The crystal goblet shattered against the wall, spraying expensive wine like blood across the velvet curtains.
"He mocked me!" Rian Valerius screamed, his face flushed with a mix of humiliation and terror. "He pointed at me! In front of the entire nobility!"
Rian paced the luxurious private box like a caged animal. Below, the arena was being cleared, but the chants of "VANCE! VANCE!" still echoed faintly from the departing crowd.
Headmaster Solalis sat in a leather armchair, rubbing his temples. "Sit down, Rian. You're making a scene."
"A scene?" Rian spun around, his eyes wild. "The 'Rat' just dismantled a Church Paladin with a rusted sword! The betting pools are ruined. The narrative is ruined. Everyone is asking how a 'Fallen' student knows the lost Null-Breaker style!"
Rian slammed his hands on the table.
"You said he was powerless! You said the Abyss corrupted his core!"
"It should have," a dry, rasping voice answered from the shadows of the room.
Inquisitor Silas stepped forward. He tapped his silver cane on the floor, navigating the room despite his blindness. He didn't look agitated. He looked... fascinated.
"I smelled the Abyss on him in the tavern," Silas murmured. "But in the arena? Nothing. Pure, kinetic violence. No mana. No dark arts."
Silas turned his sightless eyes toward Rian.
"He is playing a dangerous game. He knows we are watching, so he is hiding his claws."
"Then disqualify him!" Rian demanded. "Say he cheated! Plant evidence!"
"We cannot," Solalis interjected, his voice grave. "He has the Black Box. If we expel him without undeniable proof of Heresy, he releases the data. The Kingdom will know we experimented on students."
Rian collapsed onto a sofa, burying his face in his hands. "So we just let him win? We let him take the title? The Estate? Everything?"
"No."
Silas walked to the window, looking down at the sand where Ezekiel had fallen.
"The Quarter-Finals were a test," Silas said softly. "We tested his magic. He refused to use it. So, for the Semi-Finals... we will not test his magic."
Silas smiled, a thin, cruel curving of his lips.
"We will test his humanity."
The Vance Estate - The Library.
Kaelen sat at the desk, cleaning the blood off his Mithril sword. The weapon hummed, attuned to his mana signature now.
Vex hung upside down from the chandelier, peeling an apple with a dagger.
"You should have seen Rian's face," Vex cackled. "He looked like he swallowed a lemon whole. The nobles are already changing their tune. I heard House Tyrell sent a gift basket to the front gate."
"Burn it," Kaelen said without looking up. "It's probably poisoned."
"Already did," Vex shrugged. "But the gold inside was fine."
Seraphina walked in, holding a tray of food. She looked stronger. The [Solar Tyrant] class was reshaping her physiology. Her movements were sharper, less hesitant.
"The semi-final brackets are being drawn tonight," Seraphina said, setting the tray down. "Who do you think it will be? The Iron-Fist Monk?"
"It doesn't matter," Kaelen said, sheathing his sword. "Whoever it is, I'll break them."
Suddenly, the air in the room grew heavy. The shadows in the corner lengthened, coalescing into a silhouette.
Kaelen's hand went to his sword instantly.
"Easy, Boss," Vex dropped from the chandelier. "It's just a Shadow Messenger. Someone paid a lot of mana to send a secure voice mail."
The shadow took the form of a hooded figure. It opened its mouth, and Rian's voice—distorted and mocking—floated out.
"Hello, 'Brother'. Congratulations on your victory. You're quite the swordsman."
Kaelen leaned back, crossing his arms. "Get to the point, Rian."
"The point? The point is that single combat is so... boring. It proves nothing but brute strength. For the Semi-Finals, the Committee has decided to shake things up."
The shadow figure shifted, forming the image of a cage.
"Tomorrow's match will be a 'Scenario Battle'. The objective isn't to kill your opponent. It's to save a hostage."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "A hostage?"
"Yes. We've placed a very specific prize in the center of the arena. A monster cage. Inside is something... precious to you."
Rian's laugh echoed, cold and malicious.
"Let's see if the 'Sin Eater' cares about anything other than himself. Oh, and Kaelen? The monster in the cage... it hasn't eaten in weeks."
