Chapter 239: The Guardians
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
Kieran did not make his move right away, even though he was worried about Herbert.
He saw the three men turn pale from shock, panicking over the sudden explosion.
This was like luring a tiger out of its den!
The tactical strategy instantly popped up in Kieran's mind.
"These three fellas seem to be worth more than they look. Maybe things haven't gone south completely yet!"
Kieran's heart beat fast as he hurled the spear in his hand at the thick rope.
The three men shouted out in shock as they fell. Kieran caught them easily and quickly walked up the stairs.
His Strength had reached B-, so he could carry even more weight and sprint without a problem.
The only concerning matter was his Stamina consumption.
Bang!
The underground door was smashed off by his spear, flying straight towards the burning wall opposite it.
A heatwave assaulted them instantly. The three men started struggling because of the sudden heat, but Kieran did not feel anything.
The burning heatwave before him was like a small breeze caressing his face. Even if he put his palm over the fire, he would not get hurt.
[Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance] was much more useful than it sounded.
Kieran scanned the dancing flames.
Common sense told him that there would not be any more ambushes, but special circumstances could not be predicted by common sense.
After a couple of dungeons, Kieran's common sense had been replaced by vigilance.
"There's no one inside the building or outside it!"
Finally, after a few seconds of scanning the area, Kieran was certain that it was safe. Doubts quickly started filling his mind again though.
The situation before him was the perfect chance for an ambush, but he had no time to spare while flames burned through the walls.
Although [Secondary Elemental Damage Resistance] granted him immunity against fire, if the structure collapsed, he would still suffer significant damage.
Kieran grabbed the trio, who had passed out again because of the heatwave, and dashed up the stairs and right through the window.
He broke the window and landed safely on his feet.
He was shocked to see Herbert lying on the ground unconscious.
"Huh? What's going on?" Kieran was stunned.
Herbert had unexpectedly appeared outside the premises.
Kieran had thought that the men's boss would kidnap Herbert in exchange for the trio. He had even come up with a strategy to deal with the kidnappers.
However, he was proven wrong when he saw Herbert before him.
"If the culprit was not here for these three or for Herbert, then what did they come for?"
Kieran checked on Herbert. He was fine. He had just passed out. Then he turned around and watched the house being swallowed by flames.
Suddenly, a light bulb went on in his brain.
"It must be two different groups of people! The arsonist must have had nothing to do with these three! These men didn't mind hurting Herbert, but the person who caused the explosion had no intention of harming him. Otherwise, I would be looking at Herbert's ashes right now! That explains why there was no ambush either!"
Kieran answered his own questions, but his brow was still furrowed. He was frowning even harder.
"The expedition to Isogu City hasn't even started yet, and there's at least two groups of people who want to stop Herbert from going. What secret does Isogu City hide?" Kieran thought.
Then he shook Herbert's shoulder lightly to wake him up. After a few shakes, the old scholar woke up.
The first thing he saw was his burning house.
"Oh my god! It seems like I'll have to break my promise… I won't be letting you read in my study!" he told Kieran calmly in a slightly amused tone.
He was not shocked at all. He was not even angry about it.
Kieran was stunned.
"Herbert, are you sure you're fine?" he asked worriedly.
Anyone could lose their mind if they went through tremendous trauma. Kieran had heard of it before, but he had never seen it with his own eyes.
The similarity between those symptoms and the ones Herbert was exhibiting was uncanny.
"Of course! My books might be burned to ashes, my notes might be destroyed, but everything is still safe inside my head! Everything that has happened has only confirmed my theories!" Herbert pointed at his head as he smirked.
"What theories?" Kieran looked at Herbert, whose smirk turned into a delighted, excited smile.
It seemed like there was no reason to be worried after all.
"The guardians! The guardians of Isogu City! The legend says that whenever someone gets close to discovering the secrets of Isogu City, the guardians appear and bury the secrets again! The real secrets are not about gold, of course!" Herbert said, sounding even more excited than before.
Kieran was glad that he was well.
"Bury the secrets once more? What about you then?"
Kieran looked at Herbert.
What better person to keep a secret than a dead man?
Most people knew the answer to that question.
It seemed like those guardians were capable of killing.
