The air on Floor 3 tasted like old pennies.
Kaelen crouched behind a boulder made of oxidized copper, his eyes scanning the terrain. This wasn't a forest; it was a scrapyard mimicking nature. The trees were twisted pillars of iron, their leaves razor-sharp sheets of tin that chimed in the wind. The grass was wire.
"Target at three o'clock," Kaelen whispered. "Iron-Bark Wolf. Rank E."
Beside him, Seraphina trembled. Her uniform was torn at the shoulder, revealing a bandage soaked in fresh blood. She was panting, her mana reserves critically low.
"I... I can't," she wheezed, clutching her wand. "Kaelen, please. I have no mana left. If I cast another bolt, I'll pass out."
Kaelen turned to look at her. He didn't offer a potion. He didn't offer comfort.
"Then pass out," Kaelen said indifferent. "And while you're unconscious, the wolf will eat your face."
"You're a monster," Seraphina sobbed, tears cutting tracks through the grime on her cheeks.
"I'm a survivor," Kaelen corrected. "You are still a victim. And victims don't survive the Ranking Tournament."
He looked up at the canopy of metal leaves. Vex was perched there, invisible in the shadows.
"Vex," Kaelen commanded via the [Party Chat]. "Stand down. Under no circumstances are you to intervene."
"You sure, Boss?" Vex's voice echoed in his head, sounding amused but wary. "She looks like she's about to break. If she dies, you lose your battery."
"If she breaks, she was defective," Kaelen replied.
He stood up and kicked the boulder.
CLANG.
The sound rang through the garden like a dinner bell.
The Iron-Bark Wolf, prowling fifty meters away, snapped its head toward them. It was a terrifying construct of gears and muscle, its eyes glowing with red hydraulic fluid. It roared—a sound like grinding gears—and charged.
"Good luck," Kaelen said.
And then he used [Shadow Step].
He vanished, reappearing on a high branch next to Vex.
Seraphina was alone.
"Kaelen!" she screamed, reaching out to where he had been.
The Wolf didn't care about her screams. It closed the distance in seconds, its metal claws tearing up the wire grass.
Seraphina stumbled back, raising her wand. "Light Bolt!"
Nothing happened. A pathetic spark fizzled at the tip of the wood.
[Mana Depleted].
The Wolf lunged.
Seraphina threw herself to the side, rolling across the sharp metal floor. The Wolf's jaws snapped shut on the air where her neck had been. It skidded, turning with terrifying speed to strike again.
"He's not going to help you!" Kaelen's voice floated down from the trees, dispassionate and cold. "Stop looking for a savior, Seraphina. There are no knights here. Only sinners."
The Wolf swiped. Its claws caught her leg, shredding the fabric and biting into skin.
"Ahhh!" Seraphina screamed, scrambling backward. She hit a tree trunk. Trapped.
The beast loomed over her, drool dripping from its metal fangs. It prepared for the killing bite.
Seraphina looked up at the trees. She saw Kaelen looking down. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't worried. He was just... watching. Like a scientist observing a lab rat.
He really is going to let me die.
The realization hit her colder than the Abyss. The man she was Soul Bonded to, the man she had surrendered her pride to, viewed her life as a variable in an equation.
Fear vanished.
In its place, something hot and ugly bubbled up.
Rage.
She hated Rian for betraying her. She hated the Academy for forgetting her. But most of all, she hated Kaelen for making her feel weak.
"I am..." Seraphina whispered, her hand gripping the sharp wire grass until her palm bled.
The Wolf lunged.
"I AM A LIONHEART!"
She didn't use mana. She used the [Soul Bond].
But she didn't draw from Kaelen. She pulled at the connection, reversing the flow. She tapped into the [Sin Eater's] reservoir—specifically, the [Pride] Kaelen had absorbed from her earlier.
She took it back.
"BURN!"
She thrust her empty hand into the Wolf's open mouth.
It wasn't a structured spell. It was raw, volatile magical discharge. A golden explosion of pure arrogance erupted from her palm.
BOOM!
The Wolf's head didn't just explode; it melted. The golden fire was so intense it vaporized the iron skull instantly. The headless body of the construct collapsed on top of her, twitching.
Silence returned to the Iron Garden.
