Chapter 52

The last surviving member of the Stone Guild stared at his fallen comrade's corpse, the silver blade at the end of a chain embedded in the man's skull. He watched as the chain was yanked back violently, worsening the wound as it smashed through the surrounding rubble to return to Tempest's hand. Tempest swirled the chain in the air around him, the sound of it whipping through the air clear as the blood on the blade was wiped off by the speed of his motions.

Tempest continued spinning the chain, the sharp whistle of it slicing through the air while he waited for the leader of the Stone Guild to make his next move.

Behind the rubble, the group's leader tightened his fist so hard that his knuckles went white, anger building in him. Rage at his own failure, at the fact he couldn't protect his people. But as that anger reached its peak, he forced himself to calm down, scanning the ground until his eyes settled on a broken slab of concrete.

Tempest, growing bored with waiting, began to slowly walk toward the man's hiding place. His steps were slow, deliberate, taunting even, as if daring the man to act.

"АААААААААААННННН!"

With a desperate battle cry, the muscular man rushed out from behind his cover, wielding the slab of concrete like a shield in one hand and a handgun in the other.

He charged toward the white-haired assassin, every step filled with the intent to kill, but Tempest remained calm. With a flick of his arm, he sent the chain whipping outward, arcing around the charging man.

'Desperate fool, Tempest thought as he infused his spirit into the chain, activating the skill granted to him by the Air Guild for being one of their most promising talents in the slums. The chain shot forward with lethal precision, changing direction mid-air to strike the back of the man's head. The instant the blade hit, the Stone Guild leader dropped the concrete slab to the ground, and Tempest grinned, expecting his target to crumple from the fatal blow.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Tempest's heart nearly skipped a beat as the man continued firing his gun, the bullets speeding toward him. Tempest's eyes darted to the man's head, where his chain should have struck, and his smile vanished. The man's head was encased in stone-Stone Skin. His weapon hadn't even penetrated. 'How? He's a rookie— saw him use this already. How could he activate it again?' Panic seized Tempest as the bullets neared, threatening to end him.

The Stone Guild leader felt a rush of satisfaction as he saw his ploy had worked, but the feeling vanished as quickly as it came. The bullets, inches away from Tempest, suddenly froze in mid-air before reversing direction, flying off in random directions.

"AGH!" the man cried out as one of the bullets ricocheted and hit him in the leg, causing him to stumble. He looked up in disbelief at Tempest, who was sweating and panting, his hand glowing faintly with green light. But what unnerved him more was that Tempest wasn't even looking at him-his focus was somewhere behind him.

SLASH!

A red longsword cleaved through the air, cutting through the Stone Guild leader's body in a diagonal slash from his right shoulder to his left hip. His upper half slid off his legs at a grotesque angle, spilling his innards across the rubble as his bisected body collapsed to the ground.

Standing behind the fallen man was Ali, tall and imposing, his muscular frame casting a long shadow. His bloodied red quinque, more like a living muscle with a sharp edge than a mere weapon, dripped with fresh blood. Ali's cold eyes gazed at the scene with an almost indifferent calm, as though the brutal act he had just committed was of no consequence.

Tempest, now a few paces away, took a deep breath, his usual confidence replaced with a growing sense of caution. 'Who the hell is this guy?' he thought.

'I can't fight him, not now. I'm low on spirit—and even if I weren't, there's no way I'm confident enough to take on someone who looks like that.' Tempest's mind raced as he quickly calculated his next move.

A notification appeared in the corner of Ali's vision: "Killed fellow player. You are rewarded four paradise coins."

Ali noticed the message briefly but wasn't particularly concerned. 'This one gave more than the others. He used magic, so maybe Paradise rewards are tied to a player's strength, just like it does with the characters in other worlds.' Ali's thoughts shifted as he glanced at Tempest, having watched the white-haired assassin's earlier fight and found his fighting style slightly impressive, a tiny bit.

Tempest, now gripping his desert eagle tightly, spoke cautiously. "Look, man, I was only after him, alright? I don't want any trouble with you. I'm leaving, okay?" His voice was steady, but his body was tense, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. He took a cautious step backward, his eyes never leaving Ali's figure.

Before Tempest could even register what happened, Ali disappeared. It was as though he had vanished from existence, his speed too fast to track. Tempest's eyes widened as he spun around in confusion, only to see Ali casually walking toward the auction house, the red longsword resting lazily on his shoulder.

Tempest let out a long sigh of relief.

'I barely even saw him move, and l've got a whole point in speed. What a monster.' Tempest's thoughts lingered on the encounter, still shaken by how easily Ali had dismissed him. His gaze drifted back to the remains of the Stone Guild leader, his body split in two on the ground.

Curiosity took over as Tempest approached the corpse, kneeling to inspect it.

'How did this rookie manage to use Stone Skin twice in one fight?' Stone Skin was a powerful defensive skill, but its energy cost was high, even for experienced players. It didn't make sense for someone so new to be able to activate it more than once.

His eyes caught something—a small bulge under the man's shirt. Tempest moved the fabric aside and found a brown necklace hidden beneath the clothes.

"Well, what do we have here?" Tempest muttered, his voice low as he pocketed the necklace. It was a spirit accessory, rare and valuable. 'So, this guy had some serious backing. Four bodyguards, Stone Skin, and a spirit accessory... they were really betting on this one. Tempest chuckled softly to himself, satisfied with the job he finished. 'The guild better give me something nice for this mission!'.

With that, Tempest stood and walked away, leaving the corpse behind. His mind had already moved on to what he should do in the meantime before the world mission ends, the adrenaline of the fight slowly fading away.

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