The Devil's Cage

Panda Novel

When Borl saw Kieran, it was already 12 hours later.

After he walked out from the parlour tent of the Mist camp, Borl couldn’t help but look at the gloomy sky.

Lighting flashed from time to time, the dark clouds depressing, all signs that told people that terrible weather was coming.

Up until this moment, most of the people couldn’t tell whether the lighting was natural or caused by the wrath of the God of War.

Regardless of which, life had to go on.

The plague was controlled and Edatine Castle was revitalized, but when the people looked at the cathedral of War God Temple, their gazes were telling a different story.

Some things could not be concealed even if one decided to, especially when someone else was pushing from behind.

‘Was 2567 in this?’ Borl asked himself.

The answer was certain, it was also safe to say that 2567 was the engine that pushed the whole situation into what it was now.

But facing a God…

‘I Hope there won’t be any unexpected accidents,’ Borl prayed deeply in his heart.

He admitted that 2567 was absurdly powerful, Flaming Devil was one of the top players in the big city after all.

But no matter how powerful 2567 was, he couldn’t have gone against a God.

Only a God can fight a God.

It was a well-acknowledged saying.

‘If it’s that person…’

Unknowingly, Borl started to think of the woman who put him in his current situation.

A terrifying existence, to the point that when the thought of her came into his mind, the first emotion he had wasn’t anger, but fear.

Instinctively tightening his outer coat, Borl temporarily discarded the memories of that woman out of his mind. He started to plan out his future path: try his best to complete all missions and catch up to 2567 and the others.

He would get back what he lost!

With that thought in mid, Borl lifted up the drapes and saw Kieran behind the dining table.

The food on the table was already finished, there were only empty plates, cleaner than when they were clean, not even the smell remaining.

Borl couldn’t tell what Kieran just ate from the table, but of course he wasn’t interested in what Kieran just ate.

The reason why he was concerned about what he ate was that he sharply noticed a slight change in Kieran, but he couldn’t accurately tell what the change was.

It was like looking at the scenery for a very long period of time, or even years, and for a moment the scenery felt very unfamiliar, but soon enough the familiar feeling returned.

It was very bizarre and indescribable with words.

Borl stood at the entrance of the tent blankly for a second before he regained his senses.

He stopped noticing the changes in Kieran and focused more on his surroundings.

Then, he realized something different: whenever Kieran ate, smells would still linger in the air.

But this time, there wasn’t any scent.

‘Did he ventilate his tent?’ Borl wondered.

Kieran then signaled him to sit on the other side of the table.

After Borl sat down, Kieran spoke straightforwardly.

“What do you think about the Witch?”

It was an abrupt question that stunned Borl once more.

This time, he was stunned for four to five seconds before bitterly chuckling.

“If I can, I don’t want to see or touch anything related to her for the rest of my life, but her madness and cruelty feel like they have embedded in my soul, to the point that I feel scared whenever I think of her name. I’m not lying, I was just shaking right there,” Borl kept his bitter smile and instinctively went to grab the cup in front of him, even if there wasn’t anything in it.

He hoped to divert his attention away from the Witch, but he failed.

Right after his fingertips touched the icy metal, he shuddered.

It was as if he returned to the moment when he first met the Witch.

‘Do you want to embrace death?’

Do you want to welcome new life?’

I… won’t give you any of that.’

Her voice sounded again in his mind and Borl started to shake.

His sight started to turn black and a figure was slowly appearing from the abysmal darkness.

“H-Help!” It was as if he was drowning, just sitting there and stammering.

Kieran replied with his fire.

The flame expelled the darkness.

Huhaa, huhaa.

Borl panted heavily. His hair got stuck on his forehead and his shirt was drenched with sweat, as if he had been through a long lasting battle that exhausted him to the limit.

“I’m sorry, I don’t feel right,” said Borl.

