"Yes, he was my child too, and although his death caused me great regret, he died fighting for what he believed in. I think he died without any regrets, but I will help you with your revenge," Malin nodded.
"I...I have a classmate, she just transferred, and she said she fell in love with me at first sight, and even asked me to date her," the young man’s face was full of confusion, seemingly seeking Malin’s advice.
Malin nodded and said, "I understand, young man. It’s your first encounter with love. You must be confused and unsure, right?"
"Yes, because she is the first to say she likes me, I ought to respond to her, but...my father was killed by the Death Eye Group, and she, she is the only daughter of Ichiro Yagyu, the boss of the Death Eye Group, Yagyu Mami."
Malin blinked and set down his knife and fork. "And you, what do you plan to do?"
"I do like her straightforwardness and what she’s done for me, but...her father murdered my father. I still remember the indifference in his eyes when he shot my father dead, and one day I will kill him with my own hands. By then, her and I will be the children of mortal enemies, one of us will surely die in a pool of blood, so I can’t respond to her love, because we are enemies. I could kill her myself, but I couldn’t betray her love..." Mars sighed, then looked at Malin, "Ancestor, do you think I’m doing the right thing... I really don’t want to betray her feelings, she’s the first person in the world to say she loves me, but I can’t reciprocate, I can’t even manage a simple ’yes’."
"Child, I’m glad you can think this way, and you’re not wrong to do so. In fact, I’d say you are truly respecting a woman by doing this. You said Yagyu Mami likes you, but she’s the daughter of the man who killed your father. Your refusal to take advantage of her feelings has already delighted me, and your thoughtfulness moves me even more. You’re not wrong in this," Malin said.
While speaking, Malin reached out and took out the Legendary Sequence, a nano-tech-made sphere that seemed restless in Malin’s hand, as if it had found a suitable candidate in the boy before it.
But within Malin’s grasp, it dared not overstep its bounds.
"Is this...the Legendary Sequence from before the Great Destruction Era?!" Mars immediately recognized the object in Malin’s hands.
"Yes, it’s the Deceiver. Have you heard of it?" Malin asked.
"I’ve never heard of this one, but...from the name, it seems to specialize in disguise. I want it! Ancestor, with this Sequence, I could strike at the Death Eye Group better and more safely!" The child said to Malin, "I’m not afraid of the side effects. I’ve heard that such Legendary Sequences can have strange side effects, but I’m not scared. I’m willing to give up everything for vengeance! Without vengeance, my life is meaningless, Ancestor!"
"Silly child." Malin knew and could feel that everything the boy before him said was true, for deceit could not hide from his eyes. However, the anger shown by the boy pained him. "I know you want revenge, and this indeed is a gift for you. Remember, once you master it, you’ll be able to freely transform your body. You could even become a girl, though I don’t recommend it, as there’s a chance you might not be able to change back and that would be a disaster."
"I, I understand! Though the side effects seem severe, I’m not afraid!"
Despite his tough words, Malin could still sense the boy was a bit fearful—he was already biting his tail.
Indeed, the sudden transformation into a girl seemed to be a drastic change that this iron-willed boy couldn’t immediately handle.
However, Mars ultimately accepted the Sequence and, witnessed by Malin, absorbed it. Nothing appeared to happen at first, but soon, under Malin’s watchful eye, the boy shrank and quickly turned into a young leopard about eight years old.
His arms and shoulders slipped out through the oversized neckline of his clothes.
"I...it seems I can easily transform into this, but I don’t think I can achieve other forms yet. I don’t know why, but I can freely become this child version of myself," he said.
"My father was a small folk, and you seem to have a revertive ancestral form, kid. Nobody will care about it, it’s a very good form, and you can do many things with it that adults can’t."
Malin nodded—after all, at least he knew the child’s genealogy was definitely not problematic, although a lot of time had passed, his bloodline had been continuously passed down to the Mars branch.
Mars tried walking a few steps while holding up his pants, and then discovered that in this form, his affinity with Spell Formations had skyrocketed, so he completely disregarded the appearance of a child—with his words, this childlike form was more conducive to venturing deeper into the Necropolis.
"The deeper layers of the Necropolis?"
"Yes, the Necropolis I’m in has been gradually re-excavated and opened in the last two hundred years. There are many Spirits in its depths, the most numerous being the Undead Spirits. I think with this form, I could start purifying them with my Spell Formation," the child seemed very happy, "Their remnants can be exchanged for quite a few good things at the military sector of the Necropolis."
It seems like some of the Sequence potions using undead materials that Malin used in his era were still being produced in that era. But there was no use telling Mars about this. As long as the child could efficiently eliminate undead creatures and exchange for things he desired, that was all that mattered.
However, Malin was still very curious and asked, "By the way, I’d like to confirm, can we now confirm how many layers there are in the Necropolis?"
"The first twenty layers underground are habitable. Another five layers down is the military zone. Starting from the twenty-sixth layer underground, it becomes what everyone calls the Dark Zone, very dangerous, full of Spirits. The deeper you go, the more powerful and dangerous the Spirits become. Us Adventurers, when we go down, can take the rail elevator directly to the safe zone of each layer or use the omnipresent passages to move up and down," Mars explained.
"Does anyone steal other Adventurers’ possessions?"
"No, everyone carries a military locator when they go down. If the parties get close, there will be a warning letting you both retreat. If you don’t retreat and someone dies, the other will be suspected of murder and will be banned for life from entering the Dark Zone layers. For the vast majority of Adventurers, if they lose this means of earning money, they won’t have a way to live on the upper layers, because the upper layers are the Law-Governed District, and even the Black League and thugs underground don’t like those who kill their own kind."
"So, if someone from the upper layers takes a dislike to you and kills you, and besides, they don’t rely on adventuring to make a living, they can do that, right?"
"Indeed, they can do that, but to be honest, the upper layers are predecessors from at least five layers ago. They have enough means to make money and typically wouldn’t go to the Dark Zone layers unless... like you said, there’s a grudge between the parties." Mars paused, then added, "Yes, you’re not wrong."
"Yeah, since it’s a matter of grudge, if an upper layer guy comes to kill you, what would you do?"
"Of course, I would kill him, at worst I’ll just run away from the Necropolis to the North," said Mars with an air of indifference.
To this, Malin shook his head with a smile, "You’re still too naive. Let me educate you today on how to hide your intentions and how to counter-kill those who are after you."
Mars immediately sat across from Malin, looking like a very eager student.
So come, my child, I will tell you that wisdom is the most dangerous weapon in the hands of mankind.