Chapter 6: Unexpected Events
Alford—an abandoned noble recruited by the district lord—now served as the blade of the president of the Black Skull Company.
He had taken on the owl mask of the Nightcrawler division, a group of trained assassins with the blessing of the God Of Darkness that guarded the company business and executed upon command.
This morning, he had received a mission to capture a junkie who stole a Dwarf-grade knife from a merchant and then ran off.
Such behavior was unacceptable, so he immediately tracks that old man down in that alleyway.
He was expected to find the old man right there but then someone else caught his eyes.
A youth with a troubling face turns his head left and right, like checking something before he runs away.
He assumed the youth had somehow become a beggar; though it was not his business, he was planning to kick him out.
But at that moment his eyes landed on the pale youth's face.
His mind went blank.
He didn’t understand it.
The beggar’s existence alone ignited something primal inside him. A violent, suffocating hatred surged through his veins, drowning out reason.
The act of spotting the knife was merely an excuse for him to act for the information was that the target was a half-naked old man.
Before he knew it, he was planning to kill this beggar by stabbing him with his own knife when the beggar muttered out his division and company.
Only then did his clarity snap back into place.
He realized that he is acting unlike himself and unbefitting of a Nightcrawler.
He stared at the unconscious youth in silence, then clicked his tongue in irritation.
The stench coming off the man was overwhelming—a strange, acrid scent that even overwhelmed the smell of trash nearby.
And this urge to kill was unlike him; he obeyed only his master’s will and would not create unnecessary troubles because of emotion.
Yet with each second, he finds it harder and harder to keep himself composed, like the man in front of him is the murderer of his entire bloodline—a nemesis that could not coexist beneath the same sky.
“C-Could this be an ability?"
That’s impossible for a beggar to have but he might be someone who belongs to…
“No, snap out of it!”
He realized that he was being delusional, probably due to the strange scent and the stress he was bearing.
His work has been tense lately due to the constant surveillance of the knight orders who are hellbent on finding a mad cultist.
Even the Divine Knight himself comes down here, forcing even the underground lords to cooperate.
After a week of searching, the primary target was finally executed but rumors claimed some knights remained, cleansing criminal nests one by one.
It was simply a rumor, but he feels uneasy at the thought that the Divine Knight might be here.
In this world, the Divine Knight is someone who possesses a threat equivalent to the entire royal military, a god in the suit of man worthy of the title “Divine”!
So, it must be him venting his frustration and fear on this beggar and that action disappoints him greatly.
It’s clear that he is still unworthy to be a member of the Night Crawlers.
He must reflect upon this incident and learn to compose himself better!
Alford made up his thoughts before he looked at the beggar again.
Rage surged within his mind, but he forced himself to calm down before grabbing the collar of the beggar.
“I would have left you free if you weren't a beggar digging for trash; now you will be committed to a greater destiny than right now."
Alford slowly dragged him while chuckling to himself.
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He doesn't want anyone to see his mistake after all.
*****
…What the.
Everything has turned dark all of a sudden.
No, I am being blindfolded. what’s going on? I remember healing my wound and—
‘Right, the Nightcrawler.’
Thankfully, seeing how I am still breathing, it seems that I’m still alive.
Right now, I am blindfolded, tied up and feel like I’m being dragged to somewhere.
But I still feel relief that the assassin didn’t kill me.
“It was honestly a stroke of luck."
The Nightcrawlers were infamous—ruthless, disciplined, and obedient only to the district lord. At least, that was what people whispered in the Centaur District, where the Black Skull Company ruled from the shadows.
To get new specimens and material for his sick desire, Solrick used his family wealth to purchase them from The Black Skull Company so he heard few rumors of it and sometimes was even investigated by the Nightcrawler.
Luckily, Solrick was aware of it and made sure to avoid their eyes.
But then, I could hear the conversation from above me.
“Is this the drug addict that killed one of our agents?"
“No, just a beggar wandering around the hood.”
So, they were searching for that bastard, but they found me instead and mistook me for a beggar?
Sure, my clothes looked like a patchwork of rags better suited for scrubbing floors and I smelled of filth but that didn’t dictate I’m a beggar…right?
Okay, maybe I look even worse for a beggar.
Solrick usually wears luxurious clothing, but he sells it all for his ascension ritual, leaving him with only these clothes to wear.
