Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 157: Infiltration (2)

Chapter 157: Infiltration (2)

’So far, so good,’ Adrian thought as he followed Tim.

He hadn’t forgotten the two assassins who had accompanied Red in killing him. As such, Adrian had to fight the urge not to kill them then and there.

After all, he was there to find a way to sneak into the Church, and saving Vesper took precedence over getting his revenge. Once Vesper was safe, he could return to collect his debt later at any time.

Eventually, Tim led Adrian underground through a lift protected by a handful of level 40 people. Even though Adrian was at level 21, his stats were comparable to those of a level 78 brawler.

As such, Adrian knew he could easily overpower the level 40 guards, but Tim was a different story. With a level of 87, Tim was a formidable opponent. The level gap between the two helped Adrian calm down and think rationally.

’I’m in their hideout, and I need to keep my feelings in check if I don’t want the same thing to happen again like it did last time I was here.’

The memories from the last time he was there were fresh in Adrian’s mind. He remembered how the Ravens jumped him, ready to hack him to death. Remembering how weak he had been at that moment was infuriating, but he ate it all—bidding for his time to strike.

Their walk ended abruptly, and they stood in front of a wall. Adrain was a bit confused but didn’t let it show on his face should it raise suspicions. Tim looked behind before quickly tapping on a few tiles and then stepping back.

The solid wall vanished in the blink of an eye, revealing a dark alley with many doors. Strange sounds echoed from behind the doors—some resembled monsters’ cries, while the others were the people screaming for help.

The atmosphere around the hallway felt heavy and unsettling, but to Adrian, it didn’t look that troubling. After all, the howling screams weren’t as bad as the things he had seen while living amongst the Tulkas.

"We’re here," Tim announced, pushing open the farthest door from the entrance, the room marked by the number 117.

Adrian nodded and walked inside as Tim entered after him, closing the doors. The room was in stark contrast with the hall he had just walked through. Unlike the dark hallways, the room was bright and cosy.

"Welcome, Red. I’ve been waiting for your arrival," a voice came from behind the office chair. "I hope you had no difficulty returning to where you belong?"

"None at all," Adrian replied, wondering how the oldie knew anything about his ’visit’.

Adrian looked at Tim, who was staring at the ground with respect towards the old man, wondering if he had informed the man beforehand.

He thought he should do the same as Tim, but the chair turned around before he could, revealing the ’boss’.

A bald, muscular man sat in the office chair, his imposing aura filling the room. With his legs crossed, he turned to greet Red, a warm smile spreading across his old, wrinkly features.

Even though the boss looked old, there was a particular fire in his eyes that even the youngster didn’t. But what Adrian noticed first and foremost was his demeanour. The man was calm yet confident as he folded his hand in a namaste.

Adrian did the same, feeling a bit out of place. It then struck him that the old man looked like one of those Yogis from Earth, and it made him wonder if the boss was summoned to Nexaria just like him.

He let go of his unnecessary thoughts and peaked into the old man’s stats. Even though he was pretty strong, his magic resistance was negligible—just enough for Adrian to go through with his plan.

"Tea or Coffee?" the old man asked with a smile and began brewing some tea without Adrian’s reply. "How does it feel?"

"Feel what exactly?" Adrian asked.

"Cheating death," the man replied without looking at him. "People like me have no bearings on death. We’re okay if it comes knocking anytime.

But still, I can’t help but think about what it would be like to dodge death. A feat you seemed to have accomplished miraculously."

Adrian thought the man meant to discuss Red’s time in the Wilderness. But it became evident the old man knew much more than Adrian expected him to know as it became apparent with his next question.

"Tim, could you wait outside while I discuss Red’s miraculous reincarnation with this gentleman?"

"Of course, Sir," Tim spoke softly before looking at Adrian and leaving the room.

"Where’s Red, and what have you done to him?" The old man snarled, grabbing Adrian’s throat from across the table.

It all happened so quickly that Adrian didn’t register the old man’s movements until it was too late to act.

"What... do you... mean..." Adrian struggled to free himself but couldn’t.

"It would be wise for you to drop the act, youngun. It’ll lessen the pain you feel when I kill you."

Hearing those words brought Adrian to a smile, "Kill... me? Those underlings... of yours tried, and look how it turned... out for them?"

The old man raised his eyebrows. It didn’t take a genius to know what he was thinking. But suddenly, his grip tightened around Adrian’s neck even more, forcing Adrian to intensify his struggles.

"The rumours were true," The old man scoffed. "The hero Adrian is back from the death..."

"Not the hero," Adrian snarled back at the old man, his eyes glowing red. "Adrian, the Chimaera."

Just then, the old man’s grip around Adrian’s neck loosened. He tried increasing the pressure, but it was as if he was trying to grab slimy water as Adrian slipped out of the man’s grasp.

"What is this?" the old man mumbled, looking at his slimy hands.

"That’s my skin," Adrian replied, caressing his neck to ease the restricted blood flow.

He then performed a legs sweep to get the old man off his legs... well, he tried to, but the old man didn’t budge an inch.

"...My bad."