Eternal Thief

Everyone snapped out of their bewilderment after hearing Nola's enthusiastic voice.

No one raised any objection at this time and everyone welcome Ryan with broad smiles on their faces. 

Dewan also welcome Ryan but his smile was forceful since he didn't have a ground to object anymore. Even he had to admit that Ryan's movement skill was alone worth having in the team and he simply can't counter it. 

"I'll be in your care everyone." Ryan beamed broadly while nodding towards everyone. 

Ace's genuine concern was that hidden expert at this moment and this new team was just a camouflage so he could not look so obvious while using his overpowered skills. 

"Little Brother Ryan, where are you from?" Nola asked with full of interest. 

Everyone was resting at this moment after Ryan join the party. 

Ace calmly tell them what he told in the Regal city's gate and told that he was an orphan who wanted to achieve something in his life and the institute test was just the thing he needed. 

After hearing Ryan's ambition everyone also open up to him and talked about their dreams as well. 

Ace couldn't help but feel somewhat heartwarming seeing everyone smiling and talking with each other happily. His last interaction with someone like this was with Bill in Luminous City. 

'Being ignorant is a blessing on its own.' Ace thought with a peculiar smile on his face. 

In his opinion, this group was full of ambition and dreams completely ignorant of danger lurking in the shadows. After all, every one of them had a family to go back to.

They were not like him who didn't have a home or someone waiting for him except Alina whose whereabouts were unknown and probably millions of miles away.       

But Ace didn't forget he still had someone with him and she was always traveling with him. Although she was sealed in that black and red cocoon in his living thief's space she will always be with him no matter what. 

After resting for two more hours the group of nine moves again. They didn't wait for the night to pass since everyone was trying to reach the Phantom horn Lizard hunting group as soon as possible. 

Ace was, of course, one of them now and he was moving in the rear and his task was to cover everyone's back. 

Dewan first has a problem with Nola's decision to leave such a position to Ryan so careless but she was hellbent on it and others also approved of it. Dewan felt extremely helpless and agreed with this decision in the end, but he was moving with Ryan to make sure he won't play any tricks. 

Ace was completely understanding Dewan's vigilance toward him and he also didn't trust him completely. But Ace has his doubts regarding two persons in this group after interacting with them and Dewan was not one of them. 

They all travel for six hours and kill many toxic demonic beasts in their way. Those demonic beasts were not very powerful, but they were poisonous regardless of their cultivation base. 

Ace also saw those five fourth Qi gate realm teammates' faces were bluish, and this was the sign of breathing this forest's air and traveling on the bank of dark water swamp. 

They also encounter some other parties like them but no one fights since everyone was accumulating their Qi for the target and the fight will only start after they reach the middle area of the dark swamp forest.

One thing noteworthy was the nobles of Regal Capital were nowhere to be seen especially the Regal family's group of twenty. It was as if they were traveling without resting. 

But no one had any time to ponder over them since everyone was busy dealing with this toxic environment.

"Don't you think this place is too dangerous for these youngsters?" A man's voice sounded somewhere in the forest. 

"Heh, if they can't even take this much poison and survive then they will be killed by those second-grade kingdoms participants in the second test. Besides this test was nothing compared to top ten kingdoms." An impersonal voice jeered at this moment. 

"He is right. This test is for their good or they all will be killed in Kingdoms Level Test and become stepping stone for others." Another sweet voice rang. 

"Hahaha, do you all seriously think they can pass the second test or even survive? Almost for four hundred years, no one has ever won any seat from a third-grade kingdom. Besides the second test is very interesting this time, there will be a vast audience watching those ants getting crushed." A man's disdainful laughter rang. 

No one rebuke him as if he was telling the truth!

---

Two days pass in a breeze. 

Almost every participant has reached the middle area of the dark swamp forest. But everyone's face has a bluish hue as if they were all sick. Those youngsters finally understood just how difficult this test truly was and this was only the third day out of fourteen! 

Now, in everyone's mind was only one thought and that was to find a Phantom Horn Lizard as quick as possible and leave this damn place. 

Ace party's condition was also the same. The five weakest teammates' faces were bluish pale and the three strongest were somewhat better than everyone else except Ryan! 

Ryan's face was still the same as he was two days ago. It was as if this environment didn't affect him in the least bit. 

Although, it was a good thing but not at this particular time because Alvin's martial sense was still there and if he took notice of Ace's special condition, he might come running any time for him. 

Ace was almost on the verge of crying because of this. He never would've thought his heavenly defying immunity will get him into life-threatening trouble. 

He even asked the system if this mask can change skin color but to his dismay it has none! 

Ace simply cursed at the system after learning about this flaw and the system ignore him like always. 

In the end, Ace dived into the black swamp in the name of; he saw Phantom Horn Lizard and become completely black with dirt. 

His teammates were ecstatic first when they heard it but soon they discovered it was just a false alarm and looked at dirty Ryan with sympathy in their eyes. 

Everyone thought that he had gone insane because of poison and question him so they could test just how much he was sane!

Ace didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing everyone's sympathetic expression but his action was indeed idiotic so he could only ensure them he was sane after answering their weird questions. 

But no matter what he wasn't regretting his actions since now no one could see his complexion clearly and found his unusual poison resistance ability. 

After this minor incident, they all search for the Phantom Horn Lizard as their lives depend on it. 

"Follow me. I know where we could find those lizards!" The boy with a gentle face speaks at this moment. His name was Crosby, and he was a commoner from the Regal Capital City. 

Nola and everyone looked at Crosby with obvious doubts in their eyes. 

Crosby smile wryly seeing everyone questioning eyes and said, "I'm a beast hunter and come to this forest many times for hunting and gathering beast materials. I had to admit I had never dived this deep in the forest before but I heard a senior hunter once talking about this place that was hunting a group of Phantom Horn Lizards. If I remember correctly, then we are not far from it." 

Ace's eyes narrowed hearing this, but he said nothing and merely looked at Nola like everyone else. She was the leader of this party and she has the final say.

"I think we should try it. It is far better than roaming around aimlessly." Dewan spoke at this moment in the support of Crosby. He was very friendly with Crosby.

Nola pounded for a moment and looked at Lilith who was always in a sulky mood ever since she loses her exchange with Ryan. 

Lilith nodded toward Crosby, she was clearly in agreement with Dewan's reason. 

Nola then looked at Ryan. She also trusts this new member since he let no demonic beast past him in these two days and he was also very humble. 

Ryan merely shrugs his shoulder and leaves it to Nola.

"Fine, we'll follow Little Brother Crosby from now on. We're already far behind those rotten nobles." Nola finally agreed with Crosby since it was also her first time coming to the capital city and this forest.

Crosby smile gently seeing everyone was going to follow him, "I won't disappoint you all." He takes the lead and starts moving in the muddy pathway between those tall gloomy trees' stilt roots. 

By Crosby movement, it didn't seem it was his first time here as if he knows the forest very well. Nobody notices this detail since the poison clouded their judgment. 

Well, everyone except Ace!

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