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Proof-reader: TheMonitor

‘They should be waiting for me to take action . ’

Soo Hyuk determined as he stared at the Demon guild users . He hadn’t thought of the possibility that they would be lying down in ambush . What if he had recklessly charged in?

‘I would be in trouble . ’

The Demon guild members would appear, and he would be ganged up upon 1:11 .

‘What should I do?’

Soo Hyuk first put away his poison tower robe to his inventory, but that was it . He had no idea what to do next . Loken, Haiden and Mandara were still slaughtering left and right . He couldn’t kill them as he had his family trip today, and he felt extremely uncomfortable just doing nothing .

‘Haa…okay . ’

A few moments later, Soo Hyuk finally decided .

‘If I don’t take action in this situation, then I’m just as bad as them . ’

It wasn’t a normal fight between different parties . It was a one-sided slaughter against innocent people . If he didn’t act out when he had the power, he would be the same kind of scum as the Demon guild .

‘They will understand . ’

If he died and couldn’t go to the trip, his parents would understand . Wrapping up his thoughts, Soo Hyuk stepped forward .

At that moment .

“These bastards! What kind of place do you think this is!”

A hot-blooded voice entered his voice just as he about to cast a spell . Soo Hyuk paused and turned to look at the source of the shout .

‘Who is it?’

Numerous users were racing down the streets . He was able to determine that they were users from the shining marks on their heads .

“It’s the Solitude guild!”

“The Solitude guild!”

Soo Hyuk found out the identity of the unknown users from the shouts of people around him .

“Murdering in broad daylight? Just what do you think Hedlin is?”

“You don’t know who you’re messing with!”

The users from the Solitude guild started attacking Loken’s group immediately . At the sudden unexpected situation, Soo Hyuk backed up and observed the scene .

“Shit!”

“Do you know who we are?!”

In response to their attack, Loken, Haiden and Mandara started cursing at them furiously . Then a few moments later, Loken’s body was covered in black light . He was dead .

“Don’t think there’s something off?”

“What?”

“This entire thing looks really awkward . ”

“Isn’t it because you just can’t see well?”

Users around him conversed while watching the battle between Solitude and Loken’s group . Soo Hyuk, who was observing and listening to the conversations, thought the same .

‘So I’m not the only one was thinks that . ’

Soo Hyuk was feeling suspicious as well .

‘Why does it look fishy?’

Everything from the entrance of the Solitude guild to the battle was fishy and awkward .

“That’s it!”

After observing the battle more, Soo Hyuk was able to figure out the problem .

‘Why aren’t they attacking?’

They were within striking range, yet they didn’t attack . Solitude was merely chasing Haiden and Mandara’s tail . Observing the obsurd scene, Soo Hyuk felt like he was watching a tap slowly dripping water .

“Hey, where did the Demon guild guys go?”

“Oh? Yeah? They were right there a second ago . ”

“Did they run away?”

“Well, the Solitude guild’s leader was originally from Desolate after all . ”

When Soo Hyuk heard the conversations of users around him, he hurriedly looked around for the Demon guild members .

‘Where did they go?’

The eight users from the Demon guild had disappeared without a trace while Solitude and Loken’s group were fighting . Where could they have gone?

‘At this rate…’

Soo Hyuk glanced at the two men running away, Haiden and Mandara .

‘There won’t be a big problem even if I die . ’

The situation had changed a lot when Solitude had appeared . Soo Hyuk cast Inferno . The target was the escaping Haiden . It was because Haiden knew what his face looked like .

[You have attacked user ‘Haiden’ . ]

[You have entered an ‘enemy’ state with user Haiden . ]

[You have entered an ‘enemy’ state with user Haiden’s party members . ]

[User Haiden has a high infamy score . ]

[Your infamy score will not rise . ]

The messages appeared as Haiden was hit by Inferno . Then after a few seconds, Haiden’s body was faintly covered in black light .

“Soo Hyuk, that fucking bastard!”

Mandara also stopped escaping when Haiden collapsed . Then he shouted while looking around desperately .

“Where is he! Where is he!”

After receiving no answer, he looked at the Solitude guild members .

“…”

He then tilted his head in confusion .

‘Why are they panicking?’

The Solitude guild was panicking . Mandara should be the one panicking, not Solitude, so he was genuinely confused as to why they were panicking .

‘Don’t tell me…’

The panicking Solitude members…

‘Are they actually tormenting me?’

They should be trying to capture him, but looking at them now, weren’t they trying to bully and torment him?

“Fuck!”

Mandara, who couldn’t find Soo Hyuk in the end, started running again while swearing . Then Solitude started chasing after him again . Watching this comical scene, Soo Hyuk wondered,

‘Perhaps this entire incident was planned by Solitude?’

The Demon guild was full of rotten weirdos, but they didn’t wantonly do random massacres . This incident was definitely planned by someone else . Although he wasn’t certain, the Solitude guild was a likely candidate .

‘Why though?’

If Soo Hyuk was correct and Solitude was the culprit behind the massacres, then what? What was their aim? Why go about this kind of method?

