Chapter 36: Nice Show, Indeed

Zane appeared with a soft shimmer of light in the corridor of the inn, right in front of his room. He reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek, black card embedded with runes—his enchanted room key. With a faint click and a subtle glow, the door unlocked, and he stepped inside.

The room was quiet and dimly lit, cozy yet simple. Zane loosened his collar, walked toward the washroom, and freshened up. Moments later, he returned and dropped onto the bed with a deep exhale, his expression calm, his mind already working.

With a flick of his fingers and a sharp glint in his eyes, he focused his energy. Two objects materialized beside the bed—one was a tall, narrow box nearly a meter high; the other, a shorter, broader container.

Without a word, Zane teleported to the rooftop of the inn, both boxes reappearing with him. The night sky above was clear, the twin red suns of Orimund having long dipped below the horizon. Stars twinkled faintly.

He opened the tall box with a wave of his hand, revealing a compact, silver-black miniature rocket. Its surface gleamed with complex etchings, and right at the center was his unmistakable logo—a sharp, diagonal-slash ’Z’. Nestled beside the rocket was a remote control, sleek and rune-lined. He pulled out a stand from the box, set the rocket upright, and locked it into place.

Zane stood back, lips curled in amusement.

“Alright then. Sequence initiating in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”

He pressed the launch button.

The rocket ignited silently—no thunder, no roar, just a silent flare of magic-assisted propulsion. It streaked skyward like a silver arrow, disappearing into the stars above.

High above Orimund’s atmosphere, the rocket began its transformation. Its outer casing split, falling away to reveal a box-like core structure. Panels extended, antennae unfolded, and small crystalline orbs began to glow. It was a satellite—equipped with advanced signal transmission, relay systems, and multi-spectrum surveillance modules.

Back on the rooftop, Zane watched it all with his enhanced eyes . He gave a small nod.

“The first generation of advanced signal transmission,” he murmured. “More than enough for this world.”

With that, he teleported back into his room, now standing by the bed. The second box awaited.

Opening it, he revealed a small, ultra-thin laptop. It was metallic grey in color , its surface marked with the same stylized Z logo. Zane flipped it open, and the system powered on instantly—no boot time, no loading screen. The interface was like nothing seen on Orimund, filled with complex-coded systems and modules that shifted as if alive.

A soft ding popped up on the screen.

[New Bee Stream Ready to Connect]

Zane clicked it. Instantly, a grid of live feeds opened—dozens of angles, dozens of locations. In one window, Ron and Lia moved through a crowded marketplace. In another, shadowed figures—clearly assassins—tailing them through forest . There were other feeds too: towns, roads, even deep forests.

Unseen by all, small, bee-like drones flitted through the air—completely lifelike, each one a masterwork of his creation. When he had let Ron and Lia go, Zane had subtly released these “Bee Drones” into the world. With flawless camouflage, they acted as his eyes and ears—spying, streaming, and analyzing everything in real time.

Zane tapped another key on keyboard of laptop.

A soft hum resonated in the room, and a massive holographic display projected into the air, showing the live streams in a cinematic widescreen view. The feeds adjusted and enhanced automatically, following key figures and highlighting anomalies.

A knock interrupted him.

“Your food, sir,” came the voice of the inn’s room service attendant.

Zane opened the door, retrieved the tray, and shut it with casual swiftness. On it was a mountain of freshly popped popcorn and a large bottle of a fizzy, colorful drink—the locals called them flavour fizzies, their version of soft drinks.

He returned to his bed, set the tray down, and leaned back into the pillows.

He grabbed a handful of popcorn and took a sip of his drink.

“Alright,” he said with a smirk, eyes fixed on the floating screen, “let’s watch the show.”

After a while of watching, Zane let out a sigh and leaned back.

“This is getting boring,” he muttered. “Aren’t those assassins a bit too passive? Do something, man.”

Just as he spoke, one of the drone feeds switched to a new angle. A hidden bee drone had picked up footage of the same assassin group tailing Ron and Lia—only now, something was different.

A slender man stepped into view, approaching the group’s apparent leader. The newcomer wore a long black cloak and a white mask marked with flickering flame patterns. His presence was calm, but commanding.

“Catch them alive,” the man ordered. “The client wants them breathing.”

Zane narrowed his eyes, having caught every word.

“Client, huh? So their siblings wants them alive, huh.”

He snapped his fingers. “Computer, load the battle power system in the bee drones. Let’s check what we’re dealing with.”

[Beep] Battle power scan initialized. Would you like names and additional data for the targets?

