The Fox-Masked Thief
Dorian stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, lips trembling.
“Madness. Truly, I’m going mad…”
He thought about how Raon could even consider stealing the auction house. How could someone come up with such a crazy idea? He wanted to rip Raon’s hair out.
“He wouldn’t really do it, right?”
No matter how much Raon was, he wouldn’t actually steal the auction house. He wanted to believe that.
Yes, he wanted to believe that. But this person would do it if he decided to.
Raon never broke his word. He had killed the Green Spirit, survived the Blood Demon, and never hit Rayden, had he?
He let out a deep, long sigh, like someone smoking a cigarette.
When the door opened, Raon emerged wearing a full black ninja outfit from head to toe.
“Whoa! He really put it on.”
He had worn the black clothes from his pocket and pulled the fox mask down over his head. He nodded in satisfaction.
“This should be fine. No one will notice.”
“No, Master. Please… um?”
Dorian tilted his head.
“What’s wrong?”
His height had shrunk dramatically. It was noticeable now, around 160cm.
“Master? Your height…”
“I reduced it. Can’t be noticed.”
“Understood?”
“Understood? What the hell!”
Sword Expert High-Class or Master couldn’t change height at will. It seemed like he had changed as a person.
“Wh-Who taught you that?”
“Rimer instructor.”
“Ah…”
Rimer was a very peculiar elf, so it made sense.
“I checked the surveillance network, and it seems doable.”
Raon stretched and smiled wickedly. It was as if a demon’s smile, sending chills down the spine.
“Master, that butterfly. I heard it’s rare, but not nonexistent. If you get it later…”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have much time. We can’t come here often.”
Raon smiled gently, but flames burned in his eyes.
“And she openly insulted and mocked me. No need to endure that.”
“Ugh…”
Dorian scratched his head. That was true. She had deliberately provoked him, and even interfered with the auction.
“Do you know who the fox mask belongs to?”
“Yes. So I want to stop it even more. Honestly, I want to tie up Master’s limbs!”
“Who is it?”
“The princess of Valkar Kingdom, Princess Jayna. She has excellent magical talent, but her eye for equipment is sharp. The current king dotes on his daughter.”
“Valkar…”
Raon’s smile deepened at the mention of Valkar princess. It was like a beast eyeing prey.
“Then the things the princess bought will go to the VIP room?”
“Eh? Probably.”
The auction house gives premium rooms to VIPs who spend a lot, and delivers the won items to the room. If it’s the Valkar princess, she would have her own private room.
“Then it’s not stealing the auction house. It’s stealing from the princess. Once the item enters the room, ownership transfers.”
“Eh? Is that how it works? I don’t quite understand…”
“I thought about it, and it seems okay. Wait here.”
“Eh? Master!”
Raon smiled gently and disappeared from the bathroom. He was right in front of him, but literally disappeared.
“Ah, isn’t the princess more dangerous than the auction house? Am I crazy?”
Dorian shook his head at the empty bathroom.
***
The best assassins have unique styles.
East: Kazen fast, West: Doruma smooth, North: Fatu sharp.
And the southern assassin, Raon, was elusive.
He used the No-Trace Step to become like a shadow on a moonless night, reducing presence so much that even masters couldn’t detect his movements properly.
Raon used the No-Trace Step at full power for the first time in a long time, arriving at the 4th floor of the auction house without being noticed.
‘At times like this, No-Trace Step is the best.’
It was an elusive method that even wind and shadows couldn’t follow. Slow in speed, but unmatched in hiding presence and form.
By controlling with his own body, he reduced height and size, so people coming to the auction and guards on the VIP floor didn’t feel his existence and just brushed past him.
As per Wrath’s words, going to steal the princess’s item after she openly provoked, insulted, and interfered with the auction is crazy. Even more so if thinking about his usual personality.
But Raon felt no excitement. Instead, he was coldly calm like the ice of the North Sea.
With such cool-headedness, the reason for acting rashly was simple.
‘Because I went there before.’
In his previous life, he had come here and assassinated a high noble in the VIP room. Of course, he disguised it as natural causes, so he wasn’t caught for doing it himself.
With that memory, he had confidence in success.
‘And this is the perfect time to cause trouble.’
