《Harem of the final villain in an ERO MMO!!! I just need to survive》


 Chapter 1 1: You Are The Perfect Specimen [Pt1]

    ?It was a shitty night.


    It was decent if you consider that, for the first time this month, Keith got home on time from his hectic job which was supposed to end two hours ago.


    But of course, something had to show up at thest second at his work firm and Keith had been asked to stay back and deal with a rather tricky client by his boss. The back and forth had caused him entirely some daylight in the process.


    But finally, he was free to go home. Keith could not wait to go home and roll in his sheets. That was the immense happiness in the world.


    His shoulder bumped into ady who crossed him and Keith felt his body jerk due to the sudden force.


    ''Ouch, this hurts. I should start hitting the gym.''


    Keith rubbed his aching shoulder as he looked at the girl he had knocked over¡­.


    He should have likely knocked over. But the girl who looked back at him did not even flinch.


    Now that he looked at her again, the girl looked a little weird and her eyes had no pupils. Keith felt as if he could not meet her eyes.


    "Sorry for bumping into you. I will make sure to take care next time."


    Keith apologized and turned around. That should have been the end, but then his wrist was grabbed by a pair of soft hands and his arm was pulled into a pair of heavy breasts.


    Keith had a feeling that he should not turn back to look or he would be in big trouble. The two police officers who patrolled this area were starting to head toward him already.


    "Excuse me, but can you let me go? I am notfortable with you holding on to me like this."


    Keith tried to get himself free once again, but the girl held on to his arm even tighter. Her smile grew bigger as her pupilless eyes met Keith''s and he tried to yank his hand out.


    ''Bad move. I can feel all the softness of young breasts against my arm. Shit, the police are heading toward us as well.''


    Keith was sure he would not have been half as freaked out as he was if the girl holding on to him did not look underaged. Her blue hair and silver eyes painted a picture of innocence with her youthful looks.


    And her refusal to say anything back to Keith was making his situation even worse. It was so bad that Keith was considering running away, the safety of this girl be damned.


    "Hey, I asked you to let go."


    Keith tried onest time to be angry and push the girl away. But he was considerably weaker than he expected himself to be, or the girl was built like a truck because she did not even budge a single inch.


    Instead, the more force Keith exerted, the more he was pulled back toward the girl. And his struggles finally ended once the police reached them.


    "Hey, what is going on here? Miss, are you in trouble? Can we help you out?"


    The police officerspletely ignored Keith''s struggles and instantly turned their attention to the young girl in front of them.


    Not that it mattered because the girl did not even look up at them. She kept on staring at Keith with a thinking expression. And apparently, it did not sit well with the officer.


    "Looking at this situation, I am afraid that you will have toe with us, Mister. And don''t try anything funny because we will know it."


    This was the worst-case scenario for Keith. He could read the police officer''s faces and they were both convinced that he was at fault. Even the people around were beginning to give him ''the look.''


    Keith had two options now - to insist that he was innocent and make himself look even worse as a result. Or, to quietly extract himself from the situation and pretend like he did not know anything.


    "Will you listen to me if I said in my defense?"


    "Yeah sure. But only once you are behind the safety of our bars. We need to maintain the safety of our roads after all."


    Well, it had been worth a try. But things happened just as Keith had expected them to. In the end, he was not heard out by the police officers.


    "Head in now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith sighed as he tried to get into the car, only to be pulled back by the tight grip on his arm. The girl who was hanging on to him did not seem to like the idea of being in a car much.


    But this dy seemed to be annoying the officers in front of him. The driver even honked his car as a result of this dy.


    "You know, I am trying to enter but someone here is not making it any easier for me to do so."


    Keith pointed toward the kid who was hanging off his arm when he pulled it up. It felt like he was picking up dead weight and the ache in his shoulder got worse. He was sure that he heard the girl say ''he''s perfect for the job'' when he finally set her down.


    He was much more focused on the doubt that crossed the police officer''s faces. He could tell that they were finally beginning to realize the situation.


    ///////////////////////////////


    "I am so sorry for forcefully detaining you when you were not at fault. Once again, it is all because we did not know the situation beforehand."


    The police officer bowed in front of Keith. Finally, the situation had been resolved and he was free to go home. He even eyes the small bite mark on his arm that the kid had given him.


    She had bit Keith as soon as the police officers had tried to separate her from Keith. It had been a real struggle for all involved parties.


    And it was also the final nail in the coffin that made the police officers understand that ''Keith'' was the ''Victim'' and not the other way around.


    Now the only thing separating Keith and his bed was a long ride home. Keith felt his eyes close as the bus vibrated under his body. It was going to be a long and tiring ride, but one Keith was used to.


    His life had been in a constant state of up and down which made Keith prepared for anything life can throw at him. That was the only reason he was able to survive so many years of working in a public office.


    "Excuse me, s this seat taken?"


    Keith''s eyes were already dropping due to the fatigue of a hectic day. He was only able to nod in response as the girl at his side sat down.


    ''Wow, another blue-haired person. It must be the recent trend or something to have blue hair. Maybe I should get my hair dyed as well.''


    Those were Keith''sst thoughts as he finally sumbed to the tiredness he had been feeling ever since the day started.


    He did not get to see curious silver eyes watch him with a mischievous look, nor did he notice the brief glow on his arm. The bite mark on Keith''s arm was glowing quite aggressively.


    Keith was busy having a nice and rxing sleep. He could feel something warm and soft under his head and arm. He was sure that his pillow was not this soft and neither was the car seat.


    That only left one option for him - he was currently dreaming about being warm andfortable.


    He was also likely dreaming about the soft and brief touch that was traveling all over his chest. It left a tingling feeling all over Keith''s chest and he tried to push himself back.


    That touch became bolder, actually leaving Keith''s chest and traveling down the expanse of his things. Now it was getting a little too much for Keith since he did not remember bringing a female home.


    He tried to swat away that private touch, but it became a little bolder as he did so. Keith was now getting annoyed and his eyes shed open when the touch reached his private parts.


    "What do you think you are doing?"


    Keith caught the hand traveling all over his body and the giggle that he had been hearing instantly went quiet.


    His eyes met a familiar silver and Keith tried pushing himself away from the young girl in front of him. And the key word here was ''tried''.


    "W-What are you doing in my bed? Did you follow me home? I thought I lost you for good."


    Keith realized with a jolt that he waspletely naked beneath the sheets and it seemed like the young girl in front of him was naked as well.


    For a second, he thought that the worst happened and he had been assaulted. But the more he tried to make sense of the situation, the more he realized that it was not the case.


    ''This is a dream. All a bad dream I will wake up from any second now.''

 Chapter 2 2: You Are The Perfect Specimen [Pt2]

    ?''This is a dream. All a bad dream. I will wake up any second now.''


    Keith was trying to convince himself that this was all a dream. But it was rather difficult to do when nothing in front of him looked or behaved like a dream. It was all a little too detailed to have been dreamed up by him.


    ''No, calm down. Everything is alright and my mind is ying tricks on me.''


    Keith tried to calm down his growing panic that was threatening to overtake his senses. The softness beneath his body made it far more difficult to move than he had expected it to be.


    "Ouch, master, please let me go. I learned my lesson already and it''s beginning to hurt now."


    Keith instantly let the blue-haired girl go as if she burned him. Huge silver eyes looked back at him from a familiar face and Keith wanted to curse.


    "You! What are you doing here? Why am I dreaming about you? Is it because of that encounter from today morning?"


    Keith moaned as he pped his face into his hands. He wanted to wake up from this dream already since it was too disturbing.


    In the first ce, being in the bed with an underaged female was not something he should have been thinking about. It was far more dangerous in the real world than one would think it to be.


    "Huh! Are you joking with me right now master? Oh course, I am in your bed because you asked me to spend a night with you yesterday. Do you not remember? Or, is it that I performed too badly so you don''t want to remember."


    The blue-haired girl made a crying face which made Keith flinch. He had not meant to make the poor girl cry.


    But at the same time, he was the one who wanted to cry the most. Why was his consciousness torturing him like this? And why was his hair so long all of a sudden? He was sure he had just gotten a haircut recently.


    "Hey, please don''t cry. I''m sorry for dragging you into this dream but there is no need for you to cry."


    Keith tried to make things change in his unconscious mind. Maybe if he prayed hard enough, then things would change. Was this how consciousness worked?


    The blue-haired girl stopped crying at once when she heard Keith''s words. It seemed like his wishing had worked after all.


    But there was something wrong with the blue-haired girl''s expression. It had gone from a soft and begging one to a terrifying re in a matter of seconds. And before Keith knew it, he could feel his limbs being caught in a thread-like mechanism.


    "Y-You did not avoid my attacks? Then, are you not my master? Who are you and what are you doing here?"


    Keith watched as the blue-haired girl did aplete 180 of her previous personality. Her threat caused him to sweat and his limbs felt like they were being dug into by the wire.


    It was even getting difficult for him to breathe now and Keith opened his mouth to scream, only for his voice to be cut off.


    The blue-haired girl seemed not to notice his struggles as she continued her monotone.


    "Since you are here and with my energy in your soul, it seems I was the one responsible for sending you here. But it does not seem like you know anything about who I am and who you are either. I wonder what happened to you."


    While the blue-haired girl was having her inner monologue, Keith tried to cut the wire holding his body open. He could feel that his nails were quite long so they could be used to cut through the thin wire.


    It was a struggle to cut a small piece, but once he managed to do it, everything fell apart without the blue-haired female noticing anything.


    Since this was a dream, it should have ended by now but Keith was surprised to see it not ending even when he was hurt.


    So there was only one way to wake himself up and that was to provide an even stronger stimulus. Maybe the sharp knife sitting on his bedtable would help? It certainly looked sharp enough.


    "Hey, what are you doing? Stop ying around or you will hurt yourself."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be alright since this weird dream will finally end¡­"


    Keith, who did not heed the blue-haired girl''s advice ended up cutting a small wound in his arm. As a result, the cut on his arm started bleeding and sharp pain assaulted Keith''s senses.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But the worst thing was, even the sharp pain was not able to discontinue this weird dream he was having. If anything, his surroundings got even clearer and his blood felt like it was boiling.


    "I told you not to be stupid. This is not a dream, nor is this a prank. I think you should sit down because you are about to get the biggest shock of your life right now."


    Keith found his body following the instructions. Themanding voicebined with the authoritative tone that had been used had been enough to get his body into action.


    Keith, who had been trained by the public sector to follow the person of authority, found himself unable to fight back or even move when the blue-haired girl sat him down.


    Somehow, this scene looked familiar but Keith was sure he had never been in such a situation before.


    "First of all, you should know who I am and where you are. No, don''t interrupt me when I am speaking," Keith''s open mouth went closed, "this is Alteria, the world of magic. My name is ir, a goddess of your world and currently acting as the ve of your body''s true owner. As for the reason, there is no need for you to know. Now, do you have any questions for me this far?"


    ir''s impatient look yelled for Keith to keep his mouth shut. Even if he understood nothing of what she said, her re was letting Keith know that any rebuttal would not be appreciated.


    But her words made something strike in Keith''s mind when she talked about Alteria and her being a goddess.


    He had known such a setting, but it had been an MMO he had yed when he had been a teen. It had gotten discontinued even before it could truly shine and Keith remembered enjoying it quite a bit.


    "Since you kept quiet, I would assume that you got everything I told you. Good, then let''s get to the main part that concerns you."


    "Hey wait, I still have questions-"


    "You are the Grandmaster of the biggest Earth alliance, Mystica so makes sure you act ordingly. Now, I don''t know why you are here or why I sent you into this world, but I must be quite desperate so don''t die on me. And you better y your part as the dignified guild master you are or you will die. You have a lot of enemies after all."


    The exnation was happening too fast for Keith''s liking but he did pick up a few points.


    First, it looked like he had been transmigrated into this new world which resembled an MMO he had yed before.


    And if he remembered correctly, he had be not the protagonist, but the viinous master of the main protagonist. What rotten luck was this?


    But at least there was a silver lining in everything that happened.


    As far as Keith remembered, the Grand Master had been the most powerful person in this MMO and also thest boss. He had a lot of buffs and cheats that would help Keith.


    He might not feel that great right now, but he was sure that he would be unbeatable once he got to know how to use his cheats.


    But speaking of cheats, what were they exactly and how can he use them? Generally, such stories had a system to exin everything to the user. But Keith could not see anything resembling a system in front of him. All he could see was nk space.


    "ir, is that all? Can you at least tell me how I can use my powers in this new body? I-I mean since you are a goddess, I can assume that this world had magic and as such, right? Surely I can also use it?"


    Keith was hopeful when he looked at ir. But every second he felt his hopes break as ir looked back at him with a nk expression.


    "What powers are you talking about? Magic is something that is bound to one''s soul, not their body. And I cannot feel anything like magic being emitted from your body."


    Keith''s hopes of having a golden finger were dashed, chewed, and then thrown out. His fragile heart was breaking.


    And it did not help that someone knocked on the door right that second.


    "Excuse me, but is the grandmaster in? I want to talk with him now?"


    Keith red at ir, daring her not to open the door no matter what. But ir was not someone who listened to him anyway and opened the door before he could protest.

 Chapter 3 3: A Strong Push? [Pt1]

    ?"No, don''t you dare. I know what that smirk looks like and I am telling you not to-hey, where are you going?"


    Keith tried to hold ir back from making a mistake. And notice the key word here was ''tried to stop''. He held ir''s hand so that she would not be able to open the door, but he did not ount for the difference in body strength they both had.


    ir was easily able to throw him toward the door, but she thankfully did not open it outright.


    "Remember, you are a cold and unfeeling master who is better than everyone else and lives for sex. You better act your part right if you do not want people finding out your secret."


    It was a warning and a promise allposed in one package. Keith felt himself unconsciously swallowing his saliva as when he heard ir''s warning.


    He was half-expecting this all to still be a dream and that he would wake up any second now. But the more time that passed with him here, the more unlikely it seemed for him.


    "Good luck, master~"


    Thosest words were not only sarcastic but also said in a teasing manner. Just listening to them gave Keith a sinking feeling and he made onest attempt to correct his situation.


    Of course, his rather clumsy advances were easily evaded by ir and she opened the door. She was out of the door, naked and all in a matter of seconds.


    As for Keith? His situation could not have taken a more clumsy turn than this. His feet were caught and angled up which caused him to lose his bnce and fall face-forward.


    And it just so happens that he managed to cushion himself with the help of a pair of full and fluffy breasts in front of his face.


    He tried to feel around in hopes that this feeling would go away. But no, nothing of that sort happened and Keith could still feel those fluffy and solid melons below his hand. He was half-sure that these ''melons'' were exactly what he was thinking about.


    "Ho, I did not know that grandmaster was so desperate for mypany today. Had I known it, I would havee here to meet you long ago. I am sure that the ''little pet'' of yours cannot satisfy you as I can."


    If there was a heaven for a sexually deprived man, Keith was sure that this would be it - buried between a pair of fluffy and full breasts.


    Heck, Keith was no blushing virgin and even he was finding his position to be nice to be in. Touching and fondling those soft breasts was almost like a dream.


    And that was why he jolted away with a snap and looked up at a pair of wide blue eyes that twinkled back at him with interest and longing. Keith quickly jumped back in an almost fright but he was held in ce by strong hands.


    "Excuse me, but can you let me go? I can''t breathe if you hold me like this."


    Keith''s words were muffled by the breasts in front of him. He tried to push himself off the heavenly body in front of him but he was just pulled back. He remembered liking this girl a lot when he had been ying this MMO.


    If he remembered it right, her name was Shimi, right? She had been a prisoner who had been sent to the head guild Mystica and had been taken in by the Grand Master as a concubine.


    But the main reason Keith liked her was certainly because of her ''assets'' and her sex scenes in the MMO.


    "Oh, sorry master. I can tell that you did not try to pull away because you did not want to hurt me. Of course, I will let you go now."


    Shimi''s hands lingered over Keith''s head but he was finally able to pull back from her body. Shimi looked regretful to see Keith leave her hold but she did notin. However, herplexion was beginning to worsen.


    As far as Keith remembered, the reason Shimi was a very sexual person who always made advances on the yer and she was always horny. It was due to her half-elf and half-subus.


    Both her powers were opposite to each other and often collided with each other. It was a disaster for her.


    And now it seemed like her body had decided to make her life difficult right in front of Keith. Her breath was gettingboured by the second now.


    "Are you alright, master? You are looking at me differently today. Have I done anything to offend you today? Is that why you won''t touch me as you often do? Please, I apologize for whatever I did."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi''s body was too sinful and her clothes hardly kept her modesty in check. So when she bowed down, there was no way that small piece of cloth would be able to keep her modesty in check.


    Keith tried not to look toward the heavy and ample chest in front of his eyes. But it was too hard of a temptation to miss for a hot-blooded young man like him.


    "Hey, there is no need for you to be like this. *Cough* I mean, raise your head because you did nothing wrong."


    Keith slipped the very first second he was not supposed to. He was too carefree and he would have continued with his normal tone had Shimi not looked at him in suspicion.


    The intensity of her eyes caused Keith''s breath to get caught in his throat. He had a feeling that he would die if Shimi discovered his real identity.


    "You know master, you are being weird right about you? You would have allowed me to serve you by this time usually. Are you sure you are not sick?"


    Keith wanted to deny this. But even he knew that it was a usible end for the grandmaster''s character. The man was proud and open about his actions after all.


    ''Fuck, what should I do now? Should I make Shimi go away? Or, should I ept her offer?''


    Keith was in a dilemma now. On one hand, he could try to make Shimi go back and enjoy his free time to think over his situation.


    "Master, please hurry up. I am hungry and tired as well. I just want you to make my hunger go away."


    Keith felt small but strong hands tug away at his clothes. His long hair was also caught in that cute grip which made him flinch. He would cut them short the first chance he got to get rid of these long locks.


    But before that, Keith needed to think unsexy thoughts to make his sins flee away. He was a hot-blooded man and his body was responding in kind. He could feel his erection peaking its head up.


    ''Not a good n to spot a hard-on while having a sexy and eager female in front of me. I need to now make it obvious how affected I am.''


    Keith tried to not make it obvious how affected he was because of a small touch. But his cock was rock hard and ready to give him a few problems.


    Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to hide, Shimi was too much of a sex fiend to not find it out. Her subus half could smell Keith''s desperation from a mile away.


    "Master, are you going to refuse me? Please don''t say that you will reject me even now. Please, it hurts badly."


    Keith was no longer able to say ''no'' to Shimi. Her begging tone was too much for him and he was a weak man.


    Besides, who could ignore such a beautiful least willing to give them heads? A man would have to either be impotent or gay to refuse such ady. And Keith was neither of the two kinds of people.


    He already knew he was going to lose this bet as soon as Shimi''s handnded on hisp. It was too close to his hardness and Keith knew he would no longer be able to hold himself back.


    He could feel something taking over his body which felt foreign to him. But his rational side knew that it was his lust that was speaking up right now. Keith was as frustrated as he was hard.


    "You better give me the best head of my life woman. Because I am taking a big risk right now."


    Keith mumbled his words in a low voice to ensure no one heard him. But hisck of resistance was enough of a go-ahead fforShimi to touch him.


    Her hand lightly traced his inner thighs and Keith became keenly aware that he was very much naked and begging for attention. No wonder he had been found out too quickly.


    "Don''t worry master. You can leave yourself in my capable hands and I will make sure your body is well taken care of by me."


    Shimi''s words were promising and Keith found himself looking forward to her performance all of a sudden.

 Chapter 4 4: A Strong Push [Pt2]

    ?Keith had been hesitant to give in to Shimi at first. But he had to admit that she was good with her hands and even better with her mouth.


    The second Keith had given her permission to do so, Shimi''s hands had been all over Keith''s things and even managed to reach his hardness. And she had not shied away from showing it, love.


    Her small and wet tongue hade out to y with Keith''s cock and she was currently sucking on his penis opening. It felt so good that Keith was not able to control himself from gripping Shimi''s hair and pulling her harder on his cock.


    It had been a while since he had gotten anyone to go down on him like this but Shimi felt used to it. Even her mouth knew what the best ce to suck was.


    "Grandmaster, how does it feel for you? Have I gotten any better?"


    Shimi''s mouth left Keith''s cock for the duration of this question. That was the only time Keith got to breathe in the whole session. It also gave him time to collect himself and remember that he was supposed to act cold and detached.


    Only god knew how he had not broken down to beg yet. He just wanted toe and be free of this nightmare.


    ''No, focus. Coming is not as important as living a long and healthy life. I need to¡­not lose¡­focus.''


    "You would¡­huff¡­do better if you¡­do not talk and¡­suck me¡­more."


    Keith''s voice was harsh even to his ears. He would not have been able to recognize himself if someone had asked him to hear his voice.


    But as calm as Keith appeared outwardly, his insides were tingling with pleasure and frustration. His hand tightened in Shimi''s hair out of frustration but she moaned out at the stimulus.


    Keith found himself letting go of Shimi''s hair as soon as he heard her moan. It had not been his intention to encourage her to keep going.


    But that was what happened. Keith had, unknowingly, pulled Shimi deeper over his cock and he was currently melting inside her hot and moist mouth. He had no idea what to do except thrust into her mouth.


    Shimi also did not back away from the challenge. Her breasts were bouncing as she bobbed her head up and down Keith''s hard cock. Her face was twisted into a blissful expression and her hands were massaging Keith''s balls.


    It was all like a dreame true for any male and Keith was no different. He could feel that he was close toing but he was not alone.


    Shimi''s hands left Keith''s balls and cock alone and touched herself. There was a wet noise that reached Keith''s ears and he knew what it was.


    "A-Are you serious? You are prioritising your own¡­huff¡­pleasure over your Grandmasters?"


    Keith could feel his mouth moving on his own as he slipped more into the character he was supposed to y. It happened sometimes when he slipped deep into a character and he was stressed.


    Shimi moaned at the harsh tone and the even harsher pull on her hair. Herrge blue eyes looked back at Keith with tears and she tried to pull back.


    Keith did not let her pull back and held her face where it was against his cock. The harsher he was with Shimi, the more she leaned into his body. And the more she submitted to him.


    When Keith finally let Shimi go, her pupils were blown over and she looked at Keith like he was the only one for her. He was also sure that her pupils were heart-shaped and very expressive when she looked at him.


    "Grandmaster, pleasee inside my mouth. I miss your taste already."


    It was a bad idea. Keith knew it was a bad idea but he could still not control himself from giving in to Shimi''s seductive charms. Not when she was nuzzling her face into his hard cock like that.


    What kind of man could resist a beauty like Keith currently had in front of him - no one. And he was no saint to refuse that offer as well.


    When Shimi tried to reach out toward Keith''s cock this time, he did nothing to stop her. Her soft hands closed around Keith''s cock once again and it was torturous for him not toe right then and there.


    Shimi''s hands were soft and Keith had been enduring it for a while now. His new body seemed to have a lot of stamina but not enough to keep holding back.


    The second Shimi touched his cock with her mouth, Keith knew he was done for. He gripped her head hard and pulled her until his cock touched her throat.


    He had not realized this, but his cock was massive and Shimi seemed to be struggling a little bit. Not that Keith had enough willpower or even mental power toprehend this when he was drowning in pleasure.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, you alright?"


    Keith asked as soon as he was back to his senses. He instantly let Shimi go and she coughed out the semen that she had not been able to swallow.


    "Grandmaster doesn''t need to worry about me. It was really good and I feel better already."


    Shimi was not lying when she said that. Herplexion did look a lot better than before and her eyes were bright as well.


    The way she gripped Keith''s chair let him know that Shimi had not lost any of her strength even after her throat had been fucked. If anything, she looked even stronger than before.


    "It is all because of Grandmaster and his kind heart that I am all well and powerful again. Grandmaster should let me know if there is anything he needs. I will try my best to get it done for him."


    Shimi''s promise should have been reassuring but Keith instantly felt cold. He could imagine Shimi''s sweet lips bing deadly once she realized the truth behind his identity.


    "Master, is there anything else you need? Perhaps, you are not satisfied with me and need my help?"


    Shimi reached out toward Keith''s spent cock again but he dodged it this time.


    ''Believe me that I am interested in you Shimi and you have a nice body, but I kind of value my life a little more right now.''


    "Master?"


    "I want to rest right now since I had ate night so leave for now. I will call if there is something I need your help with."


    Keith watched with waited breath and a praying heart as Shimi''s expression dulled. She looked at him, then at her hand, and finally sighed tiredly. His heart skipped a beat when Shimi finally decided to move.


    "If this is what Grandmaster decided then I will follow his orders. I will wait for the Grandmaster to call upon me first for my next task."


    Finally, Shimi left the room and so did the tension. Keith could finally let his mask fall and he felt tired all of a sudden.


    Of course, he was not left alone for even five minutes when the door opened, and in walked a blue-haired cat with silver eyes. For some reason, she felt familiar to Keith so he decided to have a staring contrast with it.


    "So, did you have a fun time with Shimi? I''ve bet she was a goody for you since she likes you."


    Keith almost slipped from the bed as soon as he heard the cat speak. It was not until he remembered the familiar voice did he understand who the speaker was.


    "Y-Y-You turned into a cat? How did you do this? Is this some kind of magic?"


    Keith knew it was magic and yet, he found himself asking this question. Well, it was not his fault that he was neither born in this world nor used to magic, right? He could not be med for being this surprised.


    ir did not have the same thoughts as him and she sighed out in a tired manner after being bombarded with questions.


    "It''s going to be a long journey to make you act like the Grandmaster of Mystica. We have a tough journey ahead of us so get your ass in gear. You cannot be found out, alright?"


    Keith understood how important this was for him and ir. But that did not mean that some kind of magic was going to happen. It would require hard work and dedication on his part.


    And that was what happened the next week. He was coached in how to speak and how to act. He was even taught how tough by ir in this short period.


    And after a week, it was finally time to unleash the new ''Grandmaster'' out into the wild and see how well he performed. And their biggest obstacle would be the grand-master meeting that would be held soon.


    It was the first battleground for the pair to clear.

 Chapter 5 5: Be Careful Not To Die [Pt1]

    ?"Straighten your back and do not smile. Keep your expression cold and make sure there is not even a wrinkle on your clothes. Good, you are finally ready to head out."


    Keith did not feel like he was ready at all. He looked in the mirror to see the same face he had been seeing for the past week.


    ''Grandmaster'' was a title that carried a lot of weight and a lot of people knew who the grandmaster was. If Keith wanted to pass as the Grandmaster, he would need to put in the effort to correct his mannerism.


    That was what thest week had been for him - to practice how to act like someone else. And he hated to say it but ir had been someone invaluable to him during this process.


    But now it was time to go back to acting their parts.


    For the first time in a week, the Grandmaster finally opened his door and stepped out into the world. The servants greeted him, not being able to meet his eyes.


    And those who did end up crying out of fear. Keith''s expression was as cold as ice, willing to cut anyone who crossed him. But his heart was thumping in fear of being found out.


    ir walked behind him with her head bowed down. Her neck had a cor and a small chain that Keith was carrying. She was acting like a good ve did, submissive and walking behind her master.


    But Keith could feel her judging his performance and weighing whether to kill him or not every second of the way.


    "G-Grandmaster, the carriage is ready."


    The servant who was in charge of the transportation bowed as low as he could. His head was almost touching the ground in front of Keith and he felt sorry for the servant.


    He did not want to cause such panic and he also wanted to help the man back up. But one step was enough for ir to tap her foot on the ground. Of course, it was a warning for Keith not to forget his role.


    ir gave Keith a small nod which meant that he needed to start acting his part now.


    ''Fuck it. Time to put all my training to test.''


    Keith walked toward the car and he had to say - what a magnificent car it was. It was sleek and had a shiny metallic finish. It looked lined with leather seats and fully furnished andfortable insides.


    It was a car that not many people would be able to afford even if they worked their whole lives and saved everything.


    ''But m-my life is on the line here.''


    "I cannot believe that the guild council sent such a worthless thing for me to ride. How dare they make a mockery of me like this."


    Keith cried out inside his mind every time he spoke. The car in front of him was like a dreame true. It was everything a car-lover could ask for in his dream car. And yet, he still had to say such words.


    If he could, Keith would have apologized to the car and consoled it that it was the best. But he could not do that now, especially since it was for his survival.


    ''I am sorry, car. You are magnificent, but my life is a little more important.''


    Everyone looked stunned as soon as Keith opened his mouth. He was afraid that he had made a mistake right now but he chose to not step back. It was not in his character setting to step back and admit his mistake.


    "I-I am sorry, Grandmaster. I will instantly go and dispose of this car and bring you a new and better one to use right away. Please overlook this small mistake on my part."


    The guild member who had been asked to be in charge of this small transportation operation had gone pale and lifeless.


    He almost looked like he had no life left in his eyes and Keith was sure he was afraid of his iing death.


    The MMO had painted the grandmaster as a ruthless person, willing to kill anyone who stepped even a little out of line. But Keith could not make such a decision all on a whim.


    He did not want to kill an innocent man for something that was not even his fault. And this was a dilemma now he was faced with.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Excuse me, grandmaster. Can I suggest something?"


    For the first time, ir spoke up and everyone turned their attention to her. Keith was thankful for this since it allowed him to catch his breath.


    "I am bored so can I be the one to destroy this car? This fool can go and bring you a new one in the meantime."


    ir''s words caused the man to pale even more. It seemed he looked even more terrified of the car being damaged than of himself being killed. But would it be alright? It was not a harsh enough punishment to be carried out by ''the vicious grandmaster''.


    ''I need to trust ir. She''s on my side and she''s even helped me out thus far.''


    Besides, Keith''s body was feeling all kinds of things when ir clung to his arm. She was small for her age but not underdeveloped. And her breasts were certainly soft and ample enough to distract Keith.


    He had lost this fight even before it had begun. And it was all thanks to his hormones.


    "Fine. Do what you want to do. And you, hurry up and bring me a new car to use. And it better not be anything like this garbage one again."


    Keith cried out inside his mind as the perfectly good car was burned in front of his eyes. However, as soon as ir lit it on fire, it blew up like a bomb which was not normal.


    From ying this game before, Keith knew that this was not the normal way for a car to be blown away unless it had a bomb imnted into it.


    "Good job. You managed to stay alive this time and also defeated a n to end your life."


    Keith paled as soon as he heard those low-sounding words. ir''s smile made her look innocent but Keith knew her real nature.


    Everyone looked stunned but ir''s hand on Keith''s back reminded him that he needed to pull himself together and deal with this situation.


    "Such fools. Did they think such a pitiful trick would work on me? I will make sure they pay for targeting me."


    Keith growled those words out but his throat hurt. He wondered how the voice actors and superiors made this sound seem natural on T.V. Keith felt like his throat was going to get scratched if he made this noise again.


    Everyone else flinched as they looked away from his anger. Everyone except ir had a satisfied look on her face.


    "I-I am so sorry for this mix-up. I brought your new car."


    Keith met ir''s eyes once the new car arrived. Now that he had been saved from death once more, he was willing ot trust ir more. And it was only after she discreetly nodded that Keith sat inside the car.


    Everyone else sighed in relief once Keith was out of sight. It was finally time to have some peace once again. He could behave how he wanted to now.


    "W-Wait for me, grand master. I aming with you as well."


    No, scratch that. He could still not act how he wanted to because of another obstacle in his way. And this time it was because of Shimi''s sudden arrival. She managed to keep the car door open with her massive strength and sat in front of Keith.


    G-Grandmaster, can Ie with you? I promise you that I will not cause you any trouble. Please allow me toe."


    Keith tried not to look down at her ample chest that was on disy due to her begging posture. But no matter how much he tried to resist, he could not resist his eyes from looking down.


    "Stop looking at her chest and start thinking about your life. Also, try to keep your distance from everyone else if you don''t want to be found out."


    Keith wanted to cry but he had to control his face. It was such a nightmare for him to be forced into this car with two females who could kill him.

 Chapter 6 6: Be Careful Not To Die [Pt2]

    ?The inside of the car was quite spacious. And yet, Keith felt it get smaller and narrower as the journey progressed. He could feel himself almost choking every time he breathed.


    And it was all because of the tense atmosphere of his surroundings.


    "So, the dumb old day decided to join us today? What made you think it was a good idea to join us, Shimi?"


    ''ir, don''t speak nonsense and don''t pressure Shimi into attacking. I don''t think I can stop her if she does attack you.''


    Keith knew he should stop the fight that this small jab was certainly shaping up to be. But how can he do that without getting involved himself?


    And if he did get involved, he would be the one to suffer the most here since he was the only one who could not use magic. He should start slowly removing himself from the equation to ensure he survived in the end.


    "Huh? Look at this little ve questioning me. Rather than you asking me, I should be the one asking you what you are doing here, right? A little girl like you should be sleeping at this hour of the day."


    Shimi tried to counter ir''s jab with her own, this time using ir''s age as a factor. Keith could have butted in and told Shimi about ir''s real age but, once again, he was not going to get involved.


    Especially more so when Shimi had her arms warped around his arm and her breasts were rubbing against his arms in a rather intimate manner.


    And also, her hand might be too close to his heart, making it easy to rip it out of his chest.


    "At least this young child is much more mature than an olddy like you. Besides, the master chose me to apany him, right? It is more than what could be said about you. You forced yourself upon this journey and-"


    "C-ir, that is enough. We are about to reach our destination so I would appreciate it if you behaved now."


    Keith was so thankful when his voice did not break throughout his small speech. ir''s re warned Keith of the uing dangers he would have to face because he stopped her mid-sentence but he had no other choice.


    The more ir spoke, the harsher Shimi''s grip on his arm became. And Keith was sure that he was even bleeding in his arm because of Shimi''s tight grip now. Her nails were something else and dug deep into his arm.


    Thankfully, no one spoke anything for the rest of the journey. But Keith''s arm was not let go of the whole while. And he was also sure Shimi was giving him ''love-stuck'' looks throughout the journey.


    ''What did I get myself into? I hope I will be able to get my peace back soon''


    Currently, Keith felt too much like a harem protagonist, except it was not half as nice and twice as stressful for him. He wondered how those protagonists handled all this pressure. (Definitely with magic and a lot of plot armor)


    "B-Boss, we are here. Are you going to get off here?"


    Finally, it was over for now. Keith wanted to throw his hands up and proim his eternal happiness at finally being free.


    But he could not do that because of ''character''. He needed to be calm and collected at all times to ensure that his secret did not go out.


    "We''ll be getting off here. God knows what else I will have to face if I run into an ipetent fool before the meeting. It would surely sour my mood."


    Both ir and Shimi decided they wanted to apany him but Keith had enough of their tension. He needed to get away from them as soon as he could for his mental health.


    He was sure that he would not be able to take on another subtle session of passive-aggressive fighting with him stuck in the middle.


    *cough* "I will be heading in from here alone. Make sure no one follows me or I will teach them a lesson."


    Shimi stopped right in her tracks as soon as Keith said that. She looked conflicted betweening after him and stopping short of following his orders.


    In the end, she did decide to stay back because that was what Keith wanted. But ir was a different case and she knew everything. Keith would have preferred to take her along but he did not want to show favouritism.


    ''You might regret this.''


    ir mouthed back to him as Yohan turned around. He was sure that he might regret leaving ir behind but he did not have a choice.


    ''Remember the character setting. If you remember what you have learned in thest week, you will be able to get through this small meeting.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ir might be right and Keith might regret all he was doing. But it was a risk worth taking for him.


    After all, he might not always have ir with him in the future so he needed to know how well he could act on his own.


    The hallway inside the meeting guild looked familiar to Keith. And by that, he meant that he had seen it a lot of times when he yed this MMO since it was the main path yers took when they got registered as a guild member.


    Now, if Keith remembered correctly, there was an odd tile somewhere in the middle of the way. It had been coded wrongly for some reason and had never been fixed.


    He wanted to see that tile up close since it was the stuff of legends back in the day. It was a little crooked and caused


    Keith was about to lean down when he remembered that he could not do that. He had to squat down ''gracefully'' and make sure his clothes did not wrinkle.


    As soon as he did, he felt something *swish* right over his head, and an arrow was stuck in the ground in front of him. It caused everyone else to snap into motion.


    The assassin, who finally realized that he had been caught, tried to make a final attempt. His bloodlust coated the air and everyone froze for a second.


    Keith''s body was frozen as well until he unconsciously took a step back and then one more. Even now, his body was following the brutal practice and was rather graceful and unhurried.


    "You lucky dog. Your days of tyranny end here and now."


    The assassin cried out as he almost reached Keith. He unconsciously raised his hand to save himself from being attacked and just then, Keith heard a *thud* sound which made him look down.


    The assassin had fallen on the ground and it was clear that it was because of the uneven ground. If you did not know that the obstacle was there, you would not be able to see it and avoid it.


    The assassin tried to get up but it was toote already. The guards already had the assassin surrounded and ready to take him into custody.


    "Darn you, you heartless man. One of these days, you would die a deserving death."


    The assassin cursed even as he was taken away. Keith could not tell you how lucky he got at that moment because the assassin slipped.


    He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he felt eyes looking at him. His back instantly straightened up and he looked forward with cool and uncaring eyes.


    *p p*


    The sound of pping was loud and it was getting closer to Keith now. He tried not to seem eager to look at the one pping but it was hard to do.


    "Bravo. I saw how the Grandmaster took down the assassin with the shine of his watch. It was a clever trick on the grandmaster''s part, right?"


    Keith could hear the genuine admiration in the man''s voice which made relief flood him. It seemed this person was not an enemy at least.


    ming red hair and burning golden eyes were the first things Keith noticed when he looked at the man in front of him. And instantly he knew how this man was.


    He was the former guild leader of Burning Abyss, the no 2 guilds of the association, and also a good ally of Grandmaster before he had been killed. This was a man who would never betray you if you were good to him.


    If it was this man, Keith knew that he could count on him to understand the truth.


    "I did nothing. The assassin tripped all on his own so I would say I was lucky this time."


    Keith was telling the truth and as he expected, everyone else but Shinzou looked shocked at the admission.


    He was breaking his character quite a bit to convey the message. He needed this man to be on his side and to help him out. And he would do this, even if he had to break his character.


    After all, this man had the highest chance of sparing him if he was found out.

 Chapter 7 7: Fake It Till You Make It [Pt1]

    ?Keith waited with bated breath for Shinzou to respond. Surely this man was not dumb enough to not notice this drastic change in his friend?


    But contrary to Keith''s beliefs, the man did nothing more thanugh Keith''s words over. He wrapped one arm around Keith''s shoulder and pulled him closer a little bit.


    "Hahaha, grandmaster has gotten better at joking, huh? Now, there is no need to be so modest and undermine your power. We all saw you take down the assassin."


    Keith was sure he was shaking in his boots and the arm on his shoulder felt infinitely heavier than it was supposed to be. He was sure that it had something to do with his initial fear of being found out.


    "No, I am serious when I say that I did not take anyone down."


    "And I said, the grandmaster sure has a way of joking around. Now, we should hurry up inside before any other fool gets it in their mind to attack us."


    The grip on Keith''s neck tightened before he was pulled behind Shinzou. People around the gasped at the two masters walking together in harmony.


    Many even pointed toward the pair and marveled at the ''tight'' friendship they both had. They had never seen a more tightly knitted-together pair of friends.


    "H-Hey, let me go. I can walk by myself."


    Keith''s body was trying its hardest to appear graceful while his legs were dying while trying to keep up with Shinzou. As a result, Keith felt like was overworking and he would pay the price for thister.


    But all hisints fell on deaf ears as he was pulled harder and faster by the man in front of him.


    Suddenly, Shinzou stopped walking and turned around. Keith felt his heart skip a beat in fear as soon as he faced the harsh face of his ''friend.''


    "Look man, I don''t know what has gotten into you all of a sudden, but just know that I am on your side. If something or someone harmed you, I would be there to help you out. Not that you would need it, right?"


    Keith wanted to open his mouth and dere that he was not ''the grandmaster'' he appeared to be. But it all died out in his throat as soon as those words formed.


    Shinzou was smiling but he had just subtly let Keith know that he would die if he was relieved that he was not the ''grandmaster'' but an imposter who happened to hijack his body.


    And it was also at this time that all of Keith''s self-preservation instincts decided to kick in.


    His back straightened and his expression closed off as his eyes red down at master Shinzou. Even Keith felt like he was a different man when he slipped into his ''acting'' headspace.


    "Stop babbling around like a fool. As if I would ever need the help of a buffoon like you in my life. I''ll kill you the next time you suggest something this vulgar to me."


    Keith wanted to cut his mouth off and disown it. He was saying everything that would get him killed off in a matter of seconds. He did not want to die. But he could also not stop and take his words back.


    All he could do was to look ahead and hope that his eyes conveyed his desperation and his apology. He hoped that he would survive this sh without dying.


    "Yeah man, I got it. You are still the same as always so I guess I was worried for nothing. Don''t you worry, you have me with you?"


    ''That''s the problem. I will die of a heart attack before I die from an assassination attempt if I spend any more time with you.''


    Of course, all of Keith''s grievances and doubts remained inside his heart. He could not let them see the light of day if he wanted to live a long and healthy life.


    //////////////////////////


    "You guys, look who I have here. After a long time, my friend finally decided to show his face to the masses."


    If Keith was not ying the role of a cold and aloof master, he would have hit Shinzou for attracting this much attention to their small group.


    With this single call from Shinzou, everyone turned their attention toward their pair. It was too much pressure and Keith almost swayed as a result of this much pressure. He could feel the eyes stabbing into him, essing his worth.


    "Grandmaster, you are here as well? Have you decided toe out of your seclusion and join our society?"


    Keith looked at the speaker and his words got caught up in his throat. It was a voice that made him stop and stare at the beauty. It was his favorite character in the game, master Fushi.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She was the most beautiful female Kieth had ever seen in his life and she had also been the one who shaped his whole ''type'' when he had been young. Elegant and busty with silky ck hair with blue highlights and a strict face with ssesplete the look.


    The second Keith had seen her, he knew that he would devote his life to the master and be her devotee.


    ''And I finally got to meet her. But I cannot show any appreciation for my goddess. What a cruel life I lead.''


    If Keith could have spoken freely, he would have waxed poems of admission for his favorite character. He wanted to go over and talk with Master Fushi so badly. But he could not do that for one simple reason - his character setting.


    "Ah, it''s the old day of the Crimson Myre sect. You are looking as young as ever. How manyyers of makeup did you use this time?"


    "Bold of you to speak like this to me, you bloody mad dog. Aren''t you just a pet this fake master keeps on a short leash?"


    ''Ahhh, I knew this was going to happen. My dreams of having a good rtionship with my favorite character are evaporating in front of my eyes.''


    Keith felt like crying as he watched the small fight take ce. It was bad enough that sparks were starting to fly all over the ce now.


    Anyone who had heard about this MMO knew the legendary rivalry between Master Shinzou and Master Fushi. It had never been kept hidden and often led to internal conflicts in the story.


    There had been a time when Keith had enjoyed this setup. But that had been before it had started affecting his life.


    The pressure in the room felt like stuffing. It was getting harder and harder for him to breathe. He was not sure when he had started to pant a little but he was the only one who looked ufortable.


    "Oi, both of you, stop. The Grandmaster looks angry and he''s also shaking now. We will all get in trouble if you continue to fight."


    ''Oh, I am shaking alright. I am shaking in fright because I feel like I will be identally squished while the others fight.''


    Of course, Keith could not open his mouth to say this. He had enough pride and mental presence to deny any such usations.


    But the threat worked and everyone else instantly calmed down and looked back at him with a scared expression. They all were thinking the same thing - what would the grandmaster do next? He was not a benevolent person.


    "Alright, that''s enough. I cannot be bothered to punish you all this time but I will not tolerate another fight. Now, let''s get this meeting started."


    Everyone in the room (including Keith) took a relief-filled breath once this situation was passed over with rtive ease. He couldn''t help but feel like he had avoided a big danger when everything calmed down.


    Surely, nothing would be able to threaten him now if he stayed quiet, right? Who would make the mistake of questioning the ''big and scary'' grandmaster?


    With such a grand scheme in mind, Keith decided to take his seat. He was seated at the head of the table with nopetition, not that he noticed. He just wanted to go home.


    "Now then, let''s get this meeting started. I hope we will be able to make things better for everyone."


    These were the same words from the game and Keith barely managed to get them out. He was so proud of himself for not stuttering.


    //////////////////////////


    "So it has been decided. Grand Master would be the one to go after the demon beasts and dispose of them. Anyone else who wants to volunteer is free to do so."


    ''How did thingse to this? All I wanted to do was to enjoy life a little bit more.''


    Keith had thought that all he would have to do was sit back and enjoy what was happening. He did not have to fear any kind of danger heading his way since he had minions.


    But once again, the world had proven Keith wrong and he had managed tond himself at the first sight of danger.


    As for what happened, it was a short story that started almost an hour ago.

 Chapter 8 8: Fake It Till You Make It [Pt2]

    ?It all happened when Keith decided to zone out once the meeting started. But in his defense, he knew nothing about heading the meeting of a magical guild.


    Besides, won''t it be better for someone to know about the situation to head this meeting? Thinking of these rational thoughts, Keith decided to keep his involvement to a minimum.


    So naturally, he did not pay attention when the topic of demonic skinner beasts was brought up, he did not say anything. Even when Shinzou brought the high death toll up, Keith felt it all blow from above his head.


    Keith was so sleepy and tired that he ended up yawning and that was when he made the mistake of raising his hand to hide his yawn behind a small cough.


    He did not realize that everyone turned to look at him as one. The action of the Grandmaster carried just too much power.


    "What is wrong with you all? Why are you all looking at me like that?"


    For some reason, everyone was looking at Keith with admiration in their eyes. It was too much pressure for him.


    "I knew that the grandmaster was a benevolent person who woulde through when we needed him to. I am so d Grandmaster volunteered to take care of the skinner demons for us."


    One of the aids could not help but marvel in admiration as they looked at Keith. He shined in their eyes but it was all because of the filter they were seeing Keith through.


    "Huh, what are you all talking about? What do these demons have to do with me exactly?"


    Keith could not stop himself from asking this question. This might be out of character for him but it was better than being pushed toward a pit of danger. And that was what would happen to Keith if he did not make a stand here.


    He knew he could get out of fighting demons if he took advantage of his position. But how to do that was the real problem.


    "Grandmaster, there is no need to hide your benevolent heart behind your crude words? We can all see how worried you are about the skinner demons. That is why you subtly coughed to get our attention, right?"


    Keith did what now? He did not remember coughing to get anyone''s attention. This was surely a conspiracy to get him in trouble, right?


    ''What to do? What to do? What would my boss do to get out of work he did not want to do? Ah yes, I remember now.''


    Keith had never been more thankful for a shifty boss than he was at that very moment. He finally had a way to get out of doing troublesome and deadly work.


    "Listen, everyone, I know you all are eager to show off your skills and that is why I will give you a chance right now. These skinner demons are powerful but I don''t think it''s not something you cannot take care of without me. So take this opportunity to show off your skills."


    Keith could not help but marvel at how to own genius thoughts. Of course, the best way to get out of doing work was to disguise it as ''training'' and push it to others.


    It only worked when you were higher level than the other workers. And for the first time, Keith was in such a position.


    Everyone looked stunned at Keith''s words, not expecting him to say something like that. And it made Keith nervous to be a victim of so many curious stares.


    ''Ohe on. I was not ''that'' out of character, right? Stop looking at me with curiosity or I will break.''


    Finally, Shinzou was the one who decided to give Keith a break. His cheerfulughter filled the room and everyone else rxed as well as a result.


    "Finally, you decided to take my advice, my friend. Listen, everyone, Grandmaster is giving you a chance to show off your skills in front of him since he will be supervising the mission personally. There is no longer a need to fear anything and you all can go wild."


    ''Yes, that''s right Shinzou. Tell them all about hard work andbor and-huh wait? I am going to do what?''


    Keith''s ears and brain decided that they wanted to have a dy in-between their functioning. That must be the reason why it took Keith some time toprehend what he heard just then.


    ''Shinzou, I thought you were my friend, myrade. Why would you betray me like this?''


    If Keith could have cried, he would have ended up crying right at that second. He could not believe that he was being made to supervise a bunch of extremely powerful supernatural people who could kill him in a matter of seconds.


    Not only that, but Keith himself had no power of jurisdiction above the said individuals. He was doomed either way.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shinzou, I don''t think I can make it to this mission. I am sure you all will do an excellent job even without me."


    Keith tried onest time to get out of this ''supervision'' position but Shinzou did not seem to share the same thoughts as Keith.


    "Grandmaster, I am surprised (or shocked) to hear how much confidence you have in these kids, but it would be better to supervise them this time. Disaster strikes every time we all are together so I would rather not take the risk."


    Whatever Keith could have said in return got stuck in his throat. Shinzou was letting out his power in small amounts. It was a trace that most won''t even be able to feel but Keith could feel it pushing him down.


    Unknown to even himself, he ended up flinching a little bit. Shinzou likely noticed but he did not say anything in return.


    //////////////////////////


    "Master Keith, are you alright? How did the meeting go?"


    Of course, Keith was not awarded peace and quiet even in his room. He could feel a pair of hands massaging his back as soon as he had copsed in the bed face-first.


    The look that ir levelled Keith with said that it was his own family he was in this mess. As if he did not know it already.


    "We will be heading to dispose of the skinner demon tomorrow. Our job is to supervise everything so make sure you behave."


    The touch of those soft hands on Keith''s shoulders was making him sleepy. He could feel his eyelids closing every time he blinked his eyes.


    He wanted to sumb to sleep so badly but there was one teeny tiny problem. His body had taken it upon itself to remind him that yes - Keith was a man. And the soft touch of those hands on his back was making him aroused.


    "Master, I can see how tired you are today. Are you sure there is nothing I can do to help you out?"


    Keith was about to tell Shimi off but his body moaned instead. It was a small moan but still loud enough to draw attention.


    "I think it''s my cue to leave. Have a nice night and hopefully, you both won''t be creaky in the morning."


    If Keith''s body could have allowed it, he would have blushed. But as things stood, he was physically incapable of blushing. But that was not the case for Shimi.


    The poor girl went bright red but she did not deny any usation ir was making on her behalf. Instead, she looked at Keith to see what he would say.


    As if Keith could say anything when he needed to be cold and unfeeling. So he turned toward ir instead and she got the message to disappear as soon as she could.


    Once she was gone, Shimi wasted no time in putting her charms up to use. Her arms captured Keith''s neck and her face was too close to him now.


    "Grandmaster, let me shower you with love and relief. I promise you will not need to do anything to feel pleasure."


    Keith could feel himself get heated up. Shimi''s voice was low and dangerous but she was also experienced.


    The only thing that was stopping Keith froming then and there was his willpower and his body''s rather full reaction. He was not half as sensitive as he was supposed to be even when he felt so aroused.


    "Shimi, don''t start something you can not finish." ''And also something I cannot finish without losing my dignity.''


    "Don''t worry Grandmaster. I promise to take care of you all in the right ways as I always do."


    If the beautiful girl was offering then who was Keith to deny? Even if he would die as a result, he would at least not die frustrated.


    "So, my lord, would you give me a chance to impress you?"


    Keith nodded with a cold face and his feet for that night were sealed. Not that you would hear himin about it.

 Chapter 9 9: Fake It Till You Make It [Pt3]

    ?Shimi''s hands were soft but bold as they roamed over Keith''s thighs. Her touch was somewhat rxing, but Keith''s hyper-aware body reminded him that he was a guy and his erection stood up.


    "It seems that master is too pent up today to resist my advances. Now, should we get started with your rxation session?"


    Keith had no words to say back to Shimi. And his mind went nk when her tongue touched his cock. It was electrifying how he felt he would float away if he did not keep himself in check.


    But even after all he felt, Keith could feel that his body''s reaction was not as sensitive as he felt. His cock especially was nowhere close toing.


    Shimi''s soft mouth barely took Keith''s tip in her mouth and Keith could feel how hot and wet she was inside. He almost let out a soft moan as soon as the softness of the Shimi''s mouth closed around his cock.


    She was slowly but surely taking Yohan deeper and deeper inside her mouth. And it was even better than the first experience.


    Every time Shimi gulped or breathed, her mouth moved around Keith''s cock seductively. And he managed to slip just a bit deeper into her mouth.


    And it was Shimi''s moans that let Keith know she was also feeling pleasure. Her mouth was moving over his sensitive head over and over again.


    And once her tongue joined the action, Keith could not help himself from gripping her head and pulling Shimi''s head even closer to his private area. Her mouth was sinful and Keith could lose himself in it.


    Even when Shimi did nothing but hold still, her tongue managed to hit all the pleasure spots on Keith''s body. He could not hold himself back for any longer than this. Had had to sate his hunger in any way possible.


    "Ouch, master it hurts. Please have mercy on my poor head."


    Shimi tried to appeal for mercy but Keith was beyond thinking about her for now. His hand came up to grip her hair even tighter and he pulled her even closer. This time, Shimi did not try to pull back.


    She was the scent -drunk and Keith''s smell was driving her mad. Her pussy was wet and her thighs were wet as well. Her need was building up but she still held herself back because she wanted to give Grandmaster the most pleasure.


    "Y-Yes, that''s it. You are doing great and your mouth is divine as well. Keep on going, hurry up."


    Keith encouraged Shimi, pulling himself deeper into her mouth. Shimi was acting obedient as well, taking him as deep as she could. Her eyes were wet as Shimi forced her throat to rx.


    But even Keith could feel how he was too tight for her throat and how much she was struggling. It was his clue to pull back right then and there. But Keith did not allow Shimi to pull back.


    He finally felt likeing and Shimi''s mouth was not letting him go. Every time Keith pulled back, she was sucking him back in.


    And encouraging her seemed to have worked even better than Keith had expected to.


    "Mufff-"


    Keith pulled back before he coulde down Shimi''s mouth. His instincts were telling him that he should not make it too easy on Shimi. She was already starting to take too many liberties with him.


    Shimi looked disappointed at his actions and she even whined when Keith refused to get her to suck his cock back. Her eyes looked at Keith with yearning in them.


    "P-Please, let me suck you more. I was so close to finally getting what I wanted."


    Shimi''s eyes dulled but her eyes looked at Keith''s cock with yearning. Her hunger was beginning to rear its head finally.


    "It''s not about you, Shimi. Did you think that I would not see your greed to use me?"


    Shimi''s eyes widened in panic as soon as she understood what Keith was using her of. Keith knew she would try to make excuses for her behavior.


    And it did not take her long to start begging for his understanding.


    "G-Grandmaster, there must be a misunderstanding. I did not mean to ce my pleasure above yours. Please forgive me for my mistake."


    It was a powerful feeling to have a woman as beautiful as Shimi begging him for understanding. Her blue eyes and blond hair painted a picture of innocence in front of Keith''s eyes.


    Not to mention, her wless skinbing with her incredible body shape made her out to be the perfect specimen of feminine beauty. Keith could feel his eyes looking Shimi up and down every chance he got.


    Shimi''s current pose with her chest pulled out was something Keith was having a lot of trouble looking away from. And it also made him lose hisposure.


    Keith knew he should not give in to the horny but he was a weak man who was controlled by his hormones right now, his outward self might look calm andposed but his insides were very much aroused.


    He felt like he would burst if he did not get toe right now.


    ''I need to make it about me. Now then, remember all the bad porn you''ve seen Keith. What can help me look more like an intimidating master?''


    "Shimi, you want to make it up to me, right?"


    Keith gulped as blue eyes met his own. He needed to be firm if he did not want to be swept away by his feeling. Shimi was a temptation Keith could not let himself fall deeper into.


    "Make it up to you? Yes, I do want to make it up to you. Please allow me this opportunity."


    The good thing about having yed this MMO before was that Keith knew how the characters worked and how they thought. He was going to make good use of this knowledge.


    He extended his hand toward Shimi to allow her to nuzzle his hand. Shimi did not wait around before grabbing Yohan''s hand and drawing it closer to her face.


    Her small mouth ced a kiss on Keith''s hand which made him shiver. Keith held his hand in ce as he felt the power wash over his being. Shimi was looking at Kieth with an expression of utter adoration.


    "Shimi, I am going to give you the freedom to do what you want to. So make sure you do not disappoint me."


    Shimi''s dull eyes lightened up all of a sudden with determination. The mouth that had been pressing kisses on Keith''s hand until now decided to take it into her mouth. Even the smallest suction of that mouth sent shivers down Keith''s spine.


    It was a shame that the external reaction his body gave was a little dull. But it was also good since it allowed Shimi''s fire to ignite.


    Her mouth took more of Yohan''s fingers in and her tongue circled his hand while maintaining eye contact all the way.


    And once Keith pulled his hand out of Shimi''s mouth, she did not hesitate to change her target. From Keith''s fingers to his cock, Shimi made the transition wlessly. Keith hissed as he felt that wet mouth around his hardness once again.


    His hands moved into Shimi''s hair once again to pull her face closer but this time he did not pull out when Shimi tried to make hime.


    Shimi was putting up much more effort and her mouth somehow felt warmer and wetter than before. Keith could feel that he was not going tost for long.


    "Yes, that''s it. Suck me more and show some spirit. Shimi, your mouth feels so good around me."


    Shimi picked up sleep just as Keith felt like he would burst, Shimi pulled his cock out of her mouth and licked Keith''s cockhead. It finally tipped Keith over and he released.


    Shimi extended her tongue out to catch as much of his semen as she could. She needed it as a source of nutrition. Shimi desperately licked at Keith''s things to get the rest of her white stuff.


    Keith was spent but he could tell that his body would respond if Shimi did not stop stimting him. Keith groaned as a result and


    Shimi''s hands were soft but bold as they roamed over Keith''s thighs. Her touch was somewhat rxing, but Keith''s hyper-aware body reminded him that he was a guy and his erection stood up.


    "It seems that master is too pent up today to resist my advances. Now, should we get started with your rxation session?"


    Keith had no words to say back to Shimi. And his mind went nk when her tongue touched his cock. It was electrifying how he felt he would float away if he did not keep himself in check.


    But even after all he felt, Keith could feel that his body''s reaction was not as sensitive as he felt. His cock especially was nowhere close toing.


    Shimi''s soft mouth barely took Keith''s tip in her mouth and Keith could feel how hot and wet she was inside. He almost let out a soft moan as soon as the softness of the Shimi''s mouth closed around his cock.


    She was slowly but surely taking Yohan deeper and deeper inside her mouth. And it was even better than the first experience.


    Every time Shimi gulped or breathed, her mouth moved around Keith''s cock seductively. And he managed to slip just a bit deeper into her mouth.


    And it was Shimi''s moans that let Keith know she was also feeling pleasure. Her mouth was moving over his sensitive head over and over again.


    And once her tongue joined the action, Keith could not help himself from gripping her head and pulling Shimi''s head even closer to his private area. Her mouth was sinful and Keith could lose himself in it.


    Even when Shimi did nothing but hold still, her tongue managed to hit all the pleasure spots on Keith''s body. He could not hold himself back for any longer than this. Had had to sate his hunger in any way possible.


    "Ouch, master, it hurts. Please have mercy on my poor head."


    Shimi tried to appeal for mercy but Keith was beyond thinking about her for now. His hand came up to grip her hair even tighter and he pulled her even closer. This time, Shimi did not try to pull back.


    She was the scent -drunk and Keith''s smell was driving her mad. Her pussy was wet and her thighs were wet as well. Her need was building up but she still held herself back because she wanted to give Grandmaster the most pleasure.


    "Y-Yes, that''s it. You are doing great and your mouth is divine as well. Keep on going, hurry up."


    Keith encouraged Shimi, pulling himself deeper into her mouth. Shimi was acting obedient as well, taking him as deep as she could. Her eyes were wet as Shimi forced her throat to rx.


    But even Keith could feel how he was too tight for her throat and how much she was struggling. It was his clue to pull back right then and there. But Keith did not allow Shimi to pull back.


    He finally felt likeing and Shimi''s mouth was not letting him go. Every time Keith pulled back, she was sucking him back in.


    And encouraging her seemed to have worked even better than Keith had expected to.


    "Mufff-"


    Keith pulled back before he coulde down Shimi''s mouth. His instincts were telling him that he should not make it too easy on Shimi. She was already starting to take too many liberties with him.


    Shimi looked disappointed at his actions and she even whined when Keith refused to get her to suck his cock back. Her eyes looked at Keith with yearning in them.


    "P-Please, let me suck you more. I was so close to finally getting what I wanted."


    Shimi''s eyes dulled but her eyes looked at Keith''s cock with yearning. Her hunger was beginning to rear its head finally.


    "It''s not about you, Shimi. Did you think that I would not see your greed to use me?"


    Shimi''s eyes widened in panic as soon as she understood what Keith was using her of. Keith knew she would try to make excuses for her behavior.


    And it did not take her long to start begging for his understanding.


    "G-Grandmaster, there must be a misunderstanding. I did not mean to ce my pleasure above yours. Please forgive me for my mistake."


    It was a powerful feeling to have a woman as beautiful as Shimi begging him for understanding. Her blue eyes and blond hair painted a picture of innocence in front of Keith''s eyes.


    Not to mention, her wless skinbing with her incredible body shape made her out to be the perfect specimen of feminine beauty. Keith could feel his eyes looking Shimi up and down every chance he got.


    Shimi''s current pose with her chest pulled out was something Keith was having a lot of trouble looking away from. And it also made him lose hisposure.


    Keith knew he should not give in to the horny but he was a weak man who was controlled by his hormones right now, his outward self might look calm andposed but his insides were very much aroused.


    He felt like he would burst if he did not get toe right now.


    ''I need to make it about me. Now then, remember all the bad porn you''ve seen Keith. What can help me look more like an intimidating master?''


    "Shimi, you want to make it up to me, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith gulped as blue eyes met his own. He needed to be firm if he did not want to be swept away by his feelings. Shimi was a temptation Keith could not let himself fall deeper into.


    "Make it up to you? Yes, I do want to make it up to you. Please allow me this opportunity."


    The good thing about having yed this MMO before was that Keith knew how the characters worked and how they thought. He was going to make good use of this knowledge.


    He extended his hand toward Shimi to allow her to nuzzle his hand. Shimi did not wait around before grabbing Yohan''s hand and drawing it closer to her face.


    Her small mouth ced a kiss on Keith''s hand which made him shiver. Keith held his hand in ce as he felt the power wash over his being. Shimi was looking at Keith with an expression of utter adoration.


    "Shimi, I am going to give you the freedom to do what you want to. So make sure you do not disappoint me."


    Shimi''s dull eyes lightened up all of a sudden with determination. The mouth that had been pressing kisses on Keith''s hand until now decided to take it into her mouth. Even the smallest suction of that mouth sent shivers down Keith''s spine.


    It was a shame that the external reaction his body gave was a little dull. But it was also good since it allowed Shimi''s fire to ignite.


    Her mouth took more of Yohan''s fingers in and her tongue circled his hand while maintaining eye contact all the way.


    And once Keith pulled his hand out of Shimi''s mouth, she did not hesitate to change her target. From Keith''s fingers to his cock, Shimi made the transition wlessly. Keith hissed as he felt that wet mouth around his hardness once again.


    His hands moved into Shimi''s hair once again to pull her face closer but this time he did not pull out when Shimi tried to make hime.


    Shimi was putting up much more effort and her mouth somehow felt warmer and wetter than before. Keith could feel that he was not going tost for long.


    "Yes, that''s it. Suck me more and show some spirit. Shimi, your mouth feels so good around me."


    Shimi picked up sleep just as Keith felt like he would burst, Shimi pulled his cock out of her mouth and licked Keith''s cockhead. It finally tipped Keith over and he released hise.


    Shimi extended her tongue out to catch as much of his semen as she could. She needed it as a source of nutrition. Shimi desperately licked at Keith''s things to get the rest of her white stuff.


    Keith was spent but he could tell that his body would respond if Shimi did not stop stimting him. Keith groaned as a result and pushed himself to stop Shimi.


    It felt good and Keith was afraid that he might get hard again. His body might be ready to go again but Keith''s mind knew he needed to sleep.


    "Shimi, you''ve had enough fun. If you are done, then go back to your room and rest. We will have a big day tomorrow."


    Disappointment and annoyance shed across Shimi''s eyes and they shined an electric blue. It looked like she would attack Keith for wanting to stop her from having a meal.


    ''Don''t get triggered and go back to your room. I am begging you to go back to your room, Shimi.''


    Finally, it seemed like Keith''s wishes were heard and Shimi went back to her room for the night. It was another day that passed without any major ident.


    pushed himself to stop Shimi.


    It felt good and Keith was afraid that he might get hard again. His body might be ready to go again but Keith''s mind knew he needed to sleep.


    "Shimi, you''ve had enough fun. If you are done, then go back to your room and rest. We will have a big day tomorrow."


    Disappointment and annoyance shed across Shimi''s eyes and they shined an electric blue. It looked like she would attack Keith for wanting to stop her from having a meal.


    ''Don''t get triggered and go back to your room. I am begging you to go back to your room Shimi.''


    Finally, it seemed like Keith''s wishes were heard and Shimi went back to her room for the night. It was another day that passed without any major ident.


    Shimi''s hands were soft but bold as they roamed over Keith''s thighs. Her touch was somewhat rxing, but Keith''s hyper-aware body reminded him that he was a guy and his erection stood up.


    "It seems that master is too pent up today to resist my advances. Now, should we get started with your rxation session?"


    Keith had no words to say back to Shimi. And his mind went nk when her tongue touched his cock. It was electrifying how he felt he would float away if he did not keep himself in check.


    But even after all he felt, Keith could feel that his body''s reaction was not as sensitive as he felt. His cock especially was nowhere close toing.


    Shimi''s soft mouth barely took Keith''s tip in her mouth and Keith could feel how hot and wet she was inside. He almost let out a soft moan as soon as the softness of the Shimi''s mouth closed around his cock.


    She was slowly but surely taking Yohan deeper and deeper inside her mouth. And it was even better than the first experience.


    Every time Shimi gulped or breathed, her mouth moved around Keith''s cock seductively. And he managed to slip just a bit deeper into her mouth.


    And it was Shimi''s moans that let Keith know she was also feeling pleasure. Her mouth was moving over his sensitive head over and over again.


    And once her tongue joined the action, Keith could not help himself from gripping her head and pulling Shimi''s head even closer to his private area. Her mouth was sinful and Keith could lose himself in it.


    Even when Shimi did nothing but hold still, her tongue managed to hit all the pleasure spots on Keith''s body. He could not hold himself back for any longer than this. Had had to sate his hunger in any way possible.


    "Ouch, master, it hurts. Please have mercy on my poor head."


    Shimi tried to appeal for mercy but Keith was beyond thinking about her for now. His hand came up to grip her hair even tighter and he pulled her even closer. This time, Shimi did not try to pull back.


    She was the scent -drunk and Keith''s smell was driving her mad. Her pussy was wet and her thighs were wet as well. Her need was building up but she still held herself back because she wanted to give Grandmaster the most pleasure.


    "Y-Yes, that''s it. You are doing great and your mouth is divine as well. Keep on going, hurry up."


    Keith encouraged Shimi, pulling himself deeper into her mouth. Shimi was acting obedient as well, taking him as deep as she could. Her eyes were wet as Shimi forced her throat to rx.


    But even Keith could feel how he was too tight for her throat and how much she was struggling. It was his clue to pull back right then and there. But Keith did not allow Shimi to pull back.


    He finally felt likeing and Shimi''s mouth was not letting him go. Every time Keith pulled back, she was sucking him back in.


    And encouraging her seemed to have worked even better than Keith had expected to.


    "Mufff-"


    Keith pulled back before he coulde down Shimi''s mouth. His instincts were telling him that he should not make it too easy on Shimi. She was already starting to take too many liberties with him.


    Shimi looked disappointed at his actions and she even whined when Keith refused to get her to suck his cock back. Her eyes looked at Keith with yearning in them.


    "P-Please, let me suck you more. I was so close to finally getting what I wanted."


    Shimi''s eyes dulled but her eyes looked at Keith''s cock with yearning. Her hunger was beginning to rear its head finally.


    "It''s not about you, Shimi. Did you think that I would not see your greed to use me?"


    Shimi''s eyes widened in panic as soon as she understood what Keith was using her of. Keith knew she would try to make excuses for her behavior.


    And it did not take her long to start begging for his understanding.


    "G-Grandmaster, there must be a misunderstanding. I did not mean to ce my pleasure above yours. Please forgive me for my mistake."


    It was a powerful feeling to have a woman as beautiful as Shimi begging him for understanding. Her blue eyes and blond hair painted a picture of innocence in front of Keith''s eyes.


    Not to mention, her wless skinbing with her incredible body shape made her out to be the perfect specimen of feminine beauty. Keith could feel his eyes looking Shimi up and down every chance he got.


    Shimi''s current pose with her chest pulled out was something Keith was having a lot of trouble looking away from. And it also made him lose hisposure.


    Keith knew he should not give in to the horny but he was a weak man who was controlled by his hormones right now, his outward self might look calm andposed but his insides were very much aroused.


    He felt like he would burst if he did not get toe right now.


    ''I need to make it about me. Now then, remember all the bad porn you''ve seen Keith. What can help me look more like an intimidating master?''


    "Shimi, you want to make it up to me, right?"


    Keith gulped as blue eyes met his own. He needed to be firm if he did not want to be swept away by his feelings. Shimi was a temptation Keith could not let himself fall deeper into.


    "Make it up to you? Yes, I do want to make it up to you. Please allow me this opportunity."


    The good thing about having yed this MMO before was that Keith knew how the characters worked and how they thought. He was going to make good use of this knowledge.


    He extended his hand toward Shimi to allow her to nuzzle his hand. Shimi did not wait around before grabbing Yohan''s hand and drawing it closer to her face.


    Her small mouth ced a kiss on Keith''s hand which made him shiver. Keith held his hand in ce as he felt the power wash over his being. Shimi was looking at Keith with an expression of utter adoration.


    "Shimi, I am going to give you the freedom to do what you want to. So make sure you do not disappoint me."


    Shimi''s dull eyes lightened up all of a sudden with determination. The mouth that had been pressing kisses on Keith''s hand until now decided to take it into her mouth. Even the smallest suction of that mouth sent shivers down Keith''s spine.


    It was a shame that the external reaction his body gave was a little dull. But it was also good since it allowed Shimi''s fire to ignite.


    Her mouth took more of Yohan''s fingers in and her tongue circled his hand while maintaining eye contact all the way.


    And once Keith pulled his hand out of Shimi''s mouth, she did not hesitate to change her target. From Keith''s fingers to his cock, Shimi made the transition wlessly. Keith hissed as he felt that wet mouth around his hardness once again.


    His hands moved into Shimi''s hair once again to pull her face closer but this time he did not pull out when Shimi tried to make hime.


    Shimi was putting up much more effort and her mouth somehow felt warmer and wetter than before. Keith could feel that he was not going tost for long.


    "Yes, that''s it. Suck me more and show some spirit. Shimi, your mouth feels so good around me."


    Shimi picked up sleep just as Keith felt like he would burst, Shimi pulled his cock out of her mouth and licked Keith''s cockhead. It finally tipped Keith over and he released hise.


    Shimi extended her tongue out to catch as much of his semen as she could. She needed it as a source of nutrition. Shimi desperately licked at Keith''s things to get the rest of her white stuff.


    Keith was spent but he could tell that his body would respond if Shimi did not stop stimting him. Keith groaned as a result and pushed himself to stop Shimi.


    It felt good and Keith was afraid that he might get hard again. His body might be ready to go again but Keith''s mind knew he needed to sleep.


    "Shimi, you''ve had enough fun. If you are done, then go back to your room and rest. We will have a big day tomorrow."


    Disappointment and annoyance shed across Shimi''s eyes and they shined an electric blue. It looked like she would attack Keith for wanting to stop her from having a meal.


    ''Don''t get triggered and go back to your room. I am begging you to go back to your room, Shimi.''


    Finally, it seemed like Keith''s wishes were heard and Shimi went back to her room for the night. It was another day that passed without any major ident.

 Chapter 10 10: The First Asset [Pt1]

    ?Keith had no time to rest since ir opened the door within fifteen minutes of Shimi''s leave.


    "So, did you have fun? Did your dick feel good when Shimi went down on you? Or, did you - woahhhh. Be careful."


    Keith did not appreciate ir''s sassy words. The girl had no remorse for privacy or decency. She quickly moved toward Keith''s bed and jumped on it.


    ir''s body might be young but she did know how to work her non-existing curves. Keith knew it was not right to look at ir when she was behaving in apromised pose, but he could not help it.


    "Perv. You just spent time with Shimi in bed but you are still horny? Can you be serious for once?"


    Keith had been trained in the art that was called ''shamelessness'' which made him immune to all kinds of degenerate terms.


    "Well, sorry for being a hot-blooded male and being attracted to the opposite sex. If you want some kind of refund then go ask for one."


    ir looked disappointed at theck of reaction from Keith. But Keith was not here to entertain her in any way, shape, or form. His eyes were also getting watery due to sleep.


    Thest thing Keith was able to remember seeing was ir''s calcting nce as she looked Keith up and down. Her eyes said that she had a lot nned for Keith.


    ''Fuck it. I am too tired to care about ir right now. All I want to do is to sleep.''


    With those finalints being raised in his mind, Keith fell asleep. He knew he would need energy for dealing with the uing day.


    ////////////////////////////////


    Someone was touching Keith and he tried to get away from the cold hands. He felt like a kid again, trying to get in just ''five more minutes of sleep''.


    However, it was unlikely for Keith to get any more sleep than he had gotten initially. The cold hands left him for just a few seconds before he was dragged out of bed.


    Keith could feel his body moving and by the time he was aware of what happened, he was standing outside the building he has spent his night.


    He was not the only one who appeared to be ready. A dozen other people looked ready to leave as well and their nervous energies filled up the space.


    Keith was confused about how he got to stand out there all dressed and ready to go. But he did not want to ask the question and risk being found out.


    He looked to sound like an idiot by asking how he got ready for the day.


    Not that he needed to. He could see ir standing beside him and when Keith turned toward her, she mouthed a ''you''re wee'' back at him. The one behind Keith''s early welfare routine was ir.


    She also shot him a signal that they had discussed before. It was the signal to ''go ahead and get the operation started.''


    "So, if everyone is here we will head out. Those who did not manage to make it on time do not deserve toe with us."


    Yohan cried silent tears as he made his intentions known to everyone. He knew that he needed to act like a strict Grandmaster if he did not want to be found out as a fraud.


    Still, more than half of the people had decided not to show up during this mission which meant that there would be less manpower. Keith could not even see Shinzou which sucked. None of the other masters were present as well.


    Well, none of Keith wanted to see at least. The only grandmasters who had managed to make time for this mission were Master Fushi (which was a shaky rtionship) and Master Hina, the weakest of the masters.


    From what Keith knew of Master Hina, she was not only the weakest of the masters but also someone whose head was stuck in a ''romantic world''. She was often disconnected from reality


    This was a team doomed to fail no matter how you looked at it.


    *Cough* "I hope no incident will take ce this time and we will all be able to get back home safely."


    ''No, don''t say those ominous words, Master Hina. Do you not know that things would go wrong for certain if you say words like those?''


    Keith was freaking out inside his mind even as he looked to be unaffected on the outside. His calm facade made it seem like he had no problem with Hina''s confidence.


    "There is no need to fear Hina. we have the grandmaster with us so surely nothing would go wrong. What is a disappointment is that most of the other masters decided not to show up. Isn''t this an insult to the grandmaster?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was difficult to tell if Master Fushi was angry or mocking Keith. Her voice was very hard to read even for Keith who had liked her hard once upon a time.


    And the pressure of Master Fushi''s eyes pinned Keith in ce. He was not able to move once she zoned her attention at him.


    (unknown to him, he appeared as a calm and unfeeling master which got Keith much admiration. Even Master Fushi had to look impressed as Keith did not bait any attention to her killing intent.


    Just how great was the grandmaster to not even register these small matters as important? Truly, he was the real deal, alright.)


    "There is no need for anyone to worry. The Skinner demons are all but worms, not even worth our consideration. Those who are capable will live on and get stronger, so do not fear."


    ''I am that weakling incapable of living. So please protect me.''


    Those were the words Keith wanted to say more than anything. But his mouth and his situation had different ideas.


    His small speech caused the other soldiers to get fired up. They all exchanged looks of admiration before erupting into cheerful chants.


    "Grandmaster is right. These demons are nothing in front of our might."


    "We will return victorious. The grandmaster will show us the way."


    "Of course, with the grandmaster on our side, what do we have to fear? We will eradicate all these demons for sure."


    The more Keith heard these chants, the more worried he got for himself and everyone else as well. These people were putting in a little ''too much'' trust in him as a grandmaster.


    And the pressure was going to cause Keith to break into hysteria. Or even worse, get a heart attack soon. The options were endless when it came to ending one''s life.


    Just when Keith felt like it was getting too much pressure, his saviors managed to enter the scene.


    Shizou''s red hair was shining in the early morning light.


    "Ya, I hope I am notte to this party. I overslept a little, but I am finally here to help. Oh, Grandmaster, I will act as your bodyguard for today so you can sit back and rx."


    Keith was lucky today since Shinzouu entered right on time and gave Keith the best news he could have.


    Since Shinzouu was the second most powerful master in the organization, Keith was sure that he would be kept safe no matter what.


    ''No, don''t show such obvious happiness. I need to stay calm no matter how d I am about Keith''s arrival.''


    Keith coughed very audibly but pretended like it was all an ident. He was about to announce Keith''s role when master Fushi decided to open her mouth and ruin the moment.


    "Hey, this is not fair. Master Shinzou waste so we should not reward him with such an honour. We cannot allow such a lost man to guard the grandmaster."


    ''NO, don''t say that. He''s the only one who will protect me in case someone tries to kill me. I can not afford to lose him.''


    If Keith had the capability, he would have begged Master Fushi to keep quiet and Shinzou to not leave his side. There was a good chance that Keith would get assassinated once he was alone.


    "Master Fushi, I know that you have the uttermost faith in the grandmaster''s abilities but we cannot afford to bex in security. An assassination attempt was made on the grandmaster''s life not too long ago. We should practice caution."


    ''Yes, you should. A magicless person such as I require all kinds of protection.''


    Keith agreed with Shinzou in his mind and vowed to keep close to him while they were out. Shinzou was the only one on his side after all.


    "I know the risk of sending the grandmaster alone more than you but I am still worried that you will get too distracted, Master Shinzou. Why not allow me the pleasure to guard the grandmaster instead?"


    ''No, don''t. Don''t feed me to the shark, Shinzou. I beg you not to agree.''


    But Keith could not speak. He could pray with his breath held in his throat for Shinzou to get his message.

 Chapter 11 11: The First Asset [Pt2]

    ?Keith waited with bated breath as he watched Shinzou and Fushi have a stare-off with each other. He did not want Master Fushi to be his guardian since he was sure that he would die.


    ''No, don''t. Don''t feed me to the shark, Shinzou. I beg you not to agree.''


    Keith was about to erupt due to nervousness as he watched the two in front of him. Why was no one saying anything all of a sudden? It felt like a whole conversation was taking ce right in front of Keith but he could not speak theirnguage.


    It was not until someone subtly coughed that the two parties looked away.


    "Fine, you win. I will allow taking control of the Grandmaster''s safety this time. But if anything happens, it will be your responsibility."


    Only Keith knew how he managed to hold his tears back at that time. Master Fushi looked at Keith like he was the food she could not help but bite into. Her eyes were shining as she took her ce at Keith''s side.


    Meanwhile, Shinzou had a dejected look on his face as he walked down to join Master Hana instead.


    But the most ufortable thing for Keith was the look on Master Hana''s face. He could read barely hidden betrayal as well as hunger in Master Hana''s eyes. She was not supposed to be scary but Keith still felt scared of her.


    "Grandmaster, you need to give the signal to start. Everyone else is counting on you to lead us."


    ir''s ended up being the one to remind Keith that he should not be dwindling back right now. Everyone else was looking at him now as well.


    *cough* "Now that things are settled, let''s head out. And Shinzou, this will be the only time I forgive you for beingte. Next time, know your ce and be on time."


    Shinzou paled after hearing Keith''s words. The grandmaster had been the one to issue the warning after all. No matter how good of a friend Shinzou was, he needed to still give the grandmaster enough respect


    "Of course. I will not bete next time, Grandmaster. Thank you for your grace and guidance this time."


    Keith felt hollow after the reply. He had done nothing to merit this much loyalty and enthusiasm from Shinzou. And every time Shinzou showered such an eager expression on his face, Keith felt his life get cut in half.


    ''I c-cannot let myself be found out to be a fraud. I will not only be killed but chewed and thrown out into the wild. No, that would even not be enough. Shinzou would feed me alive to the monsters.''


    /////////////////////////////////


    "So this is the town which had been taken over by the skinner demons? It looks rather ordinary to me. I cannot spot any demon in front of me."


    Keith kept his eyes in front but his ears were engrossed in the conversations taking ce around him. Since he could not openly speak, this was the only way for him to gather information.


    And he had to whole heartily agree with what was being said in front of him. Even he could not spot the demons in front of him from the normal crowd.


    But his eyes did move toward an incredibly beautiful danger who was dressed rather lightly for the autumn weather. Her breasts looked like they were going to escape her clothes and Keith could not help but check her out.


    "Grandmaster, is something wrong? Hey, that woman-"


    Keith''s breath stopped as soon as he noticed Master Fushi looking in the direction he had been looking into. He was going to be found out checking something indecent right in front of everyone.


    "That man, he''s a skinner demon. As expected of the grandmaster, you managed to single him out even in all this crowd. Someone, hurry up and catch the man before he escapes."


    Keith breathed out in relief as soon as Master Fushi took control of the situation. Once again, he had gotten lucky and things had ended up righting themselves.


    ''I cannot believe I had such a close call. Thank god that skinner demon was standing in the same direction because I could not feel him at all.''


    Keith sighed in relief and opened his eyes. His eyes met the dancer''s for a single second before a small smirk broke free on that attractive face and Keith was afraid that she would gesture something indecent toward him.


    But all his fears turned out ot be unfounded since the dancer just turned around and walked away without saying anything to him in return.


    "Grandmaster, thanks to your help we managed to catch a few skinner demons right off the bat. But we cannot keep on relying on your power toplete this mission. Why don''t you head in to rest now and let our students do what they are here to do."


    Master Hana was the one to suggest this. Her hands were ced on Keith''s arm in an attempt to guide him toward the base.


    Of course, the one who found a problem with this was Master Fushi. She quickly snapped her pipe on Master Hana''s hand to make her let go of the grandmaster.


    "I agree that the grandmaster needs to rest for the time being. However, since I am the grandmaster''s bodyguard this time, I should be the one to escort him to his room. You need to be here to supervise, Master Hana."


    Master Hana''s beautiful face broke out into a pout. She looked at Keith with a begging look in her eyes which did things to him.


    Keith knew he should not break right now and he could not afford to let himself be swayed by his emotions. He could not afford for his act to fall apart.


    ''But darn, it''s difficult. I was never good with seeing a crying face in front of me.''


    Keith was about to cave in when a student hurried over and spoke in Master Hana''s ears. She frowned and her expression hardened the next second.


    "I am sorry grandmaster, but it seems like a difficult situation decided to rear its head up all of a sudden. Master Fushi, I will leave the grandmaster in your hands now."


    Master Hana looked reluctant to go and he even red at Master Fushi to make her back down. But Master Fushi held her looks with a dignified expression.


    Keith watched it all happen with a confused expression on his face. He also wanted to apany Master Hana since she seemed like a gentlewoman. Keith was sure that she would not ask him ufortable questions.


    "Grandmaster, we should head back to the hotel we booked now. I am sure the students will be alright since both Master Hana and Master Shinzou are present on the scene. There is no need for you to worry about their safety this much."


    ''No, I am not worried about the safety of the students, but rather, my safety. I feel like I would suffocate if I spend too much time with you.''


    Of course, between his small crush on master Fushi and her being a stoic bitch, Keith felt like his life was being cut in half. He did not want to experience anything anymore.


    Rest sounded like a good n and Keith was sure he would be left alone in his room. And a hotel would be a safe enough ce to also make sure no one disturbed him for the time being.


    Of course, there were more than a few things Keith forgot to take into ount. And the first thing was - this was an Ero MMO game. And as such, Keith should not be letting his guard down when he was with someone.


    "Grandmaster, you should wait in your room until I call you out again. We cannot afford to let our enemies know where you are sleeping."


    ''Yup, I cannot allow anyone to kill me so young. I need to live a long life and I will do so even if I give up a lot to do so.''


    Fine, I understand what I need to do and what my responsibilities are. Now scam if you do not want me to get angry."


    Keith''s heart beat painfully as he tried to keep his fear in check. He was the grandmaster so he could not afford to show emotions like these to break his facade.


    Thankfully, Master Fushi did not stick around him for long or Keith would have had a hard time sleeping.


    He had not even closed his eyes when the door to his room opened again and the dancer from before walked in. Her wide and attractive smile was still the same as before but Keith could feel the signs of danger that were heading his way.


    "My, what a jackpot I hit today. To think I would get to meet the grandmaster and serve him. I am so happy today. Don''t you feel the same, grandmaster?"


    Keith waited with bated breath as he watched Shinzou and Fushi have a stare-off with each other. He did not want Master Fushi to be his guardian since he was sure that he would die.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''No, don''t. Don''t feed me to the shark, Shinzou. I beg you not to agree.''


    Keith was about to erupt due to nervousness as he watched the two in front of him. Why was no one saying anything all of a sudden? It felt like a whole conversation was taking ce right in front of Keith but he could not speak theirnguage.


    It was not until someone subtly coughed that the two parties looked away.


    "Fine, you win. I will allow taking control of the Grandmaster''s safety this time. But if anything happens, it will be your responsibility."


    Only Keith knew how he managed to hold his tears back at that time. Master Fushi looked at Keith like he was the food she could not help but bite into. Her eyes were shining as she took her ce at Keith''s side.


    Meanwhile, Shinzou had a dejected look on his face as he walked down to join Master Hana instead.


    But the most ufortable thing for Keith was the look on Master Hana''s face. He could read barely hidden betrayal as well as hunger in Master Hana''s eyes. She was not supposed to be scary but Keith still felt scared of her.


    "Grandmaster, you need to give the signal to start. Everyone else is counting on you to lead us."


    ir ended up being the one to remind Keith that he should not be dwindling back right now. Everyone else was looking at him now as well.


    *cough* "Now that things are settled, let''s head out. And Shinzou, this will be the only time I forgive you for beingte. Next time, know your ce and be on time."


    Shinzou paled after hearing Keith''s words. The grandmaster had been the one to issue the warning after all. No matter how good of a friend Shinzou was, he needed to still give the grandmaster enough respect


    "Of course. I will not bete next time, Grandmaster. Thank you for your grace and guidance this time."


    Keith felt hollow after the reply. He had done nothing to merit this much loyalty and enthusiasm from Shinzou. And every time Shinzou showered such an eager expression on his face, Keith felt his life get cut in half.


    ''I c-cannot let myself be found out to be a fraud. I will not only be killed but chewed and thrown out into the wild. No, that would not even be enough. Shinzou would feed me alive to the monsters.''


    /////////////////////////////////


    "So this is the town which had been taken over by the skinner demons? It looks rather ordinary to me. I cannot spot any demon in front of me."


    Keith kept his eyes in front but his ears were engrossed in the conversations taking ce around him. Since he could not openly speak, this was the only way for him to gather information.


    And he had to wholeheartedly agree with what was being said in front of him. Even he could not spot the demons in front of him from the normal crowd.


    But his eyes did move toward an incredibly beautiful danger who was dressed rather lightly for the autumn weather. Her breasts looked like they were going to escape her clothes and Keith could not help but check her out.


    "Grandmaster, is something wrong? Hey, that woman-"


    Keith''s breath stopped as soon as he noticed Master Fushi looking in the direction he had been looking into. He was going to be found out checking something indecent right in front of everyone.


    "That man, he''s a skinner demon. As expected of the grandmaster, you managed to single him out even in all this crowd. Someone, hurry up and catch the man before he escapes."


    Keith breathed out in relief as soon as Master Fushi took control of the situation. Once again, he had gotten lucky and things had ended up righting themselves.


    ''I cannot believe I had such a close call. Thank god that skinner demon was standing in the same direction because I could not feel him at all.''


    Keith sighed in relief and opened his eyes. His eyes met the dancer''s for a single second before a small smirk broke free on that attractive face and Keith was afraid that she would gesture something indecent toward him.


    But all his fears turned out to be unfounded since the dancer just turned around and walked away without saying anything to him in return.


    "Grandmaster, thanks to your help we managed to catch a few skinner demons right off the bat. But we cannot keep on relying on your power toplete this mission. Why don''t you head in to rest now and let our students do what they are here to do."


    Master Hana was the one to suggest this. Her hands were ced on Keith''s arm in an attempt to guide him toward the base.


    Of course, the one who found a problem with this was Master Fushi. She quickly snapped her pipe on Master Hana''s hand to make her let go of the grandmaster.


    "I agree that the grandmaster needs to rest for the time being. However, since I am the grandmaster''s bodyguard this time, I should be the one to escort him to his room. You need to be here to supervise, Master Hana."


    Master Hana''s beautiful face broke out into a pout. She looked at Keith with a begging look in her eyes which did things to him.


    Keith knew he should not break right now and he could not afford to let himself be swayed by his emotions. He could not afford for his act to fall apart.


    ''But darn, it''s difficult. I was never good at seeing a crying face in front of me.''


    Keith was about to cave in when a student hurried over and spoke in Master Hana''s ears. She frowned and her expression hardened the next second.


    "I am sorry grandmaster, but it seems like a difficult situation that has decided to rear its head up all of a sudden. Master Fushi, I will leave the grandmaster in your hands now."


    Master Hana looked reluctant to go and he even red at Master Fushi to make her back down. But Master Fushi held her looks with a dignified expression.


    Keith watched it all happen with a confused expression on his face. He also wanted to apany Master Hana since she seemed like a gentlewoman. Keith was sure that she would not ask him ufortable questions.


    "Grandmaster, we should head back to the hotel we booked now. I am sure the students will be alright since both Master Hana and Master Shinzou are present on the scene. There is no need for you to worry about their safety this much."


    ''No, I am not worried about the safety of the students, but rather, my safety. I feel like I would suffocate if I spent too much time with you.''


    Of course, between his small crush on master Fushi and her being a stoic bitch, Keith felt like his life was being cut in half. He did not want to experience anything anymore.


    Rest sounded like a good n and Keith was sure he would be left alone in his room. And a hotel would be a safe enough ce to also make sure no one disturbed him for the time being.


    Of course, there were more than a few things Keith forgot to take into ount. And the first thing was - this was an Ero MMO game. And as such, Keith should not be letting his guard down when he was with someone.


    "Grandmaster, you should wait in your room until I call you out again. We cannot afford to let our enemies know where you are sleeping."


    ''Yup, I cannot allow anyone to kill me so young. I need to live a long life and I will do so even if I give up a lot to do so.''


    Fine, I understand what I need to do and what my responsibilities are. Now scam if you do not want me to get angry."


    Keith''s heart beat painfully as he tried to keep his fear in check. He was the grandmaster so he could not afford to show emotions like these to break his facade.


    Thankfully, Master Fushi did not stick around him for long or Keith would have had a hard time sleeping.


    He had not even closed his eyes when the door to his room opened again and the dancer from before walked in. Her wide and attractive smile was still the same as before but Keith could feel the signs of danger that were heading his way.


    "My, what a jackpot I hit today. To think I would get to meet the grandmaster and serve him. I am so happy today. Don''t you feel the same, grandmaster?"

 Chapter 12 12: My Target Is Here [Pt1]

    ?"My, what a jackpot I hit today. To think I would get to meet the grandmaster and serve him. I am so happy today. Don''t you feel the same, grandmaster?"


    ''Is this a dream? Or perhaps a nightmare? What is going on here? When did I fall asleep?''


    Keith tried to pinch himself awake as soon as he saw the beautiful dancer standing in the doorway to his room. He wanted nothing more than to confirm that he was dreaming.


    Even as the dancer walked inside the room with her deliberate footsteps, Keith wanted nothing more than to push her away and run outside. Her eyes did not sit right with him.


    "Y-You. How dare youe in here like this? You know who I am but you still daree in here?"


    Keith tried to make his voice sound as cold as he could. Thankfully, his new body and voice came out as cold all on their own. He did not even have to try too hard to appear as someone uninterested.


    But despite his words, Keith could feel his eyes moving toward the huge breasts the dancer had. It did not help that they were barely covered by the thin piece of cloth the woman was wearing.


    "I know who you are grandmaster. But I can see your eyes on me and I know you are interested in me as well. So won''t you give me a chance to keep youpany tonight? I promise to serve you well."


    The dancer was all but in Keith''sp by the time he realized what happened. Her body was pressed up against Keith''s and he instantly jerked back.


    He could not help it as his body moved all on its own. He had not expected someone to touch him out of the blue and his body made sure to remove the touch.


    The dancer looked stunned at what happened. Disbelief colored her eyes as she tried to gather her fallen self.


    "I told you to behave yourself, did I not? Now, leave if you do not have anything else to do for me."


    Keith''s heart hammered inside his chest as he looked at the female dancer in front of him. He was not ready to have anything to do with her.


    The more he tried to avoid the dancer, the more his mind reminded Keith that this was a world of an ''Ero'' game and these kinds of scenes were to be expected from its characters.


    "I am sorry grandmaster, it was a mistake. I am the servant assigned to your room. If you would like something then do let me know. I will make sure to provide you with ''quality'' service."


    Keith was sure he was not imagining the suggestive tone of this dancer. There was something about her that bugged him but Keith could not pinpoint what it was. He wanted this dancer gone from his room before something worse happened.


    "Ah, if you want something to eat. Go and get me something that can fill my stomach."


    It was not until Keith had said these words did he realize that he was really hungry. He wanted to eat something spicy and nice but his food back at the guild was mostly nd. This was the only time he would get to taste the local delicacies of this ce.


    So even if Keith felt a little rmed by the dancer and her bold actions at first, he decided to forgive her for the time being. He could almost pretend that nothing happened if he tried hard enough.


    Once again, the dancer looked surprised at what happened and the request she had gotten. But her confused expression slipped into a determined one and she bowed down to the grandmaster.


    "Of course grandmaster. I will go and bring you the best food avable in our establishment."


    Keith watched the woman head out and he debated whether he should call for someone to apany him during his dinner. But the only one avable was Master Fushi. Even Clove, the one acting as his ve, had been taken out into the fields as a supervisor.


    ''Nah, I better not risk it. What if Master Fushi realizes my true identity and decides to kill me?''


    Keith''s mind was flowing in overdrive but he finally managed to calm himself down.


    ////////////////////////////////////////////


    ''This is bad. This situation is really bad.''


    The dancer who had ventured inside the Grandmaster''s room was named Sophia. She was an elite of her n and she had been assigned to take care of the grandmaster.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It should have been easy for her because of her charms. No man had ever been able to say no to Sophia before so she had been confident in her charms this time as well.


    But contrary to her beliefs, not only had she been turned away but she had also managed to embarrass herself. The grandmaster was either oblivious to all her charms, or he had too much self-control to resist her.


    "Fuck it. Is that guy even a man? How could he appear to calm even after seeing me throw myself all over him like this? Truly, that man deserved the title of ''grandmaster''."


    For the first time in her life, Sophia had seen someone who had been able to resist her charms. She had thought that the grandmaster had been staring at her when she had seen him in the morning.


    But he had been staring at herrade behind her. And it was also because of him that the other skinner demons had gotten caught.


    "This man, he is not normal. I better go and tell our leader that the grandmaster is not a fraud like we thought him to be. We might be in trouble if we are not careful."


    Sophia was certain that the demons would be able to prevail in the end and take over the world. It was what all the scriptures said so it had to be the truth.


    But still, the grandmaster would be a troublesome thorn in their side and they had to take care of him before he eradicated everyone.


    Sophia opened the back door of the store where two pairs of terrified eyes looked up at her. It belonged to the two human servants of this establishment who would be the skinner demon''s next target.


    "Ah, there is no need for you two to look so scared. You two should be honored to house the next generation of our kin. Soon, you both will be demons as well."


    The two humans looked terrified of her words but Sophia did not care much for them. She had other things to do, like report her findings to her superior.


    "Lady Natasha, I checked the Grandmaster out. It seems like he is the real deal but our power is too little for him to notice us for now. What should we do about him?"


    Lady Natasha was the noblest skinner in their n. She was their queen and also someone who they could count on.


    "I see. So it seems like our information about the grandmaster was faulty. No matter, we will still win this small war. Perhaps it''s time for me to go out and pay this ''grandmaster'' a visit myself."


    Sophia wanted to ask their queen not to take such a big risk. But truly, their queen was the only one who would be able to do anything about the grandmaster at this rate.


    More and more of the skinner demons were being killed by the guild and the only one who could stop it all was the grandmaster.


    "Sophia, give your skin to me now. I want to see the grandmaster for myself. I wonder if he will realize we changed skins with each other."


    Sophia was doubtful about this n but she had no other option but to agree with her queen''s suggestion.


    "Of course my queen."


    With that, the queen and Sophia exchanged ces. The kitchen was ready with food to take but the queen had other ideas.


    "Hey, the food is ready-who are you and how did you-?"


    The kitchen staff never finished questioning queen Natasha because she ended up killing them before they could finish speaking.


    It was regretful since it was a waste of useful human skin but the queen had no other choice but to waste alive human skin to get rid of the grandmaster.


    She also needed to tamper with the food in a way to make it seem normal. It would cause the grandmaster''s sexual desire to be heightened and then the queen would make her move.


    Truly, there was no better skin than the grandmaster full of vital life energy. He would be the ultimate card for the skinner demons to thrive.


    And all the queen would have to do was to bed him once and insert her energy into his body. It was all going to be rather easy since no human was able to resist her and her charms.

 Chapter 13 13: My Target Is Here [Pt2]

    ?All this worrying was making Keith tired and hungry. His stomach reminded Keith that he had not eaten in quite some time and that it was time to get something inside it if he wanted to live.


    Thankfully, the door to his room opened at the same time his stomach decided to remind him again of its existence. And the aroma of food drowned out everything else inside the room, even the existence of that dangerous dancer from before.


    "Master, I am back here to serve you your food. How would you like to have it?"


    The dancer leaned closer to Keith''s face as she unpacked his dish. Her dress dipped a little to show the inside of her chest and naked breasts.


    Keith''s eyes moved toward the huge breasts in front of him before the aroma of chicken breasts caused him to look away.


    ''Well, it''s as the people say. Food will always be the number one thing to humans.''


    The dancer looked a little shocked as Keith looked away from her toward the bowl of food she had brought. But unlike before, the embarrassment did not cross her expression of disbelief.


    "Hey, hurry up and serve me food if you are going to. Do I have to file aint against you to your boss?"


    The dancer seemed like she was gritting her teeth but Keith was too hungry to care about her mood. She should not have deceived serving him if she was not going to be professional.


    "Of course master. Here, let me serve you a ss of wine to go along with your food."


    Keith looked at the bony white hands of the dancer. They were beautiful and elegant as they poured him wine. They even brought the small cup toward his mouth before Keith decided to stop her.


    He had seen too many hentai to not get provoked when he was forced into such a scene. The dancer in front of him looked too good and smelled too good.


    Keith was afraid that he would jump her if she decided to touch him.


    "You can put my wine ss and food in front of me. I will get it myself."


    Once again, the dancer looked like she was trying her hardest to stop herself from biting her lower lips. Maybe it was all too humiliating for her.


    After all, she was a dancer and not a servant. There was no need for her toe here to serve Keith. Maybe the innkeeper had put her up to it.


    "Look miss, I don''t think you should be in here and I don''t want you here. Now, hurry up and leave my room before I make you regret things."


    Keith wanted to let the dancer out gently but that would be too out of character for him. The Grandmaster was a cold man who did not ''escort'' someone out gently.


    The dancer flinched as she was rushed out of the door and she looked a little humiliated as well once she watched Keith not touch anything. He wanted to eat so much but he did not want to eat in front of the dancer.


    "O-Of course. I will let you be for now master. I hope you enjoy your food and please do call me if there is anything you need from me."


    The dancer bowed as she headed out. Keith did notice the small smirk on her face but he let it go for now. There was no need for him to get any more involved with thisdy than he already had.


    A sweet smell was filling up the room and Keith was sure his room was a little hotter than it had been before.


    He was also sure that his chicken tasted weird and every bite made his insides get hotter. But Keith was too hungry to care much for it and ended up finishing everything.


    Only a single serving of the side dish was left and that was when Master Fushi entered the room and sat down. Keith did not pay much attention as she took a single bite and then made an offended face.


    "It''s stale food which has gone bad. Grandmaster, it is not good for your health to eat this filth."


    /////////////////////////////////////


    Queen Natasha had never been this humiliated before. And she had also never been this wet before.


    At first, she thought the grandmaster was normal and all the rumors about him had been exaggerated. She had wanted to test the man herself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And he had not seemed like much when she had first seen him. He was a cold man who did not pay attention too much, and he also seemed to not have recognized Natasha''s real form.


    Of course, that was all until she tried to provoke him intentionally. She had made sure her huge chest was visible when she bowed down to serve the grandmaster.


    Men generally fell for such tricks and ended up showing their true colors. They could not help it because of the charm magic skinner demons used. And the grandmaster had seemed to be no different at first.


    But that confidence did not evenst a single second. The grandmaster had disregarded her and stared at his food.


    Natasha, the skinner queen had been passed over by a human male because of food! How humiliating.


    But this was also the first time someone had rejected her and it had caused Natasja to be curious. Her body had also decided that it found this neglect sexy and she had gotten a little turned on.


    Her pussy had throbbed as soon as the grandmaster had looked at her with his cold and unfeeling eyes and her nipples had hardened.


    Natasha had tried various tricks to get her hands on the grandmaster after that. She had gone as far as to try and feed him wine as well but he had refused.


    He had even asked Natasha to leave the room which was absolutely a first for her. It had caused so many things to go through Natasha''s body but the heat had been the worst of it. Natasha had gotten wet after hearing that cold and unfeeling voice.


    ''It''s good Iced the grandmaster''s food with heat eggs. It will cause his body to be a ve to my pleasure and he will have no choice but to submit to me.''


    And then Natasha would make that man hers. She had everything nned out already inside her head. She had even given the signal to her minions to do everything in their power to keep the other guild people upied for now.


    "Hey, what are you doing here? And how even are you? I don''t think you are with the hotel, right?"


    Of course, Natasha had to run into a problem just as she was finished daydreaming. And it was this chick who had apanied the grandmaster. She was another master of the guild and a high-ranking fighter.


    But even she would not be able to see through Natasha''s disguise if the grandmaster had not been able to.


    "I am a new person who joined today. Unfortunately, everyone else was busy, so I served the grandmaster dinner. May I get you anything as well?"


    Natasha bowed down to the human, absolutely hating that she had to do so. But she needed to keep up her facade for now.


    She did not like how the human was looking at her with eyes filled with distrust but she ultimately let Natasha leave.


    "Disgusting humans. I hope you eat the heat eggs and be my ve as well. I will show you hell once you do. After all, the queen egg here will make sure-"


    Natasha took out the egg, only to realize that she made a mistake. The egg in her pocket was not the queen egg, but a normal one. The queen''s egg seemed to have been mixed in the food she had left in the grandmaster''s room.


    "Oh fuck. This is not good. This is not good at all."


    Natasha knew that someone had fucked up majorly but there was no way to know where the mess-up had happened. The heat eggs would burst open in a few hours and the willing participants would not remember anything for the first day.


    They will only be coherent enough to have sex and establish a queen-servant bond they will not remember.


    And the worst thing was, there was no way to know who injected the queen egg until you had the heat egg yourself.


    ''Fuck, looks like I don''t have a choice in this matter. I will have to be a participant myself.''


    Natasha gulped down the heat egg in her hand and prayed for the best oue - no one had ingested the queen egg and it was still alive. It would make the bond non-existing and she would be able to try again.


    And this time, there would be no more mishaps that would happen. And to make sure of this, Natasha would kill the other female in the room before she became apetitor.

 Chapter 14 14: Forbidden Desires [Pt1]

    ?"It''s stale food which has gone bad. Grandmaster, it is not good for your health to eat this filth."


    There was a weird after-taste that got stuck in Fushi''s mouth once she took a bite of the food in front of her. She would not call herself a food expert, but even she could tell that it was nothing normal.


    But since the grandmaster did not say anything, she doubted that it was something worth noticing for her. She had also thought that the servant in front of the door was a demon but maybe she was mistaken.


    After all, the grandmaster had not said anything to her regarding this. And she doubted that the grandmaster would let any demon survive his wrath.


    "Master Fushi, what brings you into my room? Did you find yourself in need of mypany?"


    Master Fuski took in a deep breath as she prepared herself to say what she was going to say next. She hade to this decision after deliberate consideration and she knew that this was what she wanted to talk about.


    She just hoped that the Grandmaster would agree with her regarding this issue.


    "Grandmaster, I know that we talked about letting our students be independent before but I think we really should allow them to do as they please during this mission. I want you to stay out no matter what happens."


    Fuchi gulped down her nervousness as she waited for the Grandmaster to say anything to her. Even a refusal would be better than this silence.


    For a second, Fushi was sure that the grandmaster would rebuke her for her faulty choice and make her back down. But then the biggest miracle in her life happened.


    "I see. You do seem to have a point so I guess I would not mind sitting this one out."


    Master Fushi tried to hide her surprise but she was not able to hide it until the very end. The room they were in was also beginning to feel a little hotter than necessary and it caused her to want to get rid of someyers she was wearing.


    The smell inside the room was a little sweet and stimting which caused her body to react. Not to mention, the proximity to the Grandmaster was not helping things even a little bit.


    Now, it was a well-guarded secret of her''s but Master Fushi had a crush on the Grandmaster that she did nothing about. Every time the Grandmaster was in front of her, Master Fushi just froze and her brain refused to speak what she wanted to.


    Even she wanted to feel how it would feel to be held by the Grandmaster. But she did not dare to act upon these feelings. Until now, that was.


    For some reason, Master Fushi wanted to head toward the Grandmaster and ask him to take her right here and now. Her body was carving for a touch from that divine man.


    Master Fushi should have been able to hold on. She knew that she had far more restraint than most people, but she did not know why she was behaving so needily and not being able to stop herself.


    By the time she realized what was happening, her hand was reaching out to touch the Grandmaster''s open robes.


    ///////////////////////////////////


    Keith''s eyes dropped once he had finished eating his food. Now, another type of hunger was rising inside his body and Master Fushi''s presence in front of him did not help.


    She was sitting too close to Keith and he could just lean over and touch her if he wanted to do so. His open chest and his unguarded state provided her with the best opportunity possible. But she still hesitated to touch him.


    Generally, Keith would have kept his mouth shut in these moments and prayed for nothing to happen. But maybe it was his fondness for Master Fushi, or something simr to it. (it was his crush)


    "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to touch me? Because if you are not going to do thetter, then you should leave the room right now."


    Keith wanted to p his mouth shut as soon as the words were out of it. He should have kept quiet no matter how much he wanted to make Master Fushi touch him.


    She was a sacred treasure that should not be touched. She was the ''ice woman'' of this world, the only one not lewded by the main character in the MMO.


    But despite knowing that, Keith wanted a taste of her wless skin. He watched with bated breath as Master Fushi paused as soon as she heard Keith''s question. Keith himself was surprised as soon as those words left his lips.


    He had not meant to say them out loud. He was ready to take them back when Master Fushi yielded to him. Her hand which was just barely touching Keith before suddenly rested on his chest and her lips met Keith''s shily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Grandmaster, I am sorry for being selfish but I find myself unable to hold back. I hope you will understand and help me out."


    Master Fushi''s hands were soft but firm as they tugged at Keith''s robes. Keith was feeling hot as well so he allowed his shirt to be pulled off easily.


    He was hesitant to touch Master Fushi''s back but the woman surprised Keith by taking his hand in her own and cing it on top of her breasts. Her body felt hotter than normal but Keith could not say anything.


    It felt like a dream to touch the sexy woman in front of him. This was something straight out of Keith''s fantasies.


    "Your body is pent up, right? You want toe and your body is yearning for it, right Master Fushi? Does it excite you to be beneath me? I can feel your breasts. They are so sensitive right now."


    Keith could feel Master Fushi''s body leaning more and more into his own as he touched her. His touch was not gentle, but rxing and kind. He did not want to frighten the master in his arms.


    But his gentleness was turning into frustration for Master Fushi. She appreciated the Grandmaster being gentle with her but she wanted more.


    No, she needed more since she was afraid she would never have the courage to touch him again.


    "Grandmaster, you can be harsher with me. I am a master as well and I will not break if you go hard on me. So please, break me and make this heat go away."


    Master Fushi was speaking about her darkest and deepest desires that she had kept hidden beneath her easy-going facade. She never thought she would get an opportunity to voice them.


    And her words caused Keith to moan out as well. It was getting tiring for him to hold back as well. He was gearing up to have a go at someone as well.


    Keith could tell that his body was aroused and needed relief. His cock was hard and leaking for quite some time now.


    Master Fushi''s touch did not help his body any. Especially her soft breasts in his hands were doing things to Keith and his hunger.


    "You want me to break you? If you want me to show you a good time then make me. Show me that your body wants this big cock of mine."


    Keith rubbed his clothed cock right over Master Fushi''s clothes behind. But he was big and hard enough to be even felt through all thoseyers of clothes.


    Master Fushi shivered as soon as she felt that hardness rub against her ass. Her legs lost their strength as she copsed in the Grandmaster''sp. Her ass fully rested against that hard cock and she felt it get harder.


    ''I-It''s going to break me.''


    Master Fushi''s thoughts were not full of fear but excitement. Her body was leaking even more as the thought of that giant cock inside her body entered her mind.


    "Grandmaster, I will prove to you how much I want you. Please allow me to serve you well."


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard the promise in Master Fushi''s voice. She was convinced that she would show him a good time.


    And Keith was a weak man who could not hold himself back when he had the crush of his dreams in hisp. He was going to allow Master Fushi to do what she wanted with him.


    And the first thing Master Fushi did was pull up her shirt. Her bra and breasts were visible now and Keith gulped his saliva at the tempting picture in front of him.


    "You can touch me, grandmaster. I would wee any touch you give me."


    Master Fushi''s face was right in front of Keith''s as she spoke those words and then their lips shed. Their tongues constantly fought each other for dominance which was a battle that Keith won.


    Master Fushi pulled Keith right over her body as she continued to get devoured by him.

 Chapter 15 15: Forbidden Desires [Pt2]

    ?Keith''s heart skipped a beat as he heard Master Fushi''s provoking words. Her beautiful body was turned on and the proof of her desire was overflowing beneath Keith''s body.


    He did not dy in swiping his tongue across Master Fushi''s nipples. And the result was instantaneous.


    Master Fushi moaned and leaned into Keith with her full body. Her legs looked to not be supporting her weight alright and she managed to slip down right into Keith''sp.


    Her bowed head as well as her wide and trusting eyes sent shivers down Keith''s spine. He felt powerful and conquered. He wanted to show Master Fushi heaven and that choosing him had been the right choice.


    "Master Fushi, don''t be too forward with me. You are someone who needs to bow down in front of the grandmaster. Did me being lenient with you give you ideas?"


    Keith could feel a subconscious part of his mind take control over his desires. He somehow knew that this was what he wanted to say and act.


    The dominant feeling was also spreading all over his body. And every moan that escaped Master Fushi''s mouth fueled Keith''s desire even more.


    Keith''s hand snakes down toward Master Fushi''s pussy and she drenched Keith''s hand in return. She was sensitive and also flushing red. She was hot to the touch and her eyes were wet with tears.


    She was a vision worth seeing and Keith was being pulled more and more by a sudden count of lust he had never seen before. He wanted to reduce this proud master to a pleasure ve to his touch.


    "Master Fushi, this will be thest time I ask you. Are you sure you want to help me out?"


    Keith might have a beautifuldy beneath his body and a raging hard-on, but he could see that situation was not normal. And that was why he needed to take consent, no matter how dubious it was.


    "Ah, so the grandmaster realized that *moan* something''s not right here? B-But I don''t mind if it''s the grandmaster."


    Master Fushi sounded confident so Keith decided to trust her on this front. It was the right thing to help out a beautifuldy. Especially when she was certain about what she wanted from him.


    Keith''s reply was a little dyed which allowed Fushi to take advantage and she slipped her hand down his abs and directly on his raging cock. Keith''s cock twitched as a result of this sudden touch.


    As much as Keith wanted toy Master Fushi down and allow her to have her way with him, he knew he had to show some restraint and allow her to have her fun. But he still wanted to be in control.


    "The Grandmaster has no idea how much I wanted to be with him. Do you know that I had dreams about this cock of yours? I cannot believe that I am finally getting to taste it for real."


    Master Fushi''s eyes were shaped like stars as she looked at Keith''s cock in her hand. Her mouth was hot and wet as it took a swipe out of Keith''s cock. The hot and wet heat around the head of his cock caused Keith to flinch.


    Of course, his external sight was cold and unfeeling as ever.


    "You talk big for someone who is not able to get me off. Master Fushi, you need to try harder if you want to make mee."


    Keith''s words betrayed nothing of the pleasure he was feeling right now. It was impossible to tell how much Master Fushi''s heat was affecting him and Keith could not help himself from gripping Master Fushi''s hair and pulling her head harder on his cock.


    Master Fushi flushed as she felt her throat being filled by Keith''s hard and leaking cock. It was everything she had dreamed of and then some.


    Keith''s hips could no longer sit still after being made aware of such pleasure. He needed to chase after it more. And his hips also snapped harder, making his cock go deeper inside Master Fushi''s mouth. And she swallowed it like a pro.


    Her throat had next to no gag reflex which made it easy for Keith to slip down her throat.


    "Master Fushi has a lewd mouth and an even lewder throat. Look at how it is taking me in like an expert."


    Keith''s words just turned Master Fushi on more and her enthusiasm doubled all of a sudden.


    ///////////////////////////////


    ''Ah, this feels so good. Am I dreaming? If so, then I do not want to ever wake up.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Master Fushi''s insides were tingling due to heat and her mouth was especially full because of the cock she was being made to swallow.


    The grandmaster was huge as he pounded inside master Fushi. And she could do nothing but take all she was being given. She wanted to take the Grandmaster even further inside her body.


    She had been dreaming of this for ages now. But Master Fushi never had the confidence to act upon her emotions until now.


    She knew that the situation was less than ideal and not natural at all. Even the grandmaster had realized this and given Fushi a way out. But she had refused to take it this time.


    After all, how could she miss such an important time to get the grandmaster to take him? She even had an excuse to behave as lewedly as she wanted to.


    "You are such a filthy girl. Look at you gushing for me right now. You would leak for anyone if they touched you? Or, am I special?"


    Fushi knew that she should reply to the question she was being asked about. But she could not bring herself to let Grandmaster''s cock out of her mouth to answer his question.


    It was twitching inside her mouth which meant that the Grandmaster was close toing. She wanted him toe deep into her throat and mark her. But the grandmaster pulled out of her.


    "You did well so I will reward you."


    Fushi watched the Grandmaster pump himself topletion and his whitee marked Fushi''s face. Her tongue darted out to get a taste but it was not easy.


    Disappointment filled Master Fushi as she watched all the semen go to waste as it was sprayed all over her face and body. She had wanted to taste it and now she could not.


    All she could do was to try and lick the grandmaster''s spent cock for the traces ofe that was left on it. And the more she licked it, the more her hunger increased. Her pussy gushed with the need to have something hard and wet inside.


    "Are~ what''s this? It doesn''t look like you are satisfied at all with Master Fushi. What is it that you want me to do to help you out?"


    Master Fushi''s mouth went dry as soon as she heard the grandmaster address her. His cold and unfeeling voice finally had a hint of another emotion inside it now. This small change made Master Fushi''s insides tingle.


    Her pussy gushed even more and she could finally not stop herself from touching her wet lower lips. She could even feel the grandmaster looking at her in interest.


    "Master Fushi, are you trying to put on a show for me to get me to fuck you? Well, I guess I willply with you if you do a good enough job of getting me up again. But you are not allowed to touch me."


    Fushi''s hand was swatted away as she reached out toward the grandmaster. The sudden p brought Master Fushi back to reality and she flushed as soon as she realized what she had been about to do.


    Her whole body felt humiliated and hot as she considered what she had to do next. And honestly, it turned her as much as it humiliated her. She was ready to do anything for the grandmaster.


    So as much as master Fushi was tempted to leave, she did not leave. Instead, she opened her legs shily and presented her dripping cunt for the grandmaster to see.


    A finger slipped down her virgin hole easily due to all the slick she had been producing. And the moan that escaped her mouth was not something Fushi could help but let out.


    With the pleasure of something breaching her for the first time along with having the grandmaster''s eyes on her, Master Fushi was in a blissed-out state. Her second finger slipped inside to join her first one.


    "G-Grandmaster, am I putting on *huff* a good show for you?"


    Master Fushi felt her eyes close as pleasure assaulted her being. She was so sensitive inside and every touch of her finger sent her nerves jolting. It was too much for her to note.


    ''I n-need to hold back. I n-need to please the grandmaster.''


    After all, the grandmaster had his cock in his hand as he pumped it full as well. That told Fushi that she was doing well.

 Chapter 16 16: Forbidden Desires [Pt3]

    ?It was not Keith''s first time getting off watching someone else jerk off. He was a hot-blooded mail and he was also a ''man of culture.'' And as such, he had partaken in the porn culture and he had seen countless scenes much lewder than this.


    But still, there was something sensual about seeing someone you had a crush on be like this in front of you.


    "G-Grandmaster, am I putting on *huff* a good show for you?"


    Master Fushi''s face was red and her voice was sending shivers of pleasure down Keith''s spine. He wanted to touch her and hold her down. Master Fushi looked wet enough to fuck straight out.


    But Keith did not have enough confidence that he would be able to hold back. His inner desire was rearing its head up and asking him what he was waiting for.


    "G-Grandmaster, my body is so w-wet for you. Please touch me."


    Master Fushi''s eyes were wet and her nipples were hard. Her body was open and her wet pussy was on disy for Keith to see.


    Her fingers were entering in and out of her wet pussy without stopping. She was throwing her head back in pleasure as she pushed her hips out toward him.


    Keith was beyond hard right now. He wanted to sink into her body and allow himself to be swallowed by her tight heat. He wanted to experience pleasure with the female in front of him.


    ''What are you waiting for? The female is asking for your touch. Are you going to keep her hanging like this?''


    The voice in Keith''s head asked him this question and he could not help but consider it. Why was he holding back right now? It was not like this would make him reveal his real identity.


    He could partake in pleasure and me it all on the heat and drugs. And Master Fushi would not be able to refute his ims since she fell victim to it as well. He could do it. He could take Master Fushi and still maintain his life afterward.


    Keith had a small smirk on his face as soon as he finished his inner monologue and he decided to stop holding back.


    Master Fushi was busy fingering herself open so she did not expect to be pulled by the grandmaster and tond on hisp outright.


    "I think that is enough preparation. I reckon you know what to do from here on?"


    The blush on Master Fushi''s face was massive. Her wide eyes looked at Keith with astonishment but also with lust.


    It did not take long for her to start moving on Keith''sp. Keith''s hands also moved all over Master Fushi''s body and he kneaded her breasts to make her mouth open in a silent moan.


    Master Fushi''s wet pussy rubbed against Keith''s cock every time she moved and it was too much stimtion, Keith needed more or he was going to go crazy.


    "Enough procrastinating. Fushi, brace yourself because it is time."


    Master Fushi gulped in nervousness as she looked at Keith. But her eyes settled down as trust filled them.


    "Of course grandmaster, I am ready."


    Keith had wanted to be slow and gentle to Master Fushi for her first time. But her pussy was tight and too good for Keith to not bottom out in one go.


    He felt his cock tear open Master Fushi''s hymn, taking her virginity in the process. Blood was flowing around Keith''s cock when he pulled back a little and Master Fushi took in a deep breath.


    "Are you alright? Do you need more time?"


    Keith asked as he barely held himself back. Sweat was covering his body as Keith tried to hold himself back from ramming right into Master Fushi outright. He was not that big of a jerk to ignore his partner''sfort outright.


    "I am *huff* alright. You can move now grandmaster."


    Master Fushi barely let those words out. She was bracing through the pain but she wanted to feel the connection and the pleasure she had heard about,


    And since she had given her verbal confirmation, Keith was no longer going to hold back. He could not hold back and his hips pistoled into the female beneath him without any other thought.


    Every time he thrust in, it felt like his cock was being gripped and massaged by master Fushi''s insides. It felt too pleasurable to him and Keith could just not help himself. He was getting addicted to this feeling.


    Master Fushi''s body was sinful and Keith felt his cock melt inside her as his hips sunk deeper into her wet heat. He wanted to devour her but somehow, it did not feel enough for him.


    /////////////////////////////<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''W-What is this? What kind of pleasure is this? I feel like I will melt.''


    Fushi''s pain was melting away into pleasure as she felt the grandmaster use her body. It had hurt at first when the grandmaster had entered her body but it was getting overwhelming now.


    "Take it, you slut. You like getting pounded into by me, right? I can see the pleasure clearly on your face. Who knew that a well-respected master like Master Fushi was such a pleasure-seeking slut beneath her mask of indifference."


    Grandmaster was vocal right now but it was going through one war and out of the other.


    All Master Fushi knew was that she felt like she was being split apart by a huge rod in her pussy and the grandmaster was hitting the deepest parts of her. She was never going to recover from this pleasure she was getting.


    Every thrust of the grandmaster''s hips caused Fushi''s body to jerk back into the bed. Her mind was getting stupid and her ability to think was getting diminished.


    "G-Grandmaster, it feels so good. I want m-more."


    Fushi couldn''t tell where she ended and where the grandmaster began. His cock was everywhere inside her and it was gushing inside her as well. She wanted to lose herself in this feeling.


    Her pussy was being destroyed but Fushi did not even mind. The grandmaster was rubbing her nipples and tugging at her breasts, It made her moan out loud and got her even wetter.


    "You want more, slut? Then moan for me and show me that you are loving my cock, show your appreciation for me fucking you right now."


    Fushi felt the sh of humiliation go through her body as she heard the grandmaster''s words. She would have never even considered it under normal circumstances. But her mind was too far gone right now.


    She was drowning in pleasure and she did not mind speaking anything to get more pleasure out of everything.


    "P-Please master, give me more pleasure. G-Grandmaster, your cock is the best out there. P-Please use me more to satisfy you."


    Fushi did not even know she had such a lewd side to her. She had never partaken in pleasures of the flesh before but she could no longer hold herself back.


    The grandmaster was touching her and every time he touched her, it felt too much. She was being driven to the brink of madness. She needed the grandmaster toe inside her and im her as his woman.


    "G-Grandmaster,e i-inside me. Please, give me youre"


    Fushi no longer cared how she appeared as she spoke. Nothing mattered in front of the mind-blowing pleasure she was getting from the grandmaster. She was willing to be anything he wanted her to be, even a ve.


    As long as his cock kept rubbing against her inner walls and his cock kept going deeper and deeper inside her, it did not matter. She was going to get more and more of this pleasure.


    /////////////////////////////


    "Shit, they got started already. I am already toote. How do I enter now?"


    Queen Natasha looked inside the door where her two victims were lying down and trying to tear each other apart. It was clear that her strategy had worked.


    But if it had worked for the better or the worse, it was tough to say, too much was going on for Natasha to make anything out.


    But there was one thing she knew for sure - she needed to interfere before she ended up losing her only chance to,


    ''Well, here goes nothing. I hope I get out alive from this.''


    With her mind made, the skinner queen entered the room. And instantly, she had two pairs of eyes turned toward her.


    "Excuse me, but can I join you two as well? I am sure we can get along well?"


    There was a 50% chance that Natasha would die and the heated egg would not work. But luckily for her, it seemed like it was working and the pair did not seem agitated to see her.


    "You want to join us? Well then, show us what you''ve got."


    Surprisingly enough, it was the grandmaster who extended his hand and the other master had no adverse reaction to Queen Natasha being here.


    It was at least one thing taken care of.

 Chapter 17 17: The Second Lead [Pt1]

    ?Fushi knew that she was in heaven and hell at the same time. The grandmaster''s cock was rubbing all the right spots inside her and the part inside her body was gripping it tighter.


    So when the smell of apetitor neared Fushi, she could not help but tense up. Her head turned back to look at the new entry into the room.


    It was the dancer she had seen outside the grandmaster''s room, and she was also sure that this dancer had a hand in what was happening to both her and the grandmaster right now. Master Fushi would like nothing more than to capture the female right now but she could not move.


    Her body was a ve to the big cock inside her and her hips were not stopping.


    "Excuse me, but can I join you two as well? I am sure we can get along well?"


    The dancer was panting in want and need. Her flushed face and the weird smell she gave off were trigger signs for Master Fushi to push her back.


    But somehow, there was a weird part of her that did not want to send the dancer back. It was asking for the other member to stay with her and to please their king together.


    It was weird and she did not appreciate it. But the pleasure of the grandmaster''s hips drilling into her pussy was making Fushi weak. She was about to reject thisdy when the grandmaster spoke up.


    "You want to join us? Well then, show us what you''ve got."


    Fushi was shocked but the grandmaster ced his hand in her hair and tugged them back. It caused her brain to go nk and she ended up pulling him even deeper into her body.


    ''A-Ah, the grandmaster is likely¡­.trying to kee¡­the dancer here¡­so that he can¡­interrogate her after-''


    Even Master Fushi''s mind was not able to hold on when a big fat cock was rubbing her insides. All her mouth could do was cry out and try to breathe in deeper.


    "T-Then, if you don''t have a problem, can I touch you?"


    The dancer made her way toward the pair even when Master Fushi was sure she had not been permitted to do so. She also felt soft hands resting on her breasts that were not the grandmasters.


    And then they started ying with her breasts, fondling them a little at a time. It intensified the pleasure Fushi was feeling and her body felt even more sensitive than before.


    She felt like she was losing her mind every time she was touched. And it ended up being too much for Fushi. Her pussy was twitching as she felt the heavy cock going deeper and deeper into her gut.


    And then the grandmaster stopped inside her and his cock twitched. At the same time, one hand touched her clit which caused her toe. Her pussy tightened around the cock that was pounding it and the grandmaster ended uping inside her as well.


    ''T-Too full. I can get pregnant.''


    The concern was there but it slipped out of Master Fushi''s mind as soon as she felt the grandmaster start to pull out of her pussy. She tried to tighten her grip to keep him inside her body but he ended up slipping out.


    Semen was sipping out of Fushi''s broken pussy and she could not stop it. She tried to hold the semen in but it was too tough to do. It kept on leaking out of her body and Master Fushi was too tired to care at that point.


    In the end, she ended up falling asleep with the white leaking out of her body.


    ///////////////////////////////


    Queen Natasha tried not to feel envious as she watched the grandmaster pound into other masters. It was making the energy in her body react in ways it had never before.


    ''Ahhh, I am so wet. I want to loosen myself up and make the grandmaster thrust inside me as soon as he is done.''


    And since that was the case, Natasha decided to help the poor human female out in achieving her end. She was even more envious as she watched the copious amount of fertilee to go to waste in front of her eyes.


    The grandmaster surely was something and she needed to get closer to him now. It was a good thing that his cock had not softened even a bit even aftering inside the other girl.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, you. You said that you will prove your worth, so you better show some skills. I am not here for your entertainment."


    Queen Natasha gulped in excitement as she watched the grandmaster''s cold and ruthless eyes. He was so calm and confident even after he had juste down someone''s throat. This attitude of his was so attractive to the spinner queen.


    "A-Ah, yes. I will get to work right now grandmaster."


    Natasha had seen a fair bit of what the other two had done. She wanted to start with a blow job but the grandmaster had already experienced it for today. But there was one other part of her body that she was confident in.


    Her breasts were bigger than the female master in the room so Natasha was sure she would be able to get a better breast job.


    So that was what she did. The grandmaster looked a little suspicious and surprised as he watched the dancer slip up his body and into hisp. But his burning eyes did not leave the spinner queen as she brought her breasts up to rub against that hard cock.


    Natasha was proud of her big breasts as they were capable of dwarfing most of the dicks she had seen.


    So it was a surprise when she saw that she was incapable of burying the grandmaster''s cock in her breasts alone. It was too big to fit it all in and it even reached her mouth as she tried to massage it in between her soft breasts muscles.


    The more she got to know the grandmaster, the more fascinating he turned out to be. And Queen Natasha could not help but want to know more about him this way.


    ///////////////////////////////


    Keith tried hard not to moan as his cock was enveloped by the depths of those soft breasts in front of him. The beautiful dancer from before hade back and decided to spend the night with him.


    He knew it was suspicious and ridiculous to take her up on her offer but Keith could not help himself. Not only had he gotten lucky the Master Fushi but this hot dancerdy was willing to give him a breast job.


    It was soft and warm in between her boobs and the way she moved also seemed experienced. Keith was sure he would have broken down if not for his body''s permanent ''resting bitch'' face.


    "Is that it? I thought you said that you can make me feel good. But as things are going, you are not even halfway into making mee."


    Keith felt ready to burst already. He had felt so good that he coulde again right that second. But his stubborn body was holding back and not ready to release.


    He cursed his body for all the hardships he was facing. And he was also a little sorry for the dancer in front of him who was trying her best.


    "I-I will try harder-"


    "Don''t just speak. If you are going to make mee then use your mouth. You are talented with it, right?"


    Keith''s cock ended up in front of the dancer''s mouth even before she knew what was happening. She looked a little bewildered but that did not stop Keith from holding her face in front of his cock.


    Not that the dancer minded because she did not even hesitate in opening her lips to take his hard cock in.


    It was just as good as the first time Keith had gotten oral and he could not help his lips from shallowly thrusting into the hot mouth in front of him. And this time the dancer really followed thoroughly with her words.


    Her mouth managed to keep up with the fast rhythm Keith had set up and she even swallowed at the right time. Her tongue knew where to such and lick when Keith pulled back from her mouth.


    "Look at you, acting like a proper slut now. Does it turn you on when I treat you like this? If you want my cock then work for it."


    The dancer looked at Keith with heart-filled eyes before she went back to sucking him dry. It all happened so fast that Keith was not able to brace himself.


    He was going toe again and his hands held the hot mouth on his cock as he released into the hot mouth in front of him. When he finally let go, the dancer decided that the taste had not been enough and came right back for another taste.

 Chapter 18 18: The Second Lead [Pt2]

    ?''Darn it. I have never been this humiliated before in my life. I need to pull back somehow to get the king egg out.''


    Queen Natasha tried to fight the instincts that were trying to guide her into serving. She knew she had a mission she needed to aplish, but her mind was going nker and nker as she took in the hard cock in front of her.


    She could not help it since it felt just too good to let it go. One taste did not fill Natasha enough and her body demanded more.


    "That''s a good slut. You''re so hungry for it that you are evenpping all the waste, huh?"


    Natasha cursed the heat egg that was making her hungry for the grandmaster. It was all its fault that she was in this mess.


    But she had no one to me but herself for this situation. Her mouth was hot and hungry as she mouthed at the cock in front of her eyes.


    Natasha did not want to let the huge cock out of her hand and mouth but she was quickly pulled up and her legs were pushed apart. Before she could brace herself, that huge cock was breaching her hole.


    "Looks like you are ready to take me in already. What a lewd body you have. I have to say that I am impressed."


    The grandmaster was in her body as soon as she felt his cock touch her pussy. It was an easy push and Natasha had to hold her voice not toe. It had been too intense for her and her pussy was leaking.


    Natasha''s body had never behaved like this before so she did not know what to do next. She was excited and terrified in equal measures but the degradation was turning her on.


    "I-Give me more."


    Natasha was moving beneath the grandmaster, her hips moving against the man to take more of him in. she could not stop herself from wanting more of this pleasure.


    She knew that this was the perfect time to aim her attack and take the egg out. If she was able to do this then it would be her win.


    But despite knowing this, Natasha tried and failed. Her hand was caught in a tight grip before she was kissed in a burnishing way. Her mouth was forced open and her breath was stolen.


    She had no idea how the grandmaster knew what she was going to do, but she had been beaten fully. She could not even find the strength in her to move.


    "Submit to me. There is no use in fighting back right now."


    Natasha felt those words ring inside her psyche and she knew that it was due to the queen egg inside the grandmaster. But Natasha did not have enough focus or will to refute him anymore.


    Her pussy and her body were feeling too good and she ended up clenching around the cock inside her body as the grandmaster came into her body. It was an experience like no other.


    It did not take long for Natasha to lose consciousness after that. She was too tired to continue and it was all because of this fragile human body she was upying.


    ''I need to get a better one soon.''


    Those were thest thoughts of the skinner queen as she fell asleep after having her fill.


    /////////////////////////////////


    It took some time for Keith''s mind toe down from the euphoric experience he had just had. He was not ashamed of spending the night with two females one after the other but it was a little awkward.


    "Ahhh, how did this happen? I better go out right now since I don''t want to experience anything unexpected once they both woke up."


    Keith''s mind was a little heavy right now ad it made things difficult to remember for him. He wanted to have a sip of water and clear his head. So that was what he decided to do, call for a servant.


    But no one answered him even after fifteen minutes of trying to call for one. In the end, Keith decided to head out himself. He also needed to find ir and ask her a few things.


    "I see that you had quite fun today while I was out and ving away in the field. Do you have anything to say to me regarding this?"


    Keith froze once he felt sharp ws threatening him. Clove did not sound angry with him but it was difficult to tell with her sometimes. She was someone who had vicious mood swings all the time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "C-Clove, whatever happened is not my fault you know. So can you let me go now and retract your ws?"


    Keith tried to, very carefully, manoeuvre himself away from the w that was aimed at his back. Clove''s ws were too sharp and they made Keith tense up.


    "Ah, I guess you could not help it then. So, what happened back there? And why is there a weird energy inside you?"


    Keith had a feeling he should not say anything about what happened. But when someone gave you that look and every instinct you have said that you had to be careful, you ended up telling them everything.


    And that was what happened here as well. Keith ended up telling ir about the weird dancer and everything else that happened.


    "I see. So you are an insensitive idiot who is doing whatever you want to. But I guess I will help you out this time and tell you what happened to you. There is a heat egg inside you and I guess it''s the same for everyone else you spend the night with."


    Keith had no idea why he felt shocked hearing the news. He had known about heat egg forever but still did not consider it a possibility.


    Mainly because only high-ranking demons had such advanced tools at their disposal. And a small town like this should not have any big-shot.


    "Looks like there is more to this town than what meets the eye. There are bigger fish to fry in this town than we first expected."


    ir looked excited to see what was happening around her. It was surprising but not at the same time. Knowing ir, it was something she would have liked anyway.


    "Ah, why did it have to be me who decided toe here? And why did you spring all this information over my head all of a sudden? I feel like I would have been happier not knowing any of this information."


    Keith grumbled as he tried to zone ir out. He had a feeling that he was getting himself into trouble if he followed her lead.


    It was better for him not to know that there was a high-level demon in this town. Even if it killed more people in the long run, why did it matter to him? He was just happy to live his life out.


    "Anyway, do not move from here until I go in ande out of here. It will only take me a minute so stay here."


    ir, as always, decided to be Keith''s saviour and help him out. He could not tell how thankful he was for ir and her involvement in his matter. He knew he could count on her.


    "Go and do a good job"


    *cough* "Mind your manners."


    Keith knew that ir was making a big point only because she was concerned about him and his mannerism. She did not want Keith to be found out as well.


    But her concern caused Keith to let go of even more tension and he all but melted. He was thankful for her interference.


    "Ara, grandmaster, what are you doing here? Don''t tell me that you were waiting for your pal, me. In that case, you should have told me and I would havee sooner to get you."


    Keith had just caught his breath when he froze again. He had not expected Master Shinzou toe in right at that time and find him.


    What was worse, it seemed like Master Shinzou had some kind of misunderstanding with him about his waiting. Keith was not waiting here for Shinzou but for ir to finish her job.


    "No, I am not here waiting for you."


    Shinzou blinked a few times but it seemed like Keith''s words flew over his mind. He did not even bait an eysh when Keith said those words harshly.


    "Nowe on grandmaster, there is no need for you to be this conservative with me. I know what would make you feel better - killing and hunting some demons. We can even make a sport out of it this time."


    Keith knew what was going to happen next and he tried to stop it at all costs. Not that it mattered in the end because his hand was taken hostage and Keith was dragged into the open world.


    ''Noooooo, ir, anyone save me.''

 Chapter 19 19: A Raid [Pt1]

    ?"Doesn''t the morning wind caressing your face feel good? Look at all this fresh air and peaceful atmosphere. Doesn''t this feel so good to finallye out and stretch your wings?"


    ''Peaceful? I feel like I am about to die due to my stress. I want to go back now.''


    While Master Shinzou was enjoying his free time, Keith felt like dying due to the stress he felt. His body was tired but he could not go back inside to rest.


    Moreover, Master Shinzou expected Keith to keep up with his fast speed. And it was just too much effort in the early morning to make. Keith would have given up long ago if he did not love his life.


    "Master Shinzou, I know you are excited, but taking things slowly might be a good idea."


    ''And give me some time to catch my breath as well.''


    Keith wanted to huff and catch his breath. But of course, he could not because of his image of being a ''perfect'' master. He could not show himself getting tired and he could especially not talk about the pain in his calves.


    "Ah, you have a point grandmaster. I should slow down so that I do not miss any clues."


    Master Shinzou looked enlightened as he ''tried'' to calm himself down after being reprimanded by the grandmaster. He did not see himself as a hyper person but there was too much energy in his body.


    Keith was just thankful that he had calmed down a little so that he could finally keep with Master Shinzou.


    "By the way Grandmaster, I did not see Master Fushi anywhere when I came to get you. Do you have any idea where she went? And how dare she leave you alone in the middle of the night? What if some assassin came in to kill you, huh?"


    Keith paled as soon as he heard Master Shinzou''s words. He was not sure it was a wise decision to tell Shinzou what happened back in his room.


    ''I cannot say that Master Fushi is in my room and out cold because we had sex. I don''t think it will go over very well right now.''


    Keith had to think of some kind of lie that was believable right now. But nothing came to his mind when he tried to think of an excuse. He had no idea how he would be able to get out of this mess.


    It is said that where there is a will, there is a way, and Keith was able to get out of this situation because of one single person - ir.


    He had no idea where the cat-girl hade from and what she had done to find him. But he was infinitely thankful that she had managed to give him an excuse to make.


    "Master Fushi is currently out on a mission assigned by the grandmaster. I am afraid that Master Shinzou cannot know the confidential information right now."


    *cough* "That is right. It is a top-secret mission that no one can know about. Anyway, we should get started on the hunting, right? I will take the right side with my servant while Master Shinzou can take the left side."


    Keith was sure he had made no mistakes, but he still felt Master Shinzou''s burning eyes look at him with confusion.


    He was about to call him out and ask him what was wrong when ir decided to pinch his side. Any noise that was about toe out of Keith''s mouth fazed out and he yelped out inaudibly.


    The suspicion faded from Master Shinzou''s eyes pretty soon as no response came from Keith''s side and he rxed.


    "Ah, that is a good idea to hunt separately. I wanted to show off in front of the grandmaster but I guess I should focus on my mission, right?"


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief as soon as it felt like danger had passed away. He was ready to head out with ir when something unfortunate happened.


    "M-Master Fushi, t-there is a problem. T-The team, t-they are-ahhh, grandmaster, it is a pleasure to meet you."


    The poor guy who hade to inform Master Shinzou about something looked startled to see Keith there. And it was a given since it was not often that the grandmaster appeared in public and in front of the small flies like the guard.


    It caused the guard to falter in his speech but it did not go unnoticed by Master Shinzou.


    "Hurry up and give your report. There is no need to waste your and grandmaster''s time in this manner."


    Keith had not heard Master Shinzou speak this harshly before and the poor small fly flinched at the harsh tone.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Maybe I should interfere? It would increase my prestige among the students.''


    But one look at the harsh and ring eyes of Master Shinzou caused Keith to take a step back. He could not interfere when his opponent was this dangerous. It would just not be right for his sanity.


    "I-I am sorry. I am here to report the death of our elite squad. And both squads 2 and 3 asked for reinforcements. We need you to head toward squad two right now."


    The small fly bowed as he made that request. Keith was frozen solid as soon as he heard those words. He did not know what he would do if he was asked to fight.


    ''Calm down. It will be alright in the end. I just need to calm down and think carefully.''


    Keith''s brain was working in overdrive but ir''s reassuring touch calmed him down. She squeezed his hand as if saying ''I am here and I will help you out.''


    And then she slipped something small into his hand which turned out to be a ring. Her eyes said that she would exin it allter so Keith decided to trust her.


    ''ir, I knew I could trust only you in this messed up world. I hope I am not killed for my bare trust.''


    "Everyone, hurry up and do not crowd the grandmaster. And now, it is time for us to head out to hunt some demons."


    Master Shinzou''s words rang throughout the clearing and everyone else responded in kind. Everyone except Keith that was. He was just not interested in anything that was happening and his eyes were also threatening to drop soon.


    God, what would he not give for a good night''s sleep right about now?


    ///////////////////////////////////


    ir watched as Keith freaked out at the news of this unexpected oue. And truthfully, she understood why he was behaving like this.


    She also felt a little bad for Keith since it was not his fault he had to pretend to be a powerful person when he could not even harm a fly.


    ''I guess I can help him out with this once. I am curious as to why I sent him back to this dimension. Just what about this man caused me to select him out of everyone.''


    There was nothing special about Keith as far as ir could see. But still, she decided to keep close to him and observe him for the time being. She also slipped the ring of illusions in Keith''s hand and mouthed that she would exin thingster.


    "Alright, we have two backup requests. I will head to squad 2 meanwhile squad 3 will get attended by the grandmaster himself. You all should feel lucky."


    Keith''s panic heightened as soon as he heard Master Shinzou speak. ir knew all the bad thoughts that were going through his mind and how much he wanted to run away.


    And it was all for a good reason since Keith had no magic or skills to speak of. He would be caught if he tried to help out.


    "I guess I can help you keep your cover this time. But you better start taking care of yourself soon enough."


    Keith''s eyes had tears in them when he heard ir''s words. He looked a little too grateful for ir''s help and it made her feel weird.


    "Everyone, hurry up and do not crowd the grandmaster. And now, it is time for us to head out to hunt some demons."


    ir watched as Keith gave the mostcklustre response to the chant in front of him. He was not a happy camper right now and his nervousness was evident. He also looked like he was about to fall asleep right about then.


    He looked like he would die right about any second. It was a bad sight to see if you knew where to look for the sighs and where it mattered.


    Still, as long as he had the ring of illusions with Keith, he would be alright. Likely, maybe.


    Anyway, he will not have a lot to worry about in the end. As long as ir was with him, Keith would be protected. But anything other than that, he will have to brave himself.

 Chapter 20 20: A Raid [Pt2]

    ?"H-Help us out. Anyone, help us out please."


    When Keith arrived at the scene of the attack, he had to stop himself from hurling his breakfast out of his stomach. It was not a pretty scene by any means and even Keith had not expected things to be as bad as they had gotten.


    The demon they had been hunting had ended up deforming and now everyone was stuck in a thread-like contraption. It was made up of thick threads and other materials Keith would rather not think about.


    "Don''t worry, help is here. The Grandmaster is here to help you out."


    Keith''s skin broke out into cold sweat as soon as he felt everyone look at him with hope in their eyes. They looked at Keith like he had the solution to all their problems but he was just a man.


    Heck, he was not even someone from their world, so how would he get the answer about how to deal with these monsters?


    "Calm down master and take a deep breath. You know you can count on me, right?"


    Keith tried to follow through with what ir had said but he choked on air and ended up coughing.


    Everyone looked at him in concern and suspicion which made Keith straighten his back and look at the monster in front of him. It might have been difficult at first, but the more Keith looked at the pile in front of him, the calmer he felt.


    ''I can do this. I can act my way out of this mess. ir said that I can count on her, right?''


    "Pathetic. You all are facing this small of a problem and you cannot take care of it yourself? Even my useless servant can take care of this monster. Right, ir?"


    ir looked a little surprised at the sudden address and responsibilities she had been saddled with which meant that she had not expected this oue.


    "O-Oh, yeah right? Taking care of this monster is no problem, grandmaster."


    ir''s words said all the right things but her eyes were shaped like sharp daggers as they looked at Keith. She likely did not like that she was being used right now. But frankly speaking, it was her fault that ir had ended up in this situation.


    Everyone else also looked bumped once Keith finished his deration. Words like, ''we won''t get to see the grandmaster in action'' were being thrown around.


    ''L-Look, I know you all want me to make a move, but I would die if I faced that monster alone.''


    "ir, stop standing around like a fool and fulfil your duties. We don''t have a lot of time to waste here."


    Keith almost let out a demonicugh at the end before he stopped himself. He did not want ir to get triggered enough to kill him in reality.


    But the look he was getting from his ve told Keith that he was in treacherous waters already. He would need to find a way to bribe her with sweetster to make her let go of this grudge.


    "Yes, I understand. I will take care of this monster and establish the name of Mystica guild''s guild master all over the continent."


    ir made the vow as she dove into the thread-like monster. But before she could even cut, someone else chose to step in and steal her glory.


    des made of wind cut through the steel-like threads as if they were made out of butter and it caused the suspended students to fall.


    Keith side-stepped a few students who looked like they would fall on top of him. It did not matter to him that they would break bones without his cushioning them since he was more in need of his protection.


    "Ouch, my arm."


    "I think I broke my leg."


    Most people would have felt guilty in this situation since their help could have prevented a lot of these injuries. But Keith was different since he was a selfish human. He was just happy that he had not gotten hurt.


    ''These people will heal soon. I would not have healed soon if I got hurt.''


    Keith was straightening his clothes when he felt an arm slip into his own and a pair of soft breasts push directly into his arm. It felt familiar to Keith and he had a feeling he should not look down.


    But he could not help his curiosity and ended up looking down at Shimi''s face.


    "Master, I managed to free everyone from the demon. Did I do good?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi asked as she leaned down a little bit. The moment caused her dress to slip just a little bit and express her cleavage more.


    Keith could not help but notice how everyone turned to look at Shimi, even the students and passers-by as she did so. They were not immune to the half-elf''s charming body.


    But not everyone was charmed by her looks. And the primest example was ir, who just looked pissed off. She had been waiting for a chance to hunt for some time but now it had been taken away from her.


    "Ugh, you are so irritated. Where were you until now? And why did you have to take my prey away from me? You are just here to irritate me, right?"


    ir''s short temper made itself known. For someone who asked Keith not to lose his cool. ir sure had a short fuse. But her words only caused Shimi to smile and grip Keith''s arm tighter.


    He could feel his arm being pulled even harder against Shimi''s body and soon her breasts would be touching Keith''s chest if she continued to act like this.


    What was worse - Shimi was too strong to pull away discreetly. Yohan was stuck in his current position without a way out and thankfully ir noticed.


    //////////////////////////////////


    Shimi would not call herself a jealous woman by nature. But everyone would be jealous when the object of your affection did not consider you special.


    Shimi knew she had a good body and that was why she had offered it to the grandmaster. She had been rejected at first until she told him about her condition. It was only that she had been epted.


    And life had been happy for Shimi. But what was difficult for her to swallow were all the other bugs that were lingering around the grandmaster.


    Especially that cat-girl ve his master was beginning to favor recently. He had spent an entire week locked in a room with her.


    ''Just what is so good about that fool? I am sure I am so much better than ir and I will prove it.''


    With her mind made up, all Shimi needed was an opportunity to execute her n. And the perfect one came soon enough during the hunting party.


    ir was ordered to clean up the nest of evolved demons but Shimi was not going to take this order lying down. She decided to clear the demon-evolved demon nest herself and save everyone in the process.


    And currently, she was busy snuggling against the grandmaster''s side in an attempt to gain his praise. She knew she had done a good job this time and no matter what ir said, she would not back down.


    "Ugh, you are so irritated. Where were you until now? And why did you have to take my prey away from me? You are just here to irritate me, right?"


    ir was not ying nicely. Her temper was rising which was good. It would irritate the grandmaster and he would tell ir off any second now.


    Except, that did not happen and the grandmaster signalled for ir to let go of him. The discrete pull did not go unnoticed by Shimi and she quickly tightened her grip on the grandmaster''s arm.


    He was only tugging because he was bored. It had nothing to do with getting away from her, right? After all, the grandmaster could always pull away for real if he did not like it.


    *cough* "let go"


    It was barely audible but Shimi let go as if she had been burned. She could not help but feel like she had messed up somehow but she had no idea what she did.


    "G-Grandmaster I-"


    "You performed alright but next time, make sure you control your power when you attack. Now, can I leave you in charge of these injured people, Shimi?"


    Shimi''s down mood soared in a single second. The fact that she had been given the task to carry out meant that the grandmaster was not disappointed in her in the least. Instead, it meant that she was being rewarded.


    She could not believe that she had finally managed to gain the much-needed acknowledgment she had been craving for.


    Shimi quickly stole another look at the grandmaster and she could not help but feel like he was glowing in the dim light of the morning son. The grandmaster was truly the coolest person who ever existed.


    And Shimi would follow this man for her whole life and until the end of time.

 Chapter 21 21: Who Kidnapped Whom? [Pt1]

    ?"How pathetic you all are. I hope you all would take notice of this tragedy and avoid it next time."


    "Yes, Grandmaster."


    Everyone bowed in front of Keith as one and his heart thundered inside his chest. The first demon had been dealt with and no one important had died. The small fries who had died had been necessary sacrifices to move the plot.


    And now that Keith had handed his responsibilities over, it meant that he was free to go back to his room and rest. Finally, he would be free from his responsibilities.


    "Grandmaster, we got a respot from master Shinzou''s side. He had dealt with all the problems on his end as well. Should we send someone over there to assist him?"


    Keith pretended to think over this topic but he was beyond done with things. He just wanted to rest in his room.


    "Ask Master Hana to help in this regard. Report to me once everything has been dealt with. And as for any injuries, take care of them yourselves."


    Everyone was looking at Keith with wide eyes full of suspicion. They did not understand the kind of situation he was in. so to avoid all those eyes, Keith hurried up back into his room.


    Luckily, both Master Fushi and the dancer from before had disappeared after ir had dealt with them. Keith was finally able to enjoy his soft bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


    He should have had a good rest and decent dreams but somehow, Keith had a feeling that his sleep was anything but peaceful.


    It was filled with colors all meshed up together and abstract art forms came to life. He was not even able to sleep a full hour before he was snapped awake by some other kind of nightmare.


    He blinked his eyes together to wake himself up but Keith had a bad feeling about what was toe for him throughout the day.


    ///////////////////////////////////////


    Unknown to Keith, the outside words had a different opinion when it came to this handling of the situation. And ir, who heard all the praises being sung could not help but roll her eyes.


    "Grandmaster is so caring. He gave his servants and other lower-level students time to shin."


    "And did you hear the way he talked so coldly? Ah, I just know that his icy exterior is hiding so much fragility and care behind it."


    "I know, right? The grandmaster pretends he does not care for us but he always ends up solving the problem."


    If ir could have rolled her eyes, she would have ended up rolling them as hard as she could. These children were too infatuated with the title that was ''grandmaster'' to see the truth.


    Even now, they could not see past Keith''s mask and continued to praise him for something that did not even exist in the first ce. But then again, it was because of Keith''s hard work that it was possible to fool everyone.


    ir was happy to go about her business when she felt someone''s shadow being overcast over her. She quickly looked up to see familiar blond hair.


    "ir, you should know your ce. You are a ve so you should behave like a ve until the end. Don''t try to press your advantage."


    She wanted to avoid looking up but Shimi was making it challenging for ir not to notice her. It did not help that Shimi tried to trip her when she started to walk away.


    ir did think of correcting her trajectory when she was falling but decided not to show her real colors in the end. She did not need to out herself because she was annoyed with someone.


    "Are you done being childish? If not then can you just finish exacting your petty revenge soon? I have some work to be done as assigned by the grandmaster."


    Shimi went red in the face at that jab. She looked ready tobust on the spot and ir felt sorry for her. It was not Shimi''s fault that she was in love and was taking things the wrong way.


    It was all due to the circumstances they all had found themselves to be in.


    "Y-Y-YOU! How dare you say that to me. I willin about you to the grandmaster and then he will deal with you. Just you wait and see-"


    Seeing that ir did not look scared, Shimi looked ready to cry. But she held her tears back as she hurriedly ran out of the formation. All ir could do was roll her eyes.


    Shimi was such an immature brat that it was not even funny. She was getting more and more irritating by the day at this point.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yo, cat ve, are you sure you don''t need to go after the half-elf? You know the grandmaster likes her well enough."


    Of course, when something irritating happens, the chances of it being followed up by another annoying thing was high. And Master Shinzou''s entry was one such thing. He was someone ir did not want to make friends with.


    Mainly because he gave off a dangerous energy and his smiling mask hid too much to make irfortable.


    "I will go after Shimi once she calms down a little bit more. I should also get going now that you all are here. The grandmaster wanted me to take charge until someone more suitable came along."


    ir did not mind handing the charge over. In fact, she was d that she would not need to look after these kids anymore. She had a feeling that she should follow after Keith sensed something big was about to happen to him.


    But of course, before she could head to him, something big ended up happening at her side.


    "M-Master Shinzou, Master Hana, S-Shimi, she was taken away by a skinner demon. We tried to stop them but they ended up kidnapping her anyway."


    Everyone''s surprised expressions turned solemn. Even those who did not like Shimi had to show remorse because she was a political hostage here.


    She was a guarantee that the elf tribe would corporate with themter on and they needed to save her.


    "Well, fuck. So, who is going to g and inform the grandmaster about this?"


    Master Shinzou asked but no one raised their hands to volunteer. After all, no one wanted to be the victim of the grandmaster''s rage.


    "Fine you pansies, I will do it. I will be the one to go and inform the grandmaster of what happened."


    besides, ir was also looking forward to Keith''s reaction. Knowing the man, he would have a small breakdown as soon as he heard this news. It was going to be amusing anyway.


    ///////////////////////////////////////


    "Hey, let me go. Do you have any idea whom you are kidnapping? I would advise you to return me right now."


    Shimi tried to get out of her bonds but they were tight. The more she struggled, the tighter they became around her. It was impossible for her to even move at that point.


    But she still tried her best to do it anyway. She did not want to be the reason the grandmaster had toe down in such a dirty ce.


    "Shut your trap up, you idiotic elf. The only thing you are good for is your looks and nothing else. Now be a good girl and keep yourself tucked into a corner."


    The skinner demon who had dared kidnap Shimi threatened. His breath smelled and Shimi had to turn her head to no longer be facing him. She did not want to have to look at her kidnappers.


    It was still difficult for her to react to the fact that she had been kidnapped by someone just like that. How was that even possible? And for what reason was she kidnapped?


    "You all are bonkers. Don''t you know how close to the grandmaster I am? You all are going to die once the grandmasteres for me. And then what will you all do?"


    Shimi asked with full confidence that the grandmaster woulde for her. He had to since it would end up in political strife otherwise. And she doubted that the grandmaster would let it just happen.


    "We will see about thatter elf. For now, enjoy our hospitability while we are still offering it to you. Hopefully, you will live to see another day soon."


    The skinner demonughed a cruelugh and Shimi felt tears strike her eyes. She had never been this humiliated before she now he wanted to break out of her prison.


    She had thought about staying behind for the grandmaster toe and save her but now things were different. She was being made fun of and it also irked her pride.


    ''Besides, the grandmaster always prioritized self-reliance above anything else. I should break free on my own and show that I am a capable person.''


    With that in mind, Shimi took in a deep breath and managed to break apart the doors to her cage with ease.

 Chapter 22 22: Who Kidnapped Whom? [Pt2]

    ?Keith was having a good dream where no one was irritating him and he was back at home, doing nothing but rxing. He did not want to wake up from this dream, but Keith was woken up rudely by ir.


    "Oi, wake up. We have an emergency right now. Shimi has been kidnapped by the skinner demons and we need to save her."


    Keith, who was still half-asleep, did not react to those words at first. But once they did register in his mind, he ended up awake with a snap.


    His quick reflex caused ir to fall to the ground, giving him a stinking eye. The cat-girl was not happy about the humiliation she had been made to face and her hissing could be heard audible.


    Not that Keith noticed since he was too busy trying to rationalize what he had just heard.


    "Shimi got kidnapped. That half-princess who could snap the skinner demons, that Shimi? She got kidnapped?"


    Keith repeated his words, mainly to make sure he was on the right track this time when he asked these questions.


    He tried to wrack his brain to remember if there had been any such incident in the original MMO where Shimi had gotten kidnapped but it had been too long since he had yed the game. He could not remember all the details properly.


    "Anyway, I am sure you all can take care of this, right? What do you need me to be there for? It''s not like I can even help you or anything."


    Keith tried to weasel his way out of helping but he was faced with ir''s unimpressed look in return.


    "I don''t think this is gonna cut it for you, G.R.A.N.D.M.A.S.T.E.R. Shimi might be an idiot, but she is still a precious diplomatic tool you need to care about."


    Keith had the most painful look on his face as he forced himself to sit and sigh in irritation. He could not believe he was considering ir''s words.


    "So, what do you want me to do? Head into the monster''s den and save Shimi? Ick powers and magic here, so I don''t think I can help. What''s more? I am sure my bluff would be discovered if I make my way out right now."


    Keith was more than aware of his shorings. He was incapable of facing foes who could use magic.


    Heck, he could not even notice a demon even if they happen to be standing right in front of him. He was more than useless in his current state.


    "I know how pathetic you are. And that''s why I gave you the ring. You see, this ring is illusionary. You just need to fake your way out and I will take care of this mess, alright?"


    ir was all but forcing Keith to cooperate with her. Her underaged body was more than halfway into Keith''sp and she was also dangerously close to his ''sensitive'' parts.


    Keith gulped down his nervousness as he considered his options. Currently, it did not seem like he had much of a choice in this matter.


    He had to listen to ir and hope he would be able to take care of any monsters with ir''s help.


    "Understood. So, which master should we take with us as backup? Maybe Master Shinzou would be good. Or maybe Master Fushi?"


    "We are taking none of them if you do not want to be found out. It will be better to take inexperienced students who cannot understand what is happening, right?"


    ir''s words made sense but they also caused Keith to worry. Won''t it be dangerous to only take a limited amount of manpower when facing demons? It was not child''s y after all.


    ''No, I need to trust ir in this matter. She had never led me astray, so she will also help me in the future.''


    /////////////////////////////////////


    The outside was a mess. Everyone wanted to volunteer to be the one to go after the kidnapped princess. Mainly because they wanted to look good in front of the Grandmaster and make their presence known to him.


    The only one who seemed to not be worried was Master Shinzou. He was certain that he would be selected to go on this recuse mission. He was the most trusted person by the Grand Master''s side after all.


    And he was the only one who did not look too excited about the announcement since he knew he was a guaranteed selection for this task. Of course, as the Grandmasyer''s right-hand man, there was no way he would not be selected for this mission.


    "Alright everyone, I have decided who will apany me in this rescue mission."


    Shinzou listened with a keen ear, waiting for his name to be announced, only to be met with silence. All he heard were names of some low-leveled grunts.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Why was his name not on the list? And he was not the only one who had that question.


    "Excuse grandmaster, I was wondering why there was no high-ranking name on the rescue list. Isn''t this a grand mission?"


    Master Hana asked the question and Shinzou agreed. He wanted to know as well why he had not been selected. What did he need to improve to be selected?


    The grandmaster couched in his hand as he watched them all. His cold and icy gaze caused everyone to flinch as they tried to meet his eyes.


    "What need do I have of you fools when I am going on this mission myself? Do you think you all will be able to do better than me out in the field?"


    Master Hana flinched as she was bombarded with that question and now Shinzou was happy he had not asked it in a hurry.


    He had not realized that asking this question was akin to asking the Grandmaster to reconsider his words.


    "O-Of course not. There is no one better than you grandmaster. I was not trying to question your choice."


    Master Hana backed down as soon as she was pressed for answers. No one wanted to anger the Grandmaster and no one wanted to question his choice either.


    If the Grandmaster said that the blood was green, then they all had to obey it without thinking about it, it was the kind of presence the grandmastermanded from them after all.


    "Anyway, this is the team that had decided to go after Shimi so I want noints about it. As for the Masters who apanied me here, I will ask you to clean up this vige. We have allowed the pests to roam around too much."


    With those words from the grandmaster, Shinzou knew that the time to act had passed. He would have to step down and forget his dream to apany the grandmaster this time.


    /////////////////////////////////////


    Queen Natasha knew she needed to do something or she would lose the chance to go after the Grandmaster. He was already ready to demolish the base she had set up.


    She had no idea which of her foolish minions had decided that it was a good idea to kidnap the half-elf but she was going to make sure they died a painful death.


    ''I need some way to infiltrate the Grandmaster''s group and then seduce the grandmaster. Thankfully, the other master is still asleep inside the room I left her in. it would have been a disaster had she woken up and told everyone my real identity.''


    Natasha had gotten lucky with her foresight and she quickly used it to take advantage of things.


    She knew she needed to speak up right now or she would lose her chance to speak again.


    "E-Excuse me, Grandmaster. I want to volunteer my service this time to help you all out. I am a local and I know this ce like the back of my hand. I can help you navigate this ce if you want to."


    Natasha''s heart was beating in her chest so hard that she was sure everyone could hear it. She was nervous when she made this offer since she was unsure if the Grandmaster would give her a chance.


    Still, she knew she had to at least try her hardest right now.


    Even now, the silence around her was defining and everyone was looking at her with wonder in their eyes. It had been a bold choice for Natasha to speak up.


    "You want to offer our help even after knowing how dangerous this situation is? I cannot help but think as if you have a motive behind helping us out."


    ''Shit, I was found out. What should I do now?''


    Natasha tried to think about what she should do next. There were a few things she could try to elevate the guilt from her.


    "Alright, you cane with us this time. But try anything funny and you will be dead before you can even speak."


    Luckily for her, Natasha did not need to do anything. The Grandmaster ended up helping her out.

 Chapter 23 23: A Trap For Sure [Pt1]

    ?Keith had a n now. And the n involved letting ir do her work in the background while he did his best to fake his frontal assault.


    There was a big chance of failure but Keith was not going to think about it. He was not going to speak things into existence. No, he was not even going to think about that possibility.


    "Everyone, be careful. I know you all have not been the ¡­best in your field, but I hope you will be able to keep your cool for the time being."


    Keith warned his group for thest time. Most of the people who followed him werezy and not very useful. But they all seemed like they had big mouths.


    The most suspicious person in their group happened to be the dancer who had led them this far. The dancer, who had introduced herself as Natasha, had led them right to the small hidden forest at the town''s east entrance.


    It was such a hidden location that there would have been no other way to find this ce except by hit and trial.


    "Of course, Grandmaster. We will make sure to be careful."


    The student at the front yelled, a little too excited before running toward the forest. Keith had a bad feeling about it and he exchanged an rming look with ir.


    Instantly, Keith hurried out to catch the student before he could step into the forest. The student he had caught by the back of his clothes lost his bnce and fell inches away from the forest entry.


    A stone rolled into the forest entry and electricity sizzled as soon as the stone touched the boundary.


    There had been a trapid in the forest entrance.


    Keith was spooked out but he managed to retain his wits when he turned toward his students and coughed.


    "You see. This is why you need to be careful in there. You might be heading right into a trap if you are not careful."


    Keith coughed as he tried to calm his fast-beating heart. A tragedy was about to happen in front of him and Keith was sure it would have been his fault.


    The student who had been saved by Keith looked back at him with grateful eyes. There was worship in his eyes which made Keith a little ufortable but he still somehow let the child be.


    Everyone who looked at the Grandmaster could not help but marvel in awe at his situational awareness. He had managed to find even the trap no one else had. They would forever follow his lead.


    But not everyone was happy with Keith saving the student. The one who was most irritated by Keith''s actions was none weather than Queen Natasha. She had wanted to kill one of the group with her trap but her n had been foiled.


    She admired and cursed the grandmaster at the same time. She did not want to lose to him in any way, shape, or form.


    ''Next time. I will make sure I kill one of yourckeys. Just you wait Grandmaster, I will have your flesh.''


    This whole trip was a trap the skinner queen had fabricated to trap the Grandmaster and to gain ownership of his powers. But there were too many problems in the way of achieving this for Natasha.


    Not that Keith was aware of anything that was being nned behind his back. He had enough on his te to just keep himself alive and working.


    "Alright, now that you are all safe and sound, ir would demonstrate how to break through such a trap. Make sure you all pay attention to it."


    With that said, Keith sessfully managed to divert all the attention from himself to ir. The cat-girl did not look happy with what she was being made to do, but she had no choice in the matter but cooperate now.


    ir demonstrated how to break through the trap and everyone took a step into the forest.


    It was a dark and dreaded ce and Keith felt his foot sink in a small poodle not too far away from the entrance. He tried to move his foot, only to realize that he was stuck.


    "Grandmaster, is something wrong? Why did you stop moving?"


    The student Keith had saved asked. He seemed to be paying a little too much attention to Keith currently. He wanted all the attention to be off him but that was seemingly impossible.


    "I am alright. I just felt some kind of energy here so I want to have a look around. You all should go ahead and secure the area. You have been taught how to do it, right?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith wanted some time but he was running out of excuses. Thankfully, his excuses were still strong enough to make sure no one opposed his words. And no one even questioned him.


    But there was something weird about their guide. For some reason, Natasha, the dancer who had led them this far, looked paler than she was supposed to be. Her paleplexion did not sit well with Keith.


    "Hey, are you alright? You should head back if you are feeling sick."


    Keith advised the dancer but for some reason, her panic became even more prominent. Her breath because short and she was panting harder and harder.


    "ir, have a look around for now. I have a bad feeling about it."


    The cat ve bowed to Keith with an annoyed expression but she was off soon enough. And she was not the only one who was annoyed with what was happening.


    The skinner queen was equally angry and annoyed with what was happening.


    ///////////////////////////


    Natasha cursed inside her mind as things began to go off-trail. The more she tried to keep them on track, the more they ended up going the wrong way.


    Especially even more so once they had stepped inside this forest. None of the traps she had prepared seemed to be working. It was only possible of the Grandmaster was suppressing his power with perfect precision.


    Even being this close, Natasha could feel nothing from his person. It was almost as if he had no magic of their own.


    ''How is he so good? To not even let out a hint of magic throughout this mission. Just how mighty is the Grandmaster and just how much practice does he have?"


    Natasha questioned as she tried to keep up with the Grandmaster''s group. He had currently stopped walking and his body had stiffened.


    Natasha tried to remember what could be wrong when she froze. This ce, was where the main nest of skinners was made.


    Most people thought that the main nest would be in the middle of the forest but it was optimal to make it near the entrance.


    ''But surely the Grandmaster could not feel our presence? We masked it perfectly and we were also careful to keep ount of who went in and out of the forest.''


    Natasha had personally made sure nothing went wrong for the past few days. So she was not sure why the Grandmaster had stopped walking like that.


    "I am alright. I just felt some kind of energy here so I want to have a look around. You all should go ahead and secure the area. You have been taught how to do it, right?"


    Natasha''s breathing stopped as soon as she heard those words fall from the Grandmaster''s lips. She was now more than sure that her ns had been discovered.


    ''Time to abandon my strategy of waiting around. I need to dispose of this group and kidnap the Grandmaster as soon as I can.''


    And she had the perfect thing to make sure no one would be able to stop her. She had recently acquired a powder that would put anyone with any hint of power to sleep.


    She secretly took it out and sprinkled it into the air. She also closed her nose so that it would not affect her in return. One by one, the students began to fall asleep and she waited for the Grandmaster to fall asleep as well.


    "You, what are you doing?"


    The Grandmaster turned toward Natasha the first chance he got and he sessfully managed to single her out. She did think of lying to get out of this situation but she ultimately decided not to lie.


    After all, why did it matter when the Grandmaster was going to fall asleep in a few seconds? She could tell him the truth now if she wanted to and he would never know what happened to him.


    "You do not need to worry about it Grandmaster. I will make sure your skin does not go to waste once you fall asleep. And speaking of sleep, you should be falling asleep any second now."


    All Natasha had to do was to count down from 10 to zero and the grandmaster would be asleep. He was too powerful to not be affected by this special powder. And Natasha had been assured its potency by a reliable source.

 Chapter 24 24: A Trap For Sure [Pt2]

    ?Keith had been in many dangerous situations but he had never been in a supernatural one. He was now convinced that he had fallen into a trap and the one who had led him into this trap had been no one else but the beautiful dancer who had doubled as their guide.


