Of the five boroughs in New York, only the Bronx did not have significant changes after the first dungeon break occurred.
The streets were still the same; dozens of six-story brick apartments with a rust-red color dominated the city. Some buildings looked worn and unkempt.
Strange writings and graffiti were almost visible along the walls or fences of the buildings. Bicycles lay in storefronts, and young people in quirky outfits gathered, laughing and smoking their cigarettes at every turn.
The sound of police sirens broke the afternoon's silence as a police car sped past.
Some areas of the city looked clean and tidy, but they still looked neglected. Small parks nestled between old buildings offered a refreshing view of greenery.
On one street, a black sedan was parked along with dozens of cars. Klaus observed a park across the street from inside. He was not alone. Sylvia accompanied him, sitting next to him.
"Did the kidnapper send a message, Klaus?" asked Sylvia.
Klaus shook his head. "Not yet."
After receiving a threatening call from the kidnapper, Klaus received a message about the location of the ransom drop. They arrived at the location an hour earlier than the appointed time. He could have handled the matter on his own, but he was worried that anything untoward would happen.
Besides saving Sheila, Klaus also wanted to secure his money. He didn't know how his secretary had been kidnapped, but he was sure his money was safe. Logically, they wouldn't kidnap Sheila or ask for ransom if they had the money.
Something off was going on.
"What should I do?" asked Sylvia. Her eyes fell on the black backpack on Klaus' lap.
"You stay in the car. I'll take care of it. And they won't get a dime."
Giving the kidnappers what they want won't solve anything. It only exposed a weakness, and they would blackmail him. Klaus knew that clichéd fact, and he wasn't going to play their game.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The smartphone vibrated. A message came in. Klaus read it immediately. His eyes opened wide. Not long after, a call came in.
Seeing his expression, Sylvia immediately knew who was calling him.
Klaus picked up the phone.
"Put the crystal in the garden trash can. After that, I'll call you," said the kidnapper.
The call was cut off before Klaus answered it.
"They want to meet," asked Sylvia.
Klaus shook his head. "Yeah. I'll take care of this as soon as I can."
Before leaving the car, Klaus picked up a bracelet from the dashboard. At first glance, Sylvia immediately knew that the bracelet was an arcana. She could feel the magical aura emanating from it.
[A Thousand Face Bracelet]
[Type: Arcana]
[Effect: Change the face according to the user's wish]
[Materials: witch skin, 1x vampire blood drops, 100x monster cores, black iron]
[Runes : ᚠᚨᚲᛖᛚᛖᛋᛋ ᚡᛟᛁᛞ]
When Klaus put on the bracelet, his face trembled as if his skin was about to peel off. His black hair slowly turned brown. The green color in his irises faded and turned blue.
Sylvia only opened her eyes wide when she saw his face change.
"Your good looks are gone—you changed drastically." The red-haired woman hurriedly corrected her words.
Looking into the car's rearview mirror, Klaus looked at himself in his new look.
Klaus got this arcana when Sheila gave him a fake identity and documents for him. Actually, he needed this for something else, but since an unexpected situation happened, he was forced to use it now.
He had already appeared on television several times. People might recognize his face, and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want his name to appear in the news headlines when dealing with criminal gangs.
"Watch the perimeter," Klaus said.
Sylvia nodded.
He exited the car while carrying a black bag containing monster cores. Crossing the street, Klaus headed towards where he would drop the ransom. The park looked crowded, children were playing on the playground, and some adults were seen jogging.
Klaus stood in the middle of the crowd. His eyes looked in all directions, looking for people with suspicious movements. The kidnapper told Klaus to place the ransom on a bench.
"Laplace. Did you see anyone suspicious?" asked Klaus.
<Everyone in the park is looking at you, my liege. It seems they are suspicious of you.>
Klaus was wearing an expensive suit. It was natural that his appearance drew a lot of attention from park visitors. It was rare for people to dress formally in this area, considering that these residents were filled with blue-collar workers.
It was no surprise that Klaus attracted many pairs of eyes.
"If someone takes this bag, let me know," he muttered.
<Yes, my liege.>
He put the bag on the park bench and then left. As he walked far enough away from where he dropped the bag, Laplace told him that someone had picked up the bag on the park bench.
Naturally, Klaus turned around and found someone wearing a black jumper, grabbing the bag away. Without thinking twice, Klaus shouted at him.
"Stop!"
Surprised after hearing the shout, the person ran away. Klaus quickly ran after him.
The person in the black jumper was so agile, passing dozens of people who blocked his way. However, Klaus ran very fast. The wind whistled as he passed the people in the park. They dropped their jaws as they saw Klaus running like lightning.
Of course, the person who picked up the black bag was terrified. He tried to speed up his pace, but Klaus was getting closer no matter how hard he tried.
As Klaus was right behind him, that man suddenly emitted a mana beam. The person turned transparent as Klaus was about to pull up his hood.
"What!"
The person disappeared right in front of his face. Their distance was only a few centimeters.
"Where is that damn guy?" Klaus grumbled in annoyance.
<That person has the [Camouflage] talent, my liege. He is right in front of you, three meters from your standing. I suggest you use your senses to track him down.>
Closing his eyes, Klaus tried to feel the mana flow in the air. Then he felt the energy from the bushes.
"Gotcha," Klaus muttered.
He jumped into the bushes, and screaming echoed when his hands grabbed something. He pulled him up and threw the man to the ground with the black bag of monster cores.
"Keuggh!" The person cried out as his body hit the ground.
Klaus walked over and lifted him into the air with one hand. The anger in his chest raging, he was ready to teach him a lesson. However, Klaus decided against it after he saw a boy's face under his hood. The was Joanna's age.
"What? You're just a kid."
"Let go of me, damn it!" The boy thrashed in the air.
Klaus sighed. The problem seemed to be more complicated than he thought.
