[Vol. 8] Chapter 135: The Killer
To be honest, although the soul is very valuable, it’s not something that absolutely can’t grow back. In the end, it’s just a collection of energy with the attribute of “nothingness.”
Losing a large part of it can cause serious and hard-to-fix problems, but with the abilities of a certain max-level priestess and the power of the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden, if she really wanted to, she could even reverse time and fate to bring someone back, even if their soul had already dissolved in the underworld. So saving someone in this condition is not that difficult.
The reason she said what she did earlier was just to tone down the rumors of “Miss Violet can cure anything.” She didn’t want people to think she was all-powerful, because that kind of reputation could cause trouble later on. At the same time, it helped lead into what she was about to say next.
After all, if you don’t push people a little, how else can you see what they’re really capable of?~
As expected, when she saw Mr. Ferryman’s face stiffen slightly and Miss Dark Lotus, the injured girl’s older sister, fall into despair, the priestess smoothly shifted her words:
“But, it’s not completely hopeless. If we can find the one who stole her soul and get back the missing part, we can reduce the damage as much as possible. So what you need to do now is find and catch that fake creature, not take your anger out on innocent people, okay?”
Mr. Ferryman instinctively glanced at Miss Ayla, who had not stepped forward and was standing behind Violet. He frowned, pulled his companion to her feet, and nodded slightly.
“Of course, that’s what we planned to do. But if, as you say, Miss Ayla isn’t the real attacker, then where should we even start looking for that strange, unpredictable fake creature?”
It seemed like the discussion had gone in a big circle and returned to the original question. But just then, a scholar from the Lightborn Tribe, who had been listening the whole time, stepped forward with a confident expression.
“Since we know the attacker left some kind of trace, then I have a way to track them.”
What a cruel method...
……………………………………………
The figure known as Shadow, who was currently disguised as a man, gently closed the eyelids of a corpse that had been dead for a while. The eyes were still wide open in fear, as if the person had seen something truly horrifying right before dying. Without any emotion on her face, Shadow stood up and calmly looked around.
The forest, already dark and deep, now felt even more terrifyingly silent.
Ever since she heard what sounded like a dying creature’s final cry and chose to explore this area, all the Shadow Ghosts, those annoying creatures that kept attacking no matter how many she killed, had suddenly disappeared. They never showed up again to try stabbing her from the shadows.
But instead of feeling safe, Miss Shadow’s instincts screamed at her to stay alert, more than ever.
Enemies themselves aren’t the scariest thing. What’s truly scary is knowing danger is near but being unable to find it, like not knowing where the hidden blade in the dark is. In a duel between assassins, the one who gets spotted first almost always dies. It was the same here.
In fact, this was already the fifth corpse Shadow had found since entering the forest.
During her search, she had started to notice some patterns or similarities.
It seemed that most of the people brought into this “Gate of Ghosts” trial space were similar to her. Those who were used to working and living in the shadows, assassins, thieves, shadow warriors, and even top spies from different countries.
Of course, such information wouldn’t be recorded in their public files. But even the best human disguises were no match for the eyes of the gods. Some identities were only revealed to Shadow after carefully checking the bodies and their belongings. Only then did she start to realize what kind of people had been selected by this particular [Six-Line Array Palace].
Those who move unseen live in the shadows, drifting through the world like ghosts, their true appearance rarely known. The word "Ghost" suits them perfectly.
But… the one who is actually doing the killing seems a little different.
Shadow looked around carefully, but found nothing new. Her gaze returned to the dead body at her feet. A man with no clear wounds on his body. Her eyes slowly moved and stopped at the center of his forehead.
This man had died the same way as the others before him, pierced straight through the head by a long, sharp object. His brain had been destroyed instantly. The attack was clean, quick, and clearly meant to kill.
Judging from his muscle strength and other signs, this man had likely been a high-level fighter, at least in the Sky tier. He was also quick and agile, as someone with an assassin-type class. And yet, he had been killed in a single strike like this. That meant the killer’s strength was probably far above his, maybe even at the level of a so-called Transcendent?
Was that possible?
For the first time, Miss Shadow began to feel a little unsure of her own judgment.
Since the trial began, she had used her usual habits as a professional to secretly observe every other competitor. She had even delayed entering the Gate until the last moment, just to get a better look at who else was taking part. Among the hundreds of strong challengers in this second round, there were a few whose true strength she couldn’t see through, mysterious figures who might truly be beyond the normal limits.
But at least among the few dozen people who entered the Gate of Ghosts, there shouldn’t be any real Transcendents, unless someone was so powerful they could completely hide their presence, even their aura and magic, to the point of becoming invisible to even someone like Shadow.
People like Miss Violet or the blonde dragon girl beside her could do that. If they wanted to, they could hide their power so perfectly that Miss Shadow couldn’t feel anything from them, not even a sense of danger or magical pressure.
But instead of thinking it was someone like them, Shadow now believed that the killer was probably something inside this Gate of Ghosts. A part of the trial itself, just like the Shadow Ghosts they had faced earlier.
But… would the kind goddess, known for her mercy, really make a trial this deadly just for a test?
If both of those guesses are wrong… then what could the real answer be?
With these doubts in mind, Shadow left the cold body behind and prepared to go deeper into the dark forest.
But just then, she suddenly turned around sharply and called out in a firm voice:
“Come out! Or I’ll assume you’re an enemy in three seconds!”
Whoosh…
The dark wind blew quietly through the forest like a ghost. Then, the bush where Shadow had been staring started to shake slightly. A white figure slowly stepped out from it, wearing a bitter smile.
“Ah, ah, Little Shadow, you’re as sharp as ever. I was just trying to sneak up and scare you a little, but you noticed me right away~”
Still in her male disguise, Shadow frowned slightly and calmly looked the girl up and down.
“Who are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
The girl, with black hair and wearing white robes like a priestess, looked a bit surprised. Then she smiled helplessly and waved her hand.
“Alright, alright. It’s just you and me here, no need to keep secrets… Let’s get to the point. I came here because I need your help with something. So don’t stand so far away, come closer, I’ll explain everything...”