Chapter 276: The Soul-Chasing Needle [I]

Nearly two weeks had passed without any major problems or, more accurately, without any new problems because the existing ones were already more than enough.

During these turbulent times, I made sure to get my work done. I refined the Soulbloom Flower into a medicine, though "refined" was a generous term considering the process mostly involved crushing it into powder and mixing it with water.

But I didn’t drink it immediately. Instead, I kept it safely tucked away inside my Domain, ready to use the moment I was about to run out of time.

As for Varek, he had finally sent me the summons for our duel, which would be taking place this weekend. He had also invited quite a crowd to watch our battle and as much as I wanted to deal with him beforehand, the training with Lillith kept me busy, barely leaving me any time to do so.

But the training wasn’t completely useless. ℴℴ𝘮

I had learned quite a few things, such as how to distract the Gorilla and how to dance around it without getting punched every few seconds.

Hell, recently I think I am getting a hang of its language or... maybe I am going insane but either way, the frequency of me getting punched has decreased enough for even Lillith to praise me.

That still hadn’t taught me anything about the martial art Ashanvar had given me but it had improved my mind-body connection quite a bit.

So, I didn’t mind.

In two days, my duel with Varek would take place, and four days after that, the Rank Assessment Exam would officially begin, the same exam during which the A.S.S. members would launch their attack. Just thinking about next week made me feel tired.

Why was life so difficult?

In any case, Lillith had given me the day off, so I immediately set my plans into motion to deal with Varek. I still had no intention of killing him because that would be far too wasteful. Instead, I had a way to utilize the bastard to his utmost value.

I looked at the massive moon hanging in the sky as I gave my outfit one final inspection. I was covered from head to toe in pitch-black clothing, with a mask concealing my face and just to be on the safe side, I had disabled the disguise function of my cloak, allowing my hair to turn white and my eyes green.

Bearlo and the others were sleeping below, and I had no intention of waking them up. More people meant more complications.

After one final approving glance in the mirror, I turned toward the window of my room and jumped from the second floor. My body vanished midair before reappearing on the ground with the help of my Magician Card.

The moment I landed, I immediately sprinted toward the senior dormitories. The dark clothes and my cloak made me nearly invisible in the darkness.

And even if the Gorilla training had been largely unproductive, it had still made my physique considerably stronger than before, making my speed a lot faster than before.

Within fifteen minutes, I arrived at the edge of the senior dormitories, where the real test began. Guards were stationed all across the area, illuminating artifacts in hand as they patrolled the grounds.

Dodging them and reaching Varek’s villa was the most difficult part of the plan.

I carefully weaved through the gaps in their patrol routes, using my Cards of Arcana to scout the path ahead while teleporting through it whenever necessary.

After hopping through space more times than I cared to count, I finally arrived in front of Varek’s villa without attracting the attention of a single guard.

Even around the villa itself, numerous second- and third-year students stood watch. As reckless as that bastard Varek appeared to be, he was surprisingly paranoid which made him a rather troublesome target.

But I had my trump card.

I immediately sent one of my Cards of Arcana floating toward the slightly open window of a room and activated the Magician’s effect, teleporting straight inside.

The room was larger than mine, and more importantly, it wasn’t even the master bedroom of the villa. As a senior and the top student of his year, Varek’s residence was considerably larger than those assigned to first-years.

I didn’t waste any time.

After making sure there was no one else inside the villa, I quietly stepped out of the room. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone around.

I leisurely made my way to the second floor, where the master bedroom was located and where that bastard Varek was currently sleeping.

Once again, I used the teleportation effect of my card, slipping it through the narrow gap between the bottom of the door and the floor before activating it.

And the moment I entered the room, I saw him.

Varek Ashen Noctharion.

His pure white hair symbolized his royal lineage while two second-year female students were sleeping with his arms wrapped around them.

A slow smile spread across my face as I looked at the bastard.

Phase one of my plan was successful. I had managed to infiltrate his room without being noticed.

Killing him right here would have been easy but I was certain he possessed a few life-saving artifacts gifted by his wealthy family and honestly, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances.

Besides, I wanted him alive anyway.

So I called forth a particular being from my Trickster’s Domain.

"Come out, Naga."

The moment those words left my mouth, a small white snake materialized in front of me.

"Are you ready?"

I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Naga immediately nodded.

"Yes, Young Master!"

He replied at once because I had already explained the entire plan to him beforehand. I returned the nod and pulled another item from my Domain.

It was a sleek black needle, as thin as a strand of hair and sharp enough to pierce almost anything. This was the demonic artifact I had asked Bearlo to retrieve from the treasury for the sole purpose of making Varek’s life miserable.

The Soul-Chasing Needle.