Eternal Thief

Chapter 275 - System Upgrade!

Shadow and Ace were standing in a seclusion alley, right in front of a black five-meter-tall status with a large pair of addax-horns and face of a goat and torso of a human while two legs of horse and wings like an eagle. 

Ace naturally never seen this kind of creature before, but these statues were all over the ocean demon city, and every demon bowed toward it whenever they saw it. 

”What is this creature?” Ace couldnʼt help but ask Shadow, who was also bending toward the statue.

Shadow berated Ace with disdain, ”Blasphemy! Who are you calling a creature? This is the Deity of our demon race, Baphomet! If anyone heard you called the ʼGreat Oneʼ a creature, youʼll be instantaneously killed!” 

Ace smiled wryly as he nodded in understanding. Even though the concept of religions existed in the mortal world, he was never a heartfelt believer and after becoming a cultivator; he stopped believing that there was a God altogether.

But he never thought the demon race would worship a deity to such an extent, and they seemed quite devoted as well.

ʼBut this is just a humanoid goat, while demons look more like humans? And we even eat goats.ʼ Ace was perplexed, but he didnʼt dare to say it out loud in front of Shadow, or she will probably beat him silly.   

”Letʼs hurry. This is the only spot where no one would look.” 

Shadow coldly said as she pressed her hand on the side of the status platform and the very next moment thereafter, a small crevice appeared on the wall right behind the status. 

Ace was astonished at seeing the crevice and looked at Shadow with ambiguity and thought, ʼIt seemed she was planning the betrayal from the start and I just give her the motivation.ʼ 

He followed Shadow into the crevice and the moment they enter the pathway; the crevice closed just like it opened. 

Ace looked around curiously; the pathway looked quite an old one, and they were going downward. He couldnʼt help but comment, ”Youʼre quite lucky to find this place.” 

Shadow only rebuke mildly, ”This was built for my ancestors when this city was established.” However, her eyes narrowed the next moment as she thought, ʼWhy the hell Iʼm even replying to him?!ʼ 

”Why did they build it, though?” Ace was intrigued, hearing this secret. If her ancestors held this much importance, then her status was quite high in this city. 

”None of your business and shut your mouth, or Iʼll rip it apart!” Shadow coldly berated as she hurried her pace. 

Ace only shrug his shoulder and quietly followed. He was just curious since he was new here and wanted to learn as much about demons as he could.

At the end of this passage was a blue steel door with a strange pattern engraved on it. 

Ace expected Shadow to open the door but to this astonishment, she quietly sat beside the door and… thatʼs it! 

Shadow coldly stare dagger at Ace, who was strangely looking at her, and reprimanded with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, ”Do you believe Iʼll gouge your eyes out if you keep looking at me?! 

”So, what if I donʼt have the key we can easily hide here for days and since I keep my promise to buy you one day, youʼll have to keep your words to take us outside this city, or Iʼll take your eyes!” 

ʼWhat an unreasonable woman. Itʼs not my fault if you donʼt have the key.ʼ Ace thought resentfully, but he only nodded with an apologetic smile outside and said, ”Thank you, I wonʼt disappoint you.” 

Ace wanted to use his soul-shattering eyes on that door and see if he could open it, but he didnʼt want to worsen his condition unless it was a last resort. Heʼll not use his soul skills. 

Besides, just as Shadow said, she had bought him one day what he needed desperately, and now itʼs his turn. But he wasnʼt too sure about it either, since his actions depend on after the systemʼs upgrade. 

Ace sat down cross-legged and start circulating the soul Qi. After a long time, he was cultivating normally like other cultivators and only because this was the only way he could heal his soul right now. 

But it was just too slow, and the time left behind by the system wasnʼt enough to heal it completely, but it was still better than nothing.

Shadow coldly looked at Ace, who was silently meditating, and couldnʼt help but wonder, 

ʼHow did he appear here from the human continent? I heard it was too far and humans donʼt even dare to approach those sneaky huntersʼ continent, much less send a spy here. 

