The hot water felt like ice against his skin. Ren stood still under the spray of the shower. He didn't use soap or scrub his hair. He just let the water wash away the dried monster blood and the stench of the S-Rank labyrinth. Through the glass door of the shower, the Omni-View camera hovered silently in the dark bathroom. The tiny red recording light pierced through the steam, burning into Ren's back.
He could feel her eyes. It was a sensation, like a suffocating blanket wrapped tightly around his throat. She watched every drop of water trace down his chest. She watched his chest expand and contract with every breath.
[God of Fate]: Turn around.
[God of Fate]: I want to see your face.
Ren closed his eyes, his fists clenching at his sides until his knuckles turned white. The overwhelming humiliation made his stomach churn. He was a Level 50 Awakened. He had just slaughtered an S-Rank boss with a single swing. Yet, here he was a prisoner in his own bathroom.
He slowly turned around, facing the glass door. He kept his expression blank, burying his boiling rage inside his chest.
[The God of Fate is sighing in satisfaction.]
[The God of Fate has donated 2,000,000 Karma Points!]
[God of Fate]: You are flawless. My beautiful weapon. Dry yourself now. You need to rest.
Ren turned off the water. He stepped out of the shower, grabbing a white towel from the rack. He dried himself off quickly and pulled on a simple pair of black sweatpants and a loose dark grey shirt. He didn't bother drying his hair, letting the wet strands fall into his eyes. He walked out of the bathroom and into the silent living room.
The adrenaline from the labyrinth had faded, leaving behind a sharp clarity. He sat down on the edge of the expensive leather couch. He needed to get stronger. The Mythic weapon and the coat were powerful, but they were borrowed power. They belonged to her. If he ever wanted to break this contract and free himself from her psychotic gaze, he needed his own strength. He needed to understand the Divine Spark she had placed inside his soul.
But first, he had loot to open.
"System," Ren whispered. "Open Inventory. Extract S-Rank Relic Box."
A small carved wooden box appeared instantly on the glass coffee table in front of him. It was shining with a faint, golden light. S-Rank Relics were rare. They were usually only awarded for achieving impossible feats, like clearing an S-Rank scenario solo and breaking a global time record.
Ren reached out and unlatched the tiny golden lock. The box sprang open. Inside, resting on a bed of black velvet, there was a dull silver ring. It looked like a cheap piece of junk you could buy at a street market.
Ren picked it up. The blue system screen generated the item details.
[Item Name: Ring of the Silent King]
[Grade: S-Rank]
[Description: A relic forged by a tyrant who hated the sound of breathing. When activated, it generates a 'Domain of Silence' within a fifty meter radius. Inside this domain, no sound can be created, and no sound can escape.]
[Cost to Activate: 10 Mana per minute.]
Ren raised an eyebrow. It wasn't a weapon, and it didn't boost his stats. But for someone who wanted to avoid drawing the attention of the Awakened Association while slaughtering his enemies, it was a perfect tool.
He slipped the cold silver ring onto his left index finger. It shrank to fit perfectly. Just as he rested his hands on his lap, the crimson chat box pushed the blue system screens away.
[The God of Fate is glaring at the windows.]
[God of Fate]: Filthy rats.
[God of Fate]: Ren. We have guests. They brought the stench of death to our door.
Ren froze. He didn't look at the camera. He instantly expanded his mana senses, pushing his A-Rank perception outward. He felt it. Three distinct, cold mana signatures were clinging to the outside of his penthouse building. They were scaling the sheer glass wall of the skyscraper, dozens of stories above the street, moving with the eerie silence of spiders.
'Assassins,' Ren thought, his eyes narrowing.
The security system of the Roppongi penthouse was top-tier. The windows were blast proof, rated to withstand a C-Rank missile strike, but physical defenses meant nothing against high level magic.
Outside the window, a patch of the glass suddenly turned black. The shadow seemed to melt the solid material, creating a portal of dark energy. Three figures stepped through the shadow portal, silently on the hardwood floor of Ren's living room. They wore tight black combat suits and featureless black masks. They held jagged, poisoned daggers that absorbed the light. They were the Shadows, the unregistered squad of the Azure Dragon Guild. They looked around the dark room. They saw Ren sitting on the couch, his back facing them, his head bowed. To them, he looked like an exhausted, helpless rookie who had fallen asleep sitting up.
