Chapter 105: No Choice But to Act

As soon as Sunan finished speaking, the gray-robed figure stiffened. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice reverting to its original melodious female tone.

"Is it Scepter? Or Player?"

Sunan brushed his mask lightly and smiled, "It's Player."

"How did you recognize me?" Rose asked, puzzled. She hadn't worn her Rose mask, and her voice had been disguised. How did Player identify her?

"The staff you used," Sunan replied succinctly.

The staff capable of casting magic missiles was an item Scepter had offered for trade during the second gathering. Sunan clearly remembered Rose acquiring it. Thus, upon seeing the staff, he deduced the gray-robed person's identity.

Rose fell silent for a moment. She hadn't expected her identity to be revealed because of the staff. Fortunately, only someone from Forest Cabin could recognize it, not an enemy.

"What brings you here?" Rose inquired.

"The same as you," Sunan replied directly. "You want to enter the city, right?"

Rose's eyes flashed with surprise, apparently not expecting Sunan to share her goal.

After a brief contemplation, she proposed, "How about we cooperate?"

"You saw it earlier. The island city is heavily guarded, with a soul-eating hunter that can see through invisibility and illusions. Neither of us can sneak in alone. Why not work together and achieve our respective goals?"

"Soul-eating hunter?" Sunan quickly caught on. "You mean that black lion?"

"Exactly," Rose nodded. "I extracted the information from a Man-faced Lion. It's said to be a rare beast they breed, capable of sensing soul auras. Unless one can alter their soul aura, all disguises are useless against it."

"I initially thought the Man-faced Lion exaggerated, but after my invisibility and magic disguise failed, it's clear they're ineffective."

Sunan understood and felt slightly exasperated. The Man-faced Lions were indeed cunning. During the interrogation, both had conveniently omitted this critical information, hoping he'd run headlong into trouble. Luckily, Rose had taken the hit first.

"We can cooperate. I have a way to sneak into the city, but you must first tell me why you want to infiltrate the island city," Sunan said, his gaze steady on Rose.

Rose hesitated briefly before agreeing, "Alright, but you must swear not to tell anyone else."

"No problem."

The two then signed a vow contract.

Afterward, Rose explained, "I discovered a wizard's legacy in the Underground World. According to my investigation, the key to unlocking it is hidden somewhere in that city, which is why I want to infiltrate it."

A wizard's legacy!

Sunan's eyes subtly widened. Was there really a wizard's legacy nearby?

"Aren't you worried I'll want to get my hands on the legacy too?" Sunan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rose chuckled, "If you're willing, we can explore the wizard's legacy together."

"Would you be so generous?"

"I don't have a choice," Rose sighed. "The guardians there are excessively strong. Just guarding the entrance is an adamantine golem, and I can't defeat it alone."

An adamantine golem!

Sunan was taken aback. This was a higher-tier metallic golem than a steel golem, and likely as formidable as the Hundred-Armed Monster. Even for him, dealing with an adamantine golem wouldn't be easy.

"With an adamantine golem guarding the entrance, the forces inside are likely stronger. I can't secure the wizard's legacy alone."

"I originally planned to invite one or two people from Forest Cabin to help after acquiring the key. Running into you here was fortuitous."

"So, what do you say? Will you cooperate?"

Rose's eyes held a hopeful glint as she looked at Sunan. While she didn't know Player's exact strength, given his wealth of resources and the fact he'd killed Hebb, he was certainly not weaker than her. If Player joined the exploration, their chances of securing the legacy would increase significantly.

"How will the items in the legacy be divided?" Sunan cut to the chase.

He wouldn't miss the chance to explore a wizard's legacy. Even if it meant taking some risks, it was worth it.

Moreover, with numerous contingencies, he felt confident in his safety.

"I take two-thirds since I provided the information."

Sunan immediately rejected, "I want half."

Seeing Rose about to speak, he interrupted, "I'll figure out how to infiltrate the city, and I'll handle the adamantine golem, but it'll cost me. I need half of the legacy."

"Alright, half it is."

After a lengthy pause, Rose agreed. If Sunan could solve her two biggest obstacles, a fifty-fifty split was fair.

With the most crucial distribution settled, the rest came easily.

They discussed details and signed another vow contract.

With the contract in place, the tension eased, and the atmosphere lightened. Bound by the contract, they needn't fear betrayal during the exploration or after obtaining the legacy.

The power of a contract is absolute for wizards—at least, for those not yet powerful enough to defy it.

"So why do you want to infiltrate the city?" Rose asked.

"I want to investigate its interior," Sunan replied.

Though still curious, Rose didn't press further, shifting the conversation to their plan.

"So, what will you do next?"

Rose was curious about how Player intended to sneak past the soul-eating hunter's senses.

However, Sunan had no intention of doing so.

Since stealth was impossible, there was no need to attempt it.

He'd charge in head-on and create chaos!

The two returned to the lakeshore.

When Rose saw Sunan summon a hundred stone golems out of thin air, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Where did you store all these stone golems?" Rose asked, her shock evident.

Even a micro-glow grade spatial magic item couldn't hold so many stone golems. As for alchemical-grade spatial magic items, they couldn't even store one.

How did Player manage it?

"Secret," Sunan replied casually, turning his gaze to the island city.

More than a hundred massive figures suddenly appeared on the open lakeshore, noticeable to anyone who wasn't blind.

The Man-faced Lion sentries noticed the stone golems immediately, causing a commotion atop the city walls.

Rumble!

The stone golem army charged, kicking up a cloud of dust as they thundered toward the walls, a fearsome sight.

"What are those creatures?"

"They're coming at us!"

