The disarray at home was clearly not the work of thieves, but rather appeared to be an act of vengeance or fury.
Charles’ parents were frequently away, engaged in freight business, leading simple social lives that hardly warranted enmities. Charles speculated that his recent killing of Robert and offense towards Thomas during his ordeal might have provoked the two families, though he wasn’t sure which was responsible.
“They haven’t found me yet, and they won’t just let this go,” Charles mused, peering cautiously through the window at several unfamiliar figures near the entrance of the complex.
Reluctantly glancing back at his home, now reduced to ruins, Charles clenched his fist, his nails digging into his skin. Although the old house was modest and of little monetary value to the present-day Charles, it held the memories of his childhood.
Now, someone had destroyed those memories.
“I will make them pay a hundred, a thousand times over for today’s grievance,” Charles muttered coldly, a murderous intent rising in his eyes.
With a swift movement, he ducked into the bathroom and activated his skill, [darkness cloak], vanishing into the shadows in the blink of an eye.
Shortly after his disappearance, a series of rapid footsteps echoed up the stairs, and the door was kicked open with a loud bang. Several men wielding psychic weapons swiftly entered.
“Search! Don’t let the kid escape!” barked a tall, thin man harshly.
They kicked open the doors to the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom with brute force, overturning the refrigerator, wardrobe, and ransacking the entire place, yet they found no trace of Charles.
“Damn it! I saw the kid enter the house with my own eyes. What, did he sprout wings and fly?” The thin man was infuriated, smashing a plate on the table to pieces. Then, in a sudden moment of panic, he realized that all sounds in the rooms had ceased…
He detected a faint smell of blood in the air, puzzled, he pushed open the bathroom door, only to find in horror that all the men who had entered to search were now lying on the floor, each with a strangulation mark around their necks.
“Ghost! There’s a ghost!” the tall, thin man screamed in horror, trying to flee, but a figure already blocked his path. A flash of cold light revealed a supreme spear, its eerie blue blade pressed against his neck.
Looking up, he saw the handsome young man he had longed to kill—Charles. The sight of him, with the spear aimed, drove the man to his knees in fear.
“Speak, who sent you here?” Charles’s gaze was icy, his face expressionless.
“Tell me! I’ll tell you everything! Please, just spare my life!” The thin man pleaded, his face pale with terror as he bowed repeatedly.
Charles had just silently eliminated several of his brothers, all second-level Beast Masters. How was Charles’s strength so different from the intelligence they had received?
Charles remained expressionless, nodding slightly, “Tell me who sent you, and I’ll spare your life.”
Hearing this, the thin man sighed in relief. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he hesitated for a moment before revealing, “Sly—the elder of the Taylor family—said anyone who captures Charles alive gets 10 gold coins. Decapitating Charles is worth 5 gold coins! You can check the detailed mission description on the dark web!”
“I’ve told you everything, can you let me go?” The thin man’s eyes darted around, not ready to give up so easily, planning to call more of his brothers as soon as he was released.
Seeing Charles nod in agreement, the man quickly ran towards the door, but before he could exit, his body was enveloped by a pale white flame.
Engulfed in fierce flames, the man fell, wailing in the white fire: “You! You broke your promise—you said…”
Clack!
A crisp sound rang out as the spear tip sliced through his neck, ending the man’s agony.
The pale flames spread through the room, burning the mess and the bodies to ashes without a trace.
“Hmph, thinking they can trade my head for a bounty without weighing their own worth,” a chilling murderous intent flashed in Charles’s eyes.
From the tall man’s revelations, Charles learned of the ‘dark web’ and that Sly, Robert’s father, had indeed ordered his death. Given the Taylor family’s intelligence capabilities, Sly must have already known that Charles was the one who killed Robert.
This feud had now been firmly established.
Although the ambush had failed, Charles knew the Taylor family would not easily give up. He would have to be more cautious with every move he made in Lsengard from now on.
Donning a baseball cap and a face mask, Charles vanished into the shadows once again.
…
Moving through the dark, Charles avoided the crowds, gliding like a silent ghost through the shadows of the streets.
By now, he was a marked man, with a bounty placed on him by the Taylor family on the dark web, possibly watched by countless eyes.
