Chapter 124 The Departure
The next day arrived much faster than anyone anticipated.
As the early morning sun was beginning to peek out in the sky, about fifty Knights and Mages stood before Adonis and Lucielle.
They were also graced by the presence of the members of the Royal Council.
This was the Rescue Unit that would be going to the depths of the Royal Dungeon to save their dying comrade.
Thankfully, Brutus wasn't dead yet.
However, he was dying. If they didn't hurry, his life could be forfeit.
"… And that's the end of the briefing. Any questions?" Lucielle asked the fifty who stood before her and the Hero.
However, none of the stern-faced ones had any questions.
"May I ask one?" A loud, feminine voice came from behind the two leaders.
Adonis and Lucielle swiftly turned back to see a bunch of teenagers standing resolute.
The one who asked the question was Trisha, and the people with her were all Otherworlders.
Belle, Justin, Clark, and Eric.
"Can we join your group?" Trisha smiled, her arms folded.
"Y-you guys…"
Adonis' eyes were widened in shock. He was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
He didn't expect anyone to show up.
'And this lineup… it's great!' His thoughts beamed.
Belle was known as the best Mage in Alpha Class.
Justin, despite being very playful, had the [Assassin] Class—a B-Tier Class that exceeded the C-Tier [Thief] Class.
He had very useful Skills too.
Like his popular [Mimic] Skill, and also stuff like [Stealth], [Sleep], [Voice Mimic], and [Perception].
One might think he didn't have any attack Skills, but he actually did. His [Marionette Skill] was B-Tier, and mixing it with the rest of his other Skill, Justin was pretty unique in his build.
Clark was also a member of the Alpha Class, and his Skills made him seem more like a superhero than a warrior.
He had [Flight], [Super Strength], [Super Speed], [Icy Breath], [Heat Vision], etc.
His [Paladin] Class also made him pretty sturdy—the perfect tank.
Then there was Eric; the one with the most diverse sets of Magic-based Skills among all of them.
Even though he had the C-Tier Class of Mage, his Skills ranged from A-Tier abilities like [Grand Sound Magic], to B-Tiers like [Greater Corrosion], [Greater Explosion], and even a couple C-Tier stuff like [Blindness] and [False Pain].
He was a true Mage—a jack of all trades, though master of none.
If he had a better Class, there was a chance he could give Belle a run for her money.
It seemed like all the members of Alpha Class—with the exception of the two kidnapped ones—were present.
'And then, there's her…' Adonis looked at the girl who stood at their center, and probably the one who banded them together.
Trisha—The strongest Beta Student.
She had the [Swordsman] Class, but extreme Skill to make her stand out even to the Alpha Students.
'I think her Skills are [Greater Lightning Magic], [Combat Application], and [Danger Sense]…'
Her combination of those three Skills, in addition to her experience, made her very formidable.
'And they're all here to join us?' Adonis was overjoyed, and a sudden wave of relief washed over him.
'It seems I was wrong about some of them…' As he had this thought, the image of a certain boy flashed in his mind.
Rey.
'I guess he wasn't up to it. I can't blame him, though. He probably felt he wasn't strong eno—'
Before Adonis could complete his thoughts, his eyes caught the very boy he was thinking about among a group of casually dressed men.
He recognized the men as soldiers in disguise. Since they were searching for the Black Market—specifically where Alicia and Billy were being kept there—they had to blend in.
It was far more efficient than brandishing weapons and announcing themselves as soldiers of the Alliance.
'What is Rey doing with them, though?' Adonis thought to himself.
"Come on, Adonis. You won't give us an answer? That's harsh, man!"
Justin's voice woke Adonis from his dazed state, causing him to look right in front of him again.
"S-sure! We'd be really happy to have you join us!" He swiftly smiled.
"Lucielle, please excuse me for a moment. You can use this opportunity to quickly brief them."
"Alright."
As soon as he heard this, Adonis jogged to where the disguised soldiers stood.
It was clear that they would be departing to town very soon.
It didn't take him very long to reach their position, and thankfully Rey had already caught him running from a distance.
"Hey, Rey! What are you doing here?" He asked, expressing genuine surprise.
"I'm going to be joining the Investigation. I'll do my best to find clues with them." ƒreewebɳovel.com
Upon hearing those words, Adonis smiled slightly.
'He must have thought he was too weak to go to the Dungeon, so he decided to help out in another way…'
He felt nothing but respect for Rey.
