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What they witnessed next could only be called a miracle.
Duncan—who had just been a corpse—was brought back to life.
After reviving, he looked at Alex like he was staring at death itself. Every ounce of arrogance had vanished. He didn't dare utter another word.
Captain Sabatini let out a long sigh. After giving Natalia and Amulia a few quiet instructions, he prepared to leave with Duncan and Koga.
Alex stopped them.
With a flick of his hand, he retrieved the troupe's carriage and stage props from within his Reality Marble and returned them.
They thanked him stiffly, then left.
Just like that, only Alex and the four girls remained in the house.
Akame didn't stay long. She needed to verify whether what Alex had said was true. After saying goodbye to Tsukushi, she wandered around Longxi Village for a while, as if retracing old memories.
Then she left the village.
Alex took out daily supplies from his Star Ring and furnished the house. He planned to stay here for a few days.
Tsukushi, Natalia, and Amulia had no choice but to stay as well.
The atmosphere between them was painfully awkward.
After all, Tsukushi had once killed Amulia. One shot to the head.
And during the month that Akame and Tsukushi had infiltrated the troupe, Amulia had treated Tsukushi especially well.
That was the cruel irony. The person who had cared for her the most had been the one she shot dead.
Of course Amulia couldn't just pretend nothing had happened. There was a barrier now. A crack that wouldn't mend so easily.
Tsukushi felt it too, and it weighed heavily on her.
Alex didn't interfere. However the three of them worked things out was their business.
He had his own priorities.
"Luck" had already reached the peak of S-rank. It couldn't go any higher. Development abilities weren't like basic stats. There was no SS or SSS. S-rank was the ceiling.
So he moved on to "Magecraft."
Every day, he cast spell after spell, magic after magic, steadily grinding experience.
In just three days, "Magecraft" reached S-rank as well.
Next came "Smithing."
Forging weapons. Crafting gadgets. Refining tools.
Anything he made added to his experience.
Inspired by Hajime Nagumo from Arifureta, Alex began churning out high-tech weaponry.
Handguns. Sniper rifles. Grenades. Bombs. Tanks. Gatling guns. Rocket launchers. A super-powered pile driver. Cross-shaped floating cannons. Jump-gates. Even satellites.
On top of that, he forged every four-star and five-star weapon from Genshin Impact.
Combined with the one- to three-star weapons he had crafted before, he now possessed the complete arsenal of the entire game.
In just a week, "Smithing" finally reached S-rank.
With divine forging techniques paired with S-rank Smithing, there was no divine construct he couldn't replicate.
Even Gilgamesh's Ea could now be analyzed and forged.
And because he could analyze it, he could reproduce it within his Reality Marble.
"Unlimited Blade Works."
After ten days in Longxi Village, Alex finally left.
But before he did, he set up a barrier around the village to prevent Tsukushi, Natalia, and Amulia from running away.
…
Imperial Capital — suburban grasslands.
The six strongest members of the Empire's Assassination Unit, Reinforcement Division, were carrying out a mission.
With Akame's return, the Elite Division had called off the large-scale search for Alex. But behind the scenes, they were still investigating his identity.
The Reinforcement Division, which had finally caught a break, was immediately dispatched by Bill for an assassination assignment.
Their target: spies from a foreign tribe hiding in villages near the capital.
The escape route had already been mapped out. All six were lying in ambush.
They weren't as powerful as the Elite Division, but with special enhancement drugs, they could temporarily unleash impressive strength.
Among them were Kurome—Akame's younger sister—and five others: Natara, Kery, Remus, Myaya, and Gin.
High above the grasslands, Alex stood suspended in midair, watching them with a faint smile.
Their talents weren't on par with the Elite Seven, but they were rare nonetheless.
If they were in Orario and granted a Falna, they could probably reach Level 3 or 4 adventurers.
That was already impressive. In Orario, more than half of adventurers were stuck at Level 1. True high-level adventurers were few and far between.
The six of them weren't rookies, but tension still showed on their faces.
They quietly encouraged one another, trying to suppress their fear.
Soon, figures appeared on the other side of the grasslands.
The foreign spies.
Kurome and the others each pulled out a small vial, poured a pill into their hands, and swallowed it.
Almost immediately, the drugs began strengthening their bodies.
Without hesitation, they charged.
The leader of the foreign group frowned.
"Damn Empire. Sending children again."
He might sneer at the Empire's methods, but he wouldn't show mercy just because his enemies were young.
Weapons were drawn in an instant. The two sides clashed.
From the sky, Alex made no move to help.
If he wanted to recruit these kids, words alone wouldn't cut it.
They needed to understand fear. To brush against death. To feel true despair.
Only then would salvation mean something.
And as expected, events unfolded just like in the original story.
Remus was gravely wounded, hacked nearly beyond repair. Alive, but ruined.
Myaya was cut clean in half. Brain matter, organs, and intestines spilled across the grass.
Fortunately, Kurome, Natara, and Gin fought fiercely. Together, they eliminated every last spy.
When the battle ended, only corpses remained.
Kurome and the others stared at Myaya's body, grief overwhelming them.
That was when Alex appeared.
He didn't give them time to speak.
With a single thought, he pulled them all into his Reality Marble.
Myaya's corpse. The critically injured Remus. All of them.
Afterward, he flew back to Longxi Village.
Inside the same house as before, he released them.
Just like Akame and Tsukushi had been, Kurome and the others were utterly stunned by the sight within the Reality Marble—
The world of swords.
And when they were finally let out, they stood there in silence, staring at Alex with undisguised vigilance."
"..."
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