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Chapter 347: Singlehandedly Subduing the Underground Assassination Organization
🕑 Added 2024-10-23 10:01:01 +0000 UTCThis world has magic, and also the profession of magic users.
Generally speaking, the strength of a magic user is directly tied to the magic they can wield and their magical energy.
Ordinary humans, limited by their physical conditions, typically don’t reach a high level of magical ability. Even with the addition of blessings, only a handful of magic users ever achieve significant success.
Compared to ordinary humans, elemental spirits are the true darlings of the mana (magical energy) in the air. Powerful spirits can not only cast magic instantly, but their magic is also incredibly strong.
Previously, Meili had always believed that Wood was a formidable fighter—after all, he had been able to knock out a giant magical beast many times his size with a single punch.
But now, witnessing Wood’s ice magic, Meili was utterly shocked to realize that Wood possessed great mastery in swordsmanship and was even a magic user…
No, calling him just a magic user didn’t seem accurate anymore. With such powerful magic and instant casting, not to mention the overwhelming magical energy, no one would doubt it if he were called a grand spirit who controlled the ice element.
“Is ‘Mother’ defeated?” Meili asked with a mixture of apprehension and excitement as she looked at the icy landscape before her.
Ever since she and Elsa joined the assassination organization, they had always lived under the control of “Mother.”
Meili was well aware of the consequences faced by those in the organization who failed their missions.
Even someone as strong as Elsa had experienced mission failures. Meili couldn’t imagine what would happen to her if she also failed a mission.
So, when she saw Wood display his formidable strength, freezing “Mother” and everything around her, Meili couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
Though “Mother” might be dead, Meili still couldn’t escape her identity as an assassin. It would simply mean going from being under one person’s control to another’s.
Wood was equally terrifying, and perhaps even more powerful.
However, compared to “Mother,” Meili could sense that Wood had a basic set of principles and didn’t just see them as tools.
At least, from Meili’s perspective, the fact that Wood had healed her earlier was something “Mother” would never have done.
Although they called her “Mother,” to “Mother,” they were more like disposable tools.
There was also another crucial factor—since Elsa had chosen to follow Wood, if Meili wanted to stay with Elsa, she had no choice but to follow the same path to the end.
“She’s not dead yet, but she’s close. Controlling shadows is certainly troublesome, but in my domain, unless she has another trick up her sleeve, she won’t have any more moves left,” Wood said calmly, as he conjured another magic circle in his hand, gathering magical energy to form a massive orb of light.
The orb of pure magical energy could not only be used for attack but also provided illumination.
At this moment, the massive light orb in Wood’s hand slowly rose to the center of the room, resembling a miniature sun, lighting up the entire basement brilliantly.
The place where Elsa and “Mother” had previously been was more like a basement than a room.
Smooth stone walls surrounded them, and in the dim light, the only sources of illumination were a few scattered lamps.
This kind of environment was ideal for an assassin, where secrecy was the primary concern.
The other reason for living in such a place was that it offered the most advantageous terrain for “Mother’s” abilities.
A closed-off space where anyone entering had no way to escape, and shadows could easily reach every corner. In this basement, “Mother” was practically invincible.
However, just as Wood had said, no matter how powerful an ability was, it would always have a weakness.
While shadows were stealthy and incredibly fast, able to evade and ignore physical attacks like swords, they had one major flaw—light.
As long as there was no shadow, her ability couldn’t be fully utilized.
Now, with the thick layer of ice covering the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, and the magical light reflecting off the ice, the entire underground space was dazzlingly bright.
In such an environment, shadows couldn’t form, rendering “Mother’s” once-impressive ability utterly useless.
With her powerful ability neutralized, “Mother” tried to resist, even displaying impressive combat skills.
However, her skills were far inferior to Wood’s, and she was quickly defeated.
“Mother” tried to beg for her life, even offering to become Wood’s lackey. But before Wood could respond, a curved blade suddenly pierced her abdomen from behind, violently pulling out her intestines.
“Don’t believe a word this woman says…” Elsa quickly explained, noticing Wood’s displeased gaze.
Elsa had wanted to kill “Mother” many times before but had never had the opportunity.
Now that the chance had finally come, Elsa wasn’t about to let it slip by, even if it meant risking Wood’s wrath.
“Since you killed her, you better be prepared to take her place as my lackey and work for me until you die.”
Unlike Meili and Elsa, Wood had never intended to let “Mother” live.
Though he didn’t consider himself a good person, he still had a basic code of ethics. Anyone who rose to the top of the underworld was bound to be covered in sins.
“Mother” was the head of an assassination organization and likely had loyal subordinates and connections in the underworld.
Whether or not she was truly loyal to him didn’t matter. Wood intended to completely reshuffle the organization and establish new rules, and that meant the old leader had to die.
Wood wasn’t upset because Elsa had killed “Mother”; he was simply annoyed that she had acted without his permission.
He had planned to pretend to accept “Mother’s” surrender to gain access to her wealth and resources.
As the head of the assassination organization, “Mother” surely had hidden funds somewhere. But now, Elsa had taken it upon herself to stab her old boss, even dragging her intestines across the floor.