The shadow dissipated into smoke.
Seraphina looked at Kaelen, her face pale. "A hostage? Who? You don't have anyone left. Your parents are dead."
Kaelen stood up slowly. His face was a mask of absolute zero.
"I don't have anyone left," Kaelen agreed. "But the System remembers everyone I've ever met."
He opened his [Social Interface].
Vex (Active)
Seraphina (Active)
Rian (Enemy)
Instructor Vance (Deceased)
Elena Vance (Deceased)
...
Elara (Neutral/Active)
He scrolled down. There was one name greyed out. Not dead. Just... missing.
[Name: Toby.]
[Relation: Childhood Friend / Servant.]
[Status: Unknown.]
"Toby," Kaelen whispered.
"Who is Toby?" Vex asked.
"The stable boy," Kaelen's voice was dangerously quiet. "He was the only one who didn't spit on me when I was a Null-Talent. Rian... that sick bastard."
Kaelen grabbed the edge of the heavy oak desk.
CRACK.
The solid wood splintered under his grip.
"He dug up a servant just to force me into a moral dilemma," Kaelen hissed. "If I save him, I expose my back to the enemy. If I let him die, I prove I'm a monster to the public."
"It's a trap," Seraphina said urgently. "Whatever monster is in that cage, it's designed to kill you while you're distracted."
"I know."
Kaelen walked to the window. The sun was setting, painting the sky in bruises of purple and red.
"Rian thinks he's testing my humanity," Kaelen said, his violet eyes glowing with the [Abyssal Sun].
"He forgot one thing."
He turned back to his team.
"I sold my humanity on the first day in the Abyss."
[Ding!]
[New Quest: The Butcher's Dilemma.]
[Objective: Win the Semi-Final Match.] [
Secondary Objective: Ensure the hostage survives.]
[Reward: Unlocking Floor 3 of the Pocket Dungeon.]
Kaelen looked at Vex.
"Vex, go to the arena tonight. I need the layout of the cage mechanisms. Seraphina, stock up on crowd-control scrolls."
"What are you going to do?" Seraphina asked.
Kaelen pulled the [Mask of the Nameless] out of his inventory. He ran his thumb over the smooth white porcelain.
"Rian wants a show?" Kaelen smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm going to give him a tragedy."
The Next Morning. The Semi-Finals.
The arena was transformed.
Gone was the open sand. In its place was a labyrinth of stone walls and spike pits. And in the dead center, suspended over a pit of acid, was a rusty iron cage.
Inside the cage, a small, terrified boy in servant rags huddled in the corner.
[Hostage Identified: Toby (Level 2 Civilian).]
Below the cage, circling the acid pit, was a massive beast. It wasn't a construct this time. It was biological. A Chimera. Lion, Goat, Snake. Rank D+.
And standing on the far side of the labyrinth was Kaelen's opponent.
It wasn't a student.
A massive gate opened, and a figure walked out in crimson executioner's robes. He dragged a greataxe behind him that sparked against the stone.
[Opponent: The Royal Executioner (Rank C-).]
[Special Rule: Guest Fighter approved by the Crown.]
The crowd gasped. A Rank C fighter? Against a student?
"This is murder!" someone shouted from the stands.
"It's entertainment!" Rian shouted back from the VIP box, raising a glass of wine.
The announcer's voice boomed.
"The rules are simple! Defeat the Executioner OR unlock the cage to save the hostage! But be warned... the cage is rigged to drop into the acid in 5 minutes!"
A giant hourglass appeared in the sky, the sand already falling.
Kaelen stood at the starting line. He looked at Toby. The boy was crying, mouthing Kaelen's name.
Then he looked at the Executioner.
Then he looked at Rian.
Kaelen didn't draw his sword. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single gold coin.
He flipped it.
Ping.
As the coin spun in the air, time seemed to slow.
'Save the boy and die? Or kill the enemy and let the boy melt?'
Kaelen caught the coin.
"Neither," he whispered.
[System: Null-Breaker Style Active.]
[System: Shadow Step Ready.]
"Start!"