Chapter 193: Traceless
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
When Kieran saw Lawless pull out a long metal rod with a hollowed, round shape attached to its end, he was surprised.
A mine detector!
One would recognize that kind of equipment, even if they were not familiar with firearms, and Kieran knew a lot about firearms thanks to his various skills.
He understood why Lawless would want to use a mine detector.
The trap set up by the first wave of attackers was an obvious one. It was a minefield.
It was an affordable, powerful method to deal with enemies.
Kieran frowned helplessly as he remembered his knowledge about mines.
He was amazed by the neverending methods the Killer Organization had at its disposal.
The system [Shop] did not sell such items, and neither did the [Forum]. There were only some common defensive grenades. Offensive grenades were rare.
However, the attackers had been able to get their hands on mines, cannons, and a Magnetic Field.
The latter made Kieran's breath quicken.
There was no situation more desperate than having your attacks negated and their effects nullified. Even the cannon's ridiculous firing range was better than that.
Kieran could always come up with a countermeasure, but if his attacks were negated, then it was pointless.
His brows furrowed even harder than before.
"The Killer Organization is more powerful and influential than I thought!" he mumbled to himself.
He was certain that, even though the two waves of attacks seemed unrelated, they were from the same organization.
As for why the attackers would be divided?
Kieran had a bounty on his head, and from the looks of it, the reward had to be quite high. Otherwise, it would not have lured all those killers.
"This is only the start. There will be more killers sooner or later. My strength has increased gradually, so the killers that will appear will only be stronger than before. I need to get stronger faster than they expect. That's the only way I will be able to survive a battle with them!"
It was something Kieran already knew. A sense of danger gradually rose in his heart.
He was not afraid of the danger though.
After the pressure of despair and constantly dwelling on the edge of death, he had gotten tougher and stronger.
He would not back off. He would just advance with vigilance and careful planning in order to overcome any potential obstacles.
However, Kieran was not denying that one of the reasons that pushed him forward were the Honor Kills and their compensation.
After the battle he had been through, he had earned a total of 26,000 Points and 4 Skill Points, and the Honor Kills had granted him access to the items and rooms of both attackers.
The rewards were almost on par with a normal dungeon clearing reward, excluding the Golden Skill Point and Golden Attribute Points.
Points and Skill Points were a motivation for Kieran, as they were closely related to his current and future way of life.
After about two minutes, Lawless brought over the diffused mine.
"Here, you can keep it as a souvenir. It might bring you good luck!" he said as he tossed the mine to Kieran.
[Name: Z-II]
[Type: Landmine]
[Rarity: Great]Attack: Strong]
[Attributes: Power +45% against vulnerable targets]
[Effects: None]
[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]
[Remarks: This is an anti-infantry landmine, an explosive with a wider range than a common landmine.]
...
"This is not something you can just pick up at the supermarket!" Kieran told Lawless after a quick glance through the [Z-II] description.
His meaning was self-explanatory. He was talking about the way the attackers had acquired the landmine.
The first wave of attackers might have accidentally stumbled on the landmine or gotten it from other players, but the second wave of attackers must have left some traces to follow.
"I think I've got a general idea. If it really came from where I think it has, I can track it down by following the clues," Lawless said seriously.
"Time is running out. Let's take another look around and then head back to the Harvest Inn," Kieran said.
"Of course!" Lawless said with a nod.
...
Half an hour later, the two of them were on the train heading towards the Harvest Inn.
Their brows were furrowed, and they were deep in thought.
They had found more traces of both attacks, but had not discovered anything about the person who had been following Kieran.
Kieran had checked a couple of good spots for someone to follow him with his [Tracking], but there had been no clues.
The spots had all been clean and they had not looked like they had been visited by anyone.
"Don't waste brain matter on it. Maybe we'll find something at the Harvest Inn! What were the attackers' names again?"
Lawless could not reach a clear conclusion either, so he pushed his thoughts aside and asked about the attackers.
"There were two waves. I have no idea about the second one, but the first ones were called Shielder and Correy. Ever heard of them?" Kieran asked, revealing the nicknames of the first attackers.
After some thought, Lawless shook his head. "Shielder and Correy? Nope, they might not have been beta players."
"Then you must know something about the second wave. They were using very special weapons. A cannon and a sniper rifle. The sniper had some sort of Magnetic Field that negated my attacks!" Kieran added.
"A cannon? Are you sure?"
Lawless opened his eyes wide in surprise. The cigar on his lips almost fell on the floor.
"Are they famous?"
Kieran thought something was off based on Lawless's expression.
"Hellfire! It's a group of five. Two of them were beta players, and the other three joined later. They have quite the reputation among players because of their cannon. Quite a lot of wealthy players have hired them to clear dungeons. They are not cheap at all though, so there's no reason they would need to survive by killing people..." Lawless explained briefly.
Then he turned a little gloomy and got lost in thought.
Obviously, Hellfire belonged to the Killer Organization. Lawless was baffled by the fact though, as they had no trouble earning Points.
