NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100: The Price of Secret
Vincent leaned back in his chair, legs stretched beneath the table. His face glowed with satisfaction after the meal, his stomach protruding like an added layer. The white outfit that had once displayed his impressive bearing now looked utterly ridiculous. Beside him, Seraphina and Iris sat rigidly upright, eyes locked on each other. Before them sat two bowls of steaming stew. They had remained motionless like this for an entire evening, and Vincent had been forced to give up and focus on his dinner. Madame Chen wore an expression of constant displeasure at the two girls' behavior. Her hands swelled with suppressed anger. Vincent was certain the violence usually reserved for him would soon be visited upon these two troublesome beauties.
When the atmosphere reached an almost unbearable tension, Vincent straightened his back, brows furrowing. The three women in the room simultaneously displayed similar expressions.
"My junior brother is truly a magnet for trouble," Vincent said. "Once he starts poking around, he strikes right at the heart without missing by an inch."
"This doesn't seem like a coincidence," Seraphina said.
"Don't state the obvious," Iris said disdainfully. "Vincent is just joking."
Seraphina was about to retort when Vincent's finger tapped against the table surface, making her stop. She shrank back, stealing glances at the young man in the white outfit.
"You two," Vincent said coldly, his gaze distant yet carrying a sharp edge, "seem to have grown spoiled under my care."
Madame Chen stepped forward, positioning herself protectively in front of the girls. Iris frowned, clearly annoyed.
"No need to be so tense, Mother." Vincent waved his hand. "I have no intention of harming them."
Vincent stood up. The swollen belly from moments before had already flattened. His physique returned to its previous bearing, only now carrying an ever-present threat.
"I asked if there was anything you needed to report," Vincent said, each word falling like blade cuts upon the two girls' ears. "And what is this? A teleportation array right within our territory? With no one knowing, no one aware?"
Seraphina raised her head, the fabric covering her face shifting as she prepared to speak. But beneath the table, Iris shot her a warning with one of her fake fingernails. With a small sound of frustration, Seraphina said nothing more.
Vincent saw everything. After all, his cultivation level remained the highest here.
His gaze swept down, scanning both of them until they unconsciously shrank back.
"You ladies may be busy, but don't forget the most important duty here. That is protecting Cascade Gardens. You must protect each other. Do you know what could happen from just such an array?"
No one answered. Seeing this, Madame Chen retreated, leaving everything for Vincent to handle.
The tension eased when Vincent exhaled softly and spoke gently.
"Answer me. I know you know what the answer is."
Iris shifted uncomfortably, speaking quietly, her voice maintaining its composure.
"Anyone with ill intentions would attack this place unexpectedly."
"And?" Vincent prompted.
"We would be kidnapped," Seraphina blurted out.
"Exactly." Vincent nodded. "You ladies are so beautiful that you should know how to protect yourselves. Don't rely on me forever. What if someday I'm not here beside you?"
"Vincent," Seraphina whispered. "You wouldn't abandon us, would you?"
Iris beside her also clenched her hands anxiously.
"Don't let yourselves repeat the mistakes I've made," Vincent said evasively, catching sight of Madame Chen's bodily shift from the corner of his eye. "That's all I wish. Everyone's safety. So forgive my harshness."
Then Vincent left the dining area.
"Where are you going?" Iris asked hurriedly.
"It seems my junior brother has stepped into a trap meant for you, Iris," Vincent said.
Hearing this, Iris froze. Connected to the changes in the casino's structure, it was indeed the disappeared room that Big Ben visited most frequently. She couldn't suppress a shudder.
"So I must go repay Nathan's favor," Vincent continued, smiling. "Time to complete the mission and bring him back. Unlike you ladies, I've never been careless."
Leaving the two girls red-faced with shame, Vincent departed through the door.
From a corner, Madame Chen's sigh still echoed in his ears.
Nathan rolled his eyes, looking around, discovering he had been brought to some kind of warehouse. Neat rows of shelving stretched along all four sides. Above them sat small boxes. Large metal containers occupied the room's corners. The entire space was only dimly lit.
Before him stood Big Ben. The others hadn't been brought along. Only the woman wearing the butterfly mask was present. He guessed this place wasn't something Big Ben wanted too many people to know about.
"Really Nathan Reed?" the woman asked.