But in the end, the reason why I was beat up and caught in the first place was because of that old man.
To think that the lunatic could mess with me even after death.
“Why send him here and not send him to the surgical room?”
“His body’s a mess. And he reeks of something that makes people… agitated. Besides, that thing grows stronger when it eats humans. Just dump him there.”
"Ah, that’s why I almost tried to kill him!”
My body trembled slightly when the woman upon spoke about killing him so casually but then he noticed something else.
That thing?
“We should go now; that thing is about to wake up.”
Wait, wait, I know your goddamn boss. wait.
That’s what I would try to scream out, but thinking about it, even if I’m wrong, they would just leave me here.
‘First, let’s see where exactly I am.’
I lowered my head toward my feet and tried to use my feet to pull out a blindfold.
After trying while inwardly feeling awkward, I managed to get it off me but the sight of what was before me caught me off guard.
“Ah, shit.”
A pile of bones is stacked right in front of me; some belong to creatures like rats, deer, horse and some unknown beast, but among them is a human skull.
Along with it is the foul smell of rotten flesh, enough for my eyes to water and make me gag.
I was momentarily shocked before taking a look around me.
Walls made out of stone that seemed like they were recently made, as they were rough and uneven.
At the ceiling a massive opening had been cut into the ceiling with iron bars crossed over it in a heavy lattice.
A dim blue light poured through the gaps, barely enough for me to see the entire room.
“Is this place a little too big?"
At first, I thought it was a prison, but I doubt a place this big would be used to keep prisoners, so the only thing that comes to mind is…
A cage for something.
A low, heavy vibration rippled through the chamber and then from the dark shadows where I can’t see through, two massive yellow slit-pupiled eyes appeared.
It looked around before it spotted me.
When our eyes met, I immediately closed my eyes and went limp, trying to play dead.
“…”
“…”
As I tried to take a peek, the eyes were still watching me silently without making a sound, though its eyes showed some sort of amusement.
“Ah, there seems to be no way out now."
I cursed within my breath, stroke of luck, my ass; this is hell here, there’s no such thing as luck here.
Still, I refused to die like this!
I channeled all my strength to get out of the restraint biding me but to no avail; this body was too weak for someone with a blessing.
I then use [Thought Manipulation] but-
[You have failed to activate the ability due to the curse.]
"S-Arghhh."
I tried to scream in frustration but bit down on the scream halfway through, fearing that it might have triggered the creature.
I breathe heavily while waiting for the ability to recharge but even after the ability is available again, I hesitate to use it.
Something is bothering me.
"If you want to eat me, then do so already!”
“…”
Come to think of it, why hasn’t it eaten me yet?
There has been enough time for it to walk down here and eat me.
From the sight of the bone tower, it should be able to reach here and eat me, right?
Maybe it wants me to struggle futilely, or maybe it’s pitying me; I have no idea.
"Smell…Strange…Poison."
“…”
My heart skipped.
This thing can talk? What even is this creature…
“Right, I should use [Eye Of Truth] on it.”
I should develop a habit of using the ability since the encounter of that assassin.
"..."
Looking at the message before I diverted my eyes on the creature in front of me, I think that I might have look it wrong.
||Status Window ||
Shamanic Potaria
Age: 35
Race: Dragon
Blessing: None
Rank 0
HP: 53%
Status: Fatigue, Hunger, Growth Restricted
Overall stats: (444) Excellent
Strength: 100; Defense: 124; Stamina: 94; Speed: 40; MP: 54; Mental Strength: 32
Abilities:
[Little Blessing], [Dragon’s Heart], [Earthen Scale], [Quaking Breath]
“…”
“…”
I blinked multiple times, trying to clean my eyes since my hands were restricted.
There should be some mistakes, right?
Of all the things I could run into, I encounter a dragon while being tied down and unable to move freely.
Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?
How did I encounter one in just one day?
Now all hope is lost.
Even without being tied down, though, I doubt I could last a second against this thing.
But the silence continues; the dragon just looks at me, seemingly curious about my existence.
“Hmmm?”
Maybe this thing isn't as hostile as the book said?
Or could it be that my meat is unappetizing because of the curse I have?
“Since I’m out of options, I might as well give it a try."
I don’t know if it’s because I have gone desperate or mad from the situation, but I crept out a smile and spoke to it.
“Hi there."
