Eternal Thief

At another location of the Undead Cradle, the moment the spatial turbulence subsided, Ace’s vision stabilized once more.

Once again, the familiar scenery appeared. Cold abyssal winds swept across the barren land while the faint scent of Corpse Qi lingered in the air.

The sky above the Undead Cradle remained eternally dim, yet this time, the very first thing Ace noticed wasn’t the ruined battlefield beneath his feet; it was the heavens.

A colossal devilish owl covered the entire sky like a supreme ruler watching over the world. Its vast wings stretched beyond sight while those hollow dark eyes overlooked everything beneath with eerie indifference.

Although Ace was expecting to see his thief symbol in the sky, he couldn’t stop the faint astonishment that flashed through his eyes, as it was truly grand and somewhat excessive.

”...System, you could’ve warned me.” He smiled wryly beneath Kharon Veyth’s demonic face.

Still, after the initial surprise faded, Ace quickly calmed down. After all, in the Abyss of Wandering Souls, nobody knew who the Sky Stealer truly was.

With the Undead Cradle already filled with mysteries, ancient legends, forbidden rituals, and the Corpse Clan’s strange history, people would naturally associate the symbol with a hidden old monster, a ritualistic omen, or perhaps the Undead Boundary itself. No one would connect it to Nomad; that was the important part.

Lastly, with such a display, Ace was confident he would meet the fame requirement for their current mission, and he no longer needed to take any risks outside. But for this exact reason, he can’t steal wantonly, or the mystery surrounding the Sky Stealer would be solved, and everyone would be on guard.

After admiring his own work, Ace’s eyes flickered faintly as this time, he wasn’t Nomad, nor the Lone Hunter, and more importantly, he wasn’t under scrutiny.

A subtle smile surfaced on his lips as he looked at the pale-blue ring on his finger, and just like before, the moment his Abyssal Qi entered it, the eye-shaped insignia lit up instantly before a translucent projection appeared before him.

”Welcome to the Evernight Trial: Hunter’s Hunt!”

”Congratulations, you have been given the Ring of Hunt, making you a ’Hunt’ in the Hunter’s Hunt!”

Ace’s brows rose slightly with surprise, ’So they made me hunt? I guess Kharon is still considered an ordinary cultivator by the Evernight Council’s standards.’

Despite his status as a ’Hunt’, he continued reading calmly because he wasn’t worried in the least bit.

”Hunter’s Hunt details and rules:

”1. Every participant has been divided into two categories, either the Hunter or the Hunt!

”2. The Hunters have been issued the Ring of Hunter, while the Hunts have been given the Ring of Hunt!

”3. The Rings of Hunter and Rings of Hunt must be worn at all times...

”4. The Hunter’s Hunt will last for a fortnight...

”5. To pass the Hunter’s Hunt Trial, every Hunt must collect 10 Rings of Hunter or survive until the trial duration ends while possessing at least 5 valid Rings of Hunter!

”6. Hunts are allowed to use any methods necessary to acquire Rings of Hunter, including deception, alliances, theft, assassination, or manipulation!

”7. Hunts may cooperate with one another freely, but only the holder of the Rings will receive the rewards.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as this was the first time he was seeing the task given to the Hunts, and from the look of it, the Hunts weren’t merely prey. The Evernight Council had intentionally designed the trial to force both sides into mutual slaughter.

Either the Hunters hunted the Hunts or the Hunts turned the tables and hunted the Hunters, a vicious cycle of paranoia and bloodshed.

At this moment, more reward details began appearing beneath the projection, but before Ace could continue, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, the entire interface was distorted violently, and a sharp crimson light flickered across the projection.

Thereafter, an icy voice echoed directly from the ring.

”Attention all participants of the Hunter’s Hunt!

”All conflict is hereby suspended immediately!

”Every Hunter and Hunt is ordered to proceed toward the Evernight Alliance Hub at once!”

A map instantly appeared across the projection screen.

”The Hunter’s Hunt Trial will officially begin only after all participants gather within the designated region.

”Any participant who continues hostile actions before the trial officially begins will be considered in violation of the trial rules!”

”This announcement will repeat every fifteen minutes until all participants arrive.”

The moment the voice vanished, Ace’s eyes flickered sharply as he glanced at his thief’s symbol.

’That was fast...’

He immediately realized this was probably the consequence of his thief symbol; otherwise, there would’ve been no reason to suddenly issue such a warning after allowing everyone to enter and start slaughtering each other.

The Evernight Council had already started moving, but far quicker than he expected.

His gaze shifted toward the distant direction marked on the map.

’The Evernight Alliance Hub...what is this place?’

Without hesitation and filled with curiosity, Ace concealed his aura and began moving, following the map.

---

In another location of the Upper Ancient Battlefield, a massive dark citadel appeared at the center of a canyon-like region. Countless formations shimmered across the surrounding skies, for the Evernight Alliance Hub had completely revealed itself!

At this moment, participants of the Hunter’s Hunt, whether Hunters or Hunts, continuously arrived from every direction.

Ace was among them as he calmly blended into the crowd while observing everything silently.

The first thing he noticed was the extremely tense atmosphere. Many participants already carried the scent of blood, despite the trial supposedly not having begun yet.

Some wore ugly wounds while others looked pale and furious, clearly having suffered ambushes or confrontations before the announcement halted everything.

The discrimination between Hunters and Hunts was painfully obvious. Those with Hunter Rings stood arrogantly in groups, their eyes filled with predatory intent whenever they glanced toward the Hunts.

Especially a certain group. Ace’s gaze landed upon several figures gathered near the entrance of the Hub. Their auras were vastly stronger than those of ordinary participants.

Their robes carried noble markings, and on their fingers were crimson rings engraved with silver full moons. They were, without any doubt, Full-Moon Hunters. Some had already formed temporary alliances.

They observed the surroundings calmly, almost lazily, like predators waiting for the slaughter to officially begin. If not for the warning from the Evernight Council, they probably would’ve already started hunting openly.

Ace quietly avoided attention and moved toward a remote corner near one of the black stone walls.

But just as he settled there, a grating voice suddenly rang out nearby, ”Oh? What do we have here?”

Ace slowly lifted his eyes, and a hint of surprise surfaced in his eyes because he saw a group of disciples approaching wearing the robes of the Weaponized Mystic Haven!