The office was cold, sterile, and expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the smog-choked skyline of New Babylon.
Elena, a Vice-Guildmaster of the Viper Guild, sat behind a desk made of black marble. She swirled a glass of red wine, her eyes fixed on the holographic report floating in front of her.
[Mission Report: Goblin Cave]
Status: Total Party Wipe.
Casualties: Captain Jack (D), Ren (E), Mage (E), Healer (E).
Cause of Death: Unknown / Monster Ambush.
"Unknown," Elena repeated softly. Her voice was smooth, like silk wrapped around a razor blade.
She swiped to the next page.
It was a forensic analysis sent by a retrieval team she had dispatched an hour ago.
[Site Analysis]
No bodies found.
Traces of extreme corrosive acid detected on the floor (Does not match Goblin or Slime signatures).
Traces of high-temperature burns.
Jack's Smart Watch signal: Terminated manually in District 9 (The Black Zone).
Elena's grip tightened on the wine glass.
Jack was an idiot, but he was a D-Rank fighter. A Goblin Cave shouldn't have wiped him out without leaving a single corpse.
And the watch... someone destroyed it after the raid.
"The Porter," Elena whispered.
She pulled up the personnel file for the raid.
Name: Kai.
Rank: F.
Status: Active (Hospital bills paid in full yesterday).
"An F-Rank trash survives a wipe that killed a D-Rank team," Elena mused. "And suddenly, he has the money to pay his sister's medical bills."
She didn't believe in miracles. She believed in theft.
Her theory was simple: Jack and the team were weakened by a Boss, and the rat took the opportunity to steal the loot and finish them off.
Or worse... he saw the Smuggling Logs that Jack was supposed to keep quiet, and he sold the info to a rival guild.
She tapped the intercom on her desk.
"Send in The Butcher."
A moment later, the heavy oak doors creaked open.
A man walked in. He was massive, standing nearly seven feet tall. He wore no shirt, only a heavy leather apron stained with old blood. His skin was grey, like stone.
Gorgon (a.k.a. The Butcher).
Class: Tank / Berserker.
Rank: C.
He didn't walk; he stomped. The floor vibrated with each step.
"You called, Lady Elena?" Gorgon's voice sounded like gravel grinding in a mixer.
Elena didn't look up from her screen.
"I have a pest problem, Gorgon. A little rat named Kai. He's an F-Rank Porter."
Gorgon scoffed, crossing his massive arms. "You called me for an F-Rank? Send an intern."
"He killed Jack," Elena said calmly.
Gorgon paused. "Jack? That loudmouth?"
"He's dead. And this Porter is the only survivor. He's walking around with my money and my secrets."
Elena stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the city lights.
"I want him found. I want to know where he got the acid that melted my team. And I want to know who he sold the information to."
"Do you want him dead?" Gorgon asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Eventually," Elena smiled, her reflection in the glass looking demonic. "But first, break his legs. Then bring him to the 'Playroom' in the basement. I have some questions for him."
Gorgon grinned, exposing a row of metal-capped teeth.
"Breaking legs. My favorite hobby."
"He has a sister at St. Mary's Hospital," Elena added dismissively. "If he hides, start there. Rats always come out when you threaten their nest."
Gorgon bowed and turned to leave.
"Consider it done, boss."
Elena watched him go.
She wasn't worried. A C-Rank against an F-Rank wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
But deep down, a small sliver of unease pricked at her.
Acid that melts D-Rank armor...
What exactly did you find in that cave, Kai?
[Meanwhile: District 4 - "Den of Wolves"]
Ding!
[LEVEL UP!]
[Current Level: 10]
[Class Skill Unlocked: Shadow Exchange (Lv. 1)]
Kai stood atop a mountain of wolf corpses. He was panting slightly, not from exhaustion, but from the rush of mana flooding his system.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Level 10," Kai grinned. "Finally."
He checked the new skill description.
[Shadow Exchange]
Cost: 50 Mana.
Effect: Instantly swap positions with any summoned Shadow Soldier. Range: 500 meters.
Cooldown: 2 hours.
"A teleport," Kai realized. "This changes everything."
With this, he wasn't just a commander standing in the back. He could be anywhere. He could bait an enemy, swap with Fang (Tank) to absorb the hit, and then appear behind them to stab them with Jack (Assassin).
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
It was a text from Leo.
Leo: "Code Red. The Butcher just left the Guild HQ. He's asking about a Porter with a sick sister. Get out of there, kid."
Kai stared at the screen. The smile faded from his face, replaced by a look of absolute zero.
"They're going for Mia," Kai whispered.
The mana around him flared violently.
Shadow Jack sensed his master's rage and drew his blade. Fang hissed, his scales rattling. The Alpha Wolf growled.
"Let's go," Kai said, his voice trembling with suppressed fury.
"We have a Butcher to kill."