Chapter 287 Conspiratory Discourse
"So, how are the 'preparations' going?"
As Rey asked this question, Ater's lips broadened and a somewhat sadistic smile formed all over his face.
"They're going well. They should be ready by tomorrow. We can utilize them anytime after that."
"I was thinking of waiting for two or three more days before using them. It's not time yet." Rey responded, rubbing his chin.
"I understand. The beneficiaries aren't ripe yet, am I correct? You desire for them to acclimate a little more."
"Yes. You saw how they were today. They have a long way to go before the plan can be viable."
Ater nodded his head at his Master's wise words.
"You are correct."
While he didn't completely understand the rationale behind his Master's actions, Ater could see the reason behind this plan in particular.
It pleased him that his Master was the one behind it as well.
"I'm quite optimistic about it." Rey added, and Ater couldn't help but give a nod in approval.
They were both on the same page on that matter.
"This is just a tangent, but I guess being in the thick of it with them in today's Raid made me notice a few things about my classmates that I didn't know before." Rey chuckled a little.
He was able to see them very differently since he was paying very rapt attention to them.
It was a somewhat refreshing experience.
"If you so desire, we can create a scenario that will help you explore more of that tomorrow." Ater voiced his opinion, eager to please his master.
Rey narrowed his eyes as he heard what Ater said.
"I promise, it's nothing harmful. In fact, it could end up benefiting them."
"Hmm…" Rey clearly senses that Ater had no malevolent intent with his suggestion, so he knew he could trust him.
"Fine." He sighed. "But you'll have to tell me the details."
"Understood, Master."
They had gone on yet another tangent, and the most important matters were yet to be addressed.
Rey felt like slapping his hand on his head, but he controlled himself while being watched by his loyal Familiar.
He had to keep up some measure of appearances.
"I noticed you didn't Level Up despite killing a fair share of Monsters on the Third Floor…"
Ater raised his earlier bowed head the moment he heard the question.
He gave a slight sigh and shrugged.
"None of those fodder can grant me any kind of meaningful EXP talkless of helping me Level Up."
The Absolute creature sounded disappointed—perhaps a little frustrated—as he voiced the conundrum to his Master.
'I can totally relate!' Rey wanted to cry out, but he restrained himself.
It seemed like they both suffered from the same problem.
They were too strong.
"We both need to find stronger prey, it seems." Rey sadly smiled at his Familiar.
He knew that Ater had intentionally given him the Boss of the Third Floor, perhaps as a means to get the lion's share of EXP, but it was honestly no good.
He barely got any EXP from it.
'That Boss Monster would have been a lot more beneficial to someone else…'
In the end, it was a waste on him.
'I'm honestly concerned about how things will play out in the future. I don't want to end up stuck at this Level.'
Rey had heard there were other Dungeons in a bunch of other regions, so he began to wonder if he should go there after he was done with his current assignment.
'Yeah. I think that's what I'll do.'
Once Rey settled on his thought, he went on to the next topic—
perhaps the most important one yet—with Ater.
"The KariBlanc Group is supposed to set out tonight—at least, that is how it's supposed to be if they're going to get to the Merchant City on time." Rey smiled.
Of course, he wasn't planning on letting them leave so early. He was simply going to teleport them once the time came.
However, they had to put up appearances.
'There's no doubt that there are spies hidden all around who are waiting to see Rebal and Kara leave the Capital.'
They had to fool them by ensuring the two—and a believable number of people serving as their entourage—left before their eyes.
"You can leave everything to me, Master." Ater bowed his head and gave a confident smile.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. While I find it doubtful that they would be attacked if they were to journey to the Merchant City, with or without your help, I understand your concerns."
Indeed… Ater didn't believe Scylla and her New Order would ambush Rebal or try to slow him down.
If that was the case, then this entire procedure was unnecessary.
However, Rey had to disagree.
'Well, it's still better to be safe rather than sorry.'
As a result, the conclusion was to keep Rebal and those who would be going with him to the Dark Gathering in some safe and hidden place while only making it seem like they left the Capital.
"Alright. I'll leave it up to you." Rey nodded at Ater.
He didn't doubt his Familiar's capabilities in that respect, so he left him to it.
