“The Adventurers Guild is on fire?!”
Upon hearing this, Keven was utterly dismayed.
To build the Adventurers Guild and compete with the Quest Guild, his father, the mayor, had invested a significant amount of money!
“Make way for me!”
Keven, no longer concerned with causing trouble for the Quest Guild, immediately led his men out.
However, if he had thought more carefully, he might have noticed the inconsistencies in the scene. Assuming the Adventurers Guild was indeed on fire, the patrol team should have been shouting in the streets. Instead, they not only entered the rival Quest Guild but also climbed onto a platform to announce the news – clearly aimed at Keven and his group.
Unfortunately, Keven, as inept as his reputation suggested, was easily deceived.
Attempting to save face, it could be said that Keven never suspected the patrol team, under the mayor’s influence, would collude with the Quest Guild.
After Keven and his group left, the patrol team member slipped away too.
.
The bounty hunters laughed, saying evil begets evil, while Emilia was still processing the situation.
At that moment, she noticed Banning following the patrol team member out and realized the scene might be related to him.
Just as she was about to catch up and ask, Banning turned around, meeting Emilia’s gaze.
He waved at her, mysteriously smiled, and then left the Quest Guild.
—(Is he telling me not to worry, and to prioritize the Quest Guild?)
Emilia hesitated for a moment, deciding to trust Banning and focus on her duties.
. 𝒩𝞸𝓋𝗅𝐞xt.𝔠𝔬𝔪
The reason Tyler followed the patrol team member was that the range of his “Deceiver” – charm effect was limited to five meters.
When he saw Keven’s group causing trouble, he immediately went to the street and controlled a passing patrol team member to serve as his “spokesperson.”
After leaving the Quest Guild, Tyler released control of the patrol team member and followed Keven’s group towards the Adventurers Guild from a distance, stopping along the way to purchase a black mask and cloak.
The Adventurers Guild and the Quest Guild were separated by just one street.
Keven and his group quickly arrived at the scene, only to find that the Adventurers Guild was not on fire, leaving them utterly baffled.
“Damn it, we’ve been played!”
It took Keven a while to understand the situation, and then he became livid!
He concluded that the patrol team member must have conspired with the Quest Guild.
“Let’s go! We’re going back!”
With four or five burly men in tow, Keven stormed back in fury.
At that moment, an arrow shot from an unknown location whistled through the air, piercing Keven’s crotch…!!!
“Ahh…uh…aaah…!”
Terrified, Keven fell to the ground, frantically reaching for his groin!
Fortunately, his manhood remained intact; the arrow had merely passed through his pants, sparing his vital parts.
For the first time in his life, Keven genuinely “appreciated” the small size of his genitals, realizing that it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
“Damn it, who was that?!”
Keven, panicked, scanned his surroundings while ordering his men to form a protective circle around him.
Soon, a sharp-eyed subordinate spotted a figure moving on a nearby rooftop and reported it to Keven.
Fuming, Keven snapped the arrow and, with his men, pursued the figure at breakneck speed!
.
In pursuit, Keven and his companions unwittingly chased the assailant beyond the city limits.
The elusive archer’s speed had them chasing for a while before finally slowing down in the desolate northern outskirts of Sunny Town.
Panting heavily, Keven struggled to catch his breath, while the others also gasped for air.
In contrast, the archer appeared unruffled, his face concealed by a black cloak and mask.
“Do you not fear offending Branch Chief Oleg by troubling The Quest Guild?” the archer inquired nonchalantly.
Keven sneered, regaining his composure.
“Oleg is a feeble old man; my father could easily dispatch him with a third-tier expert!”
Keven realized that the archer belonged to The Quest Guild.
“That means you’ll continue to cause trouble for the Quest Guild, right?” the archer continued to ask.
“Hmph, nonsense!”
Keven clenched his fists, making a cracking sound.
“I’ll deal with you first, and then I’ll go and wreck that fox woman’s place! I’ll ‘treat’ that bitch well before killing her, hahahaha! Everyone, attack!”
.
At his command, five hired thugs charged at the archer.
Unfazed, Tyler faced the five, no, six opponents.
The five thugs, merely second-tier Professional Mercenary, same occupation as Oleg, wielded close-combat weapons. Keven, the weakest of them all, was a mere first-tier level six swordsman.
Regrettably, Tyler’s charm effect to control him was ineffective due to Keven’s level.
“To anyone who doesn’t wish to die, now is your chance to run,” Tyler warned as he unsheathed the Shadow Sword Blaze Steed, pointing it towards the assailants.
Dismissing it as an ordinary sword, they charged heedlessly.
—(Allow me to witness your growth, Shadow Sword Blaze Steed.)
Tyler infused the sword with magical power and unleashed a horizontal slash.
“Blue Blaze Steed!”
As the sword danced through the air, azure flames burst forth, transforming into a blazing stallion that charged towards the mercenaries. Two were directly struck, while three others were grazed by the flames.
The two suffered instant death, consumed by the fire.
The remaining three writhed in agony, attempting to extinguish the flames.
With a damage output of approximately 1,000 points, the blue Blaze Steed’s power was astonishing.
Seizing the opportunity, Tyler eliminated the remaining enemies with his Fir Treant Hunting Bow before approaching the trembling Keven.
“What was it you said you would do?” Tyler asked coldly.
“I-I was wrong! Please spare me, great one! I have wealth, just name your price…”
Bored by Keven’s groveling, Tyler knew that sparing him would only invite future reprisals. Ruthlessness was necessary to eliminate such threats.
“One hundred gold coins. Can you produce them?”
Tyler asked, pressing the Shadow Sword Blaze Steed to Keven’s throat.
—『Combat Occupation skill ‘Deceiver – Lv1’0 has been activated and remains in effect…』