The sun burned.
That was Kaelen's first thought as he stepped out of the manor's front door. After hours in the freezing darkness of the Crypt, the morning light felt abrasive against his skin.
He was exhausted. His mana reserves were hovering at 15%. His uniform—what was left of it—was caked in grave dust and construct oil. Beside him, Seraphina looked like she was sleepwalking, stumbling over the cracked paving stones of the courtyard.
"Six hours," Vex yawned, twirling a gold coin between her fingers. "Not a bad haul. We cleared Floor 1, got some potions, and I have enough coin to buy real steel."
"Don't get used to the luxury," Kaelen muttered, shielding his eyes. "The grind never stops."
He was about to order them to rest when a sharp, screeching sound pierced the morning air.
SKREEEE!
It came from the front gate.
Seraphina flinched, her eyes snapping open. "That's... that's my blood ward. Someone just tried to breach the perimeter."
Kaelen's expression didn't change, but his posture shifted instantly from 'tired dungeon crawler' to 'territorial predator'.
"Right on schedule," he said, checking the [System Clock]. "07:00 AM. The vultures are early."
He turned to Vex. "Get to the roof. Stay hidden. If they breach the gate, aim for the healers first."
"You want me to kill Academy students?" Vex grinned, her yellow eyes gleaming. "That costs extra."
"I want you to maim them," Kaelen corrected. "Dead students bring investigations. Crippled students bring fear."
Vex laughed and vanished into the shadows of the manor's eaves.
Kaelen straightened his collar, wiping a smudge of dried blood from his cheek. He looked at Seraphina.
"Stand behind me. Look regal. Look arrogant. And for the love of the Abyss, do not speak."
They walked down the overgrown driveway toward the rusted iron gate.
Standing on the other side was a group of five students wearing the white and gold armbands of the Disciplinary Committee. Leading them was a tall young man with slicked-back hair and a sneer that looked permanently etched onto his face.
[System Analysis.]
[Target: Lucius Thorne.]
[Class: Paladin (Rank D).]
[Affiliation: House Valerius (Vassal).]
[Status: Impatient.]
"Open the gate!" Lucius barked, slamming his gauntleted fist against the bars. "By order of the Student Council, this property is under investigation for illicit magical activity!"
Kaelen stopped five meters from the gate. He didn't summon his sword. He didn't flare his mana. He just stood there, looking bored.
"You're trespassing," Kaelen stated calmly.
"Trespassing?" Lucius scoffed. He gestured to the ruin around them. "This is a condemned dump, Vance. And you are a suspect in a cheating scandal. We have reports that you used forbidden artifacts to win the duel against Lord Rian."
"Reports from whom?" Kaelen asked. "Rian? Or the Headmaster?"
"It doesn't matter!" Lucius drew a heavy mace from his belt. "Open this gate, or we will break it down and drag you to the detention cells."
The four enforcers behind him drew their weapons—wands and swords. They were confident. They saw a tired, broken boy and a traumatized girl. They expected an easy arrest.
Kaelen looked at the rusted iron bars separating them.
"This gate is private property," Kaelen said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Under Academy Bylaw 12, Section 9: 'A Noble Estate is sovereign territory. Any unauthorized entry by students—even Committee members—is an act of war.'"
Lucius laughed. "You think you're a Noble? You're a destitute orphan with a stolen sword. Break it down!"
Lucius swung his mace. The head of the weapon glowed with holy light.
CRASH.
The lock shattered. The gate groaned and swung open.
The Committee members surged forward, stepping onto the Vance Estate grounds.
[Ding!]
[Territory Breach Detected.]
[Hostile Entities on Estate Grounds.]
[Estate Defense System: Active.]
Kaelen didn't move. He smiled.
"Welcome," he whispered.
As Lucius took his third step, the ground beneath him shifted. The weeds that choked the driveway weren't just weeds. They were Grave Vines, fed by the leakage from the Dungeon Core below.
Snap.
