NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: Legendary!?
It wasn't strange for a master alchemist to appear at this kind of event, but this old guy always gave off this secretive, crazy vibe...
Last time he'd used a forbidden object to create his own clone just to help himself with research, then ended up stealing "his own" research results, pulling a total bridge-burning move. That kind of twisted behavior had already blown David's mind.
So he didn't plan on making contact with the master alchemist, and he didn't take a seat in the auction hall either.
He was here for a heist. What did the auction have to do with him?
When no one was looking, David quietly slipped into the passage behind the venue, then slowly descended underground along the stairs.
During this time, he saw some goods waiting to be auctioned—mostly creatures locked in cages, some even close to human-shaped... or just straight-up women with monster features!
You could imagine how perverted those buyers upstairs were...
No, this guild "manufacturing" these kinds of existences was itself a huge problem.
David looked at those synthetic beasts sleeping in cages, his expression darkening.
Just then, a warehouse guard carrying a lamp spotted David walking alone through the passage. "Hey! Who are you? If you're a guest, please return to the upper level. You can't come in here..."
David turned his head, his mouth curling into a vicious smile.
The guard's heart jumped. This was bad. But before he could even cry out, a pale arm grabbed him and dragged him into a small side room off the warehouse.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself tied up. That "guest" had a terrifying monster arm extending from his back, with sharp claws pressed against his throat.
"Tell me, where are all your guild's alchemists? Don't lie, don't resist, and don't try to shout, or I'll poke a few holes in you..."
...
By the time the auction was halfway through, David finally emerged from the small room.
He'd left several bloody holes in that warehouse guard—the consequence of not being honest.
In return, he'd gotten everything he wanted to know.
This warehouse guard had worked for the Monster Cage for over a decade and happened to know many of the guild's secrets.
David had asked in great detail: the three alchemists underground in the guild, the alchemists' assistants, the routes leading underground, the underground facilities holding important synthetic beasts...
He'd even learned a secret that made him absolutely furious.
Some of those synthetic beasts were actually fused with human souls!
This was why the "Monster Cage" guild's synthetic beasts were so popular—their synthetic beasts were more "obedient," more "understanding"...
...
Before the auction entered its second half, some nobles who'd already bought synthetic beasts started leaving. When they walked out from underground, they were surprised to find that Dark Valley town, usually lit up by lights, seemed much darker.
Black phantoms swept across the sky like a tide—silent, yet carrying bone-chilling cold.
Only then did people realize it was actually a dark tide sweeping across the continent...
At the same time, David underground in the guild also sensed the dark tide's arrival. The Sacred Watcher seemed able to see through the thick ceiling and glimpse those shadows sweeping across the sky above.
"A dark tide at a time like this? Tch, nothing good's gonna happen..."
He curled his lip, didn't think much of it, and continued focusing his gaze on the room beyond the door crack.
Inside the room sat a fat noble, along with one of his mission targets—the alchemist Camper.
"Sir, are you satisfied with this batch of synthetic beasts..." Camper, wearing a brass metal mask, asked with a shrill, strange laugh.
"Mm... so-so," the fat noble shifted his butt squeezed into the sofa and frowned. "It would be better if the souls you provided were more outstanding. Honestly, I don't like ones that are too docile."
Camper scratched at his temple with a finger. "What kind do you prefer?"
"Ones that'll resist, of course! Best if they have resilient, courageous spirits. That makes it fun to play with, hehe..." The fat man's eyebrows danced as he let out a lecherous laugh.
"Uh..." Camper thought for a moment, suddenly remembering something. "...We actually have exactly the kind of soul you're describing. It's a female soldier who survived the experiments..."
"A female soldier?" The fat man's eyes lit up.
"Yes, but in that case, we'll need to perform the soul fusion ritual again, and the cost..."
"I'll pay!" The fat man slapped his hand down, looking eager. "I'll pay you triple the auction price in gold! You prepare that ritual immediately, right now. I want to watch in person!"
"As you wish." Camper chuckled and ordered his subordinates to take the fat noble to an even deeper level.
Outside the door, David hid in the shadows. That noble had too many attendants with him, so it wasn't good to start a massacre immediately. He had to patiently continue hiding in the corner.
This dark tide became David's best ally. It amplified all darkness, completely concealing his figure in shadow.
After a good while, once the assistant also left, Camper in the room finally sat back in his chair and began excitedly counting his gold coins.
He didn't notice that the door that had just been closed had been silently opened again. When he looked up, a pale arm had grabbed his face.
SHING—! SPLURT—!
The blue claws cleanly cut Camper's throat. Blood sprayed, dyeing the gold coins on the table bright red.
David retracted his hand expressionlessly, unable to help sighing inwardly: I really am an elegant assassin...
Just then, the dead alchemist's chest suddenly lit up with a point of blue light.
WHIRRRR—!
A high-frequency humming spread out like some kind of signal, instantly activating things in the room!
CLACK CLACK—HISS—!
Gears grinding...
Metal colliding...
Steam compressing, furnace igniting...
Hearing this commotion, David's hair stood on end!
"Steam knight!?"
He remembered that sound way too well—it was practically one of his life's greatest traumas!
"How is this possible... this guy actually has a legendary creation nearby!!!"
BANG!
A hidden door in the bookcase on the side of the room burst open, and a humanoid metal construct charged out!
The glowing red eye on its helmet instantly locked onto David. Its arm shot out with a whoosh—a high-temperature thermal blade extending straight toward his face!
David's vision also locked onto his opponent. As usual, the Sacred Watcher couldn't see the opponent's health bar.
After learning his lesson last time, David decided not to give his opponent any chance to attack!
The Hand of Divine Corpse swung out. He didn't hesitate to consume 100,000 psychic energy and punched the construct's chest.
BOOM—!
Metal parts and scorching steam exploded throughout the room. The high-temperature metal liquid ignited the furniture inside. The shockwave even blasted the room's door to pieces...
David froze.
That metal construct had turned into a pile of scrap...
The instant the Hand of Divine Corpse launched, he'd already realized something was wrong—the opponent was too weak!
This strike was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito!
And he'd wasted 100,000 psychic energy!!!
David in the flames took a deep breath. He'd gotten PTSD from that metal collision sound. There weren't that many steam knights in the world...
Now this was just great. That one strike had completely ruined his secret operation. The people upstairs had definitely discovered something was wrong underground. He had to hurry up and not let the other alchemists escape!
David walked out of the burning room and, as expected, saw more enemies appearing in the corridor.
They were all metal creations, one construct after another. The moment they spotted David, they pounced.
The blue claws swung out, easily tearing apart the constructs' shells.
David was so pissed!
You weaklings! What legendary are you pretending to be!?