"You bastard! How dare you kill Monka! Go to hell!"
Seeing the young blonde fall, the remaining mages of the Phantom Bandit Gang roared in fury and launched a collective assault.
"Great Fireball!!"
The mage with the massive afro conjured a roaring sphere of flame and hurled it at Cian.
"Cero."
Cian raised a hand, his expression bored. A beam of emerald light fired from his palm. Although the fireball had been launched first, the Cero moved at a completely different velocity. It intercepted the flame mid-air, tore through it, and continued on its path.
BOOM—!
The energy blast engulfed the afro mage before he could even blink.
"Guaaaah!!"
He was blown away like a ragdoll, smoking and unconscious.
"Eleven to go," Cian counted calmly.
"Bastard!!!"
The remaining bandits were seized by a mixture of rage and terror. They had underestimated this kid because of his age, but he had just erased two of their comrades in the blink of an eye.
A cold shiver ran down their spines. This boy was dangerous.
"Wind Blades!!"
Another mage swept his arm forward, launching a barrage of invisible scythes of air.
"Sonído."
Zumm!
Cian vanished from the path of the wind blades. In the fraction of a second, he materialized directly in front of the caster.
Splurt—!
"Gah... ah..."
Before the Wind Mage's brain could even register the movement, blood sprayed from his chest. He collapsed, cut down by the katana in Cian's hand.
"Ten remaining."
Without pausing, Cian pointed his index finger at a cluster of bandits standing together.
Verdant light coalesced at his fingertip, compressing into a dense sphere of destructive energy.
"I'll stop it!!"
"Earth Make: Wall!!"
Rumble!!
The ground tore open as a thick rampart of stone rose up to shield the mages.
"Cero."
BZZZZZT—!
The beam fired.
BOOM—!!
The stone wall might as well have been made of paper. The Cero shattered the defense instantly, vaporizing the rock and engulfing the mages hiding behind it.
"Aaaahhhh!"
"Noooo!"
Four members were incinerated in a single strike. The beam carved a deep, scorched trench into the earth that stretched for dozens of meters.
"Six remaining."
"Die!!"
A figure clad in a tight black bodysuit—an assassin class—materialized silently behind Cian, a poison-tipped dagger thrusting toward his heart.
"Cian! Behind you!!" Elfman screamed, starting to run forward.
But it was too late. The blade struck Cian's back.
Clang—!
The sound of metal snapping echoed through the courtyard.
Cian stood unmatched. The assassin's dagger had shattered against his skin.
"What?!"
The assassin's eyes widened in horror. He tried to retreat, but a hand shot out and clamped onto his face like a vice.
Wham!
Cian slammed the man's head into the pavement with monstrous force.
CRACK!
The ground cratered. Cian released his grip, leaving the assassin twitching and unconscious in the rubble.
"Five remaining."
"M-Monster..."
The surviving bandits backed away, trembling. Magic couldn't hurt him. Swords couldn't pierce him. He moved faster than the eye could see. What was this thing? How were they supposed to kill a monster like this?
"Keep attacking! If one hit doesn't work, hit him ten times! A hundred times! He has to die eventually!"
Desperation took over. The remaining five scattered and rushed him from all angles.
"Futile."
Zip. Zip. Zip.
Cian's figure flickered like a glitch in reality.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Four bodies hit the floor almost simultaneously.
These men were strong enough to wipe out a squad of Rune Knights. In any average guild, they would be considered elites. But against Cian, the gap in stats was simply unfair. Speed, strength, defense, offense—he was a dimension above them. They couldn't even survive a single round.
"One left."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Camille, the King of Assassins, stood on the porch steps, slowly clapping his gloved hands.
"Excellent! Truly excellent!"
His voice was smooth, betraying no concern for his fallen men. "Kid, to possess such power at your age... it's remarkable."
Cian flicked the blood off his blade and looked at the leader. "All your companions are down. Are you happy about that?"
"Companions?" Camille scoffed. "Only the strong can be my companions. These trash? They were just the ones who killed my previous crew. They were disposable."
He spread his arms wide. "Kid, with power like yours, working for a guild is a waste. Why toil away for pennies?"
Cian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what should I do instead?"
"Join me, of course!"
"And the benefits?"
"Benefits?! Hahaha! Everything! If you join me, we can overthrow the Magic Council! We will create a new world order where we are the masters! Money, status, fame, power, women—whatever you desire, you can take!"
"Enough," Cian said flatly.
"Hmm? Have you decided to join?"
"Of course... I refuse."
"What?!" Camille's mask hid his frown.
Cian looked at him with disdain. "I thought you were going to say something profound, but that's it? You wasted two minutes of my time. You talk big, but you're just a delusional lone commander trying to recruit me because you're scared. 'Overthrow the Council'? 'Rule the World'? Do you think you're the main character of an anime? Know your place."
Camille's aura turned dark. "Kid, I invited you because I respect talent. But if you refuse... then your only fate is death!"
"Sorry," Cian said, gripping his katana. "I'm in a hurry. Please just die."
"Sonído."
Whoosh—!
Cian appeared instantly at Camille's side, his blade swinging in a lethal arc toward the leader's neck.
But just as the steel was about to connect, the space around Camille distorted. The blade's trajectory bent impossibly, curving away from its target.
Splurt!
"Mm?"
Cian's eyes widened slightly. Despite his dodge, his own shoulder erupted in blood. A sword had pierced him—but Camille hadn't moved a muscle.
Cian leaped back, creating distance.
"Spatial Magic," he muttered.
He pointed his index finger.
"Cero."
BZZZZZT—!
The green beam fired point-blank.
Camille didn't dodge. He stood perfectly still.
Just as the energy was about to vaporize him, the space in front of him rippled like water.
ZOOM!
The Cero performed a U-turn. It shot back toward Cian at double the speed.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The reflected blast tore through the courtyard, demolishing a row of outbuildings and carving a massive trench through the estate.
Dust settled. Cian stood on a nearby roof, having used Sonído to escape the reflection just in time.
"Pity," Camille said, dusting off his cloak. "If your reaction had been a second slower, that would have gone through your head, not your shoulder."
"Cian! Are you okay?!"
Elfman roared, his right arm transforming into a massive bear paw. "You bastard!!"
"Stay back!"
Cian raised his left hand to stop him. "Protect the client. I'm fine."
"Fine?" Camille sneered. "Kid, look at yourself. Your right arm has been run through. It's useless. I'll give you one last chance. Bow to me, become my dog, and I might spare you. Refuse, and you and your big friend die here."
Cian ignored the villain's monologue. He calmly gripped the hilt of the sword still sticking out of his shoulder with his left hand.
Schlick.
He pulled the blade out slowly and tossed it aside.
Then, right before Camille's eyes, the gaping, bloody hole in Cian's shoulder began to knit together. Muscle, bone, and skin rewoven themselves in seconds.
High-Speed Regeneration.
Within a blink of an eye, the wound was gone. Not even a scar remained.