"Maybe they got rich after they formed Hellfire. What about before though? I think that if you track them down with these clues, you might discover something new," Kieran pointed out, using his sharp senses. He was not affected by Lawless' sudden change of emotion.
"Right! They were nobodies before Hellfire! It's after they formed the group and got the cannon that they became famous! Everyone said they had great chemistry, and it seems their chemistry is real, but maybe it's not all of them. Maybe it's only the one or two who are in charge!" Lawless quickly responded to Kieran's point.
Kieran then saw him started to text his contacts.
He sat there quietly and did not interrupt him.
Networking was the only thing Lawless was better at than Kieran.
Kieran believed that as long as someone was not natural twisted in mind, they would be willing to befriend Lawless.
This might vary according to people's attitude, but still better than Kieran.
Kieran had never considered himself a friendly person, nor a natural loner, but because of the sudden illness that had befallen him and made him struggle to survive from a very young age. He had almost erased the term "friend" from his vocabulary.
By the time he'd realized it, everyone around him was either a colleague or a boss, which were definitely not friend material.
"Friends, huh? A mere luxury," Kieran commented before closing his eyes to rest.
The battle earlier had exhausted him. Even though it had not lasted long, Kieran had given it 120%, and so had he during the search afterwards.
There would be another search when they reached the Harvest Inn, so he knew what he had to do in the meantime.
He did not talk to Lawless for the rest of the journey.
When they disembarked from the train, Lawless was still contacting his friends, hoping to gather more information on the matter at hand.
Hanses and Rachel were waiting for them at the train station.
"I don't like it when my inn is being watched by some criminal! If I don't catch them, I won't be able to sleep peacefully!" Rachel said. She had an irrefutable reason to be there.
Hanses led the way straightaway. "Come with me!"
He was walking in front, leading them to a couple of spots perfect for spying on the Harvest Inn. All of them were empty though.
Kieran was astonished.
"Could I be wrong? It's not possible though! If they knew my whereabouts, then there had to be someone spying on me. There are no traces at all though… Could the culprit be in some kind of spirit form?" Kieran came up with a bold theory after lots of futile effort.
Hanses and Lawless did not reject his theory. As veterans, the two of them knew very well that the underground game featured millions of odd, mystical skills. No one could confirm that there was no such skill.
If their enemies possessed such a skill though, then they'd be in big trouble!
Kieran would not be able to track them down with common methods anymore, and if they tried to assassinate him again, it would be impossible for him to defend himself and escape unscathed.
Lawless and Hanses looked at each other. There was a sense of worry in their eyes.
"Spirit form?" Rachel laughed coldly, her eyes locked at a specific spot.
Everyone followed her gaze instantly and saw a bird at the spot.
Although it was a common bird, when it sensed the astonished gazes of the humans, it got unusually scared and tried to fly away.
Before it could, Rachel raised her hand and threw a fishnet, capturing it.
Rachel took the net and sniffed at the little bird.
Her cold smile became even colder.Chapter 194: Unexpected Rewards
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Rachel pinched the little bird's claw, allowing it to flap its wings furiously.
The coldness on her face and the sense of danger in her eyes made Hanses twist his neck unusually. Lawless turned away right away.
It was the first time Kieran was witnessing the unusual strength of the female owner of the Harvest Inn.
Some people had no need of a powerful aura. All it took was just a gaze alone to make others afraid.
"Scary!" Kieran commented quietly.
His gaze was locked on the woman. He knew Rachel must have discovered something.
The rest of them had not noticed anything though. No matter how they looked at it, it was just a bird. It didn't have anything unusual about it.
"I'll give you another chance. Come forward and tell me the truth!" Rachel said coldly.
The little bird was struggling for its life even harder.
"Seems like you won't take the chance then… Come, let's go back to the inn."
Rachel pinched the little bird and headed back to the Harvest Inn.
...
After 10 minutes at the inn, a dish named called Roast Bird was served on a plate before Kieran.
"My treat," Rachel said.
"Thanks, um…"
Kieran was at a loss for words. He was curious about how Rachel had noticed that there was something unusual about the bird.
He was still confused about what happened back there. He did not have a close relationship with Rachel though, so it was hard for him to ask.
He had been hoping for Lawless and Hanses to do it, but when the two of them had reached the inn, they had received some urgent news and left abruptly.
Kieran knew it had not been about the Killer Organization. Otherwise, they would have brought him along.
Before Kieran could ask, Rachel noticed his confusion.
"It was the smell! Normal birds don't smell like Pork Hyacinth Bean Stew and brandy. The pork was overcooked and the beans were too soft. Even the brandy was low quality! Lousy cooking and brewing!"
"The smell?" Kieran was stunned by the revelation.
He'd never have thought it would be the smell. It was too hard for him to believe.
Kieran was always confident about his intuition, but he hadn't picked up any unusual scents at that spot.
"I have a cook's nose. Yours is a normal one," Rachel said softly, as if seeing through Kieran.
Then she pushed the plate forward slightly and said, "Wasting food is a sin. Finish it!"
"Okay." Kieran nodded.