The lead assassin raised his hand, signaling the other two to fan out. They moved with silence, their boots making zero sound against the wood. They were professionals, sponsored by the God of Death, trained to slit throats before their victims even woke up. The leader crept behind the couch. He raised his poisoned dagger, aiming for the base of Ren's neck to sever the spinal cord instantly. He thrust the blade downward.
CLANG!!
The jagged dagger struck a wall of force two inches from Ren's neck. The impact sent a shockwave, crawling up the assassin's arm, nearly dislocating his shoulder.
The leader's eyes widened behind his mask. 'A barrier? The intel said the target was an F-Rank porter with no defensive magic!'
Ren didn't even turn around. He simply raised his left hand, the dull silver ring on his finger catching the faint neon light from the city outside.
"Domain of Silence," Ren whispered.
WOOP!!
A wave of grey energy metaphorically expanded from the ring, covering the penthouse in a fraction of a second. The hum of the city traffic outside vanished. The soft hum of the refrigerator died. The world was plunged into a suffocating void of sound.
Ren slowly stood up from the couch and turned around to face the three assassins, his crimson eyes shining brightly in the dark room, burning with a ruthless fury. He had just survived an S-Rank labyrinth. He had just endured the humiliating torture of his Goddess. He was in a very bad mood, and Kaito had just delivered three punching bags to his living room.
The lead assassin recovered from his shock. He opened his mouth and shouted an order to his men, but no sound came out. The Domain of Silence swallowed his voice. Panic flashed in his eyes. The two flanking assassins pounced forward, their daggers shimmering with dark necrotic mana. They aimed for Ren's ribs.
Ren didn't summon his Mythic scythe. He simply stepped forward, moving so fast his body blurred. His Agility stat was 165. To him, the elite assassins looked like they were moving underwater. Ren grabbed the wrist of the assassin on his left. He didn't use a martial arts technique. He just squeezed.
CRUSH!!
The terrifying A-Rank Strength stat crushed the assassin's wrist bones into powder. The assassin's mouth opened in an agonizing scream, his poisoned dagger clattering to the floor.
Without missing a beat, Ren used the crushed wrist to pull the first assassin forward, swinging him like a human shield into the path of the second assassin. The two bodies collided with bone shattering force. The second assassin's poisoned blade buried itself into the first assassin's gut.
Before they could fall to the floor, Ren raised his right leg and unleashed a devastating front kick to the second assassin's chest.
The force of the kick was like a cannonball. The assassin's ribcage caved in instantly. He flew backward across the living room, crashing through the oak dining table and shattering it into splinters before banging against the far wall. His body slid down to the floor, leaving a thick smear of blood on the pristine white paint. He didn't move again.
The first assassin, clutching his ruined wrist and the dagger sticking out of his stomach, collapsed to his knees, his eyes rolling back into his head from the poison in his own weapon.
Two elite killers, neutralized in less than three seconds, and the fight was terrifyingly silent.
Ren turned his head slowly, looking at the lead assassin. The leader was shaking. He looked at the mangled bodies of his team, then back at Ren. He finally realized the horrifying truth. 'The intel wasn't just wrong. It was a death trap. The man standing in front of him wasn't an F-Rank lucky survivor. He was a monster.'
The leader dropped his dagger. He raised his hands, trying to surrender. He dropped to his knees, bowing his head to the floor. Ren walked slowly toward him. The silence of the room made the pressure emanating from Ren's body feel ten times heavier.
Suddenly, the room flashed into crimson red. The chat box appeared, expanding to cover Ren's field of vision. The text was tearing across the screen, dripping with divine, psychopathic rage.
[WARNING: CONSTELLATION 'GOD OF FATE' IS FURIOUS.]
[God of Fate]: They stepped on your floor. They dared to bring their filthy weapons near your beautiful neck.
[God of Fate]: This is our sanctuary. This is where I watch you sleep. How dare they pollute it with their presence?!
