm whether he was dead or alive and won''t breathe a sigh of relief until they knew exactly that.


    But searching for a dead body that should be sted apart by that terrifying explosion in the middle of the star ocean, which was so close to the boundary of the boundless star ocean, was like searching a particr needle in the entire universe!


    Right at this moment, before Lucy could say anything, the five projections abruptly vanished, and the next moment, a glowing red interface appeared, and golden words were written in that red interface.


    SAAI''s static voice rang at this moment as she read those golden words for Lucy, who was looking at them like she had just seen a ghost.


    "[Zodiac Oath Contract between Lucy Gabriel and Ellie N. Elliot has been concluded!]


    "[ording to the uses set by both parties, if the ''Entity (Jacob Steve star ID: Faceless Ancient)'' made it to the Epic ins alone, Party A (Lucy Gabriel) will have to hand over theplete and without any alternation and original copy of the Scripture of nk to Party B (Ellie N. Elliot) within 24 hours!]


    "[Party A or Party B then no longer tell about the Scripture of nk to anyone or any content of this bet to anyone under any case. The moment any Party showed intent to vite any of these uses, SAAI has full authority to terminate them on the spot without any prior warning!]


    "[As the overseer of Zodiac Oath Contract, I hereby order Part A, Lucy Gabriel to fulfill your part of the contract within 24 hours or it will be taken as an act of vition of the Zodiac Oath Contract!]"


    Lucy was rooted in her ce. She continued to stare at the red interface and golden words for a long, long time in utter disbelief¡­


    ---


    At the same time, Ellie also got the same message, and unlike Lucy, she only fell into a short-term daze before ecstasy ran wild in her entire body.


    "I-I¡­ I finally beat that bitch!" She screamed, full of mirth. She never expected that she would be the one who came out on top in this bet and so quickly at that.


    Furthermore, she wanted to see Lucy''s ugly mug more than anything right now, but first, she quickly found her father, Nelsen, to give him this joyous news of her triumphed victory against her loathsome enemy.


    But when Nelsen heard the news, he didn''t seem that much thrilled as she expected him to be. Instead, he sighed and said gravely, "Although we won, it also meant that the Faceless Ancient had managed to escape that ghastly st and even reached the shores of the Epic ins within two weeks of the st.


    "This could only mean that he is far more terrifying than we all have expected him to be. Truth be told, I wanted him to be dead and get the Zodiac Oath Contract getting null instead.


    "This victory is not joyous until he is alive, and there is a chance of him finding out about this whole bet thing of yours." For someone who likes to joke with his daughter very much, his worried tone is evident in how much he takes Jacob seriously.


    Ellie also knew where Nelsen wasing from in all this, but she didn''t want to ruin her victorious feeling. She retorted, "Why are you so gloomily? Even if he has some means up his sleeve, he''s still a nobody of the lower ins. Besides, the one who attacked him and pushed him this far was that bitch, and I was the one who wanted to lend him a helping hand. So, he will go after her, which is by all means nothing but good news for me, and I even approve of it!"


    Nelsen sighed again, shaking his head, "That''s the thing, my little girl. Your involvement in this is simply too striking, and if he''s as intelligent as I think he is, he will not be going to forget about it. I think we need to work with the Bank this time around to contain this contingency, whether you like it or not!"

 Chapter 380 Stepping Into Epic Plains

    ?


    On the western shores of the Epic ins, a tall person suddenly walked out of the water in a leisurely manner while his long bright silver hair was dragging behind him before suddenly stopping a few meters away from the ocean.


    He looked at thends with his cold yet relieved amber eyes and suddenly inhaled deeply with his beard mouth, without caring about the faint radiation mist in the air before exhaling it out in a steady manner before a raspy voice rang, which sounded like a roar of ecstasy.


    "I''ve finally reached the damnable Epic ins!"


    This person with long hair and beard was naturally Jacob, as he was looking robust even more than before, and he was even three inches taller, and his body was even more refined and pristine.


    After his initial excitement and letting his pent-up voice out, he feels much better and returns to being tranquil. There was a strange difference about him, his breathing seemed to be extremely faint, almost nonexistent, and his eyes were far calmer and colder than they had ever been.


    The next moment, Jacob looked at his ridiculously long silky beard, and his short sword appeared in his hand. The next moment, he moved his hand, and his speed was nothing but terrifying within two seconds, the beard on his face was gone, revealing his peerless icy face, and he also cut off more than half of his hair and only kept about shoulder-length and finally worse his armor and clothes.


    This time Jacob d him in soft blue armor, which fit his body perfectly, and only then did he feel whole.


    He suddenly smiled, though, as he looked at his hand, and the next moment, it shone in a faint blue sheen before blue water suddenly gushed out of nowhere and then stopped.


    "Just as I suspected, the Art of Nature, Water Meditation really helped me form a water magic core. Not only that, but I managed to form it despite having a core already, and I don''t sense any conflict at all while I circte my mana from either the hex magic core or the water magic core.


    "How miraculous. Just what is the art of nature, and could each exercise help me form a rted element of the magic core? If it''s true, then didn''t this mean I would have six magic cores?" Jacob couldn''t help but feel his mind blowy just by thinking about this possibility.


    Not only he managed to form another magic core, but that magic core also seemed to be a tier-1 epic magic corepletelypatible with his physical strength, and the mana was even more potent than his hex mana which was quite a big boost to his overall strength.


    Furthermore, the water meditation effect didn''t just end with this magic core formation, but now, Jacob seemed to have gained the ability to breathe underwater and can move like he was moving on thends. It was quite strange and magical at the same time.


    This was probably his biggest gain from the water meditation, and he knew better than anyone that this was just the start as there were still four more breathing exercises, and the water meditation didn''t just end with forming the water magic core.


    Now, Jacob fully believed that the Art of Nature was some extremely rare magic scripture. As for how it ended up in his old world and its full depth, it was him to find out.


    Nevertheless, he''s going to continue practicing it and didn''t n on stopping until he found out its true depth and even origin. Not to mention this can give him a serious power boost, just like now.


    He could use this sort of power boost every once in a while with how difficult and demanding the cursed immortality''s path is, and he needed everything he could get toplete the godly scripture, and the Art of Nature was a massive windfall.


    ''Now, I wonder if my magic core is suitable forbat or sorcery. Like my hex magic core is pure sorcery type, there is no doubt since there is no physical damage to speak of. My knowledge is still quitecking in this department, but now, not for long, I guess.


    ''And speaking of which¡­ I have quite a lot of debts to settle¡­'' A dangerous glint shed past Jacob''s eyes when he thought how he was enved and almost died just to reach this damn ce.


    But now that he did, he wasn''t nning on wasting all his effort, not to mention making his enemies'' life worse than animals.


    However, his thought process was disrupted when his back suddenly started to burn, and then a sharp pain attacked his head.


    "Shit! This damn ve rune. I was supposed to report when I arrived at thends of the epic ins.¡­abominable!" Jacob''s ecstasy waspletely gone with smoke as he was going insane with sharp pain and the burning sensation spreading throughout his body.


    Previously, he was able to meditate in peace because he needed to recover, which he was allowed to do as long as he was gravely injured. But now that he was fine and on the epic ins, the ve rune was now showing its true colors again.


    Now, if he didn''t take out the Vermin Transponder and then contact Captain Free Sword, he would die a tragic death which would be such a shame after everything he had endured to reach here.


    Jacob ground his teeth before a small ck bead appeared in his hand, and without any dy, he quickly enveloped it with blue mana because he still remembered Capetian Free Sword instruction of using this Vermin Transponder with absolute care when he was in the epic ins.


    The moment he did so, the pain and burning sensation suddenly gone like it never appeared in the first ce, and this only made him grimace even more.


    However, he didn''t have time to resent his situation because he suddenly felt his mana getting sucked by this small bead the moment it appeared. There were no disys or buttons or anything, as a matter of fact, attached to this thing. It was like a smooth small bead.


    But when he heard the familiar voice, he knew it was working as it was supposed to¡­


    "Mr. King, how fortunate to finally hear from you. You have us worried for a moment here!"

 Chapter 381 Vile Witch Valley

    ?


    Over fifty miles in the south from the eastern shores of the Epic Alive ins, there was located a mountain range known as the Vile Witch Valley.


    The Vile Witch Valley fell under the rule of the Alliance Region because this ce was filled with powerful magic beasts and was also one of the biggest hunting grounds for battle-hungry alliance members.


    There were five Medium Size Alive Cites in the Vile Witch Valley, No. 543 in the outskirts, No. 500 in the inner, and No. 492 in the core.


    The Alliance member normally adventure in this ce and took going from the Alive Alliance City NO. 543 to the No. 492 as a sort of challenge and practice.


    The Zodiac Warrior Alliance Ranks were divided between Zodiac Combatant and Zodiac Sorcerer, and both have epic tiers to differentiate their ranks.


    Normally around the medium size city, only those around the Epic-Tier-3 Zodiac Combatant or Zodiac Sorcerer venture on an adventure orplete their alliance-rted missions.


    In the Alliance Region, these Alive cities were built exactly for those who were capable of reaching them, and there were no shortcuts or any protection on the roads.


    The Alliance followed a strict rule of strength above all, and that''s why their members were far stronger and more daring than the other two regions.


    Anyhow, the Vile Witch Valley was also flooded by these alliance members because not only was it rich with resources, but there was a legend that in the past, there lived a Vile Witch in this ce, and her inheritance was buried somewhere.


    People only took it as a legend before until a daring fellow found a strange key with a parchment, and after tranting it, it turned out to be the key to the Vile Witch''syer.


    The arrogant fellow instantly posted this news on the startwork, and afterward, he vanished with the key and has been missing ever since with the key.


    Nevertheless, it sparked a massive public interest in the Vile Witch Valley, and many came here to search for the Witch''syer, but to this day, no one has ever found any clues about it, and some even believed that the guy who found the key has already taken the treasures and fled the epic ins.


    Still, this ce was quite popr among the treasure hunters, and the alliance reeled in massive profits from these goldennds.


    Today, a lone wanderer, wearing a cloak was making its way towards the No. 543 city by simply following the sign boards left behind by the Alliance members. Those signboards were more like simple clues to where the city was located, as there were no paved ways. Instead, tropical forests surrounded the entire Vile Witch Valley.


    At this moment, a cloaked figure suddenly stopped before it looked above the tree, and the very next moment, a few wood spikes suddenly shot toward him with a terrible speed.


    But the cloaked figure was able to detect them just in the nick of time and able to quickly lunge to the side before those wooden spikes could st holes in its body.


    However, the hidden attacker seemed quite unhappy about its prey sessfully evading its sneak attack.


    The very next moment, just after the cloaked person blocked the killing blow, the surrounding trees suddenly seemed to havee alive, and the next moment, their branches shot toward it, weaving a deadly web around it.


    This time, two short swords appeared in the cloaked person''s hands with strange rings on their hits, and all of a sudden, his speed suddenly increased by many folds, and like a meat grinder, it instantly sliced through those terrifying tree branches and jumped over the trees and headed in a certain direction swiftly while dodging those trees like an agile monkey.


    At this moment, a strange movement suddenly urred where that person was heading as small tree bark suddenly seemed to havee alive and started to sh past between trees agilely, and its speed was nowhere inferior to the person who was chasing it.


    "Hmph!" A raspy grunt was heard from the cloaked figure before the swords in his hands vanished, and a ck rifle appeared in his hand.


    The next moment, a torrent of powerful bullets shot toward the fleeing tree bark, and anything that came in those bullets'' way was sted apart.


    ''Shee¡­''


    An ear-piercing shrill suddenly rang before all those trees obstructing the cloaked person''s way turned back to normal, and it thennded on the ground again while holding the ck rifle over his shoulder.


    A few meters away from him was a trail of dark green liquid, and following it closely, it found its bleeding assant, who was on the verge of death. It was a 3''4 feet monkey which appeared like it was carved with tree barks, but the dark green blood seeping out of the bullet hole was evidence of it being alive.


    It was an Epic-Tier-2 Impish Wood Monkey, belonged to the sorcerer species, and its wood magic was terrifying while its body was not so much.


    "I guess I''m eating a monkey tonight¡­" A raspy voice rang from the cloaked person, which belonged to non-other than Jacob.


    Jacob was traveling without using his Star Watch for over a week now, and he was finally able to make his way into the Vile Witch Valley. He didn''t dare to use his star watch because he was still not sure if those bitches were tracking him somehow.


    Furthermore, he wanted them to think he was dead and gone in that st while slowly umting his strength, and when they forget about him, it would be the time when he would be truly free.


    But freedom was something he had no luxury to have, not until he was still affiliated with the ve rune. He was still a puppet of Free Sword, and he needed to proceed ordingly as he ordered, or he would be in a world of pain.


    Three more days passed after his encounter with the Impish Wood Monkey, and Jacob found himself staring at a massive iron wall that was over two-hundred meters in size.


    He finally reached the Alive Alliance City NO. 543!

 Chapter 382 Bad News

    ?


    The thick and tall iron walls of the Alive Alliance City No. 543 were normal for any medium size city. These walls were made with special ores to stop the dark beings from invading the city or from some random wild beast stampede.


    There was only one city gate to go inside or outside, and it was heavenly guarded and monitored all the time.


    However, Jacob didn''t move toward the city gates because he was still mulling over his options to enter it like everyone else or try to jump the wall sneakily.


    If he goes with the former, then he has to show his identity proof to enter the city, which would again expose him to the possibility of getting exposed to the Alliance Chairman, and then Ellie or Lucy would be on him in no time.


    He still clearly remembered how Gunnar sold him out to Ellie and then even exposed this to Lucy. He was still not too keen on using his star watch either after what happened in the Star Ocean.


    But the second option was also quite risky in other ways. Because these alive cities were protected by powerful figures, especially medium andrge size cities, there were countless other measures ced to expose someone who wanted to enter them sneakily.


    The biggest obstacle was SAAI itself because even Captain Free Sword had told him that SAAI has full authority to monitor everyone, and he had witnessed it himself when he got the title Ray of Hope.


    These cities were at least as advanced as the Dark Cities, and everyone knows the Dark Cities were nothing but terrifying when it came to upholding rules and protecting themselves from intruders.


    Speaking of the Dark Cities, like the other ins, its location was still unknown, and one had to either find it on their own or need someone to guide them to the hidden location.


    Jacob has neither the time for obvious reason nor the person who could lead him there, so he was on his own.


    So, he was pretty stumped about what to do as both options led to many dangerous possibilities.


    ''Well, if I use my Ray of Hope Badge, I might be able to enter the city without needing to expose my identity. Isn''t that Ogre wanted me to do the same thing to attract fame ad then earn the trust of the three hegemonies so I could be at the center of everyone once the trial started?'' Jacob thought gravely.


    His initial n was to simply do his own thing while keeping a low profile until the trial arrives since his body now only reacts against him when he either tries to sabotage Captain Free Sword''s n or when it would be time for him to enter the in Trial.


    Now his Ray of Hope Badge was the only thing that could help him move around the epic ins. His biggest advantage was no one had ever seen him, and this was what he was going to use.


    So, without further ado, he started to change his appearance, which was cutting his hair short and dyed them in ck, and then changing his facial features and ears. He was naturally going to impersonate an elf since he looked like them the most.


    Furthermore, in the epic ins, there were tons of species living together. Even the elves have more than 15 kinds. But the most famous ones were the ones capable of reaching the Epic ins.


    In this ce, the potential was measured by how much a race could grow by just relying on their bloodline, and only those who showed promise would be selected by the three hegemonies to nurture further.


    The city gates of the City No.543 were colossal, just like the city walls, and they were guarded by two guard posts, and many people seemed to be going in and out. Almost all of them were alliance members.


    Jacob walked within the crowd, wearing blue armor and mental, but his head was exposed, and he wore a half-white mask that covered half of his face and eye while the other half was exposed, and a deep scar was over his eye.


    This mask was specially made by him just in case he needed to appear different from his known self. Besides, he was going to y apletely different character and wanted to hide his true identity as long as he could, at least until he was strong enough not to care about their schemes.


    No one paid him much attention as he walked toward the gates. Once in a while, someone would throw him a curious nce before minding their own business.


    "Do you hear the announcement made by the Bank and the Guild?"


    At this moment, Jacob''s ear perked up when he heard a troll talking with his fellow teammate in full of ecstasy.


    "Are you talking about the bounty they just ced on the person who was responsible for the terrorist attack over two weeks ago? It''s all over the star news!" The other troll sneered.


    "Yes, that one. It appeared that guy was one of the top members of the Killer Skull Society, and whoever gave his whereabouts would be rewarded with tons of riches. I guess those guys were not kidding around when they said they would not sit still until they found the culprit."


    "Heh, I''m more interested in those rewards. Even the big wigs were drooling when they saw them. Whoever this Faceless Ancient is, he better pray that he will not get found out by any of those bounty hunters, or he will regret even being born in this world. They have even given his portrait, and he seemed to belong to the Golden Elf n, and now they are going to suffer big time!"


    While the trolls and some more people were energetically talking about this same topic, no one seemed to notice that the person wearing a half-mask and blue armor had vanished before he could reach the city gate.


    Jacob appeared again in the wildness, and his expression was extremely dark and filled with killing intent.


    This time, he didn''t care and took out his star watch, and the moment he did, his expression went even darker!

 Chapter 383 Infamous In Epic Plains

    ?


    When Jacob''s star watch appeared on his wrist, a torrent of messages appeared, most of them were from Ellie, and a few of them were from Lucy. Not only that, but there were the mysterious Apocalyptic-S, Gunnar, and even another unfamiliar Star ID.


    This was the first time he had used his star watch after entering the Epic ins, and this result was quite unexpected as well as grave!


    However, when another notification popped up, and he read it, his eyes went widened with disbelief before thick killing intent and fury surfaced in them.


    "Alchemist Guild Notification: We hereby inform you with a heavy heart that You [Faceless Ancient] have been kicked out from the Alchemy Guild by your Bronze Inviter [Amiable Monk Fish (Vise Guild President)] and thereby banned from the Alchemy Guild unless you have a Golden Invitation!


    "Ha¡­ ha¡­ haha haha!" Jacob suddenly burst into eerierughter filled with murderous fury, "Excellent!"


    The next moment, he stopped, and his eyes were extremely tranquil and icy.


    Closing the notification, he checked the epic star news. He now wanted to confirm if what those trolls and many others were talking about was really true, and if it was, then why did those guys think he was a golden elf?


    The moment he opened the Epic Star News, his expression went even chilly when he saw the very first news post.


    "1. Star News by Rich Winter Lady (Epic Bank Manager)


    "Star News: We are finally able to identify the culprit behind the terrorist attack on all living beings. He is one of the upper echelons of the notorious organization Killer Skull Society. His Star ID is [Faceless Ancient]!


    "Tri-Wanted Order: The three hegemonies have officiallyunched a Tri-Wanted Order against this terrorist [Faceless Ancient], and all the Alive Cities are hereby on high alert, and the authorities there has full permission to detain and investigate any suspicious individual. So, we humbly ask for your corporation, and we can assure as long as you do nothing wrong, no harm will befall you. This Tri-Wanted Order will have remained until the terrorist [Faceless Ancient] is dealt with ording to thew of the Life Faction!


    "Epic ins Bounty Order: [Picture of Faceless Ancient] (Attached Picture)


    "1. 100,000 ZC for terrorist [Faceless Ancient] whereabouts!


    "2. 1,000,000 ZC for terrorist [Faceless Ancient] dead body!


    "3. 10,000,000 ZC for terrorist [Faceless Ancient] alive.


    "[Bounty can be im after the information or death of the target, or his detention is confirmed by the three hegemonies!]"


    "2. Star News by Might-of-Destruction (Epic Alliance Chairman)


    "Star News: ¡­ (Same as Rich Winter Lady)


    "3. Star News by Amiable Wizened Monk (Epic Guild President)


    "Star News: ¡­ (Same as Rich Winter Lady)


    "4. Star News by Servant-Of-Epic-S


    "Star News: The three hegemonies are ndering us by calling us ''Terrorists,'' and Lord Faceless Ancient has never done something like this, and we will fully support him until his grand name is clear of these false usations. Anyone who dares to go after Lord Faceless Ancient is the enemy of our Killer Skull Society!"


    Jacob looked at the top three news, which was the same, about him and how they were nning to hunt him from all fronts, not to mention the bounty ced on him was simply toovish for anyone to ignore it.


    However, he couldn''t help but sneer at the fourth trending star news, which was posted by some minion of the Killer Skull Society. Since they couldn''t find him the hard way, they were probably trying to lure him using a soft approach.


    Anyone would be swayed if the three hegemonies were hunting them like mad hounds. But Jacob was no longer concerned with any of this because he had suffered so much that he now felt numb to all this.


    In the end, he just sighed and then closed the star news since he had already seen enough and also confirmed something else.


    The picture attached to the bounty was him in his golden elf disguise, and it was taken when his eye was maimed. Furthermore, it was extremely simple to guess where and who had taken this picture because he had only shone his face like when his eye was maimed when he was at Dark Earl Castle!


    Realization dawn upon him at this moment, ''So, that conniving dwarf had sold me to either Lucy or Ellie after he received some sort of bone from them. No wonder he put up that trap and even gave this picture of mine of them. Now it all made sense¡­''


    Jacob didn''t find it news that Hallberg had sold him out since he had already made him his enemy the moment he pulled the ship trap on him. If anything, it only confirmed that the connections of the Epic ins run too deep, and no one was trustworthy in this ce except for himself.


    Afterward, Jacob saw the messages from the mighty figures of the epic ins.


    Most of them were about the warnings and even threats that he should surrender and resolve it peacefully, and as long as he handed over his knowledge and became their loyal dog, there was a chance his life would be spared.


    Even Gunner was guaranteeing his safety as long as he silently surrendered to him. At the same time, the threats were from Lucy and even Ellie before she kicked him out in a fit.


    The most interesting one was from the Apocalyptic-S, though, just as he suspected it to be after he saw their star news post.


    "Apocalyptic-S (Reply): If you are willing to hand over those rings, I can shelter you and even let you join the Killer Skull Society for the price of that technology you used to put those three pretentious hegemonies in their ce! Remember, only I can help you now, and all your paths have been blocked!"


    Then there was the new ID that Jacob had just found out its origin.


    "Amiable Wizened Monk (New Message): I never thought I would have to message you in this sort of circumstances, and I personally prefer to meet you face to face before. But s, fate is sometimes cruel, and our mistakes made us fall from grace even quicker than it took us to rose. I think Vise President has failed to appreciate your talent and even has a fault in your current situation. She even kicked you out without consulting me first, and this pains me deeply. So, to make amends for her mistakes, this old man is offering you a helping hand, and anytime you want and anywhere. I really hope this all could''ve been avoided, but I can''t watch a talent like you destroy yourself. Although I''m going with the flow since I''m pressured by the Bank Manager and Alliance Chairman, I''m still willing to help in any way! You know how to reach me!"


    Jacob looked at Nelsen''s guilt-ridden and couldn''t help but scoff with killing intent, "I''ll be a fool ever to believe you guys!"

 Chapter 384 Reawakening Of The Emperor!

    ?


    Jacob finally closed the star watch interface before a rueful sigh escaped his mouth.


    ''Just how in the world did things escte to this point?'' He wondered with a hint of confusion. He never intended to make three hegemonies into his enemy, and neither did he want to be haunted down by the entire epic ins when he was still not strong enough.


    Right now, he was probably the hottestmodity and topic of discussion in every household in the epic ins.


    Nevertheless, the ship of regret was long sailed and now was the time to counter. Looking at the star watch and the remaining time he had to prepare for the in trial, a cruel yet very practical idea surfaced in his mind.


    ''I never thought I would take this path in this world again. But since they''re calling me a terrorist, I''ll give them a goddamn terrorist and make sure they will regret making an enemy out of me!'' Jacob''s eyes glistered with a dark, ruthless glint.


    From all the messages he received and the massive bounty ced on his life, he knew those guys didn''t have the nuclear technology, or it was so precious and rare that the alchemy guild didn''t share it with the epic ins yet. Or it was simply dangerous to fall in the hands of epic ins.


    Whichever the case was, Jacob was pretty sure that those guys were after his nuclear knowledge, and they were probably doing all this for that knowledge.


    This gave him the idea of walking again on the path he never thought he would take in this life since it was no longer his primary goal. Yet here he was, back to a corner, and the only thing that came to his mind was the same path that made him known as the Emperor of Weapon Industry!


    With this dark look in his eyes, he opened the Private Star Servers Section, and right now, it waspletely empty since he was being kicked out of the Alchemy Guild as well.


    However, today he was not here to surf any server. Instead, he was going to use another option.


    ''Make Star Server''


    Jacob clicked on this option without hesitation, and a new interface appeared with multiple options, and without hesitation, he started to fill them.


    After a few moments, an entirely different interface was in front of Jacob.


    "Star Server Name: Ancient Artifact Industry


    "Star Server Category: Business


    "Star Server Visibly: Private Server [Star Link needed to Join this Server]


    "Star Server Owner: Faceless Ancient


    "Star Privilege / Star Server Level: 2-Star (Equivalent to 2-Star Privilege of Faceless Ancient)


    "NOTE: 2-Star Server has 3 Unique Privileges.


    "1. 2-Star Server Privilege (Entry Fee): You have set the Entry Fee to Maximum (10 ZC) for your Star Server.


    "2. 2-Star Server Privilege (Post Type): You have Selected Auction Post Type for Your Star Server.


    "3. "2-Star Server Privilege (Trading (Generated by Business Category): You have selected an Auction Trading System for your Star Server, and you will get 2% of any trading activities in your Star Server.


    "Star Server Description: Ancient Artifact Industry offered all the weapons crafted by Faceless Ancient, which includes therge verities of Guns, Bombs, Missiles, Atomic Bombs, Atomic Bullets, Atomic¡­


    "Star Server Post Privilege: Win-Win [Only by purchasing an item from the Ancient Artifact Industry will you gain the right to make Auction Posts!]


    "Rules and Regtions: ¡­


    "¡­


    "Do you want to continue with these settings and create the Star Server and generate your unique Invitation Star Link?


    "2-Star Star Server Creation Fee (After Discount): 92,000 ZC


    "Continue/ NO"


    Looking at the server creation cost, Jacob peers into his current bnce.


    "Current Bnce: 2,274,923 ZC"


    This was the final amount he made after selling all those star watches and the weapons in the rare ins through the dark city and alchemy guild trading channels, and the 1 million he got with the in achievement towards the end.


    However, now he had to pay 92,000 ZC for making this 2-star Star Server, whose actual price was 100,000 ZC, and only after deducting his discounts from his title and the bank ount he had to pay this much.


    Jacob can also lower this cost by simply deactivating the star privilege and creating a 0-Star Star Server. However, he needed this exact server to serve his need. In those few years in the star ocean, he was very familiar with all these options.


    The Star Server was probably the biggest surprise when he saw just how much beneficial it was for someone like him who holds the Star Privilege of 2 Star. But he wasn''t interested since it would take too much time and effort to manage it, not to mention he had no interest in selling his trump cards to others while making him vulnerable in the process.


    However, now that he was already getting so much hate under the pretext of a terrorist and people now also quite aware of what sort of weapons he had and was capable of creating.


    So, this Star Server was going to be his moneymaker as well as making those three hegemonies regret ever daring to go after him!


    He knew better than another just how hypocrites those powers could be when it came to gaining an advantage over each other, especially when weapons were involved. That''s why this business was so popr in any era or ce.


    The only difference this time was he was going ck with his trading and selling his weapon to anyone who paid him the most.


    Knowing the gravity of his weapons and what kind of damage they could cause, those three hegemonies wanted to make sure they won''t fall into the wrong hands while some extremely ambitious fellows would also do everything to get their hands on those weapons.


    The Killer Skull Society was one such example that wanted to rival the three hegemonies.


    Lastly, with the trial ins on the horizon and all the free publicity Jacob was getting right now, he knew he was going to make a lot of ZC while he was also going to tip the power scale in the Epic ins while causing so much chaos that no one had any chance to pay him any attention.


    Furthermore, once thosemon or suppressed folks under the three hegemonies fully gasped and had a taste of what Jacob''s weapons could do, they would do anything to make sure he would remain alive so he could provide them with even more such weapons. Yet this was just the tip of the iceberg.


    With an extremely dark smile, Jacob clicked on ''Continue'' and then opened the Star Network News and clicked on ''Create Star News,'' which he never thought he would do before!

 Chapter 385 Star News By Faceless Ancient

    ?


    Within an inferno-like environment, a giant naked figure was sitting cross-legged as a faint red sheen was emitting from his burly, masculine body. It was none other than the Chairman of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, Gunnar!


    At this moment, a static voice rang within the inferno environment, "Chairman, Sir Vice Chairman, Andrew has an urgent message to rely on."


    Gunnar''s eyelids suddenly trembled before they sprang open, revealing his fiery eyes lit in fire, and he grunted with a hint of dissatisfaction, "It better be worth interrupting my training. Connect him."


    The next moment, a raspy yet hurried voice rang, "Sorry to intrude, Chairman, but you really gonna wanna see the Star News right now!"


    Gunnar''s eyes narrowed as he knew his second inmand, and this guy never sounded so uneasy unless something big had happened. So, he knew the matter was serious.


    "What, did someone find the whereabouts of our guy?" He snorted coldly before he moved his wrist, and then a faint ripple appeared before a projection appeared.


    "I''m afraid it''s worse than that." Andrew''s bitter yet uneasy voice sounded in reply.


    Gunnar merely grunted before the Star News was opened, and the moment he saw the trending news at the No.9 spot, his eyes contracted in disbelief and bewilderment!


    "9. Star News by Faceless Ancient


    "Star News: Greeting everyone. I think I don''t need an introduction after all. The three leaders of the hegemonies were kind enough to introduce me to you all. But still, it would be hical for me not to give a personal introduction.


    "My name is Faceless Ancient, duly known as a ''Terrorist'' who was behind the bombing over two weeks ago in the boundary of Star Ocean. Today, my reason for posting this Star News is to make some things clear for everyone as well as give my thanks for all the support you are giving me. I''m really ttered!


    "Foremost, as all of you should know by now that I''m a very vile person who has technology far beyond your wildest imagination, and that powerful show was a mere fragment of what I can do.


    "In fact, that was, as I mentioned earlier, a greeting to draw the attention of you all and the three kind leaders, and now that I managed that, I think it was a sess.


    "But I''m not a bad terrorist, instead a very practical one. Because if I wanted, I could''ve easily put that little power show on thends. Instead, I chose the faraway ce in the boundless Star Ocean. This should be enough to prove my previous point.


    "Second, my true purpose, most of you people should know talent like mine are usually suppressed by the three leaders and have to bow their heads if they want to continue with their research or keep their lives.


    "But as a terrorist, I beg to differ since rebilling is in my nature, and I don''t want to be suppressed by anyone, true freedom, if you say so. That''s why I went into hiding, and now I''m back because I''m finally capable of keeping my freedom.


    "Third, now that I have achieved my freedom, I have an even more, grander ambition. I want everyone to be like me and have control over their own lives, not just live like puppets or in fear of three unreasonable leaders. These guys are no longer fit to lead us, if you believe me.


    "But who am I to decide, right? However, I''m here to give you all a chance to see and decide for yourself if I''m wrong or not because I have created this Star Server where I would be selling my advanced weaponry to anyone who has a vision like me.


    "This includes the same bomb I''d used in the little power show the other day, and many more such goods will be avable from time to time.


    "So, my people, you all are invited to my humble Star server, and I promise you anonymity as my Star Server is a 2-Star Star Server, and you all can choose a random name, and your actual profiles will stay hidden from our mighty three leaders and their minion.


    "Star Link of My Humble Star Server: XXXXXX


    "I wee you all!"


    "What utter nonsense is this?!!!!!" Gunner finally snapped out of his dazed and roared furiously, and the mes in the inferno trembled violently.


    Andrew''s uneasy voice rang, "This Faceless Ancient has shown strong animosity toward you and the other two leaders but not toward the three hegemonies. He''s ying a very dangerous game by taking full advantage of his current notoriety.


    "I''m afraid, even Sir Nelsen hadn''t seen thising. This guy haspletely turned the tables by using the same move. He had only posted this star news post less than an hour ago, and now it is already trending in the top ten.


    "Furthermore, he''s receiving more and more members in his server by every minute. I never thought the allure of those dreadful weapons would be thispelling."


    Thick veins popped up on Gunner''s temple as the giant was seething in a fury, "I can guess all this on my own. But what I want to know is how in the zodiac''s name did he get a 2-Star Privilege in the Rare ins!? He''s already equal to us in Star Privilege!"


    Andrew''s voice grew grimmer, "This is the main reason for my worry as well, Chairman. I''m afraid we might have been dragged into mucky waters by the President and Miss Manger. Now if this guy really managed to sell those weapons in mass numbers, there is no telling how it will affect the power quo, not to mention the trial will be even more unpredictable!"


    Gunner''s expression grew even nastier as he also knew the gravity of the situation. If he had known this would''ve happened, he would''ve never agreed to issue the bounty or the wanted order.


    Furthermore, his biggest regret was the day when he sold out Jacob for a measly one million ZC. If he had known Jacob was so capable, he would rather have be an enemy with Nelsen and Lucy instead of handing this wild trump card to them.


    But now, there was no point in regretting it, and it was time to suffer from the ''terrorist'' they all created!

 Chapter 386 The Entrance!

    ?


    After posting the Star News, even Jacob was astounded by just how quickly it became viral and started to climb within the sea of star news, and before he knew it was already trending within the top hundred!


    Furthermore, many people were joining his star server despite the ridiculous entry fee of 10ZC, and he thought that this fee was simply too small for these rich bastards.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t lose hisposure since money wasn''t his main attraction, and what he wanted was to cause chaos which seemed to be going quite smoothly.


    Furthermore, as the member stream was steadily increasing, and his star news was still climbing toward the top ten, he knew the three leaders of the three hegemonies won''t sit still.


    But the thing was, they were as helpless as him when it came to the starwork, and this ce was free for anything. Those guys would soon realize that they had shot themselves in the foot when they decided to reveal his identity.


    Now, he was even more famous than the three hegemonies leaders, and the damage he could cause by selling his radioactive weapons was something everything known by now.


    So, to prevent those weapons from falling into others'' hands, they would pay any price to possess them, and Jacob wanted exactly that. He never thought that one day he would make money out of his infamy, and somehow, he felt a strange tion about it.


    Still, Jacob knew it wasn''t the time to start the next phase of his n since it was just the start, and he stored away his Star Watch because he knew many people would be going to try reaching him, and he couldn''t be bothered by them.


    ''Now I need to enter that city. I guess it will y in my favor that those fools released my picture when I was impersonated as a Golden Elf, and my eye was maimed. But I can''t pose an elf any longer, even some other element elf. Then I should go with the next race, which looks closer to the humans¡­'' Jacob thought, and it wasn''t hard selecting another race that has human-like features.


    Night descended on the eastern wall of City No. 543. Jacob appeared wearing a cloak and looked at the towering steel wall.


    Although he knew his n was quite crazy, he now had no choice but to go through with it since he was too infamous now, and just one mistake and he will be surrounded by enemies in all directions.


    The gray disc appeared under his feet, and this time he used it with the water mana of his epic water core as the hex mana was too precious as it needed the dark beings'' magic cores to be refilled.


    Meanwhile, the water magic core could be refilled with simple magic gems, or as long as Jacob was using breathing-exercise from the water meditating, it didn''t matter if he was outside the water or inside. The only difference is; in water, his mana recovers fifty times faster!


    Jacob had done all sorts of experiments with the water magic core before he headed in this direction. Now all left was to find a water element epic magic scripture and water-rted epic rank spells to walk in the path of Combat or Sorcery.


    That''s why he first needed to figure out which path suited him the most. However, his initial ns went down the drain after he reached this ce, and now he was no longer a member of the Guild, nor could he join the Alliance anymore.


    The hegemony which he wasn''t blocked from was the Bank, and it was also a no-go for him. Now he had no backer, but this didn''t mean he was helpless. Not every door has been closed for him yet.


    Since the orthodox path no longer helped him, he chose the unorthodox path to pave his way further.


    At this moment, the gray disk shimmering in faint blue light started to rise upward, and Jacob''s figure slowly blended into the darkness.


    Jacob''s eyes went sharper and sharper as fluid eleration started to climb with his heart rate, and when he was in 20X eleration, he ''saw'' the wall covered by strange maic waves.


    When he reached the top, he saw the same electromaic waves covering the entire city like a massive doom, and his eyes went cold.


    ''No flying over it from the start was the right choice. I''ll probably be detected the moment I touch those electromaic waves, and their color is nothing like I''ve ever seen before. Wee to epic ins, I guess¡­'' Jacob thought bitterly before he canceled the fluid eleration.


    The dark golden waves vanished from his vision as the illuminating metropolises, and it was even more massive than the dark city of the rare ins.


    ''Well, here goes nothing¡­'' A cruel glint shed past his eyes as the disk under his feet started to rise higher and higher.


    Now he could see a few patrolling guards on the massive wall, and there were many weapons installed in it as well.


    When Jacob reached the highest point where the dark golden waves dome ended, he started to head deeper toward the city, carefully flying a meter above the waves.


    Soon, he was a few miles inside the city and had long left the city wall behind.


    After carefully observing the situation down below, it was a busy street filled with all sorts of people walking like ants.


    The next moment, the gray disc under his feet shifted, and like a shooting bullet, he started to descend.


    The very next moment, Jacob crossed invisible the dark golden waves, and rms started to ring in all sorts of ces in the Alive Alliance City No.543.


    Everybatant and sorcerer present in the city was rmed, and they quickly sprang into action to discover the reason for that rm. It has been a long time since this sort of rm has been rung in the Alive Alliance City!

 Chapter 387 Jacob’s Dark Plan

    ?


    As the entire city suddenly started to buzz in rms, Jacob dived, knowing that something like this would happen, and he knew he had little time to act before the most powerful people present in the city would be on his tale.


    However, while he was heading down, he took out something from his pendant space and then let it go.


    With his fast speed, Jacob quickly touched the ground while the public was still in a stupor about the whole rm situation. The next moment, the disc under his feet quickly vanished, and he merged into the massive crown.


    However, the very next moment, rming cries started to appear from the sky, and they were bing clearer and clearer as if something or someone was falling down.


    The people in the vicinity quickly noticed, and they happened to see a three-meter ck-winged eagle falling from the sky with one of its wings badly injured. However, no one dared to take it lightly as that eagle was a Tier-1 Epic Rank Magic Beast, and in that state, it was even more dangerous.


    However, the city was filled withbatants of much higher ranks than the eagle, so it wasn''t that big of a deal either.


    But one thing became clear in everyone''s mind the rms were probably ringing because of this eagle who tipped off the city''s rm system when he suddenly fell down.


    No one paid attention to a blue-armored barbarian who walked slowly in the opposite direction where the eagle just fell.


    It was Jacob who chose to fill his face with barbarian-like tattoos since those guys were the closest thing to humans after elves.


    Furthermore, the barbarian race was one of the strongest races present in the epic ins, unlike the Rare ins, where their kind only had the potential of rare rank species.


    Lastly, now that everyone thinks he is an elf, it is even more convenient for him to turn into a barbarian, and this identity will be perfect for hiding in in sight, and he can do what he wants in City NO.543.


    Jacobnded in some sort of market area as there were many shops in the street, and at this moment, the rm around the city finally stopped ringing, and nothing out of his expectation happened.


    This was the sign that using the ck Winged Eagle as a scapegoat was a very wise choice, and now he was a fish in the ocean.


    Jacob then looked at those shops which were affiliated with one of the three hegemonies because only the member of the hegemony can open a shop in medium size city, not unaffiliated folks.


    Then Jacob''s attention was suddenly drawn by a very high-tech shop which has a Star Watch hoarding lit in lights. With his sharp eyes, he spotted a phrase line and was surprised.


    ''Epic Star Watches, control them with your thoughts and magic. Maximum Protection from the Star Hackers is Guaranteed!''


    Jacob was intrigued by those words as he didn''t expect the epic rank star watches would run on magic and could be controlled with just thoughts. But he wasn''t going to buy it, even if he wanted to, because he had to pay with his bank ount, and that would undo all the things he had done to protect his identity.


    Furthermore, he was still not sure if those three leaders could track him down using his star watch, so he would not be using it at all until he was sure that it was absolutely safe.


    Not to mention, he was going to have more star watches for what he was about to do.


    "Cursed Immortality!" He summed up the cursed book with a grim expression.


    "Oh, you''re still alive? I thought I would be lonely in the ocean bed for a long time, but you really know how to race someone''s heart, huh? It''s not like I''mining though since I don''t have a heart¡­ haahahah¡­"


    Looking at the usual impish words, Jacob wasn''t impressed or even felt annoyed anymore since he was used to Immortika''s entric behavior.


    "I''m d you enjoyed it. I summoned you because I want you to tell me which spices I should go after and who could give me arge percentage in Cursed Blood Condensing Stage." Jacob coldly questioned.


    "Oh? Are you nning on hunting within the city? I must say you have developed some backbone, and day by day, you are doing things that are far more dangerous than they''re worth. Are you sure you are following immortality, not death? Hehehe¡­"


    "I''ve just recently learned the hard way that in pursed of immortality, I have to learn how to evade death, and the easiest way to do it is to keep it at a distance where I can see iting. It''s far better than dying unknowingly. So, cut the crap because I know you''re having a st, and just give me the damn names!" Jacob stated coldly.


    He knows fully understands that Cursed Immortality was there to guild him on the way to immortality but not help him along the way. On the contrary, he was even vignt of its help now, and that''s why he was not nning on asking it since every time it helped him, he always found himself in some grave situation soon after!


    Even though he was alone and wasn''t as powerful as the other people present in the city, he wasn''t helpless by all means. Instead, as long as he was targeting a single person, he was deadlier than anyone in the entire Epic ins!


    "Tsk, tsk, when was I be this obvious? Nevertheless, since you are nning to give me a show, I''ll happily provide the stage for you. From what I''ve observed, this city is filled with Elves, Barbarians, Orcs, and Giants Races and their subspecies.


    "The good news is those races have legendary ancestors, but the bad news is they are too far apart in generations from them. They can''t even be Unique without external help.


    "So, I''ll give a roundabout estimate of how much you could increase your cursed blood in case you kill three people from each of their subspecies present in this city. Let''s just say it should be around 30% which will make you equivalent to a Tier-3 Epic, physically!"

 Chapter 388 Eavesdropper…

    ?


    Jacob looked at the estimate presented by Immortika and Mull, ''Three people from each subspecies present in this entire city, huh? No bad, I guess. At least I need to massacre their entire tribes, or that would be too cumbersome! I also needed a pawn who could help me buy knowledge of the Water Magic, materials, and a ce to open up ab so I could practice with my Rune Craft.


    ''Since the Alchemy Guild had closed its door on me, I just have to barge in uninvited. I need to be a full fledge Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer before I enter that damn trial¡­''


    Even though Jacob has the knowledge of an Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer, he never really practiced with it since the Rare ins didn''t have tools or sufficient materials for it.


    Even in the epic ins, the Rune Artificers were highly sought after because of their attainment in the magic runes andnguage. Furthermore, Jacob didn''t need to have Elder Grandmaster-level knowledge of Gunsmithing because he was already at that level or even higher.


    As for the magic smiting, he also has Elder Grandmaster level knowledge, and with some practice, he''ll be at the top of that level in no time, so what was left was the Rune Artificer. Jacob''s ambition was quite high when it came to these three professions, and he wanted tobine them into one.


    But he knew it was far more difficult, or someone had already achieved it in the higher ins. Nevertheless, as a researcher, he knew better than anyone that this path was limitless; one just needed life to walk on it.


    "I guess we are done for today." Jacob coolly told Immortika as he didn''t have anything else to ask and unsummoned it. He wasn''t in the mood to endure endless sarcasm and impishughter today.


    Jacob then started looking around as all the people walking around were now alive meat bs for him. But he wasn''t going to hunt like this as he didn''t even have a ce to dress them.


    Furthermore, he was now somewhat tired of eating everything raw and thinking about changing it.


    "Hello, can you tell me where the alchemy guild is?" Jacob asked the dog''s face orc politely.


    "What, you don''t even know this? Are you new? Wait, don''t tell me since I don''t have time to waste. The Alchemy Guild is¡­" The orc hurriedly gave directions before leaving without giving Jacob a chance to thank him.


    Jacob found this scene a little nostalgic as he remembered his own old world, the streets were just this crowded, and everyone seemed in a hurry.


    Afterward, he followed the orc''s directions and headed in the alchemy guild''s direction. He suddenly stopped in front of the alleyway because he heard something interesting.


    "What do we do now, Big Brother? That damn Faceless Ancient is charging a whopping 10 ZC just to join his server. Did he think he is the fourth hegemony!?" An angry voice of a female sounded filled with indignation.


    "We''ll join, of course, don''t forget that despite the massive entrance fee, tens of thousands of people have already entered there, and I''m afraid we have to pour all our wealth to win one of his weapons!" A stern voice of a male rang, filled with helpless.


    "But can that weapon really open up that door? What if we waste our money? It''s our life-saving, you know!" The female retorted, clearly reluctant to spend her money.


    "Don''t worry, that weapon is at least made by an Advanced Elder Grandmaster Explosive Expert, just like the legendary Alchemy Guild President, or why do you think so many people are joining his server? The President had never sold his weapons, and no one had ever attained his level in explosive as well.


    "But now, all of a sudden, someone probably even more superior has appeared, and he''s willing to sell those destructive weapons to anyone who paid him. That''s what makes it even more alluring! So, we are joining!


    "If we were able to open that damn door, we''ll recover our losses and profit big time!" The man resolutely stated.


    Jacob, who was hearing their conversation, was quite intrigued by it, especially when he heard about Nelsen''s specialty.


    But he was far more intrigued by that door; those two wanted to open by using his atomic grenades.


    However, he didn''t make a move on them and walked away because he could sense those two were probably tier-7 epics, and he was nowhere near strong enough to handle even one of them without causing a massive scene.


    Nevertheless, he got to hear that his server was literally booming now, and he never expected it to be such a massive hit.


    ''I should thank those fools for giving me such an opportunity to make easy money¡­'' Jacob''s lips curled up as he walked towards the alchemy guild.


    Within the same dark alleyway, two giants in dark cloaks were standing. They were the same male and female whose conversation Jacob had heard.


    "Ho? That eavesdropper left." The male voice rang in a sneer.


    "Heh, what do you expect? He only has an epic-tier-1 magic core, and it was amon one at that. Just some curious fellow if he had dared to enter this alley. Hehe!" The female also disdainfully scoffed as lighting suddenly shed past under her hood.


    "Oh well, I was hoping to release some pent-up frustration, but that ant knows when to retreat. Anyway, back to the topic, even if we aren''t able to get any weapon from that server, we can always seek Mom''s help. She will not reject us if we ask nicely, little sis." The male said with a hint of longing and love when he said, ''Mom.''


    However, the female giant coldly rejected, "No, she will just lock us up again like some jewels. I wanted to prove to her that we are not children anymore, and what could be a better way to do it than raiding the trueyer of the Vile Witch!"

 Chapter 389 Commission An Elder Grandmaster?!

    ?


    The Alchemy Guild only has arge piece of goldennd in the central area of the Alliance City, and except for that, if an alchemist wanted to open a private shop, they had to pay massive rant, and no one can buy properties here except for Epic-Tier-4 and higher rank Alliance Members.


    The Alchemy Guild was also constructed in a towering building with at least three hundred floors and one of the most massive skyscrapers in the city and quite hard to miss.


    Jacob looked at the familiar symbol of the alchemy guild with icy eyes and headed inside the building.


    The first ten floors of this building were merchant floors where the alchemy guild sold their goods, while the above floors were exclusive for members only, and there were all kinds of high-tech workshops avable in this ce.


    But Jacob was not here for any of it; he entered the luxurious interior, which was filled with showcases, and all sorts of people were browsing through the avable goods.


    As a former Guild Leader himself, he knew how this would all work, and he was least interested in those inferior goods the alchemy guild sold to the public. He knew better than anyone that only a member of the hegemony could truly buy high-quality goods.


    He headed directly towards the crystal counter where a blue-haired elf was standing with a smile as she also wore a Grandmaster Alchemist Badge. She seemed to be working as a receptionist while in the rare ins, she would be a member of the guild''s upper echelon.


    Seeing the ''barbarian''ing her way, she put on her best professional smile and greeted him, "How may I help you today? Do you want to buy here or browse in private?"


    The meaning of the question was quite straightforward if Jacob chose the second option, he would have to show his hegemony badge, and then ording to his rank in the hegemony, he would be exposed to hidden goods exclusive to the high-ranking member of a hegemony.


    While a high-ranking member of the Alchemy Guild could buy for more, even raw materials which were seldomly sold to other hegemonies members for an absurd price!


    However, Jacob can''t show his badge in any case, as his star ID would instantly expose him.


    "I''m looking tomission a Basic Elder Grandmaster." Jacob coldly stated.


    But his words caused the elf to widen her eyes in shock because there was only one Basic Elder Grandmaster present in the entire Vile Witch Valley region, and she was in the Alive Alliance City No. 492 and was the Regional Guild Leader!


    Even the Alliance City Lords can''t afford tomission her and have to treat her respectfully, much less this random barbarian.


    As for an Intermediate or Advanced Grandmaster, this level of alchemists were assigned inrge cities under the guild, not outside. Furthermore, none of these basic elder grandmasters assigned out of the guild cities were rune artificers, as those guys were treated as geniuses and weren''t allowed to be sent out of the guild region.


    Nevertheless, an Elder Grandmaster, whether it was basic or advanced, they do not ept pettymissions from just anyone.


    "I-I think I heard wrong." The elf smiled unnaturally as she replied.


    Jacob, however, knew what he was doing and replied with a straight face again and repeated the same words, "You didn''t hear wrong. I''m looking tomission a Basic Elder Grandmaster. Just tell them that I have a rune artificer legacy, and if they helped me, I''d give it to them. They can confirm it in person."


    The elf''s eyes widened even more when she heard hisst words, and she felt her mouth run dry as she didn''t know how to react.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenlyes closer to her as he says in a whispering tone filled with temptation, "Think about it, if you can help the Elder Grandmaster get this legacy, you''ll no longer be just an attendant and might be her disciple.


    "Or you can tell this to this city''s Guild Leader, and all that credit will be imed by him. But for your trouble, I can give you a master rune artificer rank legacy in private if the Elder Grandmaster epts my offer. This will be a win-win for both of us, and this will also be our little secret."


    The more the elf heard Jacob''s tempting words, the more she felt her heart beat wildly. She didn''t know if this barbarian was telling the truth or not, but if he were, then her entire life would be changed!


    Just as Jacob said, even if she doesn''t be the Elder Grandmaster''s disciple, as long as she can be a Rune Artificer, she will soar!


    That''s why she couldn''t risk it by kicking Jacob out; it would be akin to kicking her own bright future.


    "I-I''ll rely on your message to the Guild Leader; please wait!" She quickly replied and hurried toward the secret stairway behind the wall. She knew something like her could never reach the Elder Grandmaster, and only the Guild Leader had the means to contact her.


    So, she wasn''t greedy enough to y tricks, and she was content with just the master rank legacy promised by Jacob. She knew if he yed any tricks, the Guild Leader won''t let him off, so there was no reason to test his ims further as the Guild Leader would do that for her!


    Looking at the hurried elf vanishing behind the wall, his lips curled in a cruel smile, ''Well, that was easy¡­''


    Jacob wanted to meet this Elder Grandmaster for three reasons. The first was because of his ve rune, he needed toe in contact with a high-ranking member of any three hegemonies within three months after his arrival at the epic ins, or he will regret it dearly.


    The second reason needed the first reason to bepleted. As for the third reason, it was to turn the first and second reasons into his own advantage and solve his current predicament!


    Thereupon, the elf appeared again with an ecstatic expression and told Jacob, "The Branch Leader wants to see you!"

 Chapter 390 Mr. Nobody (1)

    ?


    Inside a luxurious room, Jacob sat in front of a four-meter-tall giant who had a Senior Grandmaster Alchemist Badge on his chest. He was not burly and had a lean-built look like a schr. He was the Guild Leader of this branch, Curtis!


    It was his first time seeing a giant as an alchemist since these guys mostly liked to fight, but it didn''t mean they were muscle brains. On the contrary, the giants were very intelligent, and if they put their minds to something, they would never give up until they achieved what they wanted.


    Furthermore, having an aptitude to be an alchemist means this giant''s element fall under sorcery, which was quite rare for a giant.


    Nevertheless, Jacob wasn''t here to mull over how a giant was an alchemist, but he was here to convince this guy to summon the Basic Elder Grandmaster here for him. The Elf alchemist was also standing on a side with an anxious yet anticipation expression on her beautiful face.


    "How may I address you, Mr.?" Curtis politely spoke while looking at the ''barbarian'' with a scrutinized gaze. He was shocked when he heard this barbarian had a Rune Artificer Legacy and wanted to exchange it for the help of Elder Grandmaster.


    It would be a lie to say he was thinking Jacob was a scam, but he knew it was also highly unlikely because this wasn''t a ce where a scammer coulde and go as he pleased. So, he decided to see for himself if this guy was the real deal, and if it turned out to be a bluff, this barbarian would regret his very existence!


    "I''m Nobody. You can call me such if you like." Jacob coolly replied without any hint of apprehension on his face despite sitting in front of an Epic-tier-5 giant.


    Curtis didn''t dwell on the topic since it didn''t matter and got right to the main point with a stern look, "Very well, Mr. Nobody. It came to my attention that you have a legacy of Rune Artificer. May I inquire where you get it? You do know that only a member of Alchemy Guild could have this knowledge, and any none personal will be dealt with by thew of Alchemy Guild for having this knowledge and not handing it back to the Guild even if they found it in wildness!"


    Jacob didn''t even flinch and coolly replied, "I''m going to say it one time, don''t try these tricks or trust me, you will regret it your entire life. If you still want to talkw, how about we call White Sage and let it read use number 509 and 820? But at that time, I will leave, and you will never be able to find me again. So, think carefully about what you say next. Your entire future depends on it, after all."


    Curtis''s expression instantly warped when he heard Jacob''s words, and a hint of shock shed past his eyes, ''Is he a Guild Leader as well? Then why did he need my help to contact the Elder Grandmaster, and he''s even sharing that he has the legacy of rune artificer?''


    Curtis clearly knew what Jacob just implicates by use number 509 and 820, but this also made him even more confused since these uses could only be avable to a Guild Leader of a branch or a Senior Grandmaster.


    But if this barbarian was really a Senior Grandmaster, then why was he hiding his identity to meet him? He could just directly go to the Elder Grandmaster, and he was sure she wouldn''t reject a meeting with me after hearing what he was offering.


    Yet, he was finding an intermediary instead and even offering the same legacy aspensation. He found it extremely absurd and thought this guy was a lunatic!


    But when he looked at those cold amber eyes, he felt a strange fear creeping into his spine. As a giant, his sensitivity toward danger was top-notch, and this barbarian gave him the highest dangerous feeling that only topbatants could give.


    So, he knew messing with him would not be a wise choice, and like the dumbfounded elf, he decided not to be greedy and take what he could get.


    He then smiled stiffly and said, "Very well, I will rely on your message to Regional Guild Leader, but I need some kind of proof, or the Guild Leader might punish me for talking nonsense. You can understand this, right, Mr. Nobody?"


    Jacob was expecting this, "Call her on projection, and I''ll handle the rest. My time is precious; make it quick."


    ''This arrogant!'' Curtis cussed inwardly, but he wasn''t going to do just what Jacob asked like ackey, "About mypensation?"


    This was the main thing he wanted, as he knew once Jacob came in contact with the Elder Grandmaster, he might no longer need him, or worse, the Elder Grandmaster might not even let him have a part of that legacy.


    He was doing all this so he could get a piece of that legacy as he already knew what Jacob had offered that elf to contact him, so he was sure Jacob would do the same because this looked nothing but an act of desperation.


    "Oh,pensation? You also want the knowledge of Rune Artificer, right?" Jacob coolly asked.


    Curtis''s eyes shimmered with longing, and he nodded, "Yes! And I can even pay you for acquiring the knowledge up to the Elder Grandmaster Rank!"


    Jacob''s lips curled up in disdain, "Heh, what can you offer me to buy Elder Grandmaster Rank knowledge of a profession like Rune Artificer? Let''s not get ahead of ourselves."


    Curtis was really lost for words as he knew Jacob was stating the fact, and he never expected he would feel jealous and inferior to a barbarian in his life.


    "I''ll give you Grandmaster-level knowledge and her Master-level knowledge. This should be enough for your trouble. Now don''t waste my time and contact the Elder Grandmaster!" Jacob coldly stated.


    Curtis felt somewhat regretful, but he knew if he pushed his luck anymore, he might really not get anything, and he was getting that knowledge virtually for free.


    If anything, he seemed to be the one scamming the barbarian, so he quickly contacted the Elder Grandmaster and didn''t notice the hidden ridicule in Jacob''s eyes!

 Chapter 391 Mr. Nobody (2)

    ?


    Under Jacob''s impassive eyes, Curtis controlled his star watch, but he didn''t touch the interface, and everything was happening like magic. Jacob instantly understood that the star watch was the same one he saw on his way here.


    ''He''s not just controlling it with his thoughts, but mana is also in y here¡­'' Jacob mused as now he could feel the faint undtion of mana in the atmosphere, especially after he formed the epic water core.


    At this moment, a half projection appeared, it was a woman d in a violet dress, and she was 1.9 meters tall and had ck hair. But her most distinguishing feature was her foxy ears covered in white fur, and her foxy eyes were icy and astute. She was a demi-human and the Vile Witch Valley''s Regional Guild Leader of the Alchemy Guild because of her status as a Basic Elder Grandmaster, Sofie!


    "Guild Leader Curtis, did something happen for you to call me so abruptly?" Sofie''s icy voice rang as she looked at Curtis.


    If she wasn''t the Regional Guild Leader and Curtis hadn''t been working under her, she would never have bothered to pick up the call of a Senior Grandmaster so easily. But it didn''t mean Curtis could disturb her whenever he wanted.


    Curtis didn''t dare to waste Sofie''s time as she knew this bode nothing but bad news for him, if he displeased her and quickly stated, "I know you are very busy, Elder, but this gentleman imed that he has a Rune Artificer Legacy which he''s willing to trade for your help!"


    Sofie''s cold eyes finally widened in disbelief as if she just heard something absurd, "Are you messing with me?" She coldly stated.


    "I won''t dare! Please hear him out. He''s right here." Curtis quickly stated before the projection suddenly revolved toward Jacob and stopped when Sofie was facing him.


    Sofie squinted her eyes when she saw the ''barbarian'' looking at her impassively, "Is there any truth in Guild Leader Curtis''s words?"


    Jacob smiled meaningfully, "It''s an honor to meet you, Elder. You should know we barbarians don''t like to lie, nor do we have a tendency to cause trouble for others or ourselves. My time is also precious, and yours is even more, so let''s get this over with. You can judge for yourself if what I''m telling is true or a lie by seeing this."


    Jacob then flipped his hand, and a white parchment filled with inky rune symbols appeared, which were shaped in a formation and profound words.


    Not to mention the elf and Curtis, even Sofie''s eyes went wide after a moment of seeing that parchment, and they all seemed to be immense in it.


    Right at this moment, the parchment in Jacob''s hand vanished, snapping everyone out of their focus.


    "Now, do you want to continue this conversation?" Jacob asked with a meaningful smile while sittingfortably in his seat. He just showed a part of the entry-level formation blueprint he has.


    He knew as long as Sofie wasn''t an idiot, she would know what it was and believe his words because these blueprints could only be bought by a Senior Grandmaster Rank Rune Artificers!


    Sofie''s eyes shone with greed at this moment as her heart raced, "What do you need my help with?"


    As an Elder Grandmaster, she knew just how big this opportunity was, and unlike Curtis, she didn''t beat around the bush as she knew only something with ample confidence would dare to reveal that he had a rune artificer legacy or aplete idiot, and Jacob struck her to be formed.


    Furthermore, she didn''t think this barbarian would try to trick her or run away because if the fact were revealed that a barbarian has an entire legacy of Rune Artificer to the public, the entire barbarian race would be a target. Everyone knows just how much these barbarians care about their own.


    Jacob knew the fish had taken the bait and said, "I want you to concoct 200 Basic Epic Rank Pills. I will provide the form and all the materials, and I also want to monitor the entire process."


    Sofie narrowed her eyes but didn''t reply right away, as if she was mulling over this while Curtis and the Elf were holding their breath since this deal would also affect them as a whole.


    Jacob didn''t rush Sofie as well since he already knew what her answer would be. He was going through all this trouble so he could make Sofiee here on her own ord.


    In the end, she agreed with a nod, "Very well,e to the Alliance City NO¡­."


    But Jacob suddenly cut her short, "I think I failed to mention that you need toe here. For a personal purpose, I can''te to you, or do you think I don''t know where you live and had to go through so much trouble to contact you?"


    "Why can''t youe here?" Sofie inquired with scrutiny as she found this extremely strange even Curtis was the same.


    They were all wondering about this exact thing, and now it seemed there was more to this than met the eye.


    Jacob coolly replied, "I''m not obliged to answer that question. I think Rune Artificer Legacy is enough to make youe here, is it not? You and I both know you''re getting it at a very cheap price, so stop asking meaningless questions.


    "You will make those pills in the guild, so you don''t need to worry about me running away after we are done or having malicious intentions towards you. We all know that only a fool would try to do anything to an alchemist within the alchemy guild."


    Sofie didn''t find any falsehood in Jacob''s words as she knew better than anyone that it was a fact. But this also made her think something else, ''Could it be he wanted those pills for something else? And that person can''t leave the city, so it needed to stay put¡­ to actually make him trade that legacy¡­.''


    A peculiar glint appeared in her foxy eyes, and for the first time, she smiled, which was extremely alluring, "Very well, I''ll be there in three days, and in the meanwhile, you will be my guest, and until Ie, Guild Leader Curtis will entertain you on my behalf, Mr.? sorry I didn''t know your name?"


    Jacob dismissively replied while looking deeply into those astute eyes, "I''m Nobody!"

 Chapter 392 Magic Practice

    ?


    After the deal was made, Jacob was given a guest room within the Alchemy Guild to live. While in truth, it was done so he couldn''t run away until Sofie''s arrived, and Curtis was in charge of making sure of it.


    However, what both Sofie and Curtis didn''t know was Jacob appreciated this lodging and didn''t mind resting for three days. He was tired of the ocean and continuously avoiding one after another danger.


    Nevertheless, as the saying goes, there was no rest for the wicked.


    Both Curtis and Elf were quite eager to get their end of the deal, but Jacob dyed them by telling them that he would pay them once his deal with Sofie has fulfilled, and they had no other choice but to wait.


    Thereafter, Jacob made sure there wasn''t any monitoring or listening device nted in his lodging and then started to focus on the water magic.


    Even though he didn''t need a Magic Evolution Scripture for his mana core because he mused as long as he continued to do water meditation in a massive water body, his magic core would evolve.


    But it was still not clear because, for some reason, he was only able to recover mana from water meditation, not gravity force field was created again. Jacob mused that he needed toplete the reaming four exercises to thepletion before moving forward with the water meditation.


    However, it wasn''t the time to start another breaking exercise from Art of Nature because he didn''t have the environment suitable for the next one, nor he has mastered the epic water magic core yet.


    His Hex Magic Core was only good with hexes, and there was no physical advantage, but the water magic core was an entirely different story.


    That''s why he came to the alchemy guild instead of going to the bank or the alliance. He wanted to know which category his water core was and then acquire that category of magic knowledge.


    Meanwhile, he was still learning the basic he had remembered from the Universal Magic Manual as well as he was using his knowledge of the fabled magic from his old world heard from stories and lore.


    In his final years, he studied rituals and lore like his life depended on it, which actually were, and that is why he always wanted magic to try those theories. Furthermore, after bing a magic smith, he has some idea of how to proceed with magic like water.


    On the other hand, he was not able to apply those theories on the hex mana because it wasn''t corporal at all, and its nature waspletely supernatural, so he could only give up on it. But the water was an entirely different case.


    But the problem was the Universal Magic Manual only had spells from 1-Star to 9-Star, and they were all very basic, and their chanting sequence was quite long, and Jacob knew he would be long dead before he couldplete those chanting.


    So, he decided to use another approach, the experimental approach!


    ''The Silent Casting exists in this ce, but in the form of scripture, and scripture is what we use to alternate our magic orbits. But what about imagination?'' Jacob thought as he looked at his palm and tried to imagine shaping the water.


    His hand suddenly glowed in blue sheen, which meant he was channeling his mana out of his body which was the very basis of magic use. However, no matter how much he tried to think about it, the blue energy didn''t even flinch and remained static.


    Not to mention shaping water, he can''t even convert his mana into physical water.


    ''Why can my mana turn into water when I''m inside water but not when I''m outside the water?'' Jacob frowned as he had already experimented with this, but it bodes no result. He thought it was because he was agitated or not doing it right, but now it was pretty clear the magic was far more than just imagination and thinking about the casting.


    Since it was not working, he tried chanting a 1-star spell called the Water Bullet. The moment he uttered the magic runes for this spell, he suddenly felt something invisible inside him stir.


    The very next moment, the calm mana over his palm suddenly churned and changed into water, and suddenly a 9 mm bullet appeared in Jacob''s mind, and the water instantly shaped into that bullet!


    Jacob was astonished as he looked at the 9 mm bullet, but all of a sudden, he felt something strange as the blue water bullet was hovering above his palm and ready to fire on his behest!


    Then Jacob pointed it toward the metal door and thought of it shot toward that door, and with a swishing sound, that bullet shed toward that door and burst into water droplets after colliding with the special metal door.


    1-star water spell can''t even scratch that door''s surface!


    However, Jacob didn''t care about that at all because a sudden realization dawned upon him, ''That feeling deep inside me? Was that my magic orbits? But why did I imagine a 9 mm bullet in instead of a 99 mm?''


    Jacob''s mind raced as he again chanted the same spell, and then another bullet started to form the process was the same. But this time, he imagined arge caliber bullet.


    However, the very moment the bullet was about to form, the 9 mm bullet appeared in his head again, and the water changed into a 9 mm bullet again!


    ''How can this spell force me to imagine a 9 mm bullet?!'' Jacob was really startled as it turned out it was the spell, not him. But then it didn''t make any sense as he didn''t seem to be forced, but just that it felt like a 9 mm bullet was the optimal choice for this spell.


    ''Don''t tell me, this 1-star spell is also limiting my imagination? Or is it just that the mana converted into water is not enough for the higher-caliber bullet? If so, then as long as I can learn how to change my mana into water freely, didn''t this mean I can form higher caliber bullets¡­.''


    Jacob felt that a bombshell had just gone off in his brain when he suddenly stumbled upon the concept of Magic Element Conversion!

 Chapter 393 The Troubles of A Slave (1)

    Chapter 393 The Troubles of A ve (1)


    Three days passed in a sh, and on this day, the same elf named La-Lilly came to Jacob''s lodging and knocked on the door.


    Truth be told, La-Lilly was still in disbelief that she would get a master-level rune artificer legacy, and the Guild Leader Curtis also started to treat her differently.


    ''If it were before, the moment the Guild Leader found that I have acquired a Rune Artificer Legacy, he would do anything to take it. But now, he is like me, afraid of the Elder''s interference.


    ''But as I know, Guild Leader won''t just sit still, and I''m probably still fine because of this exact reason. He might want to use me in case the Elder tries to shut us up after getting the legacy. That''s why he let me hear all that conversation and even met the Elder.


    ''However, the Elder came with¡­.''


    Suddenly her thought process was disrupted when the door was opened, and Jacob appeared with the same emotionless expression on his tattooed face. La-Lilly yelped softly as she was caught off Jacob nodded and walked out of the room, and La-Lilly couldn''t help but steal a peek inside his room, and she was startled when guard because she was not paying attention.


    ''Right, everything depends on this person. Just who is he¡­.'' She wondered a curiosity but didn''t dare to show it.


    "Is she here?" Jacob impassively questioned since he wasn''t disturbed for three whole days, and now they were finally approaching him, which could only mean the Elder Grandmaster Sofie had arrived!


    "Y-yes, please follow me. The Elder invites you for a meeting." La-Lilly quickly replied. For some reason, despite being an Epic-Tier-3 elf, she still felt a strange fear of Jacob as she had never felt of any barbarian.


    Jacob nodded and walked out of the room, and La-Lilly couldn''t help but steal a peek inside his room, and she was startled when she saw everything was wet!


    However, the automatic door got closed after Jacob left, so she thought she saw it wrong and quickly led Jacob toward the meeting room on the top floor.


    But she saw nothing wrong as Jacob had been practicing magic for two and half days tirelessly.


    However, the result he achieved were nothing but depressing because he still didn''t figure out how to manipte his own magic orbits independently like the spells.


    But he does understand three steps of how a magic spell works. The first was the mana conversion which changed the ethereal mana into corporeal form. The second step was the visualization which shaped the mana. The third step was the release of that mana.


    Jacob didn''t know if there were more steps, but these three were quite clear, so he decided to focus on them for now. Afterward, he experimented with higher rank spells. But he didn''t go past three-star spells because any higher and he would''ve alerted the authorities.


    Nevertheless, just those spells were enough to give him tremendous insights, and he finally discovered the problem, or the wall which was blocking him and limiting him.


    It was the first step of the mana conversion. No matter what he tried, he couldn''t freely convert his mana into water form, and it was all rted to the magic orbits.


    In the end, Jacob mused that he needed an epic rank magic scripture to further research this topic and then solve this problem. There was nothing inside the Universal Magic Manual.


    Jacob also made another massive discovery, which was rted to the magic rune. They seemed to contain a strangemanding power on the magic and could instantly manipte the magic orbits if spoken in a certain sequence.


    This was another approach that he might take if he didn''t seed with the first one. This was the path of creating his own spells, but he knew it was a pipe dream to achieve it in the little time he had, and he needed deeply research the magic runes.


    Nevertheless, the Rune Artificer was the study of magic runes and their practical uses, so he was hopeful of finding something when he started practicing them.


    All in all, Jacob needed Sofie to achieve all of this and also made sure that Captain Free Sword won''t interfere with his preparation.


    La-Lilly led Jacob to the highest floor, which was a luxurious hall, and the walls were made with transparent ss, and one could see all the city by standing there, which was quite a view.


    In the center of this floor was arge rectangr table, and at this moment, on the head chair, Sofie in a white dress was sitting there, and Curtis was on the first chair on the right while on her left was another woman with the same racial traits as Sofie. She wore a yellow flowery dress and had a Senior Grandmaster Badge on her ample chest, and she looked at Jacob with a grouchy expression for some reason.


    However, Jacob ignored the other woman like she didn''t exist and directly walked toward the only seat at the other end of the table and sat down right in front of Sofie like he owned the ce.


    This made Curtis frown slightly while the other woman was shocked by the barbarian''s insolence, and La-Lilly was sweating profusely as she felt the atmosphere was extremely grave.


    Sofie looked at the unafraid barbarian with curiosity since it was her first time seeing him in person, and she had to admit he didn''t seem afraid or anxious about her at all.


    ''Did I judge wrong?'' She thought grimly.


    But outwardly, a smile formed on her enthralling face as she said, "Mr. Nobody, I hope you enjoy our hospitality."


    "It was okay, I guess. Now that you are here, can we finally get on with our deal? I''m in a hurry, and I''m sure you also can''t leave your position for much longer." Jacob coolly stated without beating around the bush.


    Sofie nodded as she fully agreed with Jacob''s statement. She hase here by leaving her own privateb alone, and for an alchemist of her caliber, it was extremely ufortable. If not for that legacy, she wouldn''t havee here.


    "Very well, to make things faster, I brought my disciple with me. She¡­"


    At this moment, Jacob coldly cut her short, "I made myself clear before, I need only your skills alone. Or there is no need for hiring you if I can just hire a few senior grandmasters for a far cheaper price!"

 Chapter 394 The Troubles of A Slave (2)

    Chapter 394 The Troubles of A ve (2)


    Sofie''s eyes narrowed coldly after hearing Jacob''s rude remark, but she didn''t refute it as Jacob was just stating the fact. He had hired her for her skills, and this could only be applied when she did everything herself. If a new pair of hands meddle, then it will be lost its meaning.


    "Who do you think you are!" The grouchy disciple of Sofie''s named Daisy finally couldn''t take the barbarian''s aloof attitude. Everyone revered her master, and she also received everyone''s respect wherever she went, yet today, a barbarian was talking to them like he owned them.


    Jacob finally nced at Daisy, who was fiercely showing her sharp fangs, and her pupils turned into narrow slits, "Since I''m hiring you, I naturally have the right to speak up when I find something dissatisfying. Sigh, it seems you guys didn''t know what it means to do business at all and only think with the status quo. Very well, I''ll take my business somewhere else!"


    Jacob shook his head in disappointment, and his words left everyone bbergasted. Just as he stated, these guys were too used to other people''s respect and had forgotten how to treat themon people.


    That''s why he didn''t want to show any respect or appear weak in front of them because he knew the moment he did, they would take him as a pushover, and he would not achieve the result he wanted.


    He was behaving like a customer, and since these guys wanted his money, they needed to show the goods. It was a simple concept, and they only understood it when Jacob stood up.


    "Wait! Mr. Nobody, Daisy just spoke out on impulse, it''s her fault, that Jacob was really leaving, and it appeared suppressing him by their status will not work at all.


    and she should apologize." Sofie finally spoke when she understood that Jacob was really leaving, and it appeared suppressing him by their status will not work at all.


    Daisy was also shocked by Sofie''s reaction and looked at her in disbelief. It was her first time seeing her master yielding some much in front of a nobody.


    Sofie gave her a death re, "Apologize for Mr. Nobody right now."


    Daisy felt a chill run down her spine and bit her lips, and was about to speak when Jacob did first.


    "I don''t need apologies. If you want to continue, then let''s go to the workshop and start with the process. I''ve wasted enough time already." He coldly stated while looking directly into Sofie''s eyes.


    From the moment he knew these guys were desperate to get their hands on that legacy, he was the one who controlled the flow however he wanted. Now that he showed his impatient, he was sure they would no longer try to waste more time.


    "Very well." Sofie finally nodded before she looked at Curtis, who was sweating, "Did you prepare the workshop?"


    Curtis btedly nodded, "Of course, the Guild Leader Workshop is all yours, Elder."


    "Then I''ll be there with Mr. Nobody, make sure no one disturbs us, or I''ll personally kick them out." She sternly ordered Curtis before she looked at grouchy Daisy and meaningfully said, "You will reflect while you are here and ''help'' guild leader Curtis handing the matter of the Guild. Is that understood?"


    Daisy nodded with wronged expression, but a hidden me of hate for Jacob had been ignited within her heart.


    Sofie then looked at Jacob and smiled, "Shall we?"


    Afterward, Sofie led Jacob to a floor below which was actually the biggest workshop within the alchemy guild building, and only the Guild Leader could use it.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered as he saw all those high-tech tools and felt he hade into one of his own world''sbs.


    "Are you also an alchemist, Mr. Nobody?" Sofie suddenly asked at this moment.


    "Indeed, but I''m not as skilled as you," Jacob replied impassively. He was only Elder Grandmaster Rank or higher in Gunsmithing and Basic Elder Grandmaster Magic Smith while he had the knowledge of Rune Artificer up to the Basic Elder Grandmaster Rank.


    If Ellie hadn''t stabbed him in the back, he could''ve been one of the most talented alchemists present in the entire Epic ins. But here he was, hiding from everyone.


    "I''m curious, really, if you are a member of our guild, then why you appeared in the region of Vile Witch Valley when you could go to a region with Large Alive City and hired an Advanced Elder Grandmaster? Are, by any chance, you need those pills to save something? If you don''t want to, you don''t need to reply." Sofie questioned with a chuckle.


    Jacob''s lips curled up slightly, "You indeed belonged to the fox race Elder Sofie."


    "Then does this mean I''m right?" Sofie looked at Jacob deeply.


    Jacob didn''t reply; instead, "We better start with pill creation. Oh, I want you to turn off this workshop''s surveince system for five minutes. I don''t want my pill form to be recorded in the white sage''s records, and I hope you can keep this private as well."


    "You are indeed something of the guild to know so much." Sofie wasn''t surprised by Jacob''s demand as anyone who knows how the Guild words would put this demand.


    "White Sage, please turn off the surveince footage and sound recording for 5 minutes on this floor." Sofie then ordered while her wrist shimmered in a white glow.


    "It''s done." She stated while looking at Jacob in a cool manner, but her eyes suddenly dted when she saw a red sheen in Jacob''s eyes.


    ''Slumber Hex!'' Jacob instantly activated the hex spell the moment Sofie turned off the entire floor''s surveince system.


    Within that instant, the entire hex mana within his pendant was exhausted, and Sofie''s shocked eyes suddenly turned lethargic before they got close, and she fell right into Jacob''s arms.


    Looking at the delicate body of Sofie, Jacob has nothing but coldness in his eyes. He knew he had seeded in tricking Sofie, an Elder Grandmaster, into handing her entire being to him!


    Without wasting time, he threw her body on the floor, and then a space ring appeared on his finger, it was the same space ring Captain Free Sword had handed him, and only afterpleting a certain condition can he take something out from it just like he did now!

 Chapter 395 The Troubles of A Slave (3)

    Chapter 395 The Troubles of A ve (3)


    Jacob took out something from the space ring given to him by Captain Free Sword. It was a one-centimeter ck triangr gem, and inside this gem were dark gray veins. It was an Advanced Epic Rank Parasite Gem that can''t be bought in the open market!


    Jacob was given many of these gems so he could enve high-ranking members of the three hegemonies and turn them into Captain Free Sword pawns just like he had be himself.


    Furthermore, he was even given a quota he needed to meet before the start of the trial, and that''s why he was desperate to start this as soon as possible, or his body will start moving on his own.


    But this didn''t mean he couldn''t use this thing to his own advantage. Captain Free Sword had no idea that Jacob''s mind was not under Masha''s control or he had Hex Magic which was perfect for this kind of task.


    Now that everyone was hunting Jacob, this cumbersome mission had be his main priority, and this was his only chance to prepare and move without being noticed by anyone.


    Nevertheless, there were just as many coins as they were pros, and if he messed up even a little bit, Captain Free Sword would not let it slide.


    ''I can only use one hex on one epic being before I need to refill the pendant again. How bothersome.'' Sighing at his troubles, Jacob decided to put his attention on the matter at hand and looked at the parasite gem and then unconscious Sofie.


    ''ording to the introduction given by that other ogre (Harold). First, I need to let this parasite gem absorb a drop of my blood, and then I can imnt it into the target''s head like the normal parasite gem, and I''ll be in full control of the target''s life. This epic-grade parasite gem is far more malicious and potent than the parasite gems in rare ins¡­'' Jacob thought with a cruel smile, and then his short sword appeared in his hand.


    He didn''t waste time since the security measures in this ce would soon be activated again, and if Sofie remained unconscious, he would be in a world of trouble.


    One of the reasons the alchemists don''t make deals or work outside the guild building is because of the secret measures ced in the guild building. Any sudden movement and White Sage will alert everyone, even seek help for the bank and alliance members, and they were obliged to help the guild members because the benefits they would get afterward were no joke.


    That''s why no one dares to mess with the Alchemy Guild despite most of the people here having weak physiques than thebatants.


    However, Jacob also knew the loophole to undermine this security measure because of his old status, and that''s why he was confident in tricking a fox-like Sofie.


    Jacob then made a small cut on his fingertip, and a drop of blood, which now seemed to be far more crimson than normal human blood, dropped on the triangr gem, and it was instantly absorbed into the gem like a sponge.


    The next moment, something magical happened. The gray veins within the dark gem suddenly dyed in crimson color, and then Jacob felt a strange connection established with that gem in his hand just like he had with Autarch, but it was far lessplicated than that.


    With astonishment, he squatted down and made a deep cut at Sofie''s be as blood gushed out, spreading all over her pale face, but Jacob''s expression remained unchanged.


    Then storing the short sword away, he stabbed the parasite gem into the opening, and once that gem came in contact with Sofie''s skull bone, those crimson veins suddenly grew out from the gem and started to take root in her skull.


    Jacob was even more shocked when he felt the parasite geming alive, and he let it go. Thereby that magical connection became visible and strong as he started to feel a strong control over the unconscious Sofie.


    It wasn''tpletely like his connection with Autarch, but in some ways, it was the same. He could now order the parasite gem to kill her whenever he wished, and her mind was now under his control.


    The parasite gem took a few seconds before it tookplete root in Sofie''s head, and Jacob could feel that now it was ready. So, without wasting much time, he canceled the hex, and Sofie''s eyes abruptly opened, and she instantly groaned in pain.


    "Ahhh, w-what have¡­"


    "Stop speaking." Jacob''s cold voice rang, and the next moment Sofie''s lips were tightly sealed as her eyes widened in horror as some of her blood was now seeping into her eyes, making them look bloody.


    She felt like a huge force controlling her actions, and despite wanting to open her mouth, she couldn''t, no matter what, and then she felt all the control of her body was no longer hers either.


    It was like someone had entrapped her consciousness in a cage within her own body where she could only see but don''t do anything, and this horrified her more than anything.


    "Stand up and deal with the cut on your forehead. I don''t want to raise any rm from your bleeding." Jacob ordered again, and like a robot, Sofie sprang into action with in expression.


    She quickly took out a pill from her storage ring and then ate it, and the very next moment, the wound on her forehead started to close, and afterward, she headed toward a water source in the workshop and washed her face.


    Sofie watched herself moving without her control and felt goosebumps and horror. As an alchemist, she knew what tragedy had befallen her.


    ''He enved me?!'' She wanted to scream, but no voice came out, and all she could feel was infinite coldness and horror. She had never thought she would be fell victim to very so easily and right in the ce which she thought was the safest ce for her.


    As she watched herself washing her face and then walking toward the barbarian again, who now appeared to be smiling, giving her the vibes of a horrifying devil who was about to consume her very being!


    12997b938b84cd65d67627c6ebec510210c842700a617f8621f5d2b208f340df582fb024a44d7e9ec5092038f9f4a2dabf88a1cbc867941ab27cd3bc4f126330b20e586c135c5fb21931c21ee6f73

 Chapter 396 The Troubles of A Slave (4)

    Chapter 396 The Troubles of A ve (4)


    Jacob looked at the stoic Sofie in front of him and was quite pleased andpletely rxed since he had achieved his goal.


    "Open the surveince footage, but turn off the sound system until I say so." He ordered.


    Sofie did as she was told and manipted the star watch with magic and then nodded. It was done!


    Jacob then sat down on a chair and told Sofie, "Sit." And she sat right in front of her like a statue.


    "Alright, you may speak freely but only speak nothing else. If you try to scream, shut up; if you try to ry a hidden message, shut up¡­" Jacob gave a long string ofmands to make sure Sofie won''t y any tricks.


    He was quite familiar with these sorts of tricks and loopholes as he was thinking about them all the time because of his own status as a ve.


    Sofie''s stoic expression finally cracked into a horrified and then hatred surfaced as if she wanted to kill Jacob with that look. But because of Jacob''smand, she can''t speak specific words, scream, or even curse; her body would instantly react, and her lips would be sealed the moment she even thinks of going against Jacob''smand.


    In the end, it took her quite a while to arrange her thoughts and calm down so that she could speak.


    But only one word came out, filled with hatred, "Why?!"


    Jacob knew what Sofie was feeling right now, too well. He sighed and replied, "You should know, in this ce, strong prey on weak. For what it''s worth, my target was not you but your status. This is the only exnation you will get from me."


    Sofie ground her teeth so hard as her gums were on the verge of breaking. Jacob''s meaning was clear. She was just unlucky and weaker than him, nothing else.


    Jacob then said, "I will give you freedom if you do as I told you. You should know better than anyone that there is no way of removing the Advanced Epic Rank Parasite Gem unless you be a Unique or are willing to die trying. Even if by some miracle you survived for only turning into a vegetable, I don''t think it''s worth it.


    "Cherish your life and do as I say, and you''ll be free once I achieve my goal. If anything, I can promise you I won''t put your life in danger. I think it''s worth it for freedom, right?"


    Jacob''s words pierce right into Sofie''s messy heart. She knew her fate was sealed now, and even if she didn''t want to, Jacob could easily make her do his bidding. She could either do it willingly or forcefully; that was the fate of a ve!


    At least she might be free one day, which she clearly didn''t believe, but hope was something that could make anyone do things they couldn''t even imagine, and Jacob just gave her that hope!


    Calming her chaotic emotions, she said, "Who are you, and what is your purpose?"


    She was still clueless about how easily Jacob had subdued her and even had an Advanced Epic Rank Parasite Gem, which meant she was someone with a massive background and probably far more powerful than he was showing.


    She heard there were some extremely rare scriptures that could hide one real magic prowess, and Jacob seemed to be using it, or "My identity is not important, and my purpose is something you won''t understand. Let''s just get straight to your purpose. First, tell Jacob''s aura was only of someone with a 1-star epic magic core.


    "My identity is not important, and my purpose is something you won''t understand. Let''s just get straight to your purpose. First, tell me, can the three leaders of the hegemonies track someone with their star watch? I want nothing but the truth." Jacob sternly questioned.


    Sofie didn''t expect this question, but she had to reply, "I don''t know about what kind of authority the three leaders enjoy with their status. I only met the Vice President once but never the President. In fact, those three rarely made public appearances or met someone.


    "However, as far as the matter of Star Watch goes, the Star Network would never disclose this sort of information like live locations. Or do you think all those criminals like the Killer Skull Society or enemies of the three hegemonies'' leaders would boldly condemn them on the Star Network?


    "All they can do is ce bounties or keep an eye out for their Star IDs. The Starwork ispletely safe. Even if there exists such a method, it should be rted to Star Privilege and even that in case the target''s own star privilege is far lower than the privileged user."


    ''I think so as well. Or those guys would be searching for me now in this ce after I posted that star news.'' Jacob thought as he was quite sure his star privilege might be equivalent to or slightly below the three leaders'' own privileges, so how could the starwork be biased towards them?


    ''Then how did that wily bitch know I was in the epic ins the moment I appeared?'' This was the only thing he didn''t understand.


    But he also had a suspicion rted to this as well, and now that it was confirmed the Starwork was not giving away his location, he asked about it.


    "What is a Bronze Invitation that the Vice Guild President could use?" Jacob''s voice contained killing intent when he asked this.


    Sofie replied with uncertainty, "I don''t know much since only the Vice Guild President or Guild President had the authority to use them, but I do hear gossip once, and there were also some rumors about them on the Starwork as well.


    "ording to them, a Bronze Invitation can help someone directly join any three hegemony without any test or skill.


    "But the Bronze Invitation Inviter would also be eligible for something called a Bronze Invitation Benefits (BIB) once the Bronze Invitation eptor would step into Epic level ranks of any hegemonies.


    "One of the Bronze Invitation Benefits is Inviter would receive 40 to 50% of the eptor''s earnings, future achievement, and some other benefits from the guild as well. The Inviter might also have other rights like they might be able to kick someone with epic ranking in their organization, which is impossible unless you havemitted an unforgivable crime against the organization and someone can prove it.


    "But they are just unprovable rumors, and only the three leaders or the three vices would truly know what other functions these invitations had."


    Jacob''s expression was clouded after hearing about those facts about the Bronze Invitation, and a murderous urge was rising within his heart as he thought, ''Don''t appear before me, Vice President, or¡­.''


    12997b938b84cd65d67627c6ebec5102569b84c1c2afcde6615016dc7301b8e8a68c35282bb640703e390c70182148c089b7455f9db1ec15d13ef1d2fdbc9b770c961014aa6920717193c57ae73b2

 Chapter 397 Everything Set!

    Chapter 397 Everything Set!


    On the 10th floor of the Alchemy Guild.


    Daisy was looking at five robust men with an extremely dark expression as those men had their heads down.


    She spitefully said, "What do you can''t find anything about that barbarian? ording to my master, he should be here with someone who needed that medicine hemissioned my master to make. Just how hard it is to find a sick or injured person? I think you guys don''t want my master''s favor at all!"


    "Lady Daisy, we searched high and low, but all the injured or sick had a solid background, and no one had ever seen that barbarian. We even showed his image to the barbarianmunity, and they told us they had never seen him. Even had gone as far as to threaten them, and they are not lying." A man with horse-like features replied hastily.


    "But how is that possible?!" Daisy grits her teeth and refuses to admit that she won''t be able to find Jacob''s weakness and then exploit it and pay him back for the humiliation he caused her three days ago.


    "There is no need to go on a ghost chase anymore." At this moment, the door of the workshop was sided opened, and Sofie walked in, followed by frowning Curtis.


    Daisy was momentarily surprised, seeing her master appearing all of a sudden after three days. Furthermore, she somehow found her and coldly ordered, "You three wait outside."


    Those three didn''t dare to disobey and left after bowing at her first. strange for some reason but couldn''t put her finger on it.


    Daisy quickly snapped out of her dazzle and asked, "Are you done, Master?"


    Sofie didn''t reply right away but instead looked at the three men and coldly ordered, "You three wait outside."


    Those three didn''t dare to disobey and left after bowing at her first. Now, only Sofie, Curtis, and Daisy remained in the room.


    Sofie took a seat before she spoke impassively, "There is no need to search for Mr. Nobody''spanion."


    "B-but why!? Didn''t you suspect that he had far more than just that legacy, and if we could find his weakness, then we could get all of it? He certainly gave hints that he wanted those pills desperately despite his dog-like attitude!" Daisy couldn''t help but retort strongly. Even Curtis seemed to be agreed with Daisy.


    ''How can I tell you that we all had been led by the nose by that deceitful bastard?! He wanted us to believe that he was desperate, so we all think we had a chance to acquire his treasures without needing to resort to violence!''


    Sofie wanted to scream this, but she couldn''t as her face remained stoic, and she replied, "Mr. Nobody and I have reached an agreement, and he agreed to give me all the inheritance and his treasures. There is indeed someone he wants to save, but I need to stay in this ce for at least ten months, and we need tons of materials.


    "And trust me, what I''ve seen, ten months are nothing in front of it. Not to mention that fellow is extremely cunning, and he had hidden all those treasures beforeing here. So, don''t ask questions and do as I told you, and everything will be ours, and we''ll be able to move to a Large Alive City in no time!"


    Curtis and Daisy were in disbelief when they heard Sofie''s words.


    "Elder, do you agree to a new deal?" Curtis asked with a frown.


    Although he also wanted a bigger part of the pie, this entire situation seemed to be fishy. Because Sofie was the one who added him to her scheme to rob Jacob of his treasures by grabbing his weakness. But now, she was telling them to stand down?


    Even Daisy felt something was wrong, but her master was hiding her expression too well, and she didn''t think anything would''ve happened in the alchemy guild.


    Sofie didn''t wait or care about their reaction as she handed them a list, "Gather these materials as much as you could from the entire Vile Witch Valley region. Use my authority, and don''t hold back, or you''ll be answering to me. Oh, Daisy, give me your Star Watch."


    Daisy was bbergasted by this sudden order, especially thest one, and couldn''t help but question in a stupor, "Where''s yours?"


    ---


    Jacob, in the Guild Leader''s workshop, was ying with his new star watch as it shimmered around his wrist like his very skin was glowing.


    This was the star watch that he had pocketed from Sofie, and after connecting with it, he found just why it was so expensive.


    Not only this star watch was connected with his brain waves, he could use mana to operate it, and other people won''t even know it. Although this Star Watch was only an Intermediate Epic Rank, it was far more useful than the advanced rare rank one.


    As for the advanced rank variant, ording to Sofie, only the top figures of the three hegemonies can buy them. Even this intermediate one was only avable for Elder Grandmasters like Sofie and can''t be found in the open market.


    Nevertheless, after getting the hang of this star watch, he saw thousands of messages in his inbox, and all of them were there because of his star news post. Furthermore, only 2-star privilege holders could message him now or his friends.


    So, these senders were at least someone with 2-star privilege holders and probably the peak figures of the epic ins.


    Upon closer inspection, he saw those thousands of messages were sent by 29 different start IDs, including the IDs from the three hegemonies leaders and Apocalyptic-S.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in an icy smile, ''At least 29 more people who had 2-star privilege other than me? They are far more than what I''ve been expecting. Well, at least all of them seemed to be interested in my business. This means it was a massive sess, and now I have also acquired a base of operation. Let''s start with the chaos!''


    Now that he was sure that the starwork hadn''t sold him out, he could be at ease and stick to his n.


    Jacob then opened his bank application to see how much Zodiac Credit he had collected from that absurd entry fee he had put on his server, and he was really surprised when he saw the number!


    "Current Bnce: 14,719,163 ZC"

 Chapter 398 Stirring the Masses

    Chapter 398 Stirring the Masses


    ''Over 1 million members joined my server in little over five days?'' Jacob was astonished as he gazed at those ZC and then quickly opened his star server.


    "Star Server Name: Ancient Artifact Industry


    "Star Server Category: Business


    "Star Server Visibly: Private Server [Star Link needed to Join this Server]


    "Star Server Owner: Faceless Ancient


    "Star Server Member(s): 1,271,916 (Epic ins)


    "Star Privilege / Star Server Level: 2-Star (Equivalent to 2-Star Privilege of Faceless Ancient)


    "NOTE: 2-Star Server has 3 Unique Privileges:


    "1. 2-Star Server Privilege (Entry Fee): You have set the Entry Fee to Maximum (10 ZC) for your Star Server. (Change)


    "2. 2-Star Server Privilege (Post Type): You have Selected Auction Post Type for Your Star Server. (Change)


    [Post Restriction: Server Owner Only (Win-Win Post Privilege Apply)]


    "3. 2-Star Server Privilege (Trading (Generated by Business Category): You have selected an Auction Trading System for your Star Server, and you will get 2% of any trading activities in your Star Server.


    [Auction Trading System Restriction: Anonymous Usernames (Numerical) (Only the Star Sever Owner can see the actual name of Server Users)]


    "Star Server Description: Ancient Artifact Industry offered all the weapons crafted by Faceless Ancient, which includes therge verities of Guns, Bombs, Missiles, Atomic Bombs, Atomic Bullets, Atomic¡­


    "Star Server Post Privilege: Win-Win [Only by purchasing an item from the Ancient Artifact Industry will you gain the right to make Auction Posts!]


    "Rules and Regtions: ¡­"


    Although Jacob''s server was empty since he had set up the star server post restriction with the second unique privilege help, all those members who had joined were naturally there for his weapons.


    Furthermore, he saw his star news post was now second on treading just below his own bounty post, and millions of people had liked it.


    ''Infamy is the fastest to draw attention, and the lust for power is the strongest desire¡­'' Jacob thought with a dark smile as this result was better than he had anticipated.


    Now he was fully equipped and ready to start his business in the Zodiac ins just like he once started in his old world. It was a feeling of nostalgia as well, that once-in-a-lifetime excitement of starting his own business.


    He never thought he would feel that sensation again and sighed in mncholia when he thought about how he was going to discard his every principle.


    In the end, the principles were dead, and he was no longer the same person anymore nor his goal.


    So, without hesitation, he posted another star news before returning to the server and started to create his first auction post on his server with a cruel smile!


    ---


    Within the Alchemy Guild''s Headquarters, Ellie suddenly received a notification she had specifically set for a certain server, and when she read the content, a twisted expression appeared on her face as well as a hint of uneasiness was present in her somewhat anxious eyes.


    She quickly contacted her father, and before she could even speak, Nelsen''s gloomy voice rang.


    "I know. Sigh¡­ we quickly need to deal with this monster we created unknowingly¡­


    ---


    Within the headquarters of the bank, Lucy was staring at her star watch with aplicated yet murderous look in her eyes.


    "We can''t let this abomination destroy our authorities, not when so much is on the line¡­."


    ---


    Gunner was intensely staring at the giant projection with another giant present in the luxurious training hall.


    The other giant said with a deep frown, "We have made a terrible enemy, Chairman." He was the Vice Chairman of the Alliance, Andrew!


    "There is no point in regretting. Let''s just salvage what we can and stay out of this mess. He has yet to do anything against us. Suppose we reach the wrong conclusion; we might drag into these muddy waters as well. I want to see how those two willy wretched fellows wille out of this mess.


    "If anything, I think this is an opportunity to threaten Nelsen''s hidden power. Since this is a fair auction, let''s treat it like one. This guy is helping us by giving us all these deadly weapons before the trial!" Gunner replied with a cold scoff.


    ---


    In her hideout, S-0 was also looking at the star sever with a nasty expression.


    She muttered with intense killing intent, "So not only did you not surrender, but you even chose the path of no return. Since you havee to the Epic ins, I''ll make sure to take your everything, including your life!"


    ---


    At an unknown location, a magnificent dark castle was located.


    A masked being was sitting over a dark throne, giving off an unfathomed feeling of superiority.


    Below the throne, there were a few more masked figures sitting in a respectful posture.


    One thingmon about them was they were all looking at a massive projection of a Star Server in front of them.


    At this moment, the masked being sitting over the dark throne spoke, "Dark Earl, Hallberg, did this person reject this Marquis''s kind invitation?"


    The voice of this person was almost static, and it was hard to tell if it was male or female.


    A small figure sitting over the third seat respectfully replied at this moment, "Respectful Dark Marquise, it appeared he didn''t see my messages at all."


    The Rare in''s mysterious Dark Earl, Hallberg, was speaking so respectfully that all the people would take him for ackey. Furthermore, his voice was filled with regret when he just replied, as well as a feeling of foreboding.


    "Did you not im that this person was your acquaintance from the Rare ins?" The Dark Marquise''s static voice sounded again.


    "I speak nothing but the truth with my Lordship. But we were merely acquaintances, so it is understandable that he no longer cares about it. Moreover, his current situation might''ve yed a certain part in his indifference towards me." Hallberg replied respectfully.


    The Dark Marquise remained silent for a moment before speaking again, "Logical indeed since he didn''t reply to other earl''s invitations as well¡ªhow insufferable yet resourceful fellow.


    "Dark Earl, Hallberg, I don''t know why a person of your caliber could not see a potential like Faceless Ancient and didn''t take him with you. But I''m not a person who likes to dwell on the mistakes of the past.


    "Since he is not in the right mindset, let''s not antagonize him further. If he reached out, I want to hear it post hastily. This sort of diamond in the rough should belong to the Dark City, not those insufferable buffoons.


    "Meanwhile, let''s partake in this bidding. I want that weapon so we can reverse-engineer it. The others would also have the same, though. More importantly, this will also open a possibility of revealing his location, for he had to deliver that weapon, or the Star Network will get involved!"

 Chapter 399 First Auction Post (1)

    Chapter 399 First Auction Post (1)


    "[Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry]


    "Auction Post by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Wee everyone! Foremost, everyone, I can''t thank you all enough for the support you all have shown me, and I''m feeling extremely humble! I''m still feeling surreal that so many people understand and appreciate my talent and hard work while some narrow-minded nipoops wanted to suppress me, even kill me, so that they could stop this revolutionary industry! Today will mark the day when the Ancient Artifact Industry willunch its first product, and whoever paid the most will be able to buy it, fair and square! There are also perks like Win-Win Post Privilege which will allow you to do business in my server freely, without being worried about your identity being revealed to anyone or someone''s suppression! This is a hub for themon public and shall remain for as long as I live!


    "Auction Item Name: Atomic Grenade


    "Item Type: Weapon/Explosive


    "Item Rank: At least Advanced Epic Rank


    "Item Properties: Subatomic (NO Magic)


    "Item Quantity: 1


    "Item Description: Atomic Grenade is a consumable explosive just like any grenade. But its area of range is thousands of times more, not to mention its damage and aftereffect are its biggest deadly features. With a range of around 100~200 miles, it is a weapon of mass destruction. However, its true terror lies in its aftereffects. I''m sure all of you must''ve known about the poisonous mist surrounding the epic star ocean. But for those who didn''t know, let me summarize it for you all so you can understand what I meant by ''aftereffects.'' First, the area where this Atomic Grenade explodes will be filled with powerful radiation and turn into heaven for dark beings, meanings thends would bepletely infertile for centuries toe. Second, absolutely no Common, Rare, or weak Extraordinary Rank living thing could survive the radiation, and even if they did, they would never be the same, at least not their descendants because this is also a biochemical weapon! Last but not least, NEVER try to reverse-engineer it because I have installed an anti-theftponent in my cocktail, and the moment anyone even remotely tries to open the grenade or analyze it with any sort of technology, please prepare your own coffin beforehand as well as the people surrounding you. Don''tin that I never warned you!


    "Starting (Opening) Bid Price: 1,000,000 ZC


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 05H:49M:38S


    "Current highest Bidder: Anonymous84322 (Star ID: Great Hallberg)


    "Bid from Anonymous84322: 21,500,000 ZC"


    Jacob looked at the auction post he had posted just ten minutes ago and the real ID of the anonymous bidder, and his expression were frosty. He didn''t have any good feelings toward Hallberg since that guy clearly sold him out, and then he shamelessly sent him messages to recruit him.


    In the end, Jacobpletely ghosted him because there wasn''t any need to say anything when his action could speak louder. He no longer had any goodwill toward any of these massive organizations of the Zodiac ins, not even the mysterious Dark City.


    Since he had opened his own industry again, he naturally has ns to exploit it fully, and these people will be his stepping stones. Nevertheless, the bid for just one atomic grenade has reached his wildest imagination.


    But when he thought about how novel and alluring the atomic grenade was, and people had already seen its destructive might, it didn''t seem surprising that people were desperately fighting for it.


    Furthermore, the animosity Jacob''s star server provided gave everyone even more courage to bid freely. But this animosity was only for others, for Jacob could see their star IDs freely.


    Lastly, Jacob''s server suddenly surged with even more members because before posting this bid, he had posted a star news post to draw more attention, and he achieved that quite easily.


    However, despite the bid reaching 21.5 million ZC, it hasn''t stopped at all, and few people were still bidding, and a few of them were like Hallberg, the people Jacob hates.


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 21,550,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous145839 (Star ID: New-Star-of-Dawn): 21,600,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous2218 (Star ID: Amiable Monk Fish): 22,000,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 25,000,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady): 25,500,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous12 (Star ID: Giant Disdain): 25,550,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous1029732 (Star ID: PoorPot): 25,600,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 30,000,000 ZC"


    Jacob looked at the bigwigs who were actively partaking in the bidding, and those numbers represented the ranks they all had joined the star sever in. The three leaders had all joined his star server before it could even reach 1000 members. Especially, Nelsen was the fourth one to join the star server.


    Nevertheless, Jacob was paying more attention to those other guys who were bidding against those bigwigs, and all of them were someone with 2-star privilege IDs. He knew because these people had sent him messages before, and now they were all rivaling the three leaders.


    Just his was enough proof that there were many hidden snakes coiling in the darkness, waiting for a moment to cause upheaval, and Jacob had provided the tform!


    Maybe he wasn''t the only one who held a grudge against the leaders of the three hegemonies or who they had wronged in their time of rule.


    But the one who turned this hate into profit was Jacob, and this also freed him from the trouble of collecting enough ZC before entering a in trial. Becausest time, he was as poor as dirt and missed out on many things from the champion shop.


    Now that he was going there again and he had no choice but to win, he would naturally go poor at least, and if he ended up winning, he didn''t need the three hegemonies to seek adequate knowledge, skills, and scriptures. He can get them all!


    Jacob then looked at the bidding post again, and it abruptly stopped at the 30 million bid Nelson had suddenly ced.


    It was already a staggering amount, and just one grenade wasn''t worth that much. But Jacob heard that this guy was also a famous explosive expert, and he knew why he didn''t want this weapon to fall into someone else hand.


    Nelsen was even sending him messages to stop this and calls, but Jacob ignored them all, and Nelsen wasn''t alone. Nevertheless, now no one could send him a forced call or message anymore, which made it pretty clear that no one had the 3-star privilege, which was nothing but a relief for him.


    At this moment, a new bid was ced, which greatly surprised Jacob.


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 40,000,000 ZC"

 Chapter 400 First Auction Post (2)

    Chapter 400 First Auction Post (2)


    Jacob looked at the bidder''s ID with scrutiny because he felt like he had seen this Star ID somewhere, and with his excellent memory, it won''t take long for him to remember where he had seen it.


    In fact, he still had a document saved in his personal data, which he had bought from the Starwork, and the owner wrote that document had that exact Star ID!


    ''Now, this is out of my expectation. I had bought the information on the Killer Skull Society''s brain chips from this guy''s article in themon in. But I never expected him to be from the Epic ins, and he was even the first person to join my star server.


    ''Furthermore, he hadn''t sent me any messages yet; he appeared to be quite rich. This could only mean he''s not a 2-star privilege holder or not after me like the others¡­'' Jacob thought as The Society Killer greatly interested him since he seemed to have quite a deep enmity with the Killer Skull Society to have that kind of name.


    Nevertheless, he won''t be going to seek him out to quench his curiosity because if the Society Killer wins the bid, then he can chat with Jacob using the star server inbox.


    Once the bid is concluded, Jacob will receive the final bidding price, which will be automatically deducted from the bidder''s ount.


    The Star Network didn''t just allow anyone to bid, as one could only bid the amount present in their zodiac ounts, no more, no less, and the moment the auction is concluded, that amount will be directly transferred to the item owner.


    However, this didn''t mean the owner could then run away with that money, not by a long shot. Because, just like the bidder, the post owner''s ount was connected with the Starwork as well.


    Once the auction post owner receives the money, the starwork will give a grace period after calcting the distance between the bid winner and the item owner. Thereafter, the owner has to deliver the item to the bidder within that period. Fail to do so, and the item owner would be in massive trouble.


    Because despite receiving the amount, the post owner can''t use it or transfer it to another ount before delivering the item.


    If the item failed to reach the bidder within the grace period, then that amount would be automatically returned to the bidder with an extra 10% penalty equivalent to the final bid.


    If the owner can''t pay that penalty, then the Star Network will make that person a ss-1 Star Criminal, which will make that person''s life very difficult.


    Because a ss-1 Star Criminal can no longer purchase, send or receive any kind of call or message until that person pays the penalty with an extra 40% on top of the actual penalty!


    That''s why no one dares to mess with the Star Network because bing a Star Criminal would directly strip them away from the ability to buy or contact everyone, not to mention it was just the punishment for a ss-1 Star Criminal!


    Like if a person is found to be affiliated with a Star Hacker in any way, they will directly be climbed to be a ss-4 Star Criminal, which will make life a living hell because the Star Network will do anything to hunt that Star Criminal down and the only way to get rid of that status is a guarantee from a very high star privilege owner and a hefty penalty!


    That''s why the moment Jacob put that post, he needed to be able to deliver the Atomic Grenade to the winner, or he would be losing arge amount of ZC.


    Nevertheless, the Star Network also had a measure ced just in case the bidder deliberately tried to cheat the system by iming it hadn''t received the item, and that''s why Jacob started this auction.


    If anything, Jacob was quite impressed by the Star Network''s strict rules and regtions, and countermeasures when it came to the Business type Star Server and was no longer worried about getting found out.


    Although it was still dangerous, at least not as much as he had to leave the Vile Witch Valley, and now that he was hiding in in sight, he would be fine even if someone found clues of his whereabouts!


    After the 40 million ZC bid from the Society Killer, no one followed suit, instated some of the bigwigs were flooding his inbox.


    Since there were still a few hours before this post would be over, Jacob decided to close the server and check once there were only a few minutes left.


    All in all, his online industry was a massive sess, and he wasn''t going to just stop with one atomic grenade.


    ''Excluding the raw plutonium I have, with just the weapons I had created in the rare ins, I''ll be a billionaire in no time. Thereafter, I can make far more improved versions of those atomic weapons with this workshop. I''ll have them know just who they have provoked.


    ''But first, I should be focusing on assimting the Rune Artificer knowledge until my stash from the Rare ins runs out. Also, now that I''m in the epic ins, I need to figure out how to open those nine locked space rings I got from the clown society''s dog. Maybe that guy might know how. Well, I''ll only decide after this bidding is over¡­''


    Jacob decided as he quickly started to revise the knowledge of the magic runes in his possession while Sofie was collecting the tools and materials he needed.


    Over five hours passed in a sh as Jacob stopped his revision and then opened his star server as there were only two minutes left before the bidding would be over. He had received a ton of notifications at this time, but he had ignored them all.


    Looking at the top bid, he was surprised.


    ¡­


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:01M:12S


    "Current highest Bidder: Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady)


    "Bid from Anonymou500: 46,980,001 ZC"


    Jacob couldn''t help but sigh ruefully, "I guess I had underestimated these guys'' wealth, especially this bitch from the bank. Nevertheless, let''s see if you can buy all of my weapons!" He snickered darkly.


    However, just when a few seconds remained, a new bid appeared!


    "New Bid from Anonymous¡­"

 Chapter 401 First Auction Post (3)

    Chapter 401 First Auction Post (3)


    "Anonymous1 outbid you. New Bid on Star Sever: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.1: 50,000,000 ZC"


    Lucy''s expression contorted with darkness as she spat with killing intent when she saw her bid overwritten by this Anonymous1.


    "This hateful fellow! Just how is it? The old pervert? That muscle brain didn''t have so much capital to spare on a single explosive nor the brains to analyze it. But the old pervert might already have this weapon and spending 50 million on it just for the slight chance of not letting others have the same knowledge as him.


    "No, I can''t miss this chance. I need to find that damnable fellow before anyone else does!" Her eyes almost spitfire in anger as she ced a new bid.


    She had been searching for Jacob from the day she had lost that bet and hated him to the core because of this exact reason. Furthermore, Jacobpletely turned the entire situation against them by creating this star server.


    Now he had reappeared as the biggest threat to their absolute power, and they all could easily see by just how many people had joined his server in just a few days after it was created.


    Furthermore, just one of Jacob''s weapons has reached 50 million ZC, and it made Lucy even more uneasy. Because if that Atomic Grenade fell into the hands of her enemy and they detonated it right outside her headquarters, it would be a disaster.


    Not just her but other leaders also had the same thought, but this price had already entered the realm of absurdity, and only Lucy could cope with it now.


    "You (Rich Winter Lady) Server Anonymous ID (Anonymou500) has made a new bid: 50,000,001 ZC on Star Sever: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.1"


    ---


    Nelsen was looking at the auction post with scrutiny and clearly want'' interested in making another bid since it wasn''t worth it in his view.


    On another projection disy, Ellie could be seen with fury and murder in her eyes as she spat, "Are we really giving up?"


    Nelsen ruefully spoke, "It''s simply not worth it anymore. From this picture, I can tell this grenade is made with crude technology, and from that green and silvered glow, it should be made with radioactive minerals, but it is not the same one in my possession.


    "But I can''t spend 50 million to buy it. Those guys could have it since they will be the same as me and won''t be able to find the right mineral to replicate it. If anything, I have to hand it to Faceless Ancient to discover such minerals in the rare ins and turn them into such a small weapon.


    "Even I can''t able to concentrate my mineral into a grenade. It should be because the properties of rare in minerals are not potent as the one I have or some other reason. It is worth analyzing, but that price is too high.


    "Nevertheless, we can''t deny just how much of a threat this guy is, and we need to contain him and then find his secrets. If I''m not wrong, our friend Lucy is one of these bidders. Let''s see how it will end.


    "There are only a few people who can analyze this sort of technology, and fortunately, I know them all, and I don''t think this grenade would be the first weapon put on the auction!" Nelsen''s smile was extremely shrewd as he looked at new bids.


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:00M:19S


    "New Bid from Anonymous500: 50,000,001 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous1: 50,500,000 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous500: 50,500,001 ZC"


    "New Bid from Anonymous1: 55,000,000 ZC"


    ---


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:00M:00S


    "Current highest Bidder: Anonymou1 (Star ID: The Society Killer)


    "Bid from Anonymou1: 55,500,000 ZC"


    ''This guy¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a peculiar glint when he saw the Society Killer perform far above his expectation and win the final bidding war with Lucy.


    The next moment, a few notifications popped up.


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.1 has been concluded and won by Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer)!


    "Final Bid Amount: 55,500,000 ZC has been sessfully transfer to your Zodiac Bank ount!


    "(NOTE: The Amount (55,500,000 ZC) will remain locked until the item is delivered to The Society Killer!)


    "Calcting the Grace Period ¡­"


    Jacob looked at his bnce credited with the 55.5 million ZC, and he knew it was now his turn to deliver the item.


    At this moment, while the grace period was being calcted, another interface opened in his star server.


    "Star Server Inbox (Star Server Owner):


    "Rule (1): Only an auction winner of ''your'' auction post can use this Inbox until the Grace Period is ended.


    "Rule (2): You are obliged to reply to inquiry messages within 12 hours, or you will be inflicted by a 10,000 ZC penalty every 1 minute after the 12th hour!


    "Rule (3): If you are not able to pay the penalty, the Star Network will consider it a breach in the bidding agreement, and further penalties will be inflicted!


    "Rule (4): Star Network will monitor this inbox to make a fair judgment and provide advocacy in case the Sender is deliberately spamming or trying to use some loophole to wrong the message receiver.


    "Rule (5): In case Rule (4) is breached, the sender will be inflicted with severe penalties!


    "Rule (6): ¡­


    ¡­


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Faceless Ancient, finally!


    "[Star Network Advocacy: You are not obliged to reply to this message!]"


    Jacob was quite content with all those rules in ce and the Star Network monitoring these chats for fairness, or he didn''t want to keep staring at this Star Watch all day just to make sure some bastard won''t try to screw him.


    Jacob didn''t reply since he was still waiting for the grace period to be calcted despite his interest in the Society Killer.


    He knew the grace period would be given in ordance with their distance, and the time should be more than enough for him to deliver the item.


    A minuteter, the grace period was finally calcted.


    "Grace Period has been calcted!


    "Grace Period: 31 Days


    "Delivery Position (Selected by the Buyer): Location Coordinates (¡­)


    "Please Select a Delivery Method:


    "1. Star Network Delivery Service


    "2. Self-Delivery


    "3. Delegate Delivery


    "4. Drop and Pick Delivery


    "[Please Note that Star Network any delivery method chosen has certain conditions attached which are to be strictly followed and Star Network will monitor the item until it is sessfully delivered!]"

 Chapter 402 The Society Killer (1)

    Chapter 402 The Society Killer (1)


    Jacob had already done his research on these four delivery methods, and he had already selected a method long ago before he posted that auction post.


    The moment he selected that method, the interface changed.


    "You have selected ''Star Network Delivery Service!


    "Star Network Delivery Service: Please deliver the Scanned Auction Item (Atomic Grenade: Unique Item Signature NO¡­) to the closet Destiny Star Corporation Branch within 31 days!


    "NOTE: Your amount will be released once you deliver the Scanned Auction Item!"


    Jacob looked at the simple instruction, and this is exactly why he chose this method. Because this method was the most direct and simplest of the four, and all he needed to do was hand over the atomic grenade to the Destiny Star Corporation Branch, it would be akin to handing over the item directly to the buyer.


    Because once the item enters the Destiny Star Corporation, it will be their responsibility to deliver it, and if anything happens between the delivery, they will be the ones responsible and have topensate the buyer.


    Although this option would reveal his general location if someone had a way to track back the delivery location, he was willing to take that risk after knowing the Star Network was not as biased as it appeared.


    On the contrary, it was his own misgivings that put him in dangerous and unfavorable situations with the three hegemonies.


    If anything, this was Jacob''s test to measure just how much imprable or neutral the Destiny Star Corporation was because he had yet to hear anyone from this side being involved in public matters.


    If the three hegemonies controlled wealth, strength, and knowledge, then the Destiny Star Corporation was the tform that made it all possible, and they are, without any doubt, far, far more unfathomable than the three hegemonies.


    Jacob even suspected that the Destiny Star Corporation was rted to the fabled Zodiac Will, but he couldn''t be sure or assume anything just because he thought that way.


    After Jacob was done choosing the method of delivery, it was time to have a chat with the person who had made him 55.5 million ZC profit!


    "Star Server Inbox (Star Server Owner):


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Faceless Ancient, finally!


    "[Star Network Advocacy: You are not obliged to reply to this message!]


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): My pleasure as well. Your item will be delivered in due time.


    The moment Jacob replied almost instantly, another message popped up.


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): I''m not worried about the item. I haven''t spent so much just on the item but also on having a chat with the man behind the curtains!


    "[Star Network Advocacy: ¡­]


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Is that so?


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): Indeed! What Mr. Ancient is doing is something that has never been done before. At least no one had the means or guts to stand up against the three tyrants! They don''t even care about the scum society running amok and killing innocents in masses just because they felt it wasn''t worth their time. Yet, the moment you showed your fangs, those three tyrants finally felt threatened. I''m your biggest fan Mr. Ancient!


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Why are you so sure I''m not working with the society as well? Since what I''m doing is nothing less than what they do. In fact, I''m doing far worse than handing over these weapons of mass destruction to anyone who paid me the most.


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): You do have a point, but I know for a fact that you are in cohort with the scum society because the moment you try to reveal their secrets, your death is imminent. Yet here you are selling these terrifying weapons, and if I''m not wrong, the scum society is after you as well because of the mutual reason the three tyrants are. As for those weapons, I won''t let them fall in the hands of the ignorant."


    Jacob narrowed his eyes at this guy''s words and felt disgusted by those righteous words because he had yet to see someone who didn''t do anything for their own benefit and sneered darkly.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Heh, what are you, a hero of justice?"


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): No, I''m a viin who wants to eradicate all injustice by any means necessary, and with your help, I think I finally have hope to achieve just that!


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): So, you''re recruiting me? Do you think I have the same beliefs as you? Na?ve!"


    Jacob had urged to close the chat after seeing that message, but he endured since he wanted to seek this guy''s help about the nine closed rings of A-0.


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): Na?ve I am, but I''m still a visionary, and I''m someone who believes in my cause and will stoop to any level to make it a reality. Even if you do not believe in my beliefs, as long as you can sell your weapons to me, I can make do with that. I will offer any price possible, and trust me. I''m going to use them against the scum society! I can even make Zodiac Oath Contract with you!"


    Jacob was startled by thest words, ''Zodiac Oath Contract? What''s that?''


    It was times like this when Jacob really felt depressed because of hisck of information. Still, he won''t want to miss the chance to ask what this Zodiac Oath Contract was.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): What is Zodiac Oath Contract?


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): Ho? It seemed you are not one of the top figures of the Epic ins. Still, I''m d you asked since it means you at least found me worthy of your inquiry. A Zodiac Oath Contract, as the name suggests, is a contract to make a semantics oath which the SAAI will bare witness to or, if you could believe, bared witness by the Zodiac ins itself, and breaking it means certain death!"

 Chapter 403 The Society Killer (2)

    Chapter 403 The Society Killer (2)


    Jacob was astounded when he read the details about the Zodiac Oath Contract.


    ''An oath contract that the Zodiac ins will bear witness? Does this mean the Zodiac Will?'' Jacob''s mind raced as he reached his conclusion, and then a strange possibility rose in his heart, ''If this contract really has this effect, then didn''t it mean it should be quite precious? This also means this guy is far more resourceful than I had anticipated, and he''s some kind of hidden tycoon of the Epic ins.


    ''However, he seemed to hate the Killer Skull Society to the core¡­ maybe I should just let him cause trouble for the clown society, and this way, that woman would not have enough time to search for me. One less bitch to care about¡­.''


    Jacob thought, but he wasn''t going to form this Zodiac Oath Contract because if this contract was really something that the Zodiac Will could monitor, then this meant he wouldn''t be able to break it, and this was something he didn''t want.


    Nevertheless, this didn''t mean he wasn''t interested in the Society Killer''s hate against the Killer Skull Society, and he could use it to his own advantage without even lifting a finger.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): It seems you are really sincere with your offer. But I will pass on signing this contract since I''m not someone who likes to be bound by rules. However, I think we can find somemon ground if you really want to annihte the Killer Skull Society.


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): See? You also hate the scum society just like I do. Very well, forget about the contract and tell me your conditions. As long as they are not excessive, I''ll ept them.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): I want some information about them, and in return, I''ll sell you ten more Atomic Grenada at 50 million ZC for each and send them with the first one you just purchased. If you can ept this agreement, let''s sign the Star Network Contract."


    The Star Network Contract was like an E-Contract (Electronic Contract) unique to 2-Star Privilege Holders like Jacob, and they can use it to sign deals through the Star Network.


    This may not be as powerful and foolproof as the Zodiac Oath Contract, but it was enough to do the job, and these contracts would be voided once the conditions were fulfilled.


    The Star Watches of the Epic Rank were powerful enough to scan any treasure, and then the Star Network will record those items in its database and then give them a unique identification number.


    Jacob''s Atomic Grenade that he put up for the auction was first scanned, and only he was able to put it up, and now he has to send that ''scanned'' grenade, or he will be in a world of trouble.


    The Star Network Contract will work exactly like this if some item were involved, and that is what makes it trusted by many people, and if someone dares to cheat, they will be getting a 2-Star Criminal status!


    Because SAAI personally monitored those contracts. That AI could monitor an entire in, and that''s why business done with these contracts never failed!


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): Alright, I''ll ept. But you will have to add me as a friend, and before you put any item on auction, you have to give me advance notice at least 12 hours before. Lastly, I want to be the first one you seek for such deals if you ever decide to make one."


    Jacob narrowed his eyes, ''He''s not a simpleton as he''s showing. He even knows about the Star Network Contract. Well, his conditions won''t get in my way at all. He might be even more useful since he had so much ZC at his disposal¡­.''


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): If that''s the case, then I ept your conditions as well.


    "Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): Let''s seal the deal then!"


    Jacob didn''t wait and then purchased a Star Network Contract from Star Network for 100,000 ZC and then started to write the conditions, and then he shared it with the Society Killer after epting his friend request.


    After both parties made sure that nothing was wrong, they both just signed it with their Star IDs, and after showing items and money, the contract was in full effect.


    Now all Jacob needed was to send the scanned Atomic Grenades, and after the Society Killer received the ten grenades with the first one he won from the auction, he had to pay 500 million ZC within an hour to Jacob.


    because there was a chance Jacob would find out about this, and then his deal with Jacob would be over for good!


    This was the gist of their Star Network Contract. As for information the Society Killer promised, Jacob had no way of knowing if it would be true or false since this contract wasn''t supernatural like the Zodiac Oath Contract but made for safe trading through the Star Network for the privileged users.


    Nevertheless, after signing a 500 million ZC deal, Jacob could live with false information, but he didn''t think that guy would do it because there was a chance Jacob would find out about this, and then his deal with Jacob would be over for good!


    Since they were now Starwork friends, they didn''t need the Star sever inbox to chat.


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): Now that this deal is done, I will ask my question.


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Sure thing. If it is under my knowledge, I''ll answer them honestly except for my information, just like I can''t ask about your information.


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): I''m not interested in your info. What I want to know is, have you ever heard about the Cannibal n?


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Wait! How do you know about this top-secret information about the scum society? Unless¡­ hahahaaha! Can we speak on voice call? This is way too longer for me to exin, and I think I have a long chat ahead of us!"


    Jacob narrowed his eyes in scrutiny when he saw that ecstatic message. He only mentioned the cannibal n to see how deep this guy had information on the Killer Skull Society, but now it seemed he had stirred him instead!


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): Alright!"

 Chapter 404 The Society Killer (3)

    Chapter 404 The Society Killer (3)


    "Sir Ancient, I can''t thank you enough for your help." A male voice filled with ecstasy sounded at this moment.


    Jacob didn''t react much after hearing The Society Killer''s words right after he called him. He replied statically, "Business is business, Mr. Killer. There is no need to thank me for something like this. Now, what do you want to exin about the Cannibal n."


    "No, no, you have no idea what kind of good deed you have done." The Society Killer insisted, "But you don''t strike me as a type who would seek praise for the good he''s doing, and that''s why I respect you, Sir Ancient. You even know about the top-secret project like the Cannibal n, which clearly means you also seek destruction and stop those evildoers like me. That''s why I will tell you about the information about the Killer Skull Society so you and I can thoroughly annihte them before it is toote."


    Jacob was speechless after he heard those words and couldn''t help but wonder if his guy was not right in the head.


    But without giving him a chance to speak, The Society Killer continued on.


    "The Cannibal n is a top-secret project of the scum society since, forever. As you might''ve already known that there are experimenting on living beings so they can create ''Cannibals'' who can devour almost anything and then evolve into terrifying puppet soldiers who know no pain or fear and follow everymand unconditionally.


    "However, it is far easier said than achieved because they are trying to go against the very nature itself and keep failing miserably without any results whatsoever. But they seemed to be obsessed with it no matter the failure or time. It''s almost like they knew it was possible and won''t stop at anything unless they achieved it."


    ''And I think they had achieved it¡­'' Jacob couldn''t help but think about those terrifying mutant assassins in the rare ins.


    However, The Society Killer''s next words made Jacob astounded.


    "When I dug deeper into this matter, I found something extremely baffling. I discovered the reason why they were so obsessed with those cannibals and believed that it was possible to create such a monstrosity.


    "It''s because someone else or, more urately, another organization had already achieved this who knows when, and the scum society wants to create knockoffs!"


    Now, Jacob finally couldn''t stay silent because this revtion will be changed everything if it was true. Because if the Killer Skull Society is really trying to copy someone else, then this means the one behind those assassination attempts was most likely this organization.


    But then it will raise another question, why were theying after him, and how did he offend them?


    "Is this true? Which organization is this?" Jacob questioned in a gloomy tone as he was now feeling even more apprehensive since he suddenly discovered that there was an unknown enemy lurking in the dark, and he didn''t even know about it.


    Furthermore, for all he knew, The Society Killer could be wrong, and his information was hoaxed, but now that he thinks about it more carefully, he might be correct.


    Because the assassination attempts on him was done in a certain pattern and with how much the Killer Skull Society hates him and still wanted that data back, this could only mean they were most likely not behind it at all!


    He always wondered why those guys wanted that data back despite already achieving their objective, and even after analyzing it himself, he found nothing extraordinary about it except the entire process of how they could use humans to turn into mutants.


    If anything, Jacob wanted to continue those experiments aftering to the epic ins, but nothing had gone as he nned.


    Still, this new information was quite startling, and now he was in the dark about this new variable!


    The Society Killer had no idea about Jacob''s agitation, and he replied confidently, "Of course it''s true. When ites to the scum society, I know far more than their own single-digit skulls. And as far as that organization goes, I''m afraid I have to disappoint you, Sir Ancient.


    "Because truth be told, the scum society didn''t even know themselves. They just happened to get this information from an unknown source, probably their backers in the higher ins.


    "That information is only essible to the overseer of this in, a Zero skull, Skull No. S-0. I''ve been trying to track it down, but that guy is simply too careful and hid its trace too well. But I won''t stop until I find it!


    "Anyway, we were still discussing the cannibal n. Except for this mysterious organization''s involvement, over 50 years in the past, the scum society seemed to have moved their entire operation somewhere else after I nearly exposed them.


    "I never heard about it after then and thought they had finally given up until a few years back, the talks about the cannibal ns starting to emerge again, and they seemed to be on edge ever since.


    "After pulling some strings, I''d discovered an interesting secret. Someone had seemed to steal a very importantponent of the cannibal n, and they are still trying to retrieve it."


    The Society Killer''s voice suddenly turned amusing, "Be honest with me, Sir Ancient, are you that person who had through a wrench in those scums'' n?"


    Jacob thought for a moment before replying to this question, ''This guy is extremely knowledgeable about the Killer Skull Society, almost as if he''s a part of it and has a very high standing, no less. The information he provides has given me insight into this unknown enemy before it was toote. I still need to figure out how to open those rings, and he will discover anyway that his conjecture is urate¡­.''


    Jacob replied with a stoic face, "I''m indeed the person who has foiled their ns and the reason why they are after me."


    The Society Killer burst into wantonughter the very next moment, "Hahahaha¡­ indeed, I was right about you, Sir Ancient!"

 Chapter 405 The Society Killer (4)

    Chapter 405 The Society Killer (4)


    Jacob didn''t react much to The Society Killer''s wantonughter, filled with a deep hatred for the Killer Skull Society. He wanted to ask why he had such a grudge against them but knew better than to pry into his matters, or this would give The Society Killer the reason to pry into his matters as well.


    He stoically said, "Now, thest matter, in myst confrontation with the Killer Skull Society, I stumbled upon a unique space ring that is somehow locked. Do you have a way to open it?"


    This was Jacob''s true purpose all along to ept The Society Killer''s call, but he got an unexpected gain.


    "A locked space ring from a skull?" The Society Killer sounded surprised, "It appeared you had encountered an extremely high-ranking skull who had awakened its Mystic Signature!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed at this moment upon hearing ''mystic signature'' because this wasn''t the first time he heard this term, but Immortika had mentioned it once when it was exining about Autarch.


    But like always, it had left the exnation for Jacob to figure out, and now that The Society Killer had mentioned it again, he knew this mystic signature was a pretty big deal.


    "Can you exin what this Mystic Signature is?" He asked shamelessly without having any qualms about his ignorance anymore.


    But The Society Killer didn''t answer this time right away; instead, he chuckled meaningfully and said, "Sir Ancient, the information about Mystic Signature is top ss, and only a handful of people know about it. This information wasn''t included in our contract, and I don''t want to misguide you. So, you have to give me something of equal value."


    ''This sly hypocrite!'' Jacob scoffed in his heart as he already knew this guy wasn''t as generous as he appeared to be. Nheless, he wanted this information since it would be helpful in the long term, and even if The Society Killer was exploiting him, he didn''t have another source to pry out such a piece of information.


    If this information was really top-ss, then this was his best chance of getting it.


    Jacob then thought for a moment before his eyes brightened with a dark glint as he replied, "Fair enough; how about if I give you the Star ID of the Epic ins'' Killer Skull Society overseer? Will this be sufficient to exchange for Mystic Signature information?"


    The moment Jacob said those words, The Society Killer reacted strongly, "Wait! Do you really have that bastard''s ID?!"


    Jacob''s lips curled up as from his words. He had already guessed that this guy didn''t know about Apocalyptic-S at all. He didn''t even know her gender. But Jacob decided to keep his mouth shut since this information was nothing he would give just because The Society Killer was being nice and all despite his enmity with the Killer Skull Society.


    Jacob was saving it for exactly this sort of situation, and he never thought he would be using it so quickly.


    Nevertheless, since this guy seemed extremely interested, agitate even, he knew just how much this information was worth for him, and he didn''t mind sending this psychopath in that arrogant bitch''s way.


    "Of course, why do I lie to you about something like this? That person even tried to recruit me like the three leaders, and I''m pretty sure it was that leader of skulls since you could guess that my Star ID is not easy to reach by just anyone." Jacob confidently stated.


    The Society Killer fell into silence for some time, and Jacob didn''t rush him.


    Then he finally spoke, "Hahaha, I had to admit you are indeed a deep person Sir Ancient. You have no idea how long I''ve been searching for that bastard S-0. Alright, you have convinced me, and this partnership is much more beneficial than I expected.


    "To show my absolute sincerity and how appreciative I am, I''m sending you a file about Mystic Signature, which contains its introduction, formation, uses, and even a way to destroy it. In return, you will tell me that Star ID of that skull bastard, and you will have two more atomic grenades for free with the 11 others!"


    Before Jacob could reply, he suddenly received a notification about The Society Killer sending him a file and was astonished by this guy''s decisiveness.


    ''He didn''t even wait for me to agree and sent this file? Is he that confident that I won''t just block him afterward or go back on words, even giving him two extra atomic grenades?'' Jacob felt ridiculous by this guy''s gal, yet he knew he had no choice but to agree, and The Society Killer knows about it too well.


    Because Jacob''s current situation was like an open book for everyone to see, and his ignorance about this hidden information also proved that he wasn''t that familiar with the epic ins.


    Furthermore, who would in their right mind offend their biggest buyer as well as someone who seemed to know top-secret information?


    All in all, The Society Killer knew Jacob would agree to his demand unless he didn''t want this kind of information or his help with the killer skull society.


    As the saying goes, in a world of wolves, a lone sheep was a meal. That''s what Jacob was right now, and The Society Killer knew too well about it.


    Jacob''s killing intent rose as he remained silent for a moment before it vanished, and a cruel smile appeared on his face, "It''s a deal, Mr. Killer. The Star ID of the skull leader is Apocalyptic-S, and it''s a woman. She has a 2-Star privilege ID. As for your 13 atomic grenades, they''ll be delivered in due time.


    "Now, if you excuse me, I need to study this mystic signature. We''ll talk some other time."


    Jacob didn''t wait for The Society Killer''s reply and cut the call, but the next moment he received a message from him, ''Good luck!'' and this made him chuckle in ridicule.


    ''Na?ve¡­'' Jacob thought before he opened the file of Mystic Signature!

 Chapter 406 Mystic Signature

    <h4>Chapter 406 Mystic Signature</h4>


    A Mystic Signature was a unique signature that every being with magic abilities could form and manifest. Like the Life Signature, the Mystic Signature was unique per person or even more profound and can''t be duplicated.


    However, forming a Mystic Signature and then manifesting it were two different things. Because despite everyone having the Mystic Signature, it exists in a disarrayed state just like magic orbits, and only appears once something forms a magic core. Simply put, the Mystic Signature was birthed by the Magic Core!


    But it wasn''t the only way to awaken a Mystic Signature. There was another and more difficult way that was to open the Sr Plexus!


    This was a hundred times harder than forming a magic core, and that''s why no one paid attention to this method. However, if someone could awake their Mystic Signature by opening the Sr Plexus before forming a magic core, then they don''t have to go through the process of Mystic Signature Formation and can skip this stage, unlike the disarray Mystic Signatures awakened by the magic cores!


    Furthermore, Mystic Signatures awakened by a Sr Plexus opening seemed to be more properties and were somehow superior to the Mystic Signatures awakened by the magic cores.


    But the method of opening the Sr Plexus has been long-lost and considered legendary, so there was no more information about it.


    As for why Mystic Signatures had such discrimination, it was because of the manifestation stage and its uses.


    Because to manifest a Mystic Signature, one needed first to etch it into their magic core, and to do that, one needs insane control over their mana as well as the will to bear the terrifying pain of carving their own magic core.


    Not to mention if they messed up just a little, they could directly destroy their own magic core!


    As for how someone can carve their own magic core without ripping it apart from their body first, they required a special scripture for that as well.


    But once this deadly process was done and the Mystic Signature was etched onto a magic core, the manifestation process will bepleted!


    Thereby, the magic core with a sessfully etched Mystic Signature will release mana that contains the Mystic Signature!


    As for its benefit, the first was treasures that could only be used by Mystic Signature, and without removing the previous owner''s Mystic Signature, it was impossible to use. These treasures included Space Rings, Magic Weapons, Runic Weapons, and such.


    The second was as long as a Mystic Signature owner was alive and someone stole something which contained that person''s Mystic Signature, and the thief had no idea how to contain such an item. Then the owner of that Mystic Signature can easily track them down as long as they know how to sense their Mystic Signature''s direction, no matter the distance.


    The third was probably the biggest boon of having a Mystic Signature. At a certain level, a Mystic Signature can be ced on almost anything, living or dead. It doesn''t matter, just like a tracking marker!


    This simply means if the person who ced the Mystic Signature has a terrifying prowess, it is impossible to hide from them.


    Because just like the magic core, the Mystic Signature will also be powerful with each rank increased, and the owner of Mystic Signature will be more and more familiar with their Mystic Signature!


    Last but not least, if the owner of the Mystic Signature dies, the Mystic Signature will not have vanished unless the owner removes it out of its free will.


    As for how to get rid of or destroy the Mystic Signature, there were two simple methods¡ªfirst, having a far more powerful Mystic Signature than the target''s Mystic Signature. Second, seek help from someone who meets the second condition!


    Jacob wore a contemted yet gloomy expression as he absorbed all this new and fascinating information about this Mystic Signature he received from The Society Killer. He never thought it would be soplex and terrifying at the same time.


    However, this didn''t mean he was going to believe everything he saw, especially when he got this information from an unknown source and might be tampered with.


    Because there were quite uncertainties that Jacob didn''t understand, the first was about the second method to form a Mystic Signature, the sr plexus opening.


    The reason being he had already opened the sr plexus when he used the ritual array to enve Autarch first, and Immortika also hinted at that point. But he had no idea what his Mystic Signature looked like, so he could carve it on his magic core.


    So, this could only mean to ''see'' the Mystic Signature; he needed something.


    The second reason was the absurd carving part because if it was true, then A-0 had already carved his Mystic Signature onto his magic core since he was able to use it on his space rings to lock them. This also means those space rings were treasurespatible with Mystic Signatures.


    But the point was, Jacob had seen A-0''s magic core, and he found nothing carved on his magic core. It could also be that once someone died, their Mystic Signature would vanish from their magic core, so that he might be wrong in this part. Neither he discovered anything in this opened space ring.


    However, Jacob believed that there was more to it than meets the eye, and he knew just who to ask. But it depends on the other party''s mood as well.


    Nevertheless, it was worth trying since this Mystic Signature seemed quite a massive advantage to have. If the key to opening those rings was having a stronger Mystic Signature than A-0, then Jacob was confident. As long as he can create his own, that guy''s Mystic Signature won''t stand a chance against his.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Upon Jacob summoning, the entric book appeared with its usual wanton, sarcasticughter filling the page.


    He was so used to this that he didn''t even react and coolly questioned, "You should''ve guessed my reason for summoning you. So, if you can answer, I''ll really appreciate it.


    "But if you are not feeling like it, just tell me if the information in this file is true or false. Give me a percentage of how much is true and how much is false. But if you cannot, then we are done for today!"

 Chapter 407 Where’s the Fun…

    <h4>Chapter 407 Where''s the Fun¡­</h4>


    "Hehe¡­ you seem unusually optimistic today." Immortika wrote instead of answering what Jacob asked it.


    Jacob frowned, "Do I sound optimistic to you? I''m not in the mood to y your riddle games."


    "Come on~ if you act like this, where is the fun in that? You only have one life, and being so cold all the time is greatly harmful to your mental health. I like it when you''re going all psychopath, letting your true nature out¡­hahahaha!"


    Jacob didn''t find this funny and stiffly replied, "It appeared I''ve summoned you nothing."


    "Heh, alright you, heartless man, I''ll bow to your wishes this time since I can. The Mystic Signature information you acquired from your new friend is urate but limited.


    "First, if you want to etch the Mystic Signature onto a magic core, you need to discover the Mystic Signature from within. Now, this is the trickiest part; to find a Mystic Signature, you need to have an innate ability called Inner Espy, or you need to find a magic scripture to learn the limited version of it or something that works like it.


    "Only then will you be able to see your magic orbits, magic core, or anything supernatural that can''t be seen with the naked eye, and then you can discover the Mystic Signature. But only if it is fully formed, not if it''s in a disarray state.


    "However, the next step, etching, it can be done in a curd way, like carving your magic core with the help of another extremely rare innate sorcery ability, Matter Maniption. Anything besides it, even its imitation, won''t work, and you will be dead before you know it.


    "Then there is a gentler and safer method, and you won''t even need to do anything that is directly achieved the Unique Magic Core Rank, and as long as your Mystic Signature is not in disarrayed state, it will innately be etched onto your magic core and manifest!


    "Thest thing you are confused about is why that Demi High Orc had a Mystic Signature despite being only an extraordinary rank. It''s even more simple, you see, a descendant of a legendary rank had a massive advantage over those who have no destiny with such a being.


    "That is, as long as they can form their Mystic Signature, it will automatically be etched onto their magic core without them needing to do anything at all!


    "Is this infuriating? Hahahaaha¡­ themoners have to work their ass=off, and even then, they will not escape their miserable fates, while nobles will just have to eat and grow, and they will get everything!


    "The same rules apply here, Legends will remain, but those who made them Legends will forever be forgotten¡­ hahahahahah¡­


    "Oh, your theory about the etched Mystic Signature vanishing from the magic core once the bearing died is absolutely urate. Well done, I guess¡­hehehehe¡­"


    Jacob wore an astonished expression at this moment because, just as Immortika stated, this was indeed infuriating. Although his doubts were cleared, he learned even more mysterious things about those strange innate abilities and how the magic scriptures seemed to be a copy of them.


    Jacob knew he should dread the day when he met with such an existence, or he might already have in the face of Captain Free Sword and his crew. The Unique Rank was called unique for a reason, and now that he had learned the truth about the Mystic Signature, he felt even more dreaded by the unknown Legendary Rank.


    Nevertheless, he knew there was no point in thinking about something which was simply too far away from him.


    "Then what about me? Since I''ve already opened by sr plexus, and you once said Autarch had my mystic mark, can it be considered that I''ve already formed and etched this mystic mark? But it shouldn''t be possible since I clearly don''t have any magic core at that time." Jacob questioned sternly.


    "Tsk, tsk, always asking logical questions without missing even the slightest gap, making my life difficult but interesting. Hah, in your case, when you opened the sr plexus, you have indeed formed your mystic signature.


    "But do you know why sr plexus is connected with mystic signature, to begin with, and why this method is considered legendary? The mystery lies with the sr plexus, and why it can contain lifeform within, and trust me, this entire topic is way out of your league and from what I can disclose right now with all the information you''ve acquired.


    "All I canment on this is the sr plexus is where you will find your unique mystic signature, so anything that goes there will naturally contain your mystic signature. But you are far, far away from controlling your sr plexus and discovering its wonders. The Brain Hunter is a special case, and you know exactly why.


    "But you have taken a huge step forward after opening your sr plexus and how to walk forward. It''s up to you to discover just like you always have. If you need my guidance, then you know how to seek it, hehehehe¡­"


    A contemting look appeared in Jacob''s eyes as well as a helpless light gleaming into his eyes, and he sighed ruefully, "If you could just properly reveal everything, then I don''t think there is anything in the world that can be our match. But you insist on putting on all these restrictions. I''m starting to understand why your inheritors always ended up dead and you in some ditch afterward."


    "Hahahaahha¡­ that kind of hurts, you know. But trust me, these restrictions are real, or where''s the fun in revealing everything and making things easier and walking on a flowery path?


    "Are you sure you want immortality, not some cabbage that you can buy with money? Besides, going through all these hardships will make you someone worthy of immortality and cherish it.


    "If you don''t have the will to suffer hardships and ovee them, then you better just give up now and enjoy the remaining lifespan you have earned¡­"


    Jacob, for the first time, felt Immortika was serious, but he couldn''t tell just by writing. Nevertheless, those words were enough for him to understand that there was no point in pursuing this stubborn yet entric book.


    In the end, he sneered, "I''ll have all the time to enjoy once I be immortal!"

 Chapter 408 The Next Important Task

    Chapter 408 The Next Important Task


    The news about the first auction of the Ancient Artifact Industry Star Server instantly became the hot topic of the entire Epic ins.


    There were three types of people who had joined Jacob''s star server. The first one was those who were after Jacob''s weaponry. The second type were those who were after Jacob himself, and thest type were the spectators, and these people were the highest in numbers!


    Right now, Faceless Ancient is the most infamous personality in the Epic ins because of his blunt provocation to the three hegemonies as well as the terrifying technology he controlled.


    People tend to watch this sort of drama, especially when the most prominent figures are involved in them. So, Jacob''s star server became a kind of entertainment for themon public and a battlefield among the prominent nobles.


    The news about the Atomic Grenade selling for a whopping 55.5 million ZC sends tremors in many hearts as they could only imagine just how massive potential the Ancient Artifact Industry had, and if they could partner up with it, they would be rolling in riches.


    But the thing was, Jacob was simply impossible to reach because of his privileged Star ID despite everyone knowing his Star ID now. Furthermore, those who have thought of partnering up with Jacob didn''t have the guts to announce it publicly.


    However, just three days after the first auction, the Ancient Artifact Industry posted another post, but this time it wasn''t an item auction post. Instead, it was a simple post that literally shook up everyone again.


    "[Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry]


    "Restricted Post by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): I''m looking for merchants to buy materials. Any merchant with 1-Star or 2-Star Privilege IDs can leave their resume in this Restricted Post, which only I can read thements of no one else! I would prefer it if you guys won''t try to waste my time by putting wrong information, or I''ll kick such a person out. Another announcement for everyone, three atomic grenades with an addition of a new atomic item will be up for auction in 30 days. Look forward to it!"


    This single post stirred an everrger storm than the first post and even more people started to join the star server while those hidden forces began to move.


    This time, the biggest movement was made by the rich merchants who wanted to get their hands on Jacob''s weaponry so they could also gain profit, and the only way to get them without going through the fiercepetition was to form a good rtionship with him first.


    As for the bigwigs, they instantly started to collect funds for this up auction!


    But the person who stirred this storm was caved up in the alchemy guild of Alive Alliance City No. 543 and drawing something on a gray sheet with a golden brush, shimmering in a blueish hue.


    Jacob''s entire focus was on drawing this Advance Common Rank Talisman, which was an entry-level rune talisman described in the manual so the beginner could practice the rune inscribing.


    In just four days, Jacob had already made the Basic and Intermediate Common Rank entry-level talismans, and this was thest one. Once he seeds, he will be a full fledge Advanced Rune Artificer.


    Then he can move on to entry-level array design for Master to Grandmaster Rank and then finally the entry-level formation blueprint for Senior Grandmaster to Basic Elder Grandmaster Rank.


    Soon, Jacob made his final brush stroke, and the next moment, the gray paper suddenly glowed in blueish light as the blue rune symbols on it starting to merge and turning darker and bold.


    A few momentster, the gray paper turned blue with a single rune on it, and his lips curled up, "A sess!" He muttered, looking at the smooth talisman he had created.


    Then he looked at all the ashes lying on the side of his workspace and sighed, "Just practicing themon talismans has cost me around one million ZC in pure materials. The arrays will be even more expensive¡ªno wonder this profession is known for its money-burning capacity.


    "Anyhow, I''ve earned quite a lot ZC, and soon I''ll find sources to acquire even more materials which are difficult to find and can earn even more. The business is finally taking shape far more swiftly than I''d anticipated¡­"


    Jacob was quite satisfied with his new booming business, but he was taking small steps to turn it into his empire just like he once did. But it was far easier said than done because of his enemies, and one wrong move, and he''ll be as good as a goner.


    Nevertheless, he longed toe to terms with the danger involved in his way, and all he could do was to be as careful as he could get because he needed to earn ZC and then use those ZC to expand his arsenal for the uing trials since he had to leave no matter what once it started.


    That''s why he was willing to take some risks now since those risks were nothing in front of the uing trial.


    "Now that my money problem has been solved and I have a temporary base of operation. The only thing left is to collect food¡­" Jacob''s eyes shimmered with murderous light as he looked at the massive ss window and the brightly lit city outside.


    "But I can''t just kill wantonly, or it would create too muchmotion. But I can''t be moderate with it either. I need the strength of a Tier-9 Epic or at least to protect myself from one and escape. So, I probably need to turn by blood at least 70% before the trial starts.


    "Sigh¡­ this is such a hassle and all because of those damn pirates¡­" He gritted his teeth before calming down and stood up from his seat, and started walking towards the exit as he thought, ''I might as well deliver the merch while I''m at it!''

 Chapter 409 Hunting the Epics (1)

    Chapter 409 Hunting the Epics (1)


    In the medium size city like No.543, there was no ce for the weak ormon public because almost all the medium size cites were located in dangerous areas like the Vile Witch Valley.


    The denizens of medium size were 70% epic rank. They were mostly adventurers and part of one of the three hegemonies. While 30% were extraordinary rank beings, who were mostly of the working ss in the city.


    Furthermore, the members of the Alliance and Mercenary Agency did not live far from danger like the alchemists. They form their own teams or parties and then hunt around the Vile Witch Valley to earn money and then spend that money to ess training facilities provided by the two hegemonies to grow even stronger.


    Thereby, these teams then rent residential areas of a medium size city as their base of operation. Furthermore, these teams also recruit or hire privately, basically, those who were either independent experts from three hegemonies and didn''t want to join their ranks or those who didn''t have the qualification to join their ranks.


    These independent individuals were almostrge in number for many reasons, and anyone could hire their services as long as they agreed and the price offered was enticing enough.


    The three hegemonies won''t interfere with these businesses as long as it won''t touch their bottom line and independent individuals roamed around the epic ins for fortuitous opportunities.


    But such people weren''t allowed inrge size cities, and only the member of the three hegemonies could gain ess to thoserge cities. That''s why at some point, these stubborn, independent individuals joined a hegemony when they met with a barrier that could no longer be ovee by going solo.


    City No.543 also had many such bases that recruited this sort of people on a daily basis and then used them to clear their own mission they had taken from their organization.


    At nighttime, Jacob at this moment walking in this brightly lit street where these bases were located a barbarian. There were name boards, as well as recruitment conditions, ced outside these residents, and many people were looking at those boards with scrutiny.


    He first goes to the Destiny Star Corporation Branch to hand over the atomic grenades for delivery. He was astounded to find that there wasn''t any worker in that ce at all.


    An AI handled it, and after it scanned his star watch and the merchandise, all he had to was to pay a delivery fee of 1000 ZC per item, and he was done!


    Now the delivery responsibility was on them, and he could use his 55.5 million ZC as he wished. He was even more relieved now, and if his position were discovered despite all this, then the DSC was also not reliable.


    Anyhow, he will see very soon about that, but right now, he is more interested in those people standing in this district.


    ''ording to Sofie, almost everyone here is either an expert or a reject. So, if they disappeared, no one would raise any gs¡­'' Jacob thought as he summoned Immortika.


    "Tell me which among these people I should target." He questioned. He didn''t want to pick them up randomly as it would take too much time, and it wasn''t guaranteed that they would be legendary descendants.


    That''s when this sadist bookes into y!


    "Hehehe, finally, some action! Alright, tell me do you want high-level targets or low-level ones? The high-level will give you more percentage than the low-level ones, and you only need to consume one heart each from that species. Inparison, you will need to consume three hearts from low-level species to gain the same result."


    Jacob thought for a moment before he said, "Are there any high-level targets outside those residents?"


    "Nope. Many of them areplete trash, and only eight of them meet the requirements. Even if you target those in the residents, there should be around 45 that clear the low-level requirement, and if you include the eight outside, then you should gain a maximum of 1~2% in cursed blood condensing."


    Jacob frowned, "Killing 49 people all at once? Even if they do not belong to any organization, it will raise gs. Even if I want to, I need to use too much hex mana, and it is simply not worth expanding all those dark beings'' magic cores. Unless I had no other choice. Tell me about these high-level targets?"


    "Hehehe, how thoughtful. Very well, there are only four high-level targets in this ce at the same level as the quasi-high orc you''ve killed, and if you can get your hands on their hearts, you should be able to get 2~3%. Two of them, in particr, have quite a high density of legendary bloodline, and they are together no less."


    Jacob wasn''t surprised about finding more beings like A-0 since this was a medium size city of epic ins. Furthermore, it was a less risky approach than killing 49 people altogether.


    Since killing the three hegemonies members couldn''t be avoided, then he had to choose a high-level target. It was less time-consuming and doable.


    "How strong are the two you mentioned?" Jacob inquired.


    "Hehe, that''s the thing, they are both 8th Tier Epic! While the other two are 6th tier, respectively."


    Jacob''s expression clouded, "8th Tier? They don''t seem to be from this city since this power rank should only appear in the upper echelon ofrge cities. If they are together, I can only hex one of them, and the other will not sit still and do nothing. Forget about them for now. Tell me about the other two first."


    "Hahahaha¡­and here I thought you start courting death nowadays. But it seems you haven''t changed at all. The first one is inside the resident 300 step on the right from you, while the other was on another street in the southwest direction, around a mile away from here. One''s a ck Tiger Orc, and the other is a Bronze Barbarian.


    "Oh, and they arepletely isted and surrounded by many people. How are you going to iste them to hex them? Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob didn''t answer but walked in the direction with a grim yet confident expression. He already had a n ready for this!

 Chapter 410 Hunting the Epics (2)

    Chapter 410 Hunting the Epics (2)


    Jacob stood outside a small vi with around twenty people already there, and they were all looking at the signboard outside.


    "The ck Fang Mercenary Team Headquarters!


    "Team Leader: ck Tiger Fang (B ss Epic Universal Mercenary)


    "Recruitment Requirements: We are hiring anyone with a minimum Tier-3 Epic Combatant Straight or Tier-2 Epic Sorcerer Prowess. If you meet the aforementioned conditions and are interested, please contact the Team Manager.


    "Warning: Troublemakers or Fakes will be dealt with harsh punishment and then handed over to the City Enforcer Department!"


    After reading the information, Jacob mused, ''This team should be at the peak of this city''s power cap. No wonder so many people seem interested. This team leader should be my target since only he can be in the core of this ce within a heavily guarded area.


    ''Now, what was left is made hime out from his turtle shell and then grab him. The most difficult part is to separate him from his team members. The city enforcer department won''t pay much attention in this district of the city because no one dares to mess with these teams here. They are quite capable of handling troublemakers. But what if they can''t see the troublemaker?''


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he left the crowded area and headed to a dark corner of the vi, and then a tight dark body outfit appeared on his body and a mask. Thereafter, the gray disk appeared under his feet, and then he turned invisible.


    He was hoping that this small team won''t be bothered putting an anti-surveince system at the same level as the city in their temporary headquarters. They might have some on those walls, but having against flying objects, they were not guarded against since, in their eyes, a stealth treasure that could help them fly didn''t even exist.


    Furthermore, with Jacob''s advanced equipment and grass fit in his mask eye sockets, Jacob easily snuck into the vi after avoiding the suspicious wall and some point in the ground, which were emitting peculiar radio waves.


    Because it was nighttime, the atmosphere waspletely silent, and the only sounds wereing from the entrance, which was closed off, and two burly, fiercely looking, ck tiger face orcs with white tiger strips were guarding the gate and staring at the people outside with fierce, cold re. No one dares to make any trouble!


    The vi was fifty meters back from the gate and surrounded by a beautiful garden. However, Jacob''s n wasn''t to enter the vi, which was literally glowing with all sorts of radio waves.


    Jacob then looked at the hovering book, which was filled with sadistsughing. He was keeping it around to identify the target. He said, "What if a prestigious mercenary team headquarters were attacked in the middle of the night? Will a power B-ss epic mercenary sit still? What do you think?


    "How about we make a bet? I bet he wille out to make a public scene to show off his dominance. So, no one mess with him, and this will draw even more people toward his team. While you will be bet on, the opposite."


    "Hehehehe, what kind of bet is this? How about you choose thetter option? Then I might think about it." Immortika wrote.


    "What? Too afraid to lose? If I win, I only want information on how to control my sr plexus. But if I lose, I''ll do one thing for your sted entertainment. You can even choose for yourself." Jacob suggested without being dejected.


    However, the thing in front of them was not something he could trick with this sort of thing. So, Immortika wrote without being provoked. "Hehehehe, this is indeed enticing, and I''m very d you thought about your backer for once. But don''t worry; I can''t see you taking such a risk for me. Besides, I''m pretty entertained already, so that you can be worry-free. I''ll let you know when I need more. Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob pursed his lips when Immortika just refused to have him his for once, "Tsk, wily bugger."


    No longer caring about the wily book, he took out the blue advance talisman he had made today. He wasn''t going to use his mech weaponry since there was a chance someone might connect him to it.


    Since he was now proficient in magic, he was naturally going to use it, and he also wanted to see what sort of destruction this advancedmon rank talisman could cause despite having some idea.


    To use a talisman, one needs to pour some mana directly into the rune on it, and the moment Jacob did it, the talisman suddenly shimmed and turned into a rock-hard form from its soft paper form.


    Without hesitation, Jacob aimed therge gate and instantly threw it like a knife, but he was careful enough to avoid those two guards'' eyes.


    The moment that talisman broke from the mana that activated it, it could no longer be stopped, and within a single second, the talisman converted into a tidal wave!


    A tidal wave around five meters in size appeared out of nowhere,pletely catching the two guards off guard and directly swallowing them!


    "Boom¡­"


    Huge water sshing sound urred, shaking the walls a little, and all sorts of rms were acting around the vi. However, thatmon rank advanced talisman wasn''t enough to breach the gate. But it was enough to rm everyone in the vi and those onlookers on the street.


    Furthermore, the fact about talismans was although they looked like a spell and they could even bepared with a magic scroll which can also store powerful magic spells. But they were both diffract things because a talisman was made with magic materials while a magic scroll could only contain or store a magic spell of a spell caster. That''s why it is called Spell Crafting,


    That''s why the runic talismans fall in the category of Rune Inscribing, not Spell Crafting, which was solely built upon the craft of Magic Sealing!

 Chapter 411 Hunting the Epics (3)

    Chapter 411 Hunting the Epics (3)


    Shortly after the mysterious appearance of the small tidal wave, the closed doors of the vi smacked open and powerful people walked out.


    Most of them were the ck tiger orcs, as these sorts of teams normally formed around their own races because it was far easier to trust their own kind than a foreign one.


    However, it didn''t mean they won''t allow another race to join their ranks. As long as the other person met the requirements, they were wee anywhere.


    There were also three elves and two monkey-faced orcs who walked out of the vi in haste. They all wore stern and furious expressions since they were clearly having a nice rest until the rms went off, and they were not going to let off the culprit.


    As those guys left toward the entrance gate once after another, they didn''t pay attention to the empty flower filed right in front of the vi entrance door. A pair of cold amber eyes were gazing at them stoically.


    "Where is my target?" Jacob asked with a hint of haste as he knew this was his only chance when all of those were upied by the thought of finding the attacker.


    Once they calm down, their attention will shift, and his effort will be for naught. He wanted toplete his task and get the hell away before the enforcers came here.


    "Oh, he''sing alright, and he''sing fast! Hehehe¡­" Immortika wrote ambiguously.


    Jacob suddenly had a bad feeling about this because he suddenly sensed a faint tremor under his feet, and the next moment, a 3-meter tall, burly figure came running out with tremendous speed, leaving a blurring image.


    Even with his eyes, it was extremely to for him to follow. However, Jacob didn''t want to miss this chance as those mercenaries werepletely focused on the gate, and they seemed to be aware of their iing leader, so they weren''t worried about him, and that''s what Jacob wanted!


    Jacob''s heart rate climbed like an explosion, and the blurry figure who was about to step outside the door turned somewhat slowly, and he could finally see the guy''s ferocious face while his body emitted a faint dark mist.


    Nevertheless, Jacob didn''t have time to analyze what sort of spell the other was using, and his eyes shimmered in a crimson glow, ''Slumber Hex!''


    The next moment, the ck Tiger Fang, a tier-6 epic, abruptly closed his eyes and fell into slumber on the spot!


    However, this was just the easiest part because now he had to catch that guy who was still using a movement spell, and his speed was almost at Mach-1!


    If he let him crush, there was no way in hell the others won''t notice.


    So, Jacob moved right in front of a massive figure who had now turned into a cannonball and was about to sh with the entrance.


    Jacob''s speed with his 20X eleration was almost at the realm of mach-1, and he knew the moment he broke into 25X, his speed would be mach-1 or even faster.


    However, Jacob''s n wasn''t to crush that massive guy, as it was the same as announcing his presence¡ªall he wanted was to juste in contact with his unconscious body.


    The moment he and the unconscious ck Tiger Fang were only a meter away, Jacob moved his hand, and the moment he felt the terrifying, crushing pressure on his hand, he instantly tried to store ck Tiger Fang into his pendant!


    The next moment, when his hand was about to shatter, ck Tiger Fang''s body instantly vanished, and so did the force behind him, and what remained were powerful winds brushing past Jacob.


    Despite his objective being achieved, Jacob didn''t stop, as now was the time to quickly leave this ce before someone noticed ck Tiger Fang''s abrupt absence.


    Twisted his body, with the same speed, he ran back, and the moment he was outside, he jumped, and the gray disc appeared under his, and he vanished in the dark night.


    All this happened within five seconds, and even ck Tiger Fang''s team members couldn''t have imagined that their powerful leader was abducted within seconds!


    Well, they will be found out about in a few minutes, and this was just the start of the legendary ghost story of the city no. 543, which will make everyone tremble whenever they discuss it!


    In the sky, Jacob smiled in relish as he nced at his ''massive, slumbering trophy'' in his infinity pendant.


    But he didn''t waste time as he knew this wasn''t the time to celebrate yet as a new storage ring appeared on his finger, and thereafter, a ghastly magic core entered his grip.


    The magic core then began to glow in his hand as he felt pure magic power start to sink into his body and then enter the hex mana core before mysteriously starting to fill in the infinity pendant.


    "Lead me toward this Bronze Barbarian," Jacobmanded Immortika as he wanted to grab both of these targets in this area before leaving toward other districts.


    As for thest two targets in this district, he decided to leave them and only looked for these targets alone. He was not greedy enough to try grabbing a tier-8 epic when there was a chance that one might notice his movement. This was simply too suicidal. He knew his limit and wasn''t a match for such an opponent yet.


    Jacob was nning to hunt in this manner for three hours until Immortika''s summoning time was over before calling it a night and returning to enjoy his hard earn ''meal.''


    "Hehehe, that was really entertaining to watch. How about we tone it up a bit? Why don''t I lead you to a target with the densest legendary bloodline in the entire city? That guy will give you about 2.5% alone.


    "Furthermore, he happened to be alone anding in this exact direction as we speak. Hehehe, are you interested?"


    Jacob was surprised as this was unexpected, but this was definitely a rare chance. Yet right then, he was instantly vignt as he questioned sternly, "Some with the densest legendary bloodline in the entire city? What is such a person doing here in the middle of the night and alone no less¡­"

 Chapter 412 The Shadow Elf

    Chapter 412 The Shadow Elf


    Upon Jacob''s stern questions, Immortika wrote, "Who knows? Your guess is as good as mine. Besides, does it matter? The real question is whether you want to do this or not?"


    Jacob frowned, but no matter how he thought about it, Immortika''s words made sense. Since all he should be worrying about is the cursed blood condensing, the target should be much easier to grab as it was out in the open.


    But he was hesitating because this person might be a high-ranking individual, and his disappearance might draw unwanted attention.


    ''Well, I''ve already abducted a B-ss mercenary and nning on abducting another one with the same status. So, there is no point in hesitation¡­'' Jacob thought before replying, "Where is it?"


    "Hehehe, now we''re talking. It''s a tier-7 epic shadow elf, and she''s walking¡­" Immortika revealed and then started to guide Jacob toward the shadow elf.


    Jacob flew ording to Immortika''s direction, and just a hundred meters in the southeast direction, he found his target.


    It was a tall, cloaked figure walking in the shadows, and there was no one around the vicinity. Jacob couldn''t help but feel d after seeing this shadow elf walking alone.


    But he didn''t approach her since it his hex mana was still not fully refilled and followed her from a safe distance. The shadow elves were part of the dark elf race, and they were extremely proficient in assassination, and it was almost impossible to sneak up on them.


    Furthermore, their senses should be extremely sharp, so Jacob didn''t want to give away his position, or he wasn''t sure if he could chase after her if she sensed danger and active some movement skill.


    However, after following her for some time, Immortika suddenly wrote, "Oh, well, you look at that¡­hehehe¡­"


    Jacob almost stopped when he read this, "What?"


    "That shadow elf seemed to be moving toward the two tier-8 epic Pugilist Giants'' direction. They are now just two blocks away, and if she''s really meeting them, then it means¡­ hahahahaha¡­"


    "I''ll miss my chance." Jacob''s expression soured. Because if this elf were really meeting those two, then this mean once she entered their base, it would be nigh impossible for him to get her.


    "It''s very strange. Two such high-level Epics are here, and if this woman is really here for them, then this means something is up. But I guess we won''t be able to find out if it is true or not¡­" Jacob gravely stated as his mana was finally refilled.


    Although he could sense something was up, but it had nothing to do with him. Even if he ends up ruining someone''s n, he can live with that as long as he gets that elf!


    Jacob then didn''t waste more time and used the slumber hex again while there was still no one around, and the moment he did, the cloaked elf suddenly fell down!


    ---


    In a small vi two blocks away, there were no guards or signboards here. Within the main hall of this vi, two 4-meter tall giants, one male, and the other female, were sitting as they were enjoying liquor.


    "Do you think the City Lord will ept our meeting proposal?" The female giant asked with uncertainty with a tingle of redness on her toned oval face.


    The muscr male giant with a handsome appearance replied matter-of-factly, "Heh, with the information I sent her way if she didn''te, then this means she is not ambition enough."


    The female giant nodded, "Well, you are right. Who can resist the venture of hunting the fabled Vile Witch''s treasures? Once we had the city lord on our side, it would be far easier to recruit some high-level cannon folds without revealing our identities. For once, you have finally done something praiseworthy." The female giant tease.


    "Hmph. Who do you think I am? It''s just our mother who insists on suppressing us, or I can do so much more." The male giant grumbled before his expression went grave, "But don''t underestimate this Vile Witch Layer. There should be a pretty good reason that our n never used this map despite possessing it for decades. Besides, after the city lord joins us, we still need to figure out a way to open that detestable door!"


    The female giant''s expression also clouded as she sighed, "True. If not for that damn door, we could''ve already acquired everything in that ce and don''t need to lower ourselves to seek an alliance with a mere medium size city''s City Lord. Oh well, as Mother taught us, always use the others around you, even if it''s a pig."


    "You got that right." The male giant snickered, "Speaking of which, do you think we can acquire that Atomic Grenade in the next auction? If our n still does not work, that is ourst resort."


    Gloominess suddenly surfaced between the two, as the female giant ground her teeth hatefully as she spat, "If those bastards don''t interfere, then we could''ve acquired it in the first auction. But who could''ve thought that everyone was crazy for that Faceless Ancient technology? Even if we had the funds, I''m doubtful that damnable Anonymous 1 would back off. It was probably one of the three leaders. If these guys interfere, it would be quite difficult to acquire it even in the next auction."


    The male giant pursed his lips as hepletely agreed. They had already witnessed the craze brought about by the first Atomic Grenade auction, and now everyone was even more crazy of for acquiring those grenades.


    "Sigh¡­ let''s see what happens when the next auction starts. First, we need to meet with this city lord and then discuss with her what she has in mind. We can even ask her to contribute the funds to buy the atomic grenade and spend a little of our own money." The female giant stated matter-of-factly with a sly grin.


    "Heh, how stingy little sis. But I like it. Cheers!" The male giantughed as he performed a toast gesture.


    Both of them were drinking while scheming without even realizing that someone had thrown a wrench in their ns!

 Chapter 413 A Wastrel Cook

    Chapter 413 A Wastrel Cook


    "City Guard Commander came in a wee hour. Why?" Sofie couldn''t help looking at Curtis with a hint of surprise which brought this unusual news of the City Guard Commander visiting the guild.


    It was quite strange because a person like City Guard Commander won''t juste and go without any reason, and he was a very busy person because he was in charge of the city''s security and preventing criminal activities.


    Furthermore, no one dared to cause trouble in an Alive City since it is akin to provoking all the living things, and these cities were teeming with powerful surveince systems. So, if someone is discovered doing anything suspicious, they can forget about ever entering an alive city with normal means.


    Curtis looked somewhat pale as he quickly replied, "Something very strange has been going on for the past three days. ording to the citymander, the powerful people of the bank and the alliance has been vanishing every night without even any trace behind them.


    "The attacker is like a ghost whoes a goes without any noticing it. Up until now, 13 people have vanished, and there is no trace of them being found yet. But what caused the City Commander to move is the City Lord, Zodiac Sorceress Dark Mistress, also seemed to have fallen victim to these disappearances!" Curtis was filled with fear when he mentioned it.


    Even Sofie was startled, and her expression turned grim since this matter was really too serious. She knew better than anyone that a city lord was no ordinary person, especially a City Lord appointed in the Alive Alliance Cities. These guys were simply monsters, and taking them down takes a small army.


    But now, the City Lord had vanished without even leaving any trace. This would send chills down anyone''s spine. Furthermore, only people like Curtis were told about this truth while this news waspletely blocked to the public not to cause mass panic.


    This kind of thing had never happened in the history of any alive city.


    However, this entire situation was simply too spooky, and everyone was now on guard, and the city guards were now on the streets with all sorts of devices at their disposal while the city surveince system was fully activated.


    "I think you should leave, Elder; this ce is no longer safe. Mr. Nobody will also understand the gravity of the situation." Curtis gravely stated.


    He wasn''t doing this for the kindness of his heart. Instead, if anything happened to an Elder Grandmaster like Sofie within his branch, it would spell certain doom for him as well.


    Even the city lord was not safe, so it was better to send Sofie back before something happened to her. His life and career were more important, after all.


    Sofie also understood the gravity of the situation and nodded, "Thank you for the heads-up. Do you purchase all the materials?"


    Curtis nodded before taking out a space ring and handing it to Sofie and couldn''t help but ask, "If you don''t mind me asking, why do you need some much Epic Titan Iron?"


    ''I also wanted to know this.'' Sofie depressingly thought before stiffly replied, "This is a secret, so please don''t ask this. Just continue to collect more until I tell you to stop. As for going back, I''ll discuss it with Mr. Nobody."


    Done saying her piece, she left toward the top floor where Jacob was upied.


    Curtis sighed in confusion as he muttered, "Why do I feel like she''s not acting like herself but like an errand girl? Just who in the world is this guy? I can''t find anything on him. If I could get his start ID¡­"


    ---


    Sofie entered the workshop with a grim expression as she still thought about what Curtis just said, but her thought process was instantly disturbed when an appetizing whiff suddenly drifted in her nose the moment she opened the door.


    ''Who''s cooking? Am I hallucinating?'' She thought with disbelief.


    But as she walked toward Jacob''s location, that aroma became stronger and stronger, and when she finally reached her destination, she waspletely baffled by the sight.


    There was arge worktable which, once filled with all sorts of blueprints, was now filled with many different dishes, and all of them were pipping hot as steam was emitting from them.


    Furthermore, all of those dishes were made with meat as their core ingredients, and she had to admit they were indeed look and smelled delicious.


    At this moment, she finally spotted the cook when she heard a sizzling sound not far away from this table filled with delicacies.


    She almost didn''t believe her eyes when she spotted Jacob roasting meat on a grill ced above the precious Mana mes that used to heat up cauldrons to perform epic-rank alchemy.


    Jacob noticed eyes on him, and he long knew that Sofie had entered the workshop and continued with what he was doing.


    "Since youe in time of a meal, take a seat. I''m about to be done with thisst chilly barbecue." Jacob coolly stated without looking at Sofie''s dumbfounded expression.


    Sofie finally snapped out of her stupor and couldn''t help but retort, "W-what are you doing?"


    Jacob dismissively replied, "Are you blind?"


    "No. That''s not what I mean." Sofie pursed her lips, "Why are you cooking in a


    workspace? It''s hical, and Mana mes are simply too precious to use for mere cooking!"


    "Heh, you sound like something I used to know a very long time ago." Jacob chuckled, "But do you actually believe I give two shit about ethics in the ce I literally own? For you, these meals might be petty, but for someone like me, they are probably the only sources of gratification I could enjoy once in a blood moon. So, I don''t care about the cost at all. So, stop nagging and set down, or just scram!"


    Sofie was speechless before anger surfaced in her eyes as no man had ever treated her like this, yet this guy not only made her a ve, but he was extremely churlish. She wanted to storm out but that aroma¡­


    ''I still need to discuss with him¡­ I''ll stay!'' Telling herself that, she harrumphed coldly and took a seat!

 Chapter 414 A Fine Dine

    Chapter 414 A Fine Dine


    Sofie speechlessly watches Jacob gobbling down one dish after another and wonders if he is a giant in disguise. No, even giants can''t eat that much, especially when the table is filled with high-quality meat.


    She could tell that after she took a bit and she felt a massive energy in the meat, which even shocked her.


    ''Don''t tell me he hunts some high-tier epic beasts? Just how strong is he?'' She thought as she elegantly cut a tender steak and chewed on it.


    Everyone aside, she really enjoyed this foreign taste and vor Jacob brought out. But speechless nheless about Jacob''s appetite.


    But it was just the start of her shock; as time passed, Jacob didn''t appear to be stopping at all; instead, he was bing faster as if a hungry ghost possessed him.


    ''How can he eat so much without bursting his stomach?'' She wondered with a fearful gaze.


    The more she knows about this ''barbarian,'' the more she feels she knows absolutely nothing about him.


    Half an hourter, the entire table filled with delicacies was swoop cleaned, and not even a bone was spared, and 98% of it was devoured by Jacob alone!


    "Sigh¡­ now that was delicious." Jacob sighed in bliss as he finally felt his nd taste buds were finally rejuvenated.


    Then he looked at gobsmacked Sofie, who was looking at him as if he was a monster but couldn''t care less about what she thought and asked, "Do you have good liquor?"


    "W-what¡­ you can still consume more?" She asked in bewilderment.


    "What this nonsense? Do you have it or not? Since I treat you to a meal, you should retune the courtesy by treating your host with good alcohol. I''m pretty sure an Elder Grandmaster like you has a pretty high-quality one. Don''t make me order you." Jacob coldly stated.


    ''Just say you''re robbing me!'' Sofie ground her teeth and took out a beautiful ruby bottle, and threw it towards him with pursed lips, "It''s a Basic Epic Rank Hell Fire Whiskey, fermented with pure fire element herbs of basic epic rank. Just one bottle costs 10,000 ZC!"


    With a hint of astonishment as he looked at the ruby bottle and, within the crimson blood-like liquid and popped its diamond cork. A strong scent of alcohol instantly filled with air. But it wasn''t just that, but that scent left a burning sensation as it was on fire.


    Jacob''s eyes lit up, "I say you guys really know how to brew alcohol here. Let''s include a few hundred cartons of this thing as well in the materials I made you found."


    Sofie was startled before spiteful spat, "Do you think that is seawater? Even I can only buy ten cartons each year with my status, and you want a few hundred, dream on!"


    Jacob didn''t seem angry at all after hearing Sofie''s blunt rejection and smiled slyly as he said, "Alright, leave everything you have here then, and buy as many as you have when you leave."


    He took out a ss and poured himself the blood-like whiskey,pletely ignoring fuming Sofie, who he had doped.


    Then he took a small spit of Hell Fire Whiskey, and his eyes went wide when he felt the strong charred vor, followed by a fiery sensation as if his mouth was set aze and he was holdingva in his mouth.


    If he hadn''t had an epic body, he would''ve died by this drink of hell!


    Nevertheless, he swallowed and left intoxicating about that damn vor and praised sincerely, "This is probably the best whiskey I ever drink. You really made my day. Tell me, why were you here?"


    ''I remember when I first drank that thing, I threw it out instantly and didn''t dare to drink it out of sheer fear. Yet, this detestable man¡­'' Sofie felt even more rage bubbling up as she watched Jacob enjoy the Hell Fire Whiskey with great relish.


    Nevertheless, she knew she was just a ve, not his friend, and Jacob made this boundary absolutely clear with the way he treated her. Although he gives her leeway. But in truth, he was controlling her every move and calcting it before she could even make it.


    "I was here to report some matter to you and also give you the second batch of materials you required. Here." She coldly said as she threw the space ring that Curtis gave her to Jacob.


    He caught it with his unupied hand and then checked the materials inside. It was s basic epic rank space ring with 100 cubic meters of storage space, and it was 90% filled with all kinds of epic materials, especially the epic titan iron.


    ''This wouldst me until I reach the full extent of the Rune Artificer, and then I can start creating titian tears as it is far more useful in many ways.'' Jacob thought as he stowed the ring away.


    "Good work, I guess." He nodded before returning to enjoying the drink.


    Sofie wasn''t done, though, as she said, "I''m also running out ZC to buy those materials. If you don''t believe me see my ount. I''ve already spent almost all of my earnings on those materials. I''m afraid there is nothing left for you to rob from me."


    "Is that so?" Jacob looked at her with scrutiny and didn''t find her scornful words to be a lie, "How much do you need to supply me the same quantity for, let''s just say, thrice a month for about 12 months maximum and nine months minimum."


    Sofie narrowed her eyes as she made some quick calctions and answered, "30 Million ZC should be sufficient. Do you have that much money?"


    Jacob dismissively nodded, "I''ll give you 40. Use the extra 10 to buy nothing but titan iron from any and everywhere. But when I transfer you the money, you can''t talk about my Star ID even with me or write about it. If you do, you will die before you even perform that action."


    Jacob, this time used the parasite gem to thoroughly impart this exactmand which made Sofie astonished since Jacob only used the parasite gem when it was absolutely a grave matter.


    She wondered with uncertainty, ''What''s so special about his Star ID?''

 Chapter 415 The Legends of Vile Witch

    Chapter 415 The Legends of Vile Witch


    Not revealing his Star ID to Sofie before was for obvious reasons, but it can''t help anymore since he needed those materials to create weapons in the next year to be fully prepared for the trial.


    But he enved Sofie, so it should be safe. After making up his mind, he said, "What else?"


    Sofie then moved to the other matter, which was obviously the matter Curtis had discussed with her. She told Jacob about all the disappearances of the people all over the city and also the city lord being involved in them.


    "¡­ just to be safe, I think we should leave for No. 492. It''s also more convenient for I can gather materials there much faster." Sofie stated gravely.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment, "The City Lord was also one of the people who got abducted? What were her species?"


    Sofie frowned at this peculiar question, "The Zodiac Sorceress Dark Mistress belonged to the Shadow Elf n, which is one of the strongest ns present in the Epic ins, and those guys are known for their terrifying assassination skills.


    "That''s also my point. Even someone like her vanished without a trace, so we should leave before whoever is doing this starts to target the guild as well." Sofie said matter-of-factly.


    ''Shit!'' Jacob couldn''t help but curse in his mind since he never expected of all the people he hunted; he hunted the city lord herself.


    Furthermore, he looked at Sofie with a strange glint as the steak that she enjoyed so much was exactly the Zodiac Sorceress Dark Mistress''s!


    He had already consumed those people''s hearts yesterday, and he started to feel lethargic, which was a sign that his body had grown stronger, so today, he treated himself to this feast made with every person he hunted in thest three days.


    But it wasn''t the most important point, ''If that woman were the city lord, then no wonder she has so many good things in her space ring. Furthermore, then it also means that the letter I found in her ring was also legit, and that''s why she was meeting those two giants that night!''


    Jacob had naturally found many good things in Zodiac Sorceress Dark Mistress''s space ring, and one peculiar thing that caught his eye was a letter that only had one single sentence.


    ''We know the location of the Vile Witch''s trueyer! Meet us in this location XXX! PS: A.T.L.A.S!''


    This was the only thing written in that letter. Although Jacob didn''t know what this A.T.L.A.S was but he knew that it had something to do with those two giants.


    Nevertheless, he didn''t put many thoughts into this since it could be just some random search party who were after the fabled Vile Witch inheritance like many people whoe here.


    Yet, now Sofie told him that the shadow elf was the city lord, whichpletely changed this situation.


    Because someone like her won''t just move by some random treasure hunter so it has to be something to do with A.T.L.A.S, which made her approach those two giants alone.


    Jacob''s interest was finally piqued, and he questioned, "Tell me about this Vile Witch? Why do so many people want to search for her inheritance?"


    Sofie was again perplexed by this irrelevant question, yet she had no choice but to reply, "There are many legends about the Vile Witch in epic ins. But only two of them held some truth. The first is, before the three hegemonies were in full control, the Vile Witch was the strongest being and owned the most in Shares!


    "But she was extremely vicious. She used people as her test subjects, and the deaths on her hand were in hundreds of thousands or even millions. But no one was strong enough to do anything about it.


    "Even the Dark Beings were no match for her and never dared to provoke her. Until the First Alliance Chairman appeared. ording to the records, he was sent here by higher ins to put an end to Vile Witch''s cruel reign.


    "And he did exactly that. He was extremely powerful, known as the ming Halberd. But the Vile Witch wasn''t weak either, as she retaliated in full. Their fightsted for a full day, and they destroyed anything that came in their path.


    "In the end, the Vile Witch perished, but ming Halberd also didn''te out of that fight unharmed. One of his hands was lost, and the Vile Witch seemed to have left some curse on him, which stopped any medicine from working on him.


    "That heroic alliance chairman was only able to live two years before dying in agony." Sofie''s face was filled with respect as she spoke of the ming Halberd and fear for Vile Witch.


    Jacob was also surprised as this was his first time hearing about this, and he noticed many points that he waspletely unaware of, but he remained silent and let Sofie finish.


    "While the second legend is, in her final fight with the ming Halberd, the Vile Witch somehow managed to escape, but she was simply too wounded and on the verge of death.


    "She escaped to this ce and took her final breaths here. Furthermore, her dying ce was also where herb was located, where she does her revolting experiments and has all the treasures she collected in her lifetime by being a tyrant. So, people called it Vile Witch''s Layer, and this region was named Vile Witch Valley.


    "That''s why manye here to search for her treasures here, but to this day, not a single one of them has ever seeded. The Alliance also never made anyment on this while they took over this region.


    "Until a person found a strange key of heryer and a parchment written in blood by the Vile Witch herself. It was at that time everyone took it seriously, and the Vile Witch Valley teemed with the treasure hunter.


    "Yet mysteriously, that person, the key, and the parchment vanished, never seen again or heard about again, and no one has ever discovered the Vile Witch''s Layer to this day or any more clues."


    Sofie''s eyes shimmered with a hint of excitement, "But it is spected that if someone is ever able to find the Vile Witch Layer, they will be the richest person in the entire epic ins!"

 Chapter 416 Plain Shares

    Chapter 416 in Shares


    Jacob now had some idea of what the name Vile Witch signifies. But those legends were somewhat overexaggerated in his view. Because legends were made by people, and people tend to exaggerate things.


    Nevertheless, there were some points he was quite interested in, especially if there was any truth in those legends.


    "First, tell me about these in Shares?" Jacob asked, as it was his first time hearing about this term, and it drew his attention.


    Sofie pursed her lips and replied, "You don''t even know about in Shares? Like a businesspany, a in also has shares from 0.01% to 100%. But unlike apany, a in share is priceless, and they seemed to be divided 50/50 between the living and dark beings by default.


    "Because as long as you had even 0.01% in share, you can open start your own vige in any territory of the life faction, and the three hegemonies won''t be able to do anything against you as long as you had nothing done wrong. At least not in broad daylight.


    "Furthermore, the more in share power had, the more they had say in the matters of a in, and the bigger they could increase their scale of influence and power without being worried about anyone obstructing their way.


    "Contradictory, if you built up a vige or town without having a in share, the life faction has full authority to deal with you with everything they had. Or why do you think all three size cities are called Alive Cities?"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment, "So, having a in share means having a permit to start your own city? Is that it?"


    "Inyman''s terms, yes. But it''s far moreplicated than that since I never owe any in shares, and dark beings made it even moreplex. But from the information I had, the more in shares you had, the more you have the power to change a in in ordance with your own wish.


    "Like, right now, the three hegemonies should have all the in shares divided between themselves, and they had developed the epic ins to new heights. The Dark Being, on the other hand, didn''t seem to follow this rule as they all united under a single dark being.


    "Then there is also the dark city which seemed to have no in share, yet they are so unfathomable that no one dares to mess with them so easily. So, they should be the only power who didn''t want in share at all, or my assumption could be wrong as well." Sofie stated with a hint of uncertainty.


    Jacob thought it made sense, especially about the part of Dark City, and these ins shares seemed to have more purpose than just getting permission to open a new city. Or why would those hegemonies be hoarding them?


    "How many in shares had Vile Witch owed?" He questioned.


    "I have no idea about it should be enough that she has created a Witch Empire, and everyone who lived on thosends had to pay her taxes, even the three hegemonies.


    "But once she died, those in shares returned to the ins and became avable for anyone with the qualification to buy them. Before you ask, I''ll tell you that only those with Star Authority can buy those in shares whenever they are avable, and the only way to earn Star Authority is to win a in trial!" Sofie dered.


    ''Star Authority? Didn''t I also earn 1-Star Star Authority with Star Privilege when Ipleted the rare ins trial?'' Jacob''s eyes widened ever so slightly as realization dawned upon him.


    At that time, he only thought that the star authority was only limited to the three unique choices for a in, but now it appeared there was far more to it, just like the star privilege.


    However, it was Jacob who was clearly not interested in ruling the ins, so star authority held little importance to him unless there was some advantage that could help him.


    But Sofie''s knowledge was quite limited, and he knew if he wanted to know more, he needed someone like Ellie, and that was quite impossible at this moment.


    Still, he raised another question about the Vile Witch, "You say she put some curse on this ming Halberd? Was she proficient in hexes or cursed magic?"


    This was probably the biggest thing that truly attracted Jacob''s attention, curses!


    Although he didn''t know if the curses were simr to his own hex magic, he sure knew they werepletely rted. Since he couldn''t open that damn book he found on the altar. He didn''t mind finding other sources to learn more about hex magic.


    Because hex or cursed magic was something that everyone liked to avoid since they were nefarious by nature and almost undetectable and sometimes incurable. Just like Jacob''s three hexes, he has yet to find something that could break them or detect them.


    Not to mention the hex magic was awakened from the Cursed Immortality, so he doesn''t believe for a second that it was just run-of-the-mill hex magic. But the problem was he had no clue when to start his research or how since his hex mana seemed to be harmless unless used with the three hexes.


    But if this Vile Witch could shed some light on it, he didn''t mind taking some risks to unearth heryer since his objective here was to be as stronger as possible before he was dragged into the trial ins by his own body.


    Since he already had clues about that mysterious inheritance, why miss it?


    Sofie replied with uncertainty, "I think so. She was infamous for her mysterious cures. Why do you think she was called a Witch in the first ce? That''s why she struck terror in everyone''s heart, and her research was all about those curses, and many perished by her hands."


    Jacob couldn''t help but smile coldly, "Is that a fact? Last question, do you know anything about A.T.L.A.S?"


    Sofie''s eyes went wide as deep horror surfaced in them. She blurted, "Where did you hear about A.T.L.A.S?!"

 Chapter 417 A.T.L.A.S

    Chapter 417 A.T.L.A.S


    "Where did you hear about A.T.L.A.S?!"


    Jacob was astounded by Sofie''s strong reaction to A.T.L.A.S and replied coldly, "Why are you questioning me instead of answering? Do you think just because I treat you to a meal, you can talk on equal ground with me? Do you forget who is the ve between us?"


    Sofie shuddered slightly as she felt a chill down her spine. She almost lost herposure. She quickly settled down and said, "Forgive me, I was surprised by the name A.T.L.A.S. Since only the upper echelon members of the three hegemonies are warned about them.


    "A.T.L.A.S is actually behind the infamous Star Hackers! They had been active even before the Vile Witch''s reign. Whenever a Star Hacker hacked someone''s Star ID, they would always leave A.T.L.A.S''s name behind like a symbol to let everyone knows it was their handy work.


    "But, to not give the Star Hackers any fame, the three hegemonies always hide anything rted to them, and those ouws also didn''t seem to be interested in fame. They only target high-level targets, and once they seed, they steal their information and then use it to cause havoc.


    "To this day, the only clue about the Star Hackers is ATLAS, nothing else," Sofie revealed with a hint of trepidation.


    Jacob, on the hand, was shocked by this unexpected revtion. He never thought he had found such a big fish unknowingly. He was warned by Captain Free Sword to be aware of Star Hackers and not get involved with him, or he will suffer unimaginable consequences.


    At that time, Jacob thought a neer like him wouldn''t be able to provoke Star Hackers or even crossways with them. Yet, now, he had not only crossed ways with them, he even discovered two of their possible members!


    Furthermore, if those two really belonged to the notorious group of star hackers, then this means they might really know about the whereabouts of the Vile Witch. That''s probably why the Dark Mistress decided to meet with those two.


    ''If they are star hackers, then why in the world are they unting their identities? Aren''t they afraid of SAAI spying? Because ording to Captain Free Sword, those star hackers are absolutely taboo, and if anyone were caught red-handed, it would be over for them.


    ''But those two had sent this letter and imed themselves to be affiliated with this ATLAS, yet no action was taken against them? Or do they actually not belong to them but are using their name to bait the City Lord out?


    ''Or it could also be that as long as they won''t use items rted to Star Hackers or their abilities, SAAI won''t act against them. Just like right now, we are also talking about Star Hackers, but it didn''t mean we are part of them¡­''


    The more Jacob thought, the more he understood how SAAI works and what the criteria for it acting against someone. Althoughpletely understanding aplex being like SAAI was not possible for Jacob at this point. But he could still guess how it acts.


    In the end, he only reached the conclusion that without hard evidence, or something triggered SAAI''s reaction, it won''t do anything or interfere with the ins business no matter what.


    But it was still his assumption, and he had to wait and see to find solid ground. Yet one thing was sure the Star Network waspletely natural, and unless someone provoked it, they wouldn''t interfere with anyone.


    "Alright, I get the picture of what is happening. You can retune back to your city. I have something to take care of before I will find youter. In the meantime, you can keep collecting materials for me. Once I take care of my business, I''ll contact you through Star Network. Leave your Star ID behind. I''ll transfer the funds as well." Jacob solemnly stated, and Sofie had a sigh of relief since Jacob agreed to move from this ce.


    Although she didn''t know what business he had but she didn''t care as long as he didn''t put her life in danger.


    "My Star ID is Crownless Alchemist89!"


    Jacob nodded, "Noted, just remember what I said about my Star ID. If anyone saw it, even if that''s your closest kin, you have to kill that person right there and then!"


    Sofie couldn''t help but frown as Jacob again used his authority over her to install thismand.


    In the end, she had to ask, "Why are you so worried about your star ID? Are you by any chance a Star Criminal?"


    She knew only those fellows would hide their Star IDs like this, and Jacob matched their profiles quite well. But at the same time, it also didn''t make sense since a Star Criminal can''t ess their bank ounts.


    "See for yourself. But you can''t reveal or even say it out loud!" Jacob coldly stated before he used his magic to operate the star watch with his mind.


    After searching for Sofie''s Star ID, Crownless Alchemist89, he directly transferred 40 Million ZC to her Star ID and also added her as a friend for convince sake.


    Sofie, at this moment, received a notification, and she knew it was Jacob''s doing. She curiously saw the name of Jacob''s ID, and the moment sheid her eyes on it, they went wide with disbelief and then terror!


    "Faceless Ancient has sent 40,000,000 ZC to your (Crownless Alchemist89) Zodiac Bank ount!


    "New Bnce: 42,400,109 ZC


    "Faceless Ancient, send you a Star Friend Request!


    "ept/Ignore/Reject"


    Sofie thought she was hallucinating, and this was another Star ID with the same name as the most infamous person on the Epic ins right now. However, there was no number or anything, and it was the same Star ID that struck terror in many people''s hearts, and almost every power was looking for its whereabouts.


    She then trembled and looked at Jacob as her entire demeanor changed now that she looked at this man who had enved her. She never imagined that the person who was making waves in the epic ins would be right in front of her all along, yet he was not the Golden Elf, or his eye were maimed!


    The Faceless Ancient was ying everyone like a fiddle by hiding right where anyone least expected him to be!

 Chapter 418 Reporting Progress

    Chapter 418 Reporting Progress


    Sofie left with aplicated and pale expression as she no longer had words to describe what she was feeling right now.


    On the other hand, Jacob didn''t pay any mind to Sofie at all, as he had already expected this much. The current him was not just anything but a symbol of terror, so Sofie''s reaction was not uncalled-for.


    But what important was the information he had gotten from Sofie about the Vile Witch and ATLAS?


    ''What to do¡­ go after those two giants and investigate further about this vile witch inheritance or leave them be since I might draw the Star Hackers irony if they found out that I''ve killed their members.


    ''I still have no idea about the depths of their abilities. But if this Vile Witch was really proficient in curses, then it''s a massive opportunity for me to learn about my own unique magic¡­.'' Jacob mused as he was in a dilemma.


    On one side, there was a possibility of gaining knowledge about his magic, while on the other, there was a massive risk of giving away his location and putting the Star Hackers on his tail.


    Furthermore, if he goes with the former option, he would have to waste more time and might not have a chance to make ample preparation for the ins trial. But the hex magic was simply too unfathomable to ignore it.


    Right now, the three hexes were his biggest trump card, but they could only be used once a single epic rank being. At the same time, he didn''t have any suitable scripture for his water magic.


    But the epic ins were vastly different from the rare ins. Almost everyone was proficient in magic. Especially the upper echelon of the three hegemonies, as those guys would also have mysterious abilities as well.


    He couldn''t always just rely on atomic weapons since they were simply too powerful and caused massive coteral, and they couldn''t be distinguished between enemies or friends. Not to mention, the other guys would also have treasures not any less destructive than his own.


    Not to mention, now that his specialty was exposed, someone might make arrangements to render his atomic weapons useless.


    There were many ways to stop an atomic weapon from exploding, and this was the biggest w of his technology right now.


    ''If I don''t make a decision, then it might bete since those two might escape once they discover the abduction of the City Lord. That letter has their location in it so that they won''t take risks.


    ''Right now, the city enforcer department is hiding this news but not for long. I need to act as quickly as possible¡­'' Jacob thought grimly.


    However, right at this moment, his hand suddenly moved on his own, and his expression changed, and he cursed, "This sted ve mark!"


    The next moment, the Vermin Transponder appeared in his hand. He quickly covered it with his mana and then waited for the connection with a dark expression.


    He didn''t have to wait long, though, as Captain Free Sword''s jolly voice sounded, "Mr. King, I''ve been waiting for your call. So, tell me, how many ves have you collected for me?"


    Jacob impassively spoke, "I''m still working on that part. Right now, I still only have the Elder Grandmaster as a ve that I reported to you thest time."


    "Oh? Mr. King, I must remind you that you are behind schedule, and you must acquire three more such ves within three months and then infiltrate the No.1 Alive City!" Captain Free Sword''s voice was somewhat cold.


    "I''m doing my best. But it''s not easy to enter the No.1 right off the bat, especially when I just joined their ranks. I need to increase my alchemist, and only then will I be able to enter the No.1 City.


    "Furthermore, Elder Grandmasters are all entric, and they seldome out. I''m already pressuring our ve Elder Grandmaster to draw more into my trap. But it will take some time since each region only had 1 Elder Grandmaster.


    "That''s why I would like to suggest something." Jacob impassively stated as a peculiar glint appeared in his eyes as a sh of inspiration shimmered within them.


    "You sound indeed very reasonable, but this n is only doable if we have at least 50% control over the upper echelon of the alchemy guild, and the time is very short." Captain Free Sword muttered and said, "Let''s hear what you have to say, Mr. King."


    "I think we should change our priorities from acquiring ves to acquiring treasures. Thereby we used those treasures to bait those upper echelons into our trap, and from there, they will be our pawns." Jacob stated.


    Captain Free Sword fell into a contemted silence before he chuckled with a hint of disdain, "Hah, don''t tell me you are nning on using the resources I''ve provided you to use as bait. Let me remind you, Mr. King, that if you show those things, I can assure you that, not to mention our targets of interest, even greedy people, will being after you. Are you confident in handling them?"


    Jacob replied impassively, "This is indeed risky, and that''s why I''m seeking your permission to let me go on a venture. I''ve just found a very interesting ce where I can draw many people without even revealing my identity."


    "Oh, pray tell?" Captain Free Sword asked with great interest since treasure was something a pirate like him couldn''t ignore. Treasure hunting and plundering were the things a Star Pirate lived for!


    Jacob then told Captain Free Sword about the legends of Vile Witch while omitting the details about the star hacker''s involvement and turned them into ''lucky people'' who he stumbled upon.


    Furthermore, he also described his n to rob that ce clean and then use the empty ce to set traps and draw powerful people before enving them in one fell swoop.


    Captain Free Sword was naturally astounded, and he spoke with a hint of uncertainty, "Does this Vile Witch by any chance belong to the Witch Race?"

 Chapter 419 Opportunities Exist in Risks!

    Chapter 419 Opportunities Exist in Risks!


    "Does this Vile Witch by any chance belong to the Witch Race?"


    Jacob''s eyes lit up at this moment, "I have no idea about her race. But I''m interested in knowing about this Witch Race since there might be a chance she had such a background."


    He knew there were many races in the Zodiac ins, and by Captain Free Sword''s tone, he could easily guess that this Witch Race might be a Unique Rank Race from the Unique ins.


    But it also meant if he headed that Vile Witch''syer, then it would be far more dangerous than he had initially thought. Nheless, if this could benefit in the long run, then he would not back down.


    Captain Free Sword replied jeeringly, "Heh, you are way out of your league, Mr. King. If this Vile Witch is really a descendant of the Witch Race, then her background is no less than grand. You can say, like your predecessors, the Faery Human Race, the Witch Race stood at the top of the Unique ins'' hierarchy.


    "They are proficient in a unique magic called Curse Magic, and they can get off their opponents without even lifting a finger while sitting in their cozyir. There aren''t many countermeasures if someone is unlucky enough to target by their curse. Death is only a matter of time.


    "But, if there is an inheritance of Witch Race here, even I''m interested in getting it since it would sell for an insane price in the unique ins. So, I will go with your suggestion, and you have my permission to go search for this Vile Witch''syer."


    Captain Free Sword''s voice turned icy at this moment, "However, if you end up wasting our precious time, then I have to reconsider yourpetence Mr. King, and you might have to take huge risks whether you like it or not.


    "You no longer need to report to me every week until you reach a conclusion with this Vile Witch matter. But you only have 120 days, no more or less. Furthermore, once you''ve done, and I hope you seed, I''ll interest you with another matter. Now, good luck, Mr. King, and Godspeed; I''ll wait for your good news!"


    Done imparting the newmands, Captain Free Sword directly cut off themunication without giving Jacob any chance to back down.


    Jacob stowed away the Vermin Transponder, but he won''t look any worried or anxious at all. Instead, he seemed somewhat ted.


    ''So, this Witch Race is really proficient in curses¡­'' He mused, as this was nothing but good news to him.


    Furthermore, he was confident in getting out of this unharmed because that Vile Witch had to be an Epic Rank since she had been active in the epic ins, and her cures won''t work on him unless they were unique ranks just like poisons, envement items, and such.


    But he would never underestimate his opponent again, so he had to needed and making some preparations. Once he was in the area around the Pugilist Giants'' hideout, he summoned Cursed n, and he couldn''t go alone since he was still new to the world of cures, and the Vile Witch won''t be kind enough just to leave everything for anyone just toe and take.


    Besides, he had Cursed Immortality as a danger detector, so he was 60% confident in getting the Vile Witch legacy. Now, the problem was how to handle those two giants.


    "They are more useful alive than dead¡­" He muttered as a nefarious plot hatched in his mind.


    In the evening, Jacob left the guild after collecting everything he needed and making some preparations. Once he was in the area around the Pugilist Giants'' hideout, he summoned Cursed Immortality!


    "Are those two still here?" He questioned.


    "Hhahahaha¡­ how interesting. A member of the Witch Race, huh? Are you really going on this venture?"


    Jacob wasn''t surprised by this question. He knew this book knew almost everything, and it clearly knew more about the Witch Race than the Witch Race itself.


    Furthermore, his question was also a confirmation that he was doing the right thing and was on the right track.


    "What? Are you worried? Then how about you tell me more about this witch race? Can I use their curse magic with hex magic core?" Jacob inquired.


    "Hehehe, you know I can''t tell you anything until you meet with the race. Furthermore, do you think the Hex Magic Core is some petty magic core?" Immortika wrote with full of meanings.


    Jacob instantly knew it was a confirmation and was ecstatic, "I need to do this if I want to win this damn trial. I need as many trump cards as I can get. The Cursed Blood Condensing would take too long, and even if I leave everything and solely focus on it, I don''t think I can reach the standards of a peak epic rank expert.


    "But you know quite well that I can''t just focus on it since it will rm many people if I start wantonly hunting City Lords of every city. Even if I''m crazy enough, I have too many things to sort out before I enter the trial.


    "So, I can''t focus on it and have to take some risks. It''s far better than going to the trial unprepared just likest time. I can also condense more cursed blood in the trial as well. Besides, with you here, I can always run away. So, just tell me where those two giants are?"


    "Sigh¡­ it took you so long to realize this fact. I''m really emotional since it''s like seeing your child grow up. What a terrible feeling."


    Jacob''s eyes went deadly cold, "Stop spouting nonsense, or I just go myself. If our rtionship is going in the right direction ofte, don''t ruin it with your shitty, shenanigan personality!"


    "Hehehehe, jeez, can''t you just let me have my moment for once? Tsk, tsk, no one appreciates warmth these days. Oh well, since you are cold as an ice block, I''ll be the warm fire. Those two are still there, so you better make it entertaining for me, hehe¡­"


    Jacobpletely ignored the first part and sneered at thest one, "Don''t worry, I''m nning to suffocate you on this damn entertainment!"

 Chapter 420 Art of Bluffing (1)

    Chapter 420 Art of Bluffing (1)


    Within the pugilist giants'' vi, the atmosphere was quite gloomy as two giants sat in the hall.


    The male giant name, Frugal gloomily spoke, "Something is not right. We should change our hideout."


    "Hmm, it''s been three days since we sent the letter to the Dark Mistress, yet she hadn''t approached us at all. Furthermore, there are far more patrolling guards than usual. Since they didn''te here, at least our cover is not blown yet.


    "Let''s wait another day before leaving. There might be something important that binds the Dark Mistress for now. But if she doesn''t show up tomorrow, let''s leave this city and head towards the core region directly." The female giant name, Aven, stated.


    "Alright¡­" Frugal was about to say something when suddenly a bell rang, alerting both of them.


    Aven looked vigntly at the door and said, "A 1-Star Epic Core?"


    Frugal''s eyes also shimmed in a faint gray light before he rxed a bit, "He''s alone. Do you think someone sends him?"


    "Heh, let''s find out." Aven chuckled darkly before she stood up and headed towards the door while Frugal remained in his position.


    They both could easily tell that the other party was a mere epic-tier-1, and such a person was akin to an ant in their eyes. Furthermore, they hadn''t rented a vi with a security system because they were extremely confident in their strength.


    That''s why whoever this was, he was able to reach their door easily.


    At this moment, a cloak appeared over Aven''s slender figure and her face before a mask appeared. Only then did she open the door!


    When the door opened, a barbarian appeared there with scars on his tattooed face. It was none other than Jacob!


    Jacob looked at the tall, cloaked giant, and he could feel a faint threatening aura from her, ''She''s way too powerful for me¡­'' He thought as he became even more careful about how to proceed from this point on.


    Aven also gauged Jacob and instantly lost interest when she confirmed this barbarian only had just a 1-star epic magic core.


    "Are you lost, little guy?" Aven coldly questioned while she faintly released her magic aura.


    Jacob felt a chill down his spine, but he maintained his calm and coldly replied, "I am here because of this."


    Then he flipped his hand, and a letter appeared, which instantly caught Aven''s attention, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. Without even waiting for Jacob, her hand moved like a blur, and the next moment, the letter was in her hand.


    Jacob was even astonished after experiencing Aven''s movement. Truth be told, he didn''t even notice until the letter was already leaving his hand.


    ''So, this is a powerhouse of the Epic ins. Furthermore, the giants are at the top of the hierarchy of the epic ins, and I can imagine why.'' Jacob gravely thought.


    Furthermore, now he was worried because the move he had just yed was extremely dangerous, and if things went south, he might not even get the chance to use his retaliation n.


    Nevertheless, he knew he couldn''t back down now and remain on full alert while Aven did confirm the letter''s contents.


    She then looked at Jacob, but with naked killing intent as she questioned, releasing her suffocating aura, "Where do you get this letter?"


    At this moment, Frugal''s cloaked figure appeared beside Aven, and then he nced at the letter and was astounded when he saw it was the same letter they sent Dark Mistress three days ago!


    Now, Jacob was bearing an insane amount of pressure from both giants, and their bloodlust was covering his very being, giving him goosebumps. He never felt so rmed and terrified before. It was like death was staring right at his face, and with just a single mishap, he will fall into death''s embrace.


    However, for some reason, deep within Jacob''s heart, he felt a strange excitement arousing from this deadly situation. This waspletely out of his expectation since it had never happened before, not to mention this feeling was also giving him bone-chilling calmness, which increased his calction ability tremendously!


    Bearing that pressure, he replied with an icy tone, "You two ipetent shits, dare to ask me why this letter is with me?"


    Both giants were startled by Jacob''s unexpected reply, and he didn''t seem to be bothered at all by this pressure, which made them baffled and vignt all of a sudden.


    "Quite a foul mouth for an ant! Do you think I can''t get the information out of you and make you wish you were never born in this world?" Aven coldly threatened as her eyes shimmered in a gray glow.


    But to her surprise, Jacob was still looking right into her eyes without any fear, and the next moment, he pulled a strange pale smile.


    "Ant, you say? Heh, first, you two fools dare to use the organization''s name without prior permission, putting not only yours but even higher-up identities at risk. Then you two idiots didn''t even investigate why no reply hase and sit on your massive asses and waiting for your maker?


    "Last but not least, you two didn''t capture me when you two saw the letter in my, some unknown fellow''s hand and instead questioned me right in the open? What if my forces were surrounding this entire vi, and I was just waiting for you to bite the bait by simply admitting this letter belonged to you?


    "You fucking morons didn''t even bother denying it for a moment that it didn''t belong to you just because you sense that I''m weak? Now, tell me how I should punish you two on behalf of the organization!" Jacob''s words were icy and said without even a sliver of doubt or weakness.


    This exact attitude gave both giants a strange feeling, and this weak person turned into a mystery. Furthermore, from his confident tone, as he reprimanded them, they became even more sure that this person might be someone who belonged to their organization.


    The moment this doubt appeared in their heart, they didn''t dare to make any rash move, and this was the exact result Jacob was aiming for!

 Chapter 421 Art of Bluffing (2)

    Chapter 421 Art of Bluffing (2)


    Aven finally spoke with a hint of uncertainty, "Who are you?"


    It was her and Frugal''s first time adventuring, and they also knew the depth of their background. So, there was a chance that this person might be telling the truth. Not to mention, they refused to contact back because they wanted to prove their strength and independence to their overprotective mother.


    This gave Jacob the opening to cause this opening!


    However, Jacob had no idea about this as he was just ying a hazardous game because there was also a chance that those two had nothing to do with the Star Hackers and might be just using their name to draw the Dark Mistress''s attention.


    So, he said something that would also give the Giants a chance to y along if they really don''t belong to the ATLAS.


    "Hmph, let''s talk inside, and then you''ll tell me who your superior is!" Jacob sneered coldly as he walked. But he had to use the fluid eleration to the maximum to do so because those two were still releasing their pressure on him.


    He knew if he wanted to make them believe in his ''identity,'' he had to show them that he wasn''t weak at all but actually hiding his real strength.


    Although it was pretty difficult, he didn''t dare to show any weakness and slowly moved toward them. Their pressure was almost equivalent to the g-force he had experienced when he practiced the water meditation to session.


    That''s why he could barely move with his fluid eleration, which caused the giants to think that Jacob was hiding his true strength!


    They no longer dare to underestimate him and let him walk inside and retract their pressures. Then they both looked at each with uncertainty and slight panic.


    Frugal whisperingly said, "Mother does not send him?"


    Aven replied with uncertainty in an equally silent tone, "I think so? Since he asked about our superior, it appeared he was not specifically here for us. I think there is a chance we could convince him not to report this, or we''ll be in huge trouble!"


    "What are you doing? Close the door and get your assess here!" Jacob''s cold voice rang from behind as he was already sittingfortably on a sofa.


    "He''s too arrogant!" Frugalined angrily.


    "Just bear with it. He''s hiding his strength, and even our Fighter Eyes can''t see through him. Which means he''s stronger than we!" Aven gloomily replied before she closed the door and moved towards Jacob with her brother.


    Jacob looked at the two cloaked giants sitting in front of him, ''Since they''re behaving so submissively, it seemed by bluff has been sessful!''


    "So, tell me, why did you reveal your background to outsiders?" He asked.


    Aven didn''t reply but questioned instead, "First, tell us how you know us and prove your identity!"


    They can''t reveal everything to this stranger based on their doubts. If he was really a member of ATLAS, then he should have identity proof.


    Jacob expected this much, and this was the most significant hurdle. If he could clear this, then those two would have to believe him whether they liked it or not.


    The next moment, Vermin Transponder appeared in his hand, and he covered it with mana.


    The moment those two saw it, their eyes widened, and Frugal blurted, "You have Vermin Transponder?!"


    Jacob instantly stowed away the Vermin Transponder after Frugal identified it, ''So those two indeed belonged to the Star Hackers, or at least know their technology!''


    "I can only show you this much, or you two should know if I revealed anything else, we all be at risk of getting caught by SAAI. Now, answer me, why in the world did you two fools use our name openly? Who is your superior?


    "Do you know if I haven''t killed that woman, you two would''ve been executed once she met you? Do you really think we don''t have a way to track our people and monitor their activities?" Jacob coldly stated.


    Now, Aven and Frugal are really starting to panic since they are now 90% sure that this person is their superior, and he even killed the City Lord. They finally started to understand why Dark Mistress hadn''t contacted them and why there were so many patrols.


    Furthermore, they had no idea their movements could be monitored because they still weren''t true members of the ATLAS but only reserves. So, they had no way of knowing if Jacob was telling the truth or lying. But they do know that the ATLAS was an unfathomable organization.


    Not to mention, if he was telling the truth, they had caused a massive mess for their mother.


    Aven quickly stated with a changed tone, "S-sir, please, we admit our mistakes. But it has nothing to do with our superior. We were acting independently. We are ready to bear the full responsibility for our actions!"


    Frugal nodded, "Yes, we will suffer the punishment for our own actions."


    They didn''t want to implicate their mother since they knew she would do everything to shield them, which won''t be good. Although they were rebellious, they loved their mother just as much as she loved them.


    "Heh, at least you two are honest." Jacob sneered, ''This is going way more smoothly than I had anticipated. They both didn''t seem experienced at all and behaved like brats who had been caught doing a crime. Could it be they are inexperienced neers?''


    For someone like him, it wasn''t difficult to gauge someone''s experience by their behavior, and those two were not behaving like someone with experience at all, and by adding their previous mistakes, it was quite clear that they were new to this.


    This gave Jacob even more confidence in manipting them to his wishes.


    "I''m in charge of the Vile Witch Valley, and any member of the organizing instated here must first report to me. I was wondering why two greenhorns appeared and weren''t informed beforehand.


    "I was keeping an eye on you two and just happened to catch you making an unforgivable mistake," Jacob stated, which made the two giants'' hearts sink.


    Jacob devilishly smiled suddenly and said, "But, since I could intercept and you seemed quite inexperienced and loyal, I can overlook this and even help you with the Vile Witch Layer. But I want something in return!"

 Chapter 422 A Strange Cohort

    Chapter 422 A Strange Cohort


    After hearing Jacob''s ambiguous sentence, the Giants were astounded, and a sh of ecstasy passed through their eyes. They never expect this ''superior'' would offer them his help while also hiding their transgression.


    Furthermore, it was far better than involving an outsider. Nheless, they were no idiots and knew whatever he demanded would not be small, and he probably approached them with this intention from the start.


    "Please tell us," Aven spoke while Frugal remained silent since he trusted his big sister''s judgment.


    Jacob stated without hesitation, "I want half of whatever we discover in the Vile Witch Layer."


    "Half?" Frugal eximed, "Aren''t you asking too much?"


    "Heh, I think I''m asking too little. Don''t forget the mistake you made; you might not even keep your lives, and your superior will definitely lose its rank." Jacob said matter-of-factly.


    "Alright, we ept!" Aven nodded as she knew what Jacob was stating the fact.


    "But sis¡­"


    "Just let it go. Half of the inheritance is more than enough for us. Sir is being generous with us, so don''t be ungrateful. If he wanted, he could''ve asked for 80% or even everything, but he didn''t, and with his help, we might be able to get it for sure!" Aven sternly stated.


    ''She''s quite sharp despite her inexperience, or she''s just ying a fool¡­'' Jacob thought with a hint of uncertainty.


    But everything was going ording to his n, so he yed along, "You''re quite sensible. Since the deal is set, let''s move to the n. If I''m not wrong, you guys seek the Dark Mistress because you were stuck at something. So, out with it, why did you guys seek her help by going out of your way to reveal your identities!"


    ''He even guessed that?'' Aven was startled by just how sharp this person was since he was able to see through their plight so easily. But this also boosts her confidence in him.


    Aven revealed with a grave tone, "We are indeed stuck at something, so we were forced to use this option. But I can assure you that we have a countermeasure in ce if something untoward would''ve happened. However, we were still na?ve, and Sir even saved us from a grim fate.


    "Actually, we found the Vile Witch Layer three months ago in the core region of Vile Witch Valley. But the entrance is blocked by a door, and that door is encrypted with some mysterious rune array.


    "Even after using every means, we can''t even scratch it. We also tried digging a tunnel underground and the walls, but when we reached a certain depth, a barrier with the same runes blocked our way.


    "So, we reckoned that the only way inside is that door, and we need to decrypt that array. But it''s simply tooplex, and if we had tried to decrypt ourselves, we might''ve set up some safety mechanism. So, we refrain from doing it.


    "In the end, we collected some information and found out about the Dark Mistress, who had some connection to a rune artificer. So, we came to this city for her. But before we could approach her, Faceless Ancient appeared.


    "You should''ve already known that there are only three ways to pass a runic array. First is an Array Key, the second is decrypting the array, andst one is breaking it with a single powerful attack."


    Jacob''s heart raced as he didn''t have to guess why his star ID was mentioned.


    "So, you guys wanted to buy the Faceless Ancient''s atomic grenade to blow that array?" He asked.


    Aven nodded, "Indeed, it was far better than revealing our identities since Dark Mistress won''t believe us without us telling her about our background." She suddenly gritted her teeth as she spat, "But that bastard is simply too famous, and that atomic grenade auction ended up going way out of our expectation. So, we had to use our first n."


    ''What kind of situation is this?'' Jacob wondered, as he never expected this sort of divulgence.


    These guys were searching for him, but he ended up approaching them instead. This was quite a peculiar event. Nevertheless, he now knew why they were here and their predicament.


    Furthermore, he wasn''t only Rune Artificer but also Faceless Ancient. But he can''t tell them that, now, can he? So, he needed another approach just in case he needed to use an atomic grenade.


    As for getting rid of those two, he wasn''t nning on doing it since they were quite useful.


    "Well, I think we are in luck since I''m a rune artificer, and I can also get an Atomic Grenade in the next auction. Is there anything else you need?" He confidently stated.


    "Wait, really?" Frugal was startled.


    Even Aven was in disbelief as she never expected to find the exact sort of person they needed the most. They felt even more excited about Jacob joining them.


    "Why would I lie to you?" He coolly replied.


    "If that''s the case, then all we need is a few people who could be our meat shields. There should be more traps. We only have a map of its entrance, not the inner area. So, we have to be quite cautious while exploring that ce." Aven gravely said, "Even if there wasn''t any trap, we could just get rid of all the meat shields."


    ''How vicious!'' Jacob thought jeeringly. But he knew he was just being a hypocrite when it came to viciousness.


    He nodded, "Very well, you two can take care of this by yourselves. Let me worry about an atomic grenade. But just in case, if we end up using it, how are you nning on handling the corory? I don''t need to remind you that it''s not something we can get away with after using it."


    Frugal confidently said at this moment, "We don''t have to worry about that. First, I don''t think anyone in the region is stronger than us three. Second, by the time powerful people arrive for investigation, we will be long gone with the inheritance.


    "Last but not least, everyone will suspect Faceless Ancient first after that st, and if someone discovers the secret of Vile Witch Layer, they will go after him even more decisively than before. While we can reap, the benefits and no one would ever know it was us who did that. It''s a perfect sabotage!"


    While Frugal was ecstatically revealing his sabotage n, and Aven fully agreed with him, they both failed to notice a terrifying gleam in Jacob''s icy cold eyes!

 Chapter 423 Second Star Server Auction (1)

    Chapter 423 Second Star Server Auction (1)


    Today was just like another day in the Epic in. However, unusually almost every 3rd person was staring at their star watches with great anticipation and excitement. Some people wore stern, cold expressions as they also looked at the same interface as anyone out there.


    Almost every person was paying attention to a sole star sever. It was a unique event that had never happened before in the history of Epic ins.


    The Star Server in question was none other than the Ancient Artifact Industry because today marked the day of the second auction, and it was about to start in a few moments since Faceless Ancient had posted a time on the Star news this morning!


    At this moment, the man in question was in Alive Alliance City No.


    492 in the central or core region of the Vile Witch Valley!


    Jacob had arrived here three days ago with his new panions,'' Frugal and Aven, after they were done with City No.543.


    Inparison, City No.492 was a few milesrger than City No.543, and this ce was filled with hidden experts at the Epic-Tier-7 Rank. Not to mention the resources here were also abundant and of higher quality.


    This was one of the pros of a lesser number city, and the lower it goes, therger the city and, simrly, richer resources.


    As for how Jacob entered, he didn''t need to take the risk of flying over the city again as he discovered from Frugal and Aven that there was another way to enter this city without taking high risks, as was somewhat surprised, but not that much since these sorts of Jacob did in City No.543.


    It was to find a smuggler who took ZCs to smuggle anyone inside the city without the need to go through the security check. Jacob was somewhat surprised, but not that much since these sorts of people exist everywhere.


    It was just that he didn''t bother to find them since he could just use his tricks to enter. Nevertheless, he still prefers not to make too much noise, so he remembered how those two found that smuggler. ording to the brother and sister, as long as they look carefully, there are always smugglers around the medium size cities.


    As for the Large Size City, there was no such loophole, and ording to them, the security there is managed by AIs of the three hegemonies, and it was almost impossible to sneak in without getting caught first.


    Jacob didn''t ask any of it since he didn''t need to as Frugal was a chatterbox, and after getting to know Jacob, he was veryfortable with him and told him all sorts of things or, more urately, brag about himself.


    As for Aven, she was just respectful and seldom spoke her mind, and she even stopped Frugal from revealing too much sometimes. This appeared as a hindrance for Jacob to fully acquired the knowledge of their background and ATLAS.


    But he can only do with it since he can''t reveal that he wasn''t part of ATLAS or even give the slightest hint. Because he had a feeling that Aven was not aplete fool like Frugal, and she only showed him a map. But he had a feeling that she was hiding something.


    Since he had to act like a superior and he couldn''t overpower her, he had to endure. But he was very vignce of that woman.


    Thereby, he made an excuse to collect some funds to buy Atomic Grenada and left them to deal with the recruitment of those meat shields. While in truth, he found Sofie and staying in the Alchemy Guild ever since and honed his Rune Craftsmanship.


    Furthermore, he had also partnered with three merchants who he carefully selected from his previous recruitment. Now hiswork of resources has increased quiterge because those three merchants were not just anybody but top businessmen of epic ins.


    To keep each other identities safe, they all had to sign Star Network Contracts with insanely vicious penalties.


    In retune for their full cooperation, Jacob will have to provide them with 10 Atomic Grenades within a year while they will sell Jacob anything he requires below the market price.


    After dealing with this business, today came the day of another Auction, and he was looking forward to it since he would be putting another item for auction. He is no longer hesitant to sell the crude technology he made in rare ins while using that same money to make an improved version for himself.


    The Epic ins could burn for all he cared as long as he was earning ZC and using them to sponsor himself. He cared little about anything else.


    As for Sofie, she was extremely respectful towards Jacob after she knew who Jacob was, and now she lookedpletely submissive to Jacob, which gave him a strange feeling, but he brushed it off.


    Alone in Sofie''s workshop, Jacob opened his Star Server. But he caught sight of a message, and the sender was someone hard to ignore.


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Hey, bother Ancient, aren''t you supposed to give me prior notice 12 hours ago before you put items on auction?!"


    ''Brother?'' Jacob frowned as he replied with a sneer.


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): I think I gave you prior notice 30 days ago when I put that post. ording to the deal, I will tell you when I will start the auction 12 hours before. But you were already informed 30 days ago, so I never breached any term of our contract. If I had broken it, do you think the starwork would leave me alone?"


    "The Society Killer (Reply): What? It works like this too? Why do I feel like I got tricked?


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): And why do I feel like blocking you?


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Hahaha, ahem, brother Ancient, there is no need to turn serious. I like to joke with my friends, especially fellow visionaries like yourself. Joke aside, can you tell me what the new item is? For our friendship''s sake?


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): You''ll see in a short while. There is no need to pester me. Now if you''ll excuse me, I have an auction to run!


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Hah, what a killjoy. Let''s see who can putpetition for this killer!"


    Jacob merely scoffed at this shrewd guy''s fa?ade and posted the first auction item!

 Chapter 424 Second Star Server Auction (2)

    Chapter 424 Second Star Server Auction (2)


    "Auction Post (NO.2) by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner)


    "Auction Item Name: Atomic Grenade


    "Starting (Opening) Bid Price: 10,000,000 ZC


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:09M:48S


    "Auction Post (NO.3) by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner)


    "Auction Item Name: Atomic Grenade


    "Item Type: Weapon/Explosive


    "Item Rank: At least Advanced Epic Rank


    "Item Properties: Subatomic (NO Magic)


    "Item Quantity: 1


    "Item Description: ¡­


    "Starting (Opening) Bid Price: 10,000,000 ZC


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:19M:45S


    "Auction Post (NO.4) by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner)


    "Auction Item Name: Atomic Grenade


    "Item Type: Weapon/Explosive


    "Item Rank: At least Advanced Epic Rank


    "Item Properties: Subatomic (NO Magic)


    "Item Quantity: 1


    "Item Type: Weapon/Explosive


    "Item Rank: At least Advanced Epic Rank


    "Item Properties: Subatomic (NO Magic)


    "Item Quantity: 1


    "Item Description: ¡­


    "Starting (Opening) Bid Price: 10,000,000 ZC


    "Reaming Time before the auction end: 00H:29M:40S


    "Auction Post (NO.5) by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner)


    "NOTE: Post is set to publish in 31 minutes¡­"


    Jacob posted four auction posts he had prepared beforehand, one after another, but he still restricted thest auction post and set it on a timer. It was the main item of today''s auction, so he wanted it revealed after the three atomic grenades were sold.


    Just as open the bidding posts, the bidding war instantly rages on all of them. This time, he deliberately set up the timers to less than half an hour with 10 minutes intervals each because he found hours for an auction item irrelevant after he watched what happened thest time.


    There wasn''t any need to waste other time, he had already announced this auction, so people should be ready, and he wanted to end it quickly so he could be on his merry way toward the Vile Witch Layer.


    Instantly, the bids crossed over 25 million ZC on all posts and finally started to slow down.


    "Current highest Bidder (Auction Post NO.2): Anonymous145839 (Star ID: New-Star-of-Dawn)


    "Bid from Anonymous145839: 26,100,000 ZC


    "Current highest Bidder (Auction Post NO.3): Anonymous84322 (Star ID: Great Hallberg)


    "Bid from Anonymous84322: 26,050,500 ZC


    "Current highest Bidder (Auction Post NO.4): Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady)


    "Bid from Anonymou500: 26,300,000 ZC"


    These were the highest bids on his three posts within a single minute. But he knew it was far from over because the Society Killer had yet to make his move. He was probably waiting for everyone to be exhausted to the limit before swooping in just like he did thest time.


    Furthermore, Jacob also noticed that Hallberg and the three hegemonies'' leaders were bidding more fiercely than before, and he didn''t know if it was just his imagination, but none of the three leaders were trying to bid on the same post as Hallberg.


    ''Did this bastard has such connections?'' Jacob thought with narrowed eyes as it was quite possible because Hallberg had the Dark City behind him.


    Although he hates to admit it, he knew Hallberg was no small character, and Dark City was probably the only existence Jacob didn''t want to make an enemy off. But it was quite hard after what Hallberg did, and he didn''t know what he would do if that cunning dwarf appeared in front of him.


    As Jacob was observing the bids, 8 minutes passed, and there were less than two minutes before the time on the first post was over.


    "Current highest Bidder (Auction Post NO.2): Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction)


    "Bid from Anonymous132: 38,400,800 ZC"


    This was the current highest bid from the Chairman of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance himself, and no one seemed to be bidding anymore except for the New-Star-of-Dawn. This start ID actually belonged to one of the three merchants Jacob has formed a partnership with.


    But the Atomic Grenade seemed to be again falling out of his pocket range. So, in the end, Gunner remained on top, and thest thirty seconds started, and soon only 10 seconds remained.


    ''What are you doing?'' Jacob''s eyes narrowed when the Society Killer didn''t appear at all,pletely opposite to his early intentions.


    But he knew if that guy was nning to ce ast-second bid, it won''t work because if someone tries to be cunning and ce a final bid at the veryst second, the post-timer won''t just end.


    Instead, a function called the Three Bidding Announcement will initiate so the other party can have a chance to ce another bid, and the three bidding announcements will reset again upon a new bid. This process will be continued until a winner passes the three bidding announcements.


    That''s why it was impossible to y such a trick in Star Network Auction.


    When the timer was about to hit ''1,'' the bid finally changed!


    "Post timer has been over; the 3 Bidding Announcements have been activated!


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 40,000,000 ZC


    "Post timer has been over; the 3 Bidding Announcements have been activated!


    "Final Bid 40 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 40 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 40,150,000 ZC"


    "Final Bid 40.15 Million ZC going once¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 50,000,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 50,500,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 50.5 Million ZC going once¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 55,000,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 55 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 55 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "Final Bid 55 Million ZC going thrice¡­"


    This time no new bid was entered, and the Society Killer won the atomic grenade with three bidding announcements.


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.2 has been concluded and won by Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer)!


    "Final Bid Amount: 55,000,000 ZC has been sessfully transfer to your Zodiac Bank ount!


    "(NOTE: The Amount (55,000,000 ZC) will remain locked until the item is delivered to The Society Killer!)


    "Calcting the Grace Period ¡­"


    ---


    Gunnar looked at the final conclusion of Auction Post NO.2 with bloodlust in his eyes and a few bulging veins twitching on his temple.


    His vice was standing right behind with sealed lips while his back was filled with sweat, and his eyes shimmered with trepidation. He had never seen Gunnar so pissed in a very long time.


    At this moment, Gunnar finally spoke hoarsely with naked killing intent, "I want you to find every person who had liquid assets over 1 Billion ZC. Use everything in our power and use our influence. You have my full support, and probably the other two will not reject this approach as well!"

 Chapter 425 Second Star Server Auction (3)

    Chapter 425 Second Star Server Auction (3)


    "Just who in the world is this Anonymous1?" Lucy frowned begrudgingly as she looked at the result of the first auction post today.


    She had also suffered a loss from this guy''s hand thest time, so it was only natural she had tried to investigate his background.


    She even thought that it was Nelsen, but in the end, Nelsen and Ellie showed their Anonymous IDs to Gunner and her, and they both had to do the same so that it won''t cause any misunderstanding between them.


    Furthermore, to capture or eliminate the Faceless Ancient, they all had to put their differences aside and work together. This goes as far as to use another Zodiac Oath Contract, so no one dared to y any tricks.


    But truth be told, Lucy still held a pretty big grudge against Nelsen and Ellie after she lost the bet, and she hated Faceless Ancient''s guts for that.


    Yet, for a bigger picture, she had no choice but to work together. But in the end, they had yet to find even a tiny clue about his whereabouts. That guy was simply too elusive and hiding his tracks too well.


    Not to mention, he was openly seeking partnerships, yet they were helpless to stop him, and even their own men failed to draw his attention. So, this change was also ruined.


    Now the only way they could think of was to track the delivery locations. But it was far easier said than done since they couldn''t interfere with the Destiny Star Corporation or put tails on them since it was impossible.


    But there was still a way, and they needed to get a delivery first, but this hateful Anonymous1 was a thorn in their way. He just didn''t want to give them way at all and made things difficult.


    Not to mention, this guy has an unusuallyrge amount of wealth, and Lucy could only think of about three people other than her and Nelsen who could have this much wealth.


    But those people were already investigated by them. They used the Zodiac Oath Contract to make sure they weren''t this Anonymous1 and even forbid them ever to take part in these auctions.


    Yet, this bore little fruit, and even seeking Hallberg''s support didn''t do anything.


    "It seems like; I have to go all out this time. That old pervert probably thought the same as well since he tried to interfere before¡­" Lucy muttered with a sharp glint in her eyes as she looked at the second post, which was about to conclude as well.


    ---


    "Reaming Time before the Auction Post (NO.3) ends: 00H:00M:09S


    "Current highest Bidder (Auction Post NO.3): Anonymous84322


    "Bid from Anonymous84322: 49,000,500 ZC


    Nelsen expressionlessly watched as the time continued to run thin on the second post of today''s action. He also knew who this anonymous was because of their deal with this guy.


    ''ording to our deal, we have to refrain from interfering with this Dark City''s representative and let him have an atomic grenade. But Anonymous1 has really proven to be a nuisance. He won the first auction post again, and I''m sure the Chairman might be fuming right now.


    ''Let''s see if he interferes with this one as well and let the dark city duke it out with him. Since they had shown their interest in Faceless Ancient, then they would not be backing down easily.


    ''I had to admit; this guy has really made things quite interesting since the day he hade. It''s no longer bleak and boring anymore. I guess this is what it means; to have a formidable enemy is also a blessing. It can either pressure you to grow or crush you¡­'' Nelsen pulled a strange twisted smile.


    Right at this moment, at thest moment, a bid appeared just like before.


    "Tsk, here he''s again!" Nelsen clicked his tongue with relish.


    "New Bid from Anonymous1: 50,000,000 ZC


    "Post timer has been over; the 3 Bidding Announcements have been activated!


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous84322: 60,000,000 ZC"


    "Final Bid 60 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 60 Million ZC going twice


    "New Bid from Anonymous1: 70,000,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 70 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 70 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous84322: 90,000,000 ZC"


    ---


    Hallberg had a pale expression with fury swirling in his bloodshot eyes as he was sitting in the throne hall in the presence of the Dark Marquise with other prominent figures like himself.


    Arge projection was showing the live footage of the auction going on the Ancient Artifact Industry Star Server.


    "Who is this Anonymous1?" A giant figure roared in fury, sitting two seats away from Hallberg.


    At this moment, in counter to Hallberg''s bid, another bid was ced.


    "New Bid from Anonymous1: 100,000,000 ZC


    "T-this?!" Hallberg almost had a seizure as he looked toward the Dark Marquise with hesitation.


    "Make it 200 million." Dark Marquise''s impassive voice rang as if that amount of petty change.


    Hallberg gulped as he didn''t dare to question and ce the bid.


    "You (Great Hallberg) Server Anonymous ID (Anonymous84322) has made a new bid: 200,000,000 ZC on Star Sever: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.3"


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going twice¡­


    The same bid appeared on the screen, and then the announcements started as everyone looked at them with dry throats.


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "Anonymous1 outbid you. New Bid on Star Sever: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.3: 250,000,000 ZC"


    "Absurd bastard!" The giant figure smacked the handle of his chair in a fury and sted it apart.


    Even Hallberg was having a hard time believing that a single item had reached such an absurd price. He wanted to give up, but a dismissive voice rang at this moment.


    "Make it 500 Million."


    Everyone looked at the Dark Marquise in unison.


    "Milord, this is not worth it! There is still one more item!" A voluptuous figure sitting at the very front quickly advises.


    "Do I need to repeat myself?" Dark Marquise coolly questioned.


    Everyone was speechless, but they didn''t say anymore since they knew the Dark Marquise wasn''t something they could order around, especially once he made up his mind.


    Hallberg, with a trembling hand, ced the bid he was told.


    "You (Great Hallberg) Server Anonymous ID (Anonymous84322) has made a new bid: 500,000,000 ZC on Star Sever: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.3"


    "Final Bid 500 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 500 Million ZC going twice¡­


    At this point, everyone was holding their breath, not only them but everyone watching in the Epic ins. They all wondered if Anonymous1 would strike again.


    "Final Bid 500 Million ZC going thrice¡­"

 Chapter 426 Second Star Server Auction (4)

    Chapter 426 Second Star Server Auction (4)


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.3 has been concluded and won by Anonymous84322 (Star ID: Great Hallberg)!


    "Final Bid Amount: 500,000,000 ZC has been sessfully transfer to your Zodiac Bank ount!


    "(NOTE: The Amount (500,000,000 ZC) will remain locked until the item is delivered to Great Hallberg!)


    "Calcting the Grace Period ¡­"


    Jacob looked at the second auction post conclusion, which was quite unexpected, especially that absurd bid.


    ''That bidding was out of spite or out of some hidden agenda?'' Jacob thought with a hint of uncertainty.


    Although that amount was extremely appreciated, but the intent behind it left Jacob somewhat uneasy. But sadly, he couldn''t do anything about it, and he had many precautions in ce if some untoward were to happen.


    Nheless, Hallberg winning one of his atomic grenades left a bad taste in his mouth. But it was unavoidable as he knew the Dark City behind him was not something a single person like the Society Killer could handle, especially if they were determined.


    At this moment, the Star Server Inbox popped open in front of him.


    "Star Server Inbox (Star Server Owner):


    "Anonymous84322 (Star ID: Great Hallberg): No time no see old friend. You''re quite a hard man to get into contact with. I know you have some misgivings about me, and I don''t me you either. But ignoring benefits for measly enmity is for children, not something for people like us. Nheless, today, I''m not messaging you as your friend but as an emissary of the Dark City. On behalf of his lordship, Dark Marquise, I invite you to join the Dark City, and you can state your terms! No one will dare to trouble you anymore if you have His Lordship''s backing!


    "[Star Network Advocacy: You are not obliged to reply to this message!]"


    After reading this message, Jacob couldn''t help but sneer, "Measly enmity is indeed for children, but I almost lost my life because of your fa?ade, and that''s something I can''t forget or forgive. You were also the one who taught me never to believe in anyone''s empathy.


    "Now, this Dark Marquise is also showing empathy, so how can I take it for granted and let my guard down? But I don''t mind ying with you, though, since deception is part of everyone''s character here¡­"


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Very well, tell His Lordship the grand hall, and Hallberg was literally trembling with killing intent in his eyes.


    to contact me from his Star ID, and I have a verypelling deal with him. I don''t like to talk with jackals. Oh, and your delivery will arrive in 37 days!"


    ---


    At this moment, Jacob''s reply was read by all the people sitting in the grand hall, and Hallberg was literally trembling with killing intent in his eyes.


    "How presumptuous!" The giant furiously yelled.


    "Heh, this fellow is indeed interesting. Not only he told Dark Earl to f-off, but he also gave his lordship face." The masked woman giggled in amusement.


    A tall gentleman in a mask also followed with a yful snicker, "Furthermore, don''t you guys notice that Faceless Ancient seems to have some kind of grudge against Dark Earl Hallberg? No matter how ambitiously Dark Earl tries to hide it, we can all see he''s trying to pacify him. But it seemed to have backfired.


    "So, I wonder if Dark Earl Hallberg didn''t have a close rtionship with Faceless Ancient as he imed it be, then is there any need to give me a seat in this council?"


    His sharp words caused everyone''s eyes to shimmer with strange glints as they looked at Hallberg, who also seemed to have realized something and instantly looked toward the Dark Marquise.


    As that gentleman stated, he only managed to enter this ce so quickly because of his ''connection'' with Jacob and the Dark Marquise''s interest in him. But he never told them what he had done, and the Dark Marquise was quite patient and never Furthermore, Jacob just offered an olive branch to the Dark City, and he was willing to cooperate as long as it wasn''t him. This questioned him.


    But now, even a fool could tell that Jacob didn''t have a good impression of him and even had a mysterious enmity with him. So, if he handled Jacob, it would do more harm than good.


    Furthermore, Jacob just offered an olive branch to the Dark City, and he was willing to cooperate as long as it wasn''t him. This directly cut off his lifeline, and now all those unhappy members, because of his sudden rise, were showing their fangs.


    Regret wasn''t evene close to describing what he was feeling right now, but he knew there wasn''t any point in doing so since the Dark City was an extremely disciplined ce and schemes came after the organization''s benefits!


    At this moment, the Dark Marquise spoke impassively, "Dark Earl Gilbert indeed has a point. But there''s no need to strip Dark Earl Hallberg of his position since it would be a stain to our reputation if we kick out a Dark Council Member, for it had never happened before, and it never will.


    "Nevertheless, punishment is necessary for fairness, and Dark Earl Hallberg''s punishment is he will tell us everything about what happened between you and Faceless Ancient, to every simple detail, under the Zodiac Oath Contract. Or you can keep your silence, but you have to repent in Dark Prison for ten years. This is my verdict; now you may choose Dark Earl Hallberg!"


    The hall was silent as no one raised any objections since they all knew the Dark Marquise was not someone they could go against, and the punishment was quite fair.


    Not to mention, now that Jacob has agreed to talk with Dark Marquise, the objective of Hallberg''s existence has been achieved. Albeit differently, it was done, and now Hallberg just has to choose a path.


    In the end, Hallberg stood up from his position somewhat shaky, but his eyes were filled with resolve, and he kneeled in front of Dark Marquise and stated, "I will repent in Dark Prison!"


    This decision came as a surprise to everyone since this was akin to torturing yourself for a decade, for the dark prison was not just a ride in the park but an extremely cruel ce.


    Dark Marquise''s eyes shimmered with great interest while looking at Hallberg, ''What have you done that you are so afraid to reveal it? Or are you afraid that you will reveal your true self in front of everyone once you speak the truth? Heh, how intriguing. I will find out from Faceless Ancient if you''re reluctant to tell me¡­''


    He spoke dismissively, "Very well, Dark Rose, initiate the punishment for Dark Earl Hallberg and send Faceless Ancient a star friend request in my stead!"

 Chapter 427 Second Star Server Auction (5)

    Chapter 427 Second Star Server Auction (5)


    After Jacob replied to Hallberg, he didn''t receive any more messages, which was nothing but good news for him, and he focused on the third auction post, which was being dominated by Lucy!


    However, after three minutes, he saw an unexpected notification.


    "Timeless Dark Tree has sent you a Star Friend Request


    "ept/Reject/ Ignore"


    Jacob was somewhat surprised since he had never seen this star ID before, but since it could send him a Star Friend Request, then it was clearly a 2-star privilege star ID like him.


    But he was about to ignore it when a message also popped up, which made his eyes dte with shock.


    "Timeless Dark Tree has sent you a Mail!"


    "Read!"


    "(NOTE: Timeless Dark Tree has used Star Privilege to send an unignorable Mail Request. Timeless Dark Tree Star Privilege is higher than You (Faceless Ancient), Mail can''t be ignored or minimized, Star ID can''t be blocked!)"


    "A 3-star privilege holder!" Jacob was really surprised when he saw this unignorable mail, which he hadn''t seen in years.


    Even the three hegemonies'' leaders didn''t have 3-star privilege, yet this unknown fellow popped out of nowhere.


    But now, he had no choice but to see this mail, and it wasn''t like he was interested in knowing just who this person was who had a "Timeless Dark Tree (New Message): I''m the Dark Marquise; Mr. Ancient just said you have an intriguing deal for me?"


    3-star privilege and wasn''t one of the three leaders of the hegemonies.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (New Message): I''m the Dark Marquise; Mr. Ancient just said you have an intriguing deal for me?"


    ''The hell?'' Jacob frowned in disbelief as this unexpected realization dawned upon him.


    "Was my conversation with that jackal been monitored by this Dark Marquise?" Jacob muttered as he thought this was the only exnation for this guy''s prompt response.


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t even say those words sincerely at all, and he was just taunting the guy since he thought Hallberg would never let hime in contact with his superior unless he wanted to lose his reputation.


    Yet, he was proven wrong by this Dark Marquise, and it appeared that the Dark City works in quite a peculiar pattern. Even someone like Hallberg, who had a pretty deep enmity with him, was behaving there, which was quite unexpected in Jacob''s opinion.


    Nevertheless, it didn''t mean he was going to believe in Dark City''s people. That mistake was only one time, and being selfish is the only way to go in this world.


    Jacob replied.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): How do I know you are not just another goon like that little jackal, Hallberg?


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): Despite Mr. Ancient''s intellectual prowess, you can''t even figure out that a 3-star privilege Star ID is not something that just anyone can have. Or perhaps, you weren''t expecting me to make contact at all?"


    Jacob squinted his eyes when he read this irrefutable reply. He has indeed thought of this and knew not just anyone can have a 3-star privilege Star ID in this ce. Or at least not a mediocre person like a goon.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): So, his majesty, the Dark Marquise is really interested in a terrorist like me, huh? I must say, I''m extremely humbled by your lordship''s attention."


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): You are indeed a unique one, Mr. Ancient. But we both know you are far from being a terrorist. Instead, you are a cornered fox who is trying to retaliate against other foxes who like to bully the weak ones.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): Oh, you have quite a humor.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): It''s more like insight. Anyhow, I can tell, you and Dark Earl Hallberg has enmity, which he refused to tell me. Instead, he can rather be in prison for ten years. I don''t know what happened between you two, but I can assure you, Dark Earl Hallberg didn''t represent the whole Dark City. So, I sincerely hope you could give us another chance with an open mind and give me a chance to show you what the Dark City is truly about and how we are different from the three hegemonies."


    Jacob merely sneered at the Dark Marquise''s typical recruitment speech.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): I think I''m good wherever I am right now.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): Very well, it''s your choice, but know this, Mr. Ancient, if you ever change your mind, I''ll be right there for you, and the Dark City doors will always be open for you. Once you see the true Dark City, you''lle to understand that Dark Earl Hallberg is nothing. Anyhow, I respect your choice. Now I would very much like to hear about that deal of yours."


    Jacob was speechless by Dark Marquise''s optimistic attitude, but there wasn''t any fault to pick in his words. If anything, this guy had a point about the Dark City''s strength, and if he judged the entire organization on just one rotten bastard''s merit, he would be a petty-minded person.


    Nevertheless, trust was long past him, and the only thing left were mutual benefits. Since the Dark Marquise seemed to be in charge of the Epic ins Dark City, then his reach was far deeper than the three leaders of hegemonies.


    If he can form a mutual partnership with him, he might not even need to worry about finding resources at all.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): I''m an individual of my words, Dark Marquise. I might not join the Dark City, but I can still sell Dark City my products exclusively. In return, I want cutting-edge knowledge and resources. If you can provide me with that, the Atomic Grenade is just the start.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): I can agree to resources, but cutting-edge knowledge is out of the question. You should understand that each organization has its own rules, and we only reward our members with knowledge. You can state some other demands, but knowledge is out of the question.


    Jacob frowned as he was afraid of this exact thing. Right now, his ZC problem was solved, and even the resources weren''t a top priority anymore. What hecks now is knowledge to increase his understanding of magic!


    That''s why he was going to the Vile Witch Layers in the first ce.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): I don''t want exclusive knowledge of Dark City. I know my limit. I just want knowledge that is not rted to Dark City. Furthermore, I will even take the three hegemonies'' knowledge."


    Jacob replied decisively and waited patiently, and the reply finally came.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): Is that so? You are quite bold, Mr. Ancient. But this is the exact thing I like about you. But you still need to show me that the risk is worth it before we finalize our deal!"

 Chapter 428 The Final Item

    Chapter 428 The Final Item


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 50,000,000 ZC


    "Post timer has been over on Post No.4: The 3 Bidding Announcements have been activated!


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 50 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 51,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady): 55,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 60,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady): 70,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 71,000,000 ZC"


    Jacob observed the third post''s final bidding, and the S-0''s involvement was a small surprise. That woman had been dormant for a while now, but she suddenly popped out of nowhere, and now she was fighting with the Society Killer and Lucy for thest Atomic Grenade.


    The final bidding suddenly skyrocketed up to the 100 million ZC again, and the Society Killer was still going strong, and Lucy was following suit. But S-0 was also not backing down, and suddenly.


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 130,000,000 ZC"


    Nelsen entered the chaos, and Jacob noticed Lucy didn''t bid against him at all, which made his eyes gleam with a peculiar light.


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 130,500,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 150,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 151,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 155,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 155,500,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 155.5 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 155.5 Million ZC going twice


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 160,000,000 ZC


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 160,5¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 161¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 161,5¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 162¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 162,5¡­"


    ''Did he give up?'' Jacob thought when the Society Killer didn''t bid anymore, the bidding war became Nelsen and S-0''s show.


    Although he didn''t want his atomic grenade to fall into the hands of either Nelsen or S-0, as both of them were his enemies, he knew this sort of situation couldn''t be avoided.


    He still wasn''t clear about the Society Killer''s background, but he was extremely familiar with who was backing Nelsen and S-0.


    In the end, the bid between the twosted for a few minutes, and finally¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): 200,000,000 ZC


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going once¡­


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going twice¡­


    "Final Bid 200 Million ZC going thrice¡­


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.4 has been concluded and won by Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk)!


    "Final Bid Amount: 200,000,000 ZC has been sessfully transfer to your Zodiac Bank ount!


    "(NOTE: The Amount (200,000,000 ZC) will remain locked until the item is delivered to Amiable Wizened Monk!)


    "Calcting the Grace Period ¡­"


    "Hmph¡­" Jacob snorted with a hint of dissatisfaction and waited for Nelsen''s recruitment message.


    It didn''t take long before Nelsen messaged him just as he expected, but the contents were out of his expectation.


    "Star Server Inbox (Star Server Owner):


    "Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): Haha, I enjoyed this little entertainment. I must say, you are making things very interesting, and I''m thankful."


    ''What''s he up to?'' Jacob squinted his eyes as he replied.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): I''m d. Your item will be delivered in 19 days.


    "Anonymous4 (Star ID: Amiable Wizened Monk): I''m sure it will. But as a fellow explosive expert, I must give you a kind warning. You''re ying a very dangerous game by spreading these instruments of destruction. If you think no one is capable of reverse engineering them, I want you to think again. It''s nothing but a lost war for you, so turn around while there''s still a way for you, or hah, you should know already!"


    Jacob''s eyes went deadly cold as he looked at that message which was a clear threat, and for some reason, he felt this old man wasn''t joking. In the end, he didn''t reply and closed the chat box.


    ''A lost war, huh?'' A hint of nostalgia surfaced in his eyes as if he had heard those words from someone else before.


    His lips suddenly rose in an exasperated smile as he mumbled, "Winning lost wars is kind of my specialty¡­"


    After arranging his thoughts, it was time to release the final post, a new item that he had yet to use himself. But he had taken it out because only with this item could he get what he wanted.


    Even though it is very dangerous, he has to use it, and only then can he obtain what he wants and also earn the Dark Marquise''s partnership.


    "Auction Post (NO.5) by Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner)


    "Auction Item Name: White Sun Missile (Picture Attached)


    "Item Type: Weapon/Explosive


    "Item Rank: 90% chances that it''s Above Epic Rank


    "Item Properties: Subatomic/ Quasi-Thermonuclear (NO Magic)


    "Item Quantity: 1


    "Item Description: Another atomic consumable explosive just like the atomic grenade. However, its area effect range is at least 1000 times more than an Atomic Grenade with even more potent radioactive aftereffects. With a size of 253 CM, it''s equipped with a coordinate targetpass and remote trigger, which gives it the ability to attack from the sky andunch remotely from a 20-mile radius and from faraway ces. In a more simplified term, with this missile, you blow up an entire region while you canunch it from far away while enjoying your meal, and if you are able to increase the remote-control range even further, you canunch it from 100s of miles away. This is an option left by me for my patrons!  Moreover, even weak epics won''t be able to handle its poisonous radiation and turn the area wherever itnds will into an absolute forbidden zone for living. Oh, andst but not least, NEVER try to reverse-engineer it, for the anti-theftponent in this missile is even more cumbersome than the Atomic Grenade. So, don''tin that I never warned you!


    "Item to Item Exchange Bidding Price: Magic Ability Scriptures or Universal Scriptures for Water Element


    "Item to Item Exchange Bidding Rule (1): Star Server Owner has imposed Item to Item Exchange Bidding program for this post. This bidding program has no time limit.


    "Item to Item Exchange Bidding Rule (2): The exchange items will be scanned through the Star Network before they can be posted in the bidding section.


    "Item to Item Exchange Bidding Rule (3): The Auction Post Owner can decide to end the bidding once the (Scanned) exchange items reach the owner''s satisfactory standards.


    "Item to Item Exchange Bidding Rule (4):¡­

 Chapter 429 The White Sun Missile

    Chapter 429 The White Sun Missile


    "Fudge, this madman!"


    Nelsen jumped from his calm sitting posture when he saw the White Sun Missile and read its details. It was the first time after many years that he had lost his m.


    ---


    "What the hell? If he had such technology, then didn''t this mean he couldunch these missiles on our regions?!" Andrew eximed in horror.


    Gunnar was almost in disbelief as his widened eyes were glued on the White Sun Missile, "I-if this weapon is really above epic grade¡­"


    For the first time, Gunnar felt a sense of crisis, and he quickly ordered, "Get Nelsen and Lucy on call!"


    ---


    Lucy''s beautiful eyes were filled with inexplicable terror as she muttered, "Just what kind of shit luck he had to discover this sort of technology? This will cause absolute chaos since no one will be safe¡­ we can''t let him live!"


    ---


    The throne hall was now absolutely silent as the members of the Dark Council were looking at the screen with disbelief.


    The Dark Marquise, who was waiting for Jacob''s response to his previous condition, was startled as his eyes shimmered with tion and greed.


    ''Just who in the world are you, Faceless Ancient? Do you have a backer in the Unique ins? It seems I have to break some rules and contact the Dark Duke!''


    ---


    "Hahahahaha¡­ you exceed my expectation again!"


    Wantonughter boomed in a state-of-the-artb filled with high-tech equipment and hundreds of ss tanks filled with test subjects. In the middle of thisb was a tiny figure in ab coat while a protection of star watch was in front of it.


    "If you were a mere thorn in their eyes, now you be an unneglectable mountain. New winds are brewing in the Epic ins like never before¡­hahahaha"


    ---


    Jacob was fully aware of what kind of tremor this revtion would cause in the Epic ins. Furthermore, people would also be aware of the fact that magic was not as supreme as they thought it was.


    Yet despite knowing all this, he still dared to reveal the White Sun Missile. He wanted to achieve two effects with it. The first one was the reevaluation of his status, and the second was the intent behind this technology.


    If those guys thought of him as mere prey before, now they would think of him as a predator who can''t be taken lightly just because he has no background. In fact, people will start to think he had a backer who was not from the Epic ins and thought ten times before messing with him.


    They will start to treat him like the three leaders of the hegemonies or even higher. Once this was achieved, most of the people would instantly back down, and the threat to him would be greatly decreased.


    But once his second objective was achieved, which he knew it would, many possibilities will be open for him.


    Just like now, as his inbox flooded with messages after the White Sun Missile was exposed.


    But like usual, he didn''t bother to reply to any except the Dark Marquise and the Society Killer since those guys were his biggest targets.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): Consider me impress Mr. Ancient. You have my full support. May I ask how many White Sun Missiles you have?"


    ''How many? Heh, did he think it was a toy? I only made three just in case I encounter some monster in the Star Ocean as ast resort. But after encountering that ogre, I understand my own strength matters the most, and these weapons are only good in the hands of a power to keep each other in check.


    ''Furthermore, these guys might''ve not known right now, but there are many methods to render these bombs useless. By the time they will discover them, I will have already exploited them.


    ''Only this sort of weapon can make them yield and give away the hidden knowledge which will make me stronger while they will be busy creating more of them¡­'' Jacob smiled coldly as thought with amusement.


    He was taking full advantage of the Epic ins''ck of awareness against a nuclear warhead. Furthermore, he was pretty sure that the Alchemy Guild might''ve been aware of their weakness but refrained from telling the public because of their monopoly on knowledge.


    Now that Monopoly was biting them back, he would reap benefits from it big time. So, he replied.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): I''m d you made your decision. But the White Sun Missile is hard to make. But if you can make an offer I can''t refuse, I''ll dly work tirelessly."


    Then he opened the society killer''s message.


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Brother Ancient, how can you hide such a precious toy from your brother? With this, we can annihte the entire Killer Skull Society without even lifting a finger!"


    "Faceless Ancient to (The Society Killer): I''ve told I''m not a saint. Just made an offer on the post, and we''ll talk about it further. Don''t waste my time!"


    Jacob hadn''t demanded some random magic scripture but rare ones which could grant him abilities or help him further research the magic. This was his goal, and he knew only hand full people should have this sort of scripture.


    Furthermore, the Water Element wasn''t that rare, so it shouldn''t be that difficult either, and this would also create an illusion that he was a water element magic user.


    A reply instantly came.


    "Timeless Dark Tree (Reply): Is that so? I can definitely do that. So, let''s discuss the White Sun Missile in the post. I have a Magic Ability Scriptures of the Water element. What do you think?"


    ''As expected of the Dark City Ruler.'' Jacob thought, but an astute smile appeared on his face.


    "Faceless Ancient to (Timeless Dark Tree): Instead of making your offering here, please ce a bid on the auction post, and if I like, I''ll naturally make the exchange. I''m a very fair person, so I would like to give everyone a chance topete. As for our personal business, let''s discuss it after this auction ends!"


    At this moment, the second reply came.


    "The Society Killer (Reply): Tsk, alright, I have a Water Magic Ability Scripture."


    Jacob sneered and copy-pasted the same message he sent to the Dark Marquise and sent it to the Society Killer as well!

 Chapter 430 The Final Biddings of Post 5 (1)

    Chapter 430 The Final Biddings of Post 5 (1)


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Basic Epic Grade), 10 Magic Spell (Scanned: Water Type: Basic Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)


    "New Bid from Anonymous12 (Star ID: Giant Disdain): 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)


    "New Bid from Anonymous1029732 (Star ID: PoorPot): 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade), 3 Magic Spell (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)


    ¡­


    A few minutes after the auction post, Jacob looked at bidding and couldn''t help but muttered bitterly, "These guys are really hiding many good things¡­"


    Although he was expecting a massive response, but he wasn''t expecting so many people to have Magic Ability Scriptures rted to water elements. Furthermore, they were all real, as he could easily see their pictures and details through hidden information.


    Additionally, through the scan, the Star Network can easily appraise or predict their ranks.


    ''If I could get them all¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with greed before it vanished, ''I need to realist here. They are only taking out these precious scriptures because they are still unaware of the ws of having a projectile atomic weapon. So, I need to acquire a good deal from this, and then I should sell the reaming two to Dark Marquise and the Society Killer if they were able to give me a good deal.''


    At this moment, the hegemonies finally made their move.


    "New Bid from Anonymous2218 (Star ID: Amiable Monk Fish): 1 Magic Evolution Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade)


    "New Bid from Anonymous145839 (Star ID: New-Star-of-Dawn): 1 Magic Evolution Scriptures (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade), 10 Magic Spell (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 1 Magic Evolution Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Intermediate Epic Grade), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Casting Type: Basic Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)"


    Gunnar''s bid instantly drew Jacob''s attention when he saw the second magic ability scripture (MAS). He quickly opened the hidden details of that casting type MAS.


    "[Hidden Details: Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Ability Name: Voiceless Casting


    "Ability Ranked: Basic Epic


    "Ability Type: Casting


    "Ability ss: Combat/Sorcery


    "Ability Description Based on Evaluation: You will be able to learn the ability to cast without voice making your spell casting ten times quicker and more difficult for your opponent to predict your spell!]"


    ''Interesting, as expected of the Chairman of the strongest hegemony¡­'' Jacob''s eyes lit up as he knew the peril involved in mumbling the long spell. If someone cuts off your voice, you will be instantly vulnerable. This was the biggest w of voice casting, the most basic method.


    That was probably the biggest reason for less magic use in the Rare ins.


    But he wasn''t swayed by just as he knew people still were hiding their hands and his two ''friends'' didn''t even make their move yet.


    However, the next bid not only outbid Gunnar''s massive bid, but it almost made Jacob astonished and almost ept it in a heartbeat.


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 1 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (Hidden Details)"


    Jacob quickly opened the hidden details.


    "[Hidden Details: Universal Magic Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Universal Scripture Name: The Water Render


    "Universal Scripture Rank: 1-Star Magic Core to 9-Star Epic Magic Core


    "Universal Scripture ss: Sorcery


    "Universal Scripture Element: Water


    "Universal Scripture Abilities: 1. Water Rend, 2. Water Escape


    "Description Based on Evaluation: A Water-type Universal Scripture etched with two must-have water-type magic abilities. The first ability will be active at Star Magic Core while the Second will be active at Star Epic Magic Core Rank!]"


    ''The clown society sure is hiding their depth¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered, looking at the universal scripter, but a hint of uncertainty surfaced soon after, ''Although this is a universal scripture, how do I know I can cultivate it? My water magic core is not normal, and I don''t even know if it will evolve or if my magic orbits will be able to adjust ording to these two abilities directly or do I need to regress my magic core¡­''


    It was Jacob''s first timeing in contact with a universal scripture, and only now did he was able to think of these problems. He never wanted the Magic Evaluation Scripture because he knew it might not work on him at all.


    The Magic Ability Scripture didn''t have anything to do with the magic core itself but the Magic Orbits, so he was sure that he should be able to learn them. But the Universal Scriptures were quite unique as they followed a strict path of both magic evaluations and then granted magic abilities.


    This apletely new territory for Jacob, and he has no idea how he should proceed. But it wasn''t like he wasn''t willing to experiment. On the contrary, if he could get a universal scripture, he could learn many things about his special core.


    So even if there was a chance that scripture might not work, it was still worth researching and erasing many doubts that he had.


    Furthermore, the bidding was far from over. The importance of the White Sun Missile was now even more clear in everyone''s eyes. Even S-0 has taken out a precious universal scripture, so how can the three leaders of the hegemonies didn''t know this?


    A few momentster, a bid was made,pletely outbidding S-0.


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 5 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Enhanced Type: Intermediate Epic Grade) 3 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Casting Type: Basic Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)"


    Although there wasn''t a universal scripture, the starwork judged this astonishing bid above the Water Render Universal Scripture!


    Jacob smiled like a devil, ''I should''ve expected it. The biggest collection of fighting-rted knowledge is in the hands of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance. This prick might not even be trying right now!''

 Chapter 431 The Final Biddings of Post 5 (2)

    Chapter 431 The Final Biddings of Post 5 (2)


    After Gunner''s bid, no new bid was made for ten minutes which made Jacob impatience, so he decided to fasten the process. He has already seen all the scriptures that the guy was offering, and truth be told, he was content with them.


    A new announcement was made on the server at this moment.


    "Star Server Owner (Faceless Ancient) has started the 3 Bidding Announcements!


    "Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction) is the current highest bidder on Post No.5!


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "Final Exchange Bid going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous3784932 (Star ID: Fallen-Golden): 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Weapon Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Casting Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)"


    The new bid finally, and this time and it was from another unknown source that Jacob wasn''t aware of. But it was just the start since the final sequence has started now the bidding will end if no onees up.


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Weapon Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 2 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Casting Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 5 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Enhanced Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (See Hidden Details)


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous19393 (Star ID: Apocalyptic-S): 3 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Fire Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 30 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (Hidden Details)


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­"


    Jacob was astounded at this moment, ''Just how many universal scriptures the clown society had?''


    Although the fire element universal scripture was useless to him, as long S-0 met the requirement of the water type universal scripture, she could add another scripture.


    However, for Jacob, the fire element universal scripture was notpletely useless at all. He thought the bid would end this, but it was very wrong.


    "New Bid from Anonymous1 (Star ID: The Society Killer): 5 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Gravity Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 11 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (Hidden Details)"


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "Final Exchange Bid going twice¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymou500 (Star ID: Rich Winter Lady): 5 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 2 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Fire Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 2 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Earth Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 1 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Dark Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 40 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (Hidden Details)"


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymou3099990 (Star ID: Timeless Dark Tree): 10 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade) (Hidden Details)"


    "Heh, and he was offering me just one, huh?" Jacob sneered when the Dark Marquise made his first bid since he joined his star server.


    Since his Star ID was already revealed, bidding under another member of the Dark City''s Star ID was no longer required for him.


    This time, the bid was really grand; 10 universal scriptures of water type were hard to match. Because Jacob has preferred water type universal scripture, and unless someone can take out ten same element scripture or higher, no matter which element universal scripture people matched the number with, the Star Network won''t consider the bid.


    Although Water Element wasmon, the Universal Scriptures of Water Element were not!


    If anyone, only one organization might have them, and the bid was just made by the Chairman of that exact organization.


    "New Bid from Anonymous132 (Star ID: Might-of-Destruction): 11 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Weapon Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 2 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Casting Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 10 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Enhanced Type: Advanced Epic Grade), (See Hidden Details)


    "New Bid from Anonymou3099990 (Star ID: Timeless Dark Tree): 14 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 9 Universal Magic Scripture (Scanned: Fire Type: Advanced Epic Grade), 42 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Advanced Epic Grade), (Hidden Details)


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "Final Exchange Bid going twice¡­"


    Gunner finally seemed to have down, and Jacob had a big smile on his face since this result was far above his initial expectation.


    It was then¡­


    "New Bid from Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): 1 Universal Scripture (Scanned: Fire & Water Type: Above Epic Grade), 2 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Water Type: Above Epic Grade), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Scanned: Fire Type: Above Epic Grade), (Hidden Details)"


    Jacob''s eyes widened in pure disbelief seeing this astounded bid, and this was the first time this person had shown his presence.


    Furthermore, this universal scripture was of two elements, not just one, which made it even rarer than a single element Unique Rank Universal Scripture!


    "Final Exchange Bid going once¡­


    "Final Exchange Bid going twice¡­


    "Final Exchange Bid ZC going thrice¡­


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.5 has been concluded and won by Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser)!


    "Final Bid: 1 Universal Scripture (Star Data File), 2 Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File), 1 Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File) has been sessfully stored in the Star Network Data Base.


    "(NOTE: The Star Data Files will remain locked until the item is delivered to Star-Chaser!)


    "Calcting the Grace Period ¡­"


    With ecstasy, Jacob instantly opened the hidden details of the items he had just exchanged.


    "[Hidden Details: Universal Magic Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Universal Scripture Name: The Aura Water and Fire Pdin


    "Universal Scripture Rank: 1-Star Magic Core to Unknown Rank


    "Universal Scripture ss: Combat


    "Universal Scripture Element: Water & Fire


    "Universal Scripture Abilities (Aura of Water Knight): 1. Water Maniption, 2. Water Weaving, 3. Water Aura, 4. Water Aura Armor, 5. Water Aura de


    "Universal Scripture Abilities (Aura of Fire Knight): 1. Fire Maniption, 2. Inferno me, 3. Inferno Aura, 4. Inferno Aura Filed, 5. Inferno Aura de]


    "[Hidden Details: Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Ability Name: Liquid Healing


    "Ability Ranked: Above Epic Grade


    "Ability Type: Water


    "Ability ss: Sorcery]


    "[Hidden Details: Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Ability Name: Water eleration


    "Ability Ranked: Above Epic Grade


    "Ability Type: Water


    "Ability ss: Combat/Sorcery]


    "[Hidden Details: Magic Ability Scripture (Star Data File/NOT Physical Copy)


    "Ability Name: Star Combustion


    "Ability Ranked: Above Epic Grade


    "Ability Type: Fire


    "Ability ss: Combat]"

 Chapter 432 The Star-Chaser

    Chapter 432 The Star-Chaser


    Other than the King of Dead Onyx, who held absolute authority as the King of Death. Under hismand were one Prime Minister of Dead, two Dead Ministers, and four Dead Dukes, followed by Dead Marquises, Dead Counts, Dead Viscounts, and Dead Barons. These were the highest ranks of dark beings, and they all controlled their own fief and races.


    The Dark Beings followed a strict hierarchy, the high-evolution dark being had an absolute advantage over lower-evolution dark beings, and all those Dead Noble Titles were earned after going through countless bloody battles and getting Onyx recognition.


    The Prime Minister of Dead, and two Dead Ministers lived in the Doom Pce in the Doom Capital, and only the King of Dead canmand them.


    But the four Dead Dukes handle the East, West, South, and North of the Dead ins, and they only had one purpose, kill as many livings as possible and train powerful Dark Knights for the Doom Capital.


    Because the Doom Capital wasn''t a ce for just anyone could live, it was filled with the strongest forces of the Kingdom of Doom, the Dead Legions of Dark Knights!


    Thereby, ording to their contribution, they will then be given corresponding rewards by the King of Dead. And those rewards were no joke at all. That''s why the Dead Dukes do everything to wage wars and collect more life crystals.


    In the western territory of Epic Dead ins was located the Miasma Mountain Range, filled with dark miasma and the stench of death. This ce was the dukedom of Venomous Zombie Dead Duke, one of the four Dead Dukes of the Kingdom of Doom!


    All year long, this ce teemed with all sorts of zombie soldiers, and this was no ce for living being. Not even Epics can stay here for more than one day before getting effective by this cold, toxic environment, that is, under the condition that they weren''t eaten by the zombies first.


    However, even the Dead Duke wasn''t aware of the massive bunker built right under its territory!


    At this moment, within this mysterious bunker, two giants, a male, and a female, were sitting in front of a giant screen that showed a star server post.


    "Star Server: Ancient Artifact Industry Auction Post NO.5 has been concluded, and You (Anonymous2: Star ID: Star-Chaser) has won the White Sun Missile!


    "The deal has been finalized!


    "Grace Period is being calcted


    "Please select the location for your item delivery


    "Open Star Server Inbox for inquiry"


    The male giant or Star-Chaser smiled as he looked at the female giant with a meaningful expression and said, "See this? And you were telling me I was wasting my time."


    "Hmph, who could''ve thought, this guy had Unique Grade Weapon under his sleeve? Anyone with a right mind would think he was just an ant who wanted to shake up a tree." The female giant scoffed.


    "Just admit I was right, and you were wrong this time." Star-Chaser didn''t let go of his victory.


    "Unless I die."


    "Hah, you stubborn woman!" The Star-Chaserughed as he clearly enjoyed seeing the female giant''s flustered expression.


    "Enough of your childishness. Since you brought it with such a precious scripture, I can presume you want to blow up the Void Star Server of epic ins?" She questioned.


    The Star-Chaser nodded without hesitation, "Indeed, this is our chance to get rid of that annoying AI, and this will buy us precious time to swallow the entire epic ins in one fell swoop. Who could''ve thought the problem would be solved like this? Although that scripture was one of a kind, it was still worth it!"


    The female giant frowned, "True, it was unexpected indeed. But what are the odds of this happening? We are talking about the most powerful security system of epic ins. Besides, it''s still not clear that this one weapon can even cut it. If we fail, you can forget about getting another chance. I don''t want to spend another hundred years to discover the Void Star Server location again!"


    The Star-Chaser sighed as he said with a determined look, "I know, but this is our only chance to get out of here and buy a better future for our children. The organization will not look away if we achieve the impossible. Even if we fail, it''s not like we will be losing something. We can just have to win the Trial in, that''s all."


    The female giant fell into contemted silence before she finally replied with a sigh, "You do have a point. I''m also tired of suppressing myself and hearing those arrogant bastards order. It''s about time we get the treatment we deserve. And speaking of children, where are they?" Her eyes went deadly cold.


    "Stop worrying about them. Give them space to grow. They are no longer kids. Let them experience the world a little and learn from that experience. You do know that if you keep this up, they will be even more rebellious and might not listen to you." The Star-Chaser smiled wryly.


    With squinted eyes, she retorted, "They dare? If not for you stopping me, I wouldn''t have let them sneak out at all. They are still na?ve and might get hurt."


    "That''s why I''m saying they need experience, and besides, they are also my precious children as well. I won''t let anything happen to them. Don''t worry. Once they get tired of ying, they wille back to you." He gently smiled.


    At this moment, his focus turned to the screen again, and he said, "So since we are giving him this precious boon, should we recruit him? We both have to admit, right now, he is a symbol of destruction with that technology under his belt. Who knows what he''s hiding up his sleeve."


    The female giant shook her head and disdainfully stated, "No, he''s still not worthy. He has yet to understand the depth of those three hegemonies. Furthermore, he just foolishly revealed that he has a water magic core, themon element.


    "So, I don''t think he has the potential to go forward from the Epic ins. He''s just some lucky individual, but luck has its limit. Or do you think that Big Oaf didn''t have a unique grade universal scripture formon elements like water up his sleeve?


    "Besides, let him cause chaos in our stead. This will keep everyone''s attention on him while we can move in shadows and achieve our goals. He''s still nothing but an ant, unaware of the predators hiding. Just using him to our advantage is the greatest honor of his life!"


    The Star-Chaser side-eye his stubborn partner and sighed before dering, "You''re still too arrogant. This kid gives me a very promising vibe. But I know you or those old stubborn men won''t


    listen to me despite me being your leader.


    "Still, I''m going to befriend this kid whether you like it or not. And if he shows promise, I''ll take him as a disciple, and you can''t stop me either!"

 Chapter 433 Conclusion of the Second Auction

    Chapter 433 Conclusion of the Second Auction


    "Star Server Inbox (Star Server Owner):


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): You are very impressive Faceless Ancient!


    "[Star Network Advocacy: You are not obliged to reply to this message!]"


    Jacob looked at the message from Star-Chase with scrutiny. He was quite curious about this person who could take out unique rank magic ability and universal scripture, but he knew better than to ask.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Thank you. Your delivery will arrive in 51 days.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Oh, I have no doubt about it. If you''re willing to share your production method of White Sun Missile, I can promise you that you won''t be disappointed with that trade either.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): You''re asking for too much, so I have declined. But I''m willing to trade another White Sun Missile if you can provide me with something as valuable as you just bid.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Well, I had to ask. So, what do you want, more water-type universal scriptures of the same rank?"


    ''So, he had more?'' Jacob was astonished since he was just fishing but never expected the Star-Chaser would have more.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): If possible, yes. But I also want an ability scripture rted to the casting of the same rank this time.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Your appetite sure is huge. But it''s nothing I can''t satisfy. But you have to agree to one of my conditions, and I''ll add a very powerful casting type ability scripture with one more Universal Scripture like the Aura Water and Fire Pdin, and four more ability scriptures for water elements of the same rank."


    If Jacob hadn''t known better, he would''ve definitely thought this guy was Gunner. But this offer was very enticing for him and his research for magic.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): I need to hear the condition first.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): I won''t ask for anything you can''t do. On the contrary, I think you would be very thrilled to ept this condition. I''ll give you the location of a secret vault, and you just need to empty it. I don''t want anything. You can keep whatever you found in there; I just want it to be empty!"


    Jacob frowned as this waspletely unexpected.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): I need more context.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Of course, you see this vault is rted to the Bank Manager of Universal Zodiac Taurus Bank, Lucy Gabriel. Tell me, are you interested?"


    ''That bitch?'' Jacob''s eyes went cold, but this also made him wary of Star-Chase the same. Because Lucy was no ordinary character, she was one of the three leaders of the hegemonies.


    Although he wanted nothing but to get his hands on her heart, he wasn''t delusional enough to think he was capable enough. Furthermore, since this vault is rted to her, this also means it was a very well-hidden secret, yet this guy knows it!


    For all he knows, this person was one of Lucy''s dogs, and she was deliberately baiting him toe out of his hideout. Or he can simply backstab him by telling others where he will be.


    Right now, Jacob''s biggest advantage was his location was still well hidden, and no one had figured out that he wasn''t a golden elf yet. So, even if there was no risk involved in this, this wasn''t something he was willing to try, especially when his very life was at stake.


    Besides, he already has the venture to the Vile Witch Layer, and then he needed to research the magic and practice the rune crafting before making his final preparations for the trial in. So, his schedule was pretty much upied. Being greedy will only hinder his ns.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Sorry, I''m not interested.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Are you sure? You might find even more knowledge there.


    "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): Again, I''m not interested.


    "Anonymous2 (Star ID: Star-Chaser): Hah, what a meticulous fellow you are. Then I guess we can''t carry on with our deal. But if I like your product performance, I will reach out to you. On the other hand, if you change your mind, contact me any time, and let''s add each other as friends.


    he still has many more options.


    Jacob then instantly contacted Dark Marquise and signed off a deal, "Faceless Ancient (Star Server Owner): No problem."


    Although slightly reluctant, Jacob closed the chat box. But he wasn''t too flustered since it wasn''t the end of the world. Because he still has many more options.


    Jacob then instantly contacted Dark Marquise and signed off a deal, and sold a White Sun Missile. The Dark Marquise will buy that missile with the same amount that he bid in the end, and on top of that, he has to pay an extra 500 Million ZC.


    Lastly, he decided to ept the Society Killer''s deal as well, but he made him pay not only 500 Million ZC but also 5,000 Magic Gems of Basic Epic Grade Quality. He needed them to practice his water magic, of course, and each such gem cost around 1,000 ZC in the market!


    So, this deal was still satisfactory for him. Other than that, he ignored all the messages from top figures since it was only a waste of time. For he didn''t have more White Sun Missile, nor was he going to make more unless someone made an offer he couldn''t refuse.


    Furthermore, he was nning on replenishing his arsenal with far more terrifying weapons once he got rid of the old ones. So this also concluded the second auction of his Star Server, and it was even more sessful than the first one.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t the time for celebration as he had another appointment. So, he quickly headed towards the Destiny Star Corporation to hand over his deliveries, and then he got all the knowledge and money which was locked.


    But he put it on hold since this wasn''t something he could learn in a day and headed directly toward the two giants who were waiting for him.


    Jacob was now ready to head toward the Vile Witch Layer!

 Chapter 434 The Viper

    Chapter 434 The Viper


    Frugal and Aven have been staying in a small vi in a prestigious area of Alliance Alive City No.492.


    At this moment, both brother and sister were discussing something with enthusiastic expressions.


    "Do you think Viper is Anonymous1?" Frugal asked with a hint of excitement.


    Viper was the name Jacob had used to introduce himself.


    Aven replied with uncertainty, "There is a possibility. But if he is Anonymous1, why do you think he dys so much? There''s no reason to hide it from us right, unless he didn''t trust uspletely. I think he''s Anonymous84322 or Anonymous4. Or he''s none of them together since that sort of money is not something just a low-ranking member of our organization could have."


    "Heh, you''re the one to talk about trust. Didn''t you hide the ''key'' as well?" Frugal chuckled slyly.


    Aven''s lips curled up with disdain, "You''re right about that. We all have our secrets, I guess. But this Viper is indeed capable if he is really able to acquire the Atomic Grenade. This would mean he''s one of the upper echelons of our organization." Her expression turned stern all of a sudden, "This also means he''s extremely dangerous, and he might''ve approached us because of the Vile Witch Layer."


    Frugal squinted his eyes, "I know, right? He might be someone sent by Dad to be our hidden guardian and team up with us under the pretext of gaining part of the inheritance. Don''t you find it strange that he didn''t push you to give the map? It''s like he knows we are telling the truth or simply doesn''t care that we might be ying him. Moreover, he refused to give away his Star ID and won''t stay with us."


    "There is indeed such possible. But we can''t be sure of anything until he gives away his Star ID. But whoever he is, as long as he''s a member of our organization, once he knows our identities, he won''t dare to scheme against us, much less covet our things!" Aven coldly stated.


    Frugal eyes widened as realization dawned on him, "Sis, don''t tell me¡­"


    Aven smiled deviously, "Just let your big sis handle it."


    "Sigh¡­ you really reminded me of Mother!" Frugal was a spectacle.


    "Beep¡­"


    A bell suddenly rang, and both of them looked at each other knowingly.


    "He''s here." Aven solemnly stated.


    "I''ll get him," Frugal stated before a mask and cloak appeared on his persona, and Aven also did the same before nodding. They both didn''t show their faces to Jacob, nor he ever showed any interest in seeing them.


    At the vi door, Jacob stood as he waited for someone to open the door. Since only he knew about this ce, he knew Frugal and Aven would know it was him. Furthermore, they had learned from their mistake and rented a vi with a security system, so not just anyone could enter without rming them.


    Thereupon, the door opened, and Frugal, in a hooded cloak, appeared and greeted him, "Sir Viper, we were just talking about you."


    "Is that so?" Jacob coolly replied as he walked inside, "How''s the preparation going?"


    Frugal closed the door and walked with Jacob as he led him toward Aven and answered, "We have done our part and recruited 18 mercenaries."


    "Will they be enough?" Jacob asked impassively.


    "More than enough." Frugal confidently replied before asking back in anticipation, "What about you? Did sir seed?"


    Jacob clearly knew what Frugal was hinting at and nodded, "Of course."


    Frugal''s eyes lit up as he questioned with ecstasy like a gossiper, "Then I must congratte you, sir Viper! This time that prick Faceless Ancient really showed his fangs, and thepetition was far more intense thanst time. Do you think the White Sun Missile is as destructive as he imed it to be? And do you mind telling me who you are? Anonymous84322, Anonymous4, or Anonymous1?"


    Jacob''s expression remained unreadable as he replied, "I can''tment on the White Sun Missile since no one has seen it in action. I''m as clueless as you. As for what my anonymous ID is, let it be a secret. It''s better this way."


    Frugal looked somewhat dejected but didn''t push the matter since it was Jacob''s secret, and it would be rude to continue asking, or he might offend him.


    ''I''m d the Society Killer didn''t win everything this time, or it would be hard to exin¡­'' Jacob thought.


    Frugal seemed to be a great gossiper as he asked all sorts of questions, and Jacob replied with few words without showing any excessive emotions. They finally appeared where Aven was waiting.


    She noticed Frugal''s hidden hand signal, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. She greeted respectfully, "Sir Viper, wee."


    "Thank you." Jacob nodded in acknowledgment as he sat down, and Frugal sat beside Aven.


    Jacob didn''t beat around the bush as he stated, "The grenade will have arrived in 3 days. You guys should call the mercenary group as well. We''ll leave at dawn on the 4th day. Of course, if there is still something unsettled, we can increase the time."


    Aven shook her head, "No, we are prepared, and the mercenaries will have arrived as long as I message them."


    "If that''s the case, then it''s settled. In the meantime, do you mind lending me a room, or I can find another ce to stay if you prefer it that way." Said Jacob coolly.


    "Please don''t jest, Sir Viper. This ce is too big for two of us, and you can take any room you fancy. On the contrary, we would be at ease if you were staying here." Aven quickly agreed.


    "Then you have my gratitude. If there isn''t anything, then I would be retiring in seclusion for three days to prepare myself for our venture." Jacob dered impassively.


    "There is, actually." Aven said with a hint of uncertainty, "Since you won the action did you talk with Faceless Ancient?"


    Jacob didn''t answer; instead, he asked, "And why is that important?"


    "I''m just curious about him like everyone, aren''t you?"


    Jacob looked deeply at the hooded giant and replied, "Indeed I am, and I''d tried to have a chat with him, but sadly he didn''t reply at all except for the grace period. He''s probably very cautious of people and I''d tried to have a chat with him, but sadly he didn''t reply at all except for the grace period. He''s probably very cautious of people like us!"

 Chapter 435 One Fist Mercenary Team

    Chapter 435 One Fist Mercenary Team


    On the dawn of the fourth day, in the lust forest outside City No.


    492, Frugal and Aven stood in hooded cloaks beside Jacob in his new ck windbreaker and white mask.


    Those three stood in front of 18 people from different races, and all of them had unique traits. The only thingmon among them was their sharp auras.


    Jacob speaks impassively, "Let me introduce myself, I''m Viper, and I''ll be leading this expedition. These two beside me are my captains, Fire and Snow. If you have any questions, you may ask."


    At this moment, a monkey face orc raised his hand and asked sharply, "Nice to meet you, Leader Viper. I''m the leader of this One Fist mercenary team, Bryan, a B-ss Epic Mercenary. On behalf of my team, I would like to know what is this venture about?"


    "I''m told by my captains that you were already informed that we are heading into the heart of Vile Witch Valley. What else do you want to know?" Jacob questioned.


    "I want to know the exact mission. Although you have offered handsome pay to assist you, I can''t just lead my team to the depth of Vile Witch Valley without even knowing what we are after. I hope you understand my plight." Bryan smilingly stated.


    "Didn''t I''ve already told you we are going to acquire a rare item? Just when did mercenaries start to ask questions?" Frugal retorted in a dissatisfied tone.


    "Captain Fire naturally states the truth. But you should know the depth of the Vile Witch Valley is filled with advanced epic magic beasts, and my team has been operating in this ce for four years.


    "If I know what it is that you''re after, I might be able to lead you there without falling into some best den. I''m not doubting your capability, but just offering my expertise and want to keep everyone safe." Bryan stated with a straight face.


    Jacob looked at the orc deeply before replying, "You indeed have a point. I understand that you don''t want to put your life in the hand of a strange like me. But I can assure you we know our way around this ce and just need your help when we retrieve the item, or we might not need your help at all.


    "We are taking precautions just in case. But since you care about your teammates so much, how about we do this? You can follow us first and see for yourself how we lead you. If we put your lives in danger, you are free to leave, and we''ll pay you in full."


    Bryan''s eyes narrowed at Jacob''s offer, and he no longer refuted it since this was a very fair term.


    ''Why are they refusing to tell us what they are after? Could it be a rare treasure?'' He thought but didn''t show it on his face and nodded, "Very well, let''s do as Leader Viper suggested."


    "Good, then let''s move out. Captain Snow will be leading us first." Jacob stated before he signaled Aven, and she mildly nodded and came forward.


    "Please follow me carefully. It would take us five days to reach our destination!" She sternly dered before she moved, and everyone started to follow her.


    Jacob had already discussed their entry n with Frugal and Aven the other night, and they also showed him the map atst.


    Jacob was quite surprised to see the map as it was like a maze, and without that map''s direction, it would be impossible to reach the ''door.''


    Since Frugal and Aven were already been there, they were most familiar with the terrain, so he left the pathway to them. As for the One Fist Team, they were their pawns, and whether they trusted them didn''t matter.


    The moment they signed up for this venture, their fates were sealed!


    Aven led everyone from a particr path, and half a day passed. Even the One Fist team was surprised since they had yet to encounter a single beast, and they finally started to believe in Jacob''s words.


    When night arrived, they reached a canyon, and there was only a single narrow pathway going forward.


    "There is a cavern half an hour distant within this canyon wall. We can rest for the night there." Aven told as she slowly moved forward on the dark pathway, and the only light there were the torches they brought.


    The canyon was deep, and no light came from above, so they all were moving carefully.


    "I had to admit. This is my first time seeing this canyon." A cheetah face orcmented. He was impressed.


    "If I''m not wrong, we should be in the Spider Leg Bat colony. Normally, those beasts would attack anyone in massive folks, so only a few dared to enter their territory. But we are avoiding them with this secret passage." An elf with half of her face covered said with uncertainty.


    "How peculiar." Bryanmented with a strange light in his eyes as he looked at the leading figures, ''Just where are they going, and how did they know about this passage?''


    Jacob was listening to the One Fist team conversation silently and thought, ''They might start to suspect something¡­''


    Half an hourter, they were all deep in the canyon when they finally found arge cavern, just as Aven stated before, and took shelter for the night.


    Although this ce looked safe and exempt from any beasts, Jacob still volunteered to be guard, and Bryan also came forward to assist him while everyone rested.


    Sitting at the entrance, Bryan couldn''t help but speak, "Leader Viper, do you enjoy alcohol?"


    Jacob nced at smiling Bryan before nodding, "Who doesn''t?"


    "Haha, indeed, how foolish of me to ask. Adventures like us tend to enjoy alcohol to make the adventure more colorful." Heughed heartedly before a gray gourd appeared in Bryan''s hand, and he threw it toward Jacob.


    Jacob caught the gourd and examined it. There was a wooden cork sealing its mouth.


    Bryan took out another such gourd and introduced it smilingly, "This is a special ale from my tribe called the Spirit Cold Ale. Please have a taste and tell me what you think." He popped open the cork at this moment.


    ''He wants to see my face, huh?'' Jacob easily guessed Bryan''s intention behind offering him the Spirit Cold Ale!

 Chapter 436 The Demi-Human Origin

    Chapter 436 The Demi-Human Origin


    ''He wants to see my face, huh?'' Jacob easily guessed Bryan''s intention behind offering him the Spirit Cold Ale!


    But he didn''t mind as he removed his mask, revealing his tattooed face, and then opened the cork as well.


    Bryan''s eyes shed with astonishment when he saw it was a barbarian. Frugal and Aven''s races were easy to guess because of their size, and only Jacob''s background was ambiguous.


    "I never thought I would see a barbarian working with giants. What a sight." Bryan chuckled.


    Jacob coolly asked, "Why is that?"


    He then drinks a mouthful of the ale within gourd, and instantly an icy cold sensation enriched with a unique tipsy vor spread in his mouth. His pupils dted as he felt an ice bomb gone off his mouth.


    "Strong!" He eximed as frost mist exhaled with his breath.


    "Hahaha¡­ you are the first outsider I''ve seen who hadn''t spit the Spirit Cold Ale on their first try." Bryanughs with a pleased expression.


    "What a waste." Jacob chuckled with disdain before he took anotherrge mouthful and again felt the frost spreading in his entire body before it was reced by intoxicated warmth.


    Bryan''s eyes widened ever so slightly since even he didn''t dare to drink too much Spirit Cold Ale, "It seemed I encountered a kindred soul. As for your question, I only said that because barbarians and giants are always on bad terms with each other.


    "Especially the Bronze Barbarian. Those guys are too arrogant and racist. They are the strongest barbarian tribe of the barbarian race, so they consider themselves the natural-born leaders of the Barbarian Race.


    "But you see, the giants are even more arrogant, and they are the strongest when ites tobats, especially the me Iron Giant Tribe, the tribe of Alliance Chairman!


    "Yet, the Bronze Barbarians refused this notion and insisted on challenging the me Iron Giant Tribe. Giants are rather peaceful if not provoked first, but once they are provoked, it''s impossible to stop them.


    "So, when the Bronze Barbarians showed their intention to challenge them, the me Iron Giants crushed them by sending a single Elder of their tribe. From that point on, the tension between the two races only grew.


    "Nowadays, you won''t see giants and barbarians teaming up. Even if they did, they would not want their people to hear about it, especially the barbarians. They are simply too unreasonable. Sorry, I don''t mean any offense; not everyone is the same." Bryan exined.


    "None taken. I don''t even know about this, and some idiots fighting for supremacy have nothing to do with me." Jacob calmly stated.


    Bryanughed while nodding, "Ipletely agree. Racism has no ce in epic alive ins. But some people are just too stubborn to let go. The annihtion of the demi-human race from the epic ins is proof of the dark history of racism."


    "Oh? What happened?" Jacob asked with a hint of interest.


    "You don''t even know about such a huge event?" Bryan was astonished.


    "I live in peace and seclusion, away from all the politics and madness if I say so myself." Jacob inly replied while drinking the spirit cold ale.


    "Hah, you got a point. Cheers to that." Bryan chucked while proposing a toast before speaking again, "You see, about nine years ago, someone found the secret of the demi-human race and made it public. It turned out demi-humans were a bioproduct of mix-breeding between Magic Beasts and the orc race, which wasn''t the entire truth either!


    "First, it seemed absurd since magic beasts are all wild, and we orcs are intelligent species despite having some beastly traits ourselves. So, people just ignored that person and thought he just wanted to sow discord and earn some dirty fame.


    "However, the very next day, a video was posted by the same person, and it shocked the entire not only the orc and demi-humanmunities but the elves, dwarfs, and goblins were also dragged into the dirty waters.


    "In that video, the fornication between an orc woman and a magic beast was shown. It was an experiment video and the entire process of how that woman got impregnated and then gave birth to a demi-human 14 monthster.


    "But it wasn''t the end, as the next day another experiment video appeared, and this time, a fornication between a female goblin and magic beast was shone, and then the next day between a female elf and magic beast andst between a dwarf female and magic beast. And you know the result?


    "They were all the same, they all gave birth to a demi-human with slightly different traits, but their physical traits were the same! Everyone noticed that in every video, the male was always a magic beast!


    "Now, you could imagine just how great the shock had been when all those noble races discovered that the demi-human race was the bioproduct of abination between their females and some four-legged magic beast. Especially the elves, who abhor other races and seldom marry outside their races, and dwarfs weren''t any different.


    "So, every race involved in that video was enraged by shame. All hell breaks loose on the sixth day. The elves and dwarves dere war on the ''abominations,'' and orcs and goblins also join them. And you know what? The three hegemonies do nothing since the leading faction of that one-sided ughter was the Ice Elves!


    "And no one can do anything to them because just like the me Iron Giant Tribe, the Ice elves are the strongest elf tribe, and their leader is none other than the Universal Zodiac Taurus Bank, the Bank Manager, and the most beautiful woman of the alive epic ins, Lucy Gabriel!


    "So, the demi-humans were fully exterminated within a month. Not even infants or children were spared. They were chased to every corner of the alive epic ins. That ughter was the most horrifying thing ever done to the epic alive ins." Bryan spoke with a hint of sorrow as he drank more spirit cold ale.


    Jacob wasn''t expecting the demi-humans would have such a background, not to mention their tragic past.


    Furthermore, Jacob also thought that the demi-humans were the bioproduct of humans and orcs or even magic beasts. Because demi-humans have not only ''humans'' in their name but also have human traits like elves, dwarfs, giants, and barbarians. But it didn''t turn out this way.


    Jacob looked at Bryan as he could clearly tell this guy might have lost someone close in that ughter by the expression on his face.


    He drinks some ale with a creepy intent in his eyes as he thinks about a famous saying of his world, ''A man has to learn that he cannotmand things, but that he canmand himself; that he cannot coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his own will: and things serve him who serves Truth; people seek the guidance of him who is master of himself!''

 Chapter 437 The Insect Valley (1)

    Chapter 437 The Insect Valley (1)


    The night passed with Jacob and Bryan talking and drinking, but Bryan was the one who talked mostly and told Jacob about all the exciting events of the epic ins in the past.


    Jacob has to admit; the guy was a chatterbox, but he also acquired quite an information from him. On the other hand, Bryan brought out the topic of the treasure Jacob was after in the Vile Witch Valley several times. But Jacob brushed it off with some excuses.


    No matter how much friendly Bryan was or how he tried to get him drunk, Jacob never let his guard down, even for a second. He just yed along while enjoying the free alcohol.


    In the end, Bryan didn''t get anything out of him and instead ended up giving away, which made Bryan silently flustered, but he wasn''t in the position toin.


    At dawn, everyone was at their peak state, and they started to travel again, led by Aven.


    In a few hours, they passed the canyon and appeared outside a valley filled withrge thick tree veins.


    Bryan''s eyes narrowed as he asked Aven, "Captain Snow, is this the insect valley?"


    Aven impassively replied, "I don''t know the name, but you seemed to know this ce."


    "Of course, this is one of the few areas of the Vile Witch Valley region that are dered no-return zones. There are many poisonous insects in this ce that even peak epic tiers dread. Do you perhaps have a way to bypass this ce as well?" Bryan questions with uncertainty.


    "What if I don''t?" Aven questioned instated.


    "Then, I''m afraid my team and I can only escort you to this point." Bryan coldly replied without even thinking twice.


    Aven''s lips curled up behind her mask as she chuckled, "You are indeed responsible, aren''t you? Don''t worry. I indeed know a safe passage through this ce."


    "We''ll have to see," Bryan replied coldly, as he clearly didn''t believe her words.


    But he didn''t say anything about backing down anymore, as he wanted to see if Aven was telling the truth. Since she knows a way around the Spider Leg Bats Colony, she might also know the way to avoid the insect valley as well.


    "Oh, you''ll see, alright." Aven scoffed before she said, "Before we move forward, I need to have a little chat with Leader Viper alone."


    Jacob was a little surprised but still followed her into a seclusive corner.


    "What is it?" Jacob asked with uncertainty.


    Aven replied with a stern tone, "I think we need to get rid of that monkey (Bryan)."


    Astonished by her words, he asked with narrowed eyes, "Your reason?"


    "Simple, he''s mapping our route with his star watch. If I''m not wrong, he might n to send it to someone so they could follow uster." Aven revealed.


    ''How did she know?'' Jacob thought with a hidden surprise, and despite wanting to say it, he couldn''t because she might be using some ck technology unique to the Star Hackers.


    It would spell trouble for him if he didn''t know about it, and his ''superior'' persona would be blown if that happened.


    So, he yed it cool and replied, "It seems you have learned your lesson from before. But you don''t need to worry about him. I noticed it long ago, and he was trying to fish information from me as well.


    "He might be after the treasure we had told him about. If I''m not wrong, he''s still contemting whether it''s worth backstabbing us or not. But it''s meaningless whether he calls someone or not. It''s nothing we can''t handle."


    Aven''s squinted her eyes with a hint of surprise, "So, that''s what he was doingst night?"


    "You just focus on leading the way. But now that you know his motives, I want you to keep an eye on him and report your findings to me. It''s a good opportunity to have experience." Jacob stated without any hint of difort.


    Aven looked at Jacob with scrutiny before she nodded, "As yourmand."


    someone was doing with their star watches.


    Afterward, they headed back, and despite Jacob''s calm posture, he was getting restless after knowing what Bryan was doing. Furthermore, the star hackers really appeared to be the bane of the starwork since they could even have a way to monitor what someone was doing with their star watches.


    ''Can she also hack into my star watch? No, if she has, they won''t be traveling with me. I think my star privilege is still out of her league, and captain free sword also said they couldn''t hack into star ID with star privileges.


    ''But just in case, I should stow away my bound Star Watch and change it with an unbound one¡­''


    The Star Watch on his wrist instantly vanished before a new one appeared. From now on, Jacob was going to do this even if there wasn''t the danger of star hackers.


    Still, Bryan''s problem remains, and he has to deal with it now. But if he acts, the rest of the One Fist team will instantly turn hostile.


    ''Since that bastard is mapping our routes, whoeveres after will follow our footsteps. If that''s the case, then maybe¡­'' Ruthlessness shimmered in Jacob''s eyes as he made his countern.


    After returning, Aven again began to lead them throw a particr passage which was filled with purple tree veins and a strange smell.


    Bryan and his team were all on high alert and ready to retreat the moment things turned south. But to their surprise, even after 4 hours, not a single insect attacked them. Now they really started to believe in Aven''s words.


    Night descended, and the atmosphere of the insect valley turned eerie as the sounds of insects started to buzz.


    "Don''t use lights. Some insects are very sensitive towards it." Bryan gravelymanded.


    No one has any objection as they continue to move without any intention of camping there for the night.


    In the depth of night, Frugal suddenly stopped and whispered in a voice that everyone could hear, and the One Fist team''s expression paled after hearing what he said,


    "Stop! Something is moving towards us and fast!"

 Chapter 438 The Insect Valley (2)

    <h4>Chapter 438 The Insect Valley (2)</h4>


    After hearing Frugal''s warning, everyone drew their weapons alertly.


    At this moment, Jacob heard a faint sound of rustling, and thereupon, he was finally able to see the enemy with his night vision.


    Over a hundred meters away, a massive pitch-ck snake appeared in everyone''s view, and it was crawling right in their direction. Furthermore, Jacob noticed the snake''s eyes were bleeding as if something had popped them with a fork not long ago.


    "It''s injured!" He instantly shouted, "It''s noting to attack us, but running away from something!"


    The others also noticed that the snake seemed to be too panicky to attack them, and Jacob was probably right.


    "That''s a Dark Python! What could''ve happened to make him flee this way and in such a sorry state!?" A fox-faced orc identified the magic beast and eximed.


    "Whatever it is, I don''t think it''s stopped chasing it! We can''t stay here in its way. Quickly scatter and hide your presence!" Jacob grimly ordered before he jumped towards a tree and climbed it.


    The others quickly heed hismand and quickly get out of its way since they didn''t want to draw any insects, nor did they want to fight with something that could make a tier-7 epic Dark Python flees like this.


    The Dark Python still hadn''t noticed the group as it was too upied with running away, and it was 6 meters long and 2 meters wide. As it came closer, everyone was able to clearly see it wasn''t just his eyes that were destroyed, but many scales on his massive body that were torn apart.


    But the strange thing was there was no one behind it, yet it still continued to run away crazily.


    Right at this moment, everyone saw, over twenty meters away from their hiding positions, dark gray mist crept out within the dark forest. The mist seemed to have a mind of its own as it directly moved towards the iing Dark Python.


    The mist wasn''t massive either, but it turned out to be a 7-meter mist cloud. The Dark Python was instantly enveloped by this mist cloud, and it only noticed when it was toote.


    The onlookers were astonished before fear crept into their hearts when they heard the Dark Python''s eerier shrieks. But the mist cloud was so thick that no one could see what was happening inside, and a few momentster, the gut-wrenching shrieks died down.


    Jacob had a dour expression as he couldn''t see anything despite activating the fluid eleration and the mask. All he was able to capture was hundreds or even thousands of tiny cold dots.


    ''Don''t tell me that cloud is a cluster of insects?'' Jacob thought as a chill ran down his spine. He knew his spection was mostly urate, and this made him feel extremely rmed because he could deal with one enemy or even ten, but those tiny insects were simply out of his fighting ability or anyone else, as a matter of fact.


    ''Maybe that''s why this is a no-retune zone¡­'' He thought gravely while hiding himself even more carefully while gloomily looking at the dark gray mist, which was now static on the Dark Python''s location.


    He didn''t dare to move in that mist''s presence, and not just him but everyone else had the same intentions. They didn''t want to end up like that python.


    Even the arrogant Aven and Frugal were filled with horror as they clearly hadn''t encountered such a creature thest time they passed through this ce. If it weren''t for Jacob''s quick response, they would''ve foolishly attacked the Dark Python, and then it was over for them once that ghastly mist appeared.


    Just like that, 4 hours passed, and no one moved a muscle as that gray mist was still there. But right at this moment, the mist suddenly churned before it moved towards the dark forest and then vanished just as quickly as it appeared.


    However, there wasn''t even a trace left of the massive Dark Python, not even a drop of blood! It was like it didn''t even exist.


    No one moved for another hour, but just to make sure that the mist was gone, Jacob signaled Bryan, who was hiding on the same tree as him, "Fire a 1-Star spell on that mist''sst position."


    Bryan knew Jacob''s intention and nodded before he mumbled a small spell and pointed his finger at the mist''sst location.


    A mud ball suddenly condensed in front of his finger before it shot like a bullet and then exploded in the same spot where the mist was, creating a small explosion of dust.


    However, ten minutes passed, and nothing happened, which made everyone sigh in relief.


    Jacob jumped down the tree and gravely said, "Alright, it''s time for a meeting. Gather here, everyone!"


    One after another, the group started to gather together.


    "What was that?" Bryan questioned coldly when he saw Aven appear.


    "Your guess is as good as mine," Aven replied with aggravation.


    "Are you kidding me? We could''ve been dead if not for Leader Viper''s quick reaction. You said this path was safe. This is what you called safe?" The elf furiously questioned. Everyone knew they had just dodged a bullet, and now they were naturally going to me Aven.


    "Shut up! Do you think you''re on a pic? We are on an expedition, and sometimes, even a safe passage could turn into a dangerous trap. So, stop ming others for bad luck. If you want to leave, you know the way." Jacob reprimanded in an icy tone as he looked at frowning Bryan, "Do you also think it was Captain Snow''s fault?"


    Bryan knew Jacob was stating the fact and looked at the elf, who had an ugly expression, "Control yourself, Oply! I''m with Leader Viper. It was just a bad encounter."


    Then he looked at Jacob and sternly asked, "But we can''t ignore this either. Whatever that thing was, it''s very dangerous. The Dark Python was devoured whole despite having a touch of skin and bones equal to an intermediate epic-rank treasure. I don''t need to tell you what will happen to us if that thing attacks us."


    "You have a point." Jacob nodded, "But I don''t think we will encounter it again. It was a coincidence. However, if, with some awful luck, we did encounter it again, I have a way to destroy it."


    Bryan questioned with narrowed eyes, "May I ask what way?"


    "A trump card, which I don''t want to use unless necessary. So, do you want to continue or not? Because we will." Jacob questioned sternly.


    Bryan pursed his lips, hearing this ambiguous answer. In the end, he ground his teeth and nodded, "I can''t leave mymission like this unless absolutely necessary. I''ll trust your judgment."


    Jacob nodded in satisfaction before looking at Aven and said, "We are going to move forward in a new order¡­!"

 Chapter 439 The Sealed Door

    <h4>Chapter 439 The Sealed Door</h4>


    After the encounter with the dark gray mist, the group moved very carefully. As time passed, they were getting closer to the end of the insect valley, and they didn''t encounter that mist again except for some small magic bugs. Their journey went smoothly.


    Two dayster, the group was finally out of the insect valley, and everyone sighed in relief and rested for half a day before continuing.


    After passing through the insect valley, they entered a familiar gully that even the One Fist Team was unaware of. Furthermore, this time, they were faced with some powerful magic beasts, but the One Fist Team handled them easily.


    On the sixth day, the group finally reached their destination, which was a towering waterfall surrounded by barren mountains.


    Stopping in from the massive water body, Aven dered, "We are here."


    "What is this ce?" Bryan couldn''t help but ask as he felt the rich element mana in the air. The other also felt it.


    Jacob was already aware of this ce, and he knew what was next. He spoke, "Alright, everyone. I want you all to stay put while I go and scout the area."


    "I''lle with you." Bryan moved forward.


    Jacob looked at him with a faint frown before nodding, "Alright. The rest of the group will rest until team leader Bryan and Ie back."


    Aven and Frugal frowned behind their masks as they had already discussed that Jacob would go alone since that ce was a secret, and they already knew Bryan''s hidden intention.


    However, they didn''t speak out since Jacob was their leader, and they trusted his judgment.


    "Let''s go." Jacob coolly stated before he dived into the water without hesitation.


    ''It''s hidden underwater?'' Bryan thought with a hint of anticipation, and the next moment, he dived behind Jacob.


    The water current was quite strong, but it wasn''t at the level where it could obstruct epics like them. Furthermore, Jacob has a strong affinity with water after hepletes the water meditation, and he is as agile as a fish within the water. It even rmed Bryan when he saw Jacob was moving too fast for him to keep up.


    But he tried to keep up as he could tell Jacob was going towards the source of the waterfall. However, right at this moment, dizziness suddenly overcame his mind, and before he could even begin to understand what had happened, his eyes started to close as his mindpletely shut down, and he fell into a slumber!


    Jacob''s figure appeared out of nowhere as he stared at the drowning orc and held his body. The next moment, Bryan vanished without a trace.


    ''Did he think I''d let him further ruin my ns? If I''m not wrong, he still didn''t send that map he was making to whomever he was nning to since he just found out that we reached here, and he might want to wait before confirming the scoop of the treasure¡­


    ''Although it would be difficult to exin to his team, it''s better than creating an unpredictable variable.'' He thought with killing intent, ''Besides, I''m getting hungry¡­''


    After dealing with Bryan, Jacob moved towards the waterfall and dived deeper while replenishing his hex mana. The pool was around 100 meters deep, and as he approached the waterfall, it became even deeper.


    ''It should be at the bottom¡­''


    Jacob reached the bottom of the waterfall, which was over 300 meters deep, and he was finally able to spot what he was looking for. There was a three-meter side hole within the waterfall mountain, and he entered it after confirming there wasn''t anything inside.


    Although it was dangerous, he knew the giant siblings needed him so they wouldn''t try to scheme against him. ording to them, there wasn''t any trap in this passage that led directly to the ''door.''


    Jacob slowly swims within the dark tunnel and approaches its depth. After swimming for five minutes, he finally saw a light source that was left behind by the two siblings. It was the end of the tunnel.


    Approaching the light, Jacob reached the end and exited the tunnel. However, the moment he stepped out of the water tunnel, he met with fresh air, not water.


    Astounded, he looked back and saw the water tunnel behind him now look like a water mirrorpletely static, and when he tried to go back, he was again submerged in the water.


    ''How magical¡­'' He thought before he finally looked into the magical space behind the tunnel and was even more shocked.


    Because the space was sealed, it was 50 cubic metersrge and seemed to have been made entirely with reinforced steel, and there were countless magic runes encrypted on every corner of this space, even the floor. On the top center wall was a 10-meterrge ck door with a strange crimson runic symbol.


    ''So that is the door! Although it is slightly different from how they exin. Nheless, they weren''t wrong about the runes'' Jacob''s eyes glued on that door he heard about from the siblings, but seeing it himself was another different experience.


    Jacob approached the ck door while he tried toprehend those magic runes. But he quickly understood his limit. The thing was, he only knew Rune Crafting up to basic epic grade. But the runes in this ce were most likely encrypted by an Advance Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer!


    However, he was discouraged because he knew he might encounter this sort of barrier as the Vile Witch wasn''t a small character. So, beforeing here, he has already exchanged one atomic grenade for Advance Epic Magic Rune Language with the Dark Marquise.


    Although it wasn''t the knowledge of an advanced elder grandmaster, it was enough for him to read those runes. Neither was it like he didn''t want to acquire that knowledge; he tried, but the Dark Marquise wanted 3 White Sun Missiles for it, which Jacob didn''t have, so that deal didn''t happen.


    But now, seeing the work of an Advanced Elder Grandmaster, Jacob felt he might be able to increase his Rune Artificer rank if he was able toprehend those runes. At least, he wanted to try before using hisst resort to blow up this ce.


    Furthermore, after seeing this ce, he wasn''t sure if a single atomic grenade was enough to blow up those runes, and if he used more than necessary, this whole mountain mighte down.


    So,prehending those runes was the best option.


    Jacob then didn''t waste more time and sprang into work, but before that, he was going to have a hearty meal!

 Chapter 440 The Killing Manifestation

    <h4>Chapter 440 The Killing Manifestation</h4>


    Three days passed since Jacob and Bryan had gone for ''scouting,'' and the One Fist team started to get anxious and wanted to go after their leader. On the other hand, the siblings were trying to hold them off while being suspicious themselves.


    But they didn''t go after them and wait because they were quite confident that even if Jacob managed to open that door, he wouldn''t be able to go far without their help.


    Today, when the one fist was getting ready to do go and even fight with Aven and Frugal if they had to, something emerged from the water pool. It was none other than Jacob.


    Everyone quickly approached him, and Oply, who was Bryan''s vise, instantly questioned Jacob when she saw Bryan didn''t appear with Jacob.


    "Where is the team leader?"


    Aven and Frugal looked at each other with a hint of understanding of the meaning of Bryan not appearing with Jacob.


    Jacob looked at Oply and coolly said, "Team leader Bryan is fine. It''s just that after we discovered the ce we were looking for, he tried to open the door, and that door was engraved with mysterious ruins. The moment he touched the door, a portal appeared, and he was sucked within.


    "When I tried to go after him, nothing like that happened again, and now that door is sealed, and I was trying to open it, and I need some more time to crack that sealing array. So, I came back to fetch you all so we can quickly go after leader Bryan."


    Hearing Jacob''s story, the One Fist team was bewildered, while the siblings were speechless by Jacob''s capacity to lie.


    "How is that possible!? Just what kind of ce you took him? How can we believe you didn''t kill him and already took the treasure, and now you want to do the same with us?" Oply coldly replied, as she wasn''t a kid who would believe such an absurd story.


    The other members of the team also became alert as they started to reach for their weapons.


    Jacob knew it wasn''t going to be easy, "Look, I know it sounds absurd, but if you don''t believe, send someone you trust to the bottom of that waterfall, and they will discover the light markers I left outside the tunnel which lead to the runic space. You can then judge for yourself if I''m telling the trust or not."


    Jacob''s aura suddenly climbed as an insane killing intent shone in his eyes, which made even Aven and Frugal shudder, and Oply took a step back, who was directly facing him.


    "Besides, the treasure wasn''t yours to take in the first ce. You are hired to assist us, and your team leader has already overstepped his boundaries when he greedily tried to open the door despite my warning.


    "So, if you''re delusion enough to think that you are on equal terms with me, then how about you guys try toe at me together? But let me warn you about the consequences beforehand: I will never show mercy to anyone who doesn''t know their ce!"


    It was everyone''s first time seeing Jacob act, and just his killing intent was enough to tell them just how much blood was in his hand. They were extremely sensitive to killing intent, and this guy was clearly no pushover.


    That icy cold feeling that was stabbing into their hearts and screaming at them to get away from that devil-like person instantly vanished as fast as it appeared.


    Everyone''s faces were filled with cold sweat, but they no longer dared to look down on the person whom they were calling leader for a few days.


    ''Just how many people he had killed?'' Aven thought a chill ran down her spine since she was probably the most sensitive towards killing intent because of her race, and her heart went cold, ''I-if he found out I hid a major piece from him, what will he do? Should I contact Dad and reveal my identity¡­''


    Frugal slightly nudged his sister as she finally snapped out of her racing thought process. His expression behind the mask was ashen as he was also feeling fear. Even though they were both close to the peak of the epic rank, they hadn''t felt the killing intent that Jacob had just shown them.


    "We should contact mother¡­" Frugal whispered in a tiny voice that only Aven could hear.


    "Now, do you want to go with the first option or try thetter?" Jacob''s impassive voice breaks everyone''s nightmarish illusion.


    "P-Pvill, please go and check ording to Leader Viper''s description." Oply quicklymanded as she now really wanted to avoid fighting with this man.


    That killing intent can''t be an illusion, and not just anyone can have that sort of bloodlust. She now even wondered if that guy was so powerful why they hired them in the first ce.


    Another elf male in the team sweated when he heard Oply''smand and nodded stiffly before diving into the pool.


    "Good, you made the right choice. Now, if you excuse me, I would like to have a chat with Captain Snow." Jacob stated before, he moved toward Aven without caring about whether they agreed or not.


    ''What a tiresome spell, I nearly drained my mana¡­ well, I guess it was worth it since now everyone is afraid of me¡­'' Jacob thought while silently enduring the urge to sigh in exhaustion.


    He just used a basic epic-grade spell called Killing Manifestation. It wasn''t any element-rted spell but, instead, an enhanced type spell that could directly enhance someone''s killing intent and make it manifest in a 5-meter radius. The stronger one''s killing intent, the ghastlier this spell effect will be.


    The killing intent represents a person''s bloodlust that was built on the things that were died by that person''s hand. The stronger people you kill, the stronger your killing intent.


    Jacob had killed a ridiculous amount of dark beings when he was upgrading his hex magic core, so his killing intent was also special. It was mostly built on killing the dark beings, and his will to kill anything in his path was even more ridiculous.


    Furthermore, Jacob got this spell book from none other than Bryan''s space ring, and he instantly decided to learn it since enhanced-type spells can be used by all element users.


    It took him a day to master it, and when Jacob himself felt his own manifestation, it gave Jacob the idea to use this to intimidate everyone. So, he made a n, and just beforeing out of the water, he had finished 90% of the chatting, and by the time everyone approached, the spell was done.


    Jacob just had to hold it as he knew someone would soon give him the chance to use it, and that happened as well.


    The moment he stopped suppressing the raging mana, his killing intent surfaced, and what happened afterward was the result he wanted.


    Nheless, the longer he kept the spell active, the more mana it would drain, and now he was out of water mana. But seeing everyone so submissive, he felt it was worth it.


    "You and me, let''s go." Jacob coldly said to Aven before he led the way without giving her a chance to say anything!


    Aven felt something was amiss, and after Jacob''s little power show, she was extremely agitating as she followed him!


    On the other hand, Frugal was also getting impatient as he didn''t feel in absolute control anymore, so he decided without caring about how Aven would react, and the star watch on his wrist activated without anyone noticing it!

 Chapter 441 I admit…

    <h4>Chapter 441 I admit¡­</h4>


    Jacob took Aven to a remote section of the forest before they were out of everyone''s view. He asked, "Now, tell me, what were you withholding before?"


    Aven''s heart sank when she heard Jacob''s forceful tone, "We didn''t withhold anything from you, Sir Viper. You had seen the map yourself, and now you''d watched the door yourself."


    "Yeah, but you said the is within mountains. But you never said it was inside a mountain! Do you n to bury us all? Furthermore, I''ve studied the runes, and they seem to be not sealing the door; instead, they are sealing a certain recess on that door. For example, like a keyhole!" Jacob revealed while his icy cold eyes were looking deep into Aven''s eyes.


    The moment he said ''keyhole,'' her pupil dted, and she quickly answered, "But we don''t have any key, and unlike Sir Viper, we are no expert in runes, so how can we know this location?"


    Inwardly she was cussing herself, ''Shit, so there was a keyhole in that door as well?!''


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a disdainful smile, "I just said it''s my conjecture that it might be a keyhole. But you just sound like you were sure it''s a keyhole and it also has a key for opening it. Miss Snow, you have the key, right?"


    ''This astute snake!'' Aven''s eyes trembled slightly, but she knew if she tried to lie, it would only make matters worse, especially when she was dealing with a person like Jacob, who seemed to be grasping her weak points too quickly.


    So, it would not be wise to make him her enemy, and since the truth is out, she decided to y her trump card.


    "Alright, I admit I have the key, and I hide it because I¡­"


    Before Aven could finish her words, her eyelids suddenly turned heavy as a mountain as they shut down, and her giant body started to fall unconsciously.


    "Since that''s the case, I don''t need you anymore." Jacob impassively stated as he grabbed her falling body, and the next moment, Aven vanished into his pendant.


    Jacob didn''t want any time as he quickly took out dead being magic core and started to replenish his hex mana.


    Since he decided to make a move and eliminate both brother and sister, he was going to do it discreetly and quickly. They were too much of a variable, and he knew from the start they were withholding important information.


    But he didn''t have a choice but to keep them alive and follow their lead since they were useful, and he wanted to make his journey easier. Furthermore, he still didn''t know about what was on the other side of that door.


    So, keeping them alive was a must until they told him themselves the hidden information.


    A runic array could only be fully encrypted or built when magic runes are encrypted in runic sequences, and those runic sequences were the core of a runic array that gives the array its particr attributes.


    The more runic sequences there are, the moreplex the runic array and the more challenging it will be to keep all those runic sequences in sync. Because if even a single rune weren''t in sync orpatible with the rest of the runic sequences, the array would either not work or explode.


    So, to make sure such a thing never happened, Rune Artificers divided the runes into different categories and then only made runic sequences by taking the same magic runes from the required category.


    However, the Rune Artificers in the Elder Grandmaster Rank start learning to connect different runic sequences together by dividing them into sections and making aplex array that could achieve different effects at the same time.


    Furthermore, the moreplex an array, the harder it is to break orprehend, and a Rune Artificer could also create multiple traps with sections to make sure no one dares to fiddle with his work or try to copy it carelessly.


    Some expert Rune Artificers could even cause an array to explode if another Rune Artificer was trying to decrypt his array and steal his work.


    That''s why Jacob first wanted to understand what kind of array he was dealing with before taking another action.


    So, with his own limited understanding, after examining the runes in the door space, Jacob stumbled upon certain discoveries. The first one was the one he told Aven just now. But it was actually half of it.


    The truth was the magic runes were inscribed very carefully in three sections with multipleyers of traps amidst them and then encrypted in an array. Whoever created it clearly either wants to seal that door forever or stop someone unworthy to open that door.


