"Agu."
The leader's voice rang out from inside the hall.
"Here."
A plain-looking young man stepped in.
"How did the matter I told you to handle go?" the leader asked, his expression dark.
"Boss, I didn't see Bloodbeard," Agu said through clenched teeth. "I waited all day on the hill we agreed on, but none of them showed up."
"Impossible!" The leader shot to his feet. "I personally made a deal with Bloodbeard."
His glare turned sharp and dangerous. "You really didn't see them?"
"Chief, I wouldn't dare lie to you," Agu said, forcing himself not to back away.
"Hmph. Maybe they were delayed."
The leader's eyes lingered on him for a moment before he forced down his killing intent. "Go to that hill again tomorrow. Tell them the plan's been moved forward—the operation happens the day after tomorrow."
"Yes." Agu bowed low. "Understood."
"Go."
"Yes, Chief."
Agu lowered his head and backed out of the hall.
The leader's expression twisted with rage.
With a roar, he suddenly overturned the table—bang!
"You useless bastards! You really think you can slip out of my hands?"
His throat rumbled with a hoarse, beastlike growl.
"They still want to run off to the Moon Lake Tribe? If they won't obey me, then they can die!"
Ever since the underground well in the camp had stopped producing water, some in the hunting team had begun suggesting they join the Moon Lake Tribe instead.
The three who dined with him tonight were the captains of that hunting team—men who used to follow his orders without question.
But now… even his obedient dogs were baring their teeth.
"I was planning to take you all under Bloodbeard's banner," the leader muttered, sinking back into his chair, a cruel grin curling his lips. "But it seems some of you are no longer worth keeping."
All that talk about looking for water was just an excuse.
The truth was simple: he had already struck a deal with Bloodbeard.
When the bandits attacked, they would kill a few people outside the camp, while he—playing the part of the "helpless leader"—would pretend to be forced into joining them.
By bringing the entire hunting team with him, he would have a sizable group and real influence among the Bloodbeard thieves.
Bloodbeard would gain new men and women, and he, the leader, would gain power—one of the captains of Bloodbeard's gang.
---
Luciel watched all this from the shadows, black eyes cold and silent.
The truth chilled him.
It was this man—this camp leader—who had invited the Bloodbeard Thieves in.
And to think, Luciel had originally planned to warn him about the attack.
He almost laughed.
A band of cutthroats like Bloodbeard's… the old, the weak, the women and children—what kind of fate awaited them was all too easy to imagine.
If Mino hadn't met those scouts today, if she'd chosen to stay here instead of leaving with him…
Luciel clenched his jaw. The thought was unbearable.
He forced those emotions aside and recalled her innocent, dirty-faced smile.
Then his gaze returned to the leader still muttering to himself.
That man's fate was sealed.
---
Luciel stepped soundlessly out of the darkness, moving like a shadow given form.
He stayed close to the wall, avoiding the flicker of the firelight.
Within moments, he stood behind the leader.
"Damn mutts… can't even be obedient," the man was grumbling, leaning back in his chair.
Luciel's face was blank. His eyes swept across the armrest—a towel was draped over it.
He took it quietly, rolling it into a strip.
"The daughters of those three captains aren't bad-looking…" the leader was muttering when—
A soft cloth jammed suddenly into his mouth.
"Mmmph—!?"
The leader's eyes went wide in panic. He struggled to rise, but Luciel's arm snaked around his neck, locking tight.
"Welcome to the underworld," Luciel whispered coldly.
"Uu—uuu!"
The leader clawed desperately at the arm holding him, but even as a Strengthened One, he couldn't budge Luciel's grip by an inch.
"Goodbye."
Crack.
Luciel's arm twisted smoothly, breaking the man's neck in a single motion.
The leader's body went limp. His head lolled sideways, eyes still staring blankly at the doorway.
"Why make it so hard on yourself?" Luciel sighed, tossing the bloodstained towel onto the corpse's head.
---
He began searching the hall calmly, gathering up every weapon he could find.
A few iron knives lay scattered on the floor—he threw them all into his backpack without hesitation.
So what if they were used? He could always reforge them later.
"There's plenty of good stuff here."
Luciel unhooked several long blades hanging on the wall, wrapped them in cloth, and slung them across his back.
Then he stepped into the leader's personal quarters.
"Quite the taste, you piece of scum," he muttered.
The room was lavish—wolf-head trophies hung on the wall, a bed covered in beast pelts, a fine long blade resting by the pillow.
Luciel gave a small shrug, picked up the sword, and opened the bedside drawer.
Inside was a small wooden box.
He lifted the lid—and his eyes gleamed.
Seven beast crystals of varying sizes lay inside.
"Found it."
A thin smile crossed his lips as he swept the crystals into his hand.
> Ding! Energy body detected. Convert to evolution points?
"Convert," Luciel replied immediately.
This was one of his main reasons for coming here—to find beast crystals.
> Ding! Conversion successful. Evolution points gained: 340.
Luciel chuckled softly. "No one gets rich without a lucky windfall."
With the eighty points he already had, that made 420 evolution points total—enough to evolve three Tier 3 tamed beasts.
...
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