Soon, the princess would bid on the item. If he entered the VIP room with that item, he could steal the Black Butterfly while lying down and eating.
Hoo...
Adjusting his breathing, he stood at the end of the lobby.
‘Actually, this is possible because it’s here.’
As you go deeper into the auction house, the level of auction items, security, and guards increases exponentially. Honestly, if it was the 2nd floor, he would have given up.
Weee...
After a while, the auction staff pushed a cart up to the 4th floor. The cart was covered with thick cloth, and one had the silhouette of a cage.
‘This is it.’
It was definitely the princess’s auction item.
When he tried to follow the staff pushing the cart, a sound like a squirrel’s cry came from the magic barrier.
After identifying the location by sound, he carefully pierced the barrier spread like a spiderweb.
‘Actually, the threatening thing isn’t this.’
The real danger was not the mana-made barrier, but the traps and sensors that detect mana.
The traps and sensors made from high-grade mana stones detect unregistered human mana.
Even if a human accumulates mana well, they can’t have the purity level of the mana in a high-grade mana stone.
‘Of course, I’m not like that.’
My aura accumulated with Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames and purified with Ring of Fire is purer than high-grade mana stones, even if not natural mana.
Goooo!
While pulling up the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames very thinly, he passed through the traps and sensors made of mana stones.
As expected, the sensors and traps didn’t activate, thinking he was a mass of natural mana.
Raon passed all the traps and sensors and followed right behind the auction staff.
He stopped at room 404, knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened, and one of the guards standing next to the princess came out.
“The item you purchased has arrived.”
“Um.”
When the guard nodded, the staff pushed the cart inside.
‘Now!’
When the staff and guard’s gazes were directed inside, Raon used the No-Trace Step to the extreme and dove into the room.
There were two other guards besides him, but no one noticed him.
“The won items are a total of 12. Please check.”
The staff handed over documents and took out the items one by one from the cart.
Twelve items including the Black Butterfly were laid on the floor, and the guard nodded and signed the documents.
‘Done.’
Now the owner of those items was the princess, not the auction house. He could steal them without problem.
“Buying something like this for 50 gold coins.”
The guard looked at the Black Butterfly with a pitiful expression.
“If you like it, you go all the way, right. Well, this time it was revenge, but…” “Yeah, before, they even made one gold disappear by snatching the item. It’s ruthless.”
“Did that guy not hand over the ring, his face would be ground to a rock and die?”
“That’s what I’ll do. I’ll rub it like washing clothes.”
The guards sitting at the table laughed.
‘They’re the same kind of guys.’
After stealing the Black Butterfly, he hesitated slightly thinking the guards might suffer, but they were ordinary guys. The guilt disappeared.
“Let’s continue playing cards. I was winning, right?”
“Yeah, that guy yesterday was really good. If a kidnapping order comes down, shall we ask for the secret technique?”
“Let’s do it. If you ask while burying it, he’ll answer well.”
The guards started playing poker with the auction items stacked next to the table, laughing.
‘Tsk.’
Raon clicked his tongue.
‘They’re too close.’
It would be hard to take out other items like this.
He could win if he fought, but there was a risk of being caught by the auction house guards waiting on the 4th floor.
‘Can’t be helped. I have to take only the Black Butterfly.’
Raon lowered his posture like a frog, looking at the cage containing the Black Butterfly.
The Black Butterfly dies quickly in a closed space, so it’s kept in such cages.
Then, why is the Black Butterfly staying stuck to the mana stone even though there’s a cage where it can easily escape?
The answer was simple. To eat the high-purity mana attached to the mana stone.
In other words, if it feels mana better than the mana stone’s, the butterfly will break through the cage and fly on its own.
Goooo.
Raon maintained the No-Trace Step while using the Ring of Fire to purify his aura. He thinly spread the purified aura like a thread and flowed it to the Black Butterfly.
The black butterfly that was sucking mana while stuck to the mana stone shuddered, spread its wings, and escaped the cage, descending.
‘As expected.’
He was glad he lowered his posture. If he had called it while standing, the guards would have noticed the fluttering of the Black Butterfly’s wings.
Hoo...
He slowly took a breath. The Black Butterfly had escaped the cage, but it was still not the time to relax. The thing was passing under the table where the guards’ legs were.
