Ch. 711: Chapter 711-720
Chapter 711 My Sister Also Wants To Meet You. She’s Still Single, And Of Marriageable Age…
"Time to go," Lady Avyanna said as she looked at her warriors who all had smug looks on their faces.
Clearly, they had taken a lot of spoils in this battle, and this made the Orc Chieftain very happy.
The teenagers looked at these Orcs with great curiosity because they didn't know where they had come from.
They thought that they were the inhabitants of the Ammarian Kingdom, who suddenly appeared to take advantage of the battle that was being waged between them and the Monster Army.
Of course, Lux didn't bother to correct this misunderstanding because the Orc Army was one of his Trump Cards.
Only the members of Heaven's Gate knew of this secret, and none of them would be stupid enough to tell this secret to others.
As the Orcs left the battlefield, Lux went to talk to his Master, in order to escape Aur, as well as the Dragon Borns, who were hounding him like a plague.
Fortunately, the old Half-Ling was enough of a deterrent to prevent the members of the Crystal Palace from coming close to them.
"It seems that you are in a tight spot, Lux." Gaap chuckled as he looked at the Half-Elf's troubled expression. "It will be best if you don't leave the dungeon the usual way and just head directly to the Guild's Headquarters. From there, the two of us can go to the Necromancer's Ancestral Grounds so that you can become a Ranker.
"I saw the notice that Rankers are now allowed to enter this Domain. Well, that doesn't matter because you have a way of bringing people here and bypassing certain rules."
The old Half-Ling gave Lux a knowing smile before giving the members of the Crystal Palace a side-long glance.
"Before that, Master, can I visit the Dwarven Kingdom of Gweliven first?" Lux asked. "I've been meaning to meet my old friends and see how they are. It has been a long while since I saw them, and I'm afraid that the longer we don't see each other, the more they will come to hate me."
Gaap frowned but didn't make any moves to forbid Lux from doing what he wanted.
"Well, I think it's fine," Gaap replied after pondering for a few moments. "The entrance of the Ancestral Ground will not appear until the next New Moon. At the very least you should return to the Guild Headquarters within two weeks. That will give us enough time to visit the Ancestral Ground and allow the World to give you its blessing."
Lux nodded and thanked his Master for being understanding. After saying what he wanted to say, Gaap disappeared from where he was standing, and returned directly to their Guild's Headquarters in the Outer Reaches.
Lux, on the other hand, told his guildmates his plan, and all of them agreed that the Half-Elf should lay low for a bit.
"I'll head to Leaf Village as soon as I can," Cai said through their guild chat. "Unlike you, we will have no excuse when they don't find us at the entrance of the Gate of the Domain. It will be best to not raise anyone's suspicions."
"I will return to Karshvar Draconis and complete my Ranker Quest," Cethus commented. "I also need to sort out the rewards I got from this mission."
"The same goes for me," Gerhart stated. "I will take my Ranker Quest as well."
Cai and Keane had also reached the peak of the Initiate Rank during the battle, fulfilling the requirements to take the Ranker Trial, and ascend to the next stage of their growth.
Just like Gerhart and Cethus, they also wanted to become stronger, so that they would be one step closer to revealing their Guild's name proudly to the world, without fearing the consequences that would happen afterwards.
Perhaps Gaap also wanted this to happen, so he made his appearance in order to let everyone know that he was affiliated with Lux, and his Guild was also under his protection.
After finalizing their plans, Lux talked to Einar, and Val, who had been two of his steadfast allies during their conquest of the Sacred Dungeon.
"We'll meet in a month's time," Einar said as he patted Lux's shoulder. "By then, I will have become a Ranker. Ah! Before I forget, my father wanted to invite you to our kingdom to talk about expanding the cooperation of our alliance. My sister also wants to meet you. She's still single, and of marriageable age…"
The Half-Elf only smiled as he gave Einar the "Are you going to use honeytrap on me? Sorry, I already have two beauties by my side!" gaze.
The Barbarian Prince wasn't aware what the Half-Elf was thinking, and he simply took Lux's smile as his silent acceptance to his offer.
Although everyone knew that the Half-Elf was already engaged with Iris, it was not uncommon in their world for one man to have many wives. Even though his sister couldn't become Lux's first wife, becoming his second wife was good as well.
"I will also be a Ranker the next time you see me," Val stated. "One more thing. Even though I don't have a sister, I have a beautiful cousin. Do you want me to introduce you to her?"
The Half-Elf was very tempted to spit on the Spider Boy because he was able to say all of those things with a straight face.
However, since Val and him had shared many battles together, the red-headed teenager squeezed the words, "I'll think about it", in order to not hurt the other's feelings.
Jasper and Enlil also talked to Lux and thanked him for helping them clear the mission. After seeing what the Half-Elf was capable of doing, both of them decided that it would be more advantageous if they remained on Lux's good side, than to offend him.
Half an hour later, everyone decided to leave the Dungeon after a short rest. Although they were tired, and suffered injuries, they all had smiles on their faces knowing that they were able to accomplish the mission that was given to them by their Kings.
Even Prince Cyrus looked happy because he was able to gain a lot from this expedition.
One by one, the teenagers left the Gate of Famine and reappeared at the Gate of the Fallen, where the Rankers and Envoys of the different factions were waiting for him.
Aur, gave Lux a side-long glance before he, too, left the Gate of Famine.
The Dragon Prince wanted to tell the Saints to capture Lux as soon as he exited the Dungeon, so that they could bring the Half-Elf to the Crystal Palace as a guest.
They had many questions for him, and this was the only way they could think of in order to get the answers they were looking for.
Lux sighed after everyone had left.
"Well then, it's time for me to go as well," the Half-Elf muttered as he gave the Capital City of the Ammarian Kingdom a side-long glance before teleporting directly to the Outer Reaches.
From there, he would take the Teleportation Gate and head to Leaf Village.
It had been a long time since he saw the adorable little dwarf, Colette, and her friends, who were still angry at him for being kept in the dark, during the defense in Whitebridge City.
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Other story written by Elyon - Wizard World Irregular
Collaboration work with another author - Kingdom Building Done Right!
Chapter 712 Lux’s Priorities
When Cai, Keane, Gerhart, and Cethus appeared at the entrance of the Gate of the Fallen, everyone's gaze landed on them.
"Awwww! Don't look at me like that," Cai said with a bashful look on her face after being stared at by so many people. "You are making me blush! Sorry, but I'm already taken. Go find other Boars to love."
All the teenagers looked at the shameless boar with contempt.
They wanted to tell Cai that she should stop being delusional because none of them would want to court her, even if she were to become a Human.
If only the teenage boys knew how beautiful she was in her human form, all of them would be fighting against each other in order to gain her good graces.
"Where is he?" Piccoro asked Cethus, who had a smug look on his face after conquering the Gate of Famine.
"Who?" Cethus asked back with a frown.
"Don't play dumb with me, you numbskull!" Piccoro flicked Cethus forehead, making the latter cry out in pain. "I'm talking about the Half-Elf!"
"Gerhart, my uncle wants to talk to you," Cethus said as he massaged his forehead.
"Not him, you idiot!" Piccoro was so close to slapping the annoying Dragon Born for trying to play the fool in front of him. "I'm talking about Lux!"
Cethus gave his uncle a look filled with injustice before giving his reply.
"He said he wanted to talk to Great General Sherlock and Great General Watson for a while," Cethus replied. "I don't know what he wanted to do, but that is none of my business."
"None of your business? Aren't you supposed to be watching over him because you are his supervisor?"
"Now that you mention it, you're right, Uncle. Well, it doesn't matter. There is only one exit out of this Domain, and this is it. He will not be able to go anywhere unless he wants to stay inside the Domain of the Fallen forever."
Piccoro snorted, but he knew that Cethus was right. There was only one exit from the Domain and sooner or later, the Half-Elf would have to leave it, unless he wanted to stay inside the domain forever.
Of course, they were not aware that Lux had plenty of other alternatives which allowed him to bypass this rule.
Since they couldn't do anything but wait, the members of the Crystal Palace no longer pestered Lux's friends and allowed them to leave the cavern.
—-----------
"Father, Sir Maximilian, did you find anything interesting in that ruin?" Lux asked the two Saints who had finished their exploration of the ruins inside the Domain of the Fallen.
"We did find something interesting, but we can't do anything about it right now," Maximilian replied. "A special key is needed in order to open the gate inside the ruins, and even using our full power is not enough to create an opening. Because of this, we decided to leave since there's nothing else to do inside the Domain."