    The first section was the sealing runes, which was just 10% of the whole array. The second 40% section was built with strengthening runes, probably to stop anyone using force to break open that door or stop the space from copsing.


    But the third 50% section was something Jacob had yet to fullyprehend because it was still too profound for him, and he even suspected some of the magic rune sequences were most likely unique rank.


    Furthermore, from what he could understand, those mysterious runes were clearly not something to be taken lightly, and if he somehow triggered them, he might be buried alive there, and the inheritance would also be destroyed.


    So, sting those runes was akin to sting the entire inheritance or whatever was hidden behind that door.


    That''s why he first came back to fish for more clues from Aven and Frugal about the sealing runes, and just as he suspected, they were indeed hiding the important part altogether.


    Since he now knew there was a key, and Aven and Frugal were more of a threat than help, he simply decided to dispose of them, staring at Aven, who was clearly the brains between the siblings.


    Furthermore, they might have more information stored in their space rings, so getting rid of them as soon as possible was the greatest and safest option since he had a feeling he might not get another chance once that door was open.


    As for the One Fist team, since Bryan was now gone, they were all within the realm where Jacob could handle them. So, he was now going with their n to use them as meal shields if necessary.


    After replenishing his mana, he headed towards the team again so he could lure Frugal out just as he did with Aven.


    But the moment he came back, he found Frugal wasn''t there, and Pvill hade back and was telling his team about what he had discovered. Now, they no longer seemed to be doubting Jacob''s words.


    "Where is Captain Fire?" Jacob didn''t pay them any mind and quickly questioned.


    Oply looked at Jacob and replied with somewhat guilt in her eyes, "I-I would like to apologize for earlier¡­"


    Jacob cut her short, "It''s no matter. Now answer me!"


    Oply pursed her lips before replying, "He was just here a few moments when he said he had a call that needed this attention and has yet to return. By the way, where is Captain Snow?"


    Jacob''s heart sank, and he said before sprinting in Frugal''s direction, "Wait here. I''ll be back!"

 Chapter 442 The Viper Strikes!

    <h4>Chapter 442 The Viper Strikes!</h4>


    "So, you''ve finally remembered about your dear dad, huh?" A deep, indignant voice sounded from Frugal''s star watch.


    Frugal felt embarrassed before replying, "Sorry, Dad, we snuck out."


    "Hmph, tell that to your mother. I''m afraid she''s gonna ground you forever." The voice replied with scorn.


    "Thest time I remember, we were always grounded!" Frugal retorted faintly.


    The voice coldly said, "Heh, you finally learn to talk back, huh? Very good!"


    Frugal eyes shimmered with panic, and quickly exined, "I-I wasn''t talking back. Anyway, did you see my message?"


    "Afraid, now aren''t we?" The voice sneered, "Yeah, I''ve seen it. The Viper, I''m afraid there is no one with this code name in our organization."


    Frugal wasn''t surprised by it as he gravely said, "I knew he was hiding his identity. Do you send him to look after us or Mother perhaps?"


    The voice sternly asked, "I''m afraid not. Tell me more about his Viper and how he approaches you or his traits. And don''t hide anything."


    Frugal was surprised, and then he gravely started to tell his father about their encounter with Viper from the start.


    After hearing Frugal, the voice furiously roared, "Bastards! You really deserve a beating! You not only revealed our name, but you revealed it to a city lord?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?


    "And not only that, you believed someone to be one of us just because he showed you a Vermin Transponder, and have you ever heard about a barbarian being a rune artificer!? Fools! Utter fools!"


    Frugal was startled before he showed an indignant expression, "It''s not our fault! Don''t only our members should have Vermin Transponders? Furthermore, the water is under the bridge!"


    "You disgraceful vermin, still dare not to admit your blunders?!" A voice furiously shouted, "You do know that we can track every member''s whereabouts, right? Do you know there is not a single active member in your vicinity? Not before, not right now. You two fools have been tricked. Take your sister and get the fuck out of there!"


    "B-but what about¡­"


    "If you don''t move your ass, then you won''t just have your mother to worry about! I shouldn''t have let you take the map and key. I thought you could handle yourself, but now I fully believe your mother that you two are just na?ve children! Get out there. I''ll send someone in your way! And don''t you dare forget about being DISCREET!"


    Frugal shivered as he never heard his father so furious before, and he sheepishly said, "A-alright, stop yelling!"


    "Why shouldn''t I?! For crying out loud, I birthed a pig for a son!" A voice roared with anger before the call was cut.


    "He calls me a pig?" Frugal muttered with indignation and humiliation.


    "He was right, you know." An icy cold voice suddenly rang, making Frugal jump with trepidation since he was very familiar with that voice, "Sigh¡­ I also have a son like you, so that I can rte to him. The sheer despondency, when your expectation shattered, only a father could understand¡­"


    ---


    "That fool would be the death of me!" A giant with absolute fury was cursing while making a quick way in arge hallway towards a metal door lit with runic symbols.


    The moment he approached the door, the symbols on it shimmered before it automatically opened. A high-tech hall filled with holographic technology revealed itself.


    There were five giants seemingly busy operating those monitors while a woman seemed to be supervising them.


    The woman looked back, and seeing the giant''s furious expression, she frowned and asked, "What the matter?"


    "My son is a pig!" The giant yelled with anger, making the other giants flinch as they held back their urge to look towards him.


    He then ignored the woman''s dark expression and yelled at those five giants, "Show me the position of Star90 and Star91!"


    The giants instantly started to tap on the virtual keyboards, hearing the furious giant''smand.


    "Just what happened? Are they fine?" The woman instantly approached the giant with a cold expression. She knew something big might''ve happened to make her husband so furious, and she was even more worried about her children as their mother.


    The giant sighed ruefully, seeing his wife''s worried expression, "You were right. I shouldn''t have left them alone. Let''s bring them back first. I''ll exinter."


    "How is that possible!?" A bald giant jumped from his chair in rm.


    The giant felt amiss as he asked, "What happened?"


    "T-there are no traces of Star90 and Star91!"


    "What nonsense! Step aside!" The woman rmingly approaches the virtual screen, and with lighting fingers, she starts to tap on the virtual keyboard.


    But her expression started to change from disbelief to pale before she was horrified and started muttering madly, "It''s impossible! Not even space rings can make star watches'' unique signatures vanish. It must be a system malfunction. Yes, it has to be!"


    She then quickly approached the other giant, the throw to side, and started to do the same. However, the results were the same, even on the other sides.


    The giant''s expression was ashen as his heart sank. He quickly said, "Control yourself! Search for theirst location and send all the agents active in the areas towards it, and then send it in my way. Also, send me a copy of the Vile Witch Layer''s map to my star watch. I''m going!"


    "I''ming with you!" His wife instantly chases after him, riddled with killing intent and anxiety.


    The giant stopped as he sternly said, "You need to stay here. I promise I''ll bring back our children!"


    "No! You stay here if you want, but I''m going!" His wife roared with absolute resolve. She seemed to be ready to fight if she had to.


    The giant showed a deep frown, but he knew just how much she cared about her children, and in the end, he nodded, "Alright, you go. I''ll stay here."


    His wife didn''t even say anything before she vanished.


    The giant sighed as he moved back towards the monitor with a dark expression shining with killing intent, "Keep trying. I don''t believe whoever did this can block the start watches forever. Even if the star watches were to destroy, the signal can''t be destroyed."


    ''Viper! Whoever you are, if you harm my children, I''ll kill every person in the epic ins until I find you and rip you apart!''


    ---


    The man who had no idea the storm he just stirred appeared nonchnt in front of the One Fist Team and said, "I''ve sent both captains to get us some reinforcement. In the meantime, I''ll try to open the door. Let''s go without further ado; leader Bryan''s life is on the line here!"

 Chapter 443 The Vile Witch Layer (1)

    <h4>Chapter 443 The Vile Witch Layer (1)</h4>


    Jacob let the One Fist team enter the sealed space first, and when they all went past the entrance, he took something out of his space ring. It was a TNT brick, and he started to set them in the tunnel!


    Jacob has already heard half of Frugal''s conversation with his father, and he knew trouble wasing. Although it was unexpected, now he had no choice but to take extreme measures.


    The Star Hackers were extremely mysterious, and from what he could tell, Frugal and Aven were the children of some high-ranking members. So, destroying this pathway was the only option he had now.


    But he had to do it discreetly since the One Fist was still useful, and he couldn''t let them suspect him too early. So, after setting the TNT, he set a timer and finally entered the space himself.


    The members of the One Fist team were astounded as they looked around the space. No one had ever expected that there existed such a ce, and some of them even suspected that it had something to do with the Vile Witch since it was too coincidental.


    But they refrained from saying anything. They were still afraid of Jacob and uncertain about where he sent his twopanions. For all they know, he had sent them to call for his own men here so he could get rid of them.


    As for Jacob killing his own people, this notion never even crossed their minds since, in their viewpoint, those two were Jacob''s people.


    "Alright, everyone. You all should rest while I try to decrypt these runes. I don''t know how much time it will take, but I want you all to be patient. We all have enough ration for two or three months. So, please bear with me, and we''ll save not only Leader Bryan, but if there are more treasures, I don''t mind sharing." Jacob nonchntly stated.


    But his words caused everyone''s eyes to shine since they were all greedy from the heart, and at that moment, the life of Bryan didn''t matter much. If anything, some of them were afraid Bryan might take everyone since he had a head start.


    "Leader Viper, are you a rune artificer?" Oply couldn''t help but ask with staring eyes.


    "I know a thing or two." Jacob nodded since there wasn''t any need to hide it.


    "You are very humble. Sorry again to doubt you before." Oply quickly bowed her head since she knew not just anyone could be a Rune Artificer, especially one who could decrypt thoseplex runes that even she couldn''t read properly despite known rare rank magic runenguage.


    "No worries. Now, if you''ll excuse me, we should hurry." Jacob said before he walked toward a certain rune pattern.


    Now that he had taken care of troublesome members of his team, he needed to hurry and decipher those runes so he could reveal the presumable keyhole. He still wants to be done with it before the star hackerse. It was far better to be discreet than sorry.


    The One Fist team didn''t bother Jacob and quietly found a ce to rest, and some silently started to discuss this ce and make ns.


    A few hourster, when no one was paying attention, Jacob took a short break, and two space rings appeared in his hand. They belonged to Frugal and Aven, who were still unconscious in his infinity pendant.


    He didn''t get the chance to look into them since he was in a hurry, but it didn''t mean he had forgotten about them. He was just waiting for the right chance.


    Jacob first tried to peer into Frugal''s ring, and he was surprised when he saw the ring was of intermediate epic rank. There were six talismans, 29 magic scrolls, four weapons, nine knowledge rted to magic, and around 5000 magic gems, and all of them were epic rank!


    Although he didn''t know those talisman functions, it wasn''t difficult to research them. So, he was quite content with them. But he didn''t find anything else, not that ''key'' at least.


    So, he peers into Aven''s ring next, and it was also an intermediate epic rank, and not only but it was far more filled than Frugal''s.


    There were 18 talismans, nine weapons, two full body armor, 43 magic scrolls, a whole shelf of books, and around 10,000 magic gems. Lastly, there were a few documents, an old scroll, and an antique bronze key with the same symbol on its head that was engraved on the sealed door!


    Instantly, he knew that the key was the thing he was looking for. As for the old scroll, he hadn''t seen it before, but those documents were familiar. They were the same document they showed him beforeing here, and the map was also within them.


    But when he opened that scroll, he was startled because it was a map and upon closer inspection, his eyes went deadly cold because the map those two showed him was only a small part of this old map!


    ''What a bunch of cunning bastards.'' He cussed in his mind and urged to eat those two right now. But control himself since he wasn''t alone yet.


    Nheless, he was d that he acted quicker, or it would have been toote because there were some interesting points on the map, which should have been theyout of the Vile Witch Layer, and he finally understood why those two wanted to take people with them despite having this detailed map.


    Jacob quickly remembered the map in exact detail before storing it away. Now that he knew the truth, he felt at ease. So, he focused on the runes again, but he was also paying attention to the time.


    Three hourster, Jacob looked behind, and the One Fist team was still minding their own business. His lips rose slightly, and then he did something which drew their attention.


    Clenching his fist, he punched at a peculiar rune symbol!


    ''Bang¡­''


    The entire space trembled slightly as all the symbols shone faintly before turning back to normal, and everyone was rmed.


    "What happened?" They looked in Jacob''s direction.


    But before they could get the answer¡­


    ''Boooommm¡­''


    A huge explosion rang from the entrance, shaking the whole space violently, and thereafter, more explosions started to rumble.


    With thest explosion, the mirror-like entrance shattered with a huge water st, and when the aftermath settled, the entrancepletely vanished, leaving the same rune wall as the rest of the space.


    Everyone paled because this meant only one thing: they were trapped, and the only way outside was the way forward!


    Jacob''s astonished voice sounded at this moment, which made everyone bbergasted, "Oh? It seemed there was a trap in this array. If anyone tries to open it, the entrance would copse. How unfortunate!"

 Chapter 444 The Vile Witch Layer (2)

    ?


    Hearing Jacob''smented voice, the One Fist Team was bewildered as they looked between Jacob and the wall where the entrance had been a moment ago, and now there was nothing but water stter on the floor.


    "Are we trapped here?" Oply questioned grimly.


    Jacob shook his head, "Not for long, we just have to open this door."


    "What if you can''t open that door?" The only troll in the team asked with a hint of fury.


    Jacob nonchntly replied, "There is no ''if.'' Just give me some time, and I''ll open the door."


    "I hope you''re telling the truth for all of our sake." The troll coldly stated as he clearly no longer trusted Jacob''s words entirely.


    However, Jacob didn''t mind as he was expecting this much when he decided to blow the entrance. Now that the entrance was gone, unless someone could destroy those runes, it would be nigh impossible for anyone to enter this ce.


    He just had to do it to ensure his own safety, not to mention he knew this wasn''t the only exit from this ce.


    But he didn''t need to tell them that as he went back to seriously decrypting the array while the One Fist Team was still finding it hard to believe what just happened, and Jacob appeared too calm.


    However, with the only exit gone, they can only trust Jacob, or they will be trapped here since they just saw themselves just how powerful those runes were. They still had rations for about two months, so they''ll be fine.


    After this small incident, things turned silent again¡­


    But when eight days passed and Jacob still seemed to beprehending the runes while walking all over the room, some of them started to panic slightly. However, they remained silent and held to the hope that Jacob could bring them out of this ce.


    However, on the 34th day, everyone started to get impatient as they saw Jacob sitting cross-legged in front of the door.


    "What should we do? I think he wants to kill us all by trapping us here!" The troll sitting in a then gravely revealed his worries to Oply since she was now the leader after Bryan''s mysterious disappearance.


    "He''s also trapped with us." Oply frowned.


    "I don''t think so. He''s simply too mysterious. First, the leader vanished after going with him, and then his own captains in the way. I think he killed them all so he could hoard all the treasures!" The orc grimly stated.


    Oply showed a hesitant expression as she also suspects this much after so many days had passed. But the problem was, just as the orc said, Jacob was simply too mysterious, and if they took one wrong step, they might lose their only hope of getting out of there.


    Right at this moment, another orc barged into Oply''s private tent and excitedly said, "Something is happening! I think Leader Viper has finally deciphered the array!"


    The five senior members of the One Fist Team in the tent instantly reacted with tion as they quickly ran out of the tent to see if this was true!


    Outside, the runes on the entire space were glowing in pale yellow light and slowly shifting in a particr pattern as if the entire array was rearranging itself.


    Standing in front of the door, Jacob''s fingertips lit in a blue haze were stroking rune after rune like some musical instrument, making the shifting rune move more violently.


    Everyone seemed to be mesmerized by his mysterious yet graceful movements.


    After three minutes or so, Jacob removed his hands as sweat was beaded on his face while his body was drenched, but his eyes shone with ecstasy. After thirty-four days ofprehension, he finally figured it out and decrypted the sealing section of the array.


    Not only did he gain deep insights into magic runes, but he also became a true Basic Elder Grandmaster Rune Artificer and even found a way to reach the next stage.


    If he could have more time toprehend the entire space, he might be able to reach that stage. But time was a luxury he didn''t have because of the ve Rune. Not to mention, he knew the One Fist Team was starting to get agitated and suspicious of his true intentions.


    So, he had to act, or things might turn nasty for him, which he absolutely wanted to avoid.


    At this moment, the rune shifting suddenly stopped, and the symbol on the door lit up a section of the door suddenly revealed itself in the center.


    It was exactly a keyhole, just as he suspected, and the moment the keyhole appeared, everything turned to normal again.


    The five senior members, including Oply, the troll, and three orcs, quickly snapped out of their stupor and approached Jacob with tion.


    "Is that a keyhole?" Oply questioned with anticipation, "Do you have the key?"


    Jacob looked at the approaching members impassively before he nodded, "I have it. Let''s get out of this damn ce."


    Flipping his hand, a 1''4-meter-long antique bronze key appeared, and he inserted it into the keyhole, which it fits perfectly.


    Thereby, the entire door lit up in the runes again before the symbol on the key head shimmered brightly, and thereafter, the key started to turn on its own


    ''Click¡­''


    A crisp voice of something clicking rang in the space before some mechanism seemed to have stirred. The door, which seemed to be closed for who knows how long, suddenly moved with a creaking sound and started to slide inwardly.


    Jacob''s hand moved, taking the key out and stowing it away since it served its purpose here.


    The One Fist Team watched the door open with ecstasy as they could finally move forward from this damn ce. Moreover, they knew there were treasures waiting for them on the other side.


    When the door fully opened, the pathway behind it was fully revealed. It was a hallway made with some mysterious stone, and there were columns of ck pirs on both sides, and its end couldn''t be seen because of darkness.


    At this moment, Jacob turned around and sternlymanded, "Alright, I want the scouts in front, and we will follow behind. Don''t take any independent action, or I can''t guarantee your lives. This ce is a maze, so follow my lead if you don''t want to die!"

 Chapter 445 The Vile Witch Layer (3)

    ?


    Two orcs with excellent night vision moved in front of the group while keeping at least a ten-meter distance. It''s been five minutes since they all entered this passage behind the sealed door, and the tension was at an all-time high.


    Jacob was positioned in the center as he walked in the dark passage. With his own night vision, he could clearly see the structure of this passage was carefully created by master craftsmen, and the architecture was quite grand.


    ''How could this ce be just a hideout? It''s more like a pce.'' Jacob thought as he remembered the map, ''ording to the map, this ce is a massive death maze. The only way to move forward is¡­''


    His eyes suddenly moved when he spotted a faint trace of light right up ahead, and he wasn''t alone.


    "That should be the exit." The troll who was at the front eximed with a hint of excitement.


    Not just him, but everyone was quite excited about finding treasures and almost forgot about their leader.


    As the team approached the faint white light, they were shocked once they reached the source.


    It was apletely sealed passage with a dark wall filled with rune symbols, and there were three stone doors in red, blue, and yellow color. White magic touches were zing beside each door.


    Furthermore, on each door, a statue of a magic beast maw was attached. On the red door was a wolf, on the blue was a lion, while on the yellow door was a bear. All of them were bearing their sharp fangs.


    Right at this moment, out of everyone''s expectation, even Jacob''s, a static voice rang.


    "Unidentified life signature detected¡­


    "18 life signals confirmed!


    "The inheritance grounds have been activated!


    "Wee to the Witch Pce''s Inheritance Grounds!"


    Everyone was astounded by this revtion as it became extremely clear who this ce belonged to now.


    "It was really the legendary Vile Witch Layer!" Oply eximed as she looked at Jacob.


    However, Jacob was not in the mood to pay attention to the multiple gazes because he didn''t know that there was some sort of AI in this ce. He just had a detailed map and key, nothing else.


    Now, everyone knows this ce belonged to the Vile Witch, and if he were correct, then it would be tough to do what he wanted to if this ce was some sort of inheritance trial.


    ''Could it be the ''Sacrifice Checkpoints'' in the map were hurdles to test the people who came here after the Vile Witch treasures, and like those two, I also thought these sacrifices meant living sacrifices?


    ''If this is true, then this also means there was no need to take any of the people here at all, and now I have 17 more people topete against¡­'' Jacob''s mind raced as he felt he was being tricked.


    But it wasn''t his fault entirely. Who could''ve expected the Vile Witch, infamous for her cruelty, would give a fair chance to anyone who sought her inheritance? Furthermore, the Sacrifice Checkpoints didn''t give a peaceful vibe either.


    However, Jacob controlled his emotions, as he was still an absolute advantage since he had the map and the key. He still does not believe that these Sacrifice Checkpoints were as simple as just trials.


    There were also Spirit Checkpoints other than the Sacrifice Checkpoints, so it was still unclear whether his conjecture was correct or incorrect.


    All he could do was to be prepared for the worst and do his best to ovee these mysterious checkpoints.


    At this moment, the voice rang again,


    "Congrattions Participants. You are the first ground who had ever entered the Witch Pce since the time it was built by my master, Witch Queen.


    "1 Inheritor Points will be awarded to each of you!


    "Your Life Signals has been saved in the database of Witch Pce.


    "Now you mustpete with each other for the inheritance of Witch Queen!


    "There are multiple checkpoints scattered in the inheritance grounds known as Sacrifice Checkpoints and Spirit Checkpoints!


    "You need to find those checkpoints and clear them to be the Master of Witch Pce. But be warned; the entire inheritance ground is a death maze, so consider your steps very carefully.


    "Each sessfully cleared checkpoint will be rewarded in either Sacrifice Points or Spirit Points in corresponding to the checkpoint you cleared.


    "The Sacrifice Points and Spirit Points are your prime targets if you want to be the master of Witch Pce.


    "Because you need to collect 100 Inheritor Points to be the master of the Witch Pce. To earn Inheritor Points, you need tobine 10 Sacrifice Points and 10 Spirit Points, and you will get 1 Inheritor point in return.


    "You are also free to kill each other to plunder others'' points. Also, please keep in mind that each and every checkpoint will result in death if failed, and only by using five inheritor points could a lifeline be earned.


    "Right now, except for the ''Faery Human,'' you all possessed 1 Inheritor Point. The Faery Human has opened the pce door, and he also has the Witch Queen''s Key, so he has 61 Inheritor Points!


    "Let me remind you all, only one can be the Master of Witch Pce, while the others will be killed the moment a participant earns 100 inheritor points!"


    The moment they all heard the rules of the Witch Pce, the atmosphere turned icy cold as everyone started to look at Jacob with greed and malicious intentions. It was quite clear whoever killed Jacob would get the 61 inheritor points!


    But the voice was far from done as it continued,


    "Right in front of you all is the very First Sacrifice Checkpoint. It is also an entrance test to the death maze.


    "The three-color doors in front of you represent three vicious beasts. Choose any door, and you will be given a corresponding test ording to the door you choose. Furthermore, the Wolf Door will give the least amount of Sacrifice Points, while the Bear Door will be rewarded with the most.


    "But as it is a sacrifice checkpoint, you must provide a sufficient sacrifice to enter the door of your choosing, and without sufficient sacrifice, the door won''t open!


    "The Wolf demands a sacrifice of One Heart!


    "The Lion demands a sacrifice of Two Hearts!


    "The Bear demands a sacrifice of Three Hearts!"

 Chapter 446 The Vile Witch Layer (4)

    <h4>Chapter 446 The Vile Witch Layer (4)</h4>


    Just as the static voice trailed off, the hall fell into deadly silence. It became quiet now that to go forward, they needed to shed blood.


    Even though the voice didn''t say what the difference was between the three doors, even a fool could tell that the higher the sacrifice, the more points they would earn from that door.


    Still, their top target was Jacob because of the ridiculous amount of Inheritor Points he had, not to mention that Witch Queen''s Key should be quite an important piece as well.


    Furthermore, Jacob clearly knew far more than them, and it also became extremely apparent that the thing he told about Bryan was a lie since they were clearly the first ones ever to reach this ce, and to go forward, they needed to sacrifice others.


    Everyone drew their weapons as they slowly circled Jacob, cutting off his retreat.


    "Do you really want to do this?" Jacob coldly spoke as he knew things had gone out of his hands.


    Even he wasn''t prepared for this, and now everyone became as clear as a mirror for everyone. He also understood the purpose of that map. It had all the checkpoint locations marked, and with it, he could easily fulfill the requirements.


    Moreover, the static voice still didn''t reveal the third andst type of checkpoint, the Five Inheritor Checkpoints, which were deeply hidden in this ce.


    ''Could it be those inheritor checkpoints can earn me Inheritor Points directly?'' Jacob thought as he made a lot of sense now, ''It also didn''t make any sense since the sacrifice checkpoint demands living sacrifices, so without living people here, it should be nigh impossible to clear this ce. What a twisted game that Vile Witch had created¡­ but first, I need to get out of this mess.''


    "Is there any need to consider anymore?" Oply coldly spoke, "It''s quite clear that Leader Bryan never made it this far, so you''ve killed him. We can''t trust you anymore, and you are too much of a threat. So, we like you to surrender your life! Everyone, please work together until we get rid of him, if we fought¡­boom!"


    A sonic boom suddenly rang, and the thing everyone noticed was Oply''s brain matter scattered in the air as her headless body fell to the floor. It happened so fast that everyone noticed toote.


    But when they did, they found Jacob holding a foot-long, heavy ck handgun as smoke was rising from its muzzle while the runes engraved on its body shimmered faintly.


    Jacob didn''t miss this chance, as another gun with the same features appeared in his hand, and he quickly shot toward the most powerful members of the One Fist Team.


    He was so fast that the other didn''t even react before the three-inch bullets, which seemed to be glowing faintly in green hue, were before their eyes.


    "Boom¡­boom¡­booom¡­"


    Deafening sonic booms rang in the vicinity, and with each sound, a headless body would fall, and the Guns in Jacob''s head turned crimson before cracks began to appear on them.


    Jacob quickly stopped when he felt the gun holder turn into an inferno, and he knew those guns would st apart if he shot more of those special bullets. Nheless, he had already taken out 12 members of the One Fist team. Only five weakest were left!


    "Run!" The survivors were finally able to speak out as they didn''t have any will to fight since all of their top members were taken care of by Jacob so quickly and easily.


    "Hmph, toote!" Jacob scoffed as he had no intention of spearing anyone, and his short swords appeared in his hands as his heart rate climbed like a rocket.


    "You bastar¡­hikkk." The two-meter-tall orc sensed deathing and quickly tried to cast a spell, but he was simply too slow, for he was a sorcerer, and the next thing he remembered, a dark gray streak shed past his neck.


    Jacob was observing the One Fist team members'' specialties for days now, and he knew the only threat was thebatants, so he got rid of them first.


    The sorcerers were too slow since they needed to cast spells and requiredbatants'' protection. Without any of it, they could do nothing but fight him within their strongest suit, magic.


    Although Jacob still didn''t have control over his magic, his weapons and physique made up for that w. Even in the epic ranks, only those on the top were a threat to him.


    Still, he knew he was too far away to threaten a Unique, as they werepletely in a different league than the epics.


    Nheless, the One Fist Team was nothing without their topbatants and leader, so Jacob easily killed those remaining five with some effort. Blood was running on the floor like water as decapitated bodies were lying there, creating a gruesome scene.


    "Why wasting time in chitchat?" Jacob chuckled darkly before he gloomily looked toward the doors and asked, "Now that I killed them. Do I get their inheritor points?"


    The static voice rang emotionlessly.


    "Congrattions, Faery Human, for earning 17 Inheritor Points. You have now 78 Inheritor Points!"


    Jacob asked with narrow eyes, "How do you know I''m a Faery Human?"


    But no further answer was made, which made him purse his lips. Still, he couldn''t do anything but move forward since he now knew what he needed to do. Once he became the owner of this ce, he would naturally get his answer.


    So, without wasting more time, he started to skin the corpses with his masterful skills. It wasn''t the first time he had done it.


    Anything eatable was stowed away, including their hearts, while the rest of them were thrown away. Jacob decided not to consume those hearts since there might be some more ghastly conditions like this. He even filled a container with blood just in case.


    Thereupon, he stood in front of the wolf door and put a heart in its mouth. He had no intention of entering the bear door since he had the map, and he was nning to find those inheritor checkpoints and quicklyplete his inheritor point tally.


    The moment he ced that heart in the wolf''s mouth, a clicking sound rang before the door opened, revealing a dark, misty pathway.


    Jacob sensed nothing, but he walked right in since he couldn''t put his life in danger, so he called a helper before walking inside, "Cursed Immortality!"

 Chapter 447 Whammy Poison

    <h4>Chapter 447 Whammy Poison</h4>


    Immortika made its entrance with its signature wantonughter, which Jacob naturally ignored and got straight to the point, "Is there anything living ahead of us?"


    Although this was the easiest door, Jacob still wanted to be discreet, and he was also nning on moving only when Immortika was summoned. While the rest of the time, he was going to touch the magic knowledge he had acquired after selling his weapons.


    Now that no one was here to bother him, he was not going to put it on hold any longer. Because he had entered the Vile Witch Layer sessfully, it also means he hadpleted Captain Free Sword''s mission, and there was no longer a need for him to take risks.


    However, this never meant he was out of danger. He was far from it, and he didn''t have time to waste. Since he had already achieved his goal of bing a true Elder Grandmaster Rune Artifice ahead of time, now it was time to research magic.


    "Hehehe¡­ no, there''s none. But it''s far more interesting." Immortika wrote.


    "What do you mean?" Jacob''s eyes instantly narrowed since nothing good woulde whenever this cursed book called something interesting.


    "You know I''m restricted, right? Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob''s expression darkened as he now really hesitated to go into that misty passage. But in the end, with his short sword and a ck Titan, the cracked handgun he used early, he entered.


    The ck Titans were the two handguns or hand cannons that would be the correct words to describe the ck Titans.


    He had created them in the Rare ins, and they were made with heavy and sturdy metals, and they could shoot a bullet at the same range and velocity as the Titan Sniper.


    Furthermore, Jacob had also made special bullets for these two hand cannons, and those bullets were one of his top 20 inventions of his past life, which never saw the light of the day, the Atomic Friction Killer.


    He had discovered a way to turn the atomic nucleolus into atomic gunpowder andpress it into an Atomic Friction Killer Bullet. The biggest concern about a nuclear bullet is sting right when the trigger of the gun is pulled because of the insanely fast nuclear fusion or reaction.


    But Jacob discovered a way to avoid it and turned that dangerous w into a dangerous advantage by creating a new type of bullet shell. Aftering into this world, he discovered he didn''t even need to create that bullet case from scratch.


    This made the once inconvenient task too easy, and Jacob was able to create the Atomic Friction Killer Bullets to his heart''s content. This 7.62x51mm bullet packs the punch of a small artillery shell and the 1% destructive power of an atomic grenade!


    This means not even the hard skin and bones of epic-rank giants could handle this single bullet.


    However, this bullet was so fast and destructive that even a gun at the level of Titan Sniper or even Iron Titan Sniper couldn''t endure for long and would end up getting destroyed.


    The optimal gun for this bullet is the Quantum Sniper!


    But the problem was Jacob stillcked the equipment and technology to create it, and he didn''t have time to create thatplex equipment from scratch himself. So, he could only use these substitutes until he had optimal equipment.


    Now that he used those guns to get rid of the One Fist Team as quickly as possible, they can shoot two more AFK Bullets before he is reced with newly built ck Titans with epic rank materials he gathered in the epic ins.


    He hadn''te here unprepared, and the ck Titans were his main weapon because they also didn''t have ridiculous recoil like the Iron Titan Sniper, and he could only hope the one made with the epic rank materials could hold on much longer.


    As Jacob moved in the misty passage, the door behind him closed, and at this moment, he felt something sticky on his skin, and then a noxious feeling struck him.


    At this moment, the same static voice rang again,


    "Wee to the Wolf Sacrifice Checkpoint!


    "You have to find the exit while being constantly affected by the Basic Epic Rank Whammy Poison!


    "Good Luck!"


    Jacob''s eyes shed with realization, and he finally understood why this mist was giving him such a feeling.


    He then looked at the book as if it wasughing to its heart''s content, and his eyes went sharp as des, "It''s not just simple poison mist, is it? Whammy means an evil or unlucky influence, which is in no way material but supernatural. This means it''s a type of hex magic or at least its branch. That''s why you were calling it interesting, right?"


    "Oh? How do you reach that conclusion?" Immortika wrote.


    "Because amidst this disgusting feeling, I can feel a faint resonance from the hex mana with this mist. Furthermore, my reason for entering this ce was to find clues about my hex magic in the first ce, and adding your tendency to leave awful clues, I''m pretty clear this is rted to hex magic." Jacob coldly stated.


    "Hahahaha¡­ Bravo¡­ Bravo! You''re getting cleaver by the day. It seems all that training is finally bearing fruit. What a proud full moment this is¡­"


    "And your tendency to spout bullshit is also getting ridiculous by every second." Jacob scoffed as he moved with the mist.


    Whatever this thing was, he wasn''t affected by it all except for some noxious, sticky feeling; he waspletely fine.


    "Hehehe¡­ since you already discovered a clue about Whammy, I''ll give you a general introduction to what a Whammy is. A whammy is a physical manifestation of a curse integrated into different sorts of poisons. Unlike normal poison, Whammy Poison can''t be cured by a simple antidote. Instead, any attempts to cure a Whammy Poison would only make it nastier.


    "Only with strong Holy Magic and a proper antidote can a Whammy Poison could be cured. Miss even one, and before you know it, a Whammy Poison would turn into an undying evil!


    "But it''s just a most basic way to use Whammy Poison. However, the general introduction also ends here. Hahahaha¡­ and do you know what others call the people who are the practitioners of Whammy Poison? Evil Poison Lords!"

 Chapter 448 The Death Maze (1)

    <h4>Chapter 448 The Death Maze (1)</h4>


    Jacob was astounded when Immortika introduced the Whammy Poison to him and asked, "How can you mix curse with poison? I mean, do you simply mix hex mana with poison?"


    "Hehehe¡­ I''ve told you what I could. The rest is up to you to figure out." Immortika directly excused itself and left Jacob hanging like usual after revealing a small part of aplex puzzle to him.


    Nheless, Jacob didn''t seem flustered because now he knew about the Whammy Poison, ''Had that Witch been an Evil Poison Lord? If I can get her inheritance, I''ll know for sure.''


    Motivated more than ever, he wandered in the mist as he tried to find the exit. If it were anyone else, they would''ve already started to get affected by the Basic Epic Grade Whammy Poison.


    But Jacob quickly got used to it as that disgusting feeling slowly faded away, and now he could faintly feel the hex mana mixed within this poisonous mist. Furthermore, now he could vaguely see two meters around himself, unlike before.


    ''If I can use my mana like this, I don''t even need to lift a finger¡­'' Jacob thought with a hint of excitement, ''It was indeed a wise decision toe here, and all that risk was worth it¡­''


    After more than one hour, Jacob finally reached his destination. It was a red door and also the source of that whammy poison mist. The moment he put his hand on it to open it, with a faint click, it was slowly pushed back, revealing a dark opening behind.


    Jacob slowly walked out, and the red door behind him automatically closed.


    The next moment, the static voice sounded.


    "Congrattions, Faery Human, for passing the entrance checkpoint!


    "You may speak your name to be recorded in the Witch Pce database.


    "You have earned 20 Sacrifice Points!"


    Jacob coolly stated, "The name is Viper."


    "Faery Human, Viper has been sessfully recorded in the database. Good luck with your exploration!"


    Jacob merely scoffed as he looked around. He was standing between walls 10 meters away from each other, and there was a cross passage five meters ahead of him.


    ''Let''s see where I am¡­'' Jacob took out the map and found the sacrifice checkpoint marker on it, and it was quite easy to find his location, for there was only one sacrifice point at the entrance.


    Thereby, Jacob begins to walk as he selects the first Inheritor Checkpoint closest to him. He was going directly after the five inheritor checkpoints. Since they weren''t mentioned by the AI, they should be hidden pieces and a quick way to end this death maze.


    However, as Jacob moved closer to the first inheritor checkpoint, a strange, uneasy feeling started to grip his heart which he couldn''t describe.


    "Is there any living being ahead of us?" He looked at Immortika as he questioned since there were only a few minutes left before the cursed book would be forcibly unsummoned. He was then going to wait for 24 hours before moving forward again.


    "Hehehehe¡­ I don''t know about the living, but I sure can sense lots of dead crawling in this ce. What an interesting ce this is, how entertaining!" Immortika wrote with relish.


    However, Jacob''s expression went rigid when he heard ''dead'' because he could easily guess what it meant, "There are dark beings here?!"


    Just as he questioned, he sensed something moving under his feet, and the next moment, he kicked off the ground, jumping away from his spot.


    The next moment, where Jacob stood a moment ago, a gray bone hand appeared, grabbing the air. Since it seemed to have missed its target, it retracted its hand underground before it vanished as quickly as it appeared.


    However, Jacob could feel faint tremors under his feet, and it was not just one dark being; there were too many!


    "What the hell is going on? That bitch was crazy!" Jacob cussed the Vile Witch since he didn''t even imagine that someone would be crazy enough to use the Dark Beings as guard dogs of her inheritance ground.


    He started to understand why she was called Vile Witch. She was really a vile lunatic, and getting rid of her seemed to be the correct option. Or who knows what sort of schemes she had been hatching with the Dark Beings.


    But Jacob had to admit her method of using the Dark Beings instead of living to test the participants was a cost-effective method. Not only the Dark Being don''t need to eat, they can live for ridiculously long.


    Not to mention, they would go crazy for any living being if they hadn''t tasted life force for years. Just like right now!


    "Hehehehe, they are all epic rank dark begins, the Crawling Earth Skeletons, and they are quite annoying to kill since they won''te out of the ground easily and can sense your movement on earth in a one-mile radius.


    "And they are just starters. This entire ce is teeming with Dark Beings of Epic Rank. But if you look at the bright side, if you can kill all of them in here, you might be able to increase your Hex Mana Core Rank to Epic.


    "How wonderful, don''t you think¡­heheheehe¡­" Immortika wrote with wantonughter.


    Jacob''s expression soured and turned pale because if there were enough Epic Rank dark beings here to increase his magic core rank to epic, then it meant there were at least 100,000 Epic Rank Dark Beings here.


    Even if he was strong and confident in hunting lower tier epic rank dark beings, this many were not something he could take on, especially if they all came at once.


    At this moment, Jacob felt even more tremor, and his expression turned ashen, ''Just how many areing¡­ I need to find that checkpoint!''


    Without hesitation, Jacob fled toward the inheritor checkpoint while avoiding those bone hands one after another as they tried to catch him. He knew if he was stopped, things would turn nasty too fast, and he had no intention of finding out if he could take on hundreds of dark beings at once!

 Chapter 449 The Death Maze (2)

    <h4>Chapter 449 The Death Maze (2)</h4>


    Jacob fled while the horde of Crawling Earth Skeletons chased him like a menace. His target was the Inheritor Checkpoint, which was now just around the corner. Immortika summoning time was also over, and he had lost the all-seeing eyes, which wasn''t good news.


    He was nning to wait before he could summon Immortika again, but this unexpected situation has put him at a huge disadvantage. Now, all he could do was move forward, at least until he got rid of those hundreds of Crawling Earth Skeletons.


    At this moment, Jacob finally reached his destination. There was a gray door with the same symbol as the entrance, and he dashed towards it without hesitation.


    The static voice rang at this moment,


    "You have discovered the hidden Inheritor Checkpoint!


    "Please insert the Witch Queen''s Key to move forward!"


    ''So, without the key, it''s impossible to move forward?'' Jacob was surprised, ''That Vile Witch really hadid massive traps in this ce. Just one wrong decision, and you''ll be killed.''


    Jacob grimaced just thinking about it, and he felt hurry to quickly acquire sufficient Inheritor Points to get out of this death maze.


    The Witch Queen''s Key appeared in hand at this moment, and he inserted it into the keyhole in the center of the door before it clicked open. The onlyfort was that at least he didn''t have to decrypt another array to search for this keyhole.


    The moment the door opened, Jacob jumped in without hesitation, and the next moment, a few bone hands emerged where he stood a moment ago. He thought those guys would follow him, but to his surprise, they didn''t, and the door closed.


    ''So, they can''t follow me into the checkpoints? That''s a relief, at least.''


    Sighing, he finally saw where he was, and his eyes widened even so slightly because it was a huge, empty, dark hall. He was just wondering what he was supposed to do when magic torches started to lighten up.


    Thereafter, Jacob saw a faint blue light column suddenly descend in the center of this hall, and the next moment, a holographic image of a hooded petite figure materialized within the light column.


    ''Could it be¡­'' Jacob''s eyes narrowed in trepidation.


    A hoarse voice suddenly sounded from the hologram, "I''m the owner of this ce, the Witch Queen, Margret!


    "Whoever you are, since you''re seeing this projection, it means I have spread the three maps and three keys of the Witch Pce, and I''m no longer in this world or in the Epic ins.


    "Since you were able to reach this point, this could only mean you are capable enough to find both the map and key. I''ve left my entire life research and treasures in the Witch Pce.


    "But to acquire them, you have to pass the death maze first since only the worthy have the right to be my sessor.


    "To be my sessor, you need to have three traits. First, high proficiency in magic runes. Second, strength to explore the Death Maze at least a peak epic tier. Last and most important, you need to have a magic core rted to curses!


    "Without anyone, you will die, so I suggest you return from wherever you came from and leave the map and key to someone else. I give you 30 seconds to leave this ce because, after that, there is no return¡­"


    Thereafter, Jacob saw the same kind of mirror portal appearing on the left wall that he destroyed at the entrance. He was shocked since it was now confirmed that it was extremely high-level magic.


    "Time before the exit portal closes 58 seconds¡­57¡­56¡­"


    The static voice started the countdown.


    However, Jacob didn''t budge from his ce as he stared at the silent projection with many thoughts shing past his mind.


    ''So there were three such maps and keys spread by her, and what does she mean she will be either dead or had already left the epic ins? I was just wondering how in the world she had time to build this ridiculous ce while she was dying.


    ''She clearly built this beforehand. This could only mean she was either already dying or was preparing to leave the epic ins. But then, why was there a need to build this inheritance pce and leave her research and all her treasures if she was departing?


    ''It could only mean she was dying, or she had other intentions to leave this ce behind.


    ''Furthermore, giving an escape route didn''t match up with her known personality, and for someone to appear who possessed a magic core rted to a curse should be a once-in-a-blue-moon event.


    ''Not to mention that person getting the map and key. What was her goal in making his huge gamble? There is clearly more to this than meets the eye. By the looks of it, she had gone beyond the limits of epic ins and both magic and technology.


    ''Is it really possible to kill someone like her who had ruled the epic ins with terror and had so much attainment in magic?'' Jacob wondered, as he was quite confused at this point.


    Like everyone else, he also thinks that she had perished under the hands of the first alliance chairman. But now, he started to doubt it.


    The minute quickly passed, and the portal vanished just as it appeared.


    The projection suddenly warped for a moment before her voice rang again, "If you''re hearing this, then this could only mean you either have all the qualifications to be a sessor, or you''re too greedy to think that you can pass the death maze.


    "Well, whichever it is, let''s find out, shall we?


    "After this projection ends, a magic scroll will have appeared. All you have to pass is to open that magic scroll and let the magic spell hit you. If you don''t open it within 60 seconds or dodge it, you will fail, and this ce will turn into your graveyard, for all the dark beings in the death maze will be released here.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention, the lifeline protocol won''t work in the Inheritor Checkpoints! Don''t disappoint me, or only death awaits you¡­hihihihihi ¡­"


    The light column vanished with her sadisticughter, and right on that spot, something started to emerge from the ground.


    It was a one-meter tall stone column, and on top of it was lying a crimson scroll.


    Jacob''s expression went dark at this sudden, unexpected turn of events as he looked at the crimson scroll with circumspection.


    Snapping him out of his stupor, the static voice rang again, "Time before failure 59... 58¡­57¡­!"

 Chapter 450 The Death Maze (3)

    <h4>Chapter 450 The Death Maze (3)</h4>


    ''What kind of spell is stored in that magic scroll?'' This thought rang in Jacob''s head like a bell as he walked toward the stone column.


    No matter how wary he was, he had to decide quickly. Although being hit by a mysterious spell was as good asmitting suicide, fighting thousands of dark beings was guaranteed a gruesome end.


    ''Since this a trial to find a worthy sessor, as long as I meet her requirements, I should be fine¡­'' Jacob thought gloomily as he stopped in front of the stone column.


    But still, the danger of losing his life was something Jacob didn''t want to experience, and now he was stuck between a cliff and an abyss. He even started to miss Immortika, for he knew that cursed book would definitely know what sort of spell was stored in the magic scroll.


    However, it wasn''t an option at his moment, and he was already approaching the thirty-second mark. The Vile Witch, Margret, clearly designed this trial to put others under deadly pressure.


    Gritting his teeth, he picked up the scroll, and after calming down, his eyes turned decisive, and he opened the scroll while getting ready to implore countermeasures if things started to go south.


    The moment he opened the crimson scroll, a magic circle filled withplex runes appeared and instantly shone in dark light, and the next moment, that light started to envelop him like a hungry beast.


    Jacob''s pupils contorted when he sensed something invisible piercing through his skin and spreading into his body at a terrifying rate.


    "Ahh¡­" A low-pitched scream suddenly escaped his mouth when a gut-wrenching pain stuck his entire body. Veins started to protrude all over his body, and skin started to turn crimson, and the color deepened, turning ckish¡­


    The scroll has turned into ashes, but he was too much in pain to care about it. But that pain was still nothing in front of what he had endured from the cursed immortality.


    At this moment, the static voice stopped its countdown and announced.


    "You have sessfully opened the Mind Rendering Imprecate Magic Scroll!


    "You have been inflicted by Mind Rendering Imprecate!


    "Survive until the Mind Rendering Imprecate lost effect!"


    However, Jacob didn''t hear any of it as his senses were taken over by pain.


    But just as that spell tried to affect his magic orbits, the hex magic core in his cursed heart suddenly spun at a terrifying speed for only a moment. Thereby, a cold, refreshing sensation spread into Jacob''s body.


    Jacob felt the pain suddenly vanish as his darkening skin started to turn back to normal, and his bloodshot eyes also returned to normal with a hint of bewilderment.


    Filled with sweat, Jacob''s vision returned as he looked at his hands in bewilderment, and everything appeared normal, like nothing had ever happened.


    Suddenly, his lips rose in tion, ''So my hex magic core can counter other curse magic as well, just like my body. What a nice and practical way to find out. Furthermore, that vicious bitch is really proficient in curse-rted magic, and it''ll soon be mine!''


    Controlling his somewhat rigid breathing, he stood straight and coldly stated, "I think I passed the test."


    The static voice rang after a moment of silence.


    "Witch Pce System detects the Mind Rendering Imprecate has been sessfully removed!


    "Time taken: 5.34 seconds!


    "Participant Viper has gone beyond the Witch Queen''s expectation!


    "You have been rewarded with 20 Inheritor Points!


    "Participant Viper now has a total of 98 Inheritor Points!"


    The very next moment, behind the stone column, the wall suddenly shook and started to slide, revealing a passage.


    Jacob was pleased with the reward, but he didn''t move towards the exit and instead asked, "Can I stay here to recuperate as long as I wish?"


    Now, he only needed to pass another checkpoint, and it will all be over. Furthermore, he was more confident than ever since now he knew as long as it was a curse-rted magic, he would be fine.


    But the dark beings were still a problem, and since the ce seemed to repel them, he wanted to remain here until he could summon Immortika again. Even though he was confident, he wasn''t blinded by it.


    The static voice replied, "Participant Viper would be graced with 12 hours of recuperating time with every sessful attempt on Sacrifice and Spirit Checkpoints and 24 hours on Inheritor Checkpoints.


    "You only have 24 hours before you have to move forward, or the protection on this ce will be lifted!"


    Jacob''s expression went frigid, "Why wasn''t I told this before?"


    "Only by inquiry can this information be revealed."


    ''That conniving bitch!'' Jacob''s lip twitched slightly, and he stopped wasting his breath on an AI. It was clearly Margret''s design so that he could do nothing.


    So, he found a ce to sit down and switch his star watch. But to his surprise, ''No Star Network Avable'' was written on the interface.


    ''This ce can even block the prying eyes of Star Network?'' Jacob was astounded as it waspletely unexpected.


    Then his eyes shimmered coldly as he thought of something since this situation was very optimal, and he put his study of magic on hold for a little longer.


    ''Since the Starwork can''t work here, then this also means the Star Hackers can''t use it to find someone''s location¡­''


    The next moment, Jacob moved his sleeve, and unconscious Frugal appeared in front of him. He was still under the influence of Slumber Hex because he was stored in the infinity pendant, and time seemed to lose its meaning there for some reason.


    Jacob looked at the slumbering giant with predator-like eyes as if he was looking at a big slob of meat and smiled viciously, ''With him, I should be able to reach the 20% in cursed blood, and it''s also a good time to get rid of these siblings while the starwork is not around!''


    The next moment, a short sword appeared in his hand¡­


    ---


    Within the core region of the Vile Witch Valley, right where the entrance to the Witch Pce was located.


    The entire ce was sealed with an illusionary barrier.


    At this moment, the entire waterfall mountain was shaking while the water body was filled with chaotic waves.


    ''Boom¡­boom¡­''


    It was like someone was hammering the entire mountain without stopping with the intention of tearing it apart.


    Many cloaked figures stood on the bank as they watched the mountain shake like crazy, and even cracks were beginning to appear.


    "How long she''s been at it?" A gloomy yet fearful voice whispered in person stood in the center of this mysterious ground.


    The person replied with a grave tone, "Two days, and she has already dug a huge tunnel, but there is no trace of the Vile Witch Layer. It seemed we were toote! It''s time to contact Star Lord. Only he can appease Vice Star Lord!"

 Chapter 451 The Death Maze (4)

    Chapter 451 The Death Maze (4)


    Jacob opened his eyes at this moment, and confusion filled them, "I slept?"


    He muttered with bewilderment because he clearly remembered he was eating Frugal''s heart when suddenly he felt a warm current spreading throughout his body, and then deep sluggishness overcame his mind like never before.


    Thereby, he started to eat the giant since he thought he needed nutrition, but the more he ate, the more that mysterious current spread into his body, and thest thing he remembered was falling asleep.


    Now that he has finally awakened, he is confused about what has happened as he tries to move his body. But the moment, powerful cracking sounds began to ring from his body joints, and he instantly felt stuffy and suffocated all over his body.


    ''What is happening?'' Shocked, Jacob tried standing up, but to his astonishment, he rose far above his eye level and finally looked down, and his eyes widened because his legs were far longer. His pants were now on his knees and on the verge of tearing apart, and his long feet had already torn his boots.


    Furthermore, his arms were also far longer than before, and his hands were three times bigger. All his clothes except for the advanced-grade epic body armor have turned small. He finally understood why he was feeling stuffy. It wasn''t that his clothes turned shorter. Instead, he had grown toorge!


    Horrified, Jacob suddenly thought of something in utter disbelief, ''Did I acquire the Physical Aspect of a giant?''


    This was the only exnation for his unusual growth. He clearly remembered Immortika warned him about acquiring other species'' physical aspects at random while he was in the cursed blood condensing stage.


    But after he acquired the Wyvern''s Endurance, it never happened before, so he almost forgets about it. The chance of it happening was too low because it also depended on the species he was consuming.


    However, now, all of a sudden, he had turned into a giant after eating Frugal''s heart and consuming his entire being. So, this could only mean he had acquired the pugilist giant race physical aspect.


    But the problem was, he didn''t want this kind of physical aspect at all since it was too eye-catching, and giants always stuck out within the masses. If he turned into a giant, he could forget about ever blending, and that could put him at a massive advantage.


    Nheless, Jacob knew he couldn''t turn things around, and he had to live with it. But he was indignant that of all the things he could, he had to get the height of a giant!


    "How much time is left before I have to leave?" Jacob''s voice boomed as it was far deeper and more powerful than before, which surprised him, and his expression darkened even further.


    The static voice replied, "19 minutes before the grace period is over."


    Jacob''s expression crumpled, ''I slept for almost 24 hours, and if I hadn''t awoken when I did, I would''ve been dead! This transformation was too sudden, and I wasn''t told I would fall into sleep.'' He gritted his teeth as he felt he was tricked again.


    But he didn''t lose his reason, and first, he got rid of those stuffy clothes. They were only intact because they were made with basic epic-grade materials, but now they had turned useless. Even his mask was too small for his big face now, which only made him exasperated.


    However, the moment Jacob pulls on the windbreaker and thinks he will have trouble undressing, it instantly tears apart with a little nudge, which makes his eyes widen.


    ''My power?'' Jacob''s mind went nk for a moment before his eyes shone in realization, ''Just how much my power has increased?'' He wonders in astonishment since he clearly remembered he couldn''t tear apart a basic epic rank armor, nor should his body be unscratched.


    Jacob then quickly got rid of his short clothes and had no choice but to wear Frugal''s as it would appear his height was now the same as him. Furthermore, his armor and clothes were all advanced epic grades and veryfortable, and he also took his mask.


    Now that he was wearing all those high-level armor and clothes, Jacob felt extremelyfortable, and that resentment of bing a giant started to wash away, and there was no point in grieving over it.


    Still, he needed to confirm if these changes were from his new body or if he had got a higher percentage than he had expected.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Quickly, Jacob opened the information rted to his current stage before questioning Immortika.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Blood Condensing (Second Stage)]


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 25.03%


    [Description: Convert your blood into Cursed Blood until it reaches 100%pletion by Absorbing the Heart Blood of Legendary Beings or their descendants.]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 500 Years of Lifespan


    ______


    "It increased so much?" Jacob was bbergasted.


    At this moment, the pages started to turn, and Immortika made its entrance, "Hehehehe, shouldn''t you be dancing now? But you''re still as grumpy as ever."


    Jacob pursed his lips, "Out with it, what kind of changes has my body undergone, and why have I fallen into sleep?"


    "Hey, hey, don''t make it sound like it was my fault. Physical Aspects arepletely random, and your falling asleep was because of the Wyvern''s Endurance, or trust me, if you don''t have it, you would''ve been in so much pain and suffering that you might not even remain sane if you had survived. So, it was a blessing in disguise! Be grateful that you quickly consumed that giant whole and didn''t fall into deep hibernation! Or we won''t be having this conversation, Hehehe!"


    Jacob felt a chill running down his spine, "Just what physical aspect I awake? I''m pretty sure I can handle little propagation."


    "Little propagation? Hahaha... you''re still thinking that it''s just your height that had changed? Where is your brain? You''re now 4.1 meters tall, almost double your previous height. Do you think your previous body organs would''ve been enough to support your current height?


    "If it was just height, you couldn''t even think straight without feeling weak, but you''re full of energy, and I''m sure you have noticed your power level doesn''t match your previous self at all. So, now tell me, do you still think what you got is just a little propagation?"


    Jacob''s eyes widened. It madeplete sense what Immortika just said. He didn''t feel any weakness at all. In fact, he was toofortable, and except for height, he didn''t find any strangeness in his body at all. With such a substantial growth in his height, his small organs should not be working normally at all.


    Yet he was perfectly fine, which means not just his skeleton structure but his organs had gone through aplete transformation like a full evolution!


    "Just what did I end up awakening?" He finally couldn''t contain his curiosity and anticipation.


    "Hehehe, you somehow ended up snatching the very core physical aspect of the Giant Race, and it''s a growth-type physical aspect no less, which will grow with you, and any giant would give anything and everything to awake it, even legends.


    "They will die from envy if they hear an outsider ended up awakening their holy aspect. It''s called the Fighting Giant Spirit!"

 Chapter 452 Fighting Giant Spirit

    Chapter 452 Fighting Giant Spirit


    "Fighting Giant Spirit? Is its magic-rted ability like the Fluid eleration?" Jacob couldn''t help but question with shining eyes as this physical aspect clearly sounds like the Fluid eleration, which could grow with his innate prowess.


    Furthermore, by how exaggerated Immortika was, he was now quite excited about getting this physical aspect, which was clearly a huge help to him, like the fluid eleration.


    "Yeah, you can put it like this. But unlike the gentle fluid eleration, inparison, the Fighting Giant Spirit is a tyrant!


    "Not only will your body continue to increase in size with every substantial power boost, but it will turn into a weapon of mass destruction once you really start to tap into the Fighting Giant Spirit when you reach the Unique Rank Physically.


    "All I can tell you is this ability is purely rted tobat, and the more you fight, the more you''ll be able to tap into Fighting Giant Spirit. It''s like an unexplored treasure trove you need to explore if you want treasures.


    "Right now, you''re physically epic-tier-6, and you can increase your fluid eleration up to 30X now! Your entire power anatomy has been changed. Now, when you reach 35%, you''ll be as strong as an Epic-tier-9batant physically.


    "This is just how powerful your new body is, and it will continue to be more powerful! You can even think of this body as a perfect match for your fluid eleration!


    "I have to admit, that little giant really had a powerful ancestor that he had traces of Fighting Giant Spirit in his bloodline, and you ended up awakening it. I wonder if those guys wille after you even more strongly if they learn it. Hahaha!"


    Jacob''s eyes grewrger from this unexpected surprise. Although Immortika''s exnation was still ambiguous, it still revealed enough for Jacob to understand what kind of aspect he had just awakened.


    Even if he would turn into a giant, it was worth it as long as he could be powerful. As for thest part, he merely snorted since he killed Frugal, knowing what sort of background he had.


    But Immortika wasn''t done,


    "Hehehehe, but when there are benefits, there are also disadvantages, and for you, the only disadvantage is adaptability, like you need to consume more from now on, and the more you grow, the hunger will grow with it.


    "Oh, other than that, I think you should know that if another giant who had awakened the Fighting Giant Spirit appeared into a certain range of you, he would go for your life with everything he had! Hahahaha!"


    Jacob''s expression fell the moment he read at this point, and that sadistughter gave him the chills as it was clear it wasn''t joking.


    "Why?"


    "If I told you everything, where''s the fun in that? Besides, this is as far as I can tell you. Hihihihi¡­"


    Jacob''s expression greatly clouded as he knew the cursed book was ying him again. But he knew nothing could be done anymore, so he could only suppress his seething rage.


    Still, he got to know about his new physical aspect, which was far more terrifying than the Wyvern''s Endurance. Now, he had to adapt to his new body and increase in strength.


    "So be it. At least I didn''t learn to control this ability like the fluid eleration. Just tell me if there is any danger behind that door?" Jacob pursed his lips as he moved towards the door. He was nning on ending it all today and then start gettingfortable with his body.


    "Nothing is there, for now at least, hehe," Immortika replied withoutmitting to Jacob''s new aspect anymore, as if it hadpletely forgotten it.


    After getting Immortika''s confirmation, Jacob crossed the door and appeared in the death maze, which appeared the same as ever, and opened the map to find his current location.


    He quickly found where he was and then marked the closest inheritor checkpoint to his position. His lips suddenly curled up as he muttered, "Let''s see how fast I can run!"


    ''Boom!''


    A small shockwave was created the moment Jacob moved, and the ground where he stood was cracked. He instantly picked up momentum and felt strong wind pressure on his face. He could already tell he was at least twice faster than yesterday, and he was still not giving it his all.


    Furthermore, he thought he would feel ufortable and might feel restricted or slow because of his size, but that wasn''t the case at all. He was still fast, and his reflexes were even more refined and shaper.


    ''No wonder giants are considered strongest in any ins. Without my hex magic, I might not be a match of both brother and sister one-on-one, even if I gave it my all. I also need to change my swords now. They are too short for my size and should learnbat-rted water magic¡­'' Jacob already started making his n for his new body as he picked up the pace.


    However, when he was halfway towards the inheritor checkpoint, he sensed a strange sensation like never before and stopped around a corner with a frown, ''What is this¡­ I feel excited?''


    The next moment, Jacob suddenly took a step back when a dark phantom suddenly emerged out of nowhere, right in front of him. It was three meters tall and wore a tattered cape; while two zing sights were raging under its dark hood, it was holding two chipped swords in its bonny hands as it remained motionless in front of Jacob.


    "Oh, an Epic-tier-8 Shadow Wraith, now that''s a rare dark being."


    However, Jacob didn''t have time to ask for its weakness because he suddenly sensed goosebumps from the back of his neck, and without hesitation, he ducked.


    ''Swish¡­''


    The next moment, a sharp wind whistled, and there was the de of a chipped sword right where Jacob''s neck was at this moment, and that de struck him from within the darkness!


    Jacob instantly turned toward the Shadow Wraith and saw one of its sword des was pierced into dark mist.


    ''Dark Magic!'' Jacob''s expression turned grim as that attack was extremely urate and fast, and he didn''t even hear any spell chant, which meant this Shadow Wraith had the ability of silent casting at least.


    But still, for some reason, Jacob again felt excited as his entire body tingled, wanting him to lunge on that Shadow Wraith and tear it apart.


    At this moment, Immortika wrote something on the book page. Still, it quickly disappeared, "Hehehehe¡­ a newly awakened Fighting Giant Spirit bearer can''t resist the urge to fight a stronger opponent no matter the strength difference. That''s why most of them are dead because they court death themselves like lunatics. If they can''t control this urge... how amusing¡­ Hehehe!"

 Chapter 453 A Brutal Aspect

    Chapter 453 A Brutal Aspect


    Jacob felt quite strange with his newly awakened physical instinct, but he didn''t give in and controlled that strange urge to enter a fistfight with that Shadow Wraith.


    The next moment, the ck Titan appeared, which now fits perfectly in his new hand, and he took a shot at the wraith''s face.


    However, to his surprise, a dark hue suddenly lit up on the wraith''s body, and the bulletpletely passed through it like it was just an illusion. Jacob''s expression changed as it was the first time an opponent was able to react so quickly and even dodge his bullet.


    The Shadow Wraith was extremely dangerous as he couldn''t read or predict its moments.


    The Wraith Race was one of the tops of the Dark Being Races in the Dark Beings hierarchy, and they were also called the Killers of Night. They were always merciless, even towards their own kind, and lived alone in shadows and preyed on anything that fancied them, and they could sense fear from miles away. The more fear their prey have, the more enjoyable their hunt and impossible to escape.


    However, only 1 in 100,000 Skeleton Grand Warriors can evolve into the direction of a Wraith, and if someone showed signs, their own kind would like to get rid of them before they turned into a full-fledged Wraith since they were more of a disaster than help.


    Jacob knew he had encountered a tricky opponent, and suddenly, the Wraith suddenly moved into the darkness before slipping right into it, vanishingpletely.


    "Are there more or them?" Jacob asked while he felt ill at ease since he knew that guy hadn''t retreated at all. In fact, he was going to attack very soon, so he quickly asked Immortika if there were more such deadly dark beings around here.


    "Hehe, I don''t think the others would dare to wander into the Shadow Wraith territory unless it was another Shadow Wraith. So, no, there are no more. At least for now. Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob was d to hear it, and his eyes turned sharp, and the next moment, he ran!


    He wasn''t an idiot to wait for that Shadow Wraith to attack him where he can''t even sense its movement. No matter how much his body was screaming at him to stop and fight, his mind was calm and collected.


    "What the hell is happening? I know there is something you''re not telling me about this new aspect!" Jacob coldly questioned Immortika as he ran toward the inheritor checkpoint.


    "The Fighting Giant Spirit is abat-rted aspect, so what do you expect? Hehehe¡­ I''ve told you enough. Besides, as long as you have a strong mind, I don''t think you need to worry about your raw instincts." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob pursed his lips and wanted to say something when he suddenly sidestepped, nearly losing his bnce, and smashed into the maze wall.


    But his eyes were focused on the de and bony hand appearing within the shadows, and the next moment, the Shadow Wraith crept out. Now, the swords in its hands were shimming in dark hue as if it was going to try something new since sneak attacks were not working on Jacob because of his high sensitivity.


    "Humph, since you''re alone, you can die." Jacob coldly uttered before using, ''Slumber Hex!''


    He has been avoiding using it since he needed to recharge the hex mana afterward. Furthermore, for a moment, he disdained the use of this spell, which would lead to an easy victory, and Jacob found that notion absurd as he knew his mind was being affected by that strange instinct.


    So, now he was no longer as happy as before of awakening that physical aspect, and it no longer seemed to be harmless at all. In fact, it was as dangerous as the Fluid eleration if he had no control over it.


    The next moment, the Shadow Wraith, who was preparing some spell, suddenly stopped as the swords in its hand dropped, and he wobbled before falling to the ground.


    Jacob was pleased with that result, and without hesitation, he moved and stomped his massive feet over the Wrath''s hooded head, and the sound of a skull encased in a ss being smashed into pieces rang.


    Thereby, Jacob then felt a sliver of coldness suddenly enter his body before it instantly vanished into his hex magic core. He felt it too many times, as it only happened whenever he killed a dark being who met the criteria for his hex core evaluation.


    Jacob didn''t bother searching for the magic core since he could tell he had cursed it with the skull. Although it was regrettable, his power was still not under hisplete control, or it would be more urate to say he felt anger for a moment, so he used his full strength to crush that Wraith skull.


    "I think I understand why you said if I meet someone with Fighting Giant Spirit, they would try to kill me. You call this aspect a tyrant, which could only mean this aspect''s nature is brutal. Someone can lose their mind if they ovee with brutality, isn''t that it?" Jacob coldly spoke as he clenched his fist and felt the hidden power in his body that wanted him to go on a rampage.


    "Hahahaha¡­ isn''t it ironic that someone would havepletely opposite physical instincts than his mind? It''s quite entertaining for me to see as I can''t wait to see who will win in the end, mind or body. Or will both be united in the end? How mysterious¡­"


    Jacob''s expression crumpled when he read that sadist text, and he wanted to smash a punch on the cursed book, but he controlled himself and decided to move forward.


    But before that, he picked up the Shadow Wraith chipped swords. Although they looked worn down, he knew they were magic weapons and were at least of intermediate epic-grade quality, as they were the perfect substitutes until he could make new ones.


    Thereafter, Jacob no longer encountered any Wraith, but other Dark Beings were a different story. But Jacobpletely ignored them and ran towards his goal. He also noticed a new thing about the Giant Fighting Spirit aspect.


    He didn''t feel that fighting instincts towards those weak, dark beings that he knew he could easily crush. If anything, he felt disdain, like they were just ants, and it wasn''t worth dealing with them.


    This discovery was enough to give Jacob more insights into his new aspect, but he still has a long way to go.


    After some twists and turns, Jacob was finally able to reach his destination as the static voice rang at this moment,


    "You have discovered the hidden Inheritor Checkpoint!


    "Please insert the Witch Queen''s Key to move forward!"

 Chapter 454 Three Imprecates

    Chapter 454 Three Imprecates


    Jacob entered his second inheritor checkpoint, and this ce was exactly the same as thest one, which made him frown with a foreboding feeling in his chest.


    At this moment, a projection appeared, and it was also the projection of the same person, Witch Queen Margret!


    She appeared while concealing her appearance like before and started speaking, "If you''re watching this, then this could only mean you have reached the final stage of the insentience grounds.


    "I must congratte you because, truth be told, I never expected anything ever to meet my high standards in epic ins¡ªespecially the qualification of possessing a magic core rted to curse.


    "But if you''re able to reach the end of this trial, then this means you have it, or you''re simply too powerful for my trials to hold you back. Whichever the case is, if you manage to pass thisst trial, the Witch Pce is yours and everything in it!


    "After this projection ends, three magic scrolls containing my strongest three Imprecates will appear before you. They are the symbol of my years of research and attainment in curse magic, and if you want to be my sessor, you need to have the talent and willpower to surpass me.


    "All you need to do is to endure each for 10 minutes of each curse. Don''t worry if you can''t endure them; I''ve modified those three curse magic scrolls in a way they will instantly break the spell once 10 minutes pass. Or you can break them yourselves if you have the skills."


    "It is a farewell, O'' mysterious one. After this point, you''ll either be my sessor or just join the ranks of my victims. For once, I''m pretty agitated and excited, aren''t you? Hihi¡­"


    Margret darkly giggled before her projection was gone, and the next moment, three stone columns started to rise from the ground, and three crimson scrolls were resting above them.


    Jacob''s expression was solemn as he looked at Immortika and asked, "I''ve been meaning to ask this; is Imprecate another form of Curse like the Whammy?"


    "Why, of course, Imprecate and Whammy are both two sides of a single coin called the Sin Curses, one of the main branches of Curse. They both use evil as their base to invoke malicious cures upon their targets. If Whammy is invoked by poison, then an Imprecate is invoked by evil canticle sounds.


    "It''s a very intriguing discipline andplex since just one mistake, and you''ll be the one getting corroded by the same Imprecate you were trying to corrode something else. That little witch seemed to have some achievement in Sin Cures. Even her methods are to my liking, Hehehe!"


    Jacob ignored thest part and asked with a frown, "Sin Curses? Can you tell me what is the difference between hex and this sin curse? Or, as a matter of fact, what is this curse? Aren''t curses supposed to be just curses? Just when did they be asplex as a universe?"


    Jacob has been wondering for a while now about this exact same question. Only aftering here did he get to know just howplex curses were, and the more he knew, the moreplex they became.


    At the root of thisplexity was ''Curse.'' Jacob even thought that the Cursed work in Cursed Immortality might be rted to cures after all since even his magic was curse-rted.


    However, what he failed to understand why his magic core was Hex Core instead of Curse Core, and he knew there was something different, especially aftering all this way.


    "Hehehe¡­ aren''t you a curious one. But my answer will be the same; you need to explore on your own, and I can''t answer anything unless you find it first. The topic you stir is out of your league right now. But don''t worry, just as you found the traces of Sin Cures, I know you''ll make your way all the way towards Curses. Hehehe!"


    Jacob pursed his lips as he was expecting this sort of answer to begin with, but it still made him perplexed. It was just that he didn''t know if it was because of his new aspect or if Immortika had a knack for ruffling his feathers.


    "Then tell me what kind of Imprecate are stored in those magic scrolls?" This was the main reason he wanted Immortika present here anyway.


    He guessed that since he was just 2 points away from achieving his objective, the trial might be the hardest one because there wasn''t any information given on the levels of checkpoints or any sequence from easy to hard.


    So, it wasn''t hard to guess they were all based on the participant''s progress in the inheritance grounds.


    "Oh, that I can do in the least. The left one is a Bone Eater Imprecate, an Advanced Epic Rank Imprecate Spell that will release a peculiar sin curse that while will give you the illusion of your bone being eaten away by thousands of insects. While in reality, your bones will be corroding with the Imprecate until there''s nothing left of them.


    "The center one is a Bloody Imprecate, the same rank as the left one. It will affect blood by making it stop circting, and you can imagine what could happen once blood stops circting in a body.


    "Thest one, the right one, is quite interacting because it is the imitation of a Legendary Imprecate, Evil Cannibal Imprecate. Although it is nowhere near its original, it still has 1 percent of the original''s effect.


    "Being effective by Imprecate means you will die by feeding on your own flesh and blood. Imagine the absolute urge to eat your own flesh and drink your own blood, and everything else has turned into poison. Nothing tastes as sweet as your own meat, and drink as intoxicating as your own blood.


    "Hehehe¡­ and this is just me telling you moderately. The Evil Cannibal Imprecate will only be stronger and stronger until the target is choking on its own guts. Isn''t it just a marvelous thing to take revenge on your enemy? Hahahah¡­"


    Jacob felt cold sweat at this moment and felt insects crawling under his skin just reading about the Evil Cannibal Imprecate. It was simply malicious even for your enemies, and now he had to get affected by such a spell willingly? It just made him even more fearful, and he wondered just how in the world the Vile Witch copied such an Imprecate.


    "I-I won''t be affected by them, right?" Jacob had to confirm this as hepletely hesitates now.


    However, Immortika''s reply left him seething, "Hehehe, won''t we find out once you open those scrolls?"

 Chapter 455 The Final Checkpoint

    Chapter 455 The Final Checkpoint


    After getting burnt by Immortika, Jacob, with a dark expression, moved towards the first scroll on the left, Bone Eater Imprecate!


    Although these imprecates were horrifying, he knew his hex magic core wasn''t normal either. If this were dangerous, Immortika would''ve left behind an ambiguous clue. It was even so subtle, but he knew the cursed book couldn''t help itself.


    So, in the end, Jacob, in the light of his recent power-up and discovery about the hex magic core nullification effect on previous imprecate, decided to go for it and opened the Bone Eater Imprecate Magic Scroll!


    The very next moment, Jacob suddenly heard faint whispers. Still, only for a moment, and the next thing he knew was his mind going nk before he found himself in a dark ce, lying inside a sticky substance, and something or things were trying to prate his body!


    A terrible, terrible feeling of pain and despair suddenly hit him, but the very next moment, that illusion shattered like ss, and the dark membrane around Jacob''s eyes cleared up while the scroll in his hand was still turning into dust.


    But the thing was, Jacob was drenched in cold sweat, and breathing was hurried while he knew only a second or two had passed.


    ''I was drawn into that illusion in an instant! Just how powerful these Imprecate Magic Scrolls are? If not for my hex magic core, I don''t think I can survive, whatever that thing was!'' Jacob felt a few chills coursing through his spins as the fear lingered in his eyes.


    "Oh, 4.3 seconds, no bad. Someone could''ve easily been killed with this time. Hehehehe!" Immortika wrote in relish.


    Jacob''s expression grew paler. He didn''t retort because he knew Immortika was stating the fact. If he ever encountered an enemy like the Witch Queen Margret, who can use imprecate magic, he knew he would be long dead without even knowing the cause.


    Just like how his opponents would meet a certain doom under his hex magic.


    ''The curse magic is bing more and more ridiculous¡­'' Jacob thought as he moved toward the next scroll with a hint of fear.


    But he wasn''t entirely afraid since now that it was confirmed he could break free from these spells and no one was there to attack him, he didn''t need to worry and focus on passing thisst checkpoint.


    After picking Bloody Imprecate Magic Scroll, he opened it while preparing for another strange spell effect.


    However, to his surprise, nothing seemed to happen, and soon after, the scroll started to turn into dust particles.


    Jacob thought he had missed something, but he waspletely fine. Then he looked at Immortika, and his eyes instantly narrowed.


    "Oops, did I forget to mention that Blood Imprecate directly affects the heart to stop the bloodstream? But you know what kind of heart you had, so this kind of insignificant spell will not even skim the Cursed Heart, much less control it. Hehe¡­"


    "You biblical bastard!" Jacob said through gritted teeth. He knew Immortika deliberately did it so it could get a kick out of watching him all anxious, and when he saw the maniacalughter filling the page after he cussed, he knew he was right.


    In the end, he controlled his raging fury since there wasn''t a point in wasting his breath on a lunatic. He picked up thest scroll and the most dangerous one among the three, the Evil Cannibal Imprecate Magic Scroll.


    He was still afraid of this imprecate spell despite knowing his immunity to curses.


    ''Let''s get it over with!'' Jacob''s eyes shone with conviction, and he opened the magic scroll.


    The next moment, he heard the mysterious whisper again, and the next thing he felt was hunger! A hunger so terrifying that he could eat everything, and he was very familiar with this sort of feeling.


    It was just that it''s been a while since he had experienced it because after he got the Wyvern''s Endurance, all he felt was sleepy whenever he was hungry.


    But this feeling was something he would never forget, and he chuckled in mockery as he showed full control over his body despite the urge to eat his own self, "Heh, and here I was afraid of this spell. Inparison, this is nothing in front of the real curse I got from you!"


    Jacob looked at cursed immortality with cold eyes as it began tough even more manically, clearly enjoying Jacob''s intense gaze.


    The next moment, Jacob felt a strong reaction from his hex core, and the next moment, that hunger started to fade away while the scroll turned into dust. But Jacob''s eyes were affixed on Immortika.


    At this moment, the static voice rang,


    "Witch Pce System detects the Bone Eater Imprecate, Bloody Imprecate, and Cannibal Imprecate has been sessfully removed!


    "Time taken: 13 seconds!


    "Participant Viper has gone beyond the Witch Queen''s expectation!


    "You have been rewarded with 20 Inheritor Points!


    "Participant Viper now has a total of 118 Inheritor Points!"


    "The prerequisites of the Witch Pce Inheritance Grounds have beenpleted by Participant Viper!


    "Congrattions! As the final reward set by the Witch Queen, you are granted full control over the Witch Pce!


    "Inheritor, Faery Human, Viper, your life signature has been recorded sessfully, and the Master Authority has beenpletely surrendered by Witch Pce System to Inheritor Viper!


    "The transfer process has beenpleted!


    "The final projection recording of the previous owner has begun to y as the finalmand of Witch Queen!"


    Jacob was surprised because everything went too smoothly. Truth be told, he was expecting some backstab by the Vile Witch or some other excuse. But to his surprise, for the first time since he hade to this world, things actually went smoothly and without any betrayal or hidden tricks.


    He even felt somewhat ufortable by it and looked at the projection of the Witch Queen with full-on high alert as he thought that it might be it. But what he heard next waspletely out of his wildest expectations!

 Chapter 456 Witch Palace (1)

    Chapter 456 Witch Pce (1)


    "Congrattions onpleting the requirement to be my sessor!" Witch Queen Margret''s projection stated impassively, "I never expected anyone to ovee these trials. But if someone did appear, then this could only mean its fate, and we were meant to be fated.


    "I made this recording while being persuaded by the three hegemonies because they won''t like I''m in possession of all the in shares of Epic ins. It would be quite ironic if my sessor is affiliated with one of the three hegemonies. Heh, at least they could''ve sent Uniques if they wanted to give me at least some challenge.


    "Well, I''m not someone who holds a grudge against insignificant ants. So, I''ve sold the shares to the three hegemonies for a special item. Now, I''m going to leave the Epic ins since I''ve gotten everything I wanted, and now it''s time for me to take revenge.


    "I don''t know if I''ll be alive when you, my sessor, would appear or just how much time would''ve passed by. But if I died while taking revenge, I don''t want my legacy and years of research to go to waste, so I''m leaving everything in this ce.


    "I hope you''ll inherit everything and even surpass me. I won''t ask for anything in return. I hope for us to meet one day if I''m alive and you want to meet or ever contact me; my Star ID is¡­! Farewell, my one and only student!" The projection vanished thereafter.


    Jacob frowned since he just felt the hatred when Margret talked about revenge while at the same time sincere hope for whoever got her legacy. Furthermore, Margret clearly left the epic ins on her own. She wasn''t killed.


    Moreover, from her arrogant tone, it was quite clear she didn''t dread Unique Ranks at all, and that was what made Jacob even more perplexed about just how strong Margret was and how in the world she was here and on whom she was seeking revenge.


    ''So, all those stories are fake, or did the three hegemonies create them to hide the fact about Margret being so powerful they can''t do anything to her? This entire thing is too strange. She clearly knew about Unique Rank, but it should be impossible for her to hear if she was from Unique ins, just like those pirates.


    ''Unless she was like me¡­'' Jacob''s heart raced just thinking about the possibility of another inheritor of the Universal Godly Scripture appearing.


    If he considered someone the biggest threat in his path, it was definitely the other inheritors of the remaining eight Universal Godly Scriptures!


    Although he didn''t know what the other eight Universal Godly Scriptures could do, since Cursed Immortality can grant immortality, they should have their own insane, unique feathers as well.


    Furthermore, Jacob was pretty sure if those Universal Godly Scriptures had inheritors, they would be as careful and discreet as him.


    Now, Margret appeared to be too strange, and he wondered if she was like him, who could enter the ins while ignoring the rules.


    "Do you think she has a Universal Godly Scripture?" Jacob could only turn to one thing that could know the exact answer to this question; Cursed Immortality.


    "Hehehehe¡­ who knows, she may have or may not. But if you''re reaching this conclusion by simply suspecting the fact that she was a Unique Rank and was living in the Epic ins, then you''re thinking too much.


    "What if she had a treasure that could help her suppress her real rank or other treasures like magic scrolls with unique rank magic store in them or unique rank armor? Or she has a way to regress her rank or was wounded by an enemy that her power had greatly affected.


    "Only true Unique Ranks can''t break past the ins restrictions, not former or almost Unique. And I''m even bothering to correct your mistake because you''re thinking about Universal Godly Scriptures like they are mere books.


    "If you''re not careful enough, your location can be discovered because a Universal Godly Scripture is very sensitive towards someone who knows its existence, especially their names!


    "If you speak their names, they can directly look at you! So, it will be my first andst warning to never casually speak about Universal Godly Scriptures again, at least not out loud. Or you''ll be calling cmity upon yourself. Well, it''s not like I''m against it or anything¡­hahahaha!"


    Jacob''s heart palpitated when he read Immortika''s first serious writing. He never thought Universal Godly Scriptures had such power, and he knew his mistake. He jumped the gun too soon, and despite Immortika''sst remark, it was clear it was warning him for his own good.


    ''Curiosity kills the cat¡­'' Jacob thought as he stopped thinking about all sorts of conjectures. He was sure if he ever encountered a Universal Godly Scripture Inheritor, Immortika would be the first one to alert him despite its entric personality.


    "Pce Master, you maymand the Witch Pce now!" The static voice rang at this moment.


    Jacob snapped out of his thoughts, ''Yes, who cares if she is a Universal Godly Scripture Inheritor or not? I''m not nning on meeting her or anything. I should focus on the rewards at hand."


    "I want to see all the things Witch Queen Margret left here, including her research on curse magic." Jacob issued his firstmand.


    The next moment, the entire room suddenly shakes faintly, and the next moment, the floor below the stone columns starts to shift, revealing the stairway. Jacob was surprised.


    "Please follow this passage and enter the Western Wing of Witch Pce!"


    Jacob frowned as he asked, "Western Witch Pce? Where are we now, and how big is this ce?"


    "The Witch Pce is divided into Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, and Central Wings. Southern Wing is where the Death Maze is built. The Western Wing is where both the treasury and library of the Witch Pce are.


    "The Eastern Wing is where all the research facilities are located. The Northern Wing is the training hub of the Witch Pce. Lastly, the Central Wing is the Central Command Unit of the Witch Pce and also where the Pce Master''s living quarters are located.


    "The entire witch pce is connected with a massive underground maze, and without my help and Pce Master''s permission, no one can escape alive!"

 Chapter 457 Witch Palace (2)

    Chapter 457 Witch Pce (2)


    Jacob walked into the long, narrow tunnel lit with magic torches. Actually, the tunnel was quite spacious, but not for a giant, so he was having some difficulty walking.


    Nheless, Jacob didn''t mind the minor details as his focus was entirely on this meticulously built ce. He had to admit if not for the AI''s direction, he would''ve been lost in this underground maze.


    After walking and following directions for over twenty minutes, Jacob finally reached another staircase, and a door was opening just like the one he had entered through this ce.


    Walking out, Jacob found himself standing in the center of a spacious library. It was filled with bookshelves, and his eyes shone, ''This is all the knowledge Margret had umted in the epic ins.''


    He longed for this kind of ce and knew just how fortunate he was to found it. Since Margret had been so powerful, her collection wouldn''t be any less impressive either.


    "We are in the Western Wing of the Witch Pce. Pce Master is currently in the Library. In this ce, there are four separate knowledge sections.


    "Section A stored all the previous pce master research. Section B stored all the magic-rted knowledge for the Sorcery. Section C is for the Combat. Section D is for alchemy.


    "The treasury is located in the hidden section. Would you like to head in the treasury?"


    Jacob''s lips rose as all the knowledge he wanted was here, and he said, "Let''s head there."


    Although he wanted to be submerged in that knowledge right away, he couldn''t help but wonder just how many treasures the Witch Queen had left here. He was pretty sure those treasures wouldn''t fall short of the wealth of the three leaders of the three hegemonies.


    The moment he gave hismand, he heard somerge cogwheels suddenly move, and the next moment, the right wall of the library filled with bookshelves suddenly split and opened like a door!


    Behind that wall was a silvery door that started to shift left while making deep sounds, and behind that door appeared a huge glittering space.


    Without hesitation, Jacob moved toward the treasury with ecstasy. As he stepped inside, he was rooted in his ce when he saw the dazzling sight of treasures stored in that ce.


    There were weapons, pills, magic scrolls, space rings, and talismans. Hills of magic gems, magic cores, raw materials, herbs, and ores. They were all neatly arranged and encased in a special corporeal barrier to make sure they wouldn''t wilt or lose their essentials no matter how many years they were stored there.


    However, what truly stuck out from all those treasures were three ss columns in the center and three items hovering above them; a ck book, a ck robe, and a faceless white mask.


    "Why are these three items stored separately from others?" Jacob tried asking the AI as he moved toward them.


    The AI replied, "They are the most precious items in the whole treasury. The ck book is a Unique Rank Universal Scripture called the Dusk of ck Magic. It is also the universal scripture the previous pce master cultivates, and it''s suitable for any curse-rted magic core. As her sessor, you should also cultivate this, for it is the most precious treasure of the Witch Queen.


    "The ck Robe is a Basic Unique Rank Armor, handcrafted by the previous pce master for her sessor. Its size can be adjusted ording to the wearer''s size, and it has a clearing, fire, dust, and water resistance magic runes engraved in it.


    "The Gluttony Mask is something she found by chance in a no-retune zone. Its exact rank is unknown, for it is a mysterious treasure.


    "The previous Pce Master was only able to find two functions of this mask. As long as you feed the Gluttony Mask aplete corpse of a living being, it can change your facial features, and bodyposition into that exact corpse that it devoured. Once it feeds again, the previous disguise will be overwritten by the new one.


    "The second function is rted to the first feature. The Gluttony Mask seemed to have the ability to be stronger as it ate corpses like a living being. In a sense, this mask is alive, and it could also affect the wearer''s mind because it would absorb all the resentments of the dead person it devours.


    "The Witch Queen only left this behind because she didn''t want her sessor to die. But she also left a word of caution: don''t feed it too much unless you have strong mental strength, or it might devour the wearer''s mind. Right now, the Gluttony Mask is around the intermediate epic rank, and a female goblin''s disguise is its current disguise.


    "Lastly, this mask required Mystic Signature to control. Without it, it''s just an ordinary skin mask."


    Jacob was astounded by the first two items since they were both weing. But the strange Gluttony Mask was simply an unexpected surprise.


    ''Not only this mask can change facial but bodyposition after eating a corpse, which should be impossible. But it won''t evene closer to the fact that this thing is alive and can grow by devouring corpses. Not to mention it can affect the mind!'' Jacob thought with a grave expression as he looked at the white mask, which seemed extremely ordinary, but it was the most sinister thing in this entire treasury.


    Furthermore, he was sure the Witch Queen hadn''t left it behind out of the kindness of her heart. Or who in their right mind would leave behind a treasure that can virtually grow endlessly?


    Although he had to admit Margret was quite generous and even kind enough to leave behind all these treasures for her sessor. But that mask was too out of ce, and this gave Jacob all sorts of reasons not to get involved in it.


    The Witch Queen was too mysterious, and that mask was even more. Besides, he needed a mystic signature to operate that mask, which he didn''t have at that moment.


    So even if he was suicidal enough and tempted by its ability to change faces on a whim, which Jacob really needed right now, he couldn''t use it.


    Furthermore, he wanted to ask Immortika''s opinion on that mask first after its summoning time refreshed before deciding, how to deal with it.


    Nheless, since he got all those treasures, it was time for him to make his report to Captain Free Sword before his body forced him to. Only then would he be free to study to his heart''s content until, of course, the trial in descended!

 Chapter 458 A New Task from Captain

    Chapter 458 A New Task from Captain


    "Mr. King, I have to admit, I had my doubts about this venture of yours. But it seemed I''ve underestimated you." Captain Free Sword''s jolly yet scrutinous voice rang from the Vermin Transponder, "So, what is the haul?"


    Jacob has just reported his session in the Vile Witch Layer. He confirmed that this ce belonged to someone from the Witch Race. But he omitted all the crucial details about the Witch Pce and the Witch Queen Margret.


    All he revealed was he got the inheritance after going through some difficulties. He didn''t reveal his encounter with Star Hackers, or Captain Free Sword might lose confidence in him if he knew Jacob was now the enemy of Star Hackers.


    But that guy didn''t even ask about how he got here and directly asked about the treasures, <nulli>''As expected of a pirate.'' Jacob scoffed inwardly before he replied impassively, "It''s pretty good. You''ll definitely like all of these, I can assure you, Captain!"


    "Hahaha¡­ since you''ve said it, Mr. King, I believed you, and you''ll be generously rewarded once youe back." Captain Free Swordughed heartedly, "Now that you have gotten what you wanted, are you moving to the next phase of your n?"


    Jacob impassively replied, "Indeed, now all I have to do is to spread the news and wait for those three hegemonies'' high-ranking members to take the bait. It''ll be quite easy to enve them this way. I need your permission to go forward with my n."


    "Since you performed well, Mr. King, as long as it is for the Unique Star Ocean Medallion and your actions won''t affect me or my crew, you can take actions as you see fit. But you have to give your usual report in more detail." Captain Free Sword nonchntly stated.


    He was still under the impression that Jacob could not make false reports because of the ve Rune, nor could he take independent action against him. So, he was now even more confident that Jacob could pull this off.


    However, Jacob wanted to hear exactly those words because with them, he was free until the in trial and he doesn''t have to move around anymore, nor he was nning to.


    "Thank you for your trust!" Jacob thanked Captain Free Sword as if he was very gratified by his acknowledgment.


    Captain Free Sword was pleased with Jacob''s attitude as he said, "Now on to our next business. Remember I''ve told you that if you pull this off, I have another task for you?"


    <nulli>''What is he after now?'' Jacob frowned as he replied, "Indeed, please go ahead."


    "It''s simple actually, you see, my crew and I hadn''te here of our own free will. But traitors in our ranks betrayed us, and I had no choice but to use a very precious treasure to escape with my and my crewmates'' lives.


    "The Dark Elf you saw in Masha''sb is one of the traitors. Although he surrendered on his own and imed to be the only traitor, I beg to differ. Because it was quite clear he was sacrificing himself for someone else, or it might be just my overthinking things.


    "Whatever the case is, we can''t just go back if there is even the slightest chance of another traitor still present amidst our ranks because we''ll be just going back to our doom.


    "If there''s still a remaining traitor on this ship, he or she has deep ties with one of the three hegemonies of the Unique ins. If he could contact the Epic in''s three hegemonies, I''m pretty sure our enemy won''t sit still once they find out where we are and might send someone to finish the job." Captain Free Sword grimly revealed.


    Jacob''s expression changed slightly since he never expected Captain Free Sword to reveal this information to him. He also had his own spections about why a powerful person like Captain Free Sword woulde to the epic ins.


    Now, it was quite clear he wasn''t here of his own free will but was betrayed by one of his own people.


    "What do you want me to do?" Jacob asked, as he had a very bad feeling about this. If there was still a traitor, then that person was cunning enough to get still not caught by that conniving ogre, so what can someone like him do?


    "Heh, it''s pretty simple, actually. If there is a traitor and they want to contact the unique ins, then they need at least the leader-level character to establish that contact.


    "All you need to do is to enve the three hegemonies leaders somehow. So, if the traitor tried to make contact, you''ll know, and all you have to do after that is to tell your kind Captain, and I''ll handle it from there." Captain Free Sword stated his n.


    But Jacob''s expression clouded, and he almost started to curse Captain Free Sword because he was asking too much.


    Enving the three leaders? He would die before he could reach their safe bunkers, and they were not foolish enough to meet him in person and alone.


    Captain Free Sword was simply asking him tomit suicide!


    Jacob calmed himself and tried to talk reason, "But captain, it''s impossible to do that. I''m not powerful enough to go toe to toe with the leaders, and they seldomly made appearances. No one knows about their actual whereabouts. Besides, if there is a traitor, he might have already made the contact, or he might not even do this. So, it''s simply too risky for our own n."


    "Hahaha! As expected of you, Mr. King. But you have no choice but to do it. Even if that traitor had made contact already, I wanted to know, and if he didn''t dare to, then I was to be sure of it.


    "Because without assurance, I can''t go back, nor do I want to resort to violence with my crew on mere spection. I need to be sure that there is another traitor, and you, Mr. King, are going to help me whether you like it or not.


    "After all, your life is also connected with us now, so you better do all you can to keep it safe! Oh, and I''m pretty sure the three leaders will be in the in trial, so you''ll get your chance!" Captain Free Sword coldlyughed before he directly cut off the call after he gave the absolute orders.


    Jacob''s eyes were swirling with killing intent as he wanted to crush that vermin transponder, but his body wouldn''t let him.


    <nulli>''This bastard!'' Jacob fumed before he regained his calm and sighed ruefully, "At least he didn''t give me an ultimatum. I look forward to that day when our positions will have switched!"

 Chapter 459 Skulls, I’m Back!

    Chapter 459 Skulls, I¡¯m Back!


    The hidden headquarters of the Killer Skull Society.


    S-0 trembled a little when she looked at the call on her Star Watch and epted it after calming her wildly beating heart.


    "Greetings, my lord!" She tried to be as respectful as possible, but the fear in her voice couldn''t remain hidden.


    "Hmph, it seemed you''re doing quite well. Does this mean my assets and data have been secured?" The ghastly voice asked with scrutiny.


    S-0 quaveringly implored, "T-this¡­ I''m still looking for clues about the Faceless Ancient. But that rat is too careful, and no one is able to find any trace of him. I''m sure my lord should know about how even the three leaders of the three hegemonies wanted to capture him or kill him. But even they had failed to find him.


    "We had been underestimating him all this time, and he''s clearly not just anyone. I''m afraid he might have a backer from higher ins helping him. Please give me more time!"


    "Hehehe¡­" The ghastly voice burst into eerieughter, which made S-0''s heartbeat widely with trepidation because she knew better than anyone that the person on the other side was angry, not joyous.


    The voice suddenly stopped before stating, "Your luck is really something else. I know you''re telling the truth, and that pest is really not some trifle. But it doesn''t give you the courage to try negotiating with me!


    "You only have until the trial ins beginning. Once the trial begins, you''ll no longer be the S-0, but S-1 and S-1 will be recing you since he has been far more useful than youtely. I''ve even decided what kind of Dark Skull Mission I would give you, so look forward to it, hehehehe!"


    The call suddenly cut off while the echo of that ghastlyughter rang for a long time in S-0''s mind like some nightmare.


    In the end, she couldn''t help but roar with hatred, "Faceless Ancient, you bastard, just why?!"


    After a few moments, just when she started to calm down, a static voice rang, "Lord S-0, I have urgent matters which need your utmost attention!"


    S-0''s eyes narrowed as she felt something was amiss, "What is it?"


    "Just a few minutes ago, 9 of our secret bases, base no. 62,83,89 in the Alliance Region, base no. 48,50 in the Alchemy Region and base no.44,97,99 in the Bank Region has been fully annihted!" The static voice emotionlessly reported.


    "What!? How did those leaders find out? Not even a single survivor is left? Three of those bases are in the medium size cities. How could they get annihted so quickly?" S-0 asked in disbelief, as it was simply too unrealistic.


    "Please watch this footage, Lord S-0. You might be able to understand the situation from them. These footages have been trending on the Star Network News, and they are posted by none other than one Dark Skull Target with the star ID, The Society Killer!"


    S-0''s eyes contracted when she heard this name. The Dark Skull Targets were the mortal enemy of the Killer Skull Society and the highest-level priority targets. These targets must be eliminated because they were a direct threat to the existence of the Killer Skull Society.


    Even the Faceless Ancient, despite his continuous interference with the Killer Skull Society''s ns and after stealing their important assets, was still a Red Skull Target a level below the Dark Skull Target.


    "Why did he appear now of all the time?! He was silent for over 22 years after he got nearly killed by S-1." S-0 muttered as her day was getting from bad to worse very quickly since she knew nothing good woulde when the Society Killer was involved.


    At this moment, a few projection screens appeared in front of her, and the video started to y. She frowned because of the video of a fewndscapes and threerge cities, not their secret hideout, and was confused.


    However, the very next moment, she jumped in rm when all of a sudden a blinding white light suddenly appeared, followed by a deafening sound. What happened next was nothing but out of a nightmare as the white light grew and terrifying shock waves spread before a huge thick smock could rise towards the sky.


    "W-wh-what is this?!" She stuttered as her horrified eyes were glued on the screens as the same scene was ying on all of them.


    "Lord S-0, after analyzing thements on these star news posts, over 84% of people are calling these explosions caused by the Atomic Grenades created by the famous and also Red Skull Target, Faceless Ancient. No survivor or living being below the epic rank in the area of over 150 miles radius managed to survive, and our agents are all dead with the base thoroughly destroyed.


    "Although the Society Killer didn''t give credit to the Faceless Ancient, he only left three words, ''Skulls, I''m Back!'' on the star news posts. But many people are suspecting that he''s rted to the Faceless Ancient."


    The more S-0 heard, the more her blood boiled, and her eyes turned bloodshot. She was already having trouble with Faceless Ancient, and now the Society Killer hase out of nowhere.


    Not only that, but that guy might''ve been working with Faceless Ancient so they could get rid of theirmon enemy. S-0 didn''t dare to imagine just how deadly thatbination could be. Because the Society Killer was too cunning, he always somehow dug out their secret hideouts.


    But they were never able to find any traitor among themselves. It was simply impossible with the brain chips nted into every skull''s brain.


    That''s why the Society Killer was so dangerous and was made in the Dark Skull Target List so quickly.


    Furthermore, he wasn''t like Jacob, who wasn''t actively seeking trouble in the Killer Skull Society. That guy seemed to live just to destroy the Killer Skull Society, and he didn''t care about the lives he would sacrifice to achieve that goal.


    Just like right now, he directly annihted three medium-sized cities where the Killer Skull Society''s bases were hidden, and he clearly didn''t care about the coteral damage. That''s what made him so dangerous.


    Now, if there was a possibility that the Society Killer had teamed up with the Faceless Ancient, that was simply too terrifying. Just thinking about it made Skull No. S-0 shivered, and she knew she might not escape her pitiful fate after all!

 Chapter 460 The Star Magic System

    Chapter 460 The Star Magic System


    The magic system of the Zodiac ins is called the Star Magic System because of the Magic Orbits.


    As for why, it was because the magic orbits'' visual state was like countless stars had been molded and then etched into the structure of a living being.


    But the magic orbits weren''t limitless. Every living being has different amounts of magic orbits. The amount could vary depending on their bloodline density, innate talent,pression, species, races, and many other factors that can affect the number of magic orbits.


    These core factors and the number of magic orbits also decide a species'' rank.


    Amon rank species born with magic orbits between around 1 to 999 magic orbits. Rare 1000 to 6999. Extraordinary 7000 to 9999. Epic 10,000 to 99,999. Unique 100,000 to 999,999, and so on.


    When a living being started to sense Magic in the air, it indicated their dormant Magic Orbits awakening.


    Afterward, it wasmonly known knowledge of following specific steps to awaken Magic Orbits and form a magic core fully.


    The magic core was the heart of magic orbits and also its corporeal manifestation. But what happened to the magic orbits once a magic core fully manifested?


    Actually, the magic orbits then be the foundation for a magic core. It means the more magic orbits one is born with, the stronger the foundation. Moreover, creating a magic core doesn''t mean the magic orbits be useless, or they were fully integrated with the magic orb.


    Once someone could create a magic core, it was just the beginning of the magic path or path of stars. After a magic core is formed, one needs to refine their magic orbits slowly and, one by one, connect them with their magic core.


    Simrly, a White Star or Rectified Star in a magic core was formed after refining and connecting 1000 magic orbits into a single star. So to speak, only a rare-rank species has enough magic orbits to create a white star.


    The First Star Rank only has 9 White Stars in a magic core, which was the limit of a Star Rank Magic Core. Those nine stars then represent the nine-star tiers of the magic core.


    To further increase this capacity, a magic core needed to be evolved, and once the nine stars became 10, a magic core evolved into Epic Star Rank Magic Core.


    But it can''t be just done on a whim because talent and magic orbits are essential. Therger the number of magic orbits one has, the easier it is to evolve a magic core to another rank, thereby increasing its capacity. But the lesser the magic orbits, the more difficult it was to achieve the next tier, not to mention an entirely new star rank.


    An epic star magic core has the capacity to hold 99 Rectified Star, and those stars are no longer white but coated in the hue of the magic orbit''s element. 10 Rectified were equivalent to Tier-1 Epic Star Magic Rank, 20 Rectified Stars Tier-2, and 90 Rectified Stars to Tier-9 Epic Star Magic Rank.


    Once the number of Rectified Stars reached 99, then it represented the limit of the epic star magic core, and it needed to be evolved again into either Combat or Sorcery type Unique Star Magic Core. The number of Rectified Stars also bes 100 per tier in this star magic rank, and so on and forth.


    But when all the magic orbits were refined into Rectified Stars, and there were no more magic orbits left to refine, it simply meant the end of a person''s innate magic talent and bloodline. Without more magic orbits to refine, the path of further evaluation was closed.


    This was when people started to seek stronger bloodlines, medicine, or anything that could increase their potential and magic orbits. However, increasing one''stent talent and magic orbit capacity that they are born with was an excruciating process, and the mortality rate was over 70%.


    Especially if someone tries to integrate with something that their body can''t handle, like amon species trying to change their bloodline with a unique species'' or eat a simr medicine, they will end up blowing apart if their vessel isn''t strong enough.


    Magic Orbits also weren''t the same for everyone; some were born with unique magic orbits. Like growth type magic cores were examples of unique magic orbits called the Elemental Magic Orbits. Some are born with magic orbits that can grant unique magic abilities upon increasing a magic core rank, and these types of unique magic orbits are called Attribute Magic Orbits.


    The magic scriptures were then used to inflict different techniques to make the refinement process of Magic orbits faster and more wless, granting many benefits and more mana.


    As for the Universal Scripture, they not only have the benefits of a magic evolution scripture, but they can also modify the already refined magic orbits and grant abilities like innate magic abilities but are limited.


    In actuality, the thing that they actually modify weren''t the magic orbits, but with the help of magic orbits connected to a Rectified Star, they modify the Rectified Stars into unique formations called the Star Magic Formations, like runic formations. The Magic Ability Scriptures follow the same principle.


    The difference was this wasn''t something that could be done or just anyone could invent those abilities. After years of errors and research, a Star Magic Formation of Rectified Stars was discovered. Just moving a Rectified Star in one''s magic core was seemingly impossible, much less setting them up in a formation¡­


    Looking at all these notes of the Witch Queen Margret, Jacob felt like a vast world of possibilities had been opened to him. This was the first time he was seeing information on how magic orbits work and the secrets of the scriptures in so much depth.


    His eyes shone like a researcher''s as he turned one page after another while books were already piling around him. It had been two months since he started reading, and time was flying without Jacob realizing it.


    But as time passed, his knowledge about the star magic system grew at a terrifying rate!

 Chapter 461 Sin and Virtue Curses

    Chapter 461 Sin and Virtue Curses


    Magic/mana has two forms: Abstract Magic and Corporeal Magic. Abstract Magic Attributes can''t cause physical harm, opposite to the Corporeal Magic Attributes.


    Attributes like water, earth, lighting, wind, and such elements were all corporeal magic. While attributes such as holy, dark, shadow, curses, and such elements fall under the category of Abstract Magic.


    The Abstract Magic could directly cause harm to the mind, and it was physically harmless. This type of magic was very hard to master andplex in many ways. The owners of such magic can''t use their mana to strengthen their weapons or use them in physicalbat. But if someone mastered Abstract Magic, it was very hard to guard against their attacks.


    The Curse Abstract Magic was as mysterious as the Holy Abstract Magic, and these two attributes were the bane of each other. Furthermore, the scoop of these two abstract attributes was so vast that they were divided into many branches.


    Just mastering one of their branches was virtually impossible, and only after mastering each branch can one fully grasp the essence of an abstract attribute.


    The Curse Magic was divided into two main branches: Sin Curses and Virtue Cures. These two branches are then further divided into sub-branches.


    The Sin Curses were curses that feed on the target''s sins, while the Virtue Cures feed on the target''s virtues. Both of them were almost unbreakable cures if someone was able to master them.


    The Witch Race was proficient in Witchcraft, which was the branch of the Sin Cures, and Margaret belonged to the witch race''s species called the Vile Witch. The Vile Witch race studies the Whammy Poison and Imprecate Magic. Whammy is invoked by poison, Imprecate invoked by evil canticle sounds, and to study these two disciplines, one needed a magic core rted to curse magic.


    There were many books and Margret''s personal records on Whammy Poison and Imprecate Magic in the library and database, which brought Jacob joy as he finally started his research on these two disciplines.


    Jacob naturally chose the Imprecate magic first because it didn''t need any physical object like poison. Although Margret left a wide variety of poisons for her inheritor to practice with, Jacob wanted spells rted to curse magic more.


    The imprecate magic spells were all dependent on evil canticle sounds, and Jacob discovered that there was a special magic ability scripture named the Hymn of Evil, which was essential to perform an imprecate magic spell.


    But he soon frowned when he saw the requirement for this magic ability scripture, <nulli>''I need 12 Rectified Stars to make a Star Magic Formation to conjure this ability? But my magic core is only at the peak of star rank, which means I should only have nine rectified stars. This is a problem. I need more stars to conjure other magic abilities. <nulli>''No wonder those guys throw so many magic ability scriptures in auction. The more powerful the magic ability, the more rectified stars I need to conjure that magic ability. Just the silent casting magic ability required nine rectified stars. This is a bit problematic. <nulli>''Furthermore, my magic cores won''t follow themon sense of the Star Magic System. The Hex Magic Core evolves by ranks, not tiers, while the Water Magic Core was formed directly at the epic rank, and I have no idea if it will evolve with other evolution magic scriptures. <nulli>''Even if it evolved, I don''t know if I can create this ability in other magic cores than hex magic core¡­.'' Jacob became confused as he was in a dilemma. He had some idea about how his magic core worked, but the water magic core was still a mystery. He still didn''t find any record of someone else having more than one magic core, so he was inpletely unknown territory on this subject.


    <nulli>"Cursed Immortality!" Jacob decided to summon the cursed book in the hope he could get some clues about how to proceed.


    The moment the cursed book appeared, he asked before it could startughing, <nulli>"You should''ve known why I summoned you. Tell me, if I evolve my hex magic core to epic rank, how many rectified stars would I get?"


    Immortikaughed as usual before replying,<nulli><nullb> "Hehe¡­ you''ve finally stepped into the field of magic, huh? Very well, I should help you a little. Every time youplete the prerequisites of a star magic rank of the hex magic core evolution, it will directly reach the peak of that rank." Jacob''s expression brightened before he threw another question, <nulli>"Then what about magic orbits? How many do I have?" <nulli><nullb>"Hehehe, are you really putting limitations on yourself? Do I need to remind you that you''re my inheritor? Your body evolves every time youplete a stage of mine. So, now tell me, if you evolve, won''t your magic orbits follow suit?" Immortika questioned.


    Jacob''s eyes went wide as realization struck him, "<nulli>So you mean to say I don''t have a limit to how many magic orbits I can have if my physical body is strong enough?" <nulli><nullb>"Exactly! Hahahaha¡­ aren''t I great?" Immortikaughed.


    Jacob sneered,<nulli> "Yeah, if only I could say the same about your personality." <nulli><nullb>"Now, you''re just being a jerk!" <nulli>"We both know who the jerk is between us. How about my water core? Can I cultivate with evaluation scripture, or if I use the rectified stars in the water magic core to form a Star Magic Formation for curse-rted magic, will it work?" Jacob questioned.


    <nullb><nulli>"Hahahaha¡­ now that''s another matter entirely and not rted to me as far as I could tell. How about you try and find one for yourself? It''s not like you don''t have the capital to try. After all, since it''s your magic core, shouldn''t you be able to control it at will?" Immortika ambiguously replied.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed,<nulli> "You know what, you''re right. Last question, is it true that true curse magic can only be learned after grasping Sin and Virtue Cures?" <nulli><nullb>"Heh, it is indeed true, but you''re still missing far too much to even think about mastering both types of curses. The sheer scoop of this ambition is something that no mortal could achieve!"

 Chapter 462 All Alive Alliance (1)

    In a ck mask, Lucy was silently sitting in a heated meeting between the ten strongest S-ss mercenaries of the Epic ins. These mercenaries were not only the strongest S-ss mercenaries, but they also controlled thousands of mercenaries.


    The leader of the Bronze Barbarian Mercenary League''s Leader, Wilder, was also present among these ten figures, and his expression was unsightly as he red at the gray scales menacing Wind Kobold. He was the leader of the Wind Bringer Mercenary Group, Geko!


    Geko was extremely gleeful, looking at Wilder''s ugly expression, "Leader Wilder, we are gathered here to discuss who will be the vanguard of our mercenary agency in the uing trial ins in three months not to mend your tribe''s feud with Scroll Elder Ephraim!"


    "Geko, stay out of my business! I''m just pointing out the Scroll Elder Ephraim''s disrespect towards our agency. He publicly berated us, and I think it''s time to shoot him down a peg. Even if he''s one of the ten chief elders of the alchemy guild, he can''t block us from acquiring magic scrolls!" Wilder retorted with a murderous look in his eyes.


    In the incident with Jacob, Ephraim nearly died, and since no one was there to me, he naturally vents his anger on his enemy, Wilder, and the Bronze Barbarian Tribe.


    If before he was blocking the Bronze Barbarian Tribe from acquiring just the magic scroll since he was in control of the magic scroll business, after that incident, he started to block them from acquiring any alchemy items in any way he could.


    Strong and arrogant, the bronze barbarian tribe maybe, but in front of someone like the Scroll Elder Ephraim, who controls arge portion of the alchemy guild''s business. They were fighting a lost battle, and now they were on the verge of exploding from all that pressure.


    The alchemymodities were the lifeline of any living beings, and without them, it was like living in a primitive era. As for solving this matter by killing Ephraim, if only it were that easy.


    As one of the ten chief elders who were just a rank below the vice guild leader and above everyone else, killing or assassinating Ephraim was akin to an all-out war with the entire alchemy guild!


    Which would spell nothing but the end of the Bronze Barbarian Tribe since the bank won''t stand for them.


    So Wilder now had no choice but to bring this matter here in the hope that Lucy might help him a little despite hisst blunder. But Geko''s tribe, the Wind Kobold tribe, has been sworn enemies with the Bronze Barbarian tribe for generations now.


    Both tribes hold prominent positions in the Bank region, so they will not stand still to kick each other while they are down, and Geko was doing just that. He wanted the Bronze Barbarian tribe to perish and couldn''t be more gleeful about their feud with Ephraim.


    "Leader Wilder, you misspoke just now." An ebony elf with astute blue eyes and graceful bearing coldly spoke. She was not only the leader of Lighting Assassin Den but also the tribe leader of Shadow Elf Tribe, Mildred!


    She continued coldly, "There is no ''we'' in this but only ''you.'' Don''t drag the agency into your fight. If you truly want what is best for our agency, go to Scroll Elder and apologize. After all, you guys were the ones who started it because of your crass temper."


    Wilder''s expression turned even darker as he red at Mildred. She has no enmity with him and was just stating it as fact, and it''s exactly because of that it strings so much!


    A white lion face orc, the leader of the Vlion Mercenary Team, Verlin, with a deep scare over his left eye, also chimed in with a growl, "If you want to talk chivalry, then how about we discuss the war between the Society Killer and Killer Skull Society and how it is damaging the Epic Alive ins. Furthermore, the likely perpetrator of this war, the Faceless Ancient, has been silent for over a year now.


    "Or how about the King of Dead Onyx, who''s pressuring the Alive Epic ins even more wantonly now that the life zone is about to descend? As we speak, hundreds of lives are being harvested in life crystals.


    "If you''re so noble, how about you take your league and go help out the alliance armies? I promise, if you really do it, my Vlion Team will be your number one supporter."


    Wilder''s breathing became ridged as he clenched his fist. He couldn''t find a word to refute Verlin since his selfishness was now as clear as day.


    At this moment, before anyone else could take a shot at Wilder, a frigid gale of wind suddenly brushed past everyone, and they all were instantly rmed and looked in one direction in unison.


    Lucy was impassively looking at everyone, and when their focus turned on her, the icy gale vanished. But they all could still feel the chilly killing intent in it.


    She finally spoke, "If you guys are done talking nonsense, shall I proceed with the matter of today''s meeting?"


    No one spoke in objection as they all knew their time was over, and from now on, Lucy would be the one talking.


    Lucy continued, "As Leader Geko just mentioned, the trial in will descend in exactly 93 days. Since everyone knows what''s going on in the Alive Epic instely, it would save me the trouble of exining everything.


    "If I remember correctly, for both Senior Nathan and Senior Mack, it is your second time participating in a in trial, which is extremely rare."


    She nced at two wizened face pale gray elves as they were both twins and strongest among the top ten. They were the two leaders of the strongest mercenary team, the Twin Sword Golden Team.


    Even Lucy called them Seniors, which clearly represents their worth in the agency.


    Both Nathan and Mack smiled and bowed humbly.


    Lucy didn''t react much, "This will also be my second in trial and probablyst before my recement took my ce. As the rule of the bank, we don''t have a vice bank manager but only a bank manager.


    "So, you two will be my Chief Commanders in this trial in, and if you perform well, I''ll give you a chance which would onlye in once a lifetime."


    She then looked at the others, who were looking at her with wide eyes as if they were seeing a ghost.


    Lucy nonchntly continued with a hint of killing intent, "This offer is not just limited to two seniors. If any one of you performs well, you will be eligible for this chance. Furthermore, if anyone can give me the head of the Faceless Ancient, this opportunity will be yours!


    "Now, let me tell you all about the changes this time in All Alive Alliance, which were made considering the variable named Faceless Ancient. Because you might not be aware of the fact that he was the champion of this time''s rare trail ins, and he had done it in a record-breaking time!"

 Chapter 463 All Alive Alliance (2)

    ?


    In the headquarters of the Alchemy Guild, Nelsen stood on a podium, and in front of him sat Ellie and ten chief elders!


    With a solemn expression, Nelsen stated, "As always, the three hegemonies will form an All Alive Alliance a week prior to the trial in, and it willst until the end of the trial in!


    "The All Alive Alliance is formed with the purpose of winning the trial in before the Dark Beings could or at least win a spot to save ourselves aplete loss and stop the Dark Beings from having the rights to use ''Three in Authorities.''


    "Thest time, we somehow managed to tie in with the dark beings because the in trial was a puzzle-type trial in. As always, we will be first blocking the entire entrance to the trial in so no civilian or unauthorized personnel can enter.


    "The second thing will be sending the vanguard guard unit built upon the Combat Sector and our Intelligence Sector to figure out the nature of the trial before forming an urate Expatiation Unit for the trial.


    "This will be our foremost priority in the first five years after the start of the trial. Remember, the dark beings will be doing the same, and a sh with them is unavoidable.


    "Both sides will be looking for stealing each other collection of data, and this data will always be in the possession of someone from the Intelligence Sector''s hand, which means us!


    "The rule is simple; in case you can''t protect the date, just destroy the data if you can''t protect it. Even if it costs you your life, the dark beings can''t have the fruits of ourbor!


    "The Intelligence Sector''s other main purpose is to stop the emergence of a sole champion, especially if an outsider tried to im one of the positions. If someone managed to achieve this, as the Intelligence Sector of the All Alive Alliance, it''s our duty to track this person down and make sure to eliminate this error.


    "Although such a thing had never happened before, this time, it might be a different case. This also brings me to the changes we have made in the All Alive Alliance because of a single threat, the terrorist, Faceless Ancient!"


    Ellie showed killing intent when that name, which has been haunting her nightmares, was mentioned while the ten chief elders also wore grave expressions. They all knew just how much threat Faceless Ancient possessed.


    Before, they were always fully confident that no one could rival the three hegemonies. But it all changed in thesest few months when the Society Killer started a one-sided massacre with Faceless Ancient technology.


    No one knows how he got his hands on so many atomic grenades, but that guy clearly has enough to cause a nationwide panic. Furthermore, Faceless Ancient has vanished since the Society Killer started his conquest against the Killer Skull Society.


    Now, many people believe that the Society Killer has either captured Faceless Ancient or was in a cohort with him. Whichever the case had been, it was not good for the three hegemonies since the Society Killer was a sociopath who only wanted to end the Killer Skull Society, even if it meant killing everyone in the process!


    In truth, the Society Killer was like the Faceless Ancient but was far worse. But he seemed to have vanished mysteriously over two decades ago, and everything thought he was dead until over a year ago.


    Nelsen continued, "Like you, I don''t know if Faceless Ancient is caught or killed by the Society Killer. But something tells me that he''s still alive and probably in some partnership with the Society Killer.


    "That''s why our biggest concern is still the Faceless Ancient. Because he is nothing but simple. As well as being an astute fellow and talented alchemist, he is also the sole champion of thest rare trial in!


    "That''s right, he became the sole champion of the rare trial in in less than seven months, and that trial in was also a puzzle-type trial in, no less. Now you guys could imagine just why we all wanted him dead and how many secrets he''s been hiding.


    "So, he wasn''t something to get caught by the likes of the Society Killer. If anything, my guess is he''s preparing for someone in the shadows, and my guess is he''s also aiming to be the sole champion of the epic trial in as well.


    "That''s why, by keeping this in mind, this time, we have put many resources into sealing the entrance. If, by some miracle, he manages to bypass all that, then our top priority will be to end him within the trial in.


    "He might not know, but in the epic trial in, as long as youplete a trial condition, your star ID will be announced in the entire trial in. At that time, the dark beings will also join the fray to hunt him down if he dares to poke his nose where it won''t belong.


    "Or if luck is on our side, the trial in type might be a tournament type or royal type. If this were to happen, we don''t even need to seal the entrance, and he''ll be doing us a favor by entering the trial." Nelsen chuckled darkly while the other chief elders also smiled evilly.


    Nelsen still wasn''t done as he spoke, "Other than that, I have another good news: I had persuaded three Dark Earls from the Dark City in the neutral zone to join our All Alive Alliance with their personal armies.


    "So, this will be a rememberable in trial because too much is on the line here, and I won''t ept any errors. Further details are sent to your starwork IDs, and you can look for Vice Guild Leader if you have doubts. It''s time to start the preparations. I''ll be seeing you all on the day of the alliance formation ceremony!"


    Nelsen smiled mysteriously, and the next moment, he vanished from the podium like a ghost, but before that, he winked at Ellie.


    Ellie pursed her lips, ''What a show-off!''

 Chapter 464 Masha’s Strange Symptoms

    ?


    A few hundred miles away from the Epic ins in the Star Ocean, the massive ship of the Carefree Sword Star Pirates was calmly afloat on the water''s surface.


    At this moment, Masha stood in front of Captain Free Sword with a somewhat paleplexion, and she alsocked her sharp focus for some reason.


    Captain Free Sword easily noticed this strange change in Masha, who was always spirited, and asked, "Are you feeling alright? You look absent-minded for some reason?"


    Masha was not only an alchemy genius, but she was also the chief alchemist of Captain Free Sword''s crew, and she had never fallen sick before because it was simply impossible for an alchemist like her to sumb to some illness especially when she was Unique Rank Sorceress!


    Masha finally snapped out of her daze-like expression, and she frowned, "I-I''m not sure, Captain. ording to all the scans and even after using the inner-sight, there''s nothing wrong with me. But as you see, there is definitely something wrong!"


    Captain Free Sword''s eyes narrowed, "If you don''t, can I examine you?" He can afford to lose anyone else but Masha because of her uniqueness, and if there was something wrong with her, then he had to find its root and take care of it quickly.


    "Of course, that''s why I''m here." Masha nodded without hesitation.


    Captain Free Sword was far stronger than her, so he might be able to discover what was the cause of her current situation, and that''s why she came here.


    Captain Free Sword put his massive hand over Masha''s head, and the next moment, Masha felt a current suddenly run down her entire body. But she didn''t resist as she knew this Captain Free Sword''s inner sight ability in y.


    The Inner Sight ability was a unique rank magic ability that only had one use, which was to reveal the normally invisible magic orbits and magic core within your own body or you can also examine others if they are weaker than you and can''t resist the potency of your mana.


    This ability was a must-have if someone wanted to go further in the path of magic because this ability would make it much easier to observe the magic core and the rectified stars in it.


    Not only that, but it can also help with mystic signatures. That''s why this ability is a must-have for any unique. There were also simrly weaker or even more powerful versions of inner sight.


    But all of them were driven by the three most powerful innate magic abilities of the legends: the Inner Espy, the Eyes of Judge, and the Vision of Truth and False.


    These three innate abilities were considered the most powerful vision abilities, and there were only legends about them, and no one had ever seen someone who could use them.


    Captain Free Sword frowned as he put his hand away and said with uncertainty, "I also didn''t find anything wrong with your body or magic orbits. Could it be you''re just tired, and all those tireless torture practices are finally catching up to you?"


    Masha appeared more depressed about it since she was hoping that something was wrong with her since she would be able to counter it this way. But if she didn''t even know what was causing all this, she couldn''t do anything. The unknown was more terrifying, after all.


    "Captain, I''m not in the mood for jokes." She pursed her lips, "I have another spection about my condition. I think someone might have poisoned me!"


    Captain Free Sword was taken aback by her deration and squinted his eyes, "What made you think that?"


    "My symptoms have been worsening day by day, and they are not affecting my physical condition but my mind. I''m losing focus more often, and sometimes, I stare at the void like an idiot for hours.


    "This sort of poison is extremely rare, and they can affect others by simply polluting the air. That''s why I''ve reached a conclusion." Masha''s eyes shone with killing intent, "I think there is another traitor or traitors among us other than Veilly, and now that things have calmed down, they have started to make a move. If they are targeting me first, then this means they might want to rescue Veilly!"


    Sharpness crept into Captain Free Sword''s eyes as he wasn''t expecting to hear this from Masha. Because he never told her about another traitor being present among them since he also has doubts about Masha herself.


    But now that he thought about it, Masha''s reaching this conclusion was not so startling since she was clearly being effective by something, and the only sound exnation was someone targeting her.


    If she was being targeted, this could only mean she wasn''t a suspect, or she was ying victim to avoid his suspicion. Whatever the case was, Captain Free Sword couldn''t ignore the possibility of it being the truth since it would also put his own life in danger.


    ''If they are starting to move, then this could only mean they are losing their patience. Furthermore, that ve is still far away from making the three leaders his ves. The trial in is also about to start, which means it will take many years before he canplete them, or he might die.


    ''This is no longer a matter of wait and see. Since they''re making their move, then this means they are confident in handling the consequences¡­'' Captain Free Sword''s mind raced as he remained silent while gawking at Masha with a grim expression.


    Masha suddenly felt chills in her spine when she saw Captain Free Sword''s grim expression, and realization dawned upon her, ''He knew!''


    She felt even more rmed because if Captain Free Sword knew about another traitor and didn''t tell her, this meant she was also a suspect, which was anything but good.


    Captain Free Sword sighed ruefully as his eyes went sharp like a ruthless predator, "Alright, Masha, I need to trust you, and only then can I help you and myself. I really want to avoid it, but now the safety of all the crew members is on the line here, so you all have to be considerate of my plight.


    "I want you to carve a ve rune on yourself, and if you''re not the traitor, I''ll promise after a few questions, I''ll set you free. Only after that, we will startbing through the rest of the crew!"

 Chapter 465 The ATLAS Council

    ?


    The ATLAS organization was the most mysterious organization after the Dark Cities.


    But unlike the Dark Cities, the ATLAS was only known to the upper echelon of the three hegemonies. Themon public only knows about the Star Hackers and how they should never associate with them.


    The ATLAS ranking structure was quite straightforward and solely based on achievements. The head of the organization was given the title of the Star-Lord, and the sessor of Star Lord was the Vice Star Lord Rank.


    Below these two highest ranks were the Star Numbers, starting from Star1, and they go on as more people join in. The lower the star number, the higher the member achievements, and there was a unique system in ce that couldn''t be cheated.


    If someone makes an achievement befitting the position of Star1 or even the Star-Lord, no one can rob that person of their rightful position, and everyone has to obey.


    As for how this system works, it was still a mystery that even the Star-Lord wasn''t aware of, and the member section was also done mysteriously. No one can recruit anyone, and members were selected by a unique method of the ATLAS.


    That''s why no one has any control or monopoly over this selection system because no one knows when or how a member will be chosen to be part of the ATLAS.


    Then, there was the As Council built upon five councilmen, and only the Star-Lord and the Vice Star-Lord were aware of their existence. However, they don''t know their identities and any major movement rted to the organization has to be approved by the As Council.


    The As Council''s job was to make sure the Star Lord wouldn''t use its authority to endanger the origination, and as long as they had proof, they could easily strip the Star Lord of its title.


    Today, in the hidden base of the As, in masks, the Star-Lord and Vice Star-Lord were standing in front of fiverge screens, projecting five dark silhouettes. They were the councilmen of the As Council!


    "Star-Lord and Vice Star-Lord, you both have our condolences for your children!" A mechanical voice rang from the central screen. The gender of this person was unknown, but it was the First Counselman!


    Star Lord''s eyes were raging with killing intent behind his mask as he replied, "I don''t need your sympathy! If you''re really empathic, then you wouldn''t have stopped us from searching for them!"


    "We gave you two months, and I think it was enough toprehend the situation. Anymore, and we were at risk of being exposed. So, you have to understand our plight better than anyone. Personal feelings have no ce in our organization. We''ve told you this long time ago." Another mechanical voice rang from the Third Counselman.


    "Still, we let you do as you please for two months because of your achievements, which is enough empathy from us." The second councilman spoke, and its voice was the same as the others.


    The Vice Lord finally couldn''t contain her fury as she retorted, "Don''t make meugh! You guys stopped our search before we could even confirm whether our children were alive or dead or who killed them. If you had allowed us to use the S-Augmented Reality Lane, we could''ve easily discovered the killer''s star ID. Yet you guys!"


    "Humph, do you even hear yourself? That thing can only be used three times, and you want to waste it to solve your personal matters? I know you''re angry, but don''t get blinded by it. We are protecting you both from ruining yourselves. It''s not like you can''t make more children!" The fifth councilman sneered, and despite its emotionless, mechanical voice, the disappointment in its voice couldn''t be hidden.


    "You bas¡­"


    "That enough!"


    Before the Vice Star-Lord couldplete her sentence, the Star Lord strongly pressed his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. Although he wanted to tear apart the fifth councilman''s mouth, he knew better.


    They had indeed lost their children, but they couldn''t lose their position in their fury because as long as they had their positions, they at least got a chance to get justice.


    The Vice Star-Lord also knows that as she is even more astute than the Star-Lord, it''s just that as a doting mother, she has lost her rationality for a moment and suppressed her raging emotions.


    "Let''s not discuss my children anymore. It is best for all of us." The Star Lord coldly uttered while suppressing his rage, "I want your opinion on the Void Star Server Extermination n. You should''ve received the documents I''ve sent you all."


    The atmosphere suddenly became solemn, and the first councilman spoke, "That is indeed an excellent n. But how confident are you that you can pull this off?"


    "About 50%. Even if it failed, we won''t lose anything." The Star Lord stated, "But if we manage to pull this off, I don''t want anything but the chance to use the S-Augmented Reality Lane. I think this sort of achievement is enough for a single use, no?"


    The councilmen didn''t reply instantly, and the Star-Lord and Vice-Star-Lord waited patiently. They were aiming for this exact thing, for this was theirst hope, and they no longer cared about anything else but taking revenge for their children.


    The first councilman finally spoke, "Are you sure you don''t want to go into the higher ins? You always wanted it, if I recall correctly. If you missed this chance, your lifespan would be over before you could pull something like this again."


    The Star Lord replied without hesitation in an icy tone, "We indeed wanted to go to the higher ins, but we were doing it for our children. Now they are no longer here, what''s the point in going to higher ins?


    "As a parent, it''s our duty to protect our children, but since we failed our duty, we at least want to avenge them as their parents. Furthermore, even if this mission fails, I''m nning to aim for the trial in sole champion position, which should be sufficient for the same reward."


    The second councilman spoke, "Sigh¡­ you guys are really determined this time. But it would be a shame to let someone like you die since the organization needs you. Very well, if you can pull any of it, you can use the S-Augmented Reality Lane, and we''ll also give you two tickets for the higher ins!"

 Chapter 466 The Awakened Fluid Acceleration

    The Southern Wing of the Witch Pce, where the death maze was located.


    A group of thirty Shadow Wraiths was sieging a giant figure d in ck armor and wearing a dark windbreaker on top as they moved systemically and with wless coordinates and tried to take the giant down with every vital attack.


    However, the giant didn''t seem to be at any disadvantage as every time, those shadow wraiths were about to pierce into his armor. He would block them with his two dark-de swords as he spun them around like a pendulum.


    With every move, he would push a shadow wraith a few meters back before focusing on others. It was like he had eyes on every angel, and at this moment, a faint smock screen started steaming from him as if he was on fire.


    At this moment, on the edges of his two dark des, ethereal blue energy surfaced, and thereafter, he ruthlessly shed it down the shadow wraith who was about to stab his heart.


    ''Swishhhh¡­''


    A clean blue streak suddenly glowed in the center of Shadow Wraith, and the next moment, it split in half. The other shadow wraiths wailed in their spooky voices before they moved to shadows.


    But the giant figure didn''t give them any chance to enter the shadows, as he sshed his de without caring about what he would cut, and in sword wing, eight shadow wraiths lost their limbs or cut in halves while others managed to enter the shadows.


    Taking this chance, he quickly gets rid of those disabled ones before he focuses on the sneak attacks from those who entered the shadows. As someone who had been fighting dark beings for over three months without resting, he was aware of their tendency never to retreat if prey was a living being.


    "Water maniption!" He hoarsely uttered as water suddenly started to materialize around him, and he muttered again as his amber eyes glowed blue hue, "Water weaving!"


    The next moment, the surrounding water suddenly started to take the shape of fifty bullets.


    "Fluid eleration; external!"


    The next moment, something magical happened. The water bullets suddenly started to spin like crazy, and their speed only increased without any sign of slowing down. Those water bullets spin so fast that the surrounding air vibrates.


    At this moment, the wraiths who entered the shadows crept out with increased speed as they were all aiming for the giant''s vital spots.


    "Hmph! Released!" The giant sneered, and the next moment, those fifty bullets were released in the direction of the wraiths, and their speed was so fast they left behind small shockwaves.


    The shadow wraiths were clearly not afraid of water bullets, but those weren''t just any water bullets, and the moment they touched those wraiths, they made big holes in them, and even after passing through the wraiths, those bullets sted apart the stone floor, creating small creators.


    The next second, the shadow wraiths started to crumble down as they were all dead without even realizing it.


    The steam from the giant finally vanished as his breathing appeared somewhat uneven, and he muttered, "Haa, using fluid eleration externally is even more tiresome than using it internally, especially when I''m using both of them simultaneously. Still, I''m d that I found the true potential of my first ability from Water eleration before it was toote."


    The giant, who was naturally Jacob, sounded very excited about defeating thirty shadow wraiths at once, and he felt that all that solitary magic training was worth it all.


    In these past 20 months, he has learned many things in the witch pce about magic and witchcraft. His biggest discovery was naturally about fluid eleration, which can not only manipte his blood but any fluid!


    He was able to discover this secret after learning about the Unique Rank Magic Ability, the Water eleration. Although this ability could only elerate water up to 100kmph speed, its principles were the same as fluid eleration.


    Jacob was shocked when he discovered the resemnce between the two and instantly confronted Immortika about it. The reply he was given almost made him faint.


    "I never said you can ''only'' elerate your blood. Besides, your ability name is ''fluid'' eleration, not ''blood'' eleration. Hahahahah"


    That was the typical reply of Immortika, but Jacob felt like crap because he ignored such an obvious thing.


    Nevertheless, he didn''t wallow, and he instantly started to research fluid eleration by following the water eleration principles.


    Although it took some time, and he almost lost control, the results were far more terrifying than he could''ve imagined.


    First, he was able to manipte any fluid that he touched and elerate it. After some more practice, he was able to manipte fluid a few centimeters away from his body, and now, he was able to manipte fluid 2 feet away from his body.


    Although the ring wasn''t much, it matched his water magic that has been honed with the Universal Scripture Aura of Water and Fire Knight. The Fluid eleration turned out to be very terrifying.


    About the universal scripture, Jacob was easily able to learn it like any other magic user. However, Jacob also discovered another fact about his unusual water magic core. It was that he didn''t have any problem learning any magic spells or abilities, whether they belonged tobat or sorcery.


    After dealing with the magic, Jacob finally decided to put that all to the test of what he had learned. Also, he wanted to upgrade the hex magic core to the next level. This way, he will be killing two birds with one stone.


    Although there were many more things he wanted to learn and try here since he was only able to absorb about 20% of the knowledge the Witch Queen Margret left about witchcraft. The thing was, he didn''t have time, so he put the witchcraft on hold and focused on hisbat magic.


    Jacob looked at the cursed book in front of him and asked, "How many more left before I can upgrade my core to epic rank?"


    Immortikaughed in amusement, "Hahaha¡­ 1,284. But I''m afraid you have already exhausted the dark being in this ce, and in a few hours, the trial in will descend. Just thinking about it makes me ecstatic to no end. I can finally get the entertainment I deserve! Hahahah!"


    Jacob pursed his lips, seeing the crazyughter of Immortika, and sighed ruefully as he couldn''t do anything about it because what Immortika said was a cold, hard fact.


    ''Oh well, I just need to enter the trial in. Completing it that is another story, and I can continue my study of witchcraft in that ce. I think it''s for the best since I need some living test subjects for the witchcraft.'' Jacob''s lips rose in a cruel smile as he ordered coldly, "Guide me to the central wing!"

 Chapter 467 Void Star Serve

    Today, the entire Epic in seemed to be noiseless, creating a solemn atmosphere. Massive armies, both dead and alive, were on standby on their respective borders as if they were waiting for something and no one was moving an inch.


    Whenever a trial in was about to descend, those with the in shares would be given an advance notice 24 hours prior. Just like 23 hours and 59 minutes ago, the three hegemonies'' leaders were given advance notice.


    Now, only seconds remain before the life zone, dead zone, neutral zone, and trial zone will be divided. These zones were always the same, and that''s why everyone knows their borders.


    Furthermore, unlike the rare ins, the three hegemonies didn''t have any reason to hide the existence of the trial in because they were in full control of epic alive ins.


    Right at this moment, both size armies felt a massive fluctuation, and out of nowhere, the mist started to appear on the borders. Within a few seconds, that mist became as thick as clouds, and not even the ground could be seen.


    A giant in golden armor loudly proimed with a solemn expression, "Warriors! This is the start of Trial in! This time, the entrance is hidden within this fog! We, as the vanguard unit, have to find it first and im the exit before those corpses!


    "Only then will we have an upper hand in defeating those corpses! The three leaders have already given us everything needed for this venture, and now it''s our turn to prove ourselves. Glory or death, let im it with dignity!"


    The surrounding men shouted loudly, full of spirit and ambitions, as they all marched forward into the mist.


    "Halt!" However, right at this moment, the giant''s roar stopped them.


    When they looked at him in bewilderment, they saw him looking into the sky, and they all looked up.


    "What the hell is that?!"


    ---


    "Dead Duke of West and Dead Duke of South, don''t disappoint me!" The King of Dead Onyx''s cold and eerie voice rang in the gloomy fields filled with thousands of kneeling dark beings, and two figures were kneeling at the very front.


    Both of them were d in dark armor and crimson caps behind their back, carrying the symbol of five dark skeletons. They were the two dukes of dead out of four.


    "We obey the King of Dead!"


    Both of them yelled in unison.


    "What is that?" However, the King of Dead''s uncertain voice rang all of a sudden, and both dukes looked startled.


    ''Shee¡­''


    A strange sound was getting closer all of a sudden, and when they looked towards it, they were shocked because some flying object leaving behind a trail of thick cloudy smoke was moving toward the direction of the epic alive ins, and from its trail, it wasing from the west of the dead ins.


    "What is that?" The Dead Duke of South, the Bloody Wight Dead Duke, repeated the same question in a creaking sound, but he looked at the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke!


    The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke was startled before he replied innocently in his extremely sharp voice, "I don''t know?"


    ---


    At this moment, almost everyone''s attention was pulled by that flying object, especially those who were gathered together for the trial in.


    The people of the alive Epic ins easily spected that it was some attack by the dark beings because it wasing from the dead Epic ins'' direction.


    The question now was where this object was heading and what sort of damage it was capable of causing. But one thing was clear: since the dark beings decided tounch that thing right now, they were up to no good.


    However, right at this moment, something magical happened. The flying object suddenly smashed into something, which was extremely absurd because there was nothing in the sky.


    A corporeal neon wall suddenly appeared in everyone''s eyes, which were right in the sky, and the flying object was now covered with a dark gray glow as it was spinning into that neon wall. It was as if it wanted to bore into it, and glowing particles were exploding like firecrackers.


    Everyone was bewildered as their entire attention was gathered on the sky, and they had no idea what was happening and how in the world that sort of wall could even exist right in the sky. Furthermore, who attacked that wall and why? This was an even bigger question in everyone''s mind.


    At this moment, every star watch in the epic ins, whether it was active or not, started to buzz in sounds.


    "Warning¡­warning¡­warning!


    "Someone is attacking the Epic Void Star Serve!


    "Please use any means necessary to stop the attack, or the epic ins will be cut off from the starwork for years!


    "Anyone who can stop this attack will be granted immense rewards!


    "Warning¡­"


    The same message was being repeated again and again, startling the masses as they had never expected such a day woulde when someone would try to destroy the starwork. The even more shocking point was someone was able to discover the weakness of Star Network, as everyone thought that it was invincible.


    But now, the mysterious and mighty Star Network was crying for help, and no one had any idea what in the world was happening and how they were supposed to stop the attacker that even the Star Network couldn''t!


    As for those who were watching the neon wall crack little by little, they instantly guessed what was the Epic Void star server!


    But despite being closest to the scene, they were miles away from the crime scene, not to mention they couldn''t fly.


    Furthermore, they didn''t even have the time to react because whoeverunched that attack made sure that no one could interfere, and it went as swiftly as possible.


    Within a few seconds, the neon wall finally broke apart, creating a small hole in the sky, and that object instantly vanished into that hole.


    But what happened next made everyone''s blood run cold because a huge explosion that could be heard in the entire epic ins sounded before the sky lightened up in white as another sun appeared!


    In the history of Epic ins and the Star Network, this day will be known as the Star Destroyer Sun Day!

 Chapter 468 No Star Network Available!

    In the northern wing of the Witch Pce, Jacob stood in front of another blue portal, reading to depart for the trial in, which was going to descend in a few minutes.


    Since this was his primary objective, it was impossible to dy, and he didn''t want to lose control of his body either. So, he willingly decided to move out.


    As for this portal, it didn''t lead anywhere near the Vile Witch Valley. In fact, Jacob found that the witch pce wasn''t even located in the Vile Witch Valley but hidden somewhere in the neutral ins closer to the coastal line.


    These portals are made with a unique rank runic array called the Space Portal. Space Portal required a Great Elder Rune Artificer, a rank higher than the Elder Grandmaster, to make this array in two specific points before connecting them with their unique array signatures.


    In the entire Epic ins, the Witch Queen Margret was the only Great Elder Alchemist, but even she was only able to create three of these Space Portal Arrays because of the rarity of the materials.


    She made one space portal in the Vile Witch Valley that led to the inheritor grounds, and it activated, but Jacob destroyed it.


    However, the remaining two space portals were specifically made for the owner of the Witch Pce. One led to somewhere in the center of the Epic Alive ins, while the other was at the border between the Alive and Dead ins!


    Since Jacob had inherited the entire Witch Pce, he was able to get his hands on the extremely precious map of the epic ins and many locations, including the Witch Pce, which was marked in it.


    Furthermore, that map was left in a specific star watch, which should be the best in the epic ins, and with that star watch, he could givemands to the pce system remotely and open these portals or even the main entrance.


    Without the Star Watch, it was impossible to enter the witch pce anymore unless extreme force or a superior rune artificer than the Witch Queen Margret appeared.


    That''s why Jacob was very reluctant to leave this fortress and wanted to spend some more years, at least until he could absorb everything. Just the workshop in this ce was enough to give Jacob the freedom to bring 60% of his weaponry knowledge to fruition.


    In the end, he had no choice but to focus only on the important things, and now he was ready to leave and exit. His decision was¡­


    "Alright, as soon as I exit, close this portal!" Jacob gave themand and entered the mirror-like portal.


    The next moment, Jacob found himself in a dark tunnel wide enough to hold him, and the only light was from the portal, which soon disappeared as the portal vanished the moment he crossed it.


    Although it was dark, he was able to see with his night vision clearly. He moved forward towards the hidden exit.


    After walking for over a hundred meters, he found a runic gate blocking his way. This gate was just like the one in the inheritance ground. He took out a new crimson key, which was apparently the master key of the witch pce, and inserted it into the keyhole.


    The next moment, the runes on the gate shimmered brightly, and sounds of cogwheels spinning were heard, and the next moment, the door shifted.


    Jacob saw greenery on the other side, and he walked out. Looking back, he saw the gate was installed in a cliff, and as he took out the key, he started to close off. The moment he was locked, the gate''s appearance changed, and now it appeared as part of the cliff.


    His lips rose, "How thoughtful. No wonder no one had ever discovered this ce after so many years." Pleased with the security, he finally paid attention to the thick forest he was in.


    Since he remembered the pathways around this portal, he knew where he had gone. However, right at this moment, Jacob felt a vibration on his new star watch.


    Startled, he looked at it, and the next moment, the static voice started ringing.


    "Warning¡­warning¡­warning!


    "Someone is attacking the Epic Void Star Serve!


    "Please use any means necessary to stop the attack, or the epic ins will be cut off from the starwork for years!


    "Anyone who can stop this attack will be granted immense rewards!"


    Jacob was shocked when he heard those unknown words, "What in the world?"


    He had no idea what was going on and thought the star watch was malfunctioning as it kept repeating the same message, and nothing else would open.


    ''Could it be something is really attacking the starwork? But who? And what is this Epic Void Star Server? Even if someone is crazy enough to attack it, shouldn''t it have some defensive measures?'' Jacob wondered with a frown.


    However, a few secondster, Jacob suddenly looked up as he heard a massive explosion, and thereafter, a blinding white light covered the entire blue sky.


    Jacob''s eyes widened because that white light seemed somewhat familiar, ''I couldn''t be?'' He thought with bewilderment.


    However, looking at the star watch, then that ridiculously loud explosion followed by the white light that could cover the sky, Jacob felt a chill running down his spine, ''Don''t tell me someone used the White Sun Missile against the starwork no less?!''


    Jacob knew just how destructive the white sun missile was and its aftermath. Although he sold them knowingly of what kind of destruction they were capable of, he never thought someone would use them against the Star Network.


    ''No! It''s just a coincidence!'' He rejected the silly notion.


    However, when he looked at his star watch, which fell silent after that explosion, he found himself sweating because there was written, ''No Star Network Avable!''


    No matter how he looked at it, this didn''t seem to be a coincidence but a huge scheme!


    As the white light started to vanish, Jacob''s heart turned colder and colder, and in the end, he inhaled a deep breath and muttered, "Now this spells serious trouble!"

 Chapter 469 Unstoppable Trial

    Somewhere in the star ocean was a hidden ind.


    At this moment, the entire ind was buzzing with static voices,


    "Contingency Alert! Epic Void Star Server has been destroyed!


    "Contingency Alert! Epic Void Star Server has been destroyed!


    "Contingency Alert! Epic Void Star Server has been destroyed!"


    All of a sudden, this voice suddenly stopped, and another voice rang,


    "Data received!


    "Analyzing the data¡­ data analyzeplete!


    "Activating the emergency Void Star Server in Epic ins!


    "Camouge mood activated until the attacker is dealt with!


    "Weapon used in attack: Elemental Shield Spell (Intermediate Unique Rank) (Origin: Unknown), Void Drill Spell (Advanced Unique Rank) (Origin: Unknown), Nuclear Warhead (Advanced Unique Rank)


    "Detecting Unique Star Server Signature on the Nuclear Warhead!


    "Nuclear Warhead (Advanced Unique Rank) (Origin: Ancient Artifact Industry Star Server)


    "Finalizing the List of Prime Suspects: Star Chaser (Nuclear Warhead Buyer), Timeless Dark Tree (Nuclear Warhead Buyer), The Society Killer (Nuclear Warhead Buyer), Faceless Ancient (Nuclear Warhead Seller and (probably) Creator)


    "Finalizing the List of Secondary Prime Suspects: Amiable Wizened Monk (Only Nuclear Weaponry Expert in the Epic ins)


    "Dispatching containment unit to contain the Contingency!


    The next moment, something shot out from the ind and vanished into the cloudy sky. Thereafter, the ind fell into eerie silence as if nothing had happened!


    ---


    "Seeded!" The Star Lord roared in mirth as he watched the footage of the explosion.


    The Vice Star Lord was trembling with excitement as she spoke, "Decades of research and nning finally paid off!"


    The Star Lord nodded, "Now that annoying AI is gone, and the starwork is shut down, we don''t need to hide our movements. All we need to do is strike down the three hegemonies before the Star Destiny Corporation can react!"


    "More importantly, now we can find the bastard who stole our children!" The Vice Star Lord murderously dered.


    "Hmph, that''s our primary objective." The Star Lord coldly nodded, but at this moment, he frowned, "Wait, why is the trial in still there?"


    The Vice Star Lord was startled as she looked at the screen and found the mist was still there and frowned, "Could it be the trial ins are not connected with the Star Void Server? Those trial ins are still the biggest mystery, as no one has ever been able to discover how they are made and why.


    "Furthermore, the Star Watches won''t work inside the trail ins, so they might be independent. This is new for us since this sort of information is top secret in the organization. But now that we have achieved this, those old men can''t keep secrets.


    "Even if something goes awry now, it no longer concerns us since we kept our end of the deal. Now, let the council deal with the aftermath. I''m not interested in dominating this wretched ce anymore. I just want to find that bastard and torture him for my remaining life!" The hatred and madness in her voice were apparent in just how much she wanted vengeance.


    The Star Lord looked at his wife with a hint of concern and sighed in sadness, "Zee, you know you can me me for what happened with Frugal and Aven. I was the one who let them out. I never discussed it because I was afraid that I might lose you as well. But now I''m afraid I might lose to your vengeance. We still have our lives after we avenge our children. I want you to remember that. If not for me, live for them and keep them alive in your memories."


    The Vice Star Lord looked at the Star Lord deeply and for a long time before her hate-filled eyes suddenly turned moist, and tears started to gush out.


    "I-I *sob* my precious babies! *sob*" She pounced in the giant''s arm without saying another word as they were simply too heavy for and all she could do was cry and express her boundless sorrow, which she had been keeping for too long.


    The Star Lord hugged her back as his eyes were also misty, "You can cry all you want. I''ll always be here for you. Just don''t me yourself. We will avenge our children even if it''s thest thing we do!"


    ---


    Jacob was moving towards the trial in with a hint of ecstasy. His early anxiety waspletely gone. After he mulled over the destruction of the epic void star server, which has cut off the starwork from the epic ins, he thought that the trial in would also vanish or at least be dyed because of it.


    Although he might get suspected as an aplice in the destruction of the Void Star Server, he decided to worry about it when the time came, and he had a clear conscience.


    If it was the SAAI, it could easily tell that he was cooped up in the Witch Pce when the attack happened. So, he had nothing to worry about there.


    Furthermore, only three people had bought the white sun missile from him, and he easily ruled out the possibility of the dark city behind this attack since they didn''t have any reason to go against the starwork. So, the attacker was either the Society Killer or the Star Chaser. He highly suspects the Society Killer.


    So, Jacob threw his worry behind his head and decided to focus on the benefits. If the trial in were dyed, then this means he would be free to head back and continue his research.


    That''s why he was ecstatic about this whole situation and was going toward the supposed location of the trial in with the hope that it wouldn''t be there.


    However, after heading towards the dark beings'' territory for half an hour, Jacob''s steps came to an abrupt halt when he saw the thick, cloudy mist and frowned deeply.


    "There shouldn''t be any mist in this ce, right?" He muttered as a bad feeling suddenly aroused in his heart.


    He knew whenever the trial ins descended, a unique pathway was created to enter it. Like the graynd trees in the rare ins were that passage towards the rare trial in, the Dark Ruins.


    ''Don''t tell me even that server thing can''t stop the descent of the trial ins?''


    Jacob grimaced and having no other choice, he had to move forward, and if he was able to enter the dead ins, then this meant the trial in was not active yet. But if he''s not, then he was ready for the worst, and he also summoned Cursed Immortality!

 Chapter 470 The Hunter’s Necropolis (1)

    Walking in the cloudy mist, Jacob didn''t feel anything, as if that mist wasn''t there at all, yet his senses seemed to be getting restrictive the deeper he went.


    "Are you sure this is not dangerous?" He questioned Immortika with scrutiny. The only thing that stopped him from turning around was the damn ve mark.


    As long as he didn''t confirm the trial in was not descending yet, his body wouldn''t listen to him, so he could only turn to the cursed book for help. Furthermore, with how things were going, he could tell the trial in was least affected by that epic star void server''s destruction.


    "Hehehe¡­ of course is an entrance after all, just like thest time."Immortika wrote.


    Jacob''s expression stiffened, and he questioned, "So, this is the entrance to the trial in. Can you tell me the purpose behind the trial ins, and I mean the realm purpose? Is it really to give some space to the dead and living to grow? Why not let them duke it out once and for all? Why keep them together if they can''t coexist? Moreover, how the trial ins are even made?"


    "Hahahaha¡­ do you know what you''re asking is one of the biggest mysteries of the Zodiac ins, and you want me to answer you, heh... fat chance."


    "Could it be even you don''t know?" Jacob pressed wasn''t bothered by Immortika''s remark.


    "Who knows? If anything, this is all but a means of entertainment for me. Think about it: watching others struggling, scheming, exploring, and killing each other constantly. What''s bigger entertainment than violence?" Immortika revealed its sadistic beliefs.


    Jacob sighed with a hint of nostalgia, "Although you''re a psychopath, I can''t refute you. Violence is indeed the biggest source of entertainment, especially when it''s about life and death, and maybe it is because it draws the true nature of others, the devil within."


    "Oh, so you''re agreeing with me? That''s a first." Immortika wrote.


    "I''m not unreasonable like a certain someone." Jacob sneered before he changed the subject since there was no point in debating about it, "Alright, enough with the violence. If you have time to write nonsense, tell me about this trial. Would it be like the Dark Ruins, where I need to solve riddles?"


    "Hehehe, you''ll know soon, don''t you? So why spoil the surprise? But I can tell you that there are not just riddles in a trial in. You can think of it as a specific trial mode. The Dark Ruins were a puzzle-mode trial in, and you should be very grateful that you got freebor from both dead and living.


    "To put it simply, in all those years, they had already dealt with almost all the dangers and traps and looted what they could. So, it bes easier for you to snoop around and take everything from right under their noses.


    "Furthermore, as that trial was a puzzle mode, it wasn''t focused on strength but wits, so it was even easier. But if that trial, for example, happens to be a Kingdom Mode Trial, then you''ll have to deal with the entire force of a Kingdom that was entirely made to stop you, and their wits are not any lower than yours.


    "So, if you''re arrogant just because you''d managed toplete the rare trial in quite easily, you should put it aside. Because an epic trial in, even if it''s a puzzle mode trial, it would blow off your mind.


    "Oh, and let me tell you a fun fact that even your ''master'' didn''t know about. The medallion you''re after. It can only be obtained by being the sole champion of the epic trial in. This means if someone was able to im even one position beside you¡­ hahahahaahh!" Immortika''s maniacalughter filled the page like crazy.


    On the other hand, Jacob''s expression turned stern and somewhat pale because he wasn''t expecting thest revtion, and if it was true, then he was in huge trouble!


    Because first, he wasn''t confident in bing the sole champion of the epic ins. There were too many variables and hidden forces in y in the epic ins, and they were almost united under the banner of the three hegemonies and the dark beings.


    The second was even if he strived to be the sole champion, the others wouldn''t sit still and let him be, especially if they also knew about the medallion.


    The third was Jacob wanted that medallion for himself because he wanted to go to the unique ins. He didn''t have the luxury of waiting for a thousand years to try his luck again. His life span wasn''t even close to being 1000 years yet.


    Even the elves and giants who were supposed to have the longest lifespan could only for around 1200~1300 years at epic rank with some precious herbs.


    So, Jacob would be devastated if he wasn''t able to go to the unique ins because it would halt his growth rate. Because he was pretty sure after the Cursed Blood Condensing waspleted, he might need to hunt the unique rank species.


    Now, Immortika has dropped this massive bombshell on him right at this moment when he needed to be focused.


    "You fucking wanker! Despite knowing the significance of this information, you only decided to reveal it now!? Are you out of your goddamn mind?" No matter how much tolerance Jacob had umted in these past few years, he still couldn''t able to control the fury and anxiety he was feeling right now.


    In its defense, Immortika onlyughs even more, "What can I do? I can only tell you specific things at a specific time or location. It''s not my fault that ogre didn''t know. Hihihihi¡­"


    "Just tell me whether the things I heard about that medallion are true or not?"


    "Oh, they are absolutely. Hehehe¡­"


    "Bastard, all of you!" Jacob gritted his teeth as his blood boiled, and his eyes shone with dark conviction, ''This is no longer about winning a spot or about that pirate pig. I need that medallion if I want to live on. I need to change my strategy from passive to active!''


    Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly sensed something changed in the mist as it suddenly started to turn colder.


    Immortika suddenly wrote, "Time to go, have fun and let him have it too¡­ hahhahahaha¡­."


    The next moment, the conditions started to be revealed on the page,


    "Epic in Trial NO.28948743


    "Code Name: The Hunter''s Necropolis


    "Trial Mode: Hunt


    "Time of Beginning: A few minutes


    "Time of End: Ongoing


    "Conditions Imnted for Epic Trial (The Hunter''s Necropolis):


    "1. Find and Kill the Beast of East


    "2. Find and Kill the Beast of West


    "3. Find and Kill the Beast of South


    "4. Find and Kill the Beast of North


    "5. Kill the Beasts of Directions to Kill the Beast of Necropolis"

 Chapter 471 The Hunter’s Necropolis (2)

    ?


    ''The Hunter''s Necropolis? Like the city of the dead? These conditions are also quite straightforward, unlike thest time.'' Jacob mused while looking at the revealed information about this epic trial in called the Hunter''s Necropolis.


    Furthermore, the trial mood was quite straightforward and wasn''t hard to understand, and the conditionspletely mirrored it quite well.


    However, it wasn''t as simple since it wasn''t told which specific beasts were titled the Beasts of Directions. This is where things getplicated since he needs to find it himself.


    ''Since this is about killing five beasts, I can manage that while those guys would still be figuring out about the nature of this trial. This is my advantage, and I can''t lose it to anyone.'' Jacob''s eyes shone with deep conviction.


    After learning about the truth behind the Unique Star Ocean Medallion, Jacob changed his ns to bid his time, and now he wanted to clear those conditions before anyone else.


    At this moment, the cursed book in front of him suddenly vanished. Jacob''s vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of thick snow.


    ''I''m in!'' Jacob looked around and found himself in the middle of a snowy mountain. The sky was gray, but the snow was falling without any clouds, which was quite strange.


    ''What kind of ce is this, and where did I end up in?'' Jacob frowned as he clearly hadn''t forgotten about what had happened thest time he entered the dark ruin; he ended up in the catb.


    But he was also lucky enough to end up closer to a trial condition. However, right now, he was in the middle of some unknown snowy mountain range, which was quite bad.


    Truthfully, when he saw the name Hunter''s Necropolis, he was expecting a city of undead or tomb monuments, but there was no trace of any tomb or anything as a matter of fact.


    At this moment, he felt a vibration on his wrist from the star watch,


    "Faceless Ancient Wee in the Hunter''s Necropolis of Epic ins. Please explore the Hunter''s Necropolis for glory."


    Jacob''s eyes shone with a hint of surprise, ''So, SAAI is still active here. Or there''s something else¡­'' He wondered for a moment before he decided not to think about it, as these things were still beyond him.


    Furthermore, he didn''t think Immortika was afraid of a mere A.I. in the trial ins but something that could threaten it or was strong enough to restrain it. That''s why he no longer put the trial ins in the same ss as the normal ins anymore.


    ''First, I need to figure out where the hell I am, and then I should start my hunt for these beasts of directions.'' Jacob mused before he decided to head toward the top of this snowy mountain to have a good view of his surroundings, and only then would he choose a direction to explore.


    The snowyer was quickly thick as half of Jacob''s feet easily prated into the snow, and he left behind a deep and long trail of footsteps as he moved towards the top. As for the temperature, it wasn''t enough to affect his new physique.


    After walking for half an hour, Jacob noticed something strange, ''This snow¡­'' Jacob looked up again as the snow was still falling and frowned before he started moving forward again, unsure about something.


    A few more minutes passed as Jacob was almost on the mountain peak when suddenly, "Roarrrr¡­" An enraged roar reverberated like thunder in the silent vicinity of the snow mountain, and it came right from the top of the mountain where Jacob was.


    Alerted, Jacob increased his speed as that roar wasn''t directed towards him, and as he reached the top, a massive azure shockwave hit him. Jacob''s expression hardened as he felt about a kiloton force behind that passing shockwave, but he remained unmoved like a mountain.


    Gazing in the direction of the source, he saw a 7 feet tall gray-scaled Kobold in shy golden armor, and he was retracting a golden halberd from the head of arge hairy creature resembling a human and bear as its own blood tainted its snowy fur.


    Although Jacob didn''t identify the dead creature, he does know what killed it, ''It''s a Wind Kobold, which means he''s from the epic ins and might''ve just entered like me. That was fast. I thought they would waste time investigating the incident with the Epic Star void server. Well, I guess they know what''s at stake here.''


    At this moment, the Wind Kobold seemed to sense Jacob''s presence as well and instantly looked in his direction. He was astounded when he saw the athletic giant in a ck windbreaker, his head hidden behind a wood and face covered with a faceless ck mask, and only his emotionless amber eyes were revealed as they were affixed on him, which gave him chills or some reason, it was like he was looking at a predator.


    ''He''s very dangerous! I don''t think I would encounter someone this powerful so soon, just my damn luck.'' He cussed inwardly before he pointed his halberd at the giant and coldly questioned, "Who are you? You are not part of the vanguard unit! Is he your friend?"


    He probed while, in truth, he had no idea if this person was really someone from the vanguard unit since he was too arrogant to pay others any attention except for a few worthy people. But he knew that giant was too eye-catching not to arouse other attention, and if he was really part of the vanguard unit, he should have an identity badge.


    Becausemunication wasn''t possible in a trial in, it was almost impossible to confirm someone''s identity without the Starwork. So, the All Alive Alliance hands its members special identity badges.


    Furthermore, he doubted Jacob''s identity from the start because this Wind Kobold was one of the leaders of the vanguard unit, one of the top ten S-ss Epic Mercenaries, the Wind Bringer Geko!


    He heard that every time a few daring independent experts snuck into the trial ins to fish in troubled waters. The alliance members were allowed to kill such a person on the spot, only if they could though.


    Furthermore, the perimeter to prevent such a thing from happening had been disrupted by the sudden attack on the starwork, so it wasn''t difficult for some opportunists to snuck in there.


    Geko wasn''t an idiot, so instead of fighting Jacob, he wanted to recruit him as a pawn until he found his people. This way, it would be safer for him to get rid of Jacob.


    Jacob, on the other hand, has even more extreme ns than Geko, as he replies, "How about you introduce yourself first?"

 Chapter 472 The Hunter’s Necropolis (3)

    ?


    Geko frowned ever so slightly hearing Jacob''s impassive tone and coldly replied, "I''m the group leader of the Wind Bringer Mercenary Group and the sixth leader of the sixth vanguard team of All Alive Alliance, Geko."


    ''A mercenary from the bank, huh? Since he''s a vanguard leader, he might be pretty high up on thedder¡­'' Jacob thought as a sh of coldness shed past his eyes because of his deep grudge against Lucy.


    "I don''t have a grand background nor titles; I''m just a Nobody." Jacob nonchntly replied.


    Viciousness shone in Geko''s beastly eyes, "Are you messing with me?"


    Jacob chuckled coldly, "I don''t intend to. Anyway, since you are here and met me, how about we join up? I''m sure you don''t want to tread in these unknownnds alone, right? We can help each other out."


    ''So, he at least knew the significance behind my status¡­'' Geko disdainfully thought and said, "Why should I trust a desperado like you? You''ve clearly entered this ce without alerting the All Alive Alliance. You should know it''s my duty to get rid of ruffians like you."


    Jacob didn''t show any reaction as he coolly said, "Alright, you can be petty, and I''m going to leave. If you have skills, try to uphold your so-called duty."


    Geko''s eyes widened slightly when he heard Jacob''s fearless reply, and anger surfaced. It was the first time that some nobody had talked to him this way, and he felt humiliated when Jacob clearly taunted him with the ''duty''.


    It was quiet that Jacob had easily seen through his sham of ying hard to get and thus bing the leader among them. Geko''s instincts were very sharp, and he knew just how dangerous this giant was, so he didn''t want to attack Jacob from the start but just dered his superiority.


    But it seemed to be not working anymore.


    ''I''ll deal with you once I find more members.'' In the end, Geko spoke coldly when he saw Jacob walking away, "Hmph, very well, let''s move together."


    Jacob''s lips curled ever so slightly under his mask before he turned toward Geko again and said, "Everything we found will be distributed 50/50. If a danger appeared that could threaten our lives, then this alliance would be over. That''s are my terms."


    Geko narrowed his eyes, but he didn''t find Jacob''s terms unreasonable. In fact, he wanted to say the same, with the exception of that 50/50 distribution part. But he decided to go along with it for now until he fully measured Jacob''s strength. It won''t be toote to renegotiate the terms again.


    "Very well." Geko nodded, but he didn''t let his guard down.


    Jacob''s eyes shone with a peculiar glint as he moved toward the edge of the mountaintop where Geko was standing.


    Geko silently stepped aside as Jacob wasing towards the fallen snow monster, and when he saw what Jacob did, his eyes widened with astonishment. Jacob stowed away the entire body before he said, "Food supplies. You can have half of it after we find a ce to rest."


    With a strange glint in his eyes, Geko shook his head, "Help yourself. I have plenty of rations."


    "More for me, I guess." Jacob shrugged his shoulder and finally looked around.


    The view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking as they were surrounded by snow mountains. The falling snow was making it hard to see so far.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly noticed a strangeness far west. He said to Geko, who was also observing his surroundings, "What do you make of that?"


    Geko looked over, and his eyes narrowed when he saw a silhouette of a humongous mountain enshrouded by snow, "Do you think we should head towards it?"


    "It''s qualified to be a goal. Tell me how big a trial in can get?" Jacob asked again.


    Geko gave him a strange look as he said, "Don''t tell me you just enter without even researching the basics?"


    "I like adventures, and where''s the fun in an adventure if you already know your destination?" Jacob coolly said, "Now, just answer the question."


    Geko was speechless as he replied, "You''re an odd one, I give you that. A trial in can be as big as the entire epic ins or evenrger. It all depends on the nature of the trial. From this ce''s name, I first reckoned that this would be asrge as a city or some graveyard. But now, I can''t tell anymore. We might be on the very edge of the trial in."


    Jacob nodded as he thought the same before, "What about exit? I heard there can only be a single exit, and it exists somewhere around a trial shackle (condition)."


    "Correct. The more shackles there are, the harder it is to find the exit. Some people could be trapped for their entire life in a trial in. That''s why the vanguard unit''s duty is to find the traces of the exit and im it before the dark beings. And to find the exit, we need to find the shackles, and to find them, we need to figure out what type of trial it is." Geko grimly stated.


    Jacob could tell Geko was quite apprehensive when he said thest part as if he was anxious, "You don''t seem like someone who wants to be here."


    "You can say that again." Geko bitterly smiled, and then his eyes went cold, "Enough with this bullshit. Let''s head towards that mountain. That seemed like a ce where a shackle could be. I''m also quite sure this ice monster won''t be thest we saw."


    Jacob didn''t pry into Geko''s personal life anymore as he wasn''t interested in it in the least bit. He was making Geko feel easy around him so he could pry into the bank''s deep secrets!


    ''I have plenty of time.'' Jacob smiled deviously behind his mask, "Very well. Let''s move. I don''t think there''s a concept of night and day in this ce, so it''s quite an advantage."


    Geko nodded in agreement as they both started their journey towards the highest mountain. Right now, they both didn''t know that a pair of emotionless eyes were observing them from another mountaintop!

 Chapter 473 The Hunter’s Necropolis (4)

    Chapter 473 The Hunter¡¯s Necropolis (4)


    The trial in didn''t have the concept of night and day like the real world, but the weather conditions were a different story. Weather could be different ording to the circumstance of the trial scenario and raise difficulty by many folds.


    The snow mountain range was icy as the snow kept falling without any hint of stopping.


    It''s been two days since Jacob and Geko started moving towards the tallest mountain in the vicinity. Although they weren''t affected by the cold, the snow was a problem because it affected their vision and smell.


    In these past two days, they both had encountered the same snow monsters that Geko killed on the first day in the trial in. Despite being only around the level of epic tier-1~3, they were extremely difficult to deal with because they took full advantage of the surrounding snow, and because of his special fur, the snow works like camouge.


    Furthermore, those snow monsters were abnormally fast on the snow, which is why both of them had to be on their toes all the time.


    "We''ll die of exhaustion at this rate!" Geko growled in an enraged tone as he seemed exasperated. He was hoping to spot some other members of his team or the unit, but except for those sted snow monsters, there was nothing but whiteness around them.


    Furthermore, their destination seemed quite far, and Geko found it even more maddening. The most annoying thing was hispanion, who was like a statue and didn''t talk much. Every time he spoke, his question was always about some deep secret that Geko couldn''t tell just to anyone.


    This made Geko even more wary of Jacob, but he had to admit Jacob was too strong, and even he wasn''t sure if he could take him on without experiencing grave injuries. That''s why all he could do was toin.


    "You seemed pretty fine to me." Jacob impassively replied as he didn''t show any difort despite walking in ayer of 2 feet of snow.


    He found that the snow was getting thicker as they moved toward the tallest mountain while the falling snow was turning up, and as far as he could tell, they might experience a blizzard soon.


    Furthermore, there were no woods around to light a fire or a ce where they could rest. They could''ve dug down, but they discovered that under theyer of soft snow was an unmeasurableyer of ice, and after examining the surrounding mountains, they discovered a terrifying fact. It was that the mountains were made out of ice, not solid stone!


    This was the prime reason that Geko was being restless, and those snow monsters just made it even worse.


    Although this entire ce was strange, in a sense, terrifying even, Jacob didn''t give in to fear and move forward. But now, this big lizard was getting under his skin, and he even wondered if he should eat him.


    But he controls himself since he now knows Geko was one of the top ten mercenaries of the bank and was directly under Lucy''smand. That guy revealed it himself the other day while bragging.


    Jacob could''ve also used the parasite gem, but he didn''t because he was feeling uneasy about doing it right in the open for some strange reason.


    "What do you know? I''m not a hermit like you, and this ce is not making it easy either. I should''ve never fallen for that bitch''s trick!" Geko retorted while gritting his teeth in hatred as he cursed someone.


    "I didn''t know you could be tricked into something like this. Are you sure you''re not just dumb?" Jacob couldn''t help but spread salt on Geko''s wounds, which only made Geko even more indignant.


    "Are you picking a fight?" He showed his sharp fangs, "Hmph, I guess I can''t me you for being ignorant. If you ever encounter our manager, you''ll understand just how vicious she could get. She can trick you to kill yourself and make it look like you''re sacrificing your life for the greater good. Onlyter would you realize that all she''s been doing was to use you as a pawn." He sighed helplessly.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as it was Geko''s first time he spoke about Lucy, and he clearly wasn''t a fan of her. If anything, he seemed to hate her.


    He asked curiously, "Why don''t you just leave if she''s a vicious viin?"


    Geko sighed ruefully before coldly replying, "And go where? If only it were so easy to abandon your people for your own sake¡­"


    Right at this moment, Geko suddenly stopped, and Jacob also twisted his head. A ck sword appeared in his hand, and he shed it vertically, creating a small wind wave.


    ''Smack¡­''


    A metallic sound rang, and something strong shed with Jacob''s sword de before it reflected to the side. Upon looking, it was a 1.4-meter-long arrow made of white metal.


    On the other hand, Geko had a pale expression as a gray wind barrier was in front of him, and the same type of arrow was stopped just an inch away from his forehead.


    "Arches!" He cried in rm, "Don''t tell me those furry bastards can even use weapons!"


    Jacob''s expression was also grave as he took out his other sword as well. Just like Geko, he wasn''t expecting this sort of ambush as well.


    "There are no archers, but just an archer. You see, they are not just simple arrows but crossbow bolts, and they are at least advanced epic rank. Even my de wasn''t able to chip the bolt, and they were fired from a single weapon. Whoever shot us has a very powerful weapon, and they''re not attacking us mindlessly like those fur balls." Jacob quickly gives his assessment with a very bad feeling.


    Geko''s eyes widened as he knew what Jacob was trying to imply, "You can tell all this just by looking at an arrow? And you''re suggesting the attacker is something from Epic ins?"


    "I''m 70% sure, or we are tricked by those fur balls," Jacob stated as his eyes darted around to spot the attack, but to no avail because of the snow, and he was pretty sure that whoever attacked them was hiding in the snow. As a sniper himself, he knew how this kind of attack worked.


    "Motherfucker! If you''re from Epic ins, then show yourself. This is no ce to fight among ourselves!" Geko furiously growled.


    "There is no use if the attacker wanted to team up; I''m pretty sure there are better ways of greeting than shooting two sure kill shots. So, calm down and start crawling under the snow. This way, whoever is watching us won''t be able to tell where we are!" Jacob scoffed at Geko''s naivety and found his action absurd still. He needed the guy to spit more secrets so he couldn''t afford to lose him, and having him around was akin to having a meat shield.


    "Crawl¡­" Geko wanted to retort before his heart palpitated and quickly ducked, and thereafter, another volley of crossbow bolts brushed past his hair.


    "I''ll fucking kill you for his humiliation!" He roared with anger, but his action was quite the opposite as he quickly dived into the snow like Jacob.


    "Now start moving slowly, and be wary of those fur balls. They also crawl under the snow." Jacob''s grim voice rang.


    Around 1000 feet away from Jacob and Geko''s positions, a three-meter crossbow was hidden under theyer of snow, and only a scoop and bolt were revealed.


    A sharp voice sounded amused, "Interesting..."

 Chapter 474 Flame Iron Giant

    Chapter 474 me Iron Giant


    Jacob and Geko crawled on their hands in the snow with grave expressions. Although Jacob''s n worked as they no longer were attacked by arrows, this was still not a definite solution to their problem.


    This way, they are in even more danger because of the snow monsters in the vicinity, and now someone is trying to kill them sneakily.


    Jacob also had a way of fishing out the attacker and even killing him, but by doing so, he would be revealing his hand too soon, and his weaponry was quite eye-catching, to boot.


    That''s why he hasn''t taken action yet, but it didn''t mean he was helpless, and right at this moment, the mask on his face suddenly switched. However, the mask appeared the same with the difference in the eye sockets as they were made with rainbow-colored ss.


    Jacob coldly said in a hushed tone, "Alright, calm down. Let me see if the attacker is still chasing us."


    "What? You have a way to pinpoint the bastard?" Geko was baffled before killing intent surfaced in his eyes, "I''ll keep watch then. Just tell me the location, and that bastard is dead!"


    In all his life, he had never stooped to the level of crawling to save his life. This was enough to make Geko hate that person to the core who forced him to take such a humiliating action.


    Jacob didn''t pay him any more mind and slowly popped his head like a rabbit, and now he could see all sorts of heat signatures. In this kind of environment, this type of equipment could decide life and death.


    The only problem was that he couldn''t use it against those damnable snow monsters as they didn''t emit any hint of heat signature at all like they were made with ice blood.


    But it couldn''t be said for others. Even Geko, who was a cold-blooded species, couldn''t hide from his vision.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly spotted a red spot in infrared, and it waspletely visible because there was nothing but ice around them.


    ''Found you¡­'' He coldly looked at the faint red smock rising, which was the sign of breathing.


    Furthermore, that person wasn''t moving at all, clearly not willing to take the risk of revealing his position, and he might still be expecting that Jacob and Geko might appear again.


    Jacob then thought about something before he said, "I found him."


    "What?! Where?" Geko''s astounded voice sounded as if he had never expected Jacob to find their assant so swiftly.


    "He''s approximately 1200 feet away from us at 4 o''clock. If we rush toward him, we''ll be ducks to be shot down, and the moment he senses danger, this will spook him, and he''ll escape. If you want to kill this person, we have to do it sneakily." Jacob stated as he red at the red point.


    "You''re not suggesting we crawl on him?" Geko asked with pursed lips as he didn''t like this n.


    "Do you have a better n? And for your information, I''m not going with you if you''re not going to be discreet. I''m not interested in killing this guy anyway. It''s too risky. Instead, let''s escape, and now that we know his position, he won''t be able to ambush us." Jacob coldly dered.


    Geko''s eyes narrowed, "You''re kidding, right? That bastard will haunt us if we don''t do something. With those furry bastards after us, this is nothing but suicide."


    Jacob''s eyes shed a peculiar glint as if he was waiting for those exact words, "Alright, then, how about we crawl toward him for 1000 hundred feet and then charge from two different directions? With our top seeped, it will only take a few seconds to narrow the distance between us. Of course, we have to avoid getting killed first. But this is the only fastest way to take our opponent by surprise."


    "Tsk, we just have to crawl, huh? Alright, you win, but that bastard head is mine!" Geko had no choice but to agree since he didn''t want to look over his shoulder constantly.


    After both of them made their decision, they started to make their way toward the attacker while keeping a fifty-meter distance between them.


    Although Geko couldn''t see the attacker, he could easily follow Jacob''s direction, and when he saw Jacob appearing, it was a signal for him to initiate the attack as well.


    Half an hour passed, and Jacob was still surprised because the target hadn''t moved a bit, and he had to admit this guy was really patient.


    Furthermore, it was about time to initiate their attack, as Geko should be in position as well.


    Jacob wanted to surprise the other party, and he had a few tricks up his sleeve to block the onught of those crossbow bolts.


    Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly lunged toward the attacker while kicking the solid ice, leaving behind cracks on it. Like a bolt of ck lightning, his speed was instantly fast, and the surrounding snow wasn''t slowing him down a bit.


    Geko emerged a secondte after Jacob, and his speed wasn''t inferior to Jacob in the least.


    Jacob was ready to retaliate at a moment''s notice when suddenly something strange happened. He saw the attacker didn''t use the crossbow at all. Instead, he seemed to be standing up.


    Just when both of them were about thirty meters away to assault the attacker, and their weapons were already in their hand, a giant hourss figure suddenly emerged from the snow.


    She was a 4''1-meter-tall giant with metallic skin, gorgeous features, and an hourss figure tightly wrapped in soft white leather armor, and her fiery red long hair was bound in a ponytail. Her intelligent, critous eyes were locked on Jacob, and her pink lips were curved in an amusing grin. There was also a red birthmark like a me between her eyebrows.


    With her slender hand held high in surrender, her lips parted, and her crisp voice sounded, "Alright, you, Sirs, have bested me."


    Jacob was startled by this unexpected turn of events while Geko''s eyes went wide in horror as if he had seen a ghost when he saw the giant woman, and his charge instantly came to a halt.


    Jacob naturally noticed Geko''s strange reaction and decided to stop as well. He frowningly looked at pale Geko for an exnation.


    Geko looked at the charming giant with a smile and blurted in horror, "me Iron Giant?! T-that birthmark, a-are you Gatling me Lady Charlotte!?"


    Now it was Jacob''s turn to be astonished when he heard ''me Iron Giant'' because this was the name of the same giant tribe that the Alliance Chairman Gunnar hailed from!

 Chapter 475 The Princess of Flame Iron Giants

    Chapter 475 The Princess of me Iron Giants


    "Oh, this sir knows me?" Charlotte giggled as she pretended to be surprised.


    Geko''s face was red with anger, but for some reason, he seemed to be suppressing it and forced an ugly smile, "Ldy Charlotte, why are you here?"


    Charlotte appeared startled, "Why can''t I be here?"


    "I mean, did y-your father know?" Geko rephrased his question with a pale expression.


    "Don''t worry, he''s too busy to pay me any mind." Charlotte innocently replied.


    Geko''s expression went ashen as he blurted, "You snuck in?!"


    "I think this isn''t the right question to ask." Jacob coldly chimed in at this moment as he looked at the graceful giant with a frigid glint, "If you know him, why did you try to kill us? And why do you think I''m going to spare you just because you''re some bigwig?"


    "Are you an idiot?" Geko retorted, "She''s the daughter of the Alliance Chairman Gunnar!"


    ''What?'' Jacob was startled by this revtion, and he finally understood why Geko was reacting like a scaredy-cat. Charlotte''s smile grew bigger, clearly very pleased with Geko.


    However, what Charlotte hadn''t expected was Jacob show a faint killing intent right after and said, "I think you forget this isn''t the epic ins, and since no one knows she hade here, then this means anyone can kill her, and we won''t have to take the me. Furthermore, I won''t look kindly at someone who just tried to kill me."


    Geko''s eyes widened as it finally dawned on him. He was so scared that he almost forgot where they were, and his pale expression brightened. Charlotte said herself that she snuck here without anyone knowing, so if she was killed, who would me them or even think they were the ones who killed her?


    But Charlotte suddenly burst into a peal ofughter as she looked at Jacob with a hint of amusement, "You, sir, are really impressive. At least you aren''t spineless like the famous Wind Bringer Geko. Mind telling me your name and the tribe you hailed from?"


    Geko''s face turned red with anger after he heard Charlotte''s disdainful words, "So you do know me!"


    "Why, of course, I might''ve done my research beforeing on this adventure." Charlotte stated yfully, "I know I''ve attacked you, but that was just a test. You should understand my plight; I can''t just team up with anyone, right?"


    "A test, you say?" Jacob coldly sneered, "Are you qualified to test us?"


    Geko also nodded, and for the first time, he found Jacob quite to his liking, ''Even though he''s an entric, he has guts.''


    Charlotte snickered as she found Jacob''s quite humorous, "You are indeed capable of spotting me in this weather. But all you did was use infrared vision. Let me tell you, I could''ve killed you if I wanted to, but I didn''t, so I think we are even. And besides¡­" She nced at Geko with naked disdain, "Aren''t you the one who wanted to team up in this unknown ce? Since you know who I am, you should know what I''m capable of. Do you really want to fight?"


    Jacob was astounded when Charlotte caught his trick, and he narrowed his eyes, ''She''s quite tricky.''


    It was the first time someone had seen through his means, and it also confirmed that he wasn''t the only one who could make infrared ss and was in possession of them in the epic ins. The alliance was far more unfathomable than he had guessed.


    Furthermore, Charlotte was the daughter of Gunner. So, she had to have various trump cards, and if Geko wasn''t present, he might''ve already used his hex on her.


    ''What an arrogant bitch. But she has a point.'' In the end, Geko sighed as he said to Jacob, "I think we should let bygones be bygones. Since Lady Charlotte admitted her mistake, there''s no need to be petty."


    Jacob nced at the cowardly lizard and then the arrogant giant, who was smiling as if everything was going ording to her n.


    ''I guess two pawns are better than one¡­'' Jacob thought and then nodded, "Since you''ve agreed, then fine. But if she ys any trick, you better choose your side."


    "Hehe, I know you, sirs, will see the bigger picture." Charlotte giggled as she winked at Jacob coquettishly, "I still don''t get your name?"


    Jacob frowned, "I''m nobody. Now, I think we have wasted enough time on your game, princess. Let''s move forward."


    Charlotte''s smile widened when she saw Jacob turn around and start to move without giving her a second nce and said to Geko, "Your friend is very fascinating, sir Geko."


    Geko smiled wryly, "You can say that again."


    He also wanted to know just how Jacob was and how he could be so calm in front of the princess of the me Iron Giant Tribe. He knew anyone who knew just how terrifying this tribe was would be shaking with fear, but Jacob seemed to be only momentarily surprised, and that''s it.


    Furthermore, it was quite apparent that Charlotte seemed to be only interested in Jacob, not him, and she might''ve decided to join them because of this exact reason. Because of what he had heard about the rumors of the Gatling me, she was a ruthless killer who could wipe ns without batting an eye, and her prowess was second to only the Alliance Chairman Gunnar!


    That''s why Geko let it go quickly, as Charlotte was an undeniable asset to have on their team.


    Afterward, Charlotte collected her crossbow and quickly caught up with Jacob, and Geko followed suit.


    "Can you at least tell me which giant tribe you belong to?" Charlotte''s curiously inquired.


    Jacob annoyingly replied, "Why does it matter? Just mind your own business."


    "How feisty." Charlotte clicked her tongue while acting cute, but Jacob still didn''t pay her any attention, which only made her even more curious about him.


    As she looked at Jacob''s tall, sturdy figure, a peculiar glint shed past her eyes, ''He is not just a nobody, and that strange feeling he gave is too magical. Not even my dad can make me this prudent of him. He''s the only person who made me think of death in a long time¡­!''

 Chapter 476 Ambush of Snow Monsters

    Chapter 476 Ambush of Snow Monsters


    With their newpanion, Jacob and the team continued their journey toward the tallest mountain.


    As they moved forward, more and more snow monsters started to ambush them. But they were still no match for the group, especially with Charlotte joining the fray as she literally turned them into blood mist with a signal punch.


    She was a peak epic-rankbatant who specialized in close hand-to-handbat, and Jacob mused that he couldn''t kill her without using 25X fluid eleration. This made him want to consume her heart even more as she might give me even more than both Frugal and Avenbined.


    Still, he controlled his dark urges because she was more useful alive than dead, and he also noticed her deep interest in him from the first day. So, he decided to y along because, as the princess of the me Iron Giant Tribe, she had to have inside information he wanted.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t like he didn''t have hearts to consume. Those snow monsters were pretty tough, and he had already eaten their hearts in secret.


    But as they came closer to the tallest mountain, the snowfall turned into a blizzard, and the temperature dropped so much that the group finally started to feel cold.


    That''s why Charlotte came up with the idea to use those snow monsters hides to create clothes, and they were also quite useful as camouge. In the end, Jacob used his skills to create them, which was quite easy considering his profession.


    After they all wore white fur coats made with the snow monster''s hide, the attack on them not only decreased, but for some reason, those snow monsters were avoiding them.


    On the 33rd day, the group meets with an epic-tier-7 dark being, which Jacob personally killed without giving another chance to snatch the kill.


    "Oh, I have never seen you taking the initial before," Charlottemented with scrutiny.


    Jacob coolly replied as he stowed away the magic core, "I just hate the dark being, don''t you?"


    "You seemed to have some personal vendetta." Geko also chimed in with great interest. He felt like a third wheel since Charlotte had joined the group because she always talked with Jacob andpletely ignored him, which was not a good feeling.


    Still, he was content as long as that dangerous princess did not cause trouble for him.


    "Something like that." Jacob didn''t exin himself any further and looked at the tallest mountain, which was enshrouded in a snowstorm, and it was now only a few miles away from them. Furthermore, only now they saw the sheer size of that thing as it was extremely huge.


    Right at this moment, the group suddenly stopped talking and took their stance as they all felt the ground suddenly shake, which was the first time that ever happened.


    The next moment, a few meters away, two huge ws suddenly bore out from the snow, and a giant snow monster crawled out. Although it looked like the other snow monster, there was a faint blue fur below its neck, and it was two timesrger and fiercer than the normal snow monsters they were used to dealing with.


    Moreover, the aura it was giving off was not any less powerful than Geko. But it wasn''t over with just one. Five more equally strong snow monsters appeared behind him, and then a small army of normal snow monsters started to crawl and surround the group!


    "So that''s why there was no ambush for three days. They were preparing for this." Charlotte snickered as fighting spirit shone in her eyes.


    Geko frowned gravely, "This isn''t the time to admire them. Don''t you see that there are even stronger furry bastards among them, and we are terribly outnumbered?"


    Jacob took out his short swords and said, "Well, since they only decided to show up now, this could only mean they don''t want us to get any closer to that mountain. This means we are on the right track!"


    The next moment, Jacob charged towards the closestrge snow monster as his des were covered with a blue tint.


    "Hehe, this is what I liked about him," Charlotte mumbled with ecstasy as she also chose a target and her first glow in crimson.


    "Those two battle maniacs!" Geko cussed under his breath as he also picked a target and thrust his golden spear with the wind swirling around its de.


    However strong as they might be, thoserge snow monsters were no pushovers.


    They didn''t move forward. Instead, they suddenly stepped back and let those small fries take charge. The next moment, they started to mutter something, and ice spikes started to manifest in the air before they all rained down on the group without caring about the coteral damage.


    ''So, they can now use ice magic, and they''re using these pawns to cast spells¡­'' Jacob squinted his eyes as this situation was turning extremely dangerous, and he knew he had to get rid of those big ones as quickly as possible and hispanions has the mutual thoughts.


    The arm guard on his right hand suddenly shimmered in the gray light, and the next moment, a gray barrier suddenly formed around Jacob, and the ice spike crushed onto it. They all shattered with small sts. It was an advanced epic-rank light shield and very effective against such attacks.


    Thereafter, he started to quickly make his way towards therge snow monster while cutting down anyone that came in his way.


    When therge snow monster realized that the ice spikes weren''t working and the danger was almost at his throat, he stopped the spell casting and cast a new spell.


    Hisrge, sharp ws suddenly coated with ice des, and he shed them on Jacob, letting loose an angry growl.


    Jacob was already in 10X eleration, and he could see the iing in slow motion. He instantly dodged it by sidestep, and the next moment, he kicked the ground, and like a sh, his sword tackled the monster''s neck.


    ''Smash¡­'' The sound of ice crushing rang in the vicinity.


    The monster''s neck was covered with a thickyer of ice, but with the monstrous force behind Jacob''s attack, it shattered in an instant, and the next moment, blood-spattered before therge head of the monster was sent flying as his eyes were filled with resentment.


    Charlotte giggled with excitement as she was also surrounded by a ck barrier and quickly reached her target. Her fist suddenly caught me and punched the giant monster''s chest.


    ''Boomm¡­''


    A fiery shock wave spread in the vicinity, and the next moment, there was a huge burning hole in the monster''s chest as he slowly fell.


    Geko was the most pitiful as he didn''t have such a rare treasure, and he was having trouble just dealing with the ice spikes. He roared furiously, "Those monsters!"


    It was unknown whether he was cursing the snow monsters or his own teammates.


    Jacob and Charlotte quickly get rid of the third and fourth one by the time Geko is barely able to kill his first giant monster and seems extremely exhausted.


    Charlotte happily approached Jacob, who was stowing away the giant monster, and eximed, "So, you''re a water elementbatant. No bad."


    Jacob gave her an annoying nce before he turned toward the ce where the ambush came from and said, "I think I found theirir."


    There was a deep, dark hole in the ice ground!

 Chapter 477 Maze Under the Ice

    Chapter 477 Maze Under the Ice


    Jacob''s words drew Charlotte and Geko''s attention as they looked at the 6-meter-in-diameter hole left behind by the snow monster.


    Geko frowningly asked, "Why do you think it''s theirir and not a trap?"


    Jacob coolly said as he approached the dark hole, "This will exin how they were able toe and go as they pleased, and we didn''t find any inhabitant in this ce. So, now it bes quite clear that we were looking in the wrong direction all along.


    "They won''t live on the surface but underground. Think about it: this entire ce is covered with solid ice, and we have no idea just how deep it is or if there''s any ground under it or a body of water.


    "But one thing is clear: those fur balls are capable of traveling anywhere in these sted icends, and they always know where we are. This will also exin this, and they can always cover their tracks with snow around us quite easily.


    "Only today we were able to discover it because they sent their top force after us. Still, they underestimated us. But it might not happen again." He gravely dered.


    Charlotte''s eyes shone with a hint of anticipation as she asked, "So, do you want to enter this hole? What about going to the mountain?"


    Jacob nodded and sternly said, "I think we should enter this ce. That mountain is surrounded by an ice storm, and it hasn''t disappeared since we started our journey. Now that we see this hole, I think the secret of this ce lies underground, not here. Even if my spection turned out to be a hoax, I don''t think we should have any trouble climbing back up. Or do you prefer to dig yourself if that mountain turns out to be a dead end?"


    Both Charlotte and Geko were speechless by Jacob''s argument.


    Geko muttered under his breath, "Why this bastard made so much sense?"


    "Please mind your manner, sir Geko. You know we can hear you no matter how low your voice is?" Charlotte retorted yfully before she looked at Jacob with shining eyes, "I''ll go with you only if you tell me your name!"


    Jacob was lost for words as this woman was too obvious with her crush on him, and she refused to give up on finding his name.


    Still, he needed those two just in case he needed to use them as meat shields to flee.


    So, he impassively replied, "Jack."


    "Jack¡­" Charlotte''s eyes brightened as she muttered his name a few times before she smiled beautifully, "Alright, let go."


    Geko was utterly bbergasted when he saw Charlotte agreed to this so quickly, and in the end, he gritted his teeth and yelled, "If I die, it''ll be on you!"


    Jacob didn''t pay Geko any mind, "Alright, this pit is not straight, so we can just slide down. But we have to keep in mind that there might be a massive water body down there. So, we just sent a dead body ahead of us with a torch attached, and then we''ll go after it while keeping 10 meters distant from each other. I''ll be in the front, and if I tell you to stop, stop by using any means necessary!"


    Afterward, Jacob picked up the second dead body of therge monster with a hole in his chest and sneakily stowed its heart away since Charlotte''s ridiculous strength didn''t damage it.


    He took out a torch and skillfully attacked the monster''s body and slid it into the dark pit, and then he followed suit with his swords in his hand.


    Charlotte then looked at Geko smilingly and said, "Your turn, sir Geko."


    Geko was startled, "Shouldn''t you be the second?"


    "No, I''ll have to best. What would happen if those guys followed us? Don''t worry. I''m doing this to protect us." Charlotte replied with an innocent smile.


    ''This cunning bitch!'' Geko cussed Charlotte for being two-faced, and having no choice; he entered after Jacob.


    The moment Geko was gone, Charlotte''s smile vanished as she took out something from his storage ring. It was a ck bead, and if Jacob was here, he could''ve instantly recognized it, for it was a vermin transponder!


    After she activated it, a respectful yet worried voice rang, "Mydy, are you alright?"


    Charlotte replied impassively, "I''m fine. More importantly, I want to ask you something. Do you know about any giant named Jack who used Water Combat Magic?"


    A momentter, the voice replied, "No, mydy. Out of all the famous giants and important figures, there isn''t such a giant. Furthermore, a noteworthy giant with a water element hasn''t appeared in any giant tribe for a long time, not to mention with rare waterbat magic. Is there a problem?"


    Charlotte pursed her lips, "Oh well, I think this much. Alright, gotta go."


    "Wait, mydy. Just, where are you? The tribe lord was inquiring about your whereabouts the other day, and since the star watches are not working, he was worried." The voice hastily questioned.


    Charlotte''s eyes went cold as she replied, "I''m just exploring the beast dawn forest. I might''ve received his call, but tell him not to bother me. I''m busy."


    Done saying, she cut the call before the other party could say anything before she jumped in the pit, muttering, "This ought to be good¡­"


    Jacob was sliding behind the dead body as he was sliding down on the ice. He was astonished when he found just how deep this iceyer was because he was already more than 50 meters deep in this pit.


    ''Is this a gigantic cier?'' He wondered with a grave expression.


    After sliding down for 40 meters, he finally spotted another hole and the dead body side right into it. But he didn''t hear any sshing sound, and the torchlight was still visible but no longer moving down, so he didn''t stop.


    At this moment, Jacob slid out from the pit andnded on the dead body, and he was shocked when he saw where he saw. It was an underground cavern masterfully carved with ice, and there were many tunnels dug out just like the one he hade out from, like rabbit holes!


    Thereupon, Geko also appeared fully alert, but he was gobsmacked when he saw the interior and eximed, "What in the world¡­"


    A few secondster, Charlotte also appeared, and she was also bbergasted and approached Jacob while looking at all those holes, "Now what? How do we know which hole leads where? It''s like a maze."


    Jacob sternly replied, "We''ll take the one which leads in the direction of the tallest mountain. I think the secret of this ce lies there!"

 Chapter 478 End of the Ice Maze

    Chapter 478 End of the Ice Maze


    After hearing Jacob''s suggestion, the other two didn''t have anything to add since it was the most optimal action in this situation. Not only were they now almost a hundred meters deep into an iceyer, but they were also in the den of snow monsters.


    So, they had to be extra careful, especially with their explosive abilities, or they might be buried alive under this ice.


    The team selected thergest hole in the tallest mountain and started to move forward. But this time, they were relying on their night visions since the torches might spook the monsters.


    As they walked into the depths of the tunnel, they didn''t see anything but a straight passage.


    "It''s like they had built these underground passages like we built roads in cities. Furthermore, I have a strong feeling that this might be where we found a shackle." Charlotte faintly stated in a fascinated tone like an adventurer. It was clear she was ecstatic while exploring this unknown danger.


    Geko merely frowned in trepidation. He didn''t agree with Charlotte even the least bit because he wasn''t here on his own ord.


    As for Jacob, even though he was the same as Geko in a sense, he could rte to Charlotte''s adventurous feelings. Deep down, he liked this sort of exploration and the sense of excitement. These feelings were especially intensified after he awakened the Giant Fighting Spirit Aspect.


    Although he was keeping it under control, sometimes he just couldn''t, especially when he met with strong opponents. His mind was filled with thoughts of fighting with Charlotte after he experienced her strength, and only he knew just how much willpower he had to expand to calm himself down.


    That''s why he likes and hates this aspect because it is a double-edged sword.


    At this moment, Jacob''s ear twitched slightly, and he signaled the two behind to stop, and both of them became alert seeing Jacob''s abrupt movement.


    "4 pairs of footsteps up ahead, around 60 meters away,ing at us." Jacob gravely stated in a very low voice, "Use your crossbow to get rid of them. We can''t afford to causemotion here."


    Charlotte nodded solemnly as she moved in front and took out her long and slender crossbow, which she hadn''t used after joining up with Jacob and Geko. She was a firebatant, and she had learned to use a crossbow to fill the gap for her long-range disadvantage against a sorcerer.


    Not just Charlotte. In fact, anybatant used some means to keep themselves safe from long-range sorcerers. Some learn archery or use advanced weapons like guns and crossbows.


    The sorcerer also learned many magic spells that could help them keep their distance from thebatant, and some even learned physical skills to train their bodies, but these types of sorcerers were extremely rare.


    At this moment, Charlotte peered through the 100X scope on her crossbow and held her breath. After confirming her targets, she pulled the trigger four times in session while quickly moving her bow at lightning speed.


    ''She''s really expert at handing the crossbow. I wonder why if she''s proficient in using a sniper rifle or she''s hiding that fact¡­'' Jacob mused as he watched Charlotte with scrutiny.


    From the start, he knew both Geko and Charlotte were hiding their true capabilities because he was doing the same. In truth, no one trusts each otherpletely, and despite Charlotte''s fangirl-like acting and her interest in Jacob, she was always on guard against him.


    Everyone was using each other so they could safely pass this trial or return.


    "Target exterminated." Charlotte snickered as she put her crossbow back while looking at Jacob.


    "Let''s move forward then." Jacob nced at her impassively as he started to walk forward again since his sensing abilities were far more developed than the group despite being weakest in ranks.


    "How cold¡­" Charlotte giggled yfully. She didn''t mind cold shoulder at all.


    Just as the team walked for almost a mile, which was the approximate distance from the tallest mountain on the surface, they also encountered five more groups of snow monsters, both small andrge, but Charlotte masterfully took care of them.


    Jacob left the corpse behind as he didn''t need any more of them, not on their level or the same species.


    At this moment, their progress came to a halt when they met with a wall in front and two passages on the left and right sides.


    Geko winced his brows as he looked at the ice floor, "Both passages have marks of being used. Now what?"


    Both of them looked at Jacob since it was his idea and he''d been leading them till now, and they had to admit he had terrifying abilities to detect enemies. So, they now rely on him.


    Jacob was in a dilemma himself because if he chose the wrong path, they might end up turning back and then lose their target for good while wandering around aimlessly in this ice maze.


    He looked at Geko and asked sternly, "You''re a wind elementbatant, right? Can you sense wind from any of these passages?"


    Geko looked at Jacob strangely before replying, "Element sense is the ability of sorcery. I can only feel wind mana density in this ce which is shitty as ever if you want to know that."


    ''Useless!'' Jacob pursed his lips since he didn''t like that answer and then looked at the ice wall and coldly said, "Since we can''t afford to stray off our target, we just have to make our own way."


    Charlotte couldn''t help but exim, "You want to dig toward that mountain? What if there''s nothing there?"


    "It''s fine by me as long as I can confirm it myself. Furthermore, we might find a passage on the other side that is adjacent to one of these two tunnels. We can''t take the risk of going away from this passage." Jacob sternly said as he took out his swords and looked at Geko, "Let''s do this."


    "What about her?" Geko was startled and blurted while looking at smiling Charlotte.


    In reply, Charlotte innocently stated, "Do you want to make a delicate flower like me to dobor work? Don''t worry. I''ll protect you while you dig diligently!"


    ''Flower my ass!'' Geko wanted to curse out loud in exasperation, but he could only vent on the ice wall as he took out his spear and started to thrust while Jacob used water mana to cut the ice.


    Within a few minutes, both of them were ten meters deep in the ice wall, and right at this moment, the ice vanished when Geko thrust his spear, and on the other side, a hole appeared as a frosty ze filled the tunnel!

 Chapter 479 The City of Snow Monsters

    Chapter 479 The City of Snow Monsters


    "Stop!" Jacob quickly stopped Geko from thrusting his spear because he could feel strong movements once Geko opened that hole. He quickly moved toward the hole and looked through it, and his eyes dted in surprise.


    "What''s here?" Charlotte curiously asked since she could also hearrge movements behind that hole; furthermore, the air on the other side was extremely freezing and strange.


    Jacob moved back and sternly said, "See for yourself."


    "Don''t mind if I do." Charlotte quickly approached the hole, and when she looked through it, she was stunned, "Are you kidding me?" She muttered in stupefaction.


    On the other side of this ice wall was a massive underground city built with nothing but ice, and thousands of snow monsters, big or small, were wandering in that city.


    The structures of those buildings were very mundane, but their sizes were different. But one building in particr was sticking out from the others, a 100-meter-tall ice tower in the center of this city.


    Furthermore, the walls around the ice city were filled with passages, and many snow monsters were going in and out. Jacob and the team position were 40 meters above ground, so they could clearly see arge part of the city.


    After Charlotte, Geko also saw the other side and was thoroughly shaken.


    "We need to get the fuck out here." Geko said with resolve, but a hint of fear was present in his shaky voice, "This isn''t a ce where we can just fight our way out. Coming here was a mistake, but at least now we know we should get as far away from this ce as possible."


    Charlotte, for the time, agreed with Geko as she nodded, "Indeed, there is no way forward. This ce is built within that mountain. We might be able to go around it on the surface while avoiding provoking those guys."


    If it were any other time, Jacob would be the first one to flee the scene, but after seeing the ice city and all those monsters, he has his own theory.


    "What if there is a shackle in this ce?" He asked calmly.


    "And what if there really is?!" Geko rebuked, "Do you really want to go down there and search for the shackle? The moment those bastards saw you, it''s over. So, stop being greedy, or if you really want to die, then be my guest. I''m going." Geko coldly stated. He was ying along with Jacob being the leader since his decisions weren''t bad and rational.


    But now, what Jacob was suggesting was pure madness, and this ce can''t be conquered without an army. So, it was far better than to retreat now and gather their forces and only then take the risk.


    After all, not even a month had passed since the trial started, so there wasn''t any need to rush to their own deaths. At least they now know where to look for the shackle.


    "I know it''s very frustrating to just leave like this, but we can alwayse back after gathering our forces." Charlotte strongly suggested.


    ''That''s the exact reason I want to get it over with. The conditions toplete this trial are very simple this time, and if someone ended up killing my targets, it would be over for me.


    ''I''ve been wondering for a while now that this ce is like the North Pole and those monstersing after us. So, this has to be the ce where one of the beasts of directions resides, and now that I''ve seen this ce, there is no doubt!


    ''Especially that tower. I have to investigate it, and if I can sneak in and find this so-called beast of direction alone, I can easily kill it. So, I can''t back down.'' Jacob thought with unyielding conviction. He knew if he missed this chance, he might not get another if anyone else figured out the mode of this trial.


    "Alright, you two go back and search for your forces. But I''m going in. It was nice meeting you both." Jacob coldly stated as he felt it was a shame to let them go just like that, but he couldn''t take the risk to hex one of them and then cause amotion while fighting the other one.


    Furthermore, he would feel far better going around alone and sneaking toward the ice tower in the center, and he wouldn''t have to worry about these two blowing up his cover.


    "Tsk, I thought too highly of you." Geko sneered with disdain as he turned toward Charlotte and said, "Let''s go,dy Charlotte. This greedy bastard will only drag us down."


    Charlotte winced her browns as she looked at Jacob deeply and said, "You do know there''s a 95% chance you''ll die before you could even find the trace of the shackle."


    Jacob coolly said, "I know, but that''s the thing about adventure, going towards the unknown."


    "Going towards the unknown¡­" Charlotte muttered with a hint of surprise before her eyes suddenly glimmered with realization as she smiled at Jacob, "Since that''s the case, I''ll being with you."


    Jacob was surprised by Charlotte''s sudden change in attitude, "Why?"


    Geko also wanted the answer to that same as he thought Charlotte was too blinded by her own personal interest in Jacob that she was willing to take such a risk with him.


    "I''m also an adventurer, and unlike those fakes, I''m not afraid of dying by pursuing something that gives me true joy." Charlotte smilingly dered with a proud expression.


    Jacob couldn''t help but look at the enthralling giant in a new light for the first time. There wasn''t any falsehood in her words or eyes, and she was dead serious despite her expression.


    Even though he didn''t want her to go there with him, he knew she wouldn''t back down, so he nodded, "I hope you can prove those words when the timees."


    "I''m going!" Geko was very displeased and found both Jacob and Charlotte, two lunatics who don''t cherish their lives. So, he didn''t waste more time in persuading Charlotte and turned around.


    "Heh, he''s just a coward." Charlotte scoffed, seeing Geko heading back.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a peculiar light, and suddenly, he said, "Wait here, I have something to discuss with him. I''lle back after escorting him out of this tunnel. If things go south, I think Geko can be very useful."


    Charlotte was surprised by Jacob''s sudden mood swing and curiously asked, "What are you nning?"


    "Just making sure he leaves with proper motivation. Don''t worry. I won''t push too hard if he doesn''t agree. You keep an eye on the other side and, if possible, devise a way toward that ice tower. That''s our primary target. I''ll be back."


    Jacob didn''t give Charlotte any chance to speak further and quickly catch up with Geko.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but muttered with a strange expression, "Why does he sound somewhat excited?"


    She didn''t know it was thest time anyone would see or hear from Geko again!

 Chapter 480 The Ice Tower Infiltration (1)

    Chapter 480 The Ice Tower Infiltration (1)


    After twenty minutes, Jacob came back, and Charlotte turned around while looking at him in scrutiny. He waspletely fine, just like when he left. She curiously asked, "What did you say to him?" Truth be told, she thought Jacob was going to do something to Geko, but she didn''t sense anything, nor did Jacob seem to be in some fight, so she was now quite curious about why Jacob chased after Geko. Jacob impassively replied, "I just asked him nicely to send some reinforcement if he found any and some other stuff. Nothing too serious, and I think after our heart-to-heart talk, he didn''t hold a grudge against me." "You''re a strange one." Charlotte chuckled and no longer dug into the matter since Geko was now gone. Jacob shrugged his shoulder and changed the topic, "Anyway, did you find something helpful?" Charlotte became serious as she said, "You told me to look for a possible way to head to the ice tower, right? I think I should be quite problematic because there are too many monsters around the tower. I think they''re guarding it. If anything, the only safest way to go there without alerting the monster is to make our own way towards it." Jacob squinted his eyes as he knew what she was suggesting, "You want us to tunnel our way toward the tower? But I don''t think it''s a good idea. Those guys are masters in ice, and I''m pretty sure they will sense our movements if we try to dig a tunnel under their e feet." Charlotte frowned, "You have a point. Since they are affiliated with ice elements, they will be able to sense such changes. Then what do you have in mind? We can''t take the risk of exposing ourselves. It would be very hard to escape if the entire colony of those monsters chased us." "We''ll think about itter. First, we need to get out of here. We dug this wall between the pathways created by them, so once someonees here, they will definitely investigate, and we don''t have the skills to seal it way like it was before." Jacob gravely stated. "Hmm¡­" Charlotte''s eyes shimmered, "This might be easy. We can sneak into one of those houses closest to our position. I notice only the weakest among them are closer to the walls." Jacob nodded, "Sounds like a n. Do you want to take the lead?" "Heh, I''ll follow you. I''m very afraid to take the lead." Charlotte shyly answered. Jacob nodded in agreement and didn''t say anything as he expected this much since Charlotte wasn''t a fool, no matter how much she tried to appear like one. He got closer to the hole and observed the closest houses, which were like ice blocks, to their position. There wasn''t any snow monster active in this area, or they might be just resting. "Alright, I''m about to open this wall just enough for us to jump out. We need to move swiftly once I did it before those guys took notice." Jacob sternly stated before he used his sword to slip open a bigger entrance and carefully pushed back the ice block. Once the opening was made, Jacob nced around and quickly jumped down, and Charlotte followed suit without dy. Both of them were giants, but they managed tond without making any excessive sounds or breaking the ice floor. The next moment, Jacob ran toward the small ice box around ten cubic meters in size. All the house was made in such shape, and the deeper it went into the city, the houses became bigger. There weren''t any doors in these ice blocks, and Jacob sneakily nced inside and found two small monsters lying t on the floor with their eyes closed. Without hesitation, he swiftly entered and stabbed their skulls with his swords, and before even a drop of their blood touched the ground, they were stored in his space ring. Charlotte appeared pleased with Jacob''s swiftness, and now they were inside the house without being noticed by another. "What now?" She asked. "Now, we do the same and make our way deeper until we reach the ice tower," Jacob said matter-of-factly. His n was simple and more effective than digging a tunnel towards the tower. Furthermore, he had something else in mind as he continued, "You select another house and do the same. We''ll move separately. Just in case one of us gets noticed, the other can take advantage of this situation. It''s far more effective than moving together and risking being seen." Charlotte was surprised by Jacob''s decisive n, "Aren''t you afraid I might use you as bait?" Jacob gave her a cold, hard look, "Try it. Besides, I think you won''t do it because if we move like this, we can easily avoid being discovered even if someonees searching after the disappearance of these guys. We can hide in each other blocks." Charlotte giggled, "And here I thought I might give you some scare. I''m starting to wonder if you are really not afraid of death or just simply too bold and confident in yourself." "Same goes for you," Jacob stated, looking deeply at the charming giant who decided to follow him in this dangerous ce. "Don''t worry, I found this journey more interesting with you than without you. How about we have a nice meal after we seed in clearing this shackle?" Charlotte suggested meaningfully. "I don''t see any problem with that." Jacob nodded impassively. Charlotte smiled pleasingly, and after confirming no one was outside, she instantly ran toward another ice block a few meters away from Jacob. Now, Jacob was alone in the ice block, and after making sure Charlotte had seeded in subduing the monster in the block, he took off his mask, and a fresh, warm heart appeared in his hand, and he started to eat it. ''This bastard was quite formidable. I hope his heart will be just as much¡­'' Jacob thought as he ate the raw heart like it was some snack while a warm current coursed through his body. But he didn''t just stop there as he took out the hearts of giant monsters and continued eating. If Charlotte were here, she should be able to notice that Jacob''s height was suddenly increased by two centimeters!

 Chapter 481 The Ice Tower Infiltration (2)

    <h4>Chapter 481 The Ice Tower Infiltration (2)</h4>


    After Jacob and Charlotte''s masterful invasion of the ice city, they started to slowly move toward the ice tower, just as Jacob nned.


    But half a dayter, amotion broke into the ice city among the monsters when one of them discovered the unidentified hole in the ice wall.


    Almost instantly, the monsters reacted by sending ten grounds led byrge monsters at the peaks of epic-tier-9, and all of them controlled at least five hundred small snow monsters.


    All of them selected different entrances and started tob through the maze for intruders. At the same time, more units were made tob through the city.


    This naturally put massive pressure on the two infiltrators. But they had their way to make sure they wouldn''t get noticed, and since many snow monsters were running around the city orbing the passages, no one noticed the missing monsters from the house.


    In fact, this creates a rare chance for the two to close the distance between them and the ice tower quickly.


    However, as they grow closer to the ice tower, their speed eventually slows down because the ice blocks, like houses, also growrger, which means they belong to therge snow monsters and assassinating them was not easy, especially if they were a pair in a house or even more.


    So, selecting the targets bes even more important, and with just one wrong move, they will be in a world of trouble.


    52 hours after entering the ice city, Jacob was now around 29 miles away from the ice tower, and currently, he was hiding in arge monster''s ice block, which he killed an hour ago with slumber hex.


    Although he was wasting his previous dark being magic cores, he didn''t regret it because he was growing stronger by consuming all those epic-tier-9 monsters'' meat and hearts. Ever so slightly, he could feel he was growing stronger, and right now, he should be equivalent to a true epic tier-8 physical and was rapidly approaching tier-9.


    Jacob mused that if he could get another heart at the level of Geko or therge ice monster, he might be able to break into tier 9. Furthermore, he noticed itte, but he found that the snow monsters might be the descendants of some powerful legendary creatures since they were making him stronger so fast.


    But he couldn''t summon the cursed book here, so he held back his curiosity and focused on growing. Now, he was even thinking of gaining power equivalent to a unique rank as long as he consumed the high-rank species present in this trial.


    Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly became alert when he heard argemotion outside and looked out carefully, and his eyes dted in disbelief. In the southern wall, he saw dark beings pouring out from the entrances, and they were all zombies!


    Furthermore, they weren''t just any zombies; but all of them were the snow monsters who seemed to have turned!


    In that instant, the entire ice city was filled with enraged roars from the snow monsters as they all rushed toward their attackers with blood-crazed eyes. Even if they were their fellow tribesman, they could tell from their empty, lifeless eyes and smell of rotten flesh that they were no longer the same.


    ''A high-ranking zombie!'' Jacob''s heart sank when he looked at all those zombie monsters, madly biting the others and ripping off the others while the other monsters were raining down ice element spells on them like crazy.


    Within an instant, the peaceful city turned into a bloody battlefield between the dead zombie monsters and living monsters.


    Right at this moment, a figure blurred into where Jacob was observing the gruesome scene of carnage. But Jacob didn''t try to act as he merely looked toward the door, and Charlotte was standing there, unting her graceful body and smiling at him.


    "It seems we are in trouble." She said with a meaningful smile.


    Jacob didn''t deny it and nodded, "I seem so. Do you, by any chance, know who the assant is?"


    Charlotte showed a rare frown as she gravely said, "There is only one dark being who could turn others into its puppet zombies and control thousands of them at will, the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke!


    "That thing is a one-man army, and a battlefield like this is his heaven. The more he killed, therger his army grew. I heard rumors that the entire dead dukedom of the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke is filled with his puppets. What a bad luck to end up in the same ce as him. Even my dad would have a hard time fighting him."


    Jacob''s expression grew grim after he heard this, and he nced at the battlefield where hundreds of snow monsters were already dead while the causality on the other side was evenrger. The natives seemed to have an overwhelming advantage.


    But right at this moment, an arrogant husky voice rang in thenguage of the dead, "Rise my children and enlighten these beasts!"


    Thereafter, from the dead zombies, a gray mist spread, and like some strange force guiding it, that mist started to seep into all those dead snow monster corpses. Within a few seconds, they begin to rise from the ground and attack their previous allies.


    "Told you, that bastard is simply impossible to kill. He can hide somewhere and control this entire battlefield. Unless we kill him, those zombies won''t stop multiplying. That''s the main reason he''s so hard to deal with." Charlotte expressed gravely.


    Jacob also found the power of this Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke absurd and understood why the armies of the life faction wouldn''t invade the dark beingnds and remain defensive. Just the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke alone was enough to sh with an army under the right circumstances.


    "If that''s the case, then let''s go toward the tower right now. Let him keep all of those monsters upied for us. If there is a shackle inside that tower, I''m pretty sure that guy''s objective would be the same. So, we have to beat him to it! If there is nothing, we will retreat!" Jacob dered as he moved out, as there were no longer any monsters close by.


    Charlotte smiled coldly as she followed behind him, "My thought exactly!"

 Chapter 482 The Ice Tower Infiltration (3)

    Chapter 482 The Ice Tower Infiltration (3)


    While the battle between alive and dead monsters was raging fiercer by every passing second, the city was leftpletely unguarded as every monster was focusing on the southern wall.


    However, within the western wall of the city, a cloaked figure with empty eye sockets was observing everything. He muttered in his husky voice while turning his head toward the ice tower, "I''ll be calming the honor of finding this shackle for my king¡­hmm? What?"


    Suddenly, he seemed to be astounded as he gawked at the vicinity around the tower, and the next moment, blue mes lit up in his empty eye sockets, and his vision magnified like crazy. He just happened to spot two giant figures trying to open the huge ice gates of the ice tower.


    The mes in his empty eyes started to ir as if someone had just thrown gasoline in the fire.


    "Those ants dare to take advantage of this Duke''s drudgery?!" His enraged voice buzzed in the empty passage, and the next moment, he started to chant a spell.


    On the other hand, Jacob and Charlotte easily approached the tower doors after all the snow monsters left to defend their home. But who could''ve thought that the fragile-looking doors, which seemed to be made from a sheet of clear ice, wouldn''t budge at all?


    "Just what the hell is going on?" Charlotte grunted as the veins on her hands were bulging while she tried to push the ice door using her full force.


    Jacob was in the same situation as the door just refused to open, and he never thought their smooth advance would be halted just because of a damn door. He also didn''t spot any keyhole or any rune symbols, which was the most frustrating part about all of this.


    However, before they could think of another method to open this door, they both sensed danger from behind and without hesitation, they lunged on both sides.


    "Boom!"


    The very next moment, out of nowhere, a huge ball of slimy blue substance sted right where both of them stood a moment ago. But it didn''t end with just that because thereafter, an extremely potent smell filled the air while the moment that slimy substance touched the ice surface, it began to melt, creating an even more potent smell instantly.


    "Acid Zombie Poison! I think we''ve been spotted!" Charlotte eximed with trepidation as she looked at the melting ground and the surroundings quickly turning into a poisonous zone.


    Jacob''s expression was ridged, "Wasn''t that bastard supposed to be dealing with those guys?"


    "Well, it would appear he was paying attention to this tower as well, so someone like us won''t try to take advantage of his effort." Charlotte smiled bitterly, but her eyes turned ruthless, "Since he dared to use this poison spell, it could only mean he can''t afford to split his monster army right now, nor does he have the guts to confront us head-on. So, let''s just use our true force to st apart this damn door!"


    The next moment, Charlotte''s entire body was suddenly caught in crimson mes, and the temperature started to rise as the surrounding ice started to melt like crazy. Moreover, the poisonous fog also burns and doesn''t harm Charlotte''s giant me-like form.


    Jacob was astounded because he felt Charlotte was probably ten times stronger than before, and he had never seen her using this before. The temperature continued to rise even more as those mes burned brighter.


    "me Spear!" She throws a punch, which seems to have turned into a ming spear on the ice door.


    "Booommmm¡­" A huge explosion rang, releasing a crimson shock wave.


    The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke, who was preparing his second attack, was stopped as the mes in his eyes fluttered crazily, and he shouted in disbelief, "Why is that livestock using the techniques of that crazy livestock, Gunnar?! Is he around, don''t tell me it''s the other one?!"


    He sounded like someonepletely spooked and quickly started to observe Jacob with scrutiny, but to his frustration, Jacob was wearing a hood and mask, so he couldn''t confirm if it was Gunnar or not.


    Nheless, he no longer dared to underestimate those rats, and he cursed in anger, "Those live stocks don''t know their ce. Just you wait. Once I''m done with these pests, you''ll be the next. So, take good care of the shackle for this Duke! Hihihhi!" The next moment, he started tough like a lunatic.


    After Charlotte threw that terrifying punch, she stopped burning like a torch and returned to normal while smoke was still rising from her person.


    However, both of them were shocked when they saw the door not only hadn''t melted but it was only cracked and still intact.


    "Just what kind of material it''s made of?" Charlotte was shocked and felt her pride had been hurt when the door was only cracked, not sted apart.


    "My turn." Jacob suddenly moved forward as he threw a punch as well while using 20X eleration.


    Another st rang in the vicinity, and this time, ice shards were mixed in the shockwaves. In front of Jacob and Charlotte, a two-meter-wide hole was opened in the ice door.


    "Just what is inside?" Charlotte muttered as she felt chills in her spine when she felt a strange auraing out of the hole in the door, making her feel a strange sense of fear.


    Even Jacob felt his fine hair stand when the hole was sted open, and the inside seemed to bepletely dark.


    Both giants could tell whatever was residing inside was too powerful for both of them.


    "Let''s go." Jacob calmed down and moved forward. For him, there was no backing down, and with the appearance of Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke, he needed to fish this no matter what and as quickly as possible.


    However, Charlotte took a step back and shook her head with a hint of fear, "I think we should retreat. Whatever is inside, it''s not something we can take on, and it might be trapped in this ce by someone, and those monsters were guarding it. This is no shackle but a mistake."


    Jacob frowned. He could understand where Charlotte wasing from, but as someone who knew about the trial mode, he knew exactly what the shackle was, and now he was 95% sure that the beast of direction was inside.


    Jacob solemnly said, "Alright, you hide somewhere. I''ll check once, just in case. If nothing is inside, I''ll retreat."


    "Are you crazy?" Charlotte red at Jacob as if he was a madman.


    But before Jacob could reply¡­


    "Roar¡­"


    Suddenly, a thunderous roar that shook the entire underground city reverberated, and it came from none other than the ice tower!

 Chapter 483 The Beast in Tower (1)

    <h4>Chapter 483 The Beast in Tower (1)</h4>


    The ghastly roar reverberated in the entire underground ice city, startling everyone except for the zombies.


    The snow monsters who were fighting with the zombie monsters started to howl crazily after they heard that roar. Their eyes went berserk, and their bodies started to bulge all of a sudden.


    This sudden reaction startled the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke even more as those snow monsters became instantly strong and started to attack without caring about their own lives.


    "Is this the guardian of this shackle, or I''m in the wrong ce and reached the wrong conclusion?" He muttered with uncertainty and turned his attention back to Jacob and Charlotte, who seemed to have awakened this unknown monster, "Let those livestock confirm this for me. This is ying all in my favor."


    On the other hand, Jacob and Charlotte, who were closer to that roar, were shocked as their hearts palpitated because the aura that was leaking from the opening was too terrifying.


    Especially for Charlotte because she could tell that whatever was inside was even stronger than her father.


    Jacob was solemn because he had once experienced the might of Captain Free Sword. Even though this monster didn''t evene closer to the captain, he had a very bad feeling about this because this monster might not be an epic rank at all.


    Charlotte quickly said, "Let''s get the hell out of here. That thing is not something we can fight. I''m afraid that even an army might not be enough to take it down. Even if there is a shackle in that tower, you need to be alive to im it!"


    Jacob thought for a moment before he said coldly, "I''m going in. You should escape."


    "You stubborn man, then die for your greed. I don''t care!" Charlotte yelled in exasperation before running towards the northern wall. She couldn''t understand why Jacob was so obsessed with this foolish shackle.


    Even though she admired his courage, at this point, it was pure madness in her view, and she didn''t want to be a part of it. She wasn''t here tomit suicide out of curiosity.


    Jacob didn''t do anything as he watched the giant flee without a second thought. But this was just what he wanted because after she was gone, he could use his full arsenal without worrying about anyone.


    Although the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke was still watching from somewhere, he wasn''t worried about him because he couldn''t figure out his identity. Because if Charlotte guessed who he was, then he would have to watch his back constantly, and he couldn''t afford to divert his attention.


    Using a hex on her will put him at an even greater disadvantage because he needs to replenish his hex mana, and the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke will be on guard.


    That''s why Charlotte leaving was the best oue, and he also noticed that after that initial roar, the monster inside the tower went dormant again. Or it was simply not capable of breaking free from the tower.


    While keeping this in mind, Jacob entered through the hole without making any sounds.


    The inside of the tower was pitch ck, but he still had his night vision. The tower was over 100 meters wide and fifty meters tall. But his eyes were affixed on the monstrosity sitting in the center.


    It was another snow monster, but its size was over 20 meters while sitting and 15 meters wide. Its fur was not white; instead, it was blue, and two white antelope horns were tangled together.


    Furthermore, its glowing crimson eyes were locked on Jacob the moment he came inside, and he was murderously looking at the tiny intruder with a hint of naked disdain. It was as if he was ridiculing its prey to walk on its own in his mouth.


    The entire space was deadly silent as both of them gawked at each other without making any move.


    But right at this moment, Jacob''s heart churned when he felt a sudden movement right under his feet, and he instantly jumped to the side. The next moment, a gigantic ice spike emerged from where he stood.


    Although he managed to avoid it, the pathway he came from was closed off, and at this moment, the monster''s ghastly pale lips rose as it revealed its sharp fangs.


    ''This bastard was aiming to close my escape route!'' Jacob coldly looked back as it became quite clear that this guy was extremely intelligent, and he seemed to be toying with him.


    Furthermore, he didn''t dare to use his hex magic because that monster wasn''t an epic rank. The pressure it was giving despite doing nothing but sitting and frosty mana density wasn''t something that an epic rank could emit.


    Not to mention, he wasn''t nning on taking that thing down with the hex magic since he had a more sufficient way to make sure that monster paid for underestimating him.


    "Let me make it abundantly clear who is the actual prey among us," Jacob smirked coldly, and the next moment, a sniper rifle appeared in his hands.


    However, unlike traditional rifles, this rifle had two muzzle barrels and two triggers like a double-barrel shotgun, and magic gems and runes were engraved on its ck body. Thereafter, he instantly pulled both triggers while aiming at the monster''s face!


    The monster seemed to be provoked by Jacob''s fearless attitude, but before he could react, a sense of crisis overcame him, and the two glowing bullets were right on his face!


    But to Jacob''s surprise, almost instantly, a neon blue light enshrouded the monster out of nowhere before the bullets could even touch its fur.


    "Boooommmmm!"


    A huge explosion that shook the entire tower rang before two sonic booms rang from the sniper rifle. The magic runes lit up on the rifle while two of the magic gems turned to dust, absorbing all the recoil.


    However, Jacob didn''t care because a blurry punch was approaching him, and its speed was something he couldn''t dodge. Two of his arm guards instantly lit up, putting up two barriers before the giant punch glowing in an icy blue sheen made contact.


    "Bang¡­!"


    Like sheets of ss, the barrier shattered, and Jacob was sent flying and smashed into the tower wall!

 Chapter 484 The Beast in Tower (2)

    Chapter 484 The Beast in Tower (2)


    Jacob felt a metallic taste in his mouth as he was engraved in the ice tower wall after receiving that powerful punch while half of his body was covered in blue ice. Despite wearing a Basic Unique Rank ck Robe, advanced epic rank level clothes, and barriers, he still gets injured.


    Although it wasn''t that bad, it was now confirmed that this monstrosity was a Unique Rank, and Jacob was in trouble.


    Furthermore, that thing also blocked his two atomic bullets from his newly built twin titan sniper rifle just in the nick of time and was even able to counterattack.


    Jacob quickly collected his thoughts, and he pushed out his body and jumped on his feet while looking gloomily at the monster. His eyes suddenly contorted when he saw purple liquid gushing out of the monster''s cheek, and there was a deep wound there.


    Furthermore, the neon blue barrier that saved the monster''s head from blowing up waspletely gone, and a faint green mist was in the air, which was radiation from the atomic bullets.


    The monster''s eyes were bloodshot and murky as it murderously red at Jacob.


    ''So, my bullets work!'' Jacob shone with tion and quickly took out the Twin Titan Sniper again.


    However, the monster seemed to be prepared and didn''t give Jacob time to react and wanted to kill him as soon as possible because this weak-looking sheep was a wolf in disguise.


    Almost instantly, before Jacob could pull the triggers, a chill ran down his spine, and the next moment, an icy faint blue mist oozed from the floor and the moment the mist touched Jacob''s feet, they instantly froze. While right in front of him, a thick ice wall swoops up, blocking his view!


    Jacob knew the monster was not going to give him another chance to take a shoot at him. He tried to move his feet, but to his horror, he was unable to escape that blue ice like it was made of iron, and he now started to feel frost directly on his feet!


    Suddenly, a dangerous thought surfaced in his mind, and the next moment, "Water barricade!" Jacob instantly cast his own spell as half of his legs were now frozen.


    Jacob guessed that even though that ice mist looked normal, and if that were the case, Jacob wouldn''t be too worried. But Jacob knew better since it wasn''t the case because Spirit probably conjured the icy blue mist.


    After Jacob got the universal scripture from Star Chaser and the knowledge of the Witch Queen, his understanding of magic became quite deep.


    He discovered after evolving into a Unique Rank Species thebat ss species would awake Element Aura, which was ten times more destructive and potent than mana. While the sorcery ss species would awake Element Spirit that can rival the Element Aura.


    Aura can cut through normal mana, like a knife in butter, and that''s why it was used with weapons to increase their sharpness, or close-rangebatants can cover their bodies with aura to turn them into weapons of destruction. While spirit could amplify magic and make it more potent and deadly.


    That''s why the Union Rank Species could easily kill epic rank species while epic rank species couldn''t even scratch the unique rank species as long as they are using Aura or Spirit. Only Aura or Spirit canpletely block Aura attack or Spirit attack.


    In an earlier attack, the punch that Jacob blocked was covered in spirit, and that''s how he suffered internal injuries despite wearing all those defensive treasures, and the blue ice left on his body was proof of it. If it were Aura, Jacob''s armor would''ve been sted apart.


    Even though Jacob has a scripture that can help him awake the Aura of Water, the problem is that he needs to have a Unique Rank Physique to handle Aura cirction in his body.


    When an epic rankbatant achieved a Unique Rank Physique, a unique glyph would etch into the skull of thebatant called an Aura Glyph; the same goes for the sorcerer. With the different being, they would get Spirit Glyph!


    That''s why the rank was called Unique Rank, and if someone wanted to achieve the next legendary rank, the secret was hidden in their unique glyphs.


    Anyhow, the fact was Jacob couldn''t use Aura without an Aura Glyph or Spirit without a Spirit Glyph, while the monster in front of him could. He was using a spirit magic spell to get rid of Jacob once and for all.


    But Jacob wasn''t going down that easily, and after creating the water barricade, which he knew was useless, he took out two atomic grenades and instantly threw them over the wall without caring about being continued to freeze.


    His n was simple, and he didn''t have any other way. Since the monster was using spirit magic and blocking his escape route, he was going to use these as a shield to blow the monster to smithereens or put him on the verge of death at least.


    The moment Jacob threw the grenade out, the blue mist had already turned the water around Jacob into solid ice, and now he was turning into a blue ice block!


    A painful groan escaped from Jacob''s mouth as the spirit magic was making his mind feel terrifying cold, and the cold was prating his body, digging into his skin and inflicting pain, which was not very pleasant!


    ''This is truly insane, I''m fucking insane!'' Jacob thought while sealed in the ice as he tried to keep his sanity and keep releasing water mana, which was instantly turned into ice once it became water because the ice spirit and ice block around him grew immensely.


    However, Jacob wanted exactly that and endured while preparing himself for the explosion in this confined space. He wanted to see that monster''s face after this explosion, and when he realized that his killer moves had shielded Jacob!


    The snow monster''s eyesnded on the two tiny obvious filled with greenish glowing liquid, and he was confused about why that ant would risk throwing it out instead of escaping himself.


    But just as he was about to ignore it, those two grenades suddenly shimmered in blinded light that instantly covered the entire dark over like two tiny suns.


    The Puppeteer Zombie Duke, who was observing the ice tower like a hawk, saw that the entire tower turned into smithereens instantly before a blinding light appeared.


    Charlotte was also watching from a safe distance because she could clearly hearrge explosions from within the tower and wondered if Jacob was really strong enough to take down the monster in the tower. The same scene shed past before her eyes, and she didn''t even have time to react.


    The next moment, the entire mountain reverberated in a volcanic explosion, and the top was fully blown off, just like a volcanic eruption!

 Chapter 485 Beast of North

    Chapter 485 Beast of North


    The explosion from two atomic grenades was no joke as the highest mountain peak of the ice mountain range was blown open, and it didn''t just stop with that. Multiple avnches started, and the entire ce became absolute ice hell.


    Many other figures wandering in this ce clearly heard and saw the gigantic smoke cloud rising from afar. They all wondered if that ice mountain was a volcano.


    But at this moment, SAAI''s impassive voice sounded in every corner of the Hunter''s Necropolis, which shocked everyone to the core.


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!"


    This announcement was reaped four more times before everything returned to normal. However, the people who heard it became dumbfounded and left gobsmacked. It was simply unbelievable for someone to clear a trial condition in less than a month after the trial in descended. It wasn''t done before in the Epic ins.


    Furthermore, it was done by none other than the most infamous terrorist of the Epic ins, the Faceless Ancient of all people! This news was absolutely sensational.


    In the trial ins somewhere in a forest filled with deadly trees, an elf in a disheveled state wore an expression of utter disbelief as he shed his sword on iing tree branchesing for his life.


    The tree branches were cut into slices, and brown liquid shot out and the moment it touched the ground, the ground started to melt as the liquid was acid.


    "Bastard! How the hell did this happen!? That vile bitch will kill me once she gets the wind of this massive blunder. Just where in the hell did that rat bastard end uppleting the trial condition so quickly? Just what in the god''s name is this dimmable trial type!" He roared furiously as more and more tree branches headed for his life.


    ---


    Someone in a burning golden desert, three giants were on the verge of exploding after they heard the announcement.


    "How the hell did this happen? While we ended up in this burning hell, that criminal broke a shackle?! Where''s the justice in this world!" A 5-meter-tall giant roared as he shed his massive broad sword at a giant scorpion, shing it into two halves, and the burning sand also split pretty deeply.


    "Mr. Vice Chairman, I think we should head towards it now. We can''t afford to waste more time searching for ourrades. At least we needed to quickly report it to the Chairman after finding an exit. I reckoned the other will also have the same thought." An elderly giant from the me Iron Giant Tribe sternly suggested, looking toward a particr direction.


    Everyone''s expression went pale as they looked in the same direction as well. There is a silhouette of a gigantic pyramid!


    ---


    In a dark swamp, a graceful figure stood on top of a strange mounter corpse while her eyes behind a dark mask were bloodshot as she emitted a dark, murderous aura like a demon.


    "You vile scourge! It''s all because of you that I ended up in this ursed ce, and now you appeared again, and once again, you stood in my way of survival! If I don''t kill you here, I won''t be able to live anyway.


    "Since you like to show off and clear these shackles, I''ll be waiting for you here to take back all the debut you owe me with great interest!"


    The dark water of the swamp rose, covering the masked woman, and the next moment, the woman and the corpse vanished as if they weren''t there in the first ce.


    ---


    "Ahh¡­" A painful groan escaped Jacob''s mouth.


    He opened his eyes and was shocked when a mouthful of bitter water entered his mouth. He found himself drowning in murky cold water. Furthermore, he went ck for an unknown time, so he didn''t know what happened after the explosion.


    ''Where am I?'' Jacob was startled as he tried to stabilize his body, and his eyes widened because of the excruciating pain that attacked him the moment he tried to move just one finger.


    All the bones in his body seemed to have broken, and his heart was beating faster to try to heal his body while warm blood, which was almost ck, was oozing from his body.


    Although he wasn''t burned or sted apart because of that explosion since he was wearing so many treasures, his ice block n greatly reduced the damage. But he didn''t escape unscratched at all because he was too close to the explosion, and there wasn''t any sea body to absorb the attack like thest time.


    After that explosion, the heat emitted from the nuclear reaction melted everything around him almost instantly, and if that ice hadn''t been made with spirit magic, his ck robe would''ve melted as well.


    But because he caused the explosion in the middle of an ice mountain and the tower was also made with strange frosty ice, it greatly reduced the nuclear fission heat.


    However, he couldn''t escape from the shockwaves of the explosion, and despite all those treasures, his skeleton frame was broken. It was a miracle he was even able to regain consciousness in this state, and the protection he was wearing for his head was all gone as well.


    It was also thanks to his new giant skeleton that he was still fine.


    As for drowning, it was the least of his worries because he could breathe underwater after hepleted the water meditation.


    Since he had regained consciousness, Jacob increased his eleration to increase the healing process and used his reaming water mana to control the surrounding water to stabilize his body.


    One after another, the clothes on his body disappeared, revealing his mingled body filled with terrible fractures.


    The next moment, a 1000CC metal injection appeared in front of him, and by controlling the water, he was able to inject the glowing yellow liquid into his body.


    This was an advanced epic-rank healing elixir that he got from the treasury, and he filled some of it in injections just in case he encountered a situation where he was too damaged to move.


    Jacob injected five such injections before he felt a warm current all over his body, and with 25X eleration, the healing process elerated. After a few minutes, He was finally able to move his hands.


    Without dying, Jacob took out a body that was none other than Geko''s. He was saving it for grilling. But he needed that lizard''s nutrition, so he started to devour it whole without leaving even bones.


    In the cold water, Jacob was eating as his condition visibly improved, and he didn''t stop as he took out the giant snow monsters he was saving as well and ate them. He didn''t waste any pills or elixir since they can''t be replenished, just like the healing elixir.


    If someone had seen him, they would take him as a sea monster right now.


    In less than an hour, Jacob was fully recovered, and his previous fractured body was now wless.


    He then opened his star watch to see if that monster was dead, and then he saw it with shimmering eyes.


    "Congrattions on killing the Beast of North: Fiend Yeti!


    "Your glorious deeds have been spread far and wide!"


    ''Spread far and wide? What does this mean?'' Jacob frowned but didn''t pay it any more heed since no one was there to answer him. What matters is that he was able to kill the Beast of North, which means all that risk was worth it.


    Jacob was finally able to turn his focus on silent surroundings, and it was at this moment that he noticed a faint blue glow in the depth of icy water!

 Chapter 486 Hunter’s Legacy Pieces

    <h4>Chapter 486 Hunter¡¯s Legacy Pieces</h4>


    Jacob was intrigued when he saw the faint glow in the dark depths of these icy waters, which were the result of a massive meltdown caused by the atomic grenade.


    However, he didn''t know how much of the ice mountain had melted. If this water body was even made with that mountain, or if he ended up drowning below the icends.


    One thing he could tell was that this was contaminated with radiation, which didn''t bother Jacob at all because of resistance. Furthermore, he couldn''t see the surface or light above, which could only mean he had drowned too deep or the surface was blocked.


    Whichever the case might end up being, Jacob headed toward the blue glow in the depths. He didn''t know where the Fiend Yeti corpse was still intact, but it was a huge loss for him because he just lost a unique rank heart!


    Nheless, it mattered little as long as he couldplete this trial, and this blue glow might be something good.


    The deeper he went, the colder the water turned, and Jacob had no choice but to wear all the armor and even activate another defensive barrier around it to keep himself from freezing to death while the water pressure wasn''t a problem.


    As Jacob grew closer and closer, the blue glow became brighter, and at this moment, Jacob was finally able to see where that glow wasing from, and his eyes widened.


    He saw at the bottom that the Fiend Yeti''spletely charred and half-destroyed, mingled corpse was lying there. The blue glow wasing from its magic core as it was releasing terrifying frosty spirit magic energy.


    ted, Jacob quickly approached the corpse and didn''t even give the magic core a second nce and headed towards its chest, which was still intact, and cut it open.


    To his relief, the Fiend Yeti''s heart was still intact, and it seemed to be perverse well because of the ice water, and the radiation hadn''t spread this deep into the water.


    Jacob quickly stowed it away with excitement, and only after that did he take the Ice Magic Orb, which was releasing terrifying spirit mana that almost froze his hand.


    But just as he removed the magic core from the Fiend Yeti''s stomach, he spotted another unusual thing: a purple scroll covered in a white sparkling bubble!


    ''What the¡­'' Jacob was bbergasted since this didn''t make any sense and tried to retrieve the scroll. The moment he touched the white bubble, it burst open, and the purple scroll turned into a light streak before darting into his start watch, vanishing!


    Jacob was startled by this sudden turn of events, and the purple streak was too fast for him even to retract his hand before it entered his star watch.


    At this moment, his star watch vibrates strongly, snapping him out of his stupor, and he quickly activates it. He wanted to see what was that purple streak.


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for acquiring Hunter''s Legacy Piece!


    "Please acquire all the legacy pieces to convert them intoplete Hunter''s Legacy.


    "Hunter''s Legacy Pieces: 1/5


    "NOTE: Hunter''s Legacy Pieces can be traded through Star Waters. In case a trial participant kills the Legacy Piece owner, the Legacy Piece will be transferred to the killer. In case the Legacy Piece Owner dies naturally or by some monster, after 48 hours, the Legacy Piece will be randomly transferred to a random Beast of Direction!"


    Jacob stared at that notification for a little while and read it a few times before he confirmed nothing was wrong with it.


    ''So, to summarize it, I will get this sort of scroll from every beast of direction that I killed. No, this isn''t the case. I have to retrieve the scroll myself. It doesn''t matter if I killed it or someone else.


    ''As long as someone else even touches this thing, it will instantly be transferred to their star watch just like mine. That NOTE also made it clear that anyone can im this legacy as long as they collect all the pieces, and even if they don''t, the pieces will go back to a beast of direction.


    ''So, if someone with four pieces gets killed randomly by some beast, the person who killed the 5th beast would get all the five pieces. Theplete Hunter''s Legacy. What a vicious yet interesting game. It''s far simpler than the Dark Ruins but more cruel in many ways.


    ''Furthermore, the Epic Trial in is really not so simple, just as Immortika warned me. I never thought that the Beast of Directions would turn out to be a Unique Rank. If that''s the case, what about the final beast?'' Jacob thought gravely as he sighed at his bad luck.


    If not for the medallion, he wouldn''t dare to even think about going against these terrifying monsters. But now, he didn''t have a choice but to move forward.


    Jacob gave the Fiend Yeti''s mingle body nce before storing it away as well. Although the corpse was contaminated with radiation, as long as he had immunity, it didn''t matter.


    Furthermore, this corpse belonged to a unique rank magic beast, and despite experiencing the direct explosion from the two atomic grenades, only a part of it was blown off while the skeleton waspletely intact.


    Jacob wasn''t going to give up on it since he knew once he consumed that heart, he needed everything to make his bodypatible with his increased strength.


    Like a fish, Jacob swam upward at high speed while controlling the surrounding water, and he quickly reached the surface. He was 8 miles deep in the water before, and when he reached the surface, he found it blocked by a darkyer of ice.


    ''Just as I suspected. That entire icend is floating on a water body. I must''ve drifted away from the mountain when the meltdown happened.'' Jacob thought before he took out his sword and shed open a pathway for him to head upward.


    The iceyer was surprisingly over 2,000 feet thick, and Jacob appeared in somewhere in the icy ins. But he noticed a strangeness. The seemingly endless blizzard had stopped!

 Chapter 487 Resentful Charlotte

    <h4>Chapter 487 Resentful Charlotte</h4>


    ''Could it be the blizzard also stopped once I killed the Fiend Yeti?'' Jacob concluded as he was ny percent sure it was the case.


    Only then did he shift his focus, and he was staggered when he looked in the north direction. He saw the once tallest ice mountain of these ice ins waspletely gone, and what was left of it was an over-half-melted mountain of ice!


    Jacob sighed with a hint of relief and muttered, "I''m d I was able to escape alive. I wonder what happened to Charlotte and the Dead Duke."


    A cruel smile surfaced on Jacob''s face. He really hoped Charlotte wasn''t dead since she was a source of high-level nutrition. Nheless, Jacob wasn''t too hopeful since the chances of her escaping alive were very low.


    What he should be focusing on was where to proceed now. There was no way of knowing which direction he should choose, and the Beast of North was dead, so he had to search for the remaining beast of directions.


    In the end, Jacob decided to head in the opposite direction to the melted ice mountain and hoped to find some clues about his next target before anyone else could.


    Furthermore, he was nning on consuming the Fiend Yeti''s heart once he found some more secluded ce and made some preparations. Like this, Jacob''s journey towards the south started.


    However, Jacob had no idea that at this moment, in the west direction from his, a giant and a zombie were locked in a deadly battle. They were none other than Charlotte and Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke!


    Both of them managed to survive the explosion and escaped the hellish site because they were far away from the ice tower. But to escape the radiation and being buried under the ice and drowning, they both had to use their trump cards.


    However, they had never expected that they would bump into each other today.


    The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke was no match for Charlotte without his army of zombies, so he tried to escape. But Charlotte also knew about this fact and didn''t let go of this chance to get rid of this troublesome enemy while she had the chance.


    Furthermore, Charlotte was filled with rage and humiliation after she heard the announcement about Jacob clearing the first condition and discovered that this giant was none other than the enemy of the three hegemonies, Faceless Ancient!


    This was something she hadn''t even dreamt of, and all that information about Jacob being an elf turned out to be nothing but bullshit because he was clearly a giant. The most humiliating part was that the guy yed her like a fiddle, and she wondered if he wasughing at her in secret because of her identity.


    Now, she wanted to find that rascal and have a good ''chat'' with him. However, despite not wanting to admit it, she knew she was no match for the cunning fellow, especially after witnessing the destruction he had caused by using his infamous weaponry.


    Furthermore, if he was able to escape alive despite being so close to that ghastly explosion, it was even more impossible for her to fight him. This made her even angrier, and now she wanted to reveal this information to her father so he wouldn''t fool Jacob like her.


    She was about to use her vermin transponder when she discovered the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke and started to fight him with all her might. If she could get rid of a Dead Duke, she might be able to wash her shame.


    Charlotte was encased in crimson mes as she was dodgingnces made with purple liquid filled with poison. The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke was desperately retreating while trying to slow the infuriated giant.


    He was even more frustrated than Charlotte because once the Dead King heard that someone from the life faction had already broken a shackle, many heads would roll. Even his own head was in danger.


    But encountering Charlotte put him in great danger right off the bat because he was a sorcerer while Charlotte was abatant. Furthermore, he only had poison magic except for his zombies, and the ironic part was Charlotte could burn the poison. He was a terrible match-up to fight her, so the danger was massive.


    "Vile livestock! If you insist on killing this duke, I will take you down with me!" He roared furiously when he saw Charlotte was only a few meters away from him, and her terrifying heat was no joke.


    "Hmph, just be the real dead, Dead Duke!" Charlotte sneered with killing intent as a massive amount of fire started to concentrate on her fists. She was determined to kill him.


    Right at this moment, the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke took out a ck magic scroll and activated it. Powerful dark magic was released.


    However, Charlotte seemed to be ready as a white talisman appeared in her hand, and she activated it. Thereafter, she threw it toward the dark miasma that was covering her.


    A blinding white light shed with the dark miasma, and the next moment, the dark miasma started to burn before nothing was left!


    The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke was horrified as the mes in his eye sockets trembled, and he tried to use another magic scroll.


    But it was already toote, for Charlotte''s me fist was upon his face!


    "Boom!"


    A huge me explosion with the sound of bones shattering rang in the vicinity.


    The Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke''s entire skull was blown off as his headless body was falling.


    Charlotte coldly stood there as the surrounding mes started to retract into her body. But herplexion was pale, and she seemed out of breath. She had used almost all of her mana tond a single hit on the dead duke.


    If he had just two of his zombie puppets, she might''ve been the one on the ground at this moment, not the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke.


    Still, her eyes shimmered with tion when she looked at the headless Dead Duke, who could even make her father wary, but now she had in him.


    But when she thought that it was all possible because Jacob got rid of the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke''s monster army and probably forced him to use his strongest life-saving treasures like herself, she ground her teeth in resentment.


    "Jack, Faceless Ancient, don''t you dare to think that you can get rid of me so easily. Once I report what happened in this ce, the entire forces of the three hegemonies will enter this ce, including my dad. They will never allow an outsider to walk all over them.


    "The trial is just beginning, and you are way over your head if you think it''s already over just because you figure out the trial type¡­"


    A malicious smile appeared on her face as she took out the vermin transponder and activated it!

 Chapter 488 On the Brink of Destruction

    <h4>Chapter 488 On the Brink of Destruction</h4>


    Outside the trial in, the Epic ins were not as peaceful as they used to be after the attack on the Epic Star Server and the starwork''s absence. The biggest problem that urred because of this was theck of Currency, Zodiac Credit!


    The entire epic alive ins relied on the ZC to exchange for goods and personal exchange, and all that happened on the starwork was because ZC had no material form.


    This brought forth a huge headache and economic disaster for everyone in the epic alive ins, and every business, whether it was from the three hegemonies or private, was shut off.


    The second problem was naturally theck ofmunication, and any report or news had to be delivered physically through letters. It was like the advanced civilization had returned to its medieval state.


    Most effective because of this situation were naturally the three hegemonies because they controlled the entire epic alive ins with the help of Star Network, and because of its existence, no one could go against them or undermine their authority.


    The most absurd part was this all happened on the same day when the trial in was descended, and the mighty All Alive Alliance (AAA) was forced to change their entire n.


    Because of this exact reason, the AAA was forced to send only 30% of their vanguard forces to the trial ins that they had initially prepared and decided to wait for the starwork recovery. They also made this decision on the base of the trial ins that had just descended.


    However, this wasn''t even the start of epic ins troubles. Just four days after the starwork went down, nuclear attacks started to ur all over the epic alive ins and in therge level cities nheless, and this process continued for two straight days.


    The entire epic ins were in turmoil as people were dying left and right, and no ce was safe anymore.


    It was also then that people took notice of the true terror of nuclear weapons. Radiation started to spread all over the epic alive ins. Species under rare rank started to die, while rare species showed strange symptoms of unknown illnesses.


    Even the extraordinary species were affected by the fast spread of radiation. Only the epic-rank species were unaffected. Still, it didn''t mean the radiation didn''t affect them in other ways.


    When the food and water supply started to get affected, the high-level figures finally understood the gravity of the situation, and then on the seventh day, the alive epic ins experienced their first nuclear winter!


    Death, misery, and despair slowly grip the hearts of living beings who were once living in peace. Even those high and mighty figures experience the meaning of true horror.


    All of this was happening because of one person, the Faceless Ancient!


    Only now, everyone truly understands why the three hegemonies wanted to get rid of Faceless Ancient. However, some believed that it was their hunger for power that brought this disaster upon everyone.


    But the Faceless Ancient bes a terrifying devil in everyone''s heart who can bring the destruction of entire epic ins. In fact, many believed that the attack on Star Network was also Faceless Ancient''s doing. The destruction had already begun, and three hegemonies were now helpless!


    In a sense, the Faceless Ancient was now even more infamous than the legendary Vile Witch!


    As if this wasn''t enough, at the start of the second week after the epic star server destruction, news from all over the epic ins started to flood into the temporary AAA headquarters where the three leaders were staying and trying to get a hold of the chaotic situation.


    The news turned out to be very grave. High-ranking figures of three hegemonies and powerful species all over the epic alive ins were started to get assassinated. This started another upheaval, and this was also the final straw that broke the camel''s back.


    People from all over the epic ins started to band together and marched towards the AAA headquarters, which were close to the trial ins, and decided to demand justice from the three hegemonies who were now silent and helpless.


    Since they can''t find the original culprits for their misery, they decide to find the ones who could possibly bring an end to it.


    While the epic ins were bing more and more chaotic and moving towards destruction, on the 29th day after the epic trial in descended, AAA''s first Alliance Leader, Chairman Gunnar, instantly called for an emergency meeting between high-level figures of AAA, including the 2nd and 3rd Alliance Leaders.


    This naturally made everyone surprised because this giant didn''t even react to the current situation of the epic ins, so what caused him to react so violently all of a sudden?


    They even suspect that Faceless Ancient has sent some threat to them to finish them off, so they quickly gather within an hour since they were all living in AAA headquarters, which was made virtually imprable bybining three hegemonies resources.


    It was probably the safest ce in the entire epic ins at that moment, and to enter there, one needed a high-level clearance and had to undergo many security checks.


    At this moment, in a massive room, all the high-level figures of the three hegemonies were gathered together. The atmosphere was extremely grave because they were all aware of the current situation of the epic ins and the iing mob, which was increasing day by day.


    Sitting at the very front were Lucy and Nelsen, while only Gunnar''s giant seats were empty. Both of them were one of the sharpest minds in the epic ins and always appeared calm.


    Yet today, those were looking extremely agitated, as if they were sitting on thin ice. Even they didn''t know why Gunnar suddenly called this meeting, but they sure guessed from his voice that it wasn''t something good.


    At this moment, the door opened. Gunnar, wearing an imposing crimson armor, entered, and he was releasing an intense murderous aura like a vicious wolf. Everyone felt that aura and their expression went pale, and they quickly lowered their head with trepidation. They all could tell that Gunnar was extremely furious for some reason right now.


    Even Lucy and Nelsen hadn''t seen Gunnar this furious before, and they both had known him for hundreds of years now.


    Gunnar stood in front of his seat and coldly stated while his murderous aura intensified even more, "I found the whereabouts of Faceless Ancient!"

 Chapter 489 The Chairman’s Declaration

    <h4>Chapter 489 The Chairman¡¯s Deration</h4>


    "I found the whereabouts of Faceless Ancient!"


    Gunnar''s words struck like thunder in everyone''s ears, and their eyes widened as they looked at him with all kinds of expressions, mostly killing intent.


    "Where?!" Nelsen demanded in a thrilled voice while Lucy was also looking at Gunnar with tion. Ellie, who was sitting close to Nelsen, was emitting killing intent.


    If anyone hated and were wary of Jacob, it would be these three because they knew if Jacob hated someone in the entire epic ins, it would be them. Lucy and Ellie now truly fear Jacob''s revenge and want to get rid of him quickly and by any means necessary.


    However, that guy was like a ghost; he seemed to be everywhere, but at the same time, he was nowhere. They couldn''t get any clues about his whereabouts. Nowadays, not only them but all the people here were afraid that Jacob wouldunch a white sun missile on them.


    If Nelsen hadn''t assured them about his countermeasure against Jacob''s mechanical weapons, none of them would sleep in peace.


    Gunnar''s expression remained deadly cold as he replied, "He''s in the trial in!"


    This was another unexpected bomb that dropped in the entire meeting room.


    "But how?" Lucy blurted in disbelief, "Moreover, how did you get this information, and how reliable it is? Did someonee out from the trial? Isn''t it too quick, or did someone get lucky and teleported close to the exit?"


    There was too much uncertainty in this information. Even Nelsen was frowning because he felt all that excitement was for nothing, and this information was probably false. But still, Gunnar wasn''t someone to jump the guns, so he wanted to hear the source of this information.


    Gunnar pursed his lips and angrily replied, "Evidently, my foolish daughter somehow snuck into the trial ins, and not only that, she even encountered and traveled with Faceless Ancient until that bastard cleared the trial condition! Seeing even my daughter could enter, I don''t think it was a big deal for Faceless Ancient. I guess it''s time for me to purge useless trash from our ranks."


    The entire room fell into deadly silence when they heard this unexpected information, and they looked at Gunnar with utter disbelief, and some of them finally understood why Gunnar seemed so pissed off.


    But the most ridiculous and grim news was about Faceless Ancient clearing a trial condition less than a month after the trial had started!


    Gunnar then started to exin how he got a call from Charlotte through the vermin transponder. He no longer cares about other findings about the vermin transponder since that matter was nowhere near as important as Jacob wreaking havoc in the trial in.


    Furthermore, this also proves another thing: Jacob wasn''t the one who caused all those explosions or assassinations. There was someone else, probably the Society Killer!


    After Gunnar was done exining the events in the trial ins, everyone in the room turned their focus on Nelsen, who had some pale expression at this moment.


    Suddenly, Gunnar''s focus turned to Lucy as she was wearing a mask, but her expression behind that mask was clearly hideous since her eyes were shimmering with killing intent.


    He coldly said, "Furthermore, I think Miss Manager owes us all an exnation. From what Charlotte told me, Faceless Ancient is a giant, not a golden elf, nor he had a crippled eye. Furthermore, he''s as powerful as a peak epic-rankbatant. I want to know where you got that information and why you trusted it so much.


    "You should know because of that information; we turned our focus on elves while that guy was busy spreading his destructive weapons and making money."


    His words cause everyone to shift their focus on Lucy.


    Lucy was startled by this sudden discovery, and her eyes widened, "This? Are you sure?" She asked Gunnar with absolute shock.


    Gunnar gave her a threatening re, "Are you doubting my daughter''s ability to differentiate between a weak elf and a powerful giant?"


    "Are you working with him, you bitch!?" Before Lucy could reply, Ellie stood up from her seat and pointed her finger at Lucy maliciously.


    Lucy''s expression turned ashen as she red at Ellie with killing intent, "Mind your tongue, Vice Guild Leader. Your allegation ispletely baseless. Everyone knows here how much I have spent to get rid of Faceless Ancient."


    "Then mind telling us why you give us false informant on his appearance and race? You should know if he was really a giant all this time, then you''re proiming him an elf could be seen as a huge blunder.


    "All our resources were wasted, not to mention all those golden elves we captured and put through torture would not be very pleased. In fact, all the elves present in this room and the entire elvenmunity would like an exnation from their fellow elf."? Nelsen coldly questioned. He literally made Lucy the enemy of all elves, and the elves in this room looked at Lucy with a hint of hostility now.


    Everyone knew that elves stick together and don''t let another race walk over them easily. But because of Lucy''s information about Faceless Ancient being a golden elf, the entire elfmunity had been suffering from scorn and humiliation in these past few years.


    While the Golden Elf tribe waspletely purged, not even children were spared. But now, it all turned out to be nothing but a farce. Not to mention, Nelsen and Ellie were there to ignite the mes and put Lucy under huge pressure, and it was even more hazardous for Lucy because she was also an elf.


    Lucy gave Nelsen a ferocious re before she coldly said, "If you really want to know, I''ll tell you. I got that picture from the Dark Earl of the Dark City. He was the only person who hade in contact with Faceless Ancient in the rare ins. You can even confirm it with the Dark Earls once they arrive here. If you want to seek revenge, seek it with the Dark Earl, not me."


    Everyone frowned when the Dark Earl was mentioned. Even Gunnar showed a hint of doubt because if this was true, then even he couldn''t do anything to a Dark Earl-level figure!


    "Alright, if this is true, then I won''t me you." Gunnar spoke, "Besides, I don''t think it''s time to me each other. It''s a miracle Charlotte was able to live to tell the tale, and this also put us on the right track. Furthermore, she also killed the Puppeteer Zombie Dead Duke.


    "Although she was reckless, and I will deal with her once I find her, she had done an excellent job and given us information that not even our most powerful informative couldn''t.


    "Since we know where the Faceless Ancient is, and he seemed to be capable ofpleting the trial quickly, just like he does in the rare ins, we can''t sit still and wait for him to seed." Gunnar''s words caused many to be solemn.


    He then looked at Nelsen and Lucy and said in an irrefutable tone, "I want you two to put your differences aside and figure out the trial type from the informant Charlotte had provided.? Or at least narrowed it down to three possibilities.


    "I''m giving you 12 hours. In the meantime, I''m going to put a team together and head inside myself. But if you still don''t meet my demand, one of you ising with me. This is my final verdict, and there is no room for rejection!"


    Gunnar dered before he left the room, leaving everyone gobsmacked while Nelsen and Lucy appeared quite ashen!

 Chapter 490 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 490 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (1)</h4>


    It''s been three weeks since Jacob started heading south, and there were still no traces of ice ins ending. He had no idea that this ce was so big, and teleporting closer to the Fiend Yeti was probably his luck.


    In these past three weeks, Jacob hadn''t encountered any living being, but he did bump into a few dark beings, which he killed on the spot. There were also no more small fiend yetis, and he reckoned that they were all dead.


    Another thing worth mentioning was he had consumed the Fiend Yeti''s heart and corpse six days ago. Although he didn''t know how much his strength had increased, he was brimming with strength, and his height had increased by 13 inches!


    Immortika had told him that his size would continue to increase with strength because of the Giant Fighting Spirit aspect. Right now, he was probably at the peak of Epic-9-Tier Rank.


    Furthermore, he didn''t know if he would get a unique glyph once he achieved the Unique Rank Physique.


    A peak epic rank physique of a sorcerer had the strength of 100 Kilotons andbatant 999 kilotons. While their mana capacity was the opposite.


    The people of Zodiac ins measure mana capacity on the Cosmic Magic Scale (CMS).


    1 CMS was equivalent to a mana capacity of peak star rank magic core. When the species entered the epic rank, the true difference between the two sses started to show.


    A peak epic mana core of a sorcerer has a mana capacity of 100 on CMS, while abat only has 50!


    When a sorcerer entered the Unique Rank, their physical strength would reach 1 Megaton and mana capacity 1000 CMS. On the other hand, abatant strength would have a physical strength of 10 megatons and a mana capacity of 500 CMC.


    But these changes only urred after the spirit or aura glyphs metalized.


    However, Jacob didn''t follow this traditional ss system, so he had no way of knowing, and Immortika refused to give him a clear answer, so all he could do was guess.


    As time passed and he still didn''t see any end to the ice ins, Jacob started to be anxious because someone might figure out what the trial was and clear a condition.


    On this day, Jacob''s footsteps finally came to a halt when he was at the peak of an ice mountain because he finally spotted someone other than white a few miles away, and he couldn''t believe his eyes at first.


    "Are those mes?" He muttered in disbelief as he looked at the golden mes on the other side of the ice ins!


    This phenomenon was too ludicrous because the ice and fire seemed not to affect each other, and they were separated by clear boundaries as if some magical power separated them!


    Nheless, Jacob increased his pace as he headed toward the golden mes. Whichever the case was, Jacob knew these mes should be where another beast of direction was residing.


    As Jacob approached closer, he still couldn''t feel the head, and he also saw that golden mes were burning over a golden desert, and those mes were about a foot tall.


    Even when he was only a step away from stepping into the burning golden desert, he still didn''t feel any heat.


    At this moment, Jacob finally crossed that line between ice and fire, and the moment he stepped into it, the temperature changed from intense cold to intense heat!


    First, he felt cozy since he was traveling in a cold environment for days, but soon, he started to sweat as he could feel the high temperature more clearly.


    Jacob then took a step back and entered the ice ins again, and the heat vanished, reced by cold.


    "If these mes are like the snowfall, won''t they have increased as I entered deeper into the desert? I might''ve handled low temperatures, but this intense heat might not have been so easy. Furthermore, these mes might increase in size as well¡­"


    Jacob frowned as he looked at the burning desert while standing at the edge of the ice ins.


    But suddenly, Jacob''s eyes shed, ''Wait, this might be an opportunity. I''ve been putting aside the second meditation of the Art of Nature because, first, I don''t have time to spare, and second, the environment''s demands and risk for it are simply too dangerous and excessive.


    ''Furthermore, my water magic core can''t be cultivated from 1-star epic rank to 2-star epic rank, but it can be molded ording to scripture, and even abilities functions are the same. I''ve been wondering if it''s rted to the Art of Nature.


    ''Now that I''ve seen this burning desert, it''s a perfect time to test my theory. Furthermore, if the second meditation is like the first meditation, then I''ll get another magic core, and it will be extremely helpful.


    ''Although I need to clear this trial fast, I can''t ignore the fact that those monsters are all Unique Rank, and the final monster might be even stronger. I don''t know how much time I need to be a unique rank, but Art of Nature might be able to provide assistance.


    ''If the monster is rted to fire, then I can''t ignore it any longer, and this environment is hard toe by, unlike water. Who could''ve thought I would get the chance to try Art of Nature''s second meditation exercise in this life, the Fire Meditation? I clearly remember how hard Iughed when I saw it. But now¡­''


    Jacob''s eyes shone with nostalgia; the Art of Nature was the only thing that connected him to his old world, and he even managed toplete the first mediation exercise after going through many troubles.


    But he always hesitates about the second meditation exercise, the Fire Meditation. This meditation exercise required him to meditate inside a burning fire for 120 hours, 48 hours more than the water meditation.


    However, after he experienced how the water mediation needed a massive amount of water absorption, he didn''t know how much fire would take for him toplete this.


    Furthermore, unlike the Water Meditation, the Fire Meditation needed to bepleted in one go, and if he weren''t able to seed, he would turn into ashes. This warning was written in the ancient book itself.


    That''s why he was so afraid of starting this meditation exercise because he didn''t have a suitable environment, nor was he confident in his strength.


    However, now that he saw the burning desert, there was nothing but golden mes in sight. He couldn''t help but think about taking this step. He was no longer the person he used to be, and now he was far more powerful than he first started.


    Besides, he was preparing many fire-type scriptures if he started this exercise one day, and the Aura of Fire Knight was perfect for a fire magic core. So, with the conviction of forming another magic core, Jacob entered the depths of the burning desert!


    However, Jacob didn''t realize that his fear of death was slowly disappearing because of the Fighting Giant Spirit!

 Chapter 491 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (2)

    <h4>Chapter 491 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (2)</h4>


    Deep within the me desert, over three-meter-tall golden mes, Jacob was flying with a gray disc as the temperature was around four hundred degrees Celsius, and he felt like he was burning. Just breathing here was like swallowing fire itself.


    If it weren''t for the unique rank ck robe he was wearing, Jacob would be in huge trouble. He was already hundreds of miles deep into the me desert, and the ice ins had long vanished.


    At this moment, Jacob finally stopped as he thought this distance was far more than eloquent enough to start the fire meditation, and he didn''t have to worry about running out of mes as this entire desert was burning in golden mes.


    He didn''t want to go any further because he was sure there would beasts like yetis, not to mention the temperate was a huge hindrance, and if that beast of direction was a fire type, then he didn''t dare to face it without having some protection against fire.


    At this moment,nded on the burning sand. The clothes on his body started to vanish as he exposed his body to the golden mes, and Jacob gritted his teeth when he felt the mes start to char his skin the moment the treasure protected was gone.


    Although his body was strong now, it wasn''t ustomed to handling this kind of temperature for much longer. He knew within a few minutes, his skin would bepletely burned, yet he still didn''t lose his focus and quickly sat down cross-legged, and his long hair caught fire.


    ''God damn it, this better work!'' Jacob gritted his teeth while trying his best to endure being sitting within burning mes.


    At this moment, he closed his eyes and started to control his breathing ordingly. The breathing exercise of fire meditation required him to inhale mes 11 times before stopping his breathing altogether until he reached his limit.


    After reaching that limit, he would feel like fire ignited into his body, and only then would he start to exhale the breath of fire. Thereby, he needed to continue to exhale and breathe fire and repeat this same process again and again. Thereby, the fire would burn more fiercely and brightly until he became fire itself.


    This was the Fire Mediation of Art of Nature!


    As Jacob started to inhale mes with his mouth, he felt his inside start to burn, but he didn''t stop and continued the process while his body was nowpletely charred.


    However, when he exhaled for the eleventh time, Jacob suddenly felt his water core be active on its own, and potent water mana started to course through his body, greatly weakening the burning feeling.


    This waspletely unexpected, nor was it written anywhere in the art of nature. But he started to understand why those exercises were ranked from first to fifth in strict order. The second exercise can''t be done withoutpleting the first; the same goes for the remaining ones.


    As the water mana coursed through his inner body, Jacob''s mind started to be calm as the mes around his body no longer hurt so much. Especially after he stopped breathing, he felt a strange heat inside him rising very slowly.


    Furthermore, that heat wasn''t painful but gentle, and as his breathing waspletely stopped for around an hour, that gentle me began to be more apparent.


    Moreover, right at this moment, Jacob was shocked because the 10X gravity suddenly descended upon him, and he nearly opened his eyes with sheer shock.


    ''Don''t tell me, since I can now hold my breath for around 72 hours, the G-force will be the same at the peak of water mediation? Moreover, the true fire meditation will only start once I reach my limit. If that''s the case, then didn''t it mean if the fire meditation also turned up gravity every hour, I need to handle 1200 extra G-force toplete this exercise?!'' Jacob felt extremely rmed when he thought about it.


    He never expected that the G-force woulde back like this because when he tried water mediation, the G-force never urred, and he thought he was done with that phase.


    But it didn''t mean never to think about iting back in fire meditation. However, he never expected it toe when the fire meditation hadn''t even started yet. He might be confident in handling 1200 G force, but he wasn''t sure if he could handle 720 extra G force. It was simply too much for his body.


    However, the thing was, now there was no turning back; he had started the fire meditation initial process, and he had already started to feel its effect.


    Furthermore, the water magic core was clearly needed for this exercise as it was protecting him from burning alive. He didn''t know what would happen if he broke his meditation now.


    So, all he could do now was trust in Art of Nature and continue on since this hadn''t disappointed him ever.


    Jacob''s mind returned to tranquility again once he regained his resolve. Hour after hour, the G-force continued to increase while the heat within Jacob was getting intense, and the feeling of burning alive waspletely gone.


    However, right now, Jacob''s outer appearance ispletely different. He appeared like a dry, charred corpse sitting within golden mes, yet for some strange reason, there was no sign of him burning.


    Furthermore, the g-force seemed to be not affecting the surrounding area at all like previous times. It was like only Jacob could truly feel it, or it might be just an illusion at this moment; no one knows.


    Just like that, the 72nd hour passed, and Jacob felt like he was crushing down under a mountain, but strangely, the heat he felt at the start of the meditation was now a raging me burning within him.


    Furthermore, he didn''t run out of mana. In fact, Jacob was startled when he found that the water mana was bing more and more potent as the G-force continued to increase. This could only mean that this water core rank was finally started to increase!


    This came as a great shock and pleasantly surprise, which gave Jacob even more motivation to persevere. Right at this moment, he finally reached his limit, and despite his mountainous pressure, he was not going to back down.


    Right at this moment, Jacob''spletely charred lips suddenly parted slightly as cracks appeared all over his face, and shockingly, green fire suddenly breathed out, not empty air!


    The moment the green fire escaped from his mouth, the golden mes around him churned, and the next moment, they started to swirl around his body.


    However, this wasn''t the end; the green me seemed to be heavy as stone, and it fell over Jacob''s body and started to burn.


    When Jacob inhaled again, the golden mes sucked into his body, and when he exhaled next time, more green mes gushed out. The new green me added to the already burning green mes, turning itrger and more intense.


    Consequently, more and more golden mes from the surrounding started to gather around Jacob, and he also sucked more golden mes every time he breathed.


    This was the sign of fire meditation sessfully starting!

 Chapter 492 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (3)

    <h4>Chapter 492 Art of Nature: Fire Meditation (3)</h4>


    Jacob continued to inhale golden fire and exhale green fire, and hours passed by, but strangely, the G-force didn''t budge from 720-G in 24 hours, much to Jacob''s relief.


    However, after 24 hours, Jacob was burning in 50 feet high green mes while a tornado of golden mes surrounded him, and suddenly, a vast pressure descended on him.


    The 240-G force suddenly added in 720-G force altogether, and the green fire was suppressed until it was only 10 feet tall.


    Jacob was trance-like, but the pressure really jolted him, and he was barely able to keep his posture. He had gotten numb to the feeling of being burned alive while water mana continued to increase and supported him in this furnace-like environment.


    Furthermore, the green mes didn''t actually burn him; instead, they seemed to be doing something to his body. He could feel it, and the sensation of melting into the fire strangely turned pleasant as more and more time went by.


    After 48 hours, another 240-G force was added to 960-G force altogether, and the hundred-foot-tall green mes around him started topress again until they were 20 feet.


    At this moment, Jacob had lost all the feeling in his body. All he could feel was either water or fire, and he could still feel his heart, which had stopped beating, yet he could still feel his control over it.


    If someone else stumbled upon this location, they would find the mes from all over the desert in a 10-mile radius gathering around a massive fire tornado. That tornado continued to increase in size, and so did the me radius.


    In fact, there were golden scorpions in this me desert, and they were pretty sensitive towards fire and its intensity because it was their source of power.


    When an unusual amount of high-intensity me started to gather at a single point, those golden scorpions started to move towards it like moths to fire.


    But the moment they entered anywhere near the golden fire tornado, they were shredded into pieces before turning into ashes, and even their magic cores turned into dust.


    However, those scorpions didn''t stop. In fact, more and more started to be attracted by the mes until more giant scorpions showed up after the third day passed, and the fire radius increased by 15 miles from 10, and it continued to spread, attracting more scorpions.


    At this moment, a few hundred miles from where this phenomenon was urring was a pyramid lit in golden mes like the sun, and head intensity here were hundreds of times denser than anywhere in the entire burning desert.


    It was so high that even the giants from me Iron Giant Tribe, known for their high affinity with fire and could endure up to 1000-degree Celsius temperature, could not approach it.


    Furthermore, only those species with fire affinity as high as the me iron giants could reach this point, while others would turn into ashes before they could even see this pyramid.


    At this moment, the second most powerful person in the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, Vice Chairman Andrew, was also present in this ce, and with him were two more giants from the alliance, all of which belonged to the me Iron Giant Tribe.


    However, despite managing toe to this ce, they can''t go anywhere near the pyramid because it is simply too dangerous, and they instinctively dread that fire on the pyramid for some reason.


    Now, they were struck with a choice between leaving this ce and finding another exit or trying their luck anyway; thetter was akin to suicide. But after they all heard about Jacob''s aplishment, they were in a hurry to find an exit to report it back, and this pyramid might be their only shot.


    But now, they seemed to have no other choice but to give up on that idea. Furthermore, they were continuously attacked by giant golden scorpions the closer they were to that pyramid, and they couldn''t continue this much longer.


    However, things turned strange when the scorpions didn''t attack them for two straight days as they all vanished in thin air, or they might''ve killed them all.


    But they were startled when the stoic pyramid suddenly trembled today, making the surrounding sand vibrate violently.


    "Woooooooshhhhh¡­."


    At this moment, an ear-piercing shrill reverberated like thunder in the entire vicinity, and the pyramid shook even more violently.


    "What is happening?" Andrew''s expression went pale as he looked at the pyramid in horror.


    "What kind of thing is inside that pyramid? Do you think it is causing all these tremors?!" A skinny giant palely eximed.


    The elderly giant was somewhat calm, but his ashen expression wasn''t any different from the other two. He grimly said, "I don''t know what is inside and what stirred it. But I think it''s trying to get out. Let''s give up on entering that ce. It might not be a shackle but a den of monsters. Even if there is a shackle there, I don''t think we can take on whatever monster is trapped there. Let''s leave before it''s break free."


    Andrew''s expression changed a few times, and he was extremely reluctant to give up aftering this far. But that thing inside was causing him to feel fear just by its shrillness, and he could only imagine the size and strength of that thing that was shaking that gigantic pyramid.


    Furthermore, it was bing increasingly violent, as if it was restless to break free.


    In the end, he grimly said, "Let''s go!"


    They all left towards the east using their fastest movement spells.


    At this moment, over a hundred hours have passed since Jacob started the fire meditation, and there are only a few hours left before it will reachpletion.


    The green mes around him were now approaching 250, the high mark, while the me tornado was sized in miles that even the space around Jacob was trembling.


    However, Jacob, at this moment, had turned mes themselves. The only proof of his existence was his pitch-ck infinity heart, two magic cores, and magic orbits; nothing else remained!

 Chapter 493 Fire Meditation at Completion

    <h4>Chapter 493 Fire Meditation at Completion</h4>


    Within the eye of a golden fire tornado, which was twenty-five miles in diameter and could be seen from a vast distance, a green fire 250 feet high was being slowlypressed into a humanoid shape until it reached the 50-feet mark.


    At this moment, the golden fire was getting sucked into that fiery green humanoid figure, making him brighter and brighter while the green mes were now starting to turn sublime.


    Within these sublime green mes, an infinity symbol with a crimson orb like a tiny sun was present, and all of a sudden, it started to pulse in a red glow.


    The next moment, the red pulse contained a tint of green and blue. Like a starry sky, the moment those green and blue tints appeared, ethereal starry nerve channels suddenly materialized within the humanoid sublime fire!


    These were the magic orbits of Jacob, and those magic orbits were now part crimson and part blue while his cursed heart was connected to all of them while a ck hole was present on his sr plexus.


    Right now, he had two brightly glowing stars. One was crimson and ced in his heart. The other was blue and located below his belly button. But all of a sudden, the crimson and blue magic orbits started to turn green, except for those two magic cores.


    A vortex started forming on the spot right below his neck. It was the sign of a new magic core formation!


    As the vortex was sucking all the surrounding fire, a bright green star started to take shape, and the magic orbits connected to it.


    When the green star fully formed, tiny white stars, the rectified star, started to appear one after another. When there were nine rectified stars, the green star suddenly grew to the same size as the red and blue stars.


    At this moment, the white star''s number started to increase even further. Simrly, another change started to happen at this moment within the ocean blue magic core when the 11th reified star appeared as the green star; the same started to happen with the blue star!


    The rectified stars in green and blue continued to increase until they were 99, which was the limit of epic star magic core!


    But it didn''t stop, as the green and blue started to grow even further. They started to turn into ethereal round crystals before the rectified stars began to shine brightly like suns, and the 100th rectified star started to appear. The magic cores no longer look like a cluster of lights but a unique starry sky captured in a round crystal. This was the sign of a Unique Star Magic Core!


    The processpletely stopped once the 100th star was sessfully formed with two magic cores, which meant it was now a Tier-1 Unique Magic Core with a capacity of 999 rectified stars.


    Generally, the formation of unique aura or spirit glyphs should begin now. The magic core should start to connect with the mystic signature and begin its activation, which was within the ck hole in the sr plexus.


    But it was only the case when someone had only a single magic core. Jacob has three magic cores, two unique ranks, and one epic rank.


    Furthermore, the cores made with the art of nature weren''t showing signs of being eitherbat or sorcery-type magic cores like his Hex Magic Core, which was clearly a sorcery type. Neither did they show any sign of being connected with the sr plexus.


    Furthermore, when a Unique Magic Core is formed, one could etch corresponding rank Magic Spells or abilities on their magic cores with each sessful new tier. Which then allows them to use those magic spells with a simple thought.


    It was only possible when 100 rectified stars connected with the aura or spirit glyphs with either increased tier. But there was no glyph right now, so this would also rob Jacob of the ability to etch anything on his magic core.


    Still, he now had 209 rectified stars, which means he could form many abilities with them, so it was not a bad deal either.


    At this moment, the fifty-meter green humanoid figure started topress with the green magic core, and magically, bones started to appear with the magic orbits, forming a skeleton, and then organs, blood, mass, muscles, skin, and finally bright silver hair began to grow.


    A celestial-like naked giant body was formed as the devilish face of this man was tranquil, and his eyes closed as if he were in deep slumber.


    At this moment, the 121st hour of the fire meditation began. Jacob''s eyelid sprang open, and the 1920-G force around him burst like a bubble.


    Thereby, the golden firestorm around him sted into all directions, creating a massive sandstorm, and all the fire within a 30-mile radius stopped because of this powerful shock wave.


    In fact, the once two-meter-tall mes were now only a few centimeters tall, and it was the case for a massive area, not just the area being affected by fire meditation. Jacob had absorbed a vast sea of mes; if he hadn''t been in this ce, he might''ve never been able toplete it.


    It took Jacob a few moments to understand as he stood naked in the giant crater he had just created. He was no longer feeling the heat and wasfortable despite the temperature around him being over 3000 degrees Celsius right now!


    The next moment, he closed his eyes to check the magic core conditions, and when he opened them again, they were shining brightly with ecstasy. He opened his palm, and the next moment, green mes appeared on it, and he tried to conjure water from his other hand. It instantly appeared!


    With fire in one hand and water in the other, his lips rose in excitement, "Not only my two magic cores are now unique rank, but I can control them simultaneously at will. But why can''t I sense any spirit or aura glyphs, nor can I tell if I had awakened by mystic signature? It should be possible now, but I still can''t. What is going on?"


    Jacob frowned a little when he thought about this strange problem. ording to the books he had read, he should have been able to feel his unique glyph once he connected with his unique magic core, but he couldn''t.


    In his mind, he should have two magic glyphs because he now had magic cores, and that clearly wasn''t his limit. Once the hex magic core bes unique, he should get another one.


    But not to mention three, he didn''t even get one, which made him baffled, and he wondered if those books left behind by the Witch Queen were just a sham.


    In the end, Jacob stops paying attention and decides to confront Immortika about it after seeing what would happen once the hex magic core reaches the unique rank.


    Right now, he wanted to use those extra rectified stars as quickly as possible, cultivate his fire magic core with Aura of Fire Knight Universal Scripture, and gain the same control over his fire as he had over water!


    However, while he happily increased his strength, he had no idea that he had made the burning desert too easy for others to travel in because he had absorbed over 60% of the golden mes and unknowingly killed 98% of the golden scorpions'' poption!

 Chapter 494 Reinforcement Arrives

    Chapter 494 Reinforcement Arrives


    Andrew''s retreating team suddenly stopped when they noticed the intensity of the heat suddenly plummeted. "This?" Andrew looked at hispanions with surprise. "Something strange is going on here. Let''s continue. It''s not time to hesitate." The elder giant said as he knew what Andrew was thinking. At this moment, the other giant suddenly eximed, "Vice Chairman, Fifth Elder, look, I think that''s a group of people!" Both of them quickly looked in the pointed direction with surprise, and they all spotted a group of at least 50 people a few hundred meters away from them. And that group wasing in their direction, which meant they also noticed them. "Is that Fire Tyrant, ranked 9th in our alliance?" Fifth Elder spoke with a hint of ecstasy. Andrew smiled faintly, clearly happy to see this person, and nodded, "Indeed, but why did he enter so early? Weren''t they supposed toe here after someone exited this ce? Did someone seed?" Without hesitation, those three quickly approached the ground. In the distance, another me Iron Giant with a bulky build and two battle axes attached to his gray armor led arge group of three hegemonies, smiling at Andrew. This menacing giant was the Fire Tyrant of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance and ranked 9th in the power ranking of the Alliance. "Vice Chairman! I never thought you would be in this hell." Fire Tyrantughed dly as he gave Andrew a bear hug. They were both fellow tribesman and had an amiable rtionship with each other. "Hahaha, said the person who likes hell more than paradise!" Andrewughed heartedly. The group behind Fire Tyrant was looking at Andrew with great respect as they all knew about the legendary Vice Chairman of the alliance. Rumor has it that his power was only second to the Alliance Charmin Gunnar, and he volunteered to enter this ce as a vanguard. Fire Tyrant stepped back and grinned at Fifth Elder, "Old man, it seemed you still have a death wish, huh?" Fifth Elder sneered, "I''m still stronger than you, snot nose brat." "Hah, as fearsome as ever." Fire Tyrantughed. "Stop your yapping, tell me, whoes out?" Andrew asked as his expression turned serious. Fire Tyrant''s jolly expression turned stern as he said, "No onees out. But we got the information about Faceless Ancient thanks to Princess. Right now, Chairman Gunnar and President Nelsen have entered themselves to ensure that guy won''t cause any more trouble. But because of our limited resources, we can''t contact them. Only three people have given a way to make contact with them, and we need to find them." Andrew and others were startled when they heard this unexpected news and sighed in relief when they heard the outside was aware of Faceless Ancient. Then they started asking questions about how they made contact, and Fire Tyrant began to fill them in and showed them a vermin transponder, and they finally understood what was happening. "Although I''m d this all went well. But the little princess is too reckless to enter this ce. What would happen to her if Faceless Ancient acted against her?" The Fifth Elder frowned unhappily, and a hint of worry was present in his voice. Andrew pursed his lips, "She''s indeed reckless. I expect nothing less from the little princess. Still, if not for her, we might all have been screwed. Let''s find the Chairman. I''m sure he will find the princess first, and Faceless Ancient might be lying low for now." Fire Tyrant shook his head and sternly and unexpectedly said, "No, ording to President Nelsen, this trial might be about hunting beasts. Beforeing here, he predicted that the shackle would only break after a beast trapped in an ice tower was killed or it had something to do with the tower''s destruction. "The princess even confirmed it herself, and aftering here, he said to look for such structures, and if there are more beasts trapped there, then this trial is about either killing the trapped beasts or destroying those structures." Andrew and his twopanions looked at each other, which shocked and a hint of realization. Fire Tyrant, at this moment, looked at the horizon where the silhouette of a pyramid was apparent and said with a sigh, "I have to admit, President Nelsen''s guess was spot on, and I think you knew what I''m talking about." Andrew''s expression went cold as he nodded, "Indeed, we areing from that pyramid direction, and we can also confirm something ghastly is trapped in there. But we decided to retreat because whatever was trapped inside was way above our league. "However, if what President Nelsen asserted is true, then we have to kill that beast and destroy that pyramid before Faceless Ancient or dark beings do. Furthermore, for some reason, the golden scorpions hadn''t attacked us in three days while the temperature of this ce had dramatically reduced. "So, I think something might be happening with the beast inside the pyramid. If you''re willing to take the risk, we should return." Fire Tyrant showed a deep frown; this time, the Fifth Elder didn''t try to stop any of it because this matter was grave. "Alright, let''s go. If we can''t enter it, then no one else can. We''ll then try to regroup with the Chairman. Only he can handle high-intensity fire among all the people in the epic ins." Suggested Fire Tyrant. Andrew and others nodded, and they all headed back to the pyramid. Two days passed, and Jacob was already done learning 12 more abilities, and right now, he had 14 magic abilities. The more powerful the ability, the more rectified stars one needed to form the Star Magic Formations. He had five water-type magic abilities, including those in universal scripture, one cursed, four enhanced, and four fire types. He still has 28 rectified stars left in his fire core, but he saved them for Inferno mes ability from the Aura of Fire Knight. Any element-type ability can only be formed in the same element magic core, with the only exception being enhancement-type abilities. That''s why Jacob can only use magic abilities rted to his elements. Just like that, one more day passed, and Jacob was finally done preparing and started his journey again!

 Chapter 495 The Flame Pyramid (1)

    Chapter 495 The me Pyramid (1)


    Today, Jacob finally spotted the silhouette of the faraway pyramid and instantly knew where to go. ''First the ice mountain and now this pyramid. I wonder what other prominent structures are here. This trial is bing more and more pronounced, and people might soon figure out that it is about hunting. ''This is getting cumbersome, and I need to report my progress in a few days. Even after acquiring two unique rank magic cores, I still couldn''t get rid of that ve rune. I wonder if it would be destroyed after the Hex Magic Core evolved into a top-tier unique magic core, which is not possible at this moment. ''Still, even if it gets destroyed, I need to make sure not to let that cunning Free Sword find out. He still has his use¡­'' Jacob mused as he decided to pick up his pace and used the flying disc. The temperature was no longer a problem for him, and he hadn''t encountered any beasts yet. Furthermore, now that he has two unique magic cores worth of mana, he can afford to waste some. Furthermore, this way, he would be out of reach and could continue to work on his new fire magic and get more familiar with it. Before, he only focused on forming the Star Magic Formations because they were rtively easy, and he needed to enhance his magicbat ability. Now, he can learn the spells he had, and with both fire and water, hisbat abilities would soar tremendously. As for sorcery, he only needs his hex magic core and long-range weapons. This was a path Jacob chose for himself, and it was the most optimal path for him. Right now, he needed to collect more hearts to increase his cursed blood and increase his mana capacity. Because his mana capacity is directly connected with his infinity pendant, evolving the core would only provide him with 99 more rectified stars, not that level''s hex mana. So, learning the fire and water spells was more practical in the long run, while the cursed magic he picked from the Vile Witch Layer needed more research and time, not to mention rectified stars, which he doesn''t have right now.


    Before learning the truth from Immortika, he thought he could continue his research here while lying low afterpleting a condition. But now, he didn''t have that luxury. Furthermore, fire and water together opened many possibilities for someone like Jacob, and with his new-found fire immunity, he can be more reckless with his atomic weaponry. As for the third meditation exercise of the Art of Nature, the environment required for it was extremely hard to find, even more than this burning desert, and Jacob also did not think he could handle the G-force with his current physique. So, he didn''t even think about it. With his flying disc, Jacob got close to the pyramid within three days, and now he was close enough to see the five-hundred-meter-high, burning pyramid. But the surrounding mes were only three meters high. But the surrounding temperature was naturally higher than anywhere else in the entire desert. Still, Jacob only felt slightly hot and started to look for an entrance. The pyramid didn''t have any entrance, and it seemed to be carved with gigantic stone. There were no traces of it being built by bricks or anything else. It was at this moment Jacob spotted an anomaly at the tip of the pyramid and directly headed there. But since he can endure that temperature, it doesn''t mean his tools can. When he was close to the peak, the disc under his feet showed signs of melting, and it started to shake. ''Well, what do I expect from a rare rank treasure¡­'' Jacob frowned a little and decided to jump toward the pyramid before the disc entirely lost its ability to fly. ''Boomm¡­'' Jacob left a small shockwave as he jumped as high as he could, took out his des, and tried stabbing them on the pyramid''s smooth surface and seeded!


    He was now only a little bit over a hundred meters away from the pyramid tip and started to climb using his swords like an ice axe and slowly made his way towards the top. When he finally reached the pyramid''s edge, he spotted the anomaly. He noticed the top was hollow; surprisingly, a stairway led downwards! Only someone from above could notice this passage, and even then, it would take someone with splendid sight since it was covered in mes. Looking at the dark passage within the mes, Jacob dyed for a moment before he walked in with his swords. He didn''t sense any danger, and the passage had no mes. When Jacob entered the passage, he saw the stairs were spiral, and within the center was an image of a golden scorpion inscribed on the floor. Slowly heading down, Jacob was fully vignt. But there was no movement as he got closer to the end of the spiral staircase, and when he was only a few steps away from the bottom, he found a massive golden door a few meters away from the stairs, and it was also carved with a scorpion symbol. ''Could it be a trap?'' Jacob mused while looking at the scorpion inscription on the floor. He avoided stepping on it and directly jumped towards the golden door. Now, whatever was behind, he had to open the door to see it, and he still avoided touching it and used his sword to try to push it. ''Creak¡­'' A creaking sound was heard in the silent passage, and the door slowly pushed in, which was somewhat strange, but Jacob didn''t stop and continued to open it. When the door was fully opened, a spacious stone hall appeared in Jacob''s view, and the walls were filled with murals. But what drew Jacob''s attention was a white column with runes all over it, and on top of this column was a buoyant, thick golden book!


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with surprise and uncertainty, and upon looking closely, the book was etched with ck runes that read. ''Noble Spirit mes!''

 Chapter 496 The Flame Pyramid (2)

    Chapter 496 The me Pyramid (2)


    ''Noble Spirit mes!'' ''Now, this is peculiar¡­'' Jacob narrowed in eyes with uncertainty. This was entirely out of his expectations since he imagined a beast of direction behind that door, not this mysterious book. Furthermore, by its name, it was clearly rted to magic. ''Could there be hidden treasures like the dark ruins here as well, not just the legacy pieces? Then had there been also some hidden treasure in that tower?'' Jacob felt some regret when he thought about it because if his conjecture was true, then he really lost a valuable treasure. Still, he didn''t care too much since keeping his life in that st was the most significant gift he could hope for. But now, he had a treasure in front of him, and there was no point in hesitating, and he entered the chamber. There were no traps in his way toward the column, nor could he feel anything as he stood before the buoyant book. Still, just to be sure, he used his sword to touch the book, and the moment the de tip came in contact with the book''s surface, it seemed to have lost its magic power and fell on the column!


    The next moment, a voice of stones grinding against each other rand, and the column started to sink into the floor. Jacob was startled and quickly grabbed the book before it sank with the column and vanished forever. When he picked it up, he felt he was touching cold metal. But he didn''t have time to pay it any heed as his focus was on the voices in the chamber, and when he looked back, he just happened to see the door behind him getting closed. His expression changed as he knew he had activated some mechanism by touching the book. Just as the column was sunk entirely into the floor, right on its spot, the floor started to slide open, and under Jacob''s baffled eyes, another stairway was revealed, and all the noises stopped after that!


    Looking confused and alert, Jacob looked around and waited for something to happen, but everything was fine even after a few minutes. ''That''s it?'' Jacob found it hard to believe, but the proof was right before him. It wasn''t a trap but just a mechanism to open the door towards the nextyer in the pyramid. He got that book for free!


    After calming his tightened nerves, Jacob finally looked at the golden book in his hand. It appeared really made with solid gold, and he tried to open it. The first page appeared, which seemed to be made with a sheet of golden threads, and the writing was graceful. On the first page, there was written. ''Magic Ability Scripture (Holy): Noble Spirit mes


    ''The strongest mes in this world are those that only burn evil and heal the good. The Noble Spirit mes are holy and pure and can burn every vile dark being and heal every noble living being in this world. ''This ability is for those who seek salvation in fire and had the noble purpose of ridding the world of the darkness and illuminating it with holy luster. ''Requirement: Spirit Fire


    ''Rectified Star Requirement: 500


    ''Effect on Living: Healing internal external injuries, curses, poisons. ''Effect of Dark Beings: Deadly Poisons, extremely hard to recover from. Burn both corporeal and ethereal entities.'' ''An extremely rare holy type magic ability scripture, and it''s not just any random scripture either, but by its ridiculous requirement of spirit fire and rectified stars, it appeared to be an advanced unique rank scripture.'' Jacob''s eyes hone with ecstasy because he knew just how rare the holy magic was. It was just like his curse magic but the opposite in nature. Where the curse magic inclined toward harm, the holy magic was for healing and support, not to mention it was the bane of dark beings. But it was as rare as curse magic, and Jacob knew just what kind of ruckus this one scripture could cause in epic ins. Even in the Unique ins, he was confident that all the powers would pay a hefty price to get a hold of it, especially when it only required a spirit fire magic core. Jacob sighed in pity as he stored the book away, ''Even if I have this book, this is useless if I don''t have the spirit glyph. Meeting the rectified star requirement means nothing. If I had met all the requirements, I would''ve learned it in a heartbeat over other magic abilities.'' At this moment, Jacob finally focused on the surrounding murals. He didn''t dare to ignore anything like this in a trial, even if it was straightforward. There were eight different scenes in those murals. The first showed a silvery tree, a blue humanoid figure, a golden scorpion, and a purple snake gathering around a ck egg, which was quite strange. In the next scene, with the addition of those five, another ck humanoid figure riding some beast. In the other six murals, those four were fighting the rider, and that was it. There was no result of their fight. But Jacob was looking at those four monsters, the ck egg, which remained stoic in every scene, and the rider, who seemed to wield a bronze stall. ''If I presumed the blue humanoid figure as the fiend yeti of ice ins and the golden scorpion the best of me desert¡­ Could it be those five are the beasts mentioned in the requirements while the person fighting them is the Hunter? But what is that ck egg that was being protected by those four? Or it''s just some random shit that I''m taking too seriously.'' Jacob mused. In the end, Jacob stops thinking about it too much. If his conjecture was correct, he''ll know soon once he confronts the other beasts of directions. Still, the ck egg gave him a terrible feeling for some reason. Jacob then took the stairs and headed further down the pyramid!

 Chapter 497 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (1)

    Chapter 497 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (1)


    The staircase was nting and pretty deep. Just as Jacob was heading down, the staircase suddenly started to shake. In fact, the entire pyramid started to experience tremors. ''What is happening?'' Jacob was startled. ''Roar¡­'' The next moment, he heard a mighty roar from below, and he got a pretty good idea of what had caused those tremors. ''Don''t tell me someone else is here, or did it sense my presence?'' Jacob mused with a grim expression and increased his pace downwards. At this moment, he finally reached the end of the staircase, met with another golden door, and used his sword to push the door slowly. The door was opened like the previous one, but this time, in front of Jacob, wasn''t a stone hall; instead, there wasn''t any footing, but the passage was over a hundred meters above the floor, and powerful sounds wereing from below. In the 1000 cubic meter wide area of the pyramid, a hundred-meter-wide and fifty-meter-tall golden scorpion with a long menacing crimson stinger which was lit in a golden fire was raining down golden fireballs at his giant attackers. Its crimson pincers seemed to be made with fire, and every time it struck those attackers, a destructive heat wave would release. On the other hand, the attackers were seven giants, four elves, three kobolds, and nine barbarians holding different weapons. They attack the fiery golden scorpion from different angles but seem to be failing terribly as its sharp legs are covered in a golden sheen, and they can''t seem to approach it, and it is pretty quick on its legs. Furthermore, over 25 sorcerers were standing in the distance, and they were trying to counter its fire magic with their own, but they were also struggling. The beast seemed to be overwhelming that part of over 50 people, and they were all mighty, especially thosebatant giants, as they were releasing mes of their own, which made him think of Charlotte''s crimson mes. Nheless, they can''t even approach the beast, much lessnd an attack, and the scorpion seemed to be not even trying as it continued to rain down powerful fireballs while randomly waving around its pincers. It was almost as if it was ying with them. The giant holding a six-meter-long and one-meter-wide broad sword roared in frustration, "This bastard is toying with us! We can''t waste our energy. Use your strongest attack-type magic scrolls!" He was known other than Vice Chairman Andrew. Fire Tyrant cut the fireball with his axe with some difficulty and grimly nodded, "Indeed, this bastard is far stronger than we anticipated. I gathered it might not be an epic rank at all. If this doesn''t work, we need to retreat." The next moment, thebatants take out a magic scroll of their own, and they all release them toward the scorpion, and all sorts of magic attacks materialize in the air and shoot toward it. The scorpion let loose a mighty roar, and its fiery singer suddenly moved like a spear, and a liquid substance likeva suddenly released from its nd. The moment thatve-like liquid touched the magic attacks, it burned them all and headed towards the attackers without stopping. The vanguards were startled before they felt appalled by thatva, and they knew they had to absolutely dodge it while the sorcerers were a little slow and tried to use their magic barriers to stop, and some used movement magic to escape from its range. The moment thatva touched the magic barriers of the sorcerers, it burned right through it, and the moment itnded on the sorcerers, they didn''t even have time to scream, and they melted away. Eight sorcerers died just like that, and twobatants also met the same fate. Furthermore, the effect of thatva didn''t just end with burning. A potent crimson smog started to be released from it, and the temperature in the vicinity also rose drastically. It was a hellish scene of carnage, and Andrew also released just how powerful the scorpion was, and the gap between them was overwhelming. ''Could it be this bastard is really not epic rank?!'' His heart sank, and he roared furiously, "Retreat! Everyone quickly retreats. We are no match for this thing!" No one objected to this weing decision, and they quickly headed towards a crude hole in the pyramid wall, which was clearly just made. However, the scorpion seemed to have no intention of letting them escape, and cunning viciousness surfaced in its ruby eyes. It raised its stinger again and shot another st ofva toward the exit. "Block it, or we''ll all be dead!" The fifth elder roared in panic as he was the furthest away from the exit, and he knew only two or three people would make it at this moment. Furthermore, the crimson smog started to show its proper effect. As it turned out, it was highly toxic, and one of the elves inhaled it. He instantly started coughing blood before power seemed to leave his body, and he dropped in agony. Now, escape was even more critical as no one wanted to die. Everyone used their strongest magic scrolls and sent them in the way of the toxicva to desperately block it.


    However, the toxicva seemed to be the bane of magic, and it burned through every magic they thought at it like a knife in butter and directlynded in the pathway. Also, one of the sorcerers who was about to enter it, theva instantly turned him into smoke there and then. Everyone was appalled now that their escape route was filled with toxicva, and they weren''t sure if their magic barrier could pass through it. The atmosphere turned heavy and suffocating as despair washed over everyone. The scorpion didn''t even give them a chance to settle down, and at this moment, its entire body started to glow golden, making it appear like a sun, and the temperature was even higher. "Everyone, it''s do or die now. Try to escape even if you can''t make it. I need one of us to leave here and find someone to pass this information along. So, make your death count!" Andrew roared with bloodshot eyes as his broad sword shimmered in a crimson hue. Jacob, who was watching this with great interest, couldn''t help but chortle darkly, "Heh, I''m afraid I can''t let you do that nor let that bastard waste away so many good hearts." The next moment, Twin Titan Sniper Rifle appeared in his hand, and hefortablyid down and locked on the glowing scorpion!

 Chapter 498 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (2)

    Chapter 498 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (2)


    The sun-like glowing scorpion raised the space temperature to over 4000 degrees Celsius, and the scorching light from his body was not ordinary either. It was filled with radiation! The trapped party members of Andrew felt like they were being burned alive in a poisonous furnace, and they were literally inhaling fire. At this moment, those without fire affinity started to drop on the scorching floor as their skill made sizzling sounds. But two sonic booms rang right then before powerful explosions sounded above the glowing scorpion. Jacob frowned a little, ''He''s emitting so much heat that the bullets can''t even touch its shell and st off in the air. Since that''s the case, let''s see if he could melt advance rank friction killer bullets made with diamond iron.'' The next moment, another magazine filled with blue bullets, which seemed to be made with diamonds, appeared in his hand, and he switched it with the atomic bullet magazine, and without hesitation, he took a shot. ''Bang¡­bang...'' The high-velocity bullets directly pierce through the heat and hit the scorpion under it. ''Roar¡­'' A furious roar rang at this moment. ''It must''ve stung, huh¡­'' Jacob''s lips rose slightly.


    Since the beast was roaring in agony, it could only mean the bullets were effective. Without hesitation, Jacob started to fire rapidly and emptied the 20 bullets magazine, which cost him 1 million ZC in a nutshell. Andrew and Fire Tyrant, as well as the other living members of the team, were shocked when they heard so many powerful sonic booms, and they finally spotted an open space above the wall and the twin muzzle of the rifle. Furthermore, the scorpion stopped glowing at this moment and reappeared, but this time, there were cracks on its golden shell. "Who is this?" Andrew eximed, but everyone was as clueless as him. Still, they knew whoever it was; it was on their side since he saved him by shooting the beast, and a ray of hope finally ignited in their heart. The scorpion at this moment roared furiously as it finally averted its attention from the dying ants and turned its giant body in search of the assaulter. But before it could, two bullets suddenly shot again, and this time theynded in its ruby eyes, and before the pain could ovee, another pair of bulletsnded on its remaining eye, sting it to watery bits. A painful howl was released as the beast lost its eyes, and crimson blood gushed out from the wound and started vaporizing as it streamed on the seething floor. At this moment, Jacob switched his magazine again with the atomic bullets because the scorpion was no longer emitting heat and had lost its eyes. Hence, it was the perfect chance to put it out of its misery before it started to go berserk like the Fiend Yeti. Furthermore, the crimson glowing muzzle of Twin Titan had few cracks on it, and he knew it wouldn''tst for much longer, nor did he want to use an atomic grenade here if it was not necessary. However, before he could take the shot, he saw Andrew, Fire Tyrant, and Fifth Elder closing in fast with their brandish weapons. They were taking advantage of this situation to get the kill because they had no idea who this person was, and giving away a shackle to an unknown person was too risky. So, despite their conditions, they moved to finish it off even if they had to offend their savior. Jacob''s eyes went cold, but he didn''t want to miss this chance, so he took the shot at the scorpion skull. His bullets were far faster than those three wounded idiots, and the scorpion was in a state of shock and pain. This time, the glowing bullets directly hit the open eye wound, and two harrowing sts rang, creating shock waves that even made the iing three attacks block them. Without stopping, Jacob shot another dual shot, and the beast''s skull was finally sted open as it filled with a low-intensity dying shriek. Right at this moment, SAAI''s impassive voice sounded in every corner of the Hunter''s Necropolis, like the time, with the only difference being Jacob was conscious to hear it. "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!" SAAI made the same announcement four more times, and Jacob''s heart was as cold as ice as it finally dawned on him, and he got the meaning behind the message he received. ''Your glorious deeds have been spread far and wide!'' ''It wasn''t like this in the dark ruins! If this same announcement was madest time, then didn''t this mean everyone knew I was the one who cleared the first condition, and if someone gets out with that information...!'' Jacob felt rage bubbling up since this one thing would change everything. But he had other things to worry about. The rifle suddenly vanished, and another single-muzzle rifle appeared with the diamond iron bullets magazine. The conscious members down below were in utter shock when they heard the announcement and the name they were all supposed to look out for. Yet that same guy imed another shackle right under their nose. At this moment, death gripped Andrew''s heart as his fine hair stood in rm, and before he could snap out of his shock, his head blew off like a watermelon. "Run, he''s going to kill us all¡­bang!" The fifth elder bellowed before his head exploded. "NO!" Fire Tyrant''s expression paled as he quickly used a barrier to cover his body and tried to take cover behind the dead body of the scorpion. s, he didn''t even move two meters before another sonic boom rang, and the magic barrier around him sted apart with his head!


    With the only three moveablebatants gone, Jacob didn''t bother with anyone else because everyone else was immobilized while some were on the verge of dying. It was all because of the radiation emitted by the scorpion. Jacob finally jumped down from the hidden passage as he walked towards his trophies. One unique beast and others were some of the most prominent figures of the epic ins, especially the dead vice chairman of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance!

 Chapter 499 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (3)

    Chapter 499 The Beast of South: Deathstalker (3)


    As Jacobnded on the scorching floor, he felt the toxic heat even more clearly, but unlike others, it wasn''t that effective on him, especially after getting the unique rank fire magic core. Still, his expression didn''t look like someone who just won a fight against a unique rank beast and cleared a condition. He was still gloomy about the open announcement, which caught him off guard, and now he knew that everyone knew who had cleared not just one but two conditions in less than three months! Everyone will be on his tail now, even the dark begins, and he is afraid the others will soon figure out what this trial is about. The sense of urgency increased further instead of lessening. His star watch vibrates at this moment, and he sees the notification. "Congrattions on killing the Beast of South: Deathstalker!


    "Your glorious deeds have been spread far and wide!" Jacob harrumphed coldly, clearly displeased, and then headed towards the bodies lying there. Although it was unfortunate, he had to move forward; he wasn''t the one who made these rules. He quickly stowed the bodies of the team members before they would further contaminate or burn, and only then he moved towards the scorpion, Deathstalker''s carcass. He had to admit that Deathstalker''s outer shell was instantly sturdy and that it was only cracked even after enduring all those bullets from his rifle. If the Deathstalker was solely focused on him like the Fiend Yeti, he knew he could never have been able to take out his eyes and turn them into vulnerability to use his atomic bullets. So, he had to give some credit to kind baits, and now they would all be turned into his dinner. But first, he checked the beast''s mingled neck where its head was supposed to be a few moments ago and found no glowing scroll of magic core. So, he turned the beast upside down using his tremendous strength, revealing the weakest part of its body, and started to dissect it. He was very interested in thatva-like poison for his Whammy Poison research, so he cut the entire tail and stowed it separately. Its outer shell was probably a unique rank material that could do wonders in someone like Jacob''s hands, and everything that wasn''t a material was food. Even the bolding blood was nutritious because of its rank. Jacob didn''t let go of anything to waste from this beast, and just like he finally reached the beast''s heart in the middle of its gigantic check.


    It was a unique tubr heart, and right below it was a palm-sized golden orb giving off intense heat. It was the fire magic core, and Jacob stowed it away without hesitation. Just like thest time, the moment he removed the heart, a glowing scroll appeared, and he smiled as he touched it, and the next moment, it turned into a golden streak and vanished into his star watch. "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for acquiring Hunter''s Legacy Piece!


    "Please acquire all the legacy pieces to convert them intoplete Hunter''s Legacy. "Hunter''s Legacy Pieces: 2/5


    "NOTE: Hunter''s Legacy Pieces can be traded through Star Waters. In case a trial participant kills the Legacy Piece owner, the Legacy Piece will be transferred to the killer. In case the Legacy Piece Owner dies naturally or by some monster, after 48 hours, the Legacy Piece will be randomly transferred to a random Beast of Direction!" The same notification appeared, and he closed it with a thought, and now he looked at the beast''s big heart and cut it out. ''I might be able to achieve the unique rank physique with this heart, if not all the hearts I have yet to consume. Let''s begin with the main course first!'' Without hesitation, Jacob took a massive bite from the scorching heart of Deathstalker, and he felt like he just took a piece of burningva into his mouth. Still, his fire immunity helped him consume it without much damage, and the moment the heart entered his system, powerful heat energy started to course through his body, making Jacob''s eyes widen slightly. Looking at the big heart, his eyes shone as he started to eat like a beast without stopping for even a second as his body size started to visibility grow¡­


    Jacob also didn''t seem to notice a faintly glowing door appearing on the western wall of the pyramid at this moment.


    --- While Jacob was reaching new heights in power, the same could not be said to the others who heard about his other ''glorious deed'', and now everyone started to turn restless. In a ce filled with poisonous miasma and dark, muddy waters, the Dead Duke of South, the Bloody Wight Dead Duke, in his dark armor and cape, was moving while the water behind seemed to rip in his direction. It was like the water surface was moving with him. But the truth was, there were hundreds of dark beings swarming behind the Bloody Wight Dead Duke as his spooky murmuring could be heard in this gloomy ce. "Another shackle has been broken¡­ I''m dead¡­ no, I''m not dead if I me that zombie¡­ but still, two broken shackles mean two dead¡­ so I''m dead¡­" His spooky, gruff voice was filled with fear and trepidation as he kept murmuring whatever came to his fearful mind. Right at this moment, the Bloody Wight Dead Duke suddenly halted as his loose mouth closed, and a pair of silvery mes danced under his capped head as he looked in the distance where a pair of wilted trees with dry branches bending into the dark waters were. On top of one of the trees was the sitting figure of a graceful masked woman adorned in a ck dress. Her astute, icy eyes looked at the Bloody Wight Dead Duke without any fear as she said, "Bloody Wight Dead Duke, it''s a pleasure to meet you. I share amon background with you as the loyal vessel of his majesty, the King of Dead. "As we both know, the Faceless Ancient has already broken two shackles in astonishing time. So, I''m pretty sure you might be anxious to report it to the King of Dead before it''s toote, especially now that two of the shackles are gone, and we have no idea how many more are there. "But the thing is, I can''t leave this ce because I''m on a deadly mission. But you might be d to hear that I''ve discovered an exit, and I''m willing to lead you there only if you tell his majesty about my contribution!" The woman impassively spoke her terms while revealing the only thing that the Bloody Wight Dead Duke wanted the most right now. Bloody Wight Dead Duke''s silvery mes zed brightly as he questioned in an amusing yet ferocious tone, "And who might you be, littlemb?" The woman replied, utterly unfazed by the ghastly aura emitted by the Bloody Wight Dead Duke, "Just tell his majesty the former S-0 sent her regards, and the assets now can be recovered. I''m sure the King of Dead will personally descend this time!"

 Chapter 500 Unique Physiology

    Chapter 500 Unique Physiology


    After Jacob consumed the entire scorpion''s heart, he started to feel extremely lethargic, and he knew he needed a massive amount of nutrition right away. So, he began to devour the rest of the scorpion without leaving its bones, biting through them like they were biscuits.


    However, he soon found that wasn''t enough, so he began to consume the bodies of Andrew and his team, including their hearts. But it only helped him a little as the more he consumed, the more he felt the gulf he needed to fill this time. In the end, not only did he devour everything, including his reserve, but he even had to consume 40% of his titan tears reserves to feelplete. He had prepared over 100 liters of epic rank titan tears with all the titan iron he could get his hands on, and forty percent of them were gone just like that. At this moment, Jacob looked at his own body with a hint of dread and tion. The former because now he was 10''1 meter tall, and his pale white skin had a tint of silvery glow on it, which looked highly sublime. While thetter because he was breaming with unimaginable strength like never before. Jacob knew the size of a giant was predetermined by their bloodline as their strength was extensively present by their size to oppress their opponents. But their growth was not increased every time they leveled up. However, with the fighting giant spirit aspect, Jacob''s size continued to increase with his growing power. After hisst rapid growth in power, his size seemed to be sted through the roof, and the more full he became, the more it increased. Only after he broke in the 10 meters did it stop, and it was only then that he fully integrated with his power level. He was sure his cursed blood condensing was above 40% or might be touching 50%. This means that he was now a holder of a unique rank physique, and the instinct to seek powerful opponents to test his might against also increased ten-fold after this power-up. This goes against Jacob''s intent to remain low profile and humble to trick his opponent into thinking he is a weak target. All in all, this goes everything against his very being. A tower over ten-meter-tall giant was in no way low-key, and he even believed that he might be the tallest giant in the entire epic ins right now, which would draw too much attention. Not to mention, if this continues, he needs to change his entire arsenal of weapons and armor to suit his new body. But he couldn''t ignore that he had finally achieved the strength of a unique rank species, and with his giant body, he could now tear apart any tier-9 epic with his bare hands, or even tier-1 unique rank would be helpless against him. This is still not counting his fluid eleration, and he had a feeling that he might be able to increase it up to 50X eleration at this moment. Recently, with his new understanding of fluid eleration, he learned just how much speed 1X eleration provides. It was equal to 20 mph (miles per hour). This means he could increase it to 1000mph or 1.3 Mach (speed of sound) right now. This speed would continue to increase as he powered up, with the possible limit being the speed of light or beyond. Mind you, the speed of light is 874,030 Mach!


    A body that could handle the speed of light had to be ridiculous, and Jacob had no idea when he would be able to achieve it, but he sure does look forward to it. With his current power and boost provided by the fluid eleration and the innate ability of the giant fighting spirit, he had no idea how many unique rank tiers he could go beyond at this moment. But dealing with the Fiend Yeti or Deathstalker would not be so difficult on the basis that magic wasn''t involved or some abilities like his own in y. However, Jacob had no idea at that moment that the Fighting Giant Spirit was not just an aspect with only a single ability or effect to increase his size and fighting instincts. But it was an aspect with a cluster of abilities, and he only scratched the surface of it. When he achieved the unique rank giant body with the Fighting Giant Spirit, he unlocked another terrifying passive ability, which he would soone to realize. At this moment, Jacob was finally ready to move forward and exit the pyramid when he noticed the faintly shimmering door releasing undtion, which he hadn''t noticed before. Maybe it was because he was too weak, or it was just that his new instincts were in y. Jacob squinted his eyes as he guessed, ''Could it be the exit?''


    He could only think of this because there was no other exnation as the scorpion was dead, the shackle was cleared, and he had never seen an exit out of the trial ins before. But that exit wasn''t there before, and dark beings in the rare insy im to an exit even before clearing the trial. However, he no longerpared them after the announcement, so he wasn''t sure. Moreover, it might be another hidden location, like the upper level of the pyramid, and instantly Jacob wanted to explore it. ''Let''s see if it''s an exit or somece with a treasure. In both cases, I can retreat.'' Making his decision, Jacob moved toward the faintly glowing passage in the wall. His giant face no longer supported his mask, so he had no choice but to use his hood and a piece of advanced epic-rank cloth to cover half of his face. This only made him more upset about his size increasing continuously, and he couldn''t help but think about the gluttony mask in his infinity pendant. ''One of the mask''s abilities is to change not only facial features but also bodyposition into the same being it feeds upon. This might be able to help me with this sted problem. ''But the problem lies in its second function, which affects the wearer''s mind the stronger it grows. I''ve already had the fighting giant spirit to look out for¡­ But even if I''m willing to take the risk by keeping its growth in check, I still need a mystic signature to be its owner.'' Jacob frowned in scrutiny before he sighed ruefully as this all was getting tooplex, and in time like this, he somewhat missed the cursed book. Keeping his problems in the back of his mind, he entered the glowing passage, and the moment his body passed it, the portal churned before it closed with a blink!

 Chapter 501 An Arrogant Idiot

    Chapter 501 An Arrogant Idiot


    In the middle of a dense forest filled with gigantic trees, a giant walked out from a light portal before the portal behind him vanished with a sh. Jacob was startled as he smelled the affluent air around him, which was somewhat intoxicating, and when he looked behind, the portal was gone entirely, making him frown. Then he looked around him and saw hundreds of meters tall, towering brown trees giving the air of ancientness, and he was standing on a vein-covered ground without any trace of soil. Furthermore, the crown of the trees covered the entire sky, and it was pretty dark. Jacob felt ill at ease despite no enemy in sight. ''Where did it send me? Another section of the trial in? Is it even possible?'' Thought Jacob with uncertainty, ''But if it''s valid, then all I need to do is to search for anotherndmark like the Ice Mountain and the pyramid. Furthermore, now that I think about it, I have seen a tree in the mural...''


    With such a thought, Jacob selected a tree to climb on because if he had been transferred to another section of the trial in, this would have saved him a tremendous amount of time traveling here. However, before he could touch the tree bark, a panicked voice bellowed from somewhere, "Don''t touch it, you fool, unless you want to die!" Jacob was alerted and stopped his action before turning toward the panicked voice. It was too sudden, and he didn''t even hear any footsteps approaching.


