Chapter 588: You Knew It All Along?
Translator: Dess Editor: EbonyFrost
Kieran remained silent when Lawless asked the question.
He mimicked Lawless in smoking the cigar.
After a slight bitterness, a rich flavourful sweetness exploded in his mouth before he spat out the smoke.
The unique scent of the cigar went into his nose, causing him to squint his eyes in a pleasant way.
Kieran who was a novice would never really know how to smoke a cigar but it didn't stop him from learning to enjoy one.
Cigarettes could never escape the sight of a young man or more precisely, a boy.
Whether one would accept it or reject it, it would definitely enter the sight of a boy.
Some would get choked by the stinging sensation of the smoke, causing them to tear up and sniffle, they would hate cigarettes after being choked because of not smoking it correctly.
Everyone has their own choices though, despite the choices made, cigars had a special place in the rankings of cigarettes.
Kieran has already gotten used to the smell, at least he showed interest in the cigar house that Lawless mentioned.
Kieran didn't know how to reject the goodwill cigar, similar to how he has no reaction for Lawless who spoke again.
"I haven't gotten anything on that curse but I've tried testing it several times, it seems like it is harmless against other things and living being, and I think it's only locked on to you. So you better not go near that thing! After Blacksmith finishes your embedding, you will go back straight to your game room! It will be the safest place for now." Lawless said in a serious manner.
Kieran nodded silently, not because of how serious Lawless was but it was an undeniable fact.
The power of a curse. It was something not to be underestimated even among the myriad of skills of the players.
That unusual power would cause catastrophic results with the slightest misstep.
"Don't worry! I will find another curse dispeller in the shortest time possible and give you back your freedom!" Lawless assured Kieran, his tone was as serious as ever.
"But while I'm stuck behind my door…" Kieran pointed out something.
"That bastard? I'll keep an eye on him, don't you worry! That Goddamned cunning merchant, what is he up to now? He doesn't seem like the guy that will harm others without benefits!"
Lawless got the hint despite Kieran was being subtle.
With all the traces left behind, it was obvious that Broker and Black Robe were working together. Lawless wasn't an idiot, if he was tricked once and still didn't react to the situation, he would be courting death.
However, Lawless couldn't understand the motives behind Broker's decision to do so, Kieran either.
Both of them exchanged a gaze before Lawless reached out to his pocket and tossed a blue misty crystal ring to Kieran.
"Here, your ring." Lawless pointed.
[Name: Wilco's Redemption]
[Type: Accessory]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Attack/Defense: None]
[Attributes: 1. Chilling Touch; 2. Chilling Spike]
[Effects: None]
Prerequisites: None]
[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]
[Remarks: A mission that Wilco had considered easy ended up leading to his death. Wilco's hatred and grudges are sealed in this ring!]
...
[Chilling Touch: You need to touch your target with the ring for the skill to be activated. It strikes with a Powerful Cold Attack that lasts 5 seconds (When combined with other equipment on your body, it still lasts the same amount of time), 2 times/day]
[Chilling Spike: Fire a long ice spear at your target, 30-meter maximum range. When the ice spear hits the target or any other obstacle, it will trigger an ice explosion of 3 meters in range. Direct hit target, will receive Powerful ice attack, other target will receive Strong to Weak ice splash damage depending on how near they are to the blast point. 2/day]
…...
Not only had the name of the ring changed, the attribute was changed as well.
"This is a top tier item even within the Rare category itself!" Kieran commented.
"Still falling short a bit, if the natives that drop this item was any stronger, once the curse was dispelled, it would be a Legendary item instead!" Lawless explained.
"Well, in the end, you might not even need to dispel one of those and you will get the message that I've died because of it!" Kieran rolled a white eye at Lawless before going into Blacksmith's room with the cigar in his mouth.
His time was really running out with a curse following him like a shadow.
...
Blacksmith's room hadn't changed a bit since the last visit.
The minimalist style made quite the impression on people.
Blacksmith was already prepared for the embedding beside the big roundtable.
The [Dark Nether Stone] was also placed on the obvious spot of the table.
[Name: Dark Nether Stone]
[Type: Gemstone]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Attribute: 1. Consume; 2. Embedding; 3. Tribute]
[Able to bring out of dungeon: Yes]
[Remark: This is a magical gemstone, its value will surely exceed your imagination!]
...
[Consume: Consume the Dark Nether Stone to acquire the Dark Lineage]
[Embedding: Embed on your weapon or armor to acquire various Dark effects]
[Tribute: Offering it as a tribute at a certain temple will give you unexpected encounters!]
[Note 1: High percentage of failure when consumed, but no damage to consumer when failed]
[Note 2: A certain percentage of failure when embedding, the gemstone and item will be destroyed at the same time if failed!]
