Parallel Memory

"Pub number 47 was it?"

Zero stood near a pub that had the name number 47.

According to what he remembers, this was the pub which was also the secret location of the Dark Guild. The novel mentioned having a secret room in this pub where Dark Guild members are stationed.

For confirmation, he checked the status of several people that were going inside the building.

Name: Jack

Rank:...

- - > Art:

[ LVL 5: Chaos Fire: Proficient]

…..

Name: Das

Rank:...

- - > Art:

[ LVL 4: Soul Sucking: Proficient]

…..

( yes, this is the place! )

After checking the information of almost 10 people, he was sure that this was the correct place. In spite of the fact that he could not see the organization to which they belonged, he was able to see their art and skill, which made it easier for him to know whether they were from the Dark Guild or not.

Members of the Dark Guild are taught certain Art and skills. As someone who had much knowledge about them, Zero could immediately find out which Art belonged to which guild.

And looking at the people stationed there, he knew that most of them belonged to the Dark Guild. There were also those who did not belong to the Dark Guild. Perhaps they are working with Dark Guild, or they are unaware this is the Dark Guild branch.

Anyway, I entered inside and sat down at one of the tables, and ordered food. It does not seem out of the ordinary and not many were paying attention to me.

( I guess they run a normal business on the outside. )

In order to fool others who did not know, they carried out business as usual without any suspicious behavior. However, those who he identified as Dark Guild members would be taken to the back of the pub.

Zero was sure that they would be taken to their secret hideout from there. Anyway, he was thinking about how he could infiltrate the Dark Guild headquarters through this branch.

He thought about all the useful artifacts that he got in the Tower Of Obelisk and he remembered one artifact which seemed very useful in this situation.

*********************

Name: Morphic Mirror

Rank: B +

Description: The Morphic Mirror is an artifact that holds the power to transform the user's appearance into that of any person they desire. The artifact is capable of modifying the user's facial features, hair, and skin to match the desired appearance. However, it cannot change the user's height or make any drastic physical changes, such as altering his body shape or structure.

*********************

The Morphic Mirror is a magical artifact that has the ability to alter one's physical appearance in real-time. It is a sleek and sophisticated-looking mirror with a silver frame and a large, clear glass surface.

( This artifact should be enough! )

I could easily go inside the place after I take the appearance of one of them. My main concern was that the person needed to have a similar height and size to mine. Morphic Mirror would take care of the appearance while with Mana Manipulation, I could copy their mana aura.

Zero had decided on his course of action, however, he still needed to select which person he would replace. He scanned through the place and marked many people who had similar physiques to him.

( Hmmmm... Not him! Not him either! )

There were not many people with the same physique as him. However, even those with the same physique as him were not exactly what he was looking for.

His main aim was to use this branch to go into the Dark Guild headquarters. Due to this, he knew Rank-D and Rank-C weren't really people to be called to headquarters. There was no point in him taking their place.

He needed to find someone with a significant position so that he would get the opportunity to get into the Dark Guild Headquarters. Even if he could not get there, he thought that he could at least obtain some information in the OutCast branch.

!!!

Zero noticed the person that the shopkeeper, who is also a Dark Guild member, was showing respect to. He was immediately elated when he saw the guy.

Through his Insight Perception, he could see that the person that entered the pub was at Rank-A -. Being at such a rank would mean that he is either the person in charge of this branch or has some high position here.

The restaurant owner giving respect to him also shows that his observation was correct. He doesn't remember the owner showing that kind of respect to other people.

Furthermore, his build was also similar to his which meant that he could easily take that guy's place. Zero knew right away that he should probably target him.

( Jester! )

That was the name of the person who entered the back of the restaurant. Zero kept his appearance in mind as he went to pay the bill.

He could not kill Jester in front of so many people. Moreover, he wanted to observe Jester for more days, in order to know what kind of person he was.

So, for the next few days, Zero stalked the pub. With his Mana Manipulation, it was easier for him to blend in with the surroundings, making it nearly impossible for others to notice him.

Zero would wait for Jester to make his appearance and every time he would come out of the pub wearing a dark cloak. It would be suspicious for anyone to wear a cloak in other places but in OutCast town where many criminals roam, this was normal.

Zero could only identify using his Insight Perception.

Anyway, Zero would follow Jester sneakily. It seemed that Jester was not a cautious person as he would not pay attention to his surroundings and directly go into the forest.

Zero tried to find out what he was trying to do but he could not guess Jester's intention even after several days. Jester would go into the forest, kill the monsters he encountered and come back to the pub.

Zero could not guess what he was trying to do. Moreover, it was weird that Jester was always alone. Well, that made things easier for Zero who had decided to kill him. He kind of grasped his behavior and the way he talked and he no longer thought that waiting was a good idea.

Zero had memorized the route that Jester always takes and laid traps for him when he came back. Having been fighting some monster, he knew Jester would be weaker when he returned.

Even though Zero was technically stronger, he didn't want to underestimate his enemy. Furthermore, having weak enemies was much better than having strong ones.

Zero waited for Jester and he appeared at his usual time.

[ "Shadow Cryomancy Bomb" ]

Zero activated all the traps that he laid on the ground previously.

"What?"

Jester was startled by the sudden attack. His legs started to freeze quickly as they spread throughout his body. He tried to resist by creating a barrier with his mana but it was too late.

Zero appeared after he had activated his technique. The Shadow Cryomancy Bomb would only freeze Jester for a bit. Therefore, Zero needed to finish him off with another move.

-BANG!

However, before he could make the move, the ice suddenly broke apart and Jester emerged from it. It seemed that Jester burst open the ice by overloading the mana. Judging by the injuries sustained by Jester, Zero knew that Jester kind of blew himself up to escape.

While a reckless move, it was indeed the only way to escape the ice faster. If he stayed frozen then he would be dead instead of just getting injured.

However, the outcome would be the same even if Jester escaped.

Jester was already weaker than Zero by a lot. Now that he got injured even before the fight meant that he was even less likely to win than before.

"Who are you?"

Angry and scared, Jester asked.

"You don't need to know!"

Zero answered.

Jester didn't say anything. But it looks like he is preparing to do something. Zero noticed it and decided to end this before something unexpected happened.

If his plan fails, then his time observing Jester would be wasted. He didn't want that to happen.

-SLASH!

Using his overwhelming speed, Zero reached before Jester and cut off his head. Jester had no way to defend himself against such an overwhelming opponent.

Zero carefully observed the man's features, before turning to the Morphic Mirror. He held the artifact in front of him and focused his mana on it. With a soft glow, the mirror shimmered and transformed Zero's appearance to match that of Jester.

( Perfect! )

Zero said as he looked at the mirror and compared it to the person lying on the ground. He also changed his clothes, which are the same as Jester's. He also took his storage ring and searched for something useful but the most precious thing that he got was his Rank-A sword.

It was a good artifact but not that useful for Zero who already had a weapon. It was necessary for him to use his weapon instead of his own in order to play the role as Jester.

Zero then buried Jester so that he could not be found. He felt guilty about killing Jester, however, knowing the crime that Dark Guild committed, he stole his heart.

Anyway, it is nothing new for him to kill humans, especially for the Emperor Of Destruction!