"How unfortunate," Lux commented. "By the way, the final Gate of the Apocalypse will open in a month's time, and C-Rankers and below are now allowed to enter it."
"Really?" Maximilian chuckled. "That's a good thing then. When they arrive here, they will not find anything of importance, unless they want to bring grass and tree leaves back to their Kingdoms."
The two Saints had returned to Barbatos Academy and were leisurely having an afternoon snack together. They still hadn't sorted out the spoils that they had taken inside the Domain of the Fallen because there were a few things that they needed to do first.
It would look suspicious if they didn't meet with the representatives that they had sent to the Domain of the Fallen, so they decided to put the sorting aside, and wait for the triumphant report of the conquers that finally cleared the Gate of Famine.
"I'll be lying low until the Gate of the Apocalypse opens," Lux stated. "It might even be possible that I won't enter it, and head to other places instead. There are a few places that I've been meaning to visit, but haven't had the opportunity to do so yet, because of the Domain of the Fallen."
"That's a good idea," Alexander commented. "You've been stirring a lot of waves ever since you returned from Elysium. Disappearing from the public eye will benefit you in the long run."
"I agree," Maximilian nodded. "By the way, where are you planning to go? I've heard from Cai that you are very close to the Dwarves in a place called Leaf Village. She added that you even have a statue there. Is that true?"
"Yes, Sir Maximilan," Lux replied. "Leaf Village is the Beginner's Village where I first appeared in Elysium. It holds a special place in my heart."
Due to the fact that he couldn't appear in the Human lands because he failed to pass the trial in Wildgarde Stronghold, Lux was sent to Leaf Village by Eriol in order to help him embark on the journey that had been delayed for a very long time.
"Be careful," Alexander commented. "You don't have to go to the Gate of the Apocalypse unless you absolutely have to. I can send people in your stead. We have a few Rankers who have been itching to check out that Domain for a long time now. This will be a good opportunity to let them have some fun."
Lux felt relieved because for him, the Gate of the Apocalypse wasn't his priority. After meeting with Colette and the others, he would then accompany his Master to the Ancestral Lands of the Necromancer in order to become a Ranker.
After that, he planned to visit the Kingdom of Agartha, which was located near the core of Elysium.
Although he didn't want to admit it, the young lady whom he met once in that very dark place lingered in his mind.
A part of him felt that what he saw was only a dream, but the other half insisted that everything that happened was real.
Because of this, Lux wanted to go to Agartha in order to help that person and, if possible, bring her to a place with light, allowing her to leave that dark place that served as her prison.
With these swirling feelings inside his heart, the Half-Elf entered the Teleportation Gate inside his Guild Headquarters that allowed him to instantly appear in Leaf Village, where the Village Head, Cedwyn, was waiting to give him some good news.
Chapter 713 Cedwyn’s Proposal
When Lux arrived in Leaf Village, the first thing he noticed was how different it was since the last time he saw it.
More structures had been built in the surroundings, with some of them even being three stories tall.
"Pa!"
"You're right, Eiko. Leaf Village is starting to look more like a town than a village."
"Un!"
The Half-Elf felt happy about these changes because Leaf Village held a special place in his heart.
The Half-Elf was about to go find Grandma Annie in her candy shop when he heard someone calling out to him from behind.
"Lux, my boy! You're finally here!"
The red-headed teenager couldn't help but smile after seeing the Village Head, Cedwyn, running towards him with an excited look on his face.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time," Cedwyn said. "I know you are busy, but you should find some time to visit us from time to time."
"I'm sorry, Sir Cedwyn," Lux replied. "Things have been quite hectic on my side that I haven't been able to find the time to visit. Don't worry, I'll do my best to pop in here once in a while moving forward."
Cedwyn nodded before dragging the Half-Elf towards the West Gate of the City. There, he found a large building that he hadn't seen in the past.
It was none other than a barracks that could house at least five hundred people, and their mounts.
"Monsters no longer attack the village due to the Guardian Crystal, so we can now focus our attention on expansion," Cedwyn explained. "With Commander Thoram's approval, the Village Guards have been promoted to the Riders of Leaf Village. This Barracks was built so they can train, as well as Master the techniques they need so they know how to be efficient Dwarven Riders.
"Currently, we are sending people to the Savage Lands to accompany Cadmus (Draconian Kobold) and Sid. The growth of the new recruits is quite phenomenal and all of them are Grade C and Grade B Apostles now.
"Although they are weaker compared to your bodyguard, and the Kobolds, they still hold their ground against the lackeys of the strong monsters they come across in the Savage Lands. I have a feeling that if they continued to grow at this pace, they will all become Initiates in a few months time."
The Village Head even motioned for Lux to crouch down a bit so that he could whisper something in his ears.
"When do you think we can add them as members of the Guild?" Cedwyn whispered. "I can tell that you're already at the peak of the Initiate Rank and will become a Ranker soon. I'm not saying that we should announce our name for the entire world to hear, I just think that we should bolster our ranks more.
"This will allow us to do many things at once. For example, while you are handling your stuff, we can explore Dungeons or gather information. Heck, we can even open shops all around the Kingdom, selling stuff, but their real purpose would be to gather important intel that will benefit our Guild Members as a whole.
"You already have Commander Thoram, and the head of the Adventurer's Guild in the Stronghold of Norria, Keelan. Just the two of them alone can gather a lot of important information. We are just not doing it right now because we don't have your orders to do so. How about you choose a representative to handle the Guild's matters here in the Kingdom of Gweliven, while you go off on your adventures?"
Lux pondered for a bit and realized that what Cedwyn said was right. Currently, everything going on in Heaven's Gate revolved around him.
Wherever he went, his Guild Members would follow.
Since he was the Guildmaster of the only Mythical Guild in the world, his members' actions were limited because they had no idea of what the Half-Elf envisioned for the future.
"I'm sorry, Sir Cedwyn," Lux said with a bitter smile. "I hadn't thought that far. You are right, we need to expand our guild's operations, even when I'm not around. So, what do you think? Who should I choose to become the representative of Heaven's Gate here in the Kingdom of Gweliven?"
Cedwyn already had a candidate in mind, so he told Lux the name of the one whom he deemed fit to take on the job.
"It is impossible for Commander Thoram to take control of the Branch Guild because he has a lot of responsibilities and answers directly to His Majesty," Cedwyn stated. "Therefore, I suggest that we pick Guildmaster Keelan. With his connections, he will be able to effectively lay out the foundations for our Guild without arising any suspicion.
"You have chosen Ex-General Garret to become the steward in the Outer Reaches, so it will be best if you inform him about Keelan, so both of them can effectively collaborate with each other. Who knows? With two great minds working together, they might surprise you one of these days!"
Lux nodded his head to acknowledge Cedwyn's words.
Garret was once the Great General of the Haca Dynasty, which meant that he was a man who stood above tens of thousands. No one would become the Great General of a nation unless he had the skills to back it up.
Guildmaster Keelan was the Head of the Adventurer's Guild in the Stronghold of Norria. Lux was certain that someone of his standing had a few tricks up his sleeve.
In fact, the Half-Elf was feeling that if Garret and Keelan really worked together, they might create an organization that might threaten the stability of an entire kingdom.
'They're not going to launch a Coup d'etat, right?' Lux thought.
He could tell that Garret and Keelan were both ambitious people. If given enough time, resources, and manpower, they might really threaten the Kingdom of Gweliven if Lux didn't rein them in.
Even so, he was very eager to see how far, and how wide the influence of his guild would become in a few months, after he had given the nod to mobilize their people.
'Now I'm feeling like one of the leaders of those shady Dark Guilds that only operate in the shadows,' Lux mused. 'Still… this is worth a shot.'
Because of Cedwyn's suggestion, Lux decided to talk with Garret and Keelan privately in the Guild Chat.
A year from now, the Half-Elf would realize that he made the right decision in designating the two capable individuals to manage his guild for him.
Garret and Keelan would go above and beyond their means to ensure that their Mythical Guild would truly be able to show their might the moment they decided to make their presence known to the entire world.
Chapter 714 Lux’s Proxy Guild
""Eiko!""
"Cora! Nora!"
"""Yay!"""
The three baby slimes who hadn't seen each other for a while greeted each other.
