The Devil's Cage

"What went wrong?" Kieran leaned against his desk and pondered over the question carefully.

He wasn't surprised by the sudden changes to the Mordin's Sculptures. As a matter of fact, after [Hell Breath] came alive, Kieran had already heightened his guard toward the sculptures.

Because of that, he stopped consuming the powers from the sculptures.

Following the arrival of the Interrogators from the papal era and the members of the Broken Fire Council, Kieran was presented with a piece of truth about the history. His vigilance toward the sculptures did not decrease after that; instead, he doubted it even more.

A sculptor that was able to survive in a chaotic era and craft such a masterpiece was definitely not weak.

Then… what about the rescue message at the base of [Hell Breath]?

An intentional trap? Or a genuine please for help?

Kieran had no idea.

He only knew that when he came in contact with the Dark Gold, something about the Mordin's Sculptures changed. It was very subtle and hard to notice even if the sculptures were with him at all times.

If his Intuition and Spirit hadn't reached rank II and rank V respectively, the little changes might have slipped past his perception.

However, since he noticed the changes, he was prepared.

Therefore, he wouldn't be surprised if the blinding light teleported him into hell.

But now, his new identity as a psychologist and his appearance in the treatment room caught him off guard.

The powers in his body were running fine, nothing was holding the Origin Forces back, and his equipment was with him. The system didn't present him with any notifications, which caused his brows to furrow.

Promptly after that, he looked at the insomnia patient sleeping on the sofa with astonishment.

A little bit of pure energy was flowing out of the patient and entering Kieran's body. This kind of energy was similar to Dark Gold, but he was able to directly absorb it without Gluttony's conversion.

With Kieran's vigilance, he would never be careless.

As a thought flashed over his mind, Gluttony jumped out and began to munch and swallow the pure energy.

It wasn't a lot though, at most equivalent to a common Bento meal in [Meaning of Eat] dungeon.

As he savoured the increment of his five Origin Forces, Kieran's gaze on the unconscious patient showed extra thoughts.

Energy could not be produced out of nothing. The process of absorption and conversion was necessary for it to happen.

Even for an apostle in his apostolic cultivation, he would have to temper and forge his willpower and spirit to produce the slightest amount of energy.

But the insomnia patient on the sofa?

He was just a common man!

The weak muscles and lack of training in his body, without any bit of special aura inside, stated who he really was, yet a common man like him possessed a bit of pure energy.

"Something that I don't know yet?" Kieran muttered in his heart.

The unknown represents danger; danger incites fear.

When fear is defeated, opportunity will follow.

Kieran checked the patient once more meticulously. After he really made sure the patient was just a normal man, he walked to the window.

He pushed it open. Without the glass, the windy evening breeze came in along with bright sunlight.

It was warm and pleasant.

The office was on the second floor, and beneath it was an average courtyard.

From where Kieran was looking, to the left of the courtyard were three tall palm trees lined up in a row. The middle one was much taller than the other two and even the office window on the second floor. If Kieran wanted to have a clear view, he would have to stick his body out the window for a peak.

On the right hand side was a row of grape frames. The leaves were thick and green, looking as lively as ever as they blessed the people sitting on the stone bench in the pavilion beside it with comfort and a pleasant view.

A little cobblestone path connected the gate to the building that Kieran was in.

The gate was of a classical bronze style with gaps between the rails that could fit in a fist, yet it was also not too big that any passerby could slip in and cause trouble for the owner. It was beautiful and safe.

Beyond the gate was a quiet neighbourhood. The houses were arranged neatly, and pedestrians were walking their dogs.

Kieran reached out his hand to the granite window platform; the sensation on his hand told him that everything he saw was real. His powerful Intuition also told him the same thing.

"Another world?" Kieran wondered but didn't simply start his investigation to find out the truth.

Kieran was already a powerful high-ranker, yet he did not forget about the benefits of having a new identity in a brand new dungeon world, which he had been experiencing since his newbie days.

It wasn't just convenient, but also safer.

Kieran had a rule about suitable identities in unknown worlds: never do something out of character, at least until before you truly understood the world.

