The palace, the secret vault.
Clad in a black robe and a face mask, Ning Busan slipped into the palace.
Since the King was hosting a banquet today, most of the guards were stationed near the banquet hall. Consequently, the security around the secret vault was surprisingly sparse.
No one would have expected that after making such a shocking demand at the banquet, he would have the audacity to return to the palace to steal.
Ning Busan nimbly scaled the wall, landing without making a single sound.
Patrolling guards carrying torches rounded the corner. Ning Busan held his breath, pressing himself flat against the wall as he slid along.
As the guards' footsteps faded into the distance, Ning Busan darted across the courtyard and stopped before a gilded door.
He produced a bronze key and inserted it into the keyhole.
Tiny runes flared to life on the key's surface; this was actually an advanced magic spell known as the “Universal Key.”
The door slid open soundlessly. Ning Busan slipped inside and shut it behind him.
Behind the door lay a narrow secret passage. Ning Busan carefully navigated around the magical traps on the floor, stepping precisely on the safe stone tiles.
At the end of the passage was a heavy bronze door, completely carved with intricate magic patterns.
This was a magic array formed by the fusion of twelve advanced spells. Ning Busan patiently dispelled them one by one until the array's glow finally faded.
With a low rumble of turning hinges, the bronze door gave way. Ning Busan gave it a gentle push, and it opened silently.
Beyond the door lay the palace's secret vault, where a dazzling array of treasures shimmered with an alluring luster in the dim light.
Ning Busan's gaze swept across the room, quickly locking onto a crystal bottle in the corner that radiated an incredibly dense aura of light elements.
He walked over quickly. Just as he was about to touch the crystal bottle, the silver chains hanging from the vault's domed ceiling suddenly chimed like wind bells.
Ning Busan threw himself behind a display rack. A vine arrow grazed his ear and embedded itself into the stone wall, drawing a spray of blood. Its fletching was still vibrating violently.
Ning Busan spun around to see a figure stepping out from the shadows, holding an exquisite bow.
Moonlight streamed through a high window, casting a glow over the figure's long silver hair and reflecting off a pair of emerald eyes.
It was Elvin.
Elvin's voice was cold. “What a coincidence. It seems we have the same goal.”
The crystal bottle sat right between them. They dashed forward simultaneously to grab it.
Elvin slammed his elbow toward Ning Busan's throat. Ning Busan barely managed to lean back and avoid it, only to be struck squarely in the abdomen by Elvin's knee.
The intense pain made Ning Busan groan, and his wand nearly slipped from his grasp. Using the momentum, he rolled away, his black robe scraping harshly against the stone floor.
The Elven Clan spent their lives in the forests and were exceptionally skilled with bows, but their close-combat abilities were by no means weak.
Elvin's attacks rained down like a relentless blizzard. The moment Ning Busan found his footing, a whip kick swept toward his temple. He raised his arm to block, and a dull ache flared through his forearm from the bone-on-bone impact.
Ning Busan suddenly let go of his wand, catching it by the shaft as it fell.
A sharp blade sprang from the tip of the wand, thrusting straight toward Elvin's heart.
Elvin's reaction was astonishingly fast. He twisted his body slightly, and the blade grazed his ribs, sending a spray of blood into the air.
However, this move left Elvin exposed. Ning Busan twisted the blade and plunged it into Elvin's chest.
Warm blood splattered onto Ning Busan's face, carrying the distinct, crisp scent of an elf.
Yet at the exact same moment, the arrow in Elvin's hand had somehow found its way to Ning Busan's right shoulder.
As the blade pierced Elvin's chest, the arrow sank deep into Ning Busan's flesh. Blood flowed freely from both of their wounds.
Just as the tension between them reached a boiling point, a sudden explosion shattered the standoff.
The bronze door of the secret vault collapsed with a thunderous crash. A towering figure appeared at the entrance, his greatsword radiating a scorching light.
A wave of heat wrapped in molten-gold sword energy swept through the room, causing the dragon crystals on the display racks to burst in unison.
“Watch out!” Elvin lunged at Ning Busan, pulling him aside to dodge the sword energy.
