Chapter 158: Chapter 156 — A Dangerous Deal

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On top of one of the high plateaus...

The Ice Lord sat calmly.

My eyes drifted toward him.

Then I arrived at his location.

"A secret place, huh?"

I whispered.

"The place itself is not as important as what surrounds it."

The Ice Lord turned and answered.

Then—

He pulled a small piece of wood from his pocket.

The moment I sat down...

He stabbed it into the ground.

As soon as the system identified it—

A Rank Four item.

{ True Concealment Pillar }

I inhaled sharply.

At once, a transparent dome began forming around us.

Its colors shimmered briefly.

Then stabilized.

And then—

"Now even Rank Five Lords won’t be able to hear our conversation."

said the Ice Lord.

"Good."

I whispered.

"We can conduct the deal properly now."

"That depends. Do you want an honest deal... or a deceptive one?"

he asked.

"I don’t like entering deceitful deals."

"But I will if I’m forced to."

"Same here."

I whispered.

The Ice Lord looked toward me.

He appeared calm.

"He’s lying."

I muttered inwardly.

But I didn’t react.

I stayed silent.

Then the Ice Lord spoke again.

"The Rank Four healing flower... what price do you want for it?"

"If we’re talking prices, then a Great Catastrophe Beast — the Vibration Dolphin — plus one hundred million accumulation points."

The Ice Lord took a moment to think.

But I added:

"However... I won’t sell it for a price."

The Ice Lord narrowed his eyes.

"Then?"

he whispered.

"You know that a Lord always seeks evolution, compensates for weaknesses, and searches for solutions. Yes, the price I mentioned sounds suitable to me... but it won’t help me right now. What I need now is a Core Armor. And if the flower is the path toward it... then I won’t seek a better payment."

The Ice Lord tilted his head slightly.

"That’s wonderful."

A sharp smile spread across his face.

"Your logic is truly excellent. Then there’s no need to delay. The healing flower in exchange for the Core Armor."

Silence filled the air.

The atmosphere atop the plateau suddenly became heavier.

As for me...

I simply kept staring at him.

Then—

I laughed softly.

"You look as though you’re granting me a treasure."

I whispered.

"Am I not?"

The Ice Lord answered immediately.

"A Core Armor isn’t something that can be bought even with billions. Some Lords would rather die than sell one."

My smile widened slightly.

"Then why do I feel like you’re more rushed than I am?"

The Ice Lord’s smile disappeared for a moment.

Only for a moment.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Because I want the deal to succeed."

he said simply.

"No."

I whispered.

Then narrowed my eyes.

"Because you need the flower."

The Ice Lord fell silent.

As for me...

I continued calmly.

"The Lord who crafts the armors is injured. He’s important to you. And if he dies, you’ll lose something greater than just a craftsman. That’s why you’re willing to pay any price."

The Ice Lord stayed silent for several long seconds.

Then—

He laughed.

A quieter laugh this time.

"I hate negotiating with intelligent people."

he said.

I smiled beneath my mask.

"And I hate negotiating with liars."

For a moment...

Our gazes sharpened toward each other.

Then—

The Ice Lord finally sighed.

"What else do you want?"

he whispered.

Only then...

Did my smile slowly widen.

"Nothing."

I whispered.

The Ice Lord showed no expression.

His eyes remained fixed on me.

Perhaps wondering why I refused.

"I have another request."

I said.

"Building proper cooperation isn’t easy. It wasn’t easy on Earth, and it’ll be much harder here. But... if we can build working trust, then it’ll benefit both of us."

I extended my hand.

Then pulled out a small box.

"Is that...?"

The Ice Lord whispered eagerly.

This time, his expression looked genuine.

Filled with desire...

Like a child receiving his favorite toy.

"Yes."

I said.

I opened the wooden box.

Inside...

Was a blue flower.

No aura surrounded it.

No visible energy either.

If a child on the street saw it...

They wouldn’t care about it.

But—

"The things that don’t appear important... are often the most important."

I whispered inwardly.

I handed it to the Ice Lord.

The moment he took it...

He smiled.

"It won’t take long before you receive the armor. Our cooperation will be fruitful."

he whispered.

He stood up...

Ready to leave.

I stopped him.

"There’s something else."

I said.

The Ice Lord turned toward me.

"What is it?"

"Can you provide me with dolphin beasts?"

The Ice Lord fell silent briefly.

