C079 - Tempered Skeleton

C079 - Tempered Skeleton

"This is getting a little troublesome."

Suren met the killing intent in Baldhead's eyes. He wasn't afraid, but a helpless bitterness showed on his face.

He'd planned to seize the gun and kill Rooster Head, then gamble on finding another opening to shoot Baldhead.

The plan had originally been thorough.

And luck had favored him. Everything had proceeded according to plan.

Unfortunately, it had all fallen apart at the very end.

That shot hadn't killed Baldhead.

After all—

No normal person would ever imagine that an enemy could possess a "Supernatural Ability" capable of resisting bullets with their flesh!

After firing that shot, Suren had completely lost the initiative.

The bald brute plucked the bullet embedded in his forehead out with his fingers, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

He didn't fire the High-Pressure Cannon on his Mechanical Arm again. Instead, he stomped his foot, and a ripple of air exploded outward as his figure vanished from where he stood.

By the time Suren focused his eyes again, Baldhead had advanced several meters like a ghost and appeared before him.

A massive hand like an iron clamp seized Suren by the throat. With the monstrous force of his charge, he slammed both Suren and the bound redwood chair heavily into the wall.

There was a crisp crash.

The wooden chair shattered into pieces, splinters raining down like a shower.

Suren had no time to react. It felt as though he'd been struck by an elephant, and his vision went dark. The burning taste of blood surged up his throat, and with a splutter, he spat out a mouthful of murky blood mixed with dark red fragments.

The Silver Revolver in his hand fell to the floor. He'd lost his only weapon of resistance.

And now, it seemed that the gun wasn't much use anyway.

Baldhead's speed was absurdly fast. His close-range burst was so quick that Suren's eyes couldn't even keep up.

Another ability that surpassed ordinary humans.

Still, that didn't surprise Suren at all.

A man who couldn't die from a headshot being a little faster wasn't anything worth being shocked over.

Baldhead glared viciously at Suren, whose feet dangled in the air as he was pinned against the wall. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Kid, didn't expect this, did you? My awakened talent is C079 - Tempered Skeleton. If it weren't for this ability, I'd probably have really died at your hands today."

As he spoke, Baldhead glanced at his companion's corpse in the pool of blood on the floor, his gaze growing colder.

Recalling that tricky shot from earlier, lingering fear filled his heart. If he hadn't dodged the vital spot, he would probably be a corpse on the ground right now.

Baldhead tightened his grip, intending to crush the kid before him to death.

But as if he'd remembered something, he hesitated for a moment.

Talent, Tempered Skeleton? A Supernatural Ability? Suren muttered inwardly.

Then he weakly closed his eyes.

Baldhead's Mechanical Arm clamped tightly around his neck like iron pincers. The powerful suffocating sensation left no doubt that the man could easily snap a person's neck.

Yet because he hadn't been killed immediately, Suren felt no panic at all.

Because he'd seen Baldhead's hesitation.

He knew very well that the man hadn't killed him right away because he was most likely coveting the original owner's "secret."

But now, Baldhead's patience had probably been exhausted by his companion's death.

Suren understood that if he said even one unnecessary word now, this man might kill him in a fit of rage.

So he exhaled the last breath in his lungs and painfully forced out, "I have a Treasure Map."

Sure enough!

The moment those words left his mouth, the killing intent remained just as chilling, but Suren could clearly feel the suffocation ease at once.

The iron hand around his neck quietly loosened enough to let him breathe.

"Heh."

A disdainful sneer.

The bald brute wasn't as stupid as he looked. He knew Suren was trying to use this opportunity to stay alive.

But he still gave him a chance, saying coldly, "Kid, you only get one chance. Tell me something that interests me, and I'll let you die without too much pain."

The moment he finished speaking, the iron-clamp hand tightened. With a crack, the clear sound of bone fracturing rang out.

Pain made Suren's brow twitch. He narrowed his eyes as if weak with exhaustion, but he was actually rapidly reading the information on his retina.

He'd die more comfortably even if he talked?

He didn't care about those words at all and said directly, "In the seventh room on the left side of the main corridor of this estate's Banquet Hall, there's a hidden door. The wall sconce is the mechanism. It leads underground, where there's a maze."

He hadn't made this up on the spot. It was information he had obtained from his retina.

In such a short time, in a completely unfamiliar world, it was practically impossible to invent an airtight lie.

And if he were exposed, the only outcome would be death.

Although he didn't know what method had left this information on his retina, as long as Suren closed his eyes, he could see that message.

It read:

"My dear Fick, by the time you see this message, your memories should have already been erased. Of course, none of that matters anymore. I've left you something, as compensation. If fate hasn't abandoned you, living in darkness may perhaps be a good thing for you. Remember, don't trust anyone—especially those people in the upper levels of the Black Tower."

Besides that message, there were some obscure words he hadn't had time to examine closely. They seemed to explain a mysterious power in this world called "Alchemy."

There was also a very strange route map.

It wasn't a flat map, but a three-dimensional one. Winding fluorescent lines were marked from top to bottom. It looked like some mine shaft, or perhaps an abyssal cavern.

Suren gave it a glance and roughly understood what had happened.

The original owner's name was Fick. For some reason, he seemed to have been "exiled."

But none of that had anything to do with Suren, a transmigrator.

He had no memories anyway, and he had no interest in the original owner's past.

What Suren cared more about was his current situation.

Judging from the form of address, some relative of the original owner had left these words on his retina.

It was also because of this information that the original owner had come to this estate, seeking the Ancient Relic marked on the map?

He hadn't had time to study it carefully, but it was probably some inheritance related to miraculous "Supernatural Talents," like Baldhead's ability to withstand bullets with his skull.

Suren selectively revealed some information while leaving out key details.

For instance, he didn't mention the details of how to navigate the maze. And while there were many wall sconces in the room, only the correct one could open the underground passage; the others would trigger traps.

If he wanted to survive Baldhead's murderous hands, he had to demonstrate his value.

And if he wanted to keep living, he couldn't reveal all his value at once.

As long as the enemy wasn't stupid, he definitely wouldn't kill him now.

Sure enough!

Hearing that, a strange glint flashed in Baldhead's eyes.

He had long guessed that the kid being targeted for assassination by an Inner City big shot had some secret.

But after one of his brothers had died, Baldhead had become more cautious. He asked, "What treasure is hidden in this estate?"

Suren pretended to weakly close his eyes, looked over the words on his retina, and recited, "It's said... there are relics left behind by Sir Isaac."

The instant those words fell, Baldhead seemed to have heard something unbelievable. His expression changed drastically. "What?!"

"..."

His tone suddenly became heavy. Suren raised his eyes and glanced at him.

Though he didn't know what "Sir Isaac" represented, Baldhead's expression told him it was probably some extraordinary treasure.

But that was good news for Suren.

Now he was even more certain that he wouldn't die for the time being.

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