Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

The remaining gang members scattered and fled, but most were intercepted and killed by Cielsa and Lillian—their legs were broken, and then Lance finished them off.

The girl's movements became more and more skillful. Although Lillian's face would still turn pale every time she saw Lance end his life, her hands no longer trembled.

Current experience: 250/3000

The third hideout was located in a narrow dead-end alley and was the hideout of a small smuggling gang.

The location was very secluded, and Lance didn't know its exact location at first. He had to use some methods to find out.

Inside the outpost, a thin young man was filled with anxiety.

Lance's voice rang directly in the leader's ear via [Communication] spell, making it impossible to discern its source: "Moritz, you hid well. Too bad, the person you trusted most betrayed you."

"Who's speaking?!" Leader Moritz—a level 2 warrior—suddenly stood up and grabbed the battle axe beside him.

"Dick!" He looked at the thin young man. "Did you... betray me?"

Dick jumped up in a panic: "No! I didn't—"

"Shut up!" Moritz roared. Although Dick didn't admit it, judging from Dick's reaction, he already knew the answer. "Dick, you..."

Just then, the stronghold gate was suddenly pushed open.

Lance stood in the doorway, a playful smile on his face.

Sissa and Lillian stood on either side of him, their weapons drawn.

"FBI! Open the door!"

Lance shouted excitedly, though no one could understand him.

Moritz snapped to attention, jumping up with a start: "...What are you babbling about? You're the 'mysterious man,' aren't you! How did you know we were here?!"

Moritz still harbored a sliver of hope.

Lance laughed: "Why don't you ask the person behind you?"

Moritz turned his head and saw Dick looking at him helplessly with a guilty expression.

"The intelligence... you gave it to him?!"

Moritz's voice trembled.

"It's me..."

"You gave it to him just because he asked for it?!"

"He insisted on..."

Dick lowered his head.

"You gave it to him just because he insisted?!"

Moritz raised his voice an octave, "When have I ever wronged you to the point that you would betray me!"

"You say you're a germaphobe? Fine, when it comes to women, I'll make you number one. Even I, the boss, have to wait my turn!"

"Just how much did you receive in bribes from the 'mysterious man'?!"

"He arrested my Modri, you know, he's my best brother."

"He promised me that as long as I told him your location, he would reunite me with Modri."

"So, in your heart, your best brother isn't me..." Moritz's expression darkened.

He then angrily shouted, "Idiot! Idiot! You're such an idiot! You're utterly stupid!"

He screamed in despair, "Do you think he'll keep his promise?!"

Dick looked up at Lance with hopeful eyes: "You will, won't you?"

"Of course," Lance replied with a smile, "I keep my promises the most, and I will reunite you two star-crossed lovers right now."

Then he raised his hand.

[Aard Sign!]

An invisible force field slammed into Dick's chest. The young man's eyes widened as he flew backward, crashing heavily against the wall before falling to the ground, lifeless.

[Killed 1 level 0 human, gained 5 experience point!]

"And now, there's you..." Lance looked at Moritz, "You two will be together soon."

Moritz roared and charged forward, raising his battle axe.

The level 2 warrior's high health makes him much more resilient than ordinary people, allowing him to move even under the impact of the [Aard Sign].

But Lance simply took a step back, gesturing to Lillian, "This is for you to practice on."

Lillian paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and stepped forward. She gripped her sword with both hands, assuming the starting stance of the Silver Glow Sword Technique—[Blazing Thrust].

Although she can't yet imbue her sword with flames like her mother, her stances are still quite impressive.

Moritz's battle axe cleaved down with tremendous force.

Although Lillian was stronger than him, she did not take the blow head-on. Instead, she dodged to the side and thrust her longsword at his armpit like a venomous snake.

The sword tip pierced through the leather armor and into the flesh.

Moritz grunted, but didn't stop, swinging his battle axe. Lillian ducked to dodge, then followed up with a swift strike to his leg.

Blood gushed out. Moritz staggered back, fear finally showing in his eyes.

"Who...who are you?!" he roared.

Lance stood to the side, arms crossed: "'The Mysterious Man,' 'Gang Killer'—aren't those the nicknames you gave me?"

Moritz looked at Lillian, then suddenly knelt down: "Please...please let me go! I can give you money, lots of money!"

Lillian tightened her grip on her sword and turned to look at Lance.

Lance raised his hand, his fingertips glowing with a ghastly green light.

[Magic Blast!]

The beam pierced Moritz's forehead. His eyes widened, and he fell backward.

[Defeat 1 Level 2 Human Warrior, gain 50 experience points!]

He walked up to the remaining gang members in the stronghold. The men were terrified and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.

"Spare us, sir! We're just lowly minions!"

"We haven't killed anyone! Really!"

Lance looked at them and suddenly laughed: "How ridiculous."

He raised his hand, and the magical light of the [Aard Sign] gathered in his palm.

"Wait, I'm willing to pay for my life!"

"Can the lives of ordinary people be compared to the lives of professionals like us?!"

One of the professional members suddenly roared, as if trying to make a final struggle before death.

"We are professionals! We are superior to them!"

Lance chuckled and cast the spell.

The force field swept across, and more than a dozen gang members fell down.

"A professional's life is indeed more precious," Lance said, walking up to the gang member who had spoken; the man was still breathing.

"So shouldn't I be taking your life even more?"

He bent down, looking into the other person's terrified eyes: "Why aren't you happy yet? Quickly say thank you, Lord Lance!"

The man's lips trembled, and he died before he could utter a word.

After dealing with the remaining dozens of gang members, the stronghold fell silent. Only the sound of blood spreading across the ground could be heard.

Current experience: 420/3000

Lillian stood there, watching Lance's retreating figure.

Moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the dilapidated roof, illuminating his long, silvery-white hair. His figure appeared both beautiful and eerie amidst the pool of blood.

"Teacher..." she whispered.

Lance turned around, his face now calm. "That's enough for tonight. You should go home."

He walked up to Lillian and reached out to ruffle her hair, a gesture that eased her tension slightly.

Lillian smiled, but the smile quickly vanished. Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, her stomach began to churn again.

"You'll get used to it," Lance said softly.