Three of them blocked the alley. S-Rank. Matching guild tabs. Matching smug looks.
Kian recognized the leader. Bald. Scarred knuckles. Name was Jax or Max or something equally forgettable. He'd been one of the "handlers" on the Deep Raid, the guy who'd laughed when they assigned Kian to bait duty.
"You," Bald fuck said.
"Me." Kian didn't slow down. "You lost? Rich district's that way. This is where the poor people piss."
Jax-or-Max stepped forward. Hand on his sword. The other two fanned out behind him, cutting off the exit.
"Word is, someone's been moving things that shouldn't move. Unique items. Skill books. Stuff that's supposed to stay locked to one owner."
"Sounds like a real mystery. You should hire a detective."
The guy's eye twitched. Good. Kian wanted him twitchy.
"We traced the gold. Goes to a fence named Mags. And Mags? She's been singing like a bird since we put her fingers in a vice."
Kian's smile didn't move. Didn't even flicker.
But something behind his eyes went very, very cold.
"Did you, now."
"See, we figured it was some big operation. Some hacker with a System exploit. Rich asshole trying to crash the economy." Bald guy drew his sword. The steel hissed against the scabbard. "Turns out it's just you. The fucking bait."
He laughed. The other two laughed with him. Good little chorus of assholes.
"You got balls, I'll give you that. But you're still Rank F. Still a nobody. And we're gonna take whatever glitch you found, cut your hands off so you can't use it, and leave you in a ditch."
Kian tilted his head. Studied the sword. The stance. The way the guy's weight was too far forward, his grip too tight. Amateur hour.
"You know what I've been doing for the last week?" he asked.
"Making counterfeit shit?"
"Training." Kian rolled his shoulders. The movement was smooth. Effortless. Not a single wasted motion. "I ate about thirty skill books. Stacked them until the System gave up trying to stop me."
Bald guy's smile slipped. Just a little.
"You're lying."
"I'm really not." Kian took a step forward. The air in the alley shifted, like the pressure dropped. "My swordsmanship is currently ranked SSS. You know what that means?"
The guy's blade wavered.
"It means," Kian continued, voice dropping to a whisper, "that I can see every single way to kill you. There's forty-seven of them from where I'm standing. Forty-three if I don't want to get blood on my jacket."
"Fucking, kill him!"
The two flankers moved first.
Kian didn't draw a weapon. Didn't need to. He stepped into the first guy's swing, caught his wrist, redirected the blade into the second guy's thigh. The sword buried itself in meat. The second guy screamed.
Kian used the first guy's momentum to slam him face-first into the brick wall. Bone crunched. Blood sprayed.
Two down. Two seconds.
Bald guy was backing up now. Sword held out like a talisman. Like it could save him.
"You're not, you can't,"
"Can't what?" Kian closed the distance in three easy strides. Slapped the sword aside like it was a toy. Grabbed the guy by the throat. Lifted.
"I can't be Rank F? Can't break the System? Can't do any of the shit I've been doing for the past week?" He squeezed. Watched the man's face turn red. Then purple. "You should've left Mags alone."
"I'll, I'll tell the Guild Masters,"
"No." Kian pulled him close. Whispers right in his ear. "You're gonna go back and tell them you found nothing. You're gonna tell them the trail went cold. And if I hear so much as a rumor that anyone's touching Mags again?"
He held the guy there. Let him feel the strength in his grip. Let him watch the two bodies twitching on the ground behind him.
"I'll duplicate your fucking head and send one to every Guild Master in the kingdom."
He dropped him.
The guy hit the ground gasping. Crawled backward on his hands and knees. His sword clattered away into the shadows.
Kian crouched down. Patted his cheek. Light. Friendly.
"Now get the fuck out of my alley."
The guy ran.
Kian stood there for a moment. Listened to the footsteps fade. Looked down at the two unconscious enforcers bleeding into the cobblestones.
Should've left Mags alone.
He pulled out his HUD. Sent her a message. Two words.
You okay?
The reply came back thirty seconds later. Three words.
Fingers still attached.
Kian exhaled. Let the tension bleed out of his shoulders.
Then he started walking. He had a fence to check on, a basement to restock, and a whole fucking system to burn to the ground.
One piece at a time.