「Three days later.」

Kenna burst into the Alchemy Room just as Ian was cooling a cauldron of potion.

The furnace fire illuminated one side of his face. He held a Crystal Rod, stirring at a constant speed as the liquid potion shifted from deep purple to a viscous dark blue.

"Sir."

Kenna stood at the entrance, panting, his forehead slick with sweat.

He didn’t dare step inside, instead bracing himself against the doorframe. "There’s trouble."

Ian didn’t look up. With a flick of his wrist, he tapped the Crystal Rod twice against the cauldron’s rim, and a fine layer of bubbles rose to the potion’s surface.

"Speak."

"It’s a message from Robert, just came in."

Kenna swallowed hard, his voice tight. "All three of the suppliers we contacted... they’ve all cut us off."

"Regarding the Abyssal Rune Stones, the steward from the Rococo Commerce Association said ’someone warned him off.’ He doesn’t dare supply us anymore."

"Our source for Erosion Demon Iron Powder... their warehouse was raided last night. All the goods are gone, and the owner has skipped town."

"And the Black Market merchant who was smuggling Abyssal Crystal Fragments for us... Robert went to see him today. The place was deserted. There was just a corpse in the shop, throat slit. The blood wasn’t even dry."

Ian’s hand froze.

On the surface of the potion, the bubbles burst one by one with a faint POP.

He set down the Crystal Rod and turned around.

The furnace fire cast a long shadow behind him, stretching all the way to Kenna’s feet.

"Where’s the body?"

"South Alley of the Outer Tower District, behind an abandoned warehouse."

Kenna’s voice trembled. "Robert’s still there keeping an eye on it. He said... there’s something on the body."

Ian took a dark gray cloak from the wall, draped it over his shoulders, and fastened the clasp at the collar.

"Lead the way."

He didn’t bring Gaga this time. He had sent the creature to monitor the library; it usually spent its time playing around the Magic Pharmacy.

Night had completely fallen in the South Alley of the Outer Tower District.

The alley was narrow, flanked by half-collapsed stone walls. Dark green moss grew in the cracks.

A breeze swept through, carrying the mixed stench of rotting wood and blood.

Robert was crouched in the shadows by the warehouse’s back door. When he saw Ian approach, he went to meet him and pointed to the ground.

It was the body of a man.

He was dressed in a black leather robe and lay face down. A long gash had been cut from the nape of his neck down his spine, the flesh peeled back to expose the bone. Blood soaked the stone slab beneath him.

But the fatal wound was to his throat.

The cut was thin, drawn cleanly from left to right. It was clearly the work of an expert.

Ian crouched down and used his fingertips to part the corpse’s collar.

There, on the skin near the collarbone, was a brand.

It was shaped like a five-petaled purple flower with a twisted runic symbol in the center.

"The Purple Iris Flower Commerce Association," Robert said in a low voice.

"A well-known dark organization in the Underworld. They specialize in dirty work. They’re expensive, but they’re clean and rarely leave a trace."

"They left one this time," Ian said.

"Deliberately." Robert’s face paled.

"It’s a warning. Anyone else who supplies us will meet the same end."

Ian said nothing.

He reached out, his hand hovering three inches above the brand.

A faint wisp of silver light shone from his fingertip, like a probe gently piercing the skin.

HUMMM.

Deep within the brand, a faint Spiritual Fluctuation lingered.

Chaotic, cold, and carrying a certain... ritualistic quality.

"These aren’t ordinary assassins," Ian said, withdrawing his hand and standing up.

"The killer is at least a Level One Wizard, proficient in tracking methods of the Shadow Element or Curse Type."

The killer left an ’Anchor Point’ on the body. If anyone comes to investigate, they can be traced in reverse.

Robert and Kenna took a simultaneous step back.

"Then, that means we’re..."

"It’s already been triggered," Ian cut him off, his gaze shifting to the far end of the alley.

"They know we’re here."

The words had barely left his lips.

Footsteps echoed from both ends of the alley simultaneously.

They were light, but numerous, like a group of cats trotting across roof tiles.

At least seven or eight people in total, from both the front and back.

Kenna drew the greatsword from his back, while Robert produced two Blast Rune Nails. They stood ready, back-to-back.

