In a ruined stone hut on the outskirts of the city, vines crept over the broken walls and crumbling remains.

  Marcus stood in the center of the hut with a dark expression. He looked at the man beside him, wrapped in a pitch black cloak, and said,"I know the rules. How many magic crystals will it take?"

  The robed figure slowly nodded. The shadow beneath the hood concealed his face, and only a hoarse, low voice emerged.

  "This time, the target is the student from your Radiant Magic Academy named Allen, correct?"

  The robed man paused, reciting the information he had gathered."Sixth tier Intermediate Mage. His rate of mana advancement is astonishing, and in the short term he is likely to reach Ninth tier."

  "His talent is extraordinary. He can cast master level spells across tiers. A rare magical prodigy."

  As he spoke, the robed man gave a soft sigh."This target is somewhat troublesome."

  "A gifted apprentice will certainly be under the academy's special protection. The defensive magic arrays of Radiant Magic Academy are as solid as a fortress."

  "If you want to act within the academy, you would first have to break through its layered defenses. The cost is something you cannot possibly afford."

  Hearing this, Marcus showed no surprise. He had already anticipated the difficulty of making a move inside the academy. He had come prepared.

  He clenched his fist, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes."There is no need to act inside the academy. I have a way to draw him out of Radiant Magic Academy."

  The robed man let out a curious sound and leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued."You can lure him out? Where will you make your move?"

  "Godfall Battlefield," Marcus said, calculation gleaming in his eyes.

  "No one can protect him there. In that case, can the price be lower?"

  The robed man immediately nodded."Godfall Battlefield? That is indeed an excellent place."

  "It is perfect for covering up the traces of an assassination. One hundred thousand high grade magic crystals. The Dagger Tribunal accepts this contract."

  "One hundred thousand?" Marcus ground his teeth, a flash of pain crossing his eyes.

  This was nearly all the wealth he had accumulated in his lifetime. But if it could buy Allen's death and avenge his son Samuel, it would be worth everything.

  He said in a low voice:

  "But I must demand this. Make sure that little bastard dies. You are a top tier assassin organization. Do not fail me."

  The robed man gave a disdainful snort, arrogance thick in his tone."Anyone marked by the Dagger Tribunal has never survived. An Intermediate Mage is not even worthy of damaging our reputation."

  Marcus's expression was complicated. To hire the Dagger Tribunal, he had almost poured out every last bit of wealth he had accumulated in his life.

  He knew well how terrifying this assassin organization was. They never turned down a target. As long as the price was high enough, anyone could be put on their list.

  Since the day the organization was founded, not a single target who appeared on their assassination list had lived longer than half a year.

  Even so, Marcus could not suppress the unease in his heart and could not help asking,"Is there truly no one you cannot kill?"

  "I have heard that you can even assassinate elders of top powers. That is not just a gimmick to attract business, is it?"

  The robed man suddenly flicked his sleeve, clearly displeased with Marcus's doubts.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  "As long as the Dagger Tribunal takes the contract, it does not matter if the target is an elder of a top power, or even one of the few strongest people in the world, we can make them vanish completely!"

  The arrogance and confidence in his voice were unmistakable. Then, abruptly, his tone shifted, and a low chuckle came from beneath the hood."Actually, that is not entirely accurate."

  He paused, lowering his voice even further."In this world, there is one person… no, I should say one Demon, whose contract we never accept."

  This subtle self-mockery made the robed man laugh out loud. His hoarse laughter echoed through the empty stone hut, giving it a particularly eerie feeling.

  "After all, no one in this world dares to court death by attempting to assassinate that Demon King."

  "With no employer, there is naturally no failure. By that standard, the Dagger Tribunal truly has never failed."

  These words both dismissed the earlier doubt and subtly displayed the organization's limits and deterrent power.

  The laughter faded, and the robed man spoke with utmost solemnity."Rest assured. Since we have accepted your contract, we will not stop until the objective is complete."

