In his previous life, during the great war between the Human Race and the monsters, not all human elites fought for their own kind. Many families and factions betrayed humanity, aligning themselves with the Abyssal Demon Realm to become the monsters’ lackeys.
The James Family, backing The World Guild, was one of them.
In the past, the James Family had been among the first to betray the Human Race. Their treachery led to a massacre, where hundreds of thousands of human players were surrounded and slaughtered by monsters due to the information they leaked to the Abyssal Demon Realm.
It wasn’t until much later that their betrayal was exposed, but by then, the James Family had escaped with their wealth, thanks to the protection of the monsters, fleeing to the Abyssal Demon Realm.
Before Luca’s rebirth, these traitors were still serving the monsters.
It causing countless deaths over the years.
Celephais, however, was oblivious to the shift in Luca’s tone. He assumed Luca was interested in his offer.
Crossing his arms, Celephais wore an arrogant expression, making no attempt to hide his superiority. “Since you know the James Family, you must also know the power we hold. I, Celephais, always keep my word. I wouldn’t cheat you over a little money.”
Dien chimed in as well, sneering, “Kid, if you agree to Celephais’s terms, not only will you get the money, but you’ll also be able to join The World Guild!”
“Our guild’s benefits are among the best in Summer Country, way better than Snowfall Guild!”
Ben’s fists tightened, trembling with rage at Dien’s insult.
Even Ada’s face darkened in anger.
Dien had truly crossed the line.
They had treated him fairly when he was with them.
But now, after just a few days, this scumbag was brazenly insulting their Snowfall Guild!
Luca remained unfazed by their attitudes.
He nodded slightly, saying, “So you’re from the James Family. Good. That’s all I needed to know.”
Celephais’s expression grew even more arrogant, confident in his victory.
“Now that we’ve cleared that up, hurry up and—”
Before he could finish his sentence.
A blinding crimson light erupted, followed by a surge of violent flames that filled Celephais’s vision.
His eyes widened in shock, disbelief flooding his face.
Boom!!!
A fiery serpent exploded outward.
Its searing heat consuming Celephais entirely.
-2419!
A massive damage number appeared, exceeding two thousand points.
Celephais didn’t even have time to respond. Luca’s Blazing Rune, activated at point-blank range, annihilated him in an instant.
His entire body shattered into countless fragments of light, dissolving into the air.
The fiery glow of the Blazing Rune in Luca’s hand slowly dissipated.
With a calm expression, he said, “Anyone from the James Family I see from now on, I’ll kill. You’re lucky—you were the first.”
Everyone around was left completely dumbfounded.
“Holy crap! Is this guy insane? He actually dared to kill Celephais?!”
“Luca’s a legend! He killed Celephais and still has the guts to call out the entire James Family!”
“Haha, serves him right! I’ve had enough of that guy. A bunch of arrogant jerks who think they own the place!”
“Sigh, the kid’s too impulsive. The World Guild won’t let him off easy.”
The crowd’s reactions were a mix of shock, amusement, admiration, and pity.
Though they didn’t know what kind of grudge Luca had against the James Family that made him willing to forgo millions just to kill Celephais, it didn’t stop them from admiring his sheer audacity.
Killing someone from the James Family? This guy was fearless!
“Kid, you’re dead!” Dien finally snapped out of his daze, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
He had hoped to impress Celephais by fending off Ben’s attack. But before he could even bask in that small victory, Celephais had been killed right in front of him by Luca.
Dien was so furious he could almost spit blood.
His rage boiled over, and with a roar, he swung his longsword toward Luca, desperate to redeem himself and exact revenge.
“You’re the one courting death,” Luca sneered. With a flash of light, his Black Steel Spear appeared in his hand.
Its shaft adorned with glowing red runes.
He raised the spear, prepared to send this lackey to join Celephais.
But just as he was about to strike, a figure flashed in front of Luca—Ben had stepped between them.
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed.
And Ben blocked Dien’s sword.
“Hahaha! Look at you, a little lapdog panicking because your master’s been killed!” Ben laughed as he parried Dien’s attack, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.
Celephais, the arrogant jerk who always looked down on everyone, had finally gotten what he deserved!
If the situation had allowed it, Ben would have popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate right there and then.
“Ben!” Dien growled through clenched teeth, infuriated that his attack had been thwarted.
Without another word.
He swung his sword wildly, determined to cut down Ben.
The sound of metal clashing filled the air as sparks flew in all directions.
But Ben’s strength wasn’t far below Dien’s, and the two were locked in a stalemate.
Frustrated and unable to land a decisive blow, Dien bellowed at the members of The World Guild behind him, “What are you waiting for? Get over here and kill them! Avenge Celephais!”
The World Guild members finally snapped out of their shock and moved forward, ready to gang up on Luca.
But just as they began to act, they froze in their tracks.
A tall, red-haired woman stood beside Luca, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
Catherine, her armor smeared with blood, stood there with an icy expression on her face. Her frosty voice cut through the air, “Let’s see who dares make a move.”
At the same time, Cassman, carrying his massive sword, approached from the other side, his body radiating a thick, murderous aura.