    ''Shame on you for falling for a pretty face. I should have guessed this woman was trouble when she volunteered to show us the way into this forest.''


    Keith could feel his palms get sweaty as he realized he was alone against an awful opponent.


    The students he had brought with him had been knocked out and ir had gone to check things. He was on his own now.


    "What is wrong, Grandmaster? Are you nning on how to deal with me now that I showed my true colors?"


    The skinner demon came closer to Keith and he tried to take a step back. But of course, he was still stuck in the marsh so he could not take a step back.


    His face had also gone rigid as a result of his natural defense mechanism which made it impossible to know what he was thinking about.


    "Yes, that''s the look I want to tear apart. That night and mightly look that says that you do not care about anyone or anything else. The look that makes fun of me and everyone else."


    Uncaring about Keith''s difort, the demoness kept on speaking. She either liked the sound of her voice too much or she was in her world, ignoring Keith entirely.


    He was not sure what was about this default expression that triggered the demoness in front of him but Keith wanted to change it, so he tried to rx his face a little more.


    It was a bad move since it caused the demoness to get even more excited in return.


    "Y-You are looking at me like that again. Your piercing eyes say that you can look through me and know all my secrets. You knew I was a demon since the start, right? That''s why you tied to confide me in your room."


    Keith wanted to object and deny all the absurd statements that were being made in front of him. He had nothing but absurd luck this far in recognizing demons.


    Or rather, it would be more convenient to say that the coincidence in his pointing and findings was robust. It was nothing more than that at this point.


    But every time Keith tried to open his mouth to deny these usations, he could not say anything. It was as if words had abandoned him and he could only make facial expressions to convey how helpless he was.


    "Don''t worry grandmaster. It won''t hurt much when I take your worthy skin from you. As soon as I find the source of your mana, I will-"


    The skinner demon was close enough to touch Keith now and he tried not to flinch as her cold hand rested on his cheek. It felt gross as foreign energy swirled around Keith''s body.


    But he could feel it being sucked into his body hungrily. It was as if a void inside him was being filled with energy and Keith had never felt more powerful before. He also felt like he could break free from his confinement.


    His serene state was broken by a pain-filled yell. When he opened his eyes, he saw the skinner demon clutching her burned arm in front of him. She gave Keith the worst re possible.


    "W-What did you do? M-My mana, what did you do with it? I cannot feel it anywhere right now. Give me back my mana."


    The beautiful face in front of Keith looked to have aged a few decades all of a sudden. Instead of looking like a young adult, the skinner demon looked like she was in her fifties.


    Her nails came toward Keith''s face to scratch him in a final attempt to hurt him but she was stopped by wires. She was pulled back by a strong force and then copsed.


    Keith also looked back with a jolt, but his bodynguage did not show his surprise.


    "Master Hana, did I not ask you and Master Shinzou to stay back? What are both of you doing here? And I also had it all covered here."


    Keith''s heart gave a pain-filled beat as soon as he realized that he was alive and alright. He had managed to get out of this encounter unharmed but that was a big gamble on his part.


    He knew how lucky he had gotten since the skinner demon had not taken him seriously.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I know that the Grandmaster said he did not need our help but we still decided to head down here. We apologize for our interference but Master Shinzou and I did not want to take any risk and we also wanted to report our sess to you in person."


    They were done? What were they done with exactly? Keith had to think a little before realizing what task he had left them with.


    ''They are done disposing of demons in the town already? Just how fast did those two act?''


    "Master Fushi decided to stay behind and look over the end tail of the operation for us so we are all but done now. Also, what should be done with this demon master? Looks like she''s the queen of this hive."


    Master Hana dropped that bomb as if she was talking about the weather. Keith wanted toin about how much danger he had been but he had no one toin to.


    "Of course, I am sure that Grandmaster recognized the Skinner queen and that is why he decided to keep her close. But there is no longer a need to worry. I will dispose of her right now for you."


    Master Hana offered and Keith wanted to turn his head away from death. The skinner demon queen was looking at Keith as herst hope that he would save her.


    But Keith was sorry to say that he could not help her out. Not only had she tried to kill him but also was a threat to him. The sooner she died, the better it would be for Keith.


    "Dispose of her. I will head out to find Shinzou now."


    Keith knew he had damned someone to die but he had no intention of watching the death take ce. The sound of skin being cut into was enough for Keith to imagine the way that demon died.


    He felt like such a fake right now but the relief that filled Keith was immeasurable. He had managed to protect his secret this time at least and he could not be more d. He was safe once again.


    ''No need to think about the past and bigons. I need to focus on what is going to happen next. I need to find Shimi right now.''


    By the time Keith reached Shinzou''s location (it was not difficult since Shinzou was too shy), the battle had been finished and Shimi had been freed. She was currently unconscious and looked ragged.


    "Grandmaster, you are here. I managed to free Sister Shimi. Do you want me to take her back?"


    Shinzou offered with too much sincerity and it made Keith flinch. He did not want Keith to head back into his room.


    Although he had made sure that ir cleaned up after him, the threat of Master Shinzou finding something was still high. So Keith would rather not take that risk if he could help it.


    "There is no need for you to do so. I will take Shimi back myself so hand her over."


    Keith made that decision and instantly regretted it the second he did. Shimi was heavier than she looked and she was also full of energy. Her body was not something Keith could carry over the long term.


    But he had said that he would take care of her and he would have to go through hismitment. He could not back down now of all times. It would put his character into question.


    "Master Shinzou, make sure you sent ir my way once you are done. I have work for my servant to do."


    Keith made that final decision before he started walking away. He tried not to show how tough carrying Shimi was for him.


    He continued to look forward all that while and kept his expression neutral. But his face was full of sweat due to the hard work he was putting in carrying Shimi.


    Once he was back in his room, Keith all but copsed. Shimi was sleeping and having nice dreams but Keith''s dreams were nothing short of nightmares.


    But at least he woke in a pair of soft and warm arms with a body snuggling into his arms. His arms snuck around a slim ease in front of him and Keith found himself snuggling into that hold all on his own.


    And of course, that was when he decided to wake up.

 Chapter 25 25: The Aftermath [Pt1]

    ?''I think I had a pleasant dream. I was warm and I had something soft in my arms and also-''


    Keith squeezed his arms, only to feel something soft yet solid in them. It felt like a human body that was well-developed in certain parts and Keith had to squeeze the mold in his hand once more to confirm that he was not hallucinating.


    This time, there was a moan from in front of him which caused Keith to slowly let go of the object in his hand. It took his brain far too long to realize that it was likely a breast in his hand.


    It had felt pleasant at first, but then Keith had been reminded of the reality that he should not be ying around with a woman''s body first thing in the morning.


    "G-Grandmaster, you are awake? I ah, this is not what it looks like? I mean, I am not sure why or how I got into your bed but I am sorry."


    Now out of everything Keith had expected, it had not been to see Shimi in front of him apologizing for something she had no control over.


    Keith should have felt guilty but all he felt was relief that he would not have to excuse his behavior since it seemed like Shimi was not even considering it as an offense against her.


    "No need to be so tense. You were brought into this room after you were rescued. If you are feeling alright, then you should leave now."


    Keith made it no secret that he wanted Shimi to be gone now. But Shimi seemed not to want to take the obvious hint he was giving her. Instead of leaving, she just sat in front of him with a nk expression.


    And then it turned into a determined one just as Keith watched her.


    "Grandmaster, I-I am not feeling well. I think it''s my subus nature that is causing me to feel weak. Can I have some of your essences?"


    It was bold of Shimi toe forward and say this. This was the most direct anyone had ever been with Keith about wanting to have sex with him in his two lives. And honestly, he should decline it.


    But Keith had no heart or sense to decline dangerous things such as these. The situation sent a shiver down his spine and his gut clenched in excitement which was not good.


    Outwardly, he did not show any such action, nor did he reply to Shimi outright. It seemed to have discouraged the girl and she wilted a little. But she seemed not ready to back down either.


    "Alright, I will give you a chance to sate your hunger. If only this time because of the ordeal you went through."


    Keith was not being truthful with the elf princess but it was no fault of his. She had been the one who wanted to be fucked so he was going to fulfill her request.


    Shimi looked a little taken aback at his answer but the surprise did notst long. Her hesitation flew out of the window as soon as Shimi had Keith''s cock in her hand. It was soft but still big enough for her to y with.


    She pumped it a little and watched it get a little bigger and heavier in her hand. But it was far from enough for her.


    Shimi brought the cock up to her face and gave it a small lick. The taste sent shivers down her spine and she wanted more. Her mouth could not wait to taste more of that divine juice in front of her.


    Keith had to hold his moan back at the enthusiastic licks and sucks he was getting from Shimi. It seemed more fierce than any other time he had been cued by her. And this time, he decided not to control to pace Shimi was going at.


    He wanted to see how well she would do if Keith gave her a chance to prove herself.


    And he had to say that Shimi did not disappoint in that regard. She took Keith and swallowed him as soon as she realized that he was not going to hinder what she did.


    Shimi managed to swallow Keith whole without a visible gag reflex and her throat touched Yohan''s cock head. The wet and tight heat around Keith''s cock felt too much like a pussy.


    And when Shimi began to bob her head up and down, Keith could finally feel himself getting hard. It had taken too much to even get to this point but Keith felt shivers of electricity go down his spine.


    "You are going great. Shimi, your mouth got even wetter when you took me in. is this a second pussy for you?"


    Keith was not joking when he made thisparison. Shimi had gotten wetter in her mouth once she had Keith deep into her throat. Her drool could even be seen visibly around his cock right now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The further she took Keith in, the more he was forced to feel her tightness all around him. Keith was enjoying this and soon, he felt himself twitch down Shimi''s throat.


    He felt like he was about toe but Shimi pulled back at the right time, denying Keith his release. And it was beyond frustrating which made Keith yank at her head and brain her mouth back toward his cock.


    "Finish what you started, you slut. You were the one who asked me for this, right?"


    Keith''s cock pped against Shimi''s cheek a few times to remind her of her request. And Shimi looked hungry and ready to take Keith in as well but she forced herself to stop. She needed more from him today.


    "I-Please give me more. My pussy is lonely too, Grandmaster."


    Shimi could not even look Yohan in the face after she asked this of him and Yohan had to think about it.


    He could deny Shimi this as revenge for her not letting Yohane. Or, he could make a mess out of her while fucking her pussy. The possibilities were endless here for him.


    So, what should he decide in the end?


    ///////////////////////////////////


    Shimi could not believe that she had done it. She had asked the Grandmaster to finally fuck her after all this time. But her body demanded something more this time and face-fucking was not going to be enough.


    Truthfully, it had been a shock to know that the grandmaster hade for her when she had been kidnapped and it had deepened her crush on the grandmaster even more.


    To wake up in his arms was akin to a dream Shimi always had. But that was no longer enough for her. No, she needed to have him in every way possible.


    So it had truly been a gamble when she had denied the Grandmaster of his release and she waited anxiously for it to bear fruit. She was the most nervous she had ever been until now.


    The Grandmaster was quiet even as his hard cock demanded release. Shimi''s mouth was watering to take it back in and finish what she started.


    But she had given up control and now she could not take it back. She could only look back at the Grandmaster with eyes full of yearning and hope that he showed her mercy.


    "You want to have me, Shimi? Do you think you have the right to demand such a thing from me?"


    Shimi shivered at the authoritative tone she heard. It was doing things to her and she wanted nothing more than to soak in it. The grandmaster was just too cool and dangerous for her.


    "I know I do not deserve your grace. But I would still like to ask for your seed, Grandmaster. It would be my honor."


    Shimi could do nothing but be honest in front of the grandmaster. She needed him to understand her desperation. The grandmaster seemed to be thinking over her proposal before he smiled.


    But Shimi did not know what that smile held for her. She was nervous about what was going to happen next.


    "Alright, I will give you a try Shimi. If you can make mee without the help of your hands or your mouth, I will give you what you want."


    Shimi felt trapped by that request since she did not have an idea what to do. Everything she knew to make the Grandmastere involved her hands or her mouth. It would be impossible for her to do that.


    But one look at the Grandmaster''s eyes and Shimi knew that she could not back down. She had to take this risky gamble ande out on top.


    "Of course. If this is what the Grandmaster wants, then this is what I will make happen. You just need to trust in my Grandmaster."


    Shimi''s eyes sparkled with the challenge before she picked up her body and dropped it into the Grandmaster''sp. She would make hime at any cost, even if it was thest thing she did.

 Chapter 26 26: The Aftermath [Pt2]

    ?Shimi''s wet and hot pussy was rubbing against Keith''s hard cock as she moved her body faster and harder on top of Keith. She was good and the way she was able to move her body freely said a lot about how much practice she had.


    Her wetness was making the heat in Ketih''s stomach squirm and he felt his cock give a visible indication of being hard.


    "Fuck, you are a slut. Look at your body making me hard without even properly touching me."


    This was the first time Keith had been hard this fast. He had to clench his hands to keep himself calm and away from touching Shimi unnecessarily. But it was honestly so hard to do since he had a beauty in his arms.


    Everything in his body wanted to lean over and press a kiss against those plump and soft lips in front of him. But he had to control himself.


    "I¡­huff¡­am only a slut¡­for you¡­Grandmaster¡­"


    Shimi''s words were breathy as she tried to catch her breath. Her body was turning red as she body was arched up in a beautiful disy. It caused her breasts to be pushed into Keith''s face.


    They were soft and warm to the touch as well and Keithid his head into those soft pillows of heaven. Shimi was so warm and soft in his arms.


    And her wetness was speaking into Keith''sp and making his cock wet. He was getting lubricated quite well.


    He was finally hard and his body wanted to dive into Shimi''s heat and sate his hunger. He was willing to demand more from Shimi when she tensed and her legs tightened around Keith.


    Shimi managed toe with the stimtion on her clit and her pussy alone. Her release coated Keith''sp and he was stunned to see Shimie so soon.


    "You made a mistake again, Shimi. Who allowed you toe all on your own? Now get prepared to be used by me."


    Keith was annoyed with being blocked a second time. He had enough of holding back so he was going to use what he had to do to get off.


    Shimi''s pussy was not stretched properly but Keith''s finger managed to slip into her body quite easily. The second one also entered just as easily and Shimi''s soft insides stuck to Ketih''s fingers and sucked him deeper.


    Her body wanted Keith and Shimi wanted her badly. She was making it so obvious by drolling all over his fingers.


    "Shit, you are so wet for me. Brace yourself because I will give you what you have been begging for all this time."


    Keith managed to breach Shimi''s pussy with a single thrust and then he was inside her hot and wet cavity. Shimi''s pussy was molded right across Keith''s cock as it dragged him deeper into her body.


    "G-Grandmaster, you are so d-deep inside me. I can feel you¡­huff¡­all the way¡­in¡­my¡­gut"


    Shimi''s voice was lost by the end of her sentence. Every time Keith pulled back and thrust inside her body, it managed to hit her pleasure spot. Shimi shivered and her pussy quivered as Keith fucked her.


    It was not soft and sweet at all but Shimi seemed not to mind it. Keith could not have been soft even if he wanted to be since he was too worked up.


    "I-I am about toe. It''s so g-good."


    Unfortunately for Shimi, she was not able to hold on and came again. Her overstimted body was worked until Keith managed toe inside her as well.


    He felt liberated after he managed to release and Keith felt so much lighter than before. Even his breathing evened out once he had released.


    Shimi seemed done after Keith pulled out. Her eyes were closed and she had all but fallen asleep in the bed she had been put into. Keith looked at her with half annoyed and half-relieved expression.


    But then he decided to fall asleep as well in the end. The day had just started but it was tiring for him. He wanted it to be over already.


    ////////////////////////////


    Unfortunately for Keith, he did not get his wish fulfilled. He was woken up only after an hour of sleep and it was because ir had made her way toward his side.


    Keith would have screamed once he woke up if ir had not managed to anticipate his reaction and react in time to stop him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You should hurry up and show your face outside now. Your little flowers are tearing this town apart in their search for missing skinner demons. If this continues then there would be no skinner demon left."


    ir sounded worried for some reason but Keith could not figure out a reason to give hisfortable sleep and wake up for something this silly.


    "Why does it matter if the skinner demons go extinct? It''s not like it will affect me in any way."


    Keith was about to go to sleep when he was faced with ir''s sigh of tiredness. She seemed to be done with his ignorance and shit but Keith was not about to give in to her as well.


    They were both in a stalemate currently which was finally broken by ir.


    "Look, I know you are not fond of demons but we cannot allow a specie to go extinct like this. It won''t be good for the bnce of this world. The ecosystem would be devastated and where would it lead us all?"


    "Why would I care about it? As long as it does not concern me then I don''t want to hear about it."


    Keith knew in his heart that he was being an asshole but he was also a modern man with modern problems. He was not about to care about a global problem that ''might'' affect him. It was not more important than his peace of mind.


    In short, Keith was not a good man and he never imed to be one. Maybe that was why he had been sent to possess the viin of all people.


    "Fine, don''t help out in that regard but you should wake up anyway. It is way past your bedtime, Grandmaster."


    And that was as good a trigger as any to get Keith to wake up. He hated how he had been trained to do anything to keep up his persona.


    His ir said it all to ir. He hated his current progress and what it meant for him. He was not going to forgive this easily for as long as he lived. (or as long as his memory managed to hold up)


    Now that Keith had woken up, he got dressed quickly and made his way out. He was tired but he also knew he needed to do work to pass as the grandmaster. It would be beyond disastrous if people started toe in.


    "ir, take care of Shimi for me. I will head out and take care of what the alliance is doing."


    Now that Keith had woken up, he decided to y his part as the grandmaster and do what he needed to maintain his role.


    And the first thing to do was to make sure no one knew about hisck of mana. He needed to make sure the skinner queen had been killed off properly.


    "Alright, but do be careful. I can feel very powerful mana out there. I hope you will be careful and not die in vain"


    Keith had been confident in going out when he faltered after hearing those words. He did not like what he was hearing from ir.


    There were not many people that could make ir say these words. And Keith was afraid to know which person had managed to make ir say these words.


    ''I will need to be careful. Maybe I should take ir out with me and let Shimi be for the time being.''


    "Alright ir, there is a change in ns. You areing with me to act as a shield for me."


    Keith was not even ashamed to say these words out loud. He had decided to live and he would use anything and everything to make it possible.


    ir looked stricken but not surprised by Keith''s words. Her face said it all - she knew she would be sacrificed sooner orter if the need ever arose.


    "Wow, there was not even a hint of hesitation in your voice when you asked me to sacrifice myself for you. Why did I select a bastard like you to send here?"


    ir sounded expecting as she stood up to follow Keith. She seemed to have epted her fate just now which meant she had forgiven Keith.


    It was difficult to read ir sometimes but Keith was getting good at it now.


    And once he reached outside and into the group of alliance members, Keith was thankful he had asked ir to be with him. Becauseing across the protagonist was thest thing he expected.

 Chapter 27 27: Meeting The First Protagonist

    ?It was quite a normal day for the people of the alliance. Their Grandmaster had gone to rest after his extraordinary feat and left everyone in awe.


    Those who could only hear about his deeds could do nothing but sigh in jealousy as they cleared the town of any demons in the way. And they found, they mercilessly killed off and saved humans.


    The whole town was being dyed in demon blood now and it was scaring the humans as well. And truthfully, many of the younger guild members felt sorry for the local people since they had to see all this killing.


    But it all disappeared when they noticed that their Grandmaster had issued this order of a purge. They could not go against him and let the skinner demons live.


    One such person was the young guard who was about to kill the begging demoness in front of him. It was such a beautiful person dressed as a dancer but she was a skinner demon.


    "P-Please spare me. I never killed anyone. A-Anyone, please save me."


    The demoness begged as she tried to do her best to live. Her sweet voice caused the young guild member to hesitate for just a second and it was enough for the skinner demoness to attack back.


    Life shed before the young guild member''s eyes and he anticipated feeling pain.


    But before he could die, he was saved by soft hands and a sword in front of his torso. It was a big and buff man who came to his rescue, his breath smelling of alcohol he had recently consumed and his steps unsteady.


    But despite having this many disadvantages, he swung his heavy sword and cleaved the torso of the demoness in front of him. He did not even flinch then the beautiful face faded away into ugly darkness.


    "Shit, these demonesses are getting prettier by the day. But a dirty soul will remain dirty, no matter how much they ornament themselves. Won''t you agree with me, my friend?"


    The guild member was left in awe after he was saved. It was also the time when other guild authorities began to show up.


    In a single sweep of his sword, Master Shinzou had that man up by his throat and dangling into the air.


    "Who are you and how did you get into this town? We made sure to warn this town off properly. Are you some kind of demon as well?"


    Master Shinzou attacked the unknown man with quick steps. That should have been the end for that man but he managed to dodge Master Shinzou''s attacks. And not only dodge but also retaliate to some degree.


    He seemed to be some kind of master when it came to martial arts and it caused the unknown guild member to take a step back.


    "You! You are no ordinary person to have blocked my de like this. Speak, what is your name?"


    Master Shinzou asked with suspicion in his eyes. He seemed interested to take this man under his wing and to mold him into a perfect specimen, but he doubted this man''s innocence and intentions.


    Even if he got a good and honest feeling from this man, it was not right to take anyone at the face value alone.


    "Me? My name is Horas and I am a traveling guard. And from your attire, you seem like someone from the guild''s alliance, right? And a high-ranking person at that."


    Horas was a strong speaker and his words were clear. Despite his being drunk, it seemed like he had not lost any of his motor skills.


    This small conflict was about to take a big shape when everyone turned toward one to look at the new entry. It was none other than the Grand Master who had entered the clearing. His strong features cut through the tension that was rising in the air.


    Everyone turned toward the Grand Master to give him the respect he deserved. So no one noticed the ''traveler''s'' expression darkening as he watched the ''so-called'' Grandmaster enter the scene.


    "What is going on here? This is too muchmotion for a small task, don''t you think so?"


    Grandmaster was standing strong and straight when he spoke but a sh of recognition shed past his eyes as he looked at Horas.


    ''Oh, now this is a familiar face in front of me. It seems that this man had not managed topletely forget about me even after everything that happened. Good, it will make things easier for me.''


    Horas had a n to follow and he would take everything away from this evil man in front of him. It would be the least he should do after what he had been made to go through in this life.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And the first thing to do was to get into the Grandmaster''s good grace. It would not be difficult now that the man had shown signs of knowing him.


    "Ya, it''s been a while man. How have you been since you left the vige and me behind to start your journey?"


    Yes, this would be the start of Horas''s revenge against the person known as ''Grand Master'' and the one responsible for all this misery.


    ////////////////////////////////


    Keith''s mind nked as soon as he realized that the buff man in front of him was the protagonist of this MMO.


    Well, one of the four possible choices at least. And he was also the least interesting of the bunch as far as Keith could remember.


    But if you ask Keith for this man''s story, he would not be able to tell you. Mainly because he had not yed his route and he had also not been interested enough to go out of his way to search for it.


    Keith had been staring at the man for almost a minute when he felt someone jab him in the ribs. It had been ir, the person he had asked to be apanied by.


    "You''ve been staring into space for a while. You should reply to the man if you know him."


    ir''s words were soft and likely not heard by anyone else. The buffoon in front of Keith was also not paying attention to ir at the moment which assured Keith somewhat.


    "Ah, yes. I am not interested in uncultured and untalented people like you. So stop wasting my time and leave if you do not have anything to say."


    Keith had gotten pretty adept at speaking like the Grandmaster at this point. It hade to a point that he did not even have to think about the nonsense he was sprouting out.


    The man in front of him got quite red in the face as soon as he was ridiculed by Keith but it seemed to not have deterred him in the least.


    Instead of walking away to preserve his dignity and running away with his tail tucked between his legs, the man decided to get angry instead.


    "Hey man, it is not funny that you are behaving like this. We used to be so close when we were kids. Don''t you remember?"


    Horas tried once again to show how close he was with the Grandmaster. But he was wasting his effort right now. Keith had no recollection of this man at all.


    So he refused to reply to this man again which finally triggered Horas enough to react to him and Horas decided to attack him. It was a swift attack that left Keith unable to respond due to its swiftness.


    But that did not stop both ir and Master Shinzou from reacting. ir blocked the attack meant for Keith from the front while Master Shinzou stopped Horas from moving.


    Meanwhile, Keith looked back at his attacker with calm and daring eyes. He was not even able to show any reaction due to the swiftness of everything that happened.


    "You! You are still a coward. You achieved the position of the Grandmaster because you are a cheater and we all knew it. Isn''t that why you abandoned your hometown and never came back to visit us? It''s all your fault everything ended up being the way it is."


    Horas was yelling now and his voice was too loud. It would cause a lot of problems if he kept on being like this.


    Keith also had no idea what this man was yelping about since he was sure none of the protagonists of this MMO had anything to do with the grandmaster before their first meeting wayter in the story.


    ''God, my head is spinning. I cannot believe I had to deal with something like this as soon as I came out.''


    The timing of his entry could not have been worse but Keith knew he had to thank his poker face for saving him from any humiliation. He somehow managed to get past the protagonist without dying.


    Everyone looked anxious to see what happened and Keith was too awkward to care and tell them what happened. One re of his was enough to send everyone else running away.

 Chapter 28 28: The Stolen Pearl [Pt1]

    ?"You all, pack up since we will be leaving this town in the next few hours. We have done enough hunting and cleaning up for now."


    Seeing as how the Grandmaster was in a bad mood now, no one tried to go against him. Although they had their misgivings, no one wanted to face the wrath of the Grandmaster.


    So even though the town had not been cleaned up properly, they all decided to pack up their bags and get ready to leave the town.


    The townspeople, who did not know that they were not 100% safe yet, decided to hold a banquet for their town to be safe again. And they sang the praises of the Grandmaster and the guild for saving them from sudden death.


    "Hey, you all. I know you all are ready to go back but you all need to make sure this town is safe as well. So we will be warding this town off while we still have time."


    Master Shinzou crushed the happiness and relief of the guild people who did not want to work anymore. It was not going to be easy to be left alone by their duties.


    The lower-level guild members grumbled but they did as they had been asked. They liked their life and Master Shinzou was a tough master to please.


    Meanwhile, Keith hurried up to go back to his room. His heart was beating faster and faster by the second. He had never imagined running into the protagonist, much less having him stand and talk with Keith.


    "Hey, calm down. No one is chasing after you. Don''t forget that you are the Grandmaster."


    Keith''s body reacted to those words and he slowed down. His body was too conditioned to not react to ir''s words and he took in a deep breath.


    Yes, he needed to rx and make sure he was not caught by anyone. He had finally managed to calm down when his eyes met Master Fushi''s ming ones.


    For a second, Keith felt like he would be charged and Master Fushi would demand who he was. He was certain that he had been found out by the master. He almost closed his eyes but managed to retain his dignity and stand straight.


    "Grandmaster, I heard the order of our retreat. Do I need to get anything done before we have to head back?"


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he heard Master Fushi speak in such a cold voice. It was her regr voice and she was also not acting any different from before.


    It was almost as if she did not remember what had happened between them and that filled Keith with a sense of relief. He was also going to behave as if nothing happened between them.


    "There is no need to do anything more. Just retain your over-zealous puppy squad and we will be ready to go back."


    Keith ordered and Master Fushi bowed. She was about to say something more when she stopped herself and left Keith alone. He was, once again, going through an adrenaline rush and his heart found it hard to calm down.


    ir, who watched it all happen, snickered as she watched Keith struggle to catch her breath. She was enjoying his difort too much and it was a pity he could not hurt her.


    "Alright, that''s enoughughing around. If you are done with me, then go and help Shimi out right now. I am sure she would appreciate your help."


    ir''sugh calmed down once she heard that order. Her stare was almost a re but she did not say anything and obeyed him.


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief as he closed his door and nothing happened next. He was finally able to rx and he was not looking forward to what would happen next.


    ///////////////////////////////


    Keith strolled with confidence as everyone else bowed in front of him. He was the image of power and no one could even say anything to him.


    This scene happened in the main hall of the guild alliance and the people looking down were the ones who had not volunteered toe with him. And it was all because they had lost something very important.


    "Tell me, how did you lose Mother Pearl while I was not here? And how will take responsibility for this mishap?"


    Keith''s voice was full-on Grandmaster mode as he watched the people squirm in their seats. The Mother Pearl was one of the grand treasures of the guild alliance and it was so famous that even Keith knew about it.


    It was one of the treasures that the Mystica was proud of and it was also something that had led to the original Grandmaster''s downfall. It was not something that could be allowed to be out of his sight.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith had decided to keep it in a safe as soon as he hade back. Mainly because he had a small run-in with a protagonist character.


    Imagine his surprise when he came back, only to know that the very treasure he was about to keep safe had gone missing. And all because these idiots had not paid attention to him.


    "Go out and find it at all costs. If you are not able to find the Pearl don''t show your faces here. You will die before you will be able to speak any apologies."


    The guild members hurried out as if their behinds were on fire. They did not know when they would die.


    As they were going out, their eyes met Master Shinzou''s bloody eyes and the Katana in his hand. It was drawn out just a little but it was enough to make everyone go white.


    Once the guild members were out, Master Shinzou turned toward the Grandmaster who looked scary real. He had hardly seen the Grandmaster this angry before.


    "Should I go out and look for Mother Pearl as well? I have a feeling it would soon make an appearance in the ck market."


    Master Shinzou knew the informationwork of spiritual goods since he followed it. As such, he would be the most appropriate person to look for such items.


    Keith wanted the item found but he did not want Shinzou involved with this case. But he still had no choice but to allow Shinzou to be connected with this case since he was the only person who could find Mother Pearl.


    "Fine, you can go to look for it. But be careful since I don''t have a good feeling about it."


    Keith warned as he made his way toward the central tform. He was about to sit down on it when he noticed a drop on the ground. He quickly took a step back, not knowing where the drop hade from.


    He was lucky to have stepped back since another drop fell the next second and then another. The ces where the drops were falling fell apart due to the corrosive liquid that was contained in the drop.


    Shinzou was the first one to react to that threat and he did not sound happy when he growled out the next words.


    "Everyone, stand on alert. Someone is trying to assassinate the Grandmaster once again. Hurry and lock all exist and look for the killer."


    As for Keith, he wanted to clutch his heart and make it calm down. He had been seconds away from dying and he had not even realized it. In fact, he could still not believe that he had been about to die.


    It had been his stupidly good luck that had managed to save him in time. But he had a feeling that it would not happen a second time for him.


    He needed to find a way to stay safe.


    ''ir. I need to find ir and she would keep me safe.''


    Keith had a one-track mind right now. He was too frightened to think why it was not a good idea to leave the hall unattended. His brain had zoned out to find ir.


    Shinzou noticed the Grandmaster leave and he was about to follow him when he thought better. The Grandmaster was someone who always had a n and he was sure that the Grandmaster had a n right now as well.


    There was no need to follow him or to be worried about it. It would be all but an insult to the Grandmaster to have Shinzou worry for him.


    "S-Sir, should we follow the Grandmaster?"


    A guard asked beyond nervously. He looked ready to wet his pants but his courage was making him speak these words.


    Shinzou looked at the man, but then he looked up.


    "No need. Even if we allbine together, we will not be able to keep up with the Grandmaster. I am sure he has a n right now he cannot tell us about. Let''s leave him be."


    The guard breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Master Shinzou''s words. It seemed as if he would not have to face the Grandmaster today.

 Chapter 29 29: The Stolen Pearl [Pt2]

    ?''Shit, fuck, holy hell. I am going to die today.''


    Keith was freaking out inside his mind as he hurriedly made his way through the corridor, even with how messed up he was in his head, his steps managed to stay alert and quick.


    Not only that, he was quite elegant in the way he walked. No one could tell that he was running away so that he would not die as a result of the assassination attempt on his life.


    "Grandmaster, is everything alright? It is quite early for you to return to your room."


    A junior member of the guild asked, only to receive an empty stare back. He instantly backed down, realizing how foolish he was to ask such a question to the grandmaster.


    How dare he question the greatness that was the Grandmaster? He did not have a death wish and he especially did not dare to go against the holy master in front of him.


    "Hurry up and find ir for me. I need her to do a task."


    Keith did not bother exining himself since he did not have confidence he would be able to. Even now, the panic was threatening to choke him from the inside out and his heart was making abrupt noises.


    He was afraid that he would die even before he was able to reach his savior. How pathetic his life had be.


    "O-Of course grandmaster. We will hurry and look for your servant."


    Not only the person whom Keith had addressed, but everyone who heard his words hurried out to find ir. They knew who their target was and what to do.


    These kids were well-trained and Yohan could finally rx once he noticed that they were gone to help him out. Maybe ir would be with him in the next few minutes.


    Yohan sighed in relief and his body sagged weirdly. His legs were falling asleep as soon as his body let go of the tension and Keith almost fell. He regained his bnce but his body took quite a few steps back as a result.


    His luck managed to strike again as a drop of acidic liquid fell where he had just been standing.


    He quickly looked up, only to see a sh of red in the ceiling. Since the ceiling was made up of segments, it was easy for someone to crawl around in it. And suddenly, Yohan knew where the culprit was.


    ''Holy hell. I am being stalked. A weapon, I need a weapon on me to save me.''


    Keith knew that he should keep a weapon concealed on his person as the Grandmaster but he was deadly afraid of cutting himself and bleeding to death if he did so. He just did not have enough grace to keep one on him.


    Besides, even if he kept one, it would be useless without any mana on him.


    "Ugh, what do I do? I need to distract the man in the ceiling somehow?"


    Keith rubbed his hand, coincidently rubbing the ring ir had given him. And a burning sensation could be felt on his finger as the area began to smoke. And soon, the room was covered in a thinyer of smoke.


    That made it difficult for Keith to breathe but he quickly made his way out of the room. He suddenly felt confident that he would be able to get away.


    ///////////////////////////////////


    When the assassin in the ceiling had heard that his target for the day was Grandmaster, he had gone pale with fright. It was one target no one wanted to have for their mission.


    The grandmaster was a name everyone had heard in the supernatural world. No one knew his real name, just the title and how mighty this person was. No one had sessfully injured this man.


    But since the assassin had gotten this job, he had to do it or he would die. His master was not an easy-going man after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So he had infiltrated the base and hurriedly made his way toward the room he knew the Grandmaster would be in. It had been surprisingly easy and he had not been spotted throughout the way.


    The security wasx which meant that these people were either too careless or too confident.


    ''Here I go. It should be easy enough to kill the grandmaster from here.''


    The assassin suddenly felt confident as he had not been spotted yet. He quickly dropped a few drops of this deadly liquid and waited for the grandmaster to fall victim to his effort.


    One second, two seconds but nothing happened. Somehow the grandmaster had managed to notice his liquid and avoid it. And with that, the assassin had been spotted.


    ''Shit, not good. I need to run away if I do not want to be found out.''


    The assassin''s luck had taken a turn for the worse all of a sudden. But he did not let it get to him. It was not the time to give up just yet since there would be more chances.


    The grandmaster left the hall after that and the assassin felt like it was his lucky day. He had gotten another chance at the attempt. So he hurriedly followed after the Grandmaster and reached the hallway.


    He quickly dropped another drop of the acid but the Grandmaster managed to avoid itpletely with the help of some unique technique. And then the hall was filled with smoke which made it impossible to spot the grandmaster.


    In a matter of seconds, the grandmaster had managed to not only save himself but also make the assassin lose confidence in himself.


    ''So cool. I can see why the grandmaster is such an untouchable figure. I cannot wait to meet him again.''


    The assassin felt a bound of respect for the grandmaster all of a sudden. He could not believe that he was able to try and assassinate such a great man.


    If not for this job, the assassin would have loved to devote his life to that great man.


    ''But a job is a job and I shall see it to the end.''


    The assassin made up his mind, only to feel a searing pain in his leg. A small needle had managed to prate his armor and a dangerous figure stood behind him.


    "Hello, little assassin. I see that you are after our Grandmaster. But I am afraid to say that your attempts to get to him will not be very sessful this time around."


    The face was very recognisable and no one could mistake it for anyone else. It was the face of Master Shinzou who stood in front of him.


    The man looked mad but also very quiet and assertive. He was someone who evoked a sense of great fight in the assassin. He had a feeling that he would die if he did not say anything right now.


    "I-I am sorry. I have seen the errors of my way and I wish to devote my life to the grandmaster."


    Master Shinzou did not look like he believed the man. He looked quite nk at the moment and his eyes were holes of darkness.


    The assassin was quite sure that today would be hisst day. And he was suddenly ashamed for his attempts at the grandmaster''s life.


    "Ah, I see. So you are saying that you have seen the errors of your way and you wish to devote your life to the just cause in the future? Then, I guess it is worth giving you a chance."


    The assassin had no idea what the man meant but he just knew that his life had been saved all of a sudden.

 Chapter 30 30: Clam Down [Pt1]

    ?Keith could not feel ir''s presence but something in him told Keith that ir was in the room further from the right. It was a ce he hardly visited since it was considered a ''woman''s chamber''.


    But for the sake of his life and his sanity, Keith hurried up and banged the door open. He was seeking out ir as soon as he could.


    There were variousdies inside, all in various states of undress and they looked at Keith with flushed expressions as he made his way in.


    "Everyone except ir, get out right now."


    Keith was not even able to control his expression which caused manydies to flinch in fright. No one wanted to anger the grandmaster more than he already was.


    "Grandmaster, you need to calm down. Whatever ir did, I am sure that-"


    "Did you not hear me? Everyone, get out right now."


    The girl who was looking at Keith with a gentle expression before looked frightened all of a sudden and made a quick dash. She also gave ir a sorry look before she left.


    Everyone else left as well and soon the room was empty once again. ir looked ufortable before but her expression went nk as soon as they were both all alone.


    .........


    "Now what is it? Did you have toe in here and scare thedies like this? There will be talking about you all over the town by tomorrow."


    ir looked resigned to her fate as she scolded Keith. She quickly took the center seat and waited for Keith to speak up. She was used to Keith''s sudden bout of nervousness at this point.


    And Keith did not disappoint. His scary expression faded away to nervousness as he fell to his knees.


    "I think I have an assassin after me. I almost got killed a few times on my way here."


    Keith tried to evoke feelings of sympathy from the girl in front of him but he had a feeling it was a futile effort.


    ir looked on in a bored manner as she watched Keith try and convince her that there was a murder after him.


    She did feel sorry for the man but she also did not want to frighten him by telling him how many assassins were actually after the ''grandmaster''s'' head. She had a feeling that the man would faint if he knew the truth.


    "I see. So you almost got killed a few times today. Now stop mopping since it looks like you are still alive and well. There is no need to kick up a fuzz, right?"


    ir got rewarded with a yell in her ear. Keith had been disappointed before but now he seemed angry and disappointed. There was a ck aura behind his back that made ir want to take a step back.


    The grandmaster had never been this vocal before and a lot of people would faint if they saw Keith''s real self.


    "This and that are different. How can you say that my life is not precious? What if I end up dead? What would happen to you and your luxurious life?"


    That made ir stop and pause. She had not thought of this before but now it seemed like a concern she should look into.


    ir had not noticed it before but she had a lot of expenses and she did need a new pair of shoes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You are right. You are my golden goose and your loss would suck. Alright, I shall take a look into your assassin and-"


    ir had not finished speaking when the door opened to her room. She watched as Keith snapped into his ''grandmaster'' mode and his back straightened. His expression also cleared into a nk one.


    It was fascinating for her to see Keith jump from a frightened man to this posed and proper man. Even actors were not this professional when they acted in a y.


    ''Maybe it''s because it''s Keith''s life that is in danger. Do humans get stronger under difficult circumstances?''


    ir was not a human so she was curious about various human emotions. And Keith was someone who was a perfect example for her to study.


    "Grandmaster, I brought a gift for you. Oi, hurry up and follow me diligently."


    Master Shinzou entered the room with quick steps and a disturbing grin on his face. Anyone who saw him could tell that he was up to no good.


    And he was not the only one who entered the room. He had an unknown figure behind him, trailing and entering the room with a flinch. There was a disturbing smell on this new person that told ir his identity.


    But she could tell that Keith had no idea his potential killer had been caught by Master Shinzou.


    "Since you are here, can I assume that you took care of my assassin for me Shinzou?"


    Keith asked in a cold voice. He was channeling his inner ''grandmaster'' right now and it was scary how efficient he was at pretending like he was in control.


    Had ir not known the inside story, she would gave surely believed that the grandmaster had never changed.


    Master Shinzou gave a huge grin as he walked confidently. He pointed toward the kid at his side and delivered a huge blow.


    "This is the assassin we caught trying to assassinate the grandmaster. And I am d to tell you that he had seen the errors of his way finally and decided to dedicate himself to the grandmaster."


    Master Shinzou did not notice the way Keith paled at those words. Nor did he notice the small shaking of Keith''s hands. He was too happy to announce what he had wanted to to the man.


    Keith tried to control his expression but he was unable to show anything but the boredom he usually showed. He wanted to cough out loud but he could not show how ufortable he was.


    "I-It''s true, grandmaster. I have seen the errors of my way and I am here to dedicate myself to your cause. Please epts a failure like me into your ranks."


    The assassin sounded desperate as he tried to plead with Keith into being epted. He seemed to be utterly devoted to Keith already which was a shame.


    ''Ohh, look at it. Another one who got taken in by the charms of the grandmaster. Not that Keith had any idea what he did.''


    It would never be not funny to see people begging Keith to ept them since he was the grandmaster but there were still some extreme cases like this sometimes.


    ir could have interfered and put an end to this show, but she decided to sit back and enjoy her position for now. Keith would learn his true power one day. Until then, ir did not want him to realize what was happening around him. It was funnier that way for her.

 Chapter 31 31: Calm Down [Pt2]

    ?"Grandmaster, I will take responsibility for this man and take him under my wing. You do not need to be concerned about anything."


    Master Shinzou sure was energetic and Keith decided to let him be for now. He did not want to interfere with this man and his intentions.


    "Do what you want to. But before that, there is something I need to know."


    Everyone paid attention to what Keith was saying even the assassin turned to believe who had managed to sneak into the mansion.


    Keith cleared his throat to sound more demanding and elegant. His back straightened even more and his confidence was at its peak.


    "What happened to the mother pearl? Did you snatch it up as well? You better tell me the truth or I will have to whip the answer out of you."


    Keith regretted the question as soon as it passed his lips. The former assassin had shuddered when he heard Keith''s words. And that shudder had certainly not indicated any difort.


    ''Let''s not open that can of worms. Let''s not think about why this man shuddered in delight over my words.''


    "O-Oh, that mother pearl? Our guild did get themission to steal it but it was handled by someone else. Darn it. If I knew just how great of a man the grandmaster was, I would surely have stolen the pearl back from my guild and kept it safe."


    The former assassinmented his back luck, his fists posed in front of him in a dramatic pose. He looked ridiculous in Keith''s eyes but everyone else seemed to be tearing up at his performance.


    Master Shinzou looked especially moved and even had tears in his eyes.


    "S-Such devotion! Such feelings! Your dedication has moved me, my friend. I shall take you under my wing ASAP and we shall be eternal friends who share the same goal."


    Master Shinzou caught the former assassin''s hand in his own, dragging the taller body toward him.


    "Wow, talk about dramatic. I never thought I would see such an emotional bond of ''brotherhood'' form between the static Master Shinzou and a former assassin."


    ir seemed to be the only other one who found this scene ridiculous and she let Keith know. Her voice was low enough as to not make anyone else aware of what she was saying.


    "I know, right? The only way this situation could be even more ridiculous is if someone came barging in right now-"


    No sooner had Keith said that, the door to their room was smashed open. And it was none other than Shimi who came barging in.


    "I am here to save you, grandmaster. Don''t fear anymore because I am-"


    Shimi realized a littlete where she was. She was clothed in a rather inappropriate dress, revealing the top of her breasts and her belly button.


    Keith quickly found himself standing in front of Shimi, his training, and his body''s memories guiding him to hide Shimi.


    "I think you should go back and change before arriving here again."


    Keith turned back to look at Shimi with a scolding tone. Shimi''s face had gone red with shame but she did not look as shocked as Keith expected her to look.


    Shimi left the scene quickly and Keith also fell in ce. The way his body had reacted told Keith that this was not the first time something like this had happened.


    Shimi had ack of situational awareness that made her do foolish things. But it was manageable somehow this far.


    *cough*


    "Now that all the distractions are done, I would like everyone but ir, Shinzou, and our new member to leave."


    No one questioned the grandmaster once he had issued an order. Some looked even d to be leaving such a stiff gathering. They had seen their grandmaster in action already so it was enough for them.


    Once everyone but the mentioned people was gone, Keith took a seat and asked everyone else to take a seat as well.


    ir was the first one to follow hismands, not caring how that looked in front of the other two. Master Shinzou looked angry at ir''sck of respect but he did not say anything. The former assassin kept on standing, not moving for the time being.


    "Grandmaster, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Long Dong, an assassin from the mercenary guild. Forgive my insolence for having targeted you."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith visibly choked as soon as he heard the name.


    He might not be Chinese but he had read enough web novels to know what the meaning of that name was in its originalnguage. And he had to try hard to notugh at the situation.


    ''No, don''tugh. Don''t lose this battle, Keith. This name might not mean the same in this world as it does in our own.''


    This was a fictional world made up of someone''s imagination. Keith could not lose it here.


    "I see. Do your name¡­Long Dong¡­huh? Take a seat because we will be having a long talk about what you know and where the mother pearl could be right now. As you are aware, it is one of our sacred treasures we cannot lose."


    Keith gestured for the former assassin to sit down but the man dropped to his knees. He looked determined to help Keith out.


    "Of course, I will help however I can. I will tell you all you need to know to get the mother pearl back. I will also gather information from the guild if you want me to."


    Long Dong offered and Keith took him up on his offer.


    "Continue" Keith ordered and the former assassin lost all his hesitation.


    "The one who ordered the theft of the mother pearl was Lady Olivia Greenwood, the leader of the guild ''Crimson Louts''. We did not ask why she wanted the pearl but she was interested in thismission. She even paid a hefty sum to get it done."


    The former assassin exined all this was a straight face. He did not mince his words and spoke as it was.


    Keith knew he had heard the name of this ''Olivia;dy before but he could not remember where. Her guild sounded familiar as well.


    "A-A council member? How dare that greenwood try to steal from the grandmaster. I shall go and interrogate her right now."


    Shinzou was almost on his feet when Keith remembered where he had heard the name ''Olivia Greenwood'' before.


    She was one of the council members who had fallen for the second protagonist Adrian Smith. She was also the one who gave him the mother pearl which allowed him a massive advantage.


    ''To think that she had it all nned so much in advance. I cannot let my guard down even this early.''


    Keith was bitter but he was adjusting to his circumstances. Now that he knew about it all in advance, he could prepare himself and take the mother pearl back.


    "Master Shinzou, calm yourself down. I know that you are angry at Lady Olivia''s betrayal but we need to think about it all rationally. She''s still a member of our council and a highly intelligentdy at that. We cannot use her out of the blue."


    The biggest disadvantage they had was theirck of evidence regarding Lady Olivia. There was no written record about this on her side and the mercenary guild would not hand them over.


    Besides, there were a lot of public opinions mixed in behind this ident. They could not let the news of their losing the mother pearl in the open. It would be beyond disastrous.


    "B-But grandmaster-"


    "Don''t worry Shinzou. I have the n to get the mother pearl back and to paydy Olivia back for all the humiliation she had shown me. By the time I am finished with her, she would wish that she never yed games with me."


    Keith''s confidence showed up on his face and it assured Master Shinzou as well as Long Dong.


    The only one who noticed his difort was ir, but she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut. She needed not to interfere if Keith wanted to dig his own grave.


    Meanwhile, Keith was sweating bullets as he spoke those words. He had not meant to open his big mouth and say all this, but the damage had been done.


    ''Well, time to start nning and studying. It seems as if the world is out to get me now so I cannot back out as well.''


    Before this point, Keith had not felt so hopeless but he was beginning to understand that the events of the story would happen whether he acted like a viin or not.


    So it was better for him to embrace his role and be fully fleshed oufleshed-outThat might be the only way for him to survive past his death scene.


    "I will tell you all my ns tomorrow. Meanwhile, gather as much information as you can."

 Chapter 32 Ch 32: I Finally Have A Plan

    ?The discussion did notst long after Keith covered the relevant points in his initial discussion. He told everyone that he wanted to rest and they were more than happy to leave him be.


    Everyone except ir left the room and Keith felt the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. He had felt like a tightly wounded spring until now but ir''s hands on his back were making Horas melt.


    "So, do you have a n moving forward? Or, are you going to just blindly follow your instincts?"


    ir whispered those words directly in Keith''s right ear and her wet breath made Keith shudder. This sensation was distracting him from the bigger picture in front of him.


    "I don''t know what I can do but I do know that I cannot keep on sitting back and doing nothing. Things were happening too smoothly and made me forget that I was a viin."


    "But I won''t make that mistake any longer. I can see that the original plot will not let me go. No matter what I do, the protagonists will continue to show up in front of me. So I need to be a little smarter about everything."


    ir was interested in what Keith was nning. For the first time since she had known Keith, he looked determined to do his job.


    Until now, all Keith had done wasin about his circumstances. But he finally was starting to put an effort into ying his role.


    "So, what''s the n here? I am dying to know what you came up with."


    ir asked with an interested tone.


    She might not be able to help out openly but she could certainly provide insight about various topics and also flush out Keith''s n. She was even willing to lend him a free helping hand this time.


    "Hmm, since I cannot escape the protagonists anyway, converting one of them to my side should not be a bad idea. And I have the perfect person in mind for this."


    Keith had a big advantage. He knew the background of all the important characters in this world, including the four protagonists.


    Two out of the four (Horas and Adrian) would never side with him until the end so Keith immediately circled them out. He would not even try to approach them both.


    The third one, Sophia, was rather ambiguous in his motives but he was not someone Keith wanted to include in his allies right now.


    But the fourth one, Amelia was a perfect choice for Keith to include on his side. Her circumstances made earning her loyalty easy for Horas and she was also someone who fell in love easily.


    It also helped that Keith knew where the fourth protagonist was right now and he was going to pick her up right now.


    "Before we can take on anyone else, I want to drag one of the four main characters to my side. I am sure the agonist Amelia is being held right now so let''s go and pick her up."


    Out of all the avable protagonists of this world, Amelia was someone who did not get enough recognition in the original game. She was the least-picked protagonist and also the weakest.


    Her setting also made her a diator ve who was too soft-hearted and had been conned into her role. She was the perfect seed for Keith to manipte.


    "But grandmaster, are you sure about this? These protagonists are the reason you will die in the future, right? Do you still want to engage with them?"


    ir questioned without much empathy. Her t voice would have caused most people to look away but not Keith who had gotten used to her brand of speech.


    "I won''t be able to run away from the protagonists of this world any longer. The more I try to get away, the faster they catch up to me. So before theye for me, I will eliminate them as possible threats. This is the only way I will be able to live."


    Keith hardened his heart as he nned. He was nning to gain Amelia''s affection and use her to gain immunity to her route''s death. It was the most efficient way to ensure his future was safe and sound.


    "ir, can you do me a small favor? I promise it will be easy enough for you to notin."


    ir looked back at Keith with an expression full of doubt. She very much did not believe that Keith would ask for something easy from her.


    ''But this challenge is half the reason I am with Keith. I guess it would not be bad for me to follow along for a while.


    "You can tell me what kind of favor you need from me before I give you a definitive answer. I am not about to do something dangerous just because you want an advantage."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ir made her stand clear on this topic. She refused to do anything dangerous that could put her identity on the line. She liked Keith but she liked herself even more.


    "Rx a little because I am not going to do something really dangerous. I just want you to find a diator ring for me."


    Keith needed the location of the ce where Amelia was being kept at. He needed to rescue her before her real savior coulde and poison her against the grandmaster. It would be a disaster if that happened.


    "Alright, got it. If it is only the location of a diator ring you want, then I will find it for you. But you still need to think about how you are going to get the mother pearl back. Aren''t you looking for it?"


    ir was right in asking this question. Mother pearl was a key item Keith was looking for. And he would get to it as soon as he was able to get a protagonist in his hand.


    "Don''t worry about it so much. I will get the possession of the mother pearl back as well."


    After all, Keith now had a n in his mind.


    .......


    //So this is the mother pearl? Doesn''t look like much to me. But then again, things could often be misleading when you first look at them.


    Lotus pink hair and smoky grey eyes, that was the physical features Master Olivia Greenwood boosted having. Her lovely exterior was apanied by a sweet smile.


    She currency held the elder pearl in her hand, examining it from the top to the bottom. She finally managed to get her hand on it.


    "With this, the grandmaster has no other choice but toe to me. And he will have to y by our rules and follow ourmand as well."


    Lady Olivia talked to the empty room, her tone almost loving as she held the pearl higher and higher. Getting her hands on it had taken her a lot of money.


    "Now then, shall I see what kind of power this pearl has to be so dear to our grandmaster?"


    Master Olivia tried to pass her energy through the pearl but nothing happened. Confusion took over her mind as she tried to get the pearl working again.


    But no matter what she did, the pearl remained unresponsive to her powers. It was behaving as if it was not a magical object which would grant someone unlimited power.


    "What the hell is wrong with this pearl? Don''t tell me that only the grandmaster can use this pearl. I refuse to believe it."


    Master Olivia had believed for a long time that she was equal to the grandmaster in terms of power. She was the only one who coulde close to the grandmaster so this pearl should ept her.


    But now this pearl was proving her wrong.


    "No way. I refuse to lose to this stupid pearl. Is there nothing I can do to crack it open? There has to be a way."


    She was convinced that there was a person in this world who could crack this pearl open. All she needed to do was to find that person. And to do so, she would open a long-lost tradition of hernds.


    For the first time in years, Master Olivia would open a diator ring, a ce that would attract the strongest of people and also help her find the future hero.


    And extract from the famous MMORPG. The words marked the opening prologue of ACT-I for Protagonist - Adrian Smith. He was unique when it came to the protagonists, being the only one who still had family left.


    He was the most popr protagonist of all and the one who was responsible for the worst ending for the viin.


    His route was also the only one which merged the routes of all the protagonists. He was the key to solving everything.


    ''So stop him. Stop him and crush your bad destiny with your own hands.''///


    Keith woke up in a cold sweat, not remembering what he had been dreaming about. But he still knew that it was important to follow his dream.

 Chapter 33 33: The Village Of Start

    ?The next morning ir presented Keith with the news he wanted to hear the most. She had found out where the diator ring he had asked about was. She had even made sure to cross-check that this was the right one.,


    Keith quickly sent a message to Shinzou and Long Dong to send their reports in writing since Keith would be out traveling. He finally had the chance to solve one death g.


    But of course, why would Keith''s decision to leave on a journey be problem-free? And this time, the problem came in the form of Shimi and her stubbornness.


    "B-But why should *I* stay back when your *ve ir* is allowed to go. Is she more important to you than I am? How could you do this to me, grandmaster."


    Currently, Keith was standing in front of his mansion door, wanting to go out on his journey but he was being stopped by Shimi and her crying face.


    He could not even say anything to her since Shimi was not leaving any opening for Keith to speak. Every time he opened his mouth, Shimi''s crying got louder and louder.


    In the end, Keith had to turn to ir for help regarding Shimi''s issue,


    "Shimi, do you have to be like this today? Have some dignity woman. You are an elf princess, not a servant."


    Shimi gasped out loud at ir''s harsh words. She looked ready to cry and her eyes even had tears threatening to slip out of them.


    It had been a mistake to ask ir to help with Shimi. He had forgotten just how much of a disconnect there was between ir and Shimi.


    "G-Grandmaster, you cannot do this to me. You have to take me with you. Don''t leave me behind and that witch with you."


    A tear slipped out of Shimi''s eyes and Keith had no choice but to follow her wishes for now. There were too many eyes looking at him.


    He did not doubt that if he had been the ''real'' grandmaster, things would have nevere to this point.


    "Fine., you maye with me this time. But you must behave yourself and conduct yourself ordingly."


    In the end, Keith agreed with Shimi''s request. ir''s disappointed face was given but she had no right to look like that since she was the reason Shimi had gotten this opportunity to protest ande along.


    ......¡­


    The trio arrived at the small town of Luminos. As soon as Keith arrived in the town, he realized that he knew this ce.


    ''This is the tutorial vige in Amelia''s story. I cannot believe I am here for real.''


    Despite the familiarity, there was a drastic difference between this ce and the one in Keith''s memory. This ce was reality while the one in his memory was a mere game graphic


    "Grandmaster, what is this shabby ce? Is this the right address where you wanted to go? I can go and interrogate the driver who brought us here if you want me to."


    Shimi yelled, informing everyone about Keith''s real identity. Worst of all, she did not even notice what she had done.


    Instead, Shimi had a proud look on her face that begged for her to be praised. Keith could just not handle her.


    "ir, since this is your fault, you will have to deal with her. I will be moving around alone for the time behind."


    Keith did not want to do such a thing. It was safer with Shimi than it was alone, that much Keith knew. But he had to consider the security threat that Shimi was if she kept on being so unaware of her surroundings.


    ir did not look happy with this new arrangement but she could not say anything against it as well. She had been the problem this time and even she was willing to admit it.


    "Alright, I got it. I will stay behind to take care of Shimi so you can go out and look around. But if you find anything suspicious, don''t forget to call me."


    ir instructed Keith just as ir found a small stall to shop on. As expected, it did not take long for Shimi to find faults with the stall owner''s wares and a fight broke out.


    ir sighed and mentally prepared herself for a hard day ahead.


    Meanwhile, Keith walked away to the side and entered a small shop. The first thing he needed to do to blend in was to change his clothes to match the local people. He could not move around in such a fancy get-up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Wee to my humble shop. How may I help you - Oh my. H-How can I help you, my lord?"


    The shopkeeper was rather rxed when Keith entered the shop but his tone changed to nervousness as soon as he took in Keith''s fancy clothes and dignified. Anyone could tell that he was not a normal person


    "I would like to look around on my own. I will call you if I need your help with anything."


    The show owner looked even more nervous than before but he kept quiet. All the while, he kept an eye on Keith to ensure he was still there.


    Keith was not sure if the shop owner thought of him as a wonder or a thief. Both were likely options to happen.


    ''Nothing in here looks like it is worth wearing. My skin would feel irritated if I wear this inferior quality material.''


    Keith touched a few fabrics that looked to be of good quality, but his hand felt irritated with each touch. He could tell that nothing in her suited his tastes in here. It was disappointing for him but expected.


    The shop owner watched Keith look around with a nervous expression. He wanted this big fish to shop at his shop and spend a lot of money. It would cover his expenses for a month if he was able to swindle this man.


    "M-Master, what is wrong? I assure you that you will not find better goods anywhere else on the market. Please select what you need from here."


    The merchant sweated bullets as he presented the best of his shop in front of Keith. But Keith was not convinced if he should buy something from here or not.


    Nothing appealed to him.


    "T-Tell you what. Why don''t I throw in something useful for you into the mix of your products? If you buy two of our best pair of clothes, I will gift you this lucky stone aspensation."


    The shop owner tried to appear confident as he held a ck stone in front of Keith. It looked like a piece of coal that had no value. It was something that could be found nearby if you moved a little further into the mountain.


    The shopkeeper held his breath as Keith examined the stone. It was something that was worthless to him.


    But for Keith, it was a different matter. The small stone of ck tart he had been handed was a piece of coal. It was something that usually apanied diamonds.


    "This small piece of stone, do you know where I can find more of them? If you tell me then I will buy everything in here."


    Keith offered as he brought his check out of his back pocket.


    He would have to spend a small fortune but the result would end up giving him much more money than he was spending.


    "H-Huh? This worthless, I mean, this valuable piece of stone? Of course, I know where you can find more of them. I will even tell you when you buy all my clothes. Let me give you a discount."


    The shopkeeper was beyond ted to sell all his goods. He was even getting rid of the ck rock his son had picked up while ying.


    Keith signed the cheque, not even trying to bargain as he noticed that rip-off price he was being offered. He offered to pay for it with a happy smile on his face.


    "I will bring my son to show you the way. I am sure you will not regret patterning up with me."


    The shopkeeper could not wait to go home and tell his family how he had ripped off an ignorant person into buying everything in his shop. But before that, the shopkeeper would go out and exchange all his money.


    ''I am sure I can rip this man off even more if I y my cards right. I will need to build a friendship with him soon.''


    The shopkeeper thought to himself. Meanwhile, Keith was busy looking around and it was by chance he noticed the silhouette outside the shop.


    The female looked shabby with torn off clothes and a face that had seen better days. She was someone that looked to be on the verge of death and had an ugly face. But in reality, the shabby female was one of the heroines of this world - Amelia.


    Keith had managed to find her so soon.

 Chapter 34 34: Seducing The Heroine [Pt1]

    ?Out of all the protagonists in this MMO, Amelia was the one Keith liked the most. She suited his ideal woman image the most with her well-proportioned body and sexy outfits. But themunity was rather divided on her when Keith had been ying this game.


    On one hand, the troupe of a sexy ex-diator protagonist with huge tits and skimpy outfits was well-received, but it also became a point of criticism among the payer base because of ack of attack power.


    But Keith liked her anyway.


    "Hey, I will be back tomorrow so let''s talk of business then. I need to head out to cover some business for now. I will be back tomorrow."


    Keith did not wait around for the shopkeeper to throw him a response. Keith had thrown him enough bone for the shopkeeper to bite.


    What was more important right now was to find Amelia and make a good impression on her. If Keith could stop her from participating in this diator ring, he would be able to gain her loyalty.


    After all, this diator ring was what had set Amelia against the grandmaster in the first ce.


    Keith somehow managed to change his clothes in record time and he headed out. He could still see the back of Amelia''s head and he managed to somehow catch up to her.


    "E-Excuse me miss. Can you stop for a second? I need to have a word with you."


    Keith called out to Amelia, waiting for her to stop and listen to his offer.


    But the more he called out to Amelia, the more she behaved as if she had not heard him calling her. Her behavior was not normal and Keith felt weirded out by her.


    "Hey miss, Amelia! Stop right there and now."


    In the end, Keith had to call out Amelia''s name to make her stop. And it froze in her tracks as soon as she heard her name.


    She looked back at Keith with a bewildered expression, her pretty face twisting into a confused expression.


    "Hmm, were you calling for me? Is there something you want me to do for you young master?"


    Amelia''s voice was familiar and Keith instantly recognized it being the same as the one in the game. It reassured him that the person in front of him was Amelia.


    He found his speech suddenly halt as he took in the eternal beauty of the protagonist.


    Even all the dirt on Amelia''s face could not hide her lovely face or her beauty. She was someone who could leave you spell bounded without even doing anything.


    "Hey mister, do you want something from me? You did call my name after all."


    Amelia questioned as she banished her weapon. Everyone on the street suddenly looked very interested in what was going on in front of them and Keith felt awkward.


    "Ah, I did have something to discuss with you, miss Amelia but maybe we should go to a better ce for this. I don''t want to have this discussion in front of all these people."


    Keith could feel how eager everyone was to get to know what he had called Amelia out to discuss. And maybe Amelia also felt that interest blooming around her because she suddenly became vignt.


    "I see. In that case, there is somewhere we can go where we will not be noticed. But it might cost you a pretty penny to rent the ce out."


    Amelia had likely noticed the weapon on Keith''s side. It looked standard at first but it was a costly one with mana infused in it.


    She had suggested a costly ce to test his pockets and interest out.


    ''Hmmm, a nice try but I have a lot of money to not care about it.''


    "That''s a good idea. If this is what you want miss Amelia, then we should go to the ce you are suggesting."


    Amelia''s smile was almost seductive as soon as she realized Keith had a lot of money. Keith could not help but feel satisfied as things kept on happening just as he had predicted them to.


    He knew Amelia''s true story and he also knew why she needed all this money. She wanted to buy her freedom from the diator ring.


    That was why Keith knew that if he pretended to be a poor person but let Amelia see if was rich, she woulde on to him and ept his offer. Even now, she was taking him out to a secluded ce.


    They ended uping to the hotel where Amelia had scored her ''first'' big sponsor in her route. There had been spections of how Amelia had done that.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In the game cut-scene, Amelia had brought the rich man in and then it had been the day the very next second. But a lot of people believed that sex was involved somehow.


    "Hey Amelia, wee back. And who''s that gentleman behind him? I don''t think I have seen him before?"


    Thedy managing to counter asked. She eyes Keith up and down, her eyes studying Keith for all he was worth.


    "He''s my new ''friend'' here to talk business with me. He will be paying for the night so make sure to give us the best room and food. Also, a discount if you can."


    Amelia requested and Keith pretended he was not listening in on her conversation. The counterdy giggled as soon as she heard Amelia''s words and her eyes twinkled.


    "Of course, I will do that. I will do anything you ask me, Amelia."


    Once Amelia''s preparations were made, she quickly returned to Keith and led him inside. He was then seated on a heavily decorated seat that looked newly made.


    "You can wait here. I will be back soon as soon as I have taken a bath. Then we can start on our ''negotiations.''"


    Keith nodded, knowing fully well what was going to happen. Amelia was not being subtle in her shop of interest and this ce reeked of sex.


    It did not take long for food to arrive but Keith doubted it was normal food. It was likelyced with something.


    Keith looked at the quality of food he had been served and it looked better than Amelia''s food. He doubted that Amelia''s food was spiked as well so he quickly exchanged the tes.


    Worst case scenario - both food tes wereced with something.


    ''Well, I did expect I will have to take some risks.''


    Keith took a small bite of the food but nothing felt wrong. So he safely took another bite and then another until he was done with his food.


    Amelia came back in record time as well, her clothes showing her breast valley and her step sensual.


    Her pretty face looked even better now that there was no grim on it. She looked like a goddess.


    "So, can I know my benefactor''s name?"


    Amelia asked as she sat down. She quickly began to eat which assured Keith that her food was notced at least.


    "My name is Keith. And you are Amelia, right? You are a diator this time around, right? I needed a favor from you."


    Amelia''s eyes narrowed as she heard Keith''s words.


    She had seen a lot of people ask her for favors but this was the first time someone had asked her to drop out of the diator ring. She could not help but find it suspicious.


    But if this man paid well, then Amelia was willing to do as he asked her. She needed money desperately because she wanted to be free.


    ''How much can I trust this man? Why would he be willing to pay me this much money to drop out of this match? What kind of trouble is he trying to get me into?''


    Thoughts like these crossed Amelia''s mind as she tried to not pay attention to them. She needed to only focus on money and not her problems.


    "Hmmm, you said you want me to drop out of the diator match, right? But I cannot do that without a good reason. So provide me a good reason to do this for you."


    Amelia asked feeling her heart skip a beat. She was nervous to know what this man would do next. His words so far were crazy.


    "The truth is, my heart skipped a beat as soon as I saw you, Amelia. So I asked around for you, trying to get to know more about you. I don''t know if I love you or not, but I like you. I want you to live a better life than the one you are currently living."


    Keith sounded sincere but his words sent a shiver down Amelia''s spine. She felt like Keith was serious about his offer.


    ''This is so scammy. He doesn''t know if he loved me but he is still offering to spend money and resources on me? Then, shall I test him out? I should seduce this man.''


    "Hmm, if you are not so sure about your feelings, then how about you spend a night with me to be sure?"

 Chapter 35 35: Seducing The Heroine [Pt2]

    ?"Hmm, if you are not so sure about your feelings, then how about you spend a night with me to be sure?"


    This offer tempted Keith very much. He could see that Ameli was not asking this because she was testing him, but rather his interest. If he refused her now, then she might not pursue him.


    At the same time, Keith had to admit that he was horny for Amelia. He always had been ever since she had been a 3-d game protagonist he knew. Her body was his ideal type after all.


    "Hmm, that might be a good idea. Maybe spending a night together would make my feelings clearer for me."


    With that, the offer was set. Amelia called forth the servants to clean up the table. She had asked for drugs to be mixed with Keith''s meal so he should start to feel the need to fuck soon.


    Once he was in a rut, Amelia would use her charms to bind his interests and make him spend money on her. Being horny often caused males to mistake lust for love after all. And she had asked for a love potion as well to enhance his feelings for her.


    "Amelia,e to me. We cannot do anything if you keep on maintaining your distance from me."


    Keith extended his hand to Amelia and she found herselfplying with his demands without thinking.


    Amelia''s rough handnded on Keith''s smooth one and her heart skipped a beat. Her body was also heating up weirdly.


    Soft lips pressed against Amelia''s and she found herself opening her mouth for Keith''s kiss. The more he pressed against Amelia, the more her body felt hot and itchy. She needed more of Keith''s touch on her.


    ''Shit, what is happening to me? Is that his cock rubbing against me? Why is it feel so big? It''s so hard. I want it inside me.''


    "Why thank you. I see that you for thepliment. I will make sure my ''big and hard'' cock makes a mess out of you."


    Keith''s grin was unholy. It made his red eyes pop even more, contrasting nicely with his green hair. It was the worstbination Amelia had seen but somehow it worked on Keith''s handsome face.


    A rough tongue fought with Amelia''s and she groaned into the kiss. It felt just too good for her to not moan out loud. It caused Keith to smirk against her lips.


    Amelia was a mess when they both pulled back from the kiss. She seemed to be the only one who was wrecked when they stopped kissing.


    Keith was massaging one of her breasts in the meantime and Amelia had not felt the pressure until he forcefully broke the kiss. Keith''s hand pinched Amelia''s nipple which caused her to throw her head back.


    "Looks like your body likes it when I y with your nipples. You are gushing like crazy every time you are touched. Do you want me to y with your clit as well? Look, your robe is all wet."


    Humiliation washed over Amelia as Keith pressed against her wet robe. Her pussy had leaked so much that her robe had gotten wet as well.


    The light touch caused Amelia''s pussy to throb and her body lost all strength. Amelia fell back into Keith''sp, her assnding right on top of Keith''s hard cock.


    Keith''s cock rubbed in between her thighs, getting squeezed by her muscle-filled wetness and rubbing against her pussy.


    But even then, nothing could dwarf the massive cock Keith had as he thrust lightly in between her thighs.


    Moans broke out from Amelia''s puffy lips as she tried hard to stop her reaction. But Keith had other ideas for her.


    "Here, why don''t you muffle your moans by sucking my fingers. Get them all nice and wet because they will be going inside you soon."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith was not gentle in his thrusting and Amelia was experienced enough to know that his cock would hurt at first when he prated her.


    Keith will have to loosen her up if he wanted to not hurt her.


    Amelia took Keith''s fingers in her mouth, her body heating up as she was touched more and more. Her pussy was also gushing by now and theck of stimtion felt ufortable.


    ''I need to be touched. I need toe.''


    In the end, Amelia lost control of herself and her fingers grazed against her pussy. Keith was still thrusting against her ass lightly and the dual sensation made Amelia thrust her body against him.


    At the same time, one of her slim fingers entered her body and a shrill left her lips at the feeling of being breached.


    She trusted once lightly with her finger when Keith took control of her hand and forcefully caused her to thrust hard and deep.


    "If you are trying to open yourself for me, then do it properly. ying like this will not help you. Here, let me show you how you can prepare yourself to receive me."


    Keith forced Amelia''s finger out of her pussy and forced it into her mouth. Amelia, who had lost control of her lust, instantly started sucking it. Her drool escaped her mouth, creating a trail down her lips and her chest.


    Finally, Keith could not stop it anymore and he took out Amelia''s fingers from her mouth, thrusting them back into her pussy forcefully. Two of her fingers sank into her gushing pussy as Keith pulled her up for a harsh kiss.


    "Move your fingers around. Make yourself looser to receive my cock inside."


    Amelia did as Keith instructed her to do. But her pussy still felt tight around her fingers, never mind Keith''s bigger and harder fingers.


    It was a struggle to fit two of his fingers inside Amelia, despite her being this loose.


    "Hmm, this will not work. It seems like we will have to try something else to get you prepared for my cock."


    Amelia was turned over and ced on the couch. Her robe was finally pushed aside and she was startled to see that Keith was still fully clothes, except his trousers which had been pushed aside to allow his cock out.


    It looked even bigger and harder now that she could take a look at it. She was afraid of that thinging near her but she was willing to brave through it.


    "Hey, stop getting lost in thoughts. You are going to experience something incredibly right now."


    Keith leaned down until his mouth was right in front of Amelia''s exposed pussy. She had a faint idea what he was about to do to her but she was still scared. No one had ever looked her pussy up this closely.


    "H-Hey, stop it. Don''t look at me so closely or I will not be able to help myself."


    Amelia threatened as her legs began to close. But Keith was not having it. He kept Amelia''s legs open and his tongue came out to take a swipe at Amelia''s pussy.


    The reaction was instant - Amelia let out her biggest moan yet as her face went even redder at the wet, hot organ throbbing against her sex.

 Chapter 36 36: Seducing The Heroine [Pt3]

    ?''Hmmm, so she liked that, huh? I guess it had to be expected since Amelia is weak to pleasure.''


    Keith felt Amelia''s gush fill up his face as she squirted. Her startled expression revealed that she had not meant toe all over Keith''s face and that her squirting had been an unconscious action. He blinked in surprise as he stopped eating her out.


    Amelia''s body wentx but she was not able to calm her body down. Her mind was swimming in pleasure and her blood was singing to touch Keith more.


    "You''re a dirty girl Amelia,ing all over my face like this. You want me to touch you more?"


    Keith asked the question with a mocking tone. It was a jab at Amelia''s inability to control her own body and lust. But Amelia just found her body bing hotter and hotter by the second.


    Keith''s voice, his actions, his touch, everything was making Amelia hornier. Her mind did not want her to trust Keith since there was much to be suspicious about him, but her body wanted him fully.


    "Shhh, don''t think too much. Just allows your body to feel my touch, Amelia."


    Keith''s lisp touched the outer line of her pussy when he spoke. His wet breath made Amelia''s gushing pussy sensitive and twisted in her ce to get more friction.


    Of course, Keith obliged her by stimting her pussy with his tongue. His log tongue finally breached Amelia''s pussy and tasted her insides.


    ''Too much. I will break if Keith does not stop now.''


    Amelia''s mind was turning into a pile of goo. Keith had control of her and she was willing to do anything he asked just as long as he did not stop eating Amelia out. His rough tongue was reaching parts of Amelia she had not even been aware of.


    "Hmm, handling this much seems easy for you. Then, shall we prepare you to take me?"


    Keith''s lips kissed Amelia''s hole and she suffered as his fingers entered her body. It was a slow but painful breach at first but Amelia soon got used to his two fingers.


    Keith stretched her out with his fingers and his tongue and it felt like ages before he pulled back.


    "Look, you are finally able to take four of my fingers. We can now start getting you adjusted to my cock."


    Amelia gulped as she watched the huge cock fall freely in front of her face. Just looking at it was enough for Amelia to know it would stretch her painfully. But her mouth continued to salivate to have that cock.


    "I know the hungry look in your eyes. You want to taste me, right? But you will get your chance to taste me once I get my satisfaction."


    Keith promised as he positioned his cock in front of Ameliaa''s hole. It slowly sank into her body and Amelia was unable to look away from it.


    It was stretching her pussy apart, but the huge cock felt just so good to her. Amelia could not help but breathe out slowly as more and more of that cock was fed to her hungry hole. Her pussy was devouring that huge thing.


    "Good girl. You took me in splendidly. Now, can you maintain this calm expression once I am thrusting inside you?"


    The first thrust was shallow and so was the second. But Keith was pounding hard into Amelia''s hole by the end of the third thrust. His cock was pressing deep into her stomach, almost kissing her womb every time he entered Amelia.


    Pain and pleasure mixed. Amelia tried to run away, she tried to thrust back. She no longer knew what she was doing.


    All she knew was that she needed to keep on feeling what she was feeling. Her body needed to keep on feeling this pleasure.


    "H-Harder. Pound into me harder, please. M-Ma pushy feels greathhhhhhhhh"


    Even Amleia''s words were getting jumbled as Keith took hold of her breasts and squeezed them. They were sensitive due to the sudden onughter of pleasure.


    Amelia''s whole body was a big sink of pleasure. No spot on her body did not yearn for Keith''s touch.


    She did not even mind being pressed on her back and being used. It was something she could get used to in time and would not mind.


    "What''s wrong, Amelia? Aren''t you a big strong diator? You cannot even take this small amount of fucking?"


    Keith taunted, knowing fully well that Amelia was not able to hear because of her pleasure-filled trance. The rush of power and dominance was getting to Keith''s head as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Amelia''s pussy was pulling him in with every thrust and she was tight. It was amazing to be inside her and defiled her. Especially since she was a protagonist and someone who was supposed to kill him.


    ''I could get used to this - fucking Amelia all the time. Are all important characters this fun to break?''


    As far as Keith remembered, Master Fushi had been a greaty as well. But even she paled inparison to the protagonist.


    "C-Cock. Give me cock. Harder please."


    Amelia demanded, shaking her hips and drooling out of her mouth. Keith pulled her into a harsh kiss, his mouth mapping Amelia''s mouth and his hips picking up thier pace.


    Thier were rutting like animals in that empty room, only the sound of thier pleasure echoing out of it. And it was Amelia who reached her end first.


    Her body was already over-stimted and Keith was touching the deepest parts inside her body. She could not take it any longer and ended uping around Keith''s cock.


    Keith flinched at the sudden tightness surrounding his cock and his hips stopped moving for a second before he came inside Amelia. Heated semed filled her belly and her broken expression worsened.


    Keith did not stop even after that. Amelia was still squeezing him with her pussy which caused Keith''s cock to stand up once again.


    "N-No, don''t. Too much. I will be cock-stupid."


    Ameliained as her sensitive body made her horny again. Her hips had not stopped moving or milking Keith''s cock this whole time. Keith did not give her any time to rest as his hips picked up speed.


    His cock twitched as he felt himself notsting long. Both he and Amelia came once again, not able to hold back anymore.


    The fucking sessionsted the whole night and soon the sun rose in the sky. The night had passed away in a sh and Keith had tired Amelia out.


    The first one to wake up the next morning was Amelia. Her body ached pleasantly as she stood up. Her legs felt like jelly and were not able to take her weight. It caused her to slip and fall on her ass.


    Despite Amelia''s status as a trained diator, a single fucking session had reduced her to this state. She also remembered the state she had been inst night and could not help but be disappointed.


    She had meant to show Keith what she had to offer so that he would fall in love with her but she had gotten overwhelmed in the end. She doubted that she would be able to convince Keith to lend her money.


    "Last night was fun. Won''t you say so, Amelia? Did you enjoy yourself as well?"


    Keith''s question was followed by his standing up. It showed his hard cock and Amelia felt her face heat up as the ache in her body reminded her of what had happenedst night.


    Her mouth salivated as she took in Keith''s hard cock but she was not confident in reaching out to take him in her mouth.


    "I-It was good. I had a fun night. What about you? Did you figure out your feelings about me?"


    Amelia questioned with a nervous tone and Keith had a troubled expression on his face.


    "I am still not certain about my feelings. I still like you but I don''t know if it is love. But don''t worry, I will buy your freedom for you. We can work on my feelingster, alright?"


    Keith teased but Amelia felt relieved at his words. She was still going to be free so it was worth it. Her heart also ached painfully when she heard Keith''s words.


    ''He does not love me? Why am I feeling such an ache in my heart after hearing these words? Did I want Keith to love me?''


    Amelia was not sure of her feelings now. The pain and pleasure she had feltst night made her feel conflicted. She did not want to admit it but she now had a crush on Keith.


    "Amelia, do you want your freedom? All you need to do is to ask me and I will give you freedom."


    Keith''s words made Amelia''s heart ache even more. She wanted to follow this man and work for him. He was the frist one who was worried about him.


    "Yes, I do. I want my freedom."

 Chapter 37 37: Offer For Freedom [Pt1]

    ?The first thing Amelia and Keith did once they freshened up was to go to the diator ring''s office and talk about getting Amelia''s freedom back. It was going to be an uphill battle without Keith''s reputation as the grandmaster.


    "We are here. But are you sure you want to buy my freedom? I can understand if you do not want to spend money on me."


    Amelia asked for thest time, trying to get Keith to change her mind about her.


    A normal person would not have been able to understand her thinking process but Keith understood why she was asking this question again and again.


    ''Darn this protagonist and her sense of fairness. Just she thinks I am doing this not because I want to but because it is my duty. She should just take it easy for now and ept my generosity.''


    Keith felt sorry for Amelia and her upbringing. But he was also shameless enough to take advantage of her so he could notin. Her hood hid her expression but Keith could guess it.


    Besides, this would all go a long way to increase her trust in Keith. That was a big reason he was doing this right now.


    "For thest time Amelia. There is no need for you to worry about me and my money. I am loaded after all."


    Keith assured Amelia, rendering all her worries will. Or at least, he tried to. But Amelia still looked worried.


    "I am asking you again and again because I am worried about you. You don''t know how vicious these people can be and I also reassure you that they won''t let me go easily. You could end up being in trouble if you are not careful."


    Amelia tried to stress how important her words were but Keith just t-out ignored her. He had dealt with enough loan sharks in his life to know how to handle them.


    "Don''t worry. I am somewhat of an expert when ites to handling difficult people. I assure you that I will not allow anyone to bully you."


    Keith assured as he ruffled Amelia''s hair. He was a foot taller than her so it was easy for him to do.


    "Hey, that is not what I am worried about."


    Amelia yelled as she followed after Keith. Her worried expression did not go away from her face for even a single second.


    Inside the diator ring''s main office was just as hectic as Keith had seen in the game. It had been included in Amelia''s shback when she talked about her first attempt to be free.


    This ce has made all kinds of stupid reasons to not let her go. And it had ended in her being in debt.


    Keith instantly headed toward the front desk man. He ignored everyone else around him as he made a beeline toward the front.


    "What do you want? Do you want to ce a bet? Enter your ve in thepetition? Or invest money?"


    The front desk cashier questioned in a monotonous voice. Keith would have believed Amelia if she said that this person was an NPC in a game. He was just too nd in the way he spoke.


    "It''s nothing like that. I am here to buy a diator ve from your establishment. I want to buy Amelia, the diator champion."


    The cashier went still, not willing to believe that someone had asked for it. His shock soon turned to ridicule and he ended upughing out loud.


    "Y-You want to buy Amelia? That famous diator Amelia? Are you even hearing yourself right now? What makes you think you can just buy her?"


    The front desk manughed out loud, not believing what he had just heard. He had never heard a funnier joke before.


    "Do you even know how much she costs? Her debt is so massive that no one can even think of buying her. You will go broke even before you try."


    Slowly, the other patrons in the office started to join inughing as well. It did not take long for Keith to be aughingstock but he did not mind.


    A hesitant touch caused Keith to look down into worried green eyes of Amelia. She looked heartbroken but determined as well.


    "W-We should go back now. I knew it was a stupid idea to ask you to do this for me. I will find another way to"


    "No, there is no need for us to go away. If money of the problem then I don''t mind. Here, take a look at this."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith took his V.I.P. paying card out of his pocket and held it up. The man looked at Keith, not willing to believe that this card was real but he swiped it anyway.


    His eyes popped out as soon as he noticed the amount of money in the card and he swallowed his nervousness down.


    The counter in charge now knew that Keith was not an ordinary person. The amount of money he had was not ordinary in the least.


    But he could also not afford to let Amelia go away from this diator ring. Their master had ordered them to keep Amelia in check since she was their golden hen. People came to watch and bet on her from far and wide.


    If she was set free then their ring would go bankrupt.


    "I-I can see that money is not an issue for you. But I still cannot let you have Amelia. Y-You know who the organizer of this diator ring is? It''s the one and only grandmaster. And you won''t want to go against him, right?"


    The officer in charge coughed court his lie with a confident expression on his face. He was certain that he would not be caught in his lie since no one wanted to risk making the grandmaster an opponent.


    This was how he had been deceiving people this far and their master was a genius foring up with this idea.


    Any second now, this man would hesitate and then go away. That was how it always happened.


    "Keith, let''s head back. You have the money but the grandmaster is a whole other breed of trouble. Let''s not get involved with him if we can help it."


    Amelia tried to get Keith to back down and go back. She did not want him to get in trouble.


    She had heard rumors about the grandmaster and his fairness. He was said to be the most benevolent friend and the worst enemy. But she had never seen him as a good guy for setting up this ring/


    She expected Keith to be scared as well, but he seemed calm for some reason. His eyes said that everything would be ok as long as Amelia trusted him.


    ''I want to trust Keith. I don''t know why but I feel like I can trust Keith with anything and everything. I cannot back down here.;


    Keith ced his hand right on top of Amelia''s in a calming manner. He seemed to be trying hard to hold back his anger.


    ''Is he getting angry for my sake? Keith is such a good person indeed. I wish I could help him out in any way.''


    Amelia''s thoughts were heartfelt and she stood her ground. She would not back down now.


    "Grandmaster or not, it is wrong for you to keep a person here against their will. Especially even more so when they have the means to repay their debts. I will not stand for this injustice. Hurry up and bring your manager here."


    Keith mmed his hand down on the table in anger. Everyone looked startled at his ''Karin'' episode and took a step back.


    Even Amelia took a step back from the angry man, not wanting to get caught up in his episode.


    The one who was startled the most was the one in charge of the office. He had broken out into cold sweat, not expecting anyone to call him on his bluff. And the first person to do so was someone rich enough to punish them.


    "I-just a second. Let me call my boss and he will handle things for you. You can wait on the sofa in the meantime. What will you have? Tea? Coffee? Juice?"


    The officer asked with a pale face. He seemed to not even be able to stand straight right now. Keith found him to be utterly pathetic.


    ''This person would not havested five minutes in the service sector in my world. Why do evil people deploy such pathetic people as their workers? Are they looking for disaster?''


    Since Keith was a viin right now, he could not help butin about what he saw. He needed to go back home and re-examine his staff. He will need to weed out unworthy people from his side as well.


    "M-Master, you are free toe in now. Master said that he would meet you."


    The officer worker had a relieved look on his face when he said that and Keith got a horrible feeling from him.

 Chapter 38 38: Offer Of Freedom [Pt2]

    ?"M-Master, you are free toe in now. Master said that he would meet you."


    Keith had a bad feeling about being invited inside but he decided to press it down. It was something he had asked for after all.


    Amelia chose to apany him inside as well. She was wearing a hoodie so she was not recognized by anyone in the room. That was why no one stopped her when she apanied Keith to the back rooms.


    "Our master is a benevolent man and someone close to the grandmaster. Since I like you people, I will give you a warning - don''t mess with him if you want to live a happy life."


    The officer bragged with a happy and prideful expression. His every word dripped with admiration about the grandmaster and his boss.


    ''Hoh. Look at this little officer bragging about how close his ''boss'' and the ''grandmaster'' is. But he doesn''t even recognize who I am? Who is this man kidding?''


    Keith was sore about not being recognized. It felt like a personal attack on his pride and Keith tried hard to suppress his anger.


    Look, he might not be proud of being a viin but he was proud to be someone important. The grandmaster could even be called the ''most important'' person in this world. Yes- even more so than the protagonist since he was the end route in every protagonist''s path.


    "Don''t worry about us. I am sure we will be alright even if we came across the grandmaster."


    Keith bit his lips as he forced his words out. It felt awkward to refer to himself as someone else.


    "If you are sure, then go ahead. Here, go in and I hope you have a sessful negotiation."


    The officer gave a low bow as he gestured for the pair to enter the room. Amelia''s re caused the man to shiver but he held his confidence up at all times.


    Keith entered the room with his head held high. The room was much better than the corridor outside, almost to the point of it being a different ce.


    High ceiling and high windows, that was the first thing anyone noticed as soon as they stepped inside the room. Keith was surprised to see such a light and airy room in such a depressing ce.


    "So, ya are the people terrorizing ma people? I have ta say that ya don''t look like much."


    The so-called boss sat in the middle of the room, his body lounging over the couch in the room. His eyes were zed over because of the booze he was consuming and the room reeked with the smell of alcohol.


    No wonder the room needed this much venttion. The high windows suddenly made sense.


    "Yes, I was the one who wanted to meet you. I have a very important topic to discuss with you."


    The boss looked at Keith, but he did not sit up to face Keith.


    Instead, the boss took a chunk of his bottle and waved for Keith to go ahead and present his demand.


    "I want to buy all rights to diator Amelia''s debt and contract. Don''t worry about the payment since I have a lot of money."


    Keith let the boss know he had a lot of money on purpose. It would increase his chances of getting the contract to Amelia''s deeds.


    Even if the boss did not want to sell Aemlia at her original rate, he would eventually cave in front of money. Or that was what was supposed to happen in Keith''s mind.


    But the boss surprised him when he turned away from Keith and took another chunk of his bottle.


    "Ah, I see. Another rich fe, are ya? But I am not selling Amelia''s contract to ya or anyone else. She makes me too much money."


    The man finally told the truth, his inhabitation almost non-existing at this point. He was not even able to see Amelia clearly, never-the-less tell who she was. And she was the ''money-maker'' he had been talking about.


    "W-What did you say? But you promised that you would set me free if I managed to pay my debt off. We had a deal, you devil."


    Amelia pulled the boss by his cor, her eyes shooting deadly res at the man in front of him. If possible, she would have bashed this man''s head into the ground.


    But the boss looked unaffected. His booze-filled gaze looked at Amelia but did not recognize her. He just took another sip of his drink, his breath hitting Amelia in her face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Look girly, I don''t know who ya think ya are, but I ain''t afraid of ya. I got the b-back *hic* of the grandmaster himself. If ya did not let me go then I promise ya *hic* I will call him over."


    Now even Amelia was beginning to doubt this man''s ridiculous ims.


    To say that you knew the grandmaster was one thing. But to say that he was at your beck and call was another.


    "Y-You are lying to me. You never intended to set me free and now that I gained the means to my freedom, you want to stop me."


    Amelia was justifiably pissed off. Never had she seen such a ridiculous situation before. She had been lied to and toyed with by this man for so long and she had not even realized it.


    "Na, I don''t lie. Don''t ya dare call me a liar. I''ll show ya. Just give me a sec" *hic*


    The man huped as he took his phone out. Amelia did not trust him but she allowed him to show his hand to her.


    The phone rang once and twice before going quiet. Someone picked on the other side and Amelia held her breath.


    "Hello, who is it? It''s the grandmaster speaking."


    Keith almost threw blood as soon as he heard the cheesy and self-assured voice speaking on the other end of the phone. It did not sound anything like him.


    "Ya, grandmaster. I kinda need ya help with some *hic* punks. Ya, remember the diator Amelia? So that chick wants ta be free and she even brought the money."


    The boss barely was able to get those words out before his face went green. Being shaken by Amelia seemed to have woken up the man a little.


    "Yeah, I remember her. Don''t tell me that you are going to set her free. You cannot do that. I won''t allow it to happen. I will bring Master Shinzou with me ande visit you tomorrow. We can settle this tomorrow. Tell Amelia to be present in the ring tomorrow if she wants herself and herpanion to live."


    The man on the phone sounded confident but Keith was sure that it was a bluff. Most people would have backed down as soon as they heard Shinzou''s name.


    But Keith was different. He had proof that Shinzou would never work for the ''fake'' grandmaster.


    "Well, Ya heard the man. If you want ta live then show up tomorrow. Otherwise, we will have ta track ya down and make your life a mess." *hic*


    It was a threat but it did not scare Keith. He had no intention ofing back here alone.


    ''I guess Shimi and ir would have to clean up my mess this time as well. Should I call Shinzou over as well?''


    Keith did think about involving Shinzou as well but ultimately decided not to in the end. Shinzou would flip if he knew his name was being used in such a situation. He was a little too devoted to the grandmaster.


    "We heard your words and I assure you that we will be there tomorrow. We will make Amelia free from you and your scammy ways."


    Keith assured the boss who copsed as soon as Amelia let go of him.


    *Hic* "Fine, you do you. But don''t say that I didn''t warn ya about the consequences. The grandmaster will teach ya a lesson tomorrow."


    The drunkard boss finally went down but not before professing a lot of nonsense. Keith wanted to blow him a raspberry but he controlled himself. He was no longer a child after all.


    Amelia had no suchposure and she ended up sticking her tongue out at the drunkard. She maintained herposure for as long as she was in the building and then allowed herself to go.


    Tears hit her eyes and hopelessness about her situation began to sink around her.


    "K-Keith, I am so sorry I got you into this mess. You can back out now if you want to. I know facing the grandmaster is not something you want to do. I''m sure I will manage somehow."


    Amelia tried to get Keith''s apology. She did not want to see him facing a hard time when he was not even sure he was in love with Amelia.


    "Amelia, stop crying. I told you I would help and I intend to go through with my words. For now, you should apany me to my next appointment. We will look for a solution after that."

 Chapter 39 39: The Back Of The Mountain [Pt1]

    ?Amelia felt much better after letting out her emotions, but her heart ached at what had just happened. She had just gotten Keith involved in something he did not need to get involved in.


    And now they were being threatened by the boss of the diator ring to keep their mouth quiet.


    "Once again, I want to apologize for dragging you into this mess with me. I had no idea this would happen."


    Amelia apologized, now with a calmer voice and a heartfelt expression. But Keith just waved her concerns off with a wave of his hand.


    "Don''t worry. I have a n and mypanions will help us out as well. Let''s head to town and forget about our troubles for now."


    Amelia agreed to go along with Keith''s wishes due to her feeling of guilt. She owed him too much and she also needed to find a way to repay him.


    ''Keith is such a good person. I wonder what his real identity is. He must not be a normal man if he carried around so much money on him.''


    The more she saw of Keith, the more she was impressed by him and his bravery. Her crush was getting bigger and bigger as well.


    At this rate, she was afraid of falling in love with him.


    They both walked through the town and toward the side Amelia had picked Keith up from. It was the shabbier part of this town and Amelia wondered what Keith needed from here.


    They entered the fabric shop that was known to be shady by the town people and even they avoided it. But Keith looked at home in that shabby atmosphere.


    "Wee back, master. I was waiting for you to swing by for some time now. I was almost afraid you would not shop up when you did note yesterday."


    The shady shopkeeper rubbed his hands together as he watched Keith enter his shop. Then he looked at Amelia and his smile faltered. He seemed to have recognized her in an instant.


    "Sorry, I came a dayte. I meant to send you a message but something came up. Do you mind leading us to the mountain back now?"


    Keith asked the shopkeeper. The smile on that shopkeeper''s face got a little bit wider as he took in Keith''s interest.


    "Well, I can bring my son right now but my son is busy earning money. You know we need to earn our keep as well, right?"


    The shopkeeper rubbed his hand together in glee. He was asking for more money with an indirect action.


    He had already cashed in his check yesterday and was surprised to see that it was a legit cheque that gave him money.


    But that had not been enough. It caused the shopkeeper to be greedier and he wanted to exploit this clueless man even more.


    "You! You are shameless! You are asking for even more money from Keith when he overpaid you enough. Don''t you dare think I cannot see that gold chain in your neck? There is no way you can buy that from your regr sry."


    Amelia did not like Keith being scammed. It hurt her to see Keith being exploited by such a shopkeeper.


    The shopkeeper looked nervous when he was pressed by Amelia''s hard looks. But he kept hisposure as he watched Amelia and Keith move around.


    He was sure that Keith needed him and that gave him the confidence to take his stand.


    The door to the shop opened as thismotion was going on and two females entered. They seemed wealthy as well and Amelia watched the shopkeeper eying them in greed.


    One of thedies, the elder, more mature one noticed Keith and recognition shed in her eyes. She suddenly opened her mouth and pointed toward Keith.


    "Grand-"


    The younger one jabbed the elder one hard, causing the elder blond to lose her wind and stop talking. Amelia was surprised to see such a free interaction taking ce in front of her, especially since the younger one looked like a ve.


    On the other than, Keith looked like he was nursing a small headache as soon as he noticed these new additions.


    ........


    "Grand-"


    Keith almost panicked as soon as Shimi opened her mouth. She was going to blow his cover and cause all his ns to tline.


    Thankfully, ir did her work in time and managed to quieten Shimi before she could cause any unnecessary damage.


    "*Young Master*, are you alright? We were looking for you since you did not return to your roomst night. Is there something wrong here?"


    ir quickly questioned, stomping Shimi''s mouth every time she opened it. She continued it until it looked like ir took the hint.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Recognition shed in Shimi''s eyes at the stressed-out *young master* and she sped her hand together.


    "Ah, y-yes, Gran-I mean, young master, we were waiting for youst night but you never came back. Did you get in some kind of trouble? Do you need our help?"


    Shimi questioned as she eyes the shopkeeper. She looked at the shopkeeper, wanting to end his life with her eyes. The shopkeeper gulped in nervousness, not wanting any trouble heading his way.


    Keith sighed and decided to interfere before Shimi scared this man away.


    "Alright, this is enough. You both, step back a little. Shimi, I am not in trouble. This gentleman was going to show me something I asked him to. Am I a right, young gentleman?"


    Keith spoke softly and slowly, not giving the shopowner any time to refute his words or demand something else.


    The shopkeeper looked even more nervous now, his face breaking out in a sweat.


    He was sure that he could take a naive young master like Keith and a diator-bound person like Amelia if he yed right. But now that two more retailers had been added to the mix, he was unsure.


    "Y-Young master is right. Why I was just about to call my son and he was going to take you to the back mountains."


    The shopkeeper was sweating bullets as he headed toward the back room. He soon returned with a small child and pushed him toward the group.


    "En, do you remember what I told you about yesterday? Are you ready to help out?"


    The shopkeeper asked his son but he looked even more nervous than before. Something was wrong here.


    "Yes, I remember. So this is the dumb young master you want me to scam? Don''t worry, I will do as you asked me to"


    The shopkeeper sweated bullets and covered his son''s mouth before he could say any more. He had gone red in the face and was avoiding everyone''s eyes.


    "N-No, this is not what I said to you. I asked you to help this gentleman out, right?"


    The shopkeeper stressed out thest part but the kid did not get the clue.


    "No, you said to screw-"


    "Well, now I am telling you to help them out. This is the final and you need to follow my words, alright."


    The shopkeeper looked at the four people in front of him and he feared for his life. His son was screwing over his life majorly and his son did not even know it.


    Thankfully, his son was a dumb child and agreed with his request. He did not even question why his father had suddenly changed his mind.


    "Alright, I will take them to my ying spot. But they will have to y with me once we are there. Otherwise, I am not doing it."


    The kid demanded and his father looked pissed. Keith could see the elder''s desire to raise his hand but controlling himself hard.


    Before anything could happen, Keith decided to interfere and raised his hand.


    "Alright, I get it. We will y with you once we reach the mountain back. Now, will you lead me to your ying field?"


    Keith asked and the kid looked conflicted. But he nodded nheless and signaled for Keith to follow him.


    "Let''s go, slowpoke. I will only take you if you can keep up with me. But don''t underestimate me. I was the fasted kid there is in this vige. You might get lost if you don''t pay attention."


    The shopkeeper was red in the face, likely embarrassed to see his son acting like this. But he had no power any longer.


    The party of four plus the kid left for the mountain back and this shopkeepermented his bad luck.


    If only those retainers had not arrived when they did, the shopkeeper would have been so much richer than before.


    But what use wasmenting about his luck?


    He was busy cursing himself when the door to his shop opened again and he looked up to greet the guest.


    "Hello, what can I get for you?"


    The shopkeeper asked with a sullen look on his face. He needed to focus on selling things now.

 Chapter 40 40: The Back Of The Mountain [Pt2]

    ?"Hey man, I know you are a big deal in this town and all with your money, but I am, curious about something. Why are you with that diator everyone is afraid of? Do you like her or something?"


    En asked as he looked at Keith and Amelia. He could not understand why someone who had a lot of money like Keith saw a lowly diator like Amelia.


    His parents had always told him that ves were dirty and to not go near one if he could help it. So En, who was a good child, saw them as dirty and low as well.


    "Amelia is a good person and was forced into the diator ring without permission. I want to help her escape."


    Keith replied with the most boring answer he could. It was something many people who fell in love with the diators said when they first started.


    "Well, good luck. The diator arena''s boss is a tough man who would not let anyone escape him. Besides, he has a solid friendship with the evil grandmaster so everyone is afraid to go against him."


    En was not interested in diator talks but could see the blonddy stiff as soon as he said that. It seemed that there was someone here who was sensitive about the grandmaster.


    The blond shared a look with Keith which En ignored. Grown-ups were weird in the ways they talked and En did not understand them.


    "If the boss is friendly with the grandmaster, then does that mean the grandmaster likes toe to this vige often?"


    The ve questioned with clear pronunciation. For someone who was a ve, this tiny girl seemed more than literate and fancy. She was a weird existence as well and En could not quite ce what she was.


    "Well, the grandmaster likes to swing by often enough that I have seen him. But all I remember is that he had green hair. I asked my mother once, and she remembered green hair as well."


    En had never questioned his memory before since there had been no need to.


    His words caused the three new adults to share a look before they went quiet. But En was not worried in the least.


    After all, it had nothing to do with him.


    ......¡­


    Shimi felt her temper boil as she heard more and more of En''s words. She could not believe someone would use the grandmaster''s name like this. How dare they sully his holy name?


    Especially when the grandmaster was in the town as well? Shimi would not forgive them for as long as she lived.


    Grandmaster looked like he did not care much about how his name was being sued but Shimi was different. Once she was done here, she was going to go out and show these diator people why no one messed with the guild and grandmaster.


    "Oh, so grandmaster *swings around often* from here, huh? I guess I will have to see it myself to believe it."


    Shimi wanted to see who had the guts to impersonate such an impressive existence as the grandmaster. He was someone who went beyond anything anyone had ever seen before.


    ''Well, as soon as I see this fake, I will show him why he should never mess with the grandmaster and the guild."


    Shimi vowed to punch the fake as soon as she could. Her fists itched with the need to exact vengeance for the harm these people had caused the grandmaster''s image.


    ''Why does no one else look enraged over this? I understand why the grandmaster would not care, given his nature, but why does ir not feel angry on his behalf? I thought she liked the grandmaster as well.''


    Shimi''s mind was filled with unnecessary thoughts. So she did not realize when they reached the mountaintop why everyone else had taken a step back.


    "Huh, what happened?"


    Shimi questioned as she noticed everyone looking at her with relief-filled expressions.


    "Thank you for volunteering to take care of En for us Shimi. Now, you can y with her right here while we all go and take a look around."


    ir''s tone was mocking and Shimi felt her temper re. She wanted to deny what just happened and retaliate but the grandmaster was looking at her.


    ''m down, Shimi. You cannot show your anger this openly. You need to calm down so that the grandmaster would not feel disappointed in you.''


    Shimi took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. She had to remind herself that she was doing this for the grandmaster and him alone.


    "Alright, I will do it. Look after and y with a kid, I can do it all in the name of the grandmaster. I swear you will not find a better babysitter than me even if youb the whole continent."


    ir did think she was getting a little ahead of herself but she had spoken already. The grandmaster looked at her with expecting eyes as well and now Shimi could not back down.


    "Alright then. We will leave En to you Shimi. Make sure you look after him well."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi nodded in agreement even as she cried out in the back of her head. Just what had she gotten herself into?


    ''Well, now that things hade to this, I have no other choice. I will convert this non-believer into the biggest believer of the grandmaster. He shall gain a new devote today.''


    "Heydy, I don''t know what you are thinking but you''re scaring me. Please don''t make that expression when you look at me."


    En requested but Shimi was not looking at him.


    ......¡­


    After Keith had handed En over to Shimi, it was time to start looking around. He had seen a few pieces of coal in the vicinity which gave him hope.


    "Wait, I know this ce. I used to y all the time here when I was young. Now, this brings back so many memories. As far as I remember, there was a cave nearby-"


    Keith''s attention was instantly on this new piece of information. This cave was what he had been looking for all this while.


    But he did not show his naked interest, least Amelia found out why he was here.


    "A cave? A natural made cave? It should have a lot of well-formed rocks. Can you take me there? I am a big rock enthusiast and I like old cave rocks."


    ir, who had caught sight of Keith''s interest decided to be the one to ask Amelia to take them to the cave.


    She looked young and innocent enough to fool anyone about her interests. Teenagers, especially the young ones, had weird tastes.


    "You like rocks and caves, ir? That''s a weird interest to have. Hmm, I guess I can take you to the cave if you want me to."


    Amelia looked happy to have someone to lead. Especially since the femalepany was so rare for her toe by.


    It was times like these that her loneliness showed and her true nature shined. She was like a child experiencing making friends.


    "Thank you for taking me. I want to see this cave now."


    Keith followed the two of them from behind. He had a good feeling about the cave they were about to visit.


    "Here, this is the cave. This opening used to look so much bigger when I was a child. I am so d that no one owns this cave."


    Amelia identally answered the biggest question Keith had and he was thankful. Since no one owned this cave, Keith would not have too much difficulty acquiring it.


    ''Hmmm, let''s see. This cave should be under a government contract if no one owns it. I should ask Master Fushi to buy it under my name.''


    Master Fushi might be a difficult person to get along with, but she was right to ask such favors. She was the most well-versed person when it came tow.


    And as far as Keith remembered, she was also their guide''s financial head.


    "Hey, I found the bigger entrance we can use. Follow me if you want toe inside."


    Amelia led them through twists and turns into the cave. There was more cole inside but it did not take long for Keith to see something shiny as well.


    ''Well, look at this. This looks like a diamond but I should still get it checked for sure. If these are diamonds, then I stuck the jackpot for real.''


    With this, Keith was sure his financial problems would be solved. (Not that he had any, to begin with)


    "Alright, time to head back. The sun is about to set anytime and we need to head back home now."


    Keith called everyone over even when there was plenty of sun time avable still.


    He had a message to write and a strategy to n. There was no way he was fighting with a diator boss without a n.


    "Hey, look here. Is this a treasure box? Should we take it with us?"


    Amelia held up a small chest and Keith''s bring sparked with memory. He knew what this was.

 Chapter 41 41: Night Of Plans

    ?"Hey, look here. Is this a treasure box? Should we take it with us?"


    Amelia held out the small box in her hand, not even being aware of what kind of treasure she was holding. The intricate golden decorations on the box reminded Keith of seeing the box before.


    ''Amelia truly is the protagonist. She managed to find the cheat box even without trying. This has to be some kind of protagonist bullshit that enabled her to do so.''


    Keith was more than sure that no one else but Amelia could have found this box. It was an ancient treasure that opened up an ancient cave of powers.


    "Amelia, can you hand the box over for a second? I just want to quickly have a look inside."


    Keith asked for the box. He hoped he was hiding the green he felt as his eyes looked the box up and down.


    "Hmm, here you go. I don''t know what this is and what this is used for so you can keep it. With this, I will consider my debt repaid and would no longer feel guilty for dragging you along in my mess."


    Keith was surprised when Amelia handed him the box she was carrying. But maybe she just did not understand just how important this box was.


    ''Well, I have no reason to refuse such a generous offer. And I am going to save Amelia so I guess I can ept this aspensation for my efforts.''


    In the end, Keith ended up taking the offered box. He was going to put it to good use and gain a lot of advantages.


    "Let''s go back for now. I don''t know about you all, but I am beat. I want to go back home and rest in my bed."


    The constant worry and adrenaline rush of the day seemed to have worn Amelia over. She was constantly swaying on her feet in an attempt to keep herself awake. But even that seemed to be getting difficult for her.


    Keith decided to take pity on her and go back.


    On their way, they picked up a fed-up Shimi and an annoyed En. They both refused to look at each other so Keith decided to let them act like children with each other.


    ...¡­..


    "Grandmaster, don''t tell me that you are going to allow these insults to not go unpunished? We cannot afford to let our reputation hit a rock bottom."


    Shimi was agitated and she let out her frustration as soon as she reached her hotel suite. This was the best ce money could buy and it was also warded off to prevent sound from escaping outside.


    This was the best ce to have a secret conversation.


    Shimi''s agitation did not seem to reach the grandmaster and ir. They looked like they could care less about their reputation and it was frustrating to Shimi. But they had always been like this.


    ''Well, I can understand why the grandmaster looks so unbothered. But ir should care at least. Her survival depends on the grandmaster, right?''


    Shimi was feeling conflicted thoughts and that made her upset.


    "Hmm, I do care about the grandmaster''s reputation but that is something easily salvageable, right? Besides, this town is a small one so we don''t need to worry about its impact on the bigger picture."


    ir''s point of view agitated Shimi even more.


    "That''s not the point. The point is, there should be no ce in this world that should see our magnificent grandmaster as someone evil."


    Shimi stressed it all out, finally hoping that ir would get it. But ir did not get it. She still looked calm and passive.


    On the other hand, the grandmaster seemed to be observing the box he had gotten from god knows where. He just held the box, not doing anything else to it.


    He was not even opening it to look inside.


    "Grandmaster, surely you-"


    "ir is right Shimi. There is no need for us to fear the influence of this small town. What we need to do is to win tomorrow and all the lies will be revealed. Are you ready to help me out?"


    Grandmaster sounded confident when he spoke and Shimi could not possibly let him down. In the end, all she could do was bow in front of the grandmaster and get ready for tomorrow''s fight.


    She would expose all the lies this ce was brewing with. She would do it for the grandmaster.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ...¡­


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief once Shimi finally went to bed. It had been a close call before Shimi would have flipped.


    ''I am so d I managed to stop her in time. Who knew what would happen if I did not speak to her right then.''


    Shimi was like a ticking time bomb. She could identallysh out at Keith anytime and his inability to protect himself would be exposed.


    "Keith, I wanted to ask you something the whole day but I had to hold myself back. But now I feel like I finally had the chance to ask you."


    ir looked up at him curiously and Keith gulped in nervousness. He had no idea what kind of question ir would ask him about.


    "So, did you enjoy your night with Amelia? Was she better than any other woman you ever had? Or was she average? How much experience did she have-"


    "ir, do we need to do this now? Butt out of my private life please."


    Keith was so d for his ''grandmaster'' face that had any reaction he might have shown otherwise.


    ir had a sullen look on her face when Keith refused to answer her but then she became serious again.


    "Then, let''s not talk about Amelia. Let''s talk about more important things that happened. This diator ring you asked me to find, was it for Amelia? Is she one of the ''protagonists'' you were talking about before? From the state of this town, I can guess why you did not tell her your identity."


    ir was a smart one and that was why Keith liked her. It had only taken her a day to understand what was going on with this town.


    "Amelia is the reason I was here. And as you can see, she is a diator ve. I will tell her the truth but I need to gain her trust before that. The best way to ensure she trusts me is to show her that this ring has nothing to do with me."


    Amelia''s biggest issue was that she thought all her problems were because of the grandmaster. That was why she hade after the grandmaster''s life in the original story.


    But Keith was not going to sit back and let things happen.


    "Hmm, I see what you want to do. Then, I shall help you out as well. I am sure things woulde down to a fight in the ring. You will need three fighters at least topensate, right?"


    ir did have a point when she said that things woulde down to a fight. The ultimate rule of the diator ring was that winning was everything.


    A tragic fight was how Amelia became free in the original works so Keith should be prepared for something like that.


    "Keith, don''t worry too much about things. You still have the ring I gave you right? If thingse to the worse, you can always choose to bluff your way out. Just surge your aura and your opponents will go running away from you."


    Keith calmed down a little. This was the starting town of the story and he doubted that there was anyone strong here that could rival the grandmaster.


    As such, Keith did not need to be that worried about things but he still could not help but feel as if things would go wrong for some reason.


    "You are right. Things will be alright tomorrow. If anything does go wrong. I will reveal my identity and that should take care of things."


    Even if this town thought that there was a ''different'' grandmaster and they did not believe Keith, he would be able to use his authority. And he also had many signs on him that identified him as the grandmaster.


    But Keith doubted things woulde down to that.


    "That''s right, grandmaster. Everything would be alright soon and you will get what you want from here. Once we are done here, we will need to go after Master Olivia as well."


    Keith hardened himself and went to sleep.


    The next day, everyone woke up before the sun rose in the sky. They were all excited but for different reasons.


    The diator ring was filled with people to the brim and they all hade to the town to see the rumored grandmaster who had arrived to show the outsiders who was the boss. They all wanted to see his powers in person.


    It was difficult to mimic the grandmaster''s unique features and those features were also why people often fell victim to scams.


    So it was a good thing Keith dyed his hair and used magic to change his eyes. He would not be caught this way.

 Chapter 42 42: Fighting For Freedom [Pt1]

    ?Born of nature, the strongest existence in this world - even these words would not be enough to exin the kind of existence the grandmaster had been in the original game. Keith had yed it again and again and the grandmaster had made an impact on him every time.


    No matter what route you yed in the game, the first entry of the grandmaster always sent chills down one''s spine. And it was all thanks to his unique features.


    Forest green hair and ruby red eyes framed a pale but strong face. Looking at the grandmaster reminded you of nature and made you feel all cleaned up inside.


    Due to the massive amount of mana the grandmaster had, his skin was wless and his eyes sparkled with power.


    And the man standing on the diator ring''s podium had none of that charm.


    Sure, he had sea-weed colored hair and pale red eyes, but that was where the simrities ended between him and the grandmaster. Anyone who had ever met the grandmaster could tell that this man was a fake.


    "What the hell is that thing? T-This is an insult to the grandmaster. If you are going to cosy as someone as great as the grandmaster, then at least do a half-decent job you bafoon."


    Shimi yelled all of a sudden. She pointed toward the man up at the podium with a manicured finger, her temper raging quite a lot.


    The sudden shout startled the green-haired fake grandmaster and it showed up on his face. But he quickly covered it up with a cough and calmed down.


    The faker did not say anything but the others around him were not as quiet. Retainer A at his right side let her tongue fly. Her sharp words threatened to cut into Keith''s group.


    "Huh? What did you say you bitch? How dare you say that our magnificent grandmaster is a fake? Look at those green hair, those red eyes, and his aura. How can you dare say that our grandmaster is fake? I will not stand for this nder."


    Retainer B joined in as well.


    "That is right. There is only one person in this world with such a uniquebination and that is our grandmaster. Show him your respect or else-"


    Retainer B finished with a proud huff. He was ready for the opposition to start begging him for his mercy and he was not going to give them any.


    But contrary to everyone''s belief, the other side did not look intimidated in the least. If anything, the frontwoman looked enraged.


    "T-This is enough. I am not going to take any more nder against our grandmaster. I challenge you to fight for the grandmaster''s honor. I will not allow you to nder the name of the grandmaster I respect."


    Both retainer A and B looked surprised but the fake grandmaster had a panicked look on his face.


    He seemed to have realized that Shimi was someone who had seen the real grandmaster and she would not fall for his tricks.


    "Hmm, nder the name of the ''real'' grandmaster? You should get your eyes checked, miss big breasts. The real grandmaster is right here. Why don''t you show him who''s the boss grandmaster? tten her with your powers."


    Retainer A demanded with a loud voice. She had spoken loudly enough for the whole arena to fall quiet.


    "That''s fine with me. Come, show me what you''ve got, *grandmaster*. I will show you what real power is."


    Shimi held her fists up and the fake grandmaster coughed in his fists to distract everyone from this sudden challenge.


    "If we want to resolve this then an uncivilized fight would not be wise. Let us conduct a small tournament to determine whether diator Amelia will get her freedom or not. That is the rule of this ce, right?"


    Keith was impressed when the fae grandmaster did not stutter when he spoke. The faker''s fingers had gone white due to clenching his fingers too hard.


    "You want them all to fight for my freedom? Why don''t youe only at me-"


    "Alright. If a fight is what you want then a fight is what you will get. But get ready because we will not be gentle once you lose."


    Keith was sweating bullets on the inside but he was confident on the outside when he spoke. His words drew a gasp from the audience who had not expected him to step up like this.


    Even the fake grandmaster faltered due to Keith''s confident tone.


    "T-That is very well. But your side needs to have 5 people to fight in matches. I cannot ept you if you do not have 5 people on your side."


    The faker demanded while looking away. He did not want to face this confident group but he could not decline them as well. The best he could do was to make a ridiculous demand to force them to quit.


    "What kind of scummy detail is that? Are you saying this to save your hide?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi demanded with an angry voice.


    "No, of course not. But since we are in a diator ring, it will be only right to follow all of its customs, right? Or, are you saying that you will ept an advance loss on your side to make it a 5-vs-4 match?"


    The fake grandmaster was a in person. He was speaking in a calm voice so that Shimi was the one who looked unreasonable.


    Shimi was about to blow up on this man when Keith signaled for ir to step in. It was not like they needed more than 3 people to win here.


    "Calm down Shimi. We shall ept your terms, but only the grandmaster is one of the participants from your side. How about it?"


    The faker looked pissed. He did not like the fact that these people were underestimating him. He had worked so hard to change his features to match the grandmaster so he could not allow his authority to plummet.


    "Alright, then I will participate as well. You are ready to take the automatic loss, right?"


    The faker asked, just to make things clear. Shimi opened her mouth but ir jabbed her in the stomach and took control.


    "We agree to your terms. We will have the match right here and now. I will be the first participant."


    The audience gasped as they saw the short teenager step up toward the ring. Amelia felt the most guilt for forcing ir onto the stage.


    The other side looked between each other, deciding whom they wanted to send to fight a child. This was an easy match to win for them so they wanted to send their weakest.


    "I should go, right? I am the most qualified one here. I''m the strongest after the grandmaster so I will ensure our score bes 2-0"


    Retainer B said as he stepped down and no one stopped her. His logic made sense, even if it was the opposite of their original strategy.


    ir watched the confident retainer B step up in front of her. The man looked confident as lightning sparked in his hands.


    The audience of the diator ring cheered for the first match, ready to see someone from the grandmaster''s side show off their powers. It was the first time someone had dared to challenge him.


    "In the name of the grandmaster, I will show you what real hell is like. I hope you don''t feel too bad once I make you bedridden."


    Retainer B taunted as he threw his lightning at ir. It was a fast and deadly attack from his side.


    "ir, look out. Darn that cheater,ing at the child like this."


    Amelia looked away, not wanting to see what happened to ir in the end. She did not want to see the kid killed.


    There was a loud gasp that filled the arena once the smoke cleared. But it was entirely different reasons than what people expected.


    Instead of being hurt, ir passed through the gap in the lightning attack and managed to reach Retainer B.


    "Well, that was a neat trick. But even a fool under the guild alliance would not fall for such an obvious attack. You need to improve a lot if you want to beat me."


    ir spoke softly into retainer B''s ears before his eyes widened. ir knocked the wind out of him by punching him in the gut.


    It all happened so fast that no one was able to react.


    One second, ir was being threatened, the next second, she had attained victory. It was all very magical and left everyone speechless.


    "C-ir, she won!"


    Amelia was the most speechless, having not expected such an oue toe this early. She could not believe that the kid had won.


    "T-The match has been decided. The winner is C-ir from the challenger team."


    The caller got a re for his call but he could not help but give the current call. The results of this match were as clear as the sun in a clear sky.

 Chapter 43 43: Fight For Freedom [Pt2]

    ?Everyone looked stunned as they watched a small cat girl take down a huge dude. The audience was in shock but they soon broke into cheers.


    ir seemed oblivious to all their charms as she hopped back to her group with a fake innocent expression on her face. Only her eyes looked greedy and satisfied after having punched into the ground.


    "So, how did I do? Was I too shabby? Did I need to be more shy? Think you can do better than me, old hag?"


    ir was enjoying her spotlight and the so-called old hag, Shimi clenched her fists in rage. But Shimi had a proud look on her face as well.


    "Y-You did well in preventing the grandmaster''s honor from being tarhished.*cough* but of course, I will do better than you. Just wait and watch me outshine you."


    Shimi stepped out without even being called. Her confident gaze challenged anyone to say anything against her and the announcer looked nervous.


    He looked at the excited audience and then at the ''grandmaster''s'' party in front of him. These challengers seemed to be doing better than anyone expected them to and it was making the fakers nervous.


    The announcer was a part of the faker''s party but he was someone who knew the truth. And usually, their group was strong enough to take care of small fries who liked to pop up.


    But this group looked like the real deal. They were stronger than anyone he had seen before.


    He tried to signal to his group to back down. Losing one diator was not enough to suffer so much financial loss. But his boss seemed not to agree.


    "Continue toward the second match. This one, we will not lose."


    The fake grandmaster replied while suppressing his anger. He pushed Retainer A toward the ring and she walked up with a determined expression.


    The grandmaster was trusting her not to lose so she would not dare shame him this time.


    Shimi smirked as soon as she noticed her opponent. She was so d to see it was the loud-mouthed bitch who had tried to belittle her grandmaster. Now Shimi would get to exact her revenge nicely.


    "So it''s your turn to get your ass whooped by me? Show me what you''ve got."


    Shimi taunted her opponent, enjoying reeling her opponent this way. Retainer A clenched her fists in rage as she watched Shimi taunt her and her grandmaster.


    It did not matter what this blond-haired bimbo said about Retainer A but she cannot insult her grandmaster. Retainer A would have to use her full power.


    "Oh, you will defeat me? I think no, you bimbo. You see, my love for grandmaster is much stronger than you can anticipate. Let me show you my full power."


    Retainer A sped her hands and the earth started to move. It rose to create a small golem that came up to Shimi''s chest.


    The audience gasped as they watched someone use their abilities. It was such a rare urrence in this small town that even such a small feat was thought of as impossible.


    Retainer A looked up with a proud look, now ted that she had managed to create her biggest golem up until this date. But the blond in front of her looked unimpressed.


    No, not only unimpressed. Shimi was pissed off at this retainer A and her audacity.


    She professed her love for the grandmaster and said that she wanted to serve the grandmaster. Even if her grandmaster was a faker, she was someone who was in the same boat as Shimi.


    And as someone in the same boat, Shimi could not ept this mockery of power. How dare thisdy calls herself a servant of the grandmaster when this was all she could do?


    "What''s wrong? Are you scared of my skills now? Well, it''s not toote to profess that you were wrong ande under the grandmaster''s umbre. I promise I will not give you much of a hard time."


    Retainer A promised as she signaled for her golem to attack. Everyone held their breaths as the stone ''giant'' moved a few steps. They all knew that the blond girl was done for.


    She had stopped moving and was even shaking in fear. Retainer A was proud of herself and what she had managed to achieve this time.


    "Y-You are a disgrace. You said all that big stuff about the grandmaster and now this is all you can do? Why pitiful."


    Shimi''s face was red and her anger finally spiked way beyond her handling point.


    "Yeah Shimi, show him how it''s done. Show these people how powerful a simp can be."


    ir''s encouragement was not helpful. Keith had never been dder for his poker face. He would have been red otherwise and exposed himself in front of the audience.


    "Shimi, hurry up and finish here. You are talking too much."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi''s mood took a 180 turn and her anger turned into determination. She took out a small fan from her side pouch and unsped it.


    Anyone could see that she was a wind user and weak against an earth user like Retainer A.


    "Hah, all that big talk for being a wind user. Don''t you know that your kind is inferior to earth users-"


    Retainer A boasted but Shimi did not give her time to finish. With a swing of her fan, air des rushed toward the earth golem and cut it apart.


    The core that was sustaining the earth golem fell and broke as well. It left everyone with their jaws hanging.


    Amelia was especially surprised. She had not expected Keith''s retainers to be this strong or capable. It made her doubt his identity as a ''normal'' merchant from a wealthy association.


    "D-Don''t think that this is all. I-I will show you my power soon-"


    "Oh shut up. You have lost already so take it with pride. And next time, don''t choose a fake grandmaster to serve."


    Shimi picked up Retainer A by her shirt and shook her body around. It caused Retainer A to feel dizzy and not be able to perform her spell. She looked up at Shimi with a scared expression on her face.


    "And this is for insulting my master. How dare a low-life like you take his name."


    Shimi punched Retainer A in the face and that obsesseddy went down. Shimi gave a re to the silent crowd, daring them to say anything against her or herpanions.


    The crowd was silent for a moment before they all broke off into cheers. They had not expected to be treated to such a show.


    "So, old fake man, are you going toe down now? Or will I have to drag you down myself?"


    Shimi questioned as she pointed her fan toward the man on top of the podium. The fake grandmaster was beginning to lose hisposure.


    ''Hump, the real grandmaster would have never behaved this way. It''s so easy to see that this man is a faker.''


    Shimi fanned herself with a satisfied expression.


    On the other hand, the fake grandmaster was seething with anger. These kids were mocking him and he did not like it one bit.


    "Grandmaster, don''t fall for her provocations. We still have 2 more rounds to go. If we win the next one, then I am sure we will have our spot. We just need to crush one of these people to regain our advantage."


    The boss of the diator arena reminded the faker of what they needed to do.


    The faker looked even worse for some reason. He looked at hispetition and then at Amelia.


    "And how do you suppose we do that? I don''t think anyone out of us can beat that diator. How do you expect us to win the remaining two matches?"


    The fake grandmaster questioned as he looked at hispetition. He was not sure what more they could do.


    "Hmm, have you not noticed it yet? The girls were protecting that male in the center of their formation. I don''t think he had much power in him. Why don''t we target him instead of the diator? I am sure you can break him."


    The boss of the diator arena has seen a lot of people so he could tell that something was wrong with that artificially dye-haired man. He was trying to hide something.


    And the only people who hid their intentions in the arena were the week one.


    "Are you sure? Then, I will trust you this time and take your advice. But if anything happens, then you are the one who''s responsible, alright?"


    The fake grandmaster asked and the diator arena boss agreed.


    If it worked out then fine. But even if it did not work out, there was nothing to be done. They hade too far to back out now. It was either do or die from here on. And they were going to do it for sure.


    "Next two people. Please step up."


    Amelia took a step ahead but the arena boss held his hand up at thest second.


    "Not you. I want the guy to fight from your side."

 Chapter 44 44: Fight For Freedom [Pt2]

    ?Amelia had always heard how powerful the grandmaster and hispanions were from the other people she had met. So she had never tried to fight for herself before since she knew she would not win.


    But she had just seen two of the grandmaster''s goons being defeated by outsiders. She could not believe how it had happened.


    She just needed to win one more match and she would finally be able to be free from the ve curse she was under. Freedom was so close to her now.


    "Next people. Please step up."


    The caller called out and Amelia knew it was time for her to stand up. She had to be the one to free herself from this situation.


    She stepped out but the arena boss raised his hand before she could truly step up to the challenge. His eyes held a sinister look that made Amelia feel scared.


    "Not you. I want the guy to fight from your side."


    The diator boss demanded and the audience gasped out loud. No one had expected the diator arena boss to interfere in this challenge. Whispers even broke out due to him butting in like this.


    They all waited for the green-haired grandmaster to speak against this immoral decision but the grandmaster did not speak up.


    Instead, he only added fuel to the me with his words.


    "Hmm, that is an appropriate decision to follow. So far, the two people who fought from your side were female fighters. Don''t tell me that the only man in the group will not fight. This will be the biggest disgrace for you, won''t you agree?"


    The green-haired grandmaster was a graceful speaker. His words triggered Amelia''s pride as a female fighter but it seemed to have touched the hearts of others spectators.


    But the fake grandmaster was not done yet. He decided to continue his actions after the first usation.


    "From our side, I will step up for the honor of my name and the guild. Would you not do that same and send your leader out?"


    ir almost broke out into sinisterughter and Shimi looked pissed off at the other side''s audacity. They thought they could call their grandmaster out like this? And even question the validity of them being warriors because of their genders.


    But the one who was stunned the most was Amelia. She had not realized this was even a possibility that could happen to her. She was not even allowed to fight for her freedom.


    "You bastard. Allow me to fight for myself, you a coward? Or, are you too afraid to face a female? Are you afraid that a female will defeat you, grandmaster?"


    Amelia''s taunt worked and the grandmaster looked pissed. His eyes were zing and he was about toe at her swinging at her. But he held himself back because of the diator arena boss.


    Seeing the grandmaster keep quiet, everyone knew that he was not going to back away. It would be better for the other party to decide.


    "There is no need for you to fight for me, Keith. I will be the one to fight for myself."


    Amelia assured as she raised her ymore and took an attacking stance. But her ve contract came into y and immobilized her.


    Everyone could see that Amelia had been caught by the contract''s conditions and she could no longer move.


    ''Shit. I thought that I could get out of there without fighting. Then, I have no choice but to take a stand.''


    Seeing as how Amelia will be one of Keith''s biggest strengths and protectors, he had no choice but to step up and ept this challenge. He knew he was not going to win, but he still had to fight.


    He ced one hand on Amelia''s shoulder for reassurance and then stepped in front of her, shielding her from the arena boss''s eyes.


    "You want me to fight? Then I will be the one to fight you. What''s wrong? Are you scared of me?"


    Keith questioned with a calm voice. He sounded aloof and detached, looking much more like a great man than the fake grandmaster.


    The faker gritted his teeth, his fists clenching in anger. Keith had a feeling that the faker wanted him dead very eagerly.


    "Scared? Me? Have you never heard how great the grandmaster is? Well, it''s time for you to finally learn. Oi announcer, hurry up and announce our match."


    The fake grandmaster seemed to be in a hurry. He was also twisting his hands around in a hyper motion.


    "A-Alright, if you both want this then I will announce this fight. Everyone else, please set out of the arena."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The grandmaster''s party left with a confident face while Amelia left worried. Shimi was confident and ir just gave a thumbs-up to show that she had his back.


    Now it was Keith and his imposter left in the ring.


    "I am a benevolent man so I will give you onest chance to back out. What do you say-"


    The faker faltered in his words as soon as Keith activated the magic in his ring. His aura surged with power and the entire stadium gasped in amazement.


    Even the faker''s party looked stunned at the sudden ir of aura and fear they felt. Many of them could not even move.


    "W-What the hell? So you did have some kind of power? Don''t underestimate me."


    The fake grandmaster stuttered his words as he tried to look straight. His legs were bucking due to the pressure he was under.


    Keith took one step toward the faker and his pressure worsened. The faker''s legs shook as soon Keith moved. He was sweating bullets by this point and even gasping for breath.


    "You are unworthy of even being my imitation at your current level. Now hurry up and repent for your sins."


    The faker copsed due to the fear he felt. His legs refused to listen to him no matter what he did. He gasped as he looked up into Keith''s red eyes which were finally visible.


    The magic of his ring had eroded his cloaking magic for the time being, leaving his eyes visible for the faker to see.


    "Y-Y-You are the real deal? P-Please, forgive me for insulting you and-"


    "You want my forgiveness? But why should I give you forgiveness for using my name? My anger is ebbing and I want to destroy you. But I guess I can reconsider my actions if you announce yourself as a faker right here and now."


    Keith wanted to resolve this incident but his reputation would not allow him to let such an insult go.


    ''I need to finish this fast. The ring magic is about to run out.''


    A few minutes more and his bluff would be caught. Keith was on a timer right now.


    Thankfully, the faker was too scared to do anything else but obey Keith. The faker quickly jumped on his feet and raised his hands in the air.


    "Listen, everyone, I have a confession to make. I am not the real grandmaster but a fake imposter. But today, I have been shown the true light and I shall confess all my sins."


    The diator ring fell silent at those words. Keith also sighed in relief as soon as that happened. His ring had run out of mana at the right time and now he was back to his normal self.


    Everyone was shocked at this revtion and the faker''s followers looked especially crushed. Retainer A was even crying big fat tears as her ideals came crashing down.


    But not everyone was sad and shocked by this revtion. Some like the arena boss were pissed off that their ns had been exposed to the public.


    "Oi, what do you think you are doing? Of course, you are the grandmaster, the one and only. You cannot allow yourself to be swayed by some idiot''s words."


    The diator arena boss yelled but the faker had enough. The faker shook his head as he looked up at the sky.


    "I have been shown enlightenment, my brother. From this day forward, I shall never defile the grandmaster''s name. I will also release diator Amelia from her contract."


    The faker sped his hands and Amelia found herself able to move again. She felt lighter and freer than she had ever before.


    "Y-You idiot. If you are not going to kill these people then I will. Look how I stab them once and they fall-"


    The arena boss took out the sword hanging on the ring''s boundary and instantly started to attack Keith. Amelia blocked the attack with her ymore and sent the arena boss flying.


    "Man, that feels so good. Keith, I hope you don''t mind me taking over from here."


    Amelia asked this question when she was already pushing the diator boss back. He looked startled but he held his ground well.


    "Stop. I order you to stop. How dare a ve like you attack me like this? I will kill you-"

 Chapter 45 45: Fight For Freedom [Pt3]

    ?"Stop. I order you to stop. How dare a ve like you attack me like this? I will kill you-"


    The whole arena held their breath as they watched Amelia step toward the man who had enved her. The diator ring boss was currently sweating bullets, trying not to gain an advantage.


    But Amelia was not stopping to consider his words. She raised her greatsword and brought it down in an arch.


    The huge and heavy sword cleaved the arena boss in two, its force doubling now that it was aided by gravity as well as Amelia''s magic.


    The ring fell silent, not knowing how they should behave.


    "This is for thinking that female warriors are any less than male warriors. If you are going to make us fight, then treat us all equal, you darn man."


    Amelia raged over the dead body. The boss had died instantly but Amelia''s rage had not quite gone down yet. She was still seeing as she stabbed the man a few more times.


    The audience was divided into two by her disy. Some loved it when she got violent while others were not able to handle this, much violence, and looked away.


    Amelia was not conscious of this and she ended up stabbing the man a few more times.


    "Amelia, I think you missed a spot. You should stab his face as well so that he can never be recognized again."


    ir encouraged Amelia, liking all this violence. Meanwhile, Shimi was clutching Keith''s hand in a death grip. She tried to behave like a delicate maiden who was scared of all the bloodshed but her eyes glittered with interest.


    Keith maintained a straight face throughout the massacre but his gut was twisting on the inside. He could not take it anymore. Thankfully, he was able to hold on until Amelia was done letting her anger out.


    "Amelia, join us if you are done venting. We will be leaving this evening."


    Amelia looked up with sharp surprise in her eyes. She looked at Keith, trying to understand what Keith wanted from her. But Keith did not give her an answer.


    "What do you mean by that? Are you asking me to join you? Or, are you going to abandon me? Why did you even give me this freedom and not even ask me for anything?"


    Amelia might have gone through hell and back, but she still had decent values inculcated in her. Her honor and her heart demanded her to help Keith out since she had received his help.


    But here he was, telling Amelia that he did not need her help and to figure it out for herself.


    She might have begged Keith to give her an answer if he was not looking as cold as he did right then.


    "Your questions are something you need to answer for yourself. How long will you keep on living in someone''s shadow like this?"


    Keith''s words were simple but strong. They struck something inside Amelia and she was moved. Suddenly, she did not want to stand still. Her heart demanded that she go with Keith and be on his side.


    ''But you''ve only known him for a day. Do you want to follow a man you know nothing about? Is it a safe decision to make?''


    Amelia''s mind reminded her of thest time she had done it. She ended up bing a diator ve. What if she became something worse this time?


    ''But Keith helped me out. And if I get betrayed again, I get betrayed again. This is a risk I am willing to take.''


    "Hey wait. Keith, wait for me. I don''t need a whole day to make my decision when I already know what I want to do."


    Amelia took in a deep breath, ready to speak about what she wanted for the first time in her life. All her other decisions had been made based on her circumstances, but this was something she wanted to do.


    "I want to join your side. You are my benefactor and someone I treasure dearly. Allow me to be of assistance to you."


    Amelia did not beg but it was a close thing. She did not want to sound desperate but it was up to Keith to decide if he wanted Amelia or not.


    ''I need to rey Keith and also find out what is this feeling I am feeling inside my heart. I will not let this opportunity slip from my fingers.''


    Keith looked back at Amelia with a nk expression. It made her nervous but she refused to back down from his gaze.


    In the end, Keith gave him a small smile.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do what you want to. It''s your decision and I will not stop you. But you will need to work hard to earn a ce in my world."


    Amelia bit her lip to stop herself from speaking something foolish. And Keith took her silence as her answer.


    ......¡­


    Once things calmed down in the diator arena, the party returned to their hotel room. But there was not enough room for everyone to live alone so they would have to share.


    In the end, ir and Shimi ended up sharing a room while Amelia got ir''s old room for the time being. Keith had the advantage of having a solo room all to himself.


    He was in the middle of his bath when his bathroom door opened and small hands snuck around his chest.


    Keith caught ir''s hands before she could do anything to him and held her body up in the air.


    "What are you trying to do, ir? You know that I do not like such useless tricks. Especially by someone underaged like you."


    ir quickly yanked her hand out of Keith''s grip and walked out into his room. Keith also walked out while pulling his clothes back up on his body.


    "Keith, Keith, Keith, when will you learn? Did you want desperately want to get your hands on Amelia? Then why did you make yourself sound all mysterious and give her a choice? What if Amelia chose not toe with us?"


    ir was curious about Keith''s reasons. But Keith was calm and he did not react to Amelia''s words or provocations.


    "It was all calcted ir. My intention was always to reel ir in but it was going to be a problem if she felt forced. That is why I gave him a choice toe with us or not."


    Keith exined simply. The reason he had not doubted Amelia answered that he knew her character well.


    "And what if she did you agree toe with us? The risk was still there, right?"


    ir asked as she stretched her body. It put all her feline grace to disy and Keith found himself appreciating her nice curves.


    If only ir was a few years older, Keith might have suggested she have some fun. But ir was a child and the reason he was in this mess.


    Keith was not going to lose hisposure in front of her.


    "Risk? I guess you can say that the risk was there but I had things under control. I already formed an emotional bond with Amelia which she would not have been able to forget. Sooner orter, she would havee to my side."


    Keith exined it all to ir and she finally looked satisfied.


    "So, in simpler words - you managed to capture Amelia so it did not matter what she chose now, huh? I''ll take your word for it then. So, what is our next n of action?"


    Keith stopped to think over his choices. But ultimately, there was only one thing he had to do - he needed to get the mother pearl back from Master Olivia.


    The longer he lets it rest in Olivia''s hand, the higher the chance of it falling into the protagonist''s hands.


    "ir, I need you to look into Master Olivia with your informationwork. And have all the information sent forth by Shinzou and Long Dong sorted out. I want to know what Olivia is nning on doing."


    Keith knew from the story of the game that the mother pearl had been a prize for some kind of diator hunt Adrian Smith participated in. But the details of the event were a little foggy in Keith''s mind.


    First of all, he needed to know how much time was still pending from the present to the start of the main story. It would help Keith decide where he should focus his attention.


    "Sure, pile up more work on the kid. Alright, fine. I will get it all sorted out once we reach back home, ok? Let me enjoy the remaining time of our vacation. I am overworked anyway."


    irined and Keith decided to throw her a bone this time. She could take the evening off because she was going to work her butt off from tomorrow.


    Somehow, his interaction with a protagonist had gone well and Keith had gained immunity in the form of Amelia.

 Chapter 46 46: You Are The Grandmaster!!!

    ?Amelia did not have much to pack. Since she was a diator ve, she did not have many personal possessions. And what little she did have, she kept in her secure pouch at all times.


    So when Keith asked her how much time she needed to pack, Amelia told him she was ready to head out.


    Amelia had no idea where they were going. She had never been out of the diator vige in her life and her excitement bubbled up.


    The view of tall skyscrapers covering the sky and cars running everywhere was weird and exciting to Amelis. She had never even imagined a world like this outside of the TV.


    She especially did not expect Keith to lead her to a huge mansion that spanned thousands of miles all across. She felt like she had stepped into a new and unique world.


    ''Just who in the world is Keith? He cannot be a simple man to have all this luxury. And why did such a person help me out? Just because Keith felt a passing fancy to me?''


    Amelia''s head hurt from thinking too much. She looked at Keith who had taken his disguise off. His hair was green again and his eyes shined red. He looked exactly like how people described the grandmaster to look like.


    ''Don''t be absurd Amelia. If Keith was the grandmaster then he would not have stayed calm when he was insulted openly. He would surely have yelled out loud and clear that he was the grandmaster.''


    Amelia''s brain reminded her of this fact but her confidence wavered as soon as she remembered Shimi''s weird obsession with the grandmaster.


    In the end, Amelia decided not to think too much about it. Even if Keith was the grandmaster, he was also Amelia''s benefactor and saved her life.


    Besides, nothing that happened to Amelia was the grandmaster''s fault. It was a scam for the really bad people to hide behind.


    "Young master, we are here. Do you want to go in and rest first-"


    ir leaned ahead when she opened the door. Her disy showed inside her shirt and gave a full view of her vulturous breasts.


    Amelia decided not to notice such an open disy of lewdness but it was difficult. Keith, however, did not seem to notice Shimi''s massive rack. He had tensed up and was looking at the far corner of the road.


    Where Keith was looking stood a dashing young man with burning red hair and shining golden eyes. The presence that person gave off was filled with power and his bodynguage screamed trouble.


    Amelia was instantly wary of this man and she positioned herself in front of Keith to protect him.


    "Keith, look out-"


    "Grandmaster, you are finally back. Things were so lonely without you but I made sure everything was up and running. Oh, and I also arranged the documents you asked me to-"


    The redhead continued speaking with an excited voice. He did not even pay attention to Amelia and her awkward self.


    Meanwhile, Amelia was frozen in shock at what she just heard. She had not expected Keith''s real identity to be revealed like this.


    Even if Amelia had managed to guess who Keith was, she wanted to hear it from his own mouth. But since this had not happened, Amelia was somewhat shocked.


    "Master Shinzou, you need to be more aware of your surroundings when you talk. Look, youpletely ignored the grandmaster''s guest and made her feel awkward now."


    irined to the redhead man, making the elder grin sheepishly.


    Master Shinzou, ir had heard that name as well. He was someone who was just as famous as the grandmaster had been. But it was a given since Master Shinzou was known as the grandmaster''s right-hand man.


    "Grandmaster''s guest? Where? How did I miss someone so impressive? Surely I would not have-"


    Shinzour looked around and finally noticed Amelia. It was humiliating for her to bepletely ignored like this.


    "Anyway, Shimi, I will hand over Amelia to you for the time being. Get her settled in and get her registered. Shinzou, I think we have some things to discuss."


    Keith, no, the grandmaster ordered this. Amelia felt foolish to not have noticed this before but the grandmaster suremanded a powerful presence. No one could go against him and his poker face.


    ......¡­..


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Amelia agreed to go in with Shimi. He was afraid that she would feel betrayed and run away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In retrospect, he should have broken this news to her gently and beforeing here.


    "Grandmaster, I made sure to gather every piece of news I could about the mother pearl. I also went through Long Dong''s file and summarized it for you to look through."


    ir breathed a sigh of relief as her workload lessened. Keith was thankful for all the work Shinzou had out in.


    "Alright, hand it all over to ir and she will brief me about itter. You did a good job."


    Shinzou peaked up like a puppy being praised by his master. He was a loyal mutt, ready to do anything Keith asked of him.


    "Also, I have some special news you might be interested in grandmaster. Do you remember the cave of wonders you asked me to look into a few months back? The rumor has that it is about to open soon."


    Keith had not been here for a few months for him to be the one to ask this. So that meant the ''real'' grandmaster was the one who asked Shinzour to look into this ''cave of wonders''.


    Shinzou looked eager to be praised again and Keith decided to indulge him this time.


    "Marvelously done, Shinzou. You were a great help to me this time so let me know what you want as a reward."


    "No, I don''t want anything. It was a pleasure being useful to you, grandmaster."


    Shinzou instantly denied the reward and Keith sighed in relief. He was not sure how he would have been able to fulfill Shinzou''s wish if he had asked for something.


    "Then, since I''m done here, I should go and finish my training for today. Do let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."


    The man left just as quickly as he had arrived. Keith''s heart breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Shinzou was out of his sight.


    Once he was sure he was alone, he turned toward ir to ask her what she knew about the cave of wonders.


    "Let''s go to your room first and then I will tell you what I know about the cave of wonders. And just for the record, I did not know that you were looking into the cave of wonders or I would have told you to anticipate this topic."


    ir did sound sorry for Keith but he was not too worried.


    As he was posing as someone else, topics such as these were bound toe up once or twice. There was no need for him to panic every time that happened to him.


    "Sure, I will listen to you once we reach back home. But before. I think looking into the mother pearl and Olivia''s intentions is much more important.


    Olivia was a viiness-turned-love interest who was exined in detail. Her storyline was not only fleshed out but also time-stamped in the story. If there was anyone who could tell Keith the time frame of the current story, it would be Olivia.


    ir''s expression said that she did not agree with Keith''s decision to deal with Olivia over the talk about the ''cave of wonders'' but it was a decision Keith remained adamant about.


    ir did not understand how important it was for Keith to know where the story was. He would need to n three steps if he wanted to destroy the plot armor the protagonists had in this game.


    That night, ir read the reports the whole night but she was finally done by the time Keith work up. He had a neat stack of reports on his table when he woke up and Keith decided to nce them over.


    ording to the information,dy Olivia was about to hold a tournament with a grand prize but no one knew what the prize for winning was.


    Keith knew he could not participate in this tournament as he was and he needed some kind of power or protection.


    ''Thankfully, I do know some cheats in this game that even a mana-less person like myself can use.''


    Just because Keith had no mana did not mean he could not weird it. As long as the object he was holding had mana, Keith could activate any skill he desired.


    And there was one thing Keith could acquire at his current level - the cursed ring of power lvl1. It had been a trashy artifact in the game, only giving mana+1 to the main characters but for Keith, it was his saving grace.


    Luckily, it was fairly easy to obtain.

 Chapter 47 47: The Mana Stone [Pt1]

    ?Mana bracelet - that was the thing Keith had to find first and foremost. All it would require is a little adventure and he would be able to get his hands on such a precious item.


    So, as soon as the sun had risen high up in the sky, Keith started his journey to find the mana bracelet. It just so happened that both ir and Amelia ended up apanying him on this trip.


    "You know, what I heard you say was that you were going on an adventure to find an important item for yourself, I did not think you mean to think you meant shopping by that. What kind of adventure is this?"


    irined as she followed after Keith. She had woken up at the crack of dawn after having spent the whole night arranging reports for him. She very much did not want to be here.


    She looked at Amelia, the other overly excited idiot who was busy looking at things with an awed face. She was so distracted by looking at all the tinkers that she did not even hear irin.


    "ir, you don''t understand the art that is shopping with ultimate money. There is nothing we cannot buy but finding what to buy is the real challenge. We must pour all our resources into finding the next mana bracelet money can buy."


    Keith stressed the importance of shopping but ir lost him halfway through his exnation. Keith also should have pressed her to exin more. Shopping was an acquired taste that not everyone can appreciate.


    "Ke-I mean, grandmaster, I will be shopping for my clothes. I will meet you back at the entrance when I am done."


    Amelia called out to him, her eyes fixed on a high-end dress shop. She looked hesitant about whether she should go to such an expensive shop, but Keith waved her off.


    "Yeah sure, go in and shop as much as you want to. Don''t worry about money because I have plenty of it."


    Amelia finally entered the shop with a happy expression. ir followed behind Amelia, thinking that Ameli would be easier to deal with than Keith and his maniac shopping spree.


    Once they were gone, Keith knew he needed to start his n. And the first thing he needed to do was disguise himself. He could not afford to be found out in the town.


    ''Thankfully, there are too many young people who like to cosy as ''The grandmaster'' and get their hair dyed as a result. It will not be too difficult to roam around until I get a disguise.''


    So the first thing Keith needed to do was to head into a clothing and make-up store. And luckily, there was one for men right in front of him.


    "Wee, sir- Wow, this is the most realistic cosy of a grandmaster I have seen in my life. You even got the vibe of your aura right? So, where did you get your cosy done? I might ring that ce up as well."


    The person at the counter looked shocked to see Keith but he soon recovered. It seemed like this shop saw its fair share of people pretending to be the grandmaster.


    Keith could have corrected the cashier but he decided to y along for now.


    "Yes, this is good work, right? Unfortunately, the person who did my hair and skin for me ended up dying early and now I feel like I need a change for the time being."


    Keith grinned in his mind as he watched the ufortable expression on the cashier. Invoking sympathy never failed to shut rude people up. Even now, the man before Keith looked at him with a sad but understanding expression.


    And as soon as Keith saw it, he knew that he was not going to be questioned by this cashier.


    Since Keith had the cashier''s sympathy, he was rushed first in line and quickly made to undergo temporary make-over magic. His hair was now brown and his eyes were a dull grey as well.


    "I-Is this alright? Don''t you look ''too ordinary now? Surely you want to go for something shier."


    The hairdresserined as he observed Keith. Keith still looked objectively handsome and his natural grace still showed even with such dull colors on his face. There truly was no hiding a beautiful face, no matter what you.


    This man could have been considered his masterpiece if only it was not for all these dull shades he went for.


    Meanwhile, Keith observed himself in the mirror. His hair and his eyes looked quite ordinary now. He liked his new and ordinary look.


    "Nah, this is perfect. I think I will find it easier to look at myself for the time being."


    Keith paid upfront, totally ignoring the horrified and angry looks he was getting from the people who had seen his original looks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once he was out of the shop, the gazes looking at Keith lessened by 1/4the the amount. People seemed not to be interested in his ordinary brown hair and dull grey eyes.


    So overall, Keith felt like he had made a beneficial decision to go with this look.


    ''Now then, where was the item shop that sold the starting items in this town? Gosh, it was so much easier in the game I yed.''


    Keith wished he had the map feature of his system so that he could locate ces. But s, this was the real world and he had to find the shop on his own.


    All he knew was that the shop was named - Merlin''s magic and it had a branch in all the main cities of the game. Surely, such a big chain shop would be easy to spot.


    Keith roamed around the city but he was unable to find anything. His limited knowledge of this world''s characters did not help him in his current situation.


    ''Ugh, this is hopeless. I should just find the central za and try to remember where the shop is from there.''


    Keith gave up after two hours of walking around. The central za was an important event space in the original game, so Keith avoided it.


    He panted as he sat down on the central fountain''s retaining wall and closed his eyes.


    When he opened them again, his gaze fell on a familiar logo. It was a small old wizard stirring a huge cauldron. That logo screamed familiarity and Keith instantly became aware of where he had seen it before.


    ''Shit, that is the logo for Merlin''s magic shop. How did I not remember that it was in this za?''


    Keith forced his tired feet to stand up and entered the dark and gloomy shop. Various tinkers lined the wall of the shop giving it an eery presence. It would not be too much to say that this ce was a haunted house.


    And the show owner, Merlin, was someone who liked to scare people with his crazy ideas. Keith knew what wasing so he braced himself.


    ''Don''t freeze up and don''t scream. It''s not a ghost, but Merlin himself.''


    Keith reminded himself as a bony hand handed on his shoulder. Someone''s hot breath hit his ear and he finally flinched.


    "Wee to Merlin''s magic shop. Whatever you are looking for, you will find it here. But only if you pay the right price for your wish. So dear buyer, what would you like to buy today?"


    Keith straightened himself once he heard Merlin speak. He had seen the old man too much in the game and now he could finally calm down.


    The old man tsked, not expecting the young man to see through his tricks. Most people were too scared of him when they came here and paid whatever price he asked for.


    "So, what do you want to buy from me?"


    Merlin asked with a straight face. He was not feeling too generous to this man who had not gotten scared of him. Did this child think he was better than Merlin himself?


    "I want a mana bracelet or a mana ring. The purer artifact you have, the better it will be for me."


    Merlin''s eyes snapped open in shock at the request. This man was asking for something this trivial bying to his shop when he could have asked for anything?


    ''T-This child must be testing me. I can feel the aura of money on him so this child does notck money at least. But why would someone like him be looking for a mama bracelet when he can just hire someone to use their skills?''


    Merlin was cautious since he trusted his instincts. He knew he had to bring out the best mana item he had.


    ''I was saving it for the child of prophecy but I guess I will lend it out to this gentleman for now. I am sure this is a test for me from the heavens so I cannot fail myself.''


    Marlin decided and brought out a small box from the back of his shop.

 Chapter 48 48: The Mana Stone [Pt2]

    ?Merlin brought out a small but shiny box from the back of his shop. The ck box in his hand gave off incredible pressure and even someone with dull senses like Kieth felt the power.


    Merlin dusted off the top of the box with his breath and held the box out for Keith to see.


    "This is an ancient item that was entrusted to me by a god a long time ago. I am not sure how much use it will be to someone who is not its intended use but you can have it for the time being."


    Keith was hesitant to hold the small ck box in his hand. He knew what was in this box since it was a quest reward in the game.


    ''The stone of power.''


    It was the best starter item one could get in the original MMO but only after the user performed wlessly in the previous quest. From what Keith remembered, it was one of the quests that were notoriously difficult toplete so most people gave up, never mindpleting it.


    But of course, some ''gamers'' were different and ended up unlocking this hidden prize.


    ''And now it is in my hand.''


    Keith took the box and opened it. It contained a small red stone and nothing else. The stone was only the size of Keith''s one tooth and it looked fragile to touch.


    "Are you going to see this stone to me?"


    Keith asked as he held the small stone in his hand. He was so d he had visited this shop today.


    Now, Keith did not know if any of the protagonists had already visited this shop before or not, but he was quite lucky to find this stone still in the shop.


    "Sell it? Over my dead body. I am lending, and I do mean *lending* this stone to you. We will even draw a contract to endure you give this stone back to me."


    Merlin snapped angrily and tried to take the stone back from Keith. In terms of strength, Merlin was much more powerful than Keith currently was and it was not even a contest.


    Keith let the stone go, not wanting to contest against Merlin.


    "Alright, let''s sign the contract now."


    Merlin looked at Keith with a keen expression of awareness. Suddenly, Merlin had a feeling he should not sell this stone to Keith but the promise had already been made.


    "Give me a sec and I will get you the contract. Do not touch anything else in this shop if you value your life."


    Merlin warned and disappeared behind the curtain. Keith was curious about what was going on behind the curtain but he decided it was more important to gain Merlin''s trust.


    It took no time for Merlin toe back and he handed Keith a piece of paper along with a red pen.


    "Here, this is an oath pen. I want you to sign your name here and you will be ready to go home with the stone."


    Keith debated having someone look over the contract first before he signed but that n risked incurring Merlin''s wrath.


    Merlin had a reputation for being fair and just in the original game. He was a wizard who prided himself on not cheating others out of a contract, even if he did demand atrocious prices sometimes.


    Luckily for Keith, he could afford any price Merlin came up with. Especially more so with the new diamond business, he had started under Master Fushi.


    He quickly read over the contract, flinched internally at the atrocious price he saw, and then signed the deal.


    "Good, good, now we have a contract. This stone is all yours but remembers- do not scratch it or lose it. Now then, what else can I get for you?"


    "I''ll look around for something more to buy. I will call if I need you."


    Merlin did not stick around after that and Keith quickly looked around the room. There was not much in the room to see but Keith could still spot a few tinkers he had seen in the game.


    But since Keith did not remember any of them being important, he did not go for them.


    He exited the shop with a new mana stone and thousands of dors short of cash.


    He followed Amelia''s message to meet at the central za and soon found his twopanions. Amelia was glowing with happiness, her eyes zing and her hands filled with bags.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, ir looked tired and miserable. She seemed to have done no shopping of her own and her face looked hagged as Keith had expected it to look.


    "Are you done now? Can we head home? I think I am developing a small headache because of all this roaming around."


    irined with a white face. Keith decided to hold back on giving her Merlin''s contract to look over.


    Amelia had an embarrassed look on her face and tried to hide behind the wall of bags in her arms. She had gone overboard with shopping since she had the money for the first time in her life.


    And Keith was sure Amelia wouldment all her shopping spreeter once she had calmed down and thought over her actions. After all, the money she had used had not been hers.


    ......¡­


    Once Keith was back in his room, he looked at the stone in his hand. It was shining with a dull color in his hand right now but it would get brighter as soon as it would absorb an ability.


    This stone was a cheat item that only the best yers in the original MMO got but it was not the ultimate cheat item.


    There were many limitations when this stone was used.


    First, its stored power could not go over a threshold and could never exceed the original user of the stored skill. Second, the stronger the skill, the longer it will take to recharge the usage time.


    The one-day per usage was the average people had calcted in the original game so the exact time might vary depending on the skill.


    And then there was one more disadvantage of this stone - it could only store human skills. Anything that utilized divine or devil mana could not be stored in this mana stone. That eliminated more than 75% of the abilities in the MMO''ster stage.


    ''But overall, this is a decent item I got for no effort. I should hurry up and store an ability in this.''


    Keith was excited to try and wield mana. The first person he wanted to try out was Shinzou. As the second-inmand of the guild, Shinzou sure had a lot of skills at his disposal.


    But Keith needed to be sneaky. He needed to take a skill that would not make people doubt his authenticity as the ''grandmaster'' so all of Shinzou''s fire skills were out.


    The next day, Keith went out in search of Shinzou and finally tracked the man in the training ring. Shinzou was going through the motions of his kata, each strike precise and controlled.


    Keith felt his hand twitch in the need to follow along but he stopped his body from moving along to that motion.


    People were looking at him now and Keith needed to not show his weakness.


    So he coughed to get Shinzou''s attention but everyone turned to look at him when Keith coughed. They all looked up at Keith in awe, his presencemanding people to stop and pay attention to him.


    Shinzou, who finally noticed Keith''s presence was startled. He was ashamed that he had lost his focus and not noticed when the grandmaster had walked into the training grounds.


    ''As expected of the grandmaster. His aura is so massive that I am not able to notice it. I will need to train harder from today so that I can catch up to him.''


    Shinzou vowed in his mind as he stopped his practice. He quickly went up to where the grandmaster was and bowed in front of him.


    "Grandmaster, how can I help you? You did not need toe all the way here if you needed me. You should have just called for me and I would havee to you."


    Shinzou looked like an overexcited puppy, ready to please Keith. Keith pretended he did not hear Shinzou''s words as he took out the small mana stone.


    "I do need you to do something for me Shinzou. Aid me in my experiment and hold this stone for a minute."


    Shinzou took the offered red stone with a confused look on his face.


    The stone felt like a mana stone used by the unskilled to hold external abilities but the grandmaster did not need such a cheap trick.


    ''Ah, it''s an experiment. I should not think too much about the grandmaster''s intentions since I will never be able to understand them.''


    Shinzou kept on standing where he was with his fist open and the red stone held in his hand.

 Chapter 49 49: Hermits In The Desert [Pt1]

    ?As soon as Keith handed the stone over to Shinzou, he noticed a weird lighting out of it. And suddenly, there seemed to be a screen in front of his eye that looked like an interface.


    The blue-tinted screen scared Keith by suddenly appearing but he kept hisposure all thanks to the grandmaster''s poker face. Then, he observed the screen in front of him, only to notice various skills he could choose from.


    ''Let''s see. Which skill I should store for the first usage?''


    Keith needed to choose carefully because he will not be able to choose a second skill until he used his current skill.


    But that was a problem in itself. Due to the limitations of the mama stone, Keith could only choose skills that suited his level. There were 4 avable skills avable in the list currently while the others were marked as ???


    The currently avable skills were as follows:


    sh fire lvl 2 which could be used to make small fires


    Strength lvl 3 could be used to increase your body strength


    Small-distance teleportation could be used to travel approximately 10 meters away.


    Strength of aura that can re your natural aura and make the other person intimidated by you.


    These were all good skills to have but Keith could tell which one he preferred straight away. The teleportation would be the most useful one in this case since Keith could just use the ring ir had given him to enhance his aura.


    He quickly picked the skill he wanted and the stone went bright red.


    The sudden light ended up startling Shinzou but he managed to not drop the stone. And finally, Keith retrieved the stone once he was sure it had soaked enough in Shinzou''s aura.


    "Grandmaster, is this some new technique you are developing? I felt a small shock go through my body just now."


    Shinzou did not quitein but he did not sound happy when he reported this to the grandmaster. Keith flinched internally but he did not let it show on his face.


    ''Shit, I did not expect Keith to feel it when I use this mana stone. I would have to be careful the next time I use it.''


    Inwardly, Keith had a lot of worries but he was the grandmaster and he could not let it show on his face.


    "Don''t worry so much about the small shock you felt just now. It is quite normal and you were supposed to feel that. You can go back to your training now if you want to."


    Keith decided to cut this conversation short. He had a feeling that it was going in a direction he did not want this conversation going.


    "Are you sure, grandmaster? Are you ''sure'' sure you don''t need my help anymore?"


    Shinzou questioned Keith with a serious face. Shinzou was almost directly on-level with Keith when he asked this question.


    Had Keith been able to show his emotions, he would have pushed the irritating man back but Keith''s poker face did not move and his body went stiff due to the sudden closeness instead.


    "Yes, I am sure. Now go back to training."


    In the end, Shinzou returned to his training with a disappointed look on his face. His dejected expression was a funny one and looked odd on his otherwise confident face.


    Now that Keith had attained his objective to get one skill he could use, it was time to go and get more information from ir.


    ir should have everything regarding Lady Olivia Greenwood sorted out and Keith wanted to remove her name from the threat list as soon as he could.


    The first ce Keith looked for ir was her room and luckily, she was there this time.


    ........


    For the first time in a few days, ir felt well-rested and ready to face the world. She had finally managed to get a good night''s sleep and the urge to snap in Keith''s face had ebbed with a full night''s sleep.


    She was in such a good mood that she even ended up taking out the additional notes she had made when she had been going over the documents.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "As you can see, there is news of Lady Olivia''s recently announced tournament. It seems like the rumors were confirmed yesterday and the tournament would take ce in a month."


    ir turned the page as she remembered what else was important.


    "As always, it would be held in Dead man''snd so that no legal issues ur and no one would connect the dots to her."


    There was a reason why Lady Olivia was never caught even when everyone knew she was the mastermind behind thesepetitions. It was mainly because there was no physical evidence of her involvement.


    "Olivia Greenwood is a meticulousdy so I am sure she is not holding this tournament without a goal in mind. Do we know what the prize this time is?"


    This was all Keith wanted to know. Was this tournament even worth his attention? Or would it be better to go directly after Olivia Greenwood?


    "Well, that''s the tough part. No one knows what the prize is this time. We all tried looking around but there was not even a whisper about the prize. Apparently, the prize would be given to the winner in private by Lady Olivia."


    Thatplicated things. The universe was pushing Keith into this road.


    "Looks like I have no choice on that matter. I will have to participate in thepetition under a different name. I will need to craft a new identity for myself."


    Keith was not looking forward to living a double life but that was what would allow him to live.


    "Oh, that should be nice for you. It should finally allow you to live your life the way you want to. But you will need to cover yourself properly so that you are not found out. Time management could also be an issue."


    ir pointed out the ws of Keith''s n to him but Keith suddenly felt excited once he realized that he could be himself in his new identity.


    ''It''s not a bad idea, right? It could allow me to get away with so much more and I will also not risk ruining my reputation as the grandmaster.''


    ir did bring up the idea of using a proxy or a decoy to participate in thispetition but it was vetoed in the end. They could not risk someone else finding out that the mother pearl was missing.


    This was a huge risk already in Keith''s eyes.


    So in the end, it was decided that Keith would disguise himself as an adventurer and participate in this tournament.


    Now all that was left was to craft a new identity for himself and to create a back story as well. Keith had an idea of how to do that on both fronts.


    "ir, I will be going out alone again and I might have someone with me when I return. Make sure you have a room and a magical contract prepared for me by the time I leave tomorrow."


    Since Keith could not make a fake identity appear out of nowhere without risking being found out, he was going to go with the next best thing - Keith was going to buy an identity.


    In the original MMO game, there was one ce that was capable of providing Keith with a fake identity that existed and could be looked into.


    There was a secluded mercenary group called Hermits which excelled in buying and selling all kinds of goods, even identities if you could pay them the right price.


    But what these Hermits traded in was not money, it was information. You needed to pay the right price to get what you wanted.


    ''And since I am someone who knows the future, my information would be beyond valuable to these people. I am sure they will not refute my offer.''


    Keith was very confident in himself and he set out on the journey the very next morning.


    For the first time since had entered this world, Keith was journaling out alone. But thankfully, the grandmaster was known to wander around all the time in the original game.


    The location of Hermits changed depending on the route you yed and what time it was in the game you encountered the forbidden desert, but Keith had paid an informant guild enough money to find these people under ir''s name.


    And this was how Keith found himself trekking through the desert on a normal day. It was to track down Hermits''test camp and to get them to ept his request.


    But the sun was too bright and it was going to erode away Keith''s disguise with it''s sharp rays. The only ray of hope in the vast desert was that Keith was almost to the Hermite''s campout.


    He breathed a sigh of relief once he reached the camp and knocked on the door. It opened, an eye looked at Keith and the door was closed shut once again on his face.

 Chapter 50 50: Hermits In The Desert [Pt2]

    ?Keith was bbergasted at the sudden disrespect he was made to deal with. He had not expected the other party to close the door shut right in front of his face.


    Maybe it was because of his disguise, or maybe it was the fact that Keith knew no one else knew him there, but he found his character breaking for the first time since his transmigration into this world.


    "Hey, what the hell? I am here to make a trade with you. How can you lock me out like this?"


    Keithined and the slit in the door opened once more. The same eye from before red at him in suspicion.


    "You reek of make-up and magic. We ain''t gonna trust a city folk like ya to hold any relevant information our boss might want. So scam now before we make ya."


    The guard sounded tough and old. The eye looking at Keith from the other side was judging him and his worth but Keith held his ground.


    It was likely a trial for Keith to know if he was trustworthy or not. Keith needed to show that he meant no harm to these people.


    The door slit closed and Keith felt like he had achieved his goal of conveying his feelings this time, but nothing happened. The door in front of him did not open, nor did it bulge even a single bit.


    ''So that was not a test, but a refusal to allow me entry. I guess I will have to break in then.''


    Thankfully, Keith had decided to swipe the teleportation skill from Shinzou. It woulde in so handy this time, even if it was a one-time use skill.


    But Keith was not going to use that skill right now. He was going to use this skill once night fell and these people became less vignt. That would improve Keith''s chances of running into the one he wanted to see.


    The ''boss'' of these people was someone never shown in the game but they were referred to as a great person akin to a god''s messenger to these people. They were someone worth looking into right now.


    So for now, Keith decided to retreat and wait around. And once the night fell, Keith decided to make his move.


    ........


    "-did you hear? The diator ring was taken down."


    "What a shame. I liked those bloody and immoral fights. I will have to look for a new ring now."


    "Hmm, I heard that the grandmaster there was a fake one and he exposed himself."


    Inside the Hermits camp, a small bonfire party had started as soon as the sun had set. It was their tradition to work during the day and celebrate once the night fell. This was what their fallen god had prioritized - pleasure and openness.


    Almost everyone had joined in on the fun and started to let loose. The smell of booze and run had intoxicated the whole gathering.


    From the top of her seat, a pair of lone golden eyes watched the gathering with a fond expression. Brown man-like hair apanied those strong golden and fierce eyes.


    The scarcely d female was none other than the priest of their current god, also known locally as ''boss'' in their circle.


    She was the sole control figure in such an elite group and her words were final. She was someone everyone looked up to. And currently, she had a manying in herp and getting petted by her w-like finger extensions.


    A small breach of control would send the head in herp flying.


    "It''s a good night. I can feel the pleasure of our god prating our gathering and enjoying it with us. Now, enjoy this evening more so that our god can gain more pleasure from us."


    The priestess raised her ss of rum high in the air. The whole gathering watched in anticipation as their priestess emptied that ss of alcohol in one go.


    Once the golden ss was empty, the party started again. No one noticed the priestess wake up and head toward the side tower. She needed to see to her bodily functions and rx a little.


    But Saintess Athena had just reached the side tower when she heard the sound of footsteps. It was heavier than the female Hermits and the male knew better than toe to this side of the camp.


    ''It''s an intruder. Did someone dare to sneak into our camp? How amusing. Let me see who this daring person is as well.''


    Saintess Athena decided to ignore herining dder and made her way to where she heard the footstepsing from. Her feline-features body did not only look like a lion''s but had the grace of their feline side as well.


    Athena jumped up higher, taking a hidden spot in the lone tree on that side, and looked down.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She could instantly tell some key features about the figure who was trying to sneak in.


    First of all, their intruder was a male and was taller than average. His body also looked well-trained but it had no aura attached to it. The person was also being careful and somehow looked up and met Athena''s eyes.


    ''Oops! Looks like I was too careless this time. Oh well, time to let the cat out of the bag for now.''


    Athena grinned wider and jumped down from the huge tree directly on top of her camp''s intruder. The man looked startled and instantly backed away. But weirdly enough, he still had grace in his steps when he backed away in a hurry.


    ''How interesting.''


    Athena quickly aligned her body so that shended on her toes and bend her knees to absorb the shock of anothernding. Her body arched on all four and she remained unharmed.


    The brown eyes looking at her contained shock but none of it showed up on the handsome face in front of her.


    ''Such an interesting human with such a delicious scent. It makes me want to take a bite out of this man.''


    Athena finally stood up once it looked like this man was not going to attack her. He stood still cautiously in front of Athena, almost as if waiting for her to start talking.