"You're wondering why the guardians did not kill me? The legendary guardians are no executioners. They will give out a warning before they actually kill someone!" Herbert said.
"Sounds very... polite of them?" Kieran said with a frown. He could not understand why they would go that extra mile.
"That's why Isogu City is so alluring! It's also why I needed bodyguards with real strength!" Herbert mumbled stubbornly as he gazed away with misty eyes.
What Kieran saw that moment was not a scholar, but a fanatic.
He cleared his thoughts and turned his attention back to the trio.
He could not understand the guardians' gentlemanly actions, but he understood that Herbert's enthusiasm for Isogu City was an obsession.
He understood that, just as he understood that he needed to speed up his interrogation.
Even though Herbert lived quite far from the city, a burning house would attract other people's attention.
The police would arrive soon.
Kieran pushed the trio with his toes.
The three of them immediately woke up from their unconscious state with a shocked cry.
They looked at the burning house in panic, like little lambs looking at a hungry wolf. That expression did not match their tough image at all.
"Look at this! Your employer is really something! Not only is he ruthless, but his methods are quite extreme too! Think about it. If I had not taken you guys underground, what would have happened to you in the house? You would have been blasted to pieces or burned to ashes!" Kieran said in a serious tone.
The three of them grew even more anxious after hearing his words. Their panic made them almost stop thinking.
Their employer had just wanted to kill a witness.
"So you still want to keep his secret? Before, you guys were just blackmailers! Even if the police caught you, you would only spend a few nights at the station. Now though? He wants your lives! Don't you understand? Herbert is a witness, so that guy will have nowhere to run! You guys will only be truly safe when he's caught!"
Kieran opened his mouth again after a quick glance at their panicked faces.
They were on the verge of breaking down.
Just as he'd expected, after another round of talking, the leader of the group opened up.
"It's… "
Chapter 240: Better Late Than Never
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
"It… It's Hook! He gave us money to cause trouble at Mr. Herbert's place this afternoon!" the leader of the trio said with a slight stutter.
Kieran's sharp senses picked up something odd about Herbert when the name Hook was mentioned.
"What about him?" Kieran asked him.
"He's the right-hand man of Chief Officer Calkin!" Herbert said.
"The chief of police?" Kieran was stunned.
"No, no, no… He is the leader of a smuggling organization, one of the gangsters around the station. I took a trip at Herl City once and came across him. We had some kind of conflict! After Pierre taught him a lesson though, he never dared cause me any trouble anymore," Herbert explained, shaking his head.
"So this could be Hook's much awaited chance to take revenge. Of course, it might also be about..."
Herbert did not finish his sentence, but Kieran knew what he was going to say.
It was about the expedition to Isogu City.
Someone wanted to stop Herbert from going, and from what Kieran had gathered, there were multiple factions with that same goal.
Compared to that street gangster though, Kieran was more concerned about the guardians, who had blown up Herbert's books and house.
"What happened during the explosion? How did you get out?" he asked Herbert.
"I was preparing the files for Isogu City, when suddenly a pain struck my neck and I passed out! I still have no idea who it was or what they looked like!" Herbert said with a bitter smile, guessing what Kieran wanted to ask.
"I'll go have a look!" Kieran pointed at the burning house.
The fire might have devoured all the tracks within the house, but there were still some tracks left outside.
Before Kieran went over, he did not forget his three captives. They were tied up tightly, but he still gave them a hard kick to knock them out again for Herbert's safety.
Herbert smiled in gratitude, and Kieran walked up to the burning house.
The fire was still burning hot, devouring anything that was left inside.
The first and second floor were completely burned. A giant hole that a horse wagon could pass through had formed on the study's wall.
"The explosion must have started here!"
Kieran looked at the busted pieces of wood outside the house and made an educated guess.
Meanwhile, he also confirmed that the explosion had not been caused by explosives. If it had, the house would not have burned so fiercely.
"There must be some kind of combustion aid around."
Kieran tried to sniff around for clues amid the burning smoke. After excluding gasoline and oil, he could not think of anything else. He looked down at the ground directly opposite the explosion point.
Although it was within the explosion's range, there were tracks even further than that.
Footprints.