Then whispered:

"So your beast really turned into belly fat, huh? I thought you got the material from somewhere else."

I laughed out loud.

"It doesn’t matter how or why I want them. You’ll provide them for me, won’t you?"

The Ice Lord laughed back.

"You told me you weren’t asking for anything, didn’t you?"

He paused.

Then added:

"Free services are always the most expensive."

Then he reached toward the concealment artifact.

Grabbed it.

A magic circle appeared.

And he left.

I remained alone atop the plateau.

The night air was cold.

But—

My smile never disappeared.

"We’ve begun..."

I whispered.

My eyes drifted toward the place where he vanished.

Then I slowly closed the now-empty wooden box.

"Now..."

I whispered.

"Let’s see whether he tries to deceive me."

I remained standing atop the plateau...

The cold air gently struck my robe.

As for my eyes...

They stayed fixed on the place where the Ice Lord disappeared.

Damn...

What exactly did I just do?

I exhaled slowly.

Then sat atop a nearby rock.

"I rushed it."

I whispered to myself.

"I rushed more than I should have."

I closed my eyes.

And replayed everything in my mind.

Ever since arriving at Sunset City...

I had been cautious.

Excessively cautious at times.

I hid my abilities.

My resources.

Even the way I thought.

Every step...

Had been calculated.

Because I knew exactly what happened to someone who possessed treasure they couldn’t protect.

It was the same on Earth.

A weak person possessing something valuable...

Never lived long.

They became a target.

Prey.

A meal waiting to be devoured.

And here?

This world was worse.

Far more savage.

The strong here...

Didn’t merely steal.

They erased your existence entirely.

I sighed again.

Then raised my hand and stared at it.

"A Rank Four healing flower..."

I whispered.

Even Rank Five Lords...

Might kill for something like that.

And me?

I handed it over myself.

I laughed softly.

A short laugh filled with mockery.

"What an idiot I am."

But...

Did I truly have a choice?

I narrowed my eyes.

The Core Armor.

That thing...

I felt it wasn’t simply powerful equipment.

But a turning point.

Something connected to the path itself.

To the limit a Lord could ultimately reach.

Even the system...

Had issued a direct warning.

Abandoning the True Equipment Path...

Would affect my future progress.

That alone was enough to justify any risk.

But the problem wasn’t there.

The problem...

Was that I didn’t know exactly who I was dealing with.

The Ice Lord?

I didn’t trust him.

Not from the very beginning.

It was obvious he smiled too much.

Spoke too much.

And hid more than he revealed.

As for the other man...

The armor craftsman.

He was even more dangerous.

Just thinking about him made me uneasy.

A man capable of forging Core Armors.

Even while injured...

He still caused an entire organization to move in secret for his sake.

So how terrifying would he be at full strength?

I slowly opened my eyes.

And looked toward the sky.

"If things go badly..."

I whispered.

"I may have delivered myself to them with my own feet."

What if they decided to kill me after crafting the armor?

What if they traced the source of the flower?

What if they started suspecting I possessed more than just a single flower?

Damn...

Even I, if I were in their position...

Would do the exact same thing.

A mysterious person.

Rank Four.

Possessing this amount of resources.

That alone was enough to make any organization move against him.

I clenched my fist tightly.

"No."

I whispered.

"I can’t reach that stage."

That’s why...

I had to remain within limits.

The limits of merely a talented Lord.

Not a genius.

Not a monster.

Not a walking treasure.

I sighed deeply.

Then started thinking about the future.

If the deal succeeded...

I’d obtain a Core Armor.

Something that might completely change my path.

But—

If it failed?

I smiled bitterly.

Then I’d lose the flower.

Expose part of my secrets.

And perhaps...

Gain an enemy I currently lacked the power to face.

"A gamble."

I whispered.

"But every path upward is a gamble."

In the end...

The powerful Lords I had seen in the tournament...

Didn’t reach their positions through caution alone.

They reached them because they took risks.

Even the Ice Lord himself...

Would he possess that terrifying armor...

If he feared taking risks?

No.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Then laughed softly.

"At least..."

I whispered.

"If I die... I’ll die while trying to climb higher."

Silence covered the plateau.

The wind continued blowing gently.

As for me...

I kept thinking about only one thing.

The Core Armor.

That thing...

Which had even caught the system’s attention.

"What exactly can it truly do?"

I whispered.

Then—

I slowly stood up.

"Fine."

I said.

"I’ve already entered the game."

"Now... fear is pointless."