The lingering adrenaline from the battle in the tunnels still throbbed in Jaden Grey’s temples. He stepped out from the ruins, his breathing heavy, each lungful of air feeling like he was inhaling glass shards. On his shoulder, the Moss Caterpillar looked dull, having lost the violet glow that had erupted moments ago. The little creature had returned to its weak, green state, as if that terrifying transformation had been nothing more than a trauma-induced hallucination.But Jaden knew it was real. The gash on his shoulder had closed, leaving only a red, itchy scar. That was the price of a soul contract forcibly triggered by the system."We need to move, little one," Jaden whispered to his pet.He avoided the main evacuation route. If Vargon’s team saw him alive, they wouldn't hesitate to finish him off permanently to remove any witness to their abandonment. Jaden chose a detour through the West Sector, an area unofficially known as the 'Carrion Fields'. Here, Rank F and E monsters roa

The world around Jaden Grey seemed to fade into a dull grey. The sound of Ares’s laughter and his men’s retreating footsteps grew fainter, replaced by his own heartbeat thumping like a war drum in his chest. The pain in his ribs, the sting on his face, and the humiliation of seeing his caterpillar imprisoned... it all melted into a single, boiling black liquid within his soul."Give him back..." Jaden whispered. His voice was no longer human. There was a double resonance accompanying every word, as if another entity were speaking through his throat.In his darkening consciousness, Jaden no longer saw the grimy concrete alley. He saw an endless vacuum—a Void. There was no light there, no sound, only a silence that preyed on everything. And in the heart of that emptiness, a pair of giant, dark purple eyes opened, staring directly into the core of Jaden’s being.[Soul Synchronisation: 15%...][Mental Pressure Exceeding Maximum Threshold.][System Safety Protocol: FAILED.][Unlocking Forb

Ares’s shrill screams slowly subsided, replaced by sickening sobs and ragged gasps. In the narrow alley now scorched by the black aura, the atmosphere had transformed into a mass grave for the pride of elite Hunters.Korg, the muscular guard, lay limp with skin that appeared shrivelled. His mana had been completely drained by the energy threads of the Void Insect. Meanwhile, the other two guards could only cower in the corner, not daring to lift their heads, let alone their weapons. They felt as though a mountain were pressing down on their shoulders every time the Void Insect flapped its wings.[Passive Skill Active: Void Pressure.][Targets within range experience 'Fear' and 'Mana Paralysis'.]Jaden stepped forward, his boots treading through Ares’s cooling pool of blood. On his shoulder, the First Void Insect—a pitch-black creature with cold amethyst eyes—emitted a low-frequency hum that pained the ears."P-please... Jaden... don't kill me..." Ares crawled backward, dragging his tr

The world beyond the massive walls of District 13 was no place for humans. As soon as Jaden Grey’s feet touched the sandy soil of "The Outlands", the air felt heavy with toxic spores that glowed with a faint green light in the darkness. The sky here was never truly blue; it was always shrouded by a creeping purple mist—the result of ancient mana pollution that warped the laws of biology.Jaden panted, leaning against a tree trunk whose bark felt like reptilian scales and was as cold as a corpse. Behind him, the fifty-metre-high concrete wall looked like a giant tombstone separating him from the civilisation that had just tried to skin him alive."We made it out, little one," Jaden whispered. His voice was cracked, his throat burning and dry.On his shoulder, Blackie—the First Void Insect—let out a low hum. The creature seemed incredibly alert. Its long antennae vibrated rapidly, catching the frequencies of predators lurking behind the dense thorny bushes. In this place, Blackie was no

The air inside the massive cavern felt like hot metal pressed against his lungs. Every time Salsa As exhaled, a thin red vapour escaped her cracked lips—remnants of fire mana becoming unstable within her magic circuits. In front of her, the Void Commander—a three-metre-tall monster with deep purple glowing chitin armour—stepped forward, its long claws scraping the stone floor and throwing off sparks."Surrender, Salsa. Your phoenix has dimmed. Fire has no power in the realm of the void," the monster hissed, its voice echoing off the cave walls like thousands of crawling insects.Salsa As tried to stand tall, though her legs trembled violently. Her iconic red cloak was now in tatters, revealing black burn marks from the Void Stalkers' attacks. Beside her, a small phoenix with feathers like dying embers whimpered softly. Its left wing was broken, dragging on the cold ground."I’d... rather burn to ash... than let a creature like you touch my soul," Salsa whispered, her voice rasping yet