Risa looked worried, her eyebrows furrowed and her forehead creased.

Leon stood beside her, watching ahead where Ethan walked with the five members of the Narrow Fate party.

"Will Ethan be okay?" Risa asked softly.

"He's been through a lot of difficult things before. This time, he'll be fine," Leon replied.

"Let's go back and wait for him at the inn," Leon added.

The girl turned around and sighed quietly. Both of them left the area in front of the equipment shop to return to the inn.

From time to time, Risa looked back and saw Ethan's figure getting smaller, until he finally disappeared from her sight.

Please be okay, Ethan.

Elsewhere, Ethan stopped walking when he arrived at a three-story building—the only one that tall, surrounded by a wide yard.

A signboard in front read Narrow Fate, the ruling guild of the village.

The door opened, revealing many party members drinking and relaxing even in the middle of the day.

There wasn't just one party here—it looked like several had gathered, with even more on the second floor.

That alone proved that the number of people in this building far exceeded the limit for a single party.

"How many parties from your guild did you bring here?" Ethan asked.

"Five. One party is exploring right now, and the rest are on guard duty in the village," the man escorting Ethan answered.

"That's a lot. You could easily take down a floor boss with that many," Ethan said calmly.

"That's none of your business!"

Ethan narrowed his eyes. Their footsteps stopped after climbing the stairs and arriving at a door labeled Party Leader's Office.

"Miss Selena. We've brought EthanArk here," the man said.

"Come in," a woman's voice answered from inside the room.

A woman? I didn't expect that.

The man opened the door and motioned for Ethan to step inside.

Ethan felt no suspicion. He thought Selena only wanted to talk, so he walked in without the slightest caution.

Selena—a mature woman with long dark-red hair, fair skin, and a beautiful face—rose from her seat.

She raised her hand and conjured a perfectly blooming red rose, then threw it toward Ethan.

Ethan caught it easily with his right hand, not knowing the meaning behind the gesture.

"How is it? Does it smell nice?" Selena asked.

PUFF!

A red powder burst from the flower just as Ethan brought it close to his nose. His body went weak, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his throat as if he couldn't breathe.

Selena grinned and laughed loudly, watching EthanArk collapse helplessly in front of her.

She never thought the most effective way to subdue him was through poison—especially when the rumor said Ethan was immune to it.

"W–What's happening?" Ethan coughed.

"Haha! I didn't think catching EthanArk would be as easy as stealing candy from a baby," Selena said, walking away from her desk until she stood right before Ethan's kneeling form.

"I, Selena of Narrow Fate, declare myself the one who captured EthanArk with my own hands!" she announced proudly.

Then she turned and walked back to her desk, ready to claim her reward and the admiration of others.

"Did you really think poison like that could take me down so easily?"

Selena froze in shock. When she turned, Ethan was already standing tall before her.

The red poison should've blocked his airways and stopped his heartbeat within minutes—but something was different.

The rumor was true. Ethan really was immune to poison.

"Y–You? How are you still alive?!" Selena stammered.

"That weak poison is no match for my Toxic Resistance," Ethan replied.

Panic spread across Selena's face. She tried to run to her desk and grab her magic staff, but Ethan moved faster.

He lunged forward, grabbed her head, and slammed it against the wall.

"Argh!"

"You didn't bring me here just to ask about the incident at the tavern, did you?" Ethan asked coldly.

"To hell with you!" Selena spat.

Ethan's left hand held her head, while his right hand summoned Bloodblade Ashura.

In an instant, his appearance changed—his hair turned crimson red, and the power radiating from his body grew intense and terrifying.

"What are you going to do?!" Selena shouted.

Ethan smirked faintly. He threw Selena backward, and she fell hard onto the floor.

Just as she tried to crawl away, Ethan appeared before her again. Panic filled her eyes, and tears began to well up.

"P–Please, don't kill me, Ethan. I swear I won't bother you again. I swear on my life," Selena pleaded.

Ethan crouched over her, Bloodblade Ashura still in his hand.

STAB!

Without hesitation, he drove the blade into Selena's abdomen.

She tried to scream, but Ethan quickly covered her mouth, muffling every sound.

"Don't make noise, Miss. People might hear you," Ethan said softly.

"Now tell me—are you affiliated with Scavenger or Redemption Sword?"

Selena couldn't speak, so she nodded and shook her head in response.

"Are there other guilds in this village affiliated with them?"

She shook her head again—not because there weren't any, but because she didn't know.

Guild alliances in the Tower were secretive and never made public.

If even the system hid their guild names, how could it possibly record unofficial alliances?

"Tricky," Ethan muttered, "I can't exactly kill everyone in this village just because one or two guilds are tied to Scavenger or Redemption Sword."

Selena's guild was small—far weaker than LionArk—and no real threat to him.

He pulled the sword out, and Selena gasped in relief, though blood still poured from the wound, her HP dropping rapidly.

"I've got all I need from you. Thanks," Ethan said.

He sheathed Bloodblade Ashura and deactivated Ashura Mode, returning to his normal form as the violent energy around him faded.

Then he took two Level 2 HP Potions and poured them into Selena's mouth.

The proud party leader had no choice but to drink it all as the red liquid slid down her throat.

"Drink it all. You need it more than I do."

Slowly, the gaping wound began to close as her HP recovered. Within seconds, she was healed.

Selena stood shakily and wiped the potion from the corner of her lips, her eyes trembling as she looked at Ethan with fear.

"You… monster!" she hissed.

"I can be the monster you want me to be," Ethan said calmly, "Or I can be the angel that saves you. It's your choice."

Selena stayed silent, breathing heavily. She finally straightened herself and took a deep breath, realizing how foolish she had been to think she could capture EthanArk that easily.

"Case closed. Get out of my office," Selena ordered coldly.

"Of course. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Selena."

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