Claire, who was standing beside Daniel, knew that he had come for revenge, but she never expected that he would kill everyone involved without the slightest hesitation.
She was stunned.
With a flick of Daniel’s hand, two magical chests appeared in front of him.
Before making his move, he had deliberately avoided damaging these items, so the contents remained intact.
He took back what rightfully belonged to him.
Dick, who still had a breath left, knew his fate was sealed.
He stared at Daniel and shouted, “Daniel, don’t think killing us will solve everything! Our organization will never let you go! Your school will be razed to the ground, and you won’t die a peaceful death.”
“Oh? I’m looking forward to it,” Daniel scoffed.
With just a glance, Dick coughed up another mouthful of blood.
His internal organs were shattered, and the pain nearly caused him to faint.
Killing Dick was as easy for Daniel as swatting a mosquito.
But Dick’s words piqued his interest.
“Fine, I won’t kill you,” Daniel suddenly laughed. “Go ahead, call all those people you claim will destroy my school. I’m not interested in hunting them down one by one.”
Not only that, but Daniel also tossed a healing potion onto Dick, ensuring he wouldn’t die before summoning reinforcements.
Instead of dealing with them one by one, why not deal with them all at once?
Daniel had no time to waste.
“You’ll regret your arrogance today! They’ll come for me, and you’ll be slaughtered like a dog!” Dick screamed in desperation.
“Why slaughter a dog?” a mature female voice suddenly cut in.
Claire visibly shuddered at the sound of the voice.
A woman, around forty years old, had appeared in the air, dressed in black knight’s armor with her golden hair tied high.
Seeing her, Dick thought he had found salvation. “Lady Elise, it’s him! He destroyed our entire top floor and killed all the experts! Even poor Tina is dead. You must punish him severely. Oh, and he is…”
“I don’t like you,” Elise said, drawing the sword from her back.
She moved so swiftly that Claire couldn’t even see her draw the sword.
Dick’s head rolled onto the ground, still frozen in an expression of shock.
“Daniel,” Elise addressed him, “this was a mishap on behalf of the Dragonscale Bank Lakecity Branch. We deeply apologize.”
But Daniel’s gaze had already shifted behind her, where there was nothing to be seen.
However, Daniel sensed the presence of a hidden teleportation magic array.
If he attacked Elise, she could escape through it or summon reinforcements.
“Your powers are truly remarkable. I see you’ve already noticed the magic array,” Elise explained. “It’s not meant for you. It’s a magical effect bound by my elders.”
Daniel was growing impatient.
He snapped his fingers, and the air around them began to distort as a starry portal materialized.
“I can sell you more high-grade items,” Elise quickly added, fearing he would leave just like that. “Claire doesn’t have the authority, but I, as the new manager sent by the continental headquarters, can offer you treasures unavailable in Riverside City.”
That sparked Daniel’s interest.
He had already noticed something unusual about Elise.
Her voice and appearance suggested a plain middle-aged woman, but in reality, she was probably only eighteen or nineteen.
The mature exterior was merely the result of some magical artifact.
“Get to the point,” Daniel said bluntly. He had no patience for people who spoke in circles, like Elise, who had hidden meanings behind every word.
“The issue was caused by Dick acting on his own, leading to your losses. Your revenge is understandable. We don’t want to lose such a valuable customer, and we hope to continue our business with you.” Elise spoke professionally, her tone serious. “I believe we can sit down and discuss the specific categories of items in detail.”
Daniel stared at her face. In his eyes, beneath Elise’s ordinary features was a younger face, one desperately trying to appear more mature.
“Fine, you can ask Claire about my specific requests, and she’ll handle the transactions,” Daniel said, not wanting to hear any more.
The starry portal fully appeared, and Daniel stepped through, vanishing from sight.
Elise watched his back as he disappeared, then turned to Claire with a smile. “That Daniel is quite different from the intel, isn’t he? Have you gained his trust, Claire? Are you two close?”
“We have no personal relationship,” Claire replied, her head lowered. “Perhaps Daniel is just used to me handling these matters.”
“Then you’ll stay in Riverside City,” Elise’s voice grew colder. “You bear some responsibility for this incident as well. Don’t expect a promotion for the next ten years.”
One might have expected Claire to look dejected, but she merely nodded and stared at Dick’s severed head, lost in thought.
A woman who had always valued her career and advancement now seemed profoundly changed after witnessing the recent events.
The bank’s once-mighty experts were no match for someone as powerful as Daniel, who held their lives in his hands.
Claire now realized how meaningless her prior ambitions were.
True power was the only thing that mattered. Elise’s reprimand didn’t bother her.
“Yes, I’ll follow your instructions,” Claire said with a bow.
She didn’t want to leave Riverside City. It was the perfect place to hone her own strength.
“You know your place,” Elise replied. “Now, let’s discuss the new supply of materials for Riverside City.”
A soundproof magic array rose around them.
Several Dragonscale Bank employees began cleaning and repairing the scene.
Dick’s body was incinerated like trash, leaving no trace.
The same fate befell the other dead experts, their existence erased as if they had never been.
Half a day later, the damage to Dragonscale Bank was fully repaired.
The incident was over, as if it had never happened.
After handling the situation, Elise waved Claire away.
As she did, a spectral figure appeared behind her.
“Were you able to assess Daniel’s strength?” Elise asked, her shrewd expression fading to reveal the youthful innocence beneath.
“I could not. He may have used magic to conceal his power,” the metallic voice rasped, as if scraping against metal. “But he’s at least above tier-master level. His soul is incredibly powerful.”
“That’s what I thought,” Elise said, frowning. “For someone as skilled as Daniel to show up in an obscure place like Riverside City…”
“It seems the astrological predictions are true. The greatest upheaval in the past century is coming.”
“Master,” the metallic voice continued, “based on my analysis, Daniel does not like your disguise or your way of speaking. I suggest altering your approach with him in the future. Avoid making him an enemy, and strongly consider building a friendship.”
“I understand,” Elise nodded. “The chaos is coming, and we must be prepared.”
Daniel, unaware of what transpired after he left, didn’t care.
Upon returning to the academy, the first thing he did was check on the injured.
Bighead Stone had fully recovered, and the others were nearly healed under the Greater Blessing.
“These are for them,” Daniel said, handing out a dozen mana stones. “They can strengthen the body, increase resistance to magic and physical attacks, and enhance speed.”
He added, “Those who participated in the mission will receive an additional half-year supply of mana stones.”
Lady Isolde immediately agreed.
She now admired Daniel immensely.
Where she once might have silently criticized his more exaggerated actions, she now followed his every command without question.
“Add a safety course to the curriculum,” Daniel ordered. “All teachers and students must attend!”
“The course will cover how to protect oneself in dangerous situations. Everyone must master the use of escape magic arrays.”
Daniel admired Bighead Stone and the others for their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the academy, but he didn’t want such things to happen again. Staying alive was the most important thing. Once you were dead, it was all over. Even if Daniel avenged them, the dead could not be brought back. He preferred to see his subordinates alive and well.