The Devil's Cage

Kieran followed J. Pearlman into Huke Alley.

The alley was situated north of the city, consisting of the main road filled with crushed stones and many short, colorful houses along the way. It seemed like a town from a fairytale, but it was less boisterous. Quite the opposite, a rigid silence and killer atmosphere filled the place.

Kieran picked up on more than one gaze, looking at him.

They didn't harbor any malicious intent, but he had to be very careful.

According to the gazes and their presence, Kieran could tell there were around 40 secret watchpoints spread across the entire Huke Alley.

With the information he got, the numbers fit the number of members of the outer ring in Freedom Alliance.

Compared to the official members' worry, the outer ring members had a lot of confidence in their organization.

It was natural, though!

A bunch of rabbits would feel scared in front of a lion.

As for the lion?

The rabbits would never know the helplessness and fear of a lion in front of a gun.

Although the rabbits might face the gun themselves, but…

There wasn't much difference after a single bang.

A single bullet robbed the fangs of sharpness and turned its agility into bubbles.

The lion understood how scary the bullet was, while the rabbits were still ignorant of the truth of the situation.

Kieran quietly shook his head. He couldn't imagine how the outer ring members would react when they found out the truth.

'They might fall within a single blow, right? No, not might! They would fall within a single blow!

If I were that bastard, I would surely launch a frontal assault, teaching these outer ring members a lesson about the harshness of reality.'

Kieran's brows couldn't help but furrow together as he pondered the question.

He realized the 'hunter' who was hiding in the dark understood Freedom Alliance more than he expected.

Likewise, Amilian was much more 'useless' than rumored.

"Boss Amilian was forced. The 'hunter' came and went like a ghost. We can't track him down if we don't expand the search range."

J. Pearlman seemed to have noticed Kieran's thoughts, as he quickly defended the boss of his organization.

Kieran nodded without expressing his opinion.

He would not deny J. Pearlman's words because it was the truth, but he would not change his comments regarding Amilian because it was also the truth.

Kieran's comment on Amilian was once again verified when they finally met.

Even inside his own room, Amilian was wearing a suit of knight armor. It was shiny and sturdy; it looked like a combination of some high-rank items, just like the longsword at his waist and the cape on his back.

"Nice to meet you, Sir 2567."

"I apologize for not being able to meet you at Harvest Inn, Freedom Alliance is in a perilous situation now, but J. Pearlman here can fully represent me."

"The promise he made is as effective as my own voice."

"And if you don't mind, I wish to tell you the whole incident again with my own words."

Amilian welcomed Kieran wholeheartedly. The words he used were grand and glorified, if they were speaking in Huke Alley and not Amilian's room, Kieran would think more of him, but now, what Kieran saw was cowardice!

That's right, cowardice!

Not just the other official members of Freedom Alliance were terrified, even the boss, the leader in name felt the same.

Just looking at him fully armed in his own room, what a joke.

Beside the room was a rack holding Amilian's weapon and armor. Based on the marks on top, the weapon and armor on him should have rested on the stand for a long time, not on his body.

No doubt, the mysterious 'hunter' frightened Amilian, causing him to wear armor and arm himself with a weapon even in his own room.

As for the secret watchpoints all over Huke Alley that seemed like surveillance?

It may be protection more than surveillance.

"Em," Kieran reply coldly since he knew what Amilian wanted to achieve.

Kieran looked down on cowards like this.

Starbeck? Starbeck was different though, at least he knew his cowardice wouldn't allow him to lead any kind of organization or team. He laid low in the big city, playing his part quietly, and even after entering a dungeon world, he would give the leadership position to the most suitable person, unlike Amilian here, a coward that wanted to lead and order people around.

Kieran couldn't imagine how a person like Amilian reached Advance Rank.

Could he have solely relied on his team to support him?

While Kieran was guessing, Amilian started to tell his side of the story after Kieran's reply. His version of the story was almost the same as J. Pearlman's, other than a few more decorative words being added in, thus making 'someone's' leadership ability stand out, the essence was not much different.

"I miscalculated that bastard's strength, causing Gary to fall. If I have another chance, I'll…"

"Can I take a look at the place where Gary was assaulted?"

Kieran interrupted Amilian's story and voiced his request.

"Of course! J. Pearlman will take you there."

Amilian nodded and passed the task to J. Pearlman.

Obviously, the leader of Freedom Alliance had zero intentions to leave his room, and Kieran saw it coming.

J. Pearlman, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed.

"Boss Amillian wasn't like this in the past. Too many things have happened recently, causing something in him to change…"

"Humans always change, don't they?"

J. Pearlman hoped to explain to Kieran, trying to bring up the good side of Amilian, but the more he told, the more he realized it was hard for him to continue these 'false truths.'

He ended the conversation with his own way of saying things.

However, it seemed to pique Kieran's interest.

"You said Amilian wasn't like this in the past?" he asked.

"Yes. Boss Amilian wasn't like this; he was brave, dauntless, and treated others with passion and kindness. He was also a humble man."

"The reason why I chose Freedom Alliance in the first place was because Boss Amilian helped me back then. In fact, most of the members in the alliance received the boss' help in one way or another."

"But… it's no longer the same."

"Especially after the 'hunter' had his eyes on us, Boss Amilian seemed to have changed a lot, not just cowardly and paranoid; he'd even aggrandize his superiority."

"A lot of friends said that this is the boss' true nature."

"Gary even had a fallout with the boss, and it ended very well." J. Pearlman shook his head.

"Oh? Fallout, eh?" Kieran looked at J. Pearlman with an interested gaze.

"No! The boss might have changed, but his bottom line will never budge!"

J. Pearlman instantly shook his hand after he realized Kieran's meaning. He'd even diverted the topic and pointed at the street, "This is where Gary was killed."

Kieran didn't pursue the topic, though. He looked at where J. Pearlman was pointing with squinted eyes.