With a grim expression, Cassman growled, “Anyone who dares to move, dies.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The moment those words left his mouth, the sound of swords being unsheathed echoed across the area.
The Iron Mountain soldiers who had been watching silently all drew their weapons, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared down the members of The World Guild.
Caught off guard by the sudden threat from the NPCs, Dien and the players from The World Guild were left dumbfounded.
What the hell? What’s with these NPCs?
Weren’t they indifferent just a second ago? Why were they suddenly turning on us?
Luca, too, was slightly surprised, not expecting Catherine and Cassman to intervene.
Glancing over at the frontlines of the monster horde, he realized that the once ferocious attack had weakened significantly after the initial wave. The regular Iron Mountain soldiers were now able to hold their own.
Catherine and Cassman likely withdrew to recover their strength.
After all, professionals weren’t machines; warriors used up stamina, mages consumed mana, and every other class had similar limitations.
Cassman surveyed the group of players, his voice cold. “You brats actually have the nerve to stir up trouble at a time like this? Are you tired of living?”
“Get out of here now, or I’ll leave every one of you to feed the monsters!”
Dien, unwilling to back down, clenched his teeth and shouted, “He’s the one who attacked first! We were just—”
Before Dien could finish, Cassman’s eyes narrowed. Without any visible effort.
A golden sword slash suddenly cut through the air.
Dien’s words died in his throat.
A thin red line appeared across his neck.
-13,890!
A massive damage number floated above his head.
His eyes widened in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Before he could even react, his body disintegrated into particles of light, vanishing into thin air!
The entire scene fell into dead silence.
All the players stared at Cassman, who still held his massive sword, their eyes filled with awe and fear.
The damage dealt by this NPC was terrifying!
And to kill someone so swiftly without a second thought—it was downright ruthless!
The players from The World Guild were trembling in fear.
Their vice president, Celephais, was dead. Now Dien had been killed too!
How could they possibly seek revenge for their fallen leaders?
“Retreat!” one of the higher-ups of The World Guild wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly ordered a withdrawal back to Riverfall City. They would need to regroup and wait for word from Celephais’s superiors.
The rest of The World Guild’s players exhaled in relief.
Had they actually been forced to fight the Iron Mountain soldiers, they would have been slaughtered.
In their haste to flee, they didn’t even dare pick up the gear dropped by Celephais and Dien.
They fearing that Cassman or the Iron Mountain soldiers would finish them off as well.
As soon as The World Guild retreated, Cassman’s gaze shifted toward the Snowfall Guild siblings, Ben and Ada.
The message was clear: You should leave too.
Ben and Ada exchanged wry smiles, feeling no resentment. After all, it was true that they had initiated the confrontation. Cassman’s decision to let them off with just a warning was already a mercy.
With a sigh, they glanced at Luca, silently acknowledging that they’d have to find another way to invite him to join their guild later.
Luca, unaffected by everyone’s stares.
He stepped forward and casually picked up the equipment dropped by Celephais and Dien, examining them briefly.
Celephais had dropped a Bronze Grade ring, while the other item was Dien’s Black Iron Level longsword.
Talk about bad luck for those two.
Both the ring and the sword were far more valuable than ordinary equipment.
Luca stored the longsword, planning to sell it later for cash, but the Bronze Grade ring was something he could use right away.
[Sapphire Ring: Bronze Grade equipment, usable at lv10. Increases Spirit by 35, Mana by 200, and Mana regeneration speed by 10%.]
It seemed fitting that Celephais, the vice president of The World Guild, would own high-quality mage gear. No doubt he had spent a fortune to acquire this ring, but now it had conveniently fallen into Luca’s hands.
With that in mind, Luca equipped the Sapphire Ring.
He checked his status panel and saw that his Spirit had now risen to 540, and his mana pool had surpassed 6500.
Luca nodded in satisfaction.
This method of earning gear was much faster than grinding monsters!
If given the chance, he wouldn’t mind taking Celephais down a few more times in the future.
“Thanks for the help,” Luca finally turned, smiling as he expressed his gratitude to Cassman and Catherine.
Catherine smiled warmly, brushing it off.
Cassman waved a hand dismissively. “No problem. Besides, nothing’s worse in a battle than chaos in the rear. Removing those unstable elements is a benefit to us all.”
He then found a place to sit, his expression growing more serious.
“There’s something troubling me,” Cassman said in a low voice. “It’s been a while since we sent word back to Riverfall City. By now, reinforcements should have arrived, but we’ve seen no movement, and the messenger hasn’t returned either.”
He glanced at Luca and Catherine. “I suspect Miss Sophia might be facing some trouble. I need you and Catherine to head back and investigate. The Iron Mountain forces can’t hold out much longer. We need them to send reinforcements as soon as possible.”
Catherine nodded. “Luca and I will head back right away. The sooner we end this war, the better. The longer it drags on, the more we lose.”
As soon as they finished speaking, a quest notification appeared before Luca.
[Ding! You have triggered the quest “Request Reinforcements”!]
[Objective: Return to Riverfall City to investigate the situation and ensure that reinforcements are sent to support the Iron Mountain forces.]
[Rewards: Mithril Mage Spear (Silver), 300 Gold Coins!]