The Devil's Cage

The moment the words left his mouth, Kieran instantly regretted asking.

Someone had warned him to beware of Lawless when he was acting all mysterious and secretive. Kieran would rather have kept quiet.

That same person had described Lawless as ‘more than just BS, someone who likes to act mysterious and secretive, especially when someone wants to ask question’.

As soon as Kieran uttered the question, Lawless took a step back and sucked hard on his cigar, waiting for Kieran to ask more.

That was a typical characteristic of a despicable person.

Kieran’s informant was Blacksmith. Kieran recalled the comments she had made about Lawless when they’d chatted.

He decided to take Blacksmith’s advice and ignore Lawless whenever he acted like that. Instead, he turned his attention back to the auction. His second [WK-22] was currently accepting bids.

After a mere two seconds, though...

"Are you for real, my friend? This is your att.i.tude when you ask about a secret? Where’s your pa.s.sionate spirit? You’re lucky we’re such good friends and stuff, so I’ll still share the secret with you, despite your cold att.i.tude! It’s the level! If you want to acquire an Advanced Skill in the dungeon, the skill level is the most important factor. You’ll need it to be at least at Master Level, and of course, the higher the better! Even if you acquire a related Skill Book, you’ll notice that it will require the skill level as a foundation!" Lawless spoke like a gatling gun, firing words non stop.

"Thank you, Blacksmith!" Kieran truly thanked her from the bottom of his heart. That particular moment, his grat.i.tude was off the charts.

He was glad that he had asked whether Blacksmith wanted those [Soul Shard]s. Blacksmith had repaid Kieran’s kindness and generosity with her advice.

Although she had no use for the [Soul Shard]s herself, she was grateful for Kieran’s friendly inquiry and she’d given him something in return.

"You are one lucky son of a gun! I think you can get the skills with your eyes closed. Your [Hand-to-Hand Combat], [Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)] and [Evading] are all Pro level, so once you’re able to branch out to the Advanced versions of the skills, it will be truly awesome!"

"But before that, you’ll need to choose carefully. The cost of skill advancement is nothing compared to common skill leveling!" Lawless kept talking, even though he was being ignored.

"Truth be told, I am also facing a shortage of Points and Skill Points!"

Kieran stopped ignoring Lawless when he heard that statement. He could use the advice of an experienced player after all.

"There’s always a shortage of them. Even Starbeck faces that problem sometimes, despite his wealth. For us lone wolves, though, the problem is even bigger!" Lawless sighed as he elaborated, describing his situation.

"Choosing the right skill is very important for leveling up. This is also why team players have an advantage over us lone wolves. All they need is to focus on one specific skill and grow that skill to the fullest. Us lone wolves, on the other hand, have too many things to consider. We need to cover all sides, because you never know what you’ll come across in a dungeon!"

"For example, you could have just killed a bunch of robbers, and then come across a spectre! Or you might think it’s a spectre, but it might actually be a werewolf! Such scenarios are too common in the dungeons. So common, actually, that I have to bring a whole bag of supplies every time I go into one!"

Lawless made the shape of his big bag with his finger to remind Kieran while he recalled his encounters in the past dungeons.

There was no need for Lawless to do that as Kieran’s memory of his huge backpack was still fresh. He understood what Lawless meant.

"How about developing your skills along a certain path and making up for the rest with equipment?" Kieran asked.

"Yeah, that’s the only option for us since our choices are limited," Lawless nodded.

"What if the equipment you are relying on is not strong enough, or the use of the equipment deviates from the Main Mission’s purpose?" Kieran asked, his brows furrowing.

"I’d give up! Although I’ve said before that one should fully explore the Sub Missions in every dungeon, we only have the one life! If the Main Mission fails, we could start again, but if we lose our life, then it’s really Game Over!" Lawless emphasized his words seriously.

Kieran’s brows were still furrowed as he nodded in agreement.

"If we run into a dungeon with a ton of Sub Missions, it wouldn’t be wrong for us to fail the Main Mission," Lawless continued as he saw Kieran nod.

He did his best to hide the unhappiness behind his words, but Kieran could easily make out his meaning.

Lawless sucked on his cigar, releasing a giant ring of smoke. Kieran could not come up with any words of comfort. He was in the same situation as Lawless after all.

While they talked, the auction for the remaining [WK-22] ended. It was sold for 4,000 Points and 2 Skill Points, not a maximum price, but an optimum one.

Kieran looked at his Points and Skill Points again.

[Points: 69,690; Skill Points: 22; Golden Skill Points: 1; Golden Attribute Point: 1]

That seemingly considerable amount of Points and Skill Points was barely enough for him to make ends meet.

Even if Kieran followed Lawless’ advice, the outcome would still be the same.

After all, top quality equipment was always priced really high. It might even cost Kieran more than he estimated.

Kieran believed n.o.bian’s earlier words about the Broker. No matter how bad his intentions might be, he would never lie in front of Lawless.

At the thought of Broker, the young man that had given him a mysterious, dangerous feeling, Kieran frowned again.

He started to doubt whether attending the secret bazaar had been the right decision or not.

He had met an unpredictable young man, Monian the Broker, and n.o.bian, another player with secret ill intentions.

Although Kieran did not know what their end game was, he knew that his strong powers and his vigilant mind would be his sword and s.h.i.+eld against any future danger.

If he could exploit his equipment’s potential to its fullest though, that would also serve as an upgrade for his growth.

"I need a skill that will raise my Spirit attribute. Any recommendations?" Kieran asked Lawless as he calmed down.

The [Half-Dead’s Gaze] was one of Kieran’s most prized pieces of equipment besides [Primus Arm].

"Recommendations for a skill that can raise your Spirit attribute? Sorry, no can do. Not even Broker could help you with that. As far as I know, there is no such Skill Book in the game yet!"

Lawless looked at Kieran with a doubtful expression as he shrugged.

"None?" Kieran looked back at Lawless with an even more doubtful expression.

"But there should be at least some skill or equipment that has Spirit as a prerequisite, right?" Kieran asked. It was an almost natural reaction to his previous question.

"Of course there is, but that kind of equipment and skills are too powerful and strange. They’re only meant for players who have a high Spirit Rank by nature. Those players are known as the Chosen Ones. Although it might sound ludicrous, their strength and power is something to be reckoned with. They only need one suitable skill or piece of equipment, and suddenly they’re the player everybody wants on their team! I still remember…"

Lawless kept talking, but Kieran was not paying attention to him anymore.

Naturally gifted high Spirit players were known as the Chosen Ones.

Out of instinct, Kieran looked at his character window and attribute column.

[Spirit: E]

[Knights of Dawn Body Tempering Art]

If that was the case, then…

If he combined his naturally strong Spirit with a skill that could raise his Spirit attribute, what would Kieran be known as?

An enhanced version of the Chosen Ones?

A Higher Chosen One?