"Thank you, Master."
"Ah! I nearly forgot, but remember the rule." Rey raised a finger, and the Familiar nodded almost instantly.
"No unnecessary killing or violence. I understand."
They had to remain as lowkey as possible—at least, until the promised day.
'If I don't give him something specific like that, he might go about the plan in some twisted way.'
Rey couldn't have that.
"Well, I suppose that's pretty much it for now."
"Yes, Master."
"Also, were you able to get more information about Conrad's moves?"
"Yes. The Royal Council is currently gathering their forces in the Merchant City while also strengthening their forces in the Capital and preparing for a full-blown Raid."
As Ralyks, he had agreed to transport the Capital's forces within the Merchant City once the time came, but Rey was pleasantly surprised that they already had troops being gathered there.
"Were you able to find the spies among the forces who leaked information of the Royal Council's plans to Scylla?"
"Yes, Master. They'll be dealt with once the plan is completely in motion and they're not needed any longer."
Rey smiled as he listened to all of this.
'Everything is going very smoothly.' As his smile broadened, his eyes brimmed with excitement.
"That's good."
*Chapter 288 Under The Canopy Of Night
Night soon arrived, and darkness crept into the world.
The starless sky had only the dull glow of the half moon shining upon the areas engulfed in the thickness of the dark.
On this very night, a certain carriage departed from the Blanc Mansion.
It was prestigious, well-made. It's surface Barry reflected any light, and it was obviously designed for stealth.
As an Enchanted Carriage, it made no sound as it passed through the hidden paths that led out of the Capital.
As one would expect from a carriage of this pristine nature, it wasn't alone.
An entourage of six powerful men—led by a pink-haired woman—surrounded the wheeled mechanism.
They were all on mounts, and they had solemn expressions on their faces as they advanced to whatever destination they had in mind.
Among the entourage, there was a certain hooded man who rode right behind the others. If Yuri could be labeled as the leader at the forefront, then this enigma was the one who took the rear end.
Their formation ensured that the carriage would be protected from all sides—even the flanks.
A pretty standard formation for a considerably long journey.
"So they finally took off…"
A silent voice, unable to be heard by anyone around, softly proceeded from the lips of a man who watched all of this.
He was the leader of the Scylla's Personal Recon Team—Jawl.
His body was completely shrouded in darkness as he narrowed his eyes to activate his Skill.
'[Transparency]!'
With it, he could see through solid objects. Hence, despite the carriage having tinted windows, that didn't stop him from seeing what was going on inside.
As expected, Jawl's Skill worked!
He saw the interior of the carriage, and it was as exquisite as anyone would imagine.
Seated within it were Rebal Blanc, Kara Verte, and a mysterious man in a mask.
Rebal and Kara were seated beside each other, while the masked man was opposite them.
Once Jawl confirmed their positions, as well as all the other information he required from the carriage and its entourage, he deactivated his Skill.
'I better call Lady Scylla.' His thoughts trailed as his eyes darted up and about.
His subordinates were spread up and about the path that surrounded the carriage. As professionals, they had formations of their own.
It didn't matter what kind of formation the target had. They could easily break through it.
'We just need her go-ahead.'
Jawl knew that his second Skill—[Dark Silence]—was still activated, so he was confident that his next action wouldn't compromise his mission.
He brought out his Enchanted Communication Device and activated it by pouring his Mana into it.
The thing was shaped like an orb, and it was considerably heavy thanks to how many high-quality Mana Crystals were needed to make it.
Since it was used for communicating long distances, the Mana necessary was incredible.
After this single call, Jawl knew he would need to recharge the Item.
~ZTTTZ!~
Before long, the Communication Item connected to the other end.
~What's the situation?~
Jawl recognized the voice to belong to his master—Lady Scylla herself—and he subconsciously bowed his head the moment he heard her voice.
"All the necessary parties are present. Rebal Blanc and Kara Verte are within the carriage. Leading their entourage is their strongest warrior, Yuri, and I can recognize the other entourages save a few new faces."
He went ahead and succinctly poured out all the intel he had uncovered.
It was brief, straight to the point, and accurate.
