Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

"We're dealing with three gang strongholds tonight, the first one is just two blocks ahead."

"Teacher," she asked softly, "how...do we begin?"

Lance didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

[Summoning scout mosquitoes!]

A tiny mosquito appeared out of nowhere, almost invisible in the darkness.

Lance shared its vision while maneuvering it to fly towards the warehouse area ahead.

"Let me check the situation first," Lance said, gesturing for Lillian to follow. "Come with me, and keep quiet."

The two moved along the shadows and soon arrived near an abandoned two-story warehouse.

The warehouse windows were boarded up, but a faint light shone through the cracks in the door, and voices could be vaguely heard inside.

A scout mosquito slipped through the crack in the door.

The warehouse interior had been converted into makeshift living quarters. About twenty people were gathered in the lobby on the first floor.

Some were drinking, some were gambling, and a few were cleaning their weapons.

"Have you heard? The 'mysterious man' has gone mad again!"

A burly man with a fierce face took a big gulp of wine and said to his companion beside him,

"In just three days, thirteen gangs have been wiped out, and hundreds of people have died!"

"Yes," another thin man chimed in, his voice trembling with fear.

"Now everyone says that the 'Mysterious Man' is a gang killing machine! Once he targets you, no one survives."

"And every time they make a move, fog rolls in," the third person said in a low voice.

"My cousin's cousin was in the Red Rat Gang. My cousin told me that the night the Red Rat Gang was wiped out, the entire stronghold was suddenly shrouded in thick fog, and then people started falling one by one..."

"Stop talking!"

The first man interrupted him impatiently, but then looked around uneasily himself, thinking, "Damn it, that's giving me the creeps."

Outside the warehouse, Lance reclaimed the shared vision.

"Teacher?" Lillian asked softly.

"There are twenty-three people inside, all ordinary people, no professionals," Lance said. "Perfect for you to practice on. If Cecilia wants to go, she can come along too."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Sielsa and Lillian: "However, remember one thing: while ensuring your own safety, try to break their limbs and leave them alive."

Lillian paused for a moment, then asked, "Leave them alive?"

"Yes." Lance began casting a spell, a faint glow emanating from his fingertips. "I'll handle the final step."

[Cloud and Mist Technique!]

White mist surged from his hand, spreading rapidly and soon enveloping the entire warehouse area.

The fog wasn't particularly thick, but it was very effective at obscuring visibility in the night.

"Fog! It's foggy!"

Panic-stricken shouts came from inside the warehouse.

Lillian could hear the sounds of tables and chairs clattering and weapons being drawn, as well as hurried footsteps.

"Now," Lance said to the two men, "you go in through the back door. Deal with anyone who tries to escape first. Remember, break their limbs if possible, but don't kill them."

Cielsa nodded: "Yes, Lord Lance!"

Lillian took a deep breath, gripped her short sword, and circled around to the back door of the warehouse.

Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating, but her steps were steady; the instincts honed by years of military training were still helping her.

The back door of the warehouse is a dilapidated wooden door.

Lillian pressed her face against the crack in the door and saw three people inside trying to open a window.

"Quick! Get out of here!"

"This fog is strange..."

Lillian slashed the lock off the door with her sword and went inside.

The three of them turned around abruptly and saw a petite figure standing in the doorway.

One of them raised a dagger: "Who?!"

Lillian did not answer. She stepped forward, drew her short sword, and with clean and swift movements, used the Silvershine family swordsmanship personally taught by Arya.

A flash of sword light.

The first person screamed and fell down, his legs cleanly severed at the knees.

Lillian swung her sword twice in a backhand motion, severing both of his arms.

The other two were stunned; they hadn't expected this seemingly petite figure to be so ruthless.

"Damn it!" The second man swung his knife at him.

Lillian dodged to the side, her short sword piercing precisely into the opponent's shoulder joint, then flicking – the entire arm hung limply.

She then kicked the other person in the knee, and the sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

The third person clearly saw the difference in strength and turned to run away, but Cielsa had already appeared from the side.

The curved blade in her hand drew two arcs, and the man's Achilles tendons snapped, causing him to fall to the ground.

Blood splattered on their clothes and faces, warm and sticky.

Lillian stood there, breathing rapidly. Looking at the three incapacitated, groaning figures on the ground, her stomach churned.

Just then, Lance emerged from the mist. The scimitar in his hand gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

"Well done," Lance said, then swung his scimitar.

Three heads rolled to the ground. The screams abruptly ceased.

[Killed 3 level 0 human, gained 15 experience point!]

Current experience: 15/3000

The panel prompts flashed through Lance's mind.

"But you were too slow." Lance walked up to Lillian and wiped a drop of blood from her cheek. "You could have subdued the third person much faster. Cielsa shouldn't have had time to intervene for you."

Hesitation will bring you unnecessary danger.

Lillian bit her lip: "I...I'll improve."

Lance turned and walked toward the warehouse's main entrance: "Follow me, there are twenty more inside."

Inside the warehouse hall, gang members were in complete chaos. They couldn't see each other in the fog; all they could hear were their comrades' screams and the clashing of weapons.

Sielsa and Lillian moved through the mist like ghosts. Sielsa's scimitar targeted joints and tendons, while Lillian's short sword precisely severed bones in the limbs. The two worked in perfect harmony, one controlling the flow, the other crippling the opponent.

Screams echoed throughout the room.

Lance followed behind them like the scythe of death. Every time a member of the gang was subdued and fell to the ground, his scimitar or spell would follow, ending the opponent's life.

[Killed 5 level 0 human, gained 25 experience point!]

[Killed 3 level 0 human, gained 15 experience point!]

……

Current experience: 115/3000

The panel notifications keep refreshing.

Five minutes later, the warehouse hall fell silent. Twenty-three corpses lay on the floor, their blood staining the ground.

Lance retrieved some coins and valuable trinkets from the corpse and put them into his dimensional pocket.

"The next outpost is just outside Third Street," he said. "Stay close."

Over the next two hours, Lance and his two men wiped out two more gang strongholds.

The leader of the second stronghold was a level 1 wanderer who actually tried to ambush Cielsa in the fog, but how could Cielsa, who was both a half-elf and a ranger, be ambushed by him?

With a swift backhand slash, Cielsa severed the wanderer's wrist, followed immediately by Lillian's sword piercing his knee. Lance stepped forward and ended the battle with a single [Magic Blast].

[Slayed 1 Level 1 Human Wanderer, gained 25 experience points!]