A thick, thorny vine shot out of the earth and wrapped around Lucius's ankle.
"What the—"
Before he could finish, the vine yanked him violently to the ground.
"Ambush!" one of the enforcers screamed.
"It's not an ambush," Kaelen said, walking slowly toward the fallen Paladin. "It's landscaping."
From the roof of the manor, a black bolt of mana struck the ground in front of the enforcers. Vex didn't shoot them; she shot the earth.
BOOM.
Dirt and stone exploded, blinding them.
"Vex, suppress," Kaelen ordered calmly.
Three daggers flew from the roof. They didn't hit vital organs. One pinned a mage's robe to a tree. Another sliced the belt of a swordsman, dropping his pants and causing him to stumble. The third knocked the wand out of a healer's hand.
Chaos. Pure, humiliating chaos.
Kaelen reached Lucius, who was struggling to cut the vine with a dagger. Kaelen stepped on Lucius's wrist.
Crunch.
"Ahhh!" Lucius screamed, dropping the knife.
Kaelen crouched down. He looked into the Paladin's terrified eyes.
"You broke my lock," Kaelen said softly. "That was an antique."
"You... you're attacking a Prefect!" Lucius spat, though his voice trembled. "The Council will expel you! They'll burn this place to the ground!"
"No, they won't," Kaelen replied. He reached into Lucius's pocket and pulled out his Committee badge. "Because you didn't come here on official orders, did you, Lucius?"
He tapped the badge against Lucius's forehead.
"Official raids require a warrant signed by the Headmaster. You don't have one. You're just a dog sent by Rian to bite me while I'm sleeping."
Lucius froze. Kaelen was right. This was off the books.
"If I kill you right now," Kaelen continued, his violet eyes flaring with the [Abyssal Sun], "it's self-defense. You broke into a Noble House. You attacked the Lord. No one would even investigate."
He pressed his hand against Lucius's chest plate. Black smoke began to curl off the metal. The heat was intense.
"Please," Lucius gasped, the arrogance evaporating. "I... I was just following orders."
"Bad orders," Kaelen noted. "Tell Rian that if he wants his property back, he can come get it himself. But tell him to bring better dogs."
He stood up and kicked Lucius in the ribs.
"Get out."
The vine released its grip. Lucius scrambled backward, clutching his wrist. He looked at Kaelen, then at the unseen sniper on the roof, then at the glowing vines.
"Retreat!" Lucius screamed to his squad.
The Disciplinary Committee fled. They ran back through the broken gate, stumbling over themselves in their haste to escape the haunted grounds.
Kaelen watched them go until they disappeared down the road.
[Ding!]
[Territory Defended.]
[Reputation Gained: The Mad Lord of the East.]
[Estate Security Rating: increased to 5%.]
Seraphina let out a breath she had been holding. She walked up to Kaelen, her hands shaking.
"They'll be back," she said. "With a warrant next time."
"Let them come," Kaelen said, turning back to the manor. "By the time they get a warrant, we'll have cleared Floor 2. And with the gold from Floor 2, I can buy the [Mana Barrier Blueprint]."
He looked at the broken lock on the gate.
"Besides," Kaelen added, a dark thought crossing his mind. "I don't need to fight the whole Academy. I just need to distract them."
He pulled the Black Box (Smartphone) from his pocket.
"The Headmaster is scared of this," Kaelen mused. "But Rian... Rian is scared of losing his fame."
He looked at Seraphina.
"You know the Academy gossip circles better than anyone. Rumors spread faster than fire here, don't they?"
"Yes," Seraphina nodded slowly. "Why?"
"Because," Kaelen smiled, and it was the smile of a man who was about to burn down a reputation. "I think it's time we told everyone the real story of what happened in the Fissure. Or at least... a version of it that destroys Rian Valerius."
He tossed the broken lock into the bushes.
"We fight with swords in the dungeon, Seraphina. On the surface, we fight with words. Start writing."