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nIt was dark.

nThe moon hung in the clear night sky as the barely visibly clouds floated about, drifting into the vast expanse of space above the city. The lively streets which bustled with life and activity in the morning was now rendered desolate, empty and abandoned, as the night grew thicker. Everyone had departed to their abode, resting in their homes.

nHowever, the dimly lit streets weren't completely empty. Because within the shadows and underneath the soft glow of moonlight were the ones of the night, rough men who had desperate looks in their eyes... Adventurers of Lamar, rogue thieves.

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"We'll all wait here for the signal. A scout has gone to check the perimeter. After he's done, we'll storm the apartment and take it by surprise. Those rich brats won't know what hit 'em!

" One of the men said to the group behind him with a gruffy voice.

nThey all wore dark coated attires which covered most of their body parts and armor. They also wore customized masks which covered their faces, leaving only the holes to breathe and see open.

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"Any moment from now... He said, steadying himself and slowly raising his hand to command the group.

nSuddenly the house they were all watched glowed blue with a shimmer of purple.

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"It's done. Let's go!

" The gruffy voiced man said to the group of three, in addition to himself, four.

nThe leader of the group wore a clown's laughing mask, while the other members of his group wore different variations of his laughing mask. They were; Bear laughing mask, demon laughing mask, cat laughing mask, and a dog laughing mask.

nThey moved swiftly, dashing through the night. Their dark silhouette raced past the houses which weren't their targets and moved through the shadows. Thier movements made no sound, showing that they were used to this form of movement.With guttied and precise steps, they ran, and within moments they arrived before the target apartment.

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"You're here

" A voice appeared behind them.

nThe group of four simultaneously turned back to see who addressed them.

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"Ah, looks like you're all dressed up for the event, aren't you? Sucide Plunderer...

" The leader of the group of four said to the man who stood behind them with four others behind him.

nThe group of 5 also wore dark outfits, however their masks were different from the first. Their customized masks entirely differed from the first and wasn't at all in a uniformed pattern. The leader, Sucide Plunderer, wore a happy smile mask. The others wore, respectively; A frowning mask, a crying mask, a sad mask, and a furious mask.

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"You're quick and precise as always, Laughing Corpse Group

" The Sucide Plunderer replied.

nThe Sucide Plunderer, also known by his real name Nathan, was the leader of the first group, while Karl, the one with the clown mask, was the leader of the Laughing Corpse.

nThey both smiled underneath their masks. This was going to be a bug haul... The biggest one in their lives.

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"The signal I gave was the effect of a Relic. It forcibly seals all sound within the area of effect. That means no one outside this building will be able to hear anything that goes on within it. Thst means if we're required to do so, we can go all out and no one outside will suspect a thing.

" Nathan said, speaking with a thicker voice than usual, thanks to his mask.

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"The masks are also Relics, as you know. They prevent our identities from being discover and mask our voice. So even if for some unforseen reason we are forced to retreat, we are in no danger of our identites being exposed.

" He added.

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"Our scouts have monitored this house for over a day and we've also tailed the target group. So the chances of losing this game is very low, of not non-existent. We've gone through more dangerous missions before, and while I know we haven't worked like this in very long, it's good to do this with everyone.

" He finally concluded.

nThey all nodded and gestured affirmatively. It was clear that they were all fired up and ready to go.

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"With that in mind, let's go plunder some properties and kill some people

" Nathan said.

nThey all raised their weapons and headed for the house with exhilaration and fire in their hearts.

nThe apartment was such which had two stories. A couple of Windows on the ground floor and also some on the first. There was only one entrance and exit, which was the front one. The apartment had five rooms, four located on the first floor while the last was located on the ground floor. It had a parlour and a kitchen, with restrooms located in every room in the apartment, and a general one for guests. This was their window of invasion.

nThey decided to break into the house through the general toilet, using a Relic on the windows and the glass lining which defended it from the outside, as well as the concrete walls of the room, they made that side of the building transparent. As the walls and window became transparent, they were able to see within the general restroom.

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"Heh, look at how clean and shiny it is. Hehe, these kids are truly loaded.

" One of the members chuckled.

nThey walked into the wall, receiving no resistance as they passed through it. They all did this in order until they all entered the toilet. After they were done, the transparent nature of the walls began to fade away as the walls returned to their original state.

nThe Relic which was used, a pair of gloves reacted to this. One of the gloves ripped apart and fell off, showing it had been used up. Only one glove was left.

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"We can only use this one more time

" The frowning faced member of the group said.

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"Best to save it for our escape.

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nSince they had successfully infiltrated the house, adoring the great designs and ornaments around the interior.

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"Oh damn, these guys are the **

" One of them said, looking around at the furniture and expensive looking objects which decorafed the house.

nHowever, they weren't there for sightseeing, and so, after taking in the view to their fill, they moved on to the next step.

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"Alright boys, time to split up

" Nathan said.

nThey were a total group of 9. They decided to split into four groups. Each group would have two people, and the final one without a group was Nathan.

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"Let's go over this again, just to clarify. You guys should check the four rooms on the first floor above us, I'll check the room on this floor. Let's all converge here after we're done with killing them off. After we've gathered, we'll then search the rooms together for their Relics. Sound good?

" Nathan addressed the split groups.

nThey all affirmed and within a moment, they scattered tot heir various target locations, leaving Nathan alone on the ground floor.

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"Great. I should get started too

" He muttered to himself.

nHe put his hands in his pockets and walked toward the bedroom on the ground floor, mentioned by the scout to be the place where Rio stayed.

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"I wonder if he'll be able to recognize me

" He smirked to himself.

nThat was impossible though. After all he had his Relic mask on. His thoughts trailed back to when he first met Rio, what he thought of him as. A hero.

nRio saved him without asking for anything in return, took care of his wounds and even gave him a free ride to the city. He cared do much for his well-being, and was so comfortable with him that he freely allowed him to handle something as valuable as his Relic. Truly, Rio was a naive young man, but he also had a deep respect for him.

nRio reminded Nathan of how he used to be when he was younger. Passionate, heroic, hopeful and optimistic.

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"I'm going to be the best Adventurer in Lamar with my own strength

" He would often chant, choosing the straight and narrow path, not cutting corners like others did.

nHowever, this innocence of his got tainted as he grew older. He was given a glimpse of the real world and realised that in order for him to survive in such a wretched place, he needed to sacrifice his conscience. And so he did. For the sake of his survival, for the sake of the one he loved.

nHe entered the Rio's bedroom and saw the young man sleeping comfortable on his bed. The room was wide and greatly furnished, as expected of one with such a large and luxurious home. He had to look at the face of the young man he would kill. As he stared at him sleeping, a strange emotion welled within him. He felt a tinge of regret, but he was still determined to do whatever was necessary to win.

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"I'm sorry... Rio. But, for the sake of the one I love, I have to sacrifice you as well. Please become the stepping stone for our happiness.

" He muttered under his breath.

nHe brought out the 'Blade Of Rupture' that he stole and unsheathed it.

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"At the very least, I'll kill you with your very own Relic

" He said, raising it above his head while staring intensely at Rio's unmoved body.

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"Goodbye...

"

nThe blade descended and a piercing sound was heard.. Blood dripped, the job was finished.

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