Chapter 324 321: Assassination

In this damned and demonic ritual, many people were brutally killed.

The emotions they left behind in the shadow realm should be plenty and ridiculously strong, enough to break a normal person’s mind.

If he used this rune, he would have to experience it all with his own eyes!

Did he want that?

When he was alone, Val didn’t mind gazing into the abyss, but now he had a few people he actually cared about, so of course, the answer was no.

He wanted to keep his mind free of filth. As a result, he decided to look for another way.

However, if he doesn’t find one, he would learn this rune and proceed with his self appointed mission of getting rid of trouble.

After thorough research, he pinpointed two more promising runes:

1. Whispersilk Rune – Capable of tracking the subtle disturbances in the weave of shadows created by any movement, it’s incredibly precise but requires a recent trail to be effective. While powerful, it’s not selective and could lead to a nexus of trails if multiple entities have crossed the same path.

2. Tracestep Rune – A rune that locks onto the residual energies left by footsteps in the shadow realm, it can lead back to the location where the person spent significant time. Ideal for tracking movements within a limited area, but less effective over long distances or after significant time has passed.

Val weighed his options carefully.

‘The Tracestep Rune is the most fitting for my current needs,’ he thought after a few thoughtful moments.

Val had an advantage that set him apart from his peers: his rank-2 darkness core allowed him the capacity to construct not just one, but two level-2 runes—a privilege that other rank-2 wizards did not possess. While the Tracestep Rune might not align with his usual combat-centric approach, its utility in the current situation was undeniable, and the amazing rune capacity his core had made it a viable addition.

Decisively, Val expended the necessary Arcane points to acquire the rune. As he did so, a luminous beam shot forth from the token, piercing into his consciousness. The intricate design and formula of the Tracestep Rune appeared in his mind with vivid clarity.

Before this memory could turn blurry, Val activated his Soul Archive skill to create a perfect mental replica of this, losing only 300 or so soul power in the process.

Now that he had such a memory, creating the tune was a piece of cake.

Relying heavily on it, Val proceeded to meticulously construct the Tracestep Rune upon his core of darkness, following the mental outline to the letter.

Once the process was completed, a system notification chimed within his mind.

[System Notification: You have successfully constructed the Level-2 Tracestep Rune on your Core of Darkness. Your Core of Darkness now has the capacity to bear one more Level-2 Rune or multiple Level-1 Runes.]

With the rune now integrated into his core, Val was equipped to track the mastermind to his den through the footsteps he had left behind in the secret basement.

‘It is time for the hunt to begin,’ he thought, as a cold, ruthless glint flashed in his narrowed eyes, the expression etching a resolve into his features that would have made the most stalwart of foes pause.

The Tracesteps Rune, now a part of his arcane arsenal, awaited its first true test.

With a surge of intent, Val activated the Tracesteps Rune.

The action consumed a hefty fifth of his elementalized soul power—a steep price for many, but a necessary expenditure for the gravity of the task at hand.

The rune worked by latching onto the residual energies left by footsteps in the shadow realm.

It was a faint trail invisible to the naked eye but as clear as day to the rune’s unique perception.

‘Let’s follow it.’

Afraid that the trial might start disappearing, Val immediately got to work.

The faint trail formed a simple path, leading Val from the depths of the secret basement, through the winding streets of the city, to a destination that could very well be the den of the mastermind.

It guided him unerringly to the central district where the richest of the lower city lived.

As it was morning, the CD was bustling with life.

The streets were crowded. People were out in the street, either going for a morning run or ordering breakfast.

Although it looked like a bright place to live, it now cast in a sinister hue in Val’s mind as he knew that that murderous bastard lived here.

‘I have been here!’

As he approached his destination, a sense of déjà vu enveloped him.

An ordinary building sat before him as the end of a breadcrumb trail of darkness. This building was opposite to the cafe he had dined in with Lucious and Oliver!

The building was a complex warren of apartments, life stacked upon life in neat, confined boxes. Yet, the rune’s guidance was unequivocal, pointing to one apartment located in the middle of the many.

As he looked inside, disbelief took hold of Val.

The man at the end of the trail was none other than Lorel—the artist who had, with the guise of benevolence, gifted them a painting.

His identity as an aspiring painter who had recently moved to the lower city was just a disguise. He was in truth a psychopathic killer whose hands were stained with the blood of the innocent.

Thankfully, by being prudent, Val had unmasked a monster hiding in plain sight!

The hunt had reached its climax, but it was far from over.

Now, with the truth as his ally, Val stood on the precipice of justice or vengeance. The path he chose next would define not just the fate of Lorel, but the very essence of Val himself.

Val had not anticipated that the killer would be hiding under his nose the entire time.

“He is a smart guy. But he is too smart for his own good,” he said under his breath as people passed by him.