Kieran activated his [Tracking] and saw a set of footprints before him.
The footprints were not complete. Each of them was only a half-print left on the ground. Kieran pictured the guardians moving on their tiptoes like cats.
He followed the footprints out to the garden. After about a hundred meters, they disappeared abruptly, as if they had never been there before.
"Huh?"
Kieran frowned. He quickly searched around, using the area where the footprints disappeared as the center point of his search, but he found nothing.
No kind of movement would stop that abruptly, unless the culprit could fly or dig.
Even if they did though, there would still have been some traces left behind.
A wing's flapping or force of impact would have left a trace on the ground, and there would have been more obvious traces if the soil had been dug out.
If the culprit could fly or dig soundlessly, they would not have left any obvious traces at an 100-meter radius from Herbert's house.
There was only one possible explanation.
"They must have relied on some kind of special form of transportation, able to carry one or more men at once, not leave any obvious traces on the ground and make no noise. Could they have used some kind of mystical being?" Kieran guessed.
His mind instantly came up with a couple of mystical beings who fit that criteria.
Although technology was already advancing at an exponential rate in the dungeon world, it wasn't to the extent that one could invent a flying vehicle that could carry one or more men
Plus, with the ancient city's guardians lurking around, Kieran leaned more towards the mystical way.
"The guardians could have some kind of mystical being… So is the answer Isogu City's expedition?" Kieran mumbled to himself softly.
Then he took another careful look at his surroundings. After confirming that there were no stones left unturned, he returned to where Herbert was waiting.
"How was it?" Herbert asked while guarding the three captives.
"I found something odd!" Kieran briefly explained his findings, Herbert's eyes shining brightly.
"According to the legend, the guardians of Isogu City do have flying abilities! I never thought it would originate from a mystical being though!"
Herbert seemed to be quite familiar with mystical beings. He did not look as surprised as Kieran had anticipated.
Thanks to his expression, Kieran could confirm his theory.
As Kieran and Herbert discussed which type of mystical being had paid them a visit, three wagons dashed up to them. Dust was flying around the horses as they sprinted, making the wagons visible from afar.
"They were faster than I thought!" Kieran said in a strange tone, suddenly cutting the discussion short.
Thanks to his exceptional sight, he could see that the man on the first cart was wearing a uniform. Although the pattern was different than the previous ones, his identity was clear.
He was a policeman.
The two wagoners behind him were wearing normal clothes.
"Is that your students?" Kieran asked Herbert after giving a brief description of them.
"Yes! Harold, Cohen and Joanna!" Herbert said with a nod.
After a few minutes, the three wagons stopped in front of the house.
Two men and a woman got down from the last two wagons when the door was pushed open.
One of the men was tall and handsome, his fitting formal suit making his good figure stand out.
The second man was wearing a gunny shirt and bib pants. He was quite thin and short, and he had freckles on his face. He looked no older than a teenager.
The only woman among the three was wearing a white dress. She had delicate facial features and a lily on her head. She looked very graceful.
"Professor, are you alright?"
"What happened here?"
The three of them quickly walked over and asked about Professor Herbert's well-being.
Then the tall handsome guy turned around and looked at the police officer.
"Chief Calkin! I demand an explanation!" he said in an angry voice, addressing the middle-aged man who had just come down from the first wagon.
The other man and the woman also stared at the officer, sharing the same thought.
"I just got here myself. How could I explain when I know nothing yet? I need to talk with Mr. Herbert here before I can provide you with a reasonable explanation, alright? Are those the culprits? If you caught them, I have to congratulate you for your bravery, Mr. Herbert!"
The chief officer was a thin guy with an aquiline nose. His long, scrawny face seemed a little sinister, but his manner of speech was soft, as if he was a leaking wind box.
His soft words left the angry students speechless.
The three of them exchanged a glance before eventually turning their eyes to their professor.
Herbert redirected the attention to Kieran.
"Mind explaining the situation to Chief Officer Calkin here?" he said.
"My pleasure!"
Kieran smiled and nodded as a notification popped up in his vision.
