“What is this?” Baudric asked as he followed Frank to the entrance of their hideout.

  Currently, the Gold Skulls had their camp set up inside of a cave by the foot of a small hill deep within the Boren Forest. They had only just moved to this location half a month or so ago, after Avilos was destroyed by an Avatar of Death.

  And the reason why they had come here was simple— because where there was chaos, there was opportunity for bandits like them. Nobody would suspect they’d be responsible for a few folks disappearing, when monsters were running wild.

  That was not to mention that they were the ones who would prod at the monsters, making them go on a rampage to add fuel to the fires of the chaos. Just the other day, they had slaughtered half of a herd of stone mammoths so that they would attack the travelers and cities in the nearby area, drawing attention away from any activities the Gold Skulls would be carrying out.

  However, now, someone had discovered the base of the Gold Skulls. Which meant that they had no choice but to move hideouts, no matter what happened next.

  Even still, Baudric decided to hear out whoever it was who found them out since they said they wanted to make a deal. Mostly to get a gauge of what their intentions were, but also to figure out how they found the Gold Skulls out. Although, he highly doubted that this would end in any way other than a bloodbath once this was all over.

  When Baudric followed Frank out of his office, he wasn’t sure what he expected waiting for him. He thought it would be a team of Gold Ranks, perhaps— a few adventurers who were willing to accept a bribe to remain quiet. Or maybe it was another group of bandits. Even though they were rare— far and few in-between— there were a few other groups roaming about like the Crimson Pillagers or the Company of Death.

  However, what Baudric expected to see waiting for him was not this.

  A small figure— about the height of a goblin— stood at the entrance of the cave. They wore a skull-like mask and their body was covered by a black cloak that was billowing with the wind. They stood there alone, a hand resting on the hilt of a black dagger on their side.

  Despite the mask and the whole get-up they wore, it was evident whoever was standing there was a child.

  “What is this, Frank?” Baudric asked, glaring towards his fourth-in-command.

  The scrawny man just hesitated. “I—”

  “Greetings,” the child said in a distorted voice.

  Were they a boy or a girl? Baudric couldn’t tell. But the masked figure continued, uncaring of the judging look they were being given.

  “Are you the leader of this ragtag group of bandits?”

  The masked figure spoke as they gestured towards the crowd of about two hundred or so bandits surrounding them. There were even more of them waiting deeper inside of the cave. In total, there were just under a thousand members in the Gold Skulls.

  A susurration of indignation rose from the group of gathered bandits, but Baudric raised a hand, silencing them all.

  “I am Baudric the Elusive One, leader of the Gold Skulls,” the burly man said as he strode forward. “And who exactly might you be, child?”

  “I am no child,” the masked figure replied, striding forward casually— even as the bandits in the cavern all raised their weapons and aimed them at him. “I am the leader of the Blood Swords, and I’ve come to make a deal with you.”

  “The Blood Swords?” Baudric’s brows snapped together.

  He hadn’t heard of this group before. And he always did research on the various groups that occupied the region before he moved in— after all, he didn’t want to accidentally make an enemy out of an ally of the Sapphire Stalkers by intruding on their territory, for example.

  Was this a new up-and-coming group? Or were they an organization that saw the same opportunity as the Gold Skulls and decided to occupy the region around Avilos during the chaos.

  So he expectantly turned to his fourth-in-command who just stammered.

  “T-the Blood Swords? I believe I have heard of them.” Frank gulped and quickly produced a book he had at his side. He flipped through the pages quickly as he spoke up. “If I am not mistaken, they are a third-rate gang from a small city in the northeast.”

  And the scrawny man held up the book in the direction of his boss.

  “That’s right, look at it right here— the Blood Swords is a protection ring located in the city of Velmond. They have about one-hundred-and-twenty-three members as of last year, and their previous leader passed away last year. Their new leader is known as ‘Bloodied Blade’, and he is a Gold Rank.”

  Frank looked in the direction of the masked figure as he spoke. In response, the masked figure just tilted their head.

  “A small-time gang from Velmond?” Baudric repeated after his fourth-in-command. “Life be damned, seriously? And a mere Gold Rank too?”

  For a moment, Baudric stared at the masked figure— at the Bloodied Blade— in disbelief. The cavern grew silent, all the bandits gathered by the entrance exchanging wide-eyed glances. And then, all at once, they broke out into a raucous laughter.

  Baudric guffawed as he clutched at his stomach, nearly doubling over. Even Frank broke out into a laughing fit. The leader of the Gold Skulls wiped a tear from his face as he took a moment to catch his breath.

  “Don’t make me laugh, child,” Baudric said as he stepped forward, walking up to the so-called Bloodied Blade. “Perhaps you think you are some sort of ‘big shot’ because you are the leader of the local gang in your neighborhood. But this is not your small town. This is the big leagues, and you don’t belong here. So this is your last chance…”

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  The masked figure just looked curiously back towards the leader of the Gold Skulls as he came to a halt before them. Even though Baudric was nearly twice the size of the child, there was not a hint of fear. That almost irked the burly man.

  Baudric’s fingers twitched. He almost let his rage get the better of him and struck out right now. However, he composed himself, not letting his emotions control him. Even though he was a [Berserker], he knew better than to let himself be ruled by his rage.

  He knew how to be cunning when necessary. And right now, even if he didn’t appreciate the disrespect he was receiving, he didn’t want to make an unnecessary enemy and compromise the location of his hideout.

  So he just made a shooing motion as he spoke dismissively to the much smaller gang leader.

