Chapter 1409: 1409. Sort of

'Again?' Noah shouted in his mind.

He had already seen a similar scene. The same had happened in Great Builder's inheritance when he completed the most difficult challenge in the first layer.

The arrival of the "Breath" in the hall confirmed his victory. The book in his hands hinted that the trial was over. Noah had already obtained his reward, but that underground structure had yet to end.

'I can't recover quickly enough this time,' Noah thought as he studied his condition.

He had broken bones, a crushed leg, damaged internal organs, and a few superficial injuries. Even his mighty black hole couldn't make him battle-ready in a week. Noah would have to focus on his recovery for months to return to his peak.

Still, his curiosity had the better of him. Even in his injured condition, Noah could force himself to run if the situation required it. Yet, he had the vague feeling that he wouldn't get another chance to explore that new path if he turned back now.

Noah glanced at the book before storing it inside his separate space. Snore then shrunk as it carried him toward the new tunnel. The Demonic Sword and Night also flew next to him to ensure that nothing could reach him while he was in that poor condition.

The pale-yellow light made Noah recall the insides of the pyramid. That was the main reason behind his vague confidence that the underground structure wouldn't force him to fight again.

The tunnel was also different. The pale-azure rocks transformed into polished bricks as Noah moved through the passage. That was the sign of a connection with Great Builder's creation, but he didn't jump to conclusions just yet.

He was dealing with the inheritance of a rank 9 existence. His mind couldn't hope to comprehend Supreme Thief's mindset.

A small room unfolded in his vision once he reached the end of the tunnel. Noah was almost expecting to see a bed there, but he found a solitary ethereal figure instead.

The figure depicted a young-looking man with long hair and a patch covering his left eye. A tight robe covered most of his body, and a series of scrolls rested on his back, tied to his torso with a few thin cords.

The man was playing with a cube that transformed whenever he pressed on specific spots. It shattered into a series of smaller shapes only to reform into the figure's hands, who didn't hesitate to sigh at that sight.

"You can come out," The man said without moving his eye away from the cube. "You did a good job out there, but I'm not sure if the real owner of this inheritance would be happy to know that you cheated."

Noah's eyes widened when he heard those words, and the man gave voice to a laugh when he sensed that reaction. He then placed the cube to the ground and turned to inspect Noah, nodding whenever he glanced at his companion.

"I'm kidding," The man continued. "That guy is dead. I don't even remember his name. I stole this piece of his inheritance only to piss off the organization that controlled it. It should still be good stuff. I think that he focused on using his "Breath" to boost his body or whatever."

Noah didn't know how to answer to that interaction, but he didn't fail to memorize the hints carried by his words. The man had clearly said that he had stolen that inheritance and Noah didn't forget where he was.

"Stop remaining speechless," The man said before exploding into another laugh. "You are the first to reach the end of a layer. Be proud of your talent! No one should even be humble after overcoming my trials."

"I didn't cheat," Noah said to avoid any misunderstanding. "I cleared the trial fairly."

"Oh, but you did cheat," The man said as his smile began to give off a canny vibe. "I'm pretty sure that the owner wanted to find an heir with a strong body, not a hybrid who can use dense energy. Quite spectacular to watch, but not really in line with the trial."

"He had to create better restrictions then," Noah replied, unwilling to back off from that topic.

"I agree," The man said as he sat on the ground and supported his back with his arms. "It has been quite easy to steal. Your dense energy is far more interesting. I wish I could borrow it for a while."

An intense aura came out of the man at that point. He didn't change position nor expression, but something had triggered his individuality.

The aura enveloped the tunnel and covered the entire underground structure, creating a pulling force that dragged all the dark-blue pieces of the golems toward the last room. Noah's black hole didn't escape that process. He felt his dark matter seeping out of his chest against his will and flying toward the figure.

"Dammit!" The man said once he noticed what was happening. "Sorry about this. It's hard to control myself even in this form. I guess you can't avoid these drawbacks once you reach the peak of the cultivation journey."

The pulling force vanished as the figure waved his hand. Noah quickly reabsorbed his dark matter and began to consider running away before something like that happened again. Yet, he couldn't retreat now that he had understood who had appeared in front of him.

"Are you Supreme Thief?" Noah asked once his curiosity reached its peak.

"The one and only," The man said, "Destroyer of countless organizations and public enemy of the human side. No treasure is safe with me around. I guess that's why they ganged up to kill me."

Noah couldn't even begin to describe the shock that he felt, but some greed began to leak out of his figure. He had entered a secret part of the inheritance after clearing the trial, so a part of him expected to receive more rewards.

"Look at that," Supreme Thief said when he sensed Noah's greed. "A boundless desire also curses you. You might want to learn to keep it in check. Not many can survive with such a flashy feeling."

"How did you die?" Noah ignored his words to ask. "How many rank 9 existences live in the Immortal Lands?"

Even if his greed made him think about potential rewards, his mind went after knowledge he couldn't obtain otherwise. Only a rank 9 existence could have the answers to those questions. Noah guessed that even experts in the eighth rank would find it hard to know that.

"I didn't exactly die," Supreme Thief said. "Death is something that only living beings can experience. Those who reach the ninth rank are much more than that. Killing one of us is akin to destroying an entire world."

"Then, why are you in this form?" Noah asked after memorizing his last line.

"Well," Supreme Thief replied as he wore a shameless expression, "I sort of died. Sort of. Nothing serious though. I have a friend who is working on bringing us back."

Everything connected inside Noah's mind at that point. The similarities with Great Builder's inheritance and the secret room inside the pyramid were part of the same insane project.

Supreme Thief and Great Builder wanted to cheat death!