Tomb Opening (1)

He didn't know, but sometimes he had this curiosity to know how the world knew its existence.

Well, in fact, it's not just him. Almost everyone asked the same question over and over again.

Eventually, people got the answer but they still doubted its authenticity.

After all, it's just a prophecy.

"Wasn't it prophesized?"

Hans said. However, seeing Freya's enigmatic expression, maybe there's more to the story.

Hans had a hunch that the tomb wasn't simple.

"Yes but…" Freya shrugged her shoulders, "That's a lie."

Hans's eyebrows knitted in surprise. He turned around, making sure that no one would hear about their conversation.

To be safe, Hans suggested going somewhere else. Because Freya's VIP room was just a few meters away, the two eventually went there.

Hans sat on the couch; his feet placed atop the wooden table. On the other hand, Freya just… floated.

It's as if she has an invisible couch in the air.

"You said it's a lie, right?"

"Uhuh."

"Why?"

"18 years ago, Italy was invaded. Almost half of the land was occupied in just a mere day."

At that moment, Freya condensed mana into the air, displaying the state of Italy 18 years ago.

The land was no different from a no man's island. Buildings were down and everything turned into ruins.

"It was said that an S-rank Dragon invaded the country but in fact, that's a lie."

The projection changed into the power comparison between the humans and monsters.

"Back in the day, the power comparison was inaccurate. There's no SS-Class monster. Any monsters above S-class were still considered an S-class."

Hans straightened his back as if he realized something.

"Does that mean, the dragon was an SS-Class monster?"

"Yeah."

"Then how?" Hans asked in confusion, "How did they defeat it then?"

Even if there's a million A-class Awakened banded together, it wouldn't be enough to take down such a monster. Now, it was clear that the dragon Slaying story was pure deceit.

"That's what I'm saying but Italy somehow managed to survive. Not only that but they also defeated and killed that dragon."

Hans leaned back to the couch. To be honest, he still had no clue how this is related to the tomb.

"So how is this related to the tomb?"

Freya closed her eyes and spoke with a disdainful grin.

"It was said that the dragon went here to wait for the tomb to open. The dragon told them everything before it died. That's why to this day, the people still believe it despite having no idea if it's real or not."

"I see… and with the appearance of the Ruined King's items, the tale was proven to be a truth."

"Bingo." Freya smiled as she floated back on the ground. She stared outside the window and watched as the crowd conversed with each other.

However, Hans wasn't done with his questions yet. Many things run through his mind and it's making his heart beat rapidly.

'How did they kill the dragon? Who made the badge?'

"You might be curious about how they killed it, right?"

"..." Hans nodded.

"They didn't kill it." Freya turned her head and stared at him, "Someone did."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Italy has changed since then. They advertise everything to the world as if they wanted to tell the world that a treasure was there, come and get it."

"And the badge?"

Freya glanced at her watch and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Hans. The information is confidential. That's the only clue I could give."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hans immediately apologized.

In fact, from the previous information, he could more or less guess the whole picture. However, as he didn't know if it was accurate or not, he had no option but to just keep it inside his mind.

Freya heaved a deep sigh before she spoke.

"I have something to attend first, Hans. If you need something just call me okay?"

"Alright, I'll give you a call." Hans replied.

Looking at Freya's eyes, she seemed quite in a hurry but she still took a short while to accompany him.

As Freya grabbed the doorknob, Hans quickly stopped her.

"Can I take you out for dinner after all of this is over?"

As if electricity passed through her limbs, Freya felt her heart charge rapidly to her chest. Her temperature became warm and her cheeks reddened.

She turned around and replied, "Alright." before running away in a hurry.

Confused by her actions, Hans scratched his chin. He just wanted to repay her but it seemed like it caused quite a misunderstanding.

Hans springs up from the couch and sniffs the aromatic food coming from the outside.

"Perfect for breakfast."

Shortly afterwards, Hans rushed out of the Auction House.

.........…

Somewhere in Venice, Italy.

The gurgling car engine stopped in front of a hotel. The door clicked and soon, a young man stepped outside.

Unlike the serene mountain villa he came from yesterday, here, the people were bustling. It felt like he was inside a local market in town.

The man tidied his clothes and swept his gaze around the vicinity. Seeing the crowds of people, a smile bloomed on his lips.

"These people really seem eager to get inside the tomb huh?"

Unfortunately, they would have no part in this. Only the key holders have the right to enter inside and obtain their treasures and inheritance.

As the owner of one of the keys, the golden crown, he had this nagging urge to find the holder of the other item.

According to his family's Intel, the other 3 were snatched away while the other one was in the possession of someone. If he could somehow rope this guy into the pit, his spoils would be doubled, no doubt.

Click—

Following him, a woman stepped outside the car. She was wearing a simple winter dress with a veil covering half of her face.

"Where will we go now?" The woman asked the man in a respectful tone.

"My dear sister, you don't have to be so formal with me."

As if she saw her sworn enemy, the woman clenched her fist. It was so tight that there were even streaks of blood on her fingers but it immediately healed because of her natural regeneration.

This time, her voice became dry. She spoke coldly.

"You're not him. Stop acting like him."

Hearing her words, the man chuckled. He sauntered towards an empty bench near a tree where birds stood on the branches. Due to the strong winds, the tree continuously rustled and eventually, leaves fell to his hands.

The man stared at the woman who had her head lowered as she stood like a statue under the tree shade.