Laura and Livia, who had now become full-fledged Alchemists under the teachings of Grandma Annie, had improved by leaps and bounds due to the power of the Pseudo-Transcendent Flames that were given to them.
Heidi, who had become close friends with Laura and Livia, was helping in the shop by making candies. Since she wasn't able to come with them to the Wanid Kingdom, she decided to master the art of baking and making sweets with the help of her mother, Lilia.
Bedivere's family had completely integrated into Leaf Village, and now, everyone treated them as good neighbors and friends.
"Grandma Annie, you're looking a lot younger now," Lux said with surprise. "Did you eat something good?"
Grandma Annie chuckled after hearing Lux's compliment. After receiving the Transcendent Flames and the Guild Buffs of Heaven's Gate, her frail body seemed to have gotten a second chance at life, and her appearance had become younger by several years.
Right now, Grandma Annie looked like someone in her early forties, shocking almost all of the villagers of Leaf Village.
Even Lux's blacksmith Master, Randolph, had the same changes to his body, making Cedwyn, who was the village chief, quite envious of them.
"The power of the Transcendent Flames is truly remarkable," Grandma Annie replied. "Also, because of the resources that you have given me and Randolph, we have broken through the Initiate Rank. perhaps, that is the reason why our bodies became a bit younger compared to before."
Lux pondered for a bit before nodding his head. This was the only explanation that he could think of as to why the kind Grandma of Leaf Village had turned into the kind Auntie of Leaf Village.
"Grandma Annie, how is the progress of the potions that we need for our future guild members going?" Lux asked.
"It is going at a very good pace," Grandma Annie answered. "With Laura and Livia helping me with Alchemy, we are able to finish dozens of potions in a day. Also, Heidi and her mother, Lilia, have taken the burden of running the Candy Shop from me. This gave me more time to focus on Alchemy, allowing me to quickly finish the potions that we will put in our Guild's Treasury."
"That's good to hear." Lux nodded. "I'll be going to the capital city of Aeronwen soon. Do you need something from there, Grandma?"
(A/N: Aeronwen is the capital city of the Kingdom of Gweliven).
Grandma Annie didn't answer right away. Instead, she glanced at her two apprentices, who were busy crafting stamina pills.
"If you can get us an Advanced Alchemy Book that contains advanced pill and potion recipes, it will help us greatly," Grandma Annie replied. "And, if possible, get us high-quality cauldrons as well. My cauldrons here are old, and I want to give Laura and Livia new equipment."
"Consider it done, Grandma."
"Thank you, Lux."
Grandma Annie then handed the Half-Elf a small pouch containing several candied fruits of various colors.
"Heidi and Lilia made these candied fruits a few days ago," Grandma Annie stated. "Take them with you. You're going to meet with Colette and the others, right? Make sure to greet them on my behalf as well."
Lux happily accepted the candy pouch from Grandma Annie and took a red-colored candied fruit from it, tossing it inside his mouth.
"Delicious!" Lux wasn't able to help but praise the candied fruit that was made by Heidi and her mother, Lilia. "Do you want one, Eiko?"
"Un!" Eiko nodded and crawled on Lux's shoulder to make it more convenient for her Papa to feed her the candy.
Just like the Half-Elf, Eiko loved the taste of the candied fruit and asked Lux to give her some more.
Seeing this, Grandma Annie chuckled and procured one more pouch of candied fruit from her storage ring.
"I'm afraid that Eiko will finish up all those candies before you meet your friends," Grandma Annie commented as she handed the pouch of candies in her hands. "Here, give this to Colette and the others."
"Thank you, Grandma," Lux accepted the gift because he shared the same opinion as Grandma Annie. "I'll be going now. If you need anything, just tell me in the Guild Chat."
"Bye bye, Big Brother Lux!" Laura said with a smile. "Bye bye, Eiko!"
"When you come back, make sure you bring us souvenirs as well." Livia grinned.
"Bye Bye!" Nora and Cora waved at Lux and Eiko and bid their farewells.
Eiko also waved at her friends with a smile as she also bid them goodbye. "Bye!"
After making sure that Grandma Annie didn't have any major concerns with the pill and potion production for the guild, Lux returned to the Town's Plaza, where he could use the Teleportation Gate to teleport to the Stronghold of Norria.
After becoming part of his Guild, Thoram thought that it would be more convenient to have a teleportation gate in Leaf Village that was also connected to his Stronghold.
Because of this, the coordinates for the Stronghold of Norria had been added to the Teleportation Gate of Leaf Village, allowing those who had received permission from the Commander of the Stronghold to instantly teleport into his territory.
—----------------
Stronghold of Norria…
Keelan, the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild in the Stronghold of Norria, was already waiting for Lux's arrival.
After being given the authority to manage the affairs of Heaven's Gate in the Kingdom of Gweliven, Keelan didn't waste any time and ordered one of his most trusted subordinates to create a Guild known as Ars Goetia.
This was the name of the proxy guild that Lux and his comrades used whenever someone asked them for their Guild's Name.
Since they couldn't casually say "Oh, I'm a member of Heaven's Gate. Have you heard of us? You haven't? Well, I don't like to brag, but we are actually the only Mythical Guild in the world."
The moment they say something like that, thousands of people would immediately pester Lux's Guild Members for the opportunity to join their guild.
Of course, if those with malicious intentions knew about this, they would do everything in their power to take over their Guild by any means necessary.
"I've used the spare token given to me by His Majesty, and it allowed me to create a Silver-Ranked Guild," Keelan explained. "For the time being, I will talk to some of my acquaintances and ask them to lend me some manpower. Of course, if you know someone who is quite influential, we may be able to use their name to convince other people to join us."
For some reason, the first person that came to Lux's mind when Keelan asked of an influential person was none other than the Third Princess of the Kingdom of Gweliven, Anastasia.
"Well, I'm not sure if she will help us, but I'll talk to her if I see her in the Capital City," Lux replied.
"She?" Keelan arched an eyebrow. "I happen to know a lot of people. Do I know her?"
"Yes. She's none other than Princess Anastasia."
"Princess Anastasia? Hmm… she has her own faction, so having her as one of our supporters will definitely help us in the long run. Are the two of you close?"
Lux pondered for a bit before replying with uncertainty.
"I think we parted on good terms with each other," Lux stated. "If not, then I'll just ask Nevreal to help us out."
After hearing the name that Lux mentioned, Keelan laughed out loud while holding onto his belly. Clearly, he found Lux's statement very funny.
"Lux, when was the last time you talked to Nevreal?" Keelan asked as he wiped away the tears in his eyes due to excessive laughter.
"Months ago?" Lux looked at Kellan with confusion. "Why? Did I say something funny?"
"I knew it." Keelan chuckled after hearing Lux's reply. "Do you not know that ever since you scammed ten million gold coins out of him, Nevreal has been cursing at you every opportunity he can? He even went as far as to tell all of his acquaintances, including me, to never lend you money or ask you for favors."
The Half-Elf could only scratch his cheeks guiltily because Nevreal had every right to do what he was doing.
Although it happened months ago, he could still remember the expression on Nevreal's face, which seemed like he had eaten a fly when Lux said that the payment for his services was ten million gold coins—an amount more than half of the middle-aged Dwarf's life savings.
Chapter 715 The Heavens Are Conspiring To Make Your Mission A Success
"Matty!"
"On it!"
With quick and agile strikes, Matty delivered several slashes to the legs of the nearly three-meter-tall dog-like Monster that went by the name Gutspawn.
This was a Rank 4 World Boss Monster, the boss of the low-ranked Dungeon that the Golden Slayers Party had to complete as a commission from the Adventurer's Guild in the Capital City of Aeronwen.
Due to Aina's impressive management of her Guild, Eternal, the King of the Kingdom of Gweliven had upgraded her Guild's Status to Gold-Rank.
Because of this, they gained access to exclusive quests that were only available to Gold-Ranked guilds.
Emma, whom Lux had designated to look after the Dwarf children, stood on the sidelines with her arms crossed over her chest.
She was currently in the Initiate Rank and was paying close attention to the Monster that the Dwarves were facing.
If she sensed Colette and her party members were in danger, she would not hesitate to interfere. Having stayed with them for so long, she had started to treat them like her little brothers and sisters.
After being saved by Lux from Twilight Rain, Emma had been given the chance to use the Lycanthropy Mutation Perfect Genes to her advantage, which allowed her to transform into an Alpha Lycan and return to her Dwarf form whenever she wanted.
