The Devil's Fortune

The Price of Betrayal

The lead surgeon stepped out of the recovery room with a tired but satisfied smile.

Marcel stood up fast. "Tell me straight. How is she?"

The surgeon nodded. "Lily's surgery was a complete success. The pins are perfectly placed. Bones are realigned. With proper rehabilitation she will walk again. No limp. No lasting damage. She is one tough young woman."

Marcel let out a long breath but his face stayed cold and hard. No smile. No celebration. "Good. Who did this to her? I need names. Details. Anything."

The doctor exchanged a quick look with his colleague before handing over a small plastic bag. "We removed this tracking chip from her body during the procedure. It had a strange symbol engraved on it. A black crown with seven serpents twisting around it. Never seen anything like it before. This was no random attack, Mr. Kane."

Marcel took the bag and stared at the chip. The symbol looked evil. Deliberate. "Black Crown and Seven Serpents. They wanted her crippled forever. They will regret it."

As Marcel left Lily's room, a bright panel flashed in his vision.

[MISSION COMPLETE]

Save Lily Kane.

Rewards: Fifty billion dollars transferred. Permanent Elite Medical Team assigned. Mystery Reward unlocked. Fear Currency plus one hundred. Special Item Obtained: King's Black Card.

Marcel barely reacted to the flood of notifications. His mind stayed locked on one thing. Revenge. The money felt empty next to the rage still burning inside him.

Aurora walked up beside him. "The system delivered. How do you feel?"

"Ready," Marcel said quietly. "Ready to make them pay."

The hospital doors burst open. Marcus rushed in, eyes wild, nearly colliding with Marcel.

"Bro! You disappeared! I thought you were dead after that jump everyone is talking about online. What the hell happened?"

Marcel put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Slow down, Marcus. Lily got hurt bad. Kidnapped. Beat. I lost my jobs. Got evicted. Olivia dumped me. Then everything changed."

Marcus listened as Marcel laid it out quick. His face turned pale. "Olivia really said that to you? Called you a loser while her new guy laughed? And those debt collectors broke Lily's legs on purpose? This is insane."

"Yeah," Marcel replied, voice flat. "But I am not the same guy anymore. Olivia is going to regret every word. The people who touched Lily will wish they never heard my name."

Marcus stared hard at his friend. "Bro, revenge won't fix this. You are scaring me. You look different. Angry. Not heartbroken like I expected."

Marcel met his eyes calmly. "Maybe not. But it will make them regret breathing."

Marcus shifted uneasily. "Just be careful, man. This anger... it could eat you up."

A new panel appeared in Marcel's vision.

[SPECIAL MISSION]

Target: Olivia Hart.

Objective: Break her pride completely.

Reward: One hundred billion dollars. Mystery Reward. Bonus: Revenge Multiplier times five.

Marcel remembered every detail. Olivia calling him a loser. Laughing at his pain while fresh from another man's bed. Jake mocking him and dismissing Lily's suffering. His eyes turned cold.

"I am done being the victim," he said under his breath.

Aurora watched him closely. "The system is pushing you forward. Good. Use it."

Aurora smiled as they stood in the quiet hallway. "I already know Olivia's weaknesses. Her movie contract. Her endorsements. Her big ambitions. Everything she left you for."

Marcel turned to her. "Tell me the plan."

"Destroying someone physically is easy," Aurora said smoothly. "Destroying their dreams is far more painful. One phone call from me and her entire world collapses. Studios pull out. Brands cancel. She becomes a nobody overnight."

Marcel paused. "Can you really do it?"

Aurora smiled wider. "One phone call."

He held up a hand. "Not yet. I want her to watch everything crumble slowly. I want her to feel it coming."

Aurora nodded. "Smart. Make it hurt longer. The system will love that."

Far away in the dark room, the mysterious man smiled at the screens.

Beside him another figure asked, "Should we interfere now? He is moving fast."

The man laughed softly. "No. Hatred is ripening beautifully. Look at him."

A screen showed:

HOST 7

RAGE INDEX: 13 percent

CORRUPTION LEVEL: 4 percent

The man smiled again. "Good. Become angry, Marcel Kane. The Sin Wealth System rewards monsters."

Marcel's phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number. He opened it. A video attached.

He pressed play. Lily appeared tied up and screaming in pain. But it was not the warehouse. She was in a luxurious room with expensive furniture. Someone off camera was torturing her. Her cries cut through the speaker.

Marcel's blood ran cold. "Lily..."

Then he realized. The video was not recent. It was footage from before the rescue. A deep voice spoke from behind the camera.

"If you are watching this, Host Number Seven... Congratulations on surviving. Now let us see whether revenge makes you stronger..."

The video ended abruptly.

A system notification flashed.

[MAIN STORY ARC ACTIVATED]

THE BLACK CROWN SOCIETY.

Reward for Complete Annihilation: UNKNOWN

Marcel stared at the phone, fists tight. The symbol on the chip matched the voice in the video. Everything connected. The pain from the past days mixed with fresh fury.

Aurora leaned in. "What is it?"

"More enemies," Marcel said. "The Black Crown Society. They are watching. They did this to Lily. They know about the system."

Marcus stepped closer. "Bro, what is going on? You look ready to kill someone."

Marcel looked at both of them. "They think they can play games with my family. I am going to burn their whole world down."

Aurora placed a hand on his arm. "The system is with you. Revenge will multiply everything."

Marcel nodded slowly. "Olivia first. Then these Black Crown people. No more mercy."

The hospital lights felt brighter around him. The King's Black Card sat heavy in his pocket. Ten billion plus fifty more. Power was building fast. But the rage felt even stronger.

Marcus tried again. "Marcel, think about this. You just got Lily back. Do not lose yourself."

"I already lost everything once," Marcel replied. "Now I take it all back. Starting with Olivia's pride. She will beg before I am done."

Aurora smiled. "That is the spirit the system wants."

Marcel turned toward the exit. "Let us move. The mission is waiting."

The mysterious man's words echoed in his head. Host Number Seven. They were watching. Good. Let them watch him rise.

He would make them all pay. Every single one.