Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The gang leader made his first move against Lyfenea. He wanted to make her suffer, but he obviously wouldn't kill her or cause any permanent damage.

He wanted to teach her a lesson and force her to rejoin the gang—or at least imprison her.

The relationship between the two was strange. Despite being family, they didn't get along well. It was painfully obvious.

William wasn't sure what to do. Should he jump into their fight right away or wait for the right moment to strike?

'I think I have to attack now,' he thought. 'In the end, he'll come for me after dealing with her, so there's no escaping this.'

This was his best chance, especially considering all the other sub-leaders were outside. William wanted to face the leader alone. It wouldn't be easy as it was, let alone with the others helping him.

He drew his demonic sword, Asura, which had been hidden. The black blade had an unusual glow that caught the gang leader's attention. He looked at William's sword with a different expression.

William noticed the look but didn't let it stop him. With the sword in hand, he activated his body-enhancement skills.

"Swiftfoot, Enhanced Strength!"

As much as he wanted to learn new skills, these were the ones he had at his disposal for now. His strength increased by about 30 points, and his agility and movement speed also received a boost.

With his natural attributes already higher than those of "normal people," William felt incredibly powerful. He channeled strength into his legs and charged toward the gang leader, who was busy using his magic against Lyfenea.

William's movements were swift, and in less than three seconds, he was in front of the leader, who was caught off guard. Everything happened so fast that it was impossible for him to react.@@novelbin@@

Well, impossible if he had to react. Once again, the energy around his body moved on its own, blocking the attack as if it had a mind of its own. The impact of William's sword hitting the magical shield forced him to stumble back, losing his balance.

The leader seized the moment, creating a shadowy hammer and slamming it into William's ribs! The attack landed, sending William flying into one of the pillars in the room.

The blow hurt, breaking a few ribs. At that moment, William realized just how strong the gang leader was and that defeating him wouldn't be easy.

Lyfenea tried once more to attack her brother with her dagger, but just like William's attack, hers had no effect. No matter what she tried, it was impossible to land a hit.

The gang leader pinned Lyfenea to one of the pillars in the room, just as he had done with the other two assassins.

"I told you you didn't stand a chance, but for now, you'll stay there," he said. "I'll deal with this one first."

He turned to William, locking eyes with him. "Mind telling me what kind of sword that is?"

"I don't understand," William replied. "It's just a normal sword. Why the interest?"

The gang leader narrowed his eyes. "I think we should talk privately. What do you say?"

He made a gesture with his hands, and Lyfenea's head was encased in shadows, rendering her unable to see or hear what was happening.

"Now she won't know what we're talking about," the leader said. "I'll be direct with you. I know that sword of yours has demonic origins."

That caught William off guard. How did the gang leader know that?

"I think you're mistaken," William said. "It's just a normal sword."

"Cut the crap. This book I have is also a demonic artifact, so I know what I'm talking about."

The situation had completely changed. William had no idea the artifact he was after—the one he was trying to retrieve for the lord—was demonic. How was that possible?

It was too much of a coincidence.

"And why are we still talking?" William asked. "If you're interested in this sword, fight me to the death."

The gang leader had already demonstrated surprising strength in combat, and William wasn't as confident he could win, even using everything in his arsenal. He was already looking for a way out, but it seemed impossible.

The leader laughed. "I think we can work together, my friend. How about it? If you help me, I can guarantee you a copy of this book. It contains demonic magic—at least some of it. This is Volume 1."

William wasn't sure what to do but decided to ask more about the help the leader needed and whether it would benefit him. "What do you want?"

"I'll be brief. This book is Volume 1, and I want the other volumes. But that's not all—I want to infuse myself with demonic lineage. I believe it's possible because I have an affinity for elements similar to those of demons, but I'm not part of their lineage."

"There's a part of our continent where demons once lived, and there are places we can access with your lineage to find these things—books, artifacts, and more information about your lineage. How about you help me? Together, we can go there and split whatever we find."

The offer was somewhat intriguing, but there was one problem: William was essentially being forced into this. In this situation, he knew it would be very difficult to defeat the gang leader, meaning he was being coerced into working with him.

If he refused, he would certainly lose the fight, become a prisoner, and be tortured until he agreed to help. The situation wasn't easy.

"And how can I guarantee you'll hold up your end of the deal? I also want more information about demons, and these books would be important to me too," William said.

"How about I give you a copy of this book and we make a blood contract? If I don't hold up my end, I die. Fair enough?" the leader said. "I don't consider myself a bandit anymore, and I've wanted to leave this gang for a long time. Your appearance here was exactly what I needed to move forward with my plan."

The gang leader wanted to search for more information about demons, and he knew what to do. However, without someone with demonic lineage, it was impossible to enter those places. He was thrilled after meeting William.

Now, William felt he might have a chance to pursue the knowledge he was so eager to obtain. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

"If you're serious about this, then we can talk. But how exactly do you plan to infuse demonic lineage into your body?" William asked.

"Apparently, there's something in the place we're going to access that can grant me demonic lineage. From what I've researched, it was left behind to ensure the lineage never completely died out."

Asura, his demonic sword, spoke in William's mind. "He's telling the truth. That place really exists. I know this because I have some memories about it. And here's an interesting piece of information: the demons left these kinds of places in multiple parts of the world, not just on this continent."

William felt more confident that the leader was telling the truth. "We can talk. But can you leave Lyfenea out of this and let her return to her shop? And what do you plan to do with the gang?"

"Honestly, I don't care about this gang anymore. I'm going to disband it and leave. How about we meet in the city in three days? Before that, I'll give you a copy of the book for you to use."

"That works."

The leader then dispelled the magic restraining Lyfenea. She fell to her knees and looked at her brother, who now seemed to be on friendly terms with William.

"What the hell happened?" she asked.

"Nothing that concerns you. You can leave, and if you want, take some treasures with you. I don't mind. This friend of yours and I will be leaving in a few days."

"Come with me, please," the leader said to William.

The two went to another room. It was the leader's personal office, and no one else was allowed inside.

"I'm going to perform the magic to clone this artifact," he said. "It won't be made of the same ancient material, but it'll be the same in essence. You can compare the two afterward."

The leader performed a very unusual spell. It required preparation, including drawing several symbols on the ground and gathering specific ingredients. Not only that, but it also demanded a significant amount of power—and William's power as well.

"One of the reasons this book is special is precisely because of the demonic energy it contains. So, we'll use a bit of your power to give the copy its essence," he explained.

The two worked together for about half an hour. In the end, they placed the original book in the center of the symbols, and together, they chanted incantations in a language William recognized: the language of demons.