Chen Mo pushed open the wooden door, his figure blending into the silent night of the Town of Beginning.
Argo's warning did not stir many ripples in his heart.
Yabashi?
He was merely a pathetic worm, consumed by fear and jealousy, who ultimately brought about his own demise.
What he needed to consider now was how to maximize today's profits.
After crossing two streets, just as he turned into a secluded path leading to the blacksmith's shop, his steps paused slightly.
In the air, there was a sticky sensation that didn't belong to the night.
It was gazes.
More than one.
From the moment he left the tavern, they had quietly followed him, like several hyenas patiently waiting for their prey to fall into a trap.
The guy feigning drunkenness in the corner of the tavern was just one of them.
Chen Mo continued walking forward expressionlessly, as if completely unaware.
Deep in the alley, three figures emerged from the shadows, blocking his path.
The man in the lead had a striking cactus-like hairstyle, fierce eyes, and a self-satisfied, sinister grin on his lips.
He was one of Yabashi's most loyal supporters, a notorious player in Kansai.
"Stop!"
Cactus Head pointed his battle-axe at Chen Mo, his voice full of incitement.
"You're the Closed Beta Tester who hogged the resource zone and took all the resources, aren't you?"
His two companions immediately fanned out, subtly blocking all of Chen Mo's escape routes, with malicious expressions on their faces.
In the surrounding darkness, more players peeked out, clearly onlookers they had deliberately attracted.
This was a pre-arranged public trial.
Chen Mo finally stopped, not even turning around.
He simply spoke faintly, his voice clearly audible in the quiet alley.
"Closed Beta Tester?"
"Who told you that?"
Cactus Head was momentarily stunned, then enraged by this contemptuous attitude.
"Stop feigning ignorance! If you weren't a Closed Beta Tester, how could you have gotten that quenching longsword? If you weren't a Closed Beta Tester, how could you solo the labyrinth zone?"
"Because of selfish guys like you, we ordinary players can't even get a drop of soup!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion of agreement immediately arose from the surrounding onlookers.
"That's right! Hand over the resources!"
"Closed Beta Testers, get out!"
Fear and jealousy are the best instigators.
Yabashi seemed to understand this well.
And his subordinates carried this out perfectly.
"Oh?"
Chen Mo finally turned around, his dark eyes calmly sweeping over Cactus Head, his gaze like that of someone looking at an unreasonable child.
"You mean, weakness also justifies plunder?"
"You!"
Cactus Head's face flushed red, choked by the words.
Just then, a small figure rushed in from the alley entrance, blocking Chen Mo.
It was Argo, who had returned.
She pushed back her hood, revealing her amber eyes, glaring at Cactus Head.
"Yabashi's dog! What can you do besides incite ignorant people?"
"Whether he's a Closed Beta Tester or not, I don't know, but even if he is, why should he share what he earned with his own skill with you bunch of good-for-nothings!"
Seeing Argo's appearance, a hint of fanaticism flashed in Cactus Head's eyes.
"Ha! Everyone look! Argo the Rat! Even the top Closed Beta Tester Information Broker is here to defend him!"
"They're in cahoots! They want to monopolize everything in this world!"
The crowd's emotions were completely ignited.
Argo's face paled; she realized that her appearance had inadvertently confirmed the opponent's accusation.
"Shut up."
Chen Mo's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable chill.
He reached out and gently pulled Argo behind him, his gaze fixed on Cactus Head.
"What do you want?"
Cactus Head, believing he held the moral high ground, smiled conspiratorially.
"It's simple! Duel me!"
"If you win, we'll leave immediately! If you lose, publicly distribute your sword and all your ke'er to all the ordinary players you've exploited!"
He raised his battle-axe, trying to portray himself as a hero fighting for the people.
"Good."
Chen Mo's reply was only one word.
He didn't even bother to correct the ridiculous terms of the duel.
A duel request was instantly sent.
["Player 'Wolf of Kansai' has challenged you to a duel"]
["Mode: Non-lethal (ends when HP drops to 1)"]
["Stakes: All equipment and ke'er of the loser"]
"Chen Mo..." Argo tugged at his sleeve worriedly.
Chen Mo gave her a reassuring look and clicked [Accept].
A duel aura enveloped the center of the alley, isolating the noisy crowd.
"For the survival of all ordinary players!"
Cactus Head roared, adding a guise of righteousness to himself, gripping his battle-axe with both hands, pushing off the ground, and delivering a heavy chop that whistled through the air towards Chen Mo!
He wanted to use the most barbaric method to secure victory in one blow.
However, Chen Mo moved.
No, perhaps "moved" isn't the accurate word.
In everyone's eyes, his figure seemed to merely flicker slightly.
A blur, imperceptible to the naked eye, brushed past the edge of the battle-axe, instantly sweeping by.
Cactus Head only felt his vision blur, and the oppressive sensation that had rushed towards him suddenly vanished.
Where is he?
An alarm blared in his mind, and before he could turn around...
A cold sword tip had silently pressed against his Adam's apple.
No skill effects, no fancy moves.
Only speed.
Speed that surpassed the limits of everyone present's dynamic vision.
The vast level difference made them utterly unable to perceive Chen Mo's attack.
"You..."
Cactus Head's hair instantly stood on end; even though this was a non-lethal duel, he could clearly feel that if the opponent's fingertip exerted even a slight pressure, his HP would instantly deplete, leaving him with a sliver of blood.
SAO's unique pain feedback system became even more suffocating when HP turned red.
The fear of death made him even stop breathing.
"Duel... over."
Chen Mo's voice was like a final verdict.
He retracted his longsword, not even bothering to glance at the opponent again.
Cactus Head's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, the system's cold notification sounding in his ears, his equipment and ke'er transforming into data streams, one by one, entering the opponent's backpack.
The aura dissipated.
The entire alley was deathly silent.
Everyone was so shaken by the incomprehensible scene they had just witnessed that they couldn't speak.
That wasn't a duel.
That was... mockery.
Chen Mo opened his menu, retrieved the battle-axe, tainted with the loser's aura, and casually threw it to the ground.
The clang echoed particularly harshly in the dead of night.
"Trash."
He uttered two words, his gaze sweeping over the onlookers who had clamored to judge him.
Anyone caught in his gaze instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Remember."
"In this world, information is power."
"The reason you are weak is not because of so-called Closed Beta Testers, but because your minds, which should discern the truth of information, have been devoured by fear."
Having said that, he no longer lingered, turning and disappearing at the end of the alley with the still-shocked Argo.
A long while later, someone in the crowd trembled and uttered a few words.
"Who... exactly is he?"
No one could answer.
But from this night on, a title began to quietly circulate among the Assault Team and Information Brokers.
—"Shadow."