The Devil's Cage

Broker answered as soon as he read Kieran’s reply.

...

Monien: It’s quite easy actually.

Monien: All you and Lawless need to do is reach the place where those men are holding Coll.

2567: Coll is not in some player’s room?

Monien: Of course not.

...

Kieran frowned. The answer he had gotten was quite different than what he had anticipated.

If Kieran had been the kidnapper and wanted to keep the hostage safe, he would have chosen his own player lobby.

Unless...

"The killers want to lure us to that place!" Kieran suddenly thought.

That thought made sense, as the killers were not holding Coll in a player’s room, but they had still sent over a screenshot.

There was a high chance that Kieran and Lawless would get ambushed at Coll’s location.

"Black Hell Banning must not have been that close to the person who took Coll, or that Shadow Strike player, who belonged to another group. Broker also mentioned that one of their leaders is interested in me and Lawless, so the killer organization might be big, but there must be different factions within it as well! The bounty on me and Lawless was open to all killers, but the different factions competed against each other because of their different choices!"

Kieran’s mind spun quickly as he managed to answer some of his questions. Before he could catch a breath though, new doubts popped up again.

Broker’s source of information was too accurate. Broker might even have had one of his men infiltrate the killer organization as a double agent!

As Lawless and Zorl pretended to chat, Kieran texted back Broker to get more information on the subject without asking straightforwardly for it.

...

2567: R u sure?

Monien: Of course!

Monien: Otherwise, I would not be looking for you and Lawless!

Monien: I have sound information that one of their leaders is really interested in you two.

Monien: I think this is an opportunity for me to strike back at them.

Monien: It will also be an opportunity for you and Lawless.

Monien: You aren’t thinking about facing those crazy killers, who are ready to throw their lives away, are you?

...

Kieran did not reply right away, but he could not deny that Broker’s words made some sense.

Of course Kieran did not wish to face those crazy killers alone, but this was no reason for him to agree to Monien’s proposal.

Kieran still had his doubts about the "sound information" Monien was speaking of, but he was not going to ask directly. He knew that Broker would not answer any important questions, so he would need to confirm it via other channels, which would take more time.

...

2567: Lawless and I need to think about it.

Monien: That will not be a problem.

Monien: We still have sufficient time. There’s at least 7 hours to go till it’s optimal time for you to make your move.

Monien: You’ll have plenty of time to think about it. Lawless too.

Monien: So about those Rare pieces of equipment... What do you want to trade them for?

...

"Seven hours? Such precise timing? The more Monien tries to hide things, the more he exposes himself. Or did he really send one of his men to infiltrate the killer organization?" Kieran thought. He was in awe of Broker’s efficiency.

Meanwhile, when the topic took a sharp turn, he passed the lead back to Lawless.

Kieran believed that Lawless was much better at dealing in trade than a newbie like him.

Lawless did not disappoint him. He immediately demanded an exorbitant price from Broker.

...

Lawless: Alchemy, Potionology, Astrology, Research of Mystical Beings, 4 Skill Books in total.

Monien: ...

(The Broker instantly went silent as Lawless opened his mouth wide. After a few seconds, he replied.)

Monien: Are you joking?

Monien: Do you know how much Alchemy and Potionology are worth?

(Even though Broker was typing, Kieran could imagine how angry he had to be at being fooled around by Lawless.)

(Kieran understood. Both Potionology and Alchemy would be enough for Broker to use as leverage to control other players. Of course he was angry.)

(Kieran knew what he had to do though. He watched Lawless argue with Monien quietly from the side.)

Lawless: Do u know how much that Rare equipment bundle is worth?

Lawless: Ur secret bazaar auction has only had 2 Rare pieces of equipment before, right?

Lawless: And each of them was sold for at least 100,000 Points, right?

Monien: This is different!

Monien: You don’t know how many things I’ve sacrificed for that particular auction!

Lawless: It’s the same to me!

Lawless: I only saw how much u earned from that auction. As for your sacrifices?

Lawless: If you consider showing off with your eloquence sacrifice, then yeah, U REALLY SACRIFICED SOMETHING!

Monien: You’ll never understand the art of speech!

Lawless: I only understand how much people will pay for a Rare equipment bundle!

Monien: ...

(The Broker did not argue about that, but he replied quickly.)

Monien: Potionology and Alchemy are currently out of stock.

Monien: I don’t have Research of Mystical Beings or Astrology either.

Lawless: So what do you have?

Monien: Potion and Alchemy prescriptions!

Monien: These prescriptions are quite expensive. If you want to trade for them, you’ll need to reimburse me with some Points and Skill Points. I will accept other forms of payment as well.

...

It was Lawless’ turn to go silent.

The reason Potionology and Alchemy were so popular among players was because of their inseparable relationship with prescriptions that allowed players to craft all sorts of potions and enchant all sorts of equipment.

Only with prescriptions could Potionology and Alchemy be effective.

Otherwise, they were just useless skills. Lawless knew very well that Broker was an unscrupulous businessman. He would not just trade off those prescriptions easily.

It would definitely cost them a hefty sum of Points and Skill Points.

As for other forms of payment, other than a team contract, Lawless could not think of anything else.

Such a decision involved the fundamental elements of a player. Kieran might treat Lawless as a friend, but it was still not his right to make that decision.

Lawless passed the lead back to Kieran, and Kieran replied straightforwardly.

...

2567: I don’t need prescriptions.

2567: If u don’t have any of the mentioned Skill Books, then I want equipment or Skill Books of the same value.

Monien: Such as?

...

Broker’s surprise was transferred perfectly through the words he typed.

Even Lawless was looking at Kieran with a shocked expression, but Kieran was cool as ice.

Without prescriptions, Alchemy and Potionology were just useless skills, but for the time being, Kieran needed useless skills.

He needed [Potionology], [Alchemy], [Astrology] and [Research of Mystical Beings] as a base for upgrading [Mystical Knowledge] to a higher level.

That was his short-term goal.

Besides, he was not short on [Potionology] prescriptions.

Broker was shocked by Kieran’s choice, but he did not refuse. From his perspective, prescriptions were much more valuable than equipment or Skill Books.

If they were in the hands of a Potionologist or Alchemist, they were like a hen that laid golden eggs.

Broker replied straightforwardly.

...

Monien: What kind of equipment or Skill Books do you seek?

2567: I’m mastering kicking combat. What do you say?

Monien: I see... Hold on a moment please.

......

After a while, a screenshot of an orange Skill Book and a pair of boots of the same color were sent over to Kieran’s mailbox.