Night Ranger
chapter-198

Chapter 198: Thorny Path

The Eternal Night Kingdom.

In the entire Night Walker organization, only two people were qualified to open this incomplete plane.

One was the current Night Walker leader, and the other was the former leader.

When Sean moved to White River Valley, he took with him the contents of the basement room. Marvin didn’t know how he did this, but as the former Night Walker Leader, he certainly had his own ways.

“Think about it carefully. You might meet many dangers on this path.”

Sean took a deep look at Marvin. “And I’m not necessarily talking about physical dangers.”

Marvin firmly nodded.

He knew what was ahead. This was the reason he was confident in challenging that thing that no one had cleared before.

Awakening the sleeping warriors, rousing them from their dark and cold eternal slumber, to once again fight to protect Feinan.

This was really a difficult mission.

But everything was under his control. He was somewhat aware of the task, or else he wouldn’t have picked the Night Walker advancement path.

The power of a class wasn’t the only thing worth considering when choosing one’s advancement path. One still had to consider the secrets hidden behind that class.

All the classes in Feinan weren’t simply fighting styles or schools of thought. There was a long, long history behind them.

The Night Walker class was a good example.

The only thing that surprised Marvin was that something appeared on his quest menu that had seen no changes for a while.

[Path of Darkness]

[Description: To wake the slumbering warriors, you need to experience the pain they went through in those days. You’ll set foot on the path of the Night Monarch of the olden days to inherit his glory and duty.]

[Mission Reward: ?]

…

‘The mission reward is actually unknown?’

‘This is a bit strange.’

In fact, ever since he transmigrated, Marvin felt that this system in his body was more of an information software than a real system.

Apart from two points he couldn’t understand, the rest completely fit with this world.

Of these two points, the first was the battle experience system. Why could he obtain battle experience when killing?

The second was why the quest system reward was general experience.

If you ignored these two points, Marvin felt that his system was simply a record of himself.

It would make an extremely precise record of his bodily status and what happened during battle.

Apart from that, there didn’t seem to be much use.

This gave him the impression that rather than transmigrating with the game system, he had instead obtained a status monitoring ability similar to the game system.

This was a type of power.

This was the best explanation Marvin could think of, but unfortunately this explanation had a flaw, the experience issue.

This was also the biggest difference between him and the natives. The natives would raise their strength through tempering, insights, and all kinds of differents methods.

They couldn’t just kill to raise their strength like Marvin.

There must be a reason hidden deep behind this, waiting for Marvin to dig it up.

But for now he had to focus on completing this quest.

“Nineteen Legend warriors. Slumbering in the sea of cold darkness.”

“You have to walk through the Thorny Path barefooted and climb up the Endless Mountain, before finally finding the will of the Night Monarch.”

“You’ll be able to rouse them only if you become the true heir of the Night Monarch.”

“Every Night Walker who tried it before you failed.”

“This has nothing to do with strength. It is about character, willpower… and luck.”

The old blacksmith took another long look at Marvin. “For me, your luck is definitely not bad.”

Marvin silently smiled.

“We are in a different era. I have a feeling you’ll really be able to wake them up.”

“Go,” the old blacksmith said in a firm voice as a dark and rugged path appeared in front of them.

The Thorny Path.

Marvin took a deep breath and removed his shoes. He walked over to the small path, barefoot.

‘Thorns…’

First step! Marvin breathed in cold air!

He could feel the acute pain from under his foot, fiercely stimulating his nerves.

It felt like a needle was suddenly stabbed into his sole.

The fierce pain made him instinctively draw back.

But he couldn’t retreat!

If he retreated, he would fail in this path to awaken the warriors.

Forward, there was only forward.

The pain was fake. Marvin wasn’t wounded, but the Thorny Path would directly transmit the pain to his senses.

If he couldn’t even endure this much pain, then what about inheriting the will of the Night Monarch?

Marvin tightly bit his lips, focusing his willpower.

He didn’t draw back, instead taking large steps toward the depths of the darkness!

He knew that the faster he was, the less contact with the Thorny Road he would have, and the lighter the pain.

…

Seeing Marvin’s back gradually disappearing at the end of the Thorny Path, the old blacksmith turned back to the furnace on the side, diligently working on something a low level apprentice should be doing.

Forging standard iron.

This was the Eternal Night Kingdom. That place was vast and mysterious, and even leaders would be considered as amateurs.