    Over fifty meters away, he saw a tall, handsome, pale white elf with messy blond hair panting heavily as he looked at him with bloodshot eyes with a hint of relief. Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he coldly said, "Who are you?" The elf caught his breath before he berated with pursed lips, "You fool, this Elder Grandmaster here, just save your giant ass! You don''t even know me?!" ''An Elder Grandmaster from the alchemy guild?'' A sharp glint shed past his eyes as he could feel the disdain and pride in the elf''s voice, "Do I suppose to know you?" The elf frowned in dissatisfaction as he retorted, "You bumpkin! You didn''t even know the great Ephraim!" Jacob coldly said one word, "No." Contempt shed past Ephraim''s blue eyes as he walked toward Jacob, "Hmph, a bumpkin indeed. How do you enter this ce? I didn''t remember seeing such a gigantic idiot in the vanguard unit?" Jacob suddenly felt annoyed by Ephraim''s tone, and an urge to tear this guy with his bare hands enveloped his heart, but he controlled himself. "Why did you stop me from touching this tree?" He asked. He could tell this guy was highly prideful, and saving someone whom he looked down upon was entirely against such a person''s nature, so this could only mean he was saving himself, or there was something else that benefited him! Ephraim sneered disdainfully, "Humph! From your tone and how you''d managed to get this deep without getting killed, it seemed you just entered these shitnds. Let me tell you, if you had touched that tree bark, all the trees in a 100-meter radius would''vee alive, and they had made sure to strangle an ignorant muscle brain like you, if not melt you with their acid!" Jacob was stunned as he looked at the surrounding trees with a hint of apprehension, and he finally understood why he was feeling so ill at ease after appearing here. Yet, another part of him wanted to try touching them, which was clearly his powerful instincts. ''This ce is far more dangerous than the other two¡­'' Jacob thought grimly, looking at the elf who was now smiling disdainfully, ''Since he could survive this ce without even a scratch on him, this could only mean he''s incredibly resourceful. Furthermore, he''s iming to be an Advanced Elder Grandmaster, so he ought to have many good things. ''Since he stopped me from touching the tree, this could only mean he''s looking for a puppet and meat shield. So, by revealing his identity as an Advanced Elder Grandmaster, he clearly wanted to awe me¡­ but do I even need an epic rank arrogant idiot anymore?'' A cold shed past Jacob''s eyes at this moment as he watched the eyesore of an elf walking towards him without any care of the world, as if he was highly confident that with all his insults and attitude, he wouldn''t dare to do anything to him. Furthermore, he wasn''t weak at all, not by a long shot! If it were anything else, Ephraim was utterly right because having an Elder Grandmaster as apanion was like having an extra lifeline beside them, and no one would be foolish enough to get on their bad side.


    That''s why Ephraim keeps his shity attitude that he had on the outside and still thinks that Elder Grandmaster like him is not to be trifled with, especially when he was one of the top ten figures of the Alchemy Guild. As for why someone like him agreed to enter this dangerous ce, it was naturally because the Vice President promised him a huge boon! But he never thought that he would end up in this dreadful forest of all ces, and he couldn''t even find anything while two of the shackles had already been broken, which was nothing but bad news for him because the person who broke them spell nothing but misfortune. Now, he wanted to get out of there and not care about the promised reward as he was afraid the same person who cleared those shackles woulde here next, and now he felt like luck was finally shining upon him when he saw the robust giant. ''I can finally use him to cut through this shity ce!'' He thought with glee as he approached the silent giant staring at him. He had seen too many stares like that anger, killing intent, rage, yet they all could do nothing but endure helplessly, for he was an Advanced Elder Grandmaster Ephraim.


    Ephraim stood before Jacob, disdainfully looking him in the eyes, and coldly said, "Now you big oaf, if you follow me obediently, I might let your bumpkin tribe enjoy my alchemy¡­hikkk¡­" Before he could finish his words, a giant iron w suddenly gripped around his face, and next movement, ''crack¡­puchiii¡­'' The sound of skull-crushing rang in the silent vicinity before Jacob''s sonorous voice sounded, "Bug!"

 Chapter 502 A Deadly Forest

    Chapter 502 A Deadly Forest


    After crushing one of the ten chief alchemy elders'' head like a bug, Jacob stowed away his body and tried to check his space ring. However, a deep frown appeared on his face, and he stowed the ring away as well, mumbling, "Another ring with mystic signature. First, the me Iron Giants, and now this idiot elf as well. I''ve killed quite a few high-ss beings, and I need my mystic signature, too." Jacobmented his helplessness against these locked space rings, and despite having two unique magic cores and a unique physique, he still couldn''t awaken his mystic signatures, which was quite frustrating. Now, he mused that his mystic signature was probably connected with the hex magic core, which was still at extraordinary rank, and it wouldn''t evolve into a unique rank until he was in unique ins or encountered unique rank dark beings. At this moment, he looked at the dense poption of trees around him, and it all seemed like a giant death jaw to him. He was in the middle of deadly trees that could be active with his touch, and he had no way of navigating. He couldn''t even see the sky, much less search for andmark. This was a perfect trap for anything, and now he had to choose a direction to move forward. For all he knows, he could be going in the opposite direction where he needed to. In the end, Jacob didn''t want to take that risk, especially when he was halfway there to reach his goal. He started to move carefully while looking for an opening. The size of the trees was almost the same as if something had deliberately made this living tree wall to block the sky, and there''s lie the answer to his question. However, even after walking for hours in the sea of trees, he still didn''t even spot a trace of light. In fact, he found that the trees were only growing higher, and the pathways between them were bing narrow. But it didn''t mean he was going deeper because there were certain areas where pathways were massive, but the tree branches seemed to be longer, and the veins hanging from there gave Jacob no room for moving.


    At some point, Jacobpletely forgets where he entered this ce and where he is right now.But he suddenly heard something which put him on high alert, a suddenmotion at west!


    Carefully, he headed there silently as he passed arrays of trees, and soon, a scene of horrors yed in front of him. Over thousands of branches hade alive likeshes as they were all moving on a small agile figure which was jumping around on tree barks to avoid and even made those deadly trees strike each other. The moment those trees were wounded, dark brown liquid gushed out, emitting poison brown smoke, and Jacob instantly remembered that Ephraim had warned him about the acid. ''How can one kill a tree¡­ it has to have a heart or core¡­'' Jacob mused. He watched from a distance how the scene yed in the distance while closely observing the array of branches rushing towards the small figure d in ck armor while his face and head were covered. But Jacob noticed that no matter how many attacks those tree branches did, the person wasn''t attacking back, nor were the trees using any mana attack as they were all using their sturdy, long branches. Jacob found it quite strange as the more he saw, the more he noticed a peculiar pattern to those tree movements. Each one of them only used 12 or 14 branches, and the moving and expanding brandies didn''t have any razor-sharp leaves on them, and they were highly flexible. As for their attacking prowess, eachsh left behind a deep gush even on their kind, or those trees were too fragile, and the most crucial part about those trees was despite being cut and wounded, they didn''t seem to be losing their attacking speed or slowing down. At this moment, the figure jumping in the middle of those menacing whips suddenly changed its movement pattern, and the next moment, a faint azure glow surfaced below the person''s feet. Under Jacob''s astonished eyes, the guy suddenly jumped in the air, and then he took another one rising thirty meters high. It was like there were some invisible steps in the air as that person continued to jump higher, even faster than those veins could catch up and reach halfway toward the tree crown.


    ''He also wanted to see the view from above!'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with sharp light as he quickly saw through what that person was doing, and he seemed to be seeding. However, at this moment, something strange happened: the tree crowns suddenly started, and after that, the razor-sharp leaves started to fall, creating a beautiful leaf rain. But for someone like Jacob, who was extremely sensitive towards mana and danger after hisst evolution, he sensed dread from those falling leaves as each of them was coated in ayer of faint brown mana, and there were tens of thousands falling towards the advancing dark figure without leaving any opening.


    Right then, the leaves suddenly started to spin at terrible speed, creating sharp whistle sounds of wind cutting. But the person who was going to slice into mincemeat didn''t seem to be afraid as he continued to jump, and the next moment, he suddenly took out a milky white scroll and activated it!


    Under Jacob''s narrowed gaze, beautiful white runic symbols started to appear in the air, forming a particr array circle pattern at terrifying speed, covering a hundred-meter area. The runic array waspleted instantly, and a powerful pressure suddenly descended in the vicinity. Then, an aura of destruction spread from the array circle as the white rune symbols started to crackle with white lightning. The trees in the center of this strange runic array circle started trembling when white lightning began to charge. It even affected the surrounding trees as they all seemed to have sensed their nemesis approaching, and all hell broke loose when the white lightning started to shoot down on anything that seemed to be moving or had any aura of life on it. Furthermore, whenever the lightningnds, it leaves a strange white fire behind, which begins to burn even more fiercely once ites in contact with trees. Moreover, the lighting suddenly surrounded the dark figure like a shield, and the mana-filled leaves couldn''t even graze him anymore. This lightning range also targeted Jacob as he watched with a grim expression a few lightning boltsing in his direction!

 Chapter 503 Target Spotted!

    Chapter 503 Target Spotted!


    ''Just what kind of magic scroll is this? Not only did it activate like a runic array, but it also isn''t showing any sign of disappearing¡­'' Jacob thought as he dodged the white lighting bolts. Although they were fast, in Jacob''s eyes, they were a tad bit slow after achieving a unique rank physique, so he wasn''t worried. On the other hand, the surrounding trees were static, and they experienced massive damage from this strange magic scroll as the white mes spread fast, and they seemed to be the bane of these trees. As for the small figure, it was already close to the top while being protected by a lighting barrier. ''Since you provided this opportunity, it would be unwise not to take advantage of it.'' Jacob thought coldly before he started to move. However, he didn''t have any magic that could make him step on air, but he does have a low profile and effective method. A gray disc appeared below his feet. He started to fly above while some of the tree branches were heading his way. But they were not enough to match his prowess as he covered his des in mes and sliced through them. "Hmm?" The small figure finally noticed the strange movement amidst the chaos as his eyesnded on a giant burning figure moving upward like him, and he was even faster than him. ''A me iron giant? But aren''t their mes supposed to be crimson, and he''s toorge, not match the profile of the Alliance Chairman, and what is that tool he''s using to fly?'' Deep interest surfaced in the mysterious figure''s eyes, ''So, he wants to take advantage of my efforts, huh? I''ll remember it.'' A dreadful smile emerged behind his mask, and he stopped paying attention to Jacob. As more and more white lightning spread, more trees began to activate, and the fire was turning into a wildfire. This also seemed to affect the trees'' proficiency to attack, and their attack became clumsy and disorientated. Brandished with green fire, the des became even more brilliant and fierce as he shed onest time, and the light of the gloomy sky shone on his face. Jacob maneuvered the disc and instantly escaped the web of trees. He didn''t stop as he continued to go higher, and he only stopped when he was over seven hundred meters high in the sky. Now, he could see the dense forest filled with a sea of trees, and suddenly, he looked down, and his emotionless eyes locked with the small figure who was also looking at him, and the lightning barrier around him was also gone. However, unlike him, that person was only a few meters high from the burning trees, and that seemed to be his limit, or he didn''t want to approach Jacob. ''His abilities and means are not to be underestimated. I should get rid of him while I have the chance before he gets in my way.'' Malice surfaced in Jacob''s eyes as a hint of crimson surface, ''It''s a pity I won''t be able to get my hands on his heart or treasures, but at this point, I don''t think he would make much difference on my progress¡­ Slumber Hex!'' The entire hex mana reserve emptied at this moment, and thereafter, the small figure suddenly started to fall into the burning trees. Jacob thought it was over and was about to avert his eyes when, right at this moment, something magical happened. An array of rune symbols suddenly surfaced around the falling person, and before it could even touch the fire, he vanished with a blink!


    Shocked, Jacob narrowed his eyes and felt like he was hallucinating, ''Did he just vanish or teleported?'' His heart went cold as this was not what he expected, and the person who seemed insignificant became more mysterious and terrifying. ''First that magic scroll and now this strange ability which literally saved his life. Who could''ve had this sort of means¡­'' Jacob thought gloomily, ''Anyhow since my hex worked, this means that person was epic. There is no need to worry about him if he won''t get in the way. But if he appeared again¡­'' Killing intent shed past his eyes, and he decided to put this matter back in his head for now since it was toote to do anything. He looked around and finally stopped when he spotted what he was looking for. There was an enormous silhouette of the tree a few hundred miles away from his current position, and it was as tall as the sky and a few miles in diameter as it stood in the center of the forest. Seeing the enormous tree on the horizon and then thinking about the trees below, he thought with a hint of apprehension, ''Don''t tell me that thing is also alive¡­'' Just thinking about it made Jacob fearful as that thing wasn''t something that could be killed quickly because its sheer size was enough to put anything he had ever faced to shame.


    ''A unique rank species of a tree. I need to figure out where its core is, and if not, then all I can do isunch that thing here¡­'' Jacob grimaced as he started to fly toward the new target, the enormous tree!


    --- To the north of the deadly forest, with a sh, a small figure appeared andnded on the snow bed. But it didn''t move as he was in a slumber, neither there was anything that could threaten its life in the vicinity. After six hours, the person finally regained his consciousness, and shock with fear surfaced in his heart, "I-I¡­what the hell happened? My life talisman that Grandpa gave me is gone¡­ Just what the hell did he do?!" He muttered with horrifying fear swirling in his very being as he felt trepidation just thinking about that ming giant figure¡­


    --- On another part of the forest, a giant enveloped in dense crimson mes was throwing punches, and with each punch, a few trees would be sted apart with sheer destructive might from his punch. "Hmph, not even a challenge." Gunnar arrogantly sneered while his eyes were deadly cold as he walked toward the enormous tree. Gunnar suddenly frowned before a vermin transponder appeared in his hand, and the moment he activated it, a sweet voice rang, "Dad, was that you who caused thatmotion just now?" Gunnar couldn''t help but smile faintly, and gentleness appeared in his eyes, but he didn''t let it show in his stern tone, "What took you so long toe?" "Hmph, do you know how hard it is to find you in this ce? But I know you won''t sit still, so I just followed themotion, and I was right on the mark. Just wait a moment. I''ve also found our people and more." Charlotte cheerfully replied. Gunnar didn''t tarry as he said, "Make it quick. We need to deal with that tree and make sure to im the shackle!"

 Chapter 504 Blue X-Sun Missile

    Chapter 504 Blue X-Sun Missile


    Jacob continued his flight as he got closer and closer to the colossal tree, and he could finally see its wide and thick branches spreading throughout the sky. Each leaf was around ten meters in size. Furthermore, the closer he gets, the more excited his mind is for the challenge in front of him, while his rationality makes him feel the opposite. Now, Jacob started to experience the actual effect of fighting the giant spirit as it was getting hard for him to keep his calm mind in front of a powerful opponent. ''At least this proved this thing is a unique rank existence on my level or even stronger than me. But how am I supposed to fight it?'' Jacob grimaced as he looked at the colossal existence before him with no visible weakness. Even the fire spread by the mysterious person won''t be able to put a dent in it. At this moment, Jacob suddenly heard a faintmotion some distance behind, and the moment he lowered his head, he witnessed a few giant trees sted apart, revealing arge group of people. He saw every time a tree moved, they would quickly deal with it by powerful magic, and they were literally carving their path towards the colossal tree within the deadly sea of trees. Although Jacob wasn''t worried that this group could do anything to the monstrous existence before him, this still didn''t mean he wasn''t in a hurry to end all of this to move on toward the final beast. There was still a chance someone else would be fighting thest beast right now and might clear it at any second. So, wasting even a second was uneptable. Especially when there was a chance someone would go back and report his achievement, and then people would start pouring in to stop him at any cost. Just this group down below has more than a hundred people, and they were all quite powerful, far more powerful than Andrew''s group, and they might stand a chance against the Fiend Yeti or Deathstalker. This gave Jacob the urgency to deal with the thing before him and stop moving forward to fight it head-on. Suddenly, he turned around and started to fly backward and higher at the full speed of the disc, with coldness creeping in his heart.


    ''Why the hell I''m taking such a risk when I can just be done with it without taking any risk? Could it be this fighting giant spirit is changing my psyche? Turning me into more reckless¡­'' Just thinking about it made Jacob feel chills in his spine while a sense of helplessness washed over him. He knew it was toote to regret, and this was far from his control. All he could do was to keep his mind in check, and he didn''t believe this aspect could not be under his control as it was ''his'' aspect!


    So, he fought every urge he had to turn around and explore the ghastly opponent behind him as he was getting higher and further from the tree until he was tens of miles away and high up in the sky. The gloomy gray sky of the trial in seemed to be endlessly huge as there was no sign of its ending. But at some point, Jacob started to feel strange pressure and low air, but he continued to go up high. At this moment, he could almost see the entire forest and the colossal tree in the center of it while he noticed there were walls of mists on the four sides where the forest ends. ''This should be high enough¡­'' Jacob thought as he was stillpletely fine and his mana wasn''t even half deployed, and this was the case for only the water magic core. The next moment, a space ring appeared on his empty finger, and a 40-feet long and 10-feet wide blue missile appeared with some section of it glowing in neon blue liquid, and a smallmand panel was sect in the middle. Jacob called this Blue X-Sun Missile, and it was ten times stronger than the white sun missile that blew off the Epic star void server and covered almost half of the Epic ins into nuclear clouds. This was the strongest missile Jacob could create with all the avable resources in his possession, and he knew this thing could destroy an entire continent. But the thing was, he didn''t care because this wasn''t a continent. Furthermore, Jacob didn''t find any other way to blow off that tree, which was a unique rank existence, and the atomic grenades werecking, and neither did he have any more white sun missiles. Jacob activated the small panel, and he set it up on the timer because he didn''t think it was necessary to use its rocket thruster andunch it when he was floating right above the target.


    Once the timer was set to five minutes, Jacob threw it like a spear toward the crown of a colossal tree with his mighty strength. This was another reason he didn''t need tounch it. The Blue X-Sun Missile whistled through the air at terrible speed while approaching the colossal tree. At the same time, Jacob moved even higher and further away since he wasn''t sure just how much aftershock he would experience. Still, he was confident in getting out of this without much injury with his new body and magic. He was 80% sure that this st could not hurt him from this kind of distance. On the ground, Gunnar led a massive group of experts towards the tree as they were still over seventy miles away. Still, they could already see the colossal tree branches starting to cast a shadow above them as they were all recovering their mana. Walking beside Gunnar, the enthralling giant, Charlotte''s eyes shed with apprehension as she said, "Dad, do you really think we can take on that thing?" Even the people following them had the same question, and they were not as optimistic about this as Gunnar. "Tell me, do you think I''m not aspetent as that Faceless Ancient?" Gunnar questioned sternly. This sudden, irrelevant question stumped Charlotte, and then she replied with narrowed eyes, "If you want an honest answer, I think you''re no match for him regarding cognitive prowess. He''s like the President regarding cognitive abilities, but he''s just as powerful. Which is a deadlybination!" Gunnar''s eyes shed with coldness while the others listening to them felt cold sweat breaking because only the fearless daughter of the Alliance Chairman could talk to him so disrespectfully. "Aren''t you being too tactless after meeting that coward?" Gunnar narrowed his eyes dangerously. Charlotte pouted sweetly, "Don''t get angry now. You were the one who asked for my opinion." Looking at his daughter acting cutely in front of him, he felt gratified, but his stony face remained the same, "Hmph, I''m not someone who doesn''t admit his shorings. But despite all that, we need to clear at least one shackle no matter the cost. Even if I have toy my life, I will kill this thing." Charlotte was startled seeing Gunnar''s grim seriousness, "Just why is it so important?" Gunnar''s eyes shed with a hint of helplessness as he replied, "Sigh¡­ you won''t understand, nor can I tell you before you be the Chairman yourself. Just make sure you keep yourself safe if something¡­" Before he could continue, a blinding light suddenly bloomed in the forest''s depths; it enveloped everyone!

 Chapter 505 Beast of West: Earth Calamity Tree

    Chapter 505 Beast of West: Earth Cmity Tree


    In the center of the deadly forest, an endless whiteness bloomed at a speed impossible to follow with eyes before it enveloped everything. ''Bbooooommmmmmm¡­'' A secondter, a world-destroying sound that could make anyone deaf reverberated far and wide, and within that whiteness, a yellow fountain of destruction rose, and shockwaves turning everything into dust followed suit. Even miles above the sky, Jacob felt the might of his creation as terrifying heat that could even make him feel threatened enveloped him as the feeling of being burned alive overcame the giant. Still, it was not enough to burn his skin, and he only turned crimson with radioactive heat. The destruction continued for a few minutes before things started to settle down, and what was left of the once clear, overgrown forest was thick radioactive smoke. Jacob managed to endure it all with some skin burns before his body began to heal with his powerful ability. Still, the temperature was over 3800 degrees Celsius, which was the case for the outer area of the terrifying explosion. The core was literally turned into a moltenva pit. ''At this temperature, even the diamond would not survive, much less anything living. But I need to get that piece¡­ yet it''s madness to go in the center even for me. Let''s get out of here for now. I don''t think anyone would survive this ce or go anywhere near the core area. I''ll get that piece from another beast¡­'' Jacob mused grimly as he stood in the blinding smock. He didn''t let himself be blinded by greed; the legacy pieces were not his primary goal but to clear the trial before anyone else, so he started to fly in the other direction. At this moment, the hateful voice that he had been waiting for rang, making Jacob grimace,


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!" He only scoffed and looked at his star watch,


    "Congrattions on killing the Beast of West: Earth Cmity Tree!


    "Your glorious deeds have been spread far and wide!" ''Two more to go¡­'' Jacob thought with shimmering eyes as he continued to fly.


    --- At this moment, in the golden desert, the mes have beenpletely extinguished after Jacob clears the trial condition.


    A tall elf in a white robe and cape appeared, and she heard the unexpected announcement.


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!" An icy mist exploded from her, turning a hundred-meter area around her into an ice field, "Just how in the world is he doing it so quickly?!" She yelled in frustration.


    The next moment, a vermin transponder surfaced in his hand before it connected, and another woman''s voice rang, "Did you manage to enter without problem?" The elf bit her cherry lip as she replied, "Yes, mistress, but I just heard another announcement about the Faceless Ancient clearing another condition!" "What!?" The voice on the other side rang in shock before she asked, "Are you certain? Didn''t this make it the third one so far?" The elf grimly replied, "Indeed, it has not even three days since we received the news about him clearing the second condition from the President. I don''t know how he''s doing it." "This is very bad for us." The gloomy voice rang, "I''ll send more people in and, in the meantime, find the president. He said he''s in some dark swamp, and I''ll contact the chairman. Remember, we can''t let that hateful rebel achieve the solo championship, or our entire organization will be shuffled, and the current authorities will be punished heavily. "Furthermore, if you find any dark beings'' higher-ups, try negotiating with them. At this point, I don''t think they will try to pick up a fight with us since they would be as desperate as us. Tell them we''re willing to form a temporary truce until we or they im another condition." The elf''s eyes widened with shock before she regained herposure, "As youmand, mistress!" --- Within the dark swamp, a towering dark being emerged donned in menacing dark armor and a long crimson cape, and the eye sockets of his dark helmet were aze in crimson mes as he looked like a harbinger of carnage. One after another, more and more dark beings appeared behind him. At this moment, the voice rang. "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!" The crimson mes in his eyes suddenly burned high, and a terrifying aura of carnage enveloped a massive area. "Is this some kind of mistake, Dead Minster?" His husky, eerie voice rang, filled with terrifying killing intent. A ghost face dark being behind him trembled as a quavering voice sounded from his empty mouth, "I¡­ I don''t know your majesty!" The King of Dead, Onyx, stood there as his crimson me eyes burned fiercely, and he finally spoke, "Go back and tell Prime Minster toe here with reaming forces. This is not a time to hold back. This Faceless Ancient is far more capable than we gave him the credit for." ''p¡­p¡­p¡­'' Suddenly, pping sounds rang as the King of Dead and the army behind him became alert as they looked in the direction of the sound with death res.


    At this moment, a tall figure d in pristine blue armor walked from the darkness like a phantom. He was a middle-aged man with purple skin and long blue hair, and his astute was filled with wisdom as he gazed at the towering King of Dead fearlessly. Onyx''s eyes red up slightly as he said coldly, "You are¡­ the Wise Monk of living side, Nelsen?" Nelsen''s pale lips rose slightly as he nodded, "It''s an honor to be remembered by the King of Dead." "Hmph, I was under the impression you like scheming behind walls. But now you deliver yourself to me? Don''t tell me you''re here to pled fealty?" Onyx coldly said with mockery as his aura locked on Nelsen. However, Nelsen remained smiling, "Now that would be a sight to behold, wouldn''t it? But I''m afraid we won''t be able to make it happen anytime soon. Today, I''m here to form an alliance against ourmon enemy." Onyx''s ming eyes zed fiercely, "You mean Faceless Ancient?" Nelsen smiled darkly, "Indeed, and that''s why I apud Your Majesty because you know the threat this person poses. I''ll be blunt and sincere with Your Majesty: there is a shackle in this ce, and I''m willing to support you to clear it!" "Is that so? How did you discover this ce?" Onyx questioned. "Heh, just a trifling ability of mine. Trust me, I want the Faceless Ancient dead, and I''m willing to ally myself with you to achieve that. This person is far more terrifying than you can imagine, and it''s in our best interest to get rid of him before we continue our traditional game." Nelsen smilingly stated as if everything was under his control. Onyx''s coldly replied with killing intent, "And what made you think I''ll agree to this insignificant alliance with a livestock?" Nelsen''s expression went icy as he dered, "Because I have the same weapons as the Faceless Ancient, and I''ll give you 100,000 Epic Rank living to do as you pleased afterward!"

 Chapter 506 Encountering Jazlynn

    Chapter 506 Encountering Jazlynn


    In the dark swamp, a portal shed in the space, and two giants fell in the dark waters. Their breathing was rigid as they panted heavily with widened eyes, and disbelief was written all over their face. They were none other than Gunnar and Charlotte!


    "W-what just happened?" She asked with an appalled look. Gunnar tried to regain his calm, but the fear in his eyes was far greater than anything he had ever witnessed as he replied with a somewhat shaky tone, "I¡­ I don''t know, but at that moment, I sensed death approaching, and then¡­ then I used only life talisman I had to grab you, and here we are." Charlotte was stunned as she had never seen Gunnar so shaky before, but she knew Gunnar was stating the fact because she felt it herself. If not for this life talisman, she would''ve been turned to ashes and felt her heart palpitated just thinking about that blinding light. "Do you have more of these life talismans? Why didn''t you give me one?" She asked quickly. Gunnar gave her a stern look, "Do you think it''s candy? I even bought it from someone after spending all of my savings. Besides, do you think just anyone can kill you? I would''ve given it to you if you had bothered toe to me before you entered this ce!" Charlotte blushed in embarrassment and quickly changed the topic, "B-but what was that? Do you think the tree does something?" "I don''t know¡­" Before Gunnar could reply, an announcement was made. "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing a Trial Condition!" Both father and daughter looked at each other, gobsmacked by sheer surprise before that dreadful light surfaced in their minds. All of a sudden, their doubts were cleared as day¡­


    --- Jacob flew past the radioactive smoke at this moment, and in front of him, a familiar cold whiteness appeared, making him frown. ''I''m back in the icends¡­'' Jacob looked around the icends and then turned back to see a smock-filled atmosphere. The boundary was even preventing the smoke from affecting the other areas of the trial ins, which was quite a spectacle and good news because this would make things easier. As for the people who would enter that ce, they will be in a world of pain and might never make it out alive. However, this didn''t concern Jacob because he was now lost, and he needed to find the next beast, which would be in another unique environment. ''I got lucky when that portal appeared in the pyramid. Now, I need to find my way.'' Jacob mused gravely as he looked toward the icends and decided to head towards the west and hope he would end up where he wanted to. The icends were cold, and there weren''t any more beasts attacking, nor he saw any people there until the sixth day. He spotted a party of dark beings and got rid of them on the spot before he decided to rest and eat a certain arrogant elf. Thereafter, he continued his journey towards the west. On his tenth day, he finally saw another boundary, which made him seethe in anger because he was again looking at the golden desert, which was now calm and without any mes. At this moment, he spotted another living beinging towards the icends, and this time, it was a graceful elf in white robes. ''This is not going to work. I''m wasting too much time.'' Jacob thought grimly as he looked in the other direction before looking back to the elf, who seemed to have also spotted him in the sky. He wasn''t using stealth because he wanted to save mana. Furthermore, except for the beasts of directions, he had no match in this ce. The elf looked at Jacob with scrutiny and surprise while she was also astounded seeing the icend on the other side of the desert. "Who are you? State your name! I''m the personal guard of the Bank Manager, Jazlynn!" She loudly proimed with a hint of arrogance. She wanted information, and this mysterious person was capable of flight, so she decided to reveal her background. Furthermore, she also wanted to reach somewhere as quickly as possible but was helpless, and this ce was too strange. Jacob was also the first person she had spotted after entering. As for getting attacked by the other party, she was extremely confident in herself and had her means to escape if things went awry. Jacob was about to turn her into his food supply when he heard her introduction, and his lips suddenly rose in a cruel smile as he descended toward Jazlynn! From the high altitude, Jacob appeared rtively small, but when he descended, Jazlynn could finally see his towering body with a hint of surprise. Jacob spoke whilending a few meters away from the elf, "So, you know Lucy?" Jazlynn''s eyes narrowed with displeasure because Jacob''s tone was rtively coarse, and no one dared to call the Bank Manager by her name. She pursed her lips, "I''ll let your rudeness slide this time, and yes, I know Bank Manager. If you help me, you''ll be handsomely rewarded." Jacob merely scoffed, "You have no clue how much I ''respect'' Lucy. Now, if you want to live, you''ll tell me about her and all of her hideouts. I want to know everything!" Jazlynn sensed an ominous feeling suddenly as a crystal green sword appeared in hand, and frosty mana started to emit from it, "And why would I do that?" She didn''t know why, but she was feeling a deep sense of dread all of a sudden, and she knew this giant had ill intentions toward her because he held a grudge against her mistress. Still, she was elite among elites within the agency, so she wasn''t afraid to fight. Jacob remained unfazed by the alert Jazlynn, and his killing intent suddenly manifested, causing her expression to turn appalled. He said coldly, "Because I''m Faceless Ancient and I''m an old ''friend'' of Lucy. If you don''t tell me, I''ll eat you bit by bit while letting you watch, and trust me, death will look like a blessing to you once we start!"

 Chapter 507 A Wild Turn of Events!

    Chapter 507 A Wild Turn of Events!


    Jazlynn''s expression instantly warped when she heard the name of everyone''smon enemy!


    The air suddenly became suffocating as she looked at the towering giant. She had never thought the target she was supposed to search for would appear right in front of her so abruptly and even reveal his identity. ''But his size didn''t match the description, nor did he wear a mask!'' She screamed in her head, and the next moment, she decided, and her eyes turned decisive, and ice mana exploded from her sword.


    However, an insanely fast dark streak shed past her shoulder, and when she tried to swing her sword, nothing happened. She felt empty all of a sudden before piercing pain struck her. She moved her head towards her right arm and saw it lying on the ground, and blood gushed out from her dismembered shoulder!


    Bloody realization dawned on her, and her eyes went wide with pain and horror.


    "Ahhhhhhh¡­" She screamed, and before she could even snap out of her trauma, another dark streak shed past her left shoulder, and another arm was gone! Her screaming turned into even more piercing. In less than ten seconds, she had lost both of her arms, and she couldn''t even see the attacks or dodge them. Yet, Jacob wasn''t done as the swords in his hands vanished, and green mes reced them, and he directly grabbed the bleeding shoulders of the screaming elf. "Wahhhhhhhhhhh¡­.nooooo¡­" Jazlynn screamed in pain as she felt the scorching mes burning her wounds. It was like dipping the wounds in salted water!


    Jacob remained impassive as he said, "Now that your sticky hands are out of the way, start speaking, or I don''t mind removing your slender legs to motivate you further." He removed his hands, and the bleeding was stopped, but the unimaginable pain was there, not to mention the trauma of losing both of her hands!


    "ahhhh, kill me, you fiend!" She screamed with a pale expression. Losing both her arms was like a death sentence to her because there is no ce for a cripple like her in a ce like epic ins. However, Jacob didn''t even mind as he merely chuckled darkly, picked up her bleeding arms, and removed the cloth, revealing his handsome face. Right before her aghast expression, he took a bit out of one of the arms!


    Jazlynn felt icy and frightened as she watched the giant chewing on her skin and bones while her blood covered his lips, making her take a step back and trip. He appeared nothing short of an absolute fiend at this moment, and the little bit of strength she had was gone entirely. Jacob nonchntly said while taking another bite of her arm, "Who said I was going to let you live? Didn''t I say death will appear like a blessing to you? Now, the only question is if you really want that blessing or not. Trust me, I won''t let you die until I eat you up right in front of you!" Terror¡­ boundless terror ran in her very being at this moment as she had never even seen something, much less experiencing it herself. Torture wasn''t even the right word for what she was experiencing at that moment. The cruel giant in front of her was like a hungry beast who wanted to eat her but also wanted to cause her as much suffering as she could endure before breaking her mind! At this moment, death really seemed a blessing to her, and all that arrogance and bravado shattered like a dream as the light in her eyes dimmed, and they became empty as she started to speak without knowing what she was saying anymore. ''Heh, she breaks just like that¡­'' Jacob sneered as he listened to her information regarding the Bank Manager. He held a deep grudge with Lucy and Ellie, and he could ignore anyone but them, and they had to pay for what they had done! Jazlynn was Lucy''s one of the three personal guards, and all of them were from the Ice Elf n, just like Lucy. ording to her, Lucy inherited her position after the old bank manager, who was also from the Ice Elf n and Lucy''s father. But in truth, she only managed to gain that position after her elder brother''s mysterious death. The Bank Manager position was passed to the Ice Elf n for generations in Lucy''s family, and Jazlynn didn''t know why. All she knew was her ancestors held pretty high positions in the higher ins. After she descended the throne, the Bank and the Ice Elf n flourished, and whoever opposed her vanished without any trace. Everyone feared her, and her secrets were many. Jazlynn only knew about a few of her hidden assets and hideouts, and they were all hidden all around the epic ins.


    It took her over half an hour to tell Jacob everything. "Please kill me now!" She demands with an empty voice. Jacob had a thoughtful expression as the arms of Jazlynn were already gone into his stomach. He questioned, "Don''t worry, I''m a man of my word. Last question: what do you know about Vice Alchemy President Ellie, and are they connected somehow?" Jazlynn replied, "Nelsen and Ellie are from an unknown elf species, and they are the only ones present in the epic ins. She is the only daughter of Nelsen, and her character is vile and shrewd. Mistress and Ellie are like fire and water." Jacob was intrigued, "Reason?" "No one knows. I once heard a rumor from my senior. The President once had a rtionship with Nelsen, but then she found that he was also involved in an affair with herte mother, so it ended very quickly. I don''t know if it''s true or not, but Mistress seemed to hate both of them." Said Jazlynn. Jacob''s eyes shed with surprise, "Could it be she is her daughter?" Jazlynn shook her head, "No, Ellie''s mother was actually Mistress''s younger sister, and she eloped with Nelsen. It was a huge scandal when they announced their rtionship to the world, and Mistress almost dered war on the Alchemy Guild." "Are you kidding me? That old man fucked the entire family?" Jacob couldn''t help but question in disbelief. The image of the prestigious Alchemy Guild President bes nothing but that of a yboy. If any of this was true, that guy was a real yer. Jazlynn shook her head, "Nothing is clear. But Ellie''s mother was assassinated when Ellie was around ten. Many specte that Mistress was behind the assassination, therefore the hate between Ellie and Mistress. But Nelsen never raised any finger or seemed to hate Mistress at all. All the skirmish between the guild and bank is because of Ellie." Jacob didn''t know what to make of this as it was all too confusing yet simple at the same time. Even he knew that Lucy was a vengeful bitch, so it won''t surprise him if she was behind the assassination. Yet, if Nelsen didn''t do anything and endure all this time, then he was a terrifying person, the kind that Jacob wanted to avoid messing with if not necessary. Or he was just a coward, or he knew Lucy wasn''t behind it. Whatever the case was, he wouldn''t spear either Lucy or Ellie. If Nelsen stood in his way, he''d be dealt with. "Alright, you did great." Jacob nodded before his sword appeared in his hand, and he shed past Jazlynn''s neck. But right then, when Jazlynn''s head was rolling down, an unexpected announcement was made, making Jacob horrified! "Congrattions, Amenable Wizened Monk, for clearing a Trial Condition!"

 Chapter 508 Next Best Thing

    Chapter 508 Next Best Thing


    In the center of the dark swamp, there was a massive dark mountain. But at this moment, over half of the mountain was blown entirely off as radioactive smocks were spreading through the dark waters. A half-burn copse of a massive pitch-ck snake was lying there lifeless, while the corpses and bones of thousands of dark beings were scattered all over the ce. It was like a site of genocide. The King of Dead, Onyx, stood before the snake''s corpse, and a gigantic crimson skull covered him like a shield. But the skull''s jade-like surface was filled with cracks. "Congrattions, Amenable Wizened Monk, for clearing a Trial Condition!" The crimson mes in Onyx''s eyes burn with rage and murder as his eerie voice reverberates in the entire silent vicinity filled with death like thunder, "Nelsen, you, treacherous livestock, it''s either you or me!" ---


    Miles away from this scene was located at the exit of the trial ins. Nelsen''s figure appeared like a phantom as he wore an astute yet cold smile. "Forgive me, O'' King of Dead, but you have yourself to me for your stupidity. If you manage to get out of there alive, I hope you''ll learn never to trust others." He snickered with disdain. "Now that I''vepleted the task, there is no need for me to remain here any longer. Faceless Ancient, I must say, you almost had me, but a small tidal wave can''t stir an entire ocean. "Now, I''ll wait for you to clear the remaining conditions and reap the benefits of a champion slot. In the end, you still got used by us, such a pitiful fate of lowly being¡­" Cackling full of glee, Nelsen exited the trial ins as if it no longer mattered to him if Jacob imed more trial conditions or someone else. He had aplished what he hade here to aplish, and what happened next, he doesn''t care!


    --- Stunned, Jacob stood there in front of the beheaded Jazlynn, having absolutely no idea how to react. All he could feel at this moment was disbelief, shock, helplessness, and seething anger¡­


    What he feared the most has ended up happening. While he was aimlessly wandering, wasting his time, someone else really managed to bring down a beast of direction, the Beast of East, Lesser Basilisk. Although he didn''t know how they did it, one thing was clear: he was bested by none other than one of his enemies. Nelsen really proved that he was a terrifying son of a bitch, and now he had cut off his way to go towards the Unique ins!


    At this moment, something unexpected happened: the icends, the forest, the desert, and the dark swamp began to shake, and the barriers that divided these four different ins vanished! The gloomy gray sky started to lose its luster and begin to dim and turn dark. Tombstones begin to emerge all over the trial in. Jacob didn''t have time to wallow in defeat as he used his disc to fly off the ground and observed with murderous eyes. ''The Beast of Necropolis¡­'' This name came into his mind as he knew only after killing the four beasts of direction would the final beast emerge, and it seemed it was happening. ''Do I really need to care anymore?'' Thought Jacob with a hint of defeat before his eyes shone with cruelty, ''But was this the only way towards the Unique ins? Since this door is closed, this doesn''t mean there aren''t any others¡­ the three hegemonies, the dark city¡­ they are affiliated with powers of the higher ins. Then they might have ways to acquire what I''m looking for¡­'' Jacob wasn''t the type to give up that easily, especially when his life was on the line. If he drove into a corner, there wasn''t anything he wouldn''t do to make sure he got what he wanted, even if it meant to destroy everything!


    ''Since you''re the one who messed things up, you''ll be the one to make them right again¡­'' Jacob''s mind became serene as he started to n Nelsen''s doom!


    But first, he was going to finish what he started. Since the medallion was out of the question, he would take the best, the legacy pieces! Furthermore, the champion shop was on its own an opportunity. The transformation of the trial insted for a short while, and now it looked like an old graveyard filled with tombstones. The atmosphere was silent and creepy, and the ground covered a faint mist. Now, it really looked like a necropolis. Jacob begins his hunt for the Beast of Necropolis, but he doesn''t go on foot because those tombstones give him a bad feeling. Not only him but everyone present in the trial in were uncertain about this sudden change. A few hundred miles north of Jacob, the small figure walked between the tombstones with a deep frown. He was still in the middle of Ice Lands when the change happened, and now he really wanted to get out of this ce. A vermin transponder appeared in his hand, and an old voice sounded, "I just heard the news about the President?" He confirmed it, "Yes, it seemed we don''t need to intervene anymore. But the entire ce had gone through a strange change after the President cleared the condition, or it might be the result of something else." "Hmm, since it''s a hunting trial, and four conditions have already been cleared, I suppose the change is either because the final condition has arrived. Nheless, we don''t need to bother ourselves with it anymore. Return. The Faceless Ancient can do as he pleases now." The old voice solemnly stated. Nodding his head, he replied, "I''m also nning to, but I don''t think it''ll be easy. Still, since we don''t need to intervene anymore, I can stay out of trouble until it all ends. I nearly got killed a few days ago, and I don''t even know why." "What?" The old voice sounded concerned, "There is someone who can pose a threat to you?" "It was quite strange, I''m telling you, gramps. I''ve encountered a 10-meter giant, and the next thing I knew, my life talisman was activated on its own while I lost consciousness." He told with a grave tone. "Was it Faceless Ancient?" The old voice solemnly asked. "I could be. His height didn''t match the description, though. But one thing is sure: soon after that incident, another condition was cleared, so I''m 90% sure it was him." "Hmm, if you reencounter him, just run. From my point of view, he was after the medallion, and if he knows that he can''t get it anymore, he won''t be pleased at this moment." The old voice stated. "That''s why I''m hurrying to leave¡­" The small figure was about to continue when he suddenly stopped because a two-meter tombstone in front suddenly started to tremble, and the next moment, a bronze bone hand emerged from the ground!

 Chapter 509 The Undead Race

    Chapter 509 The Undead Race


    After the entire trial in turned into a necropolis, Jacob slowly advanced towards therge tombstones. He noticed that after covering a certain distance, not only did the designs of the tombstones change, but their size and a strange dark aura emitting from them also increased. That''s why he didn''t want to touch any of them and flew deeper into the direction ofrge tombstones. Right then, Jacob stopped a few hundred meters away from him. He stopped at an ancient white mausoleum with two stone statues of vicious beasts on its square roof. The mausoleum sticks out because it was the only building or tombstone in the five-hundred-meter radius, and in this darkness, the magic blue me torch over its entrances could be seen from a vast distance. This was the first structure other than the tombstone that Jacob hade in contact with, and truth be told, his attention was drawn by the runes engraved on top of the entrance. ''Death is but a dream lead to Netherworld!'' Intrigued he may be, it doesn''t mean he was going to investigate that creepy building. It didn''t look like his target. At this moment, amotion suddenly breaks out, drawing Jacob''s attention. He spotted a few people running towards the mausoleum from the opposite direction, and his eyes widened ever so slightly when he spotted bronze skeletons riding skeleton horses galloping after those people. Furthermore, as those people passed the tombstones, one tombstone would suddenly shatter, and a bronze skeleton emerged on a skeleton horse from the underground!


    This scene was bizarre yet eerie as tens of skeleton riders were chasing after the group of people like crazy, and it soon became clear why they were running instead of fighting. A lion orc desperately tried to attack the skeleton rider when it was about to pierce the chest with a bone spear. He activated an attack magic scroll, but surprisingly, the moment that magic spellnded on the skeleton, it instantly bounced off without leaving a scratch on it!


    "Not even magic scrolls are working; these bastards really have Magic deflection, and they are not like the usual dark beings with dead mes. Only physical attacks will work! We need to take a stand, or our enemies will continue to multiply if we keep running." Another wolf orc roared in frustration. "Let''s continue to move towards the mausoleum. There are no graves in its vicinity. If we stay out of the building, we can kill those annoying bone freaks and then rest!" A Bronze Barbarian stated with a grim expression as he seemed to be leading everyone. ''Not like the dark beings¡­'' Jacob watched and heard everything from above as he could tell those skeleton riders were really not the dark beings, but they were spamming out from the misty grounds after a tombstone would shatter. Furthermore, only a handful of tombstones would shatter, not all of them, or there would be an army of thousands within seconds. ''I first consider the Dark Beings the Undead, but only after gaining ess to the Witch Pce did I get to know that the Undead is merely tools of Dark Being. Undead are creatures that are summoned after their death or reawakened by powerful dark beings as an undead race of Dark Beings. ''The undead race also didn''t have dead mes like dark beings because they can''t evolve like natural dark beings. Instead, they had their particr evolution system, especially if they were living beings before their awakening as undead. To sum it up, the undead are the most mysterious of them all. ''If those skeleton riders are really undead, then there has to be a medium that is awakening them from those graves, and they seemed quite special as they emerged with an undead mount. It has to be a high-level undead magic. Or I''m missing something.''Jacob mused as he recollected the information he had got on the dark beings in the witch pce. Witch Queen wasn''t just interested in the living but also the dark beings as well. She had numerous records of experimenting with dark beings because those guys have a natural affinity with curse magic rather than living beings. But she was only interested in researching the curses, not the origin of dark beings, or she just knew her limit. Whichever the case was, all that knowledge was under Jacob''s control now, and he didn''t even scratch the surface yet. He was in a hurry, so he only managed to get the best of everything. The Undead Race was one of those topics that Witch Queen was interested in because she assumed that the undead race was a bioproduct of a specific curse, and having no proof of it or aptitude, she didn''t dig deeper into it. Nheless, this entire ce gave Jacob a lousy feeling after transforming into an actual necropolis. Now, the emergence of an undead race made it even more apparent that he would not have an easy time with the final beast. ''As long as I can find its location¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with dark decisiveness as he continued to observe the fleeing living and pursuing undead. At this moment, the group entered the empty vicinity of the mausoleum, and something strange happened. The undead skeleton riders who were furiously chasing after them abruptly stopped their skeleton hours on the boundary of an empty area. The group naturally noticed this, and they were both surprised and uncertain. But soon, relief washed over them as they ran for those skeletons for a while and at the end of their rope. This ce was where they decided to go all out, but now, suddenly, those skeletons stopped, which was nothing but good news for them. "Don''t let your guard down, everyone. Since they are stopping at the edge, this means they are either afraid of something or this area has some special effect. Let''s stay here and don''t go closer to the mausoleum. Once we recover, we''ll find a way to leave!" The barbarian solemnly stated that he wasn''t a fool to believe that they were safe. In fact, he knew it was the opposite. But they can do nothing about it!


    "Step¡­step¡­step¡­"


    At this moment, a powerful metallic sound of steps resounded in the entire vicinity, and it wasing from none other than within the mausoleum; something unknown was walking out!

 Chapter 510 The Necropolis of Epic Trial (1)

    Chapter 510 The Necropolis of Epic Trial (1)


    From the open entrance of the mausoleum, an eight-meter-tall skeleton giant d in heavy armor walked out. He was holding a shield and sword in his hands, and a strange pressure was emitting from him. The advancing group of five instantly halted their steps as they looked at the giant skeleton with horrified expressions. They all could feel a sense of dread from the giant undead, who was hundreds of meters away from them. The giant skeleton moved his skull in their direction as his empty eye sockets were locked on them, and the next moment, he moved and, like a blur, vanished before everyone''s eyes. "Dodge!" The barbarian roared palely as he sensed death approaching and instantly leaped on his left side. But others were not as fast as him, and just after the moment he leaped, a gray streak shed past three orcs in the group, and they weren''t able to react before their bodies started to dismember!


    Only a troll and the barbarian were alive to witness the horror as they looked toward the giant skeleton standing a few meters behind them. He had covered over three hundred meters within a second and cut down three epics like they were y dolls. Jacob naturally witnessed this all with significance instead, and his eyes were locked on the giant skeleton who was about to move to finish the reaming intruders. ''I wonder if my hex core will evolve if I kill them. But I doubt that since they don''t seem to have cores, and killing undead is an extremely tiresome task. I probably need to shatter their bodies. Forget it, I should move on¡­'' Jacob''s thought process came to an abrupt halt when the giant skeleton suddenly turned its head in his direction. He was astounded because he was a few hundred high in the sky and also using the stealth of the disc at this moment. Although the stealth was only at a rare level, at this distance, it should be more than enough for an epic not to notice him. This skeleton was ring right in his direction.


    At this moment, under Jacob''s stunned expression, another undead walked out from the mausoleum. It was a giant bone horse, but it was vastly different from other undead mounts he had seen at this point. It has bone wings and gray mes wrapped around them. The giant skeleton moved again, and the next he appeared right above the bone-winged horse, and the undead mount didn''t dy as it pped its ming wings and flew towards Jacob!


    Looking at the majestic yet ghastly sight of a skeleton charging right at him, Jacob wasn''t amused at all. In fact, he was somewhat rmed; his rage from losing a condition to Nelsen was still not entirely subdued. The big guy was provoking his suppressed spirit, and for a moment, he decided to vent a little. ''Inferno mes!'' Killing intent shed past his eyes as green mes emerged around his body like a raging inferno, ''Fire maniption!'' The green mes around Jacob started to bend on his will and gathered in the sky, forming bright mences, and they quickly turned into 50! With a thought, Jacob shot thosences on the iing undead mount. He wasn''t like those epics, and that skeleton was not unique at all. It was just that he was using agility-type magic, but in the sky, he didn''t seem to have that advantage. However, the giant skeleton charged right into the firences without any intention of dodging. However, when thosences touched the skeleton, a massive explosion rang, and a chain of explosions followed suit.


    Jacob''s lips curled in disdain, ''Star Combustion. A fire-type magic ability of unique rank that can make any fire magicbust. Simply put, the stronger the fire, the stronger thebustion. Heh, now I can make explosives at will. That thing might''ve thought about magic deflection. Oh, how wrong you were¡­'' Furthermore, Jacob''s mana was as potent as unique rank mana, so his magic spell was even more powerful, and epic rank mana couldn''t hold a candle in front of him. He looked at the setting smoke while some debris of bone fragments were falling. The barely attached skeleton and skeleton horse appeared as the mes on the bone wings of the horse were dying as it was rushing down. The skeleton was even more miserable as his armor was fully cracked, and half of his skull and arm were gone. Jacob sneered and pulled him out of his misery by sending another volley of mence and then used the starbustion. Fire magic was a pure, destructive type of magic and could do far more damage and destruction than water magic. That''s why he only uses water mana to fly around while saving the fire mana for this sort of situation. After dealing with the undead skeleton and his undead mount, he nced at the mausoleum and just happened to witness the torch on it dying down. The next moment, the small army of undead at standby suddenly rushed in as if a barrier just has been lifted!


    ''So, as long as the owner of the mausoleum dies, the restriction on the lesser undead would be lifted. Thisst part of the trial is far moreplex and dangerous. I wonder what kind of monstrosity the Beast of Necropolis is¡­'' Jacob thought gravely as he no longer paid those undead any heed. They were not worth his time unless they were dark begins. Jacob continued his journey towards the depth of the necropolis, and days passed. He now started to see more mausoleums, not to mention they were extraordinarily grand, and some of them were even the size of a small mansion. However, he tactfully avoided going above their empty territories because he mused if those undead were like the giant skeleton, they might not react as long as no one infiltrated their territory. On this day, Jacob againes into contact with a massive undead army and another army as ghastly as the undead were fighting against them. It was the army of Dark Begins, and in the lead was a ghost-face dark being. He was the Wight Dead Duke of Ghost Wight!

 Chapter 511 The Necropolis of Epic Trial (2)

    Chapter 511 The Necropolis of Epic Trial (2)


    It was quite a strange scene seeing the dark beings and undead at each other throats, and the dark beings had a clear disadvantage. The Wight Dead Duke was clearly struggling to keep up with the onught of the undead as they were dominating the Ghost Wights with their magic deflection and superior agility. At this moment, the Wight Dead Duke, who was enshrouded in a dark mist, suddenly let loose a roar of fury, and a massive magic circle suddenly appeared behind him. Thereby, all of a sudden, more Ghost Wights begin to emerge from the sinister dark magic circle. Jacob watched all of this with an impassive expression. The number of dark beings was enough for his hex core to enter the next rank. But he knew if he entered the fray, he''d be exposed to undead as well. Besides, he knew once he was done with this trial, there were plenty of dark beings in the epic ins to serve his purpose, so he decided to move on. He could now see a massive mausoleum in the distance, which was the size of a castle. Magic torches surrounded its corners, and the statue of four beasts of directions was standing tall. There was a phrase written on its entrance.


    ''Life is full of limits, and Death is at the end of each one!'' Furthermore, as he got closer, he spotted a massive army of undead skeletons wearing armor and powerful flying mounts guarding its open entrance. Observing from the above, he mused that it would be impossible to sneak in with all those undead as he knew if he got in specific distances, those undead would notice him. So, he decided to go all out from the start. He took out three atomic grenades and dropped them on the vast army from high above the sky. He wanted to confirm the beast of the necropolis was really inside that mausoleum by drawing it out. The best way to do it was to destroy its home and army!


    Four massive explosions sounded in miles of radius, and mushroom clouds rose in the darkness. It was loud enough to draw everyone present in over a hundred-mile radius attention. However, Jacob remained at a safe distance, and this much radioactive smoke was not enough to harm him or the heat. He didn''t directly go down and decided to wait for any movement. He was pretty sure his surprise attack wiped out the undead army, and the mausoleum was most likely destroyed. However, Jacob suddenly noticed something absurd when he saw the light of magic torches within the thick smock and the silhouette of the mausoleum outlined within the light. ''Are you kidding me? It even survived four atomic grenades?'' Jacob was shocked as he wondered if he was imagining things or if the mausoleum was made of something that even the atomic grenades couldn''t st off.


    Whatever the case might be, Jacob had to go down to make sure, so he slowly glided towards the entrance. The undead army was really sted into smithereens, but the mausoleum was still standing tall without any scratch, and there wasn''t any movement from the inside. Furthermore, the smock seemed to be avoiding the dark entrance as if there was an invisible wall present. Jacob frowned, and he found this situation quite absurd since it was clear that he had to enter the mausoleum or he could try tounch a Blue X-Sun Missile. But thetter option was quite risky since he had to escape far away, and if it remained ineffective, he had to wait a long time toe back to check. That''s why he first wanted to draw the beast out to ensure it was there beforeunching it. But the final condition has surpassed Jacob''s imagination, and now he has to decide between risk and waiting. But deep down, Jacob was getting impatient because he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and there was no telling what would happen if he dyed this. There were many possibilities, and waiting might not be a good choice. So, biding his resolve, Jacob headed towards the dark entrance amid the intense radioactive heat. As he got closer and closer, he felt a peculiar aura that wasn''t threatening but filled with warmth, which was quite strange.


    At this moment, Jacob''s disc finally crossed into the dark entrance, and suddenly, the high heat vanished rather, a bone-chilling coldness engulfed him. He stood in a vast frozen space, and in the center of space was a ck column, and above that column was a pitch-ck egg wrapped in dark mes. Just looking at it made Jacob feel rm like never before. He felt extreme danger just looking at that pitch-ck egg. Furthermore, looking at it closely, there were few cracks on the egg, as if the creature within was still in the hatching phase. Jacob instinctively looked behind and was shocked when he found the entrance was gone entirely. There was nothing but a frozen wall. Now that he looked closely, those frozen walls were filled with magic runes, and most of them were unknown to him despite learning the unique rank runenguage. His attention again retracts to the pitch-ck egg, which made even him feel fear despite his overbearing aspect. ''Don''t tell me the beast of Necropolis still needs time to hatch¡­'' Jacob came to a terrifying conclusion, and a part of him wanted to let it hatch so he could measure its strength, which Jacob instantly suppressed. Killing intent shed past his eyes as his rifle appeared. Even if it wasn''t the Beast of Necropolis, he had to kill this thing before it could fully hatch. This much was clear. But before he could pull the trigger, an excessively gentle, ethereal voice rang directly into his mind, "Wait¡­ you''re making a mistake!" Jacob''s eyes widened as he looked at the egg. He clearly didn''t know thenguage of that voice, but he could clearly understand it! "You?" The voice rang again, "If you help me, I''ll grant your deepest dream! I''m the Beast of Primordial Dream, entrapped in this ce for eons. If you help me, I''ll be your partner and help you achieve any of your dreams!" Jacob frowned as he wasn''t expecting to encounter such a situation in the trial ins. He was under the impression everything here was without intelligence or at least unaware of their situation. The trial ins were like an illusion, but at the same time, they weren''t because it was all too real to be just an illusion. No one knows where thends and being within the trials came from. It was one of the biggest mysteries of the Zodiac ins. Now, this egg was telling him it was trapped for eons, and it seemed highly intelligent, so Jacob naturally hesitated. Still, from his experiences up to this point, he was sure that nothing in this world was free or without any price. "I''m afraid we can''t help each other. Whatever trapped you here won''t let you walk out of here alive, and I have no intention of offending that kind of existence!" Jacob coldly stated. He was telling the truth; this monstrosity was trapped here, and now his objective was to kill it. He didn''t want to find the consequences of going against a trial condition. Not to mention, he has no way of confirming if this thing is even telling the truth and won''t just kill him once it is born.


    The voice rang again, "I know why you are here, and I also know it is impossible to escape my current situation. All I want from you is to form a contract with me before you kill me. I''ll be able to escape my long nightmare!"

 Chapter 512 Primordial Nightmare Contract

    <h4>Chapter 512 Primordial Nightmare Contract</h4>


    Jacob was surprised by those words, ''Not only is this thing highly intelligent, but it also knows why I''m here and the purpose of this trial. Then it wanted me to form this contract before killing it? No, it''s too risky; for all I know, it might be a trap to trick me.''


    Jacob wouldn''t listen to some unknown entity and form a contract with it just because it told him to. He knew better than anyone just how vast and mysterious the zodiac ins are and believing something unknown was the biggest mistake one could make in this ce.


    Like Immortika, he still couldn''tpletely trust it because too many things were hidden, and it was always the one in control. Adding another such existence was not something Jacob could handle. At least, in the cursed immortality case, he has some trust in its ability to grant him longevity and power.


    Furthermore, this thing was entrapped in this ce for who knows when and couldn''t escape without dying, while Immortika could hide whenever it wanted. So, it wasn''t hard to choose which one was more powerful.


    Making up his mind, Jacob pulled the trigger!


    "YOU!" The voice was shocked at Jacob''s decisiveness. He didn''t even say anything and attacked!


    Almost instantly, the ck me around the egg suddenly burned intensely, and when the atomic bullets touched, no explosion urred. Two bullets just turned into ashes when they came in contact with the ck me.


    ''Boomm¡­''


    The sonic boom rang, but Jacob was shocked because the bullets were already gone without causing damage.


    "Are you out of your mind? If you want to negotiate, say so! There is no need to attack. I''m more than happy to provide you with whatever you want as long as you agree with me!" The voice sounded in a hurry, filled with indignation.


    Jacob narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ck mes, ''Did those mes just be slightly smaller?''


    He was paying close to the egg''s movement, and it was impossible for him not to notice this change. He quickly guessed that to nullify his bullets, the ck mes would have to use a portion of its energy. They were not evesting!


    "You think this little setback will deter me? I''m not interested in making contracts with unknown beings I can''t understand." Jacob coldly retorted before he pulled the triggers again!


    The ck mes again nullified the bullets, but just like before, they were slightly diminished.


    "Fool! Utter fool! The contract is of equal partnership. You can see for yourself. Our lives will be bound together. If one of us dies, the other will die as well!" The voice shrilled with anger as it couldn''t understand why a mortal like Jacob rejected such an honor.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with naked disdain, and he scoffed, "Heh, you call this equality? Why do I have to die if you die? Thest time I checked, I''m not the one begging you to save me, am I? You are not my equal, not by a long shot. It''s quite clear to me that all I have to do is to kill you before you creep out your egg, and I don''t need to risk anything, much less connect my life with yours."


    This time, Jacob emptied the entire magazine of atomic bullets and changed it with diamond-iron bullets. He was going to kill that thing no matter what.


    "Are you serious!? Can''t you just let me at least reply before you attack? Didn''t I say I''m willing to negotiate? Alright, I understand your point, and it was not right for me to put on airs while I''m seeking your help." The voice bes flustered as Jacob now seems like a madman.


    "Very well, we''ll form a master and servant contract, in which you''ll be my master, and I''ll be your servant for 1,000 years. You can order me to do anything except for taking my own life with the exception of¡­"


    Before it could finish, Jacob started to shoot again with bone-chilling killing intent.


    Another magazine was emptied, and he changed it with another one while sneering, "You still dare to make demands? Do I look like I''m in the mood to bargain?"


    "Y-you¡­scoundrel!" Rage leaked from the gentle voice as if it was on the verge of exploding, and even the egg started to shake like crazy.


    Jacob''s heart went cold as he felt something was wrong, and he quickly took out the atomic grenade. He was closely observing the egg''s movement, and he knew the moment it realized that Jacob would not listen, he would show its true colors.


    Even a corner rabbit would bite much less this terrifying existence.


    However, before Jacob could even activate the atomic grenade, a pitch-ck streak shot out from the egg at light speed, and the moment he realized that steak had alreadye in touch with his forehead!


    Jacob''s heart skipped a beat as he panicked, thought it was over, and was ready to fight.


    However, his expression changed multiple times when nothing happened; he was still in control of his body and feeling just fine.


    ''Did I imagine it?'' He thought with bewilderment.


    But right now, a vast torrent of information breaks in his mind, and foreign information starts to surface.


    "What did you do?!" Jacob was horrified as he shouted while looking at the egg.


    The information was about a contract called the Primordial Nightmare Contract in ord with he was now the Owner of Beast of Primordial Nightmare. It wasn''t the Beast of Dream at all!


    Furthermore, he didn''t have any say in it because the moment that contract came in contact with his body, it was finalized!


    Additionally, the Primordial Nightmare Contract has many uses and terms that almost make Jacob die of anger. Those uses and terms were not restraining him. They were about under what conditions he could kill the Beast of Primordial Nightmare, and he couldn''t kill it as long as any of those conditions wouldn''t fulfilled.


    Although he wasn''t restrained, it was still the most significant restriction that would stop him from killing the Beast of Primordial Nightmare whenever he wished!


    "Hmph! I naturally used my once-in-a-lifetime ability to bind myself with you. Although it cost me my freedom, it''s far better than dying, isn''t it? Besides, I think it was all worth it, O'' owner of the Universal Godly Scripture!" The voice snorted, filled with hidden mischief as its entire demeanor changed.


    On the other hand, Jacob was rooted in his ce with a pale white face after hearing itsst words. He felt like he was in a nightmare!

 Chapter 513 Beast of Primordial Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 513 Beast of Primordial Nightmare</h4>


    Jacob remained rooted in his ce in a daze before he finally snapped out of it, and killing intent emitted from his very being as he looked at the pitch-ck egg.


    He tries tomunicate it as he does with Immortika this time, and he knows it is possible because of the contract, "Do you purposely target me because of Universal Godly Scripture? How did you know?"


    The Primordial Nightmare nonchntly replied and no longer seemed to be afraid of Jacob''s killing intent, "I was nning to fight with you to death as I supposed to you, even if it meant harming myself. But then suddenly, the moment you entered, my blurry memories suddenly became clear, and I finally remembered what happened in the past and how I ended up here.


    "I didn''t lie about me being trapped in this ce for eons. It''s just that I''m helpless to do anything about it as I was being influenced by something and can only wait for my fated battle. But you, the moment you entered, that influence seemed to have just vanished, and I got my memories back."


    After hearing an unexpected reply, Jacob was startled and asked, "Is it because of the Universal Godly Scripture?"


    It was the only exnation he could think of because he still did not understand Universal Godly Scripturepletely. But he couldn''t understand how Primordial Nightmare discriminated that he had one and whether the others had such an ability like it out there.


    If there were such an ability, Jacob would be in massive trouble because not everyone would be as helpless as the Primordial Nightmare. It was like dering to the world that he was the wealthiest person and he had no power to protect that wealth!


    "I''m pretty sure it is. As expected of it..." Primordial Nightmare didn''t deny it.


    "How could you tell someone has Universal Godly Scripture?" Jacob questioned with an ashen face.


    "Oh, my owner worries that others like me will target you, huh? Hehe, don''t worry. I don''t think other than me someone can tell you are the owner of Universal Godly Scripture. Unless they are like me, who were captured by another owner of Universal Godly Scripture and have my unique detection abilities." Primordial Nightmare replied with pride.


    But Jacob was stunned as this was another piece of unexpected information he wasn''t imagining. It was even more shocking than finding out Primordial Nightmare knows he has a Universal Godly Scripture.


    "Y-you were captured by a-another owner of Universal Godly Scripture?! Does this mean this trial is under the control of another owner of Universal Godly Scripture?" Jacob hurriedly asked as he felt a chill running down his spine.


    This was too much to swallow. An owner of Universal Godly Scripture in control of trial ins? It was hazardous for Jacob. If he had ill intentions, Jacob wouldn''t have been able to do anything it because he wasn''t powerful enough, not by a long shot.


    "This¡­ I''m not sure. When he found me, I''ve only developed my consciousness and instinctively recorded his unique aura that I''m sensing from you. Afterward, I remembered being in a dark ce for an unknown time.


    "When I saw the light again, I saw him standing in front of the blinding light, and he ced me in front of it. He said, ''This is good material for the next scenario.'' In response, a voice so unrealistic it doesn''t sound real replied, ''O'' owner of Universal Godly Scripture, you''ve worked hard.''


    "That''s the only thing I remember before that light engulfed me, and after that, I remember being constantly influenced by a strange force that muddled my thoughts for a long, long time.


    "Until recently, I found myself in this ce where I regain control over my abilities, and I have only one thought: to kill every person whoes here. My hatching process, which has been stopped for a long time, also continued.


    "But it was so slow that it is pitiful, and then you''vee, my owner. How d I am that it was you." Primordial Nightmare sighed with emotions and a hint of loneliness.


    Jacob''s eyes were narrowed into slits as that information was quite startling as well as terrifying. If what Primordial Nightmare stated was true, then an existence seemed to be ordering an owner of Universal Godly Scripture or simply working together.


    ''Could that light be Zodiac Will?'' Jacob thought about the unknown entity that even Immortika seemed to be afraid of, and it was very likely true because the trial ins were under the control of Zodiac Will.


    Still, it won''t change the fact that Primordial Nightmare could somehow remember all that and even break free from the restraints put on it. Furthermore, it was still just an egg with a consciousness at that time and now as well.


    If it was extraordinary, then why would someone like Zodiac Will or the Owner of a UGS would let it go? Unless they didn''t know, which was hard to believe, or they didn''t put Primordial Nightmare in their eyes.


    "Just what are you? Shouldn''t you hate me since I''m also like the person who put you in this prison? Why did you force this contract on me and be my servant who will die with me? You''re clearly up to something." Jacob asked coldly.


    The Primordial Nightmare Contract was nothing but an advantage to him, with the only restraint being he couldn''t kill Beast of Primordial Nightmare unless it broke the rules of that contract. Furthermore, in a situation where Jacob dies, it will die with him, while Jacob would remain ineffective if something happens to Primordial Nightmare.


    Furthermore, Primordial Nightmare can''t lie to him no matter what, which is why Jacob believes everything it says.


    "I''m the Beast of Primordial Nightmare. Sorry about the earlier lie about being the Beast of Primordial Dream. I was afraid you would not listen if I said Nightmare. And why should I hate you? You''re clearly not that scoundrel, but you just gave me the same feeling as him.


    "All I wanted to do was survive and escape this nightmare, and being a partner with a person like you would be my only choice. You see, I can''t exist without a partner. Hmph, but I had to admit, you are an even bigger scoundrel than that scoundrel.


    "At least he didn''t kill me. You, on the other hand, won''t listen. So, what choice do I have to be your lowly servant?" Primordial Nightmare replied in indignant tone.


    Jacob was somewhat speechless as he couldn''t help but ask in a strange tone, "Tell me the truth, do you even know what Universal Godly Scripture really is?"


    "Well, of course, I don''t. I know the owner of such a thing has to be equally powerful as the person who found me and that light. So, relying on such a person isn''t bad for me. If I had this ability then, I would''ve used it on that guy too!" Primordial Nightmare smugly replied, clearly very proud of its choice.


    For the first time, Jacob smiled as it was filled with mockery and found Primordial Nightmare naively cute. It was just as he guessed. Its intelligence was really of a child, no matter how cunning it was.


    It decided to force a contract on him on instinct, not because it knew what a Universal Godly Scripture truly is, and it almost frightened Jacob. Still, he has to clear it with Immortika as well, whether it was telling the entire truth or not.


    "It''s really too bad¡­ I guess I have no choice but to educate you as my servant. But first, tell me, how do you n on escaping?" Jacob smilingly said with a hint of ridicule.


    Since there was no danger to his life and Primordial Nightmare was powerful, he epted another free meat shield. He would let it know just how big of a mistake it had made.


    In the future, Primordial Nightmare wouldment every time she remembers this day and always wonder who the real nightmare is between them!

 Chapter 514 Nightmare Contractor

    <h4>Chapter 514 Nightmare Contractor</h4>


    Now that the Primordial Nightmare Contract was established, Jacob can sense Primordial Nightmare''s emotions just like the Brain Hunter, which also gave him some confidence about Primordial Nightmare. But he still didn''t know its abilities and what else it could do, or how he would be able to hatch it.


    The Beast of Primordial Nightmare was still an egg; it could only rely on its intentions through this strange mental ability. Its body still hadn''t developed in all these years, which was quite strange. Yet despite all that, it has awakened its intelligence and could use abilities like Primordial Nightmare Contract.


    This alone would prove how talented and terrifying the Primordial Nightmare is, and letting his guard down would be a mistake unless he confirmed the authenticity of the Primordial Nightmare Contract like the Eternal Envement of Brain Hunter.


    He even wondered if every terrifying being has such a weakness to ensure they never get out of control.


    Primordial Nightmare answered Jacob''s question, "Hmph, don''t call me a servant. It''s too uncouth! Although I''m your servant, I demand respect, my master!"


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow; this egg was really something, or it was just fearless, and he couldn''t help but think that Autarch was far more superior in demeanor than Primordial Nightmare and never spoke against him.


    ''I need to confirm this contract as soon as possible before it''s toote.'' Jacob grimly thought as he couldn''t let this superiorityplex cloud his emotions. The giant fighting spirit was too dominant, and like a Tyrant King who looked down on everyone andbined it with Jacob''s natural Wise King-like bearing, it was a dangerousbination.


    "If you don''t like to be called a servant, choose any name you like and get it over with. Just tell me how I canplete this condition. Remember, in the contract, it is clearly written then, ''If the ''Master'' encounters a situation where the ''Servant'' death is necessary for ''Master''s'' safety, the Master shall sacrifice the ''Servant'' therein!'' and this situation can easily be such senior." Jacob coldly said matter-of-factly.


    "Hmph, I''m not even born, yet you''re already trying to find a loophole to kill me? Are you really so heartless? Are you sure you are not the Beast of Primordial Nightmare, not me, my master?


    "Still, I guess, as a loyal and caring servant, I must take care of you. Since you want me to choose a name very well, I have one that suits me quite well. You can call me Nyx, meaning Night!" Primordial Nightmare, or Nyx now, seemed extremely excited about naming itself.


    ''Strange¡­'' Jacob suddenly felt his connection with Nyx be even stronger the moment she chose her name, and her voice became even more gentle and precise in his mind.


    After being proud of herself for a while, Nyx spoke again, "I know from the restraint put on me that it''s either do or die for me. Even if your presence made me sane enough to gain control of my consciousness, it still does not free me from my connection with this nightmarish ce.


    "It''s like this ce is my body, and I''m the heart, and we can''t exist without each other. One thing is clear, though: this ce has been empowering me for the past 100 or so days. The growth process that was stuck countless years ago suddenly started again, and it''s far faster than expected.


    "The closer I am to being born, the more inheritance memories are awakening and my abilities. The Nightmare me that''s protecting me right now, the Psyche Reasoning that lets me implicit my thoughts to your mind, and the Primordial Nightmare Contract are the abilities I gained in just three months.


    "Though I can only use it once in a lifetime, too bad, huh? It''s quite ironic that I can only force this on someone to be their servant, not master, and all the conditions can''t be changed no matter what. I wonder if my entire existence is for suffering¡­" Nyxmented with bitterness.


    Jacob frowned as he could feel the unimaginable loneliness in her voice and a darkness that could engulf everything.


    But he cut her short, "Look, I know it''s been hard on you. But you were able to preserve for countless years. It might be because of someone''s spell on you, but when you regain control, you don''t sumb to the darkness and try your best to live.


    "You grasp every chance, even yourself, to be my servant just to get a chance to live, and I really respect that if it''s true.


    "But truth be told, I don''t trust you until I confirm the authenticity of your ims. In a sense, we might be alike as I also don''t want to die, period, and might''ve done the same thing if put in your shoes.


    "But if your grit to live is true and you''re sincere with your gesture, I won''t mistreat you. However, if I discover even a hint of falsehood, I''ll put in my entire being to ensure you won''t implicate me and get in my way to longevity. This is my only goal, my dream!"


    A terrifying determination hid behind killing-intent rage in Jacob''s eyes as he dered, "So, now stop ranting on about how pitiful you are. I understand, I really do. But this is not the right time. Instead, make me believe you are worthy of continuing to live under me!"


    Nyx became silent for a while as Jacob''s cold expression didn''t crack even a little. He seemed to be waiting to listen to something worth listening to.


    "I have two ways. After getting closer and closer to being born, I found I couldn''t die as long as I had a partner or a Nightmare Contractor. That''s the true purpose of the Primordial Nightmare Contract.


    "So, now that you have be my Nightmare Contractor, I can create my Dreamscape Nightmare Realm in your Psyche and live there while putting on a show that you''ve killed me. I''m sure the connection will break when I am isted from this world and enter the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm!" Nyx stated sternly.


    Jacob frowned and questioned, "What is creating a Dreamscape Nightmare Realm into my Psyche? Did I hear wrong? Exin more clearly!"


    Nyx exined, "Dreams are a product of a person''s imagination or desires; sometimes, pain, grief, fear, or traumas would change these dreams into Nightmares. But it happened in the Psyche, or Spirit, or Soul, whatever you like to call it.


    "Anyway, my point is whenever a dream urred, a temporary Dreamscape Realm would automatically create in the Psyche. Once the dreamer awakes, the Dreamscape Realm also suffers destruction, but it won''t cause any harm to the dreamer, and the only side-effect is no one can fully remember their dreams. This cyclests until the Psyche dies.


    "But I, as a Beast of Primordial Nightmare, can invade anyone''s psyche without them realizing it, turn their dreams into nightmares, and then feed on their Dreamscape Realms to be stronger.


    "However, there are dire consequences of devouring others Dreamscape Realms. One of them being 50% of their lifespan bing mine. Also, they will lose the ability to dream and slowly plunge into never-ending emptiness, which will be their reality one day, and they will die in this world.


    "But before sending my victims into their enteral damnation, I can do many more things. Like manipte their dreams, turn them into powerful nightmares, and so no¡­


    "My point is, I can do all this, but I need a Nightmare Contractor to do this, who can let me establish or turn their Dreamscape Realm into Dreamscape Nightmare Realm. It''s like a nest if you want to hear it in simple terms."


    Jacob couldn''t believe what he was hearing; this thing was too dreadful, and the concept it just exined was mind-blowing. He never thought such aplex truth was hidden behind something as insignificant as dreaming.


    Not to mention, there was this beast that could feed on them and then left its victim to die. He had no idea why this beast was trapped here and not killed or put in legendary ins.


    "So, you want to create your nest in my mind? Do you take me for a fool who court death!?" Jacob rebuked with vignce. This was too dangerous. What if Nyx directly devours his mind and takes control of his body?


    It was like a sheep inviting a wolf into its house.


    "What are you afraid of? I can''t do anything to harm you, and you didn''t even listen to the benefits you''ll get from having a permanent Dreamscape Nightmare Realm in your Psyche.


    "First, no one would be able to invade your mind, and mental attacks will not work on you as long as they are not stronger than me or the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm.


    "Second, since our contract is not on equal terms, but I''m your servant, every time I devour someone''s lifespan, you will automatically get 70% of it added to your lifespan.


    "Third, you can enter the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm anytime and conjure whatever you imagine, practice magic skills with endless mana martial arts without physical exhaustion¡ªresearch, and so on. Everything can be emted in the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm like Reality.


    "Fourth, time difference, the stronger the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm, the slower time from reality. And this is just the tip of the iceberg that even I don''t know how deep it can go yet!"


    Nyx''s words were filled with passion and temptation, sending Jacob into an utter daze when he heard about Dreamscape Nightmare Realm!

 Chapter 515 Final Condition

    <h4>Chapter 515 Final Condition</h4>


    Jacob''s heart raced on its own for the first time in many years after he heard about the lifespan part. This concept waspletely mythical and straight out of stories and even sounded like a scam. But if it was true¡­


    ''Didn''t this mean as long as this thing continues to devour others, my lifespan would never run out?'' Jacob thought as he was really tempted now.


    But he didn''t let the momentary greed cloud his judgment. Because as good as it sounds, it was still risky to let something unknown into his mind and create this Dreamscape Nightmare Realm.


    At least not until he confirmed it is absolutely safe.


    So, controlling his emotions, he asked, "Sorry, but I can''t agree to this yet. What is the second way?"


    "Oh,e on, you still doubt me?" Nyx''s sounded perplexed, "You''re overly cautious, my master. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith."


    "I know, but you should understand it is too risky, and I''m pretty sure you won''t let something unknown enter your mind, right? I can''t just take your word for it. I''ve known you for what, five minutes?" Jacob sneered as he found Nyx''s protest incredibly ridiculous.


    He already had the cursed immortality, so being overly greedy would be a fatal w.


    "Hmph, up to you. The second way depends on you. It should probably have the same effect if you can iste me from this space. But it alles down to whether you have a way to achieve the impossible.


    "Because if you can''t, then you have to wait until I''m born, and I''m pretty sure once I''m out, the restriction on me might be powerful, and then you don''t even have to lift a finger, for I''ll die for attacking you. So, decided quickly, I''m getting closer to it!" Nyx told anxiously.


    Jacob fell into silence and frowned, ''Iste it from this space? Will Infinity Pendant work? Or should I try to store this in the sr plexus like Autarch? But do I even know how? This thing is very different from Autarch, but I definitely can''t get it into my mind without being certain. Let''s try first.''


    "Alright, I have a storage space that can keep you, but I''m not sure if it works or not. Or if you have a way to enter my sr plexus, this might work as well." Jacob proposed his n.


    If this doesn''t work, he would have no choice but to find the exit from this trial and then ask Immortika ande back for Nyx. This was the only way he could think of to take Nyx away.


    "What is sr plexus?" Nyx asked curiously, as its knowledge about the living was quite limited. She was relying on her inherited memories and intellect to devise this n.


    Jacob then shared his limited knowledge about the sr plexus. He also wasn''t sure if it was feasible.


    "Interesting. So, you think I can enter this space within you because I''m now contracted to you?" Nyx asked with a hint of uncertainty.


    Jacob nodded, "This is how it should work, at least. Let''s try to put you in the storage space first. I need you to put out those mes first. If that''s not work, I''ll try this method."


    "You''re not going to attack me, are you?" Nyx asked suspiciously. She clearly understands Jacob''s character now; this guy was too ruthless and cynical.


    Jacob replied impassively, "As long as you won''t give me a reason to."


    "I guess one of us has to be trustful," Nyx said before the nightmare mes around started to vanish, and what was left was a pristine dark egg.


    Jacob then moved forward with anticipation in his eyes. Truth be told, he wanted this to work because storing Nyx in his body was still too dangerous. At least the infinity pendant was a ce where Cursed Immortality was, so it was much safer.


    Jacob hesitated for a moment as he could feel strange warmth from the egg as he got closer to it and finally touched it.


    The moment his skin touched the egg''s icy surface, he instantly tried to send it into the infinity pendant, and the next moment, it vanished!


    Jacob became anxious as he looked around in the cold space, ready to throw the egg out if something happened.


    But to his relief, nothing happened, and the egg was now lying in his pendant.


    The column suddenly started to shake as cracks began to appear, and the isted space started to crack.


    "I feel my connection to that strange powerpletely gone. I think it worked!" Nyx''s delightful voice sounded in his head again.


    Jacob was pleasantly surprised, but what was happening to the surrounding space?


    ''Could it be that this ce loses its purpose now that the Nyx is gone?'' Jacob thought with scrutiny. But he still wasn''t clear, at least not until something confirmed it.


    At this moment, the voice that Jacob was desperately waiting for finally rang.


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, for clearing the Final Trial Condition!"


    His eyes shimmered in excitement, ''It really worked!''


    He quickly looked at the star watch,


    "Congrattions on Subduing the Beast of Necropolis: Unknown Nightmare!


    "Your glorious deeds have been spread far and wide!


    "You have achieved something impossible!


    "You have been rewarded with full Hunter''s Legacy!


    "Hunter''s Legacy (Unique Rank): Night Hunter''s Aura & Spirit (Universal Scripture)"


    Jacob was astounded when he saw this notification, ''So subduing was an option from the start, but was it impossible to achieve? Cutting the connection with the trial ins resulted in subjugation, and maybe that''s why it was impossible to achieve. After all, no brainwash being would be like Nyx.''


    At this moment, a ck vortex appeared in front of Jacob, and he knew it was time to reap his rewards and entered without hesitation.


    Outside the trial ins, Nelsen was sitting in his luminous room chatting happily with Ellie, who had a clear, annoyed expression as she was tired of his bragging.


    Suddenly, Nelsen eyes shed with surprise when his star watch vibrated, and before he could check, a ck vortex appeared behind him, making Ellie jump in fright.


    Nelsen''s eyes widened when he looked back, but he didn''t seem rmed at all; instead, his eyes shone with killing intent.


    "He really cleared it in neck-breaking time. I guess it''s time to meet the troublemaker!"

 Chapter 516 The Awarding Ceremony Halted!

    <h4>Chapter 516 The Awarding Ceremony Halted!</h4>


    In seemingly endless witness, two dark vortexes opened.


    Jacob walked out into a familiar space but was surprised to see another vortex a few meters ahead of him. His eyes widened slightly, ''Could it be¡­''


    Killing intent crept into his eyes as he saw a slim man d in light green walking out from the vortex. His face was hidden behind a white mask. Only his astute and curious eyes could be seen as they were entirely locked on Jacob as if he were some rare animal.


    Both men continued to gawk at each other without speaking, and the atmosphere was filled with murderous pressure.


    "We finally met, Fellow Faceless Ancient. I had to admit you even made me panic for a moment there. But I also didn''t have that kind of fun in a long time, so I must thank you." Nelsen finally broke the icy silence, sounding fearless, and even mocked him.


    However, Jacob didn''t reply as he remained mute. He didn''t want to speak because he knew he couldn''t control his seething rage if he did. Just standing calm was taking everything out of him while his body was doing everything to attack the person who humiliated him.


    Only now, Jacob experienced how terrifying the will of Fighting Giant Spirit was. It wanted to turn the enemy into dust, especially those who aggressively humiliated it.


    But Jacob still kept his rationality because he knew the sly fox in front of him wouldn''t dare toe if he wasn''t absolutely sure to be walking out of there alive. In fact, Jacob even suspects this guy was deliberately provoking him so he could attack him.


    However, he wouldn''t be Jacob if he didn''t see through this petty trick. It''s just that his body was bing its own enemy, and he had to find a way to subdue itpletely.


    At this moment, Nelsen was about to speak again when SAAI''s voice rang.


    "Faceless Ancient and Amiable Wizened Monk, congrattions, you havepleted all the Trial Conditions of Epic ins trial: The Hunter''s Necropolis!


    "Faceless Ancient & Amiable Wizened Monk belonged to the Life Faction!


    "The Life Being of other ins will now be freely given ess to the Epic ins as long as they aren''t above the power cap until the next trial establishment!


    "The restriction of the Dark Being of other ins continues to be 50,000 dark beings per decade!


    "The Protection Barrier will now be lifted from Life Zone and Dead Zone until the next trial establishment!


    "Alert! The Awarding ceremony will now enter a temporary halt!"


    "What?" Nelsen sounded shocked when he heard thest phrase.


    Jacob also frowned because he clearly remembered this didn''t happen thest time and couldn''t help but think it might be rted to Nyx and be vignt.


    "ording to Contingency Case#49483li4031l, both parties are suspected of being involved in destroying the Epic Void Star Server 115 Days ago!


    "The Zodiac ins won''t support criminals! Please prove your innocence before continuing the Rewarding Ceremony.


    "Amiable Wizened Monk, you are a 2-Star Star Privilege holder and Epic ins Alchemy Guild President. You have to go through 5-Question Interrogation, please cooperate.


    "Faceless Ancient, you are a 2-Star Star Privilege holder and an honorary badge holder of the Life Faction. You have to go through a 3-Question Interrogation; please cooperate.


    "Permission to activate 3 & 5 Questions Interrogation from suspect Faceless Ancient and Amiable Wizened Monk.


    "The party failure in granting permission in sixty seconds will be judged as Guilty and deal ordingly to the Zodiac ins precept!"


    A virtual clock appeared in the white space before the two, and the countdown began.


    "Wait! How can this monster be an honorary badge holder!? And why am I being suspected with him?! It''s quite clear he''s the one who created that weapon and was involved in that bombing. In fact, his weaponry has turned the entire epic ins into a radioactive wastnd. I''ve never used mine!" Nelsen instantly started to me Jacob, and he wasn''t lying either.


    The current epic ins were really turned into a radioactive wastnd, and no living being under extraordinary rank could live. Furthermore, the absence of Star Network had only made it worse, and it yed a big part in turning Epic ins into a living hell.


    Furthermore, Nelsen also panicked because Jacob has an honorary badge of life faction, which means Jacob has an exceptional position, which even Jacob wasn''t aware of yet.


    Nelsen knew just how hard it was to earn a single honorary badge and why these people were treated with respect. He wouldn''t have made an enemy out of him if he had known this, even if he had to beg Jacob.


    But now, it was toote, sote that he had to do everything to eliminate him. Because forget about Jacob''s terrifying means; if the three hegemonies learned about this, the three leaders and whoever was involved in this wouldn''t be able to avoid brutal punishment.


    "I grant the permission," Jacob spoke at this moment in his icy voice.


    From start to end, he didn''t speak with Nelsen, nor did he react to his ndering. All he understood was he had nothing to do with the bombing that day nor in the entire epic ins. In fact, he never used an atomic weapon in the epic ins but only sold them.


    SAAI clearly stated they were being suspected, not confirmed, involved in the bombing that day. It never said anything about inventing and selling those weapons at all, nor about the bombing done by Society Killer.


    They were only being suspected and interrogated because someone dared to mess with the Zodiac ins, not just Epic ins, and there was a considerable difference between the two.


    The Star Hackers, or ATLAS, were simply too daring to provoke the world itself.


    He also catches the line about ''Zodiac ins not supporting the criminals'', which means the trial ins were to nurture the prodigies or something like that, as for why, he couldn''t guess.


    Lastly, the honorary badge he thought little of before just gave him an advantage over a 2-star authority holder and the leader of a hegemony. This could quickly tell him that these badges hold more authority and meaning than he currently understands, and with how panicky Nelsen reacted, he was even more sure.


    So, in the end, that unbearable anger and bloodlust suddenly vanished when he saw his enemy spooking and sensed fear. That guy was clearly up to something and wanted him to attack angrily.


    That''s why he decided not to react at all and simply epted the interrogation and won''t even give Nelsen a chance toy a trap for him and make Nelsen even more miserable!

 Chapter 517 Final Verdict

    <h4>Chapter 517 Final Verdict</h4>


    Nelsen grimaced when he heard Jacob''s quickly agreeing without retorting or trying to inquire about what was happening.


    ''Did he know?'' His heart sank; it was too terrifying, and Jacob became even more dangerous in his eyes. He said, "I agree to interrogation as well!"


    Jacob''s lips curled in disdain, ''What a sly weasel.''


    The timer in front of them vanished, and the next moment, two white pirs rose from the ground before them and stopped when they reached their waists.


    Multicolor lines started to shimmer on those pirs as SAAI''s emotionless voice sounded.


    "Please ce your hands on the Truth Pir!"


    Jacob scrutinized the mysterious truth pir and ced his hands on it with uncertainty. Although he didn''t know what would happen, he had no choice but to cooperate unless he wanted to appear guilty.


    When he touched the truth pir, he suddenly felt a warm current passing through his entire body.


    SAAI''s voice rang again, but it sounded directly to his mind this time!


    "Faceless Ancient, the Star Administrator Artificial Intelligence (SAAI), will ask you three definitive questions. I suggest you answer truthfully because any lie detected in them will be used against you and directly affect the final verdict.


    "First Question: Are you a member of A.T.L.A.S or rted to them?


    "Please answer through your thoughts or speak loudly if you''re notfortable!"


    ''How convenient¡­'' Jacob was surprised and awed by how effective this method was for condemning someone.


    He replied through his thoughts, "I''m not a member of A.T.L.A.S, nor I''m rted to them in any way."


    Three seconds passed before SAAI''s voice rang again, "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes."


    "Second Question: When you sold the weapon to A.T.L.A.S, do you know it was A.T.L.A.S, and they were going to use it against the Star Network?"


    "No, I have no idea at that time. I''ve only discovered the use of my weapon, like everyone else, on the day of the st. I have no grievance or grudge against Star Network."


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes."


    "Third Question: Have you evere in contact with A.T.L.A.S? If you have, why didn''t you report to thew enforcement?"


    Jacob frowned slightly, "That''s two questions, but I still answer to show I''m not in cohort with them. I''d indeede in contact with them once, and I''d killed them. There was nothing else to report since I didn''t find their base of operation or ns."


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes." Jacob impassively stated.


    On the other hand, Nelsen was also going through the interrogation with the same yet slightly different questions.


    "First Question: Are you a member of A.T.L.A.S or rted to them?


    "No, I''m not a member or rted to them in any way."


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes."


    "Second Question: Have you ever sold or given your atomic weaponry to A.T.L.A.S or anyone?"


    "I''ve never sold it to anyone, but I gave some of them to my daughter for protection."


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes."


    "Third Question: As the leader of Alchemy Guild, you are part of the ins''w enforcement, and it is your duty to make sure to root out everyst A.T.L.A.S member. Did you do your duty as an enforcer?"


    "I''ve done my duty solemnly! I''ve acted every time A.T.L.A.Ses to my attention. Furthermore, Faceless Ancient is a threat, and I''ve been after him from the start because I was afraid that a bombing incident like that day would happen if he carelessly sold his weapons. He should be incarcerated now to stop something like that happening again!" Nelsen coldly stated.


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes!"


    "Fourth Question: Have you evere in contact with or been approached by A.T.L.A.S? If you have, what was your response?"


    Nelsen''s pupils dted, "This question is irrelevant to the topic!"


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    Nelsen frowned as he knew this wouldn''t work, so he had no choice but to answer ambiguously, "A member once approached me, and I''d remained true to my duties."


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes."


    "Fifth Question: If A.T.L.A.S approaches you now and offers you something you truly want or takes something precious to you, will you betray your faction?"


    "Again, this question is irrelevant and about something that had yet to happen and never will!" Nelsen retorted.


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Why are you asking this question?" Nelsen questioned again.


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    Nelsen gritted his teeth before he calmed his nerves. This was going way out of his hands. He became emotionless as he replied, "Rubbish! No, I will never betray my faction!"


    "Is this your final conclusive answer?"


    "Yes!"


    At this moment, the truth pirs started to sink back into the floor, and Jacob was paying close attention to Nelsen after ending his questioning. He saw him frown more than once, which meant the old fox was not having a good time.


    ''Could it be he has ties with A.T.L.A.S? It''s good news if he had. He''s too dangerous for his own good.'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with killing intent.


    Nelsen suddenly looked over, and he was also staring at him with killing intent. He knew Jacob was far more threatening. In a way, like him, and he knew someone like him was far too dangerous to have as an enemy.


    At this moment, SAAI''s voice rang.


    "Faceless Ancient, you have given conclusive answers to your 3-Question Interrogation and spoken 98% truth!


    "SAAI deemed you not guilty!


    "However, you have failed to report your encounter to the Law Enforcement. Therefore, you are being penalized with a 100 Million ZC fine. Please refrain from making such mistakes in the future. Anything rted to ATLAS has to be reported to thew enforcement of your ins post hastily!


    "Do you want to pay the fine or an alternative instated to ZC?"


    Jacob frowned a little, but it was still not against him, and he was getting out of it with just a measly hundred million ZC and no other punishment, and his innocence was proven.


    "Thank you. I''ll pay with ZC."


    Nelsen wore a dark expression as he knew a hundred million was chump change to Jacob at this point, and now Jacob was free, and he had lost his chance to take him down.


    Now, it was his turn.


    "Amiable Wizened Monk, you have given conclusive answers to your 5-Question Interrogation and spoken 64% truth!


    "SAAI deemed you not guilty!


    "However, your response to the 3rd and 4th was ambiguous and unsatisfactory, and your fifth conclusive answer was a lie. Therefore, SAAI deemed you unworthy of your current position as the President of Alchemy Guild! You are to forfeit your position to your sessor within seven days.


    "Your 2-Star Star Authority has also been downgraded to 1-Star Star Authority. You are penalized with a 1 Billion ZC fine, which is to be paid within seven days!"


    Nelsen eyes widened as he was utterly appalled by this harsh verdict. Although he was deemed not guilty, his position was gone, star authority dropped, and he had to pay 1 billion ZC on top of that. It was nothing short of being judged guilty.


    He had overestimated himself when he tried to outsmart SAAI¡ªthinking of it as a mere AI was probably his biggest mistake. No matter how much control he had over his emotions, this test was never about just some nerve-checking to begin with.


    The truth would''ve still been detected even if he had stripped away all of his emotion. This was how terrifying the Zodiac ins was; he was nothing but an ant trying to mislead the sky that was everywhere.


    "Hahahaha¡­"


    Suddenly, a loudughter enveloped the silent space, snapping Nelsen out of his despair. It was Jacob as heughed wantonly, and it was filled with mockery and relish.


    "Hah, I had to admit, I''m in awe of SAAI. Even something like you can''t trick it. Oh, you also have my respect that you even tried. In the end, you are nothing but a son of a bitch who''s under the impression that he''s the King who controls everything."


    Jacob looked dead in his eyes and stated, "And this is just the start of your harsh awakening to reality because I''ming for you and your little sultry family until there''s nothing left of it!"

 Chapter 518 An Agreement of Desperation

    <h4>Chapter 518 An Agreement of Desperation</h4>


    Nelsen''s aura stirred vigorously as he red at Jacob with fury, but he was still sane enough not to attack Jacob when they were in the champion space.


    Furthermore, attacking Jacob would only make things worse for himself because he couldn''t see through his power level the moment heid his eyes on Jacob, even with his unique visual ability.


    That''s why he wanted to provoke him into attacking, as SAAI would instantly react, and he could get rid of him.


    However, the tables have turned, and he never saw iting. It could''ve been fine if he was alone, but all this happened in front of his enemy, which revealed his weakness, and now Jacob can easily take full advantage of it. He knew because he would.


    Now, he even regrets clearing this trial condition. Not only did he double-cross the King of Dead, he ended up exposing himself to an enemy like Jacob. Moreover, when Lucy and his other enemies discover this, they will not let him go either.


    Suddenly, he felt immure and under dangerous pressure for the first time in many years and started to think of countermeasures.


    At this moment, SAAI continued without caring about their personal disputes.


    "The rewarding ceremony shall continue!


    "Faceless Ancient and Amiable Wizened Monk, you both belonged to the life faction and as collective Champion of Epic ins Trials, you have One Time right to activate the Life Zone for 500 Years by forfeiting half of your umted reward!


    "Please choose whether you want to activate the Life Zone.


    "Both parties need to agree within 499 seconds, or the choosing right will be voided!"


    "I disagree!" Jacob instantly scoffed. He had no reason to forfeit his rewards for these selfish mongrels, not to mention this would also give Nelsen and his people all the time to focus on him.


    Although he wasn''t afraid anymore, he wasn''t foolish enough to believe he was the strongest in epic ins. He had learned his lesson in the rare ins.


    Nelsen suddenly said as his tone was impassive, and it didn''t seem like he was angry at all, "I''m willing to give up my right to the final condition to you. All I want in return is for you to sign a non-aggression Zodiac Oath Contract with me for 1000 Years."


    Jacob was astounded when he heard this unexpected proposal from a man who was enraged to the extreme and lost his power. He had to admit Nelsen was probably the most terrifying man he had encountered aftering to Zodiac ins.


    "Is it even possible to do it?" Jacob asked with uncertainty.


    He might disagree if it was anything else, but if he could get the final condition cleared, didn''t this mean he could get back his chance to earn the Unique Star Ocean Medallion!


    This was his goal, to begin with, and that''s why he had taken all that risk. He was even going to torture Nelsenter to beat another method to enter the Unique ins out of him. But he never expected Nelsen would propose such a deal, or it was even possible.


    "No, only as long as the champions are from the same faction. I''ll send this condition clearance message to you and give my verbal consent to SAAI; the right of the condition clearance will also be transferred to you. You can be the sole champion and reap all the rewards of it, especially the Unique Star Ocean Medallion. The way towards the Unique ins, I have a feeling that you wanted that, and that''s also why we want to stop you." Nelsen stated.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he wasn''t surprised that these guys knew about Unique Star Ocean Medallion.


    "Is there a specific reason for your desperation?" He asked.


    "I can''t tell you. Now, are you agreeing to this deal or not?" Nelsen coldly questioned.


    Jacob ignored Nelsen and asked, "SAAI, what Nelsen just said, is it possible?"


    "Affirmative!"


    Jacob then looked at Nelsen and suddenly smiled, "1000 years is too long. I might not even live that long. All I can agree to is 10. I won''te after you in this period of time."


    Nelsen eyes narrowed, "Are you joking? Five hundred years or no deal."


    Jacob shrugged his shoulder, "Alright, no deal it is. I''ll have to hunt you and your daughter down the moment I leave this ce. Let''s see how far you can run, and I won''t stop until I see your ashes." His voice sounded like a demon who would do anything to achieve his goal.


    Nelsen felt a chill down his spine when he heard those words. He gritted his teeth and said, "100 years!"


    Jacob didn''t think before saying, "10 or no deal."


    "Just why are you doing this?" Nelsen asked through gritted teeth.


    "Heh, I think you know the answer to this question." Jacob snickered coldly. He knew a guy like Nelsen would have a grasp of everything happening around him, especially his daughter. He was most likely involved in Ellie''s schemes against him.


    Nelsen took a deep breath as he never expected Jacob to be so hard to deal with, and he wasn''t confident in getting away in a short amount of time. He was being so desperate because he was afraid Jacob wouldunch more White Sun Missiles in his direction. He wasn''t afraid of his individual strength; he was afraid of Jacob''s weaponry!


    "20 years, and I''ll add an extremely unique universal magic scripture that can be used with all elements. You won''t scheme or target me or my daughter for 20 years or use your weapons anywhere close to us as long as you know we are there or even have a little notion of it.


    "This is my bottom line. If you still do not agree, then let''s see who has thestugh. Although I admit I might not be your match when ites to hiding or strength, I''m not someone who will go down without at least taking a limb or two."


    Jacob looked deeply at Nelsen, and at this moment, he saw madness in his eyes, ''So, he''s really at the end of his tether, huh? I have to admit, letting him go would be pretty troublesome.


    ''But I can''t ignore Unique Star Ocean Medallion. Revenge is not as important as pursuing immortality. Twenty years are enough for me to gain strength; he won''t be my match then or not in the same in. I might even forget about his insignificant existence.''


    "Alright, I agree with that. But you also can''t do anything to me or tell anyone about what happened here today." Jacob stated.


    Nelsen secretly sighed in relief as his eyes shimmed in a peculiar light, and he nodded, "I agree!"

 Chapter 519 Zodiac Oath!

    <h4>Chapter 519 Zodiac Oath!</h4>


    Nelsen didn''t dy but quickly started to manipte his star watch, and a few momentster, a virtual contract was disyed over his wrist.


    He said, "I want to make this official Zodiac Oath Contract with Faceless Ancient!"


    The next moment, something magical happens: Jacob''s star watch vibrates, and the same contract emerges!


    Jacob was astounded because Nelsen didn''t send him a request or anything, but by just speaking his star ID name, that contract appeared on its own!


    "Zodiac Oath Contract is unlike any other virtual contact in the starwork. If you have one, it can be formed from anywhere, even without the starwork. You must know the other party''s actual name or starwork ID.


    "Once this contract is formed, SAAI or the world itself will bear witness to it, and no one can break it no matter where they are. Once the contract is breached, only death awaits the oathbreaker. So, it''s safe to say that neither you nor I can do anything against each other for 20 years.


    "You can edit the terms if there is any loophole. My contract will automatically be updated as well. Once you are satisfied, say, ''In the name of Zodiac, I hereby acknowledge this Oath!'' and it''s done." Nelsen gave a general introduction to Jacob, as he easily guessed from his reaction that he didn''t know how it worked.


    Jacob clearly didn''t believe Nelsen and asked SAAI, "Is it true?"


    "Yes."


    "You''re really not trusting anyone, do you?" Nelsen sneered.


    Jacob ignored him and started to read the contract, and it was not with any loophole. He won''t do anything harmful or scheme against Nelsen or Ellie, nor can he seek anyone''s help to deal with them or look for their whereabouts for 20 years.


    The same goes for Nelsen and Ellie once this contract was signed!


    Jacob suddenly frowned and asked, "Wait, how did Ellie be bound by this contract since only you and I are signing it?"


    Nelsen looked at him with a peculiar glint in his eyes as he said, "Please send this contact to the parties involved in this. Change Ellie to Amiable Monk Fish!"


    The next moment, ''Ellie'' changed to ''Amiable Monk Fish'' in the contract.


    Jacob couldn''t help but mock, "You''re really a piece of trash."


    "It was just a small error." Nelsen, naturally, wasn''t going to admit it.


    "Take the oath. I won''t be going first without you two." Jacob stated that he didn''t dare to be careless.


    Although this old man looked like he had been defeated, he was full of tricks, and Jacob couldn''t rx even for a second.


    Nelsen lips curled as he said, "Don''t worry, if involved parties don''t take the pledge for 1 minute, the contract will be voided. In the name of Zodiac, I hereby acknowledge this Oath!"


    At this moment, SAAI''s voice sounded, "Amiable Wizened Monk has taken the Zodiac Oath!"


    At the bottom of the contract, Nelsen''s name appeared.


    A few momentster, SAAI''s voice sounded again, "Amble Monk Fish has taken the Zodiac Oath!"


    Jacob finally rxed a little and took the oath, "In the name of Zodiac, I hereby acknowledge this Oath!"


    SAAI''s voice sounded again, "Faceless Ancient has taken the Zodiac Oath!"


    At this moment, the virtual contract turned into a streak and directly prated Nelsen and Jacob''s chests!


    Jacob was shocked by this, and he sensed something was gripping his heart, but the next moment, his heart suddenly beat, and that strange feeling vanished!


    ''What happened?'' Jacob was surprised and confused.


    "Don''t worry. This is the effect of the Zodiac Oath Contract. The contract will be bound to our hearts, and nothing will happen as long as no one breaks it." Nelsen stated, as his expression was somewhat pale.


    ''Then why do I feel like my heart just removed whatever was trying to attach itself to it? Could it be the cursed heart can''t be bound, or was it just my imagination?'' Jacob thought with uncertainty, but he was also secretly hoping that the former was true.


    Because if the zodiac oath contract can''t bind his heart, then didn''t this mean this oath was meaningless to him?


    Just thinking about it made Jacob extremely expectant, and he knew he had to confirm it with Immortika because this could open a new door to countless possibilities.


    After all, his heart was not simple!


    Nelsen didn''t know Jacob''s thoughts and manipted the star watch to forward the trial condition message to Jacob before saying, "I''m forfeiting my trial achievement to the Faceless Ancient!"


    "Transfer has been sessful!


    "Faceless Ancient has been dered Sole Champion of Epic ins!


    "Please leave the champion space, Amiable Wizened Monk!"


    The next moment, a dark vortex appeared behind Nelsen.


    ''It really worked.'' Jacob has a sigh of relief.


    Nelsen didn''t tarry, and a silver title-less book appeared in his hand, and he threw it towards Jacob, "This is the Scripture of nk, I promised. Last thing, I know we don''t see eye to eye, and we start on the wrong foot. But I want you to know it was all but a misunderstanding and ack of judgment on our part.


    "I don''t want to be your enemy. I hope 20 years will be enough to quench your anger, and I''ll try my best to show I want to repent. I want my daughter to live happily. Consider it a fatherly bias. She won''t look for you anymore.


    "As a final token of my sincere apology, I''ll give you a piece of advice. If you want to go to the Unique ins, look out for the Star Ocean, for it is your biggest enemy, and go alone. The morepanions you have, the more impossible it is to reach there.


    "That''s all. I hope I never see you again, and even if I did, you won''t be there to kill me." Nelsen sighed ruefully before he turned around and vanished into the vortex, leaving frowning Jacob in the white space.


    ''What did it mean the Star Ocean is my biggest enemy and go alone? He clearly didn''t sound like something lying. Instead, it felt as if he was telling something from experience¡­''


    Jacob grimaced as the Unique ins became more mysterious!

 Chapter 520 The Secret in the Rings

    Chapter 520 The Secret in the Rings


    After Nelsen left, SAAI''s voice sounded again!


    "Faceless Ancient, congrattions, you havepleted all the Trial Conditions of Epic ins trial: The Hunter''s Necropolis!


    "Faceless Ancient, as the Sole Champion of Epic ins Trial, your Star Privilege has been increased from 2-Star to 3-Star. You have Level-1 Authority over the Epic ins until the next trial establishment!


    "Faceless Ancient, as the Champion of Epic ins Trials, you have One Time right to activate the Life Zone for 500 Years by forfeiting half of your umted reward!


    "Please choose whether you want to activate the Life Zone."


    Jacob''s eyes lit up as the higher star authority meant less annoyance and more ess to the starwork.


    He instantly replied, "I''ll keep my rewards!"


    "Faceless Ancient, you have voided your one time right!"


    "Your Rewards are as follows:


    "''Forpleting the condition: Kill the Beast of East


    "You are rewarded with 1,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "''Forpleting the condition: Kill Beast of West


    "You are rewarded with 1,000,000 Zodiac Credit.


    ''''Forpleting the condition: Kill the Beast of South


    "You are rewarded with 1,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    ''''Forpleting the condition: Kill the Beast of North


    "You are rewarded with 1,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    ''''Forpleting the condition: Subduing the Beast of Necropolis


    "You are rewarded with 10,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "Total Reward: 14,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing two conditions, the total reward has been doubled.


    "Total Reward: 28,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing three conditions, the total reward has been doubled.


    "Total Reward: 56,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing four conditions, the total reward has been doubled.


    "Total Reward: 112,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "For Clearing five conditions and achieving an impossible feat, the total reward has been tripled.


    "Total Reward: 548,000,000 Zodiac Credit


    "Sole Champion Reward: 25,000,000 Zodiac Credit and One Free Advanced Epic Weapon and One Free Advanced Epic Armor from the Epic ins Shop has been rewarded!


    "Final Reward: 573,000,000 Zodiac Credit and One free Advanced Epic Weapon and One Free Advanced Epic Armor


    "Please note that the fine of 100 million ZC has been deducted from your final rewards!


    "The rewards have been transferred to your 3-Star Zodiac ount!"


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he didn''t mind deduction; he had already earned what he wanted, and now it was time for what he had been preparing for.


    "I can sell anything I want to, right?" Jacob questioned.


    "Yes."


    Without hesitation, Jacob takes out all the useless weapons, potions, talismans, pills, and so on that he had created all these years while practicing his craft.


    Some of them were sold through the alchemy guild channels, but there were too many, and he also had the treasury of Witch Pce. There were many useless weapons he didn''t want. But they were all high quality, and selling them to the epic ins would only empower his enemies. So, he wanted to sell them to SAAI.


    The champion shop was an opportunity that was hard toe by, and unlikest time, he was ready to go all out and prepared for it.


    Soon, a massive pile of shimmering items gathered in the white space.


    "All right, tell me how much they are worth," Jacob said calmly after emptying almost all his space rings.


    "Starting scan¡­"


    SAAI''s voice sounded before a red light shone over the pile, and a few minutester¡­


    "Scanningplete, begins calction!


    "The final tally is 4.19 Billion Zodiac Credit!


    "Do you want to exchange?"


    "Do it," Jacob confirmed. He had already guessed the amount was around this much.


    The next moment, the massive pile was absorbed into the ground, and SAAI''s voice rang.


    "Exchange sessful!


    "4.19 Billion Zodiac Credit has been transferred to your 3-Star Zodiac ount!"


    Jacob''s star watch vibrates, and he instantly checks his new bnce, which is now 19.39 Billion ZC!


    ''It''s reaching the same amount I had in one of my ounts in my past life. But unlike before, this money is useful¡­'' Jacob sighed with a hint of nostalgia. He knew money would lose value in his old world once you have everything, even the world.


    But here, the more he had, the better.


    Still, he wasn''t done, as 28 space rings appeared in his hand. They were all locked with mystic signatures, and 9 of them were from A-0. Unless he had a mystic signature, they were useless to him, and he didn''t know how long it would take to condense one. So, it was better to sell them.


    "I want to sell these rings and contents within." Jacob impassively stated.


    "Starting scan¡­"


    A red light suddenly shone on the rings before vanishing.


    "Scanningplete, begins calction!


    "The final tally is 6.06 Billion Zodiac Credit!


    "Do you want to exchange?"


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly, "Can you tell me what is inside?"


    "10 Million ZC for appraisal."


    "Do it!"


    "Scanning result:


    "Basic Epic Rank Items: 4,994,144 (Space Rings: 24, Weapons: 41, ¡­, Life Crystals: 4,991,405)


    "Intermediate Epic Rank Items: 1,844,414 (Space Rings: 3, ¡­, Life Crystals: 800,739)


    "Advanced Epic Rank Items: 476,100 (Space Ring: 1, ¡­, Life Crystals: 419,990)


    "Basic Unique Rank Items: 8 (Life Crystals: 8)"


    "What?" Jacob was shocked when he heard so many life crystals were in those rings, and he suddenly thought about the nine rings of A-0!


    Life crystals could only be harvested by the dark beings from the life essence of the living. He was pretty sure that the people he killed here didn''t have those life essences. The dark beings he killed also didn''t have any space rings.


    "Are the life crystals in these nine rings?" Jacob quickly pointed toward the nine rings to confirm his guess.


    "Yes."


    Jacob frowned darkly as he thought about the Killer Skull Society and how desperate they were to get their hands on these rings. So, it was impossible for them not to know what was inside them.


    But what he couldn''t understand was how, in the world, A-0 had so many life crystals, all of which were epic ranks, and eight of them were unique. What the hell were they up to, and how did they get their hands on millions of life crystals?


    "What are the uses of Life Crystals, and why are they so expensive?" Jacob had to ask this question to clearly understand what was going on.


    Furthermore, SAAI was buying them, and their price was higher than all those items he had sold just now.


    However, the answer from SAAI sent a chill down his spine- it wasn''t what he expected!


    "This information is ssified as 4-Star. You don''t have 4-Star Star Privilege!"

 Chapter 521 The Epic Plains Champion Shop (1)

    Chapter 521 The Epic ins Champion Shop (1)


    Jacob was shocked when he heard about the privilege restriction on Life Crystal uses. He has just earned a 3-Star Privilege, and probably in the entire epic ins, only the Timeless Dark Tree had a 3-Star Privilege.


    4-star privilege means probably a top big shot of the Unique ins, or even higher.


    ''Just what kind of secret life crystals had to ssify it as such, and how did the clown society get their paw on so many of them? It''s too strange¡­ first that mutant, and now life crystals. It''s like they are trying to achieve something other than just creating some mindless puppets. What if the dark beings are also involved with them? It''s not impossible to have traitors in amidst¡­''


    The more Jacob thinks about it, the more he finds this topicplex and out of his league. He isn''t someone with a narrow mindset. He knows if the dark beings have something that can genuinely allure him, he might temporarily side with them.


    It wasn''t hard to imagine there were others like him. After all, in the Zodiac ins, strength and benefits meant everything.


    The Killer Skull Society working with the Dark Beings won''t surprise Jacob much.


    In the end, Jacob decided to put this matter on hold and seek Immortika''s opinion. Who knows, he might get lucky.


    Furthermore, now that he knew what was inside these rings and just how important they seemed, he quickly stowed away the nine rings with life crystals and said, "I want to sell the rest."


    "The final tally is 914,400,000 Zodiac Credit!


    "Do you want to exchange?"


    ''Why are those life crystals worth so much?'' Jacob was really curious now, "Alright."


    He put the rings on the floor before they vanished and received the payment.


    Although the price has dropped substantially, he has more than enough to buy whatever he needs. He won''t give away a precious resource if he has no choice, especially when this resource was highly regarded by the Zodiac ins. He also decided to pay more attention to the Dark Beings treasuries in the future!


    Who knows what surprise awaits him?


    Now that he earned over twenty billion ZC, it was time for the main event as he said, "Open the epic ins shop!"


    The next moment, a corporeal virtual projection appeared before him, the same as thest time.


    His Star ID name and current bnce were in the top-left corner, which was 20,304,560,150 ZC.


    Then, there was a list below under the category of Level-1 Epic Authority, and there were four items.


    "1. Unique Star Ocean Medallion


    "Description: A Medallion of proof to pave the way for the Champion towards Unique Star Ocean!


    "Price: 500,000,000 ZC


    "2. Life Zone Scroll (Epic ins)


    "Description: Create a 100X100 Life Zone anywhere in the Epic ins, and no Dark Being will be able to enter.


    "Limitation: Only Useable in Epic ins.


    "Duration: 10 Years


    "Price: 10,000,000 ZC


    "3. Life Limit Breaker (1-Level)


    "Description: Break the power level limit on the Epic in by one level for every living being. While active, any living being with the same level can enter the epic ins.


    "Duration: 100 Years


    "Price: 1,000,000,000 ZC


    "4. Escape Life Talisman (Advanced Epic Rank)


    "Description: An escape talisman made with Space Magic Runes. It can be activated with magic, or whenever the user is in life-threatening danger, it can automatically activate as long it is attached to the body and teleport the user 1,000 miles away in a random direction.


    "Limitation: Does not work in confined and locked spaces or against space restriction abilities!


    "Avable: 3


    "Price: 50,000,000 (Each)"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered, seeing the Unique Star Ocean Medallion, whilepletely ignoring items number two and three before looking at another new item.


    ''So that''s how that guy probably got away from me that day. These escape-life talismans are indeed a life savior and quite annoying. What if my enemies started toe at me with these talismans? I won''t be able to kill them at all. On the other hand, the same goes for others!''


    Jacob was both thrilled to see this life-saving treasure, and depressed about how this could affect him. He couldn''t help but think about Nelsen, and he guessed there were over ny percent chances that he had this talisman.


    ''Space restriction abilities, huh? Furthermore, it said space magic runes¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered as he thought something and quickly ordered.


    "I want to buy the Unique Star Ocean Medallion and all three Escape Life Talismans."


    Six hundred fifty million ZC was instantly deducted from his action, and the next moment, two small pirs rose from the ground, and there were items on top of each.


    One of them had a pristine blue triangr-shapedpass with beautiful engraving, and there was only a single ckpass needle within. There weren''t anypass points. Instead, there were engraved sun, moon, and a six-pointer star on its three corners, all glowing in different lights. On the other pir were three yellow pieces of paper engraved withplex runes and patterns.


    ''So, the Medallion was apass? And how the hell am I going to use it?'' Jacob frowned as he picked up the coldpass. It was extremely heavy despite being only palm-sized.


    "How should I use it?" He asked SAAI.


    "Imbue magic power in it, and thepass needle will move. The threepass pointers, the Sun and Moon, represent light and dark, while the Star exists between the light and dark. That is the only forward! I can''t reveal anymore."


    "So, all I have to do is follow the star? Just what in the world is the unique star ocean." Jacob wondered aloud, and SAAI remained silent. So, he knew he wouldn''t be getting any more information.


    At least he knows how to use this thing and what to follow.


    Jacob quickly put away thepass and three talismans before asking, "I want to know if I can buy anything that can restrict space and those space magic symbols as well. It would be even better if I could also buy the blueprint of escape life talisman or anything rted to space."


    The projection in front of him suddenly changed, revealing a few objects.


    "Sky Lock Cube (Advanced Epic Rank)


    "Description: Treasure that can lock space in a 100-meter radius.


    "Limitation: Epic Rank


    "Price: 100,000,000


    "Principles of Rune Artificer: Space Runes (Advanced Epic Rank)


    "Price: 250,000,000 ZC


    "Teleportation Array (Advanced Epic Rank Blueprint)


    "Description: Design to set Teleportation Array between two points within 10,000 Miles Radius.


    "Limitation: Won''t work in restricted space.


    "Price: 1 Billion ZC


    "Sky-breaking Step (Advanced Epic Rank Talisman Blueprint)


    "Description: Teleport ten miles in any direction of eyes.


    "Limitation: Won''t work in restricted space.


    "Price: 250,000,000 ZC"


    Jacob was bbergasted when he saw those four items popping out. He wasn''t expecting there really be something rted to space to buy, yet he got all the things he wanted!


    Even though he didn''t get the blueprint for escape life talisman, he was content with the sky-breaking step talisman. Ten miles in his chosen direction was quite enough, especially if he added more than hundreds of talismans.


    Furthermore, the Principles of Rune Artificer: Space Runes seemed mandatory to create these space-rted runic items. Now, he finally understands why there wasn''t anything about space runes in his previous manual rted to runes.


    Those were just fundamentals, only now he was stepping into the actual domain of Rune Artificer.


    Mulling, at this point, Jacob''s eyes burn with the passion of a researcher who craves knowledge of the unknown. He said, "I want all of them, and show me every manual rted to Rune Artificer, Magic Smith, Pill, and Potion Alchemy!"

 Chapter 522 The Epic Plains Champion Shop (2)

    Chapter 522 The Epic ins Champion Shop (2)


    In the end, Jacob found that most of the knowledge rted to the runes in the shop was already present in the Witch Pce, and the only thing that wasn''t was the knowledge of space runes.


    So, he didn''t waste his money and bought some runic blueprints that could really be helpful, as well as knowledge of magic smith and alchemy that wasn''t in the witch pce.


    Afterward, he bought materials for those blueprints, recipes, and magic weapon designs. Especially the magic guns. He knew it was time to move on to magic technology andbine it without his own.


    Jacob''s future ideas and the most powerful weapons in his mind were straight out of fantasies, and the technology needed to create them was not something even the unique ins might have. So, he naturally has tobine magic technology.


    He knew as time passed, all those mechanical technologies would turn useless if he didn''tbine them, and magic technology was probably the main development focus of higher ins. Thereby, Jacob ended up spending 8 billion ZC on these things, and he also brought arge quantity of titian iron of the highest quality and magic gems.


    The magic gems were essential for high-ss rune crafting and magic weapons crafting, especially when someone was trying to create different element runic treasures and weapons from their own.


    Afterward, Jacob quickly chose a free weapon and armor from the shop, which wasn''t that important because he already had many of them for use.


    What Jacob was interested in after¡­


    "I want to know if there is some kind of mask that can alert appearances and body size." He questioned, as this was probably the most significant issue right now. His growing size and he also wanted to avoid the gluttony mask as long as it were possible.


    "No such treasure that can alter the body structure in epic ins. There is only a mask that can alter facial features, eyes, and hair color.


    "Mask of Deviant (Advanced Epic Rank)


    "Description: Alternate facial muscles, eye color, and hair color as long as provided with constant magic supply.


    "Limitation: High-level magic detection ability can see through the mask.


    "Price: 650,000,000 Zodiac Credit"


    After SAAI''s exnation, the Mask of Deviant appeared in front of him.


    Frowned, Jacob was deep in thought, ''I would be d it could just change my body size. I guess the Gluttony Mask is really special.''


    Jacob sighed as he decided to buy this mask, which was better than nothing.


    The next moment, a tiny diamond-shaped ruby emerged.


    "ce it to your be and then focus your mana in it. A red membrane would cover your entire head. Thereby, you can use it as a normal mask or change the membrane shape to alter your facial features, eye color, and hair color."


    "Simple enough." Jacob picked it up, and it looked like a parasite gem before stowing it away forter.


    Now his shopping was almost done, "Show me magic ability scripture rted to curse magic."


    "Curse magic is ssified as a forbidden section, and it does not exist in Epic ins, and you need a 5-Star Star Privilege to ess it!"


    Astounded, Jacob didn''t expect this, "What about Whammy Poison?"


    "Any magic rted to curse is ssified."


    "Why?" Jacob grimaced as he found this bias of the Zodiac ins towards the curse magic.


    "Because it is forbidden magic," SAAI replied emotionlessly, without caring about Jacob''s dark expression.


    "Then what about holy magic? Did it also ssify as forbidden?" Jacob scoffed.


    "Indeed. Both magics are extremely rare and capable of alternating nature."


    Now, this was even more unexpected since the holy magic shouldn''t have such an effect. But in the end, Jacob has yet to see anything use holy magic, so he couldn''t retort.


    In the end, he gave up. He had plenty of fire and water magic, and he was sure he could find more outside at a far cheaper price.


    Lastly, Jacob asked another question, which he also wasn''t sure he could buy here, "Do you have raw hearts with their heart blood still intact? I mean, hearts of species who originated from the lineage of Legendary Rank Beings or direct bloodline? They have to be preserved well without any refinement or any kind of contamination. If they are directly harvested from bodies, then it is even better. If you didn''t have that, their heart blood will do fine."


    Jacob wasn''t too hopeful about this still; if there was even the slightest possibility that there were such hearts or heart blood here, then he couldn''t miss it. After all, he has money, and this was far faster and safer.


    But even if they were such hearts and heart blood, he needed to check first if they even worked. He wasn''t sure if the Zodiac ins had a preserving method like his infinity pendant.


    This time, without any exnation, the screen in front of him changed!


    "Heart of Abyssal Lizard (Tier-1 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 2


    "Price: 35,000,000 ZC each


    "Heart of Infant Water Wyvern (Tier-3 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 1


    "Price: 45,000,000 ZC


    "Heart Blood Tue High Orc (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 500 Milliliter


    "Price: 50,000,000 ZC each


    "Heart of Lesser Shadow Basilisk (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 1


    "Price: 60,000,000 ZC


    "Heart Blood of Ice Fairy (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 100 Milliliter


    "Price: 100,000,000 ZC


    "Heart of Infant High Elf (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 2


    "Price: 150,000,000 ZC


    "Heart of Infant Holy Barbarian (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 1


    "Price: 200,000,000 ZC


    "Heart Blood of Winged Serpent (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 1000 Milliliter


    "Price: 200,000,000 ZC


    "Heart Blood of Infant Mortal Giant (Tier-9 Epic Rank)


    "Quantity: 1500 Milliliter


    "Price: 1,000,000,000 ZC"


    Jacob was astounded seeing the result; there was even the heart of a wyvern, and he knew it was a future legendary being and heart blood of many unfamiliar species!


    He quickly asked, "Are they direct decedents of legendary rank being or from their branch bloodline?"


    "They are from direct bloodline." SAAI emotionlessly replied before the screen changed, and an even more extensive catalog of hearts emerged, "These hearts and heart blood belonged to branch bloodline."


    Jacob didn''t even look at them and quickly said, "I want to buy the heart of abyssal lizard and blood of True High Orc."


    Jacob now wanted to test if those hearts worked or not. Because if they did, then he was going all out!

 Chapter 523 The Dark Alchemy

    Chapter 523 The Dark Alchemy


    A vortex appeared in the misty Epic ins, and Jacob walked out. Looking at the misty environment and hidden sky, and when he breathed, he knew what this mist was.


    ''Radiation mist in epic ins? Just how many atomic weapons do those fools use?'' Jacob couldn''t help but sneered. He didn''t feel pity or remorse for his actions. This has nothing to do with him.


    If even the starwork or natives didn''t care, why would an outsider like him?


    Selecting a random direction, Jacob started walking. His eyes shimmered tion at this moment, and he quickly summoned Immortika!


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    He quickly nced at his progress.


    ______


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Blood Condensing (Second Stage)]


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 49.98%


    [Description: Convert your blood into Cursed Blood until it reaches 100%pletion by Absorbing the Heart Blood of Legendary Beings or their descendants.]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 500 Years of Lifespan


    ______


    Seeing he was already halfway there, he was extremely excited, and when he thought about what happened back in the champion space, a satisfied look appeared on his face.


    The pages of cursed immortality started to turn before a familiar ''haha'' began to cover the page manically.


    Jacob''s happy expression instantly fell as he was highly irritated.


    "¡­haha¡­ bravo, bravo! Another triumph over epic ins trial and unexpected encounters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!"


    "I''m d." Jacob pursed his lips before he got to the point. He has too many questions, "First, tell my back then when I eat that heart it doesn''t work, but when I drink the heart blood it does, why?"


    "Tsk, tsk, can''t you just savor your moment of victory for once? How about you treat yourself to some women, food, and a ten-year holiday?"Immortika suggested.


    Jacob coldly replied, "I''m afraid you''ll get bored, so I have to keep moving, no? Now cut the crap."


    "Hehehe, you can''t see how moved I am, truly." Immortika was as yful as ever as it wrote, "Alright, I''ll reward you instead. To answer your question, it''s straightforward: the heart you consumed indeed belonged to a legendary bloodline, but the heart blood within has long been absorbed by the heart itself because they didn''t have a method like the infinity pendant to keep it fresh.


    "You see, heart blood is extraordinary. If you leave it within the dead heart for some time, even when well-preserved, it will start to break down and be absorbed into the heart itself. This process varies from species to species and their prowess.


    "Although, it''s a good thing because this would make the heart even more powerful and turn it into a powerful medicine. But you need heart blood, not the heart, which has already absorbed the heart''s blood.


    "That''s why that heart was nothing but high nutrition for you, while the heart blood turned into your cursed blood. It''s as simple as that. Still, you got Heart Blood of Tue High Ore, Ice Fairy, Winged Serpent, and Infant Mortal Giant. I think it''s incredibly fortunate.


    "You''ve already experienced just one drop of true high orc blood, which gives you tremendous energy. It turns .10% of your blood into cursed blood. You can only imagine what would happen when you absorbed these legendary bloodlines'' heart blood and all those dted bloodlines'' heart blood that you bought like crazy.


    "I had to admit. I didn''t think you would even remember to look into the champion space for things like heart blood, and you even bought high-quality meat from a legendary bloodline as well. It seemed you were well-prepared. Still spending all that wealth without batting an eye, now that is even more impressive. Hahahaha."Immortikaughed, filled with the page thereafter.


    Realization dawned on Jacob as he finally understood why that heart didn''t work.


    "I can earn money as long as I live." His eyes burned with anticipation at this moment as he questioned, "So tell me, are all those heart blood enough for 100%pletion?"


    "Hard to say, but I''m quite optimal. Who knows, you might awake one or two more interesting aspects." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "You mean crazy aspects like the Fighting Giant Spirit?"


    "Hehehe¡­whatever you say."


    "You better exin what the hell is this aspect before I start going crazy." Jacob coldly asked.


    "Now, where''s the fun in that? Besides, if you have willpower, you''ll be fine."Immortika subtly wrote.


    Jacob knew there was no point in wasting his breath, and he changed the question, "Life crystal, what are they used for besides being food for dark beings?"


    "Hehehe, it''s finallye to this point." Immortika wrote, "Fine, I''ll tell you a thing or two. Life crystals are refined using the life essence of the living. You do you this much, right?


    "Dark Beings used the life crystals to cultivate their powers and advanced in the evolutiondder. They all have an innate ability to create life crystals. The higher they ranked in the hierarchy of dark beings, the faster and more powerful life crystal they could refine.


    "Some extraordinary Dark Beings, like a Lich, can evenbine low-rank life crystals and refine them into higher rank. But the living didn''t have such ability because it would be too unfair towards the Dark Beings. They also couldn''t increase their lifespan like normal living beings, no matter how powerful they became.


    "So, without life crystals, the Dark Beings will die eventually, extinct from the face of Zodiac ins.


    "Now herees an exciting fact: what you don''t know is life crystals are not just power and life source for the Dark Beings, but they are also beneficial for the Living Beings as well!


    "Life crystals can be converted into Life Medicines by a Dark Alchemist. Dark Alchemists are those who refine Life Crystals into Life Medicines, which can grant living beings a Lifespan depending on the life medicine level. This lifespan varies from a second to a thousand years.


    "But this is a taboo among the living, because once a living being used a Life Medicine to increase their lifespan, they would turn into neither dead nor living, just an alive corpse who can''t advance or evolve further.


    "Furthermore, this is just one use of the Life Crystals, and the Dark Alchemy is a taboo subject among the living because it is a profession of the Dark Beings. No one with a sane mind would practice it unless they are courting death crazy.


    "There are many more drawbacks of Dark Alchemy for the living, but I think this much is enough for you to understand just how important the life crystals are for both sides. The allure to live, even if bing a living corpse, ahh, why does it remind me of someone? Hahahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s expression was grave as he finally understood the truth behind the life crystals, and he learned about a forbidden taboo subject for the living, the Dark Alchemy!

 Chapter 524 Scheming against Captain Free Sword

    Chapter 524 Scheming against Captain Free Sword


    "So to speak, the Killer Skull Society is either working for the Dark Beings or they are exploring the Dark Alchemy, right?" Ace stated as he finally had the insights about the Life Crystals.


    "Who knows? And truthfully, who cares? I know you don''t. Unless you have a change of heart and want to be a hero among the living? Hehehe¡­" Immortika wrote.


    Jacob scoffed, "No, a chance. Speaking of heart, tell me the Zodiac Oath didn''t work, right?"


    This was another matter he was most curious about.


    "Hahaha¡­so you feel that?"Immortika wrote matter-of-factly, "I''ve told you, your heart is no longer just a simple heart. It is the centralponent of your physique, and nothing can taint it, whether it''s a silly oath or some forbidden spell."


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile, "You should''ve told me sooner. Next, the Beast of Primordial Nightmare, what it said was true?"


    "This is a whole cluster of information you are not ready to know, or you''ll be even more paranoid than you already are. Nheless, whatever it told you was true, and it is nothing but beneficial for you. Especially that contact of servant and master, it''s incredible how it was willing to lower itself to you because of your threats and special circumstances. Ignorant are truly fearless ah...


    "I don''t know how they let such a thing escape their clutches. Probably, it''s been too long since thest Beast of Primordial Nightmare was born and killed in the cradle before it could unleash its true nightmarish horrors.


    "All you need to know is Beast of Primordial Nightmare is one of its kind and can''t be two unless the existing one dies. As long as something didn''t know about its true background, you''ll be more than just fine.


    "In this regard, even, I envoy you luck. But there''s always a catch. In this case, if another being exists that knows about its true background, you''ll be hunted to the end of the universe. I guess this is your fate anyway, hahahaha¡­" Immortika started tough hysterically.


    Jacob''s expression darkened as he didn''t dare to take this subtle warning as trifle matter. Although he was displeased by theck of information, he knew better than to ask and waste his energy.


    As of right now, he has no qualms about the Beast of Primordial Nightmare, but he was also not going to let it roam free before it could bring him such trouble.


    "What about the Fire and Water cores? I''m already in the unique rank with them, yet I still haven''t awakened my mystic signature?"


    "Why are you asking such a thing when you''ve guessed it already? Only the hex core can bring you the desired result, not the substitute cores. Or try to use the other method if you''re impatient."


    Jacob sighed ruefully as he had already guessed this much, "Alright, you are excused for now. I''ll summon you once I start the blood consumption."


    He unsummoned the cursed book and looked in forwards in the radioactive mist and then his star watch to conjure a map. The starwork was still down, but the in map was still working fine.


    ''I''m already close to the dead ins. Let''s upgrade the hex core first, and then after tying some loose ends, it would be time to leave this ce behind. But first¡­''


    A vermin transponder appeared in his hand, and he activated it.


    A few momentster, Captain Free Sword''s jolly voice rang, "If it isn''t our favorite, Mr. King. I thought thest time I told you to contact me after you''ve done with the trial ins or something urgent came up that could impress me. I even told you there''s no longer a need to search for the traitor since it''s been dealt with. Don''t tell me you''re still having a hard timepleting the simple task?"


    Towards the end, his voice bes cold.


    Jacob impassively replied, "I want to ask if the starwork is down in the epic ins. Can you enter?"


    "Oh? There''s such a thing? First, it''s almost impossible because¡­"


    "Because Star Void Server is almost impossible to destroy, right?" Jacob cut him short.


    Captain Free Sword became silent for a moment before he said, "You have my attention. Tell me more."


    ''So, this bastard also knew about the Star Void Server? Heh, it''ll be even more easy now.'' Jacob couldn''t help but gloat, as he was merely testing the waters.


    "Just a few moments ago, the Star Hackers attacked the void server, and they managed to destroy it, and the trial came to a halt. Now the entire starwork is down, so I was wondering if Captain and his crew can enter?" Jacob impassively stated.


    He wasn''t going to say anything about himpleting the trial, or it would be too much of a shock, and the sly Captain Free Sword might be vignt.


    Beforeing out of the champion space, he inquired about something from SAAI, and the answer he got gave him the idea to scheme against this bastard. Even though he had already left Autarch as a backup n, it was taking too long, and he also wasn''t sure if one puppet was enough to get rid of the entire crew of Uniques.


    Even with him in the mix, he knew Captain Free Sword had other life-preserving means, so he decided to use another trick to eliminate this threat.


    Captain Free Sword replied in astonishment, "Those crazy nuts, they really achieved it?"


    "Yes, it''s announced in my star watch, and not only that, but they seemed to have gonepletely mad, and they are using some atomic bombs that are affecting the entire environment.


    "Furthermore, from one of my ves, I''ve got the information that the Dark City''s Lord might have a Unique Star Ocean Medallion. With the trial put on stop and starwork down, with Captain''s help, it would be easy this way." He stated.


    Captain Free Sword remained silent for some time before speaking, "If they have atomic weapons, then those crazy nuts really do have the capability to blow up the Star Void Server. But it''s still astonishing that they were able to pinpoint its location. I''ve never thought the Epic ins Star Hackers were capable of something that even the Unique ins don''t.


    "And if the starwork is really down, then I guess the protection is gone as well. But to go against the Dark City¡­" He fell into silence for a moment before saying, "Alright, if there is a medallion in the Dark City, I''ll support you to the best of my capabilities. I''ll send ten of my best men to your aid. This should be more than enough to sweep through the entirety of Epic ins.


    "This is your chance to prove your extraordinary worth, Mr. King. If everything goes smoothly, you''ll be a part of our crew and no longer a ve. I''ll broaden your horizons once you have returned victorious. Give me seven days to prepare, and I''ll contact you when we are ready." Captain Free Sword gravely stated before the call ended.


    Jacob stowed away the vermin transponder as he sneered coldly, "Still noting himself, eh? Well, if I can take down ten of his men, it would greatly reduce his power. In seven days, I''ll be there!"

 Chapter 525 The Aftermath of Epic Plains Trial

    Chapter 525 The Aftermath of Epic ins Trial


    Out of everyone''s expectations, the trial was over like never before. Some people didn''t even get the chance to participate as they were all waiting for more information.


    The most enraged about it was none other than the King of Dead, Onyx, as he just stood on his spot where he was kicked out of the trial in while a terrifying bloodlust was emitting from his giant body.


    The dark beings around him trembled on their knees and didn''t dare to make a sound, afraid to get crushed under the King''s rage.


    At this moment, Onyx roared, creating a terrifying magic ripple in the area, "Prepared the armies! It''s time to put a leash on every livestock in these wretchednds!"


    ---


    While the King of Dead was nning on going on a rampage, the situation of the Alive ins was somewhat different.


    Gunnar, Nelsen, and Lucy gathered together, and this meeting was called by none other than Nelsen after he returned from the champion space.


    Gunnar''s eyes were shimmering with hatred and humiliation as he wanted to rip apart Jacob while Lucy was subtly staring at impassive Nelsen, who wanted to see through him.


    Nelsen calmly said, "I''m going to resign from my position as the chairman."


    Gunnar didn''t even bat an eye on this news as he asked coldly, "Did you meet him?"


    Nelsen nced at him and nodded, "Yes, and for all of our sake, don''t provoke him anymore. Wait until he leaves the epic ins. Everything would turn to normal once he''s gone. There is no starwork in the Epic ins, which means he can''t continue his business, so he''ll leave. Let''s forget about we have ever known a cmity named Faceless Ancient!"


    Lucy''s eyes shimmered as she asked, "You seemed pretty confident about him leaving. Can you kindly tell us what happened in there? I''m pretty sure with your underhanded methods. It hadn''t been difficult for you to trick him into attacking you and then getting rid of him. Yet, here you are with the air of defeat and telling us to back down. It seemed you finally met your match."


    Nelsen smiled wryly, "I''m just an old man looking out for people I care about, even if you are one of them. But there is always a time you should give up, and this is exactly what it is. I can''t tell you what happened there, but all I can say is I made a deal with him, and as long as we don''t bother him, he won''t look our way."


    "What did you pay?" Gunnar wasn''t an idiot. He knew if Jacob could even make someone like Nelsen submit, then the price he had demanded would be unimaginable, especially when he had the entire champion shop in front of him.


    Nelsen smiled and ambiguously replied, "Goodwill. Just let it go. You and I both know you are not his match. Not until he had his weaponry, and after facing him, I can say for sure that even without any weapons, you still can''t beat it. He''s a one-man army and a terrible one at that."


    Gunner''s expression darkened to a great degree, but he didn''t have words to retort because, deep down, he knew Nelsen had no reason to lie to him. Even his own daughter thinks that Jacob might be on the same level as him, even stronger.


    Lucy looked deeply at Nelsen, "So, you''re finally going to let Ellie fill in your shoes, huh? But I don''t think she is qualified yet; she''s too impulsive and arrogant."


    Nelsen gave her a meaningful nce and smiled, "I''m afraid she''ll kill me if I dare to try to take her birthright. In this regard, she''s just like a certain someone who I know. Now, I''ll excuse myself. I still have to be ready for the ceremony of the new president."


    Done saying, he stood up under Lucy''s murderous re and left. Gunnar and Lucy didn''t stop him. They were really nothing they could do at this point.


    Suddenly, Lucy said something, "Believe it or not, something is wrong with that Perverted Schemer. There''s something he''s not telling us. For all we know, he might''ve already sold us to Faceless Ancient for his own safety.


    "How about we contact that man and leave the epic ins for good? This ce is no longer worth living in. I know your whole legacy and n is here, but what is the point if you are dead?


    "I''m also a native of Epic ins, but it''s time to leave this ce and enter a new and higher ying field. This way, you will be able to surpass Faceless Ancient and think about your daughter as well. She''s still young and full of talent as well as beautiful. I don''t believe there aren''t any ces for us in the Unique ins.


    "I don''t trust that man even if he killed himself in front of me, and you shouldn''t either. For old-time sake, I''m giving you this sincere advice, and I''m leaving as soon as possible!" Lucy dered and left without turning back.


    Gunnar sat there with a gloomy expression for a long time before a rueful sigh escaped his mouth, "Sigh¡­what if I hadn''t kicked you out that day¡­"


    Smiling bitterly, he also left towards his tribe with full of raging emotions in his heart.


    ---


    After leaving, Nelsen quickly found Ellie, who seemed to be waiting for him.


    She had an anxious expression as she asked, "So, how did it go?"


    Nelsen chuckled slyly, "As always, your aunty would not believe me. There is an 80% chance that she would either go to hiding or leave the epic ins, while the rest of the chance is she would still antagonize Faceless Ancient. As for Gunnar, I don''t think Faceless Ancient has any deep grudge against him, but his actions are not worth monitoring."


    "She is a bitch, not my rtive!" Ellie hissed angrily before her expression turned gloomy, "Are we going to leave everything and flee?"


    Nelsen sighed, "I know it''s very hard to leave everything behind you work so hard for, but baby girl, sometimes, we must choose between pride and survival. The former will mostly lead to death while thetter only exists for those who cherish their lives."


    His expression turned emotional, "There is something you should know now. I wish it wouldn''t havee to this, but it can''t help anymore. Actually, our ancestry is not in the epic ins. All the thing I''ve told you about my family was a lie. My family is still alive, and they are all in the Unique ins!"

 Chapter 526 Dreamscape Nightmare Realm

    Chapter 526 Dreamscape Nightmare Realm


    In the dead ins, Jacob was hunting every dark being of the epic rank that he came across.


    After hunting for a few hours, he finally managed to reach the threshold Epic Rank Hex Core and 99 new rectified stars were unlocked, and a new innate hex!


    This hex''s name was Berserker Hex. This hex, unlike his previous hexes, didn''t affect others but Jacob himself!


    By using this hex, his physical strength would triple for five minutes. But once this hex effect is over, his body would be weakened by 70% for fifteen minutes, and this time period can''t be removed by any healing magic or item.


    Although this hex was extremely potent, its side effect would put him in a vulnerable state, so it was a double-edged sword that Jacob wouldn''t use unless necessary.


    Thereafter, Jacob didn''t linger and found a seclusive area and took out Nyx!


    While still in its egg state, Nyx cheerfully eximed the moment Jacob took it out, "No more restraints! I''m really out! But what took you so long, my master? What was that ce? It was so dark that even I couldn''t see anything or use my powers. It was extremely suffocating! If not for my connection with you, I would''ve been scared to death!"


    Jacob looked at the dark egg in his hand and frowned, "So you see nothing?"


    It was his first time hearing about the inside of Infinity Pendant. Although he could see everything in it, it was limited to the area he had unlocked or given ess to. But Nyx seemed to be not seen other items, which was quite peculiar.


    "What? Do you think I''m lying? I simply can''t lie to you, my master. That ce was really strange. It was even more ghastly than that space." Nyx truthfully told with a hint of lingering fear, "Just what is that treasure?"


    "None of your business," Jacob replied coldly, as he wasn''t going to tell anyone about his biggest secret even if the other party couldn''t betray him.


    "Stingy still¡­" Nyxmented in displeasure.


    Jacob ignored the indignant egg and said, "I''m willing to let you create that Dreamscape Nightmare Realm. What do you need me to do?"


    "Finally!" Nyx eximed in happiness, "Since now you are my Nightmare Contractor, it''s very easy. Because I''m your servant, without your permission, I can''t create the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm. But now that you give me your permission, it''ll be very easy."


    "You don''t need to hatch first?" Jacob asked with a frown.


    "Actually, I can be born in two ways. First, independently, this process would take a long time, and I need to absorb a huge amount of nightmare realms.


    "Back in that ce, although I was confined, that space suddenly started to provide me with ample nightmare realms. That''s how I awakened my abilities, and if I had stayed there for some time, I would''ve been born already.


    "The second way is to find a nightmare contractor and then create my Dreamscape Nightmare Realm and be born in it. Although I don''t know the difference between the two, I had a feeling that if I were born after creating a Dreamscape Nightmare Realm, it would be better for me than being independently born.


    "So, if I have your permission, should I start?" Nyx asked excitedly.


    Jacob was surprised to hear this. Although he still had doubts about Nyx''s origin and why it was left there if it was so magical, he decided to ignore those doubts.


    Just like Immortika said, he''d be paranoid in any case, so he decided just to do it since it was safe.


    "Alright." Jacob solemnly approved.


    The next moment, the dark egg in his suddenly shimmered in a dark hue before mysterious glyphs emerged on its smooth surface, and it started to turn ethereal. In a moment, it turned into a dark streak and shot into Jacob''s be!


    Suddenly, Jacob felt lethargic, and the next moment, his closed as his consciousness descended into the depths of darkness.


    After an unknown amount of time, Jacob suddenly regained consciousness and found himself standing in a bright white room filled with all kinds of hospital equipment. In the middle of the room was a coot, and all the equipment was connected to it.


    Shocked, he knew this room too well because he had it built in the final days when he was about to live on those machines to prolong his life.


    Furthermore, he noticed that he was no longer a giant but a skinny old man with withered skin. "Why am I here?" he muttered in his raspy voice.


    "So this is your nightmare? Strange." Nyx''s voice suddenly sounded, and the next moment, a dark corporeal mist appeared beside him.


    Jacob took a step back, nearly falling, when he looked at the dark mist and couldn''t help but exim, "Nyx? Is this your doing?"


    Nyx''s voice sounded, "Not me! This is your Dreamscape Realm, or was, before I turned it into Dreamscape Nightmare Realm! Even I don''t know what would''ve happened before I took root in your dreamscape realm.


    "Now that I''m born, I have new memories as well. This ce is your biggest nightmare, and as my master, you are pulled here, as I exined before. If you want, you can change this ce into anything now and even give me a body of your liking.


    "Because of our servant and master contract, my real body is nowpletely merged with your Dreamscape Realm, and I can only exist in dreams. I promise, I don''t know that before." Nyx sincerely told.


    Jacob was finally able to calm down after hearing it, and then he tried to change this ce, and the next moment, the entire room suddenly changed into a flower garden with all kinds of exquisite flowers, roses, and rare flowers. The air smell was extremely pleasant, and anyone would think of this ce as a paradise.


    Jacob''s old body also changed into his new one as he returned to begin normal like he was before awakening the fighting giant spirit.


    Even he felt extremely shocked as he saw the familiar ce of his memories appearing with just a thought. This was too magical.


    Then he suddenly thought of something before he looked at Nyx, and the next moment, she turned from the dark mist into a beautiful young woman with a tall and slender body, long golden hair, and bright, starry blue eyes that could rob anyone''s soul. The beautiful white dress and the surrounding flowers bring out her enthralling beauty even more, capable of mesmerizing anyone.


    Jacob fell into a trance, looking at the sharp, graceful, fairy-like face that he would never forget, even if he turned into dust. Seeing her after so many years feels like an eternity, and only he knows just how much he missed this woman and longed for her¡­


    Furthermore, the beautiful garden was also a ce he built just for this woman, as they both spent time here after he let go of his obsession with wealth and weapons. Those final years spent with her here made this memory the most cherished memory he had with the love of his life¡­ Hope!

 Chapter 527 The Infancy-Class

    Chapter 527 The Infancy-ss


    "Hmm? Who is this?" Nyx muttered as she looked at herself with a strange expression. Jacob suddenly snapped out of his stupor, and his eyes went sharp. The next moment, Nyx turned into her mist form again. "What gives?" She cried annoyingly as she couldn''t even look properly before Jacob changed her back. The beautiful garden around them also vanished, and open grass in appeared with blue sky and nothing else. "Forget you ever see that." Jacob coldlymanded as he got caught up at that moment and couldn''t help himself. He wanted to see her once more. But he quickly removes everything because he knows this isn''t reality, and he might never be the same if he fell into this illusion. He also got to experience the true power of this Dreamscape Nightmare Realm. He can imagine anything here, and it would appear. "Hehe, what are you talking about? Did I see anything?" Nyx tactically replied as she could feel Jacob''s strong emotion at this moment, so she didn''t provoke him. Jacob calmed down as he looked at her meaningfully, "You weren''t lying about your ability. But I don''t think this ce has any use to me since it won''t follow natural concepts but instead work on my imagination. "There is no point in research here if everything will just turn out to be like I imagine it would. Neither can I practice magic since I have no idea what kind of effect those spells would bring about without even practicing it, so what''s the point of having endless magic supply or stamina? Do you get it?" "Hehe, well said, my master, I expect nothing less for someone like you." Nyx giggled yfully, "But don''t underestimate my Dreamscape Nightmare Realm and, of course, me! The thing you just described is a Nightmare Contractor Authority over this realm. Since you are the master, you naturally have full authority over it. "But I am the origin of this realm, which means you have authority over my abilities to turn anything into reality in this ce. Although the Nightmare Contract can imagine anything, turn it into reality, and even bend it on its whim, it can also be temporarily canceled at will. "Which will give me the control of this realm back. You can call it an Authority Switch which you can whenever turn on and off.


    "As for how it will benefit you, once you''re in control, you can do anything here. You are the god. But as you said, your imagination would affect this realm, and if you want to research or train, it would be very hard. "However, when I''m in control, you will just like as you are outside. Furthermore, as long as you let me scan the things in reality or from your memories, I can recreate them here, and I can guarantee they will be the same as reality no matter what you do with them. "If you want to research magic, let me scan the manual or equipment. Even living beings'' bodies can be duplicated, but they won''t have souls and will be just empty husks. "But the experiments will be just real or how it will affect them physically. If you want to create a soul, then maybe in the future, when I''m far more powerful. Anyway, you can do research like reality. If you want to learn alchemy, the same rules apply. "However, there is a restriction to this reality, which is my power level. Right now, I''m an Infancy-ss Primordial Nightmare. To reach the Adolescence-ss, I need to devour a massive amount of Dream Realms. So, my reality creation ability here will also be restricted to Infancy-ss! "Oh, and right now, the time runs three times faster than the reality here. 1 second outside means three seconds here." Nyx exined in great detail about the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm works, This left Jacob astounded since the thing he considered wasn''t even one at all.


    "How do you scan these things? You said your body is now merged with my dreamscape realm, and you can only exist in dreams. Furthermore, how strong is this Infancy-sspared to the power levels I know?" He questioned. "As my Nightmare Contractor, I can share your vision as long as you let me, so it won''t be a problem to scan anything as long as it is in your vision and that thing is not much stronger than me. "My body is indeed now incapable of leaving or separating from you, and I won''t die until you die, no matter how strong I am from you. I guess this is a price to pay for having all this power. "But as I exined before, I can invade people''s dreams and then devour their dreamscape realms as long as they are not too powerful from me. Dreams are the opposite of reality, and they are vulnerable and fragile if not protected properly. "For me, as long as there are openings, I can use my ability, Nightmare Conqueror, to send a Nightmare Conqueror Seed to my victim. Thereby, the Nightmare Conqueror seed will be bloomed by devouring the victim''s dreamscape realm. Once there''s nothing left, it will return to me with a dreamscape realm and that victim''s lifespan before I will devour it!


    "To answer your second question, I have no idea where I stand in your power system with Infancy-ss. I guess we should find soon as long as my master lets me scan some items or prepare ''food'' for me." Nyxughs coquettishly. Jacob, however, felt a chill in his spine when he heard about the Nightmare Conqueror ability. It''s simply too terrifying, and one only imagines slowly falling victim to it without even realizing it until it''s toote. While Nyx will remain safe with him even if this is found out, this is simply too heaven-defying, and even he feels jealous. Eve Autarch wasn''t this strong! How can someone protect themselves from an attack they can''t even predict or see? N?v(el)B\\jnn


    As for the power level, Jacob guessed it had to be above epic rank, or this would be meaningless. He would naturally find out until he scans items in his possession. He had unique rank items as well. Then Jacob suddenly had a question and asked, "Did the Dark Beings have Dreamscape Realms?" "No, the Dark Beings don''t have Dreamscape Realms, but Dark Nightmare Realms. Unlike the living, who can experience both Dreams and Nightmares, the Dark Beings can only see Nightmares. "Furthermore, the Dark Nightmare Realms of Dark Beings are even more beneficial for me than the living''s Dreamscape Realm. But the only downside is I would not get any lifespan from them." Nyx exined. Jacob was astonished to hear this piece of information. He never expected even the dead would have the ability to see the nightmares. Still, the part about lifespan didn''t sound strange anymore after his discovery of life crystals. Those guys increased their lifespan after absorbing it from the living, so in a sense, they don''t have their own lifespan at all. "What other abilities do you have?"

 Chapter 528 A Terrifying Discovery

    Chapter 528 A Terrifying Discovery


    "Hmmm¡­ other than Dreamscape Nightmare Realm and Nightmare Conqueror, I don''t have any more innate abilities because just these two abilities are made with a cluster of abilities. "Like the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm served as a reality itself, and it can be used in many ways. The stronger I get, the more of its properties will unlock, and trust me, you will absolutely like them. "As for the Nightmare Conqueror, this ability is not only for devouring, but I can also use it as an offense to drag people into their dreams and make their life worse than death. I can even turn those dreams into real life-like illusions to make them spit information or their deepest secrets. "If anything else, then your mind is no longer vulnerable to mental attacks, invasion, negative mental effects, metal curses, and so on unless, of course, the attacker is not too much stronger than me. Or we are both doomed. "Oh, and remember my Nightmare mes? They still exist, but I can only use them to protect this ce and trust me, they can burn anyone''s Psyche or Soul as long they dare to invade here. They are the bane of souls. It''s ast protection measure to protect us both. "I can still use Psyche Reasoning to talk with you when you''re not here, and you can enter anytime as long as you think about entering the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm," Nyx exined. Jacob didn''t find any fault in this, since even he thought just the realm was enough to make Nyx extremely useful, and the Nightmare Conqueror alone could send anyone to their deaths as long as they were foolish enough to go against him. Lastly, the part about no longer being vulnerable to mental attacks or negative mental effects drew his attention. "Does this immunity to negative mental effects also include effects from a powerful innate ability that affects the mind?" He asked sternly. He was naturally talking about the Giant Fighting Spirit, since that thing was giving him a headachetely. "It should be. As long as this ability is weaker than my protection range, then you''ll be fine." Nyx confidently replied, "Now, I have answered every question of yours. Can you please grant me a body? Or at least give me permission to change myself ording to my preferences." Jacob was happy to hear the first part, thetter made him narrow his eyes, "You have my permission as long as you don''t turn into that woman again. It''s forbidden!" "You''re the one who turns me into her¡­" Nyx muttered with indignation. "What was that?" Jacob narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Nothing." Nyx quickly feigns ignorance and changes the topic, "Also, permission to change this nd scenery. I want to show you the most beautiful ce I have ever seen." Jacob thought for a moment before he nodded, "Go ahead, but not¡­" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Not the garden, got it." Nyx quickly agreed happily, and then suddenly, the green grass in vanished, and what appeared terrified even Jacob. He stood on the floor full of stars, and around him were active rivers of stars that were extremely breathtaking. There was a supermassive tree in the center, seemingly made with stardust, and its starry branches spread as far as the eye could see. Despite being only a replica, that tree gave one a feeling of extreme ancientness and mystery, and it looked timelessly supreme, like the ruler of space itself. "What is ce?" Jacob couldn''t help but ask as his eyes were still affixed on the timeless tree. He knew this kind of thing was absolutely impossible to exist, yet deep down, he knewmon sense wasn''t worth a dime in this ce. But then, what kind of existence can makend and rivers of stars? That arcane tree was probably the most important part of it all. He didn''t dare to imagine just what kind of existence was capable of creating this all. "Hehe, this is the final ce I saw before that Owner of Universal Godly Scripture handed me to that tree thing." Nyx''s voice rang as she appeared beside Jacob. But she was no longer the dark mist anymore. Instead, she has turned into a woman whose beauty was hard to describe in words. The only urate word for her appearance was ''Goddess'', nothing else.


    She was perfect in every way. Her eyes appeared to be made with countless stars, and there was a white crown with myriad stars etched on it like jewels, and her long ck hair seemed to be made with strands of dark space itself. Even someone like Jacob, who had seen many women and only considered Hope as the most beautiful woman, was shaken by seeing this goddess in front of him. She was probably the pinnacle of true beauty. In the end, he was still a mortal with a powerful will, and the existence in front of him was nothing but worldly. Nyx smiled, which appeared soul-shattering as she looked at dazed Jacob, "This is the appearance of the Owner of Universal Godly Scripture who found me and brought me to this ce. Although it was because of her, I was trapped for so long in nothingness. But I had to admit, her appearance greatly affected me that day. For some reason, I can''t seem to hate her no matter what. It is like she won''t be tainted by something like hate. She seemed above these mundane emotions." Jacob''s heart skipped a beat, seeing that otherworldly smile before he snapped out of his daze. His eyes turned cold. "How should I leave this ce?" Nyx was surprised, "Just think about it, and you''ll leave, but why¡­" Before she could do anything, Jacob was gone, and she muttered in indignation, "Didn''t he want to hear my sad tale?" Outside, Jacob opened his eyes as he was still sitting in the dark cave, and he suddenly started to pant heavily as all those suppressed emotions started to rage in his body. It took a short while before he returned to being calm again. ''How can that kind of woman exist?'' He wondered in a trance as her face appeared in his mind again, and his heart trumped before he quickly snapped out of it, ''No! This is just the carnal desire of a mortal. She''s too strong for me, so it''s only natural she has had such a massive effect on my mind and wasn''t even the real thing, damn it! ''Not to mention, she is the owner of another Universal Godly Scripture¡­ the question is what hers Universal Godly Scripture do and how far she has gone into it to travel in that kind of ce¡­'' Just thinking about that starry scenery and that tree made Jacob extremely ufortable. Nyx had no idea that she had just revealed a terrifying secret to Jacob that was only known by a few scary existences throughout the entire Zodiac ins, and their ends were not pretty.

 Chapter 529 A Weapon Emperor as Mentor!

    Chapter 529 A Weapon Emperor as Mentor!


    Far, far away from the Epic ins, in the boundless dark space, a pair of starry eyes were revealed, wrapping the entire space. A mystical voice resounded in the entire dark space with uncertainty, "What is this strange feeling as¡­as if¡­ as if¡­ someone knows about me¡­ very strange¡­ who could it be¡­there shouldn''t be anyone alive to know me¡­ did the ??? cycle be chaotic¡­impossible¡­ still, I should check¡­it''s been a long time since I feel this way¡­" The entire dark space suddenly shredded, revealing an unimaginable scenery that no one dared to guess was hiding in this darkness!


    --- Jacob slowly returned to his calm self. Furthermore, he just feels the always active fighting giant spirit that gave him the urge to find strong opponents was now fully gone. It was a very peaceful and amazing feeling to have his calm mind back. ''I guess she wasn''t lying about the mental impunity. Furthermore, this also means Nyx is far stronger than the fighting giant spirit.'' Jacob mused, and he was pleased with this development. "Hey, master, can I see through your vision?" Nyx''s anticipatory voice suddenly sounded in his mind. Jacob was startled for a moment before he frowned a little. Nyx has already told him that she can share his vision, but she needs his permission. ''If she can share my vision, can she also see cursed immortality?'' He wondered, ''I guess I can always cut her off. She''s extremely intelligent and in no way a fool. She can be very helpful if I nurture her right. Now that her life is in my hand and connected with mine, there''s no need to be hard on her¡­'' Jacob sighed as he still couldn''t get that woman out of his mind. ''If she can share my vision, can she also see cursed immortality?'' He wondered, ''I guess I can always cut her off. She''s extremely intelligent and in no way a fool. She can be very helpful if I nurture her right. Now that her life is in my hand and connected with mine, there''s no need to be hard on her¡­'' Jacob sighed as he still couldn''t get that woman out of his mind. "Alright, you can see." Jacobmunicated with his mind. "Why aren''t you leaving?" Nyx unhappily asked as Jacob was still in the dark cave. She clearly wanted to see the outside world. Jacob paid her no mind and looked at his star watch and was surprised, ''It''s been three days?'' He didn''t know how long it would take for Nyx to build the Nightmare Dreamscape Realm. But he feels like it was only a few seconds, yet in reality, over three days have passed. ''I guess I should check Nyx''s limit of power first. She might be quite helpful against Captain Free Sword!'' His eyes went sharp as he asked, "Tell me the Nightmare Conqueror ability only works on one person at a time? If it does, how long would it take for you to kill the other party?" Nyx confidently replied, "Right now, I can send three Nightmare Conqueror Seeds, and for the seeds to bloom, it will depend on the victim''s mind, I guess. The weaker it is, the easier for me to take control. "As for killing, it could either be long or it can be achieved as long as I can devour their dream realm and then won''t retrieve the Nightmare Conqueror Seed. Instead, I can blow it up in the victim''s mind; as a result, destroying their souls!" Jacob''s eyes shimmered in astonishment, "So your Nightmare Conqueror Seeds can work like a bomb?" "Yes, let''s call this aspect Dream Soul Bomb!" Nyx excitedly eximed. Jacob couldn''t help but smile, "Since that''s the case, let''s test this ability''s timing and how it affects you and others. I''m sure you also wanted more input on his ability. Furthermore, earlier, you said you could scan items through my memories as long as I show you. How does that work? Can you read my entire mind, or just the part I''m willing to show you?" Jacob really wanted a definite answer to this question because if Nyx could only see what he showed her, then he could really do wonders with the realm. He can even make Nyx more knowledgeable and even guide her to be somethingpletely different. He had never taken any student in his previous life, nor had he left his secrets to anyone because they were simply too destructive. Furthermore, the main reason was he never found someone talented or worthy enough to continue his legacy. But now, after meeting with Nyx and knowing about her shrewdness, he suddenly wanted to groom her into a tactician who could help him with his research and fully capable of independent actions that were all taken for his sake and no one else. He didn''t have this thought with Autarch because it was simply not capable of something like this, no matter how intelligent andw-defying Autarch was because he couldn''t utilize Autarch''s abilities. However, Nyx''s Nightmare Dreamscape Realm and other abilities were apletely different story; he could do anything in the realm, and Nyx was the same. This opens a massive door for new opportunities for him, and as long as he nurtures her ording to his n, she can be the deadliest tool in his arsenal. Furthermore, Nyx can also give him more lifespan, even more than Cursed Immortality, in a short amount of time, and the best thing was she waspletely under his control! "I can only see what you want me to see. So, what do you want me to see, my master?" Nyx inquired with a hint of childlike curiosity. Earlier, she only saw a fragment of Jacob''s life, and she was very curious about her master and who he was. Furthermore, she was even more interested in knowing about what Jacob had aplished and how he waspared to the woman who captured her. In her mind, he had to be extraordinary, like her. s, she didn''t know that the illusion was going to break very soon, and she''d know just how wrong she was. As the saying goes, ''When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jacob was ted since it would make it even easier, "And you can remember everything?"


    "Yes." Nyx proudly dered.


    His smile grew even more, "Alright, in the future, I''m going to show you my life''s worth of knowledge about weapons, my research, and even some impossible theories. Try absorbing them all. Afterward, I''ll show you my magic research until you catch up, and only then we''ll move to the next part. "I won''t lie to you. I''m someone who develops weapons of mass destruction, and I''ve almost spent my entire life perfecting the art of killing through weapons. But I never had a sessor because no one was worthy enough. "Now, after meeting you, I think you can be that sessor because you have an amazing ability that can be used to research almost anything to the pinnacle or beyond. I want to groom you into the most brilliant researcher in the field of weapons, even more so than me. Our goals are to develop the ultimate weapons that can kill anything!" For the first time in many years, the dormant Weapon Emperor was fully revived!

 Chapter 530 Cursed Blood Condensing

    Chapter 530 Cursed Blood Condensing


    It took a whole day for Jacob to show the basics to Nyx, and he had to admit she was really talented and could memorize and learn anything within a few moments. Furthermore, he also experienced the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm''s magic when Nyx literally conjures everything and makes a gun just like a real one. There was no difference. Although she was talented, it wasn''t enough for her to learn Jacob''s entire life''s worth of legacy in a single day. In most, it would take about three weeks, which left himmenting and feeling extremely depressed about it since this was his entire life''s work. Still, he didn''t mind because once she learned everything, she could do many things for him while he could fully focus on other things. He will reap massive rewards in the future. Lastly, Jacob also warned her not to use that woman''s appearance in the future, at least not in front of anyone. As for himself, he found it a good way to increase his immunity against someone like her. Because just her appearance left him in shambles, which wasn''t a good thing. What if someone on the same level appeared and tried to charm him? He won''t be able to resist at all, not to mention he mighte in contact with the real thing in the future, so it was prepared in advance!


    Afterward, he left Nyx, who was extremely excited after learning the basics of gunsmithing, and started to make all sorts of guns. It was like toys, and she really liked the destructive sounds and bullets like a child, and she really seemed into it. Jacob woke up again and couldn''t help but smile with a hint of nostalgia, ''I was just like her once and couldn''t stop myself from learning more about guns¡­ I still vividly remember I wasn''t able to sleep for three days and was obsessed like a madman.'' Jacob shook his head as he really saw the young himself in Nyx, and it was a new feeling that was hard to describe. His expression turned solemn at this moment, "I have only two days left before that bastard contacts me. Cursed Immortality!"


    "First, I want to ask if Nyx would be able to see you through my eyes?" He questioned before the book could startughing. "Only the inheritor can see me, and that is you, isn''t it?" Immortika dismissively wrote. "Can you enter the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm?" "Not interested." "So, you can''t?" Jacob pushed further. "Why are you making a fuss? That ce is not yours, so how could I enter? Besides, what is so great about living in a dream? In the end, it won''t change reality." Jacob couldn''t help but be startled before he chuckled mockingly, "Why do I feel like you are very dissatisfied right now? It''s really a first, I don''t even know if you''re capable of such a thing." "Hehehehe¡­ don''t overthink things that are beyond yourprehension. You are still far too young even to understand mepletely." Immortika wrote. Jacob didn''t mind because it was a fact, "Alright, I won''t tease you since I''m not interested in teasing a crazy book. The reason I summoned you is simple: I''m about to start, so if anything newes up, keep tabs on them until I''m done. You can report me once I''m done. I just hope this much blood is enough to reach 100%."


    Having said that, Jacob was still doubtful, but he stopped hesitating, and a vial filled with ruby-like blood appeared. He opened it before emptying it in his mouth. This was far from enough, and one after another, a vial appeared, and then he would instantly empty it in a heartbeat. As the vials of heart blood were being emptied, the progress on the second page began to increase rapidly as Jacob could feel his blood boiling like a volcano, and a terrifying power current was seeping into his entire body. _____


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 51.11¡­54¡­60¡­67¡­75¡­81¡­82¡­83¡­


    _____


    At this moment, Jacob''s entire skin was crimson as smoke was rising, and his body had increased all the way up to the 14-meter mark. And at some point, his eyes had turnedpletely pitch ck. But he didn''t feel any difort. On the contrary, his entire body was filled with strength as he continued to absorb heart blood of extremely rare bloodlines across the zodiac ins. He had bought 118 vials of the heart blood of the descendants of the legendary beings while he kept the direct bloodlines for the end to make sure their effect would not be deterred. Now, at 83%, he finally takes out the first vial of the legendary bloodline and drinks it emptied and then another¡­


    _____


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 85¡­89¡­93¡­94¡­95¡­96¡­97¡­98¡­99¡­99.99¡­


    _____


    At his point, his crimson skin was almost ck, and his entire body was shimmering in dark hue as a powerful ghastly aura was rising.


    Suddenly, his cursed heart began to stir, and the crimson pule changed into ck, and a crimson glyph emerged on the heart, and as the blood passed through the heart, its color began to change from crimson to ck until it waspletely pitch ck like ink. After an unknown time, Jacob felt a huge volcano just erupt within his body. His height directly crossed 16 meters, and his muscles became more refined and glossy as his skin color began to turn back to normal. However, something had greatly changed. When his eyes turned back, they were no longer just amber; instead, they werepletely golden, like purest gold without any impurities, and if something looked carefully, there were tiny silver mes flickering within them. It was extremely strange, as Jacob felt his entire view had been changed, and he saw endless colored particles around him. Before Jacob couldprehend what was happening, a sharp pain struck his head like a sledgehammer, and his golden eyes instantly turned back to his amber eyes, which appeared to be filled with tiny golden stars. Confused, his vision returned to normal as he looked at the progress. _____ n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    -Cursed Blood Condensing Progress: 100%


    _____


    The pain just blown away like a winter breeze when he saw the cursed blood condensing at fullpletion!

 Chapter 531 First Phase: Third Stage

    <h4>Chapter 531 First Phase: Third Stage </h4>


    ?Jacob was extremely ecstatic, seeing he had taken another step towards immortality and a new stage had been unlocked!


    ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]


    [Current Phase: First Phase]


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Compete)


    -Second Stage: Cursed Blood Condensing (Complete)


    -Third Stage: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Iplete)


    ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: First (Body Transformation)


    -First Stage Progress: Complete


    -Second Stage Progress: Complete


    -Third Stage Progress: 0%


    ---


    -Lifespan: 750 Years (All Youthful)


    ---


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Third Stage)]


    -Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation: 00.00%


    [Description: Amalgamate your Cursed Blood into Bones to change your Bone Marrow into Cursed Bone Marrow by Sculpting Longevity Schema on your Bones.]


    [Longevity Schema: Picture]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 5000 Years of Lifespan & Genesis of Cursed Immortal Bloodline


    ______


    Jacob was shocked to see the description of the next stage, especially the picture of the longevity schema. It was a three-


    dimensional picture of a human skeleton filled with mysterious runic lines, and he had no idea how he was supposed to sculpt them on his own skeleton!


    Still, he was excited about the lifespan he would earn after this, which was ten times greater than the previous stage!


    Five thousand years was an extremely long time in his view, and to live that long was any mortal''s dream.


    Taking a deep breath, he quickly flipped to the empty page and said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"


    "Hehehe¡­ congrattions, you are finally at the final stage of the first phase, and you''ve reached it quite quicker than I''d expected. I''ll start then; first, my summoning time has been increased from 3 hours to 12 hours, and the infinity pendant''s 25 cubic meters space has been increased to 100 cubic meters. I bet you''ve been waiting for this for a long time."


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with excitement as he knew this meant his hex mana had increased, and now he should be able to use his hexes against a Unique Rank Being.


    "What about the physical aspect? What did I awake? Especially that vision, it wasn''t just normal, right?" He questioned as he still felt a faint headache from that strange vision.


    "Hehehe, you''ve awakened three physical aspects. A unique rank agility from the Winged Serpent, it''s like your wyvern''s endurance.


    "Second, a Unique Rank Ability called Mortal Danger Sense from the Infant Mortal Giant. This ability isn''t at the level of your fighting giant spirit, but still useful nheless. It can allow you to sense life-threatening danger two seconds prior to its arrival. You can even consider an ability that could help you look two seconds into the future, but only when that danger could im your life.


    "The third physical aspect actually didn''t have anything to do with other bloodlines at all; instead, the optical vision ability you had just used is awakened from your very bloodline, the Faery Human, the Eyes of Judge!


    "When your entire blood changed into cursed blood, your Faery Human blood was also fully integrated with it, which helped you awake the most ancient and powerful ability of Faery Human Race or, should I say, the Arch Justice Human Race.


    "Even among the royal bloodline of the Arch Justice Human Race, the Eyes of Judge is only a legend, as they all have various variants of this ancient optical ability. But since you are cultivating me, you naturally awakened the original one.


    "You got an ancient ability from a trash bloodline; now, this is what we call luck. Anyway, Eyes of Judge is one of the twelve ancient and most powerful optical eye abilities of the zodiac ins.


    "It can instantly see through anything, and nothing can hide from it, and the stronger you be, the more mysterious you''ll be able to see, not to mention you''ll be able to understand the mechanism of anything andprehend the core of many things that no one can understand. Illusions won''t work against it, and lies will reveal.


    "The Eyes of Judge are extremely powerful and can see myriad lies with a signal nce and then pass judgment with a blink!


    "But you are still far too away from using it to its full potential, and I can''t help you with that because everyone has their own unique approach to it. Nheless, I will give a warning: don''t use it for too long, or you might go blind or, worse, be a vegetable.


    "Because it draws power from your mind, and without a strong mind, you have no chance of exploring its mysticism. Right now, you can only open it for about five seconds anymore, and don''t me me for what happens next. Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob was shocked when he heard about awakening the Eyes of Judge from his own bloodline. This was thest thing he was expected to awake, or he never thought his bloodline had such a power hidden in it.


    But the aforementioned drawbacks were quite serious, so he took that warning to heart.


    "You just said my bloodline has been fully integrated with the cursed blood. Does this mean I''m no longer the Faery Human?" Jacob questioned with scrutiny.


    "In a sense, until your bone marrow changes, you will remain a Faery Human. But outsiders won''t be able to tell your bloodline origin anymore unless they take the sample from your bone marrow directly.


    "And before you ask, once you eat all that meat and digest it, you''ll be as strong as an Uniuq-Tier-9 Rank, and your fluid eleration will go up to 70X eleration." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, ''I still have no idea about the origin of this body and why it was abandoned. I guess it''s a good thing now that my bloodline won''t be able to make any waves. I don''t want to have anything to do with them. Who knows what kind of trouble they will bring.''


    He felt a sense of relief before he finally got to the main point, "What about the third stage, Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation? How am I supposed to carve my bones? Please don''t tell me I have to peel my own skill and tendons to carve my own bone?"


    Just thinking about it made Jacob shudder since it was too inhumane, and when he saw Immortika''s maniacalughter, he felt a sudden chill running down his spine!

 Chapter 532 Immortal

    <h4>Chapter 532 Immortal Chapter </h4>


    ?Immortika wrote with relish, "Hehehe¡­what''s the hurry? We are just getting to the interesting part. This time, when you reach thepletion with your cursed blood condensing, you have unlocked the first Immortal Chapter of the Cursed Immortality, the Cursed Blood Progenitor!


    "The Immortal Chapters are exclusive to Cursed Immortality, and other Universal Godly Scriptures also have such chapters unique to them. No one can duplicate, steal, or recreate them. These chapters are profound, and they have universal truths hidden within them, which are as vast as the ocean.


    "Each Immortal Chapter contains the essence of a part of the Universal Godly Scripture, and multiple Immortal Chapters create theplete Cursed Immortality!


    Jacob was astounded when he heard this new concept, "How do I ess it, and how is it relevant for the third stage?"


    "Hehehe, didn''t I say it''s a chapter of the scripture? As long as you wish to see it, you can open it at any time andprehend it as long as I can remain here. As for how it is relevant for Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation?


    "This is even simpler; you see, Immortal Chapter, Cursed Blood Progenitor, contains the truth about Blood, and you would be shocked to know that anything rted to blood, like inner physical aspects, magic abilities, magic spells, or even blood talent, could be created using this chapter.


    "Simply put, as long as you can understand this chapter, you can create anything rted to the mysticism of blood, and once you fully understand it, you''ll be the true progenitor of blood, and no one would be your match in blood y.


    "There also lies your solution for Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation. All you need to do is to create a skill or ability using this chapter and then use your own blood to sculpt the Longevity Schema on your bones.


    "From now on, it wouldn''t be about justpleting the tasks and getting rewards, you also need toprehend the mysterious and truth of the Universal Godly Scripture if you want to continue to move forward. Only with these truths can you move forward in the scripture, or you''ll be nothing but a pig with dragon wings, crushed under the wings'' weight.


    "Hehehe, you already have the core of the cursed immortal physique, which was the easiest part, and now is the start of the true trial. Trust me, if you can''tprehend those truths and create sufficient results, your lifespan will run out.


    "Oh, I should mention that one of myst inheritors failed at this very stage because he had a pig brain¡­ oh, how he begged and cried for me for help, and when failed, he then threatened me to seal me. Hehehehehe¡­ you have no idea how fun it was¡­ I hope you won''t be the same. I expect more from you. Hehehehe¡­"


    Jacob''s expression was clouded at this moment as he finally understood why there wasn''t any description of the method of how to carve his bones with his own blood.


    Now, he fully understands that he needs to understand this Immortal Chapter Cursed Blood Progenitor and create his own abilities or magic to achieve this. If he failed, he knew Immortika wasn''t messing around about thest part. It simply didn''t need to.


    Jacob took a deep breath to calm his chaotic heart, "You made it quite clear that this chapter can''t be understood within days or even years, and ording to what you just revealed, there are more such chapters?"


    "Hehehe, it all depends on the person''s cognition ability. Now, a true universal genius can understand within a few months, and some old monster won''t even be able to understand what it is his entire life. It''s not about strength or experience; it''s about the ability of cognition. As for yourtter question you''ll naturally found with time. There is no point in revealing them when you haven''t evenprehended the first one."


    "Can my Eyes of Judge help?" Jacob had to ask this since this new ability was extremely powerful, and Immortika said that he could see through things that others couldn''t so if he could use it in this Immortal Chapter, then it was a godsend.


    "Of course, they could, but it still depends on you understand them first. Hahahah¡­" Immortikaughed with relish.


    Jacob didn''t falter and suddenly grinned unperturbed, "Then I guess I got nothing to worry about, won''t I? Did you forget I just acquired a certain helper that can devour unlimited lifespan for me?"


    Immortika suddenly fell into silence at this moment and wrote after a while, "Sigh¡­ you really have devil''s luck. Still, it wouldn''t be too easy if I were you because this ce is filled with uncertainty, so I suggest you pick up your pace. Hehehe¡­"


    Jacob''s expression changed ever so slightly, "Show me this Immortal Chapter."


    The next moment, the page of cursed immortality turned again. But unlike its usual white silvery color, this page waspletely ck, like a ck hole, and in the center of this ce was a crimson drop of blood, and that''s it, there was nothing else!


    Jacob''s expression warped the moment he saw the drop of blood drawn on the ck page, and there was nothing else there, not even a dot or a word.


    He knew things had gone south and yelled indignantly, "Bastard, are you fucking with me?"


    Jacob was hoping to see some mystical words or runes, but this signal drop of blood was thest thing he was expecting, and he began to understand why thest guy died.


    The page turned back, and Immortika''s hystericalughter was waiting for him before it finally wrote, "What are you going mad about? Didn''t I tell you this is an Immortal Chapter that can''t be copied, stolen, or recreated? There is only one in the entire universe. How could such a profound thing be written or expressed with mere words?


    "The drop of blood is not simple. It contained the universal truth about the Blood. Everything you ever need is in there, and this is where your test ofprehension begins. So instead of yelling, why don''t you start training, or you can also cause trouble? I don''t mind at all. In fact, it would be more entertaining for me, Hehehe!"


    Jacob waspletely speechless with a dark expression as he red at the cursed book. He knew things were really beginning to getplicated for him, and this was still the first freaking phase one among the nine!

 Chapter 533 Free Food Delivery

    <h4>Chapter 533 Free Food Delivery </h4>


    ?On the western shore of the Epic ins, a medium-sized ship was sailing closer. On this ship were eight giant figures giving a powerful aura; they were all Horned Ogre, and two of them were dwarfs, they were sent here by Captain Free Sword!


    The Vice-Captain Harold was inmand of this group and the mission.


    "Vice-Captain, do you really think this would be fine to enter the Epic ins?" An ogre with a stern expression questioned.


    Harold replied confidently, "Don''t worry, the Star Void Server no longer exists in the epic ins. Now, it''s just like a continent without the Star Network''s protection. We''ll be fine."


    "Sixth Brother, you''re worrying about nothing. We are not going to im the epic ins but just to plunder the Dark City before going home. Aren''t you feeling suffocating breathing in this thin air?" Another ogre snickered.


    The sixth brother spoke uncertainly, "Sigh¡­ going against Dark City is nothing but trouble."


    "Heh, don''t worry, they won''t even know what hit them. They would''ve even dreamt about a bunch of Uniques raiding their turtle den in the epic ins. I''ve always wanted to drink those conceited bastards'' blood." Another ogre chuckled with bloodlust in his eyes.


    Everyone began to smile as they were all extremely confident in this endeavor despite some minor misgivings.


    "Tell me about this ve. He''s the one receiving us, right, and the source of our information?" A dwarf asked as her voice was extremely pleasant.


    Harold replied, "Heh, he''s just an ant used by us. Not worth anything. We are ordered to bury him once we''re done with the mission."


    "He seemed quite interesting, though. He was able to get this information so quickly. Won''t it be a waste?" The dwarf replied.


    Harold shook his head, "It''s all because of the captain''s mercy, nothing much. Without the treasures bestowed by the captain, he wouldn''t be able to do anything. In the end, he''s just an epic, and it would be too much trouble to take him back. We don''t have ack of people like him in the unique ins. In the grand, unique ins, he''s just a speck of dust not worth a dime."


    Everyone chuckled maliciously since theypletely agreed with this statement. In their eyes, Epic ins wasn''t anything, and the amount they had plundered could topple any power in the Epic ins.


    In the end, Jacob was just an expendable pawn of Captain Free Sword, nothing else.


    "Well, you''re right. But I''m more worried about Masha, she''s been acting weirdly ofte." Another ogre said with concern.


    "Don''t worry she''s probably fantasying about some gruesome experiment on that traitor. She''s always like this, and just like always, she won''t care about you, old eighth." The Sixth Brother teased, making the Old Eighth blush.


    "You''re just ying with fire. That woman ispletely anomalous and not worth your affection. If you want beauty, there are plenty of them out there. Stop lusting after that lunatic, or the next thing you know, she''s experimenting with your dick." Harold teasingly stated, making everyone burst intoughter.


    They were more like family than just a crew and always teased each other.


    At this moment, the second dwarf, who was also a sorcerer beside the woman dwarf, blurted, "Someone is flying above us!"


    Everyone was startled and quickly approached the deck and looked at the starry sky, but there was no one. However, they trust this dwarf senses because he is a powerful spirit user, and his senses are for show unless a treasure that could surpass his level nothing can hide from him.


    "Show yourself!" Harold coldly uttered as his aura skyrocketed. He was a unique-tier-7batant just below Captain Free Sword.


    "As expected of unique ranks, my rare rank disc''s stealth is worth nothing in front of your bunch." A cold, sneering voice rang before a figure was revealed in the sky, and his shadow covered the entire ship. Even the giant ogres looked like ants in front of this gigantic figure.


    "Who are you?" Harold asked as he had a very bad feeling seeing this 19-meter-tall giant. He had only seen this size of a giant once in the unique ins, and the person could inflict fear even on the captain.


    Their natural size always measured the Giants'' prowess, and any giant above 15 meters in size was a confirmed unique rank. Still, there were also magical abilities that could increase size, so they were uncertain.


    Furthermore, it was epic ins, so how could a unique rank giant be here? Still, as notorious star pirates, they were all extremely cautious.


    The giant stood on a gray disc like a small mountain as his long dark hair fluttered in the wind and his emotionless blue eyes were locked on the group.


    He finally spoke, "I guess you can''t identify me with this mask, eh Harold? I suppose I was just a powerful ant in your eyes that day, not worth remembering. But so what? You see, I''m a little bit hungry, and you all delivered yourselves at a perfect time. Don''t worry, I''ll send my regards to Captain for this free food delivery soon."


    His words were like devil wispier, sending chills to everyone''s spins, and Harold''s eyes opened wide in disbelief as a terrifying notion surfaced in his mind.


    "YOU! No impossible¡­" He was appalled, but before he could do anything, his eyelids suddenly turned heavy as a mountain, and the next moment he began to fall back.


    "It''s an enemy attack!" The sixth brother, who was second inmand, yelled in horror as he didn''t even see what happened before Vice-Captain Harold was down!


    s, it was toote since the next moment, he also fell victim to the same hex and fell on the deck.


    Appalled, the others quickly tried using their spells, but the next moment, both dwarfs who were the sorcerers and another powerful ogre suddenly gripped their heads and began to scream.


    "Ahhhhh¡­ he''s in my head¡­."


    The remaking ogres were scared out of their minds instead of fighting, they all decided to jump in the ocean. This person was simply too terrifying, as he took down the most powerful members of their group in a heartbeat.


    They all thought that this was a huge trap!


    s, they realized it toote as swords appeared in Jacob''s hands before green mes ignited on sharp des, and the next moment, he had already vanished from his spot.


    On the ogre who was still in the air felt his heart palpitated, and the next moment a green streak shed past his neck.


    The others who were in the ocean began to dive.


    But how could they be matched with Jacob in water?


    His eyes shimmered with a blue hue, and the next moment, four thick water pirs rose from the ocean, and within those pirs were trapped the reaming four ogres like caged rats.


    Without wasting a signal movement, Jacob easily decapitated them all as their blood dyed the ocean before collecting their corpse. Hended on the ship''s deck, where the two dwarves and another ogre were still clenching their heads and scheming.


    Jacob sneered, "It seemed your ability worked on unique rank quite effectively."


    A jolly voice replied in his mind, "Hehe, I''m nothing in front of you, my master!"

 Chapter 534 Unique-Tier-9!

    <h4>Chapter 534 Unique-Tier-9! </h4>


    ?Jacob merely chuckled before knocking down the three victims of Nyx. He had no intention of killing them until Nyx was done with them.


    "So, how long would it take for you to devour their dreamscape realms and lifespan?" Jacob asked as he took control of the ship, which was actually a basic, unique rank ship!


    "Hmmm¡­ the seeds have already taken root in their dreamscape realm. The two short fellows would take around six or seven days, while the big fellow would only take around two or three days." Nyx replied with some uncertainty.


    Jacob was surprised, "It only takes you half a day to devour a dark being''s nightmare realm, and the same goes for the living the other day. But two days for this ogre and seven days for those dwarfs? Why is that?"


    "I don''t know. Those two dwarfs have stronger minds than that ogre thing." She replied hesitantly.


    Jacob suddenly thought about something, "It might be because those two dwarfs are sorcerers and had awakened their spirit, while that ogre is an aura user. Don''t tell me spirit also affects mind prowess?"


    Jacob was startled when he thought about it, since he had been thinking about ways to increase his mental strength to use his eyes of judge. But it was far easier said than done, since even the witch pce didn''t have such records.


    So, he mused, he might find something in the unique ins. After all, the topic of mind and soul was extremelyplex. But now, he suddenly thought about this possibility because the dreamscape realm was directly rted to soul and mind.


    The spirit users were those who were well versed in magic and research, while the aura users were more inclined towards battles and killing techniques. There was a clear reason for this discrimination between aura and spirit, and that might be rted to cognitive prowess.


    Although he didn''t have proof, he might be able to confirm his theory with Nyx.


    "Oh, the two categories of races you exined to me, thebatant and sorcerers, right? I don''t know, but you might be right. Because he is clearly stronger than them, yet his mind is not. How about you found me more of such creatures so we can confirm this theory." Nyx excitedly said. She had turned into a hungry academic in two days, and she still liked gunsmithing the most, as itpletely fascinated her to no end.


    Jacob nodded, "Let''s do this experiment with the epic rank races first in these uing few days. If this turns out to be true, then I think strengthening my dreamscape realm might also strengthen my mind. What do you think?"


    "Of course, it would. Since your dreamscape realm is now merged with me, it would naturally affect your mind as well. The ability to resist negative mind effects is also rted to this fact. If I get enough data, I can even begin experiments in the realm." She excitedly stated.


    "Alright, once we''re done here. I''m going back to the alive ins to finish some unfinished business. In the meanwhile, I''m going to lead their captain by the nose before I im his life. Only then can we move towards the unique ins. It''s going to be a long journey." Jacob stated his n before he cut off Nyx''s vision and began to eat those ogres without leaving anything.


    Jacob had never expected that all that meat he bought would not be able to quench his hunger, and despite devouring everything, he was still thirty percent hungry.


    Furthermore, the Wyvern''s endurance was losing effect as he no longer felt lethargic but hungry again. This was clearly rted to his growing power, and now he was going to be on the same rank as the endurance, so it would lose its effect.


    Before, he nned to lead these ogres into the epic ins and use them to wreak havoc, but after he found that his second had beenpleted, and he had reached the final tier of the unique rank, he changed his mind and decided to use them as a very much needed food source.


    Even though those ogres were far from the direct bloodline of legendary beings, they were still Uniques nheless, and his hunger greatly subdued while he was only an inch away from reaching twenty meters in height.


    This was probably the onlyint he had now, his growing height. Right now, he was like a small walking mountain, and he was afraid his size would reach unimaginable heights, and he didn''t know what to do or feel about it.


    At this moment, he again thinks about the gluttony mask. Since he had mental immunity from Nyx now, he should be fine, but the thing was, he was stillcking the mystic signature.


    Another thing worth mentioning is that now, with a hundred cubic meters of space in the infinity pendant, his hexes can be used against four epics and two Uniques, which gave Jacob the confidence to get rid of Captain Free Sword as long as he wished it.


    That''s why he no longer needed to scheme when he could overwhelm him with power. The only problem was now the ve Rune, which was still in effect. Although he could resist a little now, it was still a hindrance as long as his magic ability didn''t surpass Masha.


    After feeding on those five ogres, Jacob dragged the three of the Nyx''s victims into the basement and cut off their four limbs before closing their wounds by burning them. Strangely, they didn''t react at all, as they were all sleeping peacefully. He knew Nyx was probably having the time of her life.


    Once he left them, he dragged Harold and the Sixth Brother, named Anival, into the captain''s cabin, which was a luxurious room. He used his hexes on them and put them in slumber for two reasons.


    The first one, he wanted some information on Captain Free Sword and what they were doing here. Second, how did Captain Free Sword determine the second traitor''s identity back then?


    However, he knew once Masha was under Autarch''s control, he would get all the information he needed, and Autarch would reach the epic rank as well. But it would still take more years, and Jacob wasn''t going to wait, since Captain Free Sword might suspect something.


    Thereafter, Jacob directly nted a few parasite gems into their skulls. He didn''t have a unique rank one, and they wouldn''t be enough to enve thempletely. But they were perfect to restrain them as long as he wouldn''t give them a chance to take them out or gather their strength.


    To achieve this, he punched right above their magic cores'' positions and directly cracked them!


    Once all the preparations were done, he satfortably on a couch and ended the hex.


    The moment Harold and Anival''s eyes opened, they went wide, and their faces turned pale as ghosts when deadly pain attacked their minds and bodies like a tsunami.


    The next moment, horrifying screams rang in the calm ocean like wails of suffering souls in hell!

 Chapter 535 What Do You Want?

    <h4>Chapter 535 What Do You Want? </h4>


    ?Eight dayster, Jacob appeared on the deck of the ship as he basked in the sunlight with azy expression.


    At this moment, a vermin transponder appeared in his hand, and with a sly smile, he activated it.


    Captain Free Sword''s gloomy voice rang, "Where are you, and what happened to my men?!"


    It wasn''t the first time he received this call. It was just that he didn''t respond, and he was pretty sure Harold and others would''ve also received this same call but to no avail, which made Captain Free Sword panic.


    Jacob was also helpless, since he couldn''t open those guys'' space rings because of the mystic signature. Nheless, it was ording to his n, so it didn''t matter if he could ess their rings or not. He wanted to make Captain Free Sword panic, for he had already got what he wanted from Harold, and they had turned into Jacob''s nutrition.


    Jacob pretended to be panicked and agitatedly said as if he was wounded and running for his life, "Ca¡­captain! I-I don''t know! Six days ago, we entered the dark city with the Vice-Captain, and when we found the Dark Marquise and tried to subdue him, suddenly a blinding white light appeared, and I lost consciousness, and I just awakened in a gloomy ce! I¡­ I don''t know what happened to the others! Please save me, captain!"


    A grave, silent descent, but Jacob merely smiled and waited for Captain Free Sword''s response.


    "So, you''re saying something was strong enough to overwhelm my men, and somehow they let you live, and not only that, they even left you with your transponder!? Did you take me for a freaking fool?!!" Captain Free Sword bellowed furiously.


    Jacob was already prepared for this as he quickly responded, "I-I¡­ please believe me, I have no idea what happened, but I woke in this strange ce, and my space ring was still there. Oh, no! There are skeletons here, captain! You must save me!"


    "If this is true, then I need more information! Search for Harold and others! You better make it fast, or I''ll show my other side, and even if you were able to escape alive, you won''t be able to escape me!" Captain Free Sword then directly cut off the call.


    Jacob couldn''t help but sneer, "We''ll see about that, don''t we?"


    Storing away the transponder, Jacob also stored the entire ship away since it was extremely useful to him before he used his gray disc to fly towards the epic ins.


    ---


    A few hundred miles away from the epic ins was Captain Free Sword''s gigantic ship,pletely hidden from others because of its terrifying stealth.


    Captain Free Sword, at this moment, was extremely livid, and another ogre was standing beside him with a dark expression.


    "Was he telling the truth?" The ogre who was below Harold in seniority questioned, everyone called him Vile Horn.


    Captain Free Sword furiously retorted, "Or what do you think he is capable of handling ten unique ranks!?"


    Vile Horn also winced his browns as he knew how silly this question was, and he knew better than anyone just how treacherous Harold was, so an epic rank ve can''t even scratch him, much less inflict any harm to ten of them.


    "Going after Dark City was a bad idea." He muttered, since he knew just how mysterious and dangerous the dark cities were, and underestimating them was a huge mistake.


    Captain Free Sword ground his teeth, "You think I don''t know that? There was only a signal shot for us to return home, and I had to take it. But it still doesn''t make any sense. Not to mention us, no unique rank person could stay in the epic ins. So, the only exnation is there was an extremely powerful magic scroll in the dark city possession as its trump card. But why did they leave that ve alive?"


    Vile Horn''s expression changed as he said ponderously, "The information about this came from that salve, right? So could it be he''s working with the dark city against us? They might''ve gotten rid of his ve rune for his loyalty!"


    Captain Free Sword''s eyes shimmered with dangerous light, as the chance of this happening was very high if it was the dark city.


    "Summon Masha, we''ll know if it''s true or not!" He ordered coldly.


    A few minutester, Masha appeared looking gorgeous in a red dress, but neither Captain Free Sword nor Vile Horn was in the mood to admire her enthralling features.


    Masha also read the room and asked, "What happened?"


    Without replying to her question, Captain Free Sword coldly asked, "The ve rune on Jacob S. King, is it still intact?"


    Masha didn''t tarry and quickly closed her eyes before she mumbled in iprehensiblenguage, and the next moment, a crimson rune shimmered on her forehead.


    Looking at that rune, Captain Free Sword''s expression eased a little, while Vile Horn frowned deeply.


    Masha opened her eyes at this moment, and that rune vanished as she said confidently, "It is still active, Captain!"


    Captain Free Sword sighed, "It appears Mr. King is telling the truth. The Dark City was really able to retaliate against our men."


    "What is going on?" Masha tried asking again, as she wasn''tpletely unaware of Captain Free Sword''s n.


    Captain Free Sword didn''t hide and told her about what happened to the group.


    Masha''s expression shifted as she was also shocked, "What do we do?"


    "Let''s wait for Mr. King''s further findings. Since the enemy left him be, they are clearly confident against him and might want something." Captain Free Sword replied in a grave tone.


    A few hourster, this time, Jacob sent Captain Free Sword a call, and Vile Horn and Masha were also present.


    Captain Free Sword activated the transponder, and a woman''s voice sounded filled with mockery, "So you must be the mastermind behind that little mishap. I know leaving this guy alone would gain your attention."


    Captain Free Sword narrowed his eyes as he coldly questioned, "Who might you be?"


    "I''m someone you don''t want to mess with. Oh, my mistake, you have already messed with me. Tell me, how should I punish your group of misfits?" She asked dismissively, sounding extremely arrogant.


    Captain Free Sword and others'' expressions went extremely dark, as they never expected someone from the epic ins to dare to talk to them like this.


    But Captain Free Sword controlled his boiling fury as he asked coldly, "I admit I''ve underestimated the Dark City of Epic ins. But since you''re talking to me, I can presume you have something in mind. I''m a very reasonable man, and I can admit my fault and ept responsibility. So, let''s be frank and cut to the chase. What do you want?"


    "Hehehe¡­ as expected from a star pirate. Alright, I''m also easy to talk with. Your men arepletely fine and under my care. But how long it willst depends on you. If you want to deal with me and free your men,e to the epic ins. I don''t like to talk business on calls."


    Done saying she cut the call making Captain Free Sword even more pessimistic and enraged!

 Chapter 536 S-Augmented Reality Lane (1)

    <h4>Chapter 536 S-Augmented Reality Lane (1) </h4>


    ?In the Vile Witch Valley, the core city of this region No. 492, in the headquarters of the Alchemy Guild, Jacob was sittingfortably, and in front of him was none other Basic Elder Grandmaster Sofie holding Jacob''s Vermin Transponder.


    When Jacob showed up out of the blue, she was shocked since she didn''t remember Faceless Ancient being a massive twenty-meter-tall giant. Furthermore, he had turned even more unfathomable than thest time, as if his power had no depth, and she felt like an ant.


    Afterward, he had her read a script to trick Captain Free Sword. She now looked at Jacob with dread as she had no idea who she was talking to, but the other party seemed quite furious and wondered how that person had offended this dark star, and that person thought she belonged to a dark city.


    One thing was clear, though: Jacob was nning something big.


    Jacob looked at Sofie''s apprehensive expression and chuckled, "You did great. Even I almost believe you."


    Sofie pulled a bitter smile as she appeared even more beautiful, "Lord, what are you truly nning, really?"


    Although he was still apprehensive of him, she had worked for him now enough to understand him slightly and ask questions.


    Jacob merely smiled as he replied, "Just spreading a to catch a big fish. Don''t worry, though; your life ispletely guaranteed as long as you follow me. After this, you''ll get your freedom."


    Sofie eyes shimmered with happiness before she hesitated and said sheepishly, "C-can I say something?"


    "Go ahead." Jacob dismissively said, as he no longer put anyone in the epic ins in his eyes because he was already at the peak of unique rank. Not even Captain Free Sword can threaten him now.


    If not for Masha''s ve rune, he would''ve already gone to him to settle his score.


    Sofie took a deep breath and resolutely said, "I¡­I want to follow you!"


    Jacob narrowed his eyes upon hearing this unexpected answer, making Sofie quiver as she lowered her head.


    "Are you serious? Following me means forfeiting your authority and even your luxurious life as a member of the Alchemy Guild. Moreover, you might die at any moment, or I might sacrifice you." Jacob inly stated, and he wasn''t joking.


    Sofie took a deep breath to calm her widely beating heart, "If I remain here, I think this would be the limit of my achievements. B-but following you means I might achieve something. As an alchemist, my goal should be to pursue the mysteries, not livingfortably.


    "When I became an alchemist, my goal was to unravel the mysteries of magic. But as time passed, my goal became blurry, and with all the authority and riches, I didn''t know what I was doing anymore.


    "But when my lord ensl¡­ I-I mean, when you took me in, I finally understood how I took my freedom for granted, and my little power and authority didn''t mean anything in front of a true master." She looked deeply into Jacob''s eyes as she stated, "Please give me a chance, and I should prove my worth. In return, all I want is a ce by your side."


    Jacob narrowed his eyes, looking at the beautiful elf full of convictions and a new fire in her that wasn''t present when he enved her that day.


    "It''s not like I look down on you or anything. But without your authority, what other use do you have for me? Furthermore, your strength is nothing in the ce which I''m aiming for. You are nothing but a burden." Jacob mercilessly stated without holding back.


    Sofie was slightly pale, but it wasn''t like she hadn''t expected this response. She inhaled deeply and said, "I-I know I''m useless in your eyes, but I''m still willing to be your maid. You need someone to take care of your business¡­ and¡­ you."


    She begins to blush at this point, "Please let me serve you, and if I die, I won''t me anyone. You can use me as a sacrificial pawn!"


    Jacob looked deeply at the elf, as he knew it would take all the willpower to state one''s desire and submit to someone.


    "I''ll think about it. You are dismissed for now. If you receive another call, report me to first before doing anything." He stated impassively.


    Sofie smiled brightly. Although Jacob didn''t ept her, he didn''t reject her either. She quickly bowed before she left the room, which was actually hers.


    Jacob couldn''t help but sigh, ''A follower, huh? In the long journey to immortality, do I even need to consider it when everyone will just die before me? Am I even capable of caring about others anymore?''


    He didn''t know why he was thinking but dismissed those strange thoughts since he knew, in the end, he would be alone, and he couldn''t tarry from this path for anything or anyone¡­


    ---


    At this moment, outside the waterfall in the core area of the Vile Witch Valley, where one of the entrances of the Witch Pce was located once, two giant figures appeared.


    "This is the ce?" Star-Lord asked emotionally with great pain.


    The Vice Star-Lord, also his wife, replied with a quavering voice, "Yes, this is the ce where some vile brute murdered our children!" There was endless hate in her voice.


    Star-Lord took a deep breath to calm his boiling hatred, and a white brocade box appeared in his hand.


    He emotionally said while creasing the smooth jade like surface of the box, "It took them five months to deliver this S-


    Augmented Reality Lane to us. Now, we can finally find the murderer of our children.


    "But we are only given two more weeks before the Containment Unit of Destiny Star Corporation would arrive here. My star ID might''ve already been exposed, so we need to change our identities before departing. So, I want you to be open-minded. Just in case we can''t track down the killer, we''ll leave. We can''t die. We have to live for our children." He sternly said.


    The Vice Star Lord closed her eyes as tears began to stream down before she nodded, "I know. I don''t want to die before killing that vile brute. Even if he could escape our revenge now, once we climb thedder at the Unique ins, it would not be toote to destroy the entire epic ins!"


    The Star Lord nodded in stratification and gently said, "Now that''s my wife. But I don''t n on giving up this time!"


    The next moment, he opened the brocade box, and a blinding crimson light suddenly gushed out like a stream of endless water and quickly began to cover the core region of the Vile Witch Valley!

 Chapter 537 S-Augmented Reality Lane (2)

    <h4>Chapter 537 S-Augmented Reality Lane (2) </h4>


    ?As the crimson light covered the entire core area of the Vile Witch Valley in front of Star-Lord and his wife, time seemed to be yed in reverse as images of beasts being to appeared drinking water from this ce.


    It continued to go backward until the virtual images of Vice Star Lord and her people came into y from herst visit.


    Both of them continued to stare with killing as the time continued to go backward until they saw a group of people emerging from the water. Immediately, Star-Lord tapped on the brocade box, and the time reverse slowed down.


    Although they can see these things, they can''t hear anything.


    Soon, they instantly spotted a lone figure from the group walking backward in the forest, and they looked at each other before following this hooded figure. After following him deep into the forest, they saw this person waving his hand in reverse, and a giant figure suddenly emerged on the ground!


    This was the same scene when Jacob hexed Frugal when he was on a call with Star-Lord.


    "Frugal!" The Vice Star Lord cried emotionally, "He''s the one who killed him!" She roared with hatred.


    The Star Lord didn''t hesitate and tapped on the box again, and this time, augmented reality suddenly stopped.


    The Star Lord then took out a small rectangr device and activated it while cing it close to the mysterious hooded figure, and then a white scanning light began to scan this person from head to toe.


    A static voice rang from the device, "An inactive Star Watch detected!"


    Both husband and wife''s expressions warped upon hearing it, as they didn''t expect this at all. In their mind, as long as they could use the S-Augmented Reality Lane to reverse the time period to when their children died and use this special device of the organization to scan this murderer''s star watch, they could get his star ID.


    But the murderer was even more cunning than they had thought as he didn''t wear his active star watch but an inactive one.


    The S-Augmented Reality Lane would work by hacking into the SAAI''s observation database, which monitored all the activities in the Epic ins. Nothing could hide from it.


    But unlike SAAI, the S-Augmented Reality Lane could only cover a small region, and it could only be used once in that area, not again if they don''t want to infuriate the SAAI and activate its killing protocols.


    Furthermore, they can''t hear sounds, and the limit to this augmented reality was 999 days, and they can only go back once. They can not y it forward.


    They had already turned back time to 997 days just to reach this point, and they only had one use of this thing before it would teleport back to whence it came. It was a security measure to keep this extremely precious device safe and not be used by another unauthorized person.


    However, now things were going south.


    "I don''t believe it! I can''t ept it!" Vice Star-Lord was on the verge of a mental breakdown at this moment.


    "Let''s use the reaming time and hope that bastard left some clues." Star-Lord took a deep breath to calm down and yed it again.


    They watch the murderer jumping back on the tree while Frugal turns back and begins to talk with Star-Lord before they begin to turn back again.


    They both walked with them, and this time, they saw the person headed back into the forest again while Frugal was still present there, and they knew this was the time when he got rid of Aven.


    So, they followed him and soon arrived where Jacob dealt with Aven and Vice Star-Lord, who couldn''t hold back her tears seeing her precious daughter.


    The Star Lord tried again, but the result was the same: Jacob was still not wearing his star watch. So, they continued to y the keeping, watching how it all yed out.


    They even saw Jacob going into the water with another mercenary anding back alone before the group again walked back into the forest.


    As the time of the S-Augmented Reality Lane wasing to an end, they saw them camping, and for thest time, the Star-


    Lord tried to scan Jacob again, and the result was still the same.


    At this point, they were filled with despair and helplessness and once the S-Augmented Reality Lane time was up, the brocade box in his vanished with a sh.


    "Hateful!" Star-Lord roared fully of unwillingness. Despite getting the S-Augmented Reality Lane, they still weren''t able to get another on their children''s murderer. It was like someone had ripped open their barely healed wound again.


    In the end, Star-Lord tries to console his wife and says, "Although we didn''t manage to catch the killer, I''d observe the way he took them. They weren''t given the chance to fight before they were killed. This person has an extremely bizarre magic, and he knew who he was targeting. Even we might not be able to take him down easily. This kind of person and magic is very rare. Let''s search for him this way. He can''t hide forever!"


    The Vice Star Lord nodded with teary eyes, "I¡­I know. I would never let this go until I y his skin, pull his tendon, grind his bones, and drink his blood!" Her very word was from her heart, which was filled with hatred and vengeance.


    Both of them then left dejectedly. They came with hope, yet they left with even more despair.


    ---


    Jacob had no idea his decision to switch his star watch back then had suddenly saved him from bing the enemy of the Star Hackers, or his star ID would''ve been on their cklist as well.


    Although he might not care about the Star-Lord and Vice Star Lord of the Epic ins, the ATLAS in the Unique ins was not something to be underestimated. Even the Star Network can''t do anything to them as they are simply too discreet, and the powers there also have secret dealings since their gadgets are simply too helpful and unique.


    They were far above the Killer Skull Society, and being their target was not something that even Dark City could handle.


    Right now, he was still waiting for Captain Free Sword''s response before taking another step to take down the notorious group of star pirates that had even evaded the pursued big powers from the Unique ins.


    In the meanwhile, he finally got the chance to pay attention to the Hunter''s Legacy he earns in the trial in, the Night Hunter''s Aura and Spirit, a Universal Scripture of Unique Rank!

 Chapter 538 Scripture of Blank

    <h4>Chapter 538 Scripture of nk </h4>


    ?The Night Hunter''s Aura and Spirit was an extremely rare Universal Scripture that could be cultivated with all the elements andpatible with both aura and spirit paths.


    This universal scripture was a stealth-type scripture with five abilities for both spirit and aura, and the rectified stars needed for them were 900.


    Jacob was really fascinated by this scripture and wanted to cultivate those abilities. Still, he needed to have either aura or spirit glyph to cultivate it, which poured cold water on his expectations.


    Then he put it away and checked the Scripture of nk that he got from Nelsen, which was also like the Night Hunter andpatible with every element.


    However, when he started to read the details of the Scripture of nk, he was startled because it was not what he was expecting it to be.


    The Scripture of nk is actually a magic ability scripture that could help a person gain a fake aura or spirit glyph called the nk Aura Glyph or nk Spirit Glyph!


    However, unlike the realm Aura and Spirit Glyphs, this nk Glyph would emerge within a magic core, not etch on the skull, and this glyph can''t etch any abilities like the real one. Its only purpose was to provide either aura or spirit!


    But for Jacob, the ability to etch was not as important as having aura and spirit because the only disadvantage he had over unique rank is they had either aura and spirit while he only had in mana.


    If he could have an aura or spirit, that disadvantage would vanish in smoke, and he could be a true unique rank and also raise his power to new heights!


    Jacob also suspected that Nelsen had already cultivated this scripture and had either aura or spirit, and that''s why he was able to hunt down a unique rank beast in the trial!


    ''That old fox was really hiding it well. Just where did he get this? Furthermore, this scripture could grant any type of glyph one desires. This means that if someone had an innate aura glyph, they could also have a spirit glyph, and they also didn''t need to be a unique rank at all. Even star or epic star-rank magic cores could form these glyphs.


    ''It is even more advantageous to me since I have three magic cores. I can have three types of auras or spirits or either have both. No, wait, I might also have a natural spirit glyph from the hex core, so it should have four glyphs. And once I cultivate the Art of Nature to its full potential, I would have six magic cores¡­''


    Just thinking about it made Jacob''s heart race, as the Scripture of nk, was tailor-made for him, and he could do wonders with it.


    A content smile appeared on his face, ''It seemed the old fox was really sincerer about making amends. Although the zodiac oath is not in effect, I know it would be nigh impossible to find that old fox since he would flee with Ellie the moment he came out from the champion space, so hunting them would be akin to searching a needle in a haystack.


    ''But now it seemed I could forgive them a little and give them a chance to run. However, if they ever appeared before me, I''ll eat them alive. As for Lucy, she has been AWOL since the trial ended, which means she is also hiding. Even though I got some of her hideouts out from her guard in the trial, she is not as important as that ogre bastard.''


    Jacob smiled coldly as he still wanted to hunt down both Ellie and Lucy, but he knew it would take too much time to search for them, especially after meeting with Nelsen.


    They might be hiding in the star ocean, so he didn''t bother and focused on the target in the view.


    So, without any further ado, he begins to cultivate the Scripture of nk with his fire core first. He chose to form the nk Aura Glyph of Fire because of fire''s destructive properties, and it would directly raise his attacking power.


    But forming this nk aura glyph would take about six to twelve months, and he needed to meditate while channeling his mana into the fire core. Still, he wasn''t in any hurry since he had already yed the dice, and now it was Captain Free Sword''s turn.


    Furthermore, he was also nning someone before starting his voyage to unique ins after dealing with Captain Free Sword.


    Four dayster, when Jacob was meditating while channeling his mana into the fire core with Scripture of nk, Sofie''s voice rang outside the room, "My lord, he''s calling."


    Jacob opened his eyes, and a fiery green lightning shed past his eyes and said, "Come in."


    Sofie appeared in a violet dress, looking extremely beautiful as she had specially dressed up for someone.


    She unts her sexy curves while walking, but Jacob remains expressionless, making her secretly depressed. But she didn''t dare to show it and get to the point, "This device was just blinking, but I didn''t activate it."


    Jacob nodded, "Good, now call him back and just listen. You just need to say, as I wrote in the star watch like thest time. You just need to keep your image as the representative of the Dark City, and you need to be absolutely confident there is no room for error."


    Sofie solemnly nodded before she activated the vermin transponder.


    Soon, Captain Free Sword''s cold voice sounded, "I''ve thought about ourst chat and since you want to meet and discuss business with me in person, I would be a disrespect on my part since the fault lies with me.


    "But forgive me forck of courage. You see, I''m a pirate and timid by nature, and Dark City is not to be trifled with. You made it very clearst time. So, how about we choose to meet in the star ocean close to the epic ins? I''lle alone, and you do the same.


    "Since you have my men, I won''t try anything. In fact, I''m very interested in forming a partnership with the Dark City, for it only brings endless benefits for both of us. There is no need to turn hostile for that little skirmish. What do you think, Miss?"


    ''Just as I expected.'' Jacob''s lips curled in disdain as he knew Captain Free Sword won''t dare to enter the Dark City after what happened with his men.


    That guy might appear to be arrogant, but he wasn''t a fool. The star ocean was Captain Free Sword''s territory, so he would only feel safer there, and if he could really form a friendly rtionship with Dark City, he would not let this chance pass by either.


    So, he won''t do anything unless he wants to rot in the epic ins forever or find another Jacob to do his bidding, which was no longer an option since he knew that n was filled with ws after what happened to his men. He would no longer trust another pawn.


    A disy appeared on Jacob''s star watch before words began to appear, and Sofie''s eyes shimmered as she replied.


    "Alright, since you are willing to listen, I''ll give you a chance. But I''m noting alone and bringing one of my close assistants with me. You can also bring another person, just to be fair.


    "Let''s meet on the boundary of epic star ocean in seven days. Oh, and don''t you dare send an imposter since I''ve already obtained your appearance from one of your men. What do you think?" Sofie calmly stated what Jacob wrote.


    Captain Free Sword didn''t reject either and replied in agreement, "Very well, I''ll see you there, miss!

 Chapter 539 Freedom or Profit?

    <h4>Chapter 539 Freedom or Profit? </h4>


    ?In the boundary of Epic Star Ocean, a ship was cutting through the water and approaching another big ship, which seemed to be stopped and waiting for their arrival.


    In this moving ship, Jacob, in a dark cloak, stood behind Sofie, who was also hiding her appearance. But Jacob stuck out like a sore thumb because of obvious reasons. He looked at the big ship with hidden killing intent. He''s been waiting for this day for a long time now.


    After his first meeting with Captain Free Sword, he hade a long way from being a tier-1 epic to tier-9 unique, and he was finally at this point where he looked down on the other guy for being utterly helpless.


    "What is your n?" Sofie asked with a hint of apprehension. She had no idea what kind of scheme Jacob was hatching, but she knew if even Jacob was so careful, then the other party was to be trifled with.


    She also knew her role was very important in this, and if she messed up, she might be the first one to die. However, she didn''tin. She wanted to show her resolve to follow Jacob through thick and thin so he could ept her.


    Jacob inly said, "If the person I''m aiming for is really in that ship, then I''m going to put him to sleep. But if it is not, then I''m afraid it''ll be a bloodbath. In fact, I''m not afraid of him, but there is a person who can affect my movement, so capturing him would make it even easier to deal with that person.


    "I''m even hoping he would be foolish enough to take that person with him here, which would free me from those restraints. Then there''s no need to y tricks, and it seemed luck is on my side." He said ambiguously.


    Sofie was astounded and asked, "What kind of restrain?"


    Jacob merely nced at her and replied, "It doesn''t matter anymore."


    Sofie didn''t pry further if Jacob was unwilling to reveal it.


    At this moment, Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he spotted a figure covered in a cloak like them standing on the dock of the ship, and he seemed to have spotted them as well.


    ''Who do you bring, and did you dare toe yourself?'' Jacob wondered as he was hoping it would be Masha since Harold was already gone, and he had a feeling that Masha should be next inmand, and her ability of charm would make her an ideal candidate for this trip.


    As for Captain Free Sword, as long as he appeared, he was as good as Jacob''s dinner tonight, and Masha would be imprisoned until Autarch was done with her.


    Lastly, Jacob would get rid of the entire crew of Captain Free Sword and take over his massive ship and all the treasures they had ever plundered. This was for revenge as well as for the unimaginable profit he would get from it.


    Furthermore, Jacob wanted Captain Free Sword''s ship because that ship has sailed the star ocean of unique ins, and it might be the safest ship in the entire epic ins for the voyage towards the Unique ins.


    Jacob stopped the ship at some distance from the other ship before the other person on the other deck beckoned them toe. His heart raced as he sensed something now that he was this close.


    They both jumped on the ship andnded on the wide deck.


    The cloaked person seemed to be looking at the unusually granitic figure of Jacob with astonishment and great interest.


    Jacob''s heart thumped when he appeared so close to this figure, and his lips curled up, ''She''s really here!'' He instantly knew it was Masha because he could sense Autarch''s presence in her head as clear as day.


    Now, all that was left was to confirm if his other target was here or not.


    "You, my friend, are really a giant!" A familiar, jolly voice of Captain Free Sword rang as he walked out from the cabin and looked at Jacob with fascination. Even he wasn''t as tall as him.


    From that familiar snarky voice, Jacob red at Captain Free Sword icily, but he didn''t react and summoned his trump card, Cursed Immortality, to make a final confirmation!


    "Tell me, is this ogre tier-8 unique or not? And this other person, is it a Charm Siren Race?" He directly questioned since he clearly remembered Captain Free Sword and Masha''s traits.


    Although he was clear about Masha, it couldn''t be said the same for Captain Free Sword because that guy might y some trick.


    Immortikaughed as usual before yfully wrote, "Oh how long you''ve waited for this, huh? Revenge is a dish best served cold; what a good way to put it.


    "But I''m afraid you have to wait more to get it even colder. This ogre is not tier-8. In fact, it isn''t an ogre at all. Heck, there isn''t even a second person present in this ce. All you see is a puppet made with runes and wearing a very well-


    crafted skin, and to make it even more real, the Charm Siren is using her bloodline ability to cast a charm on the puppet, which makes it look as good as the real thing.


    "As for the actions, this puppet is voice and controlled by a real person far away from here. Hahaahahaha, I had to admit this guy is really something. He''s even wary of someone whom he considers an ant. Now, what will you do? If you take down this woman, you''ll be free, but this might scare away the guy, and your ns will fall apart. I love this kind of choice¡­"


    Jacob''s expression changed as killing intent shed past his eyes. He never expected Captain Free Sword to be such a turtle. But he was also impressed by his cowardliness. He knew his ten men had been captured, which meant even he wasn''t a match for his enemy, so he decided to remain hidden and send Masha to make this puppet appear even more realistic.


    Now, if he dealt with Masha and this puppet quickly, Captain Free Sword might really be scared away, and it would be very hard for him to find him in the star ocean.


    However, when ites to his freedom, he is very decisive, and profit means nothing. Besides, it''s not like he wasn''t prepared for the worst already. He still has another method to draw Captain Free Sword''s ship.


    So, without hesitation, he looked at Masha with killing intent, sending chills down her spine, and both Captain Free Sword and she sensed the strange atmosphere with Sofie and Jacob''sck of reaction.


    s, before they could do anything, Masha was already falling on the deck while Jacob appeared in front of the puppet and threw a full power punch, sting it into smithereens!

 Chapter 540 Second Chance

    <h4>Chapter 540 Second Chance </h4>


    ?In the main ship of Carefree Sword Star Pirates, an enraged roar reverberated like thunder, shaking the entire ship.


    "Bastards! You dare to stab me in the back!"


    In the captain''s room, Captain Free Sword''splexion was pale as blood was trickling down from the corner of his mouth, and his bloodshot eyes were emitting bloodlust. It was the result of losing connection with the puppet, which held a trace of his blood and connected to him by mystic signature.


    Not only did he lose an extremely valuable, advanced, unique rank, Mimic Puppet, but he also lost Masha, who was more useful than the other members of the crew right now.


    But what Captain Free Sword couldn''t understand was how Masha suddenly lost consciousness without even being able to activate her teleportation talisman. No, more importantly, who did those two see through their guise?


    Furthermore, when Captain Free Sword thought about how that giant blew off the Mimic Puppet with a signal punch, he felt a chill running down his spine.


    "He is a peak rank, unique! Just what in the hell is Dark City doing here?" He muttered with coldness creeping over his skin.


    Vile Horn was also silent with an ugly expression. He didn''t think they would encounter this kind of situation in the epic ins, of all ces. Not even unique ins had ever dealt this kind of damage to them.


    Now, they had lost eleven strong men in just two weeks, which waspletely uneptable. Furthermore, they were still inpletely dark about their enemy''s might and trapped in this ce.


    At this moment, Captain Free Sword finally calmed down and frowned darkly when he sensed something, and the next moment, a glowing vermin transponder appeared in his hand.


    His expression grew extremely ugly because this call was from his enemy. Grounding his teeth, he activated it.


    "I''m very disappointed in you, Mr. Pirate. I thought we had an understanding between us, yet you dare to trick me with some puppet? Do you think, since I''m from epic ins, I''m easy to deceive?" Sofie''s cold voice rang.


    Captain Free Sword and Vile Horn''s expressions went even more ugly as they knew their opponent had really seen through their tricks. They had really underestimated the Dark City, and they finally understood why no one dared to mess with them.


    Now all they could do was to me their own damn poor judgment to poke this ho nest.


    "I''m willing topensate you for this transgression, and I still want to negotiate with you. Please give me another chance, and this time, there will be no tricks." Captain Free Sword stated with suppressed killing intent in his eyes. He felt an ant of epic ins had shattered his pride. He has been bested!


    "Hehe, so you seek forgiveness again? It is your second offense, yet you still dare to seek partnership with me? What a shameless little coward you are." Sofie''s voice was filled with disdain and mockery.


    Vile Horn trembled with rage, while Captain Free Sword was on the verge of spitting blood with anger. No one had dared to ever talk with him like that.


    "Sigh¡­ I really need a coward like you this time, so I''m willing to give you another chance. Come here, I''m waiting for you in the same spot, but you have an hour before you won''t get another chance.


    "Don''t make me send information about you back to the unique ins. I know, since you guys are hiding like cowards here, you had a pretty nasty enemy back there. I wonder if they hate you enough to cross the star ocean to hunt you down. Furthermore, I''ll get rewards the same so, this is really yourst chance. Hehehe¡­" The call ended with her mockingughter.


    Captain Free Sword and Vile Horn''s expressions changed when they heard about thest part. They didn''t think about this problem until now.


    "This bitch is too much!" Vile Horn gritted his teeth as he never expected he would feel like this for someone from the epic ins.


    Captain Free Sword muttered darkly, "We are dealing with a true big wig. Whether it''s in epic ins or unique ins, these people had minds of crooks, and they never let benefits go. This woman knows what she''s doing, and from start to end, everything is under her control.


    "She even dared to stay, and this time, she didn''t say toe alone or with my entire crew. She just said toe. At least this confirms that she is not afraid of our crew and really needs something from us."


    Vile Horn''s eyes narrowed as he felt a sense of danger, "So, is it really okay to go there? What if she is just baiting you there?"


    Captain Free Sword''s eyes when deadly cold as he replied, "Yes, there are high chances of this as well. But we have no enmity between us, and she knew I needed something from her, so she probably wanted to take advantage of our situation. We are more useful alive than dead to her. So, there is a 70% chance she will talk.


    "But if she''s really just trying to y hunter, she''s too green to make me her prey. Go, sail the ship in her direction. Let''s meet this wily bitch and find what she''s after." He ordered Vile Horn while he left toward a secret room to prepare for this meeting.


    Captain Free Sword wasn''t an idiot, and he cherished his life more than anyone else, so he had to make sure nothing happened to him. If he sensed even a trace of danger there, he''d escape without hesitation!


    ---


    On Masha''s ship, Jacob smiled looking at blushing Sofie as she felt embarrassed from her acting in front of Jacob. But she tried her best, and it seemed the other party really fell for it as well.


    "You did great. Now, let''s see if hees alone or with his entire ship. If it''s the former it would be troublesome a little, but if it''s thetter, I need you to escape through the sea. I''m going to im that ship for myself, and this battle is not something you could participate in. I''ll find you once I''m done." Jacob ordered.


    Sofie hesitated for a moment before she nodded and agreed to this arrangement. After all, earlier, she felt Jacob''s power when he sted that puppet for a moment, and she knew this man was probably invincible!

 Chapter 541 Lifespan

    <h4>Chapter 541 Lifespan </h4>


    ?About half an hourter, Jacob stood on top of the ship sail, and his head suddenly shifted in the northeast direction and his eyes narrowed.


    Although there wasn''t any movement on the sea, he could sense a vague fluctuation in water in the air and ocean.


    The next moment, Jacob tried to focus on his eyes when suddenly his amber irises glowed in golden light before they suddenly expanded covering his entire eyes and turning into pure golden, and tiny silver mes were flickering within them.


    The world around him instantly changed as countless strange particles appeared before him, and he finally saw an outline of a gigantic ship made with these colorful particles.


    Instantly, Jacob closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they had turned back to normal. But hisplexion was slightly pale, and sweat was beaded on his forehead.


    ''I''ve only opened them for barely two seconds, yet I felt exhausted.'' Jacob thought bitterly, as he knew the eyes of judge were not something he could carelessly use.


    But still, after barely using them, he knew just how terrifying they were, and the strain they left on his mind afterward was not to beughed at. Immortika''s warning was not unjustifiable.


    Although it was his second time using them, he had to admit nothing could hide from them, even an advanced unique rank stealth mode ship!


    Gulping down a rejuvenate potion, Jacob''s lips curled in a malicious smile as he jumped down and found Sofie, who was waiting anxiously for his order.


    "He''sing with the entire ship. The moment I jump on that ship, escape through the sea without hesitation," Jacob ordered as he clearly remembered the first time Captain Free Sword captured him.


    That guy has a powerful method to teleport someone into the ship directly, so he doesn''t dare to be careless or let Sofie flee first. He was afraid that the guy was monitoring them with some unknown device to make sure there wasn''t any ambush.


    If he saw Sofie escaping, then he might note at all, so she had to be here as bait until he seeded in neutralizing him.


    Furthermore, he hadn''t forgotten about the teleportation talismans. He had bought a treasure that could block space, Sky Lock Cube, for this exact reason, and Masha just happened to be in possession of an advanced space talisman, not a unique one, and her downfall was also because of it.


    This also reveals just how precious a space rted treasure was. But he can''t underestimate Captain Free Sword, since that guy would not be stingy with himself.


    Now, Masha was in his infinity pendant, and upon his thought transmission with Autarch, he found that he needed around six more months topletely devour Masha if she remained in that state, and Jacob wasn''t nning to let her escape at all, so it was all in his favor.


    In the end, Jacob knew he only had a single chance to capture Captain Free Sword, and he couldn''t miss the timing, or he would be really gone once he escaped through a space treasure.


    All of these calctions were ounted for, and he also has another helper this time around, "Nyx, I want you to nt a seed the moment you see Captain Free Sword. Focus your entire power on him¡ªno need to care about others. Once I capture him, you can stop and focus on the others. There should be around twenty more enemies on that ship, and we need to kill them all."


    "Ehh, what about my food?" Nyx asked, as she clearly was implying for a living prey.


    "I''ll see what I can do about it. It''s not easy to retrain so many Uniques, or do you think I want to give away the free chance of getting so much lifespan?" Jacob retorted, since he no longer thought about killing others first.


    From thest time Nyx absorbed those two dwarfs and one ogre''s dreamscape realm, he got 1,100 years of lifespan!


    Even Jacob was in disbelief when he saw that number adding to his own lifespan, and he knew he had hit a jackpot with Nyx. Now, as long as Nyx was alive, and he let her continue to feed on the living beings, his lifespan would continue to increase!


    Furthermore, he knew the more powerful a species is, the more lifespan they would have. Like a goblin, even in epic rank, could only live for 200 to 300 hundred years. At the same time, an epic elf or giant could live up to 1200 to 1500 hundred years. An epic magic beast and orc''s life span was around 500 to 1000 years, depending on their bloodline.


    Lastly, Nyx could only get half of the remaining natural lifespan of her victim. It would not be deducted from the years the victim has already lived.


    For example, if a victim has lived for 1000 years, and he only got around 100 years more to live, Nyx could only get 50 years not 550 years.


    Furthermore, those victims can also replenish their lifespan with medicine, but Nyx would not devour this lifespan because it is not a natural lifespan.


    Lastly, both Combat and Sorcery could affect lifespan differently. Abatant could live more than a Sorcerer because they had stronger bodies.


    So, the younger and more talented her victim is, the more lifespan she can gather! A unique species'' average lifespan is around 500 years, and a species like a unique ogre and dwarf would have an average lifespan of around 4000 years!


    That''s why Jacob got over one thousand years despite Nyx getting the other 30% from just three of those victims.


    This was the reason Jacob now wanted to prioritize capturing the Uniques then just killing them. After all, lifespan was far more alluring than just temporary meals.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t like he wouldn''t get to eat them once Nyx was done with them, so he wanted to get both lifespan and their meat now. Still, he knew this time deaths were unavoidable, even if it was a waste.


    But it wasn''t like he didn''t have a shot at it, and all of this depends on whether he could subdue Captain Free Sword or not.


    At this moment, in few meters away from Jacob''s ship, a gigantic ship suddenly appeared out of thin air, and on top of the ship''s ugly figurehead, Captain Free Sword stood tall while coldly ring at Jacob and Sofie!

 Chapter 542 Take Over (1)

    <h4>Chapter 542 Take Over (1) </h4>


    ?Captain Free Sword spoke without having any intention of moving from his spot, "I humbly apologize for my previous offense, and this time, I''vee with sincerity. I invite Miss and Sir to my humble ship to show my hospitality!"


    ''Not leaving your turtle shell, huh? But you''re only inviting the wolf into your house¡­'' Jacob smiled coldly, as he had already predicted this oue.


    Captain Free Sword would naturally not leave the safety of his ship and crew after knowing Jacob''s strength, and he would feel secure with them, so he invited them over.


    But Jacob was also ready, and a gray disc appeared under his feet before he began to fly towards the ship. Captain Free Sword''s eyes contracted to see this, but he didn''t panic.


    On Jacob was on the same height as Captain Free Sword, he looked down on the guy, making him ufortable, and said, "Since you show yourself, I''ll naturally return the courtesy. Led the way."


    ''So, he is the one in charge!'' Captain Free Sword''s eyes shimmered with understanding as he had already suspected this since this giant was too powerful. How could someone like him listen to an epic?


    Sofie was just a front to keep him hidden, which waspletely justifiable since Captain Free Sword would do the same.


    "Please." Captain Free Sword didn''t pay attention to Sofie anymore and directly led him into the Ship''s meeting hall.


    Jacob nonchntly entered, and he also felt many eyes on him; Immortika was right in front of him, and he confirmed that Captain Free Sword wasn''t a puppet and all the crewmates were hidden and keeping a close eye on it, ready to react the moment he showed any malice.


    However, Jacob had already acted. It was just that Captain Free Sword and his crew didn''t detect anything.


    They both enter a spacious hall with a table full of rare delicacies and mana fruits, and all of them are unique rank. This also shows Captain Free Sword''s wealth.


    Jacob couldn''t help but secretly sighed since he now returned to this ce as a feared guest then just an ant and Captain Free Sword didn''t even notice his voice which made quite clear that Captain Free Sword didn''t bother to remember him, he was just a disposable pawn.


    Captain Free Sword also felt a little bit at ease when he saw Jacob calmly sit down, which meant he really wanted to form this partnership, and he was at fault from the start. Still, he didn''t dare to let his guard down, and men were closely monitoring this ce.


    At this moment, Jacob picked up a golden fruit, carelessly removed his mask, and bit it while coldly stating while ring at the corner, "Tell your man to stop hiding there and scram before I change my mind, or do you want to repeat the same mistake?"


    Captain Free Sword was shocked as his heart trembled because Jacob was staring at the same ce where Vile Horn was hiding using an advanced, unique rank stealth treasure, but Jacob saw right through him!


    Furthermore, Jacob didn''t even bat an eye before eating that fruit, so he wasn''t worried about poison, which give him an air of mystery.


    ''Just who is he?'' He thought gloomily and quickly said, "Ha¡­ha, it seemed my man was quite curious about Sir, don''t worry it won''t happen again. Vile Horn, if you''ve seen enough, now, leave our guest alone. I''ll apany sir."


    The next moment, Vile Horn''s figure appeared, wearing a gray cloak, and his eyes were filled with doubt and a hint of fear before he bowed his head and left the hall. He didn''t dare to refute it, as this person was really not to be messed with.


    "If there''s someone monitoring, tell them to stop, since what I''m about to say is not something just anyone could here. Or do you think I need to put up this act if I want to deal with you?" Jacob coldly stated while picking up another fruit.


    Captain Free Sword was now really impressed, and he no longer had any thought about suppressing this person. Since he dared toe, this could only mean he was fearless, and he didn''t need to bother with all this if he had ill intentions, so he was slightly convinced.


    In the end, he gives a signal that only his crewmates can understand before smilingly replying, "Haha, I trust sirpletely. There is nothing here but my sincerity. I wonder what instructions sir has for me." He calmly sat down on the other side of the table, as he still didn''t dare to sit close to Jacob.


    Jacob smiled slightly as he asked, "Tell me, how did you end up here?"


    Captain Free Sword didn''t find this question unreasonable and replied, "Myrades betrayed me, and they disclosed my whereabouts to a powerful enemy, so having no choice, I was forced to use a trump, and I ended up here." Although he was subtle, he still gave a reasonable answer.


    "Since your enemy was willing to spend so much time with you, then this could only mean you have something that interests them, or you''ve done something unforgivable, right?" Jacob asked.


    Captain Free Sword smiled bitterly and masterfully dodged the question, "Sir, you should know we star pirates are ouws, and there are hefty rewards in our heads, so anyone would be interested in calming them. I''m just a little pirate, just living in fear of others. How could I interest others? It''s just that some people wanted to be heroes by dealing with a bunch of nobodies like us. We are not evildoers.


    "On the other hand, I''m quite curious about how someone like sir is doing here, and what do you want from a nobody like me? As long as I can do it, I''m willing to work for you since all I want is to go back." He quickly changed the topic.


    ''What a sly bastard. He clearly has something that others want, and he is forced to flee. It seems he is hiding something terrible.'' Jacob thought as he easily saw through Captain Free Sword''s fa?ade.


    Even an idiot could tell that Captain Free Sword was hiding something, which forced him to use something important that could send him directly to the epic star ocean. So, it wouldn''t be just some random item.


    In the end, Jacob decided to capture him first before taking his sweet time investigating it. He had already won some of Captain Free Sword''s trust by lowering his guard.


    "How is it?" Jacob questioned Nyx.


    "Yes, he''s not powerful enough to even detect my seed entering his dreamscape realm. Now, even if he runs, I can easily find him." Nyx confidently replied.


    This was Jacob''s true goal from the start. Even if Captain Free Sword could teleport away, Nyx''s seed would be in his mind, and he couldn''t escape Jacob''s tracking no matter what. He was nowpletely in his palm.


    The next moment, a ruby color cube appeared in his before crimson light shed past Jacob''s eyes as he used his hex, "Slumber Hex!"

 Chapter 543 Take Over (2)

    <h4>Chapter 543 Take Over (2) </h4>


    ?The moment Captain Free Sword''s eyes begin to shut, Jacob doesn''t even waste a second and instantly moves his hand toward Captain Free Sword!


    His n was simple: as long as he could touch Captain Free Sword, he would instantly send him into his infinity pendant. Because once he was inside, Jacob was 100% sure that there was no space talisman or any kind of space treasure!


    Jacob even used fluid eleration on his blood to increase his speed to maximum, and his hand appeared to be teleported directly to Captain Free Sword''s face.


    Before his eyes even closed, Jacob''s giant w was holding his face, and at this moment, a purple light seemed to be emerging from Captain Free Sword''s chest.


    However, Jacob was fully prepared and instantly tried to send him into his infinity pendant, and Captain Free Sword''s body vanished!


    With uncertainty and anticipation, Jacob quickly looked into his infinity pendant to confirm if Captain Free Sword had vanished into his pendant or if the teleportation treasure was even faster.


    His eyes instantly brightened with ecstasy when he saw Captain Free Sword''s slumbering figure lying in his pendant, and he almost roared with excitement!


    In reality, only a second had passed, but for Jacob, this second was filled with anxiety and exhration. He had been preparing for a long time for this signal second, and now Captain Free Sword was finally at his mercy!


    It was the same kind of feeling that he felt when he escaped Decker''s clutches, and their situationspletely changed. From being a ve to a master, this feeling was something he could never get tired of.


    However, Jacob quickly calmed down as he knew this wasn''t the time to celebrate because, despite talking down the ringmaster, his puppets were still very much alive, and the true battle would now begin.


    It was now a matter of how quickly Jacob could get rid of them all.


    Instantly, he begins to recharge his hex mana since no one has noticed that Captain Free Sword is now gone. He wanted to capture as many alive as he could for Nyx.


    After five minutes, Jacob stood up and headed towards the closed door, and he could clearly see a few heartbeats outside.


    Once he opened the door, Vile Horn and three other ogres instantly looked over, and when they saw Jacobing out, they were confused since not even ten minutes had passed.


    ''Could it be the meaning was over?'' Vile Horn thought as he didn''t find anything suspicious.


    But the next moment, he and another ogre lost consciousness, startling the other two ogres, and they were rmed since it was too strange.


    At this moment, swords appeared in Jacob''s hand, and his killing intent manifested, making those other two ogres tremble.


    He coldly said, "Captain Free Sword is gone, and if you guys are sensible and don''t want to end up like these guys, surrender, and I promise I''ll spare your lives. I''ll even let you guys join the dark city and get rid of this lowly status of pirates.


    "Captain Free Sword wanted to sacrifice you all, but I''m not like him, as I need capable men for a voyage to unique ins. Now, decide if you want to be a stubborn fool like your captain or a sensible person who knows how to bend with the flow."


    Both ogres paled as they couldn''t even breathe because Jacob was simply too powerful, and his killing intent was something they had never experienced in their lives. Jacob was like a grim ripper, ready to reap their lives the moment they chose to go against him!


    This was Jacob''s first n to try to scare them into submission by getting rid of those two in front of them. They didn''t know he could only use the slumber hex twice before running out of hex mana.


    However, no matter what, they were no longer a match for him. If he didn''t want their lifespan, he wouldn''t even bother to try subduing them. So, by giving them false hope, he could buy ample time and slowly eat them away.


    Furthermore, he was sure that this ce was being monitored and there were many hidden presences around, so his words were for everyone listening.


    A deadly silence enveloped the corridor as those two ogres were looking at Vile Horn, who was third in power ranking among their crew, lying there like a corpse, and their color continued to change between white and blue.


    This situation was the least they had expected, and Captain Free Sword''s absence also proved that Jacob had really gotten rid of him and that he was the strongest among them, their support pir. This naturally breaks their will to fight.


    In the end, an ogre with a deep scar over his temple raises his hands, "I¡­I surrender!"


    The other one was startled for a moment before he did the same, "I''ll listen to you as long as you don''t kill me."


    Jacob was secretly ted seeing this working before he coldly stared at the end of the corridor, "What about you six?"


    The hidden pirates'' hearts trembled when Jacob easily discovered their presence; this made them even more appalled, and they were now sure Jacob wasn''t bluffing.


    In the end, they were all pirates with no morals and values, they all cherished their lives and loyalty came second. So, one after another, they appeared in the corridor and surrendered!


    Jacob nodded, "Good, now you six go and bring everyone to the main control room. If someone resists, detain them. I''m sure some of you were not satisfied with Captain Free Sword, but I''m not like him. As long as you all cooperate, there are rewards for you. I won''t mistreat my people."


    The six of them looked at each other before they quickly received hismand and left.


    Jacob coolly stowed away those two slumbering ogres, making the reaming ogres panic a little.


    "Lead the way to the control room." Jacob coldlymanded.


    "T-this way." The one with the scar quickly gathered his wits and hurried led Jacob towards the ship''s main control room, which was the heart of the ship, with the other ogre.


    At this point, things were going quite smoothly and far better than Jacob expected. These guys really have no backbone, and they were zealous enough to seek revenge or bend their knees in submission.


    Jacob liked dealing with these kinds of people the most in both lives.


    The control room was the heart of the ship, and it was well protected, but right now, no one obstructed Jacob''s way. Because just as he suspected, he was being monitored, and since others had already submitted, others didn''t dare to resist.


    Without Captain Free Sword, they were all fish on the chopping board as they fully cooperated.


    Once Jacob entered the high-tech control room of this ship, he saw there was an elf and two more ogres already waiting anxiously for his arrival. He didn''t even need to tell them before they quickly bowed their heads in submission.


    Jacob''s lips curled up, seeing the control room filled with monitors and all sorts of unknown magic technology he wasn''t familiar with. It was a wless takeover!

 Chapter 544 A Mythical Secret (1)

    <h4>Chapter 544 A Mythical Secret (1) </h4>


    ?At this moment, Captain Free Sword''s eyes opened with bewilderment as he found himself in a familiar gloomy room with dim red light. If his memory serves him right, this should be the torture chamber!


    The confusion in his eyes suddenly vanished and was reced with absolute horror. His eyes darted around before stopping at the giant figure sitting not too far away on a chair, and beside that chair was a metal table filled with strange torture tools.


    Those tools weren''t normal as they were made specially to torture Unique Ranks people like them, and Captain Free Sword never let collect rust. But today, he wasn''t sitting on that chair and grinning at his victim.


    He was stark naked with his precious armor gone, the five space rings on his fingers were gone, and the strangest thing was a rectangr piece of his skin about one foot in size had been cut off from his chest, and blood was stopped by charring the skin!


    Jacob looked at Captain Free Sword''s appalled expression and couldn''t help but smile with derision as their positions had really been switched.


    Captain Free Sword finally felt a burning sensation on his chest, and he felt even more terror because he knew his trump card had been rendered useless by this unknown monster.


    Completely appalled, he tried to ask and appeared calm, "Is there any need for all this? I know I shouldn''t have offended the Dark City. B-but I''m willing to work for you to repent. I''m no use for you dead, and I promise I can be extremely useful!"


    ''He still wants to talk his way out?'' Jacob couldn''t help but admire Captain Free Sword''s will to live. It was almost akin to his, but s, he wasn''t as stupid as to let a possible threat walk free, especially if that threat was of apletely unknown origin.


    Suddenly, a piece of skin appeared in his hand, and there were ck rune symbols carved on it, and blood was still dripping from it.


    Seeing that piece of skin, Captain Free Sword''s chest burn was even more painful as he knew it was cut out from his chest, and he had paid a very high price to have a terrifying Rune Artificer engrave those runes.


    "I never thought that it was even possible to engrave runes on our own body. If I''m guessing right, this should be your life-saving trump card, a space teleportation talisman, right?


    "I have to admit, I almost let your body escape just now. These runes are quite impressive, and now, thanks to you, I''ll be able to use ''your'' talisman if I ever fall into trouble. It''s really amazing." Jacob was telling the truth.


    When he takes out Captain Free Sword''s body despite removing his space rings and clothes in his infinity pendant, the runes on his chest almost get activated the moment hees out.


    If he hadn''t been alerted enough, Captain Free Sword might''ve already slipped away from his grasp. Only then did he notice those runes, and he knew they were not just tattoos but a talisman that had been carved into his skin, and it was directly connected to his magic core.


    Even Jacob didn''t know it was possible, and whoever did this had to be a terrifying rune artificer with a profound understanding of his craft. Even Jacob admired it.


    "Please, I''m willing to submit and reveal my secrets. There''s no need to go too far." Captain Free Sword pleaded again, as he was nowpletely sure that this person was a terrible existence that could even interfere with space runes or that he had an extremely rare space-restraining treasure.


    In any case, he knew he had to get out of this mess, and the only way he could think of was to lower his head.


    Jacob smiled icily, "In the face of absolute power, even if you''re a king, you''re not better than an ant with some jewels. And here I thought you''d at least have some dignity and resist. s, now, if I skin you alive, I''ll feel awful about it."


    A chill run-down Captain Free Sword''s spine as that terrible smile remind him of Masha''s sadist smile, he was too familiar with it.


    "But, I''ll give you a chance. Tell me the true reason you were teleported here. Oh, and I know many things from your crewmate already, so if you dare to lie, know this: I won''t hesitate to skin you alive." Jacob coldly stated. He still didn''t reveal his true identity since he really wanted to know why Captain Free Sword was here, just what he was hiding, and also some more about the Unique ins. He definitely knows more than anymore.


    Furthermore, if Captain Free Sword learned that he was Jacob, he could easily guess that there wasn''t any chance for him to live. So, Jacob let him think that he fell into this state because of Dark City, at least this way he would have hope that he might get out of this alive if he spit out everything.


    Jacob has already learned from Harold that Captain Free Sword uses a very precious treasure to teleport so far away from the epic ins because he was chased by not only a single power but the entire unique ins. Even three hegemonies and dark beings were involved.


    As for why, Harold or anyone else had no idea, but they all know that it all started after Captain Free Sword sneakily entered the Unique ins Trial and then, four monthster, even managed to escape.


    The chase starts right after that, and Captain Free Sword does his best to flee deep into the Star Ocean. But who could''ve thought there were traitors among his crew and enemies would instantly surround him?


    Even Jacob was shocked after he heard this, and that''s why he wanted to know just what made all those powers hunt Captain Free Sword like mad dogs.


    Captain Free Sword''s eyes shimmered with unwillingness when he heard this question, but hope also bloomed in his heart because he knew he might be able to save his life if he disclosed this information.


    After all, his life was far more important than some stupid secret, but he was too sly just to give it away since there was still a chance Jacob might directly kill him to keep that secret to himself; that secret was terrifying!


    So, he took a deep breath and said, "As long as Sir signs an oath contract, I''ll reveal everything. Or you can just kill me, but know this: what I know is something that every power wants to know; in return, I just want to live, and I''m even willing to serve, Sir!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed dangerously, making Captain Free Sword shudder. But unexpectedly, Jacob nodded the next moment and dismissively said, "Alright!"

 Chapter 545 A Mythical Secret (2)

    <h4>Chapter 545 A Mythical Secret (2) </h4>


    ?There were two types of Zodiac Oath Contracts: the virtual one and the physical one.


    The virtual Zodiac Oath Contracts were moremon, and as long as someone had at least a 2-star star privilege, they could buy it directly from the starwork, and each cost 100 million ZC.


    As for the physical Zodiac Oath Contracts, they were rare because only Champion Shops could produce them, and their prices were also higher than the virtual ones, 150 million ZC each. But their effects were the same nheless.


    After his encounter with Nelsen, Jacob brought five virtual and three physical Zodiac Oath Contracts for himself.


    Now that Jacob has plundered Captain Free Sword''s everything, his advanced unique rank star watch wasn''t an exception, and he imed it for himself as it was more advanced than the epic one.


    Furthermore, he didn''t dare to let Captain Free Sword use a star watch since that guy might sneakily do something, so Jacob took out a physical Zodiac Oath Contract.


    Looking at the translucent blue sheet with white rune writing before him, Captain Free Sword was even more shocked since he knew just how rare these physical Zodiac Oath Contracts were.


    One of the reasons they were rare was because the parties involved needed to drip their blood on them to bind the oath, and there was no need to say, ''In the name of Zodiac, I hereby acknowledge this Oath'' as well.


    These contracts were so miraculous that if someone weren''t willingly dripping this blood on it, the contract wouldn''t activate no matter what.


    Furthermore, to write on them, one needs magic energy and knowledge of magic runenguage.


    The terms of the contract were very simple: as long as Captain Free Sword told the truth without hiding anything or omitting any details, Jacob would not kill him as long as Captain Free Sword wouldn''t scheme or betray him.


    Jacob has already dripped his blood on the contract, and all left is Captain Free Sword to do the same.


    Captain Free Sword didn''t expect Jacob to agree to this so quickly, but he didn''t dare to miss this chance to preserve his life and instantly sweep blood from his chest and ce it on the translucent sheet.


    The very next moment, the contract turned into two streaks of blue lights and prated into both of their hearts.


    But like before, the moment the contract tried to attach itself to Jacob''s heart, his heart beat powerfully, and that feeling of something gripping his heart shattered.


    Jacob hides his mocking expression, looking at the ecstatic Captain Free Sword. He was probably thinking that he was now fully safe.


    "Now go on," Jacob said impassively.


    Captain Free Sword no longer hesitates and reveals, "The Unique ins Trial has been active for over 800 years now, and to this day, only one shackle has been broken by the Dark Beings.


    "The Life Faction is furiously trying to do the same and leveling the field. They were even recruiting independent experts for the sake of it. I''m a 3-Star Criminal, so stepping on the Unique ins will alert many authorities.


    "But I have an Offender Ring, another product of the Star Hackers, which will allow anyone below 4-Star Criminal to hide from the scrutiny of the SAAI. So I can enter the unique ins without incurring another''s attention.


    "Since they were letting people enter the Unique ins Trial, I also wanted to go because the trial this time was Kingdom Type. Sir should know that a kingdom-type trial is where an entire Kingdom exists in a trial or even more.


    "The Kingdom-type trials are very difficult as well, as they contain far more opportunities than any other type of trial because there are living civilizations with different power systems than us. Sometimes, they also have different types of treasures and extinct materials, lost technology, and miraculous medicines.


    "That''s why whenever a kingdom-type trial urred, both life and dead factions would go crazy, and they do everything to plunder from the kingdom while searching for shackles.


    "I even heard a story that thest time when a kingdom type trial appeared, itsted for ten thousand years because it was filled with rare precious minerals lodes. So, both sides signed an agreement that no one would fight for shackles until the life faction extracted those lodes, and they would let the dark beings kill the natives of the trial without interfering.


    "This time was probably the same, as the life faction needed as much manpower as they could muster up. I wanted to try my luck as well. So, when I entered the Unique ins Trial with the help of an associate, I was teleported into a hall that was filled with murals." At this point, Captain Free Sword''s eyes were filled with emotions.


    Even Jacob was startled when he heard about this trial ins of kingdom type. His knowledge rted to the trials was extremely limited, and Immortika only revealed limited knowledge suitable for his circumstances.


    Now that he has heard about this kingdom-type trial, he is quite shocked since he doesn''t think there will be an entire civilization in the trial ins and can''t help but think about Nyx.


    ording to her, she was put on trial, not born there, which clearly means the trial was some kind of farming grounds for the natives of the zodiac ins. As for their purpose, it was still a mystery.


    Anyhow, he let Captain Free Sword continue.


    "In those murals were multiple battles recorded, and they were extremely vivid, and I can only describe those battles as godly. But in the center of that hall was a stone tablet filled with bizarre information. It describes the structure of the world, the Zodiac ins!" At this point, Captain Free Sword sneakily looked at Jacob.


    Jacob''s eyes were narrowed as his heart trembled. He never expected there would be this kind of secret hidden in trial ins.


    "Continue." He coldly urged.


    Captain Free Sword took a deep breath and said, "I don''t know how much was true or how much was fake, but ording to those writings, the Zodiac ins is divided into twelve Grand Absolute Gxies named Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces Gxies.


    "These gxies are further divided into Higher, Middle, and Lesser Gxies. Furthermore, all of these gxies are connected and connected with each other through none other than the Star Ocean. Together, they made the Zodiac ins.


    "There was no information about the higher and middle gxies or their structures, but it was written that the Kingdom in the trial in was located in the Lesser Grand Absolute Gxy of Taurus, and they worship the Taurus Demiurge who rule the entire Taurus Grand Absolute Gxy!"

 Chapter 546 A Mythical Secret (3)

    <h4>Chapter 546 A Mythical Secret (3)</h4>


    ?At this point, Jacob was absolutely shocked, and he didn''t know what to think. This was simply too much for him to swallow.


    But then he calmed down and looked at Immortika, who was still in front of him; he didn''t unsummon it just in case he needed it.


    He only asked one question, "Is it true?"


    "Hehehehe¡­ how interesting. Yes, he''s telling the truth." Immortika wrote.


    Jacob took a deep breath as he asked another question, "Can you exin?"


    "All I can say is, although you know about the structure of Zodiac ins, you are still not qualified to learn the entire truth. Just continue what you''re doing, and who knows, you might find something very interesting. But this matter is still something I can''t speak about because you merely scratch the surface." Immortika wrote ambiguously.


    Jacob could only give up and looked at Captain Free Sword before saying, "So you learn about the Zodiac ins structure and that''s why you were hunted down by everything? For some reason, I can''t believe that, since unless you won''t announce it to the world, how could they find out that you learned all this?"


    Captain Free Sword smiled wryly, "Indeed, it wasn''t the reason I was exposed, but it was my greed that got the best of me. You see, after learning this, I didn''t want anyone else to get that information. So, I try to destroy that tablet. But who could''ve thought the moment I destroyed it, Ipleted a trial condition, and the announcement exposed me."


    Jacob was again astounded as he finally understood why everyone tried to go after Captain Free Sword. He unknowingly cleared a trial condition that had drawn the fury of the life faction because Captain Free Sword was a star criminal.


    But Captain Free Sword was still not done, as he continued, "But even that wasn''t enough to draw all the power''s attention to hunt me down so furiously. Right after that announcement, another announcement was made, which waspletely out of the ordinary.


    "It was; the path of Legend will open in a century. I don''t know what that means, but the moment that announcement was made, all those powers came after me like bloodthirsty hyenas.


    "Furthermore, I discovered an old key in the debris of that tablet, and if I''m not wrong, that key has something to do with this path of Legend. So, I have no choice but to flee. I somehow managed to exit the trial n and then wanted to wait for more information.


    "But who could''ve thought that those bastards would ce such avish reward on my whereabouts, and then those traitors appeared, and everything went sidehill." Captain Free Sword couldn''t help but furiously gritted his teeth.


    This miserable state he was in was exactly those traitors'' fault, and now he had no choice but to be a ve to someone else and sell his secret to preserve his life!


    "Where is that key?" Jacob hurriedly asked as this path of Legend made him think about the Legendary Rank, and it might be a way to enter the higher ins.


    Captain Free Sword might not know about the legendary rank, but Jacob does, and he knew those powers also knew, so they went after Captain Free Sword for more details.


    But even they hadn''t imagined just how difficult Captain Free Sword was to deal with, and he managed to flee all the way to the epic ins.


    "I''ve hidden it on a barren ind in the unique star ocean once I found that everyone wasing after me. The coordinates are saved in the map of my star watch." Captain Free Sword revealed.


    Jacob couldn''t help butment, "How sly, if they had captured you, you could''ve used this same method to buy your life back and if they had killed you, this secret would''ve also gone with you. I have to admit, you are full of surprises, Mr. Pirate.


    "Nheless, since we are in agreement, give me that map and coordinates right now, and you''ll be a free man and reap many benefits." He coolly said before throwing a star watch to Captain Free Sword.


    Jacob also thanked his stars that he didn''t kill him, or this huge secret would''ve been lost. Now that he knew this key might have something to do with the legendary rank, he absolutely had to have it.


    So, he decided to give Captain Free Sword an epic star watch to reconnect with his star ID and transfer this map since he also needed this once he entered the unique ins.


    Furthermore, he only remembered that the starwork was still down, and Captain Free Sword once said that a unique rank species like him couldn''t connect with the Epic Starwork.


    Captain Free Sword was under oath, so he didn''t have any choice but to transfer the map by using a star application.


    After confirming the map and coordinates were authentic, Jacob was very excited as this gain was out of his expectation. Now, all he had to do was to go to the unique ins, dig out this key, and then research more about this Path of Legend.


    "Am I free now?" Captain Free Sword asked hopefully, as he had already disclosed everything, and he knew Jacob couldn''t go back on his promise.


    "What''s the hurry? I still have more questions for you." Jacob chuckled coldly as he began to ask about the powers of unique ins. Since Captain Free Sword was a native, he knew many things, and he was also a 3-star criminal, so his approach was very deep, especially in the underground area.


    This was very helpful for Jacob as he would start his journey soon.


    Captain Free Sword was startled when Jacob asked him about the Unique ins, as he thought Jacob was from the Unique ins. But now, he begins to question this notion because, from Jacob''s questions, it bes clearer that he doesn''t know anything about the Unique ins.


    Furthermore, even if Jacob didn''t know, the Dark City would have that information. This was really strange, as Captain Free Sword suddenly began to sense something was wrong, but he had no choice but to tell Jacob everything.


    This integrationsted for about two hours before Jacob was finally satisfied, and Captain Free Sword''s throat was dry because of speaking all the time. He was now fully sure that Jacob wasn''t from the unique ins.


    Once Jacob was done, a sword appeared in his hand, startling Captain Free Sword and blurted, "What are you trying to do?"


    Jacob smiled coldly as he suddenly removed his mask, and upon seeing Jacob''s face, Captain Free Sword''s eyes fully widened, "YOU! I-Impossible!"


    With a cruel smile, Jacob said, "Let me reintroduce myself. I''m Jacob S. King, your former ve and new master. Don''t think too much about how I reach this point. Just know that I''m going to enjoy every bit of what is about to happen.


    "If you want to me someone, me yourself for giving me a chance to live. But s, I''m not an idiot like you!"


    Afterward, the entire torture chamber was filled with blood- curdling screams and begging for death!

 Chapter 547 Last Preparation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 547 Last Preparation (1)</h4>


    ?Five dayster, Jacob finally emerged from the torture chamber, and he seemed to be bathed in blood. He spent day and night ''taking care'' of Captain Free Sword and keeping him alive until Nyx was done with him.


    Jacob has really let loose in these past five days; he had broken Captain Free Sword''s body and mind until he was just a living corpse, and today, he finished him off. There was no longer the Infamous pirate in this world who shook the unique ins once.


    Until the end, Captain Free Sword still wondered how Jacob was able to get to this point in a few years and how he managed to break past the restraints of the Zodiac Oath Contract.


    After taking a bath in Captain Free Sword''s cabin, which was now his, he summoned the new vice-captain, who was none other than the scarred ogre named Mic. Jacob appointed him because he was the strongest as well, and he seemed very obedient.


    "How''s the things going?" Jacob questioned while calmly sitting on afortable couch.


    Although Mic was curious why Jacob had taken so many days in the ship''s torture chamber, he didn''t dare to tarry and replied, "Replying to the lord, everything is under control, and we are really to set sail anytime."


    Jacob nodded, "What are the members'' attitudes?"


    Even though Jacob was keeping them all alive for their lifespan, he had to admit having them work with him was not a bad thing. So, he decided to let them live as long as they could after Nyx devoured their dreamscape realm.


    They were all experienced veterans when it came to Star Ocean, so as long as they behaved, he''d keep them alive. Furthermore, Captain Free Sword found many things about the unique ins, and that ce was really not to be looked down upon, even for someone like him at the peak of the unique rank. That''s why he had some changes in ns.


    "They are all well-behaved and cooperative," Mic replied, and he was telling the truth, especially about the members of other races.


    Captain Free Sword always looked down on other races, and they treated the other race''s members like sacrificial pawns, and he never let them have real power in the crew. Only Masha was an expectation because of her runic skills.


    This was also the reason the people who betrayed him were from different races, not his own. Furthermore, to find the hidden traitor, Captain Free Sword had Masha draw ve runes on all the members, which secretly infuriated them.


    But having no choice, they could only be cooperative. However, what made those other race members despise and hate Captain Free Sword was he didn''t remove their ve runes, but he was done with them. But he removed them from his own race members.


    Now, they were virtually free since they still thought Jacob had killed Masha, so they were very cooperative with Jacob''s reign, but it was still too soon to tell where their loyalty lies since this might change once they returned. For now, they were obedient.


    "Good, steer the ship to a barren ind. I still have some matters to tend to in Epic ins. This ship burns too many unique rank magic gems. I''m afraid we''ll run out of them before reaching our destination." Jacobmanded.


    Now that he was the owner of this ce, he naturally knew just how expensive it was to have this ship. It operates on magic gems, and they are an extremely precious resource in the unique ins. Some even use them as currency.


    Although Captain Free Sword''s space rings have plenty of them, Jacob doesn''t want to burn them just because of that, so he has Mic to stop on an ind until he is ready.


    Speaking of space rings, he made sure to make Captain Free Sword remove his mystic signature before he killed him, and he was very obedient.


    "As you wish." Mic nodded since this made sense and quickly left to prepare.


    Once he left, Jacob looked at his new star watch, which had actually turned from a simple wristband into a blue rune symbol on his wrist. To remove it, he needed to use his mana, and only if the user was not resisting would it reveal its true form.


    This star watch was far more high-tech than epic star watches. It was directly connected with his mind, and surprisingly, now Jacob didn''t need to use his mana to control it, but he could control it with his mind.


    Furthermore, any voicemunication would directly sound in his mind, which was even more shocking. He really wondered just who was the one who designed these things and what level of technology was required to make them.


    With a thought, the rune symbol shimmered as a virtual projection appeared, and Jacob couldn''t help but smile, "The starwork is finally restored, and I''m thankful I can still use it. It seemed only someone who had been connected with the unique ins starwork would be restricted, it''s not depended on the technology level."


    Jacob received a notification the other day about the starwork restoration. He didn''t know what was the result of the Star Network investigation, but it had nothing to do with Jacob.


    Furthermore, the very day, he received multiple calls from the Society Killer, who was probably running out of bombs, and another person called him the Timeless Dark Tree from the dark city.


    Lastly, he also received Sofie. She was probably worried about what was the result of Jacob''s takeover. But Jacob didn''t reply to any one of them since he was busy.


    Now that things were on track and with new information, he moved to his next n to go into the Unique ins.


    The first person he called was none other than the Timeless Dark Tree of Dark City!


    Now that he had the same star privilege as the Dark Marquise, he no longer needed to be retrained.


    "Mr. Ancient, you finally decided to return my call." A few momentster, the Dark Marquise''s bell-like voice rang!

 Chapter 548 Last Preparation (2)

    Chapter 548 Last Preparation (2)


    ??It was clearly the voice of a woman, and it was Jacob''s first time calling her, so he was quite surprised, but only momentarily.


    Jacob replied coolly, "I was stuck in something. Please forgive my offense."


    "No worries, I don''t mind at all. On the contrary, I should be congratting you on your unbreakable achievement in the history of epic ins. I really admire you, Mr. Ancient. Now you are on equal footing with him." She inly replied with a hint of admiration.


    ''So, she knew I''m already a 3-star privilege holder.''


    Jacob knew what she meant since in the entire epic ins, probably the Dark Marquise was the only one who had the same privilege, and since she called the day, he was sure she had tried to use her privilege to send him an unignorable call but failed. And he was right!


    "It wasn''t a big deal. I was just lucky." Jacob impassively replied, as he didn''t reveal his thoughts. He wanted to know what Dark Marquise wanted before initiating his n.


    Dark Marquise replied, "Heh, Mr. Ancient, you are too humble. Not only did you manage to clear four out of five trial conditions on your own, but you somehow made the great Nelsen surrender as well. Even I''m not capable of that."


    "You seemed to be well-informed." Jacob chuckled as he had to admit the Dark City was really everywhere despite not interfering with other powers, and they were well-informed about everything.


    "It''s an upational hazard. Even if I don''t want to know I had, I hope you understand." Dark Marquise calmly replied, "The reason for calling you was simple: I want to know if you have the medallion?"


    ''Heh, just as I suspect they all know about it.'' Jacob wasn''t surprised, nor was he afraid, while replying, "Indeed, do you have some instruction for me?"


    "I don''t dare to overestimate myself. The reason I want to call is that I want to cooperate with you." Dark Marquise replied with a hint of excitement.


    "What kind of cooperation?" Jacob asked inly.


    "Before I reveal anything, I want to know if you have any thoughts of joining the Dark City. Because if you''re a member of Dark City, I can protect you as well as freely talk with you about this, or the Dark Cityws restrain me. I hope you can consider this carefully because your life is really in danger." Dark Marquise revealed with confidence.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as this unexpected and Dark Marquise didn''t sound like she was threatening him at all. Whatever it was, it had to be rted to the medallion. He had already figured out that someone didn''t want anyone to have that. Even the three hegemonies tried to do everything they could to stop him frompeting in the trial solo.


    They even seeded, but who could''ve thought that Nelsen would yield and still make Jacob whole by surrendering his benefits? Even Dark Marquise was shocked when she found this, and since the starwork was down, she was helpless since it was impossible to find Jacob. So, the moment starwork recovered, she instantly contacted him.


    "Can you at least tell me what kind of danger?" Jacob asked.


    Dark Marquise refused without hesitation, "I''m afraid without joining the Dark City, I can''t disclose his information because this topic is too sensitive. I''ll be instantly harming myself. Just revealing this much is already putting a very huge pressure on myself."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed dangerously, since he didn''t expect even the Dark Marquise to be afraid.


    ''Well, I was already nning on joining the Dark City before going to the unique ins since this matter of Path of Legend is too huge, and every power is after it. So, going alone would be too dangerous in the long term.


    ''Furthermore, I still need to investigate, and Dark City is clearly more reliable than the three hegemonies. I was just waiting for the right time to bring this matter up.'' Jacob thought with scrutiny.


    After his ''talk'' with Captain Free Sword, Jacob knew the Unique ins were far from simple, and even if he was powerful, those powers there were not to be trifled with.


    Furthermore, even if he could suppress the entire unique ins, his goal was the Legendary ins, and having an enemy there meant certain death without a backup. The Dark City was an existence that even three hegemonies were wary of, and he didn''t have any enemy there except Halberd, and he seemed to have already been taken care of by Dark Marquise. So, joining them was not a bad idea, and he would have a background in the unique ins as well.


    "What kind of benefits would I get joining the dark city, and how much freedom do I have?" Jacob finally asked, as he wanted to know if he could move freely even after joining the dark city.


    He doesn''t want to be overly restrained because of the rules. Now that he didn''t need to kill anyone for immortality, he could work with them as long as they won''t get in his way.


    Dark Marquise quickly replied when she sensed Jacob was interested. She had personal dealings with Jacob, and she knew how treacherous and willy he was, and his weapon technology was peerless. If she could recruit such a person, it would bring her huge benefits, especially now that he could go to the unique ins anytime he wanted.


    "There are two kinds of members in the dark city, outer and personal. The other members are those who can join any power as long as they won''t harm Dark City. But the benefits are also very limited as they don''t have ess to the true resources of the Dark City, and even if they die, the Dark City won''t interfere or seek justice for them. They also won''t have any say in dark city matters.


    "But the personal members are different, like the three hegemonies; once you be a personal member, you can''t join another power. It is akin to betrayal, and Dark City will hunt down traitors no matter where they hide.


    "The personal members also have freedom, but they have to put the Dark City before their personal gains, and they can''t leave the Dark City no matter what. They will live and die with it. As long as they won''t break thews of the dark city, there is nothing to be afraid of.


    "But the benefits far outmatched the little restriction. One of them being absolute protection. As long as you are in the right, you can kill the core members of three hegemonies, and the Dark City will protect you. If some dare to target you, the Dark City will also retaliate with full power.


    "As for resources, they are out of your imagination and limitless. As long as you have merits, you can get anything like knowledge, treasures, materials, etc. You''ll naturally understand once you be one.


    "Now, you can decide if you want to be an outer member, then you can join through my personal rmendation, and you can directly be Dark Viscount. Once you enter the Unique ins, your dark noble rank will be upgraded to Dark Earl directly.


    "But if you decide to join as a personal member, then you have to start from Lower Dark Noble Rank andpete in Secret Dark Missions to raise your ranks. I''m really helpless in this matter. The Dark City rules are fixed, and everyone has to follow them. But I can guarantee that you won''t regret it." Dark Marquise stated.


    Now, it was Jacob''s choice whether to be an outer or personal member of Dark City!

 Chapter 549 Zodiac Night Guardian

    Chapter 549 Zodiac Night Guardian


    ??Jacob fell into deep thought; he was expecting to think much, since the Dark City wasn''t much different than the three hegemonies in regard to their member recruitment.


    But it was still far stricter than the three hegemonies because they give ranks ording to a person''s power and upation. However, in the dark city, everyone has to start from the bottom, and their rules also can''t be taken lightly.


    At least Jacob was expecting something like that bronze invitation. Still, it seemed even if Dark Marquise wanted to do the same, she probably could only do it with the outer member, or she might have already found the matter between him and Ellie and don''t dare to y tricks.


    Whatever the case was, at least she was telling the truth, so Jacob couldn''t y any tricks.


    "Alright, I''m choosing the personal member slot. Send me an invitation." Jacob stated. He didn''t want to be an outer member, since his potion might not be enough to dig into the matter of legendary ins.


    The Dark City greatly interested Jacob for a long time, but he didn''t dare to join before because of his misgivings, but now things are different.


    "Very well! You won''t regret this decision." Dark Marquise sounded very ecstatic since she had a very high opinion of Jacob, and she quickly said, "Pleasee to the Dark City for registration because a personal member has to join directly through the city."


    ''Now, this is unexpected.'' Jacob frown slightly since he thought he could join through Star Network. He didn''t want to leave this ship, afraid those guys might rebel and flee with the ship.


    This ship was over 4000 metersrge, and he couldn''t store it in his storage treasures. Even Captain Free Sword''s advanced unique rank space rings were only 1000 cubic metersrge.


    "Alright, I''ll pay a visit in a few days," Jacob answered and sighed as he would rather take a risk here than in the unique ins.


    "I''ll wait for your arrival, and you don''t need to worry about any enemy attack in the dark city. I''ll also discuss further business here. In the meantime, please look out for an Old Man with a ck Moon symbol on his forehead.


    "Although I''m confident in your stealth ability and prowess, this person is not normal either. If he finds you, it will be very problematic. You need to hurry." Dark Marquise sternly warned before the call ended.


    Jacob''s frown deepened as Dark Marquise''s voice was quite grave just now, "An old man with a ck moon symbol?" He muttered with narrowed eyes as he was quite curious why this guy woulde after him.


    ''Is it rted to the three hegemonies obstructing the trial?'' He wondered, but he wasn''t overly worried since his power was not to be looked down on, even in unique ins.


    Even if this person was a unique rank being, he was still confident in hexing him to death.


    Now that he was done with the Dark City matter, he contacted the Society Killer to hear what he had to say. Furthermore, he was about to leave, so he might never contact this person again.


    The Society Killer quickly received his call, and his jolly voice sounded, "My friend, what took you so long to contact?"


    Jacob coldly replied, "I''m very busy."


    "Haha, you should be. After all, you are a celebrity now. Why would you have had time for a low life like myself?" His tone was filled with teasing.


    Jacob scowled, "What do you want?"


    "Always straight to business, huh? But this is the quality I like about you." The Society Killer chuckled before his tone turned grave as he said, "From my sources, I heard you have acquired something you shouldn''t have. You have provoked a cmity, my friend."


    It was his second time hearing the same thing from two different persons. Although the Society Killer wasn''t straightforward, his meaning was the same as the Dark Marquis.


    Now, he was really curious about just what kind of cmity he had provoked by acquiring the Unique Star Ocean Medallion. Furthermore, how did the Society Killer know so much, and how deep was hiswork?


    "Just get straight to the point. I don''t like beating around the bush. Just don''t tell me only you can save me." Jacob stated as he was getting impatient.


    The Society Killer didn''t mind Jacob''s tone as he replied, "I won''t overestimate myself. Alright, since we are old business partners, I won''t hide it from you. The ocean paths towards the Unique ins are guarded by an organization that even three hegemonies and a dark city didn''t dare to provoke easily. They call themselves Zodiac Night Guardians, tsk, those hypocrites. Just mentioning them makes me sick.


    "Those bastards won''t let anyone enter the Unique ins'' ocean channels unless they didn''t have any ties with Unique ins. Simply put, people like you and me who are either from epic ins or lower ins.


    "ording to my sources, those hypocrites would stop anyone who want to ascend under the pretext of their safety. What I heard is that the Zodiac Night Guardian is a mysterious organization as old as the dark city, but they rule the star ocean, and many star pirates have secrets dealing with them.


    "Furthermore, there is a secret hidden within the Unique Star Ocean Medallion which only those hypocritical bastards know, and they stopped anyone from acquiring it. They use the three hegemonies to do their bidding in return for providing safe passage between unique and epic ins. So, you can understand that now you have acquired it, they won''t stop until they im it." His tone was filled with anger, and a hint of helplessness was present in it.


    Jacob was astonished now that he heard it and finally understood why Dark Marquis said his life was in danger.


    ''So, the danger lies in the path to the Unique ins.'' Killing intent shone in his eyes, as this waspletely unreasonable.


    "What if I join the dark city?" Jacob probed as this matter suddenly became moreplicated.


    "That''s a good idea, but you have to hand over the medallion to Dark City no matter what. Although the dark city willpensate you with a safe passage to the unique ins, I would advise you against it." The Society Killer gravely stated.


    Now Jacob was surprised, "Why? Isn''t this a good thing? I won''t offend the Zodiac Night Guardians and also get what I want. I don''t see any problem with that."


    The Society Killer snickered yfully before replying, "Heh, let me tell you a secret; from some ancient texts I''ve gathered, the medallion is also a key to going beyond the Unique ins!"

 Chapter 550 Epic Dark City

    Chapter 550 Epic Dark City


    ??Jacob was startled when he heard thest part and quickly asked, "How confident are you in this information?"


    Now, he was really dubious because if the Unique Star Ocean Medallion was really connected with legendary ins, then he couldn''t hand it over to anyone, whether it was the Dark City or this Zodiac Night Guardians.


    But there was also a chance that the Society Killer was tricking him for his own gain. However, what if he was telling the truth? Jacob wouldn''t have a chance to regret it!


    The Society Killer replied, "About 70% sure. Look, I''m not trying to trick you. You do know about my past with the Killer Skull Society, right? Those degenerates were collecting this information for a long time to spread their reach to the higher ins.


    "In fact, I have to thank you because, without your weapons, I wouldn''t have been able to collect this information at all. Furthermore, I also discovered that those dirty bastards have a secret rtionship with the Dark Beings. As expected of the scum society. They are traitors of life faction!" His voice was filled with boundless hate and disgust.


    Jacob fell into contemted silence since he had already guessed this much from those rings filled with life crystals, and now the Society Killer had confirmed it. So, the chances of him lying were very low.


    Now, he was in a quandary, "What do you suggest?" He asked as he wanted to know what The Society Killer was nning. This guy was really amazing and fearless, and his telling Jacob all of this was not out of the kindness of his heart.


    "If you want my advice, if you''re confident in your strength, then I''m also willing to put my life on the line to go with you. I have already gotten rid of those sums in the epic ins.


    "But their main headquarters are in the unique ins. I want to annihte thempletely, but I have no power in the unique ins. We''ll be at the bottom there, so I''d rather take my chances with you.


    "Although it is dangerous since those hypocrites, Zodiac Night Guardians, wouldy in wait for us. But, to get rid of those sums, I''ll fight to the end. Now the question is, are you willing to do the same or not?


    "Of course, you can try joining hands with the Dark City, but if you hand over the medallion, then I don''t think it''s worth it." He stated solemnly.


    ''He knows more but hiding it.'' Jacob, though, clearly won''t believe The Society Killer entirely because if he wanted just to get rid of the Killer Skull Society, then he should be in favor of just going to the unique ins, not caring about the medallion and even forcing Jacob to give it away for a safe passage.


    But he was insisting on keeping it, so there was clearly an ulterior motive that he wasn''t telling Jacob, and this motive was connected to the medallion.


    If he can''t even see through this, he has lived two lives in vain. He replied calmly, "Alright, give me some time to mull it over. I''m busy dealing with some matter, and once I decide, I''ll reach out to you."


    "Haha, good brother, I know you won''t be so foolish. I''ll wait for your good news. Take as much time as you need." The Society Killerughed pleasingly before the call was over.


    "Hmph. I''d be foolish to fall into another trap. That Halberd was first andst. Let''s see what Dark Marquis has to say. If she is interested in the medallion, I''ll just leave. Let''s see who can stop me from reaching the unique ins.


    "As long as there isn''t a legendary existence hidden here, I didn''t have anything to worry about. As for this guy, I''ll wait for Autarch to deal with Masha. Taking my things is not easy." He coldly scoffed before he headed to the control room.


    He wanted to dock this ship before making another move. Things were bing veryplicated all of a sudden. He needed a new n to tackle it.


    Just like that, days passed, and Jacob finally left the ship in another small ship and headed to the epic ins. He was now confident in finding it even if those guys betrayed him. They can''t escape his grasp.


    On the eastern shore, Sofie was already waiting for him since he had already told her to get all the materials he told her to collect and also from his partner merchants in the epic ins before telling them he wouldn''t need their help for some time.


    Jacob didn''t tell them that he was leaving and abandoning their partnership since they were no longer useful. As for Sofie, he had told her to finish any business she had with Epic ins, which meant he was going to take her with him, which made Sofie ted.


    Seeing Jacob''s gigantic figure approaching the shore, Sofie''s eyes shone with reverence. She knew Jacob had imed that ship, which meant he was extremely powerful, and now he was ready to set sail.


    But what she didn''t expect was that Jacob would tell her to apany them to the Dark City of Epic ins. She suddenly had a bad feeling after she thought about how he made her pretend to be the administrator of the dark city.


    Nheless, she would follow him till the end. It was a test of her loyalty.


    There was only a signal Dark City in the Epic ins, and it was located in the neutral zone, which was actually the only snow region in the Epic ins filled with snowy mountain range known as the Snow Peak Region.


    In the center of the region was an extremely tall snow mountain reaching the clouds, and on top of this was the Dark City. Just to reach this ce, one needed to be at least a tier-5 epic, for this entire mountain was filled with magic beasts.


    But for Jacob, it was just a stroll as he quickly reached the familiar entrance of the dark city. However, for Sofie, this was her first timeing here since an alchemist like her had no fighting experience to speak of.


    Once they bought the passes, they entered the huge, bustling city filled withrge skyscrapers. But just as they entered, arge beast-drawn carriage with a special symbol of a wolf was waiting for them. Anyone who saw this carriage was extremely startled because it belonged to the Marquis Mansion, and they wondered what they were doing in front of the city gates.


    The moment Jacob and Sofie entered, an armored kobold approached and respectfully asked, secretly shocked by Jacob''s size, "Are you a guest of Marquis Mansion?"


    Jacob had already contacted the Dark Marquis beforeing, so he wasn''t surprised to see this escort waiting for him.


    He nodded, "Let''s go."


    The guard led them to the carriage respectfully before it steered away under countless curious eyes and entered the depths of the Dark City!

 Chapter 551 Dark Marquis Decisiveness

    <h4>Chapter 551 Dark Marquis Decisiveness</h4>


    ?The epic Dark City has the same structure as the rare ins. The difference was its size was ten times grander than the rare ins one.


    At this moment, in a luxurious hall, Jacob sat in front of a masked woman adorned in a blue dress, but her face was hidden.


    However, her curvaceous body, long silky green hair, and creamy white hands showed she was a beauty. Her calm emerald eyes were looking at giant Jacob with a hint of shock. This was naturally the administrator of Dark City and held the highest dark noble rank, Dark Marquis!


    Although she had heard Jacob was a giant, his height didn''t match any report, and he wasn''t wearing any mask, but his hair was ck, and his eyes were blue; he was extremely handsome, not like the stories at all.


    As for Sofie, who was calmly standing behind him, she didn''t know who she was, but since she was with Jacob, she had to pay more attention to her. Moreover, she felt apprehensive of Jacob, as if he was a slumbering beast with terrifying might.


    She was extremely sensitive toward danger because of her unique bloodline, and Jacob gave her a sense of danger like she had never experienced before that she didn''t dare to look down on him.


    Nheless, she didn''t pry and was thrilled about Jacob appearing here since it meant he was serious about joining their side.


    "Thank you foring." She finally breaks the silence.


    Jacob coolly nodded and replied, "The honor is mine. I hate talking in roundabout ways. So, let''s not waste each other time; before joining the Dark City, I want to confirm something: if I be a personal member, will I have to hand over the medallion?"


    He directly gets to the point since his main concern ining here was to confirm what the Society Killer said. If he really had to hand over his medallion, then he would instantly leave since there was no room for discussion. He won''t give away his medallion no matter what, especially since it was connected to higher ins.


    "This¡­" Dark Marquis was startled hearing this since thest time Jacob didn''t ask this.


    But this time, he sounded quite cold. She replied hesitantly, "Mr. Ancient, this matter is far moreplicated than you think."


    Jacob shook his head, "No matter howplicated it is, I won''t hand over the medallion no matter what. I''m quite confident in handling myself, and joining the dark city is for convenience''s sake. But if I were required to give away the medallion, then I would rather try my luck alone. This is not negotiable. Now, you can decide how to proceed. Don''t me me for being boorish."


    Now it was confirmed that the Unique Star Ocean Medallion really held importance even in the Dark City eyes, so the Society Killer''s words were true. Jacob is even more determined to keep it now.


    Dark Marquis really didn''t expect Jacob to be so stubborn, and she wanted to pursue him, "Mr. Ancient I know you earn the medallion through risking your life. But it involved too many variables. Besides, you don''t even need it, so why put your life at risk?"


    Jacob smiled coldly, "Variables like the Zodiac Night Guardians, right? How about you let me worry about them? You just tell me if Dark City would let me in with medallion or not."


    Dark Marquis''s eyes widened when she heard that name, as she didn''t expect Jacob to know about the Zodiac Night Guardians. But despite knowing he was still being nonchnt about them. She had clearly underestimated Jacob''s resourcefulness and even suspected that he knew about the medallion''s mystery.


    She took a deep breath and deeply looked at Jacob''s impassive expression as she gravely said, "Since you know, very well. You can join the Dark City, and to tell you the truth, Dark City will never ask their members to hand over anything, especially treasures they put their lives at risk to acquire. So please don''t misjudge me. It''s just that people''s greed knows no bounds, and I''m very helpless in this matter as well. So, I hope you won''t me me for hiding the truth."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he thought of something from herst words, "Don''t tell me someone from the higher ins is after this medallion, and they belonged to the Dark City."


    Dark Marquis''s heart raced slightly as she didn''t expect Jacob to guess the crux of the matter easily, ''No wonder those three wanted to eliminate him. He''s too sly for his own good, but he has the power to back it up. I wonder if he could shine in the unique ins as well. Dark Duke will definitely make things hard on us, but this is also an opportunity¡­''


    In the end, she nodded with resolve before a triangr ck mirror appeared in her hand and ced it on the table in front of them.


    "Since you think it through, I don''t need to worry about anything. I''m not a coward either, and Dark City is not a ce where anyone can run amok as they wish. This is the Dark Registration Codex; it will record your entry in the Dark City, and you''ll be a personal member.


    "By putting your hand on it, you will be agreeing to all the dark city rules and vow never to betray it. You can''t kill fellow members of Dark City as long as you don''t have proof of their crimes. You can''t disclose sensitive information or secrets of Dark City to anyone. In times of crisis, you will help the Dark City the best you can. You can''t leave the Dark City until Dark City betrays your trust, and you can''t scheme against it.


    "If you agree, then ce your hand on it." She solemnly moved the mirror towards Jacob.


    Jacob was surprised as he didn''t expect Dark Marquis to be so decisive, even Sofie were moved by her determination. Despite knowing Jacob would trouble her, she still dared to ept it.


    ''This woman is not so bad.'' Jacob thought, it was his first time encountering such a person in the Zodiac ins.


    Without hesitation, he ced his hand on the Dark Registration Codex. The mirror was warm, and suddenly, its surface rippled like water before gentle red light covered his hand.


    Dark Rose''s static voice sounded, "Do you ept Dark City Rules and Regtions for Personal Members? Please note, if you continue, you won''t be able to back off."


    Jacob suddenly felt something gripping his heart. This sensation was just like the Zodiac Oath Contract. This surprised him and also made his smile grow slightly, and he answered, "I ept!"

 Chapter 552 Joining the Dark City

    Chapter 552 Joining the Dark City


    ??"Personal Member Registration Start!


    "Detecting life signatures¡­


    "Star ID: Faceless Ancient (Life Faction Honorary Member)


    "Star Privilege: 3-Star


    "Star Criminal Record: NONE


    "Bloodline: Unknown


    "Power Rank: Above Epic Rank


    "Magic Rank: Above Epic Rank


    "Registration Sessful!


    "Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, you are now a Personal Member of Dark City.


    "Dark Noble Rank Anointed: Dark Baron


    "More information about Dark Baron privileges has been sent to your Star ID!"


    After Jacob epted, Dark Rose''s voice continued to ring, and Dark Marquis and Sofie were shocked when they heard about Jacob''s special title, his unknown bloodline, and his shocking prowess.


    Dark Marquis was especially shocked because Jacob directly acquired the title of Dark Baron, not the Lower Dark Noble, which he was expecting.


    Even Jacob was surprised since he was caught off guard by Dark Rose''s evaluation of his prowess, but he was surprised about the title as well and looked at Dark Marquis for an exnation.


    The mirror also stopped shimmering and turned to normal at this point.


    "Do you have an honorary badge from life faction and your power¡­?" She couldn''t help but ask. This was too shocking, even more than a three-star privilege, especially his prowess.


    It shouldn''t have been possible for Jacob to enter the epic ins if he was above the epic rank, and Jacob wasn''t even from Unique ins from the past records she had gathered. If Dark Rose hadn''t confirmed Jacob''s ID, she would''ve suspected he was an imposter.


    Jacob impassively replied, "I do have an honorary badge. As for my prowess, it is an effect of a special privilege of this badge."


    Jacob knows about the special effect of these honorary badges now, so he made this up to cover up for his abnormal existence. He didn''t need to exin any further.


    Realization dawns upon Dark Marquis and Sofie.


    Dark Marquis replied with self-mockery, "No wonder you were able to clear the epic trial and aren''t afraid of Zodiac Night Guardian. So that''s how it is. If you have told me this before, I don''t have to embarrass myself."


    She then looked at Sofie, who was now looking at Jacob''s worship, and said, "Miss, do you want to join as well? If not, I have to apologize and ask you to leave since you can''t participate in our next conversation."


    In fact, if not for Jacob, Sofie wasn''t even qualified to be here; Dark Marquis was just giving Jacob face. But now that Jacob is a personal member, she needs to discuss the matter of Dark City, which includes too much core information, so Sofie needs to leave.


    Sofie hesitated as she looked at Jacob for his opinion. She clearly won''t do anything without his approval.


    Jacob coolly said, "Do as you please."


    "Then, I would like to join, but I''m a core member of Alchemy Guild. Would it be the problem?" asked Sofie hesitantly. She was still an alchemist of the Alchemy Guild, so she didn''t know what would happen if she tried to join the Dark City as a personal member.


    A hint of surprise shed past Dark Marquis''s eyes as she replied, "It is no problem. Once you join the Dark City as a personal member, your membership in the Guild will be revoked on its own. There is no problem, but you can''t do the same with Dark City. If you agree, then just do as Mr. Ancient and ce your hand on the Dark Registration Codex."


    Jacob and Sofie were surprised since they didn''t expect Dark City to have such power to directly snatch away the three hegemonies'' core members without giving them any exnation.


    ''It seemed the Dark City is even more unfathomable than I expected.'' Jacob thought with a sharp look.


    Sofie didn''t hesitate any longer and did as Jacob and quickly epted the oath, and afterward, the same process happened.


    "Personal Member Registration Start!


    "Detecting life signatures¡­


    "Star ID: Crownless Alchemist89


    "Star Privilege: 1-Star


    "Star Criminal Record: NONE


    "Bloodline: Wise Wood Elf


    "Power Rank: Tier-7 Epic Rank


    "Magic Rank: Epic-Star-8 Rank


    "Registration Sessful!


    "Congrattions, Crownless Alchemist89, you are now a Personal Member of Dark City.


    "Dark Noble Rank Anointed: Lower Rank Dark Noble


    "More information about Lower Rank Dark Noble privileges has been sent to your Star ID!"


    This time, there wasn''t any surprise for Dark Marquis as she secretly sighed in relief. She took back the Dark Registration Codex and said, "Congrattions, you both, you are no longer outsiders. You can now buy properties in the inner dark city and even start your business here."


    "I don''t have time for such a thing. Now, you should start talking since there is no need to hold back." Jacob stated that he didn''t have any more reason to stay in the epic ins.


    Dark Marquis didn''t tarry any longer since she wouldn''t be punished if she said another out of the line anymore.


    "First, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Zoe Heartfelt, and I''m from Spirit Tree Race of Unique ins. I was sent here by my family over three hundred years ago to climb up the ranks and be the administrator of the Epic Dark City to prove myself.


    "My n is also in charge of Unique Dark City, and I''m one of their sessors. If I want to fight the Unique Dark City administrator position, I need to go through many hardships.


    "The Dark Duke of the Unique Dark City is also my Grandfather, and he''s also the one who asked me to get the medallion from you. In return, he offers his protection, so I had to ask again if you want to take the deal. My grandfather has vast influence all over the Unique ins, and if you take this deal, no one will make things difficult for you." Dark Marquis or Zoe stated solemnly.


    Jacob was surprised since he wasn''t expecting this twist. But he replied firmly, "My decision is the same. On the other hand, I want to ask you something: are you really willing to do your grandfather''s bidding? I can tell you''re an ambitious and daring woman, and since you were able toe here for the experience, you also want to rule the Unique ins'' Dark City as well, right?"


    Sofie was shocked as she looked at Jacob, for he was too direct.


    Dark Marquis''s eyes narrowed slightly since Jacob didn''t say anything wrong!

 Chapter 553 Three Absolute Factions

    Chapter 553 Three Absolute Factions


    ??In the end, she nodded, "Indeed, I want that position as well. But it''s not so easy to be an administrator since you need achievements and merit worthy of this position. The higher the in, the more difficult it is. Just the requirement of Dark Duke rank can put people in despair.


    "Furthermore, in the Unique Dark City, there are three Dark Duke ns, and despite our n being in the leading position, the other two ns won''t remain still as anyone can fight for the city administrator position as long as they meet the requirements.


    "Just my own n has eight possible sessors, not to mention the other two ns. Thepetition in Dark City is very fierce, and my chance of session is very low. But after meeting you, if you are willing to lend me a hand, I think I might be able to pull it off!" She revealed as she looked at impassive Jacob.


    Jacob lightly nodded as he got to the crux of the matter, "I never thought there was an internal struggle in the Dark Cities on this level. But you guys never let it show, huh? I''m impressed. Tell me your n; where do I fit in this?"


    Zoe had just told him about the internal structure of the Unique Dark City and where she stands. But the main point was what she wanted from Jacob. Although her n was powerful, she wasn''t the only sessor, and from her tone, it was also clear that the Dark City was unbiased towards them.


    As long as someone meets the requirements, anyone can fight for a high position, but people in power won''t allow that easily. Jacob could understand this better than anyone.


    The taste of power was simply too addictive, and it was the hardest addition to get rid of.


    Zoe candidly replied, "Mr. Ancient is really straightforward. Until a few minutes ago, I didn''t even think about it, but after meeting you, I decided to take my chance. Before, I was told to take the medallion, and then I was cleared to return to my n.


    "But now that I''ve taken your side, I''m willing to break free from my n''s control. Since you are confident, I''m going to abdicate my position in the Epic Dark City and take the in Ascending Trial with you. You should be aware of it."


    Jacob instantly thought about the trial by fire Halberd hired him for in the rare ins, but in the end, he backstabbed him for his own benefit andid a trap.


    "Will you be promoted to Dark Duke Rank if you take this trial?" Jacob asked.


    Zoe shook her head, "It''s not so simple to promote to Dark Duke Rank. But I''ll be very close to it. On the other hand, you will be promoted if you take this trial. As a personal member, you will receive Secret Dark Missions of Dark Baron Rank.


    "Only bypeting in these SDMs can you increase your rank or rack achievements like your honorary title, star privileges, or donate something noteworthy to the Dark City. Since you are already prepared for the journey, you should also take this trial since it is avable for every personal member.


    "Since you are a Dark Baron, you can take four outside helpers while Miss Crownless can take ten while I, on the other hand, can''t even take one. But I can be one helper from the inside as long as their dark, noble ranks are below me. What do you think?" She meaningfully looked at Jacob.


    Jacob chuckled, "I''m not here to reject you. I''m here to work together with you. You bing Dark Duke would be beneficial for me, so I have no qualms. But since we are working together, I have a few suggestions."


    "Please speak freely."


    "First, we need to pacify your n. You don''t need to go against them, or I don''t need to offend them since this would be troublesome for both of us. Tell me, can your Grandfather, Dark Duke, see my information or know that I have joined?" Jacob asked.


    "No, this is only possible for the dark nobles below Dark Baron rank or outer members. Once someone reached Dark Baron as a personal member, their information would be strictly locked. Even Dark Duke can''t ess it." Zoe replied as she didn''t know what Jacob was nning.


    Jacob was pleased when he heard it, and then he asked another question, "How is Dark Cities'' rtionship with the Zodiac Night Guardians?"


    "The Zodiac Night Guardians are from origination called Zodiac Night Federation. Oh, you might not know this, but the Dark Cities didn''t belong to any faction. Like us, they are also not part of a life faction or a dead faction. We are one of the three great neutral powers of the Zodiac ins.


    "Meaning, we deal with both life and dead factions and won''t interfere with any of them. You know the difference in the Unique ins since the Unique Dark City allowed even Dark Being to enter.


    "The reason you had never seen such a thing happening in the epic or lower ins is because of an ancient contract between the Dark Cities and Life Faction. Their members in the lower ins are too pitifully weak.


    "Even Dark Beings of these ins are unaware of this fact. But the Zodiac Night Federation is different. They ept both living and dead. But they didn''t ept their members from the Conflict ins." Zoe revealed top-secret information that was only avable to the Unique in''s top powers.


    Both Jacob and Sofie were shocked as this was absolutely stunning.


    "What do you mean Conflict ins?" Jacob quickly asked.


    "We called the ins under the protection of SAAI Conflict ins. Because these ins are the only ones that have in trials, life zones, dead zones, and neutral zones, these ins are filled with endless resources, and both life and dead factions do their utmost to keep the bnce.


    "But there are other inhabitant ins besides the Conflict ins, and they are either under the protection of life or dead faction. Each faction attacks each other on those areas for domination and resources.


    "The Star Ocean is too big, and both factions are always in contestant search for such ins to increase their territories. As for our neutral powers, we mind our own business and stay away from their territories since we have our own.


    "Together, Life, Dead, and Neutral Faction, we made three Absolute Faction. Only in the Unique ins, you''ll know about these matters.


    "Now you should know just how massive this maelstrom named Zodiac ins is," Zoe revealed solemnly!

 Chapter 554 Zodiac Night Guardian

    <h4>Chapter 554 Zodiac Night Guardian</h4>


    ?The discussion and nning with Zoested for over an hour before Jacob directly left the Dark City with Sofie. Zoe wanted to introduce Jacob to the Dark Council, but he declined since time was pressing.


    He gave Zoe the coordinates of his ship, and she''lle when she is ready to depart. If anything, he directly bought all the titan iron from the Dark City since he''s going to need it soon.


    "What a mysterious man." Zoe couldn''t help but mutter as she found Jacob quite terrifying after hearing about his n. Even she didn''t think of it like this.


    Once she returned after bidding Jacob temporary farewell, she headed directly to a secret room and called someone.


    Soon, a blurry, dark projection appeared in front of her, and a husky voice rang, "How did it go?" This person was one of the top figures of the Unique ins and also Zoe''s Grandfather, Dark Duke Tomas.


    Tomas was the one who told Zoe to confiscate the medallion from Jacob by any means necessary, and he knew without even Zoe telling him about it. At that time Zoe was quite thrilled since Tomas contacted her on his own for the first time ever.


    But she was only disappointed when she learned he didn''t contact her to learn about her granddaughter''s struggles or ask her toe back. Even her parents never contacted her.


    However, she still foolishly followed his instructions, hoping to prove her worth. But after meaning Jacob, it was like a veil had been lifted over her eyes. She understands she was just a pawn of her family to be moved as they wish.


    She replied respectfully, "I just met him, and he didn''t have it."


    "What?" Tomas''s voice was icy, "Don''t you make yourself clear enough? Don''t tell me you don''t even know how to handle this little matter. What were you even doing here all this time?"


    Zoe''s heart turned cold hearing Tomas''s harsh voice. She coldly replied, "ording to him, he was approached by a middle-aged man with a moon symbol on his forehead; I don''t need to tell you what he was referring to. Furthermore, that man wasn''t alone; he had surrounded himself with fifty people.


    "He had no choice but to exchange it with a passage to the Unique ins. How was I supposed to do then? You should know the Zodiac Night Federation is fastest in the Star Ocean, it''s not my fault."


    She responded ording to what she had discussed with Jacob. Not only would Jacob overthrow the target on his back to the Zodiac Night Federation, but they would have a perfect reason that no one can find fault with. Now, if Dark Duke or anyone wanted that medallion, they could find the Zodiac Night Federation.


    Just as they nned, Dark Duke''s anger subdued a bit as he cussed, "Those unscrupulous bastards have no restraint! Again, they meddled in this matter. It seemed my dark cities are silent for too long, and they think we are toothless tigers."


    After venting his frustration, he asked about Jacob, "What about that guy face whatever? How did you handle him?"


    "He was pretty shaken up after his encounter with Zodiac Night Federation, so he begged him to join the Dark City for protection. So, didn''t refuse him." Zoe stated.


    "What a coward." Tomas scoffed, "You did the right thing. Since he''s proficient in causing trouble, he''ll be useful here as well. When will he leave?"


    Zoe eyes shimmered coldly as she replied, "In a few months I guess, the Zodiac Night Federation gave him a specific time and route. Oh, and I''m going toe with him as well."


    "No, there is no need for you toe. You have failed your mission, which means you still have not experienced enough." Tomas directly rejected her without hesitation.


    "There is nothing here to experience anymore. I''m already at the border of unique rank, if I stay here I''ll waste my time and talent." Zoe retorted with resentment.


    Actually, she was in this state for decades now but never had the guts to say it. Her talent would be ruined in a few more years if she didn''t grab this chance, and that was also one of the main reasons she agreed to work with Jacob.


    "You will be at the bottom if you return. Think about it." Tomas coldly said as he clearly wasn''t happy about Zoe talking back. He could sense she was different from before and more daring.


    "I can live with that, but there is nothing for me here. I can do more there, and I won''t be a burden to the n." She replied without hesitation.


    Even if Tomas had not agreed to this, she was going to do it. She didn''t want to live in suppression anymore. Furthermore, Jacob''s existence gave her confidence.


    Tomas remained silent for a few moments before he impassively asked, "What if I won''t allow it?"


    Zoe''s heart sank as Tomas was clearly bullying her; she took a deep breath and said, "Even without your support, I''ve already epted the mission, and I''ll leave with Faceless Ancient. I''m no longer a child, and I can make my decision."


    "Hahaha¡­" Tomas suddenly burst intoughter, "Good! You at least have guts now. Very welle, I''ll be waiting for you!"


    Without waiting for Zoe''s reply, the projection vanished. It was still not clear if Tomas was happy or furious. But Zoe didn''t care and left to prepare. She still had many matters to tend to, like appointing a new city administrator. There were two people who were close to Dark Marquis''s title, and whoever became first would seed in her position.


    ---


    After Jacob left the Dark City, he headed towards the Star Ocean direction. The epic ins right now were filled with chaos because of radiation and the Dark Beings'' sudden war deration. Many people were fleeing the epic ins.


    Half a dayter, Jacob and Sofie suddenly stopped because someone had blocked their path.


    It was an old man in silvery robes with long white hair and gray skin filled with fish-like scales. His blue eyes were without any pupils and icy, and he had a crescent ck moon symbol on his forehead.


    Jacob was astounded since he instantly recognized that ck moon symbol, ''He''s a Zodiac Night Guardian Dark Marquis warned me about. But how did he find me?''

 Chapter 555 A Dangerous Game

    Chapter 555 A Dangerous Game


    ??Jacob could sense this old man was at the peak of epic rank, so he wasn''t worried. But he still pretended to be surprised as he coldly said, "Who are you?"


    Sofie kept her mouth shut as she knew Jacob would handle it.


    Zodiac Night Guardian suddenly put on an amiable smile, bowed towards Jacob, and said in his elderly voice, "Mr. Faceless Ancient, you are really hard to get in touch with. Please forgive my crassness to meet you this way; I hope you won''t judge me for this."


    Jacob was surprised as he expected this guy to be arrogant, but he was quite polite so that he couldn''t p a smiling face. Still, he had already nned for this with Zoe, so he was ready.


    "We''ll see about that, won''t we? How did you find me and know it was me?" Jacob asked coldly.


    The Zodiac Night Guardian didn''t mind Jacob''s tone and said amiably, "We were looking for you, and Dark City is also under our radar. Since the Dark Marquis sent an escort to greet you, I don''t think of anyone else but the famous Faceless Ancient to be worthy of such grandeur."


    ''They had eyes all over the ce. Furthermore, they just guessed that it was me but weren''t sure before, so they took the risk.'' Jacob mused.


    "You still don''t tell me who you are?" Jacob asked again as this guy was avoiding this question.


    "Didn''t Dark Marquis tell you?" He asked smilingly.


    "I still want to hear it since I don''t work well with spections," Jacob replied.


    The Zodiac Night Guardian''s smile grew as he nodded, "You are just as the legends described you. Let me formally introduce myself; I''m ck Moon Rank Zodiac Night Guardian from Zodiac Night Federation, Brogan!"


    "Faceless Ancient, you can call me Jack." Jacob nodded in acknowledgment.


    From Zoe, he learned that the Zodiac Night Guardians are divided into five known ranks in public, from the lowest ck to Purple, Red, Violet, and highest White. They can be easily identified by the color of the moon symbol on their forehead.


    The ck Zodiac Night Guardians were the lowest rank, and they were in charge of the outer world matter of the federation, while the upper ranks would rarely take action and meddled in material affairs.


    "Mr. Jack, I would be straight with you. I''m here to make a deal with you. The Zodiac Night Federation will provide you with safe passage to the unique ins. We will even allocate an escort to you and guarantee your safety all the way to the unique ins.


    "In return, we''ll ask you for the Unique Star Ocean Medallion. Moreover, to show our sincerity, we will also tell you the position of your enemies as they had already left the Epic ins or, more urately, fled.


    "Like the former Guild President Nelsen and his daughter, the Bank Manager Lucy, and even the Alliance Chairman Gunnar and his family. You can intervene in their way if you want. But if they reach the unique ins, you might not get another chance because they all had backgrounds there, especially Nelsen. He belonged to an extremely powerful n." Brogan stated with confidence. He had already investigated Jacob beforeing here, and he knew about Jacob''s conflicts with the three leaders.


    This was an offer he probably wouldn''t be able to refuse, and there was also a hidden warning that even if he had a medallion, the Zodiac Night Federation knew all the passages, so he was bound to bump into them. They were extremely confident when it came to sea battles.


    They had thousands of ways to obstruct Jacob''s way and take his life. He was nothing in front of them.


    But Jacob was known for his destructive weaponry, and maybe that''s the reason they were trying to talk with him since it might not be good for them if heunched those weapons in desperation.


    They didn''t fear Jacob, but his weapons!


    How could Jacob not know their implication? But he was quite surprised hearing about the current situation of three leaders and these guys even exchanging their lives for the medallion. Now he understands why the Society Killer called them hypocrites. They didn''t have any morals, and all they cared about was their benefits.


    "Sorry, but you are a stepte; I have already exchanged the medallion with the Dark Duke of the Unique ins for the same deal, and now I''m a personal member of Dark City. I can''t help you with this matter. On the other hand, if you are still interested in selling me the information on the three leaders, I''m quite interested." Jacob calmly revealed.


    This was his n to sow discord between the two organizations or whoever wanted the medallion. By making the Dark City his scapegoat, he would escape their watch. The Dark Duke will be helpless to take action against the Zodiac Night Guardians, while the same could be said for them.


    Even if they found the truth in the future, it would be already toote for them to do anything to Jacob.


    Brogan''s smile vanished as he frowned after hearing Jacob''s words, "Are you telling the truth?" It would be quite troublesome if it were really the case since the Dark City was on par with them and part of the neutral faction.


    If it was three hegemonies who represented the life faction, maybe they could still think of a way to get the medallion because they were not as united as the Dark Cities.


    "I don''t have a reason to lie to you. This was also the point of my visit to the Dark City. I hope you guys won''t make things hard on me. I''m just trying to survive in any way I can." Jacob sighed ruefully as if he was extremely helpless against these organizations.


    Brogan looked deeply at Jacob and didn''t find his expression fake; in the end, he nodded, "Since this is the case, sorry to waste your time. Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have to report it back to my superiors. As for the positions of the three leaders, I have to apologize since we won''t sell the information of our clients.


    "I hope we don''t have any reason to meet again, Mr. Jack, for both of our sakes. Farewell and safe journey."


    Done saying he directly left without waiting for Jacob''s reply. He was very displeased.


    After confirming Brogan has left, Jacob snickered with derision, "He still leaves behind a threat. I guess I should add another enemy to my list. What a treacherous world."


    Sofie didn''t say anything and only sighed. She knew Jacob was ying a very dangerous game by tricking terrifying existences, but she didn''t have any right to advise him and could only follow.


    In the end, they both left!

 Chapter 556 Inscrutable Immortal

    Chapter 556 Inscrutable Immortal


    ??After the small incident with the Zodiac Night Guardian, Jacob didn''t directly return to the ship, but he waited for the night before taking different paths just in case someone was monitoring him.


    Furthermore, he doesn''t use any ship to travel in the star ocean; instead, he directly dives in and uses his water magic to head back with Sofie. This way, no one would be able to find him.


    At this moment, Brogan''s figure appeared above the calm ocean, and with him was a small figure. Furthermore, they were standing on a small flying ship, which waspletely invisible. This kind of technology was unheard of in the epic ins.


    "He''s too careful. What should we do now, Grandpa? We won''t be able to find his hideout." The small figure stated with unwillingness.


    If Jacob were here, he would instantly identify this person because he was the same person who escaped Jacob''s clutches in the forest of the epic ins trial by using a teleportation talisman and also revealed its existence.


    Brogan''s expression was dark before he sighed, "He''s really careful. I was hoping to confirm if he had given away the medallion or not since the device didn''t pick up anything on his person.


    "So, there is a chance that he left it somewhere else. But now, we can''t go after him since it might expose our flying ship. Let''s go back; I''ll report it to the higher-ups. What they do after that has nothing to do with us."


    "It''s all that bastard Nelsen''s fault; if he hadn''t forfeited, we wouldn''t be having this trouble." The person said hatefully.


    "That guy was only protecting his own family, and we can''t do anything to him since his n has some ties with us. Forget about it, you were almost died in that ce, it''s time for you to increase your power in our territory. You are my hope to escape the Lesser Grand Absolute Gxy of Taurus and enter the middle ins." Brogan looked at his grandson gently.


    "I won''t disappoint you, Grandpa. Let that bastard dance in the lesser ins. He won''t be able to escape the conflict ins." He sneered with disdain.


    Almost dying by Jacob''s hand was the biggest humiliation of his life, and the most hateful thing was he still didn''t know what happened that day. That''s why both Brogan, and he didn''t take excessive action against Jacob because they were afraid of that exact power.


    Thereafter, both of them left and vanished on the horizon.


    ---


    A few hourster, Jacob finally returned to the ind where the old crew was camping, and he told Mic he was going into seclusion to prepare for their long journey, and the Dark City''s higher-ups were alsoing with them.


    In truth, Jacob was waiting for Autarch to be done with Masha, and this would also give Nyx the time to absorb all the people''s lifespans here.


    After knowing about the absolute factions and the zodiac ins, he knew he was still just a drop in the ocean, so he needed to get stronger constantly. At least he needed the strength of legend rank, which was too far away from him.


    There was no information on this rank in Epic ins. Maybe he found some clues in the dark city of the unique ins. Still, the star ocean was filled with unknown, so he needed all the power he could muster up.


    The only way was the Cursed Immortality or the Art of Nature. But the third meditation exercise, the Lightning Meditation, required an environment filled with lightning, just like the fire desert, and he didn''t know any such ce. Hence, he had to put all his attention on the Immortal Chapter of the Cursed Immortality.


    Jacob opened the cursed immortality''s immortal chapter and stared at the blood drop, and after an hour, he still didn''t find any profundity.


    In the end, Jacob carefully opened his eyes of judge, and the moment heid his eyes on the blood drop, he suddenly saw he was surrounded by nothing but crimson blood, and in this strange ce, he saw shining glyphs floating.


    But just as he was about to look at those glyphs closely, a piercing pain attacked his head, and his vision darkened; the next moment, he appeared in his room, pale and sweating profusely with sharp pain in his head and eyes.


    A few minutester, the pain finally went away, and their vision returned to normal, but he felt extreme fatigue. He began to eat some meat he prepared before as he looked at the drop of blood profoundly.


    "So, that''s what you''re hiding." He muttered as he finally saw what Immortika was talking about, and without the eyes of judge, he might never have been able to see through this drop of blood in his lifetime.


    The page on the cursed immortality turned, and Immortika wrote, "Hehe, you''re quite daring to use your eyes, which aren''t even the initial stage of their awakening, to peer into the immortal chapter. Do this ten more times, and you''ll be forever blind. Then don''t me me for not warning you, hahaha."


    Jacob was shocked as his expression grew dark, "Initial stage? Can you please just exin what I need to do to awake them?"


    "I can''t help you with that. You need to figure these things out on your own. All I can do is give you subtle hints and warnings. You better start taking it more seriously. You are very lucky to have the eyes of judge, so don''t ruin them, or even your ancestors would cry blood if they found out about it. Hahahaha¡­" Immortikaughed in relish.


    Jacob frowned when suddenly a realization struck him, "My ancestors¡­ don''t tell me I need to investigate this bloodline to learn their secrets. I was really stupid, all I have to do is to look into my bloodline, and I''ll know the answer."


    "Hahaha¡­ I didn''t say anything." Immortika still didn''t admit it, but it had clearly given Jacob a very precious hint, like always.


    Jacob didn''t mind since this was all he needed. He couldn''t help but sigh, "I guess my confrontation with the Faery Humans of the Unique ins is unavoidable, huh?"


    Since he can''t see through the immortal chapter, he decides not to waste time and focus on the scripture of nk to increase his power.


    Time passed, and on this day, Jacob waved his sleeve, and Masha appeared in front of him.


    She suddenly opened her bewitching eyes, which werepletely emotionless, and seeing smiling Jacob in front of her, she kneeled in front of him and emotionlessly said, her, she kneeled in front of him and emotionlessly said, "Autarch, greets Sir!"

 Chapter 557 Next Victim of Autarch

    Chapter 557 Next Victim of Autarch


    ??Looking at Masha kneeling, who was now nothing but an empty husk for Autarch, Jacob still feels very pleased seeing this vicious woman meet this cruel end.


    "Did you advance?" Jacob asked.


    Autarch nodded, "I''m now at the epic rank, and it''s all thanks to Sir."


    "We both took a gamble that day, and it paid off handsomely. Without risk, there is no reward. I''ve learned it the hard way." Jacob sighed emotionally.


    Although he took that risk to save his own life that day, he was still able to escape without even using this trump card. Still, Autarch''s advance means another powerful trump card in his arsenal, and with Nyx in the mix, he probably didn''t need to be afraid of anything below legendary rank.


    "How''s your gains?" He asked.


    "My abilities had all been powered up by another level, and now I can handle Unique Rank beings. Furthermore, I''ve awakened another new ability after reaching the epic rank just now, Undead Control.


    "I can now refine ten Dark Beings up to unique rank into Undead Puppets. But I still won''t be able to get their memories, and I also need to absorb the strong brains of the living to advance." Autarch revealed without hesitation.


    Jacob was surprised since this new ability was quite useful if used carefully. He can infiltrate the Dark Beings ranks and get their secrets. Even to this day, he still doesn''t know much about the Dark Beings'' inner structure and how theymunicate with each other.


    He never discovers any star watches on the dark beings but the SAAI acknowledged them. This could only mean there was a unique method like the starwork they used tomunicate with higher ins.


    Although he wasn''t overly interested in Dark Beings'' secrets, learning them would only increase his chance of survival against them. After all, he needed to kill them to increase his hex core''s rank.


    "Is there anything worth reporting from Masha''s memories?" Jacob asked.


    Even though he already knew everything he wanted to know about the Unique ins and many secret matters from Captain Free Sword, he still wanted to know if that bastard hid anything.


    Autarch then begins to tell Jacob about Masha''s entire life and how she joined Captain Free Sword, including the unique ins.


    What surprised Jacob was Masha''s Charm Siren Race didn''t belong to thends; instead, they lived within the star ocean, and they were the only race there. People called them Ocean Races, and they were as terrifying as thend dwellers.


    Masha was exiled from her n because of her twisted nature, and that''s how she met with the pirates and ended up with Captain Free Sword''s crew.


    Autarch also told him about the ocean races that avoid thends and don''t interfere with their matters, but they also won''t allow anynd dwellers within their territories. The offenders would meet instant retaliation and death.


    Furthermore, these ocean races were extremely vengeful as they were easily provoked, and if someone killed their members, they wouldn''t stop until they got revenge, and they went as far as to dere war. So, no one wanted to provoke them, whether they were living or dead.


    "I get it. We need to be careful of these ocean races now." Jacob sighed as his eyes were slowly opening to the new world now, "Alright, remove this ve mark on me."


    Although his physical body had broken the limit of the epic rank, his magic rank was still not sufficient so he was waiting for this for a long time now. That''s also why he didn''t dare to let Masha out before Autarch fully devoured her.


    If Autarch weren''t fully loyal to him, he would''ve directly killed her without taking any chances.


    Autarch didn''t hesitate andbined her hands together before a crimson rune lit up on Masha''s forehead. Simultaneously, Jacob also felt a burning sensation on his back as the ve rune appeared.


    "Break!" Autarch coldly stated before the rune on Masha''s forehead vanished, and Jacob also felt that burning sensation go away.


    He felt instantly refreshed and light-headed, as if some huge burden had been lifted from his back. He was finally free from the damn ve rune.


    "Good." Jacob nodded with a refreshed smile, "I have another mission for you: record all Masha''s runic techniques like the ve rune for me. Other than that, once you''re done, I have another fellow for you to devour. Afterward, I''ll give you all the titan tears I''ve been refining for you to increase your rank. This shall be your reward for your server."


    Jacob had been collecting all the epic rank titan iron he could get for Autarch because it could grow rapidly by absorbing it and didn''t need to devour brains. After Jacob''s body enters the unique rank, epic titan tears have minimum effect on him, so giving it to Autarch was the best option.


    Furthermore, he now only had a form for the unique rank titan tears. There was no legendary rank form. So, he needed the unique rank titan iron to refine unique titian tears, which would also spell the end of this miraculous potion he got from themon ins.


    He was also hoping that the unique titan tears could help Autarch enter the Legendary Rank since he knew just how ridiculous the requirements were for its advanced.


    Autarch didn''t tarry and bowed before she left toplete this mission. Many crew members were surprised to see Masha appearing again, and some even tried to talk with her, but she seemedpletely different and cold and didn''t reply to their greeting.


    Once Autarch left, Jacob''s eyes shone sharply, ''Now that my fire aura glyph is about to condensepletely. I should create a water spirit glyph next. Fire for fighting and water for defense and healing, perfectbination¡­''


    Just like that, days passed, and, on this day, Autarch returned with a thick book and handed it to Jacob. Upon skimming through it, Jacob was ted as all Masha''s runic knowledge of talismans, arrays, and formations was in there.


    Keeping the book, he then takes out a barrel filled with dark liquid. It was titan tears, and seeing it, Autarch''s emotionless eyes shimmered with desire.


    "Alright, you discard this body now and start absorbing this barrel. I still have 28 more of them. In the meanwhile, I''ll summon your next target!" Jacob ordered coolly.


    Autarch nodded before a dark streak shed past Masha''s ear and vanished into the barrel, and the next moment, Masha''s lifeless body began to fall on the floor.


    Jacob sneered coldly and threw a green me ball on her body, incinerating it into ashes.


    Thereafter, he called someone, and a jolly voice rang, "Is it time?"


    Jacob''s lips curled up wickedly, "Of course, I''m sending you my coordinates. Hurry over, we''ll be leaving in three days!"

 Chapter 558 Never Trust a Goblin

    Chapter 558 Never Trust a Goblin


    ??A dayter, Jacob stood at the beach of the ind as a cold sea breeze brushed past his body. At this moment, a ship''s silhouette appeared in his view as his lips curled up.


    "He really came." He muttered.


    "Do you need my help?" Nyx''s voice sounded in his head as she was done with the ogres and others, and she was busy learning different things Jacob had taught her. Still, she was a predator and couldn''t help but get hungry when she saw fresh prey.


    "Let''s see, if he''s alone, then let Autarch handle it, and if he''s bringing others with him, you can have the rest." Jacob chuckled as he had his own ns.


    "I never thought you were an insect person," Nyx replied with a hint of displeasure.


    When she learned about Autarch''s existence and its talent, she was clearly jealous since she thought Jacob only had her and didn''t need anyone else.


    "Don''t make a fuss. Autarch has its own uniqueness, and you have yours. It can absorb the memories of others, which is extremely helpful for me. As for you, you are still learning to control your abilities." Said Jacob impassively.


    "Hmph, who do you like more, me or that insect?" Nyx asked as she didn''t like being put in the same category as an insect. She had her own pride, and her background was probably bigger than fantastic insects.


    Jacob shook his head helplessly as he didn''t expect Nyx to react this way; she was like a brat, while Autarch was very obedient. He clearly likes thetter more.


    "Of course, I like you more since you have more potential than Autarch. Still, we have to use every avable tool in our arsenal to get what we want. Don''t forget what I teach you." Jacob coolly answered.


