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Chapter 194: Meeting Little Loco Again
Suyan turned away from the spot where the golem had vanished and focused his attention on the ornate treasure chest sitting atop the dais.
Here was the problem: this chest was enchanted with a highly specific magical lock designed to reject anyone possessing magical power. But what exactly was the lock detecting? Was it specifically scanning for magic, or was it a blanket scan that detected any superhuman energy system?
If it was the former, then Suyan—who utilized Nen, a completely different energy system based on life force rather than atmospheric mana—should register as a normal human and pop the chest open with ease. But if the lock detected all forms of energy... well, then the enchantments woven into this chest were far more advanced and valuable than the ugly talking weapon sealed inside it.
Suyan stepped up to the dais, reaching out to grasp the heavy iron latch of the chest. He pulled.
Nothing happened. The chest remained firmly locked.
"Alright, let's try this," Suyan muttered to himself. "Zetsu!"
Instantly, he violently clamped down on his Aura Nodes, completely shutting off the flow of life energy radiating from his body. His physical presence began to fade, blending perfectly into the background until he seemed like nothing more than a ghost. The massive underground chamber suddenly felt incredibly dead and silent, devoid of any living presence.
Maintaining Zetsu, Suyan reached for the latch a second time and pulled.
Still locked.
Suyan paused, his brow furrowing in genuine surprise. "It can even detect energy through a state of absolute Zetsu?"
Far from being frustrated, Suyan was now intensely fascinated by the chest's security system. He spent the next hour throwing everything he had at the box. He summoned Brikkin and ordered the massive golem to try and rip the lid off. He even left the dungeon, captured a bizarre, monkey-like creature from the nearby mountains, dragged it all the way down, and tried to force it to open the chest.
Nothing worked. The chest remained perfectly sealed.
Finally running out of patience, Suyan flooded his hands with Aura and activated Takagi Saya's Metal Frenzy Manipulation ability. Targeting the iron hinges and internal locking mechanisms directly, he violently warped the metal, physically tearing the locking mechanism apart from the inside out until the lid finally popped open.
Inside the chest lay a massive, incredibly ugly kendama weapon. It was fast asleep, a comical snot-bubble expanding and contracting from its metallic 'nose' with every snore.
Suyan reached in to wake the sentient ÄRM up, but suddenly paused. He felt a distinct, familiar sensation.
The Disappearing Magic Cloth he had tied around Loco's wrist three days ago had just been untied.
Suyan blinked in surprise. Already?
He had only just finished clearing the dungeon with Dorothy, and the protagonist Ginta had literally just crashed into this world a few hours ago. Loco had already tracked down Snow White? That was insanely fast. Or... was Loco in danger?
Abandoning his plan to interrogate Babbo, Suyan slammed the lid of the chest shut. He instantly conjured a dimensional portal leading directly into his Infinity Castle, casually kicking the heavy chest—Babbo included—through the gateway before sealing it shut.
Next, he focused his Aura, materializing a square of black fabric into his hand: the twin to Loco's Disappearing Magic Cloth. He tossed the cloth into the air. As it fell, it seemed to come alive, rapidly expanding and swirling around him until it completely enveloped his body. The fabric pulled tighter and tighter around his form until, with a sudden snap, the tension released.
The black cloth fluttered gently to the cold stone floor, completely empty. Suyan had vanished from the underground palace.
....
Meanwhile, in a dense forest miles away.
"So, you're Ian, then?" Loco asked, her voice completely devoid of emotion as she stared at the man blocking her path. He had a sly, fox-like face, his eyes permanently squinted shut, and he kept both of his hands casually tucked into the wide sleeves of his robe.
"You must be Senior Loco?" Ian replied smoothly. He tilted his head slightly, pushing back his hair to reveal an earring shaped like a rook chess piece—the undeniable proof of his rank within the Chess Pieces. He looked down at Loco's tiny, childlike body, hiding his surprise behind a polite smile.
