Chapter 43: Showtime
"Showtime."
Reylin spread his arms widely, and the flamethrower burst out of his hands. The flames instantly covered the room, and the bastards screamed, scared more than ever before! Never did they see the fire coming out of the human's hands!
Even the High Mages used their staves and other items to bring out the mana!
That was just heaven-defying for them, but the boss calmed everyone!
"This is a player! They are the devils, the bane of our existence!" Adrian shouted, his sword lit up in silver light.
He swept the weapon before himself, and his sword sweep kicked a few flames away!
However, Reylin had poured so much mana into his skill, the flames seemed inextinguishable, and the ship suffered the most!
Reylin was the cause of the disaster, and Adrian didn't waste any second.
He rushed with his sword bared and ready to hack at any moment. Should Reylin enter his reach, Adrian would behead him!
"Will you, though?" Reylin sneered, not minding any close combat battle.
That was yet another surprising move, but Adrian didn't put players next to his common sense.
Those people were crazy and immortal.
How could Reylin be any different?
"You don't fear death, do you?!" Adrian shouted, his sword slashing a few times.
He missed, and Reylin's punch landed on his stomach! The flames burst out from the fire release, and the howling of the suppressed fireball pushed Adrian into the fire!
"I don't. That's not the reason I am fighting you in close combat, though. Flames... I am the flames." Reylin flicked his fingers, and countless fireballs rushed at the incoming bastards.
They suffered a fate worse than their boss due to their weaker levels, and their time in flames was far worse than Adrian's.
Reylin burst out laughing, "How about you call your boss? That High Mage, I mean."
He stood in the deluge of flames, the flames that spread across the whole room already. A few wood pieces dropped from the ceiling, and the flames spread further at unimaginable speed.
Adrian touched his stomach.
Before he did, his nose twitched from foreboding... That smell was sharp, and his stomach actually burned so much the player literally grilled him. Once his fingers touched the wound, Adrian's one eye closed, and he let out a faint groan.
His body registered the wound, and he coughed a mouthful of blood...
"What kind of... quality are those flames?" He whispered.
The flames didn't look any different, but their speed and strength were another matter.
Reylin's fireball and flamethrower upped in ranks, and his level didn't really mirror his strength.
"Rey Flames Lin's Quality," Reylin replied, then looked above, "Your boss is not coming, huh... Let's call him out then."
Adrian flinched, "What are you doing?" His eyes saw the flames slowly gathering around Reylin. A fear rippled within his hues, and his skin paled...
It felt like the fire suddenly heeded his call and rushed back to him. Of course, the speed was slow, and Reylin didn't even have a proper skill for it. However, the flames answered his call, and his mana heightened.
Standing like the flame god, he whispered, "The Red Sky."
[You have killed Adrian Boss.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
The red pillar rose to the sky, and it lightly scratched the sky. In the starry sky, a small red dent appeared, and many players whispered the popular skill.
Out of the pillar, Reylin emerged and stared at the high mage who had just left his study!
"High Mage Kondre. Nice to meet you. I have a few questions for you," Reylin didn't look like any normal player with the red pillar behind him.
He even issued authority with that background and his crown aura, which High Mage Kondre saw on the Blue Rose's Nobility.
The middle-aged man clenched his hands, "Do you know who you are dealing with?"
"Didn't I call you through your name just now? Are you perhaps deaf?" Reylin titled his hand, coming closer. "The first question. Are you here on your own or on someone else's order?"
"My business doesn't concern you," Kondre replied.
"At least you are not deaf, just stupid," Reylin waved his hand and conjured a fireball.
It kicked toward the high mage, then the long staff slapped it away. The level difference was even higher than with Adrian Boss, but Reylin didn't back off. His steps never halted, and he continued to close up the distance.
His mouth also didn't close, "From what I've heard, the majority of high mages boast great pride. People often joke that you guys channel your mana through hubris. Pretty fun, isn't it?"
"People fail to notice how much they rely on us," Kondre shook his head, "You are also blind, young man."
"Am I?" Reylin asked.
He knew what Kondre was hinting at.
During their exchange, the guards with their general flooded the ship. They evacuated unrelated people from the sinking ship, but they also caught the bastards who had just lost their boss.
Many of them didn't know what had happened to Adrian.
After all, just a few of them ganged up on Reylin. However, the boss was nowhere to be seen, and the high mage, their client, faced the unknown young man with a little of his usual pride.
He remained stoic, perhaps studying Reylin's flames through his old eyes.
Reylin didn't do anything else.
At last, Kondre's lips parted, "Catch this young man. I want him to be in the Northern Rivers Bank's prison for a week before you send him to the Blue Rose's Capital." His eyes landed on the general.
But the general didn't answer his words.
That forebode problem!
Kondre asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
"There's someone with higher authority than yours, Mr. Kondre. If you aren't guilty, we will soon heed your order," The general replied, then arched his head.
One of his people brought the bastard in, and that man instantly screamed, "Where is the boss?!"
"Adrian? He's dead." Reylin said, his eyes on the high mage.
Hearing those words, the bastard's head dropped, and he stared at the floor with widened eyes, "Then, we are fucked..."
"You indeed are," Reylin added, "Your sentence can be shorter if you cooperate. I know the situation more or less, but you can assist me. Well, I don't mind throwing out some good words for obedient people."
The bastard roared, "We've been hired by that high mage!" And he spat out everything he knew.
The heavy silence descended upon the sinking ship, and just the flames howled.
Reylin whistled, "Who has hired you, to be honest? High Mage has nothing to do in the mine. You guys wait for the raw and perfect gems for your usage. That's how the people from perch conduct themselves."
"..."
"Archmage Xander, perhaps?" Reylin snickered, and his lips broadened after Kondre had shown some reaction.
Archmage Xander was the person who had stolen Layla's project, her hard work.
Reylin didn't expect this man to be such a petty person and even haunt her after becoming independent. That was so petty Reylin felt his neck itchy!
He said out loud, "I will climb up the ladder and see the truth. All step by step. You shall be the first one, Kondre." Reylin waved at the guards, "Leave. If we die, you can step in and catch this man."
By we, Reylin meant Steel Melody.
He had promised her a formidable opponent, and the thirsty-for-challenge player had her eyes on Kondre ever since the beginning.
She stepped out of the crowd and took Reylin's front, "I can't even see his level! Haha!"
"Ignorance is such a bliss, isn't it?" Reylin snickered.
Kondre closed his eyes and raised his staff, "You won't die today. Your flames interest me, and I will make your 'game' the worst experience, young man."
"Be fast. I have school tomorrow." Reylin shrugged, killing the mood a little, but he was an honest fellow.
Steel Melody was the only one who understood him, "That brings back some memories! I used to be late for school because of games."
"Were you a good student?"
"Of course not. I am too stupid."
"At least you have a strong head."
"That I agree with."
A vein popped on Kondre's temple as he was utterly ignored by these two players!
His staff let out bright blue light, and he called out his first skill, "Sharp Penguins!"
"Penguins?" Steel Melody blinked her eyes, then her eyes rose to the sky, "Ah... Fuck."