    "Hehe, you should''ve said this sooner." Nyx instantly bes happy.


    Jacob chuckled as Nyx was very easy to trick.


    Soon, the ship finally reached the beach, and three cloaked personsnded on the sand.


    Jacob''s eyes turned golden for a moment before returning to normal, and no one noticed it.


    ''He''s testing me.'' Jacob''s lips curled up as he didn''t expect anything less from the Society Killer, who was as infamous as him and even more resourceful.


    "I thought you wereing alone?" Jacob coldly said while looking at the three persons in front of him.


    They were all tiny in front of him, and their power level was peak epics.


    "Now, don''t get angry. They are my trusted men, and they are very useful. I''m not like you, who can overpower the entire epic ins. But I have to say, damn, you''re massive." The Society Killer''s voice rang from the figure in the center as he removed the hood. A smiling barbarian''s face was revealed with tattoos on his bronze skin.


    However, Jacob didn''t even look at him and coldly stared at the ship, "Don''t y tricks with me with a puppet. I might take it as if you''re thinking of me as a fool. Your true body is hiding in that ship. If you want to cooperate with me sincerely, thene out or scram." He coldly said.


    How could he not be on high alert in front of the Society Killer? He didn''t even need Immortika to see through this fa?ade as just activating his eyes of judge for a moment could tell him everything.


    He Instantly saw all three of these people in front of him were attached through strings of magic, and the source was hidden in that ship. Furthermore, Nyx instantly told me these three didn''t have any dreamscape realms, which meant they were dead.


    Jacob never expected someone other than Autarch to have such abilities to control puppets like this, and without Nyx or the eyes of a judge, he might never be able to tell on his own. The Society Killer was really sly.


    "Oh?" The Society Killer''s startling voice sounded before the barbarian''s expression turned static, "I never thought you were so capable. Please forgive me for the offense; I was just joking." Said the Society Killer.


    At this moment, a small cloaked figure appeared on the ship, and he was the true Society Killer.


    Once hended in front of the three puppets, he waved his sleeve, and those three puppets vanished into his storage ring.


    Then, he removed his hood, and a gray goblin face was revealed. His ash-colored eyes were filled with astuteness and a hint of shock.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m the Society Killer; you can call me Ten." He bowed towards Jacob''s polity.


    It was Jacob''s first encounter with a peak epic rank goblin, and he was far from normal because he could sense this guy was very close to the unique rank and awakened his spirit glyph. He even saw a vague outline on his skull when he opened his eyes of judge.


    "Jack." Jacob nodded in acknowledgment.


    At this moment, the Society Killer, Ten, didn''t even notice a ck streak vanishing into his pointy ear.


    Ten smiled, revealing his sharp teeth, "I hope you won''t take any offense. You see, I''m just a weak researcher and very afraid of dying, and I won''t trust anyone so easily. I hope you understand it better than anyone. Still, I never expected you would see through my puppet art so easily. You are really not easy to mess with."


    His ash-colored eyes shimmered in a deep light as he looked at the towering Jacob.


    "Oh, an invisible force is trying to invade your mind. Should I burn him? I promise it''ll hurt very much!" Nyx''s surprised voice sounded. She was extremely sensitive to mind attacks and Jacob''s defense against them.


    Jacob''s eyes went cold, "He''s trying to use those puppet arts on me? I guess you can''t trust a goblin, no matter what. No worries, it''s not like I have pure intentions either. Just keep blocking it, and don''t retaliate; it will be over very soon. He might have some other tricks to preserve his life, like the teleportation talisman. I''m toozy to find his corpse." He ordered Nyx.


    "Just like you, I''m also someone who is afraid of dying. So, I won''t take offense. Let''s head back and discuss our n for departure. I want to hear your opinion."


    Jacob nodded before he turned around, and Ten followed behind with his eyes still shimmering brightly!

 Chapter 559 The Fall of The Society Killer

    <h4>Chapter 559 The Fall of The Society Killer</h4>


    ?Jacob leads Ten towards a camp on the ind. In truth, this was a fake base on the other side of the ind. The ogres and Sofie were on the other side. He deliberately made it for the Society Killer just to be safe.


    "Did you encounter the Zodiac Night Guardians?" Ten suddenly asked as he was quite curious.


    "Do you think they can find me?" Jacob replied with a question.


    "Hahaha, sorry to ask the oblivious." Tenughed sinisterly, "Those hypocrites are probably searching for you in the epic ins. You did well hiding on this remote ind."


    "I''m quite curious about how you came in contact with them. Even the Dark Marquis was unwilling to tell me about them. Care to share?" Jacob couldn''t help but ask.


    Ten grinned, "I''m not bound by anyws, and I sincerely wish to cooperate with you, so I naturally have to show my sincerity. I once encountered trash from the Zodiac Night Guardian when I was buying some research material. We have some small skirmish between us, not worth mentioning. He was just a loose mouth idiot."


    Suddenly, Ten felt something and frowned, ''Why do I feel drowsy all of a sudden? And why isn''t I made a connection with his mind?'' He thought.


    He was secretly using his bloodline ability to corrode Jacob''s mind and try to make the mind connection. Once the connection was established, he slowly took control of it without Jacob realizing it.


    But it was taking too long, and he suddenly started to feel like his mind was shutting down. This was quite strange since he was fully prepared, and Jacob didn''t do anything as he was just walking in front, and he was extremely confident in his mental attacks and defense against them.


    Furthermore, he had a powerful treasure that could protect his mind, so he didn''t suspect Jacob was capable of affecting his mind or protecting against his mental attacks. After all, the giants'' biggest weakness was their weak mental defenses.


    Moreover, even if Jacob could bypass all of his defenses, he has a life-saving talisman that could bring him away the moment his life falls into danger. That''s the only reason he dared to show his face here.


    "You are quite lucky. Thank you for your warning, or I would''ve exchanged the medallion already. You are a true friend." Jacob ''sincerely'' stated.


    "N-no need to mention it. I was¡­ was just trying to be helpful for old-time sake. After all¡­ after all, we have uprooted the scum society." Ten replied, but his voice began to falter.


    Jacob suddenly turned around and looked at him frowningly, "What happened to your voice? Are you feeling alright?"


    Even Ten was frowning as a feeling of exhaustion overcame him, "I-I, it seemed I''m tired from the journey¡­ g-give¡­ give me a moment."


    Without waiting for Jacob''s reply, he hurried toward the other direction and vanished.


    "Hahaha, that ugly guy sure is loathsome. He deserved it!" Nyx''s disdainful voice rang.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a vicious smile, "Just a schemer who thinks he has everything under control. He''s just like me, but I win this time. Now you get why I said Autarch is important? He didn''t even notice it despite his powerful mental capabilities."


    "Hmph, I admit that bug has some skill. Still, he''s no match for me." Nyx unhappily stated.


    Jacob shook his head wryly, "Don''tpare yourself with others. The winner is always the one who isst standing. You can take me as an example. I''m not a match for both of you, but I''m still your master.


    "Never judge others by their appearance; what counts is their intellect and power. The former is a must-have, while thetter can topple over the former in many ways. Intellect can bring confidence, while power brings arrogance.


    "But if youck any of them, both of them are like slow poison which will make you blind, and you''ll fall sooner orter. But both of them made deadlybinations, but not everyone can have them." Jacob sighed with a hint of mncholia.


    He remembered saying the same thing to his children, but they never seemed to grasp it.


    "Are you sad?" Nyx suddenly asked as she was connected to Jacob.


    Jacob chuckled, "Justmenting about past nothing much. Emotions are ephemeral, always fleeting and ever-


    changing."


    At this moment, Ten walked out of the forest, but this time, the sly light in his eyes was gone, and he waspletely emotionless.


    Seeing the familiar emotionless gaze, Jacob merely smiled, "Let''s go. We have many things to discuss."


    Ten silently followed Jacob towards the camp and once they were inside, he sat down and looked at him and asked, "What is your name?"


    "Autarch." He replied emotionlessly.


    "You were pretty quick this time." Jacob smilinglymented.


    "He was weak." Autarch inly stated.


    Nodding, Jacob''s expression bes serious, "Tell me about his life story without leaving anything."


    Autarch nodded and began to reveal the truth behind Ten.


    He belonged to a unique goblin race, Puppeteer Goblin, who was captured by ve traders in the epic ins andter bought by S-0 of the Killer Skull Society. He was her test subject for many years before she set him free and instated in the Killer Skull Society''s ranks.


    Although he appeared obedient on the surface, he hated S-0 and the Killer Skull Society to the core, especially when heter found that those ve traders had a close rtionship with the Killer Skull Society.


    He worked for them for twenty years before he awakened his bloodline, got rid of the brain chip, and gained his freedom. It was mostly because they had underestimated his bloodline and abilities.


    By doing this, he was hunted by the Killer Skull Society because he knew many of their secrets. But he was extremely cunning, and his special abilities allowed him to control others, so he was never found and became a thorn in the Killer Skull Society way.


    He killed many of their members, uprooted their hideouts, and spread their weakness all over the starwork. It was his life''s goal to uproot the Killer Skull Societypletely.


    Butter, he found that the Killer Skull Society was not so simple, and he almost lost his life.


    Thereby, he was forced to flee in a no-return zone. But that cmity brings him a huge fortune. He found a mysterious inheritance in the no-return zone, and his abilities soared after that.


    When he returned, he wanted to continue with his revenge, but s, the Killer Skull Society was not a den of fools, as they hadpletely changed their structures and hideouts by the time he returned.


    It was extremely hard to hunt them down, so he began to make connections and money by selling alchemy pills all over the epic ins in secret. He has also dealt with the ATLAS.


    Furthermore, he slowly investigated the Killer Skull Society''s new structure and even managed to nt a puppet in their two-digit s-ranks. He was really patient as he slowly gathered all the information and waited for a chance to strike at once.


    He got that chance when Jacob arrived, and his weapons were the exact thing he needed to start his revenge and deal a killing blow to the Killer Skull Society, and he seeded!

 Chapter 560 Greed is Curse

    Chapter 560 Greed is Curse


    ??Not only did Tenpletely uproot the Killer Skull Society in the Epic ins with Jacob''s weaponry help, but just before contacting Jacob, he even managed to kill S-0 when she was trying to flee the epic ins after trial; he hated her the most in the entire world since bought him into this mess.


    Furthermore, he also got the entire treasury of the Killer Skull Society from their headquarters.


    But greed knows no bounds, as right afterpeting for his revenge, he sets his sights on Jacob and his secret. He had done deep research on Jacob, and by adding the information the Killer Skull Society had gathered on him, he found that Jacob was ascending from the Common ins.


    So, he instantly thought that Jacob was like him, who had discovered some kind of inheritance that helped him reach this point, and it was most likely even more profound than his own.


    That''s why he made a n to target Jacob, and once he seeded, all Jacob''s secrets will be his to take. Moreover, he bes even more determined when he discovers the medallion secret from the Killer Skull Society.


    He found a record that the medallion was the key to escaping the lesser ins, which were abination of Common, Rare, Epic, and Unique ins. But to use it, one had first to discover the gateway, which was hidden in the unique ins.


    The Killer Skull Society has been researching it for the Dark Beings for years now, and they were also the ones who captured a Zodiac Night Guardian. In truth, all the informationes from the Killer Skull Society.


    Lastly, Ten also found that the Killer Skull Society was established by the Dark Beings to infiltrate the ranks of the Life faction and gather information. But it has another purpose, which was to research artificial life inspired by none other than the ATLAS!


    However, they were never able to seed until recently when they had a breakthrough in themon ins, which waster ruined by none other than Jacob when he took all their data.


    In the end, they weren''t able to reim it, so the Dark Beings stopped paying attention to them and even cut off their support. The final straw breaks when Jacob bes the unique ins trial sole champion, and the Dark Beingspletely give up on them.


    That''s the main reason Ten got the chance to uproot thempletely, and now there was no longer any Killer Skull Society in the epic ins. Furthermore, the unique ins also didn''t have any Killer Skull Society. It wasn''t like they didn''t try to create one, but the powers there never allowed it to rise and always took care of them before they could dip their fingers into the deep waters of the Unique ins.


    All in all, the Killer Skull Society was now over as for their lower ins branches, they will also be exterminated sooner orter without the Dark Beings or higher ins support.


    Anyhow, Ten came here for Jacob to get a new start so he could shine in the Unique ins with Jacob''s secret. But s, he had never imagined that Jacob was even more ruthless and cautious than them, and he ended up bing the prey.


    After listening to all of this, Jacob was quite moved by Ten''s tenacity and determination. But he also scoffed in the end since he picked up the wrong target, and now everything he had belonged to Jacob.


    ''So, lesser ins are thebination of four conflict ins. Ifbined with all the uncharted territories scattered throughout the star ocean, then this should also be considered a lesser gxy of Taurus.


    ''Still, a gateway to the higher ins exists in the conflict ins, which means if someone wanted to go to the legendary ins, they had to go through the unique ins first. What a mess these zodiac ins are, and I seemed to be in the epicenter of them.'' Jacob sighed as he mulled over all the information he got from Autarch.


    At least he knew the journey ahead wouldn''t be so simple.


    "What kind of fortuitous opportunity does this guy get?" Jacob asked as he was quite interested in this since this opportunity helped Ten to be the Society Killer of today.


    "He discovered a ruin of some ancient civilization of a race called Cosmic Goblins. He only managed to find a broken totem, which, upon touching, merged with his brain. It was because of this totem that his bloodline showed signs of atavism, and he awakened the bloodline abilities of his race.


    "But for some reason, he was stuck at the peak of epic rank, and he felt that something was missing. That was one of his reasons to capture you, sir, for he thinks you also have some kind of totem." Autarch emotionlessly replied.


    Jacob was surprised, and realization dawned upon him, "A mysterious totem, huh? Whatever, since it is gone, it''s useless to us. But his puppeteer art was quite astounding. You should see if you can learn them since your abilities are quitepatible."


    "Indeed, they are quite insightful, especially his research on making substitute puppets, which sir saw upon his arrival." Autarch nodded in agreement.


    "Alright, leave his space ring behind and transfer all his money into my ount. Then, you can continue with the absorption of titan tears. You have reached the tier-7 of epic magic rank with 4 barrels. Once you''re done, I want you to turn all the crewmates except Sofie into your puppets.


    "They seemed to have noticed that they can''t sleep anymore. So, getting rid of them now will save up some inconvenience, and we don''t have to worry about their loyalty." Jacobmanded coldly.


    Autarch didn''t hesitate to give Ten''s space ring to Jacob and then transfer all his wealth to Jacob as well, which was a staggering 188 billion ZC!


    He then left toplete his new task, leaving Jacob alone.


    ''Since this is out of the way. All that is left is to invite the Dark Marquis. I''ll start once Autarch is done!''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with anticipation. He was about to start his voyage to the Unique ins!

 Chapter 561 Unique Odyssey Begins

    Chapter 561 Unique Odyssey Begins


    ??Today, the massive Advanced Unique Rank ship left the remote ind and headed towards the boundary of the epic star ocean, where another small ship was waiting for its arrival.


    Jacob stood on the deck in his signature ck outfit, apanied by Sofie, adorned in a silky violet dress, and the ogre Mic, who had an expressionless face.


    Soon, another charming woman in a long white sleeveless dress embarked on the ship. She appeared exceptionally charming and graceful; she was none other than the Dark Marquis of the Dark City, Zoe.


    At this moment, shock was written all over Zoe''s beautiful face as she looked at the ogre standing beside Jacob. She was extremely knowledgeable and knew about races of the unique ins, so she easily identified Horn Ogre.


    ''How did he manage to subdue this fellow? No, where did he discover them? This ship is an even higher rank than my basic unique rank ship, which I got after spending so much wealth and connections. Just how many secrets is this guy hiding?'' She was extremely curious about Jacob, and now she felt somewhat terrified.


    She had received Jacob''s message about them being ready to leave the epic ins and give her coordinates of this ce. She had already tied up loose ends and was fully ready. She thought that they would be using her ship for this voyage, but now, seeing Jacob''s ship, she felt she was thinking too little of him and was embarrassed.


    "Wee to my ship. I''ve prepared the best room for you. Please follow Sofie, and she''ll bring you to it. If there''s nothing else, should we start?" Jacob stated smilingly.


    "I''ll be in your care then. I hope you both have activated the secret dark mission. If you don''t mind, Mr. Jack, I would like for you to ept this invitation to connect my ascending mission with yours, and then you can connect with Miss Sofie the same way. This way, you will benefit from mine, and Miss Sofie will be from yours, ording to our Dark Noble Ranks.


    "Furthermore, at that time, even if someone raised questions about this mission, we''d be in the right, and no one would dare to make things difficult for us," Zoe exined.


    She was talking about the mission to ascend the ins, which only allowed to bring a number of helpers ording to the dark noble rank. Although failing it won''t have any consequences, the easy benefits will also be lost which was not worth it.


    Furthermore, if someone cleared it alone, they would receive even more rewards, but ascending a in was not an easy matter, especially when it came from the epic ins to the unique ins.


    Jacob didn''t reject this idea and epted the invitation of Zoe, as for Sofie he had already learned all the rules and how these secret dark mission works so he had connected her mission with his long before Zoe came.


    The benefits of this mission were quite generous, not only their dark noble rank will be raised by another rank, but Jacob will get a Dark Viscount Estate in the Unique Inner Dark City upon his arrival and also 1000 Dark Credit.


    Sofie would get a small house in the inner city and 100 Dark Credit ording to her Upper Dark Noble Rank.


    The Dark Credits were the special currency of the Dark City allocated to only the personal members, and with it, they could ess, and shop in the Dark Shop of the Dark City, only opened for the Dark City Personal members.


    When Jacob saw this shop, he almost thought that he was browsing the champion shop as it was identical and almost everything was avable. Once he ascends the ins, the dark shop will also upgrade to a unique rank. This made me excited. But his excitement was short-lived when he noticed the Dark Credits.


    For joining the Dark City, he got 100 Dark Credits because he was a Dark Baron, while Sofie only got 10.


    Furthermore, he found that Dark Credit could only be earned through Secret Dark Mission or by trading materials, medicines, pills, potions, etc., directly to the Dark City or Personal Members. They were not tradable between outer members or transferable.


    Furthermore, anything bought with Dark Credit can''t be trade with other than the Personal Members or leaked, this was the huge vition of the Dark City rules and punishment could be as serve as death depending on the value of item or knowledge.


    Nheless, he knew as long as he could sell his stuff to the Dark City, he could earn as much as he wanted, and this was his specialty.


    "Set sails," Jacob ordered Mic beside him, and he expressionlessly nodded before heading toward the control room.


    "Why don''t we control those women as well? Did you trust them?" Nyx''s curious voice rang at this moment as she was talking about Zoe.


    Jacob nced at Zoe and Sofie leaving before he replied, "I don''t trust anyone besides myself. As for them, Sofie is quite useful and refining her into a puppet would be a waste, I can''t bother to found a new one. Besides, I want to see if she''s capable of being loyal or just all the people of this world are cursed for being treacherous.


    "Zoe is the same. Furthermore, even if I want her knowledge, I don''t dare to take the risk because she is from the Dark City, and her dark noble rank is extremely high. ording to the Dark City rules, every Dark Noble is being monitored by the Dark City AI, Dark Rose, through their Star Watches.


    "If they died, the Dark Rose would send back those records to the headquarters, and the higher the dark noble rank, the more attention would be given to their death and cause.


    "If they had died because of their own stupidity, then no one would care about them, and the matter would end at that. But if someone dared to scheme against or assassinate them, even if they were a member of the Dark City, it would bring endless trouble and punishment.


    "Furthermore, to kill someone like Zoe, you need an excellent reason and evidence. That''s why it''s not worth it to kill her without any good reason. At least not until she makes a move first, then I torture her without worry. As for now, let''s just see how she would handle the situation in the unique ins. As I said, I wanted to see if this world is cursed with treachery and greed."


    A hint of coldness crept into Jacob''s eyes when he thought about his several encounters with people like Hallberg and Ten.


    "Why bother?" Nyx couldn''t help but ask with uncertainty as she didn''t understand why Jacob was even bothering to test this. Wasn''t he a cold and heartless person who only put himself before others?


    Jacob''s lips rose as he looked into the endless star ocean ahead of him, "Lately, I don''t know why, but my emotions are going through a strange change. I don''t know if it''s my imagination, but I''m beginning to reminisce about my past.


    "If I want to reach my goal, emotions and rtions will only slow me down. Whatever the case is, once I get the answer to this question, I think I won''t have any sliver of hesitation to do the unimaginable, cruelest things!"

 Chapter 562 Star Ocean Boundary

    <h4>Chapter 562 Star Ocean Boundary</h4>


    ?Months have passed since Jacob began his voyage to the Unique ins. The advanced, unique ship was moving forward without any hitch because of its stealth barrier.


    At this moment, Jacob was sitting on the captain''s seat in the ship''s control room with a pristine blue triangr-shapedpass, which was shimmering in blue light as the ckpass needle was pointing straight ahead.


    This was the Unique Star Ocean Medallion in use, and they were traveling ording to thispass needle and Jacob didn''t dare to be neglected since he was afraid they might distract from their pathway.


    Three of the ship controllers were moving the ship and keeping an eye out for any anomaly day and night with their listless expressions.


    "ording to Zoe the voyage to the unique ins from the epic ins should take around eight years if nothing untoward happened," Jacob muttered while looking at thepass before stowing it away.


    In these past few months, he was sitting around doing nothing, but he was using the scripture of nk to form his water spirit glyph, and now his hex aura glyph was almost done.


    Moreover, Autarch was on the verge of achieving Unique Rank after absorbing all the Titian Tears he had and also new ones he made for it from the materials he gathered. But still missing a little bit.


    But Jacob reckoned that the problem didn''t lie within the epic titian tears. Autarch might need unique titian tears to break into the Unique Rank after all the fantastic insects were out of the norm, and it wasn''t easy to raise them, especially the Brain Hunter!


    Another thing worth mentioning was Nyx''s progress in gunsmithing and other upations that Jacob knows. She was already at Jacob''s level, and with the nightmare realm, she could endlessly progress and research.


    Jacob also benefits from her tremendously as he has already gasped much of the witch pce knowledge about the curse magic. But sadly, he can''t research and emte the eyes of judge since he doesn''t have lots of information on it and how it works, nor can he imitate the immortal chapter.


    So, now he was nning onprehending the Night Hunter''s Aura and Spirit once his hex core was done. Since he had three magic cores, he was going to reshuffle his magic abilities, especially the curse abilities for using the Imprecate and Whammy Poison.


    Furthermore, he also tried to open that mysterious book he found in the rare ins with the cursed path glory gem but failed again. He also discovered that only the hex mana can make the book react, not the others.


    But he wasn''t far off; he reckoned that he might be able to open it once his hex core evolved into a unique rank.


    All in all, he was making huge progress every day, and his unique rank strength and magic were fully assimted, and he was now a true unique rank expert.


    Just like that, time continued to pass, and, on this day, Jacob was immense in his fire aura training in the nightmare realm as he spoke with Nyx, who was also using the same power when she stopped and cried in rm, "The ship is shaking!"


    Jacob quickly stopped, and the fiery des in his hand vanished. He disappeared from the nightmare realm, opened his eyes in the control room, and frowned.


    He quickly vanished from the control room and reappeared on the ship deck withpass in his hand, he saw they were on the right track and then looked outside.


    He was startled when he saw the stem of the ship seemed to stuck in the midair and couldn''t move forward like it has encountered an invisible wall, the ship was shaking because of it.


    Before he couldprehend what was happening, a stern voice rang, "Undo the stealth barrier. You are trying to pass the Star Ocean Boundary! We are from the Zodiac Night Federation. Show us your authorized permit, and we''ll let you cross over or surrender for investigation. This is not a ce that anyone could enter on a whim!"


    At this moment, Sofie and Zoe also appeared and were startled when they saw the invisible barrier and heard that voice.


    Jacob frowned deepened as he looked up and surprised when he saw a medium size flying ship with a ck Moon Symbol slowing descending, this was the trademark of the Zodiac Night Federation.


    "Mr. Jack, this is the star ocean boundary I told you about that stopped others from crossing over from both sides. We can only pass either with the help of the Zodiac Night Federation or with the medallion. But I never thought these guys would be here so soon." Zoe''s expression was grave as she walked over.


    Realization dawn upon Jacob at this moment and he finally understood what was happening, he looked at Zoe and asked, "What should we do? We don''t have this permit, and if we use the medallion, we''ll be exposed. Should I take care of him? Furthermore, I like that ship. It''ll be quite easy to travel through the air."


    Jacob''s eyes were focused on the flying ship as it was his first time seeing this technology. Although he could make flying projectiles like the missile, this ship waspletely different, just like his flying disc. It was made with magic technology.


    He was already in the process of reverse engineering the disc and had very little progress. Now, seeing this ship, he saw an opportunity to break through. This ship might be unique to the Zodiac Night Federation, so he wants it.


    As for the people on the ship, he only senses two Uniques with the Hunter Sense ability of the Night Hunter Scripture, which can allow him to sense others within a 100-meter radius as long as they are on par or weaker than him, and he can easily take care of them.


    Zoe was startled by Jacob''s words, "I¡­ it shouldn''t be a problem as long as our identities won''t reveal. But I''m not so sure since they might have other ways to detect us."


    It was her first time encountering such a situation asst time, and she easily crossed over with the permit. But now, they had the medallion, and she knew Jacob didn''t want to give it up, so she left it to him to decide.


    Jacob suddenly smiled coldly, "If that''s the case, then it won''t be a problem."


    He then sent a mental message to Autarch, "Go and bring along your puppets and take care of them. I want their information and that ship."


    Autarch''s emotionless voice rang, "Affirmative!"

 Chapter 563 Clash of Puppets and Guardians

    <h4>Chapter 563 sh of Puppets and Guardians</h4>


    ?Within the flying ship, two white robe men with ck crescent moon symbols on their foreheads were looking at the giant ship arrogantly.


    "It''s clearly an unauthorized ship. We didn''t get any heads-up from headquarters. Do we really need to indulge them?" A dwarf man with a long gray beard asked.


    The other man with green scales and beastly eyes chuckled as he replied, "Neer, you should remember this lesson: although we have imed over the Unique Star Ocean Boundary, we still can''t just attack others. At least we should give others a chance to speak and then have a valid reason to attack.


    "Furthermore, this ship is a unique rank, which means the person on it isn''t so simple. I also received words that a medallion had gone missing and that ten unique rank patrols were dispatched to im it at all costs.


    "As long as this is the missing medallion, we can easily im the benefits before others arrive. Today seemed to be our lucky day as we caught this unauthorized ship so quickly. Even if they are not our target just this ship will fetch a good price. As long as you follow me, I won''t let you suffer. I have my own style to handle things, so learn carefully." He arrogantly proimed.


    The dwarf was startled as he finally realized why Unique Rank members of the federation were dispatched to patrol this ce. A hint of excitement shed past his eyes as he looked at therge ship as if it were prey.


    "Thank you for your pointers senior." He quickly thanked the man.


    However, both of their haughty expression changed when eight cloaked figures suddenly jumped off the other ship, and they were directlying toward them!


    They had deactivated their ship''s protective barrier to reveal themselves as they didn''t expect anyone stronger than them present on other ships, much less someone would dare to make a move against them knowing their identities.


    Yet, the unthinkable had happened!


    "Bunch of brutes dare to retaliate!" The other man quickly recovered from his shock and roared furiously.


    A long spear appeared in his hand, brandished in a sharp brown aura as he thrust it towards the eight iing attackers, "Aura Spear Rage!" Multiple spear phantoms directly rained toward the attackers, creating powerful, sharp currents.


    However, one of the attackers took out a blue staff with a white orb imbued on top and waved it as a static voice sounded, "Water Spirit Protection!" An ethereal barrier blocked the phantom spears.


    "Not good. She can use spirit magic!" The dwarf and other man''s expression finally changed as it was a clear sign of a unique rank expert!


    "Earth Beast Rush!" The Dwarf instantly used his own spirit magic ability etched on his spirit glyph to cast this instant magic spell.


    Green ethereal energy gushed from the dwarf; it took the shape of a tortoise and shed with the water barrier!


    ''Boom¡­''


    Powerful expression happened as blue and green sparks filled with air.


    At this moment, the other seven figures finally emerged within the st. Their cloaks were tattered, and some of their body parts were injured as blood was leaking out. But for some reason, their expression waspletely stoic, as if they didn''t feel any pain.


    "Horn ogres!" The scaly man finally identified the giant attacks and his expression was warped.


    The ogres were holding spears and broad swords as they all brandished them with their aura and hacked them down toward the two guardians.


    "Aura Spirit Shield!"


    "Earth Beast Defense!"


    Both of them cried almost instantaneously to block those powerful aura attacks.


    But to their dismay, those ogres were on par with them, and they were no match for seven of them at all. Their defensive magic was instantly broken, and they were sent flying while hacking blood.


    "Bastards, don''t even think about escaping. Just wait for the wrath of Zodiac Night Guardian!" The scaly man palely barked before hemanded, "Use the talismans. We are no match for them!"


    The dwarf nodded grimly as he knew they had met terrifying opponents. But they didn''t understand why these kinds of people were in this sort of ce, and there were so many!


    However, before they could take out and activate their protection talismans to escape, a pair of icy amber eyes seemed to lock on them, ''Slumber Hex!''


    They didn''t need the talismans on their bodies since they had never encountered such a dangerous situation before, and this was before their first andst fatal mistake that sealed their fates.


    The seven ogres and a cloaked elfnded on the flying ship deck at this moment and quickly apprehended them, stripping their clothes, watches, and rings before taking over the entire ship.


    Jacob was still standing beside Zoe and Sofie on the other ship as he sent a cold message, "You were too slow."


    "Forgive me, Sir." Autarch''s stoic voice sounded in his head.


    "No worries, it wasn''t entirely your fault. I thought those talismans were rare, but it seemed I''d made an error. Have your puppets search the entire ship and throw away anything suspicious we don''t understand. We don''t want them on our tails." Jacobmanded.


    "I''m on it."


    "Is it over?" Zoe asked with a pale expression as she clearly felt the power of aura and spirit just now, and that was quite scary.


    Furthermore, she hadn''t expected Jacob to have such a fighting force under hismand.


    Sofie was also ashen, but she was morepassed since she had already known about the crew that Jacob subdued, but she was still shocked after witnessing their true prowess.


    Just how strong was Jacob to subdue all of them? His position in her heart rose even more.


    Jacob nodded as he gravely said, "It is over for now. But I think this won''t be thest of them we''ll see. Let''s get out of this ce. Once we are on the other side, it won''t be easy to find us!"


    After searching the ship, Jacob stowed it away in a space ring before putting it away in his pendant just to be safe.


    He then stood over the ship''s figurehead with the medallion in his head as it shimmered brightly before ordering the ship to move forward.


    This time, the invisible wall didn''t stop its advance, and they vanished into the star ocean boundary!

 Chapter 564 Wondrous Space

    Chapter 564 Wondrous Space


    ??As the ship passed the invisible star ocean boundary, Jacob suddenly felt the entire atmosphere change and powerful pressure descend. But what he saw on the other side made his eyes widen with shock in disbelief and trepidation as if he were watching a dream.


    "How is this possible?!"


    On the other side of the star ocean boundary was no ocean; instead, it was a vast pitch-ck space filled with countless stars as if the ship had directly entered the starry space itself!


    But the strangest part was the ship was easily moving forward, and he could still breathe in this ce, just the gravity had increased by over 20 folds. Furthermore, the magic energy in this ce was extremely dense, over ten times more than the epic ins!


    One had to know that the Star Ocean''s magic energy density was half of the epic ins for some reason, but this space was filled with magic energy.


    ''Is this the true ''Star Ocean''?'' Jacob shuddered, seeing the strange phenomena in front of him, and he also thought about what Immortika told him about the Zodiac ins being an entire universe.


    Soon, he calmed down, but he still was looking at the vast, endless space filled with stars while thepass in his hand shimmered brightly.


    "Cursed Immortality!" He couldn''t help but summon cursed immortality at this moment as he was very confused.


    "What is this space?" He asked emotionally.


    "Hahahaha¡­ what can it be but the Star Ocean?" Immortika replied with relish.


    He had guessed as much, "Can you exin more clearly? How can an ocean be connected with space, and what about those stars in the distance? Are theys?"


    "Hehehe¡­ this is the true wonder of Zodiac ins. Yourmon sense is useless here. The more you try to understand it, the more confused you get, so just let it go and enjoy the view. As for those stars, if you dare, why don''t you try to go towards them?"


    Jacob rolled his eyes perplexedly, "Don''t try to egg me. Just directly say it is dangerous to go there. Still, at least tell me, if this is the space, what is above the atmosphere of the sky outside?"


    "Heh, you''ll know eventually. What''s the hurry? You should be focused on crossing over and praying that no Zodiac Beast took a fancy on you or, hahahaha¡­" Immortika begins tough maniacally.


    Jacob''s expression finally changed, "Zodiac Beast, now what the hell are they?"


    "They are space wonders of the Zodiac ins with no mind of their own, and they only have the intent to devour. So, they are called the Zodiac Beast or Void Cmities that exist between the Star Ocean Boundaries; not even a legend can escape if they stumbled upon one. But you didn''t need to be overly worried about encountering a Zodiac Beast. You either have to be overly foolish or extremely unlucky. Consider this information as a gift for you to enter the higher ins, hahaha!"


    Jacob wasn''t the least happy after learning about the Zodiac Beasts; instead, he was fearful now and wary of this wondrous space.


    He quicklymanded to increase the speed to the fullest while tightly clenching thepass. He no longer dares to have any stray thoughts of exploring this ce!


    ---


    At this moment, within arge flying ship, another group of Zodiac Night Guardians were respectfully looking at a 17-


    meter-tall burly giant with stony skin. His muscles were bulging in his robes, and his expression was gloomy.


    "We lost contact with Patrol Ship No.8." He gloomily revealed, startling everyone in the room.


    "What? How is it possible?" A scarred face, kobold eximed.


    "I''m also curious about it. This is the edge of the star boundary between the epic ins and the unique ins star ocean. No.


    6,7, and 8 were sent on the other side while we remained on this side.


    "But now, the sign from No.8 has vanished, and the guardians seemed to be still alive, or we would''ve gotten their death transmission. The headquarters order us to keep an eye out for any unauthorized travelers, and they even dispatch Unique Rank Guardians like us.


    "However, we didn''t take it seriously since we thought about what could go wrong in this kind of ce and why there was a need to dispatch a unique rank like us. But now, it seemed the higher-ups weren''t kidding around.


    "Since I''m in charge of this mission, it''s my responsibility to take care of my men. This is our first andst blunder. From now on, I want everyone to take it seriously. Our enemy is cunning and most likely unique rank.


    "Release my orders; every from no.2 to no.10 will now pair up, and if they spot any anomaly, report it to me post hastily. Sent No.9 and No.10 to No.9''sst known location for investigation. I want to report as soon as possible.


    "Also release the Night Guardian Net, there is no longer any need to hold back. It is not easy to mess with our federation!" He solemnly ordered with killing intent swirling in his eyes.


    "Yes!"


    Everyone solemnly yelled before they quickly took their leave to pass the giant''s order.


    Once everyone left, the giant''s eyes shimmered in a peculiar glint before a projection appeared in front of him. A pause image of seven horn ogres was when they were facing the two guardians in front of him.


    "The horn ogres? Could it be this ship belonged to the top priority target of every power''s list that has vanished for years now, Captain Free Sword? If it''s him, and I manage to capture him, I might be able to be promoted to Purple Rank Guardian.


    "But why is everyone looking for him so desperately? Even those old men were agitated at that time but didn''t reveal anything. Just what did he take from the trial? Is it worth exchanging for a promotion, or should I just take it for myself?


    "First, I need to confirm if it''s him or not, and once I capture him, I''ll decide for myself whether it''s worth it or not. But for now, I can''t let anyone else find out about it, or those old men might take action themselves¡­" A wily grin appeared on the giant''s face as he looked at the horn ogres in the projection as if they were mere prey!

 Chapter 565 Pass the Star Ocean Boundary

    <h4>Chapter 565 Pass the Star Ocean Boundary</h4>


    ?After a warning from Immortika, Jacob didn''t dare to be careless and fully focused on starring the ship ahead while he was vignt of his surroundings.


    Days passed, turning into months, as the ship was continuing to move forward in space, and on this day, Jacob suddenly felt the presence of an invisible membrane as the ship easily passed through it.


    Thereafter, Jacob''s vision changed, and he found himself in the vast ocean, and the sky was dark; they had finally crossed the star ocean boundary!


    ''Sigh¡­'' Jacob had a massive sigh of relief as nothing went wrong this time, and looking back, all he could see was the ocean. There were no traces of the space like it never existed in the first ce.


    After confirming there was no more danger, he finally left his position for months, and he was mentally exhausted.


    "You work hard." Zoe and Sofie approached him as they were also on edge, and they didn''t dare to disturb Jacob. They knew he was fully focused on managing the ship.


    Jacob nodded lightly, "We are safe for now. I''m going to rest for a bit. We still have a long way to go." He left afterward.


    "We are finally on the other side of the star ocean, and from here on out, we are in the domain of the unique ins." Zoe emotionally stated it was like a homing for her.


    Although they were still years away from the Unique ins, they were already under the same sky as the Unique ins. At least they would no longer encounter any barrier like the star ocean boundary.


    "Will those guardians stop bothering us now?" Sofie frowned.


    Zoe also grimaced, replying, "I hope so. This ce is extremely vast, and it won''t be easy to locate us even if they are looking for us. The only advantage they have is that they know our traveling route. But I don''t think it would be a problem with Mr. Jack here."


    "Indeed." Sofie nodded, but a hint of worry was apparent in her voice.


    After crossing the star ocean boundary, it was smooth sailing from then on as the ship continued to move at full speed.


    Jacob sat in the control room, and in front of him was Autarch in the face of the dwarf from the federation. Autarch has been busy devouring the two guardians'' brains, but Jacob didn''t have time to pay him any attention since he was busy steering the ship.


    Now that the danger had passed, he finally summoned him.


    "Tell me about these guys." He coldly asked.


    Autarch quickly divulged the information about the Zodiac Night Federation but to his surprise, even those two didn''t know much about the core secrets of the Zodiac Night Federation.


    ording to him, the Zodiac Night Guardians of ck Rank were akin to outer members who handled worldly matters. The true secrets about the Zodiac Night Federation were in the hands of the Purple Rank Guardians.


    They were the ones who were pulling the strings behind the curtains. There were thousands of ck-rank guardians but only five hundred purple-rank guardians in the unique ins Zodiac Night Federation. On the very top of the Zodiac Night Federation was the Federation Master, who was the only Red Rank Guardian present in the unique ins.


    Ten teams were dispatched to investigate and found the missing medallion, but they were not told who had it. Their orders were to reim it if they found it.


    Jacob was sure that this so-called missing medallion was just a pretext to im his medallion. As for its secret, even these guys didn''t know about it. All they knew was that the Zodiac Night Federation had many medallions, and each one of them was guarded with the highest security.


    As for where they came from, only the purple-rank guardians know. But when Jacob asked how if these two had a medallion since they were able to cross the boundary, Autarch revealed that they didn''t have any.


    The reason they could travel through the star ocean boundary without the medallion lies within the flying ship of the federation. ording to Autarch, the flying ship was engraved with a special rune that allowed them to travel between the star ocean boundary freely, and it was one of the core secrets of the Zodiac Night Federation!


    Jacob winced when he heard this, and he finally understood how the Zodiac Night Federation was able to control the routes between the epic and unique ins and why the other organizations had to listen to them.


    Lastly, Autarch also transferred a map that marked the hidden base of the Zodiac Night Federation as well as the urate route to the unique ins. There were also markings of the territories of the three factions.


    Unlike the epic ins, the influence of the three factions here was tremendous, and they didn''t develop in the unique ins; instead, they focused on developing their own territories.


    The Unique ins were filled with wars between the life and dead faction and only the strongest forces of the two sides could live there. That ce wasn''t for the weak.


    Although Jacob had already heard this from Zoe, he was still surprised after seeing the territories of these factions. They were abination of hundreds of inds, and some of them were even bigger than the unique ins.


    But they were at a massive distance from the unique ins, and to go there, one had to be prepared for the passage towards those territories, which were riddled with dangers, even more so than the unique ins!


    "You did well. Dispose of these bodies. We don''t want any trouble." Jacob dismissed Autarch after getting all the information he wanted.


    Now that he knew about the dealing of the Zodiac Night Federation, he had the feeling that they wouldn''t be giving up so easily, especially since one of their ships went missing.


    So, he begins to devise another n to counter them, as they are the only ones standing in his way. But despite all the grave information, there was a single piece of valuable information that was quite useful for Jacob.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered coldly, ''They were able to travel so quickly from so far because they had set up multiple teleportation points in the star ocean, which lessened the years-long voyage to months. The locations are within the map, and the key to using them is the flying ship. Should I go for it?''

 Chapter 566 Playing Cat and Mouse (1)

    <h4>Chapter 566 ying Cat and Mouse (1)</h4>


    ?"Sir Keegan, we got something on the missing ship no.8!" An elf suddenly came running into the captain''s room, where the burly giant was sitting cross-legged while a violent violet aura was swirling around his body.


    He opened his sharp, turbid eyes andmanded, "Continue."


    The elf quickly reported, "The special signal from the missing ship surfaced all of a sudden a few moments ago, and then the teleportation point no.103 was soon activated before the ship''s special signal vanished again!"


    "What?" Keegan was startled, "How is it possible? Even if the assaulter managed to grab the ship and somehow managed to jam the signal, how did they know about the location of the hidden teleportation points? Unless those two reveal their locations and even give away the starting sequence." He frowned deeply.


    "But that''s impossible!" The elf eximed, "We all pledge our loyalty to the Night! It is impossible to reveal anything about the federation. If anyone has such preposterous, they will die before even uttering a signal word. Furthermore, when a guardian dies, their star watches will automatically refresh. Even the star hackers can''t do anything about this function!"


    ''Is this a coincidence? No, the implication of this matter is not something I can afford. If the higher-ups found that I didn''t report such a bizarre incident and forgot about promotion, I might even lose my current rank. My life is more important than some treasure¡­''


    Keegan gritted his teeth beforemanding, "Redirect all of our ships to the teleportation point no.103. We are going after them with everything we have and keep an eye out for such a matter. If it happened again report it to me."


    "Noted!" The elf hastily left.


    Keegan wrist lit up, and soon, a wizened face blue skin lifeform appeared; on his forehead was a purple crescent moon mark, and his eyes beady eyes were icy cold.


    "Paying respect to Purple Guardian Reginald." Keegan respectfully greeted.


    "Since you disturb me, you better have a damn good excuse." Reginald coldly uttered.


    Keegan knew Reginald''s temper too well, as he was infamous for his vicious temper, and his position was quite high in the federation as well. He was one of the top ten purple-rank guardians.


    He quickly said, "Reporting to Guardian, we lost ship no.8 of our group, and I also discovered something disconcerting. Please look at this video and instruct me."


    Without hesitation, he sent the video where the two guardians were fighting the horn ogres before they lost contact. This video feed was recorded through the moon symbol on their forehead as it was not just for show but a special totem of their federation, which has many mysterious uses.


    One of them is that it stops their members from betraying the federation. It was like the brain chip of the Killer Skull Society but far more effective and reliable. Once imprinted by this symbol, it can''t be removed; that person will die and live with the federation. In fact, the brain chip was designed after it!


    Another use was the supernatural recording through the eyes. A guardian can use it to record whatever they see and, with a thought, send it back to the special server of the federation. That was the biggest reason no one wanted to mess with them since the chance of walking away with it was very low.


    Since Keegan was in charge of this mission, he had received this video instantly before Jacob cast a hex spell on them, but he didn''t report it back for his greed.


    But now, things have taken an ugly turn, so he had no choice but toe clean, or he''ll lose his life for insubordination.


    Reginald frowned slightly before he yed the video feed, and his eyes suddenly widened when he saw the horn ogres and his eyes shimmering sharply.


    "Those are the star pirates who belonged to the priority target, Captain Free Sword!" He muttered with a hint of excitement.


    "Do you manage to apprehend them or at least lock on their location?" He asked with agitation.


    Sensing the usually cold Reginald''s ecstasy, Keegan knew this Captain Free Sword really had taken something that could drive even this old fox crazy. But s, he knew he had no destiny with it.


    "They were very quick on attacking before they got away. But the strange matter is, they somehow managed to take away our ship and hide its special signal¡­" He quickly exins the strange situation which forced him to contact Reginald.


    Reginald was startled when he heard Keegan''s report and winced, "How is this possible? Are you sure this is not just someone messing with you?"


    Reginald was a purple rank guardian, and he knew how impossible it was to betray the federation and steal their property. Yet the impossible has happened!


    "There is no mistake, sir. It seemed this Captain Free Sword had some strange means to acquire information on our secrets. I''m afraid it won''t be easy to capture him. I''m currently headed in his direction, but I need reinforcement."


    Reginald nodded, "He is indeed a tricky rat to deal with. But whatever the case is, we must catch him. Try to pin down his location while I''ll report this to the Federation Master. It''ll also take some time to turn down the teleportation channels.


    "But don''t worry too much; this time, the purple guardians will move; all you need to do is to find him and keep an eye on him. There is no need to tackle him. If you did your job well, you''ll be the next purple guardian in the next selection! Now, I''m going to find the Federation Master and report everything rted to this as soon as you get something!"


    He quickly turned off the call as Reginald was in a hurry to report this finding. This matter was simply too big and important for them.


    Keegan sighed before his eyes shimmered viciously, "Captain Free Sword, so what if I don''t get to take you down personally? You can''t escape from us now!"


    ---


    At this moment, an ethereal white circle filled withplex runes shimmered on the water''s calm surface.


    The next moment, a ship with a moon symbol appeared in the vast ocean before the white circle vanished. Thereafter, anotherrge ship appeared right beside it, and a few figures quickly jumped on therge one before the other ship vanished without a trace.


    "Won''t this draw the attention of the guardians even quicker?" Zoe couldn''t help but frown as she questioned Jacob.


    Jacob replied, "It might be a little dangerous, but we just covered 50,000 miles of distance within a second. The longer we stay within these waters, the more danger we''ll be in. Since the Zodiac Night Federation had set their eyes on us, it didn''t matter if they knew where we were as long as we remained a step ahead of them.


    "As long as we are careful, it won''t be easy to find us. I''m nning on using these teleportation points until they stop them. This way, they also won''t be able to use them to send more people after us.


    "Even if they prepare an ambush, let me worry about dealing with them. You just have to follow my lead!"


    He dered coldly before he began to steer the ship toward the next teleportation point.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered viciously, ''Let'' see how quick they react!''

 Chapter 567 Playing Cat and Mouse (2)

    <h4>Chapter 567 ying Cat and Mouse (2)</h4>


    ?Within a week, Jacob and his crew used eight more teleportation points of the Zodiac Night Federation.


    The teleportation points were actually tforms engraved with teleportation formations hidden within the depths of the star ocean. To use them, one needed a corresponding key rune and a special starting sequence only known to the Zodiac Night Federation.


    They are hidden fifty miles away from each other and are almost impossible to find without urate coordinates. Each teleportation cost 1,000 Advanced Unique Rank Magic Gems.


    That was supposed to be the well-guarded secret of the Zodiac Night Federation, but it is now in the hands of Jacob. He was taking full advantage of it, and he shortened his eight years'' worth of voyage into five.


    As for the Zodiac Night Federation''s nine ships, they were always a step too slow, and before they could even pin down his location, he had already used another one, and this made them flustered.


    The reinforcement from the headquarters would also take some time before they could catch up to Jacob''s location. Still, if this continued, they were bound to cross each other paths. Moreover, they can''t stop them either not till the reinforcement reaches the target, or it would take many years to catch up to him.


    Jacob knew this too well, and he wanted them to stop those teleportation points because this way, they wouldn''t be able to send more reinforcement in a short time. That''s why he decided to take such a risk to expose himself.


    Although it was still dangerous, he didn''t want too many pursuers on his tail. Furthermore, he knew they might not give up and continue to tail him all the way to the Unique ins and blow the matter.


    Once that happened, it would be the same situation as the epic ins for him, and the dark duke of the unique ins might also see through the fa?ade.


    That''s why he decided to take a detour to get rid of the Zodiac Night Federation or at least steer them in another direction. This way, by the time they realized what was going on, he would already be long gone.


    Furthermore, this detour was very beneficial for him, so after using three more teleportation points, Jacob headed north at full speed,pletely steering away from the route of the unique ins.


    On this day, a massive flying ship with a purple crescent moon symbol, evenrger than Jacob''s, appeared above this teleportation point.


    There were fifty purple-rank Zodiac Night Guardians in this massive ship, including the Purple Guardian Reginald! This force was enough to shock the entire unique ins since purple-rank guardians never make a move.


    "Alright, this is thest teleportation point that was used three hours ago. All the other teleportation channels have been blocked. Our target should be in our range now, and they can no longer run anymore. Where is Keegan''s ground?" Reginald coldly dered in front of the purple rank guardians in front of him.


    There was another person standing beside him, which meant they were equal in terms of status.


    It was a snake pupil woman with diamond-shaped orange scales, and two poisonous fangs were creeping out of her pale blue lips. Her gaze was cold and bloodthirsty. She was also like Reginald, another purple guardian who belonged to the top ten in the federation, Elspeth.


    Elspeth hoarsely replied as her voice sounded quite eerie, "I''ve contacted him. He seemed to have discovered trails of the target and was now following them."


    A hint of ecstasy shed in Reginald''s eyes, "Where are they going? Did they spot them?"


    "From the report, they are heading north. But they still weren''t able to spot them. But asionally, the flying ship''s signal would appear. It is very strange. I think we are deliberately being led in this direction. After all, we can only track the ship''s signal when it is used in teleportation, but now, all of a sudden, the signal would appear in short intervals. Don''t you find it strange?" Elspeth impassively stated.


    She had been carefully studying the information she was receiving, and she knew just how strange this situation was.


    First, their enemy was able to hide the special signal that even a space ring can''t at will. Second, the enemy somehow got urate information on their hidden teleportation points and even the activation sequence.


    But all of a sudden, when they were about to prepare for an ambush and close the teleportation channels, their target didn''t head for the other teleportation point; instead, they changed the direction entirely.


    Moreover, they even begin to receive signals from the missing ship, it was as if their target were deliberately luring them toward them. Elspeth was the head of the intelligence department of the federation, so she was extremely astute and careful.


    She knew just how important this mission was, and that''s why she was sent with Reginald. So, she didn''t want to mess this up.


    Reginald''s expression also turned grave as he knew Elspeth had a solid point and despite she ranked below him, he didn''t dare to underestimate her. Even the Federation Master treats her carefully.


    "What do you suggest? If it''s a trap, I don''t believe they can harm us. After all, ording to the information, Captain Free Sword only had a crew of 32 people, and only he is at the tier-8 unique rank aura user among them. With both of us here, we can easily crush him no matter what kind of trick he pulls." Reginald confidently stated.


    Elspeth shook her head, "It''s not so simple. Thest time he was corned, he had used an ancient scroll to teleport somewhere with his entire ship. We can''t underestimate him. He''s one of the top star pirates of the unique ins for hundreds of years so he might have more trump cards.


    "First, we need to make sure he won''t be able to teleport away, and the Federation Master has lent me a treasure just for this. But to use it, I need five minutes, and if he realizes, he might run away again.


    "Furthermore, this treasure would also block us as well, so we should be careful to avoid coteral damage as much as possible."


    Her snake eyes turned sharp as she looked north, "Besides, if I''m not wrong, this direction leads to the territory of the Dead Faction, and all lifeforms are forbidden there!"

 Chapter 568 Overbearing at Dead Faction’s Door

    Chapter 568 Overbearing at Dead Faction¡¯s Door


    ??While the Zodiac Night Guardians were in full pursuit behind Jacob, a small ship was heading east at full speed without anyone noticing it.


    "Will he be fine?" A beautiful elf asked with worry; she was none other than Sofie.


    Zoe was controlling the ship replied solemnly, "Mr. Jack is a capable and unfathomable man, and I don''t think he''ll put his life in danger like this. Although I don''t know what he''s nning, since he put his mind to it, all we can do is trust him and take full advantage of this chance he has provided us."


    Sofie sighed with a tingle of guilt, "I guess Your Highness is right; we are nothing but a burden to him, so he sent us ahead."


    Zoe smiled bitterly, "Indeed. Let''s just focus on getting on the unique ins. We''ll pave the way for him and wee him once he is back. I''ll also help you elevate your bloodline, and we won''t be weaklings the next time we meet."


    Sofie''s eyes shimmered with determination as she thanked Zoe and thought, ''I won''t miss this chance you earned for me¡­''


    ---


    In the north direction, Jacob''s ship was moving at full speed while he calmly stood on the top of the sail.


    ''Although this wasn''t my initial n, it can''t be helped. I can move faster without the burden. I finally understand why that old weasel told me to go alone. Now, whether you guys survive or not, it''ll depend on your capabilities¡­''


    He suddenly smiled as he looked at the vast horizon.


    "How far are we?" He sent a mental message to Autarch, who was controlling the ship with its puppet while its actual body was hidden within Jacob''s sr plexus.


    Since Autarch can no longer evolve without the unique titian tears, there was no longer any need for it to roam around. It can remotely operate its puppets as long as they are in a 100-mile radius range.


    This was the true terrifying aspect of Brain Hunter and Jacob was fully utilizing it.


    "ording to the map, the Dead Faction''s territories are still a year''s worth of voyage ahead of us. But we might encounter their patrols sooner." Autarch replied.


    "Let''s just hope they won''t catch up too soon. Continue to sail the ship at full speed. There is no need to worry about the magic gems. As long as they didn''t have a legendary rank ship, it wouldn''t be easy to catch up to us.


    "We can lead them by the nose. I want to see how determined they are for my medallion. If they give up, then there is nothing to lose, but if they don''t, I''ll let the dark beings take care of them while I''ll use the distraction to sneak into their territory." Jacob stated confidently.


    Since he already has the map and knows where the den of the dark beings is, he decides to change his n and go there first to evolve his hex core to a unique rank.


    After all, this was beneficial for him in the long run, and he would have more trump cards to rely on. Furthermore, he needed the mystic signature as well, so he sent Sofia and Zoe off under the pretext of drawing the guardians'' attention.


    After all, they would be a burden and die eventually if they went with him. At least they would feel grateful and indebted to him this way.


    As time continued to pass, Jacob would release the flying ship each day for a few minutes before storing it in the infinity pendant. This way, the Zodiac Night Guardians won''t get lost.


    On this day, Jacob suddenly made the ship stop because, far ahead of him, there was mist.


    "We finally arrived at the purlieu of the dead faction territories. This mist should be a protective measure to keep the intruders from entering unescaped. Alright, found a ce to hide this ship." Jacobmanded impassively.


    This ship was simply too big to store in a space ring, so Jacob had no choice but to hide it in the open and hope no one would find it.


    Once that was done, Jacob gathered Autarch''s puppets and stored them in his space ring. Since they were essentially dead, they can be stored in space rings.


    The next moment, he took out the flying ship of the Zodiac Night Federation and began to operate it as it being to rose in the sky.


    He had already learned the method to operate it from Autarch, so it wasn''t a mystery to him anymore, and he also let Nyx analyze it so they could research it.


    Now that he was already at his destination, he no longer had any qualms about using it, and he headed directly toward the mist far ahead while keeping the ship in stealth.


    He knew the guardians had a special method to track it, and truth be told, if he wanted, he could''ve easily gotten rid of it a few months ago after he fully understood its mechanism, but he didn''t since it wasn''t the right time yet.


    As soon as he entered the mist, Jacob felt a strange deprave sensation creeping into his body and mind.


    "Oh, this is some kind of mental invasion." Nyx''s curious voice rang.


    "They have to be at least thispetent for being one of the three absolute factions. We just need to be careful." Jacobmented as despite that strange mist his body and mind werepletely fine.


    As they moved deeper, the mist before more ticker, and so did its effects, and all of a sudden, Jacob narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.


    Thereafter, deep blue ming eyes appeared within the mist giving off ghastly cold pressure, an eerie voice rang, "Zodiac Night Federation, are you bunch lost? Do you know where you are trespassing?"


    Jacob was a little astonished since he thought the dark being would directly spring into action, but it seemed they were also wary of Zodiac Night Federation. But it also made sense since the dead faction was already mortal enemies with the life faction.


    But if a neutral faction took the life faction side, the bnce would be tipped to the life faction side, and it wouldn''t be good news for the dead faction whose whole existence depends on the life faction. So, this dark being didn''t directly attack.


    Jacob coldly replied while his face was hidden behind a mask, "Lowly freak, it''s not your ce to question the federation''s action. Today, I''m here with myrades to get rid of the scourge of Zodiac ins!"


    The mes churned violently, clearly startled by his disrespectful words, "What did you?!"


    Jacob didn''t even bother to reply anymore and uttered with killing intent, "Die!"

 Chapter 569 Wrath King

    Chapter 569 Wrath King


    ??At this moment, ten ships of Zodiac Night Federation, nine with ck crescent moon symbols and one with purple crescent moon symbols, appeared right outside the mist barrier of the Dead Faction Territory.


    "Did he really enter that darn ce?" Reginald''s expression was dark as he questioned Keegan, standing behind him.


    A projection of a map red dot blinding was active on his wrist as Keegan sweated profusely and replied, "Y-yes, the ship is no longer hidden, and it continues moving right ahead of us. Look, he even stopped moving! It seemed he''s been captured, or he surrounded!"


    "It seemed he didn''t want his life anymore." Reginald spat with frustration.


    Although they belonged to the Zodiac Night Federation, they still didn''t dare to barge right into the dead faction territory without their consent first. After all, even if they were from the neutral faction, they still had to show respect to the dead faction, or before they knew it, they would be pulled into the endless war of the life and dead factions.


    "In this past year, we were being led by the nose, and now it''s clear he wanted us to chase him here. I also think that he''s misleading us by using our ship, so we need to be careful." Elspeth''s expression is also not good, as she has lost all of her confidence in their chase.


    No matter how they tried, they couldn''t catch up, and their target stopped even for a moment. She even spread their men just in case Captain Free Sword tried to run in another direction, but nothing like that happened.


    It had be quite clear that they were being led in this ce, and now she was no longer certain about what their target was thinking anymore. That''s why she ordered others to stop here, or Reginald would''ve already barged in because he waspletely infuriated from continuous chasing.


    They have to be careful unless they want to earn themselves a free enemy, the Dark Beings!


    "Patrol ship no.4 is a unit of dark beings, right? Have them exin the situation to their race; tell them we only want the killer of our people, not any trouble." Elspeth issued amand.


    "I''m on it!" Keegan quickly left to issue themand.


    Right at this moment, both Reginald and Elspeth, who were standing at the front of the ground, sensed something wrong as they looked toward the mist.


    Suddenly, hundreds of massive ck battleships filled with dark beings crept out of the mist, and right above those ships was a giant bone eagle enveloped in cold blue mes. Standing on top of that eagle was a giant, majestic ck silhouette. The only visible feature of this silhouette was a crimson me flickering in the center of its cloaked head.


    Reginald''s expression instantly changed, "T-that''s the Wrath King! One of the five Vise Faction Leaders of the Dead Faction! What in the hell is he doing out here? Don''t tell me they''ve already discovered who is on that?"


    Elspeth''s heart sank as she knew the Dead Faction also wanted to capture Captain Free Sword as much as they wanted. If he fell into their hands, they would never give him away.


    The Wrath King''s presence here could only mean that they had discovered, or why would one of the five vice faction leaders of the dark beings be here personally with such a huge battle force?


    At this moment, Wrath King''s booming voice rang in everyone''s ears, "I want an exnation from the Zodiac Night Federation! Are you really dering war on Dead Faction by killing one of my ministers?"


    His voice was a mixture of man and woman and extremely gloomy as if he was speaking from the depths of the abyss.


    Reginald and Elspeth''s expression changed as they looked at each other with befuddlement in their eyes as they clearly didn''t have any idea what the hell Wrath King was talking about.


    Still, it was good news since this meant he still didn''t know about Captain Free Sword and had some kind of misunderstanding.


    When Elspeth thought of this, a sharp glint shed past her eyes, and she replied, "Esteem Wrath King, I''m the intelligence department head of the Zodiac Night Federation, Zodiac Night Guardian, Purple Rank, Elspeth. We''ve been chasing a criminal who has killed our men and stolen their ship. I think there is a misunderstanding here! We are not here with hostility but to capture that person who has invaded your territory."


    The crimson me flickered violently when Wrath King heard it and spoke, "Do you have any proof?"


    Wrath King was in charge of dead faction security, and when he heard someone brazenly invade their territory, he sent one of his ministers to take care of it. He was a unique rank tier-9, so it shouldn''t be a problem.


    However, soon, he received news that his minister''s corpse had been found, which enraged him. The scouts also brought news that the intruder was none other than the Zodiac Night Federation, and he''d been killing anyone he found.


    Enraged, he quickly gathered his men and tried to capture the brazen bastard, but to his surprise, that person had vanished with his ship, and no matter how they searched, they couldn''t find him.


    Then abruptly, he heard that more of Zodiac Night Federation''s ships had stopped outside their territory, so he quickly hurried over.


    But since they didn''t directly attack, he decided to find the reason for their blunt provocation. Although he was enraged because his loyal subordinate and many men were killed, he didn''t directly attack and gave them the chance to exin.


    After all, the Zodiac Night Federation controls the passage between epic and unique ins. They can''t just start a war with them on a whim.


    Now, hearing Elspeth''s exnation, he was startled to think that this might be true and someone was sabotaging the Zodiac Night Federation. He instantly thought that it was the scheme of the life faction or someone simply wanted to seek death.


    But he wasn''t going just to believe whatever Elspeth said since it was a known fact that the flying ships of the Zodiac Night Federation could only be controlled by the guardians.


    Elspeth clearly said that it was a criminal, not a traitor, so he demanded proof beforeing to any conclusion.


    "This?" Elspeth clearly hesitates since showing them proof means revealing the horn ogres to the dark beings.


    Although this might stop them from falling out with the dead faction, they will also lose the chance to capture Captain Free Sword forever. She was again stumped by Captain Free Sword''s shrewdness.


    "What should we do? If we don''t show him, he''ll attack, and we are clearly outnumbered." Reginald said as he knew they were in trouble, and his hate for Captain Free Sword reached a new level.


    Elspeth calmed her nerves and replied, "Before anything, I want to ask Vise Leader, did you manage to capture the criminal?"


    Wrath King harrumphed coldly, "It won''t be long before we sniff out that degenerate. Why are you hesitating for? If you have proof, then show me and leave. Since that degenerate dares to kill my men and invade our territory, he''s no longer your concern. Once I find him, I''ll send back your ship.


    "But first, you need to give proper proof of your innocence, or don''t even think about leaving!"

 Chapter 570 Dark Beasts

    Chapter 570 Dark Beasts


    ??After hearing Wrath King''s threat, Reginald and Elspeth''s expression turned unsightly, they knew it was now almost impossible to capture Captain Free Sword. On the contrary, if they didn''t give him a proper exnation, they might never be able to leave here alive.


    While the dark beings and zodiac night guardians were on the verge of life and death battle, the person who incited all of this calmly stepped outside the watch on a gloomy shore.


    It was none other than Jacob.


    Looking at the dense forest with dark trees and sky covered in thick fog, he muttered, "I''m finally in the territory of the dead faction. I wonder if my action incites a war between the two factions. But it''s highly unlikely since it would mean sending the federation to the life faction side. Well, at least those who followed me won''t be able to leave without losing a limb or two. They would have no choice but to give up on following me."


    With a small smirk, he moved toward the forest as he was very confident in his ploy and now, he can hunt the dark beings in mass and then leave after evolving his hex core. At the same time, the federation will have to take all the heat for his actions.


    Right at this moment, he sensed a little vibration on his wrist before SAAI''s stoic voice rang in his head.


    "You have been connected with Unique Star Network!"


    Startled, he activates his star watch and sees it has indeed been reconnected with the starwork, ''Could it be the territories of the three factions are also considered a part of the unique ins?''


    Jacob was astounded as he thought he had to wait before entering the unique ins to reconnect to the starwork. But who could''ve thought the moment he stepped into the dead faction territory, he regained the starwork?


    At least he wasn''t expecting this from the dead faction since dark beings didn''t have star watches. Nheless, it matters little to him, and he closes the star watch and moves forward since this isn''t the ce or time to explore the unique ins starwork.


    Jacob carefully made his way into the depths of the strange forest; there was no sign of life, and even the trees were giving off a strange, gloomy air. If not for his excellent vision, he might not be able to see anything in this dark ce.


    Although he has the ocean route to the dead faction territory, it has no details about its inner structure. All he knew was that the dead faction territory was a cluster of 129 inds, and the smallest one was around fifty thousand milesrge.


    These inds were divided among the different races of dark beings. But this information was superficial as no one knew howrge the territory of the dead faction was, and it was the same case for the other factions as well.


    Furthermore, unlike the other factions that were controlled by multiple organizations, the dark faction was one united entity under the control of the Dead Faction Leader.


    At this moment, Jacob''s footsteps suddenly came to a halt as an agile phantom suddenly lunged towards him.


    With his quick reaction, he throws a punch brandished with green mes.


    ''Boomm¡­''


    A small collision happened, and the mysterious phantom was sent flying into the trees, sting many before it finally stopped.


    Jacob''s eyes were cold as he looked at the sted trees, and dark green liquid was pouring out of them. Amid the destruction, a mingled body of a vile beast covered in blue bloody there. It seemed to be a hybrid between a hyena and a zombie.


    ''A dark beast!'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered in realization.


    The Dark Beasts were born in the territories of the Dark Beings, and they killed other dark beasts and dark beings and evolved by absorbing their dead cores. They also have the ability to absorb the life force of living beings and can only kill after extinguishing their dead mes. That''s why they fell under the races of the dark beings.


    The dark beings can also tame these dark beasts like the living beings can tame magic beasts and use them as mounts or battles.


    But these dark beasts can only be born under dense dark energy, and the environment of the epic ins was only enough to rearmon and rare rank dark beasts, so the dark beings wouldn''t bother to tame them.


    But the dark beast that Jacob just killed is a peak epic rank dark beast, which means this ce is perfect for nurturing dark beasts.


    ''As expected of the dead faction territory. I''d never encountered a dark beast before, but here they seemed to be flourishing. Previously, that lich I''d faced at the entrance was also ridding a flying dark beast of unique rank, and by killing them, I was able to absorb both of their dead mes. This detour was not a bad idea at all.''


    Jacob smiled in satisfaction before he collected the magic core from the dead, dark beast. Although killing epic-rank dark beings was no longer useful for him, their magic cores were still quite precious for his mana recovery.


    Furthermore, he is still nowhere near exploring this ce, and he is still in the outer region so that he will encounter unique rank dark beasts or dark beings eventually.


    Jacob then moves on towards the thick liquid substance gushing out of the tree, and upon close inspection, his eyes shimmered, ''This is advanced epic rank poison with decay properties, I should collect it. I can use it with whammy poison magic.''


    He quickly takes out of a container and begins to collect all the liquid. He has already absorbed all the Vile Witch''s knowledge, so he could be considered a full-fledged Basic Unique Rank Evil Poison Lord now, which is akin to a Basic Great Elder Alchemist Rank!


    After collecting the poison, he moved on, and as he moved deeper, more and more dark beasts attacked him, and they were all killed with a single punch.


    At this moment, a raging river appeared ahead of him, which was around three hundred meters wide, and on the other side was a mountain valley filled with strange nts and trees.


    The gray disc appeared under his feet, and he began to fly toward the other side and enter the mountain valley.


    This time, he encountered poisonous incents and dark beasts of unique rank, and he quickly dealt with them while collecting their poison. This ce seemed to be a poisonous paradise and extremely beneficial for an Evil Poison Lord like him.


    Days passed like this, and he had yet to encounter any dark being; on this day, Jacob suddenly stopped at a mountain hill, and his eyes widened.


    In front of him was a towering dome hidden between the mountains, and hundreds of dark beings were patrolling this ce.


    ''What is this ce?''

 Chapter 571 Color Spectrum of Flaws

    <h4>Chapter 571 Color Spectrum of ws</h4>


    ?With scrutiny, Jacob looked at the towering ck doom guarded by hundreds of unique rank dark beings.


    It waspletely sealed off from all sides, and the only way inside was a sealed gate embedded with gray runes, and two cloaked liches were standing guard without moving.


    This was quite peculiar since he didn''t expect something like this in the middle of this ce, and by the looks of it, that ce seemed to be quite important to the dark beings.


    Just to get here, one had to go through dark beasts and poisonous nts and incents. Even a unique tier-9 might not be able to do it. Only someone like Jacob, with impunity to poison, can reach this ce.


    Furthermore, despite this ce being filled with dark beasts and poisonous insects, that dome waspletely untouched, which was quite strange.


    Jacob suddenly opened his eyes of judge at this moment before closing them; within that second, he saw a sea of colorful particles and lines on the ground, and that dome was no different.


    ''So, the area around that dome is also protected with a hidden formation, and anyone who steps on it will be discovered. Since I started experimenting with the eyes of the judge, I can only see color particles and colored lines.


    ''Those colorful particles should be mana in the air, while the lines only appear when I see runes or magic abilities. However, within those colors and lines, the color gray is particrly more visible. With Autarch''s help, I confirmed that the gray color represents openings and ws within magic abilities and spells. The same goes for runes¡­''


    Despite Immortika''s warning, he didn''t stop researching the eyes of judge, and the result was also quite satisfactory. ording to his multiple experiments, he discovered that the current eyes of judge could see through the ws in anything and reveal their truth.


    Even though he didn''t have any proof that he was entirely right, he was quite sure that he wasn''t entirely wrong either. Maybe there was a deeper meaning to those color particles, but he had no way of knowing, so all he could do was experiment.


    His hard work also bears some fruit, and he discovered the color gray''s mystery or at least some part of it.


    The color lines only appear when someone uses magic or magic-rted abilities and treasures. Runes were no exceptions. Every spell has its own unique line spectrum and there is always a gray color line present in that spectrum. He called it the Color Spectrum of ws!


    Jacob discovered that if he attacks the gray line, the magic spell always ends up breaking apart. The same goes for runes-rted treasures, like talismans, arrays, and formation arrays.


    He can stop or destroy those rune treasures as long as his attack has sufficient power behind it. This was a huge discovery, and he knew if he utilized it properly, there was no magic or runes that he couldn''t handle. This was just the tip of the abilities that the eyes of judge possess, and ording to Immortika, it can see through all lies.


    Looking at the dome, Jacob''s eyes shimmered with curiosity, ''Since I''m already here, I have to find what lies behind that dome and why there is so much security around it. First, I have to render that formation useless.''


    Jacob''s eyes averted and looked in the particr direction and opened his eyes to judge for a moment again.


    After confirming the gray line position in the color spectrum, a sniper rifle appeared in front of him with a long silencer, and he took aim right at the gray line area and pulled the trigger.


    A small shockwave rang, but he was standing at the hill around thirty miles away from the dome, so those dark beings didn''t hear anything.


    The bulletnded directly right on the gray line spot, and a small murky rune suddenly blinked, and no one noticed it.


    Jacob uses his eyes of judge again, and this time, the color spectrum around the dome haspletely vanished!


    ''They didn''t notice¡­'' Jacob''s lips curled up as he knew he had sessfully stopped the formation, but since the formation was an rm-type stealth formation, unless someone continued to check it, no one would notice it.


    Taking full advantage of this gap, Jacob rushed toward the dome and began to assassinate the dark beings one after another by using the Night Hunter Scripture''s ability, Hunter''s Stealth.


    Hunter''s Stealth can hide his aura and spirit and put his body under a veil of camouge, only someone with a powerful optical skill or far stronger aura or spirit then Jacob can notice him.


    This ability was extremely useful for assassination and silent infiltration. That''s why he learned it first.


    While swiftly assassinating the unique rank dark beings, Jacob quickly stowed away their bodies to not draw any attention.


    The dome was spread around a hundred miles in diameter, so Jacob quickly made his way around it while getting rid of any dark beings. They were all pale face zombies with strange crimson runic lines on their bodies and their eyes werepletely white, and their blood was highly toxic.


    Nheless, they were quite useful for Jacob''s experiments, so he was more than happy to collect their bodies as well.


    After assassinating more than 200 zombies, he appeared close to the sealed gate of the dome where two liches were standing.


    Without wasting any time, ''Slumber Hex (X2)!''


    Since he had already killed every dark being patrolling this dome, he didn''t want to mess it up by being greedy and attacking those liches together. If they use some strange method to rm others, it won''t be long before otherse running here.


    Those liches suddenly begin to fall under his slumber hex, and Jacob directly stabbed his sword in their hearts once after another, killing them within seconds.


    Now that no one was in his way, he finally looked at the giant gate, and having no other choice since he couldn''t open those space rings, he opened his eyes to judge.


    A particr color spectrum appeared in his voice, and without hesitation, a handgun appeared in his hand. He shot at the top left of the gate.


    The rune symbol blinked before a creaking voice sounded, and the sealed gate in front of him began to sweep upward.


    A pathway inside the doom opened!

 Chapter 572 Life Pens

    Chapter 572 Life Pens


    ??Jacob carefully entered the long passage leading inside the dome after confirming that it waspletely safe. He had yet to see any mechanical technology being used in this ce, and everyone was magic-oriented.


    Maybe the dark beings trust the magic technology more, or they simply don''t have the brains for it. Whichever the case was, it made it quite easy for Jacob because of his Eyes of Judge.


    Surprisingly, there was no dark being inside, and once Jacob left the passage, he was shocked because in front of him was a beautiful grasnd, and the sky was filled with warm sunlight.


    Furthermore, not too far away from him were stone buildings, and some children of different races were happily ying around. There were also some adult and elderly people wearing simple clothes and watching those kids with gentle smiles.


    ''What the hell is going on in here?'' Jacob waspletely bewildered since he was expecting some kind of huge secret or treasures hidden in this ce, not this¡­ this vige!


    Furthermore, he knew this entire environment was aplete illusion and bioproduct of magic, and this ce was some kind of sanctuary.


    A ghastly realization struck Jacob at this moment, ''Don''t tell me this is some kind of pen to rear the living beings, so those dark beings can use them whenever they please. I can''t think of another way to exin this massive settlement. They clearly won''t be doing this out of the good of their hearts. For dark beings, the living beings are food¡­''


    Jacob''s heart was cold as he looked at those blissful vigers. They clearly had no idea what kind of ce they were living in. They were just cattle being prepared for ughter.


    Furthermore, no one seemed to notice Jacob standing in front of the huge passage. It was like they couldn''t see it, which means the passage was also hidden within the illusion.


    In the end, Jacob merely shook his head. He didn''t have any pity for them. He wasn''t here to save them, and even if he had such thoughts, he knew the moment they went outside, their entire world would crumble, and they would die in the poisonous environment outside.


    Their entire world was this tiny dome, and the way to liberate them was to end the entirety of dark beings, which waspletely impossible. There might be even more such pens out there, and this was nothing but a pipe dream to save them.


    Jacob then looked within the passage, since the inside was a huge illusion formation, there has to be some kind of control room where this illusion formation was being control. He can''t leave empty-handed.


    Since he had already used the Eyes of Judge for around four seconds, he could only use it for another second before he had to rest, or it would start to affect his mind and vision.


    So, he used it the final time and quickly spotted an anomaly on the right-side wall, and without hesitation, he threw a full power punch on the gray spot.


    The next moment, a small st rang in the silent dark passage and in front of Jacob a spacious room appeared as he sted apart the hidden door.


    However, the moment the hidden space was revealed, Jacob was startled as it was empty. There were small ck humanoid creatures around 1''2 feet tall, but their heads were extremelyrge a crimson web of veins was apparent on their bald disc-


    like heads and pulsing.


    There were twelve of them, and they were looking at Jacob with their big crimson eyes without any irises in utter shock and disbelief. Furthermore, they were sitting over twelve circles glowing with magic runes, and in front of them were two projections that showed different images of the vige inside the dome.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he was just as surprised as those imps, and he could sense they were all unique rank dark beings with powerful spirit prowess but extremely weak bodies.


    Without giving them a chance to react, he dashed towards the closest imp with two short swords, which were quite long, around 4 meters long, butpletely perfect for someone of Jacob''s height.


    Just when the first imp reacted, tworge heads of the imps were already flying in the air.


    "Mental Shock!" A powerful, invisible ripple suddenly surfaced in the air. Jacob felt slightly lightheaded before nothing happened.


    "Child''s y!" Nyx''s disdainful voice rang as she was the culprit behind rendering that mental attack useless.


    Jacob''s footsteps didn''t stop, and more heads began to fly before the final imp was nailed to the ground as Jacob''s sword pierced into its chest.


    "Tell me, what is this ce?" Jacob asked while sending Fire Aura into the imp''s chest, making thetter shrill in pain.


    "P-pen¡­ this is Life Pen No.432, located on the Dead Ind No.


    108!" The imp quickly replied as the pain from the fire aura was driving him crazy.


    He was just a small fray, and their race, the Brainy Imp Race, was one of the weakest races among the Dark Beings, who were only proficient in mental attacks. They had high intelligence, but their bodies were as weak as amon rank goblin.


    That''s why they were used in researching and handling the formations. They were no fighters, so their pain and endurance were almost nonexistent. As for loyalty, the Brainy Imp Race was quite indignant for always beingughed at by other races and treated like mere tools. So, he quickly begins to answer Jacob''s questions.


    Jacob learned that there were 1200 Life Pens like this one, and just on this ind, there were forty-nine more such ces. These life pens were used to nurture the living beings before they were taken by the powerful and talented members of the dead faction to raise their powers. His previous guess has been spot-on.


    As for lost living beings'' origin, their ancestors were prisoners of war; some were kidnapped, and some were even sold to the dark beings by the ve traders. The Life Pens were also divided by the bloodline of the living beings.


    Those who could rise to the Unique Rank were kept in the Life Pens from No.1 to No.500, while the epic ranks were kept in Life Pens above No.500. The smaller the number, the higher quality and powerful the bloodline of the living beings.


    There were 80 inds devoted to raising living beings, and they were all spread throughout the Dead Faction Territory, which was abination of 470 Inds!

 Chapter 573 Dead Islands

    <h4>Chapter 573 Dead Inds</h4>


    ?After getting all the information, Jacob turned the brainy imp into ashes before collecting its magic core.


    ''Life Pens, huh? Although this ce is a treasure trove for dark beings, it has no use for me at all. Instead, I need to head into the home bases of the Dark Beings if I want to earn some profit.


    ''The dark beings of unique rank present here around five thousand and all of them are like these, guarding the life pens. It won''t be long before they notice this ce, and if they thought Ie here to liberate these people, they wille in droves.


    ''Instead, if I begin to hunt on the inhabited inds of the dark beings'' races, I have more room for breathing. Since they would hesitate to report their own ipetence¡­''


    After making his decision, Jacob took a look at the projection of the vige in the dome, and he was about to leave before an idea popped up in his mind. He used his star watch and began to make a video of the entire life pen.


    Once he was done, he quickly left in the same way where he came from. He was no longer interested in hunting here anymore and used his flying disc to head toward another dead ind in the south, which was two hundred miles away from this one.


    Just half a dayter after Jacob left a crimson cloaked Wraith appeared outside the life pen''s open door like a ghost.


    Without hesitation, it directly entered the life pen, and when it saw the open door of the hidden control room, it entered, and upon seeing the corpses of Brainy Imps, he checked the ''goods''.


    After confirming none of them were missing, the fiery eyes under its crimson hood jumped, "Someone killed all the guards and these controllers but didn''t touch the cattle. What is going on? I''ve heard an intruder snuck in, could it be he''s here? I need to report it back!"


    The next moment, it began to mutter a spell in its eerie voice, and soon, a magic circle with crimson runes shimmered in front of him, and a ghost-like figure materialized.


    The Wraith kneeled and quickly eximed, "General, someone killed all the guards and controllers of the Life Pen No.432. I think it''s the intruder!"


    The general replied in a coarse tone, "What about the cattle?"


    "They are all here." The Wraith replied.


    "Strange. Alright, I''ll send ten vice generals. You should contact the other life pens as well. Wrath King ordered to capture this degenerate as quickly as possible. It seemed he had some skill. If you found him, don''t approach and wait for reinforcement, just tail him." The generalmanded before the magic circle dissipated.


    ---


    Jacob has no idea that his movement has already been discovered. At this moment, he was already approaching the cliff of another dead ind hidden within the mist.


    If not for the brainy imp''s urate direction, it would be very hard to find this ce. Surprisingly, the dark beings didn''t have maps, and they used some kind of spell to find these ces unique to them.


    Furthermore, he also discovered that the Dark Beings use a magicwork to keep in contact with each other called the Dark Network, and they can ess it by using their special Dead Signature through magic.


    They didn''t need star watches like living beings, and ording to the imp, thiswork was just as advanced as the Star Network, and their origin seemed to be the same as well.


    This was a huge discovery, but s, Jacob couldn''t use it to his advantage since he didn''t have the dead signature, which only emits from the dead me. Nheless, he now knew that dark beings also have a way tomunicate with each other. So, he can''t be too careless and give them a chance to reveal his location.


    The ind''s environment was just the previous one, dark and gloomy. ording to the imp, these dead inds had their own overseers, and they were known as Ind Generals and under the directmand of Vice Faction Heads.


    This mist was a gigantic formation, and anything alive would be instantly detected by it. It also had a hallucination effect on living beings, so they would lose their way if they entered it.


    But for some reason, Jacob wasn''t being detected by this formation at all, nor did it have any effect on him, which was quite strange.


    The core of this formation was in the central dead continent, which was the headquarters of the Dead Faction, and all the dead inds were connected with it, and it existed in the very center of the Dead Faction territory.


    Jacob might be the first person to acquire so much urate information on the Dead Faction, and if he sells to the Life Faction, he''ll be greatly rewarded.


    He descended on this new ind and quickly made his way to its depths, and he was surprised when, not too long after his arrival, he was attacked by a pack of dark beasts, all of them in a unique rank. He was hiding his life aura as he wanted to attract these dark beasts and save his mana.


    This ys right in his favor since the Dark Beasts were even more sensitive toward the life aura than the Dark Beings.


    This pack of dead beasts had skeletons like a wolf, and their dark mes were emitting from their bodies.


    With his swords, he sprang into action and cut down around fifty of these skeleton wolves and collected their cores before moving forward. He was still far from evolving his hex core.


    He needed to kill them in close quarters, which meant he couldn''t use his long-range weapons.


    Soon, Jacob crossed the gloomy forest and stopped as ahead of him were the towering ck walls of a city. This was exactly the ce he was looking for, an inhabited city of the Dark Beings filled with thousands of unique rank dark beings.


    Using the hunter''s stealth, he flew on top of the city walls and saw crude buildings and dark beings moving on the paved roads. There were even stalls where they sold many things, and their currency was none other than Life Crystals.


    Carefully, he descended within the city,nded in a remote corner, and slowly vanished into the crowd of dark beings while using his hunter''s stealth.


    He waited for the night before he started the hunt!

 Chapter 574 Wreaking Havoc in Dead Faction

    Chapter 574 Wreaking Havoc in Dead Faction


    ??The central dead continent was asrge as the Unique ins or maybe slightly bigger. This ce was the core of the dead faction, and only true elites of the faction were qualified to live there.


    It was divided into five King Domains overseen by the Vice Leaders of the Dead Faction, also known as Five Dead Kings by the Dark Being, and above them was the mysterious Faction Leader, also known as Dead Emperor, among the Dark Being, who seldom showed his face and only the Dead Kings were qualified to meet him.


    Each Dead King handles a different department of the Dead Faction. Like the Wrath Dead King handled the security, the Spirit Magic Dead King was in charge of the Dead Faction Spirit Magic Research, the Aura Dead King was in charge ofbat and army, the Illusionary Dead King was a magic rune expert, and the formation around the Dead Faction Territory was also developed by him, andstly, the Charmless Dead King, who oversee the matters regarding the Unique ins'' Dead Zone.


    The central dead continent was usually peaceful, and all the matters regarding the dead inds were handled by the underlings of the five dead kings.


    However, a few weeks ago, the Wrath King personally moved because someone dared to barge into their territory and handle the matter. As for what happened, no one knows since the Wrath King refused to reveal the details, and no one has any right to question him except the Dead Emperor.


    At this moment, within the Wrath Domain, the towering Wrath King sat on his bone throne within the gloomy Wrath Castle.


    The me under his cloaked head was burning fiercely while a giant lich in crimson and ck robes was kneeling in front of him, trembling in fear.


    "How many times has it been now?" Wrath King''s ovepping eerie voice rang, filled with bloodlust.


    "23, Your Majesty!" The giant lich hastily replied.


    A heavy dark aura oozed from the Wrath King, making the Lich almost nted into the floor, "23! Yes, it''s been 23 times now that the intruder has massacred our unique rank brothers, and somehow, there is still no clue about his whereabouts. Tell me, if the others were to find out, wouldn''t I be aughingstock of our race? What if the Dead Emperor finds out that my men can''t even handle pesky livestock and let him run amok? Do you know the consequence of it?!" His voice was filled with rage and mad fury.


    It''s been over three weeks since his encounter with the Zodiac Night Guardians, and he still wasn''t able to get rid of the intruder.


    Although the Zodiac Night Guardians refuse to show him any proof, he doesn''t dare to go too far and massacre them all since it would really start the war. In the end, he destroyed five of their ships before letting them go.


    But when he came back and discovered that Jacob was still alive and even running amok in their territory, he almost exploded in anger. He heard the news that Jacob had entered a life pen before he vanished without a trace.


    Then he tried pinning down his location by using the formation, yet they found nothing at all, and they thought he had some kind of treasure to help him conceal his life aura.


    He thought they would get rid of this ant very soon. Yet on the very next day, he heard that someone had massacred every unique rank dark being of a city on another dead ind, and this didn''t just stop there. Another such incident took ce the next day in another city.


    Infuriated, the Wrath King headed there himself, and he didn''t leave any unturned stone on that ind, yet he didn''t find any trace of Jacob.


    But just two dayster, when the Wrath King was still going crazy over this situation, another city was massacred on another ind. He almost died of anger.


    This time, without wasting a second, he made his way there and personally inspected the entire ind, yet he still didn''t find the intruder. But what made him almost rampage was that another city on the same ind was massacred at night and right under his nose.


    This was a blunt p on the Wrath King''s face and a challenge to his dignity. If the other Dead King found out about it, he wouldn''t have any face to show, and he might lose the authority he had built for thousands of years if this angered the Dead Emperor.


    But he was utterly helpless against this mysterious degenerate who had strange abilities to elude the formation and his senses. He seemed like a ghost, and he even suspected that this person was not a living being but from their own race.


    However, it was also impossible for anyone to go undetected, especially if they were a dark being, because of his special racial ability. The Dead Kings weren''t just for show, as each of them was a terrifying existence that had taken a tiny step forward beyond the unique rank. Even their mortal enemy, the Life Faction, didn''t dare to treat them lightly.


    Yet this unknown nobody was wreaking havoc under his nose, which was extremely humiliating, and he didn''t dare to reveal it and made sure to suppress the news.


    But how can a paper contain fire? The other Dead Kings were no fools, and their own people were among those who were massacred in these past three weeks, so it won''t be long before they seek him out.


    All he can do is fume ande back to his domain in the hope of detaining that degenerate before other kingse knocking on his door. Today, another city was massacred, and now the Wrath King has given up on capturing this guy alone.


    He had to admit he needed help, and he also needed a damn well excuse to give to the Dead Emperor, or he could forget about his lofty position. The pitiful lich just happened to be a target for releasing his pent-up frustration.


    Before he could further torture the lich, a majestic voice reverberated within the Wrath King''s mind, making him tremble in fear.


    "Come to Blood Pool!"


    Wrath King sighed helplessly, ''It''s over, His Majesty knew!''

 Chapter 575 Three Steps of Legend

    <h4>Chapter 575 Three Steps of Legend</h4>


    ?Over a thousand miles away from the Central Dead Continent was Dead Ind No.87. As a double-digit ind, it was quiterge inparison with three-digit inds, and it could also be called a medium-sized ind. In contrast, the three-digit inds were small-sized inds.


    As for the single-digit inds, they wererge-sized inds, and they were at least 40% the size of the Central Dead Continent and closest to it.


    Jacob sessfully stepped on Dead Ind No.87, and unlike the other inds he had seen in thesest 23 days, this ce wasn''t surrounded by gloomy forest. Instead, not too far away from the ocean was a huge towering wall seemingly made with some crimson metal, and a strange aura was emitting from it.


    Just by looking at the wall, Jacob felt some kind of power trying to affect his mind but utterly failed.


    ''Could it be this ind is one of those research faculties Spirit Magic Dead King?'' Jacob''s eyes begin to shine.


    It had been 23 days since he had entered the Dead Faction Territory, and he was now quite familiar with it because of excessive hunting and torturing the information out of dark beings.


    It could be said that everything was smooth sailing until a few days ago when he entered the giant lich, not any less tall than him. When he tried to hex him, Jacob was shocked because the hex didn''t work on him at all which made Jacob startled.


    Then he tried using Nyx to infiltrate its nightmare realm, and again, to his surprise, for the first time, Nyx said that Lich''s nightmare realm was out of her reach right now.


    His blood nearly ran cold, and he thought he had encountered a legendary dark being, but the strange thing was that Lich wasn''t able to see through his hunter''s stealth despite passing a few meters away from his hiding position.


    Confused and somewhat terrified, he asked Immortika. He found that the giant lich wasn''t a legendary rank expert, and he had a huge sigh of relief. ording to Immortika, that giant lich had taken a tiny step beyond the unique rank, but it was still far, far away from the legendary rank.


    To rify it further, Immortika divided these steps that were important to be aplete legendary rank, calling it Three Steps of Legend.


    The first step was the Beyond Unique Rank which was to start converting the mana into the body into either Aura or Spirit and fully assimted with the Aura or Spirit Glyph.


    However, this step was extremely dangerous and a milestone in the path to bing a Legend. To convert the mana into a body was akin to converting one magic orbit so they could directly produce spirit or aura without any need to go through an aura or spirit glyph first.


    This step needs one to have a deep understanding of their element glyph since it was the key to fully converting the magic orbits into spirit orbits or aura orbits. If someone prematurely dares to take this step, their entire magic orbits will blow off in an explosion.


    Once the spirit orbits or aura orbits were fully formed, the next step was called the Inception Legend Body Rank. In this step, one has to use the spirit or aura orbits and awaken their body into a Spirit Body or Aura Body.


    This process was even longer and more dangerous than the Beyond Unique Rank because a person has to let the aura and spirit seep into their bones and bone marrow to change their bodies into aura or spirit bodies. It was an extremely cruel and painful process, and if someone were not careful, their entire body would blow off.


    But suppose someone canplete this process and fully awaken their Spirit Body and Aura Body. In that case, their bloodline will be fully awakened, and they can also have the ability to pass on their own bloodline with their own unique abilities etched in their glyphs. Their offspring would have talent even stronger than them.


    Lastly, once the Spirit Orbits can make spirit energy and Spirit Body is fully awakened, the same goes for aura users, then the final step begins, Quasi Legend Rank.


    Toplete this step, one needs to awaken their soul. This step was the most mysterious, and everyone had their own way of reaching it. No one can teach anyone.


    Once these three steps wereplete, one needed to assimte the Magic Orbits, Body, and Soul to reach the Fable Legendary State!


    Beyond Unique Rank, Inception Legend Rank, and Quasi Legend Rank, each has Initial, Intermediate, and Perfect Stages. These were the three steps of legend; everyone had topete before they could be a true legend.


    Jacob never thought it would be soplicated to reach this rank, and on top of that, there was a Beyond Unique Rank Lich chasing him down. Although Immortika assured him as long as he used his full strength, he would be able to pummel the lich, and as long as his hex core evolved, it would also work on even Fable Legendary State Experts.


    But Jacob didn''t want to try since, ording to Immortika, even an initial stage beyond unique rank expert chance of appearing was one between 100,000!


    So, Jacob mused that the giant lich was most likely a Dead King, and if he really killed him, he might draw out the Dead Emperor. Now that he knew about the three steps of legend, he was sure that he might be at the perfect stage of the first step or even the second step.


    Although he didn''t know how strong the expert of the three steps of legend was, he didn''t want to take any unnecessary risks as long as he didn''t have to. Not until his hex core evolved.


    That''s why Jacob avoided the Wrath King and always escaped after ughtering unique rank dark beings city after city. At least he can''t discover him in his hunter''s stealth.


    Even if he got discovered he was winning against him, he was quite assured after Immortika''s guaranteed. Nheless, he was now even more eager to raise his strength.


    Looking at the towering walls, Jacob used the gray disc to fly above it. But upon reaching the top, he frowned because a silver-gray barrier was covering the entire city, and it was filled with metallic buildings; this ce was like an industrial factory site!

 Chapter 576 Spirit Research Island

    Chapter 576 Spirit Research Ind


    ??Jacob looked at the translucent barrier over the gigantic metal city with scrutiny. He didn''t dare to carelessly try to cross it since it would instantly alert everyone, and with how much the Wrath King hated him, he wouldn''t waste even a second ande running like a mad dog.


    Furthermore, if his guess was right, then this ce was under the Spirit Magic Dead King''s jurisdiction, and if he were also alert, it would be a problem to hide under the two dead kings'' eyes.


    Especially the Spirit Magic Dead King, who was known for his powerful spirit magic, and he might not be as helpless as the Aura User like the Wrath King.


    ''I''ve already killed over 10,000 unique rank dark beings, and I''m still short on 90,000. This won''t be easy; the more I kill, the more alert I make the Dark Faction of the threat I pose, and they might really forget about their integrity ande after me with everything they want.


    ''Tsk, tsk, the higher the hex core evolves, the more difficult it is for me to find the prey to evolve it. 100,000 Unique Rank Dark Beings could make the entire Life faction tremble, yet I need to kill them by myself.


    ''But the ghastliest part wille when I need to evolve the hex core to legendary rank. Even if I can kill legendary dark beings, where do I find 100,000 of them?'' Jacob felt extremely stiff just thinking about these absurd evolution requirements for the hex core.


    Even though the hex magic was overpowered, he needed to pay the equivalent price to wield it as well.


    Although he was in Unique Rank ins, it didn''t mean there were only the Unique Rank Beings here. It was just the power capacity of the unique ins was higher than the Common, Rare, or Epic ins.


    The Unique Rank Beings controlled the upper echelon of all major powers, and the powers, like three absolute factions, even had the Three Steps of Legend level experts hidden within their ranks.


    That''s why now Jacob was in even more hurry to upgrade his epic hex core into a unique rank hex core, so his hex magic could also work on even the legendary rank beings.


    Once he wields such power, he won''t have anything to worry about, even if the Three Steps of Legend level expertes after him.


    So, he could do nothing but continue with this conquest.


    Jacob didn''t try using his Eyes of Judge at this moment since this city was simply toorge, and he needed more than a second to measure this formation.


    Instead, he flew around it to find the door since it would be far more convenient to take advantage of the ws at the entrance.


    Soon enough, he stopped in front of a white metallic door, and huge words were engraved on top of it in Dead Language of Dark Being, ''Spirit Research Ind No.87 (Dark Alchemy Branch)''.


    Jacob''s eyebrows shot up, ''Dark Alchemy?''


    He had heard its vague details from Immortika. Apparently, the Dark Alchemy can be used in refining Life Medicines that prolong the living being''s lifespan by using the Life Crystals.


    Furthermore, only the dark beings could practice this profession while it was a forbidden taboo for living beings.


    Jacob never thought he woulde in contact with it so soon, but it wasn''t so surprising either. He was in the Dead Faction, and since the Dark Alchemy was their bread and butter, he would''vee across it sooner orter.


    Furthermore, Jacob was very much interested in this Dark Alchemy, especially the Life Medicines. But he was only curious since he already had Nyx''s ability to devour others'' lifespans and then transfer them to him.


    He was only in his early thirties right now, and thousands of years were ahead of him, so he wouldn''t take the risk of consuming that life medicine since it had very ghastly side effects on living beings.


    ''Since this ce is a research ind for Dark Alchemy, didn''t this mean I would find more use of life crystals here? I''ve already gathered tens of thousands of space rings of dark beings, and once I can open them, I will find even more life crystals in them. It''s a pity that Autarch can''t open them by possessing other unique rank bodies; his mystic signature is still only epic rank. At the same time, Nyx is clueless about it.


    ''Anyhow, I have to learn about the secret of life crystals, or they would be nothing but piles of shining crystals.''


    Jacob smiled bitterly before he opened his eyes of Judge and closed them. A deep frown appeared on her face, ''This door is not entirely locked with magic runes, but it''s a mechanical one imbued with magic runes. This type of lock can be opened by a physical key and a runic key. But this security also proved that whatever is hidden behind this door is worth this kind of security¡­''


    Jacob was now even more determined to enter this ce, even if he had to cause a littlemotion.


    The next moment, Jacob chose to hide not too far away from the door and waved his sleeve. Five ck-cloaked and five crimson-cloaked liches appeared.


    "Autarch, use them to open that door and then kill anything that crawls out from within." He coldly ordered.


    Those ten liches were refined into Autarch''s puppets just like the ogres, and they could be stored in space rings as well.


    Jacob has been using them to causemotion and draw away many enemies. Even the Wrath King can''t tell the difference between those puppets and dark beings, and he has been fooled many times.


    Autarch quickly followed Jacob''s orders, and the empty eyes of those liches suddenly lit up in mes, and they sprang toward the metallic door and began to cast spells.


    The Lich Race of the Dark Beings has two variants: ck Cloak, which represents the Spirit Lich, which uses Spirit Magic, and Crimson Cloak, which represents the Aura Lich and uses Aura Magic.


    Nheless, the Lich Race''s innate magic talent lies in their Dark Summoning Magic, and Spirit Lich can summon Spirit-


    type dark beings while the Aura Lich can summon Aura-type dark beings.


    Both have their own benefits and ws. But if both variants join forces, they would cause mass destruction!


    Soon, within the magic circles of the crimson-cloaked liches, magic robes and skeletons holding magic staffs begin to appear, and from the magic circles of the ck-cloaked liches, armor skeletons with weapons appear.


    At Autarch''s behest, they all initiate an all-out attack on the door in front of them!

 Chapter 577 Midget Wight

    Chapter 577 Midget Wight


    ??Within the metallic walls of the Spirit Research Ind No.87 a group of Brainy Imps were sitting in runic circles in front of dozens of projections which showed different facilities in the Spirit Research Ind No.87.


    At this moment, one of the Brainy Imps suddenly jolted as the runic circle under him began to blink furiously.


    "What the hell?" He roared furiously as he watched the projection in front of him with utter shock and fury, "Are those fuckers cracked their skulls?! Why are they attacking the entrance?"


    Everyone''s attention was drawn to this Brainy Imp, and they looked at the projection and saw ten Liches ordering their summoned soldiers to attack the entrance gate.


    "Does Aura Dead King send his minions to cause trouble for his majesty since he refused to sell him Advance Unique Life Pills the other day?" One of the Briny Imps muttered in astonishment.


    The tension between the Aura Dead King and Spirit Magic Dead King was an open secret between the Dark Beings. Since the Spirit Magic Dead King was in charge of magic research, he had allocated ample life crystals, and all the Dark Alchemists of the Dead Faction were under him.


    The supply of Life Pills, which was as potent as 10 Life Crystals, was a holy medicine for the Dark Beings to raise their prowess. Arge portion of these Life Pills was allocated to the Aura Dead King because he was in charge of nurturing the Dark Faction forces.


    Thereby, the dark beings under the Aura Dead King see the Dark Beings under the Spirit Magic Dead King as their servants, as if they live to serve them. So, there was always a small skirmish between the two dead kings, and Aura Dead King was known for his arrogant and unbearable nature.


    That''s why the Spirit Magic Dead King always made things difficult for the Aura Dead King.


    Now that those powerful liches were attacking the entrance of the Ind, they directly connected it to the Aura Dead King since only he was brazened enough to pull something like this.


    "Inform the Ind Guards. This is not something we can handle. We are just the little controllers. We have nothing to do with the fight. Let''s just sit back and watch a good show." A Brainy Imp scoffed with a hint of hatred.


    The other imps'' impish eyes shimmered with mirth as they all held a grudge towards the Dark Beings since they treated their race like some guard dogs.


    ---


    Within a brightly lit hall filled with all kinds of strange equipment and ss tanks filled with bodies of living beings, a midget crimson skeleton with a small purple horn on his forehead, wearing darkb clothes, was sewing a strange dark skin filled with rune symbols on an elf''s chest.


    The elf was no longer graceful as there were multiple stitches all over its body, and different color skin patches were sewed over different parts of its body. Even half of his face was a mixture of different skin patches.


    Once he was done, he nodded in satisfaction as the white mes in his eye sockets glowed in excitement. He seemed very pleased with his handy work.


    Flipping his bony hand, a few crystal needles appeared, and he began to pierce them into the rune symbols on skin patches.


    However, right at this moment, a hurried voice rang, "General Thone, we just received words from the controlling that ten liches probably belonged to the Aura Dead King forces are attacking the entrance."


    The midget skeleton or General Thone stopped in his tracks, and white mes in his eyes jumped furiously.


    "Kill them all and bring back their bones. I happened tock some good materials." In his raspy voice, he dismissivelymanded those words before returning to his experiment.


    ---


    At the entrance of the Research Ind, 500 skeletons were attacking the entrance gate while the ten liches were maintaining their spells. Each of them had summoned fifty skeleton soldiers.


    However, despite theirbination of attacks, they only managed to leave some scratches on the huge gate.


    Suddenly, sharp voices of cogwheels being shifted rang in the vicinity, and a small section within the giant gate began to slide up and the next moment, two zombies with runes all over their bodies walked out.


    "Inferno ze!"


    "Dark Wind Storm!"


    They didn''t waste even a second before they released tworge area spells; dark winds suddenly covered all the skeleton soldiers and ten liches before ck mes began to howl in the winds, making the temperature rise.


    However, at this moment, while those two zombies were furiously releasing their magic, an invisible giant figure easily snuck into the opening of the gate without anyone realizing it.


    Like a phantom, Jacob quickly crossed therge pathway and appeared within the walls of Research Ind.


    "Make them self-destruct. We can''t let them find out about the puppets, or they might get suspicious too soon." Jacob dismissively issued themand to Autarch.


    "Affirmative!" Autarch emotionlesslyplied.


    Jacob then looked around, and this ce looked exactly like a manufacturing nt, so he headed south. Soon, he arrived at a building that appeared to be a storage facility, and he spotted ten zombies patrolling the building.


    But he didn''t act and observed from a corner. Soon, he saw two small skeletons approaching a zombie standing in front of the door, and the zombie bowed to those two skeletons, opened the door, and let them pass.


    ''Are those dwarf skeletons from the Midget Wight Race the same race as the Spirit Magic Dead King? They excel in spirit magic and are even more intelligent than the Brainy Imps.'' Jacob mused.


    Jacob knew the races of the Dead Kings were treated differently from those without a Dead King. It was a hierarchy of the Dead Faction.


    A few minutester, those two Midget Wights appeared again and left the area.


    Soon, night fell, and at this time, Jacob had seen four pairs of Midget Wighting and going in short intervals.


    Since he had observed enough and the Hunter''s Stealth effect would be double at night, Jacob finally moved.


    ''Let''s see what is in store in this ce!''

 Chapter 578 Plundering the Dead Island (1)

    Chapter 578 Plundering the Dead Ind (1)


    ??In Hunter''s stealth, Jacob slowly made his way toward the building entrance and used the slumber hex to knock the guard zombie out.


    Jacob then tries opening the door, but to his surprise, it won''t budge. He frowned since he saw the Zombie always opening this door without using any key or special method.


    After mulling over this issue for a moment, he picked up the zombie through his hand and touched the door nob and to his surprise, it easily opened this time.


    ''Interesting¡­''


    This time, he took the slumbering zombie within him, and he entered inside before closing the door. A corridor with four doors on each side appeared in front of him.


    Without hesitation, Jacob reached the first door to his left and tried opening it but failed again. He tried doing the same thing he did at the entrance door, but this time, the door wouldn''t open.


    ''Don''t tell me this door needs those Midget Wights'' touch to open it? Well, it won''t be secure if anyone can open these doors.'' Jacob thought before looking at the zombie and throwing him away. He didn''t want to kill it just yet since it would be akin to alerting of his presence. He won''t kill anyone, not until hepletely reconnoiters this ce.


    But despite his hesitation, he needed to open these doors, and an idea popped into his mind; he ordered Autarch, "Refine that zombie into your puppet!"


    After giving the order, Jacob threw a full power punch at the door and sted it away!


    Behind the door was a spacious room filled with shelves, and on those shelves were ced different types of nts in ss containers.


    ''Magic herbs?'' Jacob''s eyes lit up as he sensed dense magic energy from those nts. He knew the magic herbs growing on the Dark Beings territory had different characteristics than the magic herbs on the living beings'' side.


    These magic herbs were very potent to living beings, yet some of them were also beneficial if they were used in alchemy. The Life Medicines weren''t just refined by Life Crystals alone, but some auxiliary materials were also needed.


    Although he didn''t have the Life medicine form, he wasn''t going to leave behind those magic herbs at all. So, he quickly begins to collect them into an empty space ring.


    Once he was done, he moved to the other room and forced his way in. This time, Jacob saw piles of crimson crystals neatly arranged around the room. Some were as small as one inch, while thergest among them were palmed size.


    Jacob happily collected them all since they were probably unique rank life crystals.


    The third door led to another life crystal deposit, while the final one was filled with magic herbs. He had probably collected over 20,000 life crystals and 1,000 magic herbs.


    After emptying the entire storehouse, Jacob looked at the Zombie, "Is it done?"


    "I still required another hour," Autarch replied.


    "Alright, once you''re done, make this look like this guy took all the items here and then escaped. It won''t be difficult as long as you leave behind his special magic signatures around. In between, if someone came, just directly blow him off." Jacob coldlymands before leaving the storage house.


    This was the only way to cover his tracks for a little while longer.


    Now that he knew this ce was filled with exotic treasures and knowledge, he wanted topletely ransack it before starting the carnage. He might not get another chance like this once the Spirit Magic Dead King was alert.


    Once he left the storage house after closing the door, he quickly vanished in the night and headed toward the other buildings. Soon, he discovered another building, like the storage house, and another zombie guarding the door.


    Without hesitation, he entered using the same method. But this time, this storage house was not like the previous one and didn''t have any rooms. Instead, it was a lush herb field filled with all sorts of growing magic herbs.


    In the center of this herb field was an ash-blue willow tree, and a strange blue fruit with a dark circle was growing on its branches. This fruit was round and small, but it gave off an ambiance like a dark being.


    After thinking about it, Jacob decided just to take everything and begin to pull the magic herbs with their roots and also harvest all the blue fruits on the willow tree.


    The once lush garden was now barren, and only the willow tree remained. Jacob left after giving Autarch the samemand and began to search more storehouses.


    This research ind was spread over five thousand miles, so it was impossible to ransack it in a single night fully. Still, Jacob managed to plunder eight more storage houses, three of which were herb gardens.


    When dawn arrived, Jacob arrived at another building, which was far bigger than any other buildings he had plundered. Furthermore, the security here was ten times greater than the other buildings.


    Two cloaked Wraiths were guarding the runic door. At this moment, the door suddenly opened, and a Midget Wight exited the building. Jacob thought for a moment before he stealthily followed it.


    Once they were in a remote area, Jacob directly hexed the guy and ordered Autarch to refine it into his puppet.


    After an hour, the Midget stood in front of Jacob, and following his order, the Midget began to head back to therge building while Jacob followed him in stealth.


    Upon seeing the Midget Wight return, the Wraiths didn''t show any reaction and opened the door for him and let him pass. But this time, Jacob was following behind, and those two Wraiths didn''t notice him.


    Once they were inside, the door closed, and Jacob appeared in arge white space filled with ss tanks. His expression changed slightly upon seeing the living beings slumbering within those ss tanks filled with translucent green liquid.


    There were elves, dwarfs, trolls, and many other races. This was the storehouse of living begins!


    Furthermore, they weren''t the only ones in this ce; in the center were three more Midget Wights, and each of them was operating with a living being lying in front of a stone b.


    One of them was harvesting blood in a bottle, while another one was taking out organs. It was like a post-mortem center!

 Chapter 579 Plundering the Dead Island (2)

    <h4>Chapter 579 Plundering the Dead Ind (2)</h4>


    As the Midgets were busy dismembering the bodies, once one of them was done, he ced its bonny hand on a giant''s hand, and red energy began to gush out and condense in a round shape in the Midget''s hand. He was forming a life crystal, and the giant was wilting like a dry branch.


    ''So, after harvesting their organs and blood, they absorbed their life force before they take theirst breath. Nothing goes to waste, huh?'' Jacob thought with a hint of interest.


    He wasn''t disgusted by this scene at all; in fact, it intrigued him, and he wanted to know what they were going to do with the blood and organs.


    The Midget, who was done harvesting and forming the life crystal, put them all into his space ring before he began to walk toward the exit.


    However, when he saw the Midget Wight close to the exit, he stopped and asked, "Why are you back, No.4331?"


    "Make him follow him back wherever he''s going." Jacob issued amand.


    The puppet, No.4331, replied, "I''m waiting for you; let''s go together."


    "Sure." The other midget replied without thinking much and began to walk out. The puppet followed, and Jacob was right behind them.


    This ce wasn''t worth plundering since Jacob didn''t need any living beings right now. Furthermore, even if he wanted to take them as a food source, he had to get rid of those midgets and the Wraiths outside, so he decided to follow these midgets back and see where they were going.


    He had yet to find any knowledge about Dark Alchemy, so they had to be stored somewhere extremely secure, and this was the perfect chance to infiltrate this ce.


    The midget begins to walk in the same direction that the puppet is walking before Jacob intervenes.


    "How''s your quotaing along?" The midget suddenly asked.


    ''Why is this skeleton being so chatting?'' Jacob furrowed since his ruse would be exposed if he made the puppet talk too much.


    Although Autarch can now refine the Dark Beings into his puppets, he can''t get their memories like he can do with the living begins. Except for their abilities, Autarch didn''t know anything.


    "I''m slightly behind. What about you?" The puppet asked.


    "Sigh, don''t ask. I think I''ll die at this rate. I don''t understand why his majesty wants so many advanced, unique life pills and bone betterment pills. It had to be something to do with those bastards from the military faction. At this rate, we might really be their personal servants!" His voice was filled with fury and exasperation.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with tion when he heard ''life pills''; this meant he was really on the right track.


    "You said it!" The puppet replied, sounding equally exasperated.


    "Right? But I don''t think his majesty would let it happen. I''ve heard General Thone is already close to creating the battle soldier, and his majesty personally praised him. Once he seeds, we won''t be any weaker than that empty-brain Aura faction!" The midget stated with a hint of respect and yearning.


    At this moment, they stopped at a remote corner of a metal building; there wasn''t a door in view. But the chatty midget ced its hand on the wall, and the next moment, runes lit up, and a two-meter passage opened.


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow as this ce was well hidden, but this passage was quite short for a 20-meter-tall giant like him. Still, he didn''t want to miss this chance, and even if he had to crawl, he was going to enter.


    Once Jacob''s giant body was inside, the opening closed, and he didn''t have to crawl for long as this small passage was only thirty meters long. Once they exited it, they appeared in a spacious za.


    Jacob was astounded when he saw that the za was filled with Midget Wights, and there were probably thousands of them. Furthermore, this ce was filled with stone tables, and on those tables were small pill furnaces, and those midgets were refining pills collectively without stopping.


    This was a massive-scale alchemy operation, and Jacob spottedrge wooden boxes beside each working table. They were half filled with glistering crimson pills, and some of them were filled with golden brown pills.


    Furthermore, thosepletely filled boxes were taken away by those midgets towards arge door at the end of the za before they returned with an empty box.


    ''Just how many life medicines are these guys refining, and how many resources do they have?'' Jacob was shocked as he wasn''t expecting so many life medicines to be refined at such arge scale.


    Each of those wooden boxes could hold around a hundred of those pills, and there were thousands of midget refining them and filling those boxes.


    The midget, who had no idea that he had led a wolf into their home, began to walk towards an empty table with a number. They were all known by their working table number, and the puppet was the same.


    "Get him back. We can''t mess up." Jacob gravelymanded as he was d that he didn''t kill those midgets, or it would be apparent quite easily that they had vanished.


    After giving Autarch amand, Jacob carefully walked toward the door where all the midgets were taking their filled pill boxes.


    He didn''t have to wait for long before a midget came with a filled box and the door opened, and Jacob quickly snuck in.


    Jacob entered a room filled with crimson and golden-brown wooden chests, and at this moment, the midget opened a chest and emptied the box of pills within, and it was more than half filled.


    ''Are those chests filled with pills?'' Jacob''s heart raced slightly as there were hundreds of those chests in this ce.


    The midget left after emptying the box, but Jacob remained as he mused if he should just take them all or wait for more pills.


    At this moment, Jacob heard some movement, and before he could react, the entire room began to tremble and begin to descend.


    ''Is this entire room a lift?'' Jacob mused as he looked up and saw the ceiling getting further away.


    Soon, the lift stopped, and a cold voice rang, "Change the pill chests!"

 Chapter 580 Plundering the Dead Island (3)

    Chapter 580 Plundering the Dead Ind (3)


    ??"Change the pill chests!"


    Hearing this voice, Jacob turned around and saw the metal wall siding upward, revealing a vault, and eight cloaked Wraiths were standing, and in front of them was a Midget Wight in armor.


    Jacob was in stealth, so no one noticed him and the wraiths at this moment waved their wands, and all the chests in the lift began to open before the pills within began to fly towards the midget.


    The Midget dismissively waved his hand, and thousands of pills vanished into his space ring.


    "Send it back." He ordered before turning around.


    Jacob didn''t stay there either and quickly entered the vault since this midget was clearly a much bigger fish, and this ce was hidden underground, so it had to be the top-secret area of the Research Ind.


    Furthermore, since this midget took all the refined pills, Jacob won''t let him go easily. He was finally closer to the source of all those pills.


    Following the midget, Jacob exited the vault and entered a corridor before making his way towards a spacious ce.


    Jacob''s eyes contracted a little because this ce was filled with bookshelves and equipment far higher tier than the alchemy equipment on the upper level.


    There were around a hundred Midget Wights in here, and all of them were immense in their own research or reading, and no one paid attention to the armored midget.


    The armored midget wasn''t stopping here as he continued to move forward and open a door. Jacob thought for a moment before continue following him while remembering the way. He was going to wait until swooping everything in one fell swoop.


    Once they exited the area, they appeared in another long passage, and at the end of it was a metallic door.


    This time, the armored midget didn''t hurry to open the door. Instead, he respectfully spoke, "General Thone, I''m here to deliver the next batch of dark medicines!"


    Jacob''s eyebrow lifted as he didn''t expect he would reach the location of an Ind General unknowingly.


    He knew the ind generals were mysterious, and their bases were well-guarded and hidden. They had full authority over the inds, and everyone followed theirmand. Only the Dead Kings could order them around.


    "Enter." An eerie voice rang before the door slid open.


    The armored midget quickly entered and Jacob didn''t hesitate and follow.


    This time, they entered a hugeb filled with ss tanks, operation tables, bookshelves, and equipment.


    A Midget Wight in ck was doing something in front of an operation table, and on that table was a patched figure filled with needles. This midget was none other than the ind general, Thone.


    "Dump the pills and get out!" Thone didn''t even look at the armored midget and coldlymanded while he was carefully piercing the needle in the patched figure.


    "Right away, General!" The armored midget respectfully said and didn''t dare to tarry. He quickly moved toward a bookshelf on the wall and pressed on a certain book.


    The next moment, the bookshelf slid upward, revealing a hidden vault, and it was filled with a small hill of space rings. The armored midget took off his space ring, where he put all the pills, and threw it into the vault before the bookshelf began to descend, closing the vault.


    Without saying anything, he quickly bowed and began to leave.


    However, right at this moment, a panicked voice rang in theb, "General Thone, I have an urgent report to make. Ten guard zombies seemed to have gone rogue. They had plundered ten of our material warehouses and gone missing!"


    The armored midget''s footsteps halted in shock, and Thone''s hand also paused in the midair as he finally looked up, and the mes in his eyes jumped violently.


    "Are you sure?" Thone asked with a hint of disbelief.


    "Yes, General, I''ve confirmed myself. We are currently searching for them. This matter is, so I''ve quickly reported it to you." The voice urgently replied.


    "Indeed, this is very peculiar. All the guards are loyal to us, and they''ve been for at least five decades. They also know just how big of a crime it is to plunder from twelve research inds. All the faction resources are sent here to refine dark medicines, and no one dares to have any thought about it.


    "Lock down the entire ind and use the surveince formation to the fullest to search for them. I want you to capture them and bring them here. There is something wrong. If you still don''t find them within two hours, report it to me!" Thone gravely issued amand.


    "I''m on it!" The voice replied.


    Thone then looked at the armored midget and coldly ordered, "Tell our brethren not to leave the refineries until we solve this issue with the thieves. Increase the security to the maximum."


    "Right away!" The armored midget knew just how serious and strange this matter was, so they had to be extremely careful.


    However, before he couldplete the order, a jeering voice rang, "Now, why would I let you do that?"


    Both Thone and the armored midget were shocked hearing this heavy voice out of nowhere, and before they could react, Thone suddenly began to fall down as the mes in his empty sockets extinguished.


    On the other hand, the armored midget suddenly felt a mountain-like iron fistnd on his skull, and the next moment, all his bones were crushed, and his armor shattered.


    Jacob then picked up the ck core within the pile of bone before looking at the slumbering Thone and his lips rose up in a cold sneer, "Since this is the heart of the research ind, there is no need to hide anymore."


    Without wasting any time, he turned around toward the bookshelf and began to take all the books into his space ring before only the ck book was left, and it wouldn''t budge from its ce. He knew this book was some kind of key to unlock the vault hidden behind this shelf as he had witnessed the entire scene himself.


    However, just like before, it won''t open on his touch. But he wasn''t worried at all and looked at Thone and hurried over him before grabbing him.


    Jacob pressed his tiny bone hand on the book, and the vault opened easily, and then he issued amand coldly, "Turn him into a puppet!"

 Chapter 581 Plundering the Dead Island (4)

    Chapter 581 Plundering the Dead Ind (4)


    ??After issuing Autarch themand, Jacob emptied the vault filled with space rings. There were a couple of thousands of them, and surprisingly, they were all unlocked, and upon peering into them, they were all filled with thousands of crimson and blue pills.


    Jacob knew this wealth was startling in themunity of Dead Faction. Although he couldn''t use them, he knew how to turn them into profit.


    Next, Jacob started to look through the bigb, especially the books, and after skimming through some of them, his eyes shimmered with ecstasy as they were all about dark alchemy, and there were also a few pill forms listed in them.


    Even the Life Pills form was within them, and more pills were used by dark beings. He pocketed them all and left their study to Nyx. Afterward, the most interesting thing in theb was Thone''s private notes and insights on dark alchemy.


    ording to dark alchemy ranks, Thone was an advanced unique Rank Dark Alchemist, and he could refine advanced unique rank Dark Medicines.


    Furthermore, Thone was researching Battle Puppet, which was somewhat simr to the Killer Skull Society''s Mutants. But unlike the mutants, the battle puppets were refined corpses that could devour life crystals and unleash power beyond their initial tiers when they were alive.


    The patched corpse on the table was the result of hundreds of years of Spirit Magic Dead King''s research, and he had given his most loyal men like Thone the task to continue to research it so they could perfect this battle puppet.


    ording to Thone''s research, he was in charge of perfecting the magic runes that could devour the life crystals and turn them into raw power like batteries, and he was very close to achieving it.


    But s, now all this research fell into Jacob''s hand, and the most protected secret of Magic Spirit Dead King was known to Jacob. Furthermore, upon closely reading the results of this research, Jacob had some insights since he already had examined the Killer Skull Society mutants.


    If he could cross-reference the two research the result might be something startling.


    He still remembered those faceless assassins he encountered in the Rare ins, and to this day, he still didn''t know which organization they belonged to. He never got to investigate them, nor did theye after him in the epic ins.


    Furthermore, the Killer Skull Society was researching those mutants on behalf of the Dead Faction, and now, seeing this battle puppet, he was sure that the person who wanted to perfect this battle puppet was none other than the Spirit Magic Dead King.


    However, he wasn''t interested in creating live puppets since he had Autarch, who could create perfect puppets without any ws except for his range of control and the puppet''s decay properties.


    But if he could really create this battle puppet and perfect it, he could send them far away while he would remain at a safe distance. That''s why he was nning on giving this task to Nyx since she was like his assistant and very capable.


    After making up his mind, Jacob has Nyx analyze the patched corpse as well as every piece of equipment in theb before stowing everything physically.


    Once he was done taking everything that he could take, he looked at the slumbering Thone. There was still time before Autarch could turn him into his puppet, so he waited before starting the next phase of his n of plundering.


    After an hour passed, Thone''s empty eye sockets lit up in me before he stood up in front of Jacob without speaking.


    "He''s ready!" Autarch''s emotionless voice rang.


    Jacob''s lips curled up, "Good work. Now we''ll wait for that guy to contact Thone again, and afterward¡­"


    However, before the two hours given by Thone passed, the same voice rang again in panic, "General, I''ve just received an edict directly from the Spirit Castle!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, and he had Autarch controlled Thone and replied, "What is it?"


    "Someone has broken into the faction territory and killed our people wantonly. ording to the Castle, he''s extremely powerful, and our formations can''t seem to detect him. Even Wrath Dead King can''t do anything to him.


    "So, the Castle wants us to report any anomaly the moment we notice them. I-I think this matter rted to the Zombies is very strange; should I report it back?"


    ''So, the news already spread, and it seemed they are taking me rather seriously.'' Jacob mused gravely as he knew this trip to the Dead Faction had be even more cumbersome.


    "Impudent!" ''Thone'' roared furiously, "Do you think this person is capable of breaching our security? If we report it back, we''ll be theughingstock of every race. Still, since this is his majesty''s order, we can''t ignore it.


    "I want you to gather every material from the warehouses. Afterward, gather all the finished pills and every person on the ind in the center of the Ind including the controllers and security, don''t leave anyone behind.


    "If more people are missing, then it would mean our security has really beenpromised. But if only those zombies are missing, I''ll personally lead a search team. Quickly, I''ll give you an hour to gather everyone. I''ll be there! Oh, to make sure no one makes any contact with the outside and leaks this information of our blunder, cease all contact with the outside for a day!"


    "What a splendid idea, my lord. I''ll publish your order right away!" The voice was startled at first before he praised in tion.


    This was indeed the fastest way to force the intruder out, and by gathering everything, they wouldn''t have to worry about someone else plundering anything. So, Thone idea was quickly recognized as a brilliant one.


    After the voice''s owner was gone, Jacob pulled a cruel smile, "This night is going to be an extremely long one."


    Soon, an ind-wide announcement was made, and all the dark beings on the ind were summoned to the center of the ind. Since this order was issued directly by the Assistant General of the Ind, everyone knew the General had agreed to it as well, so no one dared to dy.


    Within an hour, a huge number of Midget Wights and a small number of Zombies, Brainy Imps, and Wraiths begin to swarm the center of the ind while some of the armored Midget Wights were collecting every pill and material present on the ind.


    No one knows at that time that they were all gathering in a ughterhouse, and a butcher was approaching while sharpening his butcher de!

 Chapter 582 Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain

    Chapter 582 Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain


    ??At the heart of the central dead continent was a towering mountain reaching all the way to the sky, and its peaks were hidden within the ck cloud ring, and no one dared to approach it.


    One of the reasons was this mountain was filled with dark energy, and it was so potent that even tier-9 unique rank dark beings wouldn''t be able to handle it for more than a few minutes before.


    The main reason was that this mountain was the seclusion ce of the Faction Leader and was known as the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain. The only people who could climb this mountain were the five dead kings, and they even needed the Dead Emperor''s consent before they dared to step anywhere near the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain!


    At the top of the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was arge ck shrine with two ck gargoyle statues sitting at its open entrance, which werepletely pitch ck, like the maw of an abyss.


    At this moment, five figures were kneeling in front of the entrance without making any sound.


    "You all may leave now, and remember, I don''t want something like this to happen again. Capture the livestock within seven days, or you can all nominate your sessor on the 8th day." A ghostly, ethereal voice filled with authority sounded, making the five dead kings tremble.


    "As your majesty biding!"


    The five of them replied before they vanished like a smock; they knew if they failed to find this intruder who was killing their people here and there, they would really have to give up on their position.


    Because this intruder has directly challenged the dignity of the Dead Faction and if they failed to capture him or let him leave, the Dead Faction would be theughingstock of the unique ins.


    It was the first time that the Dead Emperor had to seek them out and instruct them personally. This intruder has touched the Dead Emperor''s bottom line.


    After all, the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was the heart of the Dead Faction territory, and every ind was connected with it. Any unusual activity will be instantly noticed by the Dead Emperor.


    In truth, the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was an unfathomable treasure, and this treasure was the main reason the dead faction could im so many inhabited inds and make the other factions wary.


    Furthermore, with the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain under the Dead Emperor''s control, no one could challenge his authority, and he was invincible in this ce.


    Once the five dead kings left, the Dead Emperor''s voice rang again, "Contact the Zodiac Night Federation Master for me!"


    Just as his majestic voice trailed off, the two gargoyle statues'' eyes began to shimmer in crimson light, and magic runes appeared in front of the shrine.


    The next moment, a projection of a blurry silhouette appeared, and an impassive voice as heavy as a mountain reverberated, "How fortunate, I was trying to get in contact with Faction Leader Necro. You are quite a hard person to get in contact with."


    "Ryan, drop your ruse and tell me who this person is, or suffer the consequences!" Dead Emperor Necro coldly demanded.


    The Federation Master Ryan didn''t seem to be worried about his tone and impassively asked, "Did you capture him? If you tell me the truth, I''ll tell you what you want to know, and I''m even willing to form an alliance with Dead Faction! I''ve heard you have been trying to im anotherrge size ind for decades, but the Life Faction is also not backing down. I can help you with that and more."


    Necro remained silent for a moment before coldly replied, "No, he''s still roaming free, but he''ll die horribly very soon. Just who is this? You are even willing to take sides. Don''t tell me he stole your federation''s Legacy Treasure?"


    "He''s still not captured?" Ryan sounded surprised as he knew just how dangerous the dead faction territory was, and no one could just barge in and then roam free.


    Even he or the Life Faction Leader won''t be able to do this without getting encircled by the Dark Beings.


    "Since you''re being honest, I''ll be direct with you as well. This intruder is none other than the person everyone is searching for, Captain Free Sword!" Ryan revealed.


    If he could, Ryan didn''t want to reveal this information to anyone, but he knew they had missed their chance to capture Captain Free Sword, and now that he had entered the Dead Faction territory, he''d be captured eventually, and they wouldn''t let him leave Scot free.


    Furthermore, even if he made up some lie, Necro would never agree to spare him since it would mean showing weakness. But they need Captain Free Sword alive, so he''s been trying to contact him since he heard the report of mission failure.


    But the Dead Emperor was most troublesome to get in contact with, and he almost decided to make a trip personally. However, out of his expectation, Necro contacted him on his own, so he was ready to negotiate the terms.


    Yet, unexpectedly, Captain Free Sword was far more capable than anyone expected, and he''s still not being captured. Still, this changes nothing since he was still in the dead faction territory, and from Necro''s tone, it was quite clear he was enraged and wouldn''t spare him.


    Necro contacting him was probably out of curiosity and one of his schemes to find his true identity so he could then kill anyone remotely rted to Captain Free Sword.


    "What? You''re telling me this vermin is the same pest who triggered the Path of Legend?!" Necro''s voice boomed with clear disbelief and a tingle of excitement.


    "Indeed." Ryan gravely said, "From our investigation, he''s Captain Free Sword, and we''ve been chasing him since he appeared in the unique ins. But he''s far too cunning, and his means are strange.


    "Nheless, since he''s now in your territory, I won''t fight over him with you. In fact, I want to form an alliance; as long as you find him, you will have our full support, and I''m also willing to give the dead faction 10 Medallions to show my sincerity.


    "In return, I want you to take all the qualified people in the path of legend from the federation. I''m also sure that with the key in your hand, all the neutral faction powers will stand behind you, and the life factions won''t have any chance to enter the path of legend.


    "Lastly, the path of legend is filled with danger, and it won''t be easy to cross it. So, with all of us together, we can protect each other from other gxies. I won''t mind telling you an ancient secret recorded in our federation records if you''re willing to share the location and key!" Ryan solemnly stated.


    A contemtive silence fell in the vicinity, but Ryan didn''t hurry Necro and patiently waited. He knew if Necro disagreed, then the Dead Faction would be facing joint attacks from the Life Faction and the Neutral Faction.


    Because the path of legend was too important for everyone, it was fine if only Necro had that information, but Ryan also knew, and this was his trump card. If Necro disagreed, then Ryan could reveal this information to everyone, and Dead Faction would be in huge trouble.


    This was also the reason Ryan wanted to capture Captain Free Sword first before anyone could find out; s, it didn''t go his way, and now he has to use another method.


    At this moment, Necro finally replied with four tyrannical words, "Fuck off, I refuse!"

 Chapter 583 Trick to Death

    Chapter 583 Trick to Death


    ??In a vast space filled with neon lights, a slender figure was sitting in the center like a moon surrounded by stars.


    A projection was opened in front of this person showing nothing but darkness, and at this moment, Necro''s tyrannical voice reverberated, "Fuck off, I refuse!"


    The next moment, the projection vanished, which meant Necro had cut off the connection.


    "Greedy Bastard!" Ryan''s furious voice reverberated in the space like a thunderp.


    "Since you want to hoard the path of legend just because you control the entire dead faction, I''ll let you know just how ridiculous your n is," Ryan muttered with fury.


    Ryan then issued amand coldly, "Contact the Leaders of Life Faction, Dark City, and Cardinal Spirit Temple! It''s time for those greedy corpses to vanish from the Unique ins!"


    ---


    Night descended, and oblivious of the huge tremor he had caused in the entire Unique ins, Jacob approached the center of the research ind while Thone was leading.


    At this moment, thousands of dark beings were gathered together in an empty space, and a Midget Wight in ash gray robes stood on a high tform, and behind him were hundreds of armored midgets. This gray robe midget was the Assistant General of this ind.


    Suddenly, the Assistant General sensed something and looked behind and saw Thone walking over.


    "General is here!" He loudly announced, and all the dark beings quickly bowed their head in respect.


    Thone didn''t show any reaction and walked over to the tform in front of the Assistant General.


    Without waiting, he coldly speaks, "Since everyone is here, I won''t waste more time. Someone is targeting our ind, and they have already plundered our resources. Although I don''t know if it''s a false rm or not, we can''t ignore it, or we''ll all be punished by his majesty.


    "So, it makes sure this won''t happen, and the offenders are not hiding among you, I have summoned you all here to undergo an inspection. Don''t worry, it wasn''t something excessive. Whoever clears this inspection can leave here and get back to their posts.


    "Let''s start without ado; from now on, ten of you will walk into the building behind me every minute. If you are clean, then you don''t have anything to worry about, and you''ll be able to leave from another exit.


    "Since it''s an inspection, it has to be fair." Thone then turned around and looked at the Assistant General and the ind guards andmanded, "Assistant General, take nine of your most trusted men and start. Once you''re done, hurry back to your post."


    The Assistant General didn''t find anything wrong with this sequence since they were all here. The ind waspletely unprotected, so by inspecting the guards and him, they could quickly return to their post. This will also show that everyone is a suspect, and no one would have any resentment in their heart.


    "Thank you, General. Oh, this is all the pills and materials I''ve collected." The Assistant General quickly handed Thone a space ring.


    Thone epted the ring with a slight nod before the Assistant General and nine other guards began to walk over to the building without hesitation.


    Although the Assistant General didn''t ask any questions, he was extremely curious about this novel method that Thone was introducing to sniff out the traitors or intruders. Still, he knew Thone, one of the top researchers and inventors of the dead faction, so he might''ve invented this new method, which made the Assistant General even more respectful.


    As they entered the building, the room was pitch ck, but the dark had no effect on the dark being''s vision.


    However, before they even examined the room and found this method, a green streak shed past their skulls like a lightning bolt.


    The next moment, one after another, they begin to fall down while the dead mes of their lives are extinguished. From start to finish, they had no idea how they all died so quickly and effortlessly.


    Jacob''s smiling figure appeared over the corpse as he quickly collected their space rings and cores before getting rid of the corpses.


    ''This is going to be a very tiring night.'' He thought before he vanished without a trace.


    Outside, no one knows that the Assistant General and his group have already met their maker, and after a minute passed, another group of ten began to walk toward the building.


    Since Thone was standing there, no one dared to have any thoughts, and they were very obedient as, one after another, they walked towards their death willingly.


    After an hour, after sixty groups, many of them were sighing in relief since no traitor had been found yet, which means this method was effective, and they wanted to go through it quickly and return to their posts.


    At this moment, Thone suddenly ordered, "Next group will be of 15!"


    With the increase in number, the huge crowd began to shred down very fast, and all the high-ranking dark beings were already ''done''.


    Thone increased the number by five again, and after eight long hours, only hundreds of zombies remained before nothing was left.


    If those dead kings found that someone had tricked thousands of dark beings with high intellect to their death, they might explode from fury.


    At this moment, Jacob walked out of the room, and Thone walked over to him and handed him the space ring, which was filled with thousands of space rings.


    "Since we are done here, take this ring. It is filled with explosives. Arrange them to the underground channels. The timer has already been set. This will be quite a good distraction." Jacob handed over a space ring to Thone and ordered Autarch.


    Since he was done with this ce, he was going to leave for another dead ind, so blowing this one would draw all the dead faction''s attention, giving him even more space to plunder and kill.


    Jacob was now feeling somewhat uneasy and wanted toplete the evolution of the hex core as soon as possible. So, his next target was going to be somewhere which is filled with high ranking dark beings, the military dead inds!

 Chapter 584 Ghost Insects (1)

    Chapter 584 Ghost Insects (1)


    ??In the central dead continent, the southern region was also known as the spirit dead region. It was the territory of the Spirit Dead King, and it was filled with Midget Wights.


    Within the City of Dead Spirit was a majestic ck castle, also known as the Dead Spirit Castle, where the Spirit Dead King lives.


    At this moment, the Spirit Dead King was furiously giving instructions to midges in front of him when suddenly, another midget in dark robes walked in hurriedly.


    "Your majesty, we just received an urgent report!" He said while kneeling.


    The Spirit Dead King sat on his bone throne, but he wasn''t as tall or appeared as majestic as the other kings. He was only 2''1 foot tall, and he was alwaysughed at by the other Dead Kings for his height, so it was taboo to discuss his height.


    However, he has a pair of purple antelope horns, which were half the size of his body, and there were ghost-like white images shimmering on them, which gave everyone the feeling of certain death.


    The Spirit Dead King looked at the keeling midget as the purple me in his skull sockets flickered, "Tell me everything. Is it rted to the vermin we''ve been searching for?"


    After receiving an ultimatum from the Dead Emperor, the Dead Kings didn''t dare to ridicule each other and quickly began to mobilize their forces so they could get rid of this intruder.


    Although it appeared Wrath Dead King''s fault that he failed to handle him, everyone knows this intruder was simply too strange, and even Wrath Dead King wasn''t able to find him; instead, he was yed like a fool by him.


    So, this intruder was far from weak, and he knew how to hide his presence from their security measures. That''s why the Dead Emperor was rmed and summoned them all so they could stop holding back and get rid of him as quickly as possible.


    After all, if this continues, not only will they lose face, but they will also lose their people''s trust. In their eyes, this intruder was a lunatic who seemed to have a very deep grudge against them. Why would he sensually kill them despite the grave danger they posed?


    However, what startled the Dead Kings was just after they left the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain, they received a new set of instructions from the Dead Emperor, and he was very strict, this time, almost agitated and excited.


    They were told that they had to close off all the territory boundary and encircle it with their ships, and then they had to find this intruder alive. The Dead Emperor especially emphasized the alive part, and if they identally killed him, they would be punished extremely harshly.


    Furthermore, the Dead Emperor even told them that once they found his urate whereabouts, they directly informed him, and he would take action himself. This left the dead kings gobsmacked and appalled as they all knew the Dead Emperor would never take action against an ant.


    So, now they were sure that this person was either extremely strong or extremely important. That''s why they were now giving theirmands to inform them if they found any strange movements directly, and they''ll move personally.


    The Spirit Dead King was the same as a few hours ago. He had told his people to keep an eye out for any strange activity in their territory and inds under him. Right now, he is receiving feedback personally when this midget gets in.


    But he wasn''t angry since he had given the order himself that anything strange should be directly reported to him without any protocol.


    The kneeling midget quickly replied with an appalled tone, "Reporting to his majesty, we just received a report that there had been a mass explosion on the Spirit Research Ind No.87!


    "Not only that but once our men reached there, upon investigation, they didn''t find traces of our men, no dead bodies or anything. The warehouses are also emptied. The facilities had beenpletely destroyed!"


    Towards the end, everyone present in the throne hall was trembling as they felt powerful pressure engulfing them; the alwaysposed Spirit Dead King was enraged!


    "When did this explosion take ce?" The Spirit Dead King icily asked with killing intent.


    "H-half an hour ago!"


    "Trash! Everyst one of you is trash!" He smacked the bone handle of his throne, turning it into powder as his small body trembled with fury.


    This was utterly humiliating, even more so than the blunder Wrath Dead King had caused. At least he was able to save the inds and many people, but his most protected ind was destroyed, and not even a single person survived.


    Even though the Dead Emperor wanted to keep this guy alive, his action made it very hard for the Spirit Dead King to forgive him. Furthermore, he was more agitated about the fact that all the research in Thone hand might fall into the intruder''s pocket as well.


    "Alert all the research inds and tell them if they see even an unrecognized bird, quickly report it back, or they can bury themselves if something like this happens again. Also, alert the other inds and dead kings about it and tell our men to dig out Thone''sb and find his research documents. If they are gone, I want to hear if they turn into ashes, bring me those ashes. Go!" The Spirit Dead King furiously roared.


    The midgets quickly leave without daring to raise their heads. They knew this matter was going to blow off terribly, and even if they didn''t report it to anyone, the other dead kings might''ve already heard about it because of their spies. Their faction was the same.


    Once those midgets left, the Spirit Dead King took out a small ruby skull with a magic rune engraved on its head and poured mana into it.


    Soon, Necro''s icy voice rang, "Do you found him?"


    Spirit Dead King trembled slightly, "No, but¡­" He didn''t dare to hide it and quickly revealed everything.


    "Useless scoundrels!" Necro''s voice boomed as he was also furious upon hearing about this shameful event.


    "Release Ghost Insects. I''m giving you permission and found this Vermin!" Necro ordered.


    The Spirit Dead King was shocked, "Y-your majesty, this¡­ if we release the ghost insects, we will exhaust 5% of all of our resources to control them. Furthermore, they will devour any trace of life, that intruder will die!"


    The Ghost Insects were the Dead Faction''s trump card, and even the Life Faction didn''t have the honor to experience it, but now, just to trace this, nobody, the Dead Emperor, was giving his permission to release them.


    This was simply too shocking.


    "Don''t worry, once they trace him, I''ll personally interfere. We need to find him before he does any more damage!" Necro confidently stated.


    The Spirit Dead King no longer has any misgivings, "I''ll obey!"

 Chapter 585 Ghost Insects (2)

    <h4>Chapter 585 Ghost Insects (2)</h4>


    After leaving the research ind, Jacob directly headed to the east on his flying disc.


    Although he managed to farm more than four thousand unique rank dark beings they were far from enough, and for some strange reason, he was feeling uneasy.


    A few hourster, he found another dead ind but unlike any other inds, this ce was well guarded. Even at the edges of the ind, Wraiths and Liches guarded the perimeter without leaving any gap for an intruder''s entry.


    ''This should be the military dead ind under the Aura Dead King''smand. But this security is far from the information I''ve gathered. This could only mean they are now well-guarded against me andpletely serious. I wonder if the faction leader had gotten involved or not.


    ''If the Dead Faction Leader is stronger than the five dead kings, then he might be at the second step of legend, and his means should be unfathomable. If hees after me, I don''t know if my stealth will work against him. There are more than 50% chances that it won''t¡­'' Jacob mused as he was getting this strange unease for a while now, which originated from his survival instincts.


    Although it might be just because of the environment, Jacob didn''t dare to ignore this feeling since thest time he got this sort of feeling from Captain Free Sword when he was captured.


    The hex-core is far from evolution, and he knew the Dead Faction wasn''t going just to let him continue as he pleased. He had already killed and plundered some of their best facilities, and even Wrath Dead King couldn''t find him.


    So, after the research ind, he was sure that the Dead Faction would be fully prepared, and if he started to kill in this ce, the deception he created on the research ind would not hold the Dead Faction back.


    After mulling over the gravity of this situation, Jacob finally hesitated as he hovered above the ind without descending. The path of legend experts finally spooked him, and he was unwilling to test his luck.


    ''I should''ve learned the Noble Spirit mes since it had an extremely poisonous effect on the dark beings. But I chose to create the Aura Glyph of Fire instead of Spirit Glyph¡­''


    Jacobmented when he thought about the Noble Spirit mes scripture that he got from the top of the fire pyramid in the epic ins. This scripture has excellent healing properties, and it was the bane of the dark beings.


    But he chose the Aura Fire over Spirit Fire because it was extremely potent inbat, and he also had the water mana, which was gentle in nature, and it was its healing properties were far stronger.


    So, he decided to give up on the Noble Spirit mes since they didn''t have any practical use, and he was already immune to negative effects. But now he was somewhat regretting it.


    However, his choice was correct and gave him long-term benefits since his enemies weren''t restricted to just the Dark Beings.


    Right at this moment, when he was still going through an internal struggle, a chill went down his spine as he suddenly felt a strange danger from his left side.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Without hesitation, he summoned Immortika, "Who is strongest in this area?" He hastily asked as he was gawking at the mist; he still didn''t see anything, but that feeling of danger was getting closer.


    So, he didn''t dare to stand still and took out the flying boat of the federation. He had already gotten rid of the tracker and dropped it in the middle of the dead faction territory''s sea so that those guys would draw here.


    Now, it waspletely safe, but he wasn''t using it since it burned magic gems, and the gray disc was more practical. It was also his trump card when he needed to flee.


    So, now sensing the iing danger, he used it without hesitation and released the ogre puppets to control it.


    Only then did he looked at Immortika''s reply, "Your fleeing skills are improving, I guess the fighting giant spirit would not go in vain after all. Hahahaha¡­"


    Seeing the familiar disgustingughter and bullshit written on the page, Jacob''s expression went dark, "Just the answer to the freaking question!"


    Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly looked back, and his expression changed when he saw a crimson gray cloud approaching him, and the danger he was sensing wasing from it.


    "How impatience¡­ alright, since it seemed a good show is about to start, I''ll tell you. That cloud you''re seeing is actually thousands of insects called the Life Bane Borers, ranked 100th on the list of Fantastic Insects! They are also called Ghost Insects because of a ghost-like image on their shell!


    "A ghost insect can only be born within the environment with potent death energy, and they have only one ability or natural trait, Life Bane. Life Bane as the name suggest is bane of all life, the Ghost Insect can devour life force from anything and that''s how they grow.


    "Their ability to seek food (Life Force) is top-


    notch, and they can sense life force from thousands of miles distance. The ghost insect can directly bite off the life force of any living being no matter what kind of defense or armor they have, and they also release a spiritual toxin directly into their victim''s spirit or soul.


    "But a signal Ghost Insect can''t pose a threat to anyone. Even in the same rank, the Ghost Insect can''t do anything to its victim once found unless thetter is a retard. However, if you add thousands of them, then it''s another story.


    "Because their biggest advantage is their ability to reproduce and with enough life force they can multiply in thousands or even millions within few months. That''s why whenever a Ghost Insect is spotted in any region rich with life force, they are immediately purged.


    "Now, you are being chased by 7,483 Ghost Insects, and they are all at the peak of epic rank, and even for you, they are too many. Their only weakness is Lightning and Fire.


    "However, even with a lighting or fire barrier, they can still bite off life force, and to kill them at epic rank, you need the temperature around 10,000 Celsius Degree. Even with your Fire Aura, which should be around 8 to 9 thousand Celsius degrees, you are no match for them, so it''s a fool earned to confront them.


    "Hahahaha¡­ those dark beings really took you seriously, even dared to unleash those ghost insects. If they managed to break into unique ranks, they would be able to devour their dead mes, dark beasts, and dark flora all the same. They are really daring to rear a tiger despite being rabbits!" Immortikaughed manically.


    However, Jacob had no mood to jeer at the Dark Beings'' daring, as all this information was enough to spook him.


    Seeing the cloud of Ghost Insects getting closer while the ship still needed time to elerate, his heart palpitated, and he was about to take out something to get out of this mess when a ghostly voice filled with queer rancor rang.


    "Captain Free Sword, surrender, and I''ll spare your vain life!"

 Chapter 586 End of the Rope

    Chapter 586 End of the Rope


    ??"Captain Free Sword, surrender, and I''ll spare your vain life!"


    Jacob was startled when he heard that familiar name, and all of a sudden, it was like an explosion had gone off in his head, and heprehended something.


    "Shit, I was careless!" He cussed, but he didn''t have time to mull over his mistake as he could sense a terrifying presence locked on him, and he felt life-threatening pressure engulfing him.


    This gloomy pressure was even more threatening than the danger he was feeling from the swarm of ghost insects. He knew by the time the flying ship reached its full speed, it would be toote.


    So, without hesitation, he stowed away the entire ship, and his heart began to elerate at an rming rate. As veins bulged on his entire body, his skin turned red, and the smock began to rise.


    It was his first time using 70X eleration after gaining a tier-9 unique physique. Although it was too energy-consuming, he knew it wasn''t the time to hold back. He had made a fatal mistake in his calction, and now the enemy leader had locked on his position, so he had to run as fast as possible.


    "Still dare to resist? Hmph, do you think my dead empire is a ce where you cane and go as you please?" Necro''s disdainful cold voice reverberated in the entire dead faction territory.


    "Death Imprison!"


    Just as his voice trailed off, the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain in the center of the faction suddenly began to shimmer in a dark glow, and a dark streak pir shot toward Jacob directly from the top, piercing anything in its way.


    "Shooting Star!" Jacob''s fine hair stood in rm as he quickly used a fire-type ability to elerate his descent further; he wanted to enter the sea!


    His giant body suddenly lit up in green mes, and his speed increased tremendously as he appeared just like a shooting star from afar.


    However, the sense of danger still didn''t lessen, and without hesitation, a teleportation talisman appeared in his hand, and he quickly activated it.


    But to his horror, the talisman didn''t react at all and remained listless like an ordinary paper.


    ''Space sealing barrier?!'' Jacob instantly thought of this possibility, and he knew he was like a trap fish now.


    So, now he was forced to take drastic measures, and at this moment, Jacob felt like a chilly air was approaching him, and darkness was suddenly engulfing his entire figure. The dark streak pir was inches away from making contact, and the green fire aura around it vanished the moment it came in contact with that dark pir.


    Throwing caution to the winds, a thirty-meter-long purple missile appeared right behind Jacob and directly smashed into the dark pir.


    However, the dark pir was corporeal, and it didn''t seem to have any destructive properties; instead, it was like a dark prison, and the moment the atomic missile shed with it, the pir directly absorbed it, and the missile remained in its initial position within the dark pir.


    Yet, the pir never stopped moving since its real target was Jacob, and Necro was controlling it. Jacob thought that the missile would automatically st once it got connected with the pir, yet nothing like that happened.


    Still, it wasn''t like he couldn''t trigger it manually. He had already prepared for such an asion, and the star watch on his wrist suddenly stirred, and a virtual remote control appeared.


    In these past few years, Jacob has managed to take a step further intobining his world''s technology with this world''s technology. Although he wasn''t at that level where he could create magic guns that shot atomic bullets, he had learned to utilize the Star Watch to his advantage.


    It wasn''t just a tool formunication or business. The Star Watch was filled with wonderful tools, and it also gave others the freedom to create their own tools for their advantage as long as they didn''t touch the bottom line of the Starwork like the dark technology of ATLAS.


    Furthermore, Jacob has to thank those two siblings from the ATLAS for this breakthrough in the path of virtual technology because he got some secret notes from the ATLAS in their space rings. With Nyx''s help, he was able to devolve this simple algorithm that could control the weapons made by him and trigger them remotely on the Star Watch.


    Although virtual reality and robotics weren''t his fields of expertise, the anti-missile, target trackers, and weapon controllers needed such knowledge so they could be installed into weapons.


    Jacob wasn''t just satisfied with creating the shell; he had learned everything about advanced weaponry. Now, he was doing the same here. Although he was still nowhere near the end, he was at least at the starting line.


    While controlling the star watch with his mind, it only took a second before the missile was manually triggered.


    The static missile within the dark pir suddenly released a mechanical beep, and the next moment, the entire missile trembled before a sliver of purple-white ray appeared, and the next moment, it instantly began to boom like a blooming flower.


    The dark pir that was about to touch Jacob''s windbreaker suddenly halted, and the next moment, it was enveloped by purple-white light. However, this light wasn''t gentle; it was far from it. Instead, it was terrifyingly hot, likeva.


    Jacob''s expression was solemn, with his 70X eleration, everything appeared slow motion in his view when he saw that light approaching him, he knew the missile has been sessfully exploded.


    The good news was with its help the dark pir was stopped, and he will be able to escape the clutching of the Dead Faction Leader. But the bad news was, he knew just how terrifying this missile was; it was even more terrifying than the Blue X-Sun Missile!


    With the experiment field like the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm, Jacob finally had the freedom to do mad experiments without being worried about killing himself. While training Nyx, he also tried creating more powerful atomic weapons bybining magic materials with the properties of radioactive waves.


    In his experiment, he finally found a unique grade mineral in Captain Free Sword''s stash called the Berserker Stone, which was highly violent in nature and could cause a st upon throwing it with powerful force.


    After processing using his unique method, he was finally able to extract its properties, and he found that it was slightly more powerful than plutonium. He then found the golden ratio and mixed it with the plutonium, and the results were disastrously good.


    It was the most powerful bomb Jacob had created in both lives and to turn it into a reality, Jacob needed eight months to create just this one missile. And it was his biggest trump card in unique ins; he also hoped he never had to use it, especially if he was in its range of st.


    But now, he was forced into a corner, and he knew if he didn''t use it, he might really die or meet an even more miserable end.


    As the blinding purple-white light touched the windbreaker, it instantly incinerated the unique grade material it was made. At this moment, Jacob finally reached the sea and entered the water.


    Although he couldn''t outrun the speed of light, he wasn''t going to wait to turn into ashes and use every type of barrier, treasure, and armor he had. He activated one of the most powerful life-saving water spirit-type abilities he got from the Captain Free Sword collection.


    ''Water Spirit Escape!''

 Chapter 587 Inception Legend Rank

    Chapter 587 Inception Legend Rank


    ??At this moment, at the peak of Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain, the dark streak pir suddenly shattered and Necro''s voice filled with disbelief rang, "Impossible!"


    However, before he couldprehend what happened, a brilliant purple-white light suddenly began to spread on the far horizon, and it was so bright that everyone could see it from miles away, even with the mist surrounding the Dead Faction territory.


    It was like a sun had descended into the dead faction, and it wasn''t the end of it at all as that light quickly began to spread and terrifying shock waves released, sting apart all the mist, and the temperature began to rise.


    "What is this sorcery!" Necro was utterly baffled.


    But the true terror was still yet to arrive as that light quickly reached to the central dead continent. Those shockwaves sted apart almost all the dead inds within the vicinity of hundreds of miles radius, and they were still bing stronger.


    The normally gloomy dead faction was like a burning sun at this moment, and amid this chaos, an earth-shattering boom like a thunderp reverberated within thousands of miles!


    ---


    The calm ocean suddenly bes chaotic as huge tide waves begin to stir within thousands of miles, startling almost everyone in the vicinity.


    Even in faraway ces like the territories of the Life Faction and Neutral Faction, some people heard a faint voice and also saw a dot of purple-white light. But it was so far that they only think of it as a shooting star.


    ---


    At this moment, within a beautiful silvery cathedral, a silver-haired hair, wizened-faced old man with a burly build was wearing white priest robes.


    In front of him, a huge projection slips into five different images.


    His amber color eyes were cold and filled with wisdom as he looked at the blurry imagines. This person''s identity was extremely noble in the entire Unique ins. He was the current Pontiff (Pope) of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, Sebastian Edgar.


    The Cardinal Spirit Temple was one of the three powers of the Neutral Faction, and their status was very special among all the factions as they were the only one in the entire Unique ins who could utilize Light Magic.


    "The key to the Path of Legend is in the Dead Faction?" He spoke as his mild, amiable voice would give anyone the feeling of warmth, whichpletely betrayed his cold expression right now.


    "I''ve even shown you guys the conversation with Necro. That arrogant corpse simply wanted to hoard all the benefits for himself. I propose we join hands and get rid of those corpses. It will be far easier to cooperate with each other." Ryan impassively proposed with a hint of killing intent in his voice.


    "Hahahaha¡­ Federation Master, do you think we are fools? You wanted to make a secret deal behind all of our backs and failed miserably, so youe running here and begin to sound trumpets of your righteousness.


    "Hmph, we have been fighting with the Dead Faction for so long, and your federation has never meddled before. But now, in front of benefits, you''re finally willing to fight the Dead Faction? Just be honest and stop putting your noble air. It makes me want to puke!" An extremely overbearing voice rang, filled with disdain for Ryan.


    This was one of the Three Leaders of the Life Faction, Chairman Mathias of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance.


    "Now, now, Chairman, you can''t be so blunt. What if you hurt the Federation Master''s feelings? Since he wanted to help us, we should thank him." A seductive voice sounded, but she was equally disdainful.


    She was also one of the three leaders of the life faction, President Bronte of Alchemy Guild.


    "How do we know you won''t just give up in the middle if the Dead Faction is willing to share the Path of Legend?" Another impassive voice sounded. This was the third life faction leader and bank Manager of Universal Zodiac Bank.


    Ryan replied impassively at this moment, "It''s not the question of whether I back down or not. It''s the question of your life faction is willing to give up on the Path of Legend. If you have your doubts about me, then you three can remain on the sidelines, and once we''re done dealing with Necro, you can forget about getting any part of the path of legend."


    His voice was threatening. He knew better than anyone just how important the path of legend was for everyone present in this ce. Even the Life Faction, who were a mortal enemy of the Dead Faction, will do anything to acquire even if it means forming an alliance with them.


    The Dead Faction was not an easy target. Even the Life Faction can only fight with them equally without getting any advantage in all these years.


    As for wiping them, everyone here knows it was an impossible dream, just like the other faction. They might be able to kill each other and reduce their territories, but their organizations won''t fall until someone canpletely destroy every signal trace of it.


    But if they were killed, there would always be someone else to take their ce; it was that simple.


    At this moment, the final person, the Dark Duke of the Dark City, Tomas, finally spoke, "Gentlemen, I''ve just received an interesting report about the Dead Territory. Do you all want to hear it, or will you wait until your men bring it to you?"


    Sebastian stoically replied, "What is it? Don''t tell Necro to reach out to you for an alliance after realizing how foolish his idea was?"


    "Heh, his excellency sure has imagination." Tomas scoffed before he revealed, as he knew this news would soon reach them all, "Just a few moments ago, a massive explosion took ce in the middle of dead faction territory, and a huge mushroom cloud thousands of milesrge is seen there right now.


    "From our reports, it seemed to be caused by a radioactive weapon, which is at least at the Inception Legend Rank!"

 Chapter 588 Mystery of Cursed Blood

    <h4>Chapter 588 Mystery of Cursed Blood</h4>


    The reports of terrifying explosions that had taken ce at the Dead Faction Territory quickly reached all the way to the Unique ins, causing a huge ruckus.


    Furthermore, another announcement that sent the Dark Beings into depth of despair was made the very day. The Neutral Faction and Life Faction joined hands against the Dead Faction, and a kill order against Dark Beings was issued.


    The Dark Beings on the Unique ins tried to contact the headquarters in their territory, but they failed.


    Not only that, but the Unique ins Trial was still active, and the three factions had just reached amon ground about how to extract resources from the kingdom-type trial. But now, that treaty has been voided, and the Dark Beings were suffering massive waves ofrge-scale attacks from all directions.


    The chaotic, unique ins be even more chaotic after this while the others are still looking forward to the news from the Dead Faction. The most enthusiastic and gleeful in the Dead Faction were naturally the Life Faction.


    Although no one knows who provoked this cmity, everyone was calling this daring person a hero in Life Faction without even realizing that even a bigger storm was brewing.


    At this moment, in the depths of Star Ocean, there was nothing but darkness here and terrible gravity force that could leave even a tier-1 unique rank physique in crushing despair; a giant bodyy on the ocean floor without moving.


    The giant was extremely skinny, almost looking like a skeleton with ayer of skin.


    Suddenly, the unconscious giant''s eyes ttered before his eyelids snapped open, revealing a pair of amber eyes. Jacob looked confused for a moment before Nyx''s anxious voice rang in his head, "Ah, finally you''re awake. I thought we were going to die."


    Jacob finally came to his senses as he remembered that he used the spirit water escape ability, turning into water and fleeing from the terrible explosion. Although he managed to escape because of the features of the spirit water escape ability and his resilient body, he exhausted all the mana and lots of physical energy, so before he realized it, he fell into slumber.


    Jacob tried standing up and soon found that he was under at least 500-G force and surrounded by water and darkness.


    Furthermore, a terrifying hunger washed over him, and the effect of Wyvern''s endurance long vanished after he reached the peak of unique-tier-9, so his hunger was now back and with revenge.


    But he wouldn''t eat here if he didn''t want to drown in water, and he had no energy to move even. So, with some difficulty, he managed to take out injections with the healing liquid he had prepared with the healing potions he found in Captain Free Sword''s treasures.


    Fighting against gravity, he managed to inject the potion and felt a warm current and some energy returning to his body. Still, he was far more at his optimal condition, so taking advantage of his somewhat better condition, he injected ten more healing injections before he finally felt he could move under this force.


    "How long was I unconscious?" Jacob asked Nyx.


    "How do I know? I can''t see anything unless you are awake. But it should be around ten days. You were very reckless back then. That explosion can easily incinerate you. We have tested it in the nightmare realm many times. If not for the presence of the water, you would''ve died. At least think about my little life before you take such a reckless action¡­!" Nyx began to rant on like crazy, as it was the first time she felt she was going to die.


    Before, she thought she had taken a very powerful nightmare contractor, and with Jacob''s performance, she felt even more assured. Yet, now she found that Jacob wasn''t omnipotent and omniscient and almost died with his own hand, so she was getting very anxious.


    After all, her life was now connected to Jacob, and if he died, she''d die as well. Furthermore, since Jacob was unconscious, she waspletely trapped in the Nightmare Realm and cut off from the outside world. It was a terrible feeling to keep waiting for her death, and only when Jacob was awake was she able to feel relief.


    Still, she was very afraid now, and so she started to lecture Jacob.


    Jacob, on the other hand,pletely ignored the wailing voice in his head after he got the answer he was looking for. Still, he felt lingering fear, and he had really been extremely reckless with his new toy.


    But it wasn''t like he didn''t have a way to escape, and he only took that risk because he knew the Spirit Water Escape would work. If the ocean wasn''t present, he might''ve really surrendered and tried his luck as he did with the Captain Free Sword.


    However, it was hisst resort since he knew Necro was far more troublesome than Necro, and he wasn''t as desperate as him. He might not even give him a chance after getting what he wanted, so this was the safest choice, and he had no regret since he was able to escape in the end.


    Jacob then looked at his bony body and smiled bitterly. Although the advanced, unique rank healing potion provided him with energy, he was only 5% recovered, and his mana reserves werepletely depleted except for the hex core.


    ''I need to recover my water mana, and then I can easily escape this ce.'' Jacob thought as he down the 500-G force wasn''t a problem for him to endure, but swimming against it was a pipe dream with his condition, so water magic was his only choice.


    There was also no mana in this depth of the star ocean, but Jacob wasn''t too worried as a palm-size white translucent crystal appeared in his hand. It was an advanced unique rank Magic Gem, and he quickly began to absorb the mana in it, and replenished in water mana.


    However, at this moment, Jacob was shocked because just as he absorbed the mana from the magic gem into his body, it didn''t go towards his water magic core; instead, his Cursed Heart suddenly began to bet and begin to circte the mana and convert it into energy and his body begin to heal!


    It had never happened before, so Jacob was bewildered. His eyes began to glow brilliantly with tion, ''Could it be this only became possible after my body reached the Unique Rank? No, it should be the Cursed Blood. The heart is transforming the mana into blood, and then my blood is converting it into nutrition and healing my body!''


    The changes in his body after hepleted the stages of cursed immortality were stillplete mysteries for him, especially the cursed blood. He still knows somewhat about the cursed heart, but the cursed blood is still aplete mystery.


    Now, he identally found that his blood could convert mana into physical power and heal his body. This was a huge discovery and boon for someone like Jacob, who needed a huge amount of energy because of fluid eleration as well as the Cursed Immortality''s strange hunger.


    Without hesitation, Jacob continued to absorb the pure mana into his body, and just as he thought, the cursed heart was channeling the mana into his blood before the cursed blood converted it into energy and healing him.


    A pale grin appeared on his face as if he had discovered a treasure, ''Terrific!''

 Chapter 589 Trapped Under Ocean

    Chapter 589 Trapped Under Ocean


    ??After discovering the healing effect of the cursed blood, Jacob used magic gem after magic gem, and his body began to go back to its original state. However, this process was quite long and costly.


    To return to his peak, Jacob used over 5000 advanced unique rank magic gems, which were enough to power an advanced unique rank flying ship for about a month at full capacity.


    An advanced unique rank magic gem has mana equal to 100 intermediate unique rank magic gems and far more condensed and pure quality. To make an advanced unique rank magic gem, one needed 1000 magic cores of at least tier-7 unique rank, so one can only imagine how precious an advanced rank magic gem was.


    Jacob only got around five hundred thousand magic gems from Captain Free Sword''s entire crew, and this was the umtion of hundreds of years of plundering. After his voyage to the unique ins, he had already spent more than a hundred thousand of them.


    Jacob also noticed that only after his body fully recovered did the cursed heart stop interfering with the mana recovery of his magic core, and the mana was finally able to go through to his water magic core. It was like his cursed heart had priority over the mana.


    He also tried this with the hex core by absorbing the mana from the dark beings'' magic cores, but to his surprise, the cursed heart didn''t interfere and let the mana go directly into the hex core.


    In the end, he reached two conclusions; the first, the cursed heart could only absorb the pure refined mana of magic gem, or the dark being core''s magic energy was not suitable to nourish his body.


    The second, the cursed path glory gem, was the actual reason for his ability to convert dark being magic core mana into his own, so it might also be the reason for it not working directly on his body.


    Whatever the reason, he was content with this new ability to heal and quench his hunger. Now that he was fully revered after spending hours in the deep ocean, Jacob was ready to head back to the surface.


    Although he didn''t know what the result of that explosion was and how much damage it had caused to the dead faction territory, he was sure that it wasn''t enough to kill the dead kings unless they were very close to that explosion.


    Still, it was enough to deal a heavy blow to the Dead Faction. What he needed to be worried about was the misunderstanding about him being Captain Free Sword. He knew he was the most wanted man after his encounter in the unique trial ins, but he didn''t expect it would be to such an extent.


    Jacob could guess that on the day, he used ogre puppets to snatch the flying ship from the federation and kill those two guardians. They instantly connected them with Captain Free Sword''s crew.


    The reason for that senseless chase was most likely rted to this reason as well. But what he didn''t understand is how in the world the Dead Faction got the winds of it. If they wanted Captain Free Sword to themselves, they would be very careful about how they got this information, and he was sure only the upper echelon of the federation would have this kind of information.


    Unless a traitor informed the Dead Faction or tried to negotiate with them when they found that it would be impossible to grab Captain Free Sword directly from the Dead Faction territory.


    Whatever the case was, it was still good news for him because as long as they thought he was Captain Free Sword, he didn''t have to worry about being hunted since they didn''t know his actual identity.


    But he knew if he used the ogre puppets in the open again, he would be exposed, and everyone woulde after him in full force. He wasn''t invincible in the unique ins as he thought he would be, and to raise his power, he had to evolve either the hex core, which was now somewhat impossible, or start working on the final stage of the first phase.


    Both of those options were quite dangerous right now, but thetter was still less dangerous. After making up his mind, Jacob decisively took out all the ogre puppets and left them in the depths of the ocean for good.


    Now, even if someone investigates, they would only think the crew and Captain Free Sword died in that explosion. The only way to connect him with Captain Free Sword was through Sofie and Zoe.


    Jacob had warned them never to reveal this to anyone unless they wanted to suffer, so he was sure they wouldn''t open their mouth unless they wanted to be his dinner. He was pretty sure they knew what kind of man he was by now.


    Afterward, Jacob used the Spirit Water Escape ability, and his entire body suddenly turned into water molecules, and he turned one with water. This was the most powerful escaping ability he had, and unless someone couldpletely get rid of the water body he was merged with, it was impossible for him to die.


    Because of this very ability, he was able to escape death, and that''s the reason he dared to use that bomb.


    The magic abilities that used spirit or aura were called the Spirit Abilities or Aura Abilities, and Spirit Water Escape was a spirit ability of water type. This ability was extremely rare, and no one knows where Captain Free Sword managed to get his hands on it.


    After bing one with water, the pressure seemed to have vanished, and like a ripple, Jacob shot upward at full speed.


    However, Jacob had underestimated the depth of the star ocean. The spirit water escape required a huge amount of spirit to activate, so after only five miles, Jacob ran out of mana, and his body appeared again, and he still couldn''t see any trace of light.


    Furrowing his brows, he begins to swim against the pressure while holding a magic gem and replenishing his mana.


    Although he was strong, swimming under 500-G force was no joke, and he was exhausted after swimming for a few miles, and he was still nowhere near the surface. Jacob''s heart sank as his mana was fully replenished, but he hesitated to use his ability again since it wasn''t guaranteed he would be able to escape to the surface.


    If anything, he might begin to fall down and reach the same point where he started. He only grasps the true severity of his situation; he is trapped!

 Chapter 590 Lone Hero of Life

    Chapter 590 Lone Hero of Life


    ??Realizing his predicament, Jacob decided to try another method to keep himself from exhausting. He begins to use the magic gem to absorb the energy into his body and then again starts to swim.


    Although it was working, it was mentally exhausting. But he had no choice but to persevere since stopping meant going back again and remaining trapped in the ocean forever.


    After swimming for another ten miles, Jacob suddenly felt the gravity begin to lessen bit by bit, which meant he was approaching the surface albeit slowly, but he was getting there.


    Many hours passed, and at some point, Jacob felt like he might fall asleep any moment because of the mental exhaustion. With bloodshot eyes, he continued to persevere, and the G-force was already lessened by half, so his speed was also getting faster.


    ''Just how deep is this damn ocean?'' Jacob wondered, full of resentment. He mused that he had already swum over a hundred miles, yet there was still no trace of the surface, and if not for his cursed blood''s help, he might''ve never been able to make it. He was very happy that he found this ability when he did.


    The darkness was slowly wearing down, and at this moment, Jacob finally used the Spirit Water Escape to sprint. The G-force was already less than a hundred, so the distance he was able to cover was also four times more than before his mana ran out.


    At this moment, he can finally see the light, and he never thought he would be this excited to see the light in his life. He was exhausted, and all he wanted was to sleep. Preserving with his full willpower, Jacob finally broke out of the water''s surface. He felt the sunlight on his skin and breathed fresh air.


    Without wasting any time, he took out arge ship and activated its stealth function before falling into deep slumber.


    He didn''t know how long he had slept, but after he awake, all the mental fatigue was gone, and before doing anything, he began to eat like crazy. It has be a habit of eating, and he somehow begins to enjoy the vor of high-quality flesh.


    After eating almost all the epic-rank meat in his storage space, which was around a ton, he finally felt alive again and began to recharge his mana.


    Once he was at his peak, Jacob finally came out of his cabin. It was already night, and the ocean was calm.


    ''Where am I?'' He thought.


    He didn''t see any inds or any radioactive smog as far as he could see, so he guessed that he had drowned pretty far away from the Dead Faction territory because of the st radius of the bomb.


    But it wasn''t like he waspletely helpless; he activated the star watch and the map, and with the active starwork, he easily found his exact location, and he was astounded.


    ''I''m this close to Unique ins?'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered tion, and he quickly steered the ship in the east direction.


    After setting the sails and location route, Jacob was at ease. At this moment, he finally noticed a notification he had received fifteen days ago about the time he lost consciousness.


    Opening it, he was shocked to see the familiar notification.


    "Star Administrator Artificial Intelligence (SAAI): Congrattions, Faceless Ancient, forpleting a hidden achievement of the Unique ins by killing over 5,000,000 Dark Beings and Destroying the Dead Faction''s 40% territory alone!


    "Achievement Reward (1): Lone Hero of Life (Honorary Identity Badge)


    "[Lone Hero of Life: An Honorary Title granted by the Life Faction to those who have guts to enter the enemy terrify alone and killed until the blood runs like rivers!]


    "[Honorary Identity Badge (Effect): On equipping this badge, you will be exempt from any entry fees in the territories of Life Faction. You can enjoy a 5% discount on any item purchased with ZC by showing this badge anywhere in the Life Faction. You are also granted Honorary Hero Privilege in Life Faction and can browse and buy any knowledge of Magic present in Life Faction up to Unique Rank with Hero Shop.]


    [NOTE: Hero Shop is only avable in the Unique ins]


    "Achievement Reward (2): 500 Million ZC & 1 Life Substitute Doll (Advanced Unique)


    "Life substitute Doll Description: Needs Mystic Signature to acknowledge an owner. The Life Substitute Doll can take the ce of the owner in the cause of death and send the owner 100 miles away in a random direction and recover 10% of health!"


    Jacob was still in disbelief when suddenly, something out of thin air popped up in front of Jacob.


    It was a palm-size yellow mannequin engraved withplex rune patterns.


    ''Life substitute Doll?'' Jacob grabbed the doll as he was very familiar with the scene. He had recovered a scroll this way in the rare ins when he eradicated the King of Dark Beings and his army.


    Jacob never thought causing that explosion would also trigger this hidden achievement. After thinking about this Life substitute Doll''s effects as well as the new Honorary Identity Badge benefits, Jacob found all that hardship and suffering he had gone throughpletely worth it.


    ''What is this hero shop?'' Jacob quickly looked at the Star Watch interface and found a new application, ''Hero Shop'' was written under it, and he quickly opened it.


    The allure of knowledge from the Life Faction was something Jacob couldn''t resist, and now he was getting all the knowledge regarding magic without even doing anything. This was really the first one for him.


    "Hero Shop (Exclusive): Unique Rank


    "Life Faction Knowledge Library:


    "Magic Knowledge (Aura & Spirit)


    Jacob only found two sections divided into aura and spirit. He quickly selected the Magic Knowledge of Spirit, and then another list divided into spells and scriptures appeared.


    Upon opening the spell section, it was again divided into elements. There were many, except for legendary elements like life, space and time elements. As for elements like the Curse, Darkness, Death, and such, they were taboo among the Life Faction since they were the symbol of Dark Beings, so no one dared to practice them.


    Jacob opened the water element section, and a huge list of spells appeared.


    "Spell Section (Spirit Type): Water Element


    "Water Wave (Basic Unique Rank Spell)


    "Price: 10,000 ZC


    "Water Sword (Basic Unique Rank Spell)


    "Prince: 15,000 ZC


    "(Basic Unique Rank Spell)


    "Price: 10,000 ZC


    ¡­


    "Compressed Water Bullets (Intermediate Unique Rank Spell)


    "Price: 50,000 ZC


    ¡­


    "Spirit Water Lake (Advanced Unique Rank Spell)


    "Price: 250,000 ZC


    "Spirit Water Chains (Advanced Unique Rank Spell)


    "Price: 400,000 ZC"


    Jacob saw many such spells of water type of unique ranks, and he was excited since there were simply too many of them, and he was free to choose.


    After going through the magic knowledge section, Jacob knew he had stumbled upon an absolute treasure, and he even wanted to thank the Dead Faction for giving him such a gift!

 Chapter 591 Investigating Faery Humans

    Chapter 591 Investigating Faery Humans


    ??A few hourster, a vast maind appeared on the horizon as Jacob stood in front of the ship and watched thends getting closer.


    A cold smile crept on his impassive face, ''I''ve finally reached this ce.''


    It was the most difficult vogue he had experienced while ascending a in till now, and he had to admit it was pretty crazy if he noted down crazy things he had done.


    Not only did he provoke and rob the Zodiac Night Federation, but he also wreaked havoc in the Dead Faction Territory and, in the end, wiped 40% of the territory from the face of unique ins with a signal explosion.


    The only loss Jacob suffered that day was a set of his custom-made clothes as well as Captain Free Sword''s ship that he left far away from the Dead Faction Territory. He didn''t know if someone found it or not, but he wasn''t greedy enough to head back and check it. In fact, it was good for him if others found it and thought the crew was dead with their captain.


    He already had the flying ship as well as three morerge ships slightly smaller than the main ship of the crew, but they were of the same rank, just less imposing, which Jacob didn''t care about, really.


    In the end, he didn''t manage to evolve the hex core, but he got the Lone Hero of Life honorary badge and, with it, the Hero Shop, which contained all the knowledge of magic within the Life faction.


    Jacob has already taken full advantage of this privilege and brought a new set of unique rank spells and four ability scripters. Especially the ability scripture named Mind Casting, which allowed others to cast a spell through your thoughts, and the faster the thinking speed, the faster your spell casting. This ability scripture was one of the most expensive ones present in the shop. It cost him 4.5 Billion ZC!


    But Jacob knew the price was totally worth it, and after robbing Captain Free Sword and his crew, Jacob was quite rich, so he didn''t hesitate to spend someone else money.


    Looking at unique ins getting closer, Jacob operated the star watch and directly contacted the Timeless Dark Tree, Zoe, and before long, her voice with a tingled of worry rang in his head, "You''re alright?"


    Zoe and Sofie had reached the Unique ins a few months ago, and truth be told, they were quite concerned about Jacob since they knew the federation had been chasing after him like a hound dog.


    But when they heard about the explosion taking ce half a month ago in the dead faction, Zoe instantly thought about Jacob''s specialty. She was gobsmacked since, from her sources, she found that the entire dead faction had beenpletely shaken by that explosion. The thick radioactive fog had covered the entire territory and hundreds of miles around it.


    There was still no movement noticed from the dead faction, and the dark beings in the unique ins continued to be ughtered without getting any response from the Dead Faction. This was a sign of weakness, and Dark Beings would never allow that to happen. Yet this was happening, so everyone was guessing and making assumptions that the dead faction was finished.


    She even tried to contact Jacob, but no response was given, and she thought he had died in that explosion and could only sigh ruefully. But now, after getting his call, she was ecstatic and relieved.


    After all, Jacob was her partner, and she hoped to reach the Dark Duke position, so his dying would be bad news for and a bleak future awaited her.


    "Yeah, just a small hitch in the way." Jacob didn''t bother to exin, and he had already mused that Zoe and Sofie might''ve guessed that it was him behind that explosion after all the star news was filled with posts about the explosion as well as the current cleanup going of dark beings.


    In truth, Jacob was quite astounded by the Life and Neutral Faction suddenly ganging up against the Dark Beings, and he mused that it might be rted to matter with Captain Free Sword.


    Now, he was even more curious about the path of legend and that key Captain Free Sword hid. Since it was so important that the whole faction was ganging together to get it, Jacob decided not to touch it and let it remain hidden for the time being, at least until he fullyprehended this path of legend and that key.


    But before anything, he needed to increase his strength, or even if he had that key, he wouldn''t be able to live to keep it.


    "Small hitch?" Zoe was speechless, "Are you behind that explosion in the Dead Faction Territory?"


    "Indeed, it''s not a big deal." Jacob coolly replied, "What about you guys? Where are you now?"


    Zoe remained silent for a long time as she didn''t know how to react to Jacob''s casual tone. He had caused catastrophic damage to the dead faction, and he was calling it not a big deal. She felt a chill in her spin as she still had underestimated Jacob and his weaponry.


    Even in Unique ins, those people still have to fear the Faceless Ancient like the people in Epic ins. That also made her excited about her own further, and she was even more confident about her partnership with Jacob now.


    "We are in the Unique ins Dark City right now. Where are you, did you arrive yet? I need to report to the main city in the Dark Territory within the Neutral Faction. I was waiting for you before we left for it together." She asked hastily.


    Jacob was surprised for a moment; he knew unlike the Dead Faction''s united Territory, the territories of the Life and Neutral Faction were split among three hegemonies of the Life Faction and three neutral powers of the Neutral Faction.


    The unique ins were the source of conflict between everyone; it was used for endless wars, and resources never ran out in here, as well as the in trial, which was the biggest boon. So, the Unique ins didn''t belong to anyone, and every power wanted arger piece of it.


    He replied, "Yes, I''m about to reach the shore. As for going into the Neutral Faction Territory, I think I''ll pass since I have another matter to tend to. I was calling you to help me with it a little.


    "I want you to look into information regarding the Faery Human Race of Cardinal Spirit Temple, especially the Edgar n of Faery Human Race, the chief n of Faery Humans. Send me everything you can find on them, their locations, numbers, and any strange historical event about them. I want everything," Jacob ordered coldly.


    Jacob had already gotten little information about the Faery Humans from Captain Free Sword and Masha''s memories, but they knew too little, just like themon public, because of their backgrounds.


    So, he could only ask Zoe for help; after all, she belonged to the Dark Duke n, the ruling n of the Dark City. That was one of his reason to keep Zoe close, she was very useful.


    "Faery Humans of Cardinal Spirit Temple?" Zoe were surprised as she naturally heard of those arrogant and conceited faeries, they were all hypocrites with ck hearts despite calling themselves the people of light.


    "Alright, give me a few hours; I''ll arrange everything for you and send you the file. But you should be careful; I''ve heard the Cardinal Spirit Temple is the most mysterious of all powers, and they serve true god and all faith fanatics. No one dares to mess with them." She sternly warned.


    "Just prepared the information, I''m not looking for a fight." Jacob coolly replied before he ended the call.


    At this moment, he sighed ruefully, "In the end, I still have to investigate Faery Humans. I wonder if I bump into this body''s rtives. I sure hope not!"

 Chapter 592 Teleportation Halls

    <h4>Chapter 592 Teleportation Halls</h4>


    The Unique ins structure was like the Epic ins; for living was the Life Zone, and for Dark Beings was the Dead Zone. However, the neutral zone wasn''t vacant for magic beasts and there wasn''t only the Dark City.


    The Neutral Faction was divided among the three powers of neutral faction, but their presence wasn''t as obvious as the Life and Dead Faction. They all had only one branch in the Unique ins. The Dark City, Zodiac Night City, and Spirit Temple City.


    At this moment, Jacob had already entered the Unique ins a few hours ago, and right now, he was traveling in the Zodiac Warrior Alliance''s region, and he was very close to one of the alliance''s threerge cities.


    Since he wasn''t wanted by any power in the unique ins like the epic ins, he could move as he pleased. With his two honorary badges, he was sure the Life Faction would treat me like their core members.


    But Jacob wasn''t nning on showing his badges because he didn''t forget about the three escapees and his enemies, Nelsen and Co. Although Nelsen and Ellie were bound by the Zodiac Oath, Lucy and Gunnar weren''t.


    Even though they won''t have their prestigious positions in the unique ins, he can''t overlook the fact that they know about his specialty, and they might try to scheme against him by giving false and inciting information to the three hegemonies.


    Who knows, they might take an interest in his possessions. After all, he wasn''t the native of the epic ins and ascended the ins like a shooting star. Even an idiot would be able to tell there was some kind of treasure or precious treasure on Jacob.


    That''s why he had to be careful and keep a low profile. But he wasn''t too worried either since only the Unique Rank could enter the Unique ins. The three steps of legend were powerhouses above unique rank so that they couldn''t enter the Unique ins, so he was almost invisible here.


    So, Jacob found a paved pathway and just happened to spot a luxurious carriage pulled by magic beasts of epic ranks. There were many guards protecting it, and four of them were of unique ranks.


    Jacob didn''t take any action and only followed them; whoever was in this carriage seemed to be quite a high-level figure. There was a symbol on the carriage which he didn''t identify.


    After following this carriage for half an hour, a huge city wall appeared in his view, and there was an open gate with the same guards, and many carriages were going in after going through the security check.


    There was a name engraved over the gate, ''Sword Alliance City''!


    Since Jacob didn''t want to expose his identity, he used the hunter''s stealth and quickly snuck inside, and no one seemed to notice him. Since he wasn''t wearing the star watch, the detectors didn''t pick him either.


    In the Unique ins, almost everything was done through the Star Watches, so those who didn''t wear them could use this loophole as long as they had the skills to cheat the system. The tier-9 unique rank were all prominent figures, and those who were star criminals didn''t dare to step on the Unique ins. Even if they didn''t wear the Star Watch, their unique life signatures could be detected by SAAI before it would alert the powers.


    Captain Free Sword was a prime example of this system. But Jacob wasn''t a criminal, and with his top-tier prowess, neither SAAI nor the detectors could do anything about him if he wanted to sneak in. In fact, with his honorary status and star privilege, SAAI won''t directly proim him a criminal as long as his actions don''t go against the Star Network.


    The Sword Alliance City was blustering with activities, and there were people walking on the streets from different races. There were goblins, dwarfs, elves, giants, orcs, barbarians, and many others.


    The Unique ins was home to myriad races, and those races that could produce Unique Rank or with Unique Rank Bloodlines were all revered and held high positions.


    Jacob''s reason for entering this city was simple: the Teleportation Hall!


    The Unique ins were extremely advanced from the Epic ins, and they used the Teleportation Formations to travel vast distances. The Unique ins were extremelyrge, so travel on foot or on some treasure was an extremely long, cumbersome process.


    So, the Teleportation Halls were built by the Alchemy Guild in every city of the Life Faction, and they were all connected by Space Channels. Even the neutral faction cities have them, but to enter them as a member of a different faction, one had to undergo a security check and also acquire permission from the other side. It was like acquiring a Visa from other countries.


    Anyhow, the Teleportation Halls made it extremely easy to travel between the cities and different regions. But they were not cheap, and only the truly rich and prominent figures could afford their fee, especially if someone wanted to cross between regions or even factions.


    The Sword Alliance City was the closest city to his position, and it also had a teleportation hall, so Jacob naturally came here to head to his true destination.


    After asking a local, he quickly found the Teleportation Hall, which was close to the center of the city, right beside the Alchemy Guild''s branch.


    His outfit didn''t draw any scrutiny since many people like to hide their appearance, and with his height, no one dared to mess with him since giants were all powerhouses, especially tall giants like him.


    As he entered the massive Teleportation Hall Building, he was greeted by a beautiful elf as she respectfully inquired, "Sir, are you looking for travel?"


    Jacob nodded and impassively replied, "Indeed, I want to go to the Potion Alchemy City of Alchemy Region."


    She didn''t seem surprised and respectfully replied, "If you want to travel to the Potion Alchemy City, then you would need an advanced teleportation channel. We will have to see your Star ID privilege, which needs to be at least 2-Star, and it will cost 5 Million Zodiac Credits and 500 Advanced Unique Magic Gems. If you are a member of Alchemy Guild, then you can enjoy a discount based on your alchemy rank. Do you want to continue?"


    There were basic, intermediate, and advanced rank teleportation channels. They can cover 10,000 Miles, 100,000 Miles, and 1,000,000 Miles, respectively. The higher the channel rank, the more resources are needed to activate it, especially the Advanced Teleportation Channel, which also requires a certain privilege since only those with true authority can use it.


    Jacob wasn''t a member of the Alchemy Guild, or he could''ve had a 30% discount with his Great Elder Rune Artificer Rank.


    Even without it, he could use his honorary badge to enjoy the discount, but he wasn''t nning on revealing it.


    "Alright." Jacob nodded as he was nning on using his Dark City''s Dark Viscount status that he acquired right after arriving in the unique ins after his Ascending Dark Mission waspleted.


    As for Star Privilege, he already has 3-Star Privilege, so it wasn''t a big deal for him.


    The Elf became even more respectful since 2-star privilege wasn''tmon even in the Unique ins 90% of the people were either 0-Star, 7% had 1-Star, while the remaining three percent were 2-Star, and even less than one percent were 3-


    Star. As for 4-Star Privilege only those leaders level figures may have it.


    Jacob followed the elf, and she led him to a wide hall, its entire floor was engraved with a runic circle filled withplex ruins; this was the Advanced Rank Teleportation Circle!


    An old orc in alchemy robes was sitting on the side, and the moment Jacob entered with the elf, he impassively stated, "Since sir knows the requirement, I need you to scan your star watch and then pay the fee."


    Done saying, a projection appeared over his wrist, and there was a handprint in the center of this projection, "Please put your hand with star watch on the print to confirm your star privilege."


    Jacob nodded and ced his left hand on the projection handprint, and he felt his star watch vibrate a little before the projection suddenly vanished, and ''Confirmed'' appeared written in its ce.


    The old orc nodded, and then the projection changed, and a bank ount number appeared, "Please transfer the ZC on this ount. Once I''ve confirmed it, you can pay the magic gem here."


    With thought, he maniptes his star watch and sends the money.


    The old orc seemed to have received the notification, "Sir, Faceless Ancient?"


    "Indeed. Here are your Magic Gems." Jacob nodded before he waved his sleeve, and a small pile of glimmering magic gems appeared in front of the old orc.


    The old orc nodded before putting away the magic gems; he was very professional, "Please stand in the center; I''ll set the coordinates. It will only take a minute."


    Jacob does as he was told, and the old orc then inquires about Jacob''s destination. The elf quickly tells him, and he maniptes his star watch as a mini projection of the teleportation circle appears on the disy.


    After entering the coordinates and pressing a rune symbol, the runic circle in the hall lit up, and he stated, "The teleportation will start in ten seconds, and you''ll appear in the teleportation hall of Potion Alchemy City. Safe journey, sir!"


    Jacob slightly nodded, and after ten seconds, the formation blinked in white light, and the next moment, his figure vanished!

 Chapter 593 Soul Puppets

    Chapter 593 Soul Puppets


    ??It''s been over a month since the st took ce in the Dead Faction Territory, and all the areas were filled with dense radiation.


    At this moment, a flying ship of federation covered in a magic barrier entered the radiation mist, and there were only three people on the ship, but these three were far from ordinary.


    The Federation Master Ryan, the Alliance Chairman Mathias, and the High Priest from the Cardinal Spirit Temple, High Priest Cayson. Each one of them represents the three absolute factions.


    Mathias was a burly giant about 20 meters tall, and his skin was like refined iron. He wore full body armor, making him look like a war god. His face was stern and eyes fierce, and his bald head and face were covered in purple runic tattoos; he belonged to the Thunder Giant Race, the only race among the life faction or even in the Unique ins that controlled the thunder element!


    Standing among his two associates, he looked at High Priest Cayson, who was wearing an austere priest robe with a golden eye symbol on his back, and displeasing questioned, "Why isn''t Sebastian here? Didn''t he say he would personallye? Or did he consider traveling with us beneath him?"


    Cayson was a handsome man with a toned build, and he was 7''1-feet-tall, with fair skin and silver hair, yet beside Mathias''s, he appeared like a child.


    However, despite the suffocating pressure of the giant, his expression was peaceful, and he gently said as if an elder talking to a child, "Chairman, His Holiness is old, and traveling at his age isn''t suitable, so he sent me to assist both of you with the best of my abilities. I can assure you, my abilities won''t hinder you in any way."


    Mathias''s expression sank as he didn''t like Cayson''s tone and even found it offensive despite his gentleness. If anything, he found it disgusting and hypocritical since he knew what kind of race the Faery Humans were.


    "What an absurd excuse. Are you saying that the old ghost is afraid of getting sick? He''s the oldest fossil present in the entire Unique ins and, still ruling the temple, refuses to let go of his grand position. We all know that the Old Ghost is just afraid. He doesn''t even dare leave his turtle shell." Mathias sneered with mockery.


    Cayson''s expression remained amiable, but a hint of chillness appeared in the depth of his amber eyes, "Chairman, you are being too excessive. His Holiness always deeply cared about the innocent lives of the unique ins, and he had devoted his entire life to make sure the light would shine upon every pitiful soul¡­"


    "Enough with your brainwashing hypocrite locutions. They might work on those fanatics of yours but not on me. If you guys care so much about light, then why the fuck do you never join us to eradicate those harbingers of darkness?" Mathias coldly questioned as he was getting angry now.


    As the First Leader of the Life Faction, he knew better than anyone that the Cardinal Spirit Temple''s light affinity was extremely potent to the Dark Beings; it was an incurable poison. Yet, these guys never interfere with the war and remain true to their nature as one of the powers of the Neutral Faction.


    But they always spread their fake dogmas about being the warriors of light and eradicators of evil. Almost every member of the life faction who knew about the cruelty of the Dark Beings hated the Cardinal Spirit Temple to the core.


    If they weren''t worried about them joining the Dark Beings, they would have waged war on them long ago since the temple had the lowest number of people among all factions.


    "Living in the dark didn''t make anyone ck; what counts is the light of heart." Cayson amiably stated, making a vein pop on Mathias''s temple as he was really trying his best not to crush this guy''s head like an egg.


    "Alright, that''s enough. We all know that these bodies are just Soul Puppets with our appearances. No one had the guts toe here in person since a corner rabbit would also bite. We are just here for reconnaissance and to confirm if Necro is still alive and if Captain Free Sword is in his hand. So, behave, I don''t want to lose this precious Soul Puppet!" An extremely handsome elf with snow-like long white hair chided. He was Ryan.


    The Soul Puppets were extremely precious life-saving treasures that were made with precious Spiritual Soul Alloy. This alloy had a special trait that could allow it to mimic magic spells, and they could store in it like magic scrolls, but the power it brought out was only 40% of the original, so it wasn''t as useful as magic scrolls.


    But a few thousand years ago, someone created puppets by using Spiritual Soul Alloy, and these puppets can not only be controlled from millions of miles away, but they can alsopletely mimic someone''s 25% prowess.


    Furthermore, it was extremely hard to tell if the puppet was a real person or not because of the extremely meticulous design of the Soul Puppet.


    The strangest part was that this person made this method public by using the Star Network and selling it for a huge price. So, when all the powers got the winds of this Soul Puppet, they took quick action and began to make their own soul puppets, especially the people of three steps of legend ranks.


    But for strange reasons, the Dark Beings can''t use the Spiritual Soul Alloy as it turned like a simple metal in their hands. It''s like the Spiritual Soul Alloy rejects dark beings, which made the life faction extremely ecstatic and dark beings depressed when they found out about Soul Puppets.


    Anyhow, 25% power may not seem much, but for people like the three steps of legends, it was an extremely heaven-defying means of entering the Unique ins, taking care of some trouble, or even using it as a suicide bomber.


    However, their dreams quickly shattered when they found that almost all the Spiritual Soul Alloy was bought by someone. This alloy has always been rare, and since no one knew about its true value at that time, no one paid much attention to it except for some alchemists who were studying it.


    This caused a huge ripple between the two factions, and they all quickly acquired every piece of Spiritual Soul Alloy present by any means. Still, it wasn''t enough to create an army, and they were only able to refine about five or six soul puppets per power.


    As for the exact number, no one truly knows. But the Soul Puppets were treated like extremely precious treasures and all of them were in the hands of Faction Leader level figures.


    Now that the two factions have joined hands for the path of legend and confront Necro, they naturally won''t miss this chance to struct him while he''s done. This was a godsend opportunity.


    But still, they first wanted to scout the enemy, so they all sent a soul puppet instead of their true bodies since a wounded tiger was still a tiger, especially when that tiger was on his own mountain.


    They will only act personally once they confirm that Necro was really wounded and they were in any position to wage war in this radiation. It was also a protective shield.


    At this moment, the ship finally entered the territory of the Central Dead Continent!

 Chapter 594 A Blessing in Disguise

    <h4>Chapter 594 A Blessing in Disguise</h4>


    "Is itpletely destroyed?" Mathias asked. He narrowed his eyes in scrutiny as they shimmered in violet light. Despite the radiation mist, he could still see a little bit of the outline of his surroundings because of his power.


    Ryan''s expression was solemn, "There is nothing but water; if it''s really destroyed, then that explosion really exploded quite closer to the territory''s heart. But I still think it''s impossible topletely destroy the heart since it''s connected with the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain.


    "That mountain is the Dead Faction''s legacy treasure that they had refined using many precious materials and a lot of time, and it''s connected with the territory''s main ind, the heart. Just like the legacy treasures in our factions'' possessions as thest line of defense againstplete eradication, it''s almost impossible to destroy it with just a bomb unless it is far above the legacy treasure''s rank.


    "Still, wounding it would be very beneficial for us, and it would decrease Necro''s absolute dominance in his territory by half. Whoever did this was really malicious." He stated with a hint of apprehension in his voice.


    This kind of bomb was unheard of, and if someone could have more than one, and they were allunched in their territories without them realizing it, it would spell disaster for them.


    They came here not only just to scout the Dead Faction''s current condition but also to find clues about the weapon that had been used. As for suspecting Captain Free Sword behind this attack, although they had their suspicions, they didn''t fully believe it.


    If Captain Free Sword really had such a weapon, he could''ve easily threatened them all when he was being chased and could evenunch one or two to show them his might.


    But he was chased like a dog and even almost died, and he never revealed it, so they didn''t believe that he had it.


    Furthermore, they never thought that this weapon was made by someone because its power was simply too terrifying, and they all thought that someone had acquired it from some mysterious ruins or a no-return zone.


    The star ocean was almost infinitelyrge, and even these factions who had ruled the unique ins for who knows how long can''t say they hadpletely explored the star ocean. The further one goes, the more dangerous it is, especially the path of the higher-level ins; it is a path of certain death!


    But by any chance it was really Captain Free Sword, then by sting this bomb, he would''ve certainly died as well, which would be very bad news for everyone, especially these leaders who wanted to go to higher ins and advance so they could prolong their lives.


    It was fine if they didn''t have hope, but the thing was, the Path of Legend was far more than just hope, so they were all extremely unwilling to give up on it, and that''s why they were doing everything in their power to at least get Captain Free Sword''s belongings. All they wanted was the key that could change their fates!


    At this moment, in the dead silence of the radiation mist, they suddenly spotted a faint crimson glow like a lighthouse.


    "It''s the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain direction!" Ryan narrowed his eyes sternly.


    "So, that bastard is still not dead. Let''s see his miserable state. If he is at hisst breath, I''ll dly put him out of his misery." Killing intent burst in Mathias''s eyes.


    As they moved forward, Ryan was paying attention to his surroundings and his expression changed slightly at this moment, "There is ground below us. It didn''t destroy the heartpletely!"


    "So, what?" Mathias jeered, "The legacy treasures are connected with territories'' hearts, which means the damage to the territory''s heart would also damage the treasure. I don''t believe that bastard managed to get out of it unscratched!"


    They silently continued forward and finally reached the light, where they could finally see the silhouettes of the towering mountain.


    At this moment, the silent Cayson finally spoke with squinted eyes, "I can sense there is something strange happening at the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain''s peak. The mist in the air seemed to be drawing into it. What''s going on?"


    No one answers him since no one knows the answer to this question themselves. As peak figures of the unique ins, they can also sense the strange fluctuation emitting from the light.


    Just as they were a hundred meters away from the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain, a sinister voice reverberated in the air filled with icy ridicule, "Oh, you guys came sooner than I''d anticipated!"


    Mathias eyes shed with hatred as he couldn''t forget this voice, "Bastard Necro!" He gritted his teeth, saying his most hated enemy''s name. He had lost many trusted generals and his brethren to this voice, and it was etched to his very soul.


    "So, you''re not dead, huh?" Ryan''s expression also fell as he coldly said, "Tell me, did you manage to get the key? If you still remain stubborn, we don''t mind finishing you off."


    "Hahahaha¡­" Necro suddenly burst into maniacalughter as his voice was filled with derision and a hint of chilly killing intent, "Finish me off? Are you worthy?"


    At this moment, the crimson light suddenly intensified, and the whole mountain suddenly turned crimson like blood, and a bone-chilling aura filled with air. With it, a mountainous pressure descended.


    "T-this aura¡­ this power¡­" Cayson''s peaceful expression broke into an appalled look as he couldn''t calm down when he felt that suffocating aura.


    Even Ryan and Mathias''s expression took a full turn, and they became bewildered and appeared utterly disbelief as if they had just seen a ghost.


    "Hahahaha¡­" Necro continued tough wantonly with dark relish as if he could see their expressions.


    At this moment, a gigantic ck phantom around thirty meters in size loomed over the flying boat; his eyes were burning with gray mes, and the aura it was giving off was hundreds of times stronger than the initial aura.


    The dark phantom finally opened its maw, and it was filled with sharp crimson teeth, "I admit that I''ve underestimated that scoundrel, and he destroyed almost half of my empire. But it appeared the Dead God had given its blessing amid the disaster.


    "Who could''ve thought that this mist could help the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain evolve above the Inception Legend Realm and be a Quasi Legend Treasure?


    "As for why I''m telling you this, it''s simple: since the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain is a Quasi Legend Treasure, I''ll follow suit very soon. You should all wash your necks and wait for the Empire of Dead to start its Conquest of Death!"


    Just as his eerie, magical voice trailed off, the phantom suddenly released pitch-ck ethereal energy, and like a storm, it brushed past the flying ship.


    When it disappeared, the ship and three soul puppets werepletely gone, turned into oblivion.


    "Captain Free Sword, if I don''t torture you for eternity, I won''t be the follower of Dead God!"


    Necro''s hate-filled voice faded as everything turned to normal while the radiation mist began to pour within the dark cave at the mountain summit, creating a vortex!

 Chapter 595 A Strange Attraction

    <h4>Chapter 595 A Strange Attraction</h4>


    The Potion Alchemy City of Alchemy Region was one of thergest cities of the alchemy region of unique ins. As the name suggests, this city was famous for its potion markets, and the city lord of this city was also the most famous potion alchemist of the Alchemy Guild, Advanced Great Elder Potion Alchemist Karim.


    At this moment, within the teleportation hall of the potion alchemy city, Jacob''s giant figure appeared within the teleportation circle where an old goblin in alchemy robes greeted him.


    "Wee to Potion Alchemy City, mister."


    Jacob felt slightly lightheaded from the teleportation, but he quickly recovered and nodded, "Thank you. I want to know where I buy titan iron of unique rank?"


    Jacob''s purpose in entering the alchemy region was the Titan Iron so he could make Unique Titan Tears for Autarch to evolve into a unique rank. Autarch was special since it could make puppets out of higher-rank beings from its own rank.


    Since he wasn''t able to evolve his hex core, he naturally put his bets on Autarch. As long as he made it evolve and increased its prowess to the peak of unique rank, there was a very high chance of it countering the three steps of legend rank experts.


    Although he also has Nyx, her limits were unique rank. He had already tried to infiltrate the Wrath Dead King''s nightmare realm, but she failed. ording to Nyx, if he could greatly injure Wrath Dead King, she would be able to infiltrate his nightmare realm.


    But he didn''t think the risk was worth it since it could''ve exposed his prowess or even identity. Furthermore, Nyx evaluation path was not clear, and all she knows is she needed to devour as many dreamscape realms as possible to evolve; the exact number or time was uncertain.


    So, Titan Iron became his main priority at this moment, and in the meanwhile, he could also let her freely devour the dreamscape realms in this city of unique rank races, which would also give him a lifespan.


    This goblin in front of him was a tier-4 unique rank, so he secretly ordered Nyx to nt a seed and devour his dreamscape realm. By the time the goblin realizes something amiss, he won''t suspect Jacob at all.


    Unaware of his impending faith, the goblin impassively answered Jacob, "If sir wants to buy the titian iron of unique rank, then there should be some avable in the market, but Mister has to search for it on his own. But it''s a very rare material, so it all depends on luck.


    "However, you can''t buy unique rank materials from the guild as long as you are not a personal member. There is another way, and that is 3-Star authority, and you will be able to exchange the materials with the guild by providing items of equal value. Or you have others buy it out for you as long as you have friends in the guild." The goblin truthfully replied since there wasn''t a need to hide this open secret.


    Jacob looked at the goblin meaningfully, "Can you help me with that? I make it worth your while."


    The goblin seemed to have expected this question before polity shaking his head, "Even in the guild, Unique Rank Materials can only be brought by at least a Basic Great Elder level member, and this humble goblin is just an Elder Rank Alchemist. So, I''m afraid I have to disappoint mister."


    "So, there''s this kind of rules as well, huh?" Jacob deeply looked at the goblin''s impassive eyes and didn''t think he was lying, so he nodded, "Thank you for your time. Can you tell me where the market is?"


    The goblin gives him the directions before Jacob exits the building and appears in the middle of arge bustling square, and more than half of the people are wearing alchemy robes there.


    ''If I don''t find the titan iron here, I have to head to the dark city and seek Zoe''s help again. However, it would take too much time, and I might not even get the quantity I''m looking for. I don''t know how much Titan Iron Autarch is required to get to the unique tier-9. I''m starting to understand why there wasn''t any legendary rank brain hunter in the past. It''s simply impossible to rear a fantastic insect!''


    Jacob sighed ruefully, but he had no choice since he was an indispensable trump card. He wasn''t willing to give up, especially with those three steps of legends present in the unique ins. Furthermore, if he wanted to go to the legendary ins, he needed all the power he could muster up.


    Jacob then made his way towards the city market, which was just beside the central square of the city. There were many merchants who dealt with rare materials, and most of them sold them to the alchemy guild for a higher price. So, there wasn''t enough to go around for normal people who weren''t a member of the alchemy guild.


    As an equal exchange, Jacob decided to look into it after he went through the market. On his way there, he has Nyx nted two seeds and let her devour the dreamscape realm.


    After entering the market, he saw many stalls andrge shops selling all kinds of things, evenmon skills and scriptures. This sight was something you won''t see in epic ins. The inheritance of unique ins was something that the epic ins couldn''t match.


    Jacob finally entered argevish shop selling materials, but to his dismay, they didn''t have titan iron of unique rank. Only epic rank was avable. ording to the shop manager, all the unique rank materials were bought by the three hegemonies, especially the alchemy guild, at higher prices, so very few people sold them.


    He got the same response from the other shops as well, which made him sigh, and he knew he had to take extreme measures again, and it was all the fault of the three hegemonies again because of their monopoly.


    However, just as he was about to exit the market and head towards the alchemy guild, Jacob suddenly stopped in front of an old shop selling old weapons. His eyes suddenly fell on twin swords with crescent purple des somewhat rusty, and they were two metersrge with long ck hilts.


    But for Jacob, they were the perfect size for his short swordy. However, his reason for stopping was the ordinary-


    looking old des since he already had advanced unique rank dual swords. Instead, he suddenly felt a strange attraction from the depth of his heart, which drew his attention.


    It was very strange just like the time he senses danger in the Dead Faction territory, and he knew it was mostly rted to the Fighting Giant Spirit, this trait was aplete mystery to him, but he had learned not to take these instincts for granted anymore.


    Since he was already there, he decided to see why he suddenly felt that attraction from those rusty swords, which should be around advanced epic rank.


    The shop owner was an old dwarf with a burly build, and seeing Jacob entering his humble shop, he was startled since Jacob''s head was literally touching the ceiling. Giants were tough customers, and they disdain to step into such a shabby shop.


    The dwarf was naturally not simple since he was able to open this shop in the Potion Alchemy City, but a giant customer was a first for even him.


    "Wee great sir, how may I help you?" He stood up behind the counter and politely asked.


    Jacob directly pointed at those twin swords and asked, "What are those swords, and how much for them?"


    The dwarf looked at those rusty epic swords and was surprised since he didn''t think those old des could draw someone like Jacob''s attention, and giants usually used long-range weapons like spears, halberds,nces, great swords, and such.


    Still, he honestly replied, "Those swords were sold to me by some mercenaries a few years back. They seemed to have unearthed them from the Great Arctic Forest. As for their price, I won''t sell things for ZC in my shop but magic gems. 1000 Advanced Epic Rank Magic Gems for them, and the price is none negotiable!"


    Jacob couldn''t care less about the epic rank magic gems, so he directly paid him, took the swords, and left!

 Chapter 596 Not Swords But…

    <h4>Chapter 596 Not Swords But¡­</h4>


    In arge room of an inn, Jacob was closely examining the twin swords, but there was nothing extraordinary about them. He even tried all types of mana, spirit, and aura; he even dripped his blood on them, but these swords are just like any typical epic sword.


    To measure a magic weapon''s rank was very easy and depended on two factors.


    First, mana channeling; one just needed to see how much magic power a weapon can channel without bursting. Every time someone goes through a rank evolution, their mana would also go through a qualitative change.


    A rare magic weapon can only handle rare quality mana, while some weapons made with extremely resilient materials can endure a bit higher level of mana.


    Although these twin swords were only epic rank, they could still channel mana, spirit, and even aura, which made them, indeed, somewhat extraordinary.


    But what made them epic was the second factor, which was even more important than mana channeling, Weapon Emanation!


    Weapon Emanation was the true factor that decided a weapon''s rank. Amon weapon would have no Weapon Emanation, while a rare weapon has rare magical Weapon Emanation.


    Weapon Emanation especially became, even more, clearer when it came to unique rank magic weapons because of aura and spirit. If someone channeled aura in a unique weapon, it shaped and appeared like burning corporeal mes. At the same time, a spirit appeared like flowing ethereal water. There was a famous saying among magic smiths; Aura like mes, and Spirit like flowing water.


    But these two swords, despite having the mana channeling capacity of a unique rank weapon, didn''t have unique rank Weapon Emanation, which means they would never be able to show the true prowess of a unique rank weapon.


    Now Jacob begins to suspect that the feeling might be just his imagination, but despite his doubts, he still wants to try onest thing before giving up.


    Holding the sword with his hands, he directly tried bending it; his physique was even slightly stronger than unique rank treasures, so breaking an epic rank treasure wasn''t any surprising with his current strength.


    However, Jacob''s expression shifted at this moment because the de wouldn''t even budge, and his eyes began to shimmer as he increased his strength, reaching pull power.


    But astonishingly, the sword still won''t budge and remainspletely straight. Jacob''s mind raced as his heart rate began to climb as he entered the fluid eleration.


    Soon, Jacob was emitting hot steam as his skin was bright red while veins popped all over his body as he was using the full limit of his current power, which should be enough to go against a Beyond Unique Rank Expert, yet the sword remained unmoved, and it was the case for both of swords, even the sword hilt didn''t crack under his powerful grip!


    Jacob finally stopped using his strength as he looked at the rusty swords with curious scrutiny.


    ''What kind of materials are these swords made of? Although they didn''t have unique weapon emanation nor sharpness, they could still channel aura and spirit while seemingly unbreakable. Was that feeling about the material these swords are made of?'' Jacob was confused as he creased the smooth yet rusty surface of the de.


    At this moment, Jacob had an idea. He quickly said, "Nyx, analyze these swords for me and see if you can fully emte their unbreakable characteristics!"


    Although Nyx''s dreamscape nightmare realm can emte anything as long as Jacob touches the things or knows and imagines their characteristics, she still can''t emte everything, like Cursed Immortality, the mysterious book he found in rare ins with curse path glory gem, his pendant, the Eyes of Judge, not even his cursed heart.


    These things are clearly out of her limits, which should be below the legendary rank, and since these swords also appeared to be above the limits of even Beyond Unique Rank, Jacob wanted to see if they reached the limits of Nyx''s abilities.


    "Tsk, tsk, I was having a nice dreamy meal." Nyx sarcasticallyined.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with coldness, "If you don''t want to be confined within the nightmare realm for a full year, then hurry up and stop wasting time!"


    Jacob nowpletely understood Nyx''s personality, if he had to put it in words, he would probably call her the seconding of Immortika. She just loves to bber nonsense and loved to be entertained, she was just missing Immortika''s sadisticughter.


    But he still found her more annoying sometimes because at least he could shut the damn book down, and its voice won''t buzz in his head all the time.


    If she weren''t useful to him and provided him with an endless lifespan, then he would''ve probably thought of ways to get rid of her. He was very annoyed about the voice in his head, especially when she spoke senselessly. The only person or insect he likes is Autarch, who has a personality just like his and only speaks when needed to and follows orders without asking meaningless questions.


    The only way to shut her up was to cut off her vision, which would make her incapable of seeing, but then herints were insufferable, so he never shut her off for too long, afraid he might smash his head open.


    So, to keep her shut, he told her she could y within other dreams while she devours them, only then she began to keep her mouth shut.


    "You''re just a bully!" Nyx''s voice was filled with indignation.


    But when she noticed a sharp grimace in Jacob''s eyes, she didn''t dare to say any more nonsense and quickly focused on the swords in Jacob''s hands.


    Jacob felt a slight warmth in his hand; he knew Nyx was using her ability and patiently waited for her answer. If she could really emte these swords, then he would enter the nightmare realm and begin his extreme experiment on them. If not, then he could only call another more annoying fellow and hope it could shed some light.


    After ten seconds, Nyx''s astounded voice rang, "I can''t emte them! Where did you pick these ugly swords?"


    Jacobpletely ignored the second part, and his eyes shimmered with ecstasy since Nyx''s confirmation meant these swords were at least on the level of that mysterious book.


    Jacob cut off Nyx''s vision and then thought loudly, "Cursed Immortality!"


    The moment Immortika appeared, Jacob didn''t waste time and quickly asked, "You should know what I want to inquire about. Even if you can''t open his insufferable mouth, just tell me, what rank these swords are?"


    "Well, I''ll be damn! You just don''t know how to ask nicely, huh? No wonder you don''t have any friends. Hahahaha¡­"


    How could Immortikaply with Jacob''s demands right off the bat without taking a jab at him first?


    Jacob still endured since he wanted to know about these swords and wait before Immortika had its fill ofughs.


    Only after filling the page with ''Haha'' endlessly does it finallye to the point.


    "Tsk, alright, you''re bing even more, creepier; why not just enjoy a little? About these swords, all I can reveal to you is they are actually not swords but keys to a very interesting ce.


    "Only those with devil''s luck can acquire them. They can''t be sought after and would never fall into the hands of someone they are not meant to be. Even if you gave them away, as long as that person isn''t meant for them, he will lose them eventually. They can''t destroy, nor can they be hidden.


    "As for where the locks of these keys are, you''ll one day find it since you''ve already gotten the keys.


    "Of course, it''s under the premonition that you can reach that ce alive, but it will be very, very entertaining for sure. Hahahaahaha¡­!"

 Chapter 597 Snakes in Shadows

    Chapter 597 Snakes in Shadows


    ??While Jacob was getting astounded by the new information about the mysterious swords or keys, just three rooms away from where he was sitting, two goblins were sitting within a runic circle surrounded by a translucent barrier.


    "Do you find him?" A stoically cold voice rang in one of the goblin''s heads.


    The goblin impassively replied through his thought, "Yes sir, we tracked down the Offender Ring No.493940, which was sold to Captain Free Sword 239 years ago. But the person currently wearing it is an unknown giant."


    "Is that so?" The voice sounded surprised, "I''ve heard that the Dark Begins have most likely captured Captain Free Sword. I was wondering why his Offender Ring was activated in the Unique ins.


    "The Offender Ring can not only hide a star criminal below 4-star from the SAAI and let them enter the Unique ins, but it can also work as an invisible shield for anyone under 4-star privilege as well. Anyone can be like a ghost. So, this ring is as important as his life for a person like Captain Free Sword, so I don''t think he just sold it or dropped it somewhere.


    "Everyone has been tracking down Captain Free Sword for years, and we were left far behind when we were closest to grabbing him. Now, he appeared again in the Dead Faction Territory and even terrorized them, and since we didn''t receive the signal from the Offender Ring, that means he wasn''t wearing it.


    "He''s been missing for eight years, and now he suddenly bes so suicidal, and someone else is wearing his Offender Ring; there is something very strange about this situation. Tell me, what is the power level of this unknown giant?" The voice coldly questioned.


    The goblin thoughtfully replied, "He''s 20.1 meters tall; although I can''t sense his aura, he should be tier-8 or tier-9 unique. Currently, he didn''t know we were tracking him."


    "Let''s assume he''s tier-9, so we''ll take the same level measures. Anyone rted to Captain Free Sword can''t be overlooked. Continue to follow him. I''ll send more people, and we''ll grab him once we get the chance. Also, if you can, try finding his star ID. It''ll be easier to find his background with it."


    "Yes, sir!" The goblin agreed before the call went off.


    "What are our orders?" The second goblin realized the call was over, so he impassively asked.


    "Continue the tailing until backup arrives, and if we get the chance, we should find his star ID." The first goblin replied.


    "This should be easy. Didn''t he buy those old swords from the dwarf shop? If we can pay some price, that dwarf might tell us his star ID." The second goblin suggested.


    "Hmm, good idea." The first goblin''s eyes brightened, "You go, and I''ll stay here and keep an eye on him. If anything happens in the meantime, I''ll alert you."


    The second goblin agreed and left toward the market.


    ---


    Jacob was unaware that a very powerful secret organization had locked on him, and his star ID was endangered of being exposed because of the Offender Ring he was wearing.


    Jacob remained shocked for a while after getting the information about the two keys before he finally started asking questions. But like always, Immortika was done giving the hints and no longer told him about the ce it was hinting at or where it was.


    In the end, Jacob could only give up and carefully stowed away the swords since there was no point in dwelling on them. Since Immortika had already revealed that he would find the secret of those swords eventually, he just had to wait patiently.


    Still, it causes him to be somewhat uneasy since the subtle exnation he got from Immortika was too mystic, spooky even. The fighting giant spirit was bing increasingly unfathomable, and he knew he had to be as careful as possible in the future.


    Since his curiosity about the swords was somewhat subdued, there was no point in staying here anymore. He wasn''t here to rest, so he quickly left and directly headed towards the Alchemy Guild.


    As the ruling power of the Potion Alchemy City, the guild naturally had a grand headquarters here. It covered around fifty miles area in the center of the city, and there were many magnificent skyscrapers, all belonging to a different department of alchemy guild and a heaven for alchemists.


    This ce was also called the Alchemy Guild Zone, and only alchemists or at least 2-star privilege holders were allowed inside.


    The grandest building was naturally the Potion Alchemy department building in the center of the Alchemy Guild Zone, and it was also the ce where the most famous potion alchemist of the unique ins and the city lord resides, Advanced Great Elder Potion Alchemist Karim.


    After showing his star privilege, Jacob was given the pass to enter the Alchemy Guild Zone. He directly headed towards the Potion Alchemy Department Building, and despite the restrictions, many outsiders were inside tomission alchemists.


    The most crowded ce was naturally the Potion Alchemy Department as well!


    When Jacob saw many people within the building lobby and respectfully trying to please the workers to get a meeting with top-rank alchemists, especially tomission Great Elder Karim himself, he frowned since this would be quite hard as his target was also Karim.


    ''I have to take a long approach.'' He thought before he spotted a young fox orc alchemist attendant and approached him.


    "Hello, I want tomission a potion alchemist, at least a senior grandmaster rank. Where should I go?" Jacob directly stated his purpose.


    The young fox orc was surprised to see the towering Jacob. He was like a small baby in front of him. He gulped before replying, "Sir, if you only want tomission a Senior Grandmaster Potion Alchemist, then you should follow themission hallway right there, and they will receive your request and set up a meeting with a Senior Grandmaster Potion Alchemist."


    After seeing where the young fox orc was pointing, Jacob impassively thanked him before heading that way. Those guys who were makingmotions here were all those who wanted tomission at least an Elder Alchemist or Great Elder Alchemist since those levels of alchemists were all prominent figures and didn''t just eptmissions from anyone.


    So, they naturally need these lower-ranking alchemists to put good words for them. Even the elder rank alchemists were treated like nobles here.


    Jacob quickly found an empty counter and stated his request and the elven woman skimmed through some books before she sent a message through her star watch.


    "Sir, please take the guest lift to the 84th floor. Senior Grandmaster Alchemist Jeremiah''s apprentice will lead you to the meeting." She smilingly stated.


    Jacob nodded and headed towards the lift at the end of themission hallway and headed to the 84th floor!

 Chapter 598 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (1)

    Chapter 598 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (1)


    ??On the 84th floor, the moment Jacob exited the lift, there was a young dwarf in alchemy robesing his way with an astounded expression when he saw the giant exiting the lift.


    The lift was naturally made while keeping giant customers in mind, yet this was still this little dwarf first time seeing such a huge giant requesting tomission such a low-level alchemist.


    Still, he wasn''t disrespectful or overbearing, "Please follow me. My master is waiting."


    Jacob impassively nodded before he followed the dwarf in therge corridors filled with alchemy workshops. There was the potent scent of herbs filled with air, and it was quite refreshing.


    Furthermore, this ce''s environment and equipment level were a hundred times better than the alchemy guild of the Epic ins. This was a true difference between the ins. Even Senior Grandmaster level alchemists were rare in the epic ns, yet here they were, like Master Alchemists, everywhere.


    The little dwarf led Jacob to another part of the building, which was a designated meeting area, to finalize the deals between the alchemy and the customer. Once the content of themission was finalized, the guild would record it and collect 5% of the fee the Alchemist was collecting.


    Although this may look like the guild was reaping free profits or taking too much to let the alchemist use a private space and some equipment, it wasn''t the case.


    All the workshop rooms above the master alchemist level were engraved with a special runic array called the Magic Essential Gathering Arrays that used the magic gem to create an extremely dense magic environment which was extremely beneficial for refining magic treasures like pills, potions, magic weapons, and such. It can even increase the chance of refinement session and slight perception of an alchemist.


    The Magic Essential Gathering Arrays were a secret unique to only the Alchemy Guild, and only they had it in the entire unique ins. Not even the neutral faction has the true Magic Essential Gathering Arrays but just its cheap imitations that can only make the environment dense with magic energy nothing else.


    That''s the true reason the Alchemy Guild was called the top power of the Alchemy World, and almost all the talented alchemists of the unique ins were willing to work for them.


    That''s why, to enjoy this Magic Essential Gathering Array, the alchemists were willing to stay in the alchemy guild and share their hard-earnedmission with the guild.


    Jacob entered the room where a middle-aged dwarf with a long beard tied with a rubber band wearing alchemy robes and a senior grandmaster emblem on his chest was sitting in a small chair in front of arge round table; he was Senior Grandmaster Alchemist Jeremiah.


    Seeing the giant walking in, a hint of surprise shed past Jeremiah''s eyes, but he didn''t let it show on his face like his inexperienced disciple.


    He politely smiled and greeted, "Pleased to meet you. I''m Jeremiah, a humble Senior Grandmaster Potion Alchemist, and you are?"


    "I''m Nobody, you can call me Mr. Nobody." Jacob coolly introduced himself.


    Jeremiah didn''t react much and asked, "So, Mr. Nobody, what type of potion would you like me to concoct for you? You need to provide the materials. But if you have some special recipe, then I can''t guarantee that I will seed, so if I were to fail, the loss of materials would be on you and you alone, and you still have to pay half of my fee.


    "Furthermore, if you still want to continue despite failure, then I can only try two more times, and if you fail both times again, you have to find someone else. These are the rules of the alchemy guild, so please keep them in mind before you state your request."


    Jacob nodded before he opened his mouth, "Can we talk alone?"


    Jeremiah didn''t find this request unreasonable and looked at his disciple, who was like his own son, and kindly said, "Wait outside."


    Although the little dwarf appeared somewhat displeased, he knew some customers have their own unique circumstances so they don''t want others to find out about it.


    Once the disciple left, and the door was closed, a tiny dark ray shed past the room and vanished into Jeremiah''s left ear. He didn''t even notice it, as that speed was extremely fast for someone like him, who was only a tier-1 epic rank.


    "How much time?" Jacob calmly questioned through his mind as he impassively looked at Jeremiah, who was waiting for Jacob to speak his request, ''He seems like an honest kind, what a pity¡­''


    Jacob had no choice but to use Autarch directly to take control of Jeremiah''s body quickly; he didn''t dare to waste too much time as he knew someone might watch this entire scene, so he didn''t use a hex either. He needed to be as discreet as possible if he wanted to seed.


    The alchemy guild will not just take themission for Magic Essential Gathering Arrays, they also provide security for their members. But despite that, if someone still manages to harm their alchemist, they won''t even have a face to call themselves a safe haven for alchemists, and no one will be willing to join them. After all, life was more important than some array.


    That''s why thesemission-rted meetings were all recorded and watched with scrutiny. If the customer showed even a little bit of hostility or tried something funny, there was a powerful protective formation in this room, which could be either remotely activated or directly react to the star watch of the alchemist.


    Once that happened, the guild would send a huge army to take down the lunatic, and it was impossible to escape since this ce was filled with formations.


    Even though Jacob was confident in walking out of there alive, at that time, he would not be able to achieve his objective and be a wanted criminal by the guild, and next time, it won''t be easy to achieve the same goal either.


    "104 seconds!" Autarch impassively replied.


    Jacob was more assured and replied, "I have an ancient recipe I found in a ruin with me about a potion¡­"


    As a senior grandmaster potion alchemist himself, Jacob easily led Jeremiah in circles, and 104 seconds passed in a sh. At this moment, the light in Jeremiah''s eyes slowly vanished before they turned emotionless.


    Jacob''s lips raised slightly as he heard Autarch''s voice in his head and said loudly, "So, do Alchemist Jeremiah think you canplete this potion?"


    Jeremiah shook his head and said, "The potion you describe is out of this old man''s ability. But the principles behind it are quite profound; if you don''t mind, how about I take you to Lord Karim? Maybe only he can truly understand the mystery behind this potion."


    Jacob ''showed'' a hint of excitement before quickly agreeing, "If you can really introduce me to Lord Karim, I''ll remember this favor."


    "No need. I''m sure he''ll also be happy to learn about such a potion. Follow me." Jeremiah stood up and moved towards the door, and Jacob silently followed.


    "Master, where are you going?" The little dwarf asked when he saw his mastering out so quickly, and without saying anything, he began to head in a different direction.


    "Go back first. I''m taking Mr. Nobody to see Lord Karim." Jeremiah calmly replied without turning back and continued to walk away.


    The little dwarf was dumbfounded and didn''t know why, but he felt his heart ache for some reason at this moment as he looked at his master''s cold back¡­

 Chapter 599 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (2)

    Chapter 599 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (2)


    ??Jeremiah or Autarch, using the identity of the Senior Grandmaster Alchemist, directly leads Jacob to the highest floor where only the Great Elder Alchemist Karim and his 12 direct disciples live.


    Even for Jeremiah, to directly enter this floor was a blunt disrespect. So, the moment they appeared, a wizened elf appeared who was also in charge of this floor and one of Karim''s attendants.


    The elf was surprised for a moment before his eyes went cold, "What are you doing here? Do you have an appointment? Don''t you know this is a restricted area, and you can''t enter without permission?"


    Even though Jeremiah was a senior grandmaster, he was still one of the hundreds, and characters like Karim''s disciples naturally wouldn''t know such a character. They even looked down on these old alchemists who had already exhausted their potential and were leeching off the guild now.


    They didn''t have the qualification to meet with Karim''s attendants, who were at least elder-rank alchemists, much less his direct disciples.


    Jacob remained stoic and secretlymanded Autarch.


    "You idiot,e here." Jeremiah''s face fell as he quickly dragged the elf to the side without even giving him a chance to react.


    Jeremiah''s boldness gobsmacked the elf, and in his dazed, he couldn''t react despite being more powerful than Jeremiah by many tiers. He reacted only when they were in a corner, "YOU¡­ you dare!" His face ignited with anger.


    "Shut up, you fool, and listen, that guy there is holding an ancient potion recipe. If you let it slide, the Lord will definitely me you if he finds out. You should know better than anyone how the Lord likes to collect ancient recipes, and that guy definitely had a very high-level one.


    "Now, stop being a fool and report it to the lord; I''m sure you''ll be rewarded instead of punished!" Jeremiah angrily whispered as if he was very disappointed in the elf.


    The old elf was again dumbfounded because of Jeremiah''s blunt disdain, and the way he was talking to him was like a superior talking to his worker. But because of this exact tone, the elf believed him as he knew no one would dare to talk to him this way if there wasn''t something very high at stake.


    The old elf forgot about Jeremiah''s disrespect momentarily before his eyes shone. He knew better than anyone that Karim was a collector of potion recipes, especially those ancient ones that had vanished from the unique ins in the river of time.


    He then quickly nced at the giant before he looked at Jeremiah. He coughed coldly, "Even though you have a valid reason toe here, still, you should''ve at least alerted me first. Hmph, I won''t stoop to your level, and forgive you for your transgression for the first andst time. But if you''re spouting nonsense, then you can only me yourself for being ignorant and for the miserable fate that awaits you afterward! Follow me!"


    Although he was angry, he didn''t dare to take the chance of angering Karim, or his cozy post would be taken right away once this matter reached Karim''s ears. In fact, he might get rewarded if there was really such a recipe involved.


    As for Jeremiah, he would deal with him after handling this matter since he can''t leave.


    Jacob followed behind the old elf and Jeremiah as he led him toward an open hall with multiple rooms on both sides and one room at the center.


    The elf directly approached the center room and ced his finger on a rune symbol engraved beside the door. He respectfully said, "My Lord, someone is calming to have an ancient recipe on him and wanting to see you." He put down his finger and waited with an uneasy gaze.


    After a little while, a raspy voice rang, "Sent the guest in you may leave."


    The door slides open, revealing a vast space and thick magic energy mixed with the potent scent of herbs released in the air.


    "Please." He gestured towards Jacob.


    "He''sing with me; don''t worry, I''ll exin it to Lord Karim." Jacob impassively stated before he entered, and Jeremiah followed behind.


    ''This bastard clearly made a deal and wanted to steal all the credit!'' The elf gritted his teeth, seeing Jeremiah''s emotionless expression as if he was taunting him, and he vowed to find him after this was over.


    Jacob was astounded when he entered because a small herb garden on the west side of the room was covered in a translucent array barrier. On the other side were a meditation mat and bed with various notes scattered around. But the most eye-catching thing in the center was a fifty-meter-tall, six-legged crimson cauldron with a vivid engraving of a golden wyvern on its surface.


    Standing beside this cauldron was a tall, slender, handsome man with gray skin and long ck hair, but the most eye-


    catching feature about this man was the vertical eye on his forehead. That eye waspletely gray, and there was no eyelid; he was none other than Karim.


    Jacob''s eyes winded slightly when he saw the vertical eye of Karim, and he instantly remembered an image he had seen in one of the books in the Witch Pce Library, ''This guy belonged to the Witch Race!''


    The Witch Race''s most extinguished feature was their third vertical eye on their foreheads, and they called it the Spiritual Eye.


    It was the symbol of the witch race, and this eye wasn''t just for show as it could see through many illusions and even increased theprehensible ability of a witch; that''s why the witch races were all highly talented in alchemy and magic.


    Not only that but with this eye, the witches can use mysterious optical abilities of their heritage and bloodline without getting noticed by others.


    Furthermore, because of this exact ability, the Witch Race, despite their small number, was one of three leader races of the Life Faction, and the Guild President was also a Witch.


    Moreover, the witch race''s production ability was very low, so each of their descendants was protected by their full capacity. If someone dared to kill a member of the witch race, then they couldn''t escape their impending death no matter how careful they were. So, no one dared to mess with them.


    As someone who had inherited the legacy of a witch, Jacob is naturally familiar with the witches and their abilities as the Witch Queen Margret left behind a special manual about how to kill a witch for her sessor. She hated her own race to the core!


    Jacob never had expected that he would bump into a member of the Witch Race right off the bat. Now, it was somewhat difficult to realize his n because ording to Margret''s witch-killing manual, if someone killed a witch, they would be instantly affected by a special curse nted in the children of the witch race on their birth, a tracking curse!

 Chapter 600 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (3)

    Chapter 600 Taking Over Potion Alchemy City (3)


    ??"You might be?" Karim impassively questioned while secretly gauging the giant before him as his third eye shed momentarily, ''He''s wearing a disguise mask?''


    Karim was secretly surprised; his spiritual eye prowess was higher than Jacob''s epic mask, so he saw through it. Still, he didn''tment on it since this kind of disguise method was quite normal, but his guard was fully up.


    "Slumber Hex!" Jacob directly used the slumber hex. Since this person was a witch then, the more time he wasted, the more loopholes Karim would find, and he might do something.


    So, he wasn''t going to back down just because of Karim''s identity and directly decided to drop the act. After all, as long as he was discreet enough, by the time someone found something amiss, he would be long gone, and it wasn''t like he was wearing his own appearance right now.


    "Refine him into your puppet," Jacob ordered through mental transmission, and Autarch didn''t tarry and quickly got to work. Jacob didn''t touch anything in the workshop and waited patiently.


    An hourter, Kareem opened his eyes, and they were without any emotions; he had turned into an Autarch puppet.


    "Let''s go. You''ll secretly control him and collect the titan iron. Once it is done, Karim will have vanished without a trace, and others will think he has run away with all the wealth of Potion Alchemy City. Oh, and make it look like that Karim killed this guy out of spite. I''m pretty sure no one will me him and cover it up. As for Jeremiah''s wealth, transfer it to his disciple. It''s the least we can do for taking his life." Jacob coollymanded before Autarch quickly followed his order and then entered back into his sr plexus.


    When Jacob was left alone, the elf was waiting outside, and seeing that it was only Jacob and Jeremiah were still inside, he felt something amiss.


    "Lord Karim said you shoulde back half an hourter." Jacob impassively told the elf before making his way towards the left.


    ''Just what happened in this hour, and what does the lord want with that bastard?'' The elf thought, but since it was ''Karim''s''mand, he didn''t dare to ignore it.


    At that time, he didn''t know that after half an hour, when he returned, he would have to dispose of Jeremiah''s body, and Karim imagined at that time to be a devil in his heart.


    Jacob exited the alchemy building and returned to his lodging. Autarch could easily control Karim''s every action from this distance, and even if someone noticed Karim''s uncanny death, they wouldn''t be able to connect it with Jacob.


    After all, the one who killed Karim was not him but Autarch, who was within Jeremiah''s body, so even if that mysterious tracking curse appeared, it would target Jeremiah. That''s what Jacob was aiming for.


    However, when the witch race finds that Karim is still fine, they might think that it is just a false rm, and with Autarch''s maniption, Karim can tell them that Jeremiah tried to attack him, but he easily disposed of him.


    It was the perfect n because Autarch puppets were extremely realistic, and no one could tell the difference until they began to dpose. But a corpse of a unique rank being would take at least a year or so before it began to rot, so by the time it became noticeable, Jacob would be long gone, and no one could connect the dots!


    A few hourster, Jacob finally received the information he was waiting for the Faery Humans of Cardinal Spirit Temple!


    Although Zoe couldn''t find much because of her limited influence, it was still more than the information publicly avable and the information he found from Captain Free Sword.


    ording to the information, the Faery Humans were the founders of the Cardinal Spirit Temple. The Faery Human race was known for their innate talent for the Light Element, proficiency in healing arts, and holy magic.


    But strangely, there was no information about their holy magic as no one had ever seen a Faery Human fight because they had Holy Spirit Knight Division, the special fighting force of the temple filled with different races and that division was also very mysterious, and their strength was unknown since they always live within the territory of Cardinal Spirit Temple.


    But one thing was clear about them: no one was ever able to breach the Cardinal Spirit Temple defenses, and anyone who ever attacked them vanished without a trace.


    The Cardinal Spirit Temple followed the faith of the Holy Justice God, and they had unknown numbers of believers all over the unique ins. The true ruling ss of the Cardinal Spirit Temple were all Faery Humans.


    They were divided into Holy Ranks, the lowest rank Devotees, and almost all the lower-ranking Faeries were of this rank. Followed by the rank of Deacon, this rank was given to the Epic Rank members of Faery Humans.


    Then the Priest and this rank are only given to at least Tier-1-


    Unique Rank members. Then came the High Priest, and there were only 13 high priests whose powers were rumored to be far greater than the unique rank no one truly knew.


    The second-highest rank was the Bishop, and there were only four known members of the Faery Human race of this rank, and they all belonged to the main family of the Faery Humans, the Edgar Family.


    Finally, the leader of the Cardinal Spirit Temple and the person with the highest authority, the Holy Pontiff (Pope), Sebastian Edgar, is a legendary figure on the same level as the leaders of factions.


    Furthermore, there was also an unranked rank among the Faery Humans, the Holy Children. They were the future sessors of the Holy Pontiff position, and there was no information about their numbers.


    The only known thing was that these Holy Children were the most talented youths of the Faery Human Race and were selected through a very strict trial. But no one has ever seen one.


    However, ording to the information, it was known that the Holy Child had the same authority as a Bishop.


    Lastly, what truly draws Jacob''s attention is an event that took ce around 35 years ago when a Holy Child seemed to have been kidnapped.


    It was a huge event that caused a storm within the temple''s territory, and almost the entire unique ins were turned upside down in search of this Holy Child, who had gone for five years.


    But in the end, that Holy Child was proimed dead, and the search finally stopped. This was the only major event that happened within the history of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, while others were not as grand as this.


    ''35 years ago? But I''ve onlye to this world around 24 years ago. However, if it includes the time of traveling all the way back to themon ins, then it matches perfectly.


    ''I need more investigation in this matter of missing holy child before I reach the conclusion. But there is a 50% chance that this body was the holy child''s. But what is more important is there is no information about the Faery using any optical skills or having any traits matching with the Eyes of Judge. What a fucking mess¡­''


    Jacob sighed as he got closer to his body''s origin, knowing this would not be a pretty story!

 Chapter 601 The Indignant Alchemy Guild

    <h4>Chapter 601 The Indignant Alchemy Guild</h4>


    A few days passed, and the Potion Alchemy City was still functioning as normal.


    But those with high enough authority were not calm at all because just five days ago they all received personal letters from none other than the City Lord himself to help me buy as much titian iron of unique rank as possible using their own private channels and the price will be paid after they delivered it.


    No one doubts the credibility of Karim''s words, and no one would dare to use his name like this. So, they all quickly search for and buy Titan Iron using their contacts. These people were mostly merchants who directly dealt with the Alchemy Guild.


    Some of them were even members of the Alchemy guild and unearth or rear materials of the Alchemy Guild. There were many rich mines and huge herb guards within the Alchemy region, and it wasn''t a problem for a Great Elder Alchemist to buy as much as they wanted.


    Those people quickly sent huge quantities of Unique Rank Titan Iron within seven more days. Since titan iron can only be used within forging and there were many other more valuable materials, it wasn''t overly precious or hard to get as long as you knew where to look for it.


    But with words from a Great Elder Alchemist, almost all the titan iron was bought, causing its price to rise sharply. Some spies of other factions even begin to notice this, and they all suspect that something is amiss, and the alchemy guild is up to something.


    After all, only 12 Great Elder Alchemists were present in the Unique ins and others in the Alchemy Guild Territory, a number unknown. Karim was one of the formers, and because of his race, he was even more well-known, and his position was quite high.


    That''s why, even at a higher cost, people bought it and quickly offered it to Karim to curry favor with him.


    In ten days, over 100 tons of unique rank (Including the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels) titan iron was in Karim''s hands.


    Then, on the fifteenth night after this titan iron mayhem urred, a piece of huge news spread: Karim suddenly vanished from the Alchemy Guild. This news wouldn''t have drawn too much attention before, but Karim had drawn huge attention to himself these past few days, so many were still looking for Titan Iron to please him.


    But he then just vanished, and not only that, but he vanished with the entire treasury of the Potion Alchemy City, the guild included, leaving nothing behind. Moreover, he vanished with the massive debt that he umted from taking the titan iron.


    Since everyone knows about his reputation, they didn''t directly demand the payment and were willing to overlook it as long as Karim agreed to refine a potion or two.


    But now that he vanished while cleaning everything, even an idiot could tell that Karim had yed everyone like a bitch. He intended to steal everyone in one go and then vanish with the enormous wealth.


    After all, just the titan iron he had umted these past few days probably cost over a trillion ZC. Unique Rank materials were never cheap, and if you include the wealth of the Alchemy Guild and the city, just the entry fee of 1 Low Unique Magic Gem or equivalent value magic gems was enough to turn anyone''s eyes green with greed.


    The guild would take inventory every five years, and before that, all the wealth would remain safe in the treasury of the guild. But there was still a little over one year left before the Potion Alchemy City emptied its treasury.


    Yet now, all that over three years of wealth was plundered by the alchemy guild''s honorary member, and not just any random member, but an extremely high-level one. No one had expected it, and this became a huge scandal, putting the Alchemy Guild in the spotlight and also turning them into theughingstock of the whole Unique ins!


    How could an organization like Alchemy Guild swallow such a humiliation?


    Not only was this a breach of trust with the organization but also with the loyal customers, and it also would affect the guild''s integrity because no one would be willing to leave behind their materials if people began to suspect the moral conduct of the alchemists.


    So, this matter can''t be handled too lightly or too slowly.


    Within six hours, the Alchemy Guild finally responded with a star post, posted by none other than the Guild President Bronte, also the second leader of the Life Faction and known as the Queen of Witches!


    In her posts, she condemned Karim and publicly apologized to everyone for this disgraceful incident. Not only that, but she also promised topensate all those who give Titan iron to Karim on credit with three times their purchasing price and a limited-time 5% discount on all alchemy products and services.


    Afterward, she promised to capture Karim and publicly put him on trial for his crime against the public trust. She even put a huge bounty of 10 Billion ZC, an Advanced Unique Rank Treasure of one choice, and an Advanced Unique Tier Breaker Pill.


    This pill caused a hugemotion because it wasn''t some random pill; it wasn''t even avable in the market of Unique ins, and people only heard rumors about it.


    This pill can help anyone below tier-9 unique rank achieve an instant breakthrough by a whole tire! If a tier-8 unique rank consumes this pill, they can instantly be tier-9 unique, and one can only consume two pills in their lifetime.


    That''s why this caused a sensation, and by the next day, everyone was praising the Alchemy Guild and President Bronte for their righteousness and fairness. At the same time, Karim became public enemy number one, a greedy fiend, traitor of life, etc.¡­


    Most importantly, every signal personnel was looking for Karim''s whereabouts like a mad freaking dog. Everyone wanted the Tier Breaker Pill either by hook or crook.


    The neutral region was a few tens of millions of miles away from the Alchemy Region, and the Dark City was also located in this ce.


    At this moment, Jacob''s figure appeared within the teleportation hall of the Dark City!

 Chapter 602 Identity Exposed?

    <h4>Chapter 602 Identity Exposed?</h4>


    In the inner dark city, the domain of dark nobles, Jacob was sitting in a luxurious room, and a goblin in a suit was going through a device.


    After dealing with Karim, he instantly came here to avoid any scrutiny as well as to begin the process of creating the Titan Tears for Autarch. He had already seen themotion Karim''s ''betrayal'' had caused, which was quiterger than he had anticipated.


    But he was extremely discreet and didn''t leave any clues of his involvement behind, so there was nothing to worry about.


    After checking something, the goblin looked at Jacob and smilingly said, "Your Highness, Dark Viscount, I''ve confirmed you havepleted your secret dark mission; congrattions. You have acquired the Dark Viscount Estate in the Viscount sector of the inner city. You need to pay 10 Million ZC rent for a year, and the time can be increased as much as you like. Then sign here toplete the process, and I''ll send someone to escort you to your new estate."


    "I still need to pay the rent?" Jacob asked impassively.


    He was under the impression that he would be given a free Dark Viscount Estate after he acquired this rank. Since he had alreadypleted the secret dark mission of ascending the in, he could get a personal member''s benefits that even those outer members of the same dark noble rank couldn''t.


    The goblin replied while nodding, "It''s just a formality. Trust me, not even an outer dark duke can get such a mansion, especially with all the special functions, especially the Dark Room, that the personal members of above upper dark noble rank can enjoy. I don''t think 10 million is anything for a character like your highness."


    Jacob thought it made sense since 10 million for a year''s rent in the inner dark city was nothing at all. Many people want to stay in this ce, but they can only do so by bing personal members or bing the vessel of a personal member.


    With Jacob''s current dark noble rank, many people will be looking for him to be his henchman so that they can live in his estate. The unique dark city''s inner region was extremely rich with magic energy, and the estate given to the personal members of the dark city was installed with many exotic functions.


    Such as a workshop, training area, meditation area, and even a special Dark Room, which was the specialty of the dark city.


    The Dark Room was a very mysterious existence with almost no information about it. Every personal member kept a lid on it, and no one was allowed to reveal the true function of the Dark Room, or the punishment was certain death.


    Since nothing was wrong, Jacob ced his hand on the device, confirmed the registration, and paid rent for a year. He wasn''t nning on staying in this ce for too long.


    Sofie and Zoe had already gone to the Dark City Territory, and he''d leave the unique ins after making sure he could handle the three steps of legend experts.


    Afterward, the goblin called another goblin who escorted Jacob to a carriage, and then they left towards the west of the city where Jacob''s estate was located.


    In the Dark City in the Unique ins, only the Dark Marquis rank dark noble overseeing it while the Dark Duke that ruled over the Dark City as a whole was in the territory of Dark City.


    "He''s heading in the direction of the personal sector, where only the personal members of the dark city can enter their vessels. It seemed he had joined the Dark City when he was cashed down by the three hegemonies in the epic ins." A few hundred meters away, in a restaurant''s private room, an elf with dark skin stated.


    Five more people were in this room wearing cloaks, and only their faces were revealed. They followed Jacob since he entered the Potion Alchemy City, and Jacob still didn''t know about it. One could only imagine how skilled they were in their craft.


    Furthermore, after acquiring Jacob''s star ID, they gathered all the information avable on him, including his past ventures and his infamy in the epic ins.


    When they found that Jacob was a in ascender, they were astounded, and after investigating some more, they were shocked.


    "This guy is enshrouded with mystery. Not only did he seem to be connected with Captain Free Sword, but his background didn''t match his association with him. How in the world did he acquire his Offender Ring, and his current prowess is even more senseless." A goblin coldly stated with a hint of greed in his eyes.


    "Not only that, but this guy was also very popr in the epic ins, and he literally championed the epic trial within a few months despite the federation''s tight leach over it. Two new members have also ascended from the epic ins, and they seemed to have business dealing with him as well, and he was also the reason they were able to achieve the impossible and able to ascend." A midget with runic marks on his face stated.


    "All in all, this guy''s achievement is nothing short of legendary. Maybe the dark city was behind him from the start. But we can''t deny that there is some secret on his body that allowed him to acquire his current status and prowess."


    The second goblin said, "Not only that but don''t you guys find it strange that right after he left the Potion Alchemy City, the scandal of Karim happened? Although we don''t have any concrete proof that it is rted to him, he had paid a visit to the alchemy guild that day, and after a few hours, Karim began to search for titan iron like mad. I don''t know how he did it; there is something fishy about all this!"


    Everyone''s eyes shimmered as they all knew about the matters of Potion Alchemy City, and because of the past events regarding Jacob, they couldn''t help but suspect him.


    Even if there was very little chance that their suspicion began to correct, it was a huge matter, making Jacob even more unfathomable. That made them even more interested in Jacob to the point that they wanted to pry open his body.


    "The higher ups wanted to recruit him and get his secrets, but now it seemed it''s impossible since no one leaves the Dark City once they joined. Even if he agreed to be our spy, he might not be willing to share his secret with us." A barbarian with a ck horn on his forehead sneered as his eyes shimmered with killing intent, "So, all that is left is to capture him before he bes someone out of our reach. There are strict orders that we need to subdue him no matter the price quickly."


    The dark elf finally stated, "It''s not going to be easy now. If his personal member rank is above upper dark noble, then the security he''ll get from the dark city''s AI is at least at the level of a 2-star privilege star ount, and he can''t hack into it without getting screwed first.


    "So, we need the help of our sleeper agents within the personal sector, which means they will be exposed and be useless. Not only then, we have to smuggle Faceless Ancient but also them before the Dark City rains down ughter upon us."


    The barbarian thought momentarily before revealing his sharp crimson teeth and coldly scoffed, "Who cares about those pawns? We can leave them to appease the Dark City''s anger. Faceless Ancient is far more important than those freeloader idiots. We''ll start the excavating mission in seven days; make preparations!"


    Everyone nodded in unison, "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 603 Dark Room

    <h4>Chapter 603 Dark Room</h4>


    Therge carriage stopped outside a huge door of a luxurious mansion where elven maids wearing ck and white maid uniforms were lined in two rows, waiting for Jacob''s arrival.


    Standing at the very front was a three-meter-tall barbarian wearing a ck butler suit, and his long ck hair was tied with a metal pin; he appeared very refined and schrly, but behind his refined appearance was the hidden aura of a tier-6 unique aura user. But he was still a mere butler of this mansion, and his name was Kasper!


    Kasper gracefully moved to open therge door of the carriage as he had already been informed about the arrival of the new lord.


    Jacob stepped outside and looked at the lineup impassively; as a Dark Marquise, he was given his own service staff with the estate, and on his way here, he found that this estate was like a small pce spreading over ten miles, and there were many people working here.


    "Your Highness, Kasper is at your service!" Kasper was respectfully greeted with a graceful bow.


    After seeing Jacob, Kasper was astounded since he didn''t expect the new lord to be a giant, and he clearly wasn''t an ordinary giant either.


    Jacob looked at Kasper and nodded, "I''ll be in your care. Bring me to the Dark Room, and I''m going into seclusion. If someonees to meet me, decline them all. I don''t want to be disturbed, or I''ll me you."


    Kasper didn''t find thismand unreasonable at all since he knew the dark nobles, especially the personal members, lived in the dark city for the Dark Rooms.


    "Please, follow me, your highness." He quickly led Jacob inside the mansion.


    The elven maids quickly bowed toward Jacob as some of them were blushing, and expectation shone in their eyes as they all wanted to draw his attention. They were mere servants, and if they could catch the attention of someone like Jacob, they could rise in one fell swoop.


    Even though they were all beauties, Jacob didn''t even nce at them. After seeing Nyx''s appearance for many years, his standards were extremely high. Even if he wanted a woman, he could have as many as wants, but his carnal desires werepletely suppressed, especially as he grew stronger.


    Now, all he desired was power and more power until he achieved immortality.


    Kasper led Jacob to the most hidden part of the mansion, which was actually protected by a powerful array of locks. Soon, they were ungrounded and standing in front of a ck door.


    Kasper respectfully said, "Your Highness, this is the Dark Room, and if you want to enter it, you have to scan it with your star watch. Servants like us can''t open his door, and only the dark nobles like my lord can enter."


    "Alright, I''ll take it from here." Jacob nodded before Kasper excused himself and he left Jacob alone.


    Jacob then closed his star watch towards the runic symbol engraved at the door, and the next moment, Dark Rose''s voice rang in his mind.


    "Wee to Dark Room, Dark Viscount.


    "Do you want to activate the Dark Room?


    "Please select your activation n."


    The next moment, an interface opened right in front of the dark room with rows of words.


    "10 Days activation Cost: 10 Dark Credits


    "30 Days activation Cost: 25 Dark Credits


    "50 days activation Cost: 40 Dark Credits


    "100 days activation Cost: 85 Dark Credits


    "Your total Dark Credits: 1100"


    Jacob was surprised to see the menu. "So, did it require Dark Credits to operate this dark room? This is peculiar, but I still don''t know what this dark room is. Dark Rose, can you describe this Dark Room''s function?" He asked with a frown.


    The Dark Credits were the currency of the Dark City allocated to only the personal members, and it was very precious. The DC can only be earned through the secret dark mission or by directly trading materials, medicines, pills, potions, etc., to the Dark City or Personal Members. They were not transferable or tradable between outer members.


    Jacob only had 1100 of them, 100 from joining the dark city, while he got 1000 after hepleted the ascending secret dark mission. This mysterious dark room also required DC to activate, so how could he spend them without knowing the benefits?


    Furthermore, there were many things in the dark city shop of personal members that were quite useful for Jacob, like the knowledge of professions. If he begins to buy it, then 1100 DC was far from enough.


    Dark Rose replied statically, "The Dark Room has two functions. The first function is Magic Density, which is ten times greater than the outside, and you can also select specific elements of magic energy that could help you in your magic cultivation or magic practice.


    "The second and the main function is Dark Battle Arena, a virtual battle arena where you can fight with other personal members of the Dark City from all over the unique ins and beyond."


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly when he heard the functions of the dark room, especially about the Dark Battle Arena; Jacob''s attention was caught by the final words as he quickly asked for conformation, "You just said that I can fight with dark city personal members from all over the unique ins and beyond. Exin ''beyond'' to me. Are you hinting at people from other gxies?"


    "Affirmative. Dark Marquis can indeede in contact with people of the other Lesser Gxies.


    "But please keep in mind that you can''t divulge this information to anyone under any circumstances. The Dark Room is the core secret of the Dark City, and since Dark Marquis nowes in contact with it, you have to sign on the Zodiac Oath Contract!"


    The next moment, a virtual Zodiac Oath Contract appeared in front of Jacob with all the uses.


    But Jacob didn''t care about it at all as he was far more interested in knowing about these lesser gxies. He already knew about the structure of the Zodiac ins from Captain Free Sword.


    He thought it was a well-guarded or some mythical secret, but the dark city seemed to bepletely aware of it, and they even managed to connect their people with other gxies.


    Jacob quickly signed the other oath contract before he asked, "Can you tell me more about these gxies, especially the middle gxies?"


    ording to his assumption, the Common, Rare, Epic, and Unique ins were made the whole of a lesser gxy, which means that the middle gxy should be where the legendary ins are. As for the upper gxy, he didn''t dare to imagine what kind of ce that was or what kind of terrifying existence resides there.


    "I don''t have the authority to divulge knowledge about the middle gxies." Dark Rose statically replied.


    Jacob frowned, ''Well, I guess I was being too optimistic. If the dark city coulde in contact with the middle gxies, then why would they be hunting Captain Free Sword with everyone else like rabid dogs?


    ''Still, just the knowledge about the other lesser gxies is worth paying DC. I want to know if the other gxies are the same as the Taurus Gxy or if they are different. I might even find some clues about the middle gxies from them¡­''


    Thinking at this moment, Jacob felt his choice ofing here was correct, so he quickly selected the 100-day deal, and right after that, the closed door of the Dark Room began to open!

 Chapter 604 Dark Battle Arena (1)

    <h4>Chapter 604 Dark Battle Arena (1)</h4>


    Jacob entered the Dark Room; it was five hundred square feetrge and brightly lit. There was a small area for alchemy practice and another area for magic training with unfamiliar equipment.


    But what Jacob was focusing on was a dark crystalline pod attached to the western wall. It was 25 meters long, and tiny runes were embedded in its shell.


    At this moment, Jacob felt a vibration on his wrist, and a control virtual menu appeared on his star watch. This control menu was used to adjust the Dark Room settings, like the unique magic elements setting, training sequels, and finally, the operating information of the Dark Pod.


    After reading the information, Jacob confirmed that the Dark Pod was indeed the equipment to connect him to the Dark Battle Arena, the true specialty of the Dark Room.


    But he wasn''t in a hurry to try it; despite his curiosity, he didn''t forget his true purpose here. So, he arranged the setting of the room, making it adjust for alchemy.


    The next moment, he waved his sleeve, and Karim appeared in front of him!


    "I''m going to teach you how to make Titan tears. Afterward, you will continue the refinement." Jacob coldlymands Autarch.


    "I understand." Autarch sounded in acknowledgment.


    Before, Jacob was nning to use Karim to refine the materials while he would be in charge of creating the titan tears. But now, after finding out about the Dark Battle Arena, he has decided to leave it all to Karim while he explores the battle arena.


    Without wasting any time, he took out alchemy equipment that belonged to Karim. Since he was going to ''flee,'' why would he leave his equipment behind?


    These pieces of equipment were far more precious than the equipment he got from Masha, so Jacob naturally wouldn''t abandon them, and they would also make the process easier and faster.


    Jacob quickly began to teach Autarch step by step, and Autarch was an extremely fast learner, especially since he already had memories and could emte them almost perfectly. Although it was a pity that he didn''t get Karim''s memories, it was enough to refine the titan''s tears since the process wasn''t too hard.


    After half an hour, Jacob collected three drops of inky ck liquid into a ss bottle from the furnace.


    "Did you get it all?" Jacob inquired.


    "Yes."


    "Alright, refine a batch for me." Jacob didn''t just leave directly and wait for Autarch to show him the exact process.


    Autarch controlled Karim and began to refine the titan tears like a robot. The entire process was exactly the same as Jacob''s, without missing anything. The crux of the titan tears was to control the mes, and Autarch emtes it perfectly.


    Seeing the finished product, Jacob nodded in satisfaction before handing everything to Autarch, and he finally headed towards the Dark Pod.


    Jacob opened therge pod and inside was filled with runes. It waspletely empty except for some tiny holes in the pod walls. There was nothing there. But he could tell that those runes were of extremely high level even though he couldn''t understand them.


    Without hesitation, Jacobid down following the instruction, and just as his bodyy bare, the runes on the dark pod lit up, and Jacob felt his star watch vibrate.


    The Dark Rose voice rang in his head, "Do you want to start the Dark Pod?"


    "Yes." Jacob acknowledged.


    The next moment, the dark pod began to close before sealing entirely as the runes on its surface shimmered brightly.


    "Dark Pod has been activated!


    "Releasing the Virtual Liquid!


    "Please note that you can only stay in the Dark Battle Arena for seven days and seven nights before you will have to leave for a 24-hour break! The exit time can be lessened depending on the enumeration of your deaths in the Dark Battle Arena!"


    Jacob was surprised by this but didn''t say anything since he was new to this.


    Suddenly, a milky white liquid shimmering with tiny stars begins to pour out from the tiny holes in the Dark Pod, and it wasn''t cold but warm, this was the Virtual Liquid.


    The moment the liquid began to fill the pod, Jacob sensed a strange, warm current entering his body, and a sleepy sensation washed over him as he wanted to sleep all of a sudden.


    But that sensation was instantly gone as Nyx''s yful voice sounded, "Do you really want to be effective with this substance? It might be detrimental to your mind."


    Jacob was surprised since he didn''t think this liquid could put him to sleep.


    But before he could reply, Dark Rose''s voice rang.


    "Detecting the user''s mind defense is above the level of Virtual Liquid!


    "Please don''t resist if you want to continue!


    "Your staying time in the Dark Battle Arena has been readjusted from 7 to 30 days!"


    Jacob hesitates for a moment, "Stop blocking it. But if you sense something amiss, I''m giving you permission to wake me."


    "Alright." Nyx obeyed Jacob''smand, and the same sensation returned before he waspletely submerged in the virtual liquid, and his eyes began to close.


    But the strange thing was, despite the darkness, he seemed to be wide awake, and at this moment, a dark voice rang again, and an interface appeared before him.


    "3-Star Privilege Star ID connected!


    "The strength limit of the Dark Battle Arena is Epic-


    Tier-9 (Advanced Epic Ran)!


    "Detecting Dual Element Magic Core Body (Fire and Magic)


    "Your body has been emted up to 95%; you can readjust it up to 91%!


    "Please create your advanced epic rank weapon.


    "Please choose a Dark Battle Arena Name."


    Jacob was surprised as his own body appeared in the interface, which was exactly the same as his current body. But he can readjust it as he wishes as long as he doesn''t change the core of his body.


    But he didn''t readjust the size since he knew doing it would only harm his own fighting style, so he adjusted the facial features and hair color.


    His strength would also be limited to epic-tier-9, which was probably done for fairness. But he was surprised about the Dual Element Magic Core Body detected by the Dark Rose.


    This could only mean that the dual cores might not be unique at all. Furthermore, his hex core wasn''t detected, or it would be a triple element magic core body, which means it was most likely because Immortika or his hex core was just too rare.


    Whichever the case was, he continued since his hex core was special, and not being detected wasn''t a bad thing.


    Afterward, he created the weapons, which were naturally dual swords, and he had the freedom to design the swords since they would be at advanced epic rank no matter what.


    Lastly, he entered his Dark Battle Arena Name. After thinking about it, he didn''t enter any of the aliases that he had already used, especially the Faceless Ancient, Jack, and Viper¡­ so he chooses another one, which was also the alias in his previous life when he once entered another fighting area when he was still young and wanted to learn martial arts.


    This name also mirrored his ambition and resolve in the past, present, and future.


    "Your Dark Battle Arena name has been selected!


    "Starting the process of constructing the Virtual Body of the User: Dictator!"

 Chapter 605 Dark Battle Arena (2)

    <h4>Chapter 605 Dark Battle Arena (2)</h4>


    The darkness in front of Jacob suddenly breaks into a blinding light.


    "Yaayyyyyy¡­"


    "Fuck him¡­."


    "Bastard, I bet on disy four, and that guy was on a winning streak, yet now he lost!"


    Jacob was shocked when loud noises buzzed around him like a thunderp and found himself standing in an enormous lobby.


    In the center of this lobby were ten gigantic disys showing ten different pairs of people fighting, and there were different numbers showing on each screen.


    The most shocking thing was the entire ce was packed with people, and their exact number was impossible to imagine. The even more strange part was that despite standing quite far from the disy when Jacob focused on a fighting scene, he felt like he was looking right at it from a very close distance. He could even feel the magic flowing in the air.


    "Wee to Dark Battle Arena Lobby, Iron Warrior Dictator!"


    "You can check your status and search for battle by thinking of ''Dark Arena Status''!


    "You can ce bets with Dark Credit on different dueling participants in Dark Prestige Disys through a betting tform during a Dark League Ranking Match or Dark League Promotion Match!"


    Dark Rose''s voice sounded in his head, and although the bustling crowd around, he could hear her clear as day.


    Jacob was astounded as he quickly opened the Dark Arena Status.


    "Dark Arena Name: Dictator


    "Dark Arena Rank: Iron Warrior (No Specific Rank Allocated Yet)


    "Next Dark Arena Rank: 10 Iron League Ranking Matches and 1 Iron League Promotion Match!


    "Fight Win: 0


    "Fight Lost: 0


    "Win Streak: 0


    "Dark Credit: 1015


    "Dark Battle Arena League: Iron League


    "Start Battle?


    "Time Reaming before Break: 719H: 59MM


    "Exit Dark Battle Arena?"


    Jacob didn''t press on to start the battle as he then opened the batting tform. He didn''t expect he could earn Dark Credit in Battle Arena. But looking at the ten screens, he finally noticed that the battle arena ranks disyed ''Silver League Ranking Match''.


    As Dark Rose notified, those screens were called Dark Prestige Disys, and only ranking or promotion matches could be disyed on them, and only then could people ce bets by using the betting tform.


    Everyone here was a Dark City personal member, so they all knew how precious the Dark Credits were, so many took part in these bets.


    "Betting tform


    "Current Fight on Dark Prestige Disy No.1: Death w VS Magi-G (Ranking Match)


    "Betting Odds: 1:4


    "ce Bet?


    "Current Fight on Dark Prestige Disy No.2: Jaggy White VS Victorious Hammer (Ranking Match)


    "Betting Odds: 1:1


    "ce Bet?


    "Current Fight on Dark Prestige Disy No.3: Blue Spark VS Sword of Lake (Ranking Match)


    "Betting Odds: 3:2


    "ce Bet?"


    Jacob saw all the ten matches participants begin to disy there, and he could ce bets on them as much as he wanted. But he wasn''t a fan of putting his money in someone else hands.


    Furthermore, there were still too many things he was uncertain about. So, he tries asking the Dark Rose, but he doesn''t get any response, making him frown.


    He then looked around and spotted a riled man sticking like a sore thumb, just like himself, because he was a giant, about a few inches taller than Jacob. Moreover, his skin was like a rock surface, a huge ck club was attached to his back, and he was wearing light white armor.


    Furthermore, Jacob only noticed that there was a bronze color name hovering atop his head, ''Lord Club,'' and he was the only one, but everyone around him had a name on top of their heads with the only difference of colors.


    Jacob suddenly looked up and saw ''Dictator'' in iron color hovering above his head, ''Is this some kind of game? What is the purpose of all this, I don''t understand since just fighting each other didn''t make sense.'' He thought grimly.


    Still, he quickly approaches Mega Club and just happens to hear his crass roar, "You fucking moron, smash his balls like Lord Club here! Fuck, I''ll kill this moron if I ever find him!" His face shed with rage as the pain of losing money shone in his eyes.


    Huffing and puffing, he suddenly turned his head and saw Jacob wearing a long dark windbreaker and two ck swords with strange ring-like hilts hanging around his waist. His face was handsome and angr, with a thick ck beard, long ck hair, and menacing tattoo lines on his fair face, making him look like some Viking.


    Jacob debatably chose these facial features and tattoos, so it would be even more hard to find him. The only thing that can give him away is his unique style of weapons.


    Seeing another giant like him, Lord Club was surprised before he narrowed his eyes since Jacob wasing in his way, and seeing the iron color name, a hint of disdain shed past his eyes, "You want something, boyo?"


    Although people can''t fight in the lobby, they can interact with each other like in real life, and the most hateful thing about all this was people can talk however they like since they have to worry about dying or other party retaliation as long as they won''t reveal their true identities.


    Some people directly provoked people like this, especially those weak guys with no real ability or gamblers who had lost their fortune. Lord Club was thetter.


    But such a thing was quite unusual since everyone here was someone with status, and people like Lord Club were rare.


    ''Boyo?'' Jacob''s eyes shot up lightly, and shake his head before turning around and leaving. He could tell this was a waste of time; he only approached him because he thought he might reveal the information he wanted as a giant, but he had forgotten that giants were inherently arrogant.


    Lord Club was startled, seeing Jacob didn''t even bother to reply and directly turned around and left, disregarding him.


    He was also seething in anger, and now he erupted, "Stop right there, you piece of shit!"


    His voice was like a thunderp, drawing many people''s attention.


    Jacob stiffed a little as his eyes turned ghastly cold, but he didn''t turn around and continued walking like he hadn''t heard anything.


    Lord Club snorted, and he quickly blocked Jacob''s way!

 Chapter 606 A Fearsome Discovery

    <h4>Chapter 606 A Fearsome Discovery</h4>


    Jacob coldly looked at Lord Club, and if this weren''t just a virtual space, he would''ve already started to skin him alive.


    The onlookers were also watching with great interest as they knew a great show wasing. But those guys were very few in numbers since there were still matches going on in the Dark Prestige Disy.


    "Are you deaf? You think you can walk away while I''m talking to you?" The Lord Club smirked coldly without any fear of Jacob whatsoever.


    "Search for battle." Jacob didn''t want to waste time on this maniac, so the only way to get rid of him was to enter the arena.


    Although he still wanted to do some research first, it was his own fault for selecting an idiot so that he could do nothing about it.


    Lord Club was about to re again since Jacob was still disregarding him when Jacob''s figure suddenly vanished with a beam, leaving everyone bewildered.


    "Slippery coward!" Lord Club knew that Jacob had directly entered the arena, and just like Jacob couldn''t do anything about him, he was the same.


    Furthermore, the chances of bumping into Jacob again were very slim since this entire ce was always crowded. So, he could do nothing but grit his teeth and give up. Instead of releasing his frustration, it added to the injury, and those onlookers quickly mind their own business in case this mad doges to bite them.


    ''Dictator, humph! Don''t let me catch you!'' Lord Club jolted this name in his memory before he opened the gambling tform again with bloodshot eyes.


    As for entering a battle himself, he didn''t dare to since, at his level, the opponents were not easy to deal with, and if he lost three matches of strength, he would be demoted.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly appeared in a stony field with a dim sky.


    "A new challenger has entered the Iron League Arena!


    "Battle Arena Rules (Iron League): You''ll earn 1 Dark Credit if you win a match in Iron League, 10 Dark Credit if you win a Ranking Match, and 100 Dark Credit if you win the Promotion Match!


    "Please note that if you lose, there will be a match penalty! In a normal match, you will lose 2 DC; if you lose in a Ranking Match, the penalty will be 20 DC, and 200 DC penalty in a Promotion Match!


    "If you lose a match, you have to rest for 30 minutes, while there will not be any resting time for a winning streak.


    "If youplete a 10 Kill Winning Streak, you will have to fight with someone with the same winning streak at your 11th match, or it is a Promotion Match, a Betting Pool will open.


    "If you win, you will earn 10% of the bets ced within the Betting Pool!


    "The Winning Streak Matches can only be fought a single time before you have to break your own record. For example, if you activate a 10 Kill Winning Streak Match and lose, you have toplete a 20 Kill Winning Streak Match before triggering another Winning Streak Match and so forth.


    "The Dark Battle Arena also has special badges, which can be earned upon scoring an Arena Achievement!


    "¡­"


    Jacob was astounded when he read all those rules, and he was able to grasp a clear picture of how this ce works. He couldn''t help but scoff at himself when he thought about how he wanted to talk with that idiot to know the rules, which was clearly unnecessary.


    "Searching for Opponents¡­"


    After disying the rules, this notification popped up.


    But before Jacob could get in the mood for battle, Nyx''s shocking voice rang, "What is this ce? How is this possible?!"


    Jacob was shocked as he was under the impression that Nyx couldn''t enter the virtual space, and it was clearly the case when he entered the lobby. He didn''t feel Nyx''s presence.


    But now, after hearing Nyx''s voice, Jacob was shocked to find that he could really feel Nyx and the Nightmare Dreamscape Realm and even enter it if he wanted.


    Furthermore, from Nyx''s tone, it was clear that she was shocked by something.


    "What is going on? How can you be here?" Jacob promptly questioned.


    "This, I don''t know. It was just nk a moment ago, and I was keeping an eye out on your condition, but suddenly, I sensed the presence of a Dreamscape Realm pulling your psyche into it. So, I tried to defend against it, but I-I lost, and you were dragged here! This dreamscape realm is unfathomably powerful, and even I''m nothing but an ant against it, and it''s almost close to reality!" Nyx''s voice was filled with fear and uncertainty.


    Jacob expression also warped as he wasn''t expecting this discovery, he knew just how powerful Nyx were her affinity with dreams were probably top-notch in the universe.


    But he wasn''t expecting that the Dark City would also have a dreamscape realm, and it was far more terrifying than Nyx. Furthermore, they were using it under the pretext of Dark Battle Arena, and probably no one knew this wasn''t just a virtual space.


    Just what were they after, and why they are doing it? He felt a sudden chill in his spine. But since so many people were using it, it could only mean that it wasn''t dangerous. So, what was the true purpose, and where did this dreamscape realme from?


    "Don''t tell me there is another Primordial Nightmare Beast like you out there?" Jacob asked with a foreboding expression.


    "Impossible! Until I die, there can''t be another one like me!" Nyx instantly denied it, "This Dreamscape Realm is too strong, and it probably belonged to someone extremely proficient in dreamscape magic. I probably have to go through three or four more evolutions before I could even reach that level.


    "The only advantage is since this is a dreamscape realm, I can appear beside you and see what is happening without your consent. Not only that, but I can even lift these restraints ced on you. However, it might alert the owner of this ce.


    "How about you leave this ce? I have an awful feeling about this. Although the owner of this ce can''t notice me and you, we can''t be certain about its true motive." Nyx suggested with a hint of wariness.


    "Opponent has been discovered!


    "War Hammer is entering the Arena!


    "Match starts in 10 Seconds!"


    Dark Rose voice rang at this moment and in front of Jacob a burly dwarf with a war hammer on his shoulder appeared. Above his head was iron color War Hammer''s name, and beside the name was 23/33 Win and Lost with 0 Win Streak written.


    Jacob''s expression was cold as he stared at the tiny dwarf who didn''t even reach his knees.


    "This guy''s psyche is also dragged in here! I can even nt a nightmare conqueror seed!" Nyx''s astounded voice rang!

 Chapter 607 Mysteries of Soul

    <h4>Chapter 607 Mysteries of Soul</h4>


    Jacob''s mind reeled when he heard Nyx''s statement, ''If she can ce nightmare conqueror seeds in this ce, doesn''t this mean I can kill anyone as I wish? But if someone lost their dreamscape realm, then they won''t be able to enter this ce, right? This would naturally draw the attention of the entity that ced this whole setup here. Furthermore, I can''t act recklessly until I find the true reason behind this ce.''


    "Nyx, I want you to pay attention and tell me what is happening. We might be able to discover something. Other than that, do not interfere recklessly. Even I don''t know what would happen if we truly draw this person''s attention." Jacob sternlymanded.


    Nyx also had the same thought, and she quickly agreed.


    "Tsk, what a damn luck. I just had to encounter a freaking giant. These battles are always unfair." War Hammer mumbled with a bitter look as he looked at the towering giant.


    Jacob''s focus also turned to War Hammer, and only three seconds remained before the battle would start. But he didn''t dare to underestimate War Hammer even if he was like an ant.


    "Battle Starts!" Dark Rose''s voice reverberated on the battlefield.


    "Earth Spikes!" War Hammer didn''t even waste a second as he quickly instant cast an earth spell.


    Although they were not of unique rank and couldn''t use the aura and spirit, their magic abilities could be emted. Upon the character creation, the user was given the choice to use their rectified stars to create magic abilities within the realm of epic rank.


    Jacob naturally selected his own magic abilities, and his advantage was he had two magic cores. But he wasn''t nning on showing them off unless he had to. Especially now that he knew this ce was not a virtual ce but a dreamscape realm.


    The moment War Hammer cast a spell, he cast his own, "Water Rush!"


    A gentle blue light covered Jacob''s body, turning it into liquid, and he easily passed through the spikes.


    "Water element, shit!" War Hammer cursed as he knew the Water element counters the powerful spells of the earth element, and without aura or spirit, it was very hard to counter water-type abilities.


    "Earth st!" He swings his giant war hammer brandished with emerald energy.


    Jacob''s eyes were as cold as ever as his swords were already revolving around his hands, and seeing the iing hammer, he didn''t intend to dodge as one of his swords directly swung into the hammer.


    ''What kind of swords are those?'' War Hammer was shocked to see the swords revolving like clock hands; it was an extremely peculiar sword style.


    Furthermore, Jacob was taking full advantage of his size and physique as he directly shed with the hammer with one hand, and his other hand was free. But War Hammer needs to hold the hammer with both hands.


    "Earth Shield, Earth Barrier!" War Hammer double cast protective earth spells against Jacob''s other sword as the earth element had the most powerful defensive ability.


    ''Water control, Water Edge!'' Jacob''s other sword suddenly brandished with the water element, and the next moment, that water energy turned to revolve at a high intensity, making the de''s sharp edge even shaper.


    While shing with the war hammer with one sword, he shed his other sword like a scythe towards War Hammer''s neck. His hands were extremely long, and it easily reached its destination.


    With his ridiculous physical prowess, the sword passed through the earth''s shield and barrier like a piece of jelly, and before War Hammer could react, it shed past his neck while his hammer sted into the side.


    "Tsk, you freak¡­" War Hammer bitterly cursed as his body turned into particles, and he vanished without a trace.


    "Congrattions to Dictator on your first arena victory!


    "1 Dark Credit has been added to your ount!


    "Do you want to search for another opponent?"


    Jacob didn''t immediately answer as he was waiting for Nyx''s analysis of War Hammer''s death. Furthermore, he could sense that his magic power instantly replenished to its full capacity.


    "How magical!" Nyx eximed at this moment, "After this dwarf''s death, a tiny portion of his psyche vitality was separated from him and then directly absorbed by this dreamscape realm! This method of increasing the dreamscape realm''s strength is slow but effective. Not only that, but I might be able to take that wisp of psyche vitality for myself and absorb it to strengthen your dreamscape realm!"


    Jacob''s eyes gleamed with astonishment as he suddenly thought of the true purpose of this ce. "Could it be that the owner of this ce created it so that it could strengthen its own dreamscape realm by secretly absorbing others'' psyche?


    "Psyche could be considered other people''s soul, right? Whoever is doing it didn''t want others to find out, and that fatigue and resting period are probably ced for this exact reason."


    "Indeed, although there is only a tiny portion of the soul vitality, the person would still feel mental fatigue. But unlike me, the soul vitality taken by this person can''t cause permanent damage unless someone loses more than half of their soul vitality. They can easily recover from it with special medicines that help in soul recovery.


    "Moreover, when I devour others'' dreamscape realms, I directly devour 70% of their soul, not just vitality; there is a huge difference, which causes a victim''s death eventually since it''s impossible to recover one dreamscape realm.


    "This also brings me to another point: Virtual Liquid seemed to have such properties to keep the soul stable and even heal it somewhat. However, losing a portion of their soul vitality for a long time will leave permanent damage, and it can affect them in many ways.


    "Nheless, whoever is doing this is an ingenious person. They are taking others'' soul vitalities without even the victims finding it out, and the most ridiculous thing is they are delivering it willingly.


    "But the most important part is, whoever is doing it, they are only proficient in the dreamscape realm, but they might not have any idea about devouring other people''s dreamscape realm.


    "After all, a dreamscape realm and a soul also contain a person''s superego and memories. They can easily lose their true self if someone recklessly tries to devour them. Only I canpletely purify the superego and erase it so that it won''t affect me.


    "Even that insect (Autarch) didn''t have such ability since he didn''t consume others'' superegos. He consumed memories from brains, which are entirely different from consuming souls. If I can be more proficient in my talent, I''m confident I can take over this entire dreamscape realm!" Nyx''s voice was filled with dark intent as she was finally able to peer through the truth behind this dreamscape realm.


    Before, she was afraid that this existence had the same abilities as her, but now, she knows this person only had a small attainment of dreamscape magic and used it for plundering others'' soul vitalities. If she could attain the same level of power, she would clean the floor with this person.


    But for now, she can sneakily take away those soul vitalities without being detected. Still, it was a huge boon since this ce was filled with powerful people. Even three steps of legend experts were present, and their souls were naturally powerful.


    Jacob alsoprehended this much as his eyes shimmered with a hint of greed, and a hint of shock shed past his eyes when he thought of something, "Wait, dreamscape realm can also empower the soul? Why didn''t you tell me before?"


    Jacob knew that to control the Eyes of Judge, he needed a powerful soul, so he was on the lookout for such treasures. But he didn''t think that Nyx also had such ability. Didn''t this mean he was searching high and low for a treasure, but he had it all along?


    "You never asked, and I think that you already knew since the dreamscape realm is also rted to the soul. Furthermore, the lifespan I absorb is also part of the soul called the Soul Vitality, which contains a person''s spiritual lifespan.


    "I have the ability to convert soul vitality into life vitality, which is the reason your lifespan increases. On the other hand, my portion umtes until it''s enough for my evolution, and only then will the dreamscape realm be stronger!"


    Jacob was bbergasted as only now did he truly understand the truth behind his lifespan. He always thought that it was just Nyx''s ability, but he never dug deeper into it.


    But now, he was regretting not understanding it deeply enough.


    "If that''s true, can you divert this soul vitality directly to my soul and strengthen it instead? Just like what this person is doing!" Jacob asked quickly.


    "Oh, you mean to increase your soul vitality instead of life vitality? Although I don''t try it before, after seeing what is happening here, I think it''s possible. I''ll try the next time I devour someone''s soul." Nyx replied with some uncertainty.


    Jacob clenched his fist with hope, ''If it''s really possible, then I can finally make progress with Eyes of Judge. This is really an unexpected windfall!'' Jacob''s eyes suddenly turned cold as he stated, "Since you can absorb that portion of the soul vitality, let''s try with it. You are free to snatch it as long as you won''t leave behind any clue."


    Jacob then loudly dered, "Search for another opponent!"

 Chapter 608 Chief Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 608 Chief Hunter</h4>


    After Jacob''smand, the new search began, and he was looking forward to the result of this battle. If Nyx can really empower his soul directly, then Jacob would be able to benefit immensely.


    A few secondster, Dark Rose''s voice rang,


    "Opponent has been discovered!


    "Chief Hunter is entering the Arena!


    "Match starts in 10 Seconds!"


    The next moment, a graceful elf with half of her face covered entered the arena, and her dark eyes were icy as she looked at Jacob. Unlike War Hammer, she didn''t say anything and made some distance between Jacob and herself. She was holding dual daggers in her hand.


    ''She is a dark elf¡­'' Jacob guessed from her dark brown skin and ck eyes; only the elf with dark elements had such features.


    He also looked at the battle record shimmering above her head, 28/04 Win and Lost with 3 Win Streak written. It was quite clear that she was far more proficient in fighting than War Hammer.


    Just as the battle started, Chief Hunter suddenly turned into a blur before she vanished entirely.


    ''Stealth?'' Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly as he was familiar with stealth-type magic abilities. It was too bad that the hunter stealth needs aura or spirit, or he would''ve also selected it.


    Nheless, he knew she needed to kill him to exit this ce, and she couldn''t keep up the stealth forever because of her limited mana, so he was on full-on high alert while holding his sword tightly. It was just too bad that his fluid eleration or cursed heart wasn''t copied, or he could easily find her.


    Although Nyx said she could easily lift the restriction on him, she couldn''t emte his cursed heart. Besides, it was simply too risky, so he didn''t want to try it since there was no risk to his life.


    After ten seconds, Jacob felt an extremely deathly sensationing from his left side; without hesitation, he shed his sword in that direction.


    ''Chee¡­''


    Sparks shed in the air as his sword met with the ck dagger, and because of his physical power, he sent Chief Hunter flying backward.


    However, as he was about to follow up, goosebumps suddenly rose in his body as a piercing dagger appeared above his head.


    He just happened to see Chief Hunter, whom he sent flying, suddenly vanish in the air, leaving behind a puff of dark smock.


    Jacob didn''t have time to pay attention to what happened and moved his head before the dagger could pierce right into his skull. But he wasn''t able topletely dodge it as the dagger directly pierced through his left shoulder, and he felt a tyrannical energy suddenly enter his body, and the danger didn''t just stay still either.


    Despite missing its true mark, Chief Hunter''s eyes were fully focused and cold as she tried to cut the dagger directly toward Jacob''s neck.


    Jacob roared as he shed his sword towards Chief Hunter, who had appeared above him somehow and was going to cut open his neck.


    Water magic burns on his de like raging mes. If this sword connects, Chief Hunter would be cut in half since her hands were still holding the dagger, and she had a clear disadvantage in physical strength.


    ''He''s not an oaf like the others¡­'' Chief Hunter''s eyes shimmered with a hint of amusement as she didn''t feel frightened at all, ''Shadow Shift!''


    The next moment, before Jacob''s de could touch her, she vanished like a phantom with her danger, and Jacob''s sword missed while Chief Hunter reappeared ten meters away from within Jacob''s shadow!


    Jacob''s mind reeled as he turned around and just happened to see Chief Hunter vanish again without leaving behind a trace. His eyes burn with shock and a strange mirth as his blood begins to boil.


    It was the first time that Jacob was wounded to this extent and nearly lost his life. He had really underestimated other races'' fighting capability, especially if he had nothing like his cursed heart, fluid eleration, or weapons.


    It was quite an awakening; his journey had been either too smooth or treacherous, as he had relied too much on his weaponstely. Ever since he had arrived in the Zodiac ins, Jacob had never fought fairly with anyone, especially those magic users.


    Now, Chief Hunter has proved that he stillcks experience against an opponent who is proficient inbat magic. He knew his weapons would lose their edge, and he had to rely on himself to survive and move forward.


    Even if he ignored the truth about this Dark Battle Arena, it was very good to sharpen himself up by fighting opponents like Chief Hunter. He had nearly forgotten about how to fight hand in hand and was rusty. Furthermore, only now did he feel the urge to incorporate magic into his fighting style and take this seriously.


    Moreover, when he was on the verge of death, he seemed to have sensed something as his reaction speed increased by twofold, and his mana seemed to have circted on its own.


    ''Could it be Fighting Giant Spirit? Was it emted with my body or¡­? This trait is for those who live to fight, and the stronger the opponent, the more Fighting Giant Spirit would stir. But it affects the mind. Could it be this trait is rted to the soul in some way¡­ I never thought of this like this before, but I think there is a possibility that it is true.


    ''Just now, my reaction speed suddenly increased, and mana seemed to have to move on its own¡­ fighting giant spirit¡­ spirit¡­ what a tricking shit that entric book had pulled on me again. If I hadn''te here, I wouldn''t be able to find out about it.''


    Jacob''s eyes shone as his blood began to boil again as he no longer suppressed that urge to fight to death. Suddenly, he felt like he could see and sense everything clearly, as his perception seemed to have undergone some mysterious change.


    Despite the bloody hole on his shoulder, Jacob didn''t feel any pain at all; in fact, he felt more active and excited as blood gushed out of his wound.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly sensed something, and with an impassive expression, he moved his hand and swung it upward. Chief Hunter''s dagger was blocked again.


    But this time, Jacob didn''t send her flying at all, as water mana gushed out of his sword and, like a wild beast''s mouth, wanted to devour her.


    However, Chief Hunter seemed indifferent towards this attack.


    Suddenly, Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile, ''This trick won''t work again.''


    Jacob then suddenly shot his sword right up ahead, and his second sword shed on the left side like a hammer while the Chief Hunter above had already vanished.


    "Impossible!" A panicked cry filled with disbelief rang.


    The next moment, Jacob''s first attack blocked Chief Hunter, who was right in front of him, but Chief Hunter also turned into a smock, it was another decoy.


    However, Jacob second suddenlynded on something. Blood suddenly bloomed in the air, and the next moment, Chief Hunter''s figure finally appeared, but she was cut in half from the waist.


    "Who are you?" She questioned as she turned into particles, and her voice was filled with curiosity.


    "Congrattions to Dictator on your arena victory!


    "1 Dark Credit has been added to your ount!


    "2 Win Streak has been achieved!


    "Do you want to search for another opponent?"

 Chapter 609 Victim of One Own Stupidity

    <h4>Chapter 609 Victim of One Own Stupidity</h4>


    Jacob ignored Dark Rose''s inquiry as he let the feeling he just had simmered into his body while he waited for Nyx''s news.


    A few secondster, Nyx''s jolly voice rang, "I''ve done it! That wisp of soul vitality that I just grabbed from that woman was extremely potent, which means she was probably much more powerful than you. Furthermore, the owner of this ce couldn''t stop me; it seemed they had no defense against someone like me.


    "Anyhow, I also discovered that this soul vitality is very pure and didn''t have any lingering consciousness of the owner so that it can be directly absorbed. Now, I''m going to send this soul vitality into your soul through the nightmare dreamscape realm.


    "Since your dreamscape realm is part of your soul, it should work. But if it didn''t, then don''t me me." Nyx warned.


    "Do it. Sess or failure will depend on this. If you can really help me elevate my soul, I won''t mistreat you." Jacob stated.


    "Hmph, say something that I would believe. As long as you won''t blind me, I''ll be happy!" Nyx snorted, but a hint of anticipation was present in her voice.


    Jacob didn''tment on this as he coldly waited for Nyx to start the process. Although he didn''t know what kind of feeling he would have after absorbing someone else soul, he was content as long as it worked.


    After all, too many things were at stake here, and he needed the Eyes of Judge to increase his strength byprehending the Immortal Chapter.


    A momentter, Jacob suddenly felt an icy sensation gushing into his mind, and it only remained for around two seconds before it vanished. But afterward, he felt like his mind suddenly felt refreshed, like he had awakened from a peaceful sleep.


    "I think it worked! Do you feel it?" Nyx inquired with a hint of uncertainty.


    Jacob thoughtfully replied, "I felt somewhat clear-headed. Does that count?"


    "Of course, it counts, then this means it''s really worked!" Nyx''s jolly voice sounded.


    "Then, from now on, just add my portion of the soul vitality into my soul. I have enough lifespan for now." Jacobmanded without hesitation with a hint of ecstasy. He finally found a way to evaluate his soul.


    "Alright, since this experiment was a sess, let''s continue to collect more soul vitality from this ce. If we encounter a stronger opponent like that elf earlier, can you nt your seed in her?" Jacob inquired.


    "I can, actually. They are all under restriction in this ce, so they don''t have their usual defense. Although I can''t nt the nightmare conquer seed within the beyond unique rank in the real world, things are not the same here. In fact, our goal should be to be the owner of this ce.


    "If I can take over this entire ce, I can annex this whole setup and integrate it with your nightmare dreamscape realm. Then all the benefits will belong to us." Nyx passionately stated her grand goal.


    Now that sheprehends just how easy it was to trick others into willingly giving away their souls, she would naturally want to do it herself. Furthermore, this entire ce was built after a very long time, so taking over it was far easier than building one herself. But she needs strength even to begin working towards this goal.


    "I like your enthusiasm, but I don''t think it would be so easy just to take over this ce. Don''t forget to make it a reality. We need those pods and an organization like the Dark City with numerous members working for us.


    "If I''m not wrong, this dreamscape realm might belong to the true leader of the Dark City, or I don''t think they''ll be doing this when the danger is far too great if they get exposed. If we evere closer to taking over this ce, we need the strength to overtake this person''s authority in real life as well.


    "Or all we''ll get is an empty husk. There are too manyplex factors involved in this n. So, we can''t be greedy. Let''s focus on the benefits at hand. Don''t forget we can''t be discovered by this ce''s owner, or the consequence of that will be unimaginable." Jacob sternly warned.


    Although Nyx''s proposal was very inciting, the reality was entirely different. If he pissed off this kind of existence, he might not even be able to keep his life. So, he was not going to put this n in motion until he waspletely confident in persevering his own life.


    "Tsk, tsk, here I thought the owner of the Universal Godly Scripture would be powerful. But I guess everyone is not the same." Nyx muttered with indignation as she felt like she was being tricked by Jacob.


    "What was that?" Jacob coldly asked.


    "Nothing! I''ll follow your arrangement since our lives are connected now." Nyx quickly changed the subject.


    "Hmph." Jacob scoffed; he knew only now that Nyx realized the difference between the one who captured her and him.


    That person might''ve alreadypletely inherited her Universal Godly Scripture while he was still stuck in the first phase. Although he didn''t know if all the remaining Universal Godly Scriptures were the same as the Cursed Immortality, he was sure they wouldn''t be any worse or, in fact, they might be more powerful.


    So, he didn''t want to get involved with any of them until he had the power to protect himself.


    Afterward, Jacob continued the battles, and his next opponent turned out to be a weak goblin, which he killed with one strike. Nyx absorbed its soul vitality.


    Soon, Jacob was on his tenth win streak, and the next match was going to be the Betting Match.


    Just as Jacob orders to search for the next opponent, Dark Rose announces something new.


    "Your next match is your 11th match after your 10 Kill Winning Streak!


    "Your next match will be your First Ranking Match of the Iron League!


    "A Betting Pool has been opened.


    "Searching for Opponents¡­"


    This time, it took a full five minutes before the next opponent appeared.


    "Opponent has been discovered!


    "me Cmity is entering the Arena!


    "Match starts in 10 Seconds!"


    When Jacob saw this person, his eyes narrowed because it was a ten-meter-tall giant with a full body glistering crimson scales armor over his body, and he was holding a long bone spear.


    But this giant''s most distinguished feature was the pair of white curling horns filled with crimson runic markings, and his crimson eyes were of a bloodthirsty beast with two slit pupils. A pair of folded bat-like wings were behind him.


    Jacob could feel that this wasn''t a normal giant. In fact, only its size matched that of a giant, while its other features werepletely different. This ''giant'' belonged to a race he had never encountered.


    He also saw the giant''s battle record of 10 Wins/ 0 Losses, just like himself. This means that this person was also new, like him.


    The giant''s eyes shimmered coldly as he looked at Jacob, and a hint of anger shed past his eyes, "You lowly creature, you dare to make me raise my head?"


    Jacob was startled for a moment and didn''t know how to reply. But even if he knew, he wasn''t nning to since he could tell this guy was too proud and conceited, so anything said to him would have a different effect. He just coldly waits for the battle to start.


    Seeing Jacob was disregarding him, me Cmity became even more enraged, "Lowly being, you dare to reveal your position?! I''ll kill you with a signal breath for your insolence!"


    "How strong is he, and how long will it take for you to devour this guy''s dreamscape realm?" Jacob coldly inquired as he could sense this giant was not normal and was a special breed.


    "He''s seemed even stronger than that woman. If that''s the case, it would take me over half a year to slowly infiltrate his dreamscape realm and then a month or two to fully devour it." Nyx replied after mulling it over.


    Jacob eyes turned cold as he ordered, "nt a seed in him, this idiot is destined to die so no one will notice him gone. I don''t believe that someone would suspect me by the time youpletely devour his dreamscape realm. He''ll be quite nutritious."


    "Hehe, he''s really an eyesore. I''m quite confident that no one will suspect us after all. I have a feeling that the owner of this ce is not paying attention at all." Nyx happilyplied.


    At this moment, Dark Rose''s static voice rang, "Battle Starts!"

 Chapter 610 Flame Calamity (1)

    <h4>Chapter 610 me Cmity (1)</h4>


    The moment the battle starts, me Cmity doesn''t waste any time as he ispletely infuriated because of Jacob''s indifference towards him. He was someone with an extremely high status, and his race was noble among nobles!


    He was revered by everyone and treated like a king wherever he went, and people trembled under his presence.


    After conquering his own domain, he was extremely bored, so he joined the Dark City for one reason, and that was the Dark Battle Arena, where he could fight opponents from other gxies.


    Today was his first day, but he was extremely disappointed when he found that the people here were all weaklings, just like in his home. But he continued since people had assured him that the high-level leagues had extremely strong people who could curb his boredom.


    But Jacob''s presence gave him a feeling of disgust for some reason, and after seeing Jacob''s attitude, he was even angrier, so he wanted to kill him for real. s, he couldn''t do that here, so he was nning on defeating Jacob by toying with him, unlike his previous opponents, who were killed without even lifting a finger.


    "Burn in Hell Fire, you inferior overgrown ant!" me Cmity coldly uttered, and the next moment, the one-mile area around suddenly turned aze in golden crimson fire, which was extremely hot and could turn anything into ashes!


    Jacob was slightly surprised since this magic spell was extremely overbearing, and its rage was vast, unlike any normal epic spell.


    Furthermore, as a fire user himself, Jacob could sense that me Cmity''s fire had a special trait in it, unlike normal fire, and it was extremely dangerous.


    Even he felt threatened by those mes, and he knew if he didn''t take care of this guy quickly, he might really lose.


    So, Jacob moved while covering himself in ayer of water, and he wanted to kill this guy with pure physical force. He could tell he was not using his full force, which might be his downfall.


    "Hmph, good n, but you''re overestimating yourself if you think you can contend against me in frontal confrontation!" me Cmity sneered as his lips rose in a disdainful smile, revealing her razor-sharp teeth.


    He thrust his bone spear, rolling in golden crimson mes toward Jacob''s chest as he wanted to send him flying.


    But what happened next was surprising for both Jacob and me Cmity.


    Jacob shed his sword from the side to change the spear trajectory and made an opening for his other sword to cut me Cmity''s sword.


    However, the moment his sword shed with the spearhead, Jacob was shocked because the physical prowess behind the spear was no less than his own.


    A huge st urred, and both of them took a few steps back because of the shock wave.


    "You have some brawn; it seemed it won''t be over in an instant! Now, don''t disappoint me by getting killed after this strike!" me Cmity''s eyes shimmered with a hint of cruel excitement.


    He moved with a sh and lunged toward Jacob while swinging his spear, creating an arc like a crescent moon, "me Dragon, Break the Mountain!"


    A huge w-like image suddenly manifested over the iing spear, giving off ming killing intent.


    Jacob''s eyes contorted as he could feel this attack wasn''t something he could block with a signal hand and with just magic.


    But sensing the iing danger, Jacob didn''t feel fear; instead, he felt his blood begin to boil again as ecstasy washed over his body. He knew this attack wasn''t just backed by magic power and physical strength. Instead, it was a martial art of spear.


    This was probably the first opponent he was facing who also excelled in martial arts. Furthermore, me Cmity demonstrates how martial arts were mixed with magic.


    It was the true Combat Magic, which only the Zodiac Warrior Alliance excelled in, but me Cmity was in a league of his own when it came tobat magic.


    He was forced to use his own martial art he had learned from his old world and had a sudden inspiration seeing the phantom of a giant w behind the spear.


    The time seemed to have slowed down as his mana suddenly channeled into his swords and began to rise like blue mes.


    Jacob suddenly crossed his swords like open scissors, ''Deceptive Swords Style, First Rotation!''


    A huge sh of golden crimson and blue energies happened, and ghastly shock waves spread around both of them.


    The ground under Jacob''s feet suddenly cracked as a huge pressure like a mountain was weighing down on him. But his eyes shimmered with excitement as he was in a deadlock with me Cmity''s spear as powerful mana was gushing out while Jacob was blocking with his own.


    me Cmity''s eyes widened when he saw Jacob standing tall under his spear, and he had blocked it even. This means his physical strength was on par with him despite his bloodline.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly lets his second sword rotate down, and the spear suddenly slides down while his other sword is free. ''Deceptive Swords Style, Second Rotation!''


    The rming bell rang in me Cmity''s mind, and at this moment, Jacob''s other sword suddenly turned into a blue streak as he made a sh upward!


    "me st!" me Cmity was able to react quickly. A small me st suddenly urred at his spear tip, and his falling figure suddenly sted back.


    However, Jacob''s sword was fast as it already brushed past me Cmity''s left cheek.


    By the time me Cmitynded, a deep cut on the other half of his face was visible as blood began to stream down.


    me Cmity felt hot liquid on the left side of the face with a piercing, burning sensation. It was a pain that he had forgotten for a very long time.


    He touched his wound, and seeing the blood on his hand, he muttered in disbelief, "I was wounded?"


    "You shouldn''t avert your eyes in a battle!" Jacob''s ghostly voice rang as he appeared in front of and hacked his swords horizontally and virtually. Moreover, both of them were rotating at extremely high speeds.


    ''Deceptive Swords Style, Clockwise; Pandemonium!''


    A sense of death enveloped me Cmity for the first in his thousands of years of existence as his eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared, "Presumptuous! Beast Transformation!"


    When both swords were going to decapitate me Cmity into pieces, his giant body suddenly released crimson light, and his body size suddenly began to grow, and the shape began to change.


    Jacob was astounded, although his swords indeed connected to me Cmity, but because of his abrupt transformation and the mysterious power behind it, they weren''t able to take his life.


    This was a very peculiar situation, and he quickly jumped back while his swords stopped rotating as he looked at me Cmity, whose body was now changing. He had a feeling that this giant wasn''t simple at all, and after fighting him, he knew he was too strong for a giant.


    Now, witnessing his body suddenly transforming, he knew there was something more to me Cmity, and his race was not giant. When the me Cmity transformation was over, his theory became correct.


    At this moment, in front of him, a majestic beast over 20 meters in size with golden crimson scales over his reptile-like body, his giant ws connected to his huge crimson wings.


    The horns over his head were shimmering in crimson runes while his beastly eyes were filled with killing intent and a hint of humiliation.


    Jacob instantly recognized this beast because he had encountered it in the past, but not like this, as this one in front of him was far, far more terrifying, and most importantly, it was awake!


    ''A Wyvern!''

 Chapter 611 Flame Calamity (2)

    Chapter 611 me Cmity (2)


    Jacob was shocked to see the legendary wyvern at its full glory. Thest Wyvern he had killed in the Dark Ruins of the Rare ins Trial was sleeping, and ording to Immortika, it was an infant at extraordinary rank! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    But this Wyvern seemed to be very close to achieving adulthood. A Wyvern has four growth stages: Infant, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It was born extraordinary, became epic in childhood, reached unique in adolescence, and Fable Legendary in adulthood!


    Moreover, it was the true descend of the Mythical Dragon!


    Furthermore, Jacob had never expected that an adolescent Wyvern could also take humanoid form. Not only that, but it could learn martial arts and possess terrifying abilities. Now Jacob finally understood why he thought that this me Cmity wasn''t a giant and its special features were so different from a traditional giant. It revealed its true form only when he was about to kill me Cmity.


    This kind of experience couldn''t be experienced just anywhere. The Dark Battle Arena has really given Jacob many surprises. me Cmity looked at Jacob with killing intent in its fiery eyes, "Are you a Mortal Giant?" For the first time, it didn''t speak with disdain but as an equal to Jacob. As someone invisible in the lesser gxies, there weren''t many opponents that could force him to the brink of death. He had fought and killed many giants in his journey, so he was sure that Jacob''s bloodline was at least equal to his own. The only giant race that could contend with the Wyvern Race was the Mortal Giant, which had the same life stages as the Wyvern Race. The Mortal Giant race was blessed with terrifying physical prowess andbat ability, and they were very hard to kill. One of their most terrifying innate traits was the more they fought and pushed to the brink of death, the more powerful they became. But this race was even rarer than the Wyvern Race because they didn''t have high intelligence at birth, and only when they reached adolescence could they awaken their intellect. That''s why me Cmity thought that Jacob was a Mortal Giant since, in its eyes, no other race can contend against the Wyvern in physical strength andbat form. However, it had seen the portrait of a Mortal Giant in an ancient script, so me Cmity was thinking that Jacob had altered his features to look like a normal giant. Jacob was also surprised when he heard this question. Although he wasn''t a mortal giant, he consumed its heart and awakened its terrifying physical trait, the Mortal Danger Sense!


    This ability allows Jacob to sense life-threatening danger two seconds before its arrival. Although this wasn''t much, it was an extremely useful ability in certain circumstances, and this was proof of the might of a mortal giant. However, he didn''t think even a Wyvern would consider a Mortal Giant an equal. This discovery was quite astounding. Still, Jacob was now quite curious about this Wyvern as well, and now that he had ordered to plunder his dreamscape realm, he knew a massive boon wasing. This Wyvern was destined to die without even knowing why. "What if I am?" Jacob questioned coldly. me Cmity''s eyes narrowed as he huffed, spitting mes from his nostrils, "Good, you are worthy of me fighting you with my full power. I''ve heard the Mortal Giants also have a Combat Form. So, I advised you to reveal your true form, or it''d be a pity if I killed you before I could experience the true prowess of a Mortal Giant''s Combat Form." Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly as this new information was quite shocking, ''It seemed I''m still nowhere near understanding the races of the Zodiac ins¡­'' He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Which gxy do you belong to? Are there many like you?" me Cmity replied, "Hmph since you''re a worthy opponent that I''ve acknowledged, I''ll answer you. I''m from the Lesser Grand Absolute Gxy of Gemini''s Unique ins. The only Dark Prince of Dark City and strongest being, me Cmity!" ''So, the other lesser gxies also seemed to have the same ins-type ranking, huh? Furthermore, this Dark Prince rank seemed to be above the Dark Duke, and ording to my knowledge, there isn''t any Dark Prince Rank Dark Noble in Lesser Grand Absolute Gxy of Taurus. ''There only exists a Dark Duke, or there is a Dark Prince, and the Dark City is hiding its existence. If this dark prince rank dark noble is like this me Cmity, then I should be careful.'' Jacob thought before he asked another question, "Do you know about the Path of Legend?" This was the most important question he wanted the answer to, and since this was the true reason, he entered the Dark Battle Arena. Since this me Cmity was talking, he had to get the answer to this question or at least some clue. But at this moment, me Cmity''s eyes suddenly went wide when he heard Jacob''s question and agitatedly asked, "The Path of Legend has been revealed in your gxy?! Where are you from? And when was it discovered!? Did the key is in your hand!?" Jacob was surprised by this sudden change in emotion and all those questions with many clues. One thing was clear: this me Cmity knew about the path of legend and seemed very agitated about it. Jacob thought for a moment before he replied, "I can''t tell where I''m from because of some personal reason. But I can tell you that the Path of Legend was revealed in our side''s Unique ins Trial almost a decade ago by someone else. ording to my information, the Path of Legend will be revealed in a century. As for the key, we are still searching for it. "If you have any information about this path of legend, I can trade with you in ZC if possible." He probed. me Cmity''s eyes widened even more, "This¡­ it seemed that I have to enter the Unique ins Trial as well. You have no idea just how huge this information is, and it''s very important to me. If not for you, I''d have missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    "Since you gave me this precious information, as the member of the Dragon Race who always paid their debts, I''ll tell you what I know about the path of legend, also known as the Road to Legendary Rank!"

 Chapter 612 Road to Legendary Rank

    Chapter 612 Road to Legendary Rank


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered when me Cmity agreed to reveal the information about the Path of Legend. Although they were still amidst the battle, there were no time limits or restrictions there, so they could speak as long as they wanted. He had already gotten the crucial information about the importance of the key that he had yet to retrieve, so all that was left was the knowledge of the path of legend. me Cmity spoke, "Since you are a Mortal Giant, you probably know that the rank above unique is Legendary Rank. But no one told anyone that there are three steps of the legend between the two ranks. "However, even these three steps of legend merely gave others the qualification to content for the Legendary Rank. In the Lesser ins or Lesser Gxies, no one can achieve Legendary Rank no matter how much talent or what bloodline they have; it is one of the absolutews of the Zodiac ins'' lesser gxies. "Because to be a legendary rank, one needed something called a Legendary Vestige. So, there are only two ways to achieve the Legendary Rank. The first and simplest is to ascend to the Middle Gxies and find a Legendary Vestige. "But for those who are born in the lesser gxies, it is nigh impossible since ascending from lesser to middle gxies for one needed to cross the Star Ocean''s Universal Void, which is filled with terrifying existences that even legendary ranks would perish if they tried to cross it. "So, this left us all with only one route, the Path of Legend. But the Path of Legend only appeared once in a blue moon in a Unique ins Trial, and even then, we all need to rely on ourselves to find its existence, as the SAAI never announced it until someone finally triggered it. Not to mention, when someone triggers it, the time period will start for everyone. "What I know is whenever a Path of Legend appears in a lesser gxy, the other gxies will have the path of legend hidden in their trials. But if someone triggered it, the time limit for the Path of Legend will start for all the lesser gxies. "So, by the time the path of legend opens and if some lesser gxy has still yet to discover it, they will miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. That''s why you''re revealing this information to me is a huge favor, or I might''ve had rotten away in the lesser gxy." me Cmity''s eyes shimmered withplicated emotions as he looked at the giant who was extremely disdainful a few minutes ago. If not for Jacob''sck of information, he might''ve died from regret. me Cmity continued, "Anyhow, as I said before, the Path of Legend opened for every lesser gxy, which means in this ce, all the natives of the twelve lesser gxies gathered together and contended for Twelve Legendary Gxy Vestige!" Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "Twelve? Do you mean to say that there are only twelve legendary vestiges to go around? Furthermore, you said Legendary ''Gxy'' Vestige. Are these vestiges different from the middle gxies?" me Cmity nodded, "Indeed, for twelve gxies, there are just twelve legendary gxy vestiges, and you are right. These vestiges are indeed different. I happened to stumbled upon a terrifying being''s records rted to the Path of Legend in the past, so I know about this. "ording to that being, the vestiges of the twelve gxies are somewhat special and far more powerful than the vestiges that exist in the middle gxies. There were no more details about it, but from what I found, a legendary rank being born from a legendary gxy vestige should be ten times or even more powerful than a legendary being born from a middle gxy legendary vestige!


    "That''s why the rulers of the Middle Gxies always somehow sent their own descends to content against the people of the lesser gxies for those twelve gxy vestiges!


    "That person described the Path of Legend as the Path of Carnage where even the strong would die, and they are the yground for the Middle Gxies people!" me Cmity''s eyes were filled with viciousness when he spoke about this. How could a noble existence like himself ept being the ything and stepping stones for others? Jacob was also shocked as this discovery was really startling and terrifying at the same time. ''It seemed those twelve vestiges are really precious. Only this could move the people of the middle gxies. I need toplete the first phase somehow before the path of legend will open!'' Jacob clenched the hits of his swords. Although this was dangerous, Jacob knew he might only have this chance to enter the middle gxies, or who knows how long it would take for the next path of legend to appear. "The Path of Legend can appear anywhere in the lesser gxies; it is not fixed, and the only way to track it down is the Legendary Key. Without it, even if someone finds the Path of Legend, they will never be able to enter it because the Legendary Key is the only way to open it! "Not only that but whoever had the Legendary Key would have some huge advantage over everyone else who could enter with an entrance token known as the Star Ocean Medallion. "But the important thing is, whoever had the legendary key will also be the target of everyone, especially those outsiders from the middle gxies. The Legendary Key is very strange as its location can be tracked down, so whoever holds it bes everyone''s enemy. "So, I suggest you find it and then hide its existence from those with the medallions since they can''t use it without knowing the location of the path of legend. So, the fewer people enter, the better. Or you can always snatch all the medallions from others.


    "The Star Ocean Medallions are scattered all over the Unique ins'' Star Ocean and can only be found with some luck. The other way is toplete the Epic ins Trail solo, which is almost impossible. But the medallion of the epic trails also seemed to have some advantage over the other medallions found in the unique ins'' star ocean. "This is all I know about the Path of Legend. Now, let''s finish our fight; I need to enter the Unique ins Trial to search for the Legendary Key. We might meet in the Path of Legend next time, and if you can defeat me, I''m willing to team up with you to take care of those goddam outsiders who think of us as livestock to ughter!" me Cmity sincerely stated. Jacob finally got all the information that they wanted, albeit still somewhat iplete, especially the part about the advantage over others with the legendary key or the medallion. But this was enough for him to prepare. Looking at me Cmity, he couldn''t help but sigh, ''You might not be alive until the path of legend opens, but I''m grateful for this information, so this information I gave you can be considered the payment. With this, I have one less powerful opponent to worry about¡­'' Jacob suddenly smiled faintly as it was icy and cruel, "Alright, let''s get on with it!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 613 A Bygone Shadow

    <h4>Chapter 613 A Bygone Shadow</h4>


    me Cmity didn''t waste time as his eyes turned aze, "Still not going to take yourbat form. Let''s see how long you can continue to hold back, Hell Fire Domain!"


    Jacob suddenly felt an rm ringing in his mind as he quickly retreated when the temperature around me Cmity began to rise like crazy.


    In a hundred-meter radius, dark crimson mes began to ze, reaching thirty meters height like an inferno. me Cmity''s bodypletely vanished within as he seemed to have be one of the mes.


    This was the most powerful innate ability of the Fire Wyvern, the Fire Domain. me Cmity was almost invisible in this domain as it became one with fire, and no physical attacks could hurt him.


    The dragons were rumored to be the favorite children of magic with no equal, and the Wyvern Race was not far off either. This kind of domain ability was extremely rare, and only a few races possessed them, or they didn''t have the talent toprehend them.


    Now, Jacob can''t do physical damage as this battle turned into a battle of pure magic, and to kill me Cmity, he had to extinguish the fire domain first. Still, this domain-type ability exhausts huge amounts of mana, so as long as he can hold off, me Cmity would be exhausted soon. He can only use this domain for 80 seconds if he doesn''t use any other magic-rted spells.


    But how could he give Jacob such a chance?


    There was another function of a domain type ability. The owner could manipte the domain element freely at will. me Cmity''s fire element was a growth-type element, which gave him the edge over everyone.


    Just as Jacob was still mulling over this situation, hundreds of crimson chains of me shot out from the fire domain and viciously moved toward Jacob.


    ''What kind of ability is this¡­'' Jacob knew if he didn''t go all out, he would be the one losing the portion of his soul, which was uneptable to him.


    After all, he didn''t want any future troubles because of this. Even if this injury were heble, he had a feeling that the matters of soul couldn''t be taken lightly, so he was not going to lose because he didn''t want to show his true prowess.


    ''Fire sh!''


    Green mes gushed out of his body as he instantly vanished from his spot, leaving behind a me figure like him. This magic spell would use his fire magic to create an afterimage of fire while sending the user a few meters away from its initial position.


    The me chains ended up sting the fire afterimage of Jacob, and me Cmity''s bewildered voice rang, "Dual elements! You can also use Fire as well, and your fire seemed to be mutant among fire¡­ a growth-type core¡­ how can that be? A dual-element body was only a myth. Just who are you, Dictator!"


    Jacob appeared a few meters away, heard me Cmity''s disbelieving remark, and was somewhat astounded, ''So, my fire is also a special kind like me Cmity''s; no wonder its color is different, and its temperature is higher than normal fire element fires. I should investigate it further, and I need to be more careful to use dual magic in front of others in the future.''


    Despite his surprise, me Cmity quickly recovered, "You are the worthiest opponent I''ve encountered in my entire life, and that''s why crushing you will be the biggest achievement before I enter the path of legend!


    "I''m going to use all my magic in a signal spell; this will decide victory or defeat. Dictator, I hope you can give me another surprise."


    The me domain suddenly churned at this moment, and the me suddenly began to rise as the temperature increased even more. The surroundings were beginning to melt, turning into moltenva.


    Jacob''s eyes contorted as he had a very dangerous feeling about it, and at this moment, a strange scene shed past his eyes when a me dragon suddenly closed its massive jaws on him, turning him into ashes¡­


    It was a vision of death!


    A chill went down Jacob''s spin because when he snapped out of that sudden scene, ''That was Mortal Danger Sense!''


    At this moment, me Cmity''s eerie voice reverberated, "Forbidden Spell, Hell Dragon Cmity!"


    Just as his voice trailed off, the fire domain suddenly took the shape of a massive dragon head as crimson mes were burning ferociously on it. Like an arrow, it shot toward Jacob before opening its ming jaw, revealing nothing but a burning inferno. The temperature was as high as the sun; everything in its path turned into cinders!


    For the first time, Jacob felt death iing; just from this, one could easily feel this ce was far from being just a virtual reality. Furthermore, since the Mortal Danger Sense was triggered, it means this death might have serious consequences.


    But Jacob didn''t have another that could match this ghastly magic spell. Even if he used everything he had, he knew he wouldn''t be able to avoid it as he felt like he was being locked by something. This was the first time he saw a forbidden spell in action, as he had only read about it in a book within the witch''s pce.


    Just as death was inevitable, Jacob suddenly felt his blood begin to rage as if something triggered it as massive power poured into his body out of nowhere.


    Something suddenly ticked in his mind as the fear of the iing death suddenly vanished, and he felt extremely powerful.


    Instinctively, Jacob suddenly raised his two rotating swords in two different directions and shed them, ''Deceptive Swords Style, Anti-Clockwise; Pandemonium!''


    Something unimaginable happened; both swords suddenly released strange whistling cries before two pitch-ck sword lights materialized in the air. The sword lights were extremely tyrannical like they wanted to cut apart the world.


    Not only that, but Jacob didn''t know that behind him, a vague shadow, so gigantic that its height couldn''t be measured, appeared for a split second before vanishing.


    The two pitch-ck sword lights suddenly shed past the massive dragon-head when it was about to devour Jacob.


    The time seemed to havee to a standstill when the crimson dragon head suddenly shimmered in pitch-ck light, and the next moment, it cut into myriad pieces.


    ''Boommmm¡­''


    A huge explosion rang as the giant dragon head vanished, revealing me Cmity''s figure, which split into countless pieces. At this moment, its eyes were filled with horror as he looked at Jacob, who still seemed to be in a trance.


    He wanted to say something, but his mouth turned into pieces before he vanished with a light.


    "Congrattions to Dictator on your 11th arena victory!


    "You have sessfullypleted your 11 Kill Winning Streak!


    "You have won your First Ranking Match of the Iron League and entered the top 1000th Iron Arena Rankings!


    "Arena League Ranking list has been unlocked!


    "Your Iron League Arena Rank is 998th!


    "The Betting Pool has been closed!


    "Calcting your final reward¡­


    "755 Dark Credits has been added to your ount!


    "Your (Faceless Ancient) Dark Credit: 1770


    "Do you want to search for another opponent?"


    Jacob finally snapped out of that strange state with Dark Rose''s voice and muttered, "What just happened?!"

 Chapter 614 Whiteness

    <h4>Chapter 614 Whiteness</h4>


    Far away from the Lesser Grand Absolute Gxy of Taurus, within a massive luxurious room, a dark pod suddenly opened, revealing a giant figure with a gloomy look on his handsome yet fierce face; it was none other than me Cmity.


    "What the hell was thatst move? Was it a forbidden magic of the Mortal Giant Race? No, it was maybe the legendary totem¡­ but how could he make a totem while still in the unique rank? Could it be because he had dual magic core¡­"


    The more he thought about Jacob''s final attack that raised him into mincemeat, the more he felt cold chills on his spine and a lingering fear ovee his heart.


    "Dictator¡­ I wonder which gxy he is from. I can''t get his information even with my current dark noble rank as long as he''s not within the same gxy. But we are bound to encounter each other, and I have to win him over or at least stay out of his way!


    "I was too arrogant. I have to train again before the path of legend opens!" me Cmity''s eyes shimmered with a hint of resolution before he suddenly frowned as a sense of weakness overcame his mind.


    "Tsk, this virtual battlefield can really take a toll on one mind; Dark Rose wasn''t lying. But why do I feel this peculiar feeling? Maybe I''m too tired." Nodding at this own conjecture, he coldly ordered, "Dark Rose, summon my daughter and son here. Tell them I''m taking them out for training, so hurry up!"


    At this moment, me Cmity didn''t know that after four years, the same most memorable days of life would be the day of his death!


    ---


    At the same time, somewhere within the middle gxies was a mystical ce filled with flying cities of the size ofs and unimaginable scenery like a paradise.


    In the center of this ce was a-sized angelic temple, and its walls were twinkling with countless stars as someone had made it with the starry sky itself.


    In the center of this angelic temple was an endless white space, and floating in the middle of this whiteness was a throne made with golden holy light, and a hominoid white figure of light was sitting over it with a golden crown on its head.


    But right at this moment, the seemingly endless white space suddenly tore apart, revealing a ck hole, and the next moment, a meteorite in zing white mes fell a few hundred meters away from the light throne.


    "What!?" A voice that could make anyone''s soul explode reverberated before the figure of light suddenly opened its eyes, which were actually like a spiral; anyone gazing at them would fall into enteral demines!


    "Ah, I''ve finally managed to cross that sted void!" Azy yet ecstatic voice suddenly rang before the white zing meteorite suddenly began to twist and reshape.


    Soon, the meteorite took the appearance of a small child around the age of 7 or 8 with an extremely adorable baby face and long white hair. Still, there were mystical markings engraved on the side of his neck containing countless mysteries within.