    "Tsk, you are a naughty intrudering in uninvited. I should punish you for this audacity, right?"


    Athena questioned as she walked toward him. There was no change in the face in front of Athena but the air seemed to have changed.


    "Greetings to the priestess of Hermits. I am here to make a deal with you and I assure you that I have credible information for you to hear me out."


    Somehow, Athena did not find herself doubting those words. Her sixth sense told her that whatever this man was offering, was truly something she wanted.


    And even her instincts were telling her to stick to this man. His handsome face was to Athena''s liking and her powers asked her to take this man as hers.


    Still, Athena was no child and she would not be controlled by impulses. There were a lot of people dependent on her and her choices. Athena needed to make these choices carefully and screen this man first.


    "I am sure we could have had our discussion in the morning. Now is the pleasure time and I refuse to have any business conducted in this time."


    Athena denied this man based on principles.


    No matter how much she wanted to help this man, now was not the time. Athena''s god had dedicated this time to something and Athena would follow that.


    "I did try to find you in the morning but I was refused-"


    "Because of your disguise. Then you should discard it-"


    "I cannot. Not until we are alone and you give me a vow not to disclose my real identity."


    Now, this was a deal worth considering. If this man had considered not throwing his disguise and instead, sneaking in here, then it must be a big secret.


    The device on her person that Athena used to measure the value of someone''s information was exciting.


    Whatever news this man carried was massive and Athena ached to know it. She had been caught on the hook by this man.


    "Hmm, I can see your problem and I have a solution for you. I will listen to you in the morning and even grant you an immunity pass for your stay if you ept to apany me for the night."


    "In other words, give me pleasure to make me forget this world and I shall make your wishe true as well."


    Athena offered this with an open mind but her adorable intruder had to think hard about her offer.


    But in the end, he made the right decision of taking Athena''s hand and apanying her for the night. It was going to be a lovely and pleasure-filled night and in the morning, Athena would hear the man and his information out.


    Overall, it was going to be a win for her.

 Chapter 51 51: Taming A Wild Cat [Pt1]

    ?Keith would like to say he was forced toe into the central tent by Athena but that would be a lie. He was very much willing to walk into the tent on his own two feet.


    It was important for Athena to hear him out and it was not like Keith was uninterested in Athena and what she was offering him. He was a little pent up from the past few days of thinking over his options.


    Blowing some heat by indulging in pleasure was not a bad idea. And even the mood of this clearing was festive with an intoxicating atmosphere.


    ''God, I feel like I am drunk right now. It feels liberating to be in this ce. Is that why this camp was called the holynd of freedom?''


    Keith felt a little dizzy and a lot hornier than before once he stepped into the central tent. The sweet smell he had been smelling for some time was even stronger inside the tent.


    Not to mention, Athena''s toned and shapely body was enchanting to him and Keith was actively holding himself back not to jump her in public. But as soon as Athena closed her door, all bets were off.


    Keith pulled her into a hard kiss and Athena melted against his lips. She was a good kisser as she matched Keiht''s tone and moved her lips against his.


    She even opened her mouth to grant Keith entry when he opened his mouth. Athena''s tongue was a little rougher when she pulled back from the kiss and she licked Keith''s lips with that rough tongue.


    "Calm down tiger. We have plenty of nights left. Now, I would like to be fucked once before we do something kinky tonight. I want to take the edge off as soon as possible."


    Athena circled Keiht''s neck as she spoke against his lips. She was as impatient as Keith felt and the alcohol she had drunk before was finally starting to kick in for her. The incense she was using was also driving her nuts.


    Keith did not disappoint Athena as he circled her thin waist with his hands, almost managing to circle it whole with his hands, and picked her up.


    Athena was surprised at this sudden action and she froze as her feet left the ground. By the time she knew what was happening, Keith had already thrown her on the bed and taken her shirt off.


    Her breasts bounced without any shirt or bra to hold them in ce. Keith grabbed them and yed with them. His tongue licked across the nipple and Athena threw her head back in pleasure.


    Keith pressed his body against Athena, wanting to rub his hard cock against Athena''s wetness. She was drenched and Athena''s pussy was gushing like a broken fountain.


    Whatever was in the air was affecting them both equally it seems.


    "You are a naughty priestess. Isn''t your chastity for your god? But here you are, giving it away to a human like me. Isn''t this considered adultery in most cultures?"


    Keith questioned Athena while he snaked his hand down to her clothed pussy. Athena squirmed a little more after hearing Keith''s words.


    The dirty talk got her going well and Athena''s kinky mind found Keith''s actions sexy and arousing.


    "T-Those insignificant beings called ''other gods'' don''t know what they are talking about? Staying away from the pleasure and a-asking their believers to give their lives to the gods? H-How foolish of them *hiss*"


    Athena hissed those words out like a curse even as Keith yed her body like a fiddle. Athena arched her back as Keith increased the pressure on her body.


    His cock rubbed against Athena''s clothed pussy, and Keith rubbed her over her underwear. He even forced his finger into her hole, pressing her panty and shirt cloth a little into her wetness.


    When he pulled back, Athena''s thighs and her shorts, were all wet and sticky.


    Keith looked at the blown-out look on Athena''s face which was shocked. She seemed to not have expected that someone would y with her like this.


    ''Makes sense. Athena was the highest-ranking member in this clearing and no one would dare dominate her in her domain. So it''s up to me to show her the pleasures of submission.''


    It just made sense in Keith''s mind and his eyes met Athena''s wide ones. Then he looked up and noticed the mirror right in front of him and he had an idea.


    He was going to use the floor-to-ceiling mirror to induce even more lust and passion into this session. He forced Athena''s body to sit on hisp and her ass rubbed against Keith''s hard cock.


    They were both clothed but with their flushed faces along with the wetness of Athena''s panties showing the shape of her pussy, they looked to be straight out of a porn movie.


    Keith forced Athena to look up into the mirror, his hands gripping her jaw tightly and forcing her head up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Look at yourself, grand priestess of the Hermits. Don''t you make just the loveliest picture right now? Does it turn you on to see yourself like this in the mirror?"


    Athena moaned a little, forcing her eyes to open and take a look at herself. Her eyes were fixated on her body and the muscr difference she had with Keith.


    She looked like a small and fragile doll while sitting on Keith''s strong body. And that difference made Athena moan a little in pleasure. Her body made small jerking motions to press against Keith harder.


    Keith hissed as he felt Athena rub her ass against Keith''s cock. She seemed to be pent up as well but she was not ready.


    Keith sneaked his hand into Athena''s drenched underwear and Athena''s eyes were fixated on the motion.


    Since Athena could see what Keith was doing but not at the same time due to her clothes made her feel humiliated but it was also arousing for her. And when Keith pushed his finger inside Athena, she could not help but tighten up.


    *hiss* "Stop tightening around me, you dumb whore. Otherwise, I won''t be able to be gentle with you."


    Keith warned Athena but her mind just found it hotter to think of a bothered and aggressive Keith doing her in.


    ''I want to experience it. I want to lose control and hand it over to my partner. No one until now wanted to take the lead due to my position.''


    Athena''s desire was piling up inside her mind and she made a decision. She tightened around Keith''s finger inside her, forcing her loose pussy to tighten around him.


    Athena was trying to convey her message without speaking and Keith got her message loud and clear.


    "You dumb whore. You are so loose that you cannot even clench around my thick finger even if you wanted to. Thank god I can understand the message you want to convey to me even if you don''t say anything."


    Keith hissed as he pulled his finger out of Athena.


    "No, don''t. It was beginning to feel good-"


    Keith forced Athena to look up into the mirror. Her eyes were zed over with pleasure and she seemed to be losing herself. She was moving slowly against Keith and he had to hiss when he felt the friction.


    "Now, listen here you dumb whore. I don''t think you get what is happening to you. You are the one who is desperate for my touch so you will cooperate with me. Do you understand?"


    Keith questioned, forcing Athena to look at her condition. He wanted to drive home that she was the responsible party for it.


    Athena had tears of humiliation running down her face as she looked at herself. But despite herself, she could not look away from her image.


    "Not enough. Give me more of your words. Humiliate me more and be rougher with me. I want to experience more of this world."


    Athena seemed to be in somewhat of her right mind right now and Keith sighed. Athena just did not learn and it seemed like she needed an even harsher hand to discipline her. Keith would start having to be a little harder on her.


    So Keith brought his hand down on Athena''s leaking pussy and spanked it lightly. The reaction was instant and Athena gushed even more. Her eyes lost all awareness and her muscles tightened.


    One more spank on her pussy and Keith felt a questionable liquid drenching his hand which made him pause.


    "Did you juste right now? Or did you wet yourself? Whatever the case, it seems like you are incapable of listening to me properly so I will need to reeducate you."


    Amelia moaned out loud at the notion of being disciplined. It seemed like she had discovered another one of her kinks she had no idea about.


    "L-Lube, left drawer, top corner. Hurry please."


    Athena almost begged Keith but he frowned and spanked her sensitive pussy again.


    "You don''t give me orders here. I do what I want to you, understood?

 Chapter 52 52: Taming A Wild Cat [Pt2]

    ?Keith''s heart calmed down as he spanked Athena''s pussy a little harder than before. The questionable wetness that drenched her clothes made his hands all sticky now.


    Athena needed a lot more taming if Keith wanted her to submit to him. But it seemed like Athena wanted to cooperate with him herself so that was not a problem.


    Keith wanted to try out all sorts of things with Athena that he had learned about in his past life but had not gotten to try out. Athena seemed like the sort of person who would be into kink ys.


    But first, Keith decided to take the edge off himself. He opened the drawer Athena had told him about, the bottom left one, and felt shocked at the variety of toys inside.


    "N-No, don''t look at them. Just fuck me for now."


    Athena looked embarrassed as soon as Keith brought up a pink vibrator. It was a thick and long thing but it paled inparison with Keith''s real length.


    Keith put it down and picked up a small egg-shaped vibrator with a cheeky grin on his face. He could not help but palm it and it felt so small in his hand.


    "L-Leave it, please."


    Athena tried to reach out to take the vibrator out of Keith''s hands but she lost her bnce andnded on Keith''s hard cock. The sudden friction caused Keith to hiss in pleasure and his hips rubbed against Athena''s flushed body.


    "That''s enough disobeying. You are going to do what I want from here, do you understand?"


    Athena gulped in nervousness as her body reacted to the dominantmand. Her instincts were forcing her to submit and Athena found herself returning to Keith''sp in her previous position.


    It forced her to look up at her defiled image and Athena felt her body heat up.


    Keith also did not sit ideally. The vibrator was turned on and Keith pressed it against Athena''s hard nipples. The vibration caused her breasts to get stimted and her thin shirt showed the outline of her nipples.


    When had Keith undone her bra, even Athena was not sure. But she could feel the vibration on her body through her drenched shirt.


    "D-Don''t use it there. Feels too good."


    Athena was getting turned on but these sensations were not going to make here. She needed something more stimting and harder if she was toe tonight.


    Keith did not disappoint her as he moved the vibrator from her breasts to her clothed pussy and pushed against her clit. Athena wailed as soon as she felt the sensation against her sensitive pussy.


    Her panties and her shorts were beyond saving now. They were too drenched in her pree and other liquids and they were even sticking to her body.


    Keith snaked his hands down her panties and finally took them off. He also opened his pants and dragged his underwear down, all of it while having Athena on hisp. It was a talent Athena had never seen before.


    ''S-Shit. I knew Keith was big but this is a weapon. Will I even be able to take this hard cock?''


    Athena had not been able to guess Keith''s original size when he had his pants on but his naked cock felt so big and hard as it rubbed against Athena''s thighs. Not to mention, it seemed like Keith was not even fully erect right now.


    It wounded Athena''s pride and made her feel humiliated at the same time. But somehow, her body found this hot instead of disgusting to feel Keith against her.


    "Athena, where is your mind going? I told you to focus on me, right? Now, open yourself up for me and give me a show. Get me hard and I will give you the fuck of your life."


    Athena looked down to see Keith removing his hands from her waist. His hands looked so much bigger than Athena''s waste and she gulped at theparison.


    "Y-You want me to masturbate in front of you-"


    "No, I want you to open yourself up for me. Noing for you until I am inside you. Do you understand?"


    Keith raised Athena''s head to make her eyes meet his. His zing gaze forced Athena to not look away from him and to obey every word he said,


    So although it was embarrassing for Athena to put on a show, her hands moved on their own and snaked down her body. They reached her soaked pussy and rubbed against her hole.


    One of her fingers sank into her pussy and then another followed easily. But even her two fingers could notpare to Keith''s single finger.


    Soon, Athena had four of her fingers inside her pussy, fucking herself open and stretching her hole for Keith. But it felt far from enough.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That''s enough. Let me see how well you did to prepare yourself for me?"


    Keith forced his finger into Athena''s pussy but his two fingers had a hard time. Athena was almost worried that Keith would give up but he stopped for a second before forcing his fingers deeper into Athena''s body.


    The sudden force and stretch caused Athena to flinch and drool. Her hips were moving against Keith and her eyes were fixated on her stretched pussy.


    Meanwhile, Keith tried harder and harder to stretch Athena out but there was a limit to what his fingers could do.


    So Keith did what he had to and pulled his fingers out. He picked up Athena''s body and slowly sank her on his rock-hard cock.


    "N-No, don''t. You w-won''t fit inside me. You are t-too big and hard."


    Athenained as her pussy was forced open by Keith''s huge cock. Her body sank slowly and painfully down Keith''s body and she could cry out at the painful insertion.


    But despite thisining from her side, Keith did not stop and Athena did not want him to stop. They were bothpatible with each other.


    It was a forceful push but Keith ended up prating Athena deep. He was so big that Athena could not do anything but pant and take it. Despite all her experience and having taken various cocks, this was the biggest Athena had ever taken.


    "You are doing good Athena. Look, your body is all red and stretched out around me."


    Keith forced Athena''s hand to feel where they were connected and Athena could also see her stretched pussy in the mirror. The contrast made Athena flinch and moan. It was painful but pleasurable at the same time.


    She was stretched so wide that it did not seem like Keith could move even a little bit inside her. But he did move and it caused Athena to see stars.


    "Now, call out my name as you cry out in pleasure. Call out Keith for me."


    "K-Keith? Oh g-god, not there. Too good."


    Athena could not move on her own in her current position. Her legs had no strength left and her mind was also lost in pleasure.


    Keith''s huge cock was breaking her mind since Athena had yet to feel something like this in her life before.


    "L-Let me adjust-"


    "There is no need to. Your body knows what it wants. You just need to listen to it and follow what it wants from you."


    Keith reminded Athena as he forced her deeper into his cock. Athena was already losing her rationality and her ability to think. She could not take any more of this, especially not once Keith bottomed out into her body and forced his cock deep inside.


    He was touching her in ces Athena did not even know she had and her body tightened around Keith''s cock.


    The huge and hard cock was into Athena and her body felt stretched. She could not move, she could not even breath.


    It felt almost as if every part of her body was filled with Keith and he was everywhere inside her. And then Keith thrust into her body a little and Athena lost all reason. Her body shivered and her hips quaked.


    Athena ended uping around Keith''s cock in her body but that was far from the end of things. Keith seemed not to be satisfied and he continued to bully her even more. Every thrust of his hip caused Athena to flinch and shake.


    Her resistance was breaking apart in front of Keith and his weapon.


    "K-Keith, slow down. No, give it to me harder. Fuck me more right now. Yeshhh, that feels shooo good¡­"


    Athena was halfway between crying and moaning right now. There were too many sensations inside her body and Athena did not know which one she wanted to follow more. Her senses were zoned in on Keith and the pleasure he was providing her with.


    "You want toe again, right? Too bad that you will not be allowed toe that easily. You are not going to cheat me, right?"


    Keith questioned as he stopped Athena from moving on her own. He had total control of her now.

 Chapter 53 53: Taming A Wild Cat [Pt3]

    Athena was at the height of her passion, her body tensed up and ready toe when Keith stopped moving. It was too sudden and Athena''s body was not ready to lose connection with the pleasure she had been feeling.


    The disappointed sound left Athena''s lips as she clenched her pussy around Keith''s cock to make him move.


    Keith hissed as he felt Athena''s loose pussy squeeze around his big cock. She was squeezing him tight enough to cause delicious friction against her insides.


    There was something soft and pleasant just a little deeper inside Athena. If Keith angled his hips right, he could hit Athena''s pleasure spot directly. But he decided to be a bully and make Athena wait.


    Her vibrator which had been discarded before was picked up again and Keith turned it on again.


    "L-Let mee. It hurts. It hurts so much. Please, let mee, Keith."


    Athena''s loud and pleasure-filled voice echoed in therge room. Her flushed face and wild hair were reflected in the ss in front of her. The sensation of the b=vibrators on her clit and a hard cock buried in her pussy distracted Athena.


    Athena was unable to take her eyes off her own body. That needy thing in the mirror did not look like Athena to her but it must be as if the mirror was showing her.


    Her rosy cheeks and red skin made her look like one of the paintings in Hermits'' religious texts. Tears followed down Athena''s cheek as she felt pleasure wrack her body. She was losing her mind.


    "It hurts? Then you should do a better joy of making me feel good, right priestess? Maybe you will be more motivated if you think of me as your god. Isn''t your group all about pleasure?"


    Keith''s question caused Athena to pant. She could not think straight already, but Keith''s gentle whisper in her ear caused Athena to lose control of her body.


    She had not thought she would ever be able to release from the sound of someone'' voice itself but Keith had managed to make here undone by his words alone. Even now, the feeling of his hot and warm breath hitting Athena''s ear caused her body to heat up.


    "Y-You can''t keep me hanging. M-move."


    Athena tried to sound proud but all that came out of her mouth were tired pants and the subtle movement of her hips. But even then, Keith had control of her moments. His hands held Athena in ce and spread open on his cock.


    Not only that, but Keith also pulled Athena into a hard kiss. Their tongues fought for dominance and it was a battle Athena lost as soon as it had begun.


    She was clinging to Keith, trying to get more of him. Their bodies werepatible and Athena had never felt such a sense of fulfillment in her life before.


    Keith had been unmoving for some time now but he started to move again. The snap of his hips buried his cock deeper into Athena''s body. He was hot and throbbing cock deeper inside Athena.


    Her whole body shuddered as a result of Keith''s moving and Athena tried to gasp for breath, only to be denied as Keith rubbed his cock harder inside her body.


    "C-Cock, so deep. Let mee, please."


    Athena wanted toe. She desperately needed toe soon but there seemed to be no end to Keith''s desire.


    Every time Athena was even close toing, Keith stopped moving which caused Athena''s release to be blocked.


    Keith''s hands were moving all over her chest which made Athena moan his name out and beg for mercy. She just wanted toe once to get the edge off her.


    "Hold still. I am about toe."


    Keith warned Athena and held her still. His cock twitched once, twice, and then he wasing inside her. Hot cum filled Athena deep in her stomach and she felt bloated. No one had ever filled her this much before.


    She expected Keith to let her go now. He had found his release already so he had no reason for Keith to continue. Athena would most likely have to finish-


    A hard thrust stopped Athena in her thoughts. Keith had not softened even aftering and he had started to thrust into Athena''s body once again. She gasped out loud as she felt her sweet spot being bullied.


    Keith had pulled her body to its limits. Athena''s whole body was stretched out and on disy. Not only could she see the ce where she was connected to Keith, ut anyoneing inside would be able to as well.


    "P-Please let mee. I will do anything, but let mee."


    Athena was pleased as Keith bit her shoulder. His harsh bite caused Athena to throw her head back and look for his lips.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Their lips smacked against each other before Athena felt Keith''s tongue make easy work of her insides. His tongue was forceful, invading deep into Athena''s throat while his cock was making a home inside her body.


    "C-Close. No, don''t stop."


    Athena moved her hips this time, not allowing Keth to stop thrusting into her body. It was a tough angle for Athena to achieve but she managed to make Keith''s cock hit her pleasure spot.


    Atst, Athena was allowed toe. Warme filled her sloppy insides and Athena was overflowing withe.


    She tried to keep Kaith inside her body but he eventually pulled out. Athena instantly fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. This was a night she was going to remember.


    Meanwhile, Keith was ready for another round but his partner was knocked out for the night. Not only that, but the taste of alcohol on her breath was strong. There was no way a human body was going tost this long.


    In the end, Keith was left to take care of the aftermath of their night together. He hurriedly cleaned up the scar and also made the bed.


    Once he was done, he decided to lie down on the couch on the couch and go to sleep. The toys would have to wait for tomorrow.


    ......¡­..


    Athena woke up with a tired ache in her body. It was a pleasant feeling she was well-acquainted with since she often indulged in pleasure.


    ''Ah, my retainers must have flipped again. I don''t know why they react to my nightly activities despite knowing our culture."


    Athena sighed and started to look around for the unfortunate soul she must have dragged into her room yesterday. There was an 80% chance she had grabbed the first person she saw yesterday.


    Athena stood up, or more urately, she tried to stand up but she was unable to stand up. Her legs lost all strength as soon as Athena put any weight on them and she ended up in a small heap on the floor.


    "H-How is this possible? What happened to me? Am I sick or something?"


    Athena wondered aloud as shemanded her body to move. But no matter what she tried, her body refused to listen to her under normal circumstances. In the end, Athena had to use her mana to stand up.


    *Yawn* "You are finally awake now? You should curb your habit of drinking too much."


    Keith, her mind reminded Athena, spoke up from the couch he had been sleeping on. He had discarded his shirt yesterday night and now she got a good view of his toned body and naked cock.


    That hard morning wood reminded Athena of what had happened yesterday and a blush crept up on her cheeks at the memory. She could not believe she had been dominated like that.


    To cover her awkwardness, Athena coughed into her fist and tried to control her breathing.


    "Ah yes. I do remember what happened yesterday now. And I believe you enjoyed our night together as well so you have noint about it?"


    Athena did remember that she had promised to listen to this man but she had not even bothered asking his name.


    ''I must have been much more affected by yesterday''s atmosphere. I am not usually this careless.''


    Amelia assured herself as she took in a deep breath. The curiosity she had felt yesterday came creeping right back up her spine.


    This man still did not feel like anything to her. He had no aura or mana that was internally visible in his soul and he also had an ''otherworldly'' feeling about him.


    "Let''s put our pasts away and talk about the deal I want to make with you. But before we do that, I need you to sign this disclosure document detailing that you will not expose my secret to anyone."


    This man was through which made Athena like him. Usually, people did not tend to be cautious with their groups which costs them heavily. And for this likeness that Athena was feeling, she decided to hear this man out.


    Her gasp of wonder could not be hidden after she saw what Keith wanted to show her.

 Chapter 54 54: A Promise Made

    Everyone had secrets and those secrets held people back, restricting their freedom. A long time ago, one of the chief gods had not liked this restriction.


    Being a goddess of freedom, she had wanted her children to be free. So, she used her power to create a chief priestess that would protect her children''s freedom. She had created a society that was void of secrets and restricted no one.


    The goddess finally seeded after generations of isting her people and inculcating her values in them. And then her practice bore fruits and her children became the first society to have no sense of restriction.


    She was ready to share her joy with the world but the outside world did not ept her ideals or her children.


    To them, the idea of freedom was to restrict their thoughts and keep things to themselves. They saw her children as an infection and took advantage of them.


    Soon her children became marginalized and the goddess could not take it anymore.


    So, she gave her children ast blessing of freedom and power and disappeared from this world. The group of these descendants was what became to be known as Hermits.


    They were an isted society happy in their confinement but had their roots everywhere. And it was because of the blessing that granted them knowledge and power. It was the only reason they were able to remain as a separate entity.


    As the current priestess, Athena had seen all kinds of truths. The thoughts and knowledge of the chosen ''representative'' of their goddess were passed down intact. As such, she had most of the memories of her past ancestors.


    But she was sure she had never seen such a shocking truth before.


    As soon as her partner of the past night took off his facade, his brown hair turned green and his brown eyes turned red. The handsome face was still there but now it was much more recognizable.


    ''The grandmaster. To think that the person I spent the night with was the grandmaster, huh? But it makes sense why I could not pick up any aura from this person.''


    Normally, humans were unable to hide their aura but the grandmaster was different. He was the pinnacle of power and was capable of all kinds of amazing feats.


    "Now that I have shown you my secret, I expect you to keep your mouth shut regarding this. Shall we go ahead and discuss my request further?"


    Keith, no, the grandmaster gestured toward her couch and Athena nodded her head numbly.


    She could still not believe that her night partner turned out to be the grandmaster. It was an honor and Athena views to take this secret to her grave.


    "O-Of course. Kindly take a seat. Would you like tea? Coffee? Water? Anything?"


    Athena had not been nervous until now but her nerves decided to act up all of a sudden. The knowledge of this man''s true identity was too much for her.


    ........


    Keith''s heart was beating a mile per minute. He was afraid of Athena''s reaction and how strong it would be.


    It was a big shock to find out that the man you had slept with the night before was the grandmaster after all.


    But Athena took it way better than Keith had expected her to. She blinked a few times but then offered him a seat.


    "No, I will not have anything. Rather, I am short on time so I would like to settle our business as soon as we can."


    Since Athena was nervous as well, Keith decided to cut short the chase. It helped Athena calm down and she snapped into her business mode.


    "So, what can I help you with? Since you paid such a heavy price already, I will do you a favor without charge."


    Keith was surprised at the generous offer. He had been ready to give out more secrets and knowledge about the future if it was asked of him. But Athena had not asked anything from him.


    ''As the saying goes, don''t look a gifted horse in the mouth.''


    "You people have extensive informationworks, right?" Athena nodded, "then, I want you to buy an identity for me. It should preferably be someone with no family and also no record of noted death. If the person matched my physical features, even better."


    Athena''s eyebrows went up the more she heard from Keith. She waited until it seemed like the grandmaster as finished speaking and then she asked her question.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "May I know the reason why you are asking something like this from me? As far as I know, you are the grandmaster. There should be nothing that you should not be capable of doing. Your hold powers are the strongest in the world, right?"


    As Athena knew, everyone had secrets but her society was based on an open system. She did not believe in hiding information. But she was also aware that she would not be able to force this man to tell her his secrets.


    Grandmaster looked away for a few minutes and his face was covered in a vial of ice. Athena instantly backed down as soon as she noticed this.


    She had pushed too far.


    But that was what Athena thought. In reality, Keith was trying toe up with an excuse to give to Athena. He wanted to sound cool but also vague. It would be better if Athena did not get what he was saying.


    "There are some things a person needs to get done no matter what. I am not an exception to this rule as well. Let''s just say that I need a new identity to attain my freedom."


    That, more than anything, caused Athena to pause. As the priestess of the goddess, she could not ignore such a request.


    No matter what kind of person came to their society, they were promised freedom and liberation. It even applied to someone like a grandmaster.


    Besides, this man had already paid her the price so Athena could not back down now.


    "I understand. Since you want me to form a new identity for you, I will do so. But it might take some time to match your requirements. How do you want me to contact you in the meantime?"


    Athena wanted to go with the grandmaster but she could not leave her dwelling. She was the priestess and she was responsible for her people.


    But it seemed like the grandmaster was the grandmaster and he had a solution for her problems. He even seemed to know about their group''s exclusive technique.


    "That should not be a problem if one of your other members apanies me, right? As I am aware, your tribe can share senses and information. Since you cannot leave this ce, you can send someone else with me."


    Athena never expected this solution toe up and her first instinct was to deny the grandmaster''s request.


    She knew from her centuries of knowledge just how easy it was to take advantage of them. But then she reconsidered.


    Anyone else would have been a problem for Athena to trust but this was the one and only grandmaster. Not only had powerful but he was also known for his fairness. And above all, he had participated in the Hermits'' ceremony the night before.


    By all means, that made the grandmaster a member of their society.


    "If you were anyone else, I might have had you thrown out for suggesting such an oundish suggestion. But I am willing to trust you. I shall pick someone out from the tribe to apany you."


    Athena had a few warriors in mind for this opportunity. Some members of her tribe were getting restless while staying in this small desert.


    "Actually, can I choose the person who will apany me back? There is someone, I noticed yesterday who might have the potential to be great with some training in the future. I would like to offer that person a chance to follow me."


    Athena was surprised once again by the grandmaster. By all means, this was an offer people generally did not make to Hermits.


    "If you are worried about my chosen person''s mental well-being, then rest assured. I promise to protect the person I will talk along with me."


    The grandmaster seemed to have seen through Athena once again and she admitted her defeat. She could not beat the grandmaster when it came to insight. He was in a league of his own.


    And since the grandmaster had such a strong insight, Athena was sure he knew what he was talking about.


    "Very well then. You can choose your travelingpanion on your own. No matter what your choice is, I will not hinder you anyway in the future."


    Athena promised this to the grandmaster and he had a subtle smile on his face. Athena suddenly had a lot of work to do and no time to rest. She needed to start looking into this new identity business as soon as possible.

 Chapter 55 55: A Runaway Kid [Pt1]

    Keith forced his body to remain tense and upright for as long as he was out in the open. Priestess Athena had given him a room for the duration of his stay and Keith was thankful.


    "Dear guest, kindly call upon us if you need anything. We will look after your needs for you."


    The person who had led Keith to the room gave a respectful bow while sneaking wide-eyed looks at him. Keith pretended he did not notice the subtle gesture of the teen in front of him.


    It had been half an hour by now and everyone in the camp knew who their ''guest'' was. Thankfully, no one knew that Keith was the same person who had knocked on their door and been driven out yesterday.


    It was all thanks to the magical contract and its usage. Otherwise, Athena would have revealed everything to her people.


    ''The game was right. The only way to make a Hermit keep your secret was through external force. I am so d I remembered that. It would help me deal with that hidden dragon in the future.''


    Keith had two reasons foring to this camp and extracting the promise from priestess Athena. First was obviously because this ce was the best ce to solidify his identity.


    But the second one was even more important than the first. It was because of a hidden party member of the protagonist. Whether you meet him on your route depended on various factors.


    The character was named Shinu, who was a dragon cub raised by the Hermits. He was an extreme forceter in the game and capable of killing armies if you poured your resources into him.


    His story was a typical sob story - being different and being bullied for it causing the kid to end up running away. Shinu was then captured by the ve traders and auctioned as an ''exotic human'' without a gender.


    Shinu waster saved by the protagonist (the one you yed since it was amon route) and was a hidden quest reward.


    But Keith was not going to let that quest take ce. He was going to pick up Shinu before he could run away and turn Shinu into his loyal guard dragon. It was a big-risk, big-reward move on Keith''s part.


    ''I need to wait for the dawn to fall before I can go looking for Shinu. The children are brought out in the evening and that is when Shinu gets bullied the most. I must take advantage of that time and gain his trust.''


    Did this make Keith a bad person for ignoring a child being abused and then taking advantage of his trauma? Maybe so.


    But Keith''s life was at risk here so he was going to use any underhand trick he could think of.


    Finally, the sun settled and the sky fell dark. It was time for the worries of the day to melt away into night''s pleasure. No one was excluded from this event, not even the children.


    And it was prime time for Keith to execute his n.


    ......¡­.


    "Ouch, it hurts. Why are you pushing me away?"


    A small child asked this question to the group of children in front of him. He had various cuts and bruises on his small body but nothing major seemed to be broken. This child was Shinu, the one Keith was looking for.


    The other children he was addressing looked offended and awkward at the question asked.


    "Huh? Stop asking me why we are pushing you away. Don''t you know that you are different than us all? Your mommy picked you up from the outside and the adults say that outsiders are bad people."


    The leader of the small party spoke, puffing his chest out.


    Since the people in their society did not lie and they did not mince their words, the kids had learned some harsh world as well. And as a result, these children could be often brutal in their speech.


    "I am not a bad person. My mother says I am a good person and my mother doesn''t lie."


    Now the kid who was bullying Shinu looked startled. His mind was conflicted with the new information he heard.


    He knew that his father had spoken the truth about the outsiders being bad, but Shinu''s mother was a part of their society and could not lie. There were two pairs of contradictions in front of him and the kid did not know what to believe.


    "H-How can this be? You are lying. You are a bad adult, lying to me right now, aren''t you? You are showing your true outside colors. See, I knew there was no way you were one of us."


    The bully almost yelled as he pointed toward Shinu. It was the breaking point for Shinu. The happy atmosphere of the ce was not enough to settle the pain in his heart and tears started flowing down Shinu''s face at the sudden usation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I-I am not a liar. I am one of you -"


    "No, you are not. You are a weirdo we do not ept as a part of us."


    "Yeah, leave our town right now. We do not need an outsider like you living with us."


    Shinu could no longer take the jeering voices asking for him to go away. So, he did what any kid his age would do when faced with rejection from his closest people.


    Shinu ran away toward the outside of the town. The settling sun was casting a shadow over the world. Darkness was making it difficult to see in such a situation.


    But surprisingly enough. Shinu seemed to have no problem seeing where he was going. His eyes could pick up the surrounding even in the darkness of the night. But it did not strike as odd to Shinu.


    He ran and ran until he reached the boundary of his town. He needed to cross it and he would be free from these people and their harsh worlds.


    ''Mommy said never to cross the camp boundary if I do not want to die. But living here is painful. Mommy is also busy indulging in pleasure and I do not want to disturb her.''


    So, Shinu made up his mind and he gulped down his nerves. He raised one wed hand to grip the wall and then he started climbing.


    Three climbing steps in and Shinu knew he could do it. He could scare the wall and be free.


    But no sooner than he had thought this did he face his biggest obstacle in the form of a green-haired human man. The unknown man had picked up Shinu by the back of his shirt and picked him up.


    Then, Shinu had been made to stand on his feet again and all his progress had been wiped clean.


    "Hey, what do you think you are doing? Do not touch me, you moron."


    Shinu did not know what these words meant but he had heard the elders yell them when they were irritated and frustrated with someone. So, they were most likelyints and Shinu decided to use them.


    Instead of looking upset and going away as most seniors did after they were yelled at, this foreigner just looked amused.


    "You have one heck of a mouth on you kid. Has no one ever taught you the importance of not speaking what is on your mind? You can get in a lot of trouble if you offended the wrong person."


    Shinu knew a warning when he heard one but he did not care much for it. He was taught not to keep his words a secret since birth.


    "I will say whates to my mind. Hiding things is not the Hermits'' way and I am a member of thismunity."


    Shinu is proud of his identity as a Hermit. He had grown up here and only known this ce. It was forever going to be his home, no matter what happened.


    He might look different from everyone in this camp but Shinu considered himself as their member.


    "I see. So, you consider yourself a Hermit, huh? That makes things easier for me. Shinu, would you like toe with me to the guild and learn how to weird your power? I will be able to make you the strongest in your home."


    The handsome man made an offer to Shinu and it sounded far too good to be true. And if there was one thing Shinu''s mother had warned him, it was to not fall for sweet words.


    Shinu could feel greed and hunger cloaking this handsome man in front of him and that did not form the best first impression on him. He was not going to go with this man anywhere.


    "No, I am not going anywhere with you. I do not like you and your lying aura. I am going to stay in this camp my whole life."


    Shinu yelled with confidence which made the foreigner snicker.


    "Oh, but were you not in the middle of running away?"

 Chapter 56 56: A Runaway Kid [Pt2]

    Shinu seemed to be in a bind after Keith pointed out the contradictions in his words. He looked at a loss for words and Keith decided to take mercy on the kid and not tease him any longer.


    "It''s alright if you want to take a small trip outside ande back but it is too dangerous to go out at night without anyone supervising you. You will make your guardian worried."


    Keith warned the kid and the kid flinched at Keith''s words. He seemed to be at a loss for words and Shinu''s eyes also trembled.


    "I-I was going toe back soon anyway. I just need a little time to gather myself. Leave this ce? Never! I want to be here forever."


    Shinu sounded convinced about his dedication. He was a good kid in the end but Keith could not allow the kid to do as he pleased.


    Just because Shinu had not been captured by the ve traders did not mean it could not happen. And if the protagonist did not trigger the hidden event quest to free Shinu, who knows what would happen to this kid?


    ''I do not usually have a soft spot for kids but I might for Shinu. My clumsy ass was saved by this kid too many times in the original MMO.''


    "Alright kid, tell you what. If you want to go outside at night then I will not stop you. I also want to take a walk outside so I am sure it will be safe there."


    Keith forced his words out and tried not to show the uneasiness on his face outright.


    He hoped that the words about this surrounding being blessed and not having any monsters turned out to be true. Keith was not going to be able to fight a strong monster on his own.


    Luckily, he had somehow managed to swipe the priestess''s precious skill, bind, this time so he had some kind of protection. But it would not be enough in a long fight.


    "No, you cannote with me outside. I will go alone and that is final. Do not you dare follow me; you dirty human form outside. And I am strong. No monster would be able to harm me anyway."


    Shinu pointed his small finger toward Keith in a warning. He looked equally offended and pleased at Keith''s suggestion but he seemed not to know how to express these conflicting emotions of his.


    Keith raised his hands in a universal pose of surrender to show the kid he did not mean any harm and Shinu decided to start his climb again.


    "You know, if all you want to do is to get out of here, then there is a way I can take you out. What do you say? Are you going to take my hand and follow me?"


    Keith extended his hand out toward Shinu, hoping for the kid not to be stubborn.


    But of course, the kid was going to be stubborn. He was already suspicious of Keith anyway, so why would he take the offered hand just like that?


    Shinu looked at Keith''s offer for just a single second before he turned his face away and continued to climb up. Keith sighed tiredly and took a seat.


    He waited until Shinu was at the top of the wall and then quickly made his way outside. By the time Shinu climbed down the wall, Keith was already outside. Shinu''s eyes bulged at seeing Keith arrive outside before him.


    "H-How did you do this? Are you some kind of magician? Is this some kind of ability? Can you teach this to me?"


    Shinu seemed to have forgotten everything Keith had told him. He looked at Keith in awe before realizing what he was doing and turning his head away.


    Keith did not miss this opportunity to ask the kid to join him.


    "You like my small trick, Shinu? You can learn much more if youe with me. So, what do you say? Do you want toe with me?"


    The kid looked tempted for the first time. He had seen something amazing and his desire to learn was rather great as well.


    In the end, dragons were greedy little bastards, hoarding treasure, and skills they came across. Shinu''s nature was not any different from his predecessors, but he was still able to control himself.


    It was most likely due to his upbringing.


    "A-As if I need your help. If I want to learn something then I will do it on my own. And you, stop following me."


    Shinu pointed toward Keith again, this time his words were mixed with an irritated grown. He was warning Keith not to over-step his boundary.


    That warning sent shivers down Keith''s spine and he felt fear grip his heart. Shinu was one dangerous kid after all.


    But Keith forced himself to move. Shinu was a rtively passive kid and he would not hurt Keith. Keith just had to believe in Shinu.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sorry kid, but I am not following you. My destination happened to be in the same direction you are heading into."


    Shinu did not buy Keith''s bullshit but he could also not spot any lies in Keith''s words. But Shinu still felt as if he was being tricked.


    In his irritation over his conflicting feelings, Shinu ended up growling at Keith which caused the man to take a step back.


    "Go another way. This is a desert so you can easily avoid me, right?"


    Shinu was going to force Keith to go another way and for that, he needed to be harsh. Even if it hurt his heart to send someone interested in him away, it was for his safety.


    Keith should have left by now, seeing how unfriendly Shinu was being but Keith just stood his ground.


    "Yeah, I think not a kid. I am free to go where I want to and even you cannot restrict my freedom. Now set up and start walking."


    Nothing had made Shinu flinch before but these words certainly did. As a part of a group that was all about freedom, the idea of restricting anyone''s freedom was horrifying to Shinu.


    So, he ended up bowing his head in the end.


    "Fine, do what you want to. As long as you do not talk to me, you are free to follow me or whatever."


    Keith looked satisfied and Shinu tried not to show how happy it made him. No one had ever looked at him favorably before (except his mother) and this new feeling excited Shinu.


    Maybe Keith was not as bad as he was making him out to be. Maybe not all outsiders were as bad as Shinu thought of them.


    "Hey, I want to ask you something. What do you think of the outside world? Is it dangerous? Is it as dishonest and filled with bad people as elders say? Not that I am doubting them or anything. I just want to confirm my beliefs."


    Keith could have lied here and told Shinu that his elders were right. That would have won him a lot of brownie points with this kid. But Keith had a feeling that lying would not be a wise option.


    ''Hmm, how should I answer this question?''


    Keith was in a dilemma but he decided to go with his gut answer.


    "Well, I won''t say that the outside world is bad, but it''s not a good ce either. The world is not ck and white, but in a constant shade of grey and everyone looks at it with a different colored lens. What may be the truth for me might be a lie for you and vice versa."


    Shinu looked like he was 7 years old in human age so there was a good chance that he would not understand all this philosophical bullshit Keith had decided to go with.


    ''Why did I make my words soplicated? The one I am talking with is a kid, not my colleague. I should have used simpler words.''


    So, Keith tried to simplify his words the next time he spoke.


    *cough* "What I mean by those words was that-"


    "I am not a moron so there is no need for you to repeat your words. I understand what you wanted to say to me."


    Shinu looked away with his lips pulled tight. He kept on walking after that, not speaking a word for some time. They reached the small oasis that was hereby the Hermits'' camp and sat down on a rock.


    Keith felt sorry for the kid and he was also hungry. So, he decided to stand up and look around for some fruits.


    Otherwise, it was time to go back now. The night would soon get too cold for anyone to be out here.


    "Hey kid, I will be looking around for something to eat now. Give me a yell if something happens, alright?"


    Keith warned Shinu which got him a calm and satisfied look back. It almost seemed as if Shinu had not heard him but Keith knew he had been heard loud and clear.

 Chapter 57 57: The Runaway Kid [Pt3]

    Keith had no idea if this was the night something was supposed to go wrong or not in the story but he was not going to take any risks.


    In the end, Keith decided not to go too far into the Oasis green part so that he could keep an eye on Shinu. He could still see Shinu from his current ce in the oasis so he was a little relieved by it.


    He soon began to gather the nuts on the nearby trees, not even realizing when he lost track of time and his surroundings.


    He did not notice someone sneaking up on him and ended up being hit in the back of his head. Then, he was picked up with Shinu and taken away from the ve traders.


    .....


    "Looks like we got ourselves a good trade offer, boss. The kid looks young and I am sure that some rich master would buy him and this person here looks like a carbon copy of the grandmaster. He would surely fetch a good price for us."


    Keith''s consciousness came back in patches so he was pretty much able to hear what the ve traders were talking about.


    He could not believe he had let himself get captured like this.


    ''I can never let people find out who I am. It would be far too humiliating for me and especially blow my cover.''


    Keith promised this in his heart. This was a secret he would take to his grave, and if someone asked him why he was there, Keith would tell them that he got captured because he had a n.


    "Let me go. You do not know how much trouble you will get into once my motheres for me. So let me go."


    Shinuined, now awake and full of energy. Keith wanted to tell him to save his strength and not fight back, but he doubted that the kid would listen to him.


    "Shut up kid. Just because I cannot hit you does not mean I will not gag you if you annoy me too much. From today onwards, you are our merchandise."


    Shinu looked up in shock, not understanding how a human can be an object at the same time. The concept of very and ownership did not exist in the Hermits'' camp after all.


    The horrified look on Shinu''s face caused the ve trader tough with joy. He seemed to find Shinu''s cluelessness to be funny.


    "Sorry kid, but soon you will see a world you have never seen before. I am sure you will learn a lot as well."


    The ve trader left the scene soon after that, closing the door behind him. There were only Shinu and Keith left in that room after that.


    Finally, when it looked like everything was safe and no one woulde in, Keith dared to wake up and sit straight. Shinu seemed to be struggling with the rope binds on his body and Keith sighed.


    "Don''t both try to undo these ropes. They are artifacts that would note undone no matter what you do. Just save your strength for now because you will need it soon."


    Shinu had never said how long he had been a ve. As a dragon-cub, Shinu was someone who grew very slowly and would be 7 years old for a long time. His age in the MMO was never specified as well but he had looked somewhere around 8-9 years old at that time.


    It would be some time before the protagonist came for Shinu if he even dide at that.


    "You want me to sit still? How can I do that in my current situation? And what about you? How did you get captured if you are so great? You said that you would teach me to be to wield my power, but you were not even able to save yourself. I knew all outsiders were liars."


    Keith tried not to show how much those words affected him. Shinu was saying the truth and Keith had gotten caught because of his carelessness.


    *cough* "Don''t worry, it''s all part of my n. I wanted these ve traders to capture me so that I could catch them red-handed. I will soon take this ce down."


    It was a fact. Even in the likely case that the protagonist did note to take these people down, there were rumors of the ve ring being disbanded in the original story. It was only a matter of time now.


    Besides, Keith had sent a message to ir, telling her what was going to happen. Hispanion would take care of things for him from here on.


    ''I just need to put my faith in ir. I am sure she will not let me down.''


    Shinu did not believe Keith. The adult was a liar and he was the biggest liar Shinu had seen in his life. There was no chance that they would be saved in this desperate situation so there was no need to give Shinu any false hopes.


    "You are sure we will be saved?" Keith nodded with full certainty, "In that case, I will follow you, no matter where you take me. But only if you save me and agree to take my mother with us as well. I will not leave my old mother back in my vige."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith was surprised by Shinu''s words but they did not sound that bad to him. He was willing to take an olddy with him since it would not change much in the guild.


    "Alright kid, it''s a deal then."


    Keith agreed easily to those words. Now it was a matter of waiting.


    ........


    ir was busy going through the documents on her desk. The documents, Keith, the grandmaster was supposed to finish.


    But Keith had taken off on another journey, leaving ir to finish his work. It was too much for ir who had to finish by herself in time. And then there was her supervision work she had no time for.


    ''Ugh, when will this mountain of paperwork finish? I am so writing the same thing again and again.''


    ir was ready to do anything else other than this paperwork which was not even necessary. It was just a formality people had stuck with her since the grandmaster was not here.


    Her salvation came in the form of a text message from Keith, asking her for a favor. It exined his situation and what he wanted from ir.


    It seemed like it was time to organize a raid on the ve house near Hermit''s territory. It had gone rtively unharmed precisely because they had not made any big moves recently. But it seemed like things finally changed for them.


    ''Hmmm, I should ask Shinzou to deal with this ande with me. I heard that he was going to make rounds on that said anyway. I guess it is time for me to head out as well.''


    ir was finally free to do what she wanted. She immediately headed toward the training grounds, hoping to find Shinzou.


    Shinzou was there, but it was a surprise to see him duking it out with Amelia. The pink-haired diator was holding her own against a guild master but it was only in the physical strength department.


    "How is it? Is my progress to your liking?"


    Amelia asked, her chest panting due to exerting too much of her energy. She looked exhausted but she was still pulling herself up.


    Shinzou looked unimpressed on the outside but his eyes were wide in shock. He had never seen someone improve as fast as this girl did in his life. She was a prodigy worth keeping around.


    "Honestly, you are a little better than the brats I usually train. I knew I should never have doubted the grandmaster''s words when he asked me to take you in as a student. You have the potential."


    Amelia grinned and lost her focus. It was her doom since Shinzou did not spare her small mistake. Before Amelia knew it, her sword had been forced out of her hand.


    "But despite all this, you are too green to go against me. Next time, practice a little more on being focused so that you do not get distracted while fighting."


    Melia clenched her fists in rage, her expression darkening as she considered her shorings.


    She had seen Master Shinzouing at her but she had still allowed herself to look away. Next time, she will not get distracted.


    ir pped her hands to get both of their attention and they looked up at her. They had noticed her as soon as she had walked in.


    "Master Shinzou, Amelia, you both fought well."


    Shinzou scoffed at ir''s words, not believing that she was here to watch them practice. His ve girl was far too cunning for that.


    "Say what you want to say and don''t beat around the bush."


    Shinzou snapped and ir grinned. It was going to be a fun trip for sure.


    "The grandmaster wants us to do something so get ready."

 Chapter 58 58: A Well-Laid Trap [Pt1]

    Port Hermis boasted itself to be a peaceful town with a lot to see. Even though it was called a Port, it only had a small stretch of territory that connected it to the main ocean. And that small stretch was heavily guarded by Master Shinzou''s people.


    It was a well-known fact that this port was a ce under Master Shinzou''s control and no one could even squeak in here without his permission.


    So, people were often surprised and intrigued when they heard that this town had a ve auction house. That was what attracted people to this forbidden ce and it soon became popr and more daring.


    That was what created the current situation - ve auctions being held often.


    That was what the description in the MMO had said in the game. But Keith had been in here for a day and he had not heard anything about the auction being held.


    "It''s your lucky day today. Both of you will be able to see your first auction. Oh, do not look so sad because you are not the merchandise tonight. We need to save you for a grander stage than this. Today, we will announce your auction dates so you will need to make an appearance."


    Keith remained calm due to his grandmaster mask but Shinu was not asposed. His wide eyes looked at his captor with horrified wide eyes.


    "Let me go. Please, let me go."


    Shinu was exhausted by now. He had not taken Keith''s advice to sleepst night and was now tired. His body was even aching due to the weird angle he had been tied to.


    And it was because he tried to bite his captor a few times already.


    "Stop begging already or I will be forced to whip a disobedient ve like you in shape. Be more like your cooperativepanion."


    Shinu shot Keith a betrayed look but he was not able to do anything else. Theck of food was messing with Shinu''s draconic instincts. He would soon go berserk if he did not eat.


    Not that he or these people knew that truth. They were all pretty much unaware of the danger they were in.


    ''I sent ir the message yesterday so she should be here today. I think she will decide to appear in this auction tonight to help me out.''


    Keith was convinced of this so he knew he had to wait it out now. Soon he would be free and these people would pay forying their hands on him.


    "Sorry kid, but you now live in a world where the strong eat the weak. If you do not want to get eaten, then you simply must be strong. That way, no one will be able to walk all over your beliefs."


    The words of that ve trader stuck with Shinu. He had never believed in being strong before since there had been no need for him to be strong. But the society outside his camp was making him realize his helplessness.


    He had a feeling that nothing like this would have happened had he been strong enough to prevent it.


    ''I need to gain power. If Keith ends up keeping his word, then I will take his offered hand and be stronger.''


    Shinu promised himself as he went quiet. That was all he could do to conserve his energy.


    ...


    "So, let me get this straight. Our grandmaster decided to infiltrate a ve auction to gather more information and free the ves there. And you are worried about our grandmaster and decided toe here and help him out. Is that what you are saying, ir?"


    Amelia tried to warp her head around what ir had said. ir was using cloak magic to make herself look older right now. She looked to be 16 right now and her asset was big.


    And she was not the only one in disguise. Everyone else had worn one to conceal their identities as well.


    Somehow, Amelia did not find herself doubting ir''s words about Keith''s actions. Maybe it was her new age or something. He could be reckless at times when he felt like he needed to be. That was what made Keith a good man and a good person in Amelia''s eyes.


    That and the fact that Keith was taking down a ve ring all by himself and gathering evidence on the way as well.


    "Yup, you pretty much got all of it. Oh, look, more street food. Wait for me to buy it and I will be back."


    ir only took one step when his shoulder was held in ce by Shinzou. Amelia''s master had the most serious look Amelia had seen to date.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you think you are doing? How can you run around so freely when our grandmaster is in such a dangerous situation? What if he got hurt or worse? How do you even have an appetite right now? And can you finish the rest of your snacks before you buy more?"


    Shinzou looked close to hitting ir with his bare fists.


    The only thing that was holding Shinzou back was the fact that ir was the only one who knew where their grandmaster was being kept. She was their guide and the one person they needed to depend upon.


    It wounded Shinzou''s pride but he had no choice. He did not want to run around blind. But he could always charge into the ve house and-


    "Oh,e on. We cannot do anything about this situation until the evening so there is no need for you to be so on edge. We need to infiltrate a ve auction and catch everyone off-guard if we want to catch all rted parties. Oh, were you thinking of charging in recklessly right now and blowing our covers? It would be tragic, right?"


    ir''s words were light but they jabbed Shinzou a few times in delicate ces. He had to hold his winch back as soon as he heard her mocking tone.


    She had someone end up guessing everything right without even looking his way. Even Amelia was surprised at how well ir knew her master.


    "I-I was not going to charge in recklessly. I did have the n to follow along-"


    "One that would put the grandmaster at risk, right? You might as well give up now, master Shinzou. We are going to follow my n, alright?"


    Master Shinzou gritted his teeth in irritation. He did not want to do this but he had no choice. He had to listen to ir.


    "Fine, I will back down, alright. So, what is the n?"


    Shinzou asked and Amelia was interested to know as well.


    So far, all they had done was look around this marketce and buy food. They had not made any progress on their actual mission.


    "Oh, calm down. I am just looking for a ''victim'' who would be willing to sell us an auction ticket. We do not want to break in by force, right?"


    Both Amelia and Master Shinzou looked away at ir''s deration. They both had been thinking of breaking into the auction house by force if needed. But ir''s words were both advice and a warning not to be foolish.


    "Y-You are right. There is no need for us to force our way in. We should observe our surroundings for now."


    ir grinned and led them both to another food stall.


    ording to Keith''s message, one of these food stalls was a fake one that sold the auction tickets. But Keith had forgotten to mention which street food stall he was talking about.


    "E-Excuse me miss, but are you, travelers? I saw you looking around various food stalls in this neighborhood and I cannot help but think you are looking for something more ''exotic'' right? Then, I might be able to help you out. Please follow me."


    A shopkeeper made his way toward ir and her party. He looked shady no matter how you looked at him and Shinzou tried to step in front of ir.


    ir held her hand out to stop Shinzou and even passed him the look. Shinzou understood what ir was saying to him and he backed down.


    This was the person ir had been looking for all his time.


    "You are willing to offer me something exotic, right? Then it better be worth my money and time. Otherwise, you will not like what I do to you."


    ir spoke like a spoilt princess with a lot of money. The shop owner grinned as soon as he saw her attitude. He was sure that his girl was a big fish he needed to reel in.


    "Of course, it will be worth your effort and money. If not, then you can report me to the authorities and I will confess to everything."


    The shopkeeper offered and ir tried hard to contain her grin. This man thought he was tricking ir but it was the other way around. This man was already in ir''s palm and he did not even know it yet.

 Chapter 59 59: A Well Laid Trap [Pt2]

    "You both, get up now. It''s time to go to the auction hall. You might not be getting sold today but there is no harm in showing people our merchandise, right?"


    The ve trader questioned as soon as he arrived in the room. He looked at the engraved Shinu and the Keith with a greedy expression in his eyes. Keith could watch the save trader''s eyes turn into money sigh as he looked at the people in front of him.


    "Don''t look so scared now, it''ll be alright. After all, you both will soon be getting new homes, right?"


    The ve trader looked happy as he watched Shinu and Keithy there and not be able to do anything else. He had spent a fortune on buying these ropes and it was worth it in the end.


    "You will not be able to get away with this."


    Shinu cried out onest time but he was beginning to lose hope now. The ve trader''s happy smile was too bright for Shinu to ignore.


    "Oh, you poor sweet child. You say that I am not able to do anything but can you not see that I already achieved what I wanted to? I have heard so many people say the same words you say to me before but they all ended up being sold in the end. And your fate will not be any different from theirs."


    The ve trader assured Shinu. Keith heard it all from his position on the ground but he did not respond.


    The ve trader was looking at Keith for his response but Keith did not dignify him with one. The ve trader tsked in return, now beginning to hate Keith''s cold attitude.


    It had been nice to have an obedient ve at first but what fun was it if their ve did not resist even a little? It took all the run out of breaking the ves in for the boss.


    The boss was about to walk over to Keith and strike him to get a response when the door to his storage was knocked on by someone.


    "Boss, it''s time for the auction. Our guests are here already and they are waiting for you to show up."


    The boss instantly corrected his posture and forced a smile on his face. He did not want his guests to see him in a foul mood.


    After all, the fun of owning a ve was to have someone to relieve your stress on and to live a happy life afterward.


    "I see. So, it is time now. Someone,e in here and prepare these guests of ours for the auction. I will go and address the opening stage."


    The boss ordered and two people ran in to follow his orders. They seemed to be ves as well but they had lost all hopes of ever being free. The obedience spell on their bodies would make sure of that.


    And now only that, they were also orphans with nowhere else to go.


    Shinu felt the aura of darkness and despairing from these humans and he did not like it. They had been deprived of their freedom for too long that they had even lost sight of what made them human.


    Soon, those people were preparing Keith and Shinu for their first appearance in an auction ring. And all of Shinu''s sympathy flew out of the window.


    "Let me go. Let me go right now."


    He tried to break free but the hands that held him did not let him go. Keith and Shinu were washed and dressed in record time. And then they were off to being auctioned. Keith walked up to the stage with a cold look on his face.


    He looked up and his eyes met ir''s. But she was not alone and had Shinzou as well as Amelia with her.


    ''T-That girl! I told her toe alone. So why did she drag the two people I did not want her to drag with her?''


    ir waved back to him while Amelia looked shocked. Shinzou looked ready to stand up and tear this ce apart any moment while ir held him back.


    Keith knew for sure that he could not make a mistake now. His life and the life of everyone else in this establishment today was in his hand.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to our special merchandise for our next auction. Aren''t they just splendid?"


    The auction leader announced and silence fell in the hall. Then everything exploded as ir lost her grip on Shinzou.


    "This is prosperous. I will not stand for this nder any longer. Grandmaster, I will be taking out the trash from my port now."


    Shinzou announced into the silent hall and everyone noticed who he was. They looked at Shinzou, then at Keith, and connected two on two.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Then they all panicked and started running.


    ''See, I knew this was going to happen as soon as I saw Shinzou in the stands. Well looks like it''s time to use the power I borrowed from the priestess Athena back then.''


    Keith used the mana stone and everyone froze into ce. Despite him taking only a small amount of skill power, it was enough to halt everyone in this tent''s vicinity. Even Keith was surprised at the oue.


    "Well done grandmaster. I never doubted your power even once."


    Shinzou was the only one who looked unaffected by his disy of power. He looked proud of his grandmaster and moved around to quickly take other people as prisoners.


    The owner of this ve ring tried to run away but he was halted in his steps by a sharp gaze looking at him. The ve trader looked startled at being fleeing.


    The ve, no, the grandmaster aura was pinning the man in his ce. He had never felt such a terrifying aura all concentrated on him before.


    "And where do you think you are going? I don''t think I permitted you to leave, did I?"


    Grandmaster sounded pissed and the ve owner knew that he ends up near. It would be lucky if his end was peaceful.


    His dder failed him and a questionable liquid soiled the front of his pants. But the ve owner was too freaked out to pay attention to this.


    Keith refused to feel bad for this piece of shit human who thought capturing Keith was a good idea. This man was just reaping what he had sown before.


    ''Thank God I managed to see him trying to feel from the corner of my eyes. It would have been a nightmare to salvage my reputation had this man been able to flee away.''


    Keith had panicked as soon as he had noticed the ve trader missing and he had ended up using the aura ring ir had given him.


    In the end, that had proven to be the correct choice since it had halted this man before he could flee. Now Keith had proven his capabilities and no one could doubt his powers.


    "Y-You lied to me. You were the famous grandmaster and you never told me?"


    Shinu looked up in awe, his eyes sparkling with recognition. But that awe soon damped as soon as he realized that Keith had hidden this secret from him.


    Keith coughed lightly in his fist, trying to keep his irritation out of his voice.


    "I never lied to you. I told you that I had the means to make you powerful. I just chose not to share with you that I was the grandmaster since it was not an important piece of information."


    ''Why are kids so perspective these days? This draconic kid will not let this matter slide, right?''


    Shinu pouted as he was faced with a twisted logic. It was true that Keith had technically not lied to him. But concealing information was the same as lying in Shinu''s eyes. He did not like the fact that he was lied to.


    "Grandmaster, we will be taking the ring leader and all his aplices into custody. Is there something you want us to do? What are you going to do now? Will you return home?"


    Shinzou, being the overly eager puppy he was, walked toward the grandmaster to report his findings. His eager expression said that he wanted to be praised.


    "You did well Shinzou. I will leave the handling of these ve traders in your capable hands. Make sure they never do anything like this again."


    Keith handed his responsibilities over to Shinzou and the red-haired man took over for Keith quite happily. ir gave Keith a knowing look but she did not ruin this moment for him.


    "I will do as you asked of me, grandmaster. But I wanted to ask you if you would like me to prepare a room for you tonight. Our establishment would love to have you tonight."


    Shinu''s hold tightened around Keith''s hand. The child likely wanted to head back home but he would not be able to cross the desert alone.


    "I''m afraid I will not be able to make it back tonight. You see, I have to send this kid back home first."

 Chapter 60 60: A Trip Back

    The incident with the ve traders took ce in thete evening hours but everyone knew what had happened by the end of the hour. News spread by word of mouth and everyone exaggerated the news even more.


    "Hey, did you hear about the incident?"


    "You mean, the incident where master Shinzou stormed into the ve trader''s auction and put an end to it. But I heard that the real mastermind behind Master Shinzou''s actions was the grandmaster."


    "Grandmaster is such a great person, right? I even heard that the grandmaster was there in person and even captured the leader."


    "I heard that the grandmaster went undercover as a ve to ensure that nothing goes wrong. He is such an amazing man, right?"


    "Undercover? As if. No self-respecting man would pose as a ve. But maybe for the betterment of human life, grandmaster is capable of putting his pride aside and doing such a crazy thing."


    Rumors were spreading around the town like fire. Everyone had a different version of this event to tell but there was a universal fact everyone agreed upon - the grandmaster was a great person who managed to free the ves.


    He deserved everyone''s admiration and respect.


    "Ohhh, Keith is going to like this a lot. But I wonder if he will be able to keep up with this hype he is building up. He''s setting a tall wall for himself to ovee."


    ir watched the town sing praises of the grandmaster. No one had anything bad to say about him now that he had done such an amazing job.


    But the man of the hour seemed extremely busy. After all, Keith had a desert to cross and a kid to take back to his home. He could not sit back and enjoy the rumors that were being spread about him.


    ...¡­


    "Hey, is it really alright for you to take me back? You must be busy as the grandmaster, right?"


    Shinu asked Keith with an innocent face. He was surprised that the elder had suggested that they head back so soon.


    "Hmm, it''s quite alright. My subordinates are strong and smart. They will be able to take care of things in my absence (ir: Stop piling your work on me all the time, darn it. This is child abuse.)"


    "Besides, can you go back home alone? I don''t think you are in any position toin."


    Keith summarized the situation with a t voice and Shinu looked offended. His face was red and his eyes teary.


    "I-I can...not go back home alone. Thank you for taking me back home."


    Keith could see that the kid was trying hard to deny his words but his honest nature did not allow Shinu to lie. He could only admit his shorings and reply with a sullen face.


    The Hermit camp was beginning to look visible finally and Shinu ran toward the door. He knocked on the door as soon as he was close enough and the door opened a little bit.


    Cold eyes looked at Shinu but he did not budge. This was where he had grown up and spent most of his life. He knew how caring those cold eyes could be.


    "Open up the gate for me Sam. I am finally back."


    Shinu yelled as loudly as he could. He waited for the door to open but nothing happened until Keith walked over.


    Those cold eyes shed over him and the man finally open the door.


    "Sheesh, it took you a long time to open the door, old man. Did the age finally catch up to you or something?"


    Shinu teased the elder man, not realizing what had happened here. But Keith noticed the cold shoulder that the older keeper was giving Shinu.


    "Priestess Athena is waiting for you inside. Do not keep her waiting."


    The air was tense right now. Everyone seemed to be on edge and even Shinu noticed the atmosphere was not right. Still, he did not let it get to him as he ran inside.


    Keith gave the gatekeeper onest look but the gatekeeper did not match Keith''s intentions. He looked away, not giving Keith a chance to read him.


    "Priestess Athena, I am back. The guard uncle said you needed to see me."


    Shinu parted the curtains of the priestess''s living quarters. It was a ce that was easily approachable and the main entrance had no doors. Everyone was expected to know that they could not barge in there.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But since Shinu was a child, it was expected that he would sometime make the mistake of barging in.


    Priestess Athena had a grave look on her face. Her eyes were filled with worry and agitation but it all soon melted into relief as soon as her eyes fell on Shinu.


    Beside Athena sat a pretty woman with a silver-haired woman with heavy breasts and long hair. She was older than the priestess by quite a few years and her face had some signs of aging.


    She looked up sharply at Shinu''s voice and her eyes were filled with tears.


    "Y-You are back. Shinu, my baby. Just where did you go and who saved you? It was this gentleman by your side that saved you, right? Let me just thank you, mister."


    The elder seemed to be out of her mind with worry. Before Keith could say anything to her, she pulled him into a hard hug.


    Shinu''s adoptive mother had even bigger breasts than Keith had initially expected. All he could feel was that softness against his hand as he tried to push thedy back.


    Keith did not know where to touch thisdy to make her let go of him. Her big breasts were suffocating Keith now.


    "L-Let me breath,dy."


    Keith''s words were muffled against those gigantic breasts in front of him but thedy seemed not to have noticed. Her body shivered against Keith as his hot breath hit her clothed body.


    Shinu seemed to not have noticed anything was wrong but Priestess Athena did notice. And for some reason, she did not like the fact that Shinu''s mother was so close to Keith.


    *cough* "You can let go of him, Amy. I think you have thanked Keith enough by now." Any more and he might die.


    Of course, Athena did not add thest part since she did not want to scare Amy off. Amy finally noticed just what position she had put Keith in and instantly let him go.


    She went back to stand by Shinu''s side and checked him over for injuries.


    "I assume you know what happened by now. I do not think it is safe for you people to be in this location any longer. You have been discovered."


    Keith warned the priestess who looked resigned.


    The reason Hermits where a traveling tribe was that they were easy to take advantage of. Traveling around was their defense mechanism and something that they were excellent at.


    "Perhaps you are right. We have spent a little too long in one ce so now it is time to start moving. Amy, will you go and announce me? We shall be leaving in a week."


    Amy looked startled but she knew why their priestess had made such a decision. She was not going to go against their priestess since Athena knew what was best for them.


    "I will go and let everyone know right now. Shinu, youe with me."


    Amy extended her hand for Shinu to take but he looked hesitant. His eyes turned to look at Keith, asking him if he was going to keep his promise.


    "Also, Priestess Athena, do you remember what we talked about before? I have made my choice. I want to take Shinu with me from your tribe."


    Shinu perked up as soon as he heard Keith''s words. It was now official that he had been invited by the grandmaster to his guild for getting stronger.


    Athena looked at Keith with a nk expression, almost looking at him like she did not agree with his decision. And truthfully, Shinu was not a choice Athena would have made regarding a pupil.


    Despite his upbringing, Shinu was not one of the Hermits because of his race. Heck, Shinu was not even human and no one knew what kind of creature he was.


    But if Keith had asked for him then Athena did not feel right to deny him. She had given her words regarding this and she could not go back on her word.


    "Very well then. If you have decided to go with Shinu then you can take Shinu with you. Shinu, Amy, you do not have a problem with this, right?"


    Priestess Athena asked and Shinu was instantly on board. Amy looked a little hesitant to say anything since she had not understood what happened there.


    "E-Excuse me but what is going on here? Where is Shinu being sent? And why does he need to go? Who are you to take my baby away from me?"

 Chapter 61 61: Stuck In A Dungeon [Pt1]

    It took the better part of the day to exin to Amy what was going on. She kept on interrupting Keith and Priestess Athena with questions that had nothing to do with the current situation.


    Had Keith been the real grandmaster, he was sure that blood would have been spilled by now. But Keith decided to be patient with Shinu''s mother.


    In the end, thedy seemed to agree with his suggestion to take Shinu back hesitantly.


    "A-Alright, fine. Shinu can go with you but not without me. I do not trust you, even if you say you, are the grandmaster. I will not leave my kid in your care."


    Amy clutched Shinu closer to her body. Shinu''s face was covered in a red flush and he looked embarrassed to have his mother clinging to him.


    "M-Mom, can you let me go? It is a little embarrassing for you to be holding me like this. And K-Keith did not lie. He is the grandmaster and I have proof. When we were kidnapped-"


    "Enough Shinu. I understand the situation but I am stilling with you. You want me toe with you as well, right?"


    Amy asked and Shinu looked away. He wanted to lie so badly but it would not be fair. In the end, he chose to tell the truth.


    "Yeah, I do want you toe with me. I even asked Keith if you coulde and he said yes."


    Keith chose not to say anything or to meet Amy''s eyes. He had made it plenty obvious that he would like to have Shinu no matter what. Amy''s distrustful look was nothing much inparison to his desire.


    "Alright, I get it. We should go and pack our stuff now Shinu. When are we leaving, grandmaster?"


    Amy finally seemed to havee around and dropped the suspicious attitude. She did not show Keith the same hesitation she showed before but she was not overfriendly like before as well.


    Keith was happy to see this change and he felt relieved as well.


    "We will be heading out in the evening. Someone from our guild will be here to take you and your luggageter. I will be traveling ahead of you to n for your stay. Shinu, would you like toe with me ore with your mother?"


    Keith questioned the young dragon and he looked torn. On one hand, he wanted to try traveling with Keith but he also did not want to leave his mother.


    "Shinu, there is no need to hold back. I can see that you want to travel with Keith so you should go. We are the people of freedom so we should not try to hold our desires back, alright?"


    Amy patted Shinu''s head and he finally decided. He turned toward Keith with a determined expression.


    "I wille with you. Please take care of me."


    With that, the traveling parties had been decided and ns were made.


    ...


    Shinu and Amy left soon after that to start their packing. They seemed to have a lot to do and they also needed to spread the word that their vige was going to shift.


    It was going to be a busy day for the Hermits.


    On the other hand, the priestess looked quite free right now. She was rxing on her couch, her body stretched out and posed in a lewd manner. Her light dress allowed one to see her everything.


    Keith''s eyes moved up and down the priestess''s body in appreciation before he took a seat opposite her on the couch.


    "What did you do regarding my request? How soon do you think you can help me out?"


    Keith questioned, getting straight to the point. He did not see a point in beating around the bush with someone as straightforward as Athena.


    The woman in question took one whiff of the pipe she had lit up and released the smoke in the air.


    "Hmm, I have your identity ready to be used. But only if you are sure you want to use it and are alright with all the terms. I would advise you to visit the background of your new identity to gain more insight."


    Athena held out some papers toward Keith and he took them quickly. There was only one image on the paper, a blurry sketch of a greenish-ck-haired man who had a physique like his.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The man in question had an unkept appearance and a dark background. The vige he was spotted in looked burned to the ground as well.


    "The man''s name was Noah, and that was all anyone knew about him. His whole vige disappeared from mysterious circumstances and he was the only survivor. As such, he traveled around a bit before being killed by the beasts."


    "The only reason I know this was because I came across him and read his memories with the help of a special one-time-use medium. This is the perfect cover for you, right?"


    Keith looked down at the paper in his hand. This man looked to be in his twenties with a fit body and a clear background. He was the perfect person to pose as since he did not have anyone left from his past.


    "I see. This does look promising. I would check out the vige this man is from if you tell me its location."


    Keith promised the priestess and she sighed. She brought out another small piece of folded paper and held it in front of Keith. He opened it to see a map in front of his face.


    "This is the only map left that can tell you how to get into this vige. You will need to enter it precisely at the given time or you might risk dying. Are you sure you want to still do it?"


    Keith stiffened from the inside but his face only showed calmness. It unnerved the priestess to see someone look thisposed.


    On the other hand, Keith cursed Athena inside his mind. She just had to add the ''dangerous'' part and try to scare him, huh?


    ''If only it was not for my survival, I would not have tried so hard to face all these challenges. But now I have no choice but to take the risks anyway.''


    "Don''t worry. I will be alright even if I go to this ce. I am not an ordinary person who will fear such small things."


    Keith reassured the priestess and she looked resigned. But in the end, she agreed to let Keith go to this vige alone.


    In the evening, Keith left the vige with Shinu. His n was the drop Shinu off at the guild headquarters and then head out toward his hidden vige with ir. As a goddess, ir would have a better understanding of what was going on.


    But Keith should have expected his ns to rarely work at this point. Of course, he had to fall into a dungeon and get stuck in there with Shinu.


    Dungeons were ces that often came up in the original MMO. These were the ces where yers could get amazing artifacts and other powers if they cleared a dungeon.


    Keith had to say that he was tempted to try and clear this dungeon. The reward he would get as a result was not small and Keith would also be able to solidify his reputation.


    ''Let us not get ahead of ourselves. I cannot clear this dungeon alone. Let us focus on getting out of here first and then think about other things.''


    Keith also had an innocent kid to think of at this time. Shinu seemed to be on edge as soon as they entered the dungeon. He was growling and he looked overwhelmed with everything new in this dungeon.


    "Shinu, calm down. You will alert the monsters of our current location if you continue to be like this."


    Keith warned Shinu and he tried to calm down. But it was difficult for some reason. His instincts were not listening to him and his body felt hotter than ever before.


    It was like his body was warning him and getting ready to defend itself from all the danger around him.


    "Shinu, it will be alright. We do not have to challenge this dungeon just yet. I would prefer it if we got out of here for your sake."


    Grandmaster''s hand on Shinu''s shoulder calmed him down and brought him out of his trance. He suddenly realized how he had been behaving and Shinu could not help but feel mortified.


    "Sorry, I did not know what came over me. I will try not to tense up again."


    Shinu apologized as he forced his instincts down. It was not the time for him to show such uncultured behavior.


    Grandmaster''s hand on Shinu''s shoulder was like a blessing to him. Theck of aura brought Shinu back to his senses and he was finally able to calm down. But as soon as the grandmaster let him go, that dreadful feeling came back over him.

 Chapter 62 62: Stuck In A Dungon [Pt2]

    ''Remember. Think back about this game and what you remember from it. I am there is something in my memories that can help me.''


    Keith had barely done the dungeons when he had been ying this game but he still remembered enough to know the basics.


    "Shinu, you do know what a dungeon is, right? Did you get the basic talk about what to do once you encounter a dungeon?"


    Keith asked Shinu who nodded a ''yes''. He did know what a dungeon was and how to behave when one was stuck in a dungeon.


    That cleared out one worry in Keith''s mind.


    "Good. Then we should start heading opposite the life source. The nearer we are to a dungeon''s gate, the weaker these monsters will be."


    Shinu gulped when he heard ''monsters'' but he recovered when he heard that they would not be encountering monsters. Keith knew that Shinu would be obedient once he showed such naked fear.


    "How do we look for the exit? Is there a way for us to be able to tell how strong a monster is without fighting it?"


    Shinu''s worry was genuine but he did not know this world as Keith did.


    Unlike most normal people in this world, Keith did know how to tell if a monster was weak or strong. And that was usually done by looking at the core of the boss monster.


    The weaker monsters had their cores exposed while the stronger monsters did not have a such weakness. This method only worked for the lower-level dungeons that this one was looking be.


    Keith had already spotted a few monsters roaming around and they had their cores exposed. They were in very shallow territories.


    "Shinu, you just need to trust me and follow my lead. You know who I am and you still doubt me?"


    Shinu panicked at the sudden usation and looked up with terrified eyes.


    "I never doubted¡­well, I did doubt you a little. I know you are the grandmaster but this is still a dungeon. Anything can happen in here."


    Shinu was right. A dungeon was never to be underestimated and that was why Shinu had sent a signal to ir to bring Shinzou and Amelia here. This area will need to be cleared up once Keith was out of here.


    The crystalline surface of the dungeon was gorgeous. It reminded Keith of something but he was not able to pinpoint why he was getting a sense of deja-vu this strongly.


    ''Hmm, this certainly looks like one of the earlier dungeons of the MMO. Now, if I remember it right, there should be a spider monster near these crystalline surfaces.''


    Keith noticed Shinu''s wandering hands at the right time. He smacked Shinu''s hand with more force than he intended but it did the trick,


    Shinu clutched his red hand with an annoyed expression on his face.


    "Hey, why did you p my hand away? I was just curious about this crystal''s texture."


    Shinuined as he nursed his hurt hand. Keith shook his head to clear away the sudden light-headedness he was beginning to feel from his sudden action.


    There was also a weird smell in the air and Keith remembered reading texts about it in the original game before.


    ''Gosh, I did not know it was such a foul smell when I yed the game. Looking at something is different from experiencing it with your body.''


    Keith''s head was spinning due to the extra-sweet smell in the air. It was intoxicating him in the wrong way.


    "Don''t touch the crystal or you''ll get poisoned. Keep your hands to yourselves if you don''t want to die."


    Keith warned Shinu before he started walking. This smell reminded Keith of a seductive smile with deadly fangs. It was threatening to swallow him whole.


    Shinu followed him without speaking anymore. But he was much more vignt than before after he had gotten warned by Keith. His wandering hand no longer moved around.


    They both soon exited the crystalline cave and into a dense forest.


    "Wow! I never expected there to be such a big forest right in the middle of the desert. If only this was not a dungeon but the real world. It would be like a dreame true for the local people."


    Shinu whispered those words to himself but Keith heard them as well. Suddenly, he knew what was happening and where they were.


    Among all the stories in this MMO, there were only a few which were impactful and caused the yers to remember them. And this story was one of those quests as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith was ashamed to realize it had taken him this long to recognize one of his favorite storylines in the MMO.


    ''The desert, this forest, it all makes sense now. We are in the dungeon titled ''Mirage of Dreams. It was the first world quest of this MMO and one known to be one of the most difficult ones.''


    "Shinu, do not get sucked in by the beauty of this forest. It is trying to bewitch you but it is not real."


    Keith was worried about hispanion. This dungeon had a special setting in the MMO and that was enchantment. If you fell into a trap here, your character got immobilized by the beauty and would not be able to move for some time.


    Keith had found this mechanism beyond frustrating when he had been ying the original MMO. But now that he was here, he did understand why the yer was immobilized sometimes when he walked through there.


    This ce was gorgeous with its green trees and fresh air. It was such a nice contrast to the outside¡­


    ''Don''t fall prey to this ce, Keith. You need to survive.''


    "Shinu, this ce is not too much for you, right?"


    "No, it''s alright. ces like this forest are not really for me. I much prefer shiny and dry ces than wet ones like a dense forest."


    Shinu seemed to be unaffected by the forest and Keith had a feeling it was because of his draconic heritage. Whatever was happening in the forest, it was not affecting Shinu.


    Suddenly, the forest fell quiet, their surroundings stopped making noise. Even the natural sounds like the flowing water and rustling leaves could not be heard.


    Keith halted in his steps as soon as he watched Shinu tense up. He seemed to be able to hear something.


    And as ever, Keith got lucky listening to his and Shinu''s instincts because there was an arrow buried 5 steps in front of him.


    The warrior who just shot the arrow tsked and made a run for it. Their body shape was hidden by a cloak, making it possible to tell if they were male or female.


    The retreating figure was too fast for either Keith or Shinu to attack and capture.


    Shinu shot Keith questioning gazes, most likely unlikely asking why he did not go after their would-be assassin


    Keith was just about to make an excuse when their attacker slipped and fell from the tree. It all happened rtively fast and Shinu took off to capture their would-be attacker.


    It left Keith with no choice but to follow him.


    "Ouch, it hurts. I cannot believe I was unlucky enough to slip while running away"


    The girlined as she nursed her bottom. Now that Keith looked closely at her, she did not look entirely human.


    And entirely he meant the extra appendages person had. She had 4 arms and two pairs yes. Her eyes were also pupil-less but this person was pretty much human otherwise.


    She tried to hide from Keith and Shinu when they came closer to have a look at her. But there was just too much for the spiderdy to hide.


    "Keith look! She is not normal. Have you ever seen a human like this before?"


    Shinu looked happy and in awe as he pointed toward the half-spiderdy. His eyes were full of wonder as he tried touching the spiderdy.


    The half-beast seemed not to find it half as fun as Shinu seemed to be having. There was a heavy blush on her face as she pped Shinu''s hand away from the antennas on her head.


    "What is wrong with you people? Stop touching me like this or I will take you as perverts. You have no right to touch me."


    The half-spiderined as she held herself close to her body. She looked annoyed at the invasion of privacy she was being made to go through.


    And because that was the case, Keith decided to be good to her and not touch her. He was curious about someone non-human as well but he did not want to overstep his boundary and make the spider nervous.


    However, it seemed like he did not need to fear such a thing.


    As soon as the spider noticed Keith, her face flushed and she became shy. Also, one of her hands came to rest on Keith''s shoulder.

 Chapter 63 63: Stuck In A Dungeon [Pt3]

    As much as Keith did not want to admit it, it was evident that the grandmaster''s face was universally liked. And it seemed like this ''liking'' was not limited to humans. Even demi-humans could fall for this face.


    "Wow, you do have green hair. Is this natural? This is my first time seeing such a physical feature."


    It seemed like it was not his face but his hair that had made this half-human fall into a trance. But he was not even sure why he found himself so shocked by this revtion.


    The half-spider had gone from trying to end their life to suddenly fawning all over Keith''s hair. It was a sudden change in her nature that had not been expected by the pair.


    "Let me touch your hair a little. But no, I must return to our vige with my supplies. Ugh, it is such a hard decision to make. What to do, what to do."


    The half-spider looked torn between wanting to touch Keith and wanting to go back. She seemed hesitant to stand up in case she would be driven away by Keith and hispany.


    As for Keith, he wanted to avoid this half-spider creature at any cost. She was one of the keyponents in starting this world quest and Keith wanted to save his sanity.


    "I know what I can. I will take you back to my vige to meet everyone. I know they will all love your hair and your aura''s clean feeling. This is the first time I met someone who is not tainted by anything."


    The half-spider looked at Keith like he was a precious specimen. Her interest in Keith''s hair was not as disturbing as the one in his aura was.


    As far as Keith knew, he did not have an aura since he could not use mana. So, what was it that this monster was feeling from him?


    "Keith, are we going to follow after her? I do not think it is safe to follow someone ''like her''. And besides, I thought we were looking for a way out, not a way deeper."


    Shinu was right when he said all that but he was talking a little too loudly. He wanted to whisper these words but he had never kept secrets before.


    Keith did not dignify him with an answer, now conflicted about what to do himself.


    "Hey, you both. You do know that I can hear you, right? There is no need to be wary of me since I am on your side. If anything, you should follow me if you want to get out of this dungeon."


    The half-spider yelled back as she turned back around. Her eyes were angry at the dy and she seemed to be getting impatient.


    But more than anything, the intoxicating smell was no longer following them around and that was the reason Keith ended up following the half-spider.


    Shinu looked ufortable as he looked at his mentor follow the half-monster. Somehow, he knew that nothing good was going toe out of following this demon.


    ''But I need to trust the grandmaster. Keith had been right about things thus far so I need not worry about my future as well.''


    So, with a trusting heart, Shinu followed Keith and the half-spider deeper into the dungeon.


    ...¡­.....¡­.....¡­..


    The party walked until they reached the end of the tunnel and then it opened into a small tree civilization.


    "We are here. Wee to my home, the Tremble Forest."


    The half-spider who had introduced herself as Arcana yelled loudly as she waved her hands around. Her hands dispersed her pheromones around, causing roots to open for her.


    Shinu made an annoyed face as he smelled this new smell. He did not like what he was smelling and the passive-aggressive smell caused his sensitive nose to ache.


    Keith was startled when Shinu sneezed suddenly, all the pollen and pheromone getting to his head.


    "K-Keith, I don''t feel so good. I think I am too dizzy to even walk right now."


    Shinuined before he went unconscious Keith had to work fast to catch Shinu before he hit the ground.


    ''Sheesh, this kid is heavier than he looks. Are all dragon cubs this heavy or is Shinu particrly heavy?''


    Keith''sints did not show up on his face. He quietly picked Shinu up and moved him to the small bedding made up of tree leaves.


    "Ouch, looks like a bad case of pheromone poisoning. This little one was not able to handle all the new smells. He''s in really bad shape right now."


    Keith''s face did not show his flinch but his insides were twisting ufortably. He knew that annoying high-pitched voice anywhere. It belonged to the one creature which was termed the ''most annoying'' in the game.


    As Keith expected, the shrilled voice was apanied by a small but shiny creature in the form of a sparkle.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, are you ignoring me? Hello! I know you heard me. I saw you move your eyes away from me. Hey,"


    Keith remained calm, chanting in his mind not to get annoyed.


    ''This much is nothing. Think of all the times you had to take care of toddlers and kinder garden children to earn money. One annoying little shit is nothing inparison.''


    Keith tried very hard to convenience himself so that he could not hear the annoying buzz in his ears. But then the fairy decided to take her mischief up a notch.


    She decided to grab hold of Keith''s hair and pull it out.


    "Hey, pay attention to me and¡­shiny. Why is your hair green? There is no chemical or magical smell. Holy! You do have natural green hair? How did you do it? Are you even human?"


    In the end, getting his hair pulled was thest straw for Keith. He ended up snapping his hand and catching the annoying fairy in his hands.


    The fairy looked stunned at her sudden capture. And frankly, Keith was surprised that he had managed to catch the fairy as well.


    ''Go reflexes. Man, I did not know my new body was this fast in reacting.''


    Getting over his reaction, Keith brought the ball of light near his face. It did not burn but the light certainly felt a little warm to his touch.


    It was akin to touching and catching a firefly. An annoying, talking, and biting firefly.


    Keith suppressed his flinch as he felt tiny but sharp teeth sinking into his hand. But they were not big enough to break his skin.


    "Stop it. One more word out of you and I will make you regret ever annoying me."


    Keith found himself instinctively disliking the fairy in his grip. And he knew that much of his first impression was due to his past life''s dislike for this character.


    The green-d blond fairy looked startled at having her freedom stolen away. Her huge eyes looked at Keith while begging.


    "P-Please let me go. You cannot keep me in here. I am a fairy. I-If you let me go then I will grant your wish for you."


    The tiny fairy promised, now changing her tone from disrespectful to begging all at the drop of a hat.


    Anyone else would have fallen for her trick and let her go. But Keith refused to fall victim to her acting a second time (ah yes, he had fallen for this fairy''s tricks the first time he yed this game.)


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself. If you had the power to fulfill your wishes, you will not be stuck in this dungeon. You are just another kind of monster so stop your bullshit."


    The fairy looked startled but then she dropped her innocent facade. She realized that Keith was not going to be fooled by her acting.


    "Tsk, fine. I cannot grant your wish, that much is the truth, but I can make yourpanion better if you give me a chance to do so. As a fairy, I know all kinds of remedies-"


    ''And herees the first quest. God, I cannot believe I allied myself to be talked into this.''


    "-but there is a catch. I do not have the ingredients necessary to make the potion. Can you help me out?"


    The fairy requested and Keith''s immediate answer should have been to say ''no.''


    But Keith was hesitant to deny this fairy. And it was all because of Shinu and his current condition.


    "You can see it as well, right? Yourpanion is not in a good shape. It would be better to make a decision soon."


    The fairy continued her nagging and Keith could not take it anymore. He forcefully opened his fists and let the fairy out.


    "Fine, I will cooperate with you this time but no funny business. And do not, under any circumstances, use me to gather unnecessary herbs for you. I will know if you did that and I will not forgive you."


    The fairy shivered at the warning but she did not take Keith seriously.

 Chapter 64 64: Hunt For The Ingredients [Pt1]

    "Trick you? Why, I would never do something like that in my life. Don''t you know that fairies are the ultimate symbol of light and goodness? How dare you use me of such a bad thing. I ought to -"


    This time, the fairy was not caught by Keith but swatted away by Arcana. The half-spider used her two backhands to capture the annoying fairy and hold her by her wings.


    "Bell, what do you think you are doing? I told you to not y your regr tricks on people."


    Arcana scolded the fairy, her grip tight enough to rip the delicate wings in front of her apart.


    Bell yelled and cried out at the sudden touch on her back. Her face showed fear and pain but Keith knew that she did not feel anything. The fairy was just putting on a show for sympathy.


    "A-Arcana, let me go. You know my wings are delicate and you are hurting me. Please let me go."


    Bell, the fairy cried out, not even noticing that the grip on her wings had tightened.


    "Bell, your acting is not fooling anyone. You might as well stop now."


    The fairy finally noticed that Keith was not fooled by her acting. He was not even giving her any sympathy which made the fairy drop her act for the second time.


    "Shit, you are right. Hey, you! What kind of human are you? Do you not feel any sympathy for the bullied and oppressed person? Do you not feel guilty when you look at me?"


    Bell questioned Keith''s ethics, but he, once again, ignored her questions. His cold face caused Bell to falter and her mouth was frozen shut by his re.


    "O-On second thought, you are plenty nice in your way. I should not disturb you, right?"


    The fairy backed down, not saying anything. She did spare nces toward the unconscious child in front of her though, which was enough to divert Arcana''s attention as well.


    She took one look at the child in front of her and hissed. She seemed to have noticed his irregrities as well.


    "Pheromone poisoning? This kid is lucky to still be alive and get here on time. Oi Bell, get your ass back in here. This kid needs you the most."


    The fairy, which had just been tossed aside, pouted in misery. Her eyes refused to look at Arcana and she turned her head away.


    "Ha, as if I would do anything for you now. Ask someone else to prepare your potion for pheromone poisoning because I am not going to do it."


    Bell refused, only to take a step back when Arcana raised her fist in the air. Bell immediately darted into her ce and hid her head in her arms.


    "I''m sorry but Ick the ingredients necessary to treat him. I also do not dare to go and gather them myself. It is not because I don''t want to treat this kid, but that I cannot treat this kid right now."


    Bell finally revealed the real reason why she could not make a potion and Arcana backed down.


    This situation looked identical to the one in the game and Keith''s head was spinning with all the deja-vu he was feeling. The sweet smell was also beginning to clog his nose again with its intensity.


    ''This is getting too much. Just what is the source of his weirdly sweet smell?''


    Keith was getting distracted by the real issue at hand. So, he did not most of the questions Arcana asked him. He only got the part of ''gathering'' and ''ingredients'' but Keith was smart enough to piece things together.


    ''Arcana is asking me to help them gather ingredients to treat Shinu. If I say yes, then the world quest - the Mirage of Dreams will start. God, I do not want to participate.''


    And because Keith did not want to participate, the world decided that he needed to participate. Shinu let out a pain-filled groan as his body was overly saturated with pheromones.


    At this rate, Shinu would not survive a single day more.


    "Fine, let''s go out and gather ingredients. What do you need me to do?"


    Now that things hade to this, Keith had only one option left - to go deeper into the forest. But thankfully, he knew the story quest and he knew the speed run tactics which allowed the yer to avoid all monsters.


    If luck was on his side, Keith would not have encountered any monster while he was out gathering ingredients.


    ...¡­.


    ''Shit, why did I ever think this was going to work? I should have known that Arcana would attack the monsters the first chance she got with her temperament. That was why the speed runners left her behind in the main story."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith knew he was forgetting something before. Currently, Arcana was busy fighting small monsters and Keith was gathering their drops. Bell cheered them from the sidelines, her eyes widening as she watched more and more ingredients fall.


    "Oi, hurry up and gather the ingredients that fall. The ingredients would spoil if they are left out for too long. Use the bad I gave you to store everything."


    Bell yelled from the sidelines as she ducked behind the tree. She was coaching Keith from the sidelines with her annoying lines.


    Keith almost wanted to drop the bag and leave in a fit of annoyed rage, but then he remembered why he was doing all this.


    ''Do this for your safe future. You need Shinu''s protection to open sacred treasures and gain power. Do not let a silly little fairy spoil your mood.''


    So, Keith went back to farming for ingredients.


    One of the monsters managed to crawl over to him and Keith looked at the monster with his dead-pan eyes. His heart was beating like crazy in his chest but Keith''s face refused to show any of it.


    The monster raised his w and Keith hurriedly activated the aura ring that forced the monster to kneel in front of him.


    One second, the monster was kneeling, the next second it was dead because Arcana had killed it. A small crystal dropped as a result of this and Keith picked it up as well.


    "Wow, you are strong. You stopped that huge monster by just looking at it. Maybe you should be the frontal fighter for us and I should gather things."


    Arcana wondered out loud as she walked over to the group. She was covered in monster blood from the head to the toe which made Keith take a step back from her.


    He was not usually a fan of blood and Arcana''s current look did not suit Keith''s aesthetics.


    "No thanks. I do not like killing things so I will stay where I currently am."


    Keith denied the new position he was being offered with a strong refusal. He looked calm on the outside but he was freaking out on the inside.


    Arcana had forced his hand and reduced any chances of the speed-run tactic Keith had been going for. But she had also been the biggest contributor to this hunt for their side so Keith could notin about her.


    "Well, suit yourself. I do think you are suitable as our vanguard, but if you don''t want to, then you don''t have to force yourself either."


    Arcana assured Keith as she pped her hands once.


    Bell finally flew over as well, her eyes sparkly with the need to see her treasures. She quickly looked inside the bag Keith was carrying and her eyes sparkled with joy.


    "Yes, I have a lot of ingredients. Now, I should also ask you to farm those shiny slime cores I was eyeingst-"


    "No funny business. We only have one ingredient left to farm for Shinu and that will be what we farm for."


    Keith reminded Bell but she pouted.


    "Aww,e on. You both are doing so well together and a few slimes would not kill you. Just do me this favor, please?"


    Bell begged, but her begging did not affect either Keith or Arcana. Arcana even picked Bell up from her wings and held her suspended.


    "No funny business, do you understand? I know that the Rafflesia nectar is thest thing you need so that is where we will be going. And if you made any unnecessary remarks, I will throw you into the Rafflesia and find a new fairy to help us out."


    Arcana threatened Bell and the fairy instantly made a show of sping her mouth shut. She looked terrified of Arcana and what she could do.


    Bell''s begging eyes looked at Keith for help but he was not going to do anything for her. He just looked away from Bell''s begging face, not wanting to deal with her.


    "Tsk, upassionate bastards. You should fall for my beauty and pity a soul such as me. How dare both of you threaten me?"


    Bell questioned, only to be shaken violently by Arcana.


    "Alright, I am sorry. I will be more careful so please spare me this time."

 Chapter 65 65: Hunt For Ingredients [Pt2]

    "Look at it, that beautiful and big flower. Oh, how I wish I could take it and nt it into my back garden for its nectar anytime."


    Bell wondered as she pointed toward the big, red flower lying in the center of the field. Keith instantly recognized it as the Rafflesia flower from the game. It looked like the real Rafflesia flower with some¡­creative liberties taken.


    ''Look at those teeth on the inside of the flower. They look sharp enough to break bones.''


    Keith flinched internally as soon as he noticed the ''additional'' parts this Rafflesia had on its body. That was the part where Rafflesia kept its nectar so those teeth-like appendages needed to be dealt with somehow.


    "We just need the nectar of this nt, right? That should be easy."


    Arcana sounded confident but she had also taken care of every other danger until now so it was given that she was confident.


    The sweet smell he had been smelling this whole time was even more concentrated in this space. Keith suddenly had a feeling he knew what this smell was now.


    ''Wait, this Rafflesia is the final boss of the first-part quest, right? What were its characteristics again?''


    Keith tried to remember what he knew about this nt.


    Now he regretted over-leveling for this part of the game and dealing with this boss too quickly. He did not even know the full mechanics of this boss fight and the speed-runners did not have this part at all.


    ''Ugh, there was something about the smell and acid. And maybe also sleep-''


    Then Keith remembered what he had seen in the dev stream for this game. This Rafflesia boss could secrete a liquid that would make its target sleepy and then it would drag its target with him.


    There was a whole dream sequence you could initiate. But for the most part, the yer character fell asleep as a result of this liquid Rafflesia secreted.


    "Arcana, look out. The Rafflesia has a defense mechanism that causes you to fall asleep."


    Arcana looked startled at Keith''s sudden warning and it caused her to falter. The sudden sound of her footsteps caused Rafflesia to be alert as well and it is sweet smell intensified.


    It clogged Keith''s nose and he clutched it.


    "Hey, what''s wrong? Can''t you take a little bit of this foul smell? Humans are so delicate, it''s not even funny."


    Bellmented as she observed Keith. She looked like she had lost all hope in him which caused Keith to grit his teeth in anger.


    ''This little-''


    Keith did not get to finish his sentence when heard Arcana curse and dodge the veined attack from Rafflesia. The flower had its roots outside the ground and was ready to attack Arcana.


    It did not take long for the flower to notice other intruders on its territory and that smell intensified as a defense mechanism.


    A foggy gas began to fill the area and Keith knew this mechanism now. The dev live stream wasing back to him in bits and pieces.


    "Arcana, fall back. We will fall unconscious if we breathe in too much of this gas."


    Keith warned as he tried to step back. But his feet were frozen in ce. He had inhaled some amount of as and his body had no resistance.


    Keith fought the sleep that threatened to ovee his senses. Falling asleep here was not a wise decision, but resistance was futile in the end. His senses were dragged under a thinyer of sleep and Keith''s body hit the ground.


    Arcana also fell asleep, not being able to resist the urge that was oveing her.


    The only one who was left awake was Bell, a fairy. Their species were special and usually not affected by any natural phenomenon. She was scared as soon as she noticed herpanions fall to the ground.


    "S-Shit, this is bad. They both are dead! What should I do now? It is all my fault and I need to do something. I s-should take them both to a safe ce."


    Bell was afraid of what would happen next. She also knew it was her fault this all happened so she decided.


    She took out some of her precious fairy dust and covered Keith and Arcana in it. It caused them to float and Bell was able to push their bodies without much effort. She took them both to the small cave on the forest side, just outside the fairy territory.


    "I am so sorry I did this to you both. I will burn your body tomorrow once it is bright enough again. I promise I will be gentle to you both this time."


    Arcana suddenly sounded regretful for what had happened and she preyed on these lost souls to her god.


    ''May they both find peace in their after-life.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ...¡­..


    Theck of everything around Keith did not scare him. He vaguely had a feeling he was in a dream-space that was different from his normal dream.


    In a normal dream, you were usually not aware of where you were or what you were doing. And anything you did make sense to you.


    But right now, Keith was very much aware that he was unconscious and that he was inside his consciousness right now. This ce looked like nothing but a dark patch of space surrounding him.


    ''It is all pitch ck in here. I start moving around to find something.''


    Keith followed his advice before he formed a n. Staying in one ce was not going to solve anything.


    So, he picked a random direction and started walking. Keith took one step, and the other before he halted. He had a feeling that he should turn around right now.


    So, Keith followed his feelings, only to be met with a patch of green in the vast expanse of ck. The green on the ground looked like a grass patch so Keith decided to follow it.


    He was walking leisurely when he felt his feet get stuck in a grass knot and he fell slightly toward his right.


    The grass patch disappeared again but Keith picked himself up.


    Thinking of that grass patch as a coincidence, Keith started walking toward his left. He took two steps when he felt that weird feeling again.


    The grass patch was back on his right side and the grass was sparkling this time. The grass wanted Keith to follow it is intended line.


    ''Shit, what the fuck is this supernatural phenomenon? I feel like I am amb being led to his ughter.''


    Keith had a weird feeling about this space. But his feet still moved in the direction he was being led into.


    Soon, the green intensified and opened into a meadow. A huge expanse of red was in front of Keith and it took him some time to notice that it was a bed made from a single flower petal.


    When he walked closer, Keith noticed that he was not alone in this dream. There were two more figures in here, one familiar and one not so familiar.


    The unfamiliar, red-haired figure had inhuman ck eyes with did not have pupils. ck covered the whole of her eyes and she had no eyelids to blink.


    Apart from this, the unknown figure was identical to a human and her naked body had every external part a human female had.


    On the other hand, Keith recognized Arcana as soon as he saw her. Arcana''s body was held in the unknown entity''s embrace, fully naked and bound by the tentacle-like veins surrounding the two figures.


    "Wee to thend of desire, my dear guest. Well, was this everything you hoped for?"


    The unknown figure questioned as she caressed Arcana''s unconscious body in her grip. Her hands massaged Arcana''s breasts which caused Arcana''s pussy to gush out pree.


    Arcana''s thighs were wet and her face was flushed. She was turned on; despite being forced into her open position.


    "What do you think you are doing right now? Let us both go and then we can put it past us. Don''t you know who I am?"


    Keith tried to bluff but his body was feeling hotter as he watched the disy of bodies in front of him.


    Despite not being human, both the intruder and Arcana looked like human females. Hot, naked, and big-boobed human females at that which made this scene even hotter.


    Was it immoral for Keith''s body to react to this scene? Yes.


    But did it matter for his penis getting hard? No.


    Keith discreetly looked down but he was only half-hard. Arousal coursed through his body but Keith was unable to express it. The grandmaster''s body was insensitive at times and it required far too much stimtion to get him going.


    ''Shit, I hate my body. It refuses to get fully hard without someone''s touch.''


    The unknown intruder noticed Keith''s plight with a satisfied grin on her face. Her trump smile was annoying but seductive at the same time.


    "I can feel your desire so there is no need to deny yourself. Let your inhibition go, dear traveler."

 Chapter 66 66: Sowing The Seed [Pt1]

    Arcana felt floaty and bubbly on the inside. She felt good like she had never in her life and the smell only enchanted her experience.


    Her body felt hot and itchy from the inside. It made Arcana want to scratch where she felt itchy but she did not know a way to reach her insides.


    ''Ohh, poor girl. Are you feeling ufortable? Do you want me to help? Just let yourself go and I will help you out.''


    That voice sounded like salvation to Arcana as it drove away the itch inside her a little. Arcana was getting more and more convinced that she needed that voice and its touch on her body.


    ''Good girl. Leave your body in my hands and I shall make you an incubator for my seeds. But do not worry because you will feel incredibly blown out from the pleasure of it happening.''


    Something was wrong with Arcana''s brain. It was like the thought of bing an incubator for this unknown voice.


    She wanted to fight but her body wanted to surrender. The voice in her head was enchanting as it closed in around her.


    Thin vein-like things crawled up Arcana''s body and caressed her skin. They snuck under her shirt and small shorts, reaching her private ces. One vein even touched her pussy and rubbed her hard clit.


    ''My, oh my. Just look at yourself gushing around me like this. At this rate, you will not even need my special juice. But we should still give it to you, right?''


    Arcana moaned out loud as a small vein entered her virgin pussy. It felt weird and it was as thick as Arcana''s one finger.


    It was moving around in her gut, trying to find the right ce to inject the forbidden liquid. Arcana could not help but tighten around that foreign object inside her body.


    "It hurts. No, it burns. Please let me go. It does not feel good."


    Arcana lied as her veins rubbed her sensitive inside walls. It was touching her everywhere, trying to find the perfect spot to let itself go.


    "It hurts? But your body does not look the same. Look, you are gushing out so much liquid. Your body is begging me to continue."


    Arcana looked down, only to moan out at the image of her pussy being breached by a tube-like substance.


    The vein looked far thinner than it felt inside Arcana. It pulsed, almost as if it had a heartbeat of its own and Arcana gulped in fear and anticipation.


    "You are doing so good. Just let yourself go and surrender your body to me. I assure you that I will give you much more pleasure."


    The vein gave a small shake and Arcana felt her hips move in response to that small thrust. She could not control her body any longer and it made Arcana realize that she had lost.


    She needed to be bred by this unknown entity. That was her purpose right now - to incubate this nt''s seeds.


    "Good girl. You finally gave in to my desires. Now, let us just hope that your partner is not as stubborn as you are. That human male you were with, he will give you and me what we want."


    The veiny tube pulsed inside Arcana once more. It finally brushed past Arcana''s G-spot and she yelled out a moan. Her pussy tightened impossibly around the vein which caused a reaction.


    The vein finally released a thick liquid inside Arcana, drenching her insides with the sticky liquid. Heat erupted inside Arcana''s body and she buckled her hips up and down to get more friction.


    "L-Liar! You said that you would help me put this I-itch out, not intensify it."


    Arcana yelled as she felt her body be heavier and heavier. Something was changing inside her body as it rearranged everything.


    "Don''t worry too much. Soon, you will be my eternal partner and my eternal incubator as well. And once you have your first clutch, you will never want to leave me and the pleasure I can give you."


    The unknown entity spoke directly inside Arcana''s head, driving out any other thoughts except pleasure from her mind.


    Arcana did not even try to fight this change. She was already beginning to feel the change in her body as it carved for more. The vein in her pussy became a little thicker, stretching her more from the inside.


    The other veins closed around Arcana''s body and dragged her into a sudden embrace. Her eyes met pupil-fewer ck ones and Arcana felt her heart swell with foreign and artificial emotions.


    ''Ah, I am in love.''


    ......


    "I can feel your desire so there is no need to deny yourself. Let your inhibition go, dear traveler."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The demon in front of Keith called out to him. She could feel his emotions, his desires. And Keith felt his body respond to that call of nature.


    ''Control yourself. Do not think with your dick, Keith. You need to know what you are getting into.''


    Keith controlled his body and mind with the power of extreme will. He faced the terrifying demon head-on, his eyes ring into her own.


    "Who are you? No, what are you and what do you want from me."


    Keith questioned with a vignt look in his eyes. He could not help himself from looking at the naked bodies in front of him up and down with want. He was a hormonal male so screw him.


    "Hmm, you know me since you saw my true body outside. As for my name, it is not something humans can pronounce. For now, just call me Raff. And as for what I want from you? I want a favor, a huge one at that."


    The demonic nt replied as she caressed Arcana''s body.


    Now that Keith noticed it, there was a small but visible bump in Arcana''s stomach area. And Keith had read enough hentai and porn to guess what was happening.


    "Did you duck Arcana pregnant?"


    "No, but you will. I want you to take my seed from deep inside me and incubate them in Arcana''s body. If you do, I will give you what you are here for."


    Keith stiffened as soon as he heard what the demon wanted from him. He knew it was a bad idea to indulge the demon but his cock did not agree. And it certainly did not have a problem showing it is like for what Keith was being asked for.


    ''No, do not fall to the temptation. You cannot be weak right now.''


    Keith knew it was the right thing to refuse but the subtle smile Raff had made him scared. Why was Raff looking at Keith like this?


    "P-Please help me out. It b-burns from the inside. I-It hurts. H-Help me."


    Arcana whaled as she tried to calm her body down. Her pussy was gushing around the thin vein in her pussy and her hips were moving on their own as well.


    Keith was being subjected to a show right now, with Arcana as the main character.


    "Look at this poor girl. Even if you leave her be, she will never be able to go back to the way she was. Are you sure you want to leave her like this?"


    Raff questioned as she rubbed Arcana''s body with her hands. Small drops of white flowed down Arcana''s breasts and Keith did not doubt that questionable white was.


    He gulped as he watched milk dribbling down Arcana''s beasts. It was one of his hidden fetishes Keith had never gotten to work out. He was reacting now.


    "Are you sure you do not want to help me now? Look, she needs your help desperately. I do not think Arcana can bear it any longer. Aren''t I right, dear?"


    Raff questioned as she rubbed Arcana''s breasts together. Even more white came out of her breasts and she was sobbing as a result. The veins picked up Arcana''s body and stretched it out for Keith to see.


    That was the breaking point for Keith. He was far too aroused to hold back now. His hand took hold of Arcana''s hip and pulled her body closer. His mouth closed around one of Arcana''s leaking breasts and Keith sucked it harshly.


    Milk flooded Keith''s mouth but it did not taste like anything to him. It reminded him once again that this is a dream.


    "Hey, I will help you out here but you have to keep your promise and give me your nectar as a reward."


    Keith spoke in between his gulps. Raff''s pleasure rang around the clearing, engulfing everything. She had been waiting for Keith to give in to her advances.


    "Don''t worry. I will not go back on my deal. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours, alright?"


    Raff promised as more veins came out to touch the three of them. They positioned Arcana on Raff''s chest, leaving both their leaking pussies for Keith to see.


    "Now, you need to prate me and make mee first. Only then will you be able to sow my seeds inside Arcana''s body?"

 Chapter 67 67: Sowing The Seeds [Pt2]

    Keith''s penis prated the flower demon''s pussy. Contrary to his beliefs, it was as soft as a flower petal and it gripped Keith just right from all directions.


    His hips felt like they were melting as his cock entered deeper and deeper into Raff.


    "Shit, how are you so big? You are not human, right?"


    Raff panted, trying to adjust Keith''s huge size. She had never taken anything this big and hard into her body before. Her veins could notpare to the warm and hard thing filling up her insides.


    Keith had stretched Raff to her limits, her small body stretched out fully on top of Keith''s huge cock.


    "Are sure *huff* talk big for someone who cannot even take me in. What will happen to you once I start pounding into you?"


    Keith''s husky voice made both Raff and Arcana moan. Arcana looked up at Keith with a pained expression and suddenly pulled him into a kiss.


    Arcana''s tongue distracted Keith so he was surprised when Raff began to shake her hips. Her pussy clenched deliciously around Keith, gripping him tightly and wetly.


    "C-Come on, don''t stop. Did you not promise to make a mess out of me?"


    Arcana whispered in Keith''s ears as her veins pushed Keith''s hips from behind. They eagerly moved Keith around so that he could fuck deeper into Raff''s insides.


    His cock touched everywhere it stretched and Raff''s mouth drooled in pleasure.


    "N-Never realized cock could feel so good. Keep fucking me human."


    Raff ordered and Keith stilled. His hand closed around Raff''s neck lightly and he squeezed rather gently.


    But Raff, who had never experienced being in a choke hold froze at the sudden action. Her human body was filled with adrenaline as it had never experienced before and her pussy was drenched even more.


    "W-What are you doing?"


    Raff questioned at the sudden action. She was in control until now so why did it feel like she was the one losing in front of Keith?


    "Hmm, what am I doing? I am putting a disobedient person in their ce right now. Why, don''t you like it? If not, then you should get yourself out from beneath me."


    Keith''s tone was taunting as he held Raff at the edge. Raff''s brain told her to free herself but her body was immersed in pleasure and did not want to leave this position.


    Keith was also pounding into her pussy hard and it felt like he was rearranging her guts. Her control over her veins had loosened enough that Arcana was let go of.


    The poor girl did not even realize what was going on and Arcana ended up missing the feeling of the thick vein thrusting into her pussy.


    Without Raff''s powers, the vein could not move and was stuck inside Arcana. But Arcana did not let it bother her.


    She pulled the vein out a little and shivered at the friction it produced. Then she thrust the vein back into her body, using it as a dildo. Arcana''s moans fuel Raff even more and she felt her end approaching.


    "I-I am¡­stop. You need to stop."


    Raff pleaded but her body was the one moving right now. Her hips were not letting Keith go and her mouth was pressing small kisses against his broad chest.


    "You darn nt. You were the one who asked me to fuck you and now you want me to stop. Hurry up and make up your mind."


    Keith''s harsh words apanied by precise strikes caused Raff to reach her end. Her pussy tightened impossibly around Keith and her body released the seed pouch inside her body.


    Here leaked around Keith''s hard cock but Keith had not finished inside her.


    "N-No more. Please, I am tired."


    Raff was tired and her body had no energy left inside it. But that was not the case for Arcana.


    Keith pulled out of Raff, only for Arcana to notice and crawl her way up his body. Arcana was already attracted to Keith so with Raff''s ordersbined with her original attraction to him, she was unable to hold back.


    "P-Please, your cock."


    Arcana begged as she rubbed her face against Keith''s cock. It caused Keith''s cock to twitch and get a little harder. Keith was nowhere nearing yet.


    "You want it, Arcana? Then, you will have to make me harder first."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith bargained, not expecting Arcana to understand what he was saying. But surprisingly enough, Arcana did know what Keith was saying.


    Her hand yed with Keith''s balls while her mouth closed around his penis hole. The hot and wet heat instantly engulfed Keith, causing him to moan and buckle his hips.


    Arcana had not taken Keith too deep but his penis touched the back of her throat. Arcana had tears in her eyes as she took Keith deeper.


    Any deeper and Arcana would risk putting herself in danger. So, Keith gripped her silky hair and pulled Arcana''s head up.


    "That is enough. I am sure this is not where you want me, right? Go and pose for me and I might give you want."


    Arcana moaned and nodded at Keith''s words. She instantly dropped on all fours and held her hips up. Her drenched pussy was in Keith''s direct line of sight and at a perfect height for him to prate.


    Keith was about to enter Arcana when he felt a light touch of a vein turning his head toward Raff.


    Another vein held her pussy open and gestured inside.


    Keith understood what it wanted and prated Raff''s body first. He trusted a few times inside beforeing out with his cock all sticky. Raff moaned out in disappointment as Keith pulled out.


    "Don''t worry. Once I sow your seed in Arcana, you both can y with each other all you want to. But I doubt you will ever be able to forget me and the pleasure I gave you."


    Keith felt confident enough to brag about this. At his side, Arcana made frustrated noises at herck of friction. And Keith decided not to keep her waiting.


    Arcana was tight and hot inside. Despite being fucked open on a vein, it seemed too not to have been enough for her.


    Her pussy clenched to keep Keith inside every time he pulled out of her body. She also moaned in disappointment when Keith slowed down.


    "Darn it. You are one high-maintenance fuck, huh? Don''t moan in disappointment because I will give you want soon."


    Arcana looked up at Keith with sparking eyes. She suddenly looked rejuvenated as her hips came down to meet Keith''s own.


    Keith finally felt like he was close. His hips shuddered as he was unable to keep himself still. His cock twitched once and twice before he felt Arcanae around him.


    Her pussy throbbed in time with Keith''s cock and it milked him.


    His seed along with the one he had gotten from Raff filled Arcana''s insides. She twitched around his cock, trying to get away from him now that she had gotten what she wanted.


    Her release wetted Keith''s cock which was still inside Arcana. She was full and her belly dented even more.


    "And where do you think you are going? Do not think that I will allow you to escape from me so easily. I am far from satisfied right now."


    Keith''s body was hard to rile up and hard to calm down. It was hard for him to stop once he started.


    Arcana gasped, not having expected Keith to be ready to fuck so soon. But he surprised her by piercing her body on his cock and moving his hips. Theirbined release gushed out of Arcana''s pussy by Keith''s cock.


    "Does this feel good? This was what you were carving all this time, right? I saw the way you looked at me and I knew your pussy wanted me."


    Keith spoke everything he had bottled up inside. The pussy he was pounding into was amazing.


    It had not been that long since he had sexst time but his body was ready to go once again. His cock felt especially good as it pounded inside Arcana.


    Finally, he came again and filled Arcana. She came around him as well, milking him dry for all he was worth. The veins closed around Arcana''s body, pulling her consciousness into an uneasy sleep.


    "Hey nt, I fulfilled my part of the bargain. Now hurry up and give me the promised nectar."


    Raff seemed to have recovered a little bit by now. She looked Keith up and down, deciding if she wanted to go again or not. But in the end, she decided not to touch him again since she was tired.


    A flower petal uncurled itself and handed Keith a green bottle.


    "Here, my nectar. I do not know what a human like you wants with it but good luck using it. Oh, and if you need spiritual grass, I know just the person-"


    "No, I don''t. I hope I never see you again."


    Keith bolted as soon as it looked like he was being dragged into this quest further. He did not want to take part in this world''s quest since it was a tragedy.

 Chapter 68 68: Sowing The Seeds [Pt3]

    Keith was ''politely'' thrown out of this dream the second he denied Raff''s request. His eyes snapped open as Keith heaved a heavy breath.


    He looked around, only to find himself in a small cave with Bell looking at him with worried eyes. Bell''s eyes widened as soon as she noticed that Keith was awake.


    "Y-You woke up! Hurry ande with me. T-The nt thing took Arcana so we need to go and save her right now."


    Bell sounded frantic right now, her face a picture of worry. She genuinely looked scared for what would happen to Arcana now that the nt had captured her friend.


    "Calm down Bell. I am sure Arcana is alright and she is not captured by the nt thing. She''s just¡­doing the nt creature a favor for the time being so you do not need to worry about her."


    Keith tried to y down the situation, knowing fully well that there was too much to worry about.


    Arcana was not in her right mind but Keith doubted that there was any way to help her now. Arcana looked to be addicted and Raff did not seem like someone who would let their toy go without a fight.


    "B-But still. We should at least look at her, right? I won''t feel right if I don''t look for her."


    Bell requested with a heavy voice. Her eyes were beginning to fill with annoying tears and Keith decided to let her see Arcana for onest time just to shut her up.


    "Fine. let us go and have a look at Arcana. But I am warning you, it will not be a pretty picture. I tried to warn you so do not me me for this,"


    Bell was startled by the warning, her confidence suddenly wavering. But she was still determined to save her friend. She jumped up and started flying.


    Their small cave turned out not to be too far away from Raff''s resting ce. But it was now covered with small veins that blocked the traveler''s way. Keith continued to walk until he touched one of the veins.


    "Raff, I am here to take a look at Arcana. Can you let me have one final look at her?"


    Keith''s question had no answer but the veins did part to show a big-bellied, fucked out Arcana.


    Arcana''s body was stretched, her pussy had a vein in the shape of a cock-plug keeping her full and her belly was dented out with the seeds she was carrying. A pair of human hands yed with Arcana''s heavy breasts, drinking the milk she was spilling out.


    "What do you want from my incubator? I told you I will not give her back. Now hurry up and get going."


    Raff sounded busy dealing with Arcana right now. She did not even look up at Keith as she forced Arcana to service her pussy with her mouth.


    Bell''s jaw had dropped at what she saw and she suddenly looked embarrassed. Keith knew that Bell would never be able to hear Arcana''s name without thinking of this moment again.


    "Bell, is your curiosity satisfied? If it is, then it''s time to go back and treat mypanion."


    Keith called out to the fairy who could only look at the scene in front of her with curiosity and mute horror. Keith had a feeling that Bell woulde back here once everything was over for her.


    "I-huh? Oh yeah, I aming. I-I just did not expect to see that."


    Bell tried to make excuses as she followed Keith but her mind was still stuck in the past. Keith did not care much for what Bell did if she took care of Shinu.


    Soon, they both came back to the small vige where Shinuy unconscious. Bell immediately darted to check on him, taking his vitals and other things.


    She sighed in relief as soon as she noticed that Shinu was alright.


    "Looks like he''s going to be alright now that we have the medicine. Let me go and prepare it as soon as possible."


    Keith took a seat as Bell did her things. The small fairy was easily able to make a jar full of liquid and brought it over to Keith.


    "Rub it on his forehead and then feed this to him when he wakes up. I will be taking a stroll around for the time being."


    Keith had a feeling that Bell''s ''stroll'' was not that and he would never see her again if she went away now.


    So, before Bell could leave the house, Keith hurriedly caught her in his grasp and held her there.


    "You are not going anywhere until Shinu wakes up and is cleared of his pheromones poisoning."


    Bell pouted and tried to bite Keith in return. But her *sharp* teeth did not even make a dent in Keith''s thick skin. He easily ignored Bell and walked toward Shinu.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    After tying Bell up for the time being, Keith rubbed the ointment on Shinu''s forehead and the half-dragon moaned in pain.


    Since his mouth was finally open, Keith helped him drink the liquid. He had to stimte Shinu''s throat to make him swallow.


    Shinu coughed as he took more and more of that bitter liquid in., he seemed to be forcing himself to drink more of that bitter drink.


    "You are doing good. Just a few more sips are all you need."


    Keith encouraged Shinu until the kid drank all of it and hisplexion got better. It seemed like Shinu would wake up soon.


    "Hey, I helped you out and this is how you repay me? Let me go right now before I get mad at you."


    Bell yelled as soon as she noticed that Shinu had swallowed his medicine. She did not find it fair that she had to be held captive all this time.


    Keith looked at Bell with his calm but unnerving eyes. Suddenly, she felt like cornered prey and hoped she had never opened her mouth. Bell was about to make more excuses when the ropes binding her were cut open.


    "You are free to go now. Oh, and if anyone ever asks for me, tell them you know nothing and I was never here."


    Keith ordered the fairy who looked annoyed and confused.


    "You want me to pretend like I don''t know you? Well, sure. I don''t like you anyway so forgetting you won''t be difficult."


    Bell ensured Keith before she darted off. Keith was sure that she was going back to Raff''s clearing to sate her curiosity. And that curiosity would be the end of Bell.


    Meanwhile, Shinu coughed as his body calmed down a little. He was beginning to look better as well by now.


    "You should take it easy. Your body went through an ordeal back there."


    Keith rubbed Shinu''s back, now noticing the additional features he had. There were scales on Shinu''s face and his bone structure felt different as well.


    Shinu groaned in pain, his body aching as it changed to amodate his more draconic features in the mix. He looked like he was not in a good ce right now.


    "H-Hurts. It feels like someone is stabbing me constantly. I need my mother."


    Shinuined like the child he was and Keith understood what he was going through. Keith missed his mother''sforting touch even when he was an adult so Shinu''s longing for his mother was evident.


    Even when Shinu was part of the hero''s party, he constantly missed his mother. But every party had a ''mother'' figure for him to grow close to.


    Keith currently had no one like this but he had a bigger advantage. Shinu''s mother wasing to the guild instead of dying this time around.


    "Don''t worry kid. You will meet your mother soon. For now, just rest and forget about anything dangerous or harmful."


    Shinu decided to trust Keith and go to sleep. His body was in too much pain to do anything else.


    He looked and felt better when he woke upter and looked around. Keith seemed to have taken good care of Shinu and Shinu was touched.


    The grandmaster was a nice man worthy of his devotion. He had spent a whole day nursing Shinu without any personal benefit. It made Shinu feel closer to the grandmaster.


    The grandmaster woke up as soon as Shinu tried touching him which scared Shinu and made him retreat with a jolt.


    "Ah, you are awake? Are you good enough to travel now?"


    Keith asked the question as soon as he woke up and Shinu nodded in agreement. He was ready to travel outside of this domain. He wanted to go back to a home that epted him.


    "Good. Then we will leave after we have breakfast. I have noted this ce and I will send someone to clean it up after we leave it."


    Shinzou would be here soon and he would take care of this dungeon. As for what happens next, Keith did not have an idea but he believed it would be ok.

 Chapter 69 69: The Bathroom Incident [Pt1]

    ''Home, sweet home. It took so long toe back that I am even feeling a little emotional right now.''


    Keith forced his imaginary tears back into his body as he looked at the guild building in front of him. It was then that the feeling of back sank into his body.


    At his side, Shinu seemed to be gasping at the marvelous beauty that was the guild hall and its living quarters. It looked more like a movie set than a real ce.


    "T-This is where you live Keith? This ce is awesome. So, what do you do here? Is your job tough? Do you need to work a lot?"


    Shinu questioned rapidly, wanting to know everything he could about Keith and this ce.


    His interest was genuine and Keith felt like he would be able to groom Shinu into a good guard dragon soon. But first, he needed to show his face to ensure everyone he was back for good.


    He did not even need to go far for the first person toe running toward him.


    "G-Grandmaster, wee back. I-I missed you so much. Where were you? Why did you not take me with you this time? D-Don''t tell me that you find me annoying. I promise to do better next time."


    Shimi ran toward Keith in all her dramatic glory. Her eyes were filled with tears and her begging posture gave Keith the perfect view down her breasts.


    Keith tried not to look at the ''view'' Shimi was giving him but it was difficult when his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own. It was a miracle that Keith''s face did not show anything he was feeling.


    Otherwise, it would have been red and ready tobust by now.


    "It''s nothing like that Shimi. I just had to pick up someone important that I needed to do alone. Now, I need you to take someone under your wing for the time being. Shinu,e here."


    Shinu looked a little startled at seeing Shimi and her inhuman features. Her elf ears were especially prominent and separated her from the humans.


    Shinu seemed to be ring at Shimi with his eyes hooded and his pupils spilt into slits.


    "This woman is not normal. Is she even human? Her energy does not feel human to me."


    Shinu growled lowly in his throat as he looked at Shimi. It seemed as if he had never seen an elf before.


    "O-Oi, is this a -but I thought they were all. I see why you brought this kid here, grandmaster. We need to protect him."


    Shimi, for some reason, was suddenly a lot more perspective than any time Keith had seen her before. Her dumb act seemed to have disappeared as she looked at the half-dragon in front of her.


    She looked up at Keith, then at Shinu, and then back at Keith with a determined expression. And suddenly, Keith wanted to take back his thought about Shimi being perspective.


    Now it seemed like whatever she had thought of was dumb.


    "I understand that the grandmaster wants to bring his secret son back to the guild. Did the mother die? Did she abandon your son? Do not worry kid, I will be your new mother. You can call me Mom if you want to."


    ''See, I knew it. Shimi did reach the wrong conclusion after all. Why did I have to run into her out of everyone here?''


    Keith sighed as he watched Shimi try and capture Shinu into a hug. The half-dragon looked freaked out as he tried his best to avoid Shimi.


    Keith felt bad for both but he refused to step in and save Shinu. He chose to keep quiet and save himself all the headaches.


    And because Keith did not immediately clear up this misunderstanding with Shimi, the servants who heard this conversation formed their thoughts. One gossip melted into another until weird rumors began to circte.


    "Shimi, show Shinu to the room I asked you all to prepare. I will go and take a bath right now."


    Keith was tried and filthy. He needed a long and hot soak to make all his worries from the past few days melt away. And his big bathtub was the best way to ensure no stress captured Keith.


    He quickly changed as soon as he got into his room and submerged himself in the warm water. It covered his chest and his chin as well.


    The spiritual essence Keith had mixed into the water caused him to fall asleep in the water, leaving his body exposed for anyone toe and see.


    ...¡­


    Rumors had a habit of spreading even if no one ignited them. By the end of the day, everyone and their kids knew that the grandmaster had brought back a kid.


    But due to Shimi''s interference, everyone thought that this kid was the grandmaster''s offspring with their mother dead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Did you hear? The grandmaster brought his kid back here."


    "Yes, I did. I heard that the grandmaster confirmed it when Shimi asked him this question."


    "I also heard that the mother is dead and was a dragon. The son is half-dragon."


    "Really? As expected of the grandmaster. He''s an excellent person who even managed to capture a dragon''s heart."


    "Well, what more can we expect? The grandmaster is too good for us humans and mortals to engage with. Of course, his partner would be a divine being."


    This was how Master Fushi came across these rumors and she froze as soon as she heard them.


    The grandmaster had a kid he had never told the council about. When did that happen? Was the grandmaster married? And when did that happen?


    ''No, the grandmaster cannot be married. If he was, then he would not have taken me to bed to help me out during that mission. I am sure there is something wrong here. Maybe the grandmaster was forced into that rtionship and he had no idea he had a kid. That seems usible, right?''


    It was not usible but Master Fushi hade to her conclusions by the time she finished thinking. She suddenly pities the grandmaster and vowed to be better to him next time.


    She also needed to meet the unfortunate kid and be nice to him.


    ''The kid might be a disgrace but he is still grandmaster''s kid. I will make sure no one bullies this kid if he is under our protection.''


    "Hey, about the mother. I do not think she is quite as dead as we are making her out to be. Do you remember how I work in the central building? So apparently, the grandmaster asked servants to clean up a quarter for someone to live but that ce is too huge for a child to live."


    "You don''t mean! *gasp* Grandmaster''s mistress ising to live here? Oh, the scandal."


    Now that gave Master Fushi a pause as jealousy filled her mind and body.


    This! This could not be allowed. Grandmaster could not bring in a mistress as he pleased because he had a role to uphold. He was the grandmaster and his partner needed to be carefully selected.


    He could not go and bring anyone he wanted into the guild.


    ''I need to go and have a talk with the grandmaster right now. I will not allow him to ruin himself because of a single woman.''


    Master Fushi was sure she was right. She was virtuous and she also held her always head up. If anything, she was the perfect mistress for the grandmaster to take in-


    ''No, do not think about that. Focus on the topic at hand for now.''


    Master Fushi quickly made her way to the central building where she knew the grandmaster was. The people at the door looked at her approaching with a confused look on their faces. They did not know what to make of her.


    "Is the grandmaster in? I need to have something important to talk to him about."


    Fushi asked, wanting to go in right that second. The guard hesitated but did not move his spear away.


    "I-I am sorry but the grandmaster is busy right now. Maybe you cane backter, Master Fushi-"


    "I need to go in right now. You both better go away if you want to keep your lives. Or else-"


    Fushi did not need to finish her threat to get her point across. The two people in front of her looked stressed and scared.


    They still held their ground for some more time but ultimately folded in front of her.


    "M-Master Fushi, you can go in but please wait in the outside area for now. Grandmaster is busy and he wille to meet you as soon as he is done with this business."


    For some reason, the guard stressed this part. It confused Master Fushi but she agreed to it nheless for the time being.


    She entered the room and made a bee-line for the ce where she felt the grandmaster was.


    "Grandmaster, I need to"

 Chapter 70 70: The Bathroom Incident [Pt2]

    "Grandmaster, I need to talk to you¡­"


    Master Fushi did not heed the warning and she did not pay attention to where she was going. All her focus was concentrated on finding the faint threat of energy the grandmaster was letting out.


    So, she did not notice when she banged on the door of the bathroom and entered it. But she did be aware of where she was once, she got a stunning view in front of her.


    The grandmaster seemed to be in a state of deep meditation, his eyes closed and his body rxed. The water submerged his muscr torso beneath its gentle waves andpped up at those rosy nipples.


    Master Fushi had to gulp her salivating mouth as she noticed the scene in front of her. It was so beautiful that she was unable to take her eyes away from it. The more she stared at it, the more she wanted to touch the grandmaster.


    She knew it was not right for her to be here. It was creepy for Master Fushi to stare at a naked grandmaster when he was in the pool like this, but it was not fair.


    ''Why does someone else get to see Grandmaster like this when I do not? What do I need to do to make the grandmaster notice me?''


    Jealousy and yearning boiled inside Fushi as she took a deep breath and took a step toward the grandmaster.


    He blinked and groaned, almost waking up in the process and Master Fushi breathed a sigh of relief when he did not wake up. She could see her fill if the grandmaster did not wake up.


    Master Fushi was about to touch the grandmaster''s naked chest when she noticed a pair of eyes looking down at her.


    It was the grandmaster who had woken up and he looked alert suddenly. Master Fushi had not even gotten the time to correct her posture and now she was caught by the grandmaster.


    "Master Fushi, what are you doing here? Is it your hobby to stare at me?"


    The grandmaster asked with a husky voice. It still contained traces of sleep in them and Master Fushi gulped her nervousness down. She needed to get through this crisis.


    "I¡­ this was not what I was here for. I wanted to talk to you about the kid you brought back and what you intend to do with him. We need to have this conversation as soon as possible."


    Master Fushi tried to look away but her eyes kept on moving toward the hard cock in front of him. The grandmaster was huge even when he was not aroused.


    ''And to think that the grandmaster''s huge cock was inside me a few weeks ago. I want to experience that again in my life. God, I want that cock so badly in me that I can do anything for it.''


    Master Fushi''s lips salivated even more and she was about to droll when she caught herself and coughed.


    She needed to maintain herposure. She could not be caughtcking by the grandmaster like this. It would not be dignified of her and she would also lose all respect the grandmaster had for her.


    "Master Fushi, how long do you intend to stand right there and look at me? If you have something to say to me then either say it here, or you should wait for me toe out after I get dressed."


    Fushi fought not to blush in front of the grandmaster but it was a near thing. His body was naked to Shimi''s eyes and she looked it up and down in appreciation. But she did it discreetly.


    "I¡­think I will wait outside for you toe out, grandmaster. Our talk cannot be postponed any longer."


    Master Fushi went out of the bathroom with her face red. This was another incident Master Fushi would take to her grave once she died.


    .....


    Keith''s heart threatened to skip of out his chest as he calmed himself down.


    It had been such a close call for him when Master Fushi had barged into the room suddenly and demanded to talk.


    Had it not been for the grandmaster''s poker face and his cold attitude, Keith would have yelled like a scared little girl. But he had adapted in the end, and that was the main point.


    "I wonder what brought Master Fushi here in such a hurry. She''s generally a cautious person."


    Keith wondered as he got dressed. He was so d he had decided not to relieve himself in the bathroom today. Master Fushi walking on the grandmaster masturbating would not have been a good image.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith rubbed his eyebrows as he sat in front of Fushi in his wet bathrobe. That was the only thing he had brought in the bathroom with him. But in his defense, he had not expected a guest to drop by today.


    Master Fushi seemed to have calmed down as well by now. Her face looked stone cold and it seems like she was not affected by what had happened earlier.


    "Master Fushi, what was it so important that you could not stop yourself from rushing in here? What caused you such a hurry?"


    Keith questioned, trying to make his voice all broody and mysterious. He did not want to show how flustered he was on his face.


    Master Fushi finally let out an evident sigh of hesitation as she nervously rubbed her hands together.


    "Grandmaster, about the kid you brought back. What kind of rtionship do you both share? I am not asking you because I am curious but I need to know it to ensure that proper damage control is exercised."


    Master Fushi coughed into her hands to hide her awkwardness. Keith was also not able to follow Master Fushi''s logic.


    Surely there was no problem if Keith brought a kid, he had no ties with back? Or, was it that Master Fushi was suspicious about something?


    Otherwise, it was quite out of character for her toe rushing into the grandmaster''s room like this.


    "Master Fushi, you have no right interfering in my ns. Shinu is someone under my protection and he shall be treated as such. Both he and his mother are important to me." ''And my future safety. So do not be suspicious of me, Master Fushi.''


    Keith''s calm rebuttal was met with a surge of visible frustration. Master Fushi seemed to be struggling with something internally before her eyes shed.


    She could not but think over what the grandmaster had said with visible frustration on her face.


    ''Both Shinu and his mother are important to the grandmaster? When did this happen? I know I was not always the one on the grandmaster''s side but surely Shimi would have raised a fuss if the grandmaster was meeting someone.''


    Master Fushi was frustrated, her mind eating away at her with worry and aggression. She no longer knew what she believed in.


    But Master Fushi pulled herself together with visible frustration on her face.


    "I-I see. So those people are important to the grandmaster. In that case, kindly entrust the safety of your new disciple and his mother to me. I know I might not look the most hospitable but I do have the skill necessary to make them feel weed."


    Master Fushi assured the grandmaster, trying to earn some brownie points with him.


    "Hmm, I am not sure if my guests will feel wees by you or not, but I guess it could hurt to"


    "No, wait grandmaster. I want to be the one to take care of your guests. In fact, as the one in charge of looking after your home affairs, I should be the one to take the charge."


    Suddenly, Shimi banged on the door and barged into the room. Her eyes zed with challenge as she looked at Master Fushi. Shimi was ring quite fiercely at Master Fushi which took the master aback.


    The grandmaster looked visibly frustrated at Shimi''s sudden entry and Master Fushi had a feeling that Shimi was not particrly wee here right now.


    ''So, I might have a chance to yank this from Shimi if I try, I need to take this opportunity to make the grandmaster trust me more.''


    Master Fushi was ready for a catfight while Shimi gritted her teeth in frustration.


    She could not believe what was happening right under her nose.


    Not only had the grandmaster brought a brat back, he had not even denied the usation of Shinu being his kid. It was frustrating and Shimi was not going to take it lying down.


    She could not take the grandmaster''s affection away from Shinu and she did not want to. But she could always try and win Shinu over. This was very much a possibility and Shimi was going to fight for this chance.


    If she could not get her man through normal means, then she would get him through his son. That was what Master Fushi decided to to.

 Chapter 71 71: Establishing A New Identity

    ''Is this some kind of prank? Why is Shinu so popr suddenly? Is it his inhuman nature? Man, I give up understanding women.''


    Keith could not help but feel frustrated from the sudden tension in the air. The two females in front of him were butting heads without even speaking.


    What was worse? It did not look like both would back down easily. Keith would have to choose if he wanted things to resolve quietly. But Keith also knew that the one who was not chosen would cause a problem.


    ''Anyway, I will have to choose anyway. Fortunately, I know how to distract Shimi. So, I should choose Master Fushi as the real guide this time.''


    Keith decided while he faced the two females in front of him. Both looked back at Keith with hopeful expressions on their faces.


    *Cough* "I have made my decision. I want Master Fushi to look after Shinu''s mother while I take care of Shinu. Meanwhile, I want you, Shimi, to do something very important for me. I will send you the detailster."


    Shimi''s look of disappointment turned into curiosity and then a determination as soon as Keith finished speaking.


    Master Fushi shot Shimi''s pitiful looks not noticing that the grandmaster was just humoring her. But seeing how happy Shimi looked right now, Master Fushi decided to let her be. Ignorance was bliss after all.


    "Alright grandmaster, I understand what you want me to do. I will go back and wait for your message toe."


    Shimi left the room with quite a happy expression. Master Fushi looked at her with a pitiful expression but waited until Shimi was gone to turn to the grandmaster.


    "Master Fushi, I am trusting you this time by giving you authority over Shinu''s mother. I hope you do not fail me bycking hospitality."


    Master Fushi gulped down in nervousness. She did not expect the grandmaster to speak of his partner in such a strict manner. She could not afford to make mistakes this time.


    "Grandmaster, are you sure you want to bring young master Shinu''s mother back to the guild? I do not think she will have an easy time here. But since you asked me to look after her, I shall do so."


    In the end, Master Fushi could not say what she wanted to. And she could not ask the grandmaster to not bring his lover back with him.


    Grandmaster had talked about Shinu''s mother with a hard voice and a determined expression. He would not except anything less from Master Fushi as well.


    "I understand grandmaster. I shall try to do my best to meet your expectations."


    In the end, Master Fushi could not find it in herself to stop the grandmaster from making decisions based on his emotions. He was human and he wanted to bring his lover to live near him.


    How could Master Fushi take it away from him? It would be better for her to run away while nursing her broken heart.


    ......¡­..


    Keith had no idea what just happened. All he knew was that Master Fushi had taken the responsibility of looking after Shinu''s mother from his hand.


    She had seemed a little too eager to look after Shinu''s mother for some reason.


    ''Ah, she must not trust me still. In that case, I will let Master Fushi take charge on this front. I need to look at my new identity and how I can establish it further.''


    Keith was fully awake after this encounter. He crossed his legs and took out the binder Priestess Athena had given him.


    It was a thick folder with all the important things marked in it.


    The first thing Keith noticed was that the male looked very familiar to himself in height and body build. But except that, they had nothing inmon.


    Keith had green hair and red eyes while Noah had ck hair and blue eyes. Noah was also tanner than the grandmaster by quite a lot.


    Now that Keith took a closer look, Noah looked like the previous him more than the grandmaster.


    ''I like this new identity. Should I go out and get my name out a little? I will need to leave for the unknown vige soon but I should make a public appearance before that.''


    Keith decided to take the cloaking magic from his inventory. He had a lot of it on hand after hisst mission.


    ''I should also fill my mana stone with strong magic. It mighte in handy.''


    Now that Keith knew he was no longer going to be bound by his identity, he decided to go all out with his power.


    He was going to take the highest-level spell he could afford to take.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''I should go to Amelia and ask her for a skill. Protagonist skills were in a league of their own as far as I remembered.''


    So, Keith took off toward the training ground as fast as he could. He needed to catch Amelia before she hit the quarters.


    Thankfully, Amelia was just about done with her daily training when Keith arrived near her. She was startled to see Keith but she recovered quickly.


    ......¡­..


    "You just want me to hold this small stone? Is this some kind of experiment, grandmaster?"


    Amelia questioned as she held the small stone in her hand. It felt hot to the touch but not unbearably hot.


    All Amelia knew was that this stone was not a normal stone but she also knew she could trust the grandmaster not to hurt her. That was why she did not throw the small stone away as soon as she felt it suck her energy.


    She gritted her teeth and decided to rx her body. She could take more of this feeling.


    But as soon as it had started to feel ufortable for her, the grandmaster took the stone away from her. It left Amelia winded at the sudden rush of sensation she felt.


    "You did well Amelia. This was all I wanted from you."


    Grandmaster praised Amelia which made her cheeks feel warmer. She could not look up at the grandmaster properly without blushing anymore.


    "I¡­that is alright. By the way, is this the same experiment that Master Shinzou participated in? I heard you made him hold a stone as well."


    Amelia only realized that she should not have asked such an invasive question until it was well past her lips. But by the time she noticed, it was toote to take her question back.


    Thankfully, Grandmaster did not notice Amelia''s slip of the tongue and answered her question.


    "It is part of the same experiment line, but a little different. You do not need to fear any adverse effect since the experiment is nned in a way not to hurt you or the others."


    The grandmaster assured Amelia (not that he needed to) and Amelia nodded in understanding. She offered the stone back to Keith. He quickly pocketed it, not wanting someone to have a deeper look at what he was doing.


    "Are you sure you do not need me toe along with you grandmaster? Wherever you are going might be dangerous and you can use my help."


    Amelia requested with a concerned face. Her concern wavered Keith''s willpower and he almost caved in.


    After all, it would be nice to have a protagonist around to save him from any troubles. Keith would also feel reassured if he had somepany with him and most importantly, Amelia would not ask him any questions.


    ''No, you cannot give in right now. Amelia is not the problem, the circumstances are. I cannot risk my potential end spot leaking out.''


    So, despite how much Keith wanted to take Amelia with him, he would have to make do with one of her skills. Taking Amelia with him was asking for danger since the protagonists were trouble mas.


    "There is no need for you to be concerned. Do not forget who I am. I don''t need help from a beginner like you."


    Keith spoke these words while vomiting blood. It hurt to speak such reassuring words and even Amelia looked sheepish as she registered what Keith had just said.


    She could not believe she had just offered to protect someone as strong as the grandmaster. No wonder everyone was giving her odd looks.


    Keith hurriedly left them space to not make himself suffer more. Every second of that awkward silence begged him to reconsider Amelia''s offer. But Keith chose not to.


    Luckily, he noticed ir in the distance. The cat ve was currently rxing but her face turned irritated as soon as she noticed Keith.


    "Let me guess. You are going to leave again and leave me in charge of the paperwork? One of these days, you will be caught forging your signatures."


    ir hissed as she realized what Keith needed from her. Keith gave her a calm smile but he did not show any emotions.


    And ir knew better than to try and talk him out. She might as well get a good deal out of this.

 Chapter 72 72: The Up-Side Down Village [Pt1]

    "Excuse me, but can you take a look at this map and tell me where this vige is?"


    Keith was currently in an underground pub with his new getup and identity in toe. People were eying him with suspicion as he was a new face in the underground scene.


    But just as people were suspicious of him, many were intrigued by him as well. Keith was sure they were observing him to see what his real intentions were.


    "Hmm, let me see the map. What the hell is this? I cannot read anything on it. Man, you got scammed hard times because of this map. You might want to get your money back for it."


    The bartender looked at the map, tilting it up and down but he was unable to read it. Keith had expected this oue so he quickly snatched the map back in his hands.


    The people on the side looked even more intrigued by his behavior now. They were taking note of him and who he was. Some were even beginning to try and approach him by now.


    "E-Excuse me. I saw you from behind and could not help but notice that you look familiar. Have we met before?"


    A kid asked Keith as soon as he was alone. The kid looked nervous, most likely being forced toe here by everyone else. Everyone pretended like they were not interested in his conversation but they all kept an ear up as Keith was asked this question.


    "Kid, go back. Whatever you are selling, I don''t want to buy it."


    Keith denied the kid before the kid could make an offer. Keith already knew what the offer would be - to join his team or to help with a mission. This kid was not the first Keith had approached for such a thing.


    And this bar was not even the first Keith had visited this evening. He had visited three more bars and left without ordering anything. He was not risking drinking in his new body until he knew his alcohol tolerance.


    "O-Oh, I see. B-But you cane over to my group, right? Our boss wants to see you for a second. I am sure you will change your mind once you meet our boss."


    The kid asked nervously. He looked over to his ''boss'' who was ady and flinched. It was easy to tell that the kid was threatened to bring Keith over or else¡­


    ''I am sorry kid but I am not going to fall for a honey trap. Your boss is not even my type with all her bulky muscles. She looks like she can snap me into two.''


    Keith mentally flinched as soon as he noticed how much buffer the boss was than him. Thankfully, his mind did not spark with any memories which meant that this boss was not in the original MMO.


    Leaving this ce should not have any problem for Keith.


    "Sorry kid, but you tried," Keith spoke this openly and then continued in a whisper, "If you have any problem, go to the guild and give them this card. They will help you out."


    Keith slipped a small card into the kid''s pocket. It was a card the grandmaster often carried around on him to give out. Keith only knew about it from a special in-game event.


    Now, Keith was not generally a good person and he did not help people out from the goodness of his heart.


    But this child seemed pathetic and a little too much in trouble. He made Keith feel sorry for him so Keith helped him out.


    The child looked startled at the favor that had been bestowed on him. He ces his hand on top of his pocket and his eyes narrow in suspicion. But when Keith did not give any other indication that he had seen this action, the kid decided to turn away and go back dejected.


    Keith left his fourth bar for the night and decided to call it off for the day. He had made enough appearances to get people talking about him.


    Now, what he needed to do was to get involved in a small scene that would get his name out there.


    Luckily, Keith got his break soon enough.


    He reached the central za, the prime ce where the crime took ce at night. And as one would expect from the game, a monster had somehow managed to slip inside the barrier.


    Luckily, Keith had prepared for such an asion and he subtly took out a mana gun from his hidden dimensional pocket and shot the monster.


    Everyone looked at the mysterious ck-haired figure who killed the beast. He was someone they had never seen before and this man had acted even faster than the guild members.


    Everyone was frozen stiff as soon as the monster appeared so they were not ready to stop Keith as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W-Wait right there. You are under arrest right now so do not try to run away. You need toe with me to the police station and give a statement-"


    The police officer finally unfroze from his state and decided toe after Keith. But Keith had nned this incident so it was easy for him to slip away. He watched the poor police officer walk all around, looking for him from the top of the building.


    ''Let us see. I got the people in the underworld talking and now I have got the police talking. I just need to create a small rumor about myself now and my new identity would be set.''


    Keith was happy to see that things were going fantastic for him. Now he was going to disappear for a few days and no one would be able to find him.


    So, when rumors about him appeared in other viges as well, his new identity would be more and more solidified.


    That night, Keith left the main town and followed the map toward the south. It was difficult to read for him as well but Keith at least knew the basics of where he needed to go from here.


    ...¡­


    "So, do you know this man or not? I do not want excuses. I just need an answer."


    Shinzou held up the shot of the ck-haired man the police and lower guild members had passed on to him. There was something familiar and suspicious about this man that tingled Shinzou''s senses.


    He felt like he had seen this man before but nothing struck his mind for the time being.


    And this double feeling of knowing but not knowing was irritating Shinzou. He needed to know who this man was to sate his curiosity.


    "M-Master Shinzou, I am sorry but I don''t know. He just came in here and ordered us to look at his map. It was something I had never seen before and I told the man he was scammed. He left after that."


    The same story, the same excuse. These people had nothing new to add for Shinzou. He was tired of getting the same excuse no matter where he went.


    ''Just how good was this man? He left no trace for us and his mana is untraceable. At this rate, he might be even better than the grandmaster in hiding-''


    Shinzou hit himself mentally for even daring to think that. Grandmaster was the grandmaster and no one could ovee his might.


    This new man in the town could be dangerous for all Shinzou knew. He had been here for one day and he had stirred the masses. He could not be allowed to roam free.


    "I see. It is fine if you do not know anything. But I need you to call me when hees back. I need to talk with this mysterious messenger of yours."


    The bar helper was all too eager when he agreed. It was an honor to help Master Shinzou out and no one wanted to deny him a favor.


    Shinzou left his work contact with the bar and went to the next one. He had two more to cover for the night before he needed to go and look at the dead monster. It had been shot dead in a matter of seconds.


    Usually, it was not a big deal. But this unknown man had no reputation and had shown too much awareness. This attack could be a nned thing by this ''new helper'' after all.


    And if that was so, Shinzou would make sure the new threat disappeared.


    ''That darn man. I will drag him by his neck and kill him if he dared to cause problems for the grandmaster.''


    Shinzou yelled in his heart.


    Somewhere along a rural way, Keith sneezed. He had a feeling someone was talking about him but Keith could not prove that.


    "Oh dear, it looks like you are catching a cold. Here, try my homemade remedy to keep to warm."


    Keith denied the old woman''s favor. Herst two drinks had not had the¡­best taste. The less Keith drank, the better he would be.

 Chapter 73 73: The Up-Side Down Village [Pt2]

    "Oh dear, it looks like you are catching a cold. Here, tries my homemade remedy to keep to warm."


    The old woman was insisting even as Keith denied her hospitality. She was not ready to take ''no'' for an answer from Keith, just as she had taken no for the first two times.


    You might be wondering how Keith found himself in this predicament. Well, it was simple - he had asked for a ride to a vige where even private services did not go. And Keith had not brought a car with him back here.


    As a result, he had to walk to the vige on foot. But he did not know the exact location of the vige.


    His map was a little wacky and the online map¡­did not have the location of this ce mapped out at all.


    All in all, Keith was utterly fucked right now and he knew it.


    It was his lucky break when he noticed a cart heading in front of him. It stopped as soon as it reached Keith and an extremely old woman opened the back of the wagon.


    And when Keith said old, he meant the kind of woman whom you had to question who they were even alive. This old woman was easily over 100 years old and she was all skin and bones without a hint of meat on her body.


    Not only that, her fragility made it seem like she would fall any second now.


    "Oh dear, you look a little lost out in this wilderness. Where are you going in such a condition? Are you not tired?"


    The old woman asked. Despite her fragile looks, her voice was strong and clear. Her voice did not belong to an olddy and it made Keith second guess himself.


    "I was trying to find the nearby vige here. Someone gave me this old map but I think I am lost now."


    Keith handed the map over to the olddy and she looked at it with gentle eyes. She seemed not to have recognized anything but her face had a thinking expression.


    "Hmmm. You are looking for a vige? Well, there is only one vige nearby and that is the one I am heading toward. How about you ride to the vige with me, kid? It will save you some time and effort."


    Keith found this offer too tempting to take. The old woman had no reason to help Keith, but she had no reason to scam him as well.


    In the end, it was not a difficult decision for Keith to make. He was lost on his own and this olddy was offering him help free of cost.


    "Thank you for your offer, miss. I will take you up on your offer."


    The olddy giggled at Keith''s words and hit his arm rather bashfully.


    "Aww, I am no miss, my dear child. It is you who is doing me a favor right now. Not many people like to visit our vige so weck socialpany."


    Keith rubbed his arm where the olddy had jokingly smacked him. It throbbed and Keith had flinched when he had been hit.


    What kind of strength did this olddy have? A little more force and Keith would have been injured for real.


    "Y-Yeah, it''s a pleasure for sure."


    Keith whispered these words loud enough to be heard as he took a seat inside the wagon. It started moving and the trees in the vicinity started to disappear. The driver seemed to know where he was going at least.


    And then Keith sneezed out of nowhere. That was whatnded him in his current position.


    "Are you sure you don''t want this soup, dear? It is good for your health."


    The olddy assured Keith but he nodded as furiously as he could. He did not want to eat this soup that had the potential to burn his tongue.


    The olddy looked disappointed but she put the soup away. Pretty soon, the foggy surroundings began to show the outline of a small vige on the horizon.


    "Look dear, we are finally here. You can see the outline of our vige from here. It is a lovely ce to live in."


    The old woman assured Keith as she opened the wagon and got down. Keith followed her into the old and solemn vige.


    The ce was wrecked and not alright for human residency. All the roofs and leaks in them and no signs of repairs seemed to have been made in the past several years.


    But the most important sign that said that this vige was weird was theck of humanpany.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith looked around but he could not spot anyone except him and the olddy at his side.


    The olddy looked happy to be back. And somehow, Keith did not have a good feeling about this ce. He felt like he was being scammed right now.


    "Dear, please apany me. I need to show you something."


    The olddy brought Keith to an old shire. It was the only ce that looked clean and tended to. Keith knew he should not follow someone just like that but he decided to take a risk.


    He opened the door and saw his second human from the vige. It was a toddler who looked to be barely old enough.


    The toddler reached out toward Keith but Keith took a step back.


    Now, the feeling of something being wrong was too strong. There was no way a toddler had survived in this town without any people or basic amenities for so long. The olddy was hiding something.


    "Don''t mistrust me so much, dear. I just want you to step into the circle and prey on the deity. Since you are in our vige, you can do that much, right?"


    The old woman questioned and Keith felt his bodyply. It was like a fog had descended over his senses and Keith''s arm was moving in a praying motion. His hands were sped together and Keith''s head was bowed in front of the half-broken statue.


    "What are you doing to me? I do not want to"


    "What am I doing? I am not doing anything, dear. It is all you and your devotion that is making you bow in front of the supreme god of this world. Look, your hands even know the correct posture. It seems like you are a devout as well."


    Keith knew he was not a devout but his body seemed to know the motion of this prayer well enough to not make any mistakes.


    The smell of the incense around him was strong, and it was making Keith dizzy smelling it. He looked at the kid, only to notice red eyes like his. The baby reached out toward Keith with his small hands.


    ''This is not right. I am not the one praying but my body is. It is as if I cannot control it but someone else is controlling it.''


    But the weird thing was, Keith also did not feel any foreign influence inside him. This motion, this prayer, it looked natural for him to do.


    Images shed across his eyes. Creatures d in red and white are known as angles and a catastrophe that happened a while back.


    The images were shing faster than Keith could keep up but he was submerged in his emotions. Anger, fear, lust, love, distrust. They all were swimming inside his head, threatening to devour him.


    "Get out of my head. I said this is not me."


    Keith yelled, working hard to break free of the enchantments holding him in ce. But everything inside his body held him in ce. These emotions felt like his own so maybe they were residue from the original grandmaster?


    After all, what happened to the original when Keith came into this body?


    The chimes of bells and the echo of prayers were running in the background of Keith''s mind. The luby of those sounds felt familiar to Keith and they made him rx.


    ''You can take a man away from a disaster but running away from gods is impossible. We will find you and you shall lead us into this world. Our key to salvation-''


    A hand reached out toward Keith and his body flinched for the first time, trying to escape the hand reaching for his face.


    ''I cannot let that thing touch me. I might die if that handes near me. My existence-''


    And then Keith fell. He was falling into a void and his consciousness was fading. His eyes closed and he forced them to open again.


    Once he did, he was in the middle of that old and abandoned vige once again. But the olddy was nowhere to be seen and the baby was also not anywhere nearby.


    Keith had no idea what just happened right now but his current surroundings did not feel like a normal world to him.


    He dared to step out of this hut and froze.


    The world around him had changed significantly.

 Chapter 74 74: A Night Filled With Terror

    The vige Keith exited into was not the same one he had entered. And the difference was significant for Keith to notice as well.


    First, there were people around Keith but they had masks covering their faces. No one was moving around showing any of their features and Keith was currently being ignored.


    He looked at a pair of masks and uniforms near the shrine door but no one seemed to have put it there. It was the same one everyone else had on so Keith decided to take the risk of wearing it.


    The shirt and the mask fitted him like they were made by taking his measurements. They stuck to his body, but the outer robe covered Keith from head to toe. It was difficult to tell he was human in his new get-up.


    Once Keith had gotten changed, he exited the vige and walked around. The sky was dark which made it nighttime in the vige.


    "Hello, but can I know where I am? I identally ended uping here so now I am lost."


    Keith dared to ask this question to the vendor selling mask paint. It seemed to be a famous profession on the old street because a lot of shops sold mask paint as well.


    All the shops sold mask paint.


    "This is the ce that doesn''t exist, kid. Are you new here? How did you get there? Did someone throw you into a rift? You poor things."


    The vendor sounded sorry for Keith but he did not spare Keith enough time. The vendor looked busy enough sorting his face paint.


    What was even weirder was, despite so many still having face paint avable, no one seemed to be buying the face paint from them.


    "So, this ce is a rift? Can you tell me more about it? I was trying to aLtheria. Do you know how I can get to it?"


    Keith questioned the vendor who suddenly stopped.


    Everyone in the clearing stopped and looked at Keith sharply. He had a feeling that he should not have said those words and that he had made a mistake.


    "Do not take the name of that cursed fallen city or the gods will take notice of you. Listen, kid, keep your head down and you shall not be harmed. Since you fell here, this is where you will live the rest of your life. So don''t try to find a way out."


    The vendor hissed these words to Keith in a warning tone. His words had an urgency in them like he was warning Keith not to do something simple.


    ''But that is not an option for me.''


    Keith was confident that he would be able to go back home. He was the final viin in his new world and a final viin was someone who was omnipresent. He could not just up and disappear suddenly like this.


    Won''t the world try to help him out? Or for the sake of bnce or something?


    "I can see that you have still not given up kid. But I am saying this for your benefit. You should give up and get adjusted to life down here. You will not be able to go back home."


    The vendor assured Keith that he was not going to give up. He quickly moved toward the second vige but the same thing happened. And the same on the third, and fourth.


    One here believed that Keith would be able to get out of there.


    "Is there no way to get out of here? I am sure ir would be worried when there is no contact from my side for some time. Surely, she wille for me?"


    Keith was worried and insecure. There was no signal in his phone so he could not send a message back as well.


    Just when it seemed like Keith was at a standstill, everyone around him jumped up in a panic.


    "Oh god, it''s the Catastrophe. It hase down to kill us. Hurry up and enter the temple."


    The vendor near Keith yelled and everyone hurried toward the temple. Keith was unaware of what he should do so he was left behind on the ground.


    A huge shadow covered the town and Keith could not help but look up at a familiar sight above his head.


    shes of images rang in his head as he looked up. The same red and white pattern with a huge body. The same four arms and uncaring attitude.


    Everything about this Catastrophe was familiar to Keith but it was so scary as well.


    "Psss, what are you doing man? Hurry up ande in if you don''t want to get killed."


    The vendor questioned as soon as he noticed Keith outside. Keith was not the only one left outside, others had been left out as well.


    The central temple could only amodate so many people inside.


    "Please don''t be me. I do not want to be chosen this time. Please do not choose me to be the sacrifice."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The person to Keith''s left spoke. His body was bowed in a praying motion. He was hunched over and ready to give up anything not to be chosen.


    Others were behaving simrly to the first person as well. They did not even meet the giant idol''s eyes as he looked down on them.


    Then, the giant raised his hand and pointed toward someone. Keith''s heart skipped a beat as he thought that he was the one being pointed out.


    But it was someone behind him. The chosen man looked terrified and started to hyperventte. But the others around him picked him up by the arm and began to drag him away.


    "No, don''t. Do not do this to me. Do not hand me over to the devil. I still want to live. You cannot do this to me. Please don''t abandon me."


    The chosen man cried out in terror as he was ced in the huge hand of the mysterious being.


    The huge being closed his fist, cutting the chosen man away from the world and crushing the man. When that hand opened, there was nothing inside, not even a drop of blood.


    The poor man had been killed off without a single thought from this creature.


    Once he was finished, the mysterious being stood up and the sound of bells rang in the air. Keith heard the loud and clear which made him flinch.


    Keith looked up, and his eyes met the empty face of that entity and he could not help but imagine that entity grinning back at him.


    "Pss, why is the great being not going back?"


    "He usually leaves as soon as the ceremony is over. So why is he not leaving."


    "Don''t tell me he wants another sacrifice."


    Keith was not sure why but he had a feeling that the unknown being was looking at him now. The sound ofughter was getting louder around him as well.


    Images shed across his mind, sounds also shed without any coherent meaning.


    ''Our¡­key¡­to¡­salvation¡­''


    His words were dragged out and Keith almost wanted to take a step back. But he pretended like he did not hear anything and the huge creature finally left.


    Once he was gone, everyone who had taken sanctuary in the temple came out. They gasped in a terrified manner as the danger was gone.


    "What happened here? What was that thing?"


    Keith''s question caused the man adjustment to hiss. His mouth was sped by wed hands and Keith was pulled down.


    "Do not insult that great being. Whatever you do, do not attack the attention of that divine being as well. It is not a creature, but a fallen god. And if you do not want to die, you will pay your respect to him."


    The man who had dragged Keith to his eye level stressed his words out.


    He genuinely seemed to believe that the creature he had seen was a fallen god. And no one else contradicted his words.


    ''Shit, I just had to get involved in this mess. Since when were gods a part of this world? Was it in an expansion pass I never yed? A time-gated event I missed? Nothing makes sense anymore.''


    Keith was disappointed and tired from the day''s ordeal. He wanted to sleep but the vige did not seem to have an opening for him.


    And even if they did, Keith did not have their spiritual currency to pay them.


    In the end, someone pointed him toward an abandoned shrine on the outskirts of the vige which did not sound suspicious at all to him.


    But that was also the only ce Keith could take shelter for the night so he went there.


    As soon as he stepped inside, Keith was hit with a feeling of familiarity. The same half-broken figure he had prayed to was in front of him again.


    But this time, he could feel something around him as well. There was a greater presence around the temple.


    ''I came here because my body prayed to this idol, right? Then, I shall be able to go back if I pray to this guardian as well?''


    Keith hoped it worked but as soon as he closed his eyes, he opened them again. His eyes met the white-masked face of the fallen god from the hole in the ceiling and Keith''s heart stopped beating.

 Chapter 75 75: Pressure Of God

    The white-masked face looked at Keith from the broken roof. The huge body was leaning on the building and tried to reach inside toward Keith.


    But some kind of barrier on the building stopped the fallen god from being able to touch Keith. It seemed like Keith was safe for now but only as long as he stayed in the building.


    ''Our¡­key¡­to¡­salvation¡­send¡­to¡­us¡­''


    The voice of that fallen god was much clearer this time. It also made sense to Keith and he wanted to close his ears to not hear the useless talk. It was stabbing in his head, beckoning him toe out.


    "I am not your salvation. Get lost, you fell god."


    Anger seeped into Keith''s voice and it was not his emotions which influenced him. It was the emotions of the original Grandmaster that was making Keithsh out.


    Keith could not help but flinch at the timing of his body''s eruption. Out of every avable time, it had tosh out when Keith was in the most danger. What kind of sense did it make? Keith was going to die at this rate.


    ''Our¡­key¡­to¡­salvation¡­send¡­to¡­us¡­''


    But the fallen god did not let Keith go. The fallen god seemed to not have heard Keith''s insults as it tried to keep on reaching inside for him. Keith backed away until his back hit the idol and he noticed a small ring on the idol''s finger.


    Keith quickly took the ring seconds after the main barrier broke.


    The huge entity kept on reaching for Keith and he clutched the ring tightly in his hand.


    A surge of power blocked the fallen god''s hand from reaching for Keith and Keith was sure it was due to the barrier surrounding him. The ring was acting as a conductor and a protector for Keith right now.


    The fallen god looked surprised as he noticed Keith''s current position and his inability to touch him.


    The fallen god was about to try again but then the sky was changing. The sun was finally beginning to rise. And the fallen god hissed as soon as the first ray of the sun touched him.


    It quickly picked itself up and took one look filled with longing at Keith before disappearing.


    ''I survived. I just went up against a god and survived the encounter.''


    Keith could not help but slip down toward the ground. It had been such a close call for him and now his legs had no strength in them. But Keith was happy to see he had survived this night.


    He clutched the ring on his finger and leaned forward in a praying position. He then tried to recall the feeling he had invoked before.


    ''Please let me go back home. This ce is too dangerous.''


    Keith prayed in his mind but nothing happened. He was still in this weird ce and nowhere near aLtheria.


    So, with a disappointed face, Keith decided to head back to the vige and ask around for a way to get back. Someone must know some way for Keith to get back.


    He had a feeling that he would die of stress if he stayed here. Not to mention, that fallen God seemed to be after Keith as well. It was just not safe to stay here any longer.


    No one seemed to recognize Keith fromst night but it was a given because of everyone''s simr clothing. Keith tried to ask around but the vendors gave him the same response as yesterday - there was no way to go back home.


    So, Keith spent his whole morning and afternoon in such a dejected mood. Keith was about to turn in for the night when he noticed a suspicious ally. The person inside looked drunk as he beckoned Keith closer.


    "I heard you are looking for a way out of this rift. Well, I know of a way you can get out but it will be difficult to do. I don''t think anyone ever seeded and that''s why it''s a rumor."


    The drunk man paused before he continued with a mysterious voice.


    "There is another rift somewhere in this vige. But it leads to the ruins of aLtheria, the fallennd of the gods. That ce is the only way to get back to the human world. If you are interested, then meet me out here tomorrow morning and I will take you to the rift."


    Keith found this offer very suspicious.


    The whole day, everyone had said that there was no way out of this ce. And now this drunk person said there was a way?


    "If there is a way out, then why did not one tell me about it?"


    Keith questioned the drunk leader and the creatureughed out loud at Keith''s na?ve attitude.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You give these people too much credit. Everyone here hid their faces and lives a somber life. So, there is never any growth in poption unless people fall. If people began to actively leave, then it increases their odds of being chosen as a sacrifice."


    "Besides, these people have lost their hope of ever escaping and they have be pessimistic. You cannot expect anything from them. Besides, it is not easy to leave this ce and you''ll know why once you see the location of the gate."


    Keith wanted to say that these assurances were the talk of a drunkard man who did not know what he was saying, but it did not seem so to his instincts. And that was the only reason Keith decided to go with his gut right now.


    He decided to take a risk by trusting this man.


    "Fine, I will trust you this time ande here tomorrow. I hope you will not be chosen as a sacrifice today."


    The drunkard manughed out loud at Keith''s words. He looked amused by Keith''s concern.


    "Man, I am ttered by your kind words but I will be safe tonight. The fallen one does note two days in a row. Hees once every couple of months and that''s why we still have people left here."


    The drunkard man spoke with confidence but Keith had a feeling the fallen god would show up today.


    The encounter he had with the fallen god yesterday was still fresh in his mind and the fallen god seemed not to have given up when the sun rose.


    The drunk man noticed Keith''s silence and he suddenly sobered up.


    "Tell you what man. Maybe we should hide the night out in the temple. It will help you feel better, right?"


    The man asked and Keith nodded. He had a feeling he would be safe in the main temple, just as he had been in the side temple yesterday. These ces seemed to have some kind of protection built inside them.


    The drunk man apanied Keith to the huge temple and they quickly hid inside.


    It did not take long for screams to sound out in the vige and the sound of footsteps to rush into the vige. Everyone seemed to be in a panicked mode.


    Keith felt sorry for them all since he knew why the fallen god hade here. But Keith was also not going to show himself and be captured by that entity.


    "W-Why did the fallen onee here two days in a row? It had never happened before, right?"


    "R-Right. And he is not choosing someone but looking around. What is going on."


    "O-Oh god. Is it walking toward the temple right now? This has never happened before. Will the temple be safe?"


    "I-It''s reaching out into the temple hurry and prey to the god so that we can get protected."


    Keith gripped his ring of protection tighter in his hand. He was not sure what would happen tonight but he knew he needed to run away from this ce as soon as he could.


    This ce was not safe for him with that fallen god looking for him.


    "L-Look, it stopped. The fallen god is not able to reach in. Hurry up and continue with the prayers. We need to continue this until the sun rises."


    The people were trying their best to survive. The sound of prayers and bells made the temple vibrate. It was a struggle to keep it up the whole night, but people were strong when they needed to survive.


    In the end, the night passed away and no one died. The fallen god went away as soon as the run was up.


    "What was that? Why did the gode here?"


    "I don''t know but I am suddenly afraid. Is this vige going to fall as aLtheria did? I don''t want to die."


    People all around Keith moaned and cried as they made it through the night. Their words concerned Keith since aLtheria was his destination. That was the name of the birthce of his false identity.


    ''Oh god, what did Priestess Athena do? I thought aLtheria was a normal ce, but it is now. Then, what shall I do now with this information?''

 Chapter 76 76: A Thrilling Rush [Pt1]

    The terrifying night passed somehow and the people''s daily life went normal. But there was a new fear added into the mix for them. They no longer had the assurance that the fallen god would give them space.


    "So kid, what is the n? Do you still want to try and get into aLtheria? Or, did the previous night change your mind?"


    Keith''s partner asked the question. He finally looked sobered after going through an ordeal and Keith did not have the best impression of this man.


    "I still want to try and get out. As people are saying, even this temple is no longer safe for us to hide out in. Who knows what can happen next."


    Keith had a bad feeling about this encounter with the fallen god until now. He was sure that the fallen god had zoned in on him and the second surprised attack was also to get Keith.


    "Alright kid, if that''s what you want then we can head out now. Call me Clement for now. What is your name?"


    The man asked Keith and Keith had half a mind to ignore him and not say anything at all. But then he reconsidered his options.


    Clement was a good partner for Keith and he was also the only one Keith could count on to show him the way. Creating beef with Clement was not a wise idea in my opinion anymore.


    "I''m Keith. It is nice to finally exchange names with you. Now, we should start heading out, right? Should we take some kind of supplies with us?"


    Keith questioned, now suddenly aware at his back of bodily needs. He had not gotten hungry or needed to use the restroom ever since had arrived in this rift.


    It was a thing to worry about since his body was still human at the end of the day. Would he not die due to all the toxins umting in his body?


    "Don''t worry. As you noticed, this ce is a little special and has its own rules. You will not need, or find anything like ''necessities'' here even if you look your whole life. It''ll be better to save yourself the pain and get out of here."


    Clement exined to Keith with a patient expression on his face. Keith agreed with him once the exnation had been given.


