Eternal Thief

Two tall demons clad in black armor mounted on two horse-like beasts with dark horns. They were slowly moving a few meters away from the edge of the cliff.

They both were holding two brightly lit formation plates with small white projections.

“Every year we’ll be sent here to inspect this place like someone would dare to come here with all those demonic marine beasts and the protective formations around the edges.” One of the armored demons grumped as he idly looked at the projection of the area.

“This is Fate, my friend. If we have more talent, we wouldn’t have been abandoned by our tribes and sent in the army to be high-level cannon folds.” The other demon lamented with a forlorn smile, “Well, at least we weren’t appointed to the Sea Hunting Division. The death toll in that place is like sky-high.”

A hint of fear appeared in the other demon’s eyes when he heard ‘Sea Hunting Division’ and nodded solemnly. “Alright, you check the perimeter here, while I check the forbidden forest.”

“Fine by me.”

The other one nodded without expression and continued to move at the cliff’s edges on his mount while the other one moved his steed toward the forest a mile away from the cliff.

As the demon moved beside the cliff, he unmounted when he saw some cracks on the cliff’s surface and carefully move in that area. He was doing it for years, so he was quite proficient in this task.

However, he reached a certain point, and the projection on the formation suddenly started to flutter.

“Is it broken?” The demon was startled because this formation shouldn’t be supposed to react like this.

This formation was made to examine the protective barrier around this area, which was to detect the other races’ invaders.

If the barrier was malfunctioning, the reaction would be completely different.

“Maybe it’s because I arrange too many formations and arrays around my base?”

A pondering voice rang in the demon’s ears, startling him.

However, before he could react or turn around, the voice rang again, but this time there was only one word that sounded laced with a mysterious power.

”Stop!” 

The demon felt like strange darkness engulfed his eyes, and he forgot about anything and everything. He felt melancholic as a very distant and painful memory suddenly started to play in front of him.

A demon viciously beating a young demon appeared who was none other than him, “You, useless chode, I should’ve killed you when you were born…”

Then a demoness appeared and menacingly uttered, “I’m no mother of trash…”

These were the darkest moments of his life when he felt despair, and he had buried them deep within his heart and didn’t want to remember them.

Suddenly, the scene in front of him shattered as the clear sea appeared in his view. His eyes were teary and filled with a sense of loss and befuddlement.

“W-what?” He uttered this only one world in befuddlement.

“Hmm, the Deep Despair Soul Words last only for two seconds with my 2% understanding of [Despair] law.” The evaluating voice rang again.

Before the demon could react, this time a sharp sword filled with dark lightning pierce through his throat, killing him then and there.

Behind him was a hooded figure holding a long black sword filled with blood. Who could it be but Ace?

Ace looked at the dead demon without emotions as he mused over what happened just now when he used the first level of Soul Words.

It had been a little over a year since Ace was in seclusion, and he had already absorbed everything and progressed by leaps and bounds.

Although his cultivation hadn’t increased, his status had undergone a tremendous change, and he was now twice as strong as a year ago.

=====

[Status Panel]

[Host: Ace White]

[Race: Human]

[Bloodline: Sealed]

[First Heaven: Mortal Sky Heaven]

–

[Martial Cultivation: Heavenly Dark Sea [Stage-9]]

[EXP: 10,000,000/10,000,000]

[Soul Cultivation: Orange Wind Soul Core [Stage-9]]

[SP: 6,350,900/10,000,000]

[Elemental Orb: 0/1]

—

[Skills: 8]

-Heartless Stealth (Art): 

[Breathless Stealth: Perfection 

Pulseless Stealth: Perfection

Heartless Stealth: Perfection] 

–

-Misperception Sky Steps (Art): 

[Camouflage Steps: Middle

Lightning Steps: Middle 

Misperception Steps: Middle

Sky Steps: NONE]

–

-Soul Shattering Eyes: [Perfection]

–

-Soul Piercing Bullets: [Perfection]

–

-Soul Guardian Barrier (Art): 

[Soul Barrier: Perfection

Soul Guardian: Low]

–

-Pick Pocket: [Perfection]

–

-Lock Eraser King Technique:

Lock Eraser Master: Perfectionist 

Lock Eraser Grandmaster: Perfectionist

Lock Eraser King: None

–

-Thievish Soul Cord Control (Secret Soul Skill): Middle

—

[Cultivation Technique: 5]