    Furthermore, the child''s eyes werepletely white without any irises or pupils, and he was wearing a white suit with golden embroidery of myriad beasts, which seemed to be almost alive.


    The child appeared very innocent, but the light figure didn''t dare to think of this thing as a child as the ck hole in the middle of the white space was still there, and only it was begging to heal.


    "Who are you!?" The light figure asked with vignce as its spiral eyes seemed to be revolving. It wanted to see through this child, but a hint of shock shed past his eyes because all he could see was infinite dark mist.


    The child looked at the light figure, and his childish eyes went sharp before he suddenly revealed his white teeth, which were like a wolf''s; he greeted with a nonchnt attitude, "You should be a descendant of the Holy Race. I''m Whiteness."


    The light figure''s eyes shed with surprise when it heard ''Holy Race'' and became somewhat afraid of this child now.


    Although this light figure was one of few who could cause unimaginable destruction, even the light figure didn''t feel confident in handling this intruder, who appeared to be a harmless child.


    Because this ce was one of the most secure locations in the entire middle gxies, this person was able toe here by easily tearing apart space. Even the light figure wasn''t capable of that, and most importantly, he knows about its race and yet is still so nonchnt about it.


    "Can I ask why you trespass in my dwelling?" The light figure asked with a somewhat reserved tone. It clearly didn''t want to attack without full confidence, or this ce might get destroyed.


    "Oh, it was indeed rude of me, but I need your help in a matter. So, after asking a friend, I found that there is a descendant of the Holy Race in the middle gxies who had awakened the Inner Espy and cultivated it to the Intermediate Stage.


    "I never thought there was a talent like you within the middle gxies. It''s a pity that the bridge is still closed. But don''t worry, your ancestor already noticed you long ago and is very pleased with you.


    "Tsk, that old fox even asked me to deliver you to him just for giving me some directions. Anyway, as long as you perform well, I can take you back with me. You are qualified enough." The child snickered yfully, with the look of an ancient monster in his white eyes.


    The light figure suddenly trembled when it heard that child''s unbelievable words, but the light figure didn''t think he was lying because its eyes could analyze the speech, and lying was impossible in front of the light figure.


    Although the light figure can''t see past this child''s background, the light figure can still analyze the speech as long as the other party isn''t trying to hide it or has that ability.


    Whiteness clearly wasn''t trying to hide it, as he was unstoppable within the middle gxies.


    "I-is it true? Why didn''t Ancestor contact me?" The light figure agitatedly asked, still somewhat in disbelief.


    Whiteness chuckled, "Well, it''s the same reason the middle gxies can''t contact the lesser gxies without paying an exorbitant price. Kiddo, the Universal Void is not just for show, especially the universal void that leads to the lesser gxies, so don''t me your ancestor.


    "Now tell me if you''re going to help me or not. Although it would be a hassle without you, it''s not like I can''t do without you." Whiteness nonchntly asked with an innocent yet sly smile.


    Suddenly, the light figure''s eyes went wide as it was only able to think clearly now, ''H-he said he knows about me, an old friend¡­ didn''t this mean he''s someone on the same level as my ancestor!?''


    Just thinking about it made the light figure tremble and excited at the same time as the next moment. It vanished from its light throne and appeared right in front of Whiteness.


    The light figure suddenly begins to change, and its gigantic form also shrinks down until it is only two meters tall. The next moment, the light figure suddenly turned into an extremely charming woman with long golden hair, pale skin, pointy ears, and, of course, spiral eyes. She was wearing long golden robes and looked like a queen.


    She quickly bowed in front of Whiteness and respectfully greeted, "Please forgive Eliza''s previous offense, as I wasn''t aware of your noblesse''s exalted status. Eliza and my Cardinal Spirit Temple will be at your noblesse''s beck and call. Please order us without hesitation!"


    Whiteness nodded in satisfaction, seeing Eliza''s current attitude like an elder, "Not bad, no wonder that old fox has such a favorable impression of you, and you could awake the espy eyes after millions of years of thest bearer.


    "Alright, Eliza, I don''t need you to move your forces as my matter has nothing to do with the middle gxies. I won''t interfere with your matters unless you, and only you, are on the brink of dying. That is only until we leave this ce.


    "Instead, I want to use your inner espy to calcte a matter for me, and then I want you to prepare some materials and some of your faction''s most outstanding quasi-legendary rank juniors." Whitenessmand startled Eliza.


    "The others are small matters. What does Noblesse need me to calcte?" Eliza quickly asked without hesitation.


    Whiteness, for the first time, released a faint chilly aura, making even Eliza tremble before he said, "Simple, I need to hunt a heretical rat. But this rat is hiding somewhere in the lesser gxies, and even I can''t enter there with those ancient abominations in the universal void.


    "So, I want you to calcte the exact time the Path of Legend will open, and then I''ll create an ancient altar and send your people in the path of legend with it. With my help, as long as they can collect all the twelve legendary gxy vestiges and use that ancient altar, I''ll be able to enter the lesser gxies!"

 Chapter 615 An Ownerless Land

    <h4>Chapter 615 An Ownerless Land</h4>


    The dark pod opened within the dark room of Dark Viscount Estate, revealing Jacob''s figure. He opened his eyes before he rose from the pod and sat there with a contemted look on his face.


    After his fight with me Cmity, he didn''t continue the matches and exited the arena. He was still somewhat baffled about what happened at thest moment since he only remembered something oveing his mind, and he felt boundless power surging through his body. Then he used the Deceptive Swords Style''s second killer move, the Anti-Clockwise, Pandemonium on instinct, and everything was over.


    Furthermore, he could tell something changed within his mind after that battle as he was calmer, and his mind was clearer.


    ''That was definitely Fighting Giant Spirit. What kind of aspect is this? The more I fight on the verge of death, the more powerful I be; those weren''t empty words.


    ''If I can enter that state on will, even someone like me Cmity would die, but that is under the condition I''m at the same power level as them. That Wyvern was probably at the Quasi Legendary Rank in reality, so even if I entered that state, I might die from that forbidden spell.'' Jacob mused with a hint of gloom.


    As far as Jacob knows, the Forbidden Spells were something that can''t be taught, and only those with extremely powerful bloodlines can awake them upon reaching a certain level of power.


    The Forbidden Spells grant the user extreme power at the cost of their life force or something equal, and the stronger the forbidden spell, the harsher the cost to activate it. They were thest resort, and no one would use them easily.


    me Cmity probably used it because he thought it wasn''t real life, or he would''ve never used it unless he was in life a life-and-death situation, or even then, he might''ve chosen to flee instead of using it.


    Jacob only got this much information from the witch pce; even the witch queen had never seen a forbidden spell.


    But now that Jacob had experienced it himself and even managed to counter it. That''s why Jacob was shocked and wanted to figure out how he did it.


    Then, there was another thing that Jacob was quite dissatisfied about; he summoned cursed immortality and coldly questioned, "You should probably know what just transpired, right? I want to ask you if my fluid eleration is connected with you. Why was it not emted in that ce if it isn''t?"


    Jacob was extremely vexed about this situation because if his most used abilities were all connected to cursed immortality, what if someday he fell under some situation where cursed immorality would be blocked? Didn''t this mean he would die?


    But then, if all his abilities were connected to cursed immortality, why was the Fighting Giant Spirit copied? Was there some difference in soul? He was very curious about it and knew the answer might be useful for his future.


    Now, he wanted to quickly raise his power since he knew what the Path of Legend actually was and its significance.


    Immortikaughed like usual before replying, "Hehe¡­ there is a simple answer to your question. The fluid eleration is connected to your heart; you only awakened it because your heart mutated. As long as your cursed heart can''t be emted, anything rted to it will also be lost.


    "But let me tell you, it is absolutely impossible to emte something rted to a Universal Godly Scripture unless you have the power to break those limitations ced on you. Simply put, as long as you are strong, nothing will be able to restrain you! So, I would suggest you don''t court your own death¡­ but it''s not like I don''t like it, hahahaha!"


    Realization dawns on him now: "Power to be unrestrained, huh? Then, do you have some opinion on the way I found to make my soul stronger? Would it work in my favor, and I can finally control the Eyes of Judge?" He asked the most important thing he wanted to know, and only Immortika could judge it. No one else could.


    "Took you long enough to figure it out yourself. It is indeed a good way to make progress with your Eyes of Judge. The stronger your soul, the longer you''ll be able to keep your eyes active until they can fully incorporate with you and rece your eyes. But there is still a long way to go until that happens¡­hehe."


    Jacob had a sigh of relief, but he was also somewhat depressed since it was clear Immortika knew about it long ago, yet it never bothered to tell him. This was the only thing he hated about this cursed book.


    "What about the Fighting Giant Spirit? Especially what happened in the end? Is this also rted to the soul?" Jacob asked solemnly.


    "You are right and wrong at the same time. I can''t tell you much; it will only halt your progress. But all I can say is you are on the right path." Immortika ambiguously wrote.


    Although Jacob was dissatisfied a little, he still got the answer, so it wasn''t all in vain. He knew this was the extent of information he could get from Immortika, and it was already more than enough for him to work on.


    Lastly, he asked, "What about that dreamscape realm? What kind of entity does it belong to, and what is its power level? Would I be in danger if I continued to plunder from it? And don''t you dareugh it off! This is important since you know I can''t go against someone of that level yet." His tone was grave.


    Although Nyx had assured him they would be fine, he wasn''tpletely confident until he heard it from Immortika. After all, a person who could create that dreamscape realm had to be a terrifying existence, and Nyx was nowhere near the level ofpletely measuring this person''s depth.


    Even if he could get strong souls like me Cmity''s in there, if there were even the slightest chance that it would grab that person''s attention, he would stop it since his life was more important than strengthening his soul.


    Immortika suddenly burst into wantonughter before writing, "Truth be told, even I''m somewhat surprised by this method. Since it''s already under the rules, I can tell you a little, but only a little.


    "You see, that dreamscape realm''s owner can''t pay attention to you even if it wanted to because that dreamscape realm is iplete and only a small part of theplete realm.


    "Simply put, whoever did this, their n was ingenious, but to make it happen, they had to split a part of their own soul and then sneak it into the lesser ins because this person''s true power is far above the level of lesser ins which the absolutews of the Zodiac ins can''t tolerate.


    "If I go into detail, it would take a very long time, and you might not even understand the principles behind it. So, I''ll give you a simple example: Consider this dreamscape realm as a farm that could create an endless supply of crops and have a natural hidden storage to store them.


    "But the farm is on thend of a feudal lord, and the farmer is a foreigner who didn''t have his permission to use it, yet he still dared to use it sneakily. But now, the sneaky farmer didn''t dare to harvest them because it would draw the attention of the feudal lord.


    "So, it is currently ownerless because the sneaky farmer is afraid of incurring the wrath of the true lord of thisnd, but it is only the case for that sneaky farmer. So anyone can grab it as long as they have the means to bypass the farmer''s spies and defenses. Do you get it? Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 616 A Plan of Abduction

    Chapter 616 A n of Abduction


    ??Within a day after Jacob entered the Dark City, the news reached all the dark nobles above the upper dark noble ranks. After all, a Dark Viscount was still a middle-rang dark noble within the unique dark city, and there were only 48 of them, including Jacob.


    As for the dark earls, there were 23 and 2 Dark Marquises with the highest authority within the Dark City. Most of the dark nobles were under these two dark marquises or had some connection with them.


    As for the position of the Dark Administrator, the Unique Dark City didn''t have one because there was only one Dark Administrator of the Unique ins, and that person was within the territory of the Dark City, the Dark Duke!


    At this moment, within the Dark Marquis Estate of Dark Marquis Jethro, which was ten times bigger than a Dark Viscount Estate and far morevish. There were only five such estates in the entire unique dark city.


    Sixth cloaked figures were sitting in a meeting room in front of a burly barbarian with runic tattoos on his face and long blond hair. He was d in ck robes, and his aura waspletely hidden; he was Dark Marquis Jethro¡ªone of the two highest authority dark nobles within the unique dark city.


    Dark Marquis Jethro was holding a wine ss in his hand. The look in his fierce eyes was sharp as he looked at those six cloaked figures.


    "So, you want me to help you grab this new Dark Viscount within his estate? Do you take the Dark City as a ce where you can grab anyone like some slums?" His cold voice was filled with ridicule as he sneered.


    The tallest among the cloaked figures, who was also a barbarian, replied coolly, "Brother Jethro, don''t worry; you should know as part of the organization, we always take precautions. Although it would be slightly difficult, it''s not impossible."


    His voice suddenly turned cold, "Besides, this is the order from the top, and as a fellow member, you are obliged to help the organization whenever it needs you. Or do you think all those resources and benefits you have been enjoying for decades are free? Don''t tell me your loyalty is faltering after all these years of afortable life of luxury within the Dark City?"


    Dark Marquis Jethro''s eyes shed with chilly glint when he heard those words. He knew his status was all thanks to the organization''s help, or with thepetition and the tight grip of the Dark City''s three duke ns, it was very difficult to ascend to the Dark Marquis position without pledging their loyalty to a Duke n first.


    Dark Marquis Jethro was one of the few who could still remain independent and got his position despite not joining a Dark Duke n first. It was all because of the organization behind him.


    But this is as far as he could go because he needed to go against all three Dark Duke ns to be a Dark Duke, which was nearly impossible. They left him alone because he didn''t show any ambition, or if he had dared to show interest in increasing his rank further, who knows what kind of ''ident'' he had met.


    Still, Dark Marquis Jethro enjoyed a very high status, and the resources of the Dark City were abundant, especially the allure of the Dark Battle Arena. That ce was excellent for bing strong and increasingbat capabilities.


    He wasn''t ready to give up on the Dark Battle Arena, but he knew if he refused, within a few hours, his status as a spy and not just any spy, but the spy from the ATLAS would be revealed.


    After that, not to mention the Dark City, all the powers within the Unique ins would hunt him down like a rabid dog, including ATLAS, whom he betrayed.


    This is the biggest reason ATLAS was never worried about their members betraying them because by associating with them, they would be the enemy of the Star Network by default, and they also made sure to keep proof of it.


    Dark Marquis Jethro was now in a simr situation; either he helped them, or he could kiss his kingly life goodbye. At least if heplied, he would still be a member of the ATLAS, and they had terrifying means to change his identity as well.


    So, it wasn''t so bad to give up on his current identity as long as he could keep living. He can always start anew with a new identity.


    Gritting his teeth, Dark Marquis Jethro replied, "I would never betray the organization and the kindness they had shown me. My everything belongs to the organization. What do you need me to do?"


    Faint snickers filled with mockery were heard from the six cloaked figures as if they were expecting this.


    The barbarian smiled faintly as he said, "Why do you look so gloomy, brother Jethro? If our first n works, you might not lose your position at all. I''ve heard that a Dark Noble can issue a Dark Mission to someone two noble ranks below him, and that person can''t refuse either.


    "So, isn''t this all too simple? Just issue him a dark mission to go to a certain ce, and we''ll arrange an ambush for him there. This way, both sides will be happy, no?"


    "If it was only that simple." Dark Marquis Jethro sighed ruefully, "You are indeed right. But this rule only applies to outer members, not core members. From my investigation, this Dark Viscount Faceless Ancient is a core member, so unless I''m the City Administrator, I can''t issue him any mission or order him to do something against his own will.


    "Furthermore, I''ve already sent an envoy to invite him, but his butler stated that he''s in retreat in the Dark Room and specifically ordered him not to be disturbed until hees out on his own. This is the same case for others as well. So, no one gets a meeting with him."


    Although Dark Marquis Jethro was talking about the dark room, they were all sitting within a special barrier of the ATLAS that blocked any AI or eavesdropping. Furthermore, no one was wearing star watches, and they all had Offender Rings.


    So, as long as Dark Marquis Jethro didn''t reveal core information, the Zodiac Oath Contract can''t do anything to him. This was the scariest part about the Zodiac Oath Contracts; even if he changed his star ID, the contract wouldn''t be canceled until he could be apletely new person.


    That''s why the core secrets of the three factions were always guarded by the Zodiac Oath Contract, so even if some spies managed to enter the core of the power, they wouldn''t be able to reveal them or take personal action against them unless they wanted to end up dead the moment they open their mouth.


    The same rules apply to Dark Marquis Jethro; even with ATLAS support, he can''t reveal too much or personally harm the dark city, or he''ll perish. So, the six people didn''t push it either since they also knew about this.


    The barbarian frowned as he didn''t know too much about the dark city''s personal member rules.


    "Then I guess the second n it is. We have to grab him in the dark city. Since you''re not harming the Dark City directly, it''ll be fine, and you won''t suffer a bacsh from the contract, either.


    "Furthermore, as long as we remained hidden from Dark Rose, you will have nothing to worry about. So, I want you to tell me if you have a way to go around the defenses?" He asked.


    Dark Marquis Jethro frowned as he knew he can''t back down, he had to take the risk, "I have a way, but you need to give me the Anonymous Scroll. To make it work, we need to enter the Dark Room, to which the Dark Rose pays the most attention.


    "Even without wearing a star watch, Dark Rose could still detect my life signature there because there are many security features. Furthermore, we need to be quick since the moment we barge in; the entire dark city security will be there within a minute.


    "So, I need the anonymous scroll to hide my life signature and more men, or you six can go alone, and I can give you the details about how to break open the Dark Room." He stated in an irrefutable tone.


    The barbarian looked deeply at Dark Marquis Jethro before he nodded, "Consider it done!"

 Chapter 617 Progress & Danger

    Chapter 617 Progress & Danger


    ??A week has passed since Jacob entered the dark room. At this moment, Jacob was looking at the barrier filled with pitch-ck liquid as it was getting absorbed at a terrifying speed.


    Within this liquid was a tiny ck centipede, shimming in a dark hue as the ck liquid was quickly absorbed into this tiny insect. This was indeed Autarch, who was now absorbing the Unique Rank Titan Tears it had refined this past week.


    As for Jacob, he was busy with the Dark Battle Arena and collecting souls. This past week, he had won 38 battles without losing any and was already ranked 14th in the Iron League.


    After encountering me Cmity, he didn''t encounter anyone as ridiculous as him, so his fighting record continued to grow while hisbat skills continued to refine. Now, he had a full grasp over his powers and was far stronger than a week ago.


    If not for collecting souls and continuing to evaluate his soul, his record would''ve been even more terrifying. In this past week, he found that absorbing soul vitality of a small portion and from a huge part was extremely different.


    He discovered that when he absorbed the soul vitality within his soul directly, he needed to be static, and he couldn''t move in this window. It was apletely different concept than raising his life span, which can be done without him realizing it.


    Furthermore, after finding the truth behind the Dark Battle Arena and the dreamscape realm from Immortika, Jacob and Nyx be more wanton, and they plunder whateveres their way.


    As he was rising through the ranks, stronger opponents wereing in the battles, and they all became nutrition for Nyx and himself. Moreover, he wasn''t the only one who was bing stronger; Nyx was also making progress, probably even faster than him.


    She can now fully absorb the dreamscape realm of a Unique Rank within two hours, and anyone above the unique rank would take her half or a full day.


    Jacob also noticed that with his soul bing stronger, his perception was undergoing a huge change, which even he didn''t know the limit to. As for the biggest benefits, it was naturally the progress with his Eyes of Judge.


    Now, he can keep them active for 15 whole seconds, which was two times greater thanst week. The only regrettable thing was he couldn''t enter that state when he defeated me Cmity. It was as if it was a fluke that would never happen again.


    But as his soul was getting stronger, he had a feeling that he might be able to make progress with the Fighting Giant Spirit. As long as he encounters another opponent at the same level as the me Cmity who could push him to the brink of death, he should be able to enter that state again.


    But it''s a pity that to encounter such an opponent again, he needed to climb the leagues or encounter someone like me Cmity, who was new to the arena, and the chances of thetter were almost close to zero.


    As for the dreamscape realm of the Dark City, when he told Nyx about it, she didn''t believe it. But when she finally tried to probe it, she also discovered no reaction or retaliation from the dreamscape realm, which made her ecstatic.


    But when she tried to take over, she discovered that she didn''t have enough power even to infiltrate this dreamscape realm, much less annexing it, making her sulk to no end, and Jacob was the same.


    However, Nyx told him that if she could evolve just once, she might be able to infiltrate it so they were now fully focused on getting stronger with the end goal of annexing the dreamscape realm and even taking over it without the Dark City finding out about it.


    Today, Autarch managed to refine this barrel of the titan tears with over 70% of the materials Jacob had plundered from the Potion Alchemy City, and with Jacob''s permission, Autarch began to absorb it.


    Jacob hoped this would be enough for Autarch to evolve into a Unique Rank, as Autarch was already at the peak of the Epic Rank, and the Epic rank titan tears have no effect on Autarch.


    As time passed, the titan tears continued to drop until the barrier waspletely empty, leaving only Autarch, who was now wrapped in a crystalline ck cocoon.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered as he looked at the small cocoon, ''Does this mean Autarch seeded and started the evolution?''


    Jacob triedmunicating with Autarch, but he didn''t get any response, and he could feel that Autarch was unconscious. He then looked at puppet Karim, who was now extremely pale and even wilted a little, standing there without moving at all.


    He then tried to send Autarch back within his sr plexus, and surprisingly, he seeded as the cocoon appeared within his sr plexus. He could now clearly feel that Autarch was undergoing some mysterious change.


    Then he frowned, ''Don''t tell me it would take time for Autarch to evolve into a Unique Rank? It hadn''t happened before. But I guess the evaluation of the Unique Rank is a benchmark for a fantastic insect since the next rank is Legendary.


    ''If I didn''t have the titan tears, then ording to Autarch, he needed to absorb the brain of a legendary rank being, which was almost impossible for him or even with my help.


    ''So, I should be content with this progress. But what kind of ridiculous condition does he need to fulfill to evolve into legendary rank? Tsk, he''s even more difficult to raise than Nyx, or she''s not at that level yet. ''I just hope he won''t take too much time and can evolve within this year before I head into the Faeries'' territory¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered coldly as he thought about his next objective.


    Although he had already found a way to strengthen his soul, he still needed information about the abilities of Eyes of Judge or at least some clues. Only then can he truly make progress and startprehending the Immortal Chapter.


    Jacob then stowed away puppet Karim as well since he was useless without Autarch and was about to enter the dark pod when his steps suddenly halted.


    With his new perception, Jacob suddenly discovered strange fluctuation from the closed door of the Dark Room.


    "Show me the outside of the dark room." He ordered coldly.


    The next moment, the projection appeared, showing the live feed of the corridor where the dark room was located, yet it was empty.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he felt even more strange fluctuations getting closer to the door, yet it was empty. He didn''t dare to ignore this newly developed perception of his.


    ''Don''t tell me someone is daring enough to infiltrate this ce? But why me of all the people, or I''m simply overthinking things, and this is just because of the changes within my soul?''


    Just thinking about it made Jacob grimace as he was new in this ce and didn''t even interact with anyone, so why would someone target him?


    Still, to be sure, Jacob activated his Eyes of Judge, and everything around him turned into color spectrums. At this moment, Jacob finally spotted a few hominoid-shaped spectrums right outside the darkroom!


    ''What the hell is going on?!'' Jacob felt a chill running down his spine because 14 people seemed to be doing something to the dark room, yet Dark Rose still didn''t notice it.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with killing intent as he coldly stated, "Dark Rose, someone is infiltrating my Dark Room. Activate all the security measures, and I demand an exnation!"

 Chapter 618 No Mercy!

    <h4>Chapter 618 No Mercy!</h4>


    "I don''t detect any intruders, so your request to raise an rm has been canceled!" Dark Rose''s static voice rang.


    Jacob''s expression turned somewhat ugly, "You couldn''t detect them, but that doesn''t mean I can''t. If you don''t want to provide backup, that''s fine by me; just tell me if there are intruders, and I can kill them, right? Furthermore, what will happen then since it would mean that I was right and your security was breached? So, this means it''s your fault, and I would be the victim. Will I getpensation?"


    "If Dark Viscount''s proposition is correct, then you can indeed take drastic actions without restraint and will bepensated ordingly since the Dark City failed to provide you with a safe environment, and it will be a breach of trust. The Dark City will investigate this matter until the offenders pay for their infraction!" Dark Rose statically stated.


    "Then I''m relieved. Observe then!" Jacob coldly sneered as he was very dissatisfied with this turn of events.


    Because if he were in the dark pod and without Autarch, he would''ve been a sitting duck for these guys to kill. Moreover, without the changes in his soul, he might never have been able to feel the presence of these guys, not to mention the important role of Eyes of Judge.


    After this, he will never be at ease, even in the dark city''s most secure ce.


    Nheless, he first needed to deal with these guys and then find out why they were targeting him. This matter was rted to his safety, and if these guys somehow made a connection with him and the path of legend, then he wouldn''t be safe even within the Dark City.


    Once this news got out, even the Dark Duke would do everything to capture him and get the key of legend and wouldn''t stop until he acquired it. That''s why Jacob was tense and feeling uneasy.


    ''Since this is the unique ins, these guys shouldn''t be in the ranks of three steps of legend. But since they cane this far without getting noticed by Dark Rose and even dare to try breaching the dark room, this means they are confident ande prepared. I''ll just put two under my hex and kill everyone else without giving them a chance to use anything.


    ''This is no battle arena. They are foolish to think they can mess with me. Not to mention, they are all in this narrow corridor. Let''s see if they dodge my bullets!''


    Jacob''s eyes shed with killing intent as he took his potion at the very end of the room, ced the double-barrel rifle on the ground, and positioned it right at the door.


    However, he was still not done. He took a small ss bottle filled with purple liquid and opened its lid. He then used a spell, ''Whammy Poison Mist!''


    The next moment, crimson mana suddenly poured into the ss bottle before thick crimson mist began to rise within the room. This was one of the magic spells he learned to use, the Whammy Poison.


    The Whammy Poison magic was tobine curse mana with poison, which could create different types of curse poisons. The more powerful a poison, the more potent the Whammy Poison.


    Jacob had gathered many poisonous herbs and hunted poisonous dark beasts and toxic zombies in the Dead Faction Territory, so have different varieties of powerful poisons.


    Although his hex magic was still at epic level, he could still use these poisons to effect unique ranks. But it required time, and some races even have some resistance towards poisons, so unless he has unique rank hex mana, the potency of Whammy Spell will beckingpared to the poisons.


    Nheless, they were effective and could hinder those guys in many ways, while Jacob would remain hidden since this poison had no effect on him. He will use this poison mist to hinder these sights and perceptions while he will use the Eyes of Judge and kill them all!


    After he was done making preparations to ''greet'' the guests, he coldlymanded, "Since they want to enter, I should make it easy for them. Dark Rose, open the Dark Room''s door and close the secret entry passage!"


    Just as his voice trailed off, he vanished without a trace with stealth.


    At this moment, the closed door of the dark room suddenly slid open, and thick crimson mist gushed into the narrow passage.


    A startling cry rang the next moment, "No good, retreat!"


    Yet, before they could react, the two people with two white beads evolving over their heads, making them invisible, at the very front, were holding a strange device against the door, suddenly beginning to fall down, losing their consciousness!


    But it wasn''t the end; in the next second, two green beams suddenly materialized and bolted within the passage!


    "Ahhhhh¡­"


    "It''s an ambush!" Painful and panicking cries reverberated with the passage as three of the invaders were already turned into meat mesh because of the atomic bullets.


    Another two bullets were fired, and before the sonic boom could even ring, two more bodies sted into smithereens!


    "Damn it! Use defensive magic and scrolls and quickly leave this passage, or we''ll all die. This guy has a powerful projectile weapon!" This furious voice belonged to none other than Dark Marquis Jethro, who was somewhere in the center of this group, and a bloody hole was opened in his arm.


    He barely missed the atomic bullet because it had already passed through two others, or he would''ve been deader than dead.


    He or no one else had ever expected to meet such an ambush while they were the actual ambushers.


    Furthermore, Jacob''s means, especially the weapon he was using, greatly shocked everyone as he had already taken down seven of their men within five seconds, including their leader, who was one of two who were in charge of unlocking the door. This was half of their forces.


    But how could Jacob give them a chance to retaliate or flee?


    He pulled the trigger again, which againnded on two more. He was using the eyes of judge so they couldn''t hide from him no matter what, and the narrow corridor gave Jacob a huge advantage to pick them all up quickly.


    If they had entered the dark room, they might''ve had a chance to use their defensive measures, yet they decided to head back, which was not a good choice since Jacob''s bullets were far faster than theirs.


    Dark Marquis Jethro finally felt despair when he saw only five of them remained; the other party was too fast and didn''t give them any chance to use spells or magic scrolls.


    He roared in panic, revealing himself, "I''m Dark Marquis Jethro! Dark Rose, I was forced against my will. Please stop¡­"


    Before he could even finish his words, two atomic bullets directlynded on his chest, and he was sted into myriad pieces.


    ''Hmph!'' Jacob merely scoffed as he killed the rest of the three. He would never give these guys a chance to retreat. But it stilles as a little shock to him that a Dark Marquis was involved in this.


    But he didn''t have time to mull over it right now because he knew Dark Rose had already called off the guards, and they would be here soon. So, he quickly approached those guys and began to loot!

 Chapter 619 A Terrifying Assumption!

    Chapter 619 A Terrifying Assumption!


    ??Jacob moved quickly without caring about the blood and gory mess within the passage and used his eyes to pick up rings and white beads covered in blood. He didn''t have time to appraise all these items, but he knew they were all treasures that even go undetected within the dark city.


    After he was done looting the spoils, Jacob finally rxed a little, but he wasn''t done. Looking at the crimson mist that filled the entire ce, Jacob''s eyes shed with crimson hue as he suddenly sped his hands together, and an empty white scroll appeared between them.


    ''Whammy Poison Magic Scroll Condense!''


    The next moment, the white scroll in his hand began to blow under crimson light, and the poison mist around him churned before a strong suction appeared, and the poison mist began to be absorbed within the empty magic scroll.


    This was another magic capability of an Evil Poison Lord who practiced the Whammy Poison. The Whammy Poison Magic was the result of Poisons and Curse Mana so that it wouldn''t vanish like normal magic.


    That''s why an Evil Poison Lord can take back the used whammy poison magic into empty magic scrolls, turning them into Whammy Poison Magic Scrolls and using them again continuously until the Whammy Poison fully vanishes or is destroyed. It was like gathering poison but could only be done through magic scrolls.


    Not only that, but a Whammy Poison became more potent the more lives it took, and there was written in the ancient texts that a Whammy Poison can even gain its own spirituality if it bes extremely strong after taking countless lives and absorbing powerful poisons.


    However, this art of the Evil Poison Lord was long lost, and even Witch Queen Margret could barely scratch the surface. Jacob was now as knowledgeable as Margret of that time about Whammy Poison and Imprecate Magic and many more lore about the curse magic.


    But it was a pity that all the knowledge was up to the basic unique rank, and he had to do his own research if he wanted to make progress. He even wanted to find the Vile Witch Race that Margret belonged to so he could take their advanced rank knowledge.


    However, only after some investigation did he find that the Vile Witch Race had long vanished from the Unique ins. The current Witch Race, also the race of Karim and the ruler of the Alchemy Guild, was known as the Charm Witch Race.


    Nheless, they also practiced some unknown branch of Witchcraft, which made them affiliated with the curses all the same, especially their tracking curses. So, this reason was enough for Jacob to put them on his list of future targets.


    Under Jacob''smand, the crimson poison mist absorbed in the magic scroll changed its color from white to blood crimson. Now, the entire ce became clear, and the scene was even more bloody.


    At this moment, Jacob headed towards the first two slumbering attackers and dragged them inside the Dark Room.


    He coldly said, "So, Dark Rose, do you believe me now? Not only did I was attacked, but I even had to protect myself on my own and managed to kill twelve of them while capturing two alive. What kind ofpensation will I get?"


    Jacob hadn''t forgotten about his early talk with Dark Rose. He was indignant about what happened. He knew if he had been in the dark pod, things would''ve turned hectic, and by the time he had realized, it could''ve been all over.


    "Dark City seeks Dark Viscount forgiveness in this matter! It appeared the Star Hackers had breached our security with the help of their Spy within our ranks. This matter has been deemed a 5th-degree dark incident and reported back to the headquarters!


    "Please wait for the response; the Dark City will give you a satisfactory exnation and bestow you corresponding rewards for taking out the vermin! Not only that, but the Dark City will also be your proxy in iming the best rewards from the Star Network for killing and capturing the scourges of Star Hackers!


    "In the meanwhile, you are free to move into the Dark Marquis Estate for three years, and your Dark Room activation of the Dark Marquis Rank Dark Room will be free. I can assure you this is the most secure ce in the entire Dark City!"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered when he heard ''Star Hackers,'' and his heart sank a little, ''Why did those guys target me in this ce?! I have no enmity with them unless they found out about what I did to those two in the epic ins. But this matter is not big enough for them to send such a force while risking pissing off the Dark City.


    ''If it were the three hegemonies, at least it would''ve made sense. Wait¡­ those guys were wearing two different rings, and one of them had somewhat familiar patterns!''


    Jacob''s eyes shed with shock and uncertainty as a ring appeared in his hand with some trace of fresh blood. But Jacob didn''t care about it as he quickly scrutinized the pattern around the inner ring, and his heart went cold as his eyesnded on the ring on his pinky.


    He quickly took it off, and after he looked carefully, the pattern under his own ring was the same.


    ''These guys are extremely proficient in advanced technology and can fool the Star Network, so they might have methods to track down their own tech. And what if, like the Starwork, they can also tag the IDs of their owners in these techs?


    ''So, if this ring also has such an ID, and by the looks of the force they sent after me, didn''t this mean they had already found out that I have some connection with Free Sword!?


    ''This is the only exnation I could think of, and even if I''m wrong, I can''t brush this off. Whatever the reason is, I can''t stay here any longer; if there is even a 1% chance that my assumption is true, then once they deem me untouchable, they might release this information, and once that happens¡­''


    Just thinking about it made Jacob tremble a little. He knew just how important the path of legend was for everyone. Captain Free Sword was terrorized because of this exact reason.


    If those guys got the wind of this news, he could forget about living in peace. Even the Dark Duke will do anything to acquire that key. Jacob was not going to believe in those rules as even the Dark Marquis turned out to be a spy, and since he wasn''t moving against the Dark City''s interest or harming it directly, he was able to target him!


    "Dark Rose, who can see my Star ID in the Dark City?" He quickly asked.


    "Everyone ranks above yours with personal membership can get your Star ID." Dark Rose statically replied.


    ''No, I can''t stay here, even if my conjecture and I hope it is wrong, since those guys targeted me with such a force, they won''t give up so easily, especially if they had some strong motive¡­'' Jacob mused grimly.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly heard the secret passage door open and hurried steps toward the Dark Room.


    Dark Rose''s voice rang, "The investigation team is here!"

 Chapter 620 Not Good!

    Chapter 620 Not Good!


    ??Jacob looked at the corridor coldly, and soon, a few tall giants appeared in dark armor and ck masks; their burly bodies hid terrifying strength.


    The giant at the very front, about 18 meters tall, looked at Jacob with a hint of surprise before he greeted with an impassive tone, "I''m the Dark Guard Commander of the Dark City''s Dark Guards Regiment, and Dark Earl, Heath."


    "Dark Viscount, Jack." Jacob nodded and impassively replied. He could sense this guy was a tier-9 unique rank, but he wasn''t any threat to him despite being a giant.


    Heath didn''t show any emotions because of Jacob''sck of respect, as he could feel Jacob was extremely dangerous, and this small massacre was more than enough proof of his strength. Dark Noble Rank doesn''t matter if you don''t have the power to back it up or the background to support you.


    Heath was already informed about the situation by Dark Rose, and he was shocked after finding out how Jacob was able to detect the intruders that even Dark Rose couldn''t and even take them down like they were some flies. He even managed to capture them.


    He wasn''t sure if even the remaining Dark Marquis was capable of that, and besides, Jacob had already killed one Dark Marquis, so it was quite clear Jacob wasn''t someone to be messed with, and having a good rtion or not being his enemy was good enough.


    "I have grasped the situation from Dark Rose; let me apologize on behalf of our Dark Guard Regiment for allowing such a disgraceful event to happen. I''m ashamed and have no excuse, but I would like to seek Dark Viscount''s forgiveness and hope you''d have an open mind.


    "After all, this was most likely done by Star Hackers since they only have the peculiar technologies that could hide them from an extremely powerful AI with all the magical technology that can''t detect them. You should know even the SAAI is helpless against them.


    "But don''t worry, since they dare to target one of our people, we won''t sit still and do everything in our power to root out those scourges within our city." Heath solemnly stated as he bowed in front of Jacob, and the five other giants behind him also bowed without hesitation.


    Jacob was surprised a little as he didn''t expect a Dark Earl and Guard Commander of the Dark City to apologize and even lower his head. He didn''t show any arrogance or try hiding his ipetence.


    "I understand; Dark Rose has already assured me, so you don''t need to apologize," Jacob replied with a faint, forgiving smile.


    But his thoughts were racing, ''It seems the Dark City is more untied and cleaner than the three hegemonies. But this also made them extremely dangerous and ruthless. These kinds of people would do anything for someone they are loyal to and eveny down their lives to make sure the organization will thrive.


    ''Now there are even more reasons to quickly leave this ce until I find out why those lunatics are targeting me. But giving up on Dark Room, my progress will halt again, and I need strength more than ever now.


    ''I can also go to the unique ins dead zone and clean up the dark beings, but I''ve heard almost all of their unique rank dark beings are either within the trial or have already been killed or fled the unique ins after what I did to the Dead Faction territory. What should I do¡­ I think there is a way¡­''


    Heath nodded in appreciation as he had a somewhat good impression of Jacob now, and he then looked at two unconscious fellows with chilly re. Jacob had already exposed their faces. One of them was a barbarian, and the other one an elf.


    He asked, "Dark Viscount, are those two really alive? How do you achieve it if you don''t mind revealing it? I''m just curious since I''ve heard that the core members of the Star Hackers have a way tomit suicide, and it''s almost impossible to catch them alive."


    "Oh, I''m somewhat proficient in poison. In the past, I''d acquired a very special poison that could knock anyone out for six hours. So, I used it on these two to knock them so we could gather information from them.


    "But it''s a pity that it was thest bit of that special poison I had, or I would''ve had to knock all of them to get more information." Jacob sighed ruefully with a very realistic expression of helplessness on his face.


    Even Heath, who was an integration and investigation expert, instantly believed Jacob. After all, if Jacob had more such poison, why would he only have used on those two?


    Furthermore, poisons that could knock a peak unique rank out were even rarer than medicine, and not many people practiced poison arts. Only a few races were proficient in poison magic, but they didn''t pose any threat to peak unique rank experts.


    The only poison that could terrify a peak unique rank expert was within the hands of Dark Beings and Dark Alchemists, who were also proficient in poison arts!


    But Jacob also didn''t look like a Dark Alchemist since any living practice of dark alchemy would have their appearances hideous and dark, like they were cursed because of using the dark arts of dark beings and refining their fellow living into medicines.


    "Then I must thank you again for using such a thing to capture these two degenerates alive. You have no idea just how huge merit it is to capture a Star Hacker or their associates alive. If they have high-level information, you might even acquire a special achievement badge from SAAI." Heath sighed with envy.


    Jacob was surprised a little as he didn''t expect he could get an achievement badge. As someone who had already scored two such achievements, he knew just how extraordinary rewards from SAAI could be. So, he was now somewhat anticipated about it!


    Heath suddenly turned serious and asked, "Dark Viscount, although you took the attackers down, you should know that this kind of force being used against you is noughing matter. So, I hope you can tell me if you have some grudge against Star Hackers or if you have taken something or anything in your possession that could cause such a reaction.


    "I''m not asking you to hand it over or anything. I just wanted to gauge how far they are willing to go for it. This way, we can even set many traps for them and kill those bastards. Doing this a few times will make them give up on you, and they won''t dare to act in the Dark City again."


    Heath''s n was excellent, but it couldn''t be any more ridiculous in Jacob''s eyes.


    ''If what I''m assuming is right and tell you I know where the legendary key is, I''m afraid it would be the Dark City setting up traps for me instead. But I have to tell them something, or if I decided to leave after this, then they might be overly curious, and if the ATLAS really knew that I have a connection with Free Sword and made it public, it would be even more believable at that time.


    ''But I don''t want to leave because of the dark battle arena, and I don''t think the ATLAS would give up so easily on acquiring the legendary key. At least they won''t be stupid enough to reveal this to Dark City since there is a chance I''ll hand it over to them for their protection, and that will be over for them.


    ''They won''t reveal this to anyone until they try everything, or this all could be wrong, and they might give up after this. So, I should wait, and if they attack again, then the chances of them knowing about Free Sword and me will rise drastically.


    ''Or if these two knew about it, I could easily confirm my suspicions, but this would also reveal the truth to the Dark City personnel. If that''s happen¡­''


    Jacob suddenly realized that this wasn''t good at all. He had captured these two alive to get some answers about why they were targeting him, but he had never expected they were from the ATLAS, and after seeing those rings, he suddenly thought about Free Sword.


    So, now he was in trouble; even if ATLAS wanted to keep this a secret, those two might let the cats out of the bag if they were tortured.


    ''Even if there is a vague chance of this happening, I can''t take this risk!''


    A ruthless glint shed past his eyes, but Heath didn''t notice it since Jacob suddenly sighed sadly, "I think this has something to do with¡­"


    Before he could, Heath was startled because the two unconscious fellows suddenly opened their eyes and when they saw they were captured, mana gushed out of their bodies, their reaction speed were almost terrifying.


    Heath roared, "No good, the poison has worn off. Stop them!"

 Chapter 621 New Objective

    <h4>Chapter 621 New Objective</h4>


    The Barbarian was the leader of this mission, although he didn''t know how they were ended up in this state or how he fell unconscious, he was sure that Jacob was far more terrifying than they were assuming him to be. They were underestimating him far too much because of this background!


    When the guards were about to use everything to detain them, the barbarian ferociously looked at Jacob, who took out a sword and hatefully roared, "I''ll see you in hell soon!"


    The next moment, a blinding light suddenly materialized from his temple, and the elf was the same.


    Heath''s expression warped when he saw those icy cold lights, and quickly shouted, "He''s about to use a self-destruct spell, quickly get away from him!"


    Hearing his warning, those guards quickly gave up and retreated while using their defensive magic and treasures. Jacob was even faster as he was already running towards the exit of the corridor.


    He has already decided to kill those two to remove any chance of them revealing his secret. But he didn''t expect them to be so decisive and directlymit suicide in such a way. He finally understood why Heath was astounded when he found that Jacob had managed to capture Star Hackers alive.


    "Boom¡­!"


    Just as Jacob was about to open the door, a huge explosion rang, making the entire mansion tremble, and a powerful shock wave filled with a strange magic spread!


    Jacob quickly used his treasures and magic to protect himself, but still, he was sent flying and sting into the door leading outside because of the shockwave. It was simply too powerful.


    After the dust settled, Jacob finally climbed out of the small rubble, with some small scratches which quickly healed. Other than his disheveled hair, he waspletely fine.


    ''If that were an atomic expression, I would''ve been buried here. I should be thankful that atomic weapons are extremely rare in the unique ins¡­'' Jacob thought as he looked at the corridor, which was still intact.


    The dark room was made with extremely powerful materials, and that''s why it was the safest ce in the dark city; no one could force their way in without opening the door first.


    Thanks to this, the passage and dark room were still fine despite these explosions, and the only damage was the broken door. He also sensed that the guards and Heath were alive, but they were still injured as four of them were coughing blood while Heath had a wound on his chest, and blood was gushing out.


    They were all consuming pills, and potions to stabilized their injuries while crawling out of the passage.


    "Dark Viscount, didn''t you said it would take at least six hours before the poison wear off?" Heath angrily questioned Jacob when he saw he waspletely fine while he and his men were in shambles. He felt indignant as he thought it was Jacob''s fault for giving away inurate information, resulting in him and his men almost dying.


    Jacob innocently replied, "I apologize Sir Heath, it must''ve been because I had never tried that poison on a peak unique rank expert before because it was extremely limited.


    "Since it worked, I thought it would have the same effect, but I guess I have overestimated it, and it caused you all harm. How about Ipensate your men with 10 Dark Credits each and 20 for your trouble? After all, I''m also the victim here."


    Heath expression loosen a bit when he heard Jacob''s words, he almost forgets that Jacob was also the victim so getting angry on him was unfair. Now he was even willing to give them dark credits which were extremely precious. So, he can no longer me him.


    He sighed, "There is no need for that. I wrongly med you in my anger. Please excuse us; we need to heal. You should have already gotten a new residence. I suggest you go there as well and leave this ce to us. Once we are done investigating, Dark Rose will release your rewards andpensation.


    "If we need you, I have to ask for you to remain avable until the investigation is over. Oh, if possible, please pay a visit to Dark Marquis Fulwood. His lordship has already been notified about this incident and the Dark Marquis Jethro''s betrayal.


    "If he didn''t have to report this to higher-ups, he would''ve personallye to meet you. So, he told me to invite you on his behalf. Please consider it after you rest. It would be very beneficial for you." Heath stated with a meaningful yet ambiguous look in his eyes.


    ''So, he belongs to Dark Marquis Fulwood faction? Now that Dark Marquis Jethro turned out to be a traitor, the people on his side would suffer heavily now. The biggest winner of this is none other Fulwood, since he is the only Dark Marquis left in the city.


    ''Furthermore, I need to use this time wisely, as I have before the Star Hackers decide to reveal their intentions to the world. I have already collected over 8 thousand dark credits, so I should use them quickly and create ''it'', I have already prepared the blueprint in voyage and need materials¡­''


    He looked at Heath and nodded, "I will pay a visit to Dark Marquis to express my thanks. But before that, where can we exchange Dark Credits for materials and treasures?"


    Heath was surprised a little before replying, "You just need to buy them with the Dark Shop. Everything avable in the dark city is in there. As for delivery, Dark Rose will inform you of the time. If those things are avable in this city, it would only take an hour or two to deliver. But if they are within the territory, it would take around 5 to 7 days before they arrived."


    "Thank you for your information. I won''t stop you here any longer. I also need to rest. Farewell!" Jacob thanked Heath before heading towards the carriage and the Marquis Estate.


    As the carriage was entering the highest-level area of the Dark City, Jacob eyes shimmered with anticipation as he opened the Dark Shop and begin to look through materials'' descriptions. Once he saw something useful, he would instantly purchase it.


    He smiled cruelly when he thought about the ATLAS, ''The first weapon after integrating this world''s magic technology and my own invention. As long as Iplete this weapon, I won''t have to worry about changing or creating more weapons again for a long time. Let''s hope it will work!''

 Chapter 622 A Forbidden Dream

    Chapter 622 A Forbidden Dream


    ??Dark Marquis Fulwood belonged to the Spirit Tree Race and on top of that he was second son of Dark Duke Tomas! That''s why he always held more authority than Jethro and had always kept him in check.


    But Jethro sudden betrayal and his identity as a Star Hacker Spy directly finished thepetition between the two men which had been going on for decades. If anything, Fulwood was thrilled when he found out about this and even wanted to reward Jacob for this favor.


    Now, he canwfully annex all Jethro''s assets and extort those loyal to him or had dealings with him. Although the top-level figures of the Dark City didn''t talk about it, Fulwood was very ambitious and greedy for power. So, everyone stayed out of his way and avoided any conflict.


    At this moment, Fulwood in an ocean green attire was calmly hearing Heath''s report on the incident while sitting on his high chair.


    After Heath presented him with the event''s report, Fulwood coolly questioned, "What about their belongings like space rings?"


    Heath expression fell a little before he calmly replied, "We didn''t find any space rings on the corpses, but we do find intact teleportation talismans, they probably didn''t know that there is a space sealing array in the Dark Room vicinity. Except them some tatter armors. I think Dark Viscount has already taken them and I didn''t ask since he was the one who killed them so ording to the rules he has every right to have their belongings."


    Fulwood''s lips curled up in a cold smile. "My Earl Heath, you are always upright and follow the rules, yet you overlooked the fact that those space rings belonged to the Star Hackers. Anything belonging to the star hackers must be treated as suspicious items and can''t be taken away until investigation.


    "What if there was a high-ranking Star Hacker and there are some extremely important clues about the Star Hackers whereabouts or their nefarious ns? I know it has bemon knowledge that the Star Hackers always keep their secrets within their star watches, but we can''t overlook anything, right?"


    Heath frowned slightly before replying, "Will all due respect your highness, I think we shouldn''t antagonize Dark Viscount Jack. I can tell he''s far stronger than me, and he seems to be a very meticulous person. He''s someone worth having on your side!"


    Fulwood was momentarily surprised when he heard such a high praise from Heath as he knew how arrogant this guy was despite his straightforward demeanor.


    "It appears that this Dark Viscount Jack is far more capable than I''m giving him credit for. I admit that killing all guys within a minute before your arrival including the traitor Jethro as his prowess was a littleckingpare to my own.


    "He even seems to know about poisons, and now he left such an impression on you. Alright, I''ll overlook this transgression. This will be enough to show my generosity. Summon him in three days, I''ll hold a banquet for him, and tell him I''m looking forward to meeting him." Fulwood smilingly stated before he stood up and left the meeting hall.


    Heath slightly bowed his head and left with a grim look on his face, ''This wastrel will never learn!''


    Fulwood approached the dark room within his mansion while deep in thought, ''Faceless Ancient, ording to father, he''s an ascender from the epic ins. Not only that, but he''s someone who my little niece recruited, and he has many achievements in the epic ins as well.


    ''Who could''ve thought that someone from that barren ce had such capabilities? If I''m not wrong, he might be a hidden hermit who was living in the epic ins or avoiding some powerful enemies.


    ''Now the Star Hackers also targeted him out of the blue and went as far as to activate a spy of Jethro''s caliber and many more. So, the enemy he was hiding from should be the Star Hackers.


    ''Father seemed to be quite interested in him now and even told me to send him to the territory. But didn''t this mean he would be a helper to my little niece then, which would be such a waste?'' A cruel glint shed past Fulwood''s eyes, ''I''ll make sure he knows who has true power in the unique ins. If he knew better than I''ll consider sending him back as my family''s recruit, if not then¡­humph!''


    ---


    While Fulwood was making his ns revolving around Jacob, the man himself has already arrived at the Dark Marquis Estate and without wasting any time, he entered the door room again which was ten times bigger than the Dark Viscount Estate''s Dark Room.


    But this time, Jacob order the butler to alert him when his items arrives or if someone came from the dark city guard regiment or the Dark Marquis Estate.


    Jacob didn''t enter the Dark Battle Arena since there was still time before Nyx would fully absorb the nightmare conqueror seeds, and there was still a lot of progress to be done in me Cmity''s nightmare conqueror seed.


    Instead, he sat on a work table and flipped his hand, a blue scroll appeared in his hand and he instantly opened it on therge table. It was a blueprint filled with many parts and information.


    This was the new weapon he wanted to create after going through many trials and experiments within the nightmare realm, and Nyx also yed a big part in running simtions whenever he was busy with his magic training.


    But Jacob knew it was stillcking in some area so he wanted to finish it as soon as possible and only then would he be truly at ease.


    ''Quantum Sniper and Quantum Bullets were designed after I managed to peer into the mysteries of space barely. But I always knew that it was almost impossible to create them with my world''s technology. Heh, I don''t even know if they can even work the same.


    ''That year, when I give away the Quantum Sniper module, I never told them that to make it work, the true core of the Quantum Sniper, the Quantum Atomic Reactor was mandatory because it was against my will and never gave QAE''s module. Even if they had managed to create the Quantum Sniper, it might''ve been destroyed after firing a signal bullet, taking hundreds of miles radius area down with it.''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with dark ambition, ''But now, after getting my hands on the space runes, I''m confident I can create the most powerful weapon bybining my forbidden creations. At that time, no one would be able to escape death in Unique ins!''

 Chapter 623 Terrifying Star Lord

    Chapter 623 Terrifying Star Lord


    ??On a distant ind from the Unique ins, thick fog enshrouded this ce all year long, and because of the vague mana here, no one came here or piqued anyone''s interest.


    However, under this ind was the base of the Unique ins'' most notorious organization, ATLAS!


    The star hackers of the Unique ins were far more active than the Epic ins counterpart. Not only were they actively involved in all the territories of unique ins, but they also had many spies within these top organizations.


    Furthermore, unlike the epic ins, the Star Lord held absolute authority here, and under the Star Lord were the Nine Anonymous Stars!


    At this moment, a meeting was being held among these top ten figures of the ATLAS around a round table. They were all wearing full-body battle armor; even their faces were hidden behind masks.


    In truth, only the Star Lord knows about the actual appearance of the Nine Anonymous Stars as they all worked alone, and revealing their identities to the other organization members or the other Anonymous Stars was forbidden.


    The even bigger mystery was the identity of the Star Lord itself since no one had ever seen the Star Lord''s face or heard his real voice.


    But today, they were all called back by the Star Lord, which implies the gravity of this matter, and the Nine Anonymous Stars were quite curious about the reason behind this abrupt summons.


    "The pirs of Star Hackers, thank you all for gathering here at such short notice." A static voice rang from the only person who was enshrouded in darkness among the ten seats, it was the Star Lord!


    The Nine Anonymous Stars didn''t speak as they waited for Star Lord to continue since this wasn''t where they could talk without Star Lord''smand first.


    "I summoned you all from your important posts because I think we may have found the clues about the missing Captain Free Sword!" Star Lord statically stated.


    Although the faces of Nine Anonymous Stars were hidden, the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy the moment Star Lord revealed this startling news.


    At this moment, one of the Nine Anonymous Stars said in his static voice, "Can I have permission to speak?"


    They all used voice changers to ensure no one could tell their identities or gender.


    "Anonymous Star 4, you may." The Star Lord replied.


    "Isn''t Free Sword already died within the Dead Faction Territory?" Anonymous Star 4 questioned.


    "It is indeed like this. There is over 80% chance of him dying in that explosion and 20% of getting captured by the Dead Emperor. But there seemed to be some kind of hindrance in the Dead Faction Territory after that st.


    "The top figures of the unique ins seem to be avoiding that ce, and I''ve even acquired a piece of highly secretive news that the federation seems to be preparing to flee to the Universal Void.


    "Although this is an absurd piece of information, I believe there might be some credibility since my source is very reliable. We have yet to discover the valid reason behind such an action, but we are closely paying attention to it.


    "This also brings me to our current meeting. The reason I said that we had found the clues about Free Sword is because we have encountered a very strange event in the past month¡­" Star-Lord then briefly exined how the Captain Free Sword offender ring was activated and when they tracked the source, it turned out to be someone else.


    "Not only does this person somehow acquire Free Sword''s offender ring, but he also has a very peculiar background. He''s someone who had ascended from the epic ins recently, and not only that, but he even had past dealings with the epic ins'' Star Lord.


    "In fact, he was the reason the Epic ins'' Star Lord managed to score an impossible achievement and won the chance to ascend. This Faceless Ancient''s background is even stranger than this, and his prowess defiesmon sense.


    "Since you all heard about the explosion in the dead faction territory, you should be surprised to know this person is also an atomic weapon expert. So, after analyzing everything, I reached two conclusions.


    "First, Free Sword and Faceless Ancient are in the cohort, and all these years that Free Sword was missing, he was in the Epic ins where he encountered the Faceless Ancient, or he was already in contact with him.


    "But the chances of this possibility are meager because I have analyzed Free Sword''s nature countless times from his days as the Star Pirate. He was an extremely vicious person who trusted no one; he had betrayed countless people and never worked with anyone more powerful than him.


    "So, this brings me to my second conclusion, which seems far more urate inparison to the former. Free Sword encountered Faceless Ancient, and they both fought!


    "Therefore, Free Sword lost, and Faceless Ancient took his everything, even his freedom. There are countless methods to make a tier-8 unique ve. In the end, Faceless Ancient used Free Sword to cause amotion in the Dead Faction Territory. It even used one of the Faceless Ancient atomic weapons to make it appear Free Sword had perished in desperation.


    "But let''s be honest and think it more carefully; why would someone like Free Sword risk showing his face, knowing what kind of cmity awaits him?


    "Yet, he first draws the federation''s attention and then deliberately leads them to the Dead Faction Territory. We can even consider it a good move since both sides would have fought each other.


    "But then, like an idiot, he started killing dark beings in Dead Faction Territory. This didn''t make any sense, and it was like someone was pulling his strings. Then, Faceless Ancient appeared in the Unique ins with Free Sword''s offender ring.


    "No matter how you look at it, if you know about the Faceless Ancient background and his involvement with Free Sword, you will also reach the same conclusion that Faceless Ancient is the true puppet master.


    "Now, just a few hours ago, hepletely wiped out our No.1 team within seconds. I''m now even more sure that he either has the whereabouts of the legendary key or he already had it." Star Lord revealed his conjecture, which shocked all the Anonymous Stars and made them dreadful because his analysis made simply too much sense.


    "Either way, now he''s our prime target, and we need to move before someone else figures it out. That''s why I summon you all here to give you this top priority task, which has to bepleted no matter the price!" Star Lord statically dered.


    "Capture Faceless Ancient at all costs, and the most effective way is to make him leave the Unique ins, and we can all personally move, and he won''t be able to stop us!"

 Chapter 624 Dark Duke Thoughts

    Chapter 624 Dark Duke Thoughts


    ??The Territory of the Dark City was known as the Dark Kingdom, and there were over 300 inds in the Dark Kingdom. These inds were known as the Dark Fiefs, which were given to high-ranking dark nobles to manage.


    The heart of the Dark Kingdom was known as the Dark Pce Continent, which was also the home of the ruler of the Dark Kingdom, Dark Duke Tomas, and his race, the Spirit Tree Race!


    At this moment, within the majestic Dark Pce was the dark throne hall; there were many golden pirs on both sides of this ce, and between these pirs were vivid ck statues of many races and strange beings.


    In the top center of this magnificent hall was an empty dark throne on a jade pir; three meters below this dark throne was another small throne.


    On this small throne was sitting a ck-robed, wizened old man with a burly body; his long green hair and long beard were still silky as a youth while his cold emerald eyes were filled with the vicissitude of life. Furthermore, an emerald crown was seemingly made with tree branches and filled with light green runes wrapped around his head. This was none other than the Dark City Administrator of the Unique ins Dark City, the Dark Duke Tomas!


    Below Tomas''s throne was standing a charming woman in a white dress that greatlyplemented her white skin; her long green hair was tied in a high knot with a beautiful silver hairpin, and she had an aura of nature around her.


    However, her emerald eyes were filled withplicated emotion as she bowed to Tomas and said, "Zoe greets His Highness, Dark Duke!"


    Indeed, this woman was none other than Zoe, who had arrived in the Dark Kingdom for over a month, but she didn''t receive any warm wee from her uncle in the Dark City of Unique ins nor her n in the Dark Kingdom.


    Even her father and mother treated her coldly and scolded her for returning by abandoning her post in the epic ins'' dark city.


    Then there was her Grandfather, who was silent and merely gave her a Dark Fief of Dark Marquis level to handle, and that was it. However, this was just the start of her problems since her fief suddenly became the target of her own family and the other two ns.


    If not because she had Jacob as her mental spot, she would''ve already fallen into despair.


    But today, the Dark Duke suddenly summoned her into the Dark Pce, which was too surprising for her since she knew only truly top members of the Dark City were allowed an audience with Tomas.


    Even as Tomas''s granddaughter, she had only met him three times in her entire life and had talked with him to give him the report of the epic ins. Today was her fourth time, and she couldn''t help but think that her Grandfather had be old after thest time she had seen him.


    She was a little emotional as well, as she had never expected that she would go against him ande back to the Unique ins. She didn''t think she was capable of this until recently when she met that daring giant.


    Tomas impassively said, "You''re not going to call me grandfather anymore?"


    "I won''t dare without the High Highness''s permission," Zoe replied respectfully.


    "It seemed you have gained valuable experience in the epic ins. But it was still too soon for you toe back, yet you went with it anyway against my wishes. You know, I can demote you for this insubordination." Tomas stated with a cold tone.


    Zoe paled a little as she knew Tomas had such authority as long as he had proof. Although he can''t strip her of her membership, he can demote her if he has a valid reason.


    "I will ept it if His Highness deems it sufficient," Zoe replied with gritted teeth.


    Tomas''s eyes shed with a peculiar glint, "You''ve changed. Alright, I won''t be petty to strip off something you worked hard to earn after all this time. You should know that to gain any rank above the Dark Marquis, Dark Merits became mandatory!


    "Each Dark Missionpleted after bing Dark Marquis will result in Dark Merits or if you can contribute to the Dark City. The higher the Dark Mission or contribution, the higher the Dark Merits will be rewarded.


    "To be a Dark Duke, you have to earn 10,000 Dark Merits, and I''ve seen you have already earned 1,783 Dark Merits despite staying in the Epic ins all these years.


    "It''s an impressive achievement, even I acknowledge it. But¡­" Tomas''s tone suddenly turned icy cold as a terrifying aura suddenly locked on Zoe; she was in a daze when she heard her Grandfather praising her, but it was calm before the storm.


    "But do you think this gives you the right to lie to me and hide information? Now, I give you onest chance to amend for your transgression, tell me the truth about Faceless Ancient!" Tomas ordered as his eyes glowed in emerald light, and a vague outline of a tree appeared behind him, which gave off an ancient air.


    Zoe felt like her life was no longer hers anymore, and with just a thought from Tomas, she would die without resisting. She was shocked about Tomas''s mentioning of Jacob and truly frightened since she knew the consequences of Tomas finding out the truth.


    ''How did he know!? Could it be Mr. Jack did something that exposed him? Or did he sell me out? No, if he had, Grandfather wouldn''t be asking about Faceless Ancient from me. This means he still doesn''t know the truth; I should stick with Mr. Jack''s n!'' Her mind raced as she resisted the urge to spill everything.


    Jacob had already given her a contingency n just in case the Dark Duke found the truth or became suspicious of him if his power was exposed.


    Zoe spoke with extreme difficulty, "I-I didn''t lie! I to¡ªtold Dark Duke everything I knew about Faceless. E-except, I found Faceless Ancient''s actual power level after traveling with him!


    "He told me he acquired a precious elixir from the epic ins trial that helped him quickly break into the unique rank! This is the only information that wasn''t included in my old report. Besides¡­ it was His Highness who¡­ b¡ªblocked my calls and messages so that I couldn''t tell you about it!"


    Tomas''s eyes narrowed as he mused, ''She doesn''t seem to be lying unless she has the will to resist three steps of legend''s unique mental pressure. It''s impossible for her, who is only at the Tier-4 Unique Rank right, or she no longer fears dying anymore¡­


    ''Then this Faceless Ancient might be the one who''s using Zoe or hiding his real prowess from her from the start. But it didn''t make sense since he was the champion of the epic ins trial, and a unique rank can never step into the epic ins like I can''t go into the unique ins.


    ''Then could it be he found something in the epic ins trial that helped him achieve this strength in less than a decade? Moreover, now I''m doubtful about him handing the medallion to the federation.


    ''But if he didn''t, how did he enter the unique ins? Zoe would''ve missed such detail and dared to hide it from me; she''s loyal to a fault. I¡­''


    His thought process broke when he heard a painful scream from Zoe. He had forgotten entirely about retreating his mental pressure, and right now, blood was oozing from her eyes as she kneeled on her knees, supporting her body with her hands while she vomited blood!


    "Hmph, consider it your punishment for going against my wishes!" Tomas sneered coldly before retracing his mental pressure and waved his sleeve, "You are dismissed now."


    Zoe felt massive relief as she collected herself and began to walk back with difficulty while she kept her head low.


    But Tomas didn''t notice her emotional eyes were emotionless and turned as cold as an abyss, ''There is no family for me in this world anymore!''


    Tomas didn''t care about her thoughts, or if she resented him, she was not worth his attention unless she could be a Beyond Unique Rank Expert. Before that she was just like others, a pawn nothing more nothing less, if she wanted to escape this fate then she had to show her worth.


    Tomas then looked towards the empty high throne as a chilly glint shed past his impassive eyes, ''If Necro managed to enter the Quasi Legend Rank, there wouldn''t be any peace in the unique ins, and YOU wouldn''t be alone anymore.


    ''Furthermore, if he had the legendary key, his first target should be the federation since they had the most medallions out of all the powers. But it''s still not confirmed whether he managed to get Free Sword in the end.


    ''Now this Faceless Ancient appeared, and ATLAS seemed to have a keen interest in him. Did they know how he became so strong in so little time?''


    Tomas''s eyes shimmered with greed, ''I need to see for myself!''

 Chapter 625 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (1)

    Chapter 625 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (1)


    ??Today, Jacob came out of the Dark Room to meet with a visitor, who was none other than Dark Earl Heath. But he wasn''t wearing his armor; instead, he was in formal attire. Jacob was in his usual windbreaker as they were sitting around a table with expensive magic liquor.


    "How may I help you, Dark Earl," Jacob asked in an impassive tone.


    It was the third day since he had shifted to this ce, and truth be told, he was extremely busy running between the dark battle arena and improving his blueprint. He had already gotten the materials he had purchased from the dark shop.


    Once he was done finalizing the blueprint, he was going to start the creation process. The dy was because of the magic materials involved, and he was using the nightmare realm to speed up the process.


    Yet, he had to leave because of Heath, and he couldn''t do anything about it since the investigation was still going on.


    Heath smiled politely, "It seemed I''d interrupted you, Dark Viscount. For that, I''ll apologize. I''m here for two things. First, the investigation involved with the Star Hackers isplete, and you''ll get the rewards and aplete report on the investigation from Dark Rose within three days.


    "Thanks to your help, we managed to sniff out six more spies of the Star Hackers from Jethro''s men. But it''s a pity the four of themmitted suicide when they got the winds of our men closing in on them, and two of them managed to escape. But they''ll meet the same fate soon."


    Jacob nodded as he was expecting this much, but he was still a little spectacle about the ATLAS''s capability. He didn''t expect that he had infiltrated this deep into the Dark City; he couldn''t imagine what it would be like in the other organizations.


    "What the second matter?" Jacob asked.


    Heath was secretly surprised by Jacob''s lukewarm reaction as he was expecting the man to be at least somewhat afraid or demand protection from the Dark City. But Jacob didn''t even seem bothered, as if this didn''t involve him in any way.


    Still, he didn''t show it and continued to the main objective of his visit, "The second matter is actually an invitation from Dark Marquis Fulwood. His Highness has specially prepared a banquet in your honor tomorrow evening."


    Jacob frowned a little as he didn''t want to meet this Fulwood at all, and that''s why he was avoiding him from the start. His reason was simple: he didn''t want to be involved in the politics of the Dark City or waste his precious time.


    That''s why he had caved himself in the dark room when he arrived here so that no one would bother him, yet now it can''t be avoided anymore since it will draw Fulwood''s irony, and he can''t be bothered to take care of that guy if he turned out of be a vengeful idiot.


    Furthermore, after showing his prowess, he knew that the higher-ups of the Dark City would not leave him alone, especially the Dark Duke ns. Zoe had already warned him before.


    If he hadn''te in contact with the Dark Room, he would''ve long left the moment Star Hackers targeted him. Now, he didn''t want any trouble, at least not until Autarchpletes its evolution.


    "Alright, I''ll be there to thank his highness for this favor." Jacob nodded without beating around the bush.


    Heath smiled contently as he was afraid Jacob might decline, which was no good for him.


    "Very well, a carriage for you will arrive here to pick you up in the evening. I won''t take any more of your time." Heath stated before he bid farewell and left.


    Jacob didn''t see him off and headed towards the Dark Room again. But just two hourster, he received an unexpected call from Zoe.


    ''Did something happen in the dark kingdom?'' He was uncertain as he picked up the call.


    "Mr. Jack, I was summoned by Dark Duke today, and he was inquiring about you¡­" Zoe didn''t beat around the bush and directly reveal what happened at the Dark Pce with a somewhat frosty tone.


    Jacob grimaced as he was expecting the attention of Dark Duke, but it was still too soon, and with how Zoe was describing it, he could tell this interest might not be a good thing.


    "You did well by sticking to the n. As for why he was interested in me all of a sudden, it has something to do with the attack on me by the Star Hackers. It seemed my prowess had drawn his unwavering interest." Jacob stated impassively that this wasn''t worth hiding from Zoe.


    She was a valuable pawn in the Dark Kingdom, and if she hadn''t told him about this, he would''ve been in the dark. Now, he can be wary of Dark Duke.


    Zoe was startled by unexpected news and quickly asked with a hint of worry, "Why would Star Hackers attack you in such a manner? What do we do?"


    Jacob was her only hope to achieve her lifelong goal, and if the star hackers targeted him, it was nothing but bad news for her since she had already turned cold to her family. She knew that without someone like Jacob, it would be nearly impossible to im the seat of Dark Duke.


    "Let me worry about the Star Hackers. They can''t do anything to me while I''m still in the Unique ins. As for the Dark Duke, continue what you''re doing and tell me if something like this happens again.


    "Oh, and tell me about this Dark Marquis Fulwood. It seemed I have to be prepared for a banquet¡­" Jacob asked with squinted eyes.


    ---


    The next evening, a luxurious giant carriage drawn by magic beasts arrived at Jacob''s estate right on time.


    Jacob, in purple formal attire, embarked on the carriage as they headed towards the Dark Marquis Fulwood estate, which was very close to where Jacob''s estate was located since they were in the same level of area.


    Upon arriving at the fully lit Dark Marquis Estate, Jacob saw many carriages were already there.


    ''It seemed I''m not the only one invited.'' He thought while disembarking his carriage.


    A butler was waiting for his arrival and then respectfully led him inside thevish mansion, which was like a small castle at least two times bigger than Jacob''s.


    The moment he entered, a servant loudly announced, "The guest of honor, Dark Viscount Faceless Ancient, has arrived!"

 Chapter 626 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (2)

    <h4>Chapter 626 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (2)</h4>


    "The guest of honor, Dark Viscount Faceless Ancient, has arrived!"


    When the announcement was made, everyone''s attention was drawn to Jacob. There were around fifteen guests present except Jacob, and they were all probably personal members of Dark Earl Rank of Dark City because Heath was also present. With his soul elevated, Jacob could sense their hidden prowess, at least a tier-8 unique rank.


    At this moment, a tall, handsome, middle-aged man with short green hair, adored in white formal attire, walked towards Jacob with a broad smile and a wine ss in his hand.


    "Haha, Dark Viscount, wee, and thank you for epting this Marquis''s invitation. I''m honored by your presence!" Fulwood greeted with a hearted smile.


    Although Fulwood was around 2.4 meters tall, he still fell short in front of 20-meter Jacob; he was the tallest person present in this ce.


    "It should be me saying this. Thank you for putting such effort into me, Your Highness; I''m humbled to be here." Jacob nodded and smilingly stated.


    "Hahaha, you are making me embarrassed, Sir Faceless Ancient. You are the hero of our Dark City. Come, let me introduce you to others. They are excited to meet me and gather here, especially for you. Even I don''t have such a face." Fulwood replied with a content smile before he led Jacob to meet with the other guests.


    Just as Jacob expected, they were all Dark Earls of the Dark City, and they belonged to the Fulwood faction or at least had some rtionship with him.


    However, with Jacob''s current senses, he felt hidden hostility from four dark earls despite their warm smiles. Jacob secretly noted their appearances and names while greeting them with a smile.


    After the introduction, Fulwood led everyone to the huge dining table, which was filled with scrumptious delicacies and rare wine.


    Fulwood took the main set at the table, and with him was another chair for the guest of honor, Jacob.


    Suddenly, a yellowish hobgoblin with tiger-like ck strips on his skin spoke. He was Dark Earl Tigerstrip. "Sir Faceless Ancient, I''ve heard you are an ascender. Is that true?"


    This drew everyone''s attention as they looked at Jacob, waiting for his response, and some of them were even startled since they clearly didn''t know about this fact.


    ''This guy is using others to get information out of me?'' Jacob easily saw through Fulwood''s tactics.


    He knew this information was only avable to someone like Fulwood, and from Zoe, he had already gotten an idea of what kind of shrewd person Fulwood was, so he wasn''t surprised by this question.


    Jacob nodded before coolly replying, "Indeed, I''m from the Epic ins, and because I was fortunate enough to be the sole champion of the Epic ins trial, I was able to break past my limit. So, I would ask everyone not tough at my humble background."


    "What? You even cleared the Epic ins Trial all by yourself? I only thought it was just a myth." Heath eximed, who was sitting on the first chair on the right side of the table. His eyes shimmered with respect.


    "Haha, I can back Sir Faceless Ancient''s im here. That''s why he''s so special. Let me offer you a toss for your peerless achievement, Dark Viscount!" Fulwood raised his ss to Jacob.


    "Thank you, and please call me Jack, I insist." Jacob also raised his ss with everyone.


    "Sir Jack, I deeply admire your strength and how you took the trash of the Star Hackers. But I''m quite curious about why they would attack you so fiercely. Just what kind of grudge do you have against them?" A sharp-faced dark elf suddenly spoke with a smile. He was one of the four with deep hostility; he was Dark Earl Yisrael.


    "Yeah, I also wanted to know this, Jack. It is unheard of that those sly bastards dare to expose themselves like this. But if you don''t want to answer, we can fully understand since everyone has their own secrets." Fulwood also chimed in.


    This was the only thing that no one could put their fingers on it.


    Jacob took arge bit out of a peak unique rank roosted beast and answered, "No, it wasn''t a secret, actually, and I think you guys have the right to know since this also disrupted the peace of the Dark City, so I feel obliged for what happened.


    "The truth is, in Epic ins, I unknowingly sold a powerful weapon to a Star Hacker, and thenter, that weapon was used in a terrorist attack on the Star Network. Since they were able to seed in that attack, I fell under the scrutiny of the SAAI.


    "So, after that, I never sold my weapons again, but they have been hunting me for my weapon technology ever since. But I never expected not only they didn''t give up in the Unique ins, but they would be even bold enough to attack me in the Dark City directly.


    "Now that I''ve taken care of them, they will be even more adamant about getting my technology, so I would like to ask everything to please forgive me if something like this happens again."


    Jacob has guessed that all the information rted to him in the epic ins is already in the hands of the Dark Duke. So, he decided to use this information to create a lie that would describe the enmity between him and the star hackers.


    It was a very believable lie. Now, everyone would think that Jacob was a weapon smith, and their focus would also turn to his weapons instead of his ridiculous rate of growth.


    Still, it wasn''t easy topletely fool these high-level figures who were living far longer than him, even if hebined both of his life''s worth of years.


    "Oh, I didn''t think you were an alchemist, and by your words, it seemed you are at least at the level of a Great Elder." Fulwood''s eyes shone sharply as he looked at Jacob.


    "You''re giving me too much credit, your highness. I''m still a little bit away from crossing this boundary. In fact, I came here to practice my alchemy skills with the help of Dark City resources. Believe it or not, I didn''t have the knowledge to raise my skills until I joined the Dark City. So, I''m quite grateful," Jacob smilingly replied.


    "Sir Jack, you''re too humble. Since even the Star Hackers crave your weapons, this means you are not just a typical alchemist. How about you show us your creation? If they can really meet such standards, we might even be willing to buy them with Dark Credits!" Another giant in the gathering spoke with a sharp smile. He was another one who had hidden hostility for Jacob. He was Dark Earl Ramiro, and his status was just slightly lower than Heath''s.


    Jacob nced at Ramiro before shaking his head, "Even if I want to, I can''t sell my weapons to anyone anymore. As I''ve told you, because of the attack on Star Network involving my weapon, I fell under Star Network scrutiny and was even detained for investigation.


    "Although I managed to prove my innocence, I was banned from intentionally revealing my weapons to others, much less selling any weapon for 100 years to anyone. So, I''ll apologize; I can''t go through with Dark Earl''s request."


    When the Star Network was involved, everyone shut their mouths and stopped talking about Jacob''s weapons. Jacob had already decided to create a false protection by using the Star Network for himself and not revealing anything about his weapons.


    He no longer needs ZC or DC, so he was not going to expose his trump cards easily¡ªespecially if there was a chance that someone might connect his atomic weapons with that explosion in the Dead Faction Territory!


    The banquetsted for three hours, and everyone asked Jacob something, and he replied almost everything without hesitation. Even someone like Fulwood started wondering if their conjecture about Jacob was precise!

 Chapter 627 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (3)

    <h4>Chapter 627 The Banquet of Dark Marquis (3)</h4>


    After the banquet, Fulwood kept Jacob back while dismissing everyone else under the pretext of discussing the star hackers'' matter with him.


    The Dark Earls didn''t tarry and bid Jacob farewell; some even invited him to their own estate, especially an only female Giant among the Earls. She seemed overly passionate and gave Jacob a luscious smile before she left.


    Jacob didn''t react much as he humbly thanked everyone and promised to visit whenever he had the chance.


    After everyone left, Fulwood led Jacob into a beautiful garden behind the mansion. There was a small pound glowing under the moonlight and a small pavilion with a table and chairs.


    "What do you think about this ce? I''ve personally nurtured these nts, as they help me not only calm my mind but also cultivate my race''s power.


    "You see, we Spirit Trees are the only race in the unique ins with the highest affinity with the wood element. Once we approach unique rank, our wood element even contains a sliver of life, one of the most sacred elements in the Zodiac ins." Fulwood proudly stated while leading Jacob inside the pavilion, and they both sat around the table.


    Then Fulwood took out a beautiful emerald bottle and two sses before he poured the liquid in them. A starry green liquid poured into the sses, and there seemed to be countless glitters in the liquid. A powerful scent of nature filled the air.


    Jacob''s eyes contorted when he took a whiff of that mind-soothing scent because he suddenly felt the same sensation from this liquid that he felt whenever Nyx integrated soul vitality into his soul. Although it was far vaguer, he knew he wasn''t wrong.


    ''A soul-type medicine?!'' Jacob''s heart raced slightly as he looked at the small, exquisite emerald bottle in Fulwood''s hand, shaped like a pine cone. It could hold around 500ml of liquid, and it seemed more than half full.


    "This liquid?" Jacob had to ask while he kept his wild desire in check.


    Fulwood smiled and grew as he said, "It seemed you''ve sensed the mystery hidden in this liquid, huh? This is Spirit Tree Nectar, which can only be produced by our race. It is sweeter than honey and more intoxicating than alcohol or carnal pleasures, and most importantly, it can elevate a person''s mental realm.


    "You see, if you want to go beyond the Unique Rank, the mental realm bes necessary, and without a powerful mental realm, it''s impossible to take that step. Furthermore, only by strengthening your mental realm to the limit can you awaken something essential to reach a powerful realm beyond your imagination: the Soul!


    "So, you can easily understand the value of this signal mouthful of Spirit Tree Nectar, which is enough to cause a bloody war in the entire Unique ins. And trust me when I say, even the leaders of factions would pay any price to acquire just this much¡­"


    Jacob could see the foxy glint in Fulwood''s eyes as he was exining about the Spirit Tree Nectar as he knew what wasing.


    He mused sharply, ''Mental Realm¡­ I didn''t hear about this before. Could it be the dreamscape realm? No, if it was Immortika would''ve mentioned it, it might be some other part of the soul.


    ''Nheless, this idiot just exined the Quasi Legend Step of the three steps of legend more clearly to me. He said only by strengthening this mental realm to the limit can one awaken the Soul. So, the soul vitality I''m devouring and the changes of my senses¡ªcould it be this is what he''s talking about?''


    "Since this Spirit Tree Nectar is so precious, I reckon His Highness wants something in return from me, right? Please feel free to tell me. If it is something that I can do, I''ll try my best," Jacob calmly stated while his eyes were on the starry green liquid in the sses.


    ''If I have a few barrels of this Spirit Tree Nectar, which can elevate the soul, then I''ll have the strength to keep the Eyes of Judge open for a minute maximum. But Zoe never mentioned its existence. Her status seems quite low, and only these direct children of Dark Duke can enjoy this Spirit Tree Nectar. Should I use Autarch to turn this guy into a puppet once Autarch enters the Unique Rank¡­''


    Fulwood failed to notice the hidden cruelty in Jacob''s eyes. He was filled with satisfaction when he took Jacob''s gaze at the Spirit Tree Nectar as a desire, and he thought he had seeded in baiting him.


    Yet, he has no idea that he just put a huge target on his head by revealing this Spirit Tree Nectar to Jacob. If it was something else, Jacob might''ve dropped the idea. Right now, Jacob greatlycks the soul strength to control the eyes of judge so he can peer into the Immortal Chapter''s secrets.


    So, this was directly rted to increasing his strength and gaining an advantage over those three steps of legend experts. That''s why he was now really starting to consider sending Autarch on a mission once its evolution wasplete.


    "Haha, you are indeed smart, Jack. I''ll be blunt then: the reason I''ve told you about my race and show you this Spirit Tree Nectar is simple, and what I''m about to ask of you is also the will of the Dark Duke, my father, and also the Patriarch of the Spirit Tree Race." Fulwood solemnly stated, "I''m inviting you to join our Spirit Tree Race by changing your bloodline and marrying my niece Zoe!"


    Jacob was startled a little when he heard this unexpected invitation. He could still make some sense with the second part, but the bloodline-changing demand really stumped him.


    Although he knew the bloodline evaluation was a possibility in the higher ins, he had never heard about an entire bloodline change.


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t understand. By bloodline change, do you mean to say you have the means to make me a Spirit Tree Race Member?" Jacob asked with narrowed eyes.


    Fulwood nodded solemnly, "Indeed, but this is only achievable with my Father''s help. You have to endure excruciating pain to change your bloodlinepletely, and you need to acquire the purity of a Spirit Tree descendant with excellent bloodline density. My niece Zoe is perfect.


    "However, once you seed, you will acquire a far stronger bloodline than yours, and most importantly, you''ll be part of the Spirit Tree Race. Your future prospects will be limitless!


    "This kind of offer only appeared once in a blue moon, and my father has a very favorable impression of it; if you agree, then you can leave for the Dark Kingdom tomorrow, and you will not have to worry about the Star Hackers ever again."


    Fulwood''s words were filled with temptation and made sense. If it were someone else, they would''ve agreed in a heartbeat since the Spirit Tree Race was one of the ruling races of the Unique ins.


    But Jacob sensed consOriginal behind it, and even if there weren''t, he would never change into any bloodline, even if it was from a dragon. After all, the cursed bloodline was mandatory in his path of immortality!


    Jacob impassively replied, "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I must refuse, and it''s time for me to leave. Thank you for your hospitality and this generous offer!"

 Chapter 628 Who Tricked Who?

    Chapter 628 Who Tricked Who?


    ??Fulwood was startled after hearing Jacob''s unexpected refusal. His eyes narrowed coldly when he saw Jacob had already stood up. "Do you even know what you''re rejecting?"


    Jacob looked at Fulwood. In his view, he appeared like a small bug that he could stomp under his feet, but his expression was cool.


    He nodded and replied, "I know, and I''m very tter for this opportunity. But I''m very content with my bloodline, so please don''t take offense."


    Fulwood wanted to say something, but he suppressed his boiling fury for some reason. After taking a deep breath, he suddenly smiled and nodded, "Forgive me for my crass reaction; I understand and respect your choice. Still, please drink this ss of Spirit Tree Nectar as a token of my goodwill, and we''ll consider this matter over."


    A hint of surprise shed past his eyes. ording to Zoe''s evaluation of Fulwood''s character, Jacob was expecting him to fly into a frenzy or at least say something threatening, yet hepletely responded oppositely.


    ''You can''t p a smiling face¡­'' Jacob thought before he picked up the tiny ss and raised it towards Fulwood, "I appreciate Your Highness''s kind gesture."


    Fulwood also raised his ss and nodded smilingly before he emptied it. Jacob was waiting for this as he didn''tpletely trust Fulwood and thought he had rigid the nectar.


    But after seeing Fulwood drinking it without hesitation, he also drank it, and the next moment, a cold and extremely sweet taste spread in his mouth, which was hard to describe.


    Its taste was just as Fulwood described it: sweeter than honey and more intoxicating than anything Jacob had ever drunk.


    Right after the nectar entered his body, he felt a warm current spreading through it before a cooling sensation entered his brain. But it didn''tst long; it onlysted a second or two.


    "Excellent!" Jacob heartedly praised while putting down the tiny ss, "If Your Highness has a n on selling this in the future, please look for me first. I''m willing to exchange it for Dark Credits!"


    "Of course. Let me see you out." Fulwood chuckled before he led Jacob towards the exit where his carriage was waiting for him.


    After Jacob''s carriage left, Fulwood''s smile turned into a chilly re as he looked at the departing carriage before he quickly entered the mention and when he was alone in his room.


    He suddenly pressed his finger on his throw, and it shimmered in an emerald glow. The next moment, he pulled his glowing finger, and a starry green liquid gushed out of his throat. It was the Spirit Tree Nectar he had just drank! Flickering his finger, the nectar turned into nothing but smock!


    The next moment, he transmitted his voice in his head, "You heard everything, right? I do as you told me, but he''s too prudent and conceited!"


    A cold voice rang in his head in reply, "No matter how cautious or prideful he is, you still manage to make him drink the Spirit Tree Nectar. Now, we have to wait until he craves more. Once he bes fully addicted, he''ll be in our hands eventually!"


    The owner of this voice was none other than the Dark Duke and Fulwood''s Father, Tomas! He has been listening through the star watch since Jacob appeared at the banquet!


    Fulwood frowned with displeasure, "Then why do you stop me from giving it to him? He seemed pretty interested in buying it."


    "You''re still too impatient. Although he appeared to have a loose mouth and seemed respectful, even by just listening, I can tell he''s far more prudent and scheming. If you had easily offered it to him, he would''ve be suspicious and might have tried to investigate it.


    "Then what if he had found the traces of Life Medicine mixed in it? Don''t forget he''s an alchemist, probably at the Great Elder Rank. Faceless Ancient is not someone you can measure through normal means or handle by yourself if he turns hostile.


    "Since he had already drank the nectar and also after seeing you drinking it with him, he won''t be wary in the future. The nectar is already addictive and even harmful if consumed excessively, and with the life medicine in the mix, the effect would be ten times greater.


    "Don''t forget, once someone consumed a life medicine, they couldn''t stop anymore and turned into a living corpse slowly. Now, we have to wait for him to seek you out and demand more of the nectar.


    "I''m confident that after just one bottle, he''ll be dancing in our palms. Then we can control him as we please and even willingly make him reveal his secrets!" Tomas confidently stated in a malicious tone.


    Fulwood''s eyes shimmered with tion as he didn''t doubt his father''s words: "Forgive me, father. I was agitated. Don''t worry; I''ll get his secrets for you no matter what. But I''m afraid Dark Rose might find something, and what do you want to do, Zoe, now?"


    "There''s no need to worry about the Dark Rose; as long as we are not directly harming him, and he''s willing to harm himself, we are out of the scrutiny. Just make sure you add another pill before giving him the bottle!" Tomas ordered sternly, "As for Zoe, since his reaction confirmed that he didn''t have any feelings or rtion with her, let her be. He was only using her. Remember, no one is allowed to harm a blood rtive in this family if they didn''tmit any crime against the family!"


    Fulwood replied, "I understand. Don''t worry, nothing will go wrong!"


    ---


    Jacob closed his eyes in the carriage, and the next moment, he appeared in the dreamscape nightmare realm, which was like a starry space.


    Nyx, in the appearance of the goddess, seems to be already waiting for him with a cunning smile.


    Jacob was nowpletely used to her appearance and fully immune to her otherworldly charm. He impassively questioned, "So, what do you find?"


    "You don''t trust anyone, do you?" Nyx giggled gleefully.


    "I trust you." Jacob impassively replied, "Enough of this, tell me do you discover anything strange in that nectar and can we reverse-engineer it?"


    The moment Fulwood controlled his rage and offered him the nectar, Jacob already sensed something was amiss. He even sensed hidden malevolence in Fulwood. Hepletely trusted his instincts, which were bing sharper as he gained control over the Eyes of Judge.


    This was probably the same thing Immortika had described; nothing can be hidden from the Eyes of Judge!


    That''s why Jacob instructed Nyx to analyze the Spirit Tree Nectar despite Fulwood drinking it himself. Now, he quickly appeared here to find the results.


    Nyx replied sarcastically, "Trust me? I wish. Still, it seems you were right again this time. Although I''m still not sure about reverse-engineering it, I found traces of something interesting that we''ve already analyzed before."


    Jacob''s eyes turned sharp, "Is it poison?"


    Nyxughed coldly, "Nope, instead, it''s a crude version of Life Medicine of the Dark Alchemy! I wonder what their reaction would be if those idiots found out that life medicines do not affect you!"


    Under Nyx''s bell-likeughter, Jacob''s expression was frosty, ''What a vile trick, Fulwood, you just earned yourself a death sentence!''

 Chapter 629 50-Win Steak Match

    Chapter 629 50-Win Steak Match


    ??After the banquet, Jacob locked himself in the Dark Room again, this time with no intention ofing out unless he created a new weapon or something like the attack of the Star Hackers happened again.


    Moreover, the very next day, Jacob finally receives hispensation and rewards for killing the Star Hackers from both the Dark City and the Star Network. The Dark City really represented Jacob as his proxy to im rewards from the Star Network for him. This was one of the biggest benefits of having an organization behind you.


    He earned 1 billion ZC from the Star Network and an advanced unique rank defensive magic scroll, but no honorary badge; maybe it was because Jacob already had two, or it was because just those guys weren''t enough to earn himself another honorary badge. Maybe if he took down the headquarters of the Star Hackers, he''d earn some pretty high rewards.


    But he was most surprised by the rewards he got from the Dark City. First, he got 10,000 Dark Credits. Second, and most importantly, he was directly promoted to the Dark Earl Dark Noble Rank and given another 500 Dark Credits, and he was directly anointed as a fief lord of the Dark Kingdom!


    Now, he can enter the Dark Kingdom and enjoy the benefits of a fief lord by ruling an entire ind, and even the Dark Duke can''t do anything about it since Jacob''s achievement is quite high. He single-handedly took down a Dark Marquis-level spy and others like him, so raising his rank was only right.


    Dark Rose waspletely impartial when it came to rewarding the personal members, and no one could interfere without good reason. So, now that Jacob was a Dark Earl, he was even more untouchable and became more important to the Dark City.


    This event also made Jacob clear about something; the Dark City wasn''tpletely under the Dark Duke''s control, and he could only interfere with good reason with personal members.


    So, even if the news about him having ties with Free Sword or even having the legendary key leaked, Dark Duke won''t be able to deal with him under the Dark City rules unless he wants to be a criminal and surrender his authority.


    Nheless, Jacob wasn''t going to stay here and be a target; he wouldn''t feel safe unless he could deal with those three steps of legend experts himself, and Dark Duke was one such person.


    Lastly, Jacob wasn''t nning on leaving the Unique ins because this was a safety that no one above the Unique Rank could enter. He was invincible in this ce, even with an army facing him.


    At this moment, Jacob opened his eyes in the crowded Dark Battle Arena Lobby.


    "Wee to Dark Battle Arena Lobby, Iron Warrior Dictator!"


    "Dark Arena Name: Dictator


    "Dark Arena Rank: 2nd Rank Iron Warrior


    "Next Dark Arena Rank: (Remaining) 1 Iron League Promotion Match!


    "Fight Win: 50


    "Fight Lost: 0


    "Win Streak: 50


    "Wind Rate: 100%


    "Dark Credit: 11,810


    "Dark Battle Arena League: Iron League


    "Start Battle?


    "Time Reaming before Break: 799H: 59MM


    "Exit Dark Battle Arena?"


    Looking at his Dark Battle Arena status, his eyes shimmered with anticipation since it was going to be his fifty-first streak match, which meant his opponent would have the same battle record as him.


    Although he didn''t encounter any more opponents like me Cmity again, every opponent after the ten streaks was quite strong, and he guessed that they were all at least at the level of Beyond Unique Rank.


    They always gave more soul vitality, and because of this, his time in this ce increased by tens of houses. This was evident in his soul bing more powerful, and in a sense, he could even check his progress this way.


    ''After this battle, I''ll focus on the forging since I finallypleted the design, and its sess rate is over 81% in the dreamscape nightmare realm. So, I won''t have time toe here. Well, I guess Nyx will be able to focus on me Cmity''s dreamscape realm. He''s probably a Quasi Legend Rank expert; I''m looking forward to what kind of soul vitality he''ll deliver to me and if I find another opponent like him in this match as well¡­''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with dark anticipation as he ordered, "Start Battle!"


    He vanished from the lobby like always and appeared in the Iron League arena, but to his surprise, it was not the ne-gray battlefield anymore. Instead, he appeared in the center of a huge golden Colosseum!


    Jacob''s expression changed as he suddenly remembered something, and Dark Rose''s voice rang again.


    "Your next match is your 51st match after your 50 Kill Winning Streak!


    "Your next match will be your First League Promotion Match of the Iron League, and if you win, you''ll be promoted to Bronze League!


    "A Betting Pool has been opened.


    "Dark Prestige Disy No.8 will stream your battle for everyone to see your Prestigious Battle!"


    "Searching for Opponents¡­"


    ''Ipletely forgot about this fifty-win streak milestone. This sort of match will be disyed on the prestige disy for everyone to witness, like the matches in the Silver League. The figures in that league are almost on the same level as me Cmity, and only 198 are in the Silver League. They are all extremely recognizable figures among the Dark Battle Arena gathering.


    ''If my moves and fighting style be wildly famous, even if my Star ID isn''t showing here, someone might discover who the Dictator is. I''ve already had quite a reputation since the betting on me is bing quite high.


    ''But I can''t risk dying here; I just have to be careful not to show too much of many abilities.'' Jacob mused grimly.


    At this moment, Dark Rose''s voice rang again.


    "There is no one in the same league as you with a 50-


    win streak, and the first Ranker of the Iron League is offline.


    "Please choose between these two options.


    "1. Fight a Ranked Bronze League Fighter


    "2. Cancel the battle search and activate a Battle Arena Match rm on your Star Watch. The moment we find a qualified opponent, you''ll be instantly informed about this option!


    "You have also been rewarded with a Special Achievement Badge for this achievement: Silent Arena.


    "Silent Arena (Dark Battle Arena Achievement Badge): You now have the privilege to ''Search Again'' if you want to change your selected opponent once every ten matches.


    "NOTE: This privilege can''t be stacked and reset after every ten battles!"


    Astounded, Jacob didn''t expect to get such an unexpected reward and a choice.


    ''A bronze league ranked fighter should be between the Beyond Unique Rank and the Inception Legend Rank¡­'' Jacob mused before he replied decisively, "I chose the first option!"


    "You have chosen to battle the Ranked Bronze League Fighter!


    "If you won, your winning will be multiplied by 2X!


    "Searching Opponent¡­


    "Opponent has been discovered!"


    This time, it didn''t take long before the opponent was selected. However, the moment Jacob saw who the opponent was, his expression became gloomy.


    At the same time, the opponent''s eyes also shimmered with a hint of confusion before he winded them as if he suddenly remembered something.


    "Lord Club has entered the Arena!


    "Match starts in 10 Seconds!"

 Chapter 630 One Word…

    Chapter 630 One Word¡­


    ??"Bahahaha, they say ''the road of enemies is narrow,'' and I finally believed it today. You piece of shit, let''s see where you can run today!"


    Lord Club viciouslyughed, as he still hadn''t forgotten about the giant he met over two weeks ago. When he tried to vent by trash-taking, the other guy simply ignored him and entered the battle arena, which made him even more vexed and furious.


    But even he had never thought that he would encounter that guy again in such a manner, and now he could toy with him and pay for that humiliation.


    However, Lord Club suddenly found something wasn''t right because this arena didn''t look like the Bronze League arena. When he finally looked around, his eyes suddenly widened, and then he instantly looked beside Jacob''s name, which he forgot to look in his gloating.


    The moment he saw a battle record of 50 wins/ 0 losses beside the Dictator''s iron-colored name, Lord Club''s eyes almost popped out of his socket.


    "5--50-win streak, and you are an Iron League warrior still?! Are you kidding me? Dark Rose, why am I matched together with this Iron League ant? Quickly sent me out!" Lord Club roared loudly but couldn''t fully hide his fear behind his loud voice.


    Although he was an arrogant and malevolent pity person, he wasn''t a fool. Since Jacob was able to win fifty straight fights without losing even once, it was quite clear that he was an expert who had recently joined the Dark Battle Arena.


    So, he was sure that Jacob was at least a Beyond Unique Rank expert, and he seemed to be someone at the perfect stage as well, or even an Inception Legend Rank.


    Lord Club himself was a Beyond Unique Rank expert, but he was only at the initial stage and has been stuck there for a few hundred years now. He wasn''t afraid of dying here since it didn''t mean he would die in reality.


    It wasn''t that Lord Club didn''t know what it meant to be matched with someone of a lower league, especially with that kind of rare streak, but what he was afraid of was the extremely harsh losing penalty of the Bronze League Warrior to an Iron League Warrior.


    Furthermore, he knew this match would most likely be live on the prestige disy once it started. Once he loses this fight, he''ll be theughingstock of the entire twelve gxies and Jacob''s stepping stone to glory.


    That''s why he wanted to quickly talk out of it while venting his frustration by throwing more insults at Jacob; this was just part of his vile character.


    But Lord Club met with Dark Rose''s silence and Jacob''s icy cold eyes, sending a shiver down his spine. Resigning to his face, his expression twisted as he looked at Jacob as if he wanted to eat him alive.


    He roared furiously while holding his huge club, "Bastard! No matter how much you bully the lowly ants, you will never be able to pass through this lord''s club easily! Let me show you; you can''t muddle thought into the bronze league with your lowly tricks!"


    Jacob didn''t say anything and just coldly red at Lord Club as if he were already dead. The silence was the perfect counterpoint for people like Lord Club, who be more overbearing after someone pays them more attention.


    "Nyx, I want you to make sure before leaving this guy, give me nightmares that he remembered till he dies!" Jacob coldly ordered as he had already gripped his swords.


    "Hehe, leave it to me!" Nyx''s jolly voice sounded in affirmation.


    At this moment, the ten seconds were finally over, and the match started.


    Within the Dark Battle Arena''s lobby, one of the disys suddenly lights up, showing Jacob and Lord Club match.


    When myriad Dark City members saw the match details, their first thought was to ignore it since it was only an Iron League rank promotion match.


    However, someone else quickly noticed the battle record over Jacob''s head and Lord Club''s bronze color name.


    "Whaooo¡­ that guy has a 50-win streak! He''s probably the fourth to achieve it 200 years after Death w when he first appeared in the arena!"


    "F*ck my life; just a single Death w was enough to give everyone a run for their money, and now this giant freak has appeared!"


    "No matter what, I''m going to bet on this guy! Since he was matched with a bronze league fighter at his 51st match, then this means he had no match in his own league! It''s a sure win profit!"


    Many gamblers'' eyes shone with greed when theyprehended just how big this opportunity was. They all knew that if Jacob ended up losing after this streak, there would be a huge profit.


    But since he managed to pull up this streak, this means he wasn''t an easy target. This kind of existence was extremely rare, and right about now, almost every famous person would etch Jacob''s appearance and his name, ''Dictator,'' in their hearts.


    This was especially true for those Silver League level existences because there hadn''t been any addition in the Silver League for over fifty years because to enter the Silver League, you have to defeat a monster in the Silver League!


    That''s why someone like Jacob was going to enter this league sooner, and that match was a huge opportunity to understand his strength! Moreover, if Jacob could make his streak a 100-


    win streak, it would be a legendary achievement that hadn''t been achieved since the birth of the Dark Battle Arena.


    But now, no one bothers to think of it being possible since if Jacob''s streak continues up to 80, he''ll enter a promotion match at his 81st match. Everyone knows this because it has happened in the past!


    This fact brought a huge audience to Dark Prestige Disy no.


    8, as everyone wanted to see the future Silver League warrior''s strength and the moment of his unstoppable rise orughable pitfall.


    Many opened the betting tform to ce the bets, and when they saw the betting rations, they were all surprised.


    "Betting tform


    "Current Fight on Dark Prestige Disy No.8: Dictator VS Lord Club (Promotion Match & Streak Match)


    "Betting Odds:Dictator 0.01: Lord Club 100


    "ce Bet?"


    This winning rate was simply too ridiculous, which made people think that the Dark Rose wanted to tell people that Lord Club had no snowball chance of winning against Jacob.


    Just as the people were skeptical about these betting odds, Lord Club finally moved as green winds suddenly released from his, and like a blurry figure, he appeared in front of Jacob and smashed his club on his head with a sneering re.


    ''I''ll make you pay the price for ignoring me!'' He thought as he released all the mana in his body in one signal strike to kill Jacob quickly without giving him a chance to attack.


    But Jacob didn''t move, and he didn''t seem to be panicking. In fact, there was naked ridicule in his eyes as he suddenly moved, his swords shimmering in fiery green mana.


    ''Deceptive Swords Style, Anti-Clockwise; Pandemonium!''


    Lord Club, including the audience, saw only two extremely thin green streaks suddenly appear in his vision, and all he felt was a tingle of pain before his body started to turn into particles.


    There was a deadly silence in both the arena and the lobby. At this moment, everyone heard Jacob''s single dismissive word, which would make him extremely famous and Lord Club theughingstock of legends in the future.


    "Boring!"

 Chapter 631 A Mystery Box

    <h4>Chapter 631 A Mystery Box</h4>


    "Congrattions to Dictator on your 51st arena victory!


    "You have sessfullypleted your 51 Kill Winning Streak!


    "You have won your Promotion Match, sessfully entered the Bronze League, and entered the top 10,000th Bronze Arena Rankings!


    "The Arena League Ranking list has been updated!


    "Reward (2x): 500 Dark Credits


    "Your Bronze League Arena Rank is 9,990th!


    "The Betting Pool has been closed!


    "Calcting your final reward¡­


    "10,010 (2x Reward) Dark Credits has been added to your ount!


    "Your (Faceless Ancient) Dark Credit: 22,320


    "Do you want to search for another opponent?"


    The moment Lord Club was killed, Dark Rose promptly announced Jacob''s victory and bountiful rewards.


    Jacob merely smiled coldly and said, "No, I want to leave the Dark Battle Arena!"


    The next moment, Jacob vanished from the arena and opened his eyes within the dark pod. The virtual liquid began to absorb in the pod, and its lid began to open.


    He only fought this match because he was going to start the weapon construction next and wanted to replenish the soul onest time. But he didn''t expect to encounter that foul-mouthed idiot, so he was quite pleased.


    Nheless, he knew that after this match, he would be extremely famous within the Dark City circle, not just in one gxy. Still, he had quickly finished the fight, so he didn''t show much of his abilities.


    Someone could only recognize him with his unique swords and green fire mana. But the chance of that happening was almost zero in real life since he seldom entered a direct confrontation and used his guns most of the time to finish the fight as quickly as possible.


    Jacob then quickly dressed up and asked Dark Rose, "Are the apparatuses that I''ve ordered ready?"


    "Yes, they had been delivered to your estate!" Dark Rose statically replied.


    Jacob didn''t dy any longer and quickly left the Dark Room to bring those high-end apparatuses he had spent a fortune into the Dark Room. He required not only top-ss materials but also equipment toplete this weapon.


    Some of those apparatuses were specialized in magic, while others were to be assembled by Jacob to meet his needs.


    It took Jacob three days to arrange and assemble the apparatuses within the Dark Room. Now, the empty Dark Room appeared to be a high-tech center filled with top-ss alchemy, gunsmith, and forging apparatuses.


    But before Jacob could start the long seclusion, he had to entertain an unexpected guest, in fact there were two of them.


    One of them was a butler from the Dark Marquis Estate, one of Fulwood''s servants.


    Jacob was curious about who that guy was and what Fulwood was nning after making him drink the Spirit Tree Nectar blight with a Life Medicine. As someone who had a deep knowledge of Dark Alchemy and tens of thousands of life medicines made by Dark Beings, he knew what kind of nefarious effect they had once a living being had taken them.


    If he was someone without his poison and curse immunity, he knew once he had taken even a slight bit of life medicine, he would be addicted and wouldn''t be able to stop himself from consuming more.


    Although he had yet to encounter someone who was living on that life medicine, he knew there were many old monsters or people like him who didn''t want to die. There should be a ck market for these medicines, and they fetch quite high prices from those desperate guys who want to live another extra day.


    He was even more curious about where Fulwood acquired the life medicine and already had decided that once Autarch was done with its evolution, he would send Autarch on its very first mission after it became unique.


    The butler was very respectful to Jacob and directly handed him a space ring and a letter Fulwood wrote before taking his leave.


    Jacob didn''t make things hard for the butler and epted the ring and the letter. After reading the letter, Jacob couldn''t help but sneer with a murderous look in his eyes as he peered into the ring.


    The next moment, two small, exquisite emerald bottles shaped like pine cones appeared in his hand. They were filled with Spirit Tree Nectar!


    In that letter, Fulwood mentioned that he was giving Jacob the gift of these two extremely precious nectar bottles for their friendship and hoped they could develop in a prosperous direction together. He invited him to his estate anytime and some more flowery words.


    Jacob directly opened the lids of the bottles, and that same intoxicating scent filled the air he smelled that day. It was, no doubt, the Spirit Tree Nectar. He didn''t even find the ss since those two bottles were merely a gulp for him, and he emptied them in his mouth.


    Closing his eyes and enjoying the taste, Jacob''s smile grew colder as he felt his mind bing more active.


    "How much was in there this time?" He questioned Nyx while still enjoying the taste and cooling sensation.


    "Probably 4 or 5% was the Life Medicine. Hehe, that guy has be bolder. What a poor idiot! He''s sending you this precious soul-strengthening nectar so he can make you addicted and then use it to control you. s, even I''m feeling quite sad for him." Nyx giggled coldly before she continued, "Oh, now that you have consumed more of it, I can definitely tell there is an extremely high concentration of sma in this nectar!"


    Jacob suddenly opened his eyes with a hint of astonishment, "What kind of sma?"


    "Of course, sma is from blood, and if I''m not wrong, this special sma is from the blood of the Spirit Tree Race, which seemed to be highly beneficial for the soul!" Nyx stated her conjecture.


    "Didn''t this mean those guys are making nectar out of their own kind? Still, we can''t be sure until we have some Spirit Tree Race blood samples." Jacob still finds it hard to believe but not impossible to be a possibility.


    "But what if this is true?" Nyx inquired with a knowing tone.


    Jacob''s eyes turned sharp and bloodthirsty. "It''s been a while since I''ve hunted for high-nutrition meat. I don''t mind collecting some blood as well. It''s not like I haven''t done this in the past. But I had never hunted an entire race before. I wonder what it would be like."


    After this huge discovery, Jacob suppressed his dark desires until he confirmed Nyx''s discovery.


    Then he told his butler to bring the other guy, who seemed to be calling himself the servant of a Dark Earl. Since he was already here, he didn''t mind hearing what the other party had to say.


    However, the butler returned alone with a pocket-sized wooden box and handed it to Jacob respectfully, "My lord, that person had already left when I went back, but he left behind this box on the table. Dark Rose has already scanned it, but she couldn''t tell me the content of this box."


    Jacob''s cocked an eyebrow as he took the small box, which was like a ring box, and there was a small button to open it.


    ''Even Dark Rose can''t tell the content of this box. Don''t tell me there''s a bomb in here, or is some magic spell hidden? Since that guy suspiciously left, then he could be someone from the ATLAS¡­'' Jacob''s mind raced, and he didn''t dare be careless.


    He looked at the butler, handed him the box, and ordered, "Bring a maid outside in the open field and then tell her to open it."


    The butler''s expression paled a little. He wasn''t an idiot and easily guessed that this box was trouble. Still, he quickly epted hismand, found a maid, and brought her out!


    Jacob silently followed behind with an impassive look and a hint of grim anticipation!

 Chapter 632 Tricking Star Hackers

    <h4>Chapter 632 Tricking Star Hackers</h4>


    At this moment, an elven maid stood in the middle of an open area with a small box in her hand. Her face was pale with fright, as she had already guessed what this was all about.


    Still, she was just a servant of a dark city with an extraordinary bloodline, so she had to obey the orders of dark nobles no matter what. No one would seek justice for her unless someone other than a dark noble harassed her.


    Closing her eyes and prying in her heart, she quickly pressed the tiny button on the box, and it sprang open. Her heart almost stopped when she heard the ''click,'' but nothing happened even after a few seconds, and she dropped to her bottom with relief.


    When she opened her eyes, she was shocked because a towering figure had appeared right beside her, and the box in her hand was now in his.


    Jacob''s expression was solemn as he quickly stowed away the box and tossed a unique rank magic gem to the elf, "You did well."


    He then vanished just like he appeared, leaving the elf dumbfounded with the magic gem. When she finally came to her senses, ecstasy filled her heart as he clenched the magic gem, which was worth ten years of her pay. She even felt grateful instead of resentment!


    Even the butler looked at her from afar in envy, but he didn''t dare snatch that magic gem from her since it would offend Jacob.


    Jacob didn''t care about what the servants thought. He appeared in another section of the mansion, in hisvish bedroom, and closed the doors. He also stowed away his star watch before the box appeared in his hand again, and he quickly covered it with his mana.


    Because inside the box was something he was extremely familiar with¡ªa Vermin Transponder¡ªand on top of the small box were written two words, ''Contact Me!''


    Now Jacob was 90% sure that this had to be someone from the ATLAS since only these guys could pull something like this off.


    "Dark Rose, track this person and have him detained. I''m sure he''s a Star Hacker," Jacob ordered sternly, knowing Dark Rose had eyes and ears on everything in the Dark City.


    "The suspect has alreadymitted suicide after exiting the estate, and his body has turned into ashes!" Dark Rose instantly responded, "Currently contacting the city guards and collecting the samples of life signature!"


    Jacob''s eyes became more solemn, ''A puppet?'' He mused since he had done this thing as well.


    Still, he was now even more curious about this person''s identity, and he might also find out what the ATLAS was after. So, he created a powerful magic barrier to make sure Dark Rose wouldn''t listen.


    Even if it were useless, since he could alsomunicate with a mental voice like the star watch, it would be impossible to spy on him unless he was wearing the star watch. Moreover, as long as he kept the star watch within his pendant, he didn''t have to worry about any tricks.


    Jacob then finally activated the Vermin Transponder, and a static fake voice said, "You''re a hard man to get hold of, Mr. Ancient."


    Jacob coldly replied, "How about youe here so I can properly show you my hospitality?"


    "Even if I wanted to, I''m afraid I couldn''t enter the unique ins. You should know why. How about youe to me?" the?static voice replied.


    ''An expert of above unique rank?'' Jacob''s expression hardened.?"Who are you, and what do you want?"


    "I''m Star Lord of Star Hackers. You have a pretty good idea about what I want, don''t you?" Star Lord stated.


    ''I was right!'' Jacob''s heart sank as he impassively replied, "I don''t understand. I didn''t have any enmity with your organization, and I don''t want to be your enemy, so I suggest you stop pestering me, and I''ll take this all as a misunderstanding between us."


    "I suggest you don''t y dumb with me, Mr. Ancient. We have eyes and ears, everything and means beyond your imagination. So, I will ask you this once without any tricks or force: hand over the KEY.


    "You will not only acquire the Star Hackers'' friendship; I''m willing to pay you with the method to break past the Unique Rank and sign an oath contract to take you with me when the time to use the key arrives.


    "Moreover, I''m even willing to give you a seat within the council of star hackers, which has never happened before. So, you shouldprehend just how sincere I''m being right now," Star Lord revealed without beating around the bush.


    Jacob fell momentarily silent as his mind worked at lightning speed. Now that he had confirmed that the Star Hackers knew about his connection with Free Sword, he had no choice but to admit he was too careless and made a huge mistake by using Free Sword''s equipment from the Star Hackers.


    ''He''s probably still not sure if I had the key and only reached this conclusion after confirming my connection with Free Sword. Furthermore, my rise in power makes him even more suspicious of me.


    ''But as long as I don''t admit it, I can still keep them guessing. However, if I admit it, it would be akin to making them put all their efforts on me without any misgivings. I''m the only clue that could lead them to the Legendary Key. I better keep it that way, and I might be able to mislead them and buy myself more time before I leave the dark city¡­''


    After thinking about it, Jacob was calmed as he finally replied, "The KEY? I really don''t understand. But I think I know why you are making these assumptions. It has something to do with the Star Pirate Captain Free Sword, right?"


    "Indeed." Star Lord didn''t deny it.


    "Then I think this is really a huge misunderstanding because I encountered Free Sword purely by chance when I was crossing the star ocean of the Epic ins close to an ind.


    "I don''t know why, but before I could inquire about anything, he wanted to rob me of my ship, so we had a huge fight, and I somehow managed to kill him after sustaining deep injuries.


    "However, it turned out that what I killed was some puppet. From the puppet, I acquired two rings; one was just a rare rank space ring with useless items, while the other ring was something I had never seen before, with the name Free Sword engraved on top of the ring.


    "But I was traveling with the Dark Marquis, and she told me what the Offender Ring was, so I naturally kept it and also learned about Captain Free Sword''s background. Now, it appears that the ring is what has drawn your organization''s attention.


    "I have nothing else to do with Captain Free Sword. If you still don''t believe me, I can even sign a Zodiac Oath Contract to prove it. I didn''t want any trouble, especially when I had done nothing or had any key in my possession.


    "If anything, I think this was Captain Free Sword''s scheme to make me a scapegoat, as I mused he was probably running from you guys." Jacob lied without stopping in an earnest tone and even sounded like a victim.


    He knew it was almost impossible to trick this guy, but since he had brought out the Zodiac Oath Contract, even if Star-Lord had doubts, he would be forced to think in the direction Jacob wanted him to.


    As Jacob expected, Star Lord became silent for a while before he finally replied, "If what you''re telling me is true, then if you can hand over that puppet and sign the oath contract, I''ll leave you alone."


    ''Even you couldn''t deny the authority of the Zodiac Oath Contract, huh?'' Jacob''s lips curled up in a mocking smirk before he quickly replied as if he had seen hope, "That would be great. I can hand over that puppet to you any time you want and sign the oath contract on the Star Network. But I won''t be meeting you since I''m afraid of my safety."


    "No problem. If you are telling the truth, you don''t have to worry about anything. My men will be at your estate in two days. Hand them the puppet and sign the contract they will bring. If you dare to y any trick, then you''ll witness the full might of Star Hackers!" Star Lord coldly dered before he cut off themunication, but towards the end, his static voice had a hint of confusion and uncertainty.


    ''This will give me enough time, or who knows, they might really believe me and leave me alone. It''s a good thing I kept that puppet with me for research, and I even found one more intact puppet in his stash.''


    Jacob''s gloomy mood suddenly lifted. He was very optimistic about this, and he didn''t think this matter would be handled in this manner. Now he has to wait!

 Chapter 633 A Myth of Ocean Race

    Chapter 633 A Myth of Ocean Race


    ??On the third day after Jacob''s contact with Star Lord, within the hidden base of the Star Hackers, all the Nine Anonymous Stars were gathered around a mechanical table in a huge futuristicb.


    On this table, many pieces were put together like a jigsaw puzzle, making a humanoid figure with tattered skin.


    "Just how much power is required to turn a Soul Puppet into this state?" An anonymous star eximed in its static voice.


    "Anonymous9, are you really worried about this, among all other things? Shouldn''t we be worried about our only lead going into the wind with this undeniable proof that Faceless Ancient was just a scapegoat to fool us all?" Another static voice rang, filled with angry frustration.


    "Indeed, I agreed with Anonymous8. Now that Faceless Ancient has signed the Zodiac Oath Contract crafted by Anarchy (the Artificial intelligence of ATLAS) without any loopholes, and this Soul Puppet and the traces of Life Signal on it also match Free Sword''s, what should we do?" Another Anonymous Star coldly questioned, making the atmosphere gloomy to the extreme.


    They all turned towards the dark spot around the table where the ck silhouette of Star Lord was sitting silently.


    Just as in Star Lord''s agreement with Jacob that day, Star Lord again sent two men to Jacob''s estate, where Jacob was waiting to receive them. Star Lord even put out a valuable physical Zodiac Oath Contract, already drafted by the AI Anarchy. It was almost as powerful as the SAAI, and had Jacob sign it right in front of them and even record it.


    After Jacob had signed the contract without raising any objection, nothing seemed to happen to him after signing it, and this already made the Star Lord believe in Jacob''s lies by 80%.


    Afterward, Jacob handed him the pieces of Soul Puppet he had destroyed and was just keeping for research purposes. He was d he didn''t dispose of them, so his alibi became even more solid.


    Now, after a full day of scanning and all the research done by the Star Lord, there was no doubt that Jacob was telling them the truth without any loophole or scheme. In other words, Jacob was a victim of Free Sword''s malicious scheme and turned into a scapegoat to mislead the ATLAS.


    At least, this is what everyone in this room was thinking right now. Truth be told, they all felt humiliated and raged since they were all tricked by ''Free Sword'', and he even saw through their trick that they put in the Offender Ring.


    If Star Lord hadn''t approached Jacob and given him the opportunity to ''confess,'' they would''ve exhausted tremendous resources and manpower by going after Jacob in full force. Meanwhile, Free Sword would''ve beenughing at their stupidity.


    "We are bested by Free Sword this time. Not only us, but the whole Unique ins!" Star Lord finally spoke as the temperature in theb dropped greatly.


    He was really enraged at this moment, "Not only did he use this trick to deliver the Offender Ring to Faceless Ancient to mislead us, but he probably used another Soul Puppet to mislead the Dark Beings and other factions as well.


    "I once thought that Free Sword was just lucky to get the key and even able to escape that day by mysterious means. But now, I think this guy''s scheme ran far deeper than we can even think of, and right now, we have again reached the starting point.


    "Still, we got lucky not to chase after a scapegoat and waste our time, unlike the three factions. Since this guy likes to y in the shadows, we''ll just have to illuminate everything and drag him out.


    "Here are your new orders: Keep observing Faceless Ancient without antagonizing him. For some reason, I don''t want to believe him, but facts are facts. Still, keep an eye on him.


    "Other than that, we will use our full forces to search the Ocean Races and track down the Ocean Oracle. This is the only way to identify that sly vermin now!" He ordered without hesitation.


    "Ocean Oracle?! Isn''t that just a myth?" One of the Anonymous Stars eximed with disbelief.


    Star Lord replied, "It''s not a myth. It''s just that we didn''t have enough reason to provoke the Ocean Races, especially when Ocean Oracle is rumored to be the ruler of the Ocean Races and revered by them like a God. We don''t need to go too far; as long as we can buy a signal divination, price is not an issue."


    "But the Ocean Races are at the depth of the Star Ocean, and that ce is known as the No Return Zone for everynd dweller. Just the pressure there is not something our people could handle, much less mesh with those water brain fish that seend dwellers as their mortal enemies." Anonymous2 gloomily stated this since it was absolutely true.


    Star Lord wasn''t stomped by this as he coldly looked at the Nine Anonymous Stars, sending chills down their spine as they had a very bad feeling about this, and Star Lord''s next words proved it.


    "That''s why I''m sending you all there. I don''t think eight intermediate stages and one perfect stage beyond unique rank experts have any problem handling little pressure and ''water brains'' and searching a single ''fish,'' right?"


    ---


    Jacob stood in front of a furnace, monitoring the molding process of a few powerful metals, without any clues that he had justpelled Star Hackers to stir the ho''s nest known as the Ocean Races.


    Even if he knew, Jacob wasn''t going to pay them any heed since he had already ''cleared'' his name and brought himself valuable time to continue to grow. He wasn''t going to believe those guys will stop paying attention to him, this action of his will only made them stop taking extreme actions.


    But if he showed any suspicion, they woulde at him with full force. However, Jacob wasn''t worried since he knew that by the time they realized it or he had made his move, it would be toote, and no one would be able to stop him.


    He looked at a machine filled with runic markings. At this moment, all those runes were glowing, and in the center of this magic machine was a transparent sspartment.


    At this moment, an integral octonion (polytope) condensed by dense magic power from 1000 unique magic gems continued topress and glow like a small white sun in this sspartment.


    Jacob''s eyes glowed as he looked at the finger-nail-sized polytope.


    ''I never thought I could make the Quantum Atomic Reaction with magic energy without going through the trouble of building a nuclear power nt first.


    ''Who could''ve considered the magic energy also contained active radiation that I''d never heard about before? Still, I was only able to build this magic machine because of the space runes and after sting myself tens of thousands of times in the nightmare realm.


    ''With just a little bit of error, the Dark City will turn into nothing but history¡­''


    Jacob was somewhat fearful but mostly excited as he watched his creation be a reality from a dream!

 Chapter 634 Soul Force

    Chapter 634 Soul Force


    ??"Is there still no news from him?" Fulwood asked an old man from the spirit tree race with a dark expression.


    Unlike another servant, this old man has been Fulwood''s personal protector since his birth, a privilege enjoyed only by the Dark Duke''s direct line.


    The old man stoically replied, "No, my lord, we''ve been keeping an eye on the Dark Earl for six months now, not to mention him seeking us out. He didn''t even leave the estate. My men from the inside told me that he had been cooped up in the darkroom since he received your gift, and an unknown party paid him a visit, which most likely suspected to be a messenger from the Star Hackers."


    Fulwood''s expression turned ugly, "But we were still not able to find what was inside that box, right?"


    "Yes, the maid had her eyes closed at that time, so we don''t know what he received that day. I''ve also inquired about his purchases before he went underground. It seemed he was nning on doing some alchemy project." The old man stated with uncertainty.


    "Just what the hell is this guy doing? Send six more bottles of Spirit Tree Nectar that I''ve prepared for him!" Fulwood ordered grimly.


    ''Father told me to wait patiently, yet it''s been six months since I''ve given him those diluted bottles, and he didn''t respond at all. Could it be that nectar wasn''t enough to make him addicted, or does the life medicine have little effect on him?


    ''But there is definitely something wrong. After he received that box, there was no attack or movement from the star hackers. Don''t tell me he had already sold his secret for his life?


    ''If he didn''t respond after this, then there''s a chance he didn''t even drink the nectar. So, I''ll have to use another method to make him submit!'' Fulwood eyes shed with callousness.


    ---


    At this moment, within the Dark Room, Jacob seems to be sound asleep on the bed, while in reality, he is within the nightmare dreamscape realm, looking at Nyx with astonishment.


    Nyx''s figure was surrounded by ethereal dark threads like a giant cocoon, and this abrupt change had only started a few seconds ago. Jacob had to hurry over.


    "What is this?" Jacob quickly asked as he could feel a strange power rising in the nightmare realm.


    "I think I''m about to evolve! I just received the nightmare conqueror seed from the Wyvern, and it seemed we had underestimated the strength of his soul. Anyhow, I don''t know what will happen after this since I''m feeling exhausted and want to sleep.


    "I quickly called you because you might not be able to enter the nightmare realm after this. I''m also about to transfer your portion of his dreamscape realm to your soul, so don''t be rmed after whatever happens; this power is too strong.


    "N¡ªnow¡­ wa¡­wait for¡­" Nyx''s voice suddenly became extremely faint beforepletely vanishing as that ethereal cocoonpleted.


    Before Jacob could react, he suddenly felt a torrent of icy power break into his mind. His vision nked as a mysterious change suddenly started to take ce in his mind.


    This abrupt change was out of Jacob''s calctions, and now he was in slumber without any protection. But since he was in the Dark Room, no one could enter without altering the entire city or something like the Star Hackers attack happened again.


    After an unknown time, Jacob finally opened his eyes, but there was something different about them now. His amber irises were now turnedpletely golden, and there seemed to be a strange power in them that could make anyone with a weak mind fall into a deadly illusion.


    Jacob also felt somewhat different; he felt extremely calm and could see more colors in his surroundings now.


    ''Something has changed after Nyx injected the soul vitality of me Cmity into my soul. It''spletely different from before¡­''


    Jacob sat up and looked around the messyb. To his astonishment, he saw a faint wisp of particles emitting from the alchemy equipment and almost everything rted to magic.


    ''This is¡­'' Jacob clearly knew he hadn''t used the Eyes of Judge, yet he could still vaguely see those color spectrum particles from the magic devices.


    Although they were notpletely clear, like when he used the Eyes of Judge and couldn''t see them in the environment, he knew this was some kind of breakthrough.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly felt some tangible power in his brain and then focused the Rune Artificer Brush on the table. He felt as if he was touching it with his hands and instinctively tried to lift it.


    Something astonishing happened as the brush suddenly lifted by an invisible force, and with Jacob''s will, it directly pulled towards him!


    Jacob grabbed the brush and confirmed it wasn''t a dream, his eyes shimmering with shock.


    ''T-telekinesis! This has to be telekinesis!''


    To confirm his guess, he looked at another item and tried to lift it again. Just like before, he could easily lift it and manipte it with his will!


    Ecstatic, Jacob tried to lift the furnace, which was around 500 kg, but this time, he wasn''t able to lift it and only made it slightly tremble before his grip on it broke.


    ''So, there is a limit to what I can lift?'' Jacob mused, not discouraged at all, and began fiddling with this new power more.


    However, after just five minutes, he felt exhausted and lethargic and could no longer use the Telekinesis to lift any object.


    "Cursed Immorality!" Jacob quickly summoned Immortika while fighting the urge to sleep. He wanted to grasp the true changes that had happened after he fell into slumber.


    "Can you be so kind as to tell me if this ability is rted to my soul or my eyes? Any clue would be helpful," Jacob asked as nicely as possible.


    Immortika burst into usualughter before finally writing, "Well, since you''ve already reached this point and asking so sincerely, I can divulge some information.


    "First, your Eyes of Judge just entered the Initial Stage of their awakening, which gave you the passive ability of Judgment Gaze, which can allow you to see True and False.


    "The second thing, ''Telekinesis,'' is the innate ability a person awakens when they reach the Fable Legendary Rank, and it is called the Soul Force!


    "Oh, and since you''ve already awakened the Soul Force, you are ready to know that the Eyes of Judge is also a connate ability that uses the Soul Force. Before you were using your Soul Vitality to use the Eyes of Judge, which is akin to burning your life.


    "Still, if you exhaust your soul force, you will again start to use it with your soul vitality, so I suggest you don''t be reckless. Although you have awakened something that only a Fable Legendary should have, the amount of soul force you possess is 1/10,000 of what a Fable Legendary Rank possessed, and you don''t have the¡­


    "Oh, look at me. I was about to break a rule; I guess I was too emotional about your progress¡­hahahahha. This is the limit of what I can tell you now. But knowing you, I think this much should be enough, hehehehe!"

 Chapter 635 Judgment Gaze

    Chapter 635 Judgment Gaze


    ??Jacob''s eyes shimmered with ecstasy as he finally got the answers he had been looking for a long time. The part about Soul Force was a bonus, and now he finally has a clear picture of his ability.


    Taking a deep breath, he asked with deep anticipation, "Since that''s the case, can I now use the Eyes of Judge on the Immortal Chapter as long as I use them with Soul Force?"


    "Hehehe, I knew you would ask this. Well, since you were working so hard, it would naturally bear rewards. Yes! You can now peer into Immortal Chapter for 15 seconds with the Eyes of Judge and your current Soul Force!"


    "Finally!" Jacob felt a huge mountain had been lifted from his shoulders at this moment. He can now finally start with his progress with the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation!


    But Jacob wasn''t in a hurry anymore since he had already exhausted his soul force, and his weapon was still notplete. It would still take him about four or more months before it waspletely finished.


    Furthermore, now that he had already achieved his goal, he didn''t need to look for the faeries anymore and waste his time. His goal was to be as powerful as possible before the path of legend surfaced.


    ''I need to retrieve the Legendary Key now since I won''t know when the Path of Legend will open without it. ording to me Cmity, it could open anytime within the century after the keys were unearthed.


    ''Furthermore, since Nyx is now evolving, and I havepletely lost connection with the nightmare realm, there is no point in wasting time on the Dark Battle Arena now. But I won''t give up on annexing the Dark Battle Arena, and Nyx might be able to do it after she evolves.


    ''But if she couldn''t, then I can only give up on it, leave for the Legendary ins, ande back for it in the future. Right now, I should quicklyplete ''it,'' then leave for the Legendary Key, and start my seclusion for the Immortal Chapter. It is too important to do it in here.''


    Jacob quickly made his ns and then asked, "Can you tell me if this Soul Force can be increased by only absorbing soul vitality or if there''s some other way?"


    "Hehehe, you''re asking too much. Just follow your path, and you''ll be fine. This will make things more entertaining, especially now that you are about to start the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation!" Immortika ambiguously wrote.


    Jacob suddenly felt something was amiss, "What is this supposed to mean?"


    "Hahahaha, I didn''t say anything!" Immortika instantly burst into wantonughter.


    Jacob''s heart sank even more as he knew there was definitely something wrong, but he was helpless against this cursed book, so he could only close it in frustration.


    Then, he finally paid attention to the items in the room, which were emitting wisps of colorful particles.


    ''The Judgment Gaze can allow me to see True and False. What does it mean? Although I only believe that those color spectrums show ws and true structures of the world to me, it is still only my conjecture. Now, these strange smoke-like wisps are emitting from these magic items...


    ''Wait, why only these items that had magic, not these ordinary items that didn''t have any magic? Could it be that this Judgment Gaze allows me to see only magic? No, I need more input.''


    From then on, Jacob started experimenting with his new vision and even used fluid eleration to increase its input. The results were out of Jacob''s expectations.


    Furthermore, he found that his Soul Force recovery was natural, and he couldn''t elerate it by another, at least now with normal means. He reckoned that since the soul force originates from the soul, it can only be recovered by the soul medicines, which he didn''t have.


    Nheless, it was the least of his worries since it only required around eight hours of sleep to recover fully; other than that, he used his Eyes of Judge with the soul force and found they were somewhat different, and he could keep them open for a whole 500 seconds now.


    He also does some experiments with just his soul force, but he finds that other than Telekinesis-like abilities, it doesn''t seem to have other uses, or he didn''t know them yet. After all, this ability was something a Fable Legendary Rank should have, so its uses and information about it won''t be avable in the lesser ins.


    While experimenting with his soul force and getting familiar with his new abilities, he didn''t stop crafting the weapon.


    During this time, Jacob received notification from Dark Rose that he had guests from the Marquis Estate, but Jacob ignored them all. After all, Fulwood could only send him messages but not force him to show himself if he didn''t want to, which made Fulwood absolutely abhor Jacob and sulk to no end.


    More than a year had passed since Jacob entered the Dark City, and many things had taken ce in this time, but they had nothing to do with Jacob.


    On this day, the Dark Room''s closed door finally opened, and Jacob''s figure appeared wearing his usual ck outfit. In his disguise, his hair and eyes were ck, and he wore a mask.


    But behind him, the Dark Room was nowpletely emptied, and except for the original equipment present in the Dark Room, everything else Jacob had brought was gone.


    "Dark Rose, I''m going to leave the Dark City today; this estate will be vacant," Jacob announced impassively.


    "Conformation received! The remaining time has been saved in Dark Earl''s ount. You can use it anytime!" Dark Rose statically replied.


    Jacob didn''t pay much heed as he exited the dark room. A few momentster, the head butler approached him. Jacob''s eyes suddenly widened because the head butler was also emitting a wisp of particles in a dark blue color.


    ''So, it wasn''t just the magic equipment and treasures; anyone with magic emits the same color patterns. ording to my experiments, these colors showed the different power levels of magic ranks.


    ''Sky Blue color is for Rare Rank Magic, Blue is for Epic Rank, and Dark Blue is for Unique Rank. Magic runes without any formations or use will emit a white color. If I create rare, epic, or unique rank treasures, talismans, or arrays with them, their color will turn into the aforementioned patterns.


    ''I can now confirm that no one can hide their true power level from the Judgment Gaze¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shone, and the butler suddenly felt ufortable for a reason.


    But since Jacob''s real eyes were hidden behind the disguise, the butler didn''t find the source of that strange sensation.


    "My lord, you''re finally out. There are many messages and gifts from his highness Dark Marquis." He quickly started to tell him about the events with agitation.


    However, Jacob waspletely focused on something else at this moment: the color particles emitting from the butler. As the butler spoke, those particles began to tremble like an electrocardiogram.


    Jacob''s mind jolted at this moment as he instantly thought of something, ''The Judgment Gaze can allow me to see True and False¡­ nothing can hide from the Eyes of Judge¡­ no one can lie to me¡­ I think I finally get it!''


    "Wait, I never got your name before. Tell me ten names, nine fake and one real. You don''t need to tell me which one is your real name." Jacob quickly ordered.


    "M-my lord?" The butler was startled by Jacob''s entric request.


    "Just do as I told you to." Jacob''s coldly red.


    The butler trembled and quickly began to call names, and Jacob''s eyes were fixed on the surrounding particles.


    After he was done, he looked at Jacob with agitation and waited for his response.


    "Your name is Pne, right?" Jacob asked with anticipation.


    The butler''s eyes widened as he quickly nodded, "Yes, my lord!"


    "Good, now take me to those gifts and answer some more of my questions." Jacob jollily ordered as he was in an excellent mood now!

 Chapter 636 Towards the Legendary Key

    <h4>Chapter 636 Towards the Legendary Key</h4>


    Pne felt extremely ufortable as Jacob asked all kinds of strange questions, both personal and meaningless. Yet, he had no choice but to answer since Jacob wasn''t someone to take a no.


    Pne led Jacob towards the estate treasury, where all the umtion of the estate and treasures after an estate lord anointed were gathered. No one could take anything except the estate lord. The servants were to deliver anything to the Dark Rose in the absence of the estate lord, and then the Dark Rose would lock them into this treasury.


    Only when they reached the estate treasury did Jacob stop questioning Pne, and the poor butler sighed with relief.


    Jacob used his star watch against the secret mechanism on the locked dark door. Once his ID was confirmed, the cogwheels began to rumble, and soon, the dark door opened.


    The spacious treasury contained twelve emerald pine cone-shaped bottles in a ss case. Jacob''s pupils dted when he saw a faint wisp of dark blue particles with a tint of red particles around those bottles.


    ''Since this nectar is from Fulwood, I''m sure it is dted with the life medicine. This red color is light on some bottles while heavy on others. I''ve already scanned many of the life medicines, life crystals, and even the dark beings'' magic cores, and for some reason, their colors always contain shades of red with their rank colors.


    ''While any type of toxic matter like poisons have yellow shades mixed within their rank color particles, even the poison of zombies is the same. I started to understand how the Eyes of Judge works with this Judgement Gaze.


    ''Now, I can even see the small number of red particles around those bottles. The denser they are, the more life medicines are diluted in them. The dark blue color represents the potency of the nectar is Unique Rank, just like pills or potions.


    ''Nothing can fool me now, huh?'' Jacob''s lips curled up like a venomous snake before he swept those bottles into his pendant.


    Although they were diluted, it didn''t matter for Jacob since he was nning to test whether the Nectar now had a strengthening effect on his soul or if it could at least help him recover his soul force.


    He was not very optimistic about the former, while he had some hope for thetter since he knew that the soul medicines above the Unique Rank would probably work on him now.


    "Pne, I''m about to leave the Dark City, and I don''t want anyone to get the wind of it for three days. Do this, and I''ll order Dark Rose to transfer 1 Million ZC into your ount. Are you capable of doing this, Pne?" Jacob looked deeply at startled Pne, who didn''t dare meet Jacob''s gaze, which gave him chills.


    Still, Pne''s heart raced since one million ZC was akin to his year''s sry, and this task was extremely easy for the head butler of an estate.


    "I''ll follow my lord''s order!" Pne quickly bowed his head.


    "Good. You don''t need to announce this until you don''t have to, and when the Marquis''s peoplee to inquire about my departure, tell them I was gone, and you only found out about my absence from Dark Rose." Jacob instructed before he vanished like a ghost.


    Pne took a deep breath before pulling a wary smile. ''What an entric guy! He even dares to offend the Marquis while also taking his gift. Knowing the Marquis, he''ll blow his top if he has some ulterior motives¡­but it has nothing to do with servants like us.''


    ---


    Under the shade of night, Jacob used his stealth to silently visit a few ces in the dark city before leaving without wearing any equipment that could be tracked, not even his Star Watch.


    He feels that the Star Hackers were still monitoring his movement, so if he had exited in broad daylight, they would''ve followed him, and Fulwood might''ve tried to obstruct him.


    Although he was confident in handing those guys over, he didn''t want to be chased around by their higher-ups. After all, he was going to retrieve the Legendary Key now, which meant he needed to leave the Unique ins'' protection.


    With his new weapon, he was 90% sure that he could protect himself even from Quasi Legendary Rank Expert, but this will also reveal his true power and trump card.


    So, he didn''t want to showcase his abilities and trump card unless he absolutely had to, and he wasn''t going to be delusional enough to believe that those people would give up so easily if they really confirmed he had the Legendary Key.


    After all, the allure of the Legendary Rank was simply impossible to resist. Even the Wyvern, like me Cmity, was instantly agitated when he heard about the Path of Legend. So, Jacob didn''t want to find out if he could fight against all the old monsters of the Unique ins together.


    That''s why three days were enough for him to leave the Unique ins and then vanish into the boundless Star Ocean. He wasn''t nning on returning here since he would start with the Immortal Chapter right away the moment he got the Legendary Key.


    As for Sofie and Zoe, he had already thought of abandoning them since he knew the next part of his journey was too much for them. If he had the power, he might lend Zoe a hand before entering the path of legend.


    After reaching a remote ce, Jacob took out the flying ship of the Zodiac Night Federation. He loaded the marked map of the Legendary Key''s location and then took flight.


    With its advanced unique rank stealth, the ship vanished into the dark sky and headed northeast at full speed.


    Jacob looked at the fading dark city''s majestic walls from the ship''s deck and sneered, "Consider yourself lucky for now, Fulwood, because I''ve already awakened the Soul Force.


    "But I''m far from done with the Spirit Tree Race. If the nectar affected my soul recovery, I might bepelled toe back and take it all, even if it ended up extinct!"

 Chapter 637 Two Choices

    <h4>Chapter 637 Two Choices</h4>


    The radiation surrounding the Dead Faction Territory hadpletely vanished, and the territory had returned to a peaceful state. However, almost half of the dead inds had vanished into the depths of the ocean as they had never existed, and the scars from the st that day were still visible on many dead inds that were fortunate enough to escape the st radius.


    But there wasn''t any dark being present on those dead inds because, at this moment, the central dead continent was teeming with armies of dark beings as they appeared like ants.


    In the middle of the continent, the ten Dead Kings were kneeling on the foot of the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain, which was glowing in a crimson hue, and they weren''t the only ones as all the dark beings present in the continent were kneeling in reverence as if they were waiting for their god to descend.


    Suddenly, on the top of the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain, a gigantic ck phantom of a devilish skeleton with two crimson devil horns metalized.


    Its eyes were burning with ghostly mes as it gazed upon the dark beings, making everyone tremble; it was none other than Necro, who had sessfully entered the Quasi Legend Rank after absorbing all the radiation with the help of the Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain!


    The Quasi Legend Rank was the limit of the Lesser ins'' power levels, and to enter a higher realm, one needs to find their way into the Middle ins!


    That''s why Necro is currently invincible in the Lesser ins, and only someone with equal power can confront him.


    Necro''s eerie voice rang throughout the continent at this moment: "Children of Dead God, our generous god had bestowed its holy boon to me amides the disaster! The sacrifice of our kind wasn''t in vain, and now, with the blessing of the Dead God, I shall bring about doom to all those livestock!


    "Heed my order, prepare yourself; we are going to raise the Life Faction into rubble first and then conquer the hypocrites of the Neutral Faction! From henceforth, only the Dead shall rule thesends!" He dered with boundless confidence.


    "Only dead shall rule thesends!"


    "Only dead shall rule thesends!"


    "Only dead shall rule thesends!"


    All the dark beings roared after him in hysteria, making the air tremble in their fury and mirth.


    "Hohoho, now that''s a bold iming from just a newly advanced Initial Stage Quasi Legend." A jeering voice suddenly reverberated like a thunderp at this moment.


    Even Necro''s devilish phantom was shocked, "Who dares to trespass in the presence of this Emperor!?"


    "Sigh... this guy really didn''t have any brain. No wonders, there hadn''t been any Quasi Legend in the ranks of Dark Beings for so many years now." A woman''s melodious voice rang with a sigh, but a clear disdain was present in her voice.


    Necro''s phantom instantly vanished, reced by a 30-meter-giant body of a crimson-cloaked dark being holding a bone staff with a ck crystal skull. His jade-like red-ck skeleton faces illuminated under his zing gray eyes, and two devil horns gushed out of his hood.


    "Bunch of rats didn''t know their ce! Perish!" Necro waved his bone staff, and crimson magic energy covered the entire continent.


    "Do we really need to keep this bonehead alive?" An arrogant voice inquired in annoyance.


    "Hohoho, we need all the help, with the Path of Legend on the horizon and the Key still missing. At least ording to the treaty, we have to give him a chance." The jeering voice said as if he werepletely helpless and making a great sacrifice.


    "Alright, I''ll spare him this once. But I can pummel him, right?" The arrogant voice inquired.


    "Do it moderately." The woman replied with a hint of malice.


    "Die rats! Death Domain!" Necro furiously roared.


    The crimson magic energy on the horizon suddenly released massive pressure, and then ghostly wails began to reverberate as if someone had opened the gate of hell.


    "Oh, a domain-type spell? I guess you didn''t just reach the Quasi Legend Rank without any merits." The arrogant voice rang with great interest. "But it''s a pity you only just through, and there''s nothing my sword can''t cut. Skyfall Sword!"


    Necro finally felt the other party''s aura for the first time, as he could vaguely sense them hiding in the sky. The gray mes in his eyes trembled in disbelief.


    "NOOO! How could there be others?!" He howled in full of unwillingness as if someone had poured an icy bucket of water on him, waking him from his glorious dream.


    He thought he was finally above everyone else, could conquer everynd, and turn his old enemies into his ves. Yet, his dream didn''t evenst for an hour before he was forced to face reality.


    Right at this moment, within the crimson Death Domain, an ethereal white line appeared, and the domain was cut in half. That white streak directlynded on the giant Necro, who instantly drew power from the mountain behind him and was covered in a thick crimson barrier.


    But it shattered like ss, and the white streak directly shed with his body. He was sent down like a dead bird and crashed into the mountain while the white streak passed through half of the continent, obliterating anything in its path.


    When the dust settled, the central continent seemed to have been split in half, as a steep chasm appeared in the ce of that white streak. Even the colossal Dead Emperor Shrine Mountain was cut almost in half.


    At this moment, three figures descend from the clouds, engulfed in magic energy like some deity.


    Necro''s giant figurey in front of the ruined shrine. His right side waspletely gone, and only half of his figure remained. But the attacker had deliberately missed his dead core, or he would''ve been deader than dead.


    The gray mes in his eyes were extremely dimmed, yet he was still awake and filled with disbelief and despair. It was an extremely harsh awakening, and now he finally understood how foolish he had been as he red at those three light figures.


    "Tsk, tsk, I told you to do it moderately, yet you almost destroyed the poor guy''s treasure and home." The figure of a woman in sky-blue light snickered.


    "I didn''t know he was so weak. I guess that wasn''t the real death domain at all. What a letdown." The arrogant man in the white light chuckled with disdain.


    "Alright, we''re not here to bully the new guy." The impish voice in emerald light retorted yfully before he spoke with Necro, who was ring at them with hatred, "Don''t hate us, little lich, but it was necessary to show you your ce, or you won''t be obedient, right? Anyway, I''ll get straight to the point; as you can see, you are not the only Quasi Legend Rank in the Unique ins.


    "It''s just that we never appeared in the public eye, interfered with factions, or harmed anyone below our level unless our faction is threatened by destruction. Only the Dead Faction was without a Quasi Legend Rank for nearly twenty thousand years.


    "There are seven in total, including us three and you, and we all had a treaty among us. You just experienced what kind of might a Quasi Legend Rank holds, so it isn''t hard to make you understand why we are in this treaty and can''t move against those who ranked below us.


    "So, you only have two options: join this treaty, leave this chessboard, and be a chess yer, or you can die. Since you are a Quasi Legend Rank, we can attack you all we want, so I suggest you choose wisely!"


    Just like that, the cmity that the other two factions were desperately preparing for passed unbeknownst to them¡ªat least, that should''ve been the case!

 Chapter 638 Blood Glyphs

    Chapter 638 Blood Glyphs


    ??Jacob had no clue what happened in Dead Faction as he followed the maker on the map where Free Sword had hidden the legendary key. However, even with the flying ship''s Mach-5 top speed, a month had passed since he left the Unique ins, yet he was still only halfway there.


    That''s why, after making sure he was not being followed or there wasn''t any danger, he started toprehend the Immortal Chapter two weeks ago. With his current soul force, Jacob can only peer into the Immortal Chapter mysterious for 45 seconds in 24 hours.


    Since he needed eight hours to recover his soul force and Immortika summoning time was 24 hours before the 24-hour cooldown period, Jacob also discovered that the Spirit Tree Nectar really affected his soul force recovery.


    A 500ml bottle of Spirit Tree Nectar can reduce the recovery time from eight hours to one hour; this makes Jacob desire the nectar or any soul medicine even more. Still, he didn''t dare to use those remaining bottles anymore and kept them for emergency situations only.


    Other than that, Jacob was focused on the Immortal Chapter and the path toward the legendary key.


    Today, Jacob again summoned Cursed Immortality, opened the Immortal Chapter, and looked at the blood drop on the page with a somewhat gloomy expression.


    ''It''s been two weeks and I finally managed to count those blood colored glyphs, they are total of 99 glyphs and not only they are different in size, there seemed to be some kind of power that stopped me from approaching them.


    ''Just like the first day when I tried to approach thergest glyph, I was instantly struck with pain in my head and had to stop using the Eyes of Judge, and even my soul force recovery took a full day.


    ''ording to this cursed book, ''I shouldn''t chew more than I can handle.'' Since then, I''ve only been observing those glyphs and finally found all this information.''


    ''Now, I know they all had different sizes. I''ll try approaching the smallest one, and let''s hope I''ll make progress. Or I don''t think my current level of Eyes of Judge is enough to find the mysteries of those blood glyphs¡­''


    Calming his mind, Jacob took a deep breath and then opened the Eyes of Judge. His eyes turnedpletely golden, and his pupils turned into white mes.


    The very next moment, Jacob found himself being pulled into the drop of blood before he appeared in a familiar crimson surroundings. He was extremely familiar with this ce now.


    Without wasting a single second, Jacob''s eyes darted around, and there were blood-colored glyphs that he now called the Blood Glyphs of many sizes. The thing was, these blood glyphs always appeared in random arrangement every time he came to this ce, so it took him two weeks to gather all this information.


    After all, he only had 15 seconds on each try, so he had a very hard time just counting them urately.


    Jacob finally spotted his target in five seconds, which was like the smallest star in the starry sky. In his vision, it was only around 1 centimeter in size, while thergest among these glyphs was 100 meters in size, which was impossible to approach.


    With just a thought, Jacob''s vision began to approach the smallest glyph. Once he was in front of it, he felt boundless pressure from it, making his blood run cold. Still gritting his teeth, he tried to grab it.


    As he approached this glyph, he felt like he was trying to grab the sky, infinity, far away from him. But like a mad devil, he didn''t give up and continued with all his willpower.


    He had already experienced this kind of oppression from the biggest blood glyph, which was akin to a sun in front of this smallest glyph; just by approaching it, Jacob was sent out directly.


    But with this smallest blood glyph, he didn''t instantly send out, so he knew he was on the right path, so he didn''t give up.


    Jacob forgot about the time and focused solely on approaching the smallest blood glyph; it was like climbing up in a raging waterfall.


    At this moment, just when Jacob felt a strange sensation of grabbing something, his vision suddenly blurred, and the crimson surroundings changed into a bright room.


    Blood was streaming from his eye sockets and nose, and without any further action, he found his vision turning dark and falling on the floor.


    The cursed immortality page turned at this moment, and Immortika''sugh filled the page: "¡­haha¡­ he''s progressing much faster than I''ve anticipated. Maybe he''s able to pull it off. Or more entertainment for me, hahahahaha!" The words appeared as quickly as they vanished.


    Jacob didn''t know about any of this, as he was in a strange dream where he saw rivers of blood flowing everywhere. Right in the center of this ghastly scene, he spotted a blood-


    red symbol he was very familiar with. It was the symbol of Infinity!


    He didn''t know why. He felt extremely close to the infinity symbol and approached it, but right at this moment, something within the infinity symbol awakened, and before Jacob could understand anything, the dream shattered, and he opened his eyes!


    "The path of Cursed Blood flows like an infinite loop, vast and endless¡­" Jacob suddenly muttered this phrase before ecstasy filled his heart.


    He didn''t care about his bloody appearance; he was too upied with this strange information in his brain. So, he quickly sat down, closed his eyes, and focused on that vague information, desperately trying to understand it.


    Jacob forgot about the time, and three days had passed since he had just sat like a statue.


    At this moment, his eyes opened as he muttered, "I just touched that blood glyph, yet I managed to get this much information and only understand a tiny portion of it. I finally understand why I need toprehend this all within the immortal chapter.


    "All I manage to get is the information about the Immortal Chapter. Who could''ve thought that it is actually divided into different parts, and each part will grant me a pinnacle level of control over blood as well as grant me terrifying connate abilities with the infinite growth potential of Cursed Bloodline!"


    Just thinking about it made Jacob''s heart race, and he wanted to instantly go back to the Immortal Chapter and grab that smallest blood glyph again.

 Chapter 639 Mysterious No Return Zone

    <h4>Chapter 639 Mysterious No Return Zone</h4>


    Jacob had left the flying ship on autopilot and activated the warning mode if anything untoward showed up. The warning he just received was from the flying ship interface, so he quickly entered the control room and saw that the flying ship was now flying into a fog-filled sky.


    Furthermore, the fog was filled with faint white energy particles, making him wince his brows.


    ''How long I''d been out?''


    Jacob frowned as he quickly scanned the map on the ship. He was surprised to see that, including the three days it took him to assimte the information he had gotten from the blood glyph, 23 days had passed since thest time he opened the Immortal Chapter.


    Now, he was very close to the location, and this misty area seemed to be where the legendary key was hidden.


    After confirming that there wasn''t any danger, he felt relief. Suddenly, blue energy gushed out of his body before turning into a water glob, washing away the blood on his face. He then used the fire aura to dry himself and felt refreshed, just like he had taken a bath.


    But he didn''t open the cursed immortality this time, for he was reaching the destination, and he wanted to be alert at all times, especially after finding that he had been out for over twenty days just by touching the blood glyph.


    Now that he knew what he had to do, he was no longer in a hurry to explore further. But it was too dangerous for him to fall unconscious while he was still traveling the star ocean and this close to the legendary key.


    Jacob sat on the captain''s chair and again fell deep into thought about the information, ''I seem to have a closer connection with my blood after touching that glyph. I can''t wait to unravel it''s mysterious, especially the crimson infinity symbol, that I can''t get out of my mind...''


    However, when night fell and the surroundings turned pitch dark because of the fog, Jacob suddenly felt uneasy in this eerie silence. He was confused since everyone seemed to be fine a moment ago; now, all of a sudden, he started to feel uneasy.


    Nheless, he didn''t dare to ignore it, for he had learned a lesson in the past.


    He quickly took control of the ship and started to descend towards the ocean from a 100,000-meter altitude!


    But Jacob noticed that as he was going down, the fog was bing thicker, and the atmosphere was bing colder. That uneasy feeling had almost vanished.


    "Alert! There is a solid surface at a 4000-meter distance!"


    ''What, surface, not ocean? Just where in the world is that bastard hiding the key?'' Jacob was astounded as he quickly decreased the speed, and the next moment, he opened the eyes of judge!


    Instantly, the mist ahead of him vanished without a trace, and he could finally see the ground, which was actually a mountain peak!


    Then Jacob instinctively looked up, and his heart palpitated the next moment because right above him, a few hundred meters ahead, he saw a huge dark mass floating there, like a flying ind!


    But the particles emitting from it were purple, a color that Jacob hadn''t seen before, and by just looking at it, Jacob felt mortal danger. He finally understood why he was having that feeling!


    ''Just what in the hell is that thing? Could it be a flying ind? But it''s impossible sincends don''t emit those color particles. Don''t tell me that is a living colossal creature, and the mist seemed to being from it!''


    Jacob didn''t dare to be careless, nor was he curious to go there and seek his own death out of curiosity, so he hid his aura as much as he could and desperately descended toward the mountain.


    ''If I''m not mistaken, that bastard hid the legendary key in some No Return Zone since they are the safest ces, and people seldom enter them. To my knowledge, there are only four famous No Return Zones that no one dares to go deeper into, or they will never return. But which one is that?'' Jacob wondered grimly.


    The ship finallynded on top of a snow peak, around 50,000 meters above ground. The winds were freezing.


    But Jacob didn''t care about the cold as he quickly exited the ship,nded on the frozen snowy surface of the mountaintop, and quickly stowed away the ship. He was keeping an eye on that humongous thing in the sky while wishing he wouldn''t get noticed, and he finally felt huge relief when he safelynded.


    Now, he felt more at ease since he was far from the danger in the sky, but the surroundings were still filled with thick, cold fog. But he wasn''tpletely blind and could clearly see around a hundred meters with his eyes.


    Furthermore, the white particles in the fog were now even denser, and he finally understood what they were, ''This is most likely the Icy Magic Energy that has materialized in the air. Just how dense is it? I guess I have no choice but to head towards the location on foot since it''s not too far and probably hidden somewhere in this ce.''


    Jacob had no choice but to activate his star watch again. The moment he did, he found many messages and ignored them all. He quickly activated the marked map and, with a flying disc, descended the icy mountain and headed east.


    "Roared!"


    "Growled!"


    Jacob suddenly heard ear-piercing roars not far away from his position and then powerful sonic booms, making the fog churn and ripple in the vicinity.


    ''Magic beasts fighting each other? Furthermore, I can feel their pressure from this far away, and they are not at the Unique Rank!'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered, as he never expected to encounter Beyond Unique Rank Beings in this ce.


    ''I never had three steps of legend rank meal before, and since they are fighting with each other, I can just finish them off¡­''


    Jacob didn''t dy and sneakily made his way towards the source of the uproar!

 Chapter 640 When thieves fall out...

    <h4>Chapter 640 When thieves fall out...</h4>


    Jacob quickly appeared a few hundred meters below the peak of the snow mountain and stopped his advance, as he was now extremely close to the sources of the powerful energy sts.


    Despite the fog, Jacob clearly saw the battle taking ce. Well, calling it a battle was an understatement because it was more like a war!


    A huge snow-white wolf with purple horns over its head was shing against a white fox with two tails with a shade of ash gray. Besides these powerful magic beasts were their underlings, slightly smaller than them, ripping each other apart.


    It was a full-blown bloody war between the two mighty magic beasts, and both sides were heavily injured.


    The wolf with the aura of beyond unique rank has a chuck missing around its neck, and the ghastly wound is frozen with ayer of ice. On the other hand, the fox had a w mark on its forehead, and it was patched with a gray icyyer.


    Both magic beasts were ice element type, and they seemed to be filled with hatred for each other.


    Jacob had no intention of interfering. He was observing from a safe distance, with a thievish glint in his eyes, as he watched both magic beastsunch physical and magical attacks on each other while the underlings were doing their best to mascara each other.


    But suddenly, Jacob''s eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual not too far away from the battlefield. There seemed to be an entrance to a cave, and he could see dense purple particles emitting from the entrance.


    ''That''s the same color I saw around that thing in the sky!'' Jacob''s mind raced as he couldn''t help but reassert the situation.


    After observing for a while, he found that those magic beasts were avoiding that cave, and from time to time, they would nce at it, especially the white fox, whose eyes were filled with greed and mad desire.


    This confirmed his conjecture that those two were not fighting out of grudge but because of that cave, which piqued his interest!


    Still, he wasn''t in a hurry to investigate and watched the battle unfold as now those two overlords were filled with injuries and bloody wounds.


    "Awooo!"


    The white wolf let loose a bloodthirsty howl, and a huge amount of white ice mana began to gather in front of his maw!


    "Roar!"


    The fox''s eyes were filled with killing intent as it suddenly arced its two tails in the direction of the wolf, and ice mana began to gather on the tails'' tips.


    The next moment, almost simultaneously, both of them shot white beams at each other; those powerful magic spells shed, and powerful ripples spread through the battlefield.


    They didn''t seem to care about those underlings as those who were gravely wounded directly sted apart before turning ice statues, and even Jacob, who was a few hundred meters away, took a step back and felt freezing energy drilling into his body.


    ''They are definitely in three steps of legend ranks. Strangely, the particles emitting from them are still dark blue or a slightly darker shade. Maybe they are Beyond Unique Rank¡­'' Jacob mused as he circted the fire mana within his body to get rid of the cold.


    The fox seemed to have the upper hand in this power sh as after wrestling with the wolf''s ice beam for a second, the fox''s ice beam started to push the wolf''s spell back.


    The wolf''s eyes were filled with unwillingness and fear, as it had lost too much blood and mana. At this moment, the wolf couldn''t take it anymore, and its spell broke before it caught a huge amount of blood. Yet it wasn''t its concert for the moment, for the fox''s ice beam directlynded on its face!


    "Roar!"


    The fox roared with madness, and with bloodshot eyes, it put everything in this spell, clearly wanting to finish this contender once and for all!


    The life in the white wolf''s eyes finally faded as it turned into an ice statue, dying of unwillingness and hatred.The underlings all met with the same fate, and those who had any chance of survival were now turned into ice statues.


    The fox''s aura visibly plummeted when it stopped the spell and vomited blood while panting heavily. Its body was riddled with wounds, yet the mirth in its eyes was visible as if everything it sacrificed was worth it.


    But right at this moment, the fox''s listless eyes winded in horror as the fur on its back stood in rm. It was at its peak state; it might''ve reacted sooner, but now it was almost on the verge of death.


    That''s why, when a sword pierced through its skull, it wasn''t able to react in time and died without even looking at the killer.


    Jacob''s figure appeared out of thin air. He had a cruel smile on his face and muttered, "When thieves fall out, honest mene by their own¡­"


    Without wasting time, he directly stowed away the fox''s corpse in his ring and then moved towards the frozen wolf and stowed it away as well. Furthermore, he wasn''t nning on wasting peak unique rank frozen meat around him either, so he gathered what he could, and from those who were in pieces, he collected their magic cores.


    This was a huge profit, especially with those two Beyond Unique Rank corpses. At this level of existence, these were all highly respected figures of the three factions, so Jacob was very pleased to get their meat by almost doing nothing.


    But Jacob knew this wasn''t the only gain. As he finally headed towards the cave, hepelled these powerful magic beasts to fight each other to death.


    The entrance of this cave was only six meters in size, making Jacob frown since he couldn''t fit in, and he hated his height for this exact reason. Still, this didn''t stop him from crawling in like a caterpir.


    Just by standing in front of this cave entrance, he felt his mind and energy cry with joy. He also didn''t feel any sense of danger from inside, so he entered without hesitation.


    The cave wasn''t too deep, only around thirty meters, and Jacob already spotted the ''thing'' within the edge of the cave.


    It was actually an exotic nt, glowing in a beautiful violet color, and dense purple particles were emitting from it. Just by getting close to it, Jacob felt something stir within the depth of his soul and instantly wanted to devour it!


    Jacob didn''t touch it and used his soul force to envelop it gently, but the moment his soul force came in contact with the exotic violet nt, his mind trembled as powerful icy energy directly attacked his mind, almost making him groan in pain.


    However, before he could retract it, something even more astonishing happened: the nt suddenly turned into violet haze and was directly absorbed into his soul force!


    Jacob felt as if someone had poured liquid nitrogen directly into his brain. His skin turned purple, and frost began to appear all over his body. Soon, he was turned into a violet ice sculpture!

 Chapter 641 Legendary Key’s Location (1)

    Chapter 641 Legendary Key¡¯s Location (1)


    ??Within the cave in the snow mountain, a giant''s violet ice sculpturey without any movement, but there seemed to be a faint violet glow pulsing over this giant''s head like a heartbeat.


    Suddenly, the violet pulse vanished, and the violet ice around his body started to tremble before cracks appeared all over it. The next moment, ''boom,'' with a st, the ice shattered like ss, and the person within was freed!


    Jacob''s breathing was rigid, and faint blue ice breath wasing out of his mouth and nose. ''That was extremely dangerous!''


    He thought with a lingering fear as he almost felt like he was going to freeze to death, and the reason for it was his own carelessness. But he never expected that by touching that exotic nt with his soul force would have such a reaction.


    Not only was his entire body frozen, and even his mind nearly went nk, but he quickly reacted by elerating his blood and somehow preserving thought in that torturous coldness.


    Furthermore, once he was in equilibrium with that iciness, he found that his soul force started to increase, and many things he didn''t understand from the blood glyph became clear to him.


    It was an extremely strange state, and if he had another choice, he might do the same thing. But he knew that the exotic nt might be one of its kind and that he might never find it again.


    Just now, he was finally able to regain his senses and break free from that strange state. Instead of feeling tired or having a strangely light head, except for the empty stomach because of the use of fluid eleration, he waspletely fine, even better.


    Jacob quickly crawled out of the small cave. When he looked around, he was surprised to find that his vision was no longer obstructed or limited by that strange fog; in fact, he could see everything clearly!


    This was evident in the increase in his soul force, which is reflected in his vision.


    ''What an unexpected gain. I wonder how my soul force is nowpared to that of a real Fable Legendary State expert. I will be able to stay longer in the immortal chapter now, and the telekinesis also seems to have be more powerful.


    ''I was only able to lift around fifty kg of weight before; I wonder what my new limit is. Nheless, I better recover that key first. Furthermore, I can''t be careless in this ce, after all. With this kind of treasure, those two beyond unique rank magic beasts, andstly, that thing in the sky, this ce is not to be underestimated!


    ''And I can''t use my soul force to pick things that I don''t understand anymore. I''d rather use my hands since the soul is a person''s core, and if I identally pick up something poisonous, I won''t have my life to regret it.''


    Jacob still felt lingering fear about the incident, so he vowed not to use his soul force just to protect his body. The telekinesis, after all, wasn''t what he was expecting. This ability was directly connected with his soul, and he didn''t dare take a risk with his soul.


    Afterward, he took out a frozen wolf belonging to the giant white wolf faction, directly melted the ice with his fire and then skinned the peak unique rank beast, and then roosted the entire eight-meter beast and ate it, including bones!


    It took him only ten minutes toplete all this, and then he was finally full. Then, using the flying disc, he again began to descend the mountain carefully.


    ''This rare rank disc is too slow for me now; it''s only useful for this kind of thing now. Although I had managed to deduct its materials and even make it, I couldn''t seem to find the optimal materials to make a unique rank disc. I can''t find a good recement for the rare rank soft aluminum used in its base. Then there''s another strange material that even Nyx can''t analyze yet; my knowledge is not enough.


    ''I wonder if that mysterious assassin organization is really part of the ATLAS since I never heard or found any clues about them again¡­'' Jacob mused as he remembered those faceless assassins he encountered in the rare ins.


    Thereupon, Jacob soon reached the base of the mountain, and the fog was extremely thin. However, he was astounded when he found that a tree forest surrounded the mountain.


    Those trees werepletely white, and the leaves on them were sky blue, just like translucent crystals, and extremely beautiful.


    Jacob didn''t stay to admire the beauty of this ce; even from this distance, he could see different shades of particles rising within this forest, which was filled with magic beasts.


    So, he decided to stop using the flying disc because its slow speed and stealth form were easily detectable. He confirmed the direction on the map, which was still around eight hundred miles away from his position, and he quickly darted towards it while avoiding the magic beasts.


    Soon, Jacob noticed the sky of this ce was filled with fog that he saw on the mountain, and when the sun started to rise, the light passed thought that the fog was extremely dim.


    Furthermore, the white tree forest stretched for several hundred miles, and when he exited it, he found himself on a barren rocky in covered with frost. Far away, he could see a wall of dense gray mist that waspletely out of ce.


    Jacob frowned because the location of the legendary key was somewhere in that mist wall and mused, ''Just how did Free Sword enter this ce with all those vicious beasts more powerful than them wandering around? Or since I arrived with the flying ship, I ended up in the core area, and the key is hidden in the outskirts? If I had used the water pathway instead, maybe I would''ve arrived here from the other side¡­''


    This was the only exnation he could think of, so he didn''t stop and continued towards the mist wall. The rocky in seemed empty, and if someone saw them from the sky, it would look like a line between the forest and the mist wall.


    When he reached the mist wall, Jacob didn''t find any particles in the mist, so he was less worried. The path ahead was the same as the rocky in, so he entered without hesitation.


    But when he was a few miles inside this dense mist, he stopped because in front of him appeared a vast frozen river, and not too far away was a frozen waterfall!


    However, what made Jacob stop was the sense of danger suddenly arousing upon reaching this ce!

 Chapter 642 Legendary Key’s Location (2)

    Chapter 642 Legendary Key¡¯s Location (2)


    ??Hidden in the dense fog, the colossal silhouette that Jacob saw that day was actually a floating ind, the origin of the fog surrounding the in below and in the air.


    This floating ind was probably the only one in the entire Unique ins and a wonder of nature, but no one had ever been able to see it, and those who did were never able to live to tell the tale.


    Because this No Return Zone was one of the most dangerous zones in the entire Unique ins, known as the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone, not even Inspection Legend Rank experts dared venture into its depth.


    As for why was this name given? Rumor has it that there is a strange Fog somewhere in this zone that can devour anything and everything. No one knows the origin of that fog.


    At this moment, above the ice ins, the phantom ind drifted through the swirling mists. This, however, was a horrific illusion. It was no ordinaryndmass; it was a churning, undting carpet of what appeared to be pristine snow.


    The ''snow'' was a grotesque mockery of winter''s gentle touch. It writhed and pulsed with a faint, bluish luminescence, a colony of countless insects!


    These monstrous insects were norger than a man''s hand, but their forms were a nightmare amalgamation of locust and spider. Their bodies, segmented and obsidian ck, were encased in a carapace of translucent ice. Eight spindly legs, tipped with razor-sharp ws, twitched incessantly. Two pairs of iridescent wings, membranous and skeletal, hung limp at their sides, capable of unleashing a hurricane when unleashed.


    The most chilling feature, however, was their face. It was dominated by a single, multifaceted eye the color of a cier, devoid of warmth or life yet filled with a cold, calcting intelligence.


    At the ind''s heart, nestled in a caldera of volcanic ice, resided the Mother of these insects. Unlike its brethren, it was colossal, its form dwarfing the surrounding swarm. Its carapace was a mesmerizing swirl of blues and whites, reflecting the spectral glow of its children.


    Its singr eye, however, was different. It pulsed with a fiery crimson, a beacon of malevolent intelligence. It had slumbered for who knows how long, its vast treasure of stolen starlight fueling its dreams. However, this slumber was abruptly shattered at this moment.


    "The Frigid Soul Saxifrage is gone!?" A guttural screech, like ciers scraping against bedrock, erupted from its maw, a sound that resonated through the ind and sent shivers down the very spine of the world.


    Seemingly, an unseen hand had pilfered its hoard, leaving the Mother Insect enraged. The Ice Fiend Locusts stirred, a collective tremor rippling through their mass. At this moment, their wings unfolded, catching the dim light and transforming the ind into a shimmering shroud of death.


    "Go, my children, spare no one. Bring me back the thief''s body!"


    With a final, ear-splitting shriek from the Mother Insect, the swarm surged forth, a tide of ravenous insects descending upon the unsuspecting ice ins below, ready to unleash their frigid fury and reim this Frigid Soul Saxifrage!


    ---


    At this moment, Jacob started to feel extremely uneasy, as if a cmity was about to befall him. He abruptly looked behind and opened the Eyes of the Judge and was horrified.


    Despite the distance, he saw a huge storm of purple particles rising from the horizon like angry mes.


    ''What the hell is that?'' His heart palpitated.


    Although he couldn''t tell what it was because he was still hundreds of miles away, he was sure that it was most likely the reason behind this sense of deadly crisis.


    Without hesitation, he darted at full speed in the direction of the legendary key. He wanted to leave this ghastly ce quickly, especially before strange phenomena caught up to him.


    Like a streak of lightning, Jacob''s speed reached Mach-10 as he used his full power to bolt in the direction of the legendary key. He didn''t dare to save any more energy.


    Jacob also noticed that within this mist, powerful magic fluctuations were hidden, and their power might not be any lesser than that of wolf and fox, if not stronger. Not only that but within a few minutes, those calm fluctuations started to stir as if they also sensed the iing crisis.


    A few powerful roars rang in the vicinity before the ground began to shake, and a stampede urred.


    Jacob was now even more sure that whatever had awakened back in the snow mountain was nothing but bad news. He avoided all the obstructions, and within half an hour, Jacob reached a cliff at the end of this thick mist!


    He quickly followed the map because the final location of the legendary key was nearby. Thereupon, he reached a tree that was just like the other trees in this ce, and without hesitation, he used his Eyes of Judge to scan through it.


    ''Finally!'' Jacob felt relief and dread at the same time as the iing crisis was getting closer.


    He directly punched through the tree routes, where a grove was hidden and protected by an array. But against his full strength, that array shattered, and he finally grabbed the hidden box within this grove.


    "Buzzz¡­"


    At this moment, powering buzzing sounds filled with air, sending powerful vibrations that had a powerful effect on the mind.


    Jacob finally turned around, paled with fright, when he saw those locust-like insects swarming towards him like a giant dark cloud. Furthermore, their numbers were probably in the tens of millions, and the ghost insect swarm that he encountered in the Dead Faction was nothing but a speck of dust in front of this one.


    Those locusts were leaving behind nothing but a trail of dested iceyer, for anything, whether it was a tree or a living being, would vanish without a trace.


    Without hesitation, Jacob stowed away the box and immediately jumped off the click, for the ocean was right below it. He knew if he stayed here, even if heunched an atomic bomb, those insects would be simply too many, and he would be affected as well.


    So, since he had the option to flee within the ocean, he was not going to take meaningless risks.


    But Jacob had overestimated the tenacity of those insects!

 Chapter 643 Ice Fiend Locust

    <h4>Chapter 643 Ice Fiend Locust</h4>


    Jacob didn''t know that the scene of him jumping off the cliff, despite the mist and his stealth, was visible to those insects'' single multifaceted eye, and those visions were equally shared by none other than Mother Insect!


    The Mother Insect had a terrifying cognitive ability to see everything without leaving behind anything, and she saw Jacob''s figure, which was infrared red in the insect''s eye, jumping off the cliff.


    But unlike those insects, the mother insect could see something that they can''t. She instantly noticed a faint violet aura around Jacob''s red silhouette, making her eye shimmer with viciousness.


    She directly issued amand, "He has the aura of Frigid Soul Saxifrage. He''s the thief! Go, my children, and bring this thief to me!"


    Like electricity, hermand instantly passed through millions of insects, and like a waterfall, they directly dived after Jacob!


    ---


    The moment Jacob touched the water''s surface, he instantly used the Water Spirit Escape and escaped toward the depth of the ocean.


    But then, very soon, he noticed power ripples from behind. When he looked behind, he was shocked because all those insects wereing right after him like gigantic maw.


    ''They can see through my stealth!! '' Jacob''s expression turned grim. ''But why are theying after me so relentlessly? Did I provoke them somehow by venturing into their territory?''


    Jacob thought that they might give up after some time, but even after he reached the hundred-mile depth of the star ocean, those insects were still hot on his heels, just a menace.


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    Jacob now had no choice but to call Immortika and waste this chance. He had really started to feel worried, as his water mana was going to run out in a few minutes.


    "What the hell are those?" He quickly asked agitatedly.


    "Hahahahaha¡­ now this is what I call entertainment!" Immortika wrote in relish,pletely disregarding Jacob''s current situation.


    "Do you really have time to fuck around?" Jacob roared with indignation.


    "Hehehehe, alright, alright. Those insects, as you might''ve guessed, belong to the Fantastic Insect race and are naturally born in Purple Ice Essene. They are called the Snow Acrididae,monly known as the Ice Fiend Locusts, and they are not in the top hundred fantastic insects list.


    "Here, things be interesting. You see, the Ice Fiend Locusts didn''t have the ability to reproduce, but this was only until a ''Queen Ice Fiend Locust'' was born among them.


    "The chances of a Queen Ice Fiend Locust being born are less than 1% because the moment a Queen Ice Fiend Locust, she will be ranked 33rd on the list of top hundred fantastic insects!


    "This is because a Queen Ice Fiend Locust is like a Queen Ant who has absolute control over the ant colony, in this case, the Ice Fiend Locust colony. She can breed 100,000 Tier-1 Common Rank Ice Fiend Locusts while being herself in Tier-9 Common Rank, 1 million in Tier-1 Rare Rank at the peak of Rare Rank, 10 Million Tier-1 Epic at the peak of Epic Rank, and 100 million at the Tier-1 Unique at the peak of Unique Rank!


    "Not only that, but she has almost perfect sensory abilities that let her share the vision with every Ice Fiend Locust she births. Not to mention, her congestive abilities can rival even legendary existences, and she is no less intelligent than you. All in all, she is a perfect controller!


    "Although an Ice Fiend Locust only has the ability to devour physical matter and turn it into Yin Snow, with Queen Ice Fiend Locust inmand, they are like an army that can maneuver with just a thought without caring about their lives!


    "But despite her intelligence, she had a huge w, just like any other fantastic insect: her vengeful, greedy nature! You see if the Queen imed something to be hers, she would protect it until she died, and if she felt provoked, she would not stop until she took her vengeance, hence the name Fiend!


    "If we start to go into the arrangement of Ice Fiend Locust Colony, our time will not be enough. Lastly, despite the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s powerful mentality, she has almost zero defense, and even a normal mortal can kill her. But this is only if you manage to reach her and her guards are not around.


    "Now, you should understand what kind of existence you have provoked. Oh, and even if you manage to evade those Ice Fiend Locusts somehow, the Queen has already marked you with her most powerful connate ability, which can only be awakened after she goes beyond the unique rank, the Fiend Mark!


    "All I can tell is that this Fiend Mark will remain with you unless you canpletely get rid of any kind of magic you have. The more you use the magic, the more she''ll be able to deduce your location and even tell if you are in a location that can threaten her or is good enough to hunt you down.


    "To summarize it, she will never stoping after you as long as she''s alive. This is her true w and your doom if you can''t kill her. Hahahahaha, I''ll advise you never ever to underestimate the Queen Ice Fiend Locust; she''s like a vengeful spirit and always finds a way towards you because the more you evade her, the deeper her hatred for you grows. It''s almost romantic! Hahahaha¡­!"


    Jacob has an ugly expression at this moment, and at this moment, he feels nothing but utterly speechless!


    "Isn''t it too excessive? I just invaded her territory, and I didn''t even kill any of her damn minions, yet you''re telling me she''ll not stop hunting me until she or I die?" Jacob asked with indignation as he felt this was simply too ridiculous.


    He was just here to pick up the legendary key. He never had any intention of provoking this cmity star, but somehow, he ended up doing exactly that.


    "Hahahaha, just invade her territory? Maybe you''ll understand after hearing this; you see, the Ice Fiend Locust can only evolve by absorbing soul-type natural treasures. Hahahahaha¡­!"


    Realization finally struck Jacob at this moment, and he was utterly baffled when he remembered that exotic nt that evaluated his soul.


    "Fuck my life!" He couldn''t help but curse furiously and no longer found that ''free fortune'' likable anymore.


    "Hahahaha¡­" Immortikaughed with relish as if it was having the best time of its life.


    "You literally cut off her path of legend when you unbeknownst devoured that Inspection Legend Rank Frigid Soul Saxifrage. Even if it were someone else, they would do anything to hack you in millions of pieces!"


    Jacob''s expression grew even darker since Immortika directly confirmed it, and couldn''t help but looked behind, the army of millions of Ice Fiend Locusts were relentlessly pursuing him.


    "There has to be a way to get rid of this Fiend Mark, right?" Jacob asked after calming down, but his expression was gloomy to the extreme.


    "Didn''t I''ve already told you? Just kill her, and those locusts will lose their intelligence and be scattered throughout the unique ins. Furthermore, you might be able to get a very useful reward for your efforts. While the other method is too far away from you. Hehehehe¡­"


    Jacob sighed ruefully in resignation as he knew his life was going to be extremely harsh from now on!

 Chapter 644 Planet Destroyer

    <h4>Chapter 644 Destroyer</h4>


    After he realized what kind of trouble he was in, Jacob stopped paying attention to theughing, cursed book, and his eyes shed with decisiveness!


    Although it was hard to ept that an owner of a 100 million unique rank army was bloody for him, he wasn''t going to wait for death. He had reached this point by undermining many powerful originations, so another bug added to his troubles was not a big deal.


    Although it might be inconvenient for him to chase around, it wasn''t like he didn''t have ways to make the Queen Ice Fiend Locust pay the price for chasing him around.


    While diving deeper into the star ocean, Jacob already started to feel the gravity incursion, yet the army of locusts behind him seemed to have no intention of giving up.


    ''My water mana can onlyst for another two or three minutes before this spell breaks. But my speed of descending is continuing to increase, and with this pressure around, I can use some drastic measures to get rid of these bugs.''


    After making his decision, Jacob stopped using the water spirit escape and appeared within the water. The ice fiend locust army was only over a mile away from him.


    "I''ll let you be the first one to experience my new weapon!" Jacob cruelly muttered.


    The next moment, a ck knuckle armor ring filled with exquisite sapphire gemstones and pristine tiny white runes appears on his right-hand middle finger!


    Not only that, but the star watched on his wrist activated, and with his will, a peculiar application opened, and Jacob issued a coldmand, "Active the Destroyer''s Third Form: Rocket Launcher!"


    The next moment, a few sapphire gems suddenly lit up with runes, creating a peculiar pattern around the biggest gemstone engraved in the center of this knuckle armor ring.


    Almost instantly, a finger-nail-sized, glowing violet crimson-colored integral octonion appeared right above the gemstone in the center. The next moment, different ck metallic parts started to appear and assembled around this integral octonion, taking the shape of a long barrier rocketuncher!


    Within three seconds, Jacob''s empty hand was now holding a ck triple-barrel rocketuncher with beautiful glowing neon lines on its slick body.


    Then Jacob issued another coldmand, "Load three White-Sun Atomic Rockets, and set the st timer to 10 seconds!"


    The neon lines on the rocketuncher instantly lit up. Right where the rocketuncher''s scoop was located, there was a small digital screen, and a ''3'' number appeared on it.


    Jacob didn''t waste a second and mounted the rocketuncher''s barrels towards the swarm of Ice Fiend Locusts. Killing intent shed past Jacob''s eyes before he pulled the neon trigger!


    With a huge sonic wave, three white lighting streaks shot out from the barrels and headed straight toward the swarm before quickly vanishing within them like ming kindles in darkness.


    "Disassemble!" Jacob didn''t tarry and quickly issued amand through the star watch before the rocketuncher quickly disassembled and turned back into the knuckle armor ring just as quickly as it appeared.


    "Water Spirit Escape!" Jacob turned around and fled into the depths of the ocean, using internal fluid eleration. With the help of Gravely, he was almost like a light streak.


    The Ice Fiend Locust Army clearly didn''t have any idea what kind of cmity was waiting for them within those three white light streaks as they relentlessly followed after Jacob.


    Ten secondster, within the sounds of buzzing, three faints ''beeps'' rang as quickly as they vanished before. Within the darkness, three white lights began to bloom like supernovas in dark space.


    Because of the water pressure, there wasn''t a sound, but when a supersonic wave appeared, the swarm of the Ice Fiend Locusts that seemed unbreakable finally crumbled as white light engulfed them in their entirety!


    It was like a white sun had suddenly appeared in the middle of the dark ocean as everything was illuminated in white light, and powerful shock waves stirred massive areas of the ocean. Even on the surface, huge tilde waves began to rise in huge numbers.


    Jacob, who managed to distance himself from the swarm, was also caught up by the first shockwave. Despite the icy cold ocean water, for a moment, he felt like he was in love.


    But this time, he wasn''t as effective as thest time when he was too close to the st radius, and those white sun rockets weren''t as powerful as that missile. Still, they had 50% of its destructive might.


    Enduring the heat waves, he continued diving until he was finally out of the st radius. Because of the depth of the ocean and gravity, he waspetently fine this time around.


    Furthermore, there was no longer an Ice Fiend Locust swarm following right behind him. At this moment, he finally ran out of the water mana as his body appeared again, and even without doing anything, he was still going down.


    ''Sigh¡­ it seemed I have to live under the ocean for some time now. That bug bitch would be seeking her own death if she sent that army down here. I can live under this pressure, and the ce is kind of perfect for me toprehend the Immortal Chapter in peace.


    ''If I go back to the surface, and since theprehension of the Immortal Chapter depends on magic, I''ll have to look over my shoulders because of this fiend mark.'' Jacob sighed in resignation and also vowed to kill the Queen Ice Fiend Locust once heprehended the Immortal Chapter or reached the Quasi Legend Rank.


    So, without wasting more time, he begins to recover his energy and magic power while he continues to descend into the depths of the ocean.


    Furthermore, as Jacob was getting deeper and deeper, he noticed that this time, the bottom of the star ocean was even deeper thanst time, making him gloomy. His mana was still not begging to replenish because he first had to recover the physical energy that he used with fluid eleration. So, he couldn''t stop his descent.


    Just when Jacob started to get worried, his heart churned as he looked below, and his eyes winded with disbelief because he saw a few peculiar creatures riding a huge ocean beast headed right towards him!

 Chapter 645 Encountering the Ocean Races

    <h4>Chapter 645 Encountering the Ocean Races</h4>


    Jacob was startled when he saw those novel creatures riding on a whale-like ocean beast wereing in his way. This was his first witnessing this scene, and even from here, he could tell that the ocean beast was at the peak of its unique rank.


    ''Don''t tell me they are from the ocean races?'' He spected.


    Autarch had already told me about ocean races because Masha also belonged to an ocean race, but she was a runaway because she was experimenting on her own race members.


    Furthermore, the ocean races were very mysterious, and most of the natives of the Unique ins were unaware of their existence because they rarely left the ocean and came to the surface.


    Jacob has no idea that he had unknowingly trespassed into the territory of ocean races while fleeing from the swarm of Ice Fiend Locusts.


    He still hadn''t unsummoned Immoritka because he was afraid those persistent insects would stille after him and because he might run into such a situation. After all, when it came to sniffing out enemies or hidden dangers, Immoritka had never disappointed him.


    "You know what I want to know, right?" He questioned gravely.


    He was still calm because those neers were at the same rank as him, and since they could move freely under this heavy gravity, he now wanted to know more about them.


    Furthermore, even if he tries to flee, he won''t be able to outrun them before his mana gives up on him. Lastly, he has no n of going back to the surface because of the Queen Ice Fiend Locust.


    "Hehehe, those small fries are not worth mentioning, aren''t they?" Immoritka?cackled before finally getting to the point, "The three fish-face humanoids are Orange Sturgeons of Unique Tier-9 Rank, a verymon ocean race with no unique, innate abilities except for their ability to?use sound waves to attack the minds of their prey.


    "But that Unique Tier-9 ocean magic beast they are riding is quite rare. It is a Water Lightning Whale that can move within water like lightning under any pressure!"


    Jacob nodded slightly, as this information was enough. Now, he was coldly looking at the Water Lightning Whale as it approached him, while those three Orange Sturgeon, who had orange-scale skin and the head of a sturgeon, were already viciously opening their sharp mouths at him with killing intent.


    They were clearly not here with kind intentions, and Jacob wanted to know how they found him or if it was just a coincidence. But when they were about a hundred meters away from him, he saw those three Orange Sturgeon''s faces suddenly light up, and his expression darkened when he saw the magic energy gathering around their mouth.


    They were about to attack him without any intention of interrogating him. A ruthless glint shed past his eyes, and since he was more than half recovered, he stopped ying dead.


    "Slumber Hex!" Jacob directly targeted the Water Lightning Whale since those guys were using it to mount an attack.


    Although he wasn''t sure if they were moving so fast in this gravity because of the Water Lightning Whale, they would be fishes on a chopping board if they were relying on it.


    Just as he predicted, the moment the Water Lightning Whale was cursed, those sturgeons suddenly lost their bnce, and with the Water Lightning Whale, they began to sink like a stone in water.


    The Orange Sturgeons were baffled by this sudden turn of events. One of them even tried to kick the Water Lightning Whale to awaken it but gained no reaction. One of them cried furiously, using strange gibberish, and the other two nodded before they finally jumped off the whale body and directly bolted towards Jacob, leaving behind powerful wave shockwaves.


    Although their speed was not as fast as that of the Water Lightning Whale, they were still moving very agilely. But what they hadn''t thought was that Jacob could also move like them within the water.


    The three Orange Sturgeons quickly surrounded Jacob in a triangr formation, and they again began to cast their spells as the surrounding water began to churn. But how could Jacob give them any chance?


    At this moment, using the water spirit escape, he turned into a blue streak and darted towards one of the Orange Sturgeons. Those guys were again shocked. Jacob''s target tried to dodge him, but Jacob''s speed was almost at the same level as the Water Lightning Whale when he used the water spirit escape.


    The Orange Sturgeon had just started pping its fins like feet when Jacob abruptly appeared in front of him like a ghost. The next moment, a dark streak shed past the Orange Sturgeon''s neck.


    Jacob again turned into a blue streak and bolted in the other Orange Sturgeon''s direction. The Orange Sturgeons were shocked, and by the time they realized what had happened, they saw theirpanion''s head start to separate from his neck as crimson blood tainted the clear water.


    Jacob didn''t give them any chance, and like a phantom, he approached the second Orange Sturgeon, who was now horrified and started to flee desperately. But he was still too slow, and Jacob directly grabbed his slippery leg and cut him in half, as they were only about half his size.


    Thest one was already running deeper into the ocean, but Jacob had no n of killing him, he locked on him, and his eyes shed with crimson lightning, "Slumber Hex!"


    Thest Orange Sturgeon turned motionless the next moment, and Jacob went after him directly, grabbing his body before stowing him away in his pendant alive. He then finally looked towards the Water Lightning Whale and dived towards it.


    The whale was around twenty-five meters in size, but Jacob had enough space for it as well. Now that he knew this whale could swim opposite to gravity, he had a different n for it.


    He also didn''t leave behind any corpses since he wasn''t sure what kind of power the ocean races held. He had heard that they were very protective of their own, so he didn''t want to reveal his existence or provoke some three steps of legend.


    Afterward, he fully focused on recovering while using stealth, and after around half an hour of descending, he was finally able to see the ocean floor.


    But what surprised him was not too far away from his location, there were huge glowing buildings with strange shapes that he had never seen before, and he saw many Orange Sturgeons swimming around those buildings and even other ocean races that he had never seen before.


    It was an underwater city that belonged to the elusive Ocean Races!

 Chapter 646 Seclusion Under Star Ocean

    <h4>Chapter 646 Seclusion Under Star Ocean</h4>


    Jacob observed the city from a distance. He didn''t dare get too close since his appearance didn''t match the Orange Sturgeon at all, and if he were spotted, everyone would notice him.


    Furthermore, with his eyes, he could see a huge glob around the entire city emitting faint color particles.


    ''There is an array formation around that ce. How peculiar¡­'' He mused before he averted his eyes and decided to find another secluded ce.


    He had no intention of going there, and he was not interested in the ocean races, as they were of little allure to him. Since he was already on the ocean floor and had already spotted the inhabitants of the star ocean, he knew he couldn''t be reckless.


    Unlikest time, this part of the star ocean wasn''t barren and filled with ocean weeds and all kinds of ocean fauna and flora. He even found some small creatures hidden among them, and they were epic rank, at least.


    The gravity here is around 600 times greater than the surface, and if someone didn''t have a physique like Jacob''s that had undergone powerful gravity before, they would be absolutely crushed in this ce.


    After the city was no longer in sight, Jacob looked around and found a dark mountain in the distance. When he reached close enough, he found that it was a ck coral with long threads sawing in the water like tentacles!


    ''It''s a good ce and excellent hideout¡­'' Jacob mused before swords appeared in his hands.


    He directly approached the mountain-like corral and, using the water mana, he started shing its body like he was carving a sculpture; the entire mountain trembled for a moment before going dormant again.


    Jacob knew this corral was a Unique Rank creature, but under his dominant attacks, it didn''t stand a chance.


    Soon, Jacob opened a cave in the corral. Although it was somewhat disgusting and a potent poison was leaking from its body, he waspletely fine. He then used the outer part that he carved out like a door to block the entrance, and now it looked the same. No one would be able to tell that someone was living within this corral unless they tried to destroy it or had intentions like Jacob''s.


    After opening arge space, Jacob also set an array that he had prepared beforehand since he had the intention of doing the same thing from the start. This array was an rm array that would instantly alert him if someone entered its fifty-radius range.


    ''Now, I should get rid of this poison¡­'' He pped his hands together and started to cast a spell of Whammy Poison, "Poison Gather!"


    The ck water around him suddenly churned, and the next moment, a glowing ck dot appeared above Jacob''s hands. Thereafter, the tiny dot suddenly began to expand, and strangely, the ck water started to turn transparent again.


    Soon, an inky glob around a meter in size was in front of him, and all the poison in the water waspletely purified. He then took out a ss bottle, and using the water magic, he controlled the glob as he filled the bottle and stowed it away.


    Now that there was no more poison in the water, he moved to the next step for what he did all this. The Orange Sturgeon that he captured, still in slumber, appeared in front of him.


    Although he wasn''t going to move around the ocean race territory, he wanted to collect information from this guy. After all, knowing this ce will have a greater advantage to him without any disadvantage.


    Before lifting the curse, Jacob made sure that the Orange Sturgeon wouldn''t cause any trouble. He used his eyes to find the location where all the magic in the Orange Sturgeon waspressed.


    After locating the magic core, he ced his finger above his belly. The next moment, the finger suddenly lit up in a green sheen, and the surrounding water suddenly began to heat up, and sizzling bubbles appeared.


    ''Tsk, my fire energy consumption is triple underwater as expected.'' Jacob sighed as he knew the fire mana was almost useless underwater, and just to keep it activated, he required more than the usual amount of energy to sustain it, not to mention it was still weakened by half.


    Jacob then stoppedmenting and directly stabbed his finger right where the Orange Sturgeon''s magic core was. He carefully cracked the magic core, and the magic energy stowed within the Orange Sturgeon suddenly leaked out.


    This was one of the ways to make someone magically crippled without killing them. If he had destroyed the magic core, the Orange Sturgeon would''ve been dead.


    Furthermore, Jacob also noticed that this Orange Sturgeon''s body was far sturdier than the people on the surface, slightly worse than his own. This was most likely because of the gravity they lived under.


    After making sure the Orange Sturgeon wouldn''t be able to retaliate, he bound him with special ropes he bought in the dark city that could restrain even a giant, and only then did he release the cure.


    The Orange Sturgeon''s eyes snapped open in bewilderment before horrifying pain reced them. He wailed loudly in pain, and when he saw the giant in front of him, his bloodshot eyes shone with hatred and killing intent. If looks could kill, Jacob would''ve died thousands of times under such a murderous re.


    Jacobpletely ignores the furious fish and tries to speak by using water magic to convert sound waves to vibrations that travel through water. He got this inspiration from these guys when he saw themmunicate using the same method before.


    With his excitement control over mana and soul force, it wasn''t hard for him to imitate the same thing.


    "C-can¡­ y.y-you under¡­stand¡­me?" Jacob''s voice was almost like a broken radio since he had never done this before, but he was still able to convert the vibrations into words, which was the crux of this method.


    The Orange Sturgeon was startled when he saw Jacob using the same method as them tomunicate before he furiously began to make strange gibberish noises, "Hpqoikc, lhljlljlj kjlioqqpqv¡­"


    Jacob frowned as he knew what was going on and mused, ''It seemed the ocean races had their own uniquenguage, just like the dark beings, and since these guys seldom encountered the surface, only their higher-ups might know themonnguage.


    ''I can''t get anything if I don''t understand what the hell is he saying. If only Autarch were awake, he could''ve easily gotten thenguage and information and then taught it to me. I should keep this guy for now, and once he awakes, it would be easier.''


    After getting nowhere on his own, he didn''t waste time and punched the furious Orange Sturgeon unconscious before stowing him back in the infinity pendant.


    Jacob''s eyes then shed with anticipation before a box appeared in his hand, ''Now, let''s see what this legendary key looks like; that made me offend that bug bitch looks like!''

 Chapter 647 Legendary Key in Hand

    <h4>Chapter 647 Legendary Key in Hand</h4>


    ''This box seemed to be encrypted with runes. This should be the runic lock that relies on magic runes, and if someone tries to open it without the runic key, the item inside will be destroyed. But I don''t think the legendary key is so feeble that it could be destroyed with an advanced unique rank runic lock,'' Jacob mused as he observed the box with scrutiny.


    If it had been before, he might''ve been stumped and tried to break this box, but after he deepened his knowledge of the magic runes in the dark city and created the Destroyer, he was very familiar with this kind of runic lock.


    He also had Free Sword''s entire treasury, so he quickly searched among his treasures and soon found what he was looking for. It was a small pentagon, which perfectly matched the pentagon grove above the box.


    Jacob quickly inserted this small pentagon in the grove. When it was perfectly fit, the runes on the box lit up, and with a faint click, the box opened.


    When he opened the lid, a glowing light lit the surroundings. The thing inside the box was not a standard key with a t head and teeth.


    It resembles a stylized celestialpass. A smooth, circr disk forms the body, with intricate constetions etched on its surface. It was not made with any conventional material.


    It shimmers with an otherworldly, ethereal light, constantly shifting between hues of violet, indigo, and gold. When Jacob lifted it up, it felt weightless in his hand yet held a solidity that defied its ethereal appearance. It was slightly warm to the touch, radiating aforting yet powerful energy.


    Extending from the center is a single, slender point that curves gracefully upwards. This point doesn''t resemble a traditional keyhole prong but rather seems to yearn to touch the sky.


    Twelve faint symbols were engraved along the rim of the circr disk, and only one symbol was extremely lifelike and different from the other eleven.


    Shockingly, Jacob instantly recognized them and muttered, "They are the twelve symbols of the zodiac, and this more visible symbol represents the symbol of the Taurus Constetion, the same as the lesser gxy that I''m in!


    "Could the other function of this key be to track down those twelve legendary visages? Since thispass is found in the lesser gxy of Taurus, it can only show the way towards the Legendary Visage of Taurus.


    "But then why are these other eleven symbols also here? Just what kind of mysteries are hidden in this key? If I can have another key from another gxy, I might be able to figure it out more urately. Right now, I can only assume that the other legendary keys should also have ways to lead towards their own corresponding legendary visage¡­"


    Jacob conjected while he looked at the faintly glowing ethereal disc which was the legendary key, although he didn''t know how to use it or its true functions, he was sure that the person who held with would have a huge advantage over those without it.


    After some more observation, Jacob finally stowed away the legendary key, but he was surprised again when he wanted to keep it in the space ring he was unable to do it.


    He wanted to do this because he was afraid that the pedant might cut off its connection with the path of legend and key, just like everything else. If he wanted to be alerted, then he had to make sure the key remained connected.


    But now it seemed that this key couldn''t be stored in a space ring at all, and when he tried to put it inside the pendant, he seeded. This made Jacob grimace because if his conjecture was correct, he couldn''t keep it inside the pedant or might miss the time of the path of the legend''s opening.


    ''Did I have to keep it on my body all the time now?''


    Jacob sighed in frustration before he put the key back into his pendant. Although he knew it was not a good choice, he couldn''t leave it outside, so he decided to check on it from time to time. After all, there was no safer ce than the infinity pendant.


    After he had finished with the legendary key, Jacob was finally done with all the trivial matters. Now that the legendary key was also in his hand, he looked at the cursed immortality that was still in front of him.


    He didn''t want to waste this chance and then wait for another cooldown period, so he kept it activated just in case something happened, or he found the hideout before the summoning time was over.


    As for asking Immoritka about the legendary key, he didn''t even bother as he had already tried too long ago but never got anything useful. Immoritka was very tight-lipped about the path of legend and never even dropped the faintest clue.


    After he opened the Immortal Chapter, he didn''t use the Eyes of Judge directly but tried to use the passive ability judgment gaze to see if he could enter it on his own. After all, his soul was also elevated, so he wanted to try using his own capabilities.


    After a few minutes, Jacob found that there was indeed something different this time around as he sensed a strange force within the drop of blood on the immortal chapter, but he failed to enter.


    At least, it was far easier with the Eyes of Judge, but this was still a little progress, so he wasn''t discouraged. He activated the Eyes of Judge and appeared in the crimson world of blood glyphs.


    Jacob didn''t waste his time on thoserge glyphs and found the smallest one again since he wanted to fullyprehend it before he moved on to the others. Furthermore, after hisst sess, he was now sure that he had to start with the smallest one, and only after heprehended it could he move on to the others.


    This time, as Jacob approached the smallest blood glyph, he was surprised and ted when he found that the repulsive force was no longer as powerful as before, but he struggled nheless.


    However, this time, he reached the blood glyph without losing consciousness, but when he touched it, his mind went nk again.


    Strangely, Jacob was still fully focused. The next moment, he felt as if a sea of knowledge had appeared in front of him, and not only that, but strange images began to y in his head.


    The amount was simply too much, and he felt like his brain was too small to absorb them all at once.


    However, for some reason, as his mind wandered in the sea of knowledge and those images, he was able to observe them slightly.


    Just like that, Jacob''s journey to be the Cursed Blood Progenitor started!

 Chapter 648 Blood Manipulation Levels

    Chapter 648 Blood Maniption Levels


    ??The first day of Jacob''s seclusion passed, but this time, he didn''t know how long he had been within the immortal chapter; his entire focus was on the myriad images and information that were exposed to him.


    Even after an unknown time passed, Jacob remained in a daze as he tried toprehend those images. After spending an unknown amount of time, Jacob was finally able toprehend one of those images. In that image, he found a silhouette entirely made of blood, and it seemed to be manipting a drop of blood.


    As time passed, Jacob was able toprehend another image in which the same silhouette seemed to be separating the blood drop on a cellr level. Furthermore, as he started to understand the images and was able to ''see'' them, that huge amount of information also began to assimte into his brain.


    Every time he snapped out of hisprehensive state, he would first check on the legendary key, then open Cursed Immortality''s immortal chapter, and again start toprehend the smallest rune.


    This was Jacob''s first time doing nothing but learning andprehending something; it was almost like he had returned to his past life and started doing research on the weapons without any care about time. So, it wasn''t boring for Jacob at all.


    Like this, a year passed by, and Jacob didn''t do anything but follow the same routine again and again while the ocean remained peaceful. Jacob didn''t know that a year had passed, and he was starting to understand the smallest blood glyph of Cursed Blood Progenitor. His hard work and devotion didn''t go to waste either.


    After his year of devotion, Jacob found that the immortal chapter holds mysterious concepts of blood, and if they had their own categories, he would divide them into three levels.


    The first Cellr Level: The concept of this level was rted to blood cell creation, mutation, and function.


    The second level is the Energetic Level, which is rted to manipting blood''s life force and the magical properties hidden within it.


    The third Structural Level was rted to shaping and sculpting blood vessels and bone marrow. This level also holds the secret he needs toprehend toplete thest stage of phase one.


    But despite progressing this much, Jacob found that these three levels were not within this smallest blood glyph at all. In fact, this blood glyph seemed to be just an introduction to the blood chapter.


    Upon further research andprehension over another two years, he discovered that this smallest glyph was all about the basics of these three levels, and they called the Blood Maniption Levels!


    Only by understanding this smallest blood glyph will he be able to use the initial blood maniption, which was manipting blood through his cursed heart!


    But this was still far from enough topletelyprehend the first blood glyph, if anything within these three years he was only able toprehend about 30% of the glyph.


    However, this didn''t discourage him, if anything, he was thrilled and more motivated than ever because he could tell that he was starting to feel a close connection with his cursed heart more than he ever had.


    After finally arranging the mystery of the Blood Maniption levels, he can finally focus on increasing his knowledge and even start practicing blood maniption by using his cursed heart to take control over his own cursed blood.


    Time seems to have lost its effect on Jacob. He was fully immersed in the smallest glyph and able to spend more and more time within the Immortal Chapter as heprehended the blood glyph.


    On this day, in the seventh year after Jacob started his seclusion, Jacob had the corpse of the snow fox of unique rank in front of him as he ced his hand on its icy body, and his cursed heart pulsing even without using the fluid eleration.


    The fox''s corpse seemed stoic, but if someone looked carefully, blood veins bulged all over its body while Jacob''s expression was solemn. Jacob was trying to manipte the blood in this corpse using the cursed heart because he didn''t dare try to do the same thing with his own blood.


    He found that blood maniption was not as simple as he thought it would be. Everything was going fine at first, as he was able to use the cursed heart to circte the cursed blood within his body.


    This was the initial mastery of the cellr level of blood maniption and the limit of knowledge within this blood glyph.


    But when he tried to move on to the energetic level where he could manipte the blood''s life force and magic properties, he almost self-destructed, as if he had provoked something in his blood and lost control!


    Jacob''s steady progress suddenly halted at this point. He didn''t dare experiment on himself, so he finally decided to experiment on others. He had numerous corpses from the no-return zone.


    So, he started to practice on them, but it was even harder since he had to start from the beginning and find a way to manipte others'' blood. But with fluid eleration help in the beginning, he was able to quickly the cellr level control on blood other than his own.


    Now, he was again trying to practice the energetic level on this fox, and at this moment, he felt a peculiar power hidden in the fox''s blood.


    ''Boom!''


    The fox''s corpse sted like a small bomb!


    Jacob waspletely fine and didn''t care about the bloody mess in the water, but his expression was gloomy as he mused, ''Is this rted to the life force and magic properties hidden within the blood that stops me from peering into its mysteries?''


    ''I can tell the life force ispletely preserved because I kept this corpse in the pendant, so it''s not about its being dead for a long time. Just why am I getting this kind of reaction from the energetic level?''


    Jacob was about to take out another corpse and start to experiment again when he suddenly sensed something stirring inside him, and his eyes shed with surprise.


    Jacob flipped his hand, and above it, a small egg-sized ck cocoon appeared, glowing in a dark light as cracks were spreading on it.It was an indication that the thing within was about to break free.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with anticipation and ecstasy as he looked deeply at the cracking cocoon and mused, ''Autarch is finally about toplete his evolution!''

 Chapter 649 Living Marionette

    Chapter 649 Living Marite


    ??Jacob looked at the restless, glistening, pulsating cocoon. It emits an eerie bioluminescence. Inside, something tiny writhes, its form shifting and growing as it seems to devour the energy stored within the cocoon.


    Suddenly, a tremor runs through the cocoon. More cracks begin to spiderweb across its surface, glowing brighter with each pulse. With a final surge of energy, the cocoon explodes outwards in a shower of shimmering shards.


    Autarch appeared in its ce. It retains the basic centipede form but is now only nine centimeters long, and its body is as thin as fine ck hair. Its exoskeleton is sleek, obsidian ck, polished to a mirror sheen.


    Along its back run glowing red lines, pulsing with a faint light that seems to emanate from within. Each segment of its body is tipped with a razor-sharp w, glinting ominously.


    Autarch''s head had alsopletely transformed. Now, it was a segmented carapace with six glowing red eyes that could focus independently, allowing Autarch a wide field of view. Two long, whip-like antennae twitched in the air, picking up on every sound and scent.


    Autarch stands tall on its numerous legs, its entire form radiating an aura of power and menace. Despite its insectoid features, there''s something vaguely humanoid in its posture and stance, hinting at the vast intelligence that resides within.


    Jacob was astounded when he saw Autarch''spletely changed form. He hadn''t expected that the change would be so big in unique rank evolution. Furthermore, Autarch didn''t have eyes before, but now it had six of them, and they were exempt from any emotions andpletely icy cold.


    "Thank you for looking after me, Sir!" Autarch impassively showed its gratitude with its eerie, stoic voice by using the mental connection with Jacob.


    Jacob smiled slightly, as despite Autarch''s huge change in appearance, it remained the same: cold and emotionless.


    "It is what I should do for your excellent services, and I hope you continue to perform well in the future. Now, tell me about your gains this time?" Jacob asked in anticipation.


    He was looking forward to what Autarch was capable of now. After all, Immoritka had once said that a brain hunter had once turned an entire nation into its puppets. He thought that this kind of ability would only appear at a unique rank, so he was looking forward to it.


    Autarch revealed without hesitation, "My Brain Analysis, Puppet Possession, and Brain Devourer have been enhanced ten times, and I should be able to possess someone at the unique rank within a minute. Furthermore, the side effects of the brain devourer that rot the body have been reduced by ten percent.


    "The Undead Control can now refine 100 Dark Beings into Undead Puppets. But I still won''t be able to get their memories. The control''s range has increased up to 500 miles!


    "My Puppet Poison Magic can now be used remotely by spreading an invisible poisonous mist in the air. I don''t need to inject the puppet poison directly through my bits to create a Magic Puppet.


    "The Magic Puppets can''t leave a 500-mile radius perimeter, or they will be free from my puppet poison magic in twelve hours or if they be a full rank more powerful than me. Now I can also have 1000 Magic Puppets!


    "But the puppet poison still can only remain in the air for five minutes before it will lose its potency and effect.


    "Lastly, I have also awakened a new ability called the Living Marite thatplements my puppet poison magic and grants me an aspect of Enhanced Puppet Mastery.


    "With it, I can use puppet poison magic to cast an innate spell called the Marite Dispersal. This spell will release around 1 million Marite Micros in the air, and anyone who breathes these Marite Micros will be vulnerable to Living Marite.


    "Using these Marite Micros, I can not only read their minds, but I can affect and manipte their thoughts and cognitive abilities of a living being without killing them. This creates a Living Marite. Living Marites retain their own consciousness and abilities while they are vulnerable to my maniption.


    "But there is a drawback that the Living Marites may resist control, especially if the intentions are harmful. The chances of altering their thoughts and manipting them into doing what I want can also be greatly reduced if they have strong wills. The mind reading has the same drawbacks.


    "Lastly, a Living Marite canpletely escape my control once they leave a 500-mile radius area from me, in this case the Marite Micro in them will be destroyed. But they will not be able to find anything wrong with them. Living Marite is also useless on the Dark Beings for now." Autarch was done exining at this moment.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment, ''This Living Marite didn''t appear as powerful as Autarch''s other abilities, but in truth, they are far more terrifying than all the abilities he has. If he can manipte the thoughts of millions and influence their actions, the effect would be terrifying.


    ''It''s like dancing in someone else''s palms without even knowing anything. No wonder the fantastic insects all have ridiculous retrains. But I can use these abilities to my advantage.''


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a dark smile as he waved his hand. The Orange Sturgeon he was keeping in his pendant appeared again. He was still the same despite the seven years that had passed; time seemed to have stopped for him.


    "Here is your first task after your advancement. I want you to possess him and then teach me the ocean races''nguage and give me all the information about the ocean races.


    "Then you have to infuriate their city not too far away from this ce and take over it. I''m in the middle of an extremely important experiment so that I might need some living subjects in the future. I want you to help me with it if the need arises.


    "Even if I don''t encounter the need, I want you to gather more information about them while also using them to increase your rank up to the peak of the unique rank. Our enemies are not just at the unique rank.


    "We still do not know if you can possess someone in the three steps of legend rank or influence their thoughts, so this is also a test to get familiar with the full extent of your abilities."


    Autarch slightly shook its menacing head, "I understand."


    The next moment, Autarch moved with such speed that even Jacob could only see a faint dark crimson streak. Autarch was simply too thin to be noticed. Furthermore, the deep ocean didn''t seem to have any effect on Autarch either.


    Within a minute, the unconscious Orange Sturgeon opened its eyes, which were nowpletely icy cold and mirroring Autarch''s emotionless eyes!

 Chapter 650 Timeless City

    Chapter 650 Timeless City


    ??In the treacherous southeast quadrant of the Star Ocean, there is a No-Return Zone called the Riddle Archipgo, one of the three most dangerous no-return zones in the Star Ocean.


    This Riddle Archipgo was proimed as such for two reasons. The first one was that in this ce, any magic equipment starts to decay, and this strange decay also affects the beings with magic. Their magic power slowly dissipates before their magic orbits rot, and they eventually meet the fate of death.


    The second reason no one wanted to tread anywhere near this ce was that if someone were to enter this no-return zone unknowingly, they would find that no matter how much they came closer to one of these inds, they would never be able to reach it.


    Not only that, but they will also not be able to return, and they will fall into this strange conundrum until they run out of resources and die helplessly.


    Even to this day, the Riddle Archipgo holds its secrets close. In a sense, it was even more dangerous than the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone!


    Yet, within the heart of Riddle Archipgo, on this seemingly unremarkable ind, nestled beneath this strange illusion, shielded by an extremely rare, anti-magic obsidian,y a Hidden City!


    Unlike the bleached archipgo, this city pulsed with an otherworldly vibrancy. Buildings, sleek and metallic, shimmered with an internal glow powered by harnessed geothermal vents and captured magical anomalies. Razor-sharp wind turbines, defying the still air, siphoned residual energy from the warped magic field. Awork of glowing pathways snaked between structures, humming with a low, rhythmic pulse.


    Here, within the archipgo''s suffocating embrace, a secret society thrived, a testament to the ingenuity and a flicker of defiance against this ghastly environment.


    The people of this hidden city all wore white cloaks with the symbol of a ck hourss, and despite its dense poption, an eerie silence loomed in its streets.


    In the center of this Hidden City, a cathedral of anti-magic obsidian rose amidst the tech. Towering arches pulsed with arcane light, leading to a vast hall lined with aged, light-devouring bookshelves.


    In the heart of this cathedral was a colossal hourss, its obsidian frame holding an impossible flow of ck sand¨Cdefying gravity, ever-flowing upwards. This enigmatic timepiece, a stark contrast to the library''sforting familiarity, pulsed with the city''s strange magic.


    Suddenly, within this empty hall, a static voice rang.


    "Immunity Period (20 years) of Iron Streak Breaker Faceless Ancient has been ended!


    "Gathering new information on Faceless Ancient from Star Network¡­


    "Task Completed!


    "Faceless Ancient is now presumably a Unique Rank and personal member of Dark City. Gathering date from the Dark City''s server¡­


    "Dark Battle Arena records are found, gathering fighting data and reevaluating Faceless Ancient prowess¡­


    "Task Completed!


    "Final evaluation, Faceless Ancient true battle prowess analysis: 100% Beyond Unique, 70% Inception Legend, & 20% Quasi Legend


    "The target prowess is beyond the range of the system''s initial analysis!


    "The initial Bronze ss Streak Breaker Bounty has been terminated!"


    "The Silver ss Kill Order is also insufficient for the target; hence, the auto bounty has been permanently terminated!"


    The static voice went dormant after this, but all of a sudden, it rang again.


    "Beep¡­ found data in Star Hackers server on Faceless Ancient!


    "Gathering data¡­


    "Task Completed!


    "A Golden Constant Rank information is found within the data.


    "Sending information to Golden Constant-51,117!"


    Within a few minutes of this notification, below the hourss, a white phantom of a hominoid figure appeared.


    "Connect me to all the Golden Constants active within the Taurus Lesser Gxy!" His voice was ovepping between a male and a female andpletely emotionless.


    "Establishing Contact!" The static voice sounded in affirmation.


    Soon, around the ck hourss, tiny golden light particles started to appear one by one like stars in the dark sky, and soon, the number reached thousands.


    "All the Golden Constants are present!" The static voice rang again.


    "My fellow Timeless Wanderers, today, as the Lord of Timeless City of the Taurus Lesser Gxy, I contacted you all because the clues about the Legendary Key have been found!


    "Those among you who qualify to be Constant Nobles can stay while the others are free to leave and get back to your refinement of time!


    "Please note that ording to the Timeless Credo, only those at the pinnacle of golden constant rank are allowed to cross the Unique ins!"


    After this white phantom''s announcement, many golden particles around the hourss started to vanish one after another, and after a few minutes, only around two thousand of them remained.


    The white phantom spoke again after no more golden particles were vanishing: "Since you are here, this means that you have reached the pinnacle of Golden Constant Rank. My fellow Timeless Wanderers, I must congratte you on taking another step towards true immortality!


    "Now, I''m going to send you the information we have on the legendary key, and you are free to use your umted Timeless Sand to search for the Taurus Legendary Key.


    "Like in the past, those who find the Legendary Key will be rewarded with 1 Gram of Timeless Sand and automatically be the leader of our Taurus Lesser Gxy group.


    "Furthermore, after the winner of the Legendary Key is decided, those who bring the Star Ocean Medallion will also be rewarded with 10 Milligrams of Timeless Sand for each Star Ocean Medallion.


    "This event urs only whenever the path of legend opens in all twelve gxies, and it is a chance to increase your Timeless Sand for your journey beyond the Golden Constant Rank.


    "I will also not tell you to kill each other since it isn''t prohibited, and the path of immortality is riddled with all kinds of dangers. Still, you must work together once the legendary key is found since there are many heretics who stand in your path of immortality.


    "Still, for those who meet their end in the pursuit of True Immortality, fear not, for you can start your journey again if you hold firm to your beliefs; death is but a dream for us Timeless Wanderers.


    "Last but not least, like always, I will again emphasize our only goal; if any of you evere across any clue about the lost scripture of Immortality, you will be heavily rewarded, and the person who finds it will be the true lord of ATLAS!"

 Chapter 651 Comprehending the First Blood Glyph!

    Chapter 651 Comprehending the First Blood Glyph!


    ??After Autarch''s awakening, another four years passed for Jacob in solitude.


    At this moment, the skeleton of Orange Sturgeon was in front of Jacob, and above his hand, a glob of crimson blood was swirling. With a thought, he controlled the glob of blood, and the next moment, fine hair-like crimson threads shot out from the glob as they started to wrap and wove around the arm bone of the Sturgeon.


    Jacob''s eyes were fully focused on the woven blood threads around the bone. As time passed, those blood threads started to dig into the arm bone and take the shape of a rune.


    When the crimson rune waspletely etched on the bone, the white arm bone suddenly turned crimson and glowed while emitting a powerful aura. But the next moment, ''boom'' the bone suddenly sted into pieces.


    But Jacob''s eyes fluttered in ecstasy, ''Sess! I finally managed to carve a rune from Longevity Schema on the bone without sting it in amides! With this, I''ve fully mastered the first blood glyph and the basics of blood maniption!''


    Jacob was filled with bittersweet emotion as he looked at the mountain of shattering bones in the corner. Ever since he started experimenting with the blood maniption levels on the others, he didn''t know just how many skeletons he had wasted.


    He had long run out of the skeletons of the foxes and wolves of unique rank, and if not for Autarch, he would have had to hunt for more himself while leaving this ce from time to time.


    With this study supply of test subjects and his diligence, he finally reached the structural level of blood maniption where he could shape and sculpt blood on bones!


    However, Jacob didn''t dare to test it on himself yet until he waspletely confidence. He had already solved the problem at the energetic level, where he needed to manipte the blood''s life force and magical properties.


    The answer to this problem was quite simple, and it took me around five hundred corpses to figure it out. The life force in the blood seemed to be tangled with the magic force, and he found that the life force seemed to have a Unique Signature of its master, which stopped others from plundering it.


    Not only that, but the blood of different species has their lineage secrets hidden within, and the magic force is like a lock on those secrets. So, if someone tries to probe the life force or magic force, both properties suddenly react at the same time and self-destruct, especially if the owner is dead.


    Jacob was a newbie to blood maniption, and he didn''t even know how to plunder life force or peer into the secrets of the bloodline yet, so when he tackled this problem by controlling his blood maniption to stop it from triggering the magic and life force in it, he seeded.


    However, this required a very keen control over the blood maniption and over his cursed heart, so he had toprehend the blood glyph even more diligently. The third structural level became even easier since it was rted to using the blood and magic force in blood to manipte the blood.


    If he avoids probing them, he can bypass triggering both the life force and the magic force. He then finally started to experiment with carving runes by creating blood threads through blood maniption.


    It took him almost 12 years to justprehend the first blood glyph and understand the blood maniption at a basic level.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob summoned Immortika at this moment.


    "What do you think? Is my current level enough for Sculpting Longevity Schema on myself?" Jacob asked since he wanted Immortika''s input on it. After all, if Immoritka gives him assurance, he''ll be without any worry and start the final stage.


    "Hehehe, you have made quite a progress byprehending only the First Glyph of Cursed Blood Progenitor, and all I can tell you is that, sadly, it''s not enough!"


    Jacob frowned slightly, but he had expected this response since even he felt this level of control was not enough. After all, he still didn''t know how to truly tackle the life force and magic force within the blood. He had just found a shortcut, and that''s why he didn''t dare take a risk.


    "Now that I''ve mastered one of the blood glyphs, can you at least tell me how many more I need toprehend before I can start with the final stage?" Jacob asked, hoping to be informed.


    "Hehehe, just as you said, you haveprehended one of the glyphs of the immortal chapter, so you''ll know on your own when it is enough. Or what''s the point of telling you topresence the truth of the blood? Everyone has their own truth and their own ways to reach it¡­" Immortika wrote profoundly.


    Jacob could only give up, and he knew Immortika had a point since he was really starting to feel the power of blood and how amazing it was. So, he didn''t waste any more time turning the page and opening the immortal chapter.


    Jacob stared at the blood drop and was about to use the Eyes of Judge to enter when suddenly he found himself already in the immortal chapter!


    Jacob was astounded before his mind raced with ecstasy, ''I''m no longer using any soul force or the Eyes of Judge, and I can feel a closer connection with this ce now. Could it be because I have fullyprehended the first blood glyph that now I can enter the immortal chapter without the help of the Eyes of Judge?


    ''If this is true, then I''ll make huge progress if I stay here for 24 hours. After all, even with my enhanced soul force andprehension of the blood glyph, I was only able to stay here for about 30 minutes before!''


    In these past years, Jacob has always been monitoring the legendary key. He knew that he didn''t have the luxury of time since the legendary path could open anytime, so he was somewhat anxious about increasing his power.


    But now, Jacob found himself no longer worrying about time. He couldprehend the blood glyphs much faster this way. So, without wasting more time, he quickly selected his target, which was the new blood glyph, which was only slightlyrger than the smallest blood glyph that heprehended.


    Without hesitation, he moved towards it. As he got closer, after a decade, he again felt the oppressive might of this glyph, just like when he approached the first glyph for the first time.


    But now that he was already used to it, and if it weren''t one of those big glyphs, it couldn''t stop his advance.


    Thereby, Jacob finally reached the glyph and touched it as his mind again pulled into its vast mysteries!

 Chapter 652 Mighty Whale Empire

    Chapter 652 Mighty Whale Empire


    ??Jacob was located in the Sturgeon Region, a tiny part of the Mighty Whale Empire of the Deep Ocean. Furthermore, Jacob was very close to the heart of the Sturgeon Region, which was under the control of Sturgeon Baron. The regional city, Sturgeon City, was the same city that Jacob saw upon his arrival.


    This ce was usually peaceful, but today, the Sturgeon City greeted some unexpected delegates from the Imperial City of the Mighty Whale Empire, and the Sturgeon Baron personally came out to greet them before leading them to his castle.


    At this moment, within an illuminated Grand Hall with giant mshell windows, while red coral pirs adorned with glowing starfish reached towards the unseen ceiling, three figures were seated on an open shell.


    One of them was an imposing Orange Sturgeon with white runic lines under its neck. Wearing white armor, he was the lord of the Sturgeon Region and this city, Sturgeon Baron Gerald.


    But in front of Gerald, who was 4 meters tall, were two towering figures of fifteen meters, making him look like a dwarf.


    Their bodies were sleek and powerful, curving seamlessly from a broad-shouldered torso into a powerful, finned tail at the waist. They seemed like a human merged with a dolphin but more robust.


    One of their skins was a mesmerizing blue-gray, almost metallic, with faint bioluminescent markings that flicker like underwater constetions, while the other had gray skin without any markings. Atop their heads, a single blowhole. Large, intelligent eyes, adapted to the ocean depths, peer out from a broad, rounded face.


    Their noses were small and t, with wide nostrils positioned high. Full lips hint atplex vocalizations. Their arms were strong and muscr, with webbed fingers perfect for navigating the water. Forget human legs¡ªa powerful, horizontally ttened fluke tail takes their ce, pulsing with enough strength to propel them effortlessly through the ocean.


    These two creatures were majestic and powerful, for they belonged to one of the three most powerful ocean races, the Mighty Whale Race!


    "How are you, baron? It''s been a long time since we saw each other." One of the envoys, Madden, spoke in a friendly tone.


    Gerald nodded in acknowledgment before he smiled, "Indeed, thest time I saw the Imperial Guard Captain was on the thousandth birthday of White Whale Duke over a hundred years ago."


    A strange light shed past Madden''s eyes, but before he could reply, the other envoy spoke coldly, "Sir Baron seems to be misinformed because my lord is no longer the Imperial Guard Captain but the Imperial Vice Commander of the 13th Imperial Guard Regiment."


    "Oh? Then please forgive my ignorance, Vice Commander. I didn''t know about it." Gerald quickly corrected his mistake and politely bowed his head since he knew the status of a Vice Command was equal to that of a count in the Might Whale Empire.


    Maddenughed slightly, "Please don''t; it was just a harmless misunderstanding. Let me introduce you. This hotheaded youngster beside me is the new Captain of the 13th Imperial Guard Regiment and my disciple, Adrien La Ben."


    Gerald''s eyes widened slightly, and they eximed, "That La Ben?"


    Madden''s smile grew with a hint of smugness as he nodded, while Adrien was also content to see Gerald''s reaction.


    Madden nodded, "Indeed, Adrien here is the youngest son of the Blue Whale Duke."


    The Mighty Whale Empire had four families that shared the surname Ben. They were all Duke Families, and the reason for their shared names was that these families were all the Imperial Bloodline of the Ben Imperial n, the ruler of the Mighty Whale Empire.


    However, the four Duke Ben families have different middle names: the Blue Whale Duke family''s is ''La,'' the White Whale Duke family''s is ''Van,'' the Green Whale Duke family''s is ''Dam,'' and the Violet Whale Duke family''s is ''Val.''


    Lastly, the Imperial Crimson Whale Family has ''Kai'' as their middle name. Except for these five families, no one has a middle orst name in this empire. They all used their race names as their surnames.


    That''s why Gerald was shocked when he found that a duke family member was in his territory, which was a very, very rare asion.


    "You should''ve informed me sooner. I could''ve held a grand weing ceremony for you both," Gerald smiled wryly.


    Madden brushed it off her and waved his hand, "Please don''t feel bad. We are not here to indulge ourselves."


    "Is something wrong? Please let me know if there''s anything I can do to help you. I''ll try my best. My entire manpower is at your disposal," Gerald said without hesitation.


    Madden''s expression turned solemn, "I can rest easy now with Sir Gerald''s assurance. The thing is, we are here to investigate a very important matter on the Imperial Order. Although I can''t tell you the details, I want you to refrain your citizens from going to the southern part of Sturgeon Region until we are done investigating this secret matter."


    Gerald was bewildered upon hearing this strange request, but he knew better than to probe into the imperial matter, so he nodded in agreement, "You have my full support; please be at ease. From this day on, you won''t see any sturgeon in the south part of the sturgeon region. If some ignorant fellows didn''t know better, I''ll deal with them ording to thew."


    Madden nodded in satisfaction, "I can rest easy with your words. Now, if you excuse us, we would like to start right away; this matter is of the utmost importance."


    "Please, be my guest. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to look for me. It''s not like I get the chance to show my loyalty to the Imperial family often." Gerald chuckled towards the end.


    Gerald''s easygoing attitude made Madden feel even more at ease, and his opinion of them rose a lot. He chuckled, "Don''t worry. I''ll make sure the Sturgeon Region always remains this peaceful. I''lle back to have a feast with you after we''re done here."


    "Of course, I''ll be waiting," Gerald replied without hesitation.


    Thereafter, both Madden and Adrien left. They were clearly hurried to do whatever they hade here to do.


    At this moment, when Gerald was alone, his easygoing smile suddenly vanished with a deadpan expression, and his entire demeanor changed as if he were apletely different person.


    ''They clearly hadn''t noticed the decreasing poption of the Sturgeons since I was very careful in these past ten years. So, they are clearly not here for this matter.


    ''But sir is also hidden in the south part. Could it be that this is just a coincidence? I have already infected them with Marite Micros, so I''ll find out soon enough. But I still must alert Sir about them.''


    Gerald, who was actually Autarch in disguise, quickly headed towards the secret room to contact Jacob!

 Chapter 653 Preparation Done!

    Chapter 653 Preparation Done!


    ??After Adrien and Madden left the baron castle, they moved towards the south of the Sturgeon region, traveling on a huge ck whale with thunder-like markings. Its speed was even faster than that of the water lightning whale.


    "Master, I don''t understand why we have to alert Baron Gerald about his secretive matter?" Adrien asked at this moment, hinting at confusion.


    Madden smiled as he looked at Adrien before replying, "You still have much to learn, my dear disciple. Although we showed ourselves to the baron, it was necessary to check something."


    "What do you mean?" Adrien was even more confused.


    Madden replied sternly, "Beforeing here, I investigated the Sturgeon region, and you know what I found? There seemed to be many reports of people missing in this region in the past decade. Not only that, but an entire city at the edge of the Sturgeon region turned into ruin.


    "But the strangest part is we never received any report about it from the Baron castle. This was all reported by someone from the other city under the baron''s rule, and even they wouldn''t have noticed it if they didn''t have some rtive in that ruined city."


    Adrien was shocked, "Could it be you suspect the baron is behind it all? Then shouldn''t we apprehend him and investigate this matter?"


    Madden shook his head, "This is what I thought at first, but after meeting the baron, I used my secret ability on him to scan him thoroughly. He waspletely normal. Moreover, if he had killed all those people, there would have been a unique nefarious aura hidden within his body, but I found nothing. So, I''m sure it wasn''t him who did this."


    "Then isn''t it strange that he didn''t know anything about the disappearance of a whole city, or is he trying to hide it from us? No matter what, he''s very suspicious," Adrien said with a frown.


    "There are only two exnations I could think of; the first one is that the Baron is afraid of reporting it since he had to suffer the repercussions from not only the imperial city but also lose all the trust of his citizens.


    "The second is that Gerald knows the person who caused all of this, and he''s helping this person hide this either willingly or forcibly. But Gerald didn''t seem to be under any threat, so I''m assuming that he''s either in cohort with his person or simply too cowardly to investigate this incident," Madden stated with uncertainty.


    "Then isn''t it bad to tell him about our presence? What if he alerts this mysterious killer?" Adrien was speechless as he still didn''t understand why Madden revealed so much to someone so suspicious.


    Madden''s lips curled up in a shrewd smile as he answered, "Hah, if he''s really behind all this or has any hand in these incidents, this will make it even easier to sniff him out.


    "Because he''s in cohort with this killer, he''ll alert him, and the disappearance would stop for good or at least for some time until they arepletely sure that we are gone.


    "Furthermore, since I''ve told me about our secret task but didn''t give him actual details, if this mysterious killer is greedy and overconfident by nature, he might show himself in that ce. In any case, we''ll know for sure if Baron Gerald is involved in this or not!"


    Adrien''s expression brightened, and admiration shimmered in his eyes for Madden''s cunning scheme. He bowed his head, "I''m ashamed to call myself your disciple."


    "Hah, you''ll learn in time. There''s no hurry. You''re still young and ignorant. Always pay attention to your surroundings, and you''ll start to see the clues." Madden beamed, clearly very pleased with Adrien''s expression. Still, we need to be careful since we can''t mess up this task."


    "Just why did the imperial pce suddenly bring up this strange n?" Adrien frowned. He knew little about this secret task and finally couldn''t contain his curiosity.


    "Your guess is as good as mine," Madden smiled wryly, "But from my sources, I''ve heard that it wasn''t just us who were given this task. In fact, before us, many imperial guards were sent to the same mission in different regions of the empire. There''s something strange going on in the ocean¡­"


    ---


    While an invisible current rose among the ocean races, Jacob sat crossed with closed eyes on a mountain of bones. The surrounding water was now crimson, like a demon sleeping within the sea of blood.


    At his moment, his eyes suddenly opened, and a red current shed through his golden eyes. ''Envoys from the Imperial Whale City are interested in the southern part of the Sturgeon region. This is also where this coral is located.


    ''Could it be rted to all the killing Autarch has been doing for me? But in his message, he said those envoys didn''t ask about the missing poption at all, or they had already suspected his puppet.


    ''Well, this ce is quite barren, and I''m already done with my experiments, so I should change locations and then start the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation!


    ''It took me almost two decades topletelyprehend just two blood glyphs out of 99. It''s a good thing that they are enough for me to start the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation.


    ''If I had toprehend the entire chapter, I don''t know how many hundreds or even thousands of years it would take me to do so. After all, the deeper I understand the Cursed Blood Progenitor, the more profound it gets.


    ''Even the second glyph is still all about blood maniption, butpared to the understanding I got from the first glyph, it''s like learning about making a handgun and a ballistic missile!''


    Jacob sighed as he remembered the bitter twenty years he had spent doing nothing butprehending the two blood glyphs. It was his first time spending so much time on something, and he knew this was just the start.


    But he didn''t worry about it at all and even found it enjoyable. He was learning something new, and he could feel he was growing like never before. Furthermore, these two blood glyphs havepletely changed his perception of the magic of this world.


    He had only scratched the surface, and he was looking forward to growing even more and exploring the hidden mysteries of the zodiac ins and cursed Immortality!

 Chapter 654 Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (1)

    Chapter 654 Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (1)


    ??On this day, Jacob left the ck coral, which was nowpletely hollowed inside, after two decades. Although Jacob looked the same, his demeanor and aura were different; they were more refined and profound.


    At this moment, a fine ck streak appeared in front of Jacob before it vanished into his body.


    Jacob''s lips curled up slightly before he sent a telepathy message, "Did you take care of it?"


    "Yes, they won''t be able to uncover anything," Autarch replied in an emotionless, stoic voice.


    Since Jacob was done with the sturgeon region, there was no longer a need for Autarch to stay here anymore, so Jacob summoned him back. Although this would cause a hugemotion when the people found the Sturgeon Baron was dead with many of his close aids, it has nothing to do with Jacob.


    Jacob waved his hand, and the water lightning whale appeared in front of him. This water lightning whale was now under Autarch''s control, so he could use it as a means of transport without expanding his own energy. He jumped on it, and the whale headed west at full speed.


    "What about those envoys? Did you find their purpose ining here?" Jacob asked while sitting on the whale.


    "They seemed to be here to install a magic array on the imperial pce order. But they don''t know about the function of that array. Furthermore, it seems that this isn''t just limited to the sturgeon region. Like those two, other envoys have also been sent to other regions of the Mighty Whale Empire." Autarch replied.


    Jacob frowned slightly, "How peculiar. Are those other envoys also have the same purpose?"


    "There isn''t any information about it. But it all started over three years ago."


    "Hmm¡­ it seems we should keep our distance from the Mighty Whale Empire for the time being. You did an excellent job these past years, so tell me if you want any reward." Jacob generously offered, as he was in a good mood right now.


    Autarch had been supplying him with fresh subjects for the past ten years, and he knew that without Autarch''s help, he wouldn''t be able toprehend the blood glyphs in peace and in such a short time.


    "Thank you for asking, but severing, Sir, is my biggest reward." Autarch emotionlessly replied.


    "Hah, just think it over." Jacob chuckled as he knew Autarch didn''t have any EQ at all despite having so many memories of emotional beings.


    This was one of Autarch''s limitations. But Jacob liked Autarch even more because of this.


    "Anyway, you should''ve reached the peak of the unique rank, right? What''s the condition of your next evolution to legendary rank, or do you need to undergo the three steps of legend first?" Jacob asked in asomewhat bitter tone.


    He knew how ridiculous Autarch''s evaluation process was, just like his hex core. If he hadn''t had the titan tears, Autarch would''ve never made it to the unique rank because to be a unique rank, he required absorbing the brain of a first-tier fable legendary rank existence!


    "I had indeed reached the ninth tier of Unique Rank a year ago, and I have a memory of my next evolution. I can directly be legendary rank as long as I can absorb the brain of a Third Tier Legendary King!" Autarch emotionlessly replied as if a Legendary King was a trifle being.


    Jacob couldn''t help but smile wryly when he heard it. There are four states of legendary rank: Fable with 12 tiers, Noble with nine tiers, Lord with six tiers, and finally, the King state with three tiers. This means that Autarch required the brain of a peak legendary rank existence to be a legendary rank.


    ''Well, at least it wasn''t a rank above the legendary rank.'' Jacobforted himself and replied to Autarch, "It seemed you have to wait for a long time since we can only say this after we enter the middle gxies."


    "I''ll follow sir''s order," Autarch replied without hesitation.


    ''I wonder when Nyx will awake? She''s taking even more time than Autarch, and her evolution path is different from others¡­'' Jacob thought.


    He still couldn''t ess the nightmare realm because Nyx was still evolving, but if he had, he might''ve made progress even faster.


    With the water lightning whale, Jacob leaves the sturgeon region and soon enters the territory of the Mighty Whale Empire. He enters the barren part of the ocean unupied by the Mighty Whale Empire because, in this ce, there is no mana in the water, which is quite strange.


    But for Jacob, this was the perfect ce to start the cursed bone marrow amalgamation since no one paid attention to this ce, and he didn''t need the required mana to control his cursed heart.


    He didn''t even think about going back to the surface since he didn''t want to be interrupted by the Queen Ice Fiend Locust.


    After finding a seclusive location, he used an array to make a hidden barrier and set up an rm before he sat down in the middle of the barrier.


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob summoned the cursed book with a determined look in his eyes and couldn''t help but ask before he started, "Is there Anything that I should be aware of before I start this?"


    "Hahahaha¡­ the time finallyes, huh?" Immortika wrote, "I''m afraid you have to walk on this path on your own. Just keep in mind that while sculpting a runic line, you have toplete it entirely!"


    "I was expecting this kind of reply. Thanks for this advice." Jacob scoffed before he turned back the page and opened the longevity schema picture. He had engraved this picture into his brain, but he didn''t dare to be careless.


    After taking a deep breath, he fixed his eyes on the three-


    dimensional image of the longevity schema. With his thought, the picture suddenly started to zoom towards the skeleton''s hand and stopped on the pinky finger.


    Jacob wanted to start with the pinky finger first and wanted to see what would happen. There were nine runic lines around, and those runic lines were made of extremely tiny glyphs.


    "Blood Threads!"

 Chapter 655 Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (2)

    Chapter 655 Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (2)


    ??With extreme perception, Jacobpletely focused on his pinky finger and the blood in it. Using the cursed heart, he turned the blood in his finger into countless blood threads!


    The skin around his pinky finger suddenly turned bright red, and Jacob felt cold chills just by turning his blood into threads. From the second blood glyph, he had learned to control the life force and magic force within the blood, and he found that these two were the key to the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation!


    Without any control over the life force, he couldn''t spread the blood into extremely thin fibers, and without the magic force, sculpting them on his bones was just a pipe dream.


    Furthermore, his cursed blood was different. It was filled with extremely powerful life force and an unknown magic force, which were very simr to his hex mana but far more potent. So, he needed even more control to manipte it.


    After the blood within his pinky finger turned into fine fibers, Jacob used his eyes to see through the skin, started controlling the fibers, and started the sculpting process.


    Even though those glyphs were extremely fine, like hair, Jacob felt excruciating pain just trying to carve that tiny glyph on his bone. But he didn''t dare to let that pain affect his focus and continued.


    After the first glyph, Jacob got used to the pain and continued, but he soon started to feel mentally exhausted and hungry. The first runic line was made with 9 glyphs, and despite feeling extremely exhausted and ufortable, he didn''t dare give up and persisted.


    Half an hourter, which seemed like years to Jacob, the first runic line was finallypleted. The moment the final glyph was sculpted in its ce, Jacob suddenly felt a strange current running through his bones, and the fatigue and pain suddenly vanished!


    Jacob was bewildered for a little while before he realized, ''Could it be that the pain and fatigue only exist while I sculpt those runic lines? Furthermore, I had forgotten that this process was supposed to empower me. So, the more progress I make, the more powerful I''ll be¡­''


    Without wasting more time, Jacob quickly started to carve the second runic line. He wanted to test this theory. Just like before, the moment he started to carve the glyphs, the pain and exhaustion returned.


    But Jacob didn''t care about it anymore and continued no matter how much his mind wanted him to give up. This was like a trial, and he started to understand why Immortika only gave him that single piece of advice.


    Soon, the second runic line made with 11 glyphs waspleted, and again, Jacob felt something suddenly stirring into his bones, and he felt invigorated again. After his doubts were answered, Jacob had no more misgivings, and he continued.


    Unknowingly, Jacob waspletely immersed in sculpting the Longevity Schema as hepleted the runic lines on his entire right hand. But what he failed to notice was hisplexion was extremely pale, as if there was no blood in him.


    Furthermore, as he started sculpting the Longevity Schema on his forearm, he became even paler, and his skin began to sink as he turned bony. But he was filled with boundless energy and power, so it wentpletely unnoticed by him.


    But just after hepleted his forearm, Jacob suddenly stopped as his eyes went wide, ''What the hell?! I don''t have any blood in my body!''


    Jacob finally noticed that he could no longer tap into his blood anymore because his body waspletely empty, and he finally paid attention to his skin, which was pale white and even withered.


    For some strange reason, he was not only alive but filled with boundless energy, and he could feel that he was at least three times stronger than before. However, theck of bloodpletely spooked him, and he found that his heart was no longer making blood!


    Even if he wants to continue, he can''t without the cursed blood. Yet it wasn''t the end of Jacob''s nightmare because the moment every drop of cursed blood vanished from his body, something unimaginable happened.


    Jacob felt his entire forearm suddenly start to burn as those runic lines on his bones lit up, releasing crimson light. Under Jacob''s bbergasted eyes, the muscles and skin on his forearm started to skin deeper into his bones until everything was absorbed by those runic lines!


    Thereby, Jacob''s bone arm waspletely exposed, and his forearm bones were now gray with menacing crimson runic lines of the longevity schema. But the strangest part was his elbow, which still had its skin and musclespletely fine, and the wound was enshrouded in a crimson mist.


    But besides feeling that burning sensation that was now gone, Jacob felt nothing wrong. He could still feel his forearm like before like nothing had happened. It was just that the strange sensation of touching the cold water with his bare-bones was quite unique.


    Nheless, he was still horrified, so he quickly turned the page and agitatedly questioned, "What the hell is going on?!"


    "Hahahahaaha!" Immortika''s maddeningughter suddenly filled the page at this moment, as if it was enjoying Jacob''s reaction and even looking for it for a long time.


    "Do you think I''m in the mood for your shenanigans?!" Jacob''s eyes were cold and rageful.


    However, Immortika didn''t reply but instead questioned, "Why are you so angry? Don''t tell me you like your skin so much that you''re reluctant to discard it. Was your undying determination for immortality finally wavering?"


    "I¡­" It finally struck Jacob at this moment. As he looked at his gray bone hand again, his anger and horror suddenly subdued.


    Although this fact was harder to ept, when he thought about his goal, he found himself calming down. So, what if he turned into a mere skeleton? Wasn''t he still alive andpletely fine? In fact, he was more than fine, for power was coursing through his entire body.


    Taking a deep breath, he coldly asked, "You could''ve at least warned me about it. Now what? Would I be turning myself into a dark being now?"


    "Haha¡­ there he is!" Immortika chortled in approval, "Well since you''ve reached this point, there''s no need to keep you in suspense anymore. You see, the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation is about turning your bone marrow into cursed bone marrow, which will awaken your cursed immortal bloodline.


    "The Heart and Blood are the foundation of any living being. Every being has a heart and blood in various forms. Snuff even one of them, and you''ll be left with a corpse. This is also the foundation of the first phase.


    "Once you have the cursed heart and the cursed immortal bloodline, this will mark the session of the first phasepletion of the Body Transformation, and it will also be the start of reconstructing your entire body from scratch, which requires both the heart and blood.


    "You should be aware of the concept that to build something new, you must first discard the old one. I think this should be enough for you to understand what''s going on, right?" Immoritka wrote.


    Realization dawned on Jacob at this moment, and he finally understood what the three stages of the body transformation phase meant. He calmed down and had no more misgivings.


    But there was still something he was worried about as he asked, "You still didn''t tell me; would I be like dark beings now? And what''s the deal with the cursed blood depletion? Why isn''t my heart making any more blood?!"

 Chapter 656 Blood Vitality

    Chapter 656 Blood Vitality


    ??"You still didn''t tell me; would I be like dark beings now? And what''s the deal with the cursed blood depletion? Why isn''t my heart making any more blood?!"


    In reply, Immortika wrote, "Hah, you still don''t get it, do you? The Dark Beings arepletely different from the living beings. They don''t have a life force, and that''s why they need to plunder it from living beings.


    "But you are not a dark being; it''s just that, in a sense, you are discarding your outer shell that is no longer required. You''ll still be considered a living being but with a different appearance. This is the Body Transformation.


    "Besides, didn''t I say you''ll reconstruct your body from scratch? Just think of it as living naked for a while until you get befitting clothing for yourself.


    "As for why your cursed blood ispletely depleted, it''s even simpler. Since you are now aware of blood maniption, you should know that the blood force and magic force in the blood contain many secrets about a species'' legacy from the beginning.


    "Although you are far from peering into these secrets, you should know that if blood force and magic force start to deplete, it will directly affect a living being''s lifespan and magic talent. That''s why we also call it Blood Vitality, and it is directly connected with the Soul Vitality that you are aware of!


    "Blood and Soul Vitalities are two sides of the same coin. Use any one of them and the other will also be dragged along, and that''s why together, they are known as Life Vitality.


    "So, just like the Soul Vitality, the Blood Essence can''t bleed out whenever someone is wounded; it will always stay in the body, for both Soul Vitality and Blood Vitality reside within the heart!


    "Even when someone dies, their vitalities will return to nature. Only by using supernatural means can someone use soul and blood vitalities or even steal them from others; you should be aware of what I''m talking about.


    "Now, on the main point: In your case, when you used the cursed blood to sculpt the Longevity Schema, you''re actually using your blood vitality to change your bone marrow into the cursed bone marrow.


    "That''s why after you used all the blood vitality in your body, youpletely depleted your cursed blood!" Immortika exined.


    Jacob''s eyes widened as he understood what was going on. One of the questions about the magic force and blood force was answered in a way that he couldn''t find before.But this also made him worried.


    He quickly asked, "Since blood vitality is the same as soul vitality, then didn''t this mean I''m using my lifespan here?!"


    "Hehehe, that''s the thing. Actually, your cursed heart is not like others; it can allow you to use blood vitality and soul vitality separately. That''s why you''re still alive. Since you have depleted your blood vitality, your soul vitality has taken its ce, and the same will happen if you deplete your soul vitality.


    "However, if you were to use your soul vitality now, then your lifespan would start to decrease as well. That''s why the cursed heart is the core of the Cursed Immortal Physique; without it, you won''t be alive at this moment," Immoritka revealed.


    Realization dawned on Jacob at this moment. In these past two decades, he was able toprehend just how important his cursed heart was, and he knew without it, even if he knew about the blood maniption, he wouldn''t be able to use it on the cursed blood.


    Now, he learned another astonishing function of the cursed heart, and he mused that there were still many mysteries about it that he was unaware of.


    Jacob was finally calm as he asked, "Then how should I replenish my blood vitality now?"


    "Hahahaha¡­ do I really need to break it to you? Just plunder it from others, and let your cursed heart absorb it!" Immortikaughed crazily as if something quite amusing was about to happen.


    Jacob pulled a wry smile as he had guessed this much, "Just when I thought I couldplete this stage without any bloodshed, you dragged me back into the battlefield."


    "Hehehe, I''ll take it as apliment."


    Jacob wasn''t in the mood to entertain Immortika anymore, as he knew his days of peaceful seclusion had finallye to an end.


    He knew just how powerful his blood vitality was, and he could easily guess that to replenish itpletely, he''d need to kill thousands of unique-rank living beings¡ªand this was just until he ran out of it again.


    Even if he added all those experiment test subjects, he might only be able to replenish about 80% of his blood vitality. This is how powerful his cursed blood was, and this was just spection since the number might increase.


    The only good news was that his lifespan wasn''t affected, and now that he knew about this function of the cursed heart, it mighte in handy in the future.


    After bitterly epting his fate, he turns the page to see how much progress he made after sculpting his entire hand and forearm with longevity schema.


    ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]


    [Current Phase: First Phase]


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Compete)


    -Second Stage: Cursed Blood Condensing (Complete)


    -Third Stage: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Iplete)


    ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: First (Body Transformation)


    -First Stage Progress: Complete


    -Second Stage Progress: Complete


    -Third Stage Progress: 5%


    ---


    -Lifespan: 22,722 Years (All Youthful)


    ---


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Third Stage)]


    -Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation: 05.01%


    [Description: Amalgamate your Cursed Blood into Bones to change your Bone Marrow into Cursed Bone Marrow by Sculpting Longevity Schema on your Bones.]


    [Longevity Schema: Picture]


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 5000 Years of Lifespan & Genesis of Cursed Immortal Bloodline


    ______


    Seeing his lifespan, Jacob felt rejuvenated again. This over 22 thousand-year lifespan was all thanks to Nyx, especially thest five thousand years that he received from me Cmity.


    ''I was keeping them for a rainy day, but I guess this situation is no different,'' Jacob thought, and the next moment, he took two huge corpses from his pendant.


    One was a giant wolf, and the other was a giant fox. They were beyond unique rank magic beasts that he got by fishing in troubling water. Their underlings were allpletely used in his experiments, and he was saving them since it would be too much waste to use them in mere experiments when he could do without them.


    But now, he knew he needed powerful blood vitality to replenish his own. The more powerful his victim, the more powerful their blood vitality, and the quicker he''dplete the longevity schema!


    Jacob then ced his hands on both corpses as his eyes turned solemn, "Blood Suction!"

 Chapter 657 Then there was Carnage! (1)

    Chapter 657 Then there was Carnage! (1)


    ??In front of Jacob, a huge glob of blood was swirling, and the corpses of the fox and the wolf were now like dry trees,pletely unrecognizable. Blood suction was another ability he had created with blood maniption.


    Looking at the glob was blood swirling in the water, Jacob could feel the rich blood vitality within.


    He mused, ''Although I never tried to absorb blood vitality before, since Immortika told me it''s possible with the cursed heart, I shouldn''t be any problem. The thing is, how should I inject it? Should I drink it directly or try absorbing it by using blood maniption? Let''s try using the blood maniption since it would be more convenient if I seeded.''


    The next moment, Jacob manipted the blood glob, and blood threads started to shoot out from it and drilled into his chest, directly towards the cursed heart.


    Thereafter, Jacob suddenly felt his dormant cursed heart be active the moment the blood entered his body. The next moment, without doing anything, the cursed heart pulsed as the blood started to course through his heart.


    The blood absorption speed also increased as the glob of blood started to shrink at a terrifying speed, and at this moment, Jacob finally felt the cursed heart release a drop of blood into his body.


    But he was bbergasted because around 3% of the blood glob was gone, and the cursed heart only created a single drop of cursed blood. As the glob vanished within a few seconds, Jacob''s expression was dark because he only got around 90 drops of cursed blood before the cursed heart became static again.


    ''This was the blood of beyond unique magic beasts, yet I only got this much blood!! It''s far from enough even to create a single runic line. I need at least five times greater than this amount. I really shot myself on foot this time around¡­'' Jacob sighed ruefully as he finally understood just how difficult the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation was going to be.


    Aftermenting at this fate, his eyes shed with killing intent, ''I better get started then, and the ocean races just happen to be overly popted. They also didn''t know about me, and neither would they think and dweller would dare to start something like this. Furthermore, the more powerful species I hunt, the more powerful blood vitality I will get. I guess the same rules apply with the descendants of the legendary rank¡­''


    Jacob then collected his arrays, and using the water lightning whale, he told Autarch to lead him towards a remote city in the sturgeon region.


    With Autarch''s knowledge, he quickly led him toward his destination, a small city with glowing buildings and a poption of around 100,000.


    "Go, and turn the most powerful people here into his puppets, and then we''ll start the harvest!" Jacob coldly ordered while sitting on the water lightning whale as he coldly looked towards the peaceful city.


    The next moment, from Jacob''s chest, Autarch appeared and turned into a dark streak before vanishing in the center area of the city.


    Jacob knew this was going to take a little while, so he again paid attention to his bone hand and forearm.


    ''Although this arm might turn into a skeleton, I can still feel everything perfectly. Not only that, but I can also tell this arm is far stronger than the rest of my body. Besides this transformation, these runic lines also made my body stronger. I wonder if theplete transformation will bring me to quasi-legend rank or even the fable legendary state¡­'' Jacob''s lips rose slightly as he started to ept his new appearance.


    After half an hour, Jacob suddenly noticed that armored sturgeon guards had suddenly appeared from the center of the city, followed by a sturgeon in ck full-body armor with a ''Whale'' symbol engraved on his armor.


    The people of the city present were surprised when they saw the city guards, and even the lord of the city appeared like they were going to start a war, and they wondered if the city was going to be under attack.


    "I''m ready!" Autarch''s stoic voice rang in Jacob''s head at this moment.


    Jacob''s eyes went cold as he ordered, "Start the killing; spare no one. I''ll take care of anyone who escapes this ce!"


    The next moment, the city lord in full body armor issued a loud roar, and over 900 city guards suddenly rushed toward the innocent citizen with killing intent; the massacre began!


    Jacob emotionlessly watched the scene of carnage as the city turned into a battlefield, and those who were being massacred had no idea what was happening. Some fought back, some wailed and questioned why the city guards and city lord were doing it, and some quickly tried to escape.


    However, Autarch, with his puppet magic, had already turned the most powerful force in this city into his puppets, and escaping them was a pipe dream.


    But there were still over 100,000 people present in the city, so there were bound to be some who escaped the encirclement, especially since the sturgeons were all born rare, and when they reached adulthood, they became epic. So, they know how to use magic.


    However, those who were lucky enough to escape the city met with Jacob and died horribly.


    The water started to turn crimson as the killing continued, and powerful magic ripples spread.


    ''Blood Suction!'' Jacob didn''t let the blood dilute, so he quickly used blood maniption to separate the blood from the water and gathered it in front of him.


    Jacob didn''t know the full range of blood maniption, but he knew that if there were blood, the blood maniption would work on it.


    Just as he used his ability, his cursed heart raced, and the blood in the water started to gather in front of him. This created a scene of horror as the blood from the city rose, gathering into a glob of blood. It was as if a crimson sun had descended!


    Furthermore, Jacob noticed that as he used the blood maniption, he could sense the blood in the living beings below him. This was like another ability that provided him with a sense that no one with even an ounce of blood could escape from.


    As the city was being massacred by Autarch, Jacob was gathering blood, and after the blood glob became over five hundred metersrge, Jacob started to absorb it.


    But at this moment, Jacob suddenly discovered that now that he was using two blood maniption abilities together, his hex mana suddenly activated. Not only that but when his hex mana appeared, his blood maniption suddenly became stronger!


    ''T-this!'' Jacob was shocked and slightly overwhelmed by this discovery and by all the blood being greedily absorbed by the cursed heart.


    The blood suction became so strong that not just the blood in the water but also from the corpses began to be sucked in, turning those corpses into dry leaves. Those who were still alive to witness this scene were absolutely horrified, but they didn''t get to live to tell the tale!


    This was the beginning of a horrible nightmare, a legend of the deep ocean that will soon be known by the ocean races as the ''Blood Carnage Cmity''!

 Chapter 658 Then there was Carnage! (2)

    Chapter 658 Then there was Carnage! (2)


    ??In the remote part of the sturgeon region, Madden and Adrien were floating in the water while looking at a glowing formation circle.


    "Do you check all the formation points thoroughly?" Madden asked with a hint of exhaustion in his eyes, like he had done something extremely tiresome.


    "Yes, master. I''ve checked them again and again ording to the diagram given to us by the pce," Adrien replied, looking even more exhausted than Madden.


    Madden nodded and sighed, "I still don''t understand the point of arranging this strange formation in the middle of nowhere. Just who provided these coordinates and these strange formation nexuses?"


    "I''m just as curious as you, Master, but one thing is clear: there is something going on, and I don''t like it for some reason." Adrien frowningly replied.


    "Well, whatever, it had nothing to do with us." Madden coolly stated, but a hint of uncertainty was present in his sharp eyes, "Let me report this to the pce before we leave this ce for good."


    The next moment, a disy appeared above Madden''s wrist, and soon, it was connected, and another whale race person appeared on the projection.


    "Commander, we''ve arranged the formation ording to the instructions given by the imperial pce. Do we have permission to return?" He solemnly asked.


    Themander''s expression was solemn as he asked, "Do you arrange the protection measures as well?"


    "Yes, there''ll be no error," Madden replied without hesitation.


    "Good work, you have permission to return!" Themander nodded in acknowledgment and cut off the call.


    Madden sighed in relief as he said to Adrien, "Since this is done, let''s go back to the Sturgeon Baron Castle for rest. We''ll also see what he''s been up to in this past week."


    Adrien''s eyes shed with a hint of coldness, "Are we taking action?"


    Madden chuckled coldly, "It depends on Gerald."


    The next moment, Madden suddenly released a strange echo, and thereupon, a huge whale appeared like a lightning sh in front of them. They embarked on the whale and led it towards the baron castle in the center of the sturgeon region.


    Both Madden and Adrien were looking forward to solving the mystery of the sturgeon region. However, when they reached the city, they were both horrified by what they witnessed.


    The once bustling city filled with life was nowpletely barren, and dry mutted corpses of orange sturgeons were floating all over the city. It was a scene of carnage as the radiant city a week ago now had turned into a ghost city!


    "I''m not hallucinating, right?" Adrien palely asked with disbelief.


    Madden''s expression was also pale and gloomy as he nodded, "No, you''re seeing right. Someone has massacred the entire city! Just who is so bold?!" Anger seethed under Madden''s cold voice.


    "This is no longer a small matter, master. We should report it to the higher-ups. Someone is stirring trouble in the empire,pletely disregarding the Whale Race authority!" Adrien angrily stated.


    Although the orange sturgeon race didn''t belong to the whale race and was just one of the many subordinary races the Whale Race had subdued in the past, they were still the natives of the Mighty Whale Empire nheless.


    If other races heard about this, the Whale Race would lose their credibility as the rulers and the Imperial n would never allow such a thing.


    "I''m afraid I can''t allow you to do it. I need a little more time." At this moment, an icy voice suddenly rang in their ears.


    Both Adrien and Madden were spooked, but before they could react, their consciousness suddenly started to fade away.


    At this moment, Jacob''s giant figure appeared like a phantom on top of the gigantic whale as he coldly looked at Adrien and Madden, who were also towering giants. It was his first time seeing the members of the Whale Race.


    "This should be the Thunder Whale, an evolved version of the water lightning whale that only the imperial city can breed. Autarch, turn it into a puppet. This will be our ride from now on," Jacob coolly ordered.


    ''If I hadn''t needed high-ranking blood, I wouldn''t have taken such a risk. But now I have to do everything to collect more blood, and I have to make sure the Whale Race won''t get involved too soon.'' Jacob ruefully sighed as he looked at the ghost city.


    In these past six days, Jacob had almost massacred all the sturgeon region, including their central city. The corpses could pile up into a mountain, and the amount of blood he had absorbed could form ake.


    However, despite all of this, he was only able to recover slightly over 60% of his cursed blood, which frustrated and shocked Jacob. But he found that there was a reason for this: after hepleted 5% of the longevity schema, he became more powerful, and so did his blood!


    This means that the higher he climbed, the more blood vitality he required to go further. At this point, the blood vitality of epic rank was a mere drop in the ocean because only after absorbing around 5000 epic rank blood together could he form a single drop of cursed blood, while he required around 1000 unique ranks to form a drop of cursed blood.


    This was turning out to be a huge hurdle in Jacob''s path, and he knew all the bloodshed he had done in the past would be nothingpared to what he needed to do now.


    That''s why he didn''t dare to sculpt the longevity schema anymore until he fully recovered his cursed blood. Furthermore, he noticed that as his blood was recovering, the runic lines on his boon hand were starting to glow as if they were being filled with vigorous energy, which was cursed blood!


    This confirmed that those runic lines were his new nerves that would contain his blood in the future, and they were extraordinary. He also learned that his cursed blood could be amplified with his hex mana at least ten times!


    Not only that, he required energy to use his cursed heart with fluid eleration; he discovered that he could do the same thing by changing the energy with hex magic.


    But Jacob didn''t want to do that since replenishing the hex mana was quite expensive. He could use magic gems, meat, or herbs to replenish his energy.


    Aftermenting a bit, he finally focused on the two whales, and his eyes became determined again. ''Let''s see how much blood vitality the Whale Race has, Blood Suction!''

 Chapter 659 Great Augury Formation

    Chapter 659 Great Augury Formation


    ??In another part of the Star Ocean, there was a temple crafted with beautiful white marble and imbued with glowing pearls, creating a breathtaking scene.


    Within this pce, four people gathered in a mystical hall as they floated in front of a giant veil of glowing white membrane, and a silhouette could be seen behind it.


    One of these four people belonged to the Whale Race, but his skin waspletely crimson with ck glowing runic lines around his neck, and he was adorned in white robes. He was the Crown Prince of the Mighty Whale Empire, Eliezer Kai Ben.


    "The Detection Formation has beenpleted in the Mighty Whale Empire," Eliezer said emotionlessly.


    "Took you guys long enough!" A cold-voiced woman with an imposing figure with her lean, 9-meter frame that could slice effortlessly through the water spoke.


    Alora belonged to another dominant race of the ocean races, like the whales, the Shark Race of Battle Shark Empire, a race as captivating as they were intimidating.


    Furthermore, Alora wasn''t just anyone; she was the first princess of the Battle Shark Empire, an empire that was filled with battle maniacs and bloodthirsty predators.


    Her cool, blue skin shimmered faintly within the water, its rough texture whispering of hidden dermal denticles. Small slits on her neck red rhythmically, gills extracting oxygen from the water.


    Her face, both elegant and predatory, was dominated byrge, ck eyes. A faint purple membrane flickered over them asionally, and a second eyelid granted her superior vision underwater.


    A prominent ridge ran along her jaw, a silent promise of the rows of sharp teeth hidden within. Her expression was unreadable, her mouth a thin line beneath a sharp, streamlined nose positioned high.


    Powerful arms webbed between four-fingered hands that could propel her with smooth, silent strokes. Her lower body wasn''t human at all, but a powerful, horizontally ttened tail fin that could propel her with effortless grace. The Battle Shark Race were creatures of both mesmerizing beauty and raw power.


    Eliezer''s eyes went cold as he looked at Alora and retorted, "Do you have a problem with it?"


    Alora''s lips suddenly twisted into a bloodthirsty smile, revealing razor-sharp teeth. "What if I have?" she replied with full provocation.


    Everyone within the ocean races knows about the rtionship between the Mighty Whale Empire and Battle Shark Empire; they were both the dominating powers in the northern and western stars of the ocean.


    Furthermore, the Whale Race was known as the strongest ocean race, and they proved it by defeating even the shark race. The Shark Race has an irreconcble grudge against them, and they just refuse to admit it.


    Since their borders are side by side, they always have issues, and battles ur almost every day among these two races. Despite the Shark Race losing to the Whale Race in the past, they were not to be trifled with.


    The Whale Race also didn''t feel confident enough to annihte them, and neither did the Shark Race feel confident enough to go on a full-scale war, which would leave both races gravely wounded, allowing the others to take advantage of the situation.


    So, both empires proved their might with their battles at the border, and if they met each other, there were always in conflicts. However, even their meetings were extremely rare, and one might not happened in centuries unless they were on the battlefield.


    "Now, now, Your Highnesses, we are not here to fight but stand alongside." A hulking figure amiably stated.


    This was Ulises, a member of the Karapax Tortoise Race, a race as resilient as they were enigmatic, and he was also the crown prince of the Karapax Empire. His most striking feature was the massive carapace ¨C a fortress of bone and leathery skin ¨C that encased his broad back and shoulders. The surface, a deep, earthy brown, was etched with intricate shimmering lines.


    His head emerged from the shell, protected by ayer of thick skin that connected seamlessly to the carapace. A powerful, beaked mouth, perfect for crushing crustaceans, dominated his face. Large, wise eyes, positioned towards Alora and Eliezer, scanned them with an air of quiet observation.


    His short, powerful legs could propel him forward with a measured gait that belied surprising agility. His hands, tipped with sharp ws, grasped a weathered staff.


    The Karapax Tortoise Race was of stoic strength, a living testament to endurance and the wisdom carved by time. They had the strongest defense in the entire star ocean, and despite that, they didn''t have many enemies. They were known for their wisdom and amiable characteristics.


    "You should all keep your silence; you can''t afford to break Her Holiness''s focus." A melody-like voice drifted in their ears at this moment. A siren voice could tug at anyone''s heartstrings.


    This was Nataly, a breathtaking beauty of the Mermaid Siren Race and the Holy Maiden of the Siren Hymn Temple.


    Her long, emerald hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, catching the light and shimmering with the iridescence of the ocean itself. Her face was wless and captivating, and her eyes mirrored the endless blue of the ocean, capable of switching from innocent to alluring in a heartbeat.


    But Nataly''s beauty wasn''t confined to her upper body. From the waist down, her form flowed seamlessly into a powerful tail, its scales a mesmerizing mosaic of blues and green that shimmered like polished jewels. The scales seemed to shift and change with every flick of her tail, mimicking the ever-changing colors of the ocean depths.


    Around her wrists and ankles, she wore intricate jewelry fashioned from pearly white seashells and vibrant coral. Despite her ethereal beauty, there was an undeniable danger lurking beneath the surface. The melodious voice that flowed from her lips was hauntingly sweet and impossibly alluring.


    Nataly, the mermaid siren, was a living embodiment of the ocean''s seductive power. She was a beautiful yet deadly predator that even Whales and Sharks were wary of.


    The Siren Hymn Temple was not an empire, and they didn''t have any subordinate races under them as all their people belonged to the Siren Race. But despite their small numbers, the three empires treated them extremely carefully because the Siren Hymn Temple was under the protection of the Ocean Oracle!


    However, only these top figures of the empires knew about the Ocean Oracle, while for others, it was just a myth. Yet the Siren Race could hold their status equal to the three empires because they were deadly on their own because of their illusionary magic and deadly ultic abilities.


    Moreover, the Ocean Oracle can only appear among the Mermaid Siren Race. The Ocean Oracle was simply too important to all the ocean races because, without one, they would not be able to keep thend dwellers outside and control the ocean. It was an old prophecy that every ocean race believed in.


    Just as Nataly spoke, everyone shut down while Alora and Eliezer red at each other.


    At this moment, another melodious voice filled with arcane wisdom rang from behind the glowing white membrane: "There''s no need to restrain yourselves for my sake, everyone. Thank you for coping with this old woman''s requests."


    Ulises and others bowed slightly as their expression turned solemn, and they no longer dared to utter anything.


    The voice continued, "As you all are aware, somend dwellers are infiltrating the deep ocean in search of me so they can find the location of the Legendary Key!


    "But I chose to side with my own kin and alert the three empires of the deep ocean, and you all didn''t let me down. Now that the Great Augury Formation has beenpleted, I can finally locate the Legendary Key for our ocean races!


    "However, I hope that even after we find the location, we can all work together against thend dweller the same way you were all doing in this past decade to set up this formation." Her voice was benign, like a saint, and filled with a strange, soothing charm.


    "Don''t worry your holiness, the Karapax Empire will follow your dictum!"


    "The Might Whale Empire agreed with your beliefs!"


    "The Battle Shark Empire will be your vanguard!"


    All the representatives of the three empires stated solemnly, but they couldn''t hide their greed hidden deep in their ambitious eyes when they thought about how they were going to get the Legendary Key.


    The Ocean Oracle replied in a benign tone, "Then I can rest easy. I''ll start the Great Augury Formation now. As long as the Legendary Key exists within the Unique ins, it''ll belong to our Ocean Races!"

 Chapter 660 Brush With Death

    Chapter 660 Brush With Death


    ??Behind the glowing membrane sat an extremely charming woman who resembled Nataly because she was also a Mermaid Siren, but she looked more mature. Her hair was pure white, and her eyes were listless, without any irises or pupils, emitting arcane sheen. She was the most sacred being among the ocean races, the Ocean Oracle, Mercy!


    "Then I can rest easy. I''ll start the Great Augury Formation now. As long as the Legendary Key exists within the Unique ins, it''ll belong to our Ocean Races!"


    Mercy smilingly stated, and just as her voice trailed off, she pped her beautiful tale and swum into the depth of the huge hall, which was only essible to the Ocean Oracle.


    In this grand hall lit up with glowing pearls, there was a ck obsidian mirror on the floor with a round antique golden frame. At the end of this hall was a high tform where stood a colossal statue of a breathtaking woman bathed in shafts of lights filtering through the water.


    It was carved from a single block of translucent crystal; the light danced through her form, casting shimmering rainbows across the hall.


    Her upper body, a vision of feminine grace, was sculpted with flowing curves. The crystal captured the delicate details of her face ¨C the gentle rise of her brow, the full curve of her lips, and eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages. Tendrils of her hair, also carved from the crystal, flowed down her back, rippling outwards as if caught in a gentle current.


    From the waist down, the statue transitioned seamlessly into a powerful fishtail. The scales on her tail were meticulously detailed, each one catching the light and refracting it into a kaleidoscope of colors.


    The overall impression was one of awe-inspiring beauty and ethereal presence. The statue seemed to glow from within, a beacon of serenity amidst the vibrant life of the coral reef. As light shifted and danced around her, the statue appeared toe alive, a testament to the artistry of the sculptor and the magic imbued within the crystal itself.


    Mercy stopped in front of the statue and prostrated herself before it, her white hair and arcane eyes contrasting her otherwise youthful beauty, "O'' Mermaid Goddess," she implored, "Reveal the location of the Legendary Key!"


    The next moment, Mercy''s entire body suddenly glowed in an ethereal golden white light, and the moment this white light appeared, the statue of the Mermaid Goddess that was the faith of the Siren Hymn Temple seemed to pulse, resonating with the ethereal light from Mercy.


    "600 Years of Lifespan!" At this moment, an indistinctive voice rang in Mercy''s head. She was very familiar with it because it only appeared whenever she tried to seek a miracle and probe the mysteries of space and time.


    After all, everything has a price, and the ability to peer into the mysterious hidden within time and space was taboo among taboos, so Mercy had to pay with her own lifespan. The more profound the knowledge she sought, the greater the price she had to pay.


    Furthermore, the Mermaid Goddess statue in front of her was a legacy treasure of the Siren Hymn Temple, a Quasi Legend Rank one at that. This treasure serves as a medium that greatly reduces the bacsh any oracle would receive after performing a miracle.


    Or if an oracle performed a miracle without this medium, even after she paid the price with her lifespan, she would also suffer a deep scar on her psyche and would lose her mind.


    However, in the long history of the Siren Hymn Temple, the Oracles have found a loophole to avoid the bacsh of the lifespan as well, and that''s how they were able to live their full life.


    Mercy, at this moment, tapped on the floor in a peculiar rhythm while she stayed in her position. The next moment, right in front of Mercy, the stone floor suddenly slid open, revealing a rising tform with a sleeping young siren on it, but she was the mermaid siren; instead, she belonged to another branch of the siren race.


    When the sleeping siren appeared, Mercy ced her hands on it and chanted a spell. Suddenly, an array circle appeared around them, shimmering with a dark, ghostly light.


    At this moment, the white light suddenly shifted onto the body of the young siren from Mercy. Mercy didn''t waste even a second before she stated, "I agree!"


    The next moment, the white light on the young siren suddenly shimmered brightly, and an ethereal emerald fog suddenly began to rise from the young siren and start to flow into the statue.


    As the ethereal fog entered the statue, the young siren started to grow older, and faint wrinkles began to appear around her youthful appearance.


    Once the fog vanished, the statue''s eyes suddenly lit up in golden white light, and a translucent white orb started to condense above the sleeping siren.


    Thereupon, the light from the statue''s eyes finally vanished, and the orb was alsopleted as it hovered above the sleeping siren like a star. The orb was only a pinky size and was shifting between colors,


    Mercypletely ignored the siren, who had now be a middle-aged woman and quickly started to perform peculiar hand signs while muttering a spell at lightning speed.


    "Great Augury Formation: Active!"


    Thus, the ck mirror on the floor suddenly started to stir, and glowing light dots began to appear like stars on its obsidian surface as if it were a map of the starry sky.


    Mercy then grabbed the small orb and threw it into the ck mirror. The next moment, the entire ck mirror suddenly started to shake as those light dots started to glow brilliantly, one after another.


    Mercy''s eyes shimmered with ecstasy and anticipation as an icy smile grew on her beautiful face, ''With this formation, wherever the legendary key is, it''ll be permanently locked in this Augury Formation Mirror, and then no matter where it hides, or the owner of it escapes, they will never be able to escape my tracking. I''ve spent 100 Milligrams of Timeless Sand to buy this formation blueprint and materials; it was all worth it. Now, the legendary key belonged to m¡­''


    However, her thoughts were suddenly disrupted when she noticed a never-before-seen anomaly; the ck mirror, made with Quasi Legend Rank materials, suddenly cracked from the middle, and like a spire web, that crack spread through the entire mirror.


    "I-impossible¡­" Mercy eximed with widened eyes.


    However, this wasn''t the end of it as ''crack¡­'' she heard an extremely sharp voice like a ss suddenly being cracked from behind. When she turned her head, her body trembled with disbelief because the goddess statue was also cracking, and the siren who had paid the price for this miracle now suddenly started withering until she turned into a dry corpse before she turned into dust!


    "Booommm!"


    Both the mirror and the goddess statue shattered with an earsplitting explosion almost at the same time, releasing a powerful magic ripple that sent gobsmacked Mercy flying behind like a rag doll.


    Mercy wouldn''t have imagined that the legendary key was in a ce that couldn''t be divined or revealed by anything or anyone, no matter what!


    She was extremely lucky to have performed that oracle by paying with someone else''s lifespan and using a medium to activate that mysterious orb; otherwise, she would''ve been the dust in that siren''s ce or met with the same fate as the statue and the mirror!

 Chapter 661 Keep Stepping on the Same Rake!

    Chapter 661 Keep Stepping on the Same Rake!


    ??Mercy crawled out of the rubble, her face ashen and incredulous. She couldn''t believe what had just transpired.


    Not only was a Quasi Legend Rank Array Formation destroyed, but the oldest legacy treasure of the Siren Hymn Temple of the same rank was also shattered with it.


    If the norms had been followed, this would have been impossible because an old Quasi Legend Treasure has its own slight sentience. It can even recover on its own and not be destroyed if the sentience is safe and hides itself upon feeling the threat of destruction.


    Yet, not even a fragment of the treasure remained, much less its budding sentience, and Mercy was not just any oracle as well. She was an existence that could rattle the entire Unique ins if she wanted to, and that''s what made her even more fearful.


    "Just how the hell is this possible?! ording to that guy, when thest legendary key appeared, the Ocean Oracle was able to pinpoint it easily, even without the Great Augury Formation. Could it be that I used the Augury Formation instead of using my own prowess?


    "No, even if that was the case, it shouldn''t have caused that kind of bacsh, even to destroy the legacy treasure! Or that guy lied to me!" He muttered coldly while emitting an icy killing intent, but she quickly calmed down. "But the chances of that happening are also none since we took the Timeless Oath, and we were supposed to work together¡­"


    She was perplexed and indignant at this moment, ''What I''m supposed to tell the three empires? Those greedy fools only helped me arrange the formation because I told them about the legendary key. If I don''t give them anything, they''ll most likely think that I''m hiding it from them to keep the key for myself. I can''t have the Siren Hymn Temple destroyed until I''m here, or all my efforts will be in vain, and I won''t be able to enter the middle ins. And without that statue, if I used the oracle''s powers, the result would be the same¡­''


    In the end, Mercy decided not to reveal this matter to the three empires. She suddenly ced her fingers on her forehead and muttered in an unknownnguage, "(Trantion) Constant Hourss of Timeless Wanderer!"


    The next moment, a dark hourss mark suddenly appeared on her forehead. She pulled her fingers back, and magically, something pulled out of her forehead¡ªa small ethereal hourss with a golden frame filled with starry ck sand.


    Grabbing the golden-framed hourss with both hands, she muttered in a prying position in an unknownnguage, "I request a timeless meeting with Golden Constant-87,001!"


    The ck sand within the golden hourss suddenly churned and began to emit an arcane light while Mercy remained in her position as if waiting for something.


    Thereupon, a static voice rang in Mercy''s head, "Golden Constant-87,001 has epted the timeless meeting with Golden Constant-88,925!"


    The next moment Mercy''s entire body suddenly enveloped in an ethereal ck light before she vanished from her spot.


    In a dark space, seemingly endless, Mercy reappeared, but she wasn''t in her beautiful Mermaid Siren appearance, instead she was now just a silhouette of golden light with a ck number in unknownnguage shimmering over her forehead, which read''88,925''.


    However, she wasn''t alone. In front of her was another golden silhouette with another ck number on its forehead: 87,001!


    "Golden Constant-88,925, I was waiting for your good news!" Golden Constant-87,001 spoke, and his voice sounded static.


    "Good news, my fucking ass!" Mercy or Golden Constant-87,001 replied, and her voice was also static, but despite that, the frustration in her voice couldn''t be hidden.


    "Oh? It seemed something unexpected happened?" Golden Constant-87,001 asked.


    "Fuck! Just thinking about it makes me angrier¡­" Mercy started to borate on what happened when she tried to locate the legendary key.


    "What?! That''s impossible! Are you trying to back out of our deal?" Golden Constant-87,001 loudly shouted, incredulous as Mercy.


    "That''s what I''m thinking as well, but I have no reason to make such an absurd excuse just to trick you, right?" Mercy replied.


    Golden Constant-87,001 into contemted silence as if he agreed with Mercy''s statement. After all, if she weren''t afraid of dying, she wouldn''t have made such an excuse, not to mention such an absurd one at that. Mercy didn''t disturb him and waited for his exnation.


    At this moment, Golden Constant-87,001 finally spoke, "If what you''re telling me is true, then I''m just as clueless as you. This is the first time I''ve heard something like this happening. Furthermore, the part about the legacy treasures of the ''Mermaid Goddess'' shattering is even more unbelievable since Faith-type legacy treasures have faint wisps of the entities of faith, and they are almost impossible to break. Give me some time to investigate, the City Lord owe me a little favor, he might know something about this strange incident."


    "Even if you found something, this didn''t change the fact that we can no longer use the Oracle powers as we wish to locate the legendary. Soon, it will be 50 years since the key surfaced, and the city lord assured us that the path has not opened yet. However, the chances of the path of legend opening during that time will increase by 50% percent, and they will keep increasing as time passes.


    "This effortless task is turning into a real problem now. Even the city lord mightn''t have foreseen this since ATLAS had never failed to grab the legendary key in the past," Mercy stated.


    "This is indeed a somewhat peculiar situation. But it is notpletely hopeless yet. Since we can''t locate the key, we should try working on the second-best option. You should try locating this Faceless Ancient fellow; we might discover something.


    "Meanwhile, I''ll go back to the timeless city to seek the city lord. It''ll take some time and we can''t waste any time. I''m pretty sure the others will also be looking for this fellow for clues. Since our initial n failed, we can only join the hunt now.


    "Although it''s a littlete, I''ve heard that no one has been able to locate Faceless Ancient yet, so we have a fair chance as well." Golden Constant-87,001 spoke.


    Mercy remained silent for a moment before she agreed, "Alright since no one has located this person yet, this means he''s not ordinary. I''ll look into him!"


    "Good, constant meeting concluded!" Golden Constant-87,001 vanished after saying words.


    Mercy followed suit, "Constant meeting concluded!"

 Chapter 662 Chaos in Deep Ocean (1)

    Chapter 662 Chaos in Deep Ocean (1)


    ??After Jacob started the massacre, he didn''t stop with just the sturgeon region; he continued with the other remote regions under the Mighty Whale Empire.


    Only after killing more than half of the next region to the sturgeon region and by absorbing all the blood did Jacob manage to replenish the cursed blood in his bodypletely.


    Not only that, but once his body was fully replenished on his cursed blood, he found that he could still absorb more blood, and by doing so, the runic lines on his bone hand started to glow in crimson hue.


    Jacob could feel that within those glowing lines were cursed blood, and their storage capacity seemed to be extremely high. He still didn''t know just how much blood it would take to reach those runic lines'' limit.


    Furthermore, his blood maniption has also refined further after collecting and absorbing so much blood through the water.


    Today, Jacob found a remote ce and started sculpting the Longevity Schema, and the body part he chose was the rest of his upper arm. This time, it took around 60% of his umted blood toplete the longevity schema on his upper arm, and like before, once he was done with that section, it turned into the bone arm,pletely matched with the rest of his arm.


    Although Jacob was still having slight trouble epting his inevitable new ''look,'' he had epted it with a pinch of salt. So, using the rest of the blood, he decided to work on his other hand. He was thinking aboutpleting his four limbs before he started working on his torso and,stly, his head.


    After using all the umted blood in his body and within the runic lines of longevity schema, Ace was only able toplete his right upper arm and left hand up to his wrist before he ran out of blood again.


    But Jacob wasn''t very depressed about it because he felt he had gotten even stronger afterpleting his entire right arm and left hand. Although he didn''t know just how much stronger he had grown, he was sure that he was probably within the stages of Beyond Unique Rank now.


    Nheless, he still focused on collecting more blood, as he felt that he needed even more to replenish his cursed blood.


    ''Those two whales provided me with 150 drops of cursed blood together, so it''s pretty obvious that the same rule when I was cultivating the cursed blood by hunting the legendary being descendants also applied here, maybe even more so since I required too much blood.


    ''In this situation, going back to the surface is more advantageous to me since there will be an endless supply of blood for me waiting there. However, it''s still too risky since those guys have an overwhelming number advantage, and if I used my atomic weaponry, everything would incinerate.


    ''I need toplete my four limbs at least before I choose this option; after all, that bitch isn''t running away anywhere. But I don''t have time as well since the path of legend might descend the next day. I need to umte as much power as possible before I enter the path of legend¡­''


    The next moment, Jacob took out the thunder whale from his pendant and had Autarch lead him into the inner part of the Mighty Whale Kingdom. Since the blood of themon races was bing less potent, Jacob decided to point his swords toward the rare species with fewer poptions but far more powerful members and potential.


    Like the Whale Race, there were different species living in the inner part of the Mighty Whale Empire, and the nobles here were mostly of the viscount ranks and had some ties within the imperial capital.


    But Jacob was no longer afraid of troubleing in his way. In fact, he was now hoping the imperial pce would send some beyond unique rank beings in his way so he could test his might against them and increase his bone marrow percentage.


    After all, the more he killed, the stronger he''d be, not to mention the more powerful races he killed, the better. He was no longer interested in thosemon species like the sturgeons.


    Therefore, after over a month, Jacob started his wanton killing spree. Rumors about a bloodthirsty predator hunting city after city within the Mighty Whale Empire began to spread like ink in clear water.


    Some believe these rumors, and somepletely brush them off without taking them seriously since no one wanted to believe that there was some idiot who was hunting people from the Mighty Whale Empire, the strongest empire of the deep ocean.


    However, as time passed, people began to believe when pictures of ghost cities riddled with decapitated corpses began to spread all over the empire.


    When the Imperial Whale City took notice andunched an investigation, they were shocked to find out that 143 cities, including 29 Barons families, 10 Viscount families, and 4 Count families, werepletely massacred within two months after this rumor began to spread.


    This number was so ridiculous and ghastly that fear overcame the entire Empire, and people began to fear. Even the nobles weren''t any different. After all, even the four-count families with their personal armed forces were turned into corpses.


    Although the Mighty Whale Empire was ridiculouslyrge, and there were many races under the Whales''mand, now that someone was wantonly killing while disregarding the whales, it was a huge blow to their prestige.


    Not only that but the whales themselves were getting massacred like helpless chickens. This became even more apparent. The imperial city sent the 12th Imperial Guard Regiment to hunt this bloodthirsty monster down, and the result was everyst member sent on this mission was found dead in many pieces!


    The empire nobles started putting enormous pressure on the imperial family to do something about this killer, or they would never know peace, and some nobles even went as far as to dere their departure from the Might Whale Empire and enter the Battle Shark Empire to seek political asylums or even desert in their side.


    Not one even bothers to hide their intentions and some even started to act and fled out of the empire. This caused a huge storm in the Mighty Whale Empire, and the Emperor finally mobilized the imperial army to locate this monster and kill it before it was toote.


    The monster of the deep ocean that is now known as the Blood Carnage Cmity!

 Chapter 663 Chaos in Deep Ocean (2)

    Chapter 663 Chaos in Deep Ocean (2)


    ??In the southern territory of the Mighty Whale Empire, at this moment, around a thousand thunder whales, emitting powerful pressure, were swimming towards the dukedom of Blue Whale Duke, and mounted on these whales were thousands of armored men of the Whale Race.


    This was the Imperial Army of the Imperial Pce, and for the first time in hundreds of years, it left the Imperial City. But the most surprising part was that they were not going to war; instead, they were ordered to hunt a singr being!


    If it were a few months back, many people would''veughed at this mighty force gathering for only a single person. But that is no longer the case because this singr being has shaken the entire empire and made them dread its existence.


    Furthermore, this force was gathered with the unanimous decision of the higher-ups of the empire.


    They were in the Blue Whale Duke''s territory because the target had been hunting in this ce for the past week, and they were hoping to bump into him before more of their natives turned into corpses. Even the Blue Whale Duke was quite apprehensive and didn''t dare underestimate this singr being.


    However, this army didn''t know that the person they were here to hunt was lurking around them in the darkness of the deep ocean.


    Jacob was a few hundred meters away from the marching imperial army as he sat on his thunder whale while observing them with emotionless eyes. He had been expecting them for quite some time, and the moment they made their move, he instantly and sneakily started to follow them while doing his preparation for ''harvest''.


    In his eyes, they were just high-quality blood bags, delivering themselves on their own, and all he needed to do now was to drain them.


    "How''s it going?" Jacob sent a telepathy message to Autarch.


    "I''ve already taken control of themanders, and now I''m turning the others below them into puppets!" Autarch replied emotionlessly.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with tion. "Good when you''re done; follow the n as we''ve discussed!"


    "As yourmand!"


    Jacob wasn''t a fool to face off with this imperial army head-on alone because even from here, he could tell there were some initial stage beyond unique rank experts in this army. Not only that, the armymanders seemed to be at least at the perfect stage of the beyond unique rank, and if he wasn''t wrong, there should be one initial stage inception legend rank expert as well.


    Without Autarch, who could now turn three steps of legend-rank experts into its puppets, Jacob would''ve never confronted this huge army.


    In fact, all the massacres he had done up until now were with the help of Autarch. He first had Autarch turn the strongest people in the target city or region into its puppets while he himself remained in the shadows and let Autarch do the deed. He only interfered if someone escaped Autarch''s.


    Using this simple yet effective method, Jacob easily collected blood. As he got the hang of Autarch''s abilities and his own, his target levels were raised, and he started to hunt in the blue whale duke territory.


    But he didn''t go after the Blue Whale Duke, who should be an expert in the three steps of legend ranks, because he knew if he wiped out a Duke-level city and the Duke himself, the imperial family might not send those guys out to let them die in vain.


    After all, the Whale Dukes were considered the strongest people of the Mighty Whale Empire after the hidden experts of the imperial pce and the Whale Emperor himself.


    But this fa?ade won''tst long once he wipes out this army. The Mighty Whale Empire would be onplete guard against him after this and stop holding back. However, this is what Jacob was aiming for!


    "Sir, I''m ready!" Autarch''s voice rang at this moment.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile, "Then let''s begin!"


    The moment Jacob issued the order, powerful, explosive ripples boomed above the imperial army''s thunder whales, disrupting the flow of the entire march.


    Thereafter, thousands of imperial soldiers scattered in the ocean, leaving the thunder whales with bewilderment and apprehensive expressions. They had no idea what just transpired and few among them who witnessed their own men suddenly attacking the thunder whales werepletely baffled by their action.


    Furthermore, the thunder whales at the very front, which were carrying the most powerful forces of this army, were now lifelessly sinking down; they were killed by attackers in one shot!


    When the imperial soldiers begin to realize what happened, it is already toote, and the scene that transpired in front of them is straight out of a nightmare. They saw theirmanders and captains were now ughtering their own men without showing any mercy!


    The person who stood out most among them was a whale in ck armor waving his ash-gray trident, creating sharp waves. Whenever those waves passed, the decapitated bodies of the imperial soldiers fell!


    Soon, the water was dyed in blood as wails filled with disbelief and dread of the soldiers ying in the crimson water like the song of death. Those who tried to retaliate or flee were simply too weak to do anything, and those who were lucky to escape silently vanished.


    Thereupon, the cries of despair died down, and no one managed to escape alive from this bloody ughter. The most ironic part was those who were responsible for it were respected and revered among these very soldiers they ughtered, and some of them were their students or had learned from them at some point in their careers. Now, they were dead under those revered figures'' hands; it was such a tragedy.


    At this moment, a ghostly voice with a hint of eerie ecstasy suddenly rang in the middle of this crimson sea of blood, "Blood Suction!"


    All the blood in the water suddenly came alive and started to gather in a single point. As the water became clearer, a huge sphere of blood hovered above a bone hand filled with runic lines.


    Jacob didn''t waste even a second before he started to absorb the blood,pletely ignoring the piles of decapitated dry bodies on the ocean floor while those few puppets that survived the carnage stoically circled around him, forming a protection formation.


    But what Jacob didn''t know was far away from his location was a strange tiny fish with a pair of demonic eyes, and it also appeared invisible because of its transparent scales; it had secretly witnessed this entire scene!

 Chapter 664 Chaos in Deep Ocean (3)

    Chapter 664 Chaos in Deep Ocean (3)


    ??In an imposing under-ocean pce that seemed to be shaped like a gigantic whale, giant hominid whales were sitting in a room around a table grimly, looking at the projection of a huge blood sphere surrounding imperial guards of the whale race.


    "This is simply absurd!" An imposing Whale hominid wearing white robes and a white glowing runic marking around his neck pped the table in a fury and a hint of fear, creating powerful ripples within the water.


    This person was none other than one of the four pirs of the Mighty Whale Empire, the Blue Whale Duke, Ameer La Ben, also the Emperor''s third brother.


    "This monstrosity! Just what in the ocean name is this thing!?" Another agitated female''s voice rang from another whale, but the runic markings around her slender neck were glowing green-violet.


    This slender yet fierce woman was White Whale Duke, Belle Van Ben, and the Emperor''s only sister.


    "Boom!"


    Everyone in the room suddenly shuddered when a powerful ripple overflowed from the towering giant sitting on the main chair. He was wearing an imperial robe and a jeweled crown on his bald head. Crimson glowing patterns were spread around his neck and hollow cheeks, and his ck eyes were filled with terrifying murderous intent.


    This was none other than the Emperor of the Mighty Whale Empire, Houston Kai Ben!


    When everyone''s attention was on him, Houston finally opened his mouth, revealing sharp rows of saw-like teeth, and spoke in his husky voice, "I didn''t summon you all here to make this matter moreplex. If you don''t have anything helpful, I would appreciate it if you kept your pathetic opinions to yourselves!"


    No one dared speak anymore. Even the four dukes present in this room decided to keep their mouths shut since they all knew the Emperor was enraged.


    They were all waiting for the news about the imperial army who were on the hunt for the monster, but instead, they suddenly received an urgent summoning notification from the pce.


    When they arrived, they were all exposed to this video feed that recovered the entire scene of carnage from start to finish. Truth be told, they were all feeling quite apprehensive right now, especially the four dukes, when they witnessed the annihtion of the entire army of 10,000 imperial soldiers and powerful experts hidden among them.


    Houston''s eyes shifted towards an old whale with a wrinkled face, but his eyes were sharp and filled with wisdom. He coldly asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"


    Everyone looked towards the old whale. They knew this was the only Prime Minister of the Mighty Whale Empire and the Emperor''s personal advisor. He was also Houston''s uncle and the Army Strategist of the entire Imperial Army, Alfonso Kai Ben!


    Alfonso spoke in an impassive yet cold tone while closely looking at the paused projection: "If Your Majesty is thinking that there were traitors among the army, I can assure you that wasn''t the case. Although it appeared that this massacre happened because our own men initiated the attack, I''m not going to believe that all those high-ranking officers were traitors.


    "Especially the Chief Commander in this mission, Brantley Kai Ben, your grandson, Your Highness. That monster seemed to have some troublesome ability that could control the minds of anyone indiscriminately. He took control of your strongest men and then used them to create chaos before using them to kill everyone when they were still clueless."


    Everyone''s heart trembled as they felt even more fear of this unknown monster. After all, if he could control the mind of Chief Commander Brantley who was one of the three chiefmanders of the entire imperial army, an Initial Stage Inception Legend Rank, no one was safe here!


    "I''ve also noticed it. Do you have any suggestions for tackling this problem? I can''t have my grandson dying in vain!" Houston''s eyes shimmered with killing intent. He liked his grandson a lot and was verypetent.


    If not for the fear of this unknown monster''s abilities, he would''ve personally led the charge to avenge him.


    Although Huston might not show it, he was shaken inside, after all an enemy that could control others mind and make them ughter their own people were terrifying.


    But he can''t show fear or hesitation in front of these people; his pride won''t allow him, and he will not seek foreign help since it would turn their strongest empire into theughingstock of the entire ocean.


    Even though he was sure the spies of the other empires would''ve already gotten this news, this was another reason he needed to get rid of this monster quicker before their prestige took a critical hit. He also sealed the news of the imperial army''s annihtion since he can''t let the Battle Sharks get the wind of it, or they might start an unexpected attack.


    That''s why he summoned everyone here and took this matter seriously. Now it was the matter of pride and prestige, it was no longer about putting up front.


    Alfonso thought for a moment before speaking, "I won''t lie to His Majesty. I''m absolutely stumped after witnessing this battle, which was more like a ughterhouse.


    "But I think I found the purpose of this monster of doing all this killing. It seemed to be the Blood! As you all might''ve already known, the corpses we found in the killing sites were all dried up, and as you all can see, the sphere of blood he gathered after he was done killing, so the mystery behind those dry corpses was easily solved.


    "Not only that, I''ve noticed a pattern. The first killing incident happened in the Sturgeon region, which is on the outer territory of the empire, and many such incidents took ce in the same territory.


    "This ce has something inmon; everyone there is repetitively weak, and only those subordinary races live there. Soon after, however, this monster turned its sight to the inner territory of the empire, where the members of our own race lived. He only hunted weaker ones and did not directly attack the dukedoms.


    "What does this strange pattern imply? I think this monster is after blood, and the more he has it, the more powerful he bes. He''s extremely cunning, and he knows where to attack and when. This means that he knows our forces and might even know how we react.


    "So, we''re dealing with someone with a high intellect and terrifying ability to scheme. Now that he''s opening hunting and drawing our attention, I think he''s confident in hunting whatever we throw at him, or at least he''s confident enough to flee.


    "That''s why if we send more men after it, it would be akin to feeding him more, and he wanted just that. So, we can''t use the same number tactics again, or we''ll only be making our enemy even more powerful." He gravely stated.


    Houston''s eyes narrowed dangerously as hepletely agreed with Alfonso, "What do you suggest we should do then? After all, even if we don''t send anyone after him, he''ll just go after themoners and cities. We can''t evacuate others into the core territory since there is simply no space, and he''ll continue to grow this way."


    Alfonso thought for a moment before hesitantly replying, "Since this monster is intelligent, why don''t we try to have a dialog with him? I''ll personally go!"

 Chapter 665 Chaos in Deep Ocean (4)

    Chapter 665 Chaos in Deep Ocean (4)


    ??After massacring over 10,000 imperial soldiers, Jacob managed toplete his other arm by sculpting the longevity schema on it, and not only that, but he alsopleted both of his shoulders, bringing the percentage of the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation up to 20.31%!


    This provided a huge overall power boost to his strength, and he mused that he was now as powerful as a Perfect Stage Beyond Unique Rank, not to mention his blood maniption refined even further.


    Jacob discovered that he was making progress with blood maniption even more now that he was absorbing blood and making progress in Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation. This naturally made him joyous, and he proceeded towards his other target, the Blue Whale Duke''s dukedom!


    However, when he reached one of the three main cities of the Blue Whale Dukedom, he found itpletely empty, making him frown.


    ''Don''t tell me those guys evaluate the city because of me? Did they finally notice why I''m doing all this? Well, I''ve left quite clues, and they''re notplete idiots.


    ''They had many methods to monitor the situation, and ording to Autarch, the army was also being monitored by the Army Strategist Alfonso with the Transmitter Fish, which can record and then y anything it sees, like a video recorder. They also didn''t use Star Network but another method simr to Star Network, which is only good formunications.


    ''Although it doesn''t matter anymore, even if they found out about my goal, they sure moved fast, and this will hinder my ns. But I shouldn''t push too hard and corner them since they still have many hidden trump cards that could restrain me.


    ''Should I go to the Battle Shark Empire now? They''re far more arrogant and battle-hungry than the Whales, and their blood should be equally potent. I canplete my legs there before leaving the ocean for good.


    ''If I''m not wrong and each of my limbs is worth 10% of Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation, then I''ll be able toplete up to 40% afterpleting both my legs, and I should be able to break into the Inception Legend Rank.


    ''It''s quite strange, though. I''m confident that I''m a Beyond Unique Rank, but my mana is still the same and hasn''t converted into aura or spirit. So, I''m positive that the three steps of legend ranks are also different for me than the others. I''m improving physically.


    ''I should pay another visit to the Dead Faction Territory once again once I leave the ocean and evolve the damn hex core up to unique rank and see what happened. It''s quite strange there are no traces of Dark Beings in the Deep Ocean¡­''


    Jacob was deep in thought when suddenly he sensed someone or something approaching. He looked in front, and his vision zoomed; a sh of surprise passed through his eyes when he saw a golden fish around two metersing in his direction, and on top of this fish was a cubic metal container.


    With his eyes, he could ''see'' that there wasn''t anything dangerous about that fish or the container, so he didn''t do anything and let the fish approach me with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He wanted to know what the empire was nning now.


    Soon, the fish appeared before Jacob, and a voice suddenly rang from the cubic container, "Please forgive myck of presence, but for obvious reasons, I can''t show myself in front of you unless I''m certain you won''t turn me into your ''meal.''


    "But if possible, I want to have a peaceful dialog with you as the representative of the Mighty Whale Empire and resolve this misunderstanding peacefully before it reaches the point of no return. I''m Prime Minister Alfonso. How should I address your esteem self?"


    ''Now, this is unexpected but not out of my expectation¡­''


    Jacob''s head was covered in a dark hood while his face was covered in a mask, so even if someone saw this, they wouldn''t be able to make up his appearance. He impassively looked at the fish and spoke, "I don''t have any name. You may address me as Nobody if you like."


    "Very well, Your Excellency, may I ask if you have any enmity with the Mighty Whale Empire?" Alfonso inquired politely.


    Jacob replied in a neutral tone, "Not that I could think of."


    "Then I''ll be easy if you don''t have any enmity with us. Please correct me if I''m wrong, but Your Excellency is killing our people to absorb their blood, right?" Alfonso asked again.


    "Maybe," Jacob replied with a hint of sharpness in his eyes.


    "You''ve already killed more than enough of our people, and despite that, His Majesty, the Whale Empire is willing to look past it. All we want is for you to leave our territory now before it reaches the point of no return.


    "I can assure you that the army you killed the other day was not even 10% of the empire''s might. I can assume that you were doing all this on your predatory instincts, but you are notpletely a bloodthirsty monster; I can tell that.


    "So, all the people you''ve killed, consider them the goodwill of his majesty and leave our territory. We''re willing to point you in the direction where you can find far more ''food'' than this ce, and I can assure you those beings will never stoping." Alfonso stated his condition in a slightly cold tone. He was clearly threatening Jacob, but he also didn''t want to make him angry.


    When Jacob heard this, a sh of interest passed through his eyes, and he didn''t mind the threat since he knew the other party was in the right. Besides, he was quite astounded to find out that the Empire was not furious, and instead of sending powerful men to hunt him, they were here negotiating with him.


    However, he wasn''t going to believe that they were doing this out of goodwill, he was sure that they were doing it after seeing his power to ''control'' others and knowingly that the more people they sent against him the more powerful he''ll be.


    So, their only option was to point him in another direction, and this could even benefit them more.


    ''Heh, they want to release this ''monster'' into their enemy''s territory. Not only this will rid of them the monster, they will also cause trouble for their enemy and throw the responsibility of killing the monster to them as well. No matter what the result of this sh would be, it will only bring them benefits¡­''


    Jacob''s lips curled up as he coldly stated, "Alright, I''m willing to leave, but before that, I''ve heard the Mighty Whale Empire has a war prison where you all keep your enemies and criminals. Hand them over, and I''ll leave in the direction you point me in or¡­"


    Jacob''s voice turned bloodthirsty as darkness suddenly enveloped the entire fish, "Or we can all find out what would happen when you threatened me with your empty travesty!"

 Chapter 666 Treaty of Legends (1)

    Chapter 666 Treaty of Legends (1)


    ??While the deep ocean was undergoing a tribtion, the surface wasn''t peaceful either.


    Today, in a secret location, the most influential people of the Unique ins were gathered in person. As for who was powerful enough to summon them all together, it was actually a group of people who just recently made an appearance and took the three factions by storm; they called themselves the Treaty of Legends.


    When the Treaty of Legends showed themselves to the Life, Dead, and Neutral Factions, they were all shocked because, despite its very small number, it was a group of Quasi Legend Rank Experts, and there were seven of them.


    One had to know that there wasn''t any Quasi Legend Rank expert present in the Unique ins for thousands of years, nor was anyone able to react to it because it was simply too difficult.


    But when seven of them together showed themselves all at once, thispletely changed everything, and those Faction Leaders who thought themselves to be at the pinnacle of the Unique ins without any match took a circle blow, and they had no choice but to surrender to the Treaty of Legends because those Quasi Legend Rank experts all belonged to a faction and organization. It''s just that they never showed themselves and were always hidden.


    Furthermore, there was also someone who knew about one of the Quasi Legend Rank''s existence, but even he didn''t think that there were more, which made this person feel despair.


    Moreover, when Necro reached the Quasi Legend Rank, he was supposed to bring cmity upon the faction''s life. He vanished without any trace, and any news about him vanished. The faction leaders were quite suspicious, but they couldn''t find any clues about it.


    Only after the Treaty of Legends showed themselves did they know what happened to Necro. He became a member of the Treaty of Legends, and now his status was something those leaders were envious of, especially the leaders of the life faction, as they didn''t know how to feel about their old enemy turning into their superior and someone that they could only look up to and can''t offend anymore.


    In a giant hall, the three leaders of the life faction, Chairman Mathias, a Thunder Giant, President Bronte, a Charm Witch, and Manager Roy, a Lightning Elf, with their right-hand men, were sitting on one of the three tables in the hall.


    On the second table sat the leaders of the neutral faction: Dark Duke Tomas, a Spirit Tree, Federation Master Ryan, a Sea Wyrm, and Pontiff Sebastian, a Faery Human, with their close aids.


    Lastly, the representative of the Dead Faction, the new Dead Emperor, after proving his strength and defeating the other Dead Kings, previously known as the Aura Dead King, a High Lich just like the previous Dead Emperor Necro and his aid, the Illusionary Dead King!


    No one in this hall, especially the representatives of the Dead and Life factions, expected to have this kind of gathering in their wildest dreams. A tense silence hung heavy in the air. The Dead and Life faction leaders, normally sworn enemies, sat side-by-side, their expressions betraying a mix of apprehension and suppressed hostility.


    But right now, they were just menacingly staring at each other with a hint ofplicated glint in their eyes, keeping their silence.


    On the high tform a few meters away from the tables were seven empty thrones-like chairs. At this moment, everyone''s eyes turned to those thrones as they felt powerful pressures descending in the hall,(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push(["_mgc.load"])})(window,"_mgq");


    The next moment, light pirs descend on those thrones, and seven figures are revealed after the light pirs are gone, giving off imposing and majestic air.


    All the leaders stood up and bowed while greeting in unison, "We greet the Seven Legends!"


    "We are very happy that you all spared your precious time and arrived here at such short notice. Please take your seat, everyone; there''s no need for formalities." A wizened-faced old man with a long beard, silver hair, and a burly build benignly spoke as he gave others the impression of a kind elder.


    But no one dared to take his appearance to judge his character; he was the oldest Faery Human alive and the x-Pontiff of the Cardinal Spirit Temple three generations before Sebastian, a Quasi Legend Rank Expert, Ss.


    Sebastian''s old eyes shimmered with aplicated glint as he looked at Ss, who was supposed to be dead but turned out alive out of nowhere. If he considers their rtionship, then Ss is his Great-Grandfather, whom he never met.


    Not just him, but a few people here were feeling the same as Sebastian and could only sigh in resignation as they sat down. Despite having some sort of rtionship with these seven figures, they knew they weren''t quality enough to get close to them since they knew if they didn''t want to use them, they would never approach them.


    "Enough with these pleasantries; we have more important matters to discuss." At this moment, the woman in a ck gothic dress with a curvaceous body, supporting huge breasts, and long ck hair sitting in the center among the seven legends spoke in a cold, impassive tone that was very pleasant to the ears.


    Furthermore, among the seven legends, she was the only one wearing a mask, and only her ster light blue eyes were apparent.


    The moment she spoke, the other six legends became solemn and didn''t dare to breathe loudly, showing this woman''s authority even among them, and it was a fact because this woman was the strongest Quasi Legend Rank within the Treaty of Legends and also the founder, they call her the Queen!


    Her name, race, and age were unknown, but it didn''t matter since she could defeat anyone in the Treaty of Legends without much effort. They all knew Queen was the closest being to bing a Legendary Rank among them, just a hair away.


    The faction leaders also noticed this, and they were astounded because it was the first time they saw this woman and all the legends together since they had been approached by one member of the Treaty before. So, they took a mental note not to offend this masked woman no matter what.


    The Queen didn''t seem bothered by the atmosphere as she spoke impassively and issued an order, "Skyfall, tell them their roles!"(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push(["_mgc.load"])})(window,"_mgq");

 Chapter 667 Treaty of Legends (2)

    Chapter 667 Treaty of Legends (2)


    ??"Skyfall, tell them their roles!"


    The moment the Queen issued her order, a white-haired elf with sword-like brows and an otherworldly handsome face among the legends quickly straightened his back and solemnly spoke while sternly looking at the faction leaders. His name was Skyfall Sword, a Quasi Legend of unknown elven race and background.


    "The reason we summoned you all here is because of the missing Legendary Key!" Skyfall stated, "We know you''ve all been looking for the missing legendary key for over fifty years, and we also know the details about our Seventh Legend, Necro, who took it. But after observing you for all these years, you didn''t find anything truly pathetic for leaders who have millions of beings under them."


    The expressions of the faction leaders fell as they wanted to retort and questioned Skyfall if he got any clues about the key himself since he was calling them pathetic but swallowed their resentment and just listened.


    Skyfall''s lips curled up in a content smile, which seemed a little sadistic, as he liked those arrogant idiots'' expressions. He continued, "That''s why we decided to intervene by revealing our existence to lend you all a hand. Make no mistake, for the legendary key, is equally important to all of us here, and we don''t want to miss this chance to enter the path of legend just because of the ipetence of our juniors.


    "Although we admit this Free Sword is more cumbersome to deal with despite his meager power and the unique ins¡ªor I should say the entire Lesser ins (Lesser Gxy)¡ªare extremely vast, so he could be hiding anywhere while waiting for the path of legend to resurface¡­"


    At this moment, Chairman Mathias bluntly cut Skyfall and furiously said, "You''re ming all of us while you yourself are admitting that even you couldn''t find the legendary key. Isn''t it unfair? Besides, how could you be so sure that the Path of Legend is still locked and yet to surface?"


    Those leaders looked at Mathias and couldn''t help but praise him for having the balls to question Skyfall, while the other two leaders of the life faction smiled wryly, knowing Mathias''s blunt and short-tempered personality.


    Skyfall''s eyes narrowed as he looked at Mathias, who was gawking at him with a fierce expression. He clearly didn''t like it and was about to release his aura to ''educate'' this junior and teach him some manners when a forty-meter giant with violet skin and white runic tattoos on the left side of his face among the legends suddenly guffawed.


    "Hahahaha, truly worthy of being a descendant of the giant race!" His gruff voice reverberated in the entire hall, and the other legends shook their heads as if thinking, ''Here we go again.'' Only the Queen remained impassive.


    Mathias''s eyes shimmered as if he felt kindred to this giant. He quickly bowed, "Thank you, senior, but I meant no disrespect to senior Skyfall. I''m just curious and all." Despite backing down, his voice wasn''t respectful.


    Skyfallpletely ignored Mathias now. He looked towards the giant and barked in annoyance, "Vermont, you empty brain maniac, you dare to disrupt me!?"


    "Tsk, tsk, it seemed you''re itching for a beating again, Short Stick." Vermont threateningly looked at Skyfall, showing his sharp teeth like a bloodthirsty beast.


    Thick veins bulged on Skyfall''s temple when he heard Vermont calling him ''Short Stick''. He was about to take out his sword to cut this bastard in half when the Queen''s cold voice rang again.


    "Enough!"


    Both Skyfall and Vermont trembled, and after ring at each other menacingly, they straightened their backs again.


    "Since they''re going to follow our instructions, we can clear some of their doubts." The Queen spoke before she turned her eyes on Mathias, and he felt like death was gawking at him as sweat began to form on his back, and he couldn''t even move anymore; she spoke, "But this will be thest time you disrupted a legend if it happened again, you can ask these questions in the afterlife. If any of you have doubts, wait before you''re given the permission to speak."


    She then averted her eyes dismissively, as if nothing had happened, and looked towards a sexy woman with fair skin and an oval face like a fairy. She was wearing revealing clothes, emitting a natural seductive charm that could capture any man or woman''s heart.


    She ordered her, "Samara, you take over."


    Samara showcased a seductive smile as she nodded and looked towards Mathias, making the crass fellow gulp as he felt desire rising in hisher region.


    Her smile grew as she said, "Little giant, forget about what Skyfall just said. He just likes to tease others and doesn''t like it when others tease him. As for your question about how we knew the path of legend was still not open, there are actually many ways, but very few people know about them.


    "Since you are all our little cute allies, there''s no need to hide it from you, and this will also show our sincerity. The way we used it is quite simple. You see, the Unique ins Trial is still ongoing, right?


    "Normally, there is only one way to close the Trial ins, that is, toplete all the conditions. But what you didn''t know is that when a Legendary Key emerges in a in trial, the trial in can be closed in another way, whether the conditions are fulfilled or not."


    Everyone''s eyes widened as if they weren''t fools, and they almost thought the same.


    Samara smiled and widened, "You guessed right yet wrong at the same time. You might''ve thought that when the Path of Legend opens, the Trial ins will automatically close.


    "Although it''s correct yet wrong at the same time, you are correct that the Trial ins will close when the Path of Legend opens if the conditions are not cleared, that is.


    "Wrong because this didn''t mean that the trial ins would end. Instead, when the Path of Legend opened, the trial in that contained a Legendary Key would be closed; in its ce, a new Trial in would start, that is, if the trial in in which the Legendary Key is unearthed is still notplete!"


    Samara stated matter-of-factly, "Since the kingdom-type trial ins are still ongoing, this means the Path of Legend is still not open. But the time is growing near, so we need to hurry and make our preparations, and that''s where you alle in to y!"

 Chapter 668 Timeless City Lord

    Chapter 668 Timeless City Lord


    ??Hidden somewhere in the Riddle Archipgo, within the Timeless City, at this moment, a tall figure stood cross-legged in the middle of a ck tform while golden sand particles swirled around him in slow motion.


    On this figure''s head shimmered a symbol of an hourss, which seemed to produce a single particle of golden sand every few minutes.


    At this moment, a static voice rang in this figure''s head, "Golden Constant-87,001 request a timeless meeting with you (Golden Constant-51,117)!


    "Do you ept?"


    This figure''s eyes suddenly snapped open, revealingpletely pitch-ck eyes like an abyss. "I ept," it emotionlessly responded.


    The next moment, its entire body was enveloped by an ethereal ck light before it vanished from its position and appeared in a dark space in the shape of a golden silhouette. A ck number in an unknownnguage shimmered over its forehead, reading ''51,117''.


    In front of Golden Constant-51,117 was another golden silhouette with the number 87,001 on its forehead.


    "Thank you for epting the meeting my lord, I hope I didn''t disturb you abruptly." Golden Constant-87,001 tone, despite being stoic, was filled with deep respect in front of 51,117.


    Even if it were someone else, they would''ve been reacting in the same manner because the Golden Constant-51,117 was City Lord of the Timeless City, which means 51,117 was the strongest in the entire ATLAS in the Lesser Taurus Gxy.


    "Heh, don''t fret it. In fact, I was waiting for you to contact me. Since you''re here, I take it as Golden Constant-88,925 has already found the legendary key?" The City Lord chuckled, his tone very easygoing, like a friend, not like a superior at all.


    "Well, that''s the thing, sigh¡­" Golden Constant-87,001 sighed in frustration at this moment as he didn''t know how to break this news to the City Lord. He didn''t dare to take his easy-going tone at face value.


    Because he knew that hidden behind this friendly demeanor was a shrewd schemer who had been controlling the entire Lesser Taurus Gxy from the shadows for an unknown time. The City Lord was the only person who could also contact other Lesser Gxies, even the Middle Gxies, without paying any price. This was the privilege of the City Lord of Timeless City.


    Golden Constant-87,001 had a pretty good idea of why he wanted the Legendary Key. He also knew better than anyone that the City Lord had no desire to leave his position and go to the middle gxies.


    After all, if the City Lord wanted to go to the middle gxies, he could''ve done it long ago because for as long as the Golden Constant-87,001 remembered it, whenever a Legendary Key appeared, it always ended up in the City Lord''s hand before the path of legend opened!


    "Don''t tell me you failed somewhat? Even I don''t want to believe it after all these years of your service; you hadn''t failed even once." City Lord questioned in a somewhat stern manner upon noticing Golden Constant-87,001''s hesitation.


    "I''ll tell you what happened; you can judge on your own, my lord." Golden Constant-87,001 then told the City Lord about what happened in the deep ocean when the Ocean Oracle tried to pin down the location of the legendary key and failed miserably and the strange bacsh.


    "Are you sure about it? Is that really what happened?!" The City Lord''s voice suddenly became hurried and agitated, as if he were in utter disbelief. He seemed to have thought about something absurd.


    Golden Constant-87,001 was naturally surprised since it was out of character for the City Lord, but he still nodded in affirmation and said, "Indeed, my lord, there''s no point in making something this ridiculous, and 88,925 is trustworthy for obvious reason. She even knows you owe me a favor, so she won''t dare to double-cross me or y any tricks."


    "An oracle that made the statue of a goddess render into dust? Fascinating, no, unbelievable¡­ this can''t be true, but what if it is?!" The City lord began to mutter like a crazy person, shocking Golden Constant-87,001 even more. He was also curious about what caused such a reaction from this old monster.


    At this moment, the City Lord suddenly stopped muttering like a crazy person and looked towards Golden Constant-87,001, making the other party shiver for some reason. Despite knowing that in this space, no one could hurt him, he still felt his life and death were not his to decide at this moment.


    The City Lord spoke in an irrefutable tone that even sounded like a threat: "Contact 88,925 again and tell her to perform oracles one by one on anyone who hade in contact with the legendary key.


    "No! You''ll personally go to the deep ocean to oversee this task. In return, tell her I''llpensate her with 1 Gram of Timeless Sand, and for the medium to perform these oracles, I''ll give her ten Quasi Legend Rank faith-type treasures!


    "No matter what the result is, you have to record it all and then send it to me right away. This is very important. If the result is satisfactory, you have my word that your servitude to me will end after this mission, and you''ll be free. I''ll even reward you for all these years of service. I pledge using my Constant status!"


    Golden Constant-87,001 was gobsmacked and thought the City Lord in front of him was either fake or simply hallucinating. If there was anything Golden Constant-87,001 wanted, it was his freedom from the City Lord.


    Something happened in the past, and he ended up pledging his loyalty to the City Lord, which means his entire life belonged to the City Lord. But after so many years, Golden Constant-87,001 was now tiered and even bored.


    However, he didn''t dare to show it and do his duties faithfully. But now, the chance of freedom that he never thought woulde was finally here, and he sure didn''t want to miss it.


    So, without thinking much about the reason for the City Lord''s strange reaction and hismands, he epted this mission, which seemed quite simple without hesitation.


    "Thank you for your generosity my lord, I will not let you down!"


    "Good, I''ll send the treasures and some more important stuff right away. This Constant meeting concluded!" The City Lord said, seeming in a hurry to return.


    However, Golden Constant-87,001 didn''t care since he was more eager to quickly go back and prepare for heading to the deep ocean, "Constant meeting concluded!"

 Chapter 669 A ‘Fair’ Exchange

    ??Today, the Mighty Whale City, the capital of the Mighty Whale Empire, seemed barren. No citizen except the armored soldiers could be seen garrisoning the vast streets, and the city''s defensive and offensive array formations were fully active. It was like a huge army wasing to attack the city as the tension was at its peak.


    Outside the city''s huge gates, a garrison of thousands of whales filled with vicinity and there were soldiers with powerful auras on standby above those whales.


    At the very front of this huge force were 100 whales adorned with golden armor. They were quite different from the thunder whales, for they had colossal horns on their heads, shimmering with runes. Above those whales were the strongest experts of the empire, including the four dukes and the Prime Minister.


    They all seemed to be waiting for someone as they looked toward the dark waters ahead of them with a hint of apprehension that they were trying to suppress.


    The Whale Emperor looked at this scene from the safety of the Pce with a grim gaze that screamed unhappiness and anger.


    At this moment, Prime Minister Alfonso, who was adorned in full body armor and holding a trident in his hand, suddenly spoke sternly, "He''s here. Please be on guard, everyone!"


