Seeing the two people before him—Nile, the boy he had fought with and still bore a grudge against for breaking his nose, and Jessica, the girl he had envied for as long as he could remember—Mason felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. Her talent, her achievements—everything she had attained was beyond his reach, no matter how hard he tried.
A sinister grin crept onto his face as he gave his order, his tone laced with disdain.
"Capture everyone here. Don't kill that girl." He gestured toward Jessica. "She has already secured admission into the town school. If her soul token cracks there, the principal will send a team to investigate. It's better to take her alive."
His gaze swept across the others, his voice dropping into an icy command. "As for the rest, if they resist—kill them. Later, send the boys to the slave traders and the women to the brothels. That Jessica, though..." His lips curled cruelly. "She's reserved for my personal entertainment."
Confidence radiated from Mason as he reached into his robes and pulled out a wooden token. Nile's eyes narrowed, immediately recognizing it—the key to one of the three Level 3 cultivation rooms, a prized possession of the Iron Fang Syndicate.
With Brug, the deputy leader, standing at Level 3, Stage 7, and his two bodyguards at the same level, Mason had every reason to believe in his victory. He stood tall, assured that no one here could possibly defy him.
As Mason stepped toward the stairs, Nile's voice rang out, cold and unwavering.
"If any of you dare to move a single step, your leader's younger brother will die."
He raised his hand, palm open, pointing directly at Mason. Confusion spread among the gang members, and even Mason stopped mid-step, looking at Nile as if he were a fool.
Mason scoffed. "I had begun to doubt the rumors about you being a mentally deficient idiot, but I suppose they were true after all." With a smirk, he resumed walking.
But before he could take another step—
A sudden, excruciating pain seized his chest, as if an invisible hand were crushing his heart. His smirk twisted into an agonized scream as he collapsed to the ground, writhing and clutching his chest in sheer torment.
Gasps of shock filled the room. The gang members instinctively moved toward their leader, but Nile's sharp voice halted them in their tracks.
"Stay where you are, or else—"
Before he could finish, a powerful gust of wind surged through the space. A metallic clatter echoed as numerous long-range weapons—knives, darts, and arrows—dropped to the ground. In that instant, Uncle James appeared, shielding Nile from view with a calm yet imposing presence.
Nile's body trembled as the realization hit him—he had just brushed against death once again. Cold sweat trickled down his back.
James placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Let this be a lesson, Nile. Tactics are useful against opponents of your level. But when facing a stronger foe, no amount of strategy or tricks will help—you won't even get the chance to use them."
Wiping his forehead, Nile nodded solemnly, etching the lesson deep into his heart.
James crossed his arms. "Now, what next?"
Nile looked up at his uncle, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
James smiled. "You're the planner of our group now. Making mistakes like this is normal. That's when your mother and I step in. But for the rest of the time, it's up to you to lead us."
Taking a deep breath, Nile steadied himself. His racing heart began to slow, and a newfound resolve took root within him.
Having learnt his lesson Nile first asked ,"uncle James don't let any of these goons out of the inn."
Hearing this James replied ,"don't worry ,these rabbits know how to behave in front of a lion ",and so he releases his aura in the hall.
James's aura weighed down on the room like a mountain, suffocating even the strongest among the gang. The oppressive force of his presence sent waves of dread through the thugs, their confidence shattering like brittle glass.
Brug, the burly vice-leader of the Iron Fang Gang, trembled violently as his knees hit the floor with a painful thud. His instincts screamed at him—this was no ordinary man. The sheer dominance James exuded was reminiscent of the time he had been granted an audience with Edric Vayne, the village head of Ravenspire Village and a powerful member of the town assembly.
But this man… James… was possibly even more terrifying.
Though drenched in cold sweat, Brug forced himself to maintain a brave front. His voice wavered but remained clear.
"Senior, please let this matter slide. We will never meddle with this inn again."
James grunted in response. The pressure of his aura suddenly spiked. A sharp gasp escaped Brug's lips as his vision blurred, his consciousness slipping. In an instant, he collapsed, his massive body crashing to the ground.
The remaining gang members looked on in horror. If even Brug, their strongest fighter, was helpless… what chance did they have?
Nile's mind raced.
With Mason out of commission and James proving his overwhelming dominance, now was the time to act strategically. He turned to his uncle.
"Knock them all out, except for the lean one," Nile instructed, pointing toward the sharp-eyed man who had been tailing him in the marketplace earlier.
James quirked an eyebrow but complied without a word. With a simple flick of his fingers, a silent ripple of force spread through the air.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One by one, the gang members collapsed, unconscious before they even hit the ground.
The only one left standing was the lean man, now frozen in place, his face deathly pale. His breath came in ragged gasps as he glanced wildly around at his fallen comrades.
His legs wobbled.
His mind screamed at him to run.
But under James's gaze, he couldn't even move.
Nile stepped forward.
"You've been watching me all day," he said coldly. "Let's have a pleasant talk."
The man swallowed hard. He had planned to report his findings back to his employer, but now—there was no escape.
His only option… was to cooperate.