“Would you look at that,” Nervanine said softly. “Still standing, I see.” She smiled as the black water beneath her feet began to move, climbing up her legs and wrapping around her like a living thing answering its master. She glanced at Tucker. “Deal with these low-lives here,” she said calmly. “I’ll take care of the others.” Before anyone could react, her body sank into the water and in the next instant, she was gone, vanishing into the darkness where the girl, Lance, and Decker had been dragged. “Where did she—” Kael stopped himself. He didn't need to finish the thought. He got the strange sense that she disappeared to finish off the rest of the group. He should have been worried but strangely, he wasn't. They had the girl with them, and that only served to reassure him. As reckless and irritating as she could be, she was equally as strong. At least, strong enough to keep others safe. That thought alone steadied his breathing, even if only a little. He didn't have time to

“Just where do you get off mouthing off to your superior?” The words stayed in Nervanine’s head and she gritted her teeth in anger. The sheer audacity of a human speaking to her like that was nothing short of unbearable. Then she remembered what came next. With a single swing of her blade, the girl had forced them out of the Domain with such ease it should not have been possible otherwise. No human should possess that level of power. And that thought unsettled her. Was the girl truly human? Nervanine wondered. And though she had no answer, all she could was dwell on that which she'd witnessed. But one detail stood out more than the rest. The girl’s eyes had glowed green. And that terrified her. Then she remembered what Tucker had said back when they still believed themselves hunters stalking their prey. She recalled how tense he became, how he clutched his nose after catching a scent of power so overwhelming it nearly crushed him. 'That power…' the thought made her uneas

Tucker leapt toward him with a punch that'd put the fear of God into any man. Desperate, Kael raised his guard, but the force still drove him straight into the ground. What he wasn't expecting was the follow-up kick that came after. Such agility shouldn’t have been possible for a man his size and built like a brick wall, but the impossible was the norm in this land. Kael was sent skidding across the stones, rolling helplessly. An attack of Anima-powered cuts and slashes came seconds later, driving Kael back every inch until he slammed into a tree hard enough to make his spine shatter. All he could do was crumple uselessly to the ground. Tucker was exceptional in every sense of the word. He was strong and agile, and his defenses were so absurdly high, it felt impossible to deal so much as a scratch on him. Kael's stats told the story. With a strength of 6, an agility of 3, an endurance of 5 and a lackluster speed of non… what chance did someone like that have against a man with be

【 SYSTEM UPDATE 】 ─────────── DIRECTIVE COMPLETED ─────────── EXP ACQUIRED: +10 TOTAL EXP GAINED: 25/40 Kael’s eyes widened as the words appeared before him. He should have felt a sense of victory, maybe even peace. After all, Tucker was down and the fight was over. Yet… he felt nothing of the sort. Instead, a cold realization sank deep into his chest, heavier than any blow he had endured. What followed next didn’t read like a reward, or a congratulation. The words appeared before him as if the universe itself decided he wasn't done. 【 SYSTEM NOTICE: TIME LIMIT UPDATE 】 Target: Vir Ossium Status: ACTIVE – MISSION ONGOING Time Remaining: 01:00:06 Equivalent: 1 hour / 60 minutes / 3,606 seconds Warning: Countdown irreversible. Failure will result in IMMEDIATE TERMINATION A cold pit of dread crawled up Kael's spine. He had thought the worst was over. He had thought he could finally breathe. But no. The system made it clear: his story wasn’t finished. “Less

Just hearing the words triggered something in his mind. He didn’t know why the image appeared, but his vision was undeniable. The world in flames, just like he'd wanted it. With a past like his where kindness was rare and people looked out only for themselves, why shouldn't he want it? If the world was this cruel, then maybe it deserved to burn. Maybe if everything was destroyed, the bad would finally be gone. Maybe then, no one else would have to suffer the way he did. He wouldn't have to watch his sister walk to the market where she faced people's cruel stares. Maybe, someone would have shown mercy and helped a struggling girl. Just a few pennies could have meant the world, one small act of kindness could have gone a long way. She wouldn't have had to patch their clothes with sore fingers, or skipped meals so he could eat, and maybe, just maybe, she could have smiled, knowing that this time, everything would be okay. Tomorrow might have actually held… hope. If only the world