If the Black Butterfly’s wings brushed against the guards’ legs, it was over.
Raon gently controlled the aura as if it was a newborn baby and lured the Black Butterfly.
From right to left, from bottom to top. He guided the Black Butterfly’s wing movements so that it didn’t even shake the guards’ clothes.
Whoosh.
The Black Butterfly that was fluttering like falling leaves made a short but long journey and landed in Raon’s hand.
‘Good.’
He put the Black Butterfly in his inner pocket and slowly stood up. The guards were engrossed in cards, unaware of anything.
“Ah, I lost again!”
“You’re on a 6-game losing streak with this. Send your monthly salary to me this month.”
“Aw, damn! Things are going well… eh?”
The guard who was throwing cards saw the cage where the Black Butterfly was and widened his eyes.
“W-What the hell! It’s gone! It’s gone!”
“What?”
“The butterfly is gone!”
The guard looked around the cage, his jaw trembling.
“D-Die! All of you die! If this is gone, it’s really over!”
The guards overturned not only the auction items but also the bed, chairs, and all furniture, opened the windows, and eventually opened the door.
At that moment, Raon, who was pressed against the wall, smiled.
‘Now I can move.’
He grabbed five more auction items from the messy floor and slipped out through the open door leisurely.
“You crazy bastard. You’re not a scammer, but a thief! What kind of life were you living before I came here!”
‘Disgusting.’
Raon smiled coldly and bitterly.
‘I lived disgustingly.’
***
Raon went back to the bathroom, changed clothes, returned his body to original size, and came back to the auction house.
Since the last auction was in progress, the auctioneer’s voice was louder than ever.
“Ugh, m-my heart is itching…”
Dorian scratched his heart and shoulders with trembling hands.
“So, cut down on eating snacks as usual.”
Raon clicked his tongue.
“Hah…”
Dorian opened his mouth in disbelief. It was as if saying this is all because of you, what nonsense are you talking.
“Master.”
He sighed and approached others so they wouldn’t hear.
“Really, you weren’t noticed, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh, that’s a relief. Since you gave up in the middle, stealing the auction house’s item is crazy…”
“I didn’t give up?”
“Eh?”
His voice suddenly got louder. He thought Raon had given up on the Black Butterfly because he returned too quickly.
“S-Surely…”
“Here.”
When he pointed to his inner pocket, Dorian’s eyes spun around. It was rare to see human eyes spinning like that.
“Ugh…”
When Dorian tried to back away, a shadow appeared behind him. When he turned, the woman wearing the fox mask was standing there.
“Seems like there’s a problem.”
Her voice was thick with mockery. It was so blatant that he wanted to say it was not the mouth but the beak.
“So, you have to look at the other person well. What kind of person is this bum who has no money but only pride?”
Even with the mask, the voice was the expected one.
“The world doesn’t flow according to your will. You have to figure out the situation to live long.”
Since he was making an awkward threat without knowing the situation, a snort came out.
“I’ll give you one last chance. You know who I am, so hand over that ring from earlier. It’s not a threat, but if you refuse, your life will be difficult. I have never missed a target.”
She spread her palm, as if saying you can’t refuse.
“It’s not a threat, it’s a threat. And did you go deaf? I said no.”
Raon waved his hand as if swatting a fly.
“W-What? What did you just say.”
“I said I pierced my ears.”
“You, you!”
“Don’t act annoying and go away.”
“Tsk!”
The mask shook. The princess couldn’t hold back her anger and started pulling up mana.
“You don’t listen when I speak nicely. The butterfly you targeted, right? I’ll make sure to buy every item that comes out at the auction or shop so you can’t see it?”
It didn’t matter. He had already gotten it.
“Or I’ll make sure you can’t see the sun rising tomorrow? You kind of bum mercenaries can be erased with one finger. Who I am…”
The woman was about to take off the mask with a snort.
“Excuse me, miss!”
A guard who had seen her in the VIP room approached her with a serious face.
“I have something to say. Just now…”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that!”
The woman’s expression hardened severely after hearing the guard’s whisper.
“Seems like there’s a problem?”
Raon felt the presence of the Black Butterfly in his inner pocket and smiled wickedly.