Chapter 1663 (2/2)

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 322!

“Mr. Ghosthound?” The yellow-toothed humanoid said again, bringing Randidly back to the present.

Randidly flexed his hands and calmed his beating heart. What a strange feeling… to have so many memories of cutting these three to pieces. And after I struck in those parallel lives… nothing happened. There was no hidden ambush. It truly seems like they truly are here to talk…

Randidly kept a stern expression on his face as he addressed them, however. “How did you find me here?”

If he hadn’t completely rid himself of the bit of tracking Aether, he was lucky to still be alive.

The three Engraving Guild representatives exchanged glances. Finally, the middle one with yellow teeth cleared his throat. “Well… I suppose it’s not a secret. Other groups have been dispatched to places where it was believed you might go, too. The Leadership of the Engraving Guild is very interested in meeting with you, Mr. Ghosthound. We definitely want to resolve your misunderstanding with the Swacc Family. As for this particular location… some may not be able to sense it, but the Engraving Guild discovered traces of raw emotions with your scent on them originating from the shaft. Just in case, a team has been stationed here to contact you.”

Randidly’s expression soured further. Mostly he was annoyed at the greedy significance in the depths of this place that prevented him from just using his Philosopher's Key to teleport to the bottom so he was forced to walk into ‘trap’. But it was also useful to know that there were some others who were skilled enough with emotions to sense the touch of the Stillborn Phoenix.

The central figure spoke hurriedly. “Please, hear me out. The Engraving Guild holds a great deal of respect for your ability to manipulate Nether; it is very rare that we see someone so young and talented as yourself! And although I’m sure you’ve heard some explanations of the costs of joining our Nether Lattice, let me assure you that Neshamah Rex’s methods to form a Nether Core have powerful drawbacks that you won’t notice until it is too late. And if you agree to become part of the Nether Lattice… there are ways to move such a talented youngster quickly up the hierarchy.”

Randidly pressed his lips together to hide a smile. These two schools of creating false Nether Cores really have it out for each other… And both seem to assume that I received information on how to create a Nether Core from the other one… for now, that’s probably for the best.

Seeing that Randidly continued to listen, a flash of gleeful triumph emerged in the humanoid’s eyes. He began to speak quickly, unwilling to miss this moment that he perceived as a victory. “Let me make our case. If you request for a transfer from Military High Command to the Engraving Guild, we can help you avoid any undue scrutiny as a result of your envy-inducing recent accomplishments. In addition, the Engraving Guild has compiled the most extensive library of Nether Rituals in existence… even if you don’t choose to become a member of the Nether Lattice, you will still have access to the rich history of weapons that the Nether Horde has used to threaten the Nexus…! Your future accomplishments will be limitless.”

By the end of his pitch, the yellow-toothed humanoid had his mouth wide open in the approximation of a grin; he seemed to be having sympathy delusions about Randidly’s potential. Looking at the discolored, toothy lining around the orifice, Randidly just felt a strange sense of disgust. He cleared his throat likely. “I’ll think about your offer. But currently, I plan on spending some time training. Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen…”

While the humanoid was speaking, Randidly wasn’t idle; he had been carefully studying the Nether Ritual that the group had erected below him. With a single thought, he tugged at the edge of one particular Nether flow and the whole thing fell to pieces.

Randidly stepped off the cable and drifted serenely downward, leaving the three cowled humanoids goggling at his accomplishment. But as he suspected, he had only traveled about twenty meters when the leader shouted after him. “W-wait! Mr. Ghosthound! Be sure you think about it! You have more enemies than you know! We can protect you!”

You could learn a lot about sales pitches from Claudette, Randidly thought without bothering to respond to the representatives from the Engraving Guild. This group had stated that they would be handling the Swacc Family, but did that mean that the Swacc Family was totally willing to set aside its suspicions regarding him, or that other factions in the Engraving Guild were taking the lead by contacting him…?

But they probably aren’t wrong. I do have a lot of enemies.

Randidly allowed himself to continue falling for quite a long time. He went deeper and deeper into the shaft, the ambient Nether in the air steadily climbing around him. He broke past the thick 50% rind that parted almost unwillingly before him, letting Randidly down into that familiar area where the pull of the significance below became truly irresistible. However, with his own Nether Core, Randidly basically ignored this ‘gravity’ and continued proceeding deeper. He shot past the thick band that was densely populated by the porcelain guardians before they could lock onto his position.

It was only when he was floating above the familiar forms of Nether Gatekeepers that Randidly slowed and stabilized himself. He took a deep breath, looking around almost in wonder at the surroundings. The depths of the shaft were dark and misty. Thick gushing blasts of corrosive emotion eddied and flowed chaotically in the space, causing small twinkles of light that one could only see out of the corner of one’s eyes. A complex web was strung between certain groups amongst the Nether Beings, likely helping them support each other.

He spun slowly in the air. The walls were extremely distant as the shaft widened the deeper one went. But Randidly could see that the bone walls down here were dark and ancient. Without the restrictions of his Visage of Obsession, Randidly actually possessed his senses to appreciate the strangeness of the environment.

Randidly looked again down toward the meditating Nether Gatekeepers, who studiously ignored him in order to prevent their own descent into darkness. He wondered how much time they had experienced him, while he had left the shaft and come back. He didn’t recognize any of them, but he hadn’t studied them closely. Now, he wished he had.

I’ll get to them later. There’s a lot for me to do down here. But first… Randidly flipped his hand and produced the Hierarchy of Burden in one hand and the small black stylus in the other. It was time to test Seeker Thunder Wing’s information.