[Name: Roast Bird]
[Type: Food]
[Rarity: Fresh]
[Attributes: Restores 45 HP in 15 Seconds]
[Prerequisites: None]
[Remarks: This is a dish made by Rachel. The portion is small due to the lack of ingredients, but it's still delicious!]
...
As the description stated, the portion was small, but it was very tasty.
Kieran finished it in a couple of bites and licked his fingers to savor the leftover taste.
Rachel did not bring him another dish, nor did she open her mouth to talk. Kieran was smart enough to leave.
He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask though. Had that bird been the pet of some player?
Why had Lawless and Hanses looked so strangely at Rachel when she'd caught the bird?
There had to be a story behind it, but it was related to someone else's privacy, so Kieran could not let the words escape his mouth, even though he was curious.
He could not dig up other people's secrets without restraint.
He still had manners and a basic respect for everyone, even though it was limited to the people he knew and considered friends or acquaintances.
When it came to his enemies, Kieran wanted to know everything, even what kind of underwear they were wearing.
To know one's own strength and their enemy's was the surest way to victory.
Kieran's journey back to 13th Wallway Street was safe and smooth.
When he entered his room, he was finally able to relax and let his guard down. Then he logged off the game.
After tidying up and resting, he went back in the game five hours later.
His message tab pinged when he returned.Lawless: I found out where the [Z-II] came from!
Lawless: I'll go meet the guy, wait for news!
(This was the first message Lawless had sent Kieran. It was followed by a second one.)
Lawless: That guy seems to know even more than I expected, but the bastard ain't talking.
Lawless: Sh*t!
Lawless: He's staying in his room, I can't do sh*t to him!
Lawless: If I catch him outside, I'll teach him some manners!
(The second batch of messages were angry. They were not the last ones though.)
Lawless: We found the guy who'd been spying on us!
Lawless: That son of a bitch logged out immediately though. I don't think we can get anything from him for the time being.
Lawless: Sh*t!
....
The third message was angry as well. Kieran was speechless.
Facing the Killer Organization was hard not just because of their mysterious ways of conducting business and their ridiculously strong arsenal, but also because of the game's elements.
No matter how real the underground game was, it was still a game after all.
Some of the game rules made the Killer Organization even harder to deal with.
Playing a single player game in one's own room was the safest method. Even if one was caught, no one could do anything if they hadn't entered battle mode or logged out immediately.
The former was ridiculously hard to deal with, and although the latter could be sorted out by waiting for them to come back online, there were still difficulties though.
Adventurous players were up to the task, but they were short on time.
Casual players could not do either, as they were not strong enough.
It was not easy to find a middle ground between those two. In other words, it cost a lot of time and energy.
"A protracted battle then," Kieran told Lawless with a sigh.
...
2567: I'm going to the room of the players who attacked me. I might find more there.
2567: You coming?
Lawless: Sure!
...
Lawless accepted Kieran's invitation right away. After they set up a time and place to meet, Kieran left his room.
He arrived at the prearranged location on time and saw Lawless. He walked up to him with a smile.
No one ever disliked punctuality.
"Let's hope we can find something. These guys are hiding deeper than I thought! Most of my friends had not even noticed them around, and even those who had were not sure before I asked them. I won't let them roam free though. I will show no mercy when I find them!"
Lawless sounded unusually persistent, which made Kieran come up with a few theories. He did not press the matter any further though.
If Lawless wanted to reveal his intentions, he would. If he didn't, pressing him would only put up a barrier between them. He might as well not ask at all.
"So what's with Rachel and that bird? Was it a pet or something?" Kieran asked a different question.
"I guess you could say that. Some players have the skills to raise animals to fight for them, but most of them are exhausting to train and bear few results. That spy had put a lot of effort in training that bird, but in the end it ended up on Rachel's plate, didn't it? Even if one could get a strong beast on their side, the increasing difficulty of the dungeons would eventually diminish the beast's use. Unless one could find a really unique animal. Using a camel to move goods would be quite nice. If you have the means, you could consider getting an elephant or a camel!" Lawless replied with a hint of humor.
"I cannot even feed myself properly," Kieran shrugged the joke off.
While they were chatting, they arrived at Shielder and Correy's neighborhood.
The two of them were living on the same street.
Obviously, it was a place they had handpicked.
Kieran chose to enter Correy's place first. Judging by their battle and Correy's performance, the man had to have some good things in his house.
However, harsh reality slapped Kieran in the face again. Other than a piece of Magical Equipment, everything else Correy had owned was pretty common.
[Name: Mystical Grappling Hook]
[Type: ETC]
[Rarity: Magical]
[Attributes: Extension Lvl2]
[Prerequisites: Sharp Weapon, Rope Weapon (Master)]
[Remarks: This is a remodeled magical weapon. You need to have specific skills to fully utilize it.]
...
[Extension Lvl 2: Able to extend by twice its length, (5 meter extends to 15 meters)]
…...
The newfound grappling hook had overlying attributes with the [Deceiver's Key], plus a bigger size and special skill requirement, so Kieran put it in his "to sell" list of items.