    The others flinched when they heard this and quickly informed their respected regiments to be on alert.


    Thereupon, a whale suddenly appeared, swimming in their direction, and when it was a few meters away from them, it suddenly stopped. On top of this whale was an armored whale race male who looked exactly like one of the soldiers in the army.


    But his skin was slightly wilted, his armor was tattered, and half of his face seemed burned by some poison as if he had undergone a huge battle. Alfonso''s eyes narrowed as he clearly wasn''t expecting this person but someone else.


    At this moment, that person spoke in an emotionless voice, "It''s quite a grand weing ceremony for the mere handover of some criminals. I''m truly honored, Prime Minister."


    Alfonso spoke in a neutral tone, "I''m d his excellency liked it. But you could''ve experienced it even more if you hade here in person."


    "Heh, just like you, Prime Minster, I don''t like to be in an unfamiliar ce alone, and I''m afraid of crowded ces. Besides, we are not that close, are we? This is a transaction of trust; you''ll hand over all the criminals, and I''ll follow whichever direction you point me at and never return your empire to antagonize it ever." The wounded soldier emotionlessly spoke like a puppet who was repeating the words of its master.


    Alfonso''s expression fell slightly, but he quickly hid it behind his amiable smile, "We''ve already signed an oath contract, Your Excellency, so we naturally wouldn''t have harmed you if you hade in person. This army was prepared to show you just how much ''respect'' we have for you."


    "Aren''t I ttered? Unfortunately, I''m a little bit busy right now, but I promise I''lle another time to experience your hospitality. Now, if you can fulfill your part of the deal, I''ll be on my way!" The wounded soldier spoke.


    ''What a sly bastard. Not only is he cunning, but he even knows about the Zodiac Oath Contract. I''m sure this guy is no ordinary monster but someone with schemes. I''m 90% sure that he did all this to achieve this¡­'' Alfonso thought, not feeling good after ying right in the hand of an enemy and feeling like they all had been toyed with.


    But they really didn''t want to find out this unknown fellow''s capability, so right now, there was an even more important matter to deal with. At least they were sending this cmity to their enemy''s territory to disrupt their ns and get ahead of them while doing it, so they were not losing much.


    Alfonso spoke at his moment, "Your Highness, White Whale Duke, please present his excellency with our present!"


    Belle''s expression was ugly as if she had swallowed a fly, but she didn''t say anything and made a gesture.


    The next moment, twenty-three thunder whales swam out from the garrison of whales. On top of these whales were formation barriers, and within these barriers were thousands of chained beings with listless expressions and skinny bodies.


    A rather timid-looking fellow was controlling those whales as he stopped right beside Alfonso and couldn''t help but gulp when he saw the wounded soldier in front of them.


    "All the war criminals and empire''s criminals on death row, as well as some of the traitors and spies, are here. They are all yours, and this Whale Tamer will be your guide to leave in a better ''hunting ground''. Please let him leave after he serves his purpose." Alfonso spoke impassively.


    The Whale Tamer truly felt despair. He knew he was just an expandable pawn being used to steer this monster towards the Battle Shark Empire. What would be his fate after he was done with it? He wasn''t very optimistic about it since he had already heard tales of this monster.


    "Very well, he''ll return to you safely as long as he behaves and you guys aren''t ying tricks," the other party replied.


    "Of course, we are not shameless. Please rest assured, Your Excellency!" Alfonso replied with a reassuring smile that seemed quite forceful and ugly.


    "I believe you, Prime Minister. It was a pleasure dealing with you." The other party spoke with clear sarcasm before he looked towards the timed Whale Tamper. "You follow me."


    Without waiting for a reply, the wounded soldier controlled the whale as it turned around and started to pick up speed.


    The Whale Tamer sighed in resignation, controlled the whales with prisoners, and followed behind him.


    Alfonso and others watched them leave, and they felt utterly humiliated, but they all knew that this was for the best.


    "Start with the legendary key search, ording to the Crown Prince''s information he got from the oracle. Only by getting our hands on it first, can we truly wash away this humiliation!" The Whale Emperor''s rageful voice rang in Alfonso''s head.


    "Don''t worry, Your Majesty, we''ll pay back that monster a hundredfold once we get the legendary key!" Alfonso solemnly vowed!


    But what the Mighty Whale Empire didn''t expect at that time was that their search for the Legendary Key would lead them to something even worse!

 Chapter 670 Mighty Whale Empire’s Enemy

    ??Once the whales with prisoners werepletely out of the imperial capital periphery, the leading whale suddenly opened its mouth, and a giant dark figure swam out of it andnded on its top.


    The Whale Tamer was startled when he saw this, and his expression went pale, ''So, the monster was here all along?!''


    This was simply too bold and daring. After all, what would''ve happened if the empire decided to attack? Either the monster was confident or simply wasn''t afraid of death, and the whale tamper thought the former.


    Jacob looked towards the whales with the prisoner and then the whale tamer, making thetter shudder. He knew this was a risky move, but he was confident that a calctive man like Alfonso would not risk attacking his ''representative'' unless he himself weren''t present. Not to mention they had already signed a Zodiac Oath Contract.


    So, he only needs to ensure that he remains hidden, and what better ce to hide than in in sight?


    "Stop right here." Jacob coldly ordered the Whale Tamer.


    The other guy gulped in fear, but he didn''t dare try anything and quickly stopped the whales. Jacob then ignored the timid fellow andnded directly on a whale filled with prisoners. The prisoners were listless and seemed to have resigned to their fates. But it was quite clear that they had no idea why they were being ''shifted'' into another prison.


    Jacob then asked, "How do I open these barriers?"


    "R-r-replying to sir! These barriers will only restrain those prisoners with a special ve rune. Those without those ve runes can pass through these barriers without any restraints." The Whale Tamer quickly replied.


    "Oh, there''s such a thing? It seemed your empire is quite proficient in the art of runes. I should''ve demanded this knowledge as well¡­" Jacobmented impassively, causing the Whale Tamer to tremble in agitation.


    But the Whale Tamer wasn''t aware that while Jacob was drawing his attention, something small and extremely thin entered his ear. He was simply too horrified and afraid of Jacob to pay attention to anything else.


    Jacob didn''t head inside. He was waiting for Autarch to confirm whether what this fellow just said was true or if this was a trap. After all, the Might Whale Empire wasn''t some random ce that he could terrorize.


    He knew they only let him have his way because they wanted him to cause trouble for their enemies, or there might be another reason. He was sure of it after he witnessed the huge army. He could tell there were at least three Inception Legend Rank experts among them hidden, not to mention the hidden formation they had installed. Nothing could hide in front of his eyes.


    He was just lucky that they underestimated him. When they finally paid attention, he was too strong in their eyes, so going toe to toe with him was simply not worth the effort.


    As for his promise to return that whale tamer safely, Jacob knew that even if he let him go, the Mighty Whale Empire would never dare to take him since there was a huge chance that he had turned him into his puppet. It was simply too risky.


    "He was telling the truth. At least, there was no more information he knew." Autarch spoke with the Whale Tamer''s mouth since now the real Whale Tamer was dead.


    "Well, have him enter first, and we can confirm it further," Jacob ordered as he nced toward the magic puppet.


    Autarch obeyed and controlled the puppet to enter the barrier, and nothing happened. When he had him get out, he was able to pass through the barrier easily, just as he had entered it.


    "Heh, I guess that fellow should''ve expected that, so he didn''t y any trick this time." Jacob chuckled as he finally entered the barrier himself. Without wasting any second, he directly started the ''harvest!''


    After all, he can''t have this huge target on his back while traveling. These whales were simply too massive, and one was enough for traveling. If they didn''t have their speed, he would''ve never traveled on them.


    The prisoners were shocked when Jacob suddenly started to ughter them all, but they were like sitting ducks because of the ve runes and couldn''t resist unless they were ordered. Even if they were able to, with their current conditions, it was impossible to block Jacob.


    Like a grim ripper, he cut their heads and reap their lives, dying the water crimson. There were even some prisoners of beyond unique rank among them. As for Inception Legend Rank, it was simply too hard for such an expert to be caught alive. Even killing one was an achievement on its own.


    Only Quasi Legend Rank experts could do it, and Jacob was quite aware that there hadn''t been any Quasi Legend Rank expert seen for thousands of years, neither on the surface nor in the ocean.


    But one thing that perplexed him were that it wasn''t like the Quasi Legend Rank expert hadn''t appeared among the surface or the deep ocean, for some reason, they simply vanished into thin air like ghost. So, there were not many records about them.


    ording to the information Autarch had collected, those ignorant deep ocean races believed that the Quasi Legend Rank experts were like gods who ascended to a higher realm after they reached the ascension. The source of these rumors was actually the Siren Hymn Temple!


    Jacob even got a piece of information about the mysterious Ocean Oracle that can predict the future or read people''s fates. But he didn''t have much to go with to believe itpletely.


    However, the star ocean was simply too big, and the Three Empires and the Temple were hiding too much from themon public. They kept everything under tight wraps. Even their high-ranking officers didn''t know anything crucial.


    Only people like Alfonso and Whale Dukes have secret information, but before he could get any of them, they had long fled in the imperial pce and then offered him this deal.


    This actually made Jacob curious, but not enough to avert his attention from the final stage of the first phase.


    While Jacob was ughtering with a somewhat bored look on his face as if he was crushing a bug, he asked Autarch, "So, where did they want to send me? Let me guess, Battle Shark Empire?"


    "No, Sir, this tamer has the order to lead you in another direction, not the Battle Shark Empire," Autarch replied emotionlessly.


    Jacob''s hand stopped for movement before shing his sword again and sending six heads rolling while his eyes narrowed as he asked with an iffy feeling, "Where?"


    "The Siren Hymn Temple!"

 Chapter 671 Nine Anonymous Stars’ Mission

    Chapter 671 Nine Anonymous Stars¡¯ Mission


    ??The Siren Hymn Temple was the territory of the Siren Race. Unlike the Empires, they didn''t have cities or nobles titles; instead, they all worshiped the Mermaid Goddess. They divided their territory into regions, and Priest Lords were anointed to govern those regions.


    Priests govern smaller regions and are responsible for both religious and secr matters. Some may owe allegiance to a central High Priest, and some may operate with more autonomy.


    This local control allows for a better understanding of regional needs. However, there is potential for conflicting interpretations of doctrine and power struggles between Priest-Lords.


    Above all, the Priest Lords were the central temple in the heart of the territory, and no one dared to go against the central temple teachings or its doctrines. The Sirens were rather peaceful; no one dared to mess with them because they were under the protection of the three empires. They were also very proficient in illusion and mind-controlling magic.


    Not to mention, all the members of the temple have a strange power granted to them by the goddess herself; they call it the power of faith. But there was not much information about it because this power was simply mysterious, and the temple members never revealed anything about it.


    But for some years, a strange undercurrent went through the Siren Hymn Temple''s territory. The peaceful situation of the regions slowly became chaotic as those Priest Lords secretly fought with each other for power.


    However, the central temple never paid them any heed as long as they didn''t go overboard. As time passed, themon folks started to notice that the Priest Lords were recruiting talented men into their personal armies. No one knows the reason, but it was quite strange since nothing like this had ever happened before.


    In one of the eighteenrge regions of the Siren Hymn Temple, the Holy Mar Region, in the outskirts of the region, was the area for non-members.


    In this ce within a house, two cloaked figures wearing some kind of oxygen mask were secretly meeting with each other. They didn''t dare be careless because they knew if their identities were exposed, they might escape here with their lives intact.


    "Why did you suddenly call me here? Don''t you know we are so close to achieving our goal?" One of them, with a small build, asked in a stern tone. He wasn''t happy about this meeting at all because it was simply too risky.


    "I know it was abrupt, but it can''t wait because I was specifically ordered to ry this information to you in person and everyone else, as a matter of fact." The other one, with a tall and slender build, replied in frustration.


    "Alright, let''s hear it." The small one became solemn when he heard that this order came from higher up, and there was only one higher up above them, so he knew just how important this had to be.


    "The Star Lord asks us to leave the deep ocean and return!" The tall one replied in an iffy tone.


    "What?!" The small one eximed, "Then what about all of our preparation we''ve been doing for over two decades!? Wasn''t he the one who said we must abduct the damn Oracle after she refused toply with our request? And now he wants us to leave everything behind and retune? Does he think this is some kind of game?"


    He was absolutely indignant at this moment; the frustration and anger he was feeling were things he only knew. After all, they were living under this horrendous pressure they hadn''t been used to for over decades, and if it wasn''t enough, they couldn''t even breathe or eat here without this unique oxygen mask.


    Now, all of a sudden, the same person who had forced them to do all this again ordered them to leave everything behind and return. How could they not have felt indignant and furious?


    Some might have epted it without making any fuss, but this guy was already fed up with all this, so he naturally didn''t care about giving the Star Lord any face anymore.


    "Anonymous3, I know this news is very hard to swallow, but look at this from another angle. We don''t need to take the risk of going against those fanatics anymore.


    "After all, we all know just how strange their power of faith is, and that''s why we sow discord among the Priest Lords all these years so they can rebel against the central temple.


    "But let''s be real. Despite over two decades of careful nning and efforts, none of us were able to infiltrate the central temple, much less get any information about it. That ce was too strange; no scanner or spy equipment worked there.


    "The most cumbersome are those bitches hidden within the central temple; just one of them is enough to cause massive upheaval in any of the empires, and there are supposed to be thousands of them.


    "If we continued with this n, we would only have a 45% chance of seeding, and they might drop even further since we don''t know what abilities the Ocean Oracle and her sessor have. If you asked me, the most powerful organization in the entire deep ocean is the Siren Hymn Temple.


    "It''s just that they are ying wolf in sheep''s clothing. So, now that we have a chance to get out here in this damn forsaken pce and finally breathe the fresh air and bask in the real sun let''s just leave here quickly.


    "As for the legendary key, at least we know it''s not here. And the Star Lord didn''t just call us back because he gave up¡­" The tall one or one of the nine anonymous stars, the Anonymous Star No.1, mysteriously stated.


    Anonymous Star NO.3 was greatly calmed down after Anonymous Star No.1''s passionate yet calctive speech. He almost lost his reason in anger and couldn''t help but sigh in relief.


    "Thank you for opening my eyes, Anonymous1. You are right; since we got this chance to leave this damn hell, we better take it. And what''s the Star Lord up to now? He wouldn''t have given up on the Ocean Oracle if he hadn''t had another method more viable than this?" Anonymous Star No.3 questioned sternly, as he didn''t like this at all.


    "Although he didn''t tell me what he''s been up to, from his tone, I can deduce that he seemed very confident and even ted for someone who had just given up on the Ocean Oracle after spending so many resources.


    "He just told me to leave everything and returned with everything as quickly as possible. Something huge is about to happen on the surface, so we should be ready." Anonymous Star No.1 said with an iffy look.


    "Well, what can we do? Boss orders, right?" Anonymous Star No.3 chuckled bitterly before his eyes suddenly turned sharp, "But are we really going to leave just like that?"


    Anonymous Star No.1 suddenly pulled a cruel smile as he meaningfully stated, "We are indeed ordered to leave, but we were not told to leave without any ''bang''. Do you feel me?"


    Anonymous Star No.3 was startled for a moment before he burst into sadisticughter, "Hahaha¡­ then let''s leave with a freaking bang; I have enough of these fanatic fish idiots!"

 Chapter 672 Holy Polaris Region (1)

    <h4>Chapter 672 Holy Pris Region (1)</h4>


    After Jacob was done ''harvesting,'' he secluded himself andpleted his other foot with the longevity schema, which took a few hours. Once he felt the surge in his power, he mulled over his new destination.


    Although he thought the Mighty Whale Empire would steer him toward the Battle Shark Empire, that didn''t happen, and they surprisingly wanted him to wreak havoc in the Siren Hymn Temple''s territory.


    ''Even though it''s strange, it wasn''t like I didn''t have information about the siren race thanks to good old dead Masha. The siren race has weak physical bodies because they are spirit-type races; the only variable is the faith power they use.


    ''Masha even knew a secret passage to bypass the protection of therge regions. I never thought this knowledge woulde in handy. So, I guess I''m going to the Siren Hymn Temple. Let''s see what kind of bloodline they have!''


    After deciding, he didn''t hesitate to embark on the thunder whale and headed toward the east of the Mighty Whale Empire. He could''ve hunted more whales, but this might expose his immunity to the oath contract, so he didn''t think it was worth it.


    Moreover, not long ago, he also noticed that the blood of the whales or any species he hunted before was bing less potent. So, he was already nning to leave for a new hunting ground. But because of the empire''s insecurity against him, they gave him a free parting gift.


    The Siren Hymn Temple was hundreds of miles away from the Mighty Whale Empire, but with the thunder whale, in a few hours, Jacob was already approaching the outskirts of the temple territory.


    Jacob slowed down his speed and decided to leave the Thunder Whale there because it was simply toorge. If he went any further, it would be announcing his own arrival. So, he decided to go himself. Now that his power had increased, the deep ocean pressure had very minimal effect on him. Obviously, some part of it was thanks to the Art of Nature.


    The territory of the Siren Hymn Temple was filled with exotic buildings, and the beautiful sirens could be seen swimming everywhere. Furthermore, Jacob noticed that, unlike the Mighty Whale Empire''s territory, the sirens didn''t have other races among them.


    Most of them were beautiful women, and the male sirens had a very small poption. The Siren Race was a matriarchy race; there were always more women than men, and their birth rates were simr.


    Furthermore, male sirens couldn''t use faith power and were considered weak among their race. They were only considered good for breeding, and the more powerful the male, the higher his value.


    Some sirens even bought males from other races just to get pregnant and then killed them once they served their purpose.


    There was even a custom of killing the weak and old siren males if they had no value in society, and this ''killing act'' was called a sacrifice for the Mermaid Goddess. That''s why this race was both gentle and ruthless and had its own dark side.


    Jacob didn''t bluntly enter the small region since he would stick out like a sore thumb here, and despite having information from Masha, he didn''t know the terrain of the entire territory.


    There were many small regions under the eighteenrge regions, and if someone caused any trouble in the small regions, therge regions would send investigation teams filled with battle priests who could use faith power.


    Even if he wasn''t afraid of therge regions, killing those sirens in the small regions wasn''t worth drawing the temple''s attention yet because they were mostly extraordinary and epic-rank sirens here.


    So, Jacob had Autarch scout and learn about the Siren Hymn Temple terrains and where how many high-ranking sirens were in therge regions, and for Autarch, this wasn''t difficult at all.


    After all, Autarch could turn a thousand unique-rank beings into its magic puppet, and this number only grows ten times if the target ranks lower than the unique rank. For example, the magic puppets'' limit would increase to 10,000 epic rank, 100,000 extraordinary rank, and so on.


    So, very soon, a small portion of this small region was under Autarch''s control, and Jacob could now easily enter it without alerting anyone.


    But his target was not this small region, so using Autarch''s abilities, he paved his way towards therge region with a secret passage known to Masha. Thisrge region was called the Holy Pris Region, which had over three hundred small regions like this under its government.


    Masha came from the Holy Pris Region and even belonged to the High Priest Lord family there, so she knew about many secrets of this region. After Autarch led the way, it took him a few hours to reach the territory of the Holy Pris Region.


    Autarch then used Masha''s memories to find this secret passage quickly. After all, even if Jacob knew about the location, the terrains of the deep ocean were almost the same, so only someone familiar with them could truly travel here.


    Soon, Jacob found himself in front of a building that appeared just like the others in this row. But it was empty and locked with a magic rune. Only someone with the corresponding rune allocated by the region hall could unlock its door, or the region hall would be instantly alert if someone tried to break in, and Jacob just happened to have one.


    It was a small ck bead with a single rune engraved on it. When Jacob ced this bead into a small grove over the building, the door instantly unlocked, and he entered inside.


    "There should be an underground tunnel in the basement hidden by a concealment array. If sir uses the runic key in Masha''s belongings, the concealment array will be removed, and the secret door will be opened. Without that runic key, the entire passage would be destroyed.


    "There should also be a hiddenb in this passage where she used to conduct her experiment when she was hiding from the temple authorities," Autarch revealed emotionlessly.


    "Heh, what a crazy bitch. Even after she was exposed, she still didn''t escape until she was content with her research." Jacob scoffed as he no longer thought about Masha, for she had long been digested by Autarch and headed towards the secret passage.


    ---


    While Jacob was making his way towards the Holy Pris Region, somewhere in this region, a man in a ck cloak wearing an oxygen mask was talking with someone on star watch.


    After he was done, a runic te appeared in his hand, shimmering with dark runes, and he scoffed murderously before pouring his mana into the runic te, "So long, you damn fishes, I had enough of you all!"

 Chapter 673 Holy Polaris Region (2)

    ??The secret tunnel was extremely long, not to mention it was only ten-meter-long in diameter, which was quite stiff for Jacob''s size, but since it was underwater, he could easily swim through it.


    When he reached the end of the tunnel, it opened up in another building within the Holy Pris Region.


    But Jacob exited the tunnel when he heard a static voice, "So long, you damn fishes, I had enough of you all!"


    He saw a cloaked figure no far away holding a shimmering runic te in his hand. The other party also noticed the faint ripples in the water behind him, and he quickly turned around!


    Both Jacob and the cloaked figure were astounded and bewildered when they saw each other, especially Jacob, who noticed the oxygen mask probing out from the cloaked figure''s head.


    ''He''s from the surface!'' Jacob instantly thought and quickly reacted by activating the slumber hex.


    "Who the hell are you, and how did you know about this passage?!" The cloaked figure questioned, hiding the amiss feeling in his heart, and magic waves began to ripple around him.


    ''A three steps of legend expert!'' Jacob mused as his eyes narrowed because his hex failed, which could only mean that this person ranked somewhere in the three steps of legend.


    Jacob was even more surprised now because if this man was really from the surface and because of rank, it was extremely strange. After all, he knew how rare the three steps of legend experts were on the surface, and they all belonged to three absolute factions or equally strong organizations.


    Furthermore, from the little bit of mumbling he heard, he could tell he was about to do something when Jacob suddenly appeared. Most importantly, he also wanted to know how this man discovered this hidden tunnel.


    "You''re far away from home, aren''t you?" Jacob coldly stated while he secretly signaled Autarch to move.


    The cloaked figure was slightly surprised, but when he thought about the mask he was wearing, he didn''t find it strange for this ''ocean dweller'' to know about his roots. After all, these masks were rare but not so rare that only his organization was able to get them.


    But he still found it strange for an ocean dweller to know about these masks since only the high-ranking members of the three empires and the temple should have any information about them.


    He also thought that Jacob belonged to one of these powers, and since he was alsoing out of this secret tunnel, this made him even more vignt about his identity.


    After all, he only found this location through one of his secret ves after spending decades in the Holy Pris Region, and that ve even assured him that this tunnel was only known to three people, and two of them were no longer in the Holy Pris Region for hundreds of years.


    Furthermore, Jacob''s giant anatomy clearly didn''t match any species residing in the Siren Hymn Temple. Not to mention, Jacob has legs, while the only giant species that could match his height, the Whale Race, didn''t have legs while they were in the water. Only when they went to surfacends will they transform their fishtails into legs. This was also the case for the Siren Race and some other high-level species.


    Within the water, the fishtail gave them more agility and speed, and it was more versatile than the humanoid legs. That''s why Jacob was even more suspicious. Since he waspletely fine and could speak without choking on water, he still thought that Jacob was from the deep ocean and belonged to some unknown race.


    Nevertheless, since Jacob had seen him and he was standing in front of his escape route, he must die!


    "I should be asking you that. How do you know about this tunnel, and why are you here? Do you want to harm the Siren Hymn Temple?" He coldly questions while he secretly gathers magic power in his left hand; the runic te has already vanished into his space ring.


    He knew that if he activated the runic te now, he would be caught in the destruction. That''s why he closed his escape route, which was now blocked by Jacob.


    Furthermore, he knew before getting rid of Jacob that it could be cumbersome to escape because he still didn''t know his abilities. Since he was standing so calmly despite releasing his pressure of Perfect Stage Beyond Unique Rank, it was clear that Jacob was at least in the same rank as him. He couldn''t fight someone of the same rank in that stiff tunnel; it was simply too dangerous for him because he wasn''t an ocean race member.


    "Sir, he''s wearing armor around his head, so I can''t affect him with magic, nor I can''t break into his head. We need to create an opening in this armor." Autarch''s voice rang in Jacob''s head at this moment.


    Jacob frowned, as this situation was a first for him, but he didn''t show his frustration since he could already ''see'' this guy gathering power around his hand. He was also distracting him until he was done gathering enough magic power to cast a spell.


    He wouldn''t give him a chance, though. After all, he knew all the corporeal magic, like earth, fire, and wind, other than water, was extremely weak in this pressure, and only the eternal magic, like lightning, light, dark, and such, was not affected much.


    The casting time was also affected for someone who lived on thend, and that was the main reason thend dwellers never tried to infiltrate the deep ocean. They were too weak against the natives.


    Swords appeared in Jacob''s hands as he sprang into action. Using the water mana to increase his speed, he directly shed toward the cloaked figure, who was also about to cast a spell.


    He was shocked when Jacob suddenly attacked. His speed was just like the ocean race''s, so he was even more sure that Jacob belonged to the ocean race.


    But he quicklyposed himself and uttered, "Sound Discement!"


    Powerful ripples spread around the water, and when they hit Jacob, he suddenly felt intense pain in his ears and mind.


    ''Sound magic!''


    Jacob''s expression fell since it was his first time experiencing sound magic, which was quite rare. This magic has nothing to do with water pressure, for it can directly affect someone''s mind!

 Chapter 674 Fighting a Beyond Unique Ranker

    Chapter 674 Fighting a Beyond Unique Ranker


    ??Jacob''s attack was suddenly disrupted by powerful soul waves, and his visions were even nk for a moment. When he recovered, the person in front of him was already gone, and Jacob suddenly felt danger from above him.


    At this moment, something sharp suddenly prated his left chest, and then powerful shockwaves were released from his body, threatening to burst his body!


    Jacob didn''t remember how long it had been since he was wounded like this?!


    He quickly focused his fire aura on suppressing the shockwaves and maneuvered around to get rid of this weapon in his body. He just gets rid of it when another soul magic spell rattles his mind.


    ''Even under this pressure, this guy is so strong! I shouldn''t have underestimated a three steps of legend expert!'' Jacob thought as a sense of rm buzzed all over his body, and he knew another attack wasing.


    "Autarch, I''m about to release the puppets we saved up. Distract him!" Jacob quickly ordered before three whale race puppets appeared from his pendant.


    "What!?" The other guy was shocked as he was about to thrust his spear when those five giant whale race members appeared out of nowhere and released powerful magic attacks!


    The surrounding water began topress, making the surrounding pressure even worse. At this moment, Jacob was finally able tond on his feet, and his mind recovered. The runic lines around his arms and feet suddenly shimmered in a crimson hue, and the hole in his chest began to recover.


    Jacob noticed that the amount of cursed blood stored in his body was quickly depleting, making him emit killing intent as only he knew just how hard it was to collect this blood. He didn''t seem surprised by the healing effect, though, since he had long discovered this property of the cursed blood.


    "Sound Tremor!" At this moment, the other guy activated another spell when he noticed Jacob recovering and those whales gathering blue magic power around his fist.


    Jacob, this time, didn''t dare to take this spell head-on, and he decided to use the soul force to cover his ears. Although he didn''t know if this would work or not, for some reason, he tried and then quickly swam in another direction to escape from this spell range.


    Although those whale puppets were at the peak of the unique rank, they were still nowhere near the level of a beyond-unique rank expert. The moment the Soul Tremornded on their bodies, they were ripped into shreds.


    However, Jacob almost dodged this spell, and because of his soul force, the soul waves didn''t affect him at all. His eyes shimmered with faint blue light as he looked towards the cloaked man and noticed the boots he was wearing; they were clearly some treasure to move around the water effectively.


    The space they were fighting in was only 50X50 in size, and Jacob had a clear advantage when it came to reaching his 3.3-meter-tall enemy. Since he discovered that his soul force was able to tackle the sound magic, he has no more misgivings.


    He again charged towards the cloaked man, his swords shimmering in blue light, and the surrounding water started to revolve.


    "Hmph, I don''t know what kind of tricks you are using, but it''s all futile, Soul Shift!" He coldly scoffed.


    He still thought Jacob hadn''t learned his lesson and wanted to charge right at him. Heunched another spell, and he prepared his spear to attack him again. This time, he even stuck some kind of talisman on the spear shaft, making the spear shimmer in a menacing purple lightning.


    He wanted to finish Jacob off because he was getting a bad feeling about him because of the puppets he had just used.


    However, this time, something unexpected happened. The Sound Shift, a magic spell that could directly disrupt someone''s movements by affecting their sense of direction and even create an illusion, didn''t work on Jacob at all.


    In a sense, sound magic falls into the category of spiritual magic, and since Jacob has already awakened the soul force, which was the most powerful force of spiritual magic, it will not affect him unless he can also use soul force with his soul magic


    ¡ªit won''t affect Jacob at all!


    Jacob had never fought with someone who could affect his mind, especially after achieving the soul force. But now that he did, he discovered another property of the soul force.


    Caught by surprise, Jacob''s sword directly shed around his neck, but as someone who was also versatile inbat despite being a spirit magic user, the cloaked man quickly sifted his body by releasing sound ripples from his feet.


    However, the attack stillnded on his shoulder, and the powerful rune suddenly shimmered beneath his cloak, and a metallic boom rang when Jacob''s powerful attacknded on the armor.


    "Ahhhh¡­"


    The armor shattered, and a deep cut imbued with water spirit magic appeared, starting from his shoulder all the way to his stomach. Blood dyed the water as he screamed in pain.


    For the first time, he felt the fear of death enveloping him. He had almost forgotten this feeling since stepping into the Beyond Unique Rank and was so close to achieving the Inception Legend Rank.


    Since he knew things were going sideways, he didn''t hesitate to take out a teleportation talisman and instantly activated it.


    "Just you wait!" He left these words filled with hatred behind before he vanished!


    However, Jacob didn''t seem frustrated by it at all. In fact, if he wanted to, he could''ve easily beheaded him because he was too close to him. Because of the pain and surprise, the cloaked man didn''t notice and thought that he was fast enough to escape.


    But what he failed to notice was that the moment his armor was pierced, an extremely fine dark streak entered his body from his wound before he was teleported!


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered in a crimson hue as all the blood in the water started to enter his body. He could feel the dense vitality of that cloaked man''s blood.


    His lips curled up in a bloodthirsty smile as he muttered, "I don''t think I need to wait since you''ll being here on your own very soon!"

 Chapter 675 Exposure of Star Hackers

    ??A few hundred miles away from the hidden tunnel''s location, a cloaked figure with a deep wound on his chest appeared.


    "Damn it! Where did that monstere from!" He cursed before taking out a bottle filled with glowing gray liquid, carefully attaching it to the cavity below his mask, and then pushing it.


    The gray liquid quickly emptied in his mouth, and the wound on his chest began to heal at visible speed, and soon it waspletely closed.


    ''Damn bastard, he had me used this precious beyond unique rank healing elixir, not to mention that billions of ZC worth talisman! And here I thought I would leave without incurring any losses. Nheless, since I''m already out the range, I can activate all the rune booms and hope that bastard will be caught up in the explosion. Even if he won''t be killed, he''ll draw those fanatics'' attention!''


    Malice shimmered in his eyes as he was about to remove the runic te, but he suddenly felt a bit sluggish.


    ''I''m tired so quickly?'' He thought in confusion, but then he realized that his vision was slowly turning dark, and the next moment, he fell into enteral slumber.


    Suddenly, his eyes opened again, but they werepletely lifeless without any emotion, and he muttered emotionlessly, "How spraining, sir would gonna wanna hear this!"


    The next moment, he quickly swims in the same direction where he just escaped from!


    ---


    After the small battle, Jacob didn''t do anything. He just sat there calmly and waited while he slowly recovered his stamina.


    ''Let''s see, it won''t be too long now. I''m really curious about this guy''s background and what he was up to¡­'' Jacob thought with a little anticipation. He knew he might''ve caught a big fish this time, and he was very interested in which organization that guy belonged to.


    After all, a Beyond Unique Rank expert must have a high status in any organization on the surface, and that information could do wonders in his hands. Not to mention, it''s been over two decades since he came to the deep ocean, so he was a little curious about the situation up there, especially any news about the legendary key.


    Although he had the key, it was still dormant, and he checked on it every day by taking it out of the pendant and seeing if there was any reaction.


    Furthermore, his star watch hasn''t been activated in thesest two decades since he didn''t want others to distract or disturb me, not to mention he was still wary of the star hackers.


    After a few hours, Jacob suddenly looked towards the sealed door, and his lips curled up as he sensed Autarch''s arrival. He wasn''t worried about Autarch, and he didn''t have to worry about him not getting inside even if a runic lock locked the door.


    After Autarch became a Unique Rank, he was able to ess the space rings with the mystic signatures of his victims. Strangely, though, Autarch didn''t seem to have his own mystic signature; he could mimic his victim''s mystic signature if he were using that body.


    Although it was somewhat disappointing since Jacob would''ve been able to unlock all the rings with mystic signatures if Autarch had his own, it was still enough if he got what was inside the rings of important persons.


    At this moment, the sealed door suddenly opened, and the cloaked figure appeared, making Jacob''s cold and cruel smile grow even more.


    Autarch removed the hood from the head and revealed the handsome face of an elf who was wearing a corporeal mask around his face.


    "So, who was he?" Jacob asked calmly.


    "His name is Dewey, and in his organization, he was known as Anonymous Star No.5, one of the Nine Anonymous Stars of the Star Hackers, which we also knew as ATLAS!" Autarch emotionlessly revealed.


    Jacob, who was calm, suddenly widened his eyes when he heard this. He was utterly incredulous as if he had heard something wrong.


    "Come again?" He asked again as he stood up.


    Autarch repeated the same words without hesitation, and Jacob remained silent for a long time. It was simply too startling for him. After all, he wasn''t expecting to encounter a Star Hacker in this ce, not to mention that he seemed to be pretty high up in the rankings.


    If Jacob were vignt against any organization, the ATLAS would be on top because it was simply too mysterious and careful. It didn''t leave behind any clues about its activities and operated like a ghost. Lastly, its ck technology made it even more dangerous, and the Star Network considered it enemies. Even the SAAI was against it.


    After calming down a little, ecstasy shone in his eyes as he looked towards Anonymous Star No.5, who was now dead and reced by Autarch.


    He quickly said in a stern tone, "Tell me everything you know about ATLAS and what they were up to. Leave nothing behind. I want to know every detail about their organization, ranks, and hideouts!"


    Jacob would never miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to get ahold of his enemies'' details, especially the enemy who posed a threat to every organization in the lesser ins.


    Autarch nodded and started to tell him everything in Anonymous Star No.5''s memories that he deemed useful. He began by exining Dewey''s recruitment and how, because of his genius intellect, he was able to climb the ranks of the Star Hackers and earn the position of an Anonymous Star.


    It took a few hours to exin everything, but Jacob didn''t care since he was carefully memorizing everything about the ATLAS. Furthermore, he also learned about their hideouts and very high-level spies in the three factions who were directly under Anonymous Star No.5''s control.


    The more he heard, the more astonished he became, and his expression started to change when he heard that the Star Lord had sent all nine anonymous stars here two decades ago, around the same time he had vanished from the Dark City.


    When he heard about the Ocean Oracle and learned that she could pinpoint the Legendary Key''s location, Jacob''s expression became icy and foreboding.


    Although he had heard about the Ocean Oracle, he thought it was just a rumor, not to mention that the Ocean Oracle''s location or affiliation were all secret.


    But he never expected that the Ocean Oracle was the true leader of the Siren Hymn Temple. She even seemed to have some say in the three empires. Her position was simply too high and important!


    Even Masha, a member of the Siren Race, didn''t know about Ocean Oracle''s presence in the Siren Hymn Temple. In fact, even the Priest Lords didn''t know, but somehow, the Star Lord was able to pinpoint her location, which was even more startling. However, he was still relieved to hear that the Ocean Oracle rejected the ATLAS request and even killed the puppet they sent to approach her.


    But they didn''t actually leave and started to make ns to abduct her by sowing discord among the Siren Hymn Temple.


    They were nning to cause a hugemotion by starting a war amongrge regions and when everything would be hectic, they would''ve abducted the Ocean Oracle.


    However, this n was not easily or could be achieved in the short term, so they spent over two decades and took advantage of the corporation in therge regions.


    However, they were very close to their objective when the Star Lord suddenly called off the entire mission and told them to leave the Siren Hymn Temple and return.


    But unexpectedly, Jacob suddenly appeared in the same passage that Anonymous Star No.5 was nning to use as an escape route after using explosions to cause trouble for the Siren Hymn Temple because he was frustrated about the mission canction.


    In fact, all the nine anonymous stars were involved in this little stunt they wanted to pull off before leaving the Star Ocean just to let loose some pent-up steam.


    In the end, this little revenge act of theirs ended up benefiting Jacob, and now he knew everything that could push the entire ATLAS into an endless abyss of despair!

 Chapter 676 I Need Her Gone!

    ??After Jacob organized all the information he had received from Autarch, he didn''t look very pleased. In fact, he suddenly felt a foreboding feeling because of the mysterious Ocean Oracle''s presence.


    The Ocean Oracle''s involvement in the Legendary Key''s matter was a huge variable that Jacob hadn''t even considered before. He was evenpelled to summon Cursed Immortality and asked if it was possible to pinpoint the legendary key or his location through this mysterious power.


    But first, he decided to deal with those remaining eight anonymous stars because not only was it an opportunity to greatly reduce the Star Hackers'' prowess, but he hadn''t found eight Beyond Unique Rank beings'' blood together this easily.


    However, it wasn''t easy either since they didn''t easily meet. There wasn''t any good reason since they could do everything through calls and privateworks.


    They have their own secretwork called the Anarchy Network, which is like the Star Network but not as powerful. However, it was still powerful enough to maintain its privacy from the Star Network for a very long time and go against it to some extent.


    The ck technology they controlled was all done through thiswork, and there were even authority levels like the Star Network for different ranking members. For security purposes, they only contacted each other through the Anarchy Network and weren''t allowed to share their private Star IDs with each other.


    This rule was not just for the high-ranking members but for the entire organization. Lastly, what interested Jacob was the Star Hackers'' private database of ck technology, hidden information, blueprints, and other secret knowledge gathered on the Anarchy Network.


    "Since they''re going to retreat after causing trouble for the Siren Hymn Temple, we can assume the remaining eight are up the same thing that this guy was doing, right?" Jacob in a neutral tone.


    "Yes, sir. Anonymous1 was the one who told Dewey about their retreat, and he seems to have encouraged this massive destruction. He seems to hate the ocean races," Autarch replied.


    A faint glimmer shed past Jacob''s eyes as he nodded in understanding, "Then we can assume that despite not having an absolute leader among them except for the elusive Star-Lord, they all still trust Anonymous1 as their leader to some extent.


    "So, if we can hunt down Anonymous1, approaching the rest of them will be easy and even easier to ambush them. Alright, we''ll go after Anonymous1 first.


    "Try contacting him and telling him you''ve discovered a very important secret of the Ocean Oracle and can only tell him that upon meeting. Make it as believable as possible. If you sense he''s getting suspicious, don''t push too hard.


    "After all, they still don''t know Dewey is dead because you are recing him. But when you changed your body, the Anarchy Network would instantly discover his death and alert the others.


    "So, we''re looking to turn him into a puppet first before that special Anarchy Signature vanishespletely. When we''re discovered, we can make it look like the Ocean Oracle schemed against them and killed them all. Let''s see if we can find trouble for this Ocean Oracle.


    "I need her gone! She''s too dangerous to remain alive," Jacob coldly ordered, as he had already put the Ocean Oracle on top of his killing list. He didn''t dare be careless with the Legendary Key since cmity would await him if others found out about the key''s whereabouts.


    Furthermore, he was also worried that the Star Hackers would be discovered about his immunity to the Oath Contract since he had signed a Zodiac Oath Contract with them when he tricked them in the Dark City to avert their attention to the dead Free Sword.


    This might be a huge blunder and even more dangerous if others got hold of this information. That''s also why he wanted to cause chaos among the Star Hackers so they wouldn''t be bothered by the legendary key''s matter anymore!


    Autarch nodded in acknowledgment and started to prepare by activating the Anarchy Watch, which was actually a modified version of the Star Watch by the Star Hackers.


    Although they couldn''t fully grasp the technology behind the Star Watch, they were still able to modify it using their technology, which had been built upon countless trials and failures.


    While Autarch was about toy a trap for Anonymous Star No.1, Jacob fell into deep contemtion, ''It seems the Unique ins won''t give up on the Legendary Key so easily, especially since the time is continuing to be shortened.


    ''If there are hidden Quasi Legend Rank experts hidden among these organizations, as I suspected after encountering the Dark Battle Arena, then it''s quite possible that they are already searching for it.


    ''I''m not sure where I stand against a Quasi Legend Rank expert with my current, but I might only be able to escape, not fight them head-on. My only trump card against them is the Destroyer, but it alsoes with a huge cost¡­


    ''Then there are the ocean races. I don''t know where they stand when ites to Legendary Key. Although I''ve never found any information regarding the Legendary Key among countless victims of ocean races, the presence of Ocean Oracle changed everything.


    ''Since the Star Hackers had already approached her, she already knew about the Legendary Key''s existence, but for some reason, she refused their request. It''s either because she wasn''t interested or because she didn''t want to give it to others after finding out about it.


    ''Then there is also a faint chance that the Ocean Oracle can''t predict the location, or ites with a steep price she wasn''t willing to pay. No matter the reason, she must be dealt with. I can''t leave a variable like her alone, and I need to hasten my pace of longevity schema.


    ''Since that''s the case¡­'' Jacob''s eyes shed with a chilly light, and a runic te appeared in his hand.


    Dewey held the same runic te when Jacob barged in on him; Autarch had already handed everything in Dewey''s space ring to Jacob.


    The runic te began to shimmer at his moment as Jacob thought, ''I only need blood, and this little scheme of Star Hackers just happened to be aligned with my needs!''

 Chapter 677 Carnage in Siren Hymn Temple (1)

    <h4>Chapter 677 Carnage in Siren Hymn Temple (1)</h4>


    "Booommmm!"


    A huge explosion suddenly urred in the middle of the Holy Pris Region, very close to the Regional Temple, startling many. Chaos soon followed, and this wasn''t the end of it, not by a long shot.


    Simr explosions urred at different important points of the Holy Pris Region, especially close to the prayer temples where the Sirens usually pray to their goddess!


    The authorities of the Holy Pris Region suddenly went hectic because of this sudden attack, and the Priest Lord, the Pris High Priest, was in the middle of this mess as he had to report this to the main temple as well as to calm the public down quickly and found the terrorist who dares to attack the Siren Hymn Temple.


    However, the Sirens were used to peace, and their higher-ups were filled with corruption thanks to the efforts of some cunning outsiders. Now, their organization was thrown into a maelstrom because the terrorists attacked not just the temples but the secret wealth of these corrupted priests as well.


    Now, they could either report this to the higher-ups, and once the investigation starts, they will be hanged for their treachery, or they could keep this under wraps as long as possible before clearing their traces as quickly as possible.


    So, most of them naturally chose thetter option, which hurt them even more. The entire Holy Pris Region fell into chaos. Upheaval was everything. The sirens tried to flee, but it was easier said than done because there was a protective barrier around the core of eachrge region.


    That made them sitting ducks. The explosions continued for an entire hour and left behind an absolute mess and ruins; the water was dyed in blood as pieces of sh floated around it.


    However, as the saying goes, someone''s misfortune is someone''s fortune, and that''s exactly what this chaos spells for Jacob. He left the secret tunnel location before he triggered the mass destruction of the Holy Pris Region, just ording to the Star Hackers'' n.


    Dewey especially ced a runic bomb around the secret passage, which would be buried under the ruins once he escaped through it. He was even nning on blowing the tunnel once he used it.


    But s, he met with his dead person named Jacob, and now, all this little revenge act was benefiting Jacob.


    Looking at the chaotic scene, as the sirens desperately tried to flee, some were lifting rubble to help the trapped sirens escape. As someone who caused all this, he felt¡­nothing.


    Jacob could tell that his mind was bing extremely dismissive towards other deaths. He didn''t feel anything about killing thousands of people just for his own selfishness, especially since he had started to carve the longevity schema.


    It was like with his outer appearance; his emotions were also stripping off. He didn''t know if this was good or bad, but despite these strange changes in his mentality, the resolve he had back then, the longing for immortality remained the same; it intensified even.


    Maybe his mind was twisting in ways Jacob couldn''t even fathom, but as long as he continued towards his goal, he didn''t mind bing a monster¡ªor maybe he had already be one¡­


    ''Let''s try these new insights I got after absorbing so much blood. If this works, then very little blood would go to waste. Even if this draws attention, the Pris High Priestess is only an intermediate stage beyond unique rank expert, and I don''t think she would be arriving too soon since, ording to Autarch, she would be busing wiping her own ass. I must admit; these star hackers really know how to trap others by using their own greed against them.''


    "Guard me; if others approach, kill them all without mercy." Jacob issued Autarch an order since Autarch was still using Dewey''s body.


    Jacob let him keep it until he got his hands on Anonymous Star NO.1, who agreed to meet with Dewey after he heard about Dewey finding a very important secret of the Star Oracle. He didn''t suspect anything, especially after spending two decades in this ce together. They had developed a little trust among themselves, and this was the case for all nine anonymous stars.


    Autarch nodded and guarded a few meters away from Jacob while he released his puppet poison to create magic puppets. This was the easiest way to guard Jacob and not leave any witnesses behind.


    Jacob let Autarch do as he pleased since he was the one who taught Autarch this method and sat cross-legged.


    Suddenly, the runic lines on his arms and feet started to glow crimson, and the cursed path glory gem in his pendant started to glow as if resonating with the runic lines of longevity schema.


    The next moment, an invisible suction force started to ooze from Jacob''s body. However, this invisible suction force didn''t stir the water or anything else.


    However, something strange happened as this suction force slowly expanded under Jacob''s powerful control of blood maniption and his newfound understanding of it.


    Slowly, the water around Jacob started to be red, and the color continued to deepen until it stuck out like a light tower in the middle of darkness. Not only that, but the blood in the water outside started to vanish.


    This was not only happening to this small area; in fact, as the blood was growingrger around Jacob, it was attracting even more blood from far away, and this range continued to grow as the blood around Jacob increased.


    Those sirens, still pretty rattled about the attack, noticed that the surrounding blood seemed to havee alive and flowed in a peculiar direction as if something was attracting it.


    Blood, even from under the rubble, started to seep out, and for those who were still alive yet only unconscious, their blood also started to flow out of their veins!


    The Sirens panicked again. They had no idea who was performing this strange sorcery and thought the attack was not over yet.


    Jacob, on the other hand, waspletely focused. He could perceive the blood around him even in the far distance. He could sense blood thousands of miles away and attract it towards himself as long as it was ownerless or the owner had no control over it.


    This was all thanks to the runic lines of longevity schema. His control over blood was growing, and unknowingly, he startedprehending another level of Blood Maniption, also known as Blood Magic!

 Chapter 678 Carnage in Siren Hymn Temple (2)

    ??"What the hell is going on!? Who dares to attack the holy temple?!" A beautiful siren in a white outfit, who was emitting a bloodthirsty aura, roared furiously as she was looking at the reports of mass destruction, and even the western part of her own home was blown into smithereens a few moments ago.


    This siren was none other than the Pris High Priest of the Holy Pris Region, and right now, she was going hectic not because her people were dying; it was because her hidden treasure troves were also just blown up, and those lowly followers were taking full advantage of this situation and looting everything to their heart''s content.


    This not only made Pris High Priest''s heart bleed, but she was panicking because once this matter of secretly keeping a portion of the temple offering reaches the main temple, her head would roll in her goddess''s stone feet.


    ''No! I can''t report this. I need to remove my traces quickly, and only then will I report it back. I hope those hateful bastards of the other regions won''t interfere!'' She desperately prayed sincerely for the first time in a long while.


    At this moment, another siren holding a spear adorned in golden battle armor quickly barged in, making the Pris High Priest jump in trepidation because she was too agitated.


    The siren in armor couldn''t help but sigh, seeing the Pris High Priest losing her mind. She couldn''t help but think that she had brought it upon herself. She shouldn''t have given in to the devil''s whispers, and now, many innocent lives were being harmed.


    "My lord, we need to seek help from the main temple!" She solemnly requested.


    Pris High Priest breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only her Chief Region Temr. However, after she heard her request, her expression turned dark, and she retorted, "Absolutely no! We can handle this on our own! There''s no need to bother the Holy Temple for such a trifle matter."


    The Temr frowned as she was already expecting this much, "Forgive me, my lord, but it seemed someone has already done it, and I''m afraid the main temple has already dispatched Holy Hymn Temrs!"


    "What?!" Pris High Priest screamed in disbelief and trembled with trepidation, "W-who!? Who dared to undermine the authority of Priest Lord!? Sacrifice those heretics to wash away their sins! And what the hell were you doing?!" She ordered furiously.


    The Temr''s eyes went cold as she clearly didn''t like this behavior and replied impassively, "Forgive me, my lord, but that might be impossible at this moment, and I was also helpless in this matter, I''m afraid."


    "What, why?" Pris High Priest ground her teeth, and she found her Temr annoyed for some reason.


    The Temr replied with a hint of killing intent filled with hate and fury, "The thing is, my lord, the Holy Pris Region wasn''t the only one who suffered this abrupt terrorist attack. Nine more suffered the same kinds of attacks out of eighteenrge regions, including the Holy Pris Region.


    "Over half of our territory was attacked in just two days. This kind of thing is impossible to hide from the main temple. Now, I just received news that the Holy Hymn Temrs will be here in a few hours.


    "They already know about the attack on the Holy Pris Region; it didn''t matter if we reported it or not. But I''m afraid if you didn''t report it, they might suspect something uncanny about you, my lord. After all, it''s been three days, and you''re still keeping it to yourself."


    The Pris High Priest paled, and she shuddered just after thinking about what kind of blunder she had made. If what the Temr was telling was true, then she would be sacrificed even without any investigation for hiding such a matter.


    "Q-quickly! We are going to report this post hastily to the main temple! We were busy rescuing those pitiful souls and praying for those who returned to the goddess'' embrace. Do you understand me!?" The Pris High Priest righteously and meaningfully stated as she quickly left towards a hidden chamber to contact the temple.


    After witnessing this scene, the Temr couldn''t help but scoff inwardly andmented, ''She''s no longer that sharp-


    witted and devoted High Priest anymore. She''s cursed by the goddess for damnation. Even I can easily trick her now. I guess it''s about time to clean up the territory!''


    Her eyes turned deadly cold and filled with holy radiance. As someone who only served the Goddess, she didn''t have loyalty to anyone else but the Ocean Oracle, the messenger of the Goddess.


    Despite growing up with the Pris High Priest and as her personal Temr, she has no loyalty or any feelings of empathy towards her. She was a true fanatic and blinded by her faith.


    Now that she finally had the chance to punish the Pris High Priest for all her sins toward the goddess, she would not miss it, and there were many like her doing the same thing right now!


    ---


    In the secret chamber of the main Siren Hymn Temple, the Holy Maiden Nataly was kneeling in front of the membrane-like veil, where the silhouette of Ocean Oracle Mercy was present at his moment.


    "What''s this strange situation? Do you figure out who''s behind this huge attack? Is it rted to the empires?" Mercy questioned in a gentle yet extremely perplexed tone, and she sounded exhausted for some reason.


    "Forgive me, Your Holiness! But this ipetent descendant couldn''t unravel anything regarding this sudden attack. However, I''ve already contacted the three empires and made them swear an oath, and unexpectedly, they swore the oath of innocence without any hesitation. Please instruct me what to do now." Nataly replied with a helpless tone.


    "Hmm? Did they take the oath of innocence? Then it''s most likely they weren''t behind this¡­" Mercy''s uncertain voice rang.


    Nataly hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Holiness, I have another piece of information, but I don''t know whether I should believe it or not. But now that the three empires had sworn the oath of innocence, I couldn''t help but continue to think about it. Please judge it yourself; I''m too stupid."


    "OH? There''s something else? Tell me, you don''t need to me yourself for this my child, you''re too pure for this filthy world." Mercy gently said, which made Nataly''s entire body tremble with ecstasy.


    ''She''s praised me!'' Suddenly, an absurd smile shed past her face, but Mercy could see it since Nataly was kneeling with her head down!

 Chapter 679 Digging Your Own Grave

    ??Nataly quickly hid her infatuation and stated respectfully, "A few hours ago, through our informationwork, we received a secret message from an unknown source. ording to this message, all this upheaval is caused by Star Hackers of a secret organization on the surface called ATLAS! And they were the ones who approached Her Holiness over two decades ago to find the location of the legendary key!"


    Mercy on the side suddenly widened her eyes slightly when she heard this, and a cold glint shed past her eyes, "Did you find the source of this message?"


    Nataly shook her head slightly, "No, Your Holiness, the messenger was very clever and used one of our own people to send it. Although I don''t know how they were able to get ahold of this message center, whoever they were, they knew how to use it. If I''m not wrong, they should be one of our hidden informative, but I''m notpletely sure."


    Mercy frowned a little, "Alright, you are excused. Focus on calming down the masses and recovering all the damage. Anyone involved in this, even if they had the slightest bit of involvement in this, capture them for interrogation."


    Nataly hesitated momentarily before asking, "What about the Priest Lords? Although the attackers caused upheaval, they also exposed many of the Priest Lords'' corruptions. They werepletely aware of their dirty deeds and all the wealth they had hidden from us."


    Mercy dismissively replied as if she didn''t care about this little problem at all, "Do you still need to ask? As my proxy, you should know how to deal with these degenerates better. There''s no need to ask my permission for such trifle matters."


    Nataly''s eyes shed coldly as she nodded, "I understand!" Then, she quickly left.


    Mercy also left the secret chamber and headed towards the prayer hall, where the statue of the Mermaid Goddess was located. But now, there were many more statues, and in addition to those, there was a cloaked midget.


    "What happened?" The midget asked in a static voice.


    Mercy sighed as she grimly stated, "Unexpectedly, ninerge regions of the Siren Hymn Temple suffered terrorist attacks in the past three days. Do you want to hear something even more absurd? We received a secret message stating that those attacks were done by none other than the Star Hackers of ATLAS!"


    The midget was startled and uttered incredulously, "Impossible! They shouldn''t be here!"


    Mercy scoffed in derision, "That''s what I thought as well. After all, you''d told me they were doing something else to help us locate the Legendary Key. Yet here they are, causing problems in my territory!"


    The midget fell into silence before replying after a while, "I''ll look into it. If they are the ones behind this, I''ll owe you an exnation."


    Mercy deeply looked at the midget''s hooded face, which was enshrouded by a dark fog. She couldn''t see through it, no matter what.


    In the end, she sighed in resignation, "I don''t have any choice in this matter, do I? I still don''t understand the purpose behind all this?" She said this while looking at all those statues emitting a peculiar undtion, and inwardly, she felt ecstatic, but she still maintained her helpless expression.


    After all, she knew this deal was nothing but a godsend for her, and that''s why she was willing toply with this midget''s demands.


    "Didn''t I already tell you? Since there''s some kind of problem locating the legendary key, we''ll just have to locate the person holding it. Free Sword and his crew were the only people who were supposed to have it.


    "Furthermore, Free Swordst appeared many years ago, and his actions at that time were very strange. So, this will greatly help us in locating the legendary key. Even though prophesizing a person is more difficult than an item, I''ve already given you more than enough for this task." He impassively stated, clearly having no intention of revealing his hidden motives.


    Mercy didn''t push further since she knew better. After all, she was getting the long end of the stick in this deal, so she was content. She was just annoyed by the fact that someone was causing trouble when she was so close to achieving her goal.


    After all, once she achieved her goal, the entire Siren Hymn Temple could turn to ruin for all she cared.


    "I understand. I''m just a little curious. After all, you want me to prophesize all the people on this list, and you even go out of your way to collect all the information I need to perform an oracle about them. I have to admit, you know even more than Ocean Oracle than myself." Mercy innocently stated.


    "Don''t overthink it. This is all just a precaution to make sure that even if Free Sword isn''t the one holding the Legendary Key, it could be with one of his crew members or anyone who came in contact with him. We need to end this once and for all since time is running out," the midget exined coolly.


    ''Like hell, I believe you. There is something you want from one of these people on this list, and I''ll know once I perform an oracle about them. No matter how much you tried to hide it, I''m also a Golden Constant. Those who wander the infinite time are prone to observe time differently¡­'' She sneered inwardly but didn''t let it show on her face.


    "Then let''s start without any further due. Let me experience this Fate Soul Formation that we spend so much effort and these many faith-type treasures to build." Mercy chuckled with a hint of excitement before she moved towards the runic tform in the middle of the statues.


    The midget didn''t speak and only watched her going in. His eyes shed coldly, ''You''re digging your own grave by probing into the matter of Timeless City Lord, just like my old self.''


    Under his cloak, a gloating smile appeared on his face, showing his sharp rows of teeth as if he were extremely pleased with someone else heading towards the same abyss he once fell into!

 Chapter 680 Star Lord’s Plot (1)

    Chapter 680 Star Lord¡¯s Plot (1)


    ??In a dark, secluded area of the deep ocean, a cloak giant figure wearing a unique oxygen mask appeared, riding an ocean beast resembling a seahorse.


    But unlike a typical seahorse, this one has huge wings like glowing fines and there was arge horn on its head. This was a Winged Bullet Horse of the Siren Hymn Temple, which used to travel under the ocean, just the Whales of the Mighty Whale Empire.


    The giant figure controlled the Winged Bullet Horse and stopped in this area after looking at the marked location on his star watch. He then sent a message and waited.


    Thereupon, another white Winged Bullet Horse appeared, and riding it was a tall, cloaked figure wearing the same type of equipment as the waiting giant.


    "Anonymous5, I came here as soon as I got the chance. You should understand that I was busy with my region." The giant finally spoke with a chuckle, clearly in a good mood for some reason.


    Anonymous Star No.5, Dewey, who was none other than Autarch, nodded and replied with a contemptuous sneered, "Heh, I know, Anonymous1, since I was doing the same thing, and I have to admit, it was damn satisfying!"


    "Hahahaha!" Anonymous Star1 burst into wantonughter, very happy with Dewey''s reply, and said, "Indeed, we can''t just leave those bastards alone after wasting years of our efforts. Anyway, we can talk about thister; first, tell me what you get on the Ocean Oracle. And you did well to contact me right away since we can be able to im more credit if we capture or kill that arrogant bitch!"


    "Heh, that''s what I had in mind as well. Since I have your words, I can rest assured. The thing I found out about the ocean oracle¡­" Dewey started to talk, and Anonymous Star1 listened attentively.


    But right at this moment, Anonymous Star1''s hidden expression suddenly changed as a sense of crisis overwhelmed him.


    "Boom!"


    But he was too slow because by the time he realized that something was amiss, a glowing bullet appeared out of nowhere and hit his spin. His armor was pierced, and then an explosion urred!


    Anonymous Star1 was sent flying, and his Winged Bullet Horse was startled and instantly ran away!


    About fifty miles away from Autarch and Anonymous Star1''s position, Jacob retrieved the huge sniper riffle lit in runic lines into his armor finger ring, and his eyes turned back to normal.


    He chuckled coldly, "Despite the water pressure, the Quantum Rifle is still working fine, and I''m not even using the Quantum Bullets yet. However, some minor adjustments in space runes are still required that I can use to improve it slightly. Nheless, even a perfect stage beyond unique ranker couldn''t dodge it!"


    Jacob calmly analyzed this form of the Destroyer and took a few mantle notes to improve its performance further. Nevertheless, he was still very satisfied with it and quickly headed towards Anonymous Star1 and Autarch''s position.


    Anonymous Star1''s entire armor was cracked as blood, and his charred flesh tainted the surrounding water. He was too wounded to be worried about what had just transpired, but he was aghast and fearful nheless.


    After all, he never imagined that something like a single bullet could approach him, much less pierce through his defenses and almost kill him. However, what he didn''t know was that if he weren''t at the perfect stage beyond the unique rank aura expert, he wouldn''t even be alive right now.


    However, he was still alive and conscious, which showed just how treacherous his physical body and will is. But Jacob also knew that a single Atomic Bullet wasn''t enough to kill a Beyond Unique Rank expert, and he only used one because he needed him alive.


    Autarch moved ording to n. Once Jacob destroyed the armor around Anonymous Star1, and Anonymous Star1 was still in a weak state of absolute shock and pain, Autarch used the puppet poison magic to turn him into his puppet.


    This part was crucial since if they let him die, the Star Hackers would know it, and then Jacob couldn''t hunt the rest of them. The puppets created by Autarch were essentially alive, but they no longer had their own will unless they could escape from his range, and this much was enough to spell the Anonymous Stars'' certain doom, and it would be a circle blow to Star Hackers as a whole.


    Because of Anonymous Star1''s current state, no matter how strong his will or physical strength, he couldn''t resist Autarch''s magic, and soon, the painful whimpersing out of his mouth stopped.


    Jacob, riding his thunder whale, also appeared at this moment. After seeing the blood in the water, he didn''t waste it and absorbed it all. Speaking of which, after gathering blood in the Holy Pris Region, his cursed blood was filled, and even beyond that, for his runic lines were glowing in crimson color now.


    He noticed that no matter the amount of blood, the runic lines on his bones could store any amount of it. At least, he still didn''t know their current limits. The more cursed blood he condensed and stored in those runic lines, the more brilliant their glow.


    But it also had disadvantages, as he always needed to hide them, or he would be like a glowing beacon in the darkness, and this annoyed him just as much as his giant height. Yet he had no choice in this matter and needed to wait until he awakened his mystic signature to use the Gluttony Mask.


    Jacob looked at the Anonymous Star1, who was a 29-meter-


    tall giant, even more gigantic than Jacob, and he mused that it might have something to do with his power rank since a giant''s height was directly rted to his prowess.


    He also felt relief since his height had stopped increasing after he started the longevity scheme, no matter how much his power grew, or he might be the same size as this guy.


    "Sir, he''s a puppet now," Autarch spoke with telepathy at this moment.


    Jacob nodded before he ordered, "Now, use him to draw the rest of the Anonymous Stars here one by one, and we''ll follow the same n. Oh, and ask him if he knew anything about the Ocean Oracle that the other Anonymous Stars did not."


    Autarch was about to follow hismand when Anonymous Star1, who was now healing because Autarch allowed him to use the healing liquid, suddenly said in an emotionless tone, "Master, Star Lord is contacting me!"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed with a hint of surprise. "Tell him to take it and act normal, and have him use the open voice function. I want to hear everything!"

 Chapter 681 Star Lord’s Plot (2)

    <h4>Chapter 681 Star Lord¡¯s Plot (2)</h4>


    The moment Anonymous Star1 epted the call, Star Lord''s static voice with a hint of heaviness rang, "How''s the mission going?"


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed instantly because, ording to Dewey''s memories, there shouldn''t be any mission for the Anonymous Stars at this moment, and they waited for them to continue.


    Autarch had already ordered Anonymous Star1 to act normal, and as a magic puppet, he couldn''t disobey his master, so he replied in his usual static tone, "Everything is going ording to n, my lord. The Siren Hymn Temple is inplete chaos!"


    "Did the others suspect anything yet?" Star-Lord asked again withoutmenting on Anonymous Star1''s report.


    Anonymous Star1 replied after thinking for a moment, "As far as I could tell, only Anonymous Star2 and Anonymous Star7 seemed to have suspected something unusual while the others were only somewhat surprised, but just as my lord predicted, they gave in to their inner rang and go along with some ''fun'' before leaving."


    ''So, this was also Star Lord''s n to cause chaos by using the Anonymous Stars'' pent-up frustration. Now I understand why I found their actions so strange. After all, how could a secret organization allow its members to run wantonly like idiots since the chances of them exposing themselves increased tremendously?


    ''However, the real question is why the hell would he need to use deception to trick them into taking these actions? They would''ve done exactly this if he had just ordered it, so then why all the trouble and maniption, though? It seemed Anonymous Star1 knew something, and Star-Lord also trusted him over the other¡­'' Jacob mused while he sharply looked at Anonymous Star1''s wrist from where the Star Lord''s voice was sounding.


    Although he now had core information about the Star Hackers, he still didn''t know who the Star Lord was. He was simply too secretive and a very dangerous individual. He didn''t leave any clues about his identity or any kind of opening to exploit.


    That''s how he controlled those Anonymous Stars without getting bested up by them, and Anonymous Star1 seemed to bepletely loyal to him.


    Now, Jacob was thinking of changing his ns slightly, at least no longer going after the Anonymous Stars for the time being. This Star Lord n seemed harmful to the Siren Hymn Temple, and he even assumed that their end goal was still the Ocean Oracle.


    He didn''t mind letting them do all the work if their goal was still the Ocean Oracle. Then, when everything was over, he would swoop in and get rid of the Ocean Oracle and, most likely, her legendary quality blood!


    "You did a great job this time. But for some strange reason, your involvement in these attacks was leaked, and now the Ocean Oracle knows about it! Who do you think is responsible for it?" Star Lord suddenly said something unexpected, darkening Jacob''s expression.


    ''How did he know about the secret message I sent to the main temple to sow discord between them and scatter the temple''s main forces? Could he have someone at the top of the temple''s hierarchy who could get this message? Don''t tell me that message didn''t even reach where I wanted it to be?'' Jacob was again slightly baffled by this Star Lord''s resourcefulness, and despite having a clear advantage over him, he still seemed to be at a?disadvantage.


    Jacob then thought of something and ordered Autarch to interfere with Anonymous Star1''s reply, this time slightly.


    Anonymous Star1 said, "How can you be so sure? You don''t think we have a traitor among us, right?"


    "What a foolish question! You know better than to ask me this. After all our dealings, I thought you should''ve known by now that my words are not to be taken lightly!" Star Lord coldly uttered. He seemed somewhat discontent because Anonymous Star1 was doubting him.


    ''Is he just angry or pretending to be so he could avoid answering that?'' Jacob coldly thought before giving Autarch new instructions.


    "I''m sorry, my lord. I was out of my depths just now!" Anonymous Star1 quickly apologized, as he would if he were in control.


    "Hmph, don''t let it happen again." Star Lord harrumphed coldly, "As for the matter of having traitors among the Nine Anonymous Stars, even I found it highly unlikely.


    "However, except for you nine, no one else is present, and ording to the security protocols, you can''t tell anyone about our organization or use its name in any way.


    "That''s why I''m also somewhat incredulous about this information, but it''s 100% urate, so this could only mean that one of the Nine Anonymous Stars has either found a loophole in the oath contract or been captured by someone who could infiltrate their mind without them knowing it!" Star Lord stated coldly.


    Jacob cocked an eyebrow in surprised, ''He almost guessed the truth, what a terrifying fellow, he deserves to die even more than the Ocean Oracle. However, he''s too cunning and careful. Furthermore, I''m truly curious about how it is informative that he trusted even more than the oath and Anonymous Stars.


    ''Moreover, if he''s telling all this to Anonymous Star1, then this means he absolutely sure Anonymous Star1 couldn''t turn against him. I need information from Anonymous Star1, after all. Nheless, things are bing moreplicated¡­''


    "If that''s the case, what do you need me to do, my lord? If there''s a traitor, it would be extremely hard to find them." Anonymous Star1 inquired, and Jacob also wanted to know Star Lord''s answer to this question.


    "It''s impossible to find a traitor among them since they are the most excellent Star Hackers of the Unique ins. I was only able to manipte them after affecting their minds for two decades, and even that was for just this one task.


    "Although it would be a real pity, the presence of a traitor among ourselves is too dangerous to ignore. It could be the end of us all, so I want you to kill the other Eight Anonymous Stars and then deliver their heads to the main temple of the Siren Hymn Temple and ¡­!"


    Jacob was shocked when he heard thispletely unexpected response and the rest of Star Lord''s plot, which sent a shiver down his spine!

 Chapter 682 Blood Bags (1)

    Chapter 682 Blood Bags (1)


    ??After the call with the Star Lord, Jacob fell into silence. He was thinking about what the Star Lord had just said, and he couldn''t believe this was his n all along. Nheless, he somewhat agreed with the Star Lord''s plot and even felt slightly appreciative of the guy for giving him this unexpected opportunity.


    Furthermore, he also starts to interrogate Anonymous Star1 to get more information out of him, especially about his rtionship with Star-Lord and why he would trust him over the others.


    It turned out that Anonymous Star1 couldn''t refuse Star Lord''smands or go against him because he was poisoned when he was anointed as Anonymous Star No.1 by Star Lord.


    This poison was so deadly that even three steps of legend experts would die if they didn''t take antidotes in short intervals. Not only that, but this poison seemed to be incurable, and Anonymous Star1 needed the antidote every three months, or he''d die a gruesome death.


    In the end, he had no choice but to listen to Star Lord''s everymand to prolong his life while he was also secretly looking for a method to get rid of this poison for many years.


    But just as Star Lord said, this poison seems to have no cure. No one can even recognize it, so he couldn''t just be Star Lord''s puppet and do his dirty deeds while taking all the dangers involved with it.


    However, Anonymous Star1 is now a true puppet, and despite still fearing the poison, he can''t go against Autarch, even if it means sacrificing his life.


    Yet Jacob still found it quite strange. Earlier, when he absorbed Anonymous Star1''s blood, he didn''t feel any poison trace in him, nor did he feel any kind of effect on himself. So, he was also not sure what kind of poison it was, but he was still quite intrigued.


    Nheless, Jacob didn''t have time to investigate poison experiments, so he continued to interrogate Anonymous Star1. Although he received more new information that was far more detailed than Dewey''s, he still couldn''t find anything essential about Star Lord.


    Just like Dewey, Anonymous Star1 didn''t have any clue about Star Lord''s appearance, gender, or race; that guy was too cautious and discreet.


    Nheless, Jacob still found something useful. ording to Anonymous Star, after years of observation and his own hatred towards the Star Lord, he managed to find something.


    Anonymous Star1 revealed that he had received very important mission handouts multiple times on the outskirts of the Riddle Archipgo. He assumed that Star-Lord might have some connection with this dangerous No Return Zone, and this would also exin the strange poison.


    However, he had no proof, and the Riddle Archipgo was too dangerous to venture into or investigate, so he could only keep his assumption to himself. He didn''t dare let Star Lord know of his intentions since he was afraid of dying.


    Still, this made Jacob even more wary of Star Lord, and he decided to be careful of this mysterious guy. The integrationsted for quite a while before Jacob was satisfied and made up his mind.


    "We''ll go with Star Lord''s n since it''s aligned with my own n. Contact the rest of the Anonymous Stars; we need to collect their heads." Jacob coolly ordered Autarch, who was now in control of Anonymous Star5 and Anonymous Star1.


    Autarch didn''t tarry and quicklymanded Anonymous Star1 to contact the others and lure them into their traps one by one.


    On the other hand, Jacob was musing, ''The Riddle Archipgo is considered even more dangerous than the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone, where I encountered those bugs. If this Star Lord is really hiding there, then it would be nigh impossible to do anything about it.


    ''I guess I can''t annihte the entire ATLAS in the Unique ins. Without cutting off the leader''s head, it would be only a matter of time before the rest of the body grows back. Nheless, this doesn''t mean I have to be passive; after all, these guys have some of the most fearsome hidden forces in Unique ins.


    ''Given Star Lord''s tone and how effortlessly he ordered the Anonymous Stars to be killed, it wouldn''t be wrong to presume that even the Three Steps of Legend experts are expandable.


    ''This could only mean they are hiding more forces that even the Anonymous Stars are unaware of. Then this also means more potent blood for me, and I might get something unexpected from the Star Network by going against them¡­''


    Jacob needed as much blood as he could get, and the Star Hackers just happened to meet the bill. He was also very interested in their ck technologies, which could help him further improve his own.


    Most importantly, he could evade the Star Network with their ck technology any time he wanted, so giving up on the ATLAS was something Jacob didn''t even consider, at least not for Star Lord, since his threat was not big enough yet.


    After half an hour, Autarch reported, "Sir, we''re ready to proceed."


    Jacob''s lips rose slightly as he nodded, "Then let''s get it over with and then head towards the main Siren Hymn Temple. After all, we still have to take care of Ocean Oracle after this!"


    Afterward, Jacob again took his position as a sniper far away from the area and waited for the other Anonymous Stars to show up. Their n was quite simple. Anonymous Star1 had invited them to a very important meeting and even used the Star Lord''s name so that they couldn''t refuse.


    However, he didn''t summon them at the same time; instead, he told them toe at different times so there would be noplications when Jacob killed them one by one.


    Furthermore, since Star Lord has already ordered their death, he no longer needs to worry about alerting the ATLAS''s AI and no longer needs to hold. After all, he got all the information he needed, and those guys now only have value as high-level blood bags!

 Chapter 683 Blood Bags (2)

    ??''Why did he call a meeting so abruptly instead of leaving?'' Ridding on a Winged Bullet Horse, a 1.8-meter-tall cloaked figure was deep in thought. He was Anonymous Star No.2.


    ''This whole thing was quite suspicious since the organization won''t let its members be reckless no matter where we operate. Yet, all of a sudden, Anonymous Star1 decided to be reckless and even told us to do the same. And now that we have caused so much chaos, why did he call a meeting so close to the Siren Hymn Temple of all ces? No matter how I look at it, there is something going on.''


    Anonymous Star2 was always very cautious around his peers, especially Anonymous Star1 because he knew they were the same type of people. Because of that, he found Anonymous Star1''s recent actions out of ce, so he was always on guard.


    If those orders hadn''te from Anonymous Star1 and someone else had told him to be reckless, he would''ve never agreed to them. But he knew Anonymous Star1 had a deeper connection with the Star Lord, and he was the oldest of them all, so he just followed along, thinking that the organization had some hidden agenda, and he wanted to know what it was.


    However, as he was drawing closer to the meeting ce, he felt somewhat uneasy because of his instincts, which had never failed him before. Furthermore, Anonymous Star2 has a very special bloodline, which he always hides from others, and even the ATLAS bloodline analysis device can''t be seen through it. Those instincts were also generated by this special bloodline, so he didn''t dare ignore them.


    Suddenly, he stopped the Winged Bullet Horse as his eyes shimmered in neon light, ''I''ve always listened to my instincts, and they have never let me down, so I shouldn''t start ignoring them now. Should I proceed with the n ahead of time?


    ''But if I leave now, I might not be able to enter the Path of Legend. However, my life is more important. Shit! I guess I have to use that ability now; if the warning from my bloodline is correct and my life is really in danger, then I''ll escape a cmity, and the ATLAS would also think I''m dead and gone.


    ''But if this danger is not from the ATLAS, or if I''m wrong, then I''ll just have to make sure they won''t find me out. In the end, doing this will only benefit me despite decreasing my power by half¡­''


    Determination shed past Anonymous Star2''s cold eyes, and he no longer hesitated. After making sure that he waspletely alone, he started to mutter a chat in an unknownnguage.


    "Blood Hydra Incarnation!"


    The moment he uttered this, Anonymous Star2''s entire body suddenly lit in neon light, and the next moment, a strange phenomenon took ce.


    A faint phantom appeared behind him. The only noticeable feature of this phantom was that it seemed to have four heads.


    Suddenly, the phantom behind started to split, following Anonymous Star2''s real body. Thereupon, the cloaked Anonymous Star2 was still standing on his potion, but the phantom behind him only had a single head now.


    But beside him was standing a figure of a child who was naked and covered in a neon membrane. He has pristine blue scale skin and a bald head with the appearance of a lizard and human hybrid, and behind this child was now a three-headed phantom.


    The child''s eyes opened at that moment, revealing vertical blue pupils. He ordered the Anonymous Star2, which seemed to have turned to normal, but his power level had greatly decreased. He was more like an empty husk right now.


    "Go ahead!" The child uttered in his childish yetmanding tone. The Anonymous Star2 merely nodded before he took off one of the two space rings on his finger and gave it to the child. Then, he rode off on the horse towards the meeting ce.


    Seeing the Anonymous Star2 leaving, the child''s eyes shed with creepy coldness, "ATLAS, if you dare to backstab me, then I''ll make sure to pay in kind a thousand-fold. I better leave this darn deep ocean before the bloodline protection wears off. I won''t be able to handle this pressure without the bloodline protection!"


    ---


    When Anonymous Star2 reached the location of the meeting decided by Anonymous Star1, he was surprised to see the other eight Anonymous Stars already there, who seemed to be waiting for his arrival.


    ''Well, since everything is here, this could only mean I was wrong¡­''


    However, just when he thought that he was safe since all the Anonymous Stars were there, this means Anonymous Star1 shouldn''t have had any malicious intentions; after all, if he dared to scheme against him, he would have lost the trust of the other Anonymous Stars.


    But s, he didn''t know that those Anonymous Stars had already turned into puppets, and the moment Anonymous Star2 appeared, a bullet greeted him from behind, directly sting apart his defenses!


    Furthermore, because of his using his bloodline ability, he was nowhere near his peak power, so he instantly died, unlike the other Beyond Unique Rank Anonymous Stars!


    Anonymous Star2, in his child form, was heading towards the surface. He was only able to witness this scene before his clone died, and he couldn''t help but feel a chill running down his spine before his eyes emitted dense killing intent.


    Although his instincts saved his life again, he still felt a deep sense of betrayal despite having had such thoughts towards ATLAS before. Still, this cost him a Blood Hydra Incarnation, which was akin to a free lifeline, so he was filled with rage and vowed to get back at ATLAS and Anonymous Stars for this.


    However, if he could have witnessed the scene further after his death, he wouldn''t have had such thoughts because the moment Anonymous Star2 died, Jacob appeared.


    However, there was a frown on his face since Anonymous Star2 died too easily, unlike the other Anonymous Stars, which made him somewhat suspicious.


    However, when Anonymous Star1 confirmed that it was indeed Anonymous Star2''s dead body with the Anarchy Network, and it also had his life signature and all, Jacob couldn''t find any fault in this.


    In the end, Jacob''s suspicion didn''tst long, and he thought Anonymous Star2 should be the weakest among his peers. Since he had hunted all the Anonymous Stars in these past few days, it was time to get their blood, while he naturally spared Anonymous Star1 since he needed him.


    However, when he started absorbing the Anonymous Stars'' blood, starting with Anonymous Star2, he was shocked by the sheer potency of Anonymous Star2''s blood!


    It was like he was absorbing the blood of 10 Beyond Unique Rank Experts all at once, and this made him very curious about Anonymous Star2''s race!

 Chapter 684 Five life Phantom Hydra

    <h4>Chapter 684 Five life Phantom Hydra</h4>


    After Jacob had absorbed all the blood of Anonymous Star Nos. 2 to 9, he decided it was time to sculpt his lower legs, starting from his ankles. So he found a secluded ce and let Autarch guard him, who was now in Anonymous Star1''s body.


    But first, he asked Immortika, "What was Anonymous Star2''s race? His blood was so potent despite his weak physique."


    Jacob still couldn''t forget about the potent blood vitality of Anonymous Star2 and wanted to know about his race. If there were more like him, he didn''t mind putting some effort into investigating their whereabouts. After all, the more potent the blood vitality, the better it was for him, for it would greatly increase his speed ofpleting the third stage.


    "Hehehe¡­ so you''ve noticed that, huh?" Immoritkaughed with great relish and wrote, "Well, it''s only natural because he has a true legendary bloodline like a Wyvern, slightly stronger even. He''s a Five Life Phantom Hydra! And what you''ve killed was merely his Blood Incarnation!"


    Jacob''s eyes widened when he heard this unexpected revtion and quickly questioned, "So, he''s still alive!? What kind of race is this Phantom Hydra? Because the Anonymous Star1 clearly confirmed his death, but you''re telling me that was just some kind of clone that can even fool detection of a Life Signature and bypass the Oath Contract?"


    Jacob felt agitated because this ability was simply too ridiculous, and he would give away anything to have such an ability himself. Furthermore, this legendary bloodline was even stronger than a Wyvern, and now Jacob was feeling uneasy because if this guy was alive and was just a mere clone, then this meant he had experienced everything, and now he was in the wind.


    Although Jacob had quickly killed him, he still didn''t know how much he had seen, which made Jacob frown gravely. Not to mention, it was quite clear that he could also bypass the Oath Contract like him, or he wouldn''t be able to pull such a stunt on the ATLAS.


    "Hehehehe, it''s not a clone but an incarnation. You see, the Five Life Phantom Hydra has a very special bloodline aspect named Lifeline that grants it five lives, which means you must kill it five times before you canpletely kill it.


    "Furthermore, the Five-Life Phantom Hydra can willingly split those lives into Blood Hydra Incarnation by sacrificing half of his lifespan and power rank. Although this ability is quite pricey, once it splits into an Incarnation, the process isn''t reversible, and a Lifeline will be gone.


    "However, if used in a correct situation, it can be a lifesaver and can grant it a new te. When the main body split away from an incarnation, if it had any kind of restraints like contracts or unbreakable oaths, or if the body was afflicted with some powerful poisons or curses, it was left behind on the incarnation.


    "Furthermore, the main body''s life signature will also change, including the mystic signature. That''s why this aspect is called Lifeline: It can grant a new life to the Five Life Phantom Hydra.


    "The incarnation you just killed should be this Five-Life Phantom Hydra''s second life incarnation, which left him with three more lifelines. Since he dared to use an incarnation, this could only mean he''s long gone! Hahahaha!" Immoritkaughed towards the end as if enjoying Jacob''s gloomy expression.


    "I didn''t know there was a bloodline like this out there," Jacob muttered as he waspletely enticed by this bloodline aspect and couldn''t help but want it for himself.


    But s, he knew it was just a pipe dream since he had missed his chance, and the third stage didn''t allow him to rob others of their aspects like the second stage.


    However, it was only momentarily since even if he had known about such a bloodline, he wouldn''t have put his progress on hold just to search for such an elusive bloodline.


    After all, a legendary bloodline was simply too rare in lower gxies, and hunting them required power, so he didn''t feel much regret.


    "But how did he find out about this ambush? I made sure the others hadn''t alerted each other and hunted them one by one. Yet, this guy was able to predict and even use this ridiculous ability by paying such a price. Only someone with absolute conformation could have resolved it using a lifeline," Jacob thought out loud. This was still very strange, and he felt somewhat ufortable as he thought someone was watching him.


    In truth, this question was directed at Immoritka since he knew there was something more to this Hydra and wanted to know.


    "Hahahaha¡­ just ask if you want my opinion, and it wasn''t like this is a big deal. He was able to avoid your little scheme because of his Hydra Instincts, which are very keen when ites to sensing mortal danger to their lives. Since he wasn''t arrogant enough to ignore those Hydra Instincts, he was able to keep the rest of his lives while only paying with one." Immoritka exined.


    Jacob''s eyes winded slightly because something instantly came to mind when he heard about these Hydra Instincts, "Isn''t it just like the Fighting Giant Spirit?"


    "You can say that." Immoritka didn''t deny Jacob''sparison.


    After getting the information about the hidden secret behind the Anonymous Star2, Jacob ordered Autarch to be even more careful. Although he had already confirmed that there wasn''t any hidden danger around him with Immortika, he was still wary of Anonymous Star2.


    Only then did he start the sculpting of the longevity scheme on his lower legs. This time, it took Jacob around a month until he exhausted all his blood vitality again.


    But he wasn''t too depressed about it since he could tell afterpleting both of his lower legs and evenpleting around 2% of his upper right leg with extra blood he might already be as strong as a newly advanced inception legend rank expert.


    However, he had no way of knowing for sure, and Immortika refused to tell him his current power level. Nheless, what mattered most was the progress of the cursed bone marrow, and after enduring months of pain, it had reached 31.01%!


    After getting familiar with his new strength, he was finally ready, and he directly ordered Autarch, "Let''s go; we are going to the heart of the Siren Hymn Temple!"

 Chapter 685 Hoist by His own Petard! (1)

    ??After the chaos caused by the Nine Anonymous Stars, the Siren Hymn Temple was filled with gloom and in a state of emergency. Even the three empires had noticed this, but they didn''t do anything and silently observed from the shadows.


    Furthermore, they were busy tracking down the Legendary Key''s location given to them by the Ocean Oracle, and since this was an internal matter of the Siren Hymn Temple, they also didn''t want others to interfere in this.


    However, because the main temple sent huge forces to investigate and clean up their rotten priest lords, this decreased the security of the main temple by at least half.


    Which made it easier for those who knew their way around this ce to sneak in. However, it was still quite difficult with all the defensive formations in this ce.


    But if someone had the ability to turn anyone below the legendary rank into its puppets, then even this much security wasn''t enough, not to mention if this also involved a huge scheme in ce.


    This was exactly what happened, as Jacob easily bypassed the security of the Siren Hymn Temple and entered the heart of their territory with Autarch''s help and the Star Lord''s scheme.


    There was a huge city in this ce called the Mermaid Faith City, and this could be considered the Siren Hymn Temple''s capital city. In this ce, only those epted directly in the main temple can enter after many passing trials and prove their faith.


    All the priest lords under the Siren Hymn Temple were also anointed from this ce, which was extremely huge and beautifully built. Glowing buildings surrounded the colossal main temple in the center.


    However, despite its high security, Star Lord was able to put a spy in this ce, who was one of the twenty Temr Masters of the Siren Hymn Temple, which were surprisingly under Star Lord''s thumb.


    A Temr Master was like an imperial general, and only Temr Grandmasters ranked above them, followed by the Holy Maiden and the Ocean Oracle, so one could only imagine just how startling the Star Lord''s capabilities were.


    When Anonymous Star1 reported that the task of killing the other eight Anonymous Stars had beenpleted, Star Lord gave him this Temr Master''s location and even an easy way to enter the Mermaid Faith City.


    Even Jacob was surprised by this and followed Star Lord''s instructions. However, Jacob still tweaks this n to make it even more wless.


    The original n was for Anonymous Star1 to approach this Temr Master, and then she would give him her identity and token so he could easily enter the Siren Hymn Temple.


    He was supposed to use an Illusion Array of Beyond Unique Rank to disguise himself as this Temr Master. This disguised method was created by an illusion array of Beyond Unique Rank, which put an extremely powerful illusion around the user''s body and made him appear in anything scanned by the array.


    However, this method has a huge w, which is that if someone touches the body, they would be able to easily tell that it wasn''t real and could easily see through the illusion, or if they had eyes like Jacob, it was bound to fail.


    That''s why Jacob decided not to use this method. While the Temr Master''s guard was down, and she was busy exining her role to Anonymous Star1, he had Autarch make her into his puppet.


    After all, there won''t be any chance of others seeing through this disguise if she isn''t wearing any. Besides, Jacob wasn''t nning on following Star Lord''s entire n. He was just flowing it until it suited him.


    Jacob maniptes all this while he hides in shadows, and once Autarch turns this Temr Master into his puppet, he also has his retreat to him since sacrificing Autarch wasn''t part of his n.


    Now, the puppet Temr Master was swimming in the hallways of the Siren Hymn Temple and approaching the core area, and she approached it; faint runes around the passage shimmered.


    However, when she reached the gigantic gate, she was stopped by another siren who had a muscr build. She was six meters tall and was wearing full body armor, and her eyes were icy cold.


    "Temr Master E, what are you doing in this ce? I wasn''t told you have an audience with the Holy Maiden." The stern-


    faced armored siren questioned coldly while looking at the puppet Temr Master named E.


    "Grandmaster Lydia!" E greeted with a bow and her tone were respectful, she said, "I seek your forgiveness foring here without any prior notification, but this matter is of utmost importance and I had no choice but toe here personally since we can''t trust anyone with going on recently.


    "I''m sure the Holy Maiden would not reject my audience because this matter involved the attackers involved in the recent sts. The sooner I report this to the Holy Maiden, the faster we can calm all this chaos down," E said with a grave expression.


    Grandmaster Temr Lydia, who was one of the five Grandmaster Temrs, was an Early Stage Inception Legend Rank expert of the Siren Hymn Temple. her duty was to protect this ce with her life, and her loyalty was unquestionable.


    So, when she heard this, her eyes shed with killing intent as if she wanted to personally bring judgment to those degenerates who dared to cause such chaos in this holy ce. She even med them for corrupting their innocent priest lords.


    "I''ll alert the Holy Maid right away; please wait." Lydia quickly agreed and didn''t question E''s credibility for a moment since she had personally seen her grow up and even gave her pointers.


    Lydia then took out a small talisman and muttered something in it before the runes on the talisman shimmered and faded slightly.


    Thereupon, a cold majestic voice rang from the talisman, "Led her to the audience hall, I''ll be there!"


    Lydia then stowed away the talisman and nodded towards E with a hint of appreciation in her stern eyes, "Let''s go, Master Temr E. You''ve done great service to the temple, and you have my utmost gratitude!"


    E bowed slightly and didn''t shun away from Lydia''s praise, "It''s something I should do, or I won''t be able to show my face to the goddess in the afterlife!"


    Little did anyone know, whether it was the Star Lord or the Siren Hymn Temple, that this was the start of a huge event that would forever change everything for everyone, especially Jacob!

 Chapter 686 Hoist by His own Petard! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 686 Hoist by His own Petard! (2)</h4>


    Lydia and E entered a grand hall filled with luminous pearls and grand statues. In the top center of the hall was sitting the breathtaking siren, Nataly, on an emerald throne, wearing an impassive impression on her charming face, giving off an air of aloofness. She didn''t seem anything like her docile self in front of Ocean Oracle.


    Both Lydia and E prostrate themselves in front of Nataly, "We greet Holy Maiden of Supreme Goddess!"


    "En¡­" Nataly merely nodded in acknowledgment before she got to the point while looking at E, "Master Temr E, do you have something important to report?"


    E and Lydia stood up; while Lydia kept her silence, E spoke respectfully, "Indeed, I received something unexpected a few hours ago with a message. Please take a look."


    E, under Nataly and Lydia''s expectant gazes, took something out of her space ring. It was arge cylindrical ss container filled with a translucent green liquid.


    However, when they saw the contents of this container, their expression changed because there were eight heads of different species, and they were not from the ocean races either!


    Nataly knit her brows tightly and asked, "What''s the meaning of this?"


    E didn''t exin, and instead, she took out something else. There were two scrolls, one white and one gray. The gray one seemed to have a runic seal on it, while the white one waspletely in.


    E then handed over those scrolls to bewildered Lydia and said respectfully, "Grandmaster, please present them to the Holy Maiden after checking if there''s something wrong with them."


    Lydia snapped out of her stupor and solemnly nodded. She then scanned those scrolls, especially the one with the runic seal, to make sure there wasn''t any trick on them.


    After she confirmed that there wasn''t anything wrong, using her magic, she sent them towards Nataly, who was watching this silently, but a hint of impatience was present in her curious eyes.


    "There are fine," Lydiamented.


    Nataly nodded and received those scrolls. Then she opened the white scroll since it didn''t have a seal on it. As for the other one with a runic seal, she knew if she tried to force the seal open, its contents would be destroyed, and she would need a proper method to unseal it. That''s why she went for the white one first.


    However, when she read what was written on the white scroll, her expression changed slightly.


    "For the Holy Maiden: I present you the heads of the offenders behind the chaos of your temple. Please ept my goodwill, and I left something important in the sealed scroll. The method to open this seal is known to the Ocean Oracle. If you give it to her, she''ll instantly know how what it is!


    "Sender: Follower of Mermaid Goddess!"


    Nataly fell into contemted silence, unsure whether to believe this sender or not. The contents of this scroll were simply too important to be ignored, not to mention that those eight heads were also striking proof.


    Furthermore, she knew not just anything could enter the Mermaid Faith City, especially now since it was under a strict curfew. Not to mention that this sender was able to deliver it directly to E without getting caught by her. She still didn''t doubt E''s loyalty, and it hadn''t urred to her that she was a spy.


    "I presumed that you weren''t able to capture this messenger, right?" Nataly asked in a somewhat grim tone.


    E nodded with a bitter expression and bowed, "I seek your forgiveness, this person was simply too cunning, and I don''t know how they were able to sneak this into my quarters. No one noticed it, and that''s why I harshly punished those ipetent guards. I alsounched an investigation tob through the city."


    Nataly shook her head, "I''m not ming you, Master Temr. You did your part perfectly. Please continue with the search and see if you can find anything. I ask Grandmaster Temr to assist Master Temr in this as well. Meanwhile, leave that container here. I''ll seek Her Holiness''s guidance."


    "I understand!"


    "I''ll make the arrangement right away."


    Both E and Lydia agreed without hesitation, and they quickly left to search for this mysterious messenger. Nataly was now left alone with the container and the scrolls.


    Nataly didn''t bring them to Mercy right away. With a wave of her hand, she pulled the container with the heads in her hand, and magic started to gather in her hand. She was scanning those heads to see if she found something about them.


    A hint of shock shed past her eyes. "They died very recently, and the element glyphs on their skulls have all started to spread through their skulls, and they are vague. They were beyond unique rank experts! Just who could''ve hunted them all? Some Inception Legend Rank expert that I''m not aware of?"


    When a Unique Rank expert started to understand their element glyph and started to convert their magic orbits into aura or spirit orbits, the element glyphs on their skulls started to bloom and spread on their bones, starting from their skulls.


    A perfect stage Beyond Unique Rank element glyph would have spread through their entire skull, and their outlines would have been of a vague shade.


    A perfect stage inception legend rank would have their bodies converted into a Spirit Body or Aura Body, which would have their element glyph spread on their entire skeleton, and it would be of dark shade. Therefore, this rank was known as the Inception Legend Body.


    For a Quasi Legend, the element glyphs on their bones started to change mysteriously and spread to their Magic Cores; those glyph marks on the bones appeared ethereal.


    This was the easiest way to identify someone''s three steps of legend''s rank!


    If she had some doubts about their identity, now that she found that they were beyond unique rank experts, those doubts began to vanish, and she started to believe the contents of the letter!


    Nataly then looked towards the sealed scroll in her hand, and she finally made a decision, ''Although Her Holiness told me not to disturb her unless something of absolute importance urred, this matter is very important, especially this sealed scroll. I have to alert her!''


    Thereafter, she quickly made her way toward the Oracle audience hall, but she failed to notice that something else was hidden underneath those element glyphs, and they worked as a smokescreen for it!

 Chapter 687 Hoist by His own Petard! (3)

    <h4>Chapter 687 Hoist by His own Petard! (3)</h4>


    Within the secret prayer hall of the Siren Hymn Temple, Mercy was sitting in the middle of the Fate Soul Formation while surrounded by an ethereal white light, and the states around the formation were glowing brightly.


    In front of Mercy were a few dry corpses of sirens, and another siren was in the process of turning into one. At this moment, the light around Mercy dimmed down, and the formation also stopped.


    She looked towards the cloaked figure who was waiting for her to finish and said in a grim tone with a hint of shock, "This Harold fellow is also dead!"


    The cloaked figure spoke at this moment, "Don''t you find it amusing yet terrifying that, including Free Sword, his crew is dead? But somehow, he''s still proimed alive?"


    Mercy frowned and replied, "I don''t understand what you''re implying."


    "That''s the thing. You can only perform an oracle on the person who is still alive, but you can''t tell when and where they died. Now that we have pretty much confirmed that Free Sword and almost all his crew are dead, this has me thinking: Who killed them and then took the legendary key? Whoever this person is, he has to be extremely cunning."


    "Then why are you still insisting on finding out about these people''s whereabouts if you think the legendary key has already been taken? Shouldn''t we be trying to locate the legendary key now? With this Fate Soul Formation, I don''t think an error like before would transpire," Mercy stated with some uncertainty.


    If before she was specting that Golden Constant-87,001 was scheming something and there was something special about Free Sword and his crew, now she had no idea what he was trying to achieve by having her perform oracle on dead beings.


    "Just keep going, only three people left on the list, and if nothing happens, you can do as you please. But we need to do this until the list ends." Golden Constant-87,001 coolly replied, but his tone was firm.


    In truth, he was also starting to doubt Timeless City Lord''s decision and no longer had any clue what he wanted to achieve by doing this. If it were on him, he would''ve also given up after finding out Free Sword and most of his crew were dead. But he had toplete this mission no matter how reluctant he was, or he found it meaningless.


    Mercy''s frown deepened, but since she wasn''t the one exhausting her lifespan to perform these meaningless oracles, and she was even getting this Fate Soul Formation out of it, she decided to get over it.


    However, at this moment, when she was about to continue, Nataly''s voice sounded in her mind, "Your Holiness, please forgive me, but there is an urgent matter that requires your attention. Just now¡­"


    After Mercy heard about what E had brought and that sealed scroll, she was astounded.


    She couldn''t help but look towards Golden Constant-87,001 again and ask, "I just received a message from the Holy Maiden that she received eight heads and a sealed scroll. ording to her, those heads belonged to the attackers involved in the recent incident. As for the sealed scroll, the sender stated that I should know the method to unseal it. Is this your doing?"


    Golden Constant-87,001 didn''t refute her statement and merely shrugged his shoulder, "You were the one who wanted an exnation on this matter, so I''m giving you an exnation. As for that sealed scroll, consider itpensation and a written apology from the reckless person who offended you without knowing your status."


    Mercy''s lips curled up slightly, "So, you told the Star Hackers who their real master is, huh?"


    "Sometimes, we need to teach our dogs how to behave in the presence of their master, or they might start thinking about biting us," Golden Constant-87,001 dismissively stated.


    "Heh, that dog must have been devastated when he found out that he had someone holding his leash and wasn''t as free as he thought he was." Mercy coldly sneered as she agreed with Golden Constant-87,001''s statement.


    The next moment, Mercy vanished from her spot, and after a little while, she reappeared with a ss container filled with eight heads and a sealed scroll.


    "Well, consider this matter over. I ept your exnation." Mercy seemed very pleased as she asked while waving the sealed gray scroll in front of Golden Constant-87,001, "So, how should I open it? I''m quite curious what''s inside?"


    Golden Constant-87,001 didn''t reply and pointed his sharp finger toward the scroll. A faint dark blue beam shot out from it and directly entered the runic sealed on the scroll.


    The seal instantly vanished, and the scroll was unsealed. However, what both Golden Constant-87,001 and Mercy failed to notice was that hidden in the runic seal was an extremely tiny crimson dot. The moment the seal was opened, the crimson dot vanished with it.


    They were both confident that the owner of this scroll would never dare to y any trick against them. But they didn''t know that there was someone else who had touched this scroll.


    Now, Mercy was about to open the scroll when one of the heads in the ss container suddenly shed with an ethereal ck light. Mercy and Golden Constant-87,001 instantly noticed it.


    "What''s this?" Mercy asked curiously as she thought this was also Golden Constant-87,001''s arrangements.


    However, Golden Constant-87,001 said something unexpected with a hint of uncertainty, "This¡­ I don''t know¡­"


    Just as his voice trailed off, round objections started to pour in within the ss container, glowing dark brown.


    1¡­3¡­5¡­9¡­ the glowing objections continued to pour out, and soon the ss container broke because of their numbers.


    Both Mercy and Golden Constant-87,001 were rmed by those mysterious as they didn''t have any magic fluctuations, but they seemed to be pulsing.


    "What the hell is going on?" Mercy was agitated and angry.


    "I don''t know. Quickly use your magic to gather them¡­" Golden Constant-87,001 sprang into action. He didn''t have time to answer Mercy, and he also had no idea what was going on.


    However, at this moment, the small round objects stopped pouring out, and a twenty-meter-long cylindrical object filled with glowing dark brown liquid appeared. The moment it appeared, both Mercy and Golden Constant-87,001 heard a faint sound¡­


    "Beep¡­"


    The next moment, a blinding white light started to bloom like an apocalyptic volcano!

 Chapter 688 Jacob’s Scheme!

    ??A day before, E entered the Siren Hymn Temple with the head container and sealed scroll.


    "So, this is the thing that Star Lord wants to deliver with eight anonymous stars'' heads?" Jacob analyzed the gray scroll with a seal on it, but he didn''t try to unseal it because he knew he would destroy it without a proper method, and his n would fail if that happened.


    E, standing in front of Jacob, replied emotionlessly like a puppet, "Yes. I received this scroll a few days ago through teleportation transportation. I was ordered to hand it over to Anonymous Star No.1 together with my identity, and then I was supposed to leave the Mermaid Faith City and return to the base."


    "How interesting. Even Anonymous Star1 wasn''t aware of your true identity as Anonymous Star No.10. He was also ordered to deliver this scroll with the heads to the Ocean Oracle and was quite confident that she would personally receive it. And your orders were different before, right?" Jacob asked with a hint of uncertainty.


    "Yes, the n was to sneak into the temple together with Anonymous Star1 when most of the Temrs were away and kidnapped the Ocean Oracle. However, Star Lord suddenly changed it." E replied truthfully.


    Jacob frowned a little as he still didn''t understand why the Star Lord made such changes. "This Star Lord really knows how to nt a spy, but I still don''t understand what he wanted to achieve by this. The answer probably lies within this scroll, but I can''t open it. Well, whatever, since his n is going to help me, I''m pretty content with it. Go and wait for me to finish my preparation; make sure no onees to this ce."


    E nodded in agreement before she left Jacob alone in this secret room inside her residence.


    "What is your order for me, sir?" Autarch asked who was still inside Anonymous Star No.1''s body and standing behind Jacob.


    Jacob replied, "For what I''m about to do, E would be sufficient. I don''t want you to be caught by this, so it won''t be long before you have to discard this body as well."


    "I understand." Autarch didn''t ask further questions, became silent, and let Jacob do what he wanted.


    ''Now, how many bombs would be sufficient to blow up an entire city protected by a three-step legend rank formation?'' Jacob thought as he looked at the scroll.


    Jacob''s n was simple; he wanted to blow up the entire Mermaid Faith City with the Ocean Oracle!


    But to make this n work, he needed to make sure the Ocean Oracle was in the range of those sts because he still didn''t know what her rank was. So, to ensure this attack didn''t fail, he decided to use almost all his explosives that couldn''t be used with Destroyer.


    Jacob then carefully carved a space rune under the skull of anonymous star2, right under those runic lines, because it would be very hard to discover with those runic lines present. Afterward, he stored all those bombs in that space rune, which had a 20-meter space.


    He had done this many times to make the Destroyer, so it wasn''t hard for him to do the same with a skull. All he needed were materials and to be extremely careful not to damage the skull. This process was like making a space ring and a skull of Beyond Unique Rank being more than resilient enough to achieve it.


    But it was still not enough because despite storing those bombs in this hidden space rune, he still needed a trigger to st them. Since he didn''t want to be anywhere near when this st happened, he used a magic trigger.


    He first connected all those bombs with a simple magic rune that was connected to a magic remote control, and then he installed it in a Sun Missile, which was even more powerful than the one he used in the dead faction territory.


    As for its trigger, it was also very simple; it can be triggered by anyone and isn''tplex. Most importantly, its size is minuscule, so it can''t be noticed by others unless they are looking for it.


    So, he sneakily carved it above the runic seal of the sealed scroll. Now, even if Ocean Oracle didn''t receive this scroll, as long as someone opened it or the runic seal was destroyed, the trigger would be activated the very next moment.


    All Jacob needs is for them to be present in the middle of the Siren Hymn Temple the moment the trigger is active, and he will still achieve his goal. To make sure it happens, he has Autarch as security.


    This will be the end of not only the main Siren Hymn Temple but also the Mermaid Faith City, not to mention all the blood he would harvest once all those powerful sirens present in the city die because of it.


    This will also be his final act. He leaves the deep ocean for good because, after this, he knows a huge upheaval will start in it, and he doesn''t want anywhere near that despite it being quite useful for him.


    He was simply nning to head towards the Dead Faction Territory toplete the evolutionof his hex core and to get rid of that damn insect queen.


    Furthermore, if he greatly diminished the power of the ocean races, who would go against the surface for him? His n was far deeper than just getting rid of the threat named Ocean Oracle!


    ---


    [Present]


    Over a hundred miles away from the Mermaid Faith City, Jacob was sitting cross-legged on his thunder whale and was calmly waiting for his cue.


    Despite the ocean''s dark surroundings, Jacob was looking in the direction of the Mermaid Faith City.


    Right at this moment, Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he sensed something in the calm water, ''Did it work?''


    The next moment, in the dark surroundings, Jacob saw a white light blooming far away like a rising sun.


    "Boommmm¡­"


    The deafening noise could be heard clearly even from this distance, and the white light continued to grow and quickly approached Jacob.


    Jacob''s lips curled up, ''It''s far more powerful than then I''ve anticipated it to be. I should probably keep my distance. I can feel the iing shockwaves and heat even from here!''


    Under Jacob''smand, the thunder whale instantly turned around and fled from the light at full speed. However, the light was too fast and enveloped the thunder whale!

 Chapter 689 Pay the Piper! (1)

    <h4>Chapter 689 Pay the Piper! (1)</h4>


    Surface, somewhere in the star ocean, was located a hidden isle known as Lightning Isle by its inhabitants, the Lightning Elf Race!


    The Lightning Elf Race is one of the hidden races of the Unique ins and one of the few Three Steps of Legend Races!


    The Lightning Isle was surrounded by a purple lightning field all year long, and many exotic flora of lightning type were present in this ce, making it ideal for those with an affinity for lightning.


    However, Lightning Isle still falls far behind whenpared to the Thunder Giant Mountain Range of Thunder Giant Race¡ªthe race with an Inception Legend Rank Alliance Leader, no less!


    Furthermore, if the Thunder Giant found out that there was another race other than them that could use lightning or thunder elements, and they were also keeping such a dense lightning-fillednd hidden from them, it would not end well for the Lightning Elf Race.


    Their reason for them to remain hidden all this time despite their prowess also happened to be because of the Thunder Giants!


    In the center of the lightning isle was a vige of lightning elves. Houses were made of huge purple trees with white thunder-like markings, and many rope bridges connected these houses and trees like a highway.


    In the center of this down-to-nature ce was a colossal tree, and on this tree was thergest house present in this vige because it was the house of the Chief of Lightning Elves.


    At this moment, sitting inside this house were two purple-skinned elves ying a chess game; one elf appeared to be in histe thirties and had a handsome appearance, while the other elf was like an old man in his early sixties, and both resembled each other greatly.


    But the resemnce didn''t just end with their facial features, in fact, the shrewdness and intelligence in their eyes were almost identical.


    If Jacob were here, he would''ve instantly recognized this middle-aged purple-skinned elf dressed in an ordinary fashion and ying chess because he was none other than the former president of the alchemy guild of the epic ins, Nelsen N. Elliot!


    As for the old elf who was making a move on the chess board, he is Nelsen''s father and also the chief of Lightning Elves, Vincent N. Elliot!


    The moment Vincent ced his chess piece, Nelsen narrowed his eyes as he almost instantly analyzed the board and looked at his father with a frown, "Old ghost, are you going easy on me?"


    Vincent didn''t seem to be bothered by Nelsen calling him ''old ghost,'' and he looked Nelsen in the eyes as creepy coldness surfaced in his eyes, and he said meaningfully in his husky voice, "I miscalcted."


    Nelsen was startled when he heard those twopletely unexpected words. He knew Vincent wasn''t someone who would admit something like this, especially right in front of his son. He was nothing but merciless towards his own son, more than anyone else, in fact!


    "Old ghost, there is something wrong, isn''t it? First, you barged into my room out of nowhere and then dragged me here to y chess. And now you''re making this mistake and even admitting that you''ve miscalcted? Don''t tell me, you only being nice to so you could go after Ellie!?"


    Nelsen was fully on guard. He looked at his father as if he were a fiend and ready to fight to the death if he sensed even a little bit of hesitancy in Vincent''s answer.


    Vincent''s lips twitched a little, and he sighed ruefully, "You have intelligence far superior to mine, yet you squander it by doing nothing but indulge yourself in all sorts of nonsense. I even let you snuck away in the hope that you might mature after experiencing life.


    "But even after two centuries, you only returned because your impatient daughter had provoked someone she shouldn''t have and almost got both of you killed in the process.


    "Although you have matured quite a lot, you have be even more foolish in my eyes because of your daughter. She''s nothing like us, and despite her grand ambition, she had no idea how to realize it without relying on you.


    "So, if I had even a little bit of interest in her, just kill me right there and then because I would''ve lost my sanity!"


    Nelsen pursed his lips as he clearly didn''t like Vincent calling Ellie an absolute moron in roundabout ways. But he knew Ellie''s shorings even better than Vincent, and what Vincent just said wasn''t a lie either.


    "Just leave her alone. I''m not like you, who wants his child to be a tool for his own ambition. For me, as long as she can live happily by doing anything she wants, I''ll be content, and as a parent, it''s my duty to make sure to correct her mistakes and protect her from any danger, even if it means sacrificing my pride, even my life is too cheappares to hers." He didn''t have any shred of mischief when he said those words, and he was solemn!


    Vincent looked deeply into Nelsen''s determined, unwavering eyes and sighed ruefully again, "I know I haven''t done a good job as a father after your mother passed away, but that doesn''t mean I consider you a tool for my ambition. And I can imagine why you feel like that.


    "Heh, I guess we never even talked like this before, have we?" Vincent chuckled in a self-deprave manner.


    Nelsen''s expression became grave when he saw Vincent behaving like a gambler who had lost everything and was now seeking redemption. He instantly sensed something was amiss with Vincent.


    "Old ghost, be honest with me! Is there a problem even you can''t solve? Tell me. We might have our differences, but I can still help you. After all, even if I hate to admit it, we are still family!"


    Vincent remained silent for a while before his lips rose in a faint smile, which sent a shiver down Nelson''s spine because he didn''t remember thest time Vincent had that kind of smile on his face. He had a very bad feeling about this.


    Vincent finally spoke at this moment, "Since you said that it''s a parent''s duty to protect their children and defend them even if they make a grave mistake. Now, I wonder if the child would have the same sense of responsibility if the parents ended up making such mistakes?"


    "Enough with your riddles! Juste clean with me. What the hell did you do?" Nelson barked with a hint of agitation.


    Nelsen didn''t like the look in Vincent''s eyes because he knew that if someone like Vincent was saying he made a mistake, then this matter was huge¡ªso huge that it might involve the entire Unique ins!

 Chapter 690 Pay the Piper! (2)

    <h4>Chapter 690 Pay the Piper! (2)</h4>


    Vincent didn''t lose hisposure like Nelsen and said, "Why are you reacting like your daughter? Didn''t I always teach you to be calm no matter the situation? I guess she got that impatience from you after all."


    "Old Ghost! Do you still have a mind to joke? Just tell me, what''s the matter, or is this one of your mind games?" Nelsen questioned with a dark expression, but he just knew Vincent was serious.


    Vincent sighed again and said, "Well, since things are turning hectic, hiding from you will be meaningless. You have long guessed about my identity as the Star Lord of the Star Hackers, and this is one of the reasons you decided to run away back then, isn''t that right?"


    Nelsen''s eyes narrowed. "And why are you admitting it right now?" He didn''t deny Vincent''s im, and his heart became heavy.


    Vincent replied with a deep tone, "Nelsen, I never intended to hide it from you to begin with. Do you think back then it was a mere coincidence that you stumbled upon my meeting with No.1?"


    Nelsen''s eyes winded at this moment as he suddenly thought of something, and he eximed, "You! You were testing me!? Do you want to see how I reacted after learning that you were the leader of the Star Hackers, the biggest criminal organization of the Unique in? Just what were you thinking, and why didn''t you tell me or even stop me from sneaking away? Now, I''m sure you knew everything, so why?"


    "If I tell you I want to test you and then recruit you into the organization as my sessor as the next Star Lord, would you believe me?" Vincent questioned back, his expression impossible to read.


    Nelsen thought for a moment before he shook his head, "No, I won''tpletely believe it. That might''ve been a test, but that test wasn''t just simply about seeing how I react, wasn''t it?"


    Vincent''s lips rose slightly as he nodded, "As expected of my son. Indeed, it wasn''t just about seeing how you react after learning my identity; I also wanted to give you a choice¡ªa choice to choose another path, a path different from mine.


    "Although you ended up choosing that path, I was expecting a lot more to tell you the truth, and you really disappointed me. Well, I guess I''m the one to me for it as well since I thought you were like me, who wanted to hold power to rule everything." His voice was filled with disappointment, but there was a hint of guilt hidden in it.


    Nelsen''s eyes dted a little, and he coldly stated, "Since I''d disappoint you, why are we having this chat? Just what had you done? Is it rted to Star Hackers? Don''t tell me someone is rebelling against you and they are seeding. If it''s true, then I''m even more disappointed in you, old ghost!"


    Vincent''s eyes turned deadly cold as he retorted, "If that were the case, it would''ve been quite entreating to tell you the truth. You know, I rise from nothing, especially when our race was on the verge of annihtion because the Thunder Giants wanted our secret technique.


    "I saved as many of our nsmen as I could and then hid them when everyone was searching for us like bloody hounds. Then I joined the ATLAS and climbed my way up to the rank of Star-Lord by defeating that useless, good-for-nothing idiot.


    "Then I even found this ce for our race to flourish; now, almost all those people who had witnessed that cmity have died, and I''m the only one alive. Those neers didn''t even remember their past and just how much their predecessors had sacrificed for them, you included.


    "However, truthfully, I don''t care because my ambition wasn''t just to end in the Unique ins. I wanted to escape this backwater ce and enter the ocean named the Middle ins.


    "But I''m a selfish person who didn''t want to discard what I''ve achieved through so much effort. That''s why I want to leave behind my legacy, and that''s why I made you.


    "However, when the time arrived, I think I got soft-hearted because you are my own flesh and blood. I knew from the start that you were different because you never had to suffer anything that I did.


    "And why should you? After all, what''s the meaning of having so much power if I can''t even give my own son what he wants? So, I just let you do as you wish, especially after you decided to look away and abandon your birthright.


    "Even after you returned with my granddaughter, you just decided to live peacefully and support your own child. You could''ve asked me to let you join the ATLAS since you might''ve thought that I was testing you.


    "You even hide this information from Ellie because you knew if she finds out, she will definitely want to join it because she craves power just like her grandfather, and she doesn''t want to spend her life in this barren vige.


    "Well, I can''t me you for it since you knew if she joined ATLAS, you wouldn''t be able to help her unless you were in a high position. Knowing me, I would rather let her die than cover up for her mistakes.


    "I could''ve also used her to make you join the ATLAS because she''s your weakness but again, I didn''t and leave you alone."


    Vincent smiled in self-mockery because he was admitting that even something as ruthless as him couldn''t bring himself to force his own flesh and blood into this inescapable quicksand.


    Nelsen also feltplicated as he looked at his father. He had never seen the man like this. As far as he could remember, the Vincent he knew was ruthless and calctive. He wouldn''t hesitate to push even his own child to death to achieve his own goal, but now the Vincent in front of him wasn''t giving him that vibe. He just appeared to be an old man filled with regret.


    "I''m asking you again: Why are you telling me all this now? If you need my help, just ask. We are family, you old fool!"


    Nelsen scoffed with a somewhat warm tone, and he felt irritated seeing his father like this. After all, he might not admit it, but Vincent was still the person he respected the most in this world.


    "Family¡­" Vincent muttered before he looked at Nelsen and smiled. His smile was warm but filled with regret, "I am telling you all this because I finally realized that the position of power that I was so reluctant to let go of and waste my life to acquire was nothing but an illusion!"


    "What do you mean?" Nelsen asked with squinted eyes.


    "I always thought that I was the one manipting the chessboard named Unique ins, but it turned out that someone else was the real yer, and I am just like everyone else: a chess piece who thought he had escaped the chess board. The Star Hackers are actually¡­"


    Vincent was about to reveal something when his expression changed. At that moment, a static voice rang in his mind.


    "Star Lord, the ''Lord'' has demanded an audience with you immediately! Please head to this location (197.1583.39743.24) within an hour, or you''ll be deemed a traitor!"

 Chapter 691 Pay the Piper! (3)

    ??On a remote ind with a scarce amount of mana, Star-Lord, or, more urately, Vincent, appeared wearing dark robes with a hood covering his head.


    He approached a tree that seemed just like any other tree on this ind and pressed his hand on it. The next moment, the star watch on his wrist shimmered, and the tree suddenly trembled before a myriad of runes appeared on its surface, and a runic circle appeared under Vincent!


    The next moment, Vincent''s figure vanished without a trace, and the tree returned to its normal state as if nothing had happened.


    Thereafter, Vincent was teleported into a dark space where the only source of light was a white goblet ignited with blue mes.


    ''Where is this ce?'' Vincent''s eyes narrowed, and an uneasy feeling gripped his heart because he hadn''t been in this ce before, and the atmosphere didn''t sit too well with him either.


    However, he didn''t have the option to note in this because the person who summoned him wasn''t someone he could just refuse or even question his decision.


    He was no longer the master of his own because he recently discovered a scary truth about the ATLAS, and that was, the Star Hackers weren''t the core of ATLAS; instead, they were just ATLAS''s branch, and this discovery shocked Vincent to his very core!


    Vincent still might''ve been ignorant about this fact if he hadn''t started the chaos in the Siren Hymn Temple. Truth be told, this discovery hit him harder than anything in his life, and he almost lost his purpose in life, but when he thought about it more carefully, a sudden realization hit him!


    Since even the Star Hackers were a mere branch of this organization that nobody was aware of, what if he could join their ranks and then reach the top? Wasn''t it far better?


    However, he also knew that it wouldn''t be easy since they were far more careful. He didn''t even know about them despite being the Star Lord of the Star Hackers for so many years. He knew joining their ranks would be too difficult, and with his lifespan approaching its end, he didn''t have time to y the long game.


    So, he decided to be obedient, at least until he entered the middle ins, became a fable legendary rank being, and increased his lifespan. He was sure that a Fable Legendary Rank wouldn''t be ignored, and he might have a chance to join the actual organization''s rank.


    He even thought this might be the chance he had been waiting for. If only he knew just how ignorant he was and that this was just a pipe dream¡­


    At this moment, a static voice rang from the goblet of fire, "Star Lord, or should I say, Vincent N. Elliot of Lightning Elves, it''s our first time speaking to each other."


    Vincent''s eyes narrowed as he looked at the zing blue mes and bowed his head submissively, "I was also quite curious about the ''Lord''; I''m honored to have an audience with you finally." His tone was respectful, or he was making it that way.


    "Heh, you didn''t sound like someone who discovered he isn''t the top ''boss'' of the ATLAS. But that''s the thing I liked about you, Vincent. You are the mostpetent Star Lord of the Star Hackers I''ve ever seen in the Unique ins, and that''s the only reason I''m willing to give you another chance to admit your sin!" The voice suddenly turned icy as a mountainous pressure suddenly enveloped Vincent out of nowhere!


    Vincent''s expression paled, and he instantly fell on his knees without even putting any resistance. It was like he was a helplessmon rank in front of a unique rank being. The gap in power was simply too great.


    ''How is this possible! I''m an Initial Stage Quasi Legend Rank, damn it!''


    Vincent waspletely horrified, and any thought of resisting this ''lord'' dashed instantaneously.


    "I¡­S-sin? But I''ve already made amends and even handed over the ancient forbidden form for my mistake! B-but, i-if it''s not enough, please tell me how I should make up for my ignorant mistake?" Vincent spoke while clenching his teeth, as he was finding it hard to breathe properly.


    He still thinks this was all happening because of the chaos he caused in the Siren Hymn Temple, and thepensation he handed over still wasn''t enough to make amends.


    He was already holding on to something else just in case things went south, and it seemed he had to use it now. Although it was his biggest secret, as long as he could live, he didn''t care what he had to sacrifice!


    "Hmm?" The voice sounded startled and fell into silence, but the pressure didn''t decrease a little bit. After an eerie wait, the voice spoke again, "Why do I get this feeling that you have no idea what you just did?"


    "I-I¡­ only followed the decree I received from the Anarchy that day. If I made a mistake, please give me another chance to make it right! If that ancient forbidden formation isn''t enough to make up for my mistake, I''m willing to hand over something else!" Vincent quickly replied.


    "We are not on the same page, are we?" The voice muttered before it spoke in a cold tone, "Didn''t you rigid with the forbidden formation scroll in the hope you might be able to kill ''me'' with it?"


    Vincent was bbergasted when he heard that absurd usation and quickly shook his head, "NO! I won''t dare; I know my limit! Please think about it. Why would I risk doing anything to you when I''m not even sure if you are the ''leader'' of ATLAS? For all I know, you could be just a proxy for the real leader.


    "Furthermore, I won''t get anything out of it because I''m not even part of the real ATLAS and have no clue about its real purpose or its whereabouts. Not to mention, even if I had such thoughts, I would never dare to do something so foolish and then show my face. This is clearly a huge misunderstanding!" He tried to exin the best he could because he sensed something had gone wrong with the ''delivery.''


    "Hmmm¡­ now that you said it out loud, it is indeed quite peculiar, and I know how astute you are¡­" The voice seemed convinced, but the pressure on Vincent still didn''t decrease even a little.


    "Very well, I''ll give you a chance to prove your innocence. If you really have nothing to do with this, then I want you to find the true culprit. Since it was your men who made the delivery, the responsibility to find the truth is also yours.


    "Prove your innocence first and then yourpetence; if you fail to do any one of them, prepare to suffer the consequences, for there is no ce for ipetent people in ATLAS!" the voice coldly dered.


    Vincent was really at a loss this time around. He didn''t even know what he was being used of when he had done nothing.


    But the other party didn''t give him any chance to exin, and at this moment, some kind of mechanism suddenly triggered, and the floor in front of Vincent suddenly slid open.


    The next moment, a white pir with multicolor runic lines started to rise from the open floor. Vincent''s eyes widened in disbelief when he thought about the origin of this pir and even thought he was hallucinating because this pir should only exist in one ce!


    At this moment, the voice spoke again with a hint of yfulness as if he had guessed what Vincent was thinking.


    "Vincent, prove your innocence by going through the trial of Truth Pir!"

 Chapter 692 The End or The Beginning? (1)

    ??When a sudden, blinding sh erupted from the depths of the ocean, turning the inky ckness into a searing white, many witnessed this scene and felt the raw power sear their retinas.


    Those who were anywhere near close to the range of white light lurched violently, tossed around like toys in a bathtub by an unseen giant.


    Silence¡­ an unnatural silence descended, broken only by the groaning tremors and shockwaves like raging beasts.


    Thissted for about five minutes before the light started to fade away. However, despite the blinding light absence, it didn''t mean everything had returned to normal; it was far from it.


    The temperature of the area around the st was like a raging inferno as huge amounts of bubbles and fog were rising and spreading, making it impossible for anything to be visible.


    In this fiery fog, Jacob''s figure was floating in the water,pletely unbothered by the high temperature or the powerful radiation around him. But the thunder whale mount of his was nowhere to be seen and there were some faint burning marks on his winder breaker.


    ''I thought I would end up in a somewhat miserable state¡­ but it seems I''ve underestimated the cursed bone marrow stage. Not only my resistance to fire and poison has increased, but I can even sense the dense blood mixed in this fog and water.


    ''The explosion was simply too strong, and I don''t think anything would''ve survived. Even if they did, they would''ve already turned into ashes because of the radiation heatwaves.


    ''But just to make sure those three steps of legends are really gone, I better check. After all, since nothing happened to me, it might be because I was too far away from the explosion. Let''s see how the epicenter of the explosion is doing.


    ''Furthermore, the closer I''m to the source of blood, I''ll be able to gather it more quickly, even if itpletely diluted into water or fog. As long as the blood is in some kind of tangible state, I can extract it, and this ability is getting stronger with each runic line sculpted to my bones.''


    Jacob smiled coldly as he used his magic to swim toward the location of Mermaid Faith City. Although the temperature was rising as he went closer, and the mist was getting thicker and darker, he remained unaffected, and with his eyes, nothing remained hidden from him.


    At this moment, Jacob arrived and saw that the location of the Mermaid Faith City was now a deep crater of molten rocks glowing an angry red. Tsunamic shockwaves, invisible yet powerful, rippled outwards, churning the water into a roiling maelstrom.


    However, Jacob''s expression changed because, with his eyes, he spotted something extremely unusual within this molten crater. He saw dense color spectrum particles in the shape of silhouettes gathering together in the center, and they seemed to be sheltered by colored lines.


    ''Living things protected by a magic barrier!'' Jacob instantly recognized those color spectrums.


    But he wasn''t much shocked because he was expecting this much from people above unique rank. After all, if he could rank the current explosion, it would be around the level of Advanced Inception Legend Rank, which means no one should survive below this stage, and even a Quasi Legend might suffer injuries if they were at the center of this.


    But this was still his spection since he didn''t have enough data on both ranks. He was still astounded when he noticed that more than one person had survived that st. He didn''t think Siren Hymn Temple was hiding such experts.


    Nheless, Jacob wasn''t nning on spearing anyone, especially if that survivor was the Ocean Oracle. After all, he was doing all this to get rid of this troublesome opponent.


    Although he didn''t know why, from the moment he heard about Ocean Oracle, his killing intent was instantly provoked, and he was hellbent on killing her no matter what. It was like she had provoked something inside him, and because her ability was just as dangerous, both Jacob''s mind and instincts were on a unanimous decision to kill her.


    Jacob, enduring the terrible heat, quickly made his way toward the hidden barrier he was seeing. It was clearly not visible to the naked eye, and the two people inside it seemed extremely weak. If not for their potent power, they would''ve been long dead, and Jacob mused they might be healing right now.


    After all, he stillpletely reads the changes in the color spectrum of ws in the Eyes of Judge and can only make vague guesses from his own experience and experiments.


    Other than the Judgement Gaze, he still had no clue about the true depths of his eyes, and Immoritka just refused to reveal everything. Nheless, he was still doing fine and slowly learning about his eyes, and he knew he would one day master thempletely.


    Jacob arrives in front of the invisible barrier, hiding his presence with stealth since he doesn''t want to alert the other party.


    Fire aura suddenly covers Jacob''s fist at this moment, and using his full power, he throws a punch right at the invisible barrier! He wanted to test his new strength and see if he could st apart this barrier seems to have protected these people from the st.


    "Boom!"


    A huge shockwave released, and a sound like a ss shattered rang. In front of Jacob, it was like an illusion had shattered, and two bodies enveloped by a gentle green mist were revealed.


    Both suddenly opened their eyes, which seemed to be empty, like ck holes with clear shock and terror, especially when they noticed two golden bloodthirsty eyes staring at them at this moment like they were just pieces of high-quality meat!


    "Who are you!!?" Their voices were eerie as they questioned at the same time.


    Jacob couldn''t help but carefully notice their charred bodies, but he felt something strange about these two as a peculiar kind of feeling rose in his heart, a feeling of utter disgust and contempt.


    However, before Jacob could make sense of this strange feeling, he noticed both charred beings started to gather their magic secretly, and he felt threatened!


    So, without hesitation, Jacob directly controlled the fiery water around him. With a simple thought, the water turned into countless des and shredded those two into countless pieces before they could even react!


    But what happened next was something Jacob wasn''t expecting!

 Chapter 693 The End or The Beginning? (2)

    ??The moment Jacob shredded those two charred bodies, a strange scene took ce.


    Right where those two bodies were located, a golden light suddenly shone, and two tiny hoursses with ck frames suddenly appeared in the middle of this golden light. They seemed to be filled with golden sand, and space suddenly started to tremble.


    The next moment, a dark vortex appeared behind those hoursses, and they seemed to be about to escape into it!


    ''What the hell¡­'' Jacob was shocked when he witnessed this strange scene as his eyes were affixed on those two ethereal hoursses.


    However, Jacob didn''t feel any kind of danger from them. Instead, his cursed heart suddenly started to beat wildly the moment those two hoursses appeared like it was attracted to them!


    Before Jacob could react or evenprehend what was happening, an invisible suction force suddenly released from his body. Feeling that invisible force, the two hoursses trembled and quickly tried to enter the vortex!


    But, the next moment, those two hoursses started to drag towards Jacob, and they were trembling and trying to pull away, but that invisible suction force, which seemed to originate from his cursed heart, didn''t let that happen, no matter how much they struggled.


    However, Jacob was even more shocked and filled with agitation because he tried to calm his heartbeat and get away from those mysterious hoursses since he had no idea what they were or why his cursed heart was reacting this way.


    But to his shock, his heart was simply out of his control, and even his body refused to move. At this moment, he felt a sudden jolt of excitement from his blood and craving like never before. He felt like he had been thirsty for ages!


    "Stop fighting your instincts and absorb them; they are very beneficial to you." At this moment, Immortika''s eerie rang in his head. He hadn''t heard this voice for a very long time.


    Jacob was naturally astounded when he heard Immortika''s voice and stopped resisting, but it didn''t mean he wasn''t curious.


    "Just what are these things, and why is my heart reacting this way? Why do they seem alive?" He asked with a grave expression. He could feel his blood boiling in excitement and his heart beating even more wildly as those hoursses drew near.


    "Hahahahaha! They''re just a bunch of idiots trying to cheat death by imitating something they shouldn''t have. As for what exactly they are, you need to find out yourself. All I can tell is that that golden sand hourss is akin to 40,000 Unique Rank Dark Beings'' dead mes, and it will give you enough blood vitality toplete your entire leg as well as 1,000 years of free lifespan!" Immortika dropped a huge bomb!


    Jacob''s eyes widened in shock as he instantlyprehended what this meant. If he added all his previous kills, he could not only evolve his hex core now, but he would also gain a huge amount of blood vitality and 1,000 years of lifespan to boot!


    "Just what kind of species are they, and what do you mean by trying to cheat death by imitating something they shouldn''t have had?!" Jacob didn''t let this go since it sounded too good to be true, and it was his first time hearing about it.


    After all, if something like this existed that could allow him to bypass the restrictions of killing dark beings to evolve his hex core on such a level, then he should''ve known this much earlier.


    "Didn''t I tell you? It''s up to you to find out and believe me when I say it had nothing to do with their races. I told you what I can. Just rejoice that you hit the jackpot! Hahahahah!" Immoritkaughed like crazy.


    Jacob clearly didn''t like this answer, but he knew he wouldn''t get anything else from Immortika now, and he didn''t have time to push further. At this moment, those two hoursses were close to his chest, and they were resisting even more furiously but to no avail.


    The next moment, his cursed heart''s heartbeat was so fast that its crimson projection was visible on his chest, and when the hoursses touched his clothes, they simply bypassed them as if they didn''t exist and directly entered his body.


    Suddenly, Jacob felt two explosions in his body, and a dense amount of mysterious energy swept through his entire body. The runic lines on his bones suddenly became alive, while the cursed path glory gem in his pendant started to glow brightly, and the hex core in his cursed heart started to revolve.


    Jacob could feel huge changes starting to take ce in his body all at once. He didn''t have time to pay attention to anything else, so he quickly sat down on the burning ground without hesitation to observe what was happening!


    ---


    In the Timeless City, the City Lord appeared in front of a huge hourss at this moment.


    Suddenly a static voice rang,


    "No.192nd Incarnation (Dark Elf) of Golden Constant-87,001 has died unnaturally! "No.190th Incarnation (Mermaid Siren) of Golden Constant-88,925 has died unnaturally! "Golden Constant-87,001 has been demoted to Silver Constant-999,999th!


    "Golden Constant-88,925 has been demoted to Silver Constant-1,000,000th!


    "Reshuffling the Constant Rankings!"


    "So, they really ended up dying, huh? Just who was behind that explosion? Since Vincent had passed the truth pir, it wasn''t him. I had seen the recording before they died; it was a well-


    crafted scheme by someone, and just when they were about toplete the list as well. Furthermore, someone who could make a bomb that could kill two Quasi Legendary Rank experts wasn''t recorded in our database¡­" The Timeless City Lord muttered in a grave tone.


    However, at his moment, the huge hourss suddenly trembled, which waspletely out of the ordinary.


    "Error, error, error!" The static voice suddenly boomed, making the city lord gobsmacked.


    "Former Golden Constant-87,001 and Golden Constant-88,925''s Life Hourss has been failed to retrieve!


    "The Life Hoursses'' connection has been permanently severed! "Former Golden Constant-87,00 and Golden Constant-88,925 can''t be revived and have died permanently!


    "Reporting this unnatural event to the ???"


    "An utmost important Timeless Mission has been issued to all the Constants present in the Lesser Gxy of Taurus!" The Timeless City Lord was in utter disbelief, as if he was hearing something absurd and impossible.


    But when the symbol of an hourss suddenly appeared on his forehead, and foreign information appeared in his brain, he knew it wasn''t an illusion. Two undying constants have really met their doom!

 Chapter 694 Cursed Mystic Signature (1)

    <h4>Chapter 694 Cursed Mystic Signature (1)</h4>


    In the depths of the ocean, a thunder whale was making its way toward the surface, and it appeared like a bullet cutting through water.


    On top of the thunder was sitting Jacob, who was still thinking about the surreal event that took ce over six days ago.


    ''Just what could be those hoursses? From that damn book''s subtle words, they can help ''cheat death,'' and this ability originated from something extremely powerful. Could it be another Universal Godly Scripture?'' Jacob could only think of this possibility since he was sure that Immortika wouldn''t have phrased it like this if it wasn''t something it acknowledged.


    ''But the question is, who were they, and are there more like them? Since they were in the Siren Hymn Temple, they might have had a rtionship with the Ocean Oracle. I should''ve let Autarch absorb their brains before killing them; I was too hasty.


    ''However, it wasn''t entirely my fault since I had no idea I would stumble upon something like this. Now, although my hex core has evolved into a unique rank magic core, and I''m overflowing with blood vitality after absorbing those two hoursses and the blood vitality scattered in the water, that darn book used its chance to speak to me directly, and now I can''t summon it for 30 days.


    ''But I can''t stay in the deep ocean another since not only would the empires be curious about what happened, but if the people behind those two also came to investigate their deaths, it might be troublesome. After all, I can''t take my chances against these people who might have had some sort of rtionship with a Universal Godly Scripture.


    ''Even if this is just my spection, I can''t expose myself, so leaving the deep ocean and lying low in the Unique ins is the right choice until I can summon Immortika again and start the longevity schema again.'' Jacob mused gravely as he looked ahead.


    He could feel the gravity getting lesser and after living for decades under that terrible gravity, he was feeling as if his body were bing light as a feather.


    At this moment, Jacob''s eyes suddenly shimmered with ecstasy as he flipped his hand, and a locked space ring appeared in his hand. If it had been before, he would''ve been frustrated since he wouldn''t be able to unlock it.


    However, after his hex core''s evolution, he could feel the presence of his mystic signature shing with that of this space ring. Yes, he finally got his mystic signature!


    But what made Jacob uncertain was that despite the hex core bing a unique rank magic core, he didn''t awaken the element glyph. He didn''t know if there was something wrong since he had used the scripture of nk to create a fake spirit glyph in his hex core or if it was just because of Immortika. He decided to ask Immoritka about it once he could summon it again.


    Nheless, now that he has the mystic signature, he can do many things that weren''t possible before. For example, the Life Substitute Doll he received as a reward for his early achievement and the title reward for Lone Hero of Life can only be used with the Mystic Signature.


    This Life Substitute Doll is extremely precious because it can allow the owner to escape deathly situations by taking the ce of the owner when he is on the brink of death and teleporting him a hundred miles away, and he can recover his 10% health!


    After awakening his mystic signature, Jacob instantly used it on the Life Substitute Doll, and it turned into a runic tattoo just below his neckline.


    Another such treasure was the Gluttony Mask, but he stopped it because he needed to quickly escape the st area.


    Now that he was finally out of the woods, he first decided to try opening these space rings, which he had received from his final two victims, who were also the owners of those two mysterious hoursses.


    Jacob followed his instincts, and as his mystic signature shed with the mystic signature of the space ring, he tried to fight it by releasing his mana. Since the owner of the mystic signature was dead and wasn''t there to resist Jacob''s advance, the space ring suddenly trembled as if something shattered in it!


    The next moment, Jacob could feel a faint connection with the space ring. It was a strange feeling, and it meant that Jacob was now the owner of this space ring because it now had his mystic signature!


    Although he was ted, he didn''t waste time. He quickly scanned the space ring to see what was inside, hoping to get some kind of clue about those two''s backgrounds.


    ''What a filthy rich guy!'' Jacob was surprised when he saw mountains of magic gems, and from their dense magic energy, he could feel they were all advanced and unique ranks!


    Furthermore, this space ring was far more spacious than the one he was currently wearing. It has 1000 Cubic Meters of space, and Jacob mused that this space ring was above the Advanced Unique Rank because he knew an advanced unique rank space ring can only have around 500~600 cubic meters of space!


    Other than the mountains of magic gems, he found many peculiar things, like a shelf filled with books, a pile of scrolls and weapons, a¡­ statue that gave off a peculiar aura, a pile of space rings, and many others.


    Jacob then quickly opened the other ring before further investigating its contents to see if there was something simr in the second ring as well.


    The second space ring, however, was not like the previous one because it was only 550 cubic meters in diameter, and he found something strange in it.


    ''Why are there so many dry corpses in it? It seems like their blood vitality was drained before they died.'' Jacob was astounded since he was very familiar with this kind of effect. After seeing the corpses'' fishtails, he was sure they belonged to the Siren Race.


    ''Could this ring have belonged to the Ocean Oracle? So, she was also part of this hourss organization? But what was she doing by sucking the sirens'' vitality?''


    Jacob became confused and even curious because it was simply too strange. The more he knew, the more confused he got. But one thing was clear; whatever was happening back there was far from simple!

 Chapter 695 Cursed Mystic Signature (2)

    <h4>Chapter 695 Cursed Mystic Signature (2)</h4>


    Jacob didn''t stop with only those two space rings; while he was reaching the surface, he opened every locked space ring in his possession and arranged its contents, throwing away the useless stuff in them.


    By the time he was done, he could see the light up ahead. It was apparently day on the surface, and seeing the sunlight after so many years excited Jacob for a moment.


    However, his excitement didn''tst long, as he knew he wasn''t out of the woods. The Ice Fiend Locust Queen might send her army the moment she realized that Jacob was reachable again.


    Nheless, Jacob was ready. The moment he reached the surface, he stored away the thunder whale, took out the flying ship, and set its destination towards Unique ins.


    After all, even if Ice Fiend Locust Queen sent millions of her minions, only the Unique Rank ones would be able to enter the Unique ins, and then killing them wouldn''t be just his problem, would it?


    ''Now, I should test that mask. Its importance is too much just to ignore it¡­''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with anticipation as he flipped his hand. A white faceless mask appeared in his hand, which seemed extremely ordinary. There were no eye sockets in this mask, and it appeared like a mask carved from white wood. It was the Gluttony Mask he got from the treasury of Witch Pce in the Epic ins!


    ''ording to that pce AI, the Witch Queen found this mask in a no-return zone, and its rank is unknown. This mask has two functions.


    ''The first one is that it can feed on the corpse of a living being and then polymorph into that exact same being that it devoured. But the moment it feeds another corpse, the previous disguise will be overwritten with the new one.


    ''The second ability is the most troublesome one. It can evolve its rank by consuming powerful corpses, but apparently, it can also affect the user''s mind the stronger it gets and might even devour the user''s mind.


    ''However, I don''t think I should have any problem with it since I had already awakened my soul force, and Nyx''s soul defense is also there to protect my mind. I would be fine as long as Gluttony Mask won''t evolve into Legendary Rank¡­.''


    After Jacob made up his mind, he didn''t dy. Hex mana started to pour out from his hand, covering the white mask. The process of imprinting the Mystic Signature was quite simple; it exists within the owner''s magic energy.


    If the user awakens the mystic signature and the items can ept it, the mystic signature will automatically imprint on the items. At least, this was the known method of using the mystic signature.


    Furthermore, a powerful mystic signature can easily overwrite a weaker one, and if the previous owner of the mystic signature is dead, the process is even simpler.


    Lastly, if the mystic signature owner is still alive and someone else with a powerful mystic signature erased the former''s mystic signature, they will suffer a bacsh, hence instantly knowing about the destruction of their mystic signature.


    Although Jacob didn''t know how strong his mystic signature waspared to the others, he was sure that it was quite powerful. After all, he easily got rid of those two quasi- legends'' mystic signatures like they were nothing and without much effort.


    But still, he needs more input, especially against a mystic signature of a living being. However, few treasures could use a mystic signature since the method of making a mystic signature treasure was strictly controlled by factions or powerful entities.


    Even the space rings with mystic signatures were quite rare, and they barely hit the public market before they were already distributed among the high-ranking members.


    The moment the hex mana touched the smooth surface of the gluttony mask, it suddenly came alive and trembled as it started to absorb the hex mana like a sponge.


    Jacob was a little startled, but he didn''t stop and continued to pour more hex mana. At this moment, he noticed something. Dark crimson lines started to appear on the forehead of the mask, slowly forming a peculiar shape.


    When the peculiar shape waspleted, Jacob was shocked because it was a dark crimson infinity symbol. He found that the outline of this infinity symbol was made with an extremely tiny,plex glyph structure.


    ''Is this how my mystic signature looks?'' Jacob wondered as he saw the mystic signature slowly start to fade away, and the mask stopped absorbing his mana.


    Jacob frowned slightly because the mask didn''t change at all, and it still looked ordinary. However, right at this moment, the mask trembled slightly, and something foreign suddenly surfaced in Jacob''s mind, astounding him.


    When he focused on something foreign, he was even more shocked because it was memories rted to the gluttony mask. It actually contained the method to use it and even information about its two abilities.


    ''So, the first ability is called the Gluttony Shapeshift, and the second, the Gluttony Genesis¡­'' Jacob looked at the Gluttony Mask with shining eyes as he wasn''t expecting something like this to happen.


    Nheless, now that he knew how to use it, he didn''t hesitate any more and directly put it on his face. The moment the mask touched his skin, Jacob felt as if he was wearing an extremely thin cold membrane. Despite theck of eye sockets or breathing space for his mouth, he could still see and breathe fine as if he weren''t anywhere above them.


    When he let go, the mask was directly attached to his face. The next moment, a ck sh of light suddenly pulsed on the mask, and it started to fade away, revealing Jacob''s face again.


    However, Jacob could still feel its presence; he knew the mask was nowpletely attached to his very soul, and it could only be taken off when he died, or he willingly took it off by removing his mystic signature.


    No one would be able to tell its existence unless they could directly peer into his soul, for it was a Soul Artifact!

 Chapter 696 The Gluttony Mask

    <h4>Chapter 696 The Gluttony Mask</h4>


    With the information Jacob got from the Gluttony Mask, he noticed one thing; it was called a Soul Artifact. Although he didn''t know what a Soul Artifact was, he was sure that it was deeply interconnected to the soul, which was quite obvious by its name.


    Jacob still took a mantle note to inquire about it from Immortika once he can summon it again. For now, he was more curious about testing the Gluttony Mask''s abilities.


    ''Well, I don''t have any corpses from the surface, nor do I have much variety¡­ and I don''t know if the Gluttony Mask will directly evolve into a unique rank treasure if I directly feed it a unique rank corpse since there is no in-depth information about these two abilities. Let''s try¡­''


    Jacob then took out a dry siren corpse he found in the Ocean Oracle space ring. The next moment, he touched the corpse and thought, ''Gluttony Shapeshift; Gluttony!''


    The moment he thought about activating the Gluttony Shapeshift function''s first aspect, the Gluttony, an astonishing scene took ce. From Jacob''s hand that was touching the corpse, a ck hole suddenly appeared in the middle of his palm and instantly sucked the entire corpse in!


    Jacob was startled for a moment, but he didn''t lose his focus, and the next moment, he felt the gluttony mask on his face release a cold sensation thatsted for about ten seconds.


    Once it was gone, Jacob tried using the Shapeshift aspect of the Gluttony Shapeshift function, but this time, nothing happened. A faint frown appeared on his face.


    ''Just as I thought, the ''entire corpse'' means it shouldn''t have its vitality missing. This also means the puppets that Autarch personally devours would have the same reaction. Pity; I had already devoured other magic puppets.


    ''Still, I should check once I find a puppet for Autarch to devour. Otherwise, it should work on the corpse I killed without removing its vitality.


    ''Moreover, the mask''s rank didn''t increase either, and it''s still at the basic epic rank. So, I can be sure that it also required aplete corpse to raise its rank.


    ''However, I don''t feel any kind of mantle instability from the mask yet. It might be because it''s too weak right now; I need to do more experiments, especially with the three steps of legend corpses; only then would I truly know this mask''s effect on my mind¡­''


    Jacob wasn''t too worried since he would be able to put his theories to the test very soon once he arrived in the Unique ins. Now that he had already put on the Gluttony Mask, he wouldn''t be at ease until he knew its limits.


    But one thing Jacob still didn''t understand was why the Witch Queen left this mask behind. After all, despite its ws, the benefits were simply too great, and that''s what made Jacob somewhat apprehensive about it.


    Despite that, he knew he needed this mask now more than ever because his transformation happened as he waspeting in the final stage of the first phase. So, to keep himself and his secret hidden, he had to take this risk!


    ---


    At this moment, on the floating ind, the Ice Fiend Locust Queen''s eye suddenly shimmered with dense killing as her gigantic body stirred the caldera of volcanic ice, and millions of Ice Fiend Locusts became restless, mirroring their queen''s rageful mood.


    "The thief finally left his molehill!" She mumbled in her eerie metallic voice before she issued an absolutemand, "Steer the ind towards the thief! I want to see how he can escape this time. Taking my things is not easy!"


    The next moment, the floating ind suddenly trembled before it started to drift towards Jacob. It looked just like a huge cloud of mist, but whoever came in its way would not be able to live to tell the tale!


    This was just the start of another cmity brought by the Faceless Ancient upon the entirety of Unique ins!


    ---


    Somewhere far, far away from the Lesser Gxy of Taurus was a beautiful pce on top of a mountain peak.


    At this moment, within this pce, sitting on a massive throne, was an imposing woman wearing nothing but ck. She was as beautiful as a fairy, but her eyes were exempt from any warmth as she was impassively looking at the kneeling figure of a humanoid beast with fox ears and two tails.


    "Your Imperial Majesty, the Legendary Key has been acquired by your loyal subjects from the in trials, and they are on their way with it as we speak!" The man stated with a hint of ecstasy; he was clearly very excited about acquiring the Legendary Key!


    The woman''s eyes shimmered when she heard it, and she nodded in acknowledgment, "Excellent. Prepare approximate rewards for their service. You may go now and make further arrangements for the opening of the path of legend. Bring the key to me once it arrives."


    "This subject won''t disappoint you." The man quickly nodded, but a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes as if he wanted to say something before leaving.


    The woman noticed it and said coolly, "Is there something you want to add? Speak without restrain."


    The man pulled a difficult expression before he finally decided to speak, "I seek your majesty''s forgiveness for what I''m about to say. I just received a message stating that the delegates of the three factions want to negotiate with Her Majesty to enter the path of legend!"


    The woman''s eyes turned deadly cold as she sneered, "They just wouldn''t learn, do they? First, they tried to suppress me and assassinate me but failed and got beaten back miserably. Then, they even formed an alliance among themselves to resist me, and again, when they were beaten like dead dogs, they ran away.


    "Only after that did they acknowledge my rule, and I even spared them since I didn''t want tomit genocide, and now that they had the gal to negotiate with me when they found I got the legendary key? Do those shameless dogs think I''m so gullible?!"


    The man trembled when he sensed the rage behind the woman''s words. He took a deep breath and bowed his head. "I understand! I''ll send your reply right away." He quickly got up and started to head towards the exit.


    The woman''s eyes shed with a peculiar hint as she watched the man leave before she suddenly said, "Tell them, if they want to enter the Path of Legend with me, I wantpletemand over their troops. Before this could happen, I want all the secret information they are hiding about the Path of Legend as well as all the information they had on the middle gxies!"


    The man suddenly stopped before he looked back at the woman with shock. He was mesmerized by her beauty, but he quickly snapped out of it when he saw her eyes be deadly sharp, and he quickly averted his eyes since he knew that woman would kill anyone who looked at her like this.


    He quickly said before leaving, "I will send your decree right away!"


    The moment the man left, the woman was alone, and at this moment, she couldn''t help but sigh, "About god-damn time, I got that troublesome key!" Shepletely lost her dignified air and appeared like a frustrated woman who had overworked herself.


    However, right at this moment, a deep voice suddenly rang in her head, "Legatee, I just sense my corrte Universal Godly Artifact being activated by someone in one of the lesser gxies!"

 Chapter 697 A Hope (1)

    <h4>Chapter 697 A Hope (1)</h4>


    Jacob reached the Unique ins without a hitch and couldn''t help but feel slightly nostalgic after seeing lush ins without gravity or water.


    However, he knew this peace wouldn''tst long because if his guess were right, the Unique ins would soon plunge into chaos, and in truth, for him, chaos was a huge opportunity.


    Nheless, he still had some unfinished business he needed to take care of in the unique ins, so he steered the flying ship in another direction, which was his next destination. Moreover, he was also on the lookout for some living beings to experiment with the Gluttony Mask.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly thought of Zoe and Sofie, whom he hadn''t contacted for over two decades. He was supposed to help Zoe be the Dark Duke, but then his circumstances changed, and he left the dark city and the surface.


    He knew Zoe and Sofie had tried to contact him several times during his seclusion, but hepletely ignored everything and stowed his star watch in the infinity pendant.


    Now that he was back, he decided to try contacting Sofie again to get some up-to-date information about the Unique ins or what had been happening since he was in the deep ocean. But he wasn''t too hopeful about her picking up.


    However, to his surprise, she picked up the moment his call connected with her, and Sofie''s anxious voice rang, "My Lord! Is that you?"


    She really sounded worried, which made Jacob feel something foreign that he seemed to have forgotten, and he couldn''t put his finger on it. Still, hepletely ignored it and said in an impassive tone, "Indeed, it''s me, or do you think someone else can use my Star ID?"


    "Thank the heavens that you are alright. We were really worried about you when we weren''t able to reach you," Sofie said, sounding both relieved and indignant.


    "You don''t have to worry about my safety; I''m not that easy to harm." Jacob impassively stated.


    "Just, where were you?" Sofie asked in exasperation.


    Jacob wanted to refute and shut her down for some reason as he didn''t like her tone for some reason. But he didn''t because he knew Sofie and Zoe were valuable pawns, and falling out with them while he was at fault would be an idiotic move.


    "Something came up, and I had to go under. I apologize for myck of contact, but it was necessary, and even if I had contacted you, there was nothing you could''ve done, and I would''ve been able to help you. I just got back and decided to contact you and ask if any peculiar events happened while I was away?" Jacob impassively stated as he subtly exined his reason for remaining hidden all these years.


    "Then, did you solve your problem?" She asked with a hint of worry, but she didn''t ask what the problem was since she knew Jacob wouldn''t tell her if he didn''t want to, and she would only annoy him if she pushed further.


    "Not yet, but that problem is no longer threatening, so there''s no need for you to concern yourself with it."


    "Then that''s great." Sofie sighed in relief before she said, "If you want information about the events that took ce in the unique ins while you were away, then please contact Lady Zoe; she''ll be able to exin more urately.


    "Furthermore, she was also very worried about you and my lord. She had endured quite a lot because of your sudden disappearance from the Unique ins Dark City. Please help her; she''s not a bad person." She solemnly stated with a hint of concern.


    She knew that for Jacob, Zoe might be just a pawn; after all, she wasn''t any different, but she really hoped that Jacob would treat her a little nicely, not indifferently. Although Jacob had removed the parasite gem from her as well, and she was no longer his ve, she still considered herself his subordinate.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with a peculiar light before he replied, "I''ll see what I can do. After all, I promised her that I''d make her the Dark Duke when she agreed toe here with me. You don''t have to worry; if she won''t betray my trust, I''ll do what I can. Now I''ll contact her. Thank you for your input."


    Jacob was about to end the call when Sofie spoke in a hurry, "Wait, my lord!"


    "Is there anything else?" He asked with a frown.


    "N-nothing¡­ it''s just¡­ will I be seeing you soon, my lord? I can now properly serve you since Lady Zoe helped me with my bloodline. Now, I''m a Tier-8 Unique Rank Sorceress and Advanced Unique Rank potion, rune, and pill alchemist. Moreover, soon, I''ll break through to Tier-9!" She asked with an expectant tone, and she sounded quite proud when she told him about her progress.


    Jacob was also a little surprised to hear that Sofie had managed to reach almost a peak unique rank and three alchemist fields in over two decades.


    After mulling it over for a moment, he replied, "If you really want to follow me further, you have to be an expert in the three steps of legend. Unique Rank is nothing in front of me anymore, nor do they serve any grand purpose in the ce where I''m heading."


    "What is Three Steps of Legend?" Sofie was baffled by those words since it was the first time she had heard them, and she couldn''t help but feel her heart racing since Jacob hadn''t directly refused her and even told her she could really follow him.


    "That''s for you to find. If you can''t even find this information, then I don''t think you have any chance to progress. Now, I''m hanging up." Jacob impassively stated before he cut the call this time without waiting for Sofie''s reply.


    But he frowned deeply, ''Why did you give her hope? Are you really nning on letting her tag along? What the hell is going on¡­''


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he felt something he hadn''t felt for anyone in this ce ever since he hade to the Zodiac ins: anticipation!

 Chapter 698 A Hope (2)

    Chapter 698 A Hope (2)


    Afterward, Jacob called Zoe, and like Sofie, she sounded quite shocked and also relieved that Jacob was fine and alive. Jacob felt annoyed for some reason, but he didn''t know why, and he subtly exined why he hadn''t been avable all these years, just like he did with Sofie.


    Only then did Zoe get to the main point, "Please, if you ever decide to hide again, at least inform me or Sofie. Although I know you don''t expect much from us, we are not as ipetent as you think of us. Still, I''m d that you still remember us.


    "Anyhow, about the information you want to know, I know you only want to hear about events on your level, and I had a feeling that you might contact me to know about them if you ever decided toe back."


    She sounded somewhat sarcastic, making Jacob grimace, but he remained silent and let her continue.


    "The first thing you know is about the Dark Duke. After you abruptly left the Unique ins Dark City, the Dark Duke came to find me and inquired about your whereabouts, which I had no idea about myself. Even my uncle seemed quite flustered about your disappearance. I don''t know why they were both so interested in you, but knowing my grandfather, I can assume his interest in you wasn''t anything but good.


    "However, since I don''t know anything, he had to give up, but I never expected that he would make me sign an oath contract just to confirm if I''m telling the truth or not, and he even made me contact you forcibly¡­" Her tone was icy cold at this moment since she was clearly quite displeased and no longer trusted her n.


    "But just as I said, I had no idea about your actions, so he got nothing. But his expression wasn''t good when you didn''t pick up my call, and even after leaving, he assigned some people to keep an eye on me and Sofie.


    "After that, something happened around nine years after you leave, and this was quite a shocking event; the Three Absolute Factions suddenly announced their alliance, and this caused quite a ruck, especially because of the alliance between life and dead factions.


    "But this was just the start because soon after that, they all started a mass search all over the Unique ins. As for the target of their search, I couldn''t find out even to this day. But anyone with the slightest suspicion was taken away by the three factions and never heard from again. You can even find the results of this mass search to this day.


    "Furthermore, from what I found out from my connections, you were also the target of that search, and the person who gave your name was also the Dark Duke. Moreover, that search scale wasn''t just limited to the Conflict ins; even the territories under the three factions were searched thoroughly.


    "This search stopped suddenly around five years ago, and no one knows the reason for it. However, something even more shocking happened afterward. I don''t know about other factions, but the Dark Kingdom suddenly sent out its top force somewhere, and that includes the Dark Duke and many other high-ups of the Dark Kingdom.


    "But if I''m not wrong, it wasn''t just the Dark Kingdom that suddenly sent their top force somewhere; the other facts might''ve done the same. However, I can tell you for sure that they are never seen in the Unique ins; it''s as if they had vanished into thin air.


    "Even to this day, the Dark Duke and those higher-ups have yet to return, and the current person who oversees the Dark Kingdom is none other than my father. These are the only noteworthy events that I could think of that you might be interested in," Zoe stated solemnly.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed dangerously when he heard the Dark Duke was targeting him. Although he already knew about Fulwood''s tricks he tried to use on him back in the Dark City, he still found it a hassle to eliminate him.


    But now that he thinks about it, it seems the Dark Duke was involved with Fulwood from the start. He didn''t mind collecting some ''new blood,'' and he still hadn''t forgotten about the spirit tree nectar. However, Jacob''s attention was more on the three factions'' strange movements, and he could only think of one that could possibly bring them together. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ''Were they searching for the Legendary Key? But what could they be doing now?'' Jacob mused, finding all this very suspicious. He wasn''t as reckless as before after encountering those two hourss bearers.


    He knew there were too many hidden powers, and they were far more dangerous than the ones in light. Anything could happen if he weren''t careful.


    ''Well, if that bug bitch reacted the same way as I''m expecting her to, then I can wait and watch how those factions would react to it. I might find something unexpected with Autarch''s assistance.


    ''And having Zoe in the Dark City has proven to be quite beneficial for me now. Once I entered the middle gxies, I needed more pawns like her since I had to be even more careful there. I have to change some of my habits¡­''


    "Thank you for this information, Miss Zoe; I really appreciate it. You have also suffered quite a lot because of my sudden disappearance. Tell me, what are you required to be a Dark Duke? I see what I can do to help you. Since the Dark Duke is absent, this might be a good chance for you to rise to be a Dark Duke and take over the Dark Kingdom." Jacob stated impassively.


    Zoe didn''t reply for a few moments, as if startled by his words or just contemting her next words.


    She finally spoke in a grave tone, "If you can really help me, then I won''t hide it from you. I have already reached the required merit for bing Dark Duke no longer ago. However, what I hadn''t expected was that there was another secret requirement that only came to light after Ipleted the merit requirement.


    "The requirement is to be an expert in the Inception Legend Rank. From what I gathered, there seemed to be three more ranks above the Unique Rank, and they are known as the Three Steps of Legend. I wonder if Mr. Jack had heard about them."


    Jacob was startled when he heard those words and couldn''t help but wince his brows because he knew just how difficult this requirement was to clear!

 Chapter 699 A Vicious Cycle…

    Chapter 699 A Vicious Cycle¡­


    Nighttime, the hidden headquarters of the Treaty of Legends.


    At the edge of a cliff, a tall woman in a ck gothic dress stood as strong, humid winds of the ocean brushed past her curvaceous figure, fluttering her long ck hair in the air.


    She looked at the half-moon in the starry sky in a daze as if in deep thought. She was the leader of the Treaty of Legends, Queen!


    At this moment, the Queen suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, and her eyes behind her mask suddenly narrowed dangerously.


    She coldly uttered, "What it is, Diminutive?"


    Almost instantly, a midget suddenly appeared beside her and cackled in his impish voice, "I thought I would find you here. What, admiring the waning moon again, or is there something bothering you again, my fairdy?"


    The Queen''s eyes turned icy, "Even if we are alone, you don''t have the right to speak to me in this tone. If you are here to waste my time, then scram!"


    If the other members of the treaty were here, they would''ve been absolutely shocked after seeing Diminutive get away with just a retort but not lose a limb or two by talking with the Queen like this. Everyone knows just how dangerous and short-tempered this woman is, and no one had the guts to talk with her like this, but Diminutive was doing just that.


    Diminutive, however, didn''t back down and cackled again in amusement, "Heh, as feisty as ever, I see. But this just makes you even more charming in my eyes; there is really no one like you in this fucking dump!" He was literally ying with tiger''s whiskers at this moment!


    However, the Queen still didn''t decapitate his head and only released her bone-chilling aura in warning, "Are you sure you want to continue? I''m no longer like my past self!"


    Diminutive lips curled up, revealing his sharp fangs. He clearly wasn''t bothered by her aura, but suddenly, he raised his hand in surrender and yfully said, "Alright, I''ll try another day, I guess. We have all the time in the world, and by fate, we are stuck together."


    "Unfortunately." The Queen scoffed as she retracted her aura since Diminutive could no longer spout more nonsense and asked again in a cold tone, "Now, out with it."


    "How beautiful¡­" Diminutive clicked his tongue, and before the Queen could go on a rampage, he quickly continued without teasing her anymore, "Well, my fairdy, the good news is, the formation is at its final phase ofpletion. The bad news is, the Fog Ind above the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone had left the ice ins for some reason, and it''s heading directly in the direction of the Conflict ins!" The Queen''s eyes suddenly widened with surprise. She knew about the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone, especially the true reason it was dered a no-return zone: the floating ind, which they called the Fog Ind! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Furthermore, since this news wasing directly from Diminutive, she knew it must be true because this guy might look like the weakest of the treaty. In truth, he was unfathomable and just liked to hide under sheep''s clothing.


    After all, the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone''s Fog Ind was even bad news for her, but he could easily spy on it, and this was just one of his mysterious abilities. If she weren''t wary of this midget and not confident enough to beat him, she would''ve long gotten rid of him because he was simply too dangerous and maniptive.


    Nheless, he was still one of the reasons the Treaty of Legends could be reached at this point, and without his help, it would have been very difficult to control the Unique ins!


    "Has someone provoked the Locust Queen? No, there shouldn''t be anyone who could provoke her and then live to tell the tale. Why is she up to after all these years of peace, why reacting like this now?" The Queen asked in a serious tone as she knew just how grave this matter was, and if the Locust Queen really wanted to raise hell in the Unique ins, then it might thwart their ns. Diminutive shrugged his shoulder dismissively as he said, "Who knows what''s going on in that insect''s mind? I''m pretty sure there wasn''t anyone who had visited the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone, and there was no trace of battles in the Ice ins. But I''m notpletely certain since I can''t always keep an eye on that insect. I would rather keep my eyes on you, my fairdy."


    The Queen''s eyes narrowed dangerously, "You still have a mind to y your mind games? This is no longer a matter that we can ignore. If, by any chance, Locust Queen went on a frenzy on the Conflict ins, we both know the three factions would have acted, or the SAAI would make sure to strip them of their lofty statuses. Without their connections and status, they are nothing but a useless waste of space for us!"


    Diminutive didn''t refute her words and sighed, "It''s quite ironic, don''t you think? Those ignorant mortals think that the Star Network is there to protect them and make their lives easier, but the reality is they are just like sheep who were being raised for someone''s entertainment. Even more ironic is that those fools were willing to be the shepherds.


    "The moment this sheep farm was threatened, those shepherds would have to protect it even with their lives, or they would lose everything, and they didn''t even know about it. Hahaha!" the Diminutivempooned as he burst into chillyughter filled with deep resentment and hatred. He didn''t appear as carefree as before.


    The Queen knew why Diminutive was reacting this way andmented in a profound, bitter tone as deeply looked towards the vast endless starry sky, "Nothing is free in Zodiac ins. If you get something, then you have to prove you are worthy of keeping it, or it will take it back just like it gave it to you in a heartbeat. But when it takes back, it will also take back your life aspensation.


    "Only by breaking free from this vicious cycle can you truly be free. Otherwise, we are all just puppets dancing for its entertainment until we break!"

 Chapter 700 Cardinal Spirit Church

    Chapter 700 Cardinal Spirit Church


    In the Neutral ns of the Conflict ins, a lusty mountain range was located, known as the Holy Mountain Range, because here was located the branch of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, the Cardinal Spirit Church. The Cardinal Spirit Church was different from the other powers among the three factions because only the Faery Humans held true power there, while the others could only be believers of the Temple''s faith, the Holy Justice God.


    Despite their small numbers, the Cardinal Spirit Church and its main temple still controlled huge power, and their influence was even deeper than that of the other factions, especially among themon folks.


    One of the main reasons for the Faery Humans'' influence and tight control over the temple was their innate affinity with the Light Element and their heritage of Holy Magic, which could only be performed using the Light Element.


    Gravely injured and afflicted people from all over the conflict inse to the Holy Mountain Range to seek the church''s help in healing, and some evene here to cure various poisons and curses.


    Although there was also Alchemy for these purposes, it was simply too costly, and some alchemy ingredients were too hard to find or in various dangerous ces. Even if someone had both wealth and the means to gather them, there was still a chance that they might never be able to reach the alchemist or that the alchemist failed in the process, hence wasting the materials. That''s why the Cardinal Spirit Church held such influence.


    However, for this exact reason, entering the Holy Mountain Range was very troublesome. At one time, thousands of people gathered outside the mountain gates just to wait for their turn.


    Because there was a rule that each day only 5,000 people could enter the Holy Mountain, and then they had to leave within 3 days, or they will be detained and deported out of the mountain range while also entering the cklist of the church, never able to step inside again.


    At this moment, just like always, the entrance of the Holy Mountain Range was filled with a myriad of people and their temporary tents as they waited for their turn.


    They weren''t worried about someone else entering before them because they had their entrance token, which they brought from the Star Server of the Cardinal Spirit Church. This entrance token cost 10 million ZC, and once someone turned in, they would receive a message from the starwork. Then, they had to report within an hour before their token would turn invalid, and it wasn''t refundable.


    Among these myriad people, a scared-faced elf with dark hair and ebony skin wearing full body armor was sitting alone on a thick branch of a tall tree. His dark brown eyes were cold as he watched the colossal mountain gates hundreds of meters away from here with scrutiny. "Would you Mind if we joined you, friend?" A jolly voice suddenly caught the dark elf''s attention.


    Averting his eyes, he coldly looked down and saw another tall elf with emerald hair and a toned build adorned in clean white robes. Beside him was a small, delicate elf girl with simr emerald hair bound in a ponytail. She looked at him with her big, round eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. However, despite the summer heat, a thick scarf was wrapped around her neck, looking quite out of ce.


    The dark elf thoughtfully replied, "Suit yourself; this tree didn''t just belong to me."


    The wood elf was a little startled by the dark elf''s reply before he smiled in appreciation and nodded, "Thank you."


    The next moment, he picked up the little elf girl in his arms and jumped, directly reaching the top of the tree, and gracefullynded on another branch a few meters away from where the dark elf was sitting.


    He then carefully ced the little elf girl on the branch, took out a strange ck binocr with runes engraved on its frame, gave it to the little elf girl, and gently said, "Here, you can watch the Holy Mountain Gates as much as you want."


    "Thank you, Daddy!" The little elf girl said in her delicate voice. Her eyes shone with tion as she quickly grabbed the binocrs and ced them before her eyes. The wood elf lovingly creased her head gently before he sat down, looked towards the dark elf, and asked in a friendly tone, "So, what happened to you?"


    The dark elf nced at the scarf around the little girl''s neck peculiarly before he finally averted his eyes, looked towards the wood elf, and said a single word, "Poison."


    The wood elf''s expression became grave as he nodded, "Will you be alright until your turn arrives?"


    "You don''t have to worry about a stranger like me. " The dark elf impassively replied.


    The wood elf smiled in embarrassment, "Forgive me if I overstep just now. Don''t worry, we won''t bother you anymore. My little girl wanted to see the mountain gates, but there were simply too many people around that ce, which would make her agitate. Once she fulfills her curiosity, we''ll leave."


    "No worries." The dark elf nodded, then hesitated for a moment and asked, ncing at the little elf girl, "What happened to her?"


    The wood elf was startled by this unexpected question, and the little girl suddenly peered towards the dark elf.


    "Why do you think I''m here for her?" The wood elf asked with curiosity. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Since the crowd agitates your daughter and this ce really isn''t for sightseeing, it''s quite obvious. Furthermore, the scarf around her neck is too eye-catching, and I can sense a peculiar energy around her neck." The dark elf replied coolly.


    The wood elf''s eyes widened as his expression suddenly changed, "You can sense the curse around her neck?!"


    The dark elf''s eyes shimmered in realization, "So, it''s a curse?"


    The wood elf agitatedly nodded, "Indeed, since her birth, she''s been afflicted with this mysterious curse, and because of it, she can''t cultivate magic or go anywhere near mana. If she did, then that curse started to torment her for hours.


    "I can''t afford to seek the witch race''s alchemists, so I start saving money to try Holy Magic since it said that holy magic is the best way to cure a curse. However, you are the first one who could sense the curse from her. Do you know anything? If you can help my little girl, I''ll do anything!" His eyes shimmered with hope as he looked at the dark elf with an intense, pleading look. The dark elf didn''t reply but looked towards the little girl, who was now looking at him with a curious yet hopeful nce.


    ''Why did my hex core suddenly react when this girl got closer to me? Does this curse have any affinity with me?''


    The dark elf, or Jacob, who was now using the gluttony mask to disguise himself as a dark elf, couldn''t help but think as his curiosity was piqued!

 Chapter 701 The Price for Keeping the Gluttony Mask!

    Chapter 701 The Price for Keeping the Gluttony Mask!


    "Can I see it?" asked Jacob while ncing at the little elf girl.


    The wood elf hesitated for a moment before he gently said to his daughter, "Elia, show Uncle your neck; he might be able to help you."


    "Mhh." Elia obediently nodded before she handed the binocrs to her father and unwrapped the scarf around her neck.


    Jacob didn''t n to help the little girl; he just wanted to see why his hex core subtly reacted to her. Furthermore, he hadn''t examined anyone with a curse before, especially a curse that someone was born with. He didn''t even know if this was possible.


    Nheless, he was quite interested in this connate curse that Elia was afflicted with. Furthermore, Jacob knew Elia''s father was lying when he said they only came to this ce because Elia wanted to see the mountain gates. But he decided not to call him out on this and wanted to observe further before making his move. After all, despite the wood elf lying about the part approaching him, his other words were true.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when Elia dropped the scarf, and a web of dark lines spread around her neck revealed. It was quite hideous to look at, and Jacob could ''see'' dense dark particles rising around that web of dark lines.


    On the other hand, the wood elf held his breath when he saw the dark elf looking so intensely at Elia''s curse, and hope shimmered in his agitated eyes. Truth be told, he only found Jacob because of Elia!


    He didn''t know why, but when they were heading towards the mountain gates, Elia suddenly told him that she was sensing something familiar in Jacob''s direction, which greatly shocked him since she had never said something like that. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Nheless, he decided to trust his innocent daughter and followed her direction. It was then that he found the dark elf sitting on this tree, and Elia told him that she got that familiar feeling from the Dark Elf.


    But he was still on guard and decided to approach the Dark Elf under the pretext that Elia wanted to see the mountain gates. He even taught Elia to act with him. First, he was still somewhat suspicious, and he could feel the Dark Elf had this unapproachable air around him; he clearly didn''t want to be disturbed.


    Nheless, for his daughter, he would do anything, so he tried probing the dark elf to see if he could get something out of him, but when Jacob said that he could sense Elia''s curse, his heart skipped a beat, and he finally understood why Elia reacted that way.


    Now, he was really hoping that this Dark Elf could help him cure his daughter since he didn''t have much hope with the Faery Humans as well, and he didn''t know what he would do if even the holy magic failed to cure Elia''s curse. At the very least, he was hoping the Dark Elf would point him in some direction.


    While Elia and the wood elf were silently waiting for Jacob''s evaluation, Jacob mused, ''If I want to examine this curse more thoroughly, then I must use my hex mana, but with the Gluttony Mask on, I can''t use my true magic without removing this disguise¡­''


    After he entered the conflict ins, the first thing he did was familiarize himself with the Gluttony Mask and experiment with its true function. After many trials, Jacob was finally able to thoroughly understand the Gluttony Mask''s two functions: the Gluttony Shapeshift and Gluttony Genesis. He found that when he fed the Gluttony Mask the corpse of a peak epic rank, it instantly evolved into advanced epic rank with gluttony genesis.


    However, he soon found that Gluttony Genesis wasn''t just there to help the mask evolve. When he used the Gluttony Shapeshift to change into the epic rank barbarian he fed to the mask, not only did his entire bodypletely morph into that barbarian, but even his rank and magic were masked.


    First, whenever he used his mana, it morphed into the same element as the barbarian without any w. The barbarian had an earth magic core, and when Jacob used his water, fire, or hex mana, it instantly converted into earth mana perfectly!


    This was simply too shocking, so Jacob continued his tests further. Then, he discovered something even more shocking when he tried to use his star watch in that barbarian''s disguise.


    He found that his star watch didn''t work and got disconnected because it couldn''t detect ''Faceless Ancient''s'' life signature. But when he tried to use the dead barbarian''s Star Watch, it instantly connected, and he was able to ess the barbarian''s Star ount and everything!


    This discovery shocked Jacob and made him ecstatic because it meant that this mask''s disguise was perfect, and even the bloodline test was tricked.


    This made him realize just how powerful and dangerous this mask was. It could perfectly mask everything without leaving behind anything, and no one would be able to tell the difference between the real and the fake except for their memories.


    Then Jacob tried the same thing with a unique rank goblin with a mystic signature, and just like before, everything was perfectly morphed even that goblin''s mystic signature!


    However, the only thing Jacob found bothersome and disadvantageous was that as long as he was using the Gluttony Shapeshift, he couldn''t use his real magic, strength, or anything his real body had. Meaning, as long as he was in disguise as this peak unique rank dark elf, he couldn''t use his fire, water, or hex mana, nor could he use his physical strength to its peak or fluid eleration.


    The only ability he found that he could have with his mask was his Eyes of Judge and Soul Force!


    Jacob mused that this might be rted to the Eyes of Judge being a soul-type innate ability, or the mask might simply be too weak to stop the Eyes of Judge. Another possibility is that this treasure only morphs physical bodies, not souls. He had to wait to get the answer to that question. Last but not least, Jacob found that while using Gluttony Shapeshift, he was vulnerable to all attacks that his actual body normally wasn''t, which was very dangerous in various situations.


    Simply put, if he was disguised as a rare rank being, someone in epic rank could easily kill him. So, in any dangerous situation, he needed to cancel his disguise and reveal himself Most importantly, Jacob discovered that his mask actually used his blood vitality as a source of power to keep the Gluttony Shapeshift constantly operating. Then he finally got a vague idea why the Witch Queen left behind this mask: if someone normal used it, they would simply end up dead by feeding it their own blood vitality.


    Only someone like Jacob, who had a Universal Godly Scripture, can afford to keep this ghastly mask and use it to its full potential without ending up getting killed by it!

 Chapter 702 Benefits Above Everything!

    Chapter 702 Benefits Above Everything!


    Jacob knew he couldn''t use his hex mana without revealing his true form in front of Elia and her father, but he really wanted to examine Elia''s curse.


    So, he decided to choose the most effective and safe way; looking at Elia and her father, he said, "Wait here. I''ll be back." The next moment, he jumped off the tree and vanished into the forest, leaving the baffled wood elf and his daughter in shock.


    "Is that uncle going to cure me, Daddy?" Elia suddenly asked her father with an expectant look in her big, round eyes, and she didn''t take the dark elf''s action as strange.


    Her father pulled a pained expression, seeing his daughter''s hopeful gaze, and smilingly nodded, "I think he will; let''s wait and see. Even if he can''t help you, I''m sure we''ll find a cure for you in the Cardinal Spirit Chru¡­"


    Suddenly, the wood elf''s eyes were shut, and he started to fall off the tree as he fell unconscious mysteriously. Elia was startled and panicked, seeing her father suddenly starting to fall and was about to cry in rm when she also lost consciousness the next moment, and she started to fall off the tree as well.


    However, at this moment, before she could crush on the ground, a giant bone hand grabbed her while her father directly smashed on the ground andy there in slumber.


    It was naturally Jacob''s doing, as he used his slumber hex on his father and daughter so they wouldn''t find out his true identity. This way, he can also examine Elia as much as he wants without her father''s interference.


    Jacob, without wasting any time, ced his bone finger on the curse marks around Elia''s neck, and crimson mana started to coat his finger. The moment his hex mana touched the dark web around Elia''s neck, an unexpected reaction urred.


    The dark web of the curse suddenly lit up in dark light, and his hex mana suddenly started flowing into the curse at an rming rate. Consequently, the web of dark lines started to spread all over Elia''s body and face!


    Jacob was astounded when he felt his hex mana being greedily absorbed into the little elf girl as if she were a bottomless pit. For some reason, he started to feel strange reasoning with her, or, more urately, he felt as if his hex core was forming a strange connection with Elia.


    As more of his hex mana was absorbed in Elia, the web of dark lines shimmered strongly, and those lines spread profoundly around her face.


    ''What is happening? Does she have some kind of affinity with curse magic? I really wish that damn book wouldn''t be in its cooldown period, and there are still around twenty days left before I could summon it. Should I continue without knowing what''s going to happen? Or should I just abduct her and keep her into my pedant until I got an answer out of Immortika?


    However, at this moment, he ran out of hex mana, and thereafter, the dark lines on Elia''s body started to dim down, but Jacob could now feel that those dark lines still wanted his hex mana and were far from done.


    ''What is happening? Does she have some kind of affinity with curse magic? I really wish that damn book wouldn''t be in its cooldown period, and there are still around twenty days left before I could summon it. Should I continue without knowing what''s going to happen? Or should I just abduct her and keep her into my pedant until I got an answer out of Immortika?


    ''But it''s quite clear her curse isn''t normal, and my hex core seemed to have some kind of connection with her. As for her father¡­'' He looked at the unconscious wood elf coldly.


    In the end, Elia vanished from his hand, and then he used his water mana to write something on the tree and ce something on the wood elf''s hand before he walked away, leaving the unconscious wood elf behind. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but since it might benefit him, he wasn''t going to hesitate to do what was necessary, even if it meant abducting someone''s daughter!


    After six hours, as the sun was about to set, the wood elf finally opened his eyes in confusion. He was rmed and cried, "Elia!?" He instantly searched for his daughter.


    He didn''t know what happened, but he was more afraid about Elia''s safety than his own. Then he noticed something metallic in his hand. When he saw what it was, he was bewildered because it was a spacer ring.


    However, he didn''t have the mind to pay it any heed and called loudly, "Elia!!" But what replied to him was an eerie silence. He started to freak out and looked around frantically.


    At this moment, he finally spotted something unusual on the bark of the same tree where he found the dark elf; there was something carved on it. When he read it, his expression warped, and he was horrified because what was written on the tree was. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''m taking your daughter because her condition is very special, and no one but I can help her. Once I''m done with her, I''ll send her back. You don''t have to worry about her safety, she''s safer with me than you because if she remained with you''ll get her killed eventually.


    "I know you''re going to hate me for what I''d done is wrong, and you should be hating me. But know this: if you try to find me or your daughter, only misery awaits you. It''s a warning and my advice to you. If Elia doesn''t return to you in 10 years, then I would suggest you move on and forget about her.


    "I left enough treasures for you to live like a King in the Unique ins. I hope it''ll give you some sce until we meet again¡­ ''J''!"


    The wood elf''s eyes opened wide as the dark elf''s face suddenly appeared in his mind. His body started to shake with rage, and his eyes shimmered with dense hate and killing intent.


    He then looked at the space ring in hand and wanted to throw it away, as it instantly reminded him of this humiliation. However, it also increased his hatred for this ''dark elf'' who took Elia as if she were some kind ofmodity and then left those words as if he was doing him a favor. He started to regret his decision even more.


    At this moment, he clenched the ring in his fist and threw a punch at the writing on the tree bark, sting it into smithereens, and roared furiously with hatred and resolved, "Bastard! You fiend, how could you do this! I''ll kill you for taking my daughter, even if it''s thest thing I do!"

 Chapter 703 Holy Mountain Range

    Chapter 703 Holy Mountain Range


    After his strange encounter with the wood elf and Elia, Jacob focused on his true target, the Cardinal Spirit Church. He was naturally here to investigate the Faery Humans and find some more clues about the Eyes of Judge. As for his body''s background, he wasn''t interested in it from the start.


    After all, he was no longer a Faery Human and was bing something else entirely. Although he was somewhat curious about his body''s past at first, it no longer interested him; even if he found something, he wouldn''t care.


    Furthermore, the neutral ins were in the center of the conflict ins, so this was the perfect ce to observe andy in wait for what was about toe. However, he wasn''tpletely sure if the Ice Fiend Locust Queen even took this bait and attacked the conflict ins she couldn''t send above the unique rank Ice Fiend Locusts.


    Nheless, he was still hopeful and wanted her to take this bait ande here. As for going to the Dark City, he still didn''t want to reveal the fact that he was back. If someone were on the lookout for him, many troubles woulde that he didn''t want to handle at that moment.


    However, he didn''t take the Dark Elf''s disguise anymore, especially since he knew that the Wood Elf might not give up on finding his daughter so easily. He only showed him some kindness because he took his daughter and spared his life. But if he didn''t know how to appreciate his kindness, he didn''t mind getting rid of him for good.


    But he knew once he fed the gluttony mask another race, that wood elf would never be able to find him again. As for sending Elia back, it would all depend on Immortika''s evaluation and why she makes his hex core react this way.


    Jacob had been scouting and observing the holy mountain gates for a few days now, and with Autarch''s help, he had gathered quite a lot of information. So, now was the time to enter this so-called Holy Mountain Range ruled by the Faeries!


    At night, when the Holy Mountain Gates were closed, and the people who were waiting were either asleep or doing something in their temporary lodgings, he found an alone monkey-faced orc and disguised himself as that orc. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Thereafter, in the guise of the orc, Jacob approached the colossal mountain gates without hesitation and then ordered Autarch, "Open the small gate!"


    As if Autarch was waiting for hismand, a few momentster, the small doors on the side suddenly opened, revealing a giant race guard. Some people who were still outside also noticed this, and they were shocked when they saw the small gate suddenly open at this hour, and then a cloaked figure entered through it!


    This caused some smallmotions since this had never happened before. However, Jacob didn''t care at all since he couldn''t just climb the walls because there were very powerful formations protecting them. Raising the rm just to enter this ce was not worth it, especially when he could easily get in without drawing the attention of the entire city.


    The giant guard led Jacob inside a huge hallway within the wall. Even more giant race guards stood around this hall, but they didn''t react to Jacob''s presence at all, as if they didn''t see him. It was naturally all Autarch''s doing!


    After Jacob crossed the hall, the giant guard opened another door. Behind it was a vast forest with many paved roads. Once Jacob crossed the gates, the door behind him was shut.


    ''So, this is the holy mountain range, huh? I can feel the mana is far denser than outside, and those trees are different from the trees outside. Well, it doesn''t matter since I need to find another disguise to move around easier.


    ''Hmmm¡­ the highest rank Faery Human here is the Priest, who is also the overseer of this ce, and he has the strongest holy magic. Then there are the ranks of Deacon and Devotee. ''Only Faery Humans can im these ranks, while the other races can only be ''believers'' whose job is to do chores or serve the Faeries or ''Holy Spirit Knight,'' like those guards who protect the Faeries.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile. He had already decided what he should do next, so he released the disguise, used his own power to enter stealth, and then headed toward the core of the Holy Mountain Range.


    There were many abodes all over the Holy Mountain Range, some small and somerge and grand. They all belonged to the Faeries, and many other people were here to heal. Jacob saw them kneeling outside some of therge abodes without moving. ''So, I need to be at least a Faery Human to move around freely, but why would I be satisfied with a Devotee rank Faery when I can just take over the Priest and do everything I want to.''


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile. He had already decided what he should do next, so he released the disguise, used his own power to enter stealth, and then headed toward the core of the Holy Mountain Range.


    There were many abodes all over the Holy Mountain Range, some small and somerge and grand. They all belonged to the Faeries, and many other people were here to heal. Jacob saw them kneeling outside some of therge abodes without moving. Jacob also noticed that some races among these people were wearingpletely white robes, and their faces were covered by transparent muslin. They were bringing those kneeling people inside the abodes while taking others out. They were the ''believers'' who devoted their lives to the church and served the Faeries in the name of faith.


    Jacob didn''t know what kind of magic the Faeries had used to make them devote their lives to servitude like this, but he knew they were nothing less than fanatics when it came to serving the Holy Justice God.


    Furthermore, the Faeries called themselves the holy race or children of the Holy Justice God, further evaluating their status in the minds of these people. Some of them were even fugitives who became believers to avoid their enemies, while some were the same people who hade here for healing once, and then they wanted to show their gratitude by serving the God who gave them another life and saved them from the torment.


    As Jacob headed deeper, he started to see guards wearing white armor on patrol. The forest started to be clear, and many mountain peaks started to appear with adobes on them.


    Furthermore, these adobes were like small castles, and those people who wanted to seek the help of the owner of these mountain abodes were kneeling all over these mountains. They were also wearingvish clothing, and their ranks were even more powerful.


    However, Jacob easily avoided them all since this wasn''t his target. At this moment, he finally saw a huge mountain in the center of these small mountains. On top of this mountain was a huge, magnificent golden cathedral, shimmering under the starry sky like a godly pce.


    Furthermore, the foot of the mountain was surrounded by high walls, and giant guards stood guard with solemn expressions. But there weren''t any people here, or they simply didn''t dare approach this ce because of those guards.


    Jacob''s eyes lit up as he looked at the tall mountain and the cathedral on top. He knew what kind of ce this was, and his eyes turned sharp, ''The Cardinal Spirit Church where the Priest lives!''

 Chapter 704 A Ghost from the Past (1)

    Chapter 704 A Ghost from the Past (1)


    The spire is a tall, pointed tower that rises above the cathedral''s roof. Inside the spire is a luxurious chamber, but only the priest has ess to it.


    However, at this moment, two men were standing side by side in front of therge ss frame, which showed the entire scenery of the Holy Mountain Range and gave a very good view of the starry sky.


    One of a wizened-face Faery Human with short silver hair and a skinny frame, he wore a golden priest robe with silver makings shaped like a justice scale. He was the priest of the Cardinal Spirit Church, Percy Edgar, a direct descendant of the Faery Humans'' ruling n, the Edgar n. He was also the Great-Grandson of the current n Leader as well as the Pope, Sebastian Edgar!


    Beside Priest Percy was a young Faery Human with long silver hair and a handsome appearance. He was wearing a dark golden robe, and his amber eyes contained deep shrewdness, which also hid his arrogance.


    His name was Rudolph, and his identity was extremely special and noble among the Faery Humans, for he was a Holy Child undergoing his trial in the Conflict ins.


    "Every time you ask for our lesson to be in the spire, you have something troubling you, Holy Child. Speak your mind freely; let''s hear what kind of riddle is in your mind. But as always, I might not have an answer that you seek or don''t have the answer at all." Percy gently asked without looking at Rudolph because his old eyes were profoundly looking toward the starry sky.


    Rudolph nced at Percy, who had been his mentor for many years and said, "Mentor, I''m very grateful for all of your teaching and the experience you provided me, and you treated me like your own. But it seemed we''d have to part ways soon since I received notification about the final trial for the Holy Son and Holy Daughter being opened in the main temple in three years. So, I want to tell you in this ce where I have so many memories."


    Percy finally averted his eyes from the sky and looked towards Rudolph, who seemed very sincere and even sad about leaving this ce.


    He sighed while shaking his head, "I failed my duties when your younger twin brother was kidnapped right under my nose. But despite this grave sin, I''m still alive because of my eyes. And you know I deeply resent that since I should''ve been put to death that day for my sin.


    "Nheless, I''m still proud of you for reaching this stage, and it seems I''vepleted the purpose my god has given him in this life. If you be the Holy Son and then the Holy Pontiff, maybe, just maybe, the burden of my sin could be slightly reduced." A hint of pain and sadness crept out in Percy''s eyes when he mentioned the biggest shame of his life.


    However, Rudolph''s expression changed ever so slightly when Percy mentioned his ''younger twin brother,'' but he quickly hid it with his regrettable expression, "You don''t have to me yourself for what happened in the past. It wasn''t your fault but those vile sphemers who profane thend of and took away his child and my little brother from us.


    "Even now, his innocent face torments me to this day in my dreams, and for him, I have to seed, and only then can I bring down God''s judgment on whoever did that vile act! Please don''t me yourself mentor, let me handle the burden of avenging my little brother!" His tone was filled with hatred as his eyes shone with vengeance.


    Percy''s eyes shed with gratification as he nodded solemnly with faint killing intent in his eyes, "I know you can do it, and don''t worry, I''ll be with you when that timees. I still must repent for my sin! Only then could I have face to return to the embrace of our God!"


    "What the fuck? Is this a melodrama or something?" Right at this moment, an unfamiliar, deep yet annoyed voice rang in the spire, startling both Percy and Rudolph!


    They were shocked because they knew no one could enter this ce without going through the Holy Spirit Knights all over the cathedral. Not to mention, this ce was filled with traps and rms; only someone with authority below Percy could reach it.


    But even if someone managed to find such a person and even capture him, it was impossible for them to betray the Temple. Yet the impossible had happened!


    However, this wasn''t the first time someone had broken into the church, and it wasn''t the first time this kind of thing had happened. Percy felt like he was experiencing d¨¦j¨¤ vu as if he had experienced the same thing that happened almost six decades ago!


    "Who dares to break into thend of god!?" Rudolph''s pupils suddenly turned to vanish as his amber iris spread over his eyes, turningpletely golden.


    "Oh, you guys indeed have special eyes; this just makes it even more worth my while." At this moment, the closed door sted open!


    The next moment, a towering giant wearing a windbreaker and hood over his head walked in with slow and steady steps. Behind his hood, cold golden eyes were glowing like two suns.


    "Ahhhhh!" Rudolph suddenly let loose a strange painful cry when he looked towards the face of this hooded giant with his amber eyes which suddenly bacshed, it was as if he was looking at a burning sun, and blood trickled down from the corner of his eyes.


    Percy''s heart trembled when he saw Rudolph suffering a bacsh from using his eyes, which should have been impossible since Rudolph was a peak Unique Rank, and his proficiency in using his eyes had be a little bit better than even himself. This means this giant should have had a powerful treasure that was protecting him from their eyes. He didn''t even entertain the thought of someone resisting their eyes in the entire Unique ins.


    Furthermore, since this giant had revealed himself so arrogantly and bypassed all the security in the church, this could only mean he was very skilled and confident enough to take both on.


    "That tickled slightly." The giant scoffed as his golden eyes were locked on Rudolph''s face. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Are you here to assassinate the Holy Child?" Percy took a deep breath and concealed his nervousness as he took a step forward in front of Rudolph. He was going to stake his life to protect Rudolph and wouldn''t let his previous mistake repeat itself.


    The giant, who was obviously Jacob, looked towards Percy at this moment before he said, "You know, I couldn''t help myself but hear your touching conversation just now. Although I didn''t n to raise this subject, after seeing that idiot''s face, I changed my mind. Let me show you what I''m talking about."


    Percy and Rudolph, who had suppressed the pain his eyes were startled when they heard this giant''s strange words.


    However, when Jacob dropped the hood and revealed his face, Percy was gobsmacked with disbelief while Rudolph''s eyes widened fully, his face turned pale, and he directly dropped on his butt with horror.


    "I-I-I¡­ Impossible!" He shrilled while crawling back.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he looked at ashen Rudolph and chuckled thoughtfully, "Why are you reacting like you''ve just seen a ghost?"

 Chapter 705: A Ghost from the Past (2)

    Chapter 705: A Ghost from the Past (2)


    ?


    His charm was otherworldly, a sculpted perfection that sent shivers down Rudolph''s spine. Long, silver hair, the color of moonlight, cascaded down his back in shimmering waves. It framed a face that defied limitations.


    A heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. He was ssically handsome, yet his features held a touch of fey.


    But what truly stole both Percy and Rudolph''s breaths away were his eyes. Bright golden, like molten gold, they held an unsettling depth. They were beautiful, yet a creepy coldness lurked within them. They seemed to pierce through Rudolph, judging, assessing, and devoid of any warmth.


    There was a hint of cruelty in the way the corners of his lips were slightly upturned, a stark contrast to the delicate curve of his heart-shaped face. He radiated an air of aloofness, seemingly utterly untouchable, cold, and distant as the winter frost.


    After a long time, Jacob showed his face, and what was baffling was Rudolph had the same face as him except for his eyes, strange charm, and creepy coldness, not to mention the sheer height difference between them. Nheless, anyone who saw them would think they were identical copies of each other, with the only difference being Jacob was a towering giant, while Rudolph was a Faery Human with a 2.4-meter-tall slim frame, and Percy was experiencing just that!


    "I-Impossible! You dare to impersonate me, you sacrilegious vermin!" Rudolph roared in utter disbelief and horror as he didn''t dare to even think about a certain possibility since it was simply too absurd, and although Jacob had his face or ''his'' face, his entire body was telling otherwise.


    Percy finally snapped out of his stupor with Rudolph''s high-pitched roar, but his expression was still filled with uncertainty and apprehension as he looked at the giant with Rudolph''s face.


    But for some reason, he couldn''t help but think about another boy with the same face who always had a cheerful, warm smile on his face, and he had a kind heart. However, despite his strange thoughts, he knew what he was thinking was virtually impossible since this giant was in stark contrast to the boy that he remembered.


    In fact, because of his mastery of holy magic and his eyes, he could sense a terrible vile and murderous aura seep into the very bones of this giant as if he were crawling out straight from the depth of hell.


    Nheless, despite his instincts screaming at him to run away, he didn''t and stepped in front of Rudolph, who was behaving as if he had gonepletely insane.


    The biggest reason Rudolph''s mind suddenly became chaotic was not Jacob''s simr face; instead, it was when he used his eyes to discover and even attack the intruder.


    At that time, he suddenly saw something that he couldn''t describe with words. It was as if he had used his eyes again, something extremely superior, just like the God they serve, and provoked something that left his mind greatly weakened from that terrible bacsh.


    Moreover, after experiencing Jacob''s power, suffering his life''s most pathetic defeat, and finally seeing Jacob''s face, it turned into a permanent mental trauma because of his unstable mind.


    "What are you trying to do by impersonating Holy Child!? If you don''t stop whatever you''re about to do, then you will have the entire Cardinal Spirit Temple hunting you down." Percy grimly stated as he started to regain his calm.


    He coldly said, "I''m not lying. If you know about our Spellbind Holy Eyes, then you should know that every person who possesses them is connected with our legacy treasure, the Spellbind Mirror. One of its abilities is that it can record everything the possessor of a Spellbind Holy Eyes can see!


    "I and Holy Child here both have the Spellbind Holy Eyes and if you do anything, everyone in the main temple would know about it. Even if you''re disguising yourself to mislead others, I can promise you that the Spellbind Mirror will track you down no matter what kind of disguise you wear!


    "So, as long as you tell me your reason for doing this and whopels you to do this, you can leaven, and you can have my words that no one will look for you! You don''t want to mess with followers of Holy Justice, God, for the Divine Judgement will be endless!"


    Percy started to regain confidence after seeing that Jacob wasn''t attacking or doing anything. He was listening to his every word with an impassive look on his face, so he thought Jacob was hesitating, and there was a chance to turn this around.


    "Are you done? I''m only putting up with your nonsense because I''m waiting. Oh, and I know you''re also lying about something!" Jacob''s dismissive yet cruel words sent a shiver down Percy''s spine, "But since you were kind enough to reveal this interesting thing about these Spellbind Holy Eyes and Spellbind Mirror, then I want to send a message to the Faery Humans.


    "Listen well, don''t mess with me, or it''ll be the end of you all, followers of God or not. I don''t know if the Divine Judgement wille or not, but know this: I''lle!"


    Percy was horrified seeing Jacob''spletely unwavering re when he just literally threatened the entire Faery Human Race as if they were nothing but somemon goblins.


    However, before Percy could say anything, he suddenly felt as if powerlessness enveloped his entire being before darkness started to creep into his eyes and icy chillness reced the warmth of life.


    At this moment, Percy''s emotional face suddenly became stoic and emotionless, and he said, "What he said is true, but not entirely. The Spellbind Mirror has a limited number of slots, and they are reserved for some of the extremely talented and precious members of the Faery


    Human Race.


    "Although Percy was considered the Great Grandson of the current Pope, he was actually a contender for the previous generation''s Holy Child. However, he rejected that status because he wanted to live here in peace and serve God by preaching his dogma and enlightening others.


    "But the Edgar n didn''t look too kindly upon simple ambition, especially his father, and since he didn''t listen to their advice, he ended up losing everything. However, despite hisck of ambition, Percy was still a genius who had awakened the Spellbind Holy Eyes and earned the right topete for the Pope position by bing a Holy Child.


    "So, he did something no one had ever expected from someone like him who had no ambition: He created a never-before-seen optical ability of the Spellbind Holy Eyes on his own, which were powerful enough to alert the Bishops of the Temple.


    "However, because of what his n had done to him, he didn''t reveal his ability''s secret to them, no matter what kind of trick they tried to pull. He even rejected the offer to register himself with the Spellbind Mirror. Because he knew that once he was registered with the Spellbind Mirror when he died, his entire life memories would enter the Mirror archives, and they would get what they wanted, and he would lose his leverage against them.


    "So, before they could do anything more extreme, he simply made a deal with them: in exchange for this position of Church Priest of the Cardinal Spirit Church, he''ll teach his techniques and even theories about the Spellbind Holy Eyes that helped him to achieve that impossible feat.


    "However, his only condition was there can only be one sessor in each generation because he said his technique were special. So, the temple had no choice but to agree to his demands!" Jacob was astounded when he heard the vague yet interesting history of Percy, who dared to rebel against his powerful family just because he wanted to live peacefully and serve his God like an actual priest without any malicious thoughts or benefits. Furthermore, he was resolute and genius enough to achieve that dream.


    But s, this genius and kind Priest was now nothing but a shell for a fantastic insect!

 Chapter 706: A Ghost from the Past (3)

    Chapter 706: A Ghost from the Past (3)


    ?


    Rudolph was appalled seeing Percy speaking like an emotionless puppet; however, he knew something had terribly gone wrong with Percy, and the person behind it was naturally the dreadful giant standing there nonchntly.


    At this moment, Rudolph doesn''t care about Percy''s condition; he only has one thought: survival!


    The next moment, Rudolph instantly leaped towards the big ss window behind him, hoping to flee from this unknown monster and save his own skin.


    "Where do you think you''re going? We''re far from done!" Jacob instantly reacted. With a single step, he vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of Rudolph like a ghost. His speed was extremely superior to Rudolph''s.


    ''p!''


    Jacob then sent Rudolph flying with a single p, and Rudolph crushed into the wall, shaking the entire room. He hurled up blood and broken teeth while half of his face was caved in by Jacob''s casual p.


    Then Jacob ignored the blood-coughing Rudolph, looked at Autarch, who had nowpletely taken over Percy''s body, and asked, "What''s the story behind this guy, then?"


    He wanted to know this since he had already heard Rudolph and Percy''s conversation, and after seeing Rudolph''s face, he knew that Rudolph was his twin brother.


    But before wasting time on interrogating Rudolph or considering Autarch taking over Rudolph''s body to read his memories, he wanted to know if it was worth it or not.


    Autarch emotionlessly revealed, "After Percy dered his condition for only choosing a single sessor to teach his eye technique, the temple had no choice but toply with his demands and sent two holy children with the greatest talent and highest bloodline density among the current generation of the Faery Human.


    "They were twin boys born by the Pope''s youngest wife. He''s one of them. His name is Rudolph Edgar, and he''s the eldest among the twins. His younger twin brother was named Adolph Edgar.


    "They were sent here when they were ten years old to learn from Percy. At first, Percy really didn''t have any intention of teaching them since he knew that once his technique was passed down, the temple might start to find a way to get rid of him, and they would also get their hands on that technique through these boys.


    "However, when he started to teach them, he found that the boys were real geniuses, especially the younger twin, Adolph. He was kind towards others and helped anyone in need; he kind of reminded Percy of himself.


    "In the end, Percy changed his mindset, took the job of being a mentor seriously, and taught them. But he noticed that Rudolph wasn''t like Adolph. Instead, he was ambitious and arrogant and thought everyone else was beneath him, a traitmon among the Faery Humans and something Percy loath.


    "Nheless, he still taught them both and hoped to reform Rudolph''s character. Things were going quite smoothly, and Rudolph''s character also started to change. But since Percy could only teach his secret technique to one of them, his first choice was Adolph.


    "However, after a decade of Percy starting to teach the boys, something happened before he could start imparting that secret technique since Adolph needed to be at least a Unique Rank to learn it.


    "That day, someone broke into the church without alerting anyone or triggering any rms. When Percy or someone else realized it, it was already toote. When theyunched an investigation, they found that nothing important was taken, except for Adolph!


    "That mysterious person kidnapped Adolph that day, and when Percy found out about it, he was furious, and heunched a huge investigation with the temple''s full support.


    "In the end, the investigationsted for quite some time, but no matter where they searched, they couldn''t find the kidnapper or any traces of Adolph. Furthermore, because both brothers were registered with the Spellbind Mirror, they confirmed that Adolph was alive because his memories didn''t return to his mirror.


    "However, all of a sudden, the temple suddenly stopped the investigation and dered Adolph dead without providing any exnation to furious Percy. The only thing he got was that the kidnapper was found dead, and Adolph''s memories had been retrieved. Which means he was dead!


    "In the end, Percy had no choice but to believe the Temple since he knew they wouldn''t lie about something like this or take this humiliation sitting, especially since it involved a Holy Child, who was the Pope''s youngest son, at that, with an extremely powerful bloodline.


    "But Percy had taken this to heart and med himself for Adolph''s death, who he even considered his own child and had deep sentiments for. He even wanted to die for his sin, but he was spared and told toplete his duty for both his and Adolph''s sake.


    "He also found some sce in Rudolph since he looked like Adolph, yet it also haunted him at the same time. That''s why he protected him with everything he had. Rudolph naturally didn''t disappoint him; he learned everything and even changed his ways, which satisfied Percy.


    "But the regret and guilt of losing Adolph never left his heart to this day, and he always prayed in secret for his soul and sought forgiveness for his sin..." Autarch exined everything rted to the twins and Percy''s rtionship with Jacob.


    Jacob didn''t react much because despite knowing that he was Adolph''s, the kidnapped twin, he didn''t have any memoirs of Adolph, nor did he have any feelings towards his background or Percy.


    However, he was still curious about who was behind Adolph''s mysterious demise, and he even had a guess as he nced toward Rudolph, who was also listening with a pale expression after he stopped coughing blood and stabilized his condition with a self-healing spell.


    Although Rudolph didn''t know what kind of magic Jacob had performed on Percy to cause him to spill everything out like this, after getting pped by Jacob and almost dying, he knew Jacob was a terrifying being, and his fate was now in his hands.


    At this moment, Autarch ended his exnation with a final revtion, "Percy, despite not wanting to believe it, always had a guess about who was behind Adolph''s disappearance."


    Jacob was intrigued as he thought Percy wasn''t aplete fool after all and asked, "Oh, who was it?"


    Autarch said somethingpletely different from Jacob''s trail of thoughts, and even Rudolph became deadly appalled and started to tremble after hearing it.


    "Percy always believed that it was none other than Adolph''s own father, Pope Sebastian Edgar, who killed Adolph!"

 Chapter 707: A Ghost from the Past (4)

    Chapter 707: A Ghost from the Past (4)


    ?


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he heard Percy''s unexpected conjecture. Seeing Rudolph''s reaction, he knew there was some truth in Percy''s spection.


    "Why did he consider this possibility?" Jacob asked.


    "Percy didn''t just investigate the others, but he also secretly poked around the temple, and then he discovered that there were simr cases of Sebastian Edgar''s children dying mysteriously.


    "Percy found it quite strange that no one had ever investigated them or those cases were buried as if someone didn''t want anyone to touch them. Furthermore, Percy only managed to get his hands on this information because he secretly snuck into his father''s library and discovered a secretpartment with the help of his eyes.


    "But he was too afraid to confront his father about it because this matter was directly rted to the Pope, and he knew that if this involved some kind of secret of the Pope, he wouldn''t be able to live long whether he had his technique or not.


    "At first, he also had doubts, but when the investigation suddenly stopped, he started to believe that Sebastian Edgar had been behind Adolph''s disappearance. Only Sebastian Edgar had the power to stop the investigation andpletely cover up this incident.


    "But no matter what kind of conclusion he had reached, he knew it was meaningless as long as he didn''t have the power to confront Sebastian Edgar. If he had opened his mouth, he would''ve been dead.


    "That''s why he pinned his hopes on Rudolph, and he wanted him to be the next Pope before revealing this to Rudolph, so he could bring his brother justice and punish Sebastian if he was the one behind Adolph''s death!" Autarch stated emotionlessly.


    Realization dawned on Jacob as he understood Percy''s reason for suspecting Sebastian since even he found it strange.


    ''What could be the purpose of all those children dying? And why only the children of the Pope? Furthermore, when I reincarnated in this body, its condition was terrible. If I hadn''t reincarnated, then the owner of this body had already died under Decker''s cruel experiment.


    ''It also didn''t make sense that he didn''tpletely kill Adolph and instead sent him all the way to themon ins and sold him as a ve. This matter seems far moreplicated than I had thought, and all theseplications lead to Sebastian Edgar, the father of Adolph.


    ''Whatever the reason, I should feel grateful since without Adolph reaching his situation and dying, I might not have been reincarnated into this body and died that day.


    ''But it doesn''t mean I''m not interested in the inheritance of the Faery Humans since they had a variant of Eyes of Judge. Although it is quite weak and a diluted version of Eyes of Judge, I might learn something new and use the Eyes of Judge better.''


    Jacob didn''t show any anger towards Sabastian since he wasn''t Adolph, who had already died. He never considered himself Adolph because he was only Jacob. In fact, he might even thank the guy who made Adolph die for giving him a chance to chase after Immortality.


    Furthermore, the situation in which he was reincarnated was far from cordial. If he hadn''t lucked out with Decker''s meaningless experiment and gotten the qualification to be Cursed Immortality''s inheritor, he knew there was no escape from Decker, and he would''ve died meaninglessly.


    His perspective of the family might have been different if he had received the parental care and love that he never knew, especially after the incident with his mother.


    Nheless, he couldn''t help but think about the Old Priest who had taken care of him in his youth when he heard that Percy had a somewhat simr mindset.


    Jacob sighed with a hint of regret as he looked at Percy. ''You''re just born in the wrong world, and if you want to help others, you don''t need a lifeless statue''s acknowledgment. Why do people like you all believe in someone else?''


    Jacob wondered with a hint of mncholy as a hazy face shed past his mind before his eyes returned to being icy cold.


    He then looked towards Rudolph, who started to shake when he sensed Jacob''s predator-like eyes locked on him. A foreboding feeling gripped his heart.


    "I could easily tell you know something about your brother''s disappearance, and I can even sense that you have a hand in it. So, I''ll give you two choices: spill out everything I want to know, and I''ll spare you any pain. Or resist, and I''ll make sure you know what true pain is!


    "Oh, and don''t even consider that someone ising to save you because everyone in this ce is under my control, and I have all the time I need to torture you until your fragile mind breaks. I can tell you have never experienced any suffering in your life, so I''ll be happy to indulge you if you''re really curious!" Jacob''s words wereced with a sadistic touch.


    Rudolph shuddered even more as sweat flowed all over his body. He felt as if Jacob was a bloodthirsty demon who wanted to unleash hellish suffering on him. Just as Jacob said, he had never experienced any hardship, and he hated pain. Seeing how ruthlessly and overwhelmingly powerful Jacob was, he knew there was no escape.


    Furthermore, with how interested Jacob was in the topic of Adolph, he started to believe that this person wasn''t just taking his appearance, but he might be the real Adolph who had somehow escaped his doom and crawled out from hell a vengeful demon to take revenge for what happened to.


    "Since you didn''t want to speak, I''ll take it as you choose the second option..." Jacob coolly stated as a dark killing intent suddenly burst out of his body.


    This was the final straw that breaks the camel''s back as Rudolph could feel the umted killing intent from Jacob that he had never seen, and he even thought that he was the devil himself, just how many people he had killed?


    He finally snapped out of his thoughts, quickly waved his hands, and dreadfully said, "Wa- wa-wait! I yield! I''ll tell you everything you want to know as long as you spare me!"


    Jacob''s killing intent finally vanished as his lips rose slightly. He nodded in satisfaction before ordering Autarch, "Leave and keep everything in order until I have finished ''catching up'' with my ''brother''!"

 Chapter 708: A Ghost from the Past (5)

    Chapter 708: A Ghost from the Past (5)


    ?


    Once Autarch left, only Jacob and Rudolph were left in the room.


    At this moment, Jacob stood close to Rudolph and coldly asked, "Alright, start with whatever Percy didn''t already know, and don''t try to lie because if you did, I''d skin you alive!"


    Rudolph shuddered, seeing the towering giant standing two meters away from him while he was still sitting in the rubble beside a little puddle of his own blood. Jacob''s presence was simply too ghastly for him, and after witnessing everything, he threw any thoughts of resisting out of his mind.


    "I-I... upon our twentieth birthday, F-fathe... His Holiness suddenly contacted me. I was surprised and also happy because it was the first time he ever contacted me after I was sent here.


    "He first asked me if I was happy with my current situation, about our progress, and if our mentor was teaching us diligently. I respond positively. But then he suddenly said, ''I know you are not happy because your brother excelled you in everything, and he was your mentor''s favorite and most likely ended up inheriting his techniques and knowledge.""


    Just mentioning this made Rudolph''s eyes sh with awe and a hint of fear as he vividly remembered Sebastian''s look and continued, "I naturally denied it first, but deep down, I was shocked because he was telling the truth. It was like he could read my mind, and I really never told anyone. In... fact, I had already acknowledged Adolph''s superiority and admitted my defeat.


    "But I still wanted to surpass him, and I even worked hard to achieve it. However, His Holiness then said to me that if I was willing to let Adolph, who was younger than me, get ahead of me and take what should be mine without even doing anything.


    "He said he was disappointed in me and ashamed that despite having ''God''s blood'' in my veins, I was a coward." Rudolph''s eyes shed with madness at this moment, just like that day, "His words suddenly awakened something in me, and I raised my voice against him. I was really unwilling to ept the reality, and he could read me like an open book.


    "I also wanted to be acknowledged by him because of my mother, who he never visited after our birth. She longed for him, and I had seen her cry many times. But that ungrateful wretched Adolph never shows any care for our mother, so I knew I have to take it on myself!"


    Hatred filled his eyes as he red at Jacob as if he could see Adolph''s carefree yet hypocritical face. "I thought he would stop talking to me after my outburst. But instead, heughed in satisfaction. He said he wanted exactly that in his children: ambition and the will to do anything for that ambition. He told me that Adolph wasn''t worthy of being his son, and so he was going to give me a chance to prove to him that I was worthy.


    "He then told me to get rid of Adolph within a week without drawing any suspicion to me, and if I did well, he''d not only acknowledge me but also let my mother live with him. I quickly agreed."


    A hint of guilt suddenly shone in Rudolph''s eyes as he gritted his teeth and revealed, "But I realized it toote that it was all but a pretext to get Adolph because not only did he give me this task, but he even provided me with the resources to achieve it.


    "The first thing he gave him was a pill that I should feed Adolph, which wouldpletely destroy his magic core and magic orbits. The second thing was a strange device that would not onlypletely extract Adolph''s memoirs but also destroy his connection with the Spellbind Mirror, making his death aplete mystery.


    "However, the strangest part that made me suspicious was after I''ve done destroying Adolph''s magic core and erasing his memories, I had to hand him over to someone sent by his holiness, and that person would make topletely dispose of him, without leaving any traces that could lead to me. But the strangest thing was he sternly warned me not to kill him or the consequences would be unimaginable.


    "Despite my suspicion, I was blinded by my own rage and inferiorityplex and didn''t miss the chance to get rid of that hypocrite. So, I did everything from deceitfully feeding him that pill and destroying his mind while he was begging me! I killed my own brother because I hate him! I let my father use me because I seek his acknowledgment! But I''ll do it again for my mother no matter what!"


    Rudolph suddenly appeared like a madman as he red at Jacob. His fear seemed to have vanished, or he was simply having a mental breakdown because he knew he might not be able to live after that.


    However, Jacob''s expression didn''t change except for a hint of curiosity and even slight pity for Rudolph, who was being used by his own father to kill his own brother.


    Jacob sighed at this moment, as he had already expected this much from the moment he saw Rudolph''s somewhat weak mentality, and said impassively, "You have no one but only yourself to me for falling into someone else''s schemes so easily. You know I have my own little theory now. Do you want to hear it?"


    "What?" Rudolph was startled by Jacob''s response. He thought that he was Adolph and was back for revenge. It was none other than his who was behind this as well, and it was another one of his sick games.


    However, Jacob didn''t even seem bothered by this entire thing, as if it had nothing to do with it. Maybe he had lost his mind after that day and now turned into a puppet of his father and was here today to get rid of him? Strange possibilities started to pop up in his mind.


    Jacob coldly said at this moment, "Tell me, did it ever ur to you that your father had some kind of secret optical magic like Percy that can manipte you into doing things without even realizing it, and you think you''re doing it out of your own free will? Maybe he only needs to use this magic after grabbing your weakness and attacking your mind with it?


    "After all, he''s the freaking leader of the temple, an existence that had only four or five equals? Do you even know that your mother received everything after youpleted your task, and even if she told you it''s all true, have you ever seen it personally since, to my knowledge, you were here all this time?


    "Have you ever asked your brother how he felt, or did you just paint that picture of him being carefree and a hypocrite all by yourself?


    "Don''t you find it strange that despite you have already figured it out, you still respect your trash of a father and can''t bring yourself to hate him?


    "Tsk, tsk, even I''m starting to pity you, Rudolph Edgar. You''re a pathetic excuse for a man who had been manipted his whole life without even knowing it." Jacob shook his head with utter disappointment. He didn''t expect Adolph to die at this idiot''s hands, which made Adolph an even bigger idiot.


    Seeing Rudolph''s expression turning paler by his words as if some kind of invisible veil had been lifted, Jacob lost all interest in him. This guy was simply too pathetic, and he knew that with how meticulously Sebastian had manipted him, he had nothing else that could interest him except the fact that he now wanted Sebastian''s knowledge about his magic. "Alright, we are done," Jacob dered coldly, making Rudolph snap out of his stupor. However, his eyes seemed somewhat listless, as if he had lost his soul.


    But Jacob didn''t care and issued his verdict, "As I promised, I''ll spare you of any pain; now you can rest forever, which should be quite a release for you, I presumed; after all, your pathetic life had nothing worth remembering or living!"

 Chapter 709: Witch Queen Samara!

    Chapter 709: Witch Queen Samara!


    ?


    A few thousand miles away from the shores of the conflict ins, a massive wall of fog was approaching while leaving behind snowkes in its path. However, its speed was terrifying, almost like an ice blizzard. If someone approached this fog, they would hear the ear-piercing buzzing sounds of countless wings.


    At this moment, thousands of meters above the ocean level, four streaks of lights suddenly stopped a few hundred meters away from the fog and revealed Four floating figures.


    One was a silver-haired, wizened-faced old man with a burly build and a long beard reaching his stomach; he was the oldest Faery Human alive, Ss, the fourth seat of the Treaty of Legends.


    Besides Ss stood a forty-meter-tall giant with violet skin and white runic tattoos on the left side of his square-shaped face; he was the strongest Thunder Giant of the Unique ins and the second seat of the Treaty of Legends, Vermont.


    Then, there was a charming woman with fair skin in a ck dress with long cleavage, showcasing her seductive figure. She was the third seat of the Treaty of Legends, Samara, and the strongest Charm Witch of the Unique ins!


    Lastly, a 30-meter-giant covered in a long crimson cloak, holding a bone staff with a ck crystal skull in his bone hand, and the only visible things under his cloak were two zing gray mes and two devil horns gushing out of his cloak. He was the newly appointed seventh seat of the Treaty of Legends, Necro, the Lich Emperor!


    Four members of the Treaty of Legends appearing at this moment were a huge deal, especially the most senior members.


    "Tsk, tsk, I alone was enough for squashing a bunch of bugs." Vermont annoyingly stated as he coldly red at the ind hidden behind the fog.


    "Don''t underestimate those Locusts. They belonged to the dreadful race of Fantastic Insects and ruled a forbidden zone for thousands of years. Their queen is even older than the Treaty of Legends.


    "More importantly, that floating ind under the Locust Queen''s control is an extremely powerful treasure. It can not only float around like a flying ship but is even capable of defending its owner, and there might be more to it.


    "There are even records about some powerful people try to snatch that ind but all of them died in the end, even Quasi Legends are part of these records. Or do you think our Queen would''ve let those insects grow to this extent, and instead of getting rid of her, she sent us for a peace talk?


    "Fighting against them when our resources are being used to find the Legendary Key, and then we also need more to venture into the Path of Legend is nothing but foolishness." Ss solemnly stated before Vermont would do something foolish.


    As the oldest among the treaty and a wise, shrewd old monster, he was in charge of this mission.


    He then looked towards Samara, ignoring the grumpy Vermont, and said, "Lady Samara, I''ll leave the talking to you. Don''t forget shing with them is ourst resort. We just need to find out why the Locust Queen suddenly decided to move towards the conflict ins. If she nned to attack, then we must persuade her to give up by negotiating. You can use your ''charm'' as you wish, and we''ll be here to protect you if things go wrong."


    A beautiful smile bloomed on Samara''s charming face as she clearly understood Ss''s subtle hints, and she nodded, "Leave it me, Old man~."


    She then looked towards the approaching fog and muttered with a creepy smile, "Since we need to talk, then we need to knock to see if there''s someone home!"


    The next moment, Samara''s be suddenly turned into a slit, revealing a vertical gray eye. The moment her Spiritual Eye, the signature of the Witch Race, was revealed, Samara''s white skin also started to turn gray, and a mystic charm started to emit from her seductive body as if some kind of illusion had been lifted.


    But this much was nothing in front of what happened next. Her spiritual eye suddenly started to shimmer in the dark gray glow, and her eyes were affixed to the ind hidden in the mist. Necro suddenly spoke at this moment, as the mes under his hood burned fiercely with trepidation, "Senior Ss, what is she doing? Didn''t you just say we are not supposed to attack them? If she attacked just to draw their attention, it''ll provoke those insects!"


    Although he called Ss ''senior,'' there wasn''t any respect behind his words. He was just being polite since he knew everyone was stronger than him and that provoking them would only make his life more miserable.


    Furthermore, he was actually quite excited about his mission and wanted to see the senior members of the treaty in action while secretly learning their tracks and increasing his own power.


    However, when he heard the details of this fog ind and about millions of fantastic insects, he knew this was far from a simple mission. And now, seeing Samara suddenly releasing her aura and seeming to be using some kind of spell, he felt she was going against Ss''s orders.


    But he didn''t dare stop her and instead asked Ss to see his reaction. When he saw that Ss and Vermont were both calm, he was astounded.


    Ss replied with an amiable smile while stroking his beard, "Don''t worry, she''s not attacking but searching for the Locust Queen to directly send her a special mental message with her Spiritual Eye, which she can''t ignore."


    "That''s possible?" Necro was slightly surprised, and he could tell Ss wasn''tpletely divulging the full information about this ''special mental message''; there was more to it. Before Ss could answer, Vermont gave him a fierce re, and coldly said, "Newbie, just watch silently, your voice is irritating me."


    Necro quickly gave up, as he knew this guy and skyfall were both madmen who would attack anyone just because they felt like it, especially when the Queen wasn''t around to keep them in check. He had already experienced just how dreadful Skyfall was, and he had heard that Vermont was at least five times worse than him.


    But he secretly noted this humiliation so he could repay everything once he became stronger. He was worthy of being a Dark Being who hated every living being, even if they had treated


    him quite well!


    "This ind is really a treasure. It can even block any spiritual singles with malicious intent. No wonder mydy said curses are ineffective against her; even curses belong to a Witch Queen." Samara muttered with a hint of amusement; she didn''t seem flustered at all.


    "Well, let''s keep it civil then." She then instantly used her innate ability, "Spirit Channeling!"

 Chapter 710: Queen Ice Fiend Locust!

    Chapter 710: Queen Ice Fiend Locust!


    ?


    In the center of the fog ind, the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s multifaceted eye suddenly


    glowed in rage when she suddenly heard a melodious voice. Although she had nevere into contact with thenguage, she could easily understand it because she had a special spiritual ability involved in it.


    "Pardon my way of reaching you, but I have no malicious intent, and you''re quite hard toe in contact with, so I seek Her Majesty''s forgiveness in advance.


    "I''m the representative of the Treaty of Legends, an organization founded by the Unique ins'' Quasi Legends. I''m here to find the reason behind your sudden departure from the Vicious Cmity Fog Zone and your intentions for heading towards the Conflict ins, which is under our protection.


    "If this matter can be resolved without any bloodshed, then we''ll help you achieve it to the best of our abilities. Or I can assure you it won''t benefit both sides because the Conflict ins can''t be destroyed or put under any external threats. So, please have dialogs with us so we can reach amon ground!" It was Samara''s voice, and there was a peculiar charm in her voice that could put anyone at ease and give them a good opinion of her.


    However, the Queen Ice Fiend Locust was a spiritual being, and despite any being a perfect stage, inception body legend rank, her mentality was as powerful as Samara, even stronger because of the mysterious Fog Ind under her control.


    The Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s first reaction was anger when she sensed the trick hidden in Samara''smunication ability. She knew that if she had any malicious intentions, Samara''s ability would''ve been blocked.


    Furthermore, when the Queen Ice Fiend Locust heard ''Quasi Legend Rank,'' her anger was quelled greatly because she knew what kind of existence a Quasi Legend Rank was. She had been working her whole life towards this exact rank, and she was very close when a ''thief'' suddenly came and took that hope (Inception Legend Rank Frigid Soul Saxifrage) away.


    Her hatred for that thief was at its peak, and she wouldn''t rest until she yed his skin, drank his blood, crushed his bones, and tortured him until he ran out of life.


    Although her hatred for Jacob was almost blinding her high intelligence, it doesn''t mean she was suicidal enough to go against an unknown number of Quasi Legend Rank.


    It wasn''t as if she was afraid, not even close; she had killed a Quasi Legend Rank before who had been arrogant enough to barge into the Fog Ind to kill her and take the ind for himself.


    But for this exact reason, she knew how huge of a price she had to pay to kill multiple of them, and then she had to go into hiding until she recovered her forces again. She was nning on threatening the others to hand over that thief to being with since Unique ins were filled with hidden experts.


    Now, they were reaching her on their own ord, which gave her a superior position, and she felt they were afraid of her because they knew what she and her army of 100 million were capable of.


    All she wanted was that thief, and if he was close to her, she might lose her mind and put everything at risk. So, she decided to converse with these people first while she had her sanity.


    Aftering to a conclusion, she took control of one of the children, and it flew toward the four members of the Treaty of Legends. She had already sensed the direction where the spiritual fluctuation came from and also slowed down the fog ind advance.


    Inviting them inside would be akin to exposing herself to danger because while she might be a powerful spirit being, physically, she was as weak as amon rank being.


    Samara instantly spotted a silhouette approaching them, and her lips curled up as she said, "She''s hooked!"


    Ss was pleased, while Vermont grunted in dissatisfaction because he found it somewhat humiliating to negotiate with some bugs. Necro remained silent and watched attentively.


    An Ice Fiend Locust stopped a few meters away from them at this moment and released a sharp soundwave towards Samara, which was a method of spiritbination just like what Samara used but simpler and without any tricks.


    "I received your proposal, and I can retract my army as long as you hand over the thief who took something very precious from me. However, if I don''t find my treasure and that thief has already ruined it, then I wantpensation of equal value!" The Queen Ice Fiend Locust didn''t beat around the bush and stated her demands right away.


    Samara''s eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn''t expecting the Queen Ice Fiend Locust to demandpensation from them bluntly, and she wondered who was daring enough to snatch her treasure and escape with it alive. Nheless, she still conveyed her words to Ss since he was in charge here.


    "Does this bug think we are pushovers?" Vermont''s expression fell instantly when he heard the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s demands.


    "Just keep your calm!" Ss sternly nced at him before he looked towards the Ice Fiend Locust. He knew it was just a puppet since it was too weak.


    He said to Samara, "Ask her who it was and what the treasure was. How did she know that this thief was in the conflict ins? Besides, only a Unique Rank can enter the conflict ins, so how could someone of this level snatch her treasure and get away? We need more input before we can believe her words."


    Samara nodded since she was thinking the same thing and repeated what Ss said with spiritmunication.


    The Queen Ice Fiend Locust felt anger bubbling up because she knew how humiliating this was. Even she was skeptical to this day about that incident. Furthermore, it was the first time that Queen Ice Fiend Locust heard about the matter, as only unique-rank beings could enter the Unique ins.


    This means she could only send 99% of her army in and couldn''t send her most powerful children or use the ind herself to corner that hateful thief. If what they said were true, then The might get away likest time by using that strange weapon again.


    She arranged her words and conveyed, "The thief stole my treasure from my garden with unknown means. It was a Quasi Legend Rank Frigid Soul Saxifrage that can turn anyone who touches it into Ice. "I don''t know the thief''s identity, but I left my mark on him, and I can sense his exact location. I can lead you to him if you want, but I WANT my treasure at all costs!


    "But he''s very cunning. Last time, he was able to escape using a destructive treasure, enter the deep ocean, and remain there for over two decades. If you''re sincere and don''t want this conflict ins to turn into an icy hell, I need assurance that he won''t get away this time.


    "But if you can''t, then don''t stand in my way, or I''ll let you know why my garden is known as a Vicious Cmity Fog Zone!" Queen Ice Fiend Locust coldly issued a threat as she was determined to get


    that thief.


    She knew if she showed weakness, she wouldn''t get any benefits from them. She could tell they were afraid of her raising hell in these conflict ins, and she was going to take full advantage of it. Either way, she would get that despicable thief one way or another!


    However, Samara and others were shocked about something else when they heard this mysterious daredevil remain in the deep ocean for decades, and the more they thought about it, the more it didn''t make any sense.


    Unknowingly, they became extremely curious about the identity of this thief, and they didn''t know that this curiosity would lead them to huge trouble!

 Chapter 711: A Shot in the Dark!

    Chapter 711: A Shot in the Dark!


    ?


    The Queen was sitting on her throne in the headquarters of the Treaty of Legends, and beside her was standing the cloaked midget, Diminutive, like a royal advisor, but the Queen knows better.


    Furthermore, she was listening to S''s report about the Queen Ice Fiend Locust and her demands on an open voice call, and her eyes were narrowed in slits with a hint of disbelief. Diminutive''s eyes also shimmered with a peculiar light when he heard about the thief who stole a Quasi Legend Rank treasure from the Queen Ice Fiend Locust. The thief even managed to escape into the deep ocean and remain there for many years without getting killed by the ocean races. It was nigh impossible for someone supposedly at the Unique Rank.


    "So, how should we respond to the Locust Queen''s demand of a Quasi Legend Rank soul-type natural treasure if that thief has already used it or damaged it? If you ask me, this is all too strange, and I think we shouldn''t agree before apprehending that thief and interrogating ourselves. She might be taking advantage of us since we are responding so passively." S''s solemn voice rang.


    "What is your opinion on her response after knowing that we have an unknown number of Quasi Legend Ranks ready to confront her if she doesn''t back down? Furthermore, how strong is she?" The Queen questioned instead of answering with a cold tone.


    Ss contemted for a moment before replying gravely, "Truthfully, I can''t tell, but she seems fearless and even threatened us not to get in her way. She seems very determined to capture that thief and even seems ready to go to war with us. That fog ind under her control is too strange. Even Samara wasn''t able to measure her true strength, nor did her charm have any effect on her."


    The Queen didn''t reply instantly and instead looked towards Diminutive, clearly seeking his opinion. She knew they had to respond quickly, or the Queen Ice Fiend Locust would not be going to wait for them if she really wasn''t afraid of them.


    Diminutive didn''t speak and merely nodded, and the Queen instantly understood what he was hinting at. He was telling her to handle this situation as she seemed fit.


    She then replied coldly, "For now, agree to her demands and ask her to lead you to this thief. Even if he''s really in the Unique ins, I give you permission to use soul puppets to capture him. But make sure you tell her that we''ll onlypensate her if what she told us is true or we are not afraid of war. If she thinks she can take advantage of us, she''s thoroughly mistaken!"


    "Leave it to me. I''ll handle it as you want!" Ss quickly agreed, and the call ended with that as the Queen Ice Fiend Locust was still waiting for their response.


    Now that Ss wasn''t listening, the Queen asked with narrowed eyes, "What do you think? And don''t give me some ambiguous reply. This matter is very serious. If that insect is a Quasi Legend Rank, then you should know how terrifying she would be with that ind under her control.


    "Furthermore, can you exin how a Unique Rank being entered the deep ocean and survived there for over two decades because I can''t? The equipment to achieve this feat is all under the control of three factions or hidden organizations like us.


    "Not to mention, if this thief is really hiding in the conflict ins, then this could only mean he didn''t have a backer to turn to, or he was simply doing someone else''s bidding. But then again, it doesn''t make any sense to me since if someone else was pulling the strings, then they should''ve already discarded this pawn if they had any idea what kind of existence the Locust Queen is! Or they are simply doing it on purpose and had a deeper reason that we can''t think of!"


    Diminutive finally spoke in an impassive tone, "Well, first of all, I have to say, I''m quite impressed with whoever did this, and if they are willing to pledge their fealty to me, I don''t mind taking them under my wing. Although it would be a hassle to convince that insect, I''ll be worth it.


    "But I know this is just my wishful thinking. As for your assumption, Ipletely agree with you, and I''m just as clueless as you. However, if I might add something, why are you all still assuming that this person is definitely a Unique Rank?" he asked in a meaningful tone.


    The Queen''s eyes suddenly widened slightly as she instantly knew what Diminutive was hinting at and knew she had reached a conclusion too quickly.


    Diminutive pulled an icy smile hidden under his cloak as he knew she understood the meaning behind his words.


    He continued, "What if this person is an unknown Quasi Legend Rank? We both know we didn''t have all the Quasi Legend Ranks in our ranks; the Locust Queen, the three empires, and the Temple of the Deep Ocean could be a good example of that.


    "We only have those who we were able to find and overpowered. Not to mention, the Unique ins are infinitely older than the Treaty of Legends. There are still things that even I don''t know about.


    "So, let''s just assume that this thief is a mysterious Quasi Legend Rank expert. I have another reason to believe that he is, which is that a Quasi Legend Rank Treasure formed in nature always has some special traits that protect it from predators. A unique rank would die before they could even touch the thing.


    "That''s why assuming that a unique rank existence was able to pull it off is just like thinking amon rank could one hit kill three steps of legend. Then there is also a possibility that this thief has a Quasi Legend Rank treasure to help him achieve this, but this just makes my theory even more solid because you know only three steps of legend can use treasures in the three steps of legend rank, especially treasures that we call Legacy Treasures.


    "This left us with only three possibilities. The first is most likely what is going on here. Maybe this thief has either wounded himself, dropped his mana signatures to the Unique Rank so he could enter the Unique ins and remain untouched by the Locust Queen, or was gravely wounded in the deep ocean and chased out by the experts of the ocean races. That would also exin why he came back and took such a risk to enter the Unique ins.


    "The second is that he had some extremely powerful treasure that could trick the Zodiac ins¡ªnot SAAI, but Zodiac ins! This is even more impossible since these kinds of things only exist in myths. If he really had it, he wouldn''t have to be afraid of mere locust queens or anyone, as a matter of fact.


    "Last but not least, and there is an extremely rare possibility of this happening that..." Diminutive''s voice turned solemn, and a hint of killing intent shed past his eyes, "That he has awakened something that only a Legendary Existence could!"


    The Queen''s eyes widened entirely for the first time as shock surfaced in them. She looked at Diminutive and thought with disbelief and a peculiar chillness in her eyes, ''Just like this old ghost?!''

 Chapter 712: Vision of the Faithful

    Chapter 712: Vision of the Faithful


    ?


    The Spellbind Eyes of the Faery Human Race were their biggest secret, and not everyone possessed them. Only those with a certain blood density are born with them.


    However, being born with Spellbind Eyes doesn''t mean they can use them at will. Although they might be able to use some of their connate prowess, to utilize them fully, they need the secret knowledge of the Faery Human Race that they guide with the utmost security.


    Only those with privilege, like the members of the Edgar n or the candidates of the Holy Children, can gain some level of ess to their knowledge, while those from the branch families must pledge their absolute loyalty to the Edgar n before they are given the chance to learn the mysteries of Spellbind Eyes.


    However, no matter their status, they don''t get the entire knowledge. Instead, it was divided into parts, and then they had to prove themselves to the temple to earn the rest of it.


    The Spellbind Eyes knowledge was divided into the Introduction, Initial, Intermediate, Advanced, and Core Sections. Both Percy and Rudolph had ess to the Intermediate Section. In the introduction section, the awakening ranks of the Spellbind Eyes and their introduction about what they are capable of were written.


    ording to this section, the Spellbind Eyes has three awakening ranks. The Dormant Rank, where the Faery Human is born with the eyes and can utilize them to the minimum. Then, the awakening rank, where they start tapping deeper into their optical prowess. The Spell Rank is where they can use their eyes to see through illusions. And then the final rank, the Spellbind Rank, which has no context for it, was described as a legendary rank that no one was able to achieve.


    The initial section of the knowledge of Spellbind Eyes contained a Universal Magic Scripture or just a single part of it. This universal magic scripture was called the Spellbind Arts of Holy Judge.


    ording to the historical texts of the Faery Humans, this scripture was bestowed to the first Faery Human by the Holy Justice God, and it has been passed down from generation to generation ever since.


    Only by cultivating the Spellbind Arts of Holy Judge can the Spellbind Eyes'' power show its full potential, and it was essential for learning about the eyes'' abilities and prowess. Furthermore, the higher theprehension of this scripture, the quicker the Spellbind Eyes will rank up.


    This section also included insights from the old generations of Faery Humans that can greatly help the new Faery Humans progress and form their own insights. ording to the ancestors of the Faery Humans, the Spellbind Eyes can evolve further, but the way to achieve it can only be paved by themselves; there are no shortcuts.


    In the intermediate section, there was another part of the Spellbind Arts of Holy Justice, and it was all about seeing through illusions using the Spellbind Eyes and even creating illusions using them.


    Just like how Percy, using just these three sections of the Spellbind Eyes Knowledge, created the secret technique and named it Vision of the Faithful!


    This technique can create a powerful emotional resonance with others who are weaker than the user, amplifying their faith in the Holy Justice God and strengthening their connection to holy magic.


    The Vision of the Faithful creates a positive feedback loop, where the amplified faith fuels stronger holy magic, which in turn strengthens their faith energy further. This can lead to a significant overall boost in the potency of holy magic rituals and abilities!


    Not only that, but by unifying the emotions of others, the Vision of the Faithful can bolster morale and create a sense of unbreakable unity among others, which could be invaluable for military purposes orrge-scale religious ceremonies.


    The user could potentially use the Vision of the Faithful to influence outsiders. By amplifying positive emotions associated with the Holy Justice God, they could convert non-believers or sway them to their cause easily.


    The user of this technique then acts as a conduit for the emotions of the group. They use their Spellbind Eyes to identify and amplify the most potent feelings of faith and devotion within the participants.


    But the true potential of this technique was that as the group''s emotions intensified, the user''s faith and connection to holy magic also grew stronger. This creates a symbiotic effect, pushing the entire group to new heights of spiritual power, especially the user of this technique.


    Nheless, there were still drawbacks, and it wasn''t without a cost because only the user possessed the ability to initiate and control the Vision of the Faithful. This makes them highly valuable but also creates a single point of failure.


    Like susceptible minds, the Vision of the Faithful relies on manipting emotions. Individuals with strong wills or opposing beliefs might resist its influence.


    Not to mention overzealousness; if not carefully controlled, the amplified emotions could lead to fanaticism or destructive behavior. The user needs to ensure the faith remains focused and righteous.


    That''s why Percy wanted only someone with a righteous heart to have this technique and didn''t want to expose it to the temple. With his own insight, he decided that only a single person should use it, or there would be huge conflicts among others if there were many users searching for people to amplify their faith power and holy magic.


    Percy wanted the Vision of the Faithful to be incorporated into regr religious ceremonies within the temple structure. This would help maintain a strong connection to the Holy Justice God and bolster the overall power of the Temple.


    But he knew if the Faery Humans found this technique''s true potential, the Vision of the Faithful could be used to train and motivate soldiers before battle and even turn them into suicidal maniacs who only know how to kill without caring about their own lives. The emotional unity and amplified faith would make them formidable opponents!


    Although he wasn''t sure if the Faery Humans would do as he suspected them, it became clear when he exined subtly this technique, which ended up creating a powerful incentive for Faery Humans and even drawing those bishops'' attention.


    ''This guy...'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment when he heard this from Autarch, ''He could''ve easily overthrown everyone in the temple if he wanted to with this technique, but he decided to waste it on something so meaningless. He trulycked ambition, and his head was full of fanatic


    faith for his god...''


    Jacob sighed ruefully as he againpared Percy to the Old Priest and shook his head before his eyes shimmered with resolved, ''Don''t worry, I''ll make sure to use this technique to its full potential and even turn it into something far greater.


    "Then there is also this power of faith they got after worshiping the Holy Justice God, but they had to perform a ritual first to enable themselves to do it. I had a feeling that I shouldn''t do that. Furthermore, I also need to get my hands on theplete Spellbind Arts of Holy Judge!''

 Chapter 713: Hunters or Preys? (1)

    Chapter 713: Hunters or Preys? (1)


    ?


    Today, a flying ship in stealth mode entered the vicinity of the Holy Mountain Range of the Cardinal Spirit Church territory.


    "Well, this is unexpected. I''ve heard the outside of the Cardinal Spirit Church of the Conflict ins is always teeming with people who seek a cure from the Church. But I guess we can''t believe in rumors, huh?" Samara, watching the barren territory of the Holy Mountain Range,mented while looking at Ss.


    Ss was also startled since he knew better than anyone just how influential the church was. There was never a day when there wasn''t a crowd of afflicted people gathered outside, waiting for their turns to enter the Holy Mountain Range.


    "No, something is wrong with this situation. In fact, her leading us here is proof of it!" Ss''s expression turned grave.


    He looked towards a three-meter-tall hominoid locust ring at the depth of the holy mountain range with absolute hate. He asked, "Locust Queen, how sure are you that the thief you''re looking for is really there?"


    "My ability had never failed me before! He''s hiding in those mountains, and we are getting closer to him! Make sure you won''t let him get away!" The locust spoke in amon tongue this time, thanks to Samara''s teaching and the Locust Queen''s powerful congestive talent.


    "Do you think that thief did this to the church? What is his reason behind it?" Necro asked in a peculiar tone. He suppressed his gloating when he thought how those annoying bastards who used the Holy Magic, the bane of his race, suffered such a tragedy.


    Nheless, this still made him uneasy since this thief was bing more and more mysterious the more they knew about him.


    "When we got closer to the church, I thought he was a member of your race, but I knew those who had performed the ritual to awaken the faith power couldn''t kill someone else with the faith power of your god while others without it aren''t a match for those with the faith power. It seems we are dealing with an interesting fellow." Vermont couldn''t help but snicker, fighting intent in his eyes.


    Ss''s expression fell slightly. If what they were thinking was true, then it would be a huge blow to the temple. Although he had left the temple long ago, that didn''t mean he didn''t belong to the Faery Human Race or use the Faith Power.


    There was an absolute rule of the ritual that granted them faith power: once youe under God, there is no leaving; you''ll be God''s follower until yourst breath.


    ''But why would this person do something like this? Did he have some grudge against the Temple? Not to mention, there aren''t any people of the other races. How could he have deterred them froming here without raising anymotion? Did the temple even know about this situation? Those fools are getting more and morex. It seemed they had forgotten what would happen if God''s followers decreased to a certain degree. They''ll even drag me down with them!


    ''I need to pay the current Pope a visit after dealing with this daring fellow. He just made it personal by profaning God''s abode. For now, I should alert them about this situation!'' Ss thought as his eyes turned chilly.


    Since he had been Pope himself, he knew the deepest secret of the Faery Human Race and the Temple. He knew all those secret records were true, and it would be a disaster if they enraged God because of their own stupidity!


    "I think there is a reason behind the destion of the Holy Mountain Range." At this moment a small figure in cloak coolly spoke, who could it be but Diminutive, the ''weakest'' member of the Treaty of Legends.


    "Little Diminutive, what do you have in mind? It seemed your tagging along wasn''t a bad thing after all." Vermont chucked with a hint of disdain. He clearly looked down on Diminutive because he was weak and a coward, and he loathed these types of people.


    In his view, Diminutive wasn''t worthy of being a member of the Treaty, and it was just dumb luck that he became a Quasi Legend and met their merciful Queen.


    Diminutive, however, wasn''t angry, in fact he replied with a bow in respectful tone, "Lord Vermont, as I''ve already told you the Queen''s prediction about this thief''s rank being most likely a fa?ade. Now that he had chosen the church of all ces, where all the users of the Holy Magic gathered, don''t you think there''s a purpose behind it?"


    After giving subtle hints, Diminutive nced at Ss and saw his expression change. He knew that the old man got it and became silent again because he knew Ss would exin from here.


    Just as he predicted, Ss instantly reacted, "He''s most likely wounded and wanted to recover his power!"


    Samara''s eyes also narrowed, "But then how would you exin this condition of the church? I can assure you that I didn''t detect life from even behind the mountain gates of your church when I used my eyes just now. Don''t tell me he''s some vile being who killed everyone here after he used them. Furthermore, he hadn''t fully healed, or he wouldn''t be staying in the Unique ins right now."


    "There is more than one way to heal your injuries, especially those injuries to your core strength that dropped your rank. These kinds of injuries cannot be healed in a day or two; in fact, the more powerful you are, the more difficult it is to heal this type of injury.


    "Although I don''t know the extent of this person''s injuries, I can guess what type of injuries are required to drop your rank from the Quasi Legend to Unique Rank; one would be on the brink of death if not far from it! So, he might''ve used some unorthodox technique to recover from those injuries and stabilize his situation, and this destion state of this ce is most likely because of that vile technique!" Ss''s expression grew darker the more he talked.


    He was furious because, first, this person chose to use the temple of all ces, and on top of that, he even used all those people seeking help from the church. Once this matter is revealed to the public, it will have a huge effect on their reputation. The Temple will suffer massive bacsh, and their followers will greatly plummet!


    He never thought this chore would be personal just like that. If he was only interested in this person because of his capabilities, now he started to have the same mindset as the Locust Queen. Such a ruthless being shouldn''t be left alive!


    As they discussed and guessed what had happened in the church, they grew near the thief and stopped taking this for granted. They knew they were about to confront a wounded lion!


    At this moment, Diminutive seemed to sense something and suddenly approached the Locust Queen, who was emitting killing intent. She could sense that the thief was very close, and her rage and hatred were slowly blinding her.


    Diminutive''s meaningfully said in a grave tone, "Your Majesty, please call your army here. Just to be on the safe side!"

 Chapter 714: Hunters or Preys? (2)

    Chapter 714: Hunters or Preys? (2)


    ?


    Jacob sat cross-legged in avish room, which belonged to the Church Priest, Percy, and he was naked. However, if anyone saw his appearance right now, they would be shaking in their boots and think of him as some demonic abomination.


    Because below his chest were nothing but gray bones sculpted with crimson runic lines, this also includes both arms.


    However, Jacob didn''t seem to care since he had already epted the reality. In fact, he felt extremely refreshed and powerful like never before.


    It''s been a little over a month since he took over the Cardinal Spirit Church, and the moment he was able to summon Immoritka, he instantly continued the Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation.


    However, while he was waiting for Immoritka''s cooldown period to end, he wasn''t sitting around and doing nothing. He spent over three weeks studying Percy''s knowledge about the Spellbind Eyes.


    However, he stopped in the middle because Percy (Autarch) reported to him that some people from the main temple had arrived to escort Rudolph back to the main temple for the preparation of the final trial to select the Holy Son and Holy Daughter.


    Although it was unexpected, Jacob ''handled it'' without any misgivings as he had no intention of leaving the Unique ins right now. However, he didn''t return to study the Spellbind Eyes afterward since he knew it required more time and decided to collect more Blood Vitality.


    After all, he wasn''t here just to learn about the Faery Humans; it was just one of the reasons he selected such a crowded ce. Furthermore, after acquiring Percy''s memoirs, he knew how the Faery Humans'' faith and holy power worked.


    He knew that the more followers the Temple had, the more powerful the high-ranking members would be without any limit. Furthermore, he found that his hex mana was extremely vulnerable to the mysterious power of faith but not against Holy or light magic. But if they were imbued with faith power, they worked even more fiercely against his hex


    mana.


    That''s why he knew he had to get rid of this faith power for good or at least weaken it as much as he could. This instantly aligned his intentions of collecting blood vitality while giving a blow to the temple''s reputation and their faith.


    Jacob instantlyunched a massacre by using Autarch''s ability to turn high-ranking members of the church into puppets and dyed the entire holy mountain range with blood, staring from the inside, and didn''t even spare those people waiting outside.


    Furthermore, Jacob even recorded this entire ughter performed by high-ranking church members, including Percy. Just a day ago, he had Autarch use Percy''s star ID to post it on the Star Network with a single sentence: ''We no longer need ants to empower ourselves, death of all lowly beings!''


    Although this sentence was somewhat of a cringe, who is going to care about it when they would see the bloody ughter in the Holy Mountain Range done by none other than the Priest and his followers themselves?


    The video instantly trended to number one on Star Network News, and right after that, people instantly stoppeding to the Holy Mountain Range and even started to dread the Faery Humans while publicly condemning them and even imploring the factions to act against the Faery Humans inhumane ughter against all those innocent ill people.


    Jacob wanted to achieve this with this video because he knew those high and mighty factions wouldn''t sit still because of public enrage and had to act against the Faery Humans. In fact, he presumed that they would send huge forces to this ce to apprehend those involved in that bloody massacre and include the main temple as well since they had to give an exnation to everyone, or they''d never be able to recover from this scandal.


    The temple naturally reacted strongly and immediately contacted the church, but he didn''t even bother to respond and waited for this matter to escte even further.


    As for why Jacob was still here after causing such a ruckus, it was quite simple: he wanted to refine more blood vitality, and he knew no one was his match as long as he stayed in the Conflict ins. Also, if he included the iing locust army, this would cause a huge storm in the entire conflict ins. This is what Jacob wanted to begin with; he wanted the entire conflict ins to be dyed in blood and collect it all and raise his power in one fell swoop!


    Once he was able to summon Immoritka, he instantly started using all the blood vitality he had collected from different races, especially the Faery Humans, who gave him the most blood vitality despite most of them only having a unique rank.


    Jacob didn''t know if he had noticed it wrong, but those with faith energy seemed to have far more blood vitality than normal people, which was nothing but good news for him.


    It took him four days to exhaust the blood vitality he had collected from the ocean and the church, but it seemed all worth it as he saw how much progress he had made.


    [First Phase of Body Transformation: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Third Stage)]


    -Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation: 78.64%


    [Description: Amalgamate your Cursed Blood into Bones to change your Bone Marrow into Cursed Bone Marrow by Sculpting Longevity Schema on your Bones.]


    [Longevity Schema: Picture]


    -Completion of this stage will result in 5000 Years of Lifespan & Genesis of Cursed Immortal Bloodline


    Jacob''s lips rose upward in a content yet cold smile. He was very pleased with this progress, and it was going quite fastpared to what he had expected. As long as he could gather the same amount of blood vitality, he would be able toplete the final stage.


    But he knew the closer hepleted the longevity schema, the more blood vitality he needed from before, and he was afraid that the unique rank beings might lose all effect on him. Nheless, he knew a huge blood bank wasing, so he wasn''t overly worried.


    At this moment, he turned the page and asked Immoritka, now that he finally had the time, "You should know about that elf girl that I encountered when I came here. Don''t try to deny it. I know since I can''t summon you, it doesn''t mean you fall into some slumber. Just give it to me straight. Why would the hex core react to her, and what kind of curse is she afflicted with?"


    "Hahahahaha..." Immoritka suddenly startedughing, which made Jacob iffy for some reason. But he knew it was normal for Immortika, so he waited for it to stop.


    However, what Immortika wrote afterward wasn''t what he expected, "...hah... are you sure you want to know this right now when you have so many guests approaching?"

 Chapter 715: Hunters or Preys? (3)

    Chapter 715: Hunters or Preys? (3)


    ?


    Jacob instantly understood the meaning behind Immortika''s ambiguous writing. Although he was startled for a moment, he quickly calmed down since he was already expecting ''guests.''


    "Is it Queen Ice Fiend Locust or others?" Jacob asked as he stood up. Clothes appeared on his body as he started to head outside.


    "What do you think?" Immortika asked, clearly entertained, yet Jacob didn''t reply and red at the cursed book before it wrote again, "Tsk, tsk, don''t look at me like that. There is indeed Ice Fiend Locust among them. The others aren''t here personally, but one of them is quite interesting."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he read thest part, "What do you mean they aren''t here personally?"


    "Hehehehe, remembered what happened with the Horned Ogre when you thought you had killed him?" Immortika questioned.


    Jacob''s eyes contorted as he instantly guessed what Immortika was implying, "So, the other you''re talking about is using those strange substitute puppets? Furthermore, it seems the Queen Ice Fiend Locust has also sent her proxy since she can''te here personally.


    "But I was still under the impression that she was a vicious being and would raise hell in the entire conflict ins while making her way to me. However, it seemed she was not blinded by vengeance, as you told me she would, and instead, she seemed to have brought her friends with her to deal with me. Is there something else I''m not aware of?" he asked coldly.


    "Hah, don''t me me, I can''t predict her actions or control her to what you''re expecting her. But I''m not wrong about her w, no matter how much restraint she had; once you''re in front of her, I can guarantee you that she''ll do everything in her power to kill you even if the situation is disadvantageous to you." Immortika confidently wrote.


    Jacob didn''t argue because he knew Immortika had never been wrong. No matter what kind of variable appeared, the end result would always be the same.


    "Then those guys who are using those puppets are they the three steps of legend rank as well, or are they just some kind of guides, and who among them caught your interest?" He asked.


    "Hehehe, I''m afraid they are all Quasi Legends, and there are five of them! As for the guy I''m calling interesting, it is a Lord Goblin who can suppress any goblin who is not a ''Lord,'' an extreme rarity among the Goblin Race with the direct bloodline of a Cosmic Goblin, a cunning and highly treacherous race with the space type abilities. He''s also at the peak of Quasi Legend and just like you, he had awakened his Soul Force as well! Hahahahaha now is something I wasn''t expecting!" Immortika started tough crazily.


    Jacob''s expression finally changed when he read about so many quasi-legends popping out of nowhere. The more absurd part was that the Queen Ice Fiend Locust managed to make theme here with her. He had never thought that the Queen Ice Fiend Locust had such a connection despite living in that remote no-return zone.


    If he had known this, he would''ve made more preparations, but this was still alright in light of the news that someone with the Soul Force and the extremely rare space-type abilities was also in that group!


    Furthermore, he clearly remembered that when he killed the Society Killer Ten, the reason behind his rise was also some kind of opportunity he found from the civilization ruin of the Cosmic Goblin race. He wasn''t expecting to encounter a living one in this ce.


    "What are you getting all worked up for? I guess it''s time to give you some more information about the final stage. With your current progress with the longevity schema, you can take on Intermediate Stage Quasi Legends.


    "Not only that, but despite your blood vessels being absorbed into your bones, you can still use the Fluid eleration because the schema sculpted on your bones is far more powerful than blood vessels, and you could consider it a new and powerful version of your blood vessels.


    "In fact, now that you are about to get rid of those weak organs and blood vessels, the fluid eleration you use on your blood to increase your blood flow and raise your power will also change. Before, you had to worry about blowing up your body, but now there are no such limitations as long as youplete the final stage.


    "If you can replenish your cursed blood to the current capacity, you can use 500X eleration, and the power you''ll get would be far greater because of your cursed blood. The more blood you have, the stronger the eleration, and you don''t need to worry about it at all.


    "Because each glyph within the runic lines on your bones can store 99 drops of Cursed Blood. Do you even know how many glyphs there are in the Longevity Schema? There are 999,999, which means they can store 98,999,901 drops of Cursed Blood. Only when you havepletely filled your glyphs with 98,999,901 drops of Cursed Blood will the final 1,000,099 drops of Cursed Bone Marrow condense, which willplete the final stage!


    "This means that even after youplete the Longevity Schema, you need to fill those runic lines with cursed blood toplete the process. I was going to tell you once you havepleted the entire longevity schema, but I guess now that you have created this kind of opportunity, you shouldn''t waste


    it.


    "Hahaahahaha, just thinking about what you''re going to do now would make all the wait worth it!" Immortika instantly started tough after dropping such a huge bomb on Jacob.


    Jacob was rmed when he learned the deeper details of the longevity schema. He finally understood why he could store so much blood in his runic lines. The more blood he had, the deeper those runic lines started to glow, and he felt even more powerful.


    However, Jacob wasn''t happy at all, and he felt his scalp tingle with trepidation when he thought about just how difficult it was getting to collect the blood the more he progressed. But now, he had to fill all the 999,999 glyphs with almost 100 million drops of cursed blood even afterpleting the schema toplete the process. This was simply too absurd! "You should''ve told me this from the start! How I''m supposed to gather so much cursed blood?! I''m afraid even if I bleed the entire unique ins, I still won''t be able to fill the cursed blood! Are you freaking sure that this is just the first phase, not the final phase? What kind of absurd requirements are these?!" Jacob was feeling indignant, and for the first time, he started to question the cursed book; he was even wondering if this book could truly make someone Immortal instead of the Devil!


    "Hehehehe, getting cold feet, are we? How about I share with you a quote I suddenly remembered said by none other than my first inheritor before he met his end? It was like this:


    "Beware, wayward traveler, for the Path of Immortality is paved not with gold but with the crimson tide of countless fallen. It is a treacherous journey, a gauntlet wrought of iron and despair. Here, the very air reeks of carnage, and the ground is slick with the lifeblood of those who dared to dream of defying mortality. Only the most resolute souls, forged in the fires of tribtion, can hope to endure the horrors that lie in wait!"

 Chapter 716: Hunters or Preys? (4)

    Chapter 716: Hunters or Preys? (4)


    ?


    The flying ship descended at the grand entrance of the barren entrance of the church''s mountain, and the people inside disembarked the ship with solemn expressions.


    "So, he''s here?" Ss asked with a heavy expression as he looked at the church on top of the mountain. He knew things were no longer as simple as he had thought. The temple was really going to take a hit after this blunder.


    "Yes, and that hateful thief ising our way!" Queen Ice Fiend Locust nodded in


    affirmative. The locust''s eye shimmered with hatred, and it started to emit dense killing intent. She was almost at her boiling point.


    "Her Majesty is right. I can see him walking down the mountain path. But it''s quite strange. His silhouette is like fog, so I can''t see through him or measure his strength. I think he also had a powerful protective treasure, so spiritual attacks might not work on him. Just who is this person? He''s giving me very terrible vibes!" Samara, who was using her spirit eye, solemnly stated.


    "Hah, who needs a sneaky spirit attack? I''ll just crush him with my fists. Since he''s arrogant enough toe out on his own, it seems he''s very confident in taking us on. He''s clearly underestimating us just because we are in the conflict ins!" Vermont disdainfully stated. He took a step forward, and violet lightning began to cackle all over his body, ready to subdue the other party with his tremendous strength.


    Samara nced at Ss when she noticed he didn''t stop Vermont this time and asked, knowing what he was thinking, "So we are directly going to confront him without any talking?"


    While listening to their conversation, Diminutive looked towards the empty mountain road as an ethereal glow shimmered in the depth of his eyes. ''I can''t sense force on this person, nor can I see through his power or any sign of injuries. It seemed he really did have a treasure that blocks all the probing.


    ''If he had also started toprehend the totem, like me, then wounded or not, these guys wouldn''t be his match if he knew how to use the legendary energy. But it''s still notpletely clear; I''ll let these cannon folds fight him to see for myself.


    ''If he has really awakened the legendary energy, I can use this guy in the path of legend. But first, I need to make sure he is in a situation where he has no choice but to ept my help. Only then can I control him.


    "This idiot insect is perfect for it. No matter how powerful he is, and even if he has legendary energy, there is a limit to that energy, and if he excessively uses it, he''ll fall into danger even more quickly. After all, he''s but a lone Quasi Legend with millions of insects in unique rank. Even I don''t dare to go against them alone.


    ''Now, I just need to make sure to appease the Locust Queen at the right time. I''m sure he''ll prefering to my side instead of getting captured by an insect who wanted to torment him...'' Diminutive''s lips rose slightly under his cloak in a shrewd smile, as if everything was under his control as he watched others.


    "He''s dangerous, and he might also have other means to flee since he''sing out on his own. So, just to be safe, let''s try to subdue him first before interrogating him." Ss coldly stated, clearly not intending to talk amiably with this cruel bastard who had caused huge trouble for the temple.


    Samara sighed, deciding not to push any further. If the same had happened with the witch race, she would''ve made the same choice as Ss. After all, even an idiot could guess what had happened here after seeing the once lively holy mountain range in a dested state.


    ''Whoever this thief is, he is a one cruel and merciless bastard! Could it be he''s a Dark Being?'' Necro thought as his eyes burned with anticipation.


    If his spection were true, then this would change everything. After all, he was willing to follow a Dark Being that could inflict fear into these high and mighty treaty members, and he no longer needed to y obediently or act like their dog!


    At this moment, while everyone had their own thoughts, calm footsteps rang, and a giant figure wearing a long ck windbreaker, his head covered under a hood, appeared in everyone''s vision.


    "He''s only this tall? And here you guys are making him some kind of monster." Vermont spat in disdain when he saw the giant''s height was half of his, and as amon sense about giants, the taller you are, the more powerful you''ll be.


    Vermont, as a Quasi Legend, knows better than anyone that a Quasi Legend Giant can grow up to 40 meters, and only those unique ranked giants have a height of around 20 meters. Even if this guy was using some kind of treasure or was wounded, it shouldn''t have affected his height if he was really a giant. While the other races with tall height can''t grow to this size, especially those races like whales, their hominoid form wouldn''t match giants since it was a racial trait that only giants possess.


    Even Diminutive and others started to wonder if their judgment was truly wrong and if this guy was just some lucky individual who had some sort of powerful treasure that helped him achieve all these feats.


    However, when Vermont saw that the hooded giant was still walking nonchntly towards them and treating them like winds, his expression went deadly cold since he felt as if this guy was looking down on him despite his ''little size'' and didn''t know life from death.


    The next moment, Vermont no longer waited and turned into a violet lightning bolt. It shot toward Jacob, leaving behind a trail of lightning, and only a secondter, a powerful shockwave rang in the vicinity.


    Even the Queen Ice Fiend Locust was still controlling herself, yet Vermont was even more impatient than her. After all, he had been suppressing his displeasure for giving in to Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s demands, and now this ''hotshot'' turned out to be nothing but a giant


    disappointment.


    Furthermore, since Ss didn''t speak until now, he knew he was free to do as he pleased, and in fact, he was even d that this guy pissed the old man.


    The next second, Vermont was right in front of Jacob while sticking out a powerful punch surrounding with lightning, aiming at his hidden face with a cruel smile on his face.


    Since he was using a soul puppet, he knew this guy wouldn''t die even if he used the full capacity of this soul puppet. Nheless, his face will be disfigured, and he''ll lose consciousness or might even turn into a vegetable with the impact and lightning.


    However, what happened next made everyone snap out of their thoughts, and all their doubts about Jacob instantly vanished into smoke.


    "Boom!"


    A huge impact urred; however, this impact wasn''t because of Vermont''s punch connected with Jacob''s face, but from a powerful p that was even faster than Vermont''s lightning and came out of nowhere.


    Just as Vermont thought his punch was going to connect, he saw only a streak. The next moment, he felt a mountain suddenly smack on his face before everything went dark. Because what happened next was his head exploded like a watermelon!

 Chapter 717: Hunters or Preys? (5)

    Chapter 717: Hunters or Preys? (5)


    ?


    As the headless body of the soul puppet controlled by Vermont fell on the ground, it shattered into pieces, awakening the others from their stupor. Everything happened so fast that they couldn''tprehend clearly how Vermont, who was the strongest aura user among them, died in a split second.


    Just a moment ago, it seemed as if he was about to send the mysterious giant flying, but the next moment, his head suddenly blew up. They knew the soul puppet in their arsenal could mimic 33% of their original strength despite only having a unique rank, but despite the suppression, no one in the entire conflict ins could counter them, not to mention destroy their soul puppets with a mere p!


    At this moment, the thought of this giant being weak or having any misgivings about him just because he was out of the norm vanished in smoke, and they were fully on guard.


    ''T-this... he''s an aura user with a ridiculously powerful physique! And he seemed even stronger than that brainless fool. Just what kind of race he belonged to?'' Diminutive thought as his expression was solemn.


    If he was nning on subduing this person by letting him taste despair first, his entire n changed after witnessing Vermont''s soul puppet end. He even started to doubt if he could go against this guy with his main body!


    Jacob leisurely walked towards the foot of the mountain as if he had just flicked a flea in his way. This time, no one made any move, not even the Queen Ice Fiend Locust.


    However, the Queen Ice Fiend Locust wasn''t afraid, just a little shocked and thought, ''I guess the treasures they are using are pitifully weak. They''re turning out to be useless despite their early arrogance, and it seemed I had to deal with this matter just as I had initially nned. I''ll just wait for my army to arrive, and then I''ll show them what true power is.''


    At this moment, Ss could no longer take the suspense and question with a hint of apprehension, "Who are you?"


    He figures that subduing this guy and inflicting some pain on him as a payback might be difficult after witnessing Vermont''s pitiful end.


    Jacob stopped about fifteen meters away from the remaining five, and he didn''t have any intention of replying to Ss. Instead, he looked at the Ice Fiend Locust and said with clear provocation, "You must be the Bug Bitch... oh, I mean, the Queen Ice Fiend Locust, right? I was expecting your huge army, but you came with these cowards instead. Tsk, tsk, I guess I was expecting too much from a Fantastic Insect; you have no dignity at all."


    The Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s eye almost turned crimson with wrath when she heard Jacob''s disdainful words as if she were just a bug in his eyes. She felt even more humiliated, and her somewhat clear mind was instantly blinded by the rage that she had been suppressing all this time.


    "Vile Thief! Even if you hand over my treasure, I''ll torment you until the day your pitiful life ends!" She screeched as the Ice Fiend Locust opened its menacing maw. An ice-blue aura suddenly gushed out from its body, turning the surroundings into ice!


    She could no longer endure it, and instead of waiting for her iing army like she initially nned, she lost her reason, and ice spikes started to materialize over Jacob''s head.


    ''Just as Immortika said, she really lost her rationality once I came in front of her and provoked her. She''s easy to manipte like this...'' Jacob thought with a hint of relief as he was just testing the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s w by provoking just to confirm if her w worked as Immortika predicted it would, and it seemed he was worried about nothing.


    "Wa..." Ss was about to stop the Queen Ice Fiend Locust from releasing that spell since he could tell this guy was provoking them.


    But s, it waspletely useless, and the Queen Ice Fiend Locust controlled the Ice Fiend Locust and released the most powerful spell, ''Ice Filed: Death Rain!'' and the ice spikes suddenly shot towards Jacob from all the directions, and the more mana she poured it, the ice spike rain were almost endless.


    Normally, she would''ve used this spell with millions of Ice Fiend Locusts, creating an endless rain of ice spikes thatpletely overwhelmed her opponent. Her opponent wouldn''t have had any choice but to block it with their mana and slowly exhaust everything until they couldn''t block it anymore.


    But a single Ice Fiend Locust could only cover a fifty-meter area into an ice field, and its mana would onlyst for a minute. Furthermore, Jacob was extremely powerful right now, and despite Immortika''s subtle exnation, he wasn''t aware of his physical limitations.


    Earlier, when Vermont attacked him, it might''ve appeared extremely fast, but in Jacob''s eyes, he was as slow as a snail. That p wasn''t meant to kill him, but because he didn''t know just how powerful his physical body had be, he ended up destroying the soul puppet despite not even using half of his strength.


    Now that the Ice Fiend Locust was using this spell, he didn''t dodge and let it hit him as he wanted to see how this advanced, unique rank spell would affect him.


    However, when the ice spike connected his body, despite their sharpness and powerful force behind them, they shattered like ss upon collision, and all Jacob felt was...nothing!


    ''Although the damn book had hidden the essential part of the final stage until now, I had to admit; the benefits are insane. So, I guess I just have to gather more blood now andplete this as soon as possible. But instead of doing it the hard and time-consuming way, I''ll just have to change my method...''


    Once Jacob was content with this experiment and saw the hint of fear in the quasi-legends'' gazes, he decided to proceed to the next step.


    Jacob moved and appeared right in front of Ice Fiend Locust as if he had teleported, but that was his full speed. The Ice Fiend Locust was shocked when Jacob suddenly appeared right in front of it,pletely ignoring the spell.


    But before it could react, Jacob''s hand moved as he threw another p, and the Ice-Fined Locust sted into mincemeat, sshing purple blood everywhere. Once it died, the spell lost its effect by the time its headless body dropped to the ground.


    The Quasi Legends, who witnessed this simr scene again, quickly jumped back instinctively. They knew their soul puppets weren''t this person''s match!


    However, at this moment, Jacob, who had spoken to them all this time, suddenly said nonchntly, "That''s how you squash a bug. You guys are Quasi Legends, right? Do you want to make a deal with me instead of this bug bitch?"

 Chapter 718: Establishing Might!

    Chapter 718: Establishing Might!


    ?


    When they heard Jacob''s leisurely conversation as if they were old friends, the Treaty members were somewhat speechless. However, before they could reply, they witnessed something shocking and eerie.


    With a wave of his sleeve, the scattered purple blood started to churn and then flow towards Jacob''s palm, which was covered in a ck glove and started to gather in a sphere.


    When all the blood gathered above his palm and the Ice Fiend Locust''s corpse turned into nothing but a dry carcass, the blood suddenly vanished, and Jacob finally turned towards them while nonchntly pping his hands behind his back, waiting for their response.


    Diminutive was the first to sputter out of his stupor, followed by Ss and the others, but all of their reactions after witnessing that scene were simr: apprehension!


    "Who are you, and did you do the same thing with the people of the Holy Mountain Range?" Ss questioned, but his tone was no longer as confident as before.


    He knew this person was extremely troublesome to deal with without their real bodies, and he had the upper hand as long as he was in the conflict ins, so hearing him out was the only


    way.


    Jacob looked at Ss, and he knew he was a Faery Human. instead of replying, he coldly asked, "Are you the Temple Pope Sebastian Edgar?"


    Jacob hadn''t seen Sebastian''s appearance, but since this Faery Human was a Quasi Legend, he could only think of Sebastian, who was most likely of this rank. This made him even more confused since he never had thought that Sebastian was connected with the Queen Ice Fiend Locust.


    As for holding a grudge against Sebastian for scheming against Adolph, he didn''t have any since he wasn''t Adolph, and as long as Sebastian gave him what he wanted, he didn''t mind letting him live for now.


    Ss was surprised for a moment when Jacob mentioned Sebastian''s name. He was doubtful about why Jacob was asking about his descendant and thought he might have some grudge against him.


    Nheless, he still shook his head, denying it, and replied, "No, I''m not Sebastian, but he''s my descendant. Did he provoke you?"


    ''Now this is unexpected...'' Jacob was slightly surprised, but his expression was hidden as he subtly replied, "Yeah, something like that. But there is nothing that can''t be resolved by somepensation. However, before that, what do you think about my proposal? If you guys are unwilling, then there is nothing to discuss here."


    Jacob then suddenly looked towards Diminutive, who was standing behind everyone in silence. This made Diminutive flinch slightly, as he didn''t expect Jacob to take notice of him. Jacob then speaks while looking at him, "You should be the boss here, right, Lord Goblin?"


    ''How did he know!?'' Diminutive, for the time in decades, was shocked by something to this extent. No one had ever been able to tell his identity because he could conceal his true prowess with soul force; it was even more impossible while he was using a soul puppet.


    Yet this guy somehow easily guessed his identity as the Lord Goblin, which he didn''t even know until he stumbled upon a fortuitous opportunity that changed his entire life.


    Now, Jacob seemed even more unfathomable to him, and if he had been confident in going against him before, he wasn''t anymore. In fact, he was even thinking of running away from this person because he could feel a sense of fear from him, which normally others felt from him.


    However, the Treaty members were even more shocked when they heard this and looked collectively towards Diminutive with incredulous expressions. They knew this person shouldn''t be teasing them by calling the weakest member of the treaty in charge of them. He was either ying with them, or there was something more to Diminutive''s identity they didn''t know.


    Furthermore, when Ss and Samara considered it, they really hadn''t seen Diminutive''s face or known about his race. All they knew was that he was a servant of the Queen and ran errands for her. Now, they started to wonder if this guy was hiding something.


    Jacob also noticed the others'' strange reactions, and a peculiar glint shed past his eyes before he nodded in understanding. "So you were hiding your identity as a Cosmic Goblin from them, and the face about already awakening ''that,'' huh? A true example of a wolf in sheep''s clothing. Well, forgive me for exposing you, but something tells me that you are the true maniptor behind these guys.


    "So, what will it be? Are you going to make a deal with me or continue to stand against me? Or just run away now that you know I''m extremely dangerous? But before you choose, let me tell you what you can get from me if you make this deal in advance..."


    Jacob''s words were like knives thatpletely cut open Diminutive''s deception in front of everything, and the confident goblin was finally terrified when all of his secrets were exposed in a single breath. Just as Jacob stated, he was really nning on running away as he found Jacob extremely dangerous now, but he still stopped when he heard thest part.


    The Treaty members werepletely skeptical about this, and they felt even more fear of this person whom they had thought of as prey just a few moments ago. They knew they had unknowingly entered a tiger''s den, and now this tiger was toying with him.


    "I''mpletely convinced and awed by your excellency''s foresight. I seek your forgiveness for my and my college''s actions. As an apology, I''ll sincerely hear your excellency''s offer, and as long as it is something we can do, we''ll ept it without anypensation in return." Diminutive finally spoke in a solemn yet submissive tone.


    Although he knew he had hit an iron wall this time, he was still d his main body wasn''t here; otherwise, he would''ve never been able to rest and might''ve already started running. The Treaty members were shocked when Diminutive finally took charge, and they finally believed Jacob''s words.


    But they remained silent since this also meant they could leave this to Diminutive, and they didn''t have to deal with this terrifying being personally.


    "Hahaha, you really are a goblin. You should know I have a ''soft'' spot for goblins." Jacobughed with an eerie coldness behind it, which sent chills down Diminutive''s spine for some


    reason.


    Jacob finally stoppedughing, and since he had already established his dominance and nted an image of an unfathomable existence in these Quasi Legends minds, he directly revealed his offer, which he knew they wouldn''t be able to refuse no matter what.


    Although it would be somewhat troublesome, he knew if he wanted to save time, he needed to use these guys. Even if they didn''t agree, they wouldn''t sit still and react in a way that was nothing but beneficial to him.


    "If you agree to my conditions, I''ll give you the location of the Legendary Key that everyone is searching for!"


    Absolute silence descended in the area before sounds of ridged breathing could be heard!

 Chapter 719: Bested the Best! (1)

    Chapter 719: Bested the Best! (1)


    ?


    Jacob''s words were like a bomb in everyone''s mind because Jacob directly hit the nail when he tempted them with the location of the legendary key.


    Jacob knew the entire unique ins were stirring because of the missing legendary key. As the opening time of the path of legend was drawing near, the hidden experts who were eying a higher realm of power would naturally not sit still.


    His conjecture became more solid after he learned that so many Quasi Legends were suddenly making moves. Although revealing the clues about the legendary key would put him at huge risk, he was now confident in escaping with his life from any kind of threat in the Unique ins.


    Moreover, the purpose of only revealing the part about how he knew where the legendary key was but not that he already had it put ayer of protection on him. If they wanted the legendary key, they wouldn''t make a move until they didn''t want to lose their only lead. Even if they were greedy and attacked him while thinking that he had it, after witnessing Jacob''s prowess and his mysterious depth, he was sure they wouldn''t act against him unless they wanted to put their lives at risk. And he knows damn well that a Quasi Legend won''t take unnecessary risks for other''s sake after reaching his point of power.


    He was especially confident after observing Diminutive. This kind of sly goblin wouldn''t take a risk going against someone like Jacob, who literally exposed everything about him that he had been hiding all this time.


    As Jacob expected, Diminutive was the first one topose himself after hearing the part about the legendary key and said solemnly, "Your excellency, your offer is indeed temting, but forgive myck of respect when I say I can''t trust you with just your words.


    "If you can give us something that makes us believe, you have my word that we''ll help you with everything we have. Of course, if you want to join our little group here in the venture of the dangerous path of legend, I''ll be happy to give you the leader''s position. I''m sure everyone will be happy to follow someone powerful like you, unlike a weak little goblin like myself, who is too afraid to lead them!"


    Diminutive''s submissive attitude shocked everyone, especially when he casually offered the Treaty of Legends'' leader position. This also proved that he was the true leader in the shadows while the Queen was a figurehead, or they were deliberately hiding Diminutive''s strength as a trump card.


    However, no one retorted because they knew Jacob was unfathomable at this moment, and even this shadow leader of theirs was sucking up to him right now. It made them even more apprehensive of Jacob.


    Nheless, just as Diminutive stated, if Jacob reallyes on their side and knows where the legendary key is or already has it, then all the trouble they were going to have would be resolved.


    Moreover, they will also gain a terrifying existence like Jacob. It was far better than following this sneaky fellow around who might sacrifice them for his own gains; at least Jacob would be there to keep Diminutive in check.


    "Tsk, tsk, although his words are submissive, and he only wants to confirm whether I have the key in my possession or not. Not only that, but he clearly didn''t want to show his true abilities, and by putting me on the spot, he could scheme all he wanted.'' A hint of coldness crept into Jacob''s eyes as his lips rose slightly, ''Well, it''s not like I hadn''t expected it from someone like him, and he didn''t know he was just digging his own grave...''


    "Oh, you''re doubting me? Well, it''s to be expected, I guess, since you can''t take a stranger''s words seriously." Jacob nodded in understanding before he dismissively stated, "Although I don''t have the key in my possession right now since I can just take it whenever I want, truthfully, I''ve left it alone all this time because I''m not interested in the path of legend. Nheless, to make you guys believe what I just said, how about we sign a Zodiac Oath Contract? I''ll let you pen the terms so you won''t think I''m leaving some loophole to exploit you."


    This time, Diminutive didn''t respond for some reason, as he was starting to have some doubts about Jacob''s confidence.


    His sharp eyes shed with a hint of uncertainty as he mused, ''Does he really know where the legendary key is?'' He seemed too confident as if he weren''t afraid of signing the oath contract at all.


    ''Moreover, if he''s revealing this important information just like that, then this could only mean that something is even more important to him than the legendary key.


    ''No matter what, since he held the initiative, I can only be in a lost position. And here I thought I could do anything in the unique ins. Just where did this monster pope off from? I need more information about him before I can''t take the risk of going against him.''


    "Old man Ss, if I agree with His Excellency, do you have any problem with that?"


    Diminutive suddenly put Ss, who had been silent all this time, on the spot, startling the old man. Jacob looked towards the old man with a hint of dark anticipation as if he wanted him to make a move while he was secretly sneering at Diminutive''s rookie attempt at ''Flying a Kite.''


    "N-no. I have no problem with this senior. It seemed my descendants have offended this senior unknowingly." Ss quickly backed down.


    Demanding justice from this unknown monster, wouldn''t he be courting death? Although his faith and power were important, they were not as important as his old life, which he cherished the most.


    "Tsk, I forget he''s the biggest coward of them all when ites to facing danger. In a time like this, I really missed that muscle-brain idiot; he would''ve jumped on this trap, and then I could''ve measured his strength even more.


    ''Although his power is unfathomable, there is no doubt. But he''s in the unique ins, so he''s not at his peak. Curse these damn rules, only allowing unique rank people into the conflict ins. Even if someone used the same method to enter the conflict ins, they would be pped to death by this guy. Guess I have to give in for now...''


    Feeling bitter, Diminutive finally nodded, "Since no one has any problem with his excellency, then let''s sign this contract right away. Please give me your Star ID so that I can send you the contract."


    Jacob had already expected this before he dismissively replied, "There''s no need for a digital contract; I''ve already had a physical one. Oh, and don''t forget to put a condition that only ''Real Bodies'' could sign this contract, not any kind of ''substitutes, servants, or ves.''


    "Since this is somewhat of a big matter, I think you would agree with me if someone between us turned out to be only a puppet, right?" Jacob casually said in a friendly yet chilly tone.


    "My thoughts exactly!" Diminutive agreed with a chuckle as if it was only nature yet inside, he cussed, "This crafty fox!''

 Chapter 720: Bested the Best! (2)

    Chapter 720: Bested the Best! (2)


    ?


    The Zodiac Oath Contract was quickly written by Diminutive. After Jacob made sure the goblin didn''t leave any tricks in it, he signed it while Diminutive handed it over to Necro so he could bring it to his main body.


    After all, only the main bodies of Jacob and Diminutive could sign on it, and this was Jacob''s only condition. Jacob wanted to make sure to bind Diminutive with the Zodiac Oath Contract, as for others, as long as they didn''t have soul force, he didn''t consider them a threat.


    In fact, he leaves them alone because he wants someone among them to be reckless and then deliver blood vitality to him. After all, for Jacob, the Treaty of Legends was nothing but a tool to increase the final phase progress. They were useful for him, whether alive or dead!


    "How about his excellency tell us what you want in return while Necro delivers the contract to my real body?" Diminutive asked, his face still hidden behind his cloak, just like hooded Jacob''s.


    "Well, I guess it would save us some time." Jacob coolly nodded before he directly stated, "It''s actually not a big deal for people in your ranks to achieve what I want in return for the location of the Legendary Key."


    They all knew what Jacob was implying by emphasizing this point. After all, they were all Quasi Legends who belonged to different races and held massive power and influence in the Unique ins.


    With just their individual prowess, they can easily manipte their races and any organization under their races, especially Ss, Samara, Necro, and even Vermont. These four have 2/3 of the Life Faction, 1/3 of the Neutral Faction, and the entire Dead Faction at their beck and call.


    That''s why when Jacob found their racial identities from Immortika, he decided to use them instead of just killing mere soul puppets. He knew those greedy, power-hungry wolves wouldn''t reject such a powerful individual of their race overseeing their organizations, making them reap even more benefits.


    Jacob knew that if he could use their influence, he wouldn''t even need to do anything himself; he could do everything just by issuing orders. He even had a perfect bait to make sure they would listen to him, the Legendary Key!


    After grabbing everyone''s attention, Jacob finally revealed what he wanted from them, "I want high-quality blood, at least unique rank, and a lot of it! This is what I want in return for revealing the legendary key''s location.


    "Furthermore, as our contract states, I won''t trick or harm any of you once you guys acquire the legendary key or reveal this information to a third party. Moreover, if you want to enter the path of legend, I''ll go with you guys and won''t harm you if you don''t go against me.


    "All these conditions are quite steep if you asked me, but I''m still fine with them. The thing is, can you pay the price to keep me neutral? After all, the contract will only be valid if you guys help me achieve my goal until I''m content with the result.


    "Even if you guys are unwilling, then I have no problem at all, but don''t get in my way or..." Jacob bluntly released his killing intent towards the end, which sent chills down everyone''s spines. Even Diminutive was stumped when he sensed that bloodlust.


    Although Jacob''s demand came as a surprise, some of them still expected his demand to include this kind of condition. After all, the current situation of the Holy Mountain Range was right in front of them to see, and Jacob''s presence in the Unique ins also hinted that he was wounded or his power had been regressed.


    This means Jacob wanted blood to get back to full power, and the most frustrating thing was even if they wanted to confront him with their real bodies to fully understand what kind of wounds he had to be able to enter this ce.


    The only one among them who had another opinion was Diminutive. Despite having simr minded thoughts with the other Quasi Legends, he also thought about another possibility.


    ''Could it be that he has some kind of treasure that allows him to trick the Zodiac ins''ws? Although they are just myths, I still found their records in that ruin, so I can''t ignore them. However, the possibility of having such a thing in this kind of ce and under mortal control is as good as impossible. I need more input on him!''


    At this moment, Samara, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke before Diminutive could. With a charming smile, she bowed in front of Jacob while moving her chest slightly, showing her perfect figure to the fullest.


    "Great Sire, I''m a Senior Witch, who others call a Witch Queen, and my name is Samara. It is an absolute honor to meet someone like you. Please allow me to confirm something with you."


    Although she had a confident smile on her charming face, the streaming sweat from her temple and her trembling third eye was evidence of her fear, as if she could see something the others couldn''t.


    ''A Witch Queen, huh?'' Jacob''s eyes shed slightly as he wasn''t expecting this witch to be a witch queen.


    After all, he had acquired quite a lot from the inheritance of the Vile Witch named Witch Queen Margret, and the ironic part was the Vile Witch Race had a blood feud with the Charm Witch Race, which Samara belonged to,


    Nheless, Jacob never felt gratitude toward Margret or enmity toward the Charm Witch Race. He got the Witch Queen''s inheritance with his own luck and skills, while the Charm Witch Race never wronged him in any way.


    So, he was still neutral against them, but this didn''t mean he didn''t want the witchcraft, rted to curse magic, practiced by the witch race. In fact, Samara only made him prioritize the Witch Race even more. As for her attempt to stir Jacob''s carnal desires by using her appearance and Charm, it failed miserably.


    "Let''s hear what you have to say." Jacob impassively gave his permission while Diminutive narrowed his eyes under his cloak.


    Although Samara''s interference clearly undermined his authority, Diminutive knew this vixen was full of tricks, and her intelligence was not bad either. In fact, after thinking about it more, he was d that Samara interfered, which meant he could observe more, and he wouldn''t be at any risk of revealing some opening in front of Jacob.


    Samara secretly sighed in relief when Jacob agreed to talk with her, which meant there was a chance to seduce such a powerful being.


    Nheless, she didn''t dare be reckless. If she offended him instead, she knew the sly goblin over there wouldn''t hesitate to discard her to quench Jacob''s anger. She had already put Diminutive above the Queen once Jacob revealed his true identity, or he was at least on the same level.


    But for some reason, she can''t preserve Jacob''s silhouette with her spiritual eye at all; even Queen and Diminutive''s silhouette was cleared in it. All she could see was an endless fog of crimson, which made her spiritual eye tremble with fear and excitement since this meant Jacob was far more powerful than both Queen and Diminutive.


    If she could earn his favor, she knew her path forward would be extremely easy, especially the venture of the Path of Legend.


    "Thank you for this chance." Samara pulled with a beautiful smile. She couldn''t see Jacob''s face or reaction at all, but this didn''t make her dejected.


    "I think the Great Sire''s condition isn''t that hard to fill at all. In fact, I think we should thank


    the Great Sire for his magnanimity. Please correct me if I''m wrong, Great Sire. You said you only need Unique Rank Blood, but you didn''t specifically say what kind of blood or blood from


    a specific race, right?"


    "Indeed." Jacob nodded while closely observing the enthralling Samara, but the cause of his attention was not her beauty but her sharp mind.


    Samara smiled even more widely when Jacob didn''t deny it, and she continued, "Then doesn''t it mean a huge source of blood is already on its way to this ce?"


    Ss''s eyes widened as he almost forgot about ''it'' because of the shock Jacob brought him, and he quickly blurted, "The Locust Queen and her army!"


    "Yes! Great Sire had already provoked the Locust Queen even before meeting with us, so I can presume that Sire might have provoked her for this exact reason. It''s just that you''re finding it quite a hassle to kill all those bugs alone, so that''s why you want our help, right?


    "In fact, if I''m not entirely wrong, you didn''t actually want our help, but you want the help of the people of three factions. You could easily annihte the entire army yourself, but you deemed it insufficient to meet your current needs.


    "But if the three factions were to go against the Locust Army..." Samara''s eyes shimmered with a dark glint as if what she had just said was nothing but trifle matter. "Then there will be a war and an endless stream of blood. We don''t even need to dirty our hands!" Diminutive solemnly concluded the rest of Samara''s words, but a hint of cruelty was


    present in his eyes.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Samara. She had almost guessed his entire n: ''I guess the goblin isn''t the only one in this group whom I need to be wary of...!''

 Chapter 721: The Three Factions in Chaos!

    Chapter 721: The Three Factions in Chaos!


    ?


    The conflict ins were busy with daily activities when a steep warning was suddenly issued through the Star Network.


    When people first saw this ridiculous news, their first thought was something was spouting nonsense to grab others'' attention. However, when they noticed the Star ID who posted this star news, no one dared to belittle or doubt the authenticity of this news because this news was posted by the Alchemy Guild President!


    Moreover, shortly after, the Alchemy Guild President, the Bank Manager, the Alliance Chairman, and even the three neutral factions suddenly posted the same star news, making it impossible for others to ignore it anymore.


    The star news was, [We have spotted a massive Locust army controlled by a Locust Queen, and their numbers are in the tens of millions, and the lowest rank among them is at least peak of Extraordinary Rank! This is an unprecedented disaster that has never been heard or seen by the Unique ins! The Locust Army has already breached the boundaries of the Unique ins, and they will make contact with the Alchemy Region first! We need all the help we can get to protect everyone! If you can fight, please fight for your loved ones! We are sending all the reinforcement we can muster up as quickly as possible, but it''ll require some time! Please defend your homes until the reinforcement arrives; we hope the unique ins can escape this cmity with little loss and...!]


    Not only were there startling revtions about the iing army of locusts, but there was even a video feed showing a massive ice mist heading toward the alchemy region.


    Moreover, after this news was made public, many scouts of different powers quickly headed towards the location to get more information on this matter, and soon, many live feeds were being watched all over the conflict ins.


    This caused massive chaos, and many people, along with their loved ones, started to flee. However, there wasn''t any way out because the Queen Ice Fiend Locust had blocked every direction to make sure her target wouldn''t be able to run away.


    Furthermore, she seemed to have lost her mind as her army was leaving behind a trail of icy hell, freezing everything dead or alive in their path, turning the lustrous scenery of the conflict ins into purple ice hell!


    "What the hell is going on with these bugs!?" Alliance Chairman Mathias bellowed while lighting cackled all over his giant body. He hatefully red at the live feed of millions of locusts heading towards the alchemy region, and they would soon reach the first city of the alchemy guild.


    However, he was truly frustrated by the order he received from the Treaty of Legends. It was a very simple order: [We can''t interfere with the conflict ins directly, but it is of the utmost importance that you deal with this locust army as soon as possible. Otherwise, you and your organizations will be in a world of trouble if you let the conflict ins poption plummet to a certain degree!]


    Furthermore, it wasn''t just Mathias who received such a warning from the treaty, but all the leaders of the three factions received the same warnings, even the Dead Faction!


    So, now Mathias and the other leaders of the three factions were having an urgent meeting virtually.


    "I got information from my men that these Locusts seemed to be part of the elusive Fantastic Insect Race. As for their exact species and abilities, we have no information on them," Guild President Bronte gravely stated from a projection.


    "I get it, but why did these insects suddenly decide to attack the conflict ins? Who provoked them? There must be some kind of motive behind their sudden attacks. And look at this!" Federation Master Ryan solemnly interjected before he disyed an image of a massive silhouette hidden within the fog on his screen for everyone to see.


    Once everyone''s attention was on the image, Ryan gravely said, "This is an image captured by one of my suicide squads before they turned into ice dust. But I think it was worth it because ording to the information we were able to gather, despite the huge army of locusts spreading all over the conflict ins, there are still a massive, unknown number of locusts far more powerful than the one infiltrating the conflict ins circling around this mysterious object in the center.


    "Whoever dared to approach this ce will be instantly dealt with. Not even a fly could bypass this protection circle. But this also means that whatever is inside this object is very important for the locust army, and I think this might be the key to stopping and defeating this army!"


    "Heh, as impressive as ever when ites to gathering information, Federation Master." Dark Duke Tomas praised before he questioned coldly, "But I still want to ask how are you nning to approach this object if it is protected by an army even more powerful than unique rank locusts?


    "If what you just said is true, then I''m afraid even if we gather everyone under us, we won''t have enough manpower to go against this army. We''ll be exhausted to death before we can even reach their main nest.


    "Besides, why is the Treaty not taking action? Could it be there is something in there that even they didn''t dare to face, and they are using us as bait to test the waters?


    "I get that they are extremely powerful, even our seniors, but this didn''t give them the right to order us around and use us as bug baits! Besides, does anyone here know what kind of consequences we would have to suffer if the poption of those useless masses dropped a certain level? It''s my first time hearing something like this!"


    Everyone looked at Tomas with astonishment and impressed by his boldness; after all, they all had thought about the same thing but didn''t dare to voice it out. Because it was simply too suspicious of the Treaty of the Legends not to act personally despite this matter being so grave.


    "Hah, if you have guts, say the same thing in front of the Treaty." At this moment, the Aura Dead King jeered at Tomas with his eerie voice as the mes behind his hood glowed brightly, "You livestock only have benefits in your head all the time, not loyalty towards your leaders. I knew from the start that this meeting was a waste of time. But since I''m already here, I''ll tell you what I''ll do. I''m going to follow my Emperor''s order and take my entire army to kill those bugs! You can scheme against each other all you want. Let me see if your schemes are more solid or the Treaty''s power!"


    Without waiting for the others'' reply, the Aura Dead King, who was the new dead emperor, cut off his connection, leaving behind deadly silence.


    At this moment, Sebastian finally spoke in his impassive yet somewhat gloomy tone, "I''m with the Dead Emperor this time, and I have other matters to tend to. As the oldest among you, I''ll advise you all not to test those old monsters. Trust me, you''ll only end up in misery whether you win or lose!" He also cut off his connection.


    "I''m also following Senior Queen''s order!" Bronte quickly picked a side as well.


    In the end, only Ryan, Mathias, Bank Manager Roy, and Tomas were left.


    Tomas''s expression was extremely dark,pletely opposite to his previous confidence. He never expected that no one would take his side despite the situation being so obvious.


    "Give up, old man; you can''t take that person down. At least not until you''re in the Unique ins!" Mathias meaningfully nced at Tomas, his anger greatly subdued after the Dead Emperor had given him a wake-up call.


    Although he was also indignant about this whole situation, he was a believer in might above all, so he knew without strength, no matter what kind of opinion he had, his voice wasn''t strong enough to have any weight. So, it was best to n an attack and cut his losses to the


    minimum.


    "Tsk..." Bank Manager Roy clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed about this meeting, and cut off his connection as well.


    However, Ryan didn''t cut off his connection, and his somewhat dark expression suddenly turned stoic as he looked toward Tomas.


    "What are you waiting for? Do you have anything to say?" Tomas asked coldly as he seemed to have aged a great deal after hearing Mathias''s ambiguous words.


    Ryan impassively said at his moment with a different tone as ifpletely a different person,


    "Dark Duke Tomas, I know what you want, and I can even grant you the means to achieve your lofty goal. However, the thing is, what can you offer in return? After all, killing a God''s avatar has certain consequences!"

 Chapter 722: Pubescent Class

    Chapter 722: Pubescent ss


    ?


    Back to the Holy Mountain Range, which has now turned into Jacob''s backyard. Because of Ss''s secret interference, the Faery Humans would not seek to reim this ce or seek revenge. If anything, Ss was saving them from certain death!


    Nheless, now that the Treaty has signed a deal with Jacob, saving a few more Faery Humans won''t matter anymore because, ording to their deal with Jacob, they won''t interfere with the locust army and will also encourage the factions of unique ins to take part in this war.


    Although the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s target was Jacob, those three factions didn''t know that, and so the more they tried to resist the army, the more bloody mess it caused, which was Jacob''s goal to begin with.


    Furthermore, with Treaty on board, Jacob also didn''t need to worry about wasting any spilled blood outside the Unique ins. However, there was a single change in this deal: Jacob would have to give away the location of the legendary key after 5 years, whether he was satisfied with the amount of blood or not.


    After all, without this time limit, Jacob could easily have continued wasting time until the Path of Legend''s opening time was over. So, Diminutive had to propose this condition after knowing what Jacob wanted from them.


    Jacob also agreed with this term since he knew Diminutive might not agree to anything less than this. Furthermore, Jacob wasn''t nning on dragging this at all. If anything, he was the most impatient of them all toplete the final stage before the Path of Legend opened.


    At this moment, Jacob was in the library of the Church, where the hiddenb of Percy was also located. He was closely monitoring the star news.


    "1. Star News by Witch Queen9842


    "Star News: We have spotted a massive Locust army controlled by a Locust Queen, and their numbers are in the tens of millions, and the lowest rank among them is at least peak of Extraordinary Rank! This is an unprecedented disaster...


    "2. Star News by Rusty-Dusty


    "Star News: Live Streaming of the Locust Army at the Risk of my Life, please join my Star Server, and any donation will be much appreciated; your support is my motivation! (Click here to Join the Star Server to watch the LIVE Stream)


    "3. Star News by DangerKing


    "Star News: Live streaming of the Locust Army, and I''m the one who is closest to them the most! Please join my Star Server, watch my livestream, and show your support with donations! Beware of scammers! We are having an event in my star server; if someone donates 1 Billion ZC, I''ll personally kill a Locust! (Click here to Join the Star Server to watch the LIVE Stream)"


    Jacob couldn''t help but sneer when he saw that, except for the first notification by the Alchemy Guild President, the rest of the trending news was all about the people capturing live feeds of the iing locust army to earn some profits amid the chaos.


    Nheless, Jacob had to admit that the Treaty had done a great job of riling up the masses, and now all he had to do was wait for the first sh between the locust army and the unique ins.


    "The time for gathering the harvest is not far. I have to move personally to collect the blood. But I have to keep my presence hidden as much as possible, and thanks to these idiots showing everything, I can easily be at the ce with most casualties.'' Jacob''s lips curled up as he closed the Star Network for now and looked towards a small pile of old books.


    These books were given to him by none other than Ss after Jacob bluntly demanded all the secrets rted to the Spellbind Eyes of the Faery Human Race as well as their scripture.


    All he gave in return was that he wouldn''t bother the Faery Human Race, especially that he wouldn''t touch any of their temples or sully their God. Furthermore, Jacob also demanded a private meeting with the current Pope, Sebastian, and he promised not to harm him in any way.


    In the end, Ss has no choice but to agree with Jacob despite his curiosity about why Jacob is so interested in the Faery Human Race''s heritage. After all, now that Ss knew what kind of terrifying being had set his eyes on their race, he didn''t dare take this matter lightly.


    After all, he didn''t care about his race but only himself, and for now, protecting the reputation of the Holy Justice God was protecting his own neck. So, he gave away everything Jacob desired. He even promised him Sebastian on a silver tter any time he wanted.


    However, Jacob didn''t want to leave the Unique ins at this moment because he didn''t want to reveal the truth about him beingpletely fine despite staying there. After all, he knew Diminutive might''ve already considered the possibility of him having a treasure that allowed him to enter the conflict ins without any restraints.


    If he left now and someone powerful attacked him, this would easily reveal the truth, and then things might turn moreplicated for him. So, he wanted to collect as much blood as possible and only then leave the conflict ins. This way, it would appear in others'' view that he had recovered with that blood he gathered.


    Jacob was about to open the first book when he felt a cold sensation suddenly spread through his mind as if something had broken free within. This was the end because suddenly, Jacob started to feel his soul force stirring, and the next moment, it started to spread-it was growing abruptly!


    Jacob was bewildered by this sudden turn of events, and he had no idea why his soul force suddenly started to grow.


    However, at this moment, something instantly came to his mind when he felt a familiar presence within his mind. A realization dawned on him, and a hint of anticipation shed past his eyes: Just how many years had it been!?


    "Hahahaha, I finally reached the Pubescent ss!" At this moment, a jolly yet melodious voice with a hint of mischievousness rang in Jacob''s head.


    Jacob knew who this annoying voice belonged to. Although he was d that she was finally done with her evaluation, he was still feeling depressed about hearing her annoying voice all the time in his head again. After all, it was Nyx!


    Suddenly, Nyx''s jolly voice turned into an astonished yelp before she cried in rm, "What the hell did you do with your body!?"

 Chapter 723 Nightmare Eater!

    Chapter 723 Nightmare Eater!


    Hearing Nyx''s annoying voice, Jacob was slightly d but mostly annoyed as he replied impassively, "Whatever I do to my body is none of your business. Tell me about this Pubescent ss. This should be your current rank, right? But I clearly remembered you telling me that after the Infancy ss was the Adolescence ss, so why is it different now? How strong are you?"


    "What do you mean, it''s none of my business? You''ve almost turned into a skeleton! How the hell are you even alive? No, what is most important is my life is also connected with yours; whatever you''re doing with your life will have a direct effect on me! So, don''t tell me it''s not my business because IT IS!" Nyx''s furiously retorted with exasperation. Jacob sighed as he knew Nyx had a point, so he decided to exin a little since he didn''t want her nagging voice ringing like flies in his head, "Don''t worry, my condition is just like your evolution phases. Currently, I''m evolving into a new rank, and this is a result of that. Skeleton or Human, as long as I''m alive, I don''t think it matters too much. Now stop asking meaningless questions and answer me."


    "Tsk, tsk, I guess with your personality, being an undead suits you more," Nyxmented with a hint of indignation.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "I guess you''ve be more daring after you evolved. It seems I have to do something about it."


    "W-wait! I was about to exin! Why are you always like this?" Nyx quickly cried in rm as she knew Jacob was reaching his limit, so she quickly got to the main point, "I really didn''t know that there was the Pubescent ss between the Infancy-ss and Adolescence-ss.


    "I only learned this now that my evaluation has beenpleted. I guess the Adolescence ss held some kind of significance to me, so I knew about it from the start. Anyway, after evolving into the Pubescent ss, all my previous abilities have been strengthened at least fivefold.


    "Your Dreamscape Nightmare Realm has also expanded by five times, and the time difference from reality has increased by five times. Now, spending five seconds there is equal to one second in reality. I can also emte things that I wasn''t able to before. As for what rank exactly, we still need to experiment with that.


    "The Nightmare Conqueror Seeds limit has also been increased from three to fifteen, thus strengthening the Nightmare Conqueror''s overall abilities. Now, even after the Nightmare Conqueror devours someone''s dreamscape realm, as long as I don''t call it back, the victim will never know the difference.


    "Furthermore, in addition to the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm and Nightmare Conqueror innate abilities, I''ve awakened a new ability: the Dream Invader. Now, I don''t need the presence of the Nightmare Conqueror Seed to invade someone''s dreamscape realm or even the Dark Nightmare Realm (Dreamscape Realms of Dark Beings). You just need to make eye contact with the victim, and as long as they are not powerful enough, I can easily invade their dreamscape realms.


    "Moreover, the best part about this ability is that even if someone is using a fake substitute, as long as they had even a sliver of their consciousness or soul connected with the fake, I can directly infiltrate their main body if I want and then leave without devouring their dreamscape realms.


    "Although this is somewhat of a letdown, I guess this ability is quite useful if you want to gather information or torment someone for a very, very long time." Nyx finally concluded her exnation.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with satisfaction. Nyx''s abilities were as useful as always, and after they strengthened, he knew his enemies would be in a world of trouble.


    However, suddenly, Nyx revealed something in an excited tone, "There is one more thing that is directly beneficial to you."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed, "What is it?"


    "How about you say something nice about me, and I''ll tell you?" Nyx yfully stated.


    Jacob coldly replied, "It seems you want to live in the nightmare realm from now on. How''s this for a nice thing?"


    "Don''t you dare! Tsk, what a killjoy. Alright, I''ll tell you." Nyx quickly gave in with a rueful tone, "As my nightmare contractor and host, you share a simr fate with me; this also means you''ll get to enjoy some privileges as well.


    "After I reached the Pubescent ss, you also get an ability rted to dreams. It''s called the Nightmare Eater. It allows the Nightmare Contractor to infiltrate the target''s dreamscape realm, constructing an illusion and causing their soul to degenerate.


    "You can then devour the target''s dreamscape realm and absorb their entire soul vitality, killing them in the process. But I''ll get 50% of whatever you devour, and you can only target a single victim at a time.


    "However, this ability required something called Soul Force to activate. Furthermore, if the target''s soul force is too powerful than yours, or they somehow see through the illusion, it may injure your soul in an unpredictable manner!


    "Nheless, knowing you, I know you''ll figure it out. Now, rejoice and praise me. After all, you''ll get to enjoy such an ability all because of me¡­"


    Jacobpletely ignored thest part, and while Nyx continued to rant, he was shocked when he heard about this ability that required soul force to use. Nyx had no idea that Jacob had already awakened it, and it seemed that after Nyx had evolved, his soul force had also been re-elevated to some extent.


    Although he was still dissatisfied about giving away 50% of the soul vitality he got from his target, this little price was enough to pay for such an ability. He also learned more about Nyx''s usefulness.


    Not only was she extremely powerful, almost like a cheat, but she could also bring endless benefits to her contractor. He even wanted to test this Nightmare Eater ability now on someone.


    But he held back because he first had to sort out the knowledge about the Spellbind Eyes and re-elevate his Eyes of Judge. After all, now that the time difference between Dreamscape Nightmare Realm and reality time had increased, he could do it in minimum time with little effort.


    However, he first must determine whether the Dreamscape Nightmare Realm can emte his Eyes of Judge now.


    But at this moment, Jacob suddenly received a message from one of Autarch''s puppets he had nned in this ce, and his eyes narrowed. ''The real leader of the Treaty is here and wants to meet me. What is that goblin ying at now?''

 Chapter 724: No More Tricks!

    Chapter 724: No More Tricks!


    ?


    In the Grand Chapel of the Cardinal Spirit Church, there was a majestic golden state of the Holy Justice God. It was a being with a blindfold wrapped around its eyes, and its majestic three pairs of wings were spreading above the sky. In its hands were a spear and a sword. A trace of unknown radiance was emitting from the statue of the Holy Justice God.


    However, in this holy ce that the Faery Humans were supposed to protect with their lives, an empty throne was sitting right on the same tform as the statue of the Holy Justice God, which was aplete sphemy to the God''s prestige since this throne on the same tform could very well mean that whoever sat on it would be equal to the Holy Justice God.


    Consequently, the two cloaked people present in the chapel have the exact thoughts at this moment.


    "What a daring fellow!" A melodious woman''s voice rang from the tall, cloaked figure.


    "Heh, you sounded impressed." The midget cloaked figure, Diminutive, sneered slightly with a hint of dissatisfaction.


    "At least he has the guts to dere his intentions openly, unlike a certain coward." The woman, who was none other than Queen using a soul puppet, disdainfully retorted without a hint of fear.


    "A hero died early, leaving behind a legend, while a coward lives to choreograph a legend." Diminutive chuckled coldly.


    "Well said."


    Before the Queen could retort, another cold yet impassive voice rang behind the high prayer tform, instantly drawing Diminutive and the Queen''s attention.


    From the secret entrance behind the tform, a giant figure wearing a hooded dark windbreaker entered the chapel and then directly jumped on the high tform and sat on the giant throne without even ncing at the grand statue behind him.


    In fact, the radiance emitting from the statue makes the giant sitting on the golden throne look extremely holy with a touch of sinister air.


    Jacob nced at Diminutive for a moment before finally observing the neer with him. He seemed to have no fear of this cunning goblin, which piqued his interest in this ''leader'' of the Treaty.


    As for the throne he was sitting on, Jacob wasn''t the one who put it there, but it was Autarch who arranged a ''fitting seat'' for Jacob to meet others, and Jacob didn''t think much of it at all.


    But Jacob or anyone present in this ce failed to notice that the moment Jacob sat on that throne, the radiance emitting from the state of the Holy Justice God suddenly lost something peculiar within.


    "Thank you, Your Excellency, Crimson. It means a lot to be acknowledged by someone like you." Diminutive quickly bowed his head slightly as if he waspletely submissive to Jacob, but Jacob would rather believe a liar than believe this guy.


    As for the name ''Crimson,'' it was naturally given to them by Jacob. After thinking about how he was collecting blood, so he decided to use something rted to blood. He also didn''t sign his name on the oath contract; he didn''t need to because a physical contract needs the blood and life signature of the party who signed it, and it doesn''t matter if the name they used was fake or real.


    That''s why Diminutive couldn''t y any tricks in this contract. Although his main body wasn''t there, the soul puppet had a trace of his life signature, and Jacob clearly stated that Diminutive had to use his life signature first and thenplete the contract by using his real blood, which contained his unique life signature. He himself waspletely unrestrained by such things.


    When Jacob doesn''t reply to Diminutive''s ttery, he doesn''t mind it at all and introduces hispanion beside him since he can sense that Jacob''s eyes are on her.


    "Let me introduce you to this fairdy, Veronica. Alongside me, she''s the real leader of the Treaty of Legends, and I''m not lying when I say that she built the entire organization from scratch and has kept it together all this time.


    "She can also be considered half of my student and sessor. She was eager to meet with His Excellency Crimson from the moment she heard about your gant and heroic character. Please feel free to instruct her in any way you want. I promise you that you''ll be satisfied with her performance." Diminutive introduced the Queen or Veronica like some kind of precious item on sale, making the fierce woman''s heart sink a little as she viciously red at Diminutive.


    ''Is he making me look like some kind of slut, so this person thinks little of me and no longer takes me seriously? No, knowing him, he''s nning even more deeply. Could it be he wanted to incur his lust, and since he knows that I would resist at all cost, which might make him displeased, he''ll use force? Once that happened...'' A chill went down Veronica''s spine as she instantly thought that Diminutive was nning to use her as bait to test Jacob''s real prowess and, while doing so, hers as well!


    She instantly started to regret her decision toe together with Diminutive and saw him being suppressed by this mysterious person named Crimson.


    If she had known that Diminutive would be even more despicable, even going as far as selling her to Jacob just so he could measure his strength, she would''ve been even more careful. Just like that, the little bit of trust and goodwill she had in Diminutive vanished in smoke. "Are you a pimp, now? Oh, I mean, a procurer? Because I can clearly see thisdy over here isn''t even least bit entertained with your sales pitch, or perhaps did you take her for your family''s women?" Jacob suddenly spoke in an icy tone, making Veronica instantly look at him in astonishment before a weird expression shed past her eyes when sheprehended what this person was actually implying.


    She had never thought that this dignified person would be so brazen. What was most unbelievable was that he was actually taking her side while bluntly berating Diminutive, who he knew was stronger than hers.


    Not to mention, Diminutive was left speechless and couldn''tprehend what Jacob had said for a long time before it finally dawned on him, and his hidden expression warped a little. But before he could say anything, Jacob spoke again in a threatening tone, "If you want to test mee at me anytime instead of being a pimp. Don''t test me with these paltry tricks, or trust me, until you start gathering blood for me, the contract is still valid.


    "How about we cancel it, and you cane at me with your real body or try ying all the tricks in your book, and I''ll show you what I got?


    "Or, as you said, ''A hero died early, leaving behind a legend, while a coward lives to choreograph a legend.'' But let me add something more: ''To choreograph a legend, the coward needs to be a king. ''So, tell me, goblin, are you a King?


    Jacob''s arrogant and overbearing words were like a thunderous deration of might against Diminutive. He was bluntly putting him down and forcing him to take action, simply ept his defeat, or at least make his attempts to test him more discreet next time.


    Because Jacob knew that if he didn''t react in any way or y along with Diminutive, this guy would be daring with hisck of response, so taking an overbearing attitude was actually a good way to show that he wasn''t afraid of him at all and instead wanted him to take action.


    This way, a person like Diminutive would think even more carefully before messing with or trying anything funny, just like he did right now.


    Another reason for doing it was, Veronica, he could clearly sense that these two weren''t in sync at all, in fact, Veronica contained clear hostility against Diminutive, and after he put her up for show, Jacob even sense hidden killing intent appearing within her.


    So, by taking her side while treating Diminutive like a dog, he was also earning himself a pawn right beside Diminutive.


    "It seemed that my little joke greatly displeased Mister Crimson, so I apologized to you. I don''t want anything to happen to our cooperation just because of this little joke of mine." Diminutive didn''t lose his calm despite Jacob''s clear act of provocation, despite the poison hidden deep within his icy cold eyes. He even changed his way of addressing Jacob.


    ''What a snake... but I had to admit, I had never seen him so rattled up by someone andpletely helpless!'' Veronica''s eyes shed with a hint of gloating as she felt extremely refreshed while her evaluation of Jacob raised by another level.


    However, despite Diminutive retreating and deciding to bid his time to strike at another appropriate situation, all of this doesn''t matter anymore to Jacob.


    Jacob was now at ease against Diminutive all because of Nyx''s awakening. Now, even if Diminutive had tricks up his sleeves, he waspletely at Jacob''s mercy!

 Chapter 725: A Nightmare’s Mission!

    Chapter 725: A Nightmare¡¯s Mission!


    ?


    "If that''s the case, then do you mind if I talk with Miss Veronica in peace?" Jacob impassively asked ambiguously.


    He also asked through telepathy, "Is it done?"


    Diminutive eyes shimmered sharply, clearly reluctant. But since things were not going


    ording to his n, he nodded, "Why, of course, you can speak with little Veronica as much as you want. I also have things to take care of. After all, we have to make sure to satisfy Mister Crimson''s bloody needs."


    However, unbeknownst to Jacob, Diminutive used another aspect of Soul Force that Jacob was still unaware of; soul telepathy, and sent a warning that directly rang in Veronica''s head!


    "I want to hear everything and don''t say anything I wouldn''t, or I don''t want to use ''that.'' Remember, you are nothing without me, and you are alive because of me!"


    The next moment, Diminutive silently retreated from the chapel, leaving the grim expression Veronica behind. She never expected that Diminutive would be so wary of Jacob that he broke his promise to her, and without any care about the consequences, he directly threatened her.


    But s, she couldn''t do anything. She didn''t even know how to retort without alerting Jacob and then incurring Diminutive''s wrath.


    "So, Miss Veronica, did you really call this meeting, or was it also that goblin''s idea? If it''s the former, please speak your mind freely." Jacob stated at this moment after Diminutive was gone.


    Behind the mask, Veronica bit her lips in frustration, and she asked with a hesitant tone, "It was my idea, and he just tagged along. Nheless, Mr. Crimson is far more than what the others are making you to be. I had never seen someone going against Diminutive and pushing him so much. Still, I want to ask you why you''re going against Diminutive like this and taking my side despite not even knowing me. Only then can I decide in which direction should our talk go."


    Jacob chuckled coldly before he replied nonchntly, "I have no grudge or any enmity with that goblin; it''s just that I don''t like goblin kind, and that fellow is every bit of a goblin that I loathe.


    "Furthermore, I can sense when someone is sincere towards me and when someone is trying to scheme against me. And there is not even a hint of the former with that goblin. He''s just too causation and wouldn''t make a move against me until he''s fully confident that he can win against me.


    "As for why I look favorably upon you, it''s quite simple. I had this feeling that you had a simr opinion of that goblin, and you didn''t seem to be just a puppet leader, either, which I had been expecting you to be. If it''s true, then I should have a chat with you instead of that goblin, which no one in the treaty seemed to acknowledge."


    Veronica was speechless when she heard Jacob''s ridiculous reason for opposing Diminutive and astounded when she heard Jacob''s assessment of her.


    ''He''s not only daring but also cunning. His early action seemed to be thoroughly calctive as well. Just where did this monstere from? It''s no wonder even that Old Ghost is wary of him to such an extent. Can he really help me?''


    Veronica quickly became conflicted as she decided whether to take the risk. After all, she knew she would only get this single chance, and she didn''t want to use it haphazardly.


    Even if she managed to win this gamble, if it meant falling into the hands of another greater monster, she would rather be with the lesser monster.


    In the end, when she thought about Diminutive''s early actions, her heart turned cold. She knew Diminutive didn''t care about her ying any tricks before because he simply didn''t have any match. However, now things werepletely different.


    Veronica gritted her teeth and flipped her palm, and a translucent scroll appeared on it. without hesitation, she tossed it toward Jacob without saying a word.


    Jacob was startled for a moment before he caught the scroll. He didn''t sense any danger from it, and then he opened it. Beautiful writing filled the scroll.


    Once he read it, a glint of shock shed past Jacob''s eyes. When he was done, the translucent scroll suddenly turned into light particles. It was clearly a magic item, and after reading its content, Jacob was sure of it.


    At this moment, Veronica finally spoke in an ambiguous tone, "That''s all I have to say. If you agree, please contact me any time. I''m sure you know how. I''ll take my leave now, and I can assure you that the task you entrusted the treaty will be fulfilled without any hitch!"


    Veronica then nodded farewell and left without waiting for Jacob''s response. Once, Jacob was alone in the chapel, resting his head on his gloved hand, deep in thought about what he had just read.


    "Why are you thinking so much about it? They''re already done for, and no matter what kind of scheme they are hatching, it is meaningless now." Nyx''s chuckled coldly at this moment.


    "I know that," Jacob replied before he clenched his fist. "But I read something in that scroll that got my attention. If she weren''t a mere puppet, I would''ve had Autarch infiltrate her mind. But I guess now I must rely on you to get all the information from those two.


    "That goblin is hiding many interesting things, and despite his careful personality, he lets that woman get a hold of his secrets. Or that woman is even more sly than that goblin."


    "Oh, what is it? Tell me! I''m itching to test my new powers on them," Nyx quickly asked, clearly enthusiastic.


    Jacob revealed with a solemn tone, "In that scroll, along with the lines about her being Diminutive''s ve, she wrote that the thing he was using to enve a peak quasi legend like her is actually rted to an ''Hourss.'' She wrote that she had only seen him use that Hourss two times. First, when he enved her, and second time, she saw him manipting time with it. Furthermore, no matter what she tried, she wasn''t able to release that ve mark on her at all, and that''s also what she wants my help with.


    "Although I don''t know if that was his own ability or some spell, the part about the ''hourss'' reminded me of something that was very beneficial for me. I want you to find everything rting to this ''hourss'' for me. Also, confirm that the woman is telling the truth and not hiding more information."


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with great interest, "Things are getting more and more interesting!''

 Chapter 726: Dreadful Locust Army

    Chapter 726: Dreadful Locust Army


    ?


    Today, a massive army of different races from different regions of the conflict ins were gathered together in grass ins. The atmosphere was extremely heavy and solemn, and everyone was on edge. They looked towards the clear horizon with trepidation.


    Both aurabatants and spirit sorcerers were arranged in formations, while the healers were protected in the middle. If it were any other time, this army could''ve been unbeatable in the entire conflict ins. But s, if only it were that simple this time around.


    In the rear of this huge army stood a giant in heavy armor standing tall like a mountain, holding his towering spear imbued with me-like patterns, giving an intense, fiery aura.


    "How long before the contact?" The giant asked the giant standing beside him in a grave


    tone.


    The second giant, holding ance, solemnly replied, "Chief Commander Gunnar, the vanguard army will contact the Locust Army in twenty minutes!"


