The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

The phone call from Vicky successfully woke Irving up. He had been resting, needing to conserve his energy for the upcoming operations. He wouldn't have any time to rest over the next week.

Upon waking, Irving immediately answered Vicky's call. "Hello, what is it that you need?"

"Bad news! People from the Angel Guild have arrived at our Ocean Group, and they're already fighting with Benjamin!" Vicky succinctly described the current situation over the phone.

Irving's expression turned very serious upon hearing what Vicky had said. "I understand! Stay in your office and absolutely do not go out. I will get to you as quickly as possible!" He hung up the phone and rushed to the headquarters of Ocean Group as fast as he could.

Irving had already been quite displeased with Aron. Initially, he had no intention of continuing any collaboration with Aron, but he also didn't want to make an enemy of him. He never expected Aron would actively seek trouble with him.

Everyone knew that Vicky and Irving were solid allies. This meant that causing trouble for Vicky also meant causing trouble for Irving. Determined, Irving decided he would use this opportunity to teach Aron a severe lesson.

Irving moved quickly; after hanging up the phone, he reached the Ocean Group headquarters in just a little over ten minutes.

By the time he arrived, the battle at the entrance of Ocean Group was still ongoing. Although Benjamin couldn't defeat Aron, Aron wasn't strong enough to swiftly overpower Benjamin either. Their fight continued until Irving arrived.

Without any hesitation, upon seeing Aron, Irving launched an attack. He used the [Staff of Calamity] to cast a powerful spell directed at Aron. The power of Irving's spell was immense, drawing the attention of both Benjamin and Aron, who were engaged in their battle.

The moment Benjamin saw Irving, he felt as if he had secured victory. Aron, on the other hand, looked grim upon seeing Irving but chose not to continue fighting. Instead, he opted to create some distance between himself and Benjamin.

After effectively ending the conflict between Benjamin and Aron, Irving coldly addressed Aron. "I remember telling you not long ago that we would no longer be able to collaborate. However, I have no intention of making you an enemy. I never expected you would seek out trouble with me! If you and your Angel Guild truly intend to be my adversaries, I will certainly match you blow for blow."

Irving's words instilled fear in both Nick and Anna.

They were well aware of Irving's strength and knew that they were not qualified to be his enemies. So, as soon as Anna heard Irving's words, she quickly explained, "We don't intend to be your enemies! We came here just to confirm one thing!"

Anna's statement slightly calmed Irving's anger. "What is it that you need to confirm? Is it necessary for you and the Angel Guild to resort to fighting to figure things out? Should I then also launch an attack on you members of the Angel Guild?"

Although Irving gave Anna the opportunity to explain, it didn't mean that he was no longer angry. He still needed to warn the members of the Angel Guild.

Upon hearing this, Aron boldly replied, "Even if you attack us, we can handle it. Irving, you are not invincible!"

Aron not only doubted the members of Ocean Group, but he had also begun to question Irving himself. In Aron's view, Irving's sudden appearance here was clearly premeditated.

Irving smirked at Aron's words. "Since you're so confident, let's exchange a few moves then!" As soon as he finished speaking, Irving vanished in an instant.

Although Aron did not see Irving's movement, he instinctively prepared for defense. Just as Aron was scanning his surroundings, trying to locate Irving, Irving suddenly appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick.

Despite having taken some defensive measures, Aron was still taken by surprise when Irving appeared behind him. The force of the kick sent Aron flying a considerable distance.

"Stop humiliating yourself! You are no match for me! It's best if you all get lost now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!" Irving had no interest in hearing any further justifications from the Angel Guild members.

Irving believed that Anna was merely cooperating with Aron's actions. At this point, she was someone he could no longer trust.

Anna and Nick quickly rushed to Aron's side, helping him to his feet. Struggling to stand, Aron glared at Irving with intense anger. "I never expected you would use such underhanded tactics like Night Blades to target us," Aron spat.

Irving was both puzzled and more infuriated by Aron's statement. "Aren't you the one who sought out trouble? How can you turn this around and claim we are the ones being devious? Do you really think anyone will believe you after saying that?" Irving retorted without hesitation.

A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of Aron's mouth. "Stop pretending to be confused. You know exactly what you've instructed them to do."

There was no trust left between Aron and Irving. Neither of them believed a word the other said.

At that moment, an ordinary member of the Angel Guild rushed over. He first glanced nervously at Aron's condition and then shouted towards Irving, "It was him who just attacked the Angel Guild headquarters! Our newly established headquarters has been destroyed again!"

Upon hearing this news, Aron's expression turned to one of shock. He then turned to glare at Irving. "I will never let you off the hook! Since you've already attacked the Angel Guild's headquarters, it means you are now our sworn enemy! Although I may not possess your strength, I will never yield to you!"

With those words, Aron launched an attack on Irving.

Irving was equally perplexed by the unfolding events. However, he had found a crucial lead — the Angel Guild member who had just arrived. Irving noticed the dark power emanating from that member. While he wasn't sure what the dark power represented, he was certain that the current situation was closely related to the Night Blades.

As Irving fought Aron, he kept a watchful eye on the newly arrived Angel Guild member. After observing for a while, he suddenly noticed that a faint mist surrounded the member's body. The moment he saw the mist, Irving realized that this person was likely the disguised Elder Howard.

Having made this judgment, Irving quickly formulated a plan. While continuing to engage Aron, he subtly guided Aron towards the direction of the Angel Guild member who was masquerading as Elder Howard.

When they were close enough, Irving launched an attack directly at the disguised Elder Howard.

Everyone was astonished by this scene. No one was able to react in time, not even Elder Howard himself, who had not anticipated that Irving would attack him directly.

In this situation, Irving's strike shattered Elder Howard's disguise.

Elder Howard revealed his true form before everyone. As he did, shocked expressions appeared on the faces of all present. Aron decided he would no longer continue fighting Irving, as he sensed something was off. If Elder Howard had disguised himself as a member of the Angel Guild, then everything that had happened prior could very well have been orchestrated by him.

"You don't really think your disguise was perfect, do you? You seem to be a bit too full of yourself," Irving said with a smile after exposing Howard's ruse.

Despite having his disguise unveiled, Elder Howard did not panic. He believed he could easily escape from this situation. "I must admit, it is surprising that you saw through my disguise. However, my plan has still succeeded. Aron is heavily injured by you. He won't be able to assist you any further," Howard said confidently.

Irving chuckled at this. "You don't actually think Aron has been of much help to me during this whole ordeal, do you? Even if we had a good relationship, there's not much he could do for me. His strength isn't very impressive, and neither are the other members of the Angel Guild. What you've done here is ultimately meaningless."

Irving's words darkened Howard's expression. While Aron felt furious upon hearing this, he had to acknowledge that Irving was right. As the most powerful member of the Angel Guild, Aron found himself unable to provide much assistance. The other members were even less capable.

"Do you really think you're very clever? Do you really believe you can easily defeat me? Don't you think your assumptions are a bit naive?" Elder Howard did not see himself as being at a disadvantage.

After all, he was in the city of warding, a place in the real world where he could employ indiscriminate attack tactics to put Irving in a difficult position. Irving had to ensure the safety of those around him, while Howard did not share that burden. The more destruction Howard caused around him, the smoother things would go for the other members of the Night Blades.