At dawn, a world-wide announcement appeared in the sky.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: The Minotaur has been defeated – Rewards will be calculated and given tomorrow night!]
Smash, smash—a young man smashed his wooden training sword at the wooden pole. Then he took a drink from his canteen and looked up at the announcement in the sky.
‘It took them to defeat the Minotaur as much time as it took us to defeat Karma.’ Ambrose thought and put the water canteen on the ground beside him before continuing to hack the training sword at the wooden pole.
Tap, tap—the Wisdom King walked into the backyard and took a seat. He watched Ambrose with a thoughtful look before asking, “Young one, how was the Warhaven?”
“It was an experience.” Ambrose replied and then spun the wooden sword around him before smashing it into the wooden pole’s “head.”
“I happened to die.”
“That was to be expected.” The Wisdom King said with a twitching nose. “I would never send any of my disciples there. However, I am aware of the player’s ability to resurrect.”
“That place wasn’t what I expected.” Ambrose said with a sigh. He then moved the wooden sword behind his back and spun it around like a master before lifted it over his shoulder and smashed into the wooden pole.
“Calm yourself. Don’t use any fancy moves while you are training since they won’t make you any better.” The Wisdom King reminded him before asking. “Will you go there tonight?”
“I will.” Ambrose said and then continued slashing the wooden pole. “Heard about the Gates of Freedom, grandmaster?”
“I have.” The old grandmaster nodded. “It’s an ancient battlefield where Inquisitors send their disciples and sometimes White Inquisitors to fight and kill the criminals from Warhaven.”
“Only disciples and White Inquisitors?” Ambrose then began hopping on the ground, trying to train the footwork he saw in one of the ForeverTube videos.
“Sometimes Brown inquisitors, and rarely Red Inquisitors.” The Wisdom King said. “Red Inquisitors only enter the battlefield if any of the red-ranked enemies are present.”
“I see…” Ambrose furrowed his brows and then began moving around the wooden pole while delivering swift strikes at its torso.
“I have heard about the hierarchy in Warhaven. The high bounties are highly respected there.” The Wisdom King rubbed his wrinkly chin and asked. “I know that the Inquisitors were after you. They are only after those with bounties.
“What ranked bounty do you have?”
Ambrose hesitated for a moment before answering. “Brown.”
“Mm.” The Wisdom King softly nodded. “If you had white, I would have regretted sending you there. You might be forced into slavery there, but with Brown, you should be fine. Still, you have to be very careful.
“The most fights happen between brown-ranked individuals. What is your plan for tonight?”
“I plan on visiting that battlefield.” Ambrose grabbed the wooden sword with both hands before smashing it into the “leg” of the wooden pole before delivering a quick chop into its “head.”
“You plan on increasing your bounty?” The Wisdom King asked. “That is not the worst idea. The higher your bounty, the more respected you will be.”
“Yes, and I believe that fighting those Inquisitor Disciples will increase my strength!”
“Mm.” The Wisdom King nodded and then waved his hand. “Stop the training.”
“Hmm?” Ambrose lowered the wooden sword and turned to his grandmaster. The wooden pole had scratches across its torso as a result of the tireless training.
“What is it, grandmaster?” He asked while wiping off the sweat from his brows.
The Wisdom King stood up and moved his arms behind his back. He pushed his chest forward and suddenly stood upright, like an old war veteran who had seen it all. He then slid the robe off his shoulders, revealing a lean, muscular physique beneath.
Slightly faded scars crisscrossed across his chest and arms. There were small and almost non-existent scars, but at the center of his chest, there was a large X-marked scar that seemed to tell a story of a hard-fought battle that almost ended in death.
That was the only scar that didn’t seem to fade, no matter how much time had passed.
“Who caused this wound on you?” Ambrose asked without thinking.
“A person from the past.” The Wisdom King said. He still felt the scar sting painfully during the night. He then covered his scars with the robe. “I once fought on that battlefield. Most of these scars came from there.”
“Why did you fight there?” Ambrose looked surprised.
“I was once an Inquisitor.” The Wisdom King chuckled and saw his disciple’s face morph into shock. “That was a very long time ago. I have no love for Inquisitors. They act like they are holy men, doing the will of the gods, but in reality, they are driven by their own greed and desire for control.
“I stayed there and eventually became Red Inquisitor.” As he reminisced about the times, the X-marked scar on his chest turned very painful. He touched his burning chest and took a deep breath. “My journey with them eventually ended when I became too injured to keep fighting.
“They tossed me away like I was garbage. I had killed thousands of Warhaven criminals by then, but a single loss made them abandon me.” He then closed his eyes and felt the cold sweat beads drip across his pale face. “However, that experience made me realize something.
“If anyone manages to escape from Warhaven, they will cause destruction and ruin the lives of the innocent people. Especially, “those” people are never allowed to leave Warhaven!”
“You mean red-ranked criminals?” Ambrose asked.
“Yes, those, but there are even more dangerous ones.” The Wisdom King looked at the bright sun. “Above red-ranked, there is another rank that has been hidden by the public.
“If their existence finds a way to the light, panic would ensue, and no one would feel safe anymore.”
“Who?” Ambrose asked, trembling evident in his voice.
“In the whole world, there are only three people with that rank—Black!” 𝐎𝗏xt.𝗰𝑶𝔪
“B-black?” Ambrose’s eyes widened. “There is also black rank?”
“Yes…” The Wisdom King covered his frightful face. “Only three had ever acquired that rank.
“They are also known as the enemies of the world!
“Their power is unparalleled, and their motives are shrouded in darkness.”
“They are… in Warhaven?” Ambrose asked with a dry gulp.
The Wisdom King looked at the young man before sadly smiling. “This is the worst part. Sanctorioum of Inquisitorious aren’t strong enough to keep them inside Warhaven.
“Thus, they are somewhere in the outside world!
“From what I know, the one who caused this scar on my chest is the real King of the Warhaven. Only red-ranked criminals and the Sanctorioum of the Inquisitorious are aware of his existence.
“Most people think that the red-ranked criminals are the pinnacle of their hierarchy.
“That is wrong!
“When that person moves, the mountains stand aside and the world quakes under his heavy steps!”
Ambrose instinctively dropped his training sword. It landed on the ground as if it had given up.
“I needed you to know this.” The Wisdom King looked into his dull eyes. “If you plan to go to Warhaven, you have to know the dangers that lie behind the veil of shadows!”