Nightmare's Call - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Once Again: Part 3
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The moment the gate opened, Lin Sheng hurried in and closed it behind him.
With his black sword in hand, he quickly scanned through the manor’s yard
There were black nondescript flocs all over the ground, and he had no idea what they were as they tumbled around in the cold wind.
On the right side of the wall was a bronze nameplate covered in moss and oxidized corrosion.
Lin Sheng wiped the nameplate, which revealed some blurry artwork and words on it.
“Sir Kaarman’s Residence, 6 Sanctum Street”
Beneath those words was an illustration of an owl-like bird with its wings opened.
“A noble’s manor?”
Lin Sheng squinted for a while before he looked away. He then took his sword and cautiously headed forward into the silent yard.
He walked toward the fountain and very quickly arrived before the plaque in front of it.
“No debts.
“No currencies.
“No Feltons
“If you have something that interests me, perhaps I can waive the fee.” ~Kaarman Veste. 2
“This place doesn’t look like a normal noble’s manor…” Lin Sheng had a few speculations. 1
Walking around the plaque he headed straight for the main door.
There was also a sculpture of a large owl-like bird on the white door.
As Lin Sheng got close, the bird chirped. While it kept its wings and shut its eyes, the door slowly opened, revealing a passageway for a single person.
Lin Sheng was shocked by the sudden movement and quickly went into a defensive stance.
Yet, nothing happened.
Only cold wind blew out of the gap.
He narrowed his eyes and used the tip of his sword to give the door a push.
It moved slowly…
Inside was a lavish and large golden hall.
There was a giant oil painting on the wall facing the door. It was a portrait of a middle-aged white man with curly brown hair. He had a small mustache on his face, and he was dressed in noble garb, which was littered with all kinds of medals.
Lin Sheng looked on with the help of the moonlight.
The man in the painting seemed to have a sword in his hand, and next to him was a large black dog.
The dog, even when seated, was about the height of the man. Its form was regal, and a tuff of mane surrounded its neck, not unlike a lion’s. 2
Lin Sheng tensed up a little but had no intention of retreating just yet.
After he had absorbed so many memory fragments and meditated so much on the Ashen Seal, he had confidence in his current capabilities.
Plus, the Evaluation Obelisk showed that he was now a Level 2 warrior in Blackfeather City…
A Level 2 warrior with an Ashen Seal. 2
Level 2 in Blackfeather’s system meant that he was an elite soldier. Perhaps he was considered one due to the Ashen Seal.
Regardless, it was enough.
Lin Sheng had enough memory fragments to know that his body was still a long way from that of a Level 2 warrior.
This meant that his grading as a Level 2 warrior was solely reliant on the Ashen Seal from his meditation. 1
The Ashen Seal had given him decent defensive capabilities, and that was his trump card!
As he held his sword with both hands, Lin Sheng slowly walked into the hall.
He scanned it from left to right as he hugged the wall to check the cupboards and concealed drawers.
He quickly went through the tightly packed cupboards and drawers, but there was nothing there.
Upon checking the edge of the oil painting on the wall, Lin Sheng suddenly paused.
He had heard movement.
Soft footsteps were closing in.
There were no rugs in the hall, and hard rock tiles covered the floor. His footsteps were not muffled, and gentle taps could be heard as his feet fell.
Lin Sheng turned around and held his black sword tightly, his eyes on alert.
Suddenly, he caught a shadow darting to his right.
“There!” Lin Sheng suddenly burst into a swing and slashed at the dark shadow.
*Clang!!*
Two blades collided.
The shadowy figure was revealed by the moonlight.
It was a masked swordsman about five and a half feet tall.
However, what surprised Lin Sheng was the fact that the masked swordsman was actually a swordswoman. 5
She was wearing tight-fitting leather armor with her chest bound high, and her black hair was tied into a ponytail. Meanwhile, a mask covered every feature on her face aside from her eyes.
Nonetheless, from the gaps in the mask, one could tell that she was pretty good looking. 4
Soon, the second strike came.
Lin Sheng held his sword with both hands as he took a side step, and a clang later, he parried the blade away.
The swordswoman was, however, only using her sword with one hand, and she pulled out another short sword before thrusting it at him.
The blade was aimed at Lin Sheng’s stomach with deadly intent.
He shrunk his tummy back and narrowly avoided the stab before he stepped sideways again to avoid her horizontal slash. 4
The two then exchanged rapid blows.
Just within ten breaths, Lin Sheng was grazed by two consecutive slashes, all from the surprise short sword attack. He could not catch a break.
The masked swordswoman was quick on the offensive and was striking at Lin Sheng faster than he could react.
If not for the Ashen Seal’s protection, those two stabs would have torn his stomach apart.
Thankfully, his opponent’s skills were lacking, and against Lin Sheng who had merged his talent as a mercenary with true Blackfeather swordsmanship, the gulf was showing.
The two exchanged blows again, and their blades clashed almost every second.
The exchange consumed a lot of energy and had Lin Sheng panting while his chest moved up and down heavily.
Yet, the swordswoman seemed like an automaton that knew no fatigue as she kept up her frenzied attacks. 1
The only thing Lin Sheng could be thankful for was that the latter’s eyes were dark without any intelligence, and she was seemingly swinging her blade based on instinct alone.
*Bam!*
He suddenly kicked and sent a stool flying over.
The swordswoman deflected the flying projectile with a slash, but before she could follow up with an attack, she was struck by a wooden rack that Lin Sheng had pulled over.
*Crash!*
The swordswoman paused for a moment as her chest was pierced by a black blade that came through the gaps of the rack.
A large amount of black blood flowed out of her wound, but the swordswoman seemed oblivious to the matter. She struggled and swung her sword in a frenzy at Lin Sheng who was behind the rack.
Yet, as she bled out, her movements turned sluggish before she fell backward, her head smashing against the rack and crumpling onto the ground.
Lin Sheng pulled his black blade out before he stabbed the swordswoman again. Only after he was sure that she was not moving anymore did he allow himself a sigh of relief.
“This monster… If she hadn’t been brainless enough to strike at me with a book rack between us, the dying one would have been me.”
Fear welled up in him. 1
The cocksure attitude he had after he learned that he was a Level 2 warrior faded away just like that. 1
If the fallen swordswoman before him had not already turned into a monster and totally lost all rationality, he would have been taken out very easily.
She was superior in speed as well as endurance, and aside from lacking in sword technique, she held every advantage over him.
“She’s not totally dead yet, but she won’t be moving anytime soon, that’s for sure.” Lin Sheng pushed the rack to the side.
He bent down before the swordswoman and checked her body for any spoils of war. 3
The sword that she used was a normal one and had already chipped from the exchange with the black blade.
Next to her leather armor were three black steel needles of unknown use, and by her slender waist was a black leather pouch.
Lin Sheng took the pouch and turned it upside down. A yellowed scroll dropped out of it.
Lin Sheng picked up the scroll and opened it. The writing on the paper had blurred slightly, but it looked like an item list.
“The blood from the whole body of three adults, a standard vial of deer blood, a standard unit of sequoia wood, nine standard units of silver powder. Ritual sacrifice.” 6