Chapter 71: Betrayal of Shadows
"FINALLY!! FINALLY!!!"
A man ran towards the gateway which was opening some distance from him. He was panting, running down the snow as he rushed forward like his life depended on it. The freezing air burned his lungs, but the terror driving him was far colder than any winter storm.
"Those bastards!! Sending us after that guy, and still placing a maniac in our team!! Luckily I hid and survived till now!!" He ran, not slowing down one bit, desperate to escape the nightmare of the mutated dungeon.
"Those bastards?"
"...?!"
He forced himself to a stop, as Asher appeared before him, his hands tucked away in his overcoat. The sudden, soundless manifestation of the boy he thought was dead paralyzed his limbs.
"You?! How are you still alive?!" He yelled in shock, pointing a finger at Asher’s nose, his voice cracking with utter disbelief.
WHOOSH!!
"....?!"
The guy lowered his gaze to his cut-off arm, watching the crimson spray freeze mid-air against the snow, and the next moment, he screamed, collapsing on the ground as the agonizing reality of the severed limb caught up with his nervous system.
"AHHH!!!! My arm!!!"
Asher walked towards him, his gaze cold, devoid of any human empathy: "Tell me the bastards you mentioned, and I will spare your life."
"The Warsaw Twins!! They gave us this task!! One billion dollars to cripple you!! Please, please don’t kill me!!" He yelled, spilling secrets like a broken dam in his desperate bid for survival.
Asher stood upright, he suspected Luna, and actually crossed out those two:
’So Luna made them her dogs... Warsaw family, you are now my second target.’ He looked over his shoulder, as the gateway fully opened, its swirling vortex casting a pale, unnatural light over the crimson-stained snow.
[Ten more seconds, Players.]
"Please... Please take me with you!! You promised you won’t kill me!!" The man yelled, as tears rolled down his face, freezing against his skin in the sub-zero wind.
Asher turned to him, and with a flick of his wrist, he turned around, and walked towards the gateway, his expression completely indifferent to the pathetic display:
"Don’t believe anything in a dungeon." He said, entering the gateway, as the headless body of the man fell to the ground, his life extinguished the instant his usefulness expired.
{Gained a Title: Dark Elf Fugitive.}
{You have been marked by the Dark Elves’ King.}
{Title Ability: Once you enter any dark elf dungeon or get one thousand meters from any dark elf, your location will instantly be revealed.}
{Remove Title by Killing the King.}
Asher frowned, walked out from the gateway, stepping back into the harsh reality of the real world. He stared at Tang who was already waiting at a distance, then looked over his shoulder at the gateway, watching as it slowly closed shut, sealing away the hellish trials within.
’Fugitive? Did I tell you I am hiding...? The king, just hope I shouldn’t meet you.’ He thought, his internal ambition brushing off the terrifying warning as a mere inconvenience.
"Boss!! There is big news!!"
Tang rushed towards him, breathing heavily, then froze: "Huh?!! Boss, how did you advance to SSS-RANK?!!" He exclaimed in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he felt the subtle, terrifying aura radiating from Asher.
Such speed hadn’t been heard of; Awakened took many decades of brutal grinding and life-or-death trials to advance to SS-Rank, let alone SSS-Rank, but his Boss just entered a dungeon, and advanced to the peak in a matter of hours.
"It’s nothing serious, I am just touching the starting point." Asher said with a calm expression, his words carrying the weight of a god casually speaking about waking up in the morning.
’Becoming SSS-RANK... Is still called a starting point? The Boss is so weird.’ Tang thought, swallowing hard as he realized the sheer, unmeasurable abyss of power separating him from the young man he served. He coughed, clearing his throat to regain his composure:
"Boss, there is news from the Ancient families."
Asher narrowed his eyes: "Go on."
"Yes, they sent notice to all Noble families, asking each one of them to search for a family called Aetheldawn... Isn’t that your family’s name, Boss?" He asked, a bit worried, lowering his voice as if the mere mention of the ancient bloodline could summon divine retribution.
The Ancient families were the top powers in the whole five countries; their words were law. Although they didn’t mention why they’re after the Aetheldawn Family, most people already believed it was something catastrophic.
They came to this conclusion because the ancient families are ruthless, treating ordinary nobles like insects and looking down on all factions, seeing themselves as the true Rulers of the world.
Getting hunted by them could be a blessing or a curse, but mostly a swift death sentence.
Asher stared at Tang, nodding his head inwardly. There must be a huge reward behind this hunt, but Tang didn’t try to use this information for leverage or hide it; rather, he came to him first, risking his own standing to report everything transparently.
’This man can be trusted.’ He thought, as his black eyes shifted to red, piercing through the veil of superficial loyalty to inspect the man’s true metrics.
{Tang Summa: Loyalty: 70%.}
’Why is his loyalty so high? Don’t tell me the 10% caused this... Wait, with Heaven Hotel’s annual income, that 10% should be billions... I get it now.’ He nodded his head, human nature never changed—wealth and absolute power were the ultimate anchors of allegiance. But still, Tang’s loyalty was something solid to hold onto in a world built on backstabbing.
"Alright, is there anything else?"
"Yes, You got two invitations, Boss." Tang said, bringing out two envelopes from his suit, one was red, and the other was golden, both bearing wax seals that commanded absolute deference.
"Two?"
Asher took the invitations, and opened the golden one, staring at the extravagant calligraphy on the banquet invitation.
[The Labreton family hereby invites you to our Banquet tomorrow evening by 9pm... Please be present.]
"Labreton family? This is the strongest family in Silverspire." He said in surprise, his mind immediately assessing the geopolitical implications:
’Firstly, Ancient Families, and now, Labreton family banquet. You can tell they hosted this to know the names of all the noble families... If I don’t go, I will be a prime suspect, if I go, I will be discovered... Oh well, there is no fun sitting still, anyone who crosses me or my wives, I will simply kill them.’ He thought with cold resolve, and opened the second invitation.
[Hey there, Boss of Heaven Hotel, I am Marianne, guild Leader of Holy Sword Guild. I have a valuable piece of information about your third wife... I think we should discuss this in person, want to grab a snack at your hotel? Pick a date.]
’Information about Juliana?’ Asher was stunned, his icy exterior cracking for a fraction of a second as the safety of his wife instantly eclipsed all political games.