Will you fight? Or perish like a dog?

~ Tales of War by Avery Hernest

"I'll give you all one more chance," Chester announced loudly. He tore his eyes away from the succubus on the floor and stared down every single opponent before him. The few dwarves who were under Tinder's control regained their bearings and looked around in a daze. "Leave. I won't chase you."

The rage from the illusionist's heart had vanished like a whisper in the night, replaced by emptiness and a vague sense of guilt. Killing animals was extremely different from a person. Even then, he hadn't let it get to him. Chester always used the system to his advantage; treating the entire situation as a game with health points and experience. It allowed him to cope with the murders and death he had witnessed so far.

Picking up the weapon from the fallen succubus, he got a notification that stated the artifact was unbonded. He begrudgingly said yes, and felt a small connection with the staff in his hand as he analyzed its capabilities.

Closed Mirage Staff

- Crafted from dark ebony wood and reinforced by an ancient elven blacksmith, it boasts decent hardiness and durability.

- Deals decent bludgeoning damage

- Reduces concentration required for illusion-based spells

- Illusion-based spells can be overcharged by a maximum of 50%, allowing for more potent and longer-lasting skills. Effects of skill overcharge may vary.

-There is a small chance of not consuming mana when activating a skill

- Return IV: Upon command, the weapon will reappear in the user's hands. Once unequipped, it will disappear into a pocket dimension that prevents it from being stolen.

He quelled the tremor in his hands and pointed his weapon at the shadowy assassin who had a grim look on his face.

"Soldiers, hold him down. I need some time."

Kang retreated immediately, taking out an aged scroll from his pocket. It looked familiar, and upon the man unrolling it, he could recognize the illegible chicken scratches on the page.

'A demon scroll?!'

He recalled the one inside his bag, tempting him with untold power at the price of his soul. The stories he had heard from Priest Engel and Damien about the accursed items didn't bode well for his circumstances. He formed a sizable hammer with greater length and thickness than before and swung at his approaching opponents. The hooded enemies worked in tandem, tying up the man's feet as he tried to interrupt whatever the assassin was doing. They fought with the express purpose of buying time, and it made the battle much more inconvenient for the illusionist.

"MOVE, DAMN IT! MANA BLAST!"

Chester clashed blades, holding back multiple people with sheer strength. He noted that these soldiers were significantly stronger than the ones he had faced, casting spells and trying to overwhelm the man through numbers.

He deflected a blade with his gauntlets, seeing the murderous zeal in his assailant's eyes. Chester entered fight-or-flight mode, driven by his preservation instincts as he tried to disable his opponent without regard for their life. He grabbed the man's face and launched him into the marble floor, shattering the tiles into multiple pieces. Chester had no time to check if the man was unconscious or dead, deflecting a spear thrust with the shaft of his hammer as the rest of the force descended upon him. Magic rained down upon him like a vicious storm, but his speed proved to be far too great for the others to deal with.

He used the hammer and swung it horizontally, catching two people with his weapon and sending their broken bodies a few meters away. Their armor was no use against the destructive bludgeoning force caused by his iridescent weapon.

You have slain Human (level 13)

Kang placed several gold coins on the contract, leaving it on the floor as he began muttering in an incomprehensible language. A subtle light emanated from the pile of currency, vanishing into thin air as it was replaced by a small, emaciated hand that didn't look human. It crawled out of the parchment, defying the laws of physics. A cackling voice spoke in abyssal tongue, grating on the ears but understandable even to those who didn't know the language. Chester could grasp the intent behind their words even without understanding what each word they spoke meant.

Wohoho, a battlefield? This is more of Demigorgon's expertise than mine, contractor. What use do you have of me?

A grey, wrinkled goblin sported a predatory smile, observing the rest of the ruined palace with mild interest. His diminutive appearance rang alarms in Chester's head. He wore little clothing apart from a loincloth that covered his genitals. His eyes paused on the curly-haired human battling against a dozen enemies with the help of a few dwarven defenders. The pace of the battle was being dictated by the mysterious fighter with his Attainium, and the demon's eyes shined with greed, slit eyes dilating with pure desire.

"I'd like to upgrade my contract."

Making changes to my contract isn't easy. I hope you already knew that.

Kang pointed at the fortified vault. "Welton's Vault. I will give you a quarter of the contents within the vault in exchange for-"

HALF! I WANT HALF!

"Deal. I want the gold standard contract."

Seeing how quickly the man acquiesced, the wrinkled goblin lost his smile and stared at him for a moment longer. The man's face was completely solemn, and his eyes were similar to that of a dead fish. They held little emotion as he made a deal with the greediest demon known to man.

Relinquishing it so easily, I suppose that leader of yours knows how to deal with us very well. Fine.

He snapped his fingers, and Chester shuddered upon feeling the amount of energy pouring into the shadowy assassin. It was palpable, similar to a boombox cranked to the loudest volume. A steady pulse of energy rang throughout the palace and Chester could feel it in his bones.

