One-Eyed Monster

Igor and Kadi walked silently along Bayes Avenue while another force quietly entered the city of Xinbal.

This force came scattered, gradually, making it hard for anyone to notice.

If someone were to ask who in this world hides themselves the best, many would unanimously answer: the Hunter.

Hunters are adept at concealing themselves, a well-known secret, but how Hunters hide their form is something no one knows.

Hunters are inherently a mysterious profession, and the higher the rank, the more mysterious they seem.

Just like the Cabinet Elder of the Dark Cabinet, very few have seen his true face.

Not to mention the Cabinet Elder, even those other high-ranking Hunters of the Dark Cabinet, no one has seen their true appearance. These masters of the Dark Cabinet do not reveal themselves even to each other; they identify one another through signals and marks.

Thus, Hunters are masters of disguise, blending seamlessly in crowds, appearing ordinary or ostentatious, yet their true identity remains a mystery.

The people of the Dark Cabinet entered the entire Xinbal quietly, something many did not anticipate. Why did the Dark Cabinet come here? It was by the command of the Cabinet Elder of the Dark Cabinet.

No one had thought that the Cabinet Elder of the Dark Cabinet was Prince Charles, a deeply concealed identity. Prince Charles is like a phantom, his other side always leaving people astounded.

Yet, no one knew the Dark Cabinet had arrived.

The Dark Cabinet is acting in squads, and those who came to Xinbal are high-ranking Hunters, all at the Cabinet level.

It can be said the Dark Cabinet’s entire Cabinet has been mobilized, holding nothing back, yet these Cabinet-level Hunters do not know what their task is. Their mandate was simply to go to Xinbal. What to do after entering Xinbal is unknown.

The Dark Cabinet’s Cabinet is acting in groups, finding their partners through their abilities upon arrival in Xinbal, then proceeding with their mission.

What the mission specifically entails, they remain unclear.

Basto has been in Xinbal for quite a while, lurking in a tavern as a barkeeper. The outskirts of Bayes Avenue in Xinbal are not so tightly secured; there are still many outsiders, surviving here because the Kayne Empire is not a closed place.

Basto, as a newly minted Cabinet member, is naturally excited. His partner is Piers, that legendary short man skilled with knives.

But Basto hasn’t been able to find his partner yet; Piers is extraordinarily adept at hiding.

Basto has been in the tavern for a long time, yet has noticed nothing unusual. Only last night, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Others thought it was a sign of an impending thunderstorm, but Basto knew it was Piers’ signal.

Following the trace of the lightning, Basto finally found his partner. There was Piers in a rundown tavern, sloppy with not a hint of decorum.

Yet Basto now realized Piers had already found him but hadn’t revealed his identity, frequently visiting the tavern where Basto worked, but never disclosing himself.

Not revealing his identity wasn’t significant, but Basto was astounded that Piers had found him undetected and visited the tavern several times without being noticed.

This is sensing!

Though they are both in the Cabinet, Piers is a senior, while he is just a new entrant.

If this counted as an assassination mission, Basto would probably have died multiple times under Piers’ hands!

Now, in the dead of night, Piers lay motionless on the bed. The room in this inn was cluttered with discarded bottles and some unfinished food, looking distinctly chaotic, a true mess of a residence.

”Finding you wasn’t easy.” Basto wanted to see what this legendary figure looked like, yet from every angle, he couldn’t glimpse this person’s full face.

”Alright, don’t bother. Even if you see my face, you wouldn’t recognize me,” Piers said, sitting up from the dirty bed, scratching his dishevelled hair while laughing.

”Uh, senior...” Basto was surprised, not showing any signs of observation, yet Piers still spoke of his concern. Is it possible that the Dark Cabinet’s number two also possesses divination abilities?

”They said, we should guide the newcomers; it’s quite troublesome. You know, our kind always keeps to ourselves. An assassin getting involved with too many people is entirely bad for himself.” Piers walked to a corner of the inn, where there lay a disorderly pile of bottles. He rummaged through these bottles and finally found half a bottle of leftover ale.

”Senior’s instruction...” Basto just wanted to give thanks, but Piers interrupted him without a word.

”Don’t be like that. I’m not here to teach you; I can’t teach you. Just don’t make trouble for me.”

”Uh...” Watching Piers gulping down the leftover drink, Basto didn’t know what to say. He came here to find out what to do next, arriving with a mission mindset, but who’d have thought he’d suddenly become the troublemaker.

”Our Hunter’s name is just a code, but why add a nickname before the codename? Isn’t it pointless?” Piers continued, not mentioning a word about the task, sounding like idle chatter.

”I don’t know, I hope senior enlightens me.” Basto wanted to ask clearly about what was going on, but could never directly address Piers; it seemed like Piers had an invisible pressure that prevented him from acting according to his own wishes.

”To confuse things, fool! Like my nickname, the Butcher; what kind of butcher am I!”

This answer left Basto speechless...

”Hey kid, you’re too modest. Though it’s your advantage, you should improve your skills, especially Spirit sensing and detection; you’re still a bit unfamiliar.”

”Ugh...” Basto was speechless.

”What we need to do is simple yet complicated. In Xinbal, danger lurks everywhere; don’t spend all your time at the tavern.”

This finally sounded somewhat like a mission, but at this moment, Basto didn’t dare to be sure.

”I think you’re no fool. You probably know what happened yesterday; otherwise, you wouldn’t qualify to enter the Cabinet.”