"Look here, woman." The man leaned on the bench in a relaxed posture and continued, "I got his permission to take control so don't act like I have wronged you."

The woman quickly shut up. She fidgeted her fingers anxiously. Fortunately, the man didn't seem to bother and did not have a plan to hurt her.

She took a short bow at his figure before scurrying away. She tried to hold back the tears from her eyes but it was futile. In the end, she hid in a public restroom and let all her feelings out.

Meanwhile, the man clicked his tongue after sensing the woman's emotions.

"Humans are truly fragile."

However, someone responded inside his head.

"I told you don't make her cry!"

The man's face immediately frowned.

"Oy, kid. I chose you as my vessel so you could live, alright? In fact, you owe me your life so don't point fingers at me."

The voice inside his head retorted.

"Don't give me that crap! I didn't ask for you to save me! I took you in because you're also dying! It just so happens that I'm dying too so I don't owe you anything!!"

The man closed his eyes and groaned. After sensing the mana on his body rioting because of his emotions, the man eventually gives up arguing.

"Fine, fine, you won."

After hearing no answer from his head, the man raised his head to the gradually darkening skies and smirked.

"I can sense it… it's finally here."

.........….

Hans, who has a pizza stuffed in his mouth, felt tingles on his body. He immediately stopped eating and sniffed the strange smell emitting in the surroundings.

No doubt, this is the scent of a dungeon.

Just like any other species, dungeons also have a scent unique to them. As an Awakened who has raided many dungeons, Hans could already tell what this scent was even though it was faint.

His eyes wandered around. However, no one seemed to sense this strange phenomenon. Just like earlier, the people still went on with their lives and while quietly waiting got the tomb to open.

'Hmm…'

If his guess is correct, the only ones who could sense this are the key holders.

Without anyone noticing, Hans immediately scurried around. Using his superior sense of smell, he followed the tracks like a moth finding a flame.

As Hans passed through the walls of people, he eventually stumbled upon a bridge where many people were taking pictures.

However, it wasn't as crowded as other bridges because of unknown reasons. Perhaps it might be due to the foul smell being leaked by a nearby cafeteria.

Even then, Hans didn't go here for that.

He walked towards the bridge side rails and looked down at the waters. As if the waters responded to his call, it rippled.

'The entrance might be underwater.'

Without hesitation, Hans rushed under the bridge. On his hand, he already took out the 'Ruined King's Cover' which flickered in red light every 10 seconds.

Passengers who's taking a ride in gondolas briefly glanced in his direction but after seeing no one, they eventually shifted their attention.

'Fuu—'

Thankfully, under the bridge, it's dark. It was easy to hide in the shadows using his 'Umbral Steps'.

Drip—, drip—

The water on the ceiling dripped on his face, which signaled his take off.

'This is it.'

Hans changed his clothes to a more comfortable one and then secretly dove under the water. It rippled silently before vanishing without anyone noticing.

'This is deeper than I thought.'

The depth of the waters seemed to stretch out infinitely. Even with his enhanced sight, Hans couldn't even see the bottom floor.

However, Hans was already immune to such supernatural phenomena and just ignored them.

He has more important things to do.

Using the item on his hand as a tracker, Hans quickened his pace, and eventually, his vision was swallowed by the darkness.

.......

"Is it finally here?"

The man who was looking at the darkened skies heard the familiar voice inside his head.

"Yeah, you can switch up with me now." The man responded in a helpless tone.

As he had no total control of the body, he could only endure being treated like a guy who hadn't paid his monthly rent.

The man closed his eyes and after a brief period, the menacing aura around his body suddenly vanished. Then, it was replaced by a friendly vibe which served as a contrast to his previous dangerous aura.

Also, the difference in behavior could be seen as well.

The young man opened his eyes. A cheeky smile formed on his lips. He swept his gaze around until he found the woman, who is his sister, sitting alone in the square.

"Mikaela!"

At his yell, the woman named Mikaela ears perked and glanced in his direction.

The man stood up and jovially waved her hands to her.

"Mikaela!!"

Mikaela stood up, patted the dust off her dress, and rushed towards him at a quick pace. The man spread his hands ready to give her a big hug.

However, unlike what he expected, Mikaela's fist rammed on his head.

"Awww! What did I do?"

"You! You always make us worry!"

Seeing the hideous smile on her sister's face, the young man shrunk in fear. Embarrassed by his sister's nagging, the man could only endure the humiliation.

"Didn't we tell you not to switch with that guy anymore?!"

"Eh? Maybe I was asleep when you said it?"

"You!!"

The two siblings enjoyed their bonding 'peacefully'. After a few minutes of beating, the young man and Mikaela sat on the bench quietly. Snowflakes fell to their heads. A misty breeze escaped their mouths as they exhaled.

"Don't worry about me anymore, Mika. I'm already a grown ma—"

"Stop talking bullshit with me. You're 17."

"Err, let's don't talk about that."

The two sat on the bench silently as the birds' tweeted behind their heads. Shortly afterwards, Mikaela lowered her head, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes.

"Do you really need to do this? It's dangerous."

The young man consoled his sister and caressed her hair.

"It's fine. I can handle it."

"But—"

"It's fine. I know you're worried but I'll be fine."

The young man tried every way to convince his sister until eventually, he managed to drive her away. Under the tree shade, the young man sat alone.

Suddenly, his eyes sharpened.

"The fun part… is just about to start."

..............

Question:

Can you guess who the young man is?