Seraphina pushed the heavy, smoking carcass off her legs. She stood up, swaying. Her eyes were glowing with a faint, dangerous golden light.
She looked up at the tree.
"Are you entertained?" she hissed.
Kaelen dropped down, landing softly in front of her. Vex followed, looking genuinely impressed.
Kaelen looked at the melted slag that used to be the Wolf's head.
[Ding!]
[Vassal Evolution Detected.]
[Seraphina Lionheart has unlocked a Hidden Trait.]
[New Class: Solar Tyrant (Rare).]
[Description: A mage who fuels fire magic not with mana, but with emotional intensity (Pride/Wrath). Spells deal 200% damage but consume Health if Mana is empty.]
"Solar Tyrant," Kaelen read the notification, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Fitting."
He walked up to her. Seraphina flinched, expecting him to hit her or mock her.
Instead, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a High-Grade Health Potion—one of the few expensive items they had bought.
He uncorked it and handed it to her.
"The Princess is dead," Kaelen said softly. "Long live the Queen."
Seraphina stared at the potion, then at him. She snatched the bottle and downed it in one gulp. The wounds on her leg began to knit together, steaming slightly.
"I hate you," she stated, wiping her mouth.
"Good," Kaelen nodded, turning to walk deeper into the dungeon. "Hate is fuel. Keep the tank full."
Vex sidled up to Seraphina, giving her a pat on the back. "Nice shot, Blondie. Next time, aim for the legs. Less messy."
"Let's move," Kaelen ordered. "We need to clear the boss room before noon. We have a tournament to prepare for."
Four Hours Later.
The trio sat in the ruined library of the Vance Estate.
They looked like they had been through a war. Vex was sharpening a chipped dagger. Seraphina was asleep in a chair, clutching a new staff they had looted from the Floor 3 Boss.
Kaelen sat at the desk, counting the coins.
[Total Funds: 2,500 SC.]
[Inventory: Iron-Bark Plating x10, Core of Thorns x1.]
"Not bad," Kaelen muttered. "Enough to buy the [Stealth Array] for the estate perimeter."
Suddenly, a black crow flew through the open window. It landed on the desk, a scroll tied to its leg.
It wasn't a System message. It was a physical message.
Kaelen untied the scroll. It bore no seal, but the paper smelled of sulfur and cheap perfume.
To the 'Hero' of the Abyss,
Your little rumors are quite creative. My servants are whispering. The Church is watching. You think you're clever, playing the victim.
But the Tournament isn't a court of public opinion. It's a meat grinder.
I've hired the 'Black vipers'. They don't care about reputations. They only care about gold.
"See you in the arena.
- R"
Kaelen read the note twice. Then he held it over the candle flame, watching it burn to ash.
"Black Vipers," Vex perked up, her ears twitching. "Mercenary group. Nasty work. They specialize in 'accidents' during sanctioned matches. Poison, hidden weapons, sabotage."
"Rian is desperate," Kaelen mused. "He knows he can't beat me in a fair fight, and he knows the Church is sniffing around him for Heresy thanks to our rumors. So he's trying to kill the witness."
"What's the plan?" Vex asked. "If they ambush us in the team battle..."
"We don't get ambushed," Kaelen said, standing up and walking to the window. He looked out at the blue shimmer of the mana barrier.
"The Tournament starts in two days. Rian expects me to play defensive. He expects me to report the threat to the teachers."
Kaelen turned back, his violet eyes gleaming in the candlelight.
"Vex, do you know where the Black Vipers make camp?"
"Yeah," Vex nodded slowly. "A tavern in the Lower District called The Rusty Nail."
"Good."
Kaelen picked up his sword.
"Wake up Seraphina. We're going out."
Vex's eyes widened. "You want to attack a Mercenary Guild? In the city? That's suicide. The City Guards will swarm us."
"Not if we don't get caught," Kaelen said, pulling a dark hood over his head.
He opened the System Shop.
[Purchase: Mask of the Nameless (Rank D).]
[Cost: 1,000 SC.]
A plain, white porcelain mask materialized in his hand. It had no features—no eyes, no mouth. Just a smooth, terrifying blank slate.
"Rian hired them to kill us in the arena," Kaelen whispered, putting the mask on. His voice changed, becoming distorted and hollow.
"So let's make sure they never make it to the opening ceremony."