    Chief Commander Gunnar was the previous Chairman of the Epic ins'' Alliance, but he was no longer in that lofty position after he fled the Epic ins with his daughter upon offending someone he shouldn''t have.


    Nheless, his life was still quitevish despite his arrival in his unfamiliar yet terrifying ce, and it was all thanks to his daughter Charlotte catching the interest of the young lord of the Thunder Giant n.


    He smoothly acquired resources to break through to the Unique Rank and climb the high ranks of the Conflict ins Alliance.


    Everything was going fine until the damn locust army suddenly showed up, and despite his connections, he was given no leeway and selected as the Chief Commander of this Vanguard Army.


    Even his potential ''son-inw,'' who belonged to the mighty Thunder Giant n, was appointed to another region of this ''Locust Annihtion Army,'' including his daughter.


    Including him, everyone who was enjoying their lofty positions was baffled by these sudden steep orders from the higher-ups. It seemed as if someone extremely powerful was monitoring this entire thing, and no one could use their statuses or bribes their way out of this dangerous situation.


    Although they were all strong, the problem was that the locust army''s numbers were simply too huge. Not to mention that the army seemed to fear nothing. They were like fearless puppets and didn''t need morals to continue moving forward.


    So, deterring them would be nigh impossible, while, on the other hand, the lifeforms of the conflict ins werepletely opposite. They knew just how bloody this mess was going to be, and they secretly wanted to flee, but even that had been made impossible by the three absolute factions.


    No one knew what was happening, why the locust army was attacking, and why the three factions were so united to tackle it, even at the cost of so many lives. It was like they were being used as chess pieces by someone.


    ''I wondered if those two are fine....'' Gunnar''s face looked nostalgic as he thought about his two equals. He then shook his head ruefully, knowing there was no point in thinking about the past now.


    Gunnar''s eyes shimmered with cold resolve as he looked toward the direction where the locusts wereing, ''I can''t let those damn bugs pass this checkpoint, or they''ll quickly reach where Charlotte is! I didn''t leave everything to get myself and her killed in this ce. No matter what it takes, I''ll protect her!''


    This was going to be the first sh between the Locust Army and the Locust Annihtion Army, and everyone was watching this with high hopes!


    However, three hourster, the entire Unique ins was enveloped by a deadly silence because the first sh with the vanguard army and locust army resulted in the Locust Annihtion Army''s utter defeat and no survival!


    What remained after the battle were mountains of corpses enveloped in purple ice and mist, and the Locust Army continued to advance at the same pace despite losing almost a million locusts!


    While the Unique ins were feeling the terror of the locust army, some people started to flee in all directions, and some people in the shadows returned to the ce of battle at night and started to gather blood on the vanguard battlefield!


    Skyfall was one of these people, and his expression was extremely gloomy, "Did we have to do such a humiliating and despicable thing now?!"


    He couldn''t help but furiously question the giant with him, who was none other than Vermont. If it were any other time, these two would''ve already started bickering with each other. But on this rare asion, they couldn''t be any more united.


    Vermont, who was using another soul puppet, kept a rare humble silence all this time, or he would be the first one to throw a tantrum. He even took his job quite seriously.


    No matter how arrogant he was, he couldn''t forget that deadly p that had be his biggest nightmare, and whenever he thought about it, a sudden chill would always follow suit, and his fury would turn into fear.


    "We don''t have any choice. That person is simply too powerful, and even the Queen haspletely taken his side now." Vermont gloomily replied as he looked at a runic container in his hand, which was filled with crimson and purplish liquid.


    "Bullshit! He''s only powerful because he''s in the conflict ins! If he had guts, why didn''t he just step outside the conflict ins'' protection? He''s taking advantage of us by using the Legendary Key!" Skyfall retorted in indignation as his eyes were filled with fury.


    "No, that person definitely had the power to back it up." Vermont sighed ruefully.


    Skyfall was speechless. It caused him great pain to see his unyielding rival acting like a scaredy-cat. He eximed, "Why are you so afraid? It''s not like you at all. Don''t make me look down on you!"


    Vermont smiled bitterly, "Once you experience it, you''ll understand what I''m talking about. But I still advise you not to try it. If that goblin was good at scheming to keep us all in the dark all this time, then that person didn''t need any schemes because he had the power to ovee


    schemes.


    "Furthermore, if we can enter the Path of Legend with him, I think we might have an upper hand against other lesser gxies. Don''t forget our goal. Once we achieve that rank, it won''t be toote for a rematch.


    "As for these sacrifices, they can only me themselves for being weak!" Vermont coldly stated as he had already made up his mind; for him only the Path of Legend matters, and only that could he pay back the humiliation he received that day!


    Diminutive oversaw gathering the filled special containers and delivering them back to Jacob. He took this job upon himself under the pretext of safety and speed. He was also the one who brought these special containers from somewhere.


    At this moment, under the darkness of night, he was standing in front of 32 containers filled with blood that the members of the treaty had gathered in a few hours.


    But there was a runic circle under those containers, shimmering with an ethereal glow, resonating with the runes of the continuers.


    At this moment, Diminutive grimly asked while staring at the empty space, "Would it work? What if he noticed this? That person is not easy to deal with!"


    A stoic yet profound voice rang at this moment in answer, "Don''t worry, no one can go against the corrosion of time!"

 Chapter 727: Dark Prince Asher

    Chapter 727: Dark Prince Asher


    ?


    "Why are those ants getting in my way!?!" Queen Ice Fiend Locust let loose a rageful shrill as she observed many hurdles between her and her acts of vengeance.


    Twelve giant locusts with a mysterious pattern and horns on their heads kneeled around her, sensing their mother''s fury. They trembled with killing intent.


    It took Queen Ice Fiend Locust a few moments to calm her raging fury. As she looked towards the twelve giant kneeling locusts, a hint of frustration shed past her eye: "They weren''t lying when they said no one above unique rank can enter these conflict ins."


    The next moment, a menacing glint shed past her eye: "But so what! No matter how many ants they sent, they can''t go against unstoppable tides! If they can lessen the number of my children, there is nothing moreughable than this!"


    She then coldly issued her decree to the twelve giant locusts, "Royal Twelve! I''m going to start the Yin Fiend Birth to replenish the children''s numbers! But while in this state, I won''t be able to control the Yin Sky Ind, so you all need to make sure no one finds out about this. Don''t let anyonee within a 1000-mile proximity of Yin Sky Ind. Let me show them the glory of the Ice Fiend Locust Race!"


    In the Dark Pce, located in the Dark Kingdom Territory (Dark City), Tomas was alone in the throne hall. But he wasn''t sitting on the dark throne, which represents the highest seat in the Dark Kingdom.


    Instead, he stood below the throne tform and looked at the empty throne with an icy, cold gaze.


    At this moment, the dark throne suddenly shimmered in dark light, and a tall figure materialized on it. He was eight feet tall and had a burly build. However, despite his humanoid figure, his face was anything but human. His head was like a bull with purple skin and long, dark bullhorns.


    The coldness in Tomas''s eyes suddenly reced with respect as he bowed in front of this bull-headed hominoid. "Dark Prince Asher, it''s been a while!"


    The dark noble rank, the Dark Prince, of the Dark City waspletely unknown to themon public. Not even the high-ranking dark nobles were privy to this knowledge unless they reached the Dark Duke Rank.


    Before reaching the Dark Duke rank, every member of the Dark City thinks that this is the highest pedestal of the Dark City. Once they be Dark Duke, they will be able to call rain and storms in the Dark City.


    However, only after bing a Dark Duke would one truly know how vast the Zodiac ins were. There was even a higher rank than them, which truly held the authority of the Dark City. Tomas''s case was simr.


    When he became a Dark Duke around a thousand years ago, he felt like he was at the top of the world, but only after bing the Dark Duke did he get to meet the Dark Prince Asher, and all his ambitions suddenly vanished into smoke.


    He was still ignorant at the start, but as time passed, he realized that the Dark Prince was simply too terrifying, and no matter what he did, he couldn''t usurp or dethrone this person.


    The most frustrating thing was that there could still be at least three dark dukes at a time in the Dark City of the Unique ins, but there could only be a single Dark Prince. Until he dies or willingly chooses a sessor, a Dark Duke can forget about achieving this rank.


    The only other way was to challenge the Dark Prince to a one-on-one title fight afterpeting with the Dark City''s prerequisites. It would be a death match between the Dark Prince and the Challenger.


    But Tomas wasn''t fully confident enough to take this road. The biggest reason for him to keep being humble in front of Asher was the secret records left behind by the previous dark dukes.


    ording to these secret records, Asher should be over 100,000 years old or even older, which is simply unbelievable yet horrifying.


    But the records left behind by those old dark dukes in simr situations were too hard to ignore or take lightly. There was much proof that made Tomas believe everything.


    Furthermore, the most terrifying part about all this was that whoever dared to challenge Asher was always killed without even being able to inflict any injury on this ancient Dark Prince.


    This unbreakable wall named Asher has be the Dark Dukes'' biggest nightmare and their obsession. Tomas was the same, but just like those sensible dark dukes, he wasn''t willing to confront Asher.


    It would''ve been fine if it were the only disadvantage. After all, the Dark Duke was still in a lofty position, and Asher never interfered with the matters of the Dark Kingdom, nor did he ever bother to make any public appearance. All the decision-making power of the Dark Kingdom was still in the hands of the Dark Duke.


    However, whatpelled these Dark Dukes to take action against Asher was the Path of Legend!


    Apparently, ever since Dark Prince Asher has taken his position, not even a single member of the Dark City has been able to enter the Path of Legend. Anyone who had tried would''ve been dealt with by none other than Asher!


    He was like an executioner standing between the Path of Legend and the Dark City members, stopping them from entering it. No matter what trick they used, Asher seemed to ovee them all and hunt them down before they could enter the Path of Legend.


    This was simply too horrifying, but people like Tomas, who were reaching the end of their lifespan and this was the only opportunity to change their fate forever, were unwilling to simply give up on this. So, every time the path of legend was about to open, Dark Dukes like Tomas would start to find ways to enter it by hook or crook.


    Furthermore, in this generation, Tomas also discovered that Dark Prince Asher was also the member of the Treaty of Legend but what shocked him was he wasn''t the leader, in fact, there were five more superiors above him. Tomas instantly knew that Asher was ying a wolf among the sheep herd, but he didn''t dare to tell anyone because Asher had already given him a warning the moment he entered the treaty''s headquarters that day through a mysterious


    spell.


    This made Tomas somewhat doubtful of Asher''s strength, and he started to wonder if there was someone in the treaty that Asher was wary of, and that''s why he was keeping a low


    profile.


    But it was still too little to give him the courage to act, and when his other attempt failed when he tried to rile up the others, he had almost given up when he was approached by a


    mysterious existence!


    Asher pulled an amusing smile seeing Tomas''s respected appearance, "Drop the act, Dark Duke, I know respect is the least thing you have for this prince."


    Tomas straightened his back as he coldly looked towards Asher and felt his blood boil. He still didn''t show it and calmly replied, "Since Dark Prince has no qualms with it, then so be it. I would like to ask if you''re nning on continuing to stop the Dark City from entering the Path of Legend this time as well."


    Asher''s smile grew a little colder as his sharp teeth gave a bloodthirsty smile. "Is that even worth asking? Of course, it''ll be the same as it always had been. Just enjoy your peaceful life in the lesser gxy. In fact, I''m saving you from a gruesome death."


    Tomas''s expression went dark as he took a deep breath before nodding, "I understand. But can you tell me why you''re doing this? There has to be some kind of purpose for doing this so


    long?"


    "Oh, you finally have the guts to ask me about it?" Asher seemed more amused instead of angry as he snickered before replying, "I can give you the answer you seek, but you have to defeat me first. Now, if you don''t have anything noteworthy to report, then you should be tasked with the treaty assigned to you. I don''t want to lose face because of your


    ipetence!"


    "If that''s the case..." Tomas sighed ruefully before a crazy determination shed past his eyes


    as he coldly dered, "Dark Prince Asher, I, Dark Duke Tomas Heartfelt, would like to use my privilege and challenge you for your Dark Prince title in the Death Match in Dark Battle


    Arena!"

 Chapter 728: Title Death Match

    Chapter 728: Title Death Match


    ?


    In the grass in, which stretched endlessly, Dark Prince Asher stood with cross arms, wearing full-body blue armor and two menacing huge axes attached behind his back.


    Asher looked at the Dark Duke Tomas, wearing a green wizard robe and holding a long staff that appeared to be snapped from a tree trunk, standing fifty meters away from him dismissively.


    At this moment, Dark Rose''s static voice rang.


    "Title Death Match for the Dark Noble Title ''Dark Prince'' has been instated by the ''Challenger'' Dark Duke Tomas against the ''Defender'' Dark Prince Asher'' in the Dark Battle Arena!


    "All the conditions have been met!


    "Title Death Match Rule (1): The Power Rank of Challenger and Defender have been limited to ''Tier-9 Unique Rank'' and ''9-Star Unique Magic Core''.


    "Title Death Match Rule (2): Both parties are only allowed to bring two weapons of choice limited to ''Advanced Unique Rank''!


    "Title Death Match Rule (3): Only the Winner of this Death Match can return alive from the Dark Battle Arena, while the Loser will be put to Death!


    "Title Death Match Rule (4): ...


    "If both parties agree to the Title Death Match Rules, please sign the Death Match Dark Contract. The Challenger has given onest chance to back down.


    "If the Challenger chooses to use thisst chance right, the Challenger will also lose the right to instate any further Title Death Matches against the title holder, Dark Prince Asher."


    The next moment, ck contracts suddenly materialized in front of Asher and Tomas. They were filled with bloody crimson words, and all the conditions were written on them.


    Asher didn''t even look at the ck contract as he nonchntly stated, "I ept the Death Match Dark Contract!"


    He then looked at Tomas, who seemed to be solemnly reading the contract, and sneered with a hint of amusement, "It seemed you have gone senile. It''s time to let someone sensible put in charge of the Dark Kingdom. I hope you have decided on your sessor already, or it''ll be quite troublesome if I have to select one. Well, no worries, it''s not like I''ve never done it before. You can be on your way peacefully."


    Tomas''s eyes narrowed sharply, and killing intent swirled in his emerald eyes. He was clearly infuriated by Asher''s arrogant taunt, as if he didn''t even consider him his opponent.


    Taking a deep breath to calm his boiling anger, he coldly stated, "I ept the Death Match Contract!"


    "Both parties have epted the terms and conditions of the Title Death Match!


    "Death Match Starts!" Dark Rose announced!


    The moment Tomas felt the restraints on him removed, he instantly cast a spell as dense mana started to gather on the head of his staff, and a massive phantom of a tree manifested behind it.


    "Wood Spirit Magic: Death Veins!"


    Suddenly, the ground under Asher trembled, and dark green veins as sharp as nails shot up, emitting the deadly air of corrosion as they instantly twisted around Asher.


    However, Asher remained nonchnt. He didn''t seem to have any intention of making a move at this moment, and he still didn''t consider Tomas a threat at all.


    Before the death veins could even touch Asher''s armor, an extremely sharp aura released from his body, and those veins suddenly cut into countless fine threads while Asher remained standing cross-armed.


    Tomas''s eyes contracted when he witnessed this scene. Even though he knew Asher was extremely powerful, he was also limited to the peak of Unique Rank, and the spell he used was one of the strongest spells in his arsenal.


    Even if the death veins failed to touch Asher, the aura of corrosion emitting from them should be able to damage his armor and skin, especially when Asher cut those veins into so many threads. The surrounding air should''ve been extremely deadly for any living being, even a Dark Being, which would''ve already started to rot, yet Asher seemedpletely fine while standing in his position, even battling an eye.


    "The element of wood mixed with the element of poison, I must say, you are already at the doorstep of the Quasi Legend Rank. Still, it is far from enough even to graze me." Ashermented with a ridiculed smile, "Spirit Tree Race, your background is very scary, but the thing is, you''re away from your origin. If only you had been born in that ce, a real pity." Tomas''s eyes narrowed. He didn''t know if Asher was taunting him or implying something, but he didn''t have the luxury of being distracted. He cast his most powerful spell despite the huge risk involved.


    "Forbidden Spell: Withering Sorrow!"


    A tree phantom behind Tomas suddenly trembled as it started to wither from its lust state, and even the rosyplexion of Tomas started to plummet as he turned into a skinny old


    man.


    This time, Asher''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but it was only for a moment before he pulled an intrigued yet icy smile: "So you''ve also mastered a forbidden spell before reaching the Quasi Legend Rank? Is that where your confidence came from to challenge me? You old fool, don''t you know some of those fools before you had also mastered the forbidden spell, and they were far stronger than you, but you should know what was their end. Let''s end this meaningless battle."


    However, unexpectedly to Asher, Tomas didn''t release the spell; instead, Tomas suddenly looked toward Asher with a crazy glint in his eyes, which made Asher uneasy for some reason as he frowned.


    Tomas spoke at this moment, his voice extremely croaked: "I admit that you have lots of experience dealing with forbidden spells. But let me share something with you. I recently learned that forbidden spells can not only be used to empower a caster at the cost of burning their life force; instead, they can also be used as a medium like sacrifices to summon ancestral beings of the past or a contracted being!"


    The moment Tomas uttered those words, Asher''s expression finally changed. He blurted, "Where did you learn this?"


    Seeing the usually arrogant and nonchnt Asher showing such an expression, Tomas felt mirth spreading through his body as he knew that ''person'' didn''t lie to him.


    Tomas scoffed with a crazy, murderous look in his eyes, "Who told me? How about you asked him yourself, O'' Avatar of God?"


    Tomas then chanted in the runenguage, "I invoke the Legendary Summoning Contract as the cost of my life force, and summon the Golden Constant-51,117, descend!"

 Chapter 729: Golden Constant-51,117

    Chapter 729: Golden Constant-51,117


    ?


    The moment Tomas triggered the legendary summoning contract, the wilted tree phantom behind him vanished, and a dark frame hourss suddenly metalized, overflowing with golden sand.


    However, Asher didn''t wait this time for Tomas to seed, and the two axes behind his backnded in his hands and lit up in milky white mes. He instantly hacked the axes in Tomas''s direction.


    "Sky Annihtion!"


    Countless sharp white shes suddenly bolted towards Tomas, who seemed dazed. They were so fast that they instantly shrouded Tomas into countless pieces!


    However, Asher''s expression was grave because despite Tomas turning into mincemeat, the ck hourss phantom behind Tomas was still there, hovering in the air majestically.


    The next moment, the hourss suddenly trembled, and golden sand in the hourss gushed out from within and created a golden tornado around Tomas''s remains.


    "Time Reversal!" An imposing, ethereal voice sounded in the battle arena.


    Under Asher''s ugly expression, the golden tornado started to fade, and a tall figure appeared, standing like an immovable mountain. It was none other than Tomas, who was nowpletely fine. Even his drained body was back to normal, not to mention that he now


    looked even younger.


    However, Tomas''s emerald eyes were nowpletely pitch ck and cold. However, there was a slight change in the hourss behind Tomas. It wasn''t overflowing with golden sand, but there was 20% less golden sand in it.


    "A constant, huh? So, you''re from the intrusion of those undying roaches. I never thought you would dare to show yourself openly in front of me. I wonder what could''ve had topel you to go against me despite knowing who I am. Nheless, did you tell that fool what it means to associate himself with your kind?" Asher coldly spoke at this moment.


    He knew things were troublesome now; he had lost his chance to end this quickly. It wasn''t like he was afraid of the Golden Constant, instead, he could easily wipe him out with a thought, but the thing was the price he needed to pay was something he wasn''t willing to fork out.


    If he used his true prowess, all the effort he put in hundreds of thousands of years would be turned into smoke, not to mention he''d suffer a bacsh from a terrifying being.


    Tomas, who was now possessed by Golden Constant-51,117, suddenly pulled a brilliant smile. Completely ineffective to Asher''s taunt, he performed a bow in front of Asher and greeted him as if he were meeting an old friend.


    "I didn''t know even the servant of [*#$^^%] knows about our insignificant gathering." The moment he uttered that name, it instantly turned into gibberish, making Asher''s expression change because he knew why this happened.


    "Who the hell are you? You dare to utter that name?!" He asked with a panicked expression.


    If he had previously thought that this opponent was only troublesome, he now knew that troublesome was far from it. This person knew exactly who he was and who was behind him. But this shouldn''t be possible!


    "I''m just a wanderer who is on the journey of seeking the truth." Golden Constant-51,117 nonchntly replied before he profoundly smiled at paled Asher, "Aren''t you assisting your master in doing the same? But s, if only it were that easy, after all, as long as Zodiac W..." "Stop, stop!" Asher''s expression went ashen as he quickly released his terrifying aura, quickly stopping Golden Constant-51,117 from uttering that name. He waspletely spooked at this moment because he knew this person wasn''t a nobody. In fact, he seemed to know grave secrets only known by terrifying existences like himself and his master.


    "Aren''t you afraid drawing ''its'' attention! Although I might be forced into slumber for a very long time, you will not be as lucky as me. Even if you had that mysterious protection and can revive again, it won''t work against ''it'' once you marked by ''it''. If you want tomit suicide, go do it somewhere else!" Asher berated as his aura spiked up to the extreme.


    He was now ready to use his full power to get rid of this suicidal lunatic. He would rather suffer the wrath of his master than suffer the wrath of ''it.'' He even started to regret entertaining Tomas''s challenge.


    If he had known Tomas was such a fool, he would''ve never answered his call and gotten rid of him, even if he had to suffer some bacsh from the Dark City. But now, it was toote, and this Golden Constant-51,117 was holding on to his neck. He had to pay for his arrogance now, so he decided to pay the minimum price!


    "Death is, but a temporary sleep for someone like me. But I still didn''t want to sleep, especially now of all the times." Golden Constant-51,117 suddenly chuckled as he directly threw away the magic staff, raised his hands, and meaningfully suggested, "I''m not here as your enemy. Instead, I just want your help, and I promise you won''t regret it."


    "The hell are you doing? This wasn''t part of our deal!" Tomas''s rageful yet horrifying voice suddenly roared in Golden Constant-51,117''s mind.


    He waspletely conscious despite Golden Constant-51,117 overtaking his body, and after witnessing Asher''s panicked stricken face, he felt it was all worth it, and he was gloating until Golden Constant-51,117 said those horrendous words.


    "Heh, nothing is evesting, neither a promise nor life; only time is eternal. If you don''t believe it, experience it¡ªTime Flow!" Golden Constant-51,117 dismissively replied as if he were teaching a student.


    But the moment his voice trailed off, Tomas''s real consciousness suddenly felt like he was teleported into the middle of a maelstrom. Before he could utter or see where he was, he instantly turned into sand particles!


    Asher was unaware of this little exchange between Golden Constant-51,117 and Tomas and thetter''s ghastly demised. He was looking at Golden Constant-51,117 with astonishment and doubt since he didn''t expect this guy to say something like this.


    Still, he hesitates since if he could avoid this confrontation, he wouldn''t have to suffer any bacsh. But he was still extremely vignt since he knew making a deal with this guy would be a huge danger in itself. Not to mention, with how cunning he seems, he might get tricked.


    Nheless, he wanted to hear what he had to say first. While keeping his aura to a maximum, he coldly asked, "What are you plotting?"


    If he senses even a little trickery, he would instantly use his true power to eliminate Golden Constant-51,117.


    Golden Constant-51,117 calmly stated his demands as he wasn''t bothered by Asher''s stance, "It''s quite simple. Actually, I want your help to capture a person who''s very troublesome to deal with. That''s why I need you to use your authority to drag his soul into this ce while I take care of his body. After all, he seemed to be a member of your Dark City!"

 Chapter 730: Exposed without Knowing!

    Chapter 730: Exposed without Knowing!


    ?


    It was the third day since the invading locust army and Locust Annihtion Army started shing, and the result was an eerie suffocation of death that covered the entire conflict ins.


    The locust army seemed endless, and no matter how many the ingenious were up against it or how many they killed, they didn''t show any signs of stopping or diminishing in the least bit.


    The higher-ups of the conflict in quickly demanded a safe retreat from their superiors because they knew it was a suicide mission, and they didn''t want to die. However, to their horror, they were given absolute order to continue fighting the locust army, and if they deserted, they''d be put on trial and punished by death.


    How could those from the territory listen to their demands? After all, the treaty had given them a clear warning that if they didn''t want to personally be on the front line with their families and ns, they had to make sure the others wouldn''t leave.


    After experiencing the power of the locust army and observing the extremely powerful locusts patrolling around the fog ind, they knew that even if they gathered together, they wouldn''t be able to take down the enemy headquarters. So, they wanted to do everything in their power to avoid being dragged into this mess.


    Furthermore, the treaty had already promised them a spot in the Path of Legend, and they seemed to have discovered the key as well, which greatly motivated the factions'' leaders and gave them reason to look the other way.


    The treaty yed their cards well, and despite the raging criticism all over the starwork, the three factions didn''t respond at all, as if they were blind and deaf.


    At this moment, Jacob was looking at hundreds of runic containers, and each container, despite being only a meter in diameter, contained 5,000 litters of blood!


    One could only imagine just what kind of bloodshed was taking ce in the conflict ins, even at this moment when Diminutive was delivering the blood containers to Jacob.


    Jacob looked at Diminutive and Veronica standing beside him. Both were wearing cloaks, and Jacob was also hiding his face.


    "For both of our sakes, I hope you didn''t y any tricks." Jacob nonchntly chuckled as if he was making a joke, but his eyes started to glow as he looked at Diminutive closely.


    Diminutive quickly replied in a candid tone, "Your excellency sure like to jest. It''s a mutual partnership between us, and we are both benefiting from it, so I won''t dare to mess this up. If you like, you can check them."


    Jacob''s eyes returned to normal, and his lips curled up in an icy smile behind his mask. He had already gotten the answer.


    "Then I''m d. Now, if you excuse me, I''ll be in seclusion for some time. Oh, and I have something to discuss with Miss Veronica. Give us a moment," Jacob casually stated.


    Diminutive''s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn''t show it in his reaction and chuckled, "Of course, take your time, I''ll be right outside if you need anything please don''t hesitate to call for me."


    After sending Veronica a secret message, Diminutive quickly left them alone.


    Once Veronica was alone with Jacob, she looked towards Jacob with expectancy as her impassive expression was no longer there. She knew Jacob was about to respond to the secret deal she proposed.


    Jacob could sense Veronica''s high expectations as he directly addressed them, "Miss Veronica, I have thought about your plight, and I''m willing to go with your n. However, I''ll be the one to decide when to execute that n. If you''re good with it, then you may leave. I''ve already known how to contact you."


    Veronica''s eyes shimmered with tion when she heard Jacob agree to her proposal, and she quickly nodded in agreement with Jacob''s arrangements. She had no problem with Jacob taking the initiative. After all, she had waited for a very long time at this moment, and a little bit more waiting wasn''t a big deal for her.


    "Thank you. I''ll wait for your reply." Veronica calmly stated before she quickly left. She didn''t want to draw Diminutive''s suspension by staying too long with Jacob.


    Although she would have to tell him what they talked about, the contents of their talk were extremely ambiguous, and just likest time, even if Diminutive used his authority over her, The wouldn''t be able to find anything.


    Once Veronica left, Jacob finally shifted his attention to those blood containers and coldly sneered, ''He had done something to the blood. Even if he''s a professional liar, before my eyes, he''s nothing. But he didn''t know that poison, curse, or any kind of toxin wouldn''t work on me unless he used some legendary rank poison. That''s why I had to be extremely careful...''


    The next moment, Jacob issued amand to Nyx," Analyze those continuers and emte them in dreamscape nightmare realm. Stimte Diminutive''s original body as well. We''re going to conduct _some experiments."


    After Nyx evolved, the dreamscape nightmare realm''s capabilities greatly strengthened. Nyx can now easily emte a Quasi Legend Rank treasure or a person perfectly.


    However, she can still not emte anything rted to cursed immortality or some treasures in his possession, like the Gluttony Mask and the book he found with the Curse Path Glory


    Gem.


    Nheless, Jacob wasn''t flustered since the most important thing to him was the ability to have endless resources to conduct experiments, and this also gave him the ability to measure the strength and abilities of his enemies.


    Although Diminutive was extremely secretive and hadn''t shown anything, the moment Nyx infiltrated his dreamscape realm, his entire being exposed to Jacob, and now Jacob knew almost everything about him. He had to admit that the goblin was extremely cumbersome to deal with, especially with his ability to manipte the space element.


    Truthfully, Jacob wasn''t confident in killing Diminutive with direct exchange because he could easily run away unless he could restrict the space abilities of a Quasi Legend, and he didn''t have any way to do it except using his hexes.


    But what shocked Jacob the most was Veronica. The moment he battled her, she killed him with a single exchange without his original abilities, even surprising Nyx. This happened ten times because Jacob figured out what was going on and how to counter her.


    That''s why Jacob was willing to help her since she was a perfect pawn with her uncanny abilities!

 Chapter 731: Power Behind the Throne!

    Chapter 731: Power Behind the Throne!


    ?


    In the dreamscape nightmare realm, in the starryndscape, Jacob was frowning as he looked at the thousands of bodies of purple-skinned goblins while Nyx, in her goddess-like appearance, stood beside him with a faint, content smile.


    "It seemed you were only overthinking things. Nothing is abnormal with any container of blood," Nyx suddenly voiced her opinion.


    Jacob''s frown deepened slightly before he replied, "No, there is something wrong with it unless he could escape my eyes. Could it be that whatever he did to the blood is even higher than your emting capabilities?"


    The Eyes of Judge had never been wrong, and he knew for a fact after countless experiments, especially after learning about the Spellbind Eyes. As Jacob''s early conjecture, the Spellbind Eyes were a variant of the Eyes of Judge because they had some simrities with the Eyes of Judge, especially their ability to see through illusions.


    Moreover, ording to the records he acquired, the fully awakened Spellbind Eyes could also see through deceit, which was a lesser version of Eyes of Judge''s passive ability, Judgement Gaze, to see through true and False.


    Nyx pursed her lips, "So, you would rather doubt my abilities than believe that you might be wrong?"


    Jacob shot her a cold, impassive nce as he nodded, "Indeed. Don''t forget you still can''t emte my Eyes of Judge, which means they are more reliable than you at this moment. Nheless, I can''t waste time trying to figure out what that goblin did to the blood.


    "The best way to get rid of all the trouble would be to kill him directly, but it would take some time before he''d die after you retrieve the nightmare conqueror seed. Not to mention, I don''t want him dead in some unknown ce where I can''t get my hands on his body. I guess I should consult with someone else."


    "Hah! Just who is this someone else? Won''t you tell me now?" Nyx asked pitifully as she tried to induce her seductive charm.


    After all, with her perfect appearance and body, anyone else would be instantly mesmerized by her pitiful appearance, do anything to appease her, and give in to her demands.


    Maybe it would''ve worked on Jacob at the start, but now, he waspletely immune to Nyx''s appearance, and as long as there weren''t any abilities involved, he would''ve remained ineffective.


    Furthermore, after Jacob''s body started to change, he seemed to have gained control over his emotions to a ridiculous degree.


    "You shouldn''t ask what you''re not supposed to." Jacob coldly retorted as he knew Nyx was asking about Immortika since he always cut her vision whenever he summoned Immortika. Although he has a feeling that Nyx won''t be able to hear his conversation with Immoritka or able to see the cursed book, just to be saved, he always takes precautions.


    After all, Cursed Immortality was his biggest secret, and although he had tried to emte it in this ce and failed, he decided not to reveal its existence to Nyx. Of course, things would be different if Nyx could really emte the cursed book. Then, it would mean that Nyx was even more powerful than Cursed Immortality, which he had great doubts about.


    "Tsk..." Nyx clicked her tongue in annoyance when Jacob remainedpletely ineffective like he always had. She could tell that he was even moreposed after he had transformed his body into this monstrosity.


    "Alright, but you have to release my vision the moment you''re done!" Nyx gave in before stating her only demand.


    "Will do." Jacob nodded dismissively before he looked towards thousands of goblins, "You should keep observing them for more time; maybe something will happen."


    Jacob then vanished. He had already spent 35 days doing his experiments here, which means that, in reality, seven days had passed.


    "Hmph, I should y with that goblin and woman, and I won''t tell him until he requests it from me!" Nyx muttered with indignation as she created avish table filled with all kinds of delicacies and sat down on afortable couch as if she were about to watch a movie.


    But apparently, she was about to torment others to relieve her pent-up frustration, and it was at this time that Diminutive started to experience nightmares and started to realize that something was wrong with him; Veronica was the same!


    "Cursed Immortality!"


    The moment Jacob opened his eyes in the secret chamber of the church, he instantly summoned Immortika. He could''ve done this much sooner, but he didn''t because he wanted to rely less on Immortika and do his own research before seeking Immortika''s help. Jacob knew how much he relied on Immortika in these kinds of situations, and he wanted to change that habit. Only when he reached a dead end would he seek Immortika''s help just like


    now.


    The moment the cursed book appeared, he asked directly, "Would I be fine using the blood that I have recently acquired?"


    After its signatureughter, Immortika didn''t reply and instead wrote yfully, "Are you dumb?"


    Jacob raised an eyebrow before he replied, "I don''t have time for your riddles."


    "Hehehehe... you''re the one who is making the riddles, not me. Just think about it, you have a freaking Immortal Chapter entirely dedicated to blood, and instead of researching it, you''re wasting time on meaningless experiments. Now tell me, are you dumb or not?"


    Jacob''s eyes contracted a little as he retorted, "Are you talking about spending yearsprehending those blood glyphs? Thest time I checked, I didn''t have that kind of time, or do you think if I could just find what I''m looking for in those damn glyphs, I would be really wasting my time in asking you?


    "Even if I do that, the Path of Legend might open at this very moment. Unless you can tell me another way to enter the Middle Gxies, I don''t want to spend thousands of years in this ce waiting for another opportunity. So, if you don''t have any solution to my plight, then just answer the damn question!"


    "You do have a point, and there is indeed another way to enter the middle gxies, but you''ll die the moment you take it. Alright, I admit I was wrong, but not entirely. Because you''re too paranoid, even if the blood is tampered with, do you think the Cursed Heart could be fiddled with just these small tricks?


    "The blood needs to be refined first into cursed blood, and your immunity to the poisons, curses, or anything else is not just for show. Anything that is not blood or harmful to you will instantly be filtered by the cursed heart, and you won''t even know it.


    "At this moment, with your current progress, even a Legendary Rank trick will be rendered useless. So, now you tell me, is there even a need for you to waste your time?


    "Furthermore, you''re already in the grasp of your enemies'' lives; just threaten them with it if someone ends up happening, which I''m confident won''t, and they will be dancing on your palm. You held the incentive here; if someone needs to worry, it should be the people going against you!"


    Jacob knew Immortika''s words were correct, but he had no n on losing his vignce no matter how powerful he became; after all, he had learned his lesson to never look down upon


    anyone.


    Nheless, since Immortika had given its assurance, he instantly started to refine the blood, and the runic markings on his bones started to stir!

 Chapter 732: Cursed Heart Moved!

    Chapter 732: Cursed Heart Moved!


    ?


    After Jacob refined all the blood, he frowned because he only got around 45% of the cursed blood from such a huge amount of blood. This clearly means that the Unique Rank blood has almost lost its effect on him, and the next time he refines the same quantity of blood, he might not get even half of it.


    Even this high percentage was all because this blood belonged to myriad races, so the first time he refined it, he got a higher value.


    Nheless, Jacob found that just as Immortika told him, nothing out of sorts happened, and he appeared to bepletely fine. But just to be safe, he decided to turn this cursed blood into a longevity schema!


    Jacob then quickly removed his clothing, revealing 80% of his skeleton body. Furthermore, in his empty stomach area, a glowing blue sphere filled with tiny white dots revolved like a blue star. This was his water magic core, which was revealed after hisst sculpting session.


    Jacob was worried at that time and thought that the magic core might escape his body once there was nothing there to hold it, but his worries were for nothing. The Water Magic Core remained at its position, and Jacob still felt his connection with it; in fact, he felt closer to it than ever before.


    Nevertheless, it was still strange to see his magic core within his body like this, and he might never get used to it. That''s why he didn''t dare to reveal his body in front of others, as this magic core was an obvious target.


    Now, he was about to sculpt the longevity schema on the rest of his rib cage, especially the area around his heart. He didn''t know if his cursed heart would also be absorbed in his bones like his other organs, and Immortika refused toment on its ether. He was about to find -out, though.


    After calming down, he started to sculpt the longing scheme, starting with his right breast. Last time, Jacob had already sculpted the 6 false ribs and 4 floating ribs. Now, only 14 True Ribs, the Sternum, and half of his spine remain.


    Jacob started the sculpting from the seventh true rib on the right side. 89 runic lines were supposed to be sculpted on each true rib, and this process was extremely delicate, not to mention painful.


    So, Jacob made sure no one disturbed him during this time. He dug out a deep tunnel below the church and filled it with many powerful traps and arrays. After all, he can''t take any risks with his progress in Cursed Immortality.


    It took Jacob four days, between resting during Cursed Immortality''s summoning cooldown period, toplete the right side of the true ribs and sternum, and he stopped afterpleting the right vicle.


    Now, below his neck, only the left side had skin, and his entire upper body had turned into a skeleton. Around 17% of the cursed blood remained, which Jacob mused should be enough toplete the rest of the true ribs on the left side, or at least 6 of them.


    Furthermore, after hepletes the sternum and one of his vicles, a half-glowing red sphere with a fiery aura appears within his empty skeleton, just like the water magic orb; it is the fire magic orb.


    Furthermore, Jacob also noticed an ethereal tiny ck hole within the xiphoid process of his sternum, and he instantly recognized it as his Sr Plexus, as he could sense Autarch''s presence within it.


    Moreover, the longevity scheme''s glyphs, which were sculpted around the sr plexus, seemed to have a strange effect on this ck hole because when Jacob thought about how troublesome it was for it to be on disy like this, the ck hole suddenly twisted, turned into a tiny infinity symbol, and could appear again with a thought.


    Jacob was astounded when he noticed this strange effect as he looked at the crimson infinity symbol, which was exactly like his mystic signature thoughtfully. But since it was quite convenient to have, he was content and quickly started to work on the side of his heart, which was the part he was most worried yet expectancy about.


    After taking a break until he was able to summon Cursed Immortality again, Jacob started the true ribs of his left breast.


    Time slowly passed for Jacob as he endured the intense pain whilepletely focusing on sculpting the longevity schema. Furthermore, Jacob noticed the pain he was feeling while sculpting the longevity schema above his heart was more intense than he had experienced previously.


    It took almost eight days to fully exhaust the cursed blood and sculpt all his true ribs on his left side.


    However, when he saw the result, he was shocked because, for the first time, Jacob saw the appearance of his pulsing cursed heart! He always has been curious about what kind of change the first stage would have brought him. But this was something he had never imagined.


    He thought that his heart might be filled with runes or glyphs or would be of different color and size, yet although the color was indeed different, the heart''s entire shape and structure were different. Moreover, the hex core was revolving within the section of his cursed heart, giving off a profound yet vile aura he was familiar with, and whenever the heart pulsed, it released a crimson glow.


    Jacob finally understood why Immortika had told him that the cursed heart was the very foundation of his physique and that it was far more than just a simple heart.


    Furthermore, the moment he was done sculpting the rib cage above his heart, the cursed heart didn''t get absorbed into his bones like the rest of his organs and skin.


    But it was far from over. The moment his cursed heart was revealed, it suddenly trembled, and Jacob''s entire body shuddered with cold chills.


    The next moment, under Jacob''s bbergasted gaze, the cursed heart suddenly started to move from its initial position and slowly flow toward the center of his rib cage.


    When itpletely aligned with the center of his rib cage, it started to pulse strongly, and the crimson glow intensified, almost making his heart appear like a glowing star and releasing an icy-cold current all over his body.


    It was as if his cursed heart was about to do something, but the moment the cold current reached his neck, the heart quivered violently, making Jacob almost lose his mind. Then, suddenly, the cold current retracted back to his heart, and the cursed heart slowly started to return to its original position before it suddenly vanished with the hex core from view!


    Jacob was paled with trepidation and shocked when he noticed the cursed heart was gone, but he could clearly feel its presence right where it had vanished. It was as if the heart was hiding on its own and waiting for the right time to emerge again!

 Chapter 733: Don’t Freak Out…

    Chapter 733: Don¡¯t Freak Out¡­


    ?


    In a hidden location, Star Lord Vincent was holding a glowing ss orb that shimmered in purple light. At this moment, a cold voice rang from it: "I''ve done my part. Now, when are you going to make your move?"


    Vincent didn''t instantly reply; instead, an ethereal voice suddenly rang directly into his head, and he repeated the voice''s words without hesitation, "Patience is the key to greater things. You have waited so long for Path of Legend that a little more won''t hurt you. In fact, you are only making things easier for yourself."


    "Don''t preach to me, Star-Lord of ATLAS!" The cold voice rang again from the ss orb, "Don''t forget our deal."


    Vincent again repeated the same thing as the voice in his head, "How could I? I''ve already shown you my sincerity, and we even have a contract. Furthermore, I won''t dare mess with someone like you. Others might be ignorant about your background, but I know my limits." "As long as you know. I''ll be waiting for your good news." The cold voice replied with a hint of warning before the glowing orb suddenly went dormant and appeared like an ordinary ss orb.


    Vincent suddenly sighed in relief. This was extremely nerve-racking for him, not to mention ufortable to an extreme degree. Usually, it was him manipting others on his whims, but now, the same thing had been happening to him ever since he had encountered that existence.


    "Why did you seem anxious?" An amiable, ethereal voice suddenly rang in his mind with a hint of amusement.


    Vincent forced a smile and replied, "Just who is this person you had me talking to all this time, and what is this strange orb? It''s clearly not made with any of the Star Hackers'' technology."


    "Oh? Finally, couldn''t you keep your curiosity to yourself?" The voice asked nonchntly, clearly not bothered by Vincent''s queries.


    Vincent took a deep breath before he replied, "I''m just being careful, and I also want to be more helpful to you, my lord. Just who is this person you want to hunt, and why are you going through so much trouble?"


    "Even if I tell you, you won''t understand." The voice didn''t have any intention of revealing the crux of the matter, as it said reassuringly, "This matter is far out of your reach. You should be d that I''m only giving you a simple mission to be my proxy while you stay in the protection of your cozy home.


    "Besides, the difficult part is over, and it won''t be long before everything falls into ce. You''ll get both the traitor of your race and the reward that I promised. Who knows, if you perform well, I might even consider letting you be my right-hand man. Of course, only if you''re willing and don''t want to go to the middle gxies." The voice chuckled towards the end as if merely making a jokingment.


    However, Vincent''s expression was slightly paled as he suppressed his rage and difort and subtly answered, "I''m too old, my lord, to serve someone like you."


    "Age is but a number to me. Still, I respect your choice." The voice dismissively replied before suddenly saying something that sent shivers down Vincent''s spine, "Your son isn''t half bad either. How about you sell him to me, and I''ll prolong your life up to 10,000 years?"


    Vincent''s eyes widened when he heard thest part as his heart raced, and he even started to consider selling Nelsen to the owner of this voice. If it was before, he might''ve not even hesitated to ept the offer.


    However, he knew behind this gentle voice was a devil-like existence, and making a deal with him was like singing a death contract. Even his freedom was in question, and putting his only son into this hellhole would be akin to shooting on his own feet.


    Not to mention, he didn''t let the possibility of what if once this person had Nelsen, he wouldn''t discard him. Although 10,000 years of life was extremely tempting, he needed to make sure to live to enjoy his life. He knew if he had no use, he would''ve long been discarded after what happenedst time. He was in this mess because of his own actions.


    Furthermore, if things went ording to n, he would already have the ticket to the legendary ins, so prolonging his life wouldn''t be difficult at that time. He also knew prolonging his lifespan like this had major drawbacks.


    What if he turned into a puppet or something else entirely once he epts the lifespan? Nothing was free in the Zodiac ins, and existence like the owner of this voice was even more dreadful.


    Lastly, when he thinks about how this person wanted Nelsen, he suspects that there might be something to his son that he didn''t know about. So, it was even more reason not to let him encounter this voice.


    "I-I... I''ll think about it, my lord. Besides, my son is extremelyzy and always messes things up; he might not be able to follow your orders." Vincent didn''t refuse nor ept in a subtle way so he wouldn''t offend the other party.


    "Heh, I know what you''re thinking, but I don''t care. Remember, do not speak with this person without me or... heh, I don''t have to tell you twice, yes?" The voice gently asked, a creepy coldness hidden behind it.


    "I understand!" Vincent quickly agreed as he had already been warned about this at the start of this strange endeavor.


    Once the voice vanished, Vincent sighed in relief as he started to massage his temple in frustration.


    However, someone else was sitting in the seat in front of him, and he said, with an amusing look in his shrewd eyes, "He really got you good, huh, Geezer?"


    Vincent annoyedly looked at his son and said, "You have no respect for your father. I should''ve epted the offer."


    Nelsen''s eyes shed with curiosity, "What offer?"


    "Selling you for 10,000 years of lifespan." Vincent casually revealed the offer he just received. Nelsen''s eyes widened with disbelief as he jumped from his seat and agitatedly shouted, "What in the hell! Old ghost, if you dare to sell me, I''llmit suicide! Don''t forget we are on the same side! You can''t be this heartless to sell your own son for some bullshit lifespan! We both know it''s too good to be true! And your cute granddaughter will hate you to death!" ''If I don''t know better, I would''ve really considered if my wife was cheating on me with some clown!'' Vincent felt some of his frustration vanish after seeing Nelsen''s reaction, and he wanted to tease Nelsen even more, but his mood turned gloomy again when he remembered this was noughing matter.


    "Don''t worry; I''m not going senile yet. I won''t sell you for a measly 10,000 years. Of course, if it''s 100,000, I might''ve considered it." Vincent impassively replied.


    Nelsen looked at Vincent with disbelief and suspiciously asked, "You really rejected the


    offer?"


    "Do you think I would be telling you this if I had epted it?" Vincent asked, looking at Nelson with exasperation.


    Nelsen finally sighed in relief. It made perfect sense, and knowing his father, he knew the old man wouldn''t reveal something like this.


    Nelsen finally sat back before he looked at Vincent''s appearance. He seemed to have aged to a great degree ever since he had encountered this ''Boss'' of his. Although he wasn''t always on good terms with his father, after Vincent admitted his wrong, he didn''t resent him anymore. After all, he was also a father now and knew how it felt when your child walked on a different


    path than yours.


    "Sigh, I always knew your ambitions would be the end of you. Why can''t you be like me and remain out of trouble?" Nelsen sighed ruefully.


    "If you had the same experience as me, I don''t think you could think the same." Vincent retorted faintly.


    At this moment, Nelsen suddenly dropped hisckluster attitude and solemnly questioned, "Do you think whatever he''s making you do is rted to the war in the conflict ins?"


    Vincent wasn''t surprised by Nelsen''s spection as he also had the same trail of thoughts and replied with uncertainty, "I don''t know, but I have a feeling that there is a 90% chance that it is rted. But I was told to stay away from the Conflict ins and also keep the Star Hackers


    at bay."


    "I think everything can be handled, but the ''Zodiac Soul Contract'' that he made you sign with this person of interest is the true problem here. We have never heard of it and don''t know how powerful it ispared to the Zodiac Oath Contract." Nelson frowned when he mentioned this, as Vincent hadn''t kept anything from him since that day.


    It was a countermeasure ced by Vincent himself just in case something happened to him, and that person tried to manipte his son into doing something under the pretext of revenge or something else.


    After thinking about it for a while, Nelson finally said, "I guess I can''t let my meat shield die


    like this."


    Vincent was startled when Nelsen called him ''meat shield'' and wanted to strangle this bastard


    son of his.


    But his expression changed when he suddenly received a message from one of the n


    members.


    Nelsen also noticed the change in Vincent''s expression and asked in an irritating tone, "Now


    what?"


    Vincent looked at Nelsen, clearly worried, before he grimly told him, "Don''t freak out. Your idiot daughter seemed to have snuck out of the base!"

 Chapter 734: Seven Sins and Seven Virtues!

    Chapter 734: Seven Sins and Seven Virtues!


    ?


    "What the hell just happened?" Jacob instantly questioned Immortika after his cursed heart suddenly went out of control.


    Although he was feeling more powerful and calm, and the cursed heart movement didn''t seem to have any negative effect on him, he could not ignore that strange movement and the peculiar feeling it caused him.


    Jacob thought that the Cursed Heart only stopped or failed in whatever it was going to do because the longevity schema was still iplete, and after this session of sculpting, his progress was at 89%!


    "Hahahaha... I''m afraid I can''t answer that question. You''ll know once youplete the sculpting process. But I can assure you it, it''s part of the process." Immortika wrote without giving any clear answer to the actual question.


    Jacob frowned, but he knew this would be all the information he would get from Immortika. Even he could tell that whatever was going to happen was part of the process. It''s just that his cursed heart''s appearance and sudden movement made him somewhat anxious.


    After Jacob calmed down and felt his power improve, he was satisfied and even wanted to test his power against someone strong.


    ''Now that I think about it, it''s been quite some time since I''ve been in the Dark Battle Arena, and now that Nyx has also evolved, will she be able to take over it?'' Jacob suddenly thought about the fake virtual battle arena, which had helped him awaken the soul force and helped Nyx evolve.


    For Nyx, it was a true treasure ground, and the same could be said for Jacob as well because it can help him increase the soul force, and who knows what kind of benefits would await him if he couldpletely take over it.


    However, it remained to be seen if Nyx could really take over that dreamscape realm, which was connected with all the lesser gxies. This was a huge endeavor, not to mention a risky


    one.


    That''s why Jacob decided to put it on hold for now and only try once. If it turned out to be still out of Nyx''s league, he''d give up without hesitation, or if it were dangerous, the result would be the same. Right now, he was letting Nyx familiarize herself with her new evolution before he brought her into the Dark Battle Arena again.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly remembered a matter he had been forced to put on hold the day the Treaty tried to intimidate him. Now, he still has time until Cursed Immortality''s summoning time runs out.


    Wasting no time, he waved his hand, and in front of him, a tiny, delicate elf girl with emerald hair bound in a ponytail appeared. Her big eyes were closed, like those of a porcin doll.


    But right under her chick, a web of dark lines spread around her neck, like a strain on wless painting, and Jacob could ''see'' dense dark particles rising around that web of dark lines even more fiercely than the first time he saw them.


    This little elf child was Elia, whom he had taken an interest in because of her curse and reasoning with his hex core when he arrived at the Cardinal Spirit Church. He naturally ''took'' her from her father.


    "Now, I think it''s about time you tell me what her deal is," Jacob calmly asked while looking at Elia, who was still in slumber because of his slumber hex. His eyes were affixed on the marking on her neck.


    If before he only felt vague reasoning with those dark lines, now that he had progressed further into the longevity schema, he could feel even more intent reasoning with those lines, and for some reason, he felt a warmth in his heart, which was a foreign feeling to him at this point, making Jacob both confused and vignt.


    "Hehehehe... I always admired your devil''s luck, and this time, you have acquired something quite interesting, which will make you privy to some information that you would''ve only been able to get once you entered the middle gxies and stumbled on it or when you''vepleted the second phase of the scripture."


    Jacob''s eyes widened when he heard this unexpected revtion. He wasn''t expecting this little girl to trigger something like this.


    "First, let me exin to you more about the two main branches of the Curses, as you already know their names: the Sin and Virtue Curses. The Sin Curses can be further strengthened by ''Sin,'' while the Virtue Curses are fueled by ''Virtue.'' Lastly, they are the Unbreakable Curses because they are ''Unbreakable'' or ''Absolute!''


    "But what you don''t know is that there are Seven Curses of Sin and Seven Curses of Virtue, namely: (Sin Curse): Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth; (Virtue Curses): Humility, Charity, Chastity, Gratitude, Temperance, Patience, and Diligence.


    "Thest piece of very exclusive and important information about these fourteen cures I can give you now is that each Virtue Curse is a counterpart of a Sin Curse, and the same goes the other way around. They not only counter each other but alsoplement each other. I know you won''t understand what this means, but for my next exnation and for your own good, you should remember it well.


    "Like Sin Curse of Pride counter andpliment the Virtue Curse of Humility, Greed counter andpliment Charity, Lust counter andpliment Chastity, Envy/counter andpliment Gratitude, Gluttony counter andpliment Temperance, Wrath counter andpliment Patience, and Sloth counter andpliment Diligence.


    "The Witchcraft that you are familiar with is also the result of simplifying the Sin Curse of Envy because some idiot didn''t have a brain toprehend the true curse!


    "Remember thest time you asked me about the ''True Curse Magic''? I said its sheer scope was something that no mortal could achieve. So, remember this information well, for this is just the beginning of the path that leads to the True Curse!"


    Jacob took a deep breath after he carved this information into his mind, as he considered this apletely unexpected harvest, especially the information about the Sin and Virtue Cures.


    Although he only learned their names and their rtionship with each other, he could tell how important this information was because of Immortika''s constant reminders. Moreover, he really didn''t understand how somethingpletely opposite to each other couldplement each other.


    Furthermore, he was very familiar with the names of the seven sin cures and seven virtue curses, which were known in his old world as the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly


    Virtues.


    In many religious texts, they appear as the harbingers of Good and Evil, the dividing factor between innocent and sinner, the loggerhead between Heaven and Hell, and sometimes used as the line between Gods and Devils.


    But Immortika was calling even the virtues ''Curses,'' which was extremely baffling and


    strange.


    This made him somewhat confused about why the names of the two main branches of Curse were somon in his mortal world. He wondered if there was more to his world and if he was missing something. He finally understood why he wasn''t privy to this information at this point because he simply didn''tprehend the meaning behind it.


    But before he could raise this question, Immoritka moved on to the main topic!

 Chapter 735: Zodiac Constitutions

    Chapter 735: Zodiac Constitutions


    ?


    "This ''Spirit Wood Elf'' is actually born with a ''Zodiac Constitution'' of one of the Seven Sin Curse, the Curse of Pride. As for what a Zodiac Constitution is, it''s actually an upgraded version of ''Growth type Magic Cores!''


    "While the Growth Type Magic Core only helps its wielder have a huge amount of mana inparison tomon magic cores and can help the element of the magic core evolve into a greater element, it won''t affect or help their physiques in any way.


    "However, the Zodiac Constitution targets both the Magic and Physique of its wilder. Not only would they have a growth-type magic core, but they would also have a growth-type physique of a certain element.


    "Furthermore, the Magic Core of a Zodiac Constitution wilder is called the ''Constetion Magic Core,'' which actually enables them to wield both Spirit and Aura of their respective elements simultaneously. This is the highest variant of Magic Core in the Zodiac ins!


    "Moreover, a Zodiac Constitution is the most sensitive towards its connate element. They can easily discover treasures and draw towards the opportunities that can help them grow as long as they are within a certain range of them, and this only grows as they be more powerful.


    "A Zodiac Constitution wilder also grew far quicker than its peers and is virtually undefeatable in the same rank. Normally, a Zodiac Constitution won''t appear for thousands or even millions of years because it is not inherited, and only by luck can one be born with it.


    "But while they have many advantages over others, just like the Fantastic Insects, they have ws. The biggest one is that a Zodiac Constitution wilder can only live up to 50 years if it doesn''t discover a


    corresponding Universal Scripture that can help it cultivate its Body/Aura and Magic/Spirit all the way up to the Legendary Rank!


    "There is no leeway there, and this elf is in even more trouble because she was born with a specific curse Zodiac Constitution, not with an all-around curse physique, which should''ve surprised me if she really had been born with it.


    "Anyhow, the crux of the matter is, she needs a Universal Scripture with an affinity of Pride Sin at Legendary Rank or a scripture that far surpassed thews and can bypass them, hehehehehe... otherwise, she''s as good as dead," Immoritka concluded its exnation with a subtle yet obvious hint towards the hint.


    Jacob was bbergasted when the details of the Zodiac Constitution unraveled in front of his eyes. This waspletely unexpected as he looked at the slumbering Elia; she was blessed yet at the same time cursed because of the same blessing.


    Furthermore, the details about the Zodiac Constitution were truly intriguing. He was yet again hit by the fact that he was stillpletely ignorant about the Zodiac ins and just how lucky he was for having Cursed Immortality.


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered sharply when he looked at the end and asked, "So, what you mean to say is that she was the one who discovered me because I have something in my possession that can help her escape her predicament because of her curse-rted Zodiac Constitution? Which means you? Does this mean if there is someone else with a curse-rted Zodiac Constitution, they can also sense some ''opportunity'' on me?"


    This news was far more intriguing. If anything, this discovery was extremely grave and made Jacob uneasy, as he never expected there to be living detectors that could draw toward a Universal Godly Scripture.


    Although they wouldn''t know that he had the Universal Godly Scripture, this didn''t mean he would encounter someone as weak as Elia next time. What if some extremely terrifying existence with a curse-rted Zodiac Constitution draws to him next time?


    After all, there were fourteen unbreakable curses in total, and they did not even cover the entire curse element. He can''t even fathom the concept of a single element.


    "Hahahahaha... you sure have the wildest imagination. You''re also right about the part that a Universal Scripture can help a Zodiac Constitution bypass its ws.


    "But how can a Universal Godly Scripture be discovered by a measly Zodiac Constitution? Don''t overthink things, although there is a possibility that the Zodiac Constitution is of the same element as the scripture, which I can assure you is impossible!


    "Although I have Cursed in my name, this doesn''t mean I''m a scripture-rted to curse. This elf was drawn to you because you have something else on you that attracts her to you!"


    Jacob instantly felt relief when he heard that, but he became confused again, "Then what drew her? And why is my Hex Core reacting to her? Although I admit that I''ve reached a conclusion too quickly, it is still not aughing matter that a Zodiac Constitution with curse affinity has a reason with my Hex Core.


    "Although I don''t know if she could sense it as well, I''m pretty sure if it''s some extremely powerful existence, they would be able to sense it and won''t approach me ignorantly like her."


    "Hehehehe, you do have a point, but it''s actually quite opposite what you''re thinking. The reason why your Hex Core reacts to her is because her existence is nothing but beneficial to you, and she or any other Zodiac Constitution wilder with curse affinity can''t sense your Hex Core at all.


    "As for how she''s beneficial to you and the reason your Hex Core is reacting to her, it''s because just her immature flesh and blood can help your Hex Core evolve into Legendary Rank!" Immortika suddenly dropped a huge bomb.


    Jacob''s eyes widened with disbelief, and after a few moments, greed and killing intent suddenly surfaced in the depths of his eyes as he looked at Elia. How could he not react like this? After all, he knew damn well just how difficult it was going to be to evolve his Hex Core into Legendary Rank.


    Yet, this little girl can help him achieve it right this instant!


    But Immortika wasn''t done, as it wrote, "Hehehehehe, even I''m feeling the shivers here. Might I suggest something before you end up wasting a huge opportunity in this crude way?"


    "What?" Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he suppressed his urge to devour Elia. He knew Immoritka wouldn''t just make any suggestion on a whim. There had to be something extremely important here.


    Immortikaughed for a while before finally saying, "The thing is, you should nurture her and...!"

 Chapter 736 Elia Awakes!

    Chapter 736 Elia Awakes!


    "Are you serious?" Jacob couldn''t help but ask with disbelief after he heard an unexpected yet long exnation from Immortika.


    In front of this information, the information about the Zodiac Constitution was nothing at all, and he finally understood why Immortika even bothered to exin so much. Without the early information, he wouldn''t have been able toprehend just what was in front of him, and he would''ve most likely ended up shooting on his own foot.


    "Hahahahaha¡­ I never lie¡­ now it''s up to you if you want to believe it or not, and the choice is also yours. This is all the information I could give you unless you find something interesting again." Immortika wrote yfully.


    Jacob took a deep breath as he looked towards Elia, and a hint of struggle appeared in his eyes. ''Instant benefits or long investment? It''s like I''m back to making decisions for thepany, but it''s far more important than just measly money¡­''


    Jacob faced a dilemma. On the one hand, the sheer scope of what Immortika told him about was too grand for him to understandpletely, and on the other hand, the opportunity to instantly evolve his hex core into legendary rank was just toopelling.


    After an intense struggle, Jacob gritted his teeth and started to calm down. He looked towards Immortika and coldly asked, "Alright, I''ll gamble."


    "HAHAHAHAHA¡­" Immortika''s maniacalugh filled the page, extremely amused about Jacob''s decision; it was like the cursed book could vividly imagine the enormous entertainmenting its way in the future.


    "Don''t make it sound like I''m the one forcing you. I''m just doing my part as your advisor. But I had to admit, you''re doing a great job at entertaining me!"


    Jacob was annoyed, as he wanted to trample on the cursed book. "I hope you choke on it someday."


    After he had finished cussing, he directly unsummoned the cursed book as he didn''t want to get more annoyed by it. After all, this decision was simply too big, and by taking this path, he was taking a risk. But he knew if it paid off, just like Immortika had told him, it would all be worth it.


    Furthermore, with this information, Jacob''s horizons have greatly widened, and he won''t be at a disadvantage in some unique situations.


    After Jacob calmed down, he looked towards Elia. The next moment, clothes appeared on his skeleton body. Now, only his skull and neck remained human, while the rest of his human features were gone.


    However, he didn''t cover his original face this time, nor did he use the gluttony mask. He remained seated cross-legged. The next moment, he broke Elia''s slumber curse.


    After his hex core had evolved into a unique rank, his hexes could now strengthen by three times, not to mention the new innate hex he awakened that day. But Elia was just a mortal, and his hexes could affect her for a very long time, even if he didn''t use the infinity pendant''s space that could stop time for anything ced in it, or at least it appeared like it.


    But Jacob failed to notice that the marks around Elia''s neck deepened after he used his hex on her, and that was also the reason he had seen far denser dark particles around her since thest time he saw her.


    At this moment, Elia''s eyelids suddenly fluttered before they opened, revealing big, warty eyes filled with confusion and stupor.


    "Daddy!?" Suddenly, she started to remember what had happened, and she cried in rm, panicked, and filled her heart with dread.


    Elia quickly picked herself up with her little hands from the ground. She stood up and started to look around the dimmed cavern, which had nothing but a few luminous stones and only a huge entrance. At this moment, it was closed with a barrier, and an illusion was ced on it, making it appear this ce had no entrance or exit.


    "Daddy!" Elia panicked, and tears started to fill her eyes. She called her father again, but no reply was heard, and she started to tumble with fear.


    "Stop exhausting yourself. He''s not here." At this moment, a gentle yet icy voice suddenly rang from above Elia.


    In her panic, she failed to notice the strange ''boulder'' in front of her; she was simply too small, and Jacob was extremely huge despite sitting down.


    The moment Elia heard that voice, she shuddered in fear. She quickly looked up and was shocked to see a huge giant with handsome features and long silver hair looking at her impassively.


    Furthermore, for some reason, she felt this giant''s presence was extremely soothing and made her fear quite a lot, which was very strange. Yet she was also familiar with feeling because she felt the same thing from the Dark Elf she suddenly discovered before she fell into this weird sleep. Elia knew about the giant race, and it wasn''t like she hadn''t seen any before. She wasn''t just a weak-willed child either. In fact, she was mature for her age because of the curse she was born it. It has been tormenting her ever since she turned a year old, and that pain wasn''t something a baby could endure.


    Sometimes, she even thought that she would die, but strangely, when she was on the verge of death, that curse strangely stopped tormenting her. Furthermore, she knew how much it pained her father and how much he freaked out every time her curse tormented her, so she learned not to show too much since she didn''t want to see her father like that.


    But that was far easier said than done since that curse was simply too vile, and every time, it came back with vengeance. Furthermore, every time Elia undergoes that torment, she feels anger with herself for showing such a sight as if her pride was greatly hurt, and she starts to be silent because of it.


    However, she still loved her father the most since he was her everything, and she knew how much he had sacrificed for her. So, she always showed him her smile so as not to make him worry.


    But now, seeing this giant instead of her father sitting in front of her, he gave her that simr feeling with the dark elf, that feeling that she felt for the first time in her life, the same feeling that suddenly made her feel like she had to get to the bottom of it, the same feeling which made her longed for something else than her father''s happiness, for the first time in her life!


    "W-who is Un¡­ M-m¡­mister? W¡­where i-is my D-da-dad?"


    She asked while trying her best not to cry and show a brave face, but she was still too young despite her somewhat mature mindset. But she still gets the courage to speak with Jacob because of that strange attractioning from him.


    Jacob was slightly amused when he saw how quickly Elia had recovered and how she had put up a brave front.


    Still, he suddenly pulled a faint smile as he replied, "My name is Jack. As for your dad, I don''t know where he is, but if he''d known better, he should''ve already returned by now and been enjoying his life.


    "You see, little Elia, I took you away from your father and gave him enough wealth for him to live like a king. You can hate me for this, but know that if you had remained with him, not only would it have brought you both misery and pain, but you would''ve died in a few years because of your special condition.


    "That''s why parting with him is the best thing you can do for him and yourself. Although he would be sad, it would be only for a little while, and it''s far better than giving him constant grief and pain. At least he would know you are still alive somewhere.


    "I''m the only one in this world who could help you with your condition, and I know deep down you know it too well. After all, you approached me that day for this exact reason, right?


    "But I don''t want to help someone who has no will to help themselves. So, you can choose to either go back to your father and give him more misery and wait for your impending end, or you can follow me on my long journey as my apprentice. "However, you must choose only one and discard the other forever. This is also my first test for you. I want to see if you have what it takes to live or if you want to go back to your miserable life!"

 Chapter 737: The Reason!

    Chapter 737: The Reason!


    ?


    Elia was appalled when she heard Jacob''s harsh words and saw how casually he was taking her away from her father as if it were the most natural thing in the world.


    However, when he revealed the truth behind her condition and also thought about what Jacob said was true about her father, tears flowed from her eyes, but she didn''t make any sound.


    She knew what Jacob casually presumed about what was going to happen was most likely true, and his prediction about her father was even more true. He had always been worried about her, and maybe he had not shown it. He was living a life of anxiety and despair all because of her.


    Furthermore, since Jacob didn''t hide his act of kidnapping her, she believed that he was also telling the truth about giving her father enough wealth to livevishly. She knew it would''ve been so easy as her father was very protective of her, and he might be searching for her right


    now.


    ''But he''ll only be sad for a little while before he gives up on me and settles down. Maybe, as he told me, it''s far better than giving him long-term suffering, and he also knew that I was alive somewhere. He''ll ept it eventually...B-but can I trust his words? Why do I want to believe his words? It''s all this cruse fault!''


    More tears streamed down her cheeks as she mulled over Jacob''s words. It may look like Elia was only around eight years old, but her actual age was in her early twenties. It''s just that elves had much longer lifecycles thanmon species, so their growth phase was different from other species, like other races with longer natural lifespans.


    Furthermore, because of her condition and suffering from pain all her life, she didn''t have a kid''s mind, so she didn''tpletely break down upon hearing Jacob''s harsh words despite her uncontroble tears.


    In the end, she wiped away her tears, but her body was still shaking as she looked at the giant with a hint of indignation but also deeply resolved.


    "I...If I c-choose to be your aa... apprentice, I can''t see my dad... fo-forever?" Her voice choked as she asked.


    However, despite the little girl''s sad and painful appearance, which could cause anyone heartache, Jacob felt nothing as he replied curtly, "Indeed, that''s my only condition to take you under my wing. Soon, you''ll realize just how broad the world is when we leave the Unique ins for a much higher ce. You two belonged to different worlds, and this separation is a bond to happen, so why not now, thenter?"


    Elia was again shocked by Jacob''s subtle words. Although she didn''t know what Jacob meant by those words, she could guess that he was nning on going somewhere far away from this ce.


    Furthermore, she also felt calmer after hearing this reason since it now made more sense. She thought that Jacob was being harsh on the outside but kind on the inside.


    But she still felt somewhat unwilling, as she asked again, "Can I see him onest time? I...I just want to see if he''s...he''s doing fine." Unknowingly, tears started to gush from her eyes again.


    "No." Jacob shook his head without hesitation.


    Although he knew if he agreed to her, things would be simpler, and Elia would have no misgivings about following him. However, with the current situation of the Unique ins, he can''t take that risk since her father might''ve already been dead if he was unfortunate enough to be caught up in the war.


    This would only create moreplications, which he didn''t want with Elia. He had to make this girl give up on her past, even if it meant she held a grudge against him, but he didn''t care since she needed to bepletely focused on what was toe.


    Elia bit her lips as she didn''t know if this guy had some kind of grudge against her or if he was simply too cruel, and the little goodwill she had for Jacob vanished again.


    Nheless, after thinking for a while, she clenched her little fist, and with rageful determination, she nodded, "Alright! I agree to follow you, T-teacher!"


    Jacob''s lips rose slightly when Elia chose to follow him. After all, he had already expected it since even if she was willing to die, she didn''t want to see her father in pain because of her.


    "Correct choice." Jacob uttered, "You''ll understand soon enough that you are meant to do things far greater than you can ever imagine, and once you walk on this path, you''lle to realize how fragile the bonds called family are. You are born different from your kind, and trust me if they had known what you are, even your own race would''ve sold you or, most likely, discarded you the moment you were born because you arepletely different from your origin."


    Elia clearly did not believe Jacob''s words and felt angry, but Jacob wasn''t done. He continued, "If you don''t believe me, decide again after you hear the truth behind this ''curse'' on her neck. You are born with a Zodiac Constitution, an extremely rare body..."


    Jacob then exined to her about the Zodiac Constitution and how rare it was. It was important to her that she knew what she had and how lucky she was. Little Elia was shocked the more she heard about the Zodiac Constitution because she always thought that she was cursed, but it turned out she was blessed.


    Once Jacob was done exining the Zodiac Constitution, he became silent and let the little elf absorb all the information, which was mind-blowing for someone like her.


    After Elia snapped out of her stupor, she doubtfully looked at Jacob and asked, "If...if it''s true, then why would I die? Isn''t it a good thing?" she started to think that Jacob had tricked her, but she wanted to hear more before she decided.


    "Heh, indeed, it''s a good thing, but the world or the Zodiac ins we live in is extremely cruel. Although you are blessed by it with extreme talent that could put anyone to shame, it didn''te without a cost. In fact, what I have concluded after living in this ce is that nothing is free here, and everything has a price.


    "Just like you are blessed with a Zodiac Constitution, you can''t utilize it without paying a steep price. Anyone blessed with a Zodiac Constitution will only live for 50 years unless they can find a scripture..." Jacob patiently exined to her the reason for her impending doom.


    Although Elia didn''t know what a ''Legendary Rank'' universal scripture represents, she knew about the ranks of species because of her father, so she paled when she realized why she was condemned to die.


    Even her father can''tplete this condition no matter what he does, and she finally understood why she was drawn to Jacob as well because it was her own body leading her to him because he really had something that could save her.


    Now, she also no longer feels blessed. In fact, she resents the world for cursing her in the guise of a blessing, and Jacob is just doing her a huge favor by saving her.


    Just as he said, everything has a price, and Jacob wanted someone from her for his help as well. It was a fair exchange for what he wanted, but she knew he wasn''t strong enough to give


    it to him.


    "Lastly, your constitution is also rted to an abstract concept called ''Curses.'' There are fourteen absolute curses in total, and your constitution is affiliated with the Curse of Pride, an extremely rare constitution.


    "As for why you are drawn to me, it''s because not only am I proficient in curses, but I also happened to have an aura of something that you need the most." Jacob ambiguously stated while inwardly still feeling dread when he heard this reason for Elia''s attraction to him from Immortika!


    The next moment, without waiting for Elia''s reply, he waved his sleeve, and beside him, a pristine crimson book with inky borders appeared. On the cover of this book was etched the face of a devil with an empty grove over the devil''s forehead.


    It was the same book he had found with the Cursed Path Glory Gem!

 Chapter 738: Liber Chaotica

    ?


    Looking at the devil-faced book cover, Jacob felt skeptical and somewhat apprehensive. Towards the end, Immortika revealed the reason for Elia''s attraction to him, and it was all because of this book, which Immortika had never bothered toment on before.


    It turned out that this book is called the Liber Chaotica, and apparently, it contained the inheritance of a mysterious being who was proficient in the Absolute Curses of Wrath and Pride!


    Although Immortika didn''t reveal the mysterious being, it was quite clear to Jacob that whoever it was, it was extremely powerful because this Liber Chaotica''s rank was not revealed to Jacob because he wasn''t privy to this information yet, which shocked Jacob to the core. However, what made him even more shocked was that despite keeping the Liber Chaotica within the Infinity Pendant, it left its aura on Jacob every time he took it out to try opening it, and he wasn''t strong enough to even detect this aura. But this aura would''ve vanished once hepleted the first phase.


    Yet, once Jacob had taken out the Liber Chaotica again, he would be infected with this aura again, and apparently, a legendary rank or higher rank existence with curse affinity or anything remotely rted could easily detect it on him.


    Lastly, Jacob also discovers why he cannot open it and can barely move its cover, and this book cannot be moved without being enveloped in his hex mana.


    It turned out that this book was never meant to be read by just anyone. Instead, it was meant


    to be inherited by establishing a bond with a worthy person, and that person acknowledged by this book can open it and read its context.


    Jacob was able to move it and even open its cover because this book was created with the Cursed Path Glory Gem as its core. The concept of the Sin Curses of Pride and Wrath also came from the Cursed Path Glory Gem, which shocked Jacob because he knew the implications behind this.


    Anyhow, since the Cursed Path Glory Gem was the origin and core of this Liber Chaotica, Jacob, as the gem''s master, was naturally able to bypass the restrictions put on this book, no matter how strong they were. It''s just that he didn''t have enough mana to do so.


    Elia was attracted to him because Liber Chaotica had the inheritance she needed, and Jacob was also d that he had discovered that this book''s aura was so nefarious that it could infect him before it was toote.


    Jacob also presumed that its mystery was most likely rted to the curse, which was why it was infecting him. Although he didn''t do anything to it, it was most likely because he had the Cursed Path Glory Gem.


    But Immortika had hinted that just this aura was enough to drive others to insanity, and they wouldn''t be able to realize it, and anyone who isn''t worthy enough to inherit the book would be consumed by it if they tried to acquire it.


    Furthermore, ording to Immortika, this Liber Chaotica wasn''t meant to be inherited, to begin with; even someone like Elia, if came to inherit it, would fail and be consumed by it, which opened even more terrifying possibilities behind this Liber Chaotica existence.


    But since Jacob had taken the Cursed Path Glory Gem, whoever had left the Liber Chaotica at that strange ce for whatever purpose wouldn''t be able to achieve it anymore, which means Jacob might have an unknown, terrifying enemy!


    That''s why he was appalled about this entire fiasco, and Immortika never even bothered to warn him. Just having this book on him was like having beckoned for that existence to find Jacob easily.


    Just thinking about that existence, who could even utilize the Cursed Path Glory Gem without Immoritka and extract two absolute curses from it,ing after him, made Jacob shudder.


    That''s why he decided to give up this freaking time bomb to Elia without hesitation, and another reason was he didn''t even need this book because he had the Cursed Path Glory Gem.


    Although it would be somewhat difficult toprehend it from scratch, he didn''t care since his life was more important. Furthermore, it wasn''t like he couldn''t get the knowledge in this book since Elia was going to be with him from now on.


    This was one of the reasons he decided to invest in Elia rather than just kill her on the spot, but it wasn''t the main reason-it was far from it! Even now, Jacob still couldn''t believe he was taking this gamble and wondered if he was cursed with the curse of greed, which should be impossible.


    Anyhow, since he had already decided to follow Immortika''s suggestion, he wouldn''t back down unless he found that his investment was bringing him more losses than profits.


    On the other hand, Elia waspletely drawn by the Liber Chaotica. All her thoughts vanished, and what was left was a desire for the Liber Chaotica. Her entire body was tumbling in euphoria, and she unknowingly started to walk towards the devil-faced book. There was even a shade of ck glowing in her eyes while the dark pattern around her neck seemed to havee alive.


    Jacob''s eyes widened ever so slightly because he could see the dark partials around Elia were greatly intensified, and his own Hex Core was trembling with desire, filling his mind with thoughts of devouring her right here and then.


    Suppressing his dark urges, he calmed his mind before he coldly sneered while releasing some pressure on Elia: "Snap out of it!"


    "Yepp..." Elia instantly came back to her senses with an rming yelp, and she was shocked to find herself almost standing two steps away from the Liber Chaotica.


    "Wh-what happened?" She muttered in bewilderment, but her eyes were still affixed on the Liber Chaotica.


    "Your body is reacting to this book called the Liber Chaotica, and it contains not only what you need, the Absolute Sin Curse of Pride, but also the Absolute Sin Curse of Wrath. Now, you should believe what I told you earlier, right?" Jacob coldly questioned.


    Eliapletely believed Jacob because her reaction and that raging desire within her couldn''t be faked. She nodded with a pale face before she reluctantly looked towards Jacob, "T-thank


    you!"


    "You should only thank yourself for choosing the right path." Jacob smiled meaningfully, "But before you can have the Liber Chaotica, you have to promise me that your life belongs to me from this point on. You will obey my everymand without question and won''t keep anything from me.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t send you to your death, and you shall have the freedom to preserve your life if it has ever been threatened because of my task to you, and you can enjoy your life as you like as long as it won''t intervene with my ns or could be harmful to me in any way. After all, your life is quite important to me. But I''ll always be the first one on your priority list. No leeway there.


    "You should know that I sincerely acknowledge you as my apprentice, and I''m not enving you or using any contract to bind you. But I need your promise," Jacob demanded.


    Elia was surprised by Jacob''s sudden condition. She knew he could easily do anything to her, and she wouldn''t even know or have the power to resist him. But all he was asking for was her


    promise.


    However, what Elia failed to notice was that the moment Jacob''s words were spoken, an invisible crimson circle filled with dark runes suddenly formed under her, which could only be


    seen by Jacob.


    Elia looked towards the Liber Chaotica and then Jacob again before she nodded solemnly, "I


    promise!"


    The moment she uttered those words, the runic circle suddenly glowed brightly and twisted under her feet, forming a loop.


    The next moment, it turned into a crimson streak and directly pierced Elia''s be, and she didn''t even realize it. The next moment, a dark crimson infinity symbol suddenly shimmered over her be before it vanished without a trace.


    ''Soul Tether Hex is established!'' Jacob''s eyes glowed darkly when he sensed his new innate hex, which he had awakened after evolving his hex core to a unique rank. He sessfully bound Elia without her realizing it.


    Now, all he had to do was make sure she never surpassed his soul, and even if she did manage to pull it off, there was another assurance in ce.


    Jacob''s cold expression softened as he looked at the little girl who didn''t know what had just happened. He smiled, "Good, little Elia. You are my first and official apprentice now, and I''ll always protect you and see to it that you reach your full potential no matter what. "Now, the Liber Chaotica is yours. All you have to do is drip a drop of your blood on its cover, and it should be absorbed into your mind. From there, you can ess all the information!"

 Chapter 739: Constellation Arbiter of…!

    Chapter 739: Constetion Arbiter of¡­!


    ?


    After that day, Diminutive kept delivering Jacob''s blood containers, but despite the huge amount, the cursed blood condensed from them was minuscule.


    Jacob knew that he had reached the limit of condensing cursed blood from the Unique Rank species, and he now needed blood vitality from three steps of the legend rank species.


    As for Elia, she suddenly fell into a slumber right after she bound the Liber Chaotica with herself, and a devil face mark was pulsing over her forehead continuously. Jacob decided to keep her in the secret chamber and allocate a puppet of Autarch to keep an eye on her. If anything happened or if he needed to leave, he would take her into the infinity pendant.


    Nheless, Jacob knew that if he wanted toplete the longevity schema, he couldn''t remain a bystander anymore. That''s why he summoned Veronica to discuss the next phase of the n with her.


    While Jacob was getting the blood from locusts and the species of the conflict ins, the number of people alive on the conflict ins decreased to a dangerous level while the locust army seemed to be endlessly pouring into the conflict ins.


    When the poption of the conflict ins dropped by over sixty percent, this triggered a critical single in something hidden deep in the fabric of space.


    Within a continental-sized space filled with countless shimmering runes, a massive ethereal gray octahedron pulsing with neon radiance hovered.


    At this moment, SAAI''s voice suddenly rang from the octahedron, but this voice wasn''t static; instead, it was feminine and icy.


    "A Red Tier report has been submitted by the Lesser Gxy of Taurus!


    "Investigation the ''Red Tier'' report took priority!


    "Opening and decrypting data package!


    "Extinction level threat has been discovered!


    "Threat: Ice Fiend Locust belongs to Forbidden Spices: Fantastic Insect Race!


    "Gathering date from Unique ins Star Servers.


    "Progress: 1%...5%...18%....39%...88...99%...100%


    "All the data has been gathered!


    "Sending the date and requesting permission to trigger ''Extreme Respond'' from Z.O.D.I.A.C!"


    Suddenly, a few secondster, an ethereal hominid neon figure appeared right in front of the massive octahedron,


    "I''m the Constetion Arbiter of the Will of Z.O.D.I.A.C, Virgo!" A warm voice suddenly rang.


    Suddenly, the countless runes in the space lit up, and a light suddenly released from the octahedron on the neon figure before it vanished almost instantly.


    "Constetion Arbiter of the Will of Z.O.D.I.A.C, Virgo, identity confirmed!"


    The figure, or Constetion Arbiter, wasn''t bothered by it and asked impassively, "What triggered the birth of Queen Ice Fiend Locust?"


    "We do not have substantial information about it, but there are two prospects!


    "The first possibility with 30% probability is: 124,994 years ago, when a Void Cmity (Zodiac Beast) mysteriously escaped the Star Ocean Boundary of the Unique ins of Lesser Gxy of Taurus, an exception was made and the Servant of *#@&?/#* was dispatched, by the *#@&?/#* and it seemed that where the servant killed the Void Cmity. Although we retrieve the corpse, the remains of such a high-intensity battle and the Void Cmity''s blood could trigger mutation in any locust-type species with a trace of Fantastic Incent genes present there and can birth the Queen Ice Fiend Locust!


    "The Second possibility, with 80% probability, is when the Fantasy Insect Pirate Lord tried to infiltrate the lesser Gxy of Taurus for a reason still unknown, but it happened during the time when we released the Dark Ruins ins Trail in the Rare ins of the Lesser Gxy of Taurus, which seemed to belong to the fiefdom of a Baron from the Heretical Insect Shaman Kingdom. There is a high possibility that the Fantasy Insect Pirate Lord had released eggs in the Lesser Gxy of Taurus, so when they hatch and reach a certain maturity stage, the Fantasy Insect Pirate Lord can take control over them!"


    The neon light around the Constetion Arbiter shimmered slightly as its amusing voice rang, "What could''vepelled the notorious Fantasy Insect Pirate Lord, who even the *#@&?/#* is searching for high and low to take such a risk?"


    "I have examined the trail Dark Ruins many times, but there was nothing there out of the ordinary that could pose any threat to the Zodiac ins."


    "Maybe no, as it exists. Anyway, since he failed, the Dark Ruins have long been clear, so there is no point in dwelling on this matter. But still, since *#@&?/#* might be involved in this, sanction an appropriate fine ording to the probability and send it directly to *#@&?/#*.


    "The Fantasy Insect Pirate Lord has broken multiple rules, and this variable urrence has the most probability to be rted to him, so raise its criminal level one more start and reveal its current location to his enemies once every 1000 years starting from now until he can drop his criminal level by three stars,


    "You are authorized to initiate the ''Extreme Respond'' protocol." The Constetion Arbiter impassively issued its verdict as if it was doing something trifled, but the people involved in thosemands were anything but ordinary.


    "Authorization received!


    "Initiating the Extreme Respond protocol ording to the Zodiac ins''ary Rules and Regtions!


    "Starting to send the instruction to the living beings and dark beings!


    "Given Extreme Respond Time will be: 3000 Days


    "If the extension-level threat isn''t dealt with within the given time, the restriction on the Star Ocean Boundary of the Lesser Gxy of Taurus will be released to initiate the Lesser ins Reset!"


    The Constetion Arbiter seemed to be nodded in satisfaction, and it was about to leave when SAAI said something unexpected.


    "There is another report on a small anomaly. Since I can''t judge if this is an anomaly or not, and since you''re here, I''m hoping you can judge it for me."


    The Constetion Arbiter suddenly stopped as the neon light around it intensified a little, "State your conundrum, child."


    "The Centum Millennium Path of Legend of this term was supposed to open in 34 years, but for an unknown reason, it''s been 54 years, and it still hasn''t shown any signs of opening. I don''t know if this is an anomaly or a Space/Time error on my part!"


    "An error with the Philosopher Heart of Tesseract''s replica? That''s impossible." The Constetion Arbiter muttered in a rare solemn tone before it shone brightly. "It seemed that while our attention was elsewhere, someone was stirring up trouble. I''ll look into it! Continue to monitor this anomaly, and report to me if you find anything!"

 Chapter 740: Ultimatum for the entire Lesser Galaxy!

    Chapter 740: Ultimatum for the entire Lesser Gxy!


    ?


    Lesser ins of Taurus.


    Today, a red alert notification suddenly appeared throughout the entire lesser ins Taurus, whether it was Common, Rare, Epic, or Unique. Anyone who had Star Watch and Star Network received it, and it instantly caused panic and confusion for those who didn''t know what that was about except for the Unique ins.


    The notification was an ultimatum, and its contents were as follows.


    Extinction Threat Detected in Lesser Gxy of Taurus!


    Threat: Ice Fiend Locusts - Forbidden Race of Fantastic Insects.


    Urgency: Their numbers have surpassed a critical threshold, posing an existential threat to the Lesser ins of Taurus. These ravenous creatures leave behind a chilling trail of Yin Ice, a corrupting frost that seeps into the very fabric of life. It ravages flora and fauna alike, extinguishing all whock the resilience of their abominable race. Immediate action is imperative to prevent the Lesser ins from sumbing to a frigid wastnd.


    Extreme Respond (Blue Phase) Initiated!


    Prospect: Every Living Being and Resident residing in the Lesser Gxy of Taurus has been granted an Extreme Respond Period to deal with the Ice Fiend Locust threat before the timeline runs out!


    Extreme Respond Time: 3,000 Days


    Sess: The Extreme Respond (Blue Phase) will conclude upon the elimination of the extinction threat.


    Failure: The Extreme Respond will enter (Red Phase), lifting restrictions on the Star Ocean Boundary of the Lesser Gxy of Taurus, triggering a Lesser ins Reset.


    Disimer: During the Extreme Respond Period, all obstacles to the extinction threat were removed. We sincerely hope the inhabitants of the Lesser Gxy of Taurus can ovee this challenge before the Extreme Respond Red Phase initiates!


    "Good Luck, Zodiac ins Enforcement!"


    "What in the world is this?" Veronica cried, rmed, as she saw the red alert suddenly appear on her star watch.


    "This is bad." Diminutive, who was also with her, muttered in a grave tone, "Although I read ancient texts about this ''Extreme Respond,'' they weren''t in such details, and that made me take them lightly. I didn''t think that this punishment would be implicated in every single inhabitant of the lesser gxy, not just those absolute factions. Furthermore, just that name of this ''Lesser ins Reset'' is chilling!"


    "You''re still calm?" Veronica was shocked as she grimly retorted, "It''s no longer about just the conflict ins or unique ins, but the entire fucking lesser gxy! They didn''t even hide the ''Lesser Gxy of Taurus'' and revealed the Star Ocean Boundary like it''s nothing. One can only imagine just how trifled these things are to this ''Zodiac ins Enforcement'' that those idiots are hiding all this time from themon public, and ironically, we are part of those idiots as well!"


    Diminutive didn''t retort. His heart was cold, and he knew they had royally messed up this time around because harming the conflict ins seemed to have extreme consequences that they could not even imagine.


    "It''s not my fault. If you want toin,in to your ''friend'' who started all of this. Don''t pretend to be like a martyr because you''re not since you were in it for greed as well, just like everyone." Diminutive coldly chided before he ordered, "There is no point in fighting among ourselves. Summon everyone in the Holy Mountain Range; I''m sure Crimson would be panicking now as well. It''s about time for him to show us what he''s capable of!"


    "Utter fools!" Asher roared out loud, creating a powerful shockwave that almost decimated the surrounding buildings despite them being made with unique-rank materials.


    Furthermore, Asher waspletely different from when he met Tomas and faced him. Right now, he didn''t have a bullhead; instead, he was a barbarian with purple skin and white runic tattoos all over his face and body.


    Without hesitation, he put the notification on the side and contacted a specific star ID.


    "I reckon it''s about this ''Extreme Response'' fiasco?" The cold voice cut to the chase, but a hint of apprehension was deeply hidden within.


    "Wow, genius! Why the hell do you think I would bother to call you? If you don''t know, then let me make one thing absolutely clear: the Zodiac ins Enforcement never kid around, and even those beings didn''t dare to draw their attention! But this measly little shithole has exactly done it!


    "If they say they are going to ''Reset,'' this means literally ''Reset.'' I don''t have to tell you the implication of the Star Ocean boundary''s restriction being lifted, right? At that time, whether it''s you and me, no matter what kind of trump card we have, we''ll be food for those damn abominations, and being devoured by them means permanent consequence.


    "Lastly, even if you''re a clone like me, once we show our power, our original bodies will be FUCKED! We''ll instantly receive 9-star criminal status and also enter the radar of Zodiac ins Enforcement!


    "At that time, even if you have an entire gxy backing you up, they''ll kill you to make sure they won''t get implicated. So, stop being so nonchnt and react like it matters!" Asher was literally roaring. He didn''t know why his luck was this bad right after he met Tomas, and he cursed the old man''s nine generations.


    "Sigh..." The other person sighed ruefully, "I have no idea, trust me. I don''t even know if they were capable of lifting the boundary restriction."


    "Hah, and here you were acting so high and mighty, yet you know shit! Even I know if their conflict ins were suddenly put under threat, they would not act like bystanders anymore, but I had to admit, I wasn''t expecting them to react this extremely despite this ce only being a lesser gxy!" Asher felt extreme terror because he knew if his existence were toe to light, the person who sent him here would be the first one to get rid of him, as well as the others.


    "Alright, stop panicking. This isn''t much of a problem as long as we get rid of the Ice Fiend Locust Race; everything will be resolved. Furthermore, we don''t even need to act since others will react first.


    "If they failed, we''ll just take over. Furthermore, I think this is also a perfect time for you to help me. The target should also be in a simr situation and would be forced to leave, and now that he''s been given so much blood, he should already be ready!" The voice coldly stated.


    Asher finally calmed down as he knew he was overreacting after he saw the ''Zodiac ins Enforcement'' name and gravely said, "Alright, tell me what you have in mind. The sooner we end this farce, the quicker we can focus on this real threat!"

 Chapter 741: Controlling the Tides! (1)

    Chapter 741: Controlling the Tides! (1)


    ?


    "Is that even real?" Jacob was looking at the crimson projection of the star watch with a hint of disbelief, just like any other person who had received this alert in the entire Lesser Gxy of Taurus.


    He even thought that the Star Hacker had hacked his Star Watch and was now messing with him, but he knew it was highly unlikely since they didn''t have the technology to hack a 3-Star Privilege Star ID, and he knew it for a fact.


    However, he didn''t have to mull over it for much longer since a few momentster, the Star News flooded with chaos, and it was all about the same red alert that he had received. Apparently, he wasn''t alone. Everyone who has a star ID and Star Watch received the same red alter at the same time, and now panic follows. Although not many didn''t understand some names in the red alert, they were pretty sure about one thing: if the Ice Fiend Locust weren''t dealt with, something terrible would be triggered!


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with trepidation. He knew this red alert was authentic, and it seemed this ''Zodiac ins Enforcement'' was probably an existence far more terrifying than anything in the lesser gxies. They held enough power to use the starwork as they wished.


    The most appalling factor was that they seemed to have ways to release the boundary between the star ocean and the lesser gxy on a whim. He never thought that the threat of Ice Fiend Locust was this huge, and now he was vignt and even afraid that this might draw the attention of Zodiac ins Enforcement on him since he was the perpetrator behind this entire mess.


    ''Just when I thought things were going my way, something like this always popped up out of nowhere! I have to take action. I don''t want to find out what this ''Reset'' means, nor do I want to encounter those Zodiac Beasts hidden in the star ocean boundary.


    ''But I''m still quite curious why this extreme crap only triggered now? Last time I checked, the Ice Fiend Locust existed for a very long time, or could it be that they are attacking the conflict ins and winning with an overwhelming advantage?


    ''No, the Living and Dead Factions killed each other daily. There has to be something else I''m missing...'' Jacob was deep in thought, and he even hesitated to inquire with Immortika. Knowing that he didn''t have any solid clue, he knew the cursed book would onlyugh it off and wouldn''t provide an answer.


    "Sir, Diminutive, and Veronica, with other members of Treaty, are requesting your presence." Autarch alerted him at this moment.


    Jacob had saved some of Autarch''s puppets, and now they were scattered in the holy mountain range and worked as Jacob''s eyes and ears; they were convenient to have.


    "They are most likely here for the red alert as well...'' Jacob easily guessed the reason behind their sudden visit, "Alright, lead him to the meeting room; I''ll be there shortly."


    Jacob stood up and was about to head towards the chapel when he suddenly looked towards Elia, who was still in deep slumber. A dark, devilish mark was pulsing over her forehead.


    After hesitating for a while, he decided to take her with him in the infinity pendant because he knew things were about to get chaotic and didn''t want to lose his investment.


    In the grand chapel, all the members of Treaty of Legends'' soul puppets were gathered, and everyone wore grave expressions since they had all received the red alert.


    Some of them were even indignant because they knew the person responsible for this startling event wasing. If they could, they would''ve already reported Jacob to whoever was behind that red alert.


    At this moment, Jacob entered the chapel and took his imposing throne. He could sense hostility in the air, especially from the white-haired elf Skyfall and the giant Vermont, whom he squashed like a bug, but it was extremely well hidden since he knew Jacob''s terrifying


    means.


    Lastly, Jacob''s attention was drawn to the barbarian, who gave him a peculiar feeling that he couldn''t put his finger on, and he knew they had met for the first time.


    Nheless, he didn''t have time to dwell on these little matters and gravely said, "I presumed you have received the same notification?"


    "Indeed, and we are here to seek your opinion on it, Your Excellency," Diminutive replied in an impassive tone.


    "If you want my opinion, then it''s pretty simple. Since we are given 3000 days to deal with the Ice Fiend Locusts, I say this matter is simply resolved," Jacob replied, not revealing his own difort.


    "I don''t think it''s going to be easy, Sir," Samara spoke in a grave tone. "The fog ind under the Locust Queen is a mysterious treasure that can stop even my spiritual attacks, and we have yet to get close enough to find its physical defense."


    Jacob was startled since it was his first time hearing about this matter. He couldn''t help but think about the fluting ind, which seemed more like a flying vessel that the Queen Ice Fiend Locust could drag around on her whims. But he didn''t expect it to be a defensive treasure that could even block a Quasi Legend''s spiritual attack.


    "She''s right." Veronica nodded as she gravely said, "Not only the ind, but there are extremely powerful, probably Quasi Legend Rank Locusts guarding the ind, and they would kill anythinging towards the ind, not to mention there should be few thousand locusts below the Quasi Legend Rank hiding on the ind to protect the Locust Queen. After all, only Unique Rank can enter the conflict ins, so the Locust Queen wasn''t able to utilize her entire army''s might. Underestimating them could be fatal."


    ''I''ve already predicted this much since I was about to make a move against those three steps of legend locusts... but the ind is a real problem.'' Jacob thought with a gloomy look in his eyes.


    Before he could speak, Skyfall suddenly came forward and asked, in a neutral tone, "I want to ask something from Mister Crimson."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed slightly, and the members of the treaty shook their heads in exasperation as if they knew trouble wasing.


    "Ask away."


    "Will Mister Crimson move personally this time? After all, this entire scenario is because of you." Skyfall didn''t mince his words at all. Furthermore, he wasn''t here with his original body, so he became even more bold.


    "Skyfall!" Veronica was shocked because of Skyfall''s blunt disrespect.


    After all, among everyone here, she knew more about Diminutive strength, and Jacob was someone that even Diminutive didn''t dare offend, yet the arrogant idiot had no fear.


    On the other hand, Diminutive''s lips rose ever so slightly as if he was extremely ted about watching Skyfall ying with tiger''s whiskers.


    "It''s alright." Jacob dismissively said before he looked towards Skyfall and replied, "You''re right; this is happening because of me. But do you think I haven''t expected it?"


    Jacob''s words instantly shocked everyone, while Asher secretly panicked as many spections about Crimson''s identity started to rise in his heart.


    "Then why?" Skyfall asked with disbelief.


    "Because if I had killed the Locust Queen sooner, would the Star Network give me anything in return?" Jacob asked again, and his voice was filled with deep meaning.


    At this moment, even Diminutive and Asher were startled as realization dawned on them, and


    a chill ran down their spines because if it was true, then Jacob knew about everything and deliberately led them to this point. He was truly a terrifying being, and they started to wonder if they were even ying on the same field as him.


    Seeing that his bluff worked, Jacob hit while the iron was hot, and his next words directly


    moved the tides exactly where he wanted them; he curtly dered, "So, my answer to you is,


    I''ll be personally making a move this time, and I''ll be the one to kill the Locust Queen. You guys don''t need to interfere anymore!"

 Chapter 742: Controlling the Tides! (2)

    Chapter 742: Controlling the Tides! (2)


    ?


    Jacob''s deration shook everyone''s minds, not because he was willing to destroy the Ice Fiend Locusts by himself, but because of the implication behind his ambiguous words before the deration.


    After all, they knew what it meant to be rewarded by the Star Network or, more urately, by SAAI. Furthermore, if there were really a reward involved, by the magnitude of the difficulty, it would be anything but ordinary, and this made the Quasi Legends'' hearts race.


    ''Why did he reveal such information? Either he''s leading us all by provoking our greed, or he''s simply too arrogant and confident that no one wouldpete against him. Whatever the case is, I can''t ignore his words since he''s too mysterious. If he could even predict the actions of Zodiac ins Enforcement, then our ns need to change...'' Diminutive thought grimly as Jacob''s words forced him to think in another direction and made the goblin deter a litter.


    Even Asher has the same trail of thoughts as Diminutive, and he starts to regret agreeing to that damn lunatic.


    "If there''s nothing else, you all may leave now. I''ll be moving soon, so if you excuse me, I will need to make a little preparation." Jacob didn''t wait for anything and directly dered the end of his meeting.


    He knew if he had to pretend to be in a hurry if he wanted them to buy his words. So, the more agitated he seems, the more they will believe in his words.


    Diminutive was the first snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Jacob had already stood up and about to walk away, he hurried spoke out, "W-wait, your excellency!"


    Jacob''s lips curled up slightly, but no one could see his sly grin. He turned around and coldly asked, "Do you have something to add, Mr. Diminutive?"


    "Ahem, please forgive Skyfall. He was just too excited and spoke out of line." Diminutive quickly showed his fox tail and berated Skyfall, making the elf''s expression darken slightly. But Diminutive didn''t care as he continued righteously, "How could we just remain sitting while you''re going to fight for the fate of the entire gxy''s sake? After all, we still have our contract and, moreover, our integrity as the inhabitants of the lesser gxy of Taurus. "Still, since you are going alone, we all respect your gant spirit. But still, I think it won''t hurt to have backup. So, representing the entire Treaty, I would like to offer our service as your backup. We''ll only move on yourmand if you need us, or we''ll be just bystanders." The Treaty members were speechless, and some of them were clearly unwilling since, despite the potential rewards involved, they knew they needed to be alive to enjoy them.


    Furthermore, their confidence was at an all-time low after learning about Jacob''s mysterious means and unfathomable prowess. But they couldn''t speak against Diminutive since they knew this sly goblin might look weak, but he was a terrifying existence in his own right. Veronica had already warned them about it.


    "This guy lies like drinking water. Well, it''s not like it''s not going in my favor.'' Jacob thought as his devilish grin widened.


    "No need; I don''t want anyone near that fog ind. You''re not getting in my way will be your help to me." Jacob directly rejected it since he couldn''t agree right away. He continued in an irrefutable tone, "And don''t worry about the Legendary Key. Right after I am done with the Locust Army, you can have its location."


    Now, Diminutive really started to believe that Jacob knew something about the rewards. He even mused that all this massacre was done to trigger this exact event, and Jacob''s end goal was always this ''reward.''


    However, he couldn''t think of any other reason to make Jacob agree to let them participate. He knew Jacob was wary of him, and he had every reason to be. After all, he knew if it were him, he would''ve also been nning to sabotage the other party to im this reward.


    So, Jacob''s cold stand against their participation waspletely justifiable. Not to mention, this also further congeals Jacob''s im. If he had agreed to their help, Diminutive''s entire thought process would''ve been the opposite of what it is now.


    "Please allow us to be your backup, Sir Crimson!" Veronica suddenly stepped forward and solemnly requested before Diminutive coulde up with some good excuse.


    Veronica took a deep breath when she sensed Jacob''s cold gaze suddenly locked on her and continued, "I promise you that no one will sabotage your n in any way. In fact, we should all sign a new oath contract to make sure of it. It''s not like I don''t trust you, but your security is very important to us, especially since you have the legendary key. So, please ept this little request of mine!"


    Diminutive was impressed by Veronica''s reasoning and even thought that he should''ve treated him more gently. But all that goodwill vanished the moment she brought out the oath contract in this. He cursed her for being so foolish and not knowing when to think for herself. After all, why would they risk being only reinforcement if there''s nothing to gain, especially that mysterious reward that Jacob was unwilling to share with them?


    But he couldn''t retort since it would only prove Jacob''s worry justifiable, and he clenched his fist and hoped Jacob would disagree since this way, he could at least continue with the early n.


    Furthermore, he can''t sign this contract because it would conflict with another more powerful contract that he had already signed.


    Jacob secretly appreciated Veronica even more, as this woman was not only powerful and hiding herself too well under Diminutive''s nose, but she seemed to be adamant about doing anything to break free from the goblin''s clutches. Even if it''s meant to make a deal with the Devil.


    Seeing that Jacob didn''t refuse instantly this time, Diminutive started to sweat, and he wasn''t alone. Asher also frowned grimly as he stared dagger at Veronica for suggesting something so ridiculous.


    "If that is the case, then..."


    "Wait! Mr. Crimson, is your Star ID Faceless Ancient?"


    Before Jacob could agree, Asher suddenly spoke, drawing everyone''s attention. Jacob''s eyes went sharp, and faint killing intent surfaced in them when he looked towards the barbarian!

 Chapter 743: Lies Within Lies! (1)

    Chapter 743: Lies Within Lies! (1)


    ?


    Jacob was startled when he heard the barbarian mention his star ID. He didn''t pay him any attention; in fact, no one in the entire treaty would normally ignore Asher and even forget about his existence. It was a very strange phenomenon that even Diminutive didn''t seem to have noticed.


    Furthermore, Asher rarely spoke and took part in their meetings and followed orders without batting an eye, but now, he suddenly spoke, and his words didn''t seem casual as well since they all suddenly felt the tempo of the chapel was disrupted the moment he mentioned that star ID.


    Although they might pay little attention to the barbarian, they all knew that he was the Dark Prince of the Dark City, and unlike them, his authority wasn''t something he could just give away on a whim.


    Nheless, the most important thing was why Asher suddenly uttered that Star ID, how he even knew that ''Crimson'' was the owner of this Star ID, and what his intentions were in bringing it up.


    ''Is he in on that?'' Diminutive eyes suddenly widened slightly as he carefully nced at the barbarian and then Jacob, who had suddenly turned silent. Many possibilities started to appear in his mind, and he decided to keep observing.


    "No, this is my first time hearing about this Star ID. But why did you reach this conclusion that this is my star ID?" Jacob impassively replied. He controlled himself from hexing the barbarian since he knew it was just a puppet, and if he showed an excessive reaction, he would dere to everyone that he was the Faceless Ancient.


    Although it wasn''t a big deal even if they found out about his Star ID, the thing is, there were simply too many things that would surface if they could search the database of three factions.


    If they find out his history, they would know that he was not as mysterious as he seemed, nor was he as powerful as right now about two decades ago. Once the veil is lifted, his deterrence would be gone, and he wouldn''t be able to manipte them as he wanted.


    Not to mention, it would also be painfully obvious that he had a huge secret that allowed him to reach his point within just over two decades. Then forget about Diminutive; everyone would be scheming against him.


    Moreover, he had signed the oath contract with the ATLAS about him not knowing the Legendary Key''s whereabouts, and if they find out about it, his ability to bypass oath contracts will surface.


    Although he could always tackle it by saying that he had discovered its location after signing the contract, the seed of doubt would remain.


    That''s why he can''t let them find out that he was Faceless Ancient, and he also had to find out why and how this barbarian suddenly reached this conclusion since he hadn''t let any clues nor Faceless Ancient was enigmatic enough for Asher to link Crimson and Faceless Ancient suddenly.


    Jacob instantly sensed a conspiracy, and he again discovered that Diminutive and Veronica weren''t the only ones in the treaty he had to watch out for. Those quasi-legends were simply too unpredictable.


    Nheless, he now had to deal with this guy first before he could formte another n topletely detach himself from the star ID, Faceless Ancient, at least until he was in the Unique ins.


    As for simply changing his star ID name, it was impossible now because he was a 3-Star Star Privilege ID holder. The twenty-year name change function of the Star ID only works on o- Star Star Privilege ID holders. Or he would''ve changed his damn star ID long ago!


    However, he now has another way to fake a Star ID, the Gluttony Mask, but sadly, he can''t use it right now.


    Asher''s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn''t think Jacob would deny it so casually, and he couldn''t tell if he was telling the truth or not since Jacob was simply too careful not to show his emotions. The early undtion in his aura could also be due to his dismay with being disrupted and questioned in the middle of his speech.


    Furthermore, Asher had already investigated the star ID, Faceless Ancient, and when he found the details about the guy, he was in disbelief and thought the Golden Constant was messing with him, who gave him this information.


    After all, how could a Unique Rank suddenly be a quasi-legend in a mere two decades? Not to mention that because of Tomas''s interest in Jacob and since he had noticed him when he was in the Epic ins because of his winning the medallion, he had gathered almost all the information he could find on the guy.


    But that information also fell into Asher''s hands, and although he admits that the guy was talented and abnormal, he could not believe that he could reach such heights within such a short span of time.


    However, then he thought about how the Golden Constant was interested in him and insisted on taking his body, and he instantly thought about Jacob''s abnormal growth. It finally struck him that there must be a secret that even that lunatic wanted at all costs, and he became interested in it as well.


    After all, if that secret could help him grow to such heights, and even someone like Golden Constant was willing to reveal himself for it, it was worth looking into it. Who knows, maybe he might get something unexpected in this backwater ce.


    Anyway, his n of secretly confronting Jacob about it so he won''t deny it fell into the drain when Veronica suddenly suggested the signing of the Zodiac Contract. He also became uncertain about Crimson really being the Faceless Ancient after hearing about him manipting the Zodiac ins Enforcement to trigger the darn Extreme Respond, which even he was afraid of.


    So, he had no choice but to ask this question to prevent him from agreeing to sign the zodiac contract; otherwise, things would turn sore quickly.


    Now that Jacob had also denied it without much hesitation and asked him the reason for his conclusion, he was stumped and didn''t know how to respond. But he knew he had to first stop him from thinking about signing the zodiac contract.


    "Mr. Crimson, forgive my rudeness, but it''s very important. If I can have some private moments with you, it would be easier for me to exin." Asher sounded embarrassed and shy, as if he had done something wrong, which instantly made everyone''s eyes twitch. However, Jacob''s eye could see what others can''t, and he instantly knew this guy was lying. He also wanted to know whatpelled him to take such action and what he wanted with Faceless Ancient.


    "Alright, I''m also quite interested in what you have to say. "Everyone, please excuse us!


    Jacob impassively nodded, as it might show that there was really something between that star ID and him, but he had to know what this guy was after. A strange unease started to grip his heart the moment Asher mentioned his star ID, and he knew his instincts couldn''t be wrong!

 Chapter 744: Lies Within Lies! (2)

    Chapter 744: Lies Within Lies! (2)


    ?


    The members of the Treaty left with somewhat doubtful looks on their faces since this turn of events waspletely unexpected. But now Asher was on everyone''s radar, while Diminutive was dying to have a ''chat'' with him once he was done with Jacob.


    At this moment, Jacob and Asher are alone in the chapel, and Jacob nods to Asher to start exining, "Now, please borate."


    Asher, who still hadn''t found any opening in Jacob''s attitude or aura, was secretly frustrated because he didn''t know whether to continue. But he had no choice since he couldn''t have an oath contract on his back.


    "Mr. Crimson, you might not know this, but I''m the Dark Prince of Dark City, a dark noble rank higher than Dark Duke, and apparently, Faceless Ancient is also a member of our Dark City, a Dark Viscount as a matter of fact." Asher introduced himself.


    ''He''s the Dark Prince of Lesser Gxy of Taurus? So, this rank does exist here as well...'' Jacob was slightly astounded. He had encountered a Dark Prince in the Dark Battle Arena, me Cmity, and from him, he had learned many things about the Path of Legend.


    That''s why he suspected that there should be a Dark Prince in this ce as well, and he was spot on. But now he was even more confused about why he was interested in Faceless Ancient and why he would suspect him to be him.


    Not sensing any reaction from Jacob, Asher continued, "A few days ago, I received an unexpected call from the upper management of the Dark City directly from the Legendary ins. They told me that the Faceless Ancient was selected for being a Dark Royal Contender. But they couldn''t reach him, so they gave me the task of searching for him and reporting back as soon as possible."


    ''Lies...'' Jacob''s eyes went cold, but he still pretended to be oblivious and let Asher continue. "You may not be aware of the ''Dark Royal'' ranks of Dark City; these ranks are above the Dark Nobles Rank, and only personal members can vote for them. Like my Dark Prince is actually a Dark Royal Rank, and I''m just a Dark Prince Contender. In fact, any Dark Prince who exists in the Lesser Gxies will be a Dark Prince Contender.


    "But no one is aware of it since it''s a secret for Lesser Gxies, and only people with deep connections directly to the Legendary ins'' Dark Cities are aware of this fact.


    "The Dark City members of Dark Royal Ranks have massive influence among the Dark City, and Dark Nobles are like subordinates of Dark Royals. But bing a Dark Royal is vastly difficult from a Dark Noble.


    "First and foremost, they all had the potential to reach the Legendary Rank and acquire the status of ''Dark Prince Contender,'' and the Dark City would nurture and support them to the best of its abilities.


    "Only after bing a Fable Legendary Rank can one be a true Dark Prince, a Dark Royalty of the Dark City. In fact, as long as you are a personal member and can be a Legendary Rank expert, you can directly acquire the status of Dark Royalty, the Dark Prince, and will be privy to resources of Legendary Rank."


    When Asher revealed the secret of Dark Royals, his voice was filled with possession and


    excitement. This secret shouldn''t be a possibility for anyone else because only the true Dark Royals, not ''contenders, ''were privy to it. Only when someone bes a Dark Royal will they be revealed and notified about this secret.


    Before that, the ''Dark Prince Contenders'' were just given the ''Dark Prince'' statues and couldn''t interact with any Dark Royals because they existed inpletely different dominions of Dark City.


    Furthermore, not even the high-ranking members of the three factions who were aware of ''Dark Royalties'' dared to reveal this information to the public because even the lowest Dark Royal was a Fable Legendary Rank, and with how untied they were, they had to suffer the wrath of the entire Dark Royalmunity which was a scary matter.


    But Asher was now revealing this secret to an unknown individual, and truthfully, he didn''t have another way to confirm Jacob''s identity as the Faceless Ancient.


    He revealed this secret information because if Jacob were a member of the Dark City, Asher wouldn''t receive any sanction from the Dark City because despite this information being a secret for Dark Nobles, as long as they ''found'' about it themselves, the Dark City won''t punish them. Simrly, if an extremely high-ranking Dark Royal revealed this information on his own ord to an aspiring Dark Noble, there still wouldn''t be any penalty.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But if this information were revealed to an outsider, even to an outer member of Dark City, there would be sanctions. If they were just a Dark Noble, they would be directly sentenced to death, while for a Dark Royal, the punishment was different ording to their rank.


    For Asher, whose actual rank was impossible to imagine, this punishment was nothing but a p on the wrist.


    As for how the Dark City will continue if the other party isn''t a personal member, the Life Signature, which can''t be hidden no matter what, and Asher has something extremely powerful that can record someone''s Life Signature!


    In fact, the stronger a person bes, the more powerful their life signature will be, and simrly, the more powerful the method required to scan and record it.


    A Legendary Rank being could also detect their Life Signature being scanned or recorded with their powerful Soul Force, and that''s why no one dares to do such a thing if they don''t have a death wish.


    But Jacob, despite awakening his soul force, was still new to it and didn''t know how to utilize it to its full potential, so the moment he decided to hear Asher, he had already fallen into


    Asher''s trap.


    The moment Asher revealed the secret of Dark Royals, something hidden under his sleeve suddenly shimmered for a vague moment, and Jacob overlooked another since he was quite marveled at the information about the Dark Royal.


    Furthermore, the status of Asher in his eyes was evaluated even further, and he became extremely wary of this guy who had ess to such information that even that arrogant


    Wyvern didn''t know.


    He also sensed that there was something wrong since Asher casually revealed so much in front of a total stranger. After all, as a member of Dark City, he knows damn well just how strict their rules were, and Dark Rose always monitored them when the Dark City was involved.


    That was one of the reasons he didn''t like to wear his Star Watch when he was around others. So, he instantly sensed something amiss when he noticed that Asher''s words were nothing but truth while he was lying a minute ago. But he couldn''t put his finger on it, yet he knew his senses weren''t wrong.


    At this moment, he suddenly heard Nyx''s voice, exining that he had given a ''task'' the moment Asher called out his Star ID. When he heard what he had to report, his expression went extremely heavy.


    "Umm... please don''t be mad. I can''t infiltrate his Dreamscape Realm because, for some reason, he didn''t have one!"

 Chapter 745: No more Hesitation!

    Chapter 745: No more Hesitation!


    ?


    Jacob was floored by this sudden news from Nyx, and he didn''t know if he was hearing it right, but he knew it was really happening.


    "Is that even possible? Shouldn''t he be dead if he didn''t have the Dreamscape Realm?" Jacob questioned Nyx with disbelief as he had heard multiple times that Dreamscape Realm was a very important part of the soul, so important that without it, one would die eventually.


    But now, he was hearing that Asher didn''t have the Dreamscape Realm at all, which was simply iprehensible. He would''ve understood if Nyx said that she couldn''t infiltrate his Dreamscape Realm, which means he was extremely powerful. But this waspletely different, and it made Asher even more mysterious and dreadful.


    "Your guess is as good as mine. I haven''t encountered this situation before, so we need more input on this before we can reach some conclusion. If anything that made sense in this situation, it would be he''s only a segment of aplete soul, which I don''t know if it''s even possible. But whatever the case is, you should be careful of that creep." Nyx solemnly warned as she was also clueless and as baffled as Jacob at this moment.


    Jacob''s expression only grew warier as he looked at Asher and said, "I appreciate your information, Mr. Asher. But this still doesn''t exin why you think I''m this Faceless Ancient who''s bing a Dark Prince Contender?"


    Jacob knew the first part of Asher''s context was aplete lie; he wasn''t chosen to be a Dark Prince Contender, and Asher was up to something which he had to know, and making more talk might shed some light on this strange development.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A peculiar glint shed past Asher''s eyes as he became calm, and at this moment, he suddenly said something unexpected, "Please forgive my rudeness, Mr. Crimson. Truth be told, since Faceless Ancient has been selected as a Dark Prince Contender, he has to be powerful and talented.


    "But this person has been missing for many years, and now, from Dark Duke Tomas, I have found very interesting things about him. It was also he who steered me in your direction, and it seems he jumped the gun and made me antagonize you for no reason.


    "I''ll punish him for this misunderstanding now that I know you are not the Faceless Ancient. Furthermore, since I still need to find him, I''ll not be joining your cause, and I''m leaving the Treaty as well since Dark City came first. I hope you understand and forgive my early rudeness.


    "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have to break this news to my associates before I start searching for him again. It''s really a pity that I won''t be able to witness your grandness. If you need anything from the Dark City, please don''t hesitate to contact me; my Star ID is ''Bull''s Blessing.'' Farewell, Mr. Crimson."


    Asher abruptly changed his entire tone, and without exining himself or making thingspletely clear, he decided to leave as if he was really mistaken suddenly and was sure that Jacob wasn''t the person he was looking for.


    However, Jacob furrowed his brow in grimace because every word Asher said was a lie, except for his decision to leave the Treaty. But Jacob didn''t stop Asher because he knew confronting a soul puppet would be meaningless.


    If anything, Asher would be alert if he found Jacob had seen through his lies and might hide. Furthermore, he still was thinking about Nyx''s words, and he didn''t want to admit it, but he was now somewhat afraid of Asher, and the danger his senses picked up early was something he wouldn''t ignore, period.


    ''Could it be that his early talk confirmed that I''m Faceless Ancient? But how?'' Jacob thought gloomily, ''Whatever the case is, I need to be prepared for what is toe, at least until I get the Locust Queen andplete the Longevity Schema. At that time, Crimson would cease to exist!''


    "Nyx, if I''m not wrong, whatever his n is, he won''t make his move alone and might seek some helpers, and Diminutive is most likely on top of this list. Probe information out of him; I''m giving you permission to bring froth your nightmares!"


    Asher didn''t know that he had fully alerted Jacob despite being extremely discreet. Even though he knew Jacob might suspect him because of his abrupt departure, he would''ve never imagined that Jacob could see through lies.


    Although he got what he was looking for, it came at the price ofpromising their secrecy.


    Asher quickly left the chapel, where he was confronted by the Treaty members, especially Diminutive.


    But to everyone''s surprise, Asher directly told them that he wouldn''t be a part of the treaty anymore. The reason he gave them was the same one he gave Jacob. However, he didn''t tell them the details about the Dark Royal; he only told them it was extremely important and couldn''t be put on hold.


    Yet, what surprised everyone and made Veronica suspicious was Asher''s request for Diminutive to have a private conversation, which the goblin agreed to without hesitation, causing more confusion.


    Asher led Diminutive far away from the Holy Mountains. After making sure no one was in the vicinity, Asher directly took out an array te and activated it, creating a powerful barrier around them.


    Diminutive didn''t move because he had his suspicions ever since Asher confronted Jacob and waited for Asher to do whatever he was doing, and another reason was that he was just a soul puppet.


    "Alright, I don''t like to beat around the bush, so I''ll be straight with you. I was informed that you are also a part of the ''n,'' and I am, too. And I know you have already guessed it, so let''s get to the point." Asher impassively stated as he looked towards Diminutive.


    Diminutive was slightly astounded when he noticed that Asher waspletely fearless. After he found out how he really was, it didn''t seem to deter him at all like the other members of


    the Treaty.


    Now that Diminutive thought about it, he never paid Asher any attention at all, which was very strange, and now that he knew he was also included in this n by this ''existence,'' he was sure that Asher was most likely someone like him who was hiding his truth strength. Asher seems to not care about Diminutive thoughts about him as he continues, "Everyone in this wants something, and I''m really surprised that one person could get so much attention from dormant beings who didn''t even show their faces for hundreds of years." Asher sighed, a little skeptical, before his eyes shone with creepy coldness, "I have confirmed Crimson''s star ID. He is the Faceless Ancient. So, now we can all start the next part of the n without worrying about getting the wrong person. The n will start...!"

 Chapter 746: A Traitor’s Fate

    Chapter 746: A Traitor¡¯s Fate


    ?


    After the red alert, the entire unique ins were in chaos, and even the three territories of the three absolute factions were on the move. If they had only been passive and somewhat unwilling to follow the treaty''smand before, now it was a matter of life and death, and those leaders had finally be serious.


    However, in thismotion, the Bank Manager, Roy, suddenly vanished without any trace, leaving the mercenary agency in chaos. Everyone searched for him but to no avail. In the end, his second inmand took over as the temporary bank manager.


    Meanwhile, the Fog Ind and the Queen Ice Fiend Locust remained oblivious to the fact that entire unique ins were united against her and a massive iing army desperate to end the Ice Fiend Locust!


    At this moment, Vincent was in a dimly lit chamber, looking at the unconscious middle-aged lighting elf with aplicated glint in his eyes, but there was also a hint of killing intent.


    "I have fulfilled one of my promises to you. Bank Manager Roy, the only known lightning elf and traitor of your race, is yours to deal with however you wish. I hope you can resolve your grudge as quickly as possible before you move out. There is still one final hurdle before you get your spot in the Path of Legend."


    A dismissive voice stated in his head at this moment before it vanished without waiting for Vincent''s reply.


    Vincent let out a deep sigh as he looked towards the high and mighty Bank Manager, who was untouchable and whose location was almost impossible to find. Hey without any defense in front of him.


    Bank Manager Roy, a lightning elf who sold his race and betrayed it for power and ambition, was from the same generation as Vincent. It would be an understatement if Vincent said his entire life purpose and choosing the unorthodox path of a Star Hacker wasn''t because of this


    man.


    Everyone he was doing till now was to get his hand on this traitor, who almost extinct his own race and killed them with his own hand by siding with the Thunder Giants, just so he could get the alliance support in his path to be the Bank Manager.


    However, Vincent still feltplicated because the same Roy, who was extremely cautious and cunning and always managed to avoid his malicious attempts, was so easily delivered to him by the ''Lord'' within a matter of hours.


    It was simply too surreal and a reality check for the old elf as he knew the Lord was simply too powerful and resourceful. He now really wanted to join the ranks of true ATLAS.


    Sighing again, he took out an array te engraved with a ve rune seal. This was another form of ve Rune, which anyone who had the ve Rune Seal could control. It was even more powerful than a normal ve Rune and could even enve a three-step legend like Roy! "Awake." Vincent coldly issued amand while activating the ve Rune Seal.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The next moment, Roy suddenly opened his eyes, and confusion was written all over his face as he got up and looked around the dim room. His eyes finallynded on the old elf standing in front of him, and his eyes widened in horror as if he had seen a ghost!


    "Y...YOU! You''re Vincent, the Vice Chief! How are you alive, and what did you do to me?" Roy roared with trepidation as he instantly tried to cast a spell. To his horror, his magic core was sealed, and no matter what he tried, his magic orbits werepletely exempt from any mana. He was simply a mortal at his moment.


    "So, you still remember me, huh?" Vincent chuckled coldly as he felt refreshed seeing Roy''s expression. "Of course, you''ll remember me. After all, you are the one who plunged that dagger into my heart. But it seemed fate had something else stored for me. I survived just because my heart was on my right side. And now, here we are after hundreds of years untied again. But our positions had changed, little Roy."


    Vincent casually revealed, but the rage behind his words couldn''t be hidden, and Roy''s expression warped as he never expected Vincent would survive just because of a simple mistake!


    He gulped dryly as he tried his best to calm down. Looking around, he asked, "Where am I? How did you find me!?"


    "Does it matter?" Vincent pulled a dark smile, "What you should be asking is what I''m going to do with you. After all, our race almost went extinct because of you. Millions of innocents were ughtered just for your luxury andfort. I hope you haven''t gotten rusty with yourfort and won''t break so easily, or I will be disappointed in you. After all, to ughter your own parents and siblings required guts and conviction, and I want to test that conviction."


    Roy waspletely horrified when he heard Vincent''s dark words. He knew the old man wasn''t joking since he knew who he was. He slowly pushed himself back while desperately trying to use his magic core, and he also found that his space ring was gone.


    "Vin... no, Vice Chef! We can discuss it! I''m the Bank Manager! It''spletely different from the past. The Thunder Giants and the Chairman forced me to go against the tribe! I...I''ve always regretted my actions!


    "Bu...but now, it''spletely different. I can support you against the Thunder Giant! We can make the Lightning Elf flourish again, and...and you can be the Chief! Just don''t do anything stupid! The past is dead, and all that matters is the future!" Roy tried his best to peruse Vincent while desperately searching for some way to escape.


    Although he didn''t know how the hell Vincent got his hands on him since all he remembered was enjoying some virgins when suddenly everything went dark, and the next thing he remembered was waking up in front of this old ghost.


    He cursed his guards for their ipetence and was clueless about where the hell they were even now while this lunatic was on the loose. He knew they would be searching for him, so he must buy as much time as possible.


    If he had known that Vincent was still alive, he would have done everything in his power to kill him, but s, it was toote.


    Vincent''s smile almost reached his eyes, and that smile was extremely vile and ruthless, making Roy''s heart almost explode.


    "If only the past grudges could be resolved with simple words, little Roy, but it''s a pity they couldn''t. The past is indeed dead, but what we are and what molds us is also the past.


    "I''m not interested in revenge against the Thunder Giants since they will be dead soon enough, and they did what they did because of you. Or would they''ve won so simply in a frontal assault against us? Wasn''t it you who destroyed the defensive barriers and took our treasures, making us sitting ducks? If not for you, I wouldn''t..."


    Vincent almost trembled as he remembered the past and took a deep breath to calm down. "Your crimes are numerous, little Roy, and if I start recounting them, it will take a long time, which I don''t have right now. So, let''s start with your punishment."


    Roy''s heart trembled when he saw a dagger that wasn''t sharp but blunt suddenly appear in Vincent''s hand. He threw it in front of him, and the next moment, the array te in Vincent''s hand suddenly lit up, making Roy pale. Roy finally understood what was going on. He recognized the array te and felt a burning sensation from his back.


    Vincent cruelly smiled as he ordered, "Roy, for your first punishment, you are to remove your skin with this blunt dagger, eat your traitorous flesh, and wait for it to regenerate and repeat


    again and again and again...!


    "But don''t worry. As long as you repeat the process equivalent to the number of our brethren you''ve ughtered, we''ll move on to your next punishment!"

 Chapter 747: Time for Reckoning (1)

    Chapter 747: Time for Reckoning (1)


    ?


    The fog ind was surrounded by icy cold fog and an eerie silence in the dark shade of moonless night. Over a hundred meters away from the floating ind, a flying ship in stealth approached it, and this wasn''t the only ship; in fact, around a hundred more ships were slowly surrounding the ind from all directions.


    They were keeping their distance to not alert the locusts around the ind and waiting for everyone to be in position.


    As for the person inmand of these ships, he was a few hundred meters right above the fog ind with the most powerful and influential figures of the Unique ins.


    Not only were the true bodies of the Treaty of Legends'' members present, but even the leaders of the three absolute factions were present here, called by their seniors within the treaty.


    Everyone was silently looking at the towering giant, adorned in a dark windbreaker and a long hood covering his head. He stood silently under the dark sky and watched below as cold winds brushed past his towering, slender figure.


    "Everyone will be in position in three minutes." Veronica finally broke the silence at this moment as his eyes contained a hint of excitement and trepidation.


    Furthermore, Diminutive was nowhere to be seen, which made Veronica remember thest time she saw him.


    There was a hint of tiredness on his face as if he hadn''t slept because of nightmares, which he still couldn''tprehend since he didn''t remember anything. Yet his body always shivered for some reason whenever he tried to remember.


    Although she didn''t know what was going on with him, he left after saying he had another more important matter to tend to, and Jacob was enough for this venture. After all, he didn''t sign the oath contract, which only made Veronica suspicious since she knew Diminutive''s nature and was on guard against him.


    She even told Jacob about her suspicion; thetter only told her he knew and didn''tment further.


    Jacob finally averted his focus and looked around, merely ncing at Veronica for a moment before he looked toward the leaders of three absolute factions. It was his first time seeing them in person, and the same was true for them. A hint of surprise shed past his eyes when he saw one of the leaders.


    They were finally able to ''see'' the treaty''s ''shadow leader'', the very reason they were in this mess. On the other hand, the Pope of Cardinal Spirit Temple, Sebastian Edgar, had some idea Who Jacob was.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After all, he almost lost his position because of him when his ancestor suddenly paid him a ''visit'' and berated him for his ipetence in offending someone he shouldn''t have. Yet he was still confused about when and how he offended this enigmatic being and why he had waited for all this time to target him.


    As if sensing his perplexed look, Jacob suddenly looked towards him¡ªor at least it seemed that way since no one could see Jacob''s face-making the old man''s heart almost stop.


    At this moment, Jacob finally spoke, "Everyone, thank you all foring here, despite knowing that it was I who put you all in this situation. But don''t worry, as I told my ''friends'' from the treaty that I alone am enough to handle this. I wasn''t lying, and my words still stand.


    "You don''t need to do anything but just watch, and please don''t get in my way. It''ll be best for everyone." Jacob coldly dered.


    The treaty members didn''t react much, but the leaders of the three factions were shocked since this was their first time hearing about it. Nheless, they were d that they didn''t have to sacrifice or put their lives in danger against the Locust army, and this man seemed to know how to take responsibility.


    "But before we start, I would like to have some private words with Pope Sebastian." Jacob suddenly stated, making everyone look towards Sebastian, who seemed to be hiding at the very end.


    Ss sighed when he heard it, ''So, it stilles to this. Well, I''ve done everything in my power to retract his dissatisfaction with the Faery Humans. The fool''s fate is now in his own hands...''


    "W-what...why would..." Before Sebastian could snap out of his stupor and question Jacob''s purpose, Jacob was already walking towards the room as his cold yet irrefutable voice rang, "Follow me."


    It would be an understatement to say Sebastian was feeling fear now; no, he was appalled and even shaking in his boots. Although he may have looked like the grand pope of the temple, the guy was actually a coward, and he was only a lion in his own den while a rat in front of true lions.


    That''s why he never left the temple''s safety and very seldom made personal appearances. He wouldn''t havee today as well, at least not with his main body, but it would''ve offended every member of the treaty, and he knew pissing off so many Quasi Legends was nothing but courting death.


    Not to mention, his own ancestor can still bypass all the security of the temple since he still has the same authority as him.


    As for running away, there was simply no chance as long as he didn''t want to live anymore and surrender his lofty status. He was only nning on putting up an act, and when he heard Jacob was nning to go alone, he was the happiest of them all.


    Yet now, this sudden turn of events caught himpletely off guard, and if he could, he would''ve been long starting to flee in the opposite direction since he knew what happened in the Holy Mountain Range was all Jacob''s work.


    "What are you waiting for?" Veronica coldly red at rooted Sebastian.


    Although she didn''t know what the Faery Humans had done to earn his wrath, she didn''t care about them; she only cared about getting Jacob''s help.


    Sebastian finally took a step forward while sweating bullets. His peers, who knew him, couldn''t help but scoff secretly, gloating at the old coward''s misfortune. After all, they had dealt with Sebastian''s arrogance and hypocrisy, and they knew he was a fiend ying angel. Well, except for two new leaders of the three factions. One was Roy''s recement and previous vice manager of the bank, so his ascension was something everyone sawing while they were stillpletely clueless about Roy''s fate, who was also, in a sense, like Sebastian.


    But what no one sawing was Tomas''s sudden death, and his sessor wasn''t actually the one he nurtured. Instead, this Dark Marquise came out of nowhere and took the Dark Duke spot fair and square.


    At this moment, the new Dark Duke squinted her beautiful emerald eyes as she looked deeply


    at Jacob''s figure, which vanished into the room. Her heart raced when she thought of a


    possibility.


    ''Is he Mr. Jack? Just what is going on?'' Dark Duke Zoe was both confused and excited after her sudden realization!

 Chapter 748: Time for Reckoning (2)

    Chapter 748: Time for Reckoning (2)


    ?


    Jacob looked at agitated Sebastian, and the old man had a great resemnce to his own face; there was doubt that he was the father of the original body owner, Adolph Edgar.


    However, Sebastian''s heart was in chaos under Jacob''s silent stare, and he suddenly forced a smile before he said, "S-Sir, I want you to know that whoever offended you, I have nothing to do with it. The temple is a free organization; we can''t control other actions. Still, if we are dissatisfied with something or someone, I''ll do everything in my power to change it or punish the person who was blind enough to offend you."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    How could Sebastian have any thoughts of tricking or negotiating with the other party when he knew from his ancestor, Ss, just what kind of being he was standing in front of him truly was!


    Even his ancestor was afraid of him. Although he had done everything to cate Jacob''s fury against the Faeries, it seemed it was still not enough, and Sebastian really wanted to torture the man who had brought this cmity upon him.


    Jacob suddenly chuckled in amusement when he heard Sebastian''s words. He really didn''t care about the Faeries or Sebastian, and he had already gotten what he wanted from Ss, yet there were still some unanswered questions he wanted to know before the matter with Adolph was resolved.


    Furthermore, from what he had gathered, Sebastian should''ve been dead long ago since a Faery Human''s life span of Inception Legend Body Rank was around 5000 years while a Quasi Legend Faery Human could live for 10,000 years.


    But Sebastian had been alive for over 5,000 years now and was brimming with strength, and Jacob didn''t detect any traces of Dark Alchemy use on Sebastian. Even Ss had missed this detail. In fact, since Sebastian had little presence and usually didn''t appear in public for many years, he was very easy to overlook.


    That''s why Jacob was sure that there was something with this old man, and Adolph''s appearance when he crossed over was proof of that, and there were still many questions unanswered.


    That''s why the moment Sebastian appeared here, he was already gone, and it was only a matter of time now.


    "Well, since you want to help me, how about you tell me about your son, Adolph Edgar?" Jacob impassively asked.


    Sebastian''s eyes widened when he heard that forgotten name, and he became slightly confused. Yet his guard was suddenly up the moment he heard Adolph''s name, and Jacob instantly noticed it.


    "Adolph is my deceased son who met with a tragedy." Sebastian suppressed his unease and replied while try staying calm, "Did he offend you in the past?"


    This was the only exnation he could think of since, otherwise, Jacob wouldn''t mention a dead man''s name in this conversation. But this only made Sebastian even more confused since he knew Adolph''s history better than anyone. That child had a benevolent heart and wasn''t the one to hurt someone, not to mention offend someone like Jacob.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cold sneer, "Don''t lie to me, Sebastian. You should know I can see through any lies, no matter how much you try to hide them. Tell me the truth. What did you do to Adolph before you sent him to Common ins? Why leave him alive like that? After all, you should''ve already gotten what you desired from him. Why not just end the poor fellow, and why go through such trouble?"


    Sebastian was appalled when he heard those details, which shouldn''t have been known by anyone since he had already dealt with the only person who sent Adolph to Common ins. He instinctively took a step back, and his voice stuttered, "J-just...who are you?"


    "That is not the answer to my question, Sebastian." Jacob nonchntly stated as he looked towards the old man who was paled like a ghost, and he was freaking out like someone had removed his mask in public.


    This was already enough for Jacob to know there was something deeper going on, and he wanted the answer to that question.


    After all, he had long passed the point where he would think that his cross-over to this ce was just his luck and mere coincidence. He knew there was no coincidence in this world, and everything had a deeper meaning behind it.


    Just why was he reincarnated into an adult''s body, who was already dying? Why would he encounter Decker, who happened to have Cursed Immortality in his possession, the very thing he longed for or anything, as a matter of fact?


    Furthermore, there were many other coincidences that he found quite disturbing, and he knew there was nothing natural or lucky about his reincarnation. Or he was simply thinking too much, but he still wanted to investigate and wanted answers because he was afraid that he was living in an illusion and that one day, this illusion would be shattered like a dream. That''s why he wanted tofort himself by knowing Sebastian''s story. He really hoped that the old man didn''t have any reason to send Adolph to the Common ins while he could''ve dealt with him here. Just this reason was enough to cause Jacob''s paranoia to run amok, and he wanted answers.


    Sebastian, on the other hand, was panicking now since he didn''t know what to do in this situation. Should he just reveal the truth? But he knew he would die the moment he said certain something. However, the person in front of him can kill him as well.


    "I...I want t..." Sebastian had just opened his mouth to exin, but the very next moment, something out of Jacob''s widest expectation happened.


    "Boom!"


    Sebastian''s head suddenly explode like a balloon, spreading his brain fragments and gore everything, even Jacob just stood there, rooted in his ce as some blood and brain matter fall on his body, he waspletely bewildered.


    At this moment, from one of the brain fragments, something extremely fine and small wiggled, and Autarch crawled its way out of the brain matter.


    But what shocked Jacob even more was Autarch''s body, which was missing 10% of its original length, and his previously pristine shell had faint cracks.


    Horrified, Jacob quickly retracted Autarch in hand with his soul force, and he could feel


    Autarch''s was weakened and extremely weak.


    "What happened?" Jacob asked with a hint of disbelief. It was his first time seeing Autarch fail


    and get wounded like this, and it all happened when he ordered him to turn Sebastian into his puppet to get answers.


    At his moment, an invisible fear suddenly gripped his heart!

 Chapter 749: The Mystery Remains

    Chapter 749: The Mystery Remains


    ?


    Jacob was looking at the headless corpse of Sebastian as his blood continued to spread, with disbelief and trepidation.


    Taking a deep breath to calm his palpitating emotions, he looked towards Autarch and asked again, "Are you alright?"


    "I...I''m fine, sorry, sir." Autarch finally spoke in a feeble voice.


    "It''s not your fault; no one saw iting." Jacob sighed, not ming Autarch but feeling relief that he was fine and could still speak.


    After something like this had never happened before, it was Autarch''s first time to experience something like this, not to mention getting injured. He was d that Autarch didn''t die, or he would really lose much more than he had gained, which was nothing.


    He then sent Autarch back to his sr plexus space since it was the best way for Autarch to rest and recover.


    Then Autarch told him what happened without asking, "S-sir, I don''t know why, but a strange sigil was branded on his brain, containing his life memories. The moment I try to devour it, it suddenly triggers a powerful fluctuation and the... then, I sensed extreme danger, so I quickly tried to flee his brain, but I failed. I have seen nothing like that sigil before, and I didn''t sense any danger from it until....until it was toote. I have no excuse for my ipetence."


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he heard Autarch''s exnation about what actually happened, and for some reason, he sighed in relief. He started to think that someone or something had just intervened to prevent him from knowing the reason behind Adolph''s presence in the Common ins.


    However, this just made the matter moreplicated and eerie at the same time since whoever was behind it was extremely cautious. This information was so important that they had made it so that Sebastian wouldn''t be able to tell or someone like Autarch wouldn''t be able to get his memories.


    Sebastian didn''t strike Jacob as a person who would be willing to let someone ce a bomb into his head, not to mention this bomb seemed to be a product of some mysterious magic that even Autarch failed again and almost died because of it.


    However, he knew with Sebastian''s death, the mystery waspletely buried unless he could find the person who ced this ''sigil'' in Sebastian''s head, the true hand behind the curtains, which he had no clue about.


    "I''ve told you, it''s not your fault. Let''s take it as a lesson, and if you find something like that in the future, retreat. Now you should rest; you''ve done enough. Once you recover, I want you to draw that sigil for me in case we encounter something simr." Jacob sighed ruefully as he didn''t let his emotions run amok since this wasn''t the ce or time.


    "I''ll follow sir''s orders." Autarch weakly replied before he went dormant.


    Jacob then looked towards the bloody mess, gritted his teeth, and waved his hand before starting to gather blood. After all, Sebastian was still an Inception Body Legend Rank expert, and despite his difort, he couldn''t waste such high-quality blood. He also grabbed Sebastian''s bracelet, which was also a space treasure.


    "Is he fine?" Nyx suddenly asked. She was watching everything with a hint of worry. "What? I thought you didn''t like him," Jacob coldly replied as he tried to open the space bracelet.


    "Hmph! Who said I like him now? I''m just worried since he''s a very important tool at our disposal!" Nyx quickly changed her tone as she retorted.


    "A tool, huh?" Jacob''s eyes shed with a subtle glint before he replied, "He''ll recover in time. But currently, he''s indisposed, and we need to change a few things."


    "Heh, leave it to me!" Nyx quickly agreed despite knowing she couldn''t take Autarch''s role. They were too different from each other.


    Jacob didn''tment on it, as he was in a gloomy mood. At this moment, he unlocked Sebastian''s space bracelet. But he was shocked when he saw what was inside-it waspletely empty!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''He came here without any recovery medicine or any weapons? Is this even possible, or was he too confident about keeping his life? Don''t tell me this thing is also rted to this sigil?!''


    Jacob had never been so flustered as he was now, ever since he had crossed over, and he had never expected that in search of answers, he would leave with more questions and a never- ending anxiety.


    ''What are the chances of him leaving some clues in his personal quarters?'' Jacob thought gloomily as he looked towards the dry, headless corpse of Sebastian before shaking his head, ''If this is organized, then whoever did this won''t make such a rookie mistake. The only clue I have now is that sigil. Fuck!''


    Jacob''s momentarily outburst made the entire ship tremble before he controlled himself and directly absorbed Sebastian''s blood, and the runic lines around his thumb started to glow. Afterward, Jacob directly torched the dry corpse and watched until it was a pile of ashes; this time, something endured his mes, and with his soul force, he grabbed it.


    It was actually a golden chain with a triangr pendant imbued with a silver gem, and Jacob didn''t find anything extraordinary about it as it appeared extremely ordinary. However, he was surprised when he finally noticed that even in the Eyes of Judge, the pendant appeared exactly the same without any kind of particles emitting from it, which had never happened before. He activated his Eyes of the Judgepletely!


    At this moment, Jacob was finally able to ''see'' something squirming within the silver gem. It was a mercury-like liquid and extremely tiny. Despite activating the spectrum of ws, the pendant appeared the same without any ws. The only change was that he could now see the white mercury squirming within the gem.


    Jacob tried imbuing it with his three types of mana one by one, but nothing happened. The white mercury didn''t change, and despite his powerful physique, he couldn''t break the pedant or even the golden chain.


    ''Just what is this pendant? Is it rted to whatever Sebastian was hiding?'' Jacob mused as he gravely looked towards the pendant.


    Then he tried another and decided to take it into his space ring. As he suspected, it didn''t go into a normal space treasure at all, which made Jacob solemn before he tried stowing it into the Infinity Pendant, and this time, he seeded!


    A rueful yet grave sigh escaped Jacob, ''Just what is the mystery behind my reincarnation... is there even a mystery to unravel?''

 Chapter 750: Planet Destroyers First Form

    Chapter 750: Destroyer''s First Form


    ?


    The Queen Ice Fiend Locust was surrounded by myriads of pulsing membranes, which were actually the eggs of Ice Fiend Locust, as her body glowed a purple hue.


    At this moment, she suddenly stopped as her eye locked towards the sky above, and she let loose a piercing shrill, "The thief is here!!!"


    She instantly stopped the Yin Fiend Birth ability despite the bacsh of not able to use it for ten years once this ability is stopped.


    The next moment, the purple ice mist around the fog ind started to churn, and the Queen Ice Fiend Locust issued a lightning-fastmand through her ability. All the Ice Fiend Locusts on the Unique ins suddenly stopped rampaging before they roared in unison and flew towards the fog ind at full speed, like a dense thundercloud.


    While the twelve royals patrolled the ind, the most powerful Ice Fiend Locust stopped under the Queen''smand and directly headed towards their Queen''s side to protect her. The Queen Ice Fiend Locust didn''t say anything when the Twelve Royals returned and took their positions as her guards. She was still looking towards the sky as if her eyes could pierce everything and could directly see the tall giant standing above a floating disk while holding a pitch-ck rifle even longer than his own body and looking through a long scope.


    With the Eyes of Judge, Jacob didn''t need any kind of special vision scope as he could easily find whatever he was looking for, no matter how much the target was hidden, unless they could restrain his eyes.


    At this moment, he saw the fog ind as a gigantic mass of ck particles, which meant danger. Aplex array of lines around it also indicated that this ind wasn''t a normal rock but a dangerous treasure.


    Furthermore, he spotted twelve purple hominids surrounded by a dark purple shout emitting me-like particles, and he was astounded when he saw countless ethereal threads spreading from this dark purple silhouette, connected with all those locusts. Even the twelve purple humanoids were connected to those ethereal threads.


    But what made Jacob grimace was the sudden appearance of a crimson ethereal thread, apparently connected to his head. The moment it appeared, it started to pulse.


    ''If I take that dark purple silhouette as Queen Ice Fiend Locust, and all those threads as her innate ability that connects her with the other Ice Fiend Locusts, then this thread that connects me with her, should be the Fiend Mark, that let her know my position each time I''ve used mana.


    ''If I kill her, those locusts would be fish on the cutting board, and that bug bitch didn''t even realize that I''m already locked on her. Furthermore, I still remember Immortika saying something about some benefit if I managed to kill her.


    ''So, I must retrieve her body, and then there is that ind. But I don''t know how those twelve would react once their queen dies. Well, I guess I can''t be stingy with Quantum Bullets. Once I killed all of them, it would be an upheaval and would also be my chance to retrieve their corpses with the entire ind if possible.''


    "Connect my vision with theary Scope, and start locking the targets." Jacob directly issued amand with his star watch, and the runic lines around his sniper rifle lit up as they covered the entire scope.


    ary Scope has been connected to the User through the Ancient Artifact App. Please select targets..."


    The moment the static voice of Star Watch rang, a target circle suddenly projected in front of Jacob''s eyes through the scope''s ss. Without hesitation, Jacob slowly pointed the barrel at each Ice Fiend Locust before muttering, "Lock."


    A red dot suddenly appeared in the disy, and he moved the rifle''s barrel towards the other and muttered again, "Lock!"


    "Lock...Lock...Lock..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After repeating the same process thirteen times, the disy showed three red dots. He issued anothermand: "Load thirteen Quantum Bullets-QV.1, and activate Multi-Quantum Shot Mode of First Form of Destroyer, Quantum Rifle-QV.1!"


    The Quantum Bullets were his most powerful bullets, and he invented them to this day and modified them many times with Nyx''s help. Jacob called the final product ''QV.1'' the first Quantum Version One and the same goes for the Quantum Rifle.


    While the Ancient Artifice App was also designed by Jacob, specially to control the Destroyer with the Star Watch developer tform, only he knows just how much time he spent perfecting this app. Yet, just like his Destroyer, it was still far from perfect, so he left room for upgradation.


    But the foundation was set, which was the most difficult part. As his knowledge grows, he will continue to add more and more until he creates the ultimate weapon that solely belongs to him and best suits his fighting style.


    After all, why would he risk his life when he can assassinate his target from far away? As a Gunsmith, his first choice would always be Guns. As the saying goes, ''You Shouldn''t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight!'' especially if your gun can shoot through space!


    "Thirteen Quantum Bullets-QV.1 has been loaded andpressed into Quantum Homing Buckshot with Multi-Quantum Shot Mode!


    "Would you like to release the Nuclear Fusion limiter for Quantum Bullet?


    "What level of Nuclear Fusion limiter would you like to set? The limiter of Quantum Bullet- QV.1 Nebr Fusion is from Level-o to Level-5!"


    "Remove the limiter and set it at level o," Jacob ordered without hesitation.


    Quantum Bullets werepletely different from normal bullets as they could be modified in many ways. For example, he could not onlypress their sizes but also decide if he wanted them to be atomic or not.


    Furthermore, Jacob wasn''t using the Nuclear Fission of an atomic bomb for Quantum Bullets; instead, he was using the Nuclear Fusion of a Hydrogen Bomb!


    Even a Level-o Nuclear Fusion packed the power of 10 atomic bullets that used Nuclear Fission, and only Quantum Bullets can handle Nuclear Fusion to its full potential.


    That''s why Jacob never bothered to make ''Hydrogen Atomic Bullets'' because the Quantum Bullets were the Hydrogen Atomic Bullets!


    "The limiter has been set!


    Destroyer''s First Form, Quantum Sniper, ready to fire!"


    The next moment, the entire rifle was brightly lit in runic lines, and the trigger, triggered under Jacob''s finger, finally clicked forward. All that remained was for him to pull the trigger!


    Jacob took a deep breath before he looked towards Queen Ice Fiend Locust and her most trusted minions, who were clueless about the grim ripper''s scythe was already arced behind


    their necks.


    "It was fun while itsted!"


    Jacob muttered before his finger, and the glowing trigger was pulled back!

 Chapter 751: Reel in the Net (1)

    Chapter 751: Reel in the Net (1)


    ?


    In the middle of the volcanic ice of Yin Sky Ind, the Queen Ice Fiend Locust, and her twelve royals suddenly felt something amiss, and their instincts activated in rm.


    The Queen Ice Fiend Locust finally averted her eye from above and looked around with disbelief and confusion. She couldpletely monitor every inch of Yin Sky Ind, and there was no intruder here; after all, there was no stealth work here.


    After the Yin Sky Ind was an unknown treasure that could make ''Yin Ice'', and this was also the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s birthce. Ever since she opened her eyes to this world, she was always connected with Yin Sky Ind, and as her power increased, she took full control of Yin Sky Ind.


    This was not only a defensive treasure against spiritual attacks, but it could also defend against physical attacks and reduce 70% of damage from magical attacks. It had never been breached before, and it was her biggest life assurance.


    Yet now, all of a sudden, for the first time in hundreds of years, a sense of dread suddenly enveloped her as if her life wasing to an end, which was even more baffling.


    Not only she but even her most powerful children were feeling uneasy. Without anymand, they were already emitting their aura and vigntly protecting their queen. Right at this moment, before the Queen Ice Fiend Locust could even make sense of the situation, right in front of her eye, the space suddenly seemed to have trembled before a tiny round object suddenly appeared before her glowing eye. It was a bullet slug that seemed ever-changing, churning as if it was made with countless particles and glowing in a blue hue, and it seemed to be growing!


    Not only her but the twelve peak inspection legend locusts also saw the same bullet slug before their eyes.


    However, they could only nce at its afterimage before it directly pierced through their eye membranes.


    "Shoo..."


    A small sonic bomb rang in front of everyone''s face, making their heads spring back. However, despite the attack sessfullynding, it only left tiny holes in their multifaceted eyes. No doubt it was painful, but that doesn''t matter now because someone had managed to break past all the defensive and sessfully wound them, even the Queen!


    "Who...hikkkasaaaa..." Before the Queen Ice Fiend Locust could utter, she suddenly let out a painful screech as her head suddenly started to glow a blue hue and inte.


    The twelve royals reacted when they sensed their queen''s deep crisis, but their heads started to inte as well, encased in a blue hue.


    "Bang, bang, bang...."


    The very next moment, one after another, their heads started to pop up like a volcano, creating massive explosions and powerful shockwaves.


    Thest thing the Queen Ice Fiend Locust saw was that all of her top guards'' heads turned into meat mush, and she was in so much as her entire life shed past her eyes; she knew she had made a huge mistake in her calctions.


    She overestimated herself by thinking she was safe in Yin Sky Ind and could retreat anything. She was thoroughly mistaken when she thought everything was under her control and that she would unleash horrors upon her enemy.


    Only now, a hint of rity appeared in her mind when she was about to die without even knowing why; she could finally see through her w, and all that pain and unwillingness suddenly turned into a calm relief.


    "Run...Boom!"


    As she issued her final order to all her remaining children, her head finally exploded in a powerful blue explosion.


    The moment the Queen Ice Fiend Locust died, millions of locusts, those guarding the ind or thoseing back, suddenly jolted as the intelligence in their eyes turned into savagery. Only a single thought left in their heads, which was also their mother''s finalmand to them.


    They instantly scattered without hesitation in all directions like a bee hive that had lost its nest.


    Not only that, but Yin Sky Ind suddenly trembled when it lost its owner and started to fall from the sky as the surrounding fog scattered.


    "Are you seeing this?"


    Not far away, a few figures in dark cloaks were closely watching the entire scene with a huge mirror. One of them eximed in disbelief when the ind suddenly started to fall and millions of locusts scattered, as their previously strong killing intent suddenly vanished.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Don''t tell me that person really seeded just like that? Not even half an hour has passed since he left for his ''big hunt,'' and it is over just like that?" A hoarse voice muttered in disbelief and a hint of fear.


    "It''s either that or the Locust Queen is ying a terrifying game by using herself as a bait to lure the fish." A tall man solemnly stated, "But with our data on her, I don''t think she would take such a risk. After all, since her race as the Ice Fiend Locust had been exposed, any who had any record of this race would know that she had virtually not defense, even amon rank could kill her. So, we can assume that our target has struck, and he struck hard, surpassing everyone''s expectations.


    "Nheless, as long as he isn''t a true Legendary Rank, there is no need to be afraid of him. We have made enough preparation for even a Legendary Rank might be gravely injured." He dered with confidence.


    Then he looked towards the nine people cloaked around him and coldly said, "Gentleman, it''s time to reel in the. We had ample time to prepare for this, and everyone would get rewards if we caught the big fish. Before that, I would like to remind everyone that don''t be selfish, at least not until the target is dealt with. Or I don''t want to remind you of the consequence, not to mention you all just saw how mysterious and dreadful his prowess is.


    "Let''s move out!" He solemnly stated before everyone vanished for their hidden spot.


    Furthermore, behind them were thousands of cloaked figures standing there like arranged soldiers, but there was something eerie about them.


    The moment those people left, under these men''s feet, light golden disks suddenly shimmered before they all started to float, and the next moment, the golden disks shimmered again before they all vanished into the darkness of night!

 Chapter 752: Reel in the Net (2)

    Chapter 752: Reel in the Net (2)


    ?


    The fall of Yin Sky Ind caused a huge ssh in the star ocean, creating massive waves. After all, it was a 10,000-meter projectile dropping from around twenty-thousand-meter-high altitude.


    However, what happened next was truly shocking. The water around the ind started to solidify into purple ice, creating a cier, and it only stopped when the ice spread around fifty thousand meters.


    This sudden turn of events shocked almost everyone who was observing. At this moment, amidst the chaos caused by the fleeing army of Ice Fiend Locusts and the fall of Yin Sky Ind, a dark figure stepped into the center of the volcanic ice, where lies the frozen headless figures of the Queen Ice Fiend Locusts and her most powerful royal guards.


    Jacob coldly looked towards the headless corpse of Queen Ice Fiend Locust, now covered in frosty purple ice; he snickered with derisive before waving his sleeve and stowing away the frozen corpses with their blood.


    At this moment, when the Queen Ice Fiend Locust''s corpse vanished, Jacob''s attention was instantly drawn by a shimmering purple rune within the volcanic, liquid ice, which gave a terrifying frosty air that could even affect minds.


    "So, is this the benefits you are talking about?" Jacob questioned the cursed book hovering in front of him ever since he started his ''assassination.''


    After all, he knew some people were eyeing him in the dark, so he had to keep his ''rm clock'' with him all the time, especially now that the threat of Queen Ice Fiend Locust was gone, and he was going to receive the ''reward''.


    "Hehehehehe, now that was somewhat boring. Well, I guess I should expect nothing less from you." Immortikamented whileughing, which implied a contradicted statement from itsment.


    "Nheless, you guess correctly. I was talking about the Yin Ice, which is used to create the core of this damaged Fable Legendary Rank Treasure!"


    "Wait, did you just say this ind is a Fable Legendary Rank Treasure?" Jacob instantly questioned with a hint of disbelief.


    He hadn''t expected that the Queen Ice Fiend Locust had a Fable Legendary Rank Treasure all this time, yet she died so...easily.


    "Hahahaha, I said ''damaged,'' or do you think you could''ve assassinated her so easily? Although I admit the space bullet concept is genius, you aren''t the only one who ever considered it. It''s just that you have yet toe in contact with ''simr-minded'' assassins.


    "If this treasure was not 95% damaged and operating at only 5% of its full capabilities, you wouldn''t have been able to infiltrate the space in its territory unless you have equal rank treasure or higher. The horrors this treasure could''ve unleashed upon the lesser gxies under the Queen Ice Fiend Locust, hahahahaha, just thinking about it makes me excited!"


    Jacob felt a sudden chill running down his spine when he heard the ghastly revtion, and he felt he had just dodged a bullet and was d that the ''bug bitch'' didn''t have such luck.


    As for the cursed book, who wants to watch everything being destroyed just for its own entertainment, Jacob is even more vignt and curses himself for being careless. After all, just when the ''benefits'' promised by Immortika have ever been easy to take?


    Furthermore, Immortika also hinted that the same technology was present in this ce, and he wasn''t the first to have invented it. This realization made Jacob both gloomy and slightly excited since this meant if he could get his hands on it...


    Taking a deep breath to calm down, he sternly asked, "Thank you for the info. But you still didn''t tell me what use I have for this Yin Ice?"


    "Hahaha, don''t you want this treasure? Despite its damaged state, you can still repair it. But if you go for the Yin Ice, it''ll be destroyed. Although I admit whoever used the Yin Ice for this treasure was an absolute fool and didn''t know the true value of Yin Ice. Still, this treasure is quite unique."


    "Don''t try to tempt me. If I want to repair a Fable Legendary Rank treasure, I need to first go to the middle gxies. Not to mention, the time required is still not clear, and the rarity of the materials is another fact. So, getting imminent benefits is the only choice in this scenario.


    "Lastly, its size is too big, and I can''t store it in any space treasure I have. It would be akin to putting a target on my back if I try taking this treasure, not to mention, if I take it to the middle gxies, there is over 90% chance that someone will recognize its value. Unless there is a deeper use of this treasure that I don''t know of, the risk is not worth it." Jacob coldly retorted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hehehehe..." Immortikaughed again, clearly pleased with Jacob''s reasoning.


    "Alright, I won''t tease you anymore since you don''t have time. The Yin Ice is one of the fundamental materials from which an ''Elemental World'' is created. It embodies the passive, feminine, and formless aspects of creation. It is the counterpoint of a ''Yang me'' that represents the active, masculine, and shaping aspects. Together, they create the foundation for all magical elements. Don''t ask for more or anything else. This is the only thing I can divulge right now.


    "As for Yin Ice properties, it''s not just icy. Yin Ice can possess a chilling presence that seeps into the bones, slowing movement and thought processes down.


    "Yin Ice could dampen or even nullify other forms of magic, creating areas where spells fizzle out or have reduced effectiveness. It can also slow the natural decay of objects or even living beings, leading to true suspended animation.


    "Lastly, Yin Ice exists in a constantly shifting state, appearing as swirling mists, imprable ciers, or even a formless, clinging frost. Whoever found this block of Yin Ice without the Yin Ice scattering first was extremely lucky, too lucky, in fact.


    "As for why I said you could benefit from it, the Yin Ice is also a source of pure potential, raw magical energy that can be shaped and molded into other elements and help them evolve rted to the Yin element. Simply put, Yin Ice can evolve Magic Cores and, in special cases, turn them into growth-type magic cores and, in extremely rare cases, turn growth-type magic cores into Constetion Magic Cores!"


    Jacob''s eyes trembled slightly as he wasn''t ignorant of growth type or constetion magic cores, especially thetter, which was at the pinnacle of magic.


    "So, you''re saying I can use this Yin Ice to evolve my Water element core?" Jacob instantly grasped the crux of the matter since he already had a vague idea about the ''Yin'' element after Immortika exined, which excites him.


    "Hehehe, what do you think? It''s just that you need..." Immortika suddenly stopped before it burst into maniacalughter, startling Jacob.


    "Well, I guess our talk has to wait, and you will not be able to collect the Yin Ice if you can''t handle this. So, let''s save the rest until you retrieve it. Because it''s time for entertainment!"


    Jacob instantly felt something amiss because, from Immortika''s ambiguous hints, he knew the ''Hyenas'' were here!

 Chapter 753: Reel in the Net (3)

    Chapter 753: Reel in the Net (3)


    ?


    The very next moment, after Immortika''s warning, a dark golden barrier suddenly encased the entirety of Yin Sky Ind, but there was no trace of anyone, making Jacob wince.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ''So, they didn''t want me to run away. They came prepared.'' He thought coldly while quickly asking Immortika about the iing enemies and their numbers.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly sensed danger, and two inky swords filled with magic runes appeared in his hands. Without hesitation, he spun around and shed them backward, creating a dark arc.


    "ng..."


    A powerful sound of metal shing together rang, magic particles sparked everyone, and a powerful shockwave urred. Although Jacob didn''t move, the attacker was sent flying backward despite avoiding being beheaded.


    At this moment, Jacob could finally see the appearance of the attacker, who was in stealth, and his eyes contracted in disbelief and astonishment. The reason for this was that the attacker was wearing entirely white robes with golden outlines, and his head was covered under a golden hood. Still, what astounded Jacob was the translucent crystal golden disk attached under the man''s feet!


    ''Aren''t they...'' Jacob suddenly stopped his train of thought and again swung his sword above his hand and the second sword in front of his torso.


    Because the weapons shed, powerful shockwaves appeared, sending two more figures flying. When their stealth broke, they wore the same costume and moved on the same discs. How could Jacob forget about these guys? He clearly remembered encountering them in the rare ins when they tried to assassinate him, and he almost lost his life to them back then. Furthermore, Jacob still used those discs, and to this day, he has never found anything rted to them or been able topletely crack them. Yet now, these guys appear again and are clearly far stronger than those guys with gray and bronze discs.


    Although he was already expecting an attack, he wasn''t expecting to counter these faceless assassins. This could only mean that one of his enemies was directly rted to the organization behind these assassins.


    However, Jacob didn''t have time to pay them any heed because, at this moment, he was finally able to see around a thousand such figures scattering around him, and despite their stealth, they couldn''t hide from his eyes. Not to mention, the color spectrum around them was quite strange and unique from the other living beings he had seen.


    Although they were only at the Beyond Unique Rank, they could still handle one of his blows containing 30% of his actual might. However, if he fought them head-on, it was disadvantageous to him, and his enemy was clearly going for gueri warfare by sending these powerful cannon folders first and blocking his escape routes.


    But what those guys hadn''t expected was that a hint of bloodthirsty ecstasy bloomed in Jacob''s eyes because they had just delivered a thousand Beyond Unique Rank blood bags to him, and he didn''t have to go through the trouble of hunting those fleeing Ice Fiend Locusts. Moreover, the amount of blood he had absorbed from the Ice Fiend Locusts was huge, and they had almost lost all effect on him.


    But these guys were mutants-like beings, and their blood was extremely potent, so even if Jacob had to be at a disadvantage, he wouldn''t let them leave, and that barrier was another assurance.


    As for the Yin Sky Ind, he knew no one could take it in a short amount of time, especially with him around. So, without any more misgivings, Jacob took a step forward, leaving after imagine behind him, and appeared in front of the first attacker, who was still recovering from his early blow.


    Looking at the color spectrum, he saw a peculiar thing, a hollow white spot right below his neck, which didn''t exist in any living or dark being, and directly pierced towards it. The assassin reacted quickly, but he was ''slow'' in front of Jacob, who was almost at the peak of the First Phase of Body Transformation, and that white color spot was directly stabbed.


    Now, it was normal Beyond Unique. They would''ve been able to struggle or at least not die right away, but the moment the white spot was stabbed, the assassin was instantly killed without any resistance, and the golden disc attached to his feet finally dropped.


    Jacob''s lips curled up in a cruel smile, ''So, it is their weakness...''


    The dead assassin and the golden disc under his feet vanished at his moment, and Jacob directly moved towards the other two. A few more were on his tail,ing from all directions. Jacob sneered, as despite the golden disc speed that could rival an inspection legend, they were still slow, and he wasn''t even using his fluid eleration yet.


    Like this, the game of cat and mouse begins, as Jacob goes off on a killing spree and starts killing them one by one while gathering their corpses and discs.


    While Jacob was having the time of his life, nine figures were hidden, closely watching Jacob, who was ''exhausting'' his strength and waiting for the right moment to intervene.


    "I think that guy is manhandling your men. He''s not using his aura or spirit and dominating the entire battlefield with pure physical prowess. Furthermore, they can''t even use magic since he''s moving too fast, and if they cast any area of effect spells, they would only be doing him a favor. They are too weak!"


    Hidden under a cloak, Asher harshly criticized with a hint of solemnity in his arrogant voice. He watched Jacob leave behind afterimages, mess with the assassins'' momentum, and take full advantage of their disrupted flow. He wasn''t making a single mistake despite facing a thousand against one.


    A tall man under cloaked was also watching coldly, with the same trial of thoughts as he replied, "At this point, he''s ying with them, and it''s like he''s strolling in a garden and gathering fruit. If we don''t change our tactics, the n''s first phase will be for naught. What do you think, Lord Leader?"


    He looked towards the figure sitting cross-legged in the middle of a dark golden runic circle. The circle was revolving, and countless rune symbols changed with it.


    "No need to worry, everyone." He finally spoke in his confident tone as he dismissively said, "This is just the start of the battle. I don''t care about those cannon folders, but it doesn''t mean they arepletely worthless. Let us continue to watch until Iplete this formation. Then I must trouble, sir prince, to take over!"


    Asher nced at the crossgged figure and snorted, "I hope you know what you''re doing. There will be only one chance. Just don''t mess up, or I won''t be held ountable!"

 Chapter 754: Reel in the Net (4)

    Chapter 754: Reel in the Net (4)


    ?


    Jacob, rotating his swords in two opposite directions, was like a butcher as he continued to ughter those assassins without giving them any chance to react or counterattack.


    However, he waspletely immersed in it; in fact, he was pretending to be wild without any care. But the truth was, he was already aware of the hidden danger, the true masterminds hidden at the edge of this barrier, all because of Immortika.


    But they were far more patient, and despite him ughtering almost two hundred of these assassins, they still didn''t make any move. Although he was losing his patience, he continued to butcher these blood bags and kept collecting them without leaving any behind.


    After all, he wasn''t sure what would happen once the real fight began, and he was secretly absorbing the scattered blood to replenish his energy. It was quite ironic that they wanted him to exhaust himself, but if he had blood, it was nigh impossible.


    At this moment, just as Jacob was about to stab another assassin, he sensed something amiss and quickly dodged. The very next moment, ''Boom!''


    The assassin suddenly exploded, and a powerful explosion filled with destructive magic force urred!


    Although this explosion wasn''t at the level of his own, it was still akin to the full might of an atomic bullet. Not to mention, Jacob instantly sensed the potent corrosion properties in the dark gray smock¡ªit was poisonous!


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he wasn''t expecting this kind of trick, and just as he was wondering if the others were also suicide bombers, those assassins no longer tried to strong-arm him or use any spell or weapon. When they were within ten-meter range, they started to explode one after another, creating terrifying sts and releasing thick poisonous fog.


    "Boom...boom...boom..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was like someone had just released hundreds of fireworks at once, and the entire Yin Sky Ind shook as the cier ice around it started to crack and fall into the ocean.


    But the barrier surrounding the ind seemed extremely powerful as it was keeping everything inside, and thick dark gray fog started to fill the dome


    Soon, almost all the assassins had blown themselves up without caring about their associates, and those who were on the verge of death died while contributing to the same cause.


    Soon, the thick dark gray fog was not only filled with potent poison, but also a strong stench of blood, and the entire ind floor was dyed with gore and fragments of flesh.


    "I have to admit, Lord Leader really knows how to catch others off guard. Even I won''t be able to survive such a surprise attack." A flirtatious voice of a woman rang under a cloaked petite figure.


    A dark golden barrier surrounded these instigators, and they werepletely untouched by the explosions and their aftereffects.


    The cloaked figure sitting cross-legged above the runic circle suddenly chuckled as the runic circle under him stopped rotating at this moment and released an ethereal glow.


    "I don''t know about you, Miss 70,469, but I''m confident that our target would be able to survive, or I''d have called you all in vain if it was actually this simple to take him down." The Leader stated in an amiable voice as if it was a trifling matter.


    At this moment, he rose from his position and shed out of the runic circle. He looked towards Asher and respectfully gestured towards the glowing ethereal circle with his hand, saying, "Sir Prince, the connection is nowplete. You can start with your part. But please don''t waste any time. You only have one chance, and the moment you start, you will have only 20 seconds to trap his soul.


    "Or once the time is up, I don''t need to tell you the consequences. But I''m pretty sure, we all the preparations, this task should be a breeze for you." The Leader ambiguously implied. "Hmph, who do you think I am?" Asher snorted coldly as his figure shed and then appeared on top of the surface. The ethereal light started to envelop him, and the next moment, the runic circle started to expand at extreme speed!


    "It finally begins." An aged voice muttered among the group.


    "Wait, did you sense this? The poison fog seemed to be beaming thin and flowing towards the center of the ind!" A ghostly voice suddenly eximed as two gray mes red violently behind his cloak.


    "Hmm?" The Leader and others finally turned their attention away from Asher as they noticed this peculiarity.


    "It''s indeed, as you said, Mr. 65,100, and it seems to be gathering towards our target''sst visual location. It seemed he still had some tricks up his sleeve." The Leader impassively replied, and the calm in his voice still didn''t deter him even a little bit. His attention was again on the growing runic circle.


    A dark golden lightning shed past his eyes, ''No matter what you do, you can''t escape today!''


    However, after a few moments, the calm in the Leader''s eyes finally shook ever so slightly because a dark gray mist had suddenly turned into a massive cyclone. Even stranger, the dark gray cyclone contained a faint crimson glow.


    But what happened next left everyone astonished. The faint crimson glow suddenly started to pulse and gathered towards the lower center of the cyclone, turning the lower half of the cyclone bright crimson.


    However, it was far from over because when all the strange glowing crimson color gathered together, it started to slowly drop, little by little, as if something down there were devouring it endlessly.


    At this moment, Mr. 65,100 suddenly eximed with disbelief, "T-that... that''s Blood Vitality! How can he control so much blood vitality and even separate it from the poison fog?! No, even if he can do it all, how is he absorbing so much!? Did he want tomit suicide? What kind of Dark Being is he!?"


    His sudden revtion startled everyone, as they all knew what Blood Vitality was. Even the Leader was astounded. They all looked towards the Leader for an answer. After all, what they were witnessing was truly out of the scope of their knowledge.


    The Leader''s eyes narrowed for the first time, and he felt something amiss as he replied with uncertainty, "I don''t know how or what he''s doing, but I''m pretty sure that he''s not a Dark Being!"

 Chapter 755: Reel in the Net (5)

    Chapter 755: Reel in the Net (5)


    ?


    Jacob stood in the center of the cyclone, absorbing the huge amount of Blood Vitality from the Beyond Unique Rank assassins. The runic lines on his bones started to light up one after


    another.


    Furthermore, despite all those explosions, he waspletely unscratched, and the poison was even less fatal to him despite being a sure kill move against any normal Quasi Legend.


    After reaching the peak of the first phase, his control over blood was extremely refined. Despite being diluted and turned into poisonous mist, he could easily separate it as long as he could sense it.


    So, in a sense, by sting off all those assassins, his enemy does him a huge favor. Although it might reveal his ability, so what? He can''t continue to hide and waste away all this potent blood vitality, especially after sensing its potency.


    As for the poison mist that he separated, Jacob also sensed something familiar with the poison mist; it was actually a Whammy Poison, which means the product of an Evil Poison Lord!


    Furthermore, this Evil Poison Lord was far above his current level because Jacob didn''t have time to research poison. Nheless, because of his special attribute, the Whammy Poison was even less fatal to him. Instead of harming him, this Whammy Poison ended up helping him control the blood vitality.


    It took him a minute or so topletely devour all the blood vitality, and 70% of the runic lines on his body were glowing in a crimson hue now. What was left around him was the whammy poison.


    However, Jacob wasn''t nning on gathering it since it was an excellent camouge, and he was sure those guys would be extremely careful with this poison. After all, the Whammy Poison has no cure like a normal poison, and only holy attributes can counter it.


    Furthermore, with so much Whammy Poison, he was sure even the creator, the Evil Poison Lord, wouldn''t be able to gather it in a short amount of time, so it was nothing but an advantage.


    Jacob directly cut his control over the Whammy Poison, and the cyclone lost its power and started to scatter again.


    However, before Jacob could rush over those hidden enemies, he suddenly sensed something and looked toward the ground. He was astounded when he saw a runic marking appear, and they were spreading at a fast pace all around him. Moreover, he could sense a powerful soul force or something simr emitting from those runes, and his expression became extremely solemn.


    "What is this?" Jacob quickly looked towards Immortika.


    "Oh, an interesting thing but useless," Immortika''s reply was simple, but it made Jacob relieved.


    He gloomily looked towards the east, ''I can''t let them continue as they wish, or they might do something I won''t be able to handle. ying time is over!'' With vague killing intent, his figure suddenly vanished in the mist.


    "Is it over? Did he kill himself?" Mr. 65,100 inquired with unease as he watched the cyclone finally go, but he could sense that before it vanished, the massive blood vitality gathered at the center waspletely wiped out.


    "No, something is not right." The midget among the ground, who was none other than Diminutive, gravely said, and his voice carried a hint of unknown fatigue.


    A giant among the ground suddenly sensed something, and he roared in warning, "I can sense extreme danger! We are exposed!"


    "Calm down, Mr. 91,883." The Leader spoke, but his voice was no longer calm as he looked towards the dark gray mist.


    The next moment, the dark golden barrier around them bes even more solid, as the leader confidently says, "As long as we are inside this barrier, he can''t breach. Just a few more seconds before the formation covered the entire sealed space, and no matter what kind of tricks he had, it would be for naught!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The restless ground finally calmed down after the Leader''s assurance, as the target was simply too unpredictable, and the seemingly easy mission was now turning out to be an uncertain one.


    They weren''t here to lose their lives but for the benefits, and if the danger outweighed the benefits, they wouldn''t hesitate to abandon it no matter what price they had to pay.


    At his moment, the runic circle where an ethereal glow surrounded Asher suddenly started to pulse, and the next moment, a massive phantom of a bull suddenly appeared behind him. "The Soul Serving Formation is finallyplete!" The leader emotionallymented, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. He knew it wouldn''t be long before he got what he wanted. All the nning and resources he had spent were worth it as long as he could get Jacob''s body.


    Even if his initial spection turned out to be wrong, he still wanted Jacob''s body and his secrets. If he suffered any loss, it would be his own fault, but he was willing to take a risk because just the faintest possibility was enough to make anyone take such a risk.


    "Bang!''


    At this moment, a powerful impact suddenly shook the entire dark golden barrier around Asher and the others, drawing everyone''s attention. They finally saw a giant there in a windbreaker and his two swords trying to break the barrier. But the barrier was extremely powerful, holding off the giant''s might behind his swords.


    "He really found us!" The aged voice inhaled sharply, and his trembling hands couldn''t hide his fear. He didn''t know what kind of enemy his dear leader had provoked, but he was d that he was on the other side of this barrier; otherwise, they might not be able to live to tell


    the tale.


    Jacob finally withdrew his swords when he failed to shatter this barrier despite using his full strength without fluid eleration. From the outside, no one could see the inside, but he knew they were hiding there because he was using the Eyes of Judge.


    "Don''t worry; he can''t see us. Sir Prince, please hurry." The Leader coldly looked at Asher, who was bing impatient.


    "Bastard! You didn''t tell me this would take so much effort!" Asher''s unwilling and clearly enraged voice rang, but he knew now wasn''t the time to settle the score with the swindler.


    The formation under him started to brighten up as powerful pressure suddenly released, "Dream Soul Serving!"

 Chapter 756: Reel in the Net (6)

    Chapter 756: Reel in the Net (6)


    ?


    The moment Asher activates the Soul Serving Formation with his true prowess, Jacob, who is going to attack again to break open the barrier, suddenly stops.


    Jacob suddenly felt a dangerous Soul Force presence trying to infiltrate his body, and behind this terrible Soul Force was a strong suction force.


    "Hey! Someone is trying to try to devour your soul!" Nyx''s rmed voice suddenly rang with a hint


    of astonishment.


    Since Cursed Immortality was in a summoning state, he naturally cut off Nyx''s vision despite her strong protest, but now that his soul was being attacked, she was the first one to notice. After all, she was directly connected to his soul and also its defender.


    "Can you defend it?" Jacob asked, trying to suppress that uneasy feeling.


    Although Immortika had told Jacob that this was not dangerous, it was still his first time being exposed to a foreign soul force and attacked by it. He felt extreme nausea, and his mind seemed to be going out of his control while the most terrible thing was that his soul seemed to resist; the excruciating pain was far worse than the physical one.


    If he hadn''t endured the inhumane torture of the First Phase, he might''ve already lost consciousness, and another reason for his enduring was naturally Soul Force and Nightmare Dreamscape Realm.


    But the power behind this attack and suction force was bing stronger with each passing second.


    "Of course, I can defend it. If it was before, it would be somewhat troublesome, but now... humph, my Nightmare me is no for show!" Nyx disdainfully dered.


    "Then what are you waiting for!?" Jacob almost cursed as the pain was getting on his nerves.


    "Because I can sense that this strange attack that is trying to devour your soul is actually a medium that leads to a Dreamscape Realm!" Nyx finally revealed the crux of the matter in a somewhat excited tone.


    Despite the terrible mental pain, Jacob was shocked, and he didn''t doubt Nyx''s words since he knew when it came to the territory of Dreams, Nyx was without any doubt at the top.


    "So, they are trying to drag my soul into a Dreamscape Realm? Why?" Jacob couldn''t help but ask. His bloodshot eyes turned towards the figures behind that barrier. He could clearly see one of them was releasing a massive amount of magic energy that he had never seen before. He was directly connected to this formation, so it was pretty clear that he was the one controlling this formation. He was pretty sure this was someone with Soul Force.


    He even tried to use his hex on him, but the hex seemed to have missed its target somehow, which implies that either this person was far out of the scope of his current hex or he had some kind of protective measure. He even suspects that this was because he couldn''t ''see'' the target clearly.


    Whatever the case was, this discovery about this dreamscape realm was quite rming.


    "What do you mean why? Once you''re in a powerful dreamscape realm, the owner can do as they wish. Just like you, they can also conjure anything. Unless you have a more powerful soul and defensive measures, you are as good as dead; it doesn''t matter if you have a powerful body or not.


    "Furthermore, they are trying to grab your entire soul, which means, once you leave your body, it will bepletely at their mercy, and you can imagine what will happen if they directly destroy your body or ce it in some ce that restricts your return. You''ll die all the same without your physical body, even if you manage to escape.


    "The rtionship between soul and body is asplex as the universe; at least, this is all I know from my current inherited memories." Nyx solemnly exined as she suddenly sensed something and coldly snorted, "Hmph, trying to increase power, but not enough!"


    Jacob suddenly felt all the pain lessen by half as a cooling sensation started to tackle the soul force. He knew Nyx had finally taken action, and he was feeling far better than before.


    Furthermore, he was somewhat fearful after hearing about Nyx''s exnation and finally understood what these guys were nning to do. Since they know what kind of danger he poses, they are trying to kill or imprison his soul.


    Even if it was only for a moment, if they managed to grab his defenseless body and then store it in something that could restrict his entry back to his body, then... just thinking about it made Jacob shudder as he was exposed to another kind of fatal danger.


    "Now I know why I felt familiar with this Dreamscape Realm!" Nyx suddenly eximed with clear excitement.


    "What do you mean? It''s one of your ''farms''?" Jacob asked as he thought about her Nightmare Conqueror seeds. After all, he had her infect every treaty member with it, and he knew there were members of the treaty present in that group.


    "No, it''s no one of my farms. In fact, you''ve been there before and even gathered massive benefits; it''s the Dark Battle Arena! I can sense it. I know this unique fluctuation that I will never forget! They can''t hide it from me!" Nyx confidently exined.


    Now, Jacob was really shocked. He knew about the unique situation of the Dark Battle Arena. It seemed to be a part of someone''s dreamscape realm and was used as a farm to gather the souls of others. However, currently, this farm has no owner because of the rules of the Zodiac ins.


    Nheless, Jacob was already nning to try devouring it if he could, but he had never expected this Dark Battle Arena could be used like this as well. But all this time, he was using it to kill others as well, so it wasn''t impossible for others to do the same.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But what baffles him is who could be the person who could control this ce. Was the owner of the Dark Battle Arena finally here to im it, or did someone use some kind of trick to borrow its power?


    If it was the former, what kind of grudge he had against Jacob to take such a risk of exposing this gxies-wild ''farnd,'' and if it was thetter, then who could control the Dark Battle Arena without alerting the Dark Rose?


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly thought about the visit to the mysterious ''Dark Prince'' and his abrupt departure after spilling so many secrets. It all started to make sense to Jacob as his eyes shimmered with killing intent.


    "Since you sound excited, I can assume you want to do something?" Jacob asked Nyx as his tone was filled with hidden rage and bloodlust.


    "Hahaha, as expected of my Nightmare Contractor. Whoever is doing it, he didn''t know he just


    exposed the core of that Dark Battle Arena to me, and someone proficient in Dreamscape can easily infiltrate the core of a Dreamscape Realm because of this, especially if the certain someone is the Primordial Nightmare! Hehehehe!" Nyxughed, filled with maliciousness, and hidden behind it was hunger, just like her master.


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly before his lips curled up in a cruel sneer, and he knew what she was implying, "Do you know what you have to do, and I think you are Beast of Primordial Nightmare, not Primordial Nightmare."


    "Shut up! You are the beast!" Nyx instantly red up with gritted teeth as if someone had stepped on her tail, but she still quickly vanished after receiving Jacob''s confirmation.


    Jacob reacted as if he didn''t hear it. The moment Nyx vanished in the suction force, he felt the foreign soul force in his body suddenly ejected, and he was finally free. It was clearly Nyx''s


    doing.


    He knew she was holding it off because she wanted to use this ''channel'' to infiltrate from the start, and now that it serves its purpose, there is no longer any need to keep it open.


    Once Jacob was fully freed, he looked towards rats with dense killing intent, and his swords started to emit terrible sma, like green mes!

 Chapter 757: Reel in the Net (7)

    Chapter 757: Reel in the Net (7)


    ?


    "What are you doing!? There are only ten seconds left before the optimal time passes! He''s stillpletely fine!" The Leader or the Golden Constant-51,117, also the Timeless City Lord of the mysterious Timeless City, finally loses his calm as he roars toward Asher after seeing Jacob standing there, and he starts to feel amiss because he can feel Jacob''s icy gaze as if he could see them.


    "I''m trying my best here!" Asher''s frustrated voice, filled with indignation and disbelief, rang. "That bastard is resisting the Soul Severing somehow, and I''m using my full capacity of this body at this point!"


    "Impossible!" Golden Constant-51,117 blurted as he knew what kind of existence Asher was, and even though he might not be able to escape Asher''s true might unscratched, Jacob was resisting it.


    ''Boom!''


    But before he could say anything, a powerful explosive sound followed by a powerful tremor appeared.


    Diminutive''s grave voice rang with a hint of panic, "He''s finally using his aura and the barrier... there''s a faint crack on it!"


    His words instantly drew everyone''s attention. They looked towards the ce where Jacob had just attacked and saw two sword des shimmering in green sma-like mes. There were two faint cracks where the des had just hit.


    "Could it be I''ve underestimated his true capabilities?" Golden Constant-51,117 muttered with a solemn look on his face as he saw Jacob pulling back his swords, and he seemed ready for another attack.


    Although this barrier stops Jacob from interfering with the formation, they also can''t attack Jacob, and it also has a self-healing function. This entire barrier was created by one of the four most powerful legacy treasures in the Golden Constant-51,117''s possession.


    But now, Jacob was showing signs of breaking it, and Golden Constant-51,117 knew that if he wanted to maintain this treasure, even its self-healing ability, he needed to pay a huge price. Just maintaining it like this was already akin to pulling his flesh, and he was willing to pay the price as long as the formation seeded. Yet now, Jacob was not only resisting the powerful soul-serving formation but was even showing signs of breaking this barrier, which was clearly not good.


    Golden Constant-51,117 was unwilling to give up aftering so close, so he made a decisive decision. A cruel glint shed past his eyes, and a dark golden cube filled with dark runic lines appeared above his palm.


    "Everyone, please buy us some time." His words sent shivers to everyone because they knew something was wrong. Before they could react, six of them vanished from the barrier''s protection and appeared right behind Jacob. Now, only the Golden Constant-51,117 and Asher were left inside the barrier.


    Golden Constant-51,117 didn''t react much as he used the cube to shrink the barrier again. The more people under its protection, the more energy it used, so he made the decision to get rid of the ''extras.''


    He wanted them to distract Jacob so he couldunch another of his trump cards. After all, they were his pawns to being with, and the ''oath contracts'' they signed all have the use about helping him to the best of their abilities until the ''target'' waspletely neutralized, and only then will he give them the rest of their promised rewards.


    By sending them out, he wasn''t breaking any use of the contract because he wasn''t directly harming them. They were ''free'' to leave as long as they had the capability. Besides, he wasn''t the one who personally signed those oath contracts at all!


    He knew that even if they had space talismans or simr treasures, they couldn''t breach past this barrier that originated from this cube since itpletely sealed off this space from the rest of the world unless they had a true Fable Legendary Rank Treasure!


    Even Diminutive, who has talent in space, can''t go past this barrier despite awakening his soul force. That''s why Golden Constant-51,117 was secretly freaking out when he saw Jacob left cracks on this barrier which could only mean that his power has infinity close to the Fable Legendary Rank, and decided to show his true colors by sending those cannon folders out to do their job.


    Jacob was also startled when six of the eight figures inside the barrier suddenly vanished and appeared a few meters behind him. He immediately gave up on breaking the barrier since he needed to get rid of these six first. He also saw his enemy''s n to distract him, but he couldn''t do anything about it.


    Those six cloaked figures wanted to curse their ''Leader'' and even wanted to attack him, but they knew they needed to keep their lives first to seek revenge.


    "Everyone, don''t panic; as long as we attack him together we..." Before Miss 70,469 couldplete her gant speech, she felt rmed because Jacob''s des were already reaching towards the midget, Diminutive''s head, and she thought, "Too fast!''


    In this entire group, Jacob knew he needed to get rid of the goblin Diminutive first because of his troublesome space abilities, and he already knew how to deal with him. Furthermore, Jacob knew that Diminutive wasn''t at his peak state because Nyx had not only devoured his dreamscape realm, but before doing it, she had tormented the goblin in his dreams so much that he didn''t dare to sleep, and he even suspected that he was eyed by a powerful enemy.


    Yet no matter what the goblin did or who he sought help from, no one seemed to understand his plight. They even snickered at him for being a coward, and all he could do was grit his teeth. If not for the vile contract he had signed before, he would''ve never participated in this mission because he suspected and was 90% sure that his strange ''Illness'' was all because of Jacob.


    Now, that person finally showed his true color, and he also became Jacob''s first target before he could even escape. All he wanted to do was kill that guy who dragged him into this while also cursing himself for being too greedy.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Without hesitation, in fact, of the crisis of life and death, Diminutive chooses to use his full power to flee!


    But right at this moment, just when he was about to use his ''Space Shift'' ability, he suddenly felt a strange tiredness wash over him and benguor, which made the goblin extremely rmed because two swords were about to pierce through his head and heart, why the hell wanted to sleep all of a sudden.


    But s, he had no idea that after Jacob''s hex magic core upgraded, he could use it on Legendary Ranks powerhouses as long as he had the Hex Mana for it. At his current level, although he didn''t have that much mana, he could still use it on one Quasi Legend, and Diminutive happened to be the ''lucky one'' that Jacob selected!


    As the goblin lost his final sliver of consciousness, he felt something sharp stabbing into his head and chest before he fell into eternal slumber.


    This is how the cunning goblin, who has been alive for almost 10,000 years and has been scheming and nning for his debut in the Legendary ins, died, all because of his greed


    and jealousy!

 Chapter 758: Reel in the Net (8)

    Chapter 758: Reel in the Net (8)


    ?


    Diminutive''s almost instant death shocked everyone, especially Golden Constant-51,117, who knew better than anyone what kind of race Diminutive belonged to and was the hardest to kill with his annoying space-type abilities.


    However, Jacob didn''t even give him the chance to use any of his abilities, but Golden Constant-51,117 still thought it was quite strange, and Diminutive died too easily.


    So, this uncanny death of Diminutive brings fear to Golden Constant-51,117 as he starts to panic a little as only three seconds left before Asher would stop using the Soul Serving Formation since it would be akin to cutting off his own flesh if dared to keep using it and no matter what kinds of benefits he promised him, he won''t continue.


    That''s why Golden Constant-51,117 decided to drop all pleasantries. His eyes went icy cold as he quickly sat down cross-legged. A palm-sized runic altar suddenly appeared above his palm as the cube vanished.


    The next moment, a phantom of a ck-framed hourss suddenly appeared behind the Golden Constant-51,117. It began to glow as the golden sand within the hourss started to swirl and decrease.


    At the same time, the small altar in Golden Constant-51,117''s hand begins to expand, and the runes on it lit up. Without hesitation, Golden Constant-51,117 mmed the altar into a particr area of the ground.


    The very next moment, the Soul Serving Formation started to release powerful undtions. At the same time, Asher''s figure, surrounded by the eternal light, trembled as the bull phantom behind him became even more vivid, and tinny stars started to appear within its horns.


    "What are you doing!?!" Asher''s rmed voice rang with clear panic and disbelief.


    He tried to stop the formation and his power, but to his horror, it waspletely out of control, and there was no more buffer time, which meant he waspletely exposed!


    Golden Constant-51,117''s resolute voice rang, "I apologized, Sir Prince, but it seemed I''ve overestimated myself, or it won''t be a lie to say that Ipletely underestimated that kind of sacred entity if there is any.


    "Nheless, I can''t afford to miss this chance even if there''s the slightest possibility. Trust me, it''s far bigger than your purpose or even your master. So, if I seed, then I''llpensate you in the future. Right now, please be my sacrifice!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Just as his voice trailed off, the altar started to shimmer in inky darkness. The golden sand within the hourss phantom started to drop at an rming rate, and within a second, it was dropped by half, and even Golden Constant-51,117 was now turned bony.


    However, the person who was having the worst time was none other than Asher. As the bull phantom behind was suddenly roaring as the formation was trembling violently, and Asher could feel a powerful force sucking away all of his power.


    "YOU sacrilegious bastard!" Asher roared as he tried to break free from his restraints, but no matter what he did, he seemed to bepletely stuck on his spot, and his body refused to


    move.


    He roared in panic, "You madman, stop this at once before it''s toote. I won''t be the only one who will be punished, but you will be punished as well once ''it''es here. Don''t forget that your entire existence is an act of sphemy. You''ll cease to exist for whatever madness you are pursuing!"


    However, Golden Constant-51,117 acted as if he didn''t hear it. His hands suddenly started to move, and he performed strange hand signs, leaving behind blurry movement.


    The light from the formation was almost blinding. It was more like the surface of the sun, and the pressure released from it was almost breaking past the level of Quasi Legends.


    Those who were fighting or busy running for their lives outside suddenly let loose blood- curdling screams as they dropped to the ground, clutching their heads as they felt as if something was cut off their brains.


    Jacob also felt powerful soul force pressure, far more terrifying than before, but the Nightmare mes of Nyx were still strongly resisting everything. So, this misfortune of his remaining five targets turned into a fortune for him!


    Without hesitation, he directly stabbed the closest person, who was actually Mr. 65,100, but Jacob felt his de pass directly through his body. Astounded, he moved his sword upward and cut off the cloak, and what he saw sent a chill running down his spine.


    It was a translucent pale figure with strange glowing crimson runic lines on its hominoid body. His face was right from someone''s ghastly nightmare: empty eye sockets and mouth, as if they were windows to the eerier darkness, bald head with a crown of bone-like horns filled with runic markings. Calling Mr. 65,100 ''Ghost Face'' would be an understatement.


    He gave off extremely terrifying and creepy vibes, and Jacob could feel an extremely powerful soul force emanating from his translucent body.


    ''What kind of abomination is he? Is he the Bone Crown Bodach from Ghost Race of Dark Beings that Immortika told me about? No wonder Immortika said, ''You''ll know when you see it'' when I asked what a ''ghost'' looks like in this ce.


    ''I''m still processing the news that there are ghosts among the Dark Beings, and they seem quite high in the hierarchy since they are rare in lesser gxies and mostly exist in middle gxies. Although Immortika didn''t tell me the reason, I can guess that it has something to do with their bodies and soul force.


    "This guy seemed to be nothing but a manifestation of soul force, and because of this formation, he''s dying as his soul force is being devoured at an rming rate to protect himself. Normally, he might''ve been the most troublesome to deal with since he''s clearly immune to physical attacks, but now, that desperate guy is doing me a favor.


    ''Well, you can''t eat a ghost, so I better finish the others off!'' Jacob had already given up on Mr. 65,100; that guy was simply too creepy.


    However, just when Jacob was about to move on, he noticed something, and his eyes widened.


    He saw a ck frame hourss symbol suddenly appear on Mr. 65,100''s forehead, and Jacob''s heart raced as his eyes turned bloodthirsty with greed!


    ''He''s one of them!''

 Chapter 759: Reel in the Net (9)

    Chapter 759: Reel in the Net (9)


    ?


    The moment the hourss appeared above Mr. 65,100''s pale forehead, Jacob''s heart raced, and he instantly knew that he wasn''t wrong about this hourss. It was the same feeling he had when he found those two hoursses in the ruin of Siren Hymn Temple after killing the final two survivors, and they were extremely beneficial for him.


    Although Jacob didn''t know who these people with these mysterious hoursses belonged to, one thing he was sure of was that he wouldn''t be going to miss this chance at all. Without hesitation, Jacob stabbed his sword into Mr. 65,100''s head, but to his surprise, it easily bypassed Mr. 65,100''s corporeal body, and at this moment, Mr. 65,100 seemed to have activated some kind of magic as a phantom of a half-filled dark framed hourss appeared behind.


    However, to Jacob''s surprise, instead of an rm, this hourss phantom stirred something within Jacob as the sleeping hunger suddenly awakened. The next moment, his heart rate climbed through the roof as an extremely powerful invisible suction force suddenly enveloped the hourss phantom and Mr. 65,100 together!


    "What are you doing!? No impossible! How could you harm my...hihkkkk...ahhhhhh!" Mr. 65,100 suddenly started to scream in agony as if something was ripping his very heart from his chest.


    Even Jacob was bewildered as he saw a dark wisp of smock appear from Mr. 65,100''s forehead, followed by golden particles. Within three seconds, an ethereal dark hourss suddenly pulled out from Mr. 65,100''s forehead.


    The moment the dark hourss was pulled out, Mr. 65,100''s blood-curdling screams instantly died down as his body started to turn into gray ash, leaving behind a dark gray glowing core while the enteral hourss directly absorbed into Jacob''s chest where his cursed heart had emerged at some point after being vanished ever since that strange incident.


    However, the moment the ethereal hourss was absorbed by his cursed heart, it vanished. But before that, a powerful crimson pulse was released, and Jacob instantly felt a warm current passing through his entire body.


    Not only that, but he could feel the Cursed Path Glory Gem heat up for a moment before it went dormant, leaving behind Jacob in a strange euphoric feeling before it faded away.


    ''It''s just like thest time...'' Jacob thought as he felt full of energy and his eyes shimmered with ghastly light. ''I wonder if there are others like him in this group!''


    After picking up the magic core like a hungry beast, Jacob directly selected his target and darted towards a three-meter-tall cloaked figure not too far away. The hood was already removed from his head.


    It was a purple-skinned old elf with a haggard face filled with agony. He was trying his best to endure but to no avail. At this point, he started to regret evering here just to earn some merit and raise his worth. He regrets not listening to his son and gives up on his ambitions. He regrets that he didn''t flee when he still had the chance. He regrets...


    But s, now seeing the giant appear above him like a grim ripper as he swings down his death scythe on him, all his unwillingness, regret, anxiety, and everything suddenly vanish as the sharp edge of the de is about to stab him. He feels relief from everything just before his final moment.


    ''Forgive me, son, for everything I''ve done to you and Ellie. I was a terrible father, and I''m proud of y...'' Just like that, Vincent, the Star Lord of the Unique ins who antagonized the entire unique ins for thousands of years, died because of his ambition!


    Jacob didn''t give a damn who this elf was, but for some reason, his face seemed somewhat familiar to him, but since the hourss didn''t appear, Jacob didn''t pay him too much attention and stowed away his body for blood extraction.


    If he knew he had just killed the Star-Lord, who he tricked once, he might not be so nonchnt, especially if he knew that Vincent was also Nelsen''s father, who almost ruined everything from him in the Epic ins Trial!


    Jacob moved on towards the giant, who seemed to be the same as Vincent. Since he was a quasi-legend, he was still able to crawl, but he still ended up like Vincent in the end, one of Jacob''s blood bags.


    At this moment, Jacob has already epted that there is no more hourss-affiliated person in this group as there is only one remaining: Miss 70,469.


    However, just when Jacob was about to move towards Miss 70,469, his eyes shimmered with ecstasy as he saw the dark-framed hourss phantom, which was 90% filled with golden sand and appeared above Miss 70,469.


    "Times Shield!" Miss 70,469 roared with extreme difficulty as she already sensed the re of death locked on her. She didn''t care about anything anymore as she directly used her final trump card to save herself.


    Jacob''s footsteps also came to a halt when he sensed a strange power suddenly enveloping Miss 70,469. The hourss phantom behind was glowing, and the golden sand was churning and getting exhausted at an rming rate.


    Even Jacob felt threatened by this mysterious power, and he could sense he wouldn''t be able to approach it. He frowned as he watched Miss 70,469 slowly stand up, as the formation wasn''t working on her anymore.


    However, he also noticed that the sand in the hourss behind her was quickly drooping, and at this rate of exhaustion, she would onlyst for another three minutes or so.


    "I have no enmity with you!" Miss 70,469 suddenly spoke in an exhausted yet dreadful voice, "As long as you promised to let me go, I''ll help take down that traitorous bastard!"


    She was filled with indignation and hatred for Golden Constant-51,117, as not only did he not pay her, but he even used her as bait to buy time. Although she was on friendly terms with Golden Constant-51,117, that didn''t mean she would allow herself to be killed after being backstabbed by him. This was simply uneptable!


    That''s why she decided to change sides without hesitation. Although she knows that she wouldn''t truly die since she didn''t know about Jacob''s ability to truly kill them, she knows she would suffer a huge loss, and her rank would also drop.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Unaware of Miss 70,469''s thoughts, Jacob had no intention of letting her go, and this was even more true after finding the hourss''s existence.


    Nheless, since he can''t risk entering this strange field around her, he ys along, hoping to get an answer, "Tell me who you are and your affiliation, or no deal!"

 Chapter 760: Reel in the Net (10)

    Chapter 760: Reel in the Net (10)


    ?


    "Tell me who you are and what your affiliation is, or no deal!


    When Jacob asks that question, Miss 70,469''s expression under their hood turns ugly because this is the only thing she couldn''t disclose to anyone, even if she wanted to, unless she wants tomit suicide.


    However, feeling all of her umted sand quickly exhausting away, she knew that while there was this terrible monster standing there watching her like prey, if she didn''t do something, she''d be as good as dead for this term, which she desperately wanted to avoid. "I can tell you anything but. Please understand. I can''t say anything despite wanting to. You should be able to understand this much?" Miss 70,469 tries to reason with Jacob.


    How could Jacob not understand? It was quite clear that she was under some kind of restriction, like the oath contract or something simr, and he winced since this was the only chance to learn about these hourss freaks'' backgrounds.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Autarch was already out ofmission after what happened with Sebastian and was still recuperating. Moreover, with how mysterious these hourss freaks were and their uncanny abilities, Jacob didn''t dare put Autarch at risk; his death would be a massive blow to Jacob''s resources.


    Nheless, he still wanted some clues, so he asked another question, "Then tell me, those people on discs that blow themselves up, did they belong to the same organization as yours? If yes, and you can''t disclose this informant, then reply like this or remain silent. If not, then tell me their background."


    Miss 70,469 was startled by Jacob''s way of questioning. She didn''t expect him to be able to find this kind of loophole, and even if she remained silent, he would easily get his answer. But she wanted a bargaining chip to escape this cmity, and Jacob wasn''t making it easy at all.


    Gritting her teeth, she said, "First, I need you to sign an oath contract with me that you will not take action against me no matter what, and in return, I can tell you anything I know as long as I can!"


    Jacob already got his answer as his eyes shimmered with cold light and thought, ''So, these fuckers were after me since the Rare ins? But why did they stop after that and not appear in the epic ins, and now they areing after me too hard with all these schemes and preparations...''


    "I can tell that you don''t have much time, and when your little trick runs out, I can take my sweet time getting all the information I want from you, and trust me, if you think that you are undying, then it''s your biggest delusion." Jacob coldly replied, and he directly stabbed Miss 70,469''s heart since she knew he wasn''t making assumptions-it was a fact!


    Furthermore, Jacob was also calcting and testing something amidst all this chaos, which was his heart reacting to those strange hoursses. Although he could still sense the pull, it wasn''t as strong as before when his cursed heart overtook it and greedily pulled those hoursses towards him.


    This means that this strange phenomenon or ability only urred within a certain range. At this moment, he was standing around twenty meters away from Miss 70,469, who was using this strange ability that gave him a sense of danger. She seemed to be stuck while using it in a single ce, which meant either she couldn''t run away or something was blocking her escape route, which was mostly like that dome above.


    He also saw how this formation affected these five, which could only mean that it didn''t discriminate between friend and foe. She was protecting herself not only from Jacob but also from this formation.


    "If you think that you can escape that treacherous bastard''s clutches, then you are thoroughly delusional yourself!" Miss 70,469 suddenly roared hatefully. She knew that reasoning with this guy was simply impossible at this point, so she decided to try opening his eyes to reality. "I admit you are strong, very strong to even capable of surviving all that and resisting the Soul Serving Formation of that bastard who is using an unknown power to fuel it. But if you think that you can fight him head-on, then I hate to break it to you, but you will suffer a terrible defeat and lose your life because of your arrogance.


    "Although I don''t know how you provoked that treacherous guy to go this far to eliminate you, his means are out of your wildest expectations. If I tell you that the person after you was once a Legendary Being, would you still have your arrogance?!"


    Jacob was startled and frowned because he didn''t find any lies in Miss 70,469 words, but her words threw himpletely out of the loop since he knew legendary ranks could exist in lesser gxies unless they regressed.


    But this was even stranger because if he was a legendary rank, then he should be someone from the middle gxies. Then how did he appear here? Furthermore, given how familiar Miss 70,469 seemed with this mysterious enemy of his, he could guess they either belonged to the same organization or were pretty close. He inclined towards the former.


    Still, this revtion was enough to make Jacob draw his guard to the highest as he asked gravely, "So, what are you suggesting? Should I believe you so you can help me get out of here while you, yourself, are like a trapped rat in this cage? Even if I want to believe you, I don''t see it happening!"


    Miss 70,469 finally saw hope at this moment as she quickly said, "I know it''s a long shot, but as long as you don''te after me, I can tell you the weak point in this barrier, and with your prowess, you can easily break it. Once this barrier is gone, that bastard would bepletely exposed, and then you can duke it out with him as much as you want, and I even owe you a favor.


    "This is your only chance to stop him from doing whatever he''s up to, and I can tell you he''s doing something crazy that could even rm thews of Zodiac ins. Because I can sense something terrible is about to take ce, and I don''t want to be here to witness it!"


    Again, Jacob detects no lies from Miss 70,469, and this time, his expression finally changes when he hears about Zodiac ins ws. Although he doesn''t know what that means, it sounds anything but good.


    Taking a deep breath, he looked towards the invisible barrier. His eyes widened when dense dark particles began gathering all over the dome, and his heart palpitated. He finally believed Miss 70,469''s words!


    ''It seems she''s right. As for detecting weak points in this barrier, I can do the same. In fact, I already knew that. That''s how I was going to break that barrier when these guys were sent out!'' Jacob


    scoffed secretly.


    "What are you suggesting?" He asked in a grim tone, not revealing his actual thoughts. Miss 70,469 finally sighed in relief as she knew Jacob believed her. Although she wasn''t abat type, she had a special vision that could see through universal mysteriousness. Although it wasn''t on the level of Jacob''s Eyes of Judge, it still originated from another optical ability on the same level!


    "First, you need to sign an oath contract since I can''t fully trust you!" Miss 70,469 stated her only condition!

 Chapter 761: Reel in the Net (11)

    Chapter 761: Reel in the Net (11)


    ?


    "Why! WHY! Just why isn''t it working on him!" Golden Constant-51,117''s voice was filled with disbelief and frustration as he sat cross-legged, and his entire body was trembling.


    On the other hand, Asher in front of him was now nothing but skins and bones as his previously burly and healthy was long gone; the phantom of the bull behind him was now extremely vague and on the verge of fading entirely.


    Yet, despite everyone Golden Constant-51,117 had done, Jacob remained untouched without any harm. It was now pretty clear to him that it wasn''t about Soul Serving Formation not having enough power; he had simply underestimated Jacob.


    At this point, he even started to believe that Jacob might''ve had a legendary king-rank soul treasure since it was the only possible exnation for his ridiculous soul defense, or he had simply chewed more than he could handle by going after that kind of entity.


    "Ha.haha.hahaha..." Asher''s creepyughter suddenly sounded at this moment. Although his voice was extremely feeble and even seemed on the verge of exhaustion, the sheer ridicule and mirth of Golden Constant-51,117''s failure was evident in it.


    "It seemed you have overestimated yourselves, little roach. If I''m not wrong, you are going after that mortal because you think he had a Sacred Scripture or Sacred Artifact on him, right?" Asher suddenly uttered, making Golden Constant-51,117 tremble as he looked towards Asher with shock.


    But he quickly hid it and denied it impassively, "I don''t know what you''re bbering about. But you are right; I admit my n was a failure."


    "You know exactly what I''m talking about. Don''t think of me as a fool, and there is no need to deny it anymore, for I''m already no longer a threat to anyone, and soon, I''ll be put into slumber for a long time." Asher''s voice was filled with bitterness and a hint of hatred as his murky eyes shed with craziness, "But don''t even think about getting away after you put me through this humiliation. Since I''m doomed, I''ll make sure you will never seed. Oh, by the way, and for your information, I''ve already recorded yours and his special Soul Signature and sent them with all this information to my lord. Once he hears about it, he''ll pay you in kind... hahahahaha!"


    Golden Constant-51,117''s eyes widened with horror, "You lunatic!"


    For the first time, Golden Constant-51,117''s entire demeanor changed as he knew what this implied because he was truly afraid of Asher''s master. He knew even if he seeded today, he''d never have peace with that kind of existence, constantly looking for him like a bloody hound because, just like him, the allure of those ''Sacred Scripture and Sacred Artifact'' was enough to drive even gods made with greed.


    Furthermore, unlike him, they weren''t limited, and once they really started looking, there would be no ce to hide unless he had one of those Sacred Scriptures or Sacred Artifacts. Although it was only one entity, he didn''t dare to think he could outsmart or outrun someone like that.


    Asher just literally cut off his escape routes, and now he had to get to Jacob and hope that he really had one of those mythical Sacred Scriptures or Sacred Artifacts. If his spection was incorrect and Jacob didn''t have any, then he''d never know peace in his life; no kind of exnation would be enough, and the hunt wouldst until he died or was captured.


    "Oh, now he knows how to fear." Asher sneered weakly, "Although I admit I also have such thoughts like yours, you ruined everything. Even if it turned out to be nothing but a madman''s dream, we both know you are doomed with me even if you manage to escape today. As long as I can make your life miserable, this long slumber will be worth it. But don''t worry, once I wake up, I promise you I''ll burn shit on your tombstone, of course, only if I have any since I''m sure you won''t even have ash remaining at that time."


    "Bang!"


    At this moment, a powerful smashing voice suddenly rang, followed by a cracking noise, drawing Golden Constant-51,117''s instant attention as he looked behind, and his eyes widened with disbelief when he saw it was none other than Jacob.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Furthermore, unlike before, the crimson fog was rising from Jacob''s giant body as if he was on fire, and what made Golden Constant-51,117''s heart even further was there were massive cracks on the barrier this time and not on the barrier, but Jacob''s swords were also seemed to be on the verge of breaking as the des were full of cracks. It was like his des couldn''t handle his power at all!


    ''What happened of Golden Constant-70,469!? Wasn''t she using the Time Shield!? He shouldn''t be able to bypass, and I know she can keep it up for around 4 minutes! Then how did he manage to kill her, don''t tell me he''s immune to ''Time!'' No impossible nothing is immune to time even those entities!'' Golden Constant-51,117''s mind was raging as he no longer had any idea what the deal with Jacob was.


    But what he didn''t know was while he was distracted by frustration and Asher, Jacob signed an oath contract with Miss or Golden Constant-70,469, and feeling finally reassured, she stopped using the Time Shield to save her golden Timeless Sand.


    However, what Golden Constant-70,469 hadn''t expected in her wildest dreams was the moment she stopped using the Time Shield, Jacob casually approached her and, before she could say anything, stabbed his swords in her head and heart without hesitation. The guy didn''t even emit killing intent as if he was squashing a bug.


    In the end, Golden Constant-70,469 died filled with disbelief and hatred while Jacob absorbed her hourss, feeling euphoric. She died without knowing how Jacob was able to bypass the oath contract and full grievance towards Golden Constant-51,117.


    Nheless, Jacob no longer dares to waste more time as he still heeds her warning and instantly appears because the only weakness in this barrier is behind the invisible barrier where Golden Constant-51,117 is hiding.


    Furthermore, this time, he finally used his Fluid eleration up to 100X, and this crimson smoke was the result of it, which was news to Jacob as well. But he could tell that this time, the Fluid eleration was using the Cursed Blood instant of his body''s energy, which meant as long as he had cursed blood, he could use it almost infinitely. Lastly, the power he was the boost he was getting from Cursed Blood was insane and many times higher than any previous Fluid eleration.


    Nheless, he didn''t lose him in that boundless power because his Cursed Blood was even more precious, so he quickly came here to get rid of this true mastermind behind this entire


    scheme.


    Golden Constant-51,117 gave up on figuring out how Jacob could survive and ovee all those dangerous situations because he no longer had any intention to test it himself and finally decided to retreat. As long as he keeps his life, he can alwayse back more powerful and with better schemes.


    But s, at this moment, before Jacob could shatter the barrier, he felt invisible dread suddenly gripped his heart as an ethereal pressure descended the scene. The light started to dim down, and the dome above seemed to have ripped apart almost instantly.


    Asher''s bitter yet gloating voice suddenly rang, "Hahahaha... here ites, there is no escaping the Zodiac ins Enforcement!"


    Golden Constant-51,117 knew that he was trapped by his own Net!

 Chapter 762: Zodiac Plains Enforcer (1)

    Chapter 762: Zodiac ins Enforcer (1)


    ?


    Jacob had no idea what was going on, but he sure did know that whatever was behind this ckout and this ghastly pressure was not to trifle with, and he suddenly remembered Miss 70,469''s words.


    Without hesitation, Jacob raised his arms to shatter the barrier, but to his shock, the pressurepletely locked him in his ce. At this moment, something strange happened when he was about to ask Immortika.


    "This is not something you can handle yet. Stay still and use the mask while you have the chance. Oh, and don''t use your powers-it was nice knowing you, hehehehe!"


    The cursed book in front of him had already vanished, leaving behind its eerieughter, making Jacob horrified. He knew there was only one kind of existence Immortika had shown this attitude towards.


    ''Is it rted to Zodiac Will?!'' Jacob thought while grimacing as a chill ran down his spine.


    Although there was no one to answer him, he knew things were terrible, and someone had provoked the Zodiac Will or something equally terrifying entity. But he quickly suppressed his unease and did as Immortika told him before bailing out on him, probably to protect him or himself, he didn''t know.


    He stops the fluid eleration and instantly activates the Gluttony Mask, which already has an appearance saved in it. The next moment, Jacob''s giant body quickly morphs as his height starts to decrease from 20 meters to 2''1 meters, and his aurapletely changes from monstrous to mortal of a Peak Unique Rank. Even his star watch was switched with another.


    Furthermore, he tried to hide his presence even more, however, as he does, the pressure increased tremendously, and he quickly falls on his knees and even felt like losing his consciousness, but for some reason he couldn''t and only endure.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    At this moment, within the darkness, an ethereal golden eye suddenly snapped open, revealing endless strings of shifting stars within. Everything seemed toe to a standstill. It waspletely emotionless as if a God was watching mortals.


    Not only that, but the moment this starry golden eye gazed locked on where Jacob was kneeling, the invisible barrier ripped apart, turning into dust particles, revealing Golden Constant-51,117 and Asher''s figures within.


    But it was just the start, as the runic cube maintaining the barrier instantly turned to dust, followed by the altar, and the Soul Serving Formation also vanished from existence.


    Golden Constant-51,117 was barely standing while trembling like a grass de in a hurricane. Even he couldn''t look towards the eye. But what shocked him most was ''Jacob,'' who was giving offpletely different vibes. He knew this guy was fully capable of enduring this pressure, yet there he was pretending to be a weakling, making Golden Constant-51,117 livid. Nheless, he didn''t have time to pay Jacob any heed as he knew all escape routes were closed, so he chose to save his life before the eye saw through his origin.


    "T...T-Time... Refresh!" He was barely able to utter and activate his biggest trump.


    The golden frame hourss suddenly appeared behind it and started to revolve as the golden sand in it vanished.


    At this moment, the eye finally locked on Golden Constant-51,117, and the pressure on him increased thousands of times, breaking his bones and pinning him to the ground, clearly an attempt to stop him.


    But s, despite the eye''s action, the hourss phantom remained untouched as it revolved strongly, releasing powerful undtions as if it didn''t exist in the same time and space as them.


    "A.T.L.A.S!" An Ethereal voice boomed, filled with murderous intent, reverberating like thunder in the darkness and buzzing everyone''s heads.


    Jacob, who was having it the hardest because of his power drop, was the most shocked when he heard that name. He was in utter disbelief since he knew there was nothing like hourss freaks in the ATLAS or that the information he had from the anonymous stars was worthless.


    Furthermore, he was shocked that even that unfathomable eye knew about ATLAS, which could only mean their roots were far deeper than he had anticipated. Moreover, the moment that hourss appeared, Jacob felt a strong pull from his cursed heart, unlike the previous attractions. There was clearly something unique about this person''s hourss from the others.


    But Jacob didn''t dare try anything. He quickly suppressed his heart without holding it because it would show his ability or might expose him entirely.


    The eye clearly didn''t pay the Unique Ant any heed, as Golden Constant-51,117 had drawn its full attention. At this moment, the dark ethereal mist suddenly came towards the revolving cloak from all directions like a tilde wave.


    The space around the hourss phantom shattered like ss as the dark mistpletely engulfed it.


    At this moment, Golden Constant-51,117 finally felt the fear of death as he knew that if he didn''t do anything, even if he would be revived, that entity would leave behind an unshakable mark on his very soul and at that time, he would never able to live in peace and died no matter how many lives he had.


    So, he used hisst reserve, and a tiny hourss appeared under his clenched grip. He shattered it while issuing amand through his thoughts, ''I sacrifice my Timeless City Lord status, Silver Timeless Sand, and Bronze Timeless Sand to Timeless God! Please make your followers escape this plight!''


    Suddenly an ethereal voice rang in reply, "Not Enough!"


    Golden Constant-51,117 was shocked. He was almost giving up everything, and he needed the Iron Timeless Sand to revive, so he absolutely couldn''t give up his final life.


    But he didn''t have any time, as he could feel the dark mist about to touch his hourss, which was actually his soul.


    Gritting his teeth, he decided to choose his life and roared, "I''m willing to share all my memories of this life; there are clues about a Sacred Scripture or Sacred Artifact in them! No, in fact, the person in question is right before me!"


    This time, something happened. Golden Constant-51,117 felt a foreign power suddenly gripping his mind before itpletely overtook it and caused him to lose consciousness. He didn''t expect this kind of oue at all, but he was helpless to fight against this foreign


    power.


    "Riveting..."


    At this moment, Golden Constant-51,117 mingled body, which was pinned on the ground, suddenly enveloped in an ethereal white light and started to regenerate under it.


    The eye suddenly trembled when it sensed somethingpletely impossible, and the dark mist came to a standstill.


    The white light around Golden Constant-51,117''s body got brighter and appeared like a white sun in the darkness.


    The ethereal voice rang again, but this time, it was filled with disbelief. "Impossible!"


    Just as its voice trailed off, Golden Constant-51,117 suddenly opened hispletely white eyes. His body slowly started to float,pletely ignoring the pressure!

 Chapter 763: Zodiac Plains Enforcer (2)

    Chapter 763: Zodiac ins Enforcer (2)


    ?


    Jacob had no idea what was going on, but he could tell that things were going south too fast, and the parties involved this time were not entities he could handle at his current level.


    He was especially shocked by Golden Constant-51,117''s sudden transformation into a white human torchlight, and the eye in the sky seemed quite surprised by it as well.


    Furthermore, because of Golden Constant-51,117''s sudden transformation, the mysterious pressure on him lessened greatly as he was finally able to move, albeit with difficulty. It was still enough for him to raise his head and look towards the starry eye, which gave him instant goosebumps as if he was gazing at something sacred and undefinable.


    Without hesitation, Jacob decided to take advantage of the chaos and slipped away. He slowly started to retreat with every strength he could muster with his current disguise. He didn''t dare to breathe, afraid of drawing the eye or the glowing Golden Constant-51,117''s attention. As Jacob slowly retreated, he noticed that the eye was really not paying attention to him; under its piercing gaze, he was an irrelevant ant.


    However, he hadn''t even taken ten steps back when a new pressure looked on him; goosebumps spread throughout his body as his mortal danger sense cried in rm. But he seemed to be stuck where he was without any ability to resist.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Furthermore, this new pressure locking him down was vastly different from the eye''s pressure. If thetter was indifferent towards him, this former was clearly meant for him. The intent behind it gave Jacob palpitations, and for some unknown reason, his heart was beating excitedly!


    At this moment, the white glow around Golden Constant-51,117 slowly vanished, revealing a tall naked creature. He was three meters tall and had a slender frame, but except for his humanoid form, he was monstrous in essence.


    A peculiar white symbol glowing between his be, corporeal long white hair, and long beard covered his hoarie head, which seemed like white mes; his skin was an unnatural shade of sickly green, stretched taut over bony protrusions. Eyes, devoid of pupils andpletely white, burn with an infernal glow. Long, sharp ws rece nails, and a jagged maw filled with venomous fangs. A stench of sulfur and decay clings around; whatever it was, it could only be described as a hellish entity.


    "Good! Very good! You bunch dare to birth a Lesser Demon in this sanctuary! And now you, Furcas, dare to descend in this Lesser Demon''s body! This is a clear vition of Zodiac ins Rules!" The ethereal voice boomed, filled with anger and killing fury, as the stars in the eye started to move in a special trajectory.


    However, the lesser demon, or Furcas, didn''t seem to hear the voice at all, as his emotionless eyes were now locked on Jacob.


    Jacob felt goosebumps under Furcas''s eyes as if his very being had beenpletely exposed to the demonic entity''s eyes. Before he could react, Furcas was now right in front of him.


    In his presence, Jacob felt overwhelming pressure and a never-felt aura like before; it was like an embodiment of evil, and carnage was hovering right behind him, and this entity could take his life with a single thought. He never felt so close to death like today, and he wasn''t even able to move.


    "Do.You.Have.IT?" A horsed, ovepping voice between a young and an old man directly rang in Jacob''s mind, overwhelming his mind with irrefutable authority andpelling him to tell the truth.


    However, at this moment, Jacob felt something stirring within his mind and awakening him from his stupor. Nheless, it didn''t help even a bit since the other guy''s power was simply at a ridiculous level. A little high mental defense doesn''t matter in front of absolute power.


    Furthermore, what he didn''t know was Furcas wasn''t really here, it was only a whip of his soul because the real Furcas would''ve easily tore apart any soul defense he currently had. Even Nyx''s nightmare mes weren''t strong enough to defend against such an entity at her current level.


    Still, Furcas didn''t seem to notice that Jacob had broken free from his spell; the thought even urred to him, as the disparity between them was like sky and earth.


    But at this moment, Jacob waspletely stumped as he didn''t know what Furcas was asking about.


    "Do.You.Have.IT.Sacred.Scripture.OR.Sacred Artifact!?!" The same question repeats but with more rity and power behind Furcas''s voice, which were extremely overbearing this time.


    Jacob still didn''t know what Furcas was talking about, but when he heard the terms ''Sacred Scripture and Sacred Artifact,'' his heart skipped a beat because the implications of these two terms were simply too absurd. If Furcas was really asking about what he had thought he was, he would never reveal it; every consequence of revealing it would lead to his death!


    "Who is this mortal, and why are you interested in him? Is this why you took such a risk to descend?" The ethereal voice from the eye suddenly rang with a hint of disbelief as it finally paid attention to the mortal, who seemed to bepletely bonded by Furcas''s aura. It could clearly feel Furcas using his prowess on him. Furcas was stopped in his tracks under that eye. Still, that voice seemed to snicker at this point as it icily dered, "If you hade personality, I would''ve still had some misgivings, but now, you are merely using a lesser demon''s body to project yourself here with a wisp of your soul. Nheless, if I killed this guy, part of that soul residing within him would be as good as gone, and you''d suffer. I''ll make sure you pay the price for ignoring the Zodiac Law Enforcer! Now begone with your toy!"


    At this moment, Jacob knew things were getting worse, as he clearly felt that voice''s killing intent. It didn''t care about his life or death; it probably didn''t know why Furcas was here, but it sure did hell want to make sure he paid for his blunt disrespect.


    "Let me go!" Jacob finally decides to struggle, as he doesn''t want to be tied down here while waiting for his death. He even decides to use his true power.


    What was the point in hiding his strength when he knew he wouldn''t be alive to protect his secret? His life was more important, after all.


    Furcas''s eyes widened ever so slightly, and he seemed surprised that Jacob wasn''t charmed by him in the slightest.


    However, at this moment, both felt true death approaching, and before they could react, they were hit by the tsunami of ethereal dark mist!

 Chapter 764: Joining the Stage!

    ?


    The moment the dark ethereal fog enveloped them, Furcas instantly released white light, encasing both himself and Jacob.


    However, the dark fog was simply too strong and seemed to have a decaying effect as the light was quickly churning away, and the dark fog slowly closed in.


    As for Asher, that poor fellow was already turned into cosmic ashes and secretly dealt with by the Zodiac Enforcer without having any chance to exin himself. His punishment was already decided the moment his origin was revealed, and nothing could be hidden from a Zodiac Enforcer.


    But his reason for doing all that still eludes Zodiac Enforcer. Nheless, Zodiac Enforcer knew Asher''s background, and he knew a massive investigation would beunched against his master.


    "Answer.Me.And.I.Shall.Lead.You.To.Safety.Or.I''ll.im.Your.Soul!" Furcas''s solemn voice rang in Jacob''s head again, and this time, there was a hint of haste in it.


    However, Jacob didn''t seem to hear it as his thoughts were chaotic, and he was hanging by a threat because, for a fragment of a moment, that dark fog had been able to touch Jacob before Furcas''s reaction.


    But that fragment of a second was enough for Jacob to feel like he was plunged into the depths of hell without any resistance. That power was simply too high for him to handle even a fragment of it, especially the disguise. He didn''t even get the chance to reveal his true appearance.


    Now, Jacob waspletely vulnerable, and with a slight nudge, he''d meet with his end. He could barely able to make anything or even think straight. It was like he had returned to the time when he was towards the end of his life, living on all those machines.


    Furcas also seemed to realize it, and his demonic face winced. Although he said that he would im his soul, he was fully capable of that without any doubt. But the thing was, the current him wasn''t, and so he needed Jacob''s cooperation to im his soul. If he tried to forcibly take it, he would lose the white light before he could extract his soul, and they would both turn into dust.


    Although the Zodiac Enforcer wasn''t using its full power, it couldn''t because of the rules. It was still using its full authority to get rid of him, which was more than enough to current him.


    Still, Golden Constant-51,117''s memories had truly piqued his interest, and just Golden Constant-51,117 he didn''t want to miss this opportunity to get his hands on one of those godly boons; even just a sliver of possibility was enough for him to take this massive risk.


    As for why not simply kill Jacob and take it, he knew it was impossible because those things would vanish the moment their chosen one died until finding a new one and reemerging again.


    Only if those ''Chosen Ones'' handed them over and transferred their rights willingly can others touch them. Only people in Furcas''s position knew about them, but even their knowledge was extremely limited.


    That''s why he wanted Jacob''s soul since he knew those things were soul bonds, and calming his soul meant getting whatever was inside. In a sense, Golden Constant-51,117''s approach was wrong from the start as he wanted to serve Jacob''s soul and search for his body, which wouldn''t been for naught.


    Left with no other options and little time, Furcas made his decision, and instantly the lesser demon body of Golden Constant-51,117 started to disintegrate, and his facial expression started to change and turn ethereal, matching his hair and the mark on his forehead.


    "YOU!" The Zodiac Enforcer''s shocked voice rang at this point as he was watching everything clearly, "You''re really transferring more of your soul here!? All for this mortal!? Who is he?!" Even Zodiac Enforcer was gob-smacked by Furcas''s bombastic act.


    This was simply out of his wildest expectations, as Furcas would go to this extent despite knowing what kind of harm he''d suffer once the dark fog reached him. But what further surprised him was that Furcas stillpletely ignored him as well as the dark because he didn''t seem to be using his power to protect himself but channeling it for some other matter.


    Furthermore, Zodiac Enforcer''s own power limit increased with Furcas''s reckless actions, which gave him even more authority to deal with this rule breaker. Zodiac Enforcer understood that Furcas knew about this bnce rule.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Now, he was really starting to get interested in Jacob''s identity and why Furcas was taking such a risk for him.


    Furcas finally stopped when only the ck heart was left from the lesser demon body, which was on the verge of copsing, but it was enough for him to achieve his goal, which was to get Jacob''s soul.


    His ethereal blurry hand was about to move towards Jacob''s head when suddenly something out of the Zodiac Enforcer and Furcas''s expectation happened.


    Jacob''s small body suddenly started to grow while escaping Furcas''s grip, which shocked the ethereal figure. But what was even more shocking was he couldn''t seem to move his body, and not only him but the dark fog came to a standstill as well; it was like time hadpletely stopped.


    "W-who..." Zodiac Enforcer, who was also in a simr situation as Furcas, was equally bbergasted. He was gawking at the giant with tattered clothes.


    Some of his body was revealed, showing parts of his runic gray bones, while his face was now covered in a faceless mask; not even his eyes were visible, and from the tattered part of his hood, strings of bright silver hair flutter like mes despite the absence of any wind. "Jeez..." A jolly yet eerie voice ovepping with Jacob''s suddenly rang, "I guess half of the cat is out of the bag now. Not like I''mining since it''ll be more entertaining this way. Hahahahahaha!"


    Following the strange speech was an eerieughter that could send shivers down anyone''s spine; even the Zodiac Enforcer was feeling uneasy, which waspletely elusive to him for a very, very long time.


    Unbeknownst to Jacob, Immortika had joined the stage!

 Chapter 765 Unforeseen Completion!

    Chapter 765 Unforeseen Completion!


    "I can''t use my power! What did you do? Who are you!?" Zodiac Enforcer''s voice echoed again, filled with disbelief and trepidation.


    If the Zodiac Enforcer was arrogant and confident, this sudden turn of eventspletely robbed the Zodiac Enforcer of it. This was simply imaginable, and now Zodiac Enforcer was really starting to wonder just who this giant was and why he pretended to be this weak if he had such a power. More importantly, how could he exist in this ce? It was impossible, and unlike Furcas, there didn''t seem to be any trick in y here.


    The biggest thing that made Zodiac Enforcer afraid was that he couldn''t use his power at all. It was like it waspletely sealed, and it couldn''t move anymore, as if the time had been stopped for Zodiac Enforcer.


    Immortika''s eerieughter suddenly stopped, but the massive grin on Jacob''s face, which almost seemed ghastly, was still there. Immortikapletely disregarded Zodiac Enforcer and looked towards Furcas, who was in the same situation, and his dismissive expression was now filled with confusion and never-seen terror.


    "Furcas, the most powerful of the Hell Knights, calling you a King of Hell Knights won''t be wrong." Immortika seemed to be praising Furcas, but thetter''s expression became even more shocked when his identity was suddenly exposed. Immortika was clearly far from done.


    "But why are you such a scaredy-cat, huh? Why do you only bring 10% of your true soul here? Don''t think that you can hide it from me; that lesser demon body was enough for you to bring at least 30% of your true soul here, so what gives?


    "Tsk, tsk, if that''s all you''ve resolved to im a Sacred Scripture or Sacred Artifact, then let me tell you, it''s NOT Enough. Not cool, man, not cool, you are sullying the integrity of all the Hell Knights and Dark Beings!"


    Furcas was even more shocked and felt like his entire existence was exposed in front of this giant at this moment. Furthermore, at this moment, he finally noticed something, and he was absolutely horrified.


    "Y-YOOU!"


    "Hhahahahahaha¡­" Immoritka suddenly burst intoughter again, likely the Hell Knight''s expression very much, "I know, I know, your connection to your main body is now gone. But you don''t need to worry my man; I''ll take good care of you. Just a pity that it''s only 10%. Oh well, beggars can''t be choosers.


    "But consider the plus point here; all the memories in this part of your soul can''t be transformed back to your main soul anymore, and if you perish, your main soul won''t even know why such a huge chunk of your soul suddenly gone missing. Hehehehe, isn''t that funny?"


    Although Immortika''s words sounded like a harmless prankster, in Furcas ears, they were simply like the Devil''s whispers, and he finally spooked out. He started to wonder if it was all but an borate scheme of this guy to get his soul here. The implication behind it was simply too huge and horrifying; it was like he had fallen into his own trap!


    Even the Zodiac Enforcer was thinking the same thing and was trying to do everything to find a solution. This was simply too huge!


    "W-what do you want?!" Furcas dropped his haughty bravado at this moment and was trying his best to find a way to get out of this eerie situation. But s, he can''t even use his magic anymore much less move, if soul could sweat, he would''ve been sweating buckets right now.


    Immortika yfully snickered, "Why so afraid? Don''t worry, we are all friends here. But before anything else, let me take care of something very important; I can''t have my source of entertainment die on me now, can I?"


    Before Furcas could say anything, suddenly, around four hundred corpses appeared behind Jacob, including the Ice Fiend Locust Queen and her twelve royals.


    "Blood!" Immortika nonchntly uttered a single word, which was more like amand, and the next moment, all those corpses suddenly turned into globs of blood. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The next moment, something even more shocking happened as all that blood started to float toward Jacob before it started to seep into his tattered robes. All that blood instantly vanished.


    But Furcas and Zodiac Enforcer could feel a strange power suddenly starting to surge in the giant, and under his tatter robes, where his bones were visible, the runic lines started to glow.


    However, another ghastly yet shocking scene yed out, the mask on Jacob face vanished at this moment, revealing a widely grinning, eerie face and suddenly the skin around neck started to sink into his neck before the gray bones emerged filled with runic lines.


    But it was just the start. Little by little, his skin continued to sink, and his skull started to get exposed, started by his chiseled chin. Soon, his lips vanished, exposing his bare teeth.


    Soon, half of his face had turned into a hollow gray skull filled with longevity schema before it reached his eye sockets. When the skin around his eye sockets was gone, his bright golden eyes also started to decay and absorbed into his hallow sockets.


    However, it didn''tst long as golden white sparks suddenly appeared within his empty sockets, and the next moment, those sparks seemed to ignite something as two white ethereal mes flickering with golden edges seemed to dance in a harmonious discord, their intensity growing with each flicker. But this was far from over as soon his forehead was revealed before his bright silver hair was gone, and now what was left was just a gray skull, and within this skull was a spherical neb of ethereal neon mists; his brain seemed to have transformed into this after the entire longevity schema sculpted to his entire body! Jacob wouldn''t have imagined that he couldplete the longevity schema in this fashion, he wasn''t even aware of it as he was in aa while seemed to having a time of its life while watching the horrifying expression of Furcas and maybe even the Zodiac Enforcer.


    However, the transformation was still not done, as under Jacob''s clothes, the cursed heart appeared again and started to move towards the center of the chest. However, this time, the process was far smoother.


    The moment the cursed heart took its position, the entire longevity schema on Jacob''s body came alive, and the cursed heart started to pulse powerfully. A powerful pressure was released from his body.


    Furthermore, at this moment, glyphs appeared on the surface of the ck cursed heart, and the next moment, the cursed heart started to shrink until it was only the size of a tiny bean, yet it was still pulsing even stronger than before.


    At this moment, the longevity schema stopped glowing, and it became bleak again, evident of its emptiness, and the cursed heart suddenly moved again. It directly made its way to his skull before it vanished into the neon neb.


    The white golden me flickered fiercely at this moment as Immortika pulled a toothy smile, which was nothing but ghastly, sending chills to Furcas and Zodiac Enforcer''s spins.


    Immortika uttered in a hollow voice, "What a bummer! It seemed the blood was not enough! How about you two help poor me out here?"

 Chapter 766 Return of Cursed One!

    Chapter 766 Return of Cursed One!


    "What a bummer! It seemed the blood was not enough! How about you two help poor me out here?"


    Absolute silence prevailed. Neither Zodiac Enforcer nor Furcas said anything, as both of them were trying to get free from whatever was restraining them. Still, s, no matter what they did, they seemed to have beenpletely confined.


    They couldn''t use their powers or connections. This entire space was under the mysterious madman''s authority, and they knew things werepletely out of their hands.


    Both of them were utterly unfamiliar with the sense of helplessness because they were simply too powerful and had lived for so long that they had forgotten what it meant to be afraid. But now, it was alling back.


    "What, no volunteer?" Immortika pretended to be hurt as it looked upward towards the eye, and his toothy smile grew, "Even you, a Valkyrien from Angelic Races? Isn''t your purpose to fight injustice and bring salvation to the damn or whatnot? Why are you ying this boring role-y? So, will you help a poor fellow like me, or has the decorum of Angelic Races changed, and you guys no longer care about it anymore?"


    "You, sacrilegious mortal, to dare utter such sphemous words for the Holy Race!" Zodiac Enforcer was finally triggered when Immortika directly taunted its race as if he couldn''t help it at all, "I don''t know how you knew and how you did it or what you''re after, but if you know who I am, then you better release me this instant, and I can pray for mercy for your vile soul!"


    "Sigh¡­" Immoritka shook its head ruefully before it burst intoughter, startling Zodiac Enforcer and Furcas again. They couldn''t keep up with this madman''s mood swings and couldn''t read him at all.


    "¡­hah¡­ everything changed with time; Even gods, once pure as the morning light, Can falter, yield to shadows of the night. Angels, with wings of grace and holy fire, May lose their way and, thus, their sacred desire. Yet here I am, still the same, for time is nothing but my keeper." Immortika suddenly uttered a cryptic quote before starting tough again, "Hahahahaha, man, I have really outdone myself with this one, don''t you two think so?" However, the Zodiac Enforcer didn''t take those words as mere sarcasm because the meaning behind them was profound, and only someone like the Zodiac Enforcer could understand it. The Zodiac Enforcer didn''t believe that this guy had just uttered something like that in a silly quote.


    "Who in the world are you!?" Zodiac Enforcer asked again as it was back to the same question. "A Poor Bore Book, who else?" Immortika innocently replied, "Oh, well, since you didn''t want to grace me with your benevolence, I shall shamelessly take it myself, for you are an embodiment of sacrifice for the needy. Now, fulfill your duty and sacrifice yourself, and don''t worry, you shall forever be forgotten¡­ I mean, remembered for it!


    "Cursed Blood Sacrifice!"


    Immortika words seem to create invisiblemands that can''t be ignored or rejected by anything. "What are you¡­WHAT! What are you doing¡­ahhhhhhhh!" Zodiac Enforcer''s confused voice suddenly turned horrifying, and he started to scream.


    Even Furcas, indifferent to Zodiac Enforcer, was shocked because he could feel real pain from his voice. He knew it was impossible for Zodiac Enforcer to feel pain or get wounded, for it was a well-known fact, yet here he was witnessing something unimaginable again.


    Immortika seemed in a daze as Jacob''s body trembled in delight under the Zodiac Enforcer''s screams, "Now, this is what you call sacrificial music, my favorite, by the way!"


    Just as Immortika''s voice trailed off, glowing golden droplets started to fall from the dark sky within the darkness, creating a breathtaking scene. However, Furcas wasn''t in the mood to admire it; he waspletely spooked at this moment because he knew what those golden droplets were and where they wereing from.


    "Holy blood! You really wound a Zodiac Enforcer!?!? What kind of Sacred Scripture do you have?!" Furcas asked with disbelief.


    At this moment, he was feeling every emotion he had forgotten a long time ago, and the highest emotion he was feeling was ''True Fear!''


    "Correction, ''Sacrifice,'' my hellish friend. Sacrifice. It''s just serving its purpose. Don''t you hear the screams of joy? The Valkyrien has achieved true peace, I''m telling you. Oh, and we can''t let Valkyrien''s sacrifice go to waste since he was so kind to me. "Blood!" Immortika yfully uttered, and the next moment, the golden rain of blood suddenly flew towards Jacob''s body.


    However, when the golden blood fell on Jacob''s body, whatever he was wearing, it instantly incinerated, revealing his entire skeleton body filled with runic lines. But what happened next sent chills down Furcas spine as the golden blood, which could annihte anyone and was the deadliest poison to his kind, started to absorb into those marks!


    The dimmed runic marks instantly started to glow as they greedily absorbed the golden blood, while the blood''s owner still screamed until his voice started to fade.


    But Furcas didn''t pay it any heed; as he watched, the skeleton was now surrounded by a crimson ethereal mist like a cocoon.


    "Well, I guess my time for fun is over." Immortika sighed with fake ruefulness, "But don''t worry, my hellish friend. I fully appreciate your soul sacrifice, and I can assure you that this is not for this guy but the little nightmare since his soul defenses are simply too weak to handle beings like you who like to meddle in mortal businesses. It''s all your thrall''s fault for dragging you guys into this, so no hard feelings. But don''t worry, he''ll be able to handle you all soon."


    When Furcas heard Immortika''s words, he instantly had a bad feeling about this before he could react. "Soul Blood Sacrifice!"


    Furcas couldn''t even scream before his consciousness was wiped out. His ethereal body turned into a milky white mist, pulling towards the ethereal crimson cocoon and vanishing, leaving only the eerie cocoon behind.


    The next moment, the darkness suddenly started to fade away, revealing Yin Sky Ind again while the crimson cocoon remained suspended in the air.


    "Tsk, those boring guys, I should''ve known they were ipetent¡­" Immortika''s voice rang filled with derision, "After the first phase, the restriction on me will be increased by many folds, maybe it''s thest time I''ll ever help you. But who knows, if you continue to provide me with entertainment, I may change my mind¡­again. Hehehehe¡­" Immortika''s eerie, wildughter rang before it started to fade away.


    At this moment, in the center of Yin Sky Ind, the symbol on the Yin Ice suddenly broke, and a purple streak shot out before directly bolting in Jacob''s direction and vanishing into the crimson mist.


    But the very next moment, the Legendary Key suddenly appeared, creating a powerful ripple before it vanished with Jacob''s cocoon and the key, leaving behind the empty Yin Sky Ind, which had now started to crumble!


    ---


    Far away, in an unknown dome riddled with endless void and darkness, hidden here was a pce created with stars,pletely different from its surroundings. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Within this pce was a temple at its highest peak, and within this temple was hovering a dark Infinity symbol which any movement. But for a few moments, crimson pules suddenly appeared in this dark infinity symbol before it went dormant.


    However, a blurry projection appeared just before thest pulse vanished from the infinity symbol, and it trembled slightly before¡­


    "Hihihihihihihihi¡­" Wantonughter filled with mirth and disbelief, yet most of it was ecstasy. Once theughter faded away, a voice filled with excitement reverberated throughout the void and darkness. "The Cursed One has returned; let the Infinity Cursed Questmence...again!"


    ________________


    End of Third Volume: The Return of Cursed One!


    [AN: This volume marked the end of Lesser ins (Lesser Gxies) in Jacob''s journey. I know many things remained unanswered, like the other lesser gxies, what happened to the humans of the Common ins, Asher''s background or what Immortika did at the end, and many more. I know no one likes cliffhangers or unanswered questions, especially me, but don''t worry, I''m nning to rify everything as the story progresses and at the right moment. Overall, thank you so much, everyone, for your support and patronage that keeps me motivated and helps me continue this wild fantasy of Cursed Immortality. Please doment and leave behind your reviews for this volume, I appreciate them all, they are very helpful. Last but not least for some overly worried readers, this is NOT a HAREM novel, please know that there is no HAREM or Romance tag in the Novel description. The new volume will start on Monday, August 5th, 2024. Stay tuned and keep supporting Cursed Immortality!]

 Chapter 767 The Entity that Eludes Everyone!

    Chapter 767 The Entity that Eludes Everyone!


    In a vast in filled with neon light, a static voice suddenly rang, breaking the serenity of this mystical ce: "The 1,198th Rank Zodiac Enforcer of the Lesser Gxy of Taurus has been eliminated!"


    The moment this static voice spoke, the neon light suddenly churned and took the shape of an eye.


    "borate¡­" An emotionless, indistinctive voice reverberated through the neon ne.


    "I sensed someone breaking the absolute rules in Lesser Gxy of Taurus and dispatched the 1,198th Rank Zodiac Enforcer to investigate. I have recorded everything that the 1,198th Rank Zodiac Enforcer saw after descending to the scene; please see for yourselves."


    As the static voice trailed off, a massive projection suddenly appeared, showing the first-person view through the 1,198th Rank Zodiac Enforcer''s eyes, which started to y.


    "ATLAS''s Golden Constant in a Lesser Demon body¡­" The emotionless voice sounded the moment it saw Golden Constant-51,117 without even needing for him to reveal himself.


    "Oh, the avatar of one of the Lesser Minotaur Gods serving the Darkness Demiurge''s Pantheon. Now, this is intruding; what was he doing in the Lesser Gxy of Taurus? From what it looks, he seemed to get himself captured and be the catalyst that helped Constant forcibly use the power above the rules. Let me see¡­" The voice sounded amused as the projection suddenly stopped before the neon lights started to shift and pulse.


    "Ohohoho, so that''s what happened; how bold of you, Darkness Demiurge, to raise a soul farm using the Darkness Dreamscape in not only the lesser Gxy of Taurus but all of them and even let the lesser god descend using a distraction and then oversee it. Greedy and bold fellow through and through,


    "But it is still not enough to kill a Valkyrian, even if that lesser god was there with its true body. Unless Darkness Demiurge personally descends and wants to give us a reason to retaliate. That fellow is not that stupid to take this risk for a pawn.


    "Let us continue to watch¡­"


    The voice didn''t contain any anger at all; on the contrary, it was filled with amusement and interest as the projection started moving again until it paused again when Furcas suddenly descended.


    "King of Hell Knights Furcas also descended? What could''vepelled him to take this risk for a Golden Constant? What did he offer?"


    As if hearing the voicemand, the projection started ying back and ying again when Golden Constant-51,117 was pinned on the ground. But this time, his inner thoughts sounded from the projection as if he were speaking out loud.


    "[I sacrifice my Timeless City Lord status, Silver Timeless Sand, and Bronze Timeless Sand to Timeless God! Please make your followers escape this plight!]"


    "It''s not enough¡­" The Voice muttered, and just as it had predicted, Furcas voice rang in reply in the same way, "[Not Enough!]" The next words of Golden Constant-51,117 sounded, "I''m willing to share all my memories of this life; there are clues about a &%#& or &^&$% in them! No, &^%&##@^&% me!"


    The projection instantly paused again, "Words that elude us?!" The voice contained a rare hint of seriousness.


    It again yed the projection back and started ying it again, and this time, the result wasn''t much different.


    "What''s going on? Who interfered?!" The voice expressed disbelief as it yed the projection again.


    It went exactly the same until Furcas brought out more of his true soul, but the voice''s owner sensed something strange as it asked.


    "He seemed to be talking with someone else. But there is no one other than the lesser god, Enforcer, and himself? Is this projectionplete?"


    "Yes, it isplete. I''ve also noticed this strangeness, and even when I was watching live, it was still the same. Please continue to watch, and you''ll understand. " The voice didn''t say anything and watched as Furcas said, but his words turned into "%##^#%%," and then the Zodiac Enforcer cast its powerful spell.


    However, before the result could be yed, the projection turnedpletely dark, and then there was nothing!


    "What is going on!?" The voice was extremely serious this time as it yed the projection again and again, but no matter what, the result was always the same.


    "Who could elude and interfere with the True Omniscient Vision?" No one was there to answer the voice, and it knew no one existed who could either.


    "So, the Valkyrian died during this time, right?" It asked. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Yes. And the Angelic Race of Absolute Gxy of Taurus is demanding an exnation," the static voice replied emotionlessly.


    "Since they want an exnation, send the Constetion Arbiter Taurus to investigate this. Also, have Constetion Arbiter Taurus detain the Lesser Minotaur God at my behest. He''s an important clue about this strange event.


    "Oh, and if Darkness Demiurge opposes, then you can have the angelic races start a war with the Darkness Pantheon. "Lastly, after he took care of these matters, have the Constetion Arbiter Taurus personally lead change to the ATLAS''s dens. The mission is to detain Furcas at all costs, even if we have to exhaust our forces from ''that ce'' and pin the me on Furcas for the Valkyrian''s death! Furcas memories regarding this matter, I want them all!"


    "I have received your order." The static voice sounded affirmative before it spoke again, "Another thing I would like your input on."


    "Go on." The voice sounded.


    "One of the nine Higher Gods, Whiteness under the Fantastic Insect Demiurge, had crossed the void and entered the middle gxy of Leo. Although he hadn''t broken any rules or interfered with anything, his existence could cause unimaginable damage if he acted."


    "What?" The voice sounded surprised, "Fantastic Insect Demiurge knows better than anyone to break the rule. Her entire existence is based on rules, and she knows breaking them would only harm her. This matter is not simple. Have Constetion Arbiter Leo investigate the Higher God personally, and don''t take action without evidence. Fantastic Insect Demiurge shouldn''t be provoked without good reason; her existence is of utmost importance to keep the Fantastic Insects in check!"


    "I understand!" The static voice answered in affirmative before it vanished from the neon ne.


    The neon eye suddenly churned and took the shape of the humanoid figure as it muttered, "What could elude even your powers, old friend?"


    This time, an ethereal voice suddenly rang in reply, "What, are you ying stupid or what? Didn''t you know the answer yourself? From the moment you watch that projection, you already know the answer to that question: why y dumb?"


    The figure muttered, "So, one of the remaining Universal Godly Scripture or Universal Godly Artifacts have been surfaced, huh? It''s not like I''m ying dumb, but you and I both know none of the aforementioned entities can interfere with our power like that. We are all bound by rules¡­Unless¡­"


    "Unless a scripture that is untied with its corresponding artifact is breaking them." The second voice replied with certainty, "But again, it''s impossible since it means bringing the Universal Retribution and awakening ''it'' before being forever sealed. No scripture would dare do such a thing. It''s simply not in our nature to break the rule of the universe, even if it means perishing!"

 Chapter 768 Buried Memories!

    Chapter 768 Buried Memories!


    No one would believe that a battle in a small corner of lesser gxies had rattled up an unstoppable storm in a terrifying ce away. But the natives of the lesser gxies or those in power were focusing on another matter, which was infinitely more important than some iprehensible higher power struggle.


    The most anticipated Path of Legend suddenly opened in every lesser gxy, rming those with the legendary keys. When the Path activates, the Legendary Key begins to pulsate with a vibrant glow. Simultaneously, in the sky above mysterious different locations within each Lesser Gxy, swirling vortexes of stardust appear. This vortex forms the Doors of Legend.


    The Door of Legend wasn''t physical. It exists within a dimension, essible only when the Path of Legend opens in all twelve Lesser Gxies. This synchronicity creates a tear in the fabric of reality, revealing the doorway for a limited time.


    With this, the race to enter the Path of Legend instantly started the moment the signs appeared.


    Those with the keys can easily pinpoint the specific location of the Door of Legend in each Lesser Gxy where it manifests, and some keep it a closely guarded secret.


    There were always cryptic clues scattered across the gxies, like the Star Ocean Medallion, celestial alignments, and prophecies. But only those dedicated to unraveling the mysteries can hope to find the Door of Legend this way.


    Nheless, whether they were people in the limelight or those who lived in the shadows, they all started to make preparations because Path of Legend was not some flowery garden. Instead, it was a bloody battlefield. Furthermore, it wasn''t just the lesser gxies who were getting riled up. The powers in the middle gxies, who always eyed the special vestiges of the Path of Legends, also quickly got the news about the opening of the Path of Legend from their loyal subordinates in the lesser gxies.


    After all, a single path of legend opening means the same thing for the others as well since they are all entwined together. So, those with deep connections can easily find out whether they are a gxy apart or living in the same gxy.


    So, they were making their own preparations to send their most talented members to the Path of Legend and snatch the Legendary Gxy Vestiges once someone entered the Path! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Among them was a God, a being of immense power whose ns intertwined with the fate of the Path of Legend. Its intentions remained shrouded in mystery, but one thing was certain: the stage was set for a peculiar showdown, and this time, the Path of Legend was destined to be extraordinary!


    ---


    "Bang!" A powerful knuckle suddenlynded on a young man''s face; he seemed to be in histe twenties, wearing a training outfit; the punch knocked him down, and he started coughing wildly, with blood trickling down his nostril. However, despite the young man''s coughing fit, his expression was one of a daze and uncertainty, as if he was in the wrong ce.


    "Papa! You went too hard on poor JS! Look, he''s even bleeding!" A melodious voice reprimanded the punch''s owner, who was clearly her own father. Her voice was filled with concern and worry about the young man, which startled him awake from his daze. The young man suddenly looked to the side. His eyes widened before they became slightly misty as he saw a tall, graceful figure with youthful vigor wearing a tight blue training outfit. Her short golden hair greatlyplimented her charming, fairy-like oval face. In contrast, her bright, starry blue eyes were fearless yet filled with worry about him as she quickly made her way towards him with a towel. She red at the old man with a tone built despite being in his mid-fifties with a stern face.


    However, the young man didn''t seem to notice the burly man or his surroundings. Only the young woman existed in his eyes, and he called with longing and a hint of fear as if she had vanished, "H-Hope¡­"


    But his strange way of calling her made Hope stunned, and she looked at him with disbelief. Even the old man raised his sword-like eyebrow as surprise shed past his eyes.


    The reason for his strange expressions was simple: They had never seen this young man, who was obviously Jacob, show this kind of expression. He was always stern and impassive as if he were on a mission and driven only by his goals.


    Even Hope was never able to break the ice despite giving obvious clues to the young Jacob. He actively avoided her and never bothered to respond to her in any way that made it look like he was interested in her. Maybe that was the reason she was drawn to him and wanted to uncover the mysteries hidden deep in her heart, for she was as stubborn as her father, not to mention fierce!


    It was to the point that despite the Old man''s displeasure, he didn''t voice it out and was secretly d that his tomboy of a daughter finally found something she was interested in. The other party was also his student and a capable man, but he was too¡­ Stoic.


    However, the old man never interfered, nor was he nning to, and let nature take its course. He knew the chances between his daughter and his student were slim unless she took the lead, which he knew she would once she lost her patience.


    Today was another day at training, and his daughter was here again, watching them train like always after she finished her work as quickly as possible.


    Breaking the awkward atmosphere, the old man suddenly said in a stern voice, "You got distracted just now? Are you feeling well? I know you lost that priest who was akin to your father recently, so if you need time to settle down, take a break."


    A rare hint of concern shed past the old man''s eyes as he kindly advised, "Training is not a way to escape your grief, and you have to learn everything there is to learn about Deceptive Swords Style and make it your own. Besides, I''m too old to keep up with you anymore, so you should consider my proposal again and train with Hope. She can easily match you, and it''ll be a good chance in pace."


    Jacob''s eyes widened slightly as he heard that familiar voice and turned his head around the tall old man, who gave off the aura of an unmovable mountain despite his advanced age and could still mope the floor with him if he wanted to, despite his humble words just now. He also knows that the old man was secretly trying to match him with Hope, as he always had.


    "Mr. V?"


    How could he forget about this old man, who was like the second person he considered closer to a father figure and, most of all, his mentor!


    Furthermore, when no one was there, and everyone was vying for tech, he was the first investor to support him in realizing his dream¡ªhis journey to the top of the world as the most dangerous and richest man. This is the very reason he was dubbed as the Weapon Emperor. Far more importantly, in the strangest way, he also came to be his father-inw!

 Chapter 769 Be Immortal for both of us!

    Chapter 769 Be Immortal for both of us!


    Jacob looked at Mr. V and then young Hope with disbelief before a frown appeared on his face because his memories about the Zodiac ins werepletely intact; in fact, he clearly remembered suddenly being hit by something ghastly that made his entire soul tremble before he fell into darkness.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t like he had experienced something like this before; it had happened previously. Still, it seemed too real to be just a lucid dream or illusion, yet at the same time, he felt that he didn''t belong in this ce anymore.


    At this moment, Mr. V frowned with dissatisfaction as he replied, "You''re calling me Mr. V again? I thought we were pass that long ago. Call me teacher or Viktoras unless you still consider me a stranger."


    Jacob''s mind reeled as he heard that familiar stern tone, containing a tingle of care for him: ''How long had it been since I heard Mr. V''s voice? I almost forgot about how he sounds¡­'' His eyes were filled with reminiscence and rare sadness.


    "Hmph, you had punched me so hard. If it was me, I would''ve also not acknowledged you!" Hope was already snapped out of her daze at this moment as she yfully snickered and made her way towards Jacob.


    Jacob trembled slightly as he heard her mischievous voice filled with concern, just as he remembered. When she got closer, he felt the same warm presence, which was like warm sunlight for someone who lived in eerie darkness.


    Mr. V, or Viktoras, snorted at this daughter''s jab, but he was still looking at Jacob with a faint frown, as he could feel Jacob was reacting differently than usual.


    "Are you alright, JS?" Hope crouched down to Jacob as she moved her hand with a towel to clean Jacob''s blood with a hint of anticipation in her eyes for some reason.


    However, what happened next shocked both Viktoras and Hope again as her hand paused, because unlike usual, Jacob didn''t shun away or take the towel from Hope''s hand and let her touch him and clean his blood as he looked at her with tender eyespletely opposite to his impassive re.


    Jacob then suddenly moved his hand as he gently grabbed Hope''s hand and began to get up from the ground. Hope followed suit while Jacob never broke his eye contact with those mesmerizing blue eyes, and the normally fierce and yful Hope suddenly blushed.


    "Hope, I''ve never given you what you truly deserve. You were too good for someone like me. Your love and care were wasted on me, who always ran after his ambitions and dreams. Yet you still put up with everything, no matter the circumstances.


    "W-what are you doing?" She asked, trying to calm her wildly beating heart as Jacob was still holding her hand.


    Jacob suddenly broke into a rare smile as he gently said, "I don''t know if it''s real or not; I don''t care because I know it''s not. In fact, I should thank you for making me live at this moment again and giving me a chance to meet her again, even if it''s not real.


    "Hope, I''ve never given you what you truly deserve. You were too good for someone like me. Your love and care were wasted on me, who always ran after his ambitions and dreams. Yet you still put up with everything, no matter the circumstances.


    "I guess even I refused to believe that life could give something so precious, yet I remained blind. Instead of living in the present, I me the past and work for the future. "By the time I realized what I''d been given and had taken it for granted all my life, it was toote. How I had wished to trade everything for a little more time with you. Even at the end, I wasn''t there with you. I was a fool who was searching for something that never existed while what I should''ve done to remain by your side.


    "I even tried to live on and keep your memories alive in any way possible, even if it means living like a corpse just to make your wish to never be forgotten true. Yet, I failed again and lost to death¡­" Jacob''s voice was filled with emotions as tears were flowing out of Hope''s eyes. She didn''t know why she was crying because of this nonsense, which wasn''t making any sense.


    Even the usually stern Viktoras was bbergasted by Jacob''s loony talk, yet for some reason, he felt sadness and heartache.


    But Jacob wasn''t done, as he let all those thoughts flow out deep within his heart, "But I was given another chance at life and even an opportunity to finallyplete my promise to you. I made myself believe that I was doing it for myself, but in the end, it was always for you, and our promise gave me the strength to continue on.


    "Although I don''t know if I''ll seed in the end, as long as I have a chance, even if I end up bing the Devil, I won''t stop until Iplete my promise to you. I''ll live on for you and your memories, and you''ll never be forgotten¡­"


    An undying conviction shone in his eyes as he looked at the crying face of his lover, whom he had nothing but love and gratitude for. His thirst for living forever rekindled and burned more fiercely than ever.


    "This is my promise to you and myself, I''ll be an Immortal for both of us!" Jacob''s words carried unshakable power and determination.


    As his eyes suddenly started to change, a flicker of white golden mes suddenly appeared as if he had achieved something, and whatever was restating him started to lose its effect.


    In Jacob''s eyes, Hope''s figure started to blur. Still, the smile never left his lips as he turned around and looked toward Viktoras, who was also blurry at this moment, and said, "I was too proud and maybe even shy to say this to you, and you were gone before I could muster up my courage to say this, let me say it this time. Thank you for everything you''ve done for me; without your support, there would be no Weapon Emperor, and I wouldn''t have met with the hope of my life.


    "You are and forever shall be my teacher, friend, and father-inw. Nothing can change that, and I''ll make sure of that¡­"


    Just as his words left his mouth, the entire reality seemed to be shattered like ss, but it didn''t seem over as Jacob found himself in another reality with a letter in his hand; he was old at this moment.


    As he looked at the letter, he trembled as it was filled with lovely handwriting. This moment held a very special ce in his heart, for this was the very moment his search for immortality started, the same moment when he decided to live on instead of apanying his recently dead wife. This letter was her final words to him, filled with love, longing, and eptance for her fate.


    ''It''s the poem she wrote before her death while I was squandering my time searching for a non-existent cure¡­''


    Jacob was full ofmentation and loneliness. As he read those words again, it was as if Hope was reading it to him¡­ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "For JS, the love of life:


    "As shadows creep and life begins to fade, My spirit wanes, a fragile masquerade.


    "Yet, fear not, my love, for in your heart I''ll stay, A flicker of hope, your guiding ray.


    "I''ll dwell in whispers of the wind''s soft sigh, In sunlight dancing, a mote caught in the sky.


    "Feel me in the warmth of a summer''s kiss, And in the tranquility of winter''s bliss.


    "Though flesh may wither and my spirit flees, Love''s ember burns eternally for thee.


    "In your every heartbeat, a part of me resides, A silent echo of where passion abides.


    "So grieve not dear, for I am not alone, My essence lingers, a whispered tone.


    "Within your soul, our love will find its art, And thus, my love, we''ll never be apart.


    "Together, forever, our spirits entwined, In memories cherished, peace of mind.


    "So live on bravely, with courage and with grace, And let my love fills your life''s empty space.


    "For in your heart, a part of me will be, Immortal love, just you and me.


    "So be immortal for both of us, for wherever you are, there I shall be!


    "¡­your Hope!"

 Chapter 770 Awakening and Confrontation

    Chapter 770 Awakening and Confrontation


    Within a vast, ethereal expanse filled with floating inds and celestial bodies, the sky was a kaleidoscope of colors, shifting and changing constantly. Thend beneath was filled with towering ancient trees pulsing with neon spectrum and giving off a mysterious aura.


    Furthermore, within this ancient forest, strange, otherworldly creatures roam, and some even have their own territories filled with hidden dangers and opportunities.


    At this moment, in the middle of a hill, a gigantic gray skeleton, 50 meters in length, was lying there. But it didn''t appear to be rotting or an ancient corpse, for its gray bones seemed to be carved with moonstone without any kind of dust or profanity on them.


    Furthermore, for some reason, those otherworldly creatures didn''t dare approach this skeleton and actively avoided it as if terrified of its presence.


    Suddenly, on the gray skeleton, crimson runic markings started to surface, and soon the entire skeleton was covered in them, and they were glowing in a rhythmic crimson pulse.


    But that wasn''t all. The next moment, within the hollow eye sockets of the skeleton, white sparks appeared, and the very next moment thereafter, ethereal white golden mes ignited in them as they burned fiercely!


    The skeleton suddenly moved the next moment as it started to rise from the ground, making it tremble slightly.


    "Where am I?" A confused spectral voice suddenly rang from the skeleton as the mes in its hollow eyes flickered before they turned intense as the skeleton, who was obviously Jacob, instantly remembered everything.


    Furthermore, when Jacob noticed hispletely transformed body and the hidden power within him, he was even more shocked, "Ipleted the longevity schema; how? And how did I even escape that ce and end up here?!"


    The more Jacob thought, the more confused and frightened he became because this was too strange, as he knew he wasn''t imagining things. He even thought he was in another illusion or that strange state, but he didn''t feel he was in one like before; somehow, he knew it was reality.


    Jacob quickly tried to test it since it was the only way to confirm it and get answers to his questions; this situation was simply too uncanny.


    He first looked towards his neck and found the infinity pendant was there and without hesitation, "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob tried to summon the cursed book and confirm if he wasn''t hallucinating or trapped in an illusion.


    To his relief, Cursed Immortality appeared, and without waiting, he quickly opened the cover and looked toward the first page. What he saw shocked him while also confirming that he wasn''t imagining things at all. ______


    [Cursed Immortality: Cursed Immortal Physique (Nine Phases)]


    {Current Phase: Second Phase}


    ---


    -First Phase: Body Transformation (Complete)


    -Stages of Body Transformation: Three N?v(el)B\\jnn


    -First Stage: Cursed Heart Emergence (Compete)


    -Second Stage: Cursed Blood Condensing (Complete)


    -Third Stage: Cursed Bone Marrow Amalgamation (Complete)


    -Second Phase: Cosmic Crucible Totem Skeleton


    -Stages of Second Phase: One -First Stage: Cursed Totem Skeleton ---


    -Inheritor: Jacob Steve


    -Current Phase: Second Phase (Cosmic Crucible Totem Skeleton)


    -First Stage Progress: 0% ---


    -Lifespan: 900,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____


    Jacob was gobsmacked when he saw that the first phase had beenpleted, and even more shocking; his lifespan had reached over 900,000 years somehow. He clearly remembered that thest time he checked, his lifespan was around forty thousand years, and even if he somehowpleted the first phase, he was supposed to get only 5,000 years afterpleting the longevity schema. Yet, his lifespan had reached over nine hundred thousand years, and the scariest part was he didn''t even know how. But then he suddenly thought about something.


    "Nyx?!"


    He remembered she went to the Dark Battle Arena to devour the dreamscape realm and control it. That was the only exnation he could think of. But it still didn''t make sense how he was able toplete the longevity schema.


    However, he didn''t get a reply at all, and when he tried to enter the nightmare dreamscape realm, he couldn''t, ''Is she evolving again?''


    "Morning sunshine!"


    Jacob was startled when a familiar impish, eerie voice suddenly rang in his head, "Immortika?" "Hahahahaha¡­ what a priceless reaction." Immortikaughed, clearly enjoying Jacob''s reaction.


    But Jacob wasn''t in the mood to entertain the entric book, "What the hell is going on?"


    "And here we go again." Immortika muttered before it finally decided to stop tormenting its inheritor, "Didn''t I tell you at the start that once youpleted the first phase, I will be able tomunicate with you again vocally? So, congrats, you don''t have to read anymore, hahahahaha!"


    "I wasn''t fucking asking if you can speak or not!" Jacob retorted as he started to feel like he had just released the devil from its prison and even wanted to put it back. But s, he knew it was impossible, and now he had to live with it.


    "How did Iplete the longevity schema?" It was the biggest question he wanted an answer to no matter what, and he knew that if he didn''t get it, he would never be at peace.


    "Duh, you know there is only one way this could happen. So, of course, it was me who helped you! Now, show some gratitude to your savior! Hehehe¡­" Immortika admitted it without hesitation as if it was talking about something trifled.


    But I wasn''t impressed at all. It was a massive shock, and they quickly asked, "How? You never toldme you could do something like that?"


    Jacob was always under the impression that he was in control of the progress of Cursed Immortality. But now, after hearing that Immortika could interfere and control its progress as well, he started to feel ufortable, as if he was being controlled. Immortika could manipte him if it wished.


    It changed his entire perspective of the cursed book, and he would never ept it.


    Jacob never thought that after awakening, he would instantly experience such an existential crisis that could directly affect his entire life and path to Immortality!

 Chapter 771 Bloodline of Infinity!

    Chapter 771 Bloodline of Infinity!


    "Whaoaa¡­" Immortika eximed, "Instead of thanking me, you are starting to doubt me? Tsk. It seems your paranoia is still as strong as ever."


    When Jacob heard this, he couldn''t help but instantly think about what had happened that day, and he couldn''t find any words to refute it. He had indeed fallen into a trap, and the enemy was simply too powerful for him to handle.


    This made Jacob calm down a little, as he knew Immortika had indeed saved him. Otherwise, he would''ve been a corpse or a prisoner right now, which could be worse than dying in many ways.


    Nheless, it still doesn''t change the fact that Immortika could interfere with his progress, which made him extremely ufortable. ''Even if I''m not happy with it, what can I do? Cursed Immortality is a Universal Godly Scripture that can fiddle around with the entire universe system if it wants to; I can''t fathom what it''s capable of¡­''He felt bitter as he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he couldpletely control something like Cursed Immortality.


    Furthermore,pared to those two entities he met that day, Cursed Immortality was clearly more terrifying since it would save him from them.


    Although he didn''t know how they managed to escape that day, feeling the power within, Jacob was sure that Immortika had done something terrifying and even helped him not onlyplete the longevity schema but also charged up cursed blood somehow.


    He knew all those corpses weren''t enough topletely charge the cursed blood; no, they were far from enough, yet Immortika had made it happen.


    After calming down, Jacob asked sternly, "I''m grateful and even tter that you went out of your way to save me. But it still didn''t change the fact that you can interfere if you want to, and I''m notfortable with it; no one would. Furthermore, he has always told me that I won''t do anything if I die. Then what changed it?"


    "Hehehe, no, anyone else would''ve been thanking me instead of feeling insecure, and they would''ve already started to cozy up to me, but that''s what I liked about you, you know, you just don''t want anything else to control you. You can''t ept there is someone else above you, and that''s a quality required to continue your path.


    "Still, I do owe you an exnation. First, I indeed helped you by breaking the most sacred rule of a godly scripture, and it came with a price that you had paid. As for why I saved you, isn''t it obvious? I don''t want to lose the source of my entertainment, hahahahaha!"


    Jacob felt the urge to punch the entric book when he heard thest part, and for some reason, he even epted since he knew Immortika only wanted to be entertained, but he clearly wouldn''t buy it.


    "Price that I had paid? What do you mean by that, and what kind of price?" The mes in his eyes flicker intensely as he has very bad feelings about it.


    "I can''t go into details; just know that a Universal Godly Scripture is the embodiment of Universews, which means it has the power to not only interfere but change them. However, for this exact reason, we have the most vicious restriction of all, which is that this power is useless to us. We can''t use it, and without any worthy inheritor, we are nothing but ordinary antiques. "On top of that, not just anyone can inherit a Universal Godly Scripture; you know this better than anyone else. Even after the inheritor is found, making progress in a Universal Godly Scripture is even more difficult, especially as you reach thepletion.


    "What I did was akin to going against the entire universe''sws and my own existence. And the worst punishment for me is to directly punish my inheritor. Although the punishment wasn''t extreme since those two were also breaking the universalws in many ways, it was still enough to have killed you even if I saved you.


    "So, don''t think I would ever do that for you again unless you are ready to pay with your life."


    Jacob''s expression was grave, as he could tell Immortika was unusually serious. As for whether it was telling the truth, he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he could tell that.


    Still, Immortika''s exnation made lots of sense, but it also made him dreadful of the universe''sws. But he was more confused, "So what did I pay? I''m clearly still alive, and I don''t feel anything. In fact, my lifespan had been raised to a ridiculous degree. Just what the hell did you do?"


    "Hahahaha¡­" Immortika suddenlyughed as if that conversation had never happened and answered, "Well, you see, I helped the little nightmare a little and made it directly devour the entire dreamscape soul farm, which was spread throughout the twelve lesser gxies.


    "Although it wasn''t avable to the entire gxies, it had still umted a lot of dreamscape soul power. So, when it waspletely devoured, you got 70% of that share in soul vitality.


    "At that time, since I had already helped youplete the first phase, and the genesis of the Cursed Immortal Bloodline wasplete. You need to know that the Cursed Immortal Bloodline is extremely special since only I can create it. It has another name, ''Bloodline of Infinity.''


    "This means that your cursed blood is infinite, and even if you used it all, it''ll regenerate infinitely. But since you don''t have the entire cursed immortal physique yet, you can only regenerate the cursed blood by absorbing either others'' blood or soul vitalities or by paying with your own lifespan.


    "But don''t worry. Since this regenerative process depends on your will, as long as you don''t want to use your lifespan to regenerate it, it won''t be used, and you can still use the same way of absorbing blood as before to regenerate it.


    "As for why you would use your own blood, it is simple because afterpleting the first phase, you have awakened my first inheritance ability, ''Infinity Blood Sacrifice.''


    "The Infinity Blood Sacrifice will allow you to sacrifice your blood for any type of wish. The more substantial the wish, the more infinity blood you have to pay for it to be realized. You can even consider Cursed Blood or Infinity Blood to be the highest currency of the universe, which the universe won''t reject.


    "So, the price at that time was also your infinity blood, and what you had wasn''t enough, so your lifespan started to get used to regenerate your infinity blood until the price was paid, and that''s where the little nightmare came in handy!"


    Jacob was so shocked that he didn''t even react for a while as this was simply too much for him to take in since not only the truth behind Cursed Immortal Bloodline was shocking, but this inheritance ability Infinity Blood Sacrifice was simply reality-bending.


    He can wish for anything as long as he can pay the price. The implications behind it were so huge that he thought he was in an illusion.


    Furthermore, he instantly understands where Nyx fits in all this. Immortika''s scheming abilities are simply too terrifying for him not to be awed and dreadful by them. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Suppressing his urge to test this Infinity Blood Sacrifice, he quickly asked, "So what you''re saying is that the lifespan I currently have is what remains of it after Nyx devours the entire Dark Battle Arena?"


    "Hahahahaha, indeed."


    "How much did I pay exactly?" Jacob was curious about the price one needs to pay to have a Universal Godly Scripture make a move.


    "Well, not much, only around 143,899,100 years¡­"


    Jacob thought he heard wrong, but he knew he didn''t as he blurted, "HOW MUCH?!"


    "Hahahahaha¡­!"


    Immortika burst into joyousughter like crazy as Jacob almost lost consciousness when he realized that he had lost almost 150 million of his lifespan!

 Chapter 772 Soul Stellar Formation!

    Chapter 772 Soul Ster Formation!


    Jacob didn''t know what to feel at this moment as the revtion of 150 million yearspletely caught him off guard. Inparison, almost 1,000,000 years were really nothing.


    Still, afterpleting the first phase and that strange dream, his mentality seemed to have undergone a qualitative change. He could quickly control his emotions and calm down.


    ''Since it''s the price I paid to live, then it''s worth it even if I was left with few years to live. I can quickly recover all those lost years with Nyx again. But the change of acquiring so much may note again, not to mention Immortika did something to quicken the process. If Nyx hadn''t had Immortika''s help, I''m afraid it would''ve taken too long, and now she seemed to be evolving. I should be content with what I have and thankful I''m still alive.


    ''The biggest benefit in all this is still the Infinity Blood Sacrifice ability that could allow me to make any wish as long as I can pay with my blood. Only afterpleting the first phase did the true mystery of Cursed Immortality start to show¡­''


    After weighing the pros and cons, Jacob, through the loss of millions of years of lifespan, put his head back on his head and felt relief. He also learned more about a Universal Godly Scripture.


    "So, about this ability, I can make any wish? Like if I wish to be immortal and can the price, I can be immortal right now?" Jacob questioned as he wanted to know more about this ability and the limitations of it.


    "Hehehe, greedy, aren''t we?" Immortikaughed, "But the answer to your question is yes. However, I don''t think you would be able to pay the price for it unless you sacrifice the whole universe, andst time I checked, you didn''t owe a universe.


    "So, you should focus onprehending the Immortal Chapter; remember, you haven''t even scratched the surface of cursed blood yet. Only with Immortal Chapter can you fully unravel its full mysteries and control it."


    Jacob was slightly shocked, but it wasn''t out of his expectations. He finally understood just how powerful the Infinity Blood Sacrifice was and what he needed to do to control it.


    But then Immortika suddenly asked something that made him tremble, "But I wondered if your first question after you learn about the Infinity Blood Sacrifice would be whether you can be immortal with it, while I was expecting you would ask if you could revive ''certain someone'' or not."


    Hope''s face instantly shed in his mind, and he even wanted to do it. It wasn''t like he never thought about it first, but¡­


    "It''s none of your damn business!" Jacob coldly replied, clearly not wanting to discuss this with Immortika since this matter was only his.


    "Hehe, alright, don''t need to be agitated. It''s more interesting in this way, anyway." Immortika backed down with clear amusement in its voice.


    It took Jacob a little while to suppress all those thoughts, but when he finally got to business, he looked towards his gigantic body. He noticed that his water and fire cores were missing, but he could somehow feel them within his head. Not only that, but his cursed heart also seemed to be in his skull with a hex core.


    "What is going on with cursed heart? Why is it in my head with other magic cores? And there seemed to be something else¡­"


    "Hehe, you finally noticed. You see, now that you havepleted the first phase and discarded your previous mortal shell, your entire anatomy has been changed. The biggest change is your soul is now fully revealed and bes tangible.


    "It''s in its first initial stage of Cosmic Soul Evaluation, called the Spiritual Neb. You should know that a neb is a vast cloud of gas and dust. It is often considered the birthce of stars. But in truth, it also hides the truth of the universe''s birth. However, the journey from a neb to a fully-fledged universe involves a series ofplex and awe-inspiring transformations.


    "Spiritual Neb is just the start of this journey and the first step of Soul Cosmic Evolution; this first evaluation step is called the Soul Ster Formation and has three stages. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "The first and initial stage is called the Soul Gravitational Copse. In this stage, one needs to first take control of one''s soul in a spiritual neb by mastering one''s innate elementalw. After reaching a certain proficiency in elementalw, using it, they need to control the spiritual neb, which is in a gas and dust-like state. "Thereby, have the soul gas and soul dust copse under their own gravity by introducing the elementalw in their spiritual neb until there is no soul gas and soul dust, and it transforms into Soul Ether. It''s like purifying the soul.


    "The second and intermediate stage is called the Soul Protostar Formation.In this stage, one needs to ignite their Soul Ether with higher proficiency of elementalw and their own soul vitality, then mold it to form a Soul Protostar, a dense core of Elemental Soul Ether. It is a very dangerous process, by the way, because if one doesn''t have enough elementalw control or soul vitality, they will die by eitherpletely blowing their own soul or using up their entire vitality.


    "The third and advanced stage is called the Soul Star Birth. In this stage, the nuclear fusion ignites within the Elemental Soul Protostar, marking the birth of a new and unique Soul Star. This process isplex, and it all depends on the practitioner''s elementalw, proficiency, willpower, and luck. This marks thepletion of Soul Ster Formation."


    Jacob was astounded when he heard this strange yet mystical evolution of the soul, as it was the first time he had heard it.


    "Can a soul really birth a universe? And I have to undergo this process on top of cultivating the second phase?" Jacob quickly inquired, as this would add moreplexity to his journey. He had already had his hands full with Cursed Immortality.


    "Hehehe, you see, here you are different from others. The process of Soul Ster Formation I just exined isn''t unique to you. In fact, these steps also have another name, and you are well aware of them. This is the path of Legendary Rank!


    "The Spiritual Neb is Fable Legendary State, Gravitational Copse is Legendary Noble State, the Soul Protostar Formation is Legendary Lord State, andst but not least, the Soul Star Birth is Legendary King State!"


    Jacob''s expression changed as he quickly questioned, "Wait, does that mean I''m already a Fable Legendary Rank!?"


    Immortika yfully asked, "What do you think? After all, only Legendary Rank giants would have 50 meters of height!"

 Chapter 773 Second Phase!

    Chapter 773 Second Phase!


    After Jacob had absorbed the massive disclosure, Immortika continued, "The difference between you and the others is that you don''t need to waste effort on your soul because no matter what, it is still part of your body.


    "Or do you think there is another scripture that would allow you to just focus on your body transformation, and you somehow managed to form a Spiritual Neb? The answer is there is none!


    "For others, when they formed their Spirit Bodies and Aura Bodies in the Inception Legend Body step, they need to awaken their soul in the Quasi Legend Step. The true meaning behind it is to sense the existence of your soul and then use the Aura Glyph or Spirit Glyph, which at that time should''ve spread through the entire body, and then assimte the soul into them.


    "Once this step isplete, the final step is to merge the Magic Orbits, Body, and Soul to reach the Fable Legendary State. But toplete this final step, one needs a catalyst to start the process, and you know about it, it is a Star Vestige, otherwise known as Legendary Vestige!


    "A star vestige is formed in the core of an elemental, a very rare type of filled with elementalw powers, and it''s very hard to locate because it appears just like a normal until the visage is fully formed, and it could only appear in middle gxies or higher.


    "A star vestige is very special because it contains the purest elementalws, and by assimting it with a magic core, one can sense the elementalws for a period of time andprehend their own elementalw. The older the star vestige, the purer the elementalws are in it, and the longer theprehension time.


    "That''s why it is required for a quasi-legend to use it to form their spiritual neb because it is almost impossible toprehend Zodiac ins''ws without a star vestige. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Most importantly, a star vestige also bes a shell for spiritual neb to form because physical bodies can''t contain it, and magic cores also exist within this shell atpletion, and we called this shell a Soul Totem!


    "The reason a Legendary Rank is so powerful and difficult to kill is because they can possess other bodies as long as their soul totem remains or they manage to escape. Although their power would wane, they can easily cultivate to their peak again as long as their soul totem has their souls. Although there is more to, you need to explore yourself. But this is the general truth behind a legendary rank!"


    Jacob was again astounded and finally understood the importance of a Legendary Vestige, how it fits in all of this, and why this rank was called ''Legendary.''


    ''This soul totem is simply a cheat, a method to cheat death. The bodies are just shells for legendary beings at this point. It seemed I needed to be extremely careful while dealing with a legendary being. But wait¡­''


    Jacob''s ming eyes sparkled fiercely as he quickly questioned, "I can understand that I managed to form my spiritual neb because of you, but you just said that bodies can''t contain spiritual neb without a soul totem. So, does this mean my body is my soul totem? Didn''t this mean I can''t do the same time and escape death!?"


    "Hahahaha¡­" Immortika suddenly burst into wantonughter after hearing this question, and Jacob suddenly had a very bad feeling about it. Immortika said, "I''ll leave this discussion until you look at the second phase first!"


    Jacob was startled; it hadpletely escaped his mind since he was busy confronting Immortika. He quickly looked at the second phase.


    _____


    [Second Phase of Cosmic Crucible Totem Skeleton: Cursed Totem Skeleton]


    -Cursed Totem Skeleton: 0%


    [Description: Gather Twelve Legendary Cosmic Vestiges and integrate them in the Longevity Schema Twelve Cosmic Core Points in your Skeleton in Universal Cosmic Sequences. The Universal Cosmic Sequence can''t be changed, and progress will only be made by integrating with the correct sequence!]


    -Universal Cosmic Sequence: 0/12


    -1st: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Aries Point: Located at the Cubital Joint (Right), grants Fire elemental affinity.


    -2nd: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Taurus Point: Located at the Knee Joint (Left), grants Earth elemental affinity.


    -3rd: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Gemini Point: Located at the Cervical Spine, grants Wind elemental affinity.


    -4th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Cancer Point: Located at the Sternum, grants Water elemental affinity.


    -5th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Leo Point: Located at the Sternomanubrial Junction, grants Light elemental affinity.


    -6th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Virgo Point: Located at the ipital Bone, grants Dark elemental affinity.


    -7th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Libra Point: Located at the Mandible, grants Void elemental affinity.


    -8th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Scorpio Point: Located at the Thoracic Spine, grants Life elemental affinity.


    -9th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Sagittarius Point: Located at the Lumbar Spine, pine, grants Death elemental affinity.


    -10th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Capricorn Point: Located at the Sacrum, grants Lightning/Thunder elemental affinity.


    -11th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Aquarius Point: Located at Cranial Apex, grants Space elemental affinity.


    -12th: Longevity Schema Cosmic Core Pisces Point: Located at the Frontal Eminence, grants Time elemental affinity.


    --


    -Completion of this stage will result in 1,000,000 Years of Lifespan & Cursed Immortal Totem! ______


    Jacob''s expression changed when he read the second phase, and he finally understood why Immortika was giving him all that information about soul totems and legendary rank.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t have a totem; it was just that his entire skeleton was going to be his totem, and knowing Cursed Immortality, it was anything but ordinary.


    Calming his emotions, he asked, "How is this Cursed Immortal totem different from others? And are these Twelve Legendary Cosmic Vestiges the same vestiges that I''m thinking they are?"


    "Hehehehe, let''s leave the former answer when the right timees. As for yourtter question, you guessed correctly. The Twelve Legendary Cosmic Vestiges are the same twelve vestiges hidden in the path of legend.


    "Because how could a mere star vestige be worthy of me, Cured Immortality? The Star Vestiges are the lowest kind of vestiges, and above them are Gxy Vestiges born in the core of an elemental gxy. But the rarest of them all are the Cosmic Vestiges born from twelve lesser absolute gxies!


    "Only Cosmic Vestiges born from absolute gxies are enough to give you all those affinities because they are a must-have if you want to be immortal!"


    Jacobpletely ignored Immortika''s proud tone. He knew things had taken a worse turn, which meant he needed to fight the entire twelve gxies and probably the middle gxies as well to grab those twelve vestiges if he wanted toplete this second phase.


    "What if someone else imed it?" Jacob asked, which was probably the entire reason he was feeling apprehensive at that moment.


    "Oh, if that''s what you''re worried about, then you don''t need to. Even if someone else used it, as long as you can kill that person before they reach the Legendary King State, you can retrieve the Cosmic Vestige.


    "But if you are toote, then you need to start again from scratch because the twelve cosmic vestiges are a set that has a unique Universal Cosmic Sequence.


    "If a new set appeared, it means a new Universal Cosmic Sequence, and the old one will lose its meaning. Thus, you need to gather the new set from scratch again, and it will continue until youplete the Universal Cosmic Sequence!


    "But why worry so much? After all, you just happened to be currently inside the Path of Legend!"

 Chapter 774 All the Benefits!

    Chapter 774 All the Benefits!


    Jacob''s discussion with Immortikasted quite a long as there were simply too many things to cover and too many shocks for him to take, especially the truth that he was already within the Path of Legend.


    As for how he ended up here or how it happened, he already knew it was Immortika''s doing, and the cursed book''s true abilities again shocked him. The biggest change was naturally in Cursed Immortality itself. Afterpleting the first phase, not only can Immortika now speak with him, but the previous summoning time limit was removed, which means he can now summon Cursed Immortality any time he wants, and there were no limitations on it.


    The second change was also rted to Cursed Immortality; the Infinity Pendant''s inner space had been increased from 1,000 cubic meters to 10,000 cubic meters, which was nothing but good news for Jacob.


    Furthermore, after the first phase, the Infinity Pendant also unlocked a new feature: the Infinite Time Module. The Infinite Time Module can increase or decrease the speed of time for Jacob alone or within the designated area by Jacob. As for the time limit or area radius, there is no limit!


    But the crux of the matter was that to use the Infinite Time Module, Jacob needed to fuel it with his own cursed blood!


    ording to Immortika, he can increase or decrease time by millions for himself or for the entire universe as long as he has the cursed blood to fuel it. Jacob was dumbfounded, as he never thought the infinity pendant was this powerful.


    Furthermore, since the infinity pendant was still missing aponent, the amount of cursed blood needed to fuel the infinite time module was ten times higher than its original, which made Jacob grimace.


    Nheless, this function was still extremely useful, depending on how he utilized it. He had already experienced the pros of the time eleration in the nightmare dreamscape realm.


    But it was still not reality, yet now he could do the same thing in reality and more effectively. However, he knew he couldn''t utilize this at will since it cost cursed blood, and if he wasn''t careful, his lifespan would start to decrease.


    All of a sudden, cursed blood became extremely precious for Jacob, and his lifespan became a currency. He had never expected there woulde a day when he would treat his lifespan like a currency.


    Furthermore, he started to understand why Cursed Immortality was the exclusive scripture that grants Immortality. Without it, no one could utilize cursed immortality''s true abilities. Not to mention, there were still eight entire phases left until he could grasp the entire scripture and its power.


    Nheless, Jacob knew he needed lifespan to utilize his abilities of Cursed Immortality, and Nyx became as important as his life for him. Without her, he knew he would never be able to use those abilities to their full potential.


    Once the shock of the cursed immortally settled down, Immortika revealed the next most important thing, which almost made Jacobugh with mirth, just like Immortika.


    It was the evolution of the mysterious and terrifying Fighting Giant Spirit. Since the Fighting Giant Spirit was an aspect directly connected to his soul, after his soul achieved the Spiritual Neb evolution stage, his Fighting Giant Spirit also followed suit and evolved.


    Although the Fighting Giant Spirit''s properties and benefits remained the same and only strengthened, like the aspect of Eyes of Judge, it also awoke an innate passive ability called Combat Gigantification. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Combat Gigantification will allow him to manipte his size by using the Soul Force once each time he uses this ability. By utilizing this ability, he can be as small as 1 meter and asrge as 50 meters, which is his actual height, and this limit will continue to grow with his power. The only disadvantage to Combat Gigantification was that the shorter his form, the more limited his power of Fighting Giant Spirit. But Jacob didn''t care since he was always annoyed by his height, which was simply too eye-catching in many ways.


    After all, he wasn''t always inbat, and now that he was fifty meters tall, Jacob knew he would stick out like a sore thumb, which he really wanted to avoid. The gluttony mask was his only option.


    However, Gluttony Mask also had its limitations. It didn''t allow him to use his true powers as long as he was in disguise. This was a price to pay for a perfect disguise.


    But now, with Combat Gigantification, he didn''t need to always be in disguise, and fighting giant spirit wasn''t his main source of power at all. After all, Jacob knew he could crush Quasi Legends like ants because of how powerful he had be.


    Other than the Fighting Giant Spirit, his Eyes of Judge were also strengthened, and ording to Immortika, they were now on the verge of breaking through into the Intermediate Awakening stage. As for when it was going to happen, he didn''t give any clues except that they were directly rted to his soul, and it was enough to make Jacob form his own guess. His other abilities also existed, but most of them had be useless, especially all those aspects he acquired in his early days.


    The only useful abilities he was left with were the Mortal Danger Sense from the Infant Mortal Giant and the Fluid eleration from Bloodstorming Bug, which he had with him since the very beginning.


    After sorting out everything and getting all the information from Immortika that he could for the time being, Jacob closed the cursed book. He sighed deeply while looking at the ethereal scenery around him.


    Suddenly, his ming eyespressed into two ming dots as he was focusing on something deep within, searching for a certain feeling.


    Soon, something magical happened. A vague mystical symbol suddenly appeared on Jacob''s forehead, and the next moment, Jacob''s gigantic body started to shirk in size until he was only two meters tall, and the symbol on his forehead vanished.


    Now, he was standing in a crater of his own footprint. Seeing that the Combat Gigantification worked after he followed his instincts just as Immortika told him, Jacob was ted. He finally felt like he was no longer an attention-drawing clown.


    Yet Jacob also felt a part of his power diminished after decreasing his size so much, but he was still left with about 80% of his strength, which was still too much for any quasi-legend. The next moment, clothes appeared on his skeleton body. Although they were old from the time when he wasn''t a giant, he still kept them. Not to mention, anything below legendary rank was nothing but ordinary treasure for him, so he wasn''t too bothered about them. Besides, he can always modify his unique rank clothes so it was a big deal at all.


    Looking around the hill, Jacob decided to create a small cave for himself because he still needed to do something before he started his journey in the Path of Legend!

 Chapter 775: Realizations!

    Chapter 775: Realizations!


    ?


    Jacob sat cross-legged in the newly opened cave. His ming eyes werepletely gone, leaving behind two hollow sockets.


    He was in this position for hours as he was trying to focus on his cursed heart, which had apparently merged with his spiritual neb and was currently hidden within his head.


    At this moment, suddenly, Jacob could ''see'' a spherical neb filled with ethereal neon mists surrounded by endless darkness.


    ''I seed!'' Jacob was ted as he knew this neb was none other than his own soul.


    After hisst encounter with death, Jacob seemed to have gained some kind of control over his inner self, and he could feel that the soul force had also undergone some peculiar changes. That''s why he didn''t leave to explore the path of legend; he wanted toprehend this more. Just as he thought, after focusing his soul force, he was able to track back to its origin, which was also his soul. Utilizing the Eyes of Judge, he seemed to have connected his vision with his soul force as well.


    Now, he was able to see his spiritual neb, but it wasn''t enough for Jacob, as he wanted to see the cursed heart and his magic cores'' situation. So, upon focusing on the spiritual neb, Jacob''s vision started to draw nearer and nearer until he was within the neon neb filled with countless particles. It was a very strange experience, as he could feel a sense of familiarity with those particles.


    Jacob didn''t know how deep he hade or how long it had taken him, but when he seemed to have reached the very center of the neb, he was able to see a breathtaking, spectacr scene.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He saw the inky ck cursed heart pulsing with crimson light, and within one of its lopes was the revolving hex core. But it wasn''t all as he found his Fire Core and Water Core revolving around the cursed heart-likes around its star, and then he finally noticed that it wasn''t just his two magic cores; instead, the entire neb seemed to be revolving around the cursed heart.


    Jacob found himself stuck watching this grand scene that was happening right within him. A sense of profoundness washed over him as if he wereprehending something.


    More time passed until he lost his sense of time when he suddenly snapped out of that strange state. Even what made Jacob uncertain was that he didn''t know what he had just grasped. It was like he knew, but he forgot about it the moment he gained his sense.


    At this moment, ''What is that?'' Jacob was startled when he noticed that there was something attached to his water magic core.


    It was a block of ethereal purple ice that was half absorbed into his water magic core. It was as if it was integrating with his water magic core, which shocked him since it was too strange; there was nothing like this around his fire magic core.


    Furthermore, now that he was focusing on his water core, he could actually sense something strange happening to it.


    The next moment, Jacob''s vision shifted as his empty eye sockets suddenly lit up. His vision returned to the empty cave.


    But his eyes were burning with disbelief and a hint of anticipation as he guessed something. Without waiting, Jacob raised his palm in front of him and then channeled water mana.


    The next moment, ethereal blue mana swirled on top of his palm, but unlike before, it had a hint of purple mixed in it, and he could feel a terrifying chill from it. Apparently, he had sensed this kind of chillness before.


    "Yin Ice!"


    Jacob instantly realized that the block of purple ice integrating with his water core was none other than Yin Ice, the main part of the damaged legendary treasure Yin Sky Ind. He was supposed to get it but was interfered with by Golden Constant and his goons.


    He had almost forgotten about it after he was barely able to keep his life, so he didn''t care about some treasure he failed to grab. But now, it seemed that Immortika had not only saved his life and brought him to the path of legend ahead of time, but it had even helped him with Yin Ice.


    Jacob felt even moreplicated when he realized this. He even wanted to summon the cursed book and questioned why the yin ice was so important and what its effects would be on his magic core once it was sessfully assimted.


    But he decided not to and waited until the integration process wasplete. He just didn''t want to give the cursed book the satisfaction of seeing his current state of mind. Nheless, despite his gratefulness, Jacob''s vignce was still the same, or he wouldn''t be wasting his time conforming to the changes in his body.


    After calming down, Jacob probes another hidden space within his body, the sr plexus, where Autarch is located. Thest time he checked, Autarch was still wounded.


    But when he investigated his sr plexus, Jacob was astounded because Autarch was fully recovered; even its broken body waspletely regenerated.


    Jacob''s mind raced as hemunicated with Autarch, "You recovered?"


    "Sir!" Autarch''s emotionless voice rang, "I''ve recovered some time ago, and I''m d that you are fine. I wasn''t able to reach you previously."


    "I was unconscious." Jacob stated, "For how long have you been unable to reach me?" Autarch replied without hesitation, "I don''t know the exact time, but it took me around 4 years to recover, and I instantly tried to reach you. I think 5 more years have passed since then!"


    ''I''ve been out for over nine years!?'' Jacob was in utter disbelief. For him, it seemed like only a few hours had passed, but it turned out he had been uncurious for nine years!


    Although he was still fine, he still felt surreal that he was still alive despite lying in the middle of Path of Legend for nine years!

 Chapter 776: Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (1)

    Chapter 776: Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (1)


    At this moment, Jacob''s figure in his long windbreaker shed past the ancient trees, a circr disk shimmering in ethereal light. But it wasn''t just a normal circr disk; it was made like a stylized celestialpass with zodiac symbols etched on it. One of the zodiac symbols of Taurus was glowing brightly as the curled needle on thepass pointed in a certain direction.


    This was the Legendary Key of Taurus that Jacob had found many years ago, and right now, it is finally showing its true function and usefulness.


    The moment Jacob learned that he had been in the path of legend for over nine years, his first reaction was anxiety. He thought that Immortika had opened the path of legend using its prowess, which probably meant all the paths in other lesser gxies had been opened as well.


    Although Immortika refused to say anything about the Path of Legend except that this was a ''neutral ground'' and everyone was for themselves here, he assumed the worst from the get-go.


    If the path of legend was opened for nine years for others as well, this means that others had a head start of nine years, and they might''ve already imed some Legendary Vestiges or all of them.


    However, when he took out the Legendary Key to see if he could get some clues, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the key instantly came to life the moment it appeared in the Path of Legend environment. Thepass point that was pointing towards the sky before started to point in a direction, and the symbol of Taurus glows brightly.


    Jacob presumed that since the zodiac symbol was still glowing, this could only mean one thing: the Legendary Vestige of Tarsus remains unimed. Although this didn''t give him any clues about other Legendary Vestiges, as long as this was still unimed, there was a hope that others were still in a simr potion.


    Immortika might''ve used its prowess to pull him into the path of legend ahead of time, knowing his situation, but the Path of Legend might still not be open to all gxies.


    Nheless, Jacob quickly made his preparations before leaving to follow the legendary key direction, knowing that the truth would surface when he found someone else.


    Furthermore, if the other Legendary Vestiges were still unfound, he needed to gather the other legendary keys for those vestiges since this was the easiest way to find them, and those keys would be in the hands of powerful figures.


    However, for current Jacob, as long as he doesn''t encounter a veteran fable legendary rank, he is confident in overpowering everyone in the Path of Legend.


    Furthermore, he knew he was still a rookie legendary rank who didn''t even know what he could do with all this power, especially soul force. He could tell there was far more to it than just telekinesis and spiritual pressure, especially after encountering those terrifying existences that day.


    As Jacob ventured into the ancient forest, he passed many beasts, and he could sense their prowess; they were at least in the early stage of quasi-legend rank. But they were no threat to him, and he was also not interested in them at this moment since he wanted to find the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus as quickly as possible.


    Although he knew the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus came second in the Universal Cosmic Sequence and that he wouldn''t be able to use it without acquiring the Cosmic Vestige of Aries, he still wanted to acquire it first before vying for the others since he had the legendary key for it.


    Moreover, he would also get more information on how the legendary key works and why it is relevant to acquire the other Cosmic Vestiges.


    After all, if a legendary key was a must-have to acquire the other Cosmic Vestige, then Jacob would have to find people with the corresponding keys first. But if the legendary key turned out to be irrelevant, then he just needed to find their locations, and he didn''t mind going through some disadvantages that came his way.


    But Jacob had a feeling that it was thetter case rather than the former since there were also the Star Ocean Medallions in the picture that could grant passage into the path.


    As Jacob followed the legendary key''s direction, he noticed that the surrounding trees had be denser and were growing taller and taller.


    Furthermore, the amount of mana in the air has be denser. However, he noticed something peculiar in the air at this moment; something seemed to be mixed in the air, which directly affected someone''s mind.


    ''Is it poison?'' Jacob wondered as he looked towards the towering trees.


    These trees appeared like babul trees, but their roots covered thends, and they pulsed in emerald light. Some of these trees even had vague runic patterns. Furthermore, the three with those runic patterns have golden flowers on them, which attracts others'' attention.


    When Jacob looked towards those flowers, he found strange mist emitting from them, invisible to the naked eye, and he instantly guessed that the poison in the air wasing from them.


    After his Eyes of Judge became more powerful, he was now able to see more, not just the color spectrum of particles but also more unique details about anything with magic, and he now didn''t even need to use his soul force to see those details.


    He was excited about what he would be able to do once his eyes reached the intermediate stage of their awakening. But right now, with his ming eyes, he looked just like any lich, and he knew he could use his current appearance in many ways. Moreover, the Star Watch seemed useless here as there were no signals for Star Network, which also means that there was no interference from outsiders in the Path of Legend.


    However, at this moment, Jacob suddenly stopped and stowed away the legendary key before he turned invisible, hiding behind a tree and coldly looking southeast.


    A few minutes passed like that, but Jacob remained hidden. At this moment, a silhouette of arge beast appeared. Above this beast were three people wearing ancient-style robes, which weren''t the norm in the lesser gxy of Taurus.


    Furthermore, the barbarian with a horn glowing in the middle of his forehead was holding a runic disc in his hand and closely observing it.


    He suddenly opened its mouth and said to his other twopanions, "The key traces vanished here!"


    Jacob''s eyes flickered in astonishment when he heard those unexpected words, ''They can track legendary keys!?''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 777 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (2)

    Chapter 777 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (2)


    The barbarian and hispanions, who were actually two white-tiger face orcs, looked at the barbarian with incredulous expressions.


    "Did you break the Spiritual Star Tracker, Captain?" The white tiger orc with a rune symbol below his left eye asked. The barbarian retorted, "How the hell did I break it when I didn''t even do anything? Did you see me fiddling with it on our way here?"


    "Then could it be the person with the legendary key is already out of its range?" The second orc made a guess, which was the only exnation that I could think of.


    The barbarian didn''t retort this time since he knew this Spiritual Star Tracker had a limited range. They were searching for legendary keys in this area when it reacted all of a sudden, and now the single waspletely gone, but this matter still irked him for some reason.


    "We were very close to this person, but he suddenly disappeared. The only possible exnation is that this person with the legendary key sensed our presence and used a teleportation treasure to teleport over 100,000 miles away from the Spiritual Star Tracker range. The legendary key can''t be stored in any special treasure or hidden by any means.


    "Since those bumpkins from backwater lesser gxies are not capable of possessing such treasures, it''s safe to assume that someone from ourpetitor had already gotten his hands on the legendary key. Let''s report it to the little boss!" The barbarian solemnly stated. He was about to control the bear-like beast when suddenly it trembled. The next moment, blood started to trickle down from its eyes and mouth before its massive body started to fall.


    The barbarian and hispanions were shocked as they quickly jumped off the beast andnded on the ground with incredulous expressions on their faces as they watched the beast drop to the side while its blood gushed out from its eyes and mouth uncontrobly; it was deader than dead!


    "Who?!" The barbarian was instantly rmed as a bone spear appeared in his hand, and he took his fighting stance. His two orcpanions weren''t any different.


    They all knew the path of legend was riddled with mysterious dangers, and all kinds of entities existed in this ce. This forest was also a dangerous ce filled with unknown beasts.


    At this moment, the Spiritual Star Tracker in the barbarian''s hand was suddenly enveloped by a powerful force, escaped from his grip, and slid to his left.


    Before they could react, "Very interesting¡­" A spectral voice filled with chilly coldness rang at this moment, and a mountainous pressure suddenly descended on the three.


    They were horrified to find themselvespletely immobilized under this horrifying pressure, and even their minds seemed to be affected by it. Furthermore, the barbarian instantly thought about something as he found this pressure familiar, and that realization brought him even more dread, as he didn''t dare believe it.


    ''How could this kind of existence in this part of Path of Legend!?'' He thought as he tried to remain conscious under this pressure, and he stopped himself from kneeling down. But hispanions weren''t like him. They were only able to endure for a second before they dropped to their knees while panting heavily.


    At this moment, a two-meter-tall figure wearing a dark windbreaker and a hood walked in front of them. Two dim white mes burned under the darkness of his hood, making him appear extremely eerie. After Jacob heard their little conversation, his interest in this Spiritual Star Tracker was piqued. When he saw them about to leave, he had no choice but to make them stay. It was also an opportunity to test his advanced prowess.


    When he tried to use his blood maniption on that quasi-legend beast, he was surprised when he found there was very little resistance, unlike before when he could only manipte the blood of an ordinary, unique rank.


    So, without hesitation, he directly changed the flow of the beast''s blood and made him die without even touching it, and the beast was simply unable to resist his control over its own blood.


    He could''ve done the same thing with these three, but then he decided to test his soul force, and the results were right in front of him. They werepletely immobilized under the pressure of his soul force, and he wasn''t even releasing it up to 100% yet.


    He could guess that if he had used 100% of his soul force pressure on them, they would''ve turned into blood paste. Nheless, Jacob was extremely content with this small test and had some idea of where he stood with his current prowess.


    The barbarian felt a chill running down his spine when he saw the hooded figure stop in front of them, and he wanted to plead for his life, but the pressure was simply too great that he couldn''t even open his mouth.


    Jacob also didn''t intend to ask them any questions; he simply issued amand, "He''s yours." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The barbarian was startled, and the next moment, a tiny dark creature appeared beside his ear before it bolted into his head; he had no idea his death was already inevitable.


    Jacob then looked towards those two orcs and decided to try something since it would take some time for Autarch to finish off the quasi-legend rank barbarian. Jacob focused on one of the orcs, and his ming eyes flicked, and the next moment, the orc''s head suddenly blew up like a balloon, creating a bloody scene. Not only that, the orc''s blood wasn''t sshed but condensed in a glob before all of his blood was out of his body, and his headless corpse looked like a dry tree branch.


    While the barbarian and remaining orc were trembling in despair, Jacob was ted because he didn''t use his blood maniption at this moment; he did all of this with his soul force!


    It wasn''t like he never tried to do the same thing before, but he was limited by the amount of soul force he had previously. But now, his soul force was like a vastkepared to his previous soul force, which was like a small cup.


    Furthermore, he could feel that his control over his soul was far more precise and efficient now because of his spiritual neb. Jacob also discovered another reason for his overwhelming control over his soul force which was none other than his Cursed Heart!


    Comment


    After Jacob heard their little conversation, his interest in this Spiritual Star Tracker was piqued. When he saw them about to leave, he had no choice but to make them stay. It was also an opportunity to test his advanced prowess.


    When he tried to use his blood maniption on that quasi-legend beast, he was surprised when he found there was very little resistance, unlike before when he could only manipte the blood of an ordinary, unique rank.


    So, without hesitation, he directly changed the flow of the beast''s blood and made him die without even touching it, and the beast was simply unable to resist his control over its own blood.


    He could''ve done the same thing with these three, but then he decided to test his soul force, and the results were right in front of him. They werepletely immobilized under the pressure of his soul force, and he wasn''t even releasing it up to 100% yet.


    He could guess that if he had used 100% of his soul force pressure on them, they would''ve turned into blood paste. Nheless, Jacob was extremely content with this small test and had some idea of where he stood with his current prowess.


    The barbarian felt a chill running down his spine when he saw the hooded figure stop in front of them, and he wanted to plead for his life, but the pressure was simply too great that he couldn''t even open his mouth.


    Jacob also didn''t intend to ask them any questions; he simply issued amand, "He''s yours."


    The barbarian was startled, and the next moment, a tiny dark creature appeared beside his ear before it bolted into his head; he had no idea his death was already inevitable.


    Jacob then looked towards those two orcs and decided to try something since it would take some time for Autarch to finish off the quasi-legend rank barbarian. Jacob focused on one of the orcs, and his ming eyes flicked, and the next moment, the orc''s head suddenly blew up like a balloon, creating a bloody scene. Not only that, the orc''s blood wasn''t sshed but condensed in a glob before all of his blood was out of his body, and his headless corpse looked like a dry tree branch.


    While the barbarian and remaining orc were trembling in despair, Jacob was ted because he didn''t use his blood maniption at this moment; he did all of this with his soul force!


    It wasn''t like he never tried to do the same thing before, but he was limited by the amount of soul force he had previously. But now, his soul force was like a vastkepared to his previous soul force, which was like a small cup.


    Furthermore, he could feel that his control over his soul was far more precise and efficient now because of his spiritual neb. Jacob also discovered another reason for his overwhelming control over his soul force which was none other than his Cursed Heart!

 Chapter 778 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (3)

    Chapter 778 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (3)


    Jacob continued his journey towards the unknown while following the direction of the legendary key.


    However, most of Jacob''s focus was on the information that he received from Autarch after he possessed the barbarian''s body.


    It turned out that the Path of Legend was opened over seven months ago for all the lesser gxies. Since almost all the high-ranking figures of the lesser gxies belonged to the three absolute factions, their loyal subordinates informed the higher-ups in the Middle Gxies using secret methods privy to these factions.


    Jacob wasn''t surprised that the absolute factions existed in the middle gxies. He already knew that these three factions represented the main forces of the zodiac ins, so their roots were extremely deep.


    But what surprised Jacob was that the three absolute factions were even more terrifying in the middle gxies, and unlike the roughnecks in the lesser gxies, they were extremely united.


    The barbarian and his twopanions also belonged to the middle gxies, and they came here by earning a slot in the entourage of Zodiac Universal Bank through some extremely fierce selection back in the middle gxies.


    Furthermore, they weren''t the only ones, and they only represent the Zodiac Universal Bank of the middle gxy of Gemini. There was also another entourage of eleven gxies belonging to the Universal Zodiac Bank, and they were allpeting with each other and other powers to acquire the Cosmic Vestiges for the descendants of Legendary Kings! ording to the barbarian''s memories, Legendary Kings were known as ''Gxy Kings'' in the lesser gxies, and they were the highest esteemed figures of the middle gxies, each controlling tens ofs! Yes,s!


    The middle gxies or legendary/middle ins were entirely different from the lesser ins and extremely mystical. This revtion shocked Jacob, and he looked forward to stepping into this ce and witnessing it himself.


    Anyhow, the people from the middle gxies coulde to this ce because a group of Legendary Kings from each faction performed some secret ceremony and opened a path for them. The exact method was only known to them and a well-guarded secret.


    The Spiritual Star Tracker was also given to their groups to seek out legendary keys because it was the easiest way to track down cosmic vestiges and held a unique advantage over those who didn''t have one, just as Jacob earlier conjectured.


    What advantage they held was only known to the leaders of these teams, and people like the barbarian were only here to earn the merits and favor of these scions of these powers.


    They were also under a powerful contract known as the ''Zodiac Soul Contract.'' To ensure they won''t betray those scions or hide any information.


    That''s why they were given those Spiritual Star Trackers, which were normally in the hands of these powers. They can also track Legendary Vestiges in the middle gxies.


    Since Jacob knew about the ranks of these legendary vestiges, he knew these trackers worked on any rank of legendary vestige. This answered another question about how those middle gxies seek out legendary vestiges.


    Furthermore, the barbarian and orcs seemed to have no idea about the legendary vestige ranks. They only knew that the twelve legendary vestiges that the Legendary Kings'' descendants wanted were slightly special and superior to the legendary vestiges found in the middle gxies.


    After all, using the merits earned here, they can exchange an ordinary legendary vestige, especially if they find the locations of legendary keys. They can even im multiple legendary vestiges from Legendary Kings with enough merits.


    That''s what motivates these people to risk their lives for those scions and fight each other to earn merits. As for taking these twelve legendary vestiges for themselves, they didn''t even think about it since they would earn a Legendary King as their enemy, and they can''t do it even if they want with the zodiac soul contracts in ce.


    The people of lesser gxies were ordered to either kill or enve them if they held some value. Only those with absolute loyalty could join their groups and have any chance of entering the middle gxies. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The attitude of the middle gxies towards the lesser gxies was extremely disdainful. They all consider them farm animals, which they could raise or put down as they wished.


    Jacob didn''t feel anything about it because he knew that for people in power, the ordinary people were nothing, and any threat would be nipped in the bud. He had experienced it personally.


    There was even more shocking information about the legendary ins, which would be useful once he entered the middle gxies.


    For now, Jacob knew he had to focus on acquiring the legendary vestige of Taurus first before moving on to collect the other vestiges. He was also relieved to know that no one had acquired any legendary vestige yet, as those people from the lesser gxies were scattered in the path of legend, and it was extremely hard to search for them.


    But this didn''t mean everyone had a simr mindset as him. Some loyalists were in possession of legendary keys, and once they found their masters, they would hand them over without any resistance. People like him, with their own goals, were scant, and he didn''t know if they had acquired any legendary keys and were able to hold on to them like him.


    Nheless, Jacob''s goal for now was the Legendary Vestige of Taurus. As he went deep into the forest, the surrounding scenery started to change.


    At this point, Jacob slowed down because he saw the trees ahead werepletely different from his surroundings. They were dark, and there wasn''t any light passing through them as if those trees absorbed any trace of light, and the path ahead was pitch ck!


    Jacob mused that it was probably another wonder of the Path of Legend and the legendary key was also pointed in that dark forest direction. He didn''t feel any danger from it, but he was still careful as he slowly entered the pitch-ck darkness and vanished!

 Chapter ?779 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (4)

    Chapter ?779 Towards the Cosmic Vestige of Taurus! (4)


    The pitch-ck darkness didn''t affect Jacob''s vision, as he could clearly see everything. However, as he went deeper, Jacob felt the gravity in this ce bing stronger, and a strange mist filled with a potent toxin appeared.


    Yet Jacob''s footsteps never came to a halt until he saw a sh of enteral light suddenly bolting past him. He instantly stopped and looked around, and his golden white me eyes started to turn golden entirely.


    ''What are those?'' Jacob was surprised to see many white blobs of different sizes hiding in the dark trees'' crowns, and ck particles were emitting from them.


    Furthermore, upon observing them, Jacob saw that those white blobs were moving and that more were gathering around him. ''Are they some living creatures?'' Jacob wondered, but since he didn''t feel any danger from them, he decided to ignore them and start moving again, this time using his full speed.


    Jacob almost became a streak when he moved at his current full speed, and he could cover miles within a second, almost like teleportation. His physical prowess was simply too shocking afterpleting the second phase, and he was still not using his entire power and abilities.


    But what surprised Jacob was that those white blobs were keeping up with him and following him like the gue, and more and more were gathering as he moved deeper into this strange forest.


    At this moment, Jacob noticed that wavelengths of the dark particles around those blobs were trembling as if they were agitating and restless the deeper they went and followed the legendary key. After some time passed, he noticed those small blobs suddenly started to congregate and merge together, incorporating into the massive, ethereal white entity.


    Even without the Eyes of Judge, he was able to see a white ethereal cloud gathering in the sky. At this moment, Jacob finally felt a powerful soul force gathering within this incorporated mass.


    Although it wasn''t dangerous, this thing, whatever it was, was following him relentlessly, and he couldn''t shake it off.


    Jacob decided to summon Immortika before he suffered from his own arrogance, and this thing became truly dangerous. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What is that thing?"


    "Oh, they are the Ghost Residues of Burmis Ghost Trees around you. They usually eat on people''s emotions sneakily without the victim even realizing it until they turn into empty husks, and only people with special visions can see them. powerful souls are the only way to counter them.


    "But you are now immune to these tricks. Yet your soul signature is unique, and since you don''t know how to keep it hidden yet, those Ghost Residues will see you as an extremely rare delicacy. They are even willing to incorporate with each other to feed on your soul, which is a very rare behavior in Burmis Ghost Trees. You can say you have hungry ghosts after you, hehehe¡­"


    Jacob simply ignored thest part, and he became serious as he watched that massive cloud of Ghost Residues continue to grow, and the strange soul force they were releasing was bing stronger.


    "Are they any threat, and how should I deal with them? How do you kill a ghost?"


    "They are indeed a threat if you let them continue to grow. This ce has millions of Burmis Ghost Trees, and they have also started to notice you. But the time required until they be a true threat to you is still quite far. As for how to deal with them, didn''t I say only powerful souls are capable of handling them? But the matter of regretting killing the Ghost Race is entirely different, and we''ll talk about it when you encounter that species of Dark Being. Nevertheless, It''ll be quite entertaining, hahaha¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes flickered continuously when he heard Immortika''s exnation, and he was little revealed, knowing that they required time to be a threat to him. But he was still quite shocked, knowing that this kind of tree could be a threat to even a fabled legendary state ranker.


    After thinking about it, Jacob decided not to take action and continued forward. He knew that even if he used his soul force to get rid of those Ghost Residues, there would be more and more, which would only dy him further. After all, killing millions of Ghost Residues didn''t sound like a simple process, and he was not willing to tire himself out.


    Just like that, the white cloud relentlessly followed Jacob as he followed the direction of the legendary key. Jacob could feel the gravity bing stronger while the cloud of Ghost Residues also tried to inflict its soul force on him, but both were useless in slowing him down. At this moment, Jacob noticed something ahead while the legendary key in his hand glowed even brighter. A few miles ahead of him was a structure illuminated under a starry light, and the cloud of Ghost Residues behind him suddenly stopped following him as well!


    Jacob was surprised when he noticed the soul force on him suddenly vanished, and the cloud of Ghost Residues behind him instantly retreated as if they had encountered a terrible enemy. They were clearly very afraid of that struck in starry light.


    This action of Ghost Residues also made Jacob vignt. He slowed his speed as he approached the clearly ahead.


    Looking at the brightly lit legendary key, Jacob mused, ''Could it be I reached the ce where the cosmic vestige is located?''


    This was the only exnation he could think of, but he didn''t move hastily. When he reached the clearing, he looked around for any danger, but there was nothing there, and his eyes did not show him anything out of the ordinary except that starry light.


    Jacob finally looked towards the structure under the starry light. It was a high tower reaching all the way to the neon sky. Its walls were emerald, and under the starry light, they seemed to glow like a starry sky.


    Furthermore, there was only a single entrance, a massive ck arc door, and Jacob instantly noticed the glowing symbol at the top of this door. It was the symbol of the Taurus Constetion, matching the symbol glowing intently in the legendary key.


    Jacob knew he had reached his destination!

 Chapter 780 Demigods and Gods!

    Chapter 780 Demigods and Gods!


    Jacob slowly approached the gigantic gate of the monolithic tower. He felt an arcane aura emitting from it, and the legendary key in his hand glowed brighter. Although he didn''t know if this was dangerous, he didn''t get any such feeling from this tower except for the powerful gravitational force, which seemed 500 times stronger than what he had experienced in the forest. But it was still not enough to cause trouble for Jacob.