"Mm." Loco offered a noncommittal hum, not bothering to elaborate. As usual, she was a girl of incredibly few words.
"I've heard rumors that you've been a member of the Chess Pieces since the First War Game six years ago, Senior Loco," Ian said, his squinted eyes gleaming with calculating ambition as his fingers traced the ring-shaped ÄRM hidden inside his sleeve. "I wonder if you'd be willing to offer a newcomer like me some... guidance?"
Under normal circumstances, Ian would never be this aggressively forward with a senior member. But he had only just been promoted from the Pawn class to the Castle class, and he desperately needed high-profile achievements to cement his new rank and avoid demotion. That was exactly why he had eagerly volunteered for the highly sensitive mission of capturing Princess Snow White. If he could dominate this mission, overpower a veteran like Loco, and personally deliver Snow White to the Queen, the prestige might just be enough to instantly catapult him to the Bishop class.
The potential reward was absolutely worth the risk of challenging Loco here and now.
"Ian!"
A gruff, panicked male voice called out from behind him. The voice belonged to a figure wearing the standard, creepy oil-paint mask of the Chess Pieces, their entire body hidden beneath a voluminous gray cloak. However, the masculine voice was merely the byproduct of a voice-altering ÄRM; beneath the cloak was a woman named Gido. She was Ian's fiercely loyal lover, and they had joined the Chess Pieces together to fight for a better life.
While Loco might look like a harmless, deadpan child, she had survived in the merciless, cutthroat environment of the Chess Pieces for six entire years. Even if she was 'only' a Castle-class member, a veteran with that kind of survival record was absolutely not someone a newly promoted rookie should provoke. Gido was terrified for her boyfriend's safety. She knew firsthand just how many deranged, psychopathic monsters lurked within the ranks of their organization, and she maintained her heavy disguise specifically to avoid drawing their attention.
Before Ian could reassure her, Loco replied in her signature, airy tone. "Not interested."
Gido instantly let out a massive sigh of relief.
"Is Senior Loco afraid?" Ian pressed, refusing to let the opportunity slide. He took a step forward, his smile turning sharp and mocking. "In that case, I assume you have no objections if I take full command of the mission to capture Snow White?"
"Suit yourself," Loco replied blandly. Her tone was completely dismissive, treating Ian's aggressive posturing like the buzzing of a mildy annoying mosquito.
She hadn't joined the Chess Pieces for glory, promotions, or power. She joined them because they were the strongest military force on the continent, and being on their side was the easiest way to guarantee she didn't get killed in the crossfire. In fact, a significant portion of the lower-ranking members shared her exact philosophy. Furthermore, her signature weapons—the Cursed ÄRMs—carried horrific, agonizing side effects every time they were used. She hated fighting and avoided combat whenever possible.
If it weren't for the fact that she had been personally assigned to this mission by higher-ups, she wouldn't have even bothered showing up. Honestly, if this cocky upstart Ian wanted to take over and do all the heavy lifting so she didn't have to use her ÄRMs, that sounded like an absolute win to her.
"You!" Ian bristled, his ego taking a direct hit. Loco's completely apathetic response felt like he had just thrown a full-power punch into a pile of wet cotton. It was painfully obvious she didn't view him as a threat, or even as someone worth acknowledging.
"Ian!" Gido rushed forward, grabbing his arm and shaking her head frantically, silently pleading with him not to push his luck.
Seeing his girlfriend's distress, Ian swallowed his pride and forced himself to back down. "I understand," he replied coldly, glaring at Loco.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through the clearing.
"We meet again, little Loco."
A familiar, infuriatingly cheerful voice drifted out of thin air, causing an instant, massive headache to bloom behind Loco's eyes.
"Who's there?!" Ian's eyes snapped open, blazing with hostility. He immediately shoved Gido behind him, adopting a defensive stance as he scanned the surrounding forest for the source of the voice.
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