Northern Frontier of the Serestan Empire.
Obsidian City, House Oberon.
The Obsidian City, which had been guarded by the Oberon family for generations, was at this moment being invaded by a chill of a different kind.
Inside the family council chamber, the air was frozen, heavy, as though sealed beneath ice.
On one side of the long table sat the family elders of House Oberon, their faces gray with despair.
On the other side were several dignified guests clad in garments that bore the prestige of higher status.
"…Three years ago, during the beast tide, House Oberon failed to hold its defenses, resulting in severe civilian casualties. Furthermore, the heir, Rhine Oberon, despite having already reached the age of eighteen, has yet to awaken his mana core. He has wasted resources recklessly, disgracing the honor of the nobility."
The dry, coffin-like voice of Father Solas echoed in the chamber like a death knell as he enumerated the sins of House Oberon.
"By decree of the Church…"
Father Solas, dressed in a white robe trimmed with silver, continued in a calm, unhurried tone:
"House Oberon no longer possesses the strength nor the qualification to safeguard Obsidian City. Effective immediately, all holdings—mining rights to the obsidian quarries and the surrounding farmland—are to be transferred to the House of Green, a family that in recent years has shown exceptional merit and pious faith. The Church will oversee this process with impartiality."
Behind him stood two towering Church Knights, their imposing presence silently declaring where true authority lay.
"The Church sees all. The beast tide three years ago was far from ordinary…"
At the opposite end of the table, Rhett Oberon, the patriarch of the house, tried to argue, his voice taut with agitation.
But he was cut off coldly by Deacon Marcus, who sat nearby.
"Failure admits no excuses! In this world, strength is the only basis for speech!"
His gaze was like a poisoned dagger, stabbing provocatively at the Oberon patriarch. Though Rhett Oberon was a City-Buster rank powerhouse, far stronger than Marcus, any dissatisfaction could only be swallowed down.
For Marcus was no ordinary man—he was a rising star from the headquarters of the Church, a true scion of nobility from the capital!
Marcus's eyes shifted once more, falling upon the youth seated at the end of the long table, his head hung low—Rhine Oberon.
"Look at the so-called heir you have chosen. He is the clearest evidence of your family's decline!"
"Rhine, look at yourself now—you don't even dare raise your head. You and I have long since become people from two different worlds."
The speaker was Elisa Green. Her sapphire-blue eyes gleamed with superiority, her expression radiating undisguised contempt.
"Your childish attentions, your ridiculous flattery—what else do they prove, aside from your incompetence and unwillingness to improve yourself?!"
Elisa Green—the former shining jewel of Obsidian City, the unattainable goddess in the eyes of young master Rhine Oberon.
Rhine had once heard that Elisa envied the noble ladies of the capital, who owned star-sapphire necklaces.
So he had spared no expense—over eight thousand gold coins—to commission a master craftsman dwarf to create a necklace inlaid with a flawless sapphire. Within a crystal casing, he sealed, with water magic, a rose plucked from the freezing northern tundra, a blossom said never to wither. He named it the "Eternal Rose," a symbol of his eternal love.
The gift, luxurious yet hollow, had stunned all who saw it. But Elisa, after receiving it, had likely only worn it once or twice. She sneered at the sealed rose, calling it vulgar and cumbersome.
When it came to her magical studies, Rhine went even further—exhausting every means to provide her resources: massive amounts of magical materials, priceless equipment, rare elixirs…
With Rhine's relentless support, Elisa successfully entered the Magic Academy's elite class and even won the Church's favor.
Now, Elisa sat in dignity like a proud swan, her gaze fixed eagerly upon Marcus.
She had paid a heavy price to get close to this young deacon. His noble background was impressive enough, but his father was even more—an archbishop stationed at the Church headquarters! For Marcus, becoming one of the Empire's movers and shakers was only a matter of time.
And if she could tie herself to him, her stage would no longer be this backwater city, but the very heart of the Empire!
…
Humiliation spread in the silence.
Patriarch Rhett Oberon clenched his teeth; the elders' fists tightened beneath the table. Yet no one dared to speak.
For in the Serestan Empire, the will of the Church often carried more weight than the edicts of the Emperor himself.
At that moment, Rhine Oberon raised his head.
The dull cowardice in his eyes was gone, replaced by bewilderment—and then by a sudden, piercing clarity.
"…What the hell? Where am I?"
"Wasn't I just playing a game? Got killed by a damned camper… then suddenly—what the hell is this?"
Fragments of foreign memory surged into his mind!
The Serestan Empire… House Oberon… pitiful dog-licker Rhine… Elisa…
"Damn! This is way too pathetic!"
"Being a simpering bootlicker gets you nothing! And Elisa, this bitch—she's just been stringing him along like a dog on a leash!"
[Ding! Intense resentment and humiliation detected! All Money System activating!]
An icy voice thundered through his consciousness.
[This System is linked to the Myriad Worlds Mall. By paying with the currency of this world—gold coins—you may purchase anything.]
[Current Balance: None.]
A system!?
Ecstasy scattered his confusion in an instant.
The Church? Elisa? To hell with them! He had a cheat now!
His spine straightened silently. His golden irises sharpened like an eagle's, locking onto Elisa.
"Two different worlds? You're right, Elisa."
Rhine's voice, though hoarse, was steady—unnervingly steady.
"At least my world still remembers the word shame. Your world, however… the moment you've clawed your way up on the resources I gave you, you can't wait to kick away the ladder?"
"That kind of hunger—it's downright ugly."
A flush of furious shame bloomed on Elisa's flawless face.
"Rhine! How dare you slander me! Everything you did was nothing but your own wishful thinking—"
"Wishful thinking? Fine!" Rhine cut her off, his voice rising. His eyes swept across the room.
"These past three years, to indulge your whims, I've gifted you: a master-level star-sapphire necklace, a moonlight-gauze gown, a snow-feather cloak made from the rarest birds… All told, more than thirty-five thousand gold coins. Should I ask the steward to list the accounts one by one?"
"Or shall we say, is the esteemed Lady Green nothing but a swindler too cowardly to acknowledge her debts?"
With each number spoken, Elisa's face paled further.
The Oberon elders, meanwhile, gaped in shock. They had known the young master squandered money, but never the staggering extent of it.
"Enough!"
Marcus barked, his face dark.
He glared at Rhine with undisguised disgust. "So it was a few trinkets. Do you think Elisa cared for them? She'll return them to you!"
Turning to Elisa, his tone brooked no refusal.
Elisa's chest rose and fell violently. "That's right! Your pitiful attempts to please me—I never cared for them in the least!"
Rhine clapped his hands, laughing coldly. "How noble of you! Let's round it off, then. Thirty-five thousand gold coins, to be returned immediately. I ask Father Solas and Deacon Marcus to witness."
Elisa bit her lip till it nearly bled, shooting Rhine a venomous glare before finally producing a storage pouch.
A Church Knight tallied the gold coins and handed the bag to Rhine.
For the first time, Father Solas looked directly at Rhine. A flicker of something unreadable passed through his clouded eyes.
"With your entanglements settled, it is time to discuss the matter at hand," the old priest said. "The transfer of properties. The Church will not let you suffer too greatly. House Green shall provide ten percent of their annual profits as compensation for House Oberon's years of toil."
The insult was blatant. The elders' faces turned ashen, and even the iron-willed patriarch Rhett Oberon fell silent.
But Rhine seemed not to notice. He weighed the storage bag in his hand with delight.
"Dividends? How nice. But…" His tone chilled, his words cutting like steel.
"When did House Oberon ever agree to the transfer?"