‘To gain popularity?’

Cause a massacre and stop the said massacre? They popularity would certainly rise . What it so simple?

‘No, they’re fairly famous, so they don’t need to do this . ’

The Solitude guild was founded by a former Desolate member . All the users already knew about Desolate . They’re popularity was enough . It was too the point where their popularity would fall if people discovered that they failed to stop it straight away .

“I swear there’s something off about this…”

“Yeah, there is something odd . ”

“Hey, is that important? What’s important is that they’re beating the Demon guild scum! I wish Solitude would chase the Demon guild forever . ”

“That’s also correct . I also don’t to see the Demon bastards ever again . ”

“But at this rate, won’t they get the representative spot for Hedlin? There’s recently a rumour about that . ”

“I’m fine as long as they chase out the Demon guild!”

“Do they get the position just because you’re fine with it? The mayor is the one that decides . ”

‘…Representative guild?’

Soo Hyuk thought when he heard the conversation again .

‘Maybe they’re actually aiming for the representative spot?’

He couldn’t be sure yet . Someone other than the Demon guild could be the true culprit and there was a high probability as well . Soo Hyuk decided to investigate further .

‘If they really did hire the Demon guild…’

Soo Hyuk stared at the small silhouette of Mandara and Solitude with cold eyes . After staring at them, he then logged out .

* * *

‘It’s been a while . ’

After looking at the magnificent sight of the Tower of Poison, Rhino walked through the entrance of the grand tower . Then he climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor and stopped at the stairs leading to the fourth .

‘Hmm, do I have to?’

The fourth floor had the lord and the vice lord’s rooms . [TL: NOT Spire Lords . ]

‘No, I didn’t go for official business . ’

Rhino considered greeting the head, but soon shook his head . He hadn’t left for pleasant business . It was best to keep it in the dark . After all, the Spire Lord could nag him for more details .

Rhino turned his head and started climbing again . Then he stopped at a door . He stared at the doorplate hanging on the door .

-Rupert

‘To think he’s still using this room . ’

5 years . He had thought that Rupert would change rooms but after 5 years, he was still living in the same room .

Tap . Tap .

Before the person inside could answer, Rhino barged into the room .

“Who is…ah!”

The number 1 magician of the Tower of Poison and the owner of this room, Rupert, saw Rhino and made a surprised expression .

“Look who it is! It’s Rhino!”

The surprised Rupert came up to Rhino with a hand outstretched for a handshake . Rhino shook his hand with a smile and stared the Rank 1 Poison Magician of Hadrac .

“What’s going on? You hadn’t returned once since going to the country . ”

Rupert was the one who spoke first . Rhino hadn’t returned since going to the countryside of Hadrac as a branch head . What made him return so suddenly?

“I’m also curious of one thing as well after seeing your face . ”

“You’re not overjoyed at seeing my face?” [TL: A korean pun where the ‘as well’ part is spelt the same as overjoyed . ]

“Haha . ”

Rhino started talking about his stories with Rupert .

“But what made you so curious that you travelled all the way over here?”

Rupert asked suddenly . Rhino hadn’t returned even once after leaving for the country . What had made him so curious that he suddenly returned here just to satisfy his curiosity?

“Mmm, well the thing is…”

Rhino trailed off as he tried to answer Rupert’s question .

‘I can tell him the truth, right? He’ll find out anyway . ’

Rupert would find out even if he didn’t tell him . Managing information about their magicians was one of his jobs after all .

“I want to have information on a magician that belongs to the Tower of Poison . ”

Rhino told the truth in the end .

“Eh?”

Rupert couldn’t help but cock his head at the unexpected answer .

“You returned here just to find out about one magician?”

Rupert hadn’t even considered the possibility of Rhino coming back just to find out about one magician . He had expected a completely different answer .

“Yes, a person I know was attacked by a magician belonging to the Tower of Poison . ”

Rhino continued while smiling at Rupert’s reaction .

“…What?”

Rupert exclaimed while frowning at Rhino’s words .

“Is it true?”

Rupert asked Rhino while maintaining his frown .

“I didn’t see it myself . I just heard from a friend . But that person was wearing our tower’s robes . It could be someone else, but if it was then I wanted to know what exactly happened . ”

Of course, his aim wasn’t to find out what had happened . It was to pass the information on the magician to someone else . But he couldn’t tell Rupert this . If Rupert found out his true aim, then this trip was as good as failed . He didn’t want to disappoint his old friend .

“Who was it? Why did he do that? I don’t know either . Tell the name . I’ll find him immediately . ”

Was it because Rhino had returned after a long time? Rupert decided to wholeheartedly help Rhino . In response to Rupert’s words, Rhino replied while grinning .

“His name was Soo Hyuk . ”

Rupert was full of excitement as he asked, but the moment Rhino replied, his excitement completed vanished from him .

“W-who did you say?”

He asked again while stuttering .

“…Hmm?”

Meanwhile, Rhino couldn’t understand Rupert’s reaction . Why did his expression change so quickly? Rhino answered once more as his suspicion started to rise .

“Soo Hyuk . ”