At Shielder's place though, he made an unexpected discovery.
There was a huge amount of landmines and flashbangs.
The landmines were the same model, [Z-II], but the flashbangs were something new entirely.
[Name: Q-I]
[Type: Grenade]
[Rarity: Great[
[Attack: None]
[Attributes: Blindness (exudes a blinding flash to reduce the enemy's vision to zero)]
[Effects:None]
[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]
[Remarks: This is a great flashbang. If you know how to throw it, you will get a lot out of it!]
...
"That's some good stuff you got there! I wouldn't sell it if I were you. It could really get you out of a pinch inside a dungeon!" Lawless commented on the flashbang, giving Kieran some advice.
Kieran was always open to constructive feedback.
"Other than this, we got nothing though."
"I'm ready. Let's…"
Before Lawless could finish his sentence, he stopped and looked at his message tab.
His expression changed when he read the message.
"It's from Hellfire! They want to meet you!" Lawless said, raising his head.
The words that came out of his mouth made Kieran frown.Chapter 195: Mastermind
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Hellfire, the second wave of attackers.
Their canon and magnetic field were still a fresh memory in Kieran's mind.
When Lawless read him the message, Kieran was astonished.
"They want to meet me?" Kieran asked again to double check.
"Yes…" Lawless sounded doubtful himself. His eyes were on Kieran. "I asked people to investigate them, and now they want to meet… So are you in or not?"
He gave Kieran the right to choose. He was the one Hellfire wanted to meet after all.
Lawless would definitely go with him though.
"Sure, of course! Where and when?"
Even though doubts still lingered in his heart, Kieran had no problem making a decision.
He desperately needed more information about the Killer Organization.
"The time is now, and the place is Shameiken Square," Lawless said.
"So what are we waiting for?"
As soon as Kieran finished his sentence, he turned around and walked towards the train station.
Lawless hastened to catch up with him.
...
Shameiken Square.
Even though it was called a square, it was actually just another empty, half-abandoned space at the outskirts of the city.
One would never have found or ended up at this place unless they were an adventurous player.
As a newbie himself, Kieran was unfamiliar with it. Even Lawless, who was a veteran, had limited information about their meeting place.
Fortunately, Lawless's friend knew a thing or two about it.
"Shameiken Square was supposed to be a car manufacturing factory according to the game description. There had been almost 10,000 workers at the factory during its prime, but it was eventually closed down before becoming an empty square. The place is huge, it's the perfect hiding spot and ambushing point. I don't think they're coming for afternoon tea!" Lawless repeated his friend's description of the square, voicing out his concerns.
"Me neither, but I think they're worried that we have a hidden agenda too. We need to be careful either way," Kieran said.
"Relax! I've contacted enough reinforcements. If anything happens, I'll give them a one-way trip home!" Lawless said with confidence.
Kieran did not comment any further. He knew very well that Lawless would not gamble with his or Kieran's life.
After 45 minutes, the duo got off the train.
The scenery switched from a modern skyscraper view to an industrial area filled with factories.
The whole area gave off a ruined vibe. The filthy, rotten air assaulted Kieran's senses. It was even worse than his old broken garage.
"One of a kind I guess…" Kieran commented.
"It gets better when you get used to it. The same thing happened to me when I moved from a middle-age castle to a modern apartment. It drove me crazy!" Lawless could not help but shrug. "I don't even know what's real anymore!" he added.
"It doesn't matter, we only have one life," Kieran said under his breath.
"One life, huh?" Lawless said with a faint sigh.
He took a big drag on his cigar and blew out a smoke ring. Before it could dissipate naturally, he punched it and waved it away like a kid.
"Want one?" Lawless took out a brand new cigar and offered it to Kieran.
Before Kieran could say anything, Lawless took out a lighter from his pocket, spun it around and lit the cigar. Then he tossed the lit cigar at Kieran.
"This is the best kind of cigar there is. They're handmade by the lasses of Morderei. They make them on their sweet, fair laps. They're my favorite!" Lawless emphasized proudly as he looked at Kieran in anticipation.
Kieran had no choice but to put the cigar in his mouth. It was just for show though. He did not actually take a puff.
The smell of the smoke alone was enough to let him know that it was not for a newbie like him.
When the cigar was 1/4 burned off, about eight more people arrived at the train station.
They were the reason Kieran and Lawless had been waiting there. Without reinforcements, even Lawless dared not enter Shameiken Square, let alone Kieran.
The veterans that had survived through the game were no idiots.
Lawless waved at them as a signal, and the group spread around Shameiken Square, everyone getting in position to do their job.
"Let's go then!" Lawless said after two minutes. His men were in position.
Kieran did not object. He entered Shameiken Square, walking side by side with Lawless.
As the two of them walked along a short corridor though, they spotted a member of Hellfire.
It was the sniper from before!
Kieran recognized him with a single glance.
Even though his face was blurred by the system, his body was the same.
"Is it necessary to mobilize that much manpower when the famous Firearm Hunter meets up with a stray dog like me?" the sniper asked in a mocking tone.
"Of course! You are a stray dog after all. There are too many dogs eager to jump over a wall!"
Lawless said in a cheerful tone, emphasizing the word "dog".
"Never mind. Facts speak louder than words. I'm here to make a deal with Mr. 2567 here. You have no idea how deep you are in this sh*t hole, do you?" the sniper asked deliberately as he looked at Kieran.
Kieran knew that he did this to increase his leverage.The deal the man had mentioned was nothing more than a trading of Points, Skill Points and some equipment. If one took into account the punishment he must have suffered because of the attack, they would be able to guess the sniper's motives.
This still did not clear Kieran's doubts though, as the deal the sniper had proposed did not include messaging security.
Kieran had been treating this as a trap right from the start. That was why he'd waited patiently for Lawless's reinforcements.
However, nothing had happened until the moment they'd met. Obviously, the situation was different from what Kieran had expected.
"What if it's not a trap, and the sniper really wanted to meet?"
His doubts grew deeper by the second. It was very unsettling. Ηe did not show it on his face though. He was trying to play strategically with the guy.
"Are you talking about the bounty your organization has placed on me or something else?" Kieran asked.
"Well, well, Mr. 2567. You are smarter than you look. The smart ones are always the first to die though, because they are often presumptuous. Pay me 200,000 Points and the respective Skill Points, and I'll tell you everything!" the sniper demanded after mocking Kieran.
"200,000 Points?" Kieran laughed coldly.
He did not have such a huge amount of points, but even if he did, he would not have given it to someone with ill intentions.
The sniper's actions had proved that he was nothing but an enemy.
"You think it's too much? It's nothing compared to what I want to tell you! Just know this, I… Ugh!"
He stopped abruptly before he could finish his sentence.
Suddenly, a sense of danger rose in Kieran's heart.
"Back off!" he yelled, hurling himself backwards.
Lawless was not slow either. As soon as Kieran spoke, he jumped 10 meters away from the sniper.
Boom!
Just as the two of them backed off to widen the distance between them, the Hellfire sniper exploded.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere. Nothing was left behind, not even the man's bones or body.
"He he he… 2567, Lawless, you will be next!"
A sinister laughter was heard as a black shadow flashed across the factory further away.
"Go!" Lawless shouted, sprinting off like an arrow let loose.
Kieran followed tightly behind him.
Lawless' friends, who had been on the lookout, followed them as well.
...
A faint glowing crystal ball was projecting the scene taking place in Shameiken Square.
A shadowy figure was holding a glass of wine in its hand, sitting quietly on a couch and savoring the taste and fragrance in the glass.
After a while, the figure sighed.
"How disappointing… When did you became so slow, Lawless? You did not even notice the obvious clues in front of your eyes. I'll give you another chance though… There are such boring days ahead!"
As the words faded away, the figure stood up and slowly disappeared in the shadows.
The crystal ball ended the projection and became dark within a breath.
Instantly, the room fell into darkness.
Chapter 196: Level Up (2 in 1 Chapter)
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Kieran looked at the hole with a furrowed brow. The pursuer had disappeared inside it a couple of seconds ago.
The hole before Kieran and the sudden explosion caused by the sniper showed that their enemies had been well-prepared.
Everything had been planned ahead of time, from the meeting with the Hellfire sniper to the man's explosive demise.
"Why did he do it? Why would the sniper kill himself?"
Doubts were clamouring in Kieran's mind.
Had the sniper been ordered to meet with Kieran?
That one was not that hard to guess. The moment the sniper had been caught, he must have gotten punished. He had already taken a desperate gamble. It was easy to control someone in his position.
"So what was this arrangement for?" Kieran said under his breath in confusion.
Lawless and his friends also shared the same expression.
None of the veterans were idiots. They all had noticed that something was off.
Their doubts did not stop them from exploring the hole in front of them though.
A scrawny guy holding an LED remote control guided a puppy-like robot down the hole.
The LED screen projected what the robot saw inside the hole.
When the robot discovered a dozen red explosives underneath, everyone, including Kieran, drew in a cold breath.
If one of them had gone blindly into the hole…
"I think they're motion-sensitive explosives… Sh*t! Back off!" the scrawny guy yelled after examining the visual through the remote.
Everyone quickly turned away and sprinted out of the square.
Boom!
As soon as Kieran stepped out of Shameiken Square, the whole place was blasted to the sky in a thunderous explosion.
The tremendous shockwave sent him rolling on the ground.
"HOLY F*CK! MY DOG! THOSE ASSES! Don't let me catch you, or you will feel the wrath of my 2,000 volt lightning gun!" the scrawny guy that controlled the puppy-robot shouted furiously all around the blazing square when he got up again.
The other veterans, who were covered in ashes, were also shouting in outrage.
A couple of them were chasing a guy, but he slipped away and they almost fell into a trap. That alone insulted their status as veterans in the game. It infuriated them even more than trying to take their lives.
Amidst all the cursing and scolding, Kieran noticed that Lawless seemed a little absent-minded.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Just a little something. So do you want me to help you sell the equipment you got from Shielder and Correy? I'm quite looking forward to the 5% commision!" Lawless replied with an awkward laugh.
