After listening to what Joey said, their faces turned from one of fear to one of greed. They turned around back to me and stared at my silver-coloured arm which they presume is the top-class artefact. Of course they aren’t mistaken, but they are dead wrong if they that they have even the slightest chance of acquiring it from me.

Since Eva can read minds, I don’t have any qualms killing these idiots who dare to even think about arrogating something that belongs to me and leaving one barely alive. It’s just too bad that they decided to attack and steal from someone that’s a few levels stronger than them.

“Rob this guy of all his possessions, and then we’ll live lavishly and freely for the rest of our lives! I’ll protect you all, so don’t worry about him and go on a full-out offence!” (Joey)

The other three slave traders roared out in determination, as they rush forward with no regards in defence, focusing their all in attacking. The slave trader known as Joey moved closely behind them, holding up his twin daggers while keeping a safe distance away.

So, he intends to use his subordinates as a shield and then attacking me after I leave an opening? How despicable, right after he said things like that to rouse up their greed, only to use them as sacrificial material.

Very well then, I’ll play along and show you what it means to despair in the face of overwhelming power!

The trio courageously charge forward, but a simple horizontal swing of my axe dispatched all of them, swinging at a speed they cannot even perceive. Without even the chance to blink, their top halves of the body smashed onto the soil and blood splattered everywhere from the remaining bottom half, collapsing to the ground as well.

“I GOT YOU NOW!” (Joey)

Not missing this chance, Joey instantly leapt forward, and with extreme precision, sliced at my neck artery and instantly jumped towards my back and away from me. After that he turned around, looking at my direction while snickering evilly.

“My twin daggers are coated with deadly venom of a Lava Snake. Within mere moments, the venom will cause your blood to boil, causing you to die from internal burning! But don’t worry; I’ll take good care of your items after you- huh? What’s going on?” (Joey)

Not only what he just said didn’t happen, but I simply turn around and stared straight at him like nothing ever happened. A look of astonishment and fear now resides on his face, which is strangely fun to look at.

“That’s…that’s impossible! I definitely sliced you on the neck; you’re supposed to be dead by now!” (Joey)

“True enough, you did a good job aiming for my neck. However, what makes you think that you’ll be able to cut my skin with that blunt dagger of yours?” (Gideon)

I point at the area where he tried to cut with me with my finger; there was no even a single scratch on it, not even the tiniest scrap of skin was cut.

“Now, it’s just you and me. No more human meat shields for you to block my attacks with.” (Gideon)

“Stay back you…stay back, I say!” (Joey)

Joey tried to move backwards, but his leg turned to jelly and he collapsed on the ground, scrambling away in fear in all fours. With a single leap, I landed softly right next to him and grabbed him on the neck with almost enough force to break it singlehandedly.

“Please…spare me…” (Joey)

It didn’t take more than a few seconds before he started croaking in mercy. He even drops the daggers he was holding in a heartbeat, signifying his surrender. I wasn’t just about to let go, not until Eva manages to get the information that I want.

(I’ve got it, master! The location of their hideout is indeed quite obscure; without anyone leading you there, you’ll probably never find that location.) (Eva)

“Is it really that hard to find?” (Gideon)

(It’s camouflaged quite well so unless you know the exact location and actively search for it, you’ll probably never find it.) (Eva)

A precise chop to the neck knocks Joey out. Though he is quite the scumbag and I have no qualms killing people like him, I do not want to dirty Eva with his blood.

“So, where do we go next?” (Gideon)

(Hmm, I’m not sure how to put it in words…oh, I know!) (Eva)

A strip of silver with an arrowhead-shaped end extends out of my silver arm, and points to the east.

“That’s convenient.” (Gideon)

—-

Under Eva’s direction, I walked deeper into the forest and further up the mountain. Eventually I arrived at a steep slope that’s covered with plenty of bushes, trees and hanging vines.

“We’ve walked past here probably quite a few times during these past few days, though I wouldn’t have expected an entrance concealed in this area.” (Gideon)

(True. This place is camouflaged very naturally.) (Eva)

Within one part of the bushes, there is an extremely well hidden entrance into the slope. If you didn’t know it beforehand, no one will be able to see through the concealment. Nevertheless, I simply push aside the bushes and step right into the entrance. The entire mountain cavern is extremely hollow and large. To my surprise, there is no ceiling, hence allowing light to filter through to the very bottom of the hideout. This must be one of the highest points of the mountain that I’m currently at.