Over time they got used to it.

A shadow silently appeared at the old blacksmith’s side.

“You think he can succeed?”

“He can.” Old Sean kept forging.

That man indifferently said, “He became a Night Walker about a month ago. You think he completely understands the Night Monarch’s will?”

“No, no one can understand the will of the Night Monarch.” Sean laughed and said, “In fact, perhaps our way of thinking is wrong.”

“Every Night Walker who wished to rouse the nineteen warriors made great efforts to draw close to the Night Monarch, but was it the right move? No one knows.”

“But this is our duty. Guarding this continent.” That man’s tone carried a hint of unhappiness. “You and Constantine are wasting too much time on him. When I needed your help in the north, it’s fine that you didn’t come, but you actually were willingly following a small Baron around doing some absurd things. I know you are critical of me, but as Night Walkers, we are brothers.”

“You are wrong, O’Brien. We aren’t critical of you,” Sean seriously replied. “But the one you called a small Baron could plot a scheme to bury the Crimson Patriarch, who countless Legends had failed to kill. He was able to retrieve the Book of Nalu in front of the Heavenly Sword Saint. He just got rid of a Red Dragon a few days earlier.”

“He is only 15 years old.” Sean emphasized his age. “What were you doing at 15, O’Brien?”

O’Brien was speechless.

“Take a step back. If I’m misjudging, and if Constantine is misjudging, then what about Hathaway, Shadow Thief Owl, Endless Ocean and Nicholas? Are they making a mistake too?”

The old blacksmith unhurriedly continued, “In all of history, the East Coast has never had someone who could gather up such a force.”

“Thus, I am quite looking forward to what my disciple is able to do in the future.”

“This is the reason I am remaining in White River Valley.”

O’Brien took a deep breath, his mood a lot better. “Perhaps you are right. Even if I am powerful, I’m not wise enough.”

“No, no one is perfect. You are currently the best leader for the Night Walkers.” Sean smiled in encouragement. “You have a strength that others don’t have. Even if you are powerful, you can listen to other people.”

O’brien muttered helplessly, “My mother told me when I was young, [O’Brien, you aren’t clever so you need to pay attention to wise men’s words].”

“I did as I was told, which turned out pretty well. I didn’t mess up too much.”

“If this kid really awakens the nineteen warriors and advances to 4th rank, I’ll consider giving him the Half-Artifact [Eternal Paradise].”

…

On the Thorny Path.

A silhouette was walking alone.

Marvin was sweating all over.

The pain coming from under his feet had been growing and growing. It wasn’t the kind of pain you could become numb to.

You couldn’t know when the pain would strike.

It was possible to not feel any pain after walking three steps, and suddenly feel incredible pain on the 4th step.

This was the frightening part of the Thorny Path.

Monks should be the best at handling his path.

‘This path is to test the heir’s temperament.’

‘It’s rumored that the Night Monarch personally walked a Thorny Path at that time to save a group innocents from Hell.’

‘Thus this path is also known as the Ancient Saint Path.’

A lot of information appeared in Marvin’s mind as an attempt to divert his attention.

But a scream echoed beside his ears!

He turned in surprise.

A man’s half-rotten face suddenly appeared on the side of the road.

He was coldly watching Marvin as a kind of indescribable fear rose up from Marvin’s heart.

Fear. But no willpower check.

‘[After pain is fear], those were words left behind by the Night Monarch.’

‘As long as I ignore these frightening illusions, I will be safe.’

‘They are only illusions in my mind.’

Marvin took a deep breath and controlled his shivering body. He clenched his teeth and continued forward.

He walked ten more steps, all sorts of illusions appearing in succession.

Hell’s skeletons, endless seas of blood, rotting maggots, deformed human bodies…

If it was someone else, they might have already been scared away.

The path was targeting the human fear of repulsive things!

But Marvin was gradually getting used to these things.

‘Ah? Trying to scare this Lord who has watched countless horror movies in a past life?’ Marvin began to inwardly sneer.

He was so confident, and it wasn’t without reason.

In all of Feinan, there might not be someone like him who could withstand all of these frightening scenes.

He visualized some funny things on these frightening scenes and the horrifying part was a lot weaker.

The second part of the Thorny Path was a piece of cake to Marvin.

Soon, a fork appeared in front of him.

A strange beast was occupying the intersection.