-Heaven Stealer Technique: Volume 1

–

-Dual Shadow Swords: 2nd Realm (Sword of Finger)

–

-Heavenly Rune Crafter Foundational Manual: Tier-12

–

-Soul Words [Despair Manual]: 

1. Deep Despair Soul Words: 2.3% 

[Three Stages: Low at (10%), Intermediate at (50%), High at (99%)]

2. Extreme Despair Soul Words: 0.0%

[Three Stages: Low at (10%), Intermediate at (50%), High at (99%)]

3. Deadly Despair Soul Words: 0.0%

[Three Stages: Low at (10%), Intermediate at (50%), High at (99%)]

–

-Heaven’s Stealer Dismantler Manual [First Vol]

Three Heaven’s Stealer Dismantler Principles:

1. Treasure Dismantler Principles: Grade-1 Treasure Dismantler 

2. Alchemy Dismantler Principles: Grade-1 Alchemy Dismantler

3. Runic Dismantler Principles: Grade-2 Runic Dismantler

—

[Law(s): 4]

-Despair (Minor): 2.03% 

-Shadow (Minor): 2.05% 

-Sword (Minor): 2.00% 

-Psyche (Minor): 1.03%

—

[Thief Point(s): 187,956,500]

—

[Mission(s): 1]

[Side Mission(s): 0]

=====

Ace never thought he would gain an understanding of [Psyche] law after he absorbed and learned all the knowledge of the Psyche Invasion.

He mused, it might be the law Empty Dream was proficient in, and he unknowingly helped Ace acquire this law as well.

Furthermore, the comprehension of [Psyche] law also had something to do with the three intermediate-grade insight pills Ace used on Lock Eraser King Technique, Heartless Stealth, and Thievish Soul Cord Control.

Those pills not only increased his comprehension levels but there was always a lingering effect that could make his mind extremely clear for some time after the pill’s effect was exhausted.

Furthermore, when he used the law fragments, he entered a strange state as well.

These things helped him understand the law of [Psyche] as well as he had a massive breakthrough in Soul Words, and now he can use the Deep Despair Soul Words according to his [Despair] law’s comprehension.

Ace had done nothing but study this past year, and a few days ago, he turned 25 as well.

As for his house members, they were also in seclusion and he had no idea what they were up to, nor did he disturb them. He didn’t require their assistance right now.

They were not bounded by some restrictions like elemental orbs and they can raise their cultivation normally with the system’s help and the thief’s house effect. They can achieve breakthroughs with no bottlenecks.

The stronger they were, the easier time he had so, it was best to let them be for now.

Today, Ace felt this demon’s arrival, so exit the seclusion, and it was also time to complete his job mission. Only 47 days were left before the deadline, and these demons happened to be what he just needed right now.

Ace took out a skin mask, which was none other than the disguise mask he stole from Paul.

Although he didn’t want to use this mask for disguise, he had no choice since this mask was of a higher grade than his mask right now.

This Demonic Eater Mask was a Grade-6 disguising treasure, and it was one of the three legacy treasures of the Poison Wood Demon Clan. This mask was also the biggest reason Paul could fool the anti-disguise formation the Empty Dream warned Ace about.

Ace didn’t want to show this mask in front of Empty Dream, so he didn’t reject his help at that time.

But now that he was going to enter the enemy’s camp, he couldn’t be shallow with his preparation.

He was no longer on the outer continent anymore, and if someone from the Royal Demon Nation even gets the wind of it that the Sky Stealer was here, the demons would not take it sitting anymore!

Ace placed the skin mask on the dead soldier’s head, and the next moment, the skin mask came alive and engulfed his entire head.

Ten seconds later, the mask shrank and returned to normal, but the entire skin from the demon’s face had been completely gone as if someone had peeled it off!

Ace wasn’t surprised by this as he picked the skin mask. He already knew this Demonic Eater Mask was quite vicious, and it wasn’t like his mask that just required a simple scan to copy someone’s appearance.

This mask required real flesh to absorb the face and then use it. Furthermore, it can only have one face at a time, and the moment it devours another face, the previous face will vanish.

Ace had already pick-pocketed this soldier’s storage ring, so after taking off his armor, which he needed, he kicked the body from the cliff into the sea and donned the armor.

He then put on the Demonic Eater Mask and activates it!