Other than the slaves that are kept within cages, there seems to be no one else around guarding or supervising this area. They must be really confident with the concealment of their base to leave it absolutely empty like this.

“Well, since there isn’t anyone guarding this place, I might as well that a look and see if there’s anyone that can be useful to me.” (Gideon)

(Master, aren’t you going to release them all?) (Eva)

“Release them? Then what, help them down the mountain and guide them through their entire lives as well? I can’t help them all, Eva; I’m no [Hero]. I’ll simply release the one that I find the most useful, and hopefully he or she is obedient enough to listen to my orders. I can’t afford to help every last one of them.” (Gideon)

(As expected of my master, you really have thought things through.) (Eva)

I simply opened the first cage I got to, and within the cage lays a female that doesn’t look a day over twenty years old. To be precise, it’s a beautiful, blonde haired female. She doesn’t seem to have been assaulted in any way, but her eyes are soulless; her mouth slightly opened, without any facial expression. She didn’t show any awareness of my arrival nor my break-in.

(Master, I think she’s under some kind of mental spell, and it took away her free-will.)

“Can you break the spell?”

(Do you really think I am some kind of magical do-it-all? Even I can’t do everything, you know?)

“But aren’t you called the [Orb of Desire]? Surely getting rid of a spell of such a magnitude shouldn’t be of any trouble?” (Gideon)

(Well…yes but every desire I make real will cost you a part more of your remaining lifespan-)

“Never mind what I just said. Oh wait, I have something that may be of use…” (Gideon)
I dug into my pouch and took out the Monzae leaves that the old man passed to me, prior to leaving my village and heading towards Papyrus Town. I crushed a few of them and poured it straight into her mouth, along with a mouthful of water from my water sack. It’s not exactly how the old man taught me to do, but it would have to do. After all, there isn’t any convenient source of water, and I don’t want to mix my water with the herbs.

After a short period of time, she began to stir and her eyes brightened up with life. After realizing that there’s an unfamiliar face looking right at her, she squeals and pushes me to one side, while scampering away to a corner of the cage with a fearful expression.

“A…Are you a buyer?! No, I won’t let this happen to me; I’ll rather die than be defiled by the likes of you, you hear me?”

Well, isn’t this awkward. I just saved her and she’s now hiding in a corner, without listening to my explanation and jumping to conclusions.
(Master you pervert. I thought better of you…) (Gideon)

{Oh shush it, Eva.} (Gideon)
“Don’t worry, I mean no harm. All I want is some information. How many of them slave traders are there in total?” (Gideon)

“There are ten people altogether in this hideout, including their leader. Why do you ask? Who are you?” (Blonde Woman)

Including Joey, I’ve got rid of nine of them. That means either Joey is their leader, or there is another stronger guy out there who will come back anytime soon. Regardless, it doesn’t really matter; I can take on anybody one-on-one.

“I’m just an ordinary passer-by.” (Gideon)

“Wait! Please, help me release the rest of the slaves! Aren’t you here to help us?” (Blonde Woman)

As I walked out of the cage to search for a suitable slave candidate, the woman ran forward and grabbed my wrist. I promptly shook off her hand and gave her a cold stare.

“I’m not a [Hero]. If you wish to rescue them, do so yourself; I’m only here to find a suitable slave for me.” (Gideon)

Not waiting for her response, I stepped right out of the cage. Shortly after, she clicked her tongue and stomped out and proceeded to free the other slaves.

(Master, you can try the cage at the very end of the cavern, furthest from the entrance. I can feel a strong presence there.) (Eva)

“Excellent. I hope that’s what I’m searching for.” (Gideon)

As I walk toward the far end, the blonde woman has already unlocked a few of the cages one by one, releasing its occupiers. Most of them are humans, but there are a few elves and dwarves as well, both of which are inhabitants of the human continent. This shipment of slaves must have been heading towards the demon continent.

I walked to the cage which Eva had pointed me to and the being locked in within gave me a shock. It is actually a green, short haired female Mystic, out of all things. Mystics look almost exactly like human, but the way she was dressed up proves otherwise. Wearing a rather stylish pink double-tailed coat, white shirt and a long black shirt; she’s definitely a Mystic.

—-
Mystics are near-immortal beings with about 500 years of lifespan on average. Most of them only die by battles or [Absorption] by other Mystics.

