The group worked quickly, setting fire to the crates and barrels. The flames spread rapidly, consuming the stolen goods and sending thick smoke billowing into the night sky.

  But the fire didn’t go unnoticed. The guards inside the outpost regrouped, their shouts growing louder as they realized what was happening.

  “They’re coming!” Mori called from her position near the door.

  “Time to go,” Midas said.

  The group fought their way out, clashing with guards as the flames roared behind them. Boreas cut a path through the defenders, his sword moving with deadly precision. Mori’s arrows struck with unerring accuracy, while Neres darted through the chaos, taking down stragglers.

  Midas brought up the rear, his Aegis of Stardust creating a protective barrier that deflected projectiles and allowed the group to escape unscathed.

  By the time they reached the foothills, the outpost was a blazing inferno, its guards scattered and demoralized. The group stopped to catch their breath, their faces illuminated by the distant flames.

  “That went better than expected. Didn’t even gain a level, what with everyone being so much lower than us!” Neres said, wiping sweat from his brow.

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  “Don’t get cocky,” Boreas replied. “This was just the first step.”

  Mori stared at the fire, her expression unreadable. “They’ll retaliate. You know that, right?”

  Midas nodded. “Let them. The more desperate they are, the more mistakes they’ll make.”

  The retaliation came sooner than expected. At dawn, the town square was filled with the sound of clanging bells. The group rushed outside, blending into the crowd as townsfolk gathered to see what the commotion was about.

  In the center of the square stood a man clad in black armor, his presence imposing. The level interface in Midas’s vision marked him as Level 21. The mayor’s bodyguard. Beside him stood three other figures, each Level 20—the elites who had so far kept Dawncrest under the mayor’s thumb.

  Behind them, a row of shackled prisoners knelt, their faces pale with fear.

  “This is a message,” the bodyguard announced, his voice booming. “To those who dare defy the mayor’s authority.” He gestured to the prisoners. “These people were found near the outpost. Spies, saboteurs, traitors.”

  “They’re innocent,” Mori whispered, her fists clenching at her sides.

  Midas placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression calm but cold. “We’ll stop this. But not yet.”

  The bodyguard raised his sword, its edge gleaming in the morning light. “This is what happens to those who cross us.”

  Before he could strike, a loud voice interrupted.

  “Enough!”

  The crowd parted as Boreas stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of Warden’s Fang. His presence was commanding, his level towering over the elites.

  The bodyguard froze, his eyes narrowing. “And who are you supposed to be?”

  Boreas smirked. “The man who’s going to end this.”