[Sub Mission Unlocked: The Troublesome Chief Officer]
[The Troublesome Chief Officer: Chief Officer Calkin has a bad reputation. Herbert does not like talking to a man like him, so he's hoping that you can explain the situation to Calkin on his behalf. Try your best to get more information out of Calkin. This will affect your relationship with Herbert, Harold, Cohen and Joanna!]
The Sub Mission made Kieran put up his poker face.
"So do you know Hook, Chief Officer?" Kieran asked directly as he walked up to Calkin.
Meanwhile, the [Half-Dead's Gaze] flashed on his right index finger.
Chapter 241: Sifting
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
"I..."
Calkin instinctively wanted to deny everything.
Although anyone with some authority within Herl City knew he was working with Hook, Calkin himself would not admit to the relationship. After all, he was still a policeman.
Matters that seemed impossible to others were a piece of cake for him considering his position.
A little twist of his brain, and he could earn a huge amount of money.
There were a couple more men like Hook under his command. Calkin had already tasted the sweetness of forbidden fruit, and he was not willing to lose the benefits that came along with his position.
Before he could finish his sentence though, the young man before him started to turn blurry.
His shadow elongated and shrunk until it twisted completely and turned into a giant snake that filled his sight and blocked the sun.
As the giant black snake lowered its head, gazing at him with reptilian golden eyes, a cold sensation spread all over his body and numbed his senses. He started to pant heavily and tried to open his mouth and shout.
Before he could though, the snake opened its mouth and threw itself at him.
The stench coming from its mouth was like a fierce wind, its fangs as sharp as mountain peaks and its mouth as big as a lake. Calkin shrunk back like a bug.
"Nooo!" he shouted out in shock.
Suddenly, the scenery before him switched back to Herbert's house and he saw the young man standing in front of him.
"You!"
Calkin opened his mouth and an agonizing pain assaulted his whole body. Unable to hold back his cries, he fell to the ground and started rolling around.
After a full 30 seconds, he finally stopped.
Battlelog notifications started popping up in Kieran's vision.
[Dead-Man's Gaze: Target authentication failed, Fear Illusion induced...]
[Fear Illusion: Target has fallen under your Illusions, Spirit failed authentication, Target has suffered the same amount of Damage as your Spirit Level, 100 Damage inflicted to Target HP, Target is Heavily Wounded…]
"As expected, he is stronger than the average John Doe!" Kieran thought, his eyes locked on Calkin.
As Calkin was struggling on the ground, he tore his clothes apart and revealed the fit muscles underneath.
From the moment Kieran had seen Calkin, he had sensed that there was something strange about him.
His walking and standing stance allowed him to attack anytime he wanted to, and the calluses on his fingers and the backs of his hands betrayed his strength.
Calkin kept panting heavily. Every breath was like air being sucked out of his marrow and going straight to his heart and veins.
While he was still struggling to catch his breath, he heard a familiar voice.
"So do you know Hook, Chief Officer?"
Calkin raised his head and saw the smiling young man.
He seemed to fall into a trance again and see the golden-eyed black snake.
He tried to speak up, but the words that came out of his mouth were different.
"I… I know him!" he said with a stutter.
"I see! These three thugs here said that they were hired by Hook to cause trouble to Mr. Herbert over there. You know what you have to do, right? I hope you think this through before you answer. What you saw just now is just the tip of the iceberg. I could show you much more terrifying visions if you wanted to!" Kieran said, his voice softening as he spoke.
Although he had no idea what Calkin had been through because of the [Fear Illusion], it was clear what he had to do.
He was trying to bluff his way out, and it seemed to be working.
"Ve… Very well! I know what I need to do! I will bring Hook before you, good sir!" Calkin clenched his teeth hard.
"No, no, no… Not before me! Before Mr. Herbert over there!" Kieran pointed out Calkin's mistake in a mocking tone.
"I understand!" Calkin's other men helped him up to the wagon and he left quickly.
Kieran was smiling mysteriously as he watched the wagon go.
He did not know whether Hook's actions were based on personal revenge or other people's instructions. It might even have been a direct order from Calkin. Kieran knew one thing for sure though.
People felt fear before the unknown, and fear itself was enough for Kieran to control Calkin.
didn't matter whether Calkin panicked and revealed his hidden agenda, or remained calm and started acting more vigilantly. All Kieran wanted was for him to make a move.
"As I expected of you, 2567!" Herbert praised Kieran as he walked over.
The three young students also turned their eyes to him, inspecting him curiously.
The young man in the bib pants suddenly smacked his own forehead and said in surprise, "2567? The Colossal Crocodile Killer and Spirit Hunter 2567?" he asked.
"If there is no other 2567 around, then I guess that's me!"
Kieran had no idea how the system had instilled his reputation into the natives' memories, but he accepted it as a fact with a nod.
"It's really you? Was that crocodile as big as three wagons? What does a spirit look like? How did you do that just now? Calkin is usually so much different!" the young man voiced out his surprise before he started asking him questions.
"Cohen!" the other young man stopped his friend, looking embarrassed.
Then he turned around and introduced himself to Kieran in a manner that matched the way he was dressed.
"Good day, Sir 2567! I am Harold, this is Joanna, and that's Cohen. We are all Mr. Herbert's students!"
Harold pointed at the woman and Cohen.
His words were also filled with curiosity, and the same feeling was evident on Joanna's face.
Compared to Cohen though, the two of them were much more reserved.
"Good day everyone. I'm 2567!" Kieran replied before stepping back and looking at the scene with Herbert.
As his house burned down, many of his books and files were destroyed. Kieran knew Herbert needed manpower to help restore everything.
His students were the best candidates for the job.
"Harold, I need some pen and papers, and I know you will invite me to your house for the time being, but it would still be much more convenient to tidy things up here. Cohen, go back to the city and tell Pierre to buy some tents. We are leaving on the 25th, so there's still three more days left. We can't just sleep on the ground like this! And Joanna, I need you to help me tidy up my notes!" Herbert assigned tasks to each of his students before turning his eyes to Kieran.
"I have another favor to ask of you!" he said.
"Let's hear it! I agreed to be your bodyguard, so I'll do anything within my powers and the contract!" Kieran replied with a smile.
He could see a Sub Mission coming his way.
"Help me sift through the other bodyguards that replied to the ad. Pierre is currently busy with other things, and my students and I are not the right people for that job!" Herbert said in a sincere tone.
Notifications suddenly started pinging in Kieran's vision.
[Sub Mission: The Troublesome Chief Officer (Completed)]
[Sub Mission Unlocked: Sifting Through Bodyguards!]
[Sifting Through Bodyguards: You've won Herbert's trust, so he's asked you to deal with one more matter. To repay the trust he has placed on you, you need to carefully sift through those who replied to the bodyguard recruitment ad. Be careful though! Some of them might have ill intentions!]
"Ill intentions?"
Kieran squinted as he read the description.
Chapter 242: Once Upon A Dynasty
Translator: Dess Editor: Efydatia
As darkness filled the sky, two campfires were lit in Herbert's garden.
Herbert and Joanna were talking softly in front of the fire. Harold, who had brought back the pens and papers, had not joined them.
The well-dressed young man went over to the other campfire, working with the two wagoners and a cooking maid.
Cohen had returned with Pierre and brought back three tents.
After a short conversation with Herbert, Pierre had left with Cohen again in a hurry.
He did not forget to thank Kieran for taking care of Herbert while he was away though.
Kieran said it was within his duties and then watched him go.
Although Pierre had not mentioned anything about the expedition, judging by the way he'd left, Kieran knew the preparations for Isogu City had to be much more complicated than they seemed.
"Other than all the necessary supplies, we'll also need some weapons!" Kieran thought.
They were not listed on Pierre's checklist, but after what had happened in the afternoon, Herbert might reconsider.
After spending some time with him, Kieran had gotten to know him fairly well.
He was not as stubborn and strict as the average scholar. He was actually a very optimistic and adaptable person.
Kieran admired his morals, which he held onto tightly.
A scholar who would rather have his bones broken than give in to blackmail was probably better than most scholars out there.
"Dinner is ready, sir! Please join us!"
Harold rolled up his sleeves and wiped the stains off his hands as he walked over.
"Nice!" Kieran nodded with a smile.
Joanna walked up to the cooking maid to help.
Harold and Joanna looked like they had been born in upper class families, but they did not mind mingling with the cooking maid and the wagoners or serving food for others.