  "Although you only paid for the assassination of Allen in Godfall Battlefield, even if we fail this time, the follow-up pursuit will incur no additional cost."

  "The Dagger Tribunal values its reputation above all. Once a name appears on the assassination list, even if it requires the full might of the organization, we will not fail. This is the foundation of our dominance on the continent."

  Hearing this, Marcus finally felt his anxiety ease, and he nodded with satisfaction.

  He silently congratulated himself on acting decisively. If he had allowed Allen more time to grow and ascend to Senior Mage, it might not have been possible to hire the Dagger Tribunal.

  After confirming the details, the robed man's figure dissolved into black smoke and vanished into the night.

  Marcus did not dare waste time. He immediately went to prepare the magic crystals for the next day's transaction.

  …

  Time flew by. Nearly two months had passed since Allen arrived at Radiant Magic Academy. Now, only he and Eleanor remained in Eleanor Estate.

  During this time, Allen deliberately suppressed his mana, maintaining himself at Sixth-tier Intermediate Mage, without further advancement.

  For him, his current strength was enough to move through the academy without interference. There was no need to reveal his full power prematurely.

  Most of his attention was devoted to learning more about the Demon Tribe.

  Allen had repeatedly and subtly questioned Leah about the Demon Tribe.

  According to Leah, although the Demon Tribe could learn from human magic systems and advance their mana levels, there remained an insurmountable barrier.

  They could never reach the peak of human magic, the level of Magic God.

  This barrier stemmed from the difference in racial origins, like a chasm between heaven and earth. No matter how extraordinary a Demon's talent, they could never enter the realm of Magic God in their lifetime.

  The mana of the Demon Tribe and human mana are inherently mutually exclusive, like water and fire that cannot coexist.

  For this reason, Allen had no intention of further advancing human magic, deliberately keeping his mana suppressed at Sixth-tier Intermediate Mage.

  Within him lay the latent power of the Demon King, and no one could predict what would happen if the two forces continued to accumulate.

  If the conflicting mana were to run out of control, he could destroy his own mana core before any enemy had a chance to act, a consequence far too costly to risk.

  Adding to his unease, Leah mentioned that in the present human world, there were no longer any Magic God-level practitioners. A thousand years ago, the last Magic God had been killed by the Demon King.

  That was exactly the previous life of this body. This long-standing grudge was also one of the core reasons for the millennium-long enmity between humans and the Demon Tribe, a conflict as irreconcilable as fire and water.

  The more Allen thought about it, the more unsettled he became. He realized he was playing the perfect role of a villain, fitting the classic template of the ultimate boss in a novel destined to be overthrown by the protagonist.

  He even began to speculate that perhaps somewhere, a gifted but tragic young hero might be plotting revenge against the Demon Tribe, and he would be the ultimate target.

  Although he was the Demon King of the Demon Tribe, villains like him in stories often met the harshest ends. The more they believed they controlled everything, the more the protagonist would thwart them at every turn, leaving them disgraced and destroyed in the end.

  With such thoughts, Allen became even more cautious. He began secretly planning to find a place where the Demon Tribe could not locate him, a place to lie low and remain safe.

  During this time, Allen lived a thoroughly aimless life at Radiant Magic Academy. He avoided studying magic entirely, appearing utterly unambitious.

  One day, Eleanor's expression grew grave as she looked at a life crystal placed on the table before her.

  It was a specially crafted life crystal from the academy. Its brightness directly reflected the vitality of the person it was bound to, making it an essential token for explorers.

  At this moment, the life crystal bound to Evelyn had already dimmed, as if it could extinguish completely at any second.

  "Evelyn is missing."

  "She was in Godfall Battlefield. Normally, she would send updates every three days, but it has already been seven days, and we have received no word."

  "This life crystal was bound before she departed. Now that it has deteriorated to this state, it is clear she has encountered mortal danger."

  The casual expression on Allen's face vanished instantly. A cold, sharp glint appeared in his eyes.