At the Whiteheart Mansion,
It was late at night, and Kamden Whiteheart was reviewing some documents for their upcoming plans.
Suddenly, he was alerted by one of the stone-looking artifacts as he looked up.
“Louis?” He stood up immediately.
He remembered when he asked James Rothschild for a few S Rank hunters for the safety of the Vault, even though it was only for a few days. So instead of a few S Rank Hunters, James sent his younger brother, Louis Rothschild.
Because Louis was an S+ Rank Hunter, Kamden didn’t say much and allowed him to manage the security of the fourth level. However, he provided Louis with a communication artifact that could be used if something happened.
He knew Louis would likely not need it, but he still gave him one. Now that Louis was using this artifact, he immediately picked it up.
This one-way signaling artifact was used in extreme environments within high-ranking dungeons to locate allies.
ƥαṇdαηθνε|
He quickly grabbed his coat, which was lying on the couch, and left his room.
‘What’s happening,’ Kamden Whiteheart immediately went towards where he had placed the portal to directly enter the facility.
Inside the Underground Facility,
Several minutes had already passed, and Louis was standing alone in one spot.
After contacting the mansion, he also contacted James Rothschild using another artifact he had.
“What did you say!?” James asked in a loud voice.
“I failed,” Louis spoke, then threw the communication artifact.
“LOUIS!!!” James’s voice came out of the artifact, but he ignored it.
His mind was scattered, unsure of how to describe the situation to Kamden, who was on his way here, and James, who would probably come.
———
Far from the Underground Facility, three masked figures appeared out of nowhere near some mountains.
“What?” Dane looked all around him; they were in some kind of forest.
“How?” Kai, struggling to stand, muttered.
But Dane immediately turned towards Asher, who was on the ground, breathing heavily.
“Boss!” Dane tried to help Asher but was stopped.
“No need,” Asher muttered as he sat on the ground.
He felt the same heaviness he had experienced the first time he used this ability, and it was a sensation he didn’t like.
“Your face….” Kai said but he stopped midway.
Touching his face, Asher removed broken pieces of the mask with his hand. Then, he took out an A Rank healing potion and poured it on his face.
His face started burning as the mana inside the healing potion began to heal the multiple wounds on his face.
<HEY, WHAT HAPPENED??>
Tom’s loud voice echoed in their ears.
“We are fine,” Dane replied, though he himself was confused.
The last 2 minutes hadn’t made sense to him. A D Rank Hunter fighting an S+ Rank Hunter and teleporting to this unknown place was beyond his comprehension.
He wanted to ask Asher but wasn’t sure if it was the right time.
Both of them had felt the killing intent emanating from Asher during his fight with Louis, and it wasn’t comforting.
Kai now understood why Dane would have found Asher dangerous. If Asher could fight an S+ Rank Hunter, it made sense.
“Where are we, Tom?” Asher asked, ignoring the pain on his face.
Tom immediately traced the communication devices on them and delivered his answer.
<You are 300 KM North East from my location>
Asher looked up at the sky as he heard Tom’s voice.
“Both of you go back and bring the bikes and Tom here immediately,” Asher ordered.
“But…” Dane was unsure if he should leave Asher in his current state.
Asher looked at Dane, his eyes shining in the moonlight.
“Okay,” Dane agreed, somewhat nervously.
Though Kai was tired, Dane could carry him, and he would recover quickly.
“We’ll go,” Dane said as he hoisted Kai onto his back.
Asher watched as the two of them disappeared. He then brought out his phone.
“You removed the footage, right?” Asher asked.
<Yes, Boss. Only Louis Rothschild should know about you three>
“Okay, destroy the security system and remove all traces of your activity,” Asher ordered before switching off his communication device.
He closed his eyes as he lay down on the ground in the middle of some unknown forest in Desmar.
“It’s just the beginning,” Asher muttered.
This mission was merely to make the presence of Zephyr, the name Asher had given his group, known. He looked at the necklace he was wearing.
| Escape of Nightdream |
| Rank SS – Mass Teleportation Artifact |
| Description: This special necklace allows the wearer to teleport to engraved coordinates. |
| Limitations: Can only teleport up to 10 people |
| Limitations: Coordinates must be engraved on the back of the necklace to teleport to that location |
| Limitations: Can only be used twice a week |
Asher gripped the necklace in his hands. Although it had helped him greatly, part of him wanted to destroy it because it was connected to a very important memory from his previous life.
But he didn’t. This time, it was in his hands.
Just like the other artifact he stole.
This heist was crucial to dismantling the Whiteheart Family reputation and diverting their attention from Asher’s future plans.
“I wonder how you will explain my presence,” Asher thought about Louis.
He was sure that Louis could guess it was he whom he had fought, but he would not be able to prove it.
And Asher didn’t care if Louis knew about him because it made Louis easier to control going forward.
The people he wanted to bring down were currently those sitting at the top of society. But, unlike his previous life, where those people knew they were fighting him, this time, they didn’t.
Asher was an unknown enemy to them, and he was going to use this to his advantage.
“Kamden Whiteheart, it’s a pity I can’t see your expressions,” Asher spoke to himself.
“But I hope you like the gift I left,” he said as he closed his eyes.
His inner madness was calm right now. Asher had killed many people during this mission, so he could rest peacefully for now.
This was the start of the chaos Asher was about to bring to this world.
************
Within a few minutes, Kamden arrived inside the Fifth Level, where he saw the Vault was still present.
“What happened here?” He looked around and saw that the fifth level was under emergency lockdown.
Kamden Whiteheart tapped on one of the devices he had brought with him.
<Master Access Granted: Merging the Fifth Level with the Fourth Level>He heard the robotic voice as he took control of the Security System. Tom didn’t interfere in this, as Asher had told him to remove all his traces.
So far, Kamden hadn’t found anything strange. He went towards the Fifth Level Entrance, where he saw the broken Metal Cage.
He immediately spread his mana around the facility and sensed Louis standing on the Third Level.
It didn’t take him long to arrive in front of Louis, and while doing so, he saw many corpses of people that belonged to the Rothschild family.
He was confused but knew that his answers lay with Louis Rothschild, and he soon arrived in front of Louis Rothschild, who was standing on the third level.
“What happened?” Kamden asked, and Louis looked at him.
“I apologize,” Louis said, knowing the fault would be placed on him.
“The Vault was looted,” His words made Kamden frown, as only he could open the Vault.
*Boom*
“Are you sure-” Kamden was speaking when he heard the sound of a blast coming from the fifth level.
It was the last gift from Asher to Kamden Whiteheart: a rune-destroying bomb that he had brought for the Vault and another special item beside it.
Kamden immediately rushed towards the Vault, but when he arrived, he only saw a single word engraved on the wall next to the Vault.
“Zephyr?” Kamden said as he read the text, but this was not his primary concern.
He turned his face, his expression turning grim. The security runes on the Vault had been triggered, and now the authorities of Kalvas Gala were on their way to this place to question him about this.