Chapter 20: The Strange (Fourth Update, Monthly Ticket Bonus)
[You have killed Numa·Seka]
[Numa·Seka is a key figure of the Far North, obtaining 1.1% World Source, total World Source now 4.7%.]
[Your talent ‘Soul Devourer’ activates, permanently increasing Mana Points by 14, current Mana Points 502.]
The Soul Devourer’s increase of 14 Mana Points indicated that Numa·Seka was no weakling, demonstrating how terrifying a Dark Division member skilled in assassination could be. Assassinating the enemy leader before battle dealt a devastating blow to morale.
A blue chest materialized atop Numa·Seka’s corpse. Su Xiao’s luck had been good lately, or rather, the enemies he’d encountered recently were all quite strong.
He collected the blue chest and Numa·Seka’s head. Three minutes later, he left the fortress town. Two hours later, he returned before his own side’s stronghold.
Two hours and ten minutes after that, Numa·Seka’s head was placed before Esdeath. The entire operation took six hours and four minutes.
Killing amidst the mortal world, escaping from the blade’s edge.
Esdeath had already gone to sleep, but upon hearing of Su Xiao’s return, she came specifically.
“Numa·Seka’s head?”
Su Xiao’s efficiency left even Esdeath incredulous. Her original plan was to assassinate Numa·Seka during tomorrow’s battle, when there would be more opportunities.
Esdeath opened the blood-stained cloth bundle. A head rolled onto the wooden table.
The other generals present gasped in surprise. They weren’t afraid of the head, but shocked by Numa·Seka’s death.
“Excellent! Without Numa·Seka’s leadership, I doubt these Far North barbarians can resist.”
“Tomorrow, we will surely crush these aliens.”
The atmosphere in the room grew heated. Even the few generals who had been somewhat hostile toward Su Xiao cast approving glances.
“Any incidents during the operation? Or did the enemy discover you?”
Esdeath remained calm, but the smile at the corner of her mouth couldn’t be hidden. She was clearly satisfied with Su Xiao’s efficiency.
“At least not before I left the Far North army. I only killed Numa·Seka the entire time. During the operation, I severely wounded one wall guard soldier. I broke his spine and threw him into a snowdrift. He won’t be found for a while.”
The generals exchanged glances. They had gained a new appreciation for Su Xiao’s operational capability.
“Good!”
Esdeath slammed the wooden table and stood up with a whoosh.
“The soldiers have rested for over six hours. Assemble the entire army. We march immediately for a night raid on the enemy fortress.”
With Esdeath’s command, all the generals rose to receive their orders. This was a golden opportunity.
A night raid combined with the leader’s death was a catastrophic blow to the Far North army.
“Good work. You don’t need to participate in the rest of the war. Go get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, prepare to return to the Imperial Capital with me.”
Esdeath rose and left, as if the war was already won.
After everyone had left the room, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Su Xiao’s face.
The effort had finally paid off. He would return to the Imperial Capital with a respectable rank. The plan was progressing smoothly.
Back in the bedroom, which only had a bed and a wardrobe, it looked rather shabby.
With five hundred thousand troops stationed at the Far North Fortress, having a private room was already VIP treatment. Esdeath was his neighbor.
A delicate lighter appeared in his hand. Su Xiao checked the cooldown of the Flame of Luck.
After being enhanced to +7, the Flame of Luck’s cooldown had been greatly reduced. However, an awkward problem arose: he didn’t have 600 Paradise Coins to use the Flame of Luck.
Looking at the mere 157 Paradise Coins remaining, Su Xiao felt helpless.
He could only open one of the two blue chests first. Opening a chest would likely yield Paradise Coins.
After hesitating for a moment, Su Xiao decided to open the chest dropped by Numa·Seka first. The Giant Fenrir was stronger, so its chest would be more valuable.
[You have opened the chest (Blue) and obtained the following items]
[Obtained 2700 Paradise Coins]
[Obtained Ice Domain Prince Token]
…
[Ice Domain Prince Token]
Origin: Akame ga Kill!
