Black hair. Fair skin. A phantom mask. Yi Byul. I think. From the weight she carries herself, her unreadable atmosphere, and then there are her eyes. I recall seeing her at the artificial forest from Cube.
Through my , I come to understand that the person in front of me is Yi Byul, the white Yaksha, the boss of Chameleon Troupe.
However, contrary to my assessment, it appears that I am wrong.
Hajin’s voice echoes from my earpiece. “That’s Jain. She is in disguise!”
I am happy to have Hajin’s assistance. No one can lie from his [Observation and Reading] Gift. “If it isn’t Miss Jain, the mischievous thief… what an honor…” I mock clap without a sound. “Where is your boss?”
I sense Jain to be disturbed, but I objectively ignore it. She can fool my , so she can also fake her reaction just as easily. I shall not lower my guard.
“Interesting,” Jain playfully approaches me. “You picked an interesting place for a meeting. If you want to talk more… How about we go to somewhere more private?” She flirtatiously intones.
She is not the only one who is good at the lying game.
“Yes,” I softly answer using my of a young man falling in love.
I grab her wrist and force her hand on my arm making us look like an escort and his muse. “Let’s go.”
With a beauty on my side, we head to somewhere more secluded and private. I choose the male’s restroom. “Lady’s first.” I open the door.
“Wow, isn’t this the male’s restroom? Very shameless.” Jain is annoyed. She enters, and I follow. She removes her phantom mask, the mud mask from her gift disguising herself as Yi Byul, and also the magically black dyed hair.
In the place of the fake Yi Byul is a blonde sensual woman I guess about ten years older than me. I snicker at her easily giving up her disguise. It looks like I am found out.
“You are a good liar,” She compliments me. “You almost fooled me. You wanted to talk. Now, talk.”
I carefully look around. I must be cautious of any ambush. I am sure scared of Cheok Jungyeon abruptly springing from out of nowhere. But I am more scared of the Chameleon Troupe’s Khalifa who can create portals.
If the Chameleon Troupe has no plans of being friendly, they can just send Khalifa here and summon me to a place of their preference.
“There is no one around, you are safe.” Yeonha’s voice echoes from my earpiece, informing me that I am safe. I should be more confident, with Yeonha’s eyes watching over me.
Jain takes my silence as boring, so she starts looking around. “This place has a CCTV… and no windows. Are you working for Chae Joochul?” It is a logical assumption considering where we are now.
I suppress my laugh. I bet she won’t be able to believe it works the other way around that Chae Joochul works for us. Of course, that is too much of an exaggeration.
“Guess. You cannot be really sure either. There are so many corporate representatives who put money into this gala sending their hunter-affiliated personnel, and even going as far as to contribute high-level bodyguards.”
Jain glowers at me. “Yeah, real smart of you. So when are you gonna talk.”
“I will only talk to your boss.” After all, it is her who I extend my invitation to.
Jain shakes her head in disapproval. “And what if this is a trap to catch my boss? I am not an idiot. I am sent as the messenger because I can easily escape this place as I like…”
Like me, Jain possesses a stealth-type gift so as she claims, she can easily escape this place. Not as fast as Khalifa though. “I am just saying, if you want to talk to my boss, it is you who has to come with me. If you don’t want to come, then you would have to convince my boss.” She adds convincingly.
“Bell, the Seat of Black. Is that enough?” I playfully answer.
Jain frowns maybe not expecting Bell’s name to come out of my mouth.
I want to make a deal with the Chameleon Troupe. It is a give-and-take. I will help them find Bell, in exchange, they will help me find Yi Yeonjun. Of course, I won’t mention Yi Yeonjun’s name. I will only need to find Bell.
There are a lot of complications surrounding Bell. I recall my meeting with Jin Sahyuk. After learning about her not being Prihi, I fear that Bell might not exist in this world. That is fine too. As long as I get in touch with Chameleon Troupe, we should be able to find Yi Yeonjun one way or another.
An alliance with Chameleon Troupe. This is my ultimate goal of contacting them. The Sinful have unique intelligent resources, while the Chameleon Troupe has extensive resources around the world.
“The Seat of Black is empty, right? Why don’t you let me sit at it? I have my own grievances with Bell too.” I lie through my teeth. There is also a possibility that if Bell is alive, he might have chosen different paths from the future past.
