Nova continues his days with a steady, calculated rhythm. From seven in the morning until two in the afternoon, he hunts with a quiet focus before heading to school for lunch. He attends his special classes, perfectly maintaining the act that fools everyone around him. For five days, this cycle repeats, and he feels a deep sense of satisfaction. His pace is steady, and everything seems to be going exactly as he planned. The air around him feels light, and the world seems predictable.
However, the atmosphere shifts abruptly on the sixth day. As he sits down for breakfast, the morning sunlight filtering through the window suddenly feels cold when his eyes land on the news. The anchor's voice is tight with a hidden panic as footage plays of the urban districts. The once-peaceful streets are filled with the sounds of shattering glass and the distant, guttural roars of beasts. images flash of rank one and two monsters leaping from the shadows of alleyways, their claws glinting under the pale city lights.
the reporter quickly adds that the martial arts of the warrior association and the public security bureau have already responded with overwhelming force. Squads of armored warriors and security officers moved through the streets like a tide, efficiently cutting down the invading beasts. Thanks to their swift arrival, the situation is already back under control and the remaining citizens are being moved to safety. Yet, the heavy atmosphere remains; the news scrolls through a small list of names—the few unfortunate souls who lost their lives in the first moments of the raid before the association or the bureau could reach them. For those ordinary people, the gap between peace and death was only a few seconds.
as the news anchor continues to speak, the atmosphere in the small dining room becomes thick with a sudden, heavy tension. The clinking of silverware against ceramic plates stops instantly. Nova's father, who had been focused on his morning coffee, sets the mug down with a slow, deliberate motion. The steam from the dark liquid rises in thin, swirling ribbons, but the warmth it once provided seems to have evaporated from the air. His eyes are fixed on the television screen, his brow furrowing into deep lines of concern that make him look years older in the harsh morning light.
his mother's hand trembles slightly as she reaches for the remote to turn up the volume. she doesn't say a word, but her face pales. The scent of the toasted bread on the table, once inviting, now feels suffocating and out of place against the backdrop of the violence being described on the screen. She looks over at nova, her eyes searching his face for any sign of fear. The heavy silence between them speaks louder than any warning, filled with the unspoken dread of what might happen if the chaos spreads.
the calm in his heart vanishes instantly. While his face remains a mask of normalcy thanks to his mastery over his expressions, his mind is a storm of frustration. Internally, he curses his luck with a frantic intensity. fuck, fuck... it feels like god doesn't want things to go his way. he knows, just as the higher ups do, that this is the work of the beast god cult. These lunatics operate without reason or rhyme, making them far more dangerous than typical criminals who at least follow a predictable logic. The cultists are unpredictable and unorthodox, and their presence turns the familiar city streets into a minefield of chaos.
A sense of urgency claws at nova. He realizes he must become stronger without wasting another second. standing up from his seat, he offers his parents the usual lie about heading to school. The smell of breakfast still lingers in the air, a domestic comfort he is desperate to protect. If they knew he was hunting fierce beasts and risking his life every day, their worry would be unbearable. He decides to keep his cultivation a secret until the college entrance exams. By then, the impact of his strength will be easier for them to swallow than the terrifying reality of his current daily life. After that even if he does something dangerous they can't see it so the impact will not be that strong compared to now seeing him going hunting with a risk of death every day.
before he even realizes it, his feet have carried him outside the city gates where the air smells of dust and wild energy. he has accumulated thirty thousand points over the last five days, and the weight of his low cultivation feels like a target on his back. he immediately spends three thousand points to reach rank five, but the surge of energy provides no sense of security. He pushes further, spending four thousand points for rank six and another six thousand for rank seven.
looking at his remaining points, he pauses for only a heartbeat before deciding to push until he hits rank nine. He spends eighteen thousand points, feeling a wave of power wash through his limbs as he reaches the peak of the awakened rank. Finally, a small spark of safety flickers in his chest. With nine thousand points left, he invests five thousand to elevate his phantom steps from skilled to mastery.
As the technique settles into his muscle memory, his confidence returns. He isn't looking for a heroic stand; he is preparing for survival. There is no embarrassment in his heart at the thought of retreating. If he cannot face an enemy easily, he will run without a moment of hesitation. As long as he is alive, he can take revenge with the system he has full confidence in taking revenge later so he will run without any hesitation. with the mastery of his movement technique, he feels a new level of confidence in his ability to escape if anything happens.
inside the most luxurious villa in the city, an old man wearing a sharp, formal butler's suit walks through a vast, echoing hallway. His footsteps are muffled by the thick carpets as he enters a room dripping with opulence. sitting inside is a somewhat handsome young man, surrounded by the arrogant aura of a playboy. The butler stops before him and bows deeply. young master, our scouts have reported that nova has left the city.
the boy raises his face, his eyes burning with a viscous, dark intensity in the shadows of the room. This is Jack. good, he says, his voice cold and sharp. send the assassin we hired. Remember, do not get caught in any way. the butler nods with a stony, expressionless face. Don't worry, I will handle it. With that, the butler turns and leaves.
Jack's expression twists into something truly murderous. You won't live long after embarrassing me in front of the whole school. In his mind, he has already forgotten that he was the one who threatened the principal, only to be kicked out of the office and turned into the joke of the entire school. to jack, everything is nova's fault. Nova was supposed to stay weak, a permanent doormat for him to step on while he enjoyed the boy's misery. As he sits in the dim light, he loses himself in his own delusions of revenge.
While Jack is lost in his hallucinations, the butler meets with a man covered in black cloth. a cold, murderous aura radiates from the figure, chilling the air around them. the butler hands over the payment. Here is half of your fee, one hundred million alliance coins. The rest will be yours after you get the job done. Remember, do not leave any clues behind. If you are caught, we will not save you.
the man in black lets out a dry, mocking laugh. ha ha, don't worry. I have never been caught in my life. With my cultivation at rank seven and my movement technique having reached the mastery realm, my speed is equivalent to a rank nine awakened. there will be no problem. The target is just at rank three, or rank four at most. He is not my match. I will kill him in a single strike and run into the area outside the safe zone where rank seven and higher beasts roam.
he continues, his voice dripping with confidence. The city guards won't chase me; their work is to guard the city gate, not investigate crimes. That is the work of the public security bureau, and they are far too busy with the monster attacks to worry about some kid's death. After hiding for a while in the forest, I can just come back after disguising myself. the butler nods slowly. it had better be as you say.