Chapter 14

Donyen was a thief. Or, to put it more politely, he was a rogue. If he had good luck, he could join a formidable group of adventurers, venture into the perilous yet full-of-opportunities Cold Fog Mountains, and return to Azure Water City with a hefty reward.

The rich and potent honey mead; the sizzling, oil-dripping meat seasoned with desert spices; and the women with their fair, varied figures. Ah! Donyen loved Azure Water City because it had everything he needed. Donyen also hated Azure Water City because the city, like a greedy mouth, swallowed all the gold he earned at the risk of his life.

When he was short of money, Donyen didn’t mind taking shortcuts. After all, he was always walking the line between morality and the law, and for survival, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

A few days ago, after a long period of fighting, Donyen made a breakthrough and advanced a level in the Thieves' Guild, being rated as a fourth-level rogue. To gather enough gold to learn the new rogue skill, "Trickery Blade," he robbed a foreign merchant. Of course, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, Donyen and his few companions thoroughly enjoyed the merchant’s wife and daughter before silencing them.

"Pity about the merchant’s wife’s plump figure. If she hadn’t resisted so fiercely, I would have broken her neck, and I could have played with her some more." Donyen smacked his lips, savoring the memory. On this cold, dark night, he needed to think of pleasant things to warm himself.

He was now walking on a path outside Azure Water City with his three accomplices. Donyen’s destination was an ancient cemetery. However, as a follower of Mask, the god of thieves, they were not there to rob graves.

Donyen, who had to go into hiding due to the murders, was recently very tight on money. But soon, he received a big job through a middleman—assassinating a noble mage.

The reward for this mission was substantial. So much so that he didn’t dare tell the real situation to the few companions he invited to help, for fear they might turn on him after the job was done.

Donyen felt he couldn’t stay in Azure Water City much longer due to the murders. Perhaps going west after this job would be a good choice. He had heard that the wild elf women on the plains had strong, long legs and smooth, honey-colored skin, which suited his taste.

"Donyen, we’re here."

The four rogues finally arrived at the outskirts of the cemetery. The raised hills were dotted with disordered tombstones, which, from a distance in the dark night, looked like countless needles piercing a tumor, making one feel nauseous. The air was cold and decayed, filled with the scent of the dead, making it far from a pleasant place.

"Are you really going to do this? Murdering a noble is a serious crime. And the target is a mage, possessing many mysterious powers that ordinary people can’t understand..." one accomplice hesitated.

"Hey, little Cory, you didn’t hesitate when you put that 50 gold coins in your pocket. Do you plan to back out?" Donyen mocked, then cast a sinister glance at Bard’s throat.

Little Cory shuddered. He knew that backing out at this critical moment would first meet with daggers and poison from his accomplices. He retorted, "Who the hell said I’m backing out! I’m just saying, the target is a noble and a mage. If the assassination fails, the consequences won’t be as simple as killing a few civilian merchants! We need to be cautious and ensure everything goes perfectly."

"You don’t need to emphasize that," Donyen said.

He had already thoroughly investigated the target. The man named Gordon Freeman was just a fallen noble. As for his status as a mage, if a person who couldn’t advance for years and could only cast first-level spells could be called a mage, then the target was one.

"Lord Donyen’s dagger has tasted the blood of many low-level mages."

The fourth-level rogue thought.

In his view, one had to reach the fifth level and be able to cast third-level spells to be considered a true mage.

A fourth-level rogue like himself was more than enough to deal with Gordon Freeman. But to be on the safe side, he had recruited three helpers.

However, the best weapon against a mage was another mage. The mysterious employer seemed to still distrust Donyen and personally sent a mage to assist.

The mysterious mage, shrouded in a black hooded robe, revealing only a pale chin and fingers, trailed behind Donyen and his three companions, saying nothing.

Donyen didn’t dare to look at the mysterious mage, for every time he met the other’s murky eyes, he felt a chill.

The group cautiously entered the cemetery and soon saw a prominent light.

In the silent, dark night, the light emanating from the small wooden house was so striking.

"The target is in that small wooden house." Donyen, after days of tracking and reconnaissance, knew Gordon’s schedule and activity patterns inside out. "Apart from coming out to cast a spell at the shrine, he patrols the cemetery every four hours."

"Should we just barge in, or wait for him to come out?" an accomplice asked.

"I think we should investigate first," another added.

