That night, Kadden returned to Cloudgate Town victorious, enjoying the celebration held in honor of his triumph over the terrifying magician Azztar Echo.
Even Lord Swail, the town's ruler, participated in the celebration, bestowing upon Kadden the title of "Protector of Cloudgate Town." The townsfolk enjoyed the festivities, with some revelers dancing and indulging in free food, but most gathered around Kadden, eagerly absorbing his made up tales of heroism.
At that moment, Lord Swail, like everyone else, believed that with Kadden in their midst, they had little to fear. He reveled in the festivities and cheerful atmosphere, until he eventually returned to his mansion, where he was greeted by an unexpected visitor.
This visitor was a mysterious man dressed in a white robe adorned with golden lines. His face remained concealed under a hood, however, anyone in his presence could tell that he was incredibly powerful.
He was from the Order of Light, one of the most powerful religious organizations in the World of Drifting Realm. They were dedicated servants of the God of Light, Ernos, and commanded an incredible strength that even the King of Mossgarde Kingdom couldn't fathom.
Lord Swail, curious and somewhat anxious, turned to a man who stood in the dark corner of his office. "Is this dark magician really so dangerous?" He asked, hoping to receive information about the dark magician's threat level from the inquisitor from the Order of Light.
The shadowy figure in the corner of the room shook his head. "I don't know, but probably not." The inquisitor replied, reassuring Lord Swail.
Approximately a month ago, the Order of Light had received a prophecy from the God of Light, Ernos himself. Since then, they had been frantically investigating every minor incident, refusing to be careless no matter how insignificant they seemed.
The prophecy had foretold that the world could be in grave danger if this threat was not dealt with swiftly. He didn't know the details, but he heard it was the work of the God of Chaos, Ollios, so the prophecy currently held the highest priority and the whole Order of Light was on a move.
However, the chances that the dark magician Lord Sweil was talking about the same as the one from the prophecy were incredibly slim.
"I must report the matter to my superior first," the inquisitor said, turning away to leave the office. No matter how small the matter, they couldn't afford to be careless.
"Of course! Your willingness to help is already more than appreciated," Lord Swail responded, almost bowing as he showed his gratitude. Even though the man in front of him was just a lesser inquisitor, he still wouldn't dare to disrespect him.
"I will return with reinforcements as soon as possible, so try to hold on until then." The inquisitor said and turned around to leave.
"I shall return with reinforcements as soon as possible. Hold on until then," the inquisitor promised before he left the office.
Lord Swail nodded and spoke respectfully, "May the envoy of the Order of Light have a safe and swift journey." He said, anxiously looking at the back of the inquisitor.
With Captain Elton's death, they were now solely relying at Kadden to hold back that monster Azztar Echo, and Lord Swail would definitely be able to sleep more peacefully if the Order of Light sent a few powerful inquisitors to stay in Cloudgate Town.
[Raven Morton, lesser inquisitor of Order of Light] (Human?, middle 4th-grade)
Level 215
Hp 275,496 / 275,496
…
Wain had returned to Blackridge Town, and the majority of the monsters had already settled in for the night, with a few assigned to guard duty to protect the settlement.
The attack on Cloudgate Town earlier in the day had served a dual purpose: eliminating Captain Elton and reinforcing the defenders' belief that they could withstand any threat as long as Kadden was present.
Now, he just needed to wait until their beliefs in Kadden solidified even further. He still had nine days remaining before his time limit and he had no intention of launching an all-out war just yet.
He understood that the all-out war with the Mossgarde Kingdom was inevitable, but for that he needed to build a formidable army capable of withstanding any assaults from the kingdom. So he planned to spend the next week by annexing the powerful clans in the surrounding Barestone Mountains.
But before he embarked on this mission, there was something else he needed to do, and he called for Octader.
"Spit it out!" Wain instructed the octopus with a commanding tone, and Octader, though unwillingly, spat out Edvin Elton's mana core.
While a 3rd-grade mana core was no longer as valuable to Wain as when he met with Edvin Elton for the first time, he had another use for a high-grade mana core at the moment.
He took out the Nightmare Glove and began transferring the mana from the core into the glove.
Wain retrieved the Nightmare Glove and began the process of transferring the mana from the mana core into the glove. In a matter of moments, the Nightmare Glove came to life, visibly transforming, as it instantly consumed the high-grade mana core.
[Nightmare Glove] (artifact, 1st-grade)
Mana affinity +10%
Description: Part of an armor crafted by the legendary blacksmith Tvastar Cromp for the renowned dragonslayer Dangon Astley. The glove harnesses the weakened power of the Nightmare Dragon, Xersot, which is greatly weakened by the passage of time.
Upgradable (request 10 mana cores of 1st grade)
Soulbond
Once the Nightmare Glove had awakened, it not only significantly increased his mana affinity, but also unveiled surprising details about its origins.
It was part of the equipment used by the legendary dragonslayer, Dangon Astley. Anyone capable of slaying a dragon must have been extremely powerful, since dragons were commonly half grade stronger than everyone else at the same grade, while some even transcending grades!
Although it was obvious how the dragonslayer Dangon Astley ended since the glove was with Keteres now, its value and capabilities were undeniably remarkable.
Furthermore, the criteria for further upgrades were relatively manageable, and Wain swiftly accumulated ten 1st-grade mana cores, followed by an additional set of ten 2nd-grade cores.
Once the Nightmare Glove ascended to 3rd-grade, it already increased his mana affinity by 40% and introduced a new passive skill.
Any further upgrade required ten 3rd-grade mana cores, which was above Wain's current capabilities, but the effects of the glove already increased his strength considerably. Especially the skill [Nullifying Touch] would come into great use as Wain could completely negate any attack up to 3rd-grade with a mere touch of the glove, while even 3rd-grade attacks were significantly mitigated.
Afterwards, Wain continued in his preparations, and the time was slowly running out. Only three days remained until the deadline for his quest, when Wain decided it was time to make his move. This time, he would strike with a full force!