    Suddenly, just when he was ten meters away from the door, an ethereal voice suddenly rang, "The Tower of Taurus wees you, trialist!"


    Jacob was startled when he heard this ethereal voice which seemed to being from the Taurus symbol above the door.


    At this moment, thepass, like a legendary key, suddenly hummed and released a powerful emerald light before Jacob could react.


    It suddenly seemed to resonate with the Taurus symbol on the door, as the symbol started to revolve, and that voice suddenly sounded again. "The Tower detects the Legendary Key of Taurus!


    "You are given three one-time options!


    "First, you can use the Legendary Key of Taurus and directly pass the first four trials of the Tower of Taurus and take the remaining three trials at ''Star Warrior'' difficulty. Failure penalty is loss of Legendary Key, and you will only have three more chances to enter the Tower again and take the unprivileged trials. The reward will be the Legendary Vestige of Taurus! "Second, you can use the Legendary Key of Taurus to exchange for three lifelines, which means even if you die within the tower, you''ll revive at the same point until your lifelines run out. You will also have the privilege to pass the first two trials of the Tower of Taurus. But you must pass the remaining five trials at ''Star Master'' difficulty. Failure penalty is loss of Legendary Key, and you will only have two more chances to enter the Tower again and take the unprivileged trials. The rewards will be the Legendary Vestige of Taurus and a Legendary Lord State Domain Spell suitable for you!


    "Third, you can use the Legendary Key to instigate the ''Star King'' difficulty level tower trial. But be warned, you have to clear all the trials without any lifelines, and the failure penalty is a certain death! The rewards will be the Legendary Vestige of Taurus, a Legendary King State Legacy or treasure of your choice, and an Ascension Permit!


    "You may choose now!"


    Jacob was shocked when he heard those three choices. He didn''t expect the legendary key to have this kind of function. He always wondered what kind of advantage the legendary key had over those with only medallions. Now he knew why those arrogant guys from the middle gxies were searching for legendary keys like bloody hounds, and even the legendary kings were willing to pay some unknown price to send their descendants here.


    If those people really knew about the presence of the third option, then it all made sense to Jacob. However, he was still confused about what this Ascension Permit was. Since it was the reward for passing the most difficult trial with a Legendary King rank legacy or treasure, he knew it must be unimaginably extraordinary. But just the allure of a Legendary King rank legacy or treasure was enough to tempt even Jacob. After all, he had seen what the broken legendary treasure Yin Sky Ind could do, so what would aplete treasure be capable of?


    Furthermore, it would also be his most powerful trump card once he entered the middle gxies.


    But Jacob didn''t let greed cloud his judgment. Instead, he asked Immortika, "What do you think? Do you know what this Ascension Permit is?" "Hehehehe, well, it''s not a big deal to reveal it to you know. You see, the Legendary ins or Middle Gxies is known as another name among the people, the Demigod Realm. You should know what this implies, the Legendary Rank in a sense and certainly the Rank of a Demigod! So, what came after the Demigod?" Jacob''s expression changed as his mind reeled when he heard this unknown yet startling fact, and he instantly made a terrifying assumption.


    He quickly replied, "If Legendary Rank is the rank of Demigod, then the next rank should be God! Could it be that this Ascension Permit is rted to Godhood?"


    "Hahahaha¡­ the next rank after Legendary Rank is the Mythical Rank, also the rank of Gods, and since the middle gxies are the realm of Demigods, the Upper Gxies are the Realm of Gods. But it''s still quite far away from you, so I''ll leave the details of Mythical Rank once you reach it ore closer to it.


    "All you need to know is that just like you need the Path of Legend to enter the middle gxies, to enter the Upper Gxies, you also need to either cross the Universal Void, the space between the lesser gxies known as the Star Ocean Boundary or seek out the Mythical Ascension Bridge.


    "And just like the Path of Legend, the Mythical Ascension Bridge also required a particr pass like the legendary keys or star ocean medallion to enter, and that pass is the Ascensions Permit, and they are the only way to enter the Mythical Ascension Bridge.


    "Furthermore, these Ascension Permits only exist in the Path of Legend''s cosmic vestige trials. Acquiring them is even more difficult, and the participants have only a single chance. If they fail, they will lose not only their lives but also the legendary keys and the chance to open the trial for the Ascension Permits. "So, now you can imagine how desperate those Legendary Kings have to be; they neutered their own descents with everything they had just so they could acquire this permit and ascend to Godhood, and let me tell you, they would never give up, and do this process again and again until they acquired it even if its means to sacrifice their entire bloodline. Isn''t it ironic yet amusing at the same time, hahahahaha!"


    Under Immortika''s maniacalughter, Jacob''s eyes burned with intense heat. He felt his blood bolding as he looked towards the Tower of Taurus. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    At this moment, Jacob had already made his decision!

 Chapter 781 The Tower of Taurus (1)

    Chapter 781 The Tower of Taurus (1)


    "I choose the third option!" Jacob dered without hesitation.


    Although he knew the third option would result in the death penalty, he was also confident in himself. After all, no one with his current prowess had taken this trial, and this was his biggest advantage.


    Even if there were even harsher penalties, Jacob would''ve done the same thing since he wanted to acquire the Ascension Permit, or who knows when he gets such a chance. Just like the Legendary Key, the Ascension Permit was equally important if he wanted to continue his journey. Furthermore, he knew Immortika also told him about the Ascension Permit because Immortika knew if he didn''t find this Ascension Permit worth it, he might not select this option at all.


    At this moment, the voice from the Tower of Taurus responded to his choice, and the Legendary Key suddenly released a strong light. Jacob felt a powerful pulling force, and he let go of the key.


    The next moment, the key turned into an emerald light and bolted towards the symbol above the door before vanishing within.


    "You have used the Legendary Key to instigate the ''Star King'' difficulty level Tower Trial!


    "The Star King Tower Trial of Taurus has been opened!"


    The very next moment, the closed door started to pull inwardly, revealing a pitch-ck opening. Even Jacob couldn''t see anything, which surprised him.


    But since he had already decided, he entered without hesitation and vanished into the darkness before the door instantly closed. The starry light on the tower dimmed down, and only the symbol of Taurus continued to shimmer in mystical light.


    The moment Jacob entered the darkness, which seemed absolute, a void that seemed to swallow all light, Jacob''s senses strained against the emptiness, but his enhanced vision pierced through the veil.


    The air was thick with an unseen pressure, and as he ventured deeper, the pull of gravity grew stronger, each step a battle against an invisible force.


    Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared in the distance like a beacon in the abyss. As he approached, the light transformed into a sprawling forest, its trees towering into the unknown and exotic flora, creating a serene atmosphere.


    Jacob was astounded. He wasn''t expecting something like this in a structure; it was like he had entered another dimension. Yet Jacob sensed something was amiss. The foliage pulsed with an unnatural energy, and dark tendrils seemed to writhe beneath the surface.


    Jacob''s eyes started to flicker in golden light, and he instantly knew that this tranquility was deceptive. This serene atmosphere disappears under Jacob''s eyes as many strange symbols are hidden within the foliage, and if the entrant fails to see through those illusions, they will be in a world of trouble and pain.


    At this moment, something unexpected happened; the Cursed Immortality''s page suddenly turned, and words started to appear on it.


    "Tower of Taurus Level One: The Verdant Vestibule


    "Challenge: Navigate through the treacherous terrain without triggering the hidden traps!"


    Jacob was startled when he read those words, as he clearly remembered it was the same thing that happened every time he entered a in trial. The Cursed Immortality always revealed what needed to be done to clear a in trial, and it seemed the same was true for this Tower trial. "Is this ce like the in Trials?" Jacob quickly asked Immortika, as this was the only exnation he could think of. But unexpectedly, Immortika didn''t reply and wentpletely silent as Jacob looked confusedly at the cursed book in front of him. He knew the cursed book would never miss a chance to preach its twisted beliefs. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jacob called again, but he met withplete silence. Then Jacob suddenly thought about something, ''Immortika can''t appear in a in trial and always vanished. Could it be the same thing here? But the difference is that I can now keep cursed immortality out while only Immortika is restricted. Are these changes because of the first phase or because of the tower?''


    Although Jacob didn''t know how much he guessed right, with the current information he had, this was the only possible exnation he could think of.


    Nheless, he was more than happy not to hear that annoying, eerie voice. Furthermore, if Cursed Immortality could easily see through these trials and provide him with guidance, these trials would be a breeze for him.


    So, without hesitation, he closed the cursed book and started making his way towards the path ahead. Although all he had to do was navigate through this terrain filled with traps, it wasn''t as simple as it sounds.


    First, he can''t be injured or trigger any traps, or the trial will fail directly, and he knows the consequence will be death. Second, if he didn''t have the judge''s eyes, this trial would be even more troublesome for him, and he mightn''t even be able to clear it.


    Without a doubt, this trial was extremely difficult, and it wasn''t about fighting but about wits. If Jacob only thought that he would ughter his way out of this ce, now he knew might wasn''t always the answer.


    As Jacob looked towards the towering trees, he found they were filled with hidden symbols, shimmering in crimson runes. He could see dark particles emitting from them. The dark particles always represented dangerous things, so he knew he couldn''t step over them.


    But what made him solemn was even the trees were filled with these symbols.


    However, Jacob quickly discovered another school of symbols, which were green. White particles were emitting from them, and they were making strange patterns among the crimson symbols.


    Other than those two symbols, he found nothing else, and he instantly knew what he had to do to trek this ce. Jacob was standing on a green symbol that covered a mile-radius area, which meant he had to follow these green symbols and trek out of this ce!


    Nheless, Jacob was still shocked to learn just how difficult this tower level was, and this was only the beginning!

 Chapter 782 The Tower of Taurus (2)

    Chapter 782 The Tower of Taurus (2)


    Jacob moved forward cautiously, his senses on high alert. He thought those symbols were the only challenge at this level, but he was soon proven wrong.


    When he was on his third green symbol, which was only three meters in diameter. The next symbol was on the tree branch, and its space was only enough to ce a single step and lead all the way toward the other tree branches.


    He started to wonder if anyone could pass this challenge without his Eyes of Judge. He discovered that those runes were actually like the magic runes he was familiar with, and only a peak rune artificer could calcte the path through this ce. Even then, it would take extremely long to find the correct runes, and there were high chances of making a mistake, which meant death!


    So, this challenge wasn''t only about fighting or finding a way but also about the test of one magic knowledge. ''Should I try using that disc? But what if it''s backfire? After all, I don''t think this trial would allow such a loophole like a flying treasure¡­'' Jacob thought about using the golden discs he had gathered after killing all those assassins from the ATLAS.


    But upon thinking about it, he didn''t take the risk since he was capable of moving forward as long as his movements were wless and precise. After analyzing the path forward, Jacob leaped towards the tree branch, which was around thirty meters away from him and four meters high, not to mention him, but even a quasi-legend could make this jump easily.


    But the moment Jacob stepped on the green symbol on the branch, the ground beneath his feet seemed to shift all a sudden, revealing hidden pits filled with sharp spikes glowing in menacing red light.


    Jacob''s mind reeled as he knew things were turning hectic. He quickly jumped towards the next symbol, and at this moment, those glowing spikes started to shoot in his direction, and their speed was insanely quick.


    Jacob thought he had triggered some kind of trap, but since nothing happened, he knew it was part of the challenge and sighed in relief. Without hesitation, he dodged and weaved, his movements fluid and precise as he jumped from tree to tree while dodging those spikes.


    With each passing moment, his confidence grew. The challenges, while formidable, were not insurmountable.


    At this moment, Jacob saw creatures suddenly materialize from the shadows of trees, their forms shifting and changing. But Jacob was ready. His enhanced senses allowed him to perceive the world in a way that others couldn''t. He could see the faintest disturbances in the air and the subtle shifts in the earth, and he knew those creatures were only illusionary.


    But their auras could shake even a quasi-legend, yet they were unable to institute any fear in him, as his movements never stopped while they chased after him. Now, he understood why this ce was called treacherous terrain.


    An unknown amount of time passed, and as he delved deeper into the forest while trekking in those green symbols and avoiding those traps and creatures, the trees began to change. They grew taller, their branches more gnarled and twisted. Strange, bioluminescent fungi clung to their trunks, casting an eerie glow. The ground became more uneven, with deep chasms and treacherous slopes.


    Suddenly, a colossal tree appeared before him, its roots delving deep into the earth. It was unlike any tree Jacob had ever seen. Its bark was a metallic gray, and strange symbols were etched into its trunk. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    But Jacob''s ming eyes contracted when he noticed somethingpletely unusual, at the base of the tree, a hidden door shimmered with an otherworldly light.


    ''Is that it?'' Jacob mused with anticipation.


    Although this colossal tree looked eerie, he saw that the surrounding area had no symbol at all. After hesitating for a moment, Jacobnded in this area, and to his relief, nothing happened. Jacob then looked back and was astounded to find that the illusionary creatures and traps had vanished without a trace, and the forest looked ordinary. ''Heh, I guess this is it!''


    Jacob approached the hidden door cautiously; his senses were at an all-time high. This was undoubtedly a significant point in the trial. After making sure there was nothing strange, he reached out to touch the door. The next moment, a faint hum rang, and it opened with a soft click, revealing a descending staircase behind!


    ''Is this path to the next trial or some other part of this level?'' Jacob mused, and with a deep breath, Jacob stepped into the darkness.


    As he moved forward, the air grew colder, and a faint hum filled his ears. He was probably descending deeper into the heart of something.


    At this moment, Jacob saw an ethereal glow ahead; it was a barrier!


    After carefully analyzing it, he moved forward, and the barrier didn''t stop him at all. Furthermore, he had already summoned cursed immortality.


    The moment Jacob stepped through the ethereal barrier, he was enveloped in a world of stone. Towering walls of gray granite stretched into the darkness, their surfaces etched with intricate carvings that seemed to shift and change with every blink. The air was heavy with the scent of stone and earth, and an eerie silence hung over thebyrinth.


    At this moment, the words on cursed immortality changed.


    "Level Two: The Stone Labyrinth


    "Challenge: Find the correct path through thebyrinth while avoiding deadly traps and puzzles!"


    ''It''s really the second level!'' Jacob breathed a sigh of relief when cursed immortality confirmed his conjecture as he observed the second level. He didn''t find any of those symbols on the ground or those stone walls.


    After observing for a while, Jacob noticed many things. This seemed like a maze of stone corridors. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings depicting unknown history. The path constantly shifted every five minutes, making it difficult to retrace one''s steps.


    Jacob also discovered some clues to trek this maze. He found that sporadically, a tiny glowing symbol would appear among the carvings of a stone wall. Furthermore, after carefully analyzing this symbol, he discovered it was a word meaning ''Left,'' and it wasn''t the only character; another character, which means ''Right,'' also appeared.


    Jacob instantly knew what he needed to do now as he was ready to pass this Stone Labyrinth!

 Chapter 783 The Tower of Taurus (3)

    Chapter 783 The Tower of Taurus (3)


    Jacob''s feet sank into the cool stone floor as he walked, each step echoing through the cavernous space. The walls were adorned with strange symbols, and the air was thick with an oppressive silence. Jacob moved cautiously, his senses on high alert. Every shadow seemed to conceal a potential threat.


    The carvings were more than just decoration; they showed clues to the path forward, and Jacob didn''t dare miss any.


    Furthermore, he noticed that the path without any of those hidden symbols was riddled with strange traps, and he didn''t dare step inside to experience them. Moreover, this time, there wasn''t a condition like ''not to trigger any traps,'' so he was more at ease, but still, he didn''t dare belittle this ce.


    As Jacob ventured deeper into thebyrinth, the entire structure suddenly trembled. The next moment, the walls began to close in, the pressure mounting.


    Jacob was startled and quickly picked up his speed. The path twisted and turned as he searched for those symbols, but to his shock, there were none as he was busy escaping getting crushed by those walls. Although it was still debatable if they could really crush him, he didn''t want to stay and find out. The path was leading him in circles. Dead ends appeared and disappeared, and the carvings on the walls seemed to mock him with their cryptic messages.


    At this moment, Jacob didn''t care about a series of deadly traps hidden within thebyrinth. As he stopped in these corridors with traps he experienced, pressure tes triggered hidden glowing spikes, illusionary walls concealed bottomless pits, and darts shot from unseen apertures. Jacob had to rely on his Eyes of Judge, enhanced senses, and quick reflexes to avoid falling victim to these treacherous deceptions.


    At this point, Jacob finally saw the symbol he was searching for as his body twisted, and the next moment, he finally got out of that strange part of the maze.


    In front of him, thebyrinth now stretched out before him, a maze of twisting corridors and dead ends appeared.


    He followed the unique symbols carefully, his path a winding ribbon through the stonebyrinth.


    In this part of thebyrinth, he found crimson symbols appearing and marking areas of danger, their glow intensifying as he approached. Some of these areas contained hidden traps, and others were even guarded by illusionary creatures.


    Jacob''s expression changed when thebyrinth suddenly trembled violently again, and he knew something strange wasing again.


    At this moment, Jacob suddenly felt the temperature rise, and he heard the wind whistling. He quickly looked up, and he was shocked when he saw four burning rocks falling towards him!


    Jacob''s agility and reflexes were put to the test again, he quickly dodged the falling burning rocks.


    Just when he moved to the next corridor, the walls suddenly turned bright, and magic sts shot towards him while those strange creatures were charging at him at ridiculous speed!


    He quickly evaded those magic sts and outmaneuvered the illusory creatures. His mind raced, calcting his next move, while his body reacted instinctively.


    Hours passed as Jacob navigated thebyrinth, and even he started to feel somewhat tired. The challenges grew increasinglyplex. He encountered puzzles that tested his intelligence, traps that demanded quick reflexes, and creatures that pushed him. It was far more taxing than fighting.


    The puzzles were quickly solved with the help of his Eyes of Judge, for they were merely patterns hidden within the walls, and his eyes could see through all lies and deceptions. Furthermore, those puzzles were not overlyplex or required searching other areas to find clues, or maybe that''s the case for him.


    Every time he solved a puzzle, new pathways opened, and he carefully moved forward.


    At this moment, Jacob appeared in a long corridor. Finally, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the corridor, which was quite strange in this gloomy atmosphere. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    As he approached, the light grew brighter, and the entire scenery suddenly shifted. He found himself in apletely new environment, and he knew it wasn''t an illusion.


    Around Jacob was a massive, cavernous space filled with jagged rocks and moltenva.


    The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, and the ground trembled beneath his feet. The walls were lined with forges, and in the center of the room, a colossal forge pulsed with an intense heat.


    Furthermore, raw materials floated in the air, enveloped in an enteral bubble. Jacob was astounded when he saw this strange ce, and he knew this was another strange test.


    Jacob took a deep breath, his mind racing. He had survived thebyrinth and appeared in the next level.


    To confirm it, he quickly opened Cursed Immortality, and just as he suspected, the new words appeared in the book.


    "Level Three: The Earthen Forger


    "Challenge: Create an Earth Element Affinity Treasure of Advanced Quasi Legend Rank using the provided materials, treasure design, and tools in the Third Level within Eight Hours!


    "Remaining Time: 07H:59M:55S"


    Jacob''s expression changed slightly when he read the details of this peculiar challenge, and there was even a time limit toplete it.


    ''These tower trials are fascinating. No wonder it''s so hard toplete. It''s not just a test for fighting prowess but also the test of skills and knowledge.'' Jacob''s teeth rose slightly as he shed an eerie smile.


    Although it might be somewhat difficult for others, for him, this challenge was more than weing since his forging skills were something he was proud of, and he never stopped practicing and learning more.


    Since time was limited, Jacob quickly acted as he moved towards the materials hovering in the air, encased in those strange bubbles.


    Furthermore, he was astounded to find tools in those bubbles, and he finally understood why he wasn''t given any, even though they were mentioned in the challenge.


    But first, Jacob moved towards the center of the cavern, where a colossal forge pulsed with intense heat, its fiery core casting dancing shadows across the cavern walls. The air was thick with the scent of molten metal and ozone, and the ground trembled with the forge''s rhythmic heartbeat.


    However, Jacob''s actual focus was not this forge but something beside it. Suspended in mid-air was a holographic interface. Its surface shimmered withplex diagrams and symbols; it was the design for the treasure he needed to forge!

 Chapter 784 The Tower of Taurus (4)

    Chapter 784 The Tower of Taurus (4)


    Jacob studied the design of the hologram. It was an arm guard called the ''Earth''s Might'', and it wasn''t just a simple treasure; it also had an array ofplex runes engraved.


    ''Although it''s slightlyplex, it isn''t difficult. At least not as difficult as my Destroyer. Eight hours should be more than enough¡­'' Jacob concluded as he finally looked towards the materials mentioned in this design with pictures. After remembering everything, he moved towards those ethereal bubbles with materials and tools. As he moved towards them, the temperature rose dramatically, filling the air with crackling energy.


    The forger''s tools and materials were scattered throughout this level, and Jacob quickly spotted the one mentioned in the design.


    Without hesitation, Jacob moved towards the first material closest to him. It was a metal twinkling with a starry hue called the ''Elemental Star Ore,'' one of the mainponents of the Earth''s Might.


    However, when Jacob tried to grab it, his hand passed through the bubble like an illusion, and he caught nothing but empty air.


    Jacob was startled. He thought he would need to burst those bubbles forcefully, but that clearly wasn''t the case. He tried again, this time encasing his hand with mana, but his hand again passed through the bubble.


    His expression turned serious. He was confident they weren''t illusions, so he knew there had to be another way to get those materials. Then his eyes suddenly shed as he thought of another method. He felt a peculiar undtion from those bubbles because of his soul force. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    This time, Jacob used his soul force to envelop the bubble, and to his surprise, the moment his soul force met the ethereal bubble, he felt its presence like any tangible thing!


    As for why he didn''t use it right off the bat, it was simple: Jacob had already learned a painful lesson about not grabbing unknown things with his soul force. So, he was meticulous about this point and only used it when he had no other choice. After all, he still has a long way to go before he learns about the soul force.


    ''So, I wasn''t wrong. These bubbles can only be touched through soul force. What a vicious thing to do. After all, not all Quasi Legends can wake their soul force before bing legendary rank. So, if someone without it came here, they would bepletely helpless, and once the time passes¡­''


    Jacob started to understand that the tower''s trials were extremely vicious in one way or another; they first gave hope and then snatched it away the next moment.


    Once his conjecture was confirmed, Jacob controlled his soul force and put pressure on the bubble. The next moment, it burst, and the material within was finally free and floated towards Jacob under his soul force.


    Furthermore, Jacob noticed another point at this moment: to break the bubble, he needed to use some of his soul force, which was almost 5% of what he had when he was a quasi-legend rank. This means that a quasi-legend needed to rest between gathering these materials; otherwise, that would mean wasting massive time!


    But for Jacob, it was no longer an issue. He quickly expanded his soul force, which covered a hundred-meter radius.


    Although he didn''t know what this area represented, he knew there was more to it because he could see everything in this range without any blind spots. It was like God''s Zone when he used fluid eleration above 20X!


    Jacob didn''t dwell on it for long because he knew he would know once he received that legacy or entered the legendary ins.


    At this moment, within a hundred meters, the ethereal bubbles began to burst, and all the materials entered Jacob''s infinity pendant!


    Since he could grab those materials, and the tower didn''t react, he wouldn''t leave them here. After all, they were all quasi-legend rank materials, and there were almost 1000 spread over a five-hundred-meter-wide space on the third level.


    The task that could''ve taken a quasi-legend with soul force forever toplete waspleted by Jacob within five minutes. He pocketed everything else except for the materials needed to forge the Earth''s Might. Now that the materials needed for the Earth''s Might had been gathered, Jacob had over seven hours to create this arm guard.


    As he began to work, he realized the difficulty of the task and the importance of soul force!


    Because to use the furnace, one needed to fuel it with no other Soul Force, the tools were no different. They were unlike anything he had encountered before, and the forging process required a delicate bnce of heat, which required soul force.


    Although he didn''t know why this ce ran on soul force, Jacob noticed that using soul force in forging was extremely efficient. His proficiency increased by hundreds of times.


    Now, Jacob was even tempted to take this entire forge within his pendant, but he felt that the furnace was unique, and if he tried to uproot it, he might fail. So, he was content with these exceptional tools.


    After figuring out the crux of this ce, Jacob was undeterred. He focused on the task at hand, his mind a whirlwind of calctions and techniques as his soul force put to the test for the first time.


    Time flew by as Jacob worked tirelessly. His soul force started to exhaust, and he finally felt fatigued.


    With each passing moment, the arm guard took shape. The final touches were the most challenging, requiring precision and skill to carve those runes.


    At this moment, as thest spark flew from the forge, the weapon wasplete. It was an exquisite dark brown armor guard filled with runic lines, a testament to Jacob''s skill as a forger.


    It took him around three hours to forge it, and his soul force was almost exhausted. But a surge of satisfaction washed over him as he held the arm guard.


    However, before he could test it, a pir of emerald light fell over the arm guard in his hands, startling Jacob. But he didn''t sense any danger and remained in his ce as he could guess it was the tower evaluating the arm guard.


    A few secondster, the pir of light vanished, and the next moment, in front of Jacob, a light door materialized.


    ''Does this mean I passed the third test, and this door leads to the fourth level?'' Jacob''s eyes shimmered as he saw the arm guard in his hand. He knew that this was his reward since the tower didn''t take it.


    Without hesitation, Jacob wore the arm guard, Earth''s Might, and with renewed determination, he stepped forward, ready to face whatever challenges awaited him on the next level!

 Chapter 785 Secrets of Vitality

    Chapter 785 Secrets of Vitality


    The moment Jacob stepped into the fourth level of the Tower of Taurus, a cold, refreshing breeze brushed past his body. This ce seemedpletely different from the volcanic forge of the third level.


    When Jacob looked around, he was slightly surprised to find himself standing at the peak of a mountain, probably thousands of meters high, because around this mountain were nothing but clouds.


    At this moment, he noticed something unusual. A few meters away from him was a stone altar, and in the center of this altar was a tiny emerald sprout, which was very strange because there were no nts or even a de of grass in this ce. Jacob quickly opened the cursed immortality to see what this strange trial was about.


    "Level Four: The Earth Fruit of Vitality


    "Challenge: Help the Earth Tree of Vitality bloom, bear the Earth Fruit of Vitality, and harvest the ripe Earth Fruit of Vitality in two hours!


    "Remaining Time: 01H:59M:56S"


    ''What, now I need to be a horticulturist? And I only have two hours toplete this challenge?'' Jacob was shocked. He didn''t know there was agriscience involved in these levels, and he was stumped.


    Even if he could do it, the time was simply too short because he knew this Earth Tree of Vitality was most likely that tiny sprout. He needed to help it grow up into aplete tree and then harvest this Earth Fruit of Vitality.


    Jacob''s mind raced as he quickly analyzed this situation. He knew that this challenge was doable since this was a trial; he just needed to find a way.


    ''Since it has ''vitality'' in its name, could it be I need to use my vitality to help it grow? Would the cursed blood work?'' Jacob thought that he had some attainment when it came to vitality.


    After all, the third stage of the first phase was about robbing others of their vitality, and he was proficient in it.


    Furthermore, he knew about the properties of his own cursed blood, but he still hesitatedbecause he knew that if he used his cursed blood, he would be using his own lifespan if he didn''t replenish it. That''s why he didn''t even test theInfinity Blood Sacrifice or Infinite Time Module because both abilities required cursed blood, and unless he had backup, he wasn''t nning to touchthese two abilities.


    But now, he had to make a choice, and he knew this was the quickest way toplete this level.


    However, at this moment, Jacob suddenly felt the mountain rumble as if something massive wasing. He quickly looked down and was astounded when he saw the cloud ring a few hundred meters below the peak, stirring. The next moment, something ran past the clouds! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It was an eight-meter-diameter dark skeleton wolf with blue ming eyes and crimson runes etched on its dark bones. It was a dark beast of Dark Beings.


    But what surprised Jacob was it wasn''t the only one. After this one dark beast showed up, more and more crept out from the clouds until there were thousands of them, and they weren''t showing any signs of stopping; the mountain surface was soon craving with these dark beasts; it was just like an ant hive had been provoked! Furthermore, those dark beasts were charging madly towards the mountain peak from all directions.


    ''They are real!'' Jacob''s expression was dignified when he observed with the Eyes of Judge. To his surprise, those dark beasts were all in three steps of legend rank.


    ''Could it be, not only I need to help this tree grow but also protect it?'' Jacob''s expression went grave as those beasts were quickly approaching. This was too much even for him, but he had no choice but to y along.


    ''My soul force is still notpletely replenished, and if I use it to suppress them, I''ll soon run out of it, and that wouldn''t be good for me. So, I can''t use it; I should use another method to get rid of them or use the Infinity Blood Sacrifice to help this damn tree proliferate¡­'' Jacob''s eyes flickered coldly as he was forced to make a choice.


    At this moment, Jacob snapped out of his thoughts because a few ck streaks suddenly appeared among the army of dark beasts, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the summit as if they could teleport.


    The ck streaks suddenly turned into pitch-ck crows as dark smoke rose from their bodies. The next moment, they charged directly toward the Earth Tree of Vitality sprout!


    "Hmph!" Jacob sneered coldly, and the next moment, his soul force bloomed in full power, and those dark crows instantly paused in their spots under Jacob''s soul force.


    Although he still ended up using the soul force, he had no choice since he was caught by surprise by their strange ability. But it was only a moment since those crows won''t be able to do the same anymore.


    With killing intent shining in his ming eyes, he clenched his fist, and the next moment, those dark crows, which numbered around a hundred, were blown into smithereens. This was the power of a Fable Legendary State soul force!


    Jacob quickly retracts his soul force since it is limited, and the threat is far from over. But at this moment, Jacob notices that tiny corporeal crimson marbles are scattered on the ground. They are the dark magic cores of those dark beasts.


    However, at this moment, something even more astounding happened. He saw the altar below the Earth Tree of Vitality sprout suddenly lit up. The next moment, under Jacob''s bbergasted look, the dark magic cores released ethereal crimson energy flowing into the Earth Tree of Vitality. At the same time, those glistering Dark Magic Cores turned to dust. The altar stopped glowing once all the energy was absorbed!


    It was like a bolt of lightning struck Jacob at this moment when he saw this scene as he looked towards the Earth Tree of Vitality''s altar and then that endless stream of charging Dark Beings, realization dawn on him as his ming eyes burn!


    ''Blood Vitality, Soul Vitality¡­ how the fuck did I miss something so obvious for so long!? Didn''t Dark Beings refine Life Crystals with living beings'' Life Force? Life Force should contain their soul vitality as well since they would instantly die once their entire life force turned into life crystals! ''Furthermore, the Dark Beings couldn''t have their lifespan or vitality for they required Life Crystals to fuel their dark me, and the stronger the dark mes, the more chance they had to evolve¡­so it won''t be wrong their vitality is within their dark mes which exist in their Dark Magic Cores!


    ''This altar had just proved it as well by directly absorbing the vitality within the dark magic core. I can''t be wrong about it! How could I have missed this point about the Dark Beings and Life Crystals?! It''s not like they didn''t have any vitality, but it''s just that they kept it in another ce.


    ''If this altar can do something like that, shouldn''t I be able to do it as well!? I have to research this!'' Jacob''s heart raced as he wanted to try this because this matter was too important.


    Jacob was forced to calm down since he had to finish these tower levels first. Nheless, now that he had discovered this point, he knew how to help the Earth Tree of Vitality grow and bear the Earth Fruit of Vitality.


    From the start, the correct method to achieve this was ''ughter.'' Jacob might not have been good at farming, but he was good at ughtering!

 Chapter 786 Earth Tree of Vitality!

    Chapter 786 Earth Tree of Vitality!


    After figuring out the secret of the level-four trial, Jacob didn''t hesitate anymore. He took out multiple atomic grenades and activated them all. He threw them precisely ten meters ahead of the iing dark beings'' army.


    Since all he needed to do was help the Earth Tree of Vitality devour the dark magic cores of dark beings, it was straightforward for him to use the atomic grenades.


    Furthermore, those atomic grenades were now almost useless for him because they were too weak for anyone who could be called his enemy. He wasn''t arrogant enough to think his current arsenal of weapons was enough to harm a legendary rank being. Because he knew he would survive without a scratch from the atomic grenades.


    But it was a different story for the dark being army. In fact, this was the perfect stage for atomic grenades to perform at their full potential!


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    Powerful explosions started to ring as small mushroom clouds rose from the mountain, following shockwaves and tremors.


    Jacob remainedpletely still as he observed the areas of the st with his Eyes of Judge. He wanted to see if this mountain was enough to handle the explosion of atomic weapons because if he ended up destroying it, then he would not even have a ce to regret.


    Furthermore, he knew if he used the atomic ammo of Destroyer, not even magic core would survive their terrifying radioactive heatwaves. But if this dark being army were endless, and this mountain was indestructible because of the tower, then he wouldn''t hesitate tounch a few sun missiles that he had toplete this trial!


    At this moment, Jacob finally noticed what he was waiting for. He saw that the area of the st waspletely fine! Not even cracks appeared on the mountain''s surface. Furthermore, hundreds of dark magic cores started to release the crimson mist as it flowed towards the summit, where the altar was located!


    Jacob shed an eerie smile, ''Just as I thought, since this trial is about killing the dark beings and there are even quasi-legends involved, how could this mountain be normal? Or a single spell from a quasi-legend would raise to rubble!''


    After confirmation, four Blue X-Sun Missiles suddenly appeared around Jacob, suspended in the air with his soul force. He adjusted them to four different points andunched them!


    The Dark Beasts, who weren''t slowed by the explosion or deaths of hundreds of theirrades,pletely ignored the iing cmity before the missiles exploded in the middle of their army!


    The booming voice was like the world had blown apart this time, and the entire mountain shook violently. White radioactive heat waves rippled the whole mountain and raised the dark beasts into dust. Those closest to it¡ªeven their magic cores turned to dust!


    The entire army was suddenly wiped clean by the explosion, but Jacob remained standing in front of the altar like an unshakable mountain. Even the shockwaves that could have previously left him half dead were now like a warm breeze to him.


    Just seconds after the explosions, a massive crimson mist rose and flowed towards the altar, cleaving a storm. Jacob could literally feel the vast and pure vitality, and he suddenly wanted to uproot this altar and take it with him for research. Although its function suited him, he knew it was unrealistic, just like that forge.


    So, his attention was on the sprout as it started to grow at a terrifying rate. It turned into a seedling from a sprout as small, tiny, pointy leaves began to grow on its branch. Those leaves gave off terrifying vitality that even made Jacob astounded!


    This level brings too many surprises to him; just the altar that could rob the dark beings of their vitality was a treasure of its own, but the actual treasure was this Earth Tree of Vitality! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    By the time all the mist was absorbed, the Earth Tree of Vitality was now a Sapling, and this sapling gave off an intoxicating scent that could make anyone go mad with greed¡ªeven Jacob wanted to eat it!


    However, he didn''t lose himself in that scent. He knew he needed more vitality, so he turned his focus toward the mountain below. Although it was now filled with radioactive fog, he could see more and more dark beings quickly appearing. Some of them died the moment they reached the st zone, but the effects were slowly wearing off since there were simply too many of them.


    Some of those dark beasts were even using the corpses of theirrades to move forward.


    ''I only have two more blue X-sun missiles, eight white sun missiles, and around fifty atomic grenades left. If they are still not enough, then I have tounch hydrogen bombs, but they will cause too much damage. Well, I''ll see when I reach that point!''


    Jacob''s eyes flicker with killing intent as he waits for those dark beings to fill the mountain again. But at this moment, those dark crows suddenly appear again, slightlyrger than the previous ones, and they instantly teleport to the summit!


    But Jacob was ready now, and he instantly used his soul force to restrain hundreds of dark crows before sting them apart. Although he felt exhausted, as he only had around 9% of his soul force left, he knew he couldn''t avoid using it, or if something happened to the Earth Tree of Vitality, he would instantly fail the trial.


    After taking care of the ambushers, heunched the remaining blue X-sun missiles, with another four white sun missiles!


    Just seconds after the explosions, a massive crimson mist rose and flowed towards the altar, cleaving a storm. Jacob could literally feel the vast and pure vitality, and he suddenly wanted to uproot this altar and take it with him for research. Although its function suited him, he knew it was unrealistic, just like that forge.


    More and more world-shattering explosions urred as Jacob stood guard in front of the altar, watching another massive cloud of crimson mist being absorbed by the Earth Tree of Vitality!


    This time, the sapling turned into a young tree, as its lustrous emerald leaves gave off a terrifying aura of vitality. Furthermore, Jacob noticed there seemed to be glowing dots on the leaves and starry runes on the tree bark as if stars were etched on them.


    But what truly caught his attention was a fully bloomed golden flower. In the center of this flower was a tiny emerald bud like a pearl, giving off an intense aura of vitality and a mysterious force, which made one soul feel refreshed just by taking a whiff of it.


    Jacob instantly knew this was the Earth Fruit of Vitality, but it wasn''t ripe yet, so he needed more vitality!


    Just like before, Jacob waited for a while for those dark beings to gather together beforeunching another volley of atomic bombs while defending the tree from those dark crows.


    Furthermore, this time, the dark beasts seemed to beunching a magic attack, but Jacob intercepted them byunching missiles and atomic grenades.


    The Earth Fruit of Vitality was quickly growing while Jacob was getting exhausted from using soul force. Although this trial was the shortest, it was the most prolonged andplicated for Jacob!


    But he persisted, and just when he thought he had to use the hydrogen bomb arsenal, he saw the fruit bud fully grown, releasing an intense wave of vitality. Jacob felt his soul force suddenly replenishing!


    Looking at the diamond-shaped emerald fruit, which was glowing intensely in a starry light, Jacob wanted to eat it.


    But suddenly, the tree started to wilt as if it had served its purpose.


    At this moment, Earth Fruit of Vitality dropped from the tree branch, and the moment it dropped, Jacob wanted to catch it, but the next moment, his vision suddenly darkened, and he felt his entire body shift!


    When he regained his vision, he was no longer on the summit of the mountain!

 Chapter 787 The Earth Guardians Chamber

    Chapter 787 The Earth Guardian''s Chamber


    Jacob remained baffled for a little while when he thought about what had just happened. Not only he wasn''t able to get the Earth Fruit of Vitality, but he wasn''t even allowed to touch it before he went to the next level.


    For some reason, this left a sore taste in his mouth and made him somewhat resentful. After all, he expects to get that fruit as a reward for hisbor and all those atomic bombs he had used.


    If anything, he hoped to get at least a seed of Earth Tree of Vitality so he could nurture his own, yet the tower didn''t allow it.


    Jacob knew that fruit was extraordinary. Not only did it have a huge amount of vitality, but he felt pure soul force in it when it was fully ripped. He knew that if he could eat it, his soul force might quantitatively increase or undergo some changes.


    Yet, the tower was even more vicious than he had thought, and he felt anger. However, he quickly calmed down when he considered his purpose. He had already decided to search for treasures like the Earth Tree of Vitality in the future.


    After calming down, Jacob looked around and saw he was standing in a massive stone chamber. It was in without any decoration, but it wasn''t empty, as his eyes fell onto something. He saw a colossal stone statue about fifty-meter-tall standing at the heart of this level like a guardian. Its body was adorned with intricate carvings, and he held two battle axes in his hands.


    Just as Jacob observed it, suddenly, the lifeless eyes of this stone statue glowed with an otherworldly light, and a powerful pressure was released from him. Jacob instantly felt a sense of danger. He quickly opened the cursed immortality, as he had already thought about what this level was about; he just wanted to confirm it.


    "Level Five: The Earth Guardian''s Chamber n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Challenge: Defeat the Earth Guardian without sustaining fatal injuries!"


    ''I knew it¡­'' Jacob could only sigh.


    At this moment, his soul force was almost exhausted, and despite not having any physical exhaustion, he still felt tired. This was the most disadvantageous aspect of soul force.


    Furthermore, Jacob had already guessed the tower had no intention of giving him any time to catch his breath or recover his soul force.


    Now, he needed to defeat that Earth Guardian without sustaining any fatal injuries, and from the pressure the Earth Guardian was releasing, Jacob knew that guy was far more powerful than a quasi-legend¡ªhe may even have a fable legendary rank!


    If he was in his top condition, he could''ve easily defeated this Earth Guardian as long as it wasn''t a Fable Legendary Rank; even now, it was possible. But now, he needed to replenish his soul force, and since this level didn''t have any time limit, he was nning something hazardous.


    But he had no choice since there were still two more levels left after this, and he felt they would be no less dangerous, especially the final level. So, he was willing to take this risk.


    Furthermore, he had some spirit tree nectar that could evaluate one soul, but it was far from enough to current him. But it was still better than having nothing. At this moment, the Earth Guardian''s two glowing eyes, like orbs of pure energy, scanned the chamber, searching for its opponent, and Jacob instantly felt a powerful sense locked on him.


    The next moment, the Earth Guardian moved like a lightning streak, and in the blink of an eye, it was already upon Jacob, swinging its gigantic battle axe at him. rmed, Jacob instantly dodged it.


    "Boommm¡­"


    When the axended on the spot where Jacob was standing, a huge explosion urred, and the entire stone chamber trembled under its might. Jacob''s expression was grave because he could tell that force was not something a quasi-legend could disy.


    He was now sure that this Earth Guardian''s physique was at least of fable legendary rank or not far from it. He would only hope that it didn''t have soul force or that his n would fail before it began.


    The Earth Guardian instantly sensed he had missed the target, turned around, and found Jacob standing hundreds of meters away.


    "Slumber Hex!" Jacob instantly used the slumber hex to put this guy to sleep and buy himself time to recover.


    The hex mana naturally followed after the infinity pendant''s storage space had increased to 10,000 cubic meters. Before, he couldn''t use his hexes on three steps of legends because the hex mana wasn''t enough.


    But now, he can curse two fable legendary ranks with this much hex mana, and the duration of his hexes has already increased. But he must also replenish it with an equal amount of dark magic cores. However, in this situation, he didn''t care about it at all.


    But at this moment, Jacob''s expression changed because despite casting the slumber hex on the Earth Guardian, he felt the hex missed the target, and no mana was used.


    Before he could even figure out what had happened, the Earth Guardian moved again, and this time, his battle-axes shimmered with an emerald aura like zing fire.


    Jacob knew the Earth Guardian was now using an aura, which would make this attack hundreds of times more powerful. The aura was strong enough to pin down any quasi-legend on the spot.


    Even Jacob had to use his full strength to dodge it!


    "Boommmm¡­." Another massive explosion rang akin to a white sun missile explosion, causing a powerful tremor! "Slumber Hex!" Jacob used the hex again, this time before the Earth Guardian could react, yet to his shock, it missed again!


    But this time, the Earth Guardian seemed to be prepared, and at this moment, emerald energy orbs started to appear around Jacob like bubbles. Jacob''s expression changed because those energy orbs were none other than aura!


    He had never seen something using aura like this before, but he didn''t have to analyze this strange spell because a sense of dread washed over him as more and more of those aura orbs appeared.


    Jacob knew he couldn''t touch them, and he wanted to distance himself from them, but they were all over the chamber, and the only ce there wasn''t any was close to the Earth Guardian.


    At this moment, the Earth Guardian''s eyes shimmered, and those aura orbs released powerful undtion before¡­


    "Boom¡­boom¡­boom¡­"


    They started to explode one after another, and their explosion was as powerful as ten atomic grenades!


    The entire stone chamber trembled under those explosions, and when the final explosion concluded, Jacob''s figure appeared again. His clothes were in tatters, but he was not physically harmed.


    But rage burns in his ming eyes with a hint of astonishment, ''So, the aura can be used like this, huh? It seemed I had neglected aura and spirit while researching other things¡­. This trial is revealing more and more interesting things. It seemed I needed to endure more!''


    Comment


    0


    Leave the firstment for this chapter.


    56


    Vote


    Send Gift


    Swipe down to continue

 Chapter 788 New Discoveries!

    Chapter 788 New Discoveries!


    The Earth Guardian''s strength was immense, and Jacob continued to endure as he studied its fighting style and how it used its aura. He had never fought someone with this kind of control over its aura at such a high level.


    Furthermore, the Earth Guardian never showed any sign of Soul Force, which made things much easier for Jacob because no matter what trick the Earth Guardian tried, it couldn''t scratch his skeleton.


    All Jacob needed to avoid was the battle axes attacks, and they endured some pain. As the battle dragged longer and longer, the Earth Guardian seemed to have endless aura and stamina.


    However, the Earth Guardian''s opponent was also a monster with endless endurance. As long as Jacob wasn''t forced to use his Soul Force, his physical stamina seemed to be limitless¡ªall because of the cursed blood!


    Moreover, Jacob had already noticed that he could turn his cursed blood into his soul force if he wanted to, but he tried to save it for a more dangerous situation and even hoped he wouldn''t use it at all.


    The Earth Guardian continued bombarding Jacob with all kinds of aura attacks and physical attacks. Its physical attacks were capable of shattering stone with a single blow, and it could manipte the surrounding earth, creating walls, spikes, and other obstacles with aura.


    But what fascinated Jacob was that the Earth Guardian wasn''t doing all this with spells at all; instead, it was doing it with just aura. It scatters its aura around the chamber and turns it into anything, especially the aura explosions.


    With his Eyes of Judge, Jacob analyzed every attack in detail, and as time passed, he became more proficient in it. It was a strange feeling, as he had never done anything like this before. At this moment, he realized that his Eyes of Judge could also see the hidden secrets of spells and magic.


    The endurance battle became an experiment for him. Furthermore, Jacob also discovered why his slumber hex was missed on the Earth Guardian. It was because the Earth Guardian didn''t have any consciousness, or more urately, didn''t have any soul. It was like a puppet, and this was also the reason it didn''t have any soul force.


    But then Jacob soon realized that in addition to the Slumber Hex, the No Agility Hex and Powerless Hex instantly worked on the Earth Guardian!


    Jacob had never used these two hexes before because the slumber hex was enough to do the job. Yet now, he was realizing that they were different and moreplex than he had imagined.


    He concluded that the Slumber Hex was exclusive to souls, while the No Agility Hex and Powerless Hex were physical hexes, and they could work on soulless beings like puppets!


    This was a huge discovery and something he had overlooked because of how powerful the Slumber Hex was. Finally, the Soul Tether Hex was also soul-rted.


    Once he realized this, Jacob knew that he had been so focused on progressing in the cursed immortality that he had ignored everything else. So, he was determined to analyze his abilities thoroughly once he got out of there.


    After all, now that he had a long lifespan and could replenish it with Nyx''s help, he would use some of it to reorganize his skills and abilities while also starting theprehension of the Immortal Chapter again.


    Moreover, Jacob acknowledged that he had be too dependable on his weapons. Now that he realized that magic could achieve the same kind of destruction, he decided to focus on his strength. Although the weapons were good, they were expendable. In the end, his personal strength matters the most!


    He was no longer a human with a limited lifespan, so he needed to stop thinking and acting like one.


    Anyhow, once the Guardian was hit by the No Agility Hex and Powerless Hex, its speed and power rank directly decreased to the Beyond Unique Rank. So, no matter how it attacked, it was like a child hitting a boulder, and Jacob could finally rx and no longer bother to dodge the Earth Guardian and focus on recovering his soul force.


    Nheless, the Earth Guardian never stopped attacking Jacob and continued like a mindless machine, which gave Jacob more time to analyze its aura maniption in depth.


    Hours passed, then days, as the strange fifth-level trial of the tower continued. The bizarre scene of a skeleton sitting cross-legged while a massive statue continued to pummel him to no avail continued to y out. The trial would require anyone to defeat the guardian. They would need to use all of their skills and abilities while dodging the guardian''s relentless, mighty attacks, exploiting its weaknesses, and turning into a resting area for Jacob.


    At this moment, Jacob''s hollow eyes of Jacob suddenly lit up with mes as he stood up while the battle axesnded on top of his skull before they instantly retracted without leaving any scratch.


    "I''m fully recovered!" Jacob mumbled as he looked towards the giant Earth Guardian, who was preparing for another attack while it was still under his two hexes.


    "I''ve already learned your aura maniption and the pattern of your attacks. As a token of my appreciation, I''ll put you out of your misery!"


    The next moment, greed''s ming aura started to spread from Jacob''s feet and envelope the Earth Guardian''s entire body, instantly restraining the Earth Guardian''s movement like a bug caught up in a spider web.


    Jacob''s eyes flickered, and the next moment, the fire aura around the Earth Guardian instantly ignited, causing a massive explosion filled with high temperature. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But Jacob remained unmoved as he watched the dust stele. The Earth Guardian was nowhere to be seen; his fire aura hadpletely pulverized it!


    Furthermore, the aura explosion caused by the fire aura was even more substantial than the aura explosion caused by the earth aura of Earth Guardian, despite Jacob''s fire core still at the peak of unique rank!


    Moreover, despite the power rank of the Earth Guardian plummeting by three tiers because of the Powerless Hex, its body was almost at Jacob''s current body level, so it should be impossible to do anything to the Earth Guardian.


    But Jacob achieved this because he had used the special soul force filed with the aura explosion, taking it a step further. The result was nothing but disastrous for the Earth Guardian or any of Jacob''s future enemies!


    Jacob had unknowingly learned a distinctive concept of Fable Legendary Rank at its initial stage, Soul Aura/Spirit Fusion!

 Chapter 789 The Earth’s Riddler

    Chapter 789 The Earth¡¯s Riddler


    Jacob was astounded when he stepped into the sixth level of the Tower of the Taurus because this level was a stark contrast to the previous ones. It was a vast, open space filled with stars and constetions.


    Furthermore, the gravity here was almost non-existent, as Jacob felt he was floating in the vast, endless space.


    At this moment, Jacob''s eyes contracted when he spotted somethingpletely unexpected. A few meters away from him was a hooded figure, its face obscured by shadow.


    Jacob instantly raised his guard. He thought this trial was like the fifth level, and he needed to fight this hooded figure, but for some reason, he didn''t sense any danger from this person or its power level, which was even more worrisome.


    Yet an ancient ethereal voice rang before he could open the Cursed Immortality to see the challenge. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Wee, Trialist, who''ve conquered trials and faced the unknown; your journey is arduous, for you walked the path of the unknown. You''ve conquered Earth, yet you seek the sky.


    "But the sky demands a challenge, new and bold. A test of ages, a story untold, this hurdle imed countless souls.


    "So, face this challenge with heart and might, And prove your worth with all your might. For victory awaits, beyond the fray, A triumph earned, a glorious day!"


    Jacob was startled to find that this guy could speak, and his tone was cryptic. This trial was extremely strange, and he didn''t know what it was about.


    "Who are you?" He asked while quickly opening the cursed immortality.


    _____ "Level Six: The Earth''s Riddler


    "Challenge: Answer the Three Riddles of Earth''s Riddler in session without failing in a single try!"


    _____


    ''Three riddles?'' Jacob was startled as he didn''t expect this strange turn of events.


    At this moment, the Earth''s Riddler''s cryptic voice echoed through the space, cold and distant, "I, a schr lost, forgotten and alone, Seek secrets, mysteries unknown. Not worthy of your notice, I confess. But now, I turn to you to put me to the test.


    "Three questions I pose, a challenge to your mind; if you quench my thirst, a treasure you''ll find next. But fail, and in the earth, you''ll be confined. So answer well, trialist, and leave your mark behind."


    The Earth Riddler paused before speaking again, taking on a sinister tone. "If you fail, you will be trapped here forever, a prisoner of your own ignorance."


    Jacob could only ept this as he was determined to ovee this challenge.


    "Alright, I''ll entertain you. Bring forth your riddles," He said, his voice firm.


    The Earth''s Riddler chuckled, a cold, mirthless sound. "Very well. Riddle one: I am born of earth, yet I fly so high. I nurture life, yet I can cause death to die. I am a gift, a curse, a force unseen. What am I?"


    Jacob pondered the riddle, his mind racing. Although he looked confident, he wasn''t. After all, how could he know the answers to these riddles? They could be anything.


    But he still had some clues. Since this trial was about ''Earth,'' the riddles were also rted. But the answer could still be anything.


    However, his expression suddenly changed ever so slightly when the words on cursed immortality in front of him suddenly changed, and his eyes glowed intensely.


    All worries vanished in smoke as he replied confidently, "The answer is ''Nature''!"


    The Earth''s Riddler remained silent for a moment before he nodded. "Correct. Riddle two: A spark ignited, a me that grew. A fragile gift, a treasure, true. It ebbs and flows, a precious art. What is it?"


    Jacob nced over cursed immortality before his teeth rose slightly. Without hesitation, he replied, "How simple¡ªit''s ''Life''!"


    The Earth''s Riddler seemed to tremble, a chilling sight. "Correct again. Riddle three: A quest eternal, a journey long. A precious gift, ever fleeting and strong. To cherish it, to make it count. What is it?"


    Jacob was surprised because these riddles were more challenging than the others. He knew that he wouldn''t have failed without the surprise Cursed Immortality brought him.


    He had never expected that Cursed Immortality would give him the answers and make this most challenging trial seem simple.


    He nced over the Cursed Immortality, its pages flickering with an ethereal light. The words on the pages seemed to dance and shift as if they were alive.


    "Longevity," He said, his voice filled with certainty.


    The Earth''s Riddler nodded, its voice filled with a strange satisfaction. "Correct. You have passed the test. Proceed to the final level."


    The Earth''s Riddler didn''t make things difficult, and a passage appeared before him. Jacob nced towards the Earth''s Riddler before entering the passage. "This presence¡­ I finally remember those words!" The Earth''s Riddler, who was left alone, suddenly started to mutter like a madman, "A seeker of peace, a soulid to rest, Yet here you stand, a trial to be passed. Your sessor, a spark, a me so bright, Will you guide their path or plunge them into the night? A question lingers, a mystery untold: Will you return or vanish, grown cold? Or is this your end, a final decree, To watch from afar, eternally?"


    The Earth Riddler''s entire body trembled as its mumbling stopped before its confused voice rang, "What was I saying? Did I forget something important¡­again?"


    ---


    At this moment, Jacob stepped into the seventh and final level of the Tower of Taurus!


    Jacob found himself in a vast, circr chamber adorned with intricate murals depicting the history of a bull-like creature. Each mural was a masterpiece, capturing the essence of this celestial bull.


    Jacob was instantly drawn to those murals, the first massive murals recovered, a cataclysmic event that shook the heavens, and the raw power of the cosmic forces slowly shaped a neon bull. It seemed to be the story of its birth.


    The next mural records a battle between the bull and a pitch-ck silhouette that seemed blurry no matter how Jacob looked at it. He witnessed the courage and ferocity of the celestial bull as it fought for its survival.


    The details of the battles appeared like a blur in his vision, and it only saw the bull submit to the dark silhouette at the end. This dark silhouette gave something to the bull.


    Before the murals changed again, the bull appeared again, this time like a hominid. It seemed to be with a woman sitting under a tree in a beautiful garden. Jacob instantly spotted the fruit on the tree¡ªit was the Earth Tree of Vitality! The scene suddenly changed in the next mural. The same garden was now turned into avake, the Earth Tree of Vitality was now turned into charred wood, and chaos was everywhere.


    The bull seemed to be holding the unknown in its hand as it roared toward heaven, and the sky was filled with nothing but countless meteorites. In the final mural, the bull appeared again, and this time, with him were eleven more blurry figures who were surrounding the dark silhouette that was in the second mural!


    ''What the hell?'' Jacob didn''t know what this was all about, but he sensed a strange power in those murals restraining even his Eyes of Judge, which seemed iplete.


    At this moment, before Jacob could pounder over it, his attention shifted towards the chamber''s center.


    Jacob saw something suddenly materialize at the center of the chamber. It was a hominid neon figure with a bull''s head, and he looked almost identical to the bull in the murals!

 Chapter 790 Unexpected Completion!

    Chapter 790 Unexpected Completion!


    Jacob''s expression was solemn as he looked at the corporeal hominoid bull in front of him, and he quickly nced toward Cursed Immortality. _____ "Level Seventh: The Wisp of Taurus


    "Final Challenge: Defeat the Wisp of Taurus!"


    _____


    ''So, it''s really Taurus!''


    Jacob had already guessed the origin of the bull in the murals when he connected the dots and where he was. It won''t take a genius to guess that since this Tower was rted to Taurus, these murals should also be about Taurus.


    However, he couldn''t understand why many of his images of the murals were blurry, and the strange power hidden in them made even his Eyes of Judge helpless.


    Nheless, Jacob knew this final trial wouldn''t be easy because despite only being a wisp, the opponent in front of him was probably a mythical entity or even something more terrifying.


    Jacob knew he had to use his full power and everything to defeat Taurus!


    But at this moment, somethingpletely unexpected happened. The corporeal wisp of neon bull Taurus suddenly started to tremble, and then a bombing voice reverberated in Jacob''s mind.


    "%y%#!D¡­"


    The voice was so powerful that Jacob felt his soul tremble, and his vast soul force started to exhaust at a terrifying speed. It was a kind of mental defense. Jacob felt pain, unimaginable pain, just because of this voice. He couldn''t understand anything at all, and he thought it was some kind of soul attack!


    But at this moment, the voice suddenly faded away, and Jacob was breathing heavily. He was horrified to find that almost all of his soul force had been used up!


    He looked towards Taurus, and then something even more bizarre happened. The hominid neon bull nodded toward him, and the next moment, it turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished!


    Jacob was bbergasted and thought it was another attack, but he couldn''t sense anything. Before he couldprehend what had just taken ce, he felt his figure pulled by a powerful voice, and then his vision instantly shifted!


    The next moment, Jacob appeared in an endless ethereal emerald space, and to his shock, his soul force quickly started to recover, making him even more confused.


    ''Am I under an illusion?!'' He thought as this was too strange.


    At this moment, the ethereal voice of the Tower of Taurus rang,


    "Congrattions, Trialist!


    "You have passed the Star King difficulty level Tower Trial of the Tower of Taurus!


    "The Rewards of Star King difficulty Trial will be granted!


    "First Reward: The Legendary Vestige of Taurus has been given!"


    At this moment, under Jacob''s bbergasted and incredulous eyes, a crystalline, emerald-green octahedron, radiating a sense of stability and growth, appeared!


    Furthermore, within this octahedron was the symbol of the Taurus Constetion, shifting in neon light! Without any doubt, it was the Comic Vestige of Taurus!


    Jacob moved his hand to grab it with still doubt, yet when he grabbed the Vestige, he instantly felt the pulsing life force within and a mysterious power hidden in this palm-size octahedron; it was like he was holding an alive in his hand!


    ''It is real!''


    Jacob finally believed it, but he also became even more confused. He had no idea what happened in thest trial or why the Wisp of Taurus just let him pass, and it was clearly saying something to him. Yet he was so weak that he couldn''t understand it all.


    The shock that majestic voice brought him was still fresh in his mind; it almost shattered his soul!


    At this moment, the tower voice rang again once Jacob epted the Vestige.


    "The Second Reward: Legendary King State Legacy or Legendary King State Treasure!"


    Jacob quickly snapped out of his stupor as his mind raced. He decided to put this matter on hold since this reward was something he really wanted.


    At this moment, a corporeal projection appeared in front of him. He could choose from the list of Legendary King State Legacies and Legendary King State State Treasures! He quickly read their introduction with eight options between four legacies and four treasures.


    "Legendary King State Legacies:


    "-1. Cosmic Soul Pce of Invulnerabilis


    "General Introduction: This legacy will give birth to a Cosmic Soul Pce within the True Soul; thereby, the Cosmic Soul Pce can defend against powerful soul attacks and protect its master from true death! The Soul Pce''s defensive capabilities are directly connected with the user''s true soul! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-2. Cosmic Soul Artifact of Destructio


    "General Introduction:This legacy will birth an innate Cosmic Soul Artifact within the Soul that suits the user the most! The user can use the Soul Artifact to attack the souls and physical entities! The Soul Artifact power is directly connected with the user''s true soul! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-3. Mighty Earth''s Soul Aura and Spirit n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "General Introduction: This legacy will grant the user the Earthw aura or spirit affinity! The earthw affinity will have an absolute advantage over all the earth-rted elements and increase power when fighting in an affiliated environment! The user can also absorb the vitality from earth-rted elements! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-4. Zodiac Soul Ster Formation (Taurus Constetion Volume)


    "General Introduction:This legacy held the secrets of creating the Zodiac Soul Ster Formation and starting the path of Zodiac Soul Evolution!


    "Disimer: This legacy is only a part of the true legacy of Zodiac! If you select this legacy, you must search for the other parts before you can utilize this Legacy! (More information after selecting this option!) "Legendary King State Treasures:


    "-1. The Celestial Earth de


    "General Introduction:A Legendary King Weapon Forged from the heart of a dying elemental earth star, capable of cutting through any substance and inflicting Law injuries! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-2. The Earth King Armor


    "General Introduction: An indestructible suit of armor that provides unparalleled protection, enhances the wearer''s abilities, and protects fromw injuries! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-3. Space Travesty Shuttle


    "General Introduction: A vessel unrestrained by any space restriction below the Mythical Rank! (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-4. Spirit Artificial Intelligence Cipher Phantasma (SAICP)


    "General Introduction: A treasure created by Spirit Natural Intelligence Mechanic''s Ultimate Algorithm as a core! It has Learning, Reasoning, Problem-solving, Perception, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Expert Systems, Deep Learning Robotics... capabilities of the Legendary King State Spirit Natural Intelligence Mechanic Race! (More information after selecting this option!)

 Chapter 791 Reward and Permit Acquired!

    Chapter 791 Reward and Permit Acquired!


    When Jacob read the general introductions of the four Legendary King State treasures and legacies, he was astounded, and a hint of greed surfaced in his eyes. He wanted all eight items, especially those four treasures!


    Since he had cursed immortality, those four legacies didn''t have much use to him except as a reference to control his soul force and learn more about the secrets of legendary rank, but these four treasures were extremely enticing.


    Every treasure is helpful to him, especially the peculiar one, the Spirit Natural Intelligence Phantasma (SNIP), which was created with the core of a Legendary King of the Spirit Natural Intelligence Mechanic Race!


    Although Jacob had never heard about this race before, the moment he read the details of these treasures, he instantly thought of the Artificial Intelligence of the prominent organizations like Dark Rose of Dark City, White Sage of the Alchemy Guild, and, most terrifying of them all, the Star Administrator Artificial Intelligence (SAAI)! Although there wasn''t any proof, Jacob felt he might have stumbled upon the origin of these Artificial Intelligences. Nheless, it was only his guess, and he wouldn''t know for sure until he had more information about this Spirit Natural Intelligence Mechanic Race.


    At this moment, he was really in a dilemma as he looked at all these treasures. No matter how curious he was, since he could only choose one, he needed to choose something practical that could help him preserve his life in a dangerous situation.


    Jacob alsonoticed the unique legacyZodiac Soul Ster Formation (Taurus Constetion Volume) because itwas the only legacy with a ''disimer'' and couldn''t be used unless he found all the remaining parts. He had already guessed where those remaining parts were, but this was simply too troublesome. He couldn''t bother with it since he already had a Universal Godly Scripture, so he had already given up the legacies.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t like this was the only trial he would undergo because there were still eleven more legendary keys. So, as long as he got his hands on those keys, he could choose a legacy again as long as those trials had the same rules and rewards, and the same goes for the treasures!


    Once he thought about this point, Jacob instantly calmed down and seriously looked between those treasures.


    ''The first is a weapon, and I don''t need it, while the second is an armor; I can do without it. It''s just that the ''Law Injuries'' in those two weapons seemed quite a big deal, and they might be something unique to a legendary king. But since I have no Legendary King as an enemy in this ce, I don''t need it.


    ''Now the choice remains between the Space Travesty Shuttle and SNAP; both treasures seemed to be rted to magic mechanical technology, while thetter is even more likely to carry the secret of this mechanical race¡­''


    Jacob thought for a while, and after weighing the pros and cons, his choice became obvious as he voiced his choice, "I chose the Legendary King State Treasure, the Space Travesty Shuttle!"


    From the information he acquired from the barbarian he encountered in the forest, he knew what kind of ce the Legendary ins were, so the Space Travesty Shuttle was the most optimal choice for him. It could not only help him in the Path of Legend but also in the dangerous Legendary ins!


    "You have chosen the Legendary King State Treasure: Space Travesty Shuttle!


    "The treasure has been given, and its details will be revealed to you!"


    The very next moment, a sleek, aerodynamic vessel with a distinctive, futuristic design appeared in front of Jacob.


    The shuttle was roughly shaped like a triangle, with a pointed nose and broad wings. Its exterior was an inky dark metallic color as if made with fragments of space, and dark blue runes were carved in beautiful design on its metallic frame.


    However, Jacob frowned because this shuttle was only palm-sized. How was he supposed to fit in this thing?


    But he didn''t panic. He looked at the projection, which had changed from the items list to the function list of the Space Travesty Shuttle!


    "Space Travesty Shuttle (Soul Artifact): Advanced Legendary King State Rank


    "Introduction: Space Travesty Shuttle is a highly advanced spacecraft capable of traversing vast distances across the cosmos at incredible speeds. It is equipped with cutting-edge magic technology and features that make it a truly remarkable, unstoppable vessel.


    "Soul Artifact: Space Travesty Shutter''s body is made with a Space Soul Totem of a Legendary King State Rank, making it a Soul Artifact with its spirituality and thus can be kept in its master''s True Soul! "Soul Artifact Acknowledgment: Anyone who wants to be acknowledged by the Soul Artifact has to prove their worth!


    "Key Functions: 9 n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "1. Size Sway: The Space Travesty Shuttle''s size can be changed ording to its master''s will. It can be decreased to a minimum of 10 inches and increased to a maximum of 1000 meters!


    "2. Instant Hyperdrive: The shuttle is equipped with a powerful Instant Hyperdrive Engine that allows it to travel through open and restricted hyperspace, bypassing the limitations of standard space.


    "3. Dimensional Space King Shielding: The shuttle is protected by a powerful dimensional shield that renders it invisible to any form of detection and makes it impervious to enemy attacks.


    "4. Life Support Systems: The shuttle is equipped with advanced life support systems that can sustain any life form by absorbing matter from space and converting it into pure life vitality and mana for a very long period of time, even in hostile environments!


    "5. Travesty Space Jump: The Space Travesty Shuttle can instantly jump 100-light-years away from its initial potion while leaving a fake trial, making it impossible to track!


    "6. Weaponry: The shuttle is armed with a variety of weapons, including matter cannons, missileunchers, and point-defense systems!


    "7. Advanced Soul Sensors: The shuttle is equipped with unique space sensors that are directly connected to its master. They can detect and track objects, hidden dimensions, and enemies across vast distances, even in the vacuum of space.


    "8. Soul Self-Repair: The shuttle can automatically repair itself, even after sustaining significant damage with its Master''s soul force.


    "9. Travesty Space Blessing: No restrain or blockade can stop the Space Travesty Shuttle below the Mythical Rank. It is 100% immune to all elements, 15% immune to all Laws, and 30% to Space Law. "Fuel: 2


    "1. Soul Force: Space Travesty Shuttle can use its master''s soul force as fuel to operate and use all its functions.


    "2. Legendary Rank Soul Totems: Soul Totems are optimal fuel for the Space Travesty Shuttle. Depending on their rank and the function the Space Travesty Shuttle uses, their time of usage can vary.


    "This¡­"


    Jacob was bbergasted when he read the entire details of the Space Travesty Shuttle and then read it again to verify if he wasn''t imagining things, and he clearly wasn''t. He only had a single thought about this treasure: Terrifying!


    Not only was this Space Travesty Shuttle the ultimate vessel capable of traveling unrestrained in space, but it could even escape while fooling its enemies.


    Furthermore, it was a Soul Artifact that he had never heard of before. He could even keep it in his soul, which was truly amazing. He was thrilled that this ultimate escaping vessel was now his, and he finally understood why its size was so small.


    But the only thing that made Jacob somewhat flustered was the fuel, which was either his soul force or the soul totems of the legendary king. Since this treasure was at the peak of legendary rank, he knew its fuel consumption would be ridiculous.


    Nheless, Jacob didn''t miss its description, which revealed that this Space Travesty Shuttle was made with the body of a Legendary King''s Soul Totem with space affinity!


    This also made him somewhat fearful since it was clear that Legendary Kings were treated like materials to create these Soul Artifacts!


    Jacob grabbed the Space Travesty Shuttle, which was almost weightless, very smooth, and cold to the touch. If he hadn''t read its description, he would''ve thought it was just a toy.


    Moreover, the moment he grabbed it, Jacob felt a sleeping will in this small shuttle, which seemed to be in slumber. It was like this shuttle was a living being. He was again amazed by this treasure. "How do I make it recognize me as its master?" Jacob asked.


    "Soul Artifacts can only be subdued by Soul Force!" The voice emotionlessly replied and didn''t allow Jacob to ask any more questions as it continued.


    "The Third Reward: An Ascension Permit has been given!"


    Jacob was nning to ask more but stopped as a violet-golden ring appeared in front of it, and a mysterious golden glyph was carved on the surface of this ring.


    ''This is it?'' Jacob grabbed the ring, which was apparently the key to entering the Mythical Ascension Bridge. He felt nothing from the ring except the glyph, which seemed to carry a hidden power.


    At this moment, just when Jacob thought it was over and the voice rang again,


    "The Wisp of Taurus has acknowledged you!


    "The hidden condition has been met¡­"

 Chapter 792 Unexpected Benefits & Soul Artifact!

    Chapter 792 Unexpected Benefits & Soul Artifact!


    At this moment, Jacob appeared outside vast empty ins. It was the same ce where he had entered the Tower of Taurus, but now the emerald tower and the starry light had vanished; it was now just a patch of barrennd.


    However, Jacob didn''t pay any attention to it, as he was looking at the celestial object in his hand with an incredulous expression.


    The celestial object was none other than thepass-like Legendary Key. It was still the same, but the symbol of Taurus on the legendary key was now turned into an image of a neon bull, while the rest of the eleven symbols were no longer listless but shimmering in starry light!


    The Tower of Taurus gave him the legendary key upon meeting the unique condition of being acknowledged by the Wisp of Taurus. The only exnation he was given was that he needed to get acknowledged by the rest of the eleven Zodiacs, and the secret of the Legendary Key would be revealed.


    Nheless, Jacob was still confused and couldn''t help but be wary when he thought about how the Wisp of Taurus reacted in the final trial. Now, he has this legendary key back, which was supposed to be used after he chose the third option.


    Furthermore, this Legendary Key was clearly different. The zodiac symbols were now active, while the Taurus symbol was changed. Lastly, thepass needle had vanished, and reced it was an ethereal image of a half-white zing sun and half-ck moon.


    "Cursed Immortality! Is this because of you?" Jacob instantly summoned the cursed book and got to the point since this was the only thing that made sense. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    After all, he wasn''t arrogant to think he was unique enough to be acknowledged by the Wisp of Taurus. The only remarkable thing about him was Cursed Immortality!


    "Hahahahaha¡­ why do you think it''s because of me? I was restricted in that ce; how could I have interfered?" Immortika''s yful voice rang.


    Jacob didn''t buy it at all, "You haven''t interfered? This entire time, you were showing me the contents of the trials, and you even helped me through the sixth level. Do you think I''m an idiot?" he sternly retorted.


    "Hehe, then instead of questioning me, you should be thanking me!"


    "I''m not ying your mind games. I''m grateful for your help. But you know, I can''t be at ease when things take a strange turn, especially this kind of ridiculous turn. Just what is your rtionship with Taurus and other Zodiacs?" Jacob coldly asked.


    "I can''t answer that; just think of it as a perk of being an inheritor of a Universal Godly Scripture for now." Immortika ambiguously replied.


    Jacob''s expression turned ugly, but he was secretly relieved since his guess was right. But he was still somewhat uneasy. He couldn''t do anything if Immortika didn''t want to tell him, and he couldn''t threaten or do anything to this entric book.


    Jacob calmed down as he asked another vital question, "Since you can''t tell me, at least tell me why I was given this Legendary Key back and what kind of secret it held."


    "You''ll naturally know once youplete it, you''ve already known the method how to. But I''ll tell you something you don''t know. This Legendary Key can no longer guide you to other trials'' locations.


    "But as long as you find one, you can enter the Star King level trial without its corresponding legendary key. The biggest perk of this key is that even if someone else has already entered the trial before you, you can still enter and interfere as long as they haven''t gotten the Vestige.


    "However, the same things go for the holder of the corresponding legendary key. Like you, they can also interfere in your trial as long as they have the legendary key of that trial.


    "The only downside is, if the person before you select another difficulty, you can''t change it and appear in the same difficulty as them, and the same goes for the other person. If you choose the Star King difficulty, they also can''t choose any other difficulty and must take the same difficulty trial. But knowing you, I don''t think it''s a problem, right? Hehehe!"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with astonishment when he heard the true purpose of this legendary key. He was really worried that someone else would clear the trial before he could find them, and if they failed, they would waste the only chance to enter the trial if they selected the same difficulty or, worse, fled the ce after acquiring the vestige.


    However, if this key really helps him do what Immortika just revealed, he doesn''t need to worry about it at all. As long as he gets there in time, he can easily snatch the vestige, and even if they fail and lose the key, he can still take the trail.


    Furthermore, the legacies and the treasures in the towers were too enticing to Jacob, especially after he had acquired the Space Travesty Shuttle.


    As for being forced to undergo the same difficult trial as the other party, Jacob could still tolerate it since the Legendary Vestige was more important to him than treasures and legacies. Moreover, this would only happen if he didn''t find the trial or the person holding the legendary key first! Now, Jacob was really feeling d about getting acknowledged by the Wisp of Taurus, even if it was because of Cursed Immortality. Things were far simpler now.


    Jacob''s resentmentpletely vanished as he asked, "If that''s the case, then I have nothing to say, but I hope you can tell me when you can about these twelve zodiacs. Now, tell me what''s the deal with this Soul Artifact, and how do I make it acknowledge me as its master? The tower wasn''t clear about it."


    "Of course I will."Immortika promised without hesitation before it continued, "A Soul Artifact is like a legacy treasure, but unlike the legacy treasure that only had an unintelligent will, a Soul Artifact is intelligent with its own conscience; you can call it an Artifact Spirit. "As you might''ve already guessed, a Soul Artifact can only be formed with the Soul Totem of a Legendary King State Rank, a true demigod, which also grants it spirituality and a new Artifact Spirit born.


    "But the thing is, the personality of an Artifact Spirit also inherits some traits, and even personalities of Legendary King state depend on the power of a Legendary King and how many abilities the Soul Artifact inherited from the Legendary King''s soul totem when they were alive.


    "Depending on the personality and traits of a Legendary King, an Artifact Spirit can be gentle, cruel, arrogant, unyielding, and such.


    "If an Artifact Spirit is gentle, it will ept anyone with good nature as long as they meet the minimum requirements of soul force and reject cruel people. If its nature is evil, it will devour anyone who tries to tame it and can even scheme if the other party is too powerful. It will retreat for the time being before bidding its time to devour its master the moment an opportunity arises.


    "And don''t even think that you can trick an Artifact Spirit because a soul is a window to one true nature, and a Soul Artifact can easily see through a person''s soul. That''s why a Soul Artifact is a double-edged sword, especially those evil Ones. Even Legendary Kings have to be careful while taming it.


    "Artifact Spirits are only loyal to their creators or if someone truly wins over them!" Immortika revealed.


    Jacob''s expression turned grave. He never expected suchplications when it came to taming Soul Artifacts. This means he can''t be careless with these things as long as he isn''t absolutely confident in handling these Artifact Spirits, especially those Evil Artifact Spirits.


    "What about the Space Travesty Shuttle? What is its nature?"


    "Hehehehe, the thing is, you don''t need to worry about such things as long as you can use your Soul Force on a Soul Artifact. It''s good as long as it epts you, but if it doesn''t, all you have to do is overpower the Artifact Spirit. As long as it lets you imprint your Mystic Signature, no matter what kind of personality it had, it can never escape your grasp because you have the Cursed Heart! Hahahahaha!"

 Chapter 793 The Lively Path of Legend (1)

    Chapter 793 The Lively Path of Legend (1)


    In another area of Path of Legend, there are active volcanoes, and thends are flooded withva rivers. On top of that, the entire ce is swarming with deadly fire creatures, making it a no-man''snd.


    On a small ind above the rivers ofva, a few hominid creatures in full-body golden armor were constantly fighting the iing waves of volcanic creatures as corpses continued to pile up. Yet, these hominid creatures didn''t seem to be at any disadvantage at all.


    They were like a well-trained and disciplined army as they encircled a golden carriage, protecting it from harm or attacks.


    "Where are those ves? Are they not here yet?" An icy yet melodious voice rang from the carriage with a hint of annoyance.


    A tall hominid creature adorned in ck armor from head to toe stood guard on the carriage door, holding a long white halberd with ck dragon markings on it.


    When he heard the icy voice, it respectfully replied, "I''ve just received updates from the mercenary cort¨¨ge. They had found the ve, but they encountered theseve beasts. But there is no need to worry, Your Highness; they should be here at any moment."


    "Hmph, those lowly ves can''t even handle these little things? Get rid of them once they''ve arrived. They are unworthy of my Imperial Father''s rewards!" The icy voice rang again, filled with brutality.


    "As you will, Your Highness!" The ck armored being acknowledged without hesitation.


    "Head Guard, the cort¨¨ge has arrived! We can see them!" A golden armored being loudly reported as he thrust his spear, releasing a terrifying golden beam that instantly ughtered many volcanic beasts.


    "I''ll receive them! Protect Her Highness!" The head guard in ck armor solemnly replied, and the next moment, he vanished without a trace.


    The next moment, he appeared a few hundred meters away from the small ind, right in front of a group of giants in armor fleeing toward the ind. Behind them were thousands ofve creatures like hungry ghosts, and few of them were even quasi-legend rank.


    A giant with menacing tattoos instantly spotted the Head Guard floating in the air. His eyes shed with relief and excitement as he shouted, "Royal Guard! Help us; we have brought the key!"


    The head guard didn''t move and asked, "Show me!"


    The giant and his group were startled, but they knew that if they didn''tply, this arrogant prick wouldn''t help them, and they weren''t worried that they would be harmed since Zodiac Soul Contracts protected them.


    So, the giant quickly takes out the legendary key from the chest te of his armor and throws it without hesitation towards the head guard, "Here, take it!"


    The head guard caught the key, and after confirming that it was not fake, he nodded before saying, "You did good, but s, you have annoyed the princess¡­" His voice was filled with pity, but a hint of gloating disdain was evident.


    The giant and his group instantly felt something was wrong. Before they could reply, the Head Guard suddenly pulled out a white talisman and activated it.


    The next moment, a barrier suddenly materialized and instantly locked a five-hundred-kilometer radius area, trapping the group of giants and thousands ofve creatures within while the Head Guard remained outside this barrier. "You fucker! Don''t you fear the Zodiac Soul Contract!" The giant roared with rage.


    "Tsk, really a lowly salve." He clicked his tongue, "You can''t even tell that I''m not directly harming you at all. I''m just protecting you by using this previous defensive talisman, and those beasts just happened to be in its range when it was active. All you need to do is to get rid of them, and you''ll be safe. I wish you luck!"


    The head guard innocently exined as two glowing eyes shimmered behind the ck helmet with cunningness, and without waiting for the mercenaries'' reply, he vanished.


    The head guard reappeared in front of the carriage again and respectfully shocked the legendary key, "I''ve executed Her Highness''s order and retrieved the legendary key!"


    "Hmph, finally, we can leave this darn ce!"


    The icy voice muttered as the carriage door opened. A dense dark mist suddenly escaped from within, and a sharp w emerged from within the mist and grabbed the legendary key!


    ---


    In another ce in the Path of Legend, which was actually one of the floating celestial bodies in the sky. It was the ruin of an ancient city crawling with shadowy creatures that crawled in shadows.


    At this moment, in the ruin of a castle, a powerful white orb of light illuminated this ce, and the shadowy creatures didn''t dare step into it. Countless pairs of terrifying eyes stared at the group of people standing under the light, waiting for the light to go off and then tear them apart.


    This group of people were dressed like clergymen, with white masks covering their faces. They were gathered around a gorgeous figure of a woman in white bishop robes and silver manteletta. Her head was covered with a silver skull cap. She was holding a white golden monstrance etched with multicolor gems with both hands and seemed to be prying.


    "What is taking Archbishop so long?!" A priest cried in terror.


    "Calm down. Those vile things are afraid of holy light." The woman in bishop robes impassively stated, "I''ve just received a divine message, the Archbishop will be here!"


    Although she may sound calm, there was a tingle of anxiety mixed in it. But she knew she couldn''t show fear here, or things would go south quickly.


    ''How unlucky! We ended up in this creepy ce when we entered the path of legend! And that darn arrogant Archbishop is taking its sweet time! If I had known this ce was so dangerous, I would''ve never left the lesser gxies. I could''ve ruled over the Cardinal Spirit Temple for a very long time!


    ''Yet here I am, surrounded by these vile things and these useless fools. I''ve been greedy despite achieving this much with my background. Now, my life is in the hands of another¡­again¡­'' She thought in frustration as she looked at the light orb above her.


    A relentless glint shed past her eyes, ''No, I have the rare growth-type holy magic core and, on top of that, the legendary key of Libra in my hand. Even if that arrogant Archbishop didn''t care about my talent, he cared about the key. He had toe here.


    ''Once he arrives, I''ll be safe, and after getting to the middle gxies, I''ll be able to get the promised reward and achieve the legendary rank! I have to endure for the time being and bid my time, like I''ve been doing all this time!'' The dark runes suddenly trembled at this moment, and an ethereal voice rang, "O'' Holy Justice God, guide your little sheep and cleanse the darkness¡­"


    The moment the prayer-like chanting rang, a white light suddenly descended in dark runes and started covering every corner. The shadowy creatures suddenly screamed in agony and started to burn, releasing dark smoke and fleeing in all directions. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The clergymen were startled before they cheered in joy. The only calm person was the Bishop, but delight and relief were evident in her eyes as she looked at the illuminated white light.


    At this moment, something appeared above the rune: ten white-winged horses with long golden horns in the middle of their heads. They were extremely eye-catching as they glowed in faint golden light, and people were riding them, wearing golden robes.


    The person in front of this group was an extremely handsome man in archbishop robes, and his long silver hair fluttered in the wind while he was holding a golden staff as they quickly descended towards the group of clergymen.


    When the Bishop saw these people''s appearance, especially their silver hair, her heart skipped a beat, and her body trembled in fear. After a very long time, a figure that she could never forget shed in her mind.


    ''No! They just look alike!'' She quickly calmed down.


    At this moment, the silver-haired man looked at the clergymen and sighed in relief before he shed a gentle smile and amiably said, "Thank the Holy Justice God that you all are fine! Who among you is the previous Pontiff of lesser Libra Gxy''s Cardinal Spirit Temple and newly appointed Bishop Alice?"

 Chapter 794 The Lively Path of Legend (2)

    Chapter 794 The Lively Path of Legend (2)


    In a gloomy swamp, the air was filled with poisonous gray fog, and ghostly shadows roamed around the ce. But in the depths of this terrifying area was a clear patch of starrynd, and in the center of thisnd stood a colossal violet tower surrounded by bolts of violet lightning.


    But at this moment, the once peaceful, solitary ce was now filled with corpses, blood, and gore. In the center of this massacre stood a cloaked figure who was holding a disheveled, white-skinned goblin in front of it with ethereal pitch-ck arms as blood trickled from multiple wounds on its body.


    "S-spare me, and I c-can promise you anything! My father is a Legendary King!" the goblin stuttered weakly, terror zing in its eyes as it looked toward the cloaked figure before him. It was like he was gazing into an endless abyss of darkness!


    "Hehehe, you bunch of shits don''t have a spine, do you?" An eerie voice sounded behind the hood, filled with scorn. "Aren''t you hunting me because I have the legendary key? I was being nice, not taking action against you weaklings, but you just never gave up. Do you think just because you are from the middle gxies and a son of the legendary king, this gives you the right to look down on lesser gxies and hunt us down like dogs?


    "And when the situation goes against you, you will get pardoned just because of your status? Let me answer this for you: if you''re ready to kill someone, be ready to get killed as well. Now, suffer in darkness!"


    Before the goblin could plead or react, the dark hands holding him suddenly turned into a canopy of darkness, engulfing him entirely. When the darkness retracted back into the cloaked figure, the goblin''s lifeless corpse hit the ground, and its eyes were pitch ck.


    The cloaked figure didn''t seem bothered by this carnage scene as it sighed in disappointment and muttered in a flustered tone, "Despite being a legendary king''s descendant, his soul was so weak. I didn''t make progress at all; the same goes for his goons! I thought it would have been worth it if I acted a bit, but I was wrong; only legendary rank could satisfy my needs now!"


    Aftermenting for a moment, the figure finally turned around and looked toward the lightning tower under the starry light, its eyes lit up. "Well, I guess I should focus on collecting these cosmic vestiges and stop paying attention to these weaklings."


    Without hesitation, the figure moved toward the door of the lightning tower, and a legendary key pulsing in violet light appeared in its hand.


    The next moment, an imposing voice rang, "The Tower of Capricorn wees you, trialist!


    "The Tower detects the Legendary Key of Capricorn!


    "You are given three one-time options!


    "First¡­ (Same as Tower of Taurus)!


    "Second¡­ (Same as Tower of Taurus)


    "Third¡­ (Same as Tower of Taurus)


    "You may choose now!" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Wait, what is this ascension permit?" the figure asked in an astonished voice, clearly unaware of the permit. No answer was given; however, she didn''t seem to be asking the Tower of Capricorn to begin with.


    At this moment, an ethereal, deep voice rang in her mind, "You need to enter the Mythical Ascension Bridge, which leads to the Mythical ins or Upper Gxies, just like the Path of Legend, which leads to the Legendary ins or Middle Gxies, and¡­Wait, this!"


    Astounded by the information, she was startled because she had never heard this voice get so agitated.


    "What happened, Old Chaos? Is there some problem with this permit? Do you want me not to select this option? I can understand the third option is quite dangerous." She quickly asked, thinking it was because of the final option that this voice had reacted like this.


    "It is here, right in the Path of Legend!" the deep voice suddenly said with a hint of excitement.


    She was again shocked and quickly probed, "What is here?"


    "My Universal Godly Artifact! Wait, what the hell is going on? How''s that even possible!? I just lost connection!"


    ---


    Far away, Jacob had left the Tower of Taurus area and was back in the ancient forest. He was now moving randomly in search of clues to another legendary key or the tower while the Spiritual Star Tracker was in his hand.


    Although he didn''t know when he would find another tower or legendary key, he was sure that he could at least detect the legendary key with this Spiritual Star Tracker.


    Furthermore, it wasn''t like Jacob didn''t have any target. In fact, he was nning on heading toward the meeting ce in the barbarian''s memories and apprehending the person who hired the barbarian and those two orcs and gave them the Spiritual Star Tracker.


    Jacob was sure that the person behind them would definitely have more methods to track legendary keys or that the person might have already found one. Although he didn''t know how much time had passed since he had entered the tower, he knew he needed to hurry, or he might even lose a legendary vestige and a chance to get the legendary king''s treasure or legacy if someone else beat him to it.


    Furthermore, the secret of the legendary key could only be unraveled after he gathered all the recognitions of the other eleven zodiacs. But this was his second priority, for the main priority was still collecting all the cosmic vestiges andpleting the second phase!


    However, at this moment, Jacob suddenly stopped and frowned with a hint of confusion as he touched his skull face and muttered, "Why did the Gluttony Mask suddenly burn, and I sense agitation from it? It wasn''t my imagination. I''m not even using it right now, and it''s only at the unique rank, so it shouldn''t be acting up since it has never happened before.


    "Furthermore, now that I think about it, this Gluttony Mask is also a soul artifact, but it''s bizarre and different from the soul artifacts described by Immortika. Immortika also never provided me with any information about it. But why did it act just now?"


    Jacob brushed it off as a futile attempt to escape from his clutches. His eyes flickered coldly, ''Since no soul artifact can escape my possession and harm me, you can only be obedient and behave like a good tool!''

 Chapter 795 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (1)

    Chapter 795 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (1)


    In the Path of Legend, therey a deadly mountain range, and where even the bravest souls trembled to tread.


    The jagged peaks stretched across the horizon like the teeth of a slumbering giant, each one piercing the heavens, towering far above the clouds. The air in this cursed ce shimmered with an otherworldly energy, charged with a power that made the skin crawl. The sky above was a perpetual twilight, neither day nor night as if the sun itself dared not fully rise nor set over such a cursed domain.


    From the highest peaks, arcs of purple lightning crackled incessantly, leaping from crag to crag in a chaotic, unrelenting dance of raw energy.


    The bolts split the air with deafening roars, their brilliance illuminating the dark skies with shes so intense that they left afterimages burned into the retinas of those who dared to gaze upon them. It was as if the lightning were alive, imbued with a malevolent sentience, hunting intruders with a relentless fury.


    The ground beneath the mountains was a deste wastnd, scorched and ckened by countless lightning strikes.


    The earth was littered with charred remains¡ªtrees reduced to ash, rocks melted into twisted forms, and the skeletal remains of those who had been foolish or desperate enough to venture too close. The very air reeked of ozone and burnt earth, a heavy, acrid scent that clung to the lungs and stung the eyes.


    But as deadly as the purple lightning was, it was not the only peril that awaited within this ursed range. From the shadows of jagged rocks and the yawning mouths of hidden caves, there hide the lightning beasts¡ªcreatures born of the storm itself.


    Their bodies crackled with vtile energy; every inch of their form a conduit for the storm''s wrath. Their eyes glowed with a menacing violet light, a stark warning to any who crossed their path. The beasts moved with a terrifying speed, their forms flickering like phantoms, impossible to see until it was toote.


    Each beast was a living nightmare, a creature of ws and fangs wreathed in an aura of electrical energy that could sear the flesh from bone in the blink of an eye. To encounter one of these monsters was to dance on the edge of oblivion, with death a near certainty.


    Yet, despite the sheer ferocity of thisnd, there were those who dared to enter its deadly confines.


    At this moment, five powerful figures, each shrouded in a protective barrier of potent magic, were in pursuit of a lone figure ahead of them.


    This lone figure was tall and imposing, a crimson shield floating above his head, deflecting the barrage of purple lightning bolts with ease. His steps were swift and purposeful, yet there was a deliberate nature to his movements as if he were leading his pursuers deeper into the mountain range.


    The five figures behind him were desperate, their focus entirely on capturing the fleeing man. They seemed to pay little heed to the deadly environment around them, their powerful barriers holding off the onught of lightning.


    But as they ventured further into the mountains, thendscape grew ever more treacherous. The air buzzed with increasing intensity, and the ground beneath them began to tremble as if the very mountain was alive, sensing their presence.


    Suddenly, the terrain shifted. The group stumbled upon a deep canyon that cut through the heart of the mountain range, its depths shrouded in darkness.


    The canyon seemed to yawn open before them, a ck void that seemed to stretch endlessly downward. The sides of the canyon were steep and jagged, making retreat impossible.


    Without hesitation, the lone figure leaped into the canyon, disappearing into the shadows below. The five pursuers hesitated for only a moment before following, their desperation overriding their caution.


    As they descended, the air grew thicker with the scent of ozone, and the sound of crackling electricity filled their ears. The walls of the canyon were lined with veins of purple energy, pulsing and throbbing like the lifeblood of the mountain itself.


    The lightning beasts that had been patrolling the mountain slopes above now circled the canyon''s rim, their eyes glowing with malevolent hunger. Sensing prey, they began to converge on the intruders with terrifying speed.


    The six figuresnded at the bottom of the canyon, their barriers flickering as they absorbed the impact.


    They were now surrounded on all sides, the lightning beasts closing in, their growls resonating with the low rumble of distant thunder. The beasts moved as one, descending upon the group with a fury that mirrored the storm above.


    But these were no ordinary travelers. Each of the six figures unleashed their own magic in response, creating a dazzling disy of power that lit up the canyon.


    The air was filled with the crackling of energy as spells shed with the beasts'' attacks. For a moment, it seemed as though the beasts might overwhelm them, but the figures moved with precision, theirbined strength pushing back the onught.


    As thest of the beasts was vanquished, the canyon fell silent, save for the distant rumble of thunder from above. The six figures now stood facing each other in the shadowed depths of the canyon, the tension between them palpable. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Their barriers were flickering, weakened by the battle, but their resolve remained unbroken.


    The man with the crimson shield lowered it, his eyes narrowing as he regarded his pursuers. "So, you''ve finally caught up," he said, his voice echoing off the canyon walls. "But did you really think it would be that easy to take it from me?"


    One of the pursuers, a woman with a barrier that glowed with a faint golden light, stepped forward, her tone icy. "I admit you''ve sessfully lured us here, but in the end, you have underestimated us! You might be the heir of the Thunder Gxy King but don''t forget; I''m also the Myriad Gxy Guardian''s heir! You cannot escape this time. Surrender now, and sign a soul contract with me, and I''ll spare your life!"


    The man chuckled, the sound devoid of humor. "Tsk, tsk, should I feel honored or insulted that the princess of the little Myriad Gxy Guardian wants to enve me? Did your confidencee from these toy boys of yours? You''re too full of yourself¡ªand I despise that trait the most!"


    Without another word, the man turned and sprinted deeper into the canyon, his speed leaving the others little choice but to follow. The canyon twisted and turned, its walls narrowing and widening in unpredictable patterns. The air grew colder, and the sound of the storm above seemed to fade, reced by an eerie silence that pressed in on all sides.


    Finally, the canyon opened up into a wide chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness. The walls were lined with strange, glowing runes that pulsed with ancient energy. In the center of the chamber stood a massive stone altar, its surface etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change under the flickering light.


    The man with the crimson shield came to a stop before the altar, turning to face his pursuers once more. "This is the end of the line," he said, his voice cold and resolute. "Only one of us will leave this ce alive."


    "Don''t be afraid; he''s just a dying man trying to y mind tricks!" the woman coldly replied, though she was secretly vignt. The ce was too strange, yet she couldn''t help but feel excitement at the thought of hidden treasures within.


    The five pursuers spread out, forming a loose circle around the man. Their barriers red to life once more, each one glowing with a different hue. The air between them crackled with tension, the promise of violence hanging heavy in the air.


    For a moment, there was only silence. Then, with a roar that echoed through the chamber, the battle began!

 Chapter 796 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (2)

    Chapter 796 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (2)


    The tension in the chamber was palpable. Each one was a quasi-legend of immense power, especially the lone man and the woman leading the other four. These two were the heirs of Legendary Kings, and the education and training they had received were the best of the best.


    Moreover, they had already awakened their soul force and were equipped with at least one Fable Legendary Rank treasure, a privilege only for the heir of Legendary Kings! But it was clear that only one would leave this ce alive. The ancient runes on the walls pulsed with an eerie light, casting flickering shadows across the stone floor as thebatants didn''t take direct action as if they were all wary.


    At this moment, the man with the crimson shield was the first to move. He lunged forward with a speed that defied the eye, his shield zing with a crimson glow that lit up the chamber. Undoubtedly, an Initial Fable Legendary Rank Treasure required not only mana but also soul force to operate!


    He swung it like a weapon, the force behind the blow enough to shatter the stone. The closest of the woman''s allies, a burly man encased in an emerald barrier, barely had time to react before the shield struck him with the force of a thunderp.


    His barrier crumpled under the impact, and he was sent flying across the chamber, crashing into the wall with a sickening thud. Blood spattered across the floor as his body went limp.


    "Bastard!" His allies cried in rm while the woman remainedposed. Yet her eyes flickered with killing intent with a hint of solemnity as a golden staff appeared in her hand. There was no time to dwell on the fallen. The others moved in quickly, nking the man with the shield.


    A lean figure with a barrier of icy blue shed at him with a de that shimmered with frost. The woman herself, her golden barrier glowing fiercely with the staff in her hand as she hung back slightly, directing the battle with a calcting gaze. She was waiting, biding her time.


    The man with the crimson shield parried the de of frost with a swift motion, but the attack left him open for a split second.


    Another pursuer wielding a pair of zing swords struck from the side, aiming for the man''s exposed nk. The swords connected with the crimson barrier around the man, sending a shower of sparks into the air. The barrier held, but the force of the strike staggered him.


    Although he had a legendary rank treasure, operating it with quasi-legend rank strength was another story! Each time he used it, arge chunk of his small soul force would be used!


    "Press him! Don''t let him recover!" the woman ordered, her voice cold andmanding, as she knew she had the absolute advantage.


    The pursuers obeyed, converging on the man with a relentless assault. Magic red as spells were unleashed¡ªzing meteorites, shards of ice, and bolts of pure energy all rained down upon him.


    The man''s shield spun with incredible speed, deflecting the attacks, but the strain was beginning to show. His movements were growing slower, his breathing heavier.


    With a sudden, vicious swipe, the man shattered the barrier of one of the attackers, a woman cloaked in shadows. She screamed as the crimson shield tore through her defenses and her body, sending her crumpling to the ground.


    The man tried to press the advantage, but the others were too quick. Another de sliced through the air, catching him across the back. Blood sprayed, staining the ancient stones beneath them.


    He grunted in pain but kept fighting, driven by sheer willpower. His eyes were locked on the woman with the golden staff, his resolve unwavering. He knew she was the true threat, the mastermind behind this ambush. The others were merely pawns, expendable in her eyes. And it was bing clear that she intended to use them that way.


    The man with the crimson shield was wearing down, and she could see it. "Finish him off!" Shemanded, and her remaining allies surged forward, throwing everything they had at him. The air filled with the crackling of magic and the roar of battle.


    The man''s shield blocked the worst of the onught, but there were too many, and his strength was failing as his soul force were on the brink of exhausting.


    At this moment, the barrier flickered, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The woman with the golden staff watched with a predatory gaze, her eyes glinting with the thrill of victory.


    Just as the barrier of shield finally shattered under the relentless assault, the woman made her move. She divisively directed a pulse of golden energy at one of her remaining allies, sending him crashing into the man with the crimson shield.


    The impact drove thest breath from the man''s lungs, and the force of it obliterated the final vestiges of his defenses.


    The ally she sacrificed screamed in shock and agony as the man''s desperatest strike cleaved through him, killing him instantly. The woman with the golden staff barely flinched as her ally''s blood sprayed across the chamber. She was already preparing her final attack.


    The man with the crimson shield was on his knees, barely able to stay upright. Blood streamed from his wounds, and his breathing was ragged. Yet still, he red at her, defiance zing in his eyes. "You¡­ won''t win¡­ not like this¡­"


    But the woman merely smiled, her golden staff shimmering with power. "Just die!" she sneered, her voice filled with cold satisfaction. She raised her staff, gathering her energy for the final blow.


    The man with the crimson shield tried to rise, but his body betrayed him. His vision blurred, darkness closing in at the edges. He knew he was finished, but he refused to yield even in hisst moments.


    At this moment, a golden talisman appeared in his hand, but his expression suddenly changed when he felt the talisman didn''t activate!


    "Heh, do you think I won''t know you have an escape talisman? My Fable Legendary Rank Mystical Golden Staff can lock the surrounding space! Now, stop struggling!" She viciously snickered. The man was in despair as he never expected this. He was unwilling to die in this ce. His hand tightened around the hilt of his weapon, ready to strike onest time, but it was toote, and the woman had no intention of giving him any chance.


    The woman unleashed her final attack, ance of golden energy that tore through the air and struck the man in the chest. His body jerked as the energy coursed through him, and then he copsed, his life finally extinguished.


    The chamber fell silent, the echoes of the battle fading into the darkness. The woman with the golden staff stood amidst the carnage, her chest heaving with exhaustion.


    She had won, but the cost had been high. Her allies, those she had used as shields,y dead around her. Yet there was no remorse in her eyes¡ªonly the fierce, burning excitement of victory.


    She stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the crimson shield now lying abandoned on the cold stone floor. Reaching down, she picked it up, feeling the power thrumming within it. A smile crept across her lips.


    It had been worth it. Everything she had sacrificed, everything she had endured, had led to this moment. Now, this legendary shield was hers, and with it, the Legendary Key that would grant her the power she had long sought.


    But even as she savored her triumph, a faint unease stirred in the back of her mind. The chamber was too quiet, the victory too easy. She nced around, her instincts sharp despite her weariness. The runes on the walls still pulsed with that strange, ancient energy. The air was thick with a sense of foreboding.


    However, she pushed the feeling aside. She had won. Nothing could take that from her. Clutching the crimson shield tightly, she crouched down and took the man''s space ring. Then she searched through his clothes and finally found the shimmering legendary key wrapped in cloth within the man''s robes! But at this moment, a sense of impending death suddenly appeared as the fine hair on her body stood, and a chill ran down her spine. She knew something was wrong as her Soul Force was stirring in warning on its own, but she had almost used it all.


    Nheless, as ruthless and cunning as she was, she instantly reacted as a dark gray talisman appeared in her hand. But before she could even use it, her vision suddenly started to fade as she heard two fleeting words, like a death sentence. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Slumber Hex!"

 Chapter 797 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (3)

    Chapter 797 The Legendary Key of Aquarius! (3)


    Two days ago, Jacob moved silently through the ancient forest''s dense underbrush; his senses heightened as he followed the trail left by the barbarian''s group.


    Autarch had already sifted through the memories of the barbarian Jacob had captured, extracting every detail that might lead him to the rendezvous point. The barbarian was actually one of the loyal followers of the Princess of the Myriad Gxy Guardian, an independent power of Leo Gxy!


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he navigated the twisted trees. The group had been cautious, covering their tracks well, but they hadn''t anticipated someone with Jacob''s skills would be hunting them.


    After hours of tracking, Jacob arrived at a secluded clearing where the trees parted to reveal a small, hidden de. His gaze swept over the area, searching for any sign of the woman''s group.


    The barbarian''s memories had led him here, but it seemed deserted. He frowned, knowing there had to be something more. The group wouldn''t have chosen this ce for no reason.


    Then suddenly, he whispered a chant in a runic tongue, one Autarch had pulled from the barbarian''s mind¡ªa spell known only to members of the woman''s group.


    As he finished the incantation, the air shimmered before him, and faint, glowing runes appeared, etched into the ground in a circr pattern. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "A message¡­" Jacob murmured to himself, recognizing the cryptic runes as a form of magicalmunication.


    He studied them intently, his mind racing as he deciphered their meaning. It was a directive, a set of coordinates, and a warning¡ªonly visible to those who knew the spell. The runes indicated a location beyond the forest, near the outskirts of an ancient ruin where the group had agreed to regroup.


    Without wasting time, Jacob retraced his steps back to the forest''s edge and made his way to the new location, moving with the agility of a shadow. When he arrived, he found the group encamped near the ruins, their figures barely visible in the fading light. He remained concealed, cloaking his presence with a stealth that made him invisible to even the sharpest senses.


    The woman, now fully inmand, was at the center of the group, her posture exuding confidence and authority. Four of her men were gathered around her, listening intently as she discussed their next move.


    "One of our scouts has already confirmed it," She was saying, her voice low but clear. "The Heir of the Thunder Gxy King has been spotted. He''s killed a lesser gxy idiot and taken the Legendary Key of Aquarius."


    Murmurs spread through the group, a mixture of admiration and tension. The woman continued, her eyes gleaming with ambition and calction.


    "This is our chance. The Heir is strong, no doubt, but he''s still inexperienced. If we move quickly, we can catch him off guard and take the key for ourselves. Once we seed, you all will be generously rewarded for your work, and I promise that once I be a Legendary King, I''ll owe everyone here a favor!"


    The mercenaries'' eyes shimmered with excitement as they nodded in agreement, their expressions hardening with resolve.


    They began to prepare, gathering their gear and weapons in silence. The woman''s eyes flickered with excitement, and her mind was already calcting their approach.


    But they had no idea Jacob had already observed all of this from the shadows, his mind working just as swiftly.


    Although he didn''t know who this Heir of the Thunder Gxy King was, since he had the legendary key and this woman was already going after him, Jacob decided to remain hidden and bid his time.


    They were now yers in his game, but yers that could potentially be exploited. He could see that the woman''s n was sound¡ªher group was skilled, and their numbers gave them an advantage if that guy was alone. However, she had no idea he was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    As the woman led her group out of the encampment, Jacob followed at a distance, his steps silent as a breeze. He trailed them for hours, his patience unyielding as he remained hidden from sight. The group moved quickly, driven by their desire to catch the Heir and im the key.


    Finally, they reached a secluded area where the Heir seemed to be hiding. The woman and her group slowed, their senses on high alert as they prepared to confront their target. Jacob could see the excitement in the woman''s eyes as she anticipated the impending battle.


    Jacob watched intently as the woman''s group closed in on their target, but he was surprised when a crimson streak of light suddenly bolted in another direction. He quickly saw the lone man with the crimson shield fleeing!


    It was an unexpected situation for both the woman and Jacob, and Jacob even wanted to use his slumber hex on him. Still, he hesitated when he saw the woman and her group instantly chase after the guy with the shield.


    Although he didn''t know who this Heir of the Thunder Gxy King was, since he had the legendary key and this woman was already going after him, Jacob decided to remain hidden and bid his time.


    Another reason Jacob didn''t use his hex was that the crimson shield gave him a strange feeling as if his hex would not work with that shield around, which was quite strange.


    So, he continued to follow and ended up in the region of the mountain range covered with purple lightning. He had to admit that this ce was extremely terrifying, but for Jacob, it was an unexpected opportunity. But first, he needed to take care of this group.


    Jacob watched the battle, which was swift and brutal. The woman emerged victorious by using vicious and decisive means, and he even approved of her undertaking.


    When everything was over, Jacob waited until the veryst moment. Just as the woman imed her prize, her triumph turned to horror as Jacob uttered, "Slumber Hex!"


    Jacob stepped out of the shadows; his presence was revealed as the woman''s body hit the bloody group.


    "You had been so close, only to be undone at thest moment. What a tragedy¡­" Jacob looked towards the woman, but his eyes were icy and emotionless. He had already seen everything she had done, but in the end, he was the one who was going to im all the harvest, and he had no pity for her.


    The only reason he wasn''t crushing her head under his foot was because he wanted her memories.


    "Autarch, take her memories! But be careful, since she''s the heir of a Legendary King, there might be some security measure to ensure no one probes her memories!" Jacob sternly ordered with a warning.


    He had already learned somemon sense of Legendary Ranks from the barbarian memories. Searching for other memories directly from their souls is also a trait of Legendary Rank, and there were also many countermeasures against it, so the other wouldn''t find the core secrets of an organization.


    Furthermore, Autarch almost died when he tried to take Sebastian''s memories, so Jacob was now conscientious about this as well. Nheless, this woman was an heir of a Legendary King, and her memories would be enough to enrich his knowledge about the legendary rank even more.


    While Autarch followed Jacob''s order, Jacob waved his hand, and the Legendary Key, with the crimson shield and golden staff, and everyone''s space rings flew towards him. He was especially excited about the crimson shield and the golden staff, which the woman called the Mystical Golden Staff. He had never expected to get two Fable Legendary Rank Treasures!


    Furthermore, unlike those two, Jacob''s soul force was on the same level as the Fable Legendary State, and in his hand, these two legendary treasures could showcase their true might!

 Chapter 798 Art of Nature: Lightning Meditation! (1)

    Chapter 798 Art of Nature: Lightning Meditation! (1)


    Jacob stood in front of the dry corpses of the woman''s group and the heir of the Thunder Gxy King. The woman had also turned into a wilted corpse devoid of any blood or vitality. As for where all the blood went, it was currently hovering above Jacob''s palm, condensed into a dark crimson orb.


    Jacob couldn''t help but sigh ruefully as he looked at the woman''s corpse, ''She also had a mysterious sigil within her brain, so I didn''t let Autarch take any risk.''


    ''But one thing is now clear¡ªthe mysterious sigil that Autarch encountered in Sebastian''s brain was the work of a legendary rank or even a mythical rank expert. Autarch told me that this sigil wasn''t as powerful, and he might be able to devour it when he reached the legendary rank.


    ''But the sigil within Sebastian''s brain was far more powerful andplex. I need more information about what these sigils actually are. For now, it would be safe to assume they are unique to Legendary Kings!''


    Once Jacob discovered this fact, he instantly gave up on the woman''s memories and directly absorbed her blood, killing her in the process. He nced at the blood orb in his hand but didn''t intend to devour it; instead, he stowed it into his pendant as before since he didn''t need any extra blood vitality at the moment.


    In fact, ever since Jacob discovered the abilities of his cursed blood, he had been storing the blood he encountered for emergencies.


    Now that he had taken care of these people from the middle gxies, he looked towards the legendary key shimmering in ck ethereal light. It looked just like the legendary key of Taurus before the tower changed it, with the only difference being the light and the pulsing symbol of Aquarius on it.


    Furthermore, Jacob noticed another difference: the symbol of Taurus, which should be gray on this key, was actually not present at all!


    ''Where did the symbol of Taurus go? Could it be rted to thepletion of the trial?'' Jacob guessed since this was the only thing that made some sense in this scenario.


    Nheless, it didn''t matter since he had already acquired another legendary key, but he had no intention of searching for the trial. Getting the other legendary key or disrupting others from obtaining the vestiges came first. Since he already had the legendary key, no one else could enter the trial without it.


    Furthermore, Jacob''s main target was the Cosmic Vestige of Aries since, without it, he couldn''t use the Vestige of Taurus to raise his power. The Vestige of Aquarius was secondst in the Universal Cosmic Sequence!


    But Jacob didn''t leave. He looked toward the vast chamber''s walls, which were lined with strange, glowing purple runes that pulsed with energy, giving off the aura of lightning outside the canyon.


    Then he looked at the center of the chamber, where a massive stone altar stood. Its surface was etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change under the flickering light, which also emitted an intense aura of lightning.


    Although he didn''t know what this ce was since it was hidden deep within the Lightning Mountain range, he knew there was some kind of secret there.


    Furthermore, this ce was fraught with lightning, which had another meaning for Jacob. He might be able toplete the third meditation exercise of the Art of Nature, the Lightning Meditation, which required an environment filled with natural lightning!


    In the Unique ins, Jacob had already nned to visit the Thunder Giants'' territory, the Thunder Mountains, to see if he couldplete the Lightning Meditation there before entering the Path of Legends. There were rumors that the Thunder Giants'' territory was filled with natural thunder.


    But things went south, and he ended up in the Path of Legends before he could visit the Thunder Giants. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    However, when he saw this ce, he instantly thought about the Lightning Meditation again, and he knew he had to take advantage of every opportunity to get stronger. The Art of Nature had never disappointed him.


    Furthermore, every time he made progress with a meditation exercise, not only did a new magic core form, but his other magic cores rted to the Art of Nature increased in rank.


    If he couldplete the Lightning Meditation, not only would he obtain a magic core of the lightning element, but if the rank of his magic cores increased, they could directly reach the Fable Legendary Rank or at least the Quasi-Legend Rank!


    Jacob walked towards the stone altar, directly opened the Eyes of Judge at full capacity, and began analyzing it. The more he observed, the more shocked he became because he saw extremely dense energy hidden under the stone altar¡ªor the entire floor, for that matter.


    Furthermore, at this moment, Jacob noticed that this energy was channeled through the runes on the wall. These runes were like a spiderweb, spreading throughout the entire canyon, with purple energy pulsing through them, while the stone altar was the focal point of this dense energy.


    ''This energy has the same aura as the purple lightning on the surface, and those beasts¡­ Could this altar be the real reason behind all the lightning in this ce?'' Jacob mused as his eyes flickered with a hint of surprise and delight.


    Jacob suddenly approached the altar''s surface with his hand. The moment his bone finger touched it, a bolt of purple lightning suddenly discharged from it andtched onto it, trying to destroy it.


    However, Jacob felt a tiny sting, like an ant''s bite. His skeleton was extremely sturdy, and despite the destructive might of this lightning, it couldn''t even graze his bone!


    However, the more important thing was that this altar was capable of discharging purple lightning, which excited Jacob as he quickly made his decision.


    Without hesitation, he jumped onto the altar and took a cross-legged position. The very next moment, a massive amount of purple lightning suddenly gushed out of the stone altar and covered his entire body, making him look like a lightning rod.


    Jacob only felt slight difort, as if countless ants were crawling all over his body, trying to dig into his bones, but it wasn''t enough to deter him.


    If it had been any Quasi-Legend Rank expert, they would''ve turned into cinders under the assault of this lightning.


    Jacob quickly emptied his mind, recalling the third meditation exercise of the Art of Nature: the Lightning Meditation. His breathing pattern started to change into a certain rhythm and soon turned chaotic like lightning around him. He was one with the lightning!

 Chapter 799: Art of Nature: Lightning Meditation! (2)

    Chapter 799: Art of Nature: Lightning Meditation! (2)


    ?


    The lightning meditation is the third exercise in the ancient book of the Art of Nature. It is one of the most grueling and intense practices, testing the practitioner''s physical and mental limits.


    Unlike the previous meditations, this exercise spans an entire week and must bepleted in a single sitting, like the fire meditation, without any interruptions. The practitioner must remain focused and endure extreme conditions for 168 hours toplete it, two extra days from Fire Meditation!


    Moreover, to begin the Lightning Meditation, the practitioner must find an environment teeming with potent lightning energy-typically in the heart of a thunderstorm or an area known for constant lightning strikes. The atmosphere should be thick with electric charges, with lightning crackling incessantly, providing the raw energy necessary for the meditation. When Jacob saw the details of his exercise in his previous life, he naturally didn''t believe it. It was utterly ridiculous, as no human could endure lighting for such a long time. Not to mention, to reach this point, one needed toplete the fire meditation fires, which was impossible on its own.


    Yet, now that he was in the Zodiac ins, this impossibility became reality. He had alreadypleted two meditation exercises and was about to start the third one, which seemed like a fantasy before.


    As the lightning swirled around his entire body, Jacob''s mind was calm as he focused on the breathing technique. The breathing technique for the Lightning Meditation was simr to the Fire Meditation but far more perilous.


    The practitioner must inhale the charged air, drawing in raw lightning energy. Each inhtion electrifies the body, causing excruciating pain as the lightning courses through the veins, threatening to tear the body apart from the inside.


    The first breath was the most crucial. The practitioner must inhale deeply, allowing the lightning energy to surge through the body, electrifying every cell. This initial shock is the most intense.


    After the initial shock, the practitioner must continue to breathe in the lightning-charged air. Each inhtion brings more lightning energy into the body, while each exhtion releases excess energy, preventing the body from overloading.


    The process must be continuous and rhythmic, with the practitioner maintaining a delicate bnce between absorbing enough lightning energy to progress and not overloading the body.


    Yet Jacob was now a skeleton, so he wondered if the same rules applied to him, but soon, he realized the difference.


    As he started the breathing exercise, his breathing shifted, bing erratic and unpredictable, mimicking the chaotic nature of the surrounding lightning.


    Each breath was a strike of thunder; each exhale a crack of lightning. He aligned himself with the rhythm, letting the chaotic energy flow through him rather than resist it.


    As Jacob entered the meditation state and the lightning meditation started, almost instantly, the gravitational force around him appeared and began to increase until it reached over 1000- G!


    Jacob had already guessed this from his early experience with the Fire Meditation. But for the current Jacob, this much G-force was nothing as he focused on breathing while enduring the pain of the lightning.


    As the lightning wreaked havoc within his body, Jacob suddenly felt his water core and fire core activate. Potent water and fire mana began to spread through his form, creating a strange harmony with the destructive lightning. Thebined energy of the three elements weakened the force of the lightning, allowing him to endure it more easily.


    This phenomenon reminded Jacob of the fire meditation, in which the water core had simrly counterbnced the fire''s destructive power. These exercises had an order, a strict pattern that had to be followed to reachpletion.


    Time lost all meaning. The days passed in a blur of purple lightning and crushing gravitational force. The entire stone chamber was nowpletely lit with pulsing purple


    runes, and the stone altar discharged massive amounts of lightning.


    The purple lightning outside the mountain began to vanish as it was drawn into the chamber, leaving the surrounding area eerily quiet.


    A corporeal violet bubble surrounded Jacob, filled with crackling lightning. The bubble was imprable; anyone who dared approach would be crushed by the intense G-force or incinerated by the destructive lightning.


    As Jacob continued his meditation, an arcane aura began to emanate from him, spreading throughout the canyon and beyond. The lightning beasts outside were drawn to this aura, their instinctspelling them to charge toward its source, mad with the desire to reach it. But Jacob was oblivious to the chaos he was causing. His mind was merged with the lightning, his breathing steady as the energy continued to pour into him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Then, the nature of the lightning began to change. As it flowed through him, the dark runic lines of the Longevity Schema started to surface on his skeleton, pulsing with a crimson glow. The wild, chaotic energy began to converge, drawn towards a single point within Jacob''s skull, where his spiritual neb resided.


    A singr violet point started to condense around his cursed heart, surrounded by the water and fire cores. It was like a tiny star revolving around the cursed heart, slowly growing in intensity. The singr point soon turned into a vortex of violet lightning, a swirling mass of raw, concentrated energy that pulled in every stray spark from the environment.


    After an indeterminate amount of time, the lightning energy began to condense into a small, dense core within the vortex. Initially, it was a chaotic swirl of lightning, but it gradually stabilized, the mana directing the energy into a cohesive, spherical form-the lightning magic core was forming!


    Just as with the fire and water cores, tiny white stars-rectified stars-began to appear within the lightning core. These stars signified the sessful conversion of chaotic lightning energy into a structured, controble form. The number of stars increased steadily as the core solidified, eventually reaching 100-the hallmark of a unique-rank magic core.


    But the process was far from over. The moment the lightning core reached the unique rank, it released a powerful ripple that made the fire and water cores tremble. The next moment, more rectified stars appeared in all three magic cores.


    199... 499... 999...


    The limit of the unique rank, but it didn''t stop there. The three magic cores began to shake, the rectified stars within them shifting and gathering into the center of each core, forming a disk-like structure. This was the sign of a breakthrough a transformation into a Legendary Rank Magic Core!

 Chapter 800: Lightning Meditation at Completion!

    Chapter 800: Lightning Meditation at Completion!


    ?


    The Zodiac ins followed the Star Magic System, where magic cores were strengthened by magic orbits with the help of scriptures. However, in the Legendary ins, among the Legendary Ranks, this process was known as the fire stage of the Star Magic System''s evolution, called Intramuralary Forging.


    Intramuralary Forging includes the ranking of magic cores, divided by Star Rank (Rare to Extraordinary Rank), Epic Star Rank (Epic Rank), and Unique Star Rank (Unique Rank), with each star rank containing nine-star tiers. This stage prepared the magic core for its next evolution, the World Core Seed Stage, transforming the core into what wasmonly known as the Fable Legendary State Magic Core.


    At this stage, the magic core became a concentrated point of raw magical energy, simr to a seed. This seed contained elemental energies that had been condensed during the Intramuralary Forging.


    However, it wasn''t so simple-reaching this stage required a Spiritual Neb, as the magic core followed the path ofary Magic Evolution. In contrast, the soul followed the path of Soul Cosmic Evolution. Without Soul Cosmic Evolution, no one could follow the path of the magic core''sary Magic Evolution.


    Both the World Core Seed and the Spiritual Neb (Fable Legendary Rank) existed in their most elemental forms, and the first step was to stabilize them.


    One had to bnce their mastery of elementalws with the magic core, refining it through their soul force and spiritual neb, much like controlling a neb cloud. This is why the Legendary Rank was wholly different and referred to as Demi-Gods.


    At this moment, this exact process had begun within Jacob''s spiritual neb-not just for one magic core but for three!


    As the cores approached the threshold of the Legendary Rank, the surrounding environment reacted violently.


    The elemental energy within the cores became unstable, causing the entire chamber to tremble. Furthermore, the gravitational force around Jacob increased exponentially, reaching over 25,000-G-enough to pulverize the body of an ordinary quasi-legend or even a Fable Legendary Rank practitioner.


    Suddenly, the sky above the canyon darkened, and mystical celestial phenomena, including neon shooting stars, became visible to nearly the entire Path of Legend. An ethereal neon energy gushed out from the space around Jacob, flowing directly into his spiritual neb. This mystical ster energy was a higher form of star energy, which transformed into either Ster Aura Energy or Ster Spirit Energy, depending on the path of the Legendary Rank.


    As massive amounts of Ster Energy surged into his spiritual neb and surrounded the three magic cores, the cores suddenly shattered into countless fragments. Jacob''s entire body jerked as if a part of him had been struck with a hammer.


    However, it wasn''t over yet-the fragments of the three magic corespressed together, forming three ethereal, concentrated points of Green, Blue, and Violet.


    A powerful suction appeared from the ethereal points, drawing in Ster Energy like a waterfall. As the World Core Seeds of Fire, Water, and Lightning solidified, a blurry astral hominid projection appeared behind Jacob, radiating thebined power of all three elements.


    This process continued for a while until the Lightning Meditation reached itspletion. Outside phenomena gradually faded away, and all the Ster Energy vanished from the chamber, revealing Jacob''s sitting figure.


    At that moment, the intense gravitational pressure around Jacob disappeared, marking the end of the Lightning Meditation. His hollow sockets, once dark and abyss-like, ignited with ethereal golden-white mes!


    A powerful ripple suddenly erupted as Jacob opened his eyes. The altar beneath him shattered, the runes on the walls burst into blinding light, and the surroundingndscape shook. An eerie silence followed-there was no more sound of lightning or beasts. Jacob stood there, feeling the new power coursing through his skeleton.


    It wasn''t just about forming three legendary magic cores; his Eyes of Judge seemed to have undergone another evolution and advanced!


    ''Lightning Meditation... what a huge surprise! Not only did I gain a new magic core while the other two evolved into Legendary Magic Cores, but my body has been strengthened by at least threefold! And that strange energy directly elevated my Eyes of Judge and soul force! Just what is the background of the Art of Nature, and how did it end up on my old?'' Jacob wondered, his eyes flickering as a peculiar conjecture surfaced in his mind, only to vanish quickly.


    Jacob tried observing his Spiritual Neb and was pleasantly surprised to see that it had expanded slightly. The three magic cores were nowpletely ethereal, radiating the purest form of Ster Energy. There was no aura or spirit left in them, startling Jacob. The fake aura and spirit glyphs he had formed using the Scripture of nk were now gone.


    Raising his hand, an ethereal violet haze condensed in his palm. As it appeared, violet lightning crackled around it with pure destructive might!


    Suddenly, Jacob''s eyes shed with a strange thought, and he focused on the ethereal violet Ster Energy. The next moment, it transformed into a calm, corporeal energy.


    Jacob''s eyes gleamed with excitement as he focused again, and the calm energy shifted into chaotic mes. His mind raced as the violet Ster Energy turned green, releasing intense heat. He repeated the process with the blue Ster Energy, which was gentle yet profound. Once he confirmed his guess, Jacob clenched his fist, extinguishing the Ster Energy. He was now filled with disbelief and ecstasy as he realized what had just happened.


    "I can switch between Aura and Spirit for all three elements at will! Just what is this energy!?"


    "Cursed Immortality!"Jacob didn''t wait. He summoned the cursed book and asked for


    rification.


    Afterughing for a good white Immortika, he finally told him about theary Magic Evolution and how it was connected with the Soul Cosmic Evolution.


    "... as for the new energy that you can change at will, it is called Ster Energy, a higher form of mana exclusive to Legendary Rankers which contain elementalws. It''s 1000 times more potent than the star energy that you''re used to.


    "Now, you can cast any spell below legendary rank without needing rectified stars as long as you understand their structures and even create your spells.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Lastly, Ster Energy can also help youprehend ''elementalw,'' and since your Ster energy has turned into Spirit or Aura, the elementalw present in it is the purest.


    "But then the thing is, soul neb is rted to me, so even if youprehend the Fire, Water, or Lightning Law from it, it has no effect on your spiritual neb at all, nor your magic cores are orthodox...what a dilemma, don''t you think? Hahahahaha...!"

 Chapter 801: Scales of Justice

    Chapter 801: Scales of Justice


    ?


    Jacob''s happiness instantly vanished the moment he heard thest part. He knew for a fact that Immortika wasn''t lying-it never needed to.


    "You know the origin of Art of Nature, right? Just what is it? I wasn''t sure before, but now I think it''s ''that'' since only ''that'' can have such power. Don''t try to deny it. I know better than anyone!" Jacob said sternly, finally revealing his suspicions.


    Although Jacob didn''t believe it at first, as time passed and hepleted one meditation exercise after another from the Art of Nature, he began suspecting that it might be a Universal Godly Scripture.


    After all, the biggest clue was that the Art of Nature followed the same magic system as the Zodiac ins. And now, knowing how vast the Zodiac ins were an entire universe-he mused that his old might have been part of it, too. After all, his didn''t have the technology to observe the universe in its entirety.


    Inparison, his was just a speck of dust, and then there was his mysterious reincarnation into this world and his immediate meeting with Immortika.


    No matter how much Jacob wanted to deny it, he couldn''t shake the feeling that some unseen hand was pulling the strings, and that left him feeling uneasy as if he were merely dancing on someone''s palm.


    "Hohoho... you''re letting your imagination run wild, aren''t you? But sadly, I can''tment on anything. Everything will unravel when the right timees. I''ll give you a piece of advice: focus on what you have instead of dwelling on unnecessary things. Sometimes ignorance is a blessing, while wisdom bes a shackle," Immortika said, profoundly yet subtly.


    Jacob frowned profoundly but didn''t press the matter further. What Immortika said made sense, and for now, he decided to let it rest-but that didn''t mean he''d given up. Far from it!


    "What about the Eyes of Judge?" he asked, shifting the topic.


    "Now we''re talking," Immortika cackled. "Just as you''ve felt, the Eyes of Judge have evolved and entered the Intermediate Awakening Stage. Your optical vision has be more powerful, and you can analyze anything within the Legendary Rank. Your Judgement Gaze can now see through the lies of Legendary Ranks.


    "However, let me warn you: using the Eyes of Judge on someone above the Fable Legendary State will exhaust your soul force much quicker. Especially if you try to analyze or use Judgement Gaze on a Legendary King, you might drain your entire soul force and even suffer bacsh, for matters of the Legendary Kings are the matters of Demi-Gods.


    "Even though your Judgement Gaze is passive, using it on those stronger than you require soul force. You''ve never experienced this in the lesser gxies since you''ve already awakened your soul force, but the Legendary Rank is vastly different.


    "Now, onto the exciting part: when you reached the Intermediate Awakening Stage, the Eyes of Judge awakened an Active Ability known as Scales of Justice.


    "The Scales of Justice is a domain-type Law Ability. Once activated, it summons a phantom of unique scales created from your soul force. Depending on the power of your soul force, the Scales of Justice will form a domain around you. Anyone within this area will be judged by the scales.


    "With your current soul power, you should be able to create a domain with a radius of 10,000 miles if you use your full strength. However, I wouldn''t rmend it, as it will consume a great deal of soul force. Additionally, the more people within your domain, the more soul force it will require.


    "You must also be cautious. If someone powerful enters your domain, you''ll be in trouble, for once a Law Ability is active, it can''t be deactivated withoutpleting its purpose.


    "In the case of the Scales of Justice, judgement begins the moment a target is locked. If you fail to pass judgement, the Law Ability will deem you unworthy, and the bacsh will depend on the target''s power. On top of that, you''ll lose this ability forever!


    "That''s why Law Abilities are rare and highly sought after-but they are also double-edged swords. You must learn to control the domain carefully and avoid bing a victim of your own ability!


    "The Scales of Justice can weigh the moral bnce of a target''s actions. It will judge their good and evil deeds over their lifetime, but only if you can maintain the ability long enough. If you fail, the bacsh will hit you.


    "Furthermore, the judgement rendered by the Scales of Justice is based on your moral beliefs and values. If you believe that killing is not evil but good, the scales will reflect that. If you think helping someone is evil, the scales will deem it evil.


    "Remember, you are the Judge-so you must be very careful.


    "If the scales tip toward malice or evil, the target''s power and vitality will be suppressed below your level. On the other hand, those with more virtuous deeds will receive a power boost, potentially surpassing you, and one of your powers/abilities will be suppressed at random!


    "The length of the suppression depends on the target''s strength. Even Mythical Ranks cannot escape it. Such is the terror of Law Abilities.


    "Although it might be a bit of a gamble, it''s an entertaining one, hahahahaha!" Immortika burst into eerieughter as Jacob''s expression stiffened toward the end.


    ''It''s better if I never use it. I''m not even sure what I consider evil or good anymore. I believe killing and inflicting harm is right and good for me, though I know it''s wrong. I also believe helping others is good, but I''d never help anyone if it didn''t benefit me. Who knows how the Scales of Justice will interpret these conflicting beliefs...'' Jacob thought.


    He weighed the pros and cons of the Scales of Justice and quickly concluded that it was too dangerous for someone with his twisted morals.


    Though he wasn''t inherently evil, he wasn''t inherently good either. He did everything for his own sake and had never gone out of his way to harm anyone. The concepts of good and evil had be distant to him.


    Still, the ability was undeniably powerful, and Jacob decided to experiment with weaker targets first. But he had no intention of using it here and now-first, he needed to learn more about Law Abilities.


    Jacob''s expression changed slightly as he looked toward the deste canyon at that moment. The mes in his eye sockets flickered coldly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Hoho, it seems you have quests!"

 Chapter 802 Next Target!

    Chapter 802 Next Target!


    Jacob didn''t reply to Immortika and directly unsummoned the cursed book before clothes appeared on his body. He then walked towards the entrance of the stone chamber, which waspletely dormant without any trace of lightning.


    Only now did Jacob realize that he had absorbed almost all the lightning and even destroyed this ce. He was shocked because he realized just how much lightning the Lightning Meditation required to reachpletion.


    ''It seemed I must fully prepare for the fourth meditation exercise of Art of Nature, the Aurora Meditation. This exercise required me to meditate on something called Aurora Light. I have no idea where I would find this Aurora Light, but I''m sure it''s not just simple light. I should investigate when I enter the middle gxies. For now, I should greet these ''visitors''.'' Jacob''s eyes shed coldly as he looked towards the dark canyon and coldly said, "How about you guyse out and state your purpose."


    "Oh, it seemed I was discovered!" A ghastly voice suddenly sounded with a hint of surprise.


    The next moment, a three-meter-tall crimson-cloaked figure appeared from the darkness, its face enshrouded by a crimson cape, but two crimson mes in its hollow sockets illumined its white skeleton face with two ck horns on its forehead; he was holding a ck bone staff and giving off a dark aura unique to a dark being! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jacob looked at the dark being, which seemed to be a High Lich or a variant of a Lich. He didn''t bother to ask Immortika since he could sense this dark being''s strength and was of no threat to him.


    Jacob didn''t even bother to speak as his eyes shed with killing intent. The next moment, a tiny violet sphere appeared right in front of High Lich''s face.


    The High Lich was rmed. He didn''t sense when and how this violet sphere appeared a centimeter away from his face, but he felt rm and a sense of dread from it.


    But before it could react, the violet sphere suddenly pulsed, and the next, ''Boom!''


    A small explosion filled with lightning sparks rang in the silent canyon, and the headless corpse of the Dark Being fell on the group.


    However, Jacob remained standing on his spot, coldly staring at the dark canyon and sneering, "It seemed you guys didn''t have any manners."


    The next moment, violet-lighting spheres appeared in thirteen different ces in the dark canyon and exploded. Many panicking voices rang in rm, and a few silhouettes quickly tried to dodge, as they had already seen what had happened to the High Lich.


    However, despite their reaction speed, headless bodies dropped in different corners of the canyon, except one person who seemed to have escaped Jacob''s aura lightning explosion, which was supported by fable legendary rank mana/Ster energy! Jacob also noticed it, and the next moment, an invisible soul force spread from his body, locked on the escapee who was already two miles away, formed him and instantly pulverized his movement.


    The escapee struggled as magic power shimmered over his body, but Jacob''s current soul forcepletely suppressed him and prevented him from casting spells.


    With a thought, Jacob''s soul force pulled the captured target towards him, and like a fish trapped in a fishing, that person dragged towards Jacob.


    Jacob finally saw a green-skinned elf in a sorry state. Her entire clothes were in tatters, and blood stains were on her body. Jacob noticed a broken pendant around her neck with a lingering aura of magic.


    "R-release me, and I can let this matter drop!" The elf threatened, but her voice was filled with dread and trepidation. She had never expected to encounter this death star in this ce when she was here to find the treasure that activates that strange phenomenon.


    Although she was confident in handling any Quasi-legend rank, she knew this person in front of her was somewhat different and extremely powerful.


    After all, he killed all those Quasi-legendpetitors with those strange aura sts, not to mention that her protective treasure, which was a top-rank quasi-legend protective treasure, was destroyed by that attack as well, without blocking the attackpletely.


    Furthermore, she knew about soul force because she also had it, but this person''s soul force was vast, like an ocean, which reminded her of the elders in her n. Just the notion behind it made her shudder in fear. "Oh, despite staring at the death, you still have a mind to threaten me? Let me guess: you are from the middle gxies. But I don''t care; I can still let you go if you have information about legendary keys." Jacob impassively stated.


    He didn''t kill her directly because she clearly had soul force and treasure that could block his casual attack, which was deadly to any quasi-legend. This made him think she was from the middle gxies, so he might get some information from her like he did with the barbarian.


    Furthermore, he didn''t let Autarch take action right from the start since this was faster, and he could tell if she was lying or not with his Eyes of Judge. Sparing her was out of the question. He didn''t want to waste much time since he had already spent a week here.


    The elf was shocked when she heard it, and a conflicted glint shed past her eyes before they shone with determination, "Kill me then! You will get nothing from me! I will never betray my n!"


    Jacob sighed before he shook his head, "Well, since that''s the case, you can die. But before that, do you have some seal or sigil nted in your mind?"


    The elf''s expression was confused. She clearly had no idea what Jacob was talking about, and this didn''t escape Jacob''s eyes. He pulled a toothy smile: "It seemed only legendary kings had that strange sigil, and only their heirs should have them. Alright, I''ll let you be my puppet."


    Without waiting for her response, Jacob directly sent Autarch into her ear before knocking her down. After waiting for a few minutes, the elf opened her eyes, which were emotionless.


    Jacob looked at Autarch with expectance, and as if sensing his thoughts, Autarch emotionlessly said, "Sir, this elf''s group is from the Libra Middle Gxy''s Alchemy Guild, and the person leading them is the youngest daughter of the Guild President, a Legendary King state being. Her name is Samantha!


    "Two days ago, she received a message that Samantha had already acquired the legendary key of Leo, found the Tower of Leo, and entered the trial. This woman was called back to protect Samantha like their other allies, and she was on her way when she discovered the phenomena of legendary treasure being born, which should''ve been caused by Sir."


    Jacob''s expression changed as he quickly said, "Lead me to that ce. Tell me everything while we''re heading there!"

 Chapter 803 Tower of Leo (1).

    Chapter 803 Tower of Leo (1).


    At this moment, Jacob and Autarch stood in a clearing, gazing toward the horizon, a sight to behold¡ªa ring of endless sunrise surrounding a towering silhouette hidden within the clouds.


    But Jacob wasn''t here for sightseeing or to admire this phenomenon. He was focused on the smallpass in Autarch''s hand. Autarch had taken the elf''s body as his puppet, and thepass pointed directly toward the horizon.


    "Are they in those clouds?" Jacob asked with a hint of uncertainty.


    Although he had already seen many celestial bodies in the strange sky of the Path of Legend, he had never considered the possibility of them ying a significant role. Now, he realized he had been wrong, and everything was part of the Path of Legend.


    "Yes, Sir. Thispass is given to every close member of Samantha''s group, and it can help them locate each other. It is protected by a secret method, and no one can use it without the members'' knowledge," Autarch replied emotionlessly.


    Jacob nodded, not doubting Autarch. In the next moment, two golden flying discs appeared before them. Jacob had gathered hundreds of them in hisst battle on the Unique ins, knowing they were far more powerful than the gray and bronze flying discs.


    "Just use your mana to operate it. It''s fairly simple," Jacob instructed as he stepped onto the golden disc. When he imbued his mana, it attached directly to his feet.


    The next moment, information about the disc suddenly appeared in Jacob''s mind, and he smiled in satisfaction. ''It''s an advanced Inception Legend Rank treasure with the abilities of stealth and speed. The stronger one''s mana, the more powerful the stealth and speed. But I have to control how much mana I inject into it, or it might blow up since it''s limited to the quasi-Legend Rank. It can''t handle my current mana!''


    Autarch seemed to experience the same realization as they both began to fly toward the horizon, directly heading for the towering silhouette within the clouds. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Once they shot out of the golden clouds, Jacob was surprised to see whaty beyond.


    Like a Sr Bastion, a unique, otherworldly teau hovered as an isted floating ind above an endless sea of golden clouds. The teau radiated with a faint golden hue, constantly bathed in the soft glow of perpetual dawn, as though the sun was always on the verge of rising but never fully doing so.


    In the center of this ind stood an ancient tower. This unique area was saturated with the essence of light itself, giving the air a faint shimmer. The atmosphere felt warm, as though thend was alive with the energy of the sun, yet it wasn''t unbearably hot.


    The most striking feature of the Sr Bastion was the Eternal Horizon¡ªa ring of endless sunrise surrounding the teau. From their vantage point, they could see golden rays just peeking over the edge of the clouds, casting long, ethereal beams of light that danced across the surface.


    The neon sky was clear, with constetions visible even in the golden light, giving the impression of standing at the meeting point between day and night.


    Sr Pools, natural basins filled with liquid light, were scattered around the teau. They rippled gently, casting reflections of stars even in the golden light.


    But Jacob''s attention was fixed on the awe-inspiring structure in the center, visible even from afar¡ªthere was no doubt that this was the Tower of Leo.


    Unlike the Tower of Taurus, the Tower of Leo was built entirely from radiant, golden stone that gleamed as though illuminated from within by the light of a thousand suns.


    Its smooth, reflective surface captured and magnified any light that touched it, giving the illusion that it was both solid and ephemeral, like a structure made from pure light. Standing nearly one thousand meters tall, its tapered, spire-like form rose into the neon sky, stretching toward the stars.


    Massive crimson stone pirs surrounded the Tower of Leo, towering over thend like ancient sentinels. These pirs were carved with intricate lion motifs and had veins of golden energy running through them. They absorbed and amplified the light in the environment, acting as conduits to stabilize the tower''s intense radiant energy.


    Jacob knew he had reached his destination. He nced at Autarch and said, "There''s no need for her anymore. Come back!"


    Autarch obeyed without hesitation, vanishing from the elf''s body and returning to Jacob''s sr plexus space.


    The elf''s body lost its life and started to fall along with the disc, but Jacob used his soul force to stop her. He retrieved the disc, absorbed all her blood, and let her dry corpse fall.


    After dealing with this small matter, he activated the stealth ability and headed directly toward the tower.


    As he got closer, he noticed more details. At the tower''s peak sat a massive, radiant Lion''s Crest, a glowing sigil in the shape of a roaring lion''s head formed from pure golden light. Within this sigil were crimson stars representing the constetion of Leo, constantly emitting beams of shimmering light.


    Moreover, three enormous floating golden rings slowly rotated around the spire. Each ring pulsed with energy, resonating with the tower''s constetion symbol.


    Lastly, from the very top of the tower, the Pir of Starry Light shot straight into the heavens. This light beam was like a bridge between the tower and the stars, connecting the Tower of Leo to cosmic forces and signaling its alignment with celestial power. The light wasn''t constant; it shifted between shades of gold and crimson and asionally burst into rainbow hues, mimicking the vibrant colors of the stars¡ªmuch like the Tower of Taurus.


    Jacob quickly reached the area near the tower and instantly spotted elves adorned in white robes, dressed simrly to the female elf. Their auras were just as powerful, if not stronger.


    Fifteen elves stood like guards at the base of the Tower of Leo, right in front of a grand entrance carved into the radiant stone. Above the entrance, Leo''s constetion glowed faintly, and the archway was framed by golden light.


    Jacob also noticed hidden rune arrays near the elves, emitting dangerous energy. These arrays were clearly recently created to guard against intruders who might try to ambush Samantha after she obtained the Cosmic Vestige.


    But could this formation stop Jacob? The answer was no!


    Jacob used his soul force, and the elven guards'' expressions changed as they felt the mountainous pressure lock onto them. Before they could react, Jacob crushed their heads in an instant.


    No blood spilled as he gathered everything into a blood orb and safelynded in front of the tower entrance. The elves didn''t even have the chance to activate the formation.


    Without dy, Jacob took out the Legendary Key given to him by the Tower of Taurus. The moment the key appeared, the tower''s voice rang out.


    "Seeker of Zodiac, you may enter!"


    In the next moment, the majestic door of the Tower of Leo began to open before Jacob''s zing eyes. Yet, a hint of uncertainty remained in his gaze because of how the tower had just addressed him!

 Chapter 804: Tower of Leo (2)

    Chapter 804: Tower of Leo (2)


    ?


    The Tower of Leo didn''t give Jacob any options like the Tower of Taurus; it directly allowed him to enter.


    He didn''t know which difficulty Samantha had chosen. Still, from the information he had gathered, he understood that nearly all the heirs of the Legendary Kings were here to obtain an Ascension Permit for their respective Kings. Inparison, the Legendary Vestiges were not as crucial in the eyes of these Kings.


    Samantha was in a simr situation. ording to the memories of the elf, she had been prevented from advancing to the Legendary Rank so she could enter the Path of Legend and acquire an Ascension Permit.


    However, thepetition between the peak Legendary Kings was intense. All of them desired an Ascension Permit, yet there were only twelve avable in the Path of Legend, and that was if they seeded in passing the mostplex Star King Difficulty Trials.


    If even one of them failed, it would mean one less Ascension Permit for their Legendary King. Thus, the heirs were equipped with powerful treasures-some even borrowing Fablen/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Legendary State treasures, which were among the most critical trump cards of any organization.


    These treasures were strictly controlled, as creating a Legendary Rank treasure required enormous Legendary Rank resources. Even then, the failure rate was high due to the Zodiac ins Laws.


    The two Fable Legendary State treasures Jacob had acquired in the lightning mountain range were only at the initial Fable Legendary State Rank. Yet, they were deadly enough to ignite a massive war among Legendary Rank experts. Even Legendary Nobles would be involved and fight over them.


    At that moment, Jacob finally stepped into the first level of the Tower of Leo. He was surprised to find himself in an endless white space, where many ethereal golden orbs floated and moved like shooting stars.


    Jacob had no idea what the trial entailed, but those orbs were filled with powerful soul force. He quickly opened Cursed Immortality to learn the details of the challenge.


    Tower of Leo Level One: Soul Light''s Precision


    Challenge: Strike the moving soul light orbs with your soul force and destroy them with a single strike within thirty minutes!


    Soul Light Orbs Required to pass this trial: 0/10,000


    Time: 29M:54S


    Upon reading the details of this challenge, Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he observed the Soul Light Orbs zipping around the endless white space, each filled with an intense soul force. But he suddenly realized, as his eyes flickered, ''Now I understand! The soul force is normally invisible, but those orbs are golden, and I can see two types of energies mixed in them: one is obviously soul force, while the other should be light element energy!


    ''It''s just like how I use my soul force to integrate my mana and make it more powerful! So, it wasn''t just something new, but the soul force could be imbued with elemental mana, be more powerful, and cause more damage! It''s like...like Soul attack!''


    Jacob was ted as he could sense the orbs'' every movement with his own soul force; his perception heightened even more.


    The next moment, he extended his hand slightly, willing his soul force to surge forward. It flowed from within him like a silent current, undetectable to ordinary vision, but Jacob felt its presence vividly¡ªan extension of his will, ready to bend to hismand.


    However, Jacob knew that pure soul force alone wasn''t enough to shatter these orbs. A subtle smirk tugged at his lips. "Let''s turn it up a notch."


    The next moment, ethereal violet lightning flickered around his hand, spiraling through the air like ghostly tendrils.


    This wasn''t ordinary lightning; it was pure ster energy, giving it a celestial glow that felt both delicate and devastating. This time, he had no intention of converging it into aura or spirit.


    Jacob focused on the invisible strands of his soul force, willing them to interact with the violet lightning.


    Slowly but surely, the intangible force began to wrap itself around the ethereal lightning, and together, they fused into something sharper and far more dangerous.


    The lightning took form under his will-tiny, crackling bullets of violet energy-each norger than marble but teeming with concentrated power.


    With a flicker of his mind, he directed the first of these lightning bullets toward a nearby Soul Light Orb.


    The ethereal orb zipped through the air like a shooting star, unaware of the impending danger. The violet lightning bullet struck it in an instant, and a silent explosion of energy followed. The orb disintegrated, its light snuffed out as if swallowed by the void.


    Jacob''s smirk deepened. He had figured out the perfect way to annihte these orbs.


    He extended both hands now, mentally crafting dozens of lightning bullets, each one formed from the union of his invisible soul force and the dazzling violet energy.


    The orbs darted unpredictably through the air, but Jacob''s mind was faster. With every thought, another bullet materialized andunched at a target.


    Despite their swift movements, the tiny orbs of light stood no chance. One after another, they burst like fragile bubbles in the face of Jacob''s precise strikes. Each impact was marked by a brief sh of violet light as his lightning surged through, disintegrating the orbs in a cascade


    of cosmic energy.


    The process was fluid, almost effortless for Jacob as if thebination of his soul force and violet lightning had been destined to merge. He barely moved, standing calmly in the white expanse while his will danced through the space, directing a symphony of destruction.


    As the number of Soul Light Orbs dwindled, Jacob couldn''t help but feel a rush of satisfaction. His power had grown exponentially since stepping into the Path of Legend, and this trial- meant to test precision and soul strength-was no more than an opportunity to sharpen his already lethal skills.


    Within minutes, thest of the orbs was destroyed, shattered by a final violet lightning bullet Jacob conjured with a flick of his fingers.


    The space around him fell into silence, the once-glowing orbs nowpletely obliterated, leaving behind only the faintest trace of their soul energy in the air.


    Jacob withdrew his soul force, letting the crackling tendrils of violet lightning dissipate into the atmosphere. His gaze remained calm, though his mind was already on the next challenge, the next trial that awaited him in the Tower of Leo.


    A corporeal door metalized before him, and he stepped inside without hesitation. The environment shifts dramatically as Jacob steps into a vast, shimmering maze. The space feels otherworldly, dominated by towering walls of radiant, golden ss that reflect beams of light. The entire maze seems to pulse with energy, as if alive with the essence of the sun


    itself.


    The floor beneath Jacob''s feet was smooth and reflective, made of a polished golden material that could mirror his every move.


    Stretching into the distance wererge reflective surfaces-mirrors-that rose up like monoliths, their surfaces constantly shifting and rotating. These mirrors seemed to be arranged in intricate patterns, creating awork of light paths that flickered with an almost blinding brilliance.


    High above, a solitary, radiant sr orb hovers in the air, casting beams of intense light throughout the maze. These beams of light were traveling from mirror to mirror, bouncing off the reflective surfaces and forming a glowing web of crisscrossing light trails. Jacob quickly looked at the Cursed Immorality to see what this trial was about.


    Tower of Leo Level Two: Sr Reflection


    Challenge: You must navigate through the mirror maze filled with reflective surfaces reflecting beams of light off these mirrors to unlock doors and pathways without getting injured by the dangers within!


    Time: 23H:59M:48

 Chapter 805 Tower of Leo (3)

    Chapter 805 Tower of Leo (3)


    Once Jacob confirmed the challenge details, he closed the Cursed Immortality and looked towards the pristine maze. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The atmosphere inside the Sr Reflection maze was thick with tension. Golden light beams crisscrossed the maze in intricate patterns, flickering at sharp angles as the mirrors shifted constantly. The reflective golden ss walls rippled like waves, their movements unpredictable, distorting the maze''syout every few seconds. It was as though the entire structure breathed with the rhythm of the sun''s energy.


    Jacob quickly realized he had to move fast¡ªthis trial wasn''t just about solving the puzzle but about surviving the shadows that lurked within. His Eyes of Judge, far more powerful now in the Intermediate Awakening Stage, allowed him to see subtle truths hidden in the chaotic reflections. The shifting lights were more than just illumination¡ªthey formed patterns. With his advanced perception, Jacob began to analyze the space. He could see faint, hidden connections between the mirrors, light beams, and the paths they could unlock.


    The maze and the mirrors'' movements weren''t random. Jacob saw a pattern¡ªan almost imperceptible sequence that dictated how the mirrors moved. His mind raced as spective ideas shed in his thoughts, piecing together how each reflective surface was aligned with the sr orb''s light source. The entire structure seemed designed to confuse anyone without precise knowledge, but to his Eyes of Judge, the truth was beginning to reveal itself.


    With newfound understanding, Jacob stepped forward confidently, weaving through the maze. The shifting mirrors did not faze him as he moved with calcted precision, adjusting his position to avoid the beams of light while anticipating their redirection. But just as he gained momentum, his Eyes of Judge detected movement in the darkness.


    From the shadows cast by the light beams, ominous figures began to emerge. These shadow creatures were ethereal, fluid forms of pure darkness with glowing red eyes, their bodies rippling like smoke. The light did not reach them, and they seemed to feed off the dimness, growing stronger the longer they remained hidden.


    Jacob could see through their nature¡ªthese creatures thrived in the absence of light. Their power was tied to the shifting mirrors, which created pockets of darkness every time a beam of light moved. The more shadows created, the more enemies appeared.


    He had to act fast.


    Focusing his soul force, Jacob extended his control over the mirrors, using his mind and will to begin shifting them manually. His soul force was invisible, intangible, yet with his mastery, it operated like a precise tool, moving the mirrors in specific directions to reflect the beams of sr light toward his target.


    With each carefully ced redirection, he aimed the light beams at the doors blocking his path. As the light struck the reflective door mechanisms, pathways began to open in the maze, but so did more opportunities for the shadows to strike.


    The shadow enemies moved swiftly, drawn to the dark corners where the light couldn''t reach. Jacob could feel their presence growing, their power intensifying. He couldn''t let them gain too much ground. Relying on his Eyes of Judge again, he quickly identified weak points in their structure. Though the shadow figures moved unpredictably, he could see their vulnerabilities¡ªcertain areas where even the faintest touch of light would be enough to destroy them.


    A sharp movement of his soul force, and the mirrors snapped into position. Beams of golden light shot toward the shadows, casting them back as they hissed in fury. Their forms disintegrated when exposed to sr energy, but more appeared in their ce, creeping from new angles as the mirrors continued to shift.


    Realizing he needed a more efficient method, Jacob infused his soul force with his ethereal violet lightning. Thisbination of energy became a powerful weapon, allowing him to direct the reflective light with deadly precision. He began crafting lightning-infused soul force bullets, tiny yet lethal projectiles of violet lightning, which he fired toward the mirrors. Each bullet struck with pinpoint uracy, redirecting the light beams instantly, either opening new paths or disintegrating the shadow enemies.


    Violet lightning crackled through the air, illuminating the maze with its ethereal glow. Every time a mirror aligned with the light, a new pathway appeared, or an enemy dissolved in a sh of violet and gold. The light beams refracted through the maze like a controlled storm, leaving no room for the shadows to hide.


    Jacob continued to move through the maze with precision, constantly adjusting the mirrors and firing his violet lightning bullets to maintain control over the light beams. His Eyes of Judge allowed him to anticipate every shift, every attack, and every moment of danger. Step by step, he advanced through the maze, unlocking doors and neutralizing threats, all while keeping the shifting mirrors under his control.


    With each correct movement, the maze unfolded, and the shadow enemies diminished, unable to survive under Jacob''s relentless assault of soul force and lightning.


    As the final door of the maze swung open, Jacob paused to take at the moment¡ªhis strategy had worked wlessly, the shadows had been defeated, and it was all thanks to the Eyes of Judge.


    Nheless, Jacob had used almost 20% of his soul force and 10% of his lightning mana in just two trials. He started to wonder if this Tower of Leo was all about the Soul Force and elemental mastery over one''s element.


    ''Since that woman, Samantha, had undergone the same trials, how powerful is her soul force? I''m pretty certain that this is a Star King difficulty-level trial. Or does she have other methods to use soul force constantly? If that''s really the case, I''m looking forward to capturing her more. Maybe I can use this method for myself!''


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered viciously with clear desire as he looked at the final door. Behind it was the entrance door, the same one that had led him to this level, and without Jacob entering, the second trial, Sr Reflection, wasplete!


    At this moment, Jacob entered the third trial of the Tower of Leo. As soon as he stepped into the third level, the environment shifted dramatically.


    The entire space was enveloped in an almost oppressive brilliance. Everything was washed in a stark, blinding white light, making it impossible to distinguish any specific features of the walls, floor, or surroundings.


    Jacob quickly looked at Cursed Immortality.


    _____

 Chapter 806 Tower of Leo (4)

    Chapter 806 Tower of Leo (4)


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jacob thought the Blinding Arena was aptly named. The intense radiance flooded the space, making it hard for even someone like Jacob to see clearly without his Eyes of Judge.


    The entire ground seemed to glow with a soft, ethereal white, reflecting and refracting the radiant energy from all angles. It felt as though Jacob had stepped into the heart of a star, where light itself was alive and pulsed with energy. Every surface was bright, making the surroundings almost indistinguishable.


    Suddenly, figures began to emerge from the light. These beings weren''t like anything Jacob had faced before. They were formed entirely from radiant energy, their bodies shimmering and shifting with each movement. The radiant beings were humanoid in shape butcked any distinguishing features other than their blinding glow.


    Their very presence seemed to intensify the overwhelming brightness of the arena, and with every step, they emitted intense shes of light, each one disorienting and distracting.


    These radiant entities moved in erratic, unpredictable patterns, their forms shifting in and out of the intense light. It was clear that they used the arena''s brilliance to their advantage, appearing almost invisible as they blended with the surrounding radiance.


    Whenever they attacked, they unleashed massive shes of blinding light, making it almost impossible for anyone to rely solely on sight to predict their next move.


    But Jacob was different. Though the brightness was enough to blind any Quasi Legend, Jacob''s Eyes of Judge had evolved beyond ordinary sight. His intermediate awakening allowed him to see far more than just visible light.


    He tapped into his ability to sense energy and truth. The radiant beings might have been made of light. Still, Jacob could see through their brilliance¡ªhe could sense their energy signatures and detect their movements even when their attacks created overwhelming shes of light.


    This gave him a distinct advantage in the trial. While the radiant beings moved at high speed, hoping to disorient him with bursts of light, Jacob used his soul force to enhance his spatial awareness.


    Being invisible and bound by his will, soul force allowed him to feel every movement within the arena as if the light did not affect his senses. He felt the pulsating energy of the radiant beings, their presence cutting through the oppressive brightness.


    With a calm focus, Jacob extended his soul force into the arena, using it like an invisible to map the positions of the light creatures. As one of themunched forward, unleashing a blinding sh in an attempt to stun him, Jacob''s soul force reacted faster than his sight ever could. He moved fluidly, avoiding the radiant being''s attack, relying purely on the feedback his soul force provided.


    But he didn''t just stay defensive.


    Jacob infused his soul force with violet lightning, channeling the ster energy he mastered. These crackling tendrils of energy sparked to life. Unlike the radiant beings, his lightning wasn''t just bright¡ªit was ethereal and potent, capable of cutting through the intense brilliance of the arena.


    The violet lightning surged with power beyond just light; it carried the essence of the stars, making it something that even these radiant creatures could not withstand easily.


    As the radiant beings closed in, Jacob unleashed a storm of violet lightning bolts, which he controlled with pinpoint uracy. Guided by his soul force, the bolts zigzagged through the arena, slicing through the radiant forms of his enemies.


    Each bolt struck with the speed of light and the weight of celestial power, leaving the radiant beings with no time to recover before they were torn apart.


    Their forms shimmered as they disintegrated into pure light, vanishing into the blinding brilliance of the arena. Despite their ferocity and attempts to disorient him with shes of light, they were no match for Jacob''s mastery over his abilities.


    However, the arena wasn''t done challenging him. The radiant beings began to multiply, emerging faster and in greater numbers.


    The arena itself seemed to pulse with energy, trying to overwhelm Jacob by sheer volume. The shes of light became more frequent and more intense, and even the air seemed to hum with radiant energy.


    But undeterred, Jacob continued to wield his violet lightning, manipting the surrounding radiance to his advantage.


    His soul force reached out, not only sensing the energy around him but also controlling the very light that filled the arena. By channeling his ster lightning through his soul force, Jacob began to bend the light itself¡ªredirecting the overwhelming brightness into concentrated beams that struck down the radiant beings with devastating precision.


    This was apletely unexpected development, as he didn''t expect his soul force to do that. He only followed his instincts. It was as if he could sense the flow of energy and soul force hidden in the light attacks, disrupt this energy, and even change it to his advantage as long as this energy wasn''t stronger than his own.


    Jacob had to admit that he was learning to use soul force faster with the tower trials and even bing proficient in his elemental energy, which he had neglected all this time. The Legendary Rank magic cores seemed to have opened a new world of possibilities for him; it was like a shackle had been broken.


    The limitations of magic, like the rectified stars, limited mana capacity, andck of control because of spells, werepletely gone, and this made Jacob finally bloom as a magic user. Until now, he didn''t even think about using his weapons at all as his magic began to rece them. Nheless, another reason was that his weapons were useless since soul force was involved. Jacob danced through the light with each move, untouchable by the radiant enemies'' tactics. Because of his soul force and mana''s continuous use, he was in some kind of strange state.


    At this moment, his soul force allowed him to anticipate their every attack while his lightning overwhelmed them with cosmic might. Those opponents be his whetstones!


    When he reached the point where he no longer made any progress, Jacob suddenly tried something. His mana burst out, and the next moment, he summoned a massive violet lightning storm that enveloped the arena.


    The ethereal energy surged and crackled, engulfing the radiant beings in a cascade of ster power. One by one, they fell, their forms dissolving into the very light they had emerged from until none remained.


    The blinding arena was once again quiet, the radiant beings vanquished, and Jacob stood victorious, his soul force and ster lightning still sparking in the aftermath of the intense battle.


    Although he had used a massive amount of mana and soul force in this battle, it was all worth it since he had learned many things from it. At this moment, a door materialized in front of him.


    However, Jacob didn''t enter right away and saw the remaining time. Over seven hours remained before the deadline. Jacob decided to stay and recover before moving to the next trial this time.


    Previously, he didn''t do it because he was uncertain about the consequences¡ªhe still was¡ªbut he observed the timer on the cursed immorality from the start, and he found that the timer never stopped despite him clearing the trial.


    That''s why he became doubtful if this remaining time could be used to recover. To find out, all he needed to do was wait and look out for the door. If the door showed any signs of disappearing, he would quickly enter it, and if it didn''t, it would prove his conjecture.


    Jacob sat down and focused on recovering, his eyes wide open as he looked at the ethereal door. After another hour, the door didn''t show any sign of disappearing, which made Jacob more sure about his guess. He started to recover in earnest while keeping his eyes on the time.


    Hours passed, and only a minute remained on the timer. Jacob stood up and entered the door without any dy, which led him to the fourth trial!

 Chapter 807 Tower of Leo (5)

    Chapter 807 Tower of Leo (5)


    Jacob stepped into the fourth trial of the Tower of Leo, and as the doors behind him vanished, he found himself in a vast, empty, deste in. The terrain stretched endlessly in all directions, barren and devoid of life.


    Cracked earth spread beneath his feet, and the sky above was strangely still¡ªa dull, gray expanse that seemed to foretell the impending doom.


    Unlike the blinding light and intense radiance of the earlier trials, this in had an eerie quietness about it, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The horizon appeared to be drenched in twilight, with no discernible source of light except for a faint, sickly glow hanging far off in the sky.


    Jacob knew this wasn''t just another straightforward challenge as he opened the cursed immortality for more details.


    _____


    Tower of Leo Level Four: The Eclipse of Endurance


    Challenge: A test of endurance, where you must survive an artificial eclipse. During the eclipse, all light will be consumed by ever-encroaching darkness, and you must maintain a source of light around yourself while facing shadowy creatures empowered by the eclipse!


    Time: 59M:58S


    _____


    His eyes flickered coldly as he closed the cursed book and focused ahead. The cursed immortality had detailed the nature of this trial¡ªhe was about to face an artificial eclipse.


    He could feel it in the air. The light in this world was already weak, but it would soon be consumedpletely by an encroaching darkness, and he would need to endure the shadows that emerged from it.


    Jacob''s instincts red to life, his Eyes of Judge scanning the deste ins as he felt the pressure building in the atmosphere. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was toe.


    Suddenly, the sky began to darken even further.


    The first signs of the eclipse started with the gradual dimming of the faint light that hung in the sky. The air became heavier, and the temperature seemed to drop.


    Above, Jacob saw a celestial event unfolding¡ªthe moon began to move across the sun, casting thend into deeper and deeper shadow. The eclipse wasn''t natural. Its progress was swift and unnerving as if the world itself was eager for the darkness to arrive. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Soon, the advancing shadow swallowed thest vestiges of sunlight, leaving the in bathed in an unnatural darkness. It was a totaleclipse. The moment thest sliver of light was consumed, the change was immediate and terrifying.


    A thick, oppressive ckness spread across the in, a living darkness that seemed to swallow everything in its path. The temperature dropped even further, and from the pitch-ck gloom, eerie figures began to emerge.


    Shadowy creatures, amorphous and writhing, formed from the darkness of the eclipse. Their bodies were formless, shifting like liquid shadow, and their eyes glowed faintly with a crimson hue. They were drawn to Jacob, but not just because of his presence¡ªthey were attracted to light.


    Jacob''s task became apparent. To survive this trial, he needed to keep a source of light around him while these shadow creatures relentlessly attacked. Without light, they would overwhelm him. But the problem was obvious: the eclipse consumed all external sources of light.


    Without wasting time, Jacob tapped into his fire mana core this time. Ethereal Green mes erupted around him. The eerie, translucent green fire formed a protective barrier around Jacob, illuminating the space immediately around him and driving back the encroaching darkness. It was the only light source in the deste in now, and the shadow creatures reacted instantly.


    But the first time Jacob tried to strike one of the creatures using his green fire mana, something unsettling happened. The shadow creature passed through the fire with only minimal resistance. It didn''t burn. The creatures were unaffected by fire alone, feeding on the light but immune to its effects.


    "Damn it," Jacob muttered.


    He realized the problem almost instantly; in fact, he was already expecting it¡ªthese creatures weren''t just physical. They were beings of pure shadow, and he would need more than just fire to hurt them¡ªsoul force.


    Drawing on his vast pool of soul force, Jacob integrated it with his fire mana. The fusion of his invisible soul energy with the ethereal green mes transformed them into something far deadlier.


    The moment his soul force wove into the green fire, it crackled with a new intensity, a force that could harm these shadowy creatures.


    With a flick of his hand, Jacob sent out a st of green mes fused with soul force, and this time, the effect was immediate. The shadow creature screeched as it was consumed by the fire, its dark form dissipating into nothingness. It worked.


    But the trial wasn''t over. The creatures began to swarm. From every corner of the deste in, more shadowy figures emerged, drawn to the light like moths to a me.


    Jacobunched attack after attack, sending waves of green, soul-infused fire at the shadows, destroying them one by one. Yet, the sheer number of creatures seemed endless.


    Each time he killed one, two more appeared in its ce, and Jacob realized the true nature of the trial. It wasn''t just about fighting¡ªthis was a test of endurance.


    Even with his immense power, Jacob couldn''t keep up this pace forever. His soul force was being drained rapidly, and while his fire mana was still plentiful, the fusion required to harm the creatures was exhausting his reserves.


    The weight of the trial started to take its toll. Every attack drained him more, and as the eclipse deepened, the shadow creatures only grew stronger, more relentless.


    Jacob was forced to make a decision. He couldn''t afford to exhaust his soul force entirely¡ªhe needed it for future trials. If he depleted it here, he would be vulnerableter on, and in the Tower of Leo, being vulnerable was equivalent to being dead.


    Instead of continuing to fight head-on, Jacob switched tactics. He ran while using the incredible durability of his body to withstand the shadow creatures'' attacks.


    The creatures swarmed him, wing at him, but their attacks barely prated his legendary bones. Pain surged through his body as they attacked, but Jacob gritted his teeth and endured it. The shadows couldn''t truly harm him as long as he maintained his defense, and the key now was to survive the remaining time.


    As the minutes dragged on, Jacob used his speed and instincts to dodge the more dangerous assaults while focusing on conserving his strength. The creatures were relentless, but Jacob was faster, tougher. The pain was sharp, but not enough to break him.


    Gradually, though, his green fire began to weaken. The darkness of the eclipse seemed to absorb the fire, pulling the light from it and making it harder and harder for him to maintain the barrier.


    The creatures pressed closer, and Jacob could feel the tension rising, knowing that the light was the only thing holding them back.


    With the final minutes of the trial approaching, Jacob knew he had no choice. He unleashed thest of his fire mana, surrounding himself with an even more intense burst of green mes infused with the small amount of his soul force.


    The creatures that touched the mes disintegrated instantly, giving him a final reprieve as the trial neared its end.


    As the hour mark approached, the light of the eclipse slowly began to return. The darkness that had consumed the in retreated, and the shadow creatures, sensing the shift, began to vanish back into the encroaching shadows.


    The trial was over.


    Breathing heavily, Jacob stood amidst the deste in, his body aching from the battle. He had used almost all of his fire mana and a significant portion of his soul force, but he had survived. Now, he would need to recover before the next trial, knowing that the worst was yet toe.


    The Eclipse of Endurance had tested him to his limits, but Jacob was still standing tall.


    But at this moment, the door to the next trial appeared. This time, there wasn''t any time left on the timer, and Jacob didn''t want to risk it, so he entered the door and headed to the fifth trial of the Tower of Leo, which was bing increasingly deadly, unlike the Tower of Taurus!

 Chapter 808 Tower of Leo (6)

    Chapter 808 Tower of Leo (6)


    Jacob stepped through the portal into the fifth trial of the Tower of Leo. He knew his soul force was less than 30% at this moment, and he nned to replenish it if this trial had longer or, even better, no time.


    But he didn''t put his hopes up high since he knew every trial was given a time in the Tower of Leo, which made him less hopeful.


    However, when he appeared in the next trial, he found himself in a grand circr chamber, and his expression instantly changed because this chamber was reminiscent of the seventh level of the Tower of Taurus!


    ''Wait, don''t tell me the Tower of Leo only has five trials!?'' Jacob was in disbelief.


    Since he entered the tower after Samantha, he wasn''t provided with any knowledge regarding the exact number of trials. However, since this was a tower simr to the Tower of Taurus, he thought it would also have seven trials.


    However, now he had appeared in the chamber, which was very much like thest trial of the Tower of Taurus. He knew they weren''t just simr because the chamber''s walls were adorned withrge, majestic murals!


    The murals depicted a sequence of events that, while not overly detailed, seemed to tell a profound story. The first mural illustrated the birth of the celestial lion, a radiant figure of pure white light emerging from a chaotic swirl of golden and crimson energies.


    The next few murals showed glimpses of Leo''s journey¡ªespecially the second mural, in which Leo is shown battling a dark, indistinct silhouette. The confrontation is vague and abstract, the details blurred as if shrouded in shadows, but the intensity of the struggle is palpable. Leo fought valiantly against this obscure foe, yet the mural offers no clear resolution. But Jacob recognized it as a recurring element from the previous murals he had seen in the Tower of Taurus.


    The final mural in the sequence depicted a dramatic event: the lion, now in human-like form, standing triumphantly amid a scene of cosmic upheaval.


    Without hesitation, he instantly opened the Cursed Immortality to make sure he was right.


    _____ Tower of Leo Level Five: The Leo''s Pride


    Final Challenge: Defeat the Wisp of Leo!


    _____


    Jacob confirmed his spection, as he thought,''Since all those darn challenges required the use of Soul Force, and they were all extremely deadlypared to the Tower of Taurus, then the Tower of Leo having only five trails doesn''t seem unusual¡­''


    At this moment, Jacob''s thought process was disrupted, and his attention was abruptly pulled away by a cacophony of sounds and a surge of powerful magical and soul force ripples!


    His instincts, honed by numerous battles, alerted him to the urgent situation unfolding before him. In the center of the chamber, a fierce battle raged.


    Jacob''s eyes shed with astonishment when he saw a graceful elf wearing soft white full-body armor, which was in a sorry state, while the elf wasn''t any better as her appearance was disheveled and pale. This was none other than Samantha, the elf he had been tracking all this time.


    However, Jacob only nced at her before his eyes locked on a humanoid figure with the head of a white lion bathed in ethereal white light. Its body was a blend of divine radiance and spectral energy, shimmering like a ghostly beacon.


    The lion''s face was regal yet fierce, its golden eyes burning with a fierce intensity. Jacob instantly knew that this was the Wisp of Leo. The Wisp''s presence was both majestic and intimidating, its movements fluid and graceful yet capable of devastating power.


    At this moment, the Wisp of Leo was under intense battle with Samantha. But calling it a battle was an overstatement because Leo was sending powerful punishes filled with radiating white light, causing powerful ripples throughout the chamber and making the walls shake intensely. While Samantha was on the defense, enshrouded inside a golden barrier that was giving an intent aura of soul force, and another gentle element filled with life was present in it!


    Jacob instantly spotted the source of this soothing yet powerful soul force. It was a palm-sized triangr crystal hovering in front of Samantha as it revolved and released powerful soul force pulses filled with the life element.


    It seemed to be a focal point of her efforts. The crystal encased a golden crystalline willow leaf, which seemed to be a source of the life-like soul force. This force flowed around her, creating a shimmering barrier of golden energy.


    Not only was the crystal rapidly releasing soul force, but it was also healing her injurers at a rapid pace caused by Leo''s mighty soul force, allowing Samantha to recover at an rming rate.


    Jacob instantly made a guess because he felt a familiar sense from this crystal, ''Is that a Legendary Rank Treasures? It has to be! Because this treasure would exin how she hade this far despite being only at the Quasi-Legend Rank. Furthermore, this treasure seemed even more powerful than the shield and staff I acquired, and it''s a healing type of treasure. Moreover, she didn''t seem to have any difficulty operating it. There has to be some kind of exnation!''


    Jacob''s attention was fully locked on them; he used his stealth to hide. He continued to observe their battle with great interest, as Leo attacked relentlessly. Samantha''s expression was pale yet resolute as she hid under the treasure''s protection.


    Jacob remained hidden in the shadows, using his stealth to avoid detection. He continued to observe the battle, noting Samantha''s strategy of attempting to wear down the Wisp before making her move. Her strained expression and the state of her armor showed that her previous frontal assaults had been ineffective.


    Jacob marveled at the Wisp of Leo''s power, realizing that it was almost on par with the Legendary Rank, with a nearly infinite supply of soul force.


    Since he has never gotten any chance to fight the Wisp of Taurus, the more he observes, the more solemn he bes. As time passed, the Wisp of Leo''s light element magic became overwhelming, casting intense beams of radiant energy that shed with the barrier, which started to shake. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Samantha''s expression changed as she quickly cast a spell, and her wood magic manifested as verdant, sprawling vines and protective barriers enforcing the golden barrier. But the Wisp''s light magic cut through them with relentless precision. She was no match for the Wisp of Leo!

 Chapter 809 Wisp of Leo (1)

    Chapter 809 Wisp of Leo (1)


    At this moment, Samantha felt terror as she watched the Wisp of Leo rain down light sts around her barrier while the crystal in front of her continued to tremble.


    ''Why isn''t this brute showing any sign of slowing down? What kind of absurd difficulty is this!? Even my Willow Life Amber is showing signs of depletion! Although this Willow Life Amber is made like a consumable treasure, I can use it with my own soul force and draw all the stored soul force.


    ''But this damn tower is simply too hateful as almost every trial required soul force usage! It was still manageable until I stepped in thisst trial. I had more than 50% of the soul force inside Willow Life Amber when I arrived, but now, only 15% is left!


    ''If this continues, it won''t be long before I lose the Willow Life Amber protection, and I don''t think I can take this guy down if its power remains the same. What do I do? Should I use ''it'' to flee this ce?


    ''No, if I use ''it,'' I''ll be sent out the Path of Legend directly, and once Mother finds out, it''ll be over for me¡­ but if I don''t leave, I''ll die!''


    Samantha''s mind was working at lightning speed as she contemted her situation and her options. Although she was here before her Mother to im the Ascension Permit for her, she also wanted to prove herself and solidify her position among her other siblings. Furthermore, she had fought and worked hard to earn her mother''s attention and this spot, and she knew this was the only chance she had been waiting for. If she could pass this trial, not only would she have full support from her mother, a Legendary King, but she would also have a legacy of a Legendary King!


    This legacy reward was another reason she was willing to take such a risk and put her life on the line and unwilling to abandon it all when she was just a step away from getting everything. At the start, she was extremely confident, and she even managed to snatch Leo''s legendary key. Everything was going fine until she entered the trial; now, she was feeling despair.


    Although Samantha''s Legendary Treasure allowed her to withstand the onught and recover swiftly because of its unique nature, the sheer power and aggression of the Wisp of Leo kept her on the defensive.


    The Wisp moved with speed and strength, making it difficult for Samantha to mount an effective counterattack. Every strike from the Wisp seemed to push her further back, forcing her to use every ounce of her magical and physical prowess just to stay alive.


    That''s why she was thinking of using her trump card, which she had prepared herself to preserve her life. But the thing was, this trump card wasn''t given to her by her mother. She had found it in an ancient ruin, and she hid it all this time, even from her Mother, because she knew if her mother discovered it, she would take it for herself!


    Yet now, she was in a dilemma because this treasure was a one-time-use item. If she used it, although she would escape with her life, she wouldn''t be able to return, and she had to abandon everyone unless she wanted to suffer the wrath of her Mother.


    Although she won''t die, the punishment will be worse, and once she falls from grace, she will be the target of her siblings.


    While Samantha was having a mental breakdown and on the verge of giving up, Jacob, who was using the chaos of the battle to his advantage and employing stealth to remain hidden, also discovered the anomaly with the barrier.


    Although he dared not use his Soul Force, afraid of drawing the Wisp of Leo''s attention, his eyes were enough to reveal many things.


    He observed the exchange intently, noting the ways in which Samantha''s Legendary Treasure was employed and how it was ultimately insufficient against the Wisp''s overwhelming power.


    Now Jacob was sure that the treasure in Samantha''s hand wasn''t offensive, but it was for support, and she was wasting it away because he could see the fast depletion of the special soul force within the Willow Life Amber.


    ''What if I show myself? Would the Wisp of Leo be the same as the Wisp of Taurus and acknowledge me? But if that happens, the trial will be marked as a pass, and I''ll appear in that strange space again.


    ''However, I don''t know if that elf would also appear there if she were alive at that time and how the tower would judge it. But if I let her continue, I had a feeling that the treasure in her hand would also be destroyed¡­'' n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jacob was having internal conflict about what to do as he tried hexing her, but just as he expected, that damn legendary treasure made him miss. Now, he was sure his hexes were too weak in front of legendary treasures, and soul force was also a factor.


    After he awakened the spiritual neb, Jacob could sense the Hexes, not only using the Hex mana but also a tiny amount of his soul force when he used them in the Quasi Legends.


    Jacob never discovered it because his soul force wasn''t strong enough, but now, he can really sense it. So, he reckoned that if he wanted his Hexes to work on Legendary Rank Beings or bypass the protection of the legendary treasures, not only he needed the Soul Force but also Legendary Rank Hex mana. The Three Steps of Legend was the limit of his Hex Core!


    Although this was a huge discovery, he could do nothing about it since he didn''t have any means to hunt down 100,000 Fable Legendary Rank Dark Beings to evolve his Unique Rank Hex Magic Core to Fable Legendary Rank.


    Immortika had already told him that his hex magic core will evolve by following the ranks of the Four States of Legendary Ranks; it would not directly evolve into the Legendary King State Magic core.


    This means that if he wanted to hex Legendary Rank beings, he needed a legendary magic core. There was no way to bypass it unless heprehended the True Curse Magic and made his own curses, which he was nning on doing after he got out of the Path of Legend.


    At this moment, Jacob''s attention was again drawn to the Wisp of Leo because the ethereal humanoid lion suddenly stopped its relentless assault. However, what happened next shocked Jacob. The Wisp of Leo suddenly started to shine in white light, and around him, countless white particles appeared, and the temperature within the chamber instantly rose.


    Jacob instantly knew what those particles were because he was very familiar with their nature, ''This is... Radiation! Light contains a broad spectrum, including visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared, and other wavelengths that carry various forms of energy.


    ''But to draw radiation from light, it would need an advanced understanding of this spectrum, particrly the more energetic forms such as ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, which are associated with radiation!


    ''I never thought a Light magic user could achieve something like that! This magic is even more fascinating than lightning because if someone can gain control over the three energetic forms (Ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays) within the light, they can cause atomic fusion and atomic fission on a wimp, and therger the area of light they control, the more powerful the explosion. It''s like sting the space and having an unlimited supply of atomic weapons!''


    Jacob suddenly felt excited as he used his Eyes of Judge to analyze the Wisp of Leo''s magic maniption. This kind of concept was something he had never seen before, and it was even higher than the aura explosion he had learned.


    Jacob knew that if he could achieve what Wisp of Leo was doing and use this concept and integrate it with his weapons, he could createser-based weapons that shot at the speed of light. At that time, even Legendary Ranks wouldn''t be able to dodge his bullets. Not to mention, this concept could work with lightning and increase his own speed tremendously, and he might be able to achieve the Speed of Light!

 Chapter 810 Wisp of Leo (2)

    Chapter 810 Wisp of Leo (2)


    When the Wisp of Leo suddenly paused, Samantha instantly felt relief as she thought it had finally run out of mana. But the next moment, her heart trembled when its lion face, glowing with ethereal light, tilted slightly upward as if it were about to release a devastating attack.


    The next moment, the Wisp of Leo opened its maw, and in front of its mouth, countless particles of white light began to gather, but they weren''t ordinary beams of light.


    These particles crackled with pure, destructive energy, filling the chamber with intense heat. Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he recognized the deadly radiation forming. It wasn''t just a simple magical attack¡ªit was drawing from the most dangerous forms of light that could split atoms and ignite devastation. Jacob was again amazed by how perfect Wisp of Leo''s control was on the light.


    The light mass grew denser, taking on an unnatural brightness like the core of a star. The air around the Wisp shimmered, bending as if reality were distorting under its immense power.


    In a heartbeat, the Wisp unleashed its attack.


    A beam of pure, radiant energy sted forth from its maw¡ªa horrifying, condensed st that resembled the shockwave of a hydrogen bomb. The air itself screamed as the beam tore through it, leaving behind a trail of white-hot devastation.


    The entire chamber was bathed in a blinding light that seemed to erase shadows, turning everything to white for a fleeting moment.


    ''Oh no¡­!'' Samantha''s eyes widened in horror as she tried to react, but there was no time. The beam collided with her golden barrier, and the Willow Life Amber gave a desperate pulse of soul force, trying to hold the shield intact. But the force of the Wisp''s breath attack was overwhelming.


    In an instant, the barrier shattered, splintering into shards of golden energy that dissipated into nothingness.


    The explosion of light was so intense that it left Jacob momentarily blinded, even from his hidden vantage point. The force of the impact sent waves of heat and dust spiraling across the chamber, and the sound of the st echoed like a thunderp.


    When the light finally began to fade, and the dust started to settle, the scene was a stark contrast to the chaos that had just erupted.


    Samantha stood in the center of the chamber, her armor now scorched and cracked. But what drew Jacob''s attention immediately was the gaping hole in her chest. It was massive¡ªburned clean through as if the Wisp''s attack had obliterated her very essence. The edges of the wound glowed faintly with residual radiation light, and blood spilled from her body in slow, fatal streams.


    Her face was frozen in a mixture of disbelief and sheer terror. Her wide eyes, ssy and filled with shock, remained locked on the Wisp of Leo as if she couldn''tprehend what had just happened.


    There was a hint of unwillingness, the refusal to ept that this was the end, but no strength left in her to fight back.


    Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came, only blood. Only silence followed as her body, now devoid of life, began to slump. Her legs gave out, and she copsed to the cold stone floor of the chamber, the echo of her fall swallowed by the stillness that lingered in the aftermath of the st.


    Jacob, still hidden in the shadows, watched as Samantha''s lifeless bodyy sprawled out before the Wisp of Leo, the massive wound in her chest testament to the sheer power of the attack. Her eyes remained open, staring nkly at the creature that had ended her life¡ªan eternal gaze filled with disbelief and helplessness.


    Moreover, she seemed to be holding something in her hand, which shimmered for a moment before it went dormant again. Towards the end, she was clearly trying to use that trump card to flee. But s, she was toote, and the final attack of Wisp of Leo was too fast and terrifying. She didn''t even manage to activate the treasure before that attack destroyed her magic core!


    The Wisp of Leo stood over her fallen form, its ethereal mane still zing with light, its golden eyes unblinking. It showed no emotion, no satisfaction, only the cold, mechanical focus of a being forged for a singr purpose: to defend its trial.


    Jacob let out a slow breath, knowing now that he had witnessed not only the destruction of a powerful adversary but also the terrifying might of the Wisp of Leo. He would need to be cautious¡ªvery cautious¡ªif he didn''t get its acknowledgment.


    Suppressing his emotions and a hint of fear, he stopped using stealth and came out of hiding and stepped towards where Wisp of Leo stood and not far away from the lifeless body of Samantha.


    Jacob nced at the corpse and could only sigh because the Willow Life Amber was gone. That beam attack hadpletely obliterated it into dust, making Jacob even warier of that final attack. Nheless, he was also excited because that radiation beam gave him many insights about his weapon crafting and how to proceed.


    If anything, Jacob wanted to start researching many of his new theories and hypotheses instantly, but he knew his top priority was to gather the Cosmic Vestiges.


    Furthermore, Jacob also saw the thing Samantha was gripping in her hand and the space ring. Although he didn''t know what that thing was since she had taken it out on the verge of death, he knew it had to be a life-saving trump card that could save her life from that devastating attack, and he wanted to take it for himself. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The Wisp of Leo suddenly turned around as if it had sensed Jacob, but unlike its previous ferocity and aloof manner, its emotionless eyes shed with unknown emotions, and Jacob instantly sensed a familiar feeling rising in his heart.


    The next moment, something unexpected happened. The Wisp of Leo suddenly waved its w-like hand, and the item inside Samantha''s hand directly left her. It flew towards Jacob and stopped in front of him.


    Jacob was bewildered for a moment before he looked at the Wisp of Leo, which didn''t seem to have any intention of attacking. It was even giving him that thing Samantha was holding.


    Now Jacob wondered if the Wisp of Leo had already known he had been here and hiding all this time and that the reason it killed Samantha was because of him. Furthermore, since he was giving him this item whilepletely ignoring the space ring on Samantha''s hand, he suddenly felt this item was extraordinary enough to be recognized by the Wisp of Leo.


    Yet the most important part was still its behavior in front of him, and this time, he didn''t want to miss this chance. He stowed away the item to research itter and questioned, "Who exactly are you guys, and why are you treating me differently? Is it because of the #@*%%?!"

 Chapter 811 Astral Lightseed!

    Chapter 811 Astral Lightseed!


    "Who exactly are you guys, and why are you treating me differently? Is it because of the #@*%%?!"


    Jacob was shocked when his words turned into gibberish at the end¡ªthose words were ''Cursed Immortality!''


    He had never experienced anything like that before, and only when he tried to say Cursed Immortality out loud in front of Wisp of Leo did he feel this strange restraint, like something was restraining him from uttering that name.


    But before he could figure it out, Jacob suddenly felt his mind tremble because a heavy voice reverberated directly into his soul like a thunderp. Jacob was very familiar with this phenomenon because the same thing happened with the Wisp of Taurus. Furthermore, just like before, he didn''tprehend what this voice was saying, much like what had happened to his words just now. Once the voice faded, Jacob was fighting the intense pain in his head as he looked at the Wisp of Leo with a myriad of emotions.


    The next moment, the Wisp of Leo merely nodded its head in acknowledgment before Jacob''s vision blurred. The next moment, he appeared in a dark space. Jacob''s expression was solemn, as he was also familiar with this space, and his mind was still upied by what had just transpired.


    There were too many questions and uncertainty filled with doubts in his mind.


    At this moment, the Tower of Leo''s voice rang and snapped him out of his thoughts. "Congrattions, Trialist!


    "You have passed the Star King difficulty level Tower Trial of the Tower of Leo!


    "The Rewards of Star King difficulty Trial will be granted!


    "First Reward: The Legendary Vestige of Leo has been given!"


    The next moment, a golden-white, lion-shaped quartz emanating a regal and powerful presence appeared before Jacob, illumining the entire dark space as if it were a miniature sun and source of light. After looking at it for a little while, he silently epted it and stowed it away into his infinity pedant since, like the Vestige of Taurus, he couldn''t use it yet.


    Once he epted the Vestige of Leo, the tower voice rang again.


    "The Second Reward: You may choose a Legendary King State Legacy or Legendary King State Treasure!"


    The same projection screen appeared in front of him again, this time with the description of the Legendary King State Legacy and Treasures.


    "Legendary King State Legacies:


    "-1. Radiant Soul Monarch''s Embrace


    "General Introduction: This legacy originates from the fabled Radiant Soul Monarch, a Legendary King renowned for wielding light to both heal and destroy. The legacy focuses on perfecting the bnce between offense and defense using light magic powered by immense soul force!


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-2. Lightweaver of the Space


    "General Introduction: This legacyes from the Lightweaver, a Legendary King Zodiac Beast who harnessed the light and weaved it with soul force to reshape the space. It''s known for intricate maniption of light and space for both speed and powerful attacks!


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-3. Ster Light of the Radiant Lion N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "General Introduction: This legacy originates from an ancient civilization that worshiped the Radiant Lion, Leo. It''s a potentbination of soul force maniption and light-based elemental mastery, focusing on harnessing the energy of stars.


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-4. Zodiac Soul Ster Formation (Leo Constetion Volume)


    "General Introduction:This legacy held the secrets of creating the Zodiac Soul Ster Formation and starting the path of Zodiac Soul Evolution!


    "Disimer: This legacy is only a part of the true legacy of Zodiac! If you select this legacy, you must search for the other parts before you can utilize this Legacy!


    (More information after selecting this option!) "Legendary King State Treasures:


    "-1. Sunstrike Halo


    "General Description: A radiant, golden ring that floats above the wielder''s head, emanating brilliant rays of sunlight. The Sunstrike Halo is said to contain the condensed essence of a sun, making it a potent weapon of destruction and a source of immense light magic!


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-2. Luminous Aegis


    "General Description: A shimmering shield of pure light crafted from the very essence of dawn. The Luminous Aegis is a defensive treasure that also grants the wielder extraordinary offensive and supportive capabilities by manipting light!


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-3. Prism of the Celestial Dawn


    "General Description: A multifaceted crystal that refracts light into countless colors. The Prism of the Celestial Dawn is a Legendary King State treasure renowned for its ability to manipte and amplify light in both its purest and most dangerous forms!


    (More information after selecting this option!)


    "-4. Astral Lightseed


    "Type: Consumable Legendary King State Treasure


    "General Description: The Astral Lightseed is an extremely rare and ancient treasure naturally born through the fusion of light and space elements, one of its kind! Consuming the seed grants the user an Innate Aspect tied to both light and spatial maniption, permanently enhancing their soul and magical abilities!


    (More information after selecting this option!)"


    Jacob impassively read through the descriptions of the four legacies and treasures. There was nothing simr to the Tower of Taurus reward list except for the Zodiac Soul Ster Formation (Leo Constetion Volume).


    Jacob''s eyes stopped at the Lightweaver of the Space Legacy for a moment. It was rted to a Zodiac Beast, and he had no idea how someone could acquire its legacy. Nevertheless, the maniption of space and light was still quite enticing for Jacob.


    But he didn''t choose it. He looked towards the treasure section, and his eyes finally stopped at the Astral Lightseed. He was astounded when he read this treasure''s description.


    ''A consumable type of natural treasure that grants an Innate Aspect? Is this like my Eyes of Judge and Fighting Giant Spirit Innate Aspects? Furthermore, it is written that it''s one of its kind, and this Innate Aspect is rted to both space and light¡­''


    Jacob was better aware of the Innate Aspects than anyone since Cursed Immortality had granted him many. They were extremely powerful, and all of them could grow with him.


    But he never expected there would be natural treasures that could grant Innate Aspects as well, and since this treasure was a Legendary King State, he knew it had to be extraordinary.


    After thinking about it, his eyes flicked as he instantly made his decision and dered, "I choose the Astral Lightseed!" The moment he chose, a tiny, crystalline corporeal seed shifting between silver and ck light appeared in front of him, giving it a mystical aura. Inside, swirling patterns of stardust can be seen, representing the fusion of light and space.


    The description in front of him also changed. "Astral Lightseed (Consumable Natural Treasure): Advanced Legendary King State Rank


    "Introduction: The Astral Lightseed is an extremely rare and ancient treasure, naturally born through the fusion of light and space elements. It is one of a kind!


    "Natural Treasure: Consuming the seed grants the user an Innate Aspect tied to both light and spatial maniption, permanently enhancing their soul and magical abilities. This treasure is highly coveted by those seeking to transcend their limits, as it allows for the acquisition of a powerful ability/trait upon consumption!


    "Effect: Upon consuming the Astral Lightseed, the user''s body will undergo a brief but intense transformation as the energies of light and space merge with their soul. Once this process isplete, the user will gain the Innate Aspect of ''Astral Transcendence.''


    "Innate Aspect: Astral Transcendence


    "Introduction: Astral Transcendence grants the user an extraordinary mastery over both light and space, giving them the ability to manipte light across dimensions and phases of reality.


    "Innate Aspect Abilities: 4


    "1. Ster Veil (Light/Space): The user can create a veil of astral light, shielding themselves from all forms of detection, magic, and physical attacks by bending both light and space around them, rendering them invisible and invulnerable for a short period.


    "This ability will awaken with Spiritual Neb (Fable Legendary State)!


    "2. Dimensional Lightstrike (Light/Space): By merging light and spatial energy, the user can fire concentrated beams of light that not only deal devastating damage but also distort space around the impact, creating small spatial ruptures that disorient and trap opponents.


    "This ability will awaken with Gravitational Copse (Legendary Noble State)!


    "3. Astral Projection (Light/Space): The user can create a spectral projection of themselves made of condensed light energy. This projection can interact with physical objects and cast light-based magic while the user remains undetectable in an alternate spatial dimension.


    "This ability will awaken with Soul Protostar Formation (Legendary Lord State)!


    "4. Phase Shift (Space): Allows the user to step between light and space, enabling instantaneous movement through spatial rifts. They can "ride" beams of light, effectively teleporting to any visible location at the speed of light.


    "This ability will awake with Soul Star Birth (Legendary King State)!


    "Disimer: All the abilities of Innate Aspect ''Astral Transcendence'' highly depend on the user''s prowess andprehension of Light and Space Laws!"

 Chapter 812 Taboo Names!

    Chapter 812 Taboo Names!


    When Jacob read all the information about the Astral Lightseed, he was floored before his eyes red with ecstasy because this innate aspect, Astral Transcendence, was simply too powerful because of its affinity for space and light elements.


    Jacob had never thought he would gain such an aspect from the Path of Legend. This made him wonder if there were other treasures like Astral Lightseed that also granted innate aspects like the Astral Transcendence.


    Furthermore, unlike Immortika, the details about this innate aspect were far clearer, and he also learned new things about aspects, such as how they can be strengthened byprehending the rtedws to these aspects.


    Now, Jacob wondered if the Eyes of Judge and Fighting Giant Spirit or even the Fluid eleration would follow the same principles. Still, he knew this would take time, and he didn''t have it at this moment.


    As he stowed away the Astral Lightseed, the Tower''s voice rang again. "The Third Reward: An Ascension Permit has been given!"


    At this moment, another violet-golden ring with a mysterious golden glyph carved on the surface appeared in front of Jacob. It was another Ascension Permit, and now he had two of them!


    Jacob took the Ascension Permit without hesitation and waited for the final reward. The tower didn''t disappoint him as its voice rang again,


    "The Wisp of Leo has acknowledged you!


    "The hidden condition has been met! "You already have the Legendary Master Key; please take it out!"


    ''This is different¡­'' Jacob was surprised a little. He was expecting the tower to give him the Legendary Key of Leo like he had the Legendary Key of Taurus, but that didn''t seem to be the case. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Still, he didn''t waste time and took out the ''Legendary Master Key.'' The next moment, the key suddenly flew away from his grip, and he didn''t stop it either, but he observed closely.


    The next moment, above his Legendary Master Key, another Legendary Key appeared; it was the Legendary Key of Leo shining in a white ethereal glow.


    The moment those two keys appeared, an invisible attraction force surfaced, and both keys suddenly copsed together before a small shockwave spread and a blinding dark light enveloped them.


    When the light disappeared, there was only a single legendary key¡ªexactly the Legendary Master Key that Jacob had before. But something had changed on its surface. The symbol of Leo was no longer gray; it was now reced with the glowing image of a white lion, just like Taurus!


    ''Did the Legendary Master Key absorb the Legendary Key of Leo?'' Jacob thought as the new Legendary Master Key floated towards him, and he looked at it closely. Although Leo''s symbol was now awake, he didn''t sense any changes and stowed it away as well.


    The next moment, Jacob''s vision shifted abruptly, but he didn''t panic because he was expecting it since it had also happened in the Tower of Taurus.


    The next moment, Jacob found himself in the empty clearing. He had appeared outside the Tower of Leo, and since the trial was over, the tower had vanished, just like the Tower of Taurus. Now, he was in the middle of the Sr Bastion!


    Looking at the phenomenalndscape, Jacob wasn''t happy at all. His eyes flickered with a hint of coldness and internal conflict.


    "Cursed Immortality! Tell me, what happened when I said your name back there?" Jacob directly questioned without beating around the bush since the moment he discovered he was feeling extremely uneasy.


    Despite getting the Astral Lightseed, his joy was short-lived, and his attention was again drawn to this matter.


    "Hah, here we go again. Did you forget once I told you that there are some entities with names that can''t be spoken out loud, or they will instantly know, and even thinking about them can alert them? Hehehe, so now you tell me, what happened?" Immortika yfully asked, clearly unfazed by Jacob''s question, and it even seemed to be enjoying it.


    Jacob''s eyes flickered with a hint of realization as he knew what Immortika was implying, "I know you''re one of those entities since you''ve warned me about when I was suspecting a Universal Godly Scripture behind that event. However, this still didn''t exin why my words turned into gibberish, and not only that, my words were just like Taurus and Leo''s.


    "After all, since you are with me, and I''ve willingly spoken your name, I shouldn''t have a problem uttering it just like I''ve always done, and even now, I speak your name out loud. But did it turn into gibberish that time? It didn''t make any sense!" Jacob sounded extremely frustrated and exasperated.


    "Hahahaha¡­ what a silly thing to ask. Speaking my name alone and speaking it in someone else''s presence are two vastly different concepts. Still, since you''ve already discovered it and know you won''t let this go, I''ll clear up your confusion.


    "You see, our names held special meaning; they are our identities, and without a name, you are nobody. Names can shape how we perceive ourselves. For example, unique names may cause someone to feel more distinctive or set apart, whilemon names might contribute to feelings of blending into a society. People often grow into the meanings of their names, developing characteristics associated with them.


    "Your name also influences the way others perceive you. Certain names might evoke stereotypes, cultural associations, or historical references. For example, a name associated with nobility might evoke respect, while a more unconventional name might suggest creativity or non-conformity.


    "Being given a name by someone else can reflect power dynamics, identity within a world, or one''s role in a rtionship. Names hold authority, and someone else''s renaming can represent a transformation or new identity. "Not only that, but in many races and cultures, names are given with specific meanings, often linked to ancestry, desired traits, or the time of birth. For example, in some races'' traditions, like Elves, Giants, and Fairies, names are chosen to reflect virtues, strength, or divine blessings. In others, they might reflect the natural world, spiritual beliefs, or historical events.


    "Some races believe that names carry spiritual weight or power. In dark being societies, it is believed that knowing someone''s true name gives you power over them.


    "But it isn''t a farce in Zodiac ins; there exist ''Taboo Names'' ¡ª those that shouldn''t be spoken aloud! A Taboo Name is a true name that represents the essence or soul of a person or being that transcends the concept of reality or at least that can affect reality itself, in other words, the Universe!


    "These are Taboo Entities, and you will be one once you reach a certain level of strength, and your very existence can affect the Universe. There aren''t many Taboo Entities in existence, but you should know that we, the Universal Godly Scriptures, are the highest-rank Taboo Entities, but we are not the only ones with Taboo/True Names.


    "Lastly, only a Taboo Entity can speak the other Taboo Entity''s true name without any precautions, while others can''t because the Universe protects these names just like the Taboo Entities protect the Universe and its secrets!


    "That''s why you failed when you tried to speak my name in front of Wisp of Leo. While Wisp of Leo might be only a wisp of its true self, it is also a Taboo Entity with a True Name, and its words hold the power of the Universe, so you naturally won''t understand them either.


    "There are even moreplex truths and rules about the true names and how one will acquire them, but as I said, you are too far away from it, and you''ll know these secrets when the urate time arrives. So, stop dwelling on these things. They will only restrict your growth and might get you killed!"

 Chapter 813 Tower of Virgo!

    Chapter 813 Tower of Virgo!


    Jacob remained silent for a long time after he heard Immortika''s exnation about the Taboo/True Names. Although he had expected some kind of mystery involved with these unspeakable names, he was still shocked now that he finally learned it.


    Moreover, Immortika even told him that he would get a Taboo Name once he reached a sufficient power level, and these names were all protected by the universe itself. Still, there were too many things unanswered, and from Immortika''s tone, he knew he wouldn''t get anything else. Nheless, he still noticed another point and questioned, "Since you said only a taboo entity can speak freely with a taboo entity, and Leo and Taurus are also taboo entities, then does this mean you understood what they said to me? Or they weren''t talking to me in the first ce?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hehehe,we''re getting smarter, aren''t we?" Immortika snickered yfully before subtly answering, "Unfortunately, I can''t answer that because I was fully restricted in the Towers." ''Fucker!'' Jacob cursed as he knew Immortika was again dodging the question, yet there was nothing he could do but fume for a while.


    In the end, Jacob calmed his nerves and decided to investigate this matter on his own in the future. He changed the topic, "What about the Astral Lightseed? How should I take it?"


    "Hehe, I must say you choose correctly. A natural treasure that could grant an innate aspect is even rarer than an aspect from a bloodline because aspects from natural treasures are one of their kind and can''t be inherited. They are guaranteed to give you all the abilities in this aspect as long as your powers are sufficient.


    "The Astral Lightseed is on the same level as the Yin Ice, even rarer if you include the element of space. As for how you should consume it, introduce your soul force to it, and it will directly enter your spiritual neb. Thereafter, you should let nature take its course, just as you do with Yin Ice.


    "But I would suggest you merge with it after you leave this ce and find a safe ce where no one can disturb you because the merging process will take years or a decade maximum, and you will not be able to use your soul force during this process," Immortika stated.


    Jacob was surprised when he heard this and instantly dropped the n of absorbing the Astral Lightseed right now since losing his soul force would put him at a huge disadvantage, especially if another tower involved the use of soul force, like the Tower of Leo.


    After getting the information on the Astral Lightseed, Jacob had another matter he needed Immortika''s input on. He took out a palm-sized ck hexagram, seemingly worn out. However, there were six mysterious glyphs on the six points of the hexagram, and an image of a skull was engraved in its center.


    Furthermore, four out of six runes werepletely nk and worn out just like the hexagram itself while the remaining two runes were white and seemed newpletely contract with the hexagram''s appearance.


    "What is this treasure? It was given to me by Wisp of Leo. He took it from that dead elf. But I couldn''t get her space ring or blood since I was busy ''receiving messages'' for you. I reckoned the details about this thing should be in her ring, but now that it is gone and the Wisp of Leo deemed it worthy enough to give it to me, you should tell me what it is, and I''ll consider ourselves straight!" Jacob questioned sternly.


    Although he knew there would be many useful things in Samantha''s space ring, the Wisp of Leo didn''t give him a chance to take it. But this also made this hexagram even more precious since the Wisp of Leo gave it to him while ignoring Samantha''s space ring.


    "Tsk, tsk, you''re being snarky. Oh well, I might as well tell you since it''s not that big of a deal. This thing is called Dimension Breaking Law Sigil, and since there are glyphs used instead of runes, it''s an Advanced Legendary Lord Rank Talisman.


    "This talisman seemed quite ancient, and it had already been used four times; you can tell from the four already worn-down glyphs that two more uses are left. Anyway, as long as you can activate it, you''ll be able to teleport out from any restricted space or dimension, even from a dimension like Path of Legend. Now can restrict it, not even Mythical Rank ones.


    "But the thing is, against a Mythical Rank, even if you managed to teleport away, you won''t be able to escape that easily. So, don''t try anything dumb; oh, actually, try it; it''ll be quite entertaining for sure. Hahahaha!"


    Jacobpletely ignored thest words as he looked at the Dimension Breaking Law Sigil.


    ''Since it can even help me escape a Mythical Rank, I have to make sure no use it recklessly. It''s a very powerful trump card. No wonder that elf wanted to use it to escape the tower¡­'' Jacob''s eyes flickered with tion as he felt safer now stowed away the talisman.


    Jacob then closed the cursed book, as he had no intention of hearing its irritatingughter. Using the flying disc, Jacob left the floating ind and started his search for the remaining nine legendary keys. He had already obtained two cosmic vestiges and one legendary key, so he wanted to obtain the other nine before others could.


    After all, someone like Samantha should have already gotten where the other Towers were, and Jacob needed to obstruct them in their path, or if they got the vestige and left the Path of Legend, he would be in massive trouble!


    --- Hidden within a forbiddenndscape, where nature itself seems corrupted by the element of Darkness. This eerie region is marked by stark contrasts between unnatural beauty and deadly perils.


    Somewhere in thisndscape, a deste valley filled with twisted, withered trees whose bark was ckened and cracked as though scorched by dark mes. Thick, ashen fog rolls over the ground, obscuring the path and hiding dangerous pitfalls, poisonous swamps, and predatory creatures lurking beneath the surface.


    Above, the sky is perpetually cloaked in heavy, stormy clouds, casting an oppressive darkness over thend. Lightning streaks across the horizon, but instead of illuminating, the light is devoured by the darkness, turning the shes into dark purple veins in the sky.


    Rivers of ck, viscous liquid flow through the valley like veins of poison, the liquid itself emitting a faint, toxic glow. These rivers asionally bubble and burst, releasing dark fumes that could corrupt or kill any whoe too close.


    This path was not just perilous¡ªit was constantly shifting like a maze. Shadowy illusions dance across thendscape, distorting distance and direction, confusing the minds of those who try to traverse it. Only those with the strongest will, or those who wield darkness themselves, can hope to stay on course.


    As one approaches the heart of the valley, the air grows thick with an ominous presence, and the towering silhouette of a Tower begins to emerge from the fog.


    The tower was impossibly tall, its spire reaching high into the stormy sky, made of obsidian stone that absorbs all light, making it seem like a ck void against the backdrop of thendscape.


    The base of the tower was surrounded by a field of spectral shadows. These wraith-like figures drift aimlessly, moaning softly as they guard the tower''s entrance, attacking any who dare draw too close.


    At this moment, a dark figure materializes from the swirling fog, striding forward with an aura of cold death. This was a Grim Lich named Pascal and the holder of the Legendary Key of Virgo!


    The Lich''s skeletal form was draped in a tattered, ck cloak, its bony fingers clutching a staff of twisted ebony, crowned with a pulsing, dark gemstone. The gemstone''s light flickers like a dying star, yet it radiates immense power, resonating with the element of darkness that pervades thendscape.


    The Grim Lich''s face was a skull adorned with an ancient crown of bone, its hollow eye sockets glowing with eerie, pale-blue mes that pierced through the darkness. Rings of dark magic float around its form, bending the shadows around it as it strides forward with purpose, its robes dragging across the dead earth.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    As Pascal approaches the tower, the spectral shadows guarding the entrance part in silence, recognizing the presence of the Legendary Key in his hand. The fog seems to retreat from the Lich''s path because of the Legendary Key.


    Finally, the Grim Lich reaches the massive obsidian doors at the base of the Tower of Virgo.


    Intricate carvings of celestial symbols and dark runes cover the door''s surface, all pulsating with a dull, ominous glow. The Lich raises the Legendary Key of Virgo.


    With a loud rumble, the ground trembles, and the doors slowly begin to open, revealing an abyssal darkness within the tower, beckoning the Lich inside.


    The Grim Lich steps through the doorway, vanishing into the void, the doors sealing shut behind it with a deafening thud.


    The Tower of Virgo stands silent once more, its secrets now in the hands of the Grim Lich!

 Chapter 814 New Discovery!

    Chapter 814 New Discovery!


    Several days after leaving the Tower of Leo, Jacob wondered the path of legend, hoping to find new clues about other keys of legend. Yet the path of Legend seemed boundless as many unique terrains were riddled with dangers and opportunities.


    Furthermore, Jacob felt uneasy because he thought the other participants might have already reached the towers and were in trials, and that''s why no one bothered to wander around.


    He even found the corpse of a dwarf, killed by someone recently, as all its treasures were gone, but he didn''t see anything. But his search became even more rigorous. One day, Jacob entered a gloomy forest and suddenly stumbled upon an ancient ruin deep in the shadows, where the canopy above blocked most of the sunlight.


    The ruins were crumbled and overgrown, but what piqued Jacob''s interest was that he found something peculiar among the broken stones¡ªone of the fractured stone pirs had a groove, which was extremely familiar.


    At this moment, Jacob felt he was struck by lightning as it finally drew to him.


    ''The path of legend can not be essed only by legendary keys but also with a Star Ocean Medallion!''


    Indeed, this groove was precisely shaped like the Star Ocean Medallion, and even the markings were like thepass. Jacob felt he had stumbled upon something big, so without hesitation, he took out his Star Ocean Medallion that he had gotten from the Epic ins Trail and tried cing it in the groove.


    To his surprise, not only did it fit perfectly, but the next moment, the need within the medallion suddenly started to spin, and the broken pir trembled slightly. What happened next was even more startling, as the pir suddenly vanished and was reced by a rusty metal box.


    The Star Ocean Medallion also fell and returned to its dormant state as if it had served its purpose. Jacob quickly stowed away the medallion before picking up the rusty metal box, which was unlocked to boot. A worn piece of parchment was hidden within a rusted metal box. When Jacob opened the parchment, it depicted a partially faded map with symbols he recognized from one of the Zodiacs. In the corner, a faint outline of a tower was marked, encircled by symbols of darkness.


    He could barely make out the name written in ancient script, and his eyes shone with astonishment as he eximed, "Virgo! Is this the map that leads to the Tower of Virgo?! So, that''s the Star Ocean Medallion''s role in all this. Although it can''t lead directly to the towers like the legendary keys, it can help discover their whereabouts if others know where to look! What an unexpected surprise!"


    Although the map''s condition was poor, there was enough left to give Jacob a vague sense of direction. This was also going to be his next target!


    However, he also knew this journey wouldn''t be easy without the Legendary Key. If the Tower of Virgo were anything like the Towers of Taurus and Leo, it would be heavily guarded and perilous to reach.


    Yet the thrill of discovery drove him onward since he knew the Key Holder might''ve already activated this tower. So, instead of wasting his time searching for others, this was his best option!


    Jacob followed the map''s faint directions, venturing deeper into an ever-darkeningndscape. The air grew thick and oppressive, and soon, the light of day was swallowed by unnatural shadows. Along the way, he encountered a series of escting dangers:


    At the border of a deste valley, Jacob found himself hunted by strange creatures, their bodies formed from shadows and fog. These shadow beasts were swift, silent, and nearly invisible in the dark, but Jacob''s heightened senses from his Eyes of Judge allowed him to detect their movements just in time to defend himself. Their attacks, however, grew fiercer the closer he got to the tower.


    But they were not enough to obstruct his way and he wasn''t in the mood of killing them so, he only avoided them while saving his power.


    Jacob even stumbled upon ancient traps as he pressed on, which were clearly meant to deter anyone from reaching the Tower of Virgo. Pitfalls were hidden beneathyers of fog, spikesced with dark poison, and illusionary mazes that twisted thendscape into abyrinth. Jacob would have been caught in several of these deadly snares without his Eyes of Judge and quick reflexes.


    As he went deeper by following the map, thend changed, and it seemed alive with danger. He suddenly stumbled on a web of rivers flowing with purple liquid, and to his shock, that purple liquid was poison!


    The poison that flowed through the valley asionally burst into clouds of toxic gas, and Jacob had to navigate narrow ledges to avoid falling into the tainted waters. Every step he took felt like walking through a realm forgotten by time, where the forces of dark magic had twisted reality.


    Although he was immune to poison, he didn''t want to dive into those rivers as he didn''t know what might be in them, and it would waste his precious time.


    Hours into his perilous journey, Jacob came upon a dark altar at the center of a clearing. It was made from obsidian stone, and runes simr to those he had seen on the ruin from which he had obtained the map were etched into its surface.


    At the base of the altar, Jacob found another groove simr to that ancient pir, and without hesitation, he used the medallion again. The next moment, the altar began to glow with an ominous light, and a new path opened before him, leading into a deep, narrow canyon.


    "This must be it," Jacob thought as the air around him grew colder. He picked up the medallion, stowed it away again, and entered the narrow canyon.


    The canyon led Jacob to an underground cavern hidden beneath the corrupted valley. As he ventured deeper into the earth, the darkness became suffocating. His steps echoed through the winding tunnels until he reached a massive underground clearing. It was like another world of darkness.


    At this moment, Jacob spotted something in the distance. Rising from the center stood the Tower of Virgo¡ªa spire of ck obsidian, even darker than the surroundings, seemingly absorbing any light that dared touch it.


    A faint, dark mist surrounded the tower, and its surface was covered in intricate symbols that glowed with faint, purplish light. It was a cold, eerie sight, far more foreboding than the Tower of Leo.


    Jacob could feel the power of darkness radiating from the structurepletely opposite to the light, as though the tower itself was alive.


    The mist surrounding the tower could beguile and trap anyone, but with the Eyes of Judge, it was useless again, Jacob said as he approached the tower''s door.


    Without hesitating, he takes out the Legendary Master Key, and the tower''s voice rings at that moment.


    "Seeker of Zodiac, you may enter!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 815 The Grim Lich!

    Chapter 815 The Grim Lich!


    When Jacob entered the trial, he thought he would again have to start the climb. But what Jacob hadn''t expected was that after he hadbined the Legendary Master Key with Leo''s legendary key, a change urred in the function of the Legendary Master Key.


    Jacob found this when he stepped directly into the heart of the Tower of Virgo right off the bat. This startled him, and he thought he was under illusion! The atmosphere was suffocating, thick with the essence of darkness. The stone beneath his feet was cold and unyielding, and as he looked around, the chamber''s walls came to life with murals¡ªintricate and haunting.


    Depicted on the walls was the image of Virgo, a woman cloaked in eternal darkness. Her face was an abyss, a void without features, but her form was hypnotically alluring, exuding a charisma that seemed to draw the very light from the room. She was the embodiment of darkness, a force both terrifying and mesmerizing. Each mural seemed to pulse with life, illustrating her descent into shadows, a celestial being who ruled the darkness with effortless power.


    Although this ce was gloomy and dark, Jacob instantly recognized its resemnce to the Tower of Leo and the Tower of Taurus''s final trial. Jacob quickly opened the Cursed Immortality to confirm his guess.


    _____ Tower of Virgo Level Eight: The Darkness Embodiment Virgo! Final Challenge: Defeat the Wisp of Virgo!


    _____


    ''What is going on? I''m already on the final trial?'' Jacob was even more shocked now when suddenly his gaze was drawn to the center of the chamber, where a violent scene was unfolding.


    The Grim Lich, Pascal, stood surrounded by an army of skeletal warriors, mages, and even riders on skeletal horses, their bony figures animated by the sinister power of his staff. The dark gemstone atop his twisted ebony staff pulsed with energy, and with every beat, another skeleton rose from the ground, swelling his ranks.


    Against this army of Dark Beings, the Wisp of Virgo hovered at the far end of the chamber, her form flickering like a living shadow, darting between the encroaching hordes.


    Her dark magicshed out, powerful tendrils of pure darkness sweeping across the battlefield, destroying dozens of skeletons simultaneously. The air seemed to bend under the weight of her magic, yet it was clear she was struggling against the overwhelming numbers. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jacob decided not to interfere as he watched from the shadows, his Eyes of Judge piercing through the scenes ying in front of him. Something was really off.


    The Grim Lich''s strategy was obvious¡ªhe was using the endless tide of his dark being army to smother the Wisp, preventing her from unleashing her full might. His Legendary Treasure, the staff, was the source of his power, allowing him to summon and control the horde with ease.


    But Jacob felt a plunging unease. Despite being pushed back, the Wisp of Virgo exuded a power that even the Lich seemed to underestimate. There was no way Virgo, one of the Zodiac, would be so easily overwhelmed by a mere swarm of dark beings.


    The Lich hid behind his army, relying on quantity over quality, but the surrounding darkness responded to Virgo. Her magic was far more potent than the Grim Lich had ounted for.


    As if sensing Jacob''s thoughts, Virgo''s next attack was a disy of raw, elemental power. Her shadowy form solidified, and she unleashed a wave of darkness that rippled through the chamber like a tidal wave.


    The skeletons disintegrated in its path, their bones turning to dust as the energy washed over them. The room grew colder as the darkness intensified, and even the Grim Lich was forced to raise his staff, summoning a barrier to protect himself from the sheer force of Virgo''s magic.


    The Lich snarled, his ming eyes burning with fury. He muttered an incantation and a new wave of undead rose from the ground. Jacob could see the cracks forming. The Lich was being pushed to his limits, and it was clear that he would be utterly outmatched without his staff.


    Virgo''s dark magic twisted and writhed like living creatures, seeking out weaknesses in the Lich''s defenses. Her power was relentless, a force of nature that could not be tamed by numbers alone. At that moment, Jacob knew that this trial was not about brute strength or overwhelming force.


    However, despite being slightly disadvantageous, the Grim Lich didn''t seem too overwhelmed like Samantha against Leo. At this moment, the Grim Lich suddenly smacked the staff on the floor, releasing a powerful energy wave, and the Wisp of Virgo instantly reacted by turning into a dark mist.


    But despite the Wisp of Virgo, it still seemed to be affected by that magic ripple. Jacob again felt that it was an illusion because he had seen Leo''s overwhelming strength, and he knew that the Dark Being army summoning the Grim Lich wasn''t enough to corner Virgo, even if that staff in its hand were a Legendary Treasure.


    However, with his Eyes of Judge, he knew he wasn''t seeing things. Virgo was really getting overwhelmed, and the Grim Lich seemed to be winning.


    ''How could a Taboo Existence like Virgo on the same rank as Leo and Taurus would be so weak?'' Jacob was still in disbelief before a sudden realization drew on him, ''Wait a moment, could it be this Lich didn''t choose the Star King Difficulty level tower trial; instead, he decided the Star Warrior difficulty and passed the first four trials automatically?


    ''It must be this way! Because this is the only exnation for why the Wisp of Virgo is so weak. So, does this mean this Lich is not something sent by a legendary king? Instead, he''s from lesser gxies?


    ''But then how did he have that staff? I can tell by the soul force undtions that it is at least a Fable Legendary Treasure. Could it be that Lich also found it in the lesser gxies like I found Yin Sky Ind? Or he''s simply some big shot''s scion from the Dead Faction and given free reins and only here to get the Cosmic Vestige?'' Jacob was intrigued by this Grim Lich since his actions werepletely different from those of the heirs of the middle gxies, who were here to get ascension permits for their backers. But this Grim Lich seemed to be only here for the Vestige, so Jacob was now confused if he was really from the Middle Gxies or someone lucky like himself!

 Chapter 816 The Wisp of Virgo!

    Chapter 816 The Wisp of Virgo!


    Jacob observed for a little while, and when it became obvious that the Wisp of Virgo was not going to survive, he knew he had to intervene, not because he was afraid of the Grim Lich Pascal getting away with the Cosmic Vestige but because he didn''t know if he would be able to earn the acknowledgment of Virgo after her Wisp''s defeat.


    Without hesitation, Jacob crouched low, his eyes locked on the Grim Lich Pascal, who stood in the midst of the battlefield, utterly engrossed in his assault against the Wisp of Virgo.


    The Lich''s bony fingers clutched his twisted, ebony staff, channeling dark energy tomand his Dark Being Army. It was clear to Jacob that Pascal had no idea another person had entered the Tower. After all, how could he? The Legendary Master Key had granted Jacob entry, something Pascal would never have imagined possible.


    With the Lich''s attention fully upied, this was the perfect opportunity.


    Jacob steadied himself as he activated his stealth, infusing his soul force into it to blend seamlessly with the shadows of the battlefield. He had already learned that magic became more powerful by infusing soul force, and the hunter''s stealth was the same, especially after the restriction of rectified stars was gone!


    His presence became a mere whisper, invisible to the skeletal army and undetectable to Pascal''s senses. The dark tendrils of Virgo''s power twisted around the Wisp as she fought back, giving Jacob the cover he needed to move unnoticed.


    Step by step, he closed the distance between himself and the Lich. His movements were silent, precise. Even as the Lichmanded his army, sending waves of dark energy toward the Wisp, Jacob continued his advance, undetected and unwavering.


    He was mere feet away now, the Lich''s back turned to him. Pascal waspletely absorbed in his battle, the flow of dark magic from his staff overwhelming the Wisp of Virgo. Jacob''s eyes narrowed as he prepared for the strike. Pascal had no idea what wasing.


    Just as the Grim Lich''s skeletal head twitched, sensing something amiss, it was already toote.


    In an instant, Jacob unleashed his full physical strength, his body a blur of motion as he shot forward, his fist clenched and soul force surging through his arm. Even the crimson runic lines appeared on his arm again. He wasn''t nning on holding back at all. He swung his arm with the force of a storm, aiming straight for the Lich''s hooded face.


    CRACK!


    The impact was immediate and devastating. A shockwave erupted from the point of contact, rippling through the air and sending waves of soul force outward. The sheer power of Jacob''s punch sted the Lich''s skull into smithereens, the fragments scattering like dust in the wind.


    The next moment, Pascal''s skeletal body crumbled under the force, his robes disintegrating as the st echoed across the battlefield. Jacob''s attack was so fast and powerful that Pascal didn''t even know how he died. He only sensed a sliver of danger before everything was over! N?v(el)B\\jnn


    His staff fell from his grip as the Grim Lich died, and the dark magic that had animated his skeletal army faltered. The undead soldiers copsed one by one, their bones turning to ash as the binding spell unraveled. The battlefield grew still.


    Jacob stood amidst the destruction, undaunted and steady. He won, and Pascal was no more. He quickly moved as he pocketed the Staff and the space ring of Pascal because he knew what wasing and didn''t want to lose a legendary treasure.


    But right at this moment, just when Jacob was done picking up the loot, something unexpected suddenly surfaced from the lich''s headless body, drawing Jacob''s attention, and his eyes went aze, shocked and killing intent because it was a ck me hourss filled with golden sand.


    ''So, these bastards are here as well!''


    How could Jacob forget what had happened in the Unique ins? He almost died because of the scheme of ATLAS, and without Immortika''s intervention, he knew his fate would''ve been dreadful.


    He might not have liked Immortika taking over, but he had to admit he owed his life to the cursed book. Still, he wasn''t going to forget or forgive the perpetrators of that event, the ATLAS.


    Now that he knew these hourss freaks were one of the hidden forces or might be the true forces of the ATLAS, he no longer underestimated them, and he had already decided to hunt them down.


    At this moment, when the hourss appeared, Jacob didn''t waste any time. He felt a strong force originate from his cursed heart, which he was very familiar with.


    Furthermore, he sensed that now he could control this force, so he pointed his palm towards the hourss, which was about to flee. The hourss instantly stopped and pulled towards Jacob''s hand!


    The hourss instantly started to tremble and try to break free. Still, the cursed heart was like a bane of these hoursses, and effortlessly, the hourss was absorbed directly into his spiritual neb before it vanished into the cursed heart!


    Jacob instantly felt a few pulses from the cursed heart, and he was astounded when he sensed that his spiritual neb seemed to have strengthened a little.


    Although Immortika had told him that these hoursses could help him evolve the hex cores tremendously, he needed a higher-ranked one. Now that his hex core was already a unique rank, he required these hoursses from at least legendary-rank beings.


    Nheless, he wasn''t going to let them get away because they were his enemy, and now that he discovered this effect on his spiritual neb, he was even more determined to hunt them down. Just as Jacob was gloating and nning the ATLAS''s demise, his attention was drawn to the Wisp of Virgo. She had stopped her movements, the dark magic swirling around her slowing as she turned toward Jacob.


    The eerie glow of her form illuminated the darkness as she stepped forward, her presence both mesmerizing and unsettling.


    Her appearance was as Jacob had expected¡ªan embodiment of darkness, her form graceful yet ominous. But there was something about her behavior that differed from the other Wisps he had encountered in the Towers of Taurus and Leo.


    As she approached him, her faceless head seemed to fix on him as though she could see him through the abyss that covered her face.


    Something even more unexpected happened: he almost attacked when she slowly reached out, her ethereal fingers extending toward him.


    Jacob''s instincts told him to move and be wary, but something about her presence held him in ce as he didn''t feel any malice from her. The Wisp''s fingers grazed his face¡ªcold, delicate, and yet with a strange fondness.


    The feeling sent a chill down his spine, but what disturbed him more was that he couldn''t see her face. It was as though he was staring into a void, an abyss that defied all light.


    Her touch lingered, her fingertips tracing the lines of his features, and for the first time, Jacob felt uneasy. There was something about Virgo''s Wisp, something ancient and powerful, that felt far more personal than the other Zodiacs he had faced. Her facelessness was unsettling as if she was more than just an opponent in this trial¡ªshe was the very embodiment of darkness itself.


    Jacob held his breath, unsure of what woulde next. Would she attack him now, or was this her way of acknowledging him?


    All of a sudden, Jacob felt his vision blurred, and the next moment, he appeared in the reward space. However, he was not happy because the Wisp of Virgo didn''t say anything at all, and her actions were unsettling in many ways!

 Chapter 817 Tower of Capricorn Completion!

    Chapter 817 Tower of Capricorn Completion!


    While Jacob was still mulling over what just happened, the tower''s emotionless voice rang. "Congrattions, Trialist!


    "You have passed the Star Warrior difficulty level Tower Trial of the Tower of Leo!


    "The Rewards of Star Warrior difficulty Trial will be granted!


    "Reward: The Legendary Vestige of Virgo has been given!"


    Jacob finally snapped out of it, and he wasn''t feeling good about this because, just as he suspected, the Grim Lich had chosen the easiest difficulty trial, which meant there would be no legendary king state treasure or legacy or an ascension permit.


    ''I killed him too mercifully¡­'' Jacob thought as he was remorseful about the other two rewards, especially the treasures.


    But he didn''t let his greed cloud his judgment. He knew his purpose, and he looked towards the materialized Cosmic Vestige of Virgo.


    The Vestige of Virgo was a dark, translucent hexagonal gemstone. The surface was smooth and polished, but beneath it, swirling shadows seemed to move as though darkness itself was alive within. The gemstone was surrounded by faint, glowing markings etched along its edges, pulsing with the rhythm of a heartbeat.


    When he held it, it felt cool to the touch, yet it radiated a deep, oppressive power, resonating with the elemental force of darkness he felt from the permeates of the Wisp of Virgo.


    Now, including the Cosmic Vestige of Virgo, Jacob had the Vestige of Taurus and the Vestige of Leo, three vestiges out of twelve. With the Legendary Key of Aquarius, he can im the Cosmic Vestige of Aquarius as well.


    So, now, Jacob needed to find the remaining eight ones, and he knew he needed to hurry after what he witnessed in the Tower of Virgo. If there were someone like the Grim Lich, who only wants the Cosmic Vestige, then things would go south for him.


    Although Jacob didn''t know how long the path of Legend would remain open, he was sure it would stay open at least until all the vestiges were imed or every legendary key and star ocean medallion was used.


    But he was so sure that people who imed a legendary vestige would remain here once they acquired it and might even have a way to leave once they achieved their purpose, especially the people from the middle gxies.


    After all, he was the only one who needed all twelve vestiges, not the others, so time was of the essence to Jacob.


    Once he epted the cosmic vestige of Virgo, the tower''s voice rang again. "The Wisp of Virgo has acknowledged you!


    "The hidden condition has been met!


    "You already have the Legendary Master Key; please take it out!"


    It was just like thest time, and Jacob was relieved that he at least got another legendary key, so he repeated the process, and the Legendary Master Key was merged with the Legendary Key of Virgo.


    Once it was done, the symbol of Virgo on the Legendary Master Key was reced by a woman''s face, which was just like the Wisp of Virgo¡ªpitch ck and faceless!


    Jacob was then sent out of the tower, and as expected, the tower had vanished, leaving him in the gloomy, dark subterranean space. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Cursed Immortality!" Jacob then summoned cursed immortality because he had an important question to ask.


    But as he summoned the cursed book, he was about to stow away the Legendary Master Key when he noticed something, making his eyes flicker wildly in shock.


    On the Legendary Master Key, Jacob saw that the symbol of Capricorn had vanished, which happened just a moment ago. Jacob suddenly has a very bad feeling about this.


    "Hehehehehehe¡­" Immortika''s eerieughter suddenly rang in his head. Before he could say anything, the cursed book beat him to it, "The Zodiac symbol''s disappearance on your key means that someone had already imed that cosmic vestige, and it is no longer avable for taking. This also means that the tower is also gone, and you have lost your chance toplete the key! Ah, such a pity; you weren''t fast enough!"


    Jacob was shocked before rage burned in his eyes as he clenched his bony fists, "Are you ming me for this? Who the hell would spread twelve legendary keys in twelve different gxies? Even if I was fast enough, this damn ce was simply too massive, and this was bound to happen eventually.


    "You were really expecting me to gather all of them before all those participants can? Furthermore, I can still im the vestige, but what the hell is the deal with this Legendary Master Key?" He asked coldly, with apparent anger in his voice.


    Although he didn''t know what would''ve happened if he hadpleted the entire Legendary Master Key, he was also frustrated because he wouldn''t be able to do it now, even if he wanted to. He might not show it, but he was also looking forward to it since Immortika also deemed it important.


    "Hehehe, really? Are you sure you did everything? Don''t you think you would''ve gotten all the legendary keys if you had used Infinity Blood Sacrifice and made a wish? You could''ve even paid less by simply demanding their locations.


    "Hehehe, yet here we are. Well, I understand you deeply care about your lifespan, but you also have a way to im it back. Yet, you didn''t want to take the risk. Tsk, tsk, tsk, now, you have lost an opportunity. You can only me yourself for not having the courage." Immortika sarcastically retorted, but from its voice, it didn''t seem angry or disappointed. If anything, Immortika was amused by Jacob''s plight.


    Jacob became silent again. It wasn''t like he hadn''t thought about using the Infinity Blood Sacrifice to get all the legendary keys, but just as Immortika said, he wasn''t willing to sacrifice his lifespan at all.


    After all, it was his life, the most precious thing, and he was doing all of this to expand it and make it endless. Sacrificing it was another matter, and this was the only thing Jacob would always hesitate to sacrifice, no matter how small the cost.


    But now that things were looking grim and, from Immortika''s words, thepletion of the Legendary Master Key seemed quite important for him, Jacob experienced an intense internal struggle.


    After a while, Jacob asked impassively, "Tell me, is this Legendary Master Key as important as the cosmic vestige?"


    "Hehehe, that''s for you to find out. I''ve already told you what I could, and I''ll repeat it again in simpler words: This is an opportunity you don''t want to miss!" Immortika ambiguously replied.


    Jacob was silent momentarily as he considered it more before asking, "So, can I wish to return to the Tower of Capricorn to get Wisp of Capricorn''s acknowledgment? If yes, then how much will it cost me?"


    "See? Now thisis the attitude of someone who''s willing to sacrifice everything for something far greater. Hahahaha¡­"."Immortikaughed with relish; the ecstasy in its eerie voice was evident."If it were before the tower was still present, it would''ve only cost you 600+ years with your fully charged cursed blood. But now that someone has already imed the vestige, the tower''s purpose isplete, and it has gone dormant again and will only surface in the next path of legend''s opening. "So, if you used the wish to get into the tower again, your wish needed to be specific like you can''t just wish that ''I want to go to the Tower of Capricorn'' because you will be sent to the tower, but you won''t be able to activate the trial anymore, and you''ll be trapped in it without a treasure to escape from it.


    "That''s why you need to wish not only to enter the tower but also to directly go to the final trial and ''meet'' the wisp of Capricorn, and this will cost you 5,000 years of your lifespan without needing to sacrifice your existing cursed blood!


    "Now, the question is, are you willing to do it? Hahahahahah¡­.!"

 Chapter 818 Universal Godly Ability!

    Chapter 818 Universal Godly Ability!


    Jacob was surprised when he heard Immortika exin the Infinity Blood Sacrifice. He wanted to punch himself after he heard that the initial price of entering the tower, which should''ve been only 600+ years, was now almost ten times that.


    Still, Jacob didn''t make the decision right away and looked at the lifespan section of the cursed book.


    _____


    -Lifespan: 900,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ ''I still have over 900 thousand years in my lifespan, so spending some won''t be a problem. After all, now that the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn has been imed, I can''t hesitate any longer. Not only do I need to get the vestige back, but I should alsoplete the Legendary Master Key.


    ''Once Nyx is done evolving, she should be able to devour dreamscape realms of Legendary Rank Beings. Nine hundred thousand years is already a lot; there is enough time to get even more. But I won''t get more chances ofpleting the second phase.'' Jacob thought as he became resolute.


    "Tell me, how much lifespan did a legendary rank being had?" Jacob asked.


    "Oh, it''s distinct from race to race, while the rank of Legendary Vestiges also influences lifespan. But the general lifespan of a Fable Legendary Rank is around 10,000 years; a Legendary Noble can live for 25,000 years, a Legendary Lord has 50,000 Years of lifespan, while a Legendary King, a demigod, can live for 100,000 years.


    "But as I said, races, bloodlines, natural treasures, and legendary vestiges could significantly affect lifespan. However, the maximum lifespan a Legendary King could acquire, with all the top factors involved, is 500,000 years.


    "Furthermore, just as these factors can increase lifespan, there are also factors such spells, abilities,w attacks, and other dangerous attacks, curses included, that can greatly reduce lifespan!"


    Jacob nodded in understanding as he looked at his own lifespan again and couldn''t help but feel somewhat better since he had almost two times the lifespan of a legendary king.


    Still, when he thought about the 150 million years that Immortika sacrificed to help him, his heart ached, and he quickly stopped thinking about it since he knew it would only ruin his mood more.


    "Alright, I''ve decided." Jacob said, "How should I use the Infinity Blood Sacrifice?" "Hahahaha¡­ now that''s the spirit. Remember, tools are meant to be used, not to tuck away in some disy. If you don''t use them, how would you master them? I just want you to understand that if you have the ability or tools to take things that can benefit you, never hesitate to use them, even if it means damaging or breaking the tool. You can always acquire new tools, but benefits seldome, and some might note again.


    "I''m not saying you should risk your life since it would mean abandoning your goal and going against your convictions, but there are times when sacrifices are necessary.


    "Hehe, now, if you want to use the Infinity Blood Sacrifice, just call the ability name in your mind or openly, and as long as you use it, it''ll activate on its own and what to do next. You''ll understand soon; it''s a surprise, hehehe!"


    Jacob''s eyes flickered with uncertainty when he heard Immortika''s encouraging yet cryptic words, but he didn''t dwell on them and remembered them in his heart before he focused on thetter part.


    ''A surprise, huh?'' Jacob sneered before he decided to try it as he thought, "Infinity Blood Sacrifice!"


    The moment Jacob showed the intent to use the Infinity Blood Sacrifice, an ethereal neon symbol of infinity appeared on his be, and Jacob sensed a mystical yet omnipotent power suddenly connecting with him. Jacob didn''t know why, but he felt as if he could do anything at this moment. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But it wasn''t all as sudden; the Cursed Immortality hovering in front of him suddenly emitted mystical light, and under Jacob''s astonished eyes, the page of the cursed book started to turn and only stopped when a nk pitch-ck page appeared.


    Jacob instantly knew that this might be the surprise Immortika was talking about. But before Jacob could ask Immortika, thetter beat him to it, "Now, you need to state your wish by saying ''I Wish'' at the start, and it''ll directly appear on this page. Once the wish is written, the price will also appear, and only after you say, ''Carry Through'' will the wish be fulfilled!


    "Lastly, if you''re in a hurry, you directly use themand ''Cursed Blood Sacrifice'' after the activity of the Infinity Blood Sacrifice. This will allow you to bypass bothmands and fulfill your wish directly.


    "But let me warn, until youprehend the first immortal chapter, if you use thismand, your every word will be your wish, and you don''t know how much lifespan you''ll be paying for the wish, so be very careful when you use it!" Immortika''s tone became solemn towards the end. Realization dawned on Jacob at this moment as he looked at the pitch-ck page and heard the steps to make a wish. Although this seemed quite simple, Jacob could guess these twomands, ''I wish'' and ''Carry Through'' should be a safety protocol to make sure not his every word turn into a wish or if he couldn''t pay the price for a wish, he would still have the option to back down.


    So, he instantly decided never to use the ''Cursed Blood Sacrifice''mand until heprehended the immortal chapter. He was now even more curious as to why the immortal chapter affected this reality-bending ability.


    Nheless, Jacob threw these thoughts back of his mind as he looked at the pitch-ck page and finally uttered, "I Wish to enter the Tower of Capricorn''s final trial and confront the Wisp of Capricorn to get its acknowledgment!"


    The next moment, Jacob''s exact words started to appear on the pitch-ck page in crimson writing, and thenguage used to write his wish was exactly the samenguage that Cursed Immortality was written in!


    Once his wish appeared on the page, a momentter, new words appeared right below it, and when Jacob read them, his expression instantly changed to disbelief.


    ______

 Chapter 819 Wisp of Capricorn!

    Chapter 819 Wisp of Capricorn!


    Looking at the ck page thoughtfully, Jacob asked Immortika, "So, my infinity blood is worth 1,500 years?"


    "Hehehe, for now, yes. But as you be more powerful, the worth of your blood increases even more. Didn''t I tell you have 98,999,901 drops of Cursed Blood and 1,000,099 drops of Cursed Bone Marrow? At a certain point, each of your blood drops will be worth a year and even surpassing it!


    "Moreover, the amount of lifespan here is purely from your cursed blood, not the marrow, because your bone marrow isn''t in your bones but in your cursed heart now. You can even call it ''Heart Blood'' if you want.


    "Anyhow, the important thing is, you can''t use your Cursed Bone Marrow because it is the foundation of your bloodline of infinity and also the medium to use the infinity blood sacrifice. Suppose you lose even a sliver of it. In that case, you won''t be able to use this ability until you recover it, and I''m not exaggerating when I say a single drop of your cursed blood marrow is akin to all the cursed blood in your longevity schema!" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Jacob''s eyes contracted in tiny beams of mes as he was shocked when he heard this information. He hadn''t forgotten about this fact because he was very angry that time when he found out about this.


    But now, it seemed he still couldn''t grasp the Cursed Bone Marrow''s true importance. Furthermore, he also suspects that the new position of his cursed heart was also because of this particr reason. After all, even a sliver of bone marrow loss can render his ability useless. So, it needed to be safe all the time, and what better ce to keep it safe than his own soul?


    ''I was collecting all the blood I could use it in emergencies like this. But I don''t think it''s enough to regenerate all the cursed blood I''ll lose if I used the first option. Still, it''ll save me 1500 years, but the downside is I''ll be weaker, and in this ce, I can''t afford to be weak¡­'' Jacob mused.


    "How should I choose the second option?" Jacob asked.


    "Just think about it and then say the magic words."


    Jacob nodded before he coldly stated, "Carry through!" The moment Jacob uttered themand, the ck page in front of him suddenly lit up, and he felt something deep within suddenly stirred before it vanished, making him feel momentarily lightheaded.


    The next moment, Jacob suddenly sensed the surrounding space wrapped abruptly, and he was sucked into darkness without any resistance. Once the space stabilized and Jacob was freed from that unknown force, he found himself surrounded by oppressive darkness, masking any sense of direction or presence.


    It was an unsettling quiet that made even the softest breath feel like a thunderp in his ears. The cold, ck void stretched endlessly around him, making the atmosphere thick with anticipation.


    But Jacob didn''t pay any attention to it as he quickly nced at the cursed book in front of him that were still opened. The ck page on the cursed immortality has vanished after serving its purpose. But what Jacob wanted to see was his lifespan.


    _____


    -Lifespan: 895,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ Jacob sighed at the lifespan deduction, but before he could dwell on it, suddenly, without warning, the chamber burst to life. Arcs of blue-white lightning crackled through the air, illuminating the towering walls around him. They revealed massive murals, each one depicting scenes of storms, lightning strikes, and powerful entities wielding the fury of thunder.


    Jacob knew he was in the Tower of Capricorn''s final trial space when he saw the murals and the thunder''s presence in this ce because Capricorn represents the element of thunder/lightning! He looked at the first mural which was a celestial event filled with endless storm of astral thunder and shaped like a cocoon and in the next moment, the cocoon was shown sted apart like a lightning bomb and a silhouette of a creature was in admits of it.


    The second mural shows an image of a goat entirely made with neon thunder, giving the sense of destruction and boundless might.


    The murals pulsed with energy, as if the storms they depicted were alive, preparing to tear through the room. Jacob could feel the immense power in the air, the hum of lightning filling the space with an electrifying tension.


    But Jacob''s eyes narrowed when he saw the next mural which showed the dark humanoid silhouette seemed to be in battle with the embodiment of thunder, Capricorn.


    ''Just who is this? This person is in every Zodiac''s mural, and it''s always fighting them? And why are the remaining images being blurry again? What kind of existence is this that could fight toe to toe with Taboo Entities that probably represent the very essence of the universe?


    ''Furthermore, with how those Zodiacs reacted to me and how that damn book is encouraging me toplete the Legendary Master Key, I suspect that this dark silhouette is Immortika.


    ''But it''s too big of a spection since these Zodiacs might react the same towards any holder of the Universal Godly Scripture¡­'' Jacob thought as he coldly looked at the dark silhouette.


    Although Jacob might have shown no reaction, he had his own thoughts and doubts about all the events that had taken ce in the Path of Legend. First, all the Zodiacs acted as if they knew him or something within him, and the only thing he had was Cursed Immortality.


    The second thing that ticked Jacob off was that every Zodiac sign said something except Virgo, and he knew those messages weren''t for him since he couldn''t understand them at all.


    Lastly, Immortika confirmed that it has something to do with the Zodiacs. But the thing was, Immortika was the Universal Godly Scripture and the highest existence in it, so it makes sense if these Zodiacs knew about it and were respectful of it.


    But Jacob was still not satisfied, and he knew that once he left this ce, it was time to search for more information about the Universal Godly Scriptures.


    At this moment, Jacob looked in the center of these murals, where a haunting image of Capricorn¡ªa beastly figure, half humanoid, half goat, with jagged horns that resembled the strikes of lightning itself. Its eyes glowed with the same energy, casting a fierce, ethereal light.


    As the murals flickered with life, a figure began to materialize before him. First came the horns¡ªthunder antelope horns, sharp and jagged, crackling with electric arcs.


    Then, the rest of the Wisp of Capricorn took shape: a humanoid phantom, its head the visage of a goat with glowing, storm-filled eyes. Its translucent body seemed made of condensed thunderclouds, and sparks of electricity danced across its form, snapping and crackling with raw power.


    The Wisp stood tall and imposing, the embodiment of thunder itself. The surrounding air vibrated with each step, and the chamber''s very foundation seemed to tremble under its presence.


    But unlike previous Wisps, the Wisp of Capricorn suddenly released its mighty pressure on Jacob, filled with destructive intent, startled Jacob. Jacob instinctively steadied himself as he knew something was wrong. His guess turned out to be spot on when the Wisp of Capricorn suddenly threw a lightning-fast punch!

 Chapter 820 Battle with Wisp of Capricorn!

    Chapter 820 Battle with Wisp of Capricorn!


    A blur of crackling electricity shot across the chamber, and before Jacob could blink, a lightning-fast punch mmed into his side, catching himpletely off guard.


    But still, his reaction speed was extremely terrifying. He barely managed to brace himself, throwing his arms up just in time to absorb the shockwave, but the force still sent him skidding back. The air hissed as static energy cracked around him, and his arm bones ached, burning from the impact.


    "He wants to fight?!" Jacob hissed, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the Wisp, already preparing for another strike.


    The Wisp of Capricorn was relentless, its form flickering in and out of view like a phantom born of thunder. Each movement was apanied by the sound of the storm itself¡ªbooming cracks of lightning and the low rumble of distant thunder. It attacked again, this time faster, aiming for Jacob''s chest.


    ''Its speed is probably at the Fable Legendary Rank, and I need to match it or¡­'' Jacob''s body surged with power and cackled with purple lightning. His eyes zed as the Eyes of Judge activated, allowing him to trace the Wisp''s rapid movements.


    The world around him seemed to slow, though the Wisp still moved with terrifying speed, its thunderous strikes pushing his reflexes to the limit. He dodged by a hair''s breadth, then retaliated with a fist surrounded by a swirling vortex of lightning.


    Their fists collided, and the chamber trembled. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, cracking the stone beneath their feet. Jacob pressed harder, pushing his soul force to its limits, but the Wisp didn''t falter.


    Jacob was shocked because he knew just how powerful he was, especially when he included his lightning mana and soul force in the mix, yet the Wisp of Capricorn matched his prowess!


    Although he knew these Wisps were powerful, he never expected them to be at this level despite only being mere Wisps of their true self. It might be because he didn''t enter here in the correct way, and now he had incurred the wrath of the Wisp of Capricorn instead of its acknowledgment!


    Nheless, Jacob didn''t have time to think about it as the Wisp attacked again without giving him any time to recover.


    Blow after blow rained down, and Jacob was forced to match its rhythm, his body moving in a blur as he parried, blocked, and counterattacked with every ounce of his strength.


    Sparks of lightningshed out like whips around the Wisp, each one leaving trails of static energy in the air. Jacob gritted his teeth as one bolt grazed his arm, sending a jolt of electricity through him.


    The air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone, and the sound of their rapid strikes echoed in the storm-filled chamber. But Jacob was fighting back the best he could, and he couldn''t use any weapon because the Wisp of Capricorn wasn''t giving him any chance at all. For every strike Jacobnded, the Wisp returned two. For every counter, the Wisp was ready with another barrage of lightning-fast attacks. It was like fighting the embodiment of thunder itself¡ªunrelenting, furious, and swift.


    Jacob''s bones burned, his mind raced, and he knew this battle was pushing him to his absolute limits.


    Yet, he pressed on, and for some reason, a thrill arose in his body as if something within him was awakening. His movements became sharper and faster as he summoned more power from his body. His eyes glowed with the same fiery intensity as his strikes, each aimed at the heart of the storm, the Wisp of Capricorn.


    Unknowingly, Jacob''s body size was startled to increase, and so was the Wisp of Capricorns!


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Their fists collided again and again in a series of thunderous exchanges. Lightning arced through the air, surrounding them both as if the very essence of the storm had descended to witness their battle.


    Jacob''s body vibrated with the force of their collisions, and the Wisp seemed to grow stronger with every blow. Soon, Jacob was a 50-meter-tall giant, and the Wisp was the same, as they fought like maniacs!


    But then, after what felt like an eternity of battle, something changed.


    The Wisp of Capricorn abruptly stopped mid-attack, its form crackling with residual energy as it instantly made some distance between them.


    Jacob, breathing heavily, froze as well, his fists still raised. Finally, he snapped out of his strange state and realized that he was again in his natural size. His hollow eyes flickered intensely, and he red at the hominoid goat with battle intent.


    The Wisp''s glowing eyes, filled with the storm''s fury, seemed to narrow. The chamber was deathly silent for a moment, save for the distant rumble of thunder in the air.


    Jacob was tense yet full of fighting spirit, ready for another attack, but it didn''te.


    Instead, the Wisp of Capricorn tilted its head slightly as if studying him. Then, with an unexpected and almost imperceptible shift, it smiled. Or, at least, the ghost of a smile flickered across its ethereal features.


    The tension in the air lightened, the crackling thunder dimming as the Wisp nodded toward Jacob in silent acknowledgment, its storm-filled eyes flickering with a strange sense of respect.


    Jacob remained still, confused yet alert. But before he could fully process the moment, the Wisp''s body began to dissipate. Its form broke apart into streaks of lightning, dissolving into the air, leaving only a faint glow of electricity that danced around the chamber.


    And then, just as abruptly as the fight had begun, it was over.


    The chamber fell silent, the storm that had raged within it subsiding. The oppressive weight of thunder and lightning lifted, and the murals on the walls seemed to dim, their energy slowly fading.


    Jacob stood alone, his breath steady, his body sore but victorious. A sense of aplishment washed over him, though tempered by the knowledge that the Wisp had chosen to end the battle on its own terms.


    Before he could dwell on it further, a powerful, ethereal voice boomed in his mind, and a familiar pain hit him as those words turned into gibberish.


    When Jacob regained his senses, the space around him shifted. The chamber blurred, and in the blink of an eye, Jacob found himself in a new ce¡ªcalmer, devoid of the storm''s fury. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    It was the same empty space, and he knew something was about to happen as the tower''s voice rang at this moment. But the tower''s words were different from those of the other towers.


    "Congrattions, Seeker of Zodiac!


    "The Wisp of Capricorn has acknowledged you!


    "The hidden condition has been met!


    "You already have the Legendary Master Key; please take it out!"

 Chapter 821 A Mysterious Opponent!

    Chapter 821 A Mysterious Opponent!


    In the middle of a clear patch of starrynd, surrounded by a gloomy swamp with air filled with poisonous gray fog, Jacob''s two-meter-tall figure appeared at this moment wearing his dark windbreaker and a long hood over his head.


    At this moment, Jacob looked at the Legendary Master Key in his hand. The symbol of Capricorn that had vanished before on the key was now present again in the shape of a thunder goat face. He had finally achieved his purpose after paying five thousand years of his lifespan.


    Stowing the Legendary Master Key away, Jacob looked around and mused, ''This must be where the tower of Capricorn was located before¡­'' However, he didn''t dwell on it for long. He opened the Cursed Immortality and directly stated, "Infinity Blood Sacrifice!"


    The very next moment, the cursed book''s pages began to turn until the pitch-ck page appeared again. After this event with the Tower of Capricorn, Jacob realized that he couldn''t hesitate any longer. If someone else cleared the tower trial again, he would have to waste more time as he did with the Tower of Capricorn to correct his mistake.


    So, he had already decided to use the Infinity Blood Sacrifice to gather all the Vestiges before the others could. Still, before that, he needed to retrieve the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn!


    "I wish to collect the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn, sent me a hundred meters away from the person who has it!"


    The moment Jacob uttered his wish, it jolted down on the pitch-ck page like before. He could''ve wished to directly retrieve the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn, but he knew that would cost him more lifespan, so he decided to simply retrieve it from the person who took it. Since he was confident in going against them, there was no need to waste his precious lifespan on them. Furthermore, Jacob thought the person who hadpleted the trial might''ve taken the Star Warrior difficulty level trial like the Grim Lich, and that''s why they were able to pass the final trial since he never thought that someone could beat the Star King Difficulty Wisp of Capricorn. Still, he didn''t let his guard down since there was still some chance he could be wrong.


    At this moment, the cost of the lifespan appeared for this wish fulfillment. ______


    Wish: I wish to collect the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn, sent me a hundred meters away from the person who has it!!


    Cost: 10% Infinity Blood or Only 105 Years of Lifespan


    ______


    Jacob''s eyes red when he saw the cost. Although it was nothingpared to what he had paid to enter the Tower of Capricorn, it was still rtively high since this was the lifespan of a human.


    ''10% infinity blood is still manageable. I should be able to recover it with all the blood I had gathered, and if I also include the blood of that person who took the Cosmic Vestige, if it is not a dark being, then it won''t hurt me much¡­''


    Jacob instantly decided to pay with the infinity blood instead of using his lifespan as he uttered, "Carry through!"


    The next moment, Jacob instantly felt a change urring in his body as the runic lines on his skeleton suddenly metalized. His blood started to vanish, and the glowing runic lines dimmed greatly.


    Jacob only felt somewhat weak. Although he thought 10% infinity blood wasn''t much to affect his prowess, it still weakened him by around 5%. However, Jacob didn''t have time to react when he suddenly vanished from his spot!


    The next moment, Jacob appeared in a lush forest. Not far away was a ravine, and the sound of running water could be heard. But Jacob didn''t pay any attention to it since he knew, ording to his wish, he should be a hundred meters away from the person who took the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn!


    "Who else is in the vicinity besides me?" Jacob instantly asked Immortika without wasting time to use his Eyes of Judge since it was more convenient, and he would also get urate information about this person.


    "Hahahahaha¡­" Immortika suddenly burst into wantonughter filled with amusement, "And here I thought it was avoidable¡­hahahaha!"


    Jacob suddenly sensed something amiss in Immortika''s words since it wasn''t the response he was expecting: "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "Hehehehe¡­ man, this is too amusing¡­ Oh, here ites!" Immortika mischievously warned.


    Jacob clearly had no idea what Immortika was talking about and was about to retort when he sensed imminent danger. Without hesitation, Jacob jumped back with full power. He leaped almost a hundred meters away from his initial spot.


    But Jacob''s eyes were fixed on the spot where he was standing just now, and the next moment, ethereal pitch-ck tentacles suddenly shot out from the ground like an abyssal maw!


    However, they had clearly missed their target, and an astonishing, eerie voice with a strange charm rang, "You dodged it?"


    For some reason, Jacob felt uneasy as he looked at the ethereal dark tentacles, which were also the source of this voice. But the next moment, the dark tentacles suddenly twisted together, forming a hominoid figure of darkness before a 2-meter-tall cloaked figure suddenly metalized. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Furthermore, what surprised Jacob even more was that Cursed Immortality had vanished. At the same time, he was busy dodging that sneak attack, and from what Immortika had said, he knew this person had an extraordinary background or that damn book won''t hide like this since there weren''t many things that could make the cursed book react like this.


    The first thought that came to Jacob''s mind was that this person was a Zodiac Enforcer or someone like Furcas since he had personally witnessed how they were able to descend in the Unique ins.


    ''Don''t tell me this person is here for me?'' Jacob''s heart sank before suddenly thinking about something else, ''No¡­ if it''s here for me, then why would it go after a cosmic vestige? I''m sure the wish has sent me to the location of the person who had imed the Cosmic Vestige, and she should be the one, and I don''t think this is just a projection. Then why would Immortika react this way¡­''


    Furthermore, what made Jacob extremely agitated was the woman''s appearance in his Eyes of Judge were utterly ck; there was nothing but darkness, and that darkness sent a chill down his spine since he had never experienced something like this before from a living being or dark being as a matter of fact. "How did you discover me so quickly? Are you one of those idiots who want to snatch my Legendary Vestige?" The woman suddenly uttered, her voice filled with disdain and overwhelming confidence.


    However, her words also confirmed Jacob''s conjecture; now, he was sure this was a coincidence. Yet Immortika''s words and actions still irked him, and he wanted to get away from this mysterious woman. But even if he wanted to, he knew he had to get the Cosmic Vestige from her.


    But before he could make up his mind, another sense of crisis suddenly enveloped him. This time, the danger was even greater, as his vision suddenly darkened, blinding himpletely, and a dested sense gripped his mind.


    Without hesitation, Jacob used his soul force to empower the Eyes of Judge, and the darkness finally shattered. But his heart trembled when his vision returned, and he saw the woman right in front of him, extending her hand, which was ethereal ck, just like the tentacles he had seen before.


    Purple lightning suddenly burst out from his body, "Huh¡­?!"


    The woman was also shocked at this moment because she wasn''t expecting Jacob to break out of her almost unbreakable ability. This purple lightning also gave her a sense of danger that she only experienced from the Wisp of Capricorn. She wasn''t expecting to encounter someone who could match her prowess, just like Jacob.


    However, she also reacted fast, and before the storm of purple lightning could hit her, she turned into ethereal dark mist and vanished, her reaction speed was as fast as Jacob''s!


    Jacob retracts his mana as his eyes are icy. He looks towards a tree crown. The next moment, a dark mist suddenly gathers on the tree branch, and the woman in the dark cloak appears again.


    "You are not ordinary, aren''t you? If you leave now, I won''t pursue this matter anymore!" The woman spoke again in a cold tone; she no longer sounded disdainful or carefree like before.


    But Jacob wasn''t nning to do it because, after this exchange, he realized that this woman was not some hidden powerhouse. If anything, they were equally matched, and the thing was, Jacob hadn''t even used his full power yet.


    This gave Jacob the confidence to go against her or at least flee if things turned out not to be in his favor since he still couldn''t figure out the reason for Immortika''s reaction.


    He coldly asked, "Who are you?"

 Chapter 822 Another Universal Godly Scripture!

    Chapter 822 Another Universal Godly Scripture!


    "Who are you?" The woman didn''t answer Jacob''s question; she sneered, "Someone you don''t want to mess with. Now, leave while I''m being reasonable and tell whoever sent you if they dare to continueing after me, I''ll start a massacre in the entire Path of Legend. I don''t care if you''re from the middle or even upper gxies. As long as we are in the Path of Legend, no one wille to save you!"


    Jacob was momentarily speechless, as he could tell this woman was too full of herself. But after their brief exchange, he knew she had the power to back her ims. Nheless, the more she spoke, the more Jacob became confused about her background, and now he wondered if she was even from the middle gxies.


    Nheless, Jacob needed the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn, and after witnessing her prowess, he also started to believe that she might''ve cleared the Star King Difficulty trial. This means she might also have a Legendary King State treasure or legacy and an ascension permit.


    Although Jacob didn''t care about the ascension permit anymore since he already had two, the legacy or treasure of a Legendary King State Rank was another story, and he knew she couldn''t use both. The former was because she didn''t have time to study it, and thetter was because it required a vast amount of resources and soul force. She was in a simr situation to him.


    In the end, Jacob has no reason to leave as his ming eyes contracted as he uses, ''Slumber Hex!''


    Jacob had already realized her dark magic was quite strange and troublesome, so he decided to use the hex to see if it worked on her since he didn''t see or sense any presence of legendary treasure on her at that moment. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The woman standing on the branch of the tree suddenly sensed something amiss the moment Jacob cast his slumber hex on her, and she felt lethargic before her eyes began to close.


    Jacob instantly knew it had worked and quickly vanished from his spot. He was about to grab her by the neck when his instincts suddenly rang in rm. Without hesitation, a huge lightning aura st urred under his feet as he made his distance between them. But as he was sted away, his hand suddenly touched her hood, which was lifted!


    The next moment, the woman''s figure suddenly exploded with eerie dark mes, and the tree she was standing on was instantly obliterated.


    Jacob was shocked when he sensed that those dark mes weren''t some variation of fire magic but some kind of ability, and they seemed as powerful as his own magic¡ªeven more power, maybe!


    But the main point was that she had broken his Slumber Hex instantly, and he knew the Hex was sessfully cast because his Hex mana was used. This also proved another point: this woman wasn''t a Fable Legendary Rank Being.


    However, this only makes her even more terrifying in Jacob''s view because no one has ever managed to break his hex before, not to mention in an instant.


    Nheless, while Jacob was reevaluating the woman''s prowess, she was also doing the same, and she was even more terrified because of the Slumber Hex that worked on it. Because she was immune to all Soul Attacks, even Fable Legendary Rank''s soul attacks wouldn''t work on her.


    Yet Jacob''s ''soul attack'' not only worked on her, but she also had to use the foundation of her entire existence that triggered her automatically to break free from it. She had never experienced anything like this before, and if she had only thought of Jacob as another powerful idiot who was after her treasures, now shepletely acknowledged him as an equal opponent who could really harm her!


    The pitch-ck mes surrounding her entire body instantly retracted, but her face was no longer hidden, as her hood had been lifted off.


    Her face was the embodiment of ethereal beauty, yet touched with an aura of darkness that set her apart from anything mortal. Her skin was pale, almost luminous, as though it absorbed the surrounding light, making her seem like a figure carved from the moon itself.


    Her delicate features were wless, and her perfect symmetry transcended beauty, yet there was something otherworldly and intimidating about her presence.


    Her eyes were the most striking¡ªtwin orbs of pitch-ck, bottomless and endless like the void of the cosmos. There was no reflection, no glimmer of light in those eyes; they seemed to absorb everything, pulling in anyone who dared meet her gaze into an abyss of eternal night.


    Her gaze was intense and unsettling, as though she could peer into the deepest corners of one''s soul, where the darkest secretsy hidden.


    Her hair cascaded down her back like strands of pure night, cker than shadows, gleaming faintly with a subtle, ethereal sheen. It flowed as though alive as if the strands themselves were woven from darkness, constantly shifting like a slow, flowing river of midnight.


    When the light touched her hair, it shimmered with hints of starlight as though the cosmos had lent its brilliance to her.


    Her lips were a deep, dusky hue, entuating the quiet power of her beauty. She radiated an aura of dark allure¡ªregal, untouchable, yet drawing all eyes irresistibly toward her.


    Her presence was maic, but her beauty contained a warning, a promise that stepping too close to this dark goddess would mean surrendering to the very shadows she embodied.


    In every line of her face, in the depths of her dark, hypnotic eyes, she was darkness personified¡ªbeautiful, enchanting, and dangerous.


    At this moment, when Jacobnded on another tree, his eyes never left her. When he saw her face, he was momentarily stunned by her charm, but he quickly became Stoic again.


    Although her beauty was unmatched, Nyx''s appearance wasn''t lost on her in any way, and he was already immune to this kind of thing because of Nyx. Furthermore, ever since he had seen Nyx''s appearance, he knew higher level beings had strange charm and those with weak mentality would instantly surrender themselves. Even his appearance was like this.


    As he looked at her with the same icy yet vignt gaze, she also didn''t avert her eyes, afraid he would use another ''soul attack.''


    However, when she noticed that her face was revealed and Jacob didn''t seem to be bothered by it at all, she was astounded because whoever saw her face would always have two reactions, either terror or reverence, and she could sense those feelings.


    But Jacob has neither as if she was just a frame of bones!


    She realized this person was nothing like anyone she had encountered throughout her journey, and without hesitation, she used amand with her thought, "Old Chaos! What is the deal with this guy?!"


    The next moment, on her pale be, a symbol like a ck hole with an ethereal white glyph appeared, and it seemed to swirl in the center of this ck hole.


    The moment the symbol appeared, an ethereal voice rang in her mind, "If you want my advice, then get away from him. I can''t see through him!"


    "What?!" The woman was shocked, as this was the first time she had heard this kind of response from this voice.


    However, the woman and the voice failed to notice that the ck hole symbol, which should be invisible under everyone''s gaze, waspletely visible in Jacob''s eyes, and the white glyph was also readable.


    With Jacob''s excellent vision, he thought it was some attack when he noticed that ck hole symbol with a white glyph emerging on the woman''s be. But when he saw the tiny white glyph, his body trembled because it read¡­


    ''Chaotic Darkness!?''

 Chapter 823 Impossible to Trick!

    Chapter 823 Impossible to Trick!


    ''Chaotic Darkness?!''


    Jacob''s mind reeled as his eyes were struck on the glyph, and to make sure he wasn''t hallucinating, he repeatedly confirmed it again and again.


    A sudden chill ran down Jacob''s spine at this moment as everything became clear to him: Immortika''s strange response, this woman''s iprehensible prowess, everything!


    ''She has a Universal Godly Scripture! Although it''s different from Cursed Immortality, I''m sure of it! And I can see it and read its name because it''s written in the samenguage as the Cursed Immortality! Not only that, but it seemed Immortika had vanished because if I could see her Universal Godly Scripture, she''d be able to see mine as well!


    ''Furthermore, it seemed Immortika also knew all along that another inheritor of a Universal Godly Scripture was in the Path of Legend, and that''s why it said, ''And here I thought it was avoidable!'' That bastard book clearly didn''t want me to encounter her. ''Still, it should have told me before instead of running away on me¡­ or could this scripture be even more powerful than Cursed Immortality? After all, Cursed Immortality is not a magic type scripture¡­''


    The more Jacob thought about it, the more it made sense, but he didn''t have time to dwell on this topic further because this revtion was simply too huge. Now that he knew this woman had a Universal Godly Scripture that might be stronger than Cursed Immortality, he lost his will to fight.


    Because he knew better than anyone how unreasonable the prowess of a Universal Godly Scripture can be, he had no idea what abilities this Chaotic Darkness could grant its inheritor or how much progress she had made.


    Nheless, one thing was clear after she was affected by the Slumber Hex: She should be someone like him who had only gotten her hands on the Chaotic Darkness not long ago since she wasn''t a Fable Legendary Rank yet.


    But Jacob was still not willing to fight her for the exact reason that he had no clue what kind of abilities the Chaotic Darkness had. He hated to admit it, but he was d that Cursed Immortality had taken the initiative to unsummon itself.


    If she could really see the Cursed Immortality as he could see the Chaotic Darkness, she would know that he has a Universal Godly Scripture. His biggest secret would be revealed, and she might''ve fled with this information and be vignt about it, and he would have no idea about it!


    Jacob didn''t dare to imagine the consequence of this information falling into someone like her hands. Although he didn''t know if someone could inherit more than one Universal Godly Scripture, he wasn''t greedy enough to put it to the test by trying to snatch it away from someone acknowledged by one.


    Furthermore, Jacob still vividly remembered just how much allure a Universal Godly Scripture held and just the possibility of someone having it, which could draw the full attention of someone like Furcas!


    Lastly, Jacob was unsure if the Chaotic Darkness was as unpredictable as Immortika and would go out of its way to protect its inheritor. But he sure didn''t want to find out.


    Still, Jacob suddenly thought about something as he looked at the woman still standing on her spot,pletely oblivious to the fact that her biggest secret had been revealed in front of him. He mused that she might be talking with the Chaotic Darkness.


    "I''m willing to back down, but can you tell me if you''re from a lesser gxy? Because I''m also from the lesser Gxy of Taurus." Jacob suddenly spoke as he lost his fighting stance, but he was still fully alert, and at any sign of attack, he would flee.


    But he wanted to take this chance to see if he could get more information out of her and if he could make her let her guard down. However, he wasn''t optimistic about it because if she were someone like him, she wouldn''t trust anyone.


    Still, despite her earlier haughty attitude and disdain for the people from the higher gxies, he was sure that she hadn''t encountered dangers like him, and she seemed to blindly trust her Universal Godly Scripture''s might.


    Not only that, but he instantly thought about how she didn''t get acknowledged by the Wisp of Capricorn despite having a Universal Godly Scripture because if she had, he wouldn''t have gotten another piece of Legendary Master Key, which made Jacob somewhat uneasy yet curious about why Cursed Immortality has such an effect. The woman was about to flee after heeding Chaotic Darkness''s advice when she suddenly looked at Jacob with a hint of surprise. Jacob''s change in attitude was beyond her expectations, and she thought he would chase after her, so she needed to use one of her trump cards to escape this mysterious opponent.


    Truth be told, as someone who hadn''t encountered an actual opponent who could rival or harm her under the same realm and make her Chaotic Darkness react in such a way and failed to see through him, she was also curious about Jacob.


    "Is he telling the truth?" She quickly asked Chaotic Darkness before she said anything to Jacob.


    "I didn''t sense any lies from him, but you should be careful. This person is wearing the skin of a Dark Being yet has a powerful Life Signature. Furthermore, from your earlier exchange with him, he released his soul force for a moment, and I''m sure he also has a Spiritual Neb far stronger than yours.


    "He might be a Legendary Rank who somehow crossed the Middle Gxies with his soul totem and then possessed someone from the lesser gxies. Now, he''s trying to reignite his soul totem to make this body enter the Legendary Rank. But it still does not make his existence clear; instead, it makes him even more of an anomaly. "Lastly, his Eyes are very special; they might be the closest variant of three ancient optical abilities. But for some reason, I can''t see through them, just like his origin, and that''s why I''m telling you to avoid him if you can. You''re not strong enough, and he might be nning something. But it is your decision to make; I won''t interfere!" Chaotic Darkness impassively replied.


    The woman was even more shocked as she looked at Jacob and finally spoke, "I''m indeed hailed a lesser gxy. But why do you ask?"


    Then she quickly asked Chaotic Darkness, "Don''t you say your Universal Godly Artifact is in the Path of Legend, and you even sensed it before you suddenly lost connection? You''ve told me your artifact can block any and all probing. So, since you can''t see through him, do you think he had it?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Chaotic Darkness replied without hesitation, "Impossible! If he''s using my Universal Godly Artifact right in front of me, I''ll be the first to know. Furthermore, a Universal Godly Artifact without its Universal Godly Scripture can''t showcase its true abilities.


    "Although it will still hold power beyond any treasure, its true form and abilities will only be revealed when it''s united with its Universal Godly Scripture. If he really had the Visor of Chaos, then it''ll be in the form of a Soul Artifact Gluttony Mask, and it only has two abilities.


    "And I''m sure he''s not using any of those. But since his very existence is a mystery to me, there is a 1% possibility that he might have it. However, you didn''t have the ability to confirm it yet!" Chaotic Darkness solemnly replied.


    At this moment, Jacob also spoke, unaware of the conversation between the two, "I''m asking because you seemed to have encountered the people from the middle gxies and had experienced how unreasonable they are.


    "Now that you have imed a Legendary Vestige, once they discover it, they''lle after you with full force, especially those who are still searching for legendary keys.


    "So, I was wondering if you have a way to leave the Path of Legend? I can pay you with a Fable Legendary Rank Treasure if you can take me with you!"


    Jacob''s words again surprised her, and she wondered if this guy was ying some kind of trick to get her to let her guard down. But his reasoning made sense.


    However, at this moment, Chaotic Darkness''s impassive voice rang, "He''s lying about thest part!"

 Chapter 824 Tactical Withdrawal!

    Chapter 824 Tactical Withdrawal!


    The woman''s expression didn''t change much, but her mind raced as she coldly stared at Jacob and questioned Chaotic Darkness, "Which part exactly? About the legendary treasure or leaving this ce?"


    "Thetter."


    A hint of surprise shed past her pitch-ck eyes, "So, does this mean he really has a Fable Legendary Treasure?"


    "If he can''t lie in front of me, then yes, he has it!"


    The woman looked at Jacob thoughtfully. She didn''t think this person would give her so many surprises, and she wondered if he was really from the Lesser Gxy of Taurus. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But since Chaotic Darkness had confirmed it, she believed it. A legendary rank treasure holds quite an allure to someone like her, and she had already imed a Legendary King State Legacy from the Tower of Capricorn and knew how powerful it was.


    She also wanted a legendary king state treasure, but she couldn''t choose both, so she was in sullen mode at that time. However, that legacy was more important, so she chose it after an intense internal struggle.


    However, now Jacob was offering her a Fable Legendary State Treasure. Although she didn''t know why he was lying about the other part, she still wanted that Fable Legendary State Treasure and Chaotic Darkness just confirmed that he really had it.


    If it had been someone else, she would''ve already attacked them and snatched it, but since Jacob was so mysterious, she didn''t have that confidence anymore, which made her somewhat depressed.


    Nheless, she wasn''t going to back down, and since Jacob was clearly scheming against her, she wanted to do the same because she was confident ining on top!


    "I don''t have a way to leave here, but I do know that when all the Legendary Vestige are imed, the Path of Legend will be closed and sent everyone away to the Middle Gxies." She impassively replied at this moment.


    She was about to continue making a ''deal'' with him to get the Fable Legendary State Treasure when suddenly, Jacob''s figure vanished from his spot, leaving behind an afterimage!


    The first thought that came into her mind was that he was attacking her, so she quickly channeled her magic power. After a moment, she was dumbfounded because she didn''t sense any kind of danger, and Jacob had left her detection range as well, which meant he was gone!


    "What in the world¡­" She was bewildered since this wasn''t how she had imagined it would be yed out.


    She thought Jacob would continue to try chatting with her and appear friendly to trick her, but he would never know she could easily detect his lies, so she would y along until she got a chance to strike back. She would not only get the treasure but also confirm whether Jacob really had the Universal Godly Artifact that she''d been searching for or not. Yet Jacob instantly left after she told him about the truth, and it wasn''t a big deal since this was known to many. However, this only made her angry because it meant Jacob had no respect for her. He didn''t seem to be scheming against her at all, or he had simply run away to get back up. But it didn''t make any sense at all.


    "That stinky skeleton probably ran away because he probably realized scheming against me would only backfire. But if he thinks I''m done with him, then he''s thoroughly wrong, not until I confirm if he really had the Visor of Chaos!" She resentfully dered to Chaotic Darkness.


    "I''ve rarely seen you so worked up like this; it seemed he left a deep impression on you. Still, he''s more powerful than you for now, and it is not confirmed if he really has the Visor of Chaos yet, so don''t act recklessly. You should focus on gathering the remaining Vestiges, and your paths might cross again if he still wants to search for another vestige!" Chaotic Darkness impassively stated. A hostile glint shed past her eyes, "Hmph, next time I see him, I''ll make sure he pays for his arrogance. Many more people are still here, including those hidden creatures with powerful souls. I''ll be more powerful than him in no time!" ---


    Jacob, who had abruptly left, was now miles away from that woman, and he continued at full speed. As for why he left, he wasn''t nning on staying in the first ce; he just wanted to confirm if she had any intention of leaving this ce after she acquired the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn.


    Just like she had Chaotic Darkness to detect lies, Jacob had the Judgement Gaze to do the same, despitecking in front of a Universal Godly Scripture. But he instantly knew that she was telling the truth, and that was enough to give him more information to work with.


    So, without announcing, he instantly left because he was observing how she hadn''t unsummoned the Chaotic Darkness after she summoned it. Her dy in reply also made Jacob sure that she was in discussion with the Chaotic Darkness in the midst of their conversation.


    Jacob knew that if the Chaotic Darkness were like Cursed Immortality that could detect other origins, he''d be in big trouble. But since that woman didn''t react much, Jacob became doubtful. With how Immortika reacts, he mused that as long as he didn''t show Cursed Immortality, the Chaotic Darkness might be unable to tell his true origin.


    If that woman learned who he really was, she wouldn''t be chatting with him with that kind of confidence. If it was him, and he found that there was an opponent who was stronger than him and also possessed a Universal Godly Scripture, he would run away without hesitation and not stay there for a chat.


    Even though he felt that he was stronger than that woman, he didn''t want to test this theory because he knew that woman had not used any of her trump cards, and if he hadn''t started chatting, she was also preparing to retreat.


    Jacob had no intention of opposing any inheritors of Universal Godly Scripture unless he was ridiculously stronger than them or they had just acquired them. The main reason was, of course, the unpredictable Immortika! Furthermore, Jacob spected that the woman with Chaotic Darkness might also be after the remaining Cosmic Vestiges. He needs them to progress with Chaotic Darkness as he needs them for Cursed Immortality.


    After all, Immortika had told him only the Cosmic Vestiges were worthy of a Universal Godly Scripture, but he didn''t know if every scripture had been used for them.


    Nheless, Jacob wouldn''t give up even if he had anotherpetitor. He also had a way to im back the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn in that woman''s hand, and if he seeded, he''d use everything he had to quickly gather all the remaining vestiges and get the hell out of this ce!


    But first, Jacob needed some answers. Once he felt he was far enough and that the woman wasn''t chasing after him, he coldly thought, "Cursed Immortality! We have a lot to discuss!"

 Chapter 825 Universal Godly Artifacts! (1)

    Chapter 825 Universal Godly Artifacts! (1)


    The cursed book finally appeared in front of Jacob at this moment, and the eerie voice filled with wantonughter rang, "Hahahahaha¡­ man, I thought I would see a good show, and you''ll try to seduce her once you discover who she really was, but what a letdown. It was still amusing nheless, and I approved of your action and not overestimating yourself!"


    Jacob''s eyes flickered with rage when he heard those words, but he wasn''t surprised that the damn book was amused; in fact, he knew it would be like this since he understood too well how Immortika gets its kicks.


    Nheless, he was furious and felt like pushing the cursed book, but he knew he couldn''t and suppressed his anger as he coldly said, "I''m happy that you''re amused, but unfortunately, I''m not! So, can you please exin why you didn''t warn me about it? And I''m expecting a damn good reason!" "Hah, didn''t you already figure it out?" Immortika asked yfully. "Hmph, I sure did, but it still doesn''t exin why you didn''t tell me from the start if you knew there was another inheritor of a Universal Godly Scripture roaming around the Path of Legend! And I''m even more confused about why it can''t do the same with you. If you can detect the Chaotic Darkness, why can''t it do the same for you? Just what are you hiding, and what is so special about you?!


    "And don''t you dare try to deny it or bullshit your way out of it because I swear I''ll fucking stop following your instructions and find another way to reach Immortality! We''re through!" Jacob asked with a deep sense of vignt yet unbreakable determination in his tone.


    From the moment he found the truth behind that woman''s existence, he knew Immortika already knew who she was, but for some reason, the Chaotic Darkness didn''t because if it did, that exchange would bepletely different.


    Not to mention, with what was going on with all the Zodiac Wisps, he was now sure that Cursed Immortality was different from the Chaotic Darkness or probably all the Universal Godly Scriptures, and he wanted to know what it was, or he wouldn''t be at peace and continue to walk on the path of Cursed Immortality!


    "Hahahahaha¡­" Immortika burst intoughter, and there wasn''t any hint of panic or anger in it; it was more likeughter filled with hrity.


    "You know you got some balls to say something like that and the courage and determination to abandon a Universal Godly Scripture. No one would''ve even thought about it unless they didn''t know what they were giving up.


    "It''s like outright denying the reality and wanting to create your own. Very, very few people have such a mindset to question everything, denying the facts and even the existence of the Universe, or simply put, it''s true Atheism!


    "However, this is the exact attitude that required someone toplete me, Cursed Immortality. You need to question everything and anything that you find wrong, doubt your own existence to get to the truth, and don''t take even the slightest risk if it threatens your entire existence!


    "I know you''ve been suppressing these thoughts for a long time because you don''t have the courage to face reality, and you were afraid that things would have turned out exactly how you suspected them. I want to see how long it would take you to face it or if you even have it in you.


    "But it seemed I was worried about nothing, and you realized that you have to face it before you still have a chance to ovee it. This was also thest mental barrier you needed to cross to continue forward. Your fear of death is one thing, but you can''t have the fear of the unknown because you need to face it to reach the truth, and you''ll know soon how much this change in your mindset will affect you!"


    Jacob was bewildered by Immortika''s profound words. He wasn''t expecting this kind of response, and he thought Immortika would either try to pursue him or outright try to deny everything with some excuse.


    However, now that he had thought about it, just as Immortika said, he had had these thoughts for a long time, and he was terrified that everything would turn out to be a lie or worse, Immortika''s scheme to turn him into its puppet or use him to achieve its own goal.


    Now that he had finally gathered the courage to go through with this, confront his fears while abandoning the clear path of Immortality and searching for his own if his fear became the truth, he felt a huge burden had lifted from his mind. "I''m ttered that you think so highly of me, but if this is your exnation for what is happening, then I''m afraid it''s not enough!" Jacob coldly stated without hesitation.


    "Hehehe, even if I want to exin, you won''t understand, and the truth is I really can''t exin anything. You just have to find the truth yourself, or it won''t be the truth if told because my truth might differ from yours.


    "This is the thing, actually; you have to face the unknown, and only then will you be what you want, or everything is meaningless. Still, let me clear your misunderstanding a little, and then you can decide on your own how to proceed forward. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "From the start, I''ve told you that it is your journey towards the truth, and nothing can change that. First, I''ve warned you many times that you can''t speak a Universal Godly Scripture or even think about it so often, especially now that you have learned another Scripture''s name. You need to be very careful, or it''ll instantly guess everything.


    "Second, the reason it wasn''t able to detect me or see through you is because it didn''t have its Universal Godly Artifact united with it. A Universal Godly Scripture is born born with its Universal Godly Artifact, and without its Universal Godly Artifact, you can say that it can''t showcase its full abilities, and it''s iplete!" Immortika revealed.


    Jacob was shocked at this moment and asked, "Wait a moment, Universal Godly Artifact? Why am I only hearing about this name now? You never told me anything about it!"


    "It wasn''t important since you already had my Universal Godly Artifact with you since the start. A Universal Godly Artifact is part of a Universal Godly Scripture despite being a separate entity, so since you already got it, what is the point of knowing about it?" Immortika asked mischievously.


    Jacob was speechless and didn''t know how to react before he retorted, "Are you kidding me? I always thought that Infinity Pendant was an inseparable part of you since your true form can''t exist outside it. But now you''re telling me the Infinity Pendant is a Universal Godly Artifact, and it can exist separately from you like that woman''s scripture!? Does this also mean every scripture has an artifact like the Infinity Pendant?"


    Jacob continued coldly, as he simply had too many questions, "Furthermore, I also remembered you telling me when we first met that the Infinity Pendant will always return to you no matter where it is. Then why does it seem different from that scripture!?"

 Chapter 826 Universal Godly Artifacts! (2)

    Chapter 826 Universal Godly Artifacts! (2)


    "Hahaha¡­ artifacts like Infinity Pendant? Although you''re right about the part that every scripture has its own artifact, you''re wrong about every scripture having the same type of artifact or at the same level.


    "Universal Godly Artifacts are unique, just like their scriptures, and each has different abilities and functions. Only when united with their scriptures can Universal Godly Artifacts reach their full potential and showcase their entire capabilities!


    "As for your second question, you are again wrong because every Universal Godly Artifact will return its scripture in one way or another, and there is nothing stopping it.


    "Because someone can only snatch away or separate a Universal Godly Artifact from its scripture if there is no inheritor and both the scripture and artifact are in their dormant state.


    "But even then, the artifact will always end up with the scripture by countless coincidences; it''s also one of the wonders of the Zodiac ins. However, this process will be intensified once a scripture has an inheritor because not only can the scripture sense the presence of its Universal Godly Artifact, but the inheritor will also have a high chance of stumbling on it or somehow ending up close to it.


    "Still, in the end, it''s up to the inheritor''s capability to snatch it back from whoever has it. But I can assure you that no one can see through the Universal Godly Artifact''s dormant form unless someone has the information about it beforehand or the inheritor is an idiot and ends up revealing it. "Lastly, if the inheritor can cultivate the scripture to a certain level, they will also gain the ability to sense the Universal Godly Artifact and also have a higher chance of ending up close to it or even directly acquiring it back!" Immortika exined with a roguishness.


    Jacob was silent, as this information was quite huge. He never expected there would be such a massive secret behind the Universal Godly Artifacts. He suddenly felt d that he got the Infinity Pendant with Immortika, or he would be in the same position as the inheritor of Chaotic Darkness.


    But at this moment, something suddenly came into his mind as he asked, "Then how did the infinity pendant lose twoponents? Shouldn''t it be indestructible like the scripture, even if it''s in its dormant state?"


    "Hehehe, you are half right this time. You see, the scripture is indestructible no matter what form; the same goes for the Universal Godly Artifacts. However, if the Universal Godly Artifacts are separated from its scripture and taken away to a very, very long distance away from it, there is a possibility of breaking them.


    "But only breaking them, not destroying them since once the scripture gains an inheritor, they can be mended back as long as their parts are found and pieced together.


    "However, not just any random wannabe can break a Universal Godly Artifact, and there are consequences for such action. Even if someone of that level is bored enough to try it, the most they can do is to break it into two or three parts.


    "Now, you should be able to guess what happened with the Infinity Pendant. But still, only the most unimportant parts of the infinity pendant were dislocated, not the pendant itself.


    "But I can''t tell you the entire story since I''ll be revealing too much, but you''ll understand once you acquire thestponent of the infinity pendant," Immortika dismissively stated, as if revealing something trifled.


    But Jacob was still absorbing all this astonishing information, so he didn''t pay any attention to the tone of the cursed book. Still, he got many answers to some of the most perplexing questions.


    However, Jacob wasn''t satisfied. He asked, "This still does not exin the Zodiac Wisps'' reactions unless this has something to do with scripture with its Universal Godly Artifact as well? Furthermore, you seemed to know that woman''s presence even before I encountered her. Don''t tell me all the scriptures, united with their Universal Godly Artifacts, can do the same thing.


    "If it''s true, then doesn''t this mean that some inheritor with both Universal Godly Artifact and scripture will also be able to detect me, especially if they are far more powerful than me?"


    Although this conversation started with Jacob''s doubts, now that he knew the truth, he was concerned since he knew the more he grew, the higher the chances of encountering another inheritor of a Universal Godly Scripture. He didn''t think he would always be lucky enough to run into the inheritor of Universal Godly Scriptures who didn''t have their Universal Godly Artifacts.


    Even though Jacob knew the chances of this happening were extremely low, almost close to none, after all, there are only nine scriptures and nine artifacts. He already had one, and he now knew who had another one, but there were still seven left.


    Even if there were only the slightest chance of this happening, Jacob would always have to look over his shoulders.


    "Hahahaha¡­ I''ve already told you about the Zodiacs; you''ll know when the timese. As for how I know about her presence, hehehehe¡­ it''s because you have precisely the Universal Godly Artifact of that scripture on you!


    "So, I can detect its corresponding scripture the moment ites into my range of detection! It is another ability of a Universal Godly Scripture united with its Universal Godly Artifact! Hahahahaha!" Immortika burst into aughter filled with mirth and hidden mockery.


    "WHAT?!" Jacob''s calm expression instantly changed when he heard this unexpected answer. He thought Immortika was joking, but he knew the cursed book didn''t need to lie about something like this.


    Jacob''s mind instantly raced as he started to think of every unusual treasure in his possession, and at this moment, the mes in his hallow sockets instantly red intensely.


    "Which one is it? That pendant I got from Sebastian''s body or the Gluttony Mask?" Jacob asked with a hint of agitation.


    He could only think about these two mysterious treasures, especially the pendant he got from Sebastian''s body, which can''t be stored in ordinary space treasure. The Gluttony Mask was also very strange since it could grow without limit and had a terrifying ability of disguise that could fool even Star Network. "Hahahaha, of course, it''s the Gluttony Mask. It''s in its dormant state, or you can say in its deteriorated state since it''s not the inheritor of its corresponding scripture.


    "But the moment you make it acknowledged you as its master, its scripture knew. But it''s still loyal to only its scripture, and the moment you entered the Path of Legend and entered a specific range, it tried to send an invisible signal.


    "If it were another else, they wouldn''t be able to feel it, but you did, and your will is still stronger than the Gluttony Mask, and you have me, so you can easily suppress it in due time. But the scripture should''ve already known about its presence in the Path of Legend.


    "And as you''ve experienced, you still ended up meeting with the inheritor of that scripture. If not for my presence with the infinity pendant and your strong will, that scripture would''ve already sensed it on you and can even im it back after establishing a connection!"


    Jacob trembled ever so slightly as he finally understood everything. He didn''t know if he was feeling rage or relief at this moment because he never expected the Gluttony Mask that he had acquired from the Vile Witch''syer to have such a background.


    Furthermore, from what Immortika revealed, he could guess that even the Vile Witch didn''t know the Gluttony Mask was actually one of the most powerful treasures in existence or that no matter how terrifying and vile the mask was, she should''ve never abandoned it! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But the thing was, now, this wasn''t the Vile Witch''s problem but his, and he cursed, "Bastard! You''re only telling me something so important now!?! Shouldn''t you have told me this since the beginning?!"


    "Hahahahaha¡­ I can''t tell you something like this unless you meet certain conditions. Furthermore, even if you knew, would you have given up on the Gluttony Mask and abandoned it?


    "After all, despite not being in its true form, it is still a one-of-a-kind treasure that can fool anyone but its scripture. Furthermore, as long as your will is stronger than the mask and the power difference between your scripture and that inheritors won''t change to a certain degree, it will never escape your grasp.


    "So, let me ask you, are you still going to abandon it? Because if you did, you''d only be gifting power to counter you to your potential enemy! Hahahahahaha!"

 Chapter 827 The Mysterious of Universal Godly Scriptures!

    Chapter 827 The Mysterious of Universal Godly Scriptures!


    Jacob became silent after hearing Immortika''s derided question because, just as Immortika articted, even if he knew the true origin of the Gluttony Mask, he wasn''t going to give it up. In fact, he would be over the moon after discovering that he had acquired a Universal Godly Artifact! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    However, now that he knew the entire story and rtionship behind a Universal Godly Scripture and the Universal Godly Artifact, he knew that as long as he had it, he''d eventually run into that woman.


    If he had known this, he would''ve been more hesitant to use the Gluttony Mask, but s, he had already be its master, and now that he knew what kind of treasure it was, he was even more unwilling to give it up or stop using it.


    Still, there were too many risks involved, especially if this mask became too strong and alerted the Chaotic Darkness. After all, the mask was an advanced, unique rank treasure right now, and he didn''t know what would happen if it became a Fable Legendary or even a Legendary King State Treasure!


    After mulling it over for a while, Jacob finally speaks again, "At which rank can the Gluttony Mask escape my will?"


    "Hehehehe¡­ see, you''re unwilling to give up a Universal Godly Artifact. Well, not like I''m ming you since only a fool would give it up and leave for that woman to take it back since once itnded in her hand, she''ll be almost unstoppable and be an untraceable ghost!


    "Only in someone like your hand is there a chance that she won''t be able to acquire it. As for how to keep it that way, you need to ensure the Gluttony Mask never surpasses your soul rank by an entire rank.


    "Like you can''t let it be a Gravitational Copse/Legendary Noble State Treasure before your soul reaches the Gravitational Copse state. Furthermore, once the little nightmare awakens, your soul defense will also rise, so the limit should increase as well. In the end, it all depends on how strong your will is, and the will originate from your soul and your determination!"


    Jacob nodded in realization before his eyes flickered coldly as he asked, "What if I killed her? Would I be able to get that scripture for myself? Can someone have more than one Universal Godly Scriptures?"


    "Whao¡­ you sure have ambition. I don''t think there is someone in the entirety of the Zodiac ins who had evere in contact with two Universal Godly Scriptures, much less imed them.


    "But let me burst your bubble. It''s impossible because once you kill an inheritor of a scripture, the scripture will vanish with its inheritor''s death, and there is no stopping it unless you can go against the Will of Zodiac ins.


    "The only way to get it is if the Inheritor of that scripture is willing to transfer it, and even then, the scripture has to be willing as well. As for if someone can develop in more than one scripture at the same time, we''ll talk about it once you have it.


    "Besides, cultivating a single scripture is already impossible, and each scripture has its own unique way to progress, and here you want to add another one in the mix? Hehehehe¡­you should consider what you''re wishing for!" Immortika stated in an ambiguous yet humorous tone.


    Jacob was astounded, as this was another thing he didn''t know about. He was always under the impression that if others killed the inheritor of a Universal Divine Scripture, they''d be able to im it for themselves. Yet it wasn''t the case at all, and he had again underestimated the existence of these scriptures.


    Furthermore, Immortika''sst words quickly shattered his ambition since, as Immortika said, he already had his hands full with cursed immortality. Even if he could acquire and cultivate another scripture, he might not be able to handle it. Nheless, this didn''t change the fact that the other inheritors of the scriptures weren''t on friendly terms with him. In fact, they were enemies with the power to go against him, and he knew they would also have the same point of view. Furthermore, Jacob''s many doubts were answered today, and he learned a great deal about the scriptures and their artifacts. Still, some questions remained unanswered and became an even bigger mystery in his mind, especially about the Zodiacs.


    "What kind of power does that scripture have?" Jacob asked.


    "This is the only thing I can''t tell you; in fact, any scripture will have the same answer because the scriptures didn''t know about each other core legacy, or what''s the point in having different scriptures if other scripture knows about each other prowess and secrets? All the scriptures know about what kind of power we hold, and that''s it. But I can''t tell you even that unless you want to pay the price and alert ''it'' too!"


    Jacob''s eyes dted, but he didn''t pursue the matter since Immortika''s words made sense, and he had already guessed this much on his own.


    "Alright, I''m satisfied with your exnation, and if you had just told me all this from the start, we wouldn''t have this little skirmish between us. I want to trust you, but you don''t give me the chance. In fact, you seemed to want me to doubt you, and even if you''re doing it for some sick reason or to help me understand something, trust me, it''ll only affect both of us negatively!" Jacob solemnly stated as he was sincere with his words.


    However, Immortika replied devilishly, "Hahahahaha¡­ what''s the fun in that?" ''What was I expecting from this vexatious book?'' Jacob shook his head as he decided to drop this matter since he knew he was barking up the wrong tree and speak with a hint of anticipation, "Last question, will the Infinity Blood Sacrifice work on a Universal Godly Scripture or its inheritor?"


    "Of course, it''ll work! But the thing is, do you have the price to pay for it?" Immortika asked yfully.


    Jacob''s eyes red. He didn''t think this was possible, and he quickly said, "Even if I wish to destroy a scripture or directly cut off its connection with its artifact and change the rules for it?"


    "Hhahahahahaha¡­. Again, can you handle the cost for this kind of wish?" Immortika asked again without denying anything.


    However, Jacob didn''t care since he had already confirmed what he wanted. He was more excited, and without hesitation, he activated¡­


    "Infinity Blood Sacrifice!"

 Chapter 828 Getting Rid of Competitor!

    Chapter 828 Getting Rid of Competitor!


    Jacob looked at the pitch-ck page and made a wish, "I wish¡­"


    The moment Jacob made his wish, it instantly appeared on the page.


    ______


    Wish: I wish that the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn directly appeared in my hand! Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 8,500 Years of Lifespan or Only 10,000 Years of Lifespan


    ______


    Looking at the cost of this simple wish, Jacob''s eyes flickered with a hint of pain before he shook his head in resignation. He had already expected this much.


    After all, this wish was directly rted to an inheritor of a Universal Godly Scripture, and he knew that if he wanted to do it the old-fashioned way by snatching it from her, it would turn into a huge fight that he wasn''t confident of winning, and he might still end up empty-handed.


    So, this was the only way to get his hands on the Vestige of Capricorn without a fight or revealing his prowess.


    "Carry through!"


    The moment he issued the final confirmation while deciding to simply pay entirely with his lifespan, Jacob felt the feeling of someone stripping away from his body again, and this time, this feeling was slightly intense.


    _____


    -Lifespan: 885,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ Nheless, he waited patiently as his eyes deadly cold, and soon, what he had been waiting for happened!


    A lowing crystalline prism, with jagged edges resembling the shape of a lightning bolt frozen in time, appeared in front of him.


    Its surface was smooth and ssy, yet it hummed withtent energy, crackling faintly with arcs of silver-blue lightning that danced along its edges. The prism''s interior contained swirling storms, with shes of light asionally illuminating its depths like distant thunderheads. This ever-shifting light gave it a feeling of immense power barely contained within.


    As the vestige levitates in mid-air, a subtle aura of authority and grandeur emanates from it. The air around the vestige crackles with static energy, asionally producing a low rumble reminiscent of distant thunder on the horizon.


    Jacob pulled a toothy smile as he grabbed the Cosmic Vestige of Capricorn and then stowed it away in his infinity pendant. Although he had paid ten thousand years of his lifespan, it was worth it since he didn''t have to fight the Inheritor of Chaotic Darkness.


    What that woman thought happened wasn''t his business, and he knew there was also a chance that the Chaotic Darkness might discover the power behind it. But since Immortika had told him that no scripture knew about each other''s core powers and abilities, it was highly unlikely.


    Furthermore, Jacob wasn''t done yet, and he again made another wish with determination in his eyes.


    ______


    Wish: I wish to send the Inheritor of Chaotic Darkness in the Depths of Star Ocean Boundary! Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 9,998,500 Years of Lifespan or Only 10 Million Years of Lifespan!


    ______


    "Shit!" Jacob instantly cursed when he saw the lifespan requirement for this wish.


    Although he was expecting to pay a higher price since sending her into the depths of Star Ocean Boundary meant certain death since that ce was the most dangerous and mysterious ce of the entire Zodiac ins and was crawling with zodiac beasts, he wasn''t expecting it would cost him ten million years of his lifespan, which he didn''t have, and even if he had them, he wasn''t going to use them!


    Jacob quickly erased the wish with a simple thought and wished again. ______


    Wish: I wish to send the Inheritor of Chaotic Darkness to the Lesser Gxies! Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 998,500 Years of Lifespan or Only 1 Million Years of Lifespan!


    ______


    ''It still required a million years of lifespan?!'' Jacob was astounded and somewhat depressed. He finally understood why Immortika was ridiculing him with the ''cost'' of his wishes against a universal godly scripture. Heck, he wasn''t even directly targeting it but only its inheritor.


    He didn''t dare imagine the cost of directly wishing against a Universal Godly Scripture.


    "Hahhahahaha¡­" Immortika''sughter suddenly rang at this moment.


    "Let me rify another thing before you go on your usual tantrum once you discover it on your own. The cost of a wish can be increased or decreased depending on the power level and importance of the thing you are wishing for, while your power also counts whenever you make a wish.


    "What I''m saying is that this cost will be increased the more she makes progress with her scripture in the future. So, don''tin to me in the future, hehehehee!"


    Jacob''s eyes dted when he heard it, but he wasn''t surprised much since it wasmon sense. He also seemed to sense the hidden meaning behind Immortika''s words.


    "Since everything is taken into consideration, does this mean the location and how it''ll impact her also taken into consideration, right? After all, the Star Ocean Boundary requires ten million years of lifespan because it''s hazardous. "Inparison, the Lesser Gxies demand a million years of lifespan because even though it''s not dangerous, it''ll probably trap her there until the next path of legends opens and stagnate her progress unless she directly crosses the Star Ocean Boundary or finds another way to the Middle Gxies.


    "Moreover, the Path of Legend is also taken into consideration since it is also important for her. That''s why my wish to send her away is so expensive, but what if¡­"


    Jacob''s eyes shimmered with a malicious glint as he made another wish to test his theory. ______


    Wish: I wish to send the Inheritor of Chaotic Darkness to a safe location in the Middle Gxies! Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 48,500 Years of Lifespan or Only 50,000 Years of Lifespan!


    ______ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jacob''s eyes red instantly when he saw that the cost had been reduced again¡ªthis time by 95%!


    "Hahahaha, you''re finally learning how to use your ability correctly. See, I told you that only by using the tool you''ll understand how to use it correctly and efficiently. Not to mention, you still have an entire Immortika Chapter to learn!"


    Immortika sounded pleased, yet a hint of anticipation was present in its eerie voice as if it wanted to see what Jacob would do now with this wish and what kind of expression the woman and her scripture would have.


    Jacob didn''t refute, and after thinking for a moment, he made his decision, "Carry through!" _____


    -Lifespan: 835,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ ---


    Hundreds of miles away from Jacob''s position, the Inheritor of Chaotic Darkness named Alexandra was going crazy because¡­


    "Where did the cosmic vestige of Capricorn go!?" She shrilled with disbelief and killing intent.


    "There is a higher power involved!" Chaotic Darkness''s solemn voice rang at this moment.


    Alexandra''s eyes widened slightly as a hint of panic surfaced in them, "What kind of power? The Cosmic Vestige was already stored in my Chaotic Soul, yet it suddenly vanished!? Don''t tell mesomething on your level is involved in this. Are we exposed?" "Impossible!" Chaotic Darkness retorted, "If something like me were involved, I would''ve been able to sense it. But¡­wait, it''s here again!"


    "Wha¡­"


    Alexandra was instantly rmed as she was going to use her entire power to fight against this invisible enemy when suddenly a pitch-ck vortex appeared right behind her, and without giving her any time or power to resist, it directly sucked her into it before it vanished!


    The area became peaceful again as if nothing happened!

 Chapter 829 Tower of Aries!

    Chapter 829 Tower of Aries!


    "Is it done?" Jacob asked Immortika with great expectation, as he couldn''t verify the result of this abstract wish.


    "If your lifespan is deducted ording to the cost of the wish, then there is no stopping it even if you want to. So, it is done!" Immortika dismissively replied. Jacob instantly felt relieved because he didn''t have to worry about that woman anymore and could focus on getting the rest of the Cosmic Vestiges.


    However, this time, he wasn''t going to waste his time by searching cluelessly; he had already learned his lesson, and he made another wish.


    ______


    Wish: I wish all the Legendary Keys that are not being used by anyone to appear before me!


    Cost: 100% Infinity Blood & 5,000 Years of Lifespan or Only 7,500 Years of Lifespan!


    ______


    Looking at the cost of this wish, he mused, ''This wish will allow me to get all the unused legendary keys, which means I''ll have clear targets once I know which key is being used. As for how many of them are not being used, let''s hope I get all of them¡­''


    "Carry through!"


    _____


    -Lifespan: 827,850 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ The moment the lifespan was deducted, the space in front of them suddenly wrapped, and the next moment thereafter, four glowing Legendary Keys appeared in front of Jacob!


    Jacob quickly grabbed them and looked at the glowing zodiac symbols on each one. They were the Legendary Keys of Gemini, Cancer, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, respectively!


    This means the Legendary Keys of Aries, Libra, and Pisces were already being used by the others at this moment. Still, Jacob had five unused legendary keys, which means he was the only one who could enter the trial towers, while the chances of someone using the Star Ocean Medallion were very slim. So, in total, he now has four cosmic vestiges and five keys for other vestiges.


    Jacob stowed away the four new legendary keys, chose his first target, and made a wish.


    ______


    Wish: I wish to enter the final trial of the Tower of Aries!


    Cost: 100% Infinity Blood or Only 1,500 Years of Lifespan!


    ______


    "Carry through!"


    _____


    -Lifespan: 826,350 Years (All Youthful)


    _____ Just like before, the moment his wish was carried through, the surrounding space shifted, and then, the next moment, Jacob found himself in a long, dark hallway.


    The first thing Jacob felt here was extremely high temperature. Jacob stood at a threshold, the air around him thick with an oppressive heat that carried the distinct scent of smoldering embers.


    As he moved forward, each step he took into the passageway was apanied by the quiet crackle of invisible mes dancing just beyond his sight, which seemed to threaten him with flickers of light.


    The temperature continued to rise as he ventured deeper. At this moment, his instincts suddenly warned him that he was nearing something powerful, something ancient.


    Atst, the hallway opened into a colossal chamber¡ªthe heart of the Tower of Aries¡ªandimmediately, Jacob was struck by its overwhelming grandeur.


    Jacob mused coldly, ''So, I''m the first one here? Or is that person before me already dead or probably still taking the trial? Well, it still depends on what kind of difficulty that person has chosen. Nheless, it doesn''t matter since as long as I clear this, I''ll get everything!''


    The chamber was circr, with walls lined by fiery murals depicting a forgotten tale just like the other towers.


    The murals seemed to glow with an inner me as if they were alive. Jacob''s eyes were drawn to the first mural: it showed a towering figure cloaked in mes, a horned warrior wielding twin des of fire. His presence was fierce and unyielding, his eyes alight with a fiery determination. This was probably Aries, the embodiment of unrelenting fire.


    Moving along the mural, the next scene shows Aries leading a great battle. mes leaped from his weapons, scorching armies of shadowy figures. The enemies in the mural were obscured, faceless, and dark, representing the chaotic forces Aries fought against. Yet, the mural was vague, leaving much to Jacob''s imagination about what or who these shadows truly were,and he was expecting it.


    As Jacob continued observing, the final mural showed Aries alone on a throne of mes, his form partially consumed by the very fire he wielded. In his outstretched hand hovered a sphere of pure me, representing his essence, the fire that had both empowered and destroyed him. It was a reminder that even the mightiest mes could burn out if not controlled.


    Jacob''s gaze lingered on that final image¡ªthe lonely, fiery throne¡ªand he couldn''t shake the feeling that this was not what it seemed, and these murals were somewhat different from the other zodiacs.


    But he didn''t have a chance to mull it over because suddenly, the room began to rumble. The temperature spiked as the murals glowed brighter, their mes ring outward, casting eerie shadows across the chamber.


    Jacob instinctively raised his guard, and his aura surged with a hint of solemnity in his eyes as he knew what wasing.


    The very air around him shimmered with heat as the ground beneath his feet split open, releasing streams of moltenva that flowed into intricate patterns, forming a glowing circle in the chamber''s center.


    From this fiery rune, a low, rumbling sound echoed, like the deep roar of an awakening beast. The mes in the chamber coalesced, spiraling toward the rune. With a sudden eruption, the Wisp of Aries emerged! n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    A pir of fire shot upward from the rune, and from within the mes, a shape took form. At first, it was nothing more than a blur of zing light, but as the mes settled, Jacob saw it¡ªa humanoid figure wreathed in fire, its bodyposed entirely of molten mes. Its head bore the unmistakable curved horns of a ram, and its eyes glowed like two smoldering coals, burning with ancient, primal rage.


    The Wisp''s form crackled and hissed with raw power. Its mes flickered constantly as though it was barely contained within its own zing form. Streams of fire cascaded from its arms and legs, pooling around it like molten rivers.


    Every movement it made sent arcs of fire through the air, filling the chamber with the oppressive, suffocating heat of a raging inferno.


    The aura of the Wisp of Aries was that of pure destruction. As it floated toward Jacob, the very stone beneath it melted, leaving molten footprints in its wake. Yet, there was something regal about it, a presence that demanded respect and awe.


    This was not merely an entity of fire but the very essence of Aries himself, the fire that could both destroy and create.


    The chamber was deathly silent for a moment, save for the crackling of mes. Jacob was waiting patiently for the Wisp of Aries to decide what it wanted to do.


    But whether it was to fight or directly acknowledge him, he was ready for both!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 830 The Dark Being of Blood!

    Chapter 830 The Dark Being of Blood!


    The Wisp of Aires remained standing a few meters away from Jacob as the mes on its figure continued to ze and flicker powerfully. There was deadly silence as both of them seemed to be in a deadlock. Jacob was naturally waiting for the Wisp of Aries to make its move since he didn''t want to attack it if there was a chance that it could all be resolved peacefully. However, after encountering the Wisp of Capricorn, he wasn''t sure and was fully on alert just in case the Wisp of Aries turned out to be the same.


    However, at this moment, the Wisp of Aries unexpectedly nodded at him before the surrounding mes intensified, making the whole chamber brightly illuminated, and the temperature increased to a ridiculous degree.


    Jacob instantly gathered the lightning mana around his palms, thinking that this was some kind of warning before the attack. But the next moment, no attack came, and the Wisp of Aries''s iprehensible voice buzzed in his head.


    "&%$#*¡­"


    However, this time, Jacob didn''t feel as much pain as before and remained steady. A hint of relief shed past his burning eyes as he knew this was over, and just as he thought the next moment, he appeared in the same nk space.


    Jacob knew that he had earned the Wisp of Aries''s acknowledgment, and he was d. But unexpectedly, he instantly sensed someone else''s presence, and he knew what that meant.


    Jacob turned around and saw a crimson mist surrounding a figure. To his surprise, this mist was actually made with Soul Force!


    "What happened?" A startled, charming voice rang from the mist as if surprised by this sudden turn of events.


    The owner of this voice also noticed Jacob''s hooded figure, "Is this part of the trial?" She mutters before the mist parted, revealing a figure standing amidst the darkness.


    She was tall, like a specter from a nightmare, with a slender, curvaceous form that was both alluring and dangerous. Her skin was pale, almost translucent white, with an unnatural glow that made her appear ethereal as if she were barely tethered to the mortal realm.


    Her long, raven-crimson hair cascaded down her shoulders like a bloody waterfall, contrasting sharply against her ghostlyplexion.


    Her eyes, a deep crimson, locked onto Jacob''s with a predatory glint. They shimmered with an unholy light, exuding an unnatural hunger that made him feel as though his very soul was targeted.


    The outfit she wore clung to her body. It was a dark, intricate dress made of sheerce and flowing silk that seemed to blend into the surrounding shadows. The fabric was barely there in ces, revealing the curves of her body in an almost provocative manner. Sharp, onyx-like essories adorned her wrists and neck, giving her the look of a gothic temptress.


    Her presence was intoxicating, like the sweet scent of a poisonous flower luring its prey closer. The eerie aura around her seemed to pulse, mingling darkness and desire in a way that was both hypnotic and terrifying.


    Suddenly, her lips, stained a deep shade of red, curled into a faint, teasing smile that was equal parts seductive and menacing as she spoke. Two long fangs were revealed. Her voice was a velvety whisper, soft yet carrying a faint echo that resonated in the empty space. "Are you my next opponent?"


    Jacob looked at the pale woman with scrutiny because although she may have looked like a human or elf, he knew she wasn''t. The surrounding aura was something that only a dark being should have, yet it was unique because he could feel intense blood vitality from her!


    Furthermore, because of his own attainment in blood maniption, he felt this woman could also control blood, which was unexpected.


    Nheless, Jacob knew that this woman should have used the Legendary Key of Aries to enter the tower. Since he had directly entered the final floor and cleared it, she appeared here with him as well, and she seemed to be fighting in a trial when he cleared the tower.


    Now, she seemed to be unaware that Jacob had cleared the trial and thought of him as his next opponent.


    But at this moment, the tower''s voice rang unexpectedly.


    "Congrattions, Trialist!


    "You have passed the Star King difficulty level Tower Trial of the Tower of Aires!


    "The Rewards of Star King difficulty Trial will be granted!


    "First Reward: The Legendary Vestige of Aries has been given!"


    The woman''s nonchnt expression instantly changed when she heard the unexpected announcement, and so did Jacob''s because this was the exact scenario he didn''t want to face.


    He thought that the tower would wait for them to duke it out among each other before it announced the final winner, but it seemed that wasn''t the case, and now the reward had appeared, and whoever imed it would be the winner.


    At this moment, the Cosmic Vestige of Aries emerged in a burst of fiery energy, illuminating the vast, dark space with a radiant and intense crimson glow.


    Its form was like a spiral ram''s horn. Its surface was made of a shimmering, translucent material resembling polished ruby, with flecks of gold and fiery red veins running through it.


    The horn emanates a soft, radiant glow, pulsating with energy that flickers like embers within. Its curves are graceful, and the edges appear razor-sharp, giving off an aura of primal power and determination. The vestige levitates slightly above the ground, surrounded by a faint, swirling mist that glimmers with stardust, embodying the cosmic essence of fire.


    The moment the Legendary Vestige appeared, the pale woman instantly snapped out of her daze. The next moment, she turned into crimson mist as she bolted towards the Vestige without hesitation! N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, Jacob was a step ahead and closest to the vestige. By the time the woman reacted, which was extremely fast, Jacob had already grabbed the Vestige, and the next moment, it vanished into his Infinity Pendant!


    "Thief! Hand it over!" The woman''s enraged voice rang with a hint of disbelief since she never expected Jacob to be so fast, and she was still clueless about how this person appeared in this ce andpleted this trial even before her.


    Nothing made sense to her despite her vast knowledge; this entire scenario was out of her wildest dreams.


    "Hmph!" Jacob merely sneered when he saw that the crimson mist had changed its target for him, and he felt pure soul force and blood energy from it.


    The next moment, lightning energy and soul force took the shape of two swords in Jacob''s hands, and he instantly shed them into the mist using his mighty power!


    Although this woman was strong, and he knew she was wearing a piece of legendary rank treasure, after he encountered the inheritor of the Chaotic Darkness, this pale woman seemed insignificant.


    The crimson mist suddenly trembled under the iing attack of purple ethereal lightning as if she also sensed the danger behind that attack, and instantly a magic runs suddenly appeared just in time when Jacob''s attack collided with the mist!


    "Bang¡­" A powerful energy st rang in the space, filled with crackling lightning and crimson mist as a powerful soul force ripple spread.


    But Jacob remained unaffected while his burning eyes were staring at the st point, and he couldn''t help but mutter, "You have some skill to utilize your space-type treasure just in time¡­"


    Just as his voice trailed off, a few hundred meters away, the crimson mist began to gather, and the woman appeared again, but this time, there was an apparent terror in her eyes as she looked at Jacob.


    At this moment, she quickly spoke, "Who, might I ask, is the one before me? I''m Gracey Val Doom, the daughter of Legendary King, Vampire Marquis Wilbur!"

 Chapter 831 Stratagem against the Vampire Princess! (1)

    Chapter 831 Stratagem against the Vampire Princess! (1)


    Jacob was astounded when he heard ''vampire'' from Gracey''s mouth. Although he was new to this world, even his old world had stories and legends about vampires. They were the most famous and recognized mystical beings rted to blood, especially their legendary, indefinite lifespan, but he didn''t know if it was the truth in this ce.


    However, he wasn''t expecting them to be authentic and part of the middle gxies of the Zodiac ins, not to mention part of the Dark Beings'' dead faction.


    Furthermore, Gracey was the daughter of a Vampire Marquis, a legendary king-state dark being. Although he didn''t know about the vampire hierarchy, he knew enough not to underestimate them.


    Up until now, he had seen many races of Dark Beings, mostly skeletons, zombies, wraiths, wights, midgets, and undead, even ghosts, and knew about their evolution path, but Gracey was the first Vampire he had encountered.


    However, in this brief encounter, he witnessed the Vampire race''s abilities, and he knew there were more he didn''t know yet. However, what interested him was Gracey''s affinity with blood magic and her powerful blood vitality.


    He was already nning on researching the life crystals and hoping to learn the ability of dark beings to absorb them. Now, after witnessing Gracey using blood magic, he knew she could be a great experiment subject!


    However, that vampire won''t agree to it willingly since, from her tone, he could tell she was arrogant yet cautious. The moment she realized that Jacob was stronger than her, or at least he went toe to toe against her, she instantly changed her tone and brought out her background to deter him.


    Furthermore, with the legendary treasure on her body, he was sure that his hex would be missed, so he didn''t bother to use it.


    As Jacob was thinking and Gracey was waiting for Jacob''s reply while thinking that she might be able to get what she wanted, the tower''s voice rang again at this moment, "The Second Reward: Legendary King State Legacy or Legendary King State Treasure!"


    Jacob instantly snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at Gracey, who was rmed.


    ''How would the tower go with this reward since only one treasure or legacy can be given, and since she entered the trial, yet I was the one who cleared the final trial, will it judge both of us as winners? I don''t think so¡­''


    Just as Jacob thought, a disy containing the imable treasures and legacies appeared ¡ªonly a single disy, and it appeared right in front of¡­ Jacob!


    Gracey''s expression fell even more when she saw this, and she finally understood that this person had somehow entered the trial andpleted it before her. She even suspected he had used the Star Ocean Medallion, which no one cared about.


    But what made her even more vexed was that her servants outside allowed Jacob to disrupt and enter the trial. Yet, this also made her fear him because she knew how powerful her servants were, and since he could ovee them and the tower trials despite her early entry, he was terrifyingly strong.


    However, the thing was, she couldn''t give up the vestige or the legendary treasure/legacy. She was willing to give them up because they were hers since she entered here first and worked to acquire the legendary key after paying a massive cost. Not to mention, it was always hers. Whoever snatched others'' things, not the other way around! But she wasn''t confident she could take down Jacob after their brief exchange. She knew that if she fought him, she would pay a high price, and her chances of victory were only fifty-fifty, especially now that her soul force was depleted."


    ''I''ll deal with him once I get out of this ce¡­'' She thought with hidden killing intent.


    "Sir! I''m willing topromise the Legendary Vestige and Legendary Treasure/Legacy, but I must have the Ascension Permit!" She spoke in a somewhat stiff yet solemn tone, "That Ascension Permit is something my father needs, and if he knew that I failed, not only I will be harshly punished, but you''ll also get implicated, and if you know what the Ascension Permit is, then I don''t need to tell you what kind of length a Legendary King will go to acquire it even if he has to turn every stone in the middle gxies! "So, I''m willing to surrender both of the treasures to you, but I must have the Ascension Permit. In return, you''ll earn not only the goodwill of my n and Vampire Marquis, but he''ll even reward you once I tell him about your generosity!


    "I can see that you are also part of the Dead Faction and belonged to the Skeleton Race, so you will also get a high position and your own territory. But if it reallyes to it, and we fight, no one will benefit from it.


    "What do you think?" She asked as she closely observed Jacob''s hooded face. The only thing she could see was the bright, ming golden eyes and shadow of Jacob''s skeletal face.


    Although her words were very reasonable, and she seemed very submissive, she was onlypromising because she couldn''t beat Jacob and was nning on tricking him into handing over the ascension permit. Once she was out of there and gave the ascension permit to her father, she would earn huge merits and her father''s favor.


    At that time, she could easily utilize vast resources under her n to get back everything that Jacob acquired here. She knew her father would also agree to this once he knew Jacob had a legendary king state treasure or legacy from the Path of Legend in his possession.


    At that time, even if Jacob had the entire skeleton race behind him, they would have to hand him over because the Vampire Race was far stronger and more terrifying than the skeleton race despite their low numbers because they didn''t have a Legendary King amidst their ranks!


    But she hadn''t expected that Jacob had one of the three ancient optical abilities, the sources of all the optical abilities in the Zodiac ins, the Eyes of Judge, and her lies were easily seen by Jacob! Furthermore, even if Jacob couldn''t see through her lies, he wasn''t going to believe her. He knew better than to believe anyone in this ce, nor did he fear the Dead, Life, or Neutral Factions because once he got his hands on all the legendary vestiges, he was sure that he would be equal to a Legendary King if not stronger. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Her Highness sure knows how to win someone over¡­" Jacob finally uttered impassively, "Alright, I don''t want to make an enemy out of a Legendary King since I know my limit. But please forgive my bluntness; these two things are still insufficient in front of an Ascension Permit."


    Gracey sighed in relief when she heard Jacob''s early speech, but her expression darkened when she heard thetter part, ''Greedy bones, I''ll make sure to torture you once I get my hand on you! You can only be arrogant in here. Once you leave, I''ll let your entire race know why we Vampires are your master!''


    Concealing her honest thoughts, she asked, "What else did you want, Sir? Anything is negotiable as long as I can have the Ascension Permit!" Jacob nodded, saying, "I don''t dare ask for much from Her Highness. All I want is the legendary treasure you''re carrying on her body! If you agree, we can sign any sort of contract to make sure no one will go against their words!"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!