Although she was now an Initiate, the moment she transformed, she would become a Pseudo-Ranker, capable of killing the Rank 4 World Boss Monster without too much trouble.
"Step aside, Matty," Andy shouted before using a spell. "Fireball!"
Each member of the Golden Slayer Party was accustomed to everyone's fighting style that they only needed minimal communication in order to execute coordinated attacks that made their enemies suffer.
Matty smirked before rolling to the side of the dog-like Monster, just in time to evade a Fireball that collided directly with the monster's face, making it howl in pain.
"Water Spears!" Axel, the Water Mage of the Golden Slayers, unleashed several spears made of water, which mercilessly stabbed the body of the Monster, making it stagger.
"Holy Arrow!" Helen, who was the Cleric and healer of the party, didn't shy away from fighting and also used one of her offensive skills.
After her friends had been kidnapped by the Kobolds in the past, the little girl vowed that she would no longer be a helpless damsel in distress and trained herself to be a Combat Cleric.
This way, even if her attacks weren't as powerful as her teammates', she would at least still be able to protect herself if she found herself in a pinch.
"Grand Cross!" Colette shouted as she smashed her mace against the side of the Gutspawn's body, sending it skidding several meters away.
The blow was so strong that the Monster wasn't able to prop itself back up right away, allowing Robin, who had joined the Golden Slayers Party on this expedition, to give the killing blow with a swift strike of his bow and arrow.
"Power Shot!"
Robin's arrow flew straight and true, creating a green trail in its wake.
He was an expert marksman, and his arrow accurately hit the Gutspawn in the forehead, making the latter shout its dying howl before turning into particles of light.
"Nice shot!" Colette said with a smile. "Good work guys! We manage to clear this Dungeon easily."
"We could have tried the other high-ranking missions," Matty commented. "This isn't even a challenge to us."
"Don't be like that, Matty," Colette replied. "Never underestimate your enemies. If we bite off more than we can chew, we might regret our decision for the rest of our lives."
Matty glanced at Colette before nodding his head. There was once a party of six within the Eternal Guild that tried to challenge a higher ranking dungeon in order to impress Aina, as well as make a name for themselves.
Unfortunately, the Raid Boss was simply too strong for them, ending in a one-sided slaughter.
Only one of its members was able to escape alive and after that event, he left the Guild because the trauma of losing his close friends made him feel extremely guilty.
Although Aina immediately ordered the elite members of her guild to clear the dungeon and try to recover the bodies of her members, it was already too late.
The majority of Dungeons absorbed the bodies of those that died in battle. There was a saying that the Dungeons also served as the graveyards of Adventurers who were unlucky enough to die within its many floors.
"Good work, everyone," Emma said as she clapped her hands, praising the Dwarf children for their incredible teamwork. "I just received news from you-know-who, and he said that he will be coming to meet us soon. Do any of you want to meet him after we leave the dungeon?"
Colette brightened up after hearing Emma's words. However, this only lasted for a brief moment before a pout appeared on her face.
"Sister Emma, tell him that we are going to meet him tomorrow," Colette replied. "I want to make sure that I'm ready to face him."
Matty, Andy, Axel, and Helen all nodded their heads in agreement. They were Lux's first friends in Elysium, and they were very dear to him, just as he was dear to them.
However, the previous incident where he faked his death made them incredibly sad because they only heard about it a few days after the Half-Elf "died".
Because of this, they held a grudge against Lux for not trusting them enough to keep his secret.
After collecting the Boss Drops, the Golden Slayers Party left the dungeon and returned to the outside world.
Currently, they were in the Dungeon Town of Wisp Tree, where a giant tree was located.
This tree was also the entrance to the Dungeon. The Dwarves had built a town around it, making it one of the centers of trade in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
As soon as the Golden Slayers left the Dungeon entrance, they were greeted by someone who made Colette and Helen run toward her in order to give her a loving hug.
""Eiko!""
"Colette! Helen!"
The Baby Slime jumped off the head of the black knight, who was standing near the entrance, waiting for their return from the Dungeon.
Naturally, this Black Knight was none other than Diablo, who was now equipped with a Pseudo-Legendary Armor crafted by Randolph, according to Lux's suggestions.
"I missed you, Eiko." Colette lovingly rubbed her cheeks against the baby slime's body, making Eiko giggle.
"Me, too," Helen said as she gave Eiko a kiss on the cheeks.
"Miss you, too!" Eiko replied, as she too kissed Colette's and Helen's cheeks, making the hearts of the two Dwarves melt into puddles.
"D-Diablo?" Matty stood in front of the Black Knight who gave him a very familiar feeling.
Diablo raised his hand and lightly rubbed the Dwarf boy's head, making the latter smile.
"It has been a while, Matty," Diablo said.
"Y-You can talk now?!" Matty gasped in shock after seeing the drastic changes in Lux's First Born, who had fought alongside him in the past.
"Yes," Diablo replied. "And you've gotten quite a bit stronger as well. You're only thirteen, and you're already a Grade-A Apostle. Once Master knows about this, he will certainly be jealous of how fast you are growing."
Matty, who both hated and admired Lux, felt his cheeks burn due to Diablo's praise. In fact, after being saved by the Half-Elf during the Lycan incident of Twilight Rain, Matty no longer saw him as an annoyance because he had come to understand that Lux only thought of them as his little brothers and sisters.
"Where is he?" Matty asked.
"In an inn inside this town," Diablo replied. "Emma told us that you will only see him tomorrow, so he decided to have me escort Eiko to see you guys. She was quite excited to see you guys again, so Master deemed it best to let you guys meet her first."
Axel and Andy also approached Diablo after lightly patting Eiko's head, who was currently being cuddled to oblivion by Colette and Helen.
"How strong has Big Brother become?" Axel asked. "Is he already in the Initiate Rank?"
Diablo nodded. "Master is now at the peak of the Initiate Rank. After finishing his business here in the Kingdom of Gweliven, he will go on a pilgrimage in order to receive the World's Blessings and become a Ranker."
"Tell him that we will catch up to him soon!" Andy stated. "Next time, the ones who will be saving him will be us, and not the other way around."
Diablo chuckled after hearing Andy's reply. He didn't say that his Master didn't need to be saved by them because he had so many powerful Guardians to ensure his safety.
On the contrary, he even encouraged the Dwarf children to become stronger so that one day, there would come a time when they would be able to save Lux if he happened to fall into danger, which he and the rest of his Undead Comrades were unable to prevent.
Even those who stood at the peak of the world like Saints needed someone to rely on during times of great difficulty.
Diablo firmly believed that Colette and the others were fated to play a role in his Master's journey in this world.
Since that was the case, he decided to pass the Dwarf children's messages to his Master, who was now smiling inside his room as the red-headed teenager listened to Matty's, Andy's, and Axel's determination to surpass his Rank.
—----------
Somewhere in Wisp Tree Town…
"Is the target really in this town?" a Dwarf, wearing a black robe covering his face and entire body, asked.
"We have confirmed that Aina's little sister is here," a merchant replied. "I never thought that I would live to see the day when the Guildmaster would send one of his Slayer Candidates to personally deal with a mere Grade A Apostle."
"This just proves how important this mission is," the black-robed Dwarf stated. "Although it is beneath me to kidnap a brat, orders are orders."
The Merchant nodded his head.
The Slayers were an elite Assassination Group belonging to Twilight Rain, and all of its members were composed of Rankers.
This was the group that Scarlet, who was sent to assassinate Lux in the past, wished to be a part of.
Aina had been getting a lot of attention as of late because of her multiple accomplishments in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Since she was a very talented individual, Twilight Rain had sent many envoys in order to poach her into becoming their partner in overthrowing the Royal Family's rule. However, Aina didn't want to be a part of it and rejected their offers.
After nearly exhausting all means to make the young Guildmaster agree to their request in a "peaceful" manner, they decided to resort to drastic measures, such as kidnapping Colette and using her as a bargaining chip to make Aina agree to their demands.
"Where is she now?" the black-robed man asked.
"Probably still inside the Dungeon," the Merchant replied.
Suddenly, the jewel on the Merchant's ring vibrated, informing him of the latest news about the person that he was supposed to keep an eye on.
"Congratulations," the Merchant said to the black-robed Dwarf with a smile. "It seems that the heavens are conspiring to make your mission a success. This girl, Colette, has just left the Dungeon. Perhaps her mission is already complete."
The black-robed Dwarf nodded his head before walking out of the door.
