The Devil’s Cage

”The bronze coffin!” Kieran mumbled to himself.

Among the four dungeons that Kieran had gone through, the newbie dungeon [War-Ridden City], [The Failed Great Detective], the [Prison on the Island] and the [Wandering Beast], the natives that had had the most impact on Kieran’s memories had been the Last Guardian Knight, Guntherson, and the most recent one, Trumbo.

Guntherson had made a very strong impression on Kieran, not because of what he had taught him about the [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art], but because of the aura he had emitted. The firm, reliable aura of the Last Guardian Knight had made quite an impact on Kieran.

Trumbo, on the other hand, had made an impression on him because of his immense power and calculations. If things had not come together by coincidence, Kieran would have been no match for Trumbo during their fight.

However, Trumbo’s power was not as formidable as what was inside that bronze coffin.

A mere [Fear] effect had made Kieran lose 100 HP in an instant, without even facing what was inside the coffin, and the [Tribute] effect that had followed had almost killed him.

The next dungeon Kieran was going into was in the same universe as the bronze coffin.

Kieran would need to gear up, otherwise he would not even be able to set foot on Alcatraz.

”Since [Fear] is related to Spirit, the most direct way to counter it is by raising my Spirit. I have only 2 Golden Skill Points though, and I don’t know whether that would be enough to improve its effect...”

”I think I’ll need another skill that can resist [Fear], or a piece of equipment. Alcatraz Island has tons of formless wandering souls, so other places might have them as well. It seems like I’ll be needing [Bullets of Blessing] too...”

After calculating what he needed to take with him to Alcatraz, Kieran made a list.

First, he needed some kind of skill or equipment that could help him resist the effect of [Fear], and second, he needed to get some other kind of defensive measure against the formless souls.

Although the combination of the [Knitted Tasliman] and his [Tracking] skill could easily locate the formless souls, other than [Primus Scale], Kieran had no other defensive measures against their overlying attacks.

This might eventually put him at disadvantage if he encountered too many of them.

After all, [Primus Scale] could only be activated twice a day, and it would be overkill to use it against the formless souls.

After another glance at his shopping list, Kieran contacted Lawless.

...

2567: I need something that can help me resist the [Fear] Debuff, skill or equipment, and something that can defend me against formless souls.

2567: On top of Nobian’s equipment, I can fork out another 10,000 Points.

Lawless: These types of skills and equipment are very expensive, especially those that can defend one against formless souls. The prices are sky high!

Lawless: But if u want consumables, there are some other options.

2567: Consumables?

Lawless: Yes, consumables crafted by alchemists. They can only be used once, but they have quite a decent effect.

(Kieran frowned over the answer, as it was not what he had expected. He did not wonder about it for too long though. Instead, he moved on.)

2567: Price?

Lawless: Not really high quality, but the price is reasonable. It’s definitely worth the points you’ll spend.

Lawless: Need me to contact someone for you?

2567: What about Lemour?

Lawless: Of course, but u won’t be able to reach her for the next couple of days! I bet that after she finished enchanting ur sniper rifle, she started to party with her liquor! Those two bottles of [Flames of the Ice Lake] were not for decoration!

2567: …

2567: Fine then, I’ll leave the rest to u! I also need to order 12,000 Points worth of [Bullets of Blessing], 11 mm diameter and 0.357 mm, half for each.

Lawless: No problemo!

(Lawless guaranteed. After an unusual pause, he started typing again.)

Lawless: U have anything new on the Killer Organization?

2567: I’d really like to say yes, but I’m here for other business.

Lawless: Okay then, TTYL1!

...

Kieran let out a heavy sigh when he read Lawless’s words. He could clearly feel anxiety and rage mixed into them.

”Did something happen? Lawless seemed more agitated than me about the Killer Organization!” Kieran eventually shook off these ridiculous thoughts and turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

All he needed to know was that Lawless was on his side and meant him no harm.

Things might be different with [The Shaman’s Partner].

”The dungeon description stated that my performance at Alcatraz Prison has caught the attention of a shaman on the West Coast, so the things that happened in the prison should be no secret. At least not to special experts. Those experts might also have noticed the existence of the bronze coffin and could make it harder for me to explore its secrets! The shaman that sent me the invitation must have some relation to the bronze coffin as well!”

Kieran started speculating about the situation he might come across based on the minimal description of the dungeon.

He spent more time thinking about what it might relate to. Since it was a dungeon in the same universe as the previous one, it was not as hard for him to speculate.

The results of his speculations were not all delighting though.

”I still need to determine whether the shaman is a friend or a foe! I also need to take precautions against other special experts that might exist within that universe... Just as I thought, a Special Dungeon is not a simple place for players to upgrade their skills!”

Kieran thought about the shaman silently before turning his attention to the newly acquired Title Dungeon [Blade of the Daybreaker].

Compared to [The Shaman’s Partner], the [Blade of the Daybreaker] had to be much more difficult. Kieran could not even determine when he would have to enter the dungeon.

Only the Main Scroll player knew that.

[Dungeon Cooldown Time: 5/10]

”Five more dungeon runs?” Kieran mumbled to himself as an urgent feeling rose in his heart.

Although he didn’t know much about the Title Dungeon, he was sure that there were unimaginable rewards in it.

The best example were the Broker and the Witch, who had left the game.

Kieran would not pass up a chance to acquire a Unique Title either, but the player who had the Main Scroll wouldn’t be a simple John Doe, and the same went for the three other players who had the remaining Sub Scrolls.

In other words, Kieran would need to compete against four powerful players for that title.

He was in the worst position, as he knew nothing about the players or the dungeon.

Plus, the Title Dungeon had a specific difficulty that was not related to the dungeon entry times of the players.

However, Kieran could make a wild guess about its difficulty. Based on the 10 dungeon cooldown, it would have to have an at least 10 dungeon difficulty, maybe even more.

This was not good news by any means, as Kieran had just finished his third official dungeon.

Although Kieran’s strength was not measured by his dungeon entries, there was still a wide gap between him and a 10 dungeon player.

The only thing he could do was increase his strength and power.

He had to seize every opportunity to increase his power and make himself a worthy competitor when the Title Dungeon began, so he wouldn’t get eliminated as soon as it started.

After clearing his doubts and determining his goal, Kieran took a deep breath and started practising [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Arts].

...

A week flew by in the blink of an eye as Kieran immersed himself into practicing [Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art].

When the single player dungeon cooldown had been reset, Kieran took his [Jagdtiger-X1] from Lemour and paid Lawless for several consumable items and tons of [Bullets of Blessing]. He was finally ready to enter the Special Dungeon.

[Entering Single Player Dungeon]

[This dungeon is a Special Single Player Dungeon]

[Difficulty: 2nd Dungeon]

[The Shaman’s Partner: Your performance in Alcatraz Prison has caught the attention of a shaman on the West Coast. You have been invited by the shaman to work as his assistant to solve several puzzling mysteries...]

[Main Mission: Be the shaman’s assistant for three months]

[Acquired temporary language pack, Disappears upon exiting the dungeon]

[Altered looks and clothes, Disappears upon exiting the dungeon]

[Hint: This is a Special Dungeon. You can fail the Main Mission, but you will have to pay 300 Points as a penalty and your highest attributes will drop by one point. If your points are insufficient, the system will deduct from your equipment. If your equipment is insufficient, you will fail.]

As the blinding light faded away, Kieran found himself before the gate of a two-storey building.

An invitation card appeared in his hand, and he opened it.

Rows of special words and runes were written on it, but thanks to his [Mystical Knowledge], he could understand what the invitation said.

Kieran smirked.

TL Note

1TTYL: Talk to you later