Nero walked along the polished stone corridors, his footsteps echoing softly against the immaculate floor. Axel walked ahead of him with purpose, heading straight toward a towering white building.
The structure stood nearly seven meters tall, adorned with elegant columns carved from pristine stone. Its design radiated wealth and authority.
Two butlers emerged at the entrance and greeted Axel with deep respect. Their posture alone made it clear—Axel was not just another visitor. He was someone important here.
Axel, Lux, Kōri, and Nero entered the house. Nero instinctively looked up, his gaze drawn to an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling—something he had only ever heard wealthy people talk about.
They ascended the stairs and stopped before a guarded room. Two armed bodyguards stood watch at the entrance. After a brief glance at Axel, they stepped aside and allowed the group to enter.
Inside sat a man who appeared to be around sixty years old, dressed in ostentatious, richly colored garments. His posture was relaxed, confident—someone accustomed to power.
He gestured for them to sit.
Axel took the seat directly across from him. Lux, Kōri, and Nero sat slightly behind and around Axel, silent observers.
"I suppose you don't know me," the man said calmly. "My name is Distron. I am the one who assigned you this mission."
Distron crossed his legs and interlaced his fingers, studying them carefully.
"I want you to kill the bitch who murdered my son," he continued without hesitation. "She is a prostitute named Tristine Pestrov. She lives in a 'red house' and studies at Midnight School. The payment will be fifty Lokg."
A red house—the common term in Vickmolt for a brothel.
Nero stiffened slightly.
Midnight School…
The same school Rose attended.
Axel's expression didn't change. He met Distron's gaze calmly.
"Lord Distron, you and I both know that is less than what I asked for," Axel said evenly. "Seventy Lokg."
Distron's eyes narrowed. "Fifty-five."
Axel leaned forward slightly. "Do you know how much they pay for the head of a nobleman?"
The threat was unmistakable.
The bodyguards instantly raised their pistols, aiming them at the group.
Distron stared at Axel for a long moment. Then he sighed.
"Sixty-five. Deal."
He extended his hand.
Axel clasped it firmly. "Deal."
Lux, Kōri, and Nero exchanged brief glances. Axel's audacity was unsettling.
Nero felt the familiar weight of the seven of clubs card hidden inside his shirt pocket.
They left the house with the staggering reward of sixty-five Lokg.
Axel led them to another refined residence nearby. Nero couldn't help but think—if this was the Science District, what horrors and wonders awaited in the North or West Zones?
Inside the house, Axel tossed Nero an old revolver.
"You dropped it earlier. I picked it up," Axel said, watching him closely. "It's yours."
Nero caught it and slipped it into his pocket.
Axel retrieved several boxes from another room and placed them before the group.
Seven boxes in total.
"These are artifacts," Axel said as he opened them one by one. "Take one each. If you want details about a specific one, ask."
Nero opened his box.
Inside was a monocle, elegant and refined, with a thin black cord attached.
"Axel," Nero said, "what does this artifact do?"
Axel didn't respond. He seemed lost in thought.
Nero cleared his throat.
Axel blinked, refocusing. "That… is a Rank 10 artifact from the Path of Cunning. When you're in the Zero State, you can channel more aura to read minds."
Reading minds.
Nero's lips curved upward slightly as he placed the monocle over his eye.
He sat against the wall and closed his eyes, allowing his aura to regenerate.
Four minutes later, he opened them.
Kōri now held the hilt of a sword—no blade visible.
Lux wielded a small labrys-style axe, its black blades marked with yellow stripes.
Nero grabbed a knife from another box. Its obsidian blade was etched with crimson runes that seemed to pulse faintly.
He could feel Axel's gaze on him. But instead of suspicion, there was something else—melancholy.
Axel stored the remaining boxes away.
Kōri slipped the sword hilt into a hidden pocket. Lux kept her axe in hand, swinging it lightly as if it weighed nothing—something no ordinary person could do.
Nero slid the knife into his pocket.
Three weapons now. Cards. Revolver. Knife.
Axel spoke again. "To use an artifact, you must accept it with aura. Channel your aura into it. A person can only use five artifacts at a time."
The idea that each artifact contained remnants of a dead soul unsettled Nero deeply.
They left the Science District shortly after.
The contrast was brutal.
Luxury vanished the moment they crossed the threshold—replaced by filth, decay, and desperation.
A bar appeared ahead.
"Care for a drink?" Axel asked.
They entered and sat at a table, ordering shura—cheap wine for the poor.
The waitress delivered four bottles.
Nero opened his and drained half in one gulp, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
When he looked again, the others were already drunk.
After several more rounds, they staggered home.
Axel and Lux collapsed onto the sofa. Kōri disappeared into her room.
Nero checked the time.
Rose was already home.
He rushed to her room and opened the door.
She didn't flinch. She simply looked at him.
"R-Rose…" Nero said, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I… I need you to investigate Tristine Pestrov."