[Note 3: When offered as a tribute, good things or bad things might happen depending on your luck!]
...
"Offer as a tribute at a certain temple?" Kieran frowned.
He never thought that the [Dark Nether Stone] would have such an attribute attached to it.
"Could it even bring out a Godly being?" Kieran speculated.
Yet it didn't change his idea of having it embedded in his armor.
Aside from the luck-depending remarks which was a total opposite of Kieran's style, the certain "temple" was enough for Kieran to reject it because it would also depend on his luck.
Unexpected variables would indefinitely be enlarged when two luck-depending matters were put together. Kieran didn't want to take the risk.
"Well then, take off your clothes! We don't have much time left!" Blacksmith said.
It stunned Kieran for a while before he realized that she was referring to repairing his items and not the dirty thoughts in his mind.
Kieran quickly took off [Armor of Excellence] and [Crow's Black Feather] to hide his awkwardness.
Blacksmith placed [Crow's Black Feather] on the table while contacting other players to repair the [Armor of Excellence].
While bearing his top, Kieran saw Blacksmith take out needles and other sewing tools.
To his surprise, Blacksmith didn't start her repairing immediately.
"2567? I hope the place is quiet while I work. Not only do I require you to be quiet but also don't your gaze interfering with me," Blacksmith said.
"Okay!"
Kieran nodded and turned around. He never gave it much thought since he saw how Blacksmith worked the other time, so he shifted his attention to his PM tab.
He opened up his tab while the sewing sounds echoed in his ears.
Rachel's name was lit up and a message was sent over to his inbox.
…...
2567: You knew it all along?
Chapter 589: Above Transcendence
Translator: Dess Editor: EbonyFrost
Kieran sent the message out but Rachel hadn't replied since then.
He frowned.
He knew of the relationship between Lawless and Rachel. Both of them were past the friend-zone since they fought back to back in real life and helped each other. Their relationship was more than partners that went through life and death together, with a little mix of subtle love.
However, after leaving the organization and things that followed, Lawless became evasive of Rachel.
Kieran was sure Rachel wouldn't transform her love into hate which was why he was so puzzled by the methods Rachel took.
She knew it would be dangerous yet she kept quiet and didn't tell Lawless about it, in fact, she even purposely evaded the topic.
The image of Rachel was very different from how Kieran perceived of her.
His wait continued.
After almost 30 seconds, Rachel finally replied.
...
Rachel: Um...
2567: Why?
She went silent once more. It felt like she was finding words to convey the thoughts in her mind.
Rachel: Do u think Lawless is normal?
Was Lawless normal?
Kieran squinted his eyes as messy guesses started to float in his mind. Eventually, he chose to ask.
2567: In what way?
Rachel: His personality!
Rachel: Back in the organization, his personality was a big problem as well. He acted fine like common people most of the time but when something stimulated him or triggered him, he would go awry all of a sudden!
Rachel: Remember the last time how unusual he was when he knew Coll was kidnapped?
...
Kieran frowned.
He recalled that mini incident back in Harvest Inn, where Lawless' killer intent almost materialized. That Lawless and the current one was totally a different person.
Normally, Lawless was a nagging, funny person who loved to help others but Lawless at that particular moment was more like a machine to Kieran, a killing machine.
Though, the most impactful scene was undoubtedly Rachel smashing a bottle of wine onto Lawless' head to calm him down.
Kieran was hesitant for a while before asking more.
...
2567: Is Lawless suffering from a personality disorder?
Rachel: Similar but not entirely right. He is having some mental problems, not too severe but if this continues on, it will be. So I wanted to cure him.
2567: So you purposely let him stepped into Black Robe's trap?
Rachel: Yes.
Rachel: I, of course, know how dangerous it was but only with that could some sense be knocked into him in order to make him understand his mistakes. His kindness will not always bring sincerity in return! Only then he can reflect on his actions. Although the process might be painful, it is better than his condition worsening like that! He is like a suppressed spring, the more he is pressed down, the more powerful the rebounding force will be. When the suppression went over his limits, the spring would break completely.
2567: Lawless is not a spring!
Rachel: Yeah, but a more terrifying existence.
...
Kieran frowned as he gazed over the conversation with Rachel.
He wanted to refute Rachel from Lawless's perspective but he couldn't find any solid statement to back himself up, not even the slightest argument could come to his mind.
He wasn't a psychologist and couldn't tell how severe Lawless's condition was. All he could rely on was the communication during normal times and his sharp instinct.
This time, his instinct told him that Rachel wasn't lying but she was still hiding something.
…...
2567: And why did you leave before?
2567: What about that Osiris Brew?
…...
Kieran sent out his messages in a questioning manner but…
Rachel went offline again!
His furrowed brows tightened when he saw the grayed out name.
