Gabriel immediately noticed a tense atmosphere in the room. He cautiously made his way to the center of the room.
The Family Head of the Stein Clan and everyone else looked in his direction, momentarily observing him as if they wanted to see through all his secrets.
Fortunately, Gabriel wasn't worried about that. Even though he himself wasn't able to utilize that level, his body contained the strength of true gods... Along with the essence of Karyk, which granted him partial access to the Element of Death without needing any Elemental Mark.
His body wasn't something that people in the Upper Realm could see through, at least not until they were at the level of the King of the Upper Realm.
His body contained many secrets. However, everyone who tried to see through him couldn't find them, which gave them the impression that he was more ordinary than they expected.
After a few moments of silence, the Family Head finally broke the ice. "So you want to work for us?"
Gabriel frowned. Wasn't it his daughter who wanted to work with him? How did the story suddenly change?
He didn't raise his doubts at the moment.
"This brat froze in our presence. He can't even answer," one of the elders mockingly stated before glancing at Ulesis. "Don't tell me you really thought this guy could be of use to us."
Another Elder nodded. "That's right. Entering the Shadow Garden and finding the Legacy of the Founder? He would be lucky if he could even survive half-way in the shadow garden."
"I agree. It's just a waste of effort. Even the best of the shadow mages don't want to enter the Shadow Garden because they know it's impossible for them to return alive. To send a brat like him, and place our hopes on him is nothing but a childish fantasy," the first Elder continued.
The Elders already looked hostile toward him from the start. However, their hostility was directly visible now. It was as if they weren't even trying to hide it anymore.
"I don't know how you managed to fool our intelligent niece to make her think that you're capable. However, it's not easy to fool us. You dare try to scam the Stein Clan?"
One after other, the Elders kept raising their voices.
"Eldest Brother, this brat tried to fool our family, despite having no skills. He wasted our time. We should make an example of him. Let him leave one of his hands behind, so he'll remember who not to mess with!" Another Elder stated, glancing at the Family Head.
"Father, no! It wasn't h-" Ulesis chimed in, seemingly concerned. She brought Gabriel here. However, even she didn't think that her family was going to be so stubborn.
Unfortunately, before she could even finish her sentence, the family head raised his head, telling her to stop. "That's enough."
Hearing his voice, all the Elders also stopped speaking.
The family head focused on Gabriel. "What do you have to say?"
"What do you expect me to say?" Gabriel asked in return. "Do you want me to beg for my life? I was called here. I didn't ask your daughter to help me. She asked for my help."
Even though the help of the Stein Family was of great use to him, it didn't mean he was going to become their servant. They wanted him to leave one hand behind? They could only imagine.
"If you don't want my help, then so be it. However, the ones who want me to leave a hand behind..." He glanced at all the Elders who were the loudest. "They can try their best. However, the outcome might not be what they imagined."
As he finished speaking, Gabriel turned around, as if he didn't want to stay there any longer.
"You arrogant brat, you dare!" One of the Elders was furious, watching Gabriel leave while also threatening them.
He stood up in anger. However, that was all. As soon as he stood up, he froze at once, feeling a sharp blade against his neck!
A single movement, and his head would've fallen to the ground.
He couldn't even turn behind, to see who had their sword on his hand. However it was clear to the others. It was a shadow!
"Oh, and one more thing. Your formation might have weakened me, but it doesn't affect my shadows. Try to stop me and half your family will die before you can even touch me."
From the start to the end, the Family Head of the Stein Clan hadn't moved. It was as if he was calmly observing everything.
Even when one of the Elders was taken hostage, his eyes didn't reveal any surprise. If anything, there was only a smile on his lips as he gazed at Gabriel.
"We will provide you with everything you want, as long as you help us." Just as Gabriel was about to leave, the Family Head spoke, surprising all the Elders.
Others were thinking that he would go furious because of Gabriel's words and try to kill him. However, to everyone's surprise, he looked more pleased than anything.
It was as if after a long time, he had seen some hope. Not only did Gabriel have courage, but he had enough skills to use his shadows to such perfection even when his strength was limited because of their formation.
Moreover, he was sure that it wasn't all the strength the young man had. Even though he wasn't able to see through Gabriel, that was also what made it more suspicious. It made him feel that Gabriel was hiding many secrets. His strength was no way near the level he had shown.
Even though he heard from his daughter that Gabriel was skilled, seeing everything with his own eyes was even more impressive.
With Gabriel's help, he had a feeling that they could actually succeed in retrieving the Legacy the next time the shadow garden opened for everyone in the Northern World.
No matter how much he had to pay, he wanted Gabriel!
