The Devil's Cage

The spiked club was made out of metal, and its handle was quite heavy.

Thumb-sized spikes filled the huge club’s body.

It gave out a vicious vibe under the sunlight, making anyone who laid eyes on it shiver.

[Name: Crushing Spiked Club]

[Type: Sharp Weapon (Heavy Arms)]

[Rarity: Magical]

[Attack: Strong]

[Attributes: Crushing Lvl1]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: Strength D, Sharp Weapon, Heavy Arms (Master)]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: If you want to use this metal spiked club, you need to have both the technique and the strength to wield it!]

...

[Crushing: Lvl1: Able to crush Light Armor (Weak or Common Defense), inflicts a certain level of Damage to Medium Armor (Strong Defense)]

...

Kieran wielded around the [Crushing Spiked Club] easily. Although he did not have the necessary technique, his strength alone was enough to produce a series of deafening sounds, which scared the mercenaries and bounty hunters around. They all shivered and turned pale.

Some of them, who harbored other intentions, started to get nervous.

The half-moon qi energy wave, the overlaying shadows of Kieran’s kicks, which could cover the sky, plus the casual wielding of the heavy spiked club made it clear to the mercenaries and bounty hunters that Kieran was not someone they could afford to challenge.

As a result, when Bill and Cass began the real test of the group, the numbers had dropped to half, making it easier for the two men to carry out their task.

In the end, only two candidates passed Bill and Cass’s test. They were the ones who specialized in sharp weapons and firearms.

One of them was one of the candidates Kieran had marked down, the redhead with the bob, who was a bounty hunter named Contly.

During the sharp weapons test with Bill, Contly hadn’t even picked up a weapon. She had gotten the upper hand against Bill with her bare fists.

Her shooting skills had made Cass fall so far behind that he had only been able to see the dust of Contly’s bullets.

From start till end, Contly had never placed down the heavy trunk on her back.

The other successful candidate was a middle-aged mercenary named Lorl.

He was not in Kieran’s suspect list, but he had performed exceedingly well in the sharp weapon test with Bill using only one arm. He had disarmed Bill with only two moves.

That was the main reason he had been chosen, even though his shooting skills were average.

Kieran led the two of them to Herbert’s garden and introduced them.

Herbert stood up with a light smile, welcoming the two new recruits to their bodyguard positions, "Contly the Bounty Hunter and Lorl the Mercenary! Good day to you both!"

The big guy following behind Herbert ingenuously looked at the new recruits curiously. When Kieran turned his eyes to him, he quickly shrunk behind Herbert, grabbing the edge of Herbert’s coat in fear.

Kieran frowned slightly and stood aside. His attention never wavered. Neither Conlty nor Lorl had earned his trust yet.

He could not afford to let his guard down before the [Sifting Through Bodyguards] Sub Mission was completed.

Bill and Cass, on the other hand, went to rest after asking Kieran’s permission.

The wagoner bodyguards had stayed up almost the whole night in alternating shifts and supervised the morning selecting process. Even though their constitutions were quite impressive, they were still mentally exhausted.

The two of them rested until the sky turned dark. The day guarding duties were assigned to Contly, Lorl and Kieran.

After the new recruits signed a somewhat scrumptious agreement and got a deposit from their salary, the two of them assumed their duties without a fuss.

They carried out their tasks remarkably until the sun set.

When the sky turned completely dark, Pierre and Cohen came back with a couple of horses, a wagon filled with supplies, and two hunting hounds.

The two hounds were tame and obedient in Pierre’s hands. As they walked around with their strong limbs and their ears held upright, listening to the surrounding sounds from time to time and showing their sharp fangs, it was clear that they were very reliable.

Kieran’s eyes shone when he saw them.

The hounds would increase their security level against a fearful enemy, even more so at night in the wild, if they put them on guarding duty.

If it wasn’t for his lack of corresponding skills and their hefty cost, Kieran wouldn’t have minded training a couple of hounds to help him.

He tried to show his friendliness to the dogs.

As a matter of fact, everyone in the compound other than Joanna and the cooking maid was quite fond of the canines, including the big ingenuous fellow.

The group surrounded the hounds and talked about them.

Harold brought the leftover meat from dinner and threw it to the dogs.

The two hounds looked excited and anxious, but they did not move towards the food until Pierre gave them the order. Then they threw themselves at the meat and gobbled it down.

"They’re really well-trained!" Kieran said in awe when he saw the hounds’ obedience.