Recklessness would do you no good.

When Kieran saw that the insomnia patient was waking up, he walked up to him and delivered another chop to the back of his neck.

Pak!

A clear noise later, the patient fell unconscious once again, and this time, the pure energy stopped appearing.

"Only once?" Kieran sighed with disappointment and walked out of the office.

The decoration outside the office resembled a home.

White and blue carpets rolled over the corridor. Opposite the office was a half-closed balcony, where metal-framed glass was used as a block screen. In the middle was a small round white table with three chairs of the same color; an ashtray was found on the table but no cigarette butts.

The view from here was wider than the view in the office. One could easily capture the entire neighbourhood with a single glance.

It was obvious that this place was a waiting parlour, and this also proved that the business his new identity ran was quite successful. Otherwise, he wouldn't have opened a home clinic in a high class neighbourhood.

As Kieran walked on the soft carpet, he turned to the other side and saw stairs that connected to the first and third floor.

According to the structure of the building, the first floor should be the reception area and the third floor should be his private quarters.

Kieran went up instead of down. He was eager to find out more information about his new identity.

The wooden stairs were painted a dark red and felt firm when he stepped on them.

After a turn, he reached the third floor.

A square mat entered his sight along with a shoe rack and, beside it, a clothes hanger, each having its respective wearable on it.

It seemed like Kieran's identity opened a home-based psychology clinic, yet he'd separated his work and private life completely.

Kieran switched into his slippers, as per his new identity's habit, and opened the door.

The interior was as clean and simple as expected.

A single bed, some book racks, a computer desk and a bathroom.

Other than the listed, there was nothing else; even the walls were white, and not a single piece of decoration could be found.

Not disappointed, Kieran glanced over at the computer before he started to search through the desk and racks.

It is natural for humans to have secrets.

Familiar places are able to provide a sense of safety, so secrets are usually hidden in reachable, yet inconspicuous places.

The computer was connected to the internet, so it was not suitable.

The desk and racks were much more likely, and sure enough, Kieran soon found something.

He found half a photo clipped inside a book that appeared to be read often.

The photo was of himself smiling brightly. The other half was ripped away, and there was nothing written on the back.

However, judging from his posture in the picture, he should be holding hands with someone. Kieran frowned.

His current status and the torn photo pointed in a direction where his identity had a lover, or at least, a close female friend.

It wasn't good news to Kieran, but obviously, he had broken up with the lady.

It was worth celebrating!

Kieran heaved a sigh of relief, placed the photo back, and flipped through the books.

Most of the books were about psychology, but there were many other random books too. He'd have to spend a large amount of time if he wanted to go through each of them.

It wasn't wise for him to do it now since there was a patient waiting for him in his office.

Kieran walked down the stairs and returned to his office.

When the patient showed signs of waking up again, Kieran proceeded to once more deliver a chop to the back of his neck.

He controlled his strength perfectly, so it was enough to knock the patient out but not enough to inflict any real damage.

It was already noon by the time another chop was given to the patient. Kieran heard the footsteps of the nurse.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Come in."

The knocks were obviously much softer than the first. With Kieran's permission, the nurse came in and saw the insomnia patient sleeping soundly on the sofa. Her eyes on Kieran showed utmost admiration.

As expected of the youngest recipient of the Fervon Psychology Prize!

"Doctor, the treatment session is about to end. He is your only patient today, so you have the rest of the day off. A-And I have two tickets to see the newly premiered movie, The Jade Tower. If you have time, do you want to go with me…" the nurse stuttered.

"Popcorns and platters?" Kieran asked.

"Nope, those snacks pack a lot of calories and I'm on a diet." The nurse shook her head instinctively.

"Then I'll pass. I'm a little tired today; I guess I'll rest." Kieran rejected the invitation straight away.

Judging from the name, the movie was definitely a boring one. Kieran had no intention of wasting his time.

"Okay." The nurse nodded with disappointment, but she did not forget her duty and proceeded to wake up the patient on the sofa.

Gasp!

"My neck hurts." The patient covered the back of his neck as he woke up with a moan.