[Absorption] is a unique skill only available to Mystics. By killing their prey, they get stronger through absorbing part of their souls. The prey can be anyone – humans, monster or demons.

Mystics have a very unique growth; within fifteen years of their life, they will have reached their maximum possible growth. This will never improve after that, no matter how much they train their bodies to improve their strength, stamina or magic. However, at that point most of them will be stronger than any average trained human.

The only way for them to break through that limit is to absorb a prey which is suitable for their body, to put it in a way. By doing so, the Mystic will be able to break through their initial limitations and grow even stronger. The stronger the prey, the higher the chance of an [Absorption] occurring after killing it.

However, the chance of [Absorption] decreases with every successful attempt.

Another effect of [Absorption] is that you’ll gain a special skill, and mastery over the particular skill. For example, by synchronizing with a Dragon, you’ll gain the skill [Fire Breath], with would allow the Mystic to breath fire.

Most Mystics will have undergone their first [Absorption], but almost none will be able to accomplish their second.

The current Mystic leader, Vergil, has absorbed three different beings. One would have to guess how strong he is, as no other Mystic has dared to challenge him to a fight after his third [Absorption].
—-

Ah, a female Mystic…this is bad. All of the possible demons to catch as a slave, they actually caught a female Mystic? If not treated probably, this can end up as an all-out war from the Mystic Clan…

Mystics are always born male. The only female Mystics are those who are blooded by the leader of the Mystics to become his wife and procreate more Mystics.

Therefore, over here, I have a female Mystic that’s most definitely a wife of Vergil which is kidnapped by humans. Thankfully, by being near-immortal Mystics are less sensitive to time and Vergil probably will not notice her disappearance for a while. If they separate for too long and he finds out the root cause of it, the human lands will definitely burn.

Surprisingly, she’s very calm and is simply reading a book while lying down on her cage. When she noticed my presence, she simply turned her head towards me and tilted her head to one side when she can’t recognise me, presumably thinking that I’m one of the slave traders.

“Just in case you’re wondering, I’m not a slave trader.” (Gideon)

“Oh, I see.” (Green-haired Mystic)

That is all she said, before turning her head back to read her book. I simply stood there stunned; I mean, is she really a captured slave-to-be? She looks more like a passenger, but travelling in a cage instead. Though, she seems depressed and downcast.

“First off, what’s your name?” (Gideon)

“I’m Asellus, fifteenth consort of the Mystics leader Vergil.” (Asellus)

(The fifteenth consort? Wow, that guy must have a lot of vitality in him.) (Eva)

Calm down there, Eva. No dirty jokes, please; not now, at least.

“It’s rude to just stare at a lady like that, after she introduced herself. Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” (Asellus)

“Ah, that’s right. My name is Gideon.” (Gideon)

“Gideon…I’ll remember that.” (Asellus)

“Asellus, are you trapped inside this cage against your will? Do you require help in getting out?” (Gideon)

“Don’t bother; it’s pointless after all…I tried to escape from Vergil’s castle, but in the end I am still captured so easily and now being transported back to Vergil…unless you can defeat all of the slave traders, otherwise please don’t give me any hope.” (Asellus)

“Actually, I have wiped out most of them already.” (Gideon)

Her eyes, that was dull and sullen suddenly brightened with life. She instantly closed the book she’s reading and jumped towards the bars of the cage.

“Are you being serious? You defeated the slave traders? Then, can you destroy this enchanted bracelet? This thing here restraints my powers and I can’t use any of my abilities.” (Asellus)

I tore open the cage doors and let her free. Then, once she steps out of the cage, I inspected the bracelet. It is a simple, metal bracelet but tough enough to prevent it from being destroyed by the wearer, especially when it restraints the power of the wearer.

“I can release you from this easily, but there is a condition.” (Gideon)

“What is your condition?” (Asellus)

“Help me into the demon continent and assist me in my revenge plot. I’m going to hunt down Del’thrush, one of the [Six Pillars].” (Gideon)

“So, you are also…In case you didn’t notice, I’m trying to escape from the demon continent! Unless…” (Asellus)

“Unless what?” (Gideon)

“Unless…you can help with kill Vergil. The reason I want to head to the human continent is to find help, and you look strong. Help with overthrow Vergil, and I’m yours to command. After all, I need to avenge my parents; he killed them in cold blood, and kidnapped me to be his bride.” (Asellus)

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Author : Kiribou

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