The gangster was horrified. What was this spell? Was this something a young man should be able to do?
As his defense crumbled, the gangster decisively canceled his own spell. The earth shield vanished. A water wheel formed in the air. It shot at Tepo.
The young man remained calm. The biggest obstacle was gone. He still had one bullet left.
With eyes narrowed, Tepo raised his pistol. In one smooth motion he aimed, and shot.
A bullet flashed through the air. Aided by [Rapid Pierce] it was too fast for low-level warriors to react. The bullet started later but met the water wheel halfway. Without much resistance it pierced through the spell and emerged behind it.
The wheel wasn't damaged, though. It advanced towards Tepo. The young warrior didn't dodge. He was confident.
Blood spurted out. The gangster had an incredulous look in his eyes before they slowly lost their light. A hole went through his head. He was dead.
The water wheel lost its support and simply vanished.
Tepo took a deep breath. But the gangsters' death wouldn't stop the pursuit. Just on the contrary.
Already prepared, the young man hastily took of his mask. His original handsome face appeared again. Fortunately, Anvil had prepared more than one outfit for him. Thus, he quickly changed his clothes as voices already sounded from the alley's entrance.
Steps came closer. A vicious man with a deep cut in his short, brown hair appeared. He was followed by a few gangsters. This was Cortos, a small leader within the Blue Ocean Merchant Alliance.
Cortos was burning with rage. A small rat had dared to resist them, and his incompetent subordinates let it escape.
Who would still take them seriously in the future when just anyone could trample on their reputation?! And it was even a young boy who looked as if he was still drinking his mother's milk!
The more Cortos thought about it, the angrier he became! He urged his subordinates as they sprinted around the curve.
Suddenly they halted their footsteps. Sharp breaths rang out.
"B.. boss. They are dead!"
Cortos gritted his teeth. A strong punch hit the subordinate's head.
"Do I need you to tell me this?!"
Looking around, Cortos growled. His goon's frightened faces dragged his mood down even more.
But it was understandable. Those small gangsters only hoped to latch onto the big leg which was the Blue Ocean Merchants. How could they have ever expected that the threat of death might loom over their heads one day?
A disgusting smell slowly reached the gangsters' noses. Burnt flesh mixed with blood.
"F*ck!", yelled Cortos, letting out his emotions.
"Two of you, check behind the fence. The rest follow me!"
Tepo had already left the alley. Clad in new clothes and with a different face he would be hard to find. He had entered a big square filled with people.
The crowd is getting denser and denser the farther I go. With so many people here, how can those gangsters find me? Maybe they will even give up. After all, except for their leader all of them should be fearing for death now.
Tepo sighed lightly. Although he was used to killing, he didn't enjoy it. The moment a human's eyes turned lifeless was fraught with sadness.
In the end I can only adapt. Deadly conflicts are everywhere in this world. As long as it doesn't threaten all of humanity, I have to let go of some of my previous standards.
Roaming his eyes, Tepo felt a bit left out. The crowd around him was chatting excitedly, apparently looking forward to something. With his emotions right now, he didn't fit in the atmosphere.
Shaking his head, Tepo tried to focus his mind again. He glanced at the alley he just escaped from. He frowned. A group of vicious gangsters stood at this exit, scanning the crowd.
The fierce leader obviously shouted some orders as the gangsters carefully scattered in teams of two.
Tepo took a deep breath.
I'm just a normal citizen. I'm a part of the crowd. I did not just kill two of you. Don't suspect me.
With his own mantra in mind, Tepo did his best to blend into the crowd. He strained his ears, trying to figure out what he was waiting for.
"Mom, mom, when do the gates open?"
"Soon, don't worry honey."
"Ha! Bro! You're delusional! You bet one hundred crystals on the Green Fire Harmonious Killer?"
"Why did we even wome here? None ow our ruw warriors is wighting today."
While Tepo was still gathering clues, movement suddenly came into the crowd. A voice spread from the large building in front:
"Slow down, slow down! Our Fierce Blood Slasher Arena has enough seats for everyone! Don't push!"
Tepo was caught in the crowd. At this point there was no other way to go than the big wooden building in front. The peoples' excitement rose as they got closer.
The young man looked around as he neared the big gates. From time to time, he could still gleam the gangsters mixed into the crowd. He cursed them for being too stubborn as he arrived at the front of the crowd.
After paying another five crystals, Tepo entered the Fierce Blood Slasher Arena.
Chatter echoed endlessly from the stands. Hundreds of people were already seated with a few hundred more to come. They surrounded a big sandy area, only separated by a small wooden wall.
Tepo simply copied the people before him. He went to the right, climbed a few stairs, and sat down on a crooked wooden bench somewhere halfway up the stands.
Blending out the noise, the young warrior was focused on the entrance. He wanted to see if his pursuers were still on his heels. And indeed, not long after Tepo sat down the prominent figure of Cortos entered the arena.
Although the vicious looking man blocked the way, no one dared to complain. It could be seen that the people in this part of the city weren't very strong. They didn't dare to complain to Cortos, who looked like a seasoned warrior.
Gradually some subordinates gathered around the gangster boss. They scanned the incoming crowd.
Tepo gritted his teeth. They were still searching for him. And no one deigned to stop them. Could the gangsters in this city just do whatever they wanted?
Slowly the stands filled up. Only a few people still trickled into the arena. The gangsters hadn't found their target.
Cortos was thinking deeply. Could their target have already escaped? If so, it would be difficult to find them again. Only if the target had entered the arena was it still possible to detect them.
"Swarm out! Find that rat!"
"Yes, boss!"
Not caring for the tournament which was about to start, the gangsters scattered and began searching the stands for their targets.
Suddenly a big gate opened below the stands. A brightly smiling young woman stepped onto the sandy floor. She stocked for a moment as she noticed the gangsters roaming the stands.
I hope you guys behave if you know what's good for you!
Not letting these annoying pests disturb her show, the raven-haired woman spread her arms and shouted loudly:
"Welcome, everyone! To our weekly Aspirant Open Tournament!"
Aided by some device attached to her valiant-looking clothes the woman's voice drowned out the noisy crowd. Immediately after, loud cheers erupted.
Meanwhile, Tepo's eyes followed the gangsters. He was a bit more relieved as one of them had already passed by him without recognizing him.
Suddenly the young man felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned towards the right with a questioning gaze.
"Hey bro. Who's your favorite today?"
Tepo mustered the man who had just spoken. He was tall, with an athletic build, and short, brown hair. Excitement was written all over his face. For seemingly being a few years older than Tepo, the man appeared a bit too eager in his opinion.
But this is not bad. Talking to someone would make me look more natural. Let's try it.
"Ahh, I don't have a favorite. I'm just here to see a good show.", answered Tepo with a smile.
"Hmm, that's not too bad either. But I would like the Purple Magician to win."
"Why? Did you bet some money?"
"Haha, no. My parents would never let me bet. They say I'm too stupid and would only be scammed."
Tepo looked at the happily laughing man. What was up with this character? Would he still need his parent's permission to spend his crystals?
"But even though I can't bet, the Purple Magician is still my favorite!"
"Yeah.", coughed Tepo, somewhat embarrassed. "You already said so. But why?"
"Oh. Naturally because the Purple Magician is a great hero! He and his team are the only ones brave enough to openly defend humanity! They are bringing the ruw's conspiracy to light! Soon, the city lord can't sit back and relax anymore, he will have to move into action."
Tepo felt incredulous as he looked into the man's honest eyes. What was he talking about?!