With “Mother” now dead beyond recovery, there was no way to interrogate her, meaning Wood would have to spend more time searching for her hidden treasures.
After “Mother’s” death, the underworld experienced a wave of turmoil. Many people, upon hearing that the head of the assassination organization had died, sought to seize some territory for themselves.
However, those who tried to grab land soon vanished without a trace, and it became clear to many that something much bigger was going on.
While “Mother’s” organization wasn’t the only one in the underworld, it was certainly the most powerful.
As the leaders of other assassination organizations gathered to discuss why “Mother” had suddenly died, the man responsible finally appeared.
He introduced himself as Wood, a young man who brazenly walked into the meeting, accompanied by a sultry, black-silk-clad woman and a loli holding a plush doll. Without hesitation, he sat in the leader’s chair.
Wood announced that he had killed “Mother” and taken control of her forces and territory. His purpose in attending the meeting was to inform the other leaders that he intended to take over their territories and organizations as well.
Upon hearing Wood’s arrogant proclamation, the gathered leaders, all heads of various assassination organizations—people who made a living on the edge of a knife—immediately reacted with outrage, flipping tables and shouting insults at Wood.
The first to challenge him was a scar-faced, bare-chested brute, the leader of the second most powerful assassination organization after “Mother’s.”
With “Mother’s” downfall, his group should have been poised to take the top spot. But now, a mere kid was claiming to have killed “Mother” and expected to absorb their organization? It was nothing but a pipe dream!
But before the brute could draw his massive blade to teach Wood a lesson about who was boss, the temperature in the room plummeted.
By the time everyone realized what was happening, they saw that the brute, the supposed leader of the second strongest organization in the underworld, had already been turned into an ice sculpture.
His arrogant expression was still frozen on his face, but the thick layer of ice told the tale—he was no longer alive.
Wood casually flicked the massive blade that had almost reached him. As the blade collided with his finger, the sound of metal clashing echoed, and the brute’s ice sculpture shattered into countless icy fragments, scattering across the room.
“So this is the strength of the second most powerful assassination organization? No wonder your numbers are so few, and yet you’ve managed to stay second only to the top organization.
As I said earlier, I’m taking over your organizations and territories. You can choose to be my lackeys, leave, or… fight me.
The rules will be set by me. So, who agrees? Who opposes?”
Wood’s handsome, youthful face was calm as he gazed around the room, then glanced at the pile of ice shards that had once been the brute. The other leaders, stunned by what they had witnessed, remained silent.
They wanted to voice their objections, but the memory of the brute’s swift demise kept them quiet.
Both the “Bowel Hunter” and the “Beast Master” had been assassins under “Mother’s” command, and everyone in the room was familiar with their abilities and blessings.
The power that had frozen the brute in an instant couldn’t possibly belong to either of them—it had to be this young man.
Although he might not be as terrifying as “Mother,” the brute had been a prominent figure in the underworld, and now he had been killed in seconds. That could only mean the young man before them wasn’t as simple as he appeared.
“So, what does your silence mean? Agree or disagree?
I’ll give you one more minute. If you remain silent, be prepared to never speak again.”
Wood’s cold words made the room feel as though the temperature had dropped several more degrees, and everyone present began to shiver.
This chill wasn’t just a psychological effect—it was real. As time passed, a thin layer of frost began to spread across the conference table, and the killers in the room felt the ice seeping into their bones.
“The underworld has always been ruled by strength. Whoever has the biggest fist is the boss.
Since you’ve killed ‘Mother’ and easily dispatched Scarface, you’ve clearly proven your strength, so I have no objections to you leading us.”
As the frost crept up their legs, one of the killers finally understood that Wood was the real deal. If they didn’t speak up, they might end up like Scarface—shattered into a pile of ice shards.
“That’s right, I also support Wood as our leader.”
“Our Black Crow organization will follow Lord Wood’s lead. If anyone dares to oppose, they’ll have to answer to us.”
After the first person stood up, others soon followed, one after another, and within just two days, Wood had completely taken control of the entire underworld’s assassination organizations.
“As I thought, reasoning with these underworld scum is pointless. Using brute force to convince them is the quickest and most effective way.”
Elsa had previously explained the other assassination organizations and their influence to Wood, even proposing a plan to slowly weaken their power.
But Wood found that approach too time-consuming and opted to use his own method instead.
“Now that you’ve forced these assassination leaders to submit through strength, they won’t be loyal. Aren’t you worried that they might betray you in the future?”
Looking at Wood’s back, Elsa voiced her concerns. While his method was simple and direct, it could lead to significant problems later.
“Don’t be naïve. Even if I followed your method and slowly won them over, do you think they’d truly be loyal to me?
This is the underworld. These people are killers—there’s no such thing as loyalty. In their eyes, there’s only risk and reward.
As long as I provide them with enough benefits, they’ll be loyal.
But if I can’t offer them anything, do you really think they’d stick around and risk their lives for me?”
Wood had spent over a decade as a major player in the underworld of the pirate world, and he understood these types of people far better than anyone else.
Perhaps Elsa’s concerns might come true, but Wood didn’t care. Under his absolute power, they could either submit or leave.