  “Scram and go back to Velmond— stay in your lane, where you belong.”

  It was a clear warning. A threat. But the masked figure didn’t seem to realize this. So the burly man placed a hand on the hilt of his machete as his gaze bore down at the masked figure, emphasizing the intent behind those words.

  “Or do you think we would truly benefit in any way from working with small-timers like you?” Baudric asked as a golden aura began to wisp from his body.

  The laughing stopped as the rest of Gold Skulls grew serious, realizing that their boss was tired of this charade.

  But the masked figure just spoke casually, placing a hand on his chest. “You misunderstand. All I want is the antidote to your poison, that is all. I am not looking to make an alliance— I do not work with reprehensible scum like you.”

  “Oh?” Baudric raised a brow.

  His patience was being tested. However, he knew that he could end this annoying little brat in an instant. So he chose to at least hear them out for a moment longer.

  “And what, pray tell, would we gain from giving you the antidote to our poison?” Baudric asked as he spoke dangerously, tilting his head. “But before you answer, be warned that I am a Platinum Rank [Berserker]. So you should think twice before you say anything that could… offend my person.”

  Baudric licked his tongue as he finished. The masked figure shrugged in response.

  “If you give me the antidote, I will spare your lives. I am in a bit of a rush, and I’d prefer not to waste my time prying it off your cold, dead hands.”

  That took Baudric by surprise. He paused as he took a moment to process what the Bloodied Blade of the Blood Swords said. In the background, the [Berserker] heard a few snickers erupting from his men.

  But Baudric found no humor in the masked figure’s words. Instead, the burly man’s gaze darkened as he slowly unsheathed his machete.

  “You dare disrespect us with such an outrageous claim?” Baudric said in a low voice as his men immediately grew silent. Yellow ribbons of light coalesced over the blade, forming a larger broadsword created from his aura. He raised the weapon as his voice bellowed. “You will pay for making a mockery of the Gold Skulls!”

  And with that, Baudric had enough of these games from the child. He swung down at the masked figure with all his strength as the gathered bandits all winced. The ground cracked from the sheer force of the attack as a plume of dust shot into the air.

  Baudric grinned, expecting to receive a notification about the masked figure’s death any moment now. However, after a few seconds passed and the dust cleared, the [Berserker] realized that his attack had… missed?

  No— his attack had been blocked.

  The masked figure stood there, not even flinching as a crimson sphere seemed to cover their body. It was a barrier made from… blood?

  Baudric strained, trying to yank back his weapon. However, the broadsword made from his aura was wedged into the blood barrier— seemingly sinking into the liquid and unable to be freed.

  “Very well then,” the masked figure said as they sighed disappointedly. They opened the palm of their hand, revealing a hole which poured with blood. “I guess you leave me with no other choice.”

  They raised a hand as Baudric let go of his weapon. He raised a fist, his eyes burning with a golden flame.

  “You little—” Baudric screamed.

  But the masked figure just pointed at the burly man. “[Sacrificial Bloodshot].”

  And a crimson beam shot out from the Bloodied Blade’s fingertips, tearing straight through the chest of the leader of the Gold Skulls.

  ***

  It happened in the blink of an eye. Frank hadn’t been able to process it. But Baudric was sent flying back, a hole burrowed into his chest. The rest of the bandits just watched, wide-eyed in horror.

  When he landed on the ground, lying there unmoving, the rest of the Gold Skulls thought he’d get back up. Or at least, Frank thought that Baudric would get up. After all, their boss was a [Berserker]. Pain only gave him strength, so this was but a scratch to him.

  And that was not all— he was known as the Elusive One. He had evaded death countless times before. Surely a mere Gold Rank child wasn’t capable of killing him in a single shot… right?

  But Baudric didn’t move. He lay there, his eyes lifeless. His body was completely still. A gaping hole bore through his chest as blood pooled beneath his corpse.

  “B-boss…?” one of the bandits— Jan— started as they took a step forward. “T-there’s no way you’re dead. You’re just playing around, yeah?”

  However, it was clear to anyone who stared at the corpse lying on the ground— Baudric was dead.

  And the masked figure just chuckled as the shot of blood— a crimson sphere no larger than a fist— that had pierced the leader of the Gold Skulls flew back to the palm of their hand.

  “Negotiations have broken down,” the masked figure said as they took a step forward. “It seems your leader has made your decision for you— and he chose death.”

  With that said, the crimson sphere floating in the palm of their hand shot out once again, tearing through Jan— the bandit who just spoke. It shot past the falling man and immediately pierced through a second bandit. Then a third. And a fourth. Screams erupted all around Frank as the Gold Skulls were slaughtered by the whizzing crimson ball.

  Frank’s mind spun as he watched dozens of his comrades die in an instant. Just like Baudric, they were cut down one after another by the ball of blood that was shooting around the cavern. The other bandits realized that there was no point in trying to defend against the attack, so they targeted the Bloodied Blade first. However, as they fired arrows and launched spells in the direction of the masked figure, a blood barrier simply deflected all the attacks.

  This child… they are a monster! Frank realized as he watched the masked figure simply stride forward without a word.

  Spinning around, the fourth-in-command of the Gold Skulls raced back into the cave as his heart pounded in his chest. His boss was dead, and the rest of the bandits were being mercilessly killed. Their screams echoed throughout the cavern, followed by the resounding thudding of their falling bodies. Even though Baudric had always told Frank to save that for if they ever went up against the Sapphire Stalkers, there was no other choice.

  Frank was going to have to use that to stop the masked figure.