His mission was to capture Colette by any means necessary.
Since his target was already in the vicinity, he decided to go and pick her up, so he could complete the mission that was personally assigned to him by the Guildmaster of the Dark Guild, Twilight Rain.
The Merchant watched the black-robed Assassin go before shaking his head.
"If you want someone to blame, you can only blame yourself for being stupid," the Merchant said as he looked at the picture of Aina, who was pinned on the bulletin board on the wall of the room. "You should have accepted Twilight Rain's offer when we were still being nice. Now, you will understand the price of rejecting our offer."
The Merchant was one of Twilight Rain's informants who was working undercover in the Town of Wisp Tree.
However, no matter how wide their network was or how detailed the information they could gather, they were unable to gather any information about the Baby Blue Slime that was currently giggling in Colette's hands.
A Baby Slime that had the power to turn Wisp Tree Town upside down and crush the Ranker who belonged to the Dark Guild, who wished to harm one of her closest friends.
Chapter 716 Ending The Battle With A Bang!
"Are you hungry, Eiko?" Colette asked the Baby Slime, who was now perched on top of her head.
"Hungry!" Eiko replied.
"Good! I'm starving as well," Colette stated. "What do you want to eat?"
"Dreadnaught Core!"
"... Okay, let's have some beef stew instead."
"Un!"
Matty and the others, who were walking beside Colette, couldn't help but smirk because they thought that the Baby Slime was merely joking with them.
On the contrary, during the battle in the Ammarian Kingdom, Eiko and her Terrorist Squad managed to snatch one of the Dreadnaught-Ranked Cores that Prince Cyrus tried to sneakily get when Lux wasn't paying attention.
Eiko had even ordered one of the Hecatoncheires to slap the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire away since he was trying to get what rightfully belonged to her.
Of course, the Hecatoncheires held back, or else the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire would have turned into meat paste.
Diablo followed behind the children and walked beside Emma, whom Lux had intended to designate as the Secretary of Heaven's Gate.
This was similar to Alicia's position in Barbatos Academy, handling all the things that the Headmaster didn't need to personally deal with.
Like all Dungeon towns in the Kingdom of Gweliven, the town was built five hundred meters away from the Dungeon's Entrance.
It was done on purpose to serve as a defensive line just in case a Dungeon Outbreak occurred.
Fortunately, adventurers regularly visited the Dungeon in order to thin out the number of Monsters, preventing such a disaster from happening.
As the children and the two adults walked towards Wisp Tree Town, a Dwarf with blonde hair and blue eyes was watching Colette and her entourage from a distance.
He was making sure that the little girl didn't have anyone around her that could threaten him. After confirming that there were only two Initiates following behind the children, he deemed that it was safe to kidnap Colette then and there.
Although he was confident that he could still capture his target even if she were inside Wisp Tree Town, he didn't want to deal with the hassle of unnecessary risks.
'This is my first mission after joining the Slayers,' the blonde-dwarf assassin thought. 'Failure is not an option.'
He had just become an E-Ranker with the help of Twilight Rain, and everyone was looking forward to his future accomplishments. Just like Scarlet, the blonde assassin was a relative of one of the Elders of the Dark Guild, allowing him to receive preferential treatment.
After making up his mind, the Assassin walked towards his target in a carefree manner.
If someone were to look at him, that person might think that he was some ordinary adventurer who was about to take his chances inside the Dungeon.
Simply put, no one would think that he was an assassin of the most notorious Dark Guild inside the Kingdom of Gweliven whom the Royal Family was very wary of.
When the assassin was only a few meters away from Colette, he stomped his right foot on the ground and increased his speed exponentially.
A second later, he wrapped his right arm around Colette's waist before jumping high into the air, summoning his Contracted Beast, the Black-Crowned Vulture.
His movements were so fluid that Emma and Diablo didn't realize what happened until Colette had been abducted right under their noses.
Even the little Dwarf in question was surprised when she suddenly found herself being carried by someone and now flying high up in the air.
'Mission accomplished.' the Blonde Assassin smirked as he glanced beneath him, where Colette's entourage was looking up at him with shocked expressions on their faces.
Just as he was about to knock Colette unconscious with a strike to the back of her neck, he noticed a Baby Blue Slime that was looking at him with an amused smile.
'A Slime? Well, no matter,' the Blonde Assassin thought. 'Maybe it is this girl's pet. At the end of the day, it's not something that could threate–'
Before he could even complete that thought inside his head, something grabbed his right hand, which he was about to use to strike Colette.
This time, it was the Assassin's turn to be surprised. Standing on the back of his Beast Companion was a Skeleton who was wearing fighter's clothes.
Without any warning, Eiko's Skeleton Monk, Bam, jabbed the Assassin's jaw, causing the latter to briefly stagger.
With one swift motion, the Skeleton Monk pried Colette from the Assassin's hold and tossed her off the flying Vulture, making the Dwarf girl scream.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Eiko, on the contrary, giggled because she found this current situation very fun.
"Bomber!" Eiko called out another one of her Terrorist Squad minions, which was a floating Blast Bomb that was nearly two meters tall.
Bomber immediately caught Colette mid-air, which made the little Dwarf stop screaming.
"Whitey, Blackie, Cloud!" Eiko called out her Slime Army to help her Skeleton Monk fight against the Ranker in the sky.
The Angel Slime, the Devil Slime, as well as the Aero Slime, all flew upwards to gang up on the Black-Crowned Vulture, providing their comrade the help he needed to fight against the Ranker.
Similar to Eiko, Bam's rank was at the peak of the Initiate Rank.
He was weaker than the Ranker, but he was able to fight him because he was in an advantageous position.
The Blonde Assassin wasn't proficient in fighting in the sky because he was used to quick and deadly strikes that always caught his target by surprise.
Now that he was out in the open, he found the Skeleton Monk's aggressive fighting style very difficult to deal with even though he was a rank higher than Bam.
Since he was part of Eiko's Terrorist Army, Bam's punches and kicks had an exploding effect.
Whenever the Blonde Assassin was about to initiate an attack that made contact, Bam would stomp his foot, or punch the back of the Black-Crowned Vulture, creating an explosion, which made the poor giant bird cry out in pain.
This tactic made the Vulture's flight erratic, which even threatened to throw its own Master from its back.
The Blonde Assassin cursed internally because his opponent was fighting dirty, making him fear for his own life.
Although he was already a Ranker, dropping down from such a height could still potentially kill him. Because of this, he planned to kill his opponent as soon as possible so that he could recapture his target, who had escaped from his grasp.
Unfortunately for him, three slimes appeared and began to hurl spells at the Black-Crowned Vulture, completely enraging it.
Eiko watched this battle from on top of her Flying Blast Bomb with great interest.
As a battle junkie herself, she was very tempted to join the battle. However, she was also worried about Colette's safety.
Because of this, she hurriedly ordered Bomber to fly toward the ground so that Colette could be reunited with her friends.
Only after the leader of the Golden Slayers party had safely planted both of her feet back on the ground did Eiko and Bomber fly back to the sky.
Now that her fighting spirit had been fanned, the Baby Slime wanted a piece of the action and to end the battle with a Bang!
Chapter 717 Blaze Of Glory
'Sh*t!' Amir cursed internally as he tightly held onto his mount for his dear life. It was like the Black-Crowned Vulture decided that enough was enough, so it began to spin mid-air.
The Vulture intended to shake off the Skeleton Bastard who was punching its back repeatedly as if it was its mortal enemy.
If the Vulture could only speak human language, it would have already screamed, "Why are you punching me?! Punch Amir instead, you bastard!"
Alas, the Black-Crowned Vulture couldn't speak human language, so it could only endure the one-sided beating of the Skeleton Monk on its back.
To make matters worse, three flying Slimes had appeared out of nowhere and began to attack it as well, enraging it completely.
Just as the Black-Crowned Vulture and its Master, Amir, thought that things couldn't get any worse, Eiko and Bomber appeared on the scene, causing the mount and master pair to almost puke blood!
"Eyah!" Eiko spat a barrage of water bullets at the Black-Crowned Vulture's face and body, making it look like a wet duckling.
The Black-Crowned Vulture was a Rank 5 Alpha Monster that was only a step away from becoming a Deimos-Ranked Monster.
However, it still needed ample resources before it could reach that Rank, so for now, it was unable to endure Eiko and her Terrorist Squad's one-sided bombardment.