Even so, the mere aftershock of the sword energy sent both of them tumbling across the floor.
Without giving them a moment to catch their breath, another sword energy packed with murderous intent tore toward them.
Ning Busan flung open a secret door hidden behind a tapestry, grabbed Elvin by the collar, and leaped into the hidden passage, not forgetting to snatch the crystal bottle of holy water on his way out.
Ning Busan glanced back and saw the molten-gold sword energy seeping through the cracks of the door, slicing through the stone walls like a hot knife through butter.
With such terrifying sword intent, could this be the Grand Swordsman Elion whom Novalia warned me about?
“Keep up!” Ning Busan hissed at Elvin, quickly leading him into the labyrinthine underground passages.
A middle-aged man standing six feet tall and wielding a greatsword stepped through the secret door. However, confronted by the dizzying maze of tunnels, he had no way of knowing which path they had taken.
“They escaped...” Elion muttered to himself, the tip of his sword lightly tapping the ground with a soft click.
To know of the secret door inside the vault and be so familiar with the palace's underground passages... the thieves must have been acting under the instructions of someone in the royal family.
Elion returned to the vault. His hawk-like eyes scanned the room, quickly catching two unusual traces—two dried drops of blood.
One drop was crystal clear, seemingly teeming with the vibrant life force of the forest.
The other was dark and viscous, exuding an evil aura that made his heart skip a beat.
“One is an elf, and the other...” Countless possibilities flashed through Elion's mind before finally settling on the grim truth he least wanted to face. “The other is connected to Hell.”
No matter what they were trying to steal from the vault, if Hell was involved, there had to be a massive conspiracy behind it.
As the guardian of the palace, he had to investigate this thoroughly.
Meanwhile, to shake off Elion's pursuit, Ning Busan and Elvin fled all the way to the end of the secret passage.
Ning Busan yanked the arrow out of his shoulder, shivering violently from the agonizing pain.
The bleeding from Elvin's chest had stopped, but his silver hair was soaked with cold sweat, clinging to his pale cheeks.
Elvin asked, “Ning Busan, what do you need the holy water for?”
Ning Busan was utterly baffled. “How did you recognize me?”
Elvin chuckled. “Your eyes are black. I doubt you could find another pair in the entire Empire.”
Ning Busan pulled off his mask, feeling incredibly annoyed with himself.
He had actually made such an obvious blunder!
This was his first time playing the thief, and he was clearly out of practice.
Wearing the mask had been completely pointless.
“I need the holy water to resist the corrosion of Hell's power,” Ning Busan said. “What about you? What do you want it for?”
Elvin replied, “I have an elven friend who was seduced by a demon and turned into a dark fallen elf.”
Ning Busan froze.
Elves were born with the blessings of light and an affinity for nature, worshipping the God of Light and the Elven Mother Tree.
They existed in alignment with Heaven and could never turn their backs on the light. Once they fell to darkness, they would suffer the constant, agonizing burn of holy light.
Elvin let out a bitter laugh. “The holy water can't save him; it can only ease his suffering. Since you need it to save your own life, I won't fight you for it.”
Ning Busan didn't stand on ceremony. He unsealed the crystal bottle and poured the holy water directly onto his right hand.
In an instant, a brilliant light erupted from the holy water, interspersed with glowing golden runes.
Ning Busan's right hand began to tremble violently. The purplish-black veins beneath his skin seemed to burn, emitting a harsh, hissing sound.
Yet, the process was not painful.
A warm, pure energy flooded his body, bringing him a sense of unprecedented tranquility.
Before long, the light gradually dissipated, and the skin on Ning Busan's right hand returned to its normal color.
By this time, Elvin had already stood up and was inspecting their surroundings.
Behind them stood a massive stone door. It was covered in ancient magical script arranged in a spiral pattern.
Although parts of it had faded, certain key words like “seal,” “eternity,” and “curse” were still legible.
Elvin asked, “What is this place?”
Ning Busan replied casually, “Oh, this? This is the royal tombs.”
Rate on N.U.
