"I've hit the jackpot!" The shopkeeper could no longer contain himself. Laughing triumphantly, he eagerly flipped through the scroll, wanting to see the full spell.

  But when he reached the final page and saw those few ominous words, his smile froze in place: "To master this art, one must first corrupt the soul."

  "What?" His mind went blank. The scroll slipped from his trembling hands and fell onto the counter with a sharp thud.

  Only then did he understand why that young mage had sold it so casually. This wasn't an ordinary spell at all.

  It was a forbidden magic, one that demanded the caster's own soul as the price.

  To learn it meant madness at best, or utter annihilation at worst.

  "My fifty Mana Crystals!" he cried, bolting out of the shop like a madman. But the street was empty. Ryan was long gone.

  He clenched his fists and paced in frustration, grinding his teeth. He didn't dare shout, fearing the patrols would overhear and start questioning him. Worse still, if anyone discovered he had bought a forbidden scroll, it would ruin his reputation as a potion master.

  At last, defeated, he picked the scroll off the floor and shoved it into the deepest corner of the counter. Whether to resell it and trick someone else, or destroy it for good, he no longer knew.

  Meanwhile, Ryan was strolling leisurely down the street with his pack slung over his shoulder.

  Most shops were still closed. After wandering around for a while without finding anything worth buying, he started to feel bored, until a sudden, thunderous explosion shattered the stillness.

  A massive blast erupted from the city center. Smoke and dust shot skyward, and orange flames lit up half the sky.

  Ryan's eyes gleamed. He leapt onto a nearby rooftop and found a hidden spot to sit down. "Now that's entertainment, way better than window-shopping," he murmured with a grin.

  Out of habit, he opened the Grimoire Store interface. After refreshing the page, he noticed something new in the list: ice cream, priced at one point of Magic Origin Value.

  Ryan bought one, tore open the wrapper, and started licking it contentedly while keeping his gaze fixed on the chaos in the distance.

  Above the city lord's mansion, two beams of light were colliding violently. One was golden-yellow, the other a brilliant icy blue that Ryan immediately recognized as Evelyn's.

  A man clad in ornate armor wielded a long spear embedded with a mana core. It was the city lord himself.

  Facing him stood Evelyn, her veil torn away by the fierce wind, revealing her flawless, breathtaking face. In her hand, the Ultimate Ice Sword shimmered with lethal frost.

  "It really is her," Ryan muttered, tension tightening in his chest.

  Each strike from the city lord's spear gouged deep craters into the ground. Evelyn, moving with fluid grace, weaved between the spear's shadows, her ice spikes bursting forth in relentless waves.

  A violent clash followed. The ice spikes met the spear with a blinding flash.

  To everyone's shock, the spear's shaft snapped clean in half, its tip clattering onto the ground.

  The city lord stared dumbfounded at his broken weapon. That spear had cost him a fortune to forge. How could it be destroyed with a single blow?

  "Damn it! How can a Fifth-tier Adept Mage possess such a powerful weapon?" he cursed inwardly, though his eyes glimmered with greed.

  The sword Evelyn wielded was far superior to his spear, and the covetous hunger in his heart deepened.

  And now that her veil had fallen, her beauty hit him like a spell. Pure, deadly allure.

  "That woman…" he muttered, licking his lips. "No wonder my son fell for her. Even I find myself tempted."

  Greed overwhelmed his rage, twisting his expression into one of lustful desire. "She must be taken alive. That sword will be mine, and perhaps she will be too."

  Before his vile thoughts could take shape, Evelyn's cold voice cut through the air.

  "If you wish to die, I'll gladly oblige."

  The prolonged fight had clearly enraged her beyond restraint.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Evelyn gripped the Ultimate Ice Sword tightly and charged straight toward the city lord, a Second-tier Journeyman Mage. The tip of her blade shimmered with condensed frost, aiming directly for his throat.

  The city lord stumbled backward in panic. The woman's fighting style completely shattered his understanding of magic. Her combat instincts were so refined that even he, a veteran of countless battles, felt inferior.

  After another dozen fierce exchanges, the city lord could no longer keep up. Evelyn chased him across the rooftops of the mansion, forcing him into a desperate retreat.

  "I yield! Leave this place at once!" the city lord shouted.

  It was humiliating. He was a full tier above her, yet he hadn't even managed to land a single counterattack. The frustration was driving him insane.

  But behind his anger, a glint of calculation flickered in his eyes. Evelyn's magical aura was growing fainter with every clash, a clear sign of mana exhaustion.

  If he could just stall her a little longer, she would collapse from overuse. Then not only could he claim her weapon, but he could also capture this stunning woman alive. Once in his hands, she would have no choice but to kneel before him.

  Evelyn, however, was well aware that her mana was nearly depleted. If she kept fighting, even if she managed to kill the city lord, she would soon be surrounded by his soldiers and have no chance to escape.

