The Devil’s Cage

“This secret is about a sect! Dragon Sect!”

The elderly duke muttered the term after some thought.

Dragon Sect?

Kieran squinted his eyes.

He had many guesses before but none of them was related to Dragon Sect having secrets in Warren Palace.

“The last time that Dragon Sect appeared in people’s sight was in Warren Palace. When Warren was being built back then, someone came here and left some secret techniques behind. You didn’t really think that the sword skill… Dragon Force, came from nowhere, did you? The Warren Palace from back then didn’t just own the Sword Skill Dragon Force, it housed at least four more secret techniques, but as time passed, other than Dragon Force, all were lost. Those damn sects!”

Eldar was upset when he mentioned the sects. He didn’t attempt to hide his emotions, scolding them in front of Kieran.

“Many years ago, those bastards had dreamt of finding Dragon Sect’s secret in Warren Palace and that includes Mary’s mother, Ellen. That was her initial motive and she acknowledged it herself! But none of them discovered anything and…neither did we. We searched up and down the whole palace, and though we didn’t find any records about the Dragon Sect or any traces left behind, it didn’t stop us from using it to plan a setup.” Eldar’s face suddenly turned gloomy when he mentioned the plan.

What was more disheartening than being set up by others in your own game?

Being held back from the truth for 20 years, all the while being pleased with yourself.

“I’ve told you all that I know. Don’t forget what you promised me. Don’t trouble James and don’t destroy the palace!” Eldar restated his terms.

“Um.” Kieran nodded, stood up and walked out.

The elderly duke wasn’t fond of the sight of him, that was obvious.

And him?

Kieran shared the same feeling.

Both of them hated seeing each other, so Kieran staying back would only make the breakfast taste bad.

After getting what he wanted, there was no reason for him to stay.

Watching Kieran’s back vanishing from his door, Eldar picked up his breakfast, smeared it with honey and took a bite. The honey toast wasn’t just crispy, but sweet as well, but when it entered the duke’s mouth, all he tasted was bitterness.

Two more bites later, he couldn’t eat anymore.

He placed the toast back on the plate, took his coat and walked out of his room.

His friend’s time was running out and within this limited period of time, Eldar hoped to accompany his friend till the last moment.

As he walked under the morning sun, Eldar placed his hand over his forehead, squinting his eyes while looking at the sun.

Even though the sun had risen not too long ago, it was still blinding.

The moment the sunlight touched his face, tears rolled down.

“Overconfident! The dying sunset is so gloomy, how can it compare to the rising sun?” said the elderly duke softly.

His body, which he had purposely straightened all this while, slightly bent forward as he heaved a sigh under the sun.

…

“I’ve prepared fried egg, vegetable stew meat and white-bread toast, all according to your taste palate.”

When Kieran went back to his room, Mary had already set up the fork and knife.

“There’s soy sauce for the fried egg and more meatless vegetables for the stew. Oh, the white-bread toast is also slightly caramelized,” Mary introduced like a real chef.

She moved aside to display her successful breakfast and allow Kieran to clearly see the food on the table.

On top of the plate was the golden fried egg.

Inside the iron pot was the vegetable stew meat that still had small bubbles popping out along with their rich, aromatic smells.

The caramelized white-bread toast was laid like a Jenga puzzle, filling the entire plate.

Without saying anything further, Kieran picked up the soup spoon and filled the bowl of stew for himself. He then picked up a piece of toast and dipped it inside the soup.

The caramelized white-bread toast swiftly absorbed the soup, turning soggy once more with the rich, meaty juice filling it up.

Kieran stuffed it into his mouth and munched loudly.

The flavourful vegetables and wheat quickly filled his taste buds, and together with the rich, thick meat and the fat, it became tastier.

Two to three munches later, the long white-bread toast was gobbled down completely.

He then picked up the bottle of soy sauce and carefully poured a drop on top of the golden egg.

The egg was fried on both sides, and unlike the stew and bread, which were soft and crunchy respectively, the egg was the perfect combination of two distinguished, contrasting textures.

With the drop of soy sauce, the perfection was further elevated to a flawless state.

Kieran swallowed the whole egg with a single bite.

Watching how Kieran ate his breakfast, Mary smiled with squinted eyes.

“How does it taste?” Mary asked.

Kieran’s mouth was full of food and he kept stuffing more in, so he was prevented from speaking. It didn’t stop him from giving a reply though.

He gave a big thumbs up with his right hand.

The thumbs up was worth a thousand words, Mary’s smile grew brighter.

Her smile didn’t diminish even after the meal when she had to tidy up the plates and utensils.

What else made a chef happier than their food being eaten clean by people?

Probably the compliments from the people after the meal.

Full and satisfied, Kieran sat in the chair, pleased. He squinted his eyes and recalled the tasty breakfast. Maybe there was still some distance between Mary and a real chef in terms of knife skills and food presentation, but in terms of taste, she was on par with a professional.

Other than the meal Starbeck cooked, it had been a while since Kieran had a good meal.

He knew by the highly tensed looks from Gluttony.

Gluttony’s Cardinal Sins Force expelled the darkness and chaos in his body again.

Since he was used to it already, Kieran took out [Essentials of Viper Sect Techniques Record] without further ado.

[Do you want to use Essentials of Viper Sect Techniques Record?]

“Yes.”

[Please select the skill you wish to use it on.]

“Dormant Viper.”

Kieran uttered the ready answer.

[Dormant Viper] required 300,000 Points and 3 Golden Skill Points just to level it up to the next level. Even for Kieran, who would get substantial rewards for every dungeon run, it was still something he had scruples with.

If he had another way to level it up, he would gladly take it.

[Dormant Viper acquired massive amounts of experience, skill leveled up…]

[Name: Dormant Viper (Pro)]

[Related Attribute: None]

[Skill Type: Ancillary]

[Effect: A high ranking technique among the Viper Sect, it uses a special way of breathing to send the wounded into a slumber that heals for 2.0 HP/minute]

[Special Effect: Viper Rest (Decrease amount of Stamina consumed and increase 1.0 recovery rate per minute.)]

[Consume: Stamina]

[Prerequisite: Spirit S+]

[Remark: It will consume your stamina but its roots are within Spirit, it is the entry-level technique to the real Viper Sect ultimates!]

…

The Legendary rank [Essentials of Viper Sect Techniques Record] only raised [Dormant Viper] by one level but Kieran wasn’t disappointed at all.

In fact, he was quite happy.

In the current dungeon world, there had to be more than one [Essentials of Viper Sect Techniques Record], and of course, the sects were not limited to the Viper Sect only.