Chapter 46: Red Wolf Row (1)

Row, who had defeated Sophia, made his way to the fifth basement floor where the ice crystal was located without further interference.

‘Oh, impressive.’

Upon reaching the fifth basement floor, Row’s eyes widened, and for once, he was genuinely awestruck.

In preparation for this mission, he had tried to gather information about the mysterious ice crystal. However, the

more he searched, the more frustrated he became, as most of the material he found resembled fanciful fairy tales or

overly poetic legends.

‘It’s more beautiful than any ornament in that b*stard’s palace.’

Even someone like Row, who was used to seeing everything as a commodity, couldn’t immediately estimate the value of the ice crystal. It seemed as though selling an entire castle wouldn’t be enough to purchase it.

In fact, selling it might even prove impossible.

‘What a waste.’

If he couldn’t possess it, his instinct was to destroy it. But faced with the prospect of destroying such a breathtaking object, Row couldn’t help but feel regretful. He resolved to take at least a shard of it as a keepsake—it should be worth something.

‘Now then.’

Surveying the mages stationed around the ice crystal, Row began to calculate his next move.

‘Didn’t think it’d be that big. Since I don’t carry bombs, I’ll need to use a powerful spell.’

However, his expertise lay in assassination and stealth, not in raw firepower.

While he did possess some powerful techniques, the problem was that preparing them would disrupt his concealment.

‘Tsk, I hate using this method, but there’s no other way.’

Letting out a sigh, Row retreated and returned to the entrance of the fifth basement floor.

“Hey!”

“?!”

Dropping his stealth, Row suddenly revealed himself to the mages of the Snowflake Tower.

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, the mages immediately turned their attention to him, raising their staffs.

“I came to visit the North and thought I’d stop by to say hello. But what’s all this commotion about? Care to explain?”

“Who are you…?”

“Don’t you recognize me? I’d feel slighted if you remember Aran but not me.”

At that moment, one of the elders of the Snowflake Tower recognized him and exclaimed.

“Lord Row?!”

“Bingo.”

Yes, Row was a member of the Hero’s Party and, alongside Aran, one of the Seven Heroes still celebrated today.

During the Hero’s Party’s previous visit to the North, he had appeared publicly as one of its members.

In other words, on the surface, Row was an ally to these people.

‘I hate being treated like a hero—it’s cringe-worthy. Plus, showing my face always complicates things, which is why I preferred sneaking in.’

But in the end, all he needed to do was destroy the ice crystal and eliminate everyone here.

It was just inconvenient.

Although initially taken aback by the unexpected arrival, the mages relaxed upon hearing Row’s name. Row approached them with a friendly smile.

“I was looking for Lady Grace when I heard the commotion. I thought I might be able to help. That enormous magical presence drew me here. By the way, what’s that?”

“We deeply appreciate your assistance, Lord Row. That is the ice crystal, a mystical mineral and the most treasured artifact of the Snowflake Tower.”

“With a mineral that size, stealing it would be impossible. It looks quite sturdy, too.”

“Well, actually… the ice crystal is more like an enormous chunk of ice than a solid mineral, so it’s not very durable. That’s why we’re guarding it so carefully—to prevent any damage from intruders.”

“Ah, I see.”

Nodding in understanding, Row responded as if he were genuinely impressed.

“If it’s that important, we must protect it well to avoid upsetting Lady Grace. Alright, I’ll help guard it too.”

“Oh! Thank you so much.”

Having one of the Hero’s Party members offer assistance was an unexpected boon, brightening the mages’ faces.

Had they thought about it more carefully, they might have found it odd—why Row was here so conveniently, why he came straight to the fifth basement floor instead of heading to the source of the explosion, and so on.

‘Annoying as it is, this hero status is surprisingly convenient.’

Row inwardly scoffed at the situation while casually joining the mages defending the ice crystal. With one hand in his pocket, he calculated the time needed.

‘It’ll take about three minutes to gather the shadows. That’s enough to pulverize the ice crystal, leaving just the shards I want to take, and wipe out the mages here.’

In those three minutes, no one would dare attack a hero like him. Relaxed, he decided to pass the time by asking some questions.

“By the way, what was that explosion? I haven’t heard any rumors of a war in the North recently.”

“There was an infiltrator in the Snowflake Tower not long ago. It seems to be related to them.”

“Infiltrator? How did you catch them?”

“While inspecting the tower’s defenses, His Grace’s captain of the guard and Lady Sophia discovered suspicious markings. The captain deduced the culprit’s identity and captured them.”

“The captain of the guard?”

Ah, that female knight who was always by Grace’s side.

