[The Abyssal Academy - The Principal's Office]
The midnight storm battered the towering glass windows of the Principal's Office. Thunder masked the faint, metallic clink of a grappling hook catching the stone balcony.
Three figures slipped silently through the shadows. They were the "Silent Seraphs," the Holy Kingdom's most elite, fanatic covert operatives. Dressed in light-absorbing black tactical gear, they bypassed the sleeping Chimera and the first-floor toll booths using highly expensive, single-use cloaking artifacts purchased from the black market.
Their mission was absolute: Steal the Tycoon's Ledger and cripple the Pantheon Group's economy.
The lead operative, a scarred zealot named Silas, crept across the plush carpet. The scent of rain and wet leather clung to him. He locked his eyes on the prize. Resting innocently on the massive mahogany desk, glowing with a faint, rhythmic golden pulse, was the heavy black book.
Silas reached out, his gloved fingers brushing the leather cover.
CLICK.
The heavy oak doors of the office instantly slammed shut. The roaring fireplace extinguished itself in a fraction of a second, immediately replaced by blinding, neon-red security lights that bathed the room in a harsh, glaring crimson.
"Don't touch that," a voice echoed from the high-backed leather chair facing the window.
Victor Thorne slowly spun the chair around. He was wide awake, wearing his immaculate midnight-blue suit, holding a steaming cup of black coffee.
Silas drew twin blessed daggers, his heart hammering in his chest. "The cloaking artifacts... how did you see us?! We bypassed the Iron Bank wards!"
"You bypassed a third-party security plugin," Victor took a slow sip of his coffee. "I canceled our subscription to those expensive, bloated wards last week. Third-party integrations are a massive drain on operational overhead."
Victor set his cup down, his Tycoon's Aura beginning to suffocate the small room.
"Instead, I built a custom automation script directly into the castle's architecture," Victor adjusted his cuffs, his cold eyes locking onto the terrified operatives. "It monitors localized mana-displacement and triggers a lockdown the moment an unlicensed stealth signature crosses the threshold. It costs absolutely nothing to run, and it is entirely foolproof."
Silas gritted his teeth. "We don't need stealth anymore! Take him down! Grab the book!"
The three operatives lunged forward with supernatural speed, their blessed daggers aiming directly for Victor's throat.