"Creak... creak..."
Despite the Black Tail Gang’s movements being extremely light, even avoiding the older floorboards, the wooden stairs still emitted a faint, subtle moan under the weight of over a dozen leather boots.
"Hehe, the boss is brilliant as always. That idiot’s probably dreaming right now. We’ll chop him up right in his bed—no one will ever know."
A scarred thug leaned in behind the werewolf, Kofman, whispering in a voice thick with cruel excitement.
"Of course! And that girl... tsk, tsk. Silver hair and red eyes, that elegance... her skin is as soft as silken tofu... you can tell at a glance she’s a canary raised by high nobility."
Another thug chimed in with a lewd grin, a greedy green light flickering in his eyes.
"High-quality goods like that... if we sell her to those lords in the black market with special tastes, the price... hehe, we won’t have to worry for the rest of our lives! Two total idiots, strolling in to pawn things like that. Clearly greenhorns, fat sheep ripe for the picking. They’re probably sleeping like babies right now!"
"Hmph! Enough chatter."
Kofman gave a smug huff, a ferocious grin spreading across his fleshy face. Though he kept his voice low, he couldn't hide his arrogance.
However, walking in the middle of the group, the second-in-command, Harvey—a thin demi-human with fox ears—had a glint of shrewdness and malice in his eyes that was completely out of place with the surrounding feverish atmosphere.
'A bunch of brainless idiots.'
Harvey glanced at the haughty Kofman in front of him, sneering inwardly.
Would an ordinary fallen noble possess a mithril mana shard pendant?
Not to mention, only two of them had crossed the Thousand-Tentacle Swamp—a place where even silver-rank adventurer teams suffered losses—and they had done so completely unscathed...
Fat sheep? They might very well be birds of prey in sheep's clothing!
Harvey’s fingers lightly brushed the poisoned dagger hidden in his sleeve, calculating the risks and benefits.
'The First Young Master has lost his mind too, insisting on causing trouble at a time like this...'
'But... this is an opportunity.'
His gaze landed on Kofman’s unguarded back.
'If this stupid wolf fails... or gets bitten back by those two "fat sheep"... then I’ll see if I can kick him while he’s down... Hehehe!'
A man of my stature cannot remain a subordinate forever.
Having made up his mind, Harvey took two quick steps to Kofman’s side and whispered with feigned loyalty, "Boss, since those two could cross the swamp, they might have some tricks. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. We should be careful not to let things go sideways."
He phrased it very smoothly—if they won, he would get credit for the warning. If they lost, it would be because Kofman was stubborn and arrogant, allowing Harvey to distance himself from the blame entirely.
"Tsk, Harvey, you’re just too timid."
Kofman waved him off dismissively, but he did lighten his footsteps. He turned and nodded toward a thief as thin as a monkey behind him.
"Third Brother, you go. Disguise yourself as a thief first and test the waters. If there’s an opening..."
Kofman made a savage throat-slitting gesture.
"Send them on their way immediately!"
Seeing this, Harvey sighed. For the sake of his own life, he pulled one of his subordinates aside and whispered a few instructions.
The subordinate nodded and left the tavern, disappearing into the night.
Despite the Black Tail Gang’s careful movements, Leon was in a state of shallow meditation. To his highly sensitive mental perception net, these sounds were as loud as alarm bells in the night.
The moment the first footstep hit the third-floor stairs, Leon’s eyes snapped open!
In that instant, there was no sleepiness in his gaze—only a cold, sharp clarity.
"They actually came..."
Without hesitation, he flipped off his floor mat with a lithe movement and rushed to the bedside. He grabbed Lucrezia, who was still fast asleep, her mouth slightly open and a bit of drool escaping.
"Ugh... what is it, zayu... it’s not even light out..."
Lucrezia grumbled as she was shaken awake, rubbing her bleary eyes like a little bear disturbed during hibernation.
"Get up. Someone’s here for a room inspection."
Leon’s low, urgent voice instantly chased away all her sleepiness.
"Come here."
"Oh, okay!"
Though still a bit dazed, her body instinctively leaned toward him.
Leon began to draw mana...
This time, he was smarter about it.
He didn’t suck out a massive amount all at once like before. Instead, he precisely drew Lucrezia’s mana down from 100% to 70%.
"Mm..."
As that burning hand covered her sensitive lower abdomen, an electric numbness surged up her spine and through her entire body.
Lucrezia’s body shuddered uncontrollably, and she suddenly went limp, as if her bones had been removed. She bit her lower lip hard, trying to endure the void of the forced mana extraction and the strange sensation of being filled, but a sweet, suppressed moan still escaped her throat. Her red eyes, once clear, were now clouded with a misty haze.
As the scorching dragon-blooded mana flowed into him along with the familiar stinging pain, Leon felt his shattered source fill up slightly.
'As long as this girl stays by my side, she’s a mobile power bank.'
'Use whenever needed, and it stops that damn leakage.'
Leon silently praised himself for his wit.
First came the sound of a door handle being suppressed. The worn handle was being turned to its limit extremely slowly and carefully. Then, the door was tentatively pushed with a subtle, hidden force, attempting to make a silent entry in the dead of night.
However, it didn't budge.
The movement outside froze.
The plan to slip in quietly had failed instantly. A dead silence, thick with "awkwardness," solidified in the air for a full second.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Suddenly, a series of violent knocks rang out, followed by a forced, gruff voice:
"Open up! City guard routine inspection! Someone reported you for trafficking a minor! Open the door immediately and cooperate with the investigation!"
'What the hell, trafficking a minor... don't go pinning false labels on me, I don't want to get struck by lightning!'
Inside the room, Leon stared blankly for a moment. Though he complained internally, he didn't pay them any mind or even bother to respond. He simply took a step back.
Outside, the gang member responsible for knocking saw no movement. Thinking the people inside were either dead sleepers or paralyzed with fear, he quickly looked toward Kofman, who was crouching at the corner of the stairs.
Upon receiving the signal, he spat impatiently, took a half-step back, and raised his steel-toed boot, kicking hard toward the lock!
"Damn brat! You dare lock the door! Open up for me!"
The moment his sole touched the door panel—
"BOOM—!!!!"
A dull, violent explosion suddenly roared through the narrow hallway!
The 【Arcane Trap】 Leon had etched onto the door was instantly triggered by the external force!
The old wooden door, along with the unlucky gang member and the companion standing too close behind him, was blown to pieces by the violent, pale blue arcane energy!
Wood splinters flew, and flesh was torn apart.
A charred corpse flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming hard into the wall across the hallway and leaving a gruesome, radiating bloodstain.
The thug, who wasn't even at the transcendent rank, was silenced instantly. He didn't even manage to let out half a scream.
"Shit! Not good!"
Standing at the top of the stairs, the werewolf Kofman was jolted by the sudden explosion and the shockwave. His eyelids twitched wildly.
'A trap?! This kid knew we were coming?!'
"He’s a tough one! Everyone, charge! Don't give him a chance to chant! Kill him!" Kofman immediately barked the order.
Inside the room, Leon grabbed Lucrezia—who had shrunk back and almost screamed—and pulled her into the corner of the room.
He stole a quick glance out the window, where flickering shadows and the cold glint of steel were visible.
'Jump out the window? Probably not a good idea... I’d just be a target. Hard to pull off on their home turf.'
An edge curved at the corner of Leon’s mouth.
But this run-down room at the end of the hallway... was the perfect defensive terrain.
'Come on, little darlings. Let’s see who the real hunter is.'
Rate on N.U.
