Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

Adam and Blue Sea, who were waiting at the entrance of Duke Arsena's palace, were not kept waiting for long before a servant led them into the drawing room.

There, they were greeted by Duke Arsena himself, who asked them with a smile, "You two must be among the strongest adventurers. What brings you to me? I assume you haven't come just for a casual chat. If you have any proposals, now is the time to present them. My time is very precious."

Despite his calm tone, both Adam and Blue Sea could sense a slight irritation in Duke Arsena's voice, as if their unexpected visit had disrupted his plans.

Without any further preamble, Adam took a step forward and addressed Duke Arsena, "Your Grace, I believe that Storm City is not entirely secure at the moment. To ensure its safety, it is imperative that all NPCs and adventurers within Storm City collaborate. We represent the leadership of two adventurer guilds."

"We hope to initiate cooperation with you, which would likely encourage other adventurer guilds to follow suit. With the collective strength of the adventurer guilds, Storm City could establish a more robust defense," Adam explained.

This proposal seemed to shift Duke Arsena's demeanor.

Initially indifferent, his focus now sharpened on Adam.

"I find your proposal quite appealing. Do you have a detailed plan? If so, please share it with me in depth."

Duke Arsena's interest in discussing the details suggested his approval of Adam's proposal.

Blue Sea promptly shared their meticulously prepared plan with the Duke.

After hearing the outline, Duke Arsena appeared genuinely pleased.

"If the adventurers are indeed willing to offer such substantial support to Storm City, I am naturally inclined to collaborate with you. While your plan seems perfect on the surface, I believe some details merit closer examination. Fortunately, I have ample free time today, so let's iron out these details right away."

With Duke Arsena expressing such a stance, Adam and Blue Sea naturally wouldn't object.

After all, the Duke's response seemed to signal the success of their plan.

Adam promptly sent a message to John: "Our plan was successful, and we've managed to distract Duke Arsena's attention. You can head to Storm City now!"

Upon receiving Adam's message on the outskirts of the southern seaport, John quickly stowed all his weapons into his pocket and released a Teleport Spell through sheer will.

Instantaneously, he appeared outside Storm City's Great Library.

John had deliberately avoided using the teleportation point of Storm City, fully aware that doing so would likely expose his movements.

He wanted to keep his arrival in Storm City a secret from everyone.

Upon arriving at the esteemed Great Library of Storm City, John took a moment to meticulously observe his surroundings, his senses heightened and alert.

The recent events involving the Mystery Protector's betrayal of the Order Faction and his subsequent flight from the city weighed heavily on John's mind.

Despite the Mystery Protector's absence, an unsettling intuition nagged at John, suggesting that the library might still harbor spies or lingering enchantments left behind by the enigmatic figure.

The Mystery Protector, renowned as a Legend Magus, was known for his profound mastery over a wide array of arcane arts, boasting a spellbook filled with rare and potent magics.

Among these, John speculated, there could very well be a spell of unique design—a clandestine method of espionage that allowed the Mystery Protector to surreptitiously monitor the happenings within Storm City's walls even from afar.

This possibility made John exceedingly cautious, as he understood the strategic disadvantage of being watched by an unseen eye, especially by someone as formidable and unpredictable as the Mystery Protector.

After circling the Great Library, John was reassured that the Mystery Protector had not left any surveillance in the area.

He then proceeded to the southern district of Storm City, where he sought out a player he had previously collaborated with in the trading zone.

Upon encountering the player, John greeted them with a friendly jest, "Seems like your business is thriving. You've leveled up quite a bit since we last met, must have earned a decent amount of gold coins, huh?"

The player, initially unaware of John's presence due to the difference in their levels, recognized John and responded with a smile, "Indeed, I've made a substantial profit, thanks to you. It's only because everyone believes you back me that they're willing to collaborate. After all, everyone wants to partner with top-tier players, trusting that the weapons sold by such players are unparalleled."

John nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to inquire about the information he was keen on, "I'm here to find out if there have been any unusual activities in the trading zone lately. For instance, have there been any monster sightings? Or have any high-level players appeared around here? And if so, have these high-level players been gathering any specific information in or around the trading zone?"

John's question seemed to perplex the player, who, after pondering with a furrowed brow, shook his head confidently.

"I haven't noticed any such players. As you know, the trading area in the southern district of Storm City isn't particularly bustling. Typically, it's the lower-level players who engage in trade here. Higher-level players usually prefer the central district's trading zones, where NPCs from Storm City ensure smooth transactions. Would a top-tier player like yourself really engage in weapon and magic material exchanges here? I doubt you'd bring rare weapons and magical materials to trade in this area."

John's expression eased upon hearing this response.

The absence of other high-level players suggested that those who had sided with the Mystic faction weren't drawn to the Mystic Abyss yet.

It might also mean that the Mystic Sage wasn't ready to harness the power of the Mystic Abyss, indicating that John's actions could catch the Mystic faction off guard.

"That's reassuring. Keep an eye on things for me here. Should anything unusual occur, inform me immediately. I'll provide you with some extra rewards."

With that, John produced an epic-tier weapon.

For him, such a weapon was no longer precious, nor did he have any use for it.

"Consider this weapon a token of my appreciation. In addition to this, I'll also reward you with an extra 10 gold coins."

The player was evidently thrilled with the rewards, "You are too generous, it's truly an honor to collaborate with you! Rest assured, I will keep a close eye on the activities around here!"

John nodded in acknowledgment and then parted ways with the player.

However, he didn't head straight for the underground area.

John felt it was prudent to ensure he wasn't being followed by anyone.

Despite Storm City being much safer than before, he preferred not to let his guard down.

After circling the area for a while to ensure his safety, John finally decided to make his way to the underground district.

Before proceeding, he applied an invisibility spell to himself for added precaution.

Invisible, John approached the entrance to the underground area.

Upon arrival, he noticed that the situation seemed to have changed from what he remembered.

The underground area, usually bustling with NPCs and adventurous players, was now conspicuously devoid of player activity, with only a few NPCs scattered about.

John found this situation highly unusual but chose not to engage with the NPCs for information, given his invisible state.

He preferred to first observe and assess the situation quietly.

John was confident in his invisibility, not worrying about being detected by the NPCs present, as their levels were significantly lower than his.

He reasoned that if any NPC were to detect him despite his invisibility, it would likely indicate hostility towards him.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for NPCs of a level comparable to John's to be lurking in this area.