A cold breeze swept over the man as he surveyed the high-altitude surroundings. The shadows of the adjacent buildings were crawling with Cultivators and Breathers.
Every single pair of eyes was completely locked onto the rooftop down below, where a new Breather was currently being born. Yet, despite the overwhelming greed radiating in the air, no one dared to make a direct move. They were all hyper-aware of each other, trapped in a tense, silent standoff. Every faction was just waiting for someone else to strike first, perfectly positioning themselves to jump into the bloodbath the second the opportunity arose.
An event like this—the Awakening of a new Breather in a public place—was astronomically rare, especially coming from a lower-level human. Once awakened, Breathers naturally became far too intelligent, dangerously cautious, and acutely aware of their surroundings. They rarely lived for long before being consumed by their own Breath.
"Lord Dhyan," a voice interrupted the silence. "These three are our new reinforcements. They were close to our location, so I intercepted them and asked them to join us. In return, they demanded 'All Skill' stones as payment."
Dhyan slowly turned his head toward the subordinate. The man wore the exact same faction logo on his chest, but the quality of his uniform was vastly inferior. By comparison, Dhyan's attire was immaculate, radiating immense wealth and undeniable authority.
Dhyan's gaze shifted to the three cloaked figures standing behind his subordinate.
"Only three, huh?" Dhyan scoffed softly, his voice dripping with mild disappointment.
"I have let you down, sir. Please forgive me," Kant said, bowing his head slightly. "But I can assure you, they are the best we could get on such short notice. I personally tested their skills, and they are extraordinary—more than qualified to assist our faction."
Hearing this praise, Dhyan shifted his gaze to the three cloaked figures, analyzing them from head to toe. He noticed immediately that their Authority or Realms Energy weren't leaking out wildly; their energy was perfectly suppressed and controlled. That alone proved they were highly skilled.
But that didn't mean he trusted them. All three were wearing strange, featureless masks, completely obscuring their faces from his perception.
"Oh, is that so?" Dhyan grinned, placing a heavy, seemingly affectionate hand on his subordinate's shoulder. "I believe in you, Kant. I trust your judgment."
His grip, initially gentle, suddenly tightened like a vice. He pressed his fingers ruthlessly into Kant's collarbone, his smiling expression snapping into something cold and deadly.
"So... why can't I see their faces?"
"Agh! Lord—" Kant groaned, his knees buckling slightly under the crushing pressure.
"You misunderstand our intentions, sir," Vidyut stepped forward smoothly, intervening before the situation could escalate any further. "We aren't hiding our faces from you. We are hiding from everyone else in the surrounding area."
Vidyut kept his voice perfectly calm. "If you still don't trust us, we will take off our masks right now. But in exchange, your faction must guarantee our protection for the rest of our lives. An 'All Skill' stone is incredibly valuable, but it isn't worth risking our everyday lives for. We are independent freelancers. If these rival factions learn our true identities tonight, we will be hunted down or sold out before tomorrow morning."
Vidyut handled that perfectly. He put the pressure back on Dhyan—essentially saying, We will show you our faces, but then you are responsible for us forever.
Dhyan noted the masked man's unwavering confidence. The voice coming from beneath the mask was heavily glitched, yet perfectly clear to understand. What kind of technology are they using? Dhyan wondered.
He realized there was nothing he could really do. Vidyut's logic was flawless, and the harsh truth was that his faction desperately needed these extra fighters tonight. He had to accept their terms. However, his pride dictated that he couldn't just eagerly agree and make himself look weak.
"Hmm. You—" Dhyan started, preparing to deliver a stern warning.
"You are more pathetic than I thought you were."
The sudden, echoing sound of Lavanya's voice resonated across the vast gap between the buildings, cutting sharply through the cold night air.
Dhyan snapped his head back toward the adjacent rooftop, completely abandoning his interrogation of the recruits. A shockwave rippled through the surrounding factions. They had expected the newly awakened Authority to speak or act sooner than this. None of the watching Breathers or Cultivators could comprehend her actions, her motives, or the sheer, raw hatred lacing her words toward the man sitting a distance away from her.
Paralyzed by the unpredictable nature of her outburst, every faction held their ground, watching intently to see how this unprecedented situation would unfold.
Dhyan no longer cared about interrogating his mercenaries. His absolute focus was now locked onto the rooftop.
"Brief them on the details, Kant," Dhyan ordered sharply, his eyes never leaving the adjacent building. "The stage is set. We are out of time."
