Cassian was escaping with the hostage, his clones protecting him from the remaining Stray Wolf gang members.
Suddenly, the system notified him:
[You are fighting the Stray Wolf Gang]
[New Quest Received]
[You were meant to rescue the mayor's daughter, but that objective must now be set aside.]
[Defeat the remaining gang members. Capture Marcel and defeat Rocky.]
[500 gang members remaining]
"What the hell? Why is the system showing a quest only now? When we first arrived, it didn't give me any kind of mission," Cassian wondered.
"Everyone, help me escape with the hostage. Once I'm out, take down every gang member and find Marcel," Cassian ordered.
"I don't know where the gang leader is, but Rocky… he's fighting Cain," Cassian thought, glancing at the colossus-sized golem in the distance.
Suddenly, a horde of gang members rushed toward them.
"Sh*t! Take her and get out of here. Report everything to Roy!" Cassian ordered one of his clones.
He let a clone handle the hostage's escape because his real body was badly injured—he might not be able to make it far. His clone, still in good shape, had a better chance.
"Even some of my clones are hurt, and I can barely stand, only some of my clones were in good condition" Cassian thought, gritting his teeth.
A gang member swung a bat at him, but Cassian dodged and countered with a high kick, slamming the attacker into the ground.
They were normal humans—physically weaker than him—so one strike was enough to take them down.
---
Meanwhile…
Cain was locked in battle with Rocky in his golem form. Cain's flames were now more intense. He hurled a massive fireball that hit Rocky squarely.
Rocky withstood the impact and countered with a slow left-handed swing. Cain easily avoided it by leaping from one building to another.
Rocky's strike obliterated a building, sending up clouds of dust and damaging nearby gang members.
"We need to get out of here! Rocky's destroying everything! If we stay, we'll be crushed!" one gang member yelled as others fled in panic.
"He's slow, but that size makes him dangerous," Cain thought. "He doesn't care who he hurts… even his own men."
"But this? This is fun. THIS IS FUN!" Cain roared in delight.
He released a wave of fire, engulfing everything. Rocky remained unfazed, but the entire area was now ablaze—buildings, houses, and even gang members were caught in the inferno.
"This form drains too much energy… I won't be able to hold it for long," Rocky thought, struggling.
From a rooftop, Cain crouched down and launched himself like a missile, flames erupting from his back and feet. He reached Rocky's head.
"I'LL MELT YOU DOWN!" Cain shouted.
"IGNITE!"
The golem's entire body burst into flames.
"FIRE BLAST!"
A beam of fire shot from Cain's hand, striking the golem's head. The colossus collapsed, sending out a devastating shockwave that destroyed nearby structures and killed more gang members.
Cain didn't stop.
"FIRE PILLAR!" he roared.
Columns of crimson fire erupted, engulfing Rocky in more intense flames than Cain had ever used.
His eyes glowed brighter, and his demon horn grew larger—now with two points.
The golem's rocky skin cracked.
Seeing Rocky was no longer moving, Cain moved in and struck with a final blow—destroying the golem's head.
He reached in, pulled Rocky out, and, overtaken by his demon instincts, stabbed him through the heart and devoured it.
---
Elsewhere…
Cassian received a system notification:
[You have killed Rocky]
[You leveled up]
Level 7 → 8
[All stats increased by 1]
[Cain devoured a Power Core]
As the master, you gain 50% of the benefits.
Power Core Benefits:
Health: 180 → 250
Energy: 190 → 300
Strength: 10 → 15
Defense: 9 → 20
Speed: 10 → 15
Perception: 9 → 15
[Health: 3/250]
[Energy: 100/300]
"What the hell are you doing, Cain?!" Cassian thought, stunned by the news that Cain had killed someone.
In the distance, an explosion lit up the sky—Cain was burning everything, incinerating any gang members still standing. The entire area was engulfed in flames.
---
Far away, in the forest…
Two men watched the destruction from a distance.
"So, in the end, that fireboy defeated Rocky—even in that colossus form," Marcel muttered, his eyes filled with rage.
"By the way," he said, turning to Eugene, who sat beside him, "what did you say earlier, while carrying me?"
"That man… the fireboy's companion—he might have a duplication ability. He's also the same one who escaped us during the factory incident," Eugene explained.
"If that's the case… there's still hope," Marcel said, turning around.
"I'm going to report this to the one who's behind that factory incident."
"I'll avenge you, Rocky," he said bitterly.
---
Back with Cassian…
The system pinged again.
[Quest Complete]
[You defeated the remaining gang members]
[You defeated Rocky]
[You failed to capture Marcel]
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
Level 8 → 10
[All stat increase by two]
Health: 250 → 270
Energy: 300 → 320
Strength: 15 → 17
Defense: 20 → 22
Speed: 15 → 17
Perception: 15 → 17
Cain walked toward Cassian.
"That damn rock barely gave me a thrill. And I only grew a little stronger," Cain complained.
His clothes were burned to shreds, but his body was uninjured—thanks to his regeneration.
"Why did you kill him?" Cassian asked, anger flashing in his eyes.
"What? You mean I killed those insects?" Cain scoffed.
"The hell, Cain?! Why didn't you just capture them instead of killing them?!" Cassian shouted.
Cain clenched his fists, his veins bulging.
"Oh… so now you care about the value of life?" he said, gritting his teeth.
"Then tell me—what about the people they killed? Have you forgotten what this gang has done? They abuse their power, treat lives like trash. You think they deserve mercy?"
Silence.
Cain continued, "Cassian… if you keep that soft heart of yours, one day you'll regret it."
"What do you mean?" Cassian asked, voice trembling.
Cain glared at him. "What if people like this gang get their hands on your sister? Do you really think putting them in prison is enough? Letting the government feed them with our taxes?"
"But… killing is never the answer," Cassian said softly.
Cain turned his back.
"Then let's see if you still believe that… when it's your loved one suffering," he said coldly, walking away.