Leveling Up by Defiling Milfs

Daniel met Lucian’s gaze.

”Nothing. Nothing. Just minding my own business.”

Lucian studied him for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly before he gave Daniel a skeptical sideways glance. A second later, he turned his attention away.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the street.

A middle-aged man came rushing toward them, a worn leather satchel bouncing against his hip with every hurried step. Sweat glistened across his forehead, and his chest heaved beneath his rumpled clothes.

*Gasp~ Gasp~ Gasp~*

The moment he reached them, he bent forward and planted both hands against his knees, struggling to catch his breath.

His shoulders rose and fell with every ragged breath.

”What happened, Mr. Carter?” Zero asked, his brows drawing together.

The man lifted his head slightly, still struggling to breathe.

Daniel’s eyes lingered on him for a moment.

”Status,” he murmured under his breath.

——————

Name: Jacob Carter

Age: 52

HP: 5890/5890

Mana: 4300/4300

Description: A former member of Exil who once served as an investigator. After another man took over his position, Jacob resigned and left that life behind.

Choosing peace over conflict, he settled down and now owns a food stall in Moss Town, where he lives a quiet life away from his former comrades.

——————

”It’s bad... everyone’s dead,” Jacob said, finally managing to catch his breath.

Zero’s expression changed in an instant. ”What? Who’s dead?”

”Everyone.” Jacob straightened slowly, his chest still rising and falling. ”Every fucking member of Exil is dead even the commander.”

The words seemed to suck the warmth from the air.

Zero’s eyes flew wide. Lucian’s brows tightened, while Kevin’s face lost its earlier calm.

Meanwhile, Daniel widened his eyes and let his jaw fall slightly, carefully wearing the same look of disbelief as everyone else.

”What?!” Zero blurted out, his voice cracking with disbelief.

He lunged forward and seized Jacob by the shoulder, his fingers digging into the fabric of the man’s tunic.

”How? When did this happen?”

”This morning. When I—”

Jacob’s answer was cut short by the hurried footsteps approaching from behind.

A man in his early thirties came striding toward Lucian, his breathing quick and his expression grim. Dust clung to the hem of his clothes, suggesting he had traveled in a hurry.

”Lucian,” he said, stopping before him. ”The Commander sent me to bring you back to the base. Something happened in Moss Village. Many people were found dead there last night.”

Lucian’s expression stiffened.

Kevin’s eyes narrowed.

Even Zero slowly released his grip on Jacob’s shoulder.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

The sounds of the bustling street seemed to fade beneath the weight of the news. Vendors continued shouting in the distance, carts rattled over the road, and footsteps passed around them, yet their small group stood frozen in the middle of it all.

Daniel remained silent and lowered his gaze slightly, allowing his face to settle into an expression of shock.

Just another person hearing the news for the first time.

...

”...and this wanted poster aswell,” Jacob added.

He reached into his worn satchel and pulled out a tightly rolled parchment. With a quick flick of his wrist, he unfurled it, the paper crackling as it opened.

”Three hundred thousand gold?” Zero said eyes widening, as he stared at the reward written across the parchment.

Normally, wanted posters offered a few hundred gold at most. Rewards reaching a thousand were already rare enough to draw attention.

But three hundred thousand gold was an entirely different matter.

The number alone was enough to make the surrounding noise seem distant for a moment.

Lucian’s eyes lingered on the parchment for a moment longer than necessary.

”Zero, Kevin — it was nice talking to you guys, but I have to go now.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Within moments, the sea of passing people swallowed him completely, leaving Zero, Kevin, Jacob, and Daniel standing together on the busy street.

”And there’s something else,” Jacob added, his voice dropping. The grimness in his expression deepened. ”In Arcane Village, near that enormous banyan tree, they found dead bodies too. A woman... a child... and several others.”

He paused, swallowing hard.

”But there were survivors. A few people were still alive in the open area.”

A fragment of memory flashed through Daniel’s mind.

Rain had poured from the darkened sky as he carried his mother out from underground. His father and the others followed close behind, their clothes soaked through.

Water streamed down their faces as they finally reached the surface.

Above them, the sprawling branches of the banyan tree stretched outward like a vast canopy, its dense leaves shielding them from the relentless rain.

Daniel’s eyes remained fixed ahead as the memory faded.

”But I don’t understand why Zane would betray us,” Jacob continued, his fingers tightening around the parchment.

After all, Zane was the one who took over his position.

”It wasn’t Zane.” Zero’s voice was firm, ”It was Klaus.”

Jacob’s face stiffened. ”K-Klaus?” A flicker of fear crossed his features. ”But... he’s dead. He’s been dead for years, hasn’t he?”

”He’s not.”

Zero’s answer was quiet.

Yet somehow, those two words carried more weight than anything else he had said.

”We shouldn’t waste any more time here,” Zero said, his tone firm. ”I’ve already contacted several groups and asked them to search for Klaus. But after what happened, I imagine half the kingdom will be after his head.”

”That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Daniel asked, biting his thumb as he thought.

”I don’t think so.” Zero shook his head. ”It’s already surprising that he hasn’t been caught. He’s probably hiding somewhere very well.”

His voice hardened.

”Somewhere even we can’t find him.”

”I actually found something that might lead us to him,” Jacob added.

He reached into his satchel and pulled out another piece of folded parchment.

A faint smile tugged at Zero’s lips. ”Just like the old days, huh?”

Jacob returned the smile faintly. ”I found a broken piece of a dagger embedded in one of the victim’s chests. I believe it belonged to one of the assassins.”

Zero’s expression changed. ”The Knife Guild?”

”Who knows?” Jacob replied, his gaze lingering on the broken dagger.