"I'll leave it to you then," Kieran answered straightforwardly.
He noticed that Lawless was trying to divert the subject. His excuse was very poor-crafted.
5% commision was what the service charge at the bazaar was, and Lawless was not a greedy man.
Kieran was certain that Lawless had noticed something unusual during the incident, but he did not press the subject any further.
If Lawless had made enough effort to come up with an excuse to avoid the subject, then it had to be hard for him to talk about.
It was meaningless for Kieran to pursue it. It would only cause estrangement between them.
After the explosion, Lawless went on to introduce all the other veterans that had turned up for the little meeting.Kieran rejected the offer to have another drink back at the Harvest Inn and left soon after.
His plan to study had already been delayed by the sudden incident. He didn't want to put it off any longer.
...
During the next two weeks, Kieran exchanged daily messages with Lawless, asking about new information on the Killer Organization, and spent the rest of his time in his lobby room.
Without proper guidance though, he got a similar notification every time he finished a book.
[Alchemy experience has increased a little after reading…]
[Astrology experience has increased a little after reading…]
...
Every book only resulted in a small increase of experience. There was no notification that indicated a huge increase of experience, like when Kieran had a proper lesson with a highly skilled individual.
"Seems like I need to spend more time on this," Kieran said softly.
His original plan had been to level up [Astrology] and [Alchemy] to a Basic Level before entering the next dungeon, but judging by his progress, this did not seem possible anymore.
The next day was the day he would be entering the team dungeon.
Kieran took a deep breath and placed his book down.
Although he was frustrated that he could not follow his original plan, this did not prevent him from moving forward with his other plans.
His frustration was just affecting the next step of his plan because he had failed to complete the previous one.
Kieran checked his remaining Points and Skill Points.
[Points: 86,500; Skill Points: 21; Golden Skill Points: 3; Golden Attribute Points: 2]
After he had completed two Honor Kills, gotten compensated by the cyber law enforcers, sold the two killers' equipment, and put together a [Soul Shard] bundle by combining shards from his own stash and the newly acquired ones from the previous dungeon, his Points and Skill Points had reached a considerable amount.
While selling the killers' equipment, Kieran had favored Skill Points over Points.
"Rare Skills consume Skill Points more than regular ones. Be prepared!" Lawless had advised him as a veteran.
Kieran had no reason to ignore his advice.
In order to boost his confidence before the upcoming dungeon, Hanses had also made a generous contribution.
Kieran was sure that this was because Lawless was the middleman.
If it had just been Hanses and him, it would not have been the same.
Kieran took out the orange Skill Book.
A system notification popped up.
[Discovered Skill Book, Blade Kick]
[Prerequisites met, Learn skill?]
"Yes, please!"
[Learned Skill: Blade Kick]
[Name: Blade Kick (Basic)]
[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]
[Skill Type: Offensive]
[Effects: A slashing wave attack from either one of your feet, The damaging wave from the attack authenticated as a weak qi wave, Consumes 100 Stamina, 5-minute cooldown]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Master of Kicks), Strength D-, Agility D-, Constitution D-]
[Remarks: This is a fierce martial art technique. You will need to seize the opportunity to use it!]
...
[Strength has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Agility has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Constitution has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
…..
Kieran read about [Blade Kick] carefully. The effects did not disappoint him. It was just a Basic Level skill, so it was only natural after all.
[Blade Kick] required 500 Points and 2 Skill Points to be upgraded from Basic to Entry.
Lawless's advice about the high consumption of Skill Points had already been proven right.
Based on the upgrading rules, Kieran could imagine how costly it would be to level [Blade Kick] up to a certain level.
He had already prepared himself for that though, and he leveled up [Blade Kick] without any problems.
[Blade Kick] Basic → Entry → Master.
Upgrading from Entry to Master cost him 3,000 Points and 6 Skill Points.
The cost was almost twice as high as the previous level.
[Name: Blade Kick (Master)]
[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]
[Skill Type: Offensive]
[Effects: A slashing wave attack from either one of your feet, The damaging wave from the attack authenticated as an average qi wave, Consumes 150 Stamina, 4-minute cooldown]
[Special Effects: Harder Training (Your Blade Kick attack and Sharp Edge will increase according to your level]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Master of Kicks), Strength D-, Agility D-, Constitution D-]
[Remarks: This is a fierce martial art technique. You will need to seize the opportunity to use it!]
Strength has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Agility has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Constitution has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
…..
After upgrading twice, the special effect [Harder Training] increased the attack and sharp edge of the [Blade Kick] to average level.
To Kieran's knowledge, the average handgun's attack shared the same power.
Kieran could not help but get excited over the fact when he saw it.
"Is this a Rare Level attacking skill? One qi wave from a kick equals the damage of a normal bullet!"
It was not even the final form of [Blade Kick], but of course upgrading to the next level would require Kieran to increase his Strength, Agility and Constitution as well.
It was not a major problem for him though, as he had the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art] as a supporting base.
Everything was progressing smoothly.