Kieran who has been sitting down with his legs crossed wanted to step out and ask Lawless in person but when he stood up, he hesitated.
Lawless was the first friend he made in the underground game.
Obviously, it meant something to him and it made Kieran value their friendship even more.
He wouldn't want any accidents to happen between them.
It might be worry or scare for him but eventually, all that was left was the heart of cherishing.
Fuuu!
Kieran took in a deep breath to calm down his chaotic mind. He knew he needed the calmness more now than at any other time.
"Rachel must be hiding something but she wouldn't tell me. Other than Rachel, who else is around Lawless…"
Coll, Hanses, Raven, Ramont, and others came to his mind but he realized these few wouldn't know more than he did.
It was more of an in-game communication between them. They might have some contact in the real world but definitely not much, at most discussing some popular topics that weren't even related to their personal lives.
Everyone would rather be quiet about their own life, not only because of the habit of protecting one's privacy but also the uniqueness of the underground game.
Death was enough for one to be cautious, while Lawless being all honest and sincere was quite the rare case.
Now, when Kieran thought about it, it seemed like Lawless really had a problem.
Kieran rubbed his ever-swelling temple.
"What's wrong with you?"
A pleasant voice sounded.
Blacksmith was already standing beside Kieran without his knowledge and was holding the prepared [Crow's Black Feather].
The repaired and embedded [Armor of Excellence] was also placed on the big round table.
"I'm fine." Kieran shook his head.
He took the mantle and went over to the armor.
[Armor of Excellence] was originally a lustrous upper body armor but after embedding, it became pure black.
The dark tone interweaved across the surface and formed a unique pattern.
When Kieran first saw the armor, he noticed the difference already and he felt like he was drawn into the darkness, staring at it uncontrollably.
The unusual point didn't bother him at all, instead, he quickly picked the newly embedded [Armor of Excellence] with utmost interest.
[Name: Armor of Excellence]
[Type: Plate armor]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Defense: Extreme]
[Attribute: 1. Soul Summon, 2. Shadow Cover, 3. Shadow Terror]
[Effect: None]
[Prerequisite: Spirit SS]
[Remark: This is a very special armor of excellence, different from what others know of it. It has a more mysterious power to it and the wearer will need to be iron-willed to wear it safely!]
...
[Soul Summon: You can dominate 10 unconscious souls within a 100-meter radius range, 3 times/day]
[Shadow Cover: While hiding in shadows, gain extra Undercover +1 effect. You can also shuttle through shadows in a short range without breaking cover (10-meter limit), 3 times/day]
[Shadow Terror: Targets who lay eyes on this armor will have to undergo a test of will (includes but not limited to Spirit attributes). Failure will send target into Panic debuff]
...
"Extreme defense and the new [Shadow Cover]!"
The embedding of the Legendary gemstone was not disappointing at all, the fact that it raised the defense to the next level had reached Kieran's minimal baseline, let alone [Heavy], the negative attribute was removed and was replaced with [Shadow Cover].
"It didn't say whether it would cap the skill at Transcendence, which means… Undercover can go above Transcendence?!"
Kieran was extremely excited.
Chapter 590: Blueprints
Translator: Dess Editor: EbonyFrost
Kieran had his own guesses about whether the skills would go above Transcendence.
Following the Character Model Template Limit, his guesses would only solidify themselves.
Transcendence was not the max limit of a skill, there should be higher skill levels above that, it was just that he wasn't there yet.
Kieran even had guesses about if he would limit break his Character Model Template Limit, would there be more levels for his skills to upgrade?
Also, there might be other unknown prerequisites that he hadn't met but it wasn't much of a concern for Kieran at the moment because he had the chance to test out the skill level above Transcendence!
Kieran eagerly put on the new [Armor of Excellence] once the thought came to mind but he didn't go into Undercover mode because he remembered he was still in someone else's room.
"How much do I need to pay you?" Kieran asked directly.
He wasn't stingy about paying points this time around since he was very satisfied with [Armor of Excellence]'s attributes. It wasn't that he had suddenly become generous but he knew Blacksmith wouldn't lie to him in terms of pricing and with the newly embedded [Armor of Excellence] he could earn more points with it.
"That won't be necessary. The [Reverse Scar] that you lent me has earned me enough Points for your repairs and embedding." Blacksmith said lightly.
[Reverse Scar] was a cursed item, after all, it wouldn't leave behind any drops after killing the targets but would provide the user with Points and Skill Points.
Kieran knew it all along but he didn't think it would be enough for even the embedding, let alone the repair fees.
The previous Rare rank embedding had cost 300K Points and this time around, Kieran didn't think it would be the same price.
Based on his limited understanding of embedding rules, each different rank would raise the cost a few times higher than the previous or even ten times in certain cases.