ʼHe even took that name board that even a demon duke canʼt touch and even dare to say he can help us escape this city array. If he does this, then this means he can help me with the refinement technique, and Iʼll enslave him. But if he doesnʼt, Iʼll just discard this deadweight!ʼ 

Ace doesnʼt know Shadow has already decided how to deal with him if he didnʼt deliver what he promised because he was solely focused on soul cultivation, and he could feel the almost shattered half-soul-core was mending slowly, but it was still too slow, though. 

Just like that, hour after hour passed, Shadow was also meditating now, but her focus was still on Ace because she didnʼt trust him and monitored him, so he could not pull something or escape. 

But Ace didnʼt move nor did he do anything, he just sat there like a statue. 

Finally, the wait come to an end, as Ace was now eagerly looking at the timer on the panel in his mind. 

====

[System Upgrade is underway, please wait plenty!]

[Time: 00:00:08…07… 08… 07… 06… 05… 04… 03… 02… 01] 

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[System Upgrade has been complete!]

[The Eternal Thief System has been completely online!]

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[System Upgrade Reward: Authority Level-1]

{Authority Level-1 Benefits}

Information Level: 1

Living Thiefʼs Space, New Upgrade Scheme: Unlocked

(New) System Function: ʼThief Houseʼ has been unlocked 

(New) Host Status

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Aceʼs eyes instantly glow like the sun. He quickly asked, ”System, what is level-1 information?” He was eager to find out. 

”[Level-1 information represents the information that the system can disclose to the host. Before host has level-0 Information Discloser Authority. But with host authority level increased, the information level also followed suit.]” 

Ace suddenly felt the system voice contain emotions. Now it was not as emotionless as before, but it was still icy as ever. 

”So, let me guess. Even with this information, level you still canʼt tell me what you are and where you come from and why you chose me, right?” Ace coolly stated. 

”[Yes.]”

System answer with no pause. 

”Heh, figures.” Ace didnʼt have high hopes from the beginning and quickly move to the next thing. ”Show me thiefʼs space new upgrade scheme. Iʼm running quite low on this one, for sure.” 

Ace thiefʼs space was now more than half full, and he needed this upgrade. But more than that, he wanted to unlock more of its function than once the system disclosed to him when he sealed Eva. 

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[Living Thiefʼs Space Update Scheme]

1. {300 Cubic-Meter Space + 1 Humanoid Storage Capacity: A Hundred  Grade-3 Storage Space treasures + 10 Million Thief Points}

2. {500 Cubic-Meter Space + 2 Humanoid Storage Capacity: A Hundred  Grade-5 Storage Space treasures + 20 Million Thief Points}

3. {1,000 Cubic-Meter Space + 5 Humanoid Storage Capacity: A Hundred  Grade-8 Storage Space treasures + 50 Million Thief Points}

4. {3X-Time Acceleration Function: One Grade-9 Storage Space Treasure + One Time Grade-9 Time Treasure + 100 Million Thief Points}

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[Note: Host currently has insufficient resources for any available upgrade scheme!] 

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Ace was staring at the prices and materials he required for the thiefʼs space upgrades with incredulity. 

Letʼs not talk about the millions of thief points, just those top grades storage space treasures required with thief points were enough to give Ace a massive dilemma. 

ʼI can still gather the material from first to the third upgrade, but the fourth seemed like an impossible dream since I never heard of any time treasure nor seen any records. Well, Iʼm no longer in the lower lands anymore, though.ʼ Ace smiled bitterly and close the upgrade panel. 

Time was too mysterious of a topic for him right now, much less thinking about a supreme grade-9 time treasure! 

He had a feeling before, that the system would raise the bars after the upgrade, but the reality was even more brutal.

Ace looked at the main interface, where all the pentagon icons were shimmering in gold. Nothing was changed much, just a new pentagon icon right next to the heavenly rune crafter panel icon has been appeared! 

This new symbol was like a pagoda with nine floors. Ace instantly knew this was a new function that was unlocked after the system was upgraded, the Thief House!   

But before he opened the Thief House, his eyes landed on the very first pentagon icon with a hood-like symbol. He wanted to see his new status promptly! 

”Status!”