Child of Destiny

……

Just like what Shin had expected, the Pandemonium Descendants approached them to discuss a proposition.

But due to the previous events that occurred just recently, both sides were not fully trusting each other. Especially when there was also a grudge that needed to be considered.

Because of this, the two sides decided to send their representatives to a certain location to discuss the matter a little more privately.

Neither side could send members of their respective group more than the agreed number of people for the meeting. No one would also be present within the perimeter of the area aside from the representatives.

To make sure that neither side could go back to their words, Shin and Mowglee signed a contract containing the mentioned conditions.

…

Somewhere within the dense woods of the Frozen Kingdom, six players have gathered away from the rest of their respective groups.

Each of these players was emitting a very strong aura, creating a heavy atmosphere surrounding them. If there was an ordinary player who mistakenly joined them, then they would surely suffocate to death due to how heavy the air around them was.

Naturally, these players were Shin and Mowglee who brought two more people from their side as mentioned in the agreement.

Of course, neither of them trusted the other which was why they brought the two additional people in case something didn’t go according to their plans.

Shin and Mowglee were sitting on a fallen tree trunk facing each other as a bonfire was lit in between them to illuminate the surrounding.

Not too far behind them stood the other players that they brought alongside them.

Shin brought Zero and Faker because they were more rational compared to the other members of their group. Their speed was also the fastest among their party, so they would be able to move freely if something went wrong. They also retreat immediately if the other side was plotting against them.

They trusted the system, so they were confident that the opposing side would not break the contract. But it was still better to be ready than to regret everything when the negotiation went wrong.

Aside from that, the three of them represented the three groups of their party. Zero obviously represented himself and Seven. Then Faker was the representative of the Lawless group while Shin was for the Empyrean Talons.

S.Tigris and Black already conceded their spots since they knew that this quest was mainly related to the Empyrean Talons, they were already thankful that they were brought this far, so they would not overstep any further. Asking for more was just pushing their luck way too much and being too greedy.

On the other side, Mowglee brought the other top captains of the Sweepers, Azumi, and Muriem.

They had the same rank, but they still respected the current ranks that the organization assigned to them. Since Mowglee was given the role of being the temporary commander of this operation, the two would do everything they could to support him.

Both sides remained silent for a few moments as they observed each other carefully. They were gauging the strength of the opposing.

Obviously, Mowglee could see that their side was at disadvantage. The three players on the other side were much stronger than any of his group but he managed to remain calm as he knew that these top gods of the game would not make a move against them due to the system contract.

He took a breath to reorganize his thoughts before staring back at Shin. “We both know that neither of us wants to drag this out any longer, so let’s skip everything else and go straight to the point.”

Shin calmly nodded his head and responded. “My thoughts exactly.”

Mowglee nodded his head to respond and continued. “You should already be aware of our main purpose for coming to this place, so there is no need to discuss it. Let’s directly proceed at how we are going to help each other.”

Hearing the latter part of those words, Shin couldn’t help but scoff softly. “Help, you say? More like how we are going to benefit each other.”

“We both know that it is impossible to trust each other given the relationship that our groups have, so I doubt we can use the word ‘help’ here.”

He then paused for a moment to make sure that Mowglee understood where they stood before continuing. “Our Quest just happens to coincide with each other, so let’s stop with the pep talk and discuss the real business.”

“What can you offer that can benefit us,” he added with a clear tone of authority.

Hearing those words, the three from the opposing side started frowning deeply, showing their displeasure.

“Looks like you become too confident because of your recent success, Battle God Sickarius,” said Mowglee with a cold tone and continued. “Let me remind you that we are supposedly here on an equal footing. We didn’t come here to get ordered by you.”

“Heh! That might be true if a Troupe member is present, unfortunately, none of them appeared yet. I wonder why,” replied Shin with a mocking tone.

He then leaned slightly forward as he rested his elbows on his knees and put his hands together. “Let me remind you why we supposedly have a higher position on this matter.”

He trailed his words for a brief moment before continuing. “It is because you guys need us to clear our quest first before you can proceed with yours.”

“Or should I say, you need us to pave a path ahead, so that your side can walk through everything smoothly?”

Hearing those words, Mowglee couldn’t help but squint his eyes as he felt that Shin had a clear understanding of their operation. ‘Have they made contact with Diablo?’

For the Pandemonium Descendants, Diablo was their greatest obstacle since that guy was aware of their plans. He was also one of the initiators of the Main Quests that the organization had.

Unfortunately, Mowglee didn’t have any evidence to prove his suspicions, so he couldn’t make any haste judgment. The higher-ups told him to make a contact with the Empyrean Talons since working together with them would make their Quest much easier to clear.

Mowglee quickly calmed himself down before putting his hands together and mimicked Shin’s posture before responding. “I must admit that it is true. But your help is not necessarily needed for us to clear our quest. t is just more convenient for us if we work with your group.”

“On the other hand, your group will benefit more if you work with us. After all, the Corrupted Cult is in your tail, which makes your situation more dangerous.”

‘Hoh~! He knows how to play with words quite well,’ thought Shin before replying. “But we are confident that we can handle ourselves. We also didn’t necessarily need your help either.”

Mowglee shook his head before refuting. “I am not sure about that. Unlike us who can spend more time in this place, your side can’t afford to stay in here much longer.”

“The more time you spend here, the stronger the Corrupted Cult can grow its forces in the outskirts of the Saint Heaven Kingdom. And I am sure that it is something that you guys don’t want to happen.”

Shin nodded his head and admitted it. “It is true that it would become more troublesome for us if it happened.”

Those words caught Mowglee off-guard. After all, there was an unspoken rule in making a deal to not show the other side your weakness since it could put you at disadvantage in negotiating.

Unfortunately for him, Shin was thinking differently. If you revealed your weakness to your opponent but also showed that you didn’t care much about it, the opposing side could no longer use it against you.

For him, it was more effective if you showed that you were wielding a much sharper weapon than your opponent.

Following this rule, Shin revealed one of his cards. “But it is really true that you guys want to see us fail this quest?”

Mowglee creased his brow a little deeper when he heard those words before shaking his head. “I’m not sure what you mean about those words?”

“I am saying that you guys will not be able to clear your quest if we fail ours,” said Shin instantly.

He then observed Mowglee to see if he would get any reaction. But since the latter managed to maintain the current expression on his face, Shin shook his head and continued. “Can you guys harm the First Vampire?”

This time, Mowglee couldn’t help but shout inside his head. ‘He really knows the nature of our quest!’

His eyes trembled for a moment, but Mowglee managed to quickly hide it. But unfortunately for him, Shin was able to spot it as he was closely observing everything.

That brief reaction confirmed all the deductions that Shin made earlier. If he was only guessing earlier using the little clues that they had, then he now became sure of everything. 𝒃𝙚𝒅𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝙣𝙚𝙩

‘I guess this is going to be much smoother than what we are expecting,’ thought Shin as an ‘evil’ plan started to form inside his head.

……