As a professional who had served Scylla for nearly a decade, he knew her preferences and how to do his job to her utmost satisfaction.
The reason he didn't even address her as 'Master' when on the call was due to her distaste for time-wasting formalities.
Jawl desired to please her to his utmost, so he did as he was told and reported exactly what his Master desired to know.
~Good job.~
The moment he heard this, Jawl felt like he had been rewarded for all the scrutiny he had put into his work.
Scylla's words of admonishment, spoken by her soft voice, put a smile on his face.
He wanted to do anything for her.
"My men are on standby. Should we attack passively and delay their arrival to the Dark Gathering, or engage in active assault to eliminate them?"
For a few seconds, there was silence on the other end.
Then—
~You said there are a few faces you do not recognize. Are there any of them dressed peculiarly? Perhaps in a way that resembles the title 'Reaper'…?~
Upon hearing this, Jawl searched through his incredibly photographic memory and came up with two results.
"I saw two men dressed entirely in black, hiding their faces. One was at the rear end of the formation, while the other was within the carriage."
~Two? I thought there would be three. Hmm…~
Jawl didn't know anything about this 'Reaper' figure, and frankly… he didn't care.
Sure, the name sounded scary, but that wasn't going to deter him from fulfilling his duties and completing his mission.
Reaper or not—they would all perish if that was the wish of his Master.
~Don't engage the enemy. You've confirmed what you need to, so let them be and begin your second assignment.~
"Understood." Jawl was curious about his Master's decision, but he was in no position to question it.
He didn't need to know.
He just had to act—that was his purpose.
~You desire to know why I ordered against attacking, right?~
Upon hearing those words, Jawl shuddered a little.
He wasn't surprised that his Master had figured out his thoughts, but it still caught him off-guard.
"Yes." He responded.
There was no way Jawl could lie to Scylla.
A slight chuckle echoed from the Communication Device, and Jawl swallowed hard as he listened to the melodious sound.
He felt something tingle between his legs, but he ignored it and focused solely on his Master's angelic voice.
It was enough to save a wretched man like himself.
~It's simple, really. I do not wish for you and your men to die futile deaths.~
The moment Jawl heard this, his heart nearly stopped. He couldn't believe the generosity and mercy of his Master.
"…"
He was rendered speechless by her consideration.
~Then, inform me of any other situation that arises. Bye.~
Once she finished speaking, Scylla cut off communication from her end, leaving radio silence on his device.
It automatically deactivated on its own, and Jawl slowly placed the Item in his pocket.
He couldn't say a word even a minute after the call. His mind was still recoiling from the kind words he heard from Scylla.
'She doesn't want me to die a futile death…'
Jawl seemed to have forgotten that her words weren't directed only at him, but at all of his men.
Still, his broken mind interpreted it the way he wanted.
~FWUSH!~
"Leader! We have been on standby for some time now. What is the order?" One of Jawl's subordinates appeared, seemingly out of thin air, his head bowed.
The subordinate's eyes nearly popped out of its sockets once he saw the massive pillar that rose from his leader's pants.
It was not human-like.
"Call all the men back." Jawl spoke, completely neglecting—or maybe just ignoring—his incredible boner.
"We're retreating."
*
Chapter 289 The One Who Devours
"Two instead of three, huh? Interesting…" freewēbnoveℓ.com
A voice echoed in an immensely pristine room. It belonged to a woman who sat behind an incredibly large dining table.
Her chair was soft and of the utmost quality, and the table was finely made as well.
The entire room was painted mainly white, with layers of black and red—a bit of gold too.
It had an aesthetic of wealth and power… but also forbidden danger.
The woman who sat all alone in the room—save for the masked guard who stood in a corner—was incredibly beautiful.
She had the face of an Angel, and her body was gorgeous beyond description. With clear skin and perfect proportions, she would easily pass as any man's dream lady.
She was currently confronted with a feast on her dining table.
It was mostly a meal that consisted of meat, with deep red sauce, and several garnishing by the side.
Then, a bottle of exquisite wine stood beside the meal, while she downed a glass which was gracefully held in her grasp.
Her lips formed a smile as she looked at the meal before her and mulled over the news she had just listened to.
All of it was making her hungry.
