Slaughter and Provocation

Death was drawing near—

When Klud Laval noticed through the "Mage's Eye" that the terrifying black shadow had suddenly begun moving and was rapidly flying straight toward him, he immediately understood.

Something had gone wrong!?! They had definitely discovered him!

But realizing it now was clearly far too late. The Laval Consortium heir, who had already exchanged for the Novice Mage Apprentice enhancement and even used several hundred extra Universal Points acquired in advance to successfully enter the Second Tier, was drenched in sweat. Yet he still remained relatively clear-headed—he could not run. At this point, he could only fight to the death!

But in the brief interval before the other party arrived, he had only managed to set up a defensive spell and summon several trusted users at his side, acting as his "guards"!

Then—when that "black shadow," flickering like a silhouette within black flames, descended, it took only a few minutes for the small public camp of at least a hundred people to be utterly "crushed" beneath it without suspense!

The other party had clearly not even reached him yet, but Klud had already shut his eyes in agony!

It felt as though his heart were bleeding!

This independent forward camp had been established through the cooperation of several financial conglomerates. It even included "investment" from the Territorial Guardianship Bureau, as well as more than a hundred users, mainly from the various families—

The man born into a financial dynasty knew very well that this loss would likely mean far more than simply "dying" once!

A faint sulfur-like scent carried in his bloodline now permeated the air.

Basim stepped over fallen tents, letting the tattered old boots on his feet crush alike the scattered debris and the black shrubs that had clearly only recently been cut down, leaving