Quickly dismissing such thoughts for now as they were deemed important things to consider later, he deeply pondered, 'Tomorrow I will need to buy the Class Stone.' Naturally, this raised another issue. He couldn't go to the Adventurer Association this time because he was too infamous.

The last time he went, he was but a small wanted drug dealer. Now, he was a serial killer written about in the news. Knowing how the Adventurer's Association was involved in many of the city's affairs, he was aware that going there was tantamount to death.

There was a very simple, but risky solution to all of this mess. 'Karl,' he thought with a complicated expression. The guy had offered his willingness to help plenty of times, and Melvin knew that he was sincere.

"Can I trust him?" He ruminated, absentmindedly gnawing at the skin around the joint of his finger, lost in contemplation. After thinking through that problem for a while, he finally made up his mind.

'Karl it is,' He decided, a resolute light flashing in his eyes. Although it was slightly risky, he knew that he had no choice. Not only was he in need of the Class, but he also needed someone trustworthy to ask about how he should go about breaking out of the city.

Moreover, Karl seemed pretty well off with that exquisite armor and his profound strength. Melvin doubted that the latter would get greedy over the few gold coins of his bounty.

With another cigarette in hand, Melvin rested his elbows on the rooftop's edge, gazing at the city and the street below.

'I would die for a song right now,' He thought with a faint smile as two long clouds rushed out of his nostrils.

Then, he began singing the first song that appeared in his mind. It was a song by Frank Sinatra called L.O.V.E

"L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see

V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love...."

Another puff, and continued singing. Melvin felt all of his worries and problems evaporating as he sang, and with every long smoky exhale, they drifted along with the smoke, disappearing into the air.

Firrol had already woken up at some point and sat down on the wall where he was sitting, listening to Melvin sing. From time to time, Melvin would give him his own cigarette, and the feline would also take a deep breath and his eyes would squint in enjoyment.

"Life is in the little moments, Firrol," Melvin said, his smile wide. To him, just that simple moment was of pure and unadulterated joy.

It wasn't dependent on anything money, power, or whatever else, just a simple moment of existing.

However, he had already understood that for him to be even allowed to enjoy these little fleeting nuggets of simplicity, he had to have the capital to save his life. So, maybe not entirely independent of power Melvin thought, amused by the irony of it.

He had already finished singing what he still remembered of the first song, and began another one. Though his voice wasn't anything to write home about, he was satisfied with it as he enjoyed the act of singing very much.

Unfortunately, that happiness would also prove to be fleeting.

Firrol suddenly hissed and pushed Melvin forward with everything that he had. Unexpecting such a strong force, Melvin was caught off guard and fell to his right.

A flying dagger cut through the air, aiming directly for his nape. Not finding its target, it continued and fell into the streets below.

Witnessing all of this, Melvin's eyes widened in shock, and his heartbeat couldn't help but pump more blood to the rest of his body than usual. Quickly standing up, he saw three hooded figures walking side by side on the same roof where he was.

The three were completely identical and he couldn't differentiate between them, at the same time they had this very eery atmosphere about them that made Melvin's hairs stand on end.

Their presence was completely overwhelming prompting him to immediately grab the two daggers in the back of his waistband for some reassurance.

The trio's steps couldn't even be heard as they advanced, and once they reached a certain distance from him they stopped. An intense silence ensued as the two groups sized up each other, and after a while the one on the left stepped forward, removing his hood in the process.

Unlike the previous dry-skinned old man, what appeared this time was a young tanned woman who had her hair tied into a smooth ponytail. Her face held a faint polite smile as if she was just passing by him in the streets.

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Registering the sight, Melvin unconsciously gulped as his grip on the dagger tightened. Another uncomfortable silence ensued, and Melvin knew that they were trying to get into his head. "What do you want?" He yelled although it was such a stupid question.

Her smile widened, and she said with a soft voice, "We just came here to pay our respect to the altar butcher."

'The altar butcher, who the hell is that?' Melvin thought, confusion evident in his furrowed brows. "Who's that?" He asked.

"Well," she said innocently, "Aren't you the one who killed 28 people and made an altar using their flesh surrounded by heads?"

"What?" He reflexively shouted. '28 people? Don't tell me...' He thought, eyes widening in shock. A terrifying possibility appeared in his mind.

Noticing that, the girl chuckled and continued, "Yes. We've just read the news a while ago, and we were shocked too." Smile widening even further, teetering on the edge of unsettling, she continued, "They said that you raped a woman, killed her husband. Then killed one of the guards that followed after you, and you also killed another 28 people. The whole city is in uproar, and your bounty increased to a 1000 Gold Coins."

