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Emery carefully followed as the group made their way deeper into the center area of the town, where a massive building made of a combination of stone and wood could be seen standing tall.

The place was heavily guarded, which was enough indication for him to immediately identify that this place was the residence of the said pirate king.

Looking from afar, he saw the Raven faction group trying to enter the place but were denied entry by the group of guards stationed at the entrance. It wasn't long before they were sent away from the place, their expressions all looking dissatisfied.

Thanks to his heightened senses, Emery could hear their conversation even though he was far away from them.

"Huh! Uncle, how could they dare to refuse to see us like this!!" said the Magus called Hellast.

"Be patient. The pirate king is not someone we can afford to offend. We will come back and try again tomorrow. For now, let's do what we came here for."

The moment his ears caught those words, Emery's interest in the Raven faction group was piqued even further. Seeing that they were leaving, he quickly continued to follow them while keeping a suitable distance.

They walked through the busy street and stopped a few minutes later. Even though the second place they went to wasn't as grand as the first, it was definitely still one of the major spots in the town.

When his eyes caught sight of the sign inscribed above the entrance of the place, Emery began to understand what the Raven faction's bunch were here for.

[Turtle Rock Mercenaries]

Upon seeing the group enter the building, Emery quickly tried to follow them inside. However, he found himself stopped by a guard clad in leather armor. The man positioned his hand in front of Emery while his other hand was on the hilt of his weapon.

"What is your business here?" He asked in a cold tone.

Faced with such a question, Emery swiftly made up a story that he was sent by his gang to look for a job and as soon as he showed him the Space Rat silver coin, he was allowed to enter.

As he stepped into the building, he couldn't help but think that these pirates were not sophisticated enough or diligent enough to confirm his identity.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side and not try to blow his Evan Valerious's identity, Emery secretly used his [Shapeshifting] ability and created a random face that would blend in inconspicuously into the crowd of pirates within the building.

Making sure that his disguise was securely put on, Emery then walked into what looked like a huge hall with rows of seats surrounding the entire venue, which left an area in the center completely empty.

The place looked more like a pub with various drinks on the table served to the people present. However, what attracted his attention the most was the fact that most of the people here looked tough and fierce, many were magus level.

But just as he was about to take a closer look, Emery saw Hellast separate from his group and walk to the empty center area before starting to speak.

"We are looking for 5 magus level fighters. The pay is 500,000 each person for two weeks of work," said Hellast in a somewhat proud tone. It seemed that the sum he laid out was quite high as Emery could quickly see some people seemed interested in his offer.

Soon enough, people began to stand up and walk into the center. There were only a few Crescent Moon magus among those present, and surprisingly, most seemed to be willing to take the job.

That said, Hellast went ahead and chose the 5 most formidable looking magus.

It was then at this moment that a person of small stature, whose features were completely hidden in a robe, suddenly walked out from the crowd and made his way to the center saying, "I am stronger than any of those people you just picked, but I will need to receive more pay."

Emery could not see the face of the person from where he stood. Aside from the fact that the unknown magus seemed to be a young Crescent Moon magus, to his surprise, he also found his voice to be familiar.

As the man walked closer to the center, Hellast folded his arms and said, "Show me your strength then. If you can indeed fight and beat two at once, I'm willing to pay you double."

In response to those words, sparking reactions across the hall, the young man in robe said, "Just two? Against this bunch, I can take all five easily."

Needless to say, the five tough-looking magus that Hellast had picked were enraged by the arrogant words. The others quickly took a step back from the center area, excited that a fight was about to break out.

Unfazed by his opponents' reactions, the young man spoke with a smile. "Come at me."

"I'm going to destroy your pretty face!!" shouted one of the bald pirate magus. His figure charged forward, brandishing the flaming ax in his hand.

But just as everyone was expecting a bloody scene to unfold, the man suddenly stopped just a few steps away from the youth. The axe in his hand fell to the ground as he clutched his head with an expression of pain.

"Spirit attack!!"

A mental attack capable of incapacitating a bonafide magus proved that the young man was skilled after all, which quickly made the other four people alarmed. They swiftly took their respective actions against such an attack as they prepared to display their true strength.

"Attack together!!" shouted the magus with a scar on his face as he darted with a pair of large blades in his hand. Despite seeing the man rapidly approaching, the young man still stood confidently.

A moment later, several daggers flew out from under his robe and shot at each of the magus. Faint sounds rang out as they shot through the air. Unfortunately, they were all either dodged or parried, unable to deal any damage.

CLANK!!

"Huh!! Such a pathetic attack would not work on–"

Before the scarred man could finish his words, they were cut off by a groan that escaped his mouth. To his surprise, the dagger he parried didn't fall to the floor, instead it flew up again and slashed at his leg.

"Arrghh!!"

Immediately after the initial strike, another barrage of daggers was thrown by the young man, enough to completely overwhelm and immobilize the five magus. It was right at this moment that Emery finally realized who the young man was.

It was one of his old rival, the young noble, Armand Nephilim.

To be continued