"I'm certain of it," Big Ben said, still with his breathless voice. His legs, having stood for a while, had begun trembling, forcing him to use some device to hover above the ground.
Nathan said nothing. It wasn't that he didn't want to flee immediately, but he felt his mana stagnating within his body, very difficult to circulate. His Physical Cultivation remained usable normally, but acting rashly before two opponents whose levels he couldn't determine would be too dangerous.
The two continued conversing through PsiLink, so Nathan couldn't glean anything more. They clearly wanted to drag out time rather than engage with him directly.
"Someone wants to capture me?" Nathan spoke up. "Or are you afraid I'll reveal that Zetsy contains Demon Energy?"
Hearing this, both turned their heads toward the young man.
"No need to probe," the woman said instead of Big Ben. "Just stay put obediently. We are indeed curious but won't reveal anything."
"Is that so?" Nathan said. "Big Ben, is this your intention too? Don't you want to know what my secret is? Or are you not the one in charge, but this woman is?"
"Don't listen to his provocations," she told the fat man beside her.
With a sharp sound, the woman was slapped and sent flying across the floor. She didn't even cry out but scrambled to her feet, replacing her mask and approaching to kneel apologetically, her whole body trembling.
Big Ben flicked his hand dismissively, his small eyes showing clear hatred.
"Giving you permission to speak for me was already a privilege," Big Ben said, breathing heavily. "And you dare tell me what to do? Are you insane?"
"Forgive me," the woman stammered. "Please don't cut my Zetsy rations."
Big Ben spat a thick glob of saliva and sighed. "Annoying. Can never find a satisfactory subordinate."
Then he turned to focus intently on Nathan.
"Kid. Give me the device that converts nora. I'll put in a good word so they go easy on you."
"They?" Nathan frowned.
"Those who will come to take you." Big Ben placed his hand on his belly. "There's nothing to hide about this."
"Because I interfered with the affair at Emberwood?"
"So you really were the one who stopped it?"
Nathan stiffened, relying on [Aura of Calm] to avoid misspeaking. He didn't know if his opponent was being truthful or pretending. If Big Ben didn't know and Nathan confirmed it, he would only strengthen this captor's suspicions. But if he did know, then Nathan was just playing the fool while his opponent didn't care. What Big Ben needed was to deliver Nathan. In either situation, his answer wouldn't benefit him.
He shuddered at his opponent's carefulness. From interrogator, he had become interrogated.
Big Ben patted his belly, laughing aloud. "High vigilance there, young man. Let me be honest—I'm quite curious about what happened at Emberwood too. Those bastards' orders really made things difficult for me. You know, I only had a week to prepare everything."
"Didn't you already know through intelligence from some police contact?" Nathan asked.
"Only fragments. No one really knows what you did."
Nathan straightened, smiling, finally finding a gap to exploit. The passive skill [Aura of Calm] helped him avoid appearing too eager and exposing himself.
"What if I told you my secret? Would you sell it?"
"What I do with it is my business," Big Ben said. "What you should worry about is the people coming to take you away. Trust me! They're very cruel."
"You know what I learned from the Emberwood incident? Rushed plans always leave gaps."
Nathan was certain he saw movement in his opponent's eyes. A moment of alarm.
"I failed because of the thorough preparation of whatever force was behind Emberwood," Nathan continued, his voice heavy. "But you don't have time for such details. Yet details ensure no loose ends exist. And exactly as that woman said, you should keep your mouth shut."
Big Ben clenched his pudgy, sweaty hands. Nathan tilted his chin up at this action, displaying clear contempt.
"Let me guess," Nathan moved about, appearing thoughtful. "You suspected me from the moment I set foot on the floating pavilion. Your intelligence could come from police forces aware of my presence at Emberwood hours earlier. Actually, location doesn't matter much. The point is you suspected me, so you kept appearing before me. You even acted dismissive and boastful about my master to attract my attention. So I, driven by curiosity, sought you out. You still weren't completely certain when I revealed information about the Emberwood cult, so you invited me to try Zetsy. If I got too high to distinguish earth from sky, you would unmask me for verification. But if I remained clear-headed, even without complete certainty, you would still capture me. Tell me, after I've talked myself hoarse like this, am I right?"
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"Don't think everything revolves around you," Big Ben pushed himself higher in the air, shouting, saliva flying everywhere with his wheezing voice. "This trap wasn't meant for you at all, boy."