Quality: Blue
Type: Accessory
Durability: 42/42
Equipment Requirement: 15 or more Charm Attribute.
Equipment Effect: Prince’s Decree (Active), summons three to five Far North warriors to fight for the user. The Far North warriors have no personal consciousness and can execute complex commands.
Tip: Using Prince’s Decree (Active) consumes 80 Mana Points.
Tip: The Far North warriors exist for ten minutes to two hours. (Determined by Charm Attribute.)
Tip: The number of Far North warriors summoned depends on the user’s Charm Attribute.
Tip: The attributes of the Far North warriors depend on the user’s Intelligence Attribute.
Rating: 46 (Note: Blue equipment rating is 31 to 70.)
Description: Died before achieving glory? No… died with a grievance.
Price: 8600 Paradise Coins.
…
Seeing the attributes of the [Ice Domain Prince Token], Su Xiao was a bit surprised. He might never use this thing in his lifetime.
He glanced at his personal attribute’s 3 points of Charm, then at the [Ice Domain Prince Token]’s requirement of 15 Charm.
“Trash.”
He casually tossed the token onto the bed. His gaze shifted to the other chest.
Actually, the [Ice Domain Prince Token] wasn’t trash. It was quite valuable for summoners, but there weren’t many summoners in Reincarnation Paradise, making it difficult to sell.
Snap. The lid of the Flame of Luck lighter flipped open, and a wisp of pale blue flame appeared.
The Flame of Luck was different from before. Previously, it added +1 Luck. Now, enhanced to +7, it had grown to add +2 Luck.
He lit a cigarette and opened the chest. The movements were fluid, but the imagined flash of light didn’t appear.
Strangely enough, the chest didn’t produce a flash, nor did it follow the normal opening procedure.
In the past, after opening a chest, the items would automatically fall into his hand. But this time, the chest lid was open, yet nothing appeared in his hand. There wasn’t even a notification.
“Could it be…”
Su Xiao’s expression turned unpleasant. He thought of a worst-case scenario.
That the chest was empty.
He had used the Flame of Luck, and the chest itself was Blue quality. The combination of both resulted in an empty chest? Su Xiao found this hard to accept.
But then he noticed something strange. The chest didn’t disappear after opening. The open chest seemed to be taunting him.
Just then, a surge of cyan light erupted from within the chest. A phantom wolf head burst out.
Oww!!
A wolf howl echoed. Su Xiao was sitting cross-legged on the bed. This sudden turn of events startled him. He immediately flipped backward, and the Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand.
Even if he got an empty chest, Su Xiao would have accepted it. But a trap inside the chest? That was too much.
He held the Dragon-Slaying Flash horizontally in front of him, staring warily at the chest.
The wolf howl traveled far, but strangely, no one burst into the room. This meant the howl could only be heard by him.
Inside the chest was the phantom of the Giant Wolf Fenrir. The giant wolf glared at Su Xiao with hatred, baring its fangs and claws but unable to escape the chest.
Boom.
The chest shook. A black hole formed in the center. Fenrir’s phantom was instantly sucked into the black hole.
The strange phenomenon disappeared. The blue chest gradually dissolved into particles of light. A meatball the size of an egg fell onto the bed.
Su Xiao used the Dragon-Slashing Flash to poke the meatball. It didn’t react. He tried touching it with his finger, and the meatball’s attributes appeared.
[Fenrir’s Essence]
Origin: Akame ga Kill!
Quality: ???
Type: ???
Rating: ???
Description: Essence is a scarce strategic material. Can be sold to Reincarnation Paradise.
Selling Price: 20000 Paradise Coins, Soul Crystal (Small) ×4.
…
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Given Reincarnation Paradise’s usual style, this item’s price was definitely more than 20,000 Paradise Coins plus Soul Crystals.
But what exactly was an Essence? Could it be eaten to enhance attributes?
After hesitating for a long time, Su Xiao didn’t dare to take a bite. This thing had neither an expiration date nor a safety certification. If he ate it and died, he could only blame himself.