Tyr placed his hand on the young girl’s head, “Don’t cry… you’re alright.” He said, hoping to calm her down as the poor child broke down in front of him.

The man from afar walked closer, now standing before Tyr who was on one knee.

‘So many bruises…’ Tyr thought to himself as he looked up at the man again. He was pissed, his brows furrowing in anger.

“I get she’s your slave, but do you really need to hurt her this much?” Tyr said in a low tone.

The robed man paused. His smile disappeared, instead replaced with a disdainful look.

“You’re new here aren’t you…” The robed man said and then squinted his eyes as he sized Tyr up and down.

“Wait a minute… I think I recognize you from somewhere.” The robed man exclaimed, reaching into his chest pocket while exposing his wrist.

Tyr’s eyes expanded as he saw a symbol on the man’s arm.

‘A snake tattoo… Black Merchant Guild.’ He immediately realized, preparing to fight at any moment.

‘I guess it’s been a long time coming. I knew I’d encounter them someday… it might as well be now.’

The robed man pulled out a poster and flipped it around to show Tyr.

Tyr’s pupils widened in shock as he read the poster. It had his drawn face stamped on the front with a bounty of 100 Gold once found alive.

‘A bounty poster of all things?’ Tyr thought, ‘That’s actually pretty cool. I’m worth 100 Gold to the criminals huh?’

*Click*

The robed man suddenly took a photo of Tyr.

“W-what the hell was that for?” Tyr said with confusion.

“Don’t worry about it… Anyway, I’m sure you’ve figured out who I am.”

“So you will want to fight me, right?” Tyr said, getting more serious.

“Nope.” The robed man looked to the side: “HELP!” He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Tyr furrowed his brows with confusion, “H-help? I’m the one protecting the child…”

***

Before Tyr knew it, several guards had arrested him.

The guards spoke to the robed figure: “Sorry good sir, this criminal thief almost stole your merchandise.”

‘I’m the criminal huh…’ Tyr thought to himself as he was dragged away with his hands chained up.

His eyes were focused on the little girl, and the bastard Black Merchant Guild member who now had the child back in his hands.

The thug smiled at Tyr and waved goodbye as he left. Tyr gave a mean glare to the man as he was dragged away.

“You will be placed in jail for a week at the very least to atone for your sins, criminal–“

“Shut the fuck up…” Tyr couldn’t care less to hear what the bastard guard had to say.

‘I could fuck all of these guards up, but I don’t want to get in even more trouble.’ He closed his eyes, ‘Fuck this place… I want to burn it to the ground.’

As he was taken away, Hanzo and Malon finally exited the Mastermind Hunter’s Guild.

They both had unimpressed looks on thier faces as they saw Tyr’s ass being hauled away.

“Tsk…” Hanzo exclaimed as he saw Tyr in the distance.

Noticing his friends, Tyr raised seven fingers in the air.

“A week huh… we have no choice but to wait it out.” Hanzo said, “This place isn’t like Mycelia where I have any influence.”

“I guess we head back to Noa’s and rest there until its all over, right?” Malon replied.

“Yep…”

***

And just like that, Tyr was thrown into a dirty cell. This one wasn’t nearly as bad as the one in Mycelia, however.

Instead of being underground, it was caged within an enormous marquee that stretched over 1000 feet in width and length.

Inside this chamber were hundreds of iron cells placed randomly. They consisted of various sizes, and some were placed on top of each other while others were to the side.

They were long, thin cells without much room.

‘That Black Merchant guy… it must have been the best option for him to call the guards. After all, he already knows where I will be after I’m arrested. Fighting me head-on would have been foolish. Im sure he’s preparing with his bitch gang to visit me anytime now…’

Tyr sat down. He closed his eyes and raised his head, ‘Experience… levels… isn’t there a place where I can get a ton of that?’ He thought to himself as he waited.

***

Meanwhile, Hanzo and Malon had closed in on Imbu village.

However, something seemed to be off about the place the second they neared it.

Even from over a hundred feet away, random debris scarcely littered the ground.

Hanzo furrowed his brows, zoning in on the village ahead.

Malon on the other hand couldn’t help but notice all the new pieces of debris that seemed to appear every few feet.

Horrible ideas popped up in thier head as soon as they saw this, but they restrained themselves from overthinking.

The two approached the village, their hearts sinking as they took in the devastation before them.

The once-vibrant Imbu village, with its bustling market stalls and lively homes, was now a scene of utter destruction.

Buildings were reduced to rubble, and the streets, usually filled with the sounds of everyday life, were eerily silent.

Hanzo scanned the area with a furrowed brow, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a mix of concern and anger. “This wasn’t just a raid,” he muttered. “It’s too thorough, too destructive. Whoever did this was intent on leaving nothing behind. They wanted to wipe this place off the map.”

Malon’s face was pale, his hands trembling slightly as he took in the wreckage.

He moved through the debris, calling out in desperation, “Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?”

His voice echoed through the empty streets, met only by the quiet wind rustling through the remains of the village.

His hopeful eyes scanned the area with hope as he stumbled on a familar spot–Noa’s shack. Half of the building was smashed in half, as though a large stone had fallen onto it.

Both Hanzo and Malon approached the shack, their pace increasing with each strut.

“Stay calm, Malon…” Hanzo said, clenching his jaw with anger.

Malon nodded, taking in a deep breath. “You’re right. There might be survivors here…”

The two searched Noa’s house, unable to find a single thing even after thoroughly going through everything.

With time, panic began to slowly set in.

After a couple of minutes, the sound of light rustling came from behind them.

The two quickly turned, thier guards up.

“S-Spen?” Hanzo said, noticing the small dog that was limping due to a deep laceration across its left foot.

The pup whimpered in a low tone, his eyes filled with sorrow and fear.

Despite this, he clamped his teeth down with determination and gestured toward a certain direction in a pointing pose.

“He’s… trying to tell us where they went,” Malon explained, immediately understanding the canines intentions.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep