"So? What did you find out?" Liam asked, his voice steady but laced with anticipation. As a special association hunter of Sanctuary, he didn’t waste time on formalities.
Liam was no ordinary player. An SS-ranked powerhouse blessed with the S-rank talent Ice Age, he stood among the elite. Many within the Blue Star hailed him as the next demigod—a prodigy destined to rise beyond mortal limitations. The higher-ups had invested heavily in grooming his potential.
He was the personal disciple of Catherine, the demigod who had sacrificed herself to stop a catastrophic dungeon break, alongside her husband, Liam Highborn. That made him the disciple of Aaron’s parents.
After their deaths, multiple demigods offered to take him under their wing, yet he declined. Instead, he returned to his roots—Sanctuary. A place once home, now scarred and plagued. While others suffered in its shadows, Liam had grown strong enough to rise above its horrors. And now, he aimed to protect it in whatever way he could.
For weeks, he had been investigating one of the underground kings terrorizing the Sanctuary’s indigenes. Slippery, cruel, and well-connected, the criminal known as Stone had eluded capture—until now.
"So you’re saying my master’s son saved you... and isn’t the talentless disgrace the media portrays him to be?" Liam asked, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "But actually has a rare talent?"
"Yes," the assistant confirmed. "Not only that, he’s smart, sharp, and carries a deep sense of justice. He knew when to back down from a losing battle, which is more than I can say for many cocky rookies."
"To receive so much praise from you... I’d love to see him soon," Liam replied with a soft chuckle.
"You said he’s among the exam participants, right? Let’s see how well he fares against the monsters waiting in that arena," Liam mused as he reviewed hidden cam footage the assistant had provided.
The woman in the video was the one who had been cornered by Barnes under Stone’s orders. She had feigned weakness on purpose—a calculated risk to bait Stone and provide Liam with the solid evidence he needed to take him down. And Stone, arrogant as ever, had swallowed the bait perfectly.
"Oh, also... he’s arrived in Sanctuary as well," the assistant added.
Liam’s gaze lifted. "Who?"
A low groan escaped Liam’s lips. "That damn bull. Does he know Aaron’s here?"
"Not that I know of," she replied honestly.
"Good. I hope it stays that way. It’ll get messy if they end up facing off," Liam muttered, rubbing his temples.
Joseph—his former disciple. The one who once idolized Liam so intensely he began to carry himself as Liam’s son. But the birth of Aaron shattered that fantasy. Catherine and Liam’s love for their child was raw and absolute. Joseph, unable to accept it, was consumed by envy.
"You can go get some rest now. I’ll handle things before dawn and submit the evidence by morning. That way, we can catch Stone and his backers off guard," Liam said, rising from his chair.
The pendant on his neck shimmered faintly under the room’s dim light—a keepsake from Catherine.
He cut a striking figure. White, neatly-trimmed hair, piercing blue eyes, a lean but solid build. He wore a black, sleeveless fitted top that hugged his form, radiating authority and composure.
Talent: S Rank - Lightning
Talent: SS Rank - Primordial Flames
Aaron had used the Phantom Mask to alter not only his appearance but also Flameborn’s and even his projected strength.
Now, instead of his usual teenage appearance, Aaron looked like a man in his late twenties. Shoulder-length hair flowed freely behind him, framing a half-mask that veiled his lower face. His eye color had changed from its iconic crimson to a deep, electric blue, crackling faintly with lightning.
He wore a sleek black suit, fitted perfectly to his frame like a CEO ready for a ruthless business meeting.
Flameborn had taken on a more cryptic form—no longer a dragon, but a majestic eagle with a golden beak, sharp intelligent eyes, and wide, powerful wings. Its tail feathers shimmered oddly, betraying a faint magical trace.
Aaron couldn’t afford to reveal Flameborn’s true identity just yet. If word got out that he had a dragon, the big players would come running.
"Guess we’re all set. Time for a little chit-chat, don’t you think?" Aaron said casually as he stepped out of the sanctuary with Flameborn at his side.
He didn’t exit through the hotel’s main doors, but instead emerged in the dark, quiet alleyway—the very same place where Barnes had tried to force the young woman toward Stone.
Aaron had marked the location long ago. He was always planning a return visit.
"Now all that remains is to follow Barnes’ scent... and his lackeys," Aaron muttered, his voice low and deliberate.
He moved swiftly through the dead of night, Flameborn soaring silently behind him like a phantom shadow. He didn’t bother to suppress his aura anymore. There was no point.
"Guess we’re here," he said, halting in front of a grim, old structure. The scent was strong here.
"A slaughterhouse, huh?" he said with a sardonic smirk. "Smart move. The stench of blood masks the real horrors. Clever."
"Time to curb some pests," Aaron murmured as he walked confidently through the front.
An old butcher, reclining on a chair near the entrance, barely glanced up. "Sorry, young man. We’re closed."
Aaron smiled politely. "That’s fine. I wasn’t planning to buy anything anyway."
The butcher’s eyes narrowed. "I’ll have to ask you to leave. Now. Quietly. Or I’ll make you."
Aaron’s gaze turned glacial. "That’s alright. I didn’t come here for peace."
He took a step forward, his presence pressing down like a stormcloud.
"Now tell me... how many people have you killed to reek of such a foul, bloody stench?" he asked, his voice now laced with fury.
As a Primordial hybrid, Aaron’s sensitivity to the scent of blood was unmatched. And what he smelled wasn’t the metallic tang of butchered animals.
It was the unmistakable stench of human blood.