You have slain Human (level 18)

You have slain Elf (level 15)

You have slain Half-Elf (level 17)

The last of the soldiers fell, but it was already too late. The illusionist watched as the wrinkled goblin finished the incantation. He couldn't sense any power from the ugly entity, which unsettled the man even further. It was as though the mana was coming from a void in space and time.

You better fulfill the end of your bargain, you hear? I'm putting myself at risk with this many simultaneous contracts.

A silent threat could be implicated from the demon's tone. Mammon, a demon that has lived for several centuries. Despite his eccentricities and lame appearance, everybody in the building knew in their very soul he was not something to be trifled with.

"I don't plan on failing."

There was no flash, no threat. Kang simply made eye contact with Chester before he faded away into obscurity. No noise and no presence whatsoever, it was equal or greater to his Invisibility skill. The illusionist's heart skipped a beat as he realized what was to come.

"Darkness!"

Chester threw the Attainium onto his face as he was plunged into the familiar shadows. It covered his face and neck entirely, with a minuscule hole by his chin that allowed him to breathe. Not even a moment after the iridescent metal melded itself onto his cranium, something struck him in the throat and made him choke.

His free hand was used to grab the item which struck him, feeling a flat blade and making sure not to lose his hold on the invisible assassin. Holding on to the man drained Chester of some energy, a sensation that he likened to the darkness element that Damien was so fond of. He idly wished that the boy had been here to help, knowing he was far more durable and geared towards combat against these sorts of people.

"True Strike."

Several blows cut across the curly-haired human's entire body, making him groan in pain. Every strike felt like it pierced through his armor, and some managed to find their way in the chinks of his metal suit. But Chester didn't let go. Letting go of the staff in his off-hand, he snatched the rogue's other wrist and reared his protected head back.

PING

Like the sound of an aluminum bat making contact with someone's skull, Chester headbutted Kang with enough force to split concrete. The human withdrew his helmet and witnessed the assassin cradling his broken nose, gushing blood like a fountain.

Two of the dwarves fighting beside him had been disposed of, with one clinging to consciousness as his eye had been gouged out. Kang had handled them effortlessly within the short amount of time it took to cover his helmet. Chester bent down and threw something off the floor, eyeing the assassin with vicious intent.

"Adventus!"

'Damn it, again?! This gimmick won't work twice on me.'

Kang rolled off to the side, taking advantage of his even greater speed to avoid the incoming cube. But to his surprise, nothing happened. The projectile Chester had thrown was merely a piece of debris from the cracked floor. In the same instant, a tendril of rope shot out from the curly-haired man's gauntlet and the grappling hook attached to the end dug into his calf. The contraption was something the assassin had never seen before, but he had no time to think about what it was as it yanked him forward towards the last remaining opponent.

"Urgh!"

The assassin cut away at the rope attached to his leg, but it was already too late. Chester had transformed his Attainium back into a massive hammer and dashed forward, intent on ending this once and for all.

SLAM

He shattered the marble floor with ease but missed his target entirely. The gap in their speed had increased by a significant margin, and Chester only had a moment before a black blade neared his throat. He guarded with his gauntlet, with sparks appearing as metal clashed on metal. It was a deadly dance of blades, and Chester relied on his superior strength and comparable agility to grab ahold of the slippery assassin.

"Banishing Kill!"

Kang disappeared before the man's very eyes, and he immediately ducked to the ground. It was the correct choice as the dagger cut away at loose strands of Chester's hair and he rolled to the ground, casting Darkness once more. His mind worked at rapid speeds, trying to concoct a possible way to win against his newly empowered opponent.

As the shadows dissipated, Kang froze upon seeing the man look past him with a hint of recognition in his eyes. Fearing it was another trick, he ignored the subtle movement and summoned another Shadow Blade. Chester gripped the staff in his hand, fending off the projectile and engaging in battle with the assassin. They traded blows, neither giving an inch. The deadlock wasn't broken until Chester shouted out at the top of his lungs.

"Now, JENSEN!"

"On it."

The whistling noise of a sharp blade forced Kang to retreat, and he rolled off to the side. To the man's mortification, the Lieutenant General of Wisperium stood alongside Chester menacingly, glaring at the lone contractor with murder in his eyes. His presence diminished the chances of victory greatly. Running out of ideas, the shadowy rogue sprinted towards Alda, intent on using the broken woman as a hostage. She was helpless, watching as the demon contractor approached her.

"Watch your head!"

Something cut between the distance, making a sporadic entrance. With jet-black hair that flowed down to her shoulders, the General of Wisperium slammed her hands down to the ground, breaking the tiled floor. Kang knew that his loss was imminent. No amount of power could save him from the battle-hardened soldiers and he realized that cutting off his losses was the only option.

'They defeated Delont and the others?! The mission is a failure. I need to retreat!'

The two vampires approached him from opposite sides, putting the thief in a tight spot and making him think of a way to escape. Fading into invisibility, he quickly realized something was off.

'They're unharmed after taking out the invading force at the gates? Their AGI would be on par with mine or higher. Why are they so slow?'

After a few moments of astute observation, he noticed how there was a certain rigidity to the way they moved. Even the way their shadows interacted with the numerous light sources all over reminded him of the late Tinder's inconsistencies within her illusions.