  "Damn it! Don't run this way!"

  From the corner of a nearby rooftop, Ryan watched in horror as a figure shot straight toward him.

  He scrambled to his feet and leapt down to the street, praying she was only passing through. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in this fight.

  But fate clearly had other plans. Evelyn landed gracefully right in front of him after a few light steps. The usual coldness in her eyes had faded, replaced by exhaustion. "Take me away," she said softly.

  The battle across tiers had drained nearly all her mana. She had burned through several high-level spells just to suppress the city lord.

  What little remained barely kept her standing. She couldn't even handle a low-ranked frost wolf now.

  At this moment, she had two options. She could unleash her final trump card and freeze the entire city, which would severely injure her and possibly hinder her future advancement.

  Or she could place her fate in the hands of the young man before her. During the fight, she had already sensed Ryan's presence nearby. When she saw him, an unprecedented thought had taken root. She could trust him.

  "Evelyn, how am I supposed to take you away?" Ryan stammered, glancing between her pale face and the city lord glaring down from the rooftop. Cold sweat streamed down his back.

  He was only an Adept Mage. Against a Journeyman, he didn't stand a chance.

  "Don't worry about him," Evelyn murmured, her voice barely audible. "If he dares approach, I'll deal with it."

  That was all Ryan needed to hear. Without another word, he crouched down and gently lifted Evelyn into his arms. Her skin was cold to the touch, and he could feel her body tremble slightly at the contact.

  Gathering mana in his legs, Ryan sprinted toward the southern gate, holding her close. She was surprisingly light in his arms.

  Up on the rooftop, the city lord trembled with rage as he watched them flee. The idea that a mere Adept Mage had just stolen his prize made his blood boil.

  "Seal every gate!" he roared at his men.

  Ryan dashed through the maze-like streets, carrying Evelyn as fast as he could.

  A strange sense of pride welled up in his chest. He couldn't help but think, Who would've imagined this? Me, running through the city with a beauty like her in my arms. People would kill to trade places with me.

  Ryan held Evelyn tightly as he ran, unable to stop a quiet laugh from escaping.

  Holding her like this, seeing how weak she was now, he thought that even if she wanted to attack him, she no longer had the strength.

  He was certain Evelyn would not strike at him under such circumstances. Without him to carry her, she would be caught by the pursuing lord in no time.

  "Carry me on your back," Evelyn said softly, struggling slightly in his arms. She was not used to such close contact, even if he was saving her.

  Ryan deliberately tightened his grip. "No. I've got a blade strapped to my back, and putting you there will slow me down. Don't move."

  "It won't slow you," Evelyn tried to argue, but Ryan cut her off sharply. "I said it will, and that's final."

  Ignoring her faint resistance, he kept running, his steps growing faster. Behind them, the city lord continued to chase, keeping a cautious distance.

  He feared Evelyn's possible hidden trump card, intending to strike only once both were exhausted.

  "You keep chasing, and I'll use my ultimate move!" Ryan shouted back over his shoulder.

  The city lord did not believe him and continued following, his eyes glimmering with greed.

  Just as they neared the southern gate, the city lord finally lost patience. His hands formed seals, and his mana surged violently, condensing in the sky into a gigantic stone hand that came crashing down toward Ryan and Evelyn.

  "Evelyn! You must have something left!" Ryan stopped and looked at her anxiously.

  Evelyn's face turned even paler, but her voice remained calm as she instructed, "Once I use my last resort, you must take me away immediately. Do not do anything unnecessary to me."

  "No problem, I promise!" Ryan nodded quickly and gently set her down.

  A bright blue glow flared as Evelyn traced her fingertip across her brow. From that light, the Frozen Crown Staff emerged, slowly materializing above her head.

  "Ice Seal Judgment!"

  Her voice echoed with magical power as she leapt into the air, pointing a slender finger toward the staff. The Frozen Crown Staff expanded to several meters long, radiating an intense cold as it hurtled toward the city lord above.

  Ryan stared, eyes wide in disbelief. That was at least an epic-tier artifact.

  The city lord finally felt fear, but it was too late. When he tried to retreat, he realized the space around him was already frozen solid by the staff's magic.

  "Told you not to chase! Now look who's doomed!" Ryan stood with his hands on his hips, laughing up at the sky with pure mockery.

  The Frozen Crown Staff shattered the massive stone hand with ease and kept going, slamming directly into the city lord.

  A single, piercing scream tore through the air before he fell from the sky. The staff then slowly shrank and returned to Evelyn's brow, vanishing once more.

  Ryan's heart clenched as he saw Evelyn's body waver midair. After using an artifact of such immense power, her mana was completely drained, and she began to fall uncontrollably.

  He leapt forward, catching her in his arms before she hit the ground. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, yet her beauty remained breathtaking.

  At the city gate, both guards and onlookers stood frozen in shock, staring at the scene with wide eyes.