For the next two minutes, none of them uttered a single word.Theon waited patiently.At the very least, he had already created sufficient commotion and drawn enough attention to the matter.It wasn't nearly enough. But at least plenty of people had now witnessed what had happened.If things spiraled out of control in the future, no one would be able to pin everything on him with absolute certainty.“You're the captain,” Wilson suddenly said, breaking the oppressive silence. “Do you really need to make things so dramatic and loud?”Theon almost scoffed. Now they suddenly remembered he was the captain?Throughout the entire day, when they had sulked, undermined him at every opportunity, and openly challenged his authority, not one of them had remembered to address him as their captain.Now that they found themselves cornered, the title had suddenly become convenient.Theon calmly schooled his features into a stoic expression.“It's precisely because I'm the captain that I must ensure e

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Your Hatred Points have increased to fourteen thousand nine hundred.]The sudden metallic chime nearly startled Theon out of his wits.It had been so long since he had last heard that familiar clang, accompanied by the exhilarating sensation of points and power flowing through his body.For quite a while now, no matter how much trouble he stirred up, his Hatred Points had stubbornly refused to increase.According to the system, the hatred festering within those people simply hadn't surpassed the resentment generated when he slaughtered the abyssal monsters.At one point, he had genuinely begun to suspect that earning enough Hatred Points to level up would be harder than crossing the Arctic Zone itself.Unexpectedly, the boiling rage bubbling inside the hearts of these little cuties had become the very thing that finally gave him the push he needed.Excitement coursed wildly through his veins.Now this was the proper way to do things.He had only done the

THREE DAYS LATERTheon exhaled heavily.The broad smile that had been plastered across his face as he saw yet another group of departing visitors off, vanished almost instantly, melting into one of quiet exhaustion.Three full days and three sleepless nights spent constantly on guard.Not once had he allowed himself to truly relax.Every conversation had to be measured, each movement carefully calculated.Any detected trap was cleverly avoided before it could even begin to take shape.He had spent the better part of those three days suppressing every urge to create another spectacular confrontation.Even so, there had still been a handful of arrogant little brats who believed they could test their luck by provoking him.Naturally, Theon had been kind enough to educate them. A lesson or two later, every one of them had become considerably more obedient. But he'd been careful enough to not go too far or do something that would lead to a legal liability. The evening was unusually peacef

Theon's gaze settled on the girl, studying her carefully.She didn't look older than seventeen. Long, flowing black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of silk, interrupted only by a striking golden strand that shimmered brilliantly beneath the lantern light.She was dressed in exquisitely customized attire, every stitch radiating wealth and prestige. The ornaments decorating her hair glittered with spirit gemstones and precious jades. Just one of them could probably feed an entire battalion for quite a while without anyone complaining.His gaze eventually shifted to the whip resting casually in her hand.It looked familiar. He had definitely seen it somewhere before.“It's the Divine Flame Whip.” The system's mechanical voice echoed inside his mind. “One of the top ten divine weapons of Kaeros.”The Divine Flame Whip? Understanding dawned on Theon.Yes. He had indeed seen it before.Not in person, but inside one of the ancient journals compiling the continent's greatest divi

The girl’s face rapidly flushed crimson, her eyes widening with unrestrained shock.Theon’s nostrils flared ever so slightly as he struggled to cage the fury surging through his veins.Xiao Lingxiao soon snapped out of her daze. Her feet were already leaving the ground as Theon effortlessly lifted her into the air.Instead of fear, her eyes sparkled with unconcealed excitement. She immediately grabbed hold of Theon’s forearm with both hands and gave it a firm squeeze, her teeth gritting together as her fingers tightened.More and more people were beginning to gather.Theon's eyes flicked toward the figures hiding behind pillars and corridors. There were many of them. Far too many.A sharp pain exploded across his forearm, snapping him out of his thoughts. His fingers instinctively loosened around her neck.She landed gracefully on the ground without the slightest hint of panic.Theon's gaze immediately dropped to the reddened mark on his arm where she had used a finger technique to fo