“No. It’s not your fault,” Kieran shook his head and then asked in a serious manner, “I will grant you a dukeship with my status as the heir of Edatine, if you are willing to accept it. Don’t rush to give me an answer just because it’s related to your main mission. Once you accept the suggestion, I hope that you can leave, but of course, you call the shots.”

Amid Kieran’s assuring words, Borl showed a grateful smile.

Borl already thought of the possible outcome before he came to the tent, and even prepared for the worst case scenario.

Fortunately, the Flaming Devil, The Fire Emperor, did not go back on his words. He even provided Borl with rewards that far exceeded his expectations.

In Borl’s heart, getting a noble status would be enough, a duke was already beyond his expectation.

“Thank you for everything that you’ve done for me. Happy working together,” Borl said, trying his best to stand up.

He knew if he continued to participate in the upcoming content of the dungeon world, he could get a lot more gains and rewards but he knew his own limits.

A war against a God wasn’t something that he could currently participate in.

“Got all your stuff?” Kieran provided a friendly reminder.

The big city would not grant the players extra time to stay behind once they completed their main mission.

“Of course. I’m not a newbie after all,” Borl tapped on his pouch.

He paused for a second and continued, “If it’s possible, please help me to take care of Aschen, he is quite a decent helper.”

“Of course, he is my bodyguard after all,” Kieran nodded.

Kieran suddenly thought of something else and asked, “What do you think about Broker?”

He was giving a platitude as he had asked Borl about Broker more than once and every single time, the answer from Borl was the same.

“He is a cunning, sinister, and ambitious bastard. You need to be constantly careful around him!” answered Borl with a heavy look.

Kieran nodded slightly, not asking anything else.

He then looked at Borl and asked solemnly, “Borl, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me and become a duke of Edatine?”

“I am!”

This time, Borl followed the salutation of Edatine and knelt down on one knee as he replied.

Right after his answer faded, Borl was enveloped with a faint glow. 10 seconds later, Borl vanished with a smile on his face.

It was the first time Kieran saw an outsider get sent back to the big city.

Starbeck? He wasn’t an outsider.

Right after Borl vanished, Bloody Mary walked in with Simon’s look.

“He is much more important than we expected, at least the defense is very strong. I can feel his emotions but I can’t pry into his memories, not even a little bit,” said Bloody Mary in a hurry with furrowed brows.

It was obvious that Bloody Mary was a little too carried away by the smooth sailing recently, it couldn’t accept such a blunt and helpless outcome.

Kieran listened with a calm and nonchalant look.

“He has returned. He is the past now, we should be focusing on places that are worth our attention. And Borl, someone else will continue to look after him,” said Kieran.

“Boss, are you not worried at all?” Bloody Mary couldn’t help but ask when it thought of its boss’ plan.

This would be a team up without any conversation or communication beforehand, it was like gambling blindly.

“Don’t worry, that guy will be prepared. Besides, do you think Rachel and the others don’t have some extra tricks up their sleeves?” Kieran asked with a sure tone.

He stood up and walked out of the tent.

Bloody Mary thought for a while before it shook its head and followed its boss out.

Things were much more complicated than it thought, but who cared how it would turn out?

All it had to do was follow its boss.

…

Amid the familiar feeling, Borl regained his senses.

He was certain that he had returned to the big city.

Inside his crude looking room, he was safe enough. Without a second thought, Borl lay down on the mattress.

Huu!

He heaved a sigh of relief. He had tried his best to adjust himself and adapt in the dungeon world but the exhaustion still troubled him. Anyone who was as tense as him at all times would be exhausted as well.

He believed even the Flaming Devil was not an exception.

Similar to how the Flaming Devil kept his promise, Borl would do the same: he had to buy Lawless a drink.

Along the way, he’d sell some things that he couldn’t use and purchase some essential items.

Although the trading section in the newbie channel was decent, Borl believed that Harvest Inn would have something better.

He rested slightly and tidied up his luggage before walking out of his room.

