Chapter 85: Double Dungeon Incident (5)

The Death Knights froze.

Every single one.

Their bodies began to crack.

Purple light poured through the cracks in their armor.

After several seconds if the cracks spreading, the death knights finally turned to dust.

All of them.

Dozens of Death Knights disintegrated simultaneously.

The enormous hall began collapsing around Eden.

The walls flickered.

The ceiling vanished.

The stone floor dissolved.

And suddenly, Eden was standing inside an ordinary cave.

There were no towering walls.

No endless hall.

No Death Knights.

No giant purple statue.

Only a dark cavern.

The entire battlefield had been an illusion.

A massive illusion seal.

The four D-Ranks stood frozen.

The supervisor stared around in disbelief.

"What..."

Eden looked at the dust settling around him.

Then his System chimed.

[You have defeated the Guardian of the Illusion Seal.]

[Level up! ×13]

Eden’s eyes widened.

’Holy shit.’

He stared at his Status.

"...Thirteen?"

The supervisor stared at him.

"You gained thirteen levels?"

Eden nodded slowly.

"So it seems."

The old man looked toward the cave.

Then at the remains of the illusion.

"Then all those creatures..."

"Weren’t real."

Eden nodded.

"Illusions."

One of the D-Ranks dropped onto the ground.

"You mean..."

"We spent thirty minutes fighting something that wasn’t even there?"

Eden shrugged.

"Basically."

The spear user stared at him.

"How did you know?"

Eden raised one finger.

"First."

He pointed toward the remains of the illusion.

"None of us gained experience."

Then a second finger.

"Second, there is no fucking way a squad of four D-Ranks and two B-Ranks could defeat twelve genuine A-Rank Abyss Creatures without getting significantly injured."

The supervisor stared at his own injuries.

Eden continued.

"We were exhausted, sure. But we weren’t crippled. None of us suffered the kind of injuries you’d expect after fighting twelve A-Ranks."

He looked at the four D-Ranks.

"You were still standing."

Then at the supervisor.

"And you were still capable of fighting."

His eyes narrowed.

"That should’ve been impossible."

The old man slowly nodded.

"You’re right."

One of the D-Ranks laughed nervously.

"I can’t believe it."

Eden looked deeper into the cave.

"Neither can I."

He wasn’t entirely satisfied.

The illusion had been powerful enough to fool all of them.

And whatever created it...

Was probably still somewhere nearby.

"We keep moving."

The supervisor looked at him.

"You think there’s another exit?"

"There has to be."

Eden looked at the dark tunnel ahead.

"We didn’t come here to die."

They began moving again.

None of them noticed the faint purple mark etched into the cave wall behind them.

A symbol shaped like an eye.

Watching.

---

Dozens of kilometers away, far from the Association stadium, an enormous skyscraper dominated the city skyline.

Deep inside the building known as the public HQ of the Crimson-crow, behind several layers of security, two men sat across from one another at a long black table.

One was a young-looking man with short purple hair and unnaturally bright green eyes.

His sharp gaze was almost predatory.

He wore black clothing with a hood resting against his back.

Null.

Across from him sat an entirely different kind of man.

He looked old.

Frail.

Almost sickly.

His pale skin clung tightly to his thin face, while pale gray hair fell messily around his head.

Dark circles surrounded his eyes.

And those eyes themselves were completely black.

Not dark brown.

Not an unusual shade of gray.

Black.

The old man smiled.

A crooked, unsettling smile.

Aphelios.

A infamous S-Rank Rogue.

Known throughout the underworld by another name.

"The Mad Summoner."

Null calmly folded his hands on the table.

"I’ll cover any losses among your followers."

Aphelios’ smile widened.

"And the payment?"

"Excellent."

"How excellent?"

"Enough that you won’t need to ask."

Aphelios chuckled.

"Now that’s something I like hearing."

He leaned forward.

"So all I have to do is cause some havoc at the upcoming Relic Auction on East Anekta Island and steal the Phoenix Potions?"

"Correct."

The old man’s fingers tapped against the table.

"Phoenix Potions..."

His black eyes gleamed.

"Rare things."

"Very."

"Then I suppose the Association will have quite a headache."

Null smiled.

"That’s the idea."

Aphelios leaned back.

"Sounds enticing."

Null paused.

"But before that, I have another job for you."

Aphelios’ smile faded slightly.

"Another?"

"Aphelios."

"Do you hate the Awakened Association?"

The old man’s expression changed instantly.

His hand slammed against the table.

Bang!

Null didn’t flinch.

Aphelios leaned forward.

His smile had returned.

But now it was far more disturbing.

"You dare ask me such a nauseating Question?"

The old man paused briefly, before answering the question.

"I hate them."

His voice trembled with genuine hatred.

"More than anything."

Null’s lips curled upward.

"Excellent."

He leaned back.

"Because one of our properties is currently participating in the Association’s tryouts."

Aphelios tilted his head.

"A property?"

"That’s not important."

Null’s eyes sharpened.

"What’s important is that our interests align."

Aphelios stared at him.

"And what exactly are you suggesting?"

Null smiled.

"Why cause havoc somewhere else..."

He tapped one finger against the table.

"When you could strike the Association right where it hurts the most?"

Aphelios’ eyes widened.

"The Tryouts?"

"More precisely, the third round."

The old man’s smile slowly returned.

A horrible grin spread across his face.

"Oh..."

He leaned forward.

"Now you’ve got my attention."

Null calmly began explaining.

And as Aphelios listened, his smile grew wider.

---

Back at the Association stadium, hours had passed.

The other participants were still awaiting the first group’s return.

Some were indifferent.

Others growing surprisingly anxious.

A few were making fun of Eden’s group amongst themselves.

The entire situation deeply irritated Luvian.

’How could that bastard rival me but struggle to clear a D-Rank gate like this?’

The world didn’t provide an answer.

Not that he needed one. Luvian was well aware that he would remain just as irritated no matter what caused the delay in Eden’s group.

Even Lucy had begun to grow anxious.

She knew Eden’s prowess better than most. But she also knew how quickly Eden could finish gates on his own.

It simply didn’t make sense that he needed this much time.

’Please...’

’Please be okay.’

Neville stood near the Warp Gate.

For once, he wasn’t smiling.

His green eyes remained fixed on the portal.

Levi stood nearby.

"How long has it been?"

Neville glanced at the clock.

"Two hours."

"That’s too long."

"Yes."

Levi frowned.

"Should we send someone in?"

Neville remained silent.

That alone was unusual.

The normally relaxed S-Rank Elite had his arms crossed, his expression serious.

Finally, he turned toward Levi.

"Contact Assistant Manager Choi."

Levi nodded.

"Alright."

"Tell him we need reinforcements."

Neville looked toward the Warp Gate.

"And healers."

Levi’s expression became concerned.

"You think something happened?"

Neville didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

"I hope I’m wrong."

He stepped toward the blue portal.

Levi grabbed his shoulder.

"You’re planning to go in yourself?"

Neville released Levi’s hand.

"Yeah."

"Gotta find out what happened to my candidates, after all."

Then he stepped into the Warp Gate.

The blue light swallowed him.