Eternal Thief

The moment Ace stepped past the entrance of the Black Hermit Mines, the air changed.

The faint sounds from the outside and the clamor of guards were swallowed in silence, replaced by a deep, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate through the bones.

The walls of the mine glistened with black crystal veins, each pulsing faintly with abyssal light, like the steady throb of some colossal heart buried within its depths.

Ace’s eyes shimmered faintly as he could feel a peculiar Qi in the air that wasn’t just Abyssal Qi; there was something additional mixed in it, and it gave a sense of malice.

’This law seemed quite familiar…is it the law of sin…?’ Ace guessed as he felt the law of sin, which includes seven different laws, out in the open before, ’Why would this type of powerful law have its traces here? If not for the Law of Sin within me, I would’ve never been able to sense it…’

Ace wasn’t expecting this kind of surprise in the Black Hermit Mines, as he was only here to mislead Mirage Shadow and spend some time here to make it look like he had undergone a vast, deadly trial worthy of an Abyssal King’s disciple.

’Don’t tell me there’s some powerful treasure hidden in this place?!’ Ace’s heart raced as he quickly opened the live fate map, but in its range, there wasn’t any fate location that indicated that there was some fated treasure that was useful to him.

Nonetheless, Ace was still curious about the presence of the law of sin here and slowly made his way inside.

After walking for a while, the passage sloped sharply downward, wide enough for a caravan at first, but narrowing the deeper one went. Torches of magic fire burned at intervals along the walls, but their pale blue flames only deepened the shadows instead of dispelling them.

Ace was using stealth to keep his presence to a minimum while avoiding anyone who came in his way with the help of live fate map masterfully.

He also encountered a few Abyssal Beings hurried along in groups, their armor and weapons clinking, their faces set in tense determination. Some clutched maps and compasses; others tied ropes around their waists as if terrified of being swallowed by the tunnels.

As he went deeper, the stench of blood and fear lingered faintly in the air, but Ace moved unhurriedly, his hood low, his gait steady.

However, Ace noticed that the deeper he descended, the heavier the atmosphere became. It was as if the mine were an abyssal ocean, and each step downward dragged him beneath another layer of crushing tide.

The air pressure thickened, pressing on his chest, whispering with the faint howls of beasts deeper within. Many would mistake this for hallucination, but Ace knew better—the law of sin seemed to be increasing as he descended into the Black Hermit Mines as if they were alive, in their own way.

At this moment, forks in the tunnel began to appear, splitting into dozens of paths like the limbs of a skeletal tree. Some tunnels were even marked with warnings, and some glowed faintly with ore-light; some were utterly black, and some thrummed with distant roars or the clash of combat.

For an ordinary adventurer, the maze-like nature of these passages was a death trap. One wrong turn could mean stumbling into an abyssal beast’s lair—or worse, vanishing forever in the labyrinth.

However, for Ace, it was different. As he entered deeper, the faint lines of his Live Fate Map stirred, unfolding across his perception. Countless paths shimmered before his eyes like threads of light woven across the darkness.

Dead ends glowed dim, routes filled with beasts flared red, and the safest passages traced themselves in gray.

To anyone else, the mines were chaos, but to Ace, they were a book already written, thanks to the Live Fate Map, especially after he had upgraded Moira to the next level. Now, nothing below Transcendent Grade seemed to restrict it.

He walked as if guided by instinct, turning left when others went right, descending narrow cracks that most dismissed, weaving deeper into the abyss without hesitation.

With each step downward, the pressure mounted. It was not only spiritual—it was abyssal, as though the deeper levels resented intruders and sought to crush them into silence.

Yet Ace’s expression beneath the hood remained calm, his eyes gleaming faintly with anticipation. The Black Hermit Mines were treacherous and also an unraveling mystery.

Ace’s steps echoed faintly, swallowed by the oppressive silence of the tunnels. The deeper he went, the fainter the traces of the Law of Sin around him.

His path wound through narrow fissures and collapsed caverns where black crystals jutted like fangs, untouched by pick or chisel.

The Live Fate Map’s shimmering lines twisted ahead of him, leading him into a region where no traces of other travelers lingered. It was too clean and undisturbed.

The moment he realized this, his steps faltered as he guessed, “…No one has ever been here before.”

The air was heavier than before, saturated with that malicious law of sin. It seemed to be very familiar to him and even felt as if it was submitting to his will, and Ace knew it was all because of the comprehension he had of the Law of Sin, for all the sins were part of it!

Ace narrowed his eyes but pressed on, his cloak fluttering lightly as he vanished deeper into the uncharted corridor.

The tunnel bent sharply downward, then widened into a chamber that seemed carved by no mortal hands. The walls glittered with jagged streaks of abyssal ore, but Ace’s attention was already elsewhere.

He glanced at the Live Fate Map and…he suddenly froze because of what he saw.

At the farthest edge of the map’s reach, a new light flickered into existence. It was not red, or gray, and not even silver, but it was golden!

Ace’s eyes widened with astonishment, his breath catching for the first time since entering the mines, “A… glittering golden fate location!?”

The words left his lips in a hushed whisper, his pulse quickening as he knew that brilliance was rare—so rare that he had only seen it not more than four times before, and every encounter had reshaped his path to some extent.

“I was right… There is indeed something here that’s useful to me!”

Elated, yet wary, Ace didn’t rush. His instincts screamed caution because a golden fate location wouldn’t be unguarded. If anything, it meant danger of a magnitude far greater than anything in these upper tunnels.

Slowly, he pulled his hood lower, eyes narrowing as he studied the glowing terrain at the map’s edge. It was still far as the golden fate location was only starting, and he still had a long way to go.

As for how large this area was and where the fated items were located, he needed to figure it out himself.

“Something like this…” Ace murmured, his lips curling faintly. “…won’t be easy to collect.”

Suppressing his excitement, his figure started to change as well as his robes, and within a few seconds, he was his true self. Since the mirror persona imposed significant limitations on his own abilities, he discarded the disguise to avoid falling into any perilous situations.

Afterward, he steadied his steps, each movement deliberate and measured. His figure melded into the darkness, following the Live Fate Map’s threadlike paths with surgical precision.

Every twist, every step downward brought him closer to that distant, golden brilliance—and deeper into the unknown heart of the Black Hermit Mines.

The malice in the air grew thicker, almost tangible, brushing against his skin like phantom claws. Somewhere ahead, the Law of Sin pulsed in resonance, as if calling him.

Ace’s eyes gleamed beneath the hood, ’Let’s see what secret is hidden here!’