Bell after all can infinitely regress. It is one of his core-defining traits.
At this point in time, Yi Byul should still be angry with Bell.
“Fine,” Jain smiles neutrally at me. “My boss agreed to meet you.”
She must be using a communication channel of her own. Hajin has the [Orb of Solomon], but he cannot hack their communication channel. I trust Jain has something to do with it. I imagine disguising the communication channel to be within her abilities.
I sense magic fluctuations from my rear. I look around and see bluish magic power gather and form a portal. Appearing from it is a man with white hair like snow and a solid build. I am surprised beyond belief.
“Yi Yeonjun…” His name leaks out of my mouth out of sheer surprise. It is not entirely that though. Because of my simple muttering, Hajin and Yeonha should hear my voice from my earpiece.
“And you know my name too. Truly a surprise!” He laughs.
Looks like my train of thought is not wrong. I just have to stick to the Chameleon Troupe, and in time, I will meet him. It is not within my expectations though for me to meet him so fast.
“Of course, I know your great name! You are famous! You are the student of Vast Expanse, the leader of Vast Expanse… Heh~! Your master is very egoistical to use his name as his organization’s name, or is it the other way around?” I run my mouth off, while I buy time for myself to weigh my options.
There is only one thought running through my mind— how can I catch Yi Yeonjun? We need to catch him alive and extract every information he knows about Devils.
Yi Yeonjun rubs his cheek and covers his mouth. I cannot hear him enough. He must be whispering something via the Chameleon Troupe’s communication channel.
My physique [AI Nerve Function] acts on its own and moves my body, barely dodging Jain’s swiping hand. That sends a chill down my spine, but I continue to act normal and carefree.
“Boss, it appears that he really has accomplices.” Jain crushes my earpiece from her palm.
I have been had.
I always find myself in situations like this being pushed into a corner.
Jain adds. “Don’t expect any reinforcements from any of your comrades. This space here is blocked. Even the CCTV installed here has blacked out.”
“Shut up, Jain.” Yi Yeonjun shuts her mouth with a warning.
Jain seems to be enjoying my predicament.
I offer her my thanks. “Well, thank you Miss Jain for informing me about the space here being blocked. I assume it must be Mr. Khalifa’s work.” Khalifa's Gift is Phase Shift. It connects one space to another, so long as it is not too far apart. Naturally, this is part of Khalifa’s Gift.
I imagine sealing space should be within Khalifa's possibilities, but I wonder. Isn't that too strong from the original?
My purposeful mention of Khalifa makes Yi Yeonjun frown. Jain is doing well in hiding her emotions, but not Yi Yeonjun. I attack Yi Yeonjun with my words, trying to glean any information about him being here. “So, what does it feel like to be the boss of Chameleon Troupe again?”
“Terrible.” He replies. “You make me curious because you know Bell despite him being erased from existence by God already in this world. Tell me. Do you believe in God?”
That question makes me feel uneasy. I am pincered from two sides. From behind, I have Jain, and from the front, I have Yi Yeonjun. And here I am thinking the restroom is a good place to have a talk.
If I last long enough, reinforcements should arrive on time so as to apprehend Yi Yeonjun. I guess, I just have to buy time. “God? Hmmm… Do I believe in God? A question first… Who is God? Or maybe, what is God? Or which is God? Do you know in oriental mythology, Gods can mean many things? God may dwell in the heart or person or things. In occidental belief though, the interpretation is quite frank that god is said to be a supreme existence who watches over all life. So which God are we talking about? Or maybe it is a matter of perspective of which theological foundation we are looking at? Are you talking about Catholicism, Buddhism, or being a Muslim? You know…”
Yi Yeonjun grabs me by my neck and lifts me. “Do I look like I am joking? You keep on rambling on… it is annoying…”
I feel my feet leaving the ground. “Don’t grab me by my neck. It is not nice.” I cast on Yi Yeonjun’s arm holding me by my neck.
Yi Yeonjun loses control of his right arm. His right hand up to his shoulder becomes limp and lets me go.
I am very tempted to just attack and slit his throat, but I must not kill him. “You are lucky I have a need of you, or you would have been dead already.” I play the tough route. “So, can we talk now?”
