Chapter 4

After changing into a clean set of clothes, Rayne sat down at his desk, his face showing a look of deep thought.

He was carefully recalling the events leading up to his death.

Although his memories were somewhat fragmented and lacked many details, Rayne was very clear about the main culprits, who were primarily two people.

One was his classmate at the academy, named Ramsey, who was once a very close friend but also the one who carried out the fatal blow against him.

The other was named Esberg, a true Extraordinary, who was the mastermind behind his murder.

Rayne knew little about Esberg, only that his Extraordinary profession might be a "Ranger" or a "Shadow Warrior," which share some commonalities at lower levels. Without engaging in combat or observing firsthand, it was difficult for outsiders to accurately identify the profession.

Esberg was an excellent swordsman and a teacher at a well-known swordsmanship academy in Longsande City.

Rayne had some talent in swordsmanship, having studied for three years under his academy teacher. His skill level was above average among his classmates, but he couldn't even block a single strike from Esberg!

He got to know Esberg through Ramsey's introduction.

Half a month ago, Rayne had a falling out with his father and returned to Longsande, looking for a job to make a living. Apart from some swordsmanship and literacy, he had no other skills and didn't want to do menial jobs like a laborer or a postman, so he faced many rejections.

Later, he ran into Ramsey outside the academy. Because they were good friends, Rayne confided in him about his difficulties.

The next day, Ramsey introduced Rayne to a job, working as an assistant to Esberg at the "Maloney's Sword" swordsmanship academy.

Maloney's Sword was one of the most famous swordsmanship academies in the city. Even as an assistant, the pay was very generous, several times higher than that of a regular worker, and it was a respectable job. Rayne accepted without hesitation, feeling very grateful to Ramsey.

After that, Rayne officially started working at the swordsmanship academy, using his swordsmanship skills to establish himself. Esberg was very satisfied with him and occasionally gave him personal guidance.

Ramsey was also Esberg's assistant, and they worked together at the academy. Rayne's relationship with Ramsey grew even closer, and he almost considered him a lifelong friend, sharing everything with him.

Until yesterday.

Before leaving work, Ramsey mysteriously told Rayne that Esberg had an important task for them and that they would meet at a tavern on Perfume Street after dark.

Rayne didn't think much of it and arrived at the tavern on time, then followed Ramsey into a strange carriage behind the tavern.

The carriage windows were covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see outside.

On the carriage, Ramsey took out two sets of fine leather armor and put them on, then gave Rayne a longsword, clearly prepared in advance. Rayne was puzzled but didn't ask more questions.

The carriage drove through the city for a long time, and Rayne didn't know where they were going. Finally, it stopped in a secluded alley.

After getting out of the carriage, Rayne saw that Esberg was already waiting.

Esberg was also wearing black leather armor, with a long and a short weapon at his waist, and his face was partially covered by a black cloth. He stood motionless in the corner, hidden in the shadows. If he hadn't revealed himself, Rayne wouldn't have noticed his presence.

Then, Esberg began to assign the task.

At that moment, Rayne finally understood what they were going to do. Esberg was planning to break into a house and kill a family living on the other side of the alley.

He didn't understand why Esberg had brought him along, and at that moment, he was only filled with fear and resistance.

But Esberg didn't give Rayne a chance to refuse. He had Ramsey keep watch at the entrance of the alley and ordered Rayne to follow him inside. Rayne wanted to run away, but he knew that if he tried to back out, Esberg would kill him first. So, he had no choice but to go along.

The subsequent killings left Rayne with a severe psychological shock.

Esberg's target was a "Mechanical Engineer," who was wealthy but not an Extraordinary. The two guards in the house were ordinary people and stood no chance against a powerful Extraordinary.

In just a few minutes, Esberg had bloodied the entire family, including the Mechanical Engineer, his wife, and two children, as well as five or six servants and guards, almost all of whom were brutally killed.

Only one guard was left alive by Esberg, who was then ordered to be killed by Rayne.

Rayne's heart was torn with agony and struggle, but to save his life, he eventually stabbed the guard through the heart.

Next, Esberg called Ramsey to come in and thoroughly search the house, obtaining a large sum of money. They were experienced, and many valuable items hidden in secret places were found, indicating that they had done this before.

Rayne did not participate in the looting, still in shock from his first kill.

Esberg returned to the carriage with the loot, this time sitting with the two of them.

On the way back, Rayne remained silent. Ramsey, however, kept trying to comfort him, promising that after selling the loot, Rayne would get a share, enough to pay for his academy tuition and live a decent life.

While Ramsey was speaking, Esberg was watching, putting immense pressure on Rayne.

Rayne didn't immediately agree, his mind nearly frozen, and he returned to the tavern in a daze, changed his clothes, and left.

On his way back to his apartment alone, Rayne finally realized what had happened.

The night's operation was a trap. Esberg and Ramsey wanted to pull him into their group. If he agreed, he would fall into a life of crime, and more terrifying things would await him in the future.

Rayne immediately decided to report them!

Although he had been forced to kill a guard, it was out of necessity. Even if he faced a trial, the punishment would be lighter than if he continued down the path of crime and was eventually executed. Reporting Esberg would also earn him some credit, enough to offset the crime.

So, Rayne turned to head straight for the Justice Church.

