Calkin instinctively wanted to deny everything.
Although anyone with some authority within Herl City knew he was working with Hook, Calkin himself would not admit to the relationship. After all, he was still a policeman.
Matters that seemed impossible to others were a piece of cake for him considering his position.
A little twist of his brain, and he could earn a huge amount of money.
There were a couple more men like Hook under his command. Calkin had already tasted the sweetness of forbidden fruit, and he was not willing to lose the benefits that came along with his position.
Before he could finish his sentence though, the young man before him started to turn blurry.
His shadow elongated and shrunk until it twisted completely and turned into a giant snake that filled his sight and blocked the sun.
As the giant black snake lowered its head, gazing at him with reptilian golden eyes, a cold sensation spread all over his body and numbed his senses. He started to pant heavily and tried to open his mouth and shout.
Before he could though, the snake opened its mouth and threw itself at him.
The stench coming from its mouth was like a fierce wind, its fangs as sharp as mountain peaks and its mouth as big as a lake. Calkin shrunk back like a bug.
"Nooo!" he shouted out in shock.
Suddenly, the scenery before him switched back to Herbert’s house and he saw the young man standing in front of him.
"You!"
Calkin opened his mouth and an agonizing pain assaulted his whole body. Unable to hold back his cries, he fell to the ground and started rolling around.
After a full 30 seconds, he finally stopped.
Battlelog notifications started popping up in Kieran’s vision.
[Dead-Man’s Gaze: Target authentication failed, Fear Illusion induced...]
[Fear Illusion: Target has fallen under your Illusions, Spirit failed authentication, Target has suffered the same amount of Damage as your Spirit Level, 100 Damage inflicted to Target HP, Target is Heavily Wounded…]
"As expected, he is stronger than the average John Doe!" Kieran thought, his eyes locked on Calkin.
As Calkin was struggling on the ground, he tore his clothes apart and revealed the fit muscles underneath.
From the moment Kieran had seen Calkin, he had sensed that there was something strange about him.
His walking and standing stance allowed him to attack anytime he wanted to, and the calluses on his fingers and the backs of his hands betrayed his strength.
Calkin kept panting heavily. Every breath was like air being sucked out of his marrow and going straight to his heart and veins.
While he was still struggling to catch his breath, he heard a familiar voice.
"So do you know Hook, Chief Officer?"
Calkin raised his head and saw the smiling young man.
He seemed to fall into a trance again and see the golden-eyed black snake.
He tried to speak up, but the words that came out of his mouth were different.
"I… I know him!" he said with a stutter.
"I see! These three thugs here said that they were hired by Hook to cause trouble to Mr. Herbert over there. You know what you have to do, right? I hope you think this through before you answer. What you saw just now is just the tip of the iceberg. I could show you much more terrifying visions if you wanted to!" Kieran said, his voice softening as he spoke.
Although he had no idea what Calkin had been through because of the [Fear Illusion], it was clear what he had to do.
He was trying to bluff his way out, and it seemed to be working.
"Ve… Very well! I know what I need to do! I will bring Hook before you, good sir!" Calkin clenched his teeth hard.
"No, no, no… Not before me! Before Mr. Herbert over there!" Kieran pointed out Calkin’s mistake in a mocking tone.
"I understand!" Calkin’s other men helped him up to the wagon and he left quickly.
Kieran was smiling mysteriously as he watched the wagon go.
He did not know whether Hook’s actions were based on personal revenge or other people’s instructions. It might even have been a direct order from Calkin. Kieran knew one thing for sure though.
People felt fear before the unknown, and fear itself was enough for Kieran to control Calkin.
It didn’t matter whether Calkin panicked and revealed his hidden agenda, or remained calm and started acting more vigilantly. All Kieran wanted was for him to make a move.
"As I expected of you, 2567!" Herbert praised Kieran as he walked over.
The three young students also turned their eyes to him, inspecting him curiously.
The young man in the bib pants suddenly smacked his own forehead and said in surprise, "2567? The Colossal Crocodile Killer and Spirit Hunter 2567?" he asked.
"If there is no other 2567 around, then I guess that’s me!"
Kieran had no idea how the system had instilled his reputation into the natives’ memories, but he accepted it as a fact with a nod.
"It’s really you? Was that crocodile as big as three wagons? What does a spirit look like? How did you do that just now? Calkin is usually so much different!" the young man voiced out his surprise before he started asking him questions.
"Cohen!" the other young man stopped his friend, looking embarrassed.
Then he turned around and introduced himself to Kieran in a manner that matched the way he was dressed.
"Good day, Sir 2567! I am Harold, this is Joanna, and that’s Cohen. We are all Mr. Herbert’s students!"
Harold pointed at the woman and Cohen.
His words were also filled with curiosity, and the same feeling was evident on Joanna’s face.
Compared to Cohen though, the two of them were much more reserved.
"Good day everyone. I’m 2567!" Kieran replied before stepping back and looking at the scene with Herbert.
As his house burned down, many of his books and files were destroyed. Kieran knew Herbert needed manpower to help restore everything.
His students were the best candidates for the job.
"Harold, I need some pen and papers, and I know you will invite me to your house for the time being, but it would still be much more convenient to tidy things up here. Cohen, go back to the city and tell Pierre to buy some tents. We are leaving on the 25th, so there’s still three more days left. We can’t just sleep on the ground like this! And Joanna, I need you to help me tidy up my notes!" Herbert assigned tasks to each of his students before turning his eyes to Kieran.
"I have another favor to ask of you!" he said.
"Let’s hear it! I agreed to be your bodyguard, so I’ll do anything within my powers and the contract!" Kieran replied with a smile.
He could see a Sub Mission coming his way.
"Help me sift through the other bodyguards that replied to the ad. Pierre is currently busy with other things, and my students and I are not the right people for that job!" Herbert said in a sincere tone.
Notifications suddenly started pinging in Kieran’s vision.
[Sub Mission: The Troublesome Chief Officer (Completed)]
[Sub Mission Unlocked: Sifting Through Bodyguards!]
[Sifting Through Bodyguards: You’ve won Herbert’s trust, so he’s asked you to deal with one more matter. To repay the trust he has placed on you, you need to carefully sift through those who replied to the bodyguard recruitment ad. Be careful though! Some of them might have ill intentions!]
"Ill intentions?"
Kieran squinted as he read the description.