Although the Black-Crowned Monster couldn't speak, it was smart enough to identify Eiko as the Master of the summoned creatures.
Amir shared the same opinion as his Beast Companion, so both of them decided to focus their attacks on the Baby Slime, who was riding on what seemed to be a floating ball made up of bones with two arms and hands coming out from its sides.
With a scream of rage, the Black-Crowned Vulture flapped its wings and flew towards Eiko like an arrow that had been released from its bow.
Instead of being afraid, Eiko smiled fearlessly before opening her little mouth.
"Transcendent Breath!"
Currently, her Papa was out of her range, so she was unable to use her Mimicry ability on him. Even so, Eiko now possessed her own flames, allowing her to unleash a breath attack of purple flames that had the power to burn someone's mana.
Everyone in Elysium and Solais had mana in their bodies whether they were magicians or not.
No matter how little it was, mana was still mana, so Eiko's breath attack still triggered its effect, causing the Black-Crowned Vulture and Amir to feel a world of pain.
Even so, they endured it all and broke through Eiko's Breath Attack intending to deal the Baby Slime a lethal blow.
However, when they were only a meter away from the target, Eiko's body glowed briefly before disappearing completely.
Eiko had the blink ability, which allowed her to instantly teleport several meters from her location.
Now that its Master was not nearby, Bomber activated its ability which was none other than Self-Destruct, exploding right in front of the Black-Crowned Vulture's face!
The powerful explosion, which was like the booming of thunder, reverberated in the heavens.
The explosion was so loud that it was heard all the way to Wisp Tree Town, making everyone take notice of the battle that was happening in the sky.
Eiko, who had teleported away, hovered a good distance away from the explosion.
After consuming numerous Beast Cores, she had gained the ability to use Air Strider [EX] and Levitate [EX], giving her the ability to fight in the sky, similar to a flying ability if needed.
The Black-Crowned Vulture, who had somehow endured the attack, was now struggling to stay in the air.
It no longer flapped its mighty wings and simply glided in the air, trying to flee from the crazy battle junkie who could summon suicide bombers.
But it had forgotten something very important.
The Skeleton Monk, Bam, was still on its back!
"N-No!" Amir cried out in panic when he saw the Skeleton Monk raise his hand high in the air, wrapping it in a fiery blaze.
"Dynamite Punch!" Bam shouted as he smashed his blazing fist against the Black-Crowned Vulture's back, creating another powerful explosion, blowing Amir out of his mount's back.
Fortunately, Amir had thrown a grappling hook around his Beast Companion's claws, allowing him to hang on for his dear life.
But his relief was short-lived.
The Black-Crowned Vulture shrieked one last time before it lost consciousness and went into a freefall.
Eiko and her Slime Squad all dove down from the sky, like Battle Angels about to deliver the Coup de Grace to the Blonde Assassin who tried to kidnap her close friend, Colette, right in front of her.
Amir gritted his teeth as he prepared for a rough landing.
When the Black-Crowned Vulture was only dozens of meters above ground, the Blonde Assassin let go of his grappling hook and activated an artifact that would allow him to briefly hover above the ground.
With a resounding crash, the Black-Crowned Vulture smashed into the ground, creating a small crater.
Even someone as strong as it was unable to survive the freefall.
It died the moment its head smashed into the ground.
Amir knew that he wasn't safe yet, so upon landing on the ground, he immediately began to sprint toward the forest in the distance.
As long as he could reach the forest, he was confident that he would be able to hide from his pursuers.
But before he could entertain this thought, he saw a flash of light that only lasted for a brief moment appear dozens of meters in front of him.
When the light faded, the familiar Baby Blue Slime appeared, which made the Blonde Assassin roar in anger.
"Die!" Amir shouted as he took out his dagger that would kill the little troublemaker who had gotten in the way of his mission's completion.
Eiko didn't back away and once again opened her mouth.
However, this time, instead of a Dragon's Breath, she spat out a Bone Cannonball that was nearly as big as Bomber.
Whenever Eiko was free, she would spend her time creating Blast Bombs, which she would encase inside a Bone Cannonball.
Although the bomb she took out was only two meters tall, unlike the one that Asmodeus had used to bomb the Royal Palace of the Haca Dynasty, it was still strong enough to instantly kill dozens of Rank 4 Monsters in one hit.
"Boom Boom Bakugan!"
In a flash, the Skeleton Cannonball flew toward Amir, giving the latter no time to dodge.
Thinking that he could just slice the Skeleton Cannonball in half, Amir used a killing blow that could instantly sever a head off from a person's body.
His attack had the intended effect, and he succeeded in cutting the Skeleton Cannonball in half.
At that exact moment, time seemed to move incredibly slowly, allowing Amir's gaze to land on the Baby Blue Slime, who was also looking at him with a devilish smile on her face.
The two stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before the Blonde Assassin saw Eiko's lips move, saying a word that he didn't understand.
Even so, he heard it as clearly as if the baby slime was whispering in his ears.
"F*cker."
That was the last thing that Amir heard before all of the blast bombs that were encased inside the Skeleton Cannonball blew up, engulfing his entire body in a blaze of glory.
Chapter 718 A Nightgaunt’s Specialty
Somewhere in the territory of Wisp Tree Town, Amir coughed up blood as he tried to endure the pain he felt from his injury.
Thanks to the life-saving artifact given to him by Twilight Rain, which activated at the last second, he didn't die even after receiving an attack that should have burnt his body to a crisp.
All Slayers were highly valued by the Twilight Rain, so they were each given an artifact that they could command using their thoughts that would allow them to instantly and randomly teleport within a kilometer from where they were last located.
However, this was something that could only be used once. Even if they were given the same artifact, it would no longer activate because it was a one-person-use consumable.
Because of this, all Slayers would usually never use it unless it was a last resort.
"That Slime is crazy," Amir muttered as he wiped the blood off his lips. "I was not informed that Colette had a Beast Companion like that."
Just as he was thinking about what to do next, he heard someone speak to him from behind, which made his entire body stiffen.
"She's not her beast companion."
After a few seconds of shock, Amir hastily backed off as he looked behind him to see the person who managed to approach him without his notice.
"Y-You…," Amir stuttered as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of him.
There had been a time when Amir was still part of the Reapers, which was the Assassin Organization composed of talented Apostles and Initiates, all of whom Twilight Rain was grooming to become part of the Slayers.
Back then, they were informed by their superior that a Half-Elf had crushed one of their hidden headquarters in the Kingdom of Gweliven, which greatly annoyed the Branch Guildmaster of Twilight Rain.
Because of this, he had asked for the Half-Elf to be assassinated by the Reapers.
Amir was one of the candidates that was in line to accept the mission. However, after much consideration, the Higher-ups decided to choose Sid and Scarlet, who were both the best Assassins at that time.
The Blonde Assassin was heartbroken when he found out that Sid had died on the mission.
Amir had idolized Sid and treated him as his rival. In fact, the two of them were very close, so when he learned of his death, he decided to train harder in order to prevent the same thing from happening to him.
Sid didn't return, but Scarlet completed the mission.
This was why the red-headed Dwarf was given ample resources, allowing her to break through the Ranks and become part of the Slayers a few months ahead of him.
As for Lux, his poster hung in the Mission Hall of Twilight Rain, bearing a large X on its surface.
Those who bore this mark were people who had been assassinated, so Amir was shocked to the core to see the only red-headed Half-Elf in the Kingdom of Gweliven standing before him.
"Y-You're Lux Von Kaizer?" Amir asked.
"The one and only," Lux replied as he gazed at the Ranker with a devilish smile on his face.
"You're supposed to be dead! Scarlet killed you."
"You're right. I did 'die' back then. Since you have seen me, it's your turn to die… is what I'd like to say, but I have questions, and I need answers."
Before Amir could even do anything, he felt something wrap around his body, preventing him from escaping.
The next thing he saw was a creature without a face, who had wrapped him up with its tail, sealing his movements.
'I-Impossible! Why is an Argonaut-Ranked Monster here?!'' Amir started to panic because he sensed how strong the faceless Creature in front of him was.
He understood that no matter what he did, there was simply no chance to escape from the Monster who held him in place.
Left with no choice, Amir decided to end his life by biting the poisoned capsule that was hidden in one of his teeth.
But before he could do so, the Faceless Creature's clawed hand entered his mouth and casually tore out the tooth that contained the poisoned capsule, making Amir cry out in pain.
