The Devil’s Cage

Modi whose smile was frozen wanted to say something but when his mouth opened up, a tremendous force knocked him at his waist.

Despite several fields of defensive barriers, they were useless as they shattered upon contact.

Modi could hear his spine cracking, muscles and tendons tearing, and organs being crushed.

The smile on his face couldn’t hold up anymore.

“2567!”

Modi shouted heavily. His voice was filled with anger and confusion.

He was angry because of his useless men, allowing Kieran to infiltrate his base.

He was confused because the traps he laid down didn’t work.

Based on the information Modi got, Kieran should be an extremely greedy fellow, but why did the lab which obviously held precious items not work against him?

Other than that, the wolf packs that he arranged against him to trigger the trap didn’t work either.

However, the mentioned facts weren’t what infuriated Modi the most; the thing that infuriated him the most was Kieran’s gaze toward him. It was cold and lifeless as if Modi didn’t exist in Kieran’s gaze.

The eyes made Modi feel like an idiot.

To be honest, he was indeed an idiot.

After discovering all kinds of inklings, with Kieran’s carefulness and vigilance, why would he go into the secret bazaar without any support?

Kieran indeed liked loot and benefits but he wouldn’t get dizzy because of the spoils of war; he still had the calmness required to overcome all obstacles.

Just like when he saw the wolf packs appear before him, his heart realized something: why wolves?

Although the wolves were indeed strong against commoners, it was nothing to Kieran.

With his Chosen One abilities and items, it wasn’t really a difficult time for him to facea large number of enemies.

Kieran knew that point clearly and he believed his opponent knew it too.

Hence, given the circumstances, his opponent still did so, which meant it might be a trap.

His opponent prepared a trap specifically targeted at Chosen Ones and also specifically targeted at the “greedy” traits in his character.

The specific measure would be extremely effective against Kieran but it would be extremely easy to break through as well.

Kieran felt fortunate for owning so many hands in dealing with the danger a moment ago.

Of course, dealing with Modi in front of him wouldn’t require much either.

The most direct one would be the most effective one.

“I..”

Pak!

Modi wanted to say something but his head was squash when the first word escaped his mouth.

Modi’s brain and body plunged deep into the ground but no notifications popped up in Kieran’s sight, Instead, the body withered away at exponential speed visible to the eyes.

With Holler as an example, Kieran was not too surprised.

If he would kill Modi with a single blow, that would shock and baffle him instead.

Still, it didn’t stop Kieran from searching the place from top to bottom, despite him not having hopes in finding anything.

Sometimes though, surprises appeared without a sign.

After discovering many common supplies and equipment, Kieran’s eyes automatically landed on the box on the floor.

A simple check later, he opened the box and an orange glowing blueprint presented itself before Kieran.

[Name: Brand. Strengthen Fur (Wolf and Dog)]

[Type: Skill]

[Rarity: Rare]

[Attack/ Defense: None]

[Attribute: Strengthen Fur lvl 1 – lvl 3 (Based on the brand attribute, the wolf and dog type being will have to go through a Constitution authentication; Lvl 1 will automatically grant a Weak rank force field barrier to the target; Lvl 2 will automatically grant an Average rank force field barrier to the target; Lvl 3 will automatically grant a Strong force field barrier to the target; The formation of the barrier will consume the branded wolf or dog’s Stamina)]

[Effect: None]

[Prerequisite: Mystical Knowledge (Master), Research of Mythical Beings (Basic)]

[Able to bring out of dungeon: Yes]

[Remark: This is a special magic scroll that holds a very crooked and special enchantment knowledge. If you have the hands to tattoo, you will get twice the result with half the effort; Of course, you need to prepare the corresponding magic ingredients, including Bladeback Blue, diamond, and black oil mineral.]

…

“Tattoo, branding?” Kieran looked at the introduction of the blueprint in astonishment.

Then, he learned it directly.

Different from the usual way of describing skills, the skill [Brand. Strengthen Fur (Wolf and Dog)] didn’t just explained its use through ingredients but it couldn’t be level up either.

Strengthen Fur lvl 3 seemed to be its maximum limit.

A Strong defensive barrier for Kieran at his current power level would feel like chipboard but he didn’t feel frustrated over it.

Not just because this was a complete surprise, he also thought of the wolf pack from before.

If the wolves who always submitted to him were branded with the skill, it would be a good thing for him since he was fighting alone now.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about the trivial things anymore.

Now, the only thing he had to confirm was the price of Bladeback Blue and black oil mineral.

As for diamond, no matter which era or dungeon he was in, it was destined to never be cheap.

…

In another deep and dark cave, a vile stench filled every inch of it.

Animal and human carcasses were everywhere.

A man was chewing a goat within. Despite the fact that he was squatting down, his body size was extremely huge.

The goat was not cooked and was eaten alive with blood and fur. The man ate it fast as well.

A whole goat was turned into a pile of clean bones within minutes.

The skin and organs did not escape the man’s mouth as well.

It was natural that his face was tainted with blood but the man didn’t care as he wiped his face with his hand; he placed his palms in front of his mouth and licked them clean.

After all that, another man in long robes beside him only then dared to speak.

“My lord, there is a new sheriff in Shattertown Town. Our eye was removed and… the secret bazaar outside town has unusual wolf activity.”

The man in the robe reported what he had gathered.

“Got it.” The huge man waved his hand.

The reporter quickly left the cave.

After his men left, Darde the Titan only showed interest and speculated.

“New sheriff? 2567? Or…”

Then, Darde turned his eyes to the dried corpse beside him.

His not too strong Intuition picked up the changes in the corpse. After a while, the dried corpse inflated with blood and flesh.

“2567!”

A furious roar sounded.

Modi’s face was twisted and growling like a wounded beast.

Darde leaned back and watched Modi’s performance.

He didn’t know whether Modi was really angry or whether was he faking it but regardless of which it was, he wouldn’t believe it.

Broker was untrustworthy, so was Modi.

Likewise, Modi didn’t really care about Darde either. After a series of loud shouts, he left the cave without saying anything.

Both sides didn’t seem to work together properly.

After Modi left, a voice echoed in Darde’s ears.

“Found it?”

“No.”

Darde grinned. His huge eyes were glimmering like a wild beast looking at its prey.

Then, the chewing continued in the cave.

TL Note:

Bladeback Blue – a made up item. Sounds like herb but actually a mineral.