The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache in Kaelen's bones.
He walked down the marble corridor of the Administration Tower, his bare feet leaving faint, bloody footprints on the polished floor. Seraphina walked a step behind him, her head lowered. She was still pale, the [Soul Bond] having taken its toll, but she didn't complain. She knew the hierarchy now.
"Kaelen," she whispered, glancing at the portraits of past Headmasters lining the walls. "We shouldn't be here. We should be running. You humiliated Rian. You crippled him. The Valerius family will demand your head."
"Let them demand," Kaelen said, not breaking stride. "Demands are wind. Property is stone."
He stopped in front of the massive double doors of the Headmaster's office. He didn't knock. He kicked them open.
BANG.
Inside, Headmaster Solalis was sitting behind his obsidian desk, signing a document. He didn't jump. He slowly looked up, his eyes glowing with the suppressed mana of a Grandmaster.
"You have a habit of making entrances, Mr. Vance," Solalis said, his voice smooth as silk but heavy with threat. "First the funeral. Now my office. Do you think winning a duel makes you untouchable?"
Kaelen walked into the room and sat in the plush leather chair opposite the desk. He leaned back, resting his dirty feet on the expensive rug.
"I think winning a duel makes me the owner of Rian's assets," Kaelen corrected him. "Specifically, the return of the Vance Estate."
Solalis put down his quill. "The Vance Estate was seized by the Academy as collateral for your father's... 'mismanagement' of the Fissure Outpost."
"My father is dead," Kaelen said flatly. "And I am the heir. According to Academy Bylaw 7, Section 4: 'A student who proves their lineage through Blood or Combat rights may reclaim seized family property.'"
He pulled the Mithril Sword from his belt and slammed it onto the desk. The blade cracked the glass surface.
"I proved my combat rights in the arena. And this sword proves my lineage."
Solalis narrowed his eyes. The air in the room grew heavy, the temperature rising. Seraphina started to tremble, the pressure of a Rank A mage weighing on her like gravity.
"You are dangerous, boy," Solalis said softly. "You wield a power that reeks of the Abyss. I could have you executed for Heresy right now."
"You could," Kaelen agreed, his violet eyes locking with the Headmaster's golden ones. "But you won't."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Black Box (Smartphone). He didn't turn it on. He just set it on the table next to the sword.
"Because if I die," Kaelen lied smoothly, "the contents of this device will be broadcast to every terminal in the Kingdom. And I think the Church would be very interested to know who authorized the experiments in the Fissure."
It was a bluff. Kaelen had no way to broadcast anything. He didn't even know how to unlock the phone's transmitter yet.
But Solalis didn't know that.
The Headmaster's gaze flickered to the black device. For a split second, Kaelen saw it: Fear.
Solalis sat back, the oppressive aura vanishing instantly. He opened a drawer and tossed a heavy, rusted iron key onto the desk.
"The Vance Estate is located in the East District," Solalis said coldly. "It has been... neglected. Do not expect luxury."
"I don't need luxury," Kaelen snatched the key. "I need walls."
He stood up, grabbing the sword and the Black Box.
"Oh, and Headmaster?" Kaelen paused at the door. "If any 'looters' decide to visit me tonight... I'll assume they were sent by you. And I'll mail you their heads in the morning."
He didn't wait for a response. He walked out, Seraphina scrambling to follow him.
The East District was the graveyard of the Academy.
While the Central District boasted white towers and mana fountains, the East was a sprawl of overgrown gardens and crumbling manors belonging to fallen noble houses.
The Vance Estate stood at the end of a long, weed-choked driveway. It was a gothic nightmare of black stone and gargoyles. The windows were boarded up. The iron gate was rusted shut.
"It's a ruin," Seraphina muttered, looking at the moss covering the family crest on the gate. "Kaelen, we can't live here. There's no mana barrier. No servants. It's freezing."
"It's private," Kaelen said, jamming the key into the lock.
Click.
The gate groaned open.
[Ding!]
[Territory Claimed: The Vance Estate.]
[Current Status: Ruined (0% Integrity).]
[Hidden Feature Unlocked: The Dungeon Core.]
[System Note: This location sits directly above a minor ley-line connected to the Abyss.]
Kaelen smiled. 'Of course. Dad didn't build a house. He built a fortress.'
They walked up the path. The silence was absolute. No birds. No insects. Just the wind whistling through the broken spires.
"Seraphina," Kaelen commanded. "Check the perimeter. Set up a basic alarm ward. I'm going to the master bedroom."
"I... I don't have enough mana for a full ward," she protested.
"Then use your blood," Kaelen said dismissively, pushing the front door open. "Improvise."
He stepped into the grand foyer. Dust motes danced in the gloom. Furniture was overturned, slashed by blades. The place had been ransacked years ago.
Kaelen walked up the grand staircase. He needed to rest. The [Abyssal Sun] mutation was taxing his body. His veins felt like they were filled with ice water.
He reached the master bedroom at the end of the hall. He kicked the door open.
And stopped.
The room wasn't empty.
A fire was crackling in the fireplace. A half-eaten leg of roasted mutton sat on the desk. And sitting on the bed, sharpening a pair of serrated daggers, was a woman.
She wore tight, black leather armor. Her skin was dark grey—a Dark Elf. Or a Half-Breed. Her eyes were yellow, slitted like a cat's.
She looked up at Kaelen. She didn't look surprised.
"You're late," she said, her voice raspy. "I've been waiting for the new landlord."
Kaelen tightened his grip on his sword.
[System Analysis.]
[Target: Unknown Assassin.]
[Race: Drow (Half-Blood).]
[Level: 12.]
[Status: Bored.]
"Who are you?" Kaelen asked, his muscles coiling for a strike.
"I'm the squatter," she grinned, revealing sharpened teeth. "Name's Vex. Your father hired me to guard the house five years ago. He paid in advance."
She stood up, spinning the daggers in her hands.
"Contract says I guard the Vance Heir. But you..." She sniffed the air. "You smell like a corpse. So, I have to check."
She vanished.
Clang!
Kaelen blocked instinctively, the sparks illuminating the dark room. Vex was fast—faster than Rian.
"Are you the Heir?" she whispered, her face inches from his. "Or are you just another monster wearing his skin?"
Kaelen pushed her back, his violet eyes flaring.
"I'm the landlord," Kaelen snarled. "And rent is due."
[Ding!]
[New Quest: Taming the Stray Cat.]
[Objective: Subdue Vex without killing her.]
[Reward: New Follower (Assassin Class).]
Kaelen sighed. 'Another mouth to feed. But I need a guard dog.'
He dropped his sword and raised his fists.
"Fine," Kaelen said. "Let's negotiate."