Devouring Dragon Heir-Chapter 26: Ch karl

Karl had just returned from his tiring mission in the ancient ruins, a demanding assignment that had pushed his limits.

He had been specifically assigned to snatch a mysterious treasure from the world-famous archaeologist, Dr. John Kenner, and bring it back to the organization he belonged to, namely the Demon’s Apostle Clan. .....{{read Chapter 8 again if you can’t relate}}

This cult operated in the shadows, its members bound by loyalty to a malevolent entity they referred to as the Demon God.

Before joining the cult, Karl had been a normal human, utterly unremarkable. He was frequently bullied for being weak, untalented, and lacking any special abilities.

That was until a few members from the cult approached him, observing his desperation and simmering resentment.

They promised to make him stronger, to grant him the power he craved, in exchange for his unwavering loyalty to the Demon God. Desperate and craving recognition, Karl accepted.

From that moment on, his life had taken a dark turn. He had been indoctrinated into the cult’s ways, undergoing gruelling training and performing increasingly heinous deeds.

He had risen through their brutal ranks, proving his worth through ruthlessness and efficiency, eventually becoming a formidable operative, equivalent in power to an A-rank hunter in the public sphere.

Killing, intimidation, and all other notorious deeds had become his daily routine, a grim testament to his transformation.

After his part of the mission was over, the treasure he had acquired was handed over to another cultist in a different city.

This was a standard protocol for high-value items; the treasure was to be carried by a different cultist in every city, breaking the chain of custody and making it incredibly difficult to trace.

The final leg of the journey involved the treasure being transported to the headquarters in the capital city.

Here, the operative with the code name "Ghost" had taken possession of the treasure, preparing to pass it on.

But something unexpected, something utterly unprecedented happened, Ghost disappeared with the treasure.

Chaos broke out among the upper echelons of the cult. The loss of such a vital artifact, combined with the inexplicable vanishing of a capable operative, sent ripples of fear and frustration through their secretive ranks.

The cult’s high priest, a figure of immense power and authority, personally summoned Karl.

The high priest, a gaunt man shrouded in dark robes, handed Karl a peculiar artifact called the Death Tracker. It was an S-ranked artifact, glowing faintly with an eerie, dark energy, and extremely precious, rarely seen outside the cult’s innermost sanctum.

Karl was genuinely surprised when he saw this. The treasure Ghost had been carrying must have been exceptionally important to warrant the deployment of such a powerful and valuable artifact, and to go through so many layers of protocol and security.

The Death Tracker, once near a dead body, could precisely trace the cause of death of that person, and even provide residual energy traces of the perpetrator.

A frantic search operation had been carried out by the cult secretly, using their extensive network and dark rituals.

The body of Ghost had been found near the entry of the sewer treatment plant, devoid of life with his eyes bulging out and injured.

Karl had been assigned to retrieve the treasure under any circumstances and to eliminate the person responsible for Ghost’s demise.

The high priest’s orders were absolute, brooking no failure. And hence, here he was, waiting in ambush.

He had meticulously identified the inn where the last known trace of Ghost’s energy had been detected, and within that inn, the specific room where Ghost’s killer was currently staying.

He had discreetly entered the room through an open window at the back, his own stealth skills considerable, and had then laid a subtle sound concealment array, ensuring that any struggle or noise within the room would not alert anyone outside.

He was now waiting in the upper wall shelf, a shadowy alcove near the ceiling, his body a coiled spring, ready to ambush the person as soon as they entered.

The air in the room was stale, a faint mustiness clinging to the furniture.

Karl could hear the distant sounds of the city, muted by the inn’s walls, but his focus remained entirely on the door. Minutes stretched into an uncomfortable silence.

Suddenly, Karl felt a faint shift in the air near the door, a subtle tremor that only an expert in concealment could detect. He felt a presence, faint but distinct, just outside.

Karl readied himself in the dark, his hand tightening around the hilt of his poisoned dagger. His muscles tensed, preparing for an explosive strike.

He took a shallow breath, holding it, his heart beating a steady, controlled rhythm.

The door handle turned slowly, almost imperceptibly, and then the door opened a mere crack. A silhouette entered the room, a dark form against the faint light from the hallway, before it quickly slipped inside and closed the door with a soft click.

The room was plunged back into near-total darkness. Karl’s senses were on high alert. He had been waiting for this moment. As soon as the door was securely closed, before the figure could even fully straighten, Karl launched himself out of the upper wall shelf.

