The world was grey and smelled of rot.
Kaelen leaned against the slimy brick wall of the storm drain, his chest heaving. The [Mask of the Nameless] had deactivated, its cooldown timer ticking away in the corner of his vision. Without it, the crushing aura of Inquisitor Silas felt like a physical weight pressing on his skull.
"He's still searching," Vex whispered, peering up through a rusty grate to the street above.
Rain mixed with the sound of heavy iron boots. Blue searchlights swept across the alleyways, illuminating the trash and the rats.
"The Church doesn't give up," Seraphina shivered, hugging her soaking wet cloak. "Silas... he's a Rank B. He can smell mana residue. If he finds us, we don't get a trial. We get the pyre."
"He won't find us," Kaelen said, wiping sludge from his boots. "Because we aren't going up. We're going down."
He pointed deeper into the sewer tunnel.
"This drainage line leads to the East District outflow. It dumps right near the Estate's cliffside."
"The sewers?" Seraphina gagged. "Kaelen, there are Sewage Crocs down there. And disease."
"Better cholera than a public execution," Kaelen replied dryly. "Move."
He took point. His [Abyssal Sight] was useless here; the ambient mana of the city's waste clogged the sensors. He had to rely on hearing and instinct.
They sloshed through the knee-deep water for twenty minutes. The tension was suffocating. Every drip of water sounded like a footstep.
Suddenly, Vex stopped. She held up a fist.
Growl.
It wasn't a biological growl. It was a low, vibrating hum of holy magic.
Kaelen peeked around the corner. Standing in the center of the tunnel, blocking their path, was a beast made of white marble and gold filigree. It looked like a wolf, but its eyes were burning coals of blue fire.
[System Analysis.]
[Enemy: Light-Forged Hound (Rank E+).]
[Ability: Sin Tracking.]
[Status: Alert.]
"A construct," Kaelen hissed. "Silas deployed hunters."
The Hound sniffed the air. Its head snapped directly toward Kaelen. It could smell the [Sin Eater] system. The Abyss on him was like a beacon to a creature forged in Light.
"It knows I'm here," Kaelen realized. "If I engage it with Abyssal magic, it will signal Silas instantly. I can't touch it."
He looked at Vex. "Physical damage only. Can you take it?"
"It's made of enchanted marble, Boss," Vex shook her head. "My daggers will chip. We need a blunt weapon or... magic."
Kaelen looked at Seraphina.
"You're up, Queen."
"Me?" Seraphina paled. "My magic is Light! It will just absorb it!"
"No," Kaelen grabbed her shoulders, his eyes intense. "Church magic is orderly. It's polite. Your magic..."
He remembered the Iron Garden. The golden explosion that melted the wolf.
"...Your magic is a riot. Overload it."
The Hound barked—a sound like a bell tolling—and charged. It moved unnervingly fast for a stone statue.
"Do it!" Kaelen shoved Seraphina forward.
Seraphina didn't have time to think. She acted on instinct. She saw the holy beast, the symbol of the very institution that was hunting her. The institution that praised Rian and ignored her "death."
"Hypocrites," she spat.
She raised her staff. She didn't cast a spell; she channeled her [Pride].
The golden light that erupted from her wasn't the soft blue of the Church. It was a blinding, angry orange.
"SOLAR OVERLOAD!"
She slammed the staff into the sewage water.
The energy conducted through the filth, hitting the charging Hound.
CRACK-BOOM.
The Hound didn't absorb it. The chaotic, emotional mana clashed with its rigid internal matrix. The marble cracked. Gold filigree popped like fuses.
The construct tried to howl, but its jaw shattered. It exploded into a pile of white rubble.
[Ding!]
[Enemy Defeated: Light-Forged Hound.]
[XP Gained: 300.]
[Detection Avoided.]
"Messy," Kaelen nodded approvingly, stepping over the debris. "But effective. It looks like a mana surge, not an Abyssal attack. Silas will think it was a pipe bursting."
Seraphina breathed heavily, staring at the destroyed construct. She was getting used to the power. It was addicting.
"Let's go," Kaelen urged. "Before its master comes to check the leash."
One Hour Later.
They crawled out of the outflow pipe onto the rocky beach below the Vance Estate. The salt spray of the ocean washed away the sewer stench.
They climbed the cliffs in silence, slipping through the [Mana Barrier] Kaelen had installed. Only when the heavy oak door of the manor clicked shut behind them did they finally relax.
Kaelen slumped against the door, sliding down to the floor.
"We're alive," Vex muttered, wringing out her hair. "And rich. Don't forget rich."
Kaelen reached into his soaking wet coat and pulled out the waterproof scroll case. He extracted the stolen contract.
"We have the gun," Kaelen said, looking at Count Valerius's signature. "Now we just need to wait for the right moment to pull the trigger."
He walked to the library, Vex and Seraphina following. He needed to stash the gold and the evidence in the Dungeon inventory.
But on the library table, a new object was waiting for them.
It was a golden envelope, sealed with the Academy crest.
"The Tournament brackets," Seraphina whispered. "They delivered them while we were out."
Kaelen ripped the envelope open. He pulled out the oversized card.
[The Celestia Ranking Tournament - Block A]
He scanned the names.
Rian Valerius vs. Random Student.
Seraphina Lionheart vs. Iron-Fist Monk.
And there, in the third match of the day:
Kaelen Vance vs. Brother Ezekiel.
The room went silent.
"Ezekiel?" Seraphina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Kaelen... he's Silas's apprentice. He's a fanatic. They say he burns heretics alive in the arena and calls it 'purification'."
Kaelen stared at the name.
It wasn't a random draw. Rian had rigged this too. Or perhaps the Church had requested it.
They wanted to test him. They wanted to put him in a cage with a Zealot and see if he bled black blood.
"If you use your Abyssal powers," Vex noted grimly, "The Inquisitors in the stands will execute you on the spot. If you don't use them... Ezekiel will smash you. He's a Rank D+ Paladin."
Kaelen dropped the card onto the table. He walked over to the window, looking out at the dark ocean.
"They want to see if I'm a monster," Kaelen said softly.
He turned back, a cold, predatory smile playing on his lips.
"So I'll just have to beat their Saint using their own rules."
He looked at Seraphina.
"The tournament is in 24 hours. We're going back to the Dungeon."
"Floor 2 is cleared," Vex pointed out. "We need to go deeper."
"No," Kaelen shook his head. "We're not going for XP. We're going to the System Shop."
He held up the bag of 2,000 gold coins they had stolen from the mercenaries.
"I can't use Dark Magic. But the System sells [Skill Books] for every class. If I can't be a Sin Eater..."
He tossed the bag to Vex.
"...Then I'll buy a new class for the day."