“Nah,” Zane replied. “Don’t need the names of low-level thugs. Just show me the numbers.”

Moments later, translucent readings began appearing next to each assassin in the live feed:

208… 287… 256… 237… 232

Zane scoffed. “Fodder. Maybe good enough for scaring civvies.”

Then came the scan of their team leader:

Battle Power: 672

Full Potential: 865

“For them, he’s quite strong,” Zane admitted, tilting his head slightly. “Could cause real trouble.”

But the final scan made him sit up straight.

[Target: Masked Slender Man]

Battle Power: 1521

Full Potential: 1654

Zane gave a low whistle. “Now that’s a big one… definitely out of Ron and Lia’s league.”

He leaned back again, eyes still on the feed.

“Well… let’s see what they’ll do now.”

Forest – Moments Before Sunset

The wind rustled through the leaves, whispering warnings through the trees. Dusk deepened, casting shifting shadows along the ground.

Lia crouched beside Ron behind a thick tree trunk. Her deep pink eyes flicked upward, scanning the canopy.

“You sense them?” she asked softly.

Ron nodded, spear gripped tight in his hand. “Yeah. Faint… but close. They’re holding back. Waiting for nightfall. But they won’t wait long.”

As if on cue, rustling echoed around them. Then came the words—

“Do not kill. Capture them.”

Five… no, six figures leapt from the shadows, masked assassins cloaked in gray and black.

Ron’s eyes sharpened. “Go high. I’ll handle the ground.”

Lia didn’t hesitate. She unsheathed her thin, curved sword—its edge glinting like moonlight—and launched herself upward, vanishing into the trees.

—

Ground – Ron’s Battle

Ron spun his spear in a smooth arc, flames sparking from its tip.

“Inferno Spear—First Technique: Flaming Stab!”

With a roar, the spearhead ignited, engulfed in orange-red flames. Ron dashed forward—fast, controlled, lethal.

SHUNK!

He pierced through one assassin’s shoulder and twisted, flames searing into flesh. The second attacker lunged—Ron spun mid-step and drove the burning spear tip through his thigh.

The two collapsed with screams of pain, smoke curling from their wounds.

But more were coming.

Ron gritted his teeth, pivoted back.

“Inferno Spear—Second Technique: Scorching Coil!”

He spun the spear in a sweeping circle, leaving behind a burning spiral trail of flame. It forced the attackers to scatter, giving him breathing room.

—

Above – Lia’s Assault

From above the trees, a soft rustle was the only warning.

In a flash of motion, Lia appeared behind the two assassins, her curved blade already glowing faint green.

Her voice was calm.

“Wind Butterfly—First Technique: Elegant Speed.”

Before they could react, her sword danced—a blur of silver arcs and emerald trails.

SHING! SHING!

A dozen slashes landed in the span of a heartbeat.

The assassins froze. For a second, nothing happened. Then—

SLASH!

Their bodies split cleanly, falling apart in multiple pieces, blood and cloth fluttering down like feathers.

Lia landed lightly on a branch, unfazed.

Her sword gleamed, untouched by blood.

The third one tried to retreat.

Big mistake.

“Wind Butterfly—Second Technique: Butterfly Slash.”

A green energy slash burst from her blade—FWOOOSH!

It curved gracefully through the air, then—SPLAT!—cut the assassin clean through before he could even cry out. Pieces of cloth and metal armor dropped to the ground like petals.

—

Scene: Zane’s Room – Watching via Drone

Zane watched through the drone feed, a faint smirk on his lips. Reclined on his chair, he casually tossed popcorn into his mouth and took a long sip from his cold soft drink.

“Heh. Smart kids,” he muttered. “Good team coordination. She’s graceful, he’s brute-force. Classic.”

He tapped the screen, switching angles.

“Alright… show me what you two really do under pressure.”

Back in the forest—

As two more assassins fell to Lia’s swift blade, a sharp whistle cut through the trees.

The remaining attackers pulled back.

From the shadows, a broad-shouldered man stepped forward. His eyes were sharp, and a scar ran across his cheek. He wore no mask, only dark leather armor marked with red streaks.

The team leader.

“Tch… amateurs,” he muttered, spinning a heavy axe in his hand. “Guess I’ll handle this myself.”

Ron narrowed his eyes. “This one’s different.”

Lia crouched on a tree branch, her sword gleaming faintly. “He’s strong. Be careful.”

Zane leaned forward, eyes glued to the screen, sipping again.

“Ah… now things are getting interesting.”

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