’They’re now talking about some assassinations? What crazy things I am overhearing.’

The smuggler’s ears perked up.

"...Assassinating Leon... Will you do it?"

Fang Raon asked.

It would be a huge incident if the world’s strongest player just happened to die—especially by his guild members.

Rook and Raizen would definitely become the two most infamous names in the tower. Some would hate them. Some might love them for it.

’If they actually kill Leon, what will happen to Dead Redemption? Without Leon, they wouldn’t be nearly as strong anymore.’

He thought.

"...I don’t know. The thing is, Leon is quickly approaching level 8, and if he reaches it, I think he’ll be too strong for anyone to catch him.

"If we manage to kill Leon, we will instantly become Divine Rankers. If we don’t do something about Leon, it’ll be too late.

"We can’t just keep following him forever. We’ve already tried for years to catch up to his strength, but it feels like we’re falling further behind."

Raizen said.

"This kind of stuff is way beyond my pay grade. If you succeed, there are a lot of consequences, and if you fail, well..."

Fang Raon scratched the back of his head.

"You’re smart. Tell me what you think."

Raizen asked for advice.

"You know the members of Dead Redemption better than I do. Who are the most loyal to Leon?"

Fang Raon asked.

"...Seonwoo Kim, without a doubt. She has quite a big crush on Leon just because he treated her well, not understanding that he is just using her."

Raizen said.

"That’ll mean that she won’t take his death lightly. What will Hermes and Aria do?"

Fang Raon asked.

It was important to know what the other two Divine Rankers were going to do to determine whether it was even worth it.

"If Leon dies... I don’t think they’ll care. Hermes will be the strongest in the tower, and I think he’ll lead Dead Redemption after Leon’s death.

"Aria, well... She is kind of a mystery."

Raizen said.

"The thing is... If Leon dies, I don’t think Dead Redemption will continue to exist. Nobody will be safe around you and Rook."

Fang Raon said.

"...If that happens, I am fine with that too. We joined forces to get ahead of everybody else, and we’ve done that.

"It’s honestly about time that we all go separate ways. We’re all competitors. It makes no sense that we’re still working together."

Raizen said.

"What’s your plan of assassination?"

Fang Raon asked.

"We haven’t discussed that. I still haven’t decided whether I’ll go forward with it. It’s a big decision."

Raizen said with a serious look in his eyes.

"Of course... If you plan to do it, don’t fail. If Leon survives, he’ll be a very dangerous enemy to have."

Fang Raon said with a deeply serious expression.

"I know that more than anyone."

Raizen said, and then he leaned back against the wagon wall and closed his eyes as the wheels of the wagons rolled down the tunnel.

"I’ll take a nap. Wake me up once we’re at the 29th floor."

"...Sure."

Fang Raon nodded.

...

29th floor, the Player Market.

It was a dark night. A crescent moon hung low in the sky. The stars sparkled like diamonds.

The streets of the city were busy and packed. Market stalls lined the streets. Over hundreds of them.

It was impossible to walk down the street without either bumping into some players or colliding with the stalls.

The streets were very narrow, and the tall black brick buildings towered over the crowd as they were everywhere.

Player Market—as it was called—was located in the downtown of the city, and it was off-limits to the locals.

Thousands of players visited the market every day. It was one of the biggest player gathering places in the entire tower.

Even members of Dead Redemption visited this place often.

Everywhere players looked, it was possible to see powerhouse players that have made a name for themselves in the game.

Members from the strongest guilds were walking down the street like they were just an ordinary sight here.

However.

There was one special part about this city.

This city had zero guilds, even though it was in a prime location for establishing one, all because of a long-standing deal between guilds.

The top guilds made a deal that nobody could take the 29th floor as their territory, so it could stand as neutral ground for everyone.

So far, that deal had been respected by everyone.

At the current moment.

A wagon wheeled down the streets of the city. It creaked like an old door. The driver kept his hood up.

