CHAPTER 77: EXCHANGE

"Hey, you! Stop there!" The guards standing watch in front of the Coast City gate shouted as they saw the figure flying straight toward the city.

They were instantly on high alert. They had allowed him to enter the city the first time because of Langdon; without Langdon by his side and no order from Samxon to let them in, they had to stop any intrusions.

But it didn’t look like the figure wanted to stop.

"Captain! He isn’t listening—what should we do?" one of the men standing next to the captain asked, as Akhil flew straight forward without listening to their warnings.

They all stood on top of the wall, staring at the figure.

"What sort of ridiculous question is that? Shoot him down if he continues without listening—use a gun if you have to!" the captain barked back.

The soldier quickly nodded, picking up a bow and an arrow, and pointed it straight toward Akhil, waiting for him to get closer.

But as the figure came closer, even before he could release the arrow, several arrows formed from blood quickly struck the earth right beneath their feet.

A cold chill ran down their spines from the dangerous accuracy. The man holding the bow froze in his spot.

Even the captain was stunned speechless. They all knew it was a warning—if they made the wrong move, they would have all lost their lives in that instant.

Before they could recover from the shock, Akhil had already flown right past the high gate, his eyes fixed on the administrative building not too far ahead.

Seeing the direction he was going, the captain frowned immediately. "Hey, you! Go send a message to the administrative house about this intrusion!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier quickly ran to the telecom.

Within that same building, Samxon stood with a stern look on his face as he saw his men return.

"You all did a great job. I’m glad. He didn’t see you, right?"

The leader of the group stood with a proud grin on his face. "Obviously. We left even before he arrived; there’s no way he’ll trace it back to you, sir."

"Good," Samxon replied with a smug grin on his face. ’If the idiot really wants peace with the humans, then he can’t come here with no proof of his claims.’ Samxon let out a satisfied sigh.

Not only had he gotten away with what he wanted, but he would also have a front-row seat seeing Akhil complain through everything with no evidence to back his claims.

This satisfaction was simply beyond what he expected.

’Then later, I’ll go back there and squash him and his entire orc camp! Become the strongest among the humans and take control of all the other cities!’

"But we did have one issue."

The captain’s voice broke Samxon out of his reverie, and he quickly snapped his gaze toward the captain.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, his voice growing dark.

"Sir, it’s nothing serious, sir..." the man quickly said, waving his hands in a gesture to calm Samxon. "It’s just one of the stubborn idiots who doesn’t know how to take orders... He fell behind when we were coming back to the settlement. I’ll make sure to punish him when he gets back," the leader said with a grin.

Samxon stared back at him coldly. "Are you an idiot? How could you leave anyone behind?"

"Sir, we didn’t know we were in a haste to leave. But he should be back any minute. No need to worry."

Samxon rubbed his forehead at the man’s words.

"Then I won’t be giving you any rewards till I’ve seen this idiot. Go find him, and make sure to bring him back. We can’t leave any evidence."

"Yes, sir," the man replied immediately as he left the room.

He shook his head in annoyance, facepalming. "Tch, bunch of idiots! This was meant to be a perfect job."

Samxon glanced down at the red crystal resting on his office desk. "Well, at least they found this."

{Vivo-Lex Core}

Samxon picked up the red crystal from his office desk, taking a better look at it.

"Why exchange a crystal for a weapon?" Samxon asked out loud, looking at the crystal.

"Well, that’s for me to decide."

Samxon’s gaze narrowed instantly to the side of the door.

Sitting calmly on the wooden chair by the side of the door was Mask, and resting on his lap was a pair of gauntlets.

The gauntlets were made from shiny black metal, and within each of the gauntlets was a crystal. The gauntlets let out a low hum, as though alive.

"But you can’t go back on your words now. It’s already too late for that," Samxon’s eyes shone with greed as he looked at the gauntlets.

"Well, I never planned on going back on them, so it doesn’t matter," Mask lazily replied as he threw the pair of gauntlets forward. He then held his hands out, as though asking for the crystal.

Samxon scoffed before throwing the crystal toward him. With a quick motion, Mask caught the crystal midair.

"It was nice doing business with you," he said with a loud laugh. Samxon glared at him with annoyance in his eyes.

"You laugh a bit too much. Quit it—it’s annoying," Samxon said.

Just then, a sound came from the speakers within the walls of the room.

"Sir Samxon, an orc just went past the Fury Walls and is heading straight for the administrative building... We couldn’t stop him!"

Samxon frowned at the information, but he quickly relaxed, a smile forming on his face. He turned his gaze back to Mask, who didn’t even act as though he’d heard the news.

"Why are you in such a rush to leave? Don’t you want to see that orc bark like the animal he is?" Samxon asked with a grin.

Mask merely glanced back at him. "If I were you, I wouldn’t be too relaxed," he replied in a cold voice, one that seemed unsettling for his usual demeanor.

"What do you mean by that?" Samxon asked, his brows furrowed.

Mask stared out through the glass walls lining the corridors of the administrative block.

"I did tell you to be mindful of what you wished for. Perhaps this will be a good lesson," Mask said with a laugh as he calmly walked down the corridor with a gentle gait, his dark chuckle bouncing off the walls before slowly fading into silence.

Samxon was left staring past the open doors of his office, an uneasy feeling growing in his chest.

He still didn’t understand what Mask meant, but he could feel something in the air... Something dangerous.

He frowned deeply as he walked over to the gauntlets, picking them up from the ground.

"Whatever... That mask guy won’t make me worry. With this weapon, I’m sure I’ll be able to deal with that brat if he tries any shit with me."

{Double Core Gauntlets}

{Weapon Grade: Named!}

{Name: Carnage}

{Power Output: 80%}

A cold grin cut across his face as he looked at the sharp, intricate designs of the gauntlets.

With his new weapon, he felt confident in his ability to deal with the pest.