That was not a simple feat for someone from the wealthy class.
From what Kieran knew, even slightly wealthy people their age were living like princes and princesses, having everything provided to them.
It seemed like Herbert's lessons were really something else.
"Your dinner, sir."
Joanna passed Kieran a big wooden bowl filled with soup, and the cooking maid gave him two big biscuits the size of a grown man's palm.
There were mushrooms, beans, bamboo shoot, as well as some pork and shrimp in the soup. The steamy cream soup had a rich flavor and a smooth texture.
The fragrance entered Kieran's nose and made him swallow his saliva. He took a big mouthful of soup and quickly stuffed a big biscuit in his mouth.
The crunchiness of the biscuit mixed well with the creamy soup. He started chewing delightedly.
"This is really good!"
Kieran was not stingy with his compliments when it came to good food.
Although his mouth was stuffed and he could not pronounce the words clearly, the cooking maid was delighted to see her food appreciated and rewarded Kieran with another biscuit.
Kieran accepted the extra biscuit politely before walking over to Herbert.
Herbert had brought his dinner there, but he was not rushing to eat.
He was writing with a pencil, drawing shapes on the papers and labeling them accordingly.
He didn't even notice Kieran walk over.
When Kieran finished his last mouthful of soup, Herbert was still in his own world.
"Professor is always like this, focusing his full attention on his studies. That's why I admire him so much!" Joanna told Kieran softly as she placed Herbert's dinner next to the campfire.
"I admire people who focus all their attention on something as well!" Kieran said happily.
It was not polite chit chat. This was what he really thought.
Kieran knew perfectly well how amazing it was to fully commit to something.
The fact that the two of them shared the same viewpoint made the gap between him and Joanna shorter. The young lady instantly became more chatty.So is what Cohen said true? Did you really kill a colossal crocodile as big as three wagons? And spirits as well?" she asked curiously.
"It was not as big as three wagons. Maybe half as big! If it had really been three wagons long, it would have been a legendary beast!" Kieran shrugged.
"What about spirits? Are they still looking for their loved ones and hold on to their memories before they die?"
Joanna's manner of speech had a sense of yearning to it. No doubt her curiosity was more sentimental.
Kieran was dull to these kind of things though. He just couldn't sense them.
"No, they don't! Most spirits I've met were just convoluted beings that condemned the living. If you come across such spirits, it's wiser to stay in the sunlight. If it's night, have a torch with you to protect yourself! Remember, they can go through walls and floors, so try not to lean against walls and watch your steps!"
The conversation had been supposed to carry a sense of romance, but it instantly turned into a battle strategy lecture.
Kieran would not mind showing off about his abilities if Joanna asked for some battle tips.
However, the young lady had zero interest in fighting, even more so when Kieran smashed her imagination into pieces.
"I'll go help Professor with his work!"
Joanna went over to the campfire and picked up a pen and paper.
"Sorry for that, sir!" Harold, who had witnessed the whole thing, came over and apologized.
"It's fine!"
Kieran had no idea why Joanna was upset, but he would not get frustrated over it. He was not concerned about what a mere acquaintance thought of him.
Unless it was related to the mission. He would not mind probing for more information regarding the mission.
"What do you know about Isogu City?" he asked Harold.
"The ancient city of Isogu was a giant fortress built by the Neegor Dynasty. It was actually thought to be just a myth! People doubt the existence of the Neegor Dynasty. Legend has it that the dynasty conquered the world about 1,500 years ago! It conquered all other kingdoms and states of the time, but they never left any proof behind. They were just briefly mentioned in some ancient tomes. It was as if they vanished overnight!"
"However, Professor believes that the Neegor Dynasty really existed, so he wants to head to Isogu City to find proof for his theory!" Harold told Kieran the truth behind the expedition.
"I see..."
Kieran nodded in realization as he memorized all the information about the Neegor Dynasty.
It could prove vital for clearing the dungeon.
Just as Kieran was about to ask Harold for more information, the sound of a wagon came from afar.
The police wagon that had left in the afternoon had come back.
When it stopped, Calkin came down. His face was pale and he was staggering.
He seemed to be in shock as he walked over to Kieran.
"Hook… Hook is dead!" he said with a stutter.