The instant the chanical bird took off, Creed let out a small, almost imperceptible sigh of relief.
Down below, the crowd of Awakened watched as he soared away alongside Fiona and her brothers.
None of them tried to stop him. None of them even considered making a move against Fiona.
Creed’s gaze lowered slightly, scanning the people below one last ti before shifting to Fiona.
Why? Why had no one dared to challenge her?
Although this was a very good thing, he could not help but be a little curious.
The two Silver level Awakened, both of whom had been oozing killing intent toward him just monts ago hadn’t even thought about teaming up to take her down.
That ant two possibilities.
One: Fiona was far stronger than he initially thought. She was so strong that even the power of those two combined wouldn’t match hers and they would still end up defeated.
Or two: Her background was beyond terrifying. She could be from a very powerful family with even Gold level Awakened! That would be truly terrifying!
Either way, she was not soone to be underestimated.
Creed kept these thoughts to himself, his gaze flickering toward Kent, who had been watching him ever since they took off.
"You’ve gotten stronger again," Kent suddenly said, his tone curious, almost cautious. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly, this ti with a bit of confusion. "And... you seem familiar sohow."
Creed didn’t respond.
He simply glanced at Kent coldly, his expression unreadable, and then looked away, choosing to ignore him completely.
Kent, however, wasn’t just making random conversation.
He had truly noticed sothing.
That presence, that aura emanating from Creed now was dangerously similar to his own innate talent.
It was very similar to his Blood Saber.
A talent centered entirely around killing.
Kent couldn’t explain it, but the mont Creed stepped out of that rift, he had felt it—an energy that resonated with him, as if their abilities were sohow cut from the sa cloth.
anwhile, Creed was coming to a realization of his own.
That inheritance...
That Path of Killing...
It had actually been perfectly suited for Kent!
Had he not possessed the system, he would have never been able to endure the trial or even survive the crimson magma in the first place.
He would have either been eaten alive by the bats, devoured by the madness, torn apart by the trials, and left to rot forever in the rift.
He also owed his two summons big ti. They really tried for him.
If not for his summons using Empowernt to bolster his mind, or using damage transfer to withstand the dozens of injuries he had received and prevent his blood from touching the floor, his fate would have been sealed.
He had barely survived. And yet, now he stood here.
Stronger, deadlier and with a determination to improve his flawed character.
He turned his gaze back toward Fiona. She had been watching him closely with an amused expression.
"You’ve changed," she said simply, a knowing smirk on her lips.
Creed’s lips curled faintly. He said nothing.
Instead, wordlessly, he reached into his spatial ring and pulled out 150 ters worth of Yellow Snake Vine.
The exact amount they had agreed upon. He held it out toward her and Fiona grinned at this.
Taking the vine into her own storage space, she tossed it once in her hand before storing it away, her erald eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"Nice doing business with you," she said.
Creed nodded slightly, but his mind was already elsewhere.
The chanical bird began to descend.
Below them, the towering walls of the Bastion lood. The fortified safe zone for humanity and his next stepping stone.
As soon as the bird landed, Fiona and her brothers stepped off first, casually making their way toward the main entrance.
Creed followed silently, his movents fluid and calm. The mont they crossed the threshold into the Bastion, he paused.
Then, without a word, he turned away from the group.
A silent nod. No farewell. No pleasantries. He was done here.
Kent, however, did not take his eyes off him.
He watched Creed’s back, his expression unreadable, but his gaze burning with curiosity.
Sothing had happened inside that rift. Sothing that had changed Creed fundantally.
And his instincts, the sa instincts that had never failed him in a fight were screaming at him.
If he fought Creed right now, he would lose. Miserably.
.....
Creed strode through the sleek, well lit streets of Section 7, his boots tapping lightly against the clean pavent as he finally allowed a small smile to grace his face.
For the first ti in what felt like ages, he wasn’t risking his life, rushing himself to do another reckless thing, or fighting for his life.
This was peace—well, as peaceful as a world filled with terrifying dinsional beast lords and kings could be.
But sothing was different. He could feel it. That rift... that trial... it had changed him.
Even he knew it.
The recklessness he once carried, the arrogance and selfishness of his past life, where he had been a man of culture, drifting through the world with a carefree heart was mostly gone.
He had shed that foolishness like a second skin, replacing it with sothing sharper, colder, more calculated.
Yet, at his core, there were things that hadn’t changed.
For one, he still had an undeniable appreciation for ambitious won.
And Fiona? Yeah. She was definitely his type.
Not that it mattered right now. He wasn’t about to chase after a woman when he still had so much to accomplish.
His strength and his summons ca first now. He had no ti to get distracted.
Besides, there was sothing far more pressing at the mont; money.
He had a fortune coming his way.
The thought made his grin widen slightly as he turned a corner, the towering digital billboards above flashing different ads for combat gear, serums, and top quality weaponry.
With all the Yellow Snake Vine he had left, he was guaranteed to make at least a few million from the trade.
That ant he could clear his debts and still have a mountain of cash to spare.
No more debts. No more owing anyone anything!
Although looking back now, he had been a bit foolish to have not paid Alfonzo’s already, but there was no point regretting anymore.
He would make better choices in future, but at least he would be able to pay the debts now.
The sheer relief that thought brought him was almost as satisfying as landing a perfect kill strike.
Just as he was lost in those glorious thoughts of financial freedom, his nose twitched.
A scent.
A beautiful, mouthwatering scent.
His eyes flicked to the side, and there it was; a steakhouse, its massive digital sign flashing the words "Big Red’s Pri Cuts - All You Can Eat!"
His stomach growled.
Loudly.
Creed paused.
...Food first.
Money could wait.
Because if he didn’t fill his stomach first, he might just start stabbing people out of hunger!
That was why. Not that he had a particular soft spot for steak!
Two hours later...
Creed walked out of Alfonzo’s with the biggest, dumbest grin on his face.
For the first ti since arriving in this godforsaken world a month ago, he felt...
Light. Free. Unburdened.
His debt was gone.
Gone.
G-O-N-E!
His shoulders actually felt lighter, as if he had been carrying a massive boulder on his back all this ti without realizing it.
He took in a deep breath of the crisp, cool air of the Bastion’s main comrce district, then let out a deep, satisfied sigh.
"I... am finally a free man," he muttered, almost disbelievingly.
Then a thought hit him and it was so ridiculous he nearly burst out laughing.
If he died right now, at least he wouldn’t die in debt.
Sohow, that made him feel even better.
He replayed the mont he handed Alfonzo the money, rembering the bitterness in the man’s smile.
Alfonzo had clearly not expected Creed to pay him back so soon.
Maybe not ever.
Watching the chubby guy force himself to smile and accept the cash, clearly torn between relief and disappointnt, had been hilarious!
Creed chuckled to himself, shaking his head.
"Yeah... that felt real damn good."
He cracked his neck, stretched his arms, and let his grin widen.
From this point forward, he had a clean slate.
And that?
That ant it was ti to start building sothing truly terrifying.
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