Eternal Thief

Chapter 1620: A Complex Theft (3)

When Ace felt the abrupt change in the Lawless Darkness’s cloak, he knew his Primordial Spirit Qi was nearly depleted, and without hesitation, he raised his hand, and a translucent vial containing pitch-black starry liquid appeared in his hand.

Ace instantly emptied it into his mouth, and the next moment, it dissolved into pure Primordial Spirit Qi the moment it entered his body, surging directly into his being like a flood.

The effect was immediate as his depleted reserves of Primordial Spirit Qi surged back violently and reached full capacity. This was the miraculous effect of the Heavenly Spirit Recovery Elixir from the system shop.

However, Ace didn’t dare use it too often, or only when absolutely necessary, as is the case right now, because of the system-imposed limit on its quantity.

Once Ace’s Primordial Spirit Qi returned to peak, the flickering cloak stabilized once more, and his erased presence returned to perfection without the rules of the Half-Independent World sensing anything amiss.

Ace exhaled slowly and continued moving towards the fourth terminal, then the fifth... sixth...

As he passed each terminal meticulously, his path curved along the inner arc of the dome, circling the massive world-vault while keeping maximum distance from the honeycomb structure below.

Moreover, from this angle, the central hexagram remained constantly in his peripheral vision, silent and unmoving.

Yet, the closer Ace moved along the ring, the stronger its presence felt as if an unseen eye, like something that didn’t need to react because it already knew!

However, Ace kept his calm and ignored it as his speed increased, pushing the Dark Tempest harder, for time mattered now.

Just when Ace crossed the seventh terminal, the strain returned as he felt the Primordial Spirit Qi drop sharply again, far quicker than before.

It was like the deeper he moved into the domain of this world, the higher the cost of keeping the Lawless Darkness became!

The moment the Lawless Darkness flickered violently, Ace knew the closer he moved to the gigantic honeycomb, the more difficult it was going to be, for that part of the vault-world was heavily guarded, where the rules of this world focused most.

Without hesitation, Ace emptied the second vial, and the Primordial Spirit Qi surged again before the Lawless Darkness stabilized.

Ace didn’t slow as he crossed the eighth terminal...ninth...the distance to his target was shrinking, but so was his margin for error.

However, right at this moment, the third depletion came even sooner, but his expression remained cold and consumed the third vial, and soon the fourth one.

Although the recovery was swift each time, the mental strain of continuously using the Lawless Darkness was making his body heavier, and by now, even Dark Tempest was showing signs of strain.

But Ace didn’t stop, his eyes shimmering with a hint of exhilaration, because it had been a long time since thievery placed so much pressure on him, and it was exactly this kind of pressure that forced him to use all his prowess.

At that moment, his movements became sharper and more direct with less waste, and everything was refined to pure efficiency.

Finally, after crossing the last stretch of terminals, Ace landed silently on the platform of the marked node in the Live Fate Map. The terminal Moira had pointed out.

He didn’t move immediately; he simply stood there, cloaked in darkness, as his senses slowly expanded. Although he had consumed four vials, six remain in his thief’s space, his reserves were stable, for now.

At that moment, Ace lifted his gaze and looked at the terminal before him, and for some reason, he felt something about this one was different.

At first glance, it appeared identical to Terminal No.23, with a towering hexagonal frame looming before him, its crystalline edges emitting a faint, controlled glow. The same intricate layers of microscopic runes flowed endlessly across its surface, shifting and rearranging in patterns far too complex to comprehend.

The hollow aperture at its center remained sealed and inactive, yet Ace’s eyes narrowed slightly beneath the hood as the mysterious law here was heavier, albeit subtly but undeniably.

If Terminal No.23 had felt like a controlled node of the system, then this one felt closer to something deeper, more important, and restricted. Faint strands of invisible pressure lingered around it, as if the surrounding space itself were being reinforced.

Even the Lawless Darkness around Ace trembled ever so slightly; not from instability this time, but from resistance.

But Ace didn’t have time to mull it over, and without wasting time, Ace stepped forward and raised his hand slowly, and strands of Primordial Spirit Qi began to gather at his fingertips, swirling like a dark, formless mist.

He simply touched the terminal, and the moment his Primordial Qi contacted the sealed spatial aperture, something responded from within him.

=====

[Universal Key has detected Quasi-Transcendent Grade Master Lock (Lock Terminal No.47) on Independent Half-Independent World Realm!]

-Temporary Access: Open Lock Terminal No.47 for 10 minutes without leaving any traces behind.

-Cost: 10,000,000 Thief Points

-Full Access: Remove Lock Terminal No.47 from the Half-Independent World Realm

-Cost: 25,000,000 Thief Points

-Disclaimer: Removing the Lock Terminal may trigger defensive mechanisms of the Master Lock!

-Temporary Access: Open the Quasi-Transcendent Grade Master Lock for 10 minutes without leaving any traces behind.

-Cost: 100,000,000 Thief Points

-Full Access: Reset the Quasi-Transcendent Grade Master Lock

-Cost: 250,000,000 Thief Points

[NOTE: Temporary Key will only function within this terminal’s pathway!]

-Continue / Later

=====

Seeing the familiar yet slightly different notification, Ace’s eyes gleamed sharply.

’So, it’s Lock Terminal No.47...’ He thought as this also confirmed that each node truly had its own designation, and this one was directly connected to the path Moira had sensed.

There was no hesitation or second-guessing. Ace had already learned enough from Terminal No.23, as he knew anything beyond temporary access was unnecessary risk.

His thoughts turned cold and decisive as he ordered, ’Temporary Access!’

The moment he made the choice, the system reacted instantly.

=====

[Universal Key has been used on Lock Terminal No.47!]

[Temporary Access Granted: 10 Minutes]

[Time Remaining: 09:59]

[Host’s Primordial Spirit Qi has been designated as Temporary Key!]

---

[Thief Point(s): 16,864,578,600]

=====

At that exact instant, the sealed terminal trembled, and unlike before, the reaction was sharper as the crystalline frame emitted a low, almost inaudible hum as the layers of runes began to reorganize at an accelerated pace.

Thereafter, the aperture changed, and the previously sealed space folded inward, collapsing for a split second before expanding violently.

A spatial passage formed, but this one was definitely different from the last, for the corridor that appeared wasn’t just stable; it felt deeper and darker.

The interior was lined with denser currents of spatial energy, flowing like a controlled river of distorted reality. The entrance itself seemed heavier, as if leading somewhere far more restricted than a mere treasury exchange route.

Ace’s gaze turned solemn as he could feel it. This path was not leading to a simple location; it seemed to be leading closer to something important, perhaps to the truth behind the Undead Boundary.

Nonetheless, the countdown had already begun, and with no more time to observe or hesitate, Ace stepped forward as his figure dissolved further into Lawless Darkness, and without making a single sound, he entered the newly opened passage, vanishing into the unknown once more!