    They both set out after that, using the confusion and panic in the masses to make their way out. The forest weed their presence with its quietness.


    Somehow, Keith felt no danger even when he walked into the forest without any protection. There seemed to be nothing dangerous in the forest.


    "So, where are we going? You have yet to exin anything to me."


    Keith asked Clement once they were out on their journey. It was not he trusted Clement and that was why he had agreed toe out with him, but that he had no other choice for his survival.


    "Ah yes, I should exin what we are doing, right? Our goal is the Grand Canyon on the cliff''s other side. It is rumored that there is a rift beneath the Grand Canyon that opens into the outside world but it is guarded by the hell dogs. That is why no one tries to get out."


    Clement exined as he made extravagated gestures with his hands and arms. Clement''s words caused Keith to shiver but his calm face only made Clement back down.


    "Oh, so you are not afraid at all of the demonic dogs? But what if I told you that these are no ordinary demonic dogs? They are godly familiars who fell when their god fell. They seemed to be guarding the exit of this ce."


    Clement exined and Keith somehow believed him.


    He did not typically believe in heaven and hell. He did not even believe ir fully when she said she was a goddess and would help Keith out.


    But somehow, the creature he had seen before did have something divine about it. Its nature had not changed even when the form had changed.


    "Clement, if you know this much then I assume that you know how to get past these dogs as well? I hope you are not bringing me on a suicide mission with you."


    Keith half-joked and half-seriously said.


    Clement was taken aback by Keith''s words before augh bubbled in his throat and he let it out in the open.


    "Y-You are a funny man, Keith. Most people would have been asking to return or crying after hearing that their opponent is a fallen god but you are just going to press on ahead? You are a brave one."


    Clement praised Keith but his words were mocking as well. Clement did not seem to have much hope for them to get out.


    "Fallen god or not, I need to return to the ce I am needed at."


    Keith replied before he started walking again. Clement was taken aback by Keith''s words but then he shook his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hey, we need to head this way to get to the cliff. It''ll be better for me to lead right now since you just look so lost right now."


    Clement yelled as he corrected Keith''s position. Did that make Keith feel embarrassed - yes? But did it show up on Keith''s face? Of course not.


    Keith corrected his direction and walked again.


    They both soon reached the cliff Clement had mentioned and it was a steep ce.


    Keith had thought that they would need to climb the canyon down but it was an uphill battle from here. They had fallen quite a bit it seems.


    "Is there no other way to get up this cliff without climbing it? Maybe we can walk to the side and find another way?"


    Anyway, Keith looked at it, the cliff was too steep for humans to climb easily. But he could also not see where the cliff ended.


    "That is not a possibility with this cliff. This cliff is special and it is endless. No one had ever found its end and people have tried a lot to look around. We need to find a way to climb it from here."


    Clement''s words were a pain in Keith''s ass but he refused to lose hope. He had packed hundreds of tools when he had left the guild''s main building. Keith was sure he had something to help him out.


    He quickly looked through his storage ring and found something. It was a levitating device ir had given him. It held her magic which was divine.


    As soon as Keith found it, he took the device out and held it up.


    "What is that? A magic tool? But will it even work? This ce is not your typical ce, it is a cursednd. Those who fall here are unable to use their aura of other powers they have. Most of the magic tools also do not work."


    Clement sounded worried and for good reasons. Theck of magic tools had been a big issue for this ce.


    But Keith was not worried for some reason. The tool in his hand was pulsing with magic, sending warmth down Keith''s spine.


    Whatever magic ir had used, it seemed not to be affected by this ce.


    "Don''t worry Clement. You might not know who I am, but I am a real big shot. This small ce will not be able to contain me for long."


    Keith assured as his training as the confident grandmaster shone through. He did not even mean to speak half of the gibberish he was speaking.


    But habits were hard to break.


    Clement did not look impressed by Keith''s speech but he was taken aback when Keith held the device up and it buzzed with power.


    Nothing happened for one second, and then two seconds. Disappointment washed over Clement and Keith but then the device started working.


    Before the pair knew it, they were levitating through the air and toward the upper cliff. It wasing closer by the second.


    "W-What? The tool worked? How did this happen? O-Oh god, the demons areing. Keith, tell the tool to hurry up. The demon dogs will try to rip us apart if they catch us."


    The tool was working slower than Keith intended it to work. There was still a considerable distance between the cliff top and Keith''s body.


    The demon dogs were huge and they would easily be able to jump up this small distance. It was not safe for Keith and Clement to keep on being defenseless.


    *bark*


    The demon god jumped at the pair, its huge body leaning forward. Keith quickly threw Clement back and the force caused him to be pushed out of the demon''s way as well. They had avoided the first attack.


    "Hurry, the cliff''s end is here. Grab it and pull yourself up."


    Keith instructed Clement who did as Keith had told him to do. Keith also pulled himself up, sessfully escaping the first demon dog.

 Chapter 77 77: A Thrilling Rush [Pt2]

    "O-Oh god, I am still alive. I cannot believe I managed to survive the demon dogs with my fragile body."


    Clement dramatically whaled as he checked up on himself. He was surprised that he had managed to live this far and it was all thanks to his mysterious partner.


    When he had picked this kid to help, he had not been serious about it. A lot of people tried to get out of this ce but they gave up as soon as they saw this cliff and the demonic dog.


    Clement was responsible for breaking the spirits of rebellious people and making them want to stay in the vige.


    Never in his life had he thought he would see the top of this cliff in such a manner. A lot of unusual things had happened in a day and Clement had a feeling it was all thanks to this man in front of him.


    "Clement, get up and start moving. This is no time to be resting around like this."


    Keith''s order was calm and clear even in such a difficult situation. Nothing seemed to bother him and he was always calm and cold.


    Somehow, he looked like an untouchable immortal to Clement. Someone even heaven and hell could not touch with their filthy hands.


    ''Keith said that he was someone amazing in the real world? I find myself believing him. Shit, I will never be able to repay him even if I work my whole life now.''


    Clement was bitter about his powerlessness and he vowed to do better in the future.


    "Clement, stop wasting time and tell me what we need to do next."


    Keith spoke harshly and Clement looked up. Suddenly, he realized that he did not know what to do next from here.


    The cliff had been easy guidance since it was a ce Clement had often seen before but no one had been over the cliff so there was no information.


    "Sorry, but this is my first time up here as well. I am as out of depth as you are."


    Clement was sorry he could not guide Keith more but Keith did not seem to have taken Clement''s words to heart.


    He calmly waved his hand and spoke with a soft voice.


    "If you do not know where to go from here, then it is not your fault. Let me take on your burden and lead us out of here."


    Clement could see it now. Keith was not normal; he was a divine being sent down to give him salvation. After a century, it seemed like Clement''s prayers had been answered by his god in the form of his messenger.


    Even if he never got out and lost his life, Clement would not care and he would not curse his god out.


    ...¡­..


    Keith flinched as the cliche words left his mouth. He wanted to smack himself to forget all he said but that would not be a wise decision to make in such a dangerous situation.


    ''Ugh, me and my big mouth. I should not make promises I cannot keep. I have no idea what to do from here in the first ce.''


    Keith wasmenting what he spoke about but there was nothing more he could do about it. He needed to start moving since this ce was dangerous.


    "Let''s look around and find a ce to rest first. We still have no idea if this is still inside the rift or if we managed to leave it behind."


    Keith had a weird feeling about this clifftop. There was a sense of familiarity in this ce and it was pulling at his senses. It wanted him to follow their directions.


    "O-Oh, sure? If you lead me then I am willing to go wherever you take me to."


    Clement agreed easily and fell in step behind Keith. They walked until they finally hit a vige.


    It was destroyed and had nothing intact in it. The best building was arge shrine which looked to be untouched by all the cmitic happenings around him.


    Some kind of force pulled Keith toward the building and he moved toward it. The huge door was open and gave Keith a view he would never forget in his life.


    At least 10 to 20 fallen godsid down on the ground, their unconscious forms not moving. They looked almost as if they were asleep and everyone in there had a different size than the other.


    "O-Oh god. I thought that there was only one of these things. Why are there so many?"


    Clement seemed to be having a hard timeing around but it was given with the current situation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The man had just watched his life''s truth being turned upside-down without any guarantee that things would go back to normal.


    "Shhh, we cannot be caught. We should hide somewhere safe for now since it looks like the night is about to fall. These gods be more active during the night so we need to wait the night out."


    This infrastructure of this ce reminded Keith of the first temple that had ended up dumping him into this rift. It was the same feeling he had from this ce.


    He was certain that the rift to go back was in here somewhere.


    Soon, the night fell. The fallen gods woke up one by one with a confused aura and looked around. They seemed to be looking for something but they did not find what they were looking for.


    Then, one by one, they left the room and headed toward their destination. Keith was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and exit the room.


    The feeling he had gotten in the morning got stronger and Keith decided to follow it and let it led him outside.


    It soon led him toward a small opening that had an arch and familiar looking writing on top of it. Keith could not read it so he decided to take a photo to decipher itter.


    "Look, it''s a small portal in here. Will it take us home?"


    Clement questioned as he touched the small blue square.


    Just as they were about to exit, the door opened with a screech and a fallen god entered the room.


    It was smaller than the others Keith had seen, almost 7 feet in height and it seemed immature as well.


    It looked at Keith with a confused look before something shifted in its body and it ran toward Keith as fast as it could.


    "Clement, hurry up and start the portal. Otherwise, we will be caught and made into god''s food."


    Keith instructed Clement and the man panicked. He squeezed the blue square and it expanded, closing around Keith and Clement.


    Keith closed his eyes as the fallen god almost touched him. A wed hand touched Keith''s nose before he disappeared.


    The white featureless face was so close to Keith''s that he was sure he would get nightmares about it his whole life. But at the end of the day, Keith had managed to escape without dying which was a plus point in his book.


    "O-Oh god, what happened? Did we just live the wrath of a fallen god? And how many were there? Are the others going to be alright back home?"


    Clement questioned as he thought back at what he had lost. He had not meant to leave the ce but just find a way out.


    But it was also not like he was losing a lot by running away. He had no close attachments to the ce he had been thrust into.


    Keith looked around his new surroundings. They looked normal and he quickly checked his phone. It had a signal again. Keith quickly dialed ir''s number, wanting to tell her what happened.


    *ring*


    ir picked up at the second ring, her voice breathless.


    "Grandmaster, what can I help you with? Before you ask, now is not a good time so I will call youter when I have time to call back."


    ir did not sound worried about Keith so that meant it had not been long since he was thrown down the cliff.


    "Hey look, this is a que with the same signs as the ones we saw in the hall. Does this mean the cliff is on the other side of the world? And what about the fallen gods? Are they some kind of creatures and not fallen gods like in the story?"


    Clement questioned with a curious expression on his face. He was someone who had a lot on his te and seeing him made Keith sigh in a tired manner.


    He wanted answers as well but there was just too much on his te.


    "Clement, would you like to take on mymission to look into these rifts? I will provide you with funds and other things if you need to."


    Clement looked thankful at Keith''s offer and the spark of devotion reminded Keith a little too much of his guild.

 Chapter 78 78: An Incredible Find

    "Y-You are willing to provide me with the funding needed to continue my research? Keith, are you serious? But no, that will be a lot of money on the line. How can I-"


    Clement seemed to be in a moral dilemma over Keith''s money. It would have been cute if it was not irritating now.


    "Clement, I have a lot of fucking money so take it. Do not embarrass me by making me out to be some poor fool who is getting scammed."


    Clement was red in the face after Keith finished speaking. He seemed to not be able to gather his thoughts but he slowly came around.


    "A-Ah, is that so? Of course, you said you were a big shot and I trust you. In that case, I will take your generosity."


    Clement was still hesitant about taking what Keith gave him but he seemed to be finallying around. Keith gave him some cash and a phone number to contact Keith with.


    It was stored with Clement''s special ability so that he would never lose it. And then Keith''s guide disappeared to found a solid establishment of his own.


    Keith wanted to go back as well but he needed to have a closer look at this vige before.


    Now that he had a signal on his phone again, he decided to look up what these words meant. Keith was sure this all had something to do with the cursednd and the fallen gods.


    The name that popped up after a quick search was expected -aLtheria.


    These letters were the name of the vige Keith had been searching for. Things were bing a little clearer in Keith''s mind after he had time to think it over.


    It was said in the report that aLtheria disappeared suddenly from the map and no one knew why. But it was clear that it was because of the god and their wrath. They had caused the vige to fall a rift.


    The fallen gods were also a mystery Keith wanted to unwrap. But he doubted ir would tell him anything regarding this. She had not even reacted when Keith had told her where he was going.


    ''Anyway, I will likely not find anything even if I stay here. It would be better for me to head home now.''


    Keith picked himself up and started walking out. But as soon as he was out the vige door, he got a feeling that he was forgetting something. It caused him to turn around and walk back into the vige.


    He let his feelings lead him into the vige center and enter the destroyed temple.


    He then looked inside and there was a small artifact that was calling out to him. It was a small earring, a little long and girly for his taste. But its power was calling out to Keith.


    The earring wanted Keith to wear it and use its power. There was also some ancient text that was lying on the side and Keith tried to read it.


    ''Those who have power, heed my warning and do note closer.


    My powers are only for the hopeless and desperate for I have taken mercy on them.''


    That was all the ancient text spoke of before itbusted into mes. Keith clutched the earring tightly in his hand and decided to keep it for the time being.


    He would get it checked out for curses and other things before he wore it on his person.


    If he was thinking the right thing, then Keith had just managed to find one of the most valuable things he could. He would finally no longer be hopeless and would have the power of his own.


    ''Well, looks like that was all this vige had to offer me. I should get going back now. Master Olivia''s tournament will take ce soon and I need to make a name for myself before that.''


    Keith needed to find a nearby town to get the artifact checked out. He had ns to follow that.


    ...¡­


    "Hmm, this thing has no curse on it but it does have a mana-absorbing nature. I would advise you not to wear it on your person if you do not want to be sucked dry. I have no idea how you managed to not die this far."


    As soon as Keith had reached a reputable town, he had looked for Merlin''s shop in it. The same old man he had seen in the first shop opened the door for Keith.


    Somehow, Keith got the feeling that this was the same man he had formed a contract with.


    But Keith decided not to spend too much time interpreting his feelings and get the man''s problem out of the way. He took out the earring he had on him and handed it over.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Merlin''s face was a mask of surprise and horror as soon as he touched the earring. Marlin almost threw the earring away before Keith managed to prevent it.


    "So, this is the real thing? It absorbs mana and stores it. Can that stored mana be used?"


    Keith was getting excited suddenly but his face did not show it. What a priceless artifact he had managed to find in his outings.


    "Use this cursed thing? Of course, you cannot use it. You will be sucked dry before you try it, so you might as well give up."


    Merlin threw the earring toward Keith with a frown on his face. He seemed to advise it as unwise for Keith to use this cursed thing.


    But Keith was determined to use it. After all, he had no mana to abuse so he did not fear being sucked dry.


    Merlin looked terrified to see Keith holding the earring with his bare hands but his terrified look turned to shock as soon as he noticed that nothing happened to Keith.


    "Oh god, what kind of monstrosity are you to be able to hold that earring with your naked hands? Are you even human?"


    Keith was satisfied with the oue. If this thing was not cursed, he would like to use it.


    "Hmm, human? Yes, I am human. I am very much human but I guess you can say I am a bit special. I hope you will remember our deal, old man, and keep your mouth quiet about this."


    Keith waved his hand which caused Merlin to shake his head. The old man wanted nothing to do with this cursed item.


    "Sure kid. This old man wants no trouble so I will go and bleach my mind of this memory now. I do not need unnecessary trouble in my life."


    After all, Merlin was old enough to recognize a godly artifact in his life. Those cursed things were bearers of extreme power and a relic of lost civilizations.


    Whosoever held them was gifted extreme power but also a cursed fate. They had caused the end of civilizations because of human greed.


    "Keith, I wonder how you will use this new power you have been given. Will you be a salvation or a cmity that will end this world?"


    The gods always had a n for the world but they were also bastards who did not want to be dragged down from their thrown.


    They would make their move soon and then this world would change once again. It was the fate of those who were born for the gods. They had to serve the gods until their dying breath.


    Meanwhile, Keith exited the shop with a happy expression on his face.


    The first thing he needed to do was to get his ears pierced. It was an easy thing to do with wearing the earring was a challenge.


    Although it weighed nothing, its presence was still very much noticeable to Keith. It tugged on his hair and his clothes when he moved around since it was made in an elongated style.


    But Keith got used to its weight quickly as well.


    He waited one day for his ear to head up and then it was time for Keith to use its power and try it out. He quickly moved toward the outside of the town so that he would not be caught.


    And then he had the first real problem of his ordeal - how do you use this earring?


    It had note with an instruction manual and Keith had used the mana stone without caring much about how much output he needed from it.


    But this earring was different. It was an unlimited supply of mana and would keep up with Keith as long as he was able to keep on regting it.


    There was one tiny problem with all this - Keith did not know how to feel mana.


    Usually, people regted their mana output by looking at their consumption but Keith could not do it with his current body.


    So, it was back to square one for him. He needed to find another way to manage his mana output.

 Chapter 79 79: Making Alice Trust Him [Pt1]

    Since Keith had no idea how to utilize his mana, he was back to square one for him. But this time, he had a n on how to get better.


    The first thing he needed to do was to find someone in history who had a constitution like his own and could not feel mana properly. He was sure that he would be able to find someone if he looked around.


    So, the first stop Keith had not *not* the library or the archives, but the hospital.


    Since mana was such an integral part of this MMO world, anyone who could not sense mana was considered odd and infected. It was considered a disease almost.


    And Keith was going to do something incredibly risky and foolish. He was going to break into the hospital records and steal some records they had lying around.


    It was pathetic how frugal the security at the hospital was and how easily Keith managed to sneak into the record room. It was all digital and Keith had an easy time breaking in due to his mediocre hacking skills.


    Soon, he found the files he was looking for but there was not a lot he had to work with. Most of the people with a simr constitution to Keith were either dead or did not care enough to even register for higher treatment.


    ''Hmm, so this is what I must work it. I have to say that the oue is far better than I expected.''


    In the end, Keith did manage to find two entries that he liked. It was a pair of twins, both female and a little older than Keith.


    They had miraculously found a way to recover from their mana insensitivity and were now on the road to recovery. They were also in the town right now and would be staying here for some time.


    It was time for Keith to go and visit them.


    Keith was warping up his research when he heard footsteps heading his way. It seemed like he had overstayed his wee here and he needed to get going now.


    "Hey, who is there? Hurry up and show yourself. I can hear you."


    The guard finally came around to patrolling and Keith hid. Thex of security had told him a thing or two about this ce.


    The guard would likely not look around too hard since he was azy bum and could not care less.


    "Huh? Looks like I was mistaken. There is no one here after all."


    The guard finally went away and Keith quickly came out of his hiding spot. Once he was sure everything had calmed down, Keith was quickly able toe out of his hiding spot and decided to head out.


    He had gotten the address of those twins from the medical file and he was sure they had some hidden power that allowed them to sense the mana again.


    Their residence was not too far away from the hospital and Keith decided to rip the bandage off. He knocked on their door and it opened. The elder sister of the twins opened the door and she looked startled to see Keith.


    "What do you want? Whatever you are selling, I do not want to buy it. So don''t waste your time and go back to where you came from."


    Alex yelled at Keith, knowing fully well what people like him came here for. Her eyes were filled with suspicion as she looked at Keith.


    Keith tried to appear as harmless as he could but Alex did not look reassured even with his best look.


    "I am not here to sell you something, but to offer you something. Mydy, won''t you allow me toe in so that we can talk about our difference over tea? I am sure you will not be able to refute my offer once you hear it."


    Be it money or fame, Keith had it all. He was able to offer these people whatever they wanted from him.


    Alex looked even more suspicious than before as she heard Keith''s offer. Keith tried not to show that he was bothered by Alex''s suspicion.


    "You want to offer me something? As if that does not sound suspicious at all. Sorry, but I cannot allow you toe in."


    For the first time since Keith had be the grandmaster, he had a door closed on his face with a harsh bang.


    Alex had not been gentle and Keith was not surprised to see other people gathering outside to see what was happening.


    ''Well, this was a burst. So maybe going for a home visit was a little too much. I will need to find another way to get these two to open to me. Hmm, let us see.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith remembered that these two sisters were registered as hunters in the nearby guild branch. So, Keith had a brilliant idea that would benefit him in two ways.


    He was going to join the mission with Alice, the younger sister was going on, and then form a friendship with her. Then he would be able to ask her for a favor.


    ...¡­..


    Getting a rmendation and being put on a team mission was not difficult at all for Keith. He just had to pull some strings and do background work and he was in.


    The guild member in charge of managing the records did not even feel anything amiss as he checked over Keith''s information.


    "Yup, everything is good and ready to go. I will put you on the team that you wanted me to. Just wait for a second and it will be done."


    The in-charge assured Keith as he walked around and did some stuff. Soon, Keith was given an identity bracelet that marked him as a rookie on his first job.


    "Look man, I don''t know how you get Master Shinzou to give you a referral but you are amazing. I don''t know why you want to be put on the rookie team, but I''ll help you out."


    Keith took the pass without any hesitation and held it in front of him. It shined golden, like a new opportunity Keith knew he was about to get.


    "Hmm, I have my reasons for wanting to join the rookie team, and let''s just say, they are personal. There is someone I want to make friends with and this is the only way. I hope you understand what I am saying."


    The counter worker took Keith''s words in good spirits. Heughed out loud at them, pping Keith''s back in a show of support.


    "I get you. The heart wants what it wants after all. In this case, I will wish you the best of luck. Your team is going to gather in front of the dungeon in half an hour."


    Keith nodded back to the counter worker as he left the room.


    Half an hour was enough for him to look around the area and study his team. Alice was the only twining out today so Keith knew he needed to make a good impression.


    He was the second one to arrive at the scene and made sure his disguise was not ruined in any way.


    Soon, his target- he meant, Alice and the other members of his team arrived as well they all looked scared. Most of them were rookies and had their first mission today.


    "Sorry, I amte. I am your team leader and my name is Alice. You all should listen to me if you want to live past today."


    Alice warned and made the bystanders even more scared. Keith could see the error in the way Alice was leading and knew she would be in trouble at this rate.


    But he decided not to interfere. He would save Alice when she was in danger and make him trust Keith this way. It was not evil if it was survival.


    "Umm, is it really dangerous in the dungeon? Will we nevere back? I cannot have that. I have a dependent family and I am the only breadwinner."


    The poor girl in their group (the only one except Alice) looked scared out of her mind. She was also young, a little too young, to be here and Keith knew she was sent here to be a sacrifice.


    ''Poor girl. She does not know what is going on with her but she is likely going to die in the dungeon.''


    The teenager did not have the right mindset to survive in a harsh environment. She had also likelye here to earn easy money.


    Alice seemed to havee to a simr realization but she waspassionate with the girl and put one of her hands on the poor freaked out girl''s shoulder.


    "Don''t worry so much. Everything is going to be alright now that I am the team leader. I will not let you die."


    That was a hollow promise since a dungeon was an unpredictable space and death can happen anytime. But Keith did not burst the child''s imaginary bubble and let her be.

 Chapter 80 80: Making Alice Trust Him [Pt2]

    "Don''t worry so much. Everything is going to be alright now that I am the team leader. I will not let you die."


    This was what Alice said but she was scared. She twirled her blue hair nervously while not letting it show up on her face. Her team had ced their trust in her and Alice was going to make sure she kept it up.


    She quickly looked at her team of five. There were three males and two females. Three adults and two teenagers. This was far from her standard team and Alice sighed.


    ''I will have to take care of a lot of extra work. I do not think teenagers will be able to do much for me. As for the man,'' Alice looked at the oldest man in their group, an uncle in his fifties, ''he might be a liability as well.''


    Overall, there seemed to be only one usable person on their team but Alice needed the money.


    "U-Um, how long will it take for us toe back? I kind of am in a hurry toe back. Oh, my name is Daphney. I guess it''s nice to meet you all."


    The teenage girl introduced herself. Her nervousness seemed to be getting better as time passed and Alice nodded toward her.


    "My name is Alice. I don''t know how long we will be in the dungeon if things go wrong but it should take about 4-5 hours on average if everything goes ording to n."


    Alice exined with a calm expression. She turned to everyone else, wondering if they would introduce themselves as well.


    "Nice, so I cane back and hold a drinking session. Man, it has been ages since I''ve been in one. I am Benjamin by the way."


    The oldest in the group was introduced. That only left Keith and the other male teenager.


    "My name is Noah, it''s nice to meet you."


    Keith introduced himself with his fake identity but he felt awkward as he said his ''fake'' name. He was not used to being addressed as Noah.


    "I''m Ash. I guess I will lend you my strength since it looks like you need it. By the way, I have experience with dungeons so you can count on me."


    The second teenager spoke with sake confidence. The way he held himself told Alice that he was shooting empty bombs right now.


    ''In the end, only one person on my team looks useful. I hope nothing goes wrong inside the dungeon.''


    With this, the introduction part was done Alice lead the group into the dungeon. It was the lowest-rated dungeon she could find on the mission board. But even this was beginning to look like too much to her.


    Alice was worried now. The first hurdle in this dungeon, the small spot of spawns was approaching and she had no idea how their group was going to handle this.


    After even, even if this was the lowest group of monsters, a monster was easily able to surpass the human level of strength. The chances of death and injury were high.


    "Everyone, get ready to fight. Whatever you do, you need to survive."


    Alice warned everyone and they waited for the monsters to appear.


    A small white egg-like blob rolled toward them. It was as big as a ser ball and looked easy to crack.


    It looked harmless and Daphney sighed in relief as she spotted it. The cute shape looked easy on the eye and she wanted to try squishing it.


    "Don''t step near the ball. Guys, we got the worst possible oue from all the avable monsters in this dungeon - the exploding slimes. It will hurt if they explode too close to your face."


    Alice wanted and Daphney took an instant step back from the slimes.


    They went from looking adorable too dangerous in her eyes in a matter of seconds. Ash also stepped back from the slimes that were inching closer to him.


    "Hey, isn''t the objective of our dungeon visit to kill these slimes and take their products back? How do you suppose we kill them if we have to stay back from them."


    Ash asked Alice but she was not the one to answer.


    Instead, Benjamin raised his gun and shot a few slimes away from him. They explosives, causing a small dent in the ground.


    Everyone except Benjamin had an offended expression on their faces while Benjamin grinned a big grin.


    "This is how you kill them, brat. You just shoot at them until they give in. Aww, don''t tell me that you don''t have any ranged skills."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Benjamin taunted Ash which caused him to look irritated.


    While everyone else was busy doing this, Alice noticed that Noah was not with them. He seemed to be struggling to fight the slimes on his own.


    He had killed a few but his mana control was all over the ce. It was almost as if Noah could not control his mana.


    ''But surely that is not so. Such a coincidence is not possible. I must be overthinking things and Noah must not have enough mana to cast a big spell.''


    Alice nodded to herself, almost as if she had figured out a big mystery in her head. She was about to console Noah that he did not need to be bothered by not having enough mana when a small explosion urred.


    Until now, Noah had been using a barely detectable amount of mana to cast spells but his mana usage surged suddenly during hisst casting.


    "Everyone, duck right now. Duck and hold your breath for the next few seconds."


    Alice quickly wanted everyone and they all drove down to hold their breath. The slimes exploded one by one due to the sudden surge of mana.


    Surprisingly enough, Noah looked alright even when he was caught in the uncontrolled explosion.


    "What do you think you are doing? Your clumsy spell could have killed us all."


    Ashined and Noah looked sheepish but also tired.


    "Sorry, I did not mean to cause this explosion. I will be more careful next time."


    Noah apologized and Alice was about to tell him it was not a big deal. But she was beaten by the other members of her party.


    "Are you serious? You almost killed us and all you can do is apologize to us? Where do you get your confidence to apologize from? You can feel your mana, right? Then use it properly"


    Alice stopped short in her consoling Noah. Ash''s words had struck her and she was unable to move or think. They reminded her so much of what he went through herself that she was stunned.


    The insults Ash had spoken were also some of the tamer ones Alice was used to. She could not believe she was hearing someone else go through what she had gone through.


    Even the bitter smile on Noah''s face reminded Alice of her and Alex''s bitter past.


    ''No, do not think too much about this. You gained your ability to feel the mana and auras after a struggle. Do not be a fool and give it up just like this.''


    Alice snapped herself out of her daze and faced Noah. She felt sorry for the man and his bitter expression caused Alice to flinch.


    But her determination to not give in pushed her forward and she was able to look Noah in the eye.


    "Noah, what you did was foolish and a little reckless. You should stay in the back and not help until the situation is dire."


    It killed Alice to say this to Noah who was struggling. It made her feel like her bullies who had not understood her plight and continued to attack her regardless of her circumstances.


    Noah looked resigned but not shocked. He seemed used to being berated and that made Alice feel even more guilty. She tried reaching out for the man but Noah dodged her hand.


    It was a shock for Alice but she could not do anything about it now. It was her fault that made Noah the current liability for their team.


    "Anyway, I will be happy to spend all our time here but we still need to clear a few more monsters before we have enough to take back So, it''s time for less talking and more killing."


    Benjamin yelled, changing the mood. He ced one hand on top of Ash''s shoulder and began to drag the teenager. Daphney looked confused and scared but she followed along for money.


    "Hey, wait. We should have a strategy before-"


    Alice tried to stop her party from being reckless but they did not listen to her. And Noah was still down, likely berating himself for what happened.


    Alice did not like what was happening around her but she was helpless to stop it. Her feelings were all twisted and jumbled up inside her heart. So, she decided to sort them out when she got the time to do so after this mission.

 Chapter 81 81: Taking The Hit

    ''Tsk, gaining sympathy did not work out as well as I thought it would. That brat managed to ruin my ns.''


    Keith was disappointed when Alice did nothing more than spoke words to him. She was being careful but she had beening around to sympathize with him. But Ash hade around and ruined all his ns in a single blow.


    It was frustrating to say, but Keith was not sure he would be able to sway Alice this time. He will have toe on another hunt with Alice in the future.


    Currently, he was following the group inside, following them from a little further away than what was needed. His eyes were calm but his insides were a pile of frustration.


    "Here it is. Our next stop on the bucket list. This is the den of the monster known as mofu-mofu. They are cute but very vicious. If they bite you, you will be in severe pain because the mana in your body will start to boil."


    Everyone except Keith shivered at the exnation Alice gave them. It was tough for them to even imagine something messing with their mana.


    "U-Ugh, is it deadly? Because if it is then I would like to volunteer myself out of it."


    Daphney quickly raised her hand as she shivered. Her priority was her life, not some monster den. She was not willing to take unnecessary risks with her life.


    Alice''s eyes softened as she took in Daphney''s terrified look.


    "No, it''s not deadly. It just hurts a little if you are not careful but I will protect you in there so do not worry. Now, don''t worry, and follow me inside."


    Alice assured Daphney who finally calmed down. Ash scoffed in return, not even caring how he looked rude and arrogant as he did so.


    He walked toward the front of the group and entered the den without any n. He was sure he would be able to kill these monsters but he flinched as soon as he looked at Mofu-Mofu''s innocent face.


    "So, aren''t you going toe with us, Mr. time bomb? Your abilities might be needed inside."


    Benjamin taunted Keith before he left to enter the den as well. Daphney followed behind with a hesitant expression on her face.


    "Look, Noah. You do not need to let-"


    Keith pushed past Alice almost as if he did not hear her. Now, he was thankful that he had read Alice''s file and knew what kind of behavior she and her sister had adopted in the past.


    Currency, Keith was matching his behavior with Alice''s sister to ensure she felt guilt and other emotions in her heart when she looked at him. And as expected, Alice gave a barely there flinch as soon as she looked at Keith.


    She looked stunned to see him acting so familiar for no reason. The more she looked, the more she was reminded of Alex and her aloof nature.


    ''No, do not get Noah and Alex mixed up. Now is not the time to lose your focus. You need to concentrate if you want to clear this dungeon and get back.''


    Alice pped herself in the face, startling Noah but she took the lead from there. More than half of her group had already entered the dungeon so Alice needed to enter as well.


    She had promised to protect them after all.


    .......


    Keith sighed as he considered his bad luck. He could not believe that Alice had not fallen for his act just yet.


    She was said to be apassionate soft-hearteddy in her hospital report. She should have wanted to help Keith out once she saw him suffering.


    Heck, he had even made sure he got bullied like she and her sister used to get when they were children.


    ''Ugh, it is so frustrating. I will need toe up with a new strategy.''


    In his frustration, Keith had paid half attention to what Alice had said about the monsters in this den. Keith only knew that their bite was tough to endure for people with mana.


    But that gave Keith an advantage here since he had no mana in his body. He was all but immune to these things.


    Even now, everyone else was suffering because of these things while Keith could continue to walk into the den and be ignored due to hisck of natural mana.


    ''I can use this situation somehow but how do I use it? Should I get bitten and be an actual time bomb for these people? I can talk with Alice in private and gain her sympathy that way.''


    Keith was thinking over his choices when he saw Alice being attacked from the corner of his eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She was struggling to take on 4 or 5 of these Mofu-Mofu as they cornered her. Alice was even breathing harshly, her body tense but active as she shot these things down.


    ''I should help her out. Alice will not be able to hold on.''


    And that was when Keith had a stupid but brilliant idea.


    He had seen how responsible Alice was and how she cherished her position as the leader. If Keith were to get hurt in her stead, Alice would feel responsible for him and try her best to take care of him.


    This way, he would be able to get closer to Alice without risking death in the process.


    ''This is utterly foolish on my part but this is also the only option I have left in my limited time. I hope I am not making a mistake here.''


    A mofu-mofu jumped at Alice and Keith blocked her using his arm. It hurt as sharp teeth dug into Keith''s arm but nothing else happened.


    "Noah, why did you-"


    Everyone looked at Keith with a muted expression of horror, not believing what they just witnessed.


    People were selfish by nature and they hardly ever did things for others'' sake. It was even more true in a dungeon where one could lose their life. This much Alice knew from experience and having heard things.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom She never expected there to ever be someone who helped her out in her time of need. But here was someone who was risking his life for her.


    "You idiot. You already have unstable mana, and now you decided to get yourself bitten like this? Are you sane at all? Do you want to die?"


    Ash yelled from the other side of the room with a pissed face. He could not believe what he had just witnessed in front of his eyes happening. How could anyone be this foolish and reckless?


    Alice looked like she was in shock. She lost control of her mana and the mofu-mofu exploded as a result. Even though she did not know how she did that, she was stunned to see these monsters die so easily.


    "Well, looks like our job here is done. You did good, miss. Now, let''s go back."


    Alice was still shaking in her ce, no longer knowing what to believe in. she wanted to say that she was alright but she was not alright. Her heart hurt and it was torn apart into different segments, each asking her to do something different.


    It was then that Noah groaned in her arms and Alice realized that he needed first aid as soon as possible.


    Going to the hospital would not help Noah since the mofu-mofu poison was time bound. For the next few days, Noah would be like a time bomb, ready to explode at any second.


    "You guys, you go ahead. I will follow behind you with Noah. It would be better for us to maintain some distance in care of an emergency."


    Alice did note out and say what the emergency was but everyone got it. They did not argue with her once Alice said things like that.


    "Alright, if that''s what you want. But we won''t wait for you to collect your reward before we collect ours."


    Ash spoke withoutpassion but his eyes looked at Alice worriedly. Then Ash looked at Noah and his eyes were cold and hard. It made Alice want to shield Noah from him.


    "That''s enough kid. Now hurry up and follow me out. I am sure our leader would be able to find her way back."


    Benjamin dragged Ash out and Daphney followed with a hesitant look. Daphney looked at Alice in pity andfort before she left.


    Alice liked this part of hers which was concerning for her but she also felt ufortable with the way they looked at Noah.


    It was not Noah''s fault he was in this condition when all he had wanted to do was to save Alice.


    "I am sorry. I know you are suffering and you are unable to control your mana, right? I wish I could help you but my solution might not help you out. But if you still want to know, you have to wake up right now."


    Alice waited for Noah to respond but nothing happened.

 Chapter 82 82: Contract With The Unknown [Pt1]

    When Alice talked about sharing her secret to control her aura, Keith wanted to get up and sit straight. He wanted to shake Alice until she vomited all her secrets.


    But that would blow over Keith''s secret and he would end up not getting anything in return. So, he kept his half-unconscious position.


    The bite from Mofu-Mofu hurt but it had been expected when someone bit into his skin with sharp teeth. However, the skin had not broken and the injury was minimal.


    And as Keithcked any mana in his soul, he was not in pain or on the verge of blowing up as well. He could act as well as he needed to.


    "Don''t worry, I will help you out. You know, you remind me of myself. There was a time both I and my sister were unable to feel mana and aura as well. But we overcame it with the help of artificial sensors. But unfortunately, we only found two of them fully working."


    Keith was now paying attention to what Alice was saying. He had never heard about an artificial sensor for mana before but he filed it into his mind to find outter.


    "You know, we found that sensor by chance in a dungeon. Itter became familiar. Ah, now that I say sensor it sounds a little weird, right? It was an egg that we found. I will take you to it so that you can see it. But whether it would work or not is up to you."


    Most of what Alice was saying went over Keith''s head but what he did know was that Alice was taking him to her secret spot.


    He was finally going to get the ability to sense his aura and mana. There was nothing more fortunate than this.


    Keith fully opened his eyes as soon as the air around him became cooler. They entered a luminous cave with walls shining with hidden gems and other luminous creatures.


    There, in the center of the cave rested an egg that called out to Keith''s soul. And as soon as Keithnded on his feet, he walked toward that egg.


    As soon as he started to walk, Keith was stopped by Alice and pulled back. It was right in time as well because a secondte would have meant falling to his death in the swamp below the cliff.


    "Noah, be truthful with me. Can you also not see or feel your mana? You do not have to be nervous and lie to me. Just tell me the truth so that I can help you out."


    Alice begged Keith, her hands sping his tightly. Noah considered his options and even thought to lie here. But he decided to tell Alice the truth this time.


    "I¡­am someone who always had trouble getting along with others because I could not feel their mana or my own. I am sorry I hid this. I just did not want people to hate me for this."


    Noah lies through his teeth but Alice believes him. She looked at Keith with a face full of sympathy for what he had gone through this far.


    She knew what it meant to be bulled for things you had no control over. She had gone through such a situation herself as well so she felt even worse for him.


    ''I was not mistaken when I looked at Noah earlier. He is like me and Alex, suffering from the same thing.''


    But this ce had been Alice and Alex''s secret for such a long time. She did not want to share it with outsiders since there was a chance, they would plunder it.


    Alice had made a bloody promise to the guardian of theke to never reveal its secrets to anyone. But here she was, bringing someone into thiske.


    "Alice, I have to tell you that I am so d I met you. I will never forget what you did for me today."


    Alice was proud of herself and she also felt bashful. She knew she had developed a small crush on Noah due to his looks and kind personality. She should not have, but she still did anyway.


    "There is no need to thank me. If you can finally control your mana, then that is all I need for you. Unfortunately, this is all I can do for you. I need to head home now."


    Alice left Noah there with a heavy heart. It took her no time to reach home but she hesitated to open the door.


    She did not know why, but there was a heavy feeling in the pit of Alice''s stomach when she reached home. The words of the creature who had given Alice and Alex the ability to control and feel their mana still circled in her head.


    ''Keep it to yourself. Should you try to betray us, that will spell your end.''


    Alice shook her head to clear her mind. She had not betrayed the creature at all. She had just tried to help someone out and that was all. Surely the creature would understand her reason.


    "Alex, I am back home. Are you in there? Hey, say something."


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® Alice forced the door to her home open but there was something wrong. It was too quiet inside her home and Alex had not replied to her yet. Alex was someone who always replied to her as soon as Alice came home.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thisck of reply to her greeting made Alice nervous but she assured herself not to fear things.


    She tried to feel around for Alex but her senses turned up nk.


    ''No, it is back to how it was before I met that deity. My ability to sense aura and mana is gone. Oh god, what do I do.''


    Alice hurriedly opened the door to their training room in the house but it was a mess. Everything was broken and Alex''s unconscious bodyy on the ground in front of her.


    "Alex, are you alright? Are you dead? No, do not tell me that you are dead. Please don''t be dead."


    Alice ced her hand on top of Alex''s neck but her sister was breathing. Barely breathing right now at that.


    ''Shit, she needs medical treatment but I don''t know if I will be able to do it properly.''


    Alice had strong medical powers but theck of mana sense meant that she would not know if she was overdoing it or not.


    But Alice still had to try because this was all her fault. She should not have taken pity on Noah and taken him to her secret spot.


    Had she not done that, her sister would not be in this condition.


    "Don''t worry Alex. Everything would be alright soon and I will save you. There is no need for you to worry about anything in your life."


    Alice assured Alex as she took one of her hands and poured her mana into Alex. She did not know if she was overdoing it or not, but Alice knew this was herst chance to save Alex.


    So, she gave it her all and Alex finally started to move.


    Alice wanted to pull away from pumping her head into Alex but she was afraid that her sister might die again if she did so. This fear was what kept Alice going and made her mana unstable.


    In the end, it was toote for her to pull away and her energy was depleted when she finished. But Alice managed to save her sister in the end.


    "I am¡­so sorry¡­Alex¡­This¡­is¡­my¡­fault¡­I¡­took¡­pity¡­on the¡­.w¡­r¡­o..n¡­g-"


    Alice was not able to finish her words but she desperately wanted to look at Alex and open her eyes.


    In the end, that wish was never fulfilled as Alice took herst breath. That was the end of Alice and how Alex found her sister once she woke up.


    There was despair, there was denial, agitation, and grief. But there was no eptance.


    That day, Alex swore to take revenge for her sister''s death but she needed to find out who was responsible for this death of her sister.


    And to do so, Alice needed to first go to the adventurer''s guild and have a look at her sister''s past teammates. She was sure that one of them was responsible for this situation.


    Alex would not forgive anyone who made her sister die, be it a person or a god. She would take revenge.


    ''Hmm, you have a lot of energy. Both yours and your sisters are currently resting inside your body. Do you want me to help bring your potential out?''


    It was a dark whisper in the corner of Alex''s mind and one she knew she had no business listening to. But the dark desire in her heart was increasing and threatening to consume her.


    "Please, give me power. I do not care if you are a god or a demon, just give me a chance to bring my sister back.''


    The dark voice smiled in Alex''s mind and then she felt something soft take over her sister''s body and Alice woke up again.

 Chapter 83 83: Contract With The Unknown [Pt2]

    Keith did not know what he should do after he had been left in the domain''s opening by Alice. She had not given him any instruction on how to get to his destination.


    All Keith knew was that the egg in the center of this room was calling out to his soul and he needed to have it. It was the solution to all his problems.


    But the nasty swamp in the middle of the room caused him to pause. He did not know how to cross it. But he had an idea he could try.


    He took out the mana stone that stored Amelia, one of the protagonist''s abilities, and activated it. His body instantly felt lighter and Keith was able to jump the distance. This ability was working, just as he expected it to.


    ''Man, protagonists are such cheats in their way. I cannot believe Amelia''s ability to work in such a dangerous part of the dungeon.''


    Keith could not help but be d andin about it at the same time. His feetnded on the ground and Keith felt the egg pulse in front of his eyes.


    The desire to touch this egg was even stronger now that he was standing in front of it. The colors on its shells mixed and called out for Keith to touch it.


    Keith reached out and was about to touch it when the water rose and drenched him. When he opened his eyes again, the egg was nowhere to be seen.


    Instead, there was a huge shadow swimming on top of the cave''s ceiling and its shadow was being reflected in the water below.


    ''Foolish humans, choosing to betray me. They will get what is due. And you, another foolish human who dared to trespass. You shall be taught the way of death.''


    The huge body above Keith''s head spoke in agitation. Ball-sized bombs began to fall from the ceiling but Keith managed to form a shield before he could be crushed.


    The earring he wore was a cheat code when it came to defense magic. He could pour as much mana as he could into a defensive spell and it would never break.


    The shield did not bulge no matter how much that entity attacked Keith and Keith was beginning to feel the deity''s frustration.


    "Foolish human. Do you think you can stop my fury? Let me show you how ignorant you are in front of me."


    The deity disappeared from the top of the cave dome and Keith looked at the water below. There was a ck shadow near the surface but it did not look like a reflection this time.


    Soon, a green head exited the water and brought a huge snake-like body along with it. Serpentine eyes looked at Keith with fury as he was frozen in ce.


    "Foolish mortal. Do you dare to defy one of the guardians of this world? I will show you-"


    The dragon raised his tail and brought it down on top of Keith. Keith closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. He could not dodge it anyway so he was not going to bother.


    The shield managed to block that direct hit, causing the dragon to be taken aback.


    For the first time since Keith had entered the cave, the dragon paused and took in him for real.


    "Puny human, you weird an artifact of those filth gods, and yet you have not gone feral? What is it that you don''t look to be in pain? What kind of magic is this?"


    The dragon asked as it observed Keith from head to toe.


    "You want to know my secret? It''s simple - I don''t have any mana to drain away so these gods cannot do anything to me."


    Keith admitted which caused the dragon to look even more interested.


    "Interesting. You are an entity outside the control of the heavens. No wonder you can use their powers without consequence. Well, but I still cannot overlook what my contractor did so I will have to make them pay the price."


    The dragon sounded happy that he was destroying someone just like that. And Keith could gather that someone (most likely Alice and Alex) was going to suffer as a result. He will have topensate them somehow.


    "Well, you are an interesting entity but I don''t know how an abnormality like you fell into this world and I am not interested to know as well. What I want to know is why you came looking for me."


    The dragon asked with an interested voice. He seemed to be in a better mood than before and Keith knew it was his time to ask the dragon for what he wanted.


    "I heard that you have the ability to allow one to feel and see mana. I want you to bestow that ability on me so that I can live my life."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The dragon paused in its grooming and cast Keith a look of suspicion.


    It was a look that made many people rethink their choices and back off. But Keith held his ground, not willing to second-guess his request. He was going to see this end.


    "Ignorance is bliss, kid. You will be happier not to see the mana and not to get involved with this world. Are you sure you still want this ability?"


    The dragon asked Keith with a finality in his voice. He did not seem concerned about what Keith would decide to do with his newfound abilities.


    "I am sure. You say ignorance is bliss but it is also death in my case. So I would rather take my chances with a chaotic life than sit back and not do anything."


    The dragon looked amused, almost as if it did not agree with Keith''s reasoning but it decided to put its hand on Keith''s chest.


    His one nail was big enough to tear apart Keith but Keith ensured that his body did not flinch away. It helped him look not afraid of the dragon.


    "Let''s see. Yes, this familiar will work for you well. An undying will of me. May the mes take you to a new height."


    Keith''s body was burning from the inside. It felt like molten fire was crawling up his skin and threatening to w out of his skin. When he tried to look down, his body had ayer of molten reddish-orange on top of it.


    It slowly settled into his skin but this pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.


    "You can still give up. You have ast chance to back down."


    The dragon asked, trying to get Keith to back down and Keith did consider it for a second.


    "N-No, keep¡­*ugh*...going. If I¡­.*huff*...back down now¡­t-then, it''ll¡­all be¡­m-meaning less anyway."


    Keith reasoned as he reasoned with himself. This agony was something that would sweeten his future road so he needed to bear with it.


    The dragonughed out loud at Keith''s words and then he felt water wash his skin.


    "It is done. But whether my contract will bring a blessing for you or a disaster, it is yet to be seen."


    The dragon ducked back into the water and Keith had a feeling it would be theirst encounter.


    Now that he had the power of the dragon, he tried to feel around for mana. There was a weird feeling as Keith tried to feel for that foreign power but it felt weird to touch.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom ''Ugh, this is such a weird feeling. Is this really how mana feels? This grim and slimy feeling I am having? Or, is it because of this artifact thates from the fallen gods?''


    Keith had a lot to consider. But before that, he needed to get out of the cave and head out back to the guild.


    There was not a lot of time left before Master Olivia''spetition and Keith had yet to establish a reputation in society.


    So the first thing he would do tomorrow is to look for a new town and participate in a high-scale raid.


    Thankfully, he knew just the person who had a big mouth and would spread words about ''Noah'' into society.


    Keith needed to find the social queen of this world - Katy Pell. She and her big mouth were the sources of some of the worst rumors in this world.


    If there was one person you needed to go to spread something, you tell it to Katy Pell.


    And since Keith knew it, he had kept an eye on her for a long time now. He was lucky enough to notice that Katy Pell was in a nearby town and would be participating in a raid dungeon soon.


    Now, all Keith had to do was participate in the same raid and show an aloof attitude that was uninterested in her. That would get Katy all interested in Keith, just as she had been in the first protagonist Horas on his route.


    Sometimes, having specific knowledge helped out a lot in nning.

 Chapter 84 84: The Registration

    "I would like to register for the uing boss rush. Here are my papers and experience certificate. Will this be sufficient?"


    Keith passed his fake papers as well as his experience certificate toward the checker in front of him. The man looked at Keith with a critical eye, looking at his papers and not finding anything wrong with them.


    He returned them but the man still did not look happy with Keith. His eyes were filled with displeasure and annoyance but he remained calm.


    "You want to participate in this boss rush? Kid, dream on. You have no experience on your resume and you also do not have enough social credit in the guild to participate. I cannot allow you into the team."


    The man at the front desk denied Keith directly and not for a good reason.


    This was an entry-level boss raid that did not require any experience. This boss raid was designed to give people experience with raids but many people did not know this and fell victim to the front desk manager.


    In the original game, you needed toplete a series of side quests to gain experience before you were allowed into the final party but Keith did not have time for this bullshit.


    He was about to bribe the front desk worker when he did not even need to do that. Someone else slipped in a gold coin which startled the front desk worker.


    The presence of that hand suddenly appeared and circled Keith''s waste, only to ce a coin in front of him startled him.


    "Here, why don''t I pay for his entry into our team? I am sure this much canpensate for hisck of experience, right?"


    A husky voice spoke in Keith''s ear as a well-proportioned body with big breasts pressed against his back. The female was teasing Keith and helping him out at the same time.


    The front desk worker groaned as soon as he noticed the new female enter. But he also did not refuse the money being offered to him.


    "Katy, you cannot keep on taking guys into your squad just because they look handsome. One of these days, you will end up with a heavy death toll on your consciousness when something goes wrong. You need to be careful in a dungeon."


    The front desk worker warned the female and Keith was shocked when he heard her name.


    ''Katy Pell'' was the person Keith was looking for in this raid. But it seemed like she hade over to him all on his own.


    Keith did not even have to wonder if this was the ''Katy'' he was looking for or not. Anyone who had a name in the game did not share it with mobs. Keith was going along with this logic and keeping his calm.


    The female finally left her spot from behind Keith and threw herself in the seat adjacent to her.


    Katy Pell was a female who was Keith''s age. She had ash hair and brown eyes, a standardbinationpared to other unique characters.


    She was not a stunning beauty, but Katy was still pretty enough to turn heads wherever she went. And she was currently helping Keith out.


    "Aww, are you jelly that I helping a newbie out? But you also must understand that this is a standard raid for newbies. We will not have any people to do a raid with if you keep on driving everyone away like this."


    Katy scolded the man at the front desk with gentle words. Had Keith not known that this was the way Katy talked, he would have thought she was flirting in front of him.


    But Katy was just this kind of person so there was no need to guess what she was thinking about and what her intentions meant.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® The front desk worker seemed to know Katy quite well and he sighed with a smitten face.


    "I know we can''t keep on driving people away since we need them but I don''t want to send you in with someone ipetent as well. I am worried about you."


    Now it was getting ridiculous and Keith felt like he was being ignored by these two.


    *Cough*


    Keith''s cough brought all the attention back to him and the two ''maybe-lovebirds-'' broke apart their flirting.


    "So, am I on the team or not? I wanted to give you this letter before you rejected me but wherever."


    Keith handed the letter he has asked ir to forge. It was from a rtively unimportant person in the branch. He had asked ir to find someone who could vouch for his skills but was still not high enough on thedder to be considered suspicious.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Katy was the one who opened the letter and she looked impressed.


    "Well, looks like we will not have to worry about hisck of experience anymore. The letter is genuine as well since I scanned it with my skill."


    Katy had high praises to speak for Keith and he rxed to see that he would not be questioned any further.


    He had no idea what ir had written in the letter he had handed over to Katy but he was sure she was sensible enough not to cause him trouble-


    "Well, what do you know! This person might not have in-guild experience but he has already taken care of a Draken all on his own. He must be one hell of a fighter."


    The front desk worker spoke as he read the letter he had picked up from the table.


    ''ir, what the fuck? When did I fight a Draken? No, more importantly, why did you write such an impossible feat for me?''


    Keith wanted to rip the letter apart and start anew. But what was done was done and he now had a reputation to uphold.


    Thankfully, he did have the earring to provide him with mana and his seal which helped him see how much mana he was putting into his attacks. That should help him out in the long run, right?


    "Ah, your name is Noah, right? If you are interested, why don''t you do a solo dungeon run before we fight the boss? We will be heading out tomorrow so you still have time to get all your kinks out."


    Katy offered Keith this opportunity, likely noticing his nervousness.


    Keith wanted to deny whatever ir had written in the letter but habits were hard to ovee. And his current body was trained not to back down from any challenge.


    "Hmm, if you are offering me the use of the training grounds, then I shall not refuse you. I will see you tomorrow."


    Keith quickly took his leave but even then, he was full of grace. He could not fight his habits after all.


    Once he was gone, both Katy and the front desk worker dropped their smiles and a serious expression took over their expression.


    "So, do you believe everything that is written in the letter, Katy? I cannot believe a newbie like him defeated a Draken. I think he forged the letter somehow."


    The front desk worker tried to reason and exin how ''Noah'' hade into possession of thistter. But it was no easy feat to get this rmendation from the guild.


    Katy shook her head at her partner''s reasoning, not believing what he was saying right now.


    "No, it is not possible. I scanned the letter and it was a genuine guild letter. It seems like we have a big shot at our party this time. But there has to be a catch if someone who defeated a Draken is in the beginner ss and not higher up."


    "Then, do you think the guild high-ups suspect something is going on here and decided to send a checker to look over things?"


    The front desk worker asked, now afraid suddenly. The guild was like a battlefield where everyone was trying to get to the top.


    "Hmm, not likely. But I do think things are about to get interesting. If it turned out to be something big, I will look to smoothen things but if not, I think I found my next big story to tell the masses."


    There had seldom been a time when Katy was this excited about a raid. Usually, they were filled with uninteresting people. But this time it was different.


    This time, someone interesting had shown up out of the blue and decided to take her by storm.


    "Katy, do not do anything rash in your desire to get a good story. I know you and how you think. Nothing good wille out of taking unnecessary risks. Moreover, you can get someone killed if you are reckless."


    The front desk worker warned Katy, now narrating his own experience. But Katy seemed not to be worried about her situation.


    No one had died this far and no one will die from a beginner''s raid anyway. The front desk worker liked to speak too much to scare her.

 Chapter 85 85: The Couple

    Keith entered the dungeon alone this time. He wanted to try out his new power and see how it would work out for him.


    By thew of fiction and games, Keith should be able to use his power as soon as he had the seal to see the mana. So, he was confident when he used his spell.


    He could feel his mana flowing into his spell and he could feel his spell powering up as he wanted it to. He could do it; he could use his spell as he wanted to use it¡­.


    But just as Keith was about to celebrate his victory in controlling his mana, it went out of control and Keith ended up putting a lot into it. As a result, his spell sted a hold of the rock in front of him.


    "Shit, I messed up. I could see the amount of mana I was putting out but I could not control it properly."


    Out of all the possibilities of failure Keith could have foreseen, he had never expected mana control was not one of them.


    ''This is not fair. Shouldn''t I can cast spells how I want to know that I have this seal on my body? What is with this wacky mana output by my body?''


    Keith tried again to cast a spell and he moved his mana. But this time, it ended up being too little and his spell phased out.


    The next one was perfect but the mana decided to go out of control halfway through his casting. Keith was getting more and more discouraged by the second.


    By the end of two hours, he had only managed to cast a single spell how he wanted to and his back was burning.


    "Ah, I should have known it would not be easy to use magic for me. Why did I think things would go my way now that I had an ability? When had things ever been this easy for me?"


    Keithmented his luck as he rested on his chest. He was too tired to move on his own so Keith decided to keep lying down for some time more.


    But of course, the dungeon was not even going to give Keith that.


    There was a loud yell that was heading Keith''s way and the floor of the cave shook with harsh vibrations. It was like a small earthquake that made Keith lose his bnce when he tried to stand up.


    ''This is not good. I am in no condition to fight anything. But maybe I can cast one more spell?''


    Keith channeled his concentration on his earring and pulled out the magic. His body was doing things but Keith''s mind was heavy with the fog of exhaustion.


    The spell hit the monster and it evaporated into the air. The spell had been perfectly cast by him but Keith was too exhausted to notice how his body had taken over for him.


    He copsed on the ground with a mana burnout and his eyes closed. Even if a monster was toe his way, Keith would not notice and keep on sleeping.


    But he was lucky since his unconscious body was found by two adventurers who panicked to see him dead. But they soon realized that he was not dead, just asleep.


    They pulled him into their camp and waited for Keith to wake up.


    He did wake up in about six hours with the smell of food hitting him. His brain was foggy with sleep and hunger so Keith devoured the bowl in front of him with vigor.


    "Hey, easy theird. There is no need for you to eat in such a hurry. No one is taking your food away from you."


    Keith did realize that but his body still devoured the food in front of him until he was halfway full. It was only then he noticed the two adventurers looking at him with weird looks on their faces.


    He calmed down and tried to appear dignified. His body unconsciously straightened up and his dignified posture came back.


    "Man, there is no need for you to be so formal with us. We saved you because we wanted to. There is no need for you to tense up like this."


    The female of the group assured Keith and the tension bleed out of his body. He had never noticed how tense being the grandmaster made him be.


    For the first time, someone had looked at Keith ad noticed his true feelings. But Keith was sure it was because he was not the grandmaster right now but an ordinary person.


    "I''m sorry for myck of manners. I was just too exhausted and hungry that I forgot everything. Let me know if I can do anything for you."


    Keith finally noticed the two who had saved him. It was a middle-aged couple, likely in their forties, who had saved him. They looked unremarkable but happy at the same time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Nah, there is no need for you to repay us or anything. We helped you out because we wanted to, not to make you owe us or anything."


    "Though, if you do want to repay us, I will not say no to some money-"


    The husband closed his wife''s mouth before she could say more. The wife appeared to be offended but it was a fake expression on her face. These two were a harmonious couple who loved each other.


    Looking at them warmed Keith''s heart.


    "I understand. I have a lot of money so please ept some of it from me. You did likely save my life after all."


    Keith did not have many memories of his parents but he did know they were not happy with each other. That was why he liked to see people be happy with their choices in life.


    "No, there is no need-"


    "Well, since you offered to give us money, I better not refuse you. I don''t want to break such a cutie''s heart after all."


    Keithughed at the female''s attempt to dodge her husband and take Keith''s money. He was happy to see these people and soon, it was time for the dungeon raid to begin.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® Keith got up to leave but the other two got up as well with him.


    The elder woman looked at Keith''s silent stunned face and gave a smallugh at his expression.


    "Yeah, we areing to this raid as well. Why? Did it surprise you to see such an old couple participate in this raid as well? But you better not underestimate us because we are very powerful."


    The woman made a shing motion with her knife, showing her incrediblebat skills.


    It looked a little clumsy to Keith''s eyes but who was he to know how one''sbat skills worked or how they did not work?


    He just knew that these people were his benefactors and he needed to protect them. So, he decided to take his protection ring out and hand it over to the elder male.


    "Here, keep this for the duration of the raid and nothing shall happen to you. Be sure to stay together and I wish you the best of luck. And remember, it is a loan, not a gift.


    The couple took his ring with a hesitant expression but Keith made sure to stress that he would be getting this ring back.


    But honestly, it was not like Keith had handed this ring over without a n. He no longer needed the ring for overworld since his earring could create a strong shield that did not need a precise measurement of mana.


    He was sure he would survive a ''basic'' dungeon on his own.


    "Ahd, I don''t know how to thank you for such a precious lend. I will make sure nothing happens to it for as long as I have this in my possession. And may we both ovee this obstacle and go back home."


    The elder man prayed and Keith prayed with him. They did not know each other''s name or identity, but they had formed such a precious connection with each other. Keith was happy to have someone like this in his life.


    "Hey, if you are done here then let''s head out now. We will bete for the dungeon opening if we stay here any longer."


    The older woman reminded Keith and he led the way toward the dungeon opening.


    As expected, Katy was at the center of the party and she was also the leader. There were about 20 people in the circle, most of them rookies who were going to have their first raid.


    "Alright, now that everyone is here, allow me to introduce myself and our n for this fight."


    Katy''s loud voice caused everyone to pay attention to her. And Keith had to admit that she was a good leader who couldmand the masses easily.


    He also paid attention to his role and was not surprised to see that it was of an attacker.

 Chapter 86 86: The Raid

    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Katy had nned every part of this raid perfectly and she had crafted her teams ordingly as well. It was not her first raid so she also knew what she had been doing.


    Then why? Why had things gone so wrong? How had two of her defense teams died outright and left her and the attacking team alone?


    ''I know where things went wrong! It was my fault. I underestimated the boss monster of this raid.''


    To understand what was happening, one needed to go back to the beginning and know what happened here.


    It had all begun with Katy''s n to lure the boss monster out of its arena and into an open-ce fight. It would have given their attackers much more range as well as better chances of killing the boss.


    As everyone knew, a boss arena gave the monster better protection as well as special fighting powers. So, Katy had made up two parties to lure the boss out.


    But the boss monster had seen thating. It not only trapped their party inside the arena but also dropped a part of the ceiling over their head. A lot of people died as a result.


    Currently, the only ones alive in the defense party were Katy and the old couple who arrived with Noah.


    "You both, hurry up and get out of here. I will take care of this boss all on my own."


    Katy informed the couple, not wanting to see them die out here. She was responsible for their lives and she would protect them.


    The old couple was shocked when the ceiling fell on them but they knew the ring they had been given today had saved their lives. If they had this ring, they could get out and inform everyone else what happened there.


    "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and leave so that I can unleash my power."


    Katy''s voice shook as she spoke. She was injured and would not be able to unleash her full power. But she was not going to back down from a fight.


    The old couple nodded and ran outside hand in hand. They were being so lovely-dovely even now and Katy felt envious of them.


    She had hoped to find someone who made her heart beat faster in infatuation as well but no one had struck her as her ''type'' yet.


    The closest someone hade to her type was Noah but that ship would likely not go anywhere now that Katy was about to die.


    ''I wish I could see that smiling face onest time. But oh well, maybe I will be lucky in my next life.''


    Katy braced herself for the fight that was about toe. The boss took all of Katy''s shes and her heart sank to see that the arena gave it regenerating abilities.


    She was a close ranged-fighter and did not have shy or big-area skills. Hence, Katy could not take care of a boss alone and was more of a support-type person.


    The ceiling was beginning to crumble again and she was ready to die when the attacking team was led in by someone.


    "You all are fools; you will die if you stay here with me. Listen, this boss is not a beginner boss by any means-"


    Katy tried to reason with the attackers but they were all big-headed ego-filled fools who refused to listen to her.


    A barrage of attacks headed over her head and hit the boss in the back. It staggered, taking the massive danger, and retaliated back toward the group. They were left open for the attack to hit them and there was no one left to prevent their deaths as well.


    These people had been chosen as the attackers precisely because they had no healing or shielding skill. They would die if the attack hit.


    "No, wait. I need to save them-"


    Katy yelled as she challenged her magic into shielding. But her shield refused to materialize over such a huge area.


    Just when she and the other attackers were about to lose all hope, Noah stepped in front of them and caused his hand. A shield materialized, stopping the attack but Noah still took some damage.


    "You fool. Hurry and kill that thing before it attacks again. I don''t think I will be able to shield such arge area again."


    Katy watched in muted horror as Noah took the impact but he looked alright. Now she could see why the letter hadvished such praises for Noah.


    He was an amazing support when it counted.


    The attacking party looked stunned, almost as if they had not expected this oue but they began to attack the raid boss.


    Finally, after a second round of attacks, the monster was taken down and Katy began to check on the fallen victims.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    5 of them were dead while 2 were in critical condition. It was a failure for a dungeon run but at least it had been cleared up.


    "Alright everyone, get yourself checked out at the guild center as soon as you can. Anyone else who is injured?"


    No one stepped ahead but everyone heard a body hitting the ground.


    It was Noah who had copsed due to exhaustion.


    "Sorry, but I don''t think I can walk anymore. My legs do not have any energy left in them."


    Katy shook her head in amusement as her heart skipped a beat in relief. She had been so worried just a second ago for Noah but it was all bleeding away from a single word from him.


    She also paused as soon as that thought passed her mind. Had her heart just skipped a beat in relief for someone? She did not remember thest time it happened and she quickly looked back at Noah.


    He was good looking and his face was Katy''s type. The more she looked, the more her face heated up. Even being covered in dirt seemed to not have diminished Noah''s beauty.


    ''Fuck, no do not think about it. You do not have a crush on him Katy so you need to snap out of your delusion.''


    Katy tried to deny her heart but she knew what was the truth anyway. Noah also chose that time to finally look up and his eyes met Katy''s.


    Her face finally broke out into a blush and there was no denying her feelings any longer.


    She was crushing on Noah and she was crushing on him hard. He was the second person who had made Katy feel such emotions after the grandmaster.


    ''I am sorry grandmaster, but I do not think I can remain your faithful fan anymore. It seems I have begun to fall in love.''


    ........


    Keith sighed in relief as soon as his strategy worked.


    ''Thank god I realized that the attacking squad was all a bunch of ego-centric people who could be manipted.''


    Keith had much experience with people who thought their abilities were superior to what they were and he was able to coax them inside the cave.


    They also met the old couple who had saved him and they looked terrified but Keith signaled them not to say anything.


    The old man looked troubled but he followed Keith''s lead. And the attacking team finally made a sneaky attack on the boss.


    The boss attacked back but Keith had a n prepared for such an asion. He was going to use all his power to shield this attack. He needed to be the hero of this raid so that Katy could spread his word.


    ''Shit, this is going to hurt. But I can endure a little pain if it means I will get to live and go back home.''


    Keith was a little afraid that he would not be able to control his powers so he stopped paying attention to mana control and poured what he could into this shield.


    It worked and he stopped the attack. But he also knew he would not be able to stop another one.


    "You fool. Hurry and kill that thing before it attacks again. I don''t think I will be able to shield such arge area again."


    Keith yelled and his party finally took down the boss. Everyone celebrated while Keith''s legs shook. He was utterly exhausted at this point.


    He remembered falling and saying something stupid to Katy. His instincts froze as soon as they realized he was making a fool out of himself in front of all these people but his body finally did not freeze up.


    It was so rxing to finally be himself and not act like the grandmaster all the time. He did not need to care that he was lying on the ground utterly exhausted and he did not have to care about what other people thought of him.


    Being this exhausted was worth his new freedom.


    ''I bet I will only think this for a short amount of time while this freedom feels fresh and new. But, oh well. I might as well enjoy this feeling.''

 Chapter 87 87: The Aftermath

    Since people had died in a beginner''s raid, the incident could not be kept under wraps and had to be reported to the higher-ups.


    An emergency examination had been held in the arena and it had been found that the information reported back to the guild had been false on all ounts.


    This boss was not supposed to be for the beginner ss to fight against and as a result, a lot of people died. The guild was still trying to find out the one who had reported such faulty research to their associates.


    This much Keith knew himself. There was no need for ir to message him and keep him updated.


    Currently, he was lying down in his hospital bed and recovering from his exhaustion. His body was in a little pain but he was alright otherwise.


    He was on bed rest for precautionary measures and nothing else.


    Currently, Keith was reading the newspaper article that detailed what happened in the dungeon and how it was handled. His name had finally gotten out into the world but it was far from enough.


    Katy had yet to make a statement and that was what Keith was waiting for - for Katy to speak up on this so that his role could be confirmed.


    ''Darn, all this wait is going to kill me. Can Katy note out and ask me already?''


    Katy was taking her sweet time so there was nothing Keith could do about it.


    He rested the newspaper back on his desk and was about to head out for a walk when the door opened. Keith''s enthusiasm bleeds out of his body as soon as he noticed the middle-aged couple at the door.


    "You look disappointed to see us,d. Were you waiting for someone else toe in?"


    The elder woman asked with a suggestive tone. She evenughed a little as soon as she noticed Keith''s impassive look.


    Now that Keith had gotten a little morefortable in his new role, he was able to express himself a little more.


    "No, I am not disappointed in you. But I was expecting someone else toe in and tell me what is going on. When will I be discharged from this hospital?"


    Keith quickly changed the topic feeling as if he was heading into dangerous territory with the way things were going.


    The middle-aged coupleughed Keith''s awkwardness off and the atmosphere returned to normal.


    "Don''t worry kid, we are not offended. We are thankful for your help. Here, has this ring back."


    The elder male passed Keith his ring back with a serene smile on his face. Keith did not refuse to take his ring back, knowing it woulde in handy soon.


    The ring felt hot to the touch, almost as if it was angry to be given away, and was punished for trying to cheat on him.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® ''God, I must be too tired right now. Why am I thinking that this ring is sentient? Just what is my brain doing today?''


    Keith quickly pulled his ring back on his finger and it finally went to the right temperature. His hand did not have any burns so he was sure it was his imagination.


    "So, you want to know what is happening out there, right? It seems like higher-ups are trying to investigate what is happening here but they are not getting anywhere."


    "There are also rumors about a ''master'' being involved with this case but we cannot be sure. That is why everyone is on such an edge outside. You''re lucky that you are in here."


    Keith heard each word these people said and he filed them away forter. It was another case he will have to investigateter.


    *Knock knock*


    The door to Keith''s room opened and Katy entered the room. She looked surprised to see that Keith hadpany and instantly took a step back.


    "Ah, I thought you were alone in here. If you are busy then I willeter-"


    "No No! There is no need for you to do that. We were about to leave, right darling?"


    The elder woman suddenly stood up and ced her hand on top of her husband''s shoulder. She had an understanding expression as she looked at Katy and her husband caught her look.


    "Of course, dear. We need to head out now if we do not want to bete for our appointment. Miss Katy, please take care of Noah for us. He''s like a son to me and my wife and I want him to recover."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Katy looked overwhelmed by the result and Keith sighed in annoyance.


    He could see that the middle-aged couple was trying to set him up with Katy but Keith did not want to be a couple with Katy.


    Now, Katy was pretty and all but he could not afford to get distracted right now. The mother''s pearl was still out of his reach and every day his clock was ticking down.


    "I-I shall do my best to look after Noah. you all can leave him to me. I am the leader of this party until Noah is discharged from the hospital after all."


    Katy''s face was red and that seemed to be enough for the elder couple to leave with a satisfied look on their face.


    Once they were gone, Katy coughed in her fist to gather her thoughts and then she turned to face Noah.


    "So, how are you feeling now, Noah? Is your body in pain? Do you feel light-headed? Is there anything you want from me?"


    Katy observed the man in front of him. Noah looked alright now, if not a little exhausted and stressed with being stuck in a hospital room.


    But it was on Katy''s orders that he was being kept in here. She did not want Noah to be stressed out if he had to face a lot of reporters.


    His was also the reason she had not made an official announcement or started a rumor about Noah.


    It was because she was worried about his mental health and not because she wanted to keep him to herself. Katy was not such a selfish person.


    "Me? I feel amazing nowadays. The bed rest helped me out a lot and I am ready to finally head out. I read the newspaper which detailed our ident and I cannot believe it had my name in it."


    Keith noticed how Katy was hanging on to his every word. He was not oblivious enough to not notice her interest in him and he was willing to use it.


    "I s-see. Do you like it when your name showed up in the newspaper? Man, you had me fooled for real. You look like someone who would not care much for fame."


    Katy tried tough Noah''s words off but she was making notes in her mind about what to do next.


    She had been avoiding leaking news about Noah to the public with the excuse that he might not find itfortable if she told the people.


    That was the excuse she had given to the front desk worker when he had asked Katy and this was also what she convinced herself of.


    But here Noah was, saying he wanted to show the world his face and now she no longer had an excuse to keep his name out.


    ''I guess I should put an effort into introducing him this time. Who knows, I might be able to earn some brownie points with him.''


    Katy spent a little more time with Noah after than before she had to head out and help in the investigation.


    Since Katy was the person in charge of leading the dungeon party this time, she was being called and questioned as well. The area had been checked as well, only to be found that the exit had been blocked for the duration of the boss rush.


    This was not something a normal boss did and that was what called the whole operation''s authenticity into question.


    "Noah, call me if you need anything. There is no need for you to suffer alone when I am here. I swear I will help you out if you need me to."


    Keith watched Katy leave and breathed a sigh of relief. Her concern was getting suffocating for Keith at this point but he also needed her so he did not say anything.


    Anyway, Keith had learned a lot from this raid.


    His defense power was much higher than his attack power currently but his body had no endurance to keep on pumping out spells and take the burnout of mana.


    So, what he needed to do was to strengthen his body.


    ''But there is no time for me to do that now. Master Olivia''s tournament''s first round will be starting in a week and I need to head back to the guild before that.''


    It sucked that Keith had to manage two identities at the same time. His time was limited and his decisions stretched out.

 Chapter 88 88: Katys Determination [Pt1][R18]

    Since Keith had so much to do back home, he could not stay at this ce for long. So, he quickly gave a letter to demand his release and got ready to head out.


    Before that, he paid a visit to the old couple he had helped and even tried to ask around for Alice and her sister. No one seemed to have seen them recently so Keith was not able to find much.


    After a hectic day out, Keith finally returned to his room in the hospital and waited for things to change for him. There was not much he could do around the room but he still wanted to rx and think of his future a little.


    ''Master Olivia''s tournament will be a multi-staged one. I think I will have enough of a reputation to participate. But it will be better if I know who else will be participating.''


    This was, yet another work ir would have to add to her heavy raster of existing work. Keith could see herining in his mind about the unfairness of all this. But he was sure ir would be able to handle this burden.


    ''I also need to ask her about the fallen gods and what it means for this world. Since ir is a goddess herself, surely, she would know more about the fallen gods?''


    This was what Keith hoped. But his instincts told him that things were not going to be that easy for him. There must be a reason ir had not mentioned anything about fallen gods to him before.


    ''Maybe I am thinking too much. I should try and keep an open mind about these things.''


    Keith tried to assure himself but his body shivered every time he remembered those fallen gods. There was something wrong with them.


    .........


    Keith had packed his back and was ready to leave the next day when his door opened. Keith, who had not expected anyone to visit him in such a hurry, was shocked at the sudden forceful entry into the room.


    But he rxed when he noticed that the one who entered his room in such a hurry was Katy.


    "I-I heard that you are going back home today. Is that r-really true? That you are leaving?"


    Katy asked even before she was done catching her breath. It seemed hard for her to speak but she was still forcing herself to make noise and continue speaking.


    Looking at her like this, Keith was reminded of a maiden desperately in love and trying to hold back her lover from leaving.


    ''What a pain. I knew Katy was going to be like this so I cannotin about her clinginess.''


    Keith sighed and braced himself for an awkward conversation that was sure to follow from here on.


    "That is right. I did decide to leave now that I am discharged. There is much for me to do out there and I stillck in a lot of departments."


    Keith cringed internally as he spoke. He should have just left the room before things got awkward. But one of his ws was that Keith was unable to finish a conversation himself if it had started.


    The other one needed to remain silent and not answer Keith for him to feel like the conversation had ended.


    "I-I see. If that is the case, then allow me to join you on your journey. I might not be the most powerful person out there but I do have connections in the guild and can get you easy ess-"


    "No, I cannot do that. My journey would not have any meaning if I relied on you or anyone else."


    Keith denied Katy with a hard frown, but he was internally freaking out over her words. Take Katy with her? Take her where? Keith was a loner by nature and he also had to swiftly change identities.


    Having apanion who did not know of his circumstances would only make himg.


    Katy looked shocked. This was her first time being denied in such an open manner and by a guy, she liked as well. The shock was too much for her to handle but she was not about to give up.


    "Noah, I know you do not want to be with me openly for some reason but I feel the need to tell you that I like you. No, I possibly love you even. Please give me a chance to prove myself."


    Katy was determined to make Noah like her. He was the only one who had touched her heart and he was also the only one who cared to reject her knowing he was not good enough for her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Since Noah was such a good person, how could Katy bear to let him leave like this? She needed to at least spend a night with him to make him fall for Katy.


    "Woah, I will pretend like I did not hear your confession, Katy. There are better people out there who deserve your love so why don''t you focus on them-?"


    Keith bargained as he took a step back from Katy''s presence. Like a hungry tigress, she leaned into Keith''s chest and let out her aura.


    The subtle yet sweet smell clogged Keith''s nose and made his head swim. It also made his cock twitch in his pants. Katy''s subtle touch over his chest and his hips did not help his situation.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® "Noah, I know you are afraid to be with me but there is no need for you to be shy. Once you see howpatible our bodies are, you will surely forget all about this rebellion ande to like me."


    Katy bragged about her skills to make Noah forget all about his reluctance. And she did seem knowledgeable about what she was doing.


    Her fingers touched Keith lightly enough to tease him but not hard enough to be felt more than a touch at a time. It tingled when she touched Keith in such a soft manner and Keith groaned at the soft feeling.


    "Look Katy, I don''t want to argue with you over this. Would you leave me alone if we spent a night together and you found out we were notpatible? Would that be a possibility?"


    Keith asked as he sighed. It did not seem like Katy was going to back down anyway, so he might as well give her what she wanted.


    That way, Keith would be able to argue that he was notpatible with her.


    On the other hand, Katy was beyond happy. She was already preparing to make Noah fall for her and she knew that he would once heid hands on her body.


    No one had ever been able to resist Katy''s charms and she doubted Noah would be the first one to do so. Not with the way his hands were gripping her body.


    "Noah, if you spend one night with me then I will give you whatever you ask from me. So please, do me this favor."


    Katy was not begging but it was a near thing. Keith decided to oblige her.


    His tall frame closed in on Katy and trapped her against the door behind her back. He did not reply to Katy but their lips were pressed against each other.


    Keith''s tongue forced its way inside Katy''s mouth, not giving her any time to speak. He was raiding her mouth, making her unable to speak.


    When Keith pulled back, Katy had a stupid expression and seemed unable to even speak. She looked up at Keith with a surprised expression on her face.


    "What is wrong? Was my passion too much for you? I guess this is it if you cannot take it anymore-"


    Keith swiped his finger across Katy''s lips, wanting to discourage her from going any further. But it only seemed to have fueled her rage and her want for Keith even more.


    Her mouth quickly closed around Keith''s finger and sucked at it. Her eyes looked up at Keith with intent as she swiped her tongue across his fingers and over his palm.


    "I can take whatever you are willing to give me, Keith. And to prove this, I will show you what I can do for you."


    Katy dropped to her knees suddenly without a warning. Keith felt cold hands sneaking under his pants and pulling his pants down.


    He was startled but also curious to see what Katy would do next. So far, she had not done anything crazy or out of the norm.


    "Noah, you said that you wanted to see what I can do? Then, I will drive you so mad with pleasure that you would be unable to think of anything but me for the time being. I hope you are ready for that."


    Katy gulped as soon as she heard Noah''s sexy and determined voice. Her pussy got a little wetter than before as Katy waited in anticipation of what Noah would do to her next. She could not wait to find out.

 Chapter 89 89: Katys Determination [Pt2] [R18]

    Katy''s words sounded like a promise. Her dark eyes looked up at Keith as she took out his big cock from his pants, only to be surprised by his size.


    Her look of surprise amused Keith and he could not help but tease her for stopping in the middle.


    Keith''s hand slipped into Katy''s hair almost affectionately and he patted her like a pet as he sneered at her from the top.


    "What is wrong, Katy? Did seeing my size scare you off? But if it is too much for her, I guess we cannot help it¨C"


    Katy snapped out of the daze and looked up at Noah from her position. She would not give up so easily even if Noah had a massive weapon in his pants. Katy was determined to show him that she could take it.


    Her hand pumped that huge cock slowly and her other one snuck into her wet panties to touch her pussy and provide herself relief.


    "S-Shut up. I will show you I can take you."


    Katy promised as she continued to try and finger herself open. This would be her first time taking in something this big inside her body.


    Seeing Katy''s determination, Keith knew he had no choice but to break her right here or now. He could not allow Katy to continue being this entitled over his body.


    "Stand up and face the wall. If you want me, then you will have to y it by my rules."


    Katy was startled by the sudden order Noah gave her. Her body obeyed it without Katy''s input and her face flushed as soon as she realized it.


    Noah had more control over her body than Katy did herself. Even his voice did things to Katy''s body and made her insides shiver in delight.


    "Noah, did you not like my mouth? I can try with my hands-"


    Katy bargained, trying to find her footing when she lost her voice. Noah''s eyes were dark with want and hunger and the way he looked at Katy was hot and tinging. It made her feel things in the pit of her stomach.


    "I will not repeat myself. Turn around and put your hands on the wall. Show me your best submissive pose to seduce me."


    Noah ordered with a breathy voice. The hot look in his eyes caused Katy to feel a burning sensation in her chest.


    She turned around and put her hands on the wall. Katy also leaned forward until her ass was facing the wall and her wet pants showed her private parts to Noah.


    "I-Is this alright? Noah, can I turn around and look at you?"


    Katy asked but her eyes were covered by a huge hand that caused her world to go dark. She tried to look for Noah but the hands did not bulge.


    "Katy, I am going to test your determination now. You can back down any time you want to from this. You just need to yell ''stop'' and I will go away."


    Katy gulped as soon as she heard Noah''s breath fall on her ear. His body was also close to Katy''s and she could feel the heavy weight of his cock touching her back and ass.


    Noah was so close to her that Katy felt a moan exit her lip. She wanted this man so badly that it hurt.


    "You can do whatever you want to be, Noah. If you want me to stand here and present for you, then I will do that as well."


    Katy promised, her voice and her emotions too drunk on love. Noah''s hand on her face was reced by a piece of fabric and soon Noah stepped away from her.


    Still, his touch on Katy''s face was reassuring and she even leaned into him a little.


    "Good girl. You have me the answer I wanted from you so I will give you what you want from me as well. You just need to hold still from here on and I will take care of you."


    Noah''s hands were on Katy''s face, her chest, and her back. They were touching her over her clothes but Katy felt sensitive all over. Herck of sight was making her other senses much stronger.


    Hands sneaked down her pants and took them off. Big hands cupped Katy''s asscheeks and squeezed them.


    Then, a tongue reached out to swipe across Katy''s clothed pussy. Her panties were wet already, but the pressure of Noah''s tongue caused it to stick to her folds and make Katy ufortable.


    "You are tight. You tried to y with yourself before when you gave me a blow job before, right? But I do not think you can still take me into your body fully. Now, what should we do? We don''t have any lube on hand."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Noah sounded disappointed and Katy did not want him to feel disappointed. She had ways to open her body for him without lube at hand.


    "L-Lube? There is no need for Lube. Just give me a sec and-"


    Katy focused on her skills but it was difficult to do. But she somehow managed to take her secret weapon of pleasure out of her pocket dimension.


    It was a thick and ck rod one could almost call a vibrator. But this one was special since it could contract and exin at will. It also contained lube inside its design which made it highly effective in stretching a pussy out.


    "Hoh, what is this? Do you usually carry around such a filthy thing in hopes of getting fucked? Who knew Katy Pell had such a unique hobby."


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® Noah sounded amused but Katy swelled with pride to know that Noah knew her beforehand. Her pride turned to pleasure as she felt her toy touch her wet pussy.


    It slowly entered her body and pierced Katy''s pussy. She tried to move around to make herselffortable but it only helped her toy burrow itself deeper into her body.


    Once it felt like the toy had finally settled down, Katy gave a small squeeze around the toy inside her body.


    It felt so hard and wet inside her but it still refused to move when she tried to move it. She was stuck in her ce, her eyes blindfolded and her body at the mercy of her toy.


    "N-Noah, please help me. You want to fuck me as well, right? I know you were getting hard before."


    Katy tried to pose herself in an exposed manner to take Noah more interested in her. She knew she had a beautiful body she could use to seduce Noah.


    But Katy''s words remained unanswered by anyone in the room. It made her nervous and she raised her voice a little.


    "Noah, you are there, right? Please say something and release your aura so that I can feel you. N-Noah?"


    Katy was getting frightened now. Noah was not answering her and there was no sound around her as well. She tried to move around but herck of vision terrified her to do anything.


    Then, Katy heard footsteps walking away from her and a knock on the door asking for the door to be opened.


    "Noah, you would not do this to me, right? You will not allow someone else to see me like this right?"


    Katy begged Noah, half terrified and half-turned on.


    ''Maybe I am being a little too mean to Katy right now. But she can always end our session by using her safe word.''


    Keith did feel a little bad about forcing Katy like this but he had also given her an out if she said her safe word. And she far, Katy had yet to say anything close to ''Stop'' or along simr lines.


    It seemed like Katy''s body was enjoying what Keith was doing to her.


    Katy''s mouth might be begging Keith but her body was showing Keith just how much she enjoyed being humiliated and being put on disy.


    Keith quietly walked over to the door and knocked at it gently. It was just loud enough for it to be heard by Katy. She jerked andined in return, begging for Noah toe back.


    "N-Noah, please. I will do anything. You can have my pussy raw if you want to."


    "N-Noah, please. I will do anything. You can have my pussy raw if you want to."


    Katy promised again and again, trying to lose seductively for Keith. But that was what assured Keith that she was enjoying this as much as he was.


    After all, despite her words ofint, Katy had yet to back away from showing Keith her body. Even now, she was showing the world everything.


    Keith slowly opened the door a little to test the waters and Katy was instantly on alert. She opened her legs harder and showed her stuffed pussy to Keith.


    "N-Noah, look at her. You want to fuck me here, right? Do not go ande back. Lock the door and have my body."

 Chapter 90 90: Katys Determination [Pt3][R18]

    "N-Noah, look at her. You want to fuck me here, right? Do not go ande back. Lock the door and have my body."


    Keith''s blood was boiling at such a bold disy. Katy was entirely at his mercy right now but she did not seem to care much about it. It made Keith want to show her what he could do for her.


    His cock was interesting as well, now already half-hard and ready to go. Just a little more and Keith would be able to take Katy''s pussy.


    He lightly touched Katy''s mouth, his finger entering her mouth in a silentmand to open it.


    Katy looked startled at first but her lips broke out into a smile as soon as she noticed what Keith wanted her to do.


    "S-See, Noah. You came back to me and-"


    Keith positioned his cock in front of Katy''s mouth and used her open mouth to fuck into it. He was gentle but his size was toorge for Katy to take in.


    She could not fit any more than the tip of his cock into her small mouth.


    "You talk too much. If you have that much energy, then focus it on pleasuring me instead."


    Keith spoke as he fucked lightly into Katy''s mouth. The sudden force was too much for her and Katy felt her body heat up as a result of this.


    What Noah was doing to her had never been done to her before. Katy had not even considered someone being rough with her before.


    ''But it feels so good. I want Noah to continue treating me like his toy. I have never known this world before.''


    Katy felt hot all over as Noah continued to use her mouth. But despite how much he was forcing Katy to take in, it did not seem like he was anywhere close toing.


    At the same time, the toy in Katy''s body was pulsing and opening her body up for a cock. It was the whole purpose of this toy Katy hadmissioned.


    The toy suddenly struck the bundle of nerves inside Katy''s body and she tensed up. Then, it continued to pound there as Noah forced Katy to take more of his cock.


    It was overwhelming and scary as well. But the pleasure was clouding Katy''s mind, making her unable to think of anything else but Noah for the time being.


    "Your body is being so good for me. But this is not enough for you, right? You want to be filled. You want my hote in your stomach, making a mess out of you. Aren''t I right, Katy?"


    Noah''s touch softly touched Katy''s face and she quickly leaned into his touch. But Noah did not allow Katy to keep this connected for long.


    He pulled away from Katy, causing her to let out a sorrowful moan in return. She tried to reach out for Noah but a moan was forced out of her mouth when Noah turned his attention toward Katy''s pussy.


    Her toy was tightly stuck inside her but it had opened Katy up well. When Noah pulled out the toy, Katy could feel her pussy trying hard not to let it go.


    "You need to let the toy out if you want me to take you, Katy. Noe, be a good girl and rx your pussy. Yes, that is how you do it. Let the toy out of your body."


    Noah praised and ordered Katy at the same time. She tried to follow his orders but it was tough to make herself rx when her insides did not want to let the toy go.


    Finally, it was out of her body with a ''pop'' sound and Katy felt her face burn as the cold air touched her open insides.


    Her pussy was open and sloppy now. It would likely not feel good to fuck as well and she was about to close her legs when Noah stopped her.


    His big hands rested on Katy''s thighs and Noah held her open for his eyes. Katy wished she could see the expression on his face.


    But all those romantic thoughts flew out of her mind as soon as she felt Noah''s fingers stretching her pussy.


    She was so wet that Noah''s fingers made a lewd sound as they checked out of, she was ready for his cock or not.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® "Noah, I am ready. Please, just fuck me already. I cannot wait around anymore."


    Katy promised as she held her pussy open. She felt like she had waited an eternity for Noah to touch her but he was still hesitating for some reason.


    But all Katy''s thoughts and doubts flew out of her mind when Keith held her hips open and entered her in one strong thrust.


    Katy''s back arched and her breasts jiggled as a result of Noah bullying his huge cock into Katy''s body. She had never taken something this big before inside her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Y-You are in my stomach. Why are you so huge?"


    Katyined about Noah''s size, but her pussy squeezed around it nheless. Noah was filling her up entirely, not leaving any space and touching the entrance to her womb.


    Katy''s insides were so tight that it must be impossible for Noah to be able to move inside her body. But he was still trying to adjust and make Katy feelfortable.


    "Y-You can move now."


    Katy panted these words even as she tried to adjust to Keith''s huge penis inside her body.


    He tried moving and Katy flinched and moaned in return. He was touching all her pleasure spots and it hurt pleasurably inside her. Katy''s body was tingling as a result of this huge cock inside her body, bullying her insides.


    "Shit, you are so tight. I don''t think you can take any more of me inside you."


    Noahined as he pulled out of Katy but she was determined to serve him more. She circled her begs behind Noah''s hips and forced him to thrust inside her body.


    "D-Don''t think that I am a fragile maiden. I promised to show you I can take you, remember."


    Katy was determined to take more of Noah into her body. She had never felt this good before and Noah''s cock deep inside her was making Katy melt.


    As she had known, Noah was the right man for her, making her feel this good all the time.


    "You are one foxydy, but I guess I don''t hate your enthusiasm in this scenario. You are quite cute now that I think about it."


    Katy''s face was a permanent shade of red when Noah kissed her. The kiss hade out of nowhere and even Katy had not expected it to happen. Noah''s tongue bullied her as Katy tried to catch her breath.


    Her gasp was used by Noah to dominate her mouth and to draw her tongue into the battle as well.


    They kissed as Noah forced his way deeper into her body. Katy could not hold herself back.


    He was big and hard and it hurt her. She had never felt such pleasure before in her life and her pussy was gushing every second now.


    Her thighs were wet with her release as well as Noah''s pre-release. But despite that, Katy could not bring herself to pull away from Noah''s touch.


    "N-Noah, please take the blindfold off. I want to see your face. Please allow me to see your face."


    Katy begged and Noah finally obliged her. Katy was blessed by the vision of Noah''s flushed face and his red cheeks as she looked up. Noah''s face was flushed and his toned body was covered in sweat.


    He was making an incredible picture in front of Katy''s eyes and that pushed her over the edge. She could not help herself from tightening her body around Noah''s cock and it pushed him over the edge as well.


    They both came hard and fast, the force caused Katy to be knocked out for a second.


    She felt hands petting her in her sleep and Katy tried to lean into them, only for Noah to pull away from her.


    "I wish I could give you what you want from me but I cannot stay in one ce for a long time without it causing me trouble. Even now, I am on a timer as I stay in this guild hall. I cannot afford to be caught by these people."


    Noah sounded sorry and afraid for some reason. It made Katy want to reassure him that nothing would happen to him.


    But her tired body refused to move after such a fantastic fucking session.


    Katy was more than aware that Noah would leave her today but she promised herself that she will not forget him and she would find him again. He needed Katy''s help and she would give it to Noah.


    ''I do not know who hurt you Noah but I promise to help you run away. You can always count on me even when we are not together.''


    Katy could now admit it to herself - she had fallen and she had fallen hard.

 Chapter 91 91: Getting Into The Competition [Pt1]

    ''I am not running away; I am just in a hurry right now. Look, even the message I got from ir is asking me toe back. How can I ignore ir''s desperate words?''


    So, Keith was running away but he refused to believe he was running away from his problem. He was currently making a tactical retreat and if Katy wanted Keith for something, she could look around for him.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom It was a short trip back home and Keith threw his body on his bed as soon as he caught sight of it. He was about to fall asleep when the door to his room was smacked open.


    "Grandmaster, you are finally back. I waited so long to give you this long-awaited news. How could you ignore my concern-filled messages and not reply to them."


    Whatever sleep Keith had left in his mind was blown away by Master Shinzou''s loud yell. The red-haired master had no regard for Keith''sfort as he entered the room.


    Long Dong, the assassin-turned-believer walked behind Master Shinzou with a calm step. He looked startled and awe-struck to see the grandmaster but then his face calmed down.


    "Grandmaster, I- Oh, were you going to sleep? Did I disturb you somehow?"


    Master Shinzou realized what he had done a little toote. By then, Keith was fully awake and his sleep had been blown away.


    "No, it doesn''t matter what I was going to do. For now, you cane in and tell me what you wanted to tell me." ''And get out of here once you are done. I do not think I can go back to sleep.''


    Keith forced his annoyance down as he waited for two in front of him to start speaking.


    "Grandmaster, you asked us about the tournament Olivia is hosting, right? It was originally supposed to take ce in a month but we heard that there wereplications along the way. As a result, the timing for thispetition was moved up a few days."


    Keith felt his eye twitch as soon as he heard those words. Was there any kind ofplication he had not faced until now?


    "And that is not all. We also heard that Master Olivia is performing strict background checks on people who are participating. None of our bios went past her check. But don''t worry, I will get someone trustworthy to enter on our behalf."


    Long Dong continued to speak once Master Shinzou had finished speaking. He sounded sorry that he could not personally help.


    Keith held his hand up for Long Dong to stop speaking for now and he began to gather his thoughts in his head.


    "It''s alright. I understand the situation now so I will take care of it. You both can go back now."


    "But grandmaster, what about the mother pearl? I should just go in person and demand the pearl back. Olivia does not deserve-"


    "Shinzou!"


    It was not often that grandmaster cut someone off while speaking and that startled Shinzou to render him speechless. His voice fizzled out and he stopped speaking as soon as his name was called out.


    Initially, Shinzou wanted to handle the situation himself and not cause the grandmaster any sort of problem. But the grandmaster seemed to have a sharp look in his eyes that assured Shinzou that he had a n.


    Having known the grandmaster for such a long time, Shinzou''s trust in this man was unshaken.


    So, if the grandmaster was asking him not to interfere, then Shinzou shall not interfere.


    "Grandmaster, surely we need to do something. Otherwise, how will we-"


    "I understand, grandmaster. Since this is your will, then I shall leave this matter to you. For now, I will ask all of our people to back out of thepetition so that they do not hinder your ns."


    Keith''s jaw dropped when Shinzou made this decision. Never in thousand years had Keith thought that Shinzou would back down if Keith did not make him back down.


    While Keith was busy summarizing what happened, Shinzou bowed and dragged Long Dong outside the door. They had left as soon as they had arrived.


    ''No, wait. You did not tell me the exact date of thepetition. How am I supposed to prepare for it!''


    Keith cried out inside his mind but it was toote. His only hope was to ask ir in the morning or to start poking around with his new identity.


    Thankfully, he was able to go outside the next day and it was a perfect time to establish himself a little more locally.


    ..........


    The hustle and bustle of the city clubs was an ever-present thing. It stopped for no one, not even the grandmaster who walked into the club in his disguise.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith walked boldly into the club, knowing that he would not be recognized in his new get-up.


    He quickly made his way to the counter where the bartender was. The elderly man was somewhat dashing in a rough sort of way which made him popr with the female poption.


    The club looked the same as Keith''s memory from the game so he felt familiar with the ce. Now all he had to do was to sit down and order the special drink.


    "Heydy, you are a new face around here. So, what can I get you?"


    The bartender walked over to Keith and ced the menu in front of him. Keith already had his order memorized so he did not need the menu.


    "I want ''Salt on the rocks'' and make it extra vored."


    There was a barely noticeable shift in the bartender''s jawline as the elderly clenched his teeth and got serious.


    What Keith had spoken was a code word from the game that the information guild often used in-game and the protagonists often got useful tips from them.


    And while Keith was sure the information guild would not be as fast and as urate as Shinzou had been in gathering information, they were quite good at validating information and making false statements the truth.


    "Oh, you, my friend, are a bold one for sure. Are you sure you will be able to handle such hard liquor?"


    The bartender asked one more time to confirm if Keith was interested or not in this ''drink''. But Keith did not back down either.


    "I am a hard drinker so I am sure I can manage anything you give me."


    Keith''s eyes smiled while his face remained passive. The bartender looked impressed that Keith had not backed away from his challenge.


    "Sure kid, you asked for it. But such hard liquor is not kept on the front side of the shop. You better head to the back section where the ''other'' bar is located."


    The bartender pointed behind his back. Many people suddenly started paying attention to Keith and the bartender''s conversation.


    They looked interested to know more about Keith but his tant disinterest in other people was obvious.


    As soon as Keith had gotten the location of the hidden guild bar (although he already knew from the game.) he stood up and walked away.


    The first step of today''s mission wasplete for him. He had gathered everyone''s attention and soon there would be gossip about him everywhere.


    Keith walked toward the backdoor and disappeared behind it.


    From that day onwards, there was another legend added to the guild''s association. It was about a daring man who walked into the lion''s den without any fear or regard for his life. Keith had suddenly be a legend.


    In the original game, the protagonist had already been a part of many missions by this point so he was rtively known in the circles. As such, his entry into the guild''s circle was well-established and even expected.


    But Keith had yet to make himself well-known to the normal public.


    Gossip began and people pointed toward him as Keith walked into the well-hidden establishment. He took the same seat that the protagonist had taken in the original MMO because that seat gave the best view of the room.


    From his position, Keith noticed that there were people who looked ufortable with his presence.


    He was getting quite a different treatment than the protagonist had gotten in the original game. But somehow, Keith was not worried about his reputation.


    He was not the grandmaster right now so it was quite liberating for him to sit in this seat. He could finally feel his body rxing.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, Keith noticed the person he was waiting for. The leader of this hidden establishment and the person who could get you anything you asked for in the early parts of the game.


    "So, what can I help you with, dear stranger? I don''t think I recognize your face having ever visited me before."


    Arata Musakabe, the best do-it-all man was finally in front of Keith. This was one man in the game who could get you anything if you paid his prices.

 Chapter 92 92: Getting Into The Competition [Pt2]

    There were quite a few significant characters who appeared in the first part of the MMO and Arata Musakabe was one of those faces.


    On paper, he was just a lowly member of the guild alliance, someone who had enough power and fame to be noticeable but not enough credit to climb thedder and reach the ''more influential'' parts of the guilddder.


    Of course, that was only on paper. But, Arata Musakabe was a sneaky one, keeping low to avoid trouble.


    He was someone who had connections and could get you anything you could pay for. Too bad that his price was not always money so most people avoided him for this.


    "Do you need something from me? I could not help but notice that you were staring at me quite passionately all this while. Ah, I am sorry to say this but I am quite a devoted man and I love my partner too much so I won''t be going out on a date with you."


    Arata Musakabe hugged himself as he made assumptions about why Keith was there.


    "Then it''s a good thing that I am not here to ask you out but to hand you a job. I heard nothing is impossible for you if I agree to pay your prices."


    Keith replied in a rxed manner. Arata Musakabe was a little too full of himself but Keith could ignore his entric personality for his information.


    As soon as Keith had made that offer, Arata Musakabe''s eyes shined with glee and he sat down.


    Gone was the clown-like exterior Keith had been shown before and, in its ce, an intelligent and refined man sat.


    "You want my help? And you even know about my policies? You seemed to have done your homework. Then, you should also know that it would not be easy for you to persuade me, right?"


    Keith internally flinched when he heard those words. He had a feeling that Arata Musakabe would try to push for an advantage and get more than he should for this deal.


    ''No, do not let your inner modern man out, Keith. Do not instantly start to haggle and barter with this man. At least make your proposal you little bit heavy.''


    Keith took in a deep breath to push his impulse down. Nothing he did went unnoticed by Arata who sat in front of him.


    While Keith was busy calming himself down and framing his question, Arata Musakabe observed his new ''friend''.


    He had heard about this man from Katy Pell and her forum. She had spoken a lot about the incident and the man who had been the star of that show.


    ''Noah''


    That was the only name that came up and was remarkably rememberable from Katy''s forum. She hadvished praises on this man and it had sparked a lot of people''s curiosity.


    Personally, Arata Musakabe did not care much about Katy''s form. He preferred to form first impressions himself before he judged anyone.


    But this person might just be what Katy described him to be. Quick-witted and powerful.


    He was also resourceful since he had managed to find Arata in such a crowded ce and even managed to find this back-guild meeting ce.


    ''When I performed a background check, nothing much showed up on this man. He is from a destroyed vige out of nowhere and there is no one else left in his vige so he got out of there. What an amusing story.''


    Arata was intrigued by this man so he decided to help him and keep an eye on him at the same time.


    Now, if he managed to get something out of Noah, then it was only a plus in his book.


    Meanwhile, Keith had finished thinking about his request and he was finally ready to ask what he hade here for in the first ce.


    "Mister Arata, do you know anything about Master Olivia''s tournament and when it will be held? I need your help with thatpetition."


    Arata''s eyebrow shot up in surprise on his face. He knew that Noah would ask him about the tournament since it was the craze these days but he had not expected Noah to ask him this outrightly.


    Most people beat around the bush before they came to their real request.


    ''Hmm, but I have to say that this straightforward attitude is refreshing to face. It keeps on their toes and does not give you much time to think about how to refuse someone.''


    Not that Arata was going to refuse this request from Noah.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ah, I might know which tournament you are talking about. But if you ask me to tell you what the prize is, I am afraid I will have to raise my hands. I tried to find out the prized item but it is being kept under a lock and key."


    If this man was anything like the rest of his customer base, it was the time Noah would rage and make nasty remarks.


    Arata Musakabe had faced too many rude and dangerous people in the past few days. Just yesterday, a customer had not only walked out on Arata but also tried to injure him when he refused to answer their questions for them.


    Most people felt rather entitled to his information since they were willing to pay the price for it.


    ''Now let us see what you will do Noah. How will you face this disappointing answer.''


    However, contrary to Arata''s beliefs, Noah did not do anything rash. He did not even seem angry at Arata, but only tired for now.


    "I don''t need you to tell me what the prize is, I just need your help getting into thepetition. Something that simple should be easy for you, right?"


    The man in front of Arata seemed interesting. Arata did not want to jump to conclusions but he had a feeling this man knew what the final prize for thispetition was going to be.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® And since Arata was such an opportunistic man, how could he let go of such a good opportunity?


    "Oh, so you did do your research. I can get you into thispetition but there is a price you will have to pay. Let''s see¡­hmmm¡­for now, why don''t you tell me what the final prize of thispetition is."


    The deal was not fair and Arata knew it. It was leaning too heavily in his favor currently but he did not care.


    He had a reputation for giving the answers people sought, not to be fair to them. So, in the end, it was up to Noah if he wanted to tell him or not.


    Keith groaned as soon as he heard the terms of the agreement. He did not want to take this bet since it was heavily against him.


    After all, telling Arata about the prize was not equal to Arata getting him into thepetition. What if Arata decided he wanted the prize for himself and join thepetition as well?


    ''Well, one more person will not make any difference in the end. And if Arata won, I can barter the main prize for what he truly desires in this world.''


    That was the advantage Keith had over anyone else in this world. He knew what the personal motivation of a lot of main characters was so he could use them well.


    "Alright, it''s a deal. Shall we make an oath to help each other out?"


    Keith watched shock color Arata''s face. The man had not expected this oue to happen so easily.


    But once the shock faded, Arata shook his head in a ''negative'' and his eyes shined with trust.


    "There is no need for us to sign an oath for such a small thing. Since you agreed to tell me about the prize, I will take your word for it. I will have your entry papers ready by the morning soe and pick them up."


    Keith nodded in agreement and left the room. With that, one more ally had been added to his list and Keith had also spread his name out a little more than before.


    With two of the most prominent early-game people knowing his name, Keith felt reassured that his background was solid. He would not bepared to or recognized as the grandmaster by these people.


    "Now then, I shall stock up on potions and other necessities. I hope I have enough money to buy an enchanting potion."


    Keith walked into the store, but he instantly had to duck when his eyes fell on a familiar figure already in the shop.


    Amelia had chosen today of all days toe out shopping and Keith had avoided her out of reflexes.


    When he stood back up, he noticed that Amelia was looking directly at him and it caused him to flinch.


    ''No, do not be too nervous Keith. You are not the grandmaster right now so there is no need for you to hide like this.''

 Chapter 93 93: Swindling The Swindler

    It was a normal day for Amelia and she had nothing much to do. Grandmaster was out today as well (as he often was these days) so Amelia could not even run into him and talk with him.


    ''Ugh, this is such an unfortunate time. Master Shinzou is out as well and ir is too busy. Shimi does not get along with me and the new kid is too hyper for me to handle. I guess it is time for me to head out into the town.''


    Amelia decided this and she hurriedly walked off outside the guild. She had finally gottenfortable with not asking for permission to do everything.


    She was still in awe of this capital and her impulse wanted Amelia to buy anything and everything she could to satisfy herself.


    But she held herself back because she did not want to be a burden to the grandmaster and the guild. She wanted to prove that she was a useful asset to the guild.


    ''So, this time I will control my spending and not waste as much money as I previously did.''


    That was Amelia''s goal. But as soon as she entered the first shop and saw a shining handbag, all her intentions flew out of the window.


    When she exited the shop, she had four bags and three pairs of shoes she did not need. And the guilt of it happening did not hit her until she was in her second shop.


    But the same thing happened again anyway so there was not much to Amelia''s feelings of guilt.


    "Ugh, ir is going to be so disappointed in me. I did not even bargain to get a better price for these things and I do not need them¡­but what if one of my bags got damaged? And I might need this bag. No, I did alright. It mighte in handy."


    Amelia tried to console herself as she entered another shop. This time, it was the potion shop so Amelia knew she could not back down.


    She knew how costly these potions were and how much they were worth in the market. And she refused to pay anything more than necessary.


    "Excuse me, how much is this?"


    Amelia asked and the shopkeeper took one look at Amelia''s arms full of bags and decided to swindle her out of her money.


    Thankfully, Amelia was not going to fall for his tricks and she fought to get a better price than the man was offering.


    It was also then that Amelia noticed the man out of the corner of her eyes. His ck hair and blue eyes were dazzling but there was something about him that looked familiar to Amelia.


    She could not quite put her hands on what she found familiar about this man but she was sure she had seen him before.


    ''Hmm, I need to get a better look at him if I want to figure out where I had seen him before.''


    Amelia''s attention dropped toward the man and he noticed Amelia''s stare as well. Their gaze met and then the man did what any sane person would do when they were being stared at.


    He hid behind a counter so that Amelia could no longer look at him.


    "Hey man, tell me if you are going to buy this potion or not. I will not lower the price any longer."


    The shopkeeper of the potion store was getting irritated now. He wanted this customer to stop bargaining and finally buy something from this stash so that he could finally get rid of her.


    "Oh, this. I do not need it since it is the price is not worth the effect it gives. You will not be able to rip me off like this."


    Amelia denied the potion which caused the shopkeeper to curse under his breath. But he held his temper in check and decided not to focus on Amelia.


    She was just one of his customers and there were bigger fish to catch in the ocean. The shopkeeper decided to focus on the new customer who had walked into the shop.


    Unlink the pink-haired girl, this man looked experienced but innocent at the same time. It gave the shopkeeper hope that he will be able to swindle this man out of his money easily.


    "How may I help you, young sir? What kind of potion are you looking for? Whatever it is, I assure you that this shop will have it in stock."


    The shopkeeper rubbed his greedy hands together as he weed Keith inside his shop.


    Keith recognized the greedy look in that shopkeeper''s eyes in an instant so he knew he was about to get ripped off.


    He likely looked like an easy target to this man after Amelia.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Just try me, you foolish man. You do not know the power of a modern-day man who needs to save money daily. You will not find someone with better bargaining tips than myself.''


    Keith picked up a potion that looked halfway decent and the shopkeeper noticed that.


    The shopkeeper could not help but be pleased as he watched the foolish customer pick up a faulty potion from his stock.


    It seemed like he would be able to sell his unusable stock today and still make a killer profit.


    "So, how much."


    The customer asked as soon as he saw the shopkeeper and the shopkeeper happily announced "3 coins" to him.


    Amelia walked over to the group as well and paid attention to the potion in Keith''s hands.


    "Hey, are you sure you want to pay for that thing? It''s faulty and way past its expiry date you know."


    Amelia pointed out and the shopkeeper hissed at her words.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® This woman was bad for his business and now she was even interfering with his other customers? He wanted to drive her out.


    But he could not drive this woman out in front of how new big fish. All the shopkeeper could do was insist that nothing was wrong with this potion.


    "O-Oh no, this is not spoilt in the least. You see, this is a new way of packing this potion. The green stuff you see in it is decorations. And since it''s a new thing, I am even willing to give you a discount."


    The shopkeeper quickly added before the rude female could do any more damage.


    "You cannot be seriously thinking of buying this potion man. You are being ripped off."


    Amelia warned Keith with a hard voice. She did not like it when people got ripped off by greedy people since she had often been a victim of the same in her youth.


    The male customer was still not looking at Amelia and it made her feel bad for this man. Was he that intimidated by her presence? Should she back down?


    Finally, the man looked back up again and sighed.


    "I know this potion is spoilt and I also think there''s a misunderstanding here. I was asking the shopkeeper how much he was willing to pay *me* to get this spoilt thing off his hand."


    Both the shopkeeper and Amelia were dumbfounded at Keith''s logic. They both looked at each other before looking away in disgust.


    "C-Customer, what are you saying? Surely you cannot be asking me to pay for the products I am selling? How will I take care of my family if I did that."


    The shopkeeper made his sob story known to Keith. This man looked like he had a soft heart and he would not push the shopkeeper more.


    "I am a father of three children and I also have a sick wife. How can you ask me to pay for such a thing? Please customer, think of my family for a second and have mercy."


    The shopkeeper continued his bad acting, not realizing that he had been caught a long time ago by these two.


    "Oh, so your family is important to you? I wonder what would happen to you if I fall sick and died on a mission because of your faulty potion? I will be sure to speak everything about your family in my will. And now we even have a witness from the guild, right?"


    Amelia was startled when she came up in the conversation. She was about to ask how the man knew she was from the guild when she remembered that she had the pendent of the guild on.


    The shopkeeper paled as soon as he heard that the female customer he had tried to swindle was from the guild.


    "I-I apologize. Ah, looks like my old age is catching up with me and I cannot even see a spoilt potion. Now, why don''t I treat you both for this misunderstanding? You can pick up any one poster from this shop free of cost."


    It hurt the shopkeeper to speak such words but he needed to keep his business going. He did not know what these two could do but he wanted no beef with the guild at least.

 Chapter 94 94: Confirmed Entry [Pt1]

    After convincing (forcing) the shopkeeper for the potion shop to hand over some free and cheap items, it was time for Keith to get going. He was currency on cloud nine, ready to head out.


    ''Man, nothing beats the feeling of buying free stuff. I missed bargaining and making people back down on the offered price.''


    The shopkeeper looked like he was ready to cry butugh at the same time. It was a funny contradiction that made Keith feel better.


    No, Keith would have stuck around and shopped more after that but he was in a hurry to get away from Amelia. The female protagonist was looking at him with suspicious eyes and she was also hovering around him.


    ''There is no way Amelia managed to figure out my identity. She could not even imagine the grandmaster to ever barter with his purchases.''


    Keith was willing to bet everything he had that Amelia had not figured out anything. But he still was not going to take any chances with her around.


    "Can I help you with something, miss? You have been hovering around me for some time and I don''t like it."


    Keith calmly exined to Amelia even as he sweated bullets in his mind. It was nice to have a body that did not show anything on his face.


    Amelia looked taken aback at the sudden form of address. She looked around, almost as if she was a little shy before she gathered her courage to ask Keith the question.


    "Umm, excuse me but have we met before? You look a little familiar to me but I cannot figure out where I have seen you before."


    Keith wanted to cringe and shout that he had never met Amelia before. But his new body and instinct made sure he did not disgrace himself.


    Now that he was in front of Amelia, his body''s training had kicked in and Keith straightened his back and held himself straight. He was posed in a dignified manner like he usually used to do as the grandmaster.


    His unconscious habit caused Amelia''s frown to be deeper as she tried to consider why he looked so familiar to her. But she was not able to figure anything out.


    ''Why did I think that this man looked like the grandmaster for a second there? There is nothing simr about this man and the grandmaster.''


    Amelia cringed as soon as that thought crossed her mind and apologized to the grandmaster in her mind as well.


    p¦Ánd¦Á,no¦Í?1,§ão§® There was no way this street guy had beenpared to the greatness that was the grandmaster by her brain. And Amelia felt guilty for what had happened.


    "Miss, I don''t know you. I do not know your name or your purpose for being here. And I am sure I have never seen you before in my life so the chances of you finding me familiar should be nil."


    The stranger denied Amelia''s words with a straight face. He looked serious enough for Amelia to be assured that he was speaking the truth.


    ''Hmm, maybe I am a little too sensitive right now. I should not be thinking weird thoughts.''


    Amelia took in a deep breath and the feeling of familiarity finally faded away from her mind. She could see this man as his person now.


    "I am so sorry. I think it was a genuine mistake that caused me to think as if I knew you. Let me know how I can make it up to you."


    Amelia insisted, now feeling guilty for wasting this man''s time. He was so concentrating on her as well and allowing her to go away.


    She should be careful and help him out in return.


    Meanwhile, Keith just wanted Amelia to go away. He had been throwing hints her way and subtly asking her to leave Keith alone. But so far, Amelia seemed to not be getting the hint and she kept on talking to him.


    "I currently do not need your help, Miss Amelia. But I will let you know if I do need you sometime in the future."


    Keith betted that Amelia would forget all about this promise by the time she went home. She was somewhat of a scattered head and did not often remember things if they were not important to her.


    Amelia looked happy to hear Keith out and her face glowed with happiness.


    "Yeah, you should do that. Here, have my number as well so that you can reach me."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Despite Keith''s reluctance to interact with Amelia, he ended up receiving her number and Amelia finally, *finally* went away and out of the shop.


    Since Keith had his fated encounter of the day, he was not willing to stick around and risk getting found by more members of the guild.


    So, he quickly snuck into his room back at the guild and waited for the day to be over.


    The next day, he got a message from Arata Musakabe that all the preparations had been done and he needed to collect the form from him.


    So, Keith did not wait around for something bad to happen. He changed into his disguise and headed out toward the hidden bar and his entry pass.


    Arata Musakabe looked happy to see Keith and he even weed Keith in. There were several people around who were keeping an eye on Keith but he did not feel nervous in the least.


    Instead, Keith kept his head up and walked into the hallway with confidence. And on the other side, Arata Musakabe sat on his seat and waited for Keith toe.


    "My dear friend, you finally made it here. I was waiting for you toe and grace me with your presence. Now, shall we head toward the back section or would you like to tell me your secret right here and now."


    Arata had a sinister grin on his face when he faced Keith.


    "Let''s go to the back room where no one else would be able to hear what I am about to say. I am sure you would be surprised by what I have to say as well."


    Arata looked surprised at Keith''s choice. He was sure that Keith would choose to speak in front of everyone to ensure that the promise between them was kept.


    But this man was full of surprises and Arata''s grin widened.


    "Of course. If you want to tell me your secret inside the back room then I will more than wee you. Oi, you errand boy, hurry up and open the confession room. I have a high-ss client to entertain today."


    Arata Musakabe ordered the errand boy startled at the sudden order. But the boy opened the room nheless and Arata weed Keith in.


    Keith hesitated to enter the room, now finally reconsidering being in an empty and private room with someone like Arata.


    This man was dangerous and one of the best fighters at this stage of the game. He was someone who could cause Keith to die by just lifting his finger.


    Keith could sense danger and that was why he cupped his earring. He was going to retaliate if he was attacked. He was sure he would be able to blow a hole in the ceiling if he felt any more threatened.


    "There is no need for you to be so tense. I asked you toe here because I wanted to be friends with you. After all, are we not doing each other a favor right now?"


    Arata spoke without any malice in his voice and Keith finally sat down in front of him. He was still ufortable but he no longer looked as stiff as before.


    "So, here''s your participation form. It took no effort to get you into thepetition and I hope the result is satisfactory. Now, what about my end of the deal? Are you going to tell me what the prize is?"


    Keith took in a satisfied breath as he looked through the papers. They seemed to be in order and authentic as well. He had certainly been entered into thepetition.


    Keith looked at the man in front of him with certain eyes. It was worth exchanging this piece of information for such a clear entry ticket.


    "Well, Master Olivia managed to get her hands on an ancient artifact recently so it is certain that her prize had something to do with it. But as for which ancient artifact it is, that has yet to be seen. There are a few choices she could go with."


    Keith started speaking and the man in front of her looked surprised as well as ufortable with the news.


    "Wait right there. I do not think you need to tell me any more of this since I will just feel burdened by the information. And now that I know what she is wagering, there is no need for me to consider what to do."


    Surprisingly, Arata did not seem to hold this information very dearly. Keith was surprised to see this.

 Chapter 95 95: Confirmed Entry [Pt2]

    Seeing ''Noah''s'' surprised expression was a funny thing to Arata. He tried to contain his amusement but he failed to contain it all.


    The unconscious offended expression he received in return was well worth it in Arata''s opinion but he was not so sure if Noah agreed with him or not.


    "What''s wrong? You looked surprised to see me denying knowing any more information. If you are thinking that it invalidates our deal then do not overthink it right now. I am just doing something I want to do anyway."


    Arata exined to Noah, liking the look Arata was giving him in return. It was a funny one that made Arata chuckle and he held his amusement back.


    "Are you saying that you are not interested to know about the ancient artifacts that could be the prize in this tournament?"


    Noah''s surprise was evident. Especially more so when you consider that Arata was the one who had purposed such a deal in the first ce.


    But Arata was also the one who knew how much trouble the news of an ancient artifact would bring him and hiswork. People would barge in and demand he tells them more about it.


    And then they would hold him hostage so that he would not be able to leak this news out to others and increasepetition.


    In the end, the only one who would be made to face the situation was Arata and no one else. He was just that ufortable with things going this way for him.


    "Yes, I am quite sure. At this point, it would be more of a burden to know these things than to not know them. I want to preserve my sanity so I would rather not ask you such things."


    Noah finally looked convinced and he did not say anything. There was silence around the pair in the room before Noah finally stoop up with his papers in his hand.


    "If this was all, then I would like to take my leave now. And before you call for any of the call-back favors in the future, I want assurance that we are even now."


    Arata wanted to tease Noah suddenly. Theck of response on that face but the unique reactions he got from Noah were amusing.


    "Aww, but our deal did note to a satisfying end. Surely you will not leave me hanging like this, right?"


    Arata tried to act cheeky but Noah''s impassive and not-amused face looked back at him. It caused Arata to be sober and he instantly let his amusement fall.


    "Fine, I assure you that our deal is over and done with. Now can you let me go so that I can head out? You are such a spoiled sport, not knowing the meaning of fun and games."


    Aratained as he stood up as well. He had wasted enough time ying around and time was money for him.


    "Well, fun and games will not help me reach my end goal so they are useless for me. I would rather be a strict and no-fun grandfather than be a fun-loving but dead youngster."


    Noah waved his hand in the universal gesture of saying ''bye'' and left the guild.


    Just for a second, Arata entertained the thought of putting a tail on Noah and knowing more about him. But as soon as the thought urred in his mind, Arata squished it like a bug.


    His client''s privacy was one thing he was big on. These people had secrets that could kill any normal person and the burden of forbidden knowledge was often too much to bear for a normal person.


    As such, Arata would only be preserving his sanity if he did not look.


    ''Although, a small look would not hurt, right? I am sure Noah did not have enough mana to even detect a tailing person.''


    Arata''s mind reminded him but he quickly punched that thought out of his mind. It was no longer safe in his mind as well.


    ......¡­..


    Keith finally got out of the shop and into the street.


    As soon as he was out, he checked his surroundings to see if someone was tailing him or not. But it did not seem like a tail had been put on him.


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® ''I got lucky this time. It seems that Arata was rather satisfied with our deal and decided to leave me alone.''


    There were three possible endings with Arata''s route and Keith had tried so hard to get the safest one possible.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He could have either been spied on, taken advantage of or he could have been let go calmly. Keith was happy to see that the third one happened to him.


    "Now that I have this entry form with me, I need to start forming a strategy for the first round. It is almost certain that it is a race to reach the arena on time. But I will need to gather clues where the first area was."


    Keith knew he could ask Arata for this answer but he had a feeling he would have to pay a hefty price for that information.


    What Keith needed to do was to follow the other contestants and hope to find the arena for the first round.


    But Keith knew that worrying about this was not going to solve anything and he decided to head back to the guild for now.


    There, he met ir who had been waiting in his room along with Master Shinzou and Long Dong. He was surprised to see the three and almost slipped up before remembering that he was the grandmaster right now.


    His body tensed up and his face went impassive. Keith was the very image of the cold and stone-faced grandmaster he was posing to be.


    "Shinzou, ir, and the extra one. May I know what you are doing here?"


    Keith walked toward the group and sat down on the middle sofa. He would have preferred not to take this seat but he seemed to have no choice. In this regard. The choice seemed to have been made for him anyway.


    "Grandmaster, we need to discuss Master Olivia''spetition. Since we cannot participate, we decided to have someone participate on our behalf in it. We wanted to tell this you before we made a decision though."


    Master Shinzou''s earnest voice rang in Keith''s room and he felt a headache form.


    Why did these people think about doing such useless things without asking him beforehand? What if their participant managed to recognize Keith? What would happen then?


    ''Why did you not stop them, ir? I trusted you to do such a thing.''


    Keith tried tomunicate with his eyes, waiting for ir to catch sight of him and look his way. But the cat-girl only looked away from his eyes.


    It seemed like she had given up on thepany in front of herself as well.


    "Master Shinzou, I know you are excited about thispetition but we need to be careful while selecting our entry. Any normal person would not be able to take such harsh conditions and-"


    "I know grandmaster. And that is why I will be entering my student into thispetition. Since I have been training them exclusively, I know what they are capable of. I am sure they will be able to reach the ''Cross Arena'' on time."


    Master Shinzou was truly a piece of art. He revealed the location of the firstpetition as if it was nothing.


    How he had gotten this information was not important to Keith, nor did he care what the other person had been thinking when he leaked this information.


    Keith just knew that he had gotten extremely lucky regarding thepetition and now he knew where he needed to head if he wanted to enter thepetition.


    "I see. So, you have a person ready to enter thispetition. If you are sure that this person will win then I will not ask you any more questions. I will be out of town for a week starting tomorrow so keep me updated about the reports."


    Master Shinzou looked proud and happy with the acknowledgment he had gotten from the grandmaster.


    However, ir looked unhappy and a little tired. She banged her head on the table as soon as she heard that Keith would be ''out of the town'' for the next week.


    "Grandmaster, you can''t keep doing this to me. I am too young to do all your paperwork for you. Don''t you feel sorry for me? What aboutborws? This is childbor you know. Please do your work for once."


    ir was demanding too much from Keith so he ignored her words. ir looked resigned once she noticed that the grandmaster was not paying attention to her and resigned to working for the unseen future.


    Meanwhile, Master Shinzou and Long Dong pretended they heard nothing. In front of the grandmaster''s approval, nothing else mattered to them. And that was how things were decided that night.

 Chapter 96 96: The First Hurdle [Pt1]

    Keith dismissed the other three soon after that. In his hasty to be alone, Keith forgot to ask an important question - the name of the person who would be hispetition.


    By the time Keith was reminded that he had to ask this question, it was already the next day. And it would be out of character for someone like Grandmaster to ask this question to anyone.


    ''I guess I will be finding out who mypetition is directly when Ipete. Not that it would change anything in the end.''


    The next day was bright and full of sunshine. There was no sight of cloud in Keith''s sight which made his mood worse. Why did today have to be such a shining and bright day? Just looking at the sun was bringing Keith down.


    Before leaving the guild, Keith made sure he paid a visit to ir. He needed to get her input in case she was not able to tell Keith something important beforehand.


    ir was busy with her work, her back straight and her nose buried in papers. She did not even look up or acknowledge Keith when he came near her.


    "Before you ask me, I have no idea who Shinzou is sending to be yourpetition so do not ask. Second, can you sign this copy before you go? I don''t want to bother putting up a spell right now."


    ir threw a copy of her document toward Keith which he caught easily. It was a funding request but it was worse rather vaguely.


    "What''s this?"


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Keith asked as he looked at the report in his hand. He did not believe he knew what this report was about.


    "What? Ah, the report I gave you? It is just something about my research funds. Can you just sign it for now and free me?"


    Keith did not think much more on this topic once ir titled it as ''her work''. She was his trustedpanion and she could ask him for anything.


    So that was why Keith signed and he was out of the room before ir could ask him for anything more.


    Knowing ir, she could make Keith do all his work and he would not even notice.


    After that, Keith was out to find the ''Cross Arena'' where the first part of Olivia''s tournament would be held at. He knew where it was from the game he had yed.


    When Keith had first been brought into this MMO world, he had felt like he knew nothing. But he remembered far more than he had initially expected to remember.


    To think that it had only been a month and a half since he had arrived in this world and a lot of things had already happened.


    But as always, Keith knew where he had to start his journey - from the town za. He knew vaguely where he had to go from the za since he had been lucky to y in this event in the game.


    "As far as I remember, there is one ce that sells the entry map for ''Cross Arena'' and that is Merlin''s magic. Luckily, I have a rather fortunate rtionship with Merlin."


    So, Keith went to Merlin''s shop the first chance he got. He opened the door and the old man was right at the front desk.


    "Wee to Merlin''s magic, how may I help you today? Ah, it''s only you."


    Merlin looked less than thrilled to see Keith enter his shop. Since Keith was a trusted customer, Merlin did not care much for Keith so he was neutral to see Keith enter the shop.


    "I would like to buy a grade G map from your shop. I will look around for the one I want to buy from you."


    Merlin waved his hand in the gesture that said ''I cannot be bothered'' and Keith hurried to look around. He quickly found the map he had been looking for and made his way toward the front of the shop.


    Merlin checked him out soon after that and Keith was on his way to the ''Cross Arena''. But in his happiness and haste, Keith forgot a few important things he should have.


    And the first one was the reason why ''Cross Arena'' had been chosen as the gathering ce for the first test - it was difficult to reach.


    ...¡­.


    ''Stupid quests and stupid game. How did I forget that the way to ''Cross Arena'' was by crossing a fast-flowing river? I would not have gotten stuck in my current situation if not for this single road.''


    Most people would be wondering what happened to Keith for him to curse out like this. Well, let Keith tell his story.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    First, when Keith had opened the map, he had expected to instantly be reminded of the way. But that did not happen.


    The more Keith looked at the map, the more he was confused about where he should head next.


    And when he had finally arrived at the fast-flowing river, he remembered that his body was not meant for swimming. So, Keith had been forced to stop and wait with the small bunch of people in front of the river.


    Keith had expected to run into Master Shinzou''s rmendation sooner orter but as luck would have it, he managed to run into the said person during his waiting time.


    And what were the odds of this person being the ''one person'' who had met him in his new identity before? Keith was sure the fates were ying tricks on him at this point.


    "Ah, so we meet again stranger. Last time you left rather abruptly so I had no time to stop you but it will be different this time. I will know your name at the very least."


    It was Amelia.


    ''Why is it, Amelia? Is it because she is the protagonist? Why could it not have been Shimi? But no! Maybe I am lucky that it is Amelia who came here and not Shimi. Shimi might have recognized me in this getup.''


    Keith untensed his body as he faced Amelia''s cheerful expression. She was a little too bright for his taste.


    "Oi, are you pretending like you cannot hear me? I will have you know that it will not work for me. I am one heck of a noisy person and I will continue to yell at you until you turn back and acknowledge me."


    Oh, Keith knew that about Amelia. She was the most determined of the protagonist and she was also the one who would go to lengths for her loved ones.


    That was one of the qualities Keith had liked about her and that was why he had recruited her as well.


    ''But man, does it get annoying really quick.''


    "Ah yes, we did meet before, right? My name is Noah. And you are-"


    Keith had a n for dealing with Amelia. And that was to allow her to sate her curiosity and then dip out once she found someone new.


    He doubted that Amelia''s attention span would allow him to pay attention to Keith if he decided to be uninteresting in front of her.


    "My name is Amelia. I was surprised to see you here. Are you here to participate in Master Olivia''s tournament as well? I am so d that I got the chance to participate in this since it means I am trusted. What about you?"


    In just a few words, Amelia had managed to talk so much about herself and her intentions. She was lucky that Keith did not care about her background.


    But most people around them were not half as nice and they wanted to drag Amelia down. Especially if they knew that Amelia was from the guild. She was a strong threat just because she carried the name of the guild on her back.


    Many people would either single her out to target right now or decide to stay clear of her for the unseen future.


    ''I guess it is lucky that the one Shinzou sent was Amelia. She would have the protagonist''s aura around her so she should be alive by the end. But her presence creates many problems for my n.''


    Now that Amelia was here, the chances of Keith winning were near zero. So, the logical thing to do would be to ensure Amelia won thispetition. And to do that, Keith would need to y dirty.


    "Look, the boat is here. We should hurry up and get on if we want to get on the central ind on time."


    Someone pointed out and suddenly, everyone was active. There was only a small single boat that was rowing toward them and everyone was excited to see it.


    But Keith could see the problem that was about to arise already. There was only one small boat in front of arge group of people. And only so many would be able to get on it.


    ''Ugh, it is going to turn into a bloodbath soon. I want nothing to do with this but I will have to participate as well.''

 Chapter 97 97: Tricking Across The Boat

    The fact that there were only limited seats in the boot did not strike anyone until it was toote. By the time the boat had reached the shore, everyone had gotten up and started crowding around it.


    But once the crow assembled, they realized that they could not all get on the boat.


    "What the hell? What should we do now? We cannot all get on the boat?"


    "Man, is this some kind of test for us to solve? But anyway, you all should sit aside and let me on the boat since I am the most qualified to do so."


    "No way. I sacrificed a lot to be here right now. There is no way I am giving up my position without a fight."


    As Keith had expected, there was a fight regarding the position of the people who wanted to get on the boat. And soon this fight would turn bloody.


    Even Amelia had realized that a fight was inevitable and gotten into a ready position. She had her great sword out of her pocket dimension and ready to fight for her position. But Keith had a better idea than that.


    The boat had a person on it to row it across and that person seemed to be looking down at his watch. He was waiting for the time to pass so that he could cross the river. That meant there was a time limit on him.


    "Pss, Amelia. We don''t have to fight to get across the river. We just need to wait for everyone else to start fighting and take this opportunity to get on the boat."


    Keith whispered in Amelia''s ear as he pulled her body closer to his own. Amelia was startled as she was suddenly pulled over but she understood what Keith wanted her to do.


    She still looked doubtful but she rxed her pose soon after.


    As Keith had expected, a small fight did break out among the people and the fighting party did not allow anyone to reach the boat. Anyone who tried to walk over to the other side was dragged into the fight.


    But Keith was not worried about being dragged into a fight or being hit. He had the protection of his artifact as well as his earring. His barriers were his ultimate weapon and Keith took Amelia''s hand and dragged her across.


    "Hey wait. Should we not be prepared to walk through a fight?"


    Amelia asked as she was dragged behind Keith. She looked spectacle about walking behind him but she soon rxed once she realized she was not being dragged into any unnecessary fight.


    The spells hedging toward them were also being deflected by Keith''s barrier and they both emerged near the boat.


    "Hey, how much longer are you going to wait around for? Are you not on a timer to go back?"


    Keith questioned the boat rower as soon as hended on the boat. The boat rower did not look startled to see Keith he did look d that someone had finally climbed up into the boat.


    "We''ll leave in one minute. No one will be able to step into this boat after a 1minute more."


    That meant that Keith had only a minute for defense left. Once the boat was out, he would be free to drop his barrier.


    He was already tired after maintaining the barrier for a short amount of time. It took too much stamina and endurance to keep the barrier going for huge amounts of time.


    Finally, someone noticed that Keith and Amelia had managed to slip away. There were 30 seconds left during the countdown.


    "Hey, look! Those two are trying to get away alone. Hurry up and catch the boat."


    The person who noticed Amelia and Keith fleeing the scene pointed out. As soon as he did point that out, everyone turned to look at the two-fleeing people.


    The person who was nearest to their boat threw a fire spell their way. It would destroy the boat if it collided with it. So, Keith could not let that happen to him and Amelia.


    He raised his hand to stop the spell but a wave of dizziness hit him full force. He felt fainter than before which caused his concentration to break.


    It was clear to Keith that he would be unable to put up a shield in time. He would have to gamble on being lucky and for the boat to survive the attack.


    "Noah, watch out."


    Of course, hepletely forgot that he had one of the most broken things in this MMO world by his side - Amelia.


    She did not know how to perform advanced techniques but somehow managed to stop the fire spell with the help of her ymore. She easily cut through the magic as if it was paper.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "3¡­2¡­1¡­We''ll be leaving now."


    People ran toward the boat, trying to catch it. But the barrier had already risen around the boat and they were off. Keith and Amelia had sessfully managed to trick the people into letting them go.


    "You will not be forgiven for this trickery."


    "Just you both wait and watch. Once I am at the destination as well, I will kill you both."


    People threatened the two, wanting to see them suffer as well. And Keith understood why this was happening to him and Amelia.


    It had been a rather cowardly move for him and Amelia to use the in-fighting as a means to escape these people.


    But that had been the optimal thing to do for the betterment of everyone. (Especially himself and Amelia.)


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Keith sat down once the ordeal was over. He was tired and his legs could no longer support his weight. But as soon as he sat down, he felt something soft and squishy beneath his legs. He was willing to bet that it was even a person he had stepped on.


    "Hey, do you want to kill me? Get yourzy ass off my face or I might suffocate."


    Keith instantly stood up with the grace only the grandmaster could possess. His rather graceful but clumsy attempt attracted Amelia''s attention as well.


    She was surprised to see a fourth person in the boat with them.


    The person who had been hiding by lying down all this time stood up. It was a child no older than a few years old. She looked to be about 10 years old and Keith was surprised to see that she had made it this far.


    "Hey, wait is you both looking at? Avert your eyes away from me this very second or else! I swear! People nowadays have no respect for the elderly."


    It was almost funny to see the child curse as if she was older than anyone.


    She finally crossed her legs and sat down on the boat. Her tiny body lookedically smaller in front of Amelia and Keith''s well-defined bodies.


    "What are you both looking at? Do I have something on my face? Do you want to make fun of me? If not then sit down and pay attention to me right now."


    Keith found himself following these orders. He had not meant to but it was funny how his body recognized thatmanding tone.


    On the other hand, Amelia looked surprised and followed along as well. They both could not stop observing the kid in front of them.


    "What? Never seen an old person before? I might look like I am ten but I am over 100 years old at this point. So, both better show me respect, alright?"


    The child continued to speak once she realized that neither Keith nor Amelia had looked away.


    The child continued to speak and try to convenience Keith and Amelia that she was an adult the whole way. Even when they finally reached the shore, Amelia and Keith stepped down but the child looked hesitant.


    The child gulped but finally stepped down on the Dead man''snd. It was the first ind they had reached currently.


    "Hmmm, not bad. But there was no wee for us. How do we know where we need to go from here?"


    The child questioned, now totally lost. Both Keith and Amelia could feel the subtle sense of energying from the direction. Besides, Keith had a map of this ce that told him where he was currently way.


    It was not difficult for him to find his way around alone.


    "Hey Noah, I know this is a little much to ask for but should we take the kid with us for now? I don''t feelfortable leaving her alone in this vast forest. Who knows what could happen to her."


    Keith could have preferred not to take the kid along since it was a huge responsibility. But it seemed like Amelia wanted to take responsibility for this kid.


    Amelia was someone who was soft-hearted and this kid seemed to have tickled her soft spot. Amelia would take her along with or without Keith''s consent.

 Chapter 98 98: The Dog From Hell [Pt1]

    Amelia felt her heart soften as she watched the kid try her best to appear powerful in front of Amelia and Keith.


    There had been a time in her life when Amelia had lied about her age as well just to be able to get past the age restriction inpetitions. It had been desperate times for her and it was before her time as a diator ve.


    So, Amelia understood what this kid was going through and she wanted to help this child in any way she could. Noah agreed with her as well which was a surprise.


    Most people liked to look the other way if something was not to their liking. But Noah was different and he was a truly good person at heart.


    They all needed to go the same way and the kid had taken to follow after her and Noah but her short legs. But she was far slower than both herself and Noah. Amelia could see that the kid would be forced to keep with her and Noah''s pace and it would be difficult for her.


    So, she did what a sensible person should do - she picked up the kid.


    "Hey, what are you doing to me? Let me go. I said, let me go right now. Hey, you man. Are you just going to let your partner kidnap me like this? Are you not going to help me out?"


    The kid yelled, pointing toward Noah in an attempt to get his help. But Noah ignored the child, not even willing to look in her direction.


    It pissed off the child more and she struggled to get free. But Amelia just tightened her hold on the kid even more once that happened.


    "Hey, you are going in the same direction as we are, right? So, I might as well make it easier for you. My name is Amelia by the way. What is yours?"


    Amelia had taken a personal interest in this kid and she wanted to help her out. Especially more so now since she could see a shadow of her past self in this kid.


    "Hey, why should I tell my kidnapper my name? You put me down right now and let me go."


    The kid asked again but Amelia did not let her go. Noah just sighed from the sidelines and decided not to get involved. He seemed to have decided against not stopping Amelia already.


    There was silence around them for about a minute and then the kid broke.


    "My name is Sara Trousdale. Now let me down please."


    The kid finally revealed her name and attempted to get down. Since she had stopped struggling for a whole minute, Amelia had let her guard down. She had not expected the kid to start struggling again this soon.


    It caused her to loosen the grip on the child in his arms and Sara managed to break free.


    Sara was about to run into the forest when Noah finally spoke up.


    "Are you sure you want to go into the forest? There are a lot of wild animals in the forest which could kill you if you are not careful. I would rather take my chances with Amelia if I were you."


    Sara stiffened, not having expected someone to warn her about the dangers. She looked at the forest around her and it suddenly looked a little darker than before.


    So, she gulped down her nervousness and took a step back toward the ground. Amelia looked happy to see Sara trusting them a little more.


    "B-Before you make any assumptions - I did note back because I am afraid but because you might need my protection and wisdom. I am doing you both a favor, alright?"


    Sara bluffed with a stuttering voice and it was cute enough to cause Amelia tough. She was beginning to like this kid more and more.


    "Alright kid, whatever you say. Now, we should start heading toward the arena as well. Who knows if there is a time limit to reach the Cross Arena or not."


    Noah reminded the party as he started walking. The other two were not far behind him. They did face a few small animals along the way but Amelia was the protagonist and managed to kill them easily enough.


    Finally, after hiking for about half an hour, they could see, the entrance to Cross Arena.


    It was in front of their eyes but there seemed to be onest obstacle in their way - a three-headed dog guiling the entrance to the arena. It was a huge god that seemed ferocious and intended on guiding the door.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shit, what the hell is that thing? How does anyone expect us to make it to the arena if we have to cross the cave while defeating that dog abomination."


    Sara yelled loud enough to wake up the dog. It growled as soon as it noticed the three participants in front of him. It tried to stand up and chase after them but a chain bounded its head.


    Sara breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she noticed that the dog was bound in its ce by that chain. It meant that the god would note after them and kill them.


    "Hah, take that your stupid dog. You cannot even touch me if you are bound up."


    Sara''s yelling was unnecessarily provoking and the hell-dog seemed to know it as well. It was getting annoyed and it dragged its body forward. It caused the chain to get pressured and break down.


    The three-headed dog was suddenly free and a lot more dangerous than before.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Sara''s confidence went down the drain and her face went ashen as soon as she noticed what had happened. She had not expected the dog to be able to get himself free.


    "Ugh, I was joking. You are a good doggy so you will not attack me, right?"


    But the dog seemed not to care for Sara''s words or her actions. It wanted to kill Sara and it attacked her outright.


    Sara crouched on the ground with her hands covering her face. She was trying to save herself from the danger in front of her.


    Luckily for her, Amelia had taken pity on her and decided to save her life once more. Amelia raised her great sword and shed with the three-headed dog. She managed to stop it in ce.


    Keith had two choices now - to get involved and risk getting hurt. Or to stay on the sidelines and wait for Amelia to be done with this boss.


    But Keith was well aware that this was no longer a game that had respawns and party-wide raids. It did or die for them.


    ''Shit, I have spent too much time and effort into raising Amelia to let her go like this. I will need to save her right now and then consider what to do next.''


    So, as much as Keith did not want to do this, he raised his mana stone and unleashed the ability he had taken away from Arata. He knew it woulde in handy soon enough and it dide in handy right now.


    Chains erupted around the three-headed dog, binding it in ce. It tried to move its head from side to side to get free but it was not able to.


    "Hey, the dog stopped moving. Now is your chance, Amelia. Kill it now and save us."


    Sara pointed it out unnecessarily and Amelia tried to make quick work of this demon dog. But the dog was not about to go down without a fight.


    It suddenlyshed out at Amelia, managing to break the hold of mana restraining chains on its body. Its huge head tried to take a bite out of Amelia and she backed away instantly.


    The hell dog''s yellow eyes looked at the three in front of him with disdain. It was not happy to know that it would have to get hurt and it had just gotten a lot more ferocious than before.


    "Shit, this is bad. I feel like I wasted the only chance I had of winning this fight against this dog. Ugh, this sucks."


    Ameliained as she dodged the attacks that the dog was making against her. The sword she had in her hands was heavy but could be weirded with great force. Currently, it was taking the brunt of every attack heading his way.


    But somehow, Amelia lost her grip on her great sword and she was left defenseless. She looked up at the huge dog in front of her and closed her eyes to brace for impact.


    It was going to hurt badly and she was so sorry that she was not able to do what she was sent here to do.


    "You idiot, pick up your sword and finish this fight."


    Amelia''s eyes snapped open when she heard Noah''s voice. He pounded annoyed and somehow Amelia was not hurt at all. She looked toward Noah and he seemed to be struggling but he had created a mana shield around Amelia and protected her life.

 Chapter 99 99: The Dog From Hell [Pt2]

    Amelia heard Keith''s instructions but she was toote in responding to him. As a result, the three-headed dog managed to shake off his shackles and break free.


    Now that it was free, it decided to change its target from Amelia and Sara to Keith. Keith''s magic had been the one to immobilize it so the dog wanted to eliminate him first.


    ''Tsk, what a nightmare. I knew I should not have helped Amelia with this fight.''


    Keith was instantly regretting helping Amelia out. He did not have enough time to cast another shield for himself and he ended up having to dodge the dog''s advances. Huge ws tried to crush Keith as he barely kept out of the monster''s reach.


    "Noah, watch out. Just hang on and I will help you out."


    Amelia yelled from the other side of the monster. She had finally recovered her ymore but had no opening for attacking back.


    "This is so bad. Hey, maybe we should try to run away? You know, not fight this dog monster and save our lives."


    Sara advised, not realizing why both Amelia and Keith had decided to fight the monster head-on. It was because they did not have a choice in this matter.


    As soon as this boss had been triggered, a silent barrier had been eradicated around the group. It would make it impossible for anyone to run away from this fight. But Sara learned pretty soon why no one else was running away.


    She reached the end of the clearing and smacked head-first into the barrier.


    "What the hell? Since when has this been here? Is this some kind of prank that is being yed on me right now?"


    Sara questioned as she banged the barrier. It caused the three-headed dog to break focus and it instantly changed targets. Keith was barely able to breathe a sigh of relief as a result.


    Amelia tried to stop the charging dog but the three-headed monster ignored any attempt Amelia made. It even swatted away the powerful sword Amelia was wielding in her hand.


    "Sara, run away or you will die."


    Now that Amelia was not able to stop the monster, all she could do was warn Sara about it. And Sara looked up for the monster to charge toward her right in time. She was extremely lucky and dodged away using her small frame.


    But as luck would have it, the monster recovered faster than she had anticipated it recovering from.


    "Fuck, I never thought there woulde a day I will be thankful for my small frame. But I pretty much survived thanks to my current body."


    Sara whispered as she dodged the huge w. The three-headed monster seemed a little clumsy now that he was faced with a smaller-than-usual anatomy but this situation would notst long.


    It was already beginning to adapt to her size. Its ws were alsonding closer and closer to Sara now.


    "H-Hey, what are you both doing? Help me out here. Are you not going to save me?"


    Keith looked toward the child and he felt sorry for leaving her like this. But there was only one exit to this ce and it was being exposed right now.


    If they wanted to, Keith and Amelia could leave the child behind and run away. It would save them some trouble and get rid of the annoyance.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á n?¦Ía| §ãom Keith did consider this possibility but he had to ultimately discard it.


    He could run away but he was sure that Amelia would agree to it. Keith could already see that Amelia was determined not to leave Sara behind. Her sword was ready to fight the monster in front of her.


    ''Fuck this shit. I knew something like this was going to happen anyway so I should not be surprised in the least.''


    Keith now had two options - to leave Amelia and Sara here or to stay behind with them to fight. Both had their pros and cons but Keith had already decided.


    After all, making a protagonist your enemy was thest on his list of to-do things. So, Keith was not going to be able to run from this fight either.


    ''Ugh, it sucks. Why did Amelia have to be such a soft-hearted person? I cannot believe I am being forced to take care of a kid because of her.''


    Amelia was already in-between the three-headed demon dog and Sara. her great sword was the only thing protecting the two.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As soon as the demon dog recognized that, it decided to swipe the sword out of Amelia''s hand. The sudden action surprised Amelia and her grip loosened on her sword.


    Keith was suddenly d he had not decided to run away from this fight. As soon as the demon dog had decided to make thest sweep, Keith created a shield around Amelia and Sara but it required massive amounts of mana to maintain.


    He was certain that he would not be able to do anything else but maintain this shield. This was his third of the day and Keith was beginning to reach his limit for the day. His hands were shaking as a result.


    Once again, the demon dog proved his superior intelligence and decided to change targets to Keith. But this time, Keith braced himself for the impact. There was no way for him to logically survive without taking any damage.


    ''I just need to make sure I do not get hurt enough to drop out. I need to soften the blow I am about to receive.''


    Keith braced himself but the demon dog never reached him. Amelia had managed to receive a sudden burst of power and she sniped the neck of that demon dog before it took a bite out of Keith''s face.


    ''Fuck, I got so lucky. Thank God for protagonists and their bullshit plot armor. That is the only reason I managed to survive today.''


    Keith panted as he waited for the body in front of him to stop bleeding.


    "Noah, are you alright? You did not get hurt when I killed the monster, right?"


    Amelia asked a little toote. She had still not calmed down and her body was shaking due to the rush of adrenaline she was still feeling.


    She could not believe she had moved that fast or even managed to kill a monster. It still felt like a dream to her.


    But one thing was for sure, it had not been a dream that she had moved as fast as she did. She had managed to kill a demon all on her own.


    For a second there, Amelia had felt great power. It had felt like she was invincible and no one would be able to touch her. The rush of power had consumed her and held her hostage.


    By the time she realized what had happened, the monster had been dead and Noah was inches away from death.


    "W-Wow! You managed to kill that monster so easily. How did you do it? What kind of power did you use? Can I be as powerful as you?"


    Sara looked beyond impressed. She looked like she worshiped Amelia and was willing to do anything Amelia asked. Keith recognized the glint in Sara''s eyes that screamed desperation.


    ''Ugh, fuck no. I was so certain that Sara would leave us once we reached the arena, but it seems like Amelia picked up an annoyance on the way.''


    But even if that was the case, there was no way Keith would be able to ask Amelia to abandon a person like Sara. That was just not in Amelia''s nature to do.


    "I am alright. We should get going now since we do not have much time. Thepetition will start any second now."


    Keith reminded the two females in front of her. As much as he did not want Sara toe with them, he also knew that Amelia would get distracted if he did not bring Sara along.


    "Oh, y-yes. I forgot that wepeted. Listen, Amelia, we need to win thispetition at any cost. I cannot afford to lose this prize. Will you help me out?"


    This was foul y on Sara''s part. She had managed to figure out Amelia''s soft spot and now she seemed to be pressing on it.


    Keith was about to interfere and hand Sara a piece of his mind when Amelia spoke up.


    "I cannot do that. I am sorry Sara but I cannot help you win this time. I am here to win thispetition since it is my duty."


    Keith was surprised by Amelia''s resolute answer. She had never been this firm before even in the game for as long as he had yed it.


    "O-Oh, I see. Y-You, do not need to help me out then. I will be alright on my own in this case."


    Sara was hesitant to speak anymore once she realized that Amelia was not bulging despite his sob story. She had lost this time.

 Chapter 100 100: The Terms Of The Contract

    The air had turned awkward after Amelia had turned down Sara''s begging for help. Sara looked shocked and even Amelia looked ufortable with what had just happened.


    But they both epted Amelia''s wishes without much fanfare. Keith was d that things had blown over without much problem and that Amelia had chosen to keep her original objective. It showed that the guild had a tight hold on her.


    ''I am so lucky that Amelia has such a tight moralpass. She would never betray the ones who had shown her kindness.''


    That was the whole reason Amelia had not betrayed the guild and the grandmaster even when she had been asked for help point nk. She had chosen her priorities straight which Keith was d to see.


    "Hey, you both. If you are done talking, then we should get going now. I can see the stage our host has prepared to wee us."


    Keith broke the awkward atmosphere with his words. He did not want Amelia to think back on her decision and decide to go back on it. So, the best way to achieve this was the keep her busy.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? O-Oh, that stage. Yeah, I can see it now as well. I wonder why I did not notice it until now."


    Amelia looked behind Keith, finally noticing the stage from the opening of the cave. It was a well-established stage as well.


    Sara did not say much, she just followed behind the pair with a sullen expression. But there was something about her determination that irked Keith. He felt like he was letting in a snake near his neck.


    ''I hope I do not regret allowing Sara toe with me. I do not have a good feeling regarding her.''


    But Keith could not do anything against Sara right now. She was under Amelia''s protection and Keith did want his rtionship with Amelia to remain intact.


    When they reached the first stage, Keith was surprised to see a lot more people than he had first expected there to be. The members gathered near the stage were over 100 currently and they were only multiplying at this point.


    There was no one at the central stage which meant that the host had not arrived yet. Either that or the host was watching them from a hidden spot.


    "Wow, there are a lot of people that are participating. Would we even be able to win anything at this rate?"


    Sara looked nervous now. She was already not favored to win, and now she had so muchpetition. She was beyond agitated at this point.


    If only her request had not been denied by Amelia, then Sara would have no reason to be this nervous. But Sara had denied Amelia''s request and that had wounded Amelia a lot. She had just lost such an important asset.


    People were looking at Amelia from the corner of their eyes. She had not hidden her aura so her massive potential was leaking out of her.


    Has Keith been closer to Amelia and he knew Amelia would not take offense to his words, Keith would have asked her to contain her overflowing aura. But s, that was not to be the case.


    Amelia was doomed to be the object of these people''s envy and silence. That was her punishment for not being able to control her aura.


    Just as people were about to make Amelia their target and y tricks, the stage saw some movement. A figure covered entirely in ck stepped on the stage. This person had no recognizable features due to the ck covering his whole body.


    People tensed up, not expecting what would happen next. The person, no, the creature that had walked up the stage looked unique for sure.


    Even Amelia tensed up Keith, getting ready to defend herself if the need arose for it. But Keith was not worried about being attacked.


    Had the host wanted to kill them all, there would have been no need for such massive andrge-scale preparations.


    This creature was likely here to announce the next round and how one could qualify for the said round.


    "Hello everyone, and wee to the Cross Arena. I hope you all were able to make it here without any trouble. But it''s unfortunate to say that your journey has just started yet. Now, we will announce the first obstacle of your challenge today."


    The ck-d figure announced and many people tensed. They did not look happy with the announcement that had been made in front of them.


    "Hey, what do you mean the ''first obstacle''? I almost died whileing here. And now you are saying that you will not evenpensate us?"


    "I missed a whole day''s worth of work because I had toe here. Give me my money or else-"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    People threatened the shadow, wanting justice and redemption for their missed day. They did not realize that they had no power in this arena or on this ind.


    These people had also not read the rules but signed the consent form anyway. Keith felt sorry for them but at the same time, he refused to pity these foolish souls.


    The person on top of the podium sounded surprised as well when he spoke.


    "Ah, what are you all talking about? You did read the rules before signing away your life, right? It clearly states that the first round will only begin once the announcement has been made and there will be nopensation for anyone. We are just here to have fun."


    People did not like this announcement and riots could break out at any moment. Keith tenses as soon as he felt the atmosphere getting bad. It was about to get difficult in the meeting for him and others.


    One of the persons near a tree ended up punching the poor thing. The trunk of the tree broke under such a relentless attack and snapped into two.


    "Are you seeing this? It was a tree this time but it will surely be your neck the next time. Don''t you dare y with me or I will not forgive you. Now give me mypensation or else-"


    That man threatened with his giant fists. He looked intimidating and he knew that as well. As long as he did not back down, he was sure that the sponsors of this tournament would give him what he wanted.


    Too bad for this man, the ck-d figure did not look scared. He looked ted that someone had tried to challenge his authority and he raised his hands.


    "Oh, someone is being naughty when they should not even try. I can see that none of you read the contract rule section. But oh well, first-hand experience is often more effective anyway for people like you."


    The ck-d figure snapped his fingers and the angry man froze before he felt his body twisting and he was thrown on the ground.


    He tried to move but his body would not obey him. Everyone else looked shocked and backed away from that man, giving Keith a clear view of what was going on.


    "Hey, what the hell happened to this man? Can he not move now?"


    Sara questioned as soon as she noticed the man trying to struggle out of his invisible binds.


    Most people had no idea what was happening but then there were some like Amelia who knew and had experienced this kind of magic.


    "It''s salve magic. If the terms of the contract are not vited by the host party or the timer doesn''t expire, they can do with us as they please. We cannot attack them or disrupt what they are trying to do."


    Amelia exined with a tense voice. Contrary to belief, she did not have a problem with this magic anymore, but she still did not like it much.


    It reminded her of the worst days in her life and it was also a hindrance to everything she was trying to achieve nowadays.


    "S-ve magic? Isn''t this forbidden magic? Why was it in a contract? How do we get it out of us?"


    Sara questioned with a panicked voice. A few others who had heard Sara''s words looked shocked as well. They had not expected their freedom to be taken away by the host of this tournament.


    It was Keith''s turn to speak up now since people were ring at him as well.


    "We will be free when the timer runs out or when the terms in our contract are fulfilled. So, we will likely have to wait a week for this tournament to finish. Did you seriously not read the contract?"


    Sara looked sheepish but also ufortable. She was hiding things from Keith and he had no intention of forcing her to speak.


    Before people could break out into panic, the ck-d figure spoke up from the stage again.


    "I am sorry for this disruption. Now that things have cleared up again, it''s time to announce the first part of this tournament open."

 Chapter 101 101: The First Competition [Pt1]

    The first round had officially started. Now there were two kinds of people in the clearing - those who were excited and ready to do anything to win and those who were scared for their lives and what this contract meant for them.


    Many participants had entered here for fun and experience. They had expected to be able to back out of thispetition anytime they wanted to.


    But that luxury had been taken away because of the contract. Instead, these people were forced to fight each other and they had to also abide by certain rules they had not even read before.


    "Don''t worry dear participants. Nothing would happen to you if you behave within a certain parameter and do not cause any trouble for us. As for the tournament, we should start it now or our host will get irritated even more."


    The ck-d figure spoke and snapped his fingers. A slip of paper appeared in front of everyone and Keith quickly noticed that it was color coded.


    "You all need to pick a color from the ground. You have 10 minutes to do so. Exchange of slip colors is allowed within these ten minutes as well."


    Keith looked at his green paper slip and then noticed that Amelia had a pink one. So, he needed to find a pink one as well.


    Keith suddenly felt like he knew what was going on with these colored slips. The host was separating them all into different teams and it could either go brilliantly or wrong from here on.


    But Keith decided to trust his logic. There were too many people here to be doing a battle royal without different teams. So, the teams were likely going topete against each other.


    "Which color did you get, Keith?"


    Amelia quickly walked over to Keith and noticed his green slip. She looked ufortable with her pink slip now and instantly started looking around for green.


    It seemed like she had decided to stick with Keith for the time being which was assuring. With the protagonist looking after him, Keith had a feeling he would not be facing too much stress during thepetition.


    "E-Excuse me, but would you be willing to exchange your green slip for my pink one? I saw that you needed one and I do not mind being on a different team than my original one."


    A teenager walked over to Keith and Amelia as soon as he noticed their plight. He held out his pink slip, not knowing what kind of opportunity he was missing by refusing to be with Amelia.


    Keith knew it was immoral of him to rob this child of a possible victory but he was desperate as well.


    "Well, sure I would exchange slips with you. But are you sure you want to do that? You will note to regret your choice in the future, right?"


    Keith asked onest time as he held his slip ahead of him. The teenager took the slip with a red face and he held his pink one for Keith to take as well.


    All this while, the teenager seemed to be busy staring at another participant. So, when Keith questioned him, the teenager looked baffled and broke out into a flushed expression.


    "O-Oh, I will not regret it for sure. You see, I have my reasons for wanting to be in green. Thank you so much for your help."


    Keith had followed the teenager''s gaze, only to notice a female on the other end holding a green slip in her hand.


    It seemed like the teenager who had agreed to exchange his slip had things much more important than victory in his mind right now.


    "Aww, that is very sweet of him. I am d he got to be with his friend during thispetition."


    Amelia seemed to have misunderstood what just went on between Keith and the teenager. But Keith decided not to burst Amelia''s bubbles. She was alright even if she was innocent so Keith decided to let her delusions be.


    Sara walked over to the group with her pink slip as well. Keith was sure that her initial slip had been red but she had exchanged it with someone else as well.


    Besides them, there were a lot more people who had the pink slip in their hands but no one mingled with the other group.


    *p*


    "Alright, everyone. The time for you to choose your slip is over. Now, try to survive until only one color is left in the forest. You have no time limit but your locations would be disyed with your color every two hours. Eliminate everyone who stands in your way until you are the only one left. Good luck everyone."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The ck-d figure snapped his fingers and the stage disappeared. It happened in the blink of an eye and it took everyone by surprise.


    The smoke caused everyone''s vision to be obstructed and by the time it disappeared, no one knew where they were.


    Thankfully, Keith had managed to be with Amelia even now and the trio had ended up alone in the forest.


    There was a screen-like thing in front of them that showed beeping maps. It was the map showing the location of different colors and the nod of participants left.


    "There are over 10 teams? And 32 members in each team? That means that there are over 320 participants?"


    Sara eximed in surprise. Even Keith was surprised to see such a big number of peopleing to participate in thispetition and passing the first hurdle.


    But that was not all. When you considered the fact that people had been screened before admitting into thispetition, it made things and the scale of thispetition even bigger than before.


    As much as Keith did not want to admit it, the guild and Master Olivia had a tough reputation to beat. She was famous and people were flocking to her side regardless of her inclination.


    "Be it 300 or 1000, it should not matter if you want to win. Let''s focus on taking people out nearest to us first. Noah, you provide me back up and I will do the heavy work."


    Amelia did not seem to mind so many opponents. She was determined to fight and win as soon as possible.


    Her way of thinking was rational as well since waiting around would only put them at a disadvantage.


    "H-hey, should we not wait around for a bit? Let these people fight it out and tire themselves while we wait and attackter? It''s a sound strategy."


    Sara tried to sound rational but it was clear that she had never been in a fighting situation this huge before. Had she been in one, she would not have suggested sitting around and being fodder for the other team.


    "Sara, if we stay around then we will be targets sooner orter. Rather than being surprised attacked by someone, I would rather just attack the person outright and be the one to take them by surprise."


    Amelia exined with a dark look in her eyes. Memories seemed to be shing across her eyes and Keith decided not to poke her right now.


    "We alsock food and other necessities and we have no idea if we will be able to find them in this forest. It would be better for us to finish this round early."


    Now, Keith had packed a lot of amenities and food in his pocket dimension but it was all for emergencies. If he could preserve it then he would. And even the food in inventory had an expiry date and time.


    So, when Amelia said that they were on a timer, they were on a timer.


    "Alright fine. I guess you are right and we cannot hide when the timer is exposing our location every two hours. But you two do have a n, right?"


    Sara sounded worried and she had to be because of herck of fighting capabilities. She was the only dead weight on this team and that was why she had chosen a team that would take her far.


    "Hmm, it''s simple. Between my attacks and Noah''s defense, we should be able to take out most of these people. The problem would be the heavy hitters but we can just regroup with the others in our team and attack them."


    Amelia ended up making this decision and Keith did not oppose her decision made. He knew Amelia was not confident in herself but her n could honestly work.


    That, and Keith had no idea what else to do. His attack powers were still not under control and killing was prohibited for thispetition. It would be a huge problem if someone ended up dying.


    "Alright fine. Let us do things your way this time around. But I still think we should find other people first before deciding about taking these people on or not. I don''t think we should rush in this recklessly ourselves."

 Chapter 102 102: The First Competition [Pt2]

    Attacking first was not an innovation or a new idea. So, if Keith and Amelia could think of it, could other people from other teams as well?


    It certainly would not take for the fight to reach them at this speed. Both Keith and Amelia were ready for that certainty. But Sara was not ready and she was dragging them down currently.


    "H-Hey, slow down. My small legs cannot keep up with you both. Can you not slow down for my sake?"


    Sara asked as she tried her best to keep up with them. But she was a liability and she knew that as well. That was why Sara tried her best to keep her head down. But her personality shined through anyway.


    Amelia, who likely felt sorry for Sara slowed down but Keith knew it was a foolish decision to slow down now. They had walked too far into the enemy territory to feelfortable moving normally in the forest.


    "Sara, we need to be careful from here on. If you are tired then I can carry you. But please, do not make unnecessary noises. We will be discovered if you do so."


    Keith was not surprised to see Amelia still be sopassionate with Sara. The protagonist was written to be well-liked by people.


    But currently, thispassionate attitude Amelia had was more of a problem than simply earning people''s ire.


    "What do you mean I have to be careful? What do I have to be careful about when I have you? You are the most powerful person I have ever met and I will stand by this statement."


    Sara sounded proud of Amelia. Sara was almost acting as if Amelia was powerful for her sake and not for Amelia''s own sake. And as Keith could see, it was making Amelia nervous as well.


    Amelia did not say anything but Keith could see that she was inching away from Sara for her own sanity''s sake. Keith could only shoot her nces full of pity and respect for putting up with Sara.


    He would have happily kept on walking in silence if not for the sound of footsteps following behind him. It was a fortunate urrence that Keith heard them.


    "-and let me tell you, I was the best one in my friend group before I was cursed to be in this form-"


    Sara kept onining, not even noticing that the other two had stopped and stiffened at this point. She was unaware of what kind of trouble they were about tond themselves into.


    "Sara, be quiet."


    Keith ordered without any heat in his voice. He did not want to sound too much like his ''grandmaster'' voice and risk being found out.


    But Sara was not concerned about Keith and his order. She frowned while looking his way, her eyes shining with contempt and disdain.


    "You cannot tell me what to do. Now keep on moving and- woah, calm down a little."


    Sarained just as Amelia lost her bnce. Sara''s annoyed expression was beginning to be mirrored on Amelia''s face.


    Despite being the mostpassionate protagonist, Amelia had a stopping point as well. And she was beginning to reach it with Sara''s nagging in her ear.


    "For god''s sake, Sara shut up. We are being followed right now and I cannot hear the footsteps if you keep on speaking in my ear."


    Amelia yelled back, not being able to stop herself from yelling back at Sara. The child-looking adult was surprised and closed her mouth out of fear.


    Now that it was silent, Keith could finally hear footsteps heading their way. His gamer days helped him recognize the context clues and Keith was able to figure out where the attack woulde from.


    "Amelia, they are closing in on us from the right side. Do you think you can get to them if I stop their first attack?"


    Keith asked as he got ready to form a shield around himself and Amelia. He had also stored her lightning spell in his mana stone so that he could do a surprise attack.


    "I should be able to counter if I do not have any added baggage. Sara, you would have to get down and hide for a little while. Noah, you provide me with the necessary cover."


    Amelia signaled for Sara to get down from his back and Sara got down reluctantly. She looked a little resentful of Keith and Amelia. But all her thoughts of resentfulness and mercy went out of her head when she had a knife inches away from her face.


    The people following them had decided not to hide around and attack in the open. They knew they had been found out by the party they had been following.


    "Shit, they knew we were following them. Pull back and attack. We need to take their armbands and beat them into submission."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The attacker yelled when he noticed Amelia closing on him. He tried to move out of Amelia''s way but Keith had created his shield to trap the man in. The man did not get to back away before he was on his head and went unconscious.


    But even with one attacker down, there was no guarantee that they were safe. Especially since their attacker had made it clear that he was not alone.


    "H-Hey, is it safe for me to stand up now? By the way, I am alright now so you both do not need to worry about me."


    Sara spoke up as she stood with her shaking legs. She tried to show that she was not scared but her body betrayed how terrified she was right now.


    She stood in front of the pair and tried her best to appear strong. But it would have been better for Sara to stay behind and not try to stand out.


    Keith and Amelia exchanged a concerned look over Sara''s head, now suddenly concerned about what would happen to her.


    ''Do you still want to take responsibility for her? You know she would be trouble, right?''


    Keith mouthed at Amelia, hoping that she would follow his head and agree to leave Sara behind. They had no responsibility toward this girl.


    But bless Amelia and her kind soul. Despite her instincts screaming at her to leave the liability behind, she could not go through with it. She could not condemn a human life like this.


    So, despite being certain that she was going to end up regretting helping Sara out, Amelia decided to take mercy on her.


    ''Sorry, but I cannot do that.''


    Amelia''s heart sped up when she made her decision but Amelia refused to back down. She had enough faith in her powers to protect people.


    "H-Hey, if you both are done then follow me. I will lead you from here on."


    Sara, the leastpetent one amount the three, decided she wanted to take the lead. Neither Keith nor Amelia stopped her from doing that since they were busy keeping an eye out for the enemy.


    Keith could hear footsteps following behind their group. These people had the audacity ofing too close to their current position.


    Amelia signaled toward Keith to follow her lead and take the lead. Keith agreed with her and looked back at the people following behind. Their shadows could be seen following behind their group.


    ''Huh, now this is interesting. It was worth it to have Amelia in my group. She will defeat these people for me.''


    "-will not surrender. Hey Noah, are you listening to me? I am saying something to you right now. And, can you stop being such a dick to me and listen to what I am saying. -"


    Sara was still going strong, not stopping for even a single second. At this point, Keith was even surprised she was breathing while speaking.


    "-and why do you not pay attention to things? Hey, where did Amelia go to? I like her better than you since she listens to me. When will you start listening to me and stopining to me as well? Hey Noah, are you listening to me?"


    Keith was getting ticked off now. He had half a mind to throw Sara as far as he could and then make an excuse for killing her. But that would cause him to get disqualified.


    "Hey, did you hear what I said? Where did Amelia go? And when will we be able to find anything substantial?"


    Sara questioned again and this time Keith sighed and replied.


    "Amelia had some ''bloody emergency'' she needed to attend to. She will catch up with us soon so you need not worry about it."


    Sara looked shocked before she snickered about something only, she could understand. But before Keith could ask Sara not to share her thoughts, she ended upughing to herself.


    But Keith was sure he heard her mutter ''bloody emergency'' to herself again and again. It did not take Amelia long toe back and she shook her head. But as soon as Sara saw her, she began tough in earnest.

