Novels by Lydia Magretti

A deafening crash shattered the ceiling above them as tons of stone and twisted steel came pouring down. In the Upper Sectors, the ruling families built their underground bunkers beneath thick layers of spell-treated rock to survive full-scale dungeon raids, but no building could withstand an S-Rank strike from the surface.Ifunanya did not flinch as dust filled the room. She tapped her wrist console twice, bringing up a glowing green map of the facility's deep emergency tunnels. While Marcus Vance's guards scrambled around in total panic, trying to dodge falling concrete blocks, Ifunanya had already identified three different exit routes that her father built for high-level survival scenarios. She had memorized these secret paths months ago, knowing that loyalty to any single guild was a foolish gamble in a world run by cutthroat hunters."The main ceiling is giving way," Ifunanya said, her voice cutting through the noise with absolute calm. "Marcus's outside strike team is trying to

The heavy steel security doors locked into place, cutting off the secondary emergency exits. In the Upper Sectors, the wealthy families controlled every square inch of high-grade military tech. Ifunanya knew these underground research labs were built with spell-proof steel to keep dungeon specimens from escaping. By using her father's master access code to seal the room, she had turned this laboratory into an airtight tomb where no outside guild reinforcements could enter.Marcus Vance raised his glowing energy sword, his face twisting as he looked at the locked heavy doors, then back at Ifunanya. "Are you insane, girl? You just trapped yourself in this room with my elite squad. Do you really think this scavenger boy can save you from ten level-30 guards?"Ifunanya leaned back against the central control station, her hands resting casually over the system keypads. Her face showed no fear, only a cold, calculated stare that made Marcus's guards hesitate."I do not need him to save me,

The golden light snapped shut, and Chidi fell hard onto a floor made of smooth black stone. His breath left his lungs in a sharp gasp as he scrambled back to his feet, raising the Dragon Spear in front of him. The high-tech testing lab, his mother, and Ifunanya were completely gone.Instead, a giant screen floating in the center of the dark hall pulsed with pale gray light.[Warning: Trial Zone Activated.][Location: The First Sovereign's Inheritance Ground.][Current Rule: You cannot leave until you clear the primary trial or die trying.]Chidi cursed under his breath, his eyes darting across the empty space. "Let me back out! My mother is still in that bunker!"The system did not answer his voice. Instead, the giant screen shifted, showing a live camera feed that made Chidi's body go completely rigid. The screen was displaying the exact room he had just left. Through the glass window, he saw his mother locked inside the metal security capsule, her terrified eyes looking around the c

A deep explosion rocked the underground floor, throwing Chidi against the steel wall as the emergency lights turned bright red. Through the thick glass windows of the main lab, a massive black shape tore through the silver metal vault doors, its claws cutting the steel like soft paper.[Warning! Level 60 Rift Shadow-Hound has escaped containment.][Threat Level: Fatal. Recommended action: Immediate retreat.]Chidi grabbed his mother’s arm, pulling her behind a heavy stone pillar. Her body shook so much she could barely stand, and she pressed her face against his shoulder. Chidi felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest. His mother spent her entire life hiding from the system, working until her hands bled just to keep him out of the low-tier mines. He promised himself she would never live in fear again, yet here she was, trapped in a death zone because of his choices."Ifunanya!" Chidi looked toward the center of the room.Ifunanya did not run toward the elevator like the other scientists

The silver token in Chidi’s hand became incredibly hot, burning his palm as the deep red text pulsed in the dark interior of the speeding vehicle.[Warning! Your global coordinates have been broadcasted to all S-Rank Guild Leaders.][Distance to nearest high-tier tracking array: 800 meters. Interception imminent.]Chidi shoved the token back into his pocket, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the Dragon Spear. "They know exactly where we are. We will not even reach the gates of the Second Sector."Ifunanya did not look out the window. She took a small glass bottle filled with blue fluid from her coat and tapped it against the car’s metal dashboard. A faint blue glow spread over the vehicle's frame, instantly masking the engine sound.In this city, the elite families did not just control the physical streets; they owned the high-tier magical arrays that monitored every citizen’s level and position. If you did not belong to a major guild, your existence was completely transparent

The heat from the commander's iron gauntlets turned the gravel beneath Chidi’s boots into tiny bits of red glass. Ifunanya did not flinch, even though her own driver had just stepped out from behind the enemy lines, holding a heavy leather bag filled with golden coins.In the high-tier sectors, loyalty was just a commodity with a clear price tag. The rich families taught their children that everyone could be bought; the only variable was the amount of money required to make them turn. Ifunanya looked at her driver, her face remaining completely still. She did not display any sadness or shock, only a cold calculation that showed she had already written the man off as dead."You gave them the carriage schedule," Ifunanya said. Her voice carried no anger, only a chilling indifference. "The Cross family paid for your daughter's high-tier school tuition. I suppose the Iron Fangs offered you enough to buy a small estate in the outer ring instead.The driver looked down at the ground, refusi