'Even though you're weak, you do what you can…'
If that wasn't the definition of a true Hero, what was?
"Alright! I wish you good luck!" Adonis noded and widened his smile.
"Thanks! You too!"
They both chucked despite the fact that they were meant to be under a lot of pressure.
"I'll need it… thanks, Rey."
Rey nodded and returned the look of genuine camaraderie.
For a second, they both stood still… not saying a single word to each other.
That was when Adonis remembered that time was running out.
He turned to see Lucielle already done with the briefing, so he laughed awkwardly.
"I should probably get going now…"
"Yeah, you should."
The next thing Adonis did seemed to surprise Rey.
Stretching out a fist towards the boy before him, Adonis smiled and whispered.
"Please find them…"
Rey nodded and knocked his own fist on Adonis', creating their first ever fist numb.
"Don't lose." Rey responded.
They both weren't smiling any longer. Only expressions of resolve oozed from them.
As the Mages, Knights—disguised or not—and Otherworlders watched the two from their respective positions, the silence was deafening.
Until Adonis broke it.
"I won't."
They both parted ways after that—with Rey leaving the Castle Walls with his team, and Adonis returning to the group.
Neither of them could have guessed the horrors that were about to unfold.
The tragedy that would come.
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Chapter 125 Finding The Lost Item [Pt 1]
Aldred Winsley sat on his desk early in the day, just like every other day.
Business in the KariBlanc Group's Central Building didn't really pick up until late evening/night, but a few customers preferred coming when there were fewer eyes on them.
As a result, diligent workers like Aldred had to make themselves available.
Aldred behind on his luxurious desk, taking care of some paperwork while waiting to be called for any 'special case.'
His hair was stylish, as always, and his formal attire was neat and properly—to the utmost limit.
Even though he was all alone in the room, with no one watching him whatsoever, he went about his business with as much finesse and dedication as possible.
He was just about to pick up another file when he finally got the call.
It was from his Enchanted Bracelet.
~Out Esteemed Guest is here for you, sir. He says he wants to meet with you and it's urgent!~
The moment Aldred heard this, he jumped to his feet that very instant.
There was only one person that he told the other workers to call 'esteemed guest' when calling him about them.
'It's Sir Ralyks!"
Aldred had a mixed expression of both surprise and relief.
He was glad to see that their best seller hadn't abandoned them, and he had even come sooner than expected.
However, that didn't stop Aldred's surprise at the entire situation. After all…
'He only arrives in the afternoon. What's this new arrangement?'
Besides, after their first meeting, it was obvious that Aldred was always going to attend to him or his subordinate no matter what.
'So why did he bother asking to see me; and he says it's important as well?'
He began to get goosebumps, but he knew he couldn't afford to be crippled by the uncertain future ahead of him.
'I can't dawdle for too long, else he'll think I'm disrespecting him!'
Sir Ralyks was not only the best seller to their KariBlanc Group, he was also someone with a Skill in the realm of Absolutes—The S-Tier.
If he didn't want their organization to perish, all possible respect had to be attributed to this man—whoever he was.
"Tell him I'm on my way. I'll be with him shortly." As Aldred rushed out of his office, he uttered these words to the one who called him.
She responded affirmatively, and Aldred found himself outside his office already.
All that was left was to locate the most pristine Bargain Room and speak to Ralyks.
'I hope all is well…'
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'T-this is…'
Aldred Winsley was now seated right opposite KariBlanc's top seller and most esteemed guest, but he didn't feel too comfortable.
He fought very hard to keep his body from trembling, and he was sure that all the color had drained from his face.
… Why?
Well, the answer sat right in front of him, in the form of Ralyks.
'… This pressure is… something else!'
Just by sitting and remaining quiet, Aldred could send an incorporeal pressure pressing against him.
It was a power he could not define or explain.
Was it a Skill? Or… was it just pure, unbridled bloodlust?
Aldred didn't know.
However, he did know that he wasn't the cause.
'Ever since I entered this room, I felt the pressure already. I do not believe I've done anything to insult or disrespect him.'
Even if he did, Aldred felt like the man before him wasn't the type to take offense at such things so easily.
The strong didn't need to keep quiet about their dissatisfactions.
They were often vocal about it.
'So what is up with this situation? Why is he being like this…?'