"Godnar Hounds, the best partners of the legendary Neegor Dynasty soldiers! Their bodies had a special power that allowed them to fight even the fiercest lion. They were supposed to be famous battle hounds, but that’s just a myth! Professor Herbert believes it though, so he spent a fortune so Pierre could raise them! They are not as amazing as they were described to be, but no one can deny that they are the best hunting hounds and guard dogs!" Cohen explained.

"I bet you have some good news for me if you are able to describe the hounds with such excitement!" Kieran said jokingly.

"How do you know I’m not just trying to make up for not having any good news?" Cohen said with a bitter smile.

"No clues?" Kieran was shocked. Things had not gone as he’d expected.

The big fellow’s huge body would definitely attract attention wherever he went. Although there might be some ways to hide his presence for a short time, he couldn’t do that forever.

Unless the mastermind could hide the big fellow’s face, that was not possible.

Kieran instantly thought of something.

"Were there any accidents?" he asked.

"While I was asking around about the big guy, Mr. Pierre received an official letter from the Herl City Council. They are hoping that Professor Herbert can leave for the expedition immediately. The Herl City Council prepared sufficient weapons, supplies and horses right away."

Cohen emphasized the words "immediately" and "right away".

"If Professor Herbert doesn’t leave for Isogu City right away, the council will revoke its sponsorship and prosecute him! What does that big guy have to do with the council?"

The young lad looked at Kieran curiously.

"He has no relations to the council, but he has something to do with the monsters!"

Kieran looked at Herbert and Pierre, who were also looking at him.

The three of them stood up together and walked to the side to discuss things further.

"The Night Race really exists?" the scholar’s butler, maid and bodyguard asked with a puzzled expression.

"Of course! And they have stronger powers than we had imagined! The three recruits showed up here just in time while you were away talking to the council about the donation. I had some doubts earlier, but not anymore! The Night Race might even have some authority within the Herl City Council! The fact that they are rushing Herbert to leave proves that the mastermind who used the big fellow belongs to the Night Race! He is afraid that we will find more of his kind by following the vines to the melon!" Kieran said with a nod.

"So does that mean that we have to leave now?"

Pierre frowned slightly. He seemed unwilling to comply.

"That’s what it looks like, yes! Unless you can tell the Night Race apart from humans, which isn’t that hard. Don’t forget that the person you are investigating is someone with authority and an important position in society! If they really belong to the Night Race, it’ll be easier for us! If we mess up though, we will be in an awkward position. The Night Race could very well use the tide against us. They could use their authority to frame us for political assassination and put us behind bars! If the police can’t do it, what about the military?" Kieran asked with a shrug.

He was not concerned about a couple of flintlocks, but canons were a different story.

A couple of dozens of canons firing together could cause some massive damage. Even [Primus Arm] would be useless against such heavy firepower. If that happened, they would be blown to bits. Kieran could not think of any other outcome.

Herbert suddenly opened his mouth.

"But you said that the weapon that could beat the Night Race might be in Isogu City!"

"Yeah, but that was just a guess!" Kieran emphasized.

"Even if it’s just a guess, it’s enough for us to get moving! Let’s go! We don’t have much choice left! We need to prepare ourselves! I have a feeling the Night Race will not let us reach Isogu City safely!"

Then Herbert turned around and walked back. Kieran and Pierre exchanged a look before they followed him.

After about half an hour, a small convoy set out in the middle of the night.

Everyone was armed with weapons, scanning their surroundings vigilantly. Even the cooking maid was looking around.

Although Herbert had not told them all the details, the fact that they had left suddenly in the middle of the night meant that something had changed, and it was not for the better.

Everyone was anxious, and so was Kieran.

However, after a couple of dungeon runs, he was used to that kind of anxiety.

He had volunteered to be at the front of the convoy as a lookout. Since he lacked the corresponding skill, he was not riding a horse. Instead, he was moving on foot.

Kieran kept a 20-meter distance from the convoy behind him. That way, if anything happened, he could warn them and be able to help them.

The pitch-black night was giving out a suppressing vibe, even more so when the moon was blocked by a cloud, causing their surroundings to fall into total darkness.

Kieran suddenly halted as he was advancing forward.

The noise of the convoy traveling behind him had suddenly stopped. He could hear no horse gallops or wagon wheels.

Everything had disappeared.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

Blinded by the dark... Can’t you look around more before you say your team is missing? Kieran tsk tsk tsk