บท 40: Chapter 39: Oddly quiet.
Rigel charged in as the greyhound used its tail to attack him, but after noticing how weak and slow those attacks were, he was confident the greyhound was nothing. When he swung his sword, the greyhound moved swiftly that it left after images that lasted a split second. He was shocked but he didn't have time for that and released a lightning cage around him.
The greyhound that was about to bite him from behind got electrocuted and was paralyzed for a moment. It recovered faster than the time Rigel took to turn around and swing his sword at it. The greyhound flew away and made some distance with him. It was usually him who made some distance, but now he had to taste his own medicine.
"I have no time for this kind of game," Rigel concentrated the Mana in his hand and created a small marble of fire.
He threw it at the greyhound and it exploded just like back then in the forest. The greyhound couldn't dodge an area attack, and its body was badly injured. He didn't want to risk it and sent a lightning bolt down at the greyhound, cracking the floor under its body while at the same time destroying the inside of the hound.
The battle was over, and it would be a hard one if Rigel couldn't use magic. He was glad that he trained his magic because he knew something like this could happen. He then ripped the hound's stomach and grabbed its Core with a gray color.
When he absorbed the Core, he felt his body was floating, but it was just the sensation. He moved his body backwards and it left an afterimage because his body moved faster than his own mind. He tried to do it again, but he couldn't do it and the sensation of floating also disappeared.
"Another thing to learn," Rigel said as he sheathed his sword and looked at the other side of the arena that led to the 12th floor. "Should I risk it? No, I need to be fully prepared because only a small percentage of Players managed to go beyond the 15th floor," he shook his head and decided to go back up.
The moment Rigel came back to the surface, he never thought it was already nighttime. The guards looked at him in disbelief for some reason, and it made him wonder why they looked at him like that. When he turned around, he noticed the carved stones were lit up, and that was when he noticed the stone got lit up when someone cleared the floor. The glowing writing stopped at the 11th floor, and that was where he was inside the dungeon.
Rigel left after everyone noticed that he single-handedly cleared up to the 11th floor. But from all the eyes that looked at him, there was something that felt different. He looked around, but he didn't know where it was coming from. He had a hunch that he was being targeted, but why and by whom since there shouldn't be anyone dared to mess with him, especially with the emblem on his cape.
He walked away from the crowd and went back to the southwest area of the city. On his way back, he kept feeling that someone was staring at him, and when he arrived at the street where the inn was, he noticed it was oddly quiet. There was not a single soul that could be seen on the street that used to be filled with thugs and outlaws.
He purposely walked in the middle of the street, and that was when he felt something moving behind him. He turned around and saw an assassin come with a dagger ready to stab him right in the forehead. He took a step back as he tried to unsheath his sword, but he realized the assassin in front of him was just a decoy because another assassin was already behind him ready to stab him in the back.
He felt that floating sensation again, and that was when he turned around and unsheathed his sword in almost an instant. The afterimage shocked the assassin, and the assassin didn't see the sword that Rigel swung toward him.
Eclairswille blocked the dagger and since the left side of Rigel's body was covered by the cape, the assassin didn't know that Rigel already unsheathed his rapier. At the same time, Aria looked at the sword and the rapier, those were exactly the same as what Arnel described them.
Rigel was about to stab the assassin's neck from the left, but then Aria appeared behind the assassin, pulling his man and throwing him away. Rigel missed his attack because of that, and before he could retract his hands, Aria disarmed him and took Eclairswille and the rapier from him.
At that moment Rigel realized the difference in level between him and the assassin in front of him. When he was about to use his lightning magic, Aria stabbed Eclairswille and the rapier to the ground. Aria raised his hands as he dashed back before Rigel's lightning magic could hit him.
"Rigel?" Aria asked as he kept his distance from Rigel.
"And who are you?" Rigel asked as he grabbed his weapons.
"Not your enemy," Aria answered ambiguously. "I apologize that I didn't recognize you, and this shouldn't happen if I knew," he added as he closed his eyes with regret for what he did.
Rigel had no idea what the assassin was talking about, but seeing he didn't get attacked, he knew that the assassin was being honest. He sheathed his sword and rapier to show that he trusted the assassin's words.
"Are you from the Resistance?" Rigel asked.
"It would be best if we talk somewhere where we can have privacy," Aria answered. "Allow me to introduce myself first, my name is Aria, and that's my real name," he added.
"We can talk in my place," Rigel responded as he walked past Aria.
When Rigel entered the inn, he slowly took a step back and looked at Aria. The reason was that all the thugs and outlaws that used to litter the street were all dead and were put in that inn.
"My apologies...." Aria once again apologized for his shortcomings. "Can I suggest using this building instead?" he pointed at the building to his left.
Rigel followed Aria and entered the building that turned out to be a pub. Rigel sat at the table and then Aria joined him after Aria brought in a bottle of rum. Aria gave the bottle to Rigel to enjoy as an act of apology and it was right for the occasion and the place they were in.
"You haven't answered my question," Rigel said as he removed the helmet.
"Yes, we are a part of the Resistance, and the reason we came here is to keep you safe from Players," Aria answered as he kept staring into Rigel's eyes because he found his ability wasn't ordinary. "Not just from any Player, but Players that run this tower. We are here to protect you from them while at the same time trying to get rid of them, using you as the bait," he added.
"There aren't that many people who know about me. It must be one of them, and if I have to assume, it was Arnel?" Rigel asked and the reason why he chose Arnel over Kane or the others was because of the fact Arnel was a mysterious one, and because Isaias revealed that Arnel had been inside the tower for decades.
Aria's eyes didn't show any reaction to Rigel's guess, and it almost made Rigel think that he was wrong until Aria nodded in agreement.
"Is that it?" Rigel asked. Aria tilted his head a bit because he didn't know what Rigel was trying to say. "Just to protect and observe?" Rigel added.
"No, but I don't have the right to tell you everything because I'm here not even to talk," Aria answered as he shook his head. "But, if you want an answer, you can go to this place. There's someone that would like to meet you," he slid a piece of paper toward Rigel.
Rigel looked at the paper and it was the name of a location and the floor it was on.
"41st floor. That's a long way, and I don't think I can climb that fast. Also, I'm not going to even try to go that high as fast as possible since I don't necessarily need the answer," Rigel said as he kept staring at the paper. "I have my own goal here, so I hope you don't interfere too much with my business," he warned as he stood up and grabbed the rum.
Aria looked at the paper that Rigel didn't bother to bring with him.
"I really appreciate your concern or the one who ordered you to do this, but I'm not interested. If there's a chance that we will encounter each other in the future, then we can talk again," Rigel said and then left the pub as he put his helmet on.
Aria looked at the piece of paper on the table, and when he flicked it, it got cut into tiny pieces. He disappeared as the pieces of paper floated and fell to the ground.
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