As Aldred gulped down his saliva, taking one of the glasses of water that sat on a tray—right atop the center table that demarcated then both—he noticed something.
Ralyks began to move subtly, raising his head slowly so he could look him in the eye.
Aldred braced himself for whatever was to come next.
However—
"Sorry to come here so early in the morning. However, I need something from your company."
—Ralyks' words were surprisingly calm and polite.
It was almost like he was being very carefully gentle with his words.
Honestly, Aldred was so relieved.
"W-what are you talking about, Sir Ralyks? You can come here at any time and always be welcome!"
Aldred knew that even if he was busy with another customer or seller… the moment Sir Ralyks was in the building, he would leave his earlier engagement to someone capable and attend to him.
He was KariBlanc's golden goose—and they didn't plan on letting him go anytime soon.
"What do you need? We will try our best to procure it for you!"
As he asked this, Aldred wondered if both Ralyks and his subordinate enjoyed the gifts they were given.
He wanted to ask, but decided it wasn't the best time.
Business came first.
"My ring… the White Ember, it's missing."
The moment Aldred heard this, his eyes twitched slightly.
"The person who was wearing it is also missing. I'd like to find them both… I hope you understand what I'm driving at?"
Aldred nodded slowly, his expression darkening slightly.
'Someone took his Beloved and also had the audacity to take the ring from him…?!'
He couldn't believe someone like Ralyks was clumsy and reckless.
He was probably not present when the incident happened.
'Yet he came here for a solution. So he already knows…' Aldred made a nervous smile
This man really was too much.
"I understand perfectly well, sir. Please come with me."
They both rose up and Aldred took him upstairs.
… To the Second Floor.
Compared to the first and second floor, no one but specific staff were meant to even take a step into the Floor.
However, for every rule… there is an exception.
And that exception was the man with him.
'Since he came to the KariBlanc, he must already know of the special power in our grasp.'
There was no use hiding it from him at this point.
'… Our Enchanted Item Tracker!'
The KariBlanc Group's Central Building was a three-story building.
Its Ground Floor was used for commerce. Its First Floor was used for brokerage and special transactions—as well as the storage of regular Items.
As for the Second Floor… It was used for three major purposes.
One was to store the best of products. The second was adding the finishing touches for these products.
And as for the last reason, it lay behind the door that Aldred was about to open.
The Manufacturing stations existed in the bulkier half of the building that served as an extension to the back.
Since the building had a lot of space—especially behind it, it wasn't surprising that manufacturing occurred there.
That place was also off-limits to those without access, but compared to that, this place was the real deal.
The Holy of Holies.
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Chapter 126 Finding The Lost Item [Pt 2]
The KariBlanc Group's Central Building was a three-story building.
Its Ground Floor was used for commerce. Its First Floor was used for brokerage and special transactions—as well as the storage of regular Items.
As for the Second Floor… It was used for three major purposes.
One was to store the best of products. The second was adding the finishing touches for these products.
And as for the last reason, it lay behind the door that Aldred was about to open.
The Manufacturing stations existed in the bulkier half of the building that served as an extension to the back.
Since the building had a lot of space—especially behind it, it sssnt surprising that manufacturing occurred there.
That place was also off-limits to those without access, but compared to that, this place was the real deal.
The Holy of Holies.
'I haven't taken permission from father to do this, but…'
Aldred knew what his father would say in this situation
Right now, there was no room for hesitation.
"Right this way, Sir Ralyks."
Despite what he would have normally done, Aldred allowed the man to enter first, before finally proceeding behind him.
As the door creaked and closed behind them, yet another tension filled the air.
Though, no one could tell where it came from.
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The room that the two men entered was completely dark, save for one source of light that glowed even in such deep darkness.
Both of the men walked to the source of light, as if attracted to it for some reason.
"This is the Enchanted Tracker. It's imbued with the best kind of Tracking Magic."
Aldred knew this thing was incredibly powerful—with a failure rate of 0 percent.
Tracking Magic was very difficult to use, and it required a lot of Mana to pull off.
Naturally, the first criteria also applied to this gleaming orb. However, the initial problem—the difficulty of Tracking Magic—had completely been solved.
"All we have to do now is track your beloved's ring."
"She's not my… never mind." Aldred could hear mumbles from the man in the mask, but he couldn't quite pick it up.
Rather than straining his ears, he gave up on it.
"So… you use this Item to track down the merchandise you sell, huh?"
