The Innkeeper

Chapter 1813: Pity

KD was large. When he appeared on stage, standing upright on his hind legs, and he looked down at the audience in front of the stage, he was easily ten feet (3 meters) tall. Despite such a massive body, he was not bulky.

There was strength in every inch of his body, sure, but that did not translate into mass. Instead, he had a lean and toned body, revealing the figure of a professional dancer. A king he may be, a ruler he may be, but underneath all the embellishments, he was a dancer, pure and simple.

In fact, even just standing there on stage, looking out at the audience, letting his aura leak out of him, seemed like a setup for his upcoming dance.

The coldblooded ruler of the Cold Brood Empire did not speak. He did not introduce himself, nor did he make any bold statements or introductions. Words were not needed when he had dance.

The music started. Thick, bold, electric – though the pace was slow in the beginning, it was setting the stage that KD wanted. There was no gimmick for this dance of his, per se. Instead, he was flaunting his full power in his dance.

It was a representation of his journey, starting from the bottom to now being here. It was every challenge that came in his way, every enemy, every failure, every hesitation, and all of them shared the same destiny – to be conquered under might of the impressive dance skills he had honed against the dangers of the universe.

Watching KD dance was like watching his life unfold as if it were an epic saga, and the theme it seemed to follow was one of overwhelming genius and success.

In fact, Lex could tell that his dance in particular was much more influential than all the dances before. The emotions translated were more easily communicated, the impact felt was much greater, and it was much more memorable.

He was sure that this wasn’t the extent of all the advantages that KD had from his system, and that there would be so many more, yet instead of feeling threatened, Lex merely looked at the Komodo Dragon with pity in his eyes.

Lex had successfully faced off against real dragons, let alone a Komodo Dragon, and he had done that in fields where he was disadvantaged. But the theme that KD chose to follow for his dance this time… was truly unfortunate, because he had only cemented his own defeat.

Lex wasn’t the only one who felt that way. All the others from the Inn staff who were watching felt kind of bad for him. Unfortunately, nothing could be done.

Like the previous dances which lasted half an hour, KD’s lasted a whole hour this time. Even so, no one complained, and the audience enjoyed it thoroughly, giving him a genuine and heartfelt standing ovation.

The Inn staff members, too, stood up, but it was apparent at a glance that they were looking at him with pity in their eyes. KD had faced many kinds of opponents, but never had he faced someone who saw his dance and felt pity for him. Never.

As such, he could not help but walk down the stage and go to them.

“What is that look in your eyes,” he asked Gerard, who was the closest, skipping all introductions and small talk.

Instead of answering, Gerard sighed, and asked Z to scooch over so that KD could take a seat beside him.

“Sit with me. You will understand,” Gerard said, carrying no hostility or competitive maliciousness. That made KD even more curious, so he took the seat.

Z leaned over to KD to chat.

“Hey, I heard you’re the one who challenged the Midnight Inn. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is. Why? Do you have something you want to say to me?”

Z shook his head.

“No, I just want to let you know that you’re about to figure out why no one messes with the Midnight Inn.”

“And why is that?” KD asked.

Z simply pointed towards the stage.

The curtain hadn’t closed, nor had the lights turned out. It was just an empty stage filled with shadows of various shades.

Just as KD looked over, a single foot emerged from the darkest shadow, and the moment it stepped on the ground, the music started with a powerful, electric pulse. A deep gold rose from the ground and rippled outward, covering the entire Inn, carrying it with it an arresting grandeur.

The figure walked out of the shadow at a normal pace, yet his every move, every swing of his hand, the rhythm of his gait, the way his hair danced in the wind, everything resounded with impeccable finesse, and, for the first time ever, the Innkeeper’s personal aura was on full display for everyone to feel.

The shadows retreated, the clouds parted, the winds retired and the lands somehow bowed as the Innkeeper walked out on stage, the heartbeat of the entire Inn and everything in it synchronizing with the music.

The Innkeeper had merely walked out, yet even in that there was such a simple elegance that to call it a dance would be insufficient, yet it was not without the captivating beauty of dance either.

With every step gold rippled not through the land or the air, but through the laws of the realm commemorating his every step as if the laws themselves were honored.

This… this was the presence of the owner of the Midnight Inn, and it was being felt in greater clarity than ever before. In truth, Lex hadn’t done much. He was simply outputting the Innkeepers aura as he normally would – but since the system had repaired to an immense degree, it had refined the Innkeepers aura as well, which is also kind of why he felt bad for KD. The Innkeeper was a formidable force even before his system was refined. Now… well now he was in a whole new league.

The Innkeeper arrived center stage, his handsome face bearing a soft, yet warm, smile as he looked out at the audience. Technically he had not begun his dance yet, but everything he did was a dance.

Then the Innkeeper did something he had never done before. He unbuttoned his coat and threw it to the side, leaving only his waistcoat underneath, in one smooth motion, and then began to roll up his sleeveless one by one, revealing his well defined forearms.

Countless women fainted, and the ones with a little more resilience turned entirely red, fanning their faces with old-fashioned, handheld fans. No one questioned where the fans suddenly appeared from because everyone was focused on the Innkeeper who was about to begin his performance.