Black hair. Fair skin. A phantom mask. Yi Byul. I think. From the weight she carries herself, her unreadable atmosphere, and then there are her eyes. I recall seeing her at the artificial forest from Cube.
Through my , I come to understand that the person in front of me is Yi Byul, the white Yaksha, the boss of Chameleon Troupe.
However, contrary to my assessment, it appears that I am wrong.
Hajin’s voice echoes from my earpiece. “That’s Jain. She is in disguise!”
I am happy to have Hajin’s assistance. No one can lie from his [Observation and Reading] Gift. “If it isn’t Miss Jain, the mischievous thief… what an honor…” I mock clap without a sound. “Where is your boss?”
I sense Jain to be disturbed, but I objectively ignore it. She can fool my , so she can also fake her reaction just as easily. I shall not lower my guard.
“Interesting,” Jain playfully approaches me. “You picked an interesting place for a meeting. If you want to talk more… How about we go to somewhere more private?” She flirtatiously intones.
She is not the only one who is good at the lying game.
“Yes,” I softly answer using my of a young man falling in love.
I grab her wrist and force her hand on my arm making us look like an escort and his muse. “Let’s go.”
With a beauty on my side, we head to somewhere more secluded and private. I choose the male’s restroom. “Lady’s first.” I open the door.
“Wow, isn’t this the male’s restroom? Very shameless.” Jain is annoyed. She enters, and I follow. She removes her phantom mask, the mud mask from her gift disguising herself as Yi Byul, and also the magically black dyed hair.
In the place of the fake Yi Byul is a blonde sensual woman I guess about ten years older than me. I snicker at her easily giving up her disguise. It looks like I am found out.
“You are a good liar,” She compliments me. “You almost fooled me. You wanted to talk. Now, talk.”
I carefully look around. I must be cautious of any ambush. I am sure scared of Cheok Jungyeon abruptly springing from out of nowhere. But I am more scared of the Chameleon Troupe’s Khalifa who can create portals.
If the Chameleon Troupe has no plans of being friendly, they can just send Khalifa here and summon me to a place of their preference.
“There is no one around, you are safe.” Yeonha’s voice echoes from my earpiece, informing me that I am safe. I should be more confident, with Yeonha’s eyes watching over me.
Jain takes my silence as boring, so she starts looking around. “This place has a CCTV… and no windows. Are you working for Chae Joochul?” It is a logical assumption considering where we are now.
I suppress my laugh. I bet she won’t be able to believe it works the other way around that Chae Joochul works for us. Of course, that is too much of an exaggeration.
“Guess. You cannot be really sure either. There are so many corporate representatives who put money into this gala sending their hunter-affiliated personnel, and even going as far as to contribute high-level bodyguards.”
Jain glowers at me. “Yeah, real smart of you. So when are you gonna talk.”
“I will only talk to your boss.” After all, it is her who I extend my invitation to.
Jain shakes her head in disapproval. “And what if this is a trap to catch my boss? I am not an idiot. I am sent as the messenger because I can easily escape this place as I like…”
Like me, Jain possesses a stealth-type gift so as she claims, she can easily escape this place. Not as fast as Khalifa though. “I am just saying, if you want to talk to my boss, it is you who has to come with me. If you don’t want to come, then you would have to convince my boss.” She adds convincingly.
“Bell, the Seat of Black. Is that enough?” I playfully answer.
Jain frowns maybe not expecting Bell’s name to come out of my mouth.
I want to make a deal with the Chameleon Troupe. It is a give-and-take. I will help them find Bell, in exchange, they will help me find Yi Yeonjun. Of course, I won’t mention Yi Yeonjun’s name. I will only need to find Bell.
There are a lot of complications surrounding Bell. I recall my meeting with Jin Sahyuk. After learning about her not being Prihi, I fear that Bell might not exist in this world. That is fine too. As long as I get in touch with Chameleon Troupe, we should be able to find Yi Yeonjun one way or another.
An alliance with Chameleon Troupe. This is my ultimate goal of contacting them. The Sinful have unique intelligent resources, while the Chameleon Troupe has extensive resources around the world.
“The Seat of Black is empty, right? Why don’t you let me sit at it? I have my own grievances with Bell too.” I lie through my teeth. There is also a possibility that if Bell is alive, he might have chosen different paths from the future past.
