The Devil's Cage

The night was as dark as ink as dark clouds covered the blue moon.

A loud thunder tore the silent night like a sharp blade, and raindrops as big as peas fell down from the dark sky.

Countless pedestrians rushed to their destinations, and the shops on the streets closed early. After a while, the streets were silent and empty of people.

The silence was broken after a few breaths’ time. A couple of hundred thousand men marched down the streets like hundreds of rivers flowing back into the ocean.

They gathered around and formed a tight black patch on the street.

Under the black umbrella were men with ferocious faces and cold expressions. None of them bothered to hide the weapons in their hands. They did not need to in the city.

Their boss was the Underground King of the city, Mr. Big.

Whenever darkness covered the sky, the city belonged to them.

After that particular night, when the sun rose again, the city would belong to them as a whole. They were there to take out their only competition, the Sphendix Corporation.

With Sphendix out of the picture, they would be the sole dictator of the city. This was what their trust was built on.

As Kent gave an order, the men rushed towards the Sphendix Headquarters without delay.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A couple of rockets were launched towards the building’s big gate, a bright flame trailing behind them.

The iron gate was blown up to the sky after a couple hits.

The thick smoke sounded the alarm, which rang around the whole building, serving as a signal for Mr. Big’s men to rush in.

The men rushed in like tigers and wolves, taking all the vantage points with amazing speed. They covered each other and took formation in their charges, looking nothing like gangsters.

"Were they in the military? No, not the military! Although they have a similar fire power as the military, they have something special about them, something that could only be found in military-trained gang members!"

This was what Kieran thought as he watched Mr. Big’s men in action.

The righteousness of military men made them easy to recognize, but none of that righteousness could be found in those gang members but it was enough to make Kieran’s jaw drop.

He could only imagine Mr. Big’s dedication in training those gang members into military-like fighters.

Their heavy arsenals included rocket launchers and heavy machine guns, which Mr. Big had also given to Kieran beforehand. Kieran was sure that if it wasn’t for Sphendix, Mr. Big would have already taken over the city. That was the only reason Mr. Big wanted to kill Sphendix so bad.

Mr. Big would not waste an opportunity to do that, and that opportunity was before his eyes right now.

Mr. Big was inside the bulletproof limo, holding a glass of wine in his hand as Kieran sat across from him. He was looking at the flames burning the Sphendix Headquarters not far from his location. Mr. Big was exceptionally calm. He looked like he was just watching a firework show.

"My source has relocated Sphendix’s defensive power elsewhere. The building before us is completely empty. In twenty minutes, the Sphendix Headquarters will be mine!" Mr. Big said in an unusually steadfast manner while tasting the wine in his glass.

Kieran did not give it a second thought. From the looks of things, this was the truth. Larry, on the other hand, was different. As soon as Mr. Big stopped talking, he started sucking up to him.

"Sphendix Corporation is nothing compared to your excellency! You are like the sun in the bright sky, and they are the bloody dirt in the drains! From this day on, the city will truly be yours! I hope that I can continue to conduct my business under your excellency's rule! Of course, I will follow all the rules and laws as a good, law-abiding citizen!" After a couple of words of flattery, Larry quickly showed his true intentions.

"If you are a friend of Mr. Kieran, you are a friend of mine as well! If you follow my rules, I’ll let you operate on my turf!" Mr. Big said with generosity, considering Kieran’s reputation.

"You are as selfless as the sun! Thank you, my lord!" said Larry flatteringly. Of course, he had not forgotten the person he’d had to rely on the most. "Kieran, my best friend! I’ll take care of everything you said! Don’t worry, I’ll protect your belongings with my life!" Larry promised seriously. At least he looked serious.

Kieran knew that if anything actually happened, Larry would be the first to run for his life. Still, he had no one else to entrust his biggest reward in the dungeon to.

He couldn’t trust Mr. Big’s men.

If Kieran went all out and trusted Mr. Big with all his heart, a collaborator like him would eat him alive.

Larry opened the door and disappeared quickly. After waiting for Larry’s figure to completely disappear and making sure that no one had followed him, Kieran turned around and looked at Mr. Big.

"When will you strike?" Mr. Big asked with a smile, shaking the glass in his hand.

"No need to rush things. We might not have an advantage, even if we strike first," Kieran said slowly.

Although he had almost figured out how the entire incident had played out, he still could not determine where the conversion circle was located inside the magic circle.

Considering the situation going down before Kieran, there was a high possibility that the conversion circle was in the Sphendix Headquarters, in the place only Sphendix and Paul had access to.

However, that was just a possibility. Kieran was not entirely sure of the location, but since Mr. Big’s men were clearing the way for him, it would be a pity if he did not take advantage of it.

"I don’t understand how sorcerers fight, so I’ll just listen to you." Mr. Big kept smiling and shaking his wine glass. The car was filled with the aroma of his wine. Mr. Big understood Kieran’s way of thinking, but he did not care.

His main concern was eliminating his competition and conquering the entire city. Considering he had so many men at his disposal, a couple of deaths meant nothing to him.

However, Kieran was the kind of man Mr. Big wanted to recruit. He was unique and not known to the public yet.

"Sir Kieran, would you be interested in ruling the city with me?" Mr. Big asked.

"Ruling the city? That would be too troublesome…"

Kieran was startled, but he rejected the offer immediately. As a player, it had never really crossed his mind. Even if it had though, it would have been too hard to do so. According to Kieran’s understanding, the only way to return to a specific dungeon would be by getting an SSS rating and initiating a special dungeon. There was no other way to do it. It was not something that he could easily achieve though, and he was not even sure if this was one of Mr. Big’s tests.

Before he could go on though, he felt a malicious gaze fixed on him. Out of instinct, Kieran looked outside the car window.

The rain blocked Kieran’s vision and compromised his hearing, but he was very familiar with the evil gaze targeting him. He was sure that it was not his imagination.

"What’s wro-" Mr. Big started to ask before he noticed the unusual look on Kieran’s face.

Before he could finish, he felt the car turning upside down. To be more precise, the car was spinning out of control. Mr. Big could not control his body as he rolled with the car, looking extremely ugly.

Kieran managed to grab the handle with all his might, holding down his body as he looked outside the car window at the same time.

A huge, monstrous figure appeared before him.