The Devil's Cage

The partially visible human figure appeared slowly, and suddenly the light of a muzzle flashed before him.

The odd noise echoed around the small alleyway. It was a handgun with a silencer on it.

Larry heard the noise as he was getting in the passenger seat, and he quickly ducked and hid under the dashboard, realizing that it was a gun firing.

Even though the car was not bulletproof, it was better than taking a bullet.

Larry saw Kieran dodge the gunner before he vanished from his sight.

He had no idea where he had gone, but he knew Kieran would not just abandon him and ran away.

The continuous gunshots proved as much.

Both the car’s headlights were shot off. Other than the occasional muzzle flashing and the shooter’s malicious gaze in between the flashes, the alleyway was completely dark.

It was pitch black when the guns stopped firing, and Larry, who had been cowering down, got up again to check the situation.

He moved his head outside the car window, but it was too dark, so he could not make anything out.

As Larry was carefully scanning the alley, a hard metal sound came from the front of the car’s hood.

Two metal weapons clashed together, igniting a spark and producing a dim light in the dark alleyway.

Suddenly, Larry’s eyes widened. That weak, dim light was enough for him to make out the person fighting with Kieran.

That sharp, long blade and that face haunted him in his dreams. It was Kailuark the Executioner.

Larry instinctively wanted to scream, but before his voice could escape his mouth, he covered his lips with his hand.

He did not want to distract Kieran with his scream. He knew it would eventually cause him trouble, so he just covered his mouth and looked straight ahead.

However, Kieran and the Executioner had once again disappeared in the darkness, the same way they had appeared.

The two of them were like ghosts, and the darkness made an astonishment beyond words rise in Larry’s heart.

Kieran was on par with the Executioner? Even though Larry had witnessed Kieran’s peculiar strength that day, it had been nothing compared to that particular moment. Larry was in shock, but he had now confirmed his earlier guess.

A reporter? What kind of reporter could fight as well as Kailuark the Executioner?

Everything had been a cover-up. Kieran’s existence was similar to the Executioner’s.

"Who is he? Judging by Kieran’s age… There’s no missing person or confirmed death within these three years. His face is like a stranger’s and he’s using a dagger, able to appear and disappear like a ghost, just like Kailuark…"

Larry started to search his memories for any information, and he quickly came up with an identity.

"There’s only one! The Shadow Stinger! Kieran is the Shadow Stinger! Only the Shadow Stinger could fight the Executioner!"

Larry was shivering in excitement with his own theory about Kieran’s identity.

The Shadow Stinger was another urban legend in the city, one that was on the same level as the Executioner.

Obviously, Larry was wrong. Not just about Kieran’s identity, but about his abilities being on the same level as the Executioner’s, too.

Kieran, who was one with the shadows at the moment, raised his dagger in an offensive stance. The darkness before him could not stop his eyes, so everything was revealed to him. He saw the spark and the wound created by the dagger, along with a line of red.

The Executioner was hurt.

Kieran had been sure about the attacker’s identity when Kailuark had pulled out the long blade that Larry had mentioned. At the same time, this had also confirmed Kieran’s previous speculations. Kailuark the Executioner’s abilities had been exaggerated.

After exchanging a couple hits with Kailuark, Kieran was sure that his Strength and Agility were E+ Rank, marginally better than ordinary men’s, and his [Undercover] and [Firearm Weapon (Light Weapon)] were at Master Level.

That was all Kailuark had. Even the long blade he was wielding was just swinging with brute force. His technique was crude and rough, a Basic or Entry Level Skill at best. That might have been enough to beat ordinary men, but he was not as good as Larry had claimed. At least not compared to Kieran’s strength.

Kieran’s Strength and Agility exceeded Kailuark’s stats by at least two to three ranks, and his [Undercover] and [Firearm Weapon (Light Weapon)] were two levels higher than his.

Plus, through Kieran’s powerful Intuition, Kailuark’s actions had all been revealed to him, so the battle’s outcome had been determined from the moment the Executioner had appeared.

To an ordinary man, he would have been nothing but a pitch black shadow, but Kieran was no ordinary native. He could see the twisted space and bright shadows before his eyes. Kailuark had been like an ostrich sticking its head underground, exposing the rest of its body to its enemy.

Finally, Kieran made his move. He was like a shadow moving through the darkness silently as he appeared beside Kailuark, his dagger flashing by his side.

Blood gushed out from Kailuark’s neck.

[Slicing: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 200 Damage to Target’s HP, (100 Sharp Weapon (Dagger) (Master) X2), Target Dies…]

As the notification popped up, Kailuark’s body fell to the ground.

Avoiding the splashing blood, Kieran bent down and searched for loot.

[Name: MI-02]

[Type: Firearm]

[Rarity: Great]

[Attack: Normal]

[Magazines: 7 Rounds]

[Attributes: Silence lvl 1]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)(Entry)]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: This handgun is equipped with a silencer, but don’t expect dead silence from it!]

…..

[Silence Lvl 1: Able to suppress gunshots to a certain extent.]

…..

[Name: Alloy Blade]

[Type: Sharp Weapon]

[Rarity: Excellent]

[Attack: Common]

[Attributes: None]

[Effects: None]

[Prerequisites: Strength E+, Sharp Weapon (Long Sword)(Basic)]

[Able to bring out of the dungeon: Yes]

[Remarks: This alloy blade has been forged using modern technology.]

…..

Kieran picked up both weapons from the Executioner.

He immediately swapped the [MI-02] for his [M1905]. They had the same rarity and attack, but the [MI-02] was superior due to its extra attribute.

As for the [Alloy Blade], Kieran could only sigh and shake his head.

It was a very decent blade with excellent rarity and a similar attack to the [M1-02], but it was not a dagger that Kieran could use. Still, that did not stop him from putting it in his backpack.

Kieran started to search the Executioner’s body for clues. In his previous encounters, clues had always been hidden in tough spots. Bearing that in mind, he did not want to be as careless as he had been with the newspaper.

Indeed, he was rewarded for his thoroughness. He discovered a roman number on the back of the deceased man’s neck.

III.

A bad feeling instantly bloomed in Kieran’s heart.