Ballad of the Assassin

The tavern at dusk was as lively as ever, filled with the aroma of ale and the sound of clinking glasses. From mercenaries to farmers, all gathered here to unwind after a day's toil. Yet, at this moment, a hush had settled over the crowd as everyone listened intently to the bard at the center, his voice rising and falling with dramatic flair.

"Our protagonist, Rex, sneered coldly, 'You think you, an insect, can plot against me? You’re finished. You’ll regret everything you’ve done today!'" declared the bard, his words sweeping up the majority in rapt concentration, for this was clearly the story’s climax. Only a lone figure in a white robe, seated in a shadowed corner, responded with a series of sardonic chuckles.

"The enemy burst into laughter. 'You miserable wretch, it seems you’ve forgotten the meaning of power! Take this—Forbidden Spell: A Hundred Million Miles of Frost!' The common folk nearby reeled in terror. Could this man actually unleash the Hundred Million Miles of Frost? Even a Grand Archmage couldn't cast such a spell. A power like this hasn’t surfaced in thousands of years. He’s doomed for sure.”

"And yet, not a single bystander was frozen to death by this spell?" the man in white suddenly interjected. The tavern erupted in laughter.

"You know nothing!" the bard glared. "The true essence of magic lies in mastery—its range can be controlled at will. The commoners and the protagonist stood right at the spell’s boundary. The spell surged from the boundary outward, a h