"I think you might have a stiff neck. You may not get used to the pillows here, so go home to your own pillow and put some hot packs over it. Oh, and how do you feel after getting some sleep?" Kieran explained in a serious tone before asking how the patient felt.

"Great! It's been days since I slept this well! Thank you very much, doctor! As expected of the youngest recipient of the Fervon Psychology Prize. I've consulted several doctors before this, but all of them weren't much help and only increased my number of sleeping pills," the patient praised.

The praise from the patient increased the admiration from the nurse.

'I knew it! I am still out of shape, that's why the doctor rejected me! I shall diet for another 5 kg!

I will reach my perfect weight and then come back with another invitation! The doctor will surely accept me next time!'

The nurse made up her mind and brought the patient down to the first floor to settle the records and payment.

Kieran followed them down but kept quiet the entire time.

He preferred to stay quiet in situations he didn't fully understand.

Watching more was better than talking more.

Under Kieran's watch, the nurse completed the procedures quickly. The patient thanked Kieran again before leaving.

The nurse also finished her work and readied to go home since there weren't any other appointments that day.

"Doctor, I'll be going back now. Oh, if you can, try not to order too much takeaway. Consuming too much oily food is not good for your health. You should cut down on the grains, as it'll help your body," the nurse gave a warm reminder before she left.

"Em." Kieran nodded and locked the door before picking up the takeaway brochure in the reception area.

The brochure was unlike others, with a few pictures and a telephone number. This particular brochure stated very clearly that they would provide different meals every day, but it was only limited to this neighbourhood. It also stated that they would send the chef to the client's place and cook for them using the freshest ingredients.

Kieran picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Hello, Eatery Hut at your service. Today's set meal is a Caesar Salad, Roast Rabbit, Potato Braised Beef, and Silver Carp Soup. You can choose between white bread and roast corn as your main course. What would you like to order?" the operator on the other side finished introducing their menu with her sweet voice.

"I would like five sets of the said meal," said Kieran.

"We have complimentary fried chicken, chips, and coke on each set. Would you like those as well?" The operator added.

"Sure, with each set please. The address is 2-1-6." Kieran recited his address.

"Okay sir, our chef will be at your door in 10 minutes," the operator guaranteed.

Five minutes later, someone pressed the doorbell.

A tall, beautiful woman in a clean chef attire walked in.

"Hello, Dr. 2567. I'm Eatery Hut's chef, Nala. Are you having a party? We have professional bartenders, too."

Nale seemed to be very familiar with the neighbourhood, as she knew who was staying in 2-1-6.

"No, I'm alone. You can use that empty space there." Kieran shook his head and pointed at the empty courtyard.

"Alone?" Nala was stunned, but her professionalism stopped her from asking questions.

She then ordered her sous chef to prepare the ingredients and cooking station.

The fruits and vegetables were, as promised, very fresh.

The rabbit meat was cured beforehand, and the marbling on the beef was so even that it looked like real marble stone and the carp very alive.

As for the complimentary fried chicken, chips and coke?

The fried food was hot and the soft drinks cool.

The fried chicken and chips were crunchy and tasty while the coke was fizzy and sweet.

Kieran carried the bucket of chicken and chips plus coke to the pavilion beside the grape frame and ate his snacks as he watched the chef prepare the food.

Nala possessed good cutting skills, and her technique was good.

The roaster was built, and the rabbit was placed on top.

The beef was blanched, and the carp was placed in warm water to let it spit out the sand.

Nala did all those alone, yet she was very at ease. She was a qualified chef.

Kieran's sharp eyes could tell what level she was at.

She was incomparable to the all-powerful Starbeck, but compared to other normal chefs, she was very good. No wonder she would go to the client's house to cook.

Soon, the aroma of cooked food filled the air.

It was at this moment that the phone in the reception area rang.

Ring Ring Ring!

The sudden phone call interrupted Kieran's enjoyment of his food and the smell.

He frowned, stood up, and headed inside.

"Is this, Mr. 2567?"

A harsh voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes," Kieran answered.

"I'm sorry to tell you that your ex-wife has been found dead in her apartment," the harsh voice said.

"Huh?!"