[God of Fate]: DO NOT LET HIM SURRENDER, REN. PUNISH HIM.
[System Notice: The God of Fate has issued an Exclusive Quest!]
[Quest Title: The Goddess' Wrath]
[Objective: Execute the intruder using the most painful method possible. Make him bleed on the floor he disrespected.]
[Reward: 5,000,000 Karma Points and increased Sponsorship Affinity.]
[Failure Penalty: The God of Fate will personally destroy the Roppongi district.]
Ren stopped walking. He looked at the red text. The failure penalty wasn't a joke. If he didn't brutally murder this man, she would annihilate the city block just to satisfy her jealousy and rage.
Ren looked down at the trembling assassin. "Deactivate Domain," Ren whispered.
The suffocating silence instantly vanished. The sounds of the city traffic returned. The assassin gasped for air, tears streaming down his face beneath the black mask. "P-Please! Have mercy! Kaito sent us! The Guild Master! He wanted the S-Rank core! We didn't know you were this strong! I'll tell you everything!"
"I already know Kaito sent you," Ren said ruthlessly, "and I don't need your information."
Ren raised his right hand. Particles of crimson light gathered in his palm, crystallizing into the massive form of the Severance of Destiny. The crystallized blood blade hummed, echoing the rage of its creator.
The assassin looked up at the shining red scythe, despair flooding his eyes. "No... please... I surrender!"
"The Goddess doesn't accept surrenders," Ren said, his voice devoid of all human empathy.
He swung the scythe downward.
He didn't use the blade. He used the blunt bottom of the long handle. He smashed it into the assassin's kneecap.
CRACK!
The assassin unleashed a bloody scream, collapsing onto his side and clutching his shattered leg.
[The God of Fate is smiling.]
[God of Fate]: Yes. Break him. Make him scream louder for me.
CRUNCH!
Ren raised the handle again and brought it down on the assassin's other knee. Another sickening crunch echoed through the penthouse.
"Ahhhh! God! Kill me! Just kill me!" the assassin shrieked, thrashing on the floor in unbearable agony.
Ren stared down at the broken man. He felt no guilt. This man broke into his home to sever his spine. If Ren was still the weak F-Rank porter, he would be dead on the couch right now, but he wasn't weak anymore.
"You want to die?" Ren asked softly. "Fine."
Ren flipped the scythe, bringing the crimson blade down. In one smooth motion, he severed the assassin's right arm at the shoulder. Blood sprayed across the hardwood floor. The assassin's screams abruptly cut off as he went into severe shock, his eyes rolling back in his head. A few seconds later, his heart stopped.
[Exclusive Quest Cleared!]
[The God of Fate is purring in delight.]
[The God of Fate has donated 5,000,000 Karma Points!]
[God of Fate]: You defended our home perfectly. You are my beautiful, ruthless king.
Ren willed the scythe away. He stood in his living room, surrounded by three dead bodies, shattered furniture, and pools of blood. The pristine sanctuary he had bought just hours ago was ruined. He looked at the Omni-View camera hovering in the corner of the room. The red light blinked steadily.
"Are you happy now?" Ren asked the camera, his voice tight with exhausted anger.
[God of Fate]: Very happy. But the floor is dirty now.
[God of Fate]: Clean it up, my love. Then go to sleep. I will be watching.
Ren let out a bitter laugh. He walked over to the shattered remains of his dining table and pulled out a large black trash bag he had bought earlier. He wasn't going to clean it up. He was going to pack it up.
Kaito wanted the S-Rank core. Kaito thought he could treat Ren like a disposable pawn, even after Ren had proven he could survive the impossible. Ren grabbed the severed arm of the lead assassin and tossed it into the black bag. He tossed the broken masks and the poisoned daggers in next.
"Guild Master Kaito," Ren muttered to himself, tying the black bag shut. "You want to play the game of assassins in the dark? Let's play."
Tomorrow morning, the Azure Dragon Guild wasn't going to receive an S-Rank core. They were going to receive a package dripping with blood, and Ren Hanshin was going to make sure the world watched him deliver it.