 Chapter 103 103: Attacked In The Open [Pt1]

    Amelia asked Keith with her eyes what was wrong with Sara but Keith did not know the answer. So, he just shook his head in return and Amelia got the message.


    "A-Anyway, did you take care of your emergency?"


    Sara questioned as she calmed down. But as soon as she asked the question, she broke out in a fit ofughter once more. Keith and Sara had a feeling there would be no point in stopping her anymore.


    "Well, my business went as well as I could have hoped it to go with our current circumstances. We should keep on moving now."


    The two hours were about to be over at this point and it was time for the system screen to sh. Keith tensed up when he looked at the screen since the results were not what he had anticipated it being.


    Since Amelia was the protagonist and she was on the pink team, Keith had thought that the pink team would win. It was natural for the pink team to have won in the end since it contained the protagonist.


    But that had been naive thinking on Keith''s part. When the map shed, it showed a different picture on it.


    Pink was hardly a dominant color on the scene. The one most dominating right now was yellow, followed by grey. Pink had the least number of people avable online.


    While Keith was busymenting over this, Amelia noticed something major. She looked at the map and then at Sara and then back at the map.


    "Hey Sara, you will not happen to have more than one paper slip on you, right? The map shows you having both a pink and a red slip in your hand."


    Amelia asked as she observed the map before it stopped shing. Then the figures and location markers on the map faded away and the time for observation was over.


    "What? Oh yeah, I might have two of the slip on me. I found the red one lying down somewhere and I picked it up. Is something wrong with it?"


    Sara seemed to not have noticed but Keith caught on to what Amelia was saying right now. There was a way to cheat in thispetition and to ensure that they got past thispetition.


    Keith felt his hope rising inside his chest.


    "Amelia, do you remember where the nearest colors shed on the map? I think we have a few teams to visit right now."


    Keith''s voice was tense but also teasing. He had a n in making which Amelia agreed with. She nodded and opened the regr map of this forest. That was the only resource they had right now.


    "Well, as far as I remember, I know the location of 6 other colored slips. We will have to look for the rest when the map shes again."


    Amelia''s sharp memory helped her mark the ces she remembered but they needed to hurry now. Those who had been discovered would not sit still. Soon, the locations on the map would begin to shift once more.


    But before that happened, Keith wanted to take a few colored bands from the enemy.


    ..........


    "Man, we are so behind. Do you think we will be able to win?"


    Man 1 questioned as he cooked his fish on the fire. It was part of the ration he had brought along with it but he was about to run out of food soon.


    "Do not be stupid. Our team is in the second spot right now. Of course, we will win. Or at least get past this hurdle. We are strong after all."


    Man 2 bragged as he sat down to eat as well. He was salivating at the smell of cooked food in the air. But Man 1 hid his fish behind his back, not wanting to share it with the other man.


    "Hey man, do not be like this. Learn to share with your friend and I might take pity on you and protect you during the next fight."


    Man 2 bargained with a heavy voice. There was a threat present in it which made Man 1 gulp down in fear. Suddenly, it did not look like a good idea for Man 1 to refuse Man 2 any longer.


    He was about to hand his fish over with a heavy sigh when they felt the air around them smelling sweeter than before.


    "Hey man, I am suddenly feeling sleepy. Wake me up when it is time to leave."


    Man 1 suddenly said as he yawned. It was getting difficult to keep his eyes open suddenly. Man 2 was in a simr state, his yawns getting longer and longer by the second. His eyes also protested opening again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Soon, they both fell asleep and they did not notice when a figure walked over to them and took their paper slip away. This all happened in under three minutes.


    Amelia quickly walked back toward Keith and Sara with her light steps.


    With this, they had managed to gather five sets of paper slips and there were four left on their list to get. So far, things had worked out somehow.


    "Alright, just four more to go. At this rate, we will be finished quite soon. It is about time for the map to shine again."


    Sara sounded happy about their sess. She had not done anything on her own but she was celebrating this as if it was her victory. Keith wanted to point this out to her but he refrained from doing so.


    He wanted to inform Sara that it was not a good thing for the map to sh. Their group would be a prime target for assassination if things continued like this.


    But before Keith could say anything, the map shed and that was it. The time for regrets was over and it was time to pay attention.


    The map only had three dominant colors left on it - red, yellow, and green. Everyone else seemed to have been eliminated. There were one or two people from the minor color team left but that was not enough to win.


    "We will need to get green and red as well. Also, I think we should hide the paper we do not need for now."


    Amelia was full of good ideas today and Keith agreed with her. He took out a small box from his inventory bag and put it in the paper. Then he returned it to the space he had taken it out from.


    "So, I have an idea. We already have the yellow paper with us, right? How about we find someone from that team and joined them? There will be safety in number, right?"


    Sara pointed out and she was finally being helpful. Yellow was the most dominant color on the map currently so Keith had no problem with this n.


    Even Amelia looked ready to find the yellow team and join them. But finding one was not easy in the least. The forest had been cleared of a lot of people so running into someone worthwhile was a problem.


    They were about to move to a new location as well when a team of six walked out from the other side of the clearing.


    From the looks of it, they did not look friendly but Keith could not see any indication of their affiliation on their body.


    "Well, hello there. We are here to rob you of your paper slip so kindly hand it over to us right now."


    The leader of the other party demanded as he held his hands out toward Keith. The rest of his party cracked their hands, getting ready to fight and take the paper slip by force.


    Keith raised his hand and took out his pink paper slip and handed it over.


    The leader ''tsked'' and threw the paper slip away. He looked angry with Keith''s deception.


    "This is not the paper slip I was asking you for. Give us the yellow one you have on you right now and you might get to live. Otherwise, I will kill you right now."


    The leader threatened with a heavy voice. His groupughed behind him, finding his humiliation funny.


    "Oh, shut up you all. If this is so funny to you then why don''t you get this slip from him? As if I care anymore."


    The leader sounded pissed off but Keith was not going to let his guard down because of it. Especially since it looked like his group was more than happy to follow his head.


    "Alright boss, you got it. Let us take care of these fools for you and present you with the yellow paper."


    Female 1 from the group replied as she cracked her fingers. She was ripped and her muscles were intimidating. But this world was not all about muscles and that was female 1''s biggest problem.


    She walked forward to punch Keith but she was taken down by Amelia before she could make it to Keith. Then, Amelia looked back at the group with an annoyed expression.

 Chapter 104 104: Attack In The Open [Pt2]

    "Huh? This was far easier than I thought. It looks like all you people can do is talk big and not fight big."


    Amelia taunted as she easily took down female 1. It would have been funny to see a lean and thin fighter like Amelia take out a jacked woman like she just did in Keith''s original world but this was a different setting.


    So naturally, Keith was not surprised when he saw Amelia making moves on herpetition. She was one of the best fighters in this world after all.


    "D-Do not think you will win just because you managed to take one of us out, alright? I will have you know that the one you defeated is the weakest out of us all. But dealing with me will not be so easy."


    Female 2 walked out soon after Amelia had defeated Female 1. Unlike Female 1, this new person was much more confident in her victory.


    Keith felt like something would go wrong so he quickly raised a shield. He was able to make it in time before any spell could hit them. He felt the impact of it colliding with his shield at least.


    The impact of the spell hitting the shield made a small noise and it alerted everyone that something had happened.


    "This is not fair. How dare you attack us out of the blue like this? You should be penalized for this."


    Sara yelled back, her heart beating faster and faster due to the sudden fright. She had not expected the other team to y dirty with them.


    "Tsk, I was so close to getting a shot at you. Listen, kid, stop your yelling because you are giving me a headache. This is apetition and everything is fair in it."


    Sara fumed at the answer she got. But she was also powerless to change anything regarding this situation. She had no fighting skills.


    Keith watched their opponents with a critical eye and an observant attitude. There were 5 main fighters left on the opponent team and it would certainlye down to 5-vs-2 which was disadvantageous for them.


    If Keith could somehow make it 4-vs-2, their odds of winning would increase by so much.


    ''Since that''s the case, I should use my mana stone and take one person out.''


    His mana stone had one spell left in it. Keith had charged it up as he had been defeating the enemies. He had found one of the skills useful from thest team he had taken out and Keith tapped the mana stone to use it.


    "Amelia, out of the way."


    Keith warned her as lightning erupted over his hand and leaked out toward their opponent. Keith was surprised to notice that it did not hurt him even a bit to have electricity running all over his arm.


    It was likely because his seasoned body belonged to the grandmaster, but Keith was thankful nheless.


    Keith was fast and he managed to take out Female 2 within seconds. It was only possible because he had the surprise factor on his side.


    "W-What happened here?"


    Male 2 on the opposite team asked. But Amelia got over her shock in time and knocked Male 2 out as well.


    Suddenly, it went from 6-vs-3 to a 3-vs-2. They had a real chance to win now.


    "L-Leader, what should we do? Three of our members got taken out in a sh."


    Female 3 questioned with hesitation. She was biting her lips and backing away slowly but the leader raised his hand calmly.


    He looked at Keith and Amelia with a critical eye before noticing their group''s weakness - Sara. And his shing eyes did not go unnoticed by Keith.


    "Sara, you need to run and hide."


    Keith yelled as he raised his barrier to protect Sara. The leader collided with Keith''s shield and was unable to get to Sara on time. But his sudden movement had scared Sara enough to immobilize her.


    "Shit, this is bad. Keith, cover my moves."


    Amelia demanded as she picked up her great sword and attacked the leader. She managed to drive him away before Male 3 on the opposite team attacked her back. He was a heavy fighter as well and was able to stop Amelia''s great sword.


    It was an even battler for some time before Amelia was pushed back.


    "W-What is going on? Why are they targeting me? I am a kid!"


    Sara yelled in disbelief as she was made a target of the assault. She had still not realized her situation and Keith was in disbelief.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There was only so much stupidity he could endure and Sara was currently pushing him to his limits. How was she so clueless about her situation?


    "Sara, you are a liability so you were bound toe to the target anyway. Now run because I will not be able to defend you and fight at the same time."


    Keith finally ended up yelling at the clueless female in front of him. Sara was startled and tears filled her eyes.


    ''I am going to smack her if she cried right now. I have enough on my te without Sara adding to my troubles.''


    But contrary to Keith''s beliefs, Sara did not cry or make unreasonable demands. She held her fear in and she ran away.


    Male 3 and the leader tried to give chase but Keith had raised his barrier in protection. He would not allow them to go after Sara.


    At the same time, Amelia dug her sword into the ground and channeled her mana into it. It caused the surroundings to shake and her opponents to lose their footing. Even Keith had a hard time keeping his bnce and he knew Amelia''s technique by heart.


    "You three will soon join your friends in the useless pile. Nowe at me, you cowards."


    Amelia called as she got ready to fight. She had a lot of pride as a warrior and she was not about to let these people get her down.


    The fighter in front of Amelia bit his lip in annoyance. He was angry that he had to face Amelia but he also saw her as just a little girl ying at being a grown-up.


    And that was his first andst mistake against Amelia. Her thin arms picked up her heavy great sword and she swing it toward her enemy.


    Seeing such a slim person wield such a heavy weapon created an illusion of the great sword not being such a big deal. That caused people to underestimate the force behind this attack.


    Male 3 went down in a sh. That left the leader and Female 3 as the opponents.


    "Looks like you people were all talking and no bite. What is wrong? Are you afraid to face a single girl?"


    Amelia taunted and the leader suddenly changed strategies.


    It was clear to him that this girl was the real powerhouse of their opponent team. So, if he was able to take her out, they would not be able to fight against them.


    But to do that, they should first distract her. And what better way to do that than to attack the man behind her?


    Since Keith had not used any offensive skills, that likely meant that he did not have any in his bag. So, the leader made a sudden decision and changed tactics.


    He did not want to identally kill Keith so he decided to use his martial arts skills to immobilize him. His skill allowed the leader to move faster than others and he was able to dash past Amelia with some precision.


    It was only because the leader was aiming for Keith and that had taken Amelia off guard. Otherwise, she would have been able to stop him.


    "Hiding behind girls and being a coward? It is time for you to face your retribution-"


    The leader almost reached Keith when Keith''s trained instincts smacked into motion. His body knew what to do when it was attacked.


    Keith felt like a stranger in his body as it took hold of the attacking wrist and twisted the body of the leader behind his back. Before the leader knew it, he was upside-down and he was looking up at Keith.


    With a single precise strike on his neck, Keith had managed to knock the leader out.


    Both Amelia and female 3 looked shocked at his sudden disy but the one who was shocked the most was Keith himself.


    For the first time since he hade to this world, his body''s fight or flight response had worked. It likely meant that he was getting more and more used to this world.


    "Noah, how did you-"


    "Take care of thest member first Amelia. Then we need to go and pick up Sara. Talking could wait forter."


    It likely came across as Keith not wanting to talk but, he did not know how to exin his actions. It had not felt like his actions and he was finallying around now.

 Chapter 105 105: Saras Betrayal [Pt1]

    Amelia made quick work of Female 3 in front of her. Her sword came down lightly on the female''s back and she was out for the count.


    Luckily, this team carried all the necessary paper slips they needed from them. It seemed like such a big coincidence but one look at Amelia was enough to remind Keith why this happened.


    ''No doubt, it is the protagonist''s charm that is at work here. Amelia is not even aware of what she is capable of and it is scary.''


    Keith was getting more and more used to this so he was not even surprised when they found the slips.


    "Wow, these are the ones we need. Should we head out to find Sara now?"


    Amelia questioned when she stopped. It had not even been a workout for her and she had just taken out 5 out of 6 members of the opposite side. Keith was impressed every time he saw her fighting.


    "So, should we start looking for Sara now? Do you know which direction she went into?"


    Keith had to think about it for a second or two. Sara had run out fast but Keith was sure he vaguely knew which direction she had taken. They should be able to catch up to her soon.


    "She went this way. We should hurry up and make sure she does not mess up anything or bring us trouble."


    Now, Sara was not thoughtless. Keith would say that she was the most thoughtful person when it came to her safety.


    But he was also sure that Sara would be perfectly capable of betraying them if it meant she would reap the benefit. She was a shrewd person at heart.


    ...¡­.


    Sara ran away for her death as fast as she could. She had a feeling she should not turn back and look or she would regret it.


    But her short legs could only take her so fast and Sara''s body also did not have a lot of stamina. She ended up reaching a clearing and watched a group sleeping in front of her.


    One of the members of that group moved a little in his sleep and Sara''s heart leaped in her throat in fright. She was not sure if she was going to be able to survive such shocks in the future or not.


    Just as she finished hiding, the map shed. Another two hours passed and Sara noticed how her body was covered in different blinks of light.


    Anyone who noticed this could see that she had a lot of paper slips. She was beyond lucky that the group in front of her was fast asleep.


    This group had a lot of colored paper slips as well which made Sara greedy. There were only so many people left in thispetition.


    If she managed to eliminate this group then the first round of thispetition would be over. Yellow had a dominating lead and most colors were clustered together anyway.


    Just as Sara was watching the map, colors other than Yellow began to disappear. She also threw down other colored slips except for yellow and watches as colors disappeared from the map.


    Soon the only red dot on the map belonged to the group in front of her.


    ''Shit, this is the only group left except the yellow one. If I manage to eliminate them, then I will win.''


    But just as Sara knew what she had to do; her mind also reminded her to be careful. These people had managed to survive this long and it was not because they were lucky. The chances were that these people were powerful.


    But Sara still had to try. She will not get a better chance than this.


    She silently crept around the group until she was able to locate the paper slip. The slip of red was easily visible on the two people in front of her.


    Sara was able to take out one slip but the other one proved to be a challenge.


    "Hey man, be careful. I saw the map sh and we are the only ones-"


    And then the worst possible thing happened. Sara had mistakenly thought that this group only had two members but there were three of them. And one of the members had just returned.


    The new member tensed up as soon as he noticed a ten-year-old strangling his elder teammate''s body.


    "I-It is not what it looks like."


    Sara cringed when he spoke. Her loud voice echoed in the forest and the body beneath her started to wake up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Grey eyes met Sara''s and she tensed up. She suddenly realized what kind of position she was in and opened her mouth to scream. But before she could call for help, the man beneath her decided to capture her.


    "What the hell man? Where did this rante from? She spoilt my mood and I was having such a good dream as well."


    Sara''s capturer sighed as he held Sara up. Sara felt her heart skip a few beats in fear as she was held up from the ground by this man. He was frightening to look at and now looked three times more intimidating to her.


    "Let me go. I said, let me go right now or I will report you for being a pervert."


    Sara yelled, trying to shock the man into letting her go. She also iled around in hopes to make it more difficult for the man. But nothing seemed to be helping her.


    The man looked annoyed by Sara''s behavior and held her even tighter in her ce.


    "Now listen here, you runt. I do not fancy underaged and underdeveloped women. And you think you will be able to report me? You will be dead before you open your mouth."


    "No, wait for a second."


    Sara''s capturer yelled in her face and she braced for getting smacked when the other person stopped Sara''s attacker.


    She decided to call them ''Leader'' and ''Attacker'' in her mind until she knew their names.


    "Hey man, do you not see the color of her paper slip? It is yellow. The map shed while you were sleeping and you would not believe what is shown - we are the only red ones left. Everyone else is yellow right now."


    The leader exined to Sara''s attacker and she tensed up.


    "Oh, is that so? In that case, I will take this yellow slip from you-"


    "No, wait. I have a better deal for you both than this. You know that I am a kid and I can''t possibly have acquired this slip and protected this yellow slip for this long, right? I havepanions who also have yellow slips. I can help you steal them if you let me go."


    Sara offered, having no loyalty or dignity left inside her.


    She did feel bad and sorry since she had betrayed Noah and Amelia, but her survival was of the uttermost importance. Sara was sure that Amelia and Noah would understand her reasoning.


    "Sorry runt, but I am not going to hear-"


    "No wait. She does have a point there and if you take her slip, we both would end up fighting for it."


    The leader spoke with a calm voice. He was looking at Sara with a suspicious look in his eyes, not liking that a child like her was willing to betray her party.


    "Are you suspicious of me? You should not be since I am on your side now. I do not care who else gets selected for the second round if I get to enter as well."


    Sara was intentionally letting her greed show. She needed these people to trust her and let her go.


    The leader looked at Sara and recognized her greed. That was why he allowed her freedom and Sara breathed a sigh of relief. She had managed to survive one more day.


    She was about to stretch her body out when a clubnded right next to her. Her would-be attacker was watching Sara with an acidic look in his eyes.


    "You get to live this time kid. But only because you promised to help us get the yellow slips. But the second you think about betraying us, you will be done for. I will make sure you never see the light of this world again."


    Her attacker warned Sara and she gulped her nervousness down. She knew she was taking a big risk by betraying her benefactors but Sara also felt like she would not have another choice in this matter.


    It was either betrayal or death for her.


    "Hey, I am on your side now and I will not betray you. Now, let us hurry back before my previous teammates run away. Who knows what would happen to you two then."


    Sara knew she should not say too much but bad habits were hard to cure. As such, she ended up speaking too much and was faced with two pairs of ring eyes.


    ''Let us try to remain quiet from here on. Otherwise, I am afraid that my life would be cut short.''

 Chapter 106 106: Saras Betrayal [Pt2]

    "SARA, ARE YOU OUT HERE? COME OUT BECAUSE IT IS SAFE NOW."


    Amelia called for the kid with her voice full of worry. Keith sighed as he followed Amelia with a sullen expression.


    They were wasting a lot of time looking for Sara. She was an intelligent child and her spot on the map was still secured. So, Keith was sure she would make it to the next round without a problem.


    "Amelia, I know you are worried about Sara, but won''t it be faster for us to look for the three remaining red slip people and take them out? It will ensure that we see Sara during the next round."


    Keith offered an alternative to Amelia but she looked angry with him for his sensible suggestion. Her eyes were wet but tears did not fall from them just yet.


    "How can you say that? What if Sara got injured? Or worse, was robbed by someone during thispetition? Her loss will be on my head, right?"


    Keith shook his head as he registered Amelia''s words. He did not get her logic and how she thought at all. Why would it be Amelia''s fault if something happened to Sara in thispetition?


    It had been Sara''s choice to participate in thispetition and it was also her choice to run away too far while not trusting Keith and Amelia to take care of thepetition. Why would anything be Amelia''s fault?


    "Amelia, has anyone told you that you are too soft and kind-hearted? If not, then let me tell you. This much kindness is stupidity and it will cause you to lose something important soon."


    Keith did not want to be a party pooper but he wanted Amelia to be a little more sensible. She was his key to living a long and healthy life. She needed to be alright for Keith to survive the future encounters with other protagonists.


    His words had the opposite effect on Amelia. Instead of looking thoughtful, she just looked angry at him.


    "I am neither soft nor kind-hearted. I just do not want a kid to die uselessly. I am just doing what I wished someone did for me when I was young. I know how it feels to be desperate and needy for something."


    Amelia''s words caused Keith to fall quiet. But despite her heartfelt words, he did not agree with her confession.


    Just like Amelia, Keith had a desperate time in his original life as well. But his experience had been different from Amelia''s.


    Amelia had somehow managed not to lose her innocence but Keith''s words had been shattered early on in his life. From then on, Keith had be a great judge of character.


    And when Keith looked at Sara, he did not see the innocence of a kid, but the shrewdness of someone who would take advantage of you in whatever way they could.


    "Fine, do what you want to do. But I hope you never lose your innocence and kindness, even in the future no matter what you face. Otherwise, this world will be too much for you."


    Keith''s words had taken a turn for the dark. He had not meant to say this much but his mouth had continued to speak once he had started.


    Amelia was a little taken aback but she decided to ignore Keith and his disinterest in looking for Sara. If he did not want to put in any effort, then he does not need to. Amelia could look for the kid herself.


    ''I know Sara is just an unfortunate soul looking for someone toe and save her. I will be the one to extend this hand to her and then bring her back to the guild with me.''


    "SARA, WHERE ARE YOU?"


    Amelia yelled once again, this time with even more desperation. And Sara finally stumbled out of a nearby bush.


    She looked startled to see Sara and then her look turned to glee and gratitude as soon as she saw Amelia. The child ran toward Amelia and Amelia opened her arms to catch Sara.


    ''See, I knew Sara missed me and was terrified. I cannot believe Noah was suspicious of such a sweet child.''


    "Sara, are you alright? No one got to you, right? You can tell me if something happened to you. I will help you out."


    Amelia offered her help, now seeing herself in Sara. She was just doing what she wanted to make Sara feel better about her situation. Sara was too young to participate in thispetition.


    "I am alright. I found something fantastic so I wanted to show it to you. Amelia, lean down so that I can tell you something."


    Amelia leaned down without hesitation but before Sara could speak, her body was picked up by Noah and held away from Amelia.


    "Hey, what do you think you are-"


    "Shhh, we are being targeted by someone right now. I can feel the presence of two powerful people in the vicinity."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Amelia tried not to tense up and give herself away. She also quickly felt around for another presence and was surprised to feel two well-fleshed-out auras.


    ''Why did I not feel these auras until now? How did my senses be this dull? This has never happened before to me. Then why?''


    It did not make sense to Amelia why her senses had dulled this much but she quickly picked herself up and got into position.


    "Do not worry. These people feel powerful but I am sure we will be able to take them out in a 2-vs-3. Sara, you go and hide-"


    Amelia spoke but then she felt something sweet reaching her nose. It made her feel dizzy and she looked at Sara''s impassive eyes.


    The child had cold and unfeeling eyes without a hint of guilt and emotions. Even as Noah let go of Sara and the child rushed toward her side, Amelia could not shake off the feeling of ''wrong'' she felt.


    "Are you alright Amelia? It does not feel like you are alright. Maybe thispetition is too much for you and you should give up now."


    Sara spoke kindly but Amelia still felt like shit. She was leaning against the tree at her side and her body felt heavy.


    Her eyes met Noah in a desperate attempt to convey that something was wrong. The man just sighed tiredly and walked toward Amelia.


    "Here, chew on this and you will start to feel better. For now, justy down and rest. I will find a way to halt the progress of our attackers."


    Keith was a good helper to Amelia and she was not happy to see the burdens he had to carry for her sake.


    "Thanks. Give me a few minutes and I will be back to normal. I do not know what happened to me all of a sudden."


    Amelia had an idea that it had something to do with this sweet and pungent smell she was being subjected to for some time. But she could not be sure and she did not want to suspect things for no reason.


    Sara looked started for no reason and Amelia put aforting hand on her shoulder to calm her down.


    Noah just looked resigned at her action and he took in a deep breath to calm himself down.


    "Alright, take your time. But make it soon as well."


    Noah was gone soon after that. The sound of something metallic shing reached Amelia''s ears and she was startled to see herself flinch.


    She had never felt this bad in her life before and the smell was just getting too much for her.


    Amelia had a suspicion about who was behind this sudden smell attack but she did not want to make assumptions based on her suspicion. She needed to be certain of her feeling before she could start suspecting people.


    "Amelia, everything would be alright. But maybe you should have over your slip to me for now. What if you cannot run away when the timees?"


    Sara''s words sounded logical and Amelia was almost handed her yellow slip over before her arms paused and rm bells rang in her ear.


    She had a sharp sixth sense and Amelia often relied on it to do things. And currently, it was telling her not to part away from her slip.


    "What is wrong Amelia? You can trust me. Or did Noah say something to you when I was gone? Do you no longer trust me?"


    Sara begged with her round eyes full of tears. She made Amelia feel sorry for her circumstances but Amelia could still not bring herself to hand her slip over to the other female.


    The sound of footsteps reached Amelia''s ears and she decided what to do.


    "Sara, run away. You will not be able to do anything if you stay behind."


    Sara looked angry and disappointed. She also looked hesitant to leave Amelia for safety reasons but Amelia pushed her back to make her go away.


    And as soon as Sara left, Amelia started to feel better.

 Chapter 107 107: For The Yellow Slip [Pt1]

    As soon as Sara left, Amelia could take a calming breath. The smell was also getting further and further away from her.


    ''Is this a coincidence? Or was Sara the reason I was feeling so down until now?''


    Amelia''s brain questioned her as it stormed through what had happened until now. She did not want to suspect Sara but it was getting increasingly difficult for Amelia not to hold Sara responsible.


    It was clear after this incident that Sara was not as innocent as she looked at first nce. Noah had been right all along and Amelia had refused to listen to him.


    ''I need to go and help him out.''


    Now that the numbing smell was gone, Amelia was able to stand on her two feet and start moving. She could also start defending herself against sudden attacks, like the one she was under right now.


    "You have some arm strength despite being so skinny. And now that I look at your face, it is not bad at all. Maybe I will keep you around as entertainment once I break you down."


    The bulky attacker spoke as his sword shed with Amelia''s great sword. There was too much of a bulk difference between their physiques but it did seem like Amelia was overpowering him right now.


    Amelia was good at fighting but she was not prepared for the ground to shift from under her foot and for her to lose her bnce.


    The man was using dirty tricks to make Amelia lose her bnce and gain an advantage. It was something she had not expected to face in thispetition.


    "This is foul y. If you are going to face me, then do it like a man. Why are you using your mana to y tricks on me?"


    Amelia questioned as she charged her mana up as well. But she was at a disadvantage as a wind user against an earth user like her opponent.


    "Foul y? This is not an exhibition fight, woman. It is a fight to determine which one of us advances. There is no ''fair'' here in the first ce, just as there is only one rule - to not kill."


    Amelia gritted her teeth as she heard the man speak. He was right and Amelia knew that. She was just making excuses because of her inadequacy to handle this situation.


    ''But if I am going to be useful to the grandmaster and the guild in the future, I need to stop making excuses. I need to focus on getting stronger.''


    Master Shinzou had always said that one got stronger in desperate times and when faced with adversities.


    Currently, this was the biggest challenge Amelia had faced so she was going to use it to step forward and up a notch. She would not sit back and see herself being eliminated this early.


    She gathered her mana to use it to fight. She had seen Master Shinzou and other experienced fighters in the arena use this technique but she had never tried it before.


    ''I need to believe in myself. Master Shinzou said I was natural with a great sword so I need to trust my instincts right now.''


    The buffed man in front of Amelia saw her ring her aura. It was clear that she was up to something and he was excited for her to show him.


    But he could also not allow Amelia to gain an advantage and risk losing to her. It was something that would not be allowed by hispanions.


    "Sorry kid, but that is it for you."


    He used one of his skills that helped him move faster and attacked the female in front of him. He almost hit her when he felt as if something was wrong.


    Just for a second, the female in front of him shed with a golden aura so strong that it left him paralyzed in his step.


    Before he knew it, the female in front of him had already finished her preparations and her great sword met his sword.


    This time, the buffed man was pushed back by Amelia''s incredible aura and strength. He tried to move the ground to make Amelia lose her footing but nothing happened.


    Amelia had used an air cushion between herself and the ground to propel herself up from the ground. It would no longer matter to her what happened to the ground beneath her feet.


    "Now then, shall we start again? This time, I will not show you mercy."


    Amelia yelled as she swung her great sword.


    The buff man was mesmerized to see such a small body swinging such a huge weapon as if it was nothing. But he was not about to go down without a fight.


    "Tsk, do not overestimate yourself, kid. You might have raw strength but you still must refine it properly. Unpolished skills can only get you so far."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The buffed man yelled as he skillfully avoided Amelia''s powerful attacks. It was a fight between talent and experience.


    ......


    Keith knew that Amelia had started fighting as soon as he heard the booms and shing noise in the distance.


    Now it was his turn to hold the fort and take care of the second enemy.


    "You might as welle out now. I can feel your aura so I know you do not want to hide."


    Keith called out to the man hidden in the canopy above his head. And it only took a few seconds before the man jumped down.


    It was an ordinary-looking man so Keith knew this was not an important character in the original MMO.


    "I am sorry to meet you in such a way but a bird told me you had the yellow slip I desperately need. Can you hand it over to me quietly? I will not hurt you if you did so."


    Keith looked at the smiling and gentle face in front of him with a suspicious glint in his eyes. These eyes did not invoke confidence in Keith.


    "Oh, you want the yellow slip? And if I agree to hand mine over, what will I get in return? I am not someone who makes deals that lose me money."


    Not that Keith was going to hand his yellow slip over. There was too much on the line for him to do so.


    The gentle-looking man in front of him suddenly looked not so gentle anymore. His face was still calm but everything else about him had changed suddenly.


    He moved too fast and Keith was barely able to keep track of the movement. And before he knew it, the man had tried jabbing at Keith''s pressure point.


    Under natural circumstances, Keith should have been heavily injured by such a sudden attack but something incredible happened.


    Because Keith had no time to think about his actions, his body''s instincts kicked in and he was able to block the attack.


    The man attacking Keith looked surprised and he backed away with hesitant steps once his attack had been stopped Keith was surprised at himself as well. But unlike his attacker, Keith''s face showed nothing.


    "Oh, I thought you were a weakling because the child said you did not know attacking spells but now, I see that she was mistaken. You are very much a threat to me."


    Keith was not even surprised to know that Sara had betrayed him and Amelia. It was something he had anticipated Sara doing since the beginning.


    "Oh! You do not look surprised to know that you have been betrayed. Perhaps, you anticipated this happening since the beginning? Makes me wonder why you kept such a thing near you."


    The man questioned Keith and Keith had no answer worth giving him. He knows very well why he had kept Sara at his party - because of Amelia. But to say that it was all because of his travelingpanion would raise too many questions.


    "Well, it is alright if you do not want to tell me. But you should pay attention when your opponent is in front of you, right?"


    Once again, Keith was the victim of a sudden attack but this time he recovered and consciously challenged his mana through his earring and into a sudden attack.


    Since he had used a small lightning spell with the mana stone before, he knew how the spell worked.


    But unfortunately, he was not able to control his power once again and ended up pulling too much.


    He only realized it was too much when his senses alerted him but it was toote by that time. The spell had been released and all Keith could do was change the direction of his attack.


    The lightning hit the tree beside Keith''s attacker, turning it into charcoal in an instant.


    And not only that one tree, but the surrounding ones as well. It would have been so bad if it hit a human outright.


    "Hey, don''t you think this is a little much? You could have killed me if that thing hit me outright."

 Chapter 108 108: For The Yellow Slip [Pt2]

    Keith''s attacker looked terrified as soon as he took in the amount of damage Keith had managed to do in an instant. Suddenly, his confidence shattered had Keith''s attacker looked nervous.


    ''Oh shit. I could have been disqualified for killing a human being. I need to be careful about my power output from here on.''


    Keith was nervous but he was no longer scared. Since he had managed to disy such a great amount of strength without effort, he was sure his opponent would be more careful when dealing with him.


    "Now that you have seen my power, I am sure you are in no hurry to face me. Why don''t you give it up and surrender now?"


    Keith offered his attacker a peaceful solution but he was surprised to see the man in front of him looking calm and collected right now. There was something Keith was not realizing right now.


    "You are a good speaker and you almost had me convinced there for a second. But the truth is that you cannot control your powers, right? If you could, you would not be trying to talk to me."


    "If that is the case, then I do not need to worry about you anymore because I am sure you will not do anything foolish."


    Keith gritted his teeth as he faced the cunning man in front of him. He could not believe that he was facing such an annoying man.


    ''Why did my opponent have to be this cunning man? It is annoying how I cannot do anything right now because he is right.''


    In fact, Keith knew his hands were bound right now. All he could do was defend himself and nothing more. He had tried to recall how his body had protected him unconsciously before. Butt nothing came to his mind.


    "So, am I right? Is that your current situation as well? Man, what an unfortunate situation you are in. But I can solve all your problems if you give me your slip. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal or not?"


    The cunning man was a little too much for Keith to take on himself. But Keith also had the n to deal with such people.


    ''I am so d I managed to charge the mana stone before I came here. I am not so helpless in this situation.''


    "Alright, I am willing to hear you out. But can we shake hands before we conclude this? I feel like we started on a bad note with each other. And I think we should shake hands on our new partnership."


    Keith could see the look of suspicion he was getting from the man in front of him. His attacker did not trust Keith and it was understandable why that was the case.


    ''Not that it matters to me. All I want is for him toe closer to me so that I can take care of him.''


    But since Keith''s attacker did not know it, he came closer and his hand sped right over Keith''s in a firm handshape.


    "No funny business, alright? I will not allow you to make a fool out of me."


    The man spoke with confidence, not realizing that he had already fallen into Keith''s trap. Keith''s face broke out in a hint of a smile as he looked toward the man in front of him.


    "Oh, don''t you dare worry about it? Everything is alright now."


    The man only had a second to react before his senses went dull. The sleeping spell in the mana stone had been refreshed by Keith before he had dealt with the opponents.


    He had not even been aware that Amelia had picked up this skill until he had looked through her list of avable spells.


    "You! What did you do? How dare you-"


    "Do not speak too much and now go to sleep. You will not be able to fight your instincts for long."


    Keith was not one to over-antagonist people but he was enjoying it right now. He certainly had a kink for power and standing on top of other people.


    The attacker suddenly looked up at Keith with heated eyes.


    "You will not be able to get away with this."


    But little did he know that Keith had already gotten away with this. Keith quickly removed the red slip from his opponent''s hands and now there was only one person with the red slip left.


    But even that person seemed to be out of luck because his opponent was Amelia, a protagonist of this world.


    ...¡­


    ''Shit, why is this girl so powerful suddenly? This much growth is impossible to achieve in a matter of minutes. But this girl, she is getting stronger by the second.''


    The buffed man who was Amelia''s opponent was out of breath by now.


    What had looked like a simple match to him had turned into a power struggle against his opponent. And what was worse? The girl he was facing seemed to not even be tried by now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She looked fresh and ready to take him on any time he asked.


    "What is wrong, old man? Are you tired already?"


    Amelia taunted as she picked up her great sword. She was in a good mood today and her body felt lighter. She had never felt such a thrill while fighting before and she needed more of a taste.


    After a long time, Amelia was fighting someone who was near her level and someone she could ovee with effort. It made her blood sing and boil in excitement.


    "Tired? And me? I do not have that word in my vocabry."


    The buffed man yelled back with confidence. He was not worried for himself but he was ready to face his opponent.


    Amelia tilted her head in wonder and power sang in her veins. She was ready to end this now. Foreign power sang in her veins as Amelia got ready to pull her great sword out of the ground once more.


    But as soon as she took a step, she realized that something was wrong with her body. The power suddenly had a bacsh and it was trying to gain control of her body.


    The buffed man in front of her seemed to have realized her plight as well. And as a result, he knew that now was the best time to attack.


    "He..Hehe¡­hehehehe¡­I knew this would happen sooner orter. I have seen too many geniuses like you and they all think the same. Just because you have so much power and potential does not mean you have the control necessary to use it. Now genius, it is time for you to be defeated."


    Amelia coughed into her fist and blood coated her hand. She was hurt and the pain had not registered in her brain until now.


    The man was too close for her to block properly and there was no one here to help her.


    So, Amelia made onest effort to block a heavy blow as she mentally prepared herself to take more damage.


    The sword closed in on her face and Amelia fought her instincts to close her eyes and duck the attack. She would take it like a warrior.


    But the new pain never came and instead, Amelia heard a sword hitting something solid.


    ''When did I close my eyes? Shit, what happened here?''


    "Amelia, hurry up and attack back. Do not just sit there like a doll and wait to be saved."


    Amelia blinked her eyes as the setting sun shined behind a dark figure. For a second, she could have sworn she saw the silhouette of the Grandmaster but her eyes quickly adjusted to this new light.


    She saw Noah standing in the far distance with his hand raised. He had been the one to create a shield and save Amelia.


    "Noah, what are you-"


    "Shut up and attack back. Do not be a burden on me right now and just take the slip away. He is thest one left."


    Amelia''s brain was working slowly so it took her a second to realize what Noah had asked her to do. But once Amelia realized what she needed to do, she quickly transferred her great sword to her left hand and leaped forward.


    Unfortunately, the buff man realized what was going on as well and he avoided Amelia''s hold.


    "Shit, you both got my partner? You are good. But this shall be the end for you both now-"


    The man was busy bragging when the bell rang across the forest followed by the announcement.


    [The first round of thispetition is finally over. All members who won will now get a marking on their hand.]


    Keith looked down to see a rose engraved on his wrist. Amelia had the same rose on her wrist as well but the man in front of them looked shocked.


    "What? How is this possible? I still have my slip with me-"


    He quickly screened himself but there was no red slip in his pocket.


    A little further away, Sara grinned as she let go of the red slip from her hand. She had taken it with her once she realized that Noah and Amelia would win.


    ''Well, I did what I had to do so no hard feelings.''

 Chapter 109 109: The Cheater [Pt1]

    [The first round of thispetition is finally over. All members who won will now get a marking on their hand.]


    The announcement rang loudly around the clearing, indicating that the first round was over. All those who had lost their slip were eliminated. And most of them had a bitter heart at their unfair expulsion from thepetition.


    "What? How is this possible? I still have my slip with me-"


    The man in front of Keith was no exception. He was bitter and resentful as he looked around for his slip of paper. But no matter how hard he tried; he could not find it. All because he never had it in the first ce.


    Amelia took this chance and ended up bonking the buff man in front of her. He went unconscious in a matter of seconds and his body copsed at Amelia''s feet.


    "Phew, now that is something that I took care of. Noah, shall we head toward the ''Cross Arena'' now? I have a feeling that is where Sara would have headed too as well."


    Keith shook his head as he heard Amelia''s worried voice. It seems she had not realized who the real problem was all this time.


    Unlike Keith, Amelia''s image of Sara had not been broken by the attackers and Keith doubted that she would listen to his words.


    "Alright. That is the logical thing to do. Hopefully, no one will have a reason to attack us outright now."


    Keith was not worried about being attacked but he was concerned about having 29 other powerful people in the same ce as him.


    Just because he had managed to get through the first round somehow did not mean that others were just as lucky as him. Most of the others had gotten into the top 32 by their abilities and powers.


    The due headed toward the ''Cross Arena'' as fast as they could. But they were still not the first ones to reach the ce. The clearing was full of people avoiding each other''s eyes and their bodynguage was tense.


    However, even in this setting, Amelia was able to spot Sara.


    "Sara, over here. Are you alright? No one gave you a hard time, right?"


    Amelia asked as she kneeled in front of Sara. Most of the participants ignored her weird behavior, not willing to lose brain power thinking over what she was doing. But many were looking at Amelia with interest as well.


    ''Well, Amelia is beautiful and looks fragile. No wonder people are doubtful of her abilities.''


    Keith also had eyes checking him out but hisck of aura made people lose interest in him fast. People were certainly thinking of him as a small fry.


    [Uhm, testing this mike. So, everyone, can you hear me? I wee you all to the next round of the tournament and congrattions to all of you who have made it to the second round.


    But before we start, I would like to address an issue that urred during the first round.


    You see, only 32 of you were supposed to make it across the first round, but somehow the number ended up being 33. A weird thing, right? So, it is obvious what happened - one of you cheated.]


    Keith jolted in surprise at the announcement and so did everyone else.


    They quickly took out their yellow slip and had a look at it. Keith did the same and realized that the small yellow slip had a weird mana signature on it. It would be impossible to replicate by someone.


    [Now I know what you all are thinking about - how did this happen? But I am not lying. Look at your screen, it does have 33 dots on it. So, I would like for the cheater to step up. If not, then we will have to eliminate the cheater all on our own.]


    The faceless person spoke up in front of the crown. Its unnerving and featureless ck face caused everyone to be scared. They all looked at each other with an ufortable expression.


    Ultimately, someone pointed toward the center of the clearing with a confident expression.


    "It is you, right? You are the imposter since you had no party member with you. You somehow managed to cheat your way through, right?"


    "What-? When did I-? I did not cheat. And how can we know that it is not one of your party members who did not cheat? Do not try and paint me as a cheater."


    The used person yelled back with a justified voice. But the damage has already been done. The angry man got even angrier and a fight could break out at any moment.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oi judge, I do not know what happened but this man in the clearing is the cheater. We all agree so can you just throw him out and we can all be done after that?"


    The person who had used the loner yelled at the featureless man. The judge smiled at being addressed but his smile held no humor.


    It gave Keith goosebumps just looking at the unnerving expression on that featureless face. He wanted to look away but the fear of the unknown would not let him look away.


    "Now, I clearly remembered asking the cheater to step out on their own, not to get used by anyone else. Since no one stepped out on their own, it is up to me to choose someone at random and eliminate them."


    The judge made a call and everyone was suddenly nervous to be chosen. No one knew who the cheater was, or if there even was a cheater.


    The faceless man looked at everyone but Keith tensed up as soon as that face turned toward him. He had a feeling that the presence of the judge''s gazested a little longer on him but Keith also knew he was not a cheater.


    Ultimately, the judge raised his hand and the ground broke down beneath one of the persons far away from Keith.


    Before anyone knew it, the man had been swallowed by the earth and would never be seen again.


    The dead man''s party members looked shocked at the sudden death at their party. The female looked especially devastated as she looked up at the judge.


    "W-Why did you do that? He had been with us since the beginning and he never cheated. His yellow slip was a genuine one and I would know. I picked it up myself when thispetition started."


    The female sounded hysterical and denied the justice that had been served. Somehow, Keith was inclined to believe this female. He had a feeling she was speaking the truth about her partner not being a betrayer.


    Everyone looked at the faceless judge floating in the sky above their head. The judge did not say anything but he just smiled his innocent smile.


    Finally, the pressure of everyone''s gaze got to the judge and he tilted his head toward the side as he looked down.


    "Oh, I knew that man was innocent all along but that was not why he died. I told you - if no one stepped up to confess then I will eliminate one of you randomly. I never said I would eliminate the cheater."


    The judge was confused and everyone was shocked at the easy-going nature of this judge.


    Despite the rification, the person who had just lost her beloved could not take it anymore. Anger and resentment boiled inside her heart and she suddenly held a knife in her hand.


    "How dare you! I will not let you live your life. I shall kill you right here and now to serve as justice for killing my partner."


    The angry woman ended upshing out. Her knife was like lightning as it moved through the air. She had used her speed skill and was about to impale the person in front of her when something weird happened.


    She felt her knife go through her skin and bone and her hands were even wet. But her shoulder was the one thing screaming in hot pain. The sensation of something being buried in her shoulder was very vivid and painful.


    ''What? I am sure I knifed the judge. Then why am I feeling all this pain? Where did things go wrong with me?''


    The woman thought as she raised her hand. Her shoulder was bleeding quite heavily.


    "Ah, I did not mean to harm you but you left me with no other choice. Next time, maybe you should form a strategy before attacking me. You are also lucky that I cannot kill you or it will drop our numbers. Now, why do not you rest for the time being."


    The angry woman felt her eyes drop but she fought the drowsiness she was feeling. She did not want sleep, she wanted revenge.


    But despite her wishes, sleep came and everyone watched as the angry woman copsed.


    The judge picked her unconscious body up and looked at everyone else. An announcement wasing.

 Chapter 110 110: The Cheater [Pt2]

    Now that one of them had been killed and the other had been knocked unconscious, no one knew what was going to happen next. They all brace themselves for any kind of news they would be getting next.


    [Now that the first round ofpetition is over, I would like to congratte everyone who participated in thispetition. However, you all need to get ready for the next round which will be held in a week.


    The instructions and how to get to your location would be sent to you in four days. So kindly enjoy your free time in the outside world until then.]


    The nk-faced judge made this call and everyone looked surprised at the sudden announcement.


    They had expected the tournament to be a continuous one and they had prepared ordingly. This week-long break put a dent in most of their ns.


    But despite theirints, no one wanted to be the one to ask the judge about this sudden change. The death of theirpanion as well as the easy defeat of another was fresh in their minds.


    No one wanted to be the third victim in such a situation as it would be beyond pathetic to face.


    "Noah, what will you do now? Will you spend your week here? Would you head home? Ah, if you have noticed much to do then how about joining the guild with me? I can get you into the main branch."


    Amelia offered him this tempting offer. Anyone else would have jumped at the chance of being in the guild''s main branch Mystica since that was headed by the grandmaster personally.


    ''But speaking of grandmaster, I cannot risk it. So, I need to decline Amelia''s offer right now.''


    "Amelia, I do not think I can take your offer right now. It has nothing to do with you or the guild but it is because of my problems."


    Keith tried to sound as neutral as he could in this situation but his voice still sounded a little bitter.


    That did not go unnoticed by Amelia and she frowned as a result. Her eyes suddenly looked wary of Keith and there was also a sense of distance between them. Amelia''s behavior was suspicious and Keith did not know if he was happy to see this or terrified to have earned her indifference.


    "I see. So, you are one of the people who do not like the guild? I understand where you areing from but I would say that you are wrong. I am sure whatever misgiving you have with the guild is all a misunderstanding."


    "I was like you once as well, resenting the guild and the grandmaster but it all turned out to be a hoax in the end. I am sure you would find the guild-"


    Keith knew he needed to stop Amelia before she ended up telling him her life story. To hear all this from Amelia''s mouth was a terrifying experience when you considered what happened in the real MMO.


    But still, it was reassuring to know that Amelia was on the grandmaster''s side now.


    "Wait! Stop! That is not what I am saying and I think you misunderstood my words. It is not that I have a problem with the guild, but my loyalty lies elsewhere. I cannot betray my master just like that."


    Keith quickly made up an excuse to not have to face Amelia''s disappointment. And suddenly, Amelia''s annoyed expression turned to understand one. She also calmed down and began to see Keith in a new light.


    "O-Oh, so it is about that! Now I understand and I am d you told this me. Indeed, keeping your loyalty is important and I do understand you. In that case, I will not force you to join the guild. But you should still visit me as a friend."


    Amelia offered Keith and his sweating intensified.


    ''No way. Never. I will not show my face anywhere near the guild and those who can recognize me. The risk is too big for me to take.''


    So even as Keith nodded at the suggestion, he was sure he would never take it. Amelia could try all she wanted, but she would never get Keith to visit the guild with her.


    As all this happened, Sara managed to worm her way toward Amelia with a happy expression. She suddenly looked up sharply once the pair in front of her was finished talking.


    "Wow Amy, you were from the guild''s main branch? Can you take me with you when you go back? I want to join the guild as well but I am too young to do so without rmendations."


    Sara begged with herrge eyes and a sad expression on her face. Looking at her made Amelia''s heart melt and Keith instantly knew that Amelia would fall for her face and take Sara along.


    ''Amelia no! Have some dignity and do not fall for that innocent expression. You cannot allow your reputation to be tarnished by someone like Sara.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But no matter what Keith yelled in his mind, nothing escaped from his mouth. He could only watch in silent anger as Amelia agreed to take Sara back with her. Now there was one more person added to the list of people Keith needed to avoid at all costs.


    "Noah, what about you? We will all be staying in the town for today and I will head back to the guild for a week. But where will you stay? Do you have a ce in the town? If not then you cane with me and I will help you out."


    Amelia''s offer was a tempting one. If only she did not mean she would take him back to the guild. It was something Keith could not allow to happen.


    ''Yeah, I do not think this is happening Amelia. I need to disappear for a week since the grandmaster cannot just up and vanish.''


    So, Keith had no choice but to decline the offer.


    Amelia looked disappointed but understanding at Keith''s refusal. And because she had believed his made-up reason for having a loyal master he served already, she did not push him toe with her as well.


    The clearing slowly empties and Keith was one of thest people to head out.


    He looked back at the judge but somehow got the feeling that he should avoid those nk eyes. He still risked it, only to realize that the featureless man was ring at his back with a grinning expression as well.


    That unnerving expression caused Keith to gulp his nervousness down and he walked away.


    The less he was faced with this ce, the more Keith would be able to rx.


    ......¡­


    ''Man, nothing beats the feeling of being back home. I am so d I get to rest on my bed and rx for the first time after thepetition.''


    Keith threw his body on his soft bed and allowed thefort to pull him into a shallow sleep. He was able to get some decent shut-eye before he got a call from ir on his phone.


    It was a surprise for him since Keith had not expected anyone to contract him during this time.


    But since it was ir who called him, Keith saw no reason to put up his guard and replied with azy voice.


    "What do you want? Make it quick because I want to go back to sleep.''


    Keith''s voice was still unguarded and sleepy. No one would be able to connect him with the respectful grandmaster no matter how hard they tried.


    "Well, I would not have called you if this was not an emergency but I need to you head back now. We got a sudden request for monster killing and it is one of the more dangerous ones. Your presence would be needed this time."


    ir did not beat around the bush with her words and her order was clear -e back right now.


    "Really? Did you call me about this? You know I will not be any help in this monster-killing business so what use is it to call me? Besides, should you not call Shinzou and others for this?"


    Keith questions as he worked the kinks out of his back. He was tried from thepetition and he did not know why ir had called him.


    "You idiot. I would not have called you if this was some kind of normal monster. It is one the grandmaster put down in his ''deal personally'' list and that list is public knowledge. So, you better get your butt back here if you do not want to be found out."


    ir sounded angry and tried as she ordered Keith toe back.


    Keith frowned as soon as he heard the ''list'' and what it was for. He was sure it was not something mentioned in the game trivia but what did he know? ir was the expert in this field, not him.


    "Fine, I aming back. But I need to head back out after a week, alright?"

 Chapter 111 111: Enter The Inn

    Keith quickly drained his hair of the artificial hair dye he had been using all this time. It was a happy coincidence that the products of this world were non-toxic and would not harm his hair no matter how much he used them.


    ''Thank God for fantasy magic bullshit that allows my hair to remain healthy even when I use so many products in such a short time. Otherwise, I would have to say bye-bye to my hair.''


    After a quick wash and get all the hair dye out of his hair, Keith needed to head toward the location he had told Shinzou and the guild about.


    Now, there was no chance for Shinzou or anyone to try and keep tabs on him but you never know what people in this world were capable of.


    Even in Keith''s original world, celebrities were not allowed to roam freely in the world. And Keith''s current status currency mirrored the biggest names in his previous world.


    ''So, it is better for me to at least show my face at the destination. Just in case something ends up happening.''


    And with those precautions in his mind, Keith decided to visit the ce he had booked for his trip. He had even paid the rent a week in advance since he knew he was not going to live there.


    The front worked looked at Keith, then at his identity, and then back at him.


    "You had your girlfriend book you this inn with her money? What kind of man are you? You should be earning enough money to support both of you. Females need to stay at home while men work. I lost all respect for you right this instant."


    The innkeeper scolded Keith and it made Keith want to grab him by his cor and shake him.


    ''What kind of regressed thinking is this man on? This is insulting to all working and independent females.''


    p¦Ánd¦Á`no¦Í?1--§ão§® He had booked the inn under ir''s name so no one knew his identity. His morning passed in calm and peace. Not having anyone know about him for once was a nice feeling.


    That was until this man opened his mouth. Had ir or even Amelia been here, Keith was sure they would have taught this man something about being ''house-women.''


    ''No Keith, keep your calm. There is no need to cause an incident over this small interaction and ruin your day. You have ir on your side to ruin this establishment once you are out of here.''


    So, with a nk face, Keith took the offered card. He did not let the innkeeper know what he thought about him.


    It was not like this inn was going tost more than a week once ir got on the case. So, there was no need for Keith to waste his time worrying about the attitude of this man.


    "Well, I tell you whatd. You seem like a capable man so why don''t I introduce some work to you? You can pay your girl''s money that way and-"


    That was all Keith heard. The innkeeper was making him angry now and it showed in his actions.


    Keith banged the door a little harder than he needed to when he left the reception and everyone was surprised at his bravery.


    "What''s this man''s problem? Does he have no self-respect?"


    The innkeeper asked, making a note to ask the housekeeping not to do a good job with this man. He was going to make Keith suffer and agree with hisments.


    Keith checked in the early hours of the morning and then decided to look around. When he reached back his inn in the evening, the atmosphere of the ce had changedpletely.


    Gone was the calm of the day. Everyone in the room looked scared out of their wits and the innkeeper looked terrified for his life.


    Keith was about to ask what was wrong with this ce when he quietened down. There was one very prominent figure sitting in the center of the room and Keith did not doubt that she was the reason everyone was on edge.


    "Grandmaster, you came back in time. If you were even a minutete, this ce would have been burned down to ashes."


    Master Fushi sat in the center of the room but her eyes and her presence had seeped into the whole inn.


    She was also ring daggers at the innkeeper which made him unable to speak a single word. The poor man had been terrified out of his wits.


    "Master Fushi, can I know what brought you here? I was about to head back myself."


    The innkeeper watched this interaction with interest as well as horror. Keith could see his eyes popping out at the respectful tone Fushi used with Keith.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He looked even more terrified when it registered that the man he had insulted in the morning was none other than the grandmaster of the biggest alliance in this world.


    "Ah, about that! There has been a change in ns and we need to head to the monster''s location as soon as possible. I came down here to inform you about that and to apany you. I never expected to find such a rotten ce on my journey. May I have permission to rehabilitate this ce once our mission is over?"


    Keith had a feeling that if he said ''no'' then Master Fushi''s opinion of his character as well as his identity would drop by a lot.


    So, there was only one right answer here that Keith could give.


    "Do what you must. You do not need to ask my permission to clear up the filth you find."


    The innkeeper looked terrified of what would happen to him. He looked at Keith with an expression that said ''You cannot be serious but Keith ignored the filth in front of him.


    Master Fushi turned to the side table which had some familiar people sitting at it.


    "You heard the order. I will leave this ce and its management up to you. Also, draw up a contract. We will be buying this establishment and everything in the vicinity."


    Master Fushi ordered and it was only then Keith realized that the people at the other table were Master Fushi''s subordinates he had seen around the guild.


    They bowed in front of Keith since he was the grandmaster but they were most loyal to Master Fushi and it showed.


    "H-Hey, what are you doing? Stay away from me or I will call the police and authorities on you. You cannot do this to me. This is my business and I will not hand it over to women."


    The innkeeper yelled, looking around for his supporters. But it only took him a second to realize he had been abandoned by the people around him.


    Hope drained out of his eyes as he looked at Master Fushi and his retainers. He could tell by their aura that they were powerful and he would not be able to win against them.


    So, with a tired sigh, the man knew he should stop resisting.


    "Grandmaster, we should get going now. My subordinates would take care of all the businesses here. Do not worry about your luggage since it would be delivered back as well."


    Master Fushi assured Keith but he was not worried about his ''luggage'' since he had not brought any in the first ce.


    "There is no need for you to retrieve any of my luggage from here. Burn it all since I do not want the filth of this ce contaminating my surroundings. Such prejudices do not belong in our guild alliance."


    "There are only two types of people for us - those who are worthy and powerful and those who fall short."


    Keith tried not to cringe as these words escaped his lips. His cold and unfeeling voice made them sound cool but the embarrassment he felt inside was real.


    Master Fushi''s gaze was impassive and mysterious as it looked at Keith. He tried not to pay attention to her looks but it was difficult. Especially when Master Fushi''s eyes were ring daggers at him.


    ''Please let this be over soon. I do not think my nerves can take any more of this ring now.''


    And almost as if God was listening to Keith''s plea, Master Fushi decided to look away from him. It gave Keith enough room to breathe and n his next move.


    He did not know what kind of monster the original grandmaster had ssified as ''personal interest'' but Keith knew it could not be normal.


    "Grandmaster, is everything alright? I apologize for theck of information I can provide at this moment to you. But I came to get you as fast I received the news of the monster appearing."


    Master Fushi sounded nd when she apologized. Keith felt her uninterested speech in her apology and he flinched internally. Why was he faced with the most expressionless person in this game beside him?


    Also, why was Master Fushi looking at him from time to time. What did she suspect?

 Chapter 112 112: The Bully Or The Bullied [Pt1]

    ?


    Master Fushi was a little embarrassed to show the grandmaster her headstrong side. But she had not been able to hold herself back when that idiotic innkeeper had insulted her credentials because she was a woman.


    But thankfully, the grandmaster had ruled in her favor and Master Fushi had felt lighter in her heart.


    As a result of this, she had been trying to look at the grandmaster from time to time and figure out what he thought of Fushi. But so far, she had not been able to figure anything out for real.


    ''I wonder what else can I do to impress the grandmaster? Is there some kind of task I can perform? A gift I can give him that will make him happier?''


    Master Fushi was a little too deep in her thought to realize that she was making the grandmaster nervous with her constant staring. She was not even aware that she was staring at him so intensively.


    But Keith, who was being subjected to such a look, was not able to focus on anything.


    *cough*


    "Master Fushi, is there something you want to tell me?"


    Keith finally asked the question he was not able to suppress in his heart. Master Fushi was still looking at him with a nk expression.


    But she finally broke out of her shell once she realized that she was being asked something. And a flush broke across her fair features as soon as she realized her mistake.


    Master Fushi instantly pulled herself together while hoping that the grandmaster saw nothing of her embarrassing actions. She would not be able to face him if the grandmaster had seen what Fushi did and what she had been thinking.


    ''His hands are so big. I bet they would feel amazing when they punish me for acting weird. Their warmth would make my butt sting and my pussy went. And also-''


    Master Fushi''s thoughts had gone toward dangerous territory so she immediately snapped out of it and took in a deep breath.


    "I wanted to ask the grandmaster why he reserved this kind of monster. Aren''t the Fenrir beasts too dangerous to be studied?"


    This was not the question Master Fushi wanted to ask. It was nowhere near her top thing to ask the grandmaster, but she asked this anyway.


    And there was only one reason Master Fushi asked such a rude question - her mind had gone nk as soon as the grandmaster had her ask what she wanted from him.


    All Master Fushi''s mind had screamed at her was - ''you need to answer the grandmaster.'' And this was the excuse that came up in her mind at first.


    ''Shit, I made a mistake. Grandmaster does not look happy with my question but it is toote to take it back as well. I will have to stick to whatever decision is made here.''


    Even if the grandmaster had an impassive face, his bodynguage said he was not happy. Somehow, Master Fushi could hear the order loud and clear in the grandmaster''s unspoken ways - do not push your luck.


    "What kind of interest I have in this beat is my own business. Master Fushi needs to focus on improving herself if she has enough time to be asking such foolish questions."


    The grandmaster''s reply was exactly what Master Fushi expected it to be so she was not surprised or disappointed. She was d that the grandmaster had spoken such things to her.


    She could finally close this embarrassing chapter of her life that she had identally triggered.


    ......


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat as he was asked the ufortable question of ''what he wanted to do with the monster on his list.''


    He had no answer to such a question because he had no idea why that beast was on the list in the first ce. But Keith still knew he needed to calm down and not let it affect him for now.


    He made a bullshit reason why he could not tell Master Fushi and she surprisingly epted this reason from him.


    Silence descended over the two once the conversation came to a halt. As a result. Keith was also able to gather his thoughts in peace.


    Soon, the pair was in front of the infected vige entrance where they needed to be. The other members of the guild who had been weed in were ir, Shinzou, and Shimi.


    It was a small group of fighters but a highly effective one.


    "Grandmaster, please wait in the town za while I go and look around for our inn. I will contact you on your phone once I have our inn confirmed."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Master Fushi bowed in front of Keith with her body held tense and ready. She seemed to be sensing some kind of danger Keith was not able to.


    "You may go."


    Keith gave his permission, despite knowing that he could be in danger if Master Fushi left his side.


    But he also had to be willing to take this risk if he did not want his identity to bepromised. So, he will have to be extra careful for the time being.


    Once Master Fushi left his side, Keith decided to move around and make himself a difficult target to tail. He went through crowded ces to lose the people following behind him.


    But s, the foolish people kept on trying to force Keith to take an empty valley. And Keith had no option but to move toward the empty ally.


    It was an ident that caused Keith to enter the ally and he was not happy about what happened. But the people following behind him were more than happy to see such a mistake.


    "Wow, you entered the ally all on your own and we did not have to do anything. Now, pretty boy, hand over your belongings to us, and we shall spare your life."


    The leader of the robbers that had cornered Keith spoke harshly. He was just like any othermon thug Keith had faced in his world before.


    As Keith took notice of his attacker, he noticed a few key elements about the attacker and his subordinates.


    First, they seemed to not have magic or ability. In that case, these people were normal people who had dared to follow him.


    ''These people are foolish but daring. Do they not know who I am? Is that why they can be so fearless?''


    Keith was surprised that he had not disclosed his identity because of his green hair and red eyes. But not anyone can look at a person and recognize them as ''the grandmaster.'' Especially with all the fakes roaming around.


    "You do not know who you are messing with, kid. But if I were you, it would be about time I ran away."


    Keith warned the group in front of him for the first and thest time. He might not be strong but he had an ability. That was more than enough to take care of these people.


    Keith had been serious in his warning but the group in front of him did not seem to think simrly. Theyughed at his warning with a heartyugh.


    "Oh, I am sure we will regret it. But not before we make a fortune out of your looks and your belongings. All you green-haired bastards are the same. You pretend to be someone great but you are all weak and feeble."


    The leader of Keith''s attacker spoke in a confident voice.


    It seemed like he had a few encounters with Grandmaster''s cosyers. But only the bad and rotten ones at that. Keith was feeling second-handed embarrassment just thinking about this.


    ''No, let us not think about it. It is not about them; it is about myself and what I can do right now.''


    "Boys, I do not think our guest today would cooperate with us so easily. So, let us hurry up and show him how we do things around here."


    The leader yelled to his group and enthusiastic yells answered him one by one. People were excited to earn a profit by trading Keith away.


    But it was too bad for them that Keith was not someone they could bully like this. He rubbed the ring ir had given him and a dominant aura spread from this body.


    His attackers instantly fell to their knees one by one, not being able to suppress his intense aura. Keith walked over to them with quiet and practiced steps.


    The leader of this low party seemed to be panting and trying his best to stand up. He looked up sharply as soon as he felt Keith''s presence near him.


    "Y-You! What did you do? How did you do something to us? You did not even move from your ce?"


    The attacker sounded confused and Keith decided to enlighten him about what had happened in simple words.


    "My poor guy, you need to realize that there are people in this world you can bully and then there are people who can bully you. Unfortunately, I was the second type for you."

 Chapter 113 113: The Bully Or The Bullied [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith excited the ally after teaching his attackers a lesson.


    And by that, he meant that he left them unable to stand up and tarnished all of their dignity. It had been easy to do as well and it made Keith''s self-esteem rise by a lot.


    He had never been a person who could be easily bullied by such people but now he was way beyond their reach and he was finally able to prove himself.


    "Grandmaster, there you are. Where did you disappear to? I was looking around for you everywhere and I even called you but you did not pick up your phone. I was a little-"


    Master Fushi nagged at the grandmaster, starting to speak her mind boldly before she realized whom she was speaking to and her face broke out into a flush of anger.


    She also stopped mid-sentence but Keith could very well guess what she wanted to say to him and what she thought about his habits. Herining tone had been a little cute but irritating at the same time.


    ''Man, there would have been a time I would have melted if Master Fushi spoke to me like this. But now it is just terrifying.''


    Had Keith not been the grandmaster, he would not have dared to cough in front of Master Fushi to remind her to be mindful.


    But he was the grandmaster and Master Fushi''s behavior had crossed a line he should not tolerate. So, he needed to remind her to behave.


    Master Fushi finally realized what she had been doing and calmed down. Her face also went to normal once she was able to think over her actions before it went bright red.


    "I¡­that was not what I¡­I apologize and¡­"


    Master Fushi seemed to not know what to say. On one hand, she looked angry and, in the right, to scold him, but on the other, Keith was also the grandmaster and no longer a kid.


    "Master Fushi, do not cross the line in the future. Otherwise, I will have to punish you."


    Keith cringed internally at his world and Master Fushi''s face reddened even more. She also had a glossed-over expression which Keith decided not to think about.


    He gave Master Fushi one whole minute toe around before he snapped his fingers in front of her face.


    It broke Master Fushi out of her daze and she blinked her eyes in surprise.


    "Master Fushi, you seem a little tired. Let us head back to our inn and you can rest there."


    Master Fushi opened her mouth to speak something but then closed it when no sound came out of her mouth. She likely wanted to assure Keith that she was alright but her behavior did not inspire confidence in Keith.


    In the end, she knew that she could not say anything anymore. So, she decided to give up and nod.


    Master Shinzou, ir, and Shimi were sitting in the main lobby of the inn they had booked. And as soon as Shimi spotted Keith, she stood up from her seat and threw her body toward Keith.


    Keith debated whether he should allow Shimi to fall t on her face or not, but his body was faster and caught Shimi before his thoughts could decide anything.


    Once again, Shimi was a pir of modesty. And by that Keith meant that she was dressed in the most exposed way without it going into ''dangerous'' territory.


    Her top was loose enough to show Keith her cleavage and her shorts were borderline legal and ended just as her butt ended.


    Not to mention, they were so tight that Keith could feel the outline of her pussy rubbing against his clothes discreetly.


    "Grandmaster, I missed you. Did you miss me as well? There is no need for you to say anything because I can feel how much you missed me. Shall we go out of here right now and have some fun?"


    Shimi spoke softly enough for no one else to hear. Her wet and husky breath hit Keith''s ear and he was aware of the envious looks he was getting from the strangers around him.


    Keith had been in their position before in life so he knew he was being cursed mentally by quite a lot of people.


    It was not every day you saw someone as hot as Shimi. And it was even rarer to see her throw herself at someone this passionately. There were a lot of people who wanted to approach Shimi.


    ''Man, this is painful. I want to fuck Shimi to get the edge off but I also need to maintain my dignity.''


    So, Keith did what he needed to. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Later"


    He whispered this to Shimi who beamed up at him and finally pulled back with a happy expression on her face.


    Keith looked up to see hispany and both Master Fushi and Master Shinzou had impassive faces, likely not having heard or cared what he said. But ir''s shit-eating grin told Keith what she thought about him.


    ''The devil knows what happened and she will not let it go.''


    Keith mentally prepared himself for ir''s teasing and took a seat. He could not ignore this meeting forever after all.


    "Grandmaster, we are so sorry to ask you toe but you did mark this beast as ''urgent'' in your file so we called you back. You once said that it was something important regarding your research."


    Keith tensed up as soon as he heard ir''s words but he did not refute them.


    He did not know if ir was telling the truth or not but he had to trust her words since she was the only one who knew his truth.


    If she was taking advantage of him for her ''own research,'' Keith could also not say no to her since he did not know to refute her im.


    ''This is such a mess of things. I must rely on ir for now.''


    Besides, both Shimi and Shinzou were calm, almost as if they were used to this situation. That meant they hade along to such an expedition before with the grandmaster.


    "Last time, you even threw away the mission you were in the middle of when a rumored beat on your ''list'' appeared. That was why I volunteered for this mission as well. Because I knew it was important to you."


    Shinzou agreed with a nod and Keith mentally sighed in relief. It seemed like ir''s words had some sort of truth to them.


    "Grandmaster, I will do anything for you if you asked me to. You just need tomand me to use my powers."


    Shimi rubbed her chest against Keith''s arms, making him the recipient of a lot of envious res all around him. Keith had to mentally make himself stronger to not be affected by so many stabbing looks.


    Keith was tired but he also wanted more information on what was going on. The topic of the ''list'' and ''monsters'' had not appeared during his training so Keith was going in blind here. He needed to talk with ir soon.


    "Alright, I heard you all. We shall go out once the sun has set. For now, everyone shall go to their rooms and rest for the duration. ir, youe with me since there are some things you need to rify for me in yourst report."


    ir looked startled and she opened her mouth toin, only to close it the very next second as realization snapped over her.


    "Of course, grandmaster. Since you called for me, I shall be there soon."


    With that, one thing was taken care of by Keith. He could feel Shimi''s displeasure as he called for ir over her but she would need to get over it soon.


    The bigger problem here was Master Fushi and her impassive look.


    ''Does she think I am going to take advantage of ir once she is in my room? I want to defend myself and tell everyone that I am the one being taken advantage of by the little girl. But that would be too much, right?''


    Shinzou was the only one who did not have a problem with any of Keith''s decisions. He smiled his stupid smile and got up.


    "Well, what are we waiting around for? Since the grandmaster has asked us to rest, then we should all go back to our rooms, right? I cannot wait to start the exploration once the sun sets. Man, I am just too excited. Are you all not excited as well?"


    Master Shinzou changed the mood with his actions and Keith was grateful for his cheerful distracting voice.


    He also forced Master Fushi and Shimi to stand up and go back to their rooms.


    Everyone else watched this all-in interest and they moaned in disappointment as the two beauties were taken out of the room by the buff guy.


    Keith red at everyone as he felt and red a bit of his aura toward them. And most people got the hint to look away and not breach this topic again.

 Chapter 114 114: The Shadows To Follow [Pt1]

    ?


    ir followed Keith with a calm and somewhat substitutive attitude, but she showed dropped her act as soon as they reached Keith''s booked room.


    "I know what you want to ask me. You want to know why I never brought up the ''list'' with you before, right? Well, I did not think it would be needed for a long time. Thest time one of these monsters showed up for real was almost 1000 years ago."


    ir tried to rify her reasoning but Keith was not satisfied with her answer. Especially since it had been hinted by Shinzou that he had left a mission recently because of one of the ''listed'' monsters.


    "Oh really? Somehow, I do not believe that you are not deeming the ''list'' as important was the reason you did not mention it yet."


    Keith''s cold and rough voice caused ir to shiver. Even if she knew that Keith was not as powerful as the grandmaster, his voice caused ir to reconsider her words anyway.


    ''Looks like there is no point in hiding things from Keith. So, I might as well admit my mistake.;


    "Well fine. I forget that this list existed until this sighting was reported back to me, alright? It is my fault and I will take responsibility. Besides, this list is more for my benefit than the grandmaster so it evens out things."


    Since Keith looked interested in what Amelia was saying, she felt pressurized to rify for his sake.


    "Look, the main reason this list exists is that I asked the grandmaster to make this list. What I am saying is - you do not need to worry about the monsters. I will capture them since I need to use them for my research alright?"


    ir tried to rify things once again and Keith just nodded at her words in understanding.


    It was not like he could do anything or had the memories of why this list was ranked so high by him. He was perfectly happy to sit back and let ir handle things.


    "Understood. Then I shall leave this problem up to you for now. Do note to me if you have a problem because I will not help you."


    Keith watched ir''s face go from relief to annoyance in a matter of seconds.


    "Y-Y-You! I know better than to expect anything from you now."


    ir left his room with a disappointed expression and Keith decided to go out as well. He was getting restless while sitting in his room for so long.


    Not only that, but Keith also had a feeling that something might happen if he was found in his room alone by Shimi. She could be determined when she *did not* need to be.


    ......¡­.


    ''I cannot believe that the grandmaster asked ir to apany him to his room over me. What does that little girl have that Ick? I know I have a better body and a better personality.''


    Shimi raged inside her head as she was forced into her room by Master Fushi.


    She had every intention of going after the grandmaster and ir to interrupt their night. But Master Fushi had stopped her short and then proceeded to keep an eye on Shimi.


    Even now, the elder master was in Shimi''s room (maybe because they shared the room) and she was contaminating Shimi''s space with her presence.


    "Hey, do you have nothing better than to read that book of yours? There must be something you need to do right now."


    Shimi tried to egg Master Fushi to leave her alone.


    Since Master Fushi was a female, Shimi could not use her ''charms'' on her and make her go away like that.


    Well, it would have been possible if Master Fushi was bisexual but it did not seem to be the way Master Fushi swung. Especially since the elder woman had been ignoring Shimi this whole while.


    Finally, Master Fushi looked up from the book she had been reading all this while and paid attention to Shimi. But her eyes were full of disapprovement and disappointment.


    "Please behave yourself, half-elf princess Shimi. You should not be embarrassing yourself with your behavior."


    "E-Embarrassing myself? I am just expressing myself and my love for the grandmaster. But what would a prude and virgin like you know about my love and expressing love?"


    Shimi stuttered at first, trying to find the words to defend herself. But she soon found the right way to retaliate and the words flew out of her mouth.


    "A prude and virgin person, huh? Is that how I am being portrayed in the guild? I never knew it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi''s jaw could have dropped to the floor if she had been any less caring about her public image. But her current self would not allow her to be this careless so Shimi had to be satisfied with swallowing her words for the time being.


    "O-Of course. So, you should not say anything about me expressing my love for my beloved and also-"


    Shimi was feeling more and more like a fool as she spoke. Looking at Master Fushi, it seemed almost as if Master Fushi was not interested in what she had to say. And it made Fushi angry to think about it.


    ''How dare Master Fushi ignore my presence and-''


    "Shhh, I hear voices outside. I think we should pay attention to them if we want to help the grandmaster."


    Shimi was about to tear Master Fushi a new one when she stopped short and listened to the voicesing from outside as well.


    "Hey man, are you sure this is alright to do? What if they are from the guild? We will be in so much trouble if that were to happen."


    "Nah, it is alright. Do you know how many peoplee down here pretending to be from the guild? These people just have better cosying features than the others but they are ultimately powerless as well."


    "B-But these people-"


    "It will be alright once we feed a few more sacrificed to our god. It is still young but it shall awaken soon. That was why we captured a Fenrir beast kit and brought it back with us, right? We risked our lives for this operation."


    Whatever was being spoken outside their door seemed serious. Shimi wanted to hear more but the two people were walking away from them.


    She exchanged a serious look with Master Fushi. It was time to put their differences away for now and to unite as one against these people.


    "Anyway, we need to hurry up. Let us start with the kid first since she is the most vulnerable one in their group. The adults cer."


    Both Shimi and Master Fushi quickly fucked their heads back to not get discovered by these hunters.


    They both were powerful enough to defeat and capture these people but it would not solve the problem.


    If one was taken down, more would follow and this problem will only rear its ugly head. It also did not help that they were targeting ir who was a part of their guild.


    "Well, if they want to target ir then I have no problem. These people do not know what kind of trouble they are inviting into their lives."


    Shimi sounded unbothered by the whole thing. As someone who had lived and fought with ir, she knew how powerful ir was. These peasants did not have a chance against her.


    But Master Fushi was different. She knew ir was powerful but she could still not help but worry about ir. What is more? Grandmaster liked ir to the point of inviting her to his room.


    "Well, if you want to pretend like you did not hear their n, then you are more than wee to do so. However, the grandmaster''s disappointment will be something you might have to face if that happened."


    Shimi bit her lower lip in agitation as soon as she heard Master Fushi''s words. She did not want to be held responsible by the grandmaster for anything.


    ''Fuck. this is so annoying. I cannot believe I am being made to take care of that annoying ir.''


    Shimi clenched her fists but she calmed herself down. She had to remind herself that she was not doing this for ir but for the grandmaster.


    "Fine, I get what you are saying. Then, what shall we do now? Just so you know, I am willing to follow your lead this time but that does not mean I am admitting to being inferior to you and you are nning."


    It hurt Shimi to admit herself as inferior to anyone. Especially more to someone she had sworn as an opponent once upon a time.


    "Huh? What do you mean? We are both part of the same guild so there is no need for us topete. Let us cooperate toward the same goal here."


    Master Fushimented as she quickly followed the fleeing pair.


    Shimi gritted her teeth in agitation as she watched Master Fushi leave. She wanted to yell that it was not the same situation for Master Fushi and Shimi but she was left speechless.

 Chapter 115 115: The Shadows To Follow [Pt2]

    ?


    Once upon a time, there had been a girl who was born to an ordinary family. But the child had been extraordinary in every way, shape, and form.


    The child hardly ever cried and was highly intelligent and moral. She was someone who never looked away from injustice and was highly liked because of what she brought to the table.


    Everyone in her neighborhood loved her and respected her for what she was able to do. She was a well-respected figure ever science she had been young.


    But despite that, no one wanted to approach her more than it was necessary to. It was because of the girl''s incredible power that made everyone fear her and her temper.


    As a result, the girl grew more and more lonely as she grew up. She had no one to talk to and no one would talk with her on equal grounds. She was a ghost in her own home as well, respected but not loved in the way she wanted to be loved.


    Then one day, this lonely girl had an encounter with the figure who changed her life. She met someone more radiant and powerful than herself - the grandmaster.


    Ever since Master Fushi first saw the grandmaster, her mind had been made and she had started to follow him and his journey. She had been too young when she first saw him but she had always kept tabs on him.


    The reason she had worked so hard at ''Crimson Sirens'' and even managed to be a guild leader was so that she could be close to the grandmaster.


    Along the way, Master Fushi had managed to fall in love and had not even realized it.


    And that was why, she was going to protect everything the grandmaster wanted to protect and more. She would no longer hesitate and kill her feelings.


    For now, it meant convincing Shimi to help her out even if Shimi did not want to help. It was what Grandmaster Keith would want from her and what was right for Master Fushi to do.


    Currently, she and Shimi were tailing their suspects and trying to find out their hiddenir. It was a must to find the Fenrir kit they were hiding.


    "Shit, they suddenly stopped walking. Hey wait, stop. We need to hide if we do not want to be caught by these people."


    Shimi held Master Fushi''s hand and pulled her behind the corner. It was right in time as well because the goons decided to look back and check if they were being followed.


    "Hey man, is everything alright? You are looking back again and again."


    The second goon questioned as he looked behind as well. But there was one in the hallway. The first goon frowned, now feeling as if he had been made a fool out of.


    He was so sure that they were being followed but it seemed it was just his nerves talking and nothing more.


    "Nah, everything is alright. I just thought I saw someone following behind us but it was not the case. We should hurry up and enter the cave now."


    Goon 1 spoke as he ced his hand on the wall. The wall absorbed his hand and dragged him inside. Goon 2 watched it happen and then it was his turn.


    By the time Master Fushi and Shim came out to check the hallway, the two they had been following were long gone.


    Master Fushi observed the wall, noticing the irregrities in its design suddenly. This wall was far from stable and had a spell cast on it.


    "So, should we still follow behind these people? Or should we report them first? I am happy to do either."


    Shimi asked as she smacked her fist on her hand. She looked ready to bash someone''s head into the ground.


    Master Fushi shook her head as she watched Shimi be all excited to kill someone. Now was not the time to be making enemies or to bust someone on the spot. They needed to report back and get Shinzou involved.


    "Let us head back for now. The grandmaster should at least know what is going on here."


    Master Shimi replied as she walked away first. She did not notice that Shimi had not followed behind her for some time.


    By the time Master Fushi noticed her partner was missing, it was a little toote. Now all she could do was report this and backtrack to find Shimi again.


    ''That girl! I asked her to be careful and not to create more work so many times. But Shimi never listens to me. When will she learn her lesson?''


    ..........


    Keith had managed to sneak out of his room once ir had left him alone. He was currently in his disguise, looking around the marketce and haggling for cheaper prizes.


    He was doing all he could not do as grandmaster. He needed to line his pockets with precious resources if he wanted to surviveter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And as he was visiting such a ce, Keith felt a pair of eyes looking at him. He looked up, only to quickly divert his eyes away from the person looking at him.


    ''Shit, this is bad. Why is Shimi out here suddenly? And did she have toe my way?''


    Keith looked up once more, just to ensure that he had not missed reading Shimi''s intentions and was making empty guesses right now.


    But no, he had not misjudged the situation at all. Shimi was moving toward him with determined and calm steps which caused Keith to quickly start walking away as well.


    He had no idea why Shimi was following behind him, but he did know that it would be dangerous to be caught here right now.


    "Hey, way! I said wait right there, you ck-haired man. I need to talk to you so just stop."


    Shimi yelled, now losing her patience, and running after Keith as well. Keith picked up speed, not even considering stopping for a second.


    He liked his life and he wanted to not lose it by being discovered by the most unlikely person there was.


    Meanwhile, Shimi had seen Keith and she had a feeling she knew this man. She was big on feelings and instincts, so she had not stopped herself from following Keith.


    As a result, the current situation had taken ce where Shimi was following Keith, asking him to stop. Meanwhile, Keith wanted nothing to do with Shimi and he even walked faster as soon as Shimi picked up speed.


    The people between Keith and Shimi were a big help to him right now. As ck was a rathermon hair color, a lot of people thought Shimi was calling for them and they stopped her from following Keith.


    "Hey miss, look at this pendant. It is cheap and useful-"


    "You called for me? What do you want?"


    "Huh? Who is calling me? Is it you? Look, I do not have time to entertain a kid like you."


    Shimi was getting frustrated by the people and theirck of manners. She wanted to catch the stranger she was following behind.


    And since Shimi felt like she had no other choice, she decided to use her mana and secret movement technique.


    She melted her body into the air and followed Keith. This technique would sap Shimi''s energy after it was used and she would not be able to use her mana for some time but that was worth it to sate her curiosity.


    Her technique took her outside a small ally and she was sure that the stranger she had been following entered there.


    She hesitated to follow inside but her curiosity got the better of her.


    Since Shimi had just used such a high-risked technique, her senses would be dulled for a few more minutes. It was why she was not able to notice her attacker and was not able to defend herself in time.


    Something sharp jabbed her at the back but Shimi did not lose consciousness.


    "Hey man, watch it. You made a mistake and our target is not even unconscious right now."


    Her kidnapper no 2ined to the kidnapper no 1. Shimi was sure these people were part of the same gang she and Master Fushi had been following. And they had just failed to knock her out.


    "Shit, I know this is bad. But I guess if she will not go down calmly, I will have no choice but to brute force it."


    The man attacked Shimi again and herck of power caused her to be at a disadvantage. She just needed to hang on a little more and she would be able to use her mana again.


    But before that, Shimi needed to survive this encounter.


    ''Ugh, this attack is going to hurt more than thest one.''


    Shimi closed her eyes and epted her fate of being hurt by these people. But surprisingly, the attack never reached her. It had been blocked by something.


    Or well, someone in this case.

 Chapter 116 116: The Art Of Bargaining [Pt1]

    ?


    ''Ugh, this attack is going to hurt more than thest one.''


    Shimi braced herself for the attack but it never reached her. When she opened her eyes, the vision of ck greeted her as she was defended by the same stranger she had been following behind.


    The save startled Shimi and her mind went nk for a minute and a half. She was not able to do anything but look at the man who had just saved her from being hurt badly.


    "Hey, if you are done being in shock, then can you stand up and help? I cannot attack these people and defend at the same time."


    The man spoke softly to Shimi and even his voice sounded familiar to her. But Shimi forced her mind to stop thinking and stand up to help. She needed to pull her weight in this fight.


    "R-Right, I will take care of these people right now."


    Shimi''s face was bright red and heated because of what just happened. A stranger had not only saved her but also scolded her.


    And for some reason, Shimi was not angry at what happened. Nor she was angry at her feelings of having a crush on this stranger. She just stared at how suddenly she seemed to have fallen for her savior.


    Now that she was free and her powers were back, Shimi gave one look at her would-be kidnappers and scoffed.


    These people looked no different than other ants she had crushed before. Shimi gathered her powers and looked up with a smirk on her face.


    Kidnappers 1 and 2 suddenly felt their life sh before their eyes as they watched the devil approach them. Shimi currently looked like a grim reaper who had arrived to take their lives.


    "Where do you think you; people are running away to? I do not think I gave you people permission to run away from me, right? Then, shall we talk with each other, hmmm?"


    Shimi''s hands closed around the back of her kidnappers and they both knew they were in trouble.


    And since they both had strict orders not to be caught if they wanted to live, they had no choice but to take poison and end their lives. It happened too fast and Shimi watched the bodies in her hands disappear into dust.


    "Huh, what happened just now? The humans disappeared in a sh, leaving only ashes behind."


    Shimi was not angry; she was just disappointed at what happened. She had finally gotten a clue about something and then it ended up being nothing in the end. She was frustrated and disappointed in the end.


    But she tried not to be too discouraged and turned toward her helper with a happy expression.


    "Well, thanks for helping me out. I was not sure what I would do if you were not here. Let me know if you need anything from me and I will help you out."


    Shimi promised as she held her hand out for her savior to shake. He looked ufortable with Shimi''s approach and it was a first for her. People usually threw themselves at her and tried to touch her.


    Sometimes, people even followed her and stalked her to know more about her and her half-elf heritage.


    "No, it is alright. I should be getting going now. I hope you will not get in any more trouble today."


    Shimi tried not to think too hard about this man''s voice and why it sounded too familiar. She was sure that it woulde to her if she spent a little more time with this man.


    "You know, you look a little familiar to me. Have we met before by any chance? Or, do I know you from anywhere?"


    Shimi was not able to keep her curiosity in check for long and ended up asking these questions. She waited for an answer or any kind of hint from this man.


    The man in front of her flinched and ended up looking away after that. Now she was convinced that she knew him from somewhere but the man was not telling her.


    "I do not think I have any kind of connection to you miss. Now, if you would excuse me. I need to head out and finish my shopping."


    The stranger in front of Shimi seemed to be in a hurry to leave herpany. This was, once again, a new thing for her to experience.


    Ordinary people hardly left her side if they could help it. Her being from the guild helped her reputation as well. So, Shimi was not only curious but hurt right now. She was not going to leave this man alone.


    "Hmm, you said that you wanted to shop? Why, I love shopping. Why don''t we shop together and you show me some of your favorite ces? By the way, are you a local of this ce? Or, did you travel here?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi tried to big out more information from this man. She had a feeling that he was hiding a lot more than he showed her.


    But for some reason, the man in front of her had gone pale and lifeless as soon as Shimi had suggested that they shop together. He also looked ufortable with what he heard and he diverted his eyes away.


    "I¡­do not think it is a good idea for us to shop together. Why don''t we shop for our items and go our separate ways? I am sure it will be morefortable for you as well, miss."


    The man suggested and Shimi could not help but be more interested in him now.


    She never knew being turned down could feel this humiliating and challenging. It made Shimi want to try harder and woo this person.


    ''I still love Grandmaster and that will never change. But right now, I am being faced with a challenge and I want to take this challenge seriously. Oh, I am getting excited for no reason.''


    Shimi''s blood was singing to conquer this man.


    She looked up and was startled by the man''s side profile looking back at her. She gulped as she noticed a chiseled face and beautifulshes.


    But for some reason, green hair ovepped over the ck ones in her vision. The next time she blinked, the image disappeared from her eyes and Shimi was left disoriented.


    ''I guess it was my mind''s way of reminding me not to cheat on the grandmaster. But I have no intention of cheating anyone. I just want to have some fun.''


    So, despite Shimi having all the answers and even uncovering the ''truth,'' she decided to ignore it and move forward.


    There was much to be done here and Shimi was being ignored once again. But that made her want to crash this man''s shell even harder. And she had everything ready to help her out.


    "Hey, way. I said to wait for me so that we can go shopping again. Do not worry, I will not let you get cheated or scammed by the merchants. I am an expert at choosing quality things."


    Shimi assured the man as she ran after him. The man finally gave in to her and allowed Shimi to follow him.


    "By the way, what is your name? Mine is Shimi, but you probably already knew that. I am quite a famous figure and everyone knows me."


    Shimi boasted about her poprity but the man looked uninterested in her words. What a weird man he was and he was making Shimi more and more interested in him.


    Meanwhile, while Shimi was busy boasting about herself and what she could offer Keith, he was worried about his wallet and the limited finds he had right now.


    Shimi might be an expert in spotting bargains as she imed but she was also someone who was easily scammed. If you paid double the market price for something, then it was a given it would be worth it.


    That was Shimi''s problem but Keith could note out and say it loudly. He did not know Shimi well in this identity and he was also trying to stay low-key right now.


    But even Keith was not able to keep quiet when Shimi ended up being scammed for the third time in half an hour.


    She was not even aware that she was being scammed and it was only Keith''s re that kept the shopkeepers from raising the price any more than they already had.


    "See, I got it at a total bargain."


    Shimi boasts as she held up a potion, she had purchased 1.5 times the market price. She looked so happy to be ripped off by these people that Keith felt sorry for her.


    "Hey girl, has anyone ever told you that you get scammed easily and you suck at shopping. You have a cute face so learn to use it properly."


    Keith finally ended up speaking to Shimi but she looked confused.


    "What do you mean ''use my face?'' I am using it properly, right?"


    Shimi questioned and Keith suddenly had an evil idea. She would learn all about bargains from him.

 Chapter 117 117: The Art Of Bargaining [Pt2]

    ?


    "-and look at this here. This is a design fault, right? Are you sure you cannot lower the price of this artifact for me? I can pay you the right price for it."


    Keith watched on proudly as Shimi haggled the price down by a fair margin. The shopkeeper was not able to take her innocent looks and soft voice.


    But despiteing across as ''soft'', Shimi was unyielding in what she wanted from him. Just like the shopkeepers before this one, the man bowed in front of Shimi. Her beauty as well as her keen eye made her a formidable opponent.


    "Shimi, this one as well. I can see that this one can be bargained down as well."


    Keith handed Shimi another potion he wanted to buy. And Shimi took it without much fuss. She was willing to do Keith this favor since he had taught her how to bargain.


    "A-Alright. I will sell it to you at half the market price, alright?"


    The shopkeeper folded in front of Shimi''s beautiful smile. He did not risk offending this beautifuldy as well as gathering unwanted attention. And Keith chose this shop knowing all this.


    And how did he know this shop did not want trouble? It was simply by looking around.


    A few illegal potions were lying around in the shop. The authorities had left this ce alone for now because the shop had paid them off. But even they would be unable to protect this shop if it became a public case.


    "Half the market price is still too much for something like this. The ones I bought before were not faulty so I was willing to pay the full price for them. But this one is too much for even half the market price."


    Shimi argued but her voice was still soft and sweet. Keith would not have been able to sound as convincing as Shimi managed toe across. And that was why Keith knew it had been the right decision to teach her how to bargain.


    "F-Fine, I will sell this to you cheaper. But please stop sounding so disappointed in me and my shop. And, stop attracting attention to my business."


    The shopkeeper wanted to cry at his luck. He did not know how or why he was saddled with these humans but it was his worst mistake to allow them entry.


    Shimi looked at Keith to confirm if she should take this deal or not. Keith agreed without much thinking.


    Less than half was more than what he could ask for. Keith was very satisfied with this offer.


    "Alright, we will take it. Now, take this and this and this. Pack them separately and bill them separately as well."


    Shimi handed the items to the shopkeeper while Keith pretended to be looking around. He had already asked Shimi to handle his offer as well.


    The shopkeeper took the items with a lost expression. But he ultimately decided not to think much about it and to get this experience out of his mind.


    "Hmmm, time for me to get out of here as well."


    Keith waited for Shimi toe out of the building with a look of anticipation. And he did not have to wait long because Shimi came out with Keith and her parcel.


    "Wow, I never knew shopping could be so cheap. I managed to save a lot of money today which I can use again. Thanks for all the help, partner."


    Shimi looked happier than before. Her eyes were shining with light and her bodynguage was rxed as well.


    But frankly, Keith was just happy that he had not been caught by her until now. It would have been an awkward conversation had Shimi caught his lie.


    "No problem. Now hand me my box over so that I can go back. Don''t you have work to go back to as well?"


    Keith knew well that Shimi had no responsibilities now. But she liked to pretend like she had responsibilities and that was what Keith was counting on to make her go away.


    "O-Oh, right. I forgot that I was following some suspicious people who said they wanted to kidnap ir. Here, have your package and I will see you around. I also took your number so I will contact you soon."


    Shimi''s mood took a 360 in a matter of seconds. Her words attracted Keith''s attention as well and he wanted to ask her more about ir and the people looking for her.


    But Keith had no justification to ask Shimi such a question. At least, not if he was ''Noah'' to her.


    "Hey, wait! I need to pay you back for the supplies you bought for me. I do not like to be indebted to anyone so I need to pay you back."


    Keith yelled but Shimi was long gone. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    His phone buzzed with a message and Keith looked down at it with a sigh. The message relieved and annoyed him at the same time.


    [I do not have time to talk to you today so I will message you this - you do not need to pay me back for today. Think of it as a gift from your friends and student for teaching me today. But if you do want to pay me back then help me out in the future if I ask you to. Hope to see you again.]


    Keith had to admit that Shimi sure was something with her mood swings and her carefree attitude.


    And she was also surprisingly pleasant to be around if you were not the grandmaster.


    ''Truly, it is a w for Shimi to be so blinded by her adoration and love for the grandmaster. But at least it causes her not to be my enemy so I will take it.''


    With that said, there were still some things Keith needed to take care of. And ir''s case came on top of his list for now.


    He did not know why these people wanted to kidnap ir of all people but it was something Keith knew he could not allow. Not only for his safety but also for the wellness of this mission.


    Sometimes, ir lost all reason when she was angry and that was a horrible oue to think about for Keith.


    He quickly dialed ir''s number he had saved to warn her about what he had heard. She picked up at the second ring and sounded frustrated.


    "ir, remain calm and do not do anything foolish. I just heard a report saying that there is someone is trying to kidnap you. So be careful and-"


    *pant*


    "A little *pant* toote for that warning. I am currently running away *pant* from my *huff* chasers. I made the mistake of eating the *huff* food and now I cannot use *pant-huff* my powers."


    ir sounded tired and it was evident that she was out of breath.


    Under usual circumstances, it was not possible to do. It likely meant that someone had deliberately decided to go after ir.


    "Hey ir, do you have any idea why these people are-"


    "No, I do not. I have no idea why these people are after me and I did nothing to them."


    ir seemed to be convinced she was telling the truth this time. It meant that something was wrong with the picture.


    "Oh shit, they are too close now. I need to find you Keith, where are you? Hurry up and send me your location right now."


    ir was panicking and in doing so, she chose the worst option possible. Keith needed to calm down and think about what he could do for her.


    He knew he could not protect ir if the opponent was too strong. But Shinzou would likely be care of the attack power Keith wascking.


    ''Hmm, but the main problem is my current attire. I do not think I have enough time to go and change into my grandmaster getup and to get the dye out of my hair.''


    "Keith, hurry up and send it. I do not think I willst long otherwise."


    Keith knew the smart decision would be to ignore ir and leave her fending for herself. But he was not such a bad person and he could not allow ir to die for no reason.


    "Fine, I will send the address to you."


    In the end, Keith decided to send a message regarding his location to ir but he also asked her to forward it to Shinzou.


    Knowing Shinzou, he will be ready to seek out the grandmaster anytime but Keith could not send the message to him outright. He had to use ir to pass this restriction.


    Now it was a waiting game. Keith was currently in the middle of the bazaar and it would soon turn into a fight.


    But at least he would not be exposed, right?


    ''Oh fuck, I forgot that I was not the grandmaster once again. What would happen if Shinzou was to see me? Would he recognize me outright?''

 Chapter 118 118: Whats The Dog Doing [Pt1]

    ?


    Keith had made a mistake but there was no way for him to take it back at this stage. He would just have to act his way out of this situation as well.


    ''Anyway, it will not take long for Shinzou to arrive here. I will have to do my best to make myself not stand out familiarly.''


    Keith looked at his phone''s GPS setting and he noticed something peculiar about it that he had not yet noticed. The phone GPS showed the location of ir as well as Shinzou. And they were both hearing his way.


    Of course, Shinzou reached his location first and looked around with a keen eye to spot the grandmaster. He was not able to see anyone so the man checked his phone again.


    "Grandmaster, is this some new kind of y? What are you doing out here- hey, you are not the grandmaster! Who are you? And why do you have the grandmaster''s phone in your hand."


    Keith looked around before realizing that Shinzou was talking to him. He looked down at his phone which was beeping.


    Before Keith could deny anything, Master Shinzou ended up dialing his number, and the phone in his hand vibrated with Master Shinzou''s number on the screen. And with that, the usibility of denial flew out of the window.


    ''No, calm down Keith. Do not let this man get to you. Shinzou has yet to recognize you so you are safe for now.''


    So, Keith pulled himself together and began to perform to the best of his capabilities. The bar he had to cross was massive and he was nervous to be facing Shinzou.


    "You mean, this phone? Well, I simply borrowed it for the time being since I had some work to do and my own got lost. Someone came and handed it to me. He also assured me that he would get it back once my work was done."


    ''Shit, what am I saying? How can I say the dumbest thing at such a time?''


    Keith mentally smacked himself, knowing fully well that even a kid would not believe his exnation. There was no way Shinzou would believe him and-


    "Ah, so that is what happened? I understand and I can see it happening as well. After all, the grandmaster is such a nice and benevolent person. Surely, he will listen to you and help you out in your time of need."


    Master Shinzou nodded to himself as he recalled some lost memories only, he knew.


    ''H-He bought this excuse? Man, just how blindly adored is the grandmaster in Shinzou''s eyes? It makes me nervous to be discovered by him.''


    Keith tensed and released at the same time. But mostly, he was relieved to no longer be worried about the phone incident.


    "So anyway, did you get any strange message on this phone?"


    Master Shinzou asked as he tried to look over Keith''s shoulder and at his phone screen. It disyed a message from ir and nothing more.


    Just as Keith was about to tell Master Shinzou more about it, the crowd in his surroundings started to freak out and something huge caused a dust cloud to form. People started running all over the ce and trying to defend their lives.


    Keith was spared from answering whatever Shinzou wanted to ask next because of this reason. He was looking at the dust cloud with a closed-off expression on his face as well.


    "Hey, you should go and hide. There is an annoying pest following a member of my guild so I will go and resolve it on my own."


    Shinzou warned Keith and Keith wanted to take this advice so badly. But ir''s life was on the line and that was the only reason Keith had to decline this offer.


    He was rooted in ce for a little longer than he should have and the cloud reached the za he was in. Keith noticed ir leading the cloud and she looked exhausted.


    From one look, it was clear that ir was about to faint at any time. But she still had enough awareness to not call Keith by his real name.


    "N-Noah, help me out."


    ir cried out as she reached him. Her body copsed in Keith''s arms as she pulled herself closer to Keith.


    Keith looked up to see what was hiding in the cloud and he could not help but gulp down his nervousness when he noticed that it was a weirdly deformed dog with three eyes and three legs.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was limping around as it followed ir but even then, he was fast enough to not allow ir to escape.


    The dog attacked suddenly and it took a split second for Keith''s instincts to snap and he created a shield to stop the dog''s attack.


    That heavy paw collided with Keith''s shield and he was worried when the pressure caused him pain and annoyance. The shield also looked like it would not hold on for much longer.


    ''Shit, what is this? Did I forget to pour a lot of mana? Or, is this dog special and that is why I am facing such a problem.''


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom Keith did not know what was wrong with his mana. He just knew that it was not working as intended. But the dog was finally pushed aside by Master Shinzou once he recovered from what was worrying him.


    Sword struck the ce where the three-eyes dog had been standing seconds before and then Master Shinzou straightened his posture as he took a defensive stance in front of the injured pair.


    "Tsk, I can see that you will be useless in a fight, kid. And ir looks like she is hurt. I will not ask what kind of rtionship you both share for now so rx and let me take care of this monster first."


    Keith could not tell you how relieved he felt once he heard those words. His fears wereing to rest once a strong person had vowed to defend him and ir.


    "ir, things would be alright now. So can you tell me what happened that pushed you into this state?"


    Keith asked as he took in ir''s rough appearance and it was certain that she had been through some things during her time when she was missing.


    But color had finally returned to her face and ir looked fresh as Keith took herplexion in., he could finally start grilling her for answers without feeling like a jerk.


    "Y-You idiot. Do not rx so soon just because Shinzou took charge of the situation. That thing is a Fenrir beast, one of the god''s familiars. No human is a match for that thing since the beat is immune to mana."


    ir yelled and whispered these words at the same time. It seemed like she did not want others to know what she had said but she could not help herself at the same time.


    Shock colored her voice as ir tried to stand up. Her mana seemed to be slowlying back to her which was a fortunate thing for her. She was not about to be dependent on Keith.


    She looked up, ready to attack the beast which had tormented her thus far but she was surprised to see that Master Shinzou was holding up far better than she has expected him to hold up.


    Not only that but it genuinely seemed as if Master Shinzou was winning this fight between himself and the beast. The beast had started to retreat a little and it seemed to be injured as well.


    "Master Shinzou, wait for a second. We will help you as well."


    ir yelled as she took a fighting stance. That was the wrong thing to do since ir still did not have enough mana in her body.


    The beast took notice of ir''s weak state and decided to change targets. If it could not kill this human in front of him then he would be happy to drag the half-goddess as a sacrifice. That was what his mission was.


    But his ws found themselves shing with a familiar force once again. It was a god''s power but it was being wielded by a human. It infuriated the beast''s instincts and it was enraged.


    They quickly looked around for the reason this was all happening and his eyes fell on the human male with a familiar earring. It was the same human whom the beast had dismissed as not important.


    But now the beast was rearing to get rid of this human. He had lived long enough by using the god''s powers. And this human could not be allowed to live any longer.


    "Shit Noah, hurry up and run away. The beast ising after you."


    ir yelled as soon as she noticed where the beast''s attention had shifted. And she was the only one who noticed it in time.


    The shield broke down under the beast''s ws and Keith was left vulnerable to its attacks. He had to brace himself if he did not want to be impaled by those sharp ws.

 Chapter 119 119: What The Dog Doing [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith was frozen in ce as pressure surrounded him from every side. His feet did not agree with him when hemanded them to move and it was clear that it had something to do with the pressure Keith was under.


    ''Move, darn it. Why is my body like this.''


    Keith knew he was in trouble as soon as he noticed that the beast had closed in on his location. He would be impaled by those sharp ws in a matter of seconds.


    "Shit, hey look out. I will help you out right now."


    Shinzou yelled as he started running toward Keith as well. But Keith could tell that Shinzou would not be able to make it back in time. Keith would have to be the one to save himself.


    He gripped his mana stone tightly and prayed that it was enough. The spell created a small lightning bolt and hit the Fenrir beats. But it did not even make the Fenrir beast wobble in his ce.


    Instead, the beast looked pissed off and decided to shake its shock off. And then it became even more enraged as a result of being attacked. Keith clenched his fists and shook his head as a result.


    Master Shinzou threw his sword to catch the beast but it missed its mark the beast was too close to Keith now and his mind went nk.


    Thankfully, Keith had onest line of defense left in his body - his unconscious instincts this body had. And that was the only thing that saved his life right now.


    Keith was not thinking, he was just moving back as fast as his body could to avoid those sharp ws. The second he would snap out of his state, it would be all over for him.


    The beast was frustrated when it was not able to hit anything, no matter how hard he tried to hit the human. The human was far too fast and agile for his ws to make contact.


    The human had not been like this seconds ago and the beast had been certain of its victory and to get an artifact. But now this human was showing himself to be an annoyance.


    "Tsk"


    The agile human make that sound and it sounded familiar to the beast. It caused his body to flinch as a familiar power created a barrier between himself and the human. But it was god''s power so it did not mean much to Fenrir.


    His ws contacted the ground once again and now it was beyond agitated.


    A beast had no concept of time, but Fenrir beasts had far more awareness. And it knew that it was wasting time. The beast needed to be back before the sunset and there was not much time left before that happened.


    "Noah, are you alright?"


    The half-god female spoke and the beast felt a growl break out from his throat. How dare a disgraced half-ling speak in its mighty presence? Did she not realize she was below Fenrir in the food chain of gods? She was asking to be killed.


    And then there was the ''other'' human who had been trying to hit the beast for some time now. He was the only one who looked to be a threat to the beast right now.


    "Getting arrogant in front of me? You are pissing me off."


    The beast looked back at the human he had been chasing with a sharp eye. The voice, the attitude, and even the power he felt right now were different from what it had been seconds before.


    The beast felt his body go down with a single strike to his vital points. It was not sure how or why, but the human had a weird presence right now - somewhat between dead and alive.


    The red eyes that looked back at it were also hollow and without emotions. They made the beast ufortable. And finally, the sunset and the dark wereing.


    The Fenrir beast had been out for too long and its body began to melt into the ground with the darkness. It could not exist if the sun was not present in the sky. The beast will have to try again tomorrow.


    .....


    Keith knew he was going to die today. His instincts told him as such and that made Keith desperate to keep on living.


    His mind was nk and his body was moving. There was a foreign presence in his body, pushing his consciousness away and Keith was too tired to fight it.


    If he was safe, he did not care what happened. So, Keith allowed himself to retreat for now and for the other presence to take control of himself for the time being.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tsk"


    The tone sounded familiar and Keith was startled to know that it was his voice that had made that noise.


    But even if it was his mouth that made that noise, it was such a different and arrogant tone that Keith could not help but be taken aback.


    His body moved in a motion as he had never seen it move before and his fingers jabbed something soft. The beast in front of him went down with a single strike from Keith but he knew he had done nothing to it.


    "Getting arrogant in front of me? You are pissing me off."


    Keith was startled to notice his mouth moving all on its own but now he had an idea about what was going on.


    His body was unconsciously channeling the grandmaster''s power and authority. Even if the soul was no longer there, this body remember the training and habits the grandmaster went through and it stored it.


    As such, when Keith had been pushed too far, his body decided to take charge and thus, it had moved as if it had been possessed.


    Keith did not know if he should be freaked out or be thankful that he had discovered such a thing. It was the only thing that saved his life.


    The sun was setting and the beast struggled to get up. But in the end, the setting sun caused it is a body to melt away. It gave Keith onest look before it disappeared. And Keith could not help but sigh in relief.


    "Ke-Noah, are you alright? What happened here? Did the beast leave? I saw you take it down. How did that happen?"


    ir had a lot of questions for Keith but she could note out and ask them. She had to be mindful of Master Shinzou now as well since the man was in the vicinity.


    "I do not know what happened. I just know that I am alive somehow."


    Keith''s mind was a little messy right now and he could not gather his thoughts very well. He tried to remember what had happened but his tired body reminded him that he needed to rest.


    ir noticed it as well and decided to stop pushing Keith for answers.


    "You fought very well. I am surprised to see that I have not heard from you until now. What is your name? And how do you know ir?"


    Keith had forgotten all about Master Shinzou. So, he was surprised when Master Shinzou walked over to him and ir.


    Not even a single hair was out of ce in his sea of red and his golden eyes were zing with curiosity and a need to know. Master Shinzou was like a huge child that needed to know everything.


    Keith opened his mouth to speak but he soon closed it. He did not know what kind of excuse he could make right now that would get him out of trouble.


    Thankfully, he was not alone right now. And ir seemed much more invested and experienced in lying to the other people. She was also the one who made an excuse this time.


    "T-This man here is my step-brother. You see, we did not know about each other until recently. My mother sent me a letter and I decided to meet him today. It is a coincidence."


    ir exined and she was bullshitting her way through it.


    "Oh, I see. So that was why Grandmaster gave you his phone and helped you out. It was because he knew you were ir''s brother and that you needed to contact her. Grandmaster is such a benevolent person. Be sure to thank him in the future, alright?"


    Somehow, that flimsy exnation worked. Master Shinzou let this exnation go and he was also d to provide Keith with tips on how to repay the grandmaster.


    ir tried to stop herughter as Shinzou lectured Keith. It must be so funny for her to see Keith suffering like this.


    But thankfully, Master Shinzou decided that he needed to head back and start his patrol. Grandmaster had assigned him a duty and he needed to fulfill it.


    "ir, see you around. Noah, if you even feel like it, join our guild. I will vouch for you."

 Chapter 120 120: Everyone Has A Plan [Pt1]

    ?


    "Do you think he noticed my real identity? He is thest person I want to expose myself to."


    Keith asked the question as he forced his body to rx. He had not realized how tense he was until he let himself go like this. His body was giving out painful jolts as it rxed forcefully.


    "Hmm, I do not think he noticed anything yet but you should still be careful. Your disguise is good but it is not perfect."


    ir was also trying to calm herself down now. Unlike Keith, she had run a long way to get here and her body was finally starting to show signs of recovery.


    But circting mana into her body and beginning healing were still things that would require time. It was only through her sheer willpower that ir had enough energy to even stand.


    "So, do you have any idea why these people went after me? Your message sounded like you were aware of what was going to happen to me. If that was the case, then you should have told me about it before I got into trouble."


    ir sounded angry at Keith and he instantly raised his hands in a ''not my fault'' way.


    "I did not know this was going to happen until a few minutes before I called you. The one who told me about this was Shimi. ording to her, she heard the inn workers talk about kidnapping you because you were an ''easy target'' or something."


    Keith quickly exined things to ir before she could misunderstand his intentions. It worried him to know howpetent these people were in capturing their targets.


    It made him wonder how many times they had done this before. They even knew not to underestimate ir, even if she was someone who did not look to be powerful by any means.


    That means that they had taken precautions against a kid. This was a matter of great concern for him as well as his party.


    "Shit, this is bad. Man, I cannot believe I have to deal with such fucked up people for the sake of my research. Why did we not hear about this all happening way before today?"


    It was a good question and Keith had no answer for it. He had nothing to say about this world and the people in it. They were all weird in their way.


    "Anyway, I do not have time to be talking with you right now. I should head back and get this hair dye out of my head for now."


    Keith tugged at his ck hair, not liking how less time he had on his hand. He needed to go back and empty his hair of all the dye.


    .......


    There was silence in the inn as soon as Keith walked into the inn. He was back to his green hair and red-eyed look. He was aware that people were looking at him now with a curious look on his face but he was not overly cautious of what it meant.


    Master Shinzou was walking toward him with a happy expression on his face. Keith''s senses warned him to run but he remained calm.


    "Grandmaster, so did you get your phone back? I did not call you because I was afraid that your phone was still with the young man I met."


    Keith had to wonder for a second what Master Shinzou was asking him before he realized what the question was about.


    ''Ah, looks like Master Shinzou fell for my words and did not recognize me. I can now be assured about this.''


    Keith was d and disappointed at the same time he was d that his disguise was this effective.


    "Hump. I do not take my hand down back. I can just buy another since I do notck money. How dare you suggest that I get a phone used by others back?"


    Had this been Keith from before his training, he would have cried at the injustice of all this. There was no need for him to waste money on a useless thing like a new phone when his old one worked just fine.


    But keeping appearances made one do things they usually did not do.


    ''Goodbye, my money. It was nice knowing you.''


    "By the way grandmaster, did you know that ir had a brother? I did not know this until today. But then again, you did hand your phone over to her brother so you likely know, right?"


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat at Shinzou''s words and he tried very hard to not let anything show on his face.


    "That is not something we need to discuss right now. Where are Master Fushi and Shimi? They were supposed to be here as well."


    Keith knew well where Shimi was - chasing after the people who wanted to kidnap ir. And he could guess that Master Fushi was doing something simr. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But as much as he did not want to nitpick them both, he had no other choice but to do so, it was something he had to nitpick on.


    "Hmm, do not know where they went. But I am sure they are doing something important to have missed this petrol. They are both too loyal to be snubbing us now."


    Shinzou was right but Keith made no move to acknowledge those words. Not when he could see a group of shady people looking their way.


    ''No, not our way but ir''s way. They have still not given up on her.''


    If Keith had noticed this, ir had no doubt picked up on this as well. But she signaled that she had recovered her powers and would be able to take care of herself.


    "Shinzou, hand me your phone right now."


    ir decided to take the initiative to inform Shinzou of the n she and Keith hade up with in an instant. They both were too much in sync to not be thinking the same thing.


    Shinzou looked a little worried about what ir wanted to tell him but he handed his phone over anyway.


    ir''s fingers moved like lightning over his keyboard before she handed it back. Keith caught the sign of the message.


    [We got information that the viins will try toe after me. I will be the bait to lure them out. So, make sure you save me if I get into trouble.]


    All Shinzou did was nod in understanding and not ask any questions to ir. It was how much he trusted her and her decision to not betray him and the grandmaster.


    "I got it. Then, shall we go separate ways so that we can cover more ground?"


    Keith was sure that the nasty people in the corner of the room were hearing what they said. Their eyes practically gleamed as soon as Shinzou offered this deal.


    ir pretended like she was hesitant to take that offer, but Keith could see that she was ready to mess some people up.


    "I do not know if I should. My mana has still not returned to normal."


    ir was bullshitting since Keith knew she was alright now. And Shinzou knew ir well enough to realize she would not have offered this if she was not alright.


    "ir, stop trying to embarrass me in front of the crowd. You will need to pull your weight during this outing."


    Keith channeled his inner mean voice and spoke up. Even ir looked startled at these sudden words but Shinzou had an understanding look on his face.


    "Well, if this is what the grandmaster wants then there is nothing, we can do about it. Good luck out there, ir."


    Master Shinzou slipped a small tracking device on ir in case she was caught. His hand rested on ir''s shoulder for a few more seconds to appear natural and then he took it back.


    The bait had been readied and it was now time to hunt.


    ......¡­.


    Master Fushi followed the hunters to their base. She had made sure she was as quiet as possible. But there was still a feeling of unrest in the air.


    "Are you sure you were not followed by anyone? You will be killed if you are not careful."


    One of the persons spoke in front of the cave opening but he did not go inside. Master Fushi was sure that this cave was their hideout. But it was bright for it being the dawn now.


    "I am sure. I even tried to invisibility cloak you gave me. What about your side? Did the Fenrir seed?"


    Master Fushi held her breath as soon as she heard these people talking about Fenrir. That was the whole reason she was here and she was finally getting to hear about the real deal.


    "Hump! As if that thing is as great as we heard about! It lost the child and had toe back because the sunset was approaching. What use is it if it cannot go out at night time?"


    "Well, have patience. As soon as our master wakes up, this weakness of Fenrir will go away as well."

 Chapter 121 121: Everyone Has A Plan [Pt2]

    ?


    As soon as the two people in front of Master Fushi finished speaking, they put their hands on the stone adjacent to them and these bodies disappeared.


    Master Fushi wanted to follow them but she was afraid to go in alone and then lose contact with the outside world. Who knew what kind of ce the inner caves were?


    ''So, I should leave a message as well as my phone behind. I can always buy a new one if I need one.''


    It was not like Master Fushi was overly attached to her phone or had anything personal stored in it. Herck of social life was rearing its ugly head and Master Fushi tried hard not to think about it.


    In the end, she left a short message on the grandmaster''s and ir''s phones and left it on the rock nearby. After that, she slowly walked toward the stone where the other two had disappeared and cast an invisibility spell on herself.


    Her brain was shuffled and Master Fushi felt nauseated as she was transported to the new space.


    This was the single worst case of transporting magic she had ever experienced in her life and Master Fushi never wanted to experience anything like this ever again.


    Even her invisibility spell had faded away due to herck of concentration and now she was left exposed.


    ''I need to find shelter and cover as soon as possible.''


    The cave was too bright to hide her presence. The ball of light in the sky looked almost like a sun to her but she was not sure if it was one or not.


    ''Ugh, I am losing my mind now. Of course, it is not the sun. The actual sun had set already.''


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel "Hey, is anyone there? I hear noises."


    Master Fushi did not get a second to think as her body moved all on its own and cast another invisibility spell. This was weak and iplete so Master Fushi could not move if she wanted not to be discovered.


    The man who had called back to check if someone was following him or not took one step toward Master Fushi. He would discover Master Fushi if he walked closer to her location.


    "Hey man, leave it be. I did not hear anything and we are alsote. I heard that our master sent the ''elite'' hunters to capture the kid for tonight''s sacrifice. We are now getting closer and closer to the revival of our god. I am so excited."


    The second man in the group yelled for the first to hurry up. And although the first man looked hesitant to follow, he did so anyway. Once they were gone, Master Fushi breathed a sigh of relief and cast her illusion magic again.


    She was finally in the cave she had been looking for and there was not much time left for her to be looking around like this. She needed to find out what these people were hiding and who their master was.


    ''That way, I will be able to help the grandmaster. I cannot be sitting around like this.''


    ......


    "ir, are you ready? I can hear footsteps nearing your location."


    Keith spoke to ir over the phone. Both Keith and Shinzou were keeping an eye on ir to make sure the operation went on smoothly.


    And so far, nothing had gone wrong. The people who were supposed to be interested in ir had followed her into the ally and were beginning to make their move on her.


    "Hmm, I know. I must allow them to capture me for now and you both will follow me, right? I also took precautions to ensure my powers are not discovered before I want them to be."


    ir replied as she held her phone close. She watched as the shadow of her kidnapper came a little too close to her.


    "Grandmaster, I shall call youter."


    "Hey wait, ir-"


    ir cut the phone before Keith could finish speaking and she turned around with a horrified expression, only for it to fizzle out as soon as she noticed Shimi.


    "What are you doing here? You are not supposed to be here. Hurry up and leave this ce."


    ir could not believe her luck. The one time she did not need or want Shimi to show up, the elder half-elf did show up. And now she was ruining all the ns ir and the other two had made.


    "How rude. I came to save you from being kidnapped and this is the thanks I get from you? What is wrong with you people?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi questioned as she posed dramatically. She only noticed the tense silence ir gave her as ir''s words after she had made her words known.


    [You are kind of ruining our ns here. So can you leave right now so that I can get back to work.]


    ir looked back at Shimi with an annoyed expression and Shimi suddenly looked sheepish.


    "O-Oh, I forgot to consider that. Looks like I messed up."


    Shimi read the message and her tone went from angry to sheepish quite quickly. ir had noticed that her kidnappers had stopped moving as well.


    They were considering what they should do with this new person in the mix. But their greed finally won over their desire to stay safe.


    [Make sure you hold your breath for a minute. And here, take this candy and keep it in your mouth. Otherwise, you will lose your mana for some time. Pretend to faint after this and allow yourself to be kidnapped.]


    ir passed the extra candy she had prepared in advance to Shimi. She knew Shimi was educated enough to know what this candy was.


    It was a mana suppressant that would freeze their mana and make the gas ineffective for the time being. It was the fail-safe ir hade up with to ensure her safety.


    Shimi looked at ir before realizing that ir did not mean any harm. She quickly took the candy and put it into her mouth.


    The candy immediately took effect and the mana in her body froze. She was as weak as a normal human now.


    The bomb with the suppressing gas was fired seconds after Shimi''s preparations were done. And the gas was ineffective on her as a result of this.


    "Pretend to faint now."


    ir''s words were clear and crisp. Her small body hitting the floor was all the signal Shimi needed to follow her. She trusted the younger ones to not lied to her.


    Soon, the sound of footsteps reached her ear, and someone picked up her body. Shimi wanted to wake up and hurt the person carrying her right now.


    "Wow, look at her. She is a beauty for sure. Do you think our master would allow us to keep his one after he is done? I want to try her body out."


    It was a woman''s voice and it sounded right outside Shimi''s ear. She felt the urge to rage rise inside her.


    ''No Shimi, you cannot. You cannot kill this female or it would defeat the whole purpose of being kidnapped.''


    "I do not know about that. But I do know that we need to hurry up if we want to stay alive. Our master is not a generous person and he will kill us if we do not go back on time."


    The other person, this time male, spoke up without missing a beat. His voice sounded a little further away from Shimi so she was sure that he had ir in his arms.


    "Fine, I get it so stop giving me that look. Let us hurry back before our master sends for someone else to call us back. I am not in the mood to deal with other brats right now."


    Shimi and ir were being carried out into the hidden location where these people were keeping their ''god'' and ''master.'' The only assurance ir and Shimi had was that this kidnapping was nned.


    Pretty soon, both Shinzou and Keith woulde to save them. And then it would be over for these people.


    "Hey, should we do something about the one shadowing us? I can feel one presenceing after us."


    The female who was carrying Shimi spoke up suddenly. Her tone sounded tense suddenly and it was clear that she was on edge.


    "Hmm, did you sense someone''s aura? I am inclined to believe you since your senses are sharper than most people. Here, carry her with you so that I can deal with our shadow."


    The male kidnapper passed ir over to the female and then left the clearing.


    It was unclear which one of the shadows he was going after but ir was reassured to know that they had only managed to detect one of the people following them.


    Their n still had a way to work out even when the conditions were against them. And ir considered herself lucky because of this.

 Chapter 122 122: Everyone Has A Plan [Pt3]

    ?


    Keith felt his body tense up when he heard the kidnapper''s words. He had not realized that the kidnappers could discover him and Shinzou even when they were following from far away.


    Now he felt lucky that he had managed to bug ir. He could hear everything that was being talked about between the kidnappers.


    Suddenly, the man handed ir over to his partner and dashed back toward Keith and Shinzou''s location. It was too sudden but Shinzou still reacted in time and dashed away from Keith''s hidden location.


    The male kidnapper followed after Shinzou, not even aware of Keith''s presence was hidden in the bush just adjacent to where he had passed from.


    ''Phew, so I did not get discovered. Was it because I do not have any mana in my body? Even people sensitive to mana cannot discover me.''


    Keith was suddenly thankful for theck of mana he possessed. He began to follow the kidnappers as soon as he could and he got close.


    The female kidnapper kept on walking until she was in front of the cave. But the door was covered by a giant stone without any opening.


    Suddenly, the female red her aura and her hand disappeared into the cave. Keith approached the door as well, wondering if he should try to enter or not. But he did not get a choice when someone caught his hand the very next second and dragged into inside.


    Keith was ready to fight against his would-be kidnapper when he stopped short. He was so thankful that his body did not show any reaction when he was dragged inside.


    The hand that had dragged him was small and fragile-looking. Its size hid its actual strength and ir''s clear eyes looked back at Keith.


    "Grandmaster, our n was a sess. Looks like we managed to find the only entrance to our suspect''s home."


    ir was awake now and she rubbed her wrists to loosen her muscles. Shimi had woken up as well and she held her kidnapper down with her body. The female kidnapper had been knocked out with a single punch.


    "Ahh, this feels great. Grandmaster, look. I managed to take her down in one shot. I did good, right?"


    Shimi looked up at Keith with her huge eyes. Her expression and bodynguage were begging to be praised and Keith felt his hand twitch.


    He did his best to control his hand and his expression. But he still decided to reward Shimi with a few words.


    "You did well. Now, let us take care of the matter in front of us."


    Keith quickly brushed off Shimi''s expecting expression but it did not drop. Instead, she looked even happier than before at being acknowledged.


    "This ce looks so gloomy but bright at the same time. Do you think something fishy is going on here? Where do we even go from here?"


    Shimi asked these questions in quick session. Her mouth moved a thousand miles per minute and it made her difficult to be understood.


    But Keith understood what she wanted to ask anyway.


    "Let us look around for options. Inform me if you find anything of value. We shall also wait for Master Shinzou to catch up to us before we enter."


    There was no need for Keith to wait for Shinzou to catch up if he had the power necessary to take care of this base. But he was currentlycking in attack power and Master Shinzou''s help would be appreciated.


    That was why Keith decided to pretend to look around and waste time for Shinzou to catch up to them.


    Hopefully, it will not take too long.


    .......


    As soon as Shinzou realized what was happening, he separated himself from the group and ran away.


    The kidnapper followed him, missing the ce where Grandmaster was hiding. It was a testimony to how well the grandmaster had managed to hide.


    ''As if I would expect anything else from the Grandmaster. He proves every day why he is the greatest man alive with his wits and his power. Now, it is my turn to pull my weight.''


    Shinzou led the person following him until they were both outside the vige. There was no need for them to fight in a crowded ce.


    "Hump, you think you can run away from me? Well, think again because I have you in my grasp now."


    Master Shinzou ignored the obvious taunt and turned his body. He threw an experimental punch toward the male kidnapper but the man dodged it quite easily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Once the kidnapper stabilized himself, he looked quite full of himself. His arrogant eyes asked Shinzou if this was all he had to face.


    "You have a solid foundation and a good grasp of basics. You will be a worthy student if you ever decide to join the guild."


    Shinzou could not help butment on what he saw. Whenever he saw someone worth training, he wanted to take them up and add them to his student team. It was all to make this guild grow.


    Many people thought that Shinzou was a one-tracked-minded person who was most loyal to the Grandmaster but that loyalty was divided between the Grandmaster and his guild.


    "As if I want to join any no-names fancy guild. I am way above your level man so give up. Even the best guild cannot handle my awesomeness."


    The male kidnapper was too full of himself and Shinzou cut a lot of points for that reason.


    His students needed to be humble and ept that there was more to learn in life. They could not be this arrogant and Shinzou knew he had to train this attitude out of this man as well.


    It was not because this kid had insulted his guild and wounded his pride as a result. That had nothing to do with Shinzou''s ''personal'' feelings. It was all rather tactful.


    "What is wrong? Did you suddenly realize how great I am and you decided to bow to me-"


    The kidnapper had to suddenly duck and defend his life. Shinzou had not given him time to rx when he started attacking.


    But the kidnapper was not inexperienced in dealing with attacks so he was able to defend himself. But despite that, it did not feel as if his life was in danger.


    A jab to his ribs caused the kidnapper to lose his bnce but he was able to recover, only to get punched in the face.


    "You should be careful about what you say to someone. Who knows if they would turn out to be your next master or not."


    Shinzou spoke calmly but his eyes shed dangerously. And for the first time, the kidnapper felt like he was prey and the person in front of him was the predator. He did not know what he should do anymore.


    "Tsk, it is not over for me yet. Let me show you why you should not underestimate me and my power."


    The kidnapper yelled suddenly as he red his aura. His mana was surging and he suddenly got ready to fire his mana shot. It was a technique he had made all on his own and it often took him off guard.


    He prepared to fire it off at the arrogant man in front of him when he felt his wrist being grabbed and his mana fizzling out of existence.


    Cold golden eyes looked back at him from a cold and impassive face. Heat and fire shed across the kidnapper''s vision and he was unable to breathe. It felt as if he had smoke in his lungs and the pressure around him suddenly increased as well.


    "W-What do you think you are doing? Let me go right now. Hey, I said to let me go right now."


    The man tried to struggle and get free but it was difficult for him to be able to pull his hand out. Especially not with how tightly the red-haired man was holding his arm.


    "It looks like you still have not learned your lesson about being polite while asking for something you want. Now look at me and ask politely to let you go. Otherwise, I will be happy to snap your arm off."


    "Now hurry up and call me ''Master Shinzou'' and be my disciple."


    The kidnapper was flustered and he tried to pull his arm back again. But no matter what he did, it seemed to be of no use.


    There was only one option left for him - to do as this madman asked him to do. And although it wounded the kidnapper''s pride, he decided to lower his head for the sake of his life.


    "I-I am sorry, Master Shinzou. Please let me go and spare my life."


    "And-"


    "I will be your student and treat you with respect. I vow it on my life and my mana."


    A vow was the best way to ensure someone''s words were kept. If not, the person making the vow would lose their life and precious things.


    The kidnapper had just surrendered his life.

 Chapter 123 123: Everyone Has A Plan [Pt4]

    ?


    The kidnapper waited to see if Master Shinzou would let him go or not. The truth of the matter he had refused to believe before was shing before his eyes now.


    He was certain that this red-haired man was the leader of the guild called ''Burning Abyss'' as well as the vicemander of the guild association.


    "Hmm, now that you have be my student, I feel like I can trust you more. Come, and we shall have fun with each other. Also, students should not hide anything from their teachers, right?"


    The male kidnapper sighed in relief as soon as noticed that he had been let go. But that was the wrong thing for him to feel safe about because the very next second, the man had a tight grip on the kidnapper''s face.


    "Hey, I asked you a question. You should not hide anything away from your master, right? And that means looking your master in the face and telling him where your secret base is."


    The kidnapper was suddenly terrified. He had a feeling that he would die if he looked away from the man in front of him.


    ''No, I will not die but I will be tortured by the owner of these golden eyes.''


    But if the kidnapper opened his mouth, then he would be killed off by the people who had hired him. But if he did not, then it would be a fate worse than death.


    ''What should I do? God, what should I do now?''


    And just when it seemed like all hopes and dreams had been lost, the kidnapper was made to look up into Master Shinzou''s eyes.


    "Do not worry, I can see the spell binding your tongue and will take care of it. Do not fear me because I will help you out."


    Master Shinzou''s eyes looked calm as he said those words. It seemed like everything would be alright if the kidnapper trusted him but it was the effect of the vow.


    ''But does it matter anymore? I am dead either way so I might as well take the risk and get it all off my chest.''


    In the end, the kidnapper ended up revealing all his secrets and he was sent back to the inn by Shinzou.


    Once that was done, Shinzou decided to make his way toward the cave where the grandmaster was right now. His phone was opened and he quickly followed the navigation app.


    The rock in front of the cave looked a little weird but the instructions to bypass it were clear. All he needed to do was to pass his mana through the stone and he was done.


    ''Hmm, let me see. So, this is what I need to do?''


    Master Shinzou was soon in the cave and he identally took a wrong turn. He looked at his phone''s navigation app and it pointed to him being at the right location.


    But despite that, he could not see anything around him but rocks.


    "What the fuck is giving off this signal? It must be a phone. Did this mean ir''s brother is here as well? Is it his - I mean, Grandmaster''s old phone which is making this signal?"


    Master Shinzou looked around and he was suddenly surprised to see a familiar-looking phone lying on the ground. He quickly picked it up, only to realize that it belonged to Master Fushi.


    He picked it up but remembered to mark this ce on his map.


    Now that he had the most prominent signal picked up, he was able to locate the location of his other team members.


    "Grandmaster, I am back. And I have some crucial information to share with you all. I was able to drag out the location of where we need to go from the other kidnapper."


    On this side, the Grandmaster already had the female kidnapper unconscious and tied up. It was everything Shinzou had expected from the grandmaster and some more.


    ....


    Master Shinzou returned at the best possible time with the best possible information. Keith was happy to see him.


    "By the way, was there any message from Master Fushi? I found her phone in the cave but I did not see her. Did I miss something critical?"


    ir was the one who quickly opened her phone to check and there was a message from Master Fushi informing them that she had found the secret hide-out.


    "Fuck. Had I seen this before, I would not have had to do all this."


    ir was justifiably angry it was her fault for not checking her phone. It seemed like Master Fushi had not sent the message to everyone. And it made sense as well since ir was the only one who checked her phone regrly.


    Keith quietly powered his phone off so that he would not be caught by ir. He had just checked his phone, only to notice that he had received the message from Fushi as well. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Let us not let ir find out about this. It will be better for my sanity and my wallet. Mainly for my wallet.''


    "Now then, what has happened had happened. Let us not think too much about it and focus on the task at hand."


    Shimi tried to interfere but she backed away once she faced ir''s eyes. ir looked ready to murder someone and Keith knew she would be cranky.


    But before Keith could say anything, the cave started shaking, and they had to brace themselves.


    "What is happening? Is this an earthquake? But there was no prediction for such a thing."


    Shimi recalled as she fell to the ground. She quickly tried to walk but it was too difficult. The shaking was getting worse and worse.


    Keith was only able to not lose his bnce because he had formed shields around him that were squeezing him in ce. Otherwise, he would have been the first person to fall t on his face.


    It took some time for the shaking to stop but it finally did. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once that happened.


    "Man, what was that? I do not think I have seen such a strong earthquake in my life"


    irmented as she pushed herself to stand up. Master Shinzou was also leaning against the wall after he had been taken off guard by the quake.


    "We should check it out. This shaking was unnatural and it cannot be allowed to continue. Otherwise, it will tarnish the reputation of our guilds."


    Keithmented as he donned his ''Grandmaster'' persona. For the first time, Keith was not afraid to go in and fight.


    He had Master Shinzou and ir on his side. Shimi and Master Fushi were also strong assets.


    But most importantly, he was able to use defensive skills so he would be able to take care of it.


    As their party moved deeper and deeper into the cave where Master Fushi had left their phone, they noticed something weird. It only struck Keith what was wrong once he was in front of the rock entrance.


    "This cave is unnaturally bright. It is night outside, right?"


    It was much more evident in the part of the cave they currently were in. No light should reach this ce but it was still brightly lit.


    "Yeah, that is true. I did not notice it until now. No wonder something felt off about this ce."


    ir agreed as she pressed the small entrance open. She disappeared into the rock first before everyone else followed.


    It opened in a grasnd with tall trees and a lot of sunshine. It was too bright in this ce and it was overflowing with nature.


    Keith was about toment more about this ce when he heard the sound of loud footsteps heading his way.


    Everyone in the party tensed as the familiar presence of the Fenrir beast headed their way. It had sensed ir''s presence and he wasing after her.


    "Should we run? Or should we fight? What should we do now? Grandmaster, I will follow as you direct me to do."


    Even though Master Shinzou said that he was already posed ready to fight. His mana was surging, and Keith was suddenly confident that they could win this fight.


    And then it was all damped out by ir and her worried yell.


    "I do not think we will be able to win in this unfamiliar environment since Fenrir beasts are invulnerable to mana attacks. We will need to restrain it physically and then cut its head off. But be careful because it is blood is also poisonous. I studied these beasts so I know."


    Usually, a kid''s words would beughed at by the adults and not taken seriously. But no one dismissed ir''s words because they knew how much she studied and took care of her research.


    "So, what should we do now? Should we dig a hole and kill the beast that way?"


    Shimi asked with a questioning look. But ir looked like she had a n.


    "No, we do not need to dig a hole. I have a better idea than that."

 Chapter 124 124: The Dwarf Treasure [Pt1]

    ?


    Master Fushi had followed the kidnappers into the cave but she had lost them after that. Now she did not know where she was going in the cave and it was too big to feel their presence.


    There was also a weird kind of energy in the cave that made Master Fushi nervous to step carelessly anywhere. She would rather keep herself in one ce.


    But she needed to move and find the Fenrir she was here for. She did not want the Grandmaster to worry or toe to such a shady ce when Master Fushi was here to do his dirty work for him.


    She was a little too lost in her head to notice that the ground she had stepped on was a little harder than before. It was not until she felt something pushing her leg up did, she notices that something was wrong.


    "Hey girly, be careful where you step. You almost broke this man''s head."


    Master Fushi was confused when she heard the voice call out to her. She could not see anything or anyone when she looked around the first time.


    "Hey girly, look down. You dare to step on this Great one''s head and now you even ignore him? Humans sure have a lot of courage nowadays."


    Master Fushi jolted back with a surprised expression on her face. She had not expected herself to have stepped on a dwarf of all things.


    The small male dwarf was dressed in heavy jewelry and fancy clothes. There was no kind of fault on his small face and Master Fushi was surprised to see him.


    "I am sorry for stepping on you. I will be more careful next time."


    Master Fushi apologized before she went back to her search. She did not have time to be looking around when it seemed like the Grandmaster woulde looking for her anytime now.


    She needed to find Fenrir before that happened so that she could save her party some trouble.


    "Hey girly, what are you looking around for? If you tell me then I might be able to help you out. My kind has lived on thisnd for eons. I am sure I will know what you are looking for."


    The dwarf offered Master Fushi and she was a little hesitant to take that offer. No one wanted to help others for free and especially not when they had been harmed by the first party.


    Master Fushi was sure that this dwarf was no different than the rest of the people she had met before.


    "Hey, are you not being a little too cautious of me? I did not harm you yet and I even forgave you when you stepped on me. You need to let go of your caution if you do not want to offend me."


    The dwarf caught on to Master Fushi''s hesitation and he did not look pleased. But he also remained calm which helped Master Fushi rx.


    She blinked once, then twice before her nerves calmed down and she allowed herself to think rationally. It was also then that she realized that this man was right.


    "I am sorry. You are right. I should not be too hard on you since you have not tried to harm me yet. But sometimes, habits are hard to ignore and that was what happened to me as well. So, please help me out in finding what I want."


    Master Fushi often came across as a hard and unbendingdy. She was someone who held onto her morals and never let them go even when she had nothing left.


    But many people did not know that she came from humble origins. As such, she knew when she needed to back down and ask for help. And this was certainly the time for Master Fushi to not be stubborn.


    The dwarf looked pleased with the gentle and respectful tone Master Fushi had used with him. He rubbed his long beard and pretended like he was thinking hard about his future decision.


    "Hmmm, now what should I do? Should I help you out since you asked so politely? But would it be alright for me to do?"


    The dwarf still pretended like he was not going to help and Master Fushi waited patiently for his answer. Finally, the dwarf sighed and let his beard go.


    "Alright child. You can ask your question since I have decided to answer you."


    The dwarf agreed with a haughty expression but the delivery of his words made Master Fushi smile in amusement.


    "I was looking in this forest for a Fenrir. Do you know where I can find it?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Master Fushi watched the dwarf go from rxed to tense and cautious in a single second. Whatever progress she had made with the dwarf evaporated in a second as soon as she asked that question.


    "No, I will not help. You are looking for that cursed thing! Do you have a death wish? You might be suicidal but I am not. And I think it is time for you to go."


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® The dwarf certainly knew a lot of things about the Fenrir beast. That was why he looked hesitant to answer Master Fushi''s question and was dodging her eyes.


    She had a feeling that she would never see this dwarf if she allowed him to escape now.


    ''I am sorry Mr. Dwarf. But if it is something I need to do for the grandmaster, then I will do it without hesitation. You will not be able to stop me or make me back down.''


    Master Fushi quickly raised her hand and the dwarf was picked up by small circr beings made up of water. The dwarf tried to struggle but it was unable to escape her grasp.


    "Now then, I think we have a few things to discuss regarding the Fenrir beast, Mr. Dwarf. Surely you will not keep me waiting around for much longer."


    Master Fushi had a scary expression on her face that made the Dwarf gulp down in nervousness. He wanted to look away from her but the water droplets holding him up will not let him go.


    This human was a powerful one and the dwarf had not expected to be caught by her.


    *cough*


    "S-So, what do you want to know? I was joking when I said that I did not want to help you before. Of course, I will help you out with my best capabilities. But maybe letting me go first is a good idea?"


    The dwarf requested but he was only pulled closer to Master Fushi as she sat down on a broken tree bark.


    "Of course, I will let you go. But first, please answer me. Where can I find the Fenrir beast and how can I capture it?"


    The dwarf paled as soon as he heard the questions. His body was shaking in fright and he looked like he was ready to cry. His ck eyes met Master Fushi''s determined ones.


    "You want to know where that cursed thing is? It is wherever its prey is and you will know by the apanying mayhem it creates. Like that one."


    The forest shook and the sound of explosions reached Master Fushi''s ears mid-exnation. The dwarf looked pale as soon as he heard the explosion and he looked up.


    The forest had smoke rising from far away. A fire seemed to have broken out on the other side of this forest and the dwarf was mortified to see this. His home could be affected by such a thing.


    "T-The forest? What is the Fenrir beast doing to my forest? How dare he do this to me? Does he have no regard for this great one? Why, I ought to teach him a lesson and-"


    The dwarf was angry but before he could curse the Fenrir beast anymore, he was picked up by Master Fushi.


    "Hey human, what are you doing? Where do you think you are taking me?"


    The dwarf asked as he tried to break free from the binds of water. But Master Fushi just held on to him tightly.


    "Oh! We are going to meet the Fenrir beast so that you can ''teach'' it a lesson. Was that not what you wanted to do?"


    Master Fushi asked and the dwarf gasped at her audacity to tell him what to do. This human was too bold and fearless. And the dwarf was sure that it would lead to her demise sometime in the future.


    "H-Hey, look out. And if you want to take the Fenrir beast on then follow behind me for a minute. I will help you find a weapon that can take the beast down."


    Master Fushi stopped running as soon as she heard the dwarf''s words. It did not seem like the dwarf was lying about the weapon so she decided to take the gamble.


    The dwarf led her to a small clearing in the forest. It was a ruin with a single coffin lying in the middle of the debris. And it had a wooden stick in the center of the carter.

 Chapter 125 125: The Dwarf Treasure [Pt2]

    ?


    "What is this? A wooden stick? Do you expect me to take care of that Fenrir beast with a wooden stick like this? I can just st it with my mana until it is dead, right?"


    Master Fushi did not have an unlimited supply of mana but she did have a lot more than a normal person. She was sure she would be able to injure the beast if she did her best.


    But the dwarf looked at her like she had gone mad. He did not have the same expectations of Master Fushi as she did.


    "Are you out of your mind, woman? Do you even know what a Fenrir beast is? It is a familiar of the fallen god, a being so twisted that it had gone far beyond human understanding. Magic or mana will not affect it. You will have to purity it and that is where this weapones in."


    The dwarf exined as he poked the staff in Master Fushi''s arms. Then, he tugged the sword out of her hand and held the long stick. It was too long for him to weirdfortably but blue mes covered the stick when he did.


    Slowly, they melted the stick into a sword that was light and easy to use.


    "Here, try touching it for me."


    The dwarf handed the sword back to Master Fushi but it went back to a stick as soon as she touched it. It was useless for her to be its wielder.


    "Hmm, another failure it seems. This is the sword of a god and only those who had the bloodline of gods can wield this sword. You will need to find its wielder if you want to kill the Fenrir beast."


    Master Fushi was surprised when she held the stick. Now that it had transformed recently, she could feel the way it tried to suck her mana.


    But Master Fushi was notpatible with the sword and it was not letting her wield it.


    "I understand what you want me to do but right now is not the time to be looking for its owner. Right now, I need to go back to my guild members and save them. Here, hold on to this. I wille back to find you once I find my friends, alright?"


    Master Fushi gave a small tracking device to the dwarf and made a promise toe back. She would do anything to keep her promise.


    The dwarf looked at the small and round device he was being handed by Master Fushi. He took it in his hands without much hesitation.


    "I see. So, you are sure you wille back? In that case, you do not need to wait around any more. You should head back before the Fenrir beast decided to be a problem. The sun does not set in this ce so the beast is always ready to kill."


    The dwarf spoke and Master Fushi nodded in thanks. Then she was off to find her group and deliver this sword to them. She would make sure the beast was killed and taken down.


    ........


    "No, we do not need to dig a hole. I have a better idea than that."


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Since ir had been the one to n everything out, she was also the one who decided to be the bait to lure out the Fenrir beast. It also helped that she was the one the beast looked most interested in.


    She currently ran through the forest and toward theke in the center of the forest. She needed the beast to be submerged in water before she could freeze it.


    While magic did not work on this beast, the forces of nature were different things. They were the bi-products of nature that even the gods could not avoid.


    And Fenrir beasts were a being of warmth and fire. It would not be able to function in extremely cold environments unless they were specifically altered for such a thing.


    *bark*


    The huge dog-like beast was following ir and she noticed theke in her line of sight. She used her mana to walk on water and ran across theke. The beast followed suit; its paws not touching the water at all.


    "Shimi, do it now."


    ir yelled as she ran further and further away from the beast. Shimi followed her actions and her wind swiped beneath the Fenrir beast''s paws. It caused his magic to be unstable and it fell into the water.


    It tried to get up but a strong barrier stopped its first attempt. Keith hadyered the barrier and Master Shinzou reinforced it by sucking the warmth out of the surroundings. It was something he could do as a fire user.


    "You have tormented enough souls. Now, rest eternally for your sins."


    ir whispered to the struggling beast before her magic surged and it began to freeze the water. The wholeke was a big cier in a matter of seconds with a huge ck body stuck in the middle of it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    They all had managed to take down the huge beast.


    "Well, looks like I will have to give up on this material for the time being. It was too dangerous for us to engage with."


    ir sounded disappointed but d to be alive at the same time. It had been a big decision for her to let the beast go after she had managed to catch it.


    "Hmm, I am sorry for this beast but it did try to kill us. So, I guess we are even in that sense now. I just wish it was a gentler soul and did not torment us as such."


    Shimi kneeled in front of theke to prey on the tormented soul that was the Fenrir beast. It was something that the elves did when someone died in their circle.


    Once she was done, Shimi got up as well and picked up her purse. Their group was about to leave when the sound of ice breaking reached their ears. The mass of ck had gotten up again and it was growling in anger at them.


    The red eyes of the Fenrir beast looked mad with anger and disappointment. It wanted to kill and destroy someone. And Keith was sure he was the first one the beast was aiming for this time.


    "Grandmaster, watch out."


    A stick attacked the Fenrir beast and Master Fushi flew toward the best. The stuck was embedded into the Fenrir beast''s side as Master Fushi took a step in front of them to protect them all.


    "I hope I am not toote?"


    Master Fushi looked relieved to see all of them in good health. They all had managed to avoid being crushed by the Fenrir beast.


    The beast roared again and raised his massive paw to crush their party but Keith created a barrier to protect them. Master Shinzou took this opportunity to grasp the stick sword stuck inside the Fenrir beast.


    It gave off a weird energy and its mana was testing his resolve. He was almost sure he could hear the sword ask him ''what he wanted to do with his power.''


    ''Isn''t it obvious? I want to help the Grandmaster and my guild flourish. But even more than that, I want to protect people and their dreams. That was what drove me to this position."


    It was such a simple yet strong dream. It was also one of the toughest paths to walk and Master Shinzou knew it. But he was not willing to back down orpromise on his hopes and dreams.


    The sword in his hand heated up after it received his determination. It was vibrating with power before it turned into a me.


    The Fenrir beast howled in pain as it was forced to burn from the inside.


    It took a step back and forced Master Shinzou to pull the sword out of its body. And the wooden stick was no longer a wooden stick.


    It had transformed into a beautiful ming sword with red and orange all over its body. Its me felt different from mana and just picking it up gave Master Shinzou a rush as he had never felt before.


    He felt drunk and sober at the same time. The power was making his head spin.


    *Grrrrr*


    The Fenrir beast growled in anger, wanting to end this fight before it could be killed off. But the weapon scared him a lot.


    How could a human control the powers of the gods? There was no logical exnation for what was happening before the beast''s eyes.


    "Shinzou, stop ying around. If you can end this, then do it right now."


    Shinzou heard the Grandmaster''s voice and the mes in his hand felt irritated at themand. The fire was reckless and free. It consumed everything in its path to make way for new life.


    It was not going to be bound by anyone but its wielder.


    ''No, I need to follow the Grandmaster''s orders. I need to get a hold of these mes before something big happens.''

 Chapter 126 126: The Dwarf Treasure [Pt3]

    ?


    The mes were getting bigger and bigger by the second. Shinzou''s hand was getting sweaty because of the heat but the mes were not burning him.


    ''A little more. I just need to endure a little more and I will purify the Fenrir. But wait, don''t I need to capture it alive?''


    That useless thought circled Shinzou''s head and he lost his hold on the me. It caused them to weaken and the Fenrir beast started to regenerate again. The sword was also sucking him up dry at this point, and he knew he could not ignite it again.


    "Master Shinzou, what are you doing? Don''t let go of the sword."


    Shimi cried out as soon as she noticed the abnormal decrease in the me size. It drew everyone''s attention toward the diminishing mes in front of them.


    "I know. But if I press any harder, then this beast would die. What would happen to Grandmaster''s research then?"


    "Master Shinzou now is not the time to think such useless things. Take care of the problem before us first and then think about the research."


    Master Fushi had her priorities straight but Shinzou hesitated even after she said that. All this time, the Fenrir beast was gaining more and more power. The weakened mes did not hurt him anymore and he was able to stand up again.


    Seeing this scene, Keith knew he had no choice but to step in. But he doubted words would be enough to offset the guilt Master Shinzou would face in the future.


    He braced himself and gulped his nervousness down as he walked toward the Fenrir beast and Master Shinzou. Therge, ck, dog-like creature growled menacingly and Keith flinched. But he kept on walking until he was just behind Master Shinzou.


    "Do not worry about unnecessary things. Some things are meant to be dealt with above everything else."


    ''And hurry up with the killing. I cannot take this nervousness anymore.''


    Keith ced his hand on Master Shinzou''s shoulder. There was a brief spark before Keith felt his energy being drained. The earring he had been hiding was burning Keith''s chest.


    "Grandmaster, what is going on-"


    "You both need to get away. This is dangerous."


    "Shit! The sword is resonating with something. But what can it be resonating with?"


    Different voices entered Keith''s ear and they exited just as quickly. He was not able to make head or tail of what was being said around him. His ears were ringing with a bell sound.


    ''He¡­hehehe¡­hehehehehe''


    The creepyugh was making Keith''s head hurt. He was not able to focus his eyes on what was happening.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright? Respond to me and say something. Please do not be this unresponsive."


    The voices were too far away from him. Even if Keith wanted to hear more from them and chase after them, it was not possible for his current self.


    "Gosh! Give thed some time to recover. He just resonated with the power of gods and his body must be out of it. What kind of wacky individual does one have to be to even get a glimpse of the other world?"


    Now that voice sounded new. Keith was sure he had never heard it before and a weird coldness filled his body at the unfamiliar touch. He was finally able to drag himself out of the sleep he had fallen.


    Keith wanted to stretch his body so that he would be able to rx his body. But his reflexes would not allow him to be anything but proper. It was such a headache for him.


    ''Ugh, what a nightmare it is for me. But what even happened here?''


    There were worried faces all around Keith. Shimi especially looked close to brawling her eyes out at any second.


    Keith took it all in before he realized the presence of an unknown creature in front of him. The small form was a dwarf. But Keith was not sure if this world had dwarfs. Had he ever seen one in the game?


    "What are you gawking at, you youngling? I swear, the human gets ruder and ruder every year. But enough of that. Are you alright now,d?"


    The dwarf asked Keith and Keith instantly regained his dignified posture back.


    A dwarf or not, the Grandmaster could not be allowed to look undignified and caught off guard.


    "I am alright. I do not need a ''creature'' to care for my health."


    Keith tried to be as mean as possible and offend the dwarf. He was sure that his words had enough biting edge to them to convince anyone. But the dwarf looked unimpressed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Well, you are free to think what you want to. But I am interested in knowing how you managed to synchronize with a god''s artifact. What kind of secrets are you hiding behind that human facade? Are you even human?"


    The dwarf questioned as he drew closer to Keith.


    It took Keith everything he had not to step back from the small creature. He was not intimidated by the dwarf at all.


    "Where do you think you are stepping? You might have helped us out but do not think we will allow you to threaten our Grandmaster."


    Shinzou stepped in the way of the dwarf, cutting the line of sight between Grandmaster and the dwarf. Keith was thankful for his support but he also knew he needed to take charge.


    Especially with the knowing way that dwarf was looking at him.


    "Do not worry child. I will not eat the one you are trying to protect. I am just going to observe him to see that nothing is wrong with him."


    The dwarf addressed Shinzou and looked behind him at Keith. Before anyone knew it, the dwarf crossed Shinzou''s location and was in front of Keith.


    Small hands took hold of Keith''s hands and he felt a weird energy moving through his body. It reminded him of the coldness that had brought him out of his mirage.


    "Hmm. Interesting. How very interesting. You are struggling to survive in this world and looking for a way back, right? Then, struggle with all you might and do not let go."


    "But do not fear death even if you try your hardest to run. Death is just the beginning of something new."


    "And whatever you do, do not trust the words of the gods too much. They will never be your allies."


    The dwarf spoke but Keith had a feeling that the dwarf was not the one who was speaking. There was a weird static energy surrounding the dwarf that made Keith nervous.


    His instincts were asking him to pull back. This was not the first time he was feeling this uncertainness but this was the first time he was feeling this so strongly.


    "Hey, how long are you going to keep a hold on the grandmaster''s hand? Even I am not shameless enough to keep holding on to him this fiercely. Watch your manners, why don''t you?"


    Shimi decided she could no longer wait around for the dwarf to lose his hold on Keith. She hit the dwarf hard on his head and he stumbled.


    The energy he was emitting fizzled away in an instant and he was swearing.


    "Hey, watch it. I am a delicate being and you cannot hit someone as great as me so openly. The gods will not sit ideal and allow you to"


    "Oh, and where are these gods of yours right now? Let us see if you will be hurt first by me or I will kill you first."


    The dwarf fell quiet after Shimi''s threat and he hid behind Master Fushi.


    Meanwhile, Keith was still trying hard to shake his uneasiness off and he was too unbnced to unweave the situation.


    "This is enough."


    Keith suddenly raised his voice just an octave and everyone fell quiet. No one wanted to anger the grandmaster.


    *cough*


    "The young one is right. We should not fight among ourselves and we should also not mistake our small win for an overall victory. It will not take long for these dangerous humans to send another Fenrir after us."


    "Why don''t you alle with me back to my vige for now? It will give you a ce to recover and to also rest your bodies."


    The dwarf offered and Keith sensed no malice in his voice or his actions. The dwarf looked sincere in his words and that was why Keith decided to take him up on his offer.


    "Hmm. I guess it is an appropriate measure to take for the time being. We stillck critical knowledge of what is happening here. A reckless action can cause us to lose our advantage."


    Everyone listened to Keith''s words with a fascinated expression. Only ir and the dwarf looked amused at his big words.


    Keith pretended like he was not affected by their looks but he was dying on the inside. His whole speech had been embarrassing for him to recite.

 Chapter 127 127: The Dwarf Village [Pt1]

    ?


    "Wee to the vige of the dwarfs. I know it is not much to look at but I hope you enjoy yourself here as much as you were doing it outside of here."


    In the end, the dwarf ended up leading them to a small opening in a remote tree. From outside, it looked as if the tree branch had fallen hollow and it had nothing inside. But once you entered the hole, you were transported into a different space.


    Small dwarfs were running everywhere. Some took notice of them and stopped running while the others simply kept on running around, not taking notice of them at all.


    It was a nice atmosphere for a ce that was hidden so well in the forest. Just being in this ce made Keith feel rxed. It was as if nothing could get to him in such a ce and he was feeling much more rxed.


    ''This is a nice atmosphere. I wonder how long it willst. Nice things neverst long once they meet humans such as himself. And this ce seemed like no exception.''


    Keith knew very well what happened in the games when a supernatural ce like this was in human territory. It was a disaster for everyone involved.


    "Are you sure we cane in? This ce looks very nice and I do not want it to face any trouble because of us."


    Shimi and others were thinking the same thing as well. The only one who stepped inside with confidence was ir but she was not fully human so that did not count.


    "You people are thinking too much. Nothing is going to happen just because we found this ce. For all we know, we might not be the first people toe in here at all."


    ir spoke with confidence and that was what caused everyone else to consider her words as well. Finally, they all decided to walk in with confidence and enter the clearing.


    As soon as they did, small and big dwarfs began to pour out like rain. They looked at Keith''s group with interested eyes and started to approach them.


    "Human."


    "There are humans here."


    "Big people. So scary."


    The dwarfs were curious but they were also cautious. They kept their distance from Keith and others while approaching them at the same time.


    Keith found the situation a little weird but he decided to not think about it too much. He did not need to worry about these dwarfs and their associations too much.


    Especially not when he would be out of here soon enough.


    "Kids, back off. Do you not remember what I said about approaching humans so freely? You do not want to be in trouble, right?"


    The kids looked a little worried and freaked out. They instantly backed off, almost as if they were burned by the dwarf''s words.


    The dwarf who had led them there coughed into his hand and looked at Keith''s group with an apologetic expression on his face.


    "I am sorry for the enthusiastic little ones. They did not mean to offend you, people. They are just a little on the edge right now is all."


    The dwarf was being polite suddenly and it was raising rm bells in Keith''s mind. He suddenly wanted to back away slowly and not think too much about it.


    "N-No, it is alright. It was not your fault that these kids are such a handful. And kids are great so I do not mind."


    Shimi quickly assured the dwarf to show that it was not his fault the kids were such energetic things. But she was also the only one who seemed happy or even satisfied to see kids. No one else liked the people bugging them.


    The dwarf noticed this and dropped the topic. The less that was said about this, the better it would be for everyone involved.


    *Sigh*


    "For now, let us head toward the ce where you can rest. We can discuss the restter once we have got you a little settled into your beds."


    The dwarf promised as he led the group toward the only building that looked to be made in their size.


    Keith was surprised to see such a practical home in the middle of a dwarf civilization.


    "Do not look so surprised. We, dwarfs, were not always such an isted race. Believe it or not, we did have a lot of human neighbors once upon a time before things happened and we were forced to go into hiding."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The dwarf replied as he noticed the looks of surprise on his visitor''s faces. It always amused him to see such a thing in people.


    It was not often that their civilization got visitors. Most people had forgotten that their race even existed at this point.


    "So, what happened? Did the human just stop visiting you suddenly one day? Or, was there any other change?"


    Master Fushi asked the question Keith wanted to ask. There was so much to unpack in this world and the origins of MMO had never touched on these things. The more Keith looked, the more secrets he was able to find.


    "Change? Oh, nothing. Our god just went mad and the other gods decided to cast him aside. As a result, our race was made to go into hiding and never be seen again. It was what things came down to."


    The dwarf''s words were calm but no one missed the tense undertone he was keeping in check. The dwarf was not happy with what he was saying but he did not want to offer the humans who had shown him kindness either.


    Keith noticed this and he instantly signaled ir to interfere.


    "By the way, how do you people maintain your vige? Where do you even get your food when there is no other civilization nearby? What about other necessities."


    ir quickly changed the topic from the gods to public amenities. Keith could see that the dwarf was d at the change of topic as well.


    "Hmm, we manage to get by on our own for the most part. But sometimes be a little problematic for us from time to time. But we are the children of the forest and it provides everything for our needs."


    The dwarf assured, now happy to forget everything that had happened in the past few minutes. He did not want to talk about upsetting topics with the humans.


    Keith allowed the dwarf to speak for the time being as he looked around the forest.


    Hidden behind the bushes was a temple, Keith. There was a tug of powering from the inside and Keith felt the need to chase it.


    Thankfully, ir stopped Keith before he could take any unnecessary steps and cause a problem for the other party.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright? What are you looking so hard at? Is there something out in the forest?"


    ir asked the question, now looking in the direction Keith had been looking at. But unlike Keith, she did not spot anything.


    When Keith looked back at the spot he had just been looking at, there was nothing there as well. It was an empty mass ofnd and nothing else.


    ''Huh, was I mistaken? Or, did I see it wrong? What is going on here?''


    Keith rubbed his eyes as he tried and failed to notice what was happening. His brain was not working at its full capacity today and Keith needed to snap out of his delusions if he wanted to maintain his peace.


    "It was nothing. Let us continue moving."


    Keith shook his head to get the unnecessary thoughts out. But he did it subtly so that no one else would be able to tell.


    The only ones who noticed this were the dwarf and ir. And the dwarf seemed interested in Keith. The way his ck eyes looked at Keith seemed almost as if they were looking right through his soul.


    "Here is the ce you can sleep tonight. Do let our people know if you need anything and they will try to provide it for you."


    The dwarf left them alone and Keith was somehow not surprised to see all the necessary items in human size.


    "Wow! For a ce that is in the middle of nowhere, it sure had nice pillows and nkets. Now, I do not know about you all but I want to go to sleep. I need my rest if I want my skin to look gorgeous."


    Shimiined before she took one of the rooms and dragged her necessities behind her back. As soon as she touched the bed, Shimi was asleep and out for the count.


    Everyone else shook their head at Shimi''s behavior. It had been expected of her to be rude and to consider her beauty above all. As such, she prioritized her sleep and no one could me her when they knew her this well.


    "Well, looks like we should turn in for the night as well."


    ir said and dragged herself into her room as well.

 Chapter 128 128: The Dwarf Village [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith twisted and turned in his bed as he tried to sleep. But no matter how hard he tried to shut his eyes; they would just end up opening again. He was tired and agitated but he also pulled his body up.


    If he would not be able to sleep today, then he had no choice but to tire himself out so that he could sleep.


    So, in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep, Keith dragged himself out of the bed and went outside. The cool breeze of the night was making Keith''s head feel empty and cool.


    His head was empty of any thoughts so he was easily able to make his way across the town. Before he knew it, he had walked toward the ce where he had seen the temple before. And the realization startled even himself.


    ''Why did I walk all the way here? Did my body unconsciously follow this route?''


    Keith was not sure what happened but he knew he needed to leave right now. The power that was guiding him was a weird one and Keith had a feeling he should not tangle himself with that power.


    He was about to turn back when he heard a bushed being pushed apart. He watched as the dwarf from before exited the shadows with a startled expression. But the dwarf rxed as soon as it noticed Keith.


    "Oh, so it is you. I did not expect you toe here chasing after but gods. But I guess it is impossible to hide your fascination with this ce, huh?"


    The dwarf asked as it noticed the forgotten ruins of a temple behind Keith. It was a tragic fate that had fallen the poor ce.


    "This temple-"


    "Used to belong to our fallen god. Believe it or not, this was once a vibrant ce full of life. And then our god was framed and killed by the people and we were driven out of our homes. As a result, here we are now."


    The dwarf spoke in a mncholic voice. If Keith had to guess, he would say that the dwarf was remembering something from the far past.


    But before Keith could ask the dwarf what was wrong, he was ushered back to his home.


    "You should not be here, little human. The gods are vengeful, even the fallen ones. And they do not like their things to be tampered with."


    Keith unconsciously found himself grasping his earring. He had borrowed it (stolen it) from a god''s domain as well. So, did this mean he was cursed now? Was he going to die soon?


    The dwarf likely noticed his actions and decided to put Keith''s demons to rest for now.


    "You should not worry too much about your current artifact. It might be godly but it has no attachment to its previous owner. The sword yourpanion is wielding thought¡­that is a different story."


    The dwarf warned and Keith found himself rxing.


    Master Shinzou was a tough guy who could take anything thrown at him while Keith was a fragile person at heart. Too much excitement and stress were bad for his heart.


    "By the way, you lead Fushi toward the sword knowing it was cursed, right? Why would you do something like that?"


    Keith needed to ask the dwarf. He did not want to keep on second-guessing himself about wanting to trust the dwarf or not. He did not have enough mental power for such a thing.


    "Hmm, why did I lead that female human to the sword you ask? Because she looked serious about fighting the Fenrir beast. A familiar of a god, even a fallen one, is not something humans should get tangled with."


    The dwarf warned Keith without missing a step. But Keith felt his insides twist and turn in anxiety about that warning.


    "I see. So, the way to fight divine power is with divine power?"


    Keith asked and the dwarf nodded.


    "Precisely. Well, unless you want to make a contract with the devil, using diving powers is the only way for one tobat a god. But as tempting as it may sound, never make a contract with the devil. Even the gods were not safe from that temptation and fell to disgrace."


    Keith had nothing to say about it. Things about gods and devils were not something in his domain of expertise.


    All he wanted to do was to rest and forget about this encounter. He just wanted to go back to where he hade from.


    "We are here. I hope you have a nice sleep."


    Keith opened the door but the dwarf was not done yet.


    "I know I said things to you the first time I met you child but I can no longer remember them. It is my divine power that forced me to say all those words and I hope you would consider them in the future."


    Keith gripped the handle on the door tightly.


    He remembered what the dwarf had told him - to never forget what he wanted and to always seek a way home.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Do not worry. I have no intention of forgetting my true purpose. That is what my life depends on."


    Keith left the dwarf behind without waiting for an answer from the dwarf. He had a feeling that he would regret it if he heard anything more.


    "Grandmaster, what are you doing up? Do you need my help with anything?"


    Master Fushi asked him with a worried expression. This was an expression Keith saw on her face for the first time but he was not in the mood to be entertained.


    "Do not worry about me. I will be going to sleep now."


    Naturally, since a lot had happened, sleep was difficult for Keith to achieve. He was tired and stressed when he woke up the next day.


    The sun was shining brightly in the sky but that was nothing new. In this ce, the sun never set so you could not use it as an indicator of how much time had passed already.


    So naturally, when Keith went down, he did not know how long he had slept. The only one up was ir and she looked freshened up.


    "Wow, you are up early. You only went to bed four hours ago."


    irmented as she sipped on her coffee. It wasical to see a child drink from a cup half her size. And the coffee finished in a single gulp.


    "I was not able to sleep wellst night. But I do not want to talk anymore about it."


    ir shrugged as she noticed Keith''s sour mood. She did not want to ask him any questions regarding his mood and Keith did not want to answer them either.


    They were both tip-toeing around the main topic.


    And of course, the others decided to wake up at the given time as well. They all looked freshened up and ready to go out.


    "So, what are we doing today? Are we going to look around for the bastards behind this whole thing? Man, I sure am ready to take care of the problem here."


    Shimi looked pumped up. Her face wasyered in makeup and other essories and she was also dressed to impress.


    Frankly, Keith had no idea where Shimi managed to find such fancy clothes and make-up but he was too tired to ask her these questions.


    Master Shinzou and Master Fushi arrived on time as well.


    Now that everyone was here, it was time to go out and take care of the problem. But as soon as they opened the door, the dwarfs stopped them from moving.


    There were a lot of them and they looked at Keith and his group with wide eyes.


    "Are you going to drive the awful humans away from our home? Are you going to help us out?"


    "Are you messengers of our god? Did he send you down here to help us out?"


    "Wow, you all sure are tall and huge. How can I get like that as well."


    Dwarfs looked at them like they were celebrities and Keith could see Shimi and ir enjoying the attention. Master Shinzou was looking around for any promising student while even Master Fushi had a soft expression on her face.


    The only one who did not find the situation amusing was Keith.


    "We shall see what we can do."


    The dwarfs widened their eyes at Keith''s words and he was taken aback by their sudden enthusiasm. Their sparkly and hope-filled eyes were too much for Keith to take.


    "I think you will need someone to guide you through the forest. Please allow my kids to be your guide."


    The vige leader stepped forward and Keith noticed that he was the same dwarf who had led them to their vige.


    Behind him were two younger-looking dwarfs. From his words, Keith could guess that they were his kids.


    "These two will guide your group around since it is easy to get lost on the way out. I hope your journey bears fruits in the future."

 Chapter 129 129: We Were Fucked Over [Pt1]

    ?


    The two dwarfs looked excited at the thought of leading Keith''s group outside of the forest. One of them looked especially eager to have this opportunity while the other dwarfs looked envious of the main two.


    "Follow along with us and we shall take you out of here."


    "Yes, follow along with us. It is easy to get lost in the forest so follow along with us for now"


    Both dwarfs had a simr tone of voice that made it difficult to guess who was the speaker. But Keith was not as put off as the others looked by this new development. He had gotten used to thinking of thisnd as weird long ago.


    "Then, we shall leave our destination in your hand."


    Keith wanted to give a small bow of gratitude in front of the dwarfs but his body refused to bow down. In the end, he could only confidently stand in front of the dwarfs with a hollow expression.


    He looked at the group in front of him and many of the dwarfs flinched because of his harsh re. Those who did not were also a little taken aback by the intensity of his eyes.


    "Good luck on your journey. May your efforts bear fruits in the future."


    Keith nodded as soon as he heard the head dwarf''s words. He was bracing himself to not notice the curious looks the other dwarfs were shooting him and hispanions.


    The two dwarfs stepped through the tree hollow first and then Keith and hispanions followed. They were thrust into apletely random part of the original cave forest. It was impossible to tell where they were.


    As expected, the sun was shining high up in the sky and its radiance shined upon the wholend. It made Keith squirt his eyes in difort as he watched the sun shine brightly.


    The dwarfs looked used to it as well and they waited for the others to gather themselves.


    "Are you alright?"


    "You both look to be in pain. Is it alright with all to stand in the sun? Should we look for a shelter?"


    The dwarfs questioned with an impatient and worried expression. Both dwarfs had an impassive face when they looked at the party.


    Shimi waved her hand as she tried hard to gather her thoughts. She was the one who could not take the sun the most.


    "We are all alright. I am alright and before you ask - we humans are not as fragile as you think we are. So, it would be better for you not to question me about our health. We will tell you if we have a problem or something."


    Keith nodded along with Shimi''s words and the dwarf twins finally looked like they understood what was wrong. One of them smiled his hollow smile that creeped Keith out.


    "Oh, I see. So, you humans are not as fragile, huh? That is good news to know. It will help us out tremendously in the future."


    Keith had a feeling he should not look too deeply into what the man had said to him. He did not want to appear as a paranoid person after all.


