Golden Skull (2)

In a dimly lit room within the Golden Skull base, a beautiful girl with crimson red hair lies on the floor, her hands and feet bound, and her mouth gagged. She struggles in vain.

"Those fiends! How dare they throw the next duke into this dirty, dark place!"

---

Cale: Arrival in Town

After arriving in town, I felt a lot of eyes on me. It was nighttime, so a male walking alone might seem suspicious. I ignored the stares, focusing on my goal: getting kidnapped by Golden Skull to find Aubrey and retrieve the Stone. Though a lot of women and girls approached me, I used my Celestial Eye to determine if any of them were connected to Golden Skull. None seemed relevant, so I pressed on. My stomach growled; I was hungry.

While searching for a place to eat, a large woman blocked my way.

"Hey, handsome, why are you alone at this time of night? Got someone with you?" she asked, her voice carrying an edge.

I glanced at her and used my Celestial Eye. "I'm alone because I got lost on my way home," I replied, feigning fear and panic. I had become a master at acting since I transmigrated into Cale's body.

"If that's so, then I can help. But first, you should come with me. I'll get you home safely," she said, attempting to hide her smirk.

"Okay," I said, faking a relieved smile. This was going to be too easy.

After following her for 15 minutes, we arrived in a dark alley. She struck me on the back of the head, expecting to knock me unconscious, but I had anticipated it and shielded my head with mana. I pretended to fall, and just as I was about to hit the ground, the bulky woman caught me and hoisted me over her shoulder, carrying me to the Golden Skull base.

---

Deos Organization's Headquarters

On a distant island stands a grand black castle—the headquarters of Deos, a shadowy organization. In the castle's outdoor hallway, a woman dressed in black with matching hair walked with predatory grace under the moonlight. Her predatory yellow eyes sparkled as she reached a door and knocked.

"It's Black Lily."

"Come in," a voice replied, feminine yet commanding.

Black Lily entered the room, and the voice spoke again, "What's the status of the Golden Skull operation?"

"We've dispatched spies to three locations near their base. One is near the Silverfall territory. Tonight, we plan to raid their base and rescue the kidnapped children as usual."

The Deos organization was an enigma in the game world, specializing in rescuing children from slavery. After a rescue, the children were reunited with their families, but not all wanted to return. Some were used as leverage by their own families to settle debts. Deos welcomed these children, training them in various combat styles. Black Lily, once an unfortunate victim, was now a dedicated follower of the Deos cause.

"Great to hear," the voice replied. It belonged to Red Lily, one of the leaders of Deos. Among the organization's leadership, those with a color and "Lily" in their name were the heads of Deos, known as the 11 Lilies.

"Black Lily, do you still believe in the Deos Prophecy?"

"Is it about the Male Savior?" Black Lily asked.

"Yeah, that one," Red Lily replied.

"I don't know. It's hard to believe that there could be a man with the ability to use the Status Window and Skills. Even if such a man exists, should we dedicate our entire organization to supporting him? We don't even know who he is."

"Even so, that's what we've been told since the organization took care of us. If we ever find that savior, we're supposed to dedicate our lives to him. That's the purpose of the Deos Organization from the start."

"I... But... sigh, forget it," Black Lily muttered, waving her hand dismissively. "So, did you find that man?"

"Not yet," Red Lily replied, her voice showing a hint of frustration. "Even the founder of this organization hasn't found him yet. They don't even know when or where to look. The prophecy just says he can wield multiple different abilities, but that's all we have. What will you do if we actually find him?" Red Lily asked with curiosity.

"I still don't know," Black Lily said, her expression serious. "But if he's not worthy of being our master, I'll take his life with my own hands, even if it means the entire organization turns against me. You know why I'd go to such lengths."

"I know, I know," Red Lily said, nodding. "You don't want anyone taking advantage of us. After all, even if our mission is dangerous, we're still family. I wouldn't want a weak, irresponsible master either. But not all men are like that, you know. I just want to see what he's like if we ever find him."

