Hitman with a Badass System

1213 Dark Flames Upgrade Quest

Eventually, Michael and Gaya reached the golden house, its grandeur standing in stark contrast to the chaos they had left behind. With a sense of finality, Michael pushed open the large door. The timer in the sky continued to trickle down, but it seemed irrelevant now; they had outsmarted everyone, orchestrating Shar's death using the adventurers, Lysandra, and Elrion.

Upon entering, they were greeted by an empty hall. The door shut ominously behind them, sealing them inside. The hall was stark, with gray walls and intermittent golden lights casting an eerie glow over the space.

Michael's gaze was drawn to the center of the room where a treasure chest sat. The chest was ornate, its surface intricately decorated with carvings and jewels that sparkled under the golden light. It seemed almost too regal, too perfect.

"Bloody hell, be careful," Gaya warned, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This reeks of a trap. That bastard Silvaris is probably laughing his ass off somewhere."

Michael, cautious yet curious, scanned the room with his X-ray vision. To his surprise, he found no traps. "Stay back," he instructed Gaya as he cautiously approached the chest.

With a hint of excitement in her voice, Gaya tossed him the golden key. "Don't forget this," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

Michael caught the key effortlessly and crouched down on one knee, inserting the key into the keyhole. With a satisfying click, the chest slowly creaked open.

"I'll be damned," Gaya exclaimed in awe as her eyes fell upon the treasure inside. The chest was filled with gold coins, diamonds, rubies, and glowing high-grade celestial crystals.

"I take back everything bad I said about Silvaris," she admitted, her eyes twinkling with greed and fascination. Her mind was already calculating the total worth of their loot, envisioning the fortune they would amass by selling everything, excluding the gold coins.

Meanwhile, Michael's gaze was fixed on a glass orb sitting at the center of the treasure. His appraisal function kicked in, and a message appeared in his mind. [The Wishing Orb, an ancient artifact, locates what the holder needs most in the future once].

Michael nonchalantly waved his hand, and the contents of the treasure chest vanished, absorbed into his system store. Gaya stepped closer, curiosity piqued as she noticed the orb in his hand.

"What's that?" she asked, eyeing the orb.

"It locates what I need the most in the future," Michael explained. "But it's a one-time use only."

"Shit," Gaya muttered, disappointed by the orb's limitation.

Focusing on the orb, Michael saw a vision unfold before him: a grand palace made of intertwining trees, green vines, and blooming flowers.

"Why isn't it showing anything?" Gaya asked, trying to peek into the orb.

"I can see it. Seems like only the holder can," Michael replied, his gaze fixed on the vision. "I'm looking at a palace... it's like it's alive, made entirely of nature."

As he described the scene, the vision inside the orb shifted, moving deeper into the palace. It revealed a frozen ice crystal, and within it, dark flames burned with a mysterious glow.

"Dark flames..." Michael murmured, intrigued by the sight.

Suddenly, a quest notification from his system popped up.

[The quest "Upgrade the Dark Flames" has commenced. Retrieve the essence of dark flames and upgrade the dark flames to the next level]

[Upon completing the quest, the host will receive a 15% boost to Fire Manipulation and a one-level upgrade to all fire-related spells]

Michael looked at the orb with newfound interest, realizing the journey ahead just became even more intriguing. "Looks like we've got our next adventure lined up," he said to Gaya, a determined glint in his eyes.

But the moment of discovery was abruptly interrupted as the door to the hall was kicked open. Gaya quickly turned around to see Elrion leading the rest of the adventurers into the hall. Their faces were marked with anger, a clear reflection of their feelings about being manipulated by Michael and Gaya with the fake key, leading to Shar's death and the subsequent curse of Morbus.

"You conniving bastards!" one of the adventurers shouted, his face red with fury.

"You really think we're going to let you walk out with that? Give it here, or we'll take it by force!" another yelled, brandishing his weapon.

Amidst the threats, Gaya nonchalantly cracked her neck and pulled out her bow, quickly nocking an arrow. Her eyes gleamed with a ruthless intent as she faced the crowd.

"Try me, you idiots. I dare you to take one more step," she taunted, her voice cold and menacing. "I'm not afraid to turn this place into a bloodbath. So, who wants to be the first to get an arrow through their skull?"

Just as the standoff reached reached its peak, an unexpected twist occurred. Silvaris's ethereal figure emerged from the ground, his presence instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

"Well, well, well, look at this delightful mess!" Silvaris mocked, a wicked grin on his spectral face. "You all fell right into their trap, and now you're marked for death. Bravo!"

The adventurers, caught off guard, reacted with a mix of shock and anger.

"You son of a bitch, this is your doing!" one of the adventurers shouted, his voice seething with rage.

Silvaris laughed, reveling in the fear and turmoil he was creating. "Oh, it gets better! Imagine what Morbus, the god of plagues, will do to you. Maybe he'll turn you into walking corpses, or perhaps you'll just wither away in agony."

The adventurers' fear was palpable, their faces turning pale as they contemplated their grim fate.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you, you sick fuck?" another adventurer spat out, his voice trembling.

"Of course, I am! It's not every day you see such a splendid display of desperation and stupidity," Silvaris replied, his amusement clear.

"But," Silvaris began, drawing out the word with a sly tone, "I do have a cure for your little 'mark of death' problem. To get it, though, you'll need the blood of those who haven't been marked."

His gaze then shifted devilishly towards Michael and Gaya, the only two in the room without the ominous green glow on their foreheads.

Gaya immediately realized the implications of Silvaris's words and snapped, "I hate this asshole,"

But Silvaris just ignored her comments and continued.

"Oh, not just a drop or two. I'm afraid I'll need a lot of blood. Quite a lot, indeed." Silvaris's grin widened as he replied nonchalantly.