Level Up Legacy

"Is it wise to chase a demon, sir?" asked his right-hand man, having regained clarity after the initial outburst. "You heard about what happened to Wu Lang. A single demon wiped out his entire army."

"Do you believe Wu Lang chased a demon to fulfill the wishes of some god?" asked Vesper as he rose from his seat. "That senile man wished for strength in a demon's blood. It is said that whoever drinks it evolves into a creature blessed by the heavens. Forget about that black lightning user. Make the demon a priority."

"Please wait, sir," said a tall man as he stepped from within the crowd. "I fought against that black lightning user. His eyes are more frightening than any demon could be, and I lost my strength the moment I saw them."

"An entire meat slab for anyone who shuts this coward's mouth," said Vesper without glancing at him. The man could not dodge before someone punched him in the face and started kicking him. Even more, it was this man's friend."Reward him," said Vesper once the man made a bloody mess of his friend.

The right hand threw a slab of meat at the mobster, who caught it like a hungry dog. The entire crowd of lackeys glared at him with envy and regret for not being fast enough. This piece of meat was big enough to last him a month, worth at least a gold coin.

Vesper usually rewarded his men with food instead of money. It was far from being stingy, but the opposite. Not even gold could get you food inside Sith Town because Vesper controlled everything.

"Thank your master, insolent dog!" shouted the right-hand man at the salivating mobster, who lost words once the meat landed in his hands. The man flinched and hurried to fall to his knees, bowing toward Vesper.

"Thank you for this generosity, great lord!" shouted the man as loud as he could, but Vesper did not even spare him a glance. Instead, he was plotting how to chase the demonic creature.

"Who fought against the demon?" asked Vesper again, and three men stepped forward. "I thought you said you were four."

"We were, but the demon captured the last one. We died because of the mist before we could see what happened to him," said one of the men. "It is his second time dying in a day."

"What an unlucky brat. The tower would not let him enter until another day passed," said the right-hand man. "Let me take these men and retrace the footsteps of the demon. Peter should know something about them since he gave the quest."

"That reminds me, where is the old man?" asked Vesper with a frown. "I have never seen him since he gave the quest to the demon. Did something happen to him?"

The crowd was confused as well, and it was then that someone rushed into the central hall. It was a man with long hair and shining armor, looking like the prince charming of every fairytale. However, his eyes were slits, making him look quite evil.

"Lord Vesper!" called the man as soon as he arrived, compelling the giant bearded man to turn toward him. "There is something you need to know!"

"Calm down, Romeo. Nothing should shake you in such a way," said Vesper with a frown. "Whatever it is, don't lose your cool."

"The floor master is dead!" said Romeo with haste. "The entire town is talking about what happened! Furthermore, I cannot believe this, but…"

"Peter is dead? And there is more than that?" said Vesper with a frown as his calm crumbled. His beard started flailing as if enraged. "Out with it, damn brat!"

"The rumors say that you killed him!" said Romeo with fear as he stood far away from Vesper. "I dared not believe them, so I rushed here as soon as I heard my men. Someone spread the word that you two had a falling out and…."

"Nonsense! I would never harm my men!" said Vesper with rage as he slammed his giant pole to the ground, making a resounding impact. His face was red, and the rage made his men back away in fear.

The scene was ironic because his words did not align with the bloodied man on the ground or how much his men feared him. Vesper found himself stared at by a bunch of cowardly gazes, except for those who followed him for a long time.

"We need to squash such rumors in their cradle," said his right-hand man as he bowed to Vesper. "Let us, the three commanders, take this task. We will find who killed Peter and bring him here with his limbs torn apart."

"The demon did it," said the man holding the meat. "It could only be him. She killed us when we showed up, even before we threatened her. We fell dead the moment we appeared. The same must have happened to Peter."

"How would he give her the quest then, fool?" said Vesper with rage at the idiotic suggestion. "However, the demon is the prime suspect. Take as many men as possible, and report me with her location. Do not fight her; she is mine."

***

The entire Sith Town fell into chaos. Everyone knew Peter except the new challengers, who worked with Vesper to give quests. Therefore, when rumors surfaced that Vesper killed the floor master, chaos ensued.

Some citizens inside the Red Tower were far from the life of challengers. These people were either former warriors who lost their strength or normal people who accidentally entered the tower.

This news concerned the public greatly. Most of these citizens filled a role, like farmers, bakers, or even blacksmiths. Knowing that Vesper began to take down his men made them realize that chaos was imminent, and Vesper began his plans to advance to the next floor.

Anyone inside Sith Town expected such a day to come. They all assumed the worst: Vesper would not leave the first floor without good loot. The citizens knew they were in danger of being robbed.

One of the first survival rules inside the tower was to stock on food. Each challenger's room was their haven, where they could hide and rest or even learn new arts they obtained. Thus, as soon as the rumors spread, people began to leave.

War was expected now that Vesper had started taking out his men. Everyone looked for Peter to devalue the news, but he was nowhere to be found, which ignited the chaos. Vendors stole the food they had obtained from Vesper and fled before the citizens came to steal them.

The fields were the second to be struck, as the guards could not handle the crowds that came all of a sudden. Even if they struck one down, five would unearth the corps and bag them before fleeing.

Arthur witnessed the effects of the rumors he had set loose. Initially, he planned to make Vesper lose the support of his men and then take them out while they were divided. However, the current events were too extreme, making him feel slightly guilty.

"We have underestimated how much the citizens fear their lord," said Whisker while standing beside Arthur on the orphanage walls, overseeing the unearthed and looted fields. "It seems that people already had such a fear. Vesper was a selfish man who would let them starve than leave them with food."

"We underestimated how selfish he is. Everyone expects the worst of him, making them prefer to hide in their rooms rather than stay waiting for the butcher," replied Arthur as he looked at looters before raising his hand. His black lightning crackled and shot toward the sky, striking its cloud. "Let us add fuel to the fire and protect the weak from harm."

The clouds rumbled as his lightning tore through them. Although his lightning was not electricity, Arthur could enchant whatever he desired. Since he struck the clouds, he created a field where every element or ability would be shut down.

The guards who used their abilities against the citizens were robbed of their powers. Realizing something was wrong with the guards. More people rushed toward the farms since some starved for days because Vesper hogged the food.

"Vesper will never forgive those who stole from him, even if he had to kill everyone," said Whisker as he looked at the fields. "We are bound to leave this floor, so are you sure about doing this?"

"I never planned on leaving it without taking him down," said Arthur with a smile. "Peter did not know anything about the Immortal Sage or Yuvan, so maybe Vesper knows."