'Could I have been wrong in my assessment? Maybe two would have been enough…'
She took her fork and knife, perfectly slicing the juicy steak that was on a plate in front of her.
"Mmm…" Closing her eyes and savoring the flavor, her smile grew wider.
"Perfect."
The tender meat seemed to melt into her mouth, and the juices were fully absorbed without any discomfort of any kind.
'I can't ever come back from this.' She licked her lips as she looked at the steak, and then carried her gaze to the other meaty meals before her.
No other kind of food could satisfy her like this.
She took another bite and swallowed, downing the wine and leaking out a satisfied exhalation.
Once this process was over, she dropped her empty glass and decided it was time to think more deeply about everything thus far.
'If I was wrong, it means that somehow, one of those two was fast enough to get to two locations. So one of them guarded the KariBlanc goods and defeated Ogun, while the other took care of Anukus and Fernand. I see…'
That scenario was a little difficult to believe, but it wasn't completely implausible.
'The bottom line is, they're both pretty strong.'
At this point, the lady's smile her broader—nearly losing her allure as an Angel.
If only she was one…
No, this was Lady Scylla, the furthest thing from a being of purity.
"I was ready to send those men to their deaths in order to find out just how strong this 'Reaper' is, but…' Scylla had changed her mind at the last minute.
After some careful thoughts, she realized how wasteful the whole thing would be.
'What's the point of testing the waters with weaklings like them when I know the Reaper is strong enough to kill a member of the Deadly Three?'
Compared to those monsters in the Mercenary Gang, her Recon Forces were mere toddlers.
It would be a pointless venture to try to see the depths of the Reaper's strength with weaklings like them.
As a result, they were spared.
'They'll serve a better purpose staking out the KariBlanc Group's assets and the Blanc Mansion.'
Once the time for action arrived, their mission would be complete and she would have to think of some other thing to use them for.
'It's only in a few days. I can't wait…'
Regardless of how strong the Blanc and Verte House had become thanks to the aid of this mysterious ally of theirs, the results were inevitable.
She had set up the perfect trap for them, and her plans would reign supreme.
'Either way… I'm going to win!'
Scylla stabbed the meat on her plate and took another bite of the juicy, tender meat.
Her intentions were to devour the entire United Human Alliance the same way she consumed the delicious meat that now melted in her mouth.
No leftovers whatsoever.
********
[The Next Day]
~BOOOOOM!~
The Fourth Floor had its own sets of troubles as the Otherworlders had to set up a formation in order to stand a chance against the centipede-like monsters.
These creatures were each at least ten meters tall, with incredibly thick bodies and powerful exoskeletons.
They were also poisonous, and their incredibly sharp reflexes made them a chore to deal with.
The biggest issue was, of course, their numbers.
They were incredibly plentiful, and thanks to the several tunnel-
like holes they had burrowed all around the Fourth Floor, they could escape at any time.
Thankfully, the team had Adonis' defensive barrier and Alicia's Healing Magic.
If not for those two forms of protection, they would have been rendered invalid a short while in.
The current plan was simple: restrain the Monsters and then the heavy hitters would strike with everything they had to destroy them.
Of course, this meant that the heavy-hitters would get all the EXP, but this was the only viable plan they could come up with among themselves.
Despite Ralyks being present, he already made it very clear that he wouldn't help unless their lives were in danger.
And so, the formation was initiated.
One of the most important components of the restraining procedure was Justin—due to his ability to get close to the centipedes and utilize [Sleep] and the binding Skill [Marionette].
As a result of his particularly useful skill-sets, he was sent to deal with the most problematic of the bunch.
Utilizing [Stealth], he easily made it behind the wave of centipedes and initiated his two-part maneuver.
First was [Sleep], which instantly rendered the Centipedes sluggish as a result of the drowsiness that it caused.
Before they could recover, he used his [Marionette] Skill to create several threads to bind them all of them in something like an inescapable net of sorts.
Thanks to their lack of speed, he was able to pull this off and even reinforce the strings with a wide smile on his face.
Once he was done, the heavy hitters were ready to commence their assault.
"On my mark!" Adonis' voice echoed in the vast expanse.
They only had one shot at this.
*
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