Blood dripped down the corner of Amir's lips as his only way of escaping his current situation disappeared without a trace.
"Kill me!" Amir shouted. "No matter what you do, you won't get anything from me!"
"We'll see about that," Lux replied.
The Half-Elf chuckled as he approached the Assassin who tried to kidnap his very first friend in Elysium. Deep inside, he really did want to kill the Blonde Dwarf, but just like he told the other party earlier, he needed answers.
He wanted to know who was targeting Colette, and why she was being targeted. As long as he was able to find out the truth, he believed that he would be able to do something about it.
"Shax, tickle him," Lux ordered.
Although the Nightgaunt had no face, a soundless laughter seemed to emit from his body after receiving Lux's orders.
Nightgaunts were extremely rare monsters, and very few had seen them. More than anything else, they were notorious for "tickling" anyone whenever they felt like it, and those that were tickled by them would laugh until they wished they were dead.
Soon, Amir's laughter reverberated in the surroundings. Even though blood dripped down from his mouth and he was in pain, Amir laughed nonstop as the Nightgaunt used its tail to tickle his neck, ears, face, and nose.
Lux found this scene quite amusing, and even Asmodeus, who had summoned himself on his own, rubbed his chin as he looked at Shax's effective way of torturing people.
"Fascinating," Asmodeus commented. "This is bringing the saying 'laughter is the best medicine' to a whole new level."
Lux nodded because he wholeheartedly agreed with Asmodeus' remark.
The Half-Elf had repeatedly made sure to examine Shax's special skill, Tickle [EX], to ensure that it was a non-lethal ability.
According to its description, no one would die from this skill, making it an extremely vile and potent way to torture people.
Those tickled by Nightgaunts wouldn't die even if they felt like dying no matter what, making them suffer for as long as the faceless creature wished.
"Stop! Hahahaaha! I'll talk! Hahahahaha!" Amir shouted in desperation. "I'll… Hahahaha! Tell you… Hahahaha…everything!"
Lux raised his hand and gave Shax the silent order to stop.
Although the Nightgaunt neither had a face nor said anything, the Half-Elf could feel that it was quite reluctant to stop tickling the Blonde Dwarf.
"I'll ask you a few questions, and every time you give me the wrong answer, I will let Shax tickle you for ten minutes straight," Lux stated. "Every time you lie to me, I will add ten more minutes to that penalty.
"If you annoy me, I will make you laugh for an entire day without rest. Don't worry, I have plenty of stamina potions and recovery potions with me. I can make you laugh for days on end if I want to."
Amir shuddered after hearing Lux's words. He had only been tickled by Shax for nearly ten minutes, and he already felt that he was going crazy.
If he was tickled for an entire day, wouldn't that mean that he would completely lose his sanity?
While he wasn't afraid of dying, being tickled by the Nightgaunt for days on end seemed to be a fate much worse than death.
"Now, let's start with the question, who are you?" Lux asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "After that, tell me why you are targeting Colette and who are the people involved in this incident."
Amir dreaded betraying his own organization, but he dreaded the Nightgaunt's tickle more, so he decided to come clean and tell the devilish-looking Half-Elf everything he knew.
Perhaps, if he did that, the Half-Elf would find it in his heart to end his suffering and allow him to die a quick and painless death.
Chapter 719 Lux’s Plan To Do Them Dirty
"Twilight Rain… I should have known." Lux narrowed his eyes as Amir finished telling him everything he knew.
The Blonde Dwarf had already accepted his fate, so not only did he tell Lux why Colette was being targeted, he even told him the name of the individuals that were part of his organization who were stationed in Wisp Tree Town.
Amir thought that as long as he made Lux happy, the Half-Elf would no longer torture him and give him a quick death.
Lux closed his eyes to think for a few minutes so that he could digest all the information that the Blonde Dwarf had told him.
"Such a troublesome organization," Lux muttered after a few minutes of silence.
He knew that even with his current strength, it was still impossible for him to deal with Twilight Rain, who had remained hidden in the shadows of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Even the Royal Family, who had Rankers and two Saints at their beck and call, were unable to fully uproot this organization and end their tyranny once and for all.
That just proved that this organization was not a pushover and that it would take more than a few tickling sessions in order to bring down all of their branch headquarters in the entirety of the Dwarven Kingdom.
"Kill me," Amir begged. "Please. Just kill me."
Lux stared at the Blonde Dwarf whose lips were still bleeding from the injuries he received. Now that he had gotten everything he needed from Amir, the most logical choice was to kill him so that his secret would remain a secret.
However, although Lux's hands were already dyed with blood, he found that killing the Assassin would be a waste, so he summoned his coffin.
"Come out, Sid," Lux ordered.
Immediately, the lid of the coffin opened, and a black mist came out of it.
When the mist gathered together, the once most talented member of the Reapers appeared in front of him.
"I-It can't be," Amir had received another shock after he saw someone that was supposed to be dead for the second time. "Sid! You're still alive!"
"Amir?" Sid, who recognized the blonde Assassin, couldn't help but gasp in shock after seeing someone whom he hadn't seen for a very long time.
Among the Reapers, there was one person whom he considered to be a very close friend, and it was none other than Amir, who was currently wrapped up in Shax's tail with blood dripping from his mouth.
Sid bit his lip as he lowered his head to look at the ground. He was having an internal battle inside of his head.
The last thing he wanted to see was the death of his only friend when he was still alive, but after seeing Amir in the flesh, he understood the current situation.
There was only one reason why Amir would appear in front of Lux, and that reason was none other than an assassination mission.
Sid thought that Twilight Rain somehow discovered that Lux was still alive, which was why they sent his friend to assassinate him.
Little did he know that his assumption was far from the truth, and the Blonde Assassin was only ordered to kidnap a Dwarf girl as his first mission after becoming a Slayer.
After half a minute, Sid clenched his fist before raising his head to look at his Master, Lux.
"Master, I know that this may sound selfish, and it might even cause you great harm in the future," Sid said softly as he looked directly into his Master's eyes, making sure that every word he uttered was understood. "But please, can you spare Amir just this once? I will talk to him and make him take an oath that he will not tell Twilight Rain that you are still alive."
"Spare him?" Lux arched an eyebrow as he looked at the Assassin who once tried to assassinate him along with Scarlet.
"Yes, Master," Sid replied. "Please spare him."
Ever since he had revived Sid to become a Dhampir, the handsome Dwarf had dedicated his life to him, and he could tell how loyal the Dwarf Assassin was to him.
This had been especially true ever since he allowed Sid to take his two sisters to Leaf Village so that they could be cared for by people who wouldn't put them in harm's way.
Amir felt touched after seeing that the one he treated as his rival and friend was doing his best to save his life.
Although he had already resigned himself to death, if there was a possibility to live, who wouldn't want to live?
After what seemed like forever, Lux smiled and nodded his head.
"Very well, if you can convince him to pretend that he hasn't seen me, then I'll let him go," Lux replied. "If he agrees then I have a proposal to make."
"A proposal?" Amir asked. "What kind of proposal?"
"Become a double agent."
"W-What?"
Lux smirked. "Become a double agent. You will become my mole inside Twilight Rain."
"Are you crazy?!" Amir couldn't help but shout after hearing Lux's proposal. "You want me to become your spy? You want me to betray my Organization?"
The Half-Elf nodded. "You have already betrayed your Organization by ratting out the members that are stationed in Wisp Tree Town. Since you're already a traitor, why not go all in?"
Amir was going to refute Lux's statement, but after thinking about it, he realized that the Half-Elf was right.
He had already betrayed his comrades, so betraying them again wouldn't make much of a difference, right?
"Don't worry, this is not a one-sided deal," Lux said in a coaxing tone, similar to salesmen who were planning to sell their wares to their customers. "You will benefit from this as well."
Lux raised his hand, and a bronze-colored Wyvern materialized behind him.
During the battle inside the Gate of Famine, Gaap had decided to capture the Deimos and Argonaut-ranked Monsters who had tried to escape the battlefield.
He had tossed these monsters into the Heaven's Gate bestiary to be trained by Bedivere, who was a Dragon Knight.
Because of the power of Lux's Covenant, Bedivere could recruit any flying creature, especially those with Dragon Blood in them to become part of his Aerial Cavalry.
All in all, Gaap had captured six Wyverns. They were all Deimos-Ranked Monsters, and Bedivere was able to tame them, making them ownerless Flying Mounts of Heaven's Gate.