A somewhat dangerous tone suddenly echoed in the air.
Aldred nearly jumped as he watched Raklys take a few steps forward to closely observe the Orb.
"I-It's not like we ever do it without permission. That'll be a violation of our contract." He quickly protested.
"Do you really care about all that when it comes to business within the Black Market…?"
Aldred was very helpless in the presence of Ralyks' accusation.
The Group had a lot of protocols, and one of them was the non-use of Tracking Magic on the Enchanted Items that they sold.
The only exception was by special request, and even then, none of the customers were brought up here.
They were like only remain in their lounges on the First Floor until the job was complete.
However, Aldred seemed Ralyks to be a reasonable man.
… A dangerous one too.
"If we were to use Tracking Magic, the item that is being tracked will react to the influx of energy resonating with it. In essence, it would be a reaction you noticed."
A keen user of their Enchanted Item would find it suspicious that the thing was glowing for no reason.
It wouldn't take very long for them to figure out that it was tracking the Item.
And once they did, their eyes would unanimously turn to the one who sold them the Item.
"It would be a terrible business move to keep track of all Items, even if they were fine with invading privacy."
Aldred didn't think he had to explain all of these to Raklys, since he knew the man had a very strong sense of business.
Still, he did anyway.
"I understand. Alright then… find my White Amber."
Wherever the ring was, the user existed there was well. Aldred knew this logic already.
"Alright then. Let us begin…"
Aldred pulled out a piece of paper, seemingly out of nowhere.
This piece was a receipt of purchase—one that was kept for purposes like this
Even though the two items were a gift, Aldred still had to keep it for the sake of record-keeping and transaction management.
"Here I go, Sir."
Aldred placed the receipt on the glowing orb, and all of a sudden… the bright sphere began to grow brighter.
It seemed as bright as the sun at some point, filling the entire room with white light.
~VWUUUM~
The orb pulsated, creating warbling sounds as the energy that swelled within it began to ooze out.
A small vortex of wind formed around it, causing the room to tremble a bit.
The two men remained in their positions, though. This was merely a process, and then both of them were guaranteed of their safety.
And then, after a few more seconds of making noise, the sphere finally died down.
~BZZTZZ!~
A small glitchy sound echoed within the room, and an overhead panel suddenly appeared above the orb.
[Registered Item Located]
[Enchanted Item (Grade 6): White Amber has been located. Coordinates will be displayed below.]
[Tap For More]
There was initial silence in the room, but Aldred proceeded to tap the panel, and it fully displayed the map of the Black Market.
Several buildings lay in sight—almost like a one would see in a map displayed on a mobile app.
The KariBlanc Group gave off a 'blue' glow, which was meant to signify the start-point of the journey.
And then, in some obscure area within the same Black Market Area… there was a 'red' dot.
That meant only one thing.
"Your Enchanted Item is over here, Sir Ralyks." Aldred said with a relieved smile.
The masked man said nothing.
Aldred could sense something in the atmosphere that brought about unease, so he decided the best thing to do was to keep talking.
"It doesn't seem to be moving, so we can safely guess the wielder is stationary—at least, for now."
There was still no word from the dark-cloaked one.
Aldred had no choice but to ask the question that now burned in his mind. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"What would you like to do now… Sir Ralyks?"
The question drifted in the air for a moment, until finally, the one in question finally broke the silence with his deep and commanding voice.
"What else? I'll find whoever dared to steal from me… and make them pay for it."
Aldred felt a chill go up his spine as soon as he heard those words.
It felt like some sort of lid had been opened on the repressed rage of the masked one.
'Whoever dared to do something like this… they have my pity.' Aldred smiled wryly to himself.
Normally, his task would end here.
He had shown their dear seller the location of his item, and also confirmed it to be stationary.
However, Aldred had another idea in mind.
"If you do not mind, Sir Ralyks, I'd like to come with you."
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Chapter 127 The Arrangement
Rey's heart was racing as he stared at the coordinates.
His fists were tightly clenched, and he felt his eyes growing bloodshot.
'Why would Alicia be in the Black Market?!' He instantly knew that she couldn't have been there on her own free will.
She was clearly in some kind of trouble.
'Is it because of Billy? I'm sure it's him!'
Remembering the face of his former best friend was enough to make him grit his teeth.
He was fully annoyed.
Despite Rey's annoyance, though, he felt a wave of relief hit him.
