Chapter 324 (Patreon)

An hour earlier, while the convoy had only just begun leaving the lawless city behind, Rose Light moved alone through its twisting alleys.

The city smelled foul in the morning she would never used to. Rotting food. Old blood baked into stone. Sweat. Smoke. And underneath all of it, the scent of desperation that seemed permanently carved into the place itself.

Rose ignored it all.

Her boots stepped soundlessly over muddy stone as distant voices echoed through the narrow streets. Merchants were beginning to shout prices. Drunkards staggered back toward whatever holes they crawled out from. Somewhere nearby, a woman screamed before the sound abruptly stopped.

The lawless city was completely woken up. And Rose hated every inch of it. Not because it was cruel. Cruelty existed everywhere. No, what irritated her was something simpler.

Greed.

The guards at the entrance had taken advantage of them. They had smiled while demanding a ridiculous entrance fee, inflating the price because they thought a traveling convoy from another kingdom would simply tolerate it to avoid trouble.

Per wagon. Per person. Even the giant lizard beasts had practically been taxed.

Rose had paid calmly at the time. She always did. People often mistook silence for surrender.

That mistake tended to become expensive. Her green cloak shifted softly behind her as she slipped into one of the narrow alleyways beside the inner wall of the city. The sounds of the main streets faded immediately, replaced by dripping water and the scratching of rats hidden somewhere in the dark.

Rose’s expression remained calm. Cold and focused.

She had already planned everything the night before. Countless simulations before she pulled it off.

The location of the treasury chamber. The guards’ patrol rotations. The blind corners. The timing between shift changes.

Escape routes.

Technically, she did not even need half the information. Once she activated her stealth skill, ordinary people became almost blind to her existence.

Still, preparation mattered.

A careless fighter died loudly. A careful one survived long enough to become feared. Rose stepped forward and whispered softly,“[Body Fade].”

Her body dissolved instantly. Not invisible. Something stranger. Like mist wearing the shape of a human. The edges of her figure blurred unnaturally, melting into the air until even the sound of her breathing vanished. The morning wind passed through her cloak without resistance as she moved deeper into the restricted district.

A pair of armed thugs turned the corner ahead carrying spears. Rose calmly deactivated the skill for only a second while hidden behind a pillar, conserving mana, then activated it again the moment they looked her way.

No wasted energy. That was one of the first lessons she learned. Mana exhaustion killed more warriors than swords ever did.

Rose eventually reached the inner section built directly into the massive red walls surrounding the city gate. The deeper she went, the quieter it became. Fewer guards. Better equipment. Stronger runes carved into the stone itself.

The city clearly protected its money better than its people. Finally, she stopped before a reinforced metal door covered in glowing protective runes.

Rose observed it quietly.

Lines of blue light pulsed across the surface like veins beneath skin. Layered enchantments. Alarm arrays. Barrier formations.

Strong enough to stop most thieves. Not strong enough to stop her. Rose placed one hand against the cold metal. She could disable the runes properly but it would take too long.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She had no choice. It would be hard for her to catch up to their wagons.

“No time,” she muttered.

The hallway around her remained empty. Rose slowly unsheathed the longsword strapped against her back. 

The moment the longsword left its scabbard, orange light spread across the steel like flowing magma beneath glass. The temperature around her seemed to rise instantly. Dust lifted from the floor as pressure flooded the narrow corridor.

The sword hummed.

Hungry.

Rose inhaled once.

Then spoke.

“[Overwhelm].”

The aura erupting from her blade turned violent. She stabbed forward. The sword pierced directly into the center of the rune enchantments. 

Crack!

The sound echoed through the corridor like a mirror shattering across the sky. The glowing runes fractured instantly. Then it exploded.

The reinforced door followed a heartbeat later, breaking apart into twisted fragments of metal that blasted inward alongside a wave of dust and shattered stone.

Alarm bells immediately rang throughout the district.

Almost deafening.

Rose calmly stepped through the debris while waving one hand in front of her face against the dust cloud. Inside the vault room stood multiple heavy vaults lined against the walls, each marked with different symbols and reinforced with thick iron bindings.

Most thieves would hesitate.

Rose simply walked straight toward the largest vault in the far corner. Years ago, during another mission inside the city, one particularly drunk guard had attempted to impress her with information while flirting badly.

Men revealed astonishing secrets when they believed a beautiful woman found them interesting.

Because of that idiot, Rose already knew exactly which vault held the highest amount.

Large. Dark bronze. Third from the left.

She reached it without hesitation. The vault itself was massive, nearly half her height and heavy enough that ordinary men would struggle to move it.

Rose wrapped thick rope around it, tightened the knot once, then lifted the entire thing onto her back with terrifying ease.

The wooden floor beneath her boots cracked slightly from the weight.

Still, she did not even bother checking the contents. If this was the correct vault, the amount inside would be enough to fund an army for months.

The alarm bells outside became louder. Shouting erupted nearby. Boots thundered through corridors. Someone screamed about an intruder.

Rose sighed softly. “Faster than expected. They improved from last time."

She activated [Body Fade] again.

Her body dissolved back into mist just as armed men stormed past the hallway entrance carrying crossbows and curved blades.

None of them noticed the invisible figure carrying an entire vault across her back. One guard even brushed shoulders with her and continued running. Rose walked calmly through the chaos while the entire district descended into panic around her.

Somewhere behind her, men were yelling orders.

Others accused each other. A few were already terrified enough to think some legendary assassin had infiltrated the city.