Kieran had also discovered something else along with his new skill.
"Attribute points are even more precious than I expected! Even with the Rare attacking skill, there is still a huge limitation on increasing attributes…"
"So does this mean that once I reach a certain level, only Legendary Skills will help attributes grow? Or will even Legendary Skills be unable to do it? Will I have to rely solely on Golden Attribute Points?" Kieran thought silently before eventually shaking his head.
He still had a long way to go to get there from his current level. There was no point in trying to figure it out now. He just needed to keep it in mind.
After taking a deep breath to collect his thoughts, Kieran opened up the upgrading options for the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art].
[Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art (Entry→ Master), costs 9,000 Points, 3 Golden Skill Points, Yes/No?]
"Yes, please!"
[Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art has reached Master Level, Choose a Special Effect…]
[A: Strength +1]
[B: Agility +1]
[C: Constitution +1]
[D: Spirit +1]
[E: Intuition +1]
A long list appeared before Kieran for him to choose from. He made a quick decision after a single glance.
"D please!"
The uniqueness of Spirit influenced his choice.
[Player chose D: Knight's Focus (Spirit+1)]
[Name: Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art (Master)]
[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Spirit, Intuition]
[Skill Type: Ancillary]
[Effects: You know how to perform special stances, movements and breathing techniques, All Attributes +3 (+1 Basic Level, +1 Entry Level]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: Strength E, Agility E, Constitution E, Spirit E, Intuition E]
[Remarks: This is the Knights of Dawn entry course, but it will affect other related skills as well!]
...
[Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art leveled up, Related attributes increasing…]
[Strength C- → C]
[Agility D+ → C-]
[Constitution D+ → C-]
[Spirit E+ → D]
[Intuition C- → C]
...
After Kieran confirmed his choice, he fell into a trance.
He tried his best to keep his eyes open and prevent himself from falling asleep.
He savored the feeling throughout the whole process.
Chapter 197: Excruciating Crash
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Kieran's daily practice of the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art] never got to a critical breaking point, but this was because Kieran remembered Guntherson's lessons well.
"Every time you upgrade your skills, you need to savor the process! That will help you advance even further!"
Kieran had memorized the old knight's words and implemented them in his actions. He savored the warm stream seeping into his flesh and bones and eventually into his organs.
He instinctively followed the movements of the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art] and moved his body, his breath in sync with his motions.
The warm stream was getting warmer by the second.
The stream circulating inside his body showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
After everything ended, Kieran clenched his fists hard and felt the changes in his body.
"Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intuition… Everything has gone up! It's not that easy to tell about Spirit, but according to the system notification, it went up as well. So…"
When Kieran started practising the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art]'s exercises again, performing the movements and the breathing technique, he could instantly feel the warm stream circulating all over his body, boosting his energy and spirits even more.
"A hidden accelerating recovery power?"
Kieran was not sure about anything except for one thing.
[Master Level Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art has increased in experience through exercise, It now costs -2,000 Points…]
[Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art (Master → Pro], costs 29,000 Points, 4 Golden Skill Points, Yes/No?]
"Minus 2,000 Points? It's just as Guntherson said. Every time I level up, the cost gets reduced!"
Kieran let out a breath of relief. He longed for Guntherson's lessons again.
He realized he knew too little about the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art], even though it was his most precious skill.
With his current limited knowledge, if he didn't rely solely on Points and Golden Skill Points, the only other way to level up the skill would be through exercise. He would have to accumulate experience little by little.
Kieran could not accept this at that moment therefore he could relied solely on Points and Golden Skill Points.
After a quick glance at his remaining points, Kieran realized he still had a considerable amount of Points left. With that out of the equation, the remaining issue was the Golden Skill Points…
"Four Golden Skill Points would require me to clear at least four to five dungeons with an S rating! Plus, upgrading other skills from Musou to Transcendence would also require Golden Skill Points... The worst thing is that Golden Skill Points cannot be traded! Sh*t, my Golden Skill Points are not enough!" Kieran mumbled under his breath.
He had seen the Golden Skill Point abyss before him. He needed to fill that up in order to progress smoothly through the game.
"I need to raise my dungeon rating higher than SSS!"
Feeling determined about his next goal, he clenched his fists hard. It was the only option he could come up with for the time being.
"Next is [Barsical Kick]!"
Since [Barsical Kick] used the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art[ as a base, its level was restricted by the other skill's respective level.
Kieran did not forget about the powerful martial art skill after he successfully leveled up the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art].
[Barsical Kick, (Entry→Master), costs 6,000 Points, 4 Skill Points, Yes/No?]
"Yes!"
[Barsical Kick has reached Master Level, Special Effect Acquired: Bide]
[Name: Barsical Kick (Master)]
[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]
[Skill Type: Offensive]
[Effects: Your legs are more nimble than your hands. When you attack with a kick, the second and third hit will trigger an additional Agility +1, +2 effect respectively]
[Special Effect: Bide (Every kick that you launch will accumulate, when the accumulation reached the fourth time, +1 Strength and Agility to your kicks.)]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art (Master)]
[Remarks: Please note that the level of the Barsical Kick and other related skills cannot be higher than the Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art level!]
