REBORN IN THE CITY OF GODS

CHAPTER 8 — THE UNDERWORLD ALLIANCE

The night breeze swept through the quiet corners of the city, carrying along the scent of damp earth mixed with the lingering smell of gunpowder radiating in the air.

Inside an old, abandoned warehouse located behind the ruins of a derelict textile factory, the atmosphere felt much calmer, though tension still hung thickly in every corner of the room.

The glow of a makeshift emergency chandelier hung casually, casting long shadows against the mossy concrete walls.

Adrian stood near the worn window, monitoring the outside through the gaps of the rusted iron blinds. On an old folding cot in the corner of the room, Marcus lay with a now-steady breath.

Beside him, Maya sat kneeling while tightly holding her older brother's hand, her eyes still holding remnants of tears and fear from what they had endured hours ago.

Minutes earlier, Adrian had accessed the God Skill Shop via his system interface, which had experienced an error loop. Without spending a single point or contribution coin—thanks to the bug anomaly loophole rooted in his soul—he had successfully pulled out a small glass bottle filled with softly glowing golden liquid: the Mythic-Grade Recovery Elixir.

The fluid was originally meant only for high-tier warlords in the dimension of the gods. Yet, when Adrian dripped a few drops of that liquid onto the severe wounds on Marcus's body, a miracle happened right before their eyes.

The bruises on Marcus's chest shrank at lightning speed, his broken ribs shifted and fused back together within seconds, and the man's consciousness recovered fully without leaving the slightest pain.

Marcus slowly sat himself up on the cot. He stared at his own palms, then felt his chest, which had previously been tight from the mercenary squad's brutal impact.

There was no pain. His body even felt much fitter and stronger than before the ambush incident occurred.

The bespectacled man looked up, staring at Adrian's back as he stood tall near the window. Marcus's gaze was no longer filled with confusion, but rather with awe, respect, and a profound, absolute loyalty.

"Adrian..." Marcus's voice sounded hoarse, breaking the silence of the warehouse. "What kind of liquid did you give me earlier? I feel... I feel like I can lift tons of weight right now."

Adrian turned slowly. His gray gaze stared sharply at his close friend, radiating a cold authority that made the atmosphere in the room feel increasingly sacred. "That is none of your business, Marcus. What matters most is that you and Maya are safe in this place. Not a single dog sent by the Vance family can reach this place."

Hearing the Vance family name mentioned, Marcus's facial expression changed drastically. The fear that had briefly enveloped him instantly turned into a blaze of fury and deep-seated vengeance.

He remembered how those black-suited bastards had almost taken his sister's life and disfigured his face without mercy. Marcus clenched both fists tightly over the blanket.

The man stepped down from the cot, then without the slightest hesitation, Marcus knelt on one knee before Adrian, bowing his head deeply.

"I don't know what kind of power turned you into someone this great, Adrian. Nor do I wish to ask further," Marcus spoke with a voice trembling with complete sincerity. "But you have saved my life and my sister's from death. Starting tonight, my life is yours. I swear allegiance under your command, whatever the risk."

Adrian looked closely at his friend. In this cruel underworld, loyalty is the rarest and most expensive currency. Having someone trustworthy to manage an intelligence network is far more valuable than deploying physical force alone.

"Rise, Marcus," Adrian said in a low, commanding tone. "I don't need a slave who kneels. I need an ally who stands tall beside me to tear down the Vance family empire to the ground."

Marcus stood up, wiping away the lingering doubt on his face, then nodded firmly. "If that is your goal, then you've come to the right person. For years working in the informal sector and managing low-level administration in the lower district, I haven't just sat around. I built a secret network."

Marcus stepped closer to a rickety table in the corner of the room, opened his worn backpack, and laid out a transparent digital map projected from his personal tablet computer.

"Through the underworld informant connections I possess—ranging from independent hackers in the northern district, port smuggling syndicates, to former mercenaries who defected from major corporations—I can give you eyes and ears in every corner of this city," Marcus explained with eyes shining brightly with calculation and high enthusiasm. "And coincidentally, my intel just came in ten minutes ago regarding the situation at the Vance family headquarters."

Adrian's eyebrows raised slightly. "Tell me what they are doing right now."

Marcus's face hardened. "Julian Vance is currently at the highest level of panic. Every elite hunting squad sent to eliminate you in the alley and at our house was wiped out without leaving a single eyewitness. The news of the special forces' death made the Vance higher-ups shudder in horror."

Marcus paused for a moment, then continued with a suppressed voice. "Feeling threatened by the mysterious existence that destroyed his forces, Julian isn't sitting still. Tonight, he reported in terror to his father, Arthur Vance—the head of the family known for being cruel and cunning. Not only that, Julian has also brought in a dangerous ally from out of town: a high-tier black witch famous for being vicious and lethal named Madam Valeria."

Hearing the name Madam Valeria, the corner of Adrian's mouth lifted into a terrifying, cold smirk.

The mercenary black witch who mastered the art of soul curses and darkness manipulation—an old enemy who in his past life became one of the main executioners behind the destruction of ordinary people's lives.

"Madam Valeria, huh..." Adrian whispered softly, his voice sounding so cold that it made the air around the room seem to freeze. "They really are throwing all their might to face me."

Marcus looked at Adrian with lingering worry in his eyes. "That witch is no match for ordinary humans, Adrian. She possesses forbidden magical artifacts that can rot her victims' souls from a distance. What is our next move?"

Adrian clenched his right fist, feeling the Mythic-Grade energy flow from the Shadow Veil skill rumbling fiercely within his blood vessels. Past revenge, Julian's betrayal, and the threat of those black witches now converged into a single absolute goal.

"The plan is simple," Adrian replied with a sharp gaze piercing through the darkness of the night outside the warehouse window. "We won't wait for them to come attacking. Before dawn breaks, we will visit the Vance family's main residence, and make them realize that tonight is the beginning of their dynasty's destruction."