CHAPTER 33: RAY’S JUDGEMENT!

"You know your place."

Geoffrey tried to insult Ray, but he remained unfazed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

His dismissive attitude angered Geoffrey.

’I will deal with him later tonight. He won’t get to see the next sunrise.’

Geoffrey’s killing intent was undisguised.

Ray felt it and sneered inwardly.

Geoffrey and the other guards were alive simply because he was being merciful.

From the start of their encounter until now, he had no less than a hundred chances to kill them.

It was only because things hadn’t escalated to a point where killing them was necessary that he had endured their ridicule and bullying.

The guards began storming through his home.

Chairs were kicked over.

Tables were overturned.

Wood splintered under boots.

Utensils clattered to the floor, bouncing and breaking.

Food was stepped on and crushed, mashed beneath armored feet.

Ray’s eyes twitched each time.he heard a sound that proved his carefully built life was being shattered piece by piece, his patience neared its limit!

After turning the place upside down, the guards found nothing important. They returned to the courtyard.

"Your house is unusually empty. Aside from simple furniture, there’s nothing of worth," Tristan approached Ray and said.

"I live a simple, honest life. I can’t afford fine things," Ray replied.

"That’s not what I’ve heard." Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Yesterday, you purchased enchanted iron armor from Fang & Fang, didn’t you?"

Ray’s face darkened. "Who told you that?"

"Knight Jain," Tristan replied.

Ray forced a bitter smile. "It’s true. I do possess it."

"Hand it over. I want to see it." Tristan extended his hand with authority.

Ray’s lips twitched. "Not loot it?"

"What did you say?" Tristan’s eyes turned cold. Such a look would coerce a commoner into submission, but Ray didn’t even flinch.

"Nothing," Ray said. "The armor’s in my storage room. I’ll go fetch it."

"Who are you lying to?" Geoffrey sneered. "There’s nothing there. I just searched it."

"What? Impossible! I put it there after returning from hunting in the wild today. I am sure of it!" Ray’s face crumpled as though he had suffered a heart-wrenching loss.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Geoffrey roared.

Ray raised both hands helplessly. "No, no! How can a mere commoner like me dare accuse a town’s guard blindly? Please don’t twist my words. I only know that I placed the armor in the storage room, and now it’s gone. I am clearly a victim of robbery!"

"Do you know lying to a town’s guard is a crime?" Tristan, Geoffrey, and the others stared at Ray sharply, like weasels eyeing their prey.

"I am not lying!" Ray yelled.

"Good. That better be the truth, or else you’re going to get in a lot of trouble tonight. Geoffrey, lift his shirt up."

Following Tristan’s command, Geoffrey grabbed Ray roughly, yanking his shirt up to his chest, revealing tanned skin and solid abs.

But what Tristan expected to see wasn’t there.

"If it isn’t on you, and it isn’t in this house, where is it?" Tristan frowned. "Were you really robbed, or have you hidden it somewhere only you know?"

"I have been robbed!" Ray yelled louder than before.

His words weren’t taken seriously, however.

"Check his place again. Search the places that weren’t searched before such as the outhouse. If something looks unusual, investigate it. Break down the wall if you think something is hidden behind it. Rip out the floor if you think something is buried underneath. Leave no stone unturned!"

"Okay, Captain."

"Geoffrey, you stay behind."

"Got it, boss."

In mere moments, only Ray, Tristan, and Geoffrey were left in the courtyard as Tristan sent almost all the knights under him to search the place again for Deep Blue as he believed Ray had hidden it somewhere here.

"Boss, what order do you have for me?" Geoffrey asked.

"Do you still remember when we raided that farmer’s house and had fun with his wife and three beautiful daughters until they were no more?" Tristan said.

"How could I forget? It’s the most memorable day of my life!" Geoffrey exclaimed.

The farmer had returned from a long day’s work only to find his family abused to death.

Consumed with grief, he had thrown himself at the town’s guards. He managed to land a few punches before he was subdued.

After subduing him, the town’s guards had abused him to death.

"Deal with him in the same way we dealt with that old bastard who dared to punch us."

"Gladly, boss!"

Tristan watched coldly as Geoffrey stepped toward Ray with ill intent brimming in his eyes.

"What are you planning to do?" Ray stepped back, like a horrified rabbit caught in a tiger’s trap.

"Nothing much. I’m just going to strip you naked, shove a boot up your ass, degrade you until you’re less than a beast... and then, when you are overcome with despair, kill you."

The worst part was that Tristan was fine with it.

"Are you fucking serious? I did nothing to offend you, so why do you want to harm me in such a heinous way?"

"I’m bored."

"You are going to torture a man to death out of boredom? Are you not afraid your karma will catch up to you, and you will end up at the mercy of someone else’s blade?"

"Such a day would never come!"

"What if you are wrong? What if I have the power to judge you and punish you for your wrongs?"

"Ahahahahaha! This is the funniest joke I’ve heard all year."

Tristan and Geoffrey burst out laughing, not taking Ray seriously at all.

Ray didn’t waste another breath on them.

Max Power Fire Dragon Breath!

A massive wave of fire surged swept through the courtyard and set his house ablaze.

The guards who were ransacking the rooms were burned alive. As their mournful cries echoed from within the raging fire that was consuming them and burning down Ray’s house, their last moments mirrored the fate of their own victims.

Back in the courtyard.

Tristan and Geoffrey were both caught off guard by Ray’s sudden attack.

Geoffrey, being closest to Ray, was the first to be engulfed in the high-temperature flames

He was reduced to ash before he could even react.

Tristan had defensive treasures, but they required manual input. Since Ray attacked when his vigilance was lowered to the extreme, he was engulfed in flames, seemingly meeting the same fate as Geoffrey.

********

♦️ You have killed a group of evil Iron Rank Tamers.

♦️ The evil Beast Tamers you killed had the blood of a lot of innocent people on their hands. By killing them, you have avenged countless families and individuals.

♦️ The evil Beast Tamers you killed were bound to do wrong in the future. You have saved the lives that would have been destroyed by them if they were left alive.

♦️ You shall be rewarded heavily for your efforts.

♦️ You have gained 50 Thousand EXP!

♦️ You have leveled up.

♦️ You have leveled up.

♦️ You have reached Level 12. You have gained +4 Stat Points.

♦️ You have defeated Tristan. You have gained 5000 EXP.

♦️ Tristan is an Intermediate Stage Bronze Rank Tamer. You have gained +15000 additional EXP for defeating a Tamer more than an entire major realm above you.

♦️The requirement to upgrade the Basic Flying Weapon Refinement Skill has been met as you have caught over a dozen people off guard, killing them before they could register what was happening.

♦️ Acquired Skill: Flying Weapon Refinement (Intermediate)!

Effect 1: Allows you to refine up to 2 weapons. Refined weapons gain the ability to fly and respond to your command.

Effect 2: The speed and lethality of the refined weapon is twice as good as a weapon refined using the most basic version of this skill.

Effect 3: The skill has an effective range of 1 mile.

********

"W-What the—?"

Going through the system notifications, Ray noticed something eerie.

"There’s no confirmation for Tristan’s death..."

It could only mean one thing.

Despite being reduced to ashes, he was somehow still alive!!!