The young count stood quietly to the side, watching his enemy struggle like a dying clown. There was not a trace of emotion on his face—he didn't even seem to care about the Shadow Assassin's reaction.
"According to our tradition, we are not supposed to accept another client's employment while a contract is still in effect," the Shadow Assassin said solemnly. As those words fell, a glimmer of hope flashed in Antoine's eyes.
However, the assassin raised a single finger and wagged it slowly. "But there is one exception," he continued. "If it is confirmed that the employer can no longer afford the promised payment, the Shadow Assassin has the right to take whatever means necessary to make up for the loss."
"But I can still pay you!" Antoine roared in desperation. "Besides my treasures, I still have my land deeds! Even if you only take the profits from the port—just two weeks, that's all I need to pay your commission in full!"
The assassin calmly extended his hand, gesturing for his former employer to stay composed. "And that's the problem, my lord. You don't have two weeks. In fact, you don't even have two days. Your treasures are only enough to cover my previous wages. As for your land deeds—those will soon be worthless. Because by this time tomorrow, just as the Count himself said, this city will be completely destroyed."
"What?!" Antoine's face twisted as if struck by a heavy fist, his features bunching together in disbelief and dread.
"Out of respect for you being my former employer, I'll let you die with some understanding," the Shadow Assassin said, coughing lightly.
"Ever since you asked me to investigate the Witcher's intentions, I started by looking into the cultists. After all, Witchers are known for one thing above all else—slaughtering the servants and daemons of Chaos. And what could attract a Witcher's attention more than Chaos itself? Especially when rumors of cultists lurking within the city had already begun to spread?"
"What I didn't expect," the assassin went on, shaking his head regretfully, "was that the first thing I uncovered was that our lord was secretly consorting with those very cultists. Initially, I planned to warn you, maybe earn a little extra pay in the process. But unfortunately, by the time I discovered their plan to destroy the entire city, they had already set everything in motion. I'm sorry, but even if I joined forces with the Witchers now, it would be far too late to stop them. So, the only thing left to do... is figure out how to minimize the losses."
The assassin's expression seemed to say, Working with Chaos wasn't my choice either, but it was enough to crush any last shred of hope in Antoine's heart.
…
While betrayal and despair played out in the lord's castle, chaos was literally tearing open the world elsewhere.
Inside the Chaos Rift, a female warrior in a berserk stance swung her flail with a wild battle cry. As she activated her skill, the weapon flared with an ominous crimson light and crashed down upon a Plague Warrior's helmeted skull. The strike was devastating—the metal helmet offered no protection at all.
Brain matter splattered outward, only to be quickly absorbed by the corrupted platform beneath her feet. A moment later, a new head began to sprout from a nearby branch, like a grotesque fruit.
(Skill Activated: [Reckless Strike]: Perform a charged attack dealing 1.5x normal damage.)
As the warrior turned to retrieve his freshly regrown head, she didn't waste a moment. Still carried by her berserk momentum, she charged again—this time into a Corrupted Archer, who barely had time to raise his bow before her heavy weapon came crashing down. The force of impact sent him flying, his body and weapon both hurled beyond the edges of the platform.
For a brief moment, Vittoria dominated the entire battlefield under the boost of Rage.
Aldric didn't let the opportunity slip by. Moving faster than the eye could follow, he rushed straight for the black-robed cultist. His only hope was that his weapon could deal effective damage to this enemy leader—and that the creature might still possess enough reason not to recklessly mutate like its deranged followers.
Otherwise, he would have to rely on the mysterious damaged pendant around his neck to work some kind of miracle. He had already made the quest as difficult as humanly possible, pushing it to near-impossible levels. At this point, he could only pray for a plot twist to save them. Because relying on just the two of them was hopeless.
Still, years of training had taught Aldric one thing—never, ever pin your last hope on the enemy making a mistake.
Just as his blade was about to strike, the black-robed cultist proved himself worthy of being the leader of these abominations. Aldric's military knife tore through the ornate robe, but beneath it was something hard and unyielding—like metal. His weapon stopped cold.
A surge of danger washed over him. Aldric instantly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging as the air cracked with the sound of snapping cables—sharp enough to cut the wind itself.
When the disguise fell away, the black-robed man revealed his true, monstrous form: a mass of writhing flesh covered in countless tentacles, barely held together in a human shape. Slender tendrils with bulbous growths twisted and pulsed like veins or arteries, forming his legs, while his torn black robe was soaked in strange colors. His hands were nothing more than thick, snaking appendages.
And yet, this grotesque being still had a vaguely human head—if one could call it that. A single enormous eye replaced its skull, with jagged fangs and a flat jaw growing grotesquely from its surface.
"Foolish mortals!" the mutated cultist roared. "How dare you stand against the will of my master! Soon, all shall feel the benevolence of the Grandfather Nurgle's embrace!"
(You gaze upon the Vanguard of Nurgle, the Chaos God of Decay. You are affected by [Chaos Shock]. Perform a Will save—failure results in paralysis for 5 seconds.)
(You have entered the [Plague Field] Every 60 seconds, perform a Constitution check. On failure, you will contract 1–3 random diseases.)
(You have succeeded your Will save. The unwavering faith within your soul grants you immunity to fear. You gain the [Valor] effect: immune to mental influence for 5 minutes.)
(Your class talent [Immunity to All Diseases] negates the effects of [Plague Field].)
System notifications flooded Aldric's vision as the creature completed its transformation—but thankfully, for now, he was immune to all negative environmental effects.
Then, suddenly, a new system message appeared.
Your quest log has been updated.
[The Far South in Storm and Shadow] (Completed)
Through your conversation with the Witcher and the Elves, you have learned that the Far South colony stands on the brink of peril. Carry the goodwill of the elves to humanity's leaders. But will the decaying nobles of the mainland make the right choice?
Difficulty: Dangerous
Reward: 3000 EXP, +300 reputation with Port Anthony (Current Reputation: 300/500 – Friendly)**
Follow-up Quest Accepted: [The Far South in Storm and Shadow – The City on the Brink]
Description:
You've uncovered a dark conspiracy within the city. Through sharp intuition and sheer luck, you found evidence of the local lord's collusion with the forces of Chaos. Your reckless actions forced the cultists to activate their plans early. Your mentor has sensed the release of chaos energy and is now on the way. Perhaps the two of you still have time to set things right.
Difficulty: Epic
Reward: High risk, high reward. If you survive, it will be worth it.
It seemed his master had already met the young Count Anthony, completed his part of the quest, and was now heading his way. At last—a bit of good news.
You now have enough experience to level up your class.
Total Level: 2 (9195 / 7200 EXP)
Glancing at the nearly invincible enemy before him, Aldric took advantage of a brief moment between dodges to pull the [Damaged Pendant] from his chest and wrap it tightly around his hand. Holding onto a desperate sliver of hope, he opened his character menu—and clicked the Level Up button.
(End of Chapter)