Arcane Era-Chapter 57: Sneaking Around

The Event Hall of the Outer Court was incredibly vast.

It could easily house thousands of people, and it had a spherical form—both externally and internally. The seats were placed in circular fashion, like it was a coliseum, and they were separated into cadres in order to give priority to more important guests while displaying the inevitable presence of hierarchy.

According to the seat placements, the higher one sat, the more important they were.

No one exemplified this more than Shen Ak’ashi.

His seat was within a chamber which stood at the very center of the hall, hovering above everyone else’s. This symbolized just how unreachable he was as the Supreme Lord of Tyranny and Guildmaster of the Ak’ashi Guild, however, this also created a big problem for Theo.

’How am I supposed to reach him from this point?’ He sighed, his eyes peeking through the perforated holes that decorated the elevated walls surrounding the ceiling.

From his position, Theo had a limited view of the hall—specifically the lower floors and the battle stage. If he strained his head and cast his gaze up, he had a vague view of the chamber that Shen occupied. However, he couldn’t properly see the people inside due to the immense purple energy that violently swirled around the cubicle.

Theo sighed.

’I thought I would be able to get much closer if I took the high ground, but I’m much further from him than I expected...’ He gritted his teeth in mild annoyance. ’The closest things around me are the elevated seats. But, to reach him, I might have to climb the ceiling itself.’

Unfortunately, there were a few problems associated with doing that.

’There are no perforated holes or vents leading to the ceiling, which means I’ll have to make some... which could draw attention to me if I do it so close to the target. There’s also the fact that there’d be no ventilation and source of light, so it’ll be incredibly hot and dark...’

Activating his saber of light in such conditions, especially the latter, would be hellish. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

’Also, I’ll need to calculate the right distance from wherever I start from above the ceiling to the point where he’s trapped in.’ Theo observed everything through the holes in the walls once again, then he proceeded to other holes within the same dark and tiny corridor, trying to make a best estimate by combining varying perspectives.

Moving in the tight space was uncomfortable, but since Theo had a scrawny body and was already an expert at sneaking around, he found the experience bearable. It was almost akin to a rat traversing small pipes.

’I’m tired... and sleepy...’ Theo frowned, rubbing his eyes as he stared at his target. ’I’ve used quite a bit of Ne’sh already today...’

From using it to activate his Arcane Instruments in the Combat Exams, to helping Liyah refill her stuffed animal, to constantly using it on his own saber of light... he had continued to drain himself, and the exhaustion was slowly beginning to catch up to him.

Still, Theo shrugged every ounce of weariness and kept his mind focused on the task at hand.

Once he was done surveying the area, he decided it was time to invade the ceiling.

ssttsss!

The smell of burning metal, mixed with that of other materials, wafted in the air as Theo used his Armament to cut open a path for him so he could rise above the ceiling. He was able to successfully carve an entrance, and without wasting any time, he found himself in the large clearing above.

’Looks like I can somewhat move freely now.’ His thoughts trailed once he stood atop the ceiling’s sturdy platform. ’I also don’t need to fear crashing down from this height.’

Theo was dozens of meters from solid ground, but he didn’t allow himself to dwell on that. The material used for the ceiling was of standard quality, and he was very lightweight, so the chances of him breaking the ceiling and falling was incredibly low.

’I need to be careful in my steps, though. I don’t want to alert anyone that there’s something going on in the ceiling.’ Clenching his fists in determination, he began to make slow steps forward.

It was hot and incredibly dark—to the point where Theo could not make out anything around him. He also couldn’t use his Armament, since that would only cause the unbearable heat around him to shoot up by several more degrees.

’Nearly all the Armaments I grabbed before escaping those two turned out to be useless...’ Theo sighed, shaking his head. He even had to hide them away, since they’d be nothing but dead weight to him. ’The only useful Armaments I have besides my sword are the ones I took from that Head Intermediary.’

Not all Arcane Instruments would be useful in combat situations—even if they belonged to the Regal Grade.

Some Armaments played music, and did nothing more. Other Armaments captured moments, translating a precise image of the instance into white sheets. These images were far more detailed and realistic than any painting.

There were Arcane Instruments that created bright lights, and others that cooked food without any wood or fire to burn it.

The list went on.

All sorts of Armaments exist in the world, and while their functions were quite strange and unique, many of them remained devoid of any combat ability. Still, since this was the Arcane Era, anyone with even one of the Arcane Instruments was regarded very highly.

"Haa... haaaa...." Now sweating buckets, Theo considered using the water gun in his possession to cool himself down.

’No, I can’t!’ He sighed, shaking his head vehemently. ’Unlike Liyah’s weapon, it has no lever to determine the intensity of the blast. There are only two modes—blast and bubble.’

Both of those modes wouldn’t work for him, since they would be harmful to his well-being if he aimed it at himself. He also couldn’t aim it at anything else, since he was practically blind and he could end up shooting in a problematic direction.

’There are small pillars that support this ceiling, and destroying one might cause a complication. Even if the ceiling is fine, the noise might draw attention to me.’ Either way, he had to endure the heat and continue marching forward.

’Almost there... almost... there...!’

Right as Theo was a few meters from his estimated destination, he suddenly felt the platform beneath him creak.

’H-huh?!’

Before he could move away, or even completely process his surprise, the ground beneath him shattered into tiny pieces and he found himself falling from the high ceiling in a powerless descent.

He fought the urge to scream, instead calmly observing everything around him as he fell.

’I’m already compromised. All eyes are on me... damnit!’ Several Mercenary Crew Members had their sights fixed on him—many of them displaying shock at his sudden appearance.

The only two who weren’t surprised were the Joker, and the Mercenary King she stood behind. The latter had both arms folded, while the former’s fingers were shaped like a gun, glowing with a silvery luster.

’So she was the one who shot down the ceiling platform I was walking on. So they had an Observation-type Armament that could detect me!’ His heart raced. ’How long? How long have they known of my presence?’

Did they simply let him believe he was advancing undetected, snickering under their breaths while waiting until he had nearly reached his destination before finally pulling the rug from under him.

’Shit!’

Theo’s eyes were fixed on the purple chamber that now seemed completely out of reach the longer he fell. He had been so close to his target, but now he was sinking to his death.

’No... focus!’ He quickly grit his teeth, shaking himself from the state of his initial confusion and frustration. ’I can’t let things end like this. What can I do?’

He currently had four Arcane Instruments in his possession: two Regal Grades and two Standard Grades. His saber of light and the Head Intermediary’s water gun made up his Regal Grade arsenal. Then, the black bracelet of strength strapped to his left wrist and the scarf around his waist were his Standard Grade Armaments.

’The only movement-type Armament among them is the scarf, but its function has nothing to do with flight. It’s only speed, and I can only move forward or backward—not up or down.’

The scarf’s properties also reduced friction and increased force, which was what could make the user so fast. As such, it only worked when a person moved on solid ground, and not simply floating in the air.

’I have to give up on that. I also can’t smash my way to the ground or use my saber, since my body won’t be able to handle the impact and I’ll most likely die.’

Even if he managed to survive, he would be too injured to escape or fight back.

That meant the same thing as death in his eyes.

’Then, the only thing I can bet on is this!’ His eyes flashed as he tightly gripped the water gun and shot it at himself, creating a water bubble that quickly surrounded him.

’Gurh!’ Submerged by the intense liquid, while descending from such great heights, Theo could only hope the liquid orb around him would mitigate the effects of the crash landing.

He was about to find out.

SPLOOOSH!!!