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He wasn\'t alone in this; everyone around them felt similar effects, though the severity varied with their strength.

In a moment of confusion, the Masked Leader halted, causing everyone, including Richard, to freeze, their eyes widening at the scene unfolding before them.

Looking down, the Masked Leader saw a black sword emerging from his heart, adorned with strange golden runes.

"Ugh?" The Masked Leader was confused.

Before he could identify his assailant, his strength faded, and he died.

Everyone was confused at the sight of the falling figure as the attacker withdrew the sword from the Masked Leader\'s chest.

Among all, it was Richard who reacted first, charging towards the masked man who had attacked their leader.

Realizing something had gone terribly wrong, he knew he had to act quickly.

But in a sudden twist, Richard collapsed to the ground.

Slash!

Glancing behind, he realized his legs had been severed by another masked assailant.

Everything happened so swiftly that Richard barely had time to process the pain. He watched the masked man plunge the black sword into his heart in the next moment.

Richard died soon as the golden runes appeared around that black sword.

The entire sequence unfolded in just four seconds, leaving everyone immobilized, their bodies heavy and senses dulled.

In that instant, the one who had slashed Richard\'s leg moved with such speed that their movements were a blur, and five of them were beheaded in an instant.

As they were raising their weapons, the one who had killed their leader and Richard also moved, disappearing and reappearing, his sword impaling the hearts of one person after another.

"Hey, group together and attack those two!" Ron shouted.

But the masked people, more accustomed to combat and ambushes, were the first to react.

BOOM!

An explosion from a Tier 3 Fire Element Spell erupted, targeting the masked people rushing towards their fallen leader.

"Erupt Fire," someone commanded.

Another explosion ensued, aiding the swordsman with the Black Sword in his deadly task.

Within 50 seconds, almost everyone was dead.

"NO! NO! NO!" Ron screamed as he watched the masked man thrust his sword into the heart of the last surviving member of his group.

"PLEASE, LET ME LIVE!" Ron begged, attempting to crawl away.

His arms and legs trembled under the overwhelming bloodlust emanating from the swordsman.

"Don\'t kill me, I\'ll do whatever you want," Ron pleaded.

But to his surprise, the masked man stopped and crouched beside the body of the Masked Leader, a dense red mist-like energy swirling around him.

Terror-stricken, Ron watched, trying to make sense of the situation.

\'Did they know Richard was scamming them? No, why would they kill their own men?\'

Thoughts raced through Ron\'s mind as he desperately sought a way to survive.

[ Host has gained +18 Endurance Stat ]

[ Host has levelled up ]

[ Host has levelled up ]

[ Host has reached Level 40 ]

[ System : First Awakening Started ]

[ After the First Awakening is completed many restrictions on the System will be removed ]

[ During the awakening, the System would not be available ]

Asher, engrossed in the System notifications, ignored Ron\'s desperate screams, focusing instead on the time it would take for the System to become functional again.

"More than two months," Asher muttered as he saw it.

"What should we do with this guy, Boss?" Dane asked as he looked around and stepped forward, carefully avoiding stepping on the dead bodies.

Asher turned his gaze to Ron, who lay trembling on the ground. He took a few steps forward, then looked down at him.lights

"Where is your Base that you do Business at?" Asher asked.

"Ah, I-I will tell you, j-just let me live," Ron said.

"I-I will lead you to our base," Ron said, forcing a smile on his face.

\'Yeah, they can\'t kill me if they need information.\'\' Ron thought to himself.

Asher looked at Ron as he cut off his wrist with the swift movement of his sword.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," Ron screamed as he looked at the blood flowing from his severed wrist.

Suddenly, chains of a black element emerged from the ground, lifting Ron\'s other hand into the air.

"You have 30 seconds. Choose your next words wisely," Asher said.

Ron gave them all the information in the next two minutes, ignoring the blood loss.

He stammered and stuttered a few times but told them everything he knew.

From how they operated to the location and even the people they dealt with.

"I told you everything, everything I know. Please just let me go," Ron begged,

"I will never tell a soul about what happened here," Ron said.

But what Ron saw next made him speechless as he saw a snake-like creature appear out of nowhere, as the strange black energy around it wrapped itself around the Leader of the Masked Men and Richard\'s corpse.

"Z-Zephyr?" Ron uttered, his face turning pale.

He instantly recognized \'Zephyr,\' who was infamous among every illegal organization and group.

The chains around Ron\'s hand loosened up, making Ron think they were sparing him, but he was wrong. The chains wrapped themselves around his neck.

Ron wanted to scream, but his time had run out.

In a swift, decisive motion, Asher\'s sword sliced through Ron\'s neck, sealing his fate.

Ron was a mage, so Asher didn\'t pierce his heart as it would have been useless.

"Boss, it wouldn\'t take them long to notice that they were ambushed," Kai said as he looked at Asher.

"I have left traces of our fight nearby, so even if the monsters eat them, those guys can know that monsters didn\'t kill them," Kai added.

"Take the spacial rings they had," Asher told and Kai nodded.

"So, are we going to their Base, or will we enter the City of Lemar as planned?" Dane asked.

***

In the capital of Halcyon,

Within a large mansion, three individuals clad in black uniforms entered a room and bowed before a man seated there.

"Greetings to the Archduke," they said in unison.

"Stand up," the man instructed, prompting them to raise their heads.

"What\'s the status of the supply?" he inquired.

He was none other than the head of the Allister Family, the Archduke of Halcyon.action

"Some supply routes are currently unusable, but the issue will be resolved by next week," they reported.

"Next week?" the Allister Family head repeated, causing the three men\'s faces to pale.

"Three days. I want everything fixed within three days," he commanded authoritatively.

"And the Royal Family?" he probed further.

"There\'s been little activity. All the spies we sent were eliminated," one man reported, eyes cast downward.

A frown creased the Archduke\'s brow.

"Cease that operation for now. Redirect them to Desmar," he instructed after a moment of contemplation. "They will assist the heir of the Williams Family for the time being."

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the three men from his room.

A hint of discontent lingered on his face, primarily due to the involvement of the Williams Family in the recent developments.

His dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that the new plan was being led by Leonard and Reece, with the Allister Family not directly involved.

"The plan must commence soon," he muttered to himself.

But neither the Allister Head nor his people knew that a small \'problem\' had occurred on the route they were going to use.