Melvin suddenly felt a dam of emotions burst within him once he processed everything that was said, 'I am done for,' He thought, his heart wildly beating inside of his chest. "No, I haven;t raped anyone nor have I killed that many people." Melvin protested as if trying to defend himself in front of the three.

"That's not what they believe," She said shrugging her shoulders, "And do you know what is the bes... I meant the worst part is?"

Understanding that tongue slip was done on purpose, Melvin knew that some shocking and potentially even more dangerous news would soon be delivered.

Seeing his rapt attention focused on her, she took her time, and finally spoke very softly, "Dead or Alive."

The moment she said that the other two figures also removed their hoods, revealing just a mass black sphere, scaring Melvin out of his wits.

They rushed toward the woman before they seemingly disappeared behind her, and she immediately began running toward him with a long pitch black dagger in her left hand.

Alarm bells rang inside his head, and though he could follow her charge, something inexplicable happened where she seemed to just teleport before she appeared directly in front of him, her dagger aiming for his throat.

"Shiit!" He mumbled before he swiftly ducked, making her miss the attack. However, her body was still charging at him, and so the two quickly collided. Melvin was planted into the wall as her head smashed into his right cheek, and then she was bounced off.

Unlike him, she recovered very quickly after the chaotic collision that made the two slightly disoriented, and taking advantage of the close range a shadowy figure appeared behind her and lunged at Melvin.

With two daggers in hand and his increased agility, he was able to block off the figure's attack. Suddenly, a stabbing pain was felt in the back, just above the waist, making his face contort into a grimace of both pain and fear.

Firrol wanted to jump for the save but it was too late, these figures weren't something his measly Rank 6 strength could compare to.

Understanding the severity of the situation, Melvin mustered every bit of strength that he had, and pushed the figure forward, trying to escape whatever was happening behind him. However, they were just as strong as he was, and so he was unable to push the one before him.

With adrenaline coursing through his body, and an unholy amount of fear, Melvin felt stuck. His mind seemed to freeze for a slight second, and that proved to be the worst thing that could have happened to him in that fight.

The woman quickly rushed out and stabbed the long dagger into his stomach from the side, making his eyes open wide in sheer terror. The piercing pain woke him up from his momentary lack of brain activity, and he went into overdrive energy-wise, with a singular thought in mind, 'I have greater agility. I need to get out of here.'

Where he stood now, he was surrounded by the wall from one side, and by the three attackers from the other sides. To make matters worse both his stomach and back were stabbed sending torrents of pain to his brain.

A savage look flashed in his eyes, using his right hand he stabbed his dagger into the woman's thigh, and with his improved agility and reflexes, he grabbed the left arm of the figure before him with everything that he had. Summoning every fiber of his strength, he used the two grips to push himself forward, and with every inch of distance, a wave of pain assaulted his mind as a loud groan of pain escaped his lips.

However, he was successful in escaping the blockage. He weakly stumbled forward with labored breath, but he quickly steadied himself and turned back to meet the approaching shadowy figures.

Melvin quickly raised both daggers and blocked the attack viciously aiming for his heart. The sound of steel against steel rang out on the roof. After the block, he unleashed enough force to push back the figure slightly, and with astonishing speed, his hand moved and slashed at their neck.

The shadowy sphere of darkness quickly evaporated and was replaced by the face of an average man gripping their slitted throat with an ugly terrified face.

Melvin continued to breathe very laboriously after that attack, both his stomach and back were open, and they gushed out with blood, he quickly noticed Firrol's attempt and raised his hand to indicate for him to stop. It would be pointless, and he would just die unnecessarily.

The man who had his throat sliced open, retreated back toward the two, and they quickly gave him a potion with a red liquid inside.

Knowing where this was going, Melvin gritted his teeth and lunged at the group opposite him, but he was quickly blocked by the two as another fight ensued.

Undoing the cork with his fingers, the figure in the back gulped everything doing in a single mouthful. Soon, the blood spurting out of his throat began to considerably diminish until his wound started closing down.

"Shit," Melvin mumbled when he noticed that, and he knew that both his Stamina and Vitality were dropping at a fast rate. If nothing changed, he would be done for.

He swallowed the saliva in his mouth and took a deep breath in an effort to slow down his fast heartbeat and rugged breathing. With two daggers in hand, he easily dodged one attack from the attacking dark figure and kicked the woman in the chest.

Taking advantage of this momentary pause, small flying daggers appeared in his hand, and with a terrifying precision, he sent them toward the figure's black head.

Fortunately for him, his aim this time proved to be precise, and the dagger stabbed into the figure's cheek. Just like last time, the darkness evaporated revealing a short-haired blonde woman.