Super Righteous Player
Chapter 422 - 419 Solomonik_1

Chapter 422: Chapter 419 Solomonik_1

Annan walked slowly and cautiously through the pitch-black corridor.

Once she focused, the world in front of her stretched and widened, the background color turned to a dull yellow, and the passage of time seemed to slow down considerably.

——Although this was the residence of Duke Winter, it was unlikely to be any enemies.

But after all, the job she was here to "apply" for was Winter’s Hand.

As an official Transcendent organization and a special agency of the Winter Principality, maintaining enough vigilance might be a plus during the interview...

However, at that moment, something flickered before Annan’s eyes.

...Are they really here?

Annan narrowed her eyes slightly, and her hands silently turned into beast claws.

Even in the completely dark corridor, with the vision of a werewolf, she could see the outline of a human figure move slightly.

It seemed to be about one meter seventy, rather thin...

Although he faded from Annan’s sight as soon as he stilled again, as Annan approached, he finally moved once more.

He reached out, silently going for Annan’s neck.

...No malice.

Is it part of the test?

Without a second thought, Annan.

As the man reached out his hand toward her, Annan swiftly crouched down on the spot.

She wrapped her hands tightly around the man’s lower legs and immediately stood up, leaning back with the robust strength of her waist to throw the man onto the ground.

"Uh...!"

A painful grunt from the man rose instantly.

"That’s enough, Bella."

The old man’s calm voice arose in the darkness, "He means no harm."

"Yes."

Annan obediently responded.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have just thrown him down.

But if she had really been grabbed by the man... the werewolf kissing ceremony would have certainly been delayed.

No matter what, she would have to go through a certain amount of training before she could "take the test."

As the old man creaked the door open... light once again filled the narrow corridor.

In the sunlight coming through, Annan saw the young man groaning on the ground.

He was a young man with light brown hair, very pale skin, and freckles on his face.

His cheeks looked very gaunt, even indented inward, and he didn’t seem very spirited, with a bruise and some bleeding on his forehead from Annan’s throw.

Yet when he stood up, his gaze towards Annan became somewhat eager.

"Hello, my name is Solomonik."

The young man emitted a very low and unclear voice, extending his right hand slightly towards Annan, as if he wanted to shake hands but didn’t dare to.

At the same time, his eyes remained fixed on Annan’s face.

That strange eagerness made Annan feel somewhat uncomfortable.

...Why are you so enthusiastic with me after I beat you up?

Is this person a pervert?

"He is considered your senior. Like you, he has not passed the werewolf kissing ceremony. The two of you will be together later."

The old man beside them spoke in his emotionless, aged voice, "Like you, he is homeless."

"Are you a werewolf too?"

Upon hearing this, Annan looked back at the pale, thin man.

She spoke softly, changing her right hand back to human, and shook hands with Solomonik.

"No, he is not."

The old man replied indifferently, "Even within the entire ’Winter’s Hand’ organization, only you are a werewolf."

"I am...I am the child of a murderer. My father and mother were murderers and assassins. They died a long time ago."

Solomonik spoke in a timid, low voice, "I had no money to learn swordsmanship, so I went to earn money. But when I had money, the teacher still wouldn’t let me learn. Because of my lowly status, I learned by stealth.

"But I was found out in the end... and the teacher kicked me out.

"The teacher said... if I learned swordsmanship, I’d surely use it to kill people. Then that got passed around, and it became ’he will surely kill people’... and I was driven out."

"Driven out?"

Surprised for a moment, Annan then realized it meant being driven out of the barrier.

"...And then what?"

She asked subconsciously.

The one who answered Annan was the elder standing behind them.

He placed each of his hands on Solomonik’s and Annan’s shoulders, replying calmly, "Later, I found him. Seeing his outstanding talent for the Transcendent path, I led him onto it."

"Yes!"

Solomonik’s voice was slightly louder.

In his eyes, Annan seemed to see flames flickering.

"Only the teacher was willing to take me in, only the teacher was willing to impart the knowledge of murder to me..."

It was a soft yet fervently passionate voice: "The teacher is my benefactor! For the teacher, I would give up even my life!"

"Murder, for the common folk, is certainly an untouchable red line. But for us, it’s simply one of many methods,"

the elder intoned slowly.

His face was expressionless, his deep eyes seemed like unmelting ice: "But you must never kill for pleasure. Those who let their desires swell unchecked cannot pass the Wolf’s Kiss Ritual."

"Yes, I know, teacher..."

The voice of Solomonik immediately became much softer again.

He bowed his head, his gaze once again shifting, appearing somewhat timid.

But faced with his demeanor, the elder showed no reaction.

Sensing an opportunity, Annan finally managed to voice the doubts in her heart: "The Wolf’s Kiss Ritual...what exactly is it?"

After a moment of silence, the elder turned away wordlessly.

Solomonik quickly caught on and hurried over, giving Annan a look, signaling for her to follow without delay.

The two of them followed the elder, taking two turns and then descending into an underground chamber.

Annan immediately sensed an intense coldness.

It was like stepping into a cold storage...no, it was even colder than that.

Even while walking, she could feel her knees creaking. Every joint in her body cried out, like a computer fan groaning in the coldness of winter.

She subconsciously wrapped herself entirely in fur, couldn’t help but hunch over, trying hard to curl up.

To Annan’s surprise, neither the elder nor Solomonik showed much reaction to the chill.

The elder acted as though he was completely unaffected by the cold, while frost was forming on Solomonik’s hair, yet he didn’t complain or appear surprised.

Suddenly, Annan realized something.

...This might be the place where Grandmother Winter hibernates.

Upon reaching the bottom, the elder switched on the lights and said indifferently:

"—We’ve arrived."

After a brief pause, the signature pale green sparks of the "Green Fire" ignited, leaping through the room.

Then, a bright orange light illuminated the entire underground chamber.

Annan’s pupils contracted slightly, crouching on the ground, her tail sweeping slowly and restlessly from side to side.

She had guessed that this might have something to do with the Frost Beasts...

But Annan hadn’t expected to see so many—

—it was almost like a chicken coop.

They stood in an underground warehouse of about a hundred square meters.

A large number "3" was painted on the wall in red paint.

Each wall was outfitted with horizontal rows of metal cages, six or seven layers high and at least sixteen or seventeen columns wide.

The dimensions of each cage was roughly one meter wide, one meter tall, and three meters deep. In each cage was a semi-transparent, soul-beast-like light white wolf spirit.

As the lights came on, the Frost Beasts lying prone or sideways began to rise from their cages, opening their eyes.

Their pupils were pure and clear ice blue.

"What is called the Wolf’s Kiss Ritual... involves releasing the Frost Beasts and then allowing you to fall asleep here,"

the elder stated slowly: "Once you fall asleep, you’ll enter a nightmare—losing all positive feelings and entering the nightmare. The nightmare will be constructed from your most recent memories... If you can break free from this nightmare, you’ve passed the Wolf’s Kiss Ritual—and can become an excellent Transcendent."

Upon hearing this, Annan was suddenly stunned.

—She realized a very serious problem.