The Devil’s Cage

17th Morington Alley.

There was a three-storey wooden house with a slightly slander wooden roof.

The floor under the eave had an oval window, and the other two had a square window with a cross in between.

The walls of the house were built with a mixture of bricks. The wood was giving a unique smell under the rain.

Kieran looked at the blurry sign under the rain, walked up and knocked on the door.

After getting permission, Kieran entered the house.

A fireplace was beside the door, and it burned brightly as firewood was added. It swiftly expelled the coldness on Kieran’s feather mantle.

Ickart stood beside the fireplace. He looked at Kieran in silence, having the least intention to truly invite Kieran into the house.

Beside Ickart was a tall lady in a black leather outfit; the tight suit offset her huge chest and brought out the contour of her long legs. Her perfect body was on display, especially when she crossed her arms beneath her chest and leaned against the wall.

“Welcome, Sir 2567. I am Bella, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She stood straight and extended her hand for a shake.

Kieran looked at her hand but didn’t respond.

Some manners were not viable in the big city, not because of arrogance but vigilance.

You never knew what kind of abilities other players had against you.

Bella wasn’t upset by Kieran’s response though. Instead, she subtly moved her hand and showed a ‘please’ gesture. “This way, please.”

“I am sorry you had to come to our temporary base. We can’t bring you to the house headquarters because of some other matters. We apologize for any inconveniences caused.”

Bella spoke very politely as she led Kieran inside.

Her attractive body parts were revealed before Kieran as she walked. Because of the tight suit, her chest would shake with each step she took.

However, compared to her, Kieran was more concerned about the ‘temporary base’ that she spoke of.

After they went into the corridor, there was a door on both sides.

The left door was closed, so Kieran couldn’t see the interior. The right was opened, and he saw many uncleaned cooking utensils and unfinished food.

Two more doors later, the living room on the first floor appeared before Kieran.

There were two rows of three tables in the living room; all six of the tables had long benches around them, and in the middle of the two rows of table was two braziers.

The pieces of coal in the braizers burned hotter than the fireplace from before, making the room warmer than the entrance.

“Please have a seat.”

Bella turned around and pulled out a bench for Kieran.

Kieran sat down without being courteous. Bella sat opposite of him, and Ickart, who was still silent, walked towards the other side and sat down.

If he wasn’t breathing, Ickart would look like a robot.

“I really wanted to reach out to you for a while now, but rumours about you caused doubts in my mind. Though, after Ickart spoke to me, the doubts were cleared. You aren’t as rumoured, so I wish that you would join the Resistance since we have a common enemy, the Guardians. Those maggots that feed off people’s lives!”

The moment she spoke, Bella voiced her invitation to Kieran, and when she mentioned the Guardians, she sounded enraged.

However, she stopped the conversation in a timely manner and did not continue further. She didn’t explain what ‘feed off’ meant, thus giving Kieran sufficient space to interpret the term.

As a matter of fact, the moment Kieran entered the room, he had been wondering about Bella.

The subtle guide at the fireplace, the opened kitchen door in the corridor, and the arrangement of the tables in the living room, Kieran was sure she did all that on purpose.

Why? They might be testing Kieran’s abilities or delivering the wrong information, distracting him with useless details.

Bella even put herself into the mix. Kieran believed the tight suit wasn’t something she would wear on a normal day, nor the way she walked through the corridor.

Back at the limit break dungeon, Anne Aldrich Augen had walked in this manner, flaunting her charms at all times because it was her weapon.

Likewise, Bella shared similar traits, but compared to Anne Aldrich Augen, Bella was slightly lackluster.

She wasn’t natural enough, it felt like she did it with purpose.

Though, regardless of which, none would cause any trouble for Kieran, as he was used to dealing with such situations.

A faint pressure started to change the atmosphere in the room as Kieran released his aura.

Bella, who had been at ease throughout the meeting, moved backwards unconsciously. She could not hide the horror in her eyes when Kieran vanished from her sight.

What replaced Kieran in his place was a gigantic black monster that filled Bella’s sight. The black beast widened its mouth, ready to devour her.

Bella held her screams back as she stood up quickly and drew herself a distance from Kieran. She then panted heavily.

Each time she breathed, it sounded like she was using all her might. Even after a few breaths, Bella had to rely on the wall to stand up.

“This is how you people ‘welcome’ others?” Kieran spoke for the first time.

The question was directed at Ickart, and as Kieran looked at him, the pressuring aura grew denser.

A faint roar faintly echoed throughout the house.

“She did this on her own! I had nothing to do with this! She thought she could rope you onto our side.”

Ickart was being honest. He then took out a small bottle and placed it in front of Kieran.

[Name: Barrier Water]

[Type: Potion]

[Rarity: Legendary]

[Attribute: Apply it on the Witch’s Mark, and it can block the function of the mark for a short period of time]

[Prerequisite: None]

[Remark: Its birth isn’t just the combination of Potionology and Alchemy. There is something you cannot understand mixed inside.]

…

The details were displayed in Kieran’s vision when he picked it up.

“Not enough,” he said.

“This is the best we can provide for now. We are still working on something more effective,” Ickart answered meticulously.

“I want the follow up product,” Kieran demanded.

“According to the contract, I will give you my portion,” Ickart said.

“Mm.” Kieran nodded and stood up, wanting to leave.

Throughout the conversation, he did not bat an eye at Bella.

Bella, on the other hand, was also smart enough to not provoke Kieran anymore after she was frightened.

After Kieran left, Bella finally heaved a breath of relief.

“His Spirit is absurdly powerful. I couldn’t even move.”

Bella sounded like she was explaining why she failed, but Ickart didn’t care and walked out without saying a word.

He and Bella had the same rank; he had no need for Bella’s explanation, nor would he bear her mistakes either.

The leader would take care of everything.

Ickart pondered about the final outcome, but at the next moment…

Kakrooom!

A loud clap of thunder woke Ickart from his thinking, and he shook his head.

He shouldn’t be thinking about useless things. All he had to do was perform his duties well.

Fuaaaaaa.

The rain got heavier, and the city was almost drowned in the rain.

A figure with a broken hand shuttled through the rain.

He walked boldly under the rain while searching for his target.

He wasn’t worried about being exposed or discovered because the rain would cover and wash away everything.

Whether it was traces or… conspiracy.