However, not far from the tavern, at a street corner, Rayne saw Esberg's figure in the distance. Terrified, he tried to run but was knocked unconscious.

When Rayne woke up again, it was from being beaten.

He found himself with a bag over his head, unable to see, and his mouth was gagged. He could only hear Ramsey's疯狂咒骂 and the continuous beating that lasted for hours, during which he lost consciousness several times.

His last memory was of a heavy blow to the back of his head, the most fatal one.

When Rayne regained consciousness again, he was in the river, his body still the same, but the soul in his mind was no longer the former "Rayne."

Recalling all this, Rayne couldn't help but sigh.

His former self was too young, only nineteen, and had not experienced the treachery of the world, lacking the experience to handle such situations.

Reporting Esberg was the right decision, but he had realized it too late. He should have thought it through on the way back in the carriage, pretending to be swayed by the money and agreeing to Ramsey's invitation.

By not agreeing immediately, he had already made Esberg and Ramsey suspicious. After leaving the tavern, they had secretly followed him, and the former Rayne had not been cautious at all.

When he turned to go to the Justice Church, Esberg immediately sensed his intention and would not give him another chance.

If he had returned to his apartment and reported the next day, even if Ramsey was still watching, it would have been safer during the day with more people around, and he wouldn't have been so easily attacked.

In reality, even if Rayne had successfully reported Esberg's crimes, he wouldn't have had a good outcome. An Extraordinary like Esberg, and from his behavior, likely had a powerful organization backing him.

Even if Rayne's contributions offset his crimes and he avoided trial, he would still face retaliation.

"Still, I paid the price of being young and naive," Rayne muttered to himself. After a long pause, he thought, "I will avenge you, as a compensation for occupying your body."

The former Rayne was dead, but the current Rayne had to continue living.

He didn't know how to take revenge yet, but he wasn't going to give up and run away to live in hiding.

Currently, his biggest advantage was that Ramsey and Esberg didn't know he was still alive, while he was in the dark. Although Ramsey knew the address of the apartment, he wouldn't check it after personally disposing of the body to avoid arousing suspicion.

Under normal circumstances, Rayne's body would be found in the river, reported to the city hall, and investigated by a constable. Due to lack of evidence, the case would be dropped.

Or, if Rayne's body wasn't found, he would be considered missing. Living alone in Longsande, his only contact was with the people at the swordsmanship academy. If Ramsey didn't report to the city hall, the landlord would only discover Rayne's disappearance when the rent was due the next month.

"If I were Ramsey, I wouldn't report to the city hall. The longer it takes, the more advantageous it is for him," Rayne concluded.

"The next rent payment is over half a month away. By then, the landlord will report the missing tenant, and the constable will investigate at the swordsmanship academy."

"During this half month, Esberg and Ramsey won't suspect that I'm still alive."

"But I can't continue living in the apartment. If no one goes to the swordsmanship academy to investigate, Ramsey will come to check the apartment and find me alive, which would bring another fatal threat."

"I must maintain a missing status and hide in the shadows to take revenge more conveniently."

Rayne quickly sorted out his thoughts and decided to leave the apartment immediately.

However, before leaving, he had one more thing to do. He moved the desk to reveal the wall behind it, lifted a loose brick, and took out an envelope.

"This method of hiding money is too cliché. If Ramsey searches the apartment, it would take less than a minute to find it," Rayne said with a smile, shaking his head. He pushed the desk back to its original position and poured out the money from the envelope.

The amount wasn't much, a small stack of banknotes and a handful of coins.

The currency system of the Aurensia Empire was complex, with both printed banknotes and three types of metal coins in circulation.

The coins were copper risos, silver crowns, and gold shields, while the banknotes were denominated in copper risos, called copper yuan.

A banknote worth one copper yuan was equivalent to one copper riso. There were also banknotes worth 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 copper yuan. One silver crown was equal to 20 copper yuan, and 50 silver crowns were equivalent to one gold shield.

In other words, one gold shield could be exchanged for a thousand copper yuan.

In daily life, people mostly used copper yuan banknotes and copper risos, occasionally silver crowns, and only exchanged gold shields for large amounts.

For example, the tuition for an Extraordinary Academy was 20 gold shields per year.

This was a huge sum for a common family, and even in Longsande City, few families could afford such high tuition.

Rayne counted the money: six 100-copper-yuan banknotes and five 50-copper-yuan banknotes, along with a few small denomination banknotes and a handful of silver and copper coins.

The total was over a thousand copper yuan, enough to exchange for one gold shield with some change.

He caressed the thin banknotes, feeling the fine patterns, and the light green banknotes emitted an ink smell, which was quite pleasant. The few silver and copper coins clinked together, making a pleasant sound.

Although the smell and sound were slightly different from his previous life, they still felt very familiar.

The banknotes and coins featured portraits of several figures, including a middle-aged man, a wise old man, and even a very young one.

Rayne didn't recognize any of them, but they all looked very familiar.

This was the money he had saved over the past three years, not much, equivalent to two months' salary for a worker, enough to live in Longsande for a while.

He put the money in a pocket close to his body.

Rayne found a sun hat in the wardrobe and put it on, cleaned up any signs of his return, and put the wet clothes he had worn back into a bag. He left the apartment, looking down, taking advantage of a moment when there were few people around.