She had a decent face, but her tall stature and muscular build weren’t to his taste.

Women, in Row’s opinion, should be small and delicate, something he could easily toy with. That mage woman from earlier had been much more appealing to him.

‘I should’ve drugged her beforehand so I could use her later.’

‘Then again, if that female knight is sharp enough to figure things out, maybe I should eliminate her too.’

What had started as a simple task—destroying an object—was becoming increasingly irritating with every new person he needed to kill.

“???”

Row’s ears perked up as he heard approaching footsteps.

Could it be?

“The ice crystal is still intact!”

A soldier at the forefront of the arriving group shouted as soon as he reached the fifth basement floor.

A troop of soldiers followed behind him.

“Captain of the guard! Have you come to assist us?”

The elder mage, Scott, who had been speaking with Row, greeted the group with a question.

In response, a blue-haired female knight stepped forward and replied.

“Yes. His Grace has sent reinforcements following the explosion at the Snowflake Tower. I’ve come to protect the ice crystal, which seems to be the intruder’s target.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

Scott welcomed Elaine and her guards, then turned to introduce someone standing beside him.

“With both the Captain of the Guards and the Hero present, I feel completely at ease now.”

“Are you… Lord Low?”

“Ah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Low greeted warmly, but he chuckled inwardly.

What luck.

He had been debating whether to kill the captain as well, and now, they were conveniently gathered in one place.

As he gathered shadows into his hand hidden in his pocket—

“Take your hand out of your pocket, you b*stard!”

“?!”

Someone from behind Elaine charged toward him at an incredible speed, swinging a sword.

Unable to react in time, Low leaped back to dodge and glared at his assailant.

‘Who is this?’

It was a face he didn’t recognize.

For someone like him, who never forgot a face that seemed worth money, this was unusual.

Judging by the attire, they didn’t seem to be a knight either.

“What are you doing!”

Scott demanded as the soldier pointed their sword at Low and shouted.

“On the way here, I discovered Elder Sophia had been ambushed. She told me herself! This man infiltrated the Iceflower Tower and attacked her!”

“What?”

“That hand in your pocket—you’re gathering shadows there, aren’t you? To shatter the ice crystal!”

“!”

Low was taken aback by the soldier’s words.

‘Did that woman with the magic eye recover already? I was sure she’d been knocked out. She didn’t seem sturdy enough to endure that.’

He could chalk it up to an occasional misstep—after all, it had been a while since his last battle.

But how did this soldier realize he was gathering shadows in his pocket?

The only ones who knew his techniques were his cursed former comrades.

“This is absurd! Lord Low is one of the seven heroes from the Hero’s party. Why would someone of his stature attack Elder Sophia?”

“Explain yourself, Luke! Why did you act so rashly?”

Scott scolded the soldier, alternating his gaze between Low and Luke with a bewildered expression.

Even Elaine chimed in, asking for an explanation.

Luke responded.

“There’s more evidence.”

“What?”

“The scars on Elder Sophia’s body—they look like claw marks. I’ve heard plenty about the legendary Seven Heroes. Low the Red Wolf, thief of the Hero’s party, renowned for his expertise in infiltration and assassination.”

“……”

“He surrounds his hands with shadows, utilizing techniques reminiscent of a predator. Ambush and stealth are his specialties. The wounds match precisely.”

“Hey, who do you think you are, pretending to know me?”

“And the most decisive proof!”

“???”

“If you were trying to hide something, you should’ve done a better job. Those assassins who threw bombs at the Duke earlier—they had raven emblems on their clothes. That’s the mark of your organization, Black Crow!”

“What?”

All eyes turned toward Low, who responded with a dumbfounded expression, his voice dripping with irritation.

“Are you seriously spouting this bullsh*t? Why the hell would I mark my men with such obvious symbols? Do I look like an idiot?”

“You’re right. You are an idiot.”

Luke sneered, and in that instant—

‘Damn it.’

Low realized he’d been duped.

“You’re correct. The assassins didn’t have any raven emblems. But how would you know that? And why is your hand still in your pocket?”

“……”

Low’s eyes turned sharp.

Agitated by this unexpected interference, he’d let his emotions get the better of him and fallen for the provocation.

But what truly puzzled him was—

‘Who the hell is this guy? How does some random soldier know about Black Crow?’

On the surface, Low was a hero.

Only the underworld’s elites and his damned former comrades knew he was the leader of the kingdom’s largest crime syndicate, Black Crow.

The fact that this nameless soldier casually mentioned Black Crow left him genuinely stunned.

‘Damn it.’

Low’s forehead creased in irritation.