“Sly is a fourth-level Beast Master, and in all of Lsengard, probably only a few, including the city lord, can match him. I haven’t even bonded with my third mystical beast yet; I’m not ready to confront him directly.”
“It seems I must keep my movements secret from now on.”
Half an hour later, Charles arrived at a luxurious riverside villa on the outskirts of Lsengard city, an address once given to him by Lily.
Standing at Lily’s doorstep, Charles hesitated before knocking. He feared bringing trouble to her, but he could think of no safer place than her home.
“May I ask… who are you looking for?” Lily opened the door halfway, peering out at the strangely bundled-up young man in the heat of summer.
“I’m looking for you,” Charles replied softly.
Lily, fresh from a shower, was dressed in loose home attire, her long hair tied back in a simple ponytail with a hair clip at the front. The sight was starkly different from the alluring figure Charles had seen at school; beneath her enchanting appearance, there was a hint of innocent charm.
“Charles?!” Lily exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock, hardly believing her eyes. “Why are you dressed like this?”
Despite his disguise, his familiar eyes and voice confirmed to Lily that she had not mistaken him.
“It’s… a bit complicated to explain.”
With a swift move, Charles stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Before he could even remove his mask, Lily gently embraced him.
This embrace was significant, with Lily boasting an impressive bust of 97 cm, leaving Charles momentarily breathless under the soft pressure against his chest. He could even feel that Lily wasn’t wearing a bra…
Cough, cough! With a light cough, Charles gently pushed Lily away, looking at her with a reproachful expression, “Miss Lily, you shouldn’t just embrace a man like that in the future. I’m pure-hearted and wouldn’t harbor any ulterior motives, but others might take advantage of you.”
Lily’s face froze for a moment, then flushed with embarrassment as she retorted, “Hmph, I think that’s exactly what you were thinking, right? And how many times have I told you, call me Miss Lily in private. I’m not that much older than you, you know!”
Leading Charles into the house, Lily gestured for him to watch TV while she cheerfully headed to the kitchen, “You must have had a tough time eating and sleeping in the ferocious beast mountains these past two months. Sit tight, I’ll cook something delicious for you!”
Charles nodded, reclining on the plush sofa.
The physical strain from two months of rigorous training had kept him on edge, and this rare moment of comfort made him moan softly.
Lily hummed a tune as she cooked, and soon a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Charles, comfortably nestled on the sofa, listlessly turned on the TV, catching a news broadcast.
“Lsengard’s high school seniors have successfully completed their trials! In three days, a recognition banquet will be held at Lsengard Red Mansion, personally convened by the city lord, with representatives from the Misubi auction house also in attendance…”
The announcer’s voice lulled Charles into drowsiness.
The banquet seemed quite grand, with attendance from the Taylor family, the Smith family, the Draven family—almost all the notable families of Lsengard, even the typically reclusive Misubi family sent representatives.
Though called a recognition banquet, it more resembled a networking event.
The top-scoring graduates from the trials, even those not securing a spot in higher education, were considered rare talents in Lsengard. Many families attended the banquet with the intention of recruiting these individuals to strengthen their own power.
Charles wasn’t particularly interested in the banquet three days away. With his top score on the leaderboard, he was not content to stay in a small place like Lsengard.
What interested him more was the enrollment ceremony half a month away.
As Lily brought over a table full of sumptuous dishes, Charles lowered the TV volume.
Steak, hot dogs, apple pie, and cream soup—a simple meal, but one that greatly appealed to Charles’ taste buds.
“Can you tell me what troubles you’ve encountered?” Lily asked, seating herself next to Charles, her stunning figure accentuating an impressive curve. She looked at Charles with concern.
After Charles had topped the training leaderboard, rumors about him had spread online. Some claimed he had cheated during his trials, others accused him of tampering with scores, and there were even whispers of him using underhanded methods, like assassinating fellow students to climb the ranks.
Given Charles’s unusually discreet attire earlier, it was hard for Lily not to worry that he might be in some sort of trouble.
Charles took a bite of the steak, which was delicious and thoughtfully pre-cut by Lily.
After a moment of silence, Charles looked up at Lily, his expression serious: “During the training, I killed Robert. Now his father, Sly, has put a bounty of 5 gold coins on my head on the dark web.”
Clatter!
Lily’s utensils dropped upon hearing this, her pupils trembled slightly, and her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at Charles.
—