- Day 15 Passed -
[ ● Mana + 130, Martial power + 6 ]
The man in the cloak stood by the corner of the alley, his sharp gaze fixed on Gandolf. Three days had passed, and no word of his encounter with the Arch Mage had reached the ears of Duke Orwin.
It was enough confirmation for the cloaked man—Gandolf was hostile to the heroes, or at the very least, sympathetic to a more... pragmatic approach.
The man smiled under his hood. Now was the time to put Gandolf to the test.
"You didn't report our little conversation to Orwin," the man said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "That pleases me. It tells me you're not... bound by his ideals."
Gandolf, arms crossed, regarded the man with a cool expression. "I have no love for heroes or their mission. I told you, I act on my own terms."
The man in the cloak nodded, stepping closer. "Good. Then perhaps you'll be interested in a little... test." He gestured southward, towards the outskirts of the city. "There's a clan that's been causing us problems. A group of thieves that pretend to be righteous, robbing the rich and supposedly giving to the poor."
"What clan?" Gandolf asked, his tone unbothered.
"They call themselves the Dusk Vipers," the man explained. "They've been obstructing our business for months—raiding our supplies, intercepting our merchants, and feeding the city's unwanted. It's bad for trade. They operate from the slums, near the southern mountains. Our organization has been... inconvenienced."
Gandolf's eyes narrowed. He knew this was more than just a simple test of loyalty; it was an elimination of competition. But he was not one to care for moral debates. "You want them wiped out?"
"Exactly," the man said, grinning beneath his cloak. "Think of it as a way to prove yourself. Show us you're truly willing to do what needs to be done."
Gandolf didn't flinch. His mind was already calculating, devising a plan. "Before I deal with your problem, there's something I need appraised. A staff I obtained... from a goblin king. But I don't want it done through official channels."
The cloaked man paused for a moment, his curiosity piqued. "A goblin king's staff, you say? Impressive. I know an appraiser who can handle even national treasures, but..." He trailed off, watching Gandolf carefully. "I can't reveal who they are or where to find them. Not yet. Trust must be earned."
Gandolf smirked slightly. "Fair enough."
Later that evening, Gandolf stood on the outskirts of the slums, his dark robes billowing in the cold mountain wind. He gazed down upon the makeshift homes and tattered buildings that lined the edge of the city.
The Dusk Vipers were scattered throughout the area, their members numbering over a hundred, but Gandolf wasn't here for a drawn-out battle. No, he had something much more efficient in mind.
He raised his hand, drawing upon his knowledge from Earth. There was no need for grand gestures or complex incantations. Instead, he focused on the air itself, manipulating it to create a toxic mixture that would end the Dusk Vipers' existence in mere seconds.
He began forming hydrogen cyanide, a colorless gas that could suffocate his enemies without them even realizing what was happening.
Gandolf smirked as he activated a simple heat-detection spell, his eyes glowing faintly as he scanned the area.
The figures of the Dusk Vipers lit up like red blurs in his vision, their heat signatures giving away their exact positions. (His cold gaze followed them as he slowly spread the gas.) He could direct the gas toward their lungs with precision.
Taking a deep breath, Gandolf released the spell silently, implanting the gas directly into the lungs of the scattered Dusk Vipers. His magic was subtle, delicate, and unseen. The effects, however, were immediate.
One by one, the Vipers began to choke, their hands clawing at their throats as they collapsed onto the dirt.
Their bodies writhed for mere moments before going still, their deaths quiet and swift. The entire process lasted less than a minute. Those nearby who witnessed the scene stood in horror, murmuring in disbelief.
"Did you see that? He didn't even chant..."
"He's not even moving, but they're... they're dropping like flies."
"That's the Arch Mage? What kind of spell is this?"
Gandolf remained motionless, his face impassive as the gas continued to spread, infecting the lungs of every Dusk Viper in the vicinity.
The spell he used wasn't powerful by any mage's standard—just a simple wind manipulation to create a deadly compound. But it was his knowledge from Earth that made the spell so effective, so lethal.
The onlookers had no idea they were witnessing a mere 3rd-circle spell disguised as a grand, chantless attack.
Within minutes, the entire Dusk Viper clan lay dead in the streets. Gandolf surveyed the scene with cold efficiency. There was no glory in this, no righteousness—just results.
As he turned to leave, a group of guards and local bystanders began to gather, their whispers growing louder.
"Did you see that? He killed them all without saying a word..."
"Is that what an Arch Mage can do? I've never seen anything like it."
Among the crowd, a woman's sobbing pierced through the murmurs. "My brother... he wasn't a thief. He was one of them, but he was innocent!" Her cries were filled with anguish.
Others shared quieter sentiments, their voices tinged with regret. "Not all of them deserved this... some were only part of the clan to survive."
Gandolf heard them, but their words didn't sway him. His expression darkened as he whispered under his breath, "It was a necessary sacrifice."
Several onlookers turned to him, their faces filled with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Necessary? You murdered innocents!"
Gandolf's gaze remained cold, unmoved by their accusations. "If they had chosen differently, perhaps they'd still be alive. The world doesn't care for innocence."
As he walked back toward the city's center, the cloaked man emerged from the shadows once more, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Incredible," he breathed. "Not a single chant. Not a single wasted movement. I had estimated your abilities, but this... you truly are something else."
Gandolf met the man's gaze, his expression unreadable. "The Dusk Vipers won't be causing you any more trouble."
The man in the cloak chuckled, a low, satisfied sound. "Indeed, they won't. You've more than proven yourself, Gandolf. I think we're going to get along just fine."
Gandolf's eyes flickered for a moment, his mind still calculating his next move. He had eliminated the Dusk Vipers with ease, but he knew this was only the beginning.
The man in the cloak would have more tasks for him, more tests. And each time, Gandolf would rise to the challenge, not because he cared for the cloaked man's schemes, but because it brought him closer to his true goal.
As they parted ways, Rain who's disguised as Gandolf couldn't help but smirk. The man in the cloak had no idea what he was truly dealing with. For now, Gandolf would play along. But soon enough, the game would be his to control.
*Ding! [ Threat has increased to Rank B, D ranks and below unintelligent creatures will instinctively feel fear from you. ]