"Is this real?" the mysterious figure asked in disbelief.
As if afraid of making a mistake, he rubbed his eyes and looked again in the sa direction. But the sight he had hoped would vanish was still there—exactly as before.
There was only one possibility left: what he was seeing... was truly real.
"Damn it!" the figure cried out in fear.
"How is this even possible? The power gap between them was massive! That guy was three tiers above—and still lost?" he muttered, eyes wide with shock.
The mysterious man was none other than Equus. He had been watching Clayton’s house for quite so ti, waiting for sothing big to happen.
He’d grown puzzled when the place fell completely silent. At one point, he even began to doubt whether he rembered things correctly. But after ntally reviewing the earlier events, he was sure—soone had entered Clayton’s ho, and chaos had followed.
Now, all he could do was wait—restless and confused.
He had assud the powerful intruder might be looting the place, or perhaps recovering after a hard-won battle. What he never expected... was that the overwhelmingly stronger one could actually be dead.
For a mont, Equus stood frozen, unsure what to do.
Then it hit him:
Clayton is truly dangerous.
Just think about it—soone who defeated a Six-Star Mage Apprentice... all while acting like a weak, harmless little lamb. But what chilled Equus most was Clayton’s terrifying patience. Even after being insulted, humiliated, and treated like dirt, he never showed a hint of anger.
Equus and Bravus had both provoked him—and yet, they were still alive. That, more than anything, was terrifying.
If I had Clayton’s power, Equus thought bitterly, I’d have killed anyone who dared touch my pride long ago.
Now all he felt was regret—deep, gnawing regret for ever having crossed soone like Clayton.
His anxiety intensified. Sleep beca impossible. His thoughts spiraled, all leading to one clear conclusion:
He must never cross Clayton again. No matter what.
In fact, if possible, he’d go the opposite route—flatter him, praise him, do anything to stay in his good graces.
"Yes... I need to change my attitude—for the sake of a peaceful future," Equus muttered, nodding solemnly as if making a life-altering decision.
...
anwhile, Clayton moved carefully through the night. Fortunately, the rain and thick clouds had turned the sky pitch-black—perfect cover for what he intended to do.
He had no idea soone had witnessed everything that happened at his house... and had made a life decision just from watching.
If Clayton had known soone saw his secret, he wouldn’t have hesitated to eliminate them—if he could.
But right now, his focus was locked on one thing: how to kill Bravus without drawing attention.
As he walked, he refined the plan in his mind. Eventually, he reached the street where the secret base and brothel were located. From a distance, he saw that the brothel was still operating like nothing had happened.
That gave him pause. If anyone saw him, the entire plan could collapse.
He hesitated. Should he go through with this or call it off?
His instincts told him to avoid trouble—but this ti, it was different. If Bravus stayed alive, Clayton would never know peace.
So, he made up his mind.
He entered the secret house cautiously, mimicking the gambling boss’s every movent and mannerism to avoid suspicion. It felt awkward, but convincing enough.
The interior looked plain, even shabby. Without the two days’ worth of mories he had taken from the boss, Clayton would never have guessed that this place concealed such a brutal, inhumane prison.
After making sure the surroundings were clear, he activated a hidden chanism and revealed a secret passage.
But he didn’t descend right away. First, he summoned one of his mini skeletons and ordered it to scout ahead—checking for any traps or dangers that weren’t covered in the mories he’d stolen.
A few minutes later, the skeleton returned and gave the all-clear. Clayton nodded and went down.
...
In the damp, pitch-black basent, Bravus looked utterly miserable. Shackled to thick wooden blocks, he sat motionless. But strangely, he didn’t look hopeless. He looked... optimistic.
"What’s taking the boss so long?" he muttered, puzzled.
Earlier, after boldly offering the gambling boss his plan, Bravus had daydread about his glorious future—and Clayton’s miserable fate.
He’d been too excited to sleep.
But now, the boss still hadn’t returned.
"Did sothing go wrong during the fight?" he whispered—but quickly brushed it off.
No way. Clayton’s way too weak to beat him.
He began to wonder if the boss had just used him for intel... and then ditched him.
But still—Clayton was dead. That thought alone was enough to lift his mood.
He closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them, he’d be greeted with good news.
That’s when he heard it: footsteps.
Bravus’s eyes snapped open.
"Ah! Boss! You’re back! Did you take care of Clayton? Did you find anything valuable?" he called out eagerly, ready to be rewarded. He even laid on the flattery thick.
But there was no response.
Bravus frowned. Just as he was about to speak again, the footsteps stopped—and sothing hit the floor.
Thud.
"Boss? You okay?" he called out again.
No answer.
Then, sothing rolled toward him. Round. White.
Bravus squinted, confused. But when the object stopped at his feet, and he saw what it was—
"AHHHHHHH!"
He scread in horror and kicked it away instinctively.
A human skull.
"B-Boss?! Don’t joke around! This isn’t funny!" he shouted in panic.
anwhile, Clayton, hidden at the end of the hallway, shook his head.
He had sent the skeleton ahead—but it had clumsily tripped, and its skull had popped off... rolling right up to Bravus by accident.
Originally, Clayton had planned to kill him imdiately. But Bravus’s terrified reaction was... entertaining.
So, he decided to toy with him a little—sending weak water spells to spook him.
"Boss! Stop! Please! This isn’t funny anymore!" Bravus cried, utterly terrified.
Clayton grinned and continued, slowly wearing Bravus down until the man was exhausted and completely off guard. Then, he activated the Mid-Tier One-Star Pollution Scroll.
Bravus’s mind began to fade. His vision blurred. His thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind.
Just as he was slipping into the haze, a familiar—but horrifying—sight appeared before him:
A pale, bloodied, severed head.
"Ahh... boss... how... how is this...?" he whispered in horror.
It was the gambling boss’s head—undeniably real.
That sight alone was enough to stop Bravus’s heart for a mont.
No screams ca after. Bravus was no longer capable of screaming.
Reviews
All reviews (0)