    "This forest was a blessing from our lord, and of eternal youth andfort. It was a ce of productivity with a never-ending light that shined more brightly than anywhere else."


    "But the other gods did not like it when our god was praised. They were jealous and wanted to boot him down from his position. So, they plotted against him."


    "Not only him but the other beloved gods as well. It was a bloody bath for a long time when the gods fought. This earth became fragile as well."


    "To protect us and the world, our god made a deal with the devil. But that caused his body to break and his divinity to go out of control. And that was also what caused him to fall and be a fallen god."


    "But the dwarfs and the people here could never forget our god. They continued to pass down the legend of our god from generation to generation. The presence of our supreme deity also did not fade away."


    "It is believed that our god woulde back one day. He would be just as magnificent as he ever was and that would be when a new beginning for us begins."


    The dwarfs exined, alternating between who spoke and when. It was the most Keith had ever heard of a god being mentioned.


    He looked toward ir to see her reaction but she showed no reaction to what was being spoken. Her disinterested expression told Keith that she had no intention of listening to these people talking anymore.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Not only that, but she had also stopped paying attention to the sob story.


    "Ah, that must have been sad. I cannot say I rte to your story but I do understand that your people had a hard time. But is not isting yourself from society a little too much?"


    Master Fushi questioned the intentions of the dwarfs with a suspicious expression. The story had sounded fishy to her but she could not put her fingers on why she felt like that.


    There had been nothing wrong with the story itself but it still felt like something was missing from it.


    She looked toward the people surrounding her and they seemed to think simrly to her as well. These dwarfs did not give anyone a safe vibe with their words and actions.


    "Isting ourselves? Oh no, we are perfectly happy to live how we have. It is our devotion to our god and our ideals. There is no way we are unhappy with the oue of such a thing."


    Keith looked at the dwarfs and their easy expressions. They wholeheartedly believed what they were saying. There was no doubt in their heart and expression.


    It was creepy but heartbreaking at the same time to see. It also made Keith a little emotional to know that these people were conditioned to think in this manner.


    ''What an awful thing to happen to these people. But at the same time, my instincts are telling me not to pity them.''


    "I think this location would be safe enough for you to get out of here from."


    "There are no hunters in the vicinity and the vige is also far. You will have no problem helping yourself from here on."


    The dwarfs spoke but there was something viscous in their tone. Keith did not feel safe as soon as he saw the dwarfs. His heart gave a painful lunge as he noticed these dwarfs backing away from him.


    "Hey, what are you doing? There is no need for you to back away from us with that scared expression."


    Master Shinzou yelled suddenly, realizing that the expression on the dwarfs'' faces was not normal. The feeling of paranoia he had been feeling all this time just became worse and worse for him.


    "Worried? Oh no. We are not worried in the least. We are ted to see you with us and to know that you trusted us enough to follow us here. This tells us that our efforts were not in vain."


    "You were able to ignite the sword of our lord, so you also have divine blood inside you. Our lord had been waiting a long time for you to arrive so that he could take his revenge. And the time had finallye."


    The dwarfs raised their hands and up and their eyes glowed. They also looked eerily like each other now.


    "Now, our great hound,e forth and bring these sacrifices to our lord. Make us proud and help us bring our lord back."


    It was toote by that point to realize that something had happened. The space behind their group distorted and out came a huge ck being that looked familiar.


    It was the Fenrir beast Keith and thepany had defeated before. But this one was not safe. Keith could tell that this beast was much more powerful and meaner than before.


    "Y-You people? Did your leader not save us from the beast before? Why are you trying to kill us now?"


    Shimi asked with a justified tone and a horrified expression on her face. She was not trying to point fingers but she was really scared this time.


    The mighty power this beast let out from its body was crushing and it was also making everyone''s head spin.


    Yeah, this one was no good and it would be a pain to get rid of this easily.


    "We never saved you. From the beginning, our kindness was a way to make you people lower your guard. We had a feeling you would be able to control our lord''s sword and you did. Now you only need to be the sacrifice needed to wake our god up and we can all live a happy and fulfilling life together."


    Keith gritted his teeth when he heard those words. He realized that they were fucked over by these dwarfs.

 Chapter 130 130: We Were Fucked Over [Pt2]

    ?


    This Fenrir beast looked wilder than the first one. Its huge body was swaying in front of Keith''s eyes and he suddenly felt afraid for his life.


    He and everyone else in his group as well. The Fenrir beast was a menace to deal with and a vision to behold. And when it picked up its body on its back legs, it looked even more menacing.


    ''Shit, this is bad. I do not think I will be able to stop the attack easily.''


    But Keith knew he had to try at least. He was the only one here who had a chance here. Well, he and the sword in his hand but that was a different case.


    The sword was not showing any signs of waking up. So, it was not going to be of any help to him in fighting against these monsters.


    ''Ugh, such a mess this is. Ouch, it hurts so much.''


    Keith raised the barrier in time for the beast to release his magic. The two collided and the divine power caused Keith to develop some cuts and rashes as a result.


    And those cuts were deep. They were embedded into Keith''s face and on his body. He was even beginning to bleed because of all the cuts. But since he was the grandmaster, he could not make himself show the pain and flinching movement.


    He needed to hold himself still and not move an inch. Moreover, the bleeding had to be hidden and his hands needed to not shake.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright? Did that thing hurt you in any way?"


    As expected, Master Shinzou was the first person by his side. He looked at the giant blob of ck in front of him with hate-filled eyes. But the Fenrir beast seemed to not mind.


    It looked ted at seeing Shinzou''s rage-filled expression. It licked its ws in satisfaction as it was able to breach the barrier. Its yellow eyes gleamed at Keith with a sinister look.


    Suddenly, it turned toward Shinzou and decided to try its luck with him. Shinzou ducked in time as the huge w passed over his head. It was a close call for him to face.


    The beast followed with the swipe of his ws, trying to get Shinzou but it was not able to get to Shinzou in time. The master was far too agile for the beast to kill in one swipe. But the beast did not care for him for much longer.


    It changed the target from Master Shinzou to Grandmaster once it noticed its targets were distracted.


    "Shit, I will not make it back in time."


    Shinzou yelled as he took out his sword. It was still a wooden sword and he had no idea why it was not breaking out into mes as soon as he touched it. The feeling he had gotten from the sword thest fight was missing.


    Keith raised his hand and poured even more magic into his shield. But it was of no use as the dog in front of him kept on canceling his powers out. He had to keep a hold on his powers if he wanted to not overload his body.


    The ck dog grinned its vicious smile back at Keith and he was suddenly reminded of the sinister feeling he had before. The dog was too powerful against them.


    Now, Keith had all but one n against the dog - to use elemental powers and not magic against its resistant body.


    "Everyone, get out of the way. I cannot do what I want if you keep blocking my surroundings."


    Keith yelled and the people around him quickly got out of the way. They looked at the giant ball of light that wasing right at him and braced themselves. It was going to be a massive hit to his nervous system.


    But he was still determined to push through it.


    ''I will not let this cause me any problems. I need to endure this one hit and things would somehow work out.''


    Keith did not know where he got all this confidence from but he was determined to see things through. He raised his hand and the fire burned him badly. He flinched but it was hidden in the smoke of the after-fire.


    Even his lungs were parched and smoke filled his insides.


    ''Ouch! It does hurt a lot. I cannot believe I was forced to experience this humiliation in front of everyone.''


    Keith''s mind was a mess and his hands were charcoal ck. But despite all this, he stood tall and maintained his form upright. He was a model representation of being ''unbothered.''


    "GRANDMASTER! How dare you go after him like that? I will show you what a big mistake you made when you came after him."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Suddenly, the sword in Master Shinzou''s hands lit aze but he was too angry to notice it. The orangish-red was rising higher and higher in the sky and Shinzou panted as his mana was being sucked out of his body.


    He swung his body down in an arc and the stream of light cut through the Fenrir''s body. The mass of ck was too stunned to do anything but take that attack. The stream of white separated its torso from its body.


    "Oh my! It was real. The legend was real. Finally, after so long we have the light of the savior in front of us. Now we shall not suffer any-"


    The dwarf was killed in a single sh and the other one followed. It took only a second for this matter to resolve and Keith was left blinking.


    His body was burning and he was panting harshly but he was d to be alive and unharmed for the most part.


    ''I-I survived.''


    Keith pulled himself together as soon as his heart stopped beating as fast as it was. He had managed to live despite having such a poor reaction to his nearing death. He was so d he had managed to survive this long.


    "You all have no right to stand in front of the Grandmaster after trying to almost kill him. I will not allow you people to live your life freely."


    Before the other dwarf could take a step out of the line, the sword cleaved his head clean as well. Both dwarfs were not able to do anything against Shinzou.


    "You did well. If you had not killed those traitors, then I would have killed them anyway. It is nice to see them get what they deserved in the end."


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief, now suddenly d that these people were on his side and not against him. He would not have been alive otherwise.


    And now that he could breathe a sigh of relief, he was also realizing just how powerful hispanions were. They truly were worthy of being called the ''Final'' boss of this world with their aura and magic ability.


    "Master Fushi, there is no way this small of punishment was enough for these people. They needed to get a good pounding and be tortured to the end of their lives. And even then, there is no way they should be forgiven."


    Master Shinzou was burning with rage and bloodlust. His mood could not have been any worse than it already was.


    ir looked ufortable with what was happening and she mouthed for Keith to take charge. He had no choice but to go forward and console Master Shinzou.


    "Master Shinzou, you already did what you needed to do. The dwarfs are dead already so you do not need to vent your anger out on the dead."


    Keith ced his hand on Master Shinzou''s shoulder and he instantly calmed down. All the anger drained out of his body once Keith was done consoling him.


    "Yeah, you are right. It was my mistake to give these dwarfs an easy death. Next time, I will make their deaths as painful as possible-"


    Just as Master Shinzou finished speaking, Keith noticed a very important thing in front of him.


    "The body of the Fenrir beast is missing. What do you think happened to it? Did it evaporate? Or did it dpose?"


    ir noticed the same thing he did and she sounded even more surprised than Keith.


    "You are right. The body disappeared right before our eyes and no one noticed. Do you think it is the work of something supernatural?"


    Shimi asked with an excited expression. She was the only one with the child-like innocent left to think about such a thing.


    Everyone else knew what had happened.


    "Someone whisked the body when we were not looking. Now things are bing messier and messier for us."


    Master Fushi sighed as she looked at their situation. And it was beginning to look grimmer and grimmer by the second.


    This whole mission, from the start to the end, was looking like one giant trap they could not leave.


    "Should I try burning the forest? Those cowards will have no choice but to show themselves if I did that."

 Chapter 131 131: Escape And Capture [Pt1]

    ?


    After much talking and trying to convince Shinzou not to do anything weird, it was time for Keith to start moving again.


    Whatever had taken Fenrir''s body was currently in the forest and keeping an eye on them. And they did not even know if it was a human, a demon, and a dwarf. It was a tough situation to be in for real.


    "I will go and check our parameters. You all should wait here for the time being for me toe back."


    Master Shinzou was confident when he spoke and he also moved swiftly without waiting for a reply or confirmation from the other people in his party. It was not like Master Shinzou would be stopping Shinzou so there was no need for him to hesitate like this.


    "Master Shinzou sure is like a gust of wind. He does what he wants to do without waiting for our input. If only he had listened once in a while, I would have told him that he was leaving the wrong way."


    Master Fushi pointed out as she watched Master Shinzou leave. Keith only sighed and shook his head at what was happening before him. And then he decided not to pay attention to this matter anymore.


    "So, should we look around as well? Or keep on moving?"


    Shimi turned toward Keith to ask this question. Since he was the grandmaster, he was the most appropriate choice to ask this question. They all trusted his judgment (even ir to an extent) and Keith coughed into his hand to hide his difort.


    It was a little too much for him to bear so much on his shoulder. If anything went wrong, then it would be on his shoulder to bear.


    "For now, we keep on moving. Master Shinzou would somehow find his way back to us."


    Since Keith was the grandmaster, he could not openly say that he trusted Shinzou. But his actions and words meant the same thing. And everyone else knew that as well.


    "Somehow, I am jealous of Master Shinzou right now. He managed to get praise from the grandmaster for his reckless words."


    Master Fushi''s voice was low but her words were clear. She sounded envious of what was given to Master Shinzou. Everyone here really adored the Grandmaster.


    "Enough gossiping around. It''s time for us to leave."


    Keith took the front while Master Fushi took the rear. They both were vignt as they kept an eye out for any trouble. But so far, nothing seemed to be wrong. And for that reason, Keith could not allow himself to rx.


    Suddenly, there was a snapping sounding from the surrounding forest. An unnaturally tense silence followed that sound. There was someone dangerous in the forest right now and something was trying to follow them.


    ''Shit, this is not good for us. Someone is following us. Should I ask someone to check this noise out?''


    Keith''s mind was running a mile per second. He was sure he could hear footsteps following behind him. But he was too tense to check the sound out.


    Luckily, he had some capable team members that decided to check the situation out themselves. Master Fushi did not even need a signal to go after the noise.


    For a minute, nothing happened. There was no noise or indication that someone was in the forest. All one could hear was the tense silence of the surroundings before Master Fushi walked out of the shadows of the forest. She had an unconscious body being dragged behind her as she walked toward Keith.


    Then, she threw the body in front of her with a calm and bothered expression.


    "Since he did not want toe with me calmly, I had to take drastic measures to ensure he came with me. I hope you do not have a problem with my decision, grandmaster. For the record, I did try to be calm and talk things out. But it did not seem like a possibility anymore."


    Master Fushi''s calm expression made Keith frown. She was far too calm after just having knocked out someone.


    "Should we wait for this thing to wake up first? Or, should I just forcefully wake it up? Grandmaster, what do you think I should do next?"


    Keith looked at Shimi with a calm expression but he flinched from the inside when he heard her words. For such a sweet-looking Lady, Shimi sure had a meanness inside her. The way she was looking at their capture target was already too poisonous.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The poor unfortunate soul decided to wake up at the wrong time. His weakness caused everyone to look at him like sharks smelling blood in the water.


    "So, care to tell us why you were following us around? And an introduction would be nice as well in the meantime."


    The poor man gulped down his nervousness as he looked at his capturers. He had not expected himself to be in such a situation. But now that he was, he could not help but speak against his situation.


    "Ugh, would you believe me if I said that this is all a coincidence? I did not mean to stalk you people but you were just there when I started taking a walk? Yeah, I did not think you people would agree with me."


    The man retreated with a flinch when he noticed that three tall and one small figure was giving him critical looks. But since things hade to this, he decided that it would be a better alternative to try and run away.


    Keith noticed when the man took out a small sh bomb. But before he could call the man out for it, the sh bomb was already going off. As a result, no one was able to see anything for a while and they had to close their eyes.


    When they opened their eyes next, the forest was empty, and their target had managed to run away.


    "Fuck, this is not good. We let the obvious suspect behind the body snatch get away. What should we do now?"


    Shimi questioned while smacking her hand against her palm. She was angry and concerned about what happened.


    But while their group was busy thinking about what they should do next, someone else had found the escapee and managed to capture him.


    Master Shinzou was done with his round but he had not managed to find anything of significant importance. As a result, he was a little more than annoyed. So, when it came time to meet someone in the forest, Master Shinzou was not able to stop himself from taking the man down.


    He did not know when and how his fist met with the unknown man''s face. But he did know that he had an unconscious person in his arms.


    "Oops, I did not notice when I knocked a person out. But I guess I have no choice but to take him back with me now. It would not be too much trouble for me to take care of one more human while I am at it."


    Unknown to the unconscious man, he would, once again, find himself in the middle of the group he had tried to run away from. And this time, he would not be able to run away in time.


    Master Shinzou came back to the group with a man on his back. He looked calm but his small action caused everyone else to look back at him with fascinated wonder.


    "Here, I identally knocked him out when I wasing here. I hope you do not have a problem if we take him along with us as well."


    Master Shinzou dropped the unconscious body on the ground and Shimi gave a dramatic gasp.


    "T-This person! Why did he try to run away if he was going to end up back here anyway? I cannot believe the audacity of this man."


    Shimi spoke with a clear pointing finger.


    "Alright Shimi, now calm down and take a deep breath. What are you going to do about this man once he wakes up? Are we going to question him? Or, are we going to let him go? Grandmaster, what do you think we should do?"


    Master Fushi asked, now turning her attention toward Keith and he coughed to hide his difort.


    He did not want to decide, especially when it affected a human life but he sure did not have much of a choice in this matter. He needed to maintain his position as someone cold and uncaring.


    "We shall wait for what this man has to say for himself when he wakes up. Once I hear him out, then I will decide what to do with this man. Until then, continue how we were doing things until now. Master Shinzou, keep on carrying the man with you, and do not let him escape."


    Master Shinzou looked alert suddenly and their group started walking once again. And then the man on Master Shinzou''s back woke up.

 Chapter 132 132: Escape And Capture [Pt2]

    ?


    The man woke up slowly. He was not sure where he was but he did remember someone knocking him out and then picking him up. He needed to be careful of his surroundings and make sure he was safe before waking up-


    "Oh, so you have woken up already? There is no need for you to hide like that. We can feel the change in your heartbeat as well as breathing pattern."


    The blond elf of the group pointed out and the captive opened his eyes to look at her. He instantly recognized her from the group which he had tried to avoid and run away from.


    It seemed like somehow the man had ended up returning to where he had run away from. And now he was sweating because of this reason.


    ''Hmm, seems like a big problem. But wait! Who is carrying me right now? I can see everyone in the group walking behind me.''


    The captive man could feel a strong shoulder carrying him but he had no recollection of any such person being in the group.


    "Well, now that you are awake, should I put you down? We do need to ask you a lot of questions and depending on your answer, we may or may not let you live."


    The captive gulped down his saliva in fear and took a final look at the group. It did not seem like they were lying to him or trying to scare him. It genuinely seemed as if they were making an everyday conversation. And that was the scary part for him.


    "Shinzou put him down now. It is time for us to start questioning him."


    The man who had been carrying the captive instantly dropped him down and the captivended on his butt. He caressed it to make it feel better but the pain did not go away. If anything, it seemed to increase.


    ''Ouch. I am sure I inured some important part of my body during the fall.''


    The captive flinched as he stood up. He looked at the group in front of him and his brain shed with some kind of knowledge.


    ''Hey, these people sure do look a lot like the people from the guild. Especially the one in the middle. He looks so much like the grandmaster''s described appearance that my mind nked. But surely that is not-''


    "It does not seem like this person is interested in answering us, Grandmaster. Should I make it so that he is never able to speak again in his life?"


    The man who looked too much like Master Shinzou spoke those words. What was worse? He lookedpletely serious while he spoke.


    And it was at this moment that the captive decided he needed to beg for his life. He could not allow himself to be killed off so easily.


    "I-I am sorry. H-Hey, listen to me before you make any decision. I am not a bad or harmful person. I am here from the government''s side because government officials were worried about this ce. You cannot kill me off."


    The captive suddenly spoke up, highlighting his importance in front of everyone else. He looked a little more confident after everyone went quiet when he spoke.


    He knew that guild had an on-and-off rtionship with the government that caused both sides to avoid each other as much as they could. But they still respected each other and-


    "Grandmaster, forget about interrogation. Allow me to kill this man right here and now for sullying our ears with that annoying voice."


    Master Shinzou took a 360-degree mood as soon as he heard that the person in front of them was from the government office and not from any information agency.


    There was a story here that Keith was missing. And unfortunately, he did not have enough time (or privacy) to ask ir to rify for him. He would have to navigate this situation all on his own.


    "Everyone, calm down and listen to me. You, (pointing to the prisoner) need to exin who you are in a better manner if you want to live. Master Shinzou, Master Fushi, please stand down for now."


    Both masters looked disappointed at Keith''s words but they did back down once they heard Keith''s orders. But there was still a disinterest in his voice.


    The ''so-called'' government official gulped in fear as he faced Keith''s eyes. He was too scared and regretful for having epted this mission. But it was not like he had any other choice when this mission had been brought up.


    He had been in urgent need of money so he had taken this job. But he did not know he would run into the grandmaster and his minions along the way.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hurry up kid. We do not have the whole day to sit here and listen to you speak. We have much more important work to be doing right now."


    Shimi stepped forward with her harsh words and bad temperament. She looked beautiful only on the outside while her insides were a mess. And that was when the government agent broke down.


    "M-My name is Nufort Adams. You can look up my ID and social security number. S-See, I am harmless."


    Nufort tried hard to make himself seem as harmless as he could. He knew that his identity was kind of pathetic so he was hoping that he would be let go once he submitted it for inspection.


    Master Shinzou snatched his identity card out of his hands and looked at the card with a nk expression. For a second, nothing happened and no one replied.


    But then, Master Shinzou frowned and tore the card apart. Nufort could always get a new one but he did not want to part ways with his only current card.


    "H-Hey, what are you doing?"


    Nufort asked as he watched his card being destroyed in front of his eyes.


    "If you want us to trust you, then try not to bring up that you are from the government''s side. We will trust you, for now. But that does not mean you can bex and allow yourself to growx in your duties. Make sure you carry your weight."


    Master Fushi was the one who exined it all. Out of everyone, she was the one most calm and non-judgmental when it came to people.


    So being the pir of reason, it was clear to see why she had been chosen to exin it all to the man in front of them.


    Nufort was sitting in front of them with his jaw hanging on the ground. He could not believe what had just happened but it must not be a dream because he could still feel the pain in his body.


    ''I-I am alive. I am allowed to live for now.''


    Nufort considered himself as lucky that he was allowed to live right now. He was so happy that he allowed his worried expression to fall.


    A genuine smile broke out on his face as he looked at the people in front of him. They had been such a big help to him that Nufort could not even exin it all.


    "Before you get all sappy on us, remember that we are not doing this because we care about you or anything. It will get a lot more annoying if we killed a government official without notice is all."


    Master Shinzou ended the conversation right then and there. But the man he had been talking to did not seem to care much about it.


    Nufort was just happy to be alive and havepanions to travel with within this forest. He had not expected to have something like this when he had first started this mission.


    He caressed the promising ring on his finger, now suddenly a lot more helpful than before. He would not make his fianc¨¦ cry because of his death.


    "Oi, hurry up and start walking. And you better also tell us what the government found out about this ce. If you left anything out of your report then you will not be allowed to return it. Now, are we clear on this now?"


    Master Fushi asked the question and the man stiffened suddenly. The pressure that was being emitted out of nowhere was too much and Nufort was afraid that he would die if he spoke unnecessarily.


    It had been no wonder that all his seniors had indeed up running away with horrifying stories about the guild alliance. These people were too scared to be real.


    "A-Ah, yes. I do have something I needed to tell you people about this mission. You see, the government was not going to interfere in this situation unnecessarily but then there were too many reports of people missing."


    "And then a passing official reposted spotting a Fenrir beast in the making and the government could no longer ignore this situation. ording to research, the only thing this all could be leading up to is the creation of an artificial god. That is what the government believes in."

 Chapter 133 133: The Agent From The Government

    Nufort Adams was a child of fortune. It was safe to say that he had never lived a life that was difficult or full of hardship. Anything he had done hade easy to him and he had also been a man of big dreams.


    So naturally, when it came time to choose his future, he aimed big and tried to be a big shot in the guild.


    That was his first dose of reality. Far from being the best, it would be a stretch to say that Nufort Adams was even average in the guild alliance. He was someone who was constantly being upped by someone else.


    So naturally, it did not take long for him to decide that this field was not for him. He was simply unable to keep up with the growing power level around him and nothing else.


    He had realized that he was the frog of a small pond. He had yet to see the world and his new reality was harsher than he had even imagined. He could not take theparison andpetition in the guild.


    When it came time to change jobs and quit the guild, Nufort was more than willing and filled out the form. And he chose thest ce he would be found out by the guild alliance - the government sector.


    He feared that people woulde after him once he had quit his job and pester him for things he could not give.


    Even once his job transfer had gone through and Nufort was ready to settle into his new life, the fear of being called back by the guild did not disappear. He was often paranoid.


    Thankfully, his partner managed to pull him out of his slump and Nufort was able to put his past behind him. And that was how to be a better person overall.


    But that did not mean he forgot what happened to him before. He had joined the government sector. And neither had the people around him.


    When Nufort joined the government sector, he had not known that there was a huge sh between his new sector and his old one. As such, Nufort could not live a peaceful new life. He was constantly being harassed by people around him.


    Finally, this job hadnded on his desk and Nufort had taken it to ensure he would not be bullied anymore by people. Surely, if he proved himself then he would not be pressed for such matters?


    So, with that in mind, Nufort had taken it upon himself to enter the new job without hesitation. And he had been instantly hit with a wave of caution and danger. He hade down here for his fianc¨¦ but now he was doing his best to survive.


    Then the worst happened. Nufort had run into the guild members he had never wanted to see. And not just any guild members, the highest-ranking ones at that.


    Just like Nufort had heard, they had no mercy for the sick and injured. They expected Nufort to carry his weight and to follow them at their speed. They were not even slowing down for him to catch up.


    "Hey boy, I am sure the information you gave us was not all there was to it. The government is not such a nice body toe running after a fewints. So, something major must have happened to make them move."


    Master Shinzou summarizes easily and Nufort flinched. He tried not to let those words get to him but it was a little difficult.


    Especially when those words hit too close to home and Nufort did not want to admit it. To him, the government had been a ce he had run away to.


    No matter how bad or ugly the truth was, there would always be a silver lining in the government sector for Nufort. He did not want to hear it being insulted by anyone.


    "Do not say that. The government was concerned about this issue. E-Even if something big did happen, they were always going to take care of this problem for the people."


    Nufort''s lies sounded hollow to his ears. Master Shinzou and Shimi, both scoffed at his words. They did not believe his words and Nufort did not me them.


    "A-Anyway, it was said that the son of a highly influential family, Steward went missing while he was down here a few days ago. There is an order to find him."


    Nufort told the news that was being kept under lock and key. But he had a feeling it would not matter even if he told these people everything.


    Even now, they seemed uninterested that an important life was in danger or anything.


    "Ah, I know who *that* person is. Isn''t Frank Steward the current Minister of Revenue? Is the person someone rted to him?"


    The kid, ir spoke up suddenly. She sounded interested but bored with the conversation at the same time. It made Nufort blush because of mixed humiliation and curiosity.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Y-Yes, you can say so. I cannot tell you anything else regarding that since it is a national secret but I do know that the child went missing here so now we need to find him. W-Well, him, and everyone else who went missing."


    Nufort quickly corrected himself to not forget all the other people who were stuck there. He did not want those people to be forgotten as well.


    Somehow, no one seemed surprised or even curious at his slip of the tongue. The people from the guild just did not care about him or the government.


    "Hmm, good luck with that. We will not be able to help you for the most part so make sure you do not die."


    Master Fushi showed somepassion but her words were not reassuring. They were more of a curse to Nufort thanfort at any point.


    "I-I will try my best."


    Nufort felt nervous once he had all the eyes and expectations aimed at him. The attention that had oncee naturally to him was no longer what he carved or wanted.


    "Hey everyone, stop. I think we have reached the unknown territory. There is a weird feeling this ce is giving me. Be on alert and look out for any danger."


    ir quickly warned and Nufort''s eyes moved quickly toward the Grandmaster. He did not know why or how, but the green-haired man had managed to not attract his attention until now.


    But now that Nufort looked at the Grandmaster, he could not take his eyes off the powerful man.


    ''H-How did I not notice the Grandmaster all this time? I am sure I saw him before and I even made a note. I should have also realized that the Grandmaster was here when I saw both Master Shinzou and Master Fushi here. Then how, and why did I miss this?''


    Nufort was sweating suddenly due to shock and paranoia.


    He was sure his situational awareness was not this bad so how could he be in this position? Was it because he wascking so much?


    ''Or maybe the Grandmaster is such a huge existence that a mere mortal like me could never understand him. Yeah, that must be it. I am just thinking too much.''


    Nufortforted himself. He had always made excuses for himself so this part was no different. He knew how to keep himself from feeling the maximum amount of guilt anyway.


    "Hey kid, you do know that we will not protect you if you get captured or injured, right? You need to carry your weight here."


    Shimi reminded him for the third time in the past few hours and Nufort tried not to get annoyed with her.


    Despite a beautiful face and looking like an angel, Shimi''s mouth was anything but pure. She could tear you a new one quite easily and not even be in trouble for it.


    Worst of all, she could make you feel like it was your fault you were in the mess you were. Like right now. Shimi''s words made the man flinch and his face flushed in shame. He also quietly picked up his steps, not wanting to be a burden to this team.


    Nufort did not doubt that he would be let go the second he became a hindrance to this team. And that was what drove him to keep up.


    Nufort would have ignored everything and continued to walk behind this group, had his meter not beeped. But since it had and Nufort had been warned to never ignore it, he decided to pull it out.


    "WARNING! WARNING! DANGEROUS LEVELS OF MANA AHEAD. THE USER IS CAUTIONED TO TURN BACK NOW AND CALL FOR BACKUP."


    Nufort tried to calm down the device but it did not shoot up. In the end, Shimi grasped the device in her hand and it ended up cracking.


    "We do not need advice from a half-baked thing like this. We will be alright no matter what happened. After all, we have our Grandmaster."

 Chapter 134 134: A Uncovered Truth [Pt1]

    ?


    "We do not need advice from a half-baked thing like this. We will be alright no matter what happens. After all, we have our Grandmaster."


    Keith silently coughed to show his difort but he was ignored as always. He was half-d and half-annoyed to be ignored this tantly. But dd at being ignored. But he somehow managed to always remain calm.


    As expected, no one else but ir noticed his difort and tried to make him feel better. And ir onlyughed silently as she silently watched Keith suffer under the force of other people.


    "Shhh, I hear something up ahead. Let us not make any noise if we do not want to get caught."


    Master Fushi was ahead of the group. So naturally, she was able to hear what others could not with more uracy. Her senses were also sharpened with mana because she knew this forest was dangerous.


    And her practice finally bore fruit. She spotted the barely audible sounds in the forest surrounding them. But since she could, Master Fushi was sure she was not hallucinating right now.


    "What kind of sound are you hearing right now? Can you exin it in a little more detail so that we can also understand what you are trying to say, woman?"


    Master Shinzou replied as he also sharpened his sense to see what wasing their way. He heard the faint sound of breathing and he stilled. There was not one or two foreign breathing sounds, but a tone.


    It was enough to make Shinzou worry. He quickened his steps to appear in front of their group and to see what it was all about. And he was just able to see a hoard of ck in front of his eyes.


    He looked at the field in front of his eyes again, and the ck masses multiplied. In actuality, the ck mass of balls in front of him was small puppies who had yet to open their eyes and look at the world.


    In easier words, this was a Fenrir factory that was aimed to make more Fenrir beasts. It was a never-ending process for them.


    "Fuck, what should we do now? There are a lot of these bastards and I do not think we have enough resources on hand to take care of them all. Even taking out one was too much trouble."


    Shimi muttered as she finally had her first look at what was going on in front of her. And her expression of horror was given at that point. There were just too many beasts around them.


    Keith did not want to think about what would happen if all these Fenrir beasts matured.


    "So, the reports were true. These people were trying to make an artificial life form after all. I did hear about this but I never thought I would get to see this in person."


    Nufort spoke up and only realized that he had messed up once he was finished speaking. He was too afraid to look up after that.


    "Hmm, did you just say something, my dear friend? I thought you told us everything but now I can see that it was not the case. So, you better fess up whatever is left for you to confess."


    Nufort tried to look away from the eyes looking at him. But the more he tried to look away, the more he was forced to face the people around him. In the end, he had no choice but to sigh and open his mouth.


    "Fine, I guess I cannot keep it hidden any longer. I told you how young Master Steward was missing, right? Rumor was that he was working on artificial life and its implications. He was more into the process of reverse aging and such but you get it right?"


    "So, as soon as he was reporting missing, the higher-ups decided to not take any chance."


    Keith listened carefully to what was being spoken. This was truly his first time hearing all this. It was fascinating but not something rted to him.


    ''But I wonder if I can help go back home if I save this person. Likely not but it would not hurt to try.''


    "Grandmaster, are we going to help the government this time? I do not want to, but I guess it can be a good way to make those jerks own us one."


    Shimi did not sound happy that they would have to help the government officials with their matters. And her opinion was shared by most of the people in Keith''s group.


    The only neutral one was Master Fushi but it might be because of her cold and impartial nature.


    Seeing all this hostility being addressed toward himself, Nufort could not help but flinch and be taken aback. The more he looked at them, the more dangerous these people from the guild looked.


    How someone could look at them and not feel a tinge of fear was beyond him.


    "I-I am not sure if that is a good idea. Even if you people have quality, the government has quantity and it even has local support. Well, kind of."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was difficult to say if the government would be able to win a poprity contest when the opponent was the guild alliance but Nufort wanted to believe it would be a close thing.


    So, he tried his best to take things to sound reasonable. But so far, he felt as if he had done a horrible job at his exnation.


    "ir, what are the chances of us winning if we fight against the government?"


    Normally, Keith would not have cared much but he suddenly realized that the government has a lot of resources at its disposal. Resources, Keith was sure he would be able to put better use to.


    He could also find a way to go back home with them if he was lucky enough.


    "Well, if you fight against them alone, you will not get far. Against the guild alliance? The chance of winning is 100%. Government people are not strong, they just have a lot of resources at their disposal."


    ir replied with a calm face. She did interest in the dog fight that was about to break out in front of him. Looking at her made Keith want to take a step back from her.


    ''But still, let''s try not to anger the government this time.''


    Keith decided to take charge before a fight could break out. Coincidently, the second he stepped up to stop the fighting, the breathing pattern around them changed.


    Keith watched as a red eye opened and the ck-skinned demon stared back at him. The small Fenrir pup that was awake looked directly at Keith and stared into his soul.


    "-We do not need your funding. We have a lot of money-"


    "-but the government has support and-"


    The others were busy fighting but the Fenrir pup did not care. It was small (rtively bigpared to the humans) and jumped toward them and Keith managed to somehow raise his barrier in time.


    The Fenrir beast that attacked Keith was too young to know what was happening. So, when it rammed into the barrier, it did not know what it should do.


    The hurried moment attracted everyone else''s eyes and they also looked up and noticed the Fenrir beast.


    "Fuck, when did one of the pups wake up? I did not notice it opening its eyes. Did anyone else notice?"


    Nufort questioned as he held his fast-beating heart. His chest hurt after the Fenrir beast had rammed into the barrier at full speed.


    "Well, what else can we expect from a useless government official like you? Of course, our grandmaster noticed this and he managed to save us in time as well."


    Shimi taunted back with a happy and satisfied expression. Nufort looked back at Shimi with a ck-jawed expression in his eyes. He could not believe what he had just heard Shimi says.


    "Hey, your grandmaster is the amazing one, not you. Why do you sound so proud? It is not your achievement you are hyping up after all."


    Nufortmented after seeing how Shimi was behaving but his words caused Shimi to feel even more justified in her actions.


    She puffed up her chest and stood tall in front of Nufort.


    "Do not you know that the grandmaster belongs to me-I mean our guild? His achievements are our achievements so you can say that he is an extension of us. If you understood what I am saying, I hope you will not repeat ridiculous stuff like this. It lowers your ss a lot."


    Shimi acted and sounded entitled right now, making even Master Fushi and Shinzou angry at her actions. But Shimi did not care much for what they felt.


    She did not want this foreigner looking at her grandmaster with any kind of eyes if she could help it. The Grandmaster belonged to her and she could never let him leave.


    "Hey, you both can fight against each otherter. Right now, we have a monster to take care of."

 Chapter 135 135: An Uncovered Truth [Pt2]

    ?


    "Hey, you both can fight against each otherter. Right now, we have a monster to take care of."


    Master Shinzou''s sharp voice cut through the fighting pair like a knife through butter. His displeasure was clear on his face to see and it caused both Shimi and Nufort to take a step back.


    The blooming shadow of the Fenrir cub leaned over their bodies and the direness of this situation suddenly drew on them. They were wasting time-fighting each other. Their time could be better spent fighting the Fenrir beast.


    "Wait for a second. The government gave me something that might be effective against these beasts. Let me find my device in my bag."


    Nufort quickly opened his bag to look around.


    The fact that he was doing such a thing in the middle of the battle did not seem to register in his mind until the ground beneath his feet shook.


    "You idiot. Now is not the time to be looking around."


    Shimi scolded Nufort but the man was not paying any attention to her. It was time for Shimi to turn her attention elsewhere and protect herself from the Fenrir beast.


    But she also somehow felt responsible for distracting Nufort before so she decided to stopining and protect him for the time being. The Grandmaster''s barrier was finally down and everyone was ready to take on the beast.


    The pup growled with utter hatred in its eyes. It looked at everyone but its focus was on the Grandmaster.


    Its massive ws (for a pup) were raised and a sudden fire tinted them blue. The beast attacked and no one tried to counter that attack. Instead, they all got out of its way (dragged out in the case of Nufort) before the fire could touch them.


    That turned out to be a massive decision because the ground where that fire touched was burned ck. The ground itself seemed to have been decimated.


    "That is a massive bomb that we are being threatened with. Let us hope nothing worse happens to us by ident."


    ir looked at the ground but she did not sound shocked. There were many kinds of powers in this world and she knew better than anyone else how dangerous gods could get.


    "This is enough. Work! I said work, you stupid sword!"


    Master Shinzou took out the gifted wooden sword again and he tried to make it work as it had before. He wanted the mes to cover the sword and provide him with a power boost.


    But like before, the sword was dormant and non-responsive. His desire to make the sword work was of no use at all.


    He was sure that his desire had been the fuel to light the sword on fire before but the same thing was not working this time. Master Shinzou could not pinpoint what was wrong.


    "You all¡­. die¡­.and¡­.be eaten¡­."


    Keith was too busy surviving for the time being so he was startled by the sudden voice he heard. He was rough and barely used. It was even mixed with growls and pants, making one question if it was the humannguage at all.


    But the feeling one got from those words was rather heavy and angry. If Keith had to say, he would say that the words were covered in ayer of red aura that signified negative emotions.


    He looked around to see if anyone else noticed this or not but it did not seem to be the case. Everyone else, even ir seemed to be busy trying to take down the beast. If they did hear this weird speech, they did not show it on their face.


    ".... your¡­mana¡­. needed¡­. wake¡­up¡­. owner¡­"


    The thing kept on speaking and Keith had a sinking feeling that he was hearing the disjointed thoughts of the Fenrir beast. He wanted to deny the possibility but it was something that seemed more and more impossible to do.


    After all, there was no one else but the Fenrir beast left around them which was capable of such a thing. And the thought of some unknown entity speaking in such a manner to Keith and others was a little terrifying for him to think.


    ''Let us not think about it. Maybe I am too tired and now my brain is making shit up.''


    This will not be the first time something like that would have happened. Probably.


    The Fenrir beast had picked its target. And why would its target be anyone else but Keith? From the first moment the beast had opened its eyes and spotted Keith, it had shown nothing but anger and resentment.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "...you¡­Killed me¡­once¡­. will¡­not¡­allow that¡­again¡­cannot¡­die¡­"


    The beast yelled in an ufortable voice. Keith had to block his ears so that the voice did not hurt him. But in doing so, he left himself somewhat exposed to the iing attack.


    Keith tried to raise his barrier in time but the thing was flimsy at best and fragile at the worst. A single blow would have knocked the barrier down if not for the cry of triumph he heard.


    "Finally, I found it. It was such a small and difficult thing to notice."


    Nufort took out a small stick and broke it. Smoke and light filled the area but it was not ufortable for Keith or other humans.


    The Fenrir beast, on the other hand, recoiled and took a few steps back. It had blood pouring out of its eyes and its body was shaking.


    The sudden rush of fear and adrenaline that Master Shinzou felt at seeing the breast charge at the Grandmaster was enough to transform his sword. And he quickly used the mes to purify the Fenrir beast pup in front of him.


    "...not¡­the¡­end¡­will¡­be¡­back¡­cannot¡­be¡­killed¡­off¡­by¡­humans¡­"


    The Fenrir beast promised to Keith and he had a sinking feeling that bastard was right. After all, the Fenrir beast had managed toe back a few times. What was stopping it froming back even more times?


    Not to mention, they werecking the means to take down the monster.


    "Hump, see I knew the government knew what they were doing. This ghost-repellent light is useful for fighting inhuman things. Young master Steward invented them as well for our department to use."


    Nufort presented the small stick he had broken to the group. It was a small tube-like thing barely bigger than Keith''s finger.


    There were a few more in the case Nufort was holding and Keith''s fingers twitched to swipe a few off him for future use. Especially since it did not look like the Fenrir beast was going to give up.


    "We do not need your pathetic experiments. In the end, Master Shinzou was the one who purified the beast and sent it back home, right? So that means he is superior to any of your devices. Besides, your department is the reason these beasts exist in the first ce."


    Shimi quickly dashed all the pride and joy Nufort had been feeling until now. Nufort was suddenly red-faced but he tried not to let Shimi get to him.


    "O-Of not. These beasts and this technology to bring back souls existed before our department even studied them. If we did not study it, then we would not have the means tobat it like we did today."


    Nufort countered with a justified reply but Shimi looked far from satisfied with his answer.


    "If you people left this technology behind a secure lock and key, then most people would not even attempt to try this safely. Not to mention, there would be no kidnapping of people for personal gain. So, in the end, whose fault, is it?"


    Shimi countered back. Both Shimi and Nufort were egging each other on at this point and Keith very subtly tried to move his eyebrows in a way that caused his pain to lessen.


    He expected no one to notice him but Master Fushi did notice him. And she frowned as she watched the Grandmaster make a pained face. She did not want him to be in trouble or even be annoyed.


    "The one at fault here is the one who stole the technology which already belonged to the government. But the government is also at fault for not protecting the technology. But it does not matter who is at fault here, alright? So, break it up, you two."


    Master Fushi inserted herself into the group in front of her. She did not tell them that they were annoying the Grandmaster because she did not want to sound ridiculous but she also did not want them to continue in such a manner.


    "B-But it is her fault. She was the one who started this discussion-"


    "So not true. You are the reason I must start this conversation, so the fault lies with you and-"


    "Both of you will remain quite from on now. You are making my mood worse with your yelping and I will punish you both if you do not give me silence."


    Finally, Master Shinzou decided to speak up and that was the final warning for everyone.

 Chapter 136 136: From The Past [Pt1]

    ?


    "Both of you will remain quiet from now on. You are making my mood worse with your yelping and I will punish you both if you do not give me silence."


    These words were a bluff but no one knew it. Well, only Keith, but that was a different matter.


    Everyone looked startled to hear the Grandmaster raise his voice like this. Although it was a single octave, the impact it had on the listeners was massive. No one moved for a solid minute and looked at each other.


    "What the Grandmaster is saying is right. We can y the me gameter. For now, what we need to do is to ensure all these matters get taken care of."


    Keith was d that Master Shinzou had taken the burden off his shoulders. He did not want to be the object of everyone is staring at this openly.


    Now that everyone was focusing on Shinzou, Keith felt his breathing ease out after that. The sweat on his face was also beginning to cool down now. He was relieved that someone was taking care of the monsters in his stead.


    Master Shinzou raised his sword full of mes and let his thoughts and emotions sore up to the sky. The mes on his sword got higher and higher as a result.


    Before he knew it, the mes had started to spread around the forest and burn the ck masses in front of the group. They were all being disintegrated one by one in that me.


    "May all your souls find peace in the afterlife."


    Shimi prayed on the dying souls with her eyes closed. She bowed down in front of the dying bodies in the forest.


    "Dude, there are no sous in those bodies. They all are artificially cultivated to recycle the same soul again and again. No matter how much you pray, it will never be fruitful."


    Nufort spoke up, breaking the calm atmosphere and causing the mood to sour. He did not mean to make Shimi angry, he just wanted to state some facts. But in the end, it resulted in him being unable to stop his mouth.


    "You know what? I am not even going to bother correcting the kinds of wrongs that are in your statement. I hope you have a good time ahead."


    Shimi''s face went nk and she mped up tightly once she heard Nufort''s words. She was also angry but she decided to repress it all inside herself.


    Everyone watched the field burn with calm looks on their faces. But no one forgot what Nufort had said before - they had only destroyed the physical bodies of the Fenrir beast. The real problem had yet to be taken care of.


    Keith looked toward the forest which had fallen silent once more. He suddenly remembered that the real reports the Guild had received did not match the ones government received.


    Why had there not been any mention of missing people in the report submitted to the guild? Why only mention the Fenrir beasts?


    ''It is almost like someone knew we woulde down here if the ''Fenrir beast'' was mentioned in the report. So does that mean we fell into a trap the second we read the report submitted to us?''


    Keith''s intuition was not telling him much about this case. And the blindness of his association was making Keith worried and doubtful.


    Suddenly, the case seemed to have shifted tones again. He no longer knew what was going on with the case.


    .........¡­.


    In the deep parts of the forest where even beasts hesitated to take a step in, the silence was broken by the sound of leaves being crushed beneath a heavy body. The regr intervals of such sounds could only mean one thing - someone was walking through the forest at a leisurely pace.


    Suddenly, the scene changed to a wisp of ck running through the green. The shing lightning in the air produced a burning smell air.


    "What is wrong? Did someone bully you, my precious? Do not worry because I will take care of you from here on. From today, there is no need for you to worry about anything anymore."


    Gentle hands picked up the ck whisp and gave it a form. It condensed and formed a small, ck blob and then formed animal-like features. The sensation of the world was exined and a new form was being birthed.


    The first things this new being looked at wouldter be its master and a god.


    "Are you alright? It was a little tough to take care of you like this but I am d I am making an impact on your life."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The divine being extended its hand toward the small blob.


    "From today onwards, you are no longer a mere beast but a Fenrir beast that shall be beloved by all. I hope you will take care me for the years toe."


    The Fenrir beast looked at the divine one in front of him and felt affection bubble in its tiny heart. This was the start of a new life for the beast but it knew what it needed to do.


    It needed to take care of its master''s needs and to see if any physical needs were met in the end. The tiny being licked the palm in front of its tiny mouth.


    "Oh, you sure are an annoying one. Now hurry and get moving. We do not have a lot of time on our hands."


    Fenrir beast growled as it followed its new master. It could raise its head with pride and joy once again. There was no longer a need for a being without a purpose.


    The Fenrir beast spent a few minutes in bliss before it felt a soul-ripping agony take over its existence. Angry and dark hands clutched at the Fenrir beast, intending to cleave its body in half.


    "Did you think you will be able to win if you awakened my memories of the peaceful days? You have lived for a mere fraction of my life span. My pain! My agony! You think you can share it at all?"


    The divine being asked as it looked down at the Fenrir beast with the craziness in its eyes but the loyal beast was far from being outdone. It was not going to let anything take its master''s senses.


    Even if ended up having to save the divine being from his powers, the Fenrir beast was going to do it.


    Its sharp teeth bit the fallen god''s arm to make him let the beast go. But the beady and curious eyes did not move away from the god in front of him.


    "You are so faithful and you will do. Now hurry up and revive me back. Create a body for me and bring me more souls. Once you finish, we shall be going."


    The Fenrir beast growled lowly as it realized what it had to do. But it was too weak to do anything but follow the orders it had been given. Inside its heart, the Fenrir vowed to save its precious person.


    The Fenrir beast hung its head and got ready to start a new chase. Its master had asked for more tribute to be brought to the Fenrir beast was obligated to follow.


    Just as he was about to head out, the space shed around it. But the beast was too dejected with another rejection to notice it.


    "So, do you think the beast noticed that this is all an illusion and its ''beloved'' master is no longer in this world?"


    A voice asked and it caused the surroundings to part. A human face looked down at what was happening with a calm and nk expression.


    "I do not think the beast noticed that it is under an illusion. But it does not matter to us anymore. Focus on gathering ingredients and harvesting human lives. The rest will follow with time."


    The second and more intimidating voice reminded the other voice before they both faded away.


    The Fenrir beast did not notice it all happening as it lepta out of the bushed it had been hiding behind. The open fields greeted it and it roared in pleasure.


    But once the thrill of the battle had faded away, the Fenrir beast''s loneliness settled in and it started to walk around. It needed to find ways to capture more people.


    On the way outside, the smell of burning forest, as well as the scent of death, reached the Fenrir beast''s nose. It gave a threatening low growl and ran after the smell.


    It was sure it had felt these auras before and their presence was tainting the forest around him. The Fenrir beast refused to lose its home for any reason.


    But since it had died a few times already, it had no choice but to open its power receivers and make do with these intruders.


    Even if one of them had the authority to wield the god''s sword of purification, the Fenrir beast still refused to ept these humans into its territory.

 Chapter 137 137: From The Past [Pt2] [R-18]

    ?


    "Ugh, when will we be able to see something new? I feel like I have seen nothing but these trees for so long now. Should we head back to the dwarf vige at least? I remember the way."


    ir whined as she walked past another tree. It was all green around her and she was beginning to find this life rather monotonous. She wanted some fun and ir in her life. But nothing seemed to be happening around her.


    "I like this peace of the forest. It makes me feel like I am the only one here with the Grandmaster. So can you shut your mouth and not break my fantasy, ir."


    Shimi snapped with a rather hollow voice. She did not seem to particrly care about her tone but Keith had to admit that Shimi was being a bitch to people.


    Not only had Shimi fought with Nufort but also ir at this point.


    "Hmm, no I do not want to quieten down. Ah, finally. I can see the vige again. Let us hurry up and walk out of here. This one night was almost like a nightmare."


    Keith had to agree with ir there. The past few hours had felt like a whole week''s worth of action. He would not be surprised to know a lot of time had passed already.


    "We should all go back to our rooms and rest today. Tomorrow, we shall go back and raid the forest down. I am sure we will be able to close this case soon now that we have the means to do so."


    Master Fushi did not look tired but her eyes were dropping and blinking slowly. The excitement of the day had gotten to her finally


    Keith was about to fall asleep as well. Only his willpower and his training were keeping him awake right now. He was sure he could sleep right where he was standing without any problem.


    "Everyone, we shall meet tomorrow."


    Keith kept his words short and he gracefully (and rather quickly) fled to his room. The second his head touched the pillow; he was out like a light.


    But he was not able to escape that eerieughter he had heard before. It was taunting him and Keith found himself waking up minutester.


    He did not feel well-rested and his body was still heavy with sleep. But Keith''s brain and body decided it was time to wake up.


    He looked at his phone screen, only to notice that time had gone back. It was currently 30 minutes before the time he had gone to sleep.


    "Is this another dream? Or did my phone finally decide to give in? I do need to buy a new one so I guess it is time to go shopping. I did tell Shinzou I gave my phone away."


    Keith sighed as he looked at his beloved phone. If possible, he did not want to part from this model. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And keeping a faulty phone would cause Keith problems in the future.


    Keith got ready in record time. He washed up and did his hair perfectly. He could not afford to show hiscking self to the world after all.


    When he was about to open the room door, he was startled to see Shimi standing in front of his door already. And from the looks of it, she had been there for a while.


    "G-Grandmaster, you are finally out. We were getting worried when you did not show up outside your room for a whole day. We wanted to call you but then Master Shinzou said that you gave your phone away and we did not want to disturb you with our words and-"


    Shimi looked flustered to see the Grandmaster in front of her suddenly. All the words in her mouth were getting jumbled up because of her nervousness.


    So, instead of speaking anything else, she held out the food she had brought Keith in front of her.


    "A-Anyway, I know it is not my ce to remind the Grandmaster of his bodily needs, but I am worried about you. You have not eaten anything in a while so kindly have this food."


    Shimi had a few tes behind her and she presented them all to Keith. He looked at all the offered food with aplicated expression on his face.


    On one hand, Keith did want to take the offered food and let Shimi be on her way outside. But on the other, he also knew she would not leave so easily.


    ''Besides, I am quite hungry. I cannot believe I spent a whole day asleep and then thought that my phone had reversed time. Maybe I am still half-asleep right now.''


    Keith sighed and opened his room doors. He was inviting Shimi inside for now and it startled Shimi.


    Usually, this was a sign that the Grandmaster wanted more than apany from her. He wanted Shimi to service him and take care of his needs. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Shimi was d that something like this had finally happened. Her subus half''s hunger was beginning to get annoying. It had been so long since she had been sated.


    ''Phew. I am so d that I did not read the signs wrong. Grandmaster did want mypany. I wonder how good this new drug would work on the Grandmaster.''


    Look, Shimi knew it was immoral of her to drug the Grandmaster like this but she had been curious and unable to help herself. It had been a long time since she had been held by someone.


    And besides, Grandmaster was Grandmaster. He would simply not eat this drug if he was not interested.


    "Sit down for now. We shall talk once I am finished eating my food."


    Keith was unaware of Shimi''s tricks and he made the mistake of trusting Shimi''s good-will. He took one bite out of his food and could not help but feel as if something was different about this food.


    It was a little too spicy and weird for his taste. There was also a sour after-taste on his tongue which made it tingle.


    But it was nothingpared to the heat that was coursing through his body. It was burning his insides and making him sweat.


    ''I-What did I just eat? It is making me feel a little bad in the stomach. I do not think it was normal food.''


    Keith knew he had to stop now but he had eaten quite a lot of food by then. Whatever was mixed in with the food was causing him difort.


    "What''s wrong Grandmaster? Do you need my help with something?"


    Shimi asked with an innocent face. But Keith knew she was anything but innocent. She was the one behind his current condition. She was the mastermind and the reason he was in pain right now.


    ''Oh, so Shimi thinks she can feed me aphrodisiac and then act as if nothing happened? Who does she think she is?''


    Usually, Keith was a chill guy but his body was in a lot of pain and suffering right now. He was also beginning to feel irritated and he wanted to escape his skin.


    Shimi''s hand on Keith''s arm felt good and cooling. It was making his instincts back down and allow more of Shimi''s touch. And she seemed aware of the effect of her aphrodisiac on Keith as well.


    Her subtle grin looked satisfied as Shimi reached out toward Keith''s chest. Her hands made contact and rubbed down his chest in a suggestive manner.


    "Grandmaster, you need my help, right? Then, should I help you out?"


    Shimi questioned with a teasing voice. She was enjoying being the one in power and having so much control over the Grandmaster. But her dy annoyed Keith. He could not see why Shimi was being like this.


    But if Shimi was going to be like this, then Keith would make sure Shimi was treated like a slut as well.


    Shimi''s body was all but leaning into Keith''sp. Her face was close to his own but the rest of her body was folded up rather nicely.


    Keith ces his hand on Shimi''s shoulder de and she looked surprised to see his action. But it was before Keith pushed her to lean down and Shimi went down without much fight.


    When she opened her eyes, she was faced with Keith''s semi-hardness she had been daydreaming about.


    "You are a slut. You wanted this to happen to you, right? That is why you came in here in such an open manner and with that specific kind of food. Now hurry up and get to work."


    Shimi''s mouth watered as she took a single lick of Keith''s hard, cloth-covered cock before opening his pants.


    The huge cock smacked her in the face but it only made Shimi even more excited. Her mouth worked the hard cock up and down but the Grandmaster gave no indication of him noticing her work.


    ''I need to do better. I will make Grandmaster forget everyone else in his life.''

 Chapter 138 138: From The Past [Pt3] [R18]

    ?


    A hot and wet tongue licked Keith''s cock and made him wet. It was difficult to keep his expression neutral and pleasure-free when someone was sucking his cock with such expertise.


    But Keith''s nk face was a marvel. It did not show how much pressure the rough tongue was giving him.


    When Shimi looked up at his expression, all she was saw cold indifference. She was startled to see such a nk look and that fueled her drive even more.


    She opened her mouth to take Grandmaster even deeper. She had been with the Grandmaster enough times to know he was not an easy man to please. Shimi would have to do better than this.


    She took more of the Grandmaster into her mouth and was about to swallow him deeper when there was a knock on the door.


    ''Shit, someone will walk in on us.''


    Now, Shimi did not care much about her reputation but she did care about the Grandmaster''s. She did not want anyone pointing fingers at him for anything. So, Shimi decided to do the most intelligent thing ever - she ducked beneath the table.


    Keith watched it all happen with an annoyed and numb expression on his face. His body was still boiling because of the aphrodisiac he had been given. But Shimi''s sudden move put Keith in quite a bind.


    "Grandmaster, may Ie in? I need to talk to you about something important and-"


    It was Master Fushi at the door. So, as much as Keith did not want to entertain her, he felt like he should hear her out.


    "Alright,e in."


    Shimi was startled when Master Fushi was asked toe in. In hindsight, there was no need for Shimi to hide like this. She had done nothing worth hiding about.


    But she had allied her instincts to take over and now she was waiting for Master Fushi to go away from under the table.


    "Grandmaster, are you feeling alright? I can see that you already ate. That is one less worry off my shoulder."


    Master Fushi took a seat on the other side of the Grandmaster on the table. The clothe hid her legs as well but Master Fushi''s back was straight and she sat on high alert.


    Keith observed her with a nk expression on his face. But his hardness had yet to go down. His excitement was not lessening, no matter what he did.


    "I do not need insignificant people like you to worry about me. If the only reason you came here was the say this to me, then you should leave now."


    ''Leave and let me fuck in peace.''


    Thest part was said in Keith''s mind as he snapped his foot against the ground. He did not want Master Fushi to find him and question him regarding anything.


    "Grandmaster, I-"


    Keith''s irritation spiked up a bit and Shimi decided to make her move. The Grandmaster had not bothered to close the zip on his pants. His cock was still free and wet beneath the tabletop.


    Looking at it gave Shimi a brilliant idea. Her mouth was feeling hollow and parched. It wanted something solid and fulfilling to weigh it down.


    And Shimi decided she wanted to suck the gorgeous cock in front of her. Her lips closed around the clock and suck it in front of the other female.


    Shimi could not see the grandmaster''s face but she somehow knew that it would be nk and not show any of the pleasure he would be feeling. But if Shimi could make him break his facade with pleasure, then it would be worth it.


    She was willing to do anything to achieve that.


    Keith flinched as soon as he felt a wet tongue making its way all over his cock. It felt good and his cock was leaking pree.


    He had never been into public sex, but the thought of someone walking in on him while jerking off into Shimi''s mouth was a little erotic.


    "Grandmaster, are you listening to me? It felt as if you got a little lost in your thoughts there. Are you sure you are alright?"


    Master Fushi leaned forward as well and her face neared Keith''s. But before their faces could touch, Master Fushi pulled herself together and flushed.


    She looked troubled and conflicted when thinking about what she had been about to do. She looked down toward the table.


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat as soon as he realized what else was down there. Shimi, with her mouth sucking Keith''s cock, was sitting directly down the table. Master Fushi''s impassive gaze almost felt like it could look through the table.


    It should have been a terrifying thought to be caught, but for some reason, it made shivers go down Keith''s spine. There was a thrill in his body and he felt chills when he thought about being caught fucking.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Grandmaster, your face looks a little flushed. Are you alright?"


    Master Fushi dared to rest her palm on Keith''s face and Shimi also chose this time to lick across his cock head. The double stimtion caused Keith to buckle his hips just slightly.


    Shimi''s mouth was already full of Keith''s penis and there was no more space left for anything.


    So, when Grandmaster decided to buckle his hips into her mouth, she could not help but choke for a second and tightened her throat around him.


    Keith felt the hot and wet feeling all around his cock. Shimi''s mouth was pulsating around him and trying to pull his orgasm out of him.


    Meanwhile, Master Fushi was trying hard to figure out what was wrong with the Grandmaster. But nothing she knew matched his symptoms.


    "Master Fushi, go and inform the others we will be gathering in about two hours and to be prepared."


    There was something heavy in the grandmaster''s voice now. It made Master Fushi feel even more worried about him. But she decided to follow his words in the end. The Grandmaster knew what was right and what was wrong for him.


    Once Master Fushi was gone, Keith could not help himself. He pulled Shimi out of her hiding spot and forced her to take more of his cock.


    Not that Shimi seemed to find it particrly problematic. She was happy to take in Grandmaster as far as she could.


    Her wet tonguepped up Keith''s cock and made his hips buckle.


    "G-Grandmaster, please enjoy my mouth and my breasts."


    Shimi somehow opened her bra while still sucking Keith. Once she felt his cock was wet enough, she cupped her huge breasts and started to massage Keith''s cock between them.


    The softness of those breasts rubbing against Keith''s hard cock created pleasant friction for both. But Shimi wanted more.


    She wanted Grandmaster''s milk, hise and his essence all over her body. She wanted to be owned by the Grandmaster right here and now. Her hands worked harder to massage the cock in front of her.


    Keith fucked Shimi''s boobs as hard as he could. His hand held her face in ce as his cock disappeared into the valley of her breasts. He could feel his cock twitching.


    "G-Grandmaster, you feel so good and hot against you. Can you allow me to bring you more pleasure?"


    Shimi asked but she was already on her way to make Keithe. He was so close now that a single push would send him over.


    His cock twitched once, twice before Keith released all over Shimi. But she did not seem angry or disappointed.


    Instead, Shimi looked satisfied as she felt around her chest for Keith''s release.


    "Grandmaster, thank you. Now, please fuck my desperate pussy with your cock. I need punishment because I have been a bad girl."


    Shimi shifted herself until she was on her back and then held her legs open for Keith to see. Her pussy was stretched out and wet already.


    There was not much time left for them so Keith was happy to see Shimi all prepared. His finger disappeared into Shimi''s pussy quite easily and the hungry mouth ate Keith up.


    "Grandmaster, please hurry up. I cannot take it anymore."


    Shimi begged as she held herself open. She was begging to be fucked by Keith''s cock so who was Keith to deny her.


    His big cock forced its way down Shimi''s pussy with difficulty despite being stretched out and wet beyond belief, Shimi was having a hard time taking Keith into her body.


    But once Keith did bottom out, he felt the pussy massage his cock and pull it deeper into her body.


    "Remember, you asked for this rough treatment. I am not looking to go easy on you right now."


    Keith warned Shimi and she flinched before nodding. Keith did not give her any time to brace herself before he was pounding into her body.


    Shimi''s back arched as she was fucked into the table. The hardness of the table contradicted the pleasure she was feeling and the cold heightened Shimi''s senses. She was drowning in pleasure.

 Chapter 139 139: From The Past [Pt4] [R-18]

    ?


    In and out, the rhythm for Keith''s thrusts was set and he did not pull back anything. His hands-on Shimi''s hips kept her still as her pussy opened to allow Keith deeper into her body.


    "G-Grandmaster, more. Please go faster."


    Shimi begged as her voice went higher and higher octave every second. Her hands yed with Keith''s hair. Her hands were fisted in the smaller hair on Keith''s back and her nails dug into Keith''s neck.


    A particrly harsh thrust caused Keith to find Shimi''s pleasure spot and he harshly jabbed it with his cock. That caused Shimi to scratch Keith''s back.


    Drops of red fell from Keith''s wounds but his pleasure numbed out any other sensation. His cock was surrounded by warmth and wetness, pulling out all kinds of noises.


    The wet sensation of cock going into a pussy was also creating a loud noise.


    "Do not order me, Shimi. You will get as much as I want to give you and nothing more."


    Keith spread Shimi''s legs more. She was stretched to her limits and her body was open for Keith to watch.


    Shimi''s breasts were gorgeous and out in the open. Her whole body was shimmering in a light sweat that gave her a healthy glow. Keith could not pull his eyes away from her even if he tried.


    "You sure have big breasts that like to flop everywhere when you are fucked. Fuck, your body is gorgeous to touch."


    Keith praised once his hands joined his cock in opening Shimi''s pussy. It was obvious that her body could not take more, but Keith still used his hand to stimte Shimi''s clit.


    The overstimtion and feeling of being filled beyond her limit caused Shimi to flinch. She gave a full-bodies shudder when she felt Keith''s finger enter her body along with his cock.


    "T-Too much. I cannot stretch a-anymore."


    Shimiined as she was stretched beyond her limit. Keith was still shaking his hip into her pussy and hitting her G-spot.


    Shimi''s pussy quivered and tightened around the clock inside her and the pleasure caused her toe.


    Keith flinched at the sudden tightness and the inner muscles of the divine pussy milked his cock. He ended up releasing inside Shimi without hesitation.


    When Keith came back from his high, Shimi was asleep. She was worn out after such a long day and barely getting any rest.


    Keith pulled his cock out and watched as the white liquid oozed out of Shimi''s body. Hise was drowning out Shimi''s release and contrasting nicely with her skin.


    "It is such a waste that none of it will stay inside you. Maybe you will be more sated if you have a kid to take care of?"


    Keith felt annoyed as he watched hise escape Shimi''s body. He unconsciously positioned Shimi to keep her hips propelled so that hise did not escape Shimi''s body.


    But that was not enough to state his hunger. Keith needed to do something more to keep all hise inside Shimi. And he suddenly had a brilliant idea for the same.


    Keith knew he had seen something like a plug in one of the drawers (do not ask him what he felt or how he found it) and Keith quickly took it out.


    It was a decently sized plug and it looked like it was used for the exact purpose Keith was going to use it for.


    Keith quickly cleaned it up with the supplies avable to him and slowly inserted it into Shimi''s body. There was a second or two when it looked like Shimi would wake up, but she never did. Keith was able to insert the plug into her without any problem.


    Once that was done, Keith felt the energy in his body propelling him outside. He had slept so much that he could not sleep anymore after this.


    It was time to go outside and face the music.


    Keith needed to buy a phone first and then decide the next course of action for their side. This town was getting more and more dangerous.


    .....


    In retrospect, maybe it was not a good idea for Keith toe out into the town alone in such dangerous times.


    The town was currently quiet and calm. It showed no hints of bing the frenzy ce Keith feared it bing, but there was still a weird unrest in the air. Even the people of this town seemed to be feeling this change.


    As Keith passed a couple, they looked at him with suspicious eyes but did not approach him. It was almost as if they did could not look Keith in the eye.


    It was not something that happened once or twice. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Time and again, people looked away from him when he tried to approach them. It could have been a weird coincidence but somehow Keith had a feeling it was not a coincidence.


    Along with being stared at, Keith could also see a hint of reddish light in these people''s eyes when they looked at him. These people were staring right into Keith''s soul when he passed them,


    It was all a little eerie and spooky at the same time. Especially when the children did the same. Their stare was the worst of the bunch.


    ''I want to go back. Let us hurry up and buy a phone so that I can head back to safety.''


    Something was going on in this town that Keith did not like. And his feeling told him that it was going to get worse from here on.


    "Wee customer! What can I help you with?"


    The counterdy asked as she, once again, leveled Keith with her unnerving stare. It made him want to turn back and note here anymore.


    ''Calm down Keith. It is just one conversation.''


    "Give me yourtest phone model. Price is not a boundary you need to worry about."


    Keith''s arrogance was back in his tone but the shopdy did not go to fetch his order. Instead, she just stared at Keith''s face without looking away.


    "Hello, are you not going to bring me my phone? If not, then there is no need for me to be here."


    Keith slowly inched away from the impassivedy. He could not take the awkward silence and the death stare anymore. He was going to go back without his phone if it meant he would be saved from such a horrifying scene in front of him.


    The shopkeeper kept on looking at Keith without an answer.


    In the end, Keith picked up a phone and mmed more money than it was worth on the table.


    "Keep the change."


    Keith quickly exited the shop with a heavy heart. His previous-world self had been a frugal spender, saving whatever he could. The thought of spending so much money uselessly still hurt his feelings.


    But when it came down to his life and money, Keith knew his life would win.


    He walked through the town at a fast pace and finally stopped in the park. Finally, there seemed to be no one around and Keith could drop his facade.


    But Keith did not dare drop his facade fully and that ended up being his saving grace. Especially since he was not as alone as he had expected himself to be at first.


    "Hey kid, you are interesting. Do you want me to read your future for you? I will do so for a cheap price of 100 dors."


    It was an olddy who spoke. She looked old enough to not be standing on her two legs. Keith was sure her wrinkles had wrinkles of their own.


    And despite all this, the olddy looked to be shining and fit. Her voice had also been strong and not as old as it should be.


    ''What a day. First Shimi, then all these people, and now a scammer? Well, I might as well get scammed at this point.''


    Keith had spent a lot of money today so what more was a few 100 dors. He handed the money over and waited for the olddy to go away soon.


    Now that she had gotten her money, there was no need for her to stay behind. She should be making excuses to leave any second now.


    "Dear person, you are a kind man. But do not let this kindness be your weakness. And be careful of the sun because it is not a friend to your right now."


    The olddy spoke; as expected, her words did not make sense.


    "You might also want to check theke bed if you want the solution to your problem. Not the one in the forest, but the one on the far right of this town. I hope you find what you need soon enough."


    The olddy spoke before she stood up. Keith was too tired to chase after her but he decided to file her words away for checking.


    Ake on the right side of the town? He was not sure if he had seen it on the map or checked it out before. But maybe he will now that he had been asked to.

 Chapter 140 140: The Town After Me [Pt1]

    ?


    The olddy was gone before Keith could ask her any questions and that was enough to raise a few question marks in his mind.


    Suddenly, the idea of going to check out theke did not look half as appealing as it had before. He had to wonder if that was some kind of trap he was falling into or not.


    But since he did not have any other lead now, chasing after the hint was all he could do. So, Keith left a message for ir from his old phone and decided to change his destination.


    He was going to check the rightke himself.


    The town on the right side was eerie and silent. If he had been ufortable before, now Keith was outright spooked by the atmosphere.


    People were not even trying to hide that they were keeping an eye on Keith now. Their attention burned and Keith flinched as he was faced with the hollow eyes.


    ''No! Do not pay any attention to the people. That is the number one rule of horror movie survival - to not look at scary things and let them get to you.''


    Keith somehow made his way toward the right side of theke but he did not see anything immediately.


    To say that this was ake would be an insult to all thekes that existed in the world. The water body was a pond at best and even that would be a stretch to say.


    Keith could see his reflection when he looked down into the crystal-clear water. It was a beautiful shade of bluish-green and shined when the light fell on it right.


    It would have been a beautifulke if not for the golden glow from inside the water.


    That, and a body casually floating in the water. Keith had a feeling that body was the reason everything was happening in this town. If he destroyed this body, then the town would go back to normal.


    ''But how do I destroy this body? Do I need to kill it? I do not think I can murder a person. I have never done such a thing before and my morals would not allow me to.''


    Keith decided to look around for a bit more. He hoped to find a solution in the vicinity but there was nothing for Keith to look at. He had to pin his hopes and dreams on the body in the water.


    "Anyway, I should take this body out first and then decide what I want to do."


    Keith gulped and hoped that nothing would happen to him. He did have gloves on and his skin was covered so this weird water should not affect him. But it was impossible to tell what would happen when magic was involved.


    Keith''s gloved became wet as soon as they met the water. His hand touched the warm and real body in the water and Keith started to pull it up.


    Once the body was out of the water, Keith could not help but look stunned. He had not expected the body to feel this solid or real. He had been in a trance this whole time.


    "A-Alright, now I have this body. I¡­do not think it is breathing."


    Keith checked on the body but it looked to be dead from every angle. The chest was not rising and falling, nor was there a pulse in the man''s wrist.


    Now, Keith was not a magic expert and he did not even begin to ssify himself as a man or a user, but Keith did know that death was permanent in this world.


    The MMO had made things very clear about that. Any side character that died would nevere back to life in the same game file. So, you needed to be careful while ying certain stages.


    So, if this person was dead, they were ''dead'' and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


    "I wonder why someone threw a body in thiske? Who does this body belong to for it to be in theke all this time?"


    Keith wondered aloud as he decided to stand up. The body was still unresponsive but Keith had lost all interest in it.


    He was about to go back when the bushes heading toward him rustled and a small body came forward. Then came forward another and then another.


    One by one, the smallke side was filled with dwarfs who looked angry. Keith was stunned to see them but he decided not to show his difort.


    "Y-You despicable human. How dare youe here and ignore our warnings? Our god! You have our god out of the water."


    The dwarfs were freaking out about what was happening as well. They were moving about in a circle and trying to get to their ''god.'' but the fallen body was quickly disintegrating into nothing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The ck marks and the lines on the body in front of Keith were fading away into nothing. It was a horrifying thing to see.


    "Hurry, quickly, someone sends help to the body. We worked too hard on it to let it melt away."


    Keith decided to slip away while all this was happening. He had a feeling that these dwarfs would soon turn their attention toward him if he was not careful.


    And as expected, the attention did shift toward Keith once he was far away.


    "That human! We need to catch him and have him rece the body. He killed our precious vessel so he needs to rece our vessel."


    One of the dwarfs suddenly spoke up as they looked toward Keith. By this time, Keith had gained a fair distance between himself and these dwarfs. Their sudden moment toward him did not mean much.


    Theke exploded with mana as the dwarfs followed them.


    "Hurry and activate the magic on humans. This human shall not be allowed to leave."


    Keith could only run toward the town but the malice he had felt inside the town had multiplied. The people no longer looked like dolls, but murderers as they tried to block Keith''s way.


    He quickly changed directions as soon as he noticed a man blocking his way. One turned to two and two turned to three.


    Soon, there was an army after him and Keith had to hide behind some boxes.


    His phone rang, alerting his lookers where Keith was and he quickly muted it to pick it up.


    "Keith, I saw people chasing after you from the window of the room. What happened? What did you even do?"


    ir asked with a worried sound. She was hiding in her room as well for now. But she was willing toe out and assist Keith if he needed her help.


    Keith gave a quick run-down of what was happening and ir quickly understood the gist of what was happening.


    "Looks like the whole town is under a huge mour charm cast by the dwarfs. Do not worry, I can help you out. And Master Shinzou is on his way to you so keep quiet and hide."


    ir advised Keith but that was what he had nned to do since the start. His hiding spot was impable as long as no one looked too deeply.


    But the townspeople were well-aquatinted with such hidden spots and it did not take long for Keith to be found.


    People attacked him and he raised a barrier with his powers. It was a strong shield that left no one to touch him. Keith was safe but how long would thisst? His body had a limited amount of stamina after all.


    "Grandmaster, I am here to help. Please protect your eyes while I make everyone else lose their senses."


    Keith closed his eyes but he was still somehow able to sense the light sh that went off around him. Once he was sure everyone else was distracted, Keith walked through the crowd gracefully and reached Shinzou.


    He very carefully hid himself behind Shinzou so that it did not look like he was hiding from anything.


    "Something is going on in this town. ir will take care of the mour magic. But for now, we should get ready to take care of the Fenrir beast and these people. Be careful not to kill them."


    Keith did not wantints reaching him once this mission was over and done with. Killing innocent people would causeints to sour against him.


    "I will try, Grandmaster. But if these people pissed me off, then even I cannot guarantee their safety. So, I hope you understand what I am trying to say."


    Master Shinzou had almost no self-control over himself. But Keith was not worried about him anymore. He was sure that Master Shinzou would be able to hold himself back.


    What he was worried about was the mastermind behind all this. Surely it was not the dwarfs who were leading this fiasco. The dwarfs did not have enough resources to hypnotize a whole town. There had to be a human after all this.

 Chapter 141 141: The Town After Me [Pt2]

    ?


    Nufort Steward rested in his room for a short while before his phone decide to go off very loudly. It was the signal that his phone had tracked down his target.


    Young master Steward had been found and it was up to Nufort to brink his young master home. He was a small message of Steward''s house after all and his young master would be the next family head.


    He quickly followed the signal, only to find himself going into the town''s underground sewerage system. It was smelly and gross, but it was also his only lead so Nufort could not afford to let this escape him.


    The sewerage system was dry and had no waste water flowing through it. It looked as if someone had artificially diverted the routes leading to this ce.


    It was all very interesting, but it was nothingpared to the phone which was going off at an rming rate. And finally, Nufort managed to reach the end of the tunnel and switched his phone off to vibration mode.


    He looked inside the dark room and Nufort saw nothing. But he could feel the presence of another human nearby. It was likely his target - young master Steward.


    "-how is the experiment going? Do you think our god can wake up?"


    Nufort recognized the dwarf''s voice. It was difficult to exin why, but a dwarf''s voice was unique and non-human-like. If you heard it once, you would never be able to mistake it for a human again.


    "Rx chief, everything would work out as we intend it works out. I told you before, right? This experiment has a 100% sess rate. The only factor that we need to worry about is his time and resources."


    Nufort had met young master Steward a few times before and he was confident to say that the voice he was hearing from inside belonged to his young master. The speaker who sounded so confident was his young master.


    Naturally, his words surprised Nufort since he had never heard his young master be this confident before but he was somehow not surprised to see his young master being the mastermind.


    From the time young master Nufort could participate in experiments, he had been out and about doing weird things. As such, he was an oddball who liked to get himself into trouble.


    "Hump, I do not trust humans generally since they are greedy and cruel. But I am willing to trust you this time because you promised to help God. I hope I do not regret my decision."


    The dwarf leader promised before he took onest look behind him and then left. His presence could no longer be left by Nufort and he sighed in relief at the happening.


    But just as soon as that happened, someone else decided to butt their heads against him as well. Cold eyes looked toward his direction and Nufort was sure he had been seen.


    "My dear cousin, what brings you here? Ah, you are the one adopted in the family. The dog''s father picked up. So, what is it that you want from me?"


    The body asked as he opened the door to allow Nufort in. It was humiliating and glorifying to see that Nufort had been recognized. But somehow, it did not feel good for Nufort to be recognized like this.


    "Young master, you are being called back by your father. I am sure you are having fun out here but you need to head back now."


    Nufort''s tone left no room for argument. Not even a little wiggle room could be found when he ordered the teenager in front of him to go back home.


    But instead of looking worried about leaving his experiment unfinished, young Master Steward just smiled his calm smile.


    "Oh, is that so? In that case, let us go home. I do not want to keep Father waiting since he can get grumpy at times."


    Nufort was surprised to see his young master agreeing with him so easily. He had been prepared to use all kinds of dirty tactics to make his young master go back but his mind went nk once his young master agreed to easily to his request.


    "Just like this? You are agreeing toe back home just like this? What about all your research and experiment data? Do you not need to take care of this before we go?"


    Nufort asked as he looked around theb. His mind was still circling the fact that his young master was involved with something this sketchy. The government would surely like to hide this from the public eye.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But if news of what happened here really did go out, it would be a big blow to the government and they would lose more momentum.


    "Hmm, I do not need anything from here and my experiment is done already. It was impossible to bring a dead god back to life. Especially when we had no trace of its power. But I did manage to make an artificial Fenrir beast and-"


    The younger master Steward spoke, the bigger headache Nufort seemed to be forming. And he was sure that his young master was not doing all this because he wanted to. It was an unconscious action on his part.


    "Hey dog, can you take care of things here? I will go back home now before my father cuts off my funding. I cannot live without my precious research material."


    The young master was a spoilt brat and that was something Nufort had forgotten. The young master not only acted rough but was also entitled to get what he wanted.


    And Nufort was lucky he knew what the biggest obsession of his young master currently was. He could use it to bind his young master and make him take care of this mess.


    "Young master, were you not excited to see the Grandmaster a few months before? You begged your father to arrange a meeting with him but your father fails, right? But what if I told you that the grandmaster is currently here?"


    Young Master Steward stopped doing what he was doing in an instant and turned his attention toward Nufort.


    There was a sparkle in his eyes that made Nufort take a step back but there was nowhere for him to step back to.


    "You are serious? Grandmaster! That aloof and terrifying Grandmaster is here? Right in the town and caught up in this mess? What a blessing this turned out to be. So, tell me how I can meet him and talk to him?"


    Young master Steward questioned as he all but pushed himself directly in front of Nufort''s face. Nufort was ufortable but he held his ground. There was no need for him to be worried about his young master losing interest now.


    And Nufort had seen how strong and unhinged Grandmaster had been. So, he was sure the Grandmaster would not mind having one more obsessive freak after him now.


    "Hmm, this is sure not good for me. Let us see. Do you think the Grandmaster would mind it much if I took care of this problem for him? I promise to be careful to not step on any toes and be careful not to kiss anyone. Do you think he would agree to my experiments if I do all that?"


    Nufort was sure that no one would agree to be experimented on, especially by young master Steward, but he kept that truth to himself.


    His young master was a pain in the ass but he was also someone who know what they wanted in life.


    Besides, those who had a lot of power and money were weird. Nufort could not even begin to understand them so he was hesitant to make any promises.


    "Truthfully, I have no idea if you would be able to convince the Grandmaster to hear you out or not, but I can help you meet him. First, we will need to take care of your experiment and then we can head out."


    Nufort pointed it all out and it only took young master Steward to pull everything together and pack it all off.


    Once that was done, he looked at Nufort with an expectant expression of '' What next.'' But truthfully, Nufort had not nned things that far. He did not even know where the Grandmaster was right now.


    Still, he had to find a way to grandmaster before his young master caused any problems.


    "Now, we will take care of the problem in this town. We cannot allow the Fenrir beast to roam around freely, nor for this town to be under some dwarf''s control."


    Nufort pointed out and his young master coughed lightly in his hand to hide his difort.


    "I might be able to help you with both of those problems. You see, I did not create these problems without finding solutions for them first. All we need to do is to stop the broadcasting magic that is being applied over the town. It should be easy enough to do for me."

 Chapter 142 142: An Important Connection [Pt1]

    ?


    The hoard of people following Keith stopped short once they faced Master Shinzou. Keith could see the fear in these people''s eyes as they looked toward the sword Shinzou was holding.


    These townspeople were not afraid of Shinzou but of the treasure of their fallen god.


    "You all have served your purpose. Now, it is time for you all to die and for our peace to return to our lives."


    Shinzou yelled as he raised his sword. mes erupted around the sword, swallowing any negative energy in the vicinity.


    The people looked surprised before they started to run away. They could not go against a godly power and Keith was about to stop them when he sensed a familiar presence.


    The Fenrir beast ran into the scene with its freshly coated bloody paw. It looked pissed but also careful of Shinzou''s sword.


    "Well, look who decided to crawl up here all on their own. It is so good that I will not have to crawl down and drag you out into the open now."


    Shinzou spoke with confidence as we started to attack the Fenrir beast with the divine sword.


    Keith expected the Fenrir beast to run away and try hunting them again. But the breast did not give up. Instead, its body shined a dull gold and the people around them stopped running away.


    The people who had been afraid seconds before were now forming a wall surrounding the beast and stopping Shinzou''s sword from reaching him. The beast also had a smug look on its face for some reason.


    "You coward. You are hiding behind humans to save yourself. Where is your sense of pride?"


    Shinzou questioned as he put some distance between himself and the beast. He did not want to identally kill any human here.


    Shinzou did not care about human death but he would rather avoid it so that the guild did not get a bad reputation. But Shinzou would do away with his reputation if it became necessary to deal with these monsters.


    "Grandmaster, Shinzou, we are here as well. Let us help you clear away toward the Fenrir beast."


    ir and Master Fushi were finally on the scene as well. They used their powers to carefully move the humans away.


    But since they were making sure not to use much force, the humans quickly broke free and came back into formation. Things were getting tooplicated with the involvement of humans.


    Just when it felt like they had no choice but to attack the humans, Keith''s phone rang. It was an unknown number but Keith decided to pick up the call anyway.


    [Grandmaster, I know I am asking a lot from your side, but I need you to trust me. I found a way to deal with the Fenrir beast for the good. But to do so, I will need you to give me a clear shot of the battlefield.]


    Nufort sounded out of breath but his voice was certain. He seemed confident that he would be able to take care of the Fenrir beast.


    Naturally, Keith decided to give Nufort a chance.


    "Understood. I will give you a chance before we do things our way."


    Keith cut the phone off and braced himself. He knew he needed to speak loudly but his throat hurt before he had spoken anything.


    "Shinzou, clear the way to the beast. The government scum says he has a way to deal with this situation."


    Shinzou looked taken aback by the Grandmaster''s words. He had never expected the Grandmaster to give in to others'' demands.


    But then again, it was a matter of life and death for the citizens. And as cold as Grandmaster sounded, he was an ultimate figure of mercy. So Shinzou just needed to follow his orders.


    "You want me to clear the way? You got it grandmaster."


    Shinzou raised his hand and power danced in his palm. mes erupted, causing people to take a step back. The Fenrir beast was shocked still as well for a full minute.


    And then it raised its head with an enraged growl and started to attack Shinzou.


    But as soon as the massive dog raised its head to attack, something stuck its side and the big ck mass has begun to disappear.


    At first, the Fenrir beast did not think much of it. A lot of its bodies were killed off until now but the beast had found a way toe back every time. This time as well, the Fenrir beast wille back.


    It cannot betray its master after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, I do not think I will allow you toe back this time. You were a good specimen, but you outlived your usefulness by now. I hope you have a good time staying in cold storage."


    Someone familiar stepped up to the Fenrir''s body and the beast felt its soul being torn from its body. The massive ck was getting lighter and lighter by the second.


    The Fenrir beast tried to fight onest time but it was unable to even raise its w. It was as if all its energy had been sucked out of its body and into the small bottle in front of it.


    ''My god. I will not betray my god and-''


    "AHH, I think I should tell this to you before I pack you away. Your god no longer existed. We were unable to find any trace of the one you served. It would be fair to say that you got taken advantage of by humans."


    The Fenrir beast looked up in disbelief as soon as he heard those words.


    A majestic beast like itself! Being taken advantage of by humans! No way that was possible.


    Those humans were not intelligent enough to fool the feelings of a Fenrir beast. It had sensed its master''s presence and that much was true.


    "Poor child. I hope you provide better results to us next time."


    The Fenrir beast resisted but it was unable to quieten the lull of sleep that its instincts were forcing down on it.


    Once the beast was asleep, the mysterious golden-haired figure stood up. Its grey eyes had a hint of madness to them but they still shined beautifully with curiosity and power.


    This person was none other than ''Young Master Steward.''


    Or in simpler words Edward Steward.


    "Grandmaster, master Shinzou, are you both alright? I am sorry that it took me so long to get back here. I needed to track own young master Steward and bring him along."


    Nufort arrived on the scene quickly as well. He looked out of breath when he saw what happened and paled.


    "Hey, Nufort. I took care of one problem. Now, will not you introduce me to your friends? I was dying to meet them and see their powers."


    Edward Steward looked at the group in front of himself with interest. He had never seen such humans before and each of them was different than normal.


    Just looking at the guild members was not enough for Steward right now. He needed to experiment to see how their powers worked. His hands were itching with the need to touch and-


    "Master Edward, you need to control yourself. I promised you that I would introduce you to them but if you continue to be this out of control, it would be difficult for me to do so."


    Edward calmed down in an instant. Patience was a virtue every good researcher had and Edward was no different. He could wait around if it meant that he would be getting a reward.


    "Nufort, did you bring another government scum with you here? We told you we were not interested in what the government was doing. Now you managed to make our sample run away as well."


    irined as she lost the Fenrir beast.


    She knew it was for the best that the beast was killed off. But that did not mean that ir had to like it personally.


    "Sorry, but that was the only way to make sure the Fenrir beast did note back. Since I participated in the creation of that magnificent beast, you will just need to trust my judgment. My name is Edward Steward. It is an honor to meet all of you."


    The golden-haired man bowed down in front of the group and Keith wanted to gasp out loud at the introduction.


    He knew the name ''Edward'' from the original game. Edward had been a mad scientist responsible for a lot of early game battles. His creations were ''questionable'' and his morally grey character had made fans like him a lot.


    But most importantly, he was a connection between theter story and the easy story. Who knew Keith woulde face to face with such a person?


    ''No, wait. I need to focus on what I am doing right now. Time to admire others wouldeter. Let us focus on what I need to do right now.''


    Keith coughed into his fist to attract everyone''s eyes. He was the coldest person in the gathering right now and his impassive eyes looked at Edward Steward.

 Chapter 143 143: An Important Connection [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith had not coughed loudly, but the noise was still enough to attract everyone''s attention toward him.


    Edward Steward had stars in his eyes as he noticed the Grandmaster. It was a way a fan looked at their idol and tried to get closer to them suddenly. That look spelled trouble for Keith and he knew it.


    ''Pull yourself together, Keith. You cannot be getting distracted right now.''


    Keith smacked himself in his mind and looked up at the group in front of him. Most of the people were paying attention to what he had to say about this situation. Even the government grunts were waiting for his orders.


    "First, we need to get this town under control. I did not spend a lot of money here to have the most ufortable time of my life. Then, we need to find the mastermind behind this incident. I need to have a word with those people."


    Keith''s cold voice caused everyone to shiver. Only Keith knew that his words were hollow threats since he did not have enough power to pull anything off.


    Shinzou smacked his fist in his open palm with excitement. He seemed ready to fight people on Grandmaster''s behalf.


    "Leave the offenders to me. I will make sure to catch them and hold them tightly. They will not be able to run away."


    Keith nodded at Master Shinzou''s words. He was likely going to leave all responsibility for what was going to happen to Master Shinzou. With this, one problem had been solved.


    "Hey, I know I am from the government and all, but I think I will be able to help you with the people''s problem. You see, I was the one who came up with most of the technology that is being used here. So, I am sure I can turn it off as well."


    Edward offered his help and even Nufort looked surprised at the sudden action.


    From what Keith knew of Edward''s character, the mad scientist never offered to help you until he found you interesting.


    In the original game, Edward was initially not interested in the yer and refused to cooperate. It was not until a series of events happened that Edward even considered helping the yer out.


    That same Edward was offering his help at such a time? It did not only sound suspicious but odd as well. It made Keith not want to take the offered help.


    "And what do you want in return for your help? People like you do not offer free help to anyone. If the government is nning something, then-"


    Master Fushi let the threat hang in the air. The purpose of her words had been to warn Edward not to betray them. And it seemed like she had seeded in her intention.


    "I got it. I do not want to experiment this time. I just want to observe the Grandmaster a little closer to see how his powers work. I promise not to touch him too much, alright?"


    Edward''s words did not make anyone feel better but they decided to humor him for now. There was no harm in having more than one backup for now.


    And if anything did happen, they could push all the me on the government and getpensation that way.


    "Fine, we will allow you to handle the people and their hypnotism. But if you even think of betraying us, then it would be yourst day on this earth. Do you understand?"


    Master Fushi was fierce and her eyes shed with mana. It was an attractive look that made Edward''s hand twitch to know more about it.


    He wanted to take Master Fushi''s head in his hand and twist it until he was able to see her eyes. He had even moved quite a bit to do the same before Edward caught himself.


    Sating curiosity was a good thing but Edward still wanted to live his life. There was no need for him to die this young.


    "Alright, it is a deal. So, can I ask for the Grandmaster to be my bodyguard for the duration of my mission? I am helping you all out but I am afraid I will be targeted by someone for this reason. I do not feel safe in this ce."


    With a single sentence, Edward managed to make a lot of enemies. No one could ask anything of the Grandmaster and they needed to give up if the Grandmaster did not want to oblige them.


    Naturally, no one liked the audacity of this man asking the grandmaster for something no one had ever before.


    Keith had a choice now. He could smite Edward Steward right now and prevent a lot of future events from happening. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In retrospect, it would be better for everyone if Edward Steward was dead and done with.


    But killing someone was tough for Keith, even if that death happened indirectly. He could not bring himself to give the order for such a thing.


    ''Besides, it is only a small bodyguard job. I will just leave it all up to Nufort while I enjoy my vacation.''


    So, when everyone else was against this, Keith decided to raise his hand and quieten everyone down.


    "You want me to be your bodyguard? You sure are a gutsy man. I can have your head rolling for insulting me this openly, you know. Is that what you want? Do you want to die?"


    Keith asked as his hand barely touched Edward''s face.


    For what it was worth, Edward did not even flinch at their sudden touch. Instead, Edward looked d to see Keith taking this so seriously.


    "I do not care if I get killed as a result of having you as my bodyguard. I just want to observe you for some time. I am sure I am not asking too much from you. In return, you can ask for my help in the future if you want to."


    Nufort offered this all and it was a tempting offer to take up. Keith found himself learning more and more about this deal.


    ''I guess there is no harm in taking this kid''s hand for now. I can always break this deal with an excuse in the future if it does not suit my taste.''


    With that in mind, Keith shook Edward''s hand and a bond was formed. But since Keith had no mana of his own, the bond did not stick around for long.


    Unable to find a hook to attach itself to, the bond looked around before fizzling away.


    Edward had a shocked look on his face when he looked at Keith. He had not expected to find anyone who had such immunity to magic.


    ''No wonder he is the grandmaster. Even his constitution is special and allows no curses and magic to stick around. I wonder if it can be replicated artificially. I will have to practice a lot and conduct experiments to achieve simr results.''


    Edward had a new goal now. One that would require time and effort to finish building up. But he was not worried about his future. He had a lot of time.


    "Come, follow me. We will need to remotely shoot down the devices that are allowing mind control to work over this town. The real satellite is in the skies but that is not a problem for me."


    Edward was excited to show his genius mind and inventions. He led the Grandmaster and Nufort back this his base and opened the control panel.


    It showed a hugeser that was being charged up.


    "Now, I need you both to protect theser since it is a delicate thing. Even a little shock can cause it to fly off-course. And I do not think the controllers of this town would allow me to shoot their satellites down."


    What Edward said made sense. The people controlling this town would not want their control to be challenged or to be broken.


    They would try to knock theser out of focus for now and cause it to misfire. It would be a problem overall.


    ''Ugh, this is such a problem. But I am also in luck because defense happens to be my strong suit.''


    Keith nodded and left the clearing. He headed toward theser and raised a barrier around it. It was raised in time because the attack began the next minute. Animals and people who were being controlled tried to take theser down.


    They even ignored Keith as they focused everything that had on theser. It was such a sad scene to see but Keith was not concerned about them.


    Behind him, the sound of aser powering up reached Keith''s ear. It would not take long before theser would be done charging. All Keith needed to do was to hold on for a bit longer.


    Of course, things were not as easy as Keith was making them sound to be. He had to remain inside the barrier as well for the time being and concentrate so that it did not break.

 Chapter 144 143: Finally, Its Caught [Pt1]

    ?


    The opposite vigers tried their best to take down the barrier cast by Keith. They tried weapons, mana, and even other voodoo stuff to take the barrier down.


    But Keith''s barrier was too strong for them. He did not even have to move for his barrier to maintain its firm shape and not give in under the heavy fire.


    Behind Keith, the sound of theser charging could be heard. It was almost at its limits and was ready to fire at any second now.


    "No, don''t you dare? All our hard work in controlling the humans. I will not let it go down the drain."


    Keith heard the familiar voice of the dwarfsing from behind the humans. The mastermind for this project had been the dwarfs.


    To say that Keith was surprised would be a little too much, but he was a little annoyed by these small things. How dare theye in here and cause so much trouble for Keith and hispanions.


    The fact that Keith''spany had been saved by these dwarfs meant nothing whenpared to what he had to go through because of them.


    "Hurry up and take down the barrier. Human magic is useless. We need to use the divine magic to take down this barrier."


    The dwarfmanded and its otherpanions nodded. The buildup of energy in front of Keith was like Fenrir''s energy. He knew that his barrier would not be able to take this blow well.


    But Keith had no ns to back down either. He will just have to increase his power output tobat the dwarfs.


    Two simr divine powers collided. Keith''s earning was burning his chest as he forced more and more power out of it. He was sure that his chest would have a burn mark as a result.


    But the barrier was managing to hold up for a good minute. It was enough time for theser to finish charging.


    "Grandmaster, you can let the barrier down. We are ready to fire."


    Keith listened to Nufort and he dropped his barrier as soon as the fire was out of theser.


    The dwarf''s magic collided with theser, rendering it ck and useless. But the main damage had already been done. Theser had fired its magic out toward the sky and that beam collided with the satellite in the sky.


    "No¡­! We worked so hard tounch that magic. Everyone, hurry up and leave. The humans are about to wake up any second now."


    The leader dwarfmanded and the dwarfs began to run back in panic. Keith picked up one dwarf in his barrier to interrogate itter. He wanted to know why things happened the way they did.


    Most of the dwarfs were in a hurry to run away so they did not notice what happened to theirpanion. And those who did notice could not do anything but run away.


    The humans began to copse around Keith one by one. They seemed to be fighting a headache and ended up falling asleep.


    Nufort and Edward came out of their hiding spot as well once theser had been fired, Edward instantly went to check up on theser with an annoyed expression.


    "Tsk, theser has now be useless. I cannot believe I have to be the one to say it but we will need another way to knock down the remaining satellite in the sky. Any idea you people have?"


    Edward''s words sounded genuine and Keith felt sorry for himself. He had worked so hard to protect thisser, only for it to end up in ruins.


    "Ask Shinzou. I am sure he will be able to act like aser for you."


    Shinzou was powerful so he will find a way to work things around. That was what Keith felt when he suggested that Shinzou take up the task.


    That and Keith knew that he would not be able to take down a satellite without causing widespread ruin with his power. It was still next to impossible for him to control his power.


    "Hmm, it is a good idea. But are you sure yourpanion would agree to help me out? From what I noticed; yourpanions did not have the best impression when ites to me."


    Edward spoke up with a neutral expression.


    "Geese, I wonder why that is. Anyway, I am sure Master Shinzou would agree if the Grandmaster is the one asking this of him."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Edward assured, causing Nufort to shrug and let the topic rest.


    Keith sent a message to Shinzou while he picked up the dwarf. As soon as he did, the dwarf in its cage became active. A pair of hard ck eyes looked back at Keith with hatred.


    "Let me go. How dare a human like you touch me. I am a messenger of the gods. A sacred being that will help our gode back. Human traitors like you have no right to touch me and-"


    Keith shook the cage the dwarf was in. It caused the dwarf to lose its focus and copse.


    "That is enough nonsenseing out of you. You should consider yourself lucky that I am allowing you to live thus far. Most things would have been killed after the first insult."


    Keith warned the dwarf in his cage and the small thing flinched. But it did not back down even after that.


    The dwarf had a strong drive to live and Keith could not help but be impressed by that little thing.


    "You can threaten me and even kill me. But I will not betray my god. One day, our deity shall rise again and we shall be the supreme race on this world once more."


    Keith rolled his eyes at the cliche talk he heard from the dwarf. Now he was sure that this dwarf knew nothing about where he was and what he was doing here.


    "Excuse me grandmaster, but if you are done with the dwarf, then can I, have it? I want to experiment on the specie but it is extremely difficult to find it in the wild. But this one looks like a prime target and-"


    Keith threw the dwarf toward Edward to shut the scientist''s mouth. He did not care much about the dwarf''s life but Keith was sure that the dwarf would not die as a result of Edward''s experimentation.


    "Oi, are you sure this is a wise decision? I know I am on Edward''s side, but even I do not think Edward is sane most of the time. He may end up killing the dwarf in the process,"


    Nufort had a reason to be worried and Keith did understand where his hesitation wasing from.


    Had Keith not known what kind of person Edward was before the game started, he would have had a hard time trusting the mad-scientist vibe he was giving off as well. But it was a thing of the past and Keith did know Edward.


    Well, somewhat at least. But that was neither here, nor there in the grand scheme of things.


    "I do not care what yourpanion does if he does his work. Besides, you are here as his shackle, right? Then do your work and stop asking me stupid questions."


    Keith had a sharp tone to his voice. It caused Nufort to flinch and back down.


    "I understand. There is no need for you to be this snappy with me. I will do my work and keep Edward under control. I am just asking you not to trust Edward too much right now, that is all. I am saying this for your safety."


    Keith nodded to show that he understood but, he did not care. He already knew why Nufort was so wary of Edward.


    If the scientist snapped one day, then he would take the whole government down. Edward was such a dangerous existence for them, a ticking time bomb at most.


    "Hmm, keep me updated about the dwarf and what the government decided to do about this ce. Otherwise, we, the guild, will have to take control of this ce and we will not hear anyints about it."


    Naturally, Keith did not want to take responsibility for this ce. He was far too busy. But he could allow someone else to take care of his ce in his proxy.


    The time for the second test regarding the Dead Man''s Land was fast approaching. Keith needed to focus on it for now.


    He had already gotten the message that assigned him a temporary team and Keith had also gotten a message from Amelia, asking to meet up and travel to the site of the test together.


    Keith did not have much of a choice in this matter. He was too afraid to turn Amelia down since she was a protagonist.


    "Let me talk with the higher-ups. I will inform you what their decision is by the end of the day. I am sure we will be able to reach a peaceful end by discussion."

 Chapter 145 144: Finally, Its Caught [Pt2]

    ?


    "You pathetic humans. You deserve to die for what you did. If not for you and your pathetic gods, our god would not have fallen. It is all your fault."


    The dwarf was still going on with its insults. It had been house since Keith hadst seen the dwarf but he was surprised to hear it talking so loudly like this.


    Currently, an inter-city call was going on between the guild and the government regarding the ownership of this town. And Keith decided to sit back and let ir and Master Fushi handle this.


    Keith had expected a small fight to break out between Master Fushi and the government officials, but the dwarf was preventing this by agreeing with everyone''s anger and annoyance toward itself.


    "You humans always mess up everything. From the environment to the atmosphere. Why did your specie have to evolve as the ''dominant'' one when you cannot even take care of the environment and other species?"


    The dwarf was still speaking and many of its words hit home for Keith.


    He would be the first one to say that humans were a selfish and cruel specie. They did not care for others and they even caused other species to be extinct.


    ''I guess there is some truth to what the dwarf is saying. But I still do not like this dwarf so I refuse to say anything about this situation.''


    Keith looked at the party in front of him. Both ir and Master Fushi had an annoyed expression on their faces.


    On the other hand, the government officials had gone quiet and sullen. But they might have been used to hearing such words regrly since they dealt with other species often enough.


    "I do not think we need your help to help this town. Since the guild is already here, why not allow us to take care of it? We also have an elf with us who can help our inter-specie rtions by a lot."


    For the first time, Keith felt as if Shimi''s existence wasing in handy.


    Shimi had not been allowed to sit in this meeting since she was not well and she was also not high enough on the food chain. But her existence as a half-elf could not be denied.


    Of course, the government seemed not to want to give up this fight. It was a good way for them to be acknowledged by themon masses and to spread their influence.


    They could not allow such a perfect opportunity to slip through their hands.


    "I do not think that would be possible. You see, I think it will be better if we, the government decided to take care of this situation. We are a humanly-governed body and we are also beloved by them."


    "So naturally, we will be a better choice to take care of this town."


    The government official argues back. Had Keith been the target of such words, he would have folded and decided that dealing with the government as well as this town was too much work.


    But Master Fushi and ir did not seem to think the same.


    "But dear representative, won''t you agree that the government was half the reason this town became like this? After all, it was because the opposition decided to kidnap Edward Steward and use his power that caused this town to suffer."


    "Just think, what would happen if this news got out and it became widely known that the government was behind all this?"


    ir was a dangerous opponent. Her words caused the government officials to back down and consider what she was saying. Her influence was horrifying and Master Fushi looked proud of her achievements.


    The government representative on the other hand looked like she had eaten a sour lemon. Her expression was twisted in a shrouded manner and she also seemed sick.


    "I-I am sure there is no reason for you to make this personal. What happened with Edward was a tragic incident and that is also the reason we need to take responsibility."


    The government official decided to press onest time but even they knew they were on a losing end.


    A public trial would always end up in a win for the guild since they were the ones to solve this case in the first ce.


    Now all the government could hope to do was to get a share in the glory that would being the guild''s way.


    "Hmm, so you want to cooperate? I guess I would not mind having the guild cooperate with you. We will need a lot of financial aid from your side."


    Master Fushi pressed the government and Keith could see the government folding in front of her. This case was as good as done by now.


    Keith did not sit around for long after that. He needed to start packing his things and leave for the second test.


    "Master Shinzou, I will leave the rest to you and other people here. I need to head out to my other engagement."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith''s cold words caused everyone to look at him.


    The government officials looked especially embarrassed after not having noticed Keith''s existence. He continued to walk toward the outside door, not waiting for an answer.


    "Sure, things Grandmaster. I will take care of things for you here. If you need anything, then do not hesitate to tell me. I will arrange things for you."


    Keith nodded in understanding before he decided to walk away and outside the room. It was getting stuffy in there and Keith was also getting a little ustrophobic in there.


    Once he was outside, the cool air of the morning caused Keith to flinch. But he quickly became used to it and kept on walking.


    He quietly picked up his things and it was time for another adventure.


    .........


    Deal Man''s Ind was a ce Keith had been to before. Last time, he had taken a ferry to get to the ind, but this time things were rather simple.


    All Keith needed to do was to get to the ce where the transportation carriage would take them to the other side.


    Amelia was already waiting for him when he reached the shore. And so was Sara for some weird reason.


    "Yo, Noah, it is nice to meet you again. I trained this whole week to get even stronger. I hope you are ready to be blown away by me."


    It was a little weird to hear the name ''Noah''ing out of Amelia''s mouth. It had been a week since anyone had called him by his ''fake'' name after all.


    Sara looked at Keith once but she also quickly looked away once she realized that Keith was looking back at her.


    To be honest, Keith would have preferred it if Sara was not on his team. But if it was something Amelia wanted for herself, then Keith did not want to contradict her as well.


    "Come on guys, you need to get along. Who knows if we will be partners or enemies from here on? But I would rather not have to hurt you both."


    Amelia tried to make Keith and Amelia get along but it was a futile endeavor. Especially since it did not seem like Sara wanted to get along with Keith currently.


    "Yeah, we heard you alright. But I do not think I have the mental capacity to keep up with you a lot. I am just too tired these days."


    Sarained, and it was a little funny to hear hising from a kid of all things. But Keith decided to save judgment for the time being.


    *Ringgggg*


    The sound of the bell ringing caused everyone to look up. The ferry that was to take them to the other side was finally here. Keith felt mncholic when he saw the ship and he could not help but want to get on it.


    But then he felt as if something was wrong.


    He had never travelled on a ferry before but it still felt familiar to him. There was some kind of charm magic or something simr that was cast all over the area.


    "This is a trap. This ferry must be a trap. It is giving me a soothing feeling while looking at it and I do not think that is normal."


    Unfortunately, Keith had to agree with Sara here. This ferry was not normal and even the other people were not moving toward it.


    "We should hurry up and take the ferry. Otherwise, there would be no seat for us left on it."


    Amelia warned as she took a step forward. But Keith stopped her before she could take another step forward. He stared at the ferry and Amelia finally noticed that no one else but her had moved.


    Everyone who had made it thus far was strong. As such, they knew where to look for trouble. And they all had sensed a problem with this ferry.


    "Aww, not even one of you stepped in? Well, I guess I should have expected this to happen."


    The white-faced man was back.

 Chapter 146 145: The Fake Remains The Fake [Pt1]

    ?


    "Aww, not even one of you stepped in? Well, I guess I should have expected this to happen."


    No one moved when the white-masked man stepped on the ferry and looked down with a bored expression on his face. He was the most dangerous opponent in the vicinity so no one was leaving him unchecked.


    The white-masked man noticed this and sighed dramatically.


    "Well, I tried so hard to bring this ferry to you all, but I can see that my honest expression was not enough for you all. Well then, what shall we do now?"


    The white-masked man asked but no one answered him. They were all too busy trying to find his weakness.


    That, more than anything, caused the white-masked man to snap his fingers, and the ferry he was on broke down into light particles.


    "What do you want from us? Is this a part of some kind of test? There is no way this ferry could be the one to take us to our second test location."


    A random person spoke up as soon as he noticed that the masked man had no intention of helping them out.


    Those words of usation caused the masked man to grin. Despite his face not being visible, anyone could tell that he was amused by this sudden shift in everyone''s behavior.


    Somehow, that masked face was still able to show malice and Keith took a step back hesitantly. He seemed to be the only one who noticed this sudden shift in the masked man''s mood.


    "Hmm, that is troubling. I never expected to get questioned this harshly when all I wanted to do was help you out. I feel betrayed by you a lot."


    The masked man was still saying this all with a joking tone but Keith made sure to keep his distance from the person using the masked man.


    "I do not care if you feel betrayed or not. I just want you to take us to our test site. Now hurry up and-"


    The man never finished his words.


    One second, he was yelling out loud at the white-masked man, the next second he was busy choking on air. Keith was surprised when the man fell suddenly.


    "H-He is dead. Oh god, he died. How did he die?"


    The female warrior standing next to the now-dead man eximed. Her shock and betrayal colored her voice as she looked at the man.


    Suddenly, everyone who had looked annoyed previously now looked cautious of the white-masked man. There had been another shift in the mood.


    "What is wrong? You all were asking me questions? Do you no longer need answers from me?"


    The masked figure asked as he looked down at the crowd. No one was moving an inch, nor were they opening their mouth.


    It seemed like the shock of someone dying had been too much for their psyche to bear.


    ''Then again, humans are weak creatures who fear the unknown. I think this was something Olivia taught me.''


    The masked man was certain he had heard about human nature before. But the masked man was more interested in discovering the human psyche himself rather than hearing about it from someone else.


    "Alight, time for you all to stand up now. Since it looks like you are not interested in chit-chatting anymore, I guess it is time for me to reveal your surprise."


    The masked man looked down at the unmoving group. He was going to shake their foundations and make their friendship to the test.


    "This forest has 16 tickets for the next round. That means, out of you 32 people, only 16 will get to go to the second round. If you find a ticket, bring it here so that I can verify it. You have 6 hours to find the tickets. Otherwise, I will randomly select the remaining people to go to the next round."


    Keith''s heart was caught in his throat as soon as he heard those words.


    This round was not a test of power or even intelligence. It was a round of luck.


    And knowing Keith, he would have average luck in this round. He was not very lucky with gatchas in the past.


    But there was one person with supreme luck on his side. And that was where his hopes were pinned.


    "Ah, this is another tiresome round. And another team round as well. Listen, Amelia, we need to do well in this round. We need to pass this round at any costs."


    Sara pointed toward Amelia as she walked close. Sara seemed to have made up her mind to team up with Amelia at all costs.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Amelia looked a little conflicted and Keith waved his hand at her to do what she wanted to. And that was enough for Amelia to take Sara''s hand in her own.


    "Of course, I will help you out, Sara. There is no need for you to be worried-"


    While they were talking, Keith decided to look around for a ticket. He knew there would be one nearby since Amelia was extremely lucky.


    A nce did not bear any fruit for Keith. Until he noticed the small paper-like thing in Amelia''s handbag.


    Keith had never seen the ticket for this round before, but his instincts were telling him that the paper slip in Amelia''s bag was certainly a ticket.


    So, while Amelia and Sara were busy fighting around, Keith decided to slip the ticket out of Amelia''s pouch and wipe it off.


    Once he had the ticket, he quickly decided to exchange it before it could be robbed of him. He did want to get to the next round of this tournament.


    "Hey Noah, where do you think you are going? Are you going to go and look for the tickets alone?"


    Sara questioned him, finally noticing that Keith was walking away from him and Amelia.


    "I am going to the washroom. I will be back soon so you can start looking around for the ticket."


    Keith waved his hands in a carefree manner and Sara was taken aback by his attitude. Then his words registered in her mind and a flush rose on Sara''s face.


    "I-I see. If that is the case, then I shall allow you to leave. Bute back soon so that we can look around for that ticket, alright?"


    Sara ordered while faking her cough. She seemed adamant about controlling Keith''s movements for the time being.


    Keith did not respond to her and hurried back to the beginning. He was sure that he would be the first person to be back as well.


    But much to Keith''s surprise, someone else seemed to be handing the white-masked man a ticket as well.


    This new figure was cloaked from head to toe. Their dark clothes made it impossible to tell if they were male or female, but there was something about that body structure that screamed ''female'' to Keith.


    Once Keith got close enough to hear what was being said, he realized that there seemed to be some kind of problem with the ticket exchange service he saw.


    As a result, Keith''s heart skipped a beat in fear. He was not sure he would be able to keep his ticket safe from others for any length of time.


    "-not fair. This is a ticket as well, right? So, you should ept it."


    The cloaked female spoke. Her voice gave her gender awaypletely. But the white-masked person was not fazed by her tone or her speech.


    "I am sorry miss, but I will not allow you to progress through this mission with a fake ticket. What happened in the first round will not be repeated."


    Keith somehow felt he had stepped into a very sticky situation. But it was toote for him to step back.


    All he could do not was stand in his ce and pretend like he was not hearing anything.


    "This ticket is not a ''fake.'' I did find it fair and square in the forest. How can you even say that this is a fake ticket? What proof do you have?"


    The cloakeddy asked while holding her ground. She was not going to budge until she got her answer from the masked man. She was adamant and she knew that what she had with her was the real good.


    The white-masked man grinned a vicious smile and then turned toward Keith.


    "Mydy, I do not think you have seen the real ticket before to be evenparing your fake with it. Here, let me show you what a real ticket looks like."


    Keith''s ticket left his being before he could even make any sound and it was in the masked figure''s hand.


    The masked figure rubbed it a little and the ticket brushed out into blue mes with a unique mark in between.


    It was so brief and unique that Keith had no words to describe it. He was still in shock over what had happened.


    "See, this is a true ticket. I am sure your ''ticket'' is incapable of anything like this."

 Chapter 147 146: The Fake Remains The Fake [Pt2]

    ?


    "See, this is a true ticket. I am sure your ''ticket'' is incapable of anything like this."


    The clocked female had a twisted expression on her face. Somehow, Keith could tell that she was not happy with what was happening.


    Her cloaked face tried to re at Keith but the obstruction caused her re''s effect to be cut in half. Keith could not find it in himself to be afraid of this clocked female.


    Rather, he was worried about his ticket right now. It had been burned by the man in front of him without any hesitation on his face. And that made Keith doubtful of his future.


    "Oh, by the way, you passed this round so you can do what you want to from here on. If you want to help other people out, then you can even do that."


    The white-masked man spoke to Keith and it helped calm his nerves down. This announcement caused Keith''s biggest worry to be smacked down.


    The female cloaked figure was tenser than before. The intensity of her res increased but she decided to stop wasting her time in the end.


    Keith watched the female go away with a conflicted expression on his face. He was not sure if he wanted to chase after her or to stay as far away from her as possible.


    "Hmm, humans are truly fascinating beings. Won''t you agree, my dear traveler? They can be rather bitter, or even resentful. I feel like they do their best when they are in a pinch."


    The white-masked man spoke up suddenly and Keith almost has a heart attack before he realized that the masked man was speaking to him.


    Somehow, that eyeless face was pinning Keith in his ce and Keith was unable to move an inch.


    "I do not know what you are talking about. In the first ce, are you even talking to me? I do not have any idea what any of your words mean."


    Keith tried to get out of this conversation but the masked man only looked even more amused than before. If anything, that eyeless stare had sharpened from before.


    "Hmm, so you would deny me this pleasure of conversing with you, huh? Then, let me ask you another question. Why did you decide to steal your partner''s ticket? I am sure she would have a better chance of winning thispetition than you."


    Keith froze where he was standing. Everything in his body was yelling at him to deny what the white mask was saying.


    There was no way he had been caught by an unknown entity when even the most attentive and cautious people had missed it.


    "Ah, do not look at me like that. I can feel the presence of fallen gods all over you. And anyone touched by the fallen gods loses their mana. But your soul also does not feel like it belongs to this world and it makes me curious. What an oddbination you make."


    The white masked man seemed to not be human. Or, he had some special power.


    Keith gathered his magic in his earring to st this person. He did not like that his secret had been exposed by someone.


    "Hey, calm down now. I have no desire to tell anyone your secret. Rather, I want to observe you more to see what you can and cannot do. It has been a rather long time since a divine object chose a master. So, I am curious to see what you will do in the future."


    The masked man jumped back before Keith could attack him.


    "See you in the next round. I hope you survive until the end. And if you do, then we can talk."


    The floating form of the masked man disappeared in thin air. It left Keith with more questions than answers.


    He cupped his earring and his mind decided to work in overdrive.


    ''What did that white mask mean by ''chosen master?'' I thought the reason I can use this earring was because Icked mana. Was there another qualification to use this earring?''


    It was all bing tooplicated for Keith. And thinking so hard had never been his strong point.


    Besides, Keith was also running out of time. He needed to head back to Amelia and Sara now. He also had to ask himself why he decided to prioritize himself over Amelia in thispetition.


    What the white mask had asked him was right. When Keith thought about it, Amelia had a better chance of winning thispetition than him.


    She was also luckier than Keith and her end goal was the same as him. Whether Keith won or Amelia, the mother pearl would have ended up in his hand.


    ''So why did I want to qualify so badly for the second round? Why did I take the ticket myself when I could have given it to Amelia?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith did not know the answers to his questions. He could only summarize it as an ''impulsive'' action or even ''to remove the bad taste'' in his mouth.


    But in the end, even he was not able to justify his actions.


    Keith clenched his fist, and only then he noticed the small piece of paper in his hand.


    At first, his heart skipped a beat. He thought he had a ticket in his hand and it caused his emotions to be twisted.


    But a deeper look at the slip showed that Keith had been mistaken before. It was not a ticket but a map of the forest with small marks highlighted on it.


    Keith decided to check these spots out since he had a feeling, they would be important.


    He had no idea where he had picked up this map from. He had no recollection of ever havinge across such a piece of paper. But since Keith did have it, he decided to make use of it.


    From a faraway branch, the white-masked man grinned at Keith''s action of noticing the map. The white-masked man had been the one to give Keith this map in the first ce.


    There were many interesting people in this forest but this weird man was the most interesting one by far. Especially when he smelled so heavily of the fallen gods.


    "Make things interesting for me kid. I want to see heaven be shaken and those old coots realize they are not the supreme beings they think they are. I know it is too much to ask of you, but I hope you do not disappoint me in the future."


    Of course, the kid could not hear anything the man said. The masked man finally took off his pure-white mask and his face was a mixture of dark spots as well as red rashes.


    It was a reminder of what happened if you went against heaven and did not end up as a fallen god.


    ......


    Somehow, neither Sara nor Amelia had moved from the ce Keith had left them. They seemed to be searching for the tickets in the nearby vicinity but found nothing.


    Keith looked at his map but he could not spot any highlighted area nearby.


    "Hey Noah, you are back? So, did you find any ticket for yourself? We tried looking around for one but we were unable to find it."


    Amelia sounded regretful about this fact but she had not given up.


    Keith had an option of lying to Amelia right now and telling her that he was in the same boat as her. But for some reason, Keith did not want to lie to her right now.


    "I found a ticket when I went to the washroom and the white mask was nearby and ended up taking it. But he said I can still help others out if I want to."


    In the end, Keith ended up telling Amelia what happened. He expected her to be angry and disappointed at him but Amelia just looked the same as before.


    "Ah, I see. So, you are already done, huh? Lucky for you then. It seems I will have to pick up my pace as well now."


    Amelia sounded determined but Sara seemed to have a problem with Keith.


    "You! You are a traitor, Noah. If you found a ticket, then you should have brought it back here. We should have decided among ourselves who would have gotten this ticket. You cannot just go and snatch a ticket for yourself. That is selfish-"


    "And why cannot I do that? As far as I know, this is an individualpetition, not a team-based one. The core principle is - every man is for himself."


    Sara looked taken aback by Keith''s sudden rebuttal. She had not expected him to contradict her this openly. Especially not in front of Amelia.


    Since it seemed like Keith was not going to cooperate with her, Sara changed her tactic and decide to go after Amelia. But Amelia avoided Sara''s eyes.


    "So, Noah, you will still help us out? That is good. So where do we start our hunt from? Do you have any solid ideas?"


    Amelia did not see, nor pay attention to Sara''s eyes.

 Chapter 148 147: Totally Swiped [Pt1]

    ?


    Keith, indeed, had a lot of solid ideas about where they should start looking for these tickets. He had a whole map that showed the location of these likely tickets.


    But the thing was, should he trust this map? Or should he look around manually for those tickets? Both options had their pros and cons.


    In the end, Keith decided just to check out the map for the time being. The worst that could happen was for him was his time being wasted. But it would still be better than looking around blindly.


    "Hmm. I found this piece of paper that looks like a potential map of this ce. Let us look for the tickets ording to this map."


    "Huh, what did you say? Let me see the map for a second."


    Keith helped the map in front of himself but he was not able to have that map for long. Sara ended up swiping it out of his hand and looking.


    Her young face had aplicated expression on it. She looked at the map, then at Keith, and then back at the map.


    "Looks legit. But I do not know why my heart skipped a beat as soon as I touched this map. Maybe we should not follow it and look around on our own?"


    Sara suggested as she handed the map back to Keith. But this time, Amelia was the one who took the map. She looked at the map with concentration before finally snapping the small piece of paper closed.


    "One of the tickets is not far off from here. Let us go and pick it up before anyone elsees across it."


    Amelia sounded determined. It was a good thing to see her determined since she was Keith''s ticket to victory.


    "Let us go then. If you feel afraid, then you do not have toe with us, Sara."


    Keith assured the youngest but Sara suddenly looked determined. Her eyes zed with curiosity and a need to win.


    "No, I wille with you. I cannot possibly miss any opportunity to gain an advantage."


    Sara insured Keith of her reasons. But Keith just wanted to get rid of her in this round.


    ''Then again, Sara will make for an easy opponent in the next round. If there is one person I want to face in the finals, it is Sara.''


    It was sheer luck and people skill (mostly good luck) that had allowed Sara to get this far in thepetition. Her reliance on Amelia was obvious if anyone bothered to look.


    Soon the trio reached the ce marked on the map. It took them less than 10 minutes to travel all the distance but the ticket was nowhere to be seen.


    It was hidden but Keith opened his map to check the location once more.


    "Someone will need to climb the tree and check the upper parts as well. The ticket should be nearby."


    Keith assured the two people he was with and Amelia immediately climbed the tree to look there.


    Meanwhile, Sara and Keith continued to look in the forest below. But the ticket was nowhere to be seen.


    That statested until Keith spotted the hidden box inside one of the trees. He was suddenly sure that the ticket he had been looking for was inside the box.


    He reached out to touch the box, but someone else managed to swipe it before he could make it to the box.


    The cloaked figure in front of Keith looked familiar. He tried to remember where he had seen this figure before but he did not get to concentrate for long enough.


    The figure in front of him dashed off toward theke side of the forest.


    "Hey, wait. I said to wait. You cannot just steal our ticket and make off with it like that."


    Keith yelled and his yelling attracted Amelia''s attention. The female protagonist looked down sharply, finally noticing the box in that cloaked stranger''s hand.


    From the way, Keith yelled to the way this stranger was making off with the box in their hand, Amelia put two on two together and decided to ambush the running female.


    The cloaked figure clutched her box together when she was boxed in. Amelia had blocked her way forward and Keith was blocking her way back.


    The cloaked figure tried to go sideways but Sara also arrived on the scene and blocked the final way.


    "You should give up, miss. We do not want to hurt you. We just want the box in your hand."


    The female-cloaked figure clutched the box even tighter in her hand once she heard Sara''s words. She was not willing to give up.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith took a step toward the cloaked figure when she made a sudden move.


    She threw her cloak at Keith, momentarily blinding him to what was happening. And then she used this opportunity to run past him.


    Since no one knew, this was going to happen, this sudden action caught them off guard. That was the excuse Keith would like to make regarding why he failed to dodge that simple attack.


    "Noah, are you alright? You were not hurt by that attack, right?"


    Amelia asked and she stopped adjacent to Keith. Instead of chasing after their target, Amelia seemed more concerned about Keith getting hurt.


    "I am alright. What about the box? And that stranger? Did we lose sight of them?"


    Keith asked with a heavy heart. It seemed like he had lost a great opportunity this time. He was disappointed in himself but also d that he had Amelia to care for him.


    "H-How could we allow such a thing to happen? What are we going to do now? The stranger ripped us off. We did all the hard work of finding that ticket and now it has gone from our hand."


    Sara seemed to be having a small mental breakdown from the stress of her situation. Two hours had already passed.


    With four more hours left, who knew how many tickets were still avable to take in this forest?


    "Calm down Sara. We still have chances left to capture tickets. You see when I looked at the map, I noticed something. Some tickets are in very hard-to-reach ces andpetitors would likely check them as ast resort, right?"


    Amelia pointed toward three spots on the map that looked like hard terrain to navigate.


    Once was theke; one was a cave and another was a cliff. These were ces one did not typically venture into.


    Especially during such apetition. People wanted to try finding easier methods first.


    "Ugh, you cannot mean that we need to check these ces as well? I do not think I have what it takes to make it out of here alive."


    Sarained as soon as she noticed what Amelia was suggesting. She was a delicate child who did not have a lot of defenses.


    And usually, such hard-to-navigate ces in a test had some kind of test or guardian attacked with the deal.


    "I think it is worth trying. But you do not have toe with us, Sara. We will try to bring your ticket back here if it is possible."


    Amelia assured Sara and Keith was sure that Sara would protest this arrangement. She was not someone who trusted other people and she liked to do things her way.


    So, when she just looked at Amelia with her passive eyes and did nothing else, Keith was surprised. Sara was behaving unlike he had expected her to.


    "Alright, if, you are sure. I do not think I will be useful in any of the uing scenarios so I will leave this to you two. But make sure you bring my ticket back to me."


    Sara asked for assurance and Amelia decided to ce her hand in Amelia''s own to assure her.


    "We will be back soon. You just need to ce your trust in us for the time being."


    Amelia assured before she and Keith took off. They both decided to check different terrains first.


    Amelia took the cliff since her wind nature would help her climb the walls and look around. Meanwhile, Keith decided to take the Cave as his spot.


    Somehow, it seemed like the most grounded and approachable of the three terrains he had possibly seen. He also had the map and vaguely knew where he needed to go.


    As soon as Keith reached the cave, he decided to take his sh light out and look around. There seemed to be nothing inside the cave at first.


    But then Keith''s light fell on a familiar-looking figure. Her white hair and red eyes shed in front of Keith''s face before he had a pair of hands covering his eyes.


    "Hey, are you not the ticket thief? What are you doing here? Give me back my ticket."


    Keith demanded as he tried to step back and open his eyes. But it was too difficult to do with the grip the woman had on his eyes. She was not allowing Keith to see even an inch.


    "Do not you dare. I will kill you if you decide to do anything foolish."


    The woman warned after tightening her grip a little.

 Chapter 149 148: Totally Swiped [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith had no idea what happened to him. One second, he was standing in front of the previously-cloaked figure, the next second he was facing the tip of something sharp.


    At first, Keith mistook the sharp edge as a de and tensed up. But it did not take him long to realize that it was not a knife that was ced on his neck, but an umbre.


    The unexpected metallic touch caused Keith to take a step back but the sound of a gun loading up stopped him.


    "Do not you dare try anything foolish with me! I know people like you and I am unwilling to y your games."


    The white-haired woman threatened Keith but Keith could tell just how freaked out she was. She had not expected anyone to find her hidden ce.


    Keith made the mistake of gulping his saliva and he could feel the umbre digging deeper into his neck. He was currently being held at the gunpoint.


    "I asked you not to move. This is not an umbre, but a gun. It would be in your best interest not to go against my words again. Also, are you following me? Why are you following me? What do you want from me?"


    Keith had noticed that this umbre was a gun a long time ago. But that did not mean he was going to let himself get shot.


    "Alright, I understand. I think that has been a misunderstanding somewhere. I am not following you for any reason. It is a coincidence that I am here."


    Keith had one of the best defensive skills one could ask for. But when faced with a gun, Keith''s mind decided to draw a nk. He was unable to think of what to do next.


    Maybe his opponent noticed that Keith was hopeless, or maybe she did not care enough about him to kill him off.


    But the white-haired female decided to take a step back and allow Keith to breathe.


    "I do not believe you when you say that you have no interest in me but I guess I can allow you to live for a little longer. Think of it as the payment for allowing me to yoink your ticket from before."


    The white-haired female sat down again once she was finished speaking. Whatever interest she had in Keith had blended away once she got back to her work.


    It was only after Keith had calmed down did, he notice all the oddities of the female in front of him.


    First, Keith had noticed that she had white hair and red eyes. But only after some more careful observation did, he notice that the female also had a lot of scars on her face.


    Some looked like burn marks, while others were obvious marks of torture. This female was not alright and Keith felt sorry for her.


    But the white-haired female noticed Keith''s stare and she suddenly became defensive about herself.


    "W-What is wrong? Why are you looking at me with those disgusting eyes? Have you never seen an abused person before?"


    The white-haired female suddenly snapped and Keith was startled. He had not expected her to take offense to Keith''s staring.


    There was nothing Keith could say that would not offend hispanion. So, Keith decided to keep quiet for the time being and observe the white-haired female a little more.


    "My name is Luna Harper and before you ask, I was born with this head of white hair and red eyes. But I am 100% human in gic makeup. I had it tested before so I am sure about this."


    Luna sounded sure of her origins. This must be something that came up a lot with her and Keith felt his heart soften for the female in front of him.


    But then he remembered that she had stolen his ticket and all his vengeance came running back to him.


    "My name is Noah. I guess it is nice to meet you. By the way, did you submit your ticket back to our host?"


    Keith''s question was met with a hesitant yes. It was as if Luna did not know what to make of him.


    "Well, that is good. It means you can pay me back for stealing my ticket from me. Do not worry, you will not need to do anything too dangerous for me."


    Keith''s smile was aimed at calming Luna down. But it made her even more nervous for some reason. That smile looked like it promised pain and suffering to her.


    Suddenly, Luna was not sure about wanting to help this man out anymore.


    "Hey, can I back out of this promise I made? I suddenly remembered that I need to do something urgent-"


    "Aww, do not be like that. I am sure we can get along splendidly if you want us to. You do not need to be shy."


    Luna took a step back. She had suddenly gone from being the hunter to being hunted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She was sure that she did not like her current position. And she refused to believe that the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach could be counted as ''excitement.''


    Even if the ck-haired man in front of her was extremely handsome, there was no reason for Luna to fall for him.


    "Step back and maintain your distance. I do not like what you are trying to do right now."


    Luna''s umbre gun appeared out of thin air. It was aimed at Keith''s face and he took a few steps back to avoid being identally fired at.


    "Alright, I will give you space. Sheesh woman, what is wrong with you? Are you sure you are not getting triggered for no reason?"


    Keith''s words caused Luna''s heart to skip a beat. She was not even sure why she had behaved like this.


    It was as if her heart would leap out of her throat if herpanion continued to stick so close to her.


    ''I need to keep my calm. I cannot allow myself to lose my focus.''


    *cough*


    Luna took one deep breath to calm her racing heart down. She also put her gun down now that she knew she was not in danger.


    "A-Anyway, you want me to help you out? I guess I do owe you one so I will help you find the ticket. But do not expect me to be this generous in the future"


    Luna tried to cough her awkwardness away.


    She stood up and followed Keith. They kept on walking deeper into the caves until Keith''s shlight battery began to give up.


    "Shit, this had to happen now of all times? I did not think I have spare batteries with me as well."


    Keith''sck of mana was a problem for him but he did not want to expose himself in front of Luna. So, heined about his batteries to hide the fact that he could not make his light.


    "Can you not just use your magic to create a light source?"


    Luna asked and Keith was prepared for this question.


    "I might be able to do so but I do not want to risk it. What if this ce has an anti-magic trap that gets triggered if I use light magic? What if there are monsters that would get attracted by my magic ande after us?"


    ''This is bad. I think I am beginning to enjoy being a little melodramatic.''


    Much of what Keith had said was what he believed. But much of it was exaggerated as well. Especially the part about anti-magic spells.


    The monsters were a real concern he had now.


    "Fine, I understand. You want batteries to put in the sh light, right? I think I can make it happen."


    Luna did something that Keith was not able to see. But when she turned back, she had a pair of batteries in her hand. She quickly handed them over to Keith without a word.


    Keith was curious about the ability Luna had used to make these batteries. As far as Keith had sensed, it had not been magic but something else.


    But asking would be a little too personal at this moment. So, Keith decided not to ask this question. He silently took the offered batteries and continued his way inside.


    Soon, the pair hit a dead end but Keith looked at his map. It showed that he needed to go to this ce if he wanted to find the ticket.


    The ticker was supposed to be on the other side of the wall he was currently facing.


    "Hey, are you alright? You look a little tense right now."


    Luna asked as soon as she noticed that Keith was not paying attention to her. He was currently looking at the wall with an intense focus.


    "Do you want me to destroy this wall? I think I can find a way to do so If I want to."


    Luna did not want to use more brain power than she already had but she would do so if it meant repaying her debt,

 Chapter 150 149: Opening The Wall [Pt1]

    ?


    "Do you want me to destroy this wall? I think I can find a way to do so If I want to."


    Honestly, Keith would be lying if he said that it was not an attractive offer. With the wall gone from his sight, he would be able to find the ticket much easier.


    But something in Keith was telling him not to take the wall down. He had a feeling that there would be a door-like mechanism somewhere in this room that would help him walk to the other side.


    "No, we should not destroy this wall. We still do not know what kind of monsters are roaming in this ce. Let us avoid attracting as much attention as we can for now."


    Keith warned Luna with a straight face before we went around checking for some kind of opening in the wall. He was sure that there must be some kind of button he could press.


    Maybe it was his lucky stars that were aligned, or maybe it was the fact that Luna helped him out, but Keith was able to find the button to open the door. Now he only needed to press it and he would be able to cross this wall.


    But the problem did not end there. The button was high up on the wall and Keith could not reach it himself. He had to count on Luna to help him out.


    "Ugh, you seriously want me to jump up to that height and switch on that button? Man, you sure are lucky that my element is Earth. This should be a piece of cake for me."


    Luna activated her magic as soon as she finished speaking. And as soon as her magic hit the environment, the ground shook and made Luna lose her bnce and concentration.


    Her magic fizzled away as soon as her concentration was broken. Luna was as surprised as Keith felt.


    The ce had reacted to her magic.


    "Fuck, there was some kind of trap preventing us from using magic. I do not think I will be able to use magic to climb that high now."


    Luna sounded regretful as she snapped her fingers. Sparks flew out of her hand but they fizzled out as soon as they flew a little further from her hand. It left Keith and Luna pressed for options now.


    Keith looked at the button, and he calcted things in his mind. If he allowed Luna to stand up on his shoulder, then she might be able to make her way to the button. Well, that was the only option he had-


    "If only I had some kind of support I could step up on. I do not think ourbined height would be enough for me to reach that high. And I do not have enough resources here to work my special ability."


    Luna''s frustration was clear in her voice.


    For someone unrted to this whole hint, she sure was frustrated at herck of ability to do anything. Watching her frustrated Keith as well but he did not say anything to Luna.


    Somehow, her careless words had struck him with inspiration. And he suddenly had an idea that would allow Luna to ess that switch.


    "Luna, I have an ability that would allow you to reach the switch. But you will need to trust me and follow my orders. Do you think you will be able to do that?"


    Keith asked Luna with a straight face. He pretended like he was putting all his eggs into Luna''s basket but that was not the case here. He could go on and retrieve the ticket on his own as well if he wanted to.


    But for now, he allowed Luna to think that she was the only one who could help him out. It was a tactic that helped others feel closest to you and Keith had learned it after working a few years in local businesses.


    "I¡­are you sure you want me to help? If you use your magic, then his ce would start shaking again. So, unless you have wind magic, I do not suggest flying up."


    "Do not worry. What I am about to do is not magic, but an innate ability of mine. It should not trigger any traps in the vicinity."


    Keith was confident about his verdict. From what he had learned so far, divine magic was different from normal magic. In most cases, it was not even treated as magic.


    So maybe if Keith used that, he would be able to press the button? He could allow Luna to step on his barrier while he concentrated on maintaining it. And then, Keith could slowly raise his barrier''s height until Luna was in front of the button.


    "Alright, if you are so sure. So, where do you need me to stand?"


    Luna asked as she nervously moved around. Keith looked her up and down before deciding.


    "Stay where you are and brace yourself. I do not have full control over my ability yet so the journey might be a little jerky now."


    Keith warned before he raised his hand. An invisible force pushed Luna up slowly. She tried to move around but the fragile surface quaked under her feet. It felt as if the ground would split apart any second now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "H-Hey, are you sure this is safe for me? It is quite a high fall until the button and I do not feel secure right now."


    Lunained as hernding shook. She lost her bnce again and again but was somehow able to maintain her position.


    "It should be alright. The surface feels a little fragile because I need to go slow. Now allow me to concentrate."


    Keith''s words snapped Luna''s mouth shut. He had not meant to be mean to her, but his current skill demanded utter concentration from Keith''s side. He could not afford to mess this up.


    Not only Keith needed to go as slow as possible, but he also needed to channel a perfect amount of magic into the barrier to maintain its shape under pressure. There was a solid amount of pressure on Keith''s shoulders right now.


    "I am almost there. You can stop now since I can reach the button from here."


    Luna assured Keith as she stretched her hand out. Keith could barely make out what Luna was doing, but it looked as if her fingers were stretching out toward the button.


    Keith rubbed his eyes to clear them of the illusion he was seeing, but the wall started to move as soon as he began to rub his eyes.


    He quickly made his barrier reach back to the ground and created one that surrounded both him and Luna at the same time. It was a decision that ended up saving both his and Luna''s life.


    The debris on the roof could not handle the door opening and fell directly on Keith''s barrier.


    Luna clutched her eyes shut, waiting to ride this event down. It was a horrifying fate for her if the barrier happened to fail.


    But she was lucky that the barrier held on and Keith''s body around her also added an extrayer of protection for her.


    "I-I survived. Thank God I survived."


    Luna clutched her heart and her knees decided to lose all strength. It was the circle of Keith''s arms that were holding her up currently. But her heart was beating very loudly and painfully when she felt the arms tighten around her frame.


    "Hey, are you alright? Luna, pull yourself together. The danger has already passed."


    "N-Noah? Are we safe now? What happened to all the debris?"


    Luna was currently not herself. She was trying hard to get a grip on her mind but it was a lot more difficult than she expected.


    At least Keith''s warmth around her was making her spinning head feel better. She could finally feel at peace with him by her side.


    ''These are foolish thoughts I need to perish out of my mind. I do not need to think why I like Noah right now.''


    Luna shook her head to clear her mind of all the distractions. She needed convenience herself that she did not hold any feelings for the man in front of her.


    She was here on a mission and Luna could not afford to get distracted.


    "Luna, are youing to the other side with me? I will understand if you want to head back now."


    Keith asked her with a serious expression on his face. Luna flinched at his tone and the seriousness of his voice.


    She could go back if she wanted to.


    No! She should go back now before she ended up being tangled up in Keith''s business any more than she already was.


    But something inside her was that she needed to be by this man''s side or she would regret it.


    Luna had never felt such conflicting emotions before and now she did not know what route she should follow in her heart. Should she go with her logic or her emotions?

 Chapter 151 150: Opening The Wall [Pt2]

    ?


    "H-Hey, wait for me. I aming with you as well. Do not leave me behind like this."


    Luna cried out as she followed Keith. Her instincts told her to stick with this ck-haired man before her.


    Luckily, Keith did stop for Luna before entering the gate.


    It was apletely different world on the other side of the gate. It was impossible to tell if this was even the same ce anymore or not.


    Stones and flowers were covering most of thendscape. But along with that, some weird bugs were flying all over the ce.


    But it was nothingpared to the corpses Keith could see in front of him. Many of the people who had walked here had frozen and now had flowers covering their bodies. Those flowers looked parasitic, now feeding on the dead human remains.


    It was not a pretty scene to see, but the beautiful and vibrant colors of the flowers made this ce a treat to watch.


    Even Luna could not take her eyes off the clearing. She tried to touch one of the flowers before her instincts screamed at her to pull back.


    Luna could dodge the flower''s sharp fang-like petals and scream terrified. That had been a close call for her.


    "Be careful. This ce might look beautiful on the outside. But I am sure it is defective on the inside. It gives me the chills just standing in here."


    Keith pointed out as he put a hand on Luna''s shoulder. He needed to calm Luna down before her screams attracted something unwanted toward them.


    Luna nodded as she clutched her fast-beating heart. She needed to make it stop but her body was not listening to her.


    ''Focus on Noah''s touch. That is the only way to calm down for me.''


    It was humiliating that Luna had to depend on someone else to take care of herself. But if that was what it took for her to calm down, then that was what she would have to deploy.


    "Anyway, I cannot believe the organizer hid our ticket in such a dangerous ce. I can now see that the organizer had no intention of allowing all of us to pass in the first ce."


    The white-masked man must have a n to make his favorite people pass the test.


    Either that or Keith was underestimating the power level of this tournament. Both possibilities did not sit well with him.


    "Ugh, this is a nightmare. I do not think touching anything in this pce is safe. So how are we supposed to find anything in here?"


    Luna''s suspicions were correct. When Keith tried to feel around for a sense of danger, his instincts screamed at him not to stand too long in this ce or he would die. He was not weed by this space.


    "We should not touch anything here with our bodies. But that does not mean we cannot use inanimate objects to look around. If we are covered from head-to-toe and have a pair of gloves, we should be alright."


    Keith hoped that it would be alright.


    As far as he could tell, this ce worked on the principle of sucking out one''s mana. These flower-like insects stuck to one''s body and sipped out all the mana from them. As a result, the human usually died.


    But Keith wondered what would happen to him if these insects tried to bite him. Would he have died instantly? Or, would nothing happen since he had no mana in the first ce?


    ''Well, let us not test this theory out right now. I do not want to be a bug snack in such a haunting ce.''


    Keith took out his body suit from his inventory. He always packed 2-3 suits for such emergencies.


    Luckily, he had all of them in free size. It might be a little bit big on Luna, but Keith was sure it would not be ufortable.


    Although judging by the look on Luna''s face, she was not too impressed by Keith''s choice.


    But in the end, she did notin and took the suit from his hand. Keith turned around to give Luna some privacy and she changed in record time.


    "Alright, I am done. But I will not be the first one to test how potent these suits are. You will need to start the search."


    Lunamanded and Keith felt like he had no other option avable to him. He quietly walked over to a rock and tried to lift it.


    He tensed up when a flying insect examined his suit and tried to bite it. But the thick outeryer protected Keith''s body inside.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The insect soon lost interest in Keith after sensing ack of mana due to the suit''s protection. And Keith was easily able to turn over the rock.


    "Well, looks like the suit works. So, we should start looking for the ticket around? Do you not have its specific indication? Or even a hint about where it could be?"


    Luna asked as she investigated a few bushes. The insects buzzed around her, but they were not able to do anything more than that.


    "I do not know. The map only pointed to this ce. But knowing that white-masked organizer''s taste, I am sure the ticket is hidden somewhere obvious. Maybe in the most obvious ce in the cave even."


    Keith just had a feeling that it would be the case this time. So, he started looking around for an obvious ce to hide things.


    He had only started looking around when he noticed something huge a few meters away. It was a hive with a lot of bussing insects surrounding it.


    "Well, looks like we found our target. Shall we go in and look? We only have about 2 hours left to find the ticket."


    Luna pointed out but her voice was filled with hesitation. It was obvious why she was nervous about the hive.


    The monsters surrounding the hive looked bigger and stronger than any Keith had seen. They were also mean-looking and alert.


    It would be next to impossible to get past them.


    "Yeah, I think that hive is the perfect ce for someone to hide a precious ticket like that. Although I have a bad feeling about this, I think I should head in now. The monsters are not going to do us any favors."


    Luna pointed out as she stepped in front of Keith. She took one step, and then two until she was in front of the hive. And then she walked into the hive with insects buzzing around her all the time.


    Somehow, Keith was surprised and not surprised at her bravery at the same time. Luna sure knew what she needed to do and when she needed to do things. She was also determined to help Keith out.


    Since Luna had already taken the first step, it would be stupid for Keith not to follow her. He quickly started walking after her and quickly entered the hive as well.


    The inside of the hive was like a vaulted corridor. It was beautifully constructed and had an unnatural feeling to it.


    Luna continued to lead the way and the insects continued to ignore them both.


    "I am sure that the ticket is somewhere in the depth of this hive. Maybe even in the queen room. But I am not sure we will be able to make it that far."


    Luna pointed out and Keith found himself agreeing.


    But that did not mean he was going to give up just yet. He still had his shield he could use.


    "Alright, then let us head toward the queen''s room. We do not have a lot of time left on the clock."


    Keith raised his hand and a barrier formed around him and Luna. the insects did not recognize the usage of Keith''s magic and he breathed out a sigh of relief.


    It had been a gamble for Keith to try and use magic. These insects were attracted to magic and things could have gotten ugly fast if they recognized divine magic.


    But it seemed like these insects did not categorize Divine magic as well. It was nice to know for the future as well.


    "W-Woah, what is this? Did you just use magic? But it is unlike any magic I have seen in my life before. How did you do this?"


    Luna seemed to have realized that something was wrong with Keith''s magic. But she did not sound repulsed by him. Instead, her eyes were filled with hope and expectations.


    "This is something like my innate ability but I cannot tell you too much about it now. Maybe if we get a chance to talk more about it in the future, I will tell you."


    Keith settled that conversation soon. Luna looked disappointed but she seemed to have expected this oue as well.


    "Alright. We can talk about thister."


    Luna''s expression was calm. But inside her heart, she was burning with a desire to know more.

 Chapter 152 151: Escaping The Hive

    ?


    The pair walked into the hive with excited but worried expressions. There was ack of sound and ack of presence around them. It was almost as if the whole world hade to a standstill and was now trying to hide something big.


    Standing in the hive was not the most secure feeling Keith had ever experienced.


    "Ugh, this ce gives me the creeps. Are you sure it is safe for us to keep moving forward like this?"


    Luna questioned as her body forcefully suppressed the shiver. What a nightmarish ce this was.


    Not to mention, the ground beneath her foot was trying to force something out of her. She was thankful that she was wearing shoes. Otherwise, something tragic would have happened by now.


    "For now, we do not have any choice but to keep moving ahead. The map says that there is a ticket just a little further ahead. We will not need to head toward the queen''s room."


    That was the only benefit Keith could see while looking for the ticket.


    It would have been disastrous had they needed to go to the queen''s room. Usually, it was the most well-guided ce as well as the most dangerous.


    "This ce reminds me of a dungeon. The vibe is the same and the monsters are the same as well. Heck, even the presence of a queen screams ''boss'' to me. But the only difference between this ce and the dungeon is - this is the real world."


    Luna pointed out and Keith could suddenly see her point.


    He had not noticed it before, but this hive did have a lot of simrities to a dungeon. And now that this had been pointed out, Keith could also not get the thought of it all being a set-up out of his mind.


    "You should not have said that, Luna. now I cannot un-hear your words."


    Keith jested but his heart skipped a beat when he noticed some kind of moment. They were no longer alone in this room.


    "Oh,e on. I am sure this would be a conclusion you would have arrived at eventually as well. And anyway, look out¡­"


    Luna cried at thest second but Keith had been ready to be attacked for some time now. He quickly raised his barrier a sharp w met his barrier.


    Sharp, inhuman eyes looked back at Keith. The pupil covered the white of those inhuman eyes and a scaly face stared back at Keith.


    He was startled but his training of remaining calm helped Keith stands his ground and not lose focus.


    Once Keith had a better footing on his shield, he also got the time to observe his attacker.


    There were scales on that androgynous face and the ears were feathered. Some antenna-like projections wereing out of the creature''s head and a pair of wings lined its back.


    The moth-like creature finally pulled back and created some distance between Keith and himself.


    Its w-like hands and his arms were covered withing weird kind of cloth.


    ''No, it is not cloth but fur. This creature is like that half-spider Arcana I met in a dungeon before. But this one does not seem to have a consciousness of its own.''


    Usually, creatures with human-like bodies gained enlightenment if they stayed in a dungeon long enough. They also gained power and other human-like features as a result.


    But this creature does not seem to have received the same treatment as the ones in the other dungeon.


    ''Is this because this ce is not a dungeon but the real world? Can these creatures not evolve in the real world?''


    The only way to verify this would be to find the highest-ranking monster here and verify with it. But that monster was the hive''s queen and the boss. It would be beyond foolish to seek her out when they did not need to.


    "Noah, what should we do now? I think I can see the ticket from here."


    Luna''s sudden touch caused Keith to almostsh out at her. But thankfully, her voice reminded Keith of hispanion and he calmed down.


    Luna''s scarred face was currently pulled into a frown as she pointed toward the ticket that was lying innocently on the top of a rock.


    The only problem? One would need to brave through this room and their attacker to get to the ticket. It was not an easy task by any means.


    "Hmm, we will need to get that ticket at any cost. Luna, do you think you are up for this task? I will distract the moth-man while you go after the ticket."


    Keith proposed this n with a lot in mind. He had felt the moth-man trying to steal his mana when Keith had cast his barrier. But the divine energy used in his barrier had not allowed the moth-man to consume itself.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    That was why the moth-man had pulled back in shock and now looked angry. It had categorized them as a ''threat.''


    "That is fine and all, but are you sure you will be able to distract that creature? Somehow, it does not look like it has great focus to me."


    Luna pointed out but she was already moving around. She had decided to trust Keith this time and Keith would not let her down.


    The moth-man noticed Luna when she moved and it did not hesitate for even a second beforeing after her.


    Luna cried out in fright as the moth-man attacked her. But Keith was able to cast a barrier between her and the moth-man in time.


    "Hurry up and move Luna. I said I will distract this creature."


    Keith yelled as his barrier curved to enclose the moth-man. But the creature had incredible flexibility and it managed to escape before the barrier could close fully.


    The moth-man also realized that it needed to take out Keith before it could take out Luna. And with that simple revtion, the target for the moth-man had changed.


    Keith saw that attacking and he was ready to receive it. His barrier was ready tobat the moth-man.


    But the moth-man was much more cautious this time. It decided to cote its w in poison and energy and rapidly strike the same zone of the barrier again and again.


    Keith tried to reinforce his barrier in the ce where it was being attacked but he was not fast enough with his skill.


    The moth-man managed to break through the shield but Keith also managed to dodge by throwing his body aside and rolling on the ground.


    His body decided to pick itself up and he now stood alert without his input but Keith was happy with this oue.


    The moth-man flexed its w to get the kinks out before it decided to attack again. But it cried out in pain as a bullet was embedded in its back.


    "Noah, are you alright? Do you need my help?"


    Luna asked from the other side of the room. She held her gun up at ready and fired a few more shots. These many would have been enough to put down a wild dog.


    But the moth-man recovered very fast. It was crying in agony one second, and it is body was repairing itself the next. Luna still stood alert with her fun out.


    "Luna, start moving right now. The sooner you can get your ticket, the sooner we can get out of here."


    Keith pointed out but Luna still looked hesitant. She looked at the moth-man with suspicious eyes, but the creature was not done. It stood and threw itself toward Luna in a sh.


    Keith was only able to shield Luna halfway before the distance between her and the moth-man.


    "Luna, go. You need to get the ticket."


    Keith cried out and that snapped Luna out of her daze. This time, she did not hesitate to go after the ticket and closed her hand around the ticket.


    The moth-man cried out in anger and pped its wings. Keith had no idea why it was doing that, but then the room decided to sh a purple color.


    Keith could feel his insides burning with heat. The room had cast some kind of magic spell on him and Luna. Now they needed to get out of there before something happened to them.


    "Shit, this is so scummy. Why did I agree to help you out."


    Lunained as she made her way toward Keith. Her face looked more flushed than before and her panting was also heavy.


    Keith pulled her body on his shoulder and pocketed the ticket. With that, he quickly got out of the hive.


    It was a surprise when the moth-man did note after them this time. But it is unnerving that eyes were looking at Luna all the time.


    Not that the pair noticed. They just ran away as fast as they could and hoped that they never had toe back to his ce.


    As soon as Keith was in a safe ce, he let Luna down and slid down the wall as well.

 Chapter 153 153: The Aftermath [Pt1] R-18

    ?


    Luna''s flushed face caused Keith to worry. He could tell that there was something wrong with Luna''s physical state. Her face was too red for it to be normal.


    "Luna, are you alright? Can you hear me talking?"


    Keith asked Luna but she was not able to reply to him. Her eyes showed she was still focused but far beyond paying attention to him.


    Her only focus was to keep her sanity and her mind under control. And she needed a lot of concentration to be able to do that properly.


    "Hey, Keith, c-can you help me out here? I d-do not think this heat is going to go a-away on its own. S-So, you will need to fuck it out of m-me."


    Somehow, Keith could not find this situation to be surprising. The heat and body reaction that Luna was showing did resemble one that drugged people showed.


    And the fasted way to get it out of her system would be through sex.


    "Are you sure about this? I will not be stopping once I start?"


    Keith asked her with a straight expression. He was down for fucking but he put the ball in Luna''s court. The final decision would be hers to make.


    "Yeah, I am s-sure about this. I would do anything to get this h-heat out of my s-system. Hurry, we d-do not have much time l-left."


    Luna pointed out the time limit but Keith was not even paying attention to it. His cock was half-hard after all the excitement he had gone through. And Luna''s words had not helped his condition any.


    Keith swallowed his doubts and decided to pull Luna''s face up.


    Her magic and mana tried to overwhelm Keith but hisck of mana caused Luna''s mana not to have any effect on him.


    Keith licked across Luna''s lips to get entry into her mouth. And Luna opened beautifully.


    At least, it did not seem like Luna was a virgin. That made Keith''s worries lessen and he also no longer had to be careful with her.


    "Tell me what you like."


    Keith asked her while his hands roamed all over Luna''s body and under her shirt. They found one of her perky nipples and Keith rubbed it.


    Luna was not used to such a sensation and her cry of pleasure echoed in the cave. Her body also leaned more into Keith''s hands and her chest was pushed into his hand.


    "T-That¡­. you startled me. Why are your hands so cold."


    These were not the words Luna had wanted to say. She had wanted to convey that Keith''s cold hands felt good on her body. But when she had opened her mouth. Such ridiculous words had sprouted out of them.


    "Oh, so you want toin about my treatment? But your body seems to be enjoying my touch. You are even leaning more into me. What a lewd girl you are."


    Keith taunted back as his hand roamed all over Luna''s body. He even touched her clothed pussy and felt it get wetter under his touch.


    Luna''s brain was spinning right now. That could touch on her sensitive parts along with the rising heat in her body was making her unable to concentrate. All she wanted to do was press her body more into Keith''s hands.


    But her mouth was not as honest as her body was.


    "S-Shut up. Your touch does not make me feel good¡­. ughh"


    Luna''s mouth said one thing while her body said another. The heat of her condition was causing her pussy to leak. Her shorts were drenched by her liquid and it was even wetting Keith''s hand.


    When he pulled back from Luna''s clothed pussy, his hand had a payer of sticky liquid coating it.


    "Look here, Luna. You say that you are not enjoying this but your body seems to think differently. You arepletely soaked down here."


    Keith pushed his wet finger against Luna''s mouth. She showed no hesitation before taking his drenched finger into her mouth. Her heated mouth licked and sucked all over his finger before letting it out.


    Even Luna looked surprised at her action before a natural flush took over her face.


    "I-I did not mean anything by that. I was just returning the favor you did for me. That is all."


    Even Luna did not sound convinced by her words. But she was stubborn ad wanted to hold her ground.


    Since Luna was like this, Keith had no choice but to y her game. He let Luna go and sat down a little further away from her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith spread his legs, pushing his bulging cock out into the open. He noticed Luna''s eyes zoning on his huge bulge.


    "W-What is that? S-Surely that is a mistake? No one can be that big naturally. Right, Noah?"


    Luna was holding herself back from not observing Keith''s cock. But her eyes were telling a different story.


    There was hunger and curiosity that was brewing inside Luna. She just needed to let herself go for a little while.


    "Well, I will not tell you what is natural or not. You will need to figure it out on your own from here."


    Keith spoke and Luna could finally not hold herself back. She walked toward Keith with a calm look on her face before touching his bulge hesitantly.


    His cock twitched beneath Luna''s hand and her curiosity was peaked even more. Luna needed to see that cock in action to be certain that it was real.


    "Well, the cock is not going to take itself out on its own, Luna. Now, why don''t you help me out? I am sure we can make it pleasurable for you as well."


    Keith offered this to Luna and her hesitation flew out of the window. All she had needed was a little bit of encouragement and she was on to Keith like a hungry cat.


    Her hands made swift work of Keith''s trousers and her tonguepped at Keith''s hard cock like a kitten. The hot and wet tongue Luna had was also a little rough, sending shivers down Keith''s cock.


    "Man, you are big. I do not think I can even fit you in my mouth."


    Lunained but she still opened her mouth to take Keith in. Her wetness engulfed Keith''s cock slowly and he flinched at the sudden rush of pleasure he felt.


    "You can grip my hair and move me around. I do not mind my partner getting rough with me."


    Luna promised this before going back to sucking Keith once more. Her mouth closed around his cock, and her soft insides massaged Keith''s cock perfectly.


    Keith decided to take Luna''s advice and rest his hand behind her head. Then, he slowly pushed Luna to take in more of his cock.


    And Luna followed his lead beautifully. Her mouth engulfed more and more of Keith''s cock until her nose hit his body. Luna''s mouth was stretched to its brim and she was not even able to breathe properly.


    Keith flinched and shivered internally at the wet and pleasure-filled feeling of having someone''s mouth around his cock. He could not even think straight.


    "Shit, you are good. But you need to get moving if you want to make mee, Luna."


    Keith forced these words out of his mouth as he fought not to moan. He wanted to maintain the upper hand.


    Luna started to pull back a little. And slowly, her wet mouth let Keith''s cock out.


    As soon as Luna reached the end of his cock, Keith took hold of her head and pushed her back. It was a hard and fast thrust Luna had not been prepared for.


    But she did not resist when Keith pulled her mouth down on his cock.


    Instead, Luna tried her best to take him in deeper. Her throat hit Keith''s cock head and Luna''s stomach fluttered with arousal.


    The heat inside her body was making Luna feel weird. It was concentrated at her navel and made her pussy clench around nothing.


    But the feeling of having her throat fucked this hard was making Luna''s insides flutter in pleasure. She felt as if she coulde any second now.


    Luna''s pussy was even gushing down her legs, drenching her lower body in fluids.


    Her tonguepped at Keith''s cock hard. Luna was taking Keith in again and again, and when she finally pulled back, her tongue came to finish the job.


    "Look at you being such a bitch in heat. Did you say that you were not feeling good because of my touch earlier? Now, tell me that it was all a lie and you want my cock inside your body."


    Luna looked up in a daze at Keith. The more she looked at his face, the more appealing it looked to her.


    She wanted this man to ruin her and make a mess out of her. Luna wanted Keith to fuck her hard.


    "P-Please, give me more. I want more of your touch and more of this pleasure. Noah, help me out please."

 Chapter 154 154: The Aftermath [Pt2] R-18

    ?


    Luna''s begging was not enough to make Keith move. But her tonguebined with her begging eyes was certainly enough to send shivers down Keith''s spine.


    He might not be able to feel the same heat as Luna, but he did feel the passion in the air. His cock also demanded release from the torture of being held hostage by a talented mouth.


    "Alright, fine. If you want toe so badly, then I will make youe."


    Keith promised while extending his hand toward Luna. The female took his hand and Keith pulled her up into a standing position. But the force of that pull was too much and caused Luna to lose her bnce.


    The female fell directly into Keith''sp with her legs spread on both sides of the man''s body and her wetness in contact with Keith''s cock.


    "I-I did not mean to fall. Please, let me get up and -"


    For what it was worth, Luna did try to get up from Keith''sp. But her body decided it wanted something different from Keith. Her clothed pussy was still rubbing against Keith''s cock.


    The hot and wet cave of Lune''s thighsbined with his cock''s hardness made Keith unable to hold back for much longer. He needed to make himselfe.


    ''But this friction is just not enough. I need to be inside Luna''s wet and hot pussy if I want any real pleasure.''


    It was a shame that Keith was unable toe from external rubbing alone. He needed something more to make his insensitive body release. But Luna had not figured it out yet.


    "You want me to fuck you? But I thought you did not want my help?"


    Keith questioned but his hand roamed all over Luna''s body. Her back tensed up when she felt Keith''s fingers go down her spine, but it soon turned into a moan when Keith grabbed hold of her buttocks.


    "I-I was wrong. My pussy cannot stop trembling and drooling. It wants your cock so badly."


    Luna was fully submerged in her heat now. Her body was begging her to put something hard and throbbing inside. If not Keith, then she would even be able to endure having other hard things into her.


    She did not care what went into her body, just if it got rid of her heat for her.


    "You are a slut. Your body is leaking more and more by the second."


    Keith''s degrading words were only making Luna feel hotter and wetter. Her brain did not like it but her body seemed to be appreciating having his hot eyes on it.


    "I-I am a slut. Now hurry up and fuck me."


    Luna was desperate now; Keith''s fingers moved from her butt and finally breached her wet pussy. Luna''s moan was long-drawn-out and loud.


    Keith''s finger disappeared into the pussy without any resistance. Luna''s heat-aided body was epting him without any restriction.


    One finger soon turned into two and then three. But no matter how much Keith gave Luna, she epted it all easily. Her pussy seemed to have no limit to its expansion capabilities.


    "N-Not enough. Give me your cock already."


    Luna pawed at Keith''s chest to push him away. Her eyes looked at Keith''s cock with a hungry expression and her mouth drooled at the thought of being able to get his cock inside her body.


    Keith thought about teasing Luna again, but the time limit made him decide otherwise.


    "Alright, fine. I will now give you what you desire so badly."


    Keith promised and he finally lined his cock with Luna''s pussy. The sloppy and drooly mess twitched in anticipation of finally having something inside of it.


    It was easy to breach Luna''s pussy because of her wetness. Luna showed no signs of resistance but her insides did feel tight and hot when Keith entered her body.


    "Are you alright Luna? Do you need me to go slow?"


    Keith teased as he stopped moving. Luna''s hips were buckling up and down to get Keith into her body deeper.


    As soon as Keith stopped moving, there was a disappointed groan that was forced out of Luna''s mouth. She was unable to stop herself from trying to get him deeper.


    "No, do not stop. Please keep going. Give me more."


    Luna begged as her hips kept on moving. But Keith''s tight grip on her hips had halted any progress Luna could have made.


    "Luna, I am the one in charge here. You will do what I ask of you or I will not fuck you anymore."


    Keith knew it was sly of him to say that. But he could see the desperation in Luna''s eyes. And the horror as well when Keith said he would stop.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Luna''s body stopped moving instantly and she looked up at Keith with a desperate look.


    "No, do not. Please fuck me. I will burn from the inside if you did not fuck me."


    Luna yelled out desperately. Her body was aching and her pussy was even wetter than before. She was unable to control her own body right now.


    "Fine. I guess I will have to help you out in that case."


    Keith pretended like he was sighing but, he took Luna''s hips in his hand and raised her legs above her head. This position gave him the best angle and the most control over Luna''s moments.


    "Huh, what are you doing? T-This position is a little¡­. N-Noah¡­"


    Luna''s voice went from hesitation to pleasure-filled moans as soon as Keith started thrusting into her body. The pleasure was taking over her mind, making her unable to respond to anything.


    All Luna knew was that she needed to keep her hips moving and get her heat fucked out of her body. She did not even care who was fucking her right now.


    "Oh nonono. You do not get to look away from me when I am fucking you. You need to remember the face of the one who is making you feel so good."


    Keith took Luna''s face into his hand and turned it toward himself. Luna''s body did not even try to fight that touch on her face. It was like a stringed puppet, doing what Keith wanted her to do.


    "N-Noah¡­"


    Luna''s moaned out after a particrly hard thrust. Her ability to speak seemed to be impacted her pleasure as well. Luna''s mouth was open but no words came out.


    Keith''s cock continued to breach the depths of Luna''s body. It was even knocking on something soft but durable into her body.


    "N-No¡­you are¡­too¡­deep¡­leave¡­womb¡­alone¡­"


    Luna tried to demand but her hips and her hands only egged Keith on even more. She was warped all around Keith''s body, even from her weird position on the ground.


    And Keith ignored Luna''s half-hearted protests when it was clear what her body really wanted from him.


    "Nooo¡­. do not¡­. fuck¡­so¡­hard. I aming¡­"


    Luna was only able to give this warning after she hade. Her pussy had gripped Keith''s cock impossibly tight and her walls were trying to milk him dry now.


    Keith held back froming as much as he could. But he lost the battle in the end. Luna''s pussy was just that good and Keith was a mere mortal in front of it.


    Hise dripped out of Luna''s pussy and even his huge cock was not able to plug it all in. when he pulled out, white escaped Luna''s abused pussy as well.


    But Luna seemed to not even care. She pulled her hips up to keep all thee inside her.


    "N-No, it is leaking. The h-heat wille back if it escapes."


    Luna''s belly was dented but she still did not want thee inside her to leak out.


    Keith was about to help her but then he noticed Luna''s moments. She raised her hand and chanted something. Before Keith knew it, there was a plug in her hand.


    "H¡­Here, plug it all into my body."


    Luna''s demand was a plea at this point. She held the plug out for Keith to take but hesitated. But in the end, Luna''s begging eyes caused him to give in and plug her body up.


    Luna sagged in relief as soon as thee inside her was safe and secure. And then she finally started pulling herself back.


    Keith helped with his grounding touches as well. But it was mostly Luna who did the work here.


    "Are you feeling better now?"


    Keith asked once he realized that Luna was almost back to her original self.


    His words drew a small blush out of Luna but she seemed otherwise harmless. Both Keith and Luna needed a long cleansing bath after this.


    "I-I think I am alright. I am sorry for forcing you to have sex with me. I know it was the circumstances, but I would still like to take responsibility."


    Luna was a responsible girl so she was willing to put her step forward and im responsibility. And maybe she would also be able to put abel on her feelings.

 Chapter 155 155: Gifted Ticket [Pt1]

    ?


    Luna tried to convey to Keith that it would be alright if he left everything to her and allowed her to be in a rtionship with him. Luna was sure Keith''s reply would be positive and would agree with her proposal.


    Now, Luna was aware that she was not the most beautiful woman out there, but she was certain about her technique in bed.


    And herpanion also looked to be at the age where the looks of the female did not matter if he had apanion. So, Luna was certain that her partner would take her offer and-


    "Nah, it does not matter. You did not force me into anything and it was a dire situation. Being in a rtionship over this is not something we should consider if we both do not want it. And I do not want to be in a rtionship right now."


    Luna tried to hold her emotions back because she realized that Keith was right.


    She did not want to be in a rtionship. But ''being in a rtionship'' and ''being in a rtionship with Noah'' were different things. The second one was something Luna would be able to tolerate.


    But her pride made Luna unable to say this.


    In the end, she had to swallow her words and back down. She will get more chances to discover her feelings in the future.


    [You all are doing your best. And seeing you all do your best; the organizers have decided to give you an extra half-hour to find the tickets. After that, you all would be taken to the site of the third match.]


    The announcer was none other than the white-masked man. His voice sounded excited as it echoed through the forest.


    Keith''s body jolted as he was reminded of the reason, he had entered the hive in the first ce. And he quickly took out the ticket in his pouch.


    "So, it is still safe after all. I am so d I did not lose it."


    Especially after everything Keith and Luna had gone through to get this ticket, it would have been devastating for him to lose it.


    Luna had brushed it off before, but she was now curious about the owner of this ticket. She wanted to know who the lucky person was.


    "Hey Noah, did you even tell me the reason you wanted this extra ticket? I mean, you already have one and all."


    Luna asked with a serious voice. She wanted to know why she had done all her dangerous acts.


    "Oh, did I not mention why I wanted this ticket? You see, I have apanion I wanted to help. Amane is someone who has potential and she helped me out before. So, I guess I did not think much when it was my turn to help her out."


    Keith spoke it very openly but he failed to notice the look of jealousy in Luna''s eyes.


    She had expected this ticket to be for someone else. But her jealousy sparked as soon as he heard a female name.


    Remembering back, she could recall seeing one adult female and one child with Keith when she had first met him. But she had decided not to pay attention back then.


    Now her jealousy was causing Luna to burn from the inside. This heat felt different from thest one and it was also more difficult to manage.


    "I s-see. So, it was a gift for your ''special'' friend? She must be dear for you to go through all this trouble on her behalf."


    Luna tried not to force her words out with a bitter voice, but it was impossible for her. Her jealousy was sparkling clearly in her voice.


    "Huh? I guess you can say that Amane is special in her way. But more than that, I need her to be in thest round because there is something I need her to do. Well then, I shall take my leave now."


    Keith waved Luna off and Luna''s mind asked her to stop Keith from going away. Even her heart begged her to follow Keith and figure out what she was feeling.


    "N-Noah-"


    Luna called out hesitantly, but her words were cut short in her throat as soon as her eyes met the pair of brilliant blue in front of her. Whatever she wanted to say was ripped out of her mouth by Keith''s smile.


    "Yes? Is there something you want to ask me?"


    Keith''s smooth voice caused Luna''s hesitation and anger to fade away. Suddenly, she realized that she could not ask anything of Keith without sounding selfish.


    And no one liked selfish people. So, she should tone her obsession down a little bit.


    "No, it is nothing. I guess I just wanted to call your name once more. You should take care of yourself and good luck for the next round."


    Luna had no choice but to back down after she was faced with that brilliant smile. She realized that she lost that gamble in front of her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith smiled at Luna full of understanding and to make her heart skip a beat.