...
[Barsical Kick leveled up, Related attributes increasing…]
[Strength has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Agility has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Constitution has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
...
The synchronization process started right after.
Kieran launched a series of kicks instantly.
The shadow of his kicks covered his body completely like a raging tornado.
A half-moon qi wave blasted out of his kicking shadow, and an inch-deep crack formed on the concrete pillar instantly.
"Musou Level [Hand-to-Hand Combat, Musou Combat Kicks] plus Master Level [Barsical Kick] and Master Level [Blade Kick]! Not only does this raise my attributes within a really short time, but when the battle is prolonged, I can ensure that I get the final killing blow as well! This will really help me in the next dungeon considering we're not allowed to bring equipment!" Kieran said, his eyes locked on the Master level [Blade Kick].
With his attributes leveled up, [Blade Kick] had room for upgrading.
[Blade Kick, (Master → Pro), costs 12,000 Points, 24 Skill Points, Yes/No?]
After a quick glance over the costly Skill Points, Kieran put on his poker face and reached out to Lawless. He needed to trade Points for Skill Points.
He got 15 Skill Points for 45,000 Points, which was just enough for what he needed.
[Name: Blade Kick (Pro)]
[Related Attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution]
[Skill Type: Offensive]
[Effects: A slashing wave attack from either one of your feet, The damaging wave from the attack has been authenticated as an above average half-moon qi wave, Consumes 175 Stamina, 3-minute and 30-second cooldown]
[Special Effects: Harder Training (Your Blade Kick attack and Sharp Edge will increase according to your level]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Master of Kicks), Strength C-, Agility C-, Constitution C-]
[Remarks: This is a fierce martial art technique. You will need to seize any opportunity to use it!]
…...
Strength has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Agility has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
[Constitution has reached the capped limit, Unable to level up any further]
...
Thanks to the empowerment of [Harder Training], the [Blade Kick] attack rose to a new high.
It had an above average attack level and sharp edge.
Kieran was certain that if [Blade Kick] was upgraded to Grand Master, its attack and sharp edge would definitely become Strong, but he had no more Golden Skill Points left.
Everything from that point onwards would require Golden Skill Points.
To upgrade [Blade Kick] from Pro to Grand Master would require 30,000 Points and 2 Golden Skill Points.
Kieran felt helpless before that kind of requirement.
[Points: 11,000; Skill Points: 0; Golden Skill Points: 0; Golden Attribute Points: 2]
After completing all the necessary upgrades, Kieran was left with only a little over 10,000 Points and 2 Golden Attribute Points.
This was not the end of his upgrading though.
Kieran turned his attention to [Lockpicking (Master)].
After thinking about the upcoming dungeon and the potential crises they might face, he decided it would be a good idea to upgrade [Lockpicking] to the next level.
[Lockpicking (Master→Pro), costs 3,000 Points, 2 Skill Points Yes/No?]
After all those intense upgrades for the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art], [Barsical Kick] and [Blade Kick], upgrading [Lockpicking] seemed like a piece of cake.
Kieran exchanged another 6,000 Points for 2 Skill Points and used 3,000 Points out of his remaining 5,000 Points to level up [Lockpicking] to Pro.
[Name: Lockpicking (Pro)]
[Related Attributes: Agility, Intuition]
[Skill Learned: Lockpicking]
[Skill Type: Ancillary]
[Effects: You are able to pick simple locks with a hairpin, a steel wire and a screwdriver]
[Special Effects: Silent Lockpicking (You are almost completely silent while lockpicking)]
[Consumes: Stamina]
[Prerequisites: None]
[Remarks: Make sure there is no one around when you pick the lock!]
…...
Even with [Lockpicking] at Pro though, Kieran still needed tools to pick locks, and the upcoming dungeon stated that players could not bring any equipment with them.
He had not forgotten that detail. In fact, it had been imprinted in his mind.
"Because of the theft you committed, all your belongings are running a risk of being confiscated. Please choose your equipment and items carefully!"
This had been the description of Hanses' Special Dungeon. Kieran had been through it over ten times.
He had focused a lot on the word "confiscated". In order for his equipment to be confiscated, one would have to find it first.
What if the natives could not find it?
Kieran happened to have a piece of equipment that would be hard for people to find.
He was still figuring out how to perfect his plan though.
He took out the purple Skill Book that Frostrill had dropped.
Its title was [Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance].
Kieran had quite an experience with that particular skill.
When he'd activated the Powerful Ice Attack from [Wilco's Grudge], the skill had popped up in a notification as the system had been authenticating Frostrill's stats.
There was nothing to explain about it. Kieran was sure it would enter his growing list of skills.
[Discovered Skill Book: Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance]
[Learn?]
"Yes, please!"
Kieran answered yes and waited for the synchronization process to start, but instead he was struck by pain.
"Arggh!" he screamed in agony.
He felt like his body was being torn apart.
He did not even have a chance to go through the [Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance]'s details before he lost consciousness.