Chapter 10: Infiltrating the Mad Axe Gang Headquarters
While the patrons at the Assassins' Tavern speculated about the elf's identity, Lucas was already perched on the spire of an old castle's east tower, next to the flagpole where the Mad Axe Gang's blood axe flag fluttered.
Below, a high wall encircled the castle, with gang sentries and patrols everywhere.
This castle once belonged to a noble. Seawall District used to be the heart of Storm City, but as the city expanded, nobles, officials, and wealthy merchants moved to more comfortable new districts, leaving Seawall District a forgotten place.
Seawall District became home to the city's lowest strata. To survive, they formed gangs… only the ruthless could hold their ground here.
The Mad Axe Gang was one of the more powerful gangs in Seawall District. Under the leadership of the Horned Demonkin Jumu, they controlled several dock berths at Seawall Harbor.
Colluding with pirates, they engaged in smuggling, human trafficking, fencing stolen goods—anything that made money.
According to the strategy guide, The Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone was in a safe in Jumu's bedroom.
Lucas had already gathered information about the Horned Demonkin Jumu.
The Demonkin were descendants of Hell's creatures that had invaded the surface world. While their appearance closely resembled humans, they still retained the characteristic demon horns.
The demon horns were also the source of the Demonkin's power.
Depending on the shape of their horns, the Demonkin were divided into Bullhorn Demonkin and Ramhorn Demonkin.
When the two types met, they could always start a fight over whose horns represented the purest Hell bloodline.
Of course, Lucas wasn't interested in whose Hell bloodline was purer.
Horned Demonkin Jumu was a four-star hero.
[
Height: 2.10 meters, Weight: 150 kilograms.
A strength type with fire attributes, possessing significant explosive power.
Main attack skills: Fireball Barrage, Flame Breath, Explosive Flames, Fire Enchantment, Furious Strike, Berserk.
Defensive skills: A tri-directional flame shield forming within a meter radius. Its defensive effect was mediocre, but its attack effect was notable.
Weapon: A double-headed battle axe, one side of which could be launched, catching opponents off guard.
]
As the Mad Axe Gang's headquarters dungeon, this old castle housed not only the four-star boss Jumu but also numerous one-star grunts, two-star elites, and three-star mini-bosses.
The tower spire where Lucas stood was the closest he could get to Jumu's bedroom without alerting the Mad Axe Gang members.
To get closer, he would need stealth skills and tools, along with patience to seize the right moment.
Lucas had no time to waste; he decided to force his way in.
He adjusted Ela's level to 80. Using the Wings of Time and Space, the efficiency of clearing the dungeon would be much higher.
Elarion's existence time: 58 minutes remaining…
Standing on the tower spire, Lucas jumped down, triggering the magical sentry inside the tower.
An alchemical firework shot out and exploded, illuminating Lucas's form mid-air.
The Mad Axe Gang members patrolling the castle immediately blew their whistles, also spotting the intruder descending from the tower, only to see him vanish from sight.
Every light that could be lit inside and outside the castle was turned on.
More and more gang members grabbed their weapons, searching for the intruder.
Meanwhile, Lucas used spatial movement to shift horizontally while falling, slipping through a third-floor window of the castle.
Before landing, Lucas executed a flip, emitting a circle of white light that rapidly expanded from him.
He had entered a Mad Axe Gang dormitory, where the alarm outside had awakened four gang members sleeping inside.
The brutal gang wars in Seawall District had made the Mad Axe Gang members highly vigilant. As soon as they saw someone flip through the window, they reached for the weapons by their sides before even getting out of bed.
A cracking sound of ice echoed through the small room.
The four gang members froze in the positions they had been in, reaching for their weapons. Frost quickly covered their hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, followed by white patches of frostbite on their skin. The frost spread rapidly over their bodies, and the only parts they could still move—their eyes—showed expressions of terror.
But even their eyes froze within seconds.
Lucas stood up.
Anticipating an attack upon entry, he had prepared and released an Ice Ring spell.
Given the scene, it seemed a bit like overkill.
The four low-level gang members were now ice statues, and the room's walls were coated in a layer of ice.
Lucas drew his dual blades and walked to the door, kicking it open with a force that sent the wooden door splintering outward.
Outside was a corridor. As Lucas stepped out of the room, a shout came from his left.
Without even looking, Lucas slashed in the direction of the sound. A crescent-shaped blade of ice energy shot forward, condensing the moisture in the air into a thin, rapidly expanding ice blade.
"There they are…"
A Mad Axe Gang member had barely shouted before the ice blade hit him, sending him flying backward and rolling to the feet of three other gang members who had come to investigate the noise.
All three looked in the direction of the attack.
An elf! A beautiful and seemingly powerful female elf.
She held two short blades, with white icy mist spreading from her feet, causing the walls and floor to freeze.
A lean gang member pulled a hand axe from behind him, his arms elongating and turning green, transforming into vines wrapped around the axe.
Simultaneously, his legs turned into roots that burrowed into the floor.
The other two gang members drew their axes and charged at the intruding elf. Roots from the vine-man extended and pierced the backs of the two charging gang members.
Treant [Chad], a three-star hero.
Chad had originally been a pirate leader. During an adventure into a tropical rainforest, he was swallowed by a strange tree.
When his companions rescued him, his body showed extensive woodification.
Later, Chad was brought to the Mad Axe Gang, where Horned Demonkin Jumu used his connections to save Chad.
Chad's ability was to transform his body into wood.
His roots could secrete neurotoxins, capable of paralyzing people or controlling their movements by piercing their spines.
Grateful for Jumu's life-saving help, Chad left the pirate crew and joined the Mad Axe Gang, showing great loyalty to Jumu.
The two gang members, now with Chad's roots in their spines, were dosed with a small amount of neurotoxin that wouldn't kill them but would significantly enhance their physical capabilities.
They forgot their fear of danger and death, charging at the intruder under Chad's control.
Meanwhile, Chad's roots stealthily extended under the floor. This was his true killing move.
While the enemy was distracted by the two fearless puppets, his roots would emerge from behind.
Just a single stab...