As realization dawned on him, it was already too late. Chester unclasped the grappling hook attached to the ceiling, completely invisible to the world. He fell from a height of ten meters, tracking the subtle footprints on the dusty floor and controlling his fall the best he could. Almost a hundred kilograms of flesh and metal crashed into the unaware assassin and dispelled both of their camouflage at once.

They were entangled for a brief moment, both in great pain after the collision. But Chester managed to keep himself on top. Kang could see that Jensen Vernicus and Natalia Drake, along with the destroyed surroundings caused by their arrival, were all illusions created by the man before him. But Kang's questions were only answered with even more questions.

'How can he have a warrior's fighting ability with an illusionist class? Is he a contractor? How did he get into the vault?'

The assassin couldn't keep calm anymore. All their plans had been trounced completely by a single, confusing man. Their forces had been decimated, and his fellow contractor was killed in battle. A comrade in their fight against the world, for the world. For a brief moment, his resentments turned towards their leader. They had more than enough forces on standby to destroy Welton and tear them asunder. But a mere fraction of what they had was being used to attack the dwarven capital of the continent. It didn't make sense in his eyes, but he had never questioned their leader. Until now.

'Polybius is likely somewhere here watching. Damn it all to hell.'

Just as Chester began forming a helmet to protect his face and neck, the assassin got a hold of his dagger and struck before his opportunity faded.

The illusionist kept going. Kang's desperation became even greater upon seeing his attack have no effect. Wrestling the man's hand away with his superior strength, he successfully pinned him down and reared his head back to unleash a series of headbutts.

"MAMMON! GIVE ME MORE POWE-ugh!" Kang couldn't avoid the strikes with his limited movement. The first headbutt crushed his skull between the unforgiving floor and a metal helmet. The greedy, wrinkled goblin stood several meters away, having watched the entire battle unfold in complete silence. It seemed as though he was uninterested or even anxious about something. "WHATEVER TREASURES YOU WANT, I'LL HAND THEM OVER!"

Mammon looked tempted by his offer, knowing that if he were to give the rogue more of his abilities he'd be able to overpower the fighter pinning him down. The contents of the vault were tantalizing, and a little more would guarantee his treasure. But before he could speak, the grey goblin's avatar stuttered as though it was experiencing interruptions. His face became a mix of irritation and rage.

Unfortunately, Balmund has detected my waning power and is invading my territory. Do me a favor and die faster, would you?

And with that, Mammon vanished into thin air along with any hope of victory.

Kang struggled against Chester's strength but to no avail. The demon he contracted with gave no more support. All the people under his command were dead. He didn't care about living. He wanted to complete his mission. To prove that their sacrifices weren't in vain. Even the threat of eternal damnation didn't scare him. He screamed to the heavens, feeling his muscle and ligaments tear after trying to get away from his opponent's grip.

Banishing Kill could not be activated.

True Strike could not be activated.

Greater Invisibility (Mammon) could not be activated.

Pickpocket has been activated.

With his rapidly diminishing mental capabilities, Kang ran through his skill list in the hopes one of them could get him out of this dilemma. Due to his positioning and immobilization, none of his combat skills could be used. Chester didn't notice the Ring of Deflection missing from his hand, relentlessly clobbering the dark-skinned assassin into the ground.

A man who fights to protect and live another day. Another who has lost everything to fulfill their goal. Their motivations couldn't be any more different, but their desperation matched each other in equal strength.

'Kill him. I have to kill him. Or he'll kill me. I can't die. I have to live. I have to protect. I have to kill.'

All that remained of Chester's mind was his baser instincts. Kill or be killed. The animal-like desperation to survive had made him forget his hesitation to kill, adrenaline pumping through his veins as his labored breathing reverberated throughout the helmet wrapped around his skull. For some reason he found it hard to inhale and exhale, requiring manual focus to do so.

CRACK

Kang's face had been thoroughly bludgeoned, and his struggles became weaker and weaker.

SNAP

Chester couldn't see where he was striking. But the man had stopped struggling and made it easier for him to keep headbutting in the same area. It felt softer than before, as though something had caved in after the repeated strikes. The illusionist kept going.

SLAMSLAMSLAMSLAM

He followed the rhythm of his head making contact with the ground. The man refused to stop until he was sure the threat was gone. It wasn't until a minute later he heard Alda's shouts for him to stop.

Chester withdrew the helmet, eyes unfocusing on the splatter of blood and gore that remained of his opponent's head. There was no doubt he was dead, evidenced by the blue box that appeared before his eyes that barely censored the grisly sight, telling him of his level-ups. A warm red liquid dripped from his eyes, but he noticed more coming from his neck. Chester reluctantly touched the side of his throat and felt the cold edge of Kang's blade protruding from it.

You have slain High Human (level 54)

You have leveled up! You are now level 33.

You have leveled up! You are now level 34.

You have leveled up! You are now level 35.

You have leveled up! You are now level 36.

You have 60 stat points to allocate.

'Oh, that's why it felt so hard to breathe.'

Chester opened his status window and put all the points he could into END before collapsing to the ground.