In that moment.

The driver yanked on the reins and pulled the wagon to a sudden stop next to a sidewalk, as he could see something in the distance.

To enter the Player Market, one had to go through a security booth, which was guarded by a couple of players.

They were there to make sure that no locals could slip through, and they were also there to stop any potential threats from entering the market.

"I can’t take you any further!"

The smuggler knocked on the wagon door, and he then heard some shuffling inside, and two players stepped out from the back.

"I appreciate the ride."

Raizen said.

"Need a ride back?"

The smuggler asked.

"No. There is no need for that."

Raizen said.

They had another way of getting back—the Tower Pearls—so they just needed a way to get here.

"Very well. Good luck!"

The smuggler waved his hand, slowly turned the wagon around, and started heading back where he came from.

However, he also didn’t plan on leaving the 29th floor yet.

While the main goal was for him to smuggle the two players here, he also intended to sell his wares to the locals here.

It wasn’t every day that the locals of this place got their hands on the wares of the 7th floor, so it was a high commodity.

"This is the Player Market?"

Fang Raon asked.

It was a pretty crude sight, he thought. The people milling around seemed to be mostly lower-level players, and the goods they were selling reflected that.

"This is just the entrance to the Player Market. The real good stuff is deeper inside."

Raizen said.

At that moment, they approached the security booth, and a couple players stepped out to greet them with weapons in hand.

"Names?"

One of the Security Players asked.

"Fang Raizen."

"Fang Raon."

The two of them said their names.

When they heard those names, they were shocked, even though it wasn’t out of the ordinary to come across such special players.

Raizen—a name they recognized as one of the greatest Warriors in the game’s history.

Surprisingly, they even knew of Fang Raon.

It was all because of that Tower Announcement just a few hours ago, and therefore, they were quite surprised that he was on the 29th floor.

Wasn’t he just at floor 2?

They were also well aware of the smuggling routes, so they believed that Raon must’ve taken one to get here.

"You may enter."

The Security Players stepped aside and let them in. They tipped their hats in respect.

With a cold gaze, Raizen put up his defenses and entered the Player Market with Raon right behind him.

"One thing you need to know about this place—don’t look weak—these players like to test newcomers.

"There are also a lot of pickpocketers and thieves that would love to take everything you got in your inventory."

Raizen said.

"Mm."

Fang Raon nodded.

However, he doubted that anyone dared to do anything with Raizen right here, but maybe some players were simply that bold.

As they walked deeper into the Player Market, they earned a lot of gazes from the other players around them.

"Hey, Raizen, long time no see!"

At that moment, a man, sitting on a chair, said with a smile on his face. He was surrounded by a group of players who were all wearing matching uniforms.

It looked like they were part of the same guild.

"Grimson."

Raizen nodded his head.

"I thought that the Dead Redemption was busy with the 56th floor. What’cha doing all over down here?"

Grimson asked with a smile.

He had crazy crimson hair with a wild look in his eyes and a frame that could only be described as viking-like with his crazy appearance.

"Easy floor. We’re going to finish it tomorrow."

Raizen said, and Grimson just laughed, and then he turned his attention away again, continuing chatting with his guild members.

"...Who was that?"

Fang Raon asked as they continued walking away.

When he took a look at Grimson, he thought that he must be ridiculously strong, as something about him screamed danger.

As strong as Raizen, maybe.

"Grimson Duke. He is the guild master of Grimson Dawn, the second-ranked guild in the tower. That guy used to be the strongest player in the tower before Leon."

Raizen said.

"...That’s the guy?"

Fang Raon looked back at the crimson-haired Grimson, then turned back to Raizen, a surprised look flashing across his face.

He didn’t realize that he came face-to-face with such a legendary figure!

"He is just an old man trying to relive his glory days. It’s been years since he has carried the title of strongest, but he still clings to his former glory like an old woman clings to her rosary beads."

Raizen said.