Amara could only cover her lips with the back of her hand, suppressing her laughter as she watched a pair of circus clowns dig their own graves."You lowly piece of trash, know your place! You don't deserve to breathe the same air as me in this room!" the nobleman cursed, flicking his hand as though shooing away a filthy carrion fly.The man dressed in silk spat onto the floor, looking Lucian up and down with utter disgust."Guards, smash every single one of his teeth so this beggar learns how to greet his betters properly!" he ordered, planting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest.The giant guard grinned, revealing his yellow teeth as he prepared to slam down a fist as large as a boulder.Yet the man in the black robe standing at the doorway did not waste a single word. He stepped forward, cutting through the silence.His footsteps made no sound whatsoever, as though gravity itself refused to brush against the soles of his shoes.The guard swung his fist with all his stre

Isabella's smile froze within seconds as the crimson magic thread in her hand trembled violently, spewing unstable bursts of mana.She did not even know what had happened when a deafening explosion rang out.Something deflected Isabella's magic, causing it to veer far off course and crash into the stone ceiling.Sharp gravel rained down across the battle arena, forcing the monster before them to retreat back into the darkness of the corridor.Lucian was the one who did it. He had merely tugged slightly on Isabella's karma thread, collecting a trivial debt that caused the woman to lose most of her mana."What exactly just happened?" the captain shouted after rolling away and patting out the flames burning the edge of his robe.Lucian stepped out from the shadows of the rear ranks, allowing his karma chains to slither slowly through the air like cobras preparing to strike their prey.The man's eyes stared sharply through the gap in his mask, locking directly onto the female mage, who no

The dim light from the exit gate of the third floor shone directly upon the blood-smeared black mask worn by their savior. The three cowardly men who had been closely trailing behind him suddenly came to a halt the moment they recognized that familiar silhouette radiating an aura of death. The axe-wielding man let his jaw drop so far it nearly touched his chest, vividly recalling the rampant rumors about the black-cloaked angel of death. "That curse manipulation fighting style without even touching your opponent, you must be Judge, the one who crushed the bones of the Veil family's heir!" the captain exclaimed, pointing at him with a trembling finger in disbelief. "How could we have been foolish enough not to recognize a slaughtering monster like you just because you changed that cheap mask?" the shield bearer added, swallowing hard. Lucian could not even be bothered to turn around and entertain the shocked cries of that group of idiotic teammates. Instead, the man continued wa

Zephyr split the two piles of gold coins on his desk, sliding one thick leather pouch toward Lucian."This is your share, take it," Zephyr said, leaning back in his chair as he looked at the Judge.Lucian glanced at the jingling pouch for a moment, then pushed it back to the center of the table with the tip of his index finger."Use that money for your informant network," Lucian refused, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't want to touch that bastard's money."Zephyr let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward, staring at Lucian with a serious expression."You almost died from the karma backlash this afternoon, Judge," Zephyr reminded him. "You need a high-grade bone-strengthening potion, and it isn't cheap. There's none left in the headquarters this time."Amara, who had been organizing her ledger, slammed her quill down as she joined their argument."Take those coins right now," Amara cut in, planting her hands on her hips as she stepped toward Lucian. "Our faction will suffer a

The entrance to the fourth floor of the Hidden Tower welcomed the participants with a gravitational pull that sucked them all into an endless void.The sensation of freefall tore through their insides, twisting their nervous systems until their stomachs felt forcibly pushed up toward their throats.When Lucian opened his eyes, the damp stone tower vanished without a trace, replaced by the revolting luxury he wanted most to burn into ashes.His worn boots now stood staining the faded crimson velvet carpet that stretched arrogantly across the living room of the Dawncrest family's residence.The pungent scent of fresh blood stung his nose, flowing from the torn wound on his left shoulder that recreated the agony of the battle in the Eternal Ruins.The chill of the white marble floor seeping through the soles of his boots sent an unmistakable signal that he had been dragged back by force to that hellish night.Right before him, Seraphina's illusion projection stood proudly in a silk gown,