The black-robed mage suddenly approached the four rogues and said impatiently, "My patience is limited. Why haven’t you made your move yet?"

Donyen’s skin crawled at the raspy voice.

"Damn, are you here to help us complete the assassination, or to be a supervisor?"

Donyen cursed inwardly but didn’t dare to argue. He signaled to the other three accomplices, then drew his poisoned crossbow.

The four rogues hunched over, gradually blending into the darkness. If not for their astonishing perception, it would be impossible to detect these four assassins in stealth mode.

It had to be said that the god of shadows and thieves, Mask, had trained four excellent followers.

Donyen and his three well-trained accomplices almost simultaneously burst into the small wooden house and shot four poisoned arrows at the person sitting at the table with their backs to them.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The four arrows pierced soft flesh, making consecutive dull sounds. But the experienced Donyen almost instantly noticed something amiss.

"It’s a dummy! We’ve been tricked, retreat quickly!"

Donyen let out his final roar. Then he despairingly discovered that the doors and windows of the small wooden house were completely blocked. He was suddenly engulfed in flames...

Outside the small wooden house, a figure gradually became clear in the scorching air heated by the fire.

This young man with black hair and black eyes was Gordon.

"All the preparation was worth it. The trick of trapping them in the fire worked well." Gordon admired the towering flames. In his mind, notifications kept popping up.

"You have killed a fourth-level rogue, gaining 100 experience."

"You have killed three third-level rogues, gaining 180 experience."

After realizing he was being targeted, Gordon had been preparing. He knew that if someone wanted to take his life, they wouldn’t strike at his residence in Azure Water City.

The patrolled noble district was not a place where ordinary assassins could act. In contrast, the sparsely populated, desolate cemetery was a good place for murder and cover-up.

Gordon spent a lot of money buying large amounts of incendiary gel and used some minor magic tricks to turn the resting wooden house into a huge fire trap.

Although the fog was thick tonight, Gordon, with the enhanced vision from the Angelic Eye of the Peng Feather, still spotted the four rats tracking him. Knowing they were about to act, he pretended to be unaware and entered the house, cast an invisibility spell on himself, and then climbed out through the window.

The unfortunate Donyen had no idea that his target was no longer in the wooden house and blindly walked into the scorching trap.

After the four assassins all entered the wooden house, Gordon used a small mechanism to ignite the incendiary gel and cast two spells to seal the doors and windows tightly.

Then, it was time to enjoy the human barbecue.

Although using the word "enjoy" might seem inhumane, Gordon’s expression didn’t change as he listened to the victims’ final screams before they turned to ashes.

"Killing four people at once, but it doesn’t feel real." Gordon shook his head. Perhaps because the game "Ancient Era" was too realistic, he had already experienced the terrifying elements of blood, screams, and shredded flesh.

"Do you still have the leisure to admire the beauty of the flames, not knowing that you are about to die?" A raspy voice reached Gordon’s ears.

He followed the sound and saw a man in a black robe slowly stepping out of the darkness. The firelight illuminated his thin chin, and there was a strange magical tattoo on his pale skin.

"More people?" A sense of danger suddenly arose in his heart. Gordon felt like he had become the unfortunate mantis in the "mantis catching the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" scenario.

"I should thank you. If those four rogues had really killed you, I would have had to act and deal with them. The murder of a noble must be kept secret, and dead men’s mouths are the tightest, you understand."

The lips of the black-robed mage moved incessantly under the firelight, uttering sinister words: "Now, I give you a chance to commit suicide. You can die painlessly, and your body will be honored to be used in my necromancy experiments."

"Or," the black-robed mage paused, "you can die in agony, with your body oozing pus, tormented by negative energy."

While the black-robed mage was talking, Gordon took the opportunity to cast a Detect Magic spell.

This first-level divination spell could reveal the target’s spellcasting level.

The spell made the black-robed mage emit a magical aura. Gordon recognized it as the mark of someone who could cast third-level spells.

Gordon’s little trick didn’t escape the black-robed mage’s eyes. He mocked, "How about it, little mage? Now that you know the power gap, which way do you choose to die?"

"I choose to kill you!"

"An unwise choice," the black-robed mage chuckled. "Let me, the necromancer Mendoza, bring you pain and death!"

He took out a piece of rotten flesh he had prepared and quickly chanted a spell.

Under the influence of magical energy, the rotten flesh turned into black pus in his palm. Mendoza raised his hand, and a stinking black water arrow shot toward Gordon.

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