Bell after all can infinitely regress. It is one of his core-defining traits.
At this point in time, Yi Byul should still be angry with Bell.
“Fine,” Jain smiles neutrally at me. “My boss agreed to meet you.”
She must be using a communication channel of her own. Hajin has the [Orb of Solomon], but he cannot hack their communication channel. I trust Jain has something to do with it. I imagine disguising the communication channel to be within her abilities.
I sense magic fluctuations from my rear. I look around and see bluish magic power gather and form a portal. Appearing from it is a man with white hair like snow and a solid build. I am surprised beyond belief.
“Yi Yeonjun…” His name leaks out of my mouth out of sheer surprise. It is not entirely that though. Because of my simple muttering, Hajin and Yeonha should hear my voice from my earpiece.
“And you know my name too. Truly a surprise!” He laughs.
Looks like my train of thought is not wrong. I just have to stick to the Chameleon Troupe, and in time, I will meet him. It is not within my expectations though for me to meet him so fast.
“Of course, I know your great name! You are famous! You are the student of Vast Expanse, the leader of Vast Expanse… Heh~! Your master is very egoistical to use his name as his organization’s name, or is it the other way around?” I run my mouth off, while I buy time for myself to weigh my options.
There is only one thought running through my mind— how can I catch Yi Yeonjun? We need to catch him alive and extract every information he knows about Devils.
Yi Yeonjun rubs his cheek and covers his mouth. I cannot hear him enough. He must be whispering something via the Chameleon Troupe’s communication channel.
My physique [AI Nerve Function] acts on its own and moves my body, barely dodging Jain’s swiping hand. That sends a chill down my spine, but I continue to act normal and carefree.
“Boss, it appears that he really has accomplices.” Jain crushes my earpiece from her palm.
I have been had.
I always find myself in situations like this being pushed into a corner.
Jain adds. “Don’t expect any reinforcements from any of your comrades. This space here is blocked. Even the CCTV installed here has blacked out.”
“Shut up, Jain.” Yi Yeonjun shuts her mouth with a warning.
Jain seems to be enjoying my predicament.
I offer her my thanks. “Well, thank you Miss Jain for informing me about the space here being blocked. I assume it must be Mr. Khalifa’s work.” Khalifa's Gift is Phase Shift. It connects one space to another, so long as it is not too far apart. Naturally, this is part of Khalifa’s Gift.
I imagine sealing space should be within Khalifa's possibilities, but I wonder. Isn't that too strong from the original?
My purposeful mention of Khalifa makes Yi Yeonjun frown. Jain is doing well in hiding her emotions, but not Yi Yeonjun. I attack Yi Yeonjun with my words, trying to glean any information about him being here. “So, what does it feel like to be the boss of Chameleon Troupe again?”
“Terrible.” He replies. “You make me curious because you know Bell despite him being erased from existence by God already in this world. Tell me. Do you believe in God?”
That question makes me feel uneasy. I am pincered from two sides. From behind, I have Jain, and from the front, I have Yi Yeonjun. And here I am thinking the restroom is a good place to have a talk.
If I last long enough, reinforcements should arrive on time so as to apprehend Yi Yeonjun. I guess, I just have to buy time. “God? Hmmm… Do I believe in God? A question first… Who is God? Or maybe, what is God? Or which is God? Do you know in oriental mythology, Gods can mean many things? God may dwell in the heart or person or things. In occidental belief though, the interpretation is quite frank that god is said to be a supreme existence who watches over all life. So which God are we talking about? Or maybe it is a matter of perspective of which theological foundation we are looking at? Are you talking about Catholicism, Buddhism, or being a Muslim? You know…”
Yi Yeonjun grabs me by my neck and lifts me. “Do I look like I am joking? You keep on rambling on… it is annoying…”
I feel my feet leaving the ground. “Don’t grab me by my neck. It is not nice.” I cast on Yi Yeonjun’s arm holding me by my neck.
Yi Yeonjun loses control of his right arm. His right hand up to his shoulder becomes limp and lets me go.
I am very tempted to just attack and slit his throat, but I must not kill him. “You are lucky I have a need of you, or you would have been dead already.” I play the tough route. “So, can we talk now?”