The gazes from the mages around him had shifted.

Suspicion. Unease. Confusion. Alarm.

The soldier’s words had shaken them.

And then—

“You don’t need to take your hand out. I’ll just cut it off entirely.”

“!?”

A blue-haired knight charged at him with incredible speed, her sword swinging with unmatched precision.

Her technique was so swift it rivaled even Aran’s. Low had no choice but to withdraw his hand from his pocket.

Clang!

The shadow-covered black hand clashed with the blade.

The two of them backed away from the impact.

“Ugh, f***. This is so annoying.”

Finally removing his mask, Row spat out a curse in an eerily cold voice.

“Sir Row?”

“I was hoping to wrap this up easily since it was a task forced on me. But now, that’s out the window.”

As Row revealed his true self, the mages began murmuring among themselves.

Even the Northern Grand Duke’s escort knights, who once regarded him as a hero, were wide-eyed at his chilling demeanor. However, they quickly surrounded him, preparing for battle.

“Pretending would just waste time, and if Grace returns in the meantime, even I could be in danger…”

“Considering they’re decent opponents, it’s going to be a hassle, but I guess I’ll just have to kill them all one by one. You brought this upon yourselves, so deal with it.”

“Damn it! Attack!”

Although initially flustered, Scott quickly grasped the situation and commanded the mages.

The mages raised their staffs and unleashed various spells.

Whoosh.

Row’s body became engulfed in shadows and disappeared from sight.

When Row vanished, the Iceflower Tower’s mages, though startled, began scanning the area by striking the ground with their staffs, demonstrating their expertise as battle mages.

Swoosh!

“Aargh!”

Suddenly, one of the mages let out a scream and collapsed.

“Detect him, quickly!”

“What’s going on?”

“The spell isn’t reacting at all!”

“How is that possible?”

The mages desperately poured their mana into detection spells.

“Find him somehow! If we don’t locate him soon, we’re all done for!”

Despite their frantic efforts, the mages continued to fall one by one, letting out brief cries.

Sclang!

Someone swung a sword into the air, producing a metallic sound that revealed Row’s presence.

“What the…? You, just now…”

“Phew, finally found you.”

The one who forced Row to reveal himself was Luke.

“Surprised? I managed to pinpoint your ‘Shadow Step,’ even though it blurs mana detection.”

“No matter how much you hide your presence, you can’t mask your body heat.”

“You… who the hell are you?”

As Row stared in confusion, a sharp thrust from the side came at him.

He hastily leaned back, narrowly avoiding Elaine’s blade, which shot past where he had been like an arrow.

Shing! Shing!

Elaine followed up with a rapid series of slashes, not giving him a moment to breathe.

Row, though pressed by her relentless strikes, managed to block them all with swift hand movements.

Shadow Arts: Shadow Step.

He wrapped his body in shadows, vanishing from sight once more.

“I can detect you!”

The soldiers accurately pinpointed Row’s hidden position as if they were possessed.

Clang!

His invisibility was dispelled again.

“This isn’t luck or bluffing.”

Row realized it—this guy was really detecting his Shadow Step.

As he blocked Luke’s sword with a shadow-clad arm, Row couldn’t hold back his question any longer.

“Who the hell are you? How are you aware of my Shadow Arts?”

“I read it in a book.”

“Are you f***ing kidding me…?”

Just as Row’s frustration began to boil over, Elaine’s sword thrust at his position again.

“Goddamn it, can I talk for a second?!”

Letting out a yell, Row leaped back to create distance. Shadows gathered in both of his hands.

Shadow Arts: Skipping Stones.

He fired silver projectiles in every direction like bullets.

This should’ve been enough to eliminate the weaker ones, but—

“Don’t block them! The shadows will stick and spread! Evade or intercept them!”

“!!”

Row was utterly shocked by those words.

How could they know about Skipping Stones’ properties?

Even among his allies, only a few were aware of this technique.

At that moment, Row’s mindset shifted.

The freezing spell wasn’t the priority anymore.

‘That guy is suspicious.’

His face, voice, and name were all unfamiliar.

Yet, he knew suspiciously much about Row—his combat style, Black Crow, even his Shadow Arts.

Even the earlier comment about a woman with magic-enhanced eyes was telling.

For someone like Row, a master of stealth and assassination, failing to knock someone out with controlled force was unthinkable. His hands were instinctively precise.

It didn’t make sense.

This guy had known about him from the beginning!

‘There’s definitely something going on. I need to capture him alive, no matter what.’

Row tightened his gloves.

It was a habit of his, reserved for moments when he fought in earnest.