Adam dashed through a sparsely populated industrial street, now clad in a set of deep gray robes he’d snatched from a random clothesline. A worn, half-mask of brown fabric concealed everything below his nose. Using Manipulator, his once-silver hair now flowed in shades of inky black.

  What an ominous place.

  He adjusted his robes, pinching his nose as the icy wind lashed against him. The night was unnervingly still, the gusts carrying the sharp scent of rust. Towering factories loomed on either side, their frames corroded and swallowed by creeping vines, each more desolate than the last.

  A torn billboard caught his eye: a portly old man with a curly mustache raising a frothing mug of beer. The years had scoured the name clean from the bottom of the sign.

  I should be close.

  He quickened his pace. Despite his speed, not a single footstep echoed, and the silence was so absolute it swallowed sound itself.

  Moments later, he arrived before a massive brewery, its rusted signage barely legible: Theodore’s Brewery.

  Adam crouched low, eyes narrowing at a lone figure waiting beneath the silver wash of moonlight.

  Is that him?

  The stranger wore layered clothes, a flat cap bent low over half his face.

  Adam straightened and strode forward, his confidence deliberate. Apart from the faint clatter of scurrying rats, the night remained silent.

  [Two Potential Sources of Danger Detected]

  Adam froze as the message flared before his eyes.

  “If you move, you die!” a voice barked from the shadows.

  Four men emerged, dressed in elaborate coats, the steel of their weapons catching moonlight.

  He’s not among them. So where’s that weasel hiding?

  Adam didn’t recognize any of their faces.

  “This area’s off-limits,” one of them snapped. “Get the hell out of—”

  “I’m from Raventhorn,” Adam interrupted coldly. “Here to deliver the item.”

  Under the influence of Manipulator, his voice carried Klien’s exact tone.

  The men paused, eyes narrowing. They exchanged wary looks before one let out a strange birdcall. Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed from the east.

  “What took you so long? Didn’t you say you needed only an hour?”

  A smirk tugged at Adam’s lips beneath the mask. The familiar voice confirmed it.

  Dominic stepped into the open, flanked by his entourage. “So, where is it?”

  Adam stayed silent, sizing up the men beside him. Which of these did the system mark as dangerous?

  “Are you deaf?” Dominic snapped. “I said, where is it?”

  Adam reached into his robe as though retrieving something, silently issuing a command to the system. The item materialized from his inventory: a sealed jar glinting faintly under the moonlight. He raised it just enough for them to see.

  “This is it,” he said flatly.

  Dominic’s lips curled into a cruel smile that lasted only a heartbeat. With a flick of his wrist, one of his underlings stepped forward to collect it. Adam handed it over without resistance, watching the man retreat with it.

  “Excellent work, as always,” Dominic said, clapping slowly. “And the corpse?”

  “Taken care of.”

  “Splendid.” Dominic clapped again, smirking. “Your payment’s been sent to your guild leader. I’ll be sure to call you again when I need another pig slaughtered.”

  He turned to leave but Adam’s voice stopped him cold.

  “We found something else on him.”

  Dominic and his men halted. The air thickened.

  One of the underlings sneered. “That wasn’t part of your orders. Do you even realize—”

  His words died at Dominic’s raised hand.

  “You realize what you’re doing right now, correct?” Dominic asked quietly.

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  Adam nodded. “I think it’s something you’ll appreciate,” he said. “We didn’t dare keep it for ourselves.”

  Dominic’s brow arched. “Oh? Let’s see it, then. But it had better be worth my time, or else…”

  He motioned for the same man to step forward again, but Adam’s voice cut through first.

  “Sir, I can’t hand this one to just anyone,” he said evenly. “If you’re not interested, I could always sell it off in the black market—”

  “Are you out of your mind?!” A roar tore from the darkness.

  Two hulking figures stepped into view, their scarred torsos bare, muscles tense like drawn cables. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” one growled.

  Adam didn’t reply. System, summon my Familiar somewhere they won’t detect it, and prepare Cataclysm.

  “Didn’t you hear me talking to you?” the brute bellowed, stepping forward.

  Adam started to answer but Dominic’s furious voice interrupted.

  “Browly, Mathieu! Who told you to come out?” he barked. “Get back—”

  “Sir, I’ve spoken out of turn,” Adam interjected smoothly, bowing low. “I’ll take my leave.”

  “Stay where you are!” Dominic thundered. “Did I say you could leave? Are you trying to test me?”

  “I apologize,” Adam said, keeping his head bowed.

  “Enough.” Dominic exhaled sharply and waved a hand. “Let’s see what that pig had. If it’s valuable, you’ll earn a bonus.”

  “I couldn’t possibly take your money, sir,” Adam replied, smiling behind the mask. “Please, consider it a gift.”

  Dominic chuckled darkly. “A gift, huh…”

  Dominic chuckled as he strode forward, confidence radiating from every step. His guards exchanged wary glances but didn’t move from their positions.

  Adam slipped a hand into his robe and drew out Cataclysm.

  Dominic’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow.” He quickened his pace; his gaze locked on the weapon. “What craftsmanship! How did that peasant get his hands on such magnificent axes?”