    But despite this, she knew that Keith would not stop and look back for her. Keith had too much to worry about on his te already.


    ........


    Keith quickly made his way back to Amelia and Sara with his ticket. He was not sure if the other two had found something or not, but Keith was not about to have Amelia drop out here.


    The silence around the female due in front of Keith was tense. It was clear to him that something had happened between them.


    "So, were you able to find any ticket?"


    Keith asked as he made his way toward the clearing. His words caused the tense silence to be even tenser.


    Finally, it was Sara who broke the silence on this topic.


    "Of course, we did. We found exactly one ticket. But did you know what thisdy here did? She submitted that ticket on her own without waiting for me to apany her. And now I am the only one who is left ticketless."


    Sarained but Amelia refused to look guilty.


    Honestly, Keith was surprised when he heard this. Amelia was not someone to betray others this openly.


    It would not be too far-fetched to say that Luna was the most honour-bound of the protagonists and hardly ever went out of her way to harm something.


    So, to hear that she had ''betrayed'' Sara was a big deal.


    "It is not something I need to justify, Sara. You might be a friend but you are also mypetition. And as Noah had said before, this is apetition and we are allpetitors. I do not need to take pity on you."


    Keith flinched as soon as he heard Amelia''s words. She sounded serious when she said it. It was unlike her protagonist self who epted everyone and everything.


    He could see that even Sara was taken aback her Amelia''s sudden approach.


    ''Well, looks like there was no need for me to go through the hive after all. So much effort was wasted by me in the end.''


    Keith could not help but sigh. He decided not to bring up the extra ticket he had in his pocket.


    "Ugh, this is not fair. Why do they both of you get to advance but I do not? Are you afraid that I will win this whole thing?"


    Sarained as she stomped her foot down.


    Suddenly, Keith had a brilliant idea about how he could reduce thispetition. He could make Sara a final constant and it would make the top 16, top 15 instead.


    It was clear to him that Sara had nobat skills. She also seemed to have no extra powers. So, in terms ofpetition, she was the weakest one Keith could think of.


    ''Alright, so it seems like this ticket has not gone to waste. Instead of having someone extra strong in the top cut, it would be better to have Sara there.


    With that in mind, Keith decided to bring his ticket out and hold it in front of Sara.


    "Here, I found a ticket as well. You can use it instead since both myself and Amelia have tickets already."


    Sara looked startled by Keith''s kind gesture. She understood he did not like her and her attitude.


    So, his sudden act of kindness was suspicious to her. She could not help but consider his every move.


    "What are you ying at, Noah? What do you want from me? Is it some kind of help? I am sorry but I will not back down when ites to the finals."


    Sara reminded Keith as she snatched the ticket from him. She knew her luck woulde in handy sooner orter. She just needed to be patient.


    "I do not want anything from you. Look, I just decided to help you out so do notin. You are lucky I even managed to find this ticket."


    Keith reminded Sara and she fell quiet.

 Chapter 156 156: Gifted Ticket [Pt2]

    ?


    Sara looked at the ticket in Noah''s hand with a calcted look on her face. She was willing to do anything to get her hands on that ticket. But the only problem was - how to close the distance between herself and Noah.


    Even if the man agreed to give Sara the ticket for free, Sara could not help but feel like he had ulterior motives. And for that reason, Sara was not able to trust Noahpletely.


    "Oh, so you also found a ticket? But are you sure you want to give it to Sara? She is yourpetition after all. And I thought you did not like her."


    Surprisingly, it was Amelia who asked this question.


    Amelia''s face was nk but her eyes questioned Keith''s behavior. But in the end, Amelia had no right to say anything because it was not her ticket and Keith was not her person as well.


    "I feel like it is the right decision to give this ticket to Sara. If I do not hand this ticket over, then someone random would be selected to participate in the next round."


    Both Sara and Amelia understood what Keith wanted to say. Sara''s expression soured even more once she heard Keith''s reasons.


    However, she also knew she needed to keep quiet if she wanted to gain his favor and the ticket.


    [Hello everyone. The time limit for this round is up. Those who found your tickets, please head out and give them to me. Those who were unable to find a ticket, please wait for me on the other side of the forest.]


    The white-masked man''s voice rang through the forest. Sara panicked as soon as the map for the forest appeared on her screen.


    Her inability to find a ticket in time had marked her as someone who ''lost'' this round and now she was being asked to assemble on the other side.


    "Hurry up and give me the ticket. I cannot wait around any more."


    Sara whispered-yelled as she snatched the ticket out of Keith''s hands. Once she had the ticket, she ran toward the white-masked man as fast as she could.


    She was almost there when Sara felt someone pick her up by the back of her clothes. Her foot no longer touched the ground and that made Sara unable to think for a solid minute.


    By the time her senses started working again, she was face-to-face with one of the scariest-looking faces she had ever seen in her life.


    "Ya girly, I can see that you have a ticket with ya. Now, why don''tcha gimme ya ticket?"


    The well-packed man had a way with words. And by that, Sara meant that he was really scared when he asked Sara to hand her ticket over.


    Sara''s grip tightened over her ticket instantly. She was not going to risk losing this ticket.


    "No way. You are not going to get this ticket from me. You should have found your own if you are so desperate for it."


    Sara yelled back and then flinched as the well-built man punched the tree adjacent to her location. It broke apart with a single punch from this huge man.


    "Do not try and act cocky with me, child. If ya know what is good for you, then ya will hand the ticket over."


    The man threatened with serious eyes this time. Whateverpassion he had felt for Sara''s young age had bled out of his system a long time ago.


    Now, the only annoyance was left inside him as he looked at Sara''s scared expression. He could easily break her if he wanted to.


    "Ugh, that will be a little difficult for me to do. But I can always make you drop me."


    Sara spoke before she attacked her attacker''s eyes. It was a cowardly move and even a well-trained body could not avoid the sudden attack.


    Sara made use of this distraction to pick herself up again and began to run. She was going to reach her destination before she would be caught again.


    "You bitch. How dare you attack me like that."


    The man roared as he followed Sara. His huge and bulging body became a hindrance once the forest became harder to navigate. Meanwhile, Sara was agile and easily managed to get past the obstacles.


    Soon, the silhouette of the white-masked man would be seen. And Sara raised her hand to attract his attention.


    "Hey, mister white-masked man, I am here. And I also have my ticket."


    Sara was lucky that there was no one else around the white-masked man right now. She somehow managed to make it into the safe zone before she was caught.


    She looked behind at her attacker and the well-built man looked pissed. Some kind of barrier seemed to be separating him and Sara right now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You! You will not get away with this trick, kid."


    The man yelled but he was unable to touch Sara.


    "Give it up, old man. I won this ticket fair and square. If you wanted a ticket so badly, then you should have gone out and searched for one yourself."


    Sara yelled back, now confident, and happy to be safe.


    She was also morefortable saying all this because she knew she would not be seeing this man again. He did not have a ticket but Sara did. And in the grand scheme of things, it mattered to her.


    "You should not pick fights you cannot win, little one. What would happen to you if this man somehow got lucky and got one of the spot tickets?"


    Sara jumped and her heart thundered inside her chest when she heard that soft voice. She quickly turned around, only to notice that the white-masked man was standing behind her now.


    Sara had not even heard that man walk, much less seen him approach Sara.


    "W-What do you mean? You will only choose worthy people for the next round, right? And this man was unable to snatch a ticket from a kid like me. So how is he worthy?"


    Sara spoke these words with utter confidence.


    She knew that she would suffer if this man somehow made it to the next round, but she wanted to believe that would not happen.


    "Hmm, worthy? I never said that the people selected for the next round would be worthy. They only need to be lucky in the draw."


    The white-masked man spoke and Sara''s expression paled. She resembled a ghost with her white paper-likeplexion and her shaking fingers.


    "Y-You must be joking."


    Sara tried to deny what she had just heard. But the white-masked man did not borate for her. He just held his hand out for Sara to drop the ticket she had.


    Then, the white-masked man looked it up and down carefully.


    "Hmm, you might havepleted the objective for this round, kid. But are you sure you want to participate in the next round? As far as I am concerned, you were not the one who found this ticket. Nor were you the one to go through a trail."


    The white-masked man was questioning Sara''s qualifications now. And somehow, that was what irritated Sara the most. This man had no right to interfere in her affairs.


    "Hey, that is not fair. I got this ticket on my own merits. Didn''t you just say that luck is a part of one''s skills? Surely it will not matter how I got this ticket."


    Sara questioned back and the white-masked man shook his head. That was not what he had been talking about.


    But he also realized that the girl in front of him would only listen to him if it benefited her. She was unwilling to hear anything else.


    "Alright. Since you have the ticket with you and you want to participate in the next round, I will not stop you. May you have a sessful run of the third round."


    The white-masked man took the ticket and entered Sara into thepetition. The child huffed but she was happy to finally be in thest round.


    With this, she was close to her goal of receiving a hefty prize and changing her life for the better.


    Once Sara left the clearing, the white-masked man could not help but shake his head. Human greed was surely something else. And it seemed like even kids were not immune to this.


    On the other side of his barrier, the well-built man who had chased Saraughed out.


    "That child is a greedy one. But she has no idea what she is signing up for, right? And ya did not bother to inform her either. Ya are a cruel man."


    The white-masked man looked at the only person left in the clearing with him. The white-masked man could not deny the usations that he was cruel.


    But since he was not human, these words did not hurt him. They only amused him more.


    "Well, don''t you have to go and try for the extra chance now? Surely standing here and taunting me is not a good strategy?"


    The white-masked man asked. But the well-built man just smiled.

 Chapter 157 157: The End Of Round 2

    ?


    At a small clearing, a few people were gathered. Keith looked around at the gathering and he was somehow sure that these were the people who passed the second round by finding tickets.


    He could see Luna standing on the other side. But the other female ignored him for the most part.


    Other than Luna, there were five more people in this gathering. That made up 9 people (if you count Sara) who found the ticket during this round. So, seven more random people would be selected from the other bracket.


    [Hello everyone. Now that you have all gathered here, it is time I show myself.]


    Keith looked up to see Sara running into the opening. Sara''s presence attracted everyone''s attention toward her. And Keith was sure Sara''s young age had painted a target on her back.


    But as much attention as Sara had gained from herst-minute entry, it was nothingpared to the white-masked man. As soon as he appeared, everyone turned to look up at him.


    "Ah, look at all these lovely people standing below me. It surprises me to see you all."


    The white-masked man jested but no one was happy with his jokes. It caused the white-masked man''s mood to worsen and they all could hear it in his voice.


    "Look at all of you, cold-hearted people. Not even one bothered to greet me with respect. But I guess it muste with being great people. After all, you managed to cross the second round."


    The white-masked man continued. He looked over the group of people and Keith was sure that unseen face lingered at him a little longer than everyone else.


    "Well, I have some good news for you. You all can take a small break before the start of the third round. The third round will start in roughly a month and you will be informed of it."


    There was a universal groan of disbelief. No one wanted to dy the third round anymore. But they could also not go against their host''s decision.


    Somehow, Keith had seen thising. He already knew this was a possibility. So, he was neither surprised nor disappointed when this was announced.


    "Hey host, do you think we all have a lot of free time toe running to you whenever you want us to? We have our priorities as well."


    One of the men yelled as heined from his position. His protest made other people want to stand up as well.


    But Keith could tell that the white-masked man was not troubled in the least. Instead, he was amused and ready to tear into the speaker.


    "Oh, so you have other priorities. Then maybe you should attend those instead. We can always have one of the others take your ce in the top 16."


    The white-masked man snapped his fingers and suddenly, the person whoined cried out in pain. His body twisted suddenly, and before anyone knew it, theining man died a sudden death.


    Everyone was shocked at what suddenly happened. But the white-masked man looked rather bored at the disy.


    "Ah, this is bad. I identally killed someone. I am so lucky that it possible death due to unavoidable circumstances was in the contract, right? And this was certainly unexpected."


    Now that everyone had seen such a great disy of power and authority, they no longer wished toin.


    And it was not like everyone had been opposed to the idea of having ate third round from the start.


    "Alright, so it feels like we are all on the same page now. And that means we will be meeting again soon."


    The white-masked man disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared. But he had left behind a group of confused and terrified people.


    For a second, no one moved. No one knew what to do and how they should treat a dead body. They did not even know the identity of this dead person. So, they had no way to contact anyone on his behalf.


    Keith was about to suggest to Amelia that they should leave as well, but she started moving toward the dead body instead.


    "Amelia, what do you think you are doing? Do you want to get caught up in whatever mess this person was caught up in? Think about your circumstances a little bit."


    It was Sara who tried to stop Amelia but Amelia did not listen to him.


    She kneeled in front of the deformed dead body and ces her hand on the man''s chest. Then she picked her hand back up and uttered a small prayer.


    Everyone watched Amelia do this with mixed emotions. Most people could not help but think of her as a fool. But some admired her kind nature as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I am sorry for dying our return. But I could not help but feel bad for this man. He did nothing wrong to deserve being killed in this horrifying way. So, I wanted to pray for his well-being."


    Sara picked herself up once she was finished speaking. Seeing her pray, everyone else felt ashamed of their behavior as well.


    Most of the people in this clearing had been happy when this man had stepped out to take the punishment for something they wanted to ask as well. But Amelia''s words caused them to feel guilty.


    For a few moments at least.


    Then they went back to normal and their brains convinced them that what happened was for the better.


    "If you are done Amelia, then we should head out. Suddenly, we have a lot of free time on our hands. So, can I take your offer of visiting the Mystica guild? I want to see what all the hype is about."


    Sara did not even give Amelia time to stand up before she asked this. She was excited and nning such a thing for a long time now.


    Amelia considered Sara''s words and then shrugged her shoulder. She did not mind Saraing with her for a tour. And Amelia had offered her this tour so she could notin.


    "Fine by me. If you want toe with me, then you can. What about you Noah? Will you being back with me as well?"


    Amelia asked this with hopeful eyes. But Keith ignored her eyes and looked away. He could not go back with Amelia.


    "Ah, that would be a little bit difficult for me. You see, I have some work to do and I do not think I will have the time."


    Both Sara and Amelia were taken aback by his words. Usually, people jumped at the chance of being able to visit the Mystica guild. They did not reject such a nice offer.


    But not only had Keith declined Amelia''s offer, but he had also shown no visible excitement.


    Amelia could not help but feel like something was wrong with Keith. But she did not say anything to him. After all, she did not want to make things awkward with Keith before the third round.


    "Oi Noah, are you serious? This is the Mystica guild we are talking about. You know, the one with the grandmaster! Do you not want to see the grandmaster in person? It would be your only chance to."


    Sarained and Keith looked away once more.


    After all, how could he dare to meet himself? And if he ever met a copy of himself, then things would end up in disaster.


    "I have met the grandmaster before so I think I can pass this time. Besides, the work I need to do is urgent and it cannot be put on hold. I hope you understand what I want to say."


    Keith tried to make any excuses he could. But his excuse of having met the grandmaster before proved to be the most helpful.


    A look of understanding shed across Sara and Amelia''s faces and they finally backed down.


    "Ah, I see. So that is why you have no desire to go meet the grandmaster. You have already basked in his glow once."


    Sara nodded her head in understanding. She was behaving like she had found the truth to the most difficult puzzle in this world.


    On the other hand, Amelia was still quiet. But her eyes were vignt suddenly. She was looking Keith up and down before she nodded.


    "Alright. Then we shall go our separate ways. I hope we get to meet in the next round as well."


    Amelia waved her hand as Keith took his leave. He just wanted to get out of the difficult position he has dug himself into.


    As soon as Keith was out of the forest, his phone rang. The number was unknown and the caller had also called his new phone.


    So, Keith picked it up quickly.


    "G-Grandmaster, we have an emergency. I know you are out on some personal errand, but can you swing by Blooming Lotus Guild? We would appreciate it a lot."


    It was Master Hana''s call and Keith now had a decision to make.

 Chapter 158 158: Fast And Reckless [Pt1]

    ?


    Once Keith had gotten the message from Master Hana, he knew he would have to drop everything and go help her out. She sounded desperate so Keith was interested to know what was happening with her.


    And to help Master Hana out, Keith would have to travel into her territory.


    But the bigger question here was - whom should Keith take with him for this? He wanted to take Shinzou or ir, but both were a little preupied now.


    "Hmm, let us see. Since Master Hana''s territory crosses the Elf''s Forest, I guess it would be a good idea to take Shimi with me. She might know a thing or two about the Elf Forest."


    For some reason, Keith did not want to trust Shimi with matters regarding the Elf Forest in Master Hana''s territory. But even Keith knew Shimi was his best option to cross the forest safely.


    Being a half-elf gave Shimi a huge advantage over anyone else when it came to the Elf Forest. And that was something Keith wanted to take advantage of.


    Keith quickly dialed Shimi''s number and the female picked it up in a single ring. It was almost as if she had the phone in her hand and she was waiting for Keith to call him.


    "Hello, grandmaster. Can I help you with something?"


    Shimi''s voice sounded breathless and high. It reminded Keith of some ''pleasant'' thoughts and his body reacted to Shimi''s voice.


    ''No, do not let your mind wander down the wrong path. You need to focus on what is going on here.''


    Keith managed to correct his thoughts in time and then he couched into the phone to break the air of awkwardness that had suddenly descended.


    "Meet me in front of the Elf Forest. Master Hana needs our help and we shall depart to help her out as soon as possible."


    Shimi had gone quiet on the other end of the phone. For some reason, Keith had expected her to take this offer without any hesitation. Shimi liked the grandmaster and was devoted to him.


    But the sudden tense silence seemed to speak otherwise. It made Keith nervous about Shimi''s answer.


    As unlikely as it was for Shimi to refuse his offer, Keith could not help but think of it as a possibility now.


    "The Elf forests? Are you sure you want to make ''me'' your guide for such a ce, grandmaster? I am not sure if I would be able to help you out."


    Shimi sounded doubtful of herself. Her existence as a half-elf was something that had always eaten away at her. It was because of her subus ''other'' half that had made her unable to adjust to the elf society.


    No one had liked her or seen her worth in her original birthce. Only the grandmaster had seen her worth.


    But still, the thought of going back home was terrifying for her. Shimi would like to avoid this if possible.


    "If it is too much for you, then forget it. I will ask for a local guide to help me out."


    Keith realized that it was somewhat difficult for Shimi toe with him. So, he quickly decided to back out and let Shimi decide.


    But his sudden actions caused Shimi to panic. She could not help but feel as if she had disappointed the grandmaster somehow. It made her mood sour and she knew she needed to rectify it.


    ''W-Who cares if it is the ce that gave me nightmares? The grandmaster asked me to do something, so I should be able to do it.''


    Shimi''s mind was suddenly filled with courage and determination. She wanted to help the grandmaster out at any cost.


    "Grandmaster, do not worry. I, Shimi, the current 3rd princess of the Elf n will help you out. There is no need for you to look for another guide if you want to head to the Elf Forest."


    Shimi assured the grandmaster. She wanted to prove her worth, but the biggest reason she had volunteered was because of jealousy.


    She knew she would not be able to take it if someone else decided to put their hands on the grandmaster. And Elves were a proud and selfish race.


    Shimi was sure at least of her race-members would try something funny with the grandmaster and then things would escte quickly.


    Keith looked at Shimi''s determined eyes and felt relief flood his system. He had not been sure how to find another guide since the thought of Shimi rejecting his offer did not even cross his mind.


    But it seemed like things were finally going back on the right track for him.


    "We shall meet in front of the forest tomorrow. Make sure you always have your tracking signal up."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With that final set of instructions, Keith let the phone off. He had made ns to get to the Elf Forest so that was one part done.


    And now came the difficult part - to get to the Elf Forest in one day.


    Keith might have gotten ahead of himself when he said that he would be in the forest tomorrow. It would take him 3 days to get to the Elf Forest without any external help.


    "What is wrong? You look worried for some reason. I was about to head out as well when I spotted you from afar. Do you need some kind of help?"


    The speaker was an unknown male well in his mid-30s. He looked like a well-kept and respectful man in Keith''s eyes. But Keith still did not feelfortable telling him everything.


    ''But I guess I will have to tell him something if I want his help.''


    Keith nodded to himself before turning to the man.


    "I need to get to some ce by tomorrow but I do not think I have enough time on my hand. I was just looking for a way to travel fast."


    Keith summarized his situation in two short lines. He did not have enough hope for his situation in the first ce.


    But for some reason, this man suddenly perked up and his eyes shined. It was almost as if something had struck the man''s brain.


    "You want to get to somece faster than it would take originally? Well, I know just the ce for you then. If you are willing to pay, these people would take you anywhere you want them to."


    The unknown person offered Keith this opportunity but Keith was not as excited as this man was.


    First, this sounded too good to be true. And when such a thing happened, the chances of it being a scam were high.


    Second, this man looked harmless but most dangerous people in these new words looked rather harmless. So, Keith was a little slow in taking this man''s hand.


    But in the end, Keith decided to take this chance. He did not seem to have another choice and he did have the money to pay for anything expensive.


    "Alright, take me to ''my aid.'' money should not be a problem for me. And I am even willing to pay a little extra if these people can get me to my location in my given time frame.''"


    The unknown man grinned his wide smile and he suddenly looked d.


    "Of course. These people are pro at what they do. You will not need to worry about anything when you have them by your side."


    The unknown man assured Keith before asking Keith to follow him. Keith walked behind this unknown man toward an unknown ce.


    Slowly but surely, the surroundings began to look familiar to Keith. He was sure this location was one her had visited before. But not by himself.


    He had visited this ce in the game he had yed. There had been some kind of event here but the actual contents of that event were escaping Keith''s mind right now.


    "Hey boss, I have a customer for you. Would you stop beingzy for once ande out now?"


    The unknown man knocked on the barely-holding metal door quite loudly. The door was in genuine danger of falling from the frame and injuring someone.


    But the man leading Keith seemed not to care about this. He kept on knocking on the door until an unkept man opened it with an annoyed expression.


    "What is wrong? Can you stop disturbing me when I am doing something important?"


    The ''boss'' asked with an annoyed expression as he finally opened the door. Keith could smell the booze on the boss''s breath from even where he was standing.


    The boss was a well-built man with bulging muscles and a decent height. He was intimidating to look at but Keith did not feel fear when he looked at the boss.


    Somehow, his heart was calm and his brain could remember where he had seen this man before.


    ''Ah, yes. I remember where I have seen this ce before. It was in that delivery event when the game firstunched. It was the service for fast travel before mounts were introduced.''

 Chapter 159 159: Fast And Reckless [Pt2]

    ?


    The boss of Drive Devil Service picked himself up and dragged himself to the door when someone kept smacking his door. If not for the reinforcement the boss had made himself, the door would have broken down already.


    Boss Devil made his way toward the door once that loud knocking woke him up from his sleep and he vowed to tear the one disturbing him a new one.


    "What is wrong? Can you stop disturbing me when I am doing something important?"


    The boss asked while still swinging on his feet. Anyone could tell that his ''important'' work was drinking and then wallowing in his misfortune?


    Luckily for him and the person on the other side of the door, they both knew each other quite well. Otherwise, the boss would not have been able to hold his temper back.


    "Come on boss. Is that the way to talk to someone who finally got you a customer? This person here promised to pay a decent price if you get him to his destination in time. Isn''t that something you are good at?"


    The boss sighed as he looked at his acquaintance. He knew that his acquaintance was right and the boss did have a reputation for getting people to ces on time. But it was not going to be possible this time.


    "Sorry to dash your hopes this time, but that will not be possible. The ''Devil car,'' my pride and joy broke down recently. I do not have enough money to get it fixed. That is why this ce is in such shambles."


    The boss admitted. He felt sorry for the person who came here with such high hopes. It sucked that the boss would have to send him back empty-handed. But some things were just not possible to achieve.


    But the customer his acquaintance managed to reel in was a little weird. He did not look disappointed at the news that he would not be able to get to his destination.


    Instead, he looked determined to do something.


    "Hey boss, if your devil car was fixed up, then will you be able to take me to the Elf Forest by tomorrow?"


    The man asked this question and the boss was taken aback.


    Elf forest was usually a 3-day ride but the boss could cut it to one day. It was a possible request if his devil car was in working shape.


    "Yeah kid, that would not have been a problem for me. But as you can see, the devil car has given up and the banks refuse to give me a loan to get it fixed. So, you should try your luck somece else."


    The boss was regretful after letting his business go. But he had a reputation to uphold and he refused to cheat or scam anyone. If he was going to earn money, it would be through honest means.


    Boss expected his customer to go away finally. But the customer only smiled a pleasant smile.


    And his next words shocked the boss.


    "Alright, then I will get your devil car fixed as soon as possible. Think of it as a gift for our future cooperation."


    ...¡­..


    Keith watched as the boss of Drive Devil fell quiet at his words. Now, Keith did not think much of this deal since it was a necessity for him.


    He did flinch internally when he realized he would have to spend a lot of money, but it was the guild money. And he could also invest in this ce to make his money back.


    Drive Devil''s poprity sky-rocketed after the delivery event in the game and it had grown up to be the best business around this part of the town. It would not be a bad idea to create early connections with them.


    Besides, this service was what most protagonists had used in the game. It would be a good ce to keep an eye on them as well.


    "Y-You want to get my car fixed? Are you serious? Do you know how much it would cost you?"


    The Devil boss questioned with a surprised voice. What Keith had said just did not stick in his mind. He could not even process this information in his mind.


    Why would someone go out of their way to help him out?


    "Ahm money is not an issue for me. But this appointment is important to me. I would rather not have things beplicated for myself."


    That and Keith did not want to leave any record of his travels behind. So, flying to his destination was out of options for him.


    "Alright, kid. If you can get my car fixed in time, I will personally drive you to your location."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Devil boss made this deal with Keith and Keith instantly opened his phone to make a call. The call went through and Keith quickly struck the deal.


    It did not even take half an hour for the people toe to the Drive Devil and began to fix the Devil car. More than 4 people were working on the car, getting it fixed up and running.


    Both the devil boss and his acquaintance watched this happen with surprised expressions on their faces. They had never seen such extreme service before.


    The car was fixed up and running in record time. And Keith transferred the huge sum he had promised


    His heart hurt when he watched his money flowing out of his bank ount. But Keith had to have a good life.


    "Is your car alright and running now? Can you turn it on?"


    Keith asked and the boss tried his car out. It worked perfectly and much smoother than before. The boss felt gratitude in his heart and he vowed to return this favor in the future.


    "Kid, I cannot thank you enough. This was what I wanted to do for a long time but I had no funds. As a reward for your help, you can use my service anytime you want to. I will even give you a written free pass for this ce."


    The boss sounded far more thankful than Keith had believed he would be. He was almost afraid that the boss might start crying after this.


    "It is alright. But I would like it if you allow me to invest in your business as your partner. I have a feeling your business would explode soon."


    Keith suggested but the boss looked hesitant. He knew how risky his business was and how much one could lose if one did not think things through carefully.


    "Are you sure you want to invest in my business? It is not something great and you might also find more opportunities-"


    Keith stopped the man before he could finish.


    "I am sure I want to invest in your business. You will not disappoint me with your performance, right?"


    Keith asked the boss and the boss suddenly looked energetic and ready to charge in. The awkward smile and theck of confidence faded away from the driver''s eyes. Instead, they were filled with determination.


    "Of course. I will turn this business into the most profitable one on this side of the town and then in the whole country. You can count on me to make you a lot of money, my dear friend."


    Keith was happy to finally have a financial backbone like Noah. He was not d he had decided not to take his disguise off when he had visited this ce.


    "Now, my dear friend. Hold on for your dear life because we will be departing soon."


    The boss warned Keith and he instantly gripped the side handle of the car tightly. He knew that the ride was going to be bumpy and a little rocky from the games.


    Boss Devil''s driving was ''something'' that no one could get used to. If this was not a world full of mana or magic, Keith was sure Devil Boss''s driving would have caused more than a few incidents on the way.


    "Here we go. Wohooo, this is so much fun. Hey, are you alright?"


    The boss asked and Keith tried to assure him that everything was alright. But the green shade of his face was not very convincing for anyone. Even Keith could not find it in himself to open his mouth.


    The car was rocking everywhere and Keith regretted having breakfast. He could feel iting up his stomach.


    "There is candy on the side cabin. You can eat it to make yourself feel better. Most people feel sick when they sit with me."


    The boss informed Keith a little toote. It took Keith everything he had to lean over and take the candy out. He did not even look at the vor and popped it into his mouth.


    Sweetness melted in his mouth, and Keith could finally distract himself from this nightmarish ride. By the end of it, he was sick. But he did manage to get to the Elf Forest on time.


    "Let me know if you need anything else, my dear friend. I will try to get it arranged for you."


    Finally, the Devil boss left and Keith could not help but agree with his nickname as the ''devil.''

 Chapter 160 160: The Road Of Fog [Pt1]

    ?


    After the horrific ride that almost killed Keith a second time, he somehow managed to make it to the nearby town.


    Even if his mind was a mess, he did remember that Keith needed to change his disguise before he could meet Shimi. His current get-up would get him found out by the half-elf in an instant.


    So, Keith quickly found a hotel for himself and checked in for a night. He did not intend to stay the whole night, but no hotel would be willing to lean him a room for a few hours.


    The innkeeper looked startled when Keith told him that he would be gone in a matter of hours. But ultimately, the innkeeper decided not to question Keith''s decision. Money was money, no matter where it came from.


    Keith quickly risen the dye out of his hair and changed his clothes. Once he was done, it was time to head out and meet Shimi.


    ording to her message, the half-elf was already in front of the Elf Forest and waiting for Keith to show up. So, the grandmaster could not disappoint her in this regard.


    "Grandmaster, you are finally here."


    Shimi sounded happy to see him. But there was an underlining tension in her expression. Shimi looked quite nervous to be standing in front of Keith like this.


    "I am thankful that you took the time toe and meet me. I hope the journey was not troublesome?"


    Keith''s question drew a flush out of Shimi. She looked startled and she even diverted her face away as that the grandmaster would not be able to notice her expression.


    "I-It was no trouble. I had an easy time finding this ce."


    Shimi stuttered in the grandmaster''s presence. Her mind refused to focus on anything.


    Keith looked at the red-faced girl in pity but he knew he could not offer her anyfort. He was the grandmaster and his role was to remain cold and stoic.


    "Hmm, if you are prepared, then let us not dy. The elf forest is just a means to our destination."


    Keith reminded himself more than he reminded Shimi. He was the one who needed to focus on his objective.


    Shimi flinched at Keith''s words, but ultimately, she did have to pull herself together. She needed to show the grandmaster that she was a useful guide. This way, the grandmaster would count on her more in the future.


    "Hmm, let us go. Grandmaster, please be careful once you enter the forest. The Elf Forest is known as an impossible ce to navigate because of its special influence."


    Shimi reminded Keith of this with a strict voice.


    This was something Keith had read about the Elf Forest. Thest live stream of the game had mentions of this ce. But it was not to be fully revealed until two monthster.


    By that time, Keith had quit the game and he was living a happy life struggling to stay alive.


    So, while he had some knowledge of what he was going to face, he was mostly going in blind. And that was why he needed a guide who could show him the way.


    "I have heard things about this ce. But we have spent enough time loitering around. Let us head out."


    Keith swallowed his saliva and marched forward. He needed to face the music now.


    "Grandmaster, please be careful. This ce messes with your mind and memories. Even the most experienced people can get lost on the way out. And remember, whatever happens, do not stop off the main path. Otherwise, you will not be able toe back."


    Shimi warned Keith onest time before she took the lead. Keith quickly followed her, not wanting to lose sight of her for even a bit.


    The forest was foggy which made it impossible to tell where one was walking. The only assurance Keith had of himself being on the right path was the road beneath his foot.


    "Look at all this fog. It reminds me of why I did not likeing here. But I think we are deep enough for me to use my skill now."


    Shimi sounded annoyed by all the fog around her. She snapped her fingers and then opened her fist. There was a small ball of light in her hand.


    It caused the fog to recede and the path to show up a little more clearly. The ball of light was a great tool to ensure that they did not lose their way.


    But despite having a clear source of light, Shimi looked tense as she walked. Her attention was also split toward the fog.


    Keith could neither hear nor see anything in the fog. But Shimi''s asional flinch told him that it was not the case for her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Shimi, focus on the path."


    Keith suddenly yelled as he watched Shimi almost step off the path and walk into the fog.


    His sharp tone caused Shimi to snap out of her daze and start looking forward. Shimi also looked paler than before and her eyes were filled with gratitude when she looked at Keith.


    "G-Grandmaster, I am sorry. I momentarily lost myself there. But are you alright? Is the forest fog too much of a temptation?"


    Shimi asked with a shaking voice. Keith felt sorry for the female and he even felt bad for having asked Shimi to apany him into the forest.


    For some reason, the fog was not able to enchant Keith. It ignored him and focused on Shimi for the time being.


    "Hump. As if this fog has any effect on me. I did not even notice it is presence."


    Which was true for the most part. Keith could not feel the presence of the fog but he did feelfortable in this setting.


    It almost felt like he was taking a walk back into his original world where there had been no danger and Keith had all kinds offorts for different asions.


    Shimi''s eyes shot an envious look at Keith before she caught herself. She had not meant to ever feel negative about the Grandmaster, but her current situation had forced envy out of her.


    "I-I am alright as well. This fog will not win over me. B-But can I ask the grandmaster for a favor?"


    Shimi sounded nervous. Her favor must be something big and Keith had a feeling he should refuse her. But he decided to throw her a bone and ept.


    "What favor do you need from me?"


    Keith asked but his voice sounded cautious to his ears. He was not willing to indulge in sexual acts in the open, no matter how much Shimi pleaded with him.


    But instead of asking him for something indecent, Shimi held her hand out toward him with expecting eyes.


    "G-Grandmaster, can you hold my hand? I know I am asking too much out of you, but it is something that will make me feel better about myself. So please, hold my hand."


    Shimi was nervous about her request. She was not sure if the grandmaster would be willing to grant it or not.


    She waited and waited but nothing happened. In the end, she was about to take her hand back when the grandmaster raised his and took Shimi''s hand into his own.


    "Just for this time, I shall indulge you. But next time, do not expect me to give in to your childish demands."


    Keith wanted Shimi but she was already happy with the oue. She had gotten what she had wanted from him after all.


    "T-Thank you, grandmaster, for your kind consideration. I shall never forget your goodwill toward me."


    Shimi bowed a little before her grip tightened on the grandmaster''s hand. With his support, Shimi was sure she would be able to do anything. She would even be able to fight against her past and her unpleasant memories.


    Keith felt the squeeze and he decided to pretend like he did not notice. The fog surrounding him and Shimi seemed to be getting thicker and more effective.


    Now it was impossible to see more than 2 meters in front of him, even with Shimi''s magic light helping them out. The only way to advance would be to walk carefully.


    Keith felt Shimi tug at their connected hands. She awkwardly took a step toward the right and Keith noticed that she was going off track once again.


    So, he tightened his grip on Shimi''s hand and pulled her back. His arms closed around Shimi''s waist but the female did not even seem to notice.


    "Shimi, what are you doing?"


    Keith asked this while somehow keeping a calm head. He looked at Shimi''s eyes but they were nk. Theck of consciousness pinned a horrible feeling inside Keith''s mind.


    Suddenly, he was sure that Shimi was under a spell and would not be able to wake up on her own. But Keith also did not know how to help her out. She would have to fight her demon on her own this time.


    Keith could only squeeze her hand to provide herfort.

 Chapter 161 161: The Road Of Fog [Pt2]

    ?


    The fog of the Elf Forest was treacherous. It would not allow one''s consciousness to remain unphased and it would try to lure the visitor off-track with its sweet words.


    Usually, only full-born high-elf had resistance to this fog. Their highly concentrated and pure magic made the fog run away from them in fright. And that was why, the only specie that could survive in this forest were elves.


    Of course, that did not apply to Shimi since she was a half-elf. Even if one-half of her blood belonged to a high elf, the other half was contaminated with dark desire. Herbination was unholy and the perfect bait for such a ce.


    ''I hope the grandmaster is not having as hard a time as I am having. Unlike me, he is a human and he needs to learn not to learn how tobat this fog.''


    Shimi was worried about the grandmaster. But when she finally looked at him, he seemed to be doing even better than Shimi. It was almost as if he did not notice the fog around him.


    Shimi tried not to be bitter about this, but her feelings were conflicted on this topic. She was happy that the grandmaster was alright, but it also sucked that she, a natural-born elf, was more affected by this fog than a human.


    ''He is far too good for you. But what did a halfling like you expect? You need toe to us if you want to improve your magic.''


    The whisper was charming when it went inside Shimi''s ear. The fog changed its shape to create a hand for Shimi to take. It seemed to be inviting her toe and visit its depths.


    ''No, I cannot fall for those sweet lies. I was warned about this forest so many times so I cannot fall for its charms.''


    Shimi reminded herself as she shook her head. The sweet voice faded from around her but the hollowugh remained.


    ''Foolish creature. You should not resist the temptation. You know you want toe to us. Your body and your mind, both are begging to be held affectionately. Come and we shall give you in ce of your mother. ept us as a part of your reality.''


    The fog continued, now opening sour wounds in Shimi''s heart.


    Her mother had been someone distant to her. She abandoned Shimi as soon as she realized that Shimi was a half-elf and she would not be able to live in this forest.


    So, a mother''s love was something Shimi had carved her whole life.


    ''Yourpanion is not saying anything, but he must also think of you as a burden on him. If you want to help him out, then follow us. We shall take you out of here."


    The fog suddenly transformed into a figure and then two. The humanoid figures were multiplying in front of Shimi''s eyes and she tried to keep track of their number.


    ''Child,e to me. You know you want toe to me.''


    The fog called out onest time and Shimi lost the control that she had been maintaining all this time. She took one step toward the fog, and then another until she was almost off track.


    Something tugged her hand and Shimi felt the warmth that was surrounding her hand. But her brain could not recall what was giving her suchfort.


    Then, she was pulled back and her arms closed around her. Someone was hugging her and the warmth felt very human and familiar.


    ''What are you doing child? Hurry up ande to us. We shall set you free of your guilts.''


    The fog called out but Shimi had no strength left to follow itsmand. She wanted to go out, but her body would not follow and her feet would not move.


    "Stop thinking too much. Just cover your eyes if you do not want to see something. It is as simple as that."


    The familiar voice whispered in Shimi''s ears before a big hand covered her eyes. It blocked Shimi''s vision and the vision of the fog surrounding her faded away. Even the voice that was haunting her went away soon.


    "G-Grandmaster, thank you for your help. I did not think I would be able to maintain my calm if not for your support."


    Shimi thanked the grandmaster with a shaky voice. She had not expected the fog to have affected her as much as it did. But even now, her legs refused to listen to her and keep her weight upright.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It took Shimi some time to calm down. But as soon as she did, she felt the grandmaster''s arms surrounding her. It caused her to panic and she tried to get out of those arms as soon as possible.


    "Are you sure you are alright now? You can rest some more if you need it."


    The grandmaster advised Shimi but her head started spinning from embarrassment. She could not even look the grandmaster in the eyes when he looked at her. His concern was appreciated. But his touch was too personal and effective on Shimi. It made her feel things.


    She wanted to lean back and melt into his embrace. But the embarrassment of this situation caused her to push against the grandmaster and stand up on her own.


    "I-I am alright. The fog tried to tempt me but I managed to hold on. My loyalty to the grandmaster is my biggest priority."


    Shimi forced it all out with her normal voice. And then her face flushed once she realized what she was saying.


    In retrospect, she had said a lot more than she had wanted to say. But she refused to take it all back, no matter how much it made her blush and cringe on the inside.


    "I see. In that case, let us get moving again. I feel like we are close to the edge of this forest now."


    The grandmaster was truly kind. He did not say anything to Shimi, despite her shameful behavior. And as always, he had saved Shimi as well from her own demons.


    He was someone Shimi could never catch up to. And that was why she needed to do her best to hide the dark parts of the elf vige from the grandmaster''s eyes. There was no need for him to be entangled with such a bad ce.


    "You are right. We are almost at the edge of the forest. Thankfully, the fog will start to lose its effect as we walk toward the Elf vige. I assume that it is where Master Hana has asked us to meet?"


    Shimi asked while picking her head up. Her legs finally felt ready to take on her weight once more. But she was still careful not to overdo it. She needed to look after herself so that the grandmaster would not have to look after her.


    "Hmm, you might be right. But inform me if you start to feel the effect of the fog again. I will find a way to knock you out again."


    For a minute, Shimi did consider forcing herself to act like the fog was affecting her again. She wanted to know what the Grandmaster''s embrace would feel like.


    But as soon as the temptation had fallen on to her, Shimi was able to shake it off as well. She did not need the grandmaster to figure out her secrets.


    And she would not be able to handle it if he found out Shimi was just acting and became disappointed in her.


    The pair walked through the remainder of the forest with rtive ease. The fog seemed to have given up for the time being as well.


    Soon, a small vige came into focus and Shimi braced herself to see the ce where she had been born.


    A rural setting with no signs of modern technology. The elf vige was a ce that refused to change despite how much time had passed.


    Even now, this ce looked no different than when Shimi had been forced out of it. So, she felt nothing when she saw this ce.


    But despite saying that, Shimi could feel that there was something wrong with this ce. It looked lifeless and there was ack of aura in the air.


    "Grandmaster, you finally made it. Please hurry ande into the main house as soon as you can. It is the one in the middle of this vige. There is so much I need to tell you."


    Master Hana''s familiar, a small bird,nded on Keith''s shoulder and conveyed her message. Shimi was the one who decided to lead the way toward the main house.


    It was a ce that had been her home and nightmare at the same time. She did not want to go in, but she braved it all for the grandmaster''s sake.


    Just like the vige, there was something wrong with the main house as well. It was giving off a weird aura that made Shimi''s nervousness blow away.

 Chapter 162 162: The Elf Village [Pt1]

    ?


    "There is something wrong with this house. Heck, there is something wrong with this whole vige. It is far too quiet out here for my liking."


    Shimi could not keep her words to herself anymore. She needed to tell the grandmaster what she was feeling. Maybe her weird feeling was being mirrored by the Grandmaster as well.


    "Hmm, I will have to agree with you regarding this topic. This vige does seem to have a problem. Theck of people is making me worried."


    Once the grandmaster had pointed that out, Shimi instantly knew why he was feeling this weird feeling. It was because the Shimi had never seen the vige this empty before.


    When she had lived here in the past, this vige was always filled with people. People liked to point at her and ridicule her for things she could not control on her own.


    But now that she was back, she had yet to see even a single souling close to her. And this quietness caused Shimi to shiver.


    "I¡­this ce does feel emptier than it used to before. Maybe something did happen here."


    It was an impossible thought to phantom. Especially since the elf vige was surrounded by the elf forest. And that forest was impossible to navigate without proper aid.


    "Let''s go inside and see what is wrong."


    The pair finally entered the main house. And the grandmaster snapped his finger to signal his arrival.


    As expected, Master Hana''s worried footsteps arrived outside in a matter of seconds. She bowed down to greet the Grandmaster.


    "Greetings, Grandmaster. I was waiting for you. As you might have noticed, this ce is in dire need of your help."


    Shimi was annoyed when she was ignored by Master Hana. but she tried not to take the insult personally since there were more important things to worry about.


    And she was also curious how Master Hana had managed to find her way to this vige. As far as Shimi knew, Master Hana did not have anyone to guide her this way.


    "Grandmaster, as you already know, our branch of the guild alliance has dealings with the elves. But for some months, they stopped replying to our messages. So, I decided to have a look at the vige directly. And I found the vige like this."


    ''By this'' Shimi must mean that she found the vige to be empty. It was a shame that the vige had no elf or anyone else to exin what happened.


    "Do you know how long this vige has been like this? Elves do not like to generally leave their territory. So, I doubt they left voluntarily."


    Shimi added her wisdom. As a half-elf, she was qualified to say all this. She knew her race better than anyone else.


    Meanwhile, the Grandmaster had aplicated expression on his face. He seemed to be deep in thought and Shimi wanted to know what he was thinking about.


    ......


    Elf vige was different from what Keith imagined it to be.


    It looked a little primitive andcked the most basic human technology, but there was afortable feeling that surrounded the vige.


    Since Keith was already here, he decided to look around. How could the whole vige disappear like this without a clue?


    But he was sure that Master Hana had conducted her investigation already. And if she had not found anything, how could Keith possibly hope to find anything?


    He was about to give up when he felt someone looking at him. This paranoia was raising its ugly head and Keith instantly picked up a nearby decoration and threw it toward the direction of that gaze.


    Keith had now thrown the decoration with as much uracy as possible, but he was not trained to throw things.


    So, it missed its mark and ended up smashing into the wall just beside where he had felt the feeling of those eyes.


    "Grandmaster, is everything alright? I saw you throwing the decoration so I got worried that something might be wrong with you-"


    Shimi was startled, not noticing the extra presence in the room. But Master Hana''s sharp gaze did not miss the sh of blond at the corner.


    "A person? How did I miss the presence of a person? Maybe because it was not strong and hostile until now? But do not worry. I will go and check up on the situation right now."


    Master Hana stretched her hand and then made weird hand motions. Soon, a small figure came out of the corner where Keith had sensed a human presence.


    Everyone was taken aback when they first noticed the small child. Familiar blond hair and blue eyes on a familiar face.


    It was almost as if they were looking back at s younger Shimi.


    They all could not help but look at Shimi and then back at the child in front of them. The resemnce was uncanny.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "W-What are you all looking at? I m-mean, how dare you look at my supreme self like that? You shall be punished for this ordeal. I-I will punish you."


    The child was shaking in her ce. Her body looked seconds away from falling unconscious and theck of energy also seemed evident in the child.


    There was a weird sound the child emitted and a blush covered her face. If not for her hasty action of covering her stomach, Keith would have never guessed that the child was hungry.


    "Hey child, are you alright? I do not think you should stay here anymore. It does not feel safe for you."


    Hana tried to coax the child out of her frozen state but it had the opposite effect on the child.


    Instead of looking calmer, the child looked tenser for some reason. She looked at Hana with suspicion filling her eyes.


    "W-Who are you? How did you get to this ce? You are no elf and-"


    And then the child saw Shimi and let out a startled yell.


    "G-Ghost. You are a ghost, right? M-Mother is dead. And Dead people cannote back to life."


    The child was shaking in her ce. Looking at her made Keith feel sorry for her. In the end, he signaled for Shimi to take care of the younger.


    Shimi did not look happy, but she had also guessed what kind of rtionship she shared with this kid.


    "You are right. Dead cannote back to life. And I am not ''mother'' but your half-sister. I think you would have heard about me. My name is Shimi."


    The elf-child finally calmed down once she heard Shimi''s name.


    Suddenly, the fear the child felt turned into ridicule as she looked at Shimi''s form.


    "I know you. You are the ''disgrace'' mother always talked about. She said not to talk to you and ignore you if I ever saw you. But you just look like an elf to me. Why did Mother say all that to me? Did she not like you?"


    The elf child was curious about her half-sister. She had always been told that her half-sister was an evil person who was not worth getting to know.


    But the child had never taken those words to heart. She had always wanted to meet her half-sister in real life and got to know her.


    And when she finally got to meet her half-sister, it was under the worse circumstances imaginable. What a turn of events this turned out to be for her.


    "You should not take what the adults said about Shimi to heart. They were wrong and there is nothing wrong with Shimi. Now, can you tell me what happened here?"


    Master Hana asked as she kneeled in front of the child.


    The child considered if she wanted to tell these people anything or not. They had appeared out of nowhere and started to look around. But they also had an elf with them so the child did not feel afraid anymore.


    "If the handsome mister carries me around, then I might get in the mood to tell you all what happened."


    Both females in front of the child had sour andplicated expressions on their faces. It seemed like they did not like the idea.


    But the child did not care about that. She liked the man''s face so she wanted to be carried by him. She was sure that the man would not be able to ignore her cute charms as well.


    After all, she was the elf princess and the most beautiful girl in the world. Everyone said so to her so it must be true.


    She waited for herself to be picked up any second but then something unexpected happened.


    "No"


    At first, the child thought she had heard the man wrong. There was no way she had gotten rejected.


    But then the man did not move toward her, signifying that she had not been hearing things.


    ''S-Such a humiliation will not go unnoticed. I will not tell these people anything-''


    *growl*


    Her stomach roared in hunger which made the child feel desperate. She had not eaten for days.


    "Hey kid, so I have a proposal for you-"

 Chapter 163 163: The Elf Village [Pt2]

    ?


    "Hey, slow down Himeko. There is more than enough food for you to eat. So, there is no need for you to be this desperate."


    The elf princess, Himeko, ignored Hana''s words as she continued to put food into her mouth. She was not slowing down despite Hana''s insurance that there was more than enough food to go around.


    Being away from food for a few days seemed to have done things to her. Especially when the child wanted to stop but could not physically bring herself to physically do that.


    "B-But I am still hungry. C-Can you pass me water?"


    The child asked and Shimi handed her water. But as soon as the child was done drinking, she felt somethinging back up her food pipe. She had eaten a lot more than she could handle.


    She quickly dashed toward the bathroom, leaving three adults shaking her head.


    Once Himeko came back, she looked a lot more grounded and ready to negotiate with them. Although, the blush on her face did look adorable to the adults.


    "A-Alright, I am done. I will answer your questions in return for your hospitality. Ask what you want to ask."


    Himeko pretended like she did not care much about what she was asked. But she was trying her hardest not to cry right now.


    She had somehow managed to hold herself together until now. But now that she had adultpany again, her tears threatened to fall from her eyes any second now.


    "Can you tell us what happened? Why were you the only one in the elf vige left? And how long has this been going on for? Why did no one contract us until now?"


    Master Hana asked this all-in-one go. So many questions stumped the child and Himeko took a step back.


    "Calm down Master Hana. We need to ask questions one by one. Let us not overwhelm the child."


    Shimi decided to take the lead here. She knew this child was her half-sister but that did not matter. Shimi did not have any personal feelings for her family anymore so she was willing to treat Himeko like a stranger.


    And it was easy to show kindness to unknown strangers.


    "Can you tell us what you remember? Where did everyone else go?"


    Now that she only had a single question to focus on, Himeko looked calmer and more grounded.


    "Everyone else disappeared one day. I do not know what happened since I was in the temple when that happened. We were ying hide-and-seek and I kept myself hidden for the whole day inside there."


    Himeko recalled what she could quickly. She remembered being so happy that no one had been able to find her at first. But soon, that happiness had turned into fear when no one even called for her in hours.


    And when she finally came out, there was no one in the vige. Everyone had left Himeko alone to suffer while they disappeared.


    "So, you have no idea what happened here as well, huh? This is most unfortunate. But were you the only person in the temple when everyone disappeared? What about the priests?"


    Master Hana asked trying to cover all grounds. But this time it was Shimi who answered her question.


    "There are no priests for temples in the elf vige. Caring for the temple is amunity effort and no one else was likely in the temple when the disappearing incident happened."


    This was depressing. But at least they had a lead now. Maybe if they investigated the temple, they would be able to find something.


    "Tsk, I do not like this situation. The elf temple had always felt like a forbidden ce to me since I was not allowed to enter. Would you mind if I chose to stay behind?"


    Shimi looked ufortable when she asked Keith. But Keith did not want to force her to do something she did not want to.


    If Shimi wanted to stay behind, then she could do so without a problem.


    "Alright, we understand. You can stay behind this time. We will call you in case we desperately need your assistance."


    Master Hana assured Shimi but she doubted things woulde down to this. Especially since she had the Grandmaster with her. There was no way Grandmaster would let anything happen to her or the child.


    The trio quickly left for the temple and Himeko guided them through the streets.


    ......¡­..<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''It is not an impressive ce. But I can still feel the divine powering from this ce. Now I see how Himeko was able to survive the ordeal.''


    Keith wanted to ask his other twopanions if they felt the word feelinging out of the temple as well. But their nk expressions told Keith that it was likely not the case for them.


    "Be careful when you enter this ce. Our goddess, Shiaru is known to get angry and jealous too quickly. You all better remember that and pay your respect."


    Keith would like nothing more than to piss off a god after all he had been through. But he did not want to risk his life as well for no reason.


    But maybe if he met a ''real'' God apart from ir, he would be able to go home.


    "Ah, I have heard about Shiaru before. Our branch of the guild had contact with elves way before we were officially a group. I have heard stories about how Shiaru used to go intobat over the smallest things. Are things the same now as well?"


    The child had a sullen look on her face. But she neither confirmed nor denied Hana''s words. It was more likely that she did not know what to say in such a situation.


    Keith looked around the room for the source of his difort. He was not sure why, but the divine feeling felt rotten to him.


    It was almost as if he had felt the same pressure before.


    ''Ugh, this feels like the rift. And this weird feeling is surely a fallen god. But why would a fallen gode here? As far as I know, Goddess Shiaru had a strong foothold of followers even outside of the elf vige.''


    What Keith was feeling and what he knew about this did not make sense to him. He was lost in his thoughts so he did not notice everyone else stopping in front of the temple''s back gate.


    "Grandmaster, can you hear that? It feels like someone is dragging their ws over a metallic surface. Should we do and investigate what that is?"


    Master Hana looked excited to check the disaster out. And with her in their group, Keith did not feel as afraid as he normally did. He was ready to check this noise out.


    "Fine, let us check the situation out. Hey kid, stay with me. If you wander off too far then I will not save you."


    It was more like - Keith will not be physically capable of saving the kid if she did go too far. But that was something he could not say out loud.


    "Alright, I will stick to you like glue. I do not want to die as well."


    It was nice to see that Himeko had priorities and her life was one of them.


    Master Hana finally opened the door from where they could hear ws rubbing on the metal. For a solid minute, nothing happened.


    But then, a giant bird w smashed the floor and an enraged bird came running out of the room. Its unfocused eyes looked around for his prey and finally fell on Keith andpany.


    "H-Hey, isn''t that a Fenrir beast? What is one of these things doing out here? And in such bad shape as well? What should we do now, grandmaster?"


    Frankly speaking, Keith was surprised to see the Fenrir beast here. He could not understand why the beat had been locked up in a room like that.


    It was because no earthly power could kill off such a best. And master Shinzou was not here as well with his divine sword.


    "Master Hana, distract that beast for a minute. I will take care of it soon."


    In the end, Keith had no choice but to use his divine power. He would have to take the risk of harming himself and his surroundings.


    But surely that was better than outright dying without being able to do anything.


    "W-What are you doing? No, you cannot kill the divine beast of our goddess. I c-cannot allow you to do that. We can still save it."


    Himeko tried to plead with them but even she knew that the divine bird was no longer her friend. It seemed to have lost its mind. But surely it could be brought back to its senses.


    It was a divine beast after all.


    "Kid, there are things one needs to do to save one''s life. And this one is certainly that situation. So do notin and sit tight."

 Chapter 164 164: The Elf Village [Pt4]

    ?


    The Fenrir beast was enraged to see intruders on itsnd. It wanted the pesty intruders gone so that it could take care of its wounds in peace.


    A sharp beak broke the ground beneath Hana''s feet but she managed to dodge the main attack. She looked down with a flinch and watched as the cracks widened beneath her previous location.


    The bird charged toward her again, but Hana was ready this time. She raised her hand and strings appeared out of thin air. They bind the attacking bird''s body and immobilize it for a few seconds.


    And then the Fenrir beast managed to break apart the strings and continue its attack.


    "Tsk. This is not fair. I do not have enough mana to hold the Fenrir back."


    Master Hanained but Keith knew that was not the reason Master Hana was not able to hold the beast back. The main reason was the Fenrir beast''s mana resistance. It was able to snap out of any attack.


    "You people are no match for the Fenrir beast. Please stop your foolish actions of trying to harm it. You all will die as a result."


    Himeko tried to reason with Keith. Her eyes pleaded with him to leave the bird alone but Keith knew it was no longer an option.


    A Fenrir beast''s obsession knew no bounds. And this one had surely put a target on his and Hana''s back. Hey, would need to kill it if they wanted to escape from here.


    "Kid, it does not look like you know the situation at all. A Fenrir beast will not let go of its prey no matter how hard you try to shake it off. There is no way we can escape now. Killing it is our only option."


    Keith exined to the kid. Himeko looked startled but then her eyes turned determined.


    "No, there is another way we can make the Divine beast calm down. We just need to fill the room with smoke and make it go to sleep. The priests used to do it all the time."


    Himeko exined with exaggerated gestures. It seemed like she had seen some things in the vige and now she wanted Keith to try those things out.


    Keith did not know what smoke could do against a Fenrir beast. But he suddenly had an idea when he considered Himeko''sst words.


    "You mean to say that the priests used sedative smoke to put the Fenrir beast into a deep sleep and keep it confined? But that would only give us a temporary solution to our problems. The beast woulde back for us once it wakes up again."


    Keith did like that solution but not enough to risk his life over it. He would prefer to have the Fenrir beast killed.


    And unlike thest Fenrir beast which came back again and again even after it was killed, this one would hopefully stay dead.


    "I-I just wanted to help the Fenrir beast. It is the only thing left in my vige. I will not let you destroy it as well."


    Himeko tried to change Keith''s mind but that was not going to be possible. Keith cherished his own life over anything else. So, he was not going to put himself in danger just for a kid.


    "Grandmaster, be careful. The beast managed to get past me."


    Hana suddenly yelled and Keith looked up sharply when he felt a shadow cover his body. The kid in his arms flinched and looked away from the huge beast looming over them as well.


    The Fenrir beast let out a yell and then its beak came down on top of Keith''s head. If not for his fast reflexes creating an automatic shield around him, Keith would have been heavily injured.


    Divine power covered his body and the Fenrir beast was startled at the familiar feeling. It sharply looked at Keith before taking a step back cautiously.


    "Begone."


    Keith did not like attacking magic but he did know he needed to use it. So far, Hana''s magic had not worked on the Fenrir beast but Keith knew that Divine power did work.


    The Fenrir Beast cried out in pain as divine magic burned its eyes and its control. It could no longer look straight.


    "Y-You managed to injure it? What kind of human are you? That thing is a messenger of the gods. It is a god in everything but physical appearance. You should not be able to even touch it."


    Himeko eximed as she tried to wrap her head around what happened. Her feelings on this topic were jumbled and she did not know what to think anymore.


    Meanwhile, Master Hana also made her way toward the Grandmaster and beamed at Himeko''s look of disbelief.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "That is our Grandmaster. He can make the impossible possible. So, do you now believe in our Grandmaster''s power?"


    Hana asked the conflicted elf. But Himeko quickly recovered her wits as she watched the Fenrir beast pull itself together. The huge beast let out a cry of pain and became even more ferocious.


    "Well, I would believe in you people more if we get out of here alive. You managed to piss off the divine beast even more."


    Hana closed her eyes as she watched her end approaching. The huge monster lifted its beak and opened its mouth. A concentrated beam of divine magic gathered in its mouth and it let out a cry of trump as it let the magic run wild.


    It cut through the ceiling and the floor. It was going to make the whole building copse.


    "Master Hana,e near me."


    Keith called Master Hana while pulling her arm toward him at the same time. Master Hana was startled and lost her bnce. She fell into Keith''s arms and only regained her bnce once she was helped by him.


    She watched as a golden glow covered her form as well as the grandmasters and Himeko''s. They all were safe from the falling debris for the time being. But the falling debris caused ack of visibility.


    Once things became clearer, it was obvious that they were outside. The Fenrir beast had managed to break free from the temple.


    It let out a cry of trump and then ran toward the forest.


    "Hey,e back. We cannot let it out into the world-"


    Himeko sounded worried but both Keith and Master Hana were not. As soon as the divine beast disappeared into the elf forest, it lost its path and the fog engulfed it.


    "Do not worry. A mad beast like the Fenrir beast would not be able to keep its mind if it enters that ce. It will not be able to terrorize the world."


    It was impossible to bring back someone who was lost in the elf forest. There was no record of anyone finding their way back to reality once they had been taken in by its illusionary powers.


    No one knew what had caused the Elf Forest to gain its power, but people were too afraid to ask now.


    "Let us head back for now. I doubt we will be able to find any more clues here. Master Hana, since you were the one to find this kid and your n has a close rtionship with this Elf vige, I want you to take care of Himeko-"


    "No! I want to go with you and my big sister. I do not want to go with the purple hair."


    Himeko decided she wanted to give her input as well. She quickly put her foot down as soon as Keith suggested she go with Hana.


    He could see that Master Hana was insulted by this refusal. It must have been a big blow to Master Hana''s pride.


    "Hump, I do not want to take a brat like you back with me as well. You can do what you want to. But do not burden the grandmaster with your behavior."


    Master Hana tried to separate the clinging child from the grandmaster. But the more she pulled Himeko back, the more she clung to Keith.


    Meanwhile, Shimi had noticed all this happening and she hurried toward the temple. Shimi had a worried expression on her face when she finally made it to her destination.


    "Grandmaster, Master Hana are you both alright? I felt the earth shaking and I did not know what was going on with you. Are you sure everything is alright?"


    Master Hana arrived, only to see the weird scene of her half-sibling clinging to Grandmaster while Master Hana tried to separate them both.


    Shimi knew she had no right to feel jealous, but she did not like the way her sister was holding on to the grandmaster. It was not fair that Himeko got to do that and Shimi did not.


    "Himeko, you should not cling to Grandmaster like that. He is not someone you can touch so freely."


    Shimi spoke with jealousy clear in her voice. It caused Himeko to flinch but she was even more determined to stay with Keith now. And her grip only tightened on his clothes.

 Chapter 165 165: The Fog Of Battle [Pt1]

    ?


    The atmosphere had tensed up suddenly and Keith did not know what happened. He watched as Himeko tightened her grip around his clothes. Her actions seemed to be triggering Master Hana and Shimi as well.


    Keith sighed and decided to put an end to this conflict before he could be affected by this atmosphere as well.


    "Alright, this is enough. Himeko, go with Master Hana for now. Her group is the only one that still has elves in it. They will take care of you. Shimi, we need to head back and call a meeting. A lost Fenrir beast is not something we can allow to roam free."


    Keith quickly but effectively dealt with this situation. He did not care that he was dashing a child''s hopes and dreams. He wanted to calm the situation down, so that was what he did.


    "Y-You are abandoning me? Why did you help me out in the first ce if you were going to abandon me in the end?"


    Himeko had tears in her beautiful eyes. The child had tears falling down her face and it made Keith feel soft for her.


    But then he hardened his heart as he recalled all the trouble he would have to face if he decided to take the kid in. It would just be better to nib this bud before it sprouted.


    "I never promised to take care of you kid. But I am trying to help you out by sending you to the ce safest for you right now. You can always remain in this vige if you do not want toe back with us."


    Keith offered this as well, but he knew that the kid would not want to stay back in this vige.


    As expected, Himeko flinched as soon as she heard Keith''s words. Her grip tightened on her dress this time and a depressed look took over her face.


    Her expression would have made anyone pity her, if not for her attitude. Her stubbornness was not helping her in any way.


    "I-I understand. If this is the only way, then I will go with Master Hana. B-But you need to promise me that my vige would be alright. You will not let anything happen to it, right? This is the only thing I have left as a legacy."


    Himeko was a smart child and she seemed to be well-educated as well. But she also seemed obsessed with her vige and the associated things.


    Somehow, Keith could not help but feel sorry for her position.


    "We will see the kid. For now, I have no intention of touching this ce. So go back home to your new home."


    Keith assured Himeko but she still looked doubtful. But she left with Master Hana. Both Keith and Shimi were the ones left behind in the vige.


    "Grandmaster, should we head back as well? I do not think we need to stay here any longer."


    Shimi tried to get out of the vige as early as possible.


    She had managed to hold back her feelings until now but she was no longer able to hold from asking the grandmaster to abandon this ce.


    Shimi''s feelings regarding her home wereplicated. She hated how this ce had treated her but she could also not forget it in the long run.


    "Do not worry. We shall leave this ce tomorrow. I would like to stay here one more day to ensure we have not missed anything important."


    Keith decided to look around more. He had a feeling he would be seen be able to find something important.


    Any ce that had a temple, as well as a god associated with it, had proven to be a treasure mine for him. So, he was also certain that this vige hid something like that.


    Shimi sighed, not liking the fact that she would have to remain in this vige for longer. But she also did not want to leave the Grandmaster alone.


    "Alright. If this is what the grandmaster wants, then I shall follow your words. I hope you know what you are doing."


    Keith nodded and then it was time to look around. He decided to split up and look around on his own for the time being.


    The first stop he decided to check up on was the remains of the temple. But the debris was hard to look around in.


    There was nothing Keith could do about the caved-in part so he started to investigate the part that was still intact.


    The central room of the temple had a statue of a naked elf woman looking at the world with calm but detached eyes. She had four eyes and well as various split pupils covering her body.


    If Keith had to say, he would say that the elfdy was beautiful but also creepy. She gave off an other-worldly feeling when he looked at her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was the first ''real'' statue of a god he had seen and it looked nothing like a creature. Keith had a bad feeling every time his eyesnded on that naked chest.


    He understood he was alone in that temple right now. But he still had a feeling someone was looking at him.


    In the end, Keith found nothing inside the temple. He did find a small box that seemed to have contained something until recently. But its contents had been emptied, unfortunately.


    In the end, his trip to the Elf vige did not provide him with any advantage.


    ......¡­.


    "Himeko, stop sulking. I know you are angry that you were not able to able to go with the grandmaster, but it was a foolish dream from the beginning. The grandmaster is not someone whom you can be with so easily."


    Master Hana had decided to return with Himeko as per the grandmaster''s orders. But the child was still sulking in her seat. The child seemed to have taken offense at being pulled apart from the grandmaster.


    Truthfully, Hana could see why Himeko was upset. There was a charm around the grandmaster that pulled everyone''s attention toward him. And it seemed like children were no exception to that rule as well.


    "I know that man is special. He was able to fend off the attack from a Divine beast easily. And I am not sulking at all. I am just reflecting on what happened."


    Hana could see the red flush on Himeko''s face. The poor child seemed to be struggling with what happened.


    But before she could reply to Hana, she felt something brush past her. They both were currently walking through the elf forest.


    The Elf Forest had a special property that made people hallucinate when they went through it. But the elves had prepared a special technique tobat this. Master Hana was currently using this technique so she knew that she was not lost.


    The feathery touch was felt again by Master Hana. But she was not the only one who shivered this time. It seemed like Himeko had felt this touch as well.


    "T-There is something here with us. I can feel the softness and it feels like feathers."


    Himeko eximed and something snapped into Hana''s mind.


    As unlikely as it was, she could not help but this that this was the Fenrir beast that had managed to give her the slip before. But surely that was not possible?


    *Cwakkkk*


    Himeko and Hana looked up into a pair of sharp eyes and they watched as a sharp beak tried to rip them apart.


    Thankfully, Master Hana was an experienced fighter so she was able to propel herself away from that attack. She also carried Himeko in her arms.


    "That is the divine beast. It managed to find us in this forest as well. But how?"


    That was what Master Hana was curious about as well. No one was able to resist the temptation of the elf fog for a long time unless they had this special technique.


    But of course, what Hana did not consider was the fact that the Fenrir beast was a divine beast. There were logic and powers of this world that did not work on such a beast.


    "Shit, Himeko, are you alright? Can you stand up?"


    Himeko looked dazed. Master Hana was worried that this attack would cause Himeko to feel disoriented and she would fall victim to the fog.


    Thankfully, they somehow managed to stay on the right path and maintain their resistance to the fog.


    "I am alright for now. But I do not know what we are going to do."


    Himeko was frightened as she faced off against the Divine Beast. She was terrified just standing in front of such a massive and divine thing. Her legs had even given up on her.


    "Kid, pull yourself together. We are going to fight this thing and we are going to survive. We have no other option left to us."


    Himeko gulped but she suddenly felt better. She chose to believe in Master Hana and her assurance that things would be alright.

 Chapter 166 166: The Fog Of Battle [Pt2]

    ?


    "I apologize, Grandmaster. In the end, we were not able to find anything of importance in this ce. All we did was waste our time here."


    Shimi sounded sorry and responsible for having dragged the grandmaster into the elf vige. It was not her fault, but Shimi was still feeling responsible for what happened anyway.


    She knew how dangerous the vige could get. She had not informed the grandmaster of the possibility of facing the Fenrir beast. And then the Grandmaster had faced it anyway.


    "Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts. Do not forget, I was the one who dragged you toe to this vige. Now throw those unnecessary thoughts out of your head and let us head back. Being here for too long will make my head hurt."


    Keith pretended like he was feeling off and even clutched his head. But he did not have any such ailments in real life.


    If anything, he just wanted to go home because this ce gave him a creepy feeling.


    Ever since he had stepped into the Elf Forest, Keith had a sinking feeling that someone was keeping an eye on him. And it had not gone away for even a second.


    "I¡­yes, of course. If that is what you want, Grandmaster, then that is what we shall do."


    Shimi agreed without protest. She wanted to get away from this vige as well so it worked out in her favor.


    The Elf Forest was as intimidating as before and the fog somehow looked thicker. Shimi gulped her nervousness down as she stepped into the forest.


    She could not let it show that she was affected. She could not let the grandmaster down.


    As soon as the pair stepped into the Elf Forest, the entrance behind them disappeared and only the fog could be seen. Shimi tried to light the fog with her powers but they did not work properly.


    The deeper they went, the thicker the fog got. They even had to hold hands to ensure that they would not get lost.


    Keith tried not to think too much of this but Shimi was red in the face once she had her hand in Keith''s own. She could not believe that she was touching the Grandmaster in thisfortable way again.


    "Pay attention. Something is heading our way."


    Shimi quickly pulled her head out of her thoughts and looked toward the direction the grandmaster was facing. She could not feel anything but she did not doubt the grandmaster''s words.


    They watched with tense eyes as the fog began to show shadows heading their way. They looked vaguely humanoid and that caused the feelings of paranoia to be even sharper.


    How could a humanoid person exist in this forest when it was thend of the dead? These shadows were likely an illusion of the forest created to make the pair put their guard down.


    "Grandmaster, what should we do now? Do we fight to get out? Or do we try and let this danger pass?"


    Shimi asked as she looked at what was happening. Her brain had gone nk suddenly and she did not know what else to do but to stand there and think about what she could do to help.


    Keith looked at the scene in front of him as well but his feelings on this topic were conflicted. He wanted to run away, but his training was rooting him in his ce.


    Suddenly, they both watched a familiar face tear apart the humanoid figure and dash toward them. Master Hana was carrying Himeko in her arms as she made her way toward the Elf vige.


    "G-Grandmaster? What are you doing here? Were you not supposed to head back tomorrow?"


    Hana asked, nowing to a stop suddenly. The knocked-out child in her arms did not even move an inch and Shimi found herself worried about her half-sister.


    Would the elf-princess be a burden for their group now?


    "Master Hana, it has been 24 hours since you entered this forest. I do not know what happened to you, but your condition does not look stable."


    The Grandmaster looked Hana up and down in a calm manner. But his questioning look made Hana''s face burn. Suddenly, she was unable to look the Grandmaster in the eyes and had to turn her head away in shame.


    "I-I¡­the Fenrir beast is in this forest somewhere. It caught us off guard so we were unable to react in time. But next time, I will make sure to kill that Fenrir beast with my own hands."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Master Hana vowed with her eyes zing. She likely did not know how difficult it was to kill a divine beast, but Keith decided to not tell her.


    "That is alright and all. But what should we do now? The shadows areing closer and we are still at a disadvantage. Should we press forward, or should we go back?"


    Shimi asked with a shiver rocking her body. She was not sure she wanted to go back to that haunted vige but she also had no confidence in facing these monsters.


    Both females looked at Keith for further instructions and Keith had to think about it.


    They could head forward under Keith''s shield but he doubted it would against humanoid enemies who were ghosts. And that was a theory he did not want to confirm right now.


    "Let us head back to the vige for now. All of you had a tough day and I can see you are about to copse. I will not help you out even if you copse."


    Keith spoke this rather harshly but the two females only shook their heads and watched him fondly.


    It was rare for the grandmaster to back down and head back. And if he was making such a decision, it meant that he cared for them. So, no matter what his mouth said, they both chose to believe in the grandmaster and his words.


    "Alright, let us head back before these ghosts catch up to us. I do not think they can enter the vige or get out of this forest."


    Master Hana observed as walked past everyone else. She walked toward the vige but more shadows stopped her path.


    Everyone navigated around these shadows to get to the vige and then let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were in the vige again. They had managed to dupe the system.


    As expected, the Elf vige was abandoned and quiet. Not a single soul was in sight and everyone chose to head to the main house to rest for the night.


    Keith felt his mind being drawn to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He did not dream that night but he did know he had a good night''s sleep.


    It was almost as if something waspelling him to fall asleep deeper and not think about anything else.


    But when Keith woke up, it was in stages. Someone was caressing his hair and ying with the nape of his neck. The touch felt familiar and light, almost pleasurable.


    Keith leaned his head more into that touch, wanting to feel more of that other person. And the female caressing his nape chuckled as a result.


    As soon as Keith heard that noise of amusement, he was instantly alert and stood up in shock. He looked up into a pair of amused eyes and his body tensed up.


    "Oh, do not be like that stranger. I was not doing anything to you. Rather, I was just trying to help you out since it looked like you were ufortable. Can you not feel my noble intentions?"


    Thedy asked, now sitting still in her seat. Her eyes looked kind and mysterious as they looked at Keith but he found this female to be suspicious.


    She was covered from head to toe in a reddish-ck garment. Even her hands were covered by gloves and her face only showed a pair of eyes that looked kind.


    There was nothing wrong with such attire on a normal basis, but Keith could not help but feel suspicious for some reason. And he knew he had no reason to.


    "Who are you? And what are you doing here? Depending on your answer, I might or might not let you live."


    Keith threatened as he quickly gained distance between himself and the female in front of him. She looked put out by Keith''s actions and she even pouted as a result. But that curious light in her eyes did not dim away.


    If anything, this female looked even more mysterious and alluring than before.


    "Who am I and what am I doing here? I should be the one to ask you this question, stranger. You are not an elf and you are not a part of our associate n. Then, how did you manage to cross over to this vige? What are you?"


    Keith wanted to express how confused he was over this ordeal. But for some reason, his body would not listen to him regarding it. It just went tenser and refused to pull itself up.

 Chapter 167 167: The Elves Are Back? [Pt1]

    ?


    Master Hana was not one to sleep deeply. As someone who was the head of a guild, deep sleep was a foreign concept to her.


    She needed to be always alert because she had too many enemies out to kill her. And every second of distraction could result in her death.


    So that was why this morning was making her feel uneasy. Her sleep had been too deep to be natural and her body was also sluggish. It was almost as if she had been drugged before being put to sleep.


    But that could not be right. She remembered running away from Fenrir breast by sacrificing her precious weapon and then reaching the Grandmaster somehow through the fog.


    They had returned to the Elf vige and then gone to sleep. So, this must be the main house of this vige.


    Somehow, it looked different from what Hana was used to seeing. And she was also alone in the room without herpany in sight.


    "Precious master, are you awake now? Would you like to eat something to replenish your strength?"


    The voice that reached Hana''s ears made her tense up. She looked up sharply and took in a breath that betrayed how shocked she was.


    In front of Hana was a familiar face she had not seen before. It was the elf that often-served Hana when she visited the Elf vige.


    But for some reason, that face looked younger than she remembered. And it was free of the fatal scar this Elf had been so scared of as well.


    "Y-You! What happened to your scar? Are you alright now?"


    Hana asked the female in front of her. The Elf looked confused by Hana''s words before she took in a deep breath.


    "Of course, I am alright. There is nothing wrong with me. But I do think our guest has made a mistake while trying to recognize me. I never had any kind of scar on my face."


    Hana''s stopped breathing for a solid minute now. She was cursing her one memory for remembering the wrong person.


    But no matter how much pressure she put on her brain; she could clearly remember this elf having a scar on her face.


    "Hey, where are mypanions? There were four of us here, right? But now I am the only one."


    Hana decided to let her bad feelings fade away as she asked the next question. She needed to know what action to take from here.


    And if nothing else, Hana needed to meet the grandmaster to n the next move. He would surely be able to get them out of this mess.


    "Hmm, I am not sure what you are talking about. You came alone as our associate ns'' representative. Ah, maybe you mean the youngdy whom you saved yesterday? She is doing fantastic. Thank you so much for saving our youngdy."


    The elf in front of Hana bowed in gratitude. But her attitude only made Hana more and more repulsed.


    This ce was not normal. No matter how beautiful or different this ce looked now, the feeling of it being ''off'' did not fade away from Master Hana''s mind.


    But Master Hana was also a cautious person by nature. It was only her external facade that made her look dumb and gullible.


    ''Let us sit back and observe what is happening for now. I am sure I will soon know the truth of this ce.''


    Master Hana decided to go with the flow of this ce for now. She did not want to put herself and her group in danger by resisting this illusion.


    "Of course, I had to save your youngdy. It was what any decent person would have done. But if you do not mind, can I see your youngdy once? I would like to talk with her face-to-face."


    Hana had a feeling she knew who this ''youngdy'' was. It had to be Himeko and she likely looked the same as when Hana knew it. After all, elves hardly aged rather slowly.


    "You want to meet our youngdy? Well, that might be a little difficult. You see, our youngdy is rather busy with her session sses so you will have to wait."


    The elf gently turned Master Hana down. There were no good intentions in the elf''s eyes and this was an obvious ploy to get Hana toply with them.


    As much as Hana wanted to protest his, she also knew when to back down. And now was the time to back down.


    "Of course, I understand if yourdy is busy. But I hope you will not restrict my freedom here. Can I roam around the elf vige?"


    Hana tried to appear as innocent as she could. She had mastered this expression a long time ago and now abused it whenever she could.


    The elf looked taken aback by this earnest request. But she decided to grant it in the end.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Of course, you can roam around the city as you want to. But please, keep out of the temple because it is a sacred ce."


    The elf reminded Master Hana and she nodded. It was a new thing for her - to be asked to keep out of the temple.


    But then again, Master Hana had never been interested in paying a visit to the temple before.


    ''Maybe I should pay a visit to the temple this time. I am sure these people are hiding something in the temple.''


    That weird and suspicious feeling was back and it was nagging Master Hana to investigate the temple. But to do so, she will need to roam around on her own and shake off her eventual tail.


    ........


    "I never expected you toe back on your own two feet. You knew what was going to happen to you if you came here, but you still decided to follow that foolish man? What am I going to do with a foolish daughter like you."


    Shimi gritted her teeth as she felt the cold leather of the belt dig into her skin. She needed to remain quiet and not make a single noise.


    The sharp bite of the belt on her back was painful and familiar. The dark atmosphere of the room was familiar to her.


    But the most familiar thing in this room was the glowing blue eyes and the blond hair in front of her.


    "M-Mother¡­never¡­. believed¡­my¡­words¡­anyway¡­"


    Shimi held her breath as another smacknded on her back. This one was far more painful than before and Shimi was unable to hold her cries back.


    Her back was red and bruised because of the punishment she was being met with.


    "You cannot talk back to me. I do not want to hear a cursed half-ling as you talk. So, keep your mouth shut and take what you were made to take."


    The gentle features of the elf queen were twisted in rage right now. She was not thinking straight and she was not able to take those blue eyes looking back at her.


    Every time Shimi looked at the elf queen, the elf queen was reminded of the subus that took advantage of her young age and inexperience.


    The elf queen could not forget that experience, and she could not forget the people who were connected to that experience.


    That was why she could not forgive Shimi, the result of that affair. It was all this child''s fault the elf queen had been ridiculed and made to stand down.


    "M-Mother¡­ always¡­liked¡­to¡­take¡­her anger¡­out¡­on¡­me."


    Shimi''s words were true and the elf queen knew that. And that was also why she was unable to hold her anger back.


    The whip made a cracking sound as it connected with Shimi''s back again. It was an agonizing pain that was difficult to take.


    But unlike her past, Shimi had a reason to hold on now. This time, she had the Grandmaster with her. And he would never let Shimi down.


    "You are too confident in something. Do you think your preciouspanion would be unable to save you? By the time we are done with him, he would have forgotten all about you and the outside world."


    Shimi''s heart skipped a beat and then froze when she heard her mother speak. She had not expected her mother to know about the Grandmaster.


    "Stay away from him. Don''t you dare touch him? You do not know who he is and what could happen if you anger him."


    Shimi tried to warn her mother but the elf queen only chuckled.


    "Oh, you poor little think. You are the one who does not understand. Humans are simple creatures. Give them pleasure and you can take them to your liking. Just wait and watch. Soon, your precious human would be our bitch."


    The elf queen sounded confident in her promation. And Shimi did not know what to think about this.


    On one hand, she believed in the grandmaster unconditionally. But on the other hand, elves also had special seductive magic to aid them.


    Shimi needed to escape from here and help the Grandmaster out.

 Chapter 168 168: The Elves Are Back? [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith kept his cool as the busy elfdy crossed over into his personal space. She seemed to be trying to make Keith ufortable and make him look away from her body.


    But it was too bad for her that Keith had been trained for such asions by ir.


    Seductive maniption was one of the mostmon tactics people used against the Grandmaster and it was something ir had warned him about. As such, Keith did not even feel the need to look away when that female hovered too close to his face.


    Seeing no reaction from her target, the female quickly pulled away with a frown on her face. But once she noticed that Keith was paying attention to her, the elfdy made her expression to be a joyous one.


    "Well, looks like we will have our answers soon enough. There is no need for you to force yourself to answer when you do not want to. You are also a guest of our vige and we treat our guests right."


    The elfdy snapped her finger as she took a step back.


    The curtains of the room opened and a few servants came in with their trays loaded with food and other necessities.


    Keith looked at the delicious-looking food but he was not certain if he should eat it or not.


    There was so much that was wrong with this vige and Keith was also getting a bad feeling from all the elfdies that surrounded him.


    "Here, our dear guest must be hungry. Why don''t you indulge yourself in feasting? Do not worry about the food falling short. We have a lot more in our kitchens."


    Keith took the offered food but he did not eat it. The elfdies giggled as they watched Keith behave in a shy manner.


    "What is wrong? Are you not going to eat the offered food? Your behavior might offend me."


    The leader elf reminded Keith with a pouty face. Now that she had made this expression, Keith could see the simrities between her and Shimi.


    The more he looked at the leader, the more he could spot Shimi''s features on her face. This female was rted to hispanion in some way.


    "I do not eat in front of people. If you want me to eat, then you will have to give me some privacy."


    Keith looked toward the group of females keeping an eye on him. He was now making excuses to be left alone in the room.


    The girls giggled, finding his antics funny and charming. But their expressions change as soon as they realized that Keith was not making this all up.


    He was asking everyone else to leave him alone while he ate his food.


    The elf leader had a sour look on her face at being rejectedpany. But she decided to weigh the pros and cons of pushing her guests'' buttons.


    And in the end, she decided to give him some time to rest and eat alone.


    "Alright girls. I think our dear guest needs some time alone. How about we all go and put our efforts into his next meal? I am sure our dear guest would like to stay here for a long time."


    The elf leader''s words implied a lot of things. Keith got goosebumps as soon as he heard her voice speak in such a sugary sweet manner.


    He waited until everyone was gone before taking a deep sigh of relief. The feeling of paranoia and danger he had been feeling was finally beginning to dwindle.


    ''I need to get out of here. This ce gives me the creeps and I do not feel safe here.''


    Keith''s senses were telling him that there was something majorly wrong with this vige. And so far, Keith had yet to prove himself wrong when it came to his hunches.


    It seemed like this time was not going to be any different.


    "Let us see. The first thing I need to do is to get out of this room and find mypanions. That will be a difficult task depending on how tight the security around this vige is."


    Keith did not know the elf vige well. And none of his electronics worked well in this setting. He could not even make a phone call to anyone.


    There was a weird static that surrounded the elf vige that was cutting it off from the world. And this was not present in this vige before.


    "Please tell me that the door is open. I do not think I can pick a door lock in my current state."


    Keith did not have the necessary tools to pick a lock currently. And while he could make do with what he had; it would all be worthless if this was a one-way lock.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Surprisingly enough, the door opened as soon as Keith turned the door knob. The elves had not bothered to lock him in, believing that he would stay put and under their control.


    ''First thing first, let us find Master Hana. She will have the best chance of escaping among all of us since she is the most powerful.''


    Keith walked through the house but he was hesitant to go out. His green hair was a ''big'' indicator that he was not from around here. And it was also enough to make people turn back to look.


    And if anyone looked at him, they would realize that he was a human, not an elf.


    ''I need a cloak to cover myself up. Why did my inventory have to go out of function now?''


    Keith always had a cloak in his inventory. But with the static blocking his phone and system, it was blocking his inventory as well.


    However,dy luck finally started to smile at Keith as he was roaming around. He somehow managed to get into theundry room of the ce and pick up a cloak that suited him.


    It was an airy and girly cloak with a lot of weird things sewn on top of it. It was not something a grandmaster like him should wear.


    And wearing this cloak would cause people to stare at him even more.


    But this was Keith''s only option avable. So as much as he heated to wear this cloak, he will have to wear it outside.


    As expected, people started at Keith when he walked past them. Someughed while others were curious about him. Keith tried to avoid all their eyes.


    There was one surprising thing Keith had noticed about this town - it isck of malepanionship.


    Every elf he saw was female and they were all beautiful and looked simr. There were very few exceptions when it came to hair color or even eye color.


    But Keith forced those thoughts out of his head as he kept on walking forward. He needed to hurry up and find Master Hana.


    There were a lot of ces Keith needed to cover up. But then, something legendary happened to him again


    Lady Luck decided to smile at him two times on the same day. Keith was just minding his one business when he noticed a familiar figure walking on the other side of the road.


    The familiar face and familiar atmosphere caused Keith to instantly look at the new figure.


    Master Hana looked alright. But she was not alone and it was impossible to approach her right now.


    Keith wanted for some time, wanting to see if Master Hana would break free on her own or if he would need to do something about it.


    Finally, Master Hana somehow managed to shake her persuader and Keith felt it was safe to approach her now. He walked behind her and gently ced his hand on Hana''s shoulder.


    It was the wrong approach to take because Master Hana tensed up before she tried to attack Keith head-on.


    Of course, Keith''s sharp body reflexed, and decided it was the right time to save his life. His hands caught Master Hana''s fists and he raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner.


    Shock and embarrassment colored Master Hana''s face as she instantly took a step back. She had not meant to attack the Grandmaster.


    "Grandmaster, I apologize for not having recognized you beforehand. Is there anything I can do to make it up for my mistake?"


    Master Hana asked this question rather seriously. Even Keith knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop herself. There was no need for her to feel guilty about what happened.


    "Hmm, there is no need. I understand your circumstances. But have you noticed - there is something wrong with this vige. I do not have a good feeling about it."


    Keith spoke up and finally let his true thoughts shine.


    Shimi looked taken aback as well but her eyes had an understanding light in them. She nodded in agreement as she calmed herself down.


    "You are right. This vige has too many inconsistencies for it to be real. I think we are in some kind of mirage right now. We need to take our other members and get out of here."

 Chapter 169 169: The Elves Are Back? [Pt3]

    ?


    The pair was not happy with what was going on in this vige. They knew that something was wrong with this vige for sure, but they did not know what the feeling of this ''wrong'' feeling was.


    "Let us find Shimi and Himeko first. I am sure that they will be able to shed more light on what is going on."


    Master Hana seemed to be counting on the fact that both Shimi and Himeko were half-elves and they would be better suited for such a ce.


    And maybe, the elves would be more suited to trust them than outsiders like the Grandmaster or even Master Hana.


    But somehow, Keith was not as optimistic as Master Hana was. He had seen the way Shimi had flinched and seen this ce in the bad light. There was no way she was treated right in this ce.


    His brain also hurt when he looked at the vige. Something about the streets was beginning to look familiar to him.


    The more he focused, the more Keith was able to figure it out. He was sure that there was a memory his brain was trying to remember but was not able to.


    ''Ugh, let us try and not think about it. My head feels like it is splitting apart because of the headache I am getting. I should not think a lot about it.''


    Keith shook his head to get the useless thoughts out of his head. There was no use thinking about things that could not help him right now.


    "Alright, let us go and find the other two. I do not know about Shimi, but I do know where Himeko is. I heard the news about the elf princess a little while ago. I am sure they were talking about Himeko."


    Keith nodded and decided to follow Master Hana''s guidance. He was sure that she had a n in ce already.


    Master Hana''s eyes widened as soon as she noticed the Grandmaster''s trust in her. She had not expected to be trusted this much and her insides swelled with pride and joy.


    This trust, she was not going to let it down ever.


    "Hmm, so first, we need to head toward the school building. From what I heard; the elf princess was finally allowed to join her age mates in the main school. She was kept hidden until now because of her poor health."


    Master Hana had managed to discover a lot of gossip in a short amount of time. It was abination of her wisdom and her skills of sneaking around.


    Her puppet magic also helped a lot. Even now, the person under her control was moving around while gathering information for Master Hana. it was a convenient skill to have.


    "So, we have Himeko''s Location? Let us go and retrieve her now. I am sure she knows where Shimi is being kept."


    Keith had an idea where Shimi was being kept as well. There was only one ce where these elves could have kept someone like Shimi - their dungeons.


    But Keith desperately wanted to be wrong. And he also did not want to be the one to say where Shimi was. It was a weird position he was currently in.


    That was why he needed Himeko to tell them where Shimi was. He did not want to be the bringer of bad news.


    "Hmm, got it. But I do not think we will be allowed to meet the young princess normally. We will have to put some effort behind our actions now."


    As soon as Master Hana had finished speaking, Keith wanted to take a step back. He suddenly had a bad feeling about Master Hana''s n.


    ...........


    ''This n is not safe. I should have stopped Master Hana when she purposed this n. Why did I agree to go with her ns anyway?''


    Keithmented as he was forced to follow Master Hana. Master Hana''s happy expression showed how much she was enjoying this situation.


    Currently, they were both covered in the traditional elf dress which hid their faces and their bodies. It was impossible to tell who was beneath these clothes.


    The n was simple - pretend to be the princess''s escort and make sure they get alone time with her. It was a highly effective n for the pair.


    "Here theye. I just need to do this and we shall be good to go."


    Master Hana roasted her fingers in a weirdly sexual way. The elf guards in front of them tensed up and then copsed on the ground. Her blue eyes had a dazed expression and there was a questionable wetness beneath her.


    Keith decided not to question what Master Hana had done to the poor elf to reduce her to this state. He did not want to get an erotic exnation after all.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hmm, this should work. This worker is almost the same figure as me. I wille back with a figure that suits the grandmaster as well soon."


    Keith could not even find it in himself to protest what Hana was doing. His mind was warning him not to go against Hana and her powers. Especially after what he had just witnessed.


    He waited for Master Hana toe back with her chosen prey. And she was back soon. The elf that followed Master Hana was jacked and the figure was bulky enough to pass off as Keith''s.


    He watched as Master Hana made the female faint with her fingers and the gesture for the grandmaster toe near.


    "We got lucky. These two were assigned pairs and we are scheduled to serve the princess this evening. We will have a 15-minute window where we will be alone with Himeko."


    Master Hana assured Keith. He did not know when she got the time to look around for the schedule but he was d to have her as his partner now.


    She was taking care of most of the work for him and she was also an asset.


    .........¡­


    "Princess Himeko, is everything to your liking? Would you like us to change something for you?"


    Himeko''s current attendant asked her and she looked up with a jolt. She had not realized that someone else was in the room with her.


    "No, there is no need. Kindly leave me alone for now."


    The worried expression of her attendant was familiar and Himeko tried hard not to let it get to her. This all was not real so she did not need to be attached to these people.


    Himeko might be young but she knew that her vigers were dead. And those who died could note back.


    "Princess, please do not bete for the evening party you need to attend. Your mother wants to apany you."


    Himeko tensed up as soon as she heard the term ''mother.'' Her rtionship with her mother wasplicated. And her feelings were even more twisted after she met her half-sister.


    "Alright, I wille and meet her."


    The servant sighed in relief as soon as she had that assurance. Himeko tried not to get disappointed when the servant left her alone.


    This ce is giving her goosebumps. It was all too like her past. Even the people behaved the same - trying to take care of her and look good in her eyes so that they can catch her mother''s eyes


    Some things just never changed.


    Himeko wanted to run away from this pce but she knew she would be caught as soon as she tried to. She needed help andpany that would allow her to escape. She needed to find thepany she had before she arrived in this ce.


    ''Master Hana. I need to contact her and let her know where I am. But, how am I going to be able to do that? My servants and escorts just never leave me alone.''


    Well, there was one such time Himeko could use to run away. And it was when her escorts changed during the evening. There was a few minutes'' window that allowed her to make her escape.


    So, banking on this time frame, Himeko got ready to run away. She waited for the time to approach with an eager eye. Her escorts would leave their posts any second now.


    But all her hopes and dreams were crushed when the second pair of escorts arrived before the first pair had even left.


    It was a disaster for her n and Himeko felt like crying.


    So much hope and dream she had piled up, and for what? It was so disappointing for her. She instantly copsed and tears hit her eyes.


    "Oi, are you going to cry now? You will not be able to run away if you make a lot of noise."


    Master Hana''s familiar voice caused Himeko to look up. She watched as the escort moved her mask away, only for Master Hana''s face to snap into existence.


    "Hey kid, it is time to run away. We just need to get out thestpanion and we are free to leave this ce."

 Chapter 170 170: To Escape From Here [Pt1]

    ?


    Both Keith and Hana held their breath as they crossed thest barrier between them and the elf princess. No one had asked them to confirm their identity yet which was a miracle.


    They easily slipped into thest corridor and red at the people who were keeping a guard on the elf princess''s room. The guards looked sloppy, with one of them even yawning tiredly.


    "Oh man, you both are finally here. Good, now take over the shift for us. We are tired and would like to rest."


    The second guard spoke in a lethargic manner.


    There was no way to know how long these two had kept guard in front of the princess''s room without sleep, but what was known was that the guard''s attention span was swindling. And that was what they needed to take advantage of.


    "Please, leave the shift over to us and have a rest. You are lucky that we managed to find you ande here early."


    Somehow, Hana''s voice did not cause people to look at her in suspicion. And Keith knew he would have to re-evaluate her value.


    The guards left with blinking and tired eyes. And as soon as the guards were gone, all the tension bleed out of Hana''s body and her legs shook.


    "That was a tense one. I thought I was a goner for a second there."


    Hana spoke with an almostugh in her voice. But Keith could tell that she had been holding her nervousness down all this while.


    He wanted to praise Hana but that would be out of character for him. So, he held his voice back.


    But he did pat Hana''s head in a manner that said that she did well. And that startled Hana. a blush covered her cheeks and she looked away from Keith.


    Finally, Keith opened the door to the princess''s room, only to find her looking back at him and Hana with a startled expression.


    "Hey kid, it is time to run away. We just need to get out thestpanion and we are free to leave this ce."


    Master Hana had finally pulled herself together and offered Himeko her hand. The kid looked startled but quickly took it and was pulled out of the room.


    Since Himeko was with guards, not a lot of people thought much of it. They just took it as a part of her routine.


    "So, do you have any idea where Shimi would be kept? We should get her as well before we try to break out of this illusion."


    Himeko flinched once she heard Master Hana''s words. The kid knew this was an illusion, but the reality of her situation was a little difficult for her to swallow.


    "I¡­might have an idea where she might be. I remember that Mother used to brag about her underground chamber a long time ago. If I am remembering things right, it should be where my half-sister is being kept."


    Himeko seemed to be having difficulty getting those words out. Mainly because she knew that the underground chamber her mother kept her half-sister in was a cruel ce. It was a ce where no living being should be kept.


    But at the same time, the person who was making all these cruel decisions was her mother and Himeko did love her a lot. She wanted to only see the good sides of her mother.


    "Alright, we got it. Then, let us go and save Shimi now. Ah, you do not need to force yourself toe with us, Himeko. You can stay here, where it is safe."


    Master Hana offered this to Himeko and the kid knew that it was in her best interest to stay back. She did not have to ruin the impression of her mother being a good person.


    But¡­


    "I cannot keep on turning my head away from reality. I need to see what my mother is doing to ept the reality of her nature. So please, take me with you."


    An elf had an incredibly long life span. Despite looking seven, Himeko had lived longer than both humansbined. So, it was also about time she faced the truth she had been hiding from.


    Both Keith and Master Hana looked at each other. They did not want the kid to force herself, but it seemed that there was no choice in this matter left.


    Especially when Himeko wanted to undertake this journey herself.


    "Alright kid, you cane with us. But you need to ept whatever you see down there."


    The Grandmaster spoke in a firm voice. His voice left no room for mercy or misunderstandings.


    But somehow, it did not scare Himeko at all. She was ready to ept whatever she saw down in the prisons.


    "I am ready."


    ..........<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith had to say one thing about this illusion - it was detailed and did not miss anything. Even the smallest of details seemed to be taken care of.


    They had snatched the guard''s petrol route details and the trio was now making their way into the underground prison. The entrance to this ce was through the temple standing in the middle of the city.


    "This ce is cold. Theck of sunlight is affecting this ce in negative ways."


    Master Hana observed as she looked at the unnatural growth happening on the dungeon walls.


    Fungi and other life forms were growing here, but it was best not to meet these things. Who knew what kind of disease it could cause in people?


    "This ce was built to keep the worse people. It is often said that you will lose your mind if you spend too long down here. Even my sister was seldomly held here and then brought back to the surface."


    Himeko''s voice was straight, but Keith could see her effort. Himeko was trying not to break down as she walked deeper and deeper into the prison.


    Somehow, it was difficult to see but felt necessary.


    "Oh, I can see why this ce would drive someone insane. Ah, I can see a light source ahead."


    Master Hana pointed out as she exhausted the small ball of magic in her hand. The cave finally had a source of illumination.


    The small clearing the corridor opened was a cell block. It was filthy and had a lot of fungal growth on all sides.


    All the cells down here were empty except one. And the prisoner inside thest cell did not seem to be in good health.


    "A-Are you back for m-more?"


    Keith flinched as soon as he heard Shimi''s voice. It was devoid of any emotion and there seemed to be no hope left in her.


    Shimi had suffered greatly in this prison and Keith felt sorry for her.


    "Hey, is this how you talk to someone who came to save you? Show some gratitude at least."


    Master Hana tried to lighten the mood but it fell t. She was surprised to see Shimi''s worsening condition as well.


    Shimi let out an almost hollowugh as she watched herpanions finallye for her. All her suffering and enduring had been worth it.


    "S-Shut up and get me out. How long would it take you?"


    Shimi asked as she shivered. This ce was cold and the promise of freedom left a sweet taste on her tongue.


    Her current self could not even muster enough strength to put up her usual mask on. She was tired and sore in ces she had never been before.


    "We are trying our best. We do not exactly have a key to open your cell door. So, we will have topromise."


    Master Hana spoke as she neared the cell. She ced her hand on the old rod that blocked the prison door and it melted from her mana.


    The thing that made Master Hana''s strings had two different effects depending on what she used. It could either be a sedative, calming her victim down. Or, it could be a poison used to kill people.


    And right now, her poison was potent enough to even melt the rods of an old cell.


    Once the door rods were done, Master Hana moved toward the handcuffs and chains that were holding Shimi in ce.


    "Hey, I will not be melting the main cuffs because it can hurt you but I will free you. So, hold on tight."


    Master Hana melted the chain that held the cuffs up. The sudden drop caused Shimi to be startled but she held her yelp in. She did not want to show that she was scared o had been taken by surprise.


    The chains became free and Shimi fell on the ground. The freedom tasted sweet in her mouth.


    She looked at the full elf in front of her. Himeko had an almost guilty expression on her face when she looked back at her half-sister.


    "Shimi, I want to apologize-"


    "Save your words forter. You are not the one who did this to me and I do not me you."

 Chapter 171 171: To Escape From Here [Pt2]

    ?


    Keith could taste the awkwardness on his tongue when he looked at the two sisters interacting. They both were awkward and did not know how to interact with each other.


    There was also a long history between them both that made them awkward with each other.


    *Cough*


    In the end, it was Keith''s cough that brought them both back to reality and made them realize that they were not standing alone in that prison centre. And both sisters had a blush on their faces.


    "Alright, this is enough of being awkward around each other. We need to leave this prison cell. It is a miracle that the elves had not realized their princess is missing."


    As soon as Master Hana finished saying this, Keith had a horrible feeling.


    And he was certain that his bad feeling was being mirrored by Himeko''s eyes. She seemed to know something that no one else seemed to know.


    "So, about that not being found out things¡­I am sure they know that I am missing by now. I needed to go to a party tonight and I don''t think that is physically possible anymore."


    Himeko sounded sheepish when she said that. She also sounded sorry for the group.


    "Of course, this had to happen. But fine, there was nothing to be done here anyway. You were bound to be discovered anyway. The main question is - what do we do now?"


    Master Hana seemed to have taken charge of the situation unconsciously. It was only because Keith let her take charge.


    He needed to think about what was happening around him.


    First of all, this ce seemed like an borate illusion made of the past. But this illusion seemed to be of a time when Shimi had been in this vige and these elves did not have a lot of outside contacts.


    Second of all, the only way to dispel an illusion was to find the castor and have them stop their magic from leaking out. That could be anyone in this vige or even outside factors.


    To narrow down this search was almost impossible to do.


    "Let''s sit back and think for a second. Utmost of these vigers are dead anyway the one to create this illusion cannot be one of them. And it is certainly not one of us, right? Then, can it be the Fenrir beast?"


    Now that was another possibility Keith had not considered. But Hana''s words were worth considering. What if it was the Fenrir beast that managed to create this illusion?


    "I hate to say this, but there is another possibility that the creator of this illusion is none of the above and apletely random person. It would turn out to be the worst option for us."


    Keith did not want to admit that possibility, but it might have been the case. The castor did not have to be someone rted to this case.


    "Ugh, my head hurts from all this thinking. Let''s not think more about this, alright? Anyway, our priority should be to escape this ce."


    Shimi quickly closed this topic. She seemed to be in physical pain thinking about this topic. Or maybe it was her wounds that were finally starting to hurt her.


    "Let''s get out of here fast. This ce is not safe for us. My mother also has a tight schedule toe down here and torture me."


    Shimi did not even sound sad when she informed the party about herself being tortured. Her detached tone made it seem like she was talking about someone else right now.


    Keith felt sorry for her but he knew he needed to keep himself in check. He could not show mercy and sympathy toward her.


    "I see. In that case, we shall take the route up now. Once we are outside, let''s decide what we need to do."


    With Keith''s orders finalized, they all quickly made their way up. They had chosen to take the alternative route to go up. Keith could hear the sound of footstepsing from the path adjacent to the one they took.


    There was no doubt in his mind that the owner of the other footsteps was the current elf queen.


    She hade down to visit Shimi but she could only find an empty cage as her reward.


    They all quickly moved up and finally found themselves outside. Keith took a deep breath to calm himself down. It had been such a terrifying experience for him.


    "W-We are free. But the elf queen must have found out that I am not in the cage. We should hurry up and run now."


    Shimi ordered and everyone quickly ran toward the temple. It was the one ce where no one bothered to check so it was also the safest of the bunch.


    "I am sure this ce will provide us with shelter and also help us keep our heads down."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith quietly crawled toward the back opening. But for some reason. His eyes turned toward the central idol statue again and again.


    There was a familiar feelinging from that statue and Keith would not quite control its intensity.


    "Grandmaster, is something wrong? Do you need my help with something?"


    Shimi ced her hand on Keith''s shoulder and it caused him to snap out of his daze. He looked toward the statue but his feeling had faded away into the wind.


    But still, Keith now knew that there was something wrong with that ideal statue.


    "It''s nothing. You all quickly hide away now. I just need to check something."


    Both Shimi and Hana wanted to protest. It was clear in their eyes that they did not want Keith to do anything unnecessary. But Keith needed to check up on that statue and his feelings.


    "Hey, hurry up. I cannot keep this secret ce open forever."


    Himekoined and that finally got the two females walking. They quickly disappeared into the hole and then Keith was left alone in the room.


    He quietly approached the idol statue and held his hand against the smooth surface.


    There was a familiar-looking box in his hand the very next second. It was the same one Keith had seen before and found to be empty.


    But this time, there was a bracelet inside it. It shined a bright gold but it did not feel like Gold to Keith.


    There was something about that bracelet that caused Keith to touch it and hold it close. He needed to wear it and show it off.


    Before Keith knew it, that bracelet was in his possession and resting on his wrist. It was a small thing and Keith could only call it a miracle that it fitted his wrist.


    [Initiating the binding process. Binding starting in 3¡­2¡­1¡­now]


    The mechanical voice spoke in Keith''s ear and then it fell quiet. It gave Keith quite a shock and his heart decided to beat painfully in his chest. But he could feel the cold metal against his skin.


    And somehow, it felt as if things would be alright once more.


    He quietly made his way toward his group once more and the opening unfolded itself to give Keith a way inside. His group seemed to be huddling in ce.


    "Grandmaster, are you done with what you needed to do? Then please have a look at this. This is the map of the elf vige. But doesn''t something seem to be wrong with this map?"


    Himeko held the map open while Hana pointed toward the map.


    When Keith took a quick look at the map, he could see that something was wrong with it. But it could not pinpoint it exactly.


    His brain knew that there was something wrong with the picture, but it could not point out what it was.


    "Hey wait, isn''t this map inverted? I am sure we came to the vige from the left side but the map shows that it is on the right side. So, is the map wrong or is this ce inverted?"


    Shimi''s observation was correct. Now that Keith knew what to look at, he could see a lot of ces being inverted on this map.


    "This map is correct. I have seen this map enough times to know it by heart. So, I know that there is nothing wrong with this map."


    Himeko quickly defended this map and that solidified where the problemy. This town was the inverted one.


    "But then, so what? Even if this town is inverted, why does it matter? Will it help us out?"


    Somehow, it seemed as if it would help them out. But only if they had two of the simr maps in his possession.


    "Master Hana, can your strings make a copy of this map? It would also help if the material is translucent."


    Keith did not mean to order Master Hana but somehow, his tone came out that way for him. Master Hana smiled but did as she was told anyway. Her strings worked their magic and they had an inverted copy of the map before they knew it.

 Chapter 172 172: The Last Stand [Pt1]

    ?


    Once the map had been traced in reverse, Keith quickly put the new copy on top of the old one. It showed a weird ovep of shapes and created an illusion of hidden spaces.


    "Wow, this is truly something. I do not think I have ever seen this before."


    Hana sounded impressed as she looked at the newly discovered map. The other two females looked impressed at the discovery as well.


    "Hey, I know this ce. I thought this ce was not recorded on the map because it was too old. But could it be that it was just a hidden spot?"


    Himeko pointed out a small building on the map. It was a ce not marked on any map but only showed itself if you ovepped the two.


    The fact that Himeko recognized one of the hidden ces was a big deal. Keith''s senses told him that it was rted to this inverted world and its existence.


    "Let us go and check this ce out first. I am sure we will be able to find a clue about our situation there."


    Keith ordered and everyone else was pumped up as well. Their desire to know more and to go back home was burning.


    Even Himeko, who had every reason to want to be in this illusion, looked eager to head back home.


    The group was about to exit the ce when Hana raised her hand. Her strings were shaking and her easy-going smile had turned into a serious expression.


    "There are intruders out in the temple hall. I am afraid that going out now would not be a wise decision."


    Hana exined as she blocked everyone else from leaving as well. Her dark eyes were fixed on the door and she seemed to be able to see some unknown things.


    "Hana, are you sure-"


    "Shhhh, they are close enough to hear us now. We cannot make any noise."


    Hana warned and then familiarly moved her hand. The sound of people''s bodies hitting the ground could be heard.


    For one second, it was all silent. And the next, there seemed to be some kind of trouble outside. People were yelling and panicking.


    "I knocked the guards down. Now is our chance to escape."


    Hana eximed and everyone quickly dashed past the panicking crowd.


    "Hey, there they are. The intruders have been spotted. Someone goes and tells the queen about this."


    One of the guards was vignt enough to spot them even with everything going on. Hana managed to make the guard faint but it was already toote. The damage had been done.


    "Shit, this is bad. Hurry up and run toward that hidden building."


    Shimi ordered as she tried to throw des of wind behind her back. She aimed to slow down the guards following them but it was of no use.


    The more she burned her mana, the less of an impact it had on the soldiers.


    "We are almost there. Hurry up and run."


    Himeko yelled as soon as the hidden house was in her line of sight. She was about to reach the house boundary when a w broke her rhythm and caused her to back away.


    A familiar body exited the house and looked at the intruders with its majestic, yet dreadful eyes.


    Keith was able to shield Himeko in time and prevented her from being bird food. But the Fenrir beast did not like its prey being stolen by anyone.


    It changed its targets from Himeko toward Keith and its w closed around Keith''s midsection.


    [Synchronization rate 100%. The user can now use the detect function to see this world in a new light.]


    Keith was already startled by the Fenrir beasts'' actions, so he did not pay attention to the romantic voice speaking in his ears.


    His world was turned upside-down already, so when the world took on a bluish tint the next second, Keith did not even register it. He was only able to register what happened when the beast stopped shaking him upside down.


    "You stupid bird. Let me go right now."


    Keith was not thinking about what he was doing. He was just channeling his mana into his hand and burning the bird holding him hostage.


    The Fenrir beast cried out as Divine Magic contacted its fragile winds. It threw Keith as far away as it could and then nursed its hurt wing.


    Keith corrects his posture as soon as he was able to and then looked at the beast in front of him. The beast looked back with curious eyes.


    There was something written above the Fenrir beast''s head and Keith tried hard to focus on that writing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Fenrir beast-bird type. Lvl 60. Magical Immunity]


    The mechanical writing reminded Keith a lot of the bosses in the game. The only thing that was missing was a health bar on top of the bird and this scene would truly look like a game.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright?"


    Shimi asked as she quickly dodged everyone else and made her way toward Keith.


    Keith blinked as he looked at Shimi. Even her head had that small pop-up-like thing floating above it. It was a little concerning to see all this.


    [Shimi, Species - half elf, half subus, Lvl 40]


    "Grandmaster, did something happen? Are you hurt?"


    Shimi did not touch Keith but it was a near thing. Her worried eyes were helplessly looking at Keith.


    "Grandmaster, is everything OK?"


    Master Hana also made her way toward him with a worried expression. Even her head had the same pop-up that everyone else had.


    [Hana, Specie - human, profession - Master of the Nihility Guild. Lvl 100]


    It was impressive for a human to be level 100. But if only that helped his current situation.


    "Hump, as if this small mishap could do anything to me. All this bird has done is be annoying for me."


    Keith forced those words out while keeping an eye on his abdomen. It hurt and it burned him. Butining about it was not going to help him.


    Both Hana and Shimi flinched as soon as they heard his words. A worried expression took over their faces as they realized that they had failed to save the grandmaster.


    They were both about to say something when they heard a loud yell diverting their attention away from what was happening in front of them.


    "Let go of me. I said, to let go of me. I do not want to go back. You cannot make me go back with you."


    It was Himeko who yelled. They all watched as Himeko''s wrist was grabbed by a guard and the guard tried her best to take Himeko away.


    But the little girl was putting up a fierce fight, refusing to move even a single step.


    Master Hana decided to help Himeko by forcing her attacker unconscious. The guard never saw that attacking and fell as soon as Master Hana instructed her to.


    Himeko tried to run toward them, but the earth rose, cutting her ess from the rest of the party.


    "You have been a naughty child, Himeko. Not only did you try to run away from home, but you were also considered a criminal. You need to be punished because of that."


    The elf queen walked into the scene. Her blond hair and blue eyes were calm and confident. Even her temperament was calm and did not let slip her mask.


    She looked at Keith and he shivered internally. The elf-queen''s blue eyes were piercing. It was almost as if she could see through him and find all his ws.


    "Well then, seems like we have a predicament on our hands. You even forced our divine protector out of its home. Even if you are a guest of ournd, I will have to act against you now."


    The elf queen exined, finally stepping in front of her daughter.


    [Elf-queen, lvl 70. Warning - her poison is highly corrosive so be careful of her attacks.]


    The statue window warned Keith and he tensed up. He had no idea why he was getting all these pop-ups but he felt like it would save his life.


    The elf queen raised her hand and the ground beneath Keith''s feet rose. He was losing his bnce but somehow his body was able to keep itself standing.


    That seemed not to be the case for everyone else. Both Shimi and Hana had to lean against something to keep their bnce.


    And Himeko? She had already lost her bnce and was now forced to lie on the ground.


    "This is enough ying around. Do you think this small trick will help you out?"


    Master Hana yelled as she finally forced her body to stop losing control. Her strings held her up and in position.


    The elf-queen did look impressed at Hana''s disy of expertise but she was also confident in her powers. She was not going to lose to a mere human.


    "Oh, so you want to challenge me, little girl? Do not forget that I am your elder. You need to show me respect."

 Chapter 173 173:The Last Stand [Pt2]

    ?


    "Grandmaster, please leave the elf-queen to me. I do not think anyone else will be in the right mental state to deal with her."


    Master Hana did not seem to be in the right mental state to fight as well. Her eyes were zing with anger and she looked ready to chew someone out.


    Keith had a feeling that Hana would back down if he asked her to. But there would be a lot of resentment mixed in that offer. And Keith did not want to disappoint Master Hana.


    "Sure, I will leave her to you. I still have a bird to fry after all."


    For Keith, making that decision was easy.


    Hana was the highest level among their group. She was even a higher level than the elf-queen. So naturally, she was the best choice when it came to a fight.


    Even if the other two looked disappointed at his orders, both Himeko and Shimi seemed to be heeding them anyway. Keith was happy to see them not asking him any questions.


    *kkkk*


    The Fenrir beast let out a loud cry as it raised its winds. Theck of attention seemed to be offending the ancient beast and it tried to kill Keith and hispany.


    Luckily, Keith''s shield was able to hold up against this Fenrir beast.


    Keith did not know if it was because he had gotten stronger, or if this Fenrir beast was weaker than thest one, he had faced, but he was able to fend the attacks off.


    The bird did not like it when Keith protected it with his shield. So, it tried to peck at the shield in hopes of breaking it apart. But the more that bird tried to do so, the stronger Keith forced his shield to be.


    In the end, the bird had to give up on breaking the shield and try another method of fighting against the humans and half-humans.


    "Grandmaster, what do we do now? Are we going to kill the Fenrir beast first? Or should we try to get to that house first?"


    Shimi asked while focusing her mana on the Fenrir beast. Her eyes were looking at the beast up and down, looking for any signs of weakness.


    But s, the Fenrir beast was too strong to show it is weakness openly. It tried to take a swipe out of Shimi''s arms.


    If Keith had not forced her back into his barrier, the Fenrir beast would have killed Shimi off right then and there.


    "T-This is not our sacred beast. Our divine beast is supposed to be beautiful and majestic. It is supposed to be unmatched in this universe when ites to power. And it is supposed to always protect us."


    Himeko seemed to be having a hard timeprehending what was happening. Her instincts and her rationality were saying different things to her.


    She needed to snap out of it, but Himeko''s body was forcing her to stand still and take the attacks.


    One such attack would have cleaved Himeko''s head off if not for Keith''s barrier. Shimi also arrived near Himeko and shook her on her shoulder.


    That finally snapped Himeko out of her daze and she was able to focus once more.


    "You! What do you think you are doing? You need to be careful if you do not want to die."


    Shimi looked worriedly all over Himeko. Her familiar blue eyes were trying to ess if Shimi had any injuries or not.


    The care brought tears into Himeko''s eyes and her vision went blurry. She was suddenly choked by all her emotions.


    "I-I, it is all my fault. You were treated so badly by your mother and all the other people in this vige. How can you even look at me and smile now?"


    Himeko asked with an uneasy smile on her face. She wanted to know the answer to this question, but she did not want to know at the same time. She was sure that she would not be able to take the disappointment if the answer was negative.


    Meanwhile, Keith was struggling to maintain the barrier.


    Even if the Fenrir beast was not able to break the barrier in one swoop, it was able to slowly chip away at the barrier''s hp.


    Keith''s blue-tinted world showed the amount of HP left in his barrier. And it was draining out faster.


    ''At this rate, I will have to attack. I hope I can control my power for once.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    There were a lot of teammates around Keith right now. If he made a mistake, then someone could get hurt. And hurting someone was thest thing Keith wanted to do.


    The Fenrir beast raised its break and it had a faint glow of divine power to it now. That would break the shield for sure.


    ''It is now or never. Let us hope I can kill this beast right here and now.''


    Keith forced his mana out and it collided with the Fenrir beast in front of him. It caused the breast to fall back and look at Keith with eyes full of hate and caution. It was finally taking Keith on as a serious enemy.


    "Shit, it burns. I did not know using Divine power could cause such problems in my body."


    Keith coughed as he tried to clear his throat. He was having a bad time and now it showed in his expression.


    ......¡­..


    "Hoh! A little girl like you thinks they can take me on? What has the worlde to recently."


    The elf queen taunted Hana to make her lose focus. She had known this little child since forever and she knew how to make Hana tick.


    But for some reason, her taunt seemed to have fallen t. Hana did not even give her any response except to narrow her eyes and calm her nerves down.


    That reaction caused the elf queen to lose her temper and her blue eyes had traces of red in them.


    "You brat. You have no idea what you are doing. Your n was given a chance to serve our noble cause and our god. But you decided to forget your ce and challenge us now."


    The elf-queen brought out the long-forgotten history. It was a deal that was signed many generations ago.


    But that had also been a time when gods were active and came own to help people regrly. Now the world was slowly losing the god''s influence and moving toward a new future.


    "Say what you want to. But no god will be able to make me walk down my path. I will fight for what I believe in."


    Master Hana proimed before she took her fighting stance. She had already immobilized all the guards but the elf queen was different.


    Her poison resistance caused Hana many problems when it came to dealing with her.


    "You have chosen to forsake your god for a human male. Tell me, is the grandmaster of yours truly that worthy? I did not get to spend any time with him but he looks like an ordinary human to me."


    The elf queen''s eyes could see the essence of a human. She had seen Hana, so she knew that Hana was an extraordinary human.


    But no matter how many times she looked at the Grandmaster, he seemed like an ordinary human being. Even now, if she saw him, she could only see the ordinary glow of humanity.


    "As if the grandmaster needs to prove anything to you. Elf queen, you just do not get the uniqueness and the greatness that is Grandmaster. And I am afraid that you will never quite get it either."


    Hana exined before she attacked the elf queen.


    The battle of wits had turned into one that included hand-to-handbat. And the elf queen immediately knew - she was at a disadvantage. She tried to force he way past Hana but the younger did not allow her this luxury.


    "You know, there was surely a time when I was much weaker than you. But then the grandmaster saw my potential and offered to help me out. And look at me now. Look at all I have aplished."


    Master Hana bragged and the elf queen could not stop her eyes from moving toward the ''so-called'' grandmaster. She needed to know what it was about that human that fascinated everyone.


    Even his aura was not that impressive¡­.


    ''I-Impossible. This glow is not normal. It is filled with divine light and so much more. Why did I never see this before!''


    The elf queen could not even see the human in that sea of gold that surrounded him. She was not able to tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her.


    Even when Hana forced her head away, the elf queen did not want to look away. She needed to bask in this glow and take in as much as she could.


    "See, now even you cannot keep your eyes away from the grandmaster. I knew I should not have shown you this."

 Chapter 174 174: The Last Stand [Pt3]

    ?


    There was envy and jealousy in Master Hana''s voice when she spoke to the elf queen.


    On one hand, she appreciated the way the elf queen was recognizing the Grandmaster. The expression of awe on her face was worth looking at and Master Hana could feel her heart swell in pride.


    But on the other hand, she hated it when someone else looked at her man. There was a possessive streak inside her that did not want to share her man with someone else.


    "That glow! This is impossible. How could a human hide that divine glow for so long? I need to know more."


    The elf queen took an unconscious step toward the Grandmaster, but it ticked off Master Hana more than before.


    "Hey, no, stop. You do not get to do that. Grandmaster is a person and he is public property. Kindly do not try and take him for yourself."


    Master Hana''s sudden interruption did not sit well with the elf queen.


    The sudden poison attack Master Hana faced was quicklybated by her strings. But it had only been a tactic to drive her attention away from the elf queen and her quick actions.


    The elf queen ran past Master Hana and toward her target. She needed to see that divine glow up closer and then find a way to capture it.


    She had a feeling that the grandmaster''s divine glow would help their pained god.


    Otherwise, they would all die a painful death a second time.


    She made it quite far before she was caught in a web of strings. The elf queen felt her cirction being cut off in various parts of her body and it was going numb.


    She tried to circte her mana through her body to try and break free. But the more she tried, the harder it became to move and feel her mana.


    "How many times do I have to tell you to stay back? Grandmaster is not a person the likes of you can meet. You need to learn your ce."


    Master Hana''s eyes were dark when she spoke. Her aura shined with unknown danger and the elf queen felt her heart skip a beat in fear.


    "Y-You will not dare kill me. Your n is associated with our people. You will not dare upset the ancient bnce of things, right?"


    The elf queen had assurance in the form of that ancient treaty. Master Hana''s n needed her n''s help to prosper. If that was the case, the elf queen was sure she would not die.


    As expected, Master Hana put her hand down and did not kill her. But the cruel light did not fade away from her eyes even at that moment.


    "You are right. I cannot kill you right now. But not because we have a treaty or it would upset things, but because your life belongs to someone else. I think it would be a sweeter revenge if your ''lovely'' daughter was to off you."


    The elf queen froze as soon as she heard those words. She watched the direction Master Hana''s hand was pointed toward and her heart dropped.


    "You will not dare. No way. Kill me if you must but do not make me suffer that humiliation. A half-ling like her does not deserve to even see my face."


    The elf queen raged suddenly. She watched as the divine beast on the other side of the forest was being pushed back.


    The divine beast was already utilizing all it had to keep this illusion going for its master. It will not be able to handle any more interruptions.


    "Oh, won''t I dare? Then, let us try that theory, shall we? Oi, Shimi, hurry up ande here."


    The elf queen watched as Shimi looked up with a frown. Her eyes met a pair of calm blue ones and the elf queen could not help but keep on looking toward her ''daughter.''


    "Master Hana, do you want something from me?"


    It insulted the elf queen how Shimi did not even look at her. The elf queen was being treated as an object by her daughter.


    "I do want you to do something. I want you to kill the elf queen for me. My hands are tied due to diplomatic reasons so I cannot do that. You will have to be the one tond the finishing blow."


    Shimi''s eyes widened a little as soon as she heard those words. She looked at her tied-up mother withplex feelings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But the most prominent ones among them were hate and repulse. There was no way the elf queen would be able to get away alive.


    "I see. If that is the case, then I do not mind dirtying my hands. It would also be good for Himeko to be separated from such a bad influence."


    The elf queen jolted in her binds, now angry suddenly. She did not like how the name of her actual daughter rolled off Shimi''s tongue.


    "You filthy bastard. Do not you dare take her name with your mouth. Himeko is my true-born, my real daughter. She is the one I chose to give birth to. She is unlike you and-"


    "But she is a half-elf as well. Elves are a purely female race and cannot give birth alone. So, I am sure even Himeko''s father is from another specie. And yet, you treat her so differently from me. You are such a hypocrite."


    The elf queen fell silent. She knew what Shimi had said was the truth but there were a lot of things covering up what happened.


    "She was *my* choice. You were something forced upon me by the greatest of evils. And one day, you will show your true greedy form, just like your sire did. You cannot get away from your destiny, you filthy bitch-"


    The elf queen did not get to say much. Her stomach was pierced by a sharp wind de and her eyes were wide in shock.


    Life drained slowly out of the elf queen''s eyes and the pair in front of her watched it happen.


    "H-Himeko, my d-dear. Please, a-avenge your mother."


    The elf queen reached out for her beloved daughter. Himeko was watching the elf queen die a slow but painful death. Life was draining out faster and faster out of her eyes.


    The elf queen''s outstretched hand fell, but Himeko did not reach out even once for her during all this time.


    "So, you made your decision in the end. Good to see that you knew which side you needed to stand on."


    Shimi''s voice was still cut and tense. Her body was even shaking ever so slowly but it was impossible to tell.


    "Hmm, I am not happy about what happened. But I can understand why you did what you did. Besides, my mother was already dead quite a few days ago. This illusion is making a mockery of her memory and I do not like it."


    Himeko''s reply was short but firm. She seeded to have made up her decision.


    As soon as the elf queen was dead, something seemed to have changed in their environment. It was as if thest straw keeping the Fenrir beast in check was gone.


    The beast let out a fierce cry when where it was lying down and it seemed to have regenerated it is energy,


    "Shit, this ce is copsing. It wille down on our heads any second now. What shall we do now?"


    Master Hana asked as she watched the illusion shaking. It was so bad that the illusion was beginning to break away in parts.


    "We need a way to bring the Fenrir beast down. But if even the grandmaster cannot keep it down, then what chance do we have? Our mana and magic do not seem to work on that creature."


    Himeko questioned with an almost scared voice. She had seen the kind of destruction a Divine beast could do. And she was afraid that they would all die at its hands.


    "Well, if we cannot harm it with magic, then we will have to improvise. I am sure that the grandmaster would take care of it before we need to do something."


    Hana assured the other two and she got ready to n something out.


    But as soon as she did, she felt a thick shield covering the space she and herpanions were and it pulsed with energy. Grandmaster walked into that shield as well and his expression was one filled with determination.


    "You all should brace yourself. I am not sure if I will be able to control my power from here on."


    Grandmaster warned the trio and they did as instructed. They watched as a golden ball of divine power formed above the Fenrir beast''s head and Hana could swear, she watched the grandmaster sweat as he held that magic in ce.


    And then the divine ball fell on the Fenrir beast, shredding its body in pieces. Hana did not know what kind of magic the grandmaster had used, it but was highly effective against the said beast.

 Chapter 175 175: The Last Stand [Pt4]

    ?


    The Fenrir beast turned out to be tougher than Keith had expected. For the most part, all he could do was defend himself while the Fenrir beast attacked him.


    But he finally got his opportunity to attack when the Fenrir beast lost its reasoning and began to attack indiscriminately. It caused the beast to get distracted and Keith finallynded his first proper hit.


    [Warning: the Fenrir beats is going into a frenzy mode. All iing and outgoing damage will be increased in this state.]


    That message was simple and Keith felt lucky that something like this had happened. This meant that he would be able to take care of the Fenrir beast much easier now.


    All he needed to do was to pay attention to a few things and gather his divine power.


    The more Keith attacked the Fenrir beast, the more he was able to feel his powers moving through his body.


    [Divine fireball Lvl 30unched]


    The golden ball hit the divine beast and it disoriented it. But the danger was not great. But still, Keith was able to sessfully hit his attacks now.


    He was also able to tell how effective the attack was based on the value his system showed him. It was a great tool for Keith to utilize.


    ''Although, it still does not solve the problem of my mana sensibility. I am still not able to say how much of my mana I should be putting in my attack.''


    But that was a different case for Keith. He quickly charged up his attack but the Fenrir beast shrugged the attack off.


    ''Tsk, I have no choice but to give it my all. I will have to use two attacks at the same time.''


    Keith had watched people use multiple attacks at the same time before. It had looked easy when he had watched people do it. But now that he had to do it himself, he could not help but find it all to beplicated.


    He quickly made his way toward hispany and watched as they came down from their high. His barrier snapped into ce and Keith made sure to make it as strong as possible.


    [Divine barrier, lvl 100 has been formed. May the user be protected.]


    ''Good. things are going ording to n now.''


    Keith could not help but feel proud of himself for having enough mana left to perform his attack still.


    The golden ball of mana charged right above the Fenrir beast''s head and it was difficult to maintain. Keith lost his concentration more than once during this process. But he was lucky that the divine mana he had put into that attack did not fade away.


    [Divine bomb, lvl 90 is being charged. Chances of opponent surviving this attack - 10%]


    It was infuriating how the Fenrir beast still had a chance to survive this attack. But Keith could not force himself to charge anymore of that divine bomb without dropping his barrier as well.


    "It''s now or never."


    Keith whispered under his breath as he let the ball of divine power fall.


    The Fenrir beast looked started as the summer rush of Divine energy crushed its body. As soon as it realized what was happening, it tried to run away and save itself. But it was futile in the end.


    The attack pulverized the poor divine beast in seconds.


    As soon as the divine beast was dead, the elf vige surrounding them changed into the fog. It made them realize that they had never managed to reach the vige in the first ce. They had been stuck in the forest all along.


    "I feel so much weaker than before. It is almost as if y vitality had been sucked out of me."


    Master Hanained as her legs buckled. The amount of mana she had used was far from enough. But she still felt as if she had used everything she had in her aisle. It was such a familiar yet disorienting feeling for her.


    "So, you feel like that as well? Even I feel drained and I did not even use any mana."


    Shimi confirmed what she seemed to be feeling with Master Hana. Himeko had already passed out due to the stress of having her energy stuck out.


    "Grandmaster, are you ok?"


    Suddenly, Shimi turned toward the Grandmaster to see if he was alright or not. She did not want anything happening to the Grandmaster or the guilt would eat away at her heart.


    But Keith felt alright.


    Apart from being tired because of the amount of mana he had channeled through his body, nothing seemed to be wrong with him.


    "Hmm, this small mishap will not drain me, nor defeat me. Now pick yourself up and continue walking. We need to find the right path outside."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith was not sure what nonsense was escaping his mouth now. But he was too disoriented to analyze it in his mind. He will deal with the damage controlter.


    Both Shimi and Hana looked at each other with determined expressions. They needed to pick themselves up since that was what the Grandmaster had ordered.


    Keith picked up the unconscious Himeko and he was thankful that she was so tiny and light.


    "I will lead us toward the main path. I might not be a full-blooded elf, but I do know a few tips and tricks of being one."


    Shimi offered as she took the lead. They could finally see the end of this road and they quickly exited toward the main path.


    It was an almost linear path from here on.


    "I am so thankful that you decided to heed my call, Grandmaster. Why do not you apany me to my guild and rest there for a few days? I have everything prepared for your arrival anyway."


    Master Hana offered this with her uttermost sincerity. Her eyes shined when she looked at Keith and that made it extremely difficult for him to deny Master Hana''s invitation.


    Shimi looked ready to protest but her eyes fell on Himeko and she quietened down.


    ''Well, seems like Shimi developed a soft spot for her younger sister after all. I will need to hand Himeko over to Master Hana but it is a good opportunity for these sisters to spend time together.''


    Keith made up his mind and agreed to Master Hana''s offer.


    Master Hana looked far too happy to have the Grandmaster apany her like this. Her expression could not be counted on and Keith felt worried when he looked at it.


    He had a sudden feeling that he had stabbed himself by agreeing to Master Hana''s offer.


    .....


    ''Ugh, this is bliss. I cannot believe I feareding down here. But this turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.''


    Keith felt all his tension bleed out of his body as it shook in pleasure. The vibrations going up and down his spine helped him rx.


    Even the massage his butt was receiving helped him loosen up and force all the tension out of his body.


    The more time Keith spent like this, the more he was able to rx.


    ''Ugh, this is bliss. I will also buy a massager and sauna once I go back home. It is a great way to chase your stress away.''


    Keith rxed his body in the water and melted. He was afraid that he would soon be one with the vibrating and blissful water he was in.


    *Knock*


    "I aming in."


    Even the knock and those words could not drag Keith out of his blissful paradise. He was too deep into it to realize what was going on around him.


    It was not until another bodynded in the water and right into Keith''sp did, he realized that there was someone else in the room with him.


    Keith tensed up first before he suppressed his yell of surprise. He did not need to show how much this small action had affected him mentally.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright? I did not shock you speechless, right? You can still react to my presence."


    Master Hana''s voice was soft and light. It teased Keith and a pair of soft handsnded on his stomach. He did not understand very well what was going on. But he did understand that this was wrong and he needed to stop Master Hana.


    "Master Hana, what do you think you are doing? I did not permit you to sneak into my tub like this."


    Keith''s heart was still hammering into his body fast. He could not believe what had just happened to him.


    But Master Hana seemed unaffected by everything. Her eyes were filled with lust and other emotions Keith could not name or deal with right now.


    "Grandmaster, you need to help me out. It is all your fault that I fell for your charms. Now you need to take responsibility for my heart."


    Master Hana spoke with an almost shy voice. But her actions were bold and she even cupped Keith in ces she should not be cupping him in.

 Chapter 176 176: Taken What You Will [Pt1] R-18

    ?


    There was a hand cupping Keith''s cock, making it hard. But he was afraid that if he looked down now, he would see a scene he could notprehend.


    "Master Hana, what are you doing? This bathroom is not a ce for you to be joking about such indecent things."


    Keith''s voice sounded slightly higher pitched to his ears, but he was certain Master Hana could not tell the difference. Master Hana continued to wiggle her hand around and increase pressure on Keith''s cock.


    It twitched in her hand and got a little harder after feeling those soft hands traveling all over it.


    "Hmm, are you saying that you are not enjoying my touch, Grandmaster? If you are going to lie, then you shoulde up with a better one at least. I can feel just how interested you are in me."


    Master Hana looked delighted when Keith''s cock twitched in her soft hand. She finally removed her hand and her naked thighs contacted Keith''s hips.


    "Ahh, this feels so good. My beloved Grandmaster is finally touching me."


    Master Hana moaned and her hands came up to circle Keith''s neck. It was a pleasurable feeling and the sudden rush of arousal was making Keith forget why this was a bad idea.


    Keith''s hands rested on Master Hana''s body to try and push her back. But the soft skin beneath Keith''s hands begged to be touched and explored more. Keith could not stop his impulsive action.


    Master Hana melted in Keith''s arms when he stroked her side. Her lust-filled eyes fueled Keith''s desire even more.


    "Grandmaster, I have heard just what kind of person you are and what you need. Please, ept me as well and take what you want from my body."


    Master Hana was all but offering herself on a silver tter to Keith. Her beautiful body was on disy before Keith, and he could not help but gulp in nervousness.


    But again, this action was one that Master Hana did not notice. Her hands traveled all over Keith''s body before they rested on his face.


    Soft fingers pressed against Keith''s lips and asked for him to open. One of the fingers entered his mouth and Keith quickly grabbed Master Hana''s hand to pull her finger out.


    The next second, Keith had his mouth pressed against Master Hana''s and his tongue plundered Master Hana''s mouth.


    Master Hana looked disoriented after she had been kissed within an inch of her life. Her dazed eyes had no hint of recollection, nor did they seem to realize what was happening.


    All Keith could see in them was desire and lust.


    "Master Hana, you are the one who seduced me first. So, if anyoneins about this in the future, you will have to take responsibility for my actions."


    Keith reminded the Master and she looked unaware of what was happening. Her nk eyes looked back at Keith, her lust brimming to the surface.


    "Do not worry Grandmaster. I am a very lewd person when ites to you. You can do anything to me and I will notin."


    Master Hana assured Keith as she pressed her bodypletely against Keith''s. Her breasts were squished by Keith''s bigger frame and her hand traveled down Keith''s muscr torso.


    Master Hana seemed to be taking her time exploring Keith''s body.


    Those fleeting touches were beginning to feel like torture to Keith. He needed something solid and more fulfilling to scratch the itch of arousal he was feeling.


    That was why, Keith took Master Hana''s hand in his own and pulled her body solidly into hisp. Master Hana''s startled expression was worth exploring further, but Keith was more interested in her body''s reaction.


    Master Hans''s nipples were standing at attention. They were pink and perky, begging Keith to y with them.


    "You have nice breasts, Master Hana. Are they natural, or did you train them to be such a perfect shape?"


    Keith cupped one of those breasts in front of him. It barely fitter in his hand but it was soft. Master Hana bit her lip in pleasure and her hips rubbed against Keith''s hardening cock.


    "I¡­am only like this for you grandmaster."


    Hana panted those words out as her mind began to go nk. Grandmaster''s touch on her body burned and Master Hana felt sparks go down her spine as she felt more and more of her crush''s hands on her body.


    "Hmm, you sure have a lewd body. Look, your nipples are perked up and even your pussy decided to prepare itself. With the way you are gushing, I will not even need to prepare you."


    Master Hana did not know when she closed her eyes. But when she opened them, she moaned to feel her pussy leaking and wet. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The water hides away Master Hana''s slick but her pussy was pulsing to get anything inside.


    "M-Master, please be gentle with me. It has been a while since I have taken anything inside me."


    Master Hana admitted, now getting shy suddenly. Her cheeks were covered with a flush of embarrassment. But her pussy fluttered and her heart skipped a beat every time her pussy met the Grandmaster''s cock.


    It was bigger than anything Master Hana had ever taken in. She could not wait until it would stretch her insides and make her feel good at the same time.


    "So, you are not a virgin, Master Hana? I should have guessed this when you said that you were a lewd person. So, you want to offer me your sullen body?"


    Grandmaster''s words caused Master Hana to clench her thighs and she felt more and more slick escape her body.


    Keith had also pinched Hana''s nipples in a punishing and painful way. The sudden sensation on her chest caused Master Hana to arch her back.


    "I-I am sorry for presenting my sullen body to Grandmaster''s eyes. I will take any punishment you give me, Grandmaster."


    Master Hana was not even aware of half go the things she was saying. Her currently lost expression told anyone anything they wanted to know about her.


    "So, you are asking me to do even more work because of you? Master Hana, when will you learn that you cannot ask me for things? But alright, I will help you purify yourself from any foreign touch this time."


    Master Hana gasped when she felt Keith''s touch heading from her breasts to her pussy. Her body arched even more when one of the Grandmaster''s fingers probed her pussy and then entered it.


    "G-Grandmaster, please be gentle with me."


    Master Hana gasped as she adjusted to that sudden finger. She flinched when it reached deep into her body.


    It was only one finger but Master Hana felt so full. She was not even sure if she would be able to take any more.


    "Master Hana, stay still. You need to be purified if you want me to enter your sullen body. I will not have you disobey me like this."


    Master Hana flinched at the harsh words. But her mind liked the way the Grandmaster said all that to her. Her body was fueled by even more desire and her hips rocked, taking that finger in deeper.


    "I-I am sorry Grandmaster. I am trying my best but my body refuses to listen to me."


    Master Hanained as her hips continued to take Grandmaster''s finger deeper inside her body and pleasure herself with that finger.


    Keith watched in fascination as Master Hana continued to fuck herself on one of his fingers. He had even stopped moving his fingers or stretching Master Hana out. But she continued to move with all her might.


    "I-I am sorry Grandmaster, but I cannot stop myself. I am going toe."


    Master Hana was at the edge of her pleasure-filled orgasm already. It was tearing through her body and she tried to stop it.


    But in the end, Master Hana was not able to stop her body froming and her hips moved harder and faster against a single finger.


    "No, you will note so easily. You still need to learn your lesson, Master Hana."


    Master Hana moaned in disappointment as Keith pulled his finger out of her body. It was an abrupt and fast action that left Master Hana full of disappointment and she even moaned out her frustration.


    But Keith was unhinged and he did not care. He pulled away from Master Hana and stood up from the water.


    "Let us continue this in the bedroom. I want a morefortable ce to make a mess out of you."


    Master Hana gulped at themand but Keith could see her pussy twitching at the idea.


    "Follow me once you have pulled yourself together. You have a lot you need to make up for, Master Hana. And, prepare yourself because I will not prepare your dirty pussy anymore."


    Master Hana clenched her fists in frustration but she was ready to do whatever it took to get Grandmaster''s cock in her.

 Chapter 177 177:Taken What You Will [Pt2] R-18

    ?


    ''Grandmaster, I want you. I need you. I wish it was Grandmaster''s thick fingers inside me.''


    Master Hana bit her lip as she stretched her body out. Three of her fingers were buried inside her pussy, stretching it out to take the Grandmaster''s cock but she knew it was not enough.


    She had felt that thick and hard cock underneath her body. Master Hana knew what that huge cock could do and what it would want to take from her body.


    And Master Hana could not wait for that cock to ruin her pussy for anyone else.


    "Grandmaster, I love you. Please fuck my pussy."


    Master Hana could imagine that scene in her mind. Grandmaster fucking her body and giving her pleasure. His hard cock would stretch Master Hana so well that it would be impossible for her to move.


    And not only that, but the grandmaster''s cock would also cause her Master Hana to experience the pleasure she had never felt before.


    "I cannot wait anymore. I need something hard to fill my body."


    Master Hana''s pussy was drooling at the idea of having the grandmaster inside her. She quickly went out of the bathroom and entered Grandmaster''s room naked.


    She knew that there would be no obstacle between her and the Grandmaster''s room since Master Hana had nned it like that.


    And the door opened to show Master Hana a naked body sprawled out on the bed in front of her.


    Grandmaster''s powerful and muscr torso was in front of Master Hana''s eyes and she wanted to touch that chest and feel it. The touch in the bathroom before felt foreign and hazy in her memories.


    "Master Hana, hurry up and close the door. Or, would you like me to fuck you in public so that everyone can see how good of a bitch you are?"


    Humiliation shed across Master Hana''s mind. But she also felt hints of arousal and other things mixed in inside her mind.


    Master Hana could imagine people looking at her as she was fucked by Grandmaster in public. She could imagine those piercing and lustful eyes looking at her in envy as Hana was pounded by the grandmaster''s cock.


    Her pussy would be raw and puffy after Grandmaster was done with her. But she would also be an object of enjoyment for another woman who would look at her.


    "Master Hana, I do not care what kind of thoughts are you having right now. But when you are with me, I expect you to serve me and only me. So, hurry up ande to me."


    Master Hana gulped in nervousness, now getting sudden cold feet. But she still forced her body to move so that she could reach Grandmaster.


    Grandmaster took hold of her face and moved it up and down. Then, he gestured toward hisp where his hard cock was standing at attention.


    "You took too longing back and now my cock is all hard and aching. Hurry up and take care of it for me like the whore you are."


    Master Hana felt thrilled to be called in such a degraded manner. Her mouth watered when she looked at the hard cock in front of her. She wanted that thing inside her body so badly that she was even willing to settle for her mouth.


    Her tongue licked that hard cock once and then again. The hesitant touch slowly turned bold and determined. Master Hana''s eyes were filled with lust as well and her mouth was hot and throbbing as it took Keith''s cock head into her mouth.


    Master Hana was not able to take Keith''s cock inpletely and she choked a little due to the massive size of his cock. But she did not give up and tried again and again until that huge cock hit the back of her throat.


    "Master Hana sure is a fast learner. She learned to take my cock in her mouth so fast. But now you need to move."


    Grandmaster''s hand was pressed against Master Hana''s face. The touch felt almost affectionate, not for the urgency in Grandmaster''s touch and his body''s reaction against her.


    Master Hana sucked that cock once, then twice before her mouth tingled and she decided to get that cock out. Her pussy was beginning to feel lonely and it wanted in on some action as well.


    Hana''s hand moved to cup her leaking pussy and stretch it out for onest time. Her finger sank into her body until it could not go inside anymore.


    Grandmaster noticed this action of hers and he quickly pulled Master Hana up into a sitting position. Her leaking pussy dripped down on the Grandmaster''s cock but he looked unbothered by that.


    "Master Hana, you are a cheeky person and you are tempting me so hard. Now it is time for you to pay up for your actions."


    Grandmaster dropped Master Hana''s body directly on top of his cock. It pierced Hana deeply and she was even unable to love for a solid minute.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The cock inside Master Hana''s body felt so hard and throbbing. It was taking Hana everything she had not to copse and force that cock deeper into her body.


    It was already kissing the entrance to her womb and that sensation sent a shock through her body.


    "S-So full. I cannot take¡­anymore."


    Master Hana''s legs refused to keep up with her. She was not able to stand or even feel anything in her legs anymore.


    All her body could do was squeeze around the hard cock in her body and try to move.


    "Tsk. For all that gloating and experience, you are not someone who can fuck herself well. I guess I will have to do all the work here."


    Master Hana was startled at the sudden voice as well as the action of being moved around. But then her eyesnded on the Grandmaster''s impatient expression and Master Hana felt herself melt.


    Grandmaster would take care of her needs. He would ensure that Master Hana felt nothing but pleasure.


    Keith pulled out a little before he turned Master Hana around until she had her ass pointing outwards and her pussy on disy.


    Then, he entered her again and Master Hana copsed. Her hands and knees could no longer hold her weight up and Keith had to be the one to hold her up all the time.


    His cock disappeared in Master Hana''s pussy and she ate it up like a pro. Her pussy was also pulsing and clenching around the Grandmaster''s big cock.


    Velvet and soft walls clenched around a hard cock, pulling it deeper with every thrust. Keith could feel the softness that was Master Hana''s body and his hands moved down to y with her clit.


    "T-Too much. Grandmaster, this is too much."


    Master Hanained as she tried toe down from her high. But every thrust Keith made into her body caused Master Hana even more pleasure.


    Her hips were moving unconsciously and trying to take Keith''s cock deeper into her experienced body.


    But she was not able to keep up with the hard and fast rhythm Keith had set up. His hips smacked Master Hana''s ass every time he thrust into her body. His hands also roamed all over her skin, not leaving any ce untouched.


    "Grandmaster, I¡­I am going toe."


    In the end, Master Hana was not able to hold herself back any longer. Her body had reached its breaking point and her pussy sped around Keith''s cock tightly. It was trying to milk Keith and he flinched at the feeling of wetness surrounding his sensitive part.


    Master Hana suddenly orgasmed around Keith''s cock and it pulled him into releasing inside her as well.


    Hise painted Master Hana''s insides white and it entered her body too deeply. Some of it even managed to make it into her womb.


    "G-Grandmaster will get m-me pregnant¡­"


    Master Hana started to speak but her mind could not form any more words. All it could do was twitch and get itself under control.


    There was a real chance of pregnancy due to this union between Keith and Master Hana, but he was certain that Master Hana would not be foolish enough to risk it.


    "Go to sleep, Master Hana. And once you wake up, take care of yourself. I do not want the unnecessary hassle to take ce in the guild alliance."


    It was a clear warning for Master Hana but her fucked out brain took it as an order.


    Keith felt far more energetic than he should have felt and he decided to take a walk to burn this excessive energy out of his system.


    He decided to take a walk into the guild''s hallway and look outside at the city.


    The light of the full moon illuminated the city below Keith''s location. And that was the only reason he was able to see the shadow of ck shing across the alley. Something about that pushed Keith''s curiosity and he wanted to look as well.

 Chapter 178 178: Seeds Of Rebellion [Pt1]

    ?Proxy Connection Failed!


    Keith would not call himself the most observant human. His senses did not catch many things when it came to his surroundings.


    But he had to admit that he had be much more sensitive since he had stepped into this world. And as such, his instincts were guiding Keith toward a better path in his life.


    So, when his instincts told him to follow the shadow he saw before, Keith decided to follow through.


    And now, here he was. Covering his face with a cloak and following the shadow he saw from the upper corridor of Master Hana''s pce.


    The figure running away from him was fast and effective. He seemed to know where he had to go to escape. Keith would have lost him a few times if not for his instincts. But finally, he managed to follow the other human to a shabby and run-down yard.


    The man looked around once, twice, and then pushed his cloak down from his face.


    ''Shit, a protagonist? I thought I drove him away, but he is back already?''


    Keith was not even sure why he felt this shocked. He had been ready to run into a protagonist anytime now. He was lucky that the world had not forced Keith to confront his opponents until now.


    "Hey kid, how did the run go? Did you find anything we can use against those dumb guild people?"


    In his shocked state, Keith had failed to notice the other cannon fodder surrounding the protagonist. Keith''s mind scolded himself for this and he quickly held his breath in so that he would not be found out.


    It was a foolish thing to do, but Keith''s brain knew his body could not make any noise or he would be found out.


    "This town is stupid. I was so sure that I would be able to find at least one weakness of these treacherous guilds. But there is no evidence out on the street. It was a failed effort from my side."


    Horas sounded bitter about not finding any w in the guild''s defense of its territory. Keith felt pride full his chest at the notion.


    He might not be the real Grandmaster, but this pce was beginning to be his home as well. As such, Keith was proud of this ce and all it had managed to achieve.


    "Ah, I told you that you would not find anything against Master Hana in this ce. She, along with her order, has a tight and almost hypnotic grip on this town. People are living under a false sense of security and bliss here."


    The bald man continued to bad-mouth Master Hana. every word he spoke spiked Keith''s blood pressure and made him want to clear the air out.


    But he could not leave his hiding spot. He was not confident he would be able to take on a protagonist.


    "Tsk. Bastard guild masters and their powers. It is such a pain to expose their true nature when everyone is against you. I am so tired of all this bullshit."


    Keith flinched internally once more and his bnce shifted from one foot to another. He was not able to keep himself upright.


    It caused a small container to fall and Keith cursed himself mentally out in his mind.


    "Who is there? Show yourself or I will be forced to attack you."


    Horas warned Keith and Keith felt like he had no choice but to step forward and show his face. So, Keith quickly came out of his hiding spot while keeping his head up.


    The gang as well as Horas flinched as soon as their eyes fell on Keith.


    "G-Grandmaster? What are you doing here? Were you spying on us?"


    The scarred extra spoke in a frightened voice. The extras also took a few steps back so that they were not standing in the grandmaster''s direct line of sight.


    The only one who seemed unaffected by all this was the protagonist. He was taken aback as well but his eyes were filled with reckless greed.


    "Ha¡­hahaha¡­hahahahaha so you came out here all on your own? Well, that saves me the trouble of having to go and look for you. Now, get ready for your retribution."


    The protagonist sounded confident in his win. His hands held his sword tightly and he attacked Keith.


    Keith blinked as he watched the protagonist rush toward him. The blue tint was covering the world once more and Keith''s body was rooted into ce.


    [Horas, profession: Protagonist and hero of the weak. Lvl 30. Atk lvl 20]


    Keith blinked as all the information shed across his mind. He did not know what the protagonist had been doing to be this week. But Keith was easily able to raise his hand and erect a barrier.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The lvl 20 sword attack met Keith''s shield and threw the protagonist back.


    [Requirements met to activate a temporary boost. Antagonist vs the protagonist. User state will be boosted by 200%]


    Keith could feel the change in his body after the weird system announced this. He was sure that this condition of his was psychological more than anything else. But he could not help but flex his new powers.


    Keith tried to keep his powers in check. But the result of his ability caused his powers to re and even his basic attacks turned into deadly ones.


    "You said that you wanted to ''take care of me,'' right? Then, why don''t you show me what you can do?"


    Keith taunted back but his voice came out calm and nice. He could tell that he was making the on-looker nervous by just standing in his ce.


    "Y-You think you are such a hot shot? I will show you your ce soon."


    The man who was backing Horas up since the start yelled and brought out his sword. Hispanions tried to stop him but the man ended up rushing toward Keith.


    Keith looked at the iing man and quickie raised his shield defensively. But the man in front of him seemed not to care.


    He continued to attack the grandmaster, hoping to get a lucky hit back.


    But the counter-force of his attack hitting the shield caused the magic to bounce back and hit the attacker head-on.


    Before anyone knew it, the man attacking Keith was dead by the force of his magic. Everyone looked stunned when that happened.


    "M-Monster. Oh my god, you are a monster in human flesh. You killed someone so easily and without even blinking an eye."


    One of the people pointed out as they looked at what happened in front of their eyes.


    Keith wanted to point out that it was not his fault. But he was numb after seeing someone die in front of his eyes in such a way. His shield had be a tool for murder.


    "G-Grandmaster! As if. You are a demon who will kill us all. We need to kill you first to save our lives. It is self-defense at this point."


    The other people in the group were shaking as well. But once their would-be leader pointed the truth out, they all seemed to be of one mind.


    They attacked Keith but the result was the same.


    Many got injured and just as many died. The only one who seemed unharmed was Horas.


    "This is quite a predicament. You, people, will never be able to win against me, no matter what you do. It would be smarter for you to give yourself up."


    Keith was not sure how he was able to push those words out of his mouth. Bile was making its way up his food pipe and the smell of blood was making his insides flinch.


    But despite that, Keith held his head up as he faced the people in front of him. He owed this much to the people who had survived his attacks.


    "Y-You are a demon. Holy, you are truly a demon in human flesh. How else would you be able to kill so many people? You shall burn in hell and-"


    The criminal spoke but he did not get too much time to insult Keith.


    Keith watched as the criminal''s hands and feet were captured in thread-like things and then it captured others as well.


    "How bold of you to insult the grandmaster in front of me? I guess people have no fear nowadays. It is a true tragedy to see."


    Master Hana walked out of the shadows. She seemed pissed off as she red down at the foolish man who spoke so much against the Grandmaster.


    Her presence startled everyone in the valley and even Keith was forced to look at Master Hana.


    "Master H-Han? What are you doing here? Y-You should not be outside today? Y-You should focus on taking over the authority of the grandmaster. That was why we-"


    "Oh, so you all plotted this to give me more authority? Well, too bad that I do not need your help or want more power. Now, shall we deal with all of you or not?"

 Chapter 179 179: Seeds Of Rebellion [Pt2]

    ?


    "Guards, take these people and ce them into prison cells. I am sure they will like their new environment a lot more. Now hurry up and take them."


    Keith watched as the guards took hold of the attacker''s hands and lead them outside. It was a little suspicious how the rebels did not protest or even try to get out of the guard''s grasp. They seemed to have given up entirely.


    But something was missing when Keith looked around. The protagonist, Horas, was nowhere to be seen. And Keith was sure he had not seen any guard take Horas away as well.


    "Grandmaster, are you alright? You see, a little distracted right now."


    Master Hana asked this question but her tone was cautious. She seemed to be holding herself back from making things awkward for the Grandmaster.


    "It is nothing. I was just looking around for a guy these people were following as their leader but I guess he was already captured by your people. You can continue to capture the rest and put them in cells."


    Keith was sure that he had missed Horas''s capture meant but his heart refused to believe this fact. It would be more logical to think that the protagonist had managed to escape the capture entirely.


    But that was a point of concern for Keith. He was not sure how the protagonist would strike against him again but Keith was ready to fight him.


    "Grandmaster, are you sure you are alright? You look distracted. You did not even reply to my question."


    Keith blinked his eyes a few times to get himself to reality. His feeling od''s something being wrong was also depleted as soon as he saw the guards and other people.


    "Ah, nothing is wrong. I am sure I am overreacting right now."


    Keith tried to assure himself but the bad feeling he was feeling did not go away. If anything, his paranoia only increased.


    ........


    ''Shit, I did not expect that man to have gotten this powerful. He used to be such a little powerless kid before. Just where did he get all this power from?''


    Horas held his broken arm as he ran away from the guards. He was not sure how many were following him, but the protagonist was sure that he needed to get away.


    If not for the vision from the goddess and the incredible powers she bestowed upon Horas, he would have never gone against someone like the guild alliance and the Grandmaster.


    "Goddess, you promised me that I would not lose to anyone. Then why? Why did I lose to that horrible human being? What did I do wrong?"


    Horas yelled in an empty ally, no longer caring if he was captured or not. It was a momentarypse of judgment but Horas did not regret doing this. It made him feel so much better than before.


    For a solid minute, nothing happened. But then, there was a familiar light touch on his shoulder.


    [Calm down. You are still the protagonist of this world and you still have a lot of potential to improve. The reason you lost this time was because you did not have enough experience. But if you continue to improve, it will not take long before you are the best.]


    The words from the goddess made Horas feel better about himself and his situation. He was sacrificing a lot just to go against the guild alliance.


    [You need to spend a lot of time training if you want to get better. I would suggest not facing the alliance until you can stand on your own feet.]


    The goddess was right but it sucked to realize that. Horas felt powerless and he no longer wanted to feel like this. He needed power in whatever way he could.


    "Hey, I can see that you are desperate. If you want power, then why don''t you try our method? I am sure you will soon be able to get what you desire."


    Horas flinched at the tempting offer from this unknown man. He knew he should not trust such a shady figure when he could not even see the figure''s face.


    This man had appeared out of nowhere and offered Horas this deal. But Horas''s senses were still not putting up any danger signal.


    "Who are you? What are you doing here and what do you want from me?"


    Horas was not naive enough to believe that man wanted anything good for him. This man was here to likely take advantage of Horas.


    "Oh, you are a cautious one for sure. But that is a good attitude if you want to survive this harsh world. You are the perfect fit for our experiment. So, what do you say? Do you want power?"


    The shady man asked as he held his hand out.


    [Do not trust him. I will not be able to help you out if you took the devil''s hand.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The goddess warned Horas about the fate of his future. She had chosen this child because of his dedication and goodwill. So, she did not want him to be taken away from her.


    She had worked hard to keep this child by her side. And now she was watching this child walk away from her on his own two feet.


    ''I know it is not safe to take this offer. The fact that I cannot see a downside to this tells me all I need to know about this deal. But still, I want to take this offered hand and do something drastic. I want to change the world


    Horas''s ideas were too much for him and one day, they would get him in trouble. And it seemed like the day has finallye for him.


    "I heard you and I understand what you are offering me. Are you going to make me strong enough to stand against the grandmaster?"


    The man in front of Horas smiled a sinister smile. It made snakes crawl inside Horas''s stomach when he looked at that smile.


    But he seemed to have no choice if he wanted to gain more power faster.


    "Smart choice kid. The Grandmaster is but a human and even he cannot go against the powers of the gods. Now,e with me and I shall grant you the greatest power of all."


    The shady man extended his hand out and Horas took it.


    The goddess extended her hand to stop Horas, but her hand passed through the child''s body. She could no longer interfere in his destiny.


    [Horas, you are making a mistake. This is not what the fates have promised you. You will die if you keep on following your own will."


    The goddess warned Horas but the kid was beyond listening to her at this point. He had been humiliated and kept in a cage for too long.


    "Well, fate is taking a long time to give me powers. I cannot afford to be powerless anymore. Especially after I already lost two encounters against that terrible human being. I need to gain more power as fast as possible."


    The goddess flinched as soon as she heard Horas''s words. She knew she could not give Horas what he was demanding.


    She was worried about damaging Horas''s body but the kid seemed not to be worried about the same.


    [Horas, I-]


    "I am sorry Verra, but this is the end of our rtionship. You were a goodpanion but I no longer need you."


    The goddess was in shock as soon as she heard Horas''s words. She could not bring herself to believe what happened.


    Horas had abandoned her. The kid she had chosen to take care of had just ended up abandoning her for an unknown power.


    ''It is all his fault. That stupid grandmaster and his stupid powers. I will never forgive him for what he took from me. I shall not forgive him.''


    Anger and resentment boiled inside the goddess.


    Usually, the goddess was a reasonable being, capable of seeing through truth and lies. But her current form was a mass of regret and anger. She was unable to guess what was happening in her current form.


    And as such, she was letting out her anger at the world.


    Veera, the goddess of fate was falling. Her negative emotions were dragging her real self down while her other powers were rising.


    A loud cry sounded inside the city gates and even Horas looked up in rm at the familiar tone it had.


    "Veera! She is in trouble. I need to go back and check on her¡­"


    He turned around but the shady figure who had promised to help Horas out caught his arm and stopped him.


    "You cannot go back right now. This is all for the sake of your goal. So, if you need to make sacrifices along the way, do not hesitate to do so. Don''t you want revenge for everything that happened to you?"


    Horas was not sure what happened but his nerves calmed down and his desire to take revenge overshadowed everything else.


    "You are right. Let us keep going now."

 Chapter 180 180: Seeds Of Rebellion [Pt3]

    ?


    Keith had a weird feeling about the situation. The fact that the protagonist had managed to somehow escape did not sit well with him.


    "M-Master Hana, please have mercy on us. We did not mean to make a fool out of you. It is just that the city¡­"


    The seeming leader of this small bunch of rebels started to speak up timidly. But a pair of cold eyes and an even colder smile stopped him from ever finishing his words.


    "Hmm, you were saying something? I do not think I heard what you were saying properly so can you repeat your words?"


    Master Hana asked this of the man. But her eyes sent the message of ''do not talk'' to the ones looking in her direction.


    The rebels were speechless and helpless in front of Master Hana''s beauty. Words were caught in their throat as they tried to get their mouths to work. But words were difficult to utter for these people.


    "Master Hana, what are you nning to do with these people?"


    Keith could not contain his curiosity any longer. He needed to know what would happen to these people. Not because he cared, but because he wanted to know what direction this rebellion would take.


    If things were about to be violent then Keith wanted out of here right now. He did not want to go against the protagonist.


    "Oh, do not worry Grandmaster. I know that you do not like unnecessary fanfare. I will try to keep the noise and the festivity of my activities to a minimum. And I will also get you all the relevant information you need."


    Master Hana sounded confident when she spoke. Her confidence and happiness made Keith want to take a step back.


    "You¡­do what is necessary. I will be heading back now."


    "Y-You are the Grandmaster. You are an evil being corrupting the youth into thinking you are a good man. But soon, your true colors would be exposed, you heartless man. You murdered."


    The leader cursed Keith out suddenly. The situation would have surprised Keith if he was paying attention to it.


    "How dare you."


    Master Hana took that insult personally and ended up knocking the leader unconscious. But her temper still had not ebbed after that.


    Keith had lived a far too morous life in this world. It had made him forget a very important fact about himself and his character.


    No matter how many good deeds he did and how much he worked to help themon folks, Keith was ultimately a viin at his core and he would need toe back to his roots in time.


    He was just thankful that his subordinates seemed to take care of doing ''questionable'' stuff for him.


    "Grandmaster, please do not think too much about what this man said. He does not know how kind and generous of a man you are. You are the best person on this and no one can take your ce."


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard the devolution-filled words of Master Hana.


    For a second, Keith felt impulsive enough to tell Master Hana that her beloved Grandmaster was a fraud and he did not exist. Keith was sure that his words would pull some amazing reactions out of Master Hana.


    Would he be targeted by her? Hurt by the very person who had sworn to protect him? What would happen next?


    ''Ugh, I think I am sleep deprived. I am beginning to think weird thoughts now.''


    Keith shook his head to clear it. He did not acknowledge Master Hana''s presence or her words.


    Keith allowed the winter air to wash over his senses. It felt fresh and the chill was good for Keith''s mental health. It helped numb his brain and the useless thoughts circling in it.


    And in such chilly air, Keith felt a presence attacking him front behind. It felt almost human but the appearance of the attacker was anything but human.


    Inhuman golden eyes looked at Keith from a face that was half-human and half-beast. Huge ws tried to impale Keith on them and end his life.


    The beautiful world took a blue tint once more as the divine bracelet did its thing.


    [??? - unknown entity. Error: Cannot figure out. Lvl ???]


    ''Great, so even this device is of no use to me. How useless this all is turning out to be.''


    Keith mocked the bracelet in his mind as he straightened his back out. If he wanted to live, he needed to do something dramatic and drastic.


    First, Keith needed to shake this creature off his trail and head back to the Guild. That way, Keith would have far more protection to throw in between himself and this creature.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It did cross his mind that a lot of innocent people would be thrown into his mess if he did such a thing. But for Keith, survival was much more important than others'' safety.


    And right now, survival is meant to get away from the half-human, half-beast abomination.


    "...kill the¡­. master¡­.do not¡­. let go¡­"


    The half-human creature could speak but not very well. His words were dragged out and seldom. Keith had to pay attention if he wanted to figure out what this man meant.


    "...hurts¡­needs¡­cure¡­"


    The creature cried out and Keith had a second to react. Keith threw his body toward the left side and created a shield to lower his impact.


    His shoulder cried out in pain as it contacted the ground but Keith was able to pick himself back up.


    He looked toward a half-wolf-like creature but it seemed to have shaken itself off as well.


    "...kill¡­devour¡­revenge¡­"


    The creature looked at Keith and he felt his breath stop. The light in those inhuman eyes had gotten even stronger than before.


    A w rammed into Keith''s shield and tried to break it apart. But Keith''s divine power was strong and it repelled the half-human.


    The human staggered due to this effect but then soon gained hisposure. There was intelligence behind those inhuman eyes now and they looked at Keith with naked curiosity.


    "Perhaps, we underestimated what a human like you was capable of. I must admit that it is entirely my fault this time. And that is why, I will atone for it by killing and sampling you."


    Keith was ashamed to admit that he did not see that attacking until he had to dodge it outright.


    His new attacker was covered in all ck from head to toe. This mysterious person had also spoken in a soft voice which made it impossible for Keith to tell if this was a male or a female.


    The half-human did not look pleased to see this new addition in their fight. It tried to growl to let its unhappiness be known. But this new person justughed at thisint off and tapped the half-human on the nose.


    The huge monster-like body copsed in a single second and fell into this new person''s arms.


    Keith was ready to counter anything this his new attacker threw at him. His shield was sparking and full of power.


    But for some reason, this new person did not attack Keith. Instead, they picked up Keith''s attacker and jumped back.


    It was almost funny how odd the scene in front of Keith looked. The new attacker was easily half the size of that half-beast. And yet, they were picking up the former as if the half-human did not weigh anything.


    "Well, it was nice meeting the world-renowned grandmaster. If the heavens permit it, then we shall meet again."


    The mysterious figure waved at Keith before he disappeared into smoke right in front of Keith''s eyes. Things were over and done with.


    Keith was about to leave the clearing when he heard a sobing from the corner of the ally.


    Normally, Keith would have ignored that sobbing and gone his own way. But he was not sure why it was getting on his nerves. He decided to check out the source of this crying, only to find no one.


    "Hey, if you do not show yourself then I am leaving. I do not want to waste my time needlessly."


    Keith admitted but he was not sure if the distressed person heard him or not.


    Not that Keith cared or anything. It was just annoying to hear someone cry out and then reject his help openly like this.


    "Ugh, this is it. Since it seems like you do not want my help, I shall be going now. I will not offer you another chance in the future."


    Keith doubted he would meet the owner of this sob again. Most random strangers did not meet more than once in life.


    He was out of the valley when he heard the sob again. It was louder this time and Keith was not able to ignore it anymore.


    He turned around and decided to tell the crying person to shut up and leave him alone.


    But the familiar face of a goddess stopped Keith. He knew who this goddess was and Keith did not like the implications of this.

 Chapter 181 181: A Kind Stranger? [Pt1]

    ?


    The lighting from the creature was so bright that it hurt Keith''s eyes to even look at her. But Keith could recognize this person from a mile away once his eyes got used to the other creature''s glow.


    And it was also then that Keith realized that the glow he had been seeing was not actually due to any lighting effect, but due to the bright silver color of the creature.


    Silver hair and silver eyes on a white and pure body. It was easy to guess that this creature could not be human.


    But Keith, who had yed the MMO and seen the select screen knew this face from the game it was Veera, the goddess of fate and the person who encouraged the MC to go on his journey.


    From then on, Goddess Veera showed up asionally to help the MC out when he needed her. It was a good rtionship for the most part.


    But the important question was, what was this goddess doing here? She was not supposed to show up in front of any other character.


    Her presence caused the protagonists a lot of misunderstandings in the eyes of other people. Especially their romantic counterparts.


    "..."


    Now that Keith had seen this goddess, he knew he needed to get away from her. It was not a good idea to stay near her and to get caught up in her rhythm.


    "Y-You can see me? H-How? N-No, it does not matter. Please help me out, kind stranger."


    The goddesstched on to Keith''s body as soon as she noticed his stare. Her sobbing also got worse and its high pitch was beginning to get on Keith''s ears.


    He might help the goddess for the sole reason to quieten her down if he had to.


    ''No, do not fall into the goddess''s trap. She is someone who wants your downfall. Anything bad happening to her is a good sign for your side.''


    Seeing a crying female (no matter the form) was always an awkward scenario for Keith. His mother would have had a lot to say about his behaviour.


    But his mother was not here right now and Keith had his current life to save. So, he turned around without saying much and decided to head out.


    He was not going to let a goddess decide what he was going to do in the future.


    "No, wait! Do not leave me just yet. Do you not want to know who I am? I am a goddess. No, I am ''the'' goddess. I am Veera, the goddess of fate. If you help me, I will grant any wish you have."


    The Goddess promised with a determined expression and that was what finally gave Keith a pause.


    He knew one thing others did not about the goddess of fate. She could not lie or break her promise.


    It was a condition she needed to maintain if she wanted to keep her purity. It caused the original yer a lot of grief throughout the ythrough. Especially when the goddess made non-sensical promises and then the MC had to keep them for her.


    It was a toxic rtionship for the most part.


    ''And this goddess wants me to step into such a rtionship voluntarily? I would rather die than do that.''


    "Sorry miss, but I am not interested. Fate and destiny are something I want to carve out with my own hands. Now, if you would excuse me."


    Once Keith was finished speaking his part, he turned around to leave. He wanted to escape the goddess before she got any other ''brilliant'' idea in her head.


    But before Keith had stepped outside of the ally, the goddess decided she needed to make onest effort to turn his mind.


    "Hey mister, no wait. I need to tell you something about your future¡­"


    The goddess touched Keith''s shoulder but her translucent body passed through him. As expected, the goddess could not touch anything in his world except the protagonists.


