The symbol was of a black wing with red edges. It appeared on the mask after the lifeless doll's movements were terminated.
The moment the symbol formed, Izroth sensed a harboring resentment embedded not in the mask but rather the winged symbol itself.
Izroth reached down and pulled the mask off of the lifeless doll, revealing a smooth dark metallic surface.
The instant Izroth separated the mask from the lifeless doll, its metal lost the dark sheen and became replaced by a wooden-like coating.
At a glance, the material looked as if he had been suddenly downgraded. In addition, Izroth received a neverending stream of willpower checks. It was as though the mask in his hands wanted to consume him whole!
Nevertheless, Izroth maintained a calm aura as he examined the mask.
He found that the item's system information was shrouded in mystery, which further served to confirm his theory.
'There's no mistaking it. This is the Wing of the Anguished Seraph. That explains why it was able to hide from my Energy Vision Sense.'
The Wing of the Anguished Seraph belonged to a long-lost Ancient Order that should have been forgotten in the passage of time. So much so that Izroth only recognized the symbol from old tales and legends attached to other entries he read during his visit to the Amaharpe Palace Library.
In the end, there was no solid evidence of such an Ancient Order ever existing in RML to Izroth's knowledge. However, he noticed one consistent point throughout the legends—every story ended with the same words.
'Abandon all hope, he who gazes upon the wing of the anguished seraph.'
There was too much unknown about the Ancient Order associated with the Wing of the Anguished Seraph. Even something as simple as their name was an enigma. However, with such an elusive nature surrounding it, Izroth believed that it might hold some value. Though he was curious as to how someone could get their hands on such a historical treasure.
'Perhaps I should have kept it alive to question it.'
Izroth placed the mask into his inventory as the willpower checks came to a halt. For now, he decided to look into it whenever he had the chance to return to the Amaharpe Palace Library.
At the moment, Izroth was only allowed access up to the second floor. However, he was convinced that the answers he sought to countless questions were buried on the third and fourth floors of the Amaharpe Palace Library. But, in order to gain access to those areas, it required more than just a great deal of contribution.
After organizing his thoughts, Izroth shifted his attention to the lifeless doll on the ground as he reviewed the system alerts he received upon first encountering it.
'I never thought this would be the first time this effect activated. It's a crafting skill but still has great combat potential. As expected from an SSS-ranked skill.'
〈System Alert: The effect «Gifted Expertise of An Artisan» has activated!〉
〈System Alert: 7 Major Flaws and 58 Minor Flaws have been discovered in the Dreaming Soul Doll! Displaying all flaws…〉
〈System Alert: Would you like to begin the correction process? [Estimated Time: 2 hour(s) 09 minute(s)]〉
The reason Izroth could render the lifeless doll powerless near-instantly was thanks to one of the passive effects of his Unparalleled Craftsman skill, Gifted Expertise of An Artisan. This effect uncovered the flaws contained within the design of the Dreaming Soul Doll, and Izroth did not hesitate to use one of its major flaws to his advantage to disable it successfully.
'Dreaming Soul Doll… It's not often you see this type of stand-alone craftsmanship in RML. It's of no use to me right now, but it may hold some hidden value.'
Izroth declined the correction process and placed the Dreaming Soul Doll into his inventory alongside the unique mask. While he was curious about what changes would occur in an item after undergoing the Gifted Expertise of An Artisan's correction process, he did not have two hours to spare. So, for the time being, Izroth set those thoughts aside.
'I'm running a bit behind. Being ambushed here, I doubt it's a mere coincidence.'
From the way the lifeless doll briefly spoke, Izroth knew that it was not acting independently. But, he was unable to locate its owner with his Energy Vision Sense despite scanning the area multiple times. Therefore, he concluded that the owner was either out of range or somehow able to escape the detection of his Energy Vision Sense.
'The other two groups may have also been ambushed. But, if that's the case…'
It was not as if communication had been cut off in the Hollow Soul Grove; therefore, if a group had come under attack, they should have sent a message out. However, Izroth received no such message through his system alerts.
'I suppose it's best to at least check in on their status.'
In the end, Izroth sent a message to Meng Jiang and the leader of the second group, One Shot Brick, before proceeding to make his way towards the agreed-upon coordinates.
10 seconds…
30 seconds…
1 minute…
Izroth furrowed his brows after waiting a full minute with no response from either group.
'Something's wrong.'
Typically, Meng Jiang responded to his messages right away. However, even if it took her a little longer than usual, the response time never exceeded twenty seconds.
'If I'm not mistaken, and the Headhunter Syndicate is behind this ambush, then they must have a way of accurately tracking our locations while simultaneously avoiding detection. If my position has been compromised, it's safe to assume the others have already been found out.'
Meng Jiang's plan was bold across the board. After all, it required that they penetrate deep into the heart of the Demilitarization Belt and launch three simultaneous attacks on enemy outposts with a limited number of forces. This made retreat and reinforcements virtually nonexistent under normal circ.u.mstances.
In addition, the fact that the Headhunter Syndicate was prepared for their arrival despite their unorthodox approach through the blood mist and Hollow Soul Grove—Izroth believed this level of foresight had Menerva's name written all over it.
But, even without having a line of communication with Meng Jiang and the other members of Sacred Beasts, Izroth was not concerned. If Sacred Beasts could not handle this much, they had no right to call themselves a top guild!
…
Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location far away from the Demilitarization Belt…
Crash!
A perfectly rounded glass object no bigger than one's fist collided with the hardwood floor before it shattered to pieces. The object resembled an orb that was often used by mages to amplify their magical power; however, it was at least half the size of a typical magic orb. Additionally, there was a lack of mana circulating through the item, which was uncommon for magic orbs regardless of their quality.
"Useless! Why did it suddenly stop responding?!" An irritated voice growled.
This voice belonged to a stunning beauty who appeared to be in her late teens to early twenties with short silver hair that stopped at the nape of her neck, accompanied by a pair of magenta eyes. A set of small purple crystal earrings dangled from her ears and released a faint white aura that gave away their identity as rare quality items.
She wore a long black and purple dress that fit tightly around her body. The bottom side of the dress that ran along her legs exposed a portion of her skin that ultimately drew one's eyes to the elegant pair of high heels on her feet.
She went by many names; however, members of the Headhunter Syndicate only knew of her through the Dreaming Soul Dolls she used as one of the Twelve Banes The Nightmare, Black Dream.
But even Vault, the leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, was unaware of her true identity!
"Oh? What has you in such a foul mood, Delphini? Did one of your little distasteful amus.e.m.e.nts come back to bite you?" A graceful voice sounded as a set of footsteps neared.
"Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Mysphia. What I do in my spare time is of none of your concern, witch." Delphini, who also went by Black Dream, scoffed as she glared coldly at the newest arrival.
This arrival was a woman who possessed long purple hair that traveled to the lower end of her back, with a pair of violet eyes that gave off a mystical air.
She went by the name Mysphia, and just like Aegis, who Izroth crossed blades with inside the Chaotic Dogma Realm, she was a member of Heaven's Law—a group that even the top guilds dared not provoke!
