“I never thought you’d do this, Martin. Out of everyone I know, you were the one I trusted the most,” said Dirk as they stood inside the dimly lit warehouse.Rafael glanced at Ivory—her temple and jaw bruised, tears silently streaming down her cheeks as she held back sobs.“You’re the fool, Dirk. You actually trusted a kid like him?” Martin scoffed. “What did he tell you? That he wanted to destroy Nextwave? Take over Black Wings? Come on. You really bought into that childish fantasy?”“I trusted him because I know he has courage,” Dirk replied, his voice steady despite the tension in his clenched jaw. “At least Rafael doesn’t stab people in the back, unlike you.”Martin chuckled, shaking his head mockingly. “Courage? Don’t make me laugh, Dirk. All he has is empty ambition. You think Nextwave can be toppled by someone like him? Don’t be naïve.”Rafael clenched his fists, struggling not to lunge at Martin then and there. His eyes shifted back to Ivory, who was still quietly sobbing. The

"Tch! What do you mean by saying that?" scoffed the gang leader, followed by mocking laughter from his underlings."You can laugh at me now. Just don’t come begging later," Rafael said with a wide grin."Why are you all just standing there?! Attack that arrogant fool now!" the gang leader roared.Rafael readied himself, taking a combat stance and preparing to use the techniques granted by his system.As the Hellhounds’ men charged, Rafael immediately activated Phantom Evasion, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.“Shit! Where did he go?!” one thug shouted in panic.Suddenly, Rafael appeared behind them. With lightning-fast movement, he kicked one of the men forward, sending him crashing to the ground.Without giving the others a chance to react, Rafael activated Shadow Strike. His body moved like a phantom through the shadows, striking down his enemies one by one. Three of them were already down before they even realized what was happening.Sienna, Leonard, and Elena watched t

"Okay, let’s see what the next reward is. An exclusive weapon? Man, what is it? I’m really curious," Rafael muttered.He opened the "Exclusive Weapon" tab. A square-shaped icon appeared on the screen, displaying an image of a matte black pistol with a more advanced design than standard firearms."A pistol?"Phantom Edge: A custom handgun that can only be used by its owner. Equipped with silent mode, high-penetration special bullets, and an auto-targeting lock system within a certain range.Rafael chuckled softly. "Now this is an interesting reward.""Alright, let’s claim it directly. This time, I’m getting something amazing without spending a dime," he laughed in satisfaction.He tapped the “Claim Reward” button, and in an instant, a soft blue light appeared in front of him. Within seconds, a sleek matte black pistol with a futuristic design materialized in his hand.He inspected the weapon with growing curiosity. The Phantom Edge felt light, yet perfectly balanced in his grip. Its su

Rafael walked slowly down the dust-filled corridor, scanning every corner with caution. His hand remained close to the sheath of Phantom Edge, ready to draw at the first sign of danger.The first room he entered appeared to be an old office, filled with decaying desks. Papers littered the floor, most of them crumbling from age. Rafael sifted through a few remaining documents, hoping to find clues about who had once operated in this place.“Looks like this was some kind of base or operation center,” he muttered.He stepped into the next room, which looked like a storage area. Rows of rusty metal shelves lined the walls, some still holding tightly sealed wooden crates. Rafael opened one, and inside he found a collection of old weapons—dusty, but salvageable.“Interesting.”Suddenly, a voice called out from outside.“Hey, I found something!” Sienna shouted.Rafael quickly exited the storage room and headed toward her. She stood near the back wall of the building, pointing at an old iron

“Now that it's cleaned up, the place actually looks bigger,” Dirk commented, glancing around the house.“Yeah, but it still needs a lot of renovation before it’s livable. So far, I’ve checked the map—this place doesn’t even show up. Maybe that’s exactly why it’s perfect for our hideout,” Rafael replied. “We also need a proper force if we want to fight them more effectively.”“So, what’s your plan now? What about our business? I’ve already built the website, and the work program is in progress—still rough, but getting there. Maybe once it’s fully ready, we can start seeking investors,” Leonard added.They were having a light conversation after a late dinner.“Yes, we’ll keep the business going from now,” Rafael said, pausing for a moment. “Dirk, what do you think about building a mercenary force?”“Mercenaries?” Dirk frowned in confusion.“Like we planned before—we need to take over the Black Wings gang and convert their members under our command. But more than that, we’ll need to trai