Ian’s expression remained composed.

He raised his right hand, his fingers loosely curled. Thirty-six Floating Crystal Guards slid silently from his sleeve to hover around him, rotating slowly.

Figures emerged at the mouth of the alley.

Three in the front and four in the back. All were cloaked in black robes and masked, clutching curved daggers.

The blades were etched with fine runes, which gave off a dark purple glow in the night.

Their leader was not tall, but he had broad shoulders.

He was not masked. Instead, he wore a silvery-white metal mask that revealed only his eyes. His pupils were dark red.

"Ian Marcus."

The masked man spoke, his voice raspy, like sandpaper grinding against stone. "I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

Ian ignored him, his eyes filled with curiosity. ’How could an ordinary commerce association dare to offend a Level One Wizard?’

His gaze passed over the masked man to the two black-robed figures behind him who had yet to move.

Their auras were like an abyss.

The two of them stood casually, almost lax, but the energy fluctuations around them were as solid as blocks of iron.

’Level One, and at the Peak of Vaporization—only half a step away from Liquefaction.’

"Since when did the Purple Iris Flower Commerce Association have experts of this caliber?" Ian asked.

The masked man sneered.

"Don’t bother asking where we’re from." With a flick of his wrist, he held the curved dagger horizontally across his chest.

"Someone’s offered a high price for your procurement channels for those materials. And... for you."

"For me?"

"Alive, the price doubles. Dead is also fine." The masked man paused.

"Our client says you have ’something they lost’ in your possession."

Ian’s heart sank.

’Something they lost? I have plenty of things that can’t see the light of day. I wonder which one they’re talking about.’

’But the most likely candidates are the Deep Red Royal Court and the Withered Council.’

’But the Underground Cave in the Underworld is clearly sealed. The Demon Hunting War has been over for months. How could they have traced it back to me?’

’The methods of the Wizard World are more varied than I thought.’

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Ian denied flatly.

"But since you’re here, let’s see what you’ve got."

The masked man wasted no more words.

With a wave of his hand, all seven black-robed figures charged at once!

Kenna and Robert met the three in front, their greatsword and Blast Rune Nails clashing and sending sparks flying.

The four in the back were even faster. Moving in pairs, they executed a pincer movement, their curved daggers slashing in dark purple arcs straight for Ian’s throat and chest!

A flicker of contempt appeared in Ian’s eyes.

He took half a step forward with his left foot, brought his right index and middle fingers together, and pointed.

Frost Ash Beam.

A pale purple beam shot from his fingertips. The temperature plummeted, and the moisture in the air instantly froze into ice crystals.

The beam swept past like a silken thread. The first assassin’s blade froze in mid-air. His arm was sliced clean off at the shoulder, and the upper half of his body slid to the ground.

The second assassin twisted sideways to dodge, but the beam grazed his ribs, and his torso was incinerated into a pile of ashes.

"ARGH! AHH!"

The two screams died as soon as they began.

Ian spread the fingers of his left hand and thrust it downward.

The thirty-six Floating Crystal Guards lit up at once!

VMMMM!

A pale golden Energy Barrier materialized around him, and the daggers of the third and fourth assassins struck it.

A piercing screech of metal on metal rang out, and their blades chipped on impact.

The two were sent reeling back, only for the Floating Crystal Guards to catch up and pierce their skulls.

The entire exchange took less than two seconds.

The masked man’s pupils contracted.

’The intel said the target was a recently promoted Level One Alchemist, skilled with potions but with only average combat ability.’

’And this is what you call fucking average?’

He retreated abruptly, simultaneously pulling a Bone Whistle from his robes, putting it to his lips, and blowing hard.

It made no sound.

But on the walls flanking the alley, the shadows suddenly came to life!

Black tentacles writhed out from between the bricks, growing frantically and weaving themselves into a net that descended upon Ian.

The surfaces of the tentacles were covered in fine barbs, and their tips split open to reveal sucker-like mouths.

’Parasitic Witchcraft of the Shadow Element.’

Ian frowned.

’This stuff is trouble. It’s immune to physical attacks and highly resistant to energy.’