Borl then arrived and entered Harvest Inn without any problem.

Perhaps he arrived at a bad time but there were only a few souls in Harvest Inn.

The terrifying lady owner wasn’t there either, the familiar Hanses, Coll, and the others were absent too.

Though Raven the Loner was there, and as always, he had a cat in his hands, gazing at the door with who knew what was going on in his mind.

None of that mattered when Borl saw Lawless.

Lawless was wearing an apron, holding a pail full of water and mopping the floor attentively, just like how Borl saw him do several other times.

“Hey, Lawless,” Borl called him.

“Hey Borl, want anything to drink? If you order a drink that’s worth 20 Points or above, I think I can temporarily remove the apron,” Lawless laughed brightly.

“I’ll get two. One for you, just like I promised,” Borl laughed too.

Lawless tore his apron off and ran behind the counter. Although he wasn’t as skilled in tossing liquor as Rachel, he was still able to do the basics and the 20 Points range was the best he could do.

Five minutes later, Lawless brought two glasses to the table where Borl sat.

“I always like a man of his words, and… congratulations!”

Ding!

The glasses clinked.

The clink rang through Borl’s heart and made him laugh.

He didn’t just keep his promise, he even completed the hardest part of his comeback, which was the beginning.

In the upcoming days, or in the next three to five dungeons, it would still be difficult but definitely not as difficult as the one that he just cleared.

Therefore, Borl was happy about the congratulations from Lawless.

“I’ll leave these to you, follow the market price and you can take a percentage, as market price,”

Borl passed all the items from the dungeon that he couldn’t use to Lawless.

After the name Treasure Hunter was made known to the players, many players came to Lawless and asked him to help sell items.

Lawless did not reject any of them, because they were all his friends. He would never reject a friend’s request.

As for the fees? It was basically next to nothing.

Lawless would always figure out a way to make it up to his friends to cover up the fees.

“Do you want to purchase anything? If it’s not something too wild, I can get it for you,” asked Lawless.

“I’m looking for…” Borl then stated the list of items that he sought.

After that, he drank with Lawless for a while and even ordered extra to celebrate.

Borl then left the inn.

When he reached his own room, Lawless had already kept his end of the promise and delivered all the goods Borl asked for.

Standing in front of his door, Borl checked the goods he received. He was in a good mood, hence the humming of the familiar melody.

Soon enough, his humming stopped abruptly because a familiar person appeared behind him.

“To what do I owe this visit, Ms. Bella?”

Borl turned around and voiced his question directly at the lady from the Resistance.

Although familiar, his voice was cold because Borl sensed that Bella came with malicious intentions.

The malicious intents didn’t just appear during their first meeting but every single meeting after the first.

“My boss wants to meet you,” said Bella.

“Your boss?” Borl asked.

‘The mysterious leader of the Resistance that no one knows wanted to meet me?’

The alarm in his heart was ringing madly when he heard the question.

“Is that so?” Borl prolonged his tone. His hand was on the handle of the door, ready to rush inside at any moment, but Bella was quicker, or more precisely, the ambusher.

A sack came out of nowhere and enveloped Borl whole.

Right after he was caught, Borl lost consciousness completely.

When he woke up, he found himself in a room and sitting opposite him was… Broker!

He wasn’t actually familiar with Broker but the Registrar Zorl was standing beside the man.

As a well-known follower of Broker, Zorl would only appear beside Broker.

Right away, cold sweat broke out from his forehead and all over his back.

‘The boss of the Resistance is Broker? What the hell is he going to do?’

Such thoughts gushed into Borl’s mind.

“Very good. Since you know my identity, then you should also know… No, no no, not you, 2567 should also know my ultimate goal.”

Ignoring the fear on Borl’s face, Broker couldn’t help but chuckle as he checked the lingering presence on Borl.

His chuckle was soft but it had an indescribable confidence to it.

After all, 2567 was the ‘partner’ that he handpicked out of countless candidates.