Nathan forced himself to remain calm, saying nothing more. He was trying to move mana to strike at nora. The stagnation inside made him genuinely uncomfortable. To increase his survival chances, he needed his greatest strength.
"So everything was just coincidence?" Nathan mocked after a moment. "You want me to think that? Or is it exactly as I said, but you think you're too clever and want me unable to discover it? That I'm a fool to boost your ego?"
"Argue however you want," Big Ben scoffed, waving his hand. "You knew but still dared enter?"
"Why not?" Nathan asked.
Big Ben pulled back his hand, no longer retorting. Nathan knew he had stirred his opponent's fear and curiosity.
"Tsk, tsk. You should shut up, Big Ben. Every time you open your mouth, information spills out."
"What do you mean?" Big Ben asked back, his mask trembling unsteadily.
"Initially I didn't know what this place contained, but even a fool could guess about those containers," Nathan pointed toward the cargo boxes. "Zetsy. Right?"
"So what? I'm not afraid of you knowing this."
"Oh, I know that." Nathan clapped his hands. "I know that. But I shouldn't have known that those behind you are guarding against you. They must be the real owners of this warehouse, which is why they can give you orders. However, your desire to know my information means your associates haven't revealed everything about me. But as an information broker, you want to know what's happening. To use it as leverage, sell it cheaply, or trade for something priceless."
Nathan could clearly see trembling from his opponent's hands. Sweat dripped in large drops.
"What do you mean? Don't you possess a device that converts nora?"
"Oh, not at all," Nathan said, his voice dropping to a whisper though confident his opponent could still hear. "My body converts nora. Because of my bloodline. You don't need to know its name because just this much is enough for me to turn the tables."
"Impossible!" Big Ben roared, his limbs flailing wildly as he flew back and forth. "You're lying to me! It's impossible for you to convert nora. If you were already a demon, you should be our ally."
"Yet I'm not, how terrible!" Nathan tilted his head with feigned regret. "You finally understand where the danger lies, don't you?"
"Damn it, shut up!" Big Ben roared.
Nathan spread both arms, laughing heartily.
"Information or secrets aren't always beneficial to possess. To hold onto them, you need sufficient power and position."
Big Ben had lost his composure, muttering angry complaints.
"If I hadn't known your associates guarded against you like this," Nathan said, "I wouldn't have known which way to turn. But you revealed it, and I've told you my secret. Guess what would happen if I told those 'partners' you know why I can use nora?"
Nathan stepped forward, making throwing motions toward a trash basket.
"Party. Gone. Beauties. Gone. Power. Gone. Money. Gone."
He now stood directly beneath Big Ben.
"Your life. Gone. All to keep a secret. Your leverage just swung you toward death."
Roaring, Big Ben plummeted from above, arms swinging. Despite his bulky frame, his speed was too fast for Nathan to react.
Triggered [Tingling Sense]. One credit given.
Triggered [Adrenaline Boost]. One credit given.
Triggered [Impact Distribution]. One credit given.
Triggered [Battle Trance]. One credit given.
He heard the clear crack of his Tier 3 armor breaking. Immediately after came a sensation of space inverting. When everything stopped, his entire body ached. He opened his eyes wide, seeing disturbances that looked like a blue dome appearing. The very barrier that was constraining his mana circulation speed.
"Kill you! I must kill you!" Big Ben clenched his fists tightly. "I'll say this was an accident. They can't blame me because you resisted. Rosa, attack him."
The woman in the butterfly mask leaped up from her seated position, small knives appearing in her hands. With several metallic sounds, they arranged themselves in a strange formation to attack Nathan.
He felt slowed when dodging the first knife. While frowning as the blade nearly carved a line across his skin, his speed returned.
Triggered [Battle Trance]. One credit given.
What the heck? he cursed silently.
From just this brief exchange, he understood the limitation his passive skill brought. Once the attacker changed, the full-body speed buff would disappear immediately, requiring reactivation with the new target. Like now, he moved fast enough to dodge and counter by striking the knife handles. The mana restriction prevented him from using his spatial ring to retrieve any weapons.
In a blink, [Battle Trance] vanished.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
Triggered [Flowing Strikes]. One credit given.
Triggered [Rebound]. One credit given.
Triggered [Impact Distribution]. One credit given.