"Yes, my Lord," Kant gasped, rubbing his bruised shoulder.
Yug raised an eyebrow, gritting his teeth in realization. She was openly mocking him, yet he couldn't understand what made her call him pathetic. Frustration churned inside him, though none of it showed on his face.
"What do you mean? Can you explain what I'm missing?" Yug asked.
He couldn't remember anything that made him pathetic. No one had ever called him that before in his life. Even though his standing was only Rank 6, his reputation commanded fear. Yet never once had he received such open disgust.
On the other hand, Yug couldn't understand why it even mattered. Whether she called him pathetic or not shouldn't have concerned him. He had completely forgotten about his own survival and become hyper-fixated on something that could very well get him killed.
"Hahahaha... You're funny. You're asking why I told you?" Lavanya laughed wholeheartedly.
Her vision blurred at the edges, and her strength was slipping fast. She wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer. If Yug wasn't dealt with now, there would be no second chance.
He had to come closer. That was the only way. If he stepped within reach, she could end him before he had the chance to act. It would clear the path for her master. Yug had already proven how dangerous he was—especially when he had commanded her.
"Aren't you scared of me right now? Me—the one who lost to you before?" Lavanya tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. "Your face tells me everything. You're too pathetic. You can't even walk up to me... won't even have guts to come any closer."
She paused, her breath hitching slightly, her fingers twitching at her side as weakness crept deeper into her limbs.
"Hahaha..." The laugh came out thinner this time. "Pathetic. You're nobody... just trash."
Yug bit his lip, his expression twisting with restrained fury. He landed lightly on the ground, let out a slow breath, and began walking toward her.
"You've started crossing the line. Your mouth just keeps running, even when you're on the brink of losing consciousness."
His voice remained calm, but his thoughts were anything but.
This bitch has too much nerve to speak to me like this. She's completely lost her mind and is spouting nonsense. I need to show her who the real pathetic trash is.
Yug stopped a meter away from Lavanya, keeping his guard up. From the very beginning, he had been expecting a surprise attack. Her plan had worked far better than he had anticipated, and he had fallen for the provocation. Even so, he wanted her to understand that he wasn't someone she could underestimate.
"You'll regret every word you—"
His voice cut off.
His mouth remained half-open as his body froze in place. His eyes widened, locked onto Lavanya.
Fuck! I got tricked.
"You won't get another chance."
Lavanya thrust her hand toward Yug's chest with every ounce of strength she had left.
She had been waiting for this exact opportunity. Yug had somehow managed to keep his distance. Ever since he had stepped onto the rooftop, he had stayed out of range, coldly reading her every move. Until now.
"Ticket!" The whisper escaped his lips, placing his last hope in his own invention.
SQUELCH! CRACK!
Two sounds echoed at the exact same time.
The first was Lavanya's hand violently piercing his chest.
The second was the Ticket shattering. It broke, but it successfully protected his vital organs from being entirely pulverized.
"Tch!" Lavanya clicked her tongue in bitter frustration before collapsing entirely to the ground.
"Ugh." Yug coughed up a mouthful of blood. His eyes fell on Lavanya's unconscious body, but he couldn't do anything about her. Blood continued pouring from the fatal wound in his chest.
He had been hiding his own vision through the Ticket, preventing himself from seeing the disgusting world he had witnessed in his everyday previous lives.
With the Ticket shattered, his vision blurred. He could feel gravity aggressively dragging him toward the ground. Slowly, he lifted his heavy head and looked ahead.
Everything stopped.
The world was flooded with brilliant, blinding light. The night dissolved into countless particles that rained across the sky. The black darkness transformed into a vast, swirling grey ocean. Even the moonlight faded into nothing, as though it could no longer reach this plane of existence.
The air itself began to violently distort before his eyes.
Yug's body grew unbearably heavy until he finally collapsed onto his knees. His eyelids barely remained open, yet the more he looked at the world, the more grotesque and terrifying it became. The distorted air began to scream into the empty space.
"She grabbed my shadow... huh. Am I going to lose again?"
The world's screams were so deafening that he could barely hear his own whisper. Every inch of his body ached—not just because of the physical wound Lavanya had inflicted, but because of the screaming, invisible needles piercing his returning senses.
"Does my life even matter anymore if I can't live for long? Ah..."
With those final words, Yug lost consciousness. His body collapsed completely, his face striking the cold concrete.