  “That’s why I believed they should be in your possession, sir,” Adam replied smoothly.

  “You thought right,” Dominic said with a cruel cackle. Only a few dozen paces now separated them.

  Adam’s gaze flicked toward the two burly guards. Their bodies were unnaturally tense; too tense as if they were preparing to strike first rather than react.

  This bastard has no intention of letting me walk away.

  Adam smiled faintly beneath his mask.

  When Dominic was just meters away, Adam raised both axes. “Sir, you can have them.”

  Before anyone could react, he hurled the weapons toward Dominic.

  “Are you out of your mind?!” Dominic roared as the axes clattered to the ground mere inches from his boots.

  “Who throws weapons like that?!” one of the burly men bellowed. “Are you an imbecile?”

  Adam ignored him, his eyes fixed on Dominic, who knelt to inspect the axes.

  “That’s enough!” Dominic snapped, silencing his man.

  He crouched, brushing his fingers across the intricate patterns etched into Cataclysm’s handle. The moment his skin made contact, a gleam flickered in his eyes.

  “You’re certain you want nothing for this?”

  Adam nodded once.

  Dominic grinned. “What’s your name?”

  “Klein.”

  “Klein, huh?” He nodded as though committing it to memory. “I’ll remember that.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Dominic’s smile vanished, his tone turning razor-sharp. “Now tell me, what else did you find on that pig’s corpse?”

  “Pardon, sir? I don’t quite understand—”

  “Don’t play dumb, Klein,” Dominic interrupted coldly. “If you’re willing to give up something this valuable, it means you found something even better. Hand it over, and I might let you live.”

  He motioned to his guards with a nod. Instantly, the two massive men moved, blocking Adam’s escape routes.

  “They’re C-ranked Awakened,” Dominic said with a smirk. “So, let’s not drag this out. Tell me what you—”

  He stopped. A grimace twisted his face.

  “Who are you? Why are you holding me?”

  Dominic flinched, his eyes darting wildly. “Who said that? Show yourself!”

  Adam stayed perfectly still, smiling faintly behind his mask. He hears it too.

  “Sir?” one of the guards called out. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Didn’t you hear that voice? The old man?” Dominic demanded, frowning.

  The guards exchanged uneasy looks but said nothing.

  “Show yourself, old man!” Dominic shouted.

  Then the voice came again—louder, furious.

  “Who is this weakling holding me? Release me, now!”

  Dominic froze. The axes in his hands trembled violently, vibrating with a metallic whine. He tried to throw them aside, but they clung to his palms like cursed iron.

  A thunderous clang echoed through the alley.

  From the shadows emerged a towering figure; over six feet tall, its molten red-and-black form glowing like living magma. Two bull-like horns jutted from its skull. It charged forward, wielding a massive steel rod that sang through the air.

  “What the fuck are you doing? Protect him!” one of the C-ranked Awakened shouted.

  The Familiar moved first. In a single sweep, it impaled two men through the neck with its rod, then tore open the throats of the next pair with its claws.

  Dominic collapsed to his knees, howling. The axes devoured him alive; his skin shriveling, muscles withering to bone.

  System, activate illusion inducement, Adam commanded.

  The C-ranked Awakened reacted instantly. One sprinted toward Dominic, the other charged at Adam. His muscles swelled to monstrous proportions, veins bulging as power coursed through him.

  Adam retreated in a blur of motion, shifting into his battle mode. His movements became fluid and superhuman.

  The C-rank didn’t chase him directly; instead, he struck at the air, eyes locked on an illusionary double of Adam.

  Adam smirked. Not even C-ranks are immune to illusions. But it won’t hold for long.

  The illusionary Adam dodged frantically as the brute’s fists tore through the air. Each strike landed with a sound like breaking stone. Until it couldn’t. The illusion faltered; arms splintered, knees bent at unnatural angles, before the final blow smashed through its skull.

  I’d die if I took even one of those hits.

  Adam glided backward noiselessly, still cloaked in distortion. His Familiar withdrew in the opposite direction at his command.

  Then, with a flick of his hand, the axes ripped free from Dominic’s grasp and vanished.

  System, recall the Familiar and store Cataclysm.

  He cast one last glance at Dominic’s mummified body. It’s a shame, I just need a bit more time to finish him off. But this… might be even better.

  A soft chuckle escaped him. Dominic’s suffering and the chaos it would cause among the assassins was more valuable than any clean kill.

  [Congratulations! You have received 1 Omen Point!]

  Adam’s brow twitched. Three from earlier, two left over… that makes six now. Still not sure how they’re allocated, though.

  He dismissed the thought and melted into the shadows.

  Thirty minutes later, Adam had changed back into his uniform. His old clothes burned to ash behind him, though he kept the mask.

  As he walked toward Varidan Academy, a notification appeared before his eyes:

  [One Potential Source of Danger Detected]

  Adam smiled behind the mask. That should be the observer. If they’d shown up earlier, they might’ve been useful against that weasel. Oh well.

  Without slowing his pace, he continued his silent trek through the night.