"Truly strong. Even an Elder-level monster was torn to pieces by my Guillotine Slash, yet you only suffered these injuries, and your limbs are still intact. You must not be an ordinary person."
The mage in green robes spoke, floating in the air with a gust of wind.
Guillotine Slash is a C-rank attack skill created by manipulating and compressing air currents into thin, blade-like edges to attack enemies from a distance.
While its attack range isn't very long, and it requires a relatively long casting time, as it's a mage skill, its destructive power is comparable to a B-rank skill.
Furthermore, this mage can unleash dozens of wind blades with a single cast, placing it on par with a B-rank skill.
This level of skill and power is more than enough to easily make him a core member of one of the three major guilds. The other three are equally strong.
The man in the brown robes ignored the argument. He tried to stand up, covered in blood, but was helpless due to excessive blood loss and significant energy depletion. After standing for a short while, one knee gave way, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Thud."
"Don't struggle in vain. You've fought hundreds of Paladins from the Florence Temple and escaped our pursuit for so long. Even those ten Rank A players might not have been able to do that."
The giant man in heavy armor spoke. He held a hammer much larger than his own body, made of a single piece of metal from handle to head.
"It would be a pity to kill someone of this skill. It would be best if you handed over what you have, and we would let you go." A man wielding dual swords interjected. Judging from his demeanor and voice, he was likely the leader of this group.
"Heh heh." A low, hoarse voice came from the cloaked figure. Though weary, it was laced with intimidation.
"You? On the contrary, if I take that out of my dimensional storage, you'll all kill me immediately."
Even though the cloaked figure was severely injured, But his mind seemed strong, judging by his calm analysis of the situation. The only reason these people hadn't killed him yet was because they hadn't gotten what they wanted.
"Damn... you have no right to negotiate. If you don't hand it over, you'll face something far more terrifying than death!"
The man wielding the giant hammer roared in fury, slamming it into the ground. The impact shook the earth, and it cracked open in a spiderweb-like pattern several feet wide.
"Looks like you're a player too," said the man with two swords, his gaze fixed on the cloaked figure, narrowing his eyes slightly as he assessed the brown cloak.
The cloaked figure neither confirmed nor denied, but those observing from a distance concluded that the cloaked person was likely a player as well.
The reason was that in The Oneness, besides players, very few people could use dimensional storage. Even in the capital city of the Yotandia Kingdom, only a few could use dimensional storage, and most relied on some kind of artifact.
Therefore, there was a high probability that the cloaked person was a player.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter if you don't admit it."
"But listen carefully to what I'm about to say. If you hand over what we want, not only will we let you go, but we'll also give you 10 gold coins. Of course, this condition is under the authority of the Contact Player," the man with two swords said in a serious tone.
Contact Player is a function of the system designed for players to make contracts or agreements with each other. Players who violate or breach these contracts will be punished by the system.
Punishments range from fines and reputation reduction to suspension of player equipment. However, some say that breaching a Contact Player contract can have even more serious consequences, possibly leading to death.
"Why should we give this guy 10 gold coins? Just breaking his arm would make him hand over his stuff!" the man with the giant hammer yelled.
"Shut up!" the man with two swords shouted, silencing the giant man before turning to speak to the cloaked man.
"Now you have only two choices."
"You will be tortured to death, or you will live on with a large sum of money."
"Before I make my decision, can you answer some of my questions?" The man in the cloak spoke in a calm voice.
The man wielding dual swords didn't answer, only nodding slightly.
"Who are you, and how do you know I possess what you desire?"
The man with dual swords pondered for a moment before speaking.
"We are the Assassins of the Earth Tiger Guild, infiltrating the Florence Temple in search of the Shamur Staff, a legendary artifact…"
The moment Nawa heard this name, he held his breath for a moment.
The Assassins were known as the most formidable bounty hunters in the country. Many high-level players and powerful individuals in the Yotandea Kingdom had died at their hands. Their importance within the Earth Tiger Guild surpassed that of the regular core members.
Although in terms of strength they were inferior to the top 10 Rank A players, in terms of tracking and assassination, they were considered number one. There were rumors that… They have previously successfully assassinated an A-rank player from a neighboring country.
From what Nawa could understand, the man with the twin swords was saying that the Assassin Group had infiltrated the Florence Temple to steal the legendary Shamur Staff artifact that the temple possessed.
When most of the Paladins and Holy Knights of the Florence Temple had already departed to eliminate enemies of the Church, the Assassin Group planned to act, but this cloaked man preempted them.
Although the fact that the Florence Temple possessed a legendary weapon wasn't widely known among ordinary players, the major guilds and high-ranking individuals in the country had been aware of it for some time.
However, no one dared to act because they feared the power and influence of the Church.
Not even the three biggest guilds in Thailand, let alone the King of the Yotandia Kingdom, dared not antagonize the Church.
"I understand. You guys are waiting for someone to steal the legendary weapon, then you'll track them down and deal with them later. This way you don't have to fear becoming an enemy of the Church, and you'll also gain possession of a legendary weapon."
The cloaked man spoke in a calm voice. Because of the black mist covering his face, it was impossible to tell how he was feeling.
"Respect. Just a few sentences of conversation and you've already assessed almost the entire situation. Your power and intelligence are truly far superior to ordinary people. It would be a great pity if someone like you were to die here. I warn you one last time; accept our offer."
The man with dual swords spoke, scrutinizing the cloaked figure.
"Knowing that what I possess is a legendary weapon, one that no player or guild in the world has ever owned, yet you're offering only 10 gold coins? Isn't that ridiculous? In fact, even a thousand gold coins would be too little." The man in the brown cloak spoke with a more menacing tone than before.
"You have no right to negotiate. If you don't accept this offer, we will torture you until you hand it over." The man with two swords spoke, releasing a terrifying killing intent.
"Big brother, it seems you like tough handling. Let me handle it. I guarantee that once he tastes the sensation of having his bones crushed by my trusty weapons, he'll change his mind."
The man with the giant hammer said. Stepping towards the man in the brown robe, the one wielding the twin swords didn't object this time.
The man in the brown robe showed no sign of fear, speaking in his usual calm tone.
"I have one last question. As far as I know, the Assassination Team has five members, right? Why did you only use this many?"
"A nonsensical question… The smaller the divisor, the better. Don't you know that?"
The man wielding the giant hammer said, looking at the other with a disdainful expression as he raised his hammer above his head.
But before he could act, a sudden cloud of dust erupted from the ground like a volcanic eruption, obscuring visibility.
"What the hell is this?" the one wielding the twin swords shouted at the man in the green mage robe.
"No… this… wasn't my doing," the mage in the green robe denied, his voice filled with panic.
The one who did this was none other than Nava, who used his telekinetic powers to manipulate the wind to blow the dust up. For reasons unknown, Nawa decided to interfere in this matter. He wanted to use the dust and smoke to create an opportunity for the hooded figures to escape.