Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran marked Shiloh and Uilleam before creating an automa part to replace their missing limbs. He did this because they could become a liability if they were to encounter another one of the tower's challenges or an ambush from another group.

Then again, now that the tower recognizes Kyran's identity, he might be able to effortlessly navigate through the tower and its challenges and even transfer to other levels at will. He would not do that, however, because he was sure the tower would only allow him to do that and not the people with him.

After resolving the matter with Shiloh and Uilleam, Kyran took them and returned with the others.

Cyneah, who already sensed their arrival could not help but wear a perplexed expression.

"I've marked them. They will not pose a threat for now."

"Yes, I can see that," Cyneah replied, looking at Shiloh and Uilleam's lights, which were now mixed with a black hole-like mark in the middle.

The black hole was directly placed at the center of their lights, so Cyneah guessed that if they ever thought of betraying Kyran, it would consume their lights in a heartbeat.

Shiloh and Uilleam were shocked to see Cyneah.

Back at the platform, when all the other clan representatives were waiting for the tower to open, Shiloh and Uilleam were among several representatives who were mesmerized by Cynean's beauty and presence.

As an unknown figure from the Dragon Clan, she already drew a lot of attention, and her appearance, which was pleasing to the eyes, made her stand out even more.

"But don't you think your… hobby is getting a little out of hand recently?"

"Hobby—?" Kyran stopped short before letting out a muffled groan. "I did not kidnap them."

"So you admit kidnapping is your hobby," Cyneah teased in amusement.

"…"

Kyran knew she was only teasing. Nonetheless, he felt wronged whenever his hobby was mentioned. They were his hostages, okay? It was not like he took them with a ransom in mind.

Wait.

Now that he thought of it, Uilleam's treatment of Shiloh suggested the latter was someone important. Maybe Kyran could extort the Blade Dancer Clan for his release. He was in dire need of resources, after all.

[What are you even thinking? Aren't you going to the Dragon plane after leaving this place? Why would you need to extort others? Besides, the Tower has recognized you, and there are plenty of hidden resources and treasures here. Just say the word, and I'm sure it will surrender everything to you.]

'...'

Kyran was rendered speechless once more. Extorting the Blade Dancer Clan for Shiloh was just a passing thought. Couldn't Shaiha take a hint? Did she have to give side comments at every thought that crossed his mind?

Meanwhile, Shiloh and Uilleam wore grave expressions after witnessing the light exchange between Cyneah and Kyran. Now that they were aware of the latter's identity, apart from him being the same one that Atla encountered in the unnamed plane, he already posed a huge threat to them.

But it seemed they had merely seen the tip of the iceberg of how huge of a threat he really posed, especially when he was already on good terms with the Dragon Clan.

Kyran sensed Shiloh and Uilleam's change in demeanor upon seeing his interaction with Cyneah. He belatedly realized that in their eyes, Cyneah looked like a true Dragon Clan member.

Now that Shiloh and Uilleam were aware of Kyran's identity, or at least believed they were aware of it, seeing him interact well with a dragon probably gave them the false impression that he was already acquainted with them— not that they were wrong.

Technically, Kyran was acquainted with the Dragon Clan. But being acquainted did not mean they were on good terms.

Shiloh and Uilleam did not need to know that, though. And Kyran did not mind them misunderstanding that point.

"They'll join us for now," Kyran refrained from reacting to Cyneah's teasing and veered the conversation back on track. "We could use a few decoys, too."

"..."

Shiloh and Uilleam did not say anything to Kyran's last remark, but their faces darkened.

"Decoys, huh," Cyneah replied with a slight smile. Although she did not elaborate on her response, Kyran knew what she was thinking.

Using a decoy was not his thing. Thus, that remark was only to annoy the two hostages.

"How are the others?" Kyran asked, changing the subject and turning his attention to the battle happening a few meters ahead.

"They're almost done cleaning up," Cyneah answered, turning her attention back to the battle as well.