He dropped silently, a dark blur descending from above, his sharp dagger aimed directly at the skull of the person below, ready to pierce straight through.

His attack was swift, silent, and precise, honed by countless assassinations. He expected no resistance, merely a lifeless thud.

But as he neared, just milliseconds from impact, something utterly unexpected happened.

White teeth, shaped into a glowing smile, became apparent with the shimmering moonlight filtering faintly through the window, an unnerving sight in the gloom.

Karl felt his senses tingle, a sudden, inexplicable sense of alarm. It was an instinctive warning, a jolt of primal fear, but it was already too late. His attack was already committed.

But as soon as the person was about to get hit by his descending dagger, their speed increased incredibly, far beyond what Karl could have anticipated.

The target blurred, then simply disappeared from Karl’s sight, leaving only an afterimage in the dark. The dagger met only empty air, its sharp point scraping harmlessly against the worn wooden floor where the target had stood moments before.

Karl landed silently, his momentum carrying him forward, his mind reeling from the impossible escape. He was now facing an opponent who could vanish.

***

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*** A few minutes ago ***

Klaus, after sensing the ambush from a cultist immediately activated the phantom veil fully from the previous partial veil.

He didn’t wait at the door. Instead, he carefully, silently, retreated down the short flight of stairs that led to the small, empty lobby area of his inn.

He needed space, and he needed a plan. He was sure that he had only partially hidden his aura while approaching the door, masking his identity from the cultist’s perspective.

He quickly started brainstorming, his mind racing through possibilities. He knew he was dealing with an assassin, given the ambush setup and the silent approach.

It was undeniable that in a closed room, fighting an assassin specialising in agility and likely darkness-based abilities would be like a death sentence for a front-line fighter like him.

He needed to turn the tables, to exploit his newfound advantage.

He assessed every skill he had, mentally sifting through his extensive list. He realised he required speed, a lot of speed, to be assured that he could dodge the initial and most powerful blow of the cultist.

Assassins always aimed for a swift, decisive kill, and that first strike would be the most dangerous. He had to avoid that at all costs. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

He needed speed, and he had only one choice that could provide an immediate burst of it. It was time for another lucky draw.

[System, initiate a normal draw and set parameters [agility] and [speed]] Klaus thought, his concentration absolute. He had some Draw Points left, and now was the time to use them.

The system’s familiar voice responded.

[Since the parameters ’speed’ and ’agility’ are non-complementary, only 20 DP will be deducted to set the parameters. Do you wish to do a Normal Draw for 30 DP?]

The system was efficient, highlighting the cost and the lack of much distinctiveness between the parameters, but Klaus didn’t care.

"Yes," Klaus confirmed immediately. He required this, and he required it fast.

[Ding!! Skill obtained: Flash Step (C)]

"Cool, show me the effects," Klaus requested, already anticipating its use.

[Flash Step (C) - Increases user’s speed by one rank above the current speed.]

[Host, in your case, you will gain speed equivalent to a B-ranked hunter.]

Klaus processed the information. B-rank speed was good, certainly better than his current C-rank equivalent, but against an assassin with unknown strength, specializing in speed, it might not be enough to guarantee a clean dodge of their initial, likely instantaneous attack.

He needed more. He needed to push this further, now.

"Not enough!" Klaus stated, his voice firm. He immediately followed up, "Open Fusion Panel."

The translucent interface materialised before him once more. Klaus, without hesitation, quickly dragged Swift Step (D) and his newly acquired Flash Step (C) into the input slots.

He knew that Swift Step increased movement speed to double the current, while Flash Step was an increased agility by a rank, improving his overall fluidity and control. There was a direct synergy there.

As the skills settled into their respective columns, the compatibility percentage appeared: 63%.

"Great," Klaus muttered, his eyes narrowing. 63% meant a two-rank increase from the higher of the two skills.

Since Flash Step was C-rank, a successful fusion at this compatibility would result in an A-rank skill. This was precisely what he needed.

"Now, fuse," Klaus spoke hastily. There was no time for contemplation or further analysis.

He had to kill the cultist as soon as possible, before the assassin could properly regroup or summon reinforcements. His life depended on this immediate power surge.

The air in the lobby seemed to thicken with anticipation. He was ready for the counter-attack.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at f(r)eew𝒆bnov𝒆l.com Only