A few minutes before Aris's entry, the members of the Chameleon Gang were gathered in a cramped hall filled with the heavy smell of smoke and cheap beer. They sat around a cracked wooden table, exchanging loud laughs and empty chatter as their mugs clinked with muffled sounds.
"Man, when will the boss take control of the areas that used to belong to the Brown Bear Gang?"
One of them said, lazily raising his cup.
"Shut up, what do you know? The boss is observing the situation before the other gangs make a move."
Another replied sharply, trying to appear smarter than he actually was.
But the third spoke in a hoarse voice, a hint of fear showing on his face:
"I'm worried about what happened… is this the end of the world?"
"Shut up, you fool! I don't want to remember those scenes!"
The fourth shouted, hitting the table with his fist.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from outside, short but sharp, followed by stifling silence. Minutes before, a heavy metallic scent had crept into the place, the smell of fresh blood stabbing their noses like a knife.
"What's happening outside?"
One of them asked nervously, but what he got was not an answer but complete silence, then the entrance door slowly opened in a suspiciously deliberate manner.
They exchanged glances, cold sweat running down their foreheads, and none dared speak. Instead, they drew their trembling weapons and lunged at the same time, instinct stronger than fear.
But at the end of the corridor stood another figure… the two guards had already fallen, their bodies lying motionless like puppets with cut strings. No one needed to think long; they all guessed his identity. Wasn't the Brown Bear Gang wiped out three days ago?
Aris watched them calmly, his eyes behind the mask glowing like dim embers, while thirty men surged toward him like frenzied rats. But they were nothing but ordinary people.
In the blink of an eye, he drew a sword and the Night Dagger from the system storage and moved like a steel whirlwind. His first strike was literally decisive—his sword sliced through the first man's neck, his head exploding away like a ripe fruit being cut. With a swift body twist and a short leap, he plunged the Night Dagger into another's neck on his left, blood gushing from the artery like a fountain, splattering Aris's face and mask with dark crimson.
"No…!"
A pleading voice was immediately followed by tearing flesh and breaking bones. Someone tried to attack from behind, but Aris spun with a swift kick to the chest, sending the man flying like a rag doll, crashing into the wall with a disgusting snap of bone.
Aris was like a hungry wolf attacking a flock of sheep. The sword and dagger danced in his hands, cutting and stabbing, while blood rained down like a storm. Screams of fear and despair filled the hall before being choked in shredded throats.
He thrust his sword into another man's throat, blood spurting like a fountain covering his mask in deep red, even dripping onto his neck and hands.
The massacre lasted no more than three minutes. When it ended, the place was a silent hell. The floor was soaked in blood, bodies mutilated gruesomely; limbs severed, entrails scattered on the ground, and white brain matter splattered on the wall beside a shattered table and broken beer bottles. The heavy scent of iron and hot blood mixed with cheap beer, forming a disgusting blend that filled the air with despair and terror.
Aris stood amidst the wreckage calmly, his sword dripping blood, dagger gleaming under the dim lights.
Then he heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs, steady steps carrying a different kind of confidence. Five people appeared: four ordinary men, tense-faced, following a single distinguished figure… the leader of the Chameleon Gang.
A man in his thirties, tall, slender but sturdy. His eyes narrowed coldly, and a short black beard covered his broad jaw. He wore a dark purple robe embroidered with strange symbols, with a tattered black sash on his shoulders. In his right hand, he held a black magic staff, wrapped with faintly glimmering silver engravings. Around him seeped a faint aura of magical energy, making the air in the hall heavier, as if the whole place was ready to ignite.
When Aris saw another side, he guessed it was just a first-level mage, which was not what Aris was looking for. Do you know what it means when someone in their thirties hasn't broken through to become a second-level mage? It means they are worthless.
"This worthless means death."
A cold voice came from Aris as he shook his head in disappointment.
The five were suddenly confused as four felt sharp cuts across their bodies under the dim lamp, thin threads appearing like a spider web restraining them. With a movement of his fingers, the torn threads tightened around their bodies.
Blood exploded from the Chameleon Gang leader, whose eyes were cold toward Aris, turning to fear and terror.
His body trembled from shock and fear.
"How… how is this possible?"
He didn't understand what happened and couldn't notice the magical threads, as the other side didn't recite an incantation when using the magical threads.
"Do you want to know?"
A whispering voice like a demon's whisper, no, better said a demon's breath than this man's whisper.
He swallowed hard as his mind raced with thoughts: fight or flee? How could he fight such a monster? Flee to where?
"Why?"
These words escaped his mouth.
"What do you mean?"
Aris acted as if he didn't understand, tilting his head.
"Why did you attack? We never accepted you before!"
The Chameleon Gang leader shouted hysterically.
"Oh, is that what you mean?"
Aris replied, pretending to enlighten him.
"Would you believe me if I said it was a random selection among gang gatherings?"
The leader's pupils dilated, anger filling his heart.
"Are you joking with me?"
"No."
Aris answered, shaking his head.
"Damn you, monster!"
Quickly, he raised his staff and began reciting an incantation.
Aris did not interrupt the incantation; on the contrary, he waited, his eyes tracking every magical thread like studying the movement of an insect.
He waited for the incantation to finish to test the Chaos Body ability, cutting the energy threads to destroy the enemy's attack.
A fireball appeared in front of the Chameleon Gang leader, comically large, the size of a human head. When Aris saw it, his eyebrows twitched.
"Die, monster!"
The Chameleon Gang leader shouted in anger, hurling the fireball toward Aris, confident he would finish him.
Aris looked at the fireball, which suddenly appeared to him as a bundle of orange threads knotted in the center.
He raised his sword and, with a swift motion, cut the magical threads, making the fireball vanish into thin air.
The leader was shocked, and in his shock fell to the ground, his legs unable to lift him.
"This… this is impossible."
His voice and body trembled at the same time.
"Is this your level? Just weak? No, it's trash."
Aris approached the Chameleon Gang leader and cut off his head, which rolled onto the ground.
Afterward, Aris turned the buildings upside down to find the Chameleon Gang's meager possessions: 10 gold coins, 100 silver coins, 1000 copper coins, and some weapons and armor.
He also found many books containing valuable information, low-level magical herbs, and most importantly: a magic book containing several level-zero spells and three first-level spells, and magic wands. But Aris did not need them to cast spells, due to his Magic Knight profession, no longer requiring incantations, a fact he only discovered when using the first-level magical thread spell.
"It seems I need to understand my abilities more."
Aris decided that once he entered the academy, he would focus on training and understanding his power more. As it is said: know yourself, then know your enemies.
Thus, Aris left, preparing to depart, but he left a blood-marked X on a relatively clean wall and vanished into the darkness.
Five minutes later, several shadows appeared around the buildings, Arthur's special daggers. After receiving the report, they headed directly to the location, but as soon as they smelled the blood, hell awaited them.
They quickly searched the buildings but found nothing.
"The target seems to have left."
Their leader spoke, a hint of fear of Arthur's punishment looming over them, but they couldn't escape, so they had to accept their fate. They began to disappear, only to report what had happened.