The Devil's Cage

The smile on his face pushed his wrinkles up, yet it didn’t look ugly. Instead, it gave him a merciful look.

That, in combination with his kind gaze and fitting clothes, made the elder man look like a kind elder.

Kieran was looking at him vigilantly though. From what he could sense, the elderly man had appeared out of nowhere. In other words, Kieran could only sense the man whenever the man himself wanted him to.

That alone was enough for Kieran to be even more careful.

"I am Rosland Landsky. I have no ill intent in meeting you here. I came to plead for my proud and arrogant, yet inferior granddaughter. I hope you could forgive her."

The elderly man walked forward with a slight bow.

"Granddaughter? Tally Landsky?" Kieran was shocked, but he quickly came back to his senses.

He hadn’t expected this. When the elderly man had appeared, he had thought that this was Landsky’s killing move.

The man’s entrance was very threatening after all.

Kieran was looking at him in suspicion.

"That’s right, that granddaughter of mine always gives me a headache."

The elderly man smiled bitterly as he nodded.

"Although she was taught from someone from the mystical realm, the environment she grew up in condemned her to never truly understand the mystics. I wished that she would train on the West Coast and be able to blend in, but she did not understand my intentions…"

His bitter smile was getting serious as he explained, but Kieran was not moved by his words.

He was unsure whether the elderly man was telling the truth.

Rosland Landsky’s age granted him much more experience in things, and that kind of experience was more than enough to excel at certain parts of life.

At acting, for instance. Kieran knew this very well. He needed to test Rosland with a method that would benefit him.

"If I say no?" he replied right away.

"If you do not agree, I’ll take Tally far away from the West Coast and never set foot on this land again," Rosland said.

"If I say yes?" Kieran asked.

"If you agree, I’ll abide by the mystic rules and compensate you with a sufficient amount for Tally’s mistake, including but not limited to helping you deal with the East Coast mystics and the Shepherd of Death!" Rosland said seriously.

Kieran was overwhelmed by his words. It seemed like Rosland was more sincere than he had expected.

The East Coast mystics and the Shepherd of Death were not some common thugs.

If what Rosland had said was honest, then it proved that he was really there to make amends. Kieran could not just believe a stranger’s word though.

Three years ago in real life, he had trusted a stranger and bought a "special remedy". As a result, he had been cheated out of all his savings. Ever since that incident, he had learned how to deal with strangers.

"So in your opinion, I am more difficult to deal with than the East Coast mystics and the Shepherds? The Shepherds had quite the name back in the day! I don’t know much about the East Coast mystics, but I bet they are not some common John Does either. You are willing to help me deal with them just for my forgiveness? No matter how I look at it, it’s unbelievable..." Kieran said slowly.

"Unbelievable? I think you do not understand the potential in your body! You are the King that her Highness Nikorei spoke about in her prophecy. Kings are not struck down by obstacles. They overcome them and become stronger from each loss in order to truly ascend to their rightful throne! I do not wish to be under your merciless blade at that very moment, or vanquish before your advancing path! Truth be told, considering your name now, all you’d need to do is say the word and all the West Coast mystics would gather under your wing and pave a path for you without a single word of complaint. You are the one her Highness spoke about in her prophecy after all!"

Rosland bowed again as he elaborated, but not to Kieran this time. Instead, he bowed to the s.p.a.ce beside him, as if he was praying to an invisible G.o.d.

"Her Highness Nikorei?" Kieran drew a deep breath. This was the first time he had heard someone address Nikorei in that manner.

He knew what it meant when someone was called "her Highness" in the dungeon world. It was the highest honor among the G.o.ds. Only the Queen of G.o.ds was addressed like that.

If a person held such a t.i.tle…

Kieran suddenly realized he knew almost nothing about Nikorei. He also understood how to correctly clear the third time difficulty Special Dungeon now. He would use the t.i.tle of Nikorei’s prophecy like Rosland had said and gather enough manpower to clear the Main Mission easily.

This was not what Kieran wanted though. He did not just want to clear the Main Mission. He also wanted to discover more Sub Missions to improve his rating. Only then would he be able to acquire more Special Dungeons, which did not count towards his dungeon entry number.

Kieran would not mind entering [The Shaman’s Partner III] after [The Shaman’s Partner II]. He wanted to know how many times a Special Dungeon could expand. Was it perhaps infinite times as long as the ratings were met?

Kieran was intrigued by the secret rules of the underground game.

Of course, he had to solve the problem at hand first.

He lifted his head, looking at Rosland, who was waiting for a reply. His face still looked anxious.

"Can I ask you something? Why would Tally do all these things under your supervision? Don’t tell me you realized it after she had already done everything!"

Kieran sounded and looked curious, but he was actually probing for more information.

"A fabricated a.s.signment distracted me. By the time I realized that I had been lied to, everything had gone south! Fortunately, there is still time for salvation! If you are still reluctant to trust me, then please follow me. You can judge with your own eyes and ears whether you should take my word for it!"

Rosland opened the door, leading Kieran out with a polite gesture.

Kieran squinted and scanned Rosland, who looked very respectful.

After he made sure there were no threats around, he walked out with big steps.

Kieran followed Rosland, heading towards a secret room.