"It seems you didn''t disappoint me this time."


    Caelius''s words hung in the air, but instead of celebration, they were met with awkward silence. Uncle Gold and the two siblings, Karl and Fiona, exchanged uneasy nces. None of them couldprehend what had just transpired. If there was one thing they could be absolutely sure of, it was that they had contributed next to nothing in the fight against the four ghouls.


    As this tense moment lingered, Caelius, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, stood tall. Old Bone, on the other hand, had just managed to get back on his feet, his hollow eyes widening in bafflement as he surveyed the battlefield. His gaze fell on the mutted forms of his men, now reduced to broken, defeated shadows of their former selves.


    "What… what happened here?!" Old Bone demanded, his voice filled with disbelief and fury.


    He turned to his men, expecting some exnation, but none came. Their mouths, now melted and useless, could not form a single word. The silence only enraged him further. His hollow sockets burned with fury as his gaze shifted between Vincent, Uncle Gold, and the others.


    "You''re going to pay for this!" he roared, his skeletal figure trembling with rage.


    Caelius, unbothered, responded with a scoff.


    "So this is how the Executors Guild operates? You can kill us, but we aren''t allowed to kill you? Pathetic."


    Old Bone harrumphed angrily, his bony fingers twitching with suppressed rage.


    "You''re just lucky today! This won''t be thest time we meet!"


    As his words echoed, he hurled a toxic bomb toward Caelius and the group.


    Poof!


    The bomb detonated, releasing a dense cloud of purple mist. Reacting swiftly, Caelius and the others retreated, narrowly avoiding the worst of the attack.


    Old Bone seized the opportunity. He retrieved a white scroll—an escape scroll—and tore it apart without hesitation. As he activated the scroll, circr particles of light began to form around him, signaling his imminent escape.


    His remaining men, trapped and wounded, red at him with hate-filled eyes, their expressions screaming betrayal. Their silent usations seemed to shout: "You''re leaving us?! How dare you!"


    Amid the purple haze, Uncle Gold, his vision partially obscured, sensed the shift.


    "He''s trying to escape!" he warned.


    Caelius reacted instantly. He swung his sword, releasing a surge of golden energy that sliced through the mist, aiming directly for Old Bone.


    sh!


    But it was toote. The strike passed harmlessly through Old Bone''s afterimage as he vanished from the Origin World.


    Before his departure, Old Bone cast onest nce at Vincent. The young man stood motionless, staring into the distance as though the chaos around him didn''t concern him. Old Bone''s hollow gaze narrowed, his mind etching Vincent''s aura into memory. He was certain that this "neer" would be a force to reckon with in the Origin World.


    As the tension began to settle, Uncle Gold and the siblings clicked their tongues in frustration. Caelius remained impassive, his expression unreadable, leaving everyone to wonder what was going through his mind.


    Moments after Old Bone''s escape, the mutted bodies of the four ghouls dissolved into particles of digital light. System notifications rang out in everyone''s minds.


    You have sessfully killed a Tier 2 (3★) Ghoul!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    You have sessfully killed a Tier 2 (3★) Ghoul!


    You have sessfully killed…


    You have sess…


    The notifications continued, apanied by an influx of experience points.


    You have received +1500 experience points! x4


    Talent Activated! +15,000,000 experience points! x4


    Vincent let out a long sigh of relief as the system''s voice faded.


    "Luckily, I managed to spend my XP before they died," he thought.


    Earlier, when he noticed how severely the ghouls were affected by his Abyssal Venosh, he had been taken aback. What he had intended as a distraction to buy time for Uncle Gold and Karl had far surpassed his expectations. The venom had decimated the ghouls.


    Realizing they were on the brink of death, Vincent had quickly spent one million experience points to upgrade two of his skills:


    The first was the Torrent of Origin Technique, a physicalbat skill he hadn''t upgraded since the Academy''s Annual Ceremony. Using 300,000 experience points, he advanced it to epic grade, renaming it Cascade of Origin Flow.


    Name: Cascade of Origin Flow


    Grade: Epic


    Effect:


    Explore more at empire


    Offensive: Boosts attack power by 50% and enhancesbo fluidity. Grants a 40% chance to trigger an Origin Echo Strike after a sessful hit, bypassing a portion of the target''s defense.


    Defensive: Reduces iing damage by 50% during blocks. A precise parry reflects 40% of mitigated damage back at the attacker.


    Special: Unlocks Forceflow Maniption, allowing energy absorption and redirection. Sessful blocks unleash a shockwave that staggers nearby enemies.


    Utility: Grants minor regeneration of 5 Origin Energy per second during sustained defensive streaks.


    Consumption: 80 Origin Energy per minute.


    The second skill was his umon ability, Rolling Bash, which he had acquired from the mutated ck rat. Using the remaining points, he upgraded it to epic grade.


    Name: Cyclone Breaker


    Grade: Epic


    Effect:


    Damage: Inflicts 200% of base attack damage per second during the spin, weakening enemy defenses.


    Stagger: High chance to stagger opponents.


    Knockback: Ends with a powerful sh, creating a shockwave that hurls enemies backward.


    Special: Grants a speed burst for repositioning after the attack. Consumption: 50 Origin Energy


    Duration: 4 seconds


    Cooldown: 20 seconds


    Although Vincent was satisfied with the upgrades, he couldn''t help but feel a twinge of regret as millions of experience points vanished.


    "What a waste," he thought bitterly.


    Turning his attention to the glowing orbs and items dropped by the ghouls, his excitement grew. Before he could move, Caelius approached him.


    His expression calm yet inquisitive.


    "Are you alright?"


    Vincent quicklyposed himself and nodded. Then, noticing Caelius''s battered armor, he added, "What about you? Looks like you had a rough fight."


    Before Caelius could respond, Uncle Gold and the siblings rushed over.


    "Young Master, are you okay? What happened to you in there?" Fiona asked, concerncing her voice.


    Recalling the recent battle, Caelius suppressed a smile. In truth, he had feigned exhaustion to lure Old Bone out of his domain. The ploy worked perfectly, catching the skeleton off guard and allowing Caelius to deliver a decisive strike.


    Still, he offered no exnation, simply smiling. "You surprised me this time. I didn''t expect the four of you to take down those ghouls so quickly. Go collect the loot and replenish your energy. It''s time to meet thisbyrinth''s master."


    Despite his encouragement, none of them moved. Uncle Gold, Karl, and Fiona exchanged uneasy looks.


    "What''s wrong?" Caelius asked, his sharp gaze narrowing on them.


    After a moment of hesitation, Uncle Gold stepped forward. With a wry smile, he exined, "Actually, young master, it wasn''t us. Vincent killed the remaining four ghouls on his own."


    Caelius''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "He killed them? All four?"


    Vincent scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "Somehow…"


    Caelius didn''t press further, nodding in understanding. "Then the drops from those four are yours. The others can share the remaining loot."


    Vincent had no objections and gratefully began collecting the items.