Triggered [Counter Strike]. One credit given.
His fists struck Big Ben's bulging stomach, veins bulging on his skin. His legs were pushed backward. His entire arm throbbed with the desire to use [Counter Strike], blood spurting from excessive resistance.
[Counter Strike] triggered unsuccessfully. Reversing the process.
The discomfort from the conflicting state finally withdrew. Nathan was thrown backward, hitting the barrier's surface.
He fell down, hands bracing against the ground, coughing roughly. Clenching his fists, he began circulating reserve energy from food eaten earlier. [Digestive Efficiency] didn't just help him digest faster but created invisible containers for various nutrients, including separating different essences. Now, using them, he channeled essence into his body, pushing his Berserker state to 33% with [Anger Management's] assistance.
He simultaneously strengthened his Qi Armor since he didn't need to spend essence activating his Aspect. Roaring, he charged toward the woman.
The approaching knives triggered [Battle Trance], helping him move faster to the point of startling his opponent.
When close enough, his hands and feet unleashed a dazzling series of combination strikes. Throughout seven sleepless days, he had incorporated [Muscle Memory] into his combat formula. The improvement in strike speed became very apparent. Previously, despite possessing [Martial Arts Mastery], he still needed time to practice each combo the skill provided. Because each movement required shifting center of gravity, making muscle fibers adapt to each maneuver, or fine-tuning force output. With [Muscle Memory], everything needed only a short time to complete. From then, he could strike as if it were daily habit. Like a person walking without needing to consciously attend to every detail. Yet a single step required over 200 muscle and joint movements to facilitate each step.
Without mana, Nathan remained a monster in human guise. His assault intensity reached the point where the woman Rosa's mana barrier and armor shattered in moments. The spinning knives struggled to penetrate his body. He fell into a deadly rhythm, combining all his passive skills with Physical Cultivation to obstruct his opponent.
At this moment, Big Ben rejoined the fray. His lazy but effective attack method again sent Nathan flying backward.
Coughing up blood, he stood up looking around. Though brief, the fight had caused tremors in the barrier. Each of his punches and kicks created destructive shockwaves sufficient to seriously injure or kill an ordinary person. Combined, they were equivalent to a powerful enough strike. Most importantly was Big Ben's assistance. This bastard, by Nathan's assessment, was already Tier 3 Phase 1. His opponent's strength left no opening for counterattack. The woman fell within Tier 2 range, so he could still handle her with some ease.
"Damn it," Big Ben shouted. "You really are a cockroach. Beating you like that and you're still not dead? Fuck! Why do you keep making me exert more effort?"
Nathan shuddered when feeling his opponent's aura wash over him. Now not only mana faced obstruction, but blood also encountered barriers. This meant essence couldn't move freely.
Rosa no longer attacked directly but maintained distance from Nathan, only swinging her hand to send knives at him on command. Her hunched posture showed she feared him deeply enough to avoid any additional rash actions.
Unable to move, Nathan focused more on circulating mana. Now the white threads had nearly reached beneath the black hole. He didn't understand why he had to do this despite normally circulating nora. But he could only try.
With the current situation, if he didn't succeed, the danger would be enormous. His purpose was precisely to attack continuously, making the barrier loosen, thereby revealing information to the outside. Though unclear where he was, he believed there would still be someone's eyes and ears outside. If not Vincent, then the secret agents Alaric and Darkan had mentioned. At minimum, he could communicate through PsiLink. Just that would let him turn the tables.
Big Ben above glared down. Nathan could see a grayish tint mixed with flashing red. His entire body chilled under his opponent's oppression.
"Die!" Big Ben swung his hand forward. A series of liquid streams flew out from his body.
Squinting, Nathan saw it was golden gleams carrying a greasy smell. Disgust rose in his throat.
Fat.
Before his eyes was all fat—those gleaming streams that seemed like heated gold were actually something so revolting. It rushed toward him in waves.
Before being touched, Nathan used what little strength he had gathered at his toes to jump up. Thanks to [Amplifying Strike], he reached sufficient height. But that was all he could do.
When he fell, the fat streams rose like tendrils creeping from his feet, slowly dragging him down. He struggled desperately but couldn't create any effect. Both his body's energy circulation weakened and because of the array suppressing mana.