Rose almost smirked. Then she slipped past the outer walls beneath the growing morning sunlight and disappeared into the desert winds, carrying the city’s stolen fortune like a phantom returning from a hunt.

By the time she rejoined the convoy later that morning, not a single student suspected their commander had just robbed one of the most dangerous cities on the continent.

…..

Ghin awoke to the sound of alarm bells echoing across the lawless city. The noise was loud enough to shake the windows of his large room.

Beside him, the three women sprawled across the enormous bed stirred awake with soft groans of annoyance. Silk blankets slipped across bare skin as one of them muttered curses beneath her breath.

Ghin clicked his tongue.

“What now…” he muttered.

The bells continued ringing.

Not the kind used for drunken brawls or murders in the lower districts. Those happened too often to deserve alarms.

This one meant something important had been touched. Something valuable.

Ghin slowly pushed himself upright from the bed, the wooden frame groaning beneath his massive weight. He was a huge man even past his prime, broad shoulders still carrying the remains of monstrous strength earned through decades of violence. His stomach pushed slightly against his skin now, softened by expensive food and too much alcohol, but nobody in the city dared mistake that for weakness.

Not after seeing what those hands could do.

One of the women wrapped her arms around him lazily.

“Stay,” she murmured sleepily.

Ghin snorted,“Sorry, ladies,” he said while stretching his thick neck until it cracked loudly. “Someone’s trying to irritate me this early in the morning.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “It’s probably one of those two faction master bastards again.”

The women immediately lost interest after hearing that. Nobody liked hearing about faction skirmish before sunrise.

Ghin stood from the bed and walked toward the basin near the corner of the room, splashing cold water over his face. The water rolled down thick scars covering his chest and shoulders, remnants of battles fought long before he became one of the rulers of the lawless city.

He slowly dressed himself in layers of dark expensive clothing lined with gold stitching. Rings slid onto his fingers one by one. Heavy boots followed. By the time he opened the chamber doors, the lazy drunken man from moments earlier had vanished.

What stepped outside was one of the three monsters ruling the lawless city.

Several armed guards immediately straightened themselves.

One of them bowed deeply and spoke quickly.“Boss! Someone broke into the treasury room inside the walls!”

Ghin frowned. His footsteps stopped.

“Which treasury?”

“The gate collection vaults.”

Ghin scratched his beard once. If it was only coin, then this likely was not one of the other faction masters after all. They preferred territory, influence, or dungeon items. Stealing coin directly felt too… petty.

Still.

Anyone bold enough to rob him deserved attention. He continued walking down the hallway while asking calmly, “How much?”

The guard swallowed nervously. “The most expensive vault, sir.”

Ghin stopped completely. The hallway suddenly felt colder. Several guards nearby lowered their heads instinctively.

Ghin’s face slowly twisted into irritation. Not rage. Something worse. Offended pride.

“That vault contained almost this entire year’s collection,” he said quietly.

The guard nodded shakily. Ghin sighed deeply through his nose. “Then we have no choice,” he muttered. “We will kill the thief publicly.”

His voice remained calm, but every guard nearby stiffened.

In the lawless city, people feared Ghin most when he spoke softly. He stepped onto the outer balcony overlooking the waking city below. Red morning sunlight stretched across the desert beyond the walls while alarm bells still rang through the districts.

Ghin placed two thick fingers into his mouth and whistled sharply.

The sound pierced through the air unnaturally far. A heartbeat later, movement exploded across the tops of the walls. Hundreds of dark birds suddenly spread their wings at once, taking flight into the sky like a living storm of feathers.

Crows. Dust hawks. Black desert scavengers. Ordinary people saw only birds.

Ghin saw through every one of their eyes. The wind brushed against his bald head as his pupils shifted strangely, reflecting flickers of distant skies and moving landscapes.

The desert appeared before him. Stretching endlessly beneath the dawn.

Tracks. Wagons. Movement.

Then suddenly…

Ghin smiled,“There you are.”

One of the guards beside him tensed.

“You found them, boss?”

“Not them,” Ghin corrected quietly.

“Her.”

His eyes glittered strangely beneath the morning light. “She’s alone.”

The guards exchanged uneasy glances.

Alone?

Someone robbed him alone?

Ghin’s smile widened further. “And she’s carrying the vault on her back.”

Even he sounded impressed now. The thief moved quickly across the desert sands, faster than most mounted riders. Fast enough that ordinary pursuers would never catch her before she disappeared into the wastelands.

But Ghin noticed something else. Her movements remained poise and precise. Like someone completely confident they could escape.

That immediately made his instincts uneasy. “This could be a trap,” Ghin muttered.

One of the guards frowned. “A trap, sir?”

Ghin nodded slowly. “Anyone stupid enough to rob us usually dies before reaching the gate.” His eyes narrowed further. “This one broke reinforced runes, stole the correct vault immediately, then escaped alone.”

The morning winds howled across the balcony. “She either has a death wish…”

His smile slowly faded. “…or she’s very dangerous.”

Ghin turned sharply toward the guards.

“Call the Death Squads.”

The men visibly stiffened. Even among criminals, the Death Squads were feared.

“And prepare my mount,” Ghin continued while rolling his shoulders. “I’ll handle this personally.”

One guard hesitated.

“Boss… what if it really is one of the other faction masters?”

Ghin cracked his knuckles loudly. “Then the lawless city will be known tomorrow to be ruled by two factions.”

Post note:

Scenes before the clash!

2nd chap of the week.

Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂

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