Shiloh and Uilleam felt aggrieved at Cyneah and Kyran's lax attitude. They were marked, yes, but that did not mean they would not attempt to escape.

'...'

Shiloh and Uilleam's faces darkened at the thought of escaping. Given how they could still not circulate their magic energy, it would be impossible for them to escape from Kyran.

As Cyneah said, Auto-one and Aki had nearly done dealing with the automatons in the area. Since their numbers had already been reduced to two digits, the Ancients were no longer providing assistance from the rear. Instead, they were checking all the automatons that Auto-one and Aki defeated to ensure they would not reactivate.

A few minutes later, Auto-one and Aki defeated all the automatons. Kyran had the Ancients assist him in checking the defeated automatons to see if he could reconfigure their settings.

"Do you even have to reconfigure them? I can already sense the tower's energy in you, so there is no need for you to do that. Command them any time you want," Diara told Kyran with a shrug.

Cyneah, Shiloh, and Uilleam were surprised at Diara's words.

Unlike the latter two, Cyneah was aware that the tower possessed a sentient and could acknowledge Kyran since he was the Realm Scion. Although she did not know what being the Realm Scion meant, she more or less guessed that it was a very important title among the Ancients.

Shiloh and Uilleam, on the other hand, were shocked by the thought that someone could manipulate all those automatons at will.

For the record, they did not recognize Diara's identity or the other Ancients. They only guessed that Diara and the others were hostages from another group like them.

Going back to Diara's words, Kyran could only frown in response. He knew what she was trying to tell him, but he did not know how to do that. He tried to insert his magic energy into the automatons, but they would not budge. After that, he tried communicating with them through telepathy to no avail. He also tried speaking to them, but they remained unresponsive.

When Kyran asked Diara what he should do, the latter only said: "Just talk to the tower. How hard can it be?"

Kyran belatedly realized that Diara was bad at explaining and decided not to ask her anymore. Not wanting to waste time figuring out how to command the automatons, he just took all two hundred automatons in his storage pouch before moving to the next area.

"Are we not going to wait for those two?" Diara asked Kyran curiously.

"No need," Kyran replied.

"Hm... I don't think these two you kidnap can replace those two in terms of battle prowess."

"..."

Kyran did not think Diara and the others heard his and Cyneah's conversation earlier. So, why did they think he kidnapped Shiloh and Uilleam?

Cyneah laughed softly but did not say anything.

Meanwhile, Kyran ignored Diara's comment altogether and had Auto-one lead the way to the next area.

"There are a few people coming this way, master," Auto-one warned him.

Kyran did sense more presence approaching the intersection. Initially, those presences appeared to be observing them. They were likely weighing up whether to go to the left or right side.

In the end, one group decided not to cross Ladon and Thorn and went to their side. The other groups were still a distance away, so it was unknown if they would go to the left or right side.

"We'll deal with them once they arrive," Kyran replied. Inwardly, however, he preferred not to deal with them.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the presence of the group coming after them disappeared.

Aki, Cyneah, Shiloh, and Uilleam were perplexed at what happened just then. They wondered if that group triggered a challenge along that path without them knowing. If this was the case, did it not mean that Ladon and Thorn might also encounter a new challenge after dealing with the right side?

Auto-one, Diara, and the rest of the Ancients were unfazed at what happened, however.

With a snort, Diara looked at Kyran and said, "Looks like you're starting to understand how to take advantage of your privilege."

Kyran's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, his mind reeled at this revelation.

Did this mean that he could simply think what he wanted, and the tower would comply?

But if this was all, how come the automatons did not respond when he wanted them to?

Or could it be that he could only command the tower to a certain degree?

Regardless, Kyran could not experiment with it at the moment. He'd just have to observe how the tower would react to his thoughts as they proceeded.

With that in mind, they went to the next area.

The next area was a white circular room. Because they had only been in a dimly lit area, the sudden brightness stung their eyes a bit. It did not take long for them to adjust however, and observe the whole area.

The room was spacious, with faint rune writings flashing at every corner. At the center of the room was a hovering gold sphere.

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