Since Amir's Black-Crowned Vulture had died, he decided to give one of the Wyverns to the Blonde Dwarf as one of the bribes he had in mind in order to gain the Assassin's loyalty.
"For now, you can have this Deimos-Ranked Wyvern." Lux offered the powerful beast to Amir as if it was just a cabbage he had picked on his farm. "As long as you do your job properly, I will give you more benefits.
"Believe me when I say that the things you can get from me are greater than what you can get from Twilight Rain. If you think I am joking, you can ask Sid over here. He will tell you what kind of employer I am."
Sid, who was doing his best to keep his friend alive, nodded his head and affirmed Lux's words.
"Master is a very generous individual," Sid stated. "He will not shortchange you. I have experienced this first hand after being killed by him."
Amir blinked his eyes in confusion. "Killed by him?"
"Yes," Sid replied. "Master is a Necromancer. He revived me from the dead."
Lux took this opportunity to summon his Skeleton Gangbangers, who approached Amir with excitement, even looking at their Master in askance if they could do the thing to their Master's captive.
Although Amir didn't know what the Skeleton Gangbangers were planning to do, his sixth sense was screaming at him that these Skeletons could do more damage to him than what he experienced from the Nighgaunt's tickling session.
"Indeed." Lux smiled. "I am a Necromancer. I could have killed you then revived you again, forcing you to become loyal to me. But since Sid is pleading on your behalf, I plan to spare your life on the condition that you become a double agent. So, what will it be?"
The Blonde Assassin stared at Lux's face before shifting his gaze to Sid.
Sid held his gaze and nodded his head. Clearly, he was telling Amir that he should put his trust in him just this once.
"Fine," Amir said through gritted teeth. "I will become your mole in the organization."
Lux nodded and procured a scroll in his hand, in which he would make Amir write a blood oath.
These scrolls were personally given to him by Gaap as if he was expecting Lux to make unreasonable demands on people, so he could bind them in a blood contract.
The Half-Elf was aware that the Blood Contracts that Gaap gave him were imbued with Antero's blood. If anyone broke their oaths, Antero's visage would appear in front of the offender and devour them until nothing was left.
From the very start, he had planned to make Amir his mole inside Twilight Rain, just like Scarlet.
He needed people in places where his eyes and hands couldn't reach. To make this happen, he needed more moles in Twilight Rain.
He needed agents that would inform him if the Dark Guild was planning to make a big move that could potentially harm those who were important to him.
Since Twilight Rain, who was hiding in the shadows, was targeting his friends, he planned to do them dirty by turning their agents into his own agents.
By doing so, he would slowly build the foundation that would help uproot them once and for all.
Chapter 720 Shifting The Blame To Someone Else
"Are you sure he can be trusted?" Amir asked Sid, whom he hadn't seen for a very long time.
"Yes," Sid replied. "I am sure that he only thought that reviving me as his subordinate was a good idea because he was short on manpower back then, but I never felt like I was being taken advantage of. In fact, it is the other way around. It is me who has received a lot of kindness from Master."
Amir had a complicated expression on his face as he gazed at the one person whom he wanted to surpass in Twilight Rain. He didn't even think that Scarlet was someone worthy of becoming his new rival because it had always been Sid whom he idolized in his heart.
"But how should I explain my failure to the organization?" Amir sighed deeply. "This is my first mission after becoming a Slayer. My track record would be ruined if I go back empty-handed."
Lux, who had been listening from the side, thought of a good idea on how to save Amir from his current situation. In fact, the problem wasn't that big in the first place. All they needed to do was put the blame on someone else!
"Usually, when you Assassins are given a mission, you're given a full report about your target, right?" Lux asked.
Amir nodded. "That is usually the case. Although I did a bit of research on my own, most of the data I have about Colette was given to me by the informants of the organization."
"Well then, that makes things easier." Lux chuckled. "All we need to do is prove that your target has a bodyguard that far surpasses your rank, making the kidnapping attempt nearly impossible. If that happens, your organization will probably send more Assassins to handle it, right?"
Amir's eyes widened in shock after hearing this loophole. Indeed, if the high-profile target was guarded by powerful individuals, a single Assassin would not be enough to complete the mission.
Lux's case was special because his assassination mission had been a promotion contest between Sid and Scarlet. They were not working together and were even competing against each other.
"You speak the truth," Amir agreed. "If we are planning to kill a high-profile target that is heavily guarded by strong individuals, the organization usually sends more than one Assassin to kill them. In this case, my mission was only to capture Colette. Since the organization deemed that she didn't have strong bodyguards to protect her, they sent me, who had just become a Ranker, to do the job."
The Half-Elf then began to explain to Amir what reasons he could give his superiors to explain why he was unable to capture Colette. His plan was to lure in more Assassins to handle the job, and this time, he would not show any mercy and go for the kill!
After their brainstorming session, Amir headed back to the town in order to talk to the Merchant, who served as Twilight Rain's Branch Manager in Wisp Tree Town.
Meanwhile, Colette, who had been saved from the assassination attempt, had returned to the inn that they had reserved after taking the commission for their guild.
She was still quite shaken by the incident that had happened an hour ago. Even Emma, who served as her bodyguard, almost panicked when Colette was captured by an unknown individual.
Lux had tasked her to look after the children, and she didn't want the Half-Elf to be disappointed in her for letting something happen to them.
Fortunately, Eiko was there to save the day.
Had she not been there, Colette and Emma both didn't know what would have happened if the kidnapper succeeded in his mission.
Unfortunately, the Assassin managed to escape at the last second, but the important thing was that Colette was safe and sound.
"Thank you, Eiko, for saving me," Colette said as she patted the Baby Slime sitting on top of the table. "I'll order a lot of food for you today, so eat as much as you can, okay?"
"Un!" Eiko nodded her head happily. "Eat a lot!"
"Still, I didn't know you were this strong," Helen said as she playfully poked Eiko's cheeks. "You're still a baby, yet you can already fight against a Ranker. Just what kind of food have you been eating as of late?"
"Dreadnaught Core!"
"Hahaha. I almost believe you. Do you want cookies? I have cookies."
"Un!"
Colette and the others didn't believe that Eiko had been eating Dreadnaught Cores because, for them, those kinds of Monsters were something that they couldn't hope to defeat with their current Rank.
Although the Baby Slime was strong and their Big Brother was stronger, they only thought that Lux could, at most, fight against a Deimos Ranked Monster even if he used all of his Summons to help him.
Robin, who knew a bit of Lux's abilities, also didn't think that the Half-Elf had what it took to fight against a Dreadnaught Rank Monster.
When his little sister, Anastasia, was captured, Lux tried to gather as many people as possible in order to save her because he didn't have the strength to fight against Rankers.
The Prince of the Kingdom of Gweliven didn't believe that Lux could have become that strong in just a short span of time.
Having thought of this, he assumed that the Half-Elf told the Baby Slime to say that what he was feeding her were Dreadnaught Cores despite the fact that they were only low-ranking cores.
"Here is your order. Enjoy your meal," the waitress said as she placed the dishes on the table. Her gaze lingered on Colette for a brief moment before going to another table to take the customer's order.
Naturally, her gesture didn't escape Diablo's gaze, but the latter didn't do anything and simply sat opposite Colette while paying close attention to their surroundings.
It was not only Emma who felt frustrated when the Ranker managed to kidnap Colette. As Lux's firstborn, Diablo knew how much his Master treasured the little Dwarves, whom the red-headed teenager treated as his little brothers and sisters.
The Death Knight didn't think that someone would actually try to kidnap someone with him around, and it made him realize his shortcomings.
While they were waiting for the food, the door of the tavern opened.
A chubby young man, who was clearly a Human, and a handsome Dwarf, who was wearing a gray robe that covered his face, entered.
Almost everyone focused their attention on the chubby Human, whom they hadn't seen before. The Kingdom of Gweliven was not a place where people of other races could enter as they pleased because the control of their borders was very strict.
As soon as Colette and the Golden Slayer Party saw the chubby Human, they immediately recognized him for who he truly was.
"Big Brother…" Colette almost sobbed after seeing the person whom she thought had died during the defense of Whitebridge Town.
Matty and the others also felt as if their tears were going to escape their eyes as the chubby young man walked in their direction with a smile.
Even though he was wearing a disguise, they couldn't possibly forget the presence that the Half-Elf gave off when they were together.
A presence that made them feel as if there was nothing in the world that could harm them as long as he was with them.