After a long conversation, Black Lily stood up from her seat. "I'll be going now. We're planning to raid the Golden Skull tomorrow night, so I have to prepare. Bye." Black Lily was about to leave, but Red Lily stopped her with one last request.

"Black Lily, if you happen to see Purple, please tell her I need to discuss something important with her. That's all. You can go now."

As Black Lily stepped outside, she called out, "14!" A girl dressed in tight, form-fitting black attire appeared, kneeling before her.

"Yes, Miss Black?" 14 asked respectfully.

"Teleport me to our base in Argenti. We're going to raid the Golden Skull tomorrow night, so be prepared," Black Lily said casually, as if planning a simple shopping trip.

"Understood," 14 replied. She stood and used her skill to open a portal. Together, they stepped into the glowing light and vanished.

---

Golden Skull Base

In the dimly lit room, a dark-black-haired guy was unconscious—or at least pretending to be. He rubbed the back of his head, grimacing in pain.

'Damn, that hit was hard. I heard those women talking. They think I might be a rich young master, so they put me here. Not to mention they were getting a little too touchy. It almost got out of hand... ugh,' he thought, grateful for the distraction that had saved him from an uncomfortable situation. Looking around, he saw the walls were solid and the door made of heavy metal.

As he surveyed the room, he heard a noise behind him. Turning, he saw a girl with crimson red hair lying on the floor, bound and gagged. She looked somewhat familiar. Slowly, he crawled toward her, noticing she was quite beautiful up close. He was thankful that he wasn't bound like her, probably because he appeared weak.

As he reached her, her eyes twitched and slowly opened. When their eyes met, he saw both fear and relief in her gaze.

After minutes of silence, Cale realized that the red-haired girl wouldn't be able to speak because her mouth was gagged. He took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Hi?" he said hesitantly.

The girl nodded in response. Cale knew this would go nowhere if she couldn't speak, so he helped remove her gag. As he did, his hand brushed against her soft cheeks, causing her to blush slightly. Once the gag was off, she inhaled deeply, relieved to be able to breathe freely again.

"Are you okay?" Cale asked, his question coming off as somewhat redundant given the circumstances.

"Ah, yeah," the girl replied, her voice tinged with annoyance and relief.

"By the way, did they kidnap you, too?" she asked, her anger evident.

"Yeah, I was just walking, and this woman blocked my way, offering to help me get home. But then she hit the back of my head, and when I woke up, I found myself here," Cale said, looking a bit embarrassed as he realized his plan might have gone terribly wrong.

"Those bastards! How dare they kidnap an innocent, good-looking, cute boy like you? They deserve to be punished!" she said, her anger bubbling over.

"What's your name?" Cale asked, changing the subject.

"I'm Amber. How about you?" she replied.

"I'm Justin," he lied. Justin was his name in his previous life, so it wasn't entirely untrue.

"What a cool name! So, Justin, can you help me untie my hands? I can handle the ropes on my feet once my hands are free," Amber said, looking at him expectantly.

"Okay," Cale replied. He carefully worked to untie the ropes binding Amber's hands. Once free, Amber quickly untied her own feet and then lunged toward Cale, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Justin," she said, not letting go.

"You're welcome," Cale replied, a little awkwardly. Despite the unexpected hug, he had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"You smell good, Justin. By the way, did they do anything indecent to you?" Amber asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know, but I don't think so," Justin replied, slightly embarrassed by the intimate question.

"That's a relief. Don't worry, Justin. I'm the daughter of Duke Oriane, so I know our knights are on their way to rescue us. You don't have to worry anymore," Amber said, still clinging to him.

Cale's face turned pale as he processed what Amber had just said. This was not part of the plan. If the knights found him here, he could be in deep trouble. He'd been hoping to infiltrate the Golden Skull, not get caught up in a full-scale rescue mission. Now he had to figure out how to escape before things went from bad to worse.