    "Y-You¡­How are you alive in this world? You have almost no mana but your body''s capacity is amazing. You are a contradiction in many ways. N-No, now is not the time to be thinking about this."


    While the goddess was trying to gather her thoughts, Keith quickly made his way out of the ally. By the time the goddess realized what was happening, Keith was long gone from the clearing.


    .......


    "You will be leaving now, Grandmaster? You could stay here for a little longer. We all will miss you."


    Master Hana looked sad. Her big eyes were looking at Keith to keep him in the castle. But Keith was not willing to stay back no matter what happened.


    Especially not after his run-in with the goddess. He needed to get out of this city soon.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Besides, the final round for the Mother''s Pearl and Master Olivia''s tournament was just around the corner. Keith needed to get ready for those events.


    "I do not have the time to remain here and entertain unless people. If you want something from me, then contact the main branch. Otherwise, drag yourself in front of me and ask yourself."


    Those were Keith''s words of farewell. It made people swoon when he was angry or agitated with them for some weird reason.


    Keith would never understand people and their weird obsession with ''bad'' body culture. What fun was there in being insulted or scolded?


    "Of course. In that case, I will pay a visit to the Grandmaster soon. Shimi, you will be staying behind as well, right?"


    Shimi had an annoyed expression that told Keith that she wanted toe with him but chose not to in the end.


    "Well, someone needs to stay here and take care of things. God knows you know nothing about management and other things when ites to elves."


    Shimi replied. But her red face said a lot about her decision of staying back.


    That, and the kid in her arms she was currently rocking to sleep. Shimi had been taken with her sister and had turned into quite a doting sister for Himeko.


    Keith''s heart swelled after seeing this. It felt as if he was looking at his past but his memories were a little fuzzy on this topic.


    ''Oh, did I used to have a sister? Or perhaps a brother? I almost feel like I can remember if I try hard enough.''


    But then, Keith''s brain was assaulted with a severe headache that made him unable to think. All he could do was shake his head to make the headache away.


    ''Ugh, I felt as if my head was being split in half. What the hell happened to be? All I did was try and remember some things from my past.''


    This was annoying. This almost felt like something did not want Keith to remember his past. It was irritating but Keith decided not to pay too much attention to it.


    Keith walked out of the guild hall and instantly felt the need to go back. He could see the blinding silver light from the corner of his eyes.


    The goddess of fate, Veera was still following behind him. Her eyes were curiously ring at Keith.


    He was certain that the goddess would follow him no matter what he did.


    ''Should I just stick her on Amelia? Surely another protagonist would be better than following someone like me.''


    But then Keith had one fear.


    What if the goddess someone swayed Amelia back on the ''right'' path and Amelia became Keith''s enemy? He still did not know how to control Amelia properly.


    This was just too risky.


    Keith was deep in his thoughts so he did not notice when he bumped into someone. His shoulder ached from the run-in with a well-built body.


    The unknown stranger was closed from head to toe in a ck garment so Keith could not tell who this person was. But something about this man was reassuring for his senses.


    "Hmm, you seem to be troubled. Is it because of the sh of silver following behind you? If you want, I can take care of it for you."


    The man offered Keith and Keith was suddenly standing on alert.


    This man could see Veera, so he could certainly not be a normal person. Keith needed to be careful when dealing with such humans.


    "Oh, you do not need to be on guard in front of me. I am not trying to make things difficult for you after all. I just want to help you out."


    The man continued his bullshit but this time, Keith was more inclined to believe this stranger.


    He could not have the goddess follow him back to his dual life.


    "Do what you want to. I do not own the sh of silver behind me."


    Keith waved his hands as he gave the stranger his permission. His heart did feel heavy but Keith did not let it hinder his mood.


    After all, the goddess had brought it upon herself. She needed to suffer the consequences.

 Chapter 182 182: A Kind Stranger? [Pt2]

    ?


    The stranger had an amused smile on his face when he looked at Keith. The unseen eyes of the stranger felt burning on Keith''s skin.


    "What is it? Do you no longer want this sh of silver now that you have seen how annoying it could get"


    Keith asked this in a calm voice but he was sweating bullets inside his mind. He did not know what he had done to get such curious looks from the stranger.


    Should the stranger not be focused on the goddess behind him? Why was Keith being looked at with such a curious look by a stranger? It was a little embarrassing and a lot more annoying than he had first realized.


    "Oh, does my stare make you ufortable? I am sorry that I did not realize it before. I will look away from you if that is what you want me to do. Once again, my apologies."


    The stranger bowed down in front of Keith. Even Keith had to admit that this stranger had the perfect posture he had seen in a person up until now.


    "Ufortable? Me? Please keep your assumptions to yourself and do notbel me with such useless information. Take the sh of silver before I change my mind."


    Keith felt his insides twist with worry when he heard the stranger speak in such a carefree manner. For the first time since he had been thrown into this world, someone had looked at him and been able to tell how he felt.


    It was a humbling but terrifying feeling at the same time.


    ''No, do not show any more of your emotions. You cannot let it be known that you are ufortable. It will not be good for your reputation.


    Keith repeated these words inside his mind a few times before he straightened his back and walked away from the ally.


    The stranger looked at the retreating back of the grandmaster with a calm and amused expression before turning toward the goddess with serious eyes.


    "I am sorry mydy, but I need your help. I am sure you will find my offer amusing as well. Here, give me your hand and I will help you up."


    The goddess looked at the stranger with a surprised but suspicious expression. So far, no one except her chosen hero and that strange grandmaster had been able to see her.


    And even then, touching her was a big deal. This man should not have any power to do so.


    But the goddess was still inclined to believe this man when he asked for the goddess to touch him.


    She reached out toward that outstretched hand with hesitating hands and grasped it tightly. Surprisingly, she did not phase away and she was able to grip that human hand. She was even able to feel the warmth of the hand below her own.


    "You! Who are you and what do you want? Why are you able to touch me in my current state? It should not be possible."


    The goddess asked without hesitation. Her curiosity got the best of her and the man pulled his hand back.


    "I know you have questions, mydy. But for now, why don''t youe with me? I am sure everything would be answered in time and you will have an easier time processing my words if you are in a morefortable position."


    The stranger offered the goddess. The goddess did not want to take this offer, but it was tempting.


    In the end, she decided to just take that offered hand and allow the stranger to pull her up.


    If he turned out to be a danger to the goddess, she would run away.


    ......¡­.


    ''I am free, right? I am not still being followed, right?''


    Keith looked behind him, only to notice no one following him. It brought a sigh of relief out of Keith''s mouth and his body rxed.


    "Finally, some peace. I just want to rx for a little bit, not get into trouble."


    Keithined about the empty streets he had ended up roaming into. It was just one thing after another with him.


    He knew that a protagonist''s life was filled with adventure but even those people got to rest between events. A viin like Keith seemed to have no freedom to do anything. It was just one thing after another.


    ''No, let us not go down that road yet. I still have a few days before the next part of the tournament. I should find ways to rx in that time.''


    Keith needed a vacation desperately. But he did not have a destination in mind for now.


    "Hmm, what was this game infamous for? What extra features did they put in that caused yers to stand up in surprise? I know there were a few things. Ah yes, the hot springs."


    Once Keith specifically tried to remember something, it became easier for him to focus. It was also then that Keith''s brain remembered a useless but additional feature of this ce - the rxation bar.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Or in simpler words - hot springs.


    These ces had been added all over the map and they allowed yers to rx their bodies and increase their stats.


    The scandalous thing about this feature was - the hot springs were mixed-character-based regions. So there had been a lot of R-18 scenes hinted at in those ces.


    Thankfully, the base game had not shown any of it and it had remained PG-13 for the audience.


    ''PG-13? As if. Most of these people are pent-up and horny at the same time. There is no way this ce is PG-13.''


    Keith''s mindughed tiredly at this fact but all his hesitation and aches melted away once he checked the location of a nearby hot spring on his phone.


    It was close by and Keith would be able to reach it in a few hours.


    But Keith also could not go in there as the grandmaster. He needed to change into his disguise and ensure no one found out about his small trip to the hot springs.


    ........


    "Excuse me. Is this ce open for business? I would like to book a room for a few days."


    Keith entered the front door of the Hot-spring ce. It was a well-established but small building with a cozy atmosphere.


    There were not a lot of people inside/ But those who were inside stopped doing what they were doing and looked at Keith with surprised eyes.


    It was not every day an ''eye-candy'' walked into their establishment and asked for a room. Even the other customers were charmed but the mysterious charm of this stranger.


    "Of course, you are wee. A customer is always a delight to see. What kind of room would you like to book with us?"


    The owner asked this while rubbing his hands together in a greedy manner. He was happy to see such an amazing customer enter his shop.


    Not only was this man rich-looking, but he was good-looking as well. A lot more people woulde to his establishment just to see this stranger. And the owner had a feeling his business was about to bloom now.


    "Book me a room. The best one you have. I will pay in advance for two days. If you perform well, then I will tip your establishment extra as well."


    The owner had money signs in his eyes as he looked at the ''golden'' customer in front of him.


    Usually, customers like to haggle and get better prices for their efforts. They tried to bring down the staying price and other amodations.


    For the first time, someone was willing to pay the owner extra for good service and the owner decided.


    He would do whatever it took to keep this customer happy anding back. He wanted to have more money and power in his hands.


    ''I will need to send people to check up on this customer regrly. Now let us see. Who are our most beautiful servants? I will send them up to the customer to keep him ''happy.''''


    The owner had impure intentions to try and grab this man''s attention.


    It was rather easy to charm rich people to spend money on his establishment.


    His employees were talented in making people fall for them. That kept the riching back to spend more money on a person he had fallen for.


    And if the servant got pregnant? Even better. It would take a hefty fee to let a hand go. And the rich usually had a reputation to keep so they ended up paying that fee as well.


    Their establishment had been doing such business for a long time and this time would be no different.


    The owner was ready to cause a lot of trouble.


    "Owner, the room key, and the price. You better hurry up before I get impatient and leave."


    The money bag threatened the owner and he flinched.


    "There is no need to threaten me, young sir. I am here to serve you. Here, is your room key and your advance payment bill. You can pay it all here."

 Chapter 183 183: The Hot Springs [Pt1]

    ?


    For some reason, Keith got a weird feeling when he looked at the man in front of him. The owner of this pce was looking at Keith with eyes filled with greed.


    "Alright, I will pay the bill right now."


    Keith quickly paid the bill and watched the owner be even happier when he saw all the money. Keith quickly ran away from the reception and walked into his room. He threw his body on the bed and decided to rx.


    After a long time, Keith had been able to rx. He knew it was only a matter of time before something happened, but he would get a few days of rest this way.


    Keith did not know when he fell asleep. But he somehow managed to pull himself out of it in time for his door to be knocked.


    "Master, I have brought food for you."


    Keith was surprised at the sudden visit. He was sure that he had not ordered anything to be brought up. But since the food was already here, he might as well eat it.


    "Come in."


    The door opened but Keith did not pay attention to it for the time being. He was busy resting his body on the bed.


    But when he did pay attention to the person who brought Keith his food, he could not hold his jaw from dropping.


    The female was gorgeous, with long flowing ck hair and beautiful pink eyes. She even had a mole right beneath her right eye that enchanted Keith to lean toward her.


    As soon as that impulsive thought jumped inside Keith''s mind, he was able to pull himself back. He was not going to fall for this trick again.


    "Master, here is your food. I am here to assist you if you need anything."


    The female servant was dressed in clothes that could not even be called ''clothes.'' Her chest was exposed all the way and only a thin piece of cloth kept her nipple happen. The small piece of cloth that covered her lower portion threatened to fall anytime and exposed her hip line.


    The female also had amazing proportions, that exposed all her curves and the way she leaned on the table left nothing to one''s imagination.


    "Master, what are you thinking about? You can share your doubts with me and I will make all your worries go away."


    The beautiful female was almost like a dreame true. Her eyes were hypnotic as she called out to Keith. Her voice was also melodic and dripped out of her mouth like honey.


    The more Keith looked at her, the more unreal she looked in his eyes.


    So, with all that said, Keith knew that he was in danger. This female might be beautiful, but she also sent danger signals through his mind. And Keith refused to fall victim to that.


    "Hmm, if you are done delivering my food, then you should go now. I do not likepany when I dine."


    Keith''s heart skipped a beat when he looked into those pink eyes. The beauty of this female was affecting him a lot.


    "Master, I cannot do that. The owner chose me specifically to serve you. If I go back now, then I will be punished. Do you want me to be punished? In that case, I would rather have you punish me instead."


    The beautiful female was a tease. Each word she spoke was filled with temptation. It caused Keith to internally flinch and hold on to his desire with a tight grip.


    "No, it is alright. You can leave now if you want to. I will call you if I need your help."


    Keith assured the female but she was not done just yet. If he was stubborn, then so was this servant.


    "I am afraid that it is not possible for me. I need to serve you or I will fail my mission. So please, allow me this honor."


    The female leaned more into Keith''s body. He did not even realize that he had sat in front of the table and adjacent to her.


    There was a hand resting on top of Keith''s thighs and it pleasantly squeezed his leg. The sensation of someone else''s hand on top of his thigh tickled Keith.


    ''This is bad. I cannot allow myself to be swayed by his vixen. I have a lot of things left to do with my life.''


    Keith gulped and hardened his heart. What he was about to do next was tough but necessary. <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    He quietly took hold of the hand lying on top of his thigh and squeezed the female servant''s hand.


    ¡¤?¦Èm A look of trump emerged on the female''s face once she noticed that Keith had fallen into her trap. She knew that no one could resist her charms. And that was why she was chosen for this role.


    "Master, I can see that you have a lot of problems in your life. Why don''t you let me solve them for you?"


    The servant asked as she slowly snaked her hand up Keith''s arm. He got goosebumps when he experienced that touch but Keith had braced his heart.


    He quietly took the hand he was clutching and ced it on the table.


    "I am sorry but I am notfortable with your affection. You are a gorgeousdy and I am sure you are likely by many. But I would rather have you maintain your distance from me."


    Not only did thisdy have an unearthly beauty, but she also made Keith''s senses tingle. This had ever only happened with in-human beings before.


    The beautifuldy was shocked as soon as she heard Keith''s words. She was shocked mainly because she had never been rejected before. Especially by a human male like this person. It snubbed her pride and she vowed to take renege.


    ''This man would fall for my charms. Just wait and watch, you arrogant human. I will make you fall for my body like all the others did before you.''


    The female servant was determined to make Keith fall for her now. Her pride was on the line.


    "Sir, I will try to keep my distance from now on. But I am not sure how much I can bear to stay away from a handsome man like you. My heart is set on you."


    The beautiful servant spoke slowly and in a charming voice. She had charmed hundreds of guys before so she knew that the best way to get into a guy''s mind was by praising him


    But it did not seem to have any effect on herpanion. The man did not even turn red like most people did when they were praised.


    He was just calm and unaffected by anything that was going on around him.


    "No, I would rather have you leave me alone. The door is that way so you can head out now."


    The man was currently a nightmare for her. His actions were out of the scope of anything that had happened to her before.


    ''Why is this man not responding to my charms? What did I do wrong? Is it because he knows my true nature? Did I give myself away?"


    The demon panicked inside her mind, but she did not show it on her face. She was calm and collected when she looked at the man in front of her.


    "Master,e on. You need to rx and give me a chance to serve you. I will make sure you will not have anyints about my work. Your body knows it wants me."


    The female demon could tell that the ''master'' was reacting to her presence. No matter how much he tried to hide it, his body gave him away.


    And that made the female demoness smile in happiness.


    ''Hmm, this is great. I like what I am seeing right now. This reaction means that I still have a chance to be able to make this man fall for my charms. In that case, I will not pull any stops in achieving my n.''


    The female demoness knew what she needed to do now.


    She had a secret n ready to put her secret n into action now. The master had asked her to secretly prepare the love potion but the servant had not thought she would need any.


    But now she was happy that she had taken the master up on his offer. This love potion would bring out all this rude man''s hidden desires.


    Meanwhile, Keith looked at the food in front of him with suspensions look on his face. But he could not figure out why he was getting this bad feeling of his.


    It did not look as if the food in front of him had anything mixed into it. And it also did not seem like the female servant was invested in hurting him.


    But still, it would be better if Keith avoided this food for the time being. His instincts had not led him astray yet.

 Chapter 184 184: The Hot Springs [Pt2]

    ?


    "Take this food back. I am not hungry today so I do not need it."


    Keith looked at the food in front of him with mixed feelings. It wanted to eat the food because it looked amazing but his instincts were telling him not to bother to eat this food.


    It was an overall sour experience for him which made his mood worsen.


    The female demon cursed inside her mind as soon as she realized that her n had failed. She would not be able to seduce this man if he refused to even touch his food.


    ''Fuck this man. Why is he not eating this food I worked so hard to prepare? Does he not like it? Or did he notice that there was something wrong with the food? I will need to be even more careful going forward.''


    Now that the food had been rejected, the demoness had no choice but to take it back. She tried to catch the ck-haired youth''s eyes onest time but he did not look at her.


    With her face filled with humiliation and anger, the demoness made her way back.


    As soon as she entered the kitchen, the owner was waiting for her. His eyes were filled with greed when he looked at the demoness.


    "So, did you manage to secure that master? When can I expect the young master to drop heaps of money and ask for your service?"


    The owner asked as he rubbed his hands together in a greedy manner.


    The demoness was at a loss once she heard the owner ask her these questions. She had no face left to tell the owner that she had failed in her mission.


    ''But it is better than lying and being caughtter on.''


    The female nodded to herself and decided to tell the owner what happened. She also mentioned how the young master had reacted to her presence but had still managed to hold himself back.


    The owner had to say that he was impressed at the self-restraint the young man had shown in front of his most beautiful servant.


    Had the owner not been faithful to money, he would have fallen for his servant''s beauty as well.


    ¡¤?¦Èm "Hmm, seems like he underestimated this young master''s powers. In that case, we will have to try something even stronger than before. Here, lights this incense in the young master''s room. It will make him dream of the best night he ever had."


    The owner knew it was morally correct for him to drug someone like he was doing. But he did not care.


    He had already tricked a lot of young masters in the same manner and managed to earn a good amount of money.


    No matter how strong one is will be. Once they spent a single night in his inn, they all fell for pleasure and the beautiful face attached to that pleasure.


    "Master, are you sure about this? I know we have not failed before and this incense is very strong. But I have a bad feeling about using it this time"


    The female servant spoke about what she felt. Her instincts had never raged like this before and that made her afraid.


    But the owner looked satisfied with what he was doing.


    "Do not question the method, only look at the result. Once we drug the young man and you conquer him, there will be no one left to take his side. The society is quite partial to the females in these cases after all."


    The owner had utilized this trick too many times. And now, he even had the backup of a lot of influential people on his side.


    Those who had fallen for his workers before and now were being ckmailed by him were all among the list of people he could get help from.


    "Alright, if you say so. Then, allow me to recover from my humiliation and show this man to be my pleasure ve. Once he had a taste of my body, he will not be able to forget me."


    The female demon was assured and confident in her beauty. She knew she was a greaty and her face was also attractive.


    The only reason the human had been able to reject her in the first ce was because of his instincts. If the human was stripped of them, then the demoness would dominate his body and mind.


    The owner liked how confident the female demoness was. That assured them that he would be able to win the human over soon.


    .......


    ''This ce does not have the right atmosphere but at least the hot springs are a nice addition. They allow me to calm down.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Keith felt his body melt as soon as it touched the water. All the tension he was feeling drained out of his body.


    This single moment in the hot water made all the trouble associated with it worth it.


    ''Ugh, I am only thinking this in the current scenario. I am sure I will change my mind once I am in a tense situation.''


    Keith knew himself well so he was not concerned about his current mood,


    Rather, he was worried about what would happen to him. The people in this inn had proved themselves to be determined when it came to gaining his favor.


    Keith was sure he had managed to damage the female servant''s pride before so he needed to be on guard. The female servant would try to get her revenge.


    ''Ugh, it is difficult to think properly when I am in such a rxed state. I hope I can maintain this calmness during my stay here.''


    Olivier was not very optimistic but he was sure that it would be alright for him to rx a little bit.


    Surely the servant would not try anything in front of all these people. So, Olivier could take his sweet time in the hot springs.


    "Hey man, are you a first-timer in this inn? Well, I hope you enjoy all the ''service'' they provide you with. I sure know I had my fun."


    Keith had no idea why the stranger decided to walk up to him and tell him all about this. But Keith just nodded politely and decided to put this incident past him. He was sure nothing would happen during his stay here.


    Of course, all his hopes and dreams shattered as soon as he entered his booked room.


    There was a subtle sweet smell inside Keith''s room that made him ufortable. It caused him to feel hot and bothered.


    He tried to walk out of the room but his legs refused to work properly.


    ''Ugh, my head is spinning. I feel as if I am not in control of my own body.''


    Keith knew his body was moving, but he was not the one moving it. It felt as if someone else was in control of his moments now.


    "You finally decided to fall for our trap. So, how does it feel to lose control over your senses? You must be feeling hot and bothered right now, right? Then, submit to me and I shall make you feel better."


    Keith looked up, only to see the familiar female servant walk into her room. Her thin robes hid nothing and made her intentions clear.


    The lust-filled eyes looked back at Keith and he shivered internally. But his body refused to budge even when he had a hot and beautifuldy pressed against his side.


    "Master, please allow me to please you. I am sure you will not be able to forget my touch."


    The female servant pressed one of her soft hands against Keith''s chest but he grabbed it tightly.


    The servant looked startled and then she paled. Keith had no idea what kind of expression he was making, but he was sure that it was not a pleasant one.


    "M-Maybe it will be better if I go away? Yeah, I should go away now. I will ask someone else to assist you and-"


    The grip Keith had on her hand tightened. Before Keith knew it, he had pulled the female into a harsh kiss.


    Keith might not be able to control his body, but he could feel the way it was washing over with pleasure. Keith''s whole body refused to stay down even when he tried to force his way out.


    He was aroused because of the incense inside the room. It was getting to him now and Keith rubbed his hard cock on the body in front of him.


    *Gulp*


    "I t-think I chewed more than I can handle. There is no way my body can take all your cock inside. Let me go so that I can find you someone else who can take over for me."


    The female servant tried to walk away, mainly because she knew she had lost the upper hand. But she was not even able to make it out of Keith''s arms before she was pulled back by a pair of strong arms.


    Keith''s body was moving on instincts right now. And he fought hard to gain control over himself.

 Chapter 185 185: The Call Of The Incense [Pt1] R-18

    ?


    Losing control over his body was a scary thing. But what was even scarier was not being able to feel anything but the pleasure shing all over him. Keith''s body was devouring the mouth in front of it.


    His hard cock was rubbing against a soft stomach and the demoness sighed against Keith''s lips before opening her mouth and allowing him entry.


    The action seemed quite instinctual on her part as well since the demoness did not seem to know what to do with her hands.


    And then, the demoness bit Keith''s lips, and a sharp pain brought him back to his senses.


    "Y-You are worse than a demon. I will be going back now."


    The demoness tried to leave the room but the incense she had burned was beginning to affect herself as well.


    The demons, having not expected such a twist in the story, were pissed off. She was about to head out and give the owner a piece of her mind when her path was blocked by a strong arm.


    Keith managed to manhandle the demoness into a position where he was hovering above her head. And once more, the demoness was not able to move.


    But this time, she did not even get to leave the room before pleasure shed over her sense.


    A hot tongue dominated her senses and Keith kept on pushing for more. He was not gentle about any of this and the demoness could taste the blood in her mouth. The cut she had made on Keith''s lips had started to bleed.


    "C-Come back to your senses. Spare me before I lose my mind as well."


    The demoness pleaded with an angry voice. She did not mind the sex, but she did mind the loss of control.


    If she could not be on top, then she did not want to engage in any sexual activity with this man.


    But Keith only looked at the female in front of him with a calm expression. He pretended as if he had not heard what the female had said.


    Once more, tongues fought against each other and the demoness knew she had lost this fight. Her instincts were rearing their head and the demoness was beginning to lose her consciousness.


    Her hands circled the strong neck in front of her and sped behind the human''s neck. Her arms were pulling the man closer to her body.


    She was even beginning to appreciate the man''s massive size rubbing against her. And one of the demoness''s hands sneaked down to run Keith''s cock.


    "Alright fine, I will help you out since this is my fault. What is your name?"


    The demoness asked and Keith did not have enough presence of mind to tell the female his fake name.


    "K-Keith."


    His voice was dark with desire and it was also filled with a growl. It made the demoness shiver in delight and she held her moan back.


    Never had a voice made her wet before. But now she could not stop her body from shivering when she heard this man''s voice.


    "S-So you are Keith? Hmm, you have got a nice body. Mind if I take a bite out of it?"


    The demoness joked but she received a nip in her shoulder for this. Keith sucked and licked at the expanse of skin under his hand. It felt soft to touch and he could not help himself from roaming his hands all over it.


    The female beneath his hands was beginning to moan even louder. Her struggles to get free were beginning to dwindle as well.


    But Keith''s cock was bothering him much more than his interest in the female in front of him. He wanted relief as well.


    So as soon as the demoness ced one hand on his cock, Keith jerked his hips into her soft palm and rubbed his hardness.


    "Not enough."


    Keith growled out as he felt his body heat up. But the stimtion was not enough to take the edge off.


    The demoness seemed to have realized that as well. There was a mischievous look in her eyes before she managed to free herself and sit down in front of Keith.


    The top of her head was in-level with Keith''s hardness and a beautiful pink tongue exited those rosy lips.


    Keith was not ready for a soft and wet tongue to touch his cock. And the suck on his cock head was even more unexpected.


    It caused Keith to buckle his hips in the mouth in front of him, gagging the female he was fucking.


    "Hey, calm down. We are doing this at my pace."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The demoness tried to take back some control back but Keith did not allow her even that much freedom.


    He took hold of her head and forced the demoness to swallow his cock. It was a pleasurable feeling to have a hot and wet mouth pulsing around his cock. Keith flinched once he realized just how good it felt inside the demoness.


    "You n-name."


    Keith finally managed to control some part of his brain and asked the female this question. Not that she could reply since she had her mouth filled with Keith''s cock.


    Once the demoness did manage to pull back a little, she coughed and looked at Keith with her huge but beautiful eyes.


    "M-My name is Nemona."


    The demoness managed to get out before Keith forced her to suck his cock once more. No matter what the demoness did, she was not able to pull back.


    The cock in her mouth twitched once and then twice before something bitter was filling her mouth. The demoness flinched once she realized that it was the bitterness of the semen filling her mouth.


    She managed to swallow all of it and lick the cock in front of her clean.


    "Tsk, you made a mess. We shall clean you up as well."


    The demoness did not realize what the man meant at first. But then he gestures toward her dress which had a wet patch in front. It caused the female to flush and try to hide her desire.


    But Keith did not let her hide. He forced Nemona''s hand to expose her body, especially her wet but clothed pussy.


    "This is such a good look for you, all hot and desperate. Now, why do not you show me how beautiful you can be for me."


    The man whispered in Nemona''s ears before she felt a thick finger enter her body. It probed around for a bit before another one sank into her body.


    The assault of those fingers made Nemona feel hot and bothered. They were touching the bundles of nerves inside her body that Nemona had never felt before.


    "W-Wait, something ising."


    Nemona warned Keith but he did not listen to her pleas. Keith continued to finger Nemona and she was losing her mind in the process.


    One of Keith''s hands managed to touch a bundle of nerves that should be impossible to touch with fingers alone. They made Nemona see stars and she went boneless.


    Three fingers inside her felt huge. They stretched Nemona out, unlike anything that had stretched her before.


    But even then, it did not feel enough. Nemona had felt how huge and throbbing the cock in front of her was. These fingers were nothing inparison.


    "You have been prepared enough. Now, take a deep breath, and do not bite your tongue."


    Keith forced his fingers inside Nemona''s mouth so that she did not identally bite her tongue during sex.


    Then, his huge cock forced it is way inside Nemona''s body and she screamed around his fingers.


    Keith was huge and he was stretching Nemona''s body beyond its limits. But he could not find it in himself to be gentle about his treatment of this female. She had started this all and Keith''s body refused to listen to him now.


    "S-Slow down. You will tear me apart."


    The demonessined but she still pulled Keith''s body closer to her own. Her hips tried to take Keith in deeper and the shallow thrusts of her body made Keith aware of how much she was enjoying this treatment.


    Keith grabbed the hair in front of him in a tight grip and tugged at them. The female arched her back in a sensual way that allowed Keith to go even deeper into her body.


    "Slut. You knew what you were getting into, right?"


    Keithined and praised the body in front of him at the same time. His hips were making shallow thrusts into the body in front of him.


    Nemona could no longer move. All the strength in her body had been drained out and her eyes were dazed with pleasure.


    This man had defeated her and her body. Now he could do anything with her if he wished to.


    But the man did not stop there. He thrust into Nemona''s body once more, driving her insane with pleasure. And he did not stop until he had Nemona crying out in pleasure and forgetting about everything else.

 Chapter 186 186: The Call Of The Incense [Pt2] R-18

    ?


    The thrusting did not stop even after Nemona had fainted. Keith''s unconscious mind did not consider the other person''sfort as he continued to chase after his pleasure.


    Evening once or twice inside the demoness was not enough. Keith moulded the body in front of him into any position he wanted.


    He pulled the unconscious demoness into hisp and continued to go deeper into her.


    The demoness waned when she felt the stimtion deep into her body. Keith was rubbing against her hidden spots and the demoness could feel that pleasure even unconsciously.


    She tried to get away, to take a small rest. But the more the demoness tried to pull away, the harder Keith pulled her body back into his own.


    Hips were wet with each other, and the sound of wet bodies touching filled the room. The female demon was unconsciously moaning.


    Keith''s cock felt raw and sensitive. He was about toe but he did not want to pull out.


    So even if there was a huge risk ining inside the demoness, Keith''s brain did not register anything and he held Nemona''s hips tightly.


    His cock twitched once, twice before Keith wasing and filling the demoness.


    The sudden feeling of wetness filling her body finally woke the demoness. She looked down, only to see her stomach dented with the amount ofing inside her body.


    "L-Let me go now? I cannot take any more of it."


    Nemona was barely conscious after that round of heavy sex. She tried to pull away, but it ended up with Pneumonia rubbing her pussy around Keith''s cock and milking him.


    She only realized what she was doing when Keith''s grip on her hips tightened and he started fucking her again.


    The soft muscles of Nemona''s pussy mping tightly around Keith''s cock had stimted him enough to make him go again.


    "S-Slow down. My body cannot take any more of this."


    Nemonained as her body was abused. But Keith did not slow down, nor hear Nemona''sints.


    After all, Nemona''s mouth said one thing but her body said another. Her body was holding Keith tightly and refusing to let go.


    "You are¡­tight. It feels great inside you. Want to go in deeper."


    Had Keith been able to register his voice, he would have been shocked to hear his voice. It was deeper than ever before and wild as well. It was not how he spoke with anyone.


    "I am¡­sorry. For drugging¡­you. Y-Yes, there."


    The demoness tried to beg for her life. But Keith was not in a state of mind to follow what she was saying. His hands tightened around hispanion''s body and he pulled Nemona closer to his body.


    A single well-aimed thrust finished Nemona. She was not able to hold her consciousness or her body''s pleasure. Wetness surrounded Keith''s cock and the pussy finally stopped trying to squeeze him to death.


    Keith enjoyed the body in front of him until the effect of the incense had all been driven out of his system.


    ......¡­.


    When Keith woke up next, the demoness was gone. The room had been cleared of the incense but Keith could still feel the residue of that sweet smoke on his breath.


    ''Ugh, this was embarrassing. I know I lost control but that should not have happened. I need to disappear right now.''


    Keith had heard about his current situation before. So, he knew that the smart thing to do would be to leave before the greedy owner came down to meet him.


    *Come to me. *


    There was a whisper speaking in Keith''s mind. The voice sounded crystal clear and Keith felt annoyed as it recked his brain. He did not want to hear that voice.


    From experience, Keith knew that this kind of experience never turned out good for anyone. Especially for him since he was a viin in this book.


    ''Keith, ignore that voice. That is nothing whenpared to what happened. Man, ir is going to kill me if this bes a wildly-known issue.''


    Keith was thankful he had decided toe here in disguise. Otherwise, he would not have been able to save face once this affair came to light.


    But Keith also needed to hurry up and leave before this ce made problems for him.


    He opened his door, only toe face to face with the owner. For some reason, the greedy man was standing in front of Keith''s door with an expecting face. Looking at that face made goosebumps rise in Keith''s body.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "What do you want from me? You better not waste my time, or else¡­"


    Keith warned the owner but he could read the greed from far away in the man''s eyes. The man was here on a mission to irritate Keith.


    "Dear customer, how was your night? I hope you did not have any problems being *entertained* by my staff. But you understand that these things usually do note cheap. If you could just spare me a second, then I can¡­."


    The owner tried to scam Keith by threatening his secret. He likely thought that he could intimidate Keith with his threats.


    But Keith was not worried for some reason. And he could not bring himself to care.


    "Oh, ask your staff about that. I did not ask for the *entertainment* so I will not be paying for it. Also, your staff made a lot of mistakesst night and she also annoyed me. If anything, I should be asking forpensation."


    That turned the owner''s mood sour. The smile on the owner''s face was gone in an instant.


    "I do not know what the customer means. You used a facilityst night so you ought to pay for it. That is what business is all about."


    The owner said this all politely but there was a threat behind his voice. He was warning Keith not to make things awkward for himself.


    But now that Keith had started this fight, he wanted to end this fight as well.


    *You want power, boy. I can see your soul and how powerless it is. Call out to me and I shall help you out. *


    The voice called for Keith once more. At the same time, the owner continued to be irritating. Keith decided to ignore both for the time being.


    Then, the owner decided that he wanted to deal with Keith the ''old-fashioned'' way. He brought out a gun and aimed it at Keith''s face.


    "Kid, I have had enough of you. If only you paid what you were due, you would not have faced a gun to your face. Do not mistake this for an ordinary gun, because it is not. Once I shoot you, your reputation in society would be gone."


    The owner bragged and then shot Keith.


    Or well, he attempted to. But Keith raised his hand and a barrier protected him from the gunshot.


    The owner looked shocked before he looked at his gun. It seemed like there was something wrong with the gun. It had never failed before.


    "Looks like it is ''you'' who would be facing a difficult time tomorrow. Now, why don''t you hand the gun over to me and we can call this even?"


    Keith asked as he kicked the owner. The owner went down and his gun fell to the ground. Keith quickly picked it up and held it in front of the owner''s face.


    "Well, let''s see how you like the dose of your own medicine."


    Keith warned and the man in front of him pales.


    "N-No, keep it away. Keep that devilish thing away from me. M-Master, help me out. I am in trouble. You promised to help me out if I ever needed you, right?"


    The owner cried out in fear. He was looking at Keith like Keith was a grim reaper.


    Keith did not understand who the owner was asking for help from. There was no one else in this building that could be a threat to Keith.


    *Do not worry child. I will take care of you. The promise shall be carried out. *


    There was the sound of something rushing heading toward Keith. He unconsciously raised his barrier and watched as the ckness of his surrounding crashed into his barrier.


    "HAHAHAHA, you shall not be spared by the master. You made a big mistake making us the enemy. Just you wait and see, master would kill you and then feed your remains to the demons."


    The ownerughed out loudly as he watched Keith struggle. The owner did not realize that he was in trouble as well.


    *Hungry¡­I need sustenance. You, my summoner, be my food this time."


    The shadow turned away from Keith and toward the owner. In a single swoop, the shadow eats the owner and left no remains behind.


    Keith''s brain hurt for some reason and his memory turned hazy. He tried to remember what the owner looked like, but it was difficult to do so now.


    After that, the shadows disappeared and Keith was left in the empty corridor.

 Chapter 187 187: Sara? [Pt1]

    ?


    Just like that, the owner died. And the only one to witness what happened was Keith. He doubted that the people would believe him if he told them what happened.


    So, Keith quickly returned to his room and locked the door behind him. He was going to pretend like he never left his room in the first ce. That way, people would not be able to irritate him.


    Nothing happened for the whole morning. Keith was undisturbed and he was happy to spend his time alone.


    But by the time evening came, there was gossip going around. Keith was sitting in his room but he could still hear what was going on outside.


    "Did you hear? The owner went missing?"


    "I did hear about it. Where could he have gone to? I do not want to sound ungrateful but that man is a greedy bastard. There is no way he would have left his fortune behind like this."


    "I think the owner offended someone great and then he fled before he had to pay the price, you know, to try and save his treasure."


    The other customersughed as they discussed the owner''s sudden situation. And that was how Keith knew that it was time to leave this ce.


    He made his way down to the front of the desk, only to see Natasha sitting at the counter. The female flinched as soon as her eyes met Keith''s. But her professional conduct did not show her worry.


    "Master, how can I help you out? I am afraid that the owner is out right now so he will not be able to hear you out."


    Natasha sounded sorry but also afraid of Keith. His temper and raw strength had scared Natasha during theirst encounter. The female also found herself not being able to look Keith in the eyes.


    Every time she tried; her body forced her to look down in submission.


    "I will be taking my leave now. Urgent work sprouted it is head up and my people need me.


    Keith''s calm voice hid his racing heart. He hated how he was not able to control what he felt at this moment.


    He was irritated and wanted to snap at the female demoness in front of him. But there were too many people around him to raise his voice.


    Natasha noticed the same thing because she sighed in relief and decided to handle Keith''s case.


    "In that case, I will log you out of our service. You paid for three days previously, so would you like a refund?"


    Keith should take the refunded money.


    Heck, he should bepensated for going through all that he did. But Keith did not have that much time on his hand.


    "No, I do not need that money. You can keep the change."


    Keith assured Natasha before he was out of the inn with his luggage. He still had almost 5 days before the final round of the tournament would start.


    That much time was enough for Keith to do a lot of things. But even Keith did not know what he wanted to do for now.


    After wandering for a long time, Keith decided to rest in themunity park. The ce was beautiful and it helped calm his nerves.


    Keith was about to lie down on the grass and fall asleep when he noticed a familiar silhouette in the far distance of the map.


    "Is that Sara? What is that kid doing in this city? She does not even belong here."


    Keith''s voice sounded confused as he watched Sara run away from a bunch of people. It was not hard imagining what happened to her.


    Keith could have helped Sara out if he wanted to. But his instincts were telling him that he needed to stay out of trouble.


    But when had trouble been kept away from Keith?


    Somehow, even with all this distance between Keith and Sara, it felt like their eyes connected for a second. And then Sara was running toward Keith with hurried footsteps.


    "Oh shit. I should get out of here before Sara makes her way to me."


    Keith whispered and he stood up. But he had only taken a few steps away when he felt a small hand hold his own.


    "Big brother, you are finally here. Please help me out. These people are chasing after me for no reason. It is scaring me."


    Keith had to admit one thing while he was standing adjacent to Sara. The child knew how to act.


    Had Keith not known Sara''s true nature forever, he would have fallen for her trick as well. But Keith knew how Sara worked and he knew that he would get in trouble if he helped Sara out.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Hey man, you know this kid? That makes things easier for us then. You will have to pay for what this kid stole."


    The man following Sara demanded with a greedy voice.


    It seemed like Sara had made a big ''oopsie'' and now she wanted to correct the situation with Keith''s help.


    Well, too bad for her that Keith was not in the mood to help her out.


    "I do not know who she is. If you have a problem with this child, then solve it among yourself."


    Keith proposed as he made Sara let go of his arm. It was beginning to get numb due to her tight grip.


    But Sara did not want to give up on the grip she had on Keith''s hand. There was real desperation in her eye when she looked at Keith.


    "Hahaha, big brother sure likes to joke. Please help me out here. I promise I will pay you upter, Noah."


    Keith sighed, knowing in his heart that Sara would never pay up her debts. Her nature was selfish and rotten to the core.


    The man chasing after Sara seemed to know this as well. He scoffed at Sara''s words with an annoyed expression.


    "Yeah kid, as if you are going to pay this man back. You say this every time but you have yet to pay anyone back for helping you out. All you do is cause trouble."


    Sara bit her lips to stop herself from cursing the unknown man out. She did not like the way this man was looking at her or speaking about her.


    "That is not true. I am a person who always repays what she is owed. But I just do it for the people who deserve it. Assholes like you can go and fuck yourself for all I care.


    It would have been better for Sara to not open her mouth and say unnecessary things. But once the dam of her mouth had been opened, it was tough to close it again.


    The man looked at Keith with his expression full of sympathy.


    "Hey man, you better hand the kid over to me before she screws you over as well. I am still trying to recover from what this kid did to me"


    Keith could hear the truth in the other man''s voice. And he also knew that Sara was a problem who would cause Keith a lot of grief.


    So naturally, Keith wanted to hand her over and leave this ce. But the tight grip on his hand promised murder if Keith did not help her out.


    "How much does Sara owe you?"


    Keith finally asked and the man in front of Keith looked at him like he was an idiot.


    "She owes me 10 gold coins"


    10 gold coins was a lot of money for an ordinary household, but it was all pocket change to Keith. He quickly handed the money over and became an object of sympathy.


    "Man, you are a goodd so I must warn you. You are being taken advantage of by that child. I would throw her away if I were you."


    The man advised before he left Keith alone with Sara.


    Sara''s pitiful expression faded away into an annoyed one and she decided to show her real self in front of Keith.


    Since Keith did not like Sara since the start, there was no point in Sara pretending to be a good kid and trying to gain his favor.


    "You gave money away? You should have just fought that man and won. Tsk, you are useless in your current pitiful state."


    Sara scolded Keith with an angry voice.


    It was not even her money that had been given away, but she was still nit-picking Keith''s decision.


    Keith sighed as soon as he heard Sara''s grievance. His hand smacked Sara''s head moderately and the child flinched.


    "Behave yourself. I did not save you to hear these words from your mouth. Next time, I will leave you in trouble if something like this happened."


    Sara flinched at the pain she felt in her head. Keith''s smack had hurt when it had connected with her skull. Sara was afraid of a possible head injury.


    "You are a bully. But anyway, since you helped me out, I will give you, my thanks. Now, go your own way so that I can go my own way."

 Chapter 188 188: Sara? [Pt2]

    ?


    Sara walked faster and faster to get away from Keith. At any other given time, she would be happy to take advantage of his curiosity and milk him dry. But not right now.


    Right now, she needed to reach her destination as soon as possible. And preferably alone because taking someone with her could pose a great risk to her safety.


    "Would you stop following me for a minute? I did not permit you to follow me. This is a crime."


    Sara turned around, finally facing Keith with an annoyed expression.


    Keith looked as calm as ever which pissed off Sara even more. She wanted to tug her hair out in frustration as she watched Keith''s lips tug up in a small smile.


    That bastard was enjoying watching Sara suffer and he was not going to back down either.


    "Hmm, I do not know what you are talking about. I am not following you, but just going in the same direction you are. I do not think there is anyw that prohibits this."


    Sara gritted her teeth once more. She wanted to run around until she lost Keith but the time was not on her side. She was alreadyte for her side of the deal.


    "Ugh, forget it. If you want toe with me, then do so at your discretion. Do not let it be known that you are following me."


    Sara finally epted that she would not be able to get away from Keith. So, she decided to hurry up and reach her destination. She could not afford to bete.


    On the other hand, Keith had no intention of putting himself in danger and he was not going to follow Sara to her destination. His job of making the younger ufortable was already done.


    ''Hmm, it is time to head out before I get caught up in something annoying once more. Knowing the kind of luck, I have; this is highly likely.''


    Keith nodded to himself and decided to turn around. Sara''s relief-filled eyes looked at Keith turned back with a satisfied expression.


    Keith was almost out of the alley when a force tried to push him back.


    As soon as Keith had felt that force, he had put up a barrier to save himself. So, the force was rather harmless to him.


    But the pressure was real and it left Keith gasping for breath.


    "Where do you think you are going, pretty boy? You have already reached ourir, so you might as well be considered a part of the n now."


    A man walked out of the shadows and he blocked Keith''s exit. The force pushing Keith back also increased in strength, almost causing Keith to be blown away.


    [Lvl 70 resistance force. The user is asked not to engage inbat.]


    Keith gritted his teeth as he forced himself to adapt to the pressure. It was ufortable but not harmful to his being.


    "Hmm, and what if I do not want to be a part of your ''n''? I want to go out of here soon so you better give me space."


    Keith warned the man in return. His mouth worked faster than his brain, but Keith was sure he would be able to find a solution to his problem soon.


    "Hah, as if you would be able to defy me. You see, this domain is my space, and anything I say here besw. If you want to live, then you better follow my words."


    The man snapped his fingers and the alley took a reddish glow. Threads forced a barrier-like thing around the pair but Keith could not touch these threads.


    "Nigel, let the kid go. He does not have anything to do with us or our final goal. He identally followed me here."


    Sara requested this for Keith''s sake and he was surprised to see her asking someone for a favor. After all, Sara did not like to owe someone and her attitude was far from polite.


    But you see, Sara had a n for Keith and she was going to use her favor to secure the mother''s pearl in the future.


    For that, Sara needed Keith alive and able to fight.


    "Huh, sorry honey but I cannot do that. Lune would kill me if she finds out I let a man walk out after knowing our secret. And I have no intention of losing my life when I am so young."


    Nigel shivered in mock fright as he faced Sara. his eyes said it all - he had no intention of letting Keith go.


    "Nigel, look at his face. Do you think Lune would care how much he knows once she sees him? We would only be causing more trouble for ourselves."


    Sara was pained to speak those words. But she still needed Nigel to let Keith go out of this alley.


    "Hmm, you know what? Now that I look at this man, you might be right. He is far too pretty for Lune to use. She would just end up keeping him around as a toy. Kid, you are lucky that I am so generous. You can go now."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Nigel snapped his fingers and the threats around him fell in a single swoop. Keith had no idea what happened but the pair in front of him disappeared.


    Sara''s eyes said that ''you owe me for this'' even during herst moments.


    "Sara is so greedy. I never asked you to help me out, but you took the initiative to do so anyway. You cannot ask me for a return favor for this."


    Keith spoke to the empty alley but the actual person he was speaking to was gone.


    With no one left to follow, Keith decided to go back to what he was doing before- thinking of what to do next.


    "Excuse me, bother. Will you help me out? I am lost and I am trying to find my family."


    That was weird.


    Keith felt a small tug at his pants and he looked down. A six-year-old girl was looking up at him with a desperate expression on her face. There was a doll in the child''s hand.


    But that was not weird.


    What was weird was that the child had appeared in an alley like this one and Keith had not noticed until now.


    Keith''s senses had sharpened considerably ever since he had received divine power. So, he should have seen the kiding from a mile away.


    This made Keith suspicious of this kid''s real identity and his guard was up instantly.


    "Kid, I do not think I am the right person for you to ask this favor. If you are lost, then go and find the police. I am sure your parents are looking for you as well."


    The kid looked disappointed at Keith''s words. But somehow, the disappointment in the kid''s eyes looked unnatural.


    "But I want big brother to help me out. I am sure you will not regret helping me out. My guardian will give you a huge prize for helping me out."


    The child continued to try and entice Keith.


    Had he been a normal human, he might have fallen for this trap and given in to the temptation of winning a prize.


    But Keith was not only loaded but also sensing the danger he was in. This girl in front of him did not feel like an ordinary six-years-old.


    "Sorry kid, but I cannot help. Now, I would like to go out alone and¡­"


    "Tsk, I was so sure I had you with this appearance. Did someone warn you about me, dear older brother? Please cooperate before you get hurt. I do not want your face to go to waste."


    The child changed her tone suddenly. Her childishness was gone as well and her eyes sparkled with annoyance.


    Keith knew that this child was not normal. But the sudden shift in personality took him back as well.


    "You! What are you? You are not a child."


    The six years old looked at Keith with a nk expression.


    "Did I damage your head? I swear you were a lot more intelligent just a second before. Of course, I am not a child. But that does not matter now."


    The child dropped her doll on the ground. The doll twitched before it began to grow until it was as big as a horse. Then the doll charged toward Keith and he opened the screen.


    [Mud puppet. Lvl?? ss?? Owner: Lune. Special properties: cannot be destroyed by magic]


    ''Cannot be destroyed by magic? Then all the tools I have on me are useless. How do I deal with this thing?''


    Keith could have used divine magic but wanted to save it until he needed to use his powers. Who knew what disaster could strike next since his life was unpredictable.


    "This is getting boring. Let me up the staked of this fight a little."


    The little girl raised her hand and another doll appeared. Now things were getting annoying.

 Chapter 189 189: Whats Up With This Town? [Pt1]

    ?


    The two dolls blocked Keith''s path of going out. He was stuck between them and had to dodge their heavy attacks.


    Dodging mindless dolls was not tricky, but their controller was crafty. The little girl had her eyes on Keith the whole time shemanded her dolls.


    "Hmm, why don''t you just give up? The life of a doll is not a dull one. I am sure I can take care of you at least."


    Keith gritted his teeth as he stepped away once more. The more he tried to escape, the more he was forced into a corner.


    At this rate, he would be forced to use his powers and alert the authorities at the same time.


    ''I miss my grandmaster persona. At least people did not mess with me when I was in that form.''


    Keith longed for the security his grandmaster persona provided him with. He doubted that he would have been attacked had he been in his other form.


    "Stop trying to step away from me. You are ruining my fun."


    The kid pouted as she moved her dolls to block Keith''s hard-earned escape. Once again, he was forced into a corner and had no way of escaping.


    "Sorry kid, but I am not going to fall for your tricks again. You cannot stop me from leaving."


    Keith yelled and the sudden rise in volume startled the child who was controlling the dolls.


    The momentary loss of judgment gave Keith his chance and he ran toward the kid. He needed to take out the mastermind before he could deal with the dolls.


    With that in mind, Keith almost reached the kid but she recovered and took out a small doll from her bag. She threw that doll down and it turned into another monster doll.


    The only difference this time was that Keith was at a point-nk distance from the doll and he would not be able to dodge the attack.


    He had to improvise.


    As much as Keith did not want to use his divine powers, he also stood no chance without them. Setting up a barrier around himself was an unconscious action on his part.


    The doll collided with Keith''s barrier and bounced away. Keith''s momentum did not allow him to stop until he was standing in front of the child.


    The child tried to take another doll out of her pocket and attack Keith. But he grabbed her hand so that she could not do anything.


    "Hey, let me go. This is kidnapping. Someone, help me out¡­"


    Keith looked at the child in mute horror. He did not want to get caught for being a pedo a second time in his life. Thest time this had happened, Keith had suffered.


    So, this time, he ced a hand on the babbling female''s mouth to quieten her down.


    Then, Keith quickly knocked her out and picked up her unconscious body.


    Despite looking young and fragile, the child was quite heavy. Keith felt his arms being strained as he tried to pick up the child and take her somewhere. But he braved all this pain for the sake of hisfort.


    ......¡­.


    Eyelids blinked slowly before the pair of childish eyes opened. Keith was paying attention to the kid so he noticed the second this happened.


    Once the kid was aware, she pretended as if she was still asleep. But her truth had been caught by Keith.


    "You can wake up now. I know you are awake. There is no need for you to pretend anymore."


    The child opened her eyes with an annoyed expression on her face before sitting up.


    "Tsk, I thought I had you fooled. Anyway, what are you going to do with me? Are you going to have me killed? Or would you have me tortured instead?"


    The child asked with a nk face. She seemed to have too much expectation of Keith.


    "Calm down kid. I am not going to do anything to you. I just wanted to know why you attacked me like that. As far as I know, I did nothing to you."


    Keith reminded the kid but she flinched once she heard those words. She suddenly looked down at her cup of tea with a nk expression.


    "Hmm, you are asking me why I attacked you? Well, I have no reason or excuse to tell you. I just did that so that I could add you to my collection."


    Somehow, Keith found it hard to believe. But he had no other evidence so he could not say that the child was lying.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "In any case, you caught me. So, what are you going to do with me? Are you going to hand me over to the authorities? Or have me killed off? Oh well, that had to happen one day."


    The child sounded bitter. It made her sound far older than she was.


    Somehow, Keith got a familiar feeling when he looked at this child. It was like looking at Sara a little bit. But a lot more mellow and dangerous.


    "Hey kid, you¡­"


    Keith started to speak when he felt the presence of unfamiliar people outside of his room. He tensed up and looked outside the window.


    There was no one there but the nagging feeling did not go away.


    "Looks like mypanions are here to pick me up. Hey, it was nice to meet you but it is time for me to leave."


    The kid forced herself to stand up. With the kind of injuries she had, she should not have done so. But the kid forced herself anyway.


    "Hey wait! You should not be¡­"


    Keith started to speak but the child seemed not to care. In the end, Keith was not able to stop her from leaving.


    As soon as the kid was out of the door, the other presence Keith was feeling disappeared as well. It seemed like the kid was telling the truth.


    "Ugh, what the hell am I getting myself into? I should stop poking my nose in other people''s business if I do not want to cause them any problems."


    Keith sighed as he looked outside. His one goal of staying out of trouble was being vited by himself. And it took Keith a long time before he realized the truth.


    But from here on, Keith decided not to get involved with people. That was the fastest way to ensure he did not be a problem for anyone else.


    Keith quickly packed his things up and left the room. The kid had left behind one of her dolls so Keith decided to pack it up as well.


    He exited the alley and entered the room''s main road system. He needed to book transport from here and go back to the guild.


    "Aren''t the streets too bare? There are not a lot of people outside right now."


    Keith observed the town. This road was the main spine of the city so it should be hustling and bustling with people. But everyone who walked down the streets looked like a foreigner.


    And they all also looked tense and tried their best not to look at the local stores.


    Keith was about to enter one of the stores when his hand was grabbed by a stranger. The new man looked at Keith with wide eyes and a terrified look.


    "A-Are you new in this town? If so, then do not go inside this shop, or any of the shops if you know what is good for you. Also, do not spend a night in this town. I am telling you all this for your good."


    The stranger his eyes fixed on the door behind Keith. His eyes seemed to be looking at unknown dangers Keith could not even think of.


    Keith would have tried to calm the man down if he was not looking so terrified.


    "Oh, ok. I am new in town and I was looking for a ce that would let me hire a ride to the next city. But I did not know it was forbidden to enter shops in this town."


    What a weird town this was to prohibit entry into the shops. How did the businesses survive in such a ce?


    "N-No, that is not why this ce is sealed up. Look, do not ask questions, ande with me. If you need a ride to the next town, then I will give you one. Just forget you know anything about this town, alright?"


    The more Keith saw of this town, the more he was interested in it. He wanted to know why this town was an enigma.


    But Keith had just vowed not to let himself fall into trouble. And to do that, he needed to curb his curiosity.


    "Alright, I understand what you are saying. In that case, why don''t you take me back and I will pay you for your services?"


    The man shook his head.


    "Y-You do not have to even pay me. Just staying safe would be enough¡­. lookout."


    Something ck broke the door of the shop and attacked Keith.

 Chapter 190 190: Whats Up With This Town? [Pt2]

    ?


    The door of the shop was sted open and a shadowy figure exited the shop. Its unseen eyes looked at Keith with morbid fascination and that interest paralyzed Keith for a whole minute. He was unable to turn his eyes away from that figure covered in ck fog.


    "N-No! Demon! Stay away from me!"


    If not for the yell of fright given out by the man at Keith''s side, Keith would not have even realized that this situation was dangerous. It seemed as if the ck fog had enchanted him somehow.


    Seeing as how its spell had been broken, the ck figure decided to jump Keith and grab his attention that way. But Keith was not an easy target this time.


    Since he had his wits, Keith was able to cast a shield in time and bounce the man back into the shop.


    The other person at Keith''s side quickly snapped the door of the building shut and there was no further moment from the shadow thereafter.


    It seemed as if the shadow had calmed down once it had been locked inside.


    "Y-You! I told you to leave this town and not to go near the shops. Do you want to bring disaster upon this town?"


    The man scolded Keith once he had calmed down and caught his breath. Keith was surprised at the sudden ferocity in his scolder''s voice. This man had been timid just a few seconds ago.


    "I did not know it was dangerous inside the shop. But what was that ck thing? And what creature was it possessing."


    This time, it was less about curiosity and more about Keith''s desire to save himself. He ended up asking questions he knew he should not be asking.


    Even the man he was conversing with gave Keith a nk look before sighing.


    "Those ''creatures'' you saw before are humans. Currently, the original residents of this town are under a curse that turns them into mindless zombies being controlled by the mist. Well, all the adults. The kids are alright."


    "Anyway, no one knows from where this mist came from or what it wants, but this town is done for. So, there was a spell cast on each house to keep these zombies inside. As long as the doors of these shops remain closed and no one attracts these zombie''s attention, we all would remain safe."


    The stranger quickly exined to Keith. His voice still sounded nervous after havinge so close to dying.


    "So, you still want to get out of this town? If so, then follow me. Our group will be leaving for a business meeting tomorrow so you can tag along and get a bus at the next vige."


    Keith was not overly excited about going with this man and his ''associates'' but this man had saved Keith''s life once.


    So, Keith supposed that there was no harm in following this man once more. It would not hurt him in any way at least.


    "Sure, lead the way."


    The man led Keith to a house on the outskirts of the town. It was barely within the city''s reach and there was no shop nearby.


    "Don''t look so tense. This ce use to be an abandoned mansion but the travelers fixed it up so that it could be used. There is no one in there but our people."


    The stranger quickly exined, trying to put Keith''s mind at ease.


    That did not help much. If anything, Keith was even more worried after hearing what this man said, but he decided not to let it get to him.


    "Hey guys, I am back. And I brought someone else with me as well so you should prepare a guest room for tonight."


    The stranger forced the door open, alerting the other participants of the house that he was back.


    A bulky man walked down the stairs and looked Keith up and down before waving his handzily.


    "Looks alright. If you want him to apany us, then let the kid in. Where did you even pick him up from?"


    Stranger #2 asked in an annoyed voice. But Keith had a feeling that this man was not angry at him or stranger #1''s decision.


    "Well, I found him in the town and saved his life. But one of the zombies decided to exit the shop and then I got saved by this man. Anyway, long story short, we both saved each other''s lives so I decided to bring him back."


    Stranger #1 tried to boast about what happened. But his words came out a little tenser than before.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Now that Stranger #1 was back in a familiar environment, all the tension in his body was drained out. His legs went boneless and he almost copsed.


    Luckily, both Keith and Stranger #2 were able to catch him in time. Keith even went as far as to gentlyy this man down until he was able to support himself.


    The man looked thankful as his back hit the bed. His body rxed and his eyes shut close in pleasure.


    "Hmm, this feels better than before. Thank you forying me down. I will go to sleep now."


    And just like that, stranger #1 went to sleep. There was an awkward silence that followed once the man was asleep.


    Stranger #2 did not seem, to find Keith particrly remarkable, but he gave the stranger #1 some face by not acting rude to Keith.


    "So, who are you, kid? And what are you doing in this town? Nor a lot of normal folkse to this ce."


    Stranger #2 asked Keith without even giving his identity out. Not that Keith needed to know who this stranger was. The less personal he was with these people, the better it would be for Keith in the future.


    "Just call me Noah. This town was supposed to be a junction for my journey back home, but I did not know it was in such bad shape. Seems like I made a mistake."


    Keith quickly admitted to not make himself sound suspicious.


    "Hmm, that happens. Most people do not tend to check out news of small ces like these. You must be a big city folk and your connection be an international one. There are too many ces with simr conditions for this one to be special."


    Keith was speechless after he heard those words.


    This was what he thought regrly but he had never voiced it out loud. Nor had he expected someone from this world to say such a thing as well.


    People in this world were getting more and more self-aware as time passed by.


    "You know what? You are right. I feel as if every second town I visit has some kind of problem going on with it. I cannot help but feel like this world is cursed."


    Keith had only meant to say it as a passingment. But these words made him shiver for some reason.


    He also felt the presence of eyes looking at him and he quickly turned around. But no one around him could be the owner of such an intense stare.


    "What''s wrong? You went tense suddenly and also stopped talking. Do you need my help with something?"


    Stranger #2 asked with a kind voice. Keith just shook his head, deciding not to worry stranger #2 by telling him that he felt the presence of eyes on his back. There was no need to worry about this man after all.


    "No, it is nothing. I think I just got spooked by the air in this ce. Anyway, can you show me a ce to sleep for tonight? I feel tired."


    Keith wanted to rhea his room and contact ir. It had been some time since hest talked to her. And Keith was worried about her.


    Now that he thought about it, there was not a lot of information avable about the guild alliance to him. People were not even whispering about the grandmaster and the guild.


    That could only spell trouble for Keith in the future if he did not know what was going on.


    "You want a room? Sure, I have one. I will wake you up when it''s time for dinner. You can rest until then."


    The room Keith was shown to was nothing great. Itcked a lot of necessities but it did have a soft andfortable bed.


    As soon as Keith''s head hit the bed, he was out cold. He did not even feel when he fell asleep. He only knew that someone was shaking him aware and calling him down for breakfast after a few hours.


    Stranger #1 had woken up and was now calling Keith down for dinner. The sky outside the room was dark and gloomy as well. There was not a single cloud in sight but there seemed to be no star up in the sky even then.


    It was a stranger contrast that made Keith shiver. But even he did not know why he was feeling like this.

 Chapter 191 191: Whats Up With This Town? [Pt3]

    ?


    The night was quiet. There was not even a single person who was awake right now and the world was covered in the nket of darkness. In such a situation, no one noticed the marching footsteps heading outside the city.


    Doors of the shops opened and bodies exited their resting ce. These people seemed not to know where they were going or who they were. They only knew that they had a destination they needed to reach.


    And to do that, they needed to follow the scarlet path in front of them. Only then will they be able to find the salvation needed to save their lives.


    ...


    Keith was deeply asleep when he got a nagging feeling in the back of his head. He quickly woke up and looked outside.


    He did not know whatpelled him to do such a thing, but Keith would be forever grateful to his instincts.


    Outside the house were a hundred people waiting for him to get out. Their eyes shined in the darkness when they looked up, but they were all nk.


    All these people looked as if they were dead and that sent a shiver down Keith''s spine. He needed to run away if he wanted to save his life.


    ''I need to wake up the other two in this house as well. I will likely not be able to make it out alive alone.''


    That and Keith would feel rather scummy if he could save someone else''s life but decided not to in the end. So, with a heavy heart and a deep breath, Keith opened his room''s door and headed downwards.


    "Hey wake up. Hurry and wake up. We are in danger."


    Keith knocked on the only other door that was locked close. He was not sure if the other two strangers were in the same room or not, but he decided to wake up one of the strangers first.


    The door opened and stranger #2 stood in front of Keith. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and let out a yawn in irritation.


    "What is it, man? Don''t you see howte this is at night? Why are you making such a truckle?"


    The man asked as he tried to wake himself fully. He had not realized what had happened.


    "Look outside the window. We are currently surrounded by those zombies. I don''t know if it is safe inside this house or not."


    Keith quickly exined the situation but the man looked not to be bothered.


    "Ah, I forget that you are new here. This is rathermon. A few zombies try to scout this town now and then, but they will leave as soon as the sun rises."


    Stranger #2 assured Keith. But this looked more than a ''few zombies'' to Keith. He was sure that there were a lot of zombies outside right now.


    "H-Hey, I think our guest is right in worrying about the zombies this time. These things are approaching the house."


    Stranger #1 was in the room as well. Keith had not even realized his presence but stranger #1 seemed to be looking outside the window right now. His eyes were heavy as they took in everything that happened in front of him.


    Even he had not seen such a horrifying scene before. And Stranger #1 had seen a lot since he liked to travel.


    "Wait, are you serious? This can cause a problem for us. Something must have set these zombies off for them toe after us like this. Is there anything we can do about our situation?"


    Stranger #2 asked, his eyes finally turning serious. Keith''s words did not get to him but stranger #1''s did.


    "I don''t know if there is anything we can do about our situation or not, but we can try to escape this ce. These zombies are bound to this town. So, they cannot leave too far away from it."


    That was a good piece of information to know. And Keith also felt like it was the right thing to do for them.


    This town was nothing but a stopping point for him anyway.


    He looked outside the window as well, only to see the number of people increasing exponentially. It would be impossible to go out today.


    "We need to escape this town. But the real question is - how? Do we even have supplies?"


    Stranger #1 asked this and everyone fell quiet. Keith''s inventory had quite a stock of supplies but he did not want to share.


    After all, who knew how long they would be stuck in this situation for?


    "Let''s wait for the morning and then see. These zombies would be gone by then."


    Stranger #2 advised but Keith had a bad feeling. These zombies looked persistent and they were even knocking on the door.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    They looked intelligent before, not unlike humans. And that was where Keith was feeling the disconnect.


    "Hmm, let''s wait in this room for tonight. It will allow us to rx and also keep an eye out. I doubt any of these zombies will be able to break in tonight."


    Keith chose to trust Stanger #1''s words and rxed. He had slept enough so now he was not even feeling drowsy. He decided to take the first watch.


    The night passed quickly and it was the day before Keith knew it.


    He expected these zombies to begin heading back but there was something weird. They were not heading back and they were also not slowing down.


    There was a fog surrounding the mansion that had not been there the night before.


    It made these zombies even more active.


    "These things are still here? What the hell? What do we do now?"


    Stranger #1 asked as soon as he woke up. He blinked his eyes a few times to get all the sleep out of it. But the more he looked outside, the more he was sure that he was still asleep.


    Stranger #2 woke up as well. His reaction was simr but much milder. His eyes hid annoyance and distrust when he looked at the scene downwards.


    "We need to do something. I have a feeling this house is no longer safe."


    Stranger #2 spoke up. And just then, there was a knock on their door. It was apanied by a lot of moaning and someone trying to break the door down.


    "Oh shit, the zombie made it inside. What should we do now? How do we get out of here?"


    Stranger #1 asked as he panicked. But Keith had an idea that would work.


    "Listen, I can cast a barrier around us as we move. But I don''t know how long I will be able tost. We need to get to our car soon."


    Keith exined the situation to hispanions. He was confident in his ability but not in his stamina. So, he would need a lot of assistance.


    "Oh yeah, you did have that weird skill that allowed you to remain safe. But do you think it will work against these zombies? They are not normal after all."


    Stranger #1 asked this with a hopeful voice. He could not go against these zombies and hope to win.


    "It should work. And it''s not like we have any other choice in this matter. You need to decide if you want toe with me or not."


    Both stranger #1 and stranger #2 decided to go with Keith. They had nothing to lose by apanying him.


    Instead, they would survive this zombie attack.


    Keith took in a deep breath and braced himself. His barrier was onlyrge enough close around him and the other two. And it was a tight fit even at that.


    But no oneined about the squeeze. They were all d to just make it out of this situation alive.


    The zombies were repelled by divine power but they still tried to reach for Keith. He put more power into his barrier and kept on walking.


    Soon, he was able to reach the zombie-ridden car and entered it. His barrier repelled the zombies outside the car and it was safe once more.


    "Hey, hurry up and drive away. My shield will notst for long."


    Keith yelled these words as he began to lose concentration. His shield shed before falling.


    Stranger #2 had a scared expression on his face but he quickly put his feet on the gas pad and started the car.


    They barely made it out of the town boundary before the car fuel tank shed empty and the car came to a stop.


    "We ran out of fuel. But at least it should be safe out here."


    Stranger #2 assured as he threw his body toward the ground and rxed. It was green everywhere and Keith felt rxed as well.


    Of course, this did notst very long and the zombies made their way out of the town as well. But they stopped as soon as they reached the town''s boundary. It was almost as if an invisible force was stopping them from moving any further.

 Chapter 192 192: Whats Up With This Town? [Pt4]

    ?


    They should be safe outside of the town. At least that was what everyone hoped for. But the way the zombies were behaving and the way they tried to walk outside of their confinement spoke a different story.


    One of them even tried to lunge out and grab hold of Keith. But thankfully, Keith was too far away for the Zombie to catch him.


    "This is not good. An invincible force is holding behind these things. But we don''t know when this force will disappear. What should we do now?"


    Keith looked at stranger #2''s freaked-out expression. Inside his heart, Keith felt the same fear. But he did not show it in front of anyone.


    Instead, he racked his brain toe up with a solution. There had to be something they could do in this situation.


    "Hey you all, hurry up and follow me. These creatures will not let you go unless you get out of their sight."


    For a second, Keith was not able to ce where he had heard that familiar voice from before. But then it clicked in his mind - Sara. The speaker had been Sara.


    He looked toward his side, only to see Sara sitting on the hood of their car with the man Keith had met a day before. They even had Lune with them, but Lune seemed incapable of looking Keith in the eye.


    "Hey, is there something wrong with your brain? Why are you standing so close to the barrier? Hurry up and hide behind a tree or a bush. Just go somece these zombies cannot see you from."


    Nigel quickly ordered as he looked toward the crowd behind them. There was a sadness in Nigel''s eyes that made them look heavier and worried.


    Stranger #2 opened his mouth to protest but Keith grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him. Stranger #1 followed them with muted fascination.


    The kid watched until the trio was hidden and then observed the zombies.


    As expected, the zombies did not stay behind for longer than needed. As soon as their target was gone, the zombies disappeared as well.


    "Alright, you all cane out now. Those zombies are gone."


    Sara called out as soon as it was clear. Her eyes were still looking for any of the remaining zombies. But there seemed to be none.


    Once that was clear, Sara breathed a sigh of relief and let the tension in her body out. Her legs shook and Sara copsed on the ground. She was only held up by Nigel in this situation.


    "Where did you kidse from? I thought all of you were taken out of this town as soon as this epidemic happened. Don''t tell me that we missed some of you."


    Stranger #1 sounded sorry for Sara and herpanions. Hispassion was great and his heart was soft when it came to children.


    He had always wanted to be a father but nature had denied him of this by taking away his wife quickly.


    "Don''t be absurd. As if normal children can survive in this zombie-filled ce on their own. We cursed ourselves so that the curse of zombification does not affect us. As a result, our bodies are now stuck like this."


    Nigel quickly exined what had happened to him. Keith had heard about Sara''s curse before. But he had always thought that it was something she could not help.


    After all, all Sara had done was show disguise for her curse and not ept it as a part of herself. Who would me Keith for thinking like that?


    "Oh, so this was voluntary? Seems like a pain to deal with."


    Stranger #2 asked with an amused voice. He seemed to be having fun figuring out this curse.


    "Well, I won''t call it ''voluntary'' but it was something we epted. Lune came up with the instructions and well as magic. She is good at finding out loopholes in the curses and such things.


    Nigel pointed toward the ce where Lune was sitting. Lune made her doll wave back to them as she continues to be in her world.


    The small doll in Lune''s arms looked so innocent that no one could even imagine what it could do. But Keith, who had first-hand experience dealing with that doll, could not think innocently of that doll.


    "Your friend, Lune, is not very sociable. Is she alright in the head?"


    Stranger #2 asked rudely. He tried not to be too loud, but his words were likely heard by Lune at this point.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Hey, don''t be mean to Lune. She had gone through a lot."


    Sara defended Lune with a fierce voice. This was the first time Keith had seen Sara worry about someone else than herself. It seemed Sara was not as heartless as Keith had expected her to be.


    "It''s alright. Their words don''t bother me anymore. We should return now and gather supplies in the town."


    Lune finally pushed herself away from the car and came closer to their group. Keith tensed up once he watched Luneing close. He did not want to interact with Lune but the female was forcing him to.


    The way Lune looked at Keith, her eyes filled with curiosity and morbid fascination sent shivers down Keith''s spine. So, he decided to avoid her eyes.


    "Anyway, I am sure this has something to do with the god''s curse. Our town cannot take any more of this. I hate gods."


    Sarained suddenly. She seemed surprised that she had even spoken about anything. But once those words were out, Sara suddenly could not stop herself. She had to speak up about the injustice of what was happening.


    "The gods took everything away from our town just because we refused to swear our allegiance. And then there is that stupid guild alliance. They won''t even help us out because they are ''too busy.'' In the end, all the people in power are the same."


    Sara''s voice was tear-filled but nothing escaped from her eyes. She looked scary and ready to fight anyone calling her out.


    "Sara, calm down. I don''t think the guild alliance is rted to our situation. We also turned in their initial offer so there is no need for them to help us out anymore."


    Sara looked pissed off about being reminded of this face. Her teeth made an audible sound as they rubbed against each other.


    "I know it is not their fault. Of course, I know this much. But that does not mean I like these facts."


    Sara finally calmed down and stopped ming the guild. Her words and actions meant nothing to Keith. He was not interested in whatever Sara felt for his guild.


    The more important thing here was the curse and how Keith could run away from it.


    "Look kids, I feel sorry for your situation but I don''t think we can help you out with the town''s situation. We can take you away to a better and safer ce though."


    Stranger #1 offered this as he held his hands out. His heart felt sorry for these kids and what they had to go through. He wanted to help them out in any way he could.


    But all three of those kids looked at him like he was a fool who did not understand what was going on. Sara even turned her face so she would no longer have to look at the stranger.


    "You did not understand what I meant. Anyone who steps into this town gets cursed. The only reason you all are not showing signs is that this is too early. If you go back now then your symptoms would worsen over time."


    Sara exined with patience. Her words caused everyone to be shocked. Especially stranger #1 and #2 looked panicked.


    "Huh? How is that possible? I have not heard anything about this happening. And we are not the first people to get out of this town. The others¡­"


    Had broken contact with him after a while. But stranger #1 had always thought that it was a ''him'' thing rather than the town''s curse.


    "It''s only a matter of time before you people get consumed by this town as well. It will be better for you to stay under our protection."


    Nigel confessed with a straight face. He seemed as ufortable as Keith looked right now. But even still, he was willing to put up with these strangers. Mainly because Sara seemed to be worried about them.


    Sara was selfish most of the time but Nigel had stayed with her long enough to read her face. That was the only reason he offered these strangers shelter for the night.


    And he did not want to see more people fall victim to this disease. The ones that had fallen ill locally were enough of a problem to deal with. Anymore would only cause him a headache.


    "Hmm, fine then. It''s not like we even have a choice in wanting to stay behind or not."


    Keith was reluctant but he was also cautious.

 Chapter 193 193: Just Do It [Pt1]

    ?


    Sara and her partner led the other three back into the town. As they had said, the zombies were back in their original ce.


    They did note to greet Keith and his party out this time. But it was also not the cold indifference of before. It almost felt as if these zombies had a consciousness now.


    "Did these always star at us with such vignt eyes? I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it."


    Stranger #2 shivered as he walked behind Keith. He was the one who had not wanted toe back the most. But when he had tried to walk away, his body had turned around. And before he knew it, he was walking back to the town.


    Or that was what he said about his presence in this group. But frankly speaking, Keith did not believe his words even a little bit.


    "Here, we are at our base. We three were the only ones here until now so the ce is a little small. But it had protection weaved all around it."


    Nigel quickly opened the door to the ''tent'' he called his base. It was a small space, barely capable of housing four grown adults. It was not a ce where they all would be able to make themselvesfortable.


    But if the price was safety, then it was all worth it in the end.


    "I understand that you all don''t need a lot of space to live, but this ce is still a dump. Could you all not have found a house to live in?"


    Stranger #1 asked as he looked around. This small ce looked even smaller now that they were all looking at it carefully.


    "Man, just sit down for now. It''s not like we will be able to stay here for long. We need to head out and gather supplies but we don''t have much money. Do you have any on you? Sara told me that you were loaded."


    Nigel turned toward Keith and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Well, it was true that Keith was loaded but that did not mean he wanted to spend it all on unnecessary things.


    "I don''t have a habit of carrying around a lot of cash. This is all I have on hand. By the way, why don''t you steal the cash from the banks? It would be easier. Or at least the shops."


    Keith asked the question. He felt like he knew the answer, but he still wanted to confirm his suspicions.


    "Do you think we did not think of that possibility? It is too tough to do with all these zombies roaming around. We manage with what we can but that money is not enough."


    Nigel pointed out and that was what Keith had thought as well.


    "Hey, could you kids not have left this town for a better ce? You managed to halt the curse on your body, right? And you also frequently leave this ce¡­."


    The doll in Lune''s hand fell. There was a dark look on her face that dared Stranger #1 not to finish his words.


    "We cannot leave our people alone here. Despite what happened, our loved ones are here. And we should help them out."


    Keith was shocked to hear Sara, that selfish Sara, out of everyone say this. He had not expected her to have a loyal bone in her body.


    But her eyes shined with a need to help her friends and loved ones out. It also exined her desperation to win the mother''s pearl.


    "I cannot stay here for the rest of my life. I have an important assignmenting up in a week. I need to get out of this town by then."


    Stranger #1 panicked. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking.


    He was expressing what Keith wanted to say. This town was not for either of them with its gloomy atmosphere andck of facilities.


    "Well, in that case, you can go and try to break this curse. The center of this curse is in the town hall and you need to break the central crystal to make this town normal."


    Nigel said it all slowly and the solution to this curse sounded too easy. It made Keith feel weird and he knew something was wrong.


    He was not the only one who felt this weird. Strangers #1 and #2 had suspicious looks on their faces as well.


    "Hmm, so what''s the catch? I doubt you all would have been in this situation if the solution was only to break a crystal."


    Stranger #2 asked with a suspicious look on his face. His sharp eyes and gigantic frame made everyone else lookparatively small.


    "First, it''s heavily guarded so it is impossible to get to. Also, it has a lot of curses put on it. The one who will break that crystal will suffer a fate worse than death. Third, it will summon a god if that crystal is broken. This all contributes to no one trying to break it."


    Now that sounded like a problem. Not the first and thest part, but the middle one.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    What could a fate ''worse than death'' mean?


    "You said that it causes one to suffer a fate worse than death? Is it what I think it is?"


    Stranger #1 asked and Nigel nodded.


    "Yeah, the interpretation is from the ancient texts. It sucks one''s magic out of it. In this world, every creature is born with magic and theck of magic is perpetual agony. It does not cause death, just endless suffering. So, no one even tried to break the crystal."


    Sara exined quickly and Keith was surprised at what he heard.


    As someone who did not do magic, to begin with, he would not be affected by any of the magic loss. Wasn''t he the real solution for this situation?


    "Well, this sucks. We can get to the crystal just fine but not destroy it. No one will be foolish enough to sacrifice themselves."


    Stranger #1 pointed out and Keith took in a deep breath.


    He was the idiot who was thinking of sacrificing himself. Mainly because he was confident that he would not be harmed by these conditions.


    "Well, if you can get me to the crystal, then I can break it for you. But only if you are interested."


    Keith offered and he felt five pairs of eyes turn toward him as one.


    "Hey, are you serious? Do you even have an idea what you are saying? You will likely die if you try to break that crystal."


    Stranger #1 asked and even Lune looked annoyed with his carefree nature.


    "No way. You are not thinking of sacrificing yourself for our sake. I will not allow you to do something this foolish when you¡­"


    "When did I say that I was sacrificing myself? Look, I do not do things that I cannot control. And this situation is also one I can navigate without much problem."


    "What I mean to say is that I have a special ability so you do not need to worry about what will happen to me next."


    Keith assured everyone and they sighed at his confidence.


    "Look, if he wants to do it this badly then let him. Anyway, there is no need for you all to butt in his decision. We all want this curse to go away, right?"


    In the end, it was stranger #2 who took Keith''s side. There was still sympathy in his eyes, but the desire to get out of his predicament was much more obvious in his eyes.


    "Fine, we can all go out and destroy the crystal today. Get ready because it''s going to be a bumpy ride from here on."


    Keith suddenly felt nervous. He was scared to see what woulde next. But he was also excited to know that he was doing something worthwhile.


    His heart beat faster as he thought about facing these creatures.


    "Let''s head out now. The zombies will note after us when it is bright outside. We have about three to four hours of daylight left."


    Nigel took the lead and he picked up his gun. It was time to go out and experience what the world held in ce.


    The central main hall was empty outside. There was not a soul to be seen anywhere outside. But the real problem was inside.


    "A-Are you sure we should go inside? Aren''t there too many zombies inside there?"


    Stranger #1 asked with a nervous voice. He could finally feel the intensity of the zombies inside. And they felt different than any other he had faced before.


    "Well, it will help me out if you all stayed out here and let me go in alone. My shield will be much more effective this way."


    Keith offered but his offer was rejected by Nigel. This kid was the responsible type. So, the only thing Keith could do for him was throw him toward Sara and ask her to restrain him.


    "Well, I wille back soonish."

 Chapter 194 194: Just Do It [Pt2]

    ?


    No one liked the fact that Keith went in alone to shatter the crystal. But no one dared to stop him or to take his ce.


    Even Nigel, who protested Keith''s alone entry was quiet when it came time to apany Keith inside.


    It was deadly quiet in the hallway, with no signs of zombies anywhere. But Keith did not let his guard down and he kept his shield up. It consumed a considerable number of stamina he had but it was also better for his protection.


    There was no sound when the zombie jumped out and toward Keith. Keith''s sharp reflexes saved his life and he was able to dodge in time. The zombies crashed into his shield and growled in irritation.


    One, two, three, and so many more followed after the first one was out. Keith could not see where these things were emerging from. But they were multiplying like insects.


    Keith held his shield up even when the pressure from the other side increased. He was not going to let these undead things cause him harm.


    "You things do not get to look down upon me anymore. I will not let you harm me and my mission."


    Keith promised himself as he strengthened his shield. His vision went in and out of focus but the scope of his shield increased.


    But as a downside of this, Keith was still not able to see anything. He could only guess where he was going at this rate.


    What Keith knew was that the main crystal was held in a ce that had a lot of zombies. And to get the crystal, he needed to focus and cut through them. But the number of zombies pressing against Keith''s shield was massive.


    "Oh, for fucks''s sake. I will help you out."


    Lune yelled as her dollnded between Keith and the zombies. Those undead had no fear of death. But even their instincts caused them to back down when a predator bigger than them stood in front of them.


    The doll Lune had used was huge, and it barely fit into the hall. Even Keith had to squeeze himself to run past the doll.


    "Hey, we will help you this time. Your confidence in shattering the crystal gives us all hope. So, you need to hurry up and fulfill your duty."


    Nigel ran into the hallway as well. He also helped clear the way for Keith.


    And then there was Sara. She looked grumpy and annoyed. She did not want him to be here and she did not want to be here as well. But there were things she needed to do.


    And no matter how sorry she felt for Keith, this town was her priority she could not neglect it.


    "Hey Noah, do not die. I won''t know what to tell Amelia if something happens to you, alright? Soe back alive."


    Sara looked away when she said that. There was a small blush on her face that indicated how hard it had been for her to say all this.


    Keith did not verbally reply to Sara''s words. He just nodded in thanks and ran toward his destination. He was close to the central room.


    Keith was beginning to feel the bare amount of otherworldly magic this room had. The crystal shined gold and had divinity in it. The more Keith looked at it, the more his senses were attracted by that power.


    Keith was also unable to hear a single thing around him once he was faced with that golden glow.


    ''I need to hold that power. It will allow me to do anything.''


    Keith''s mind was enchanted. His hands moved on their own and he grasped the crystal. He wanted to see its power, to rule with it. The desire ran rampant in his mind.


    "Keith, destroy that crystal. Hurry up and throw it down."


    Sara yelled as she faced off against more zombies. She had managed to crawl her way into this ce all by herself.


    Keith looked at her with an annoyed expression. He did not want to destroy something this beautiful crystal was amazing and brimming with power.


    If Keith had it, he would be able to do anything - even find a way home.


    "Oh shit. He''s intoxicated by the divine power. We should have never trusted him to begin with."


    Him and intoxicated? Keith did not understand what those words meant.


    He was just appreciating something beautiful and powerful in his hands. He did not want anything to happen to this crystal if he was alive.


    ''No, snap out of it Keith. This is not why you are here. You need to destroy this crystal.''


    The other, non-intoxicated part of Keith reminded him and he ended up remembering what he had to do.


    He looked at the crystal in his hand with a mournful look on his face. It was something he needed to destroy at all costs. But Keith was not happy with the oue.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ''I guess it''s time to say goodbye for real.''


    Keith raised the crystal with a heavy heart and smashed it down. It was a fragile thing so it broke apart into pieces.


    All the dead zombies around Keith fell. They behaved as if their strings had been cut and they could no longer move.


    "T-They are all dead. And they also stopped moving. Is that it? Have we seeded in freeing everyone of this curse? What about Noah? Is he alright?"


    Nigel was still in shock over what happened. But he was the first one to ask about Keith''s safety. Mainly because he was the responsible one.


    He looked up, only to see Keith panting hard as he clutched his chest.


    "Hey, are you alright? Did you get cursed by that?"


    Nigel asked with a careful tone. He did not want to agitate Keith if this person ended up getting cursed for real.


    But as Keith had expected, he was alright. The impact of the crystal had knocked the wind out of Keith''s lungs and that was why he was panting. It had nothing to do with his curse.


    "I am fantastic. I don''t think the curse affected me at all. See, I am still not in any additional pain."


    Keith raised his hands and moved them around in demonstration. His body felt light and cured after this small outing.


    "It''s nice to know that you are healthy but you should rest. You still took a big risk."


    Sara offered this and she looked away. It was the first time she had openly expressed her desire to help Keith.


    Every time this happened, Keith found himself shocked by Sara''s behavior. She was a far cry from the selfish girl Keith had first met.


    While all these people were saying these nice things, there was one person who was on alert and looking up. That was Lune and she was waiting for thest part of the curse.


    As soon as she felt the massive magic build-up she froze. She remembered what thest condition of the crystal''s destruction would result in.


    "Everyone, hurry up and take shelter. A god is about to descend here."


    Her words caused everyone to stiffen. They had forgotten that destroying the curse was supposed to drag its caster here. It had been such a joyous time that no one remembered that to be the case.


    The light of the god stretched and then expanded into an animal shape. It formed arms and legs before showing the silhouette of a dog.


    When the light faded, it was a white dog in front of them.


    A giant white dog that looked as if it could crush cities. But a white dog nheless.


    "Who dares to trample all over my mistress''s magic? I shall not forgive you."


    The giant dog spoke that sentence directly in everyone''s mind. The anger and upset emotions it felt were being conveyed to Keith and the others through its power.


    Keith could feel the massive build-up of divine power this dog had. If it wanted to, it could kill anyone without lifting a paw of his.


    "I am the one who broke the curse. But I felt I needed to live."


    Keith raised his arm and stepped forward. Everyone else looked shocked at Keith''s decision to go against a god''s familiar but Keith did not care.


    He was not going to back down and be a coward.


    "Hmm, so you were the one who caused this problem for me? Then you deserve death. Get ready to face judgment, boy"


    The divine being raised its head and gather magic. It; let out a beam of divine magic at Keith and Keith quickly raised his shield.


    It did not protect him from the dog''s 100% power, but it was able to offset quite arge amount of it.


    When the light faded, Keith had some minor injuries but he was not dead. He counted it as a win in his book.


    "I am sorry but I have no desire to die here."

 Chapter 195 195: Just Do It [Pt3]

    ?


    The divine magic of the dog burned at Keith''s shield. But he could still withstand most of it thanks to his unique constitution.


    The divine dog looked stunned. Its expression made the magic surrounding Keith sharper and deadlier. The magic was observing Keith now, waiting for the opportunity to strike at him.


    "You did not lose your magic? That is impossible. My mistress''s curse is supposed to be eternal and binding. A punny human like you should not be able to avoid it."


    The divine dog growled out in frustration. It moved forward and backward in its frustration and then looked at Keith with a vignt eye.


    Keith was not sure if the divine dog could figure out his secret or not. But the air was beginning to crush Keith''s insides now.


    The magic might have not affected Keith but the after-effects of magic surely did. The divine dog noticed this as soon as Keith began to have problems breathing.


    It let out a loud yell before aiming at Keith with its giant paw.


    Keith managed to defend himself in time but the impact still left him winded.


    "No matter how good of a defense you put, in front of divine power you will have to kneel. I will show you the difference between myself and your pathetic self."


    The divine dog promised before its body grew and smacked the ground. It caused the floor to get cracked and Keith was not able to keep his bnce.


    He would have fallen into the crack if Lune had not acted fast and sent her doll to cushion Keith''s fall.


    "Hurry up and run away. The divine dog will not be able to chase after us if we reach out of the city limits. It has no authority outside of its master''s domain."


    Lune promised as she navigated her doll to carry Keith outside. The divine dog gave chase after them, its eyes shaded an angry red.


    It tried to make it to Lune''s doll that carried Keith, but Lune''s other dollsbined with Nigel''s magic slowed the dog down. But the chase was still a tight one and the divine dig stayed on their tail the whole time.


    Finally, the end of the vige was reached and they all crossed it. They were finally safe from the tyranny of that divine dog now.


    Or, that was what they thought before the divine dog easily managed to dodge over the boundary of the vige and stop their group from running.


    "You all have run away long enough. Now it''s time to face your punishment."


    The divine dog growled those words out. Divine power built around its body, just ready to be unleashed anytime now.


    Keith decided that he had no other choice but to use divine power as well. That was the only way he was going to live past today.


    He had two artifacts that contained divine power. So, Keith opened himself up to both and sucked in as much power as he could.


    As a result of this, his body felt weird and his stomach hurt. He felt bloated to the point of being over-stuffed. But Keith continued to take in more and more divine power.


    Two simr powers shed against each other. Both Keith and the divine dog were pushed back when their magic collided.


    The divine dig was in shock to see Keith''s usage of divine power. No normal human should have been able to use the divine power this freely. This human in front of him was not a simple one.


    And yet, the divine dog could not feel anything other-worldly from this human. The awe and respect one felt when one looked at a god was missing.


    "A punny human like you scared to use the sacred divine power? You are lucky that you are not dead or consumed by your desire. But you need to be put down now. Divine power is not for human usage."


    The divine dog knew that it was taboo for humans to wield this divine power. Even a small dose could make someone go mad with desire.


    How that man managed to contain so much divine power in his body was beyond the divine dog.


    But that needed to end right here and now. This man was a danger to the heavens and his master. So, the divine dog was going to kill him.


    "Oh, and if I do not stop using the divine power then what will you do? I can see through your bluff. You cannot harm me in any way."


    Keith panted these words out. His words made the divine dog angry.


    "That is not the truth. I was just ying with you until now but you still had a chase to escape. But now, I will no longer give you a chance to run away. This ce will be your grave."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    The divine dog was agitated. It began to concentrate. But something hard and heavy rammed into his body, rendering his concentration to fall.


    The dog growled at the huge doll that was trying to hold it in ce.


    "Lune, what are you doing? We need to run away from here."


    Sara yelled as soon as she noticed her friend''s reckless actions.


    And reckless action it was. The divine dog tore into the doll that was holding it down. As a result, even Lune''s body sustained damage due to her connection with the doll.


    But where one failed, two more would seed. Lune continued to send her dolls to help Keith out.


    "That thing woulde after us once it''s done with Noah. I don''t think we have another choice but to fight it right here."


    Lune spoke up for the first time. Her voice was tense she sounded in a lot of pain. Her powers were not enough to stop the divine dog that was attacking them.


    But she still did not back down. It was her powers that were acting as a barrier between their group and the divine dog right now.


    "Well, when you put it like that, then it makes sense. Man, why did breaking that curse have to be thisplicated? What did we do wrong to be cursed in the first ce."


    Sara asked with an annoyed expression. The divine dog heard those words and it scoffed at Sara''s question.


    "You humans are too full of yourselves, thinking that you are above the gods. You all even forget your offering for thest harvest festival and ended up being cursed for it. In the end, it is all your fault."


    The divine dog managed to yell back as it threw the dolls away from its body. The divine magic tore away at those dolls and Lune coughed our blood as a result.


    She was in pain but she still refused to back down.


    The divine dog was amused to see this, but that did not mean it was not getting irritated with all this.


    "You humans need to learn that God''s power is absolute. Now die and be a servant of my master."


    The divine dog gathered its powers but the dy in its attack was all that mattered. Keith had managed to gather his power and managed to attack back as well.


    His divine power was harsh when it washed over the dog. The dog looked stunned when it felt the burns of divine magic.


    "Y-You feel like a human, but your magic is not human-like. How can a creature like you control such a huge amount of magic? Are you even a human?"


    The divine dog asked Keith as its body was being vaporized by Keith''s attack.


    Keith had taken a huge risk and now his insides felt as if they were boiling. Using this much magic could have been fatal for his body, but Keith had still risked this happening.


    *cough*


    "Believe it or not, I am as human as they get. This is all because of my determination not to fall behind."


    Keith pushed his body forward and fell to his knees. His body was hurt but it had managed to give him the oue he had wanted here.


    The divine dog looked at Keith with an expression filled with disbelief before letting out a startledugh.


    "You don''t know what you are doing kid. Divine magic is a curse, and you are wielding it regrly. Sooner orter, it will consume you as well and you will lose your being."


    The divine dog promised before it disappeared into a light-filled sparkle.


    They were safe once more but Keith''s body shivered as soon as he recalled what he had heard the divine dog say.


    He would regret using the divine power? Maybe in the future when the side effects begin to show on his psyche. But for now, Keith was alright and he had no choice but to use this cursed power.


    "N-Noah you! Your hair and eyes! What the hell is wrong with them? Were they always this color? They remind me of someone."

 Chapter 196 196: A Mothers Touch [Pt1]

    ?


    Keith had a suspicion about what happened to his hair and eye color. But he did not want to make a call just yet.


    Thankfully, there was a mirror in his inventory that allowed Keith to look at his facial features and confirm what he wanted. His hair was green and his eyes were red.


    He looked just like he did as the grandmaster. And Keith almost flinched once he noticed this. But he was able to catch himself in time and did not give anything away.


    "Y-Y-You look like the grandmaster. Are these your natural colors?"


    Shimi looked stunned but she was not the only one. Keith could feel everyone''s ego stiff behind him and he sighed. It was going to take some time to get everyone on board with what was happening.


    Of course, Keith was going to lie about his real motive behind making this dual identity. He did not people to find out that he was not the ''real'' grandmaster after all.


    "Whatever you are seeing here is top secret. I am on a mission so I would appreciate it if you keep yours quiet. A lot of important people would get into trouble if you speak about what you saw today."


    Keith''s voice was cold and it made everyone in front of him flinch. They could not decide if they wanted to look at Keith or the ground in front of them.


    Finally, it was Nigel who stepped forward and proposed a real solution to Keith''s problem.


    "I understand that it could be a problem if your ''hidden'' identity is exposed to the public. I am willing to make a scary vow to you to ensure I do not spill anything. I am sure the others will agree with me."


    Keith was surprised at the offer. A scared vow was the highest level of magic one could practice when it came to keeping secrets.


    If the one who made this vow tried to tell this secret, he would not be physically and magically able to. There was also a chance of one losing their magic if they tried.


    Only Keith would be able to give them permission of using magic in that case.


    "Hmm, this is not a bad idea. If you are all willing to make this vow, then I think I canpromise with you all."


    Keith had no power to force anyone to do anything, but these people did not know that. They had just seen Keith fight off against a goddess''s familiar so they were still in awe of his powers.


    "Is it necessary to make this vow? Can we not just promise to keep it a secret?"


    Shimi asked this question with a pouty voice. Out of everyone, she was the one most likely to spill this secret. And if she did it in front of Amane, then Keith would be in real trouble.


    "Shimi, be respectful of how you speak. Besides, I don''t think we should risk this secret getting out."


    "Truly, especially when it''s you we are talking about. You tend to have a big mouth sometimes, right?"


    Nigel and Lune cut off Shimi''s words and her except route. What they were saying was correct but Shimi did not want to admit it.


    She *sometimes* had a big mouth but she could keep a secret when needed. She would not tell anyone that Noah was the grandmaster. And it was not like anyone would believe her even if she did.


    "You people are spoilt sports. I cannot believe you will have me take this stupid vow that will limit my options of telling others what I know."


    Shimi was not happy but she was willing to make apromise for the sake of her future.


    "W-Wow, I never thought I would get to meet the grandmaster. It is such an honor for me."


    Stranger #1 just managed to get himself out of the daze he had fallen into. He looked toward Keith and then pinched himself. But the dream did not disappear from in front of his eyes.


    He was still where he had been standing before. And the grandmaster was still in front of his eyes.


    "I don''t think this is a dream. And I also agree that taking a vow is a good idea. In our business, trusting others too much is never a good thing. But a vow would ensure that we never betray our words."


    Stranger #2 had alreadye around and epted what happened. He was also the one to take the first vow followed by everyone else.


    One thing had settled, Keith''s skin itched to go back to the alliance. He wanted to go back to thefort of a familiar space before he had to participate in the final round of the tournament.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Now that things have settled here, I will head back out. I hope you all have a good time ahead."


    Whatever emotions Keith''s voice had before evaporated as the grandmaster''s mask slipped over his persona.


    His coldness made people flinch and step away from him. But Keith had gotten long used to this oue of his personality.


    This time, there were no detours in his journey. Keith took a direct route to the guild alliance and entered it with his head held high.


    As expected, everyone turned to look at him when he was in the alliance. His green hair and red eyes attracted a lot of attention for him.


    "Grandmaster, if you have some time to spare, then can I talk with you? It''s about Shinu and his adoptive mother."


    Shimi was the one who stopped Keith in his tracks. She looked a little ufortable standing in front of Keith right now.


    There was also an uneasiness in Shimi''s expression followed by doubt. Whatever that was tempting her was not something to be taken lightly.


    "Alright, speak. What is it that you want from me?"


    Keith asked with a nk voice. He was willing to hear Shimi out but that was it. He was tired and he wanted to sleep.


    "I¡­that is to say¡­you shoulde and check the training grounds for yourself grandmaster."


    Shimi''s voice was hollow when she asked Keith toe with her. There was also anger and stress lining her words. Whatever had happened seemed to be serious enough for Shimi to ask Keith for a favor.


    As much as Keith wanted to ignore Shimi, he knew it was a good idea to go after her for now. She was a loyal retainer of his.


    The training ground was empty and there was nothing to see there. Keith was a little annoyed after seeing this empty field but he did not know why Shimi had brought him here.


    What did she want to prove by showing Keith this empty field?


    "Grandmaster, none of our people had shown up for practice for the past few days. All they do is spend time with that bit-I mean Shinu''s mother and forget that they need to get stronger. At this rate, all our soldiers will be useless."


    Shimi pointed out with a worried and coy expression on her face. She also tried to flutter her eyshes to make herself look more seductive, but Keith pretended like he did not notice.


    He did not know how much truth there was behind what Shimi said about this situation, but it could not be allowed to continue.


    Even if there was nothing these soldiers could do when the real problem came looking for Keith, they could still buy Keith time to make his escape.


    "I see. So, this has been going on for some time now, right? So, do you know where these soldiers are?"


    Keith sighed as he prepared his heart for another annoying day. He would get these soldiers back for now and then concentrate on what he needed to do for the day.


    "Of course, I know where these people are. I will take you to that ce right now. But grandmaster, please do not fall for her traps as well. Shinu''s mother is a crafty one and not for this ce."


    Shimi warned Keith and her words were forceful. It almost felt as if she was trying to make up Keith''s mind before he had seen the situation for himself.


    Now he was curious and scared of what he would see once he reached his destination.


    Shimi led Keith toward the servant''s quarters. She looked familiar with the route which indicated that she had traveled it a lot of times before.


    "...and then you all did a good job¡­"


    Keith''s sharp senses picked up the middle of a sentence and he a refreshing feeling washed over him when he heard that soothing voice. He would have fallen for that voice if his instincts had not warned Keith up.


    As a result, a frown ended up on Keith''s face and his senses were on alert suddenly. He did not feel like going into this room but Shimi had already pushed the door open for him.

 Chapter 197 197: A Mothers Touch [Pt2]

    ?


    The elf woman sat in the middle of the room. Around her were some familiar faces just lying around and rxing.


    No matter how Keith looked at it, it was a weird scene. But the more Keith tried to pinpoint what was wrong, the more his brain pointed out that he was being ridiculous. And it even forced Keith to walk into the room.


    Before Keith knew it, he was standing in front of the eld and looking down at her. The elf looked up at Keith with a calm expression on her face, her gaze not flinching away from Keith''s.


    "Ah, are you here because you miss your mother''sfort as well? Thene and be embraced by me. I will make you forget your mother and any other person you are missing."


    The elf opened her arms as an invitation for Keith to hug her. Keith had no desire to hug the elf in his mind, but his body wanted to move.


    Keith had to use a lot of self-restraint to keep his body unmoving and stoic. His cold expression made the elf frown.


    "Why are you denying yourself my presence? There is no need for you to act this cold to me. Nowe and melt into my embrace."


    The elf called out once more, this time a little more forcefully. The air around Keith tensed up and it also started to try and push him toward the elf.


    But Keith dug his foot into the ground and he refused to move. The elf was finally frustrated enough to stop her actions.


    "S-So, what brings you here? If you are not here for motherlyfort, then what else can I help you with?"


    The elf asked with a sweet voice. But anyone could see that she was getting visibly frustrated.


    "I heard that my people were busy ''down here'' instead of practicing their technique. So, I came down to fetch these good for nothings."


    The people lying on the ground seemed almost unconscious. Their eyes were out of focus and they were not also unable to concentrate.


    But somehow, one of the people had enough of a mind to look at Keith and sober up. As soon as one sobered up, everyone else did as well.


    "G-Grandmaster, you are back? We will go and practice now. We are sorry for dying our practice."


    The students of the guild alliance quickly took their leave. There were mournful expressions on their faces when they left the room.


    Many of the students even took onest look at the elf in the room, but Keith''s nk expression forced them all out.


    "Oh my. That was rather rude of you to do. These poor children have done nothing wrong to you. But you still forced them all out, huh? It is not good for your reputation to be angry all the time."


    If the elf was surprised to know Keith was the grandmaster, then she did not show it on her face. Her eyes were gentle and as inviting as before.


    Just looking at her was enough for Keith to feel something in his chest. But Keith could tell that his feelings were not genuine.


    "You! How dare you use such vulgar magic in my establishment. Remember your ce and act ordingly. You are here only because of Shinu."


    Keith reminded the female elf in front of him. She bit her lip, refusing to answer.


    Since this elf was from a specie that could not lie, she likely meant every word she said. But that did not make her decisions to be right.


    Before Keith could say anything else, the door to the room opened and Shinu walked in. The dragon kit had gotten taller now. He almost went past Keith''s hips now and he would soon overshoot Keith''s height.


    Dragons were tall by nature and Shinu had been quite a figure in the original game.


    "Keith, when did youe back? Ah, are you here to meet my mother? I will introduce her to you right now."


    Shinu sounded happy and satisfied. There was a small growl building up in his chest when he looked at the two people who changed his world.


    Keith hated to be the one to break this happy atmosphere, but he needed to leave this room. The sweet smell in the room was getting on his nerves now.


    "Shinu, I do not have time for an introduction today. I wille and talk to youter. First, I need to find Shinzou."


    Keith could feel a small headache building behind his temples. He could not even reach up to rub his brows because it would be out of character for him to do so.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Oh, master Shinzou went into town just a few minutes ago. You can catch up to him if you hurry."


    Unlike everyone else, Shinu did not suggest that Keith call Shinzou back. But instead, the kid asked Keith to go after Shinzou. It made his mother and even Shimi freeze.


    They wanted to ask the kid to take his words back. This was not something he should be saying to the grandmaster.


    But Keith liked Shinu''s frankness. This kid was fearless and it woulde in handy in the future.


    "I see. If that''s the case then I will be leaving now. There is much that still needs to be done."


    Keith left the room but his heart was beating painfully in his chest. Somehow, Keith felt a little sick right now and the sickening smell was still lingering in his mind.


    Finally, a hand on Keith''s shoulder helped him clear his mind. The touch felt familiar but it was not sexual.


    "Hey, where are you going? I am so sad to see that you did not visit me even when you came back."


    ir''s voice was calm and soft when she talked to Keith. Since there was no one around, ir even let go of her mask of respect and decided to be her normal self.


    Keith breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he realized that the person who called out to him was none other than ir.


    "Well, what can I say? You are a busy person and someone very hard to get hold of. You cut my calls off thest three times I called you."


    Keith reminded ir but her face did not crack.


    "Then call me at a better time. Do you know how tough it is for me to handle all these sets on my own? Most of these people look at me and see a former ve. They refuse to even listen to what I have to say."


    The more ir spoke and recalled, the more she felt angry. It was Keith''s turn to pacify her.


    "I know you are irritated ir, but most of this was your own choice. You were the one who chose to stick with me and stay in this guild alliance."


    As soon as Keith spoke, he wanted to take his words back. He could not afford to let ir leave the alliance. She was the only one who knew about Keith''s secrets and she was also helping him out.


    "Shut it kid or I will cause you some real trouble. Just because I am helping you out does not give you the right to annoy me...and of course, I will help you out. Grandmaster should not even have asked such a ridiculous thing."


    ir''s expression went from annoyed to obedient in under a minute. It was all because Amelia was walking toward them right now.


    The protagonist took one look at Keith and decided to join him.


    "Grandmaster, you are finally back? How was your trip outside? Did you learn a lot? Is there anything I can help you with?"


    Amelia asked the same question everyone else asked. But unlike everyone else, she did not give Keith a bad feeling.


    His instincts also asked him to take Amelia with him when he went out to look for Shinzou.


    "Amelia, you wish to help me? There is something I need you to do for me. "


    Amelia was surprised but happy at the same time. Even ir was surprised at Keith''s words. But Keith ignored both of their surprised expressions and walked out of the guild''s gate.


    Both ir and Amelia followed him without asking questions.


    There were many eyes on Keith but he only had eyes for one thing - to find Shinzou and ask him what he did with the divine sword. There was no ''real'' reason for Keith to seek Shinzou but his instincts made him do so.


    There was unrest in the air that caused Keith to be unhappy with his current situation. He did not know why he was feeling like this. But Keith needed to reach the city right now or something massive would happen.


    And that was something Keith could not allow to happen if he wanted to go home. Everything was for his desire to go back home after all.

 Chapter 198 198: The Third Protagonist [Pt1]

    ?


    The trio was walking through the town, but the unrest Keith felt in his mind did not lessen. The people of this town were still looking at him with their unnerving eyes and trying to decide what Keith was worth.


    No one had ever looked at Keith this intently before. And someone Keith got the feeling that these people were not behaving like they usually would have.


    Amelia seemed not to have noticed this abnormality yet but ir had. And ir had gone on instant alert as soon as she realized what was going on around her.


    "This is not normal. All the townspeople are under a charm spell so strong that there is no physical evidence for it. I cannot tell you where the spell ising from."


    ir''s voice was frustrated. She looked left and right to ensure she had not missed anything.


    But no matter how much she looked, all she could feel were thesting signs of oppression magic and frustration. Her senses were not picking up anything else from these people.


    On the other hand, the stench of this divine magic felt familiar to Keith. He was sure he had felt this magic before.


    But his brain was not able to think back on where he had felt this oppressive magic before.


    "Hey, there is Master Shinzou. Let''s hurry up and catch up with him. Master, we are here."


    Amelia called out to Shinzou but the redhead did not hear her. He continued to examine the sword in front of him and did not look at anything else.


    "That''s weird. Did Master Shinzou not hear me calling for him? Well, no problem. I will go and call him over now."


    Amelia was annoyed when her greeting was ignored by Master Shinzou. But she was not one to give up so easily. She quickly walked toward Master Shinzou and ced a hand on his shoulder.


    Nothing happened for a solid second. Master Shinzou did not even turn to look at Amelia. He continued to look at the sword in front of him.


    "Master, are you ignoring me on purpose? This is not funny."


    Amelia called out once more, this time shaking the red-haired master. And finally, Shinzou moved to look at Amelia. Her eyes were fuzzy with sleep and his voice sounded a little tired as well.


    But overall, what coloured his voice the most was surprised.


    "Huh? Amelia? Grandmaster? What are you both doing here? No, what am I doing here? I do not remember walking toward this shop or even this town. It''s so weird."


    Shinzou''s sounded lost when he tried to remember what had happened to him. No matter how much pressure he put on his brain, nothing came to his mind.


    "Don''t worry about remembering what happened. Something weird is going on in this town so I don''t think it was your fault you walked toward this side."


    ir exined this topic with haunting eyes. She looked ufortable with the air in this town and her magic was shing with the other divinity in the air.


    ir was a goddess for sure, but she was also powerless. Her magic had been sealed a long time ago and she was cursed to walk the humannds and serve them.


    She did not remember who did that to her and why that happened either. She just knew that the oue had devastated her and she was out looking for revenge.


    "Huh? I know what you say makes sense. But the more I try to remember, the more it escaped my mind. In the end, I cannot figure out why I am here and what happened to make mee here either. I am sorry for not being any help to you."


    Master Shinzou did sound sorry, but only toward the grandmaster. He even rubbed his numb arms to get some feeling back.


    Another wave of strong magic washed over him and Master Shinzou almost copsed. That strong magic was asking Master Shinzou to surrender to it. It was luring Master Shinzou into its false sense of security.


    But Master Shinzou was not going to fall for it this time. Since he knew this magic existed, Master Shinzou was going to fight tooth and nail against it.


    "Oh, so there are still humans out there who can fight the divine magic? It''s nice to know. In that case, why don''t you allow me and mypanion to help you out?"


    Keith looked up once the familiar voice called out to his group. The caller was a familiar cloaked man.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Keith remembered this man since he had left asting impression on him. He had offered to take the annoying goddess of fate Veera out of his hands.


    The goddess of fate currently floated behind this man and her eyes looked worried. The goddess knew what was going on in this town for sure. But she refused to say anything.


    Then the goddess looked at Amelia and her eyes widened. The goddess looked enthralled by Amelia''s presence and recognized her as another protagonist.


    It all happened faster than Keith could keep track of. But he was now sure that this goddess of fate was special and she was also the powerful being that travelled with the chosen protagonist to reach the ''true'' ending.


    "You want to help us? Why would you do that? And first, introduce yourself so that we have a ground to look into you."


    Shinzou did not trust this cloaked figure. But since the grandmaster was keeping quiet for now, he chose not to act as well.


    This man was alone in the street and there was a distorted air adjacent to him. Shinzou was sure that something was upying the space adjacent to this man but he could not see what it was.


    And since he could not see it, it made Shinzou nervous. He did not want to deal with any surprise attacks and other simr things in his current state.


    "You want to know my name? It''s Adrian. Adrian Smith. It''s a pleasure to meet you all."


    Keith felt all his senses freeze in shock once he heard that name. Adrian Smith was another protagonist of this novel.


    And as soon as the hooded figure, that familiar face shocked Keith. The grey hair and silver eyes made such a bright contrast to the dark background of the building. It left asting impression on any on-looker.


    "Adrian Smith? The name does not ring a bell in my mind. Give me more information about where you are from and why we should trust you."


    Unlike Keith, no one else recognized this name. Adrian Smith was not a famous person after all. He had been the least remarkable person throughout the story. He was a low-key figure who liked to stay back and rx most of the time.


    If you took his route, you were guaranteed to remain undercover and not get discovered by anyone until the end.


    For such a figure toe out and tell their identity was a big deal. But it worried Keith more than ever.


    Especially since Adrian Smith was shown to be a calctive and maniptive person in the original game. He was ruthless to those who opposed him. But he was also very affectionate to his allies.


    "Grandmaster, I think this man is suspicious. Allow me to get rid of him here and now."


    Shinzou asked as he took out his divine sword. He was ready to kill this weird man in front of him when the air surrounding this man tensed.


    Shinzou could not see what was happening, but he could feel something rising in the air and getting ready to attack him.


    As a result, Shinzou raised his sword and blocked the iing attack. He did not know how much force he would require to stop the iing attack. But Shinzou was willing to try anything at this point.


    "Shinzou, stand back. I know this man so there is no need for you to attack him."


    Keith had noticed the goddess''s desire to attack Shinzou and he decided to stop them before anything could happen. He did not want to lose Shinzou to her after all.


    Not to mention, ir was also signalling for Keith to stop this sh before it could happen. It seemed like she knew something he did not.


    Shinzou did not look happy with the order to stand back. But he did not contradict Keith''s words either and put his sword down. All his time, he continued to look at Adrian with a look full of disbelief and distrust.


    "You people are so fierce that I cannot even say anything. But I can help you out a lot. Especially since I know more about your world than anyone else. So, do we have a deal of cooperation or not?"


    Adrian Smith held his hand out and Keith was hesitant to take it. He could feel the binding vow magic in Adrian''s hand.


    But before he could take the hand, Amelia decided to take the risk.

 Chapter 199 199: The Third Protagonist [Pt2]

    ?


    As soon as Amelia touched Adrian''s hand, the ce around the was filled with light. Everyone was blinded by that bright glow but they did not know what was happening.


    Even Amelia was started and she quickly pulled her hand back.


    As soon as she did that, the light surrounding the clearing faded away and it was calm once more.


    "Hmm, that is interesting. Is this what happens when two of the ''chosen ones'' interact with each other? This reaction was not recorded in the archives of the temple."


    If not for his memory of his past life, Keith would have wondered what Adrian was saying. But he did remember the character setting for Adrian a little bit.


    Adrian was a part of ''fate''s temple''. It was a ce that recorded what would happen in this world.


    Adrian had not been allowed to read those records but he had snuck in one day and taken a look at those records anyway. As a result, he had been thrown out into the world before he could absorb what he had read.


    And that was where Adrian''s story started - being abandoned and then meeting Veera.


    It had never been exined how much or how little Adrian knew about the future of this world. But it was certain that he was the most well-informed of the protagonists.


    [This girl. She is just like you Adrian. What is going on here?]


    Even the goddess of fate, Veera was confused about what was going on in this world.


    During this game, none of the protagonists had ever interacted. They all existed at the same time and they all had their own story to tell.


    But only one destiny could unfold at one time.


    Reality was different from fantasy. Here, there was no ''one'' route. All the protagonists existed at the same time. And as such, they all needed to figure out who would be Veera''s pdin.


    "Oh, I figured that out when we touched. Our souls echoed with each other and caused resonance. Usually, it is not supposed to happen. There must be an external force disrupting this world''s fate."


    Keith flinched internally when he heard Adrian''s words. He was sure that the ''external force'' Adrian was talking about was him.


    His mere presence in this ce changed its nature and caused a problem for the world.


    "Hey, what are you talking about? And why do you have a woman floating behind you?"


    Amelia asked with a frown. Her head was still spinning because she had touched Adrian carelessly. She did not know what these shes of light in her head were. But Amelia did not like them.


    "Well, since things hade down to this, I will exin to you all what is going on. This world usually has a few people born with the ''creator''s blessing''. It grants them great power and the ability to form a bond with a god."


    "Both you and I are such existences and our souls exist on a simr wavelength. That is why even Veera was confused when she saw us. For a goddess like her, both your and my soul shine brightly."


    Adrian''s exnation exined too much and too little at the same time.


    Keith and the pre-knowledge of the game so he was able to figure out what Adria was saying. But for a normal person like Shinzou or Amelia, it was very difficult to figure out what he meant.


    "You have spoken enough nonsense. It is time for me to put your mouth to rest."


    Shinzou was getting irritated now. Not only was this man wasting his time, but he was also holding Shinzou up.


    Shinzou did not like this so he brought out his divine sword.


    "Hey, wait, chill. I am not a bad person, I swear. Hey, man, you help me out here."


    Adrian turned his attention toward Keithst. His eyes said that he recognized Keith from thest time and he was even willing to keep his secret.


    But Keith was not even sure if he wanted Adrian to keep his secret or not. He had a feeling that neither Amelia nor Shinzou would believe his words. ir already knew the truth so she was out as well.


    Letting Adrian die here would be the best solution for Keith overall.


    "Keith, save him for now. We might need Veera''s help to solve our current situation."


    In the end, the one who helped Adrian was Sara. She did not look happy about what she was doing either, but there were some things that you have to do.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Shinzou, back down. I have decided to listen to this child out."


    Olivier flinched when he heard his voice. His words cut through the tense silence of the town and Shinzou instantly backed down.


    "Phew man, you saved me. I thought I was a goner back there for a second. Hey, I think we are even now."


    Adrian did not seem to value his life much. He either did not know who Keith was, or he did not care about his title and social standing.


    Somehow, Keith had a feeling that it was the former in this case.


    "Shinzou, hold your anger."


    Shinzou had already brought his sword out in anger by this time. Keith''s words stop him from killing Adrian.


    "Hurry up and tell us what is wrong with this town. I am not in a patient mood to listen to your useless chatter."


    Keith tried to channel as much negative energy as he could. But it did not seem to deter Adrian from shing a friendly smile his way.


    "Of course, of course. This town is under a curse by a goddess. From what Veera said before, it is the goddess of prosperity. There is no indication to tell us why this goddess felt the need to curse this town, but it cannot be anything good."


    "Of course, it is that sore loser. If it''s the goddess of prosperity, then I can guess why she decided to curse this town. It must be because of theck of yearly tribute we send her."


    ir seemed to know exactly what was going on once she heard the name of the goddess.


    Since ir was a goddess as well, the chances of her knowing the other goddess were high.


    But still, something about his situation seemed familiar to Keith. He was sure he had heard about tributes and punishment before as well. But he could not remember where he had heard those words before.


    ''Ah, now I remember. That zombie curse I faced was simr to his one, right? I cannot believe it took me so long to remember about it.''


    It seemed like gods were too free these days. They had enough time to harass humans ande after them.


    "Is that it? This much suffering and controlling people just because the goddess wanted more tribute? How is that fair? Who decided to give a goddess that much power?"


    Amelia seemed to be having a hard time digesting everything she just heard.


    But then again, it was a given that she was feeling frustrated with this situation since she had the most experience being under oppression.


    "Well, gods are not the most rational creatures you will meet. They are often too irrational because the amount of power they have inside their bodies is too much. I am not defending them, but just saying that there is a reason behind the god''s cranky temper."


    Adrian was digging his own grave at this point. But since there seemed to be no trouble for the time being, Olivier let him do what he wanted to.


    The people around him were giving their group that hungry look. Olivier was beginning to feel ufortable around this ce.


    Enough about the gods and their problems. What can we do to resolve this problem? If you know this much, then you should also know of a solution, right?"


    Amelia asked with a determined expression. No matter if her opponent was a god or not, Amelia was not going to give up. She was going to do her best to free these people.


    "Well, I do know a way to resolve this situation, but I am not sure if you would like it or not. After all, you don''t seem like a person who wouldpromise or bow your head."


    The more Adrian spoke without answering Amelia''s questions, the more he pissed her off.


    "You are getting on my nerves now. Give me a clear answer or I will not let you leave this town alive."


    Adrian let out a nervousugh when he heard Amelia speak. He did not want to be her enemy.


    "Ahhh, wait, I am telling you. To lift the curse on this town, you need to win the goddess''s favor. See, I told you that you would not like the solution I tell you about."


    It was true that Amelia did not like this solution. But she was also not willing to bend. There has to be something else she could do to help these people out.

 Chapter 200 200: Decision To Act

    ?


    The solution Adrian had told their group was simple in theory. But in practice, no one wanted to bow their head in front of the goddess.


    Even Keith, who was always ready to try the peaceful way of life, was not ready to be the goddess''s ve just for the sake of bringing peace to this town.


    "No way. I am not bowing my head in front of an egomaniac like a goddess. And for it to be the goddess of prosperity? I would rather see this town be a ghost town."


    ir denied the possibility of this favour. Her determined expression was somewhat mirrored by Keith.


    He was sure that if he ordered the others to bow down to the goddess, they would. But his ego as the grandmaster would not allow him to issue that order. Keith was happy and terrified of his ''pretend'' nature.


    "Alright, so begging the goddess is out of the question for you people. Well, the only other thing you can do is to wait for the goddess toe around. Or kill her and end this curse."


    Adrian said these words very calmly. But killing a goddess was one of the most difficult things one could do.


    Even dealing with a goddess''s familiar required a list of power. And those things were much weaker than a normal god.


    "Killing a goddess? How are we supposed to do that? Human magic cannot hurt God and divine magic would change a person''s nature. The one who will deal with the finishing blow to the goddess would be cursed forever."


    ir seemed to have a lot of knowledge about killing a goddess. It made Keith curious how she knew all this.


    But there was no time for him to wonder about it. Especially when he had a goddess to take care of first, he would ask ir how she knew all thister.


    "Hmm, well, in any case. There is one way we can win against a goddess and that is to utilize the world''s fate."


    Adrian seemed to be having some ridiculous ideas about how to win against a goddess. Usually, Keith would have asked him to stop already. But there was something about this idea of his that seemed as if it could work.


    "Utilize the world''s fate? Your words do not make sense. As I thought, I should end your life before you say anything even more ridiculous."


    Shinzou attacked Adrian openly. It was Adrian''s luck that allowed him to remain safe even when he was being attacked.


    But despite being attacked by Shinzou, Adrian showed no panicked expression.


    The goddess of fate, Veera was panicking and she tried to attack Shinzou. But since he was wielding the divine sword, it hurt the goddess just as much. There was a small but bleeding cut on the goddess''s arm.


    "Veera, what are you doing? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Does it bleed for you?"


    As soon as Veera had gotten hurt, Adrian had stopped ying around and taken her arm in his hand. There was concern in his eyes when he looked at Veera and rage when his eyes shed toward the divine sword.


    [I am alright. I was careless since I did not expect human weapons to hurt me.]


    Veera had stopped bleeding by now. Her goddess body did not retain wounds for long. But a scar had remained on her thin white arm even after she had backed down.


    Adrian noticed this scar and he was unhappy. But there was nothing he could do about this scar. He needed to make a good impression on the grandmaster''s party so he could not even yell at Shinzou.


    "Since Veera said that she is not that hurt by your actions, I will let them go this time. But next time, I will not be this lenient. Anyway, we need to help this town before we can air out the tension between us."


    It had taken Adrian everything he had to say those words. But despite his forgiveness, Shinzou did not seem worried about his life. Instead of panicking, Shinzou held the sword out at ready and pointed it at Adrian.


    "Kid, I do not trust you or believe you. I still think you are trying to deceive us or something. But since the grandmaster had notmented on you, I will refrain from making any decision."


    Shinzou was serious and his aura was killer. There was a serious potential of the fight taking ce here.


    Keith noticed this happening and decided to put an end to it.


    He had worked too hard to change the original storyline of the game. So, he did not want Shinzou to go ahead and challenge the protagonist of the game and then get killed.


    "Shinzou, step down. I have heard everything this man just said and I have confirmed his words to be true."


    Keith did not give a reason as to why he believed Adrian. Heck, he did not even speak about what he was going to do next.


    But despite that, Keith''spanions backed down and they decided to give Adrian a chance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "I will not apologize for what happened here, but I will ask you to take a deep breath and put the past behind you. Living in the past will not serve you any benefit."


    Keith was nervous when he said all that. He was not sure if Adrian would take his advice or not.


    But Adrian seemed to being around. The man looked angry but that all melted away from his face slowly.


    "Hmm, I agree with you. This town and the people here should be our priority. Everything else can wait forter."


    "So, what are we going to do? Go after the goddess?"


    Adrian asked with a calm expression. The earlier energy he had shown was nowhere to be seen on Adrian''s face. He was also not paying any special attention to Keith now.


    Adrian seemed more nervous and cautious of Shinzou than he was of Keith. It was a good and a bad thing at the same time.


    "We will have to go after the goddess. We are still not sure when this curse will spread toward the guild alliance. There are a lot of idiots who will fall for this curse. So, we need to hurry with our attack."


    Keith quickly decided on this happening. He did not want the guild alliance to fall to the gods.


    Who knew what would happen to Keith and his intention of going back if that happened? Would he be stuck in this world forever?


    "Good. Now, if you all are finished with your meagre talking, I can tell you how you can defeat a goddess. But you will need the mother''s pearl for that."


    ir broke the awkward silence with her words.


    At first, everyone looked excited to hear her speak. Mother''s pearl was a special item and only the grandmaster had it.


    But soon, both Shinzou and Amelia''s faces turned worried. They remembered what happened to the mother''s pearl and about Master Olivia''s tournament.


    "Well, looks like this operation will have to wait. We will only get possession of Mother''s Pearl next week."


    Amelia seemed confident in her winning. So, she also confidently proimed that she would get the pearl. But the timeline was still a problem for them.


    "I don''t think this town can wait a week. We will need to get that pearl now. Is it not in the main guild?"


    Adrian asked Keith this question.


    "Unfortunately, some bug decided to try and steal it from me. Looks like we will be retrieving it by force now."


    Those words and ideas came easily to Keith this time. He did not know why, but the idea of breaking into Master Olivia''s mansion and teaching her a lesson sounded appealing to Keith.


    ''Maybe it is because of the hidden tendencies in this body. I should not think about what is going on.''


    Keith calmed down and everyone was ready to attack Master Olivia''s mansion. They would need to retrieve the pearl within a day.


    "How many people should we take with us? The less we take, the earlier infiltrating that mansion would be. But it can also cause our forces to weaken¡­"


    "Don''t worry ir. I, alone, am more than enough. You all can apany me to keep mepany."


    Shinzou sounded confident to go against Master Olivia and her whole sect. Keith was not surprised to hear Shinzou offer this.


    Keith was sure that Shinzou would be able to pull this off as well since he had single handily destroyed Master Olivia''s pce in the original work as well.


    It was because she had betrayed the grandmaster and chosen to side with the protagonist.


    It was weird how so many things have changed but this plot-line remained unchanged.


    "I see. In that case, I will leave the infiltration of Master Olivia''s base to you, Shinzou. But you will hurry up and not engage in useless fighting. Do you understand?"

 Chapter 201 201: Lady Olivia [Pt1]

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    "How are the preparations for thest round of thepetition going? I hope you all are not nning to do anything foolish to anger me."


    Lady Olivia was a beautifuldy. She was so beautiful that she was easily able to turn heads whenever she walked past a ce.


    But her beauty was a poisonous one. Hidden beneath her rosy exterior was a thorn-like interior that did not spare anyone from her fury. She was someone who could eat you alive and not even feel guilty afterward.


    Those who knew of her real temper decided to keep their distance from her.


    Meanwhile, the unfortunate souls who did not know who she was could only admire her beauty and her status.


    After all, she was from the guild alliance, an aplished guild leader, and one of the people grandmasters cherished.


    "Lady Olivia, the preparations are ready. We will announce the start of the final round tomorrow. But are you sure we should be doing this? The grandmaster is¡­"


    "What about that old man? Do you think I am afraid of someone like him? How dare you underestimate me like this?"


    Lady Olivia''s good mood soured when she was questioned by the rude servant. In her anger, she tilted the table in front of her. Food flew everywhere and it did not spare that servant either.


    But Lady Olivia was less than concerned. The well-being of these lowly humans did not matter to someone great like her.


    Once more, the servants tensed up. They knew that Lady Olivia was not in a good mood and someone would suffer therefore. But despite knowing this, they turned their face away from the abuse taking ce in front of them.


    "I-I am sorry, mydy. I did not mean to question your words or authority. Kindly spare me and give me another chance."


    The servant instantly begged on his knees. He looked scared but hopeful at the same time. He felt as if he would be able to receive Lady Olivia''s mercy this time.


    But when he looked up, Lady Olivia had a nasty expression on her usually calm face.


    "You think you deserve mercy from me? How dare a lowly person like you tell me what to do. Just thinking about this makes my skin crawl."


    Lady Olivia waved her hand and the servant could only let out a mute scream before he was crushed to death.


    Once one servant died, no one else tried toe out and correct Lady Olivia. Her temper was legendary and she did not hesitate to kill. She was poisonous rose after all.


    "Any message from the grandmaster? Did he send me anything to ask about what I am doing?"


    Lady Olivia asked once she turned her attention away. Grandmaster was one person who could scare Lady Olivia. But she was sure she finally had an edge over him.


    "Unfortunately, we have not received any contact info from the grandmaster. I am afraid that we will not be able to answer any of your questions."


    Lady Olivia was pissed off. She did not like thisck of contact from the grandmaster.


    "Everyone, get out of here right now. I do not want to see your face."


    Everyone ran away from her. They did not want to encounter Lady Olivia''s infamous temper.


    Lady Olivia watched them all run away. Once they were gone, she turned toward her benefactor, the one who had asked her to do all this.


    "You said that he would pay attention to me if I did all this? I thought you said that you were a god. Did you lie?"


    Lady Olivia asked about the empty room. For a solid minute, there was no reply to her curses. But then there was finally a response. The space around her rippled and it did not take long for a beautiful figure to emerge from the rift.


    "I did not lie to you. The one you seek is looking at you. He will be here soon so you should prepare yourself."


    Lady Olivia''s eyes said that she did not believe this god. But she had no evidence that he was lying to her either.


    So as much as she did not want to believe him, Lady Olivia had no choice but to throw her lot with this divine being.


    "I will choose to trust you this time. But this will be thest time I do so. So do not disappoint me next time."


    Lady Olivia did not know what happened. One second, she was standing calmly, the next second her face was taken hostage, and the entity in front of her had her face in his grasp.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You are a daring human, willing to tell me what to do and what not to do. But unfortunately for you, you are getting annoyed very fast. If you want to live, then show some tact."


    Lady Olivia felt her breath be short and she gasped for breath.


    Oxygen was not reaching her lungs even when she took in gulps of air. Her body was not performing up to her standards.


    Just as soon as her body had been taken hostage, Lady Olivia was let go. She gasped when she looked up at the man in front of her.


    The man, no, the god did not seem concerned about what he just did. His eyes were as cold and lifeless as Lady Olivia had ever seen before.


    "I-I will not be beaten by you. We both might have agreed to cooperate but that does not mean you get the right to boss me around like this."


    Lady Olivia clutched her side desperately as she held herself up. She was hurt but unwilling to bow in front of this god.


    The gid was not even stunned by Lady Olivia''s guts. From the first time he had met Olivia, she had been like this - stubborn and selfish. That was why the god had chosen her as his vessel and decided to bestow his divine powers on her.


    "You are a cruel child and one that takes after my own heart. Fine, I will give you another chance to capture your man. But this will be thest chance you ever get so make use of it carefully."


    Lady Olivia coughed as she cleared her throat. She felt better now that she could breathe freely once more.


    She also looked at this god with annoyed eyes.


    "Don''t act as if you are doing this for my benefit. You are interested in that bastard of a participant as well. That ck-haired and blue eye one. That''s why you stayed to monitor thispetition."


    That nk white face showed no expression on it. But Lady Olivia had a feeling that this god would be smiling if he could express emotions.


    "Maybe you are right, maybe you are not. Who knows what kind of interest I will develop next."


    Lady Olivia wanted to call bullshit on this. But she was aware of how much she could push this god.


    And as much as she wanted to say that she could curse this god out, that was not the truth. This god might look like he was in a good mood, but he was getting annoyed with her.


    "Anyway, I would not worry about thest round. Someone else would swipe this ce clean before that. I hope you are ready."


    "Who would dare to¡­"


    Lady Olivia started to ask this question when her castle shook. The amount of power one needed to do this was not small. But Lady Olivia was not able to figure out who would want to hurt her this openly. (Or who had the guts to do this.)


    "L-Lady Olivia, Master Shinzou is out there. We told him that you were not in the mood to apany him and that agitated him. I am sorry."


    The servant who came to deliver this news to Olivia was shaking. He was sure that today would be hisst day.


    Hisdy did not hold her temper back and she also was not forgiving.


    But just when he was busy counting his minutes down, a miracle happened. Instead of killing him, Lady Olivia sighed and waved for him to leave.


    "If it is Master Shinzou, then there was nothing you all could have done. Invite him inside and make himfortable. I wille down shortly."


    The servant was surprised. No, he was shocked at what he heard.


    But he decided to follow Lady Olivia''s words and invite Master Shinzou inside.


    To have two of the masters of the alliance under the same building was nerve-wracking for these servants, but they had to endure all this pressure if they wanted to live.


    After all, no one knew what would happen next. And they also did not know why Master Shinzou hade here for.


    Would today be theirst day? Or the start of something new? That was the question everyone had on their mind for the time being.

 Chapter 202 202: Lady Olivia [Pt2]

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    Lady Olivia watched the man in front of her take a sip of his tea with a calm expression. She could not help herself from frowning as soon as she noticed Master Shinzou sitting in the middle of her guest room.


    This man was atrocious and he had no right to sit here and sip tea like a gentleman. Especially not after he had terrorized half of Master Olivia''s staff and made the other half freeze in fear of speaking anything wrong against him.


    "Why are you here? What do you want from me? Hurry up and say what you want and get out of here."


    Master Olivia might be the only one in this room who was not afraid of Master Shinzou. And what did she have to be afraid of?


    She was the same rank as Master Shinzou so she knew she could handle his powers. She also had a god on her side so that helped her out. It made her odds of winning against Shinzou better by a lot.


    "I am just here on inspection. Grandmaster asked me to look at all the guilds and see how well they are performing. Looking at your ce, it seems like you were doing well."


    Master Olivia was sweating on the inside but none of it showed up on her face. She did not want to get caught by Master Shinzou.


    This man was like a shark. If he sensed nervousness, he would attack her until Master Olivia either got rid of him or ended up spilling everything she knew.


    "Oh, that is nice of you to do so. But did you choose this ce as your first stop? Is there any reason behind your decision?"


    Master Olivia did not sow the nervousness on her face. She did not want to give away anything. But she was a pile of nerves on the inside. She could not believe that there had been no prior notice before this inspection.


    And what a suspicious thing this inspection was. Why did it have to be her who was subjected to it first? Why not any other ce?


    "Hmm, you want to know why you were chosen to be the first person to be inspected? It''s quite simple. Your ce was the closest one to our route. There is no deeper meaning behind being chosen first."


    Master Shinzou replied calmly. He did not seem to think much of Master Olivia''s fears. In return, Master Olivia frowned and swore inside her mind. She did not want to face Master Shinzou''s earnest look.


    The more she looked at Master Shinzou, the more she was certain that this man did things because he wanted to. There seemed to be no cohesive thought behind his fight-hungry eyes.


    As such, it would be easy for Master Olivia to deceive him.


    ''Thank God I hid the elder pearl beforehand. There is no way Master Shinzou will be able to find that pearl.''


    "Master Olivia, you have been vignt and questioning for the past few minutes. Are you trying to hide something from me?"


    Master Shinzou''s eyes narrowed in suspicion. It made Master Olivia''s hair stand up at the back of her head.


    ''Shit, this man had sharp instincts. I need to lie my way out of this one.


    "O-Of course not. Why would I want to hide anything from you? You are someone selected by the grandmaster and hiding something from you would be like trying to hide something from, the grandmaster. I would never dare."


    Master Shinzou''s eyes narrowed when he looked at Lady Olivia. She was nervous and she wondered if Master Shinzou could hear the harsh beating of her heart.


    She was about to say something more to him when Master Shinzou finally averted his eyes away from her and looked at her staff.


    "Well, that better be the case for you. Otherwise, you will not be able to continue the luxurious lifestyle you have enjoyed thus far."


    Master Olivia gritted her teeth as she took in the man in front of her. Master Shinzou was sitting calmly in his ce but his eyes were vignt when he looked at Master Olivia.


    "Of course, Master Shinzou. You can trust me."


    Master Olivia replied with a sincere smile. But hidden behind her smile was a mask full of sneer and mocking. She pitied this man for believing her and falling for her trap.


    ....


    "Hmm, an ancient trap? How fascinating. I have only read about these things so far."


    Adrian looked at the formation that blocked his way with interested eyes. He was currently apanying ir and he was fascinated by every little thing he saw.


    Currently, Adrian was like a kid at a candy store. He wanted to touch everything and see what will happen as a result.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ir was the calm one in this situation. She considered every aspect and stopped Adrian before he could get himself into trouble. But everything stopped Adrian from doing something foolish, she felt like a year had been taken off her life span.


    When Adrian tried to touch this ancient trap in front of him, ir pulled him back and away from this trap. She did not want this man to mess up her n.


    "Can you not sit calmly and wait for me to open this lock? Because of you, we are running behind schedule."


    irined as she held Adrian back with her powers. Adrian struggled out of her grip but soon realized it was futile.


    "Aww, but I am interested in everything here. It is not often that I get to leave my home and venture out into the world. I need to make the best of this opportunity."


    Adrian was quite the positive guy. But ir was not as nice as he hoped her to be. She did not pay attention to his words and handed his leash over to Veera.


    "Veera, I will be counting on you to keep this kid safe. I will get the lock and take a quick look inside."


    Veera looked nervous when she was handed, Adrian. She did not know how to calm Adrian down and she was sure that she did not even want to try. But ir was scared when she red at Veera.


    So, Veera had no choice but to follow her lead.


    For the third time during that hour, ir wondered how Keith''s brain worked. Why did he have to pair ir with this awkward man and go with Amelia on his own?


    ir wanted a refund for her partner and to take Amelia with her. At least that girl listened and knew how to keep out of danger.


    The search for Elder''s pearl was still ongoing. They had decided to send Master Shinzou as a distraction while everyone else searched for that pearl. But so far, there had been no progress during their search.


    "Hey, what''s this?"


    "Hey, do not touch that¡­"


    ir had not even finished her thoughts when Adrian turned away to cause trouble again. He seemed to be having fun while poking his head around various corners.


    "If you do not calm down, then I will have to bind you up and leave you here. Is that something you want me to do?"


    ir threatened and Adrian raised his hands slowly in a mock surrender.


    "I was wrong. Please do not do anything to be. I am just a small man with big goals."


    Adrian spoke. As he raised his hands, his sleeve got caught up in something and he tried to get it free. His struggles opened something and a door opened behind his back.


    Both Adrian and ir froze as soon as they heard a door opening. ir had a suspicious feeling about this door, but she decided to head in anyway. She wanted to see what was inside that corridor.


    "Hey, I know I joke around a lot and all. But I do not think going into that corridor alone is safe. Something about that ce does not sit right with me."


    Adrian pointed out when he investigated the corridor. There was this feeling inside his heart that something bad was just up ahead.


    But ir brushed off his concerns and walked in anyway.


    "I know you are worried and terrified of heading in, but we need to head in now. This is the only path that looks suspicious so I am sure the elder''s pearl is in there. You don''t have toe with me if you are scared."


    Adrian took in a deep breath and braced himself. He could feel the energy building up in front of him.


    He feared going in. Heck, he was terrified of going into that hallway. His instincts were warning him not to go.


    But he was also a kind soul and could not allow ir to go into that hallway alone. No matter how strong ir was, she was still a kid. And Adrian never let kids down or let them die. He would protect them with all his might.

 Chapter 203 203: Clairs First Attack

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    "This hallway¡­are you sure we did not go through this before? It looks familiar somehow."


    Amelia shivered once she felt the chill of this ce wash over her senses. The further inside she went, the colder this ce became to bear.


    However, unlike her, the grandmaster seemed to be having no problem with the sudden chill. He was just as calm and cool as ever. Looking at him made Amelia feel jealous.


    "You can head back if you think you cannot do this any longer, Amelia. Some people are not meant to face difficulties."


    Amelia flinched once she heard the grandmaster''s words. They had hit a little too close to home and made Amelia angry with herself.


    If the grandmaster could walk through this hallway and notin, then what right did she have toin about her circumstances?


    She had none and she needed to get herself together.


    Just as it seemed like Amelia had pulled herself together, the wall between her and the next corridor was broken.


    Two familiar figures ran through this new opening and Amelia watched both ir and Adrian fighting against a giant monster.


    The more she looked at it, the more this monster seemed weird to Amelia. But she could not put her hands on what felt wrong to her.


    "Grandmaster, what should we do now?"


    Amelia turned toward the grandmaster to ask for his opinion. But there was no response from the grandmaster. He looked annoyed and grumpy. But Amelia could see nothing wrong with him.


    So, Amelia called out once more to get his attention.


    "Grandmaster, did you not hear me¡­"


    Grandmaster raised his hand and a barrier rose in time tobat the attacking monster''s attack.


    ir attacked the monster to gain some space but the monster had enoughmon sense to dodge that attack.


    All of ir''s attacks ended up colliding with the grandmaster''s barrier but they bounced off right away. The barrier was still held solid and perfect, as always.


    "Hey, are you both alright? It was not our intention to drag this fight to you."


    Adrian apologized as soon as he was out of the corridor as well. He looked tired and his chest was huffing and puffing to try and get some breath in.


    But the monster noticed Adrian next and chose him as its next target.


    Adrian was far from an easy target, but he was caught off guard when the monster decided to attack him suddenly.


    Veera tried to exert her power to save Adrian. But her aura was not enough to save him.


    Keith dropped his barrier for a second and enacted a new one that covered Adrian as well. ws met his barrier and sparks flew all over the ce.


    "Tsk, you people are making this fight more difficult than it needs to be. Just die already so that we can go home as well."


    A hooded figure walked into the hallway. They stood behind the monster and ce a hand on top of the monster.


    Familiar energy surged through the monster before it got even more agitated. Keith recognized who this monster was no.


    "Horas. This monster is Horas? I cannot believe it."


    Keith understood no one else would get what he was saying. But surprisingly, Adrian''s eyes widened as soon as he heard that name.


    "Horas? Another child of fate? But no one should be able to harm us like that unless we want to be hurt like that. Then, did Horas agree to this deal?"


    Adrian looked surprised and there was a good reason behind that.


    After all, who would agree to lose their mind just for a little bit of power? Keith knew he would never have taken that offer, no matter how tough the situation got for him.


    But something must have been eating away at Horas for him to take this idiotic offer.


    "This child did agree to this deal. He insisted on being the one to fulfil this deal of ours as well. But in the end, he was unable to handle the gods'' powers and ended up losing his mind. It is rather tragic to think of."


    The hooded man continued speaking. His voice was strong andcked any emotion. Keith felt chills when he looked at this man and his confidence.


    "You cannot just convert humans into beasts whenever you want to. There are rules and ethics in ce for these kinds of things. How dare you abuse your powers."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Adrian was angry and annoyed at this god. He was someone who had grown up while preaching the rules. There was no way he would be able to maintain his calm when he was faced with such a situation.


    "Hmm, I can tell that you are a problem. So, you will need to be eliminated here. The rest of you can be my experimental pieces to gain god''s divine power."


    The man seemed to have lost his mind. Keith only needed to hear this much before he threw this man into the ''not mentally stable'' category in his mind.


    And despite everything that Keith had gone through and everything he experienced, this list was rather small to look at.


    "Gods this, divine that¡­why is everyone so attached to the divine powers in the first ce? They are nothing but another shackle around your throat. But still, people worship them like they are everything. It pisses me off when I think about it."


    ir''s eyes burned with anger once she absorbed everything.


    Everyone around her praised the divine power but it had been nothing but a curse for her. So now, she had aplex about divine powers.


    Usually, she would not have taken offence after someone used these divine powers and praised them. But she had a limit to her temper.


    And this man had crossed that. ir could no longer look past his words.


    "A kid should not interfere in an adult''s matter. Go back home, kid. This ce is not for you."


    That hooded figure made the mistake of underestimating ir.


    Not only did he insult her, but he also called her a kid. These were two big taboos in her book, and ir would not take these sitting down.


    "This is enough. Everyone, leave this ce to me and head out now. I will teach this man who the ''real'' problem here is."


    ir promised while fuming. Her opponent looked confident that he would win. Her opponent already thought that he had won.


    The hooded figure did not even flinch when he was challenged by ir.


    "ir, will you be alright? I don''t think you should be alone while fighting that dangerous enemy¡­."


    Amelia tried to get ir to ept help but ir was not listening. Her eyes were looking at the monster in front of her with annoyed eyes. But fear was absent in her gaze.


    "If this man thinks he can win against me with cheap tricks, then he has another thinging his way. Don''t worry about me and head out now."


    ir sounded calm right now. But there was an inferno burning inside her chest.


    These people had dared underestimate ir and her power. And now they would pay for that.


    "A kid like you want to stop me? Hah, dream on. I will add you to my collection first and then the rest of you will follow. You will not be able to deny the call for long¡­"


    The man bragged but ir cut his words off by sending a lightning bolt his way. That close call finally made the man narrow his eyes and observe ir with a critical eye.


    "Are you done boasting? If so, thene and attack me. I will show you what real despair is like."


    ir promised and she finally released her powers.


    These powers had been locked inside ir forever, but they were finally free and ready to help her.


    Her opponent blinked but before he knew it, the monster he had created using divine power was done in with a single punch.


    ir was not nice with her y. The forceful power moving through her body had aged it to adult age. There was a lush tail behind her and her ears flopped on top of her head.


    Even her hair colour and eyes had changed to reflect her more mature style of body.


    "You will be judged right here and now. And I will not show you any mercy for the crimes you havemitted."


    The man looked terrified for his life now. He finally realized that ir was not ying around and that she meant business when she attacked him.


    "P-Please spare me. I did not mean to attack you. I just wanted to experiment a little." the hooded man pleaded in hisst moments but ircked any mercy for him.


    Her w separated that man''s head from his body but not a single drop fell on ir.


    And then, it was the monster''s turn to die at her hands.

 Chapter 204 204: That Masked Figure [Pt1]

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    "Grandmaster, are you sure we should leave ir behind like this? What if she gets hurt? Or something even worse happens to her? What are we going to do?"


    Amelia asked this question with a guilt-filled expression as she ran after Keith.


    She might have left ir behind as well, but her insides were filled with guilt at what she did. She could not believe herself and how heartless she had been to ir up until now.


    "Stop ming yourself for ir''s choices. She was the one who wanted to stay behind, so we fulfilled her wish. Now stop whining and follow me. We are going to find the mother''s pearl and put an end to this situation. Olivia will get her retribution."


    Amelia still did not look to have adjusted. But she followed Keith nheless.


    Keith moved the group through the mansion. He had no idea where he was headed toward. But he knew that he was close to his destination. There was a feeling inside him that begged Keith to follow it.


    And Keith allowed his instincts to make him move.


    Once he opened his eyes again, he found himself before a rocky door. And he could only tell that there was a door in front of him because he was focusing a lot on that ce in front of him.


    "I-I can sense the enemy of a magical artefact behind this wall. The mother''s pearl is here for sure."


    Adrian put one hand on the stone door and tried to push it open. It did not move even a little bit.


    "Hey, allow me to try."


    Amelia pushed Adrian aside and punched the wall. Once again, the door did not open. It did not even move, almost as if it did not care who broke it.


    "Ugh, this is embarrassing. Why did this have to happen to me? And especially when grandmaster is watching."


    Amelia asked as she tried to put magic into her pouches. But the stubborn door was far from moving.


    Keith heard Amelia''s mumbled words because he was standing close by and had sharp senses. He doubted that anyone else had heard her speaking.


    Nothing made the door move. Not physical force, or magic. But Keith had a feeling that divine power might be enough to make this door move.


    "Master Shinzou, take out your sword and cleave this door open for us."


    Keith called out to the redhead who had been standing and observing quietly for now. But as soon as Master Shinzou was called, he stepped ahead and materialized the sword.


    The power of that divine sword was incredible and it broke the stone door into two parts. Both Amelia and Adrian could only watch this happen with clenched expressions on their faces.


    Inside the room, it was quite dark. But the mother''s pearl was lying right in the centre of the pool.


    "I will go and bring the pearl over."


    Amelia offered and she had only taken a single step toward the pearl when the room lightened up.


    The pearl was lying in the middle of theke. But it was impossible to tell how deep the actualke was.


    If you looked at the water, it was a musky grey and ck. It left everything up to one''s imagination and did not allow the user to even guess where the water started and where it ended.


    "Hmm, this is going to be a problem for us. Amelia, step back for a second."


    Master Shinzou stepped forward once more and held his hand out. The water has begun to freeze before it resisted and the ice broke down once more.


    "Tsk, this is no ordinary water. It resisted my magic and ate away all the residual energy in my spell. I cannot believe something like this exists in real life."


    Master Shinzou looked at the water with a fascinated expression. But Keith was afraid of this water.


    He had a bad feeling about this thing and he even took a step back before catching himself.


    "Ugh, we should look for another way toward the mother''s pearl. Master Shinzou, don''t be reckless, and do not challenge this water."


    Keith knew Shinzou well at this point. If there was something that looked challenging, then Shinzou wanted to do it no matter what. And this situation also looked like a challenge in Shinzou''s eyes.


    "Don''t worry grandmaster. Since you care so much about my life, I will not do anything reckless. No matter how much I want to step into these waters, I will hold myself back."


    Shinzou promised this with a straight face. But that was not what Keith was worried about.


    ''Who cares about your health and well-being? I am worried about my own darn life. I need you to be alive if I want to live.''


    Keith reminded himself of why he was putting up with a dangerous man like Master Shinzou. Once he was done, he observed the water.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Since normal magic had not worked, he tried to use divine magic on the water. As soon as his hand touched the water, the world took a red shade and his ability had activated.


    [Holy water lvl 10. Be careful of its effect. Had the capability to absorb magic and wiggle one dry. Divine magic is not an exception.]


    That much had been clear to Keith until now. But he needed a way to cross this holy water.


    There had to be a way to get to the pearl without touching the water.


    "Grandmaster, just wait here for me. I will bring the pearl back now."


    Master Shinzou promised before he jumped across that distance. Keith could only watch with a muted expression as that happened.


    He had forgotten that this was not his normal world but a fictional word. Here, people had unbelievable standards of physical fitness.


    Master Shinzounded on the small ind where the mother''s pearl was located and carefully packed the pearl.


    But something was still wrong here.


    ''Huh? When had Master Shinzou joined us? Wasn''t the n for him to go and distract Olivia? He should not be here.''


    Keith only realized this fact toote. There was something wrong with this ce.


    "You! Who are you? You are not Shinzou."


    Keith called out to the imposter who was still far away from his group. Both Amelia and Adrian seemed to have realized that something was wrong with this situation.


    "Tsk, you realized what happened. I cannot believe you saw through my disguise so easily. And I even went as far as to try and perfect it. This world is not fair indeed."


    The man who had taken Shinzou''s form called out with a tired sigh before stepping forward. Shinzou''s face twisted before a familiar nk white face took its ce.


    Keith was somehow surprised and not surprised at the same time.


    "I knew someone would try to steal Mother''s pearl before the final round so I decided to practice being the security myself. Isn''t this great for us? Huh? What do you say?"


    The white-masked man asked as he held the mother''s pearl up in his hand.


    As Keith looked at that pearl, he could not see anything special about it. It looked just like a fake pink pearl which was the size of a divination ball.


    But he knew how much power that small sphere contained inside it.


    "As expected of the grandmaster. He saw through that man''s disguise but he waited to bust the man until we had some distance between us. How thoughtful."


    Once again, Amelia decided to make a big deal out of nothing. Keith had only just realized that something was wrong.


    Somehow, the white-faced figure realized what Keith was thinking and he let out a smallugh.


    "You have your subordinates fooled by your behavior. You are no ''grandmaster'' but an imposter. Should I expose the truth to the world now?"


    The masked man asked with a twisted expression on his face.


    For the first time, Keith could see a hint of cruelty on that nk face. But he was not scared of the imposter.


    "You call me an imposter. But the real imposter here is you. How dare you take on Shinzou''s persona to try and fool us all."


    Keith felt the rage burn inside his body. But he could also feel a foreign rage flowing into him.


    He knew that not all the emotions he was feeling belonged to him. Some were a result of the previous owner of his body.


    "You are amusing. Do you want to fight against me? Alright, thene and attack me. I will show you what real despair is about."


    The man called Keith to attack him. But Keith was not reckless. He had to prioritize getting the mother''s pearl back into his hands first.


    "Oh, you want this? Then catch. I have no use for this thing so you can have it."


    The white-masked man threw the mother''s pearl toward Keith and Amelia caught it with a startled expression.

 Chapter 205 205: The Masked Figure [Pt2]

    ?


    "Hey, what do you think you are doing? Do you have any idea how precious this thing is? What if you ended up damaging this mother''s pearl? Are you going to pay for it out of your pocket?"


    Amelia asked as she held the mother''s pearl close to her heart. She could feel it pulsing in her grip.


    But despite having the pearl in her grasp, something did not sit right with her. There was a feeling of unrest that she could not put behind her.


    "The elder''s pearl is an artifact and it will not break so easily. You just got spooked for no reason and are taking your anger out of me. That is not fair of you."


    The masked figure pouted when he spoke. Amelia, who had been oblivious until now, suddenly seemed to recognize this white-masked figure.


    "Y-Y-You are from the tournament. The over-looker who told us about all the rounds. What are you doing here?"


    Amelia asked the question in quick session. She wanted to know what this man was doing here.


    After all, she had not seen this man anywhere outside the tournament before. So naturally, she was spooked a little bit.


    Moreover, she could not sense any kind of powering from this man. And that made her even more nervous.


    She could not exin the reason she was facing such a diverse sense of uneasiness when she stood in front of this man.


    "Oh shit. Amelia, back down. This man is not human. He had divine powers and¡­"


    Adrian suddenly yelled but Amelia had no time to back away before she was struck by the masked man and went down.


    The mother''s pearl rolled out of her hand and the white-masked figure picked it up once more. His hands closed around the pearl and he observed the pearl.


    "I told her she did need to be careful with the pearl, right? See, there is not even a single scratch on its surface. Would you like to try and find out for yourself?"


    The masked man asked as he held the pearl out for Keith and Adrian to take.


    Keith wanted to take the pearl but his attention was split between the pearl and Amelia. He needed to find a way to save both.


    "Hey, I have an idea. I will go after Amelia while you go after the pearl. This way, we will be able to save both."


    Adrian''s n seemed to hold merit. Keith was ready to try it out once.


    "On the count of three. Three."


    Adrian''s counting sucked but Keith felt himself jerk forward and grab a hold of the pearl while Adrian grabbed Amelia and picked her up.


    The shite-masked figure did not look startled but he chose not to follow Keith and hispanions.


    "You will get to make your choice soon. Chose to go home and forget all about this ce. Only then would you be able to live a peaceful life?"


    The masked man whispered to Keith. But Keith felt his wordse in from one year and go out of the other.


    In simpler words, he was not interested in listening to what this masked man had to say to him.


    "Where should we go from here? This ce feels like a giant trap we need to escape from."


    Adrian admitted as he tightened his hold on Amelia. His face was flushed with sweat and his breath was heavy with exhaustion.


    It was clear that Adrian was having a tough time with wanting to go out but being unable to. This ce was like a maze, having connected caves and simr structures.


    "We should take this road. I have a feeling that it will lead us outside."


    Keith pointed toward a random direction, only to face the wall. Keith was embarrassed after that but his thick face did not show his expression.


    "Hmm, going this way would be a little difficult to do. I don''t have the power to cross walls after all."


    Adrian tried to be funny but his tone only came out as sarcastic.


    "Give me a moment. Get away from the wall."


    ir''s familiar voice spoke from behind the pair. They quickly parted, only for a fist toe flying and take the door down.


    There was no need to even ask what happened. ir stood in front of knocked down the door with her fists held at ready and the door knocked down.


    "Hump, this was easy enough. I guess I will not need to use my ultimate move over this."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    ir walked over to the pair in front of her with a calm expression. It showed nothing on her face but there was an uneasiness to her steps now.


    She looked injured but ir refused to show her difort on her face.


    "ir, are you alright? You look a little roughed out."


    Adrian asked ir, not even noticing the change in her appearance at first. But once he did, Adrian flinched and looked away.


    Keith had seen all kinds of people until now. He had even seen naked people so he was not as put off by the change in ir''s appearance. Her grown-by self did not look that different from her normal self anyway.


    "Stop staring at me. The only thing that changed with me was my age. I am still the same person you knew otherwise. If you do not stop staring at me, then I will be forced to take extreme measures with you."


    ir warned Adrian and he instantly looked away from her. He was not interested to get beaten up by ir anyway.


    As for Keith? Well, he could only look at ir with a surprised expression. He had not expected ir to grow up this fast.


    "I was originally like this. The only reason I took that childish body was because it was convenient for me to move around in. so don''t be so surprised."


    Somehow, Keith wanted to tell ir that he was not surprised. But he was not able to open his mouth in the end.


    ir punched the wall and it caved in. ir had easily opened the door toward an open world.


    "Let''s hurry up and go. I am getting a bad feeling from this ce."


    ir warned and Keith felt that bad feeling ovee his senses. He could feel the danger that this ce was emitting as well.


    "Let''s hurry up and leave."


    Keith ordered. He had only taken a few steps outside when he felt an unfamiliar presence standing behind him.


    "W-Where are you going, grandmaster? Did youe here to steal from me? Huh, I found you out."


    It was Lady Olivia. She was red-faced and panting when she came after Keith. He could also see how she wasgging.


    Master Shinzou was standing behind Lady Olivia with a calm expression. But he was ready to knock thedy out if she did anything out of the normal in front of him.


    "Lady Olivia, calm down. Are you trying to stand up against the grandmaster?"


    As expected, Master Shinzou, became a wall between Keith and Lady Olivia. But Lady Olivia seemed uninterested in listening to his words.


    "Shut up. I don''t care if my opponent is the grandmaster. I will not allow anyone to take away my hard-earned prize."


    Lady Olivia seemed to be going through a hard time. Her voice cracked when she yelled and her eyes shook when she looked at Keith.


    Somehow, Keith had a feeling that Lady Olivia''s obsession had some sinister intentions behind it.


    "Hard-earned prize? I thought that this pearl was a stolen item. How can you call it a prize?"


    Adrian asked with a confused expression. He also tightened his grip on Amelia and held her carefully.


    "Stolen? Ah, maybe it looks ''stolen'' in your eyes. But for me, it was an adventure. It was something I heard earned by carefully nning things out and finally seeding in bringing the pearl here. How can you call it a theft."


    Lady Olivia asked with quivering eyes. In all honesty, it was the theft she was describing. But she did not seem to think of it as the same.


    "Lookdy, you are either out of your mind or you are delusional. I would think you are a little bit of both right now. How about you take a calm breath and think over what you did now?"


    Lady Olivia looked even more pissed off than before. If anything, she looked ready to scratch Adrian until he died.


    "You will not understand my feelings¡­"


    "We don''t want to understand your feelings. How dare you steal from me? Do you not have fear for your life?"


    Keith suddenly spoke up and everyone turned toward him as one. Lady Olivia seemed taken aback, almost as if she had noticed his presence until now.


    "G-Grandmaster, are you here as well? I did not notice you at all."


    Lady Olivia stuttered as she stepped back. But then she became determined suddenly.

 Chapter 206 206: The End Of Lady Olivia

    ?


    Olivia was confident that she could take anyone from the guild if they came to challenge her. She had prepared quite well and she had even contacted a lot of people.


    Mother''s Pearl was supposed to change the world for her.


    But no matter how hard she had tried to harness the power of this mother''s pearl; it had refused to react to her powers. It behaved like a harmless and normal stone when she held it.


    So that was why she bated people with its power. She hoped that someone would be able to his her how to use this mother''s pearl and then she would be able to utilize its powers.


    Who knew that the grandmaster would end uping after her before that even happened?


    "Lady Olivia, you are a clever person. But you made the mistake of trying to fool me. And for that reason, you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions."


    If Olivia had enough consciousness left in her brain, she would have fallen to the ground and begged for mercy.


    But her body was frozen in shock and she tried to get her wits back.


    "I-I did what I had to gain your attention, grandmaster. You would not have looked my way otherwise."


    Lady Olivia tried to get the grandmaster to see her way. She told him the truth this time and hoped that he would understand.


    But the grandmaster only looked at Olivia like she was a bug and not worth his attention.


    "You wanted to gain my attention and that was why you decided to steal from me? It was a foolish effort on your part."


    "You see, I am not as good of a person as you all think I am. I do not take lightly my things being stolen."


    The grandmaster looked angry at what was happening.


    Everyone presents around him flinched when they heard his angry voice. They were all thinking the same thing - Lady Olivia messed up badly.


    "I-I never said you were a good person. B-But I am one of your guild master''s grandmasters. Please show me mercy for being loyal to you all this time."


    Master Olivia''s tone had changedpletely from the first time she had opened her mouth. She could not go against the grandmaster in words or actions.


    But the grandmaster did not bulge from his decision.


    "No, I have decided. You cannot be allowed to exist. Master Shinzou, kindly deals with Lady Olivia. I take back the status of her being a guild master."


    Those words shattered something inside Olivia. She had tried so hard to win the grandmaster over. She had gone as far as to tarnish her dignity and her values.


    And this was the result she got for all that? She could not ept this.


    "No, I will not sit back and watch you all destroy me like this. I would rather kill you all with my own hands."


    "You all thought that stealing the mother''s pearl was something I did on my own? Well, that is not true. My patron helped me out. And he also gave me the power to make anyone bend to my will.''


    Magic surged around Lady Olivier. She shined a familiar golden color and Keith could feel the divine magic blooming around her.


    Once again, the gods were involved in his world.


    He did not know why, but the gods were bing a bigger threat than they were supposed to be. The original work had not even hinted at the presence of gods beyond Veera.


    "She had too much divinity inside her. Olivia''s body will not be able to handle all that and she will end up falling."


    ir, the most knowledgeable about what was going on, quicklymented. She looked horrified to see ir unleashing her powers.


    "Hey, aren''t fallen gods bad news? We need to kill her before she bes fallen and traps us all into an agony-filled reality."


    Keith remembered his first encounter with a fallen god. It had been beyond fearful for him. Keith had not been able to move once he had fallen under their spell.


    A simr feeling of oppression filled his senses now. But unlike before, Keith was better at controlling his senses now. He also had the protection of divine magic to help him out.


    "Shinzou, get the sword out. I will hold her in ce while you attack."


    Keith knew that if he attacked Master Olivia now, he would make the whole building copse on top of his head.


    He did not care for anyone else''s safety but his own. He knew he would be unable to cast the barrier on himself in time.


    So, he had no choice but to rely on the Shinzou for the time being.


    "I am ready grandmaster. Please give me the signal when you want me to attack."<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Keith looked at the situation and then raised his hand. A barrier formed around Master Olivia and she tried to break it.


    But her divinity had not be stable yet so she was not able to harm Keith''s divine powers.


    "Wow, I knew that you were special. But this is something else. You can use divine power as well. But aren''t you human?"


    Adrian asked Keith. His voice was filled with awe and suspicion when he looked at Keith.


    Keith had no answer to give Adrian. But his party decided to inform Adrian of how ''great'' he was.


    "Grandmaster is a great person. He is special and you don''t need to look so impressed just because he can use divine power. You will understand how special the grandmaster is once you spend enough time with him."


    Hearing Amelia say that was a relief. It meant that Keith had at least one protagonist in his grasp.


    "Hmmm, if you say that then I will believe it for now. Hey, look out."


    Lady Olivia tried to break the barrier she was trapped in. Her nails scratched the invisible surface. But nothing happened.


    All she did was bang her hand harder against the invisible surface and injure herself.


    "Shinzou, do it now."


    Keith ordered and Master Shinzou took out the divine sword.


    If Master Shinzou had second thoughts about killing his colleague, he did not show it on his face. His sword went through Master Olivia''s chest and she let out onest scream before falling quiet forever.


    "May you have a peaceful rest. Think about what you did wrong and make the right decisions in the next life."


    Master Shinzou criticized the female on her deathbed. His eyes were cold and merciless when he turned around.


    "Grandmaster, what should we do with this ce? They just lost their master, so should we abandon this ce?"


    Keith had to think over this a little.


    He was well aware that the normal people of this ce had nothing to do with Master Olivia''s n. They had just been following her orders and nothing more.


    But at the same time, Keith could not risk being betrayed once more. He needed to eliminate any signs of betrayal and back-fighting he could see.


    "Master Shinzou, find a new master for this ce. This time, find someone who is loyal and would not betray me no matter what. They will take care of this ce."


    Keith was sure that it was supposed to be his responsibility to look after this branch until a new master had been chosen.


    But he was not going to do that for one simple reason - he was toozy and did not know anything about looking after this ce.


    "Grandmaster, if you don''t mind, give me this ce. I will still take care of all your paperwork. But I think I can help this ce recover."


    ir looked Keith in the eyes when she demanded this from him.


    For someone whoined about her work all the time, this was a surprising decision on ir''s part.


    But Keith found himself not to be worried about why ir was doing this. He trusted ir to not betray him.


    And whatever reason she wanted this ce for herself did not matter to Keith.


    "You want this ce? Then take it. It is of no use to me. Master Shinzou, help ir out with setting up this ce. I will check if there is anything else that is dangerous here."


    Keith wanted to see if there was another artifact, he could use to increase his power.


    He had used a lot of power but he still seemed to not be getting any better at controlling his powers.


    And this ce begged Keith to explore it. His instincts were telling him that there was a treasure buried inside this ce somewhere. He just needed to find it.


    "We all understand."


    Everyone left Keith alone. Everyone but Adrian left the room as well.


    And as soon as they were alone, Adrian turned toward Keith and raised his eyebrow.


    "You can drop your act now. I know who you are."

 Chapter 207 207: Back To My World

    ?


    Adrian''s words did not make sense to Keith at first.


    Or rather, they made too much sense to him. He was afraid that Adrian had seen something he should not have. And now that was going to bite Keith in the back.


    "I know you were that ck-haired man I met in the ally before. You were also the one who threw Veera at me. I know it all so you don''t need to put up a guard in front of me."


    Adrian assured Keith with a determined expression. Adrian looked like a saint who had figured out something important in his life.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I did not do you any favors."


    Keith quickly denied doing anything. He had maintained a perfect mask until now. He could not afford to break it and let his true self out now.


    "Hmm, if you are unable to tell me about your real self, then I will not ask you anymore. I know that people have the circumstances that bind them. Instead, I wanted to ask you - do you want to go home?"


    Keith jerked and instantly looked behind.


    The shadows in the room made Adrian''s face look darker. For a solid minute, Keith was sure that he had heard Adrian wrong.


    His desire to go back home was still strong. Bu Keith had been here in this world for too long. He had given up his desire to go home.


    Up until now, he had no way to even go home.


    But Adrian suddenly ignited his desires with his words.


    "I can go home? You are saying that there is a way for me to go home?"


    For the first time, Keith broke character. His indifference was reced with desperation and he quickly held Adrian''s hand.


    Adrian looked a little flushed after he got all that attention. He quickly looked away so that he did not have to face this hopeful look Keith was shooting him.


    "Well, there is a way for you to go home if you want to. That''s what Veera is saying. But she also said that you will not be able toe back."


    Keith paused a little bit at the news. Suddenly, he did not want to go back home as desperately as before.


    But still, he had to try heading back.


    The more he thought about his real-world self, the more Keith realized that he could not remember things about himself.


    But his instincts told him that he had been happy in his original life. And Keith wanted that life back for himself.


    "I don''t care if I cannote back here. What do I need to do to go home?"


    Adrian looked away from Keith and looked at the goddess. Veera had a determined expression on her face before she pointed toward the mother''s pearl.


    "She wants you to use the mother''s pearl and open a gateway to your world. Once you pass, anything rted to this world will be locked away in your memory."


    Keith gulped as he looked down at the pearl in his hand. It was hisst lifeline and one thing that was keeping him grounded.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    But he did not know how to use this pearl.


    As a result, he tried the one thing that had always worked for him. He sent his energy into the pearl and waited for it to respond.


    The pearl responded to him and Keith felt his body sucking up magic from his surroundings.


    "I will ask you onest time. You want to go back home, right? That is your wish?"


    Adrian looked sober and his voice was tense. But despite how he spoke, his eyes looked lonely. Keith felt sorry for leaving Adrian in such a tough situation.


    But he could not deal with this god-infested world any longer.


    "I am sure things will be alright. Even if I forget this world, it will be alright."


    Keith assured Adrian and he finally felt a door open inside him.


    It was a feeling like the one he had felt when he had been transported to this world. And finally, Keith was going back home.


    "Have a safe future and stress-free life."


    It was sad how Adrian was the only person there to bid Keith goodbye.


    The goddess of fate, Veera tried to touch Keith onest time. She wanted to pass on her blessing to him and prepare him for the new journey he was setting off on.


    But as soon as the goddess touched Keith, her magic reacted as well and she was sucked into his world as well.


    "Hey, what are you both doing? Veera, what did you¡­."


    Adrian realized toote that something was wrong. By then, Veera had been sucked into the portal with Keith and had disappeared from this world.


    On the other side of the portal, Keith stood on a sidewalk with people all around him. He could not remember what he had been doing.


    But he did feel as if there was a presence at his side which he was supposed to know about.


    And that presence was urging him to do something he did not want to do.


    Since Keith could not remember anything, he decided not to pay attention to what was going on around him and quickly make his way back to his daily life.


    He needed to report for work before he was fired. And he also needed to prepare a wedding gift for his friend.


    His weird feelings could wait for Keith to straighten his life out. He was too busy with his current lifestyle to pay attention to anything else.


    And oh well, even if he was not. Keith hated troublesome things the most. He did not want to venture into anything that could cause him trouble.


    The presence behind Keith tried to nag him into going in the opposite direction he was walking into. But Keith ignored it with a great deal of patience. He had no time for feelings since life was busy for him.


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