Chương 14: The One with the Scythe

Ch 14 - The One with the Scythe The mechanical whir sounded as the game capsule's lid slowly lifted. Toma immediately pushed the cover open with more force, then quickly pulled off the helmet he had been wearing. Without wasting another second, he jumped out of the game capsule the moment he spotted the blond-haired boy with the large nose already standing in the doorway of the room.

"You're not getting away, Toma. You have to pay for what you did!" the boy shouted as he rushed toward him. Toma reacted at once. He grabbed the shopping bag lying nearby and threw it straight at the boy. The boy stumbled as the groceries burst out of the bag, scattering all over the floor. Toma quickly slipped beneath the boy's arm while he was still trying to recover his balance, then immediately took off running. He escaped through the crowded area around him without slowing down.

A moment later, he rushed out of the game center, only to find two other boys already waiting for him outside.

"Toma! You've got some nerve! You're dead!" A faint smile appeared on Toma's face as he sprinted directly toward them, making both of them freeze in surprise. The moment they got close enough, they reached out to grab him. But Toma simply ducked and shoved one of them into the other. The impact knocked them both off balance, though they managed to stay on their feet. The other boy immediately tried to catch Toma as well.

However, Toma swiftly planted a foot on the first boy's knee, then pushed himself upward and flipped cleanly over him. He landed smoothly and glanced back at the two boys.

"Make sure you can actually keep up before you try chasing me, okay?" he said with a grin. Then he took off again, racing down the sidewalk before turning into another street. The two boys continued chasing after him, but Toma had complete confidence in his speed and endurance. He had spent years practicing balance tricks, doing physical work, and building stamina. Compared to those spoiled kids, they never stood a chance. They were really this determined to track Toma down.

They had even found the exact room where he had logged into the game. Was the owner of this game center really such a jerk that he would reveal where his customers were playing? This was seriously ridiculous. Even worse, what if this game center actually belonged to that monkey? Toma suddenly spotted two men in black suits standing farther ahead in the direction he was running. Both of them turned their eyes toward him.

"Damn! He even brought his men!" The two men immediately sprinted toward him. He glanced over his shoulder. The two boys were still chasing him from behind, while the suited men were closing in from the front. Toma quickly stepped back and changed direction, sprinting into a narrow alley instead. The two men were much faster and clearly far fitter than those spoiled boys. At least this way, he might be able to put some distance between them. But as he ran deeper into the alley, his heart sank.

The other two boys had already circled around and were waiting at the opposite end.

"Damn." Toma quickly turned behind a building as the two suited men continued chasing right behind him. A grin spread across his face as he dashed past a large dumpster. He grabbed it with both hands and shoved it hard, spilling piles of garbage across the alley. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"You little brat!" one of the men shouted. The alley was supposed to be a dead end. A wall nearly as tall as a one-story building blocked the path ahead. However, the gap between the two walls on either side of the alley was narrow enough. Toma gritted his teeth and accelerated. At the last moment, he jumped toward the wall on the right, pushed off it, then sprang to the wall on the left.

He kept bouncing from one wall to the other, forcing power into every jump until, with one final leap, his fingers caught the top edge of the wall. Using both hands, he pulled himself up and climbed onto the top. Once he was safely above, he glanced back and saw one of the suited men hurling a trash can lid at him. Toma tilted his head to the side, effortlessly avoiding the flying lid.

"Better luck next time," he said with a laugh. The other boys caught up a moment later.

"Idiots! Go after him! Climb over!" The two men in black suits glanced at each other before moving in as well. One of them cupped his hands while the other used the boost to grab the top of the wall. Toma remained where he was, gripping the trash can lid in both hands. It was obvious the man hesitated to pull himself up, knowing Toma was ready to smack him the moment he did. Instead, Toma simply hurled the lid at the two men. Both of them instinctively ducked out of the way.

Toma laughed, then turned and ran across the top of the wall. A short distance later, he jumped down onto the other side and immediately sprinted away before they could catch up. Some time later, he finally arrived in front of his house.

"Damn... the groceries," he muttered under his breath. Toma opened the front door and found someone sitting in the living room, eating a cup of instant noodles.

"Where have you been? You smell like garbage. And what happened to your clothes?" Lina asked.

"I stopped by the game center for a while," Toma replied.

"I was about to starve to death waiting for you," she added.

"I ran into a little problem." He closed the door behind him.

"Go take a shower. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow instead. Let's just stay in and talk tonight. What do you think? I even bought plenty of drinks. I need to finish them anyway. Come have a few with me. You're an adult now, aren't you?"

"No thanks. I happen to like my kidneys."

"Oh, shut up. Caring about your kidneys is a luxury only rich people can afford."

"I may not be rich, but at least I've got a healthy body," he said with a grin.

"You seriously need to loosen up and start acting like an adult. You're still acting like some innocent little kid."

"Alright. I'll drink with you... but only a little." ** The meeting was being held in a brightly lit hall with walls painted in white and blue. Banners hung around the room, and a large round table stood at the center. A man with neatly combed blond hair stood beside it, wearing a white cape over a blue outfit. Several other players occupied the same room. He slammed both hands onto the table.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" His face burned with frustration and anger. Above his head floated the player name [Justhole].

"They're complete idiots! They never think before they act. This isn't the first time they've caused trouble. Not only did they fail to secure the Core, they also picked a fight with the Eighth Prince?!" His irritated gaze swept across everyone in the room.

"What information do we have?" One of the players immediately answered.

"I've already analyzed the recorded footage. The prince should still be alive out there, but if he returns to the palace and turns this into a major incident, we'll have a serious problem."

"We can simply kick those idiots out of the guild and deny any responsibility for what they did," another player suggested.

"Our guild's reputation comes first."

"But..." someone else spoke up.

"I think there was a third party at the monster raid." Justhole raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone ambushed the raid boss and landed the final blow. I think it was a third party waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal the kill." Justhole narrowed his eyes.

"The area where that raid boss spawned is extremely dangerous. High-level monsters roam all over the place. Anyone who could get there should be a high-level player. Do we know who it was?"

"The player used a massive scythe. With a single skill, they dealt an incredible amount of damage. I think it shouldn't be too difficult to identify someone with that kind of fighting style."

"A single scythe skill dealt that much damage?" Justhole muttered. He continued.

"Someone does come to mind. Their skills match that description... but I don't think they'd have any reason to hunt a Level 95 raid boss." Justhole clenched both fists again, his eyes burning with anger.

"We're dealing with two problems right now," he said, his voice firm.

"Mobilize every member of the guild. Sweep the entire area. Find Caelan's whereabouts. And while you're at it, find the player who stole the kill from our target." He fell silent for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.

"If someone has the nerve to interfere with our operation, then they're declaring war. And I'm not the kind of person who sits back while someone challenges us." Another heavy silence settled over the hall.

"Crush them. Leave nothing behind. We'll make the first move before they get the chance."