"So this is the place, huh?" Kai stood right at the edge of a narrow alleyway where the evening shadows seemed to swallow the remaining daylight.
Kravengard has marble towers in the upper districts, but it was easily one of the worst places to live if a person lacked a fat coin pouch or a noble title.
Down here in the slums, anyone could be mugged or killed for a pair of slightly used boots at any given time of the day.
There were no lanterns or patrolling guards to keep the peace, only the harsh reality of survival.
Walking down the unpaved street, Kai navigated around people who were either lying completely still in the filth or twitching uncontrollably from cheap narcotics.
A few desperate beggars watched his approach with hungry eyes. Some even stepped forward to try to faze him into handing over a copper coin.
He did not give a single fuck about their problems.
Keeping his head facing forward, he ignored their pleading voices and kept moving.
'Let me finish this quickly,' Kai thought, keeping his mind focused on the promised reward waiting for him back at the tavern.
Stopping in front of a small, crumbling building right in the middle of the mess, he pushed the wooden door open.
Surprisingly, there was zero security guarding the entrance.
Only one guy sat inside behind a rotting desk, acting like a makeshift receptionist for a criminal enterprise.
The man wore oversized clothes that did not suit his skinny frame at all.
He possessed the kind of face that practically begged for a punch.
"The fuck are you supposed to be?" the thug asked.
He leaned back in his creaky chair while trying to look intimidating.
"Are you Shiro?" Kai asked, keeping his tone perfectly conversational.
"What business does a punk like you have with the boss?" he sneered, spitting on the floorboards to show his disrespect.
Channelling a tiny bit of mana into his palm, Kai formed a sharp ice particle and flicked his wrist.
The frozen projectile crossed the room in a blink, piercing halfway into the man's chest before he even registered the movement.
The receptionist fell out of his chair and crashed hard onto the dirty floor.
"Guh," the thug groaned, clutching his bleeding chest while his eyes widened in terror.
Walking over, Kai stood there looking down at the panting man.
"Let us try this again. Are you Shiro?"
"The boss is in the market," he gasped out. The pain completely replaced his previous arrogance.
"Please, I am just a handyman."
"Alright," Kai replied calmly.
"Which market?"
"The one near the town hall," he choked out, coughing up a small splatter of blood.
Nodding his head, Kai patted the guy's shoulder and turned toward the exit.
Picking up a faded photo of a bald man from the desk, he casually walked toward the door.
Enhanced hearing picked up the sound of shuffling behind him.
The thug was quickly crawling toward a communication stone on the floor, clearly intending to alert his boss.
Without even turning around, Kai formed another ice shard and sent it flying backwards. It pierced straight through the man's eye and scrambled his brain, ending his life instantly.
Leaving loose ends was a terrible idea in this world.
The town hall market was a completely different beast compared to the slums.
Here, the air smelled of meat, exotic spices, and expensive perfumes worn by the upper-class citizens who came down to shop.
Bright lanterns illuminated the square, casting a glow over the endless rows of colourful vendor tents.
Having a sprawling sea of bodies moving in every direction actually made the job significantly easier.
Blending into a dense crowd offered the perfect cover to hunt someone without drawing unwanted attention.
Walking into the bustling square, Kai held the stolen photo in his palm and started scanning the endless flow of merchants and shoppers. F
inding one specific face in a crowd of thousands took a frustrating thirty minutes of weaving through noisy stalls and dodging stray dogs.
Eventually, he spotted the target.
Shiro was a tall, bald guy without a single scar on his face.
The man was almost handsome in a rugged sort of way.
He stood near a fruit vendor with three armed guards behind him. They looked relaxed, completely unaware that a killer was currently analysing their defensive formation.
'Now how do I get him away from all these witnesses?' Kai thought, weighing his options carefully.
Attacking him directly in the open would draw the city guards.
A public brawl would ruin the peaceful night with Greta, and losing out on that hot bath was unacceptable.
Preparing a loose, unstable ball of ice in his palm, Kai hid behind a group of arguing shoppers.
He aimed carefully and threw the magic directly at the back of the bald head. Right before impact, he released his grip on the mana structure.
The ice melted into a splash of freezing water.
Bam.
"The fuck?" Shiro shouted, spinning around in pure confusion.
He was now totally wet, dripping cold water all over his expensive velvet coat. His guards drew their weapons, scanning the laughing crowd for the culprit. Finding a lone water mage in this chaos was practically impossible.
Cursing loudly, Shiro wiped his face and walked away from the crowded square to find a quiet place to take off his ruined clothes.
His three bodyguards followed closely on his heels. Kai kept his distance and shadowed them through the winding streets until they ducked into a secluded alleyway to change.
The minute they were isolated from the public eye, Kai made his move.
Stepping into the alley, he closed the distance before the first guard even heard his footsteps.
Reaching out, Kai grabbed his chin and snapped his neck with a brutal twist.
He dropped the limp body to the floor without making a sound.
The second guard turned his head just in time to catch the tip of an ice straight through his throat.
He gurgled quietly, sliding down the brick wall while clawing at the wood.
The third thug raised his sword, opening his mouth to yell for help.
Activating Hard Strike, Kai ducked under the swing and drove a fist directly into the man's spine.
A loud crack echoed off the alley walls as his back broke as the guard folded in half like a broken toy and collapsed onto the dirt.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
"Wha?" Shiro stammered.
He dropped his coat to the ground, staring at his dead crew in total disbelief.
But the shock did not last long.
His eyes started reddening with anger. A highly visible layer of mana began coating his entire body, coming in clutch right when he needed it.
The energy radiated off the debt collector in a menacing aura.
He was not just some basic street thug after all.