Axton froze.

For a moment, it was as if the world itself stopped moving.

The sounds of the busy square faded, replaced by a sharp ringing in his ears.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice low and disbelieving. "Dead?"

Axton blinked several times.

Such words didn't make sense.

What did they mean that Mayor Duncan was dead?

"Yes, sir," the soldier confirmed. "We found him not long ago."

Axton didn't wait for further explanation. In a flash, his body blurred as he sprinted toward the mayor's estate, leaving the two soldiers scrambling to keep up.

He didn't care that players were watching, or that gasps of surprise followed in his wake.

All he could think about was Duncan — the man who had been one of the first in this city to trust him, who had helped him secure Atlas City's foundations.

Not so long ago, they had spoken about many things like expanding trade routes. Duncan had laughed, teased him about acting too serious all the time. And now…

Now they were telling him the man was dead?

No. He had to see it with his own eyes.

Behind him, the soldiers tried to keep pace, but Axton was too fast. The aura radiating from him alone made even high-level NPCs hesitate to approach.

Players from the Dragon Claw Guild exchanged puzzled glances.

"What's going on?" one whispered. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know," Hart replied, his brow furrowed. "But that look on his face… something bad, that's for sure."

They tried to follow, but the city guards quickly moved in, blocking their path.

"Stop right there," one guard said firmly. "No outsiders beyond this point."

"Hey, we're not outsiders—" a Dragon Claw member began, but the guard's cold stare silenced him instantly.

"You will wait here," the soldier said in a tone that left no room for argument.

It wasn't an empty threat.

These weren't low-level mobs — they were elite-grade 4 soldiers, each one at level 20.

The difference in power was massive.

Any rash move by the players would end with them respawning outside the city walls.

Grumbling quietly, the players backed off, choosing to wait rather than die in vain.

******

Axton reached the gates of Mayor Duncan's estate within minutes.

The guards stationed there straightened immediately when they saw him, their faces pale and eyes downcast.

The heavy atmosphere told Axton everything before a word was even spoken.

He pushed through the gates without pause.

"What happened here?" he demanded, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade.

The guards shifted uncomfortably, exchanging looks but saying nothing.

"Speak!" Axton barked. "Don't make me ask twice!"

Finally, one of them stepped forward. "Commander… we—we found him in his study. The door was locked from the inside."

Axton's heartbeat quickened. "Locked? From the inside?"

"Yes, sir," the soldier said. "There was no sign of forced entry. The room was not a mess either. Books were neatly arranged. Fresh ink poured and—" the soldier hesitated, swallowing hard.

"...There was no drop of blood. He was just there… his head on the table."

Without another word, Axton stormed past them, heading straight for the mansion's main building. The familiar scent of the estate's garden — roses and lilacs Duncan once tended — now felt suffocating.

He entered the mayor's residence.

The moment he stepped inside, he noticed the soldiers standing guard near the study door.

None dared to meet his gaze.

He pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted him made his stomach twist.

Mayor Duncan was slumped over his desk.

His eyes were lifeless and his body was cold.

His face rumpled the parchment underneath it.

For a moment, Axton stood frozen. Then, slowly, he approached.

He could see a thing. Nothing pointed to a murder.

Had he not been told that Duncan was dead, the scene in front of him would make him think the mayor was just napping.

It was peaceful.

No signs of break in as was reported to him previously.

No tension. No struggles.

"…Damn it," Axton muttered under his breath, his fists clenching.

'Who would do this? And why?' he thought.

Duncan wasn't just a political figure — he was a bridge between the players and the NPCs, a rare man of reason in this city. His death would shatter that fragile peace.

Behind him, one of the guards whispered,

"Commander… should we call for the priests?"

Axton didn't answer immediately.

His eyes were locked on the dead mayor.

He recalled the moments they shared however few they were.

Minutes later, Axton straightened slowly, his gaze cold as steel.

"Seal off the estate," he said quietly. "No one enters or leaves without my permission."

The soldiers straightened at once. "Yes, Commander!"

Axton's mind was racing.

Duncan's death wasn't random.

There was certainly more to it that he couldn't figure out yet.

Was this a message?

…A warning?

…A secret quest he has to undertake?

Axton did not know and he had no clue where to even start.

******

Before long, news of the mayor's demise began to spread across Atlas City like wildfire.

It wasn't surprising.

Mayor Duncan wasn't just another city official — he was the man of Atlas, its heart and its face.

Trying to keep his death a secret was like trying to hold smoke in one's palm.

It was bound to leak out sooner or later.

Soon, dozens of citizens had already gathered at the mayor's estate.

The atmosphere was thick with uncertainty, and the usually quiet residential district now buzzed with anxious chatter.

The gates of the estate were shut tight, guarded by lines of soldiers — extra men Axton had ordered to stand post only an hour earlier.

Their presence alone was enough to keep the restless crowd from pushing forward.

"If they want to know anything about the mayor's death," Axton had told his men earlier, "they'll have to wait. No rumors, no statements. Not until I say so."

And so, the people waited.

But waiting bred speculation.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.