Chapter 89: Fifty Rank 2 Supernatural Guards, Windfall of Stats, Disgusting Secret
One of the abilities I could use in Shadow Assimilation was instant transfer between remote shadows as long as they were within 30 meters.
It allowed me to bypass the area where detection treasures were placed.
I appeared behind the area directly.
The underground area stretched ahead.
The place was larger than I had expected.
Multiple compartments branched out from the main corridors.
I moved quietly, sticking to shadows.
Some tunnels stretched for miles.
Their ends were too far to check now.
Vehicles came and went through these tunnels, as they passed the reinforced gates connecting the tunnels and the main underground area.
These vehicles carried gold ingots in stacked crates.
Others transported mana potions packed tightly in foam-lined boxes.
I counted the guards as I scouted. Most were Rank 2.
After a full sweep, I had my number.
’Fifty-three Rank 2 guards.’
’That’s absurd for a new hidden clan.’
This wasn’t something a new Hidden Clan could do on their own.
The invaders were backing Asterios, and his Dusk Hand Hidden Clan.
’Something is definitely wrong.’
’The invaders shouldn’t be giving Asterios and other traitors of humanity any supplies yet.’
I found Asterios in a private corridor.
Asterios Dukas.
He was....
’Rank 3.’
That was quite high.
His mage class had ranked up once already and looked ready to rank again soon.
’Facing him directly will be dangerous.’
But Assassins didn’t fight head-on anyway.
If someone asked me, I would say an assassin who had to fight his enemies was a failed assassin.
Only those who killed their targets while remaining hidden could call themselves an assassin.
I moved on.
There was something specific I was looking for before I tried to finish Asterios.
’I need to set up a plan to kill him.’
’Let’s see....’
’The lab should be somewhere here.’
The lab wasn’t hard to find.
The air smelled faintly metallic and sharp.
Inside, five alchemists worked over heated furnaces, pouring molten gold through glass funnels, mixing it with various liquids to draw out mana.
It was a crude alchemy method.
Most of the mana was lost in the process.
I preferred runic alchemy.
It was precise, efficient, and less destructive to the materials.
’Well, this way is better considering they are making mana potions.’
’Mana inside potions loses potency over time.’
’To mix mana into potions, and make sure the mana remains inside it for a long time, normal alchemy is more useful than runic alchemy.’
It was possible with runic alchemy too.
However, runic alchemy was hard, and it required a lot of knowledge to use it.
I doubted these people would know such a high level of runic alchemy needed for creating mana potions.
Once I confirmed the setup, I kept moving.
Every guard I passed had their shadow essence taken devoured by me.
By the time I finished, I had consumed the shadow essences of every Rank 2 here, including the guards upstairs in the mansion I stole from earlier.
My summons’ power surged.
...
Shadow Summon Stats:
Strength: 184 → 200
Dexterity: 79 → 118
Endurance: 163 → 183
...
’My shadow summon’s Strength stat hit the Rank 1 limit.’
Each stat had a cap of 200 at Rank 1.
’I need to push my other stats toward the limit too.’
’Then, I’ll get access to the Title Shop, and I’ll be able to buy Titles.’
Quite a few of the Titles awarded for reaching the stat limits were useful.
I opened my own status screen.
...
Strength: 46 (+73.6) → 46 (+80)
Dexterity: 66 (+31.6) → 66 (+47.2)
Endurance: 43 (+65.2) → 43 (+73.2)
...
Not bad.
I was about to move on when I noticed a heavily guarded section ahead.
The locked room had four guards stationed outside and multiple enchantments woven into its walls.
I bypassed it easily, jumping through the shadows inside.
’This should place should be—’
The words died before they rose.
I wasn’t in Asterios’ personal chamber.
This place wasn’t a treasure vault or a place where he meditated for breakthroughs.
It was a dark, damp room lined with cages.
Inside the cages were children.
Some had hooves. Some had horns. Others had long ears. Two small twins had wings folded tight against their backs.
My hands curled into fists.
’This bastard....’
So this was how Asterios was buying the invaders’ favor.
He was smuggling Rank 1 humans to them.
Vampires, dhampirs, winged humans, elves, taurus... they were all evolutionary pathways of the human species.
It wasn’t rare for children to be born at Rank 1 if both parents were high-ranked species.
And to the invaders, they were research material.
They studied the genetic code, tried to understand the triggers for evolution, and refined their own species’ advancement potions with the knowledge they could gain from other species.
’Fucking pieces of trash.’
One boy with long ears lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
His lips were cracked and dry.
The smell in here told me the cages doubled as the place to relieve themselves.
The hard and cold cages had no bedding either, just bare metal floors.
A horned boy passed his food through the bars to the winged twins, who were in the worst condition. They were the youngest, around five-years-old.
They hesitated upon seeing the food.
"I’m.... f-full...."
The horned body smiled, and told them to take his portion of food.
They took it and began devouring it hungrily.
The other children gulped.
My eyes remained fixed on the horned boy.
He looked the oldest here, maybe fifteen.
He was gaunt.
His ribs were sharp beneath his skin.
He had clearly been giving up his meals to other children for a long time.
’Haaah...’
I forced myself to remain calm.
Getting angry wouldn’t help them right now. Losing control of emotions here would do more harm than good.
’Don’t worry, kids.’
’This is the last night you’re stuck here.’
I left the room through the shadows.
’And I’ll make sure the bastard who put you here dies in a miserable way.’
I resumed scouting the rest of the underground base.
It wasn’t long before I found what I was looking for.
Asterios’ personal room
"Room" was an understatement.
It was practically a luxury apartment carved into the earth, split into sections that could rival a penthouse.
The living room was furnished in rich leather and glass. A sleek kitchen gleamed with polished counters and imported appliances. The bathroom was more like a spa with marble tiles, gold-trimmed mirrors, and a bathtub big enough to drown in.
His bedroom held a massive bed framed in dark wood and silken sheets.
’He is certainly enjoying the money he earns from his business.’
Even the entertainment room looked over the top.
It had three monitors mounted to the wall, a sound system that could blow your ears out, and shelves stacked with expensive liquor.
The vault caught my attention immediately.
It stood against the wall, and had thick steel reinforced with enchantments.
Inside it was my target.
Gold.
There were more items there. Neatly stacked gold bars, coins in cases, jewelry that probably had more history than some countries, and...
’Documents?’
I flipped through them quickly.
They had information about their smuggling routes, their transaction history, the places and organizations they purchased children from.
’These organizations.... I’ll need to check on them later to see if Carlotta’s brother is with someone among them.’