'At least I found her. Ditching the rest and coming here on my own really was the right move.'
Rey was able to leave the watch of the Investigation Squad and come here on his own after they all split up looking for clues.
Thanks to that, he managed to slip into the Black Market space.
'I simply guessed that I could use their network or information channels to find Alicia.'
Rey had also considered them using Tracking Magic on their Items, but he didn't think it would be this detailed.
He also didn't like the implications that it brought to the table.
'If they can always track any Item I buy from them, then am I really safe from their prying eyes?'
However, after Aldred explained the process to him—revealing the implications of doing something of the sort—Rey recognized that they probably wouldn't want to do something like that.
And even if they did… he would know.
'I better hurry, though. Since we've located the Item, it would have alerted the one who has it.'
In Rey's mind, that person was Alicia.
'If she's surrounded by the enemy, they might see the glow and recognize it as Tracking Magic.'
That meant he had to get to her before she got moved from her position.
'It'll be difficult to memorize all these routes in such a short period of time, but I have no choice.'
He was in a hurry.
Even though he was unfamiliar with a lot of places within the Black Market, and the target location was quite far from where he currently stood, Rey knew he still had to find a way somehow.
… And fast!
As he was contemplating these things and getting ready to depart, he was met with the most unexpected suggestion.
"If you do not mind, Sir Ralyks, I'd like to come with you."
Rey's surprise was well hidden under his black mask and the poker face underneath.
'What? He's a broker, isn't he? Why would he want to leave his place of work for me?' freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Had Aldred sensed his unease and decided to help? Was there something else at play here?
In the end, Rey had no choice but to directly ask the person involved.
"Why?"
Then, the answer came forth in a calm, calculated manner.
"There is a possibility that your target might start moving after you leave this place. To keep track of their movements in real-time, it's best I accompany you."
Aldred explained that he had a syncing device that connected to the Tracking Device in the room.
They could use that to get an accurate read on the map and detect even the slightest movements of their target.
"What do you say?"
It was an honestly good reason. However, for the currently skeptical Rey… it wasn't enough.
"Why would you go this far for me? I might be a prized seller, but surely you aren't mandated to go as far as leaving your area of business for my sake."
As soon as Rey said this, he noticed a slight change in Aldred's expression.
From his small, humble smile… emanated a crooked look. He had a very menacing demeanor that one wouldn't find in a businessperson.
… It was the kind of face you'd expect from a thug.
"Someone dared to steal a product from the KariBlanc Group. Not many are foolish enough to do something so stupid…"
As Rey heard this, he watched Aldred's twisted smile grow even wider.
"I'd like to see who did this with my own eyes, as well as watch them be punished as much as they deserve. Of course, I'd like to ask you to leave some for us once you're satisfied.
Rey knew how merciless the KariBlanc Group could be.
He wasn't sure if bringing an agent of theirs on this mission was the right thing to do.
However, when he weighed the pros against the cons…
'He can see the real-time location of the ring, and he knows the Black Market much better than I do.'
… Rey already knew he had no other option.
"Fine. You can come along with me."
"Thank you, Sir Ralyks." As Aldred bowed slightly, Rey felt a slight discomfort in the pit of his stomach.
He still wasn't completely used to being called by his moniker.
'I'll have to grow accustomed to it, though.'
As Rey stole one more glance at the beeping red dot on the map, he narrowed his gaze.
Impatience swelled within him, and his body was prepared to dart out that very instant.
"You're the only one coming with me, right?" He asked Aldred.
"I would have liked to take a small group in order to display some of our power, but I recognize that it might inconvenience you quite a bit."
Rey nodded slightly. Knowing the KariBlanc Group—the little that he did—this 'small group' could end up being a squad of a hundred men or even more.
'Mobilizing such a force would take time, and I'm in a hurry.'
"So, how about this, Sir Ralyks? I'll only take one person with me. That'll make just three of us on this expedition."
Rey only needed to think about it for a second before nodding in agreement.
"Perfect!" Aldred clapped his two hands together as he beamed brightly.
It was almost as if he never displayed any malevolent grin before now.
Rey made a quick note to be wary around Aldred—warier than he was before—and the entire KariBlanc Group.
For now, though, something else was at the forefront of his mind.
'… Alicia!'
"Very well then." Aldred made for the door as he said with purposeful excitement.
"Let us depart!"
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