"Sound the horn! We're under attack!"

The sudden turn of events threw the Man-faced Lions into chaos.

Quickly, a Man-faced Lion grabbed a horn and blew it, the long, deep sound echoing through the cavern.

Meanwhile, the stone golem army reached the base of the walls and collided with them like an unstoppable force.

The sturdy blue stone walls crumbled almost instantly, sending Man-faced Lions tumbling down, bloodied and broken, only to be crushed underfoot by the stone golems, coughing up blood.

The cave echoed with pained screams.

In the distance, Rose was stunned.

Though she'd seen stone golems before, witnessing a full-scale charge was a first.

The sheer power and momentum left her in awe.

"So, this is a golem army."

For a moment, Rose couldn't help but consider learning puppet crafting.

"Let's go," Sunan's voice broke through her shock.

They maintained their invisibility as they dashed toward the walls.

The Man-faced Lions were preoccupied with the stone golems, oblivious to the two intruders.

Sunan and Rose deftly avoided conflicts, their bodies agile as they slipped through the battlefield.

Suddenly, Sunan raised his hand, and a flash of silver zipped forth, followed by a heavy thud.

Rose turned to see the soul-eating hunter lying on the ground.

Its head had been skewered by a silver spear, pinning it to the earth, unmistakably dead.

In Rose's astonished gaze, the silver spear shattered and vanished.

Sunan retracted his hand, signaling Rose to continue.

Regaining her senses, Rose followed closely, increasingly impressed.

Whether it was the hundred stone golems or the swift, deadly strike she hadn't anticipated, Player's abilities thus far were deeply impressive.

Even when facing Night Owl, the founder of Forest Cabin, she hadn't felt this level of inscrutability.

Just who was Player?

Taking advantage of the chaos, Sunan and Rose infiltrated the city, brushing past a group of Man-faced Lions rushing to assist.

After running some distance, the lead Man-faced Lion suddenly glanced back, a puzzled expression on its handsome face.

"Lord Angus?" queried a nearby Man-faced Lion.

"It's nothing," Angus shook his head, continuing toward the walls.

After passing through the buffer zone adjacent to the walls, Sunan and Rose finally entered the city proper.

The "city" was more a sprawl of low stone houses on the island.

This area seemed to be the slave quarters, with filthy kobolds and ogres peering curiously from their huts, watching the commotion at the walls.

The air was thick with stench, making Rose wrinkle her nose.

"Where's the key stored?" Sunan asked, turning to Rose.

"Up ahead," Rose pointed.

They ran further, entering a clean, wide street.

The area was quiet and somber, maintaining order.

The street was lined with taverns, shops, and places of entertainment.

The passersby were mostly Man-faced Lions, with the occasional chained members of other races.

Clearly, this was the domain of the city-state's rulers, the Man-faced Lions.

Sunan looked up.

In the city's center, a massive stone pillar, three to four hundred meters in diameter, stretched to the cavern ceiling. Its surface was engraved with runes, and its interior was a labyrinth of rooms and vertical tunnels.

This was the palace of the Man-faced Lion nobles, as Sunan had learned from the interrogated Man-faced Lions.

"The key is under a Man-faced Lion statue. I know it's in the upper city, but not its exact location."

"A statue," Sunan murmured, frowning.

Though they'd successfully infiltrated during the chaos, there was no telling when the Man-faced Lions might regroup. They had little time to search and needed to find the statue quickly.

Surveying the area, Sunan's eyes suddenly brightened.

"This way."

He whispered and darted into a nearby building, slipping through a window.

Rose hesitated but followed swiftly.

Inside, she immediately saw Sunan gripping a short figure by the neck, holding him in a vice grip to keep him silent.

"A gray dwarf!"

Recognizing the stout limbs, gray skin, and long beard, Rose's eyes lit up.

Compared to other dwarves, gray dwarves had a much worse reputation, often deemed "evil."

As a result, they were shunned by other dwarves.

Judging by his attire and residence, this dwarf held a decent status, likely an associate of the Man-faced Lions, not a slave.

After a moment's thought, Rose's eyes gleamed with understanding.

Unlike the Man-faced Lions, gray dwarves were humanoid.

In other words, Charm Person would work on them.

Indeed, Sunan cast Charm Person, and the gray dwarf quickly stopped struggling, his expression slackening.

Sunan released the dwarf, asking quietly, "Where is there a Man-faced Lion statue in the upper city?"

"A large statue stands in the central square."

"Anywhere else?"

"Nowhere else."

Sunan and Rose exchanged a glance, both smiling with relief.

It seemed the key was likely beneath the central square statue.

After learning the central square's location, Sunan snapped the gray dwarf's neck.

They hurried out and made for the central square.

The square was only five to six hundred meters from the towering stone pillar.

From the rooms atop the pillar, one could overlook the entire central square.

Sunan and Rose reached the square quickly but frowned upon arrival.

The Man-faced Lion statue was enormous, towering over ten meters high, made entirely of obsidian. Its sheer presence suggested it was incredibly heavy, likely impossible for a grand knight to move alone.

Moving or toppling such a heavy statue would undoubtedly attract the Man-faced Lions' attention.

"Why is the wizard's legacy key in such a place?" Sunan mused.

"I don't know," Rose admitted. "I found the legacy information in a biography, but the author wasn't the wizard who left it. I suspect someone else placed the key here."

"What a twisted sense of humor," Sunan muttered, his lips twitching.

Placing the key in a Man-faced Lion city-state required great power and a twisted sense of humor.

He couldn't fathom such a mindset.

"What now?" Rose asked.

Sunan sighed.

"We have no choice but to act."

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