Finally he understood what level difference meant. He had tried activating full Berserker state but now couldn't manage it. Normally when encountering supressing effects like this, he could use essence or mana to resist—if lacking one, the other remained. Even at Tier 1, he could still somewhat manage. Now both methods were eliminated.
His spirit screamed, his gaze looking up at Big Ben. The enemy had withered into a gaunt figure, his body covered by loose, baggy clothing. His entire face had withdrawn behind the mask, no longer showing any protruding features.
"Troublesome brat," Big Ben said disdainfully, his voice much clearer now, no longer wheezing breathlessly. "You think you're strong enough? Don't assume killing one Tier 3 monster makes you arrogant. With just a little preparation, you're no different from fish on a cutting board."
The fat layer had crept up to Nathan's stomach. He felt the slippery stickiness clinging to his skin. Then they began hardening, contracting inward. Tremendous pressure was created, squeezing his body. Without Physical Cultivation, he would have been crushed long ago.
His breathing became intermittent, each inhalation difficult. He could maintain oxygen without breathing longer than normal people, but without mana's assistance, he would eventually die.
The fat layer advanced, wrapping around his chest. He heard each cracking sound, his own bones grinding together. His lungs ached when he tried to breathe. Slow blood circulation made him gradually lose consciousness. His brain was cut off from necessary energies.
"You truly are a strong Tier 2," Big Ben praised. "I really haven't met anyone as troublesome as you. Even at this point, you're still alive."
Nathan now lacked the breath to speak. His throat throbbed, struggling to inhale but finding no air. His eyes opened wide, glaring upward. They seemed ready to bulge from their sockets. The fat layer left only his head trembling frantically and one hand reaching up as if seeking escape.
When the fat layer flowed past his chin, reaching his nose, he stopped trying to breathe. His gaze didn't close, still staring fixedly upward.
Finally he was encased in a strange mixture of yellow fat, hardened solid. He looked like a fossil excavated after hundreds of thousands of years.
Waving his hand, Big Ben descended from midair. He laughed raucously.
"Finally finished! You thought I wouldn't dare kill you, you damn brat!"
"Congratulations on completing the task, sir." Rosa bowed deeply.
Big Ben whirled around, raising his hand to strike but then lowering it.
"I'll settle accounts with you later. You must think you're very clever? The clever one got controlled by me! So where's the cleverness? You're just like this damned kid, deserve to be crushed under my hands."
Big Ben breathed heavily, eyes glaring from Rosa to the human statue. Then he frowned.
"Do you sense any disturbance from spirit vision?" he asked Rosa.
Hearing this, the woman focused intently, then nodded.
Without losing a second, knives were launched toward Nathan.
At the same moment, from the fingertip pointing upward through the hardened shell, Nathan fired an energy beam.
White and black light mixed together, shooting out, piercing through the confining fat layer, flying straight toward the barrier.
Everything became like slow-motion film before Nathan's eyes. He moved his pupils, seeing the knife's gleam seeking his neck. It was wrapped in a sharp energy membrane. Without doubt, once it arrived, his head would separate from his body immediately.
His energy beam shook the barrier membrane. Nora and mana exploded to attack it. The disturbance occurred instantly. Nora, with its anti-mana reputation, made the barrier supplied by mana itself unstable.
The knife had nearly pierced the fat layer.
Suddenly he wondered if he would really end like this? In such an inglorious, shocking way? Without accomplishing anything significant? Dying uselessly?
His brain had gradually grown fuzzy from oxygen deprivation, but he wouldn't accept this. In his soul world, he roared.
The black hole spun faster. It drew mana to itself to strike nora.
In that instant, he directed that energy beam straight to his neck.
Clang!
The knife was blocked. Other blade points stabbed into parts of his body. But with a Physical Cultivator's muscles and bones, he could still endure.
Everything he struggled for became useless when Big Ben used his weapon. A club expanded and smashed down.
"Stop!" a voice called out.
In the space, suddenly a mass of trees sprouted from the ground, surrounding Nathan so that Big Ben's strike sent broken wood fragments flying everywhere.
Simultaneously, Big Ben and Rosa screamed, clutching their entire bodies and collapsing to the ground.
A white-robed figure emerged from a tree trunk that had been protecting Nathan. He waved his hand upward and mana-cutting blades severed all the fat layers. Tree branches gently caught Nathan, bringing him forward.
"Miss me?" Vincent grinned, asking.