"Hmpf. Enough talking! Obediently hand over your storage bag, kid!"
An annoyed voice chimed in as the skinny warrior approached Tepo. His greedy hand already reached for the young man.
B*stards! You are only nine-circled aspirants at most! Do all of you think I'm this easy to bully? Then pay the price!
Suddenly the situation changed. The warriors opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Tepo moved without showing any signs beforehand. A knife appeared in his hand.
A dreadful feeling assaulted the skinny warrior. Hastily, his weapon appeared out of thin air. Surprisingly it was a chain-linked knife.
But Tepo was didn't give the warrior any time to react. His body shot forward. With [Chaotic Evasion] he suddenly appeared next to the warrior.
A golden circle was left in the place Tepo just stood. It gathered force, repeating the same old trick. Dangerous transparent knifes rained down on the enemy.
Tepo's eyes were as sharp as his knife. The skinny warrior reacted hastily. His weapon circled through the air, trying to block the attacks.
At the same time a knife glinted in the light. It flashed like a venomous snake prepared to take a life.
Only a moment passed but the skinny warrior was already riddled with injuries. He wasn't prepared for an ability like Tepo's [Projection]. His brain reacted too slowly.
Suddenly the man felt a coldness on his neck. His instincts kicked in. A raging storm former a thin layer around the man's body, diverting all attacks.
But Tepo's knife was already close. It slashed out as blood sprayed through the air.
After this attack Tepo didn't stay any longer. Before the other warriors recovered from their shock he had already left through the door.
Behind him the skinny warrior held his throat with fear in his eyes. Luckily the knife missed slightly at the last moment, but he wasn't yet out of the woodwork. With a body lacerated in many places the skinny man had to be careful not to die of blood loss.
Having made his stance clear, Tepo dashed down the stairs. A moment later angry yells and steps came from the dining room.
The warriors started their pursuit. They couldn't let someone weaker than them make a fool out of them.
Tepo heard their voices, but he wasn't perturbed. He was confident that no one would reach him.
A short while later the young man was already within the servant quarters. He entered the hidden door. Putting his ring in an indention in the hallway's wall, the maid's room returned to normal.
Suddenly the door was bashed open. A group of raging warriors entered the room. Not finding their target they turned around, violating the next door.
Tepo took a deep breath as he stood within the stone path. He was gradually getting used to the rules of this world. This time it didn't take much to push him to go for the kill.
I guess this is a necessary change. I have to adjust if I want to thrive in this world.
As thoughts ran through his head, the young man went back to the workshop. Quickly his mind was occupied with other issues again.
Tepo grinned as he took the schematics from the wall. Next, he began searching the workbench. A lot of rare materials wandered into his pockets.
Although those were only some bits and pieces others discarded, for Tepo it was a small windfall.
Suddenly the young warrior's eyes lit up. Below a broad metal plate a few pieces of paper suddenly appeared.
Did I find a diary again? Is my luck this good?
Elated, Tepo grabbed the pieces of paper. But soon the corners of his mouth fell.
It's written in the local language. I can't read it…
With a wry smile Tepo browsed through the papers. But suddenly his mood lifted again. He felt like driving a roller coaster. If he knew what a roller coaster was…
Ha! Some of the papers are written in the common language.
Let's see…
Those seem to be notes about the weapon that was built here. It's not a jackpot but I take it. Anvil will be happy about them. She might even be able to deceiver the other language.
Sun's Punishment… what a name.
Hmm. Apparently, the weapon shoots some kind of special flame. It has a massive power but uses a lot of energy.
Ways to protect the weapon itself from heat…
Ways to deal with the energy shortage…
Interesting. The flame used is Holy Sun Fire. It started as the flame of some beast but has been deliberately worshipped within the empire for a long time. Under the influence of the Force of Natural Perception it became more and more powerful.
Maybe this can be used as a reference. This could be a way to create legendary weapons. But it takes a lot of time.
Hmm. The notes change a bit towards the end. Apparently the two main creators got into a fight. One of them doubted the emperor's sanity and didn't want the ruler to control such a mighty weapon.
In the end he took one of the keystones away and the weapon was rendered useless.
As he browsed through the notes a hand-drawn image suddenly fell into Tepo's eyes. The young man stopped in surprise.
This… can it be? Such a coincidence?
The warrior connected to his storage bag. Suddenly a blinding crystal appeared in his hands. It was the one he took form the tower before.
Wow. This is actually the keystone! With this I might be able to get rid of a lot of beasts. I can pave a way towards the statue!
Suddenly Tepo's breathing quickened. He realized that an unbelievably strong weapon had fallen into his hands out of nowhere. His palms got sweaty, almost dropping the keystone.
F*ck. Ok, what should I do? Can I monopolize the Sun's Punishment? Its rather unlikely. The two brothers will return soon, and I need to leave the tunnel sometime.
Tepo contemplated his next actions for a while. But ultimately, he decided to reveal his findings to Lao Ru without mentioning the keystone. Judging from the older warrior's reaction he would make other plans.
But first I have to do something else…
With those notes Tepo was suddenly in control of the palace. All secrets laid barren to him. He even knew the tunnel's layout.
Leaving the room, Tepo followed the broad path. He passed two crosswalks as he advanced. A staircase entered his view.
The young man went downwards as a familiar feeling pricked his skin.
Tepo reached a round room made form stone. This was the deepest point of the entire palace. A sturdy tower reached towards the sky from this place.
Not far away an energy barrier circled three pedestals made out of the finest force crystals. Even the floor in these parts was made from force crystals, with some differently colored odd stones inlaid in the floor.
Tepo studied the setup. It was still as described in the notes. But suddenly the warrior frowned. His stomach sank as he noticed that only a single keystone was left.
This place not only powered the Sun's Punishment but also the palace's defense. Normally it was controlled by three keystones. Since one was taken away, naturally two should be remaining.
Oh no. Did I rejoice too early?
Gritting his teeth, Tepo did his best to stay optimistic. He still had one room left to search…
But first let's prepare some backup.
With the knowledge gained from the notes Tepo entered the energy barrier. He scanned the floor before stepping on a red stone and infusing some force into it. The energy barrier flashed in red before quickly returning to its transparent state.
The young man nodded in satisfaction before taking the red stone with him and leaving the room. He returned towards the maid's bedroom.
Since some time had already passed Tepo opened the secret door without a worry. There was no way the other warriors were still waiting for him.
But suddenly he froze. Two burly bodies blocked his sight.
A scrutinizing gaze scanned Tepo's body:
"So you're that guy? Doesn't look impressive to me!"
A rough voice welcomed Tepo. The young man smiled wryly as he looked at Lao De:
"I guess I can't compare to you yet."
"Hmpf. And this will never change!"
Lao Ru shook his head as he interrupted the conversation:
"Just ignore my brother. He has always been rather… upfront."
"I see.", acknowledged Tepo with a nod.
The young man looked at Lao De' proud face, who was not at all offended by his brother's words. Suddenly he wrinkled his nose slightly. A metallic smell clung to the strong warriors.
"Did you deal with the other warriors who stayed back?"
"Yeah.", admitted Lao De. "I finished your fight for you."
Tepo sighed faintly. A few more lives were lost over something as simple as a storage bag. But that's just how this world works.