’Once it latches on, it continuously siphons the host’s Life Force and Spiritual Power.’

He was about to activate Collapsar Starburst when he suddenly heard Kenna’s pained grunt from behind him.

Over there, one of the three assassins had suddenly thrown a handful of powder, filling the air with a pungent, corrosive smell.

Kenna couldn’t dodge in time, and some of it landed on his arm. The skin immediately began to fester, letting off white smoke.

"Watch out, Sir!" Robert yelled after casting a Shield. "The powder is highly toxic!"

The masked man laughed.

"Game over."

With a crook of his finger, the shadow tentacles shot forward, closing in on Ian like a giant net until they were less than two meters away.

Just then, Ian raised his right hand, palm up, and slowly curled his fingers.

VMMMM!

Runes lit up one by one across the surface of a gray sphere, turning from pale white to incandescent white as the energy within was furiously compressed, collapsed, and compressed again...

’Collapsar Starburst, the modified version.’

’The new model I developed over the last two months has increased energy compression efficiency by seventy percent. The cost is double the consumption, but the power...’

He thrust his palm forward. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

BOOM!!!

An incandescent ball of light erupted from the center of the Crystal Guard formation, instantly expanding and swallowing the entire alley.

Light, heat, and a shockwave.

The shadow tentacles vaporized the instant they touched the ball of light, not even leaving ash behind.

One of the assassins was thrown by the shockwave, slamming against the wall and then the ground. The sound of his bones shattering was clearly audible.

The masked man reacted the fastest. The instant the light erupted, he tore a scroll. His figure blurred and dissolved into a black mist as he shot backward.

But he was a step too slow.

The edge of the blast grazed his left shoulder. His black robe was instantly carbonized, and the charred skin and muscle sloughed off, revealing the stark white bone beneath.

"URGHH!"

The masked man screamed as the black mist dissipated and he vanished. He must have used a secret escape technique.

The other surviving assassin looked up at Ian, his eyes filled with terror.

"What... what in the world are you...?"

Before he could finish, Ian was already standing in front of him.

He raised his right hand, pressing the tip of his index finger between the assassin’s brows.

"Your client’s name," Ian said, his voice perfectly calm.

The assassin went rigid.

He could feel the energy gathered at that fingertip, enough to blast his head to smithereens from the inside out.

"...The Purple Iris Flower Commerce Association has its rules..." he said through clenched teeth.

Ian’s fingertip pressed down a fraction of an inch.

The skin between the assassin’s brows dimpled, and a bead of blood seeped out.

"The name."

"...I don’t know their real name," the assassin finally broke.

"They contacted us through a middleman. They paid a deposit and said the final payment would be tripled upon completion.

I only know... they’re from the south. They carry the aura of death and reek of corpses."

’The Deep Red Royal Court mostly gives off an air of blood. This sounds more like the Withered Council.’

’After all this time, the consequences of Hector’s death are finally catching up.’

Ian withdrew his hand.

The assassin collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Where is the middleman?" Ian asked.

"The... the Nightingale Bar," the assassin panted.

"It’s on the border between the Outer Tower District and the Black Market. The sign is a red bird. The owner’s name is Red Sparrow. She’s one of the best-informed brokers in the area."

Ian nodded, killed the man with a touch of his finger, and turned to Kenna and Robert.

The wound on Kenna’s arm had already turned black. Robert was rinsing it with Emergency Medicine, but it wasn’t having much effect; the rotting flesh was still spreading.

Ian crouched down, took a deep green potion from his Dimension Ring, uncorked it, and poured it directly onto the wound.

Strong Healing Potion.

The moment the potion touched his skin, a puff of black smoke rose from the festering wound. The necrotic flesh sloughed off at a visible rate, revealing new, pink flesh growing underneath.

Kenna gritted his teeth in pain but didn’t cry out.

"Bear with it," Ian said. "This potion stimulates cell regeneration. The pain is normal."

Half a minute later, the wound had healed, leaving only a pale red scar.

Kenna flexed his arm and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sir."

"Go back and rest." Ian got up and searched the dead assassin’s body. "Robert, you’re with me."

"Yes, Sir."

The two of them left the alley, leaving behind several corpses and a pile of ashes.