The Devil’s Cage

“When I unlocked one of my sealed attributes, Constitution, I became more desperate for ‘reverse energy’. At the same time, Jorge appeared, changing this simple kidnapping incident into a feast for ‘reverse energy’,” Kieran said, shaking his head while clicking his tongue.

“What is wrong with that? Aren’t you delighted as well?” the masked man asked in a deep voice.

“Delighted? Well, of course! At first, I was really delighted, since I’m very lazy. I really liked getting things without having to work for them. But I also knew how bad my luck is, and I didn’t believe that there was anything such as a ‘free meal’, nor did I believe that my enemy would ‘help’ me.”

Kieran suddenly remembered the ‘special draws’ at the end of his dungeon runs when he said all those things. He somehow felt his heart aching without any valid reason.

It wasn’t a ‘lucky draw’ like it stated because who would get a stone from a lucky draw?

Therefore, rather than a ‘draw’, it was just a simple giving process.

“Just because of that?” the masked man, raising his voice.

“Of course not! This is just one of the points that concerns me, there are three more points that caught my attention. First is what I said just now. As the ‘native’ of the ‘big city’, I should be protected by the system, so I’ve been thinking about why the system would weaken me to this extent while trying to protect me.

“In the end, I came up with a rather interesting answer: weakening my powers is actually beneficial for me. Elaborating on that point, a new question followed: how would it benefit me? There are multiple answers to that question, but the one I think most suitable is this: under the altered circumstances and conditions, my enemy might face a weakening worse than mine. Again, starting from that point, I got myself another answer: my enemy might not be that kind of abstract, non-existent being that can’t be seen or heard that I first thought; he or she might really exist and come into this dungeon world with me. My enemy… might even be around me.”

Kieran paused before continuing his explanation.

“Second is the Noroid Church. I’ve carefully read about the Noroid Church’s background and details. They are crazy, it’s widely known but they don’t act crazy just for kicks. Each crazy act they commit is to achieve some kind of goal. Given the circumstances, the Bomber seemed weird; he didn’t have any goals or reasons, and everything that happened at the soldier rehabilitation center was very confusing. What was more concerning was that these series of incidents were started by the performance of two self-proclaimed shamans in front of live television. It really concerned me since I’ve gained a certain popularity thanks to the identity of ‘shaman’.”

Kieran sounded as calm as usual, but the masked man at the end of the corridor beyond the door had grown more furious.

He didn’t think that his flawless plan would get seen through like this.

“But they all have reasonable explanations! One of them is a pawn from your original collaborator’s rival. The other one is a rival of the Noroid Church. What is wrong with that!?”

The moment Kieran’s voice subsided, the voice coldly grunted and asked angrily.

“Nothing! All of them really seemed reasonable, but Nuna, the hypnotist from Hypnotist Association, couldn’t even find anything about the goal of the Bomber from Noroid Church. Isn’t that a little far-fetched? Especially when she used all the connections that she has access to, including Riton Lystie’s influence.”

When Kieran discovered Nuna’s traces around the museum, he had been wondering about the relationship between the two and when he understood the power under the Lystie Family’s control, he had even more questions.

One of the questions was: Why would the Lystie Family agreed to put the Curseman Vase on display at the exhibition?

Or more precisely: How did Riton Lystie appear in Rain City reasonably?

“Nuna and Riton Lystie couldn’t find anything about the Bomber, which frightened every one of the insiders. They were guessing whether or not some huge secret was hiding behind the scenes. Thus, more attention was placed on the incident, giving you more time to prepare. And you were quite happy with the extra time. After all, you did plan for this from the very beginning: using a weird incident to attract all the troublesome people, so you can focus your attention on dealing with me, but…”

“But what?”

The masked man couldn’t help but interrupt Kieran’s explanation.

“The move was unnecessary, redundant. Those people you deemed troublesome are all the same to me. Other than that, I knew they had networks, manpower and influence far more powerful than myself. So when they investigated the Bomber incident, I didn’t involve myself. All I needed to do was get a general understanding from Nuna or Riton Lystie, then I would have more time to figure out everything since I stepped into this dungeon world. So, when I was figuring out these series of incidents, I noticed the third point: time!” Kieran emphasized his tone.

“180 days lets enough people know about the ‘real world’. This sentence is too misleading. It might seem like my main mission but it also hides the hints given to me! I don’t know how you intervened in the process and got yourself into my dungeon world but I know you must have paid a great cost. Not just your powers, you must have suffered many more restrictions. Therefore, the longer I drag it out, the worse it is for you. Am I right?” Kieran asked.

“Right, you are so damn right! Do you have more guesses to entertain me?”

The masked man at the end of the corridor laughed.

“There are still some new discoveries, like Jorge the ‘messenger’. Noroid Church should not have a title or a name like that but he was indeed from Noroid. So, when I excluded the possibility that Jorge doesn’t have a grasp on the power of the mystical realm, I also determined that he must have pledged his allegiance to someone or something.

“Another thing is this extravagant looking hall, with all its lavish decoration. Other than the two doors at each side and the simple rooms behind them, there is only another corridor, without an exit, meaning this place was built in a hurry. This also means that this place isn’t what I thought it was in the first place: a place where guests were invited to during the ‘Storm Season’. I think I am the first guest here. And the way you handled the speedboat, the calmness when you encounter the mystical things, it further strengthened my suspicion of you.”

Clap Clap Clap!

Claps sounded from the other end of the corridor.

The masked man’s excited voice also followed.

“Very good! You are even better than what I saw in your soul! It will become a nutrient to speed up my recovery, and I will take your body as my own soon! Don’t worry, I will cherish every inch of your body!”

His voice was getting closer. Done waiting at the end of the corridor, he started to make his move.

However, Kieran stood rooted to his spot, with no intention of moving.

His heart was still baffled by the last question.

‘Is he Prime Viper Zoyedark? Or…. some other bastard who is trying to seize an advantage?’