He didn't think that the Black Robes players would be able to provide Blacksmith with a million points or so despite their overwhelming numbers.
If there were items or equipment left behind, it would be more reasonable though.
Therefore, Kieran didn't go off right away but he stood and stared at Blacksmith.
He didn't want to owe people debt of gratitude without any valid reason, Blacksmith as well.
"Consider a part of it as a thank you for saving my life." Blacksmith said.
It might be him over thinking but Kieran was certain that he noticed Blacksmith's tone went even colder when she uttered those words but it was also a reason that he could accept.
Therefore, Kieran nodded with a smile and said goodbye in a courteous way.
Lawless already told Kieran the curse was approaching via PMs.
Kieran quickly left as the door was closed.
Blacksmith was left alone in her own room. She switched off the system blur of her face and stood there quietly, staring at the long-closed door.
A subtle expression floated across her delicate face soon after, it looked like she was angry and relieved at the same time.
"This is not real! All of this is virtual!"
Blacksmith reminded herself once more before disappearing within her own room.
...
Outside Blacksmith's room, Lawless was calling out to Kieran.
"Huge discovery! Huge discovery!"
Lawless ran over to Kieran's side with his loud yelling and the loud voice suddenly stopped.
The familiar scene relieved Kieran without any real reason after his feelings turned heavy because of what Rachel told him.
Kieran too walked over to Lawless with an exceptionally skilled poker face.
Coll and the others further away already started to laugh.
"You people! Little punks! Can't you guys be more cooperative? When I say huge discovery, at least you people can show some curiosity!" Lawless said out loud in a righteous tone and pointed at Coll and the others.
However, the laughs became even louder, even Kieran grinned a little.
Kieran saw that Lawless was biting his cigar and kept on mumbling by himself. He then reached out his hand into Lawless's backpack and took out a cigar, lighted it up with his left hand and took a deep puff.
The smoke came out slowly after.
Kieran tried to savor the faint fragrant from the smoke and it did make him more delighted.
All the things that Rachel told him were thrown behind him.
Who said that goodwill couldn't be repaid with sincerity?
Kieran, Coll, Hanses, Raven, Ramont and even Blacksmith were all dead people?
Would they stand beside when Lawless was in trouble?
"The more I worry, the messier I get… Almost fell into your pace!"
Kieran took another puff and his eyes lit up.
He has no idea why Rachel did what she did but he knew she was hiding much more than he could imagine.
Glancing over at Lawless, Kieran didn't tell Lawless because it wasn't necessary.
He believed that even if he would go and question Rachel now, she would come up with a different excuse in a reasonable way.
So, he stopped the questions but it didn't mean he didn't care. Kieran would approach the problem in a different way instead.
As the thoughts flashed through his heart, his steps became firmer.
He knew what he wanted to do and what he should do.
"You little punks and pricks!"
"2567, I've found the Secondary Medicine Crafting Platform Blueprint!"
Lawless gave a middle-finger to the others and told Kieran in a mysterious tone.
"[Secondary Medicine Crafting Platform Blueprint]?!"
Kieran was stunned and he repeated the whole term just to assure himself.
"Yup!" Lawless nodded and sent a screenshot to Kieran right away.
[Name: Secondary Medicine Crafting Platform Blueprint]
[Type: Crafting blueprint]
[Rarity: Great]
[Prerequisite: Medicine and Medicinal Knowledge (Master), Basic Medicine Crafting Platform]
[Remark: This is an upgraded version of the basic crafting platform. Able to craft bandages and also a small chance of producing healing syringes!]
...
Below the screenshot had a 250,000 Points price tag.
"Buy it!"
Kieran said without even hesitating.
[Basic Medicine Crafting Platform] had its own limits, the bandages that it crafted other than the high bandages were pretty much useless to Kieran now. He would rather wait for his body to heal instead but the [Secondary Medicine Crafting Platform] was a different story.
Kieran too knew about the [Healing Syringe], a medical syringe that could heal 50 HP in one injection. Although it has a 1-hour usage cooldown, it would still be a lifesaving tool for most of the players.
Everyone would be stingy once in a while but against something that could save lives, even Kieran the stingy Scrooge would show an exception, let alone others.
Kieran wasn't a cunning merchant like Broker but he realized the huge profits that he could make from the healing items.
Even though it might seem like a huge investment in the early stages, this amount of investment wasn't much to Kieran since he had suddenly gotten rich.
Kieran turned to his points tab.
[Points: 800,000; Skill Points: 165; Golden Skill Points: 7; Golden Attribute Points 13]
He immediately gave 250K points to Lawless.
While Lawless was contacting and negotiating with the seller, Keiran went